I don't own these characters, all for Shonda Rhimes!
Happy reading!
The next day things were more hectic than expected. Robin Thicke's wife phoned Olivia first thing in the morning to inform her that Robin would have to go on first, which meant a total reworking of the show. Fitz had suggested to the boys that they tell everyone to be at the theater an hour earlier than first planned. They were glad they listened to their father for once. They could give out the new schedule before the performance started. Right after Olivia got off the phone with Paula her morning sickness hit her like a ton of bricks. She was able to play it off to the family as a simple case of nerves. It was her babies' first production; she was entitled to be nervous. When Alyssa and McKenzie woke up, they were both in bad moods. They would just get one smiling, and then the other would start screaming. Olivia plodded downstairs to grab some crackers, and found Tom in as good a mood as the girls.
"What's the reason for YOUR happy mood this morning?" Olivia reached for the herbal tea and a box of crackers.
"YOU try making five different breakfasts and see what kind of mood YOU'RE in." He watched her start to heat the water and pop a cracker in to her mouth. "So, we're like that again are we?"
"Tom, just drop it, please? Why do you have to make five breakfasts? Just make one, but make sure you boil Fitz's eggs. What's so hard about that?"
"Mrs. Grant was down at five thirty putting in her breakfast order. The younger Mr. Grant was here at seven. Then there's YOUR Mr. Grant's special eggs and toast, the two girls eat differently than you and the older children…there you have it…five different meals."
"No way, Tom, not today. It'll be lunch by the time you get breakfast to us. This is not a hotel."
"But Mrs. Grant said…"
"Tom, Sweetie, who signs your paycheck?"
"Mr. Grant does, of course."
"Take another look at it, Buddy. That check says Olivia Pope-Grant. There are too many people in this house to please. The girls will eat scrambled eggs, why don't you make that, along with some fresh fruit, maybe some fried potatoes, bacon…I mean, you'll still have to boil Fitz's eggs, but everyone else will have to live with it."
"Live with what, Babe?"
"I told Tom to ignore all the separate breakfast orders and make one meal, but to be sure to boil your eggs. He had five different meals to prepare, Honey. You'll have to remind your mom and brother that we've got little kids to think of and Tom can't be in here cooking all day."
"You're right, Livvie, I'll let them know."
She kissed her husband and winked at Tom. "Thanks, Honey. Feel better, Tom?"
"Yes, much better, how about you?" The two men watched Olivia munching on the soda crackers and pouring her hot water into a teacup.
"I'm FINE, I'm just a little nervous about tonight. I haven't sung in public in years, this is the boys' first production, we've got all four sets of grandparents invited, which is a free for all just waiting to happen if ya ask me…and you wonder why my stomach's turning flip flops?"
"Let me finish making your tea, Liv. Why don't you go upstairs and lie down, and I'll bring it to you."
"Thanks, Fitz. Have I told you lately what a wonderful husband you are?"
He looked at his watch. "Not in the last twenty minutes." He kissed her softly, and then turned her around by the shoulders, giving her a gentle push toward the stairs. "Up you go, now, that's a good girl."
She looked back at him and grinned as she started up the stairs. "What did I ever do to deserve you?"
"I'll make you a list, now go rest." He watched her go up the stairs, and then turned around and finished making her tea. "Tom, have you noticed how tired she looks lately?"
"Well, she HAS been under quite a bit of stress lately, what with the move, the wedding, the pageant, the relatives visiting…I'm sure once we all get settled into the new house, she'll be back to her old self."
"I'm sure you're right. So, are you all set to make your big singing debut? I still can't believe you got Abby to sing with you."
"She's actually quite good. May I ask you something, in confidence?"
"Of course, Tom, what's on your mind?"
"How does Abby react to a surprise? I mean a public surprise."
"Well, that all depends. Is this good surprise or are you planning something to torture her?"
"Oh, I think it's a very good surprise, I just don't want to embarrass her." He leaned closer to Fitz and looked around the room. "I want to sing a special song to her, one that we haven't rehearsed. I'll slip the CD in with the others when I pack everything up tonight, and then sing the song from it once I finish my regular numbers."
"Tom, you're not thinking of proposing to her are you?"
"Well, to be honest, I HAVE thought about it, but I'm not sure we're ready for that step yet. I haven't even told her that I love her yet."
"What's stopping you, Man? My God, you've known each other for how long now? What the hell are you waiting for, tell her how you feel!"
"She's been hurt in the past; we've been going slow, building trust."
"There's such a thing as waiting TOO long, Tom, I know about THAT all too well." He looked towards the stairs. "Don't wait Tom, you might regret it the rest of your life. I think the song will be lovely. It IS a love song, right?"
Tom chuckled. "Yeah, it is."
"Go for it, Tom. Like Liv always says, 'Carpe Diem'. I'd better get her tea up to her before it gets cold. Good luck tonight, Tom."
"Isn't that 'break a leg'?"
"I wasn't talking about your performance." He chuckled before heading up the stairs to his bedroom.
The family ate an early dinner before heading to the theater. The boys quickly started reorganizing the performance order while Olivia introduced her family to her old friend, Paula.
"I can't believe you're not working anymore, Liv!"
"I've got the kids to think about now, Paula."
"You had kids before, well, you had Bryce. He's really a sweet boy, better than that father of his."
"I'm just hoping he hasn't overheard any of the things Fitz and I have been talking about regarding Jake."
"Liv, everyone knew. YOU knew, I'm sure he saw what was going on. You know, he asked me out before I met Robin."
"I'm starting to think he asked ALL my friends out."
"Well, that was the rumor, Sweetie. I'm just glad you ended up with Fitzgerald Grant. Now THAT is one yummy man. Wow, speaking of yummy, who is THAT?" She pointed to Tom.
"Who, Tom? He's our butler, and one of my best friends. He IS adorable, isn't he? He's also completely in love with Fitz's business partner; I'm just not sure he knows it yet."
"So you played matchmaker, right?"
"You know me too well, girl. I didn't really play matchmaker, well, yeah, I did. I saw the way they looked at each other, but Abby was so hung up on classes. She's something like a hundredth generation blue blood." She laughed softly. "I told her it would be a shame to miss out on the love of your life just because he worked as a butler."
"Good for you, Liv."
"Well, look at me and Fitz. I'm just this poor kid from Queens."
"Yeah, and Robin's a poor kid from The Bronx. You two crack me up, no matter how much money you make, or how successful you are, you stay so down to earth." She looked around the stage. "Have you seen Alexa?"
"She's with my girls. Quinn, our nanny, took them into the green room to play."
"I think Robin's still with Fitz." She giggled. "He's going to give your husband a hard time about doing a spread for him, but he came into this knowing he was going to agree to it. I told him from the beginning he was going to do this for you."
"Thanks, Paula."
"If your husband is anything like your boys, he'll be a joy to work with. They are so professional for only being eight."
"Not quite eight. We're very proud of them. Fitz gave them a little guidance, but this pageant is all them. Fitz convinced some of his clients to attend, and they're going to make donations to the school, so this fundraiser is really going to be a good one."
"We'll make a donation, too, Liv."
"Oh, no, you're doing enough just being here."
"Olivia, it will be our pleasure. Who's collecting the checks?"
"Abby Whelan, Fitz's partner. She's also the business manager for the agency."
"-and the object of your butler's affections. That's so romantic."
"Mom! MOM!" The boys came running across the stage.
"What is it, My Darlings?"
"Grandma and Grandpa Capshaw just got here."
"Uh-oh, I'd better go find Fitz."
"His parents?"
"His late wife's parents. Come on, I'll show you to the green room. You can wait in there with the kids. Quinn will flip when she meets you." The two women linked arms on the way to the backstage waiting room. Once she had Paula settled with the girls, she moved down the hall to find her husband. The sound of male laughter told her she'd found them.
She knocked on the door and called his name. Fitz opened the door laughing. "Babe, Robin's agreed to do a photo shoot with me for the agency."
"That's wonderful, Honey!" She walked over and gave Robin a hug. "Paula's in the green room with Alexa and our girls. I need to steal my husband for a bit."
"It's so good to see you again, Liv, you look GREAT."
Fitz slipped his arm around his wife's waist. "Yes, she does, doesn't she."
Robin laughed. "Easy, Fitz, I've got my own model." He patted Fitz on the arm before kissing Olivia's cheek. "He's a good man, Liv. We're so happy for you."
She leaned her head on her husband's shoulder. "Thanks." After Robin left the room, Fitz turned her around to face him.
"What's wrong?"
"What? I never said anything was wrong."
"You didn't have to, Livvie. I've known you long enough to hear it in your voice. Now tell me what's happened."
"Mellie's parents are here. The boys just saw them come in."
"This should prove to be an interesting night. I can just hear my mother and Barbra now."
"I was worried enough about MY mother and Jake's mother being in the same room again. Fitz, you don't think they'd do anything to embarrass the boys, do you? I mean, I know the Capshaw's don't know Bryce, but they wouldn't hurt Jerry, right?"
"It didn't seem to bother their daughter."
"Oh, God!" The nausea was back. "Fitz, not you, too. Not tonight."
He took her into his arms. "Don't worry, everything will be fine. Let's go talk to them; you haven't seen them in years."
"Not since the Christmas from Hell."
"They were at the funeral."
"Fitz, I barely remember the funerals."
"That's right; I remember your mother had the children for quite a while."
"I felt like it was my fault, I wanted him out of my life so badly." She laid her head on his chest. "I also was dealing with the guilt of wanting to be right here then."
"You should have been. I'm so sorry I wasn't there for you. I was supposed to be your friend, and I just pushed you away. Can you ever forgive me, Livvie?"
She sighed deeply. "I did that a long time ago. I knew you'd break down and talk to me eventually. It just took our sweet boys to give you a bit of a push."
"I'm so glad they did." He kissed the top of her head. "Ready to go out and greet our guests?" She nodded, and he led her out onto the stage.
"How's the lineup coming, boys?"
"It's done, Dad. Mr. Thicke asked if he could do an extra song, though."
"What did you tell him?"
The boys exchanged glances. "I said that we were on a timed schedule, and that there was no way." Jerry snickered and nudged his brother. "Not really. I told him that anything he wanted was fine with me. Mom, did Paula really change my diapers?"
"She sure did, Baby."
"Oh, God." Bryce buried his face in his hands while his brother fell on the floor laughing.
"Jerry, get up, you'll get your suit dirty."
"Sorry, Dad. It's just the he…the look on his face…." The boy started laughing so hard that he couldn't continue. His parents just smiled and shook their heads as they continued down to greet their grandparents.
After a tense few moments, the Capshaw's seemed genuinely happy for Fitz and Olivia, and completely ashamed of their daughter's behavior and the resulting consequences. Fitz and Olivia assured them that they would be welcome in their home always. During the conversation, Alyssa and McKenzie found their way out of the green room and into their parents' arms. Olivia introduced McKenzie to her new grandparents, and she immediately jumped from Fitz's arms to her grandmother's lap, smothering her with a hug and kisses. Alyssa followed her younger sister, and climbed onto her grandfather's lap. Suddenly, McKenzie leapt from Barbra's lap and ran toward the door.
"EEE EEE EEE! Grammie!" She jumped into Maya's arms.
Olivia smiled. "There are my parents."
"There's my big girl!" Eli held out his arms to Alyssa, who was now running in his direction. When the couple carried the girls back to Olivia and Fitz, they introduced them to Mellie's parents.
"Ma, Daddy, be nice. Just think about all the times Nikki and I screwed up." She grinned, trying to lighten the mood.
"Yes, Darling, but YOUR screw ups didn't result in…"she paused and looked at Alyssa.
"Oh, no?" Olivia cast her gaze to the stage, where Bryce and Jerry were placing strips of tape on the floor.
"You were married at the time, Livvie."
"Ma! Stop already! This is the boys' big night, and all the grandparents will be here." She looked at the four of them sternly. "I will NOT have my sons' pageant disrupted." She put her hand to her stomach, feeling ill again.
"I'll be glad when this thing is over with. The stress has really gotten to Liv. Girls, can you sit here and behave?" The girls smiled and nodded, settling comfortably into their grandparents' laps. Fitz took Olivia's hand. "Let's get you backstage to rest. We'll see you after our numbers; we're close to the end so we can help the boys out as much as possible."
"Give them our love."
"We will, Maya, thanks."
Olivia went to lie down, and Fitz helped the boys make the last minute preparations. Soon, it was curtain time. The boys had decided on not announcing Robin Thicke. They decided to simply place the piano in the middle of the stage with a single spot. Olivia was bouncing up and down in the wings trying to shake her nerves. "Fitz, look out there, what was Tom thinking?"
Tom looked to where she was pointing. There were William and Barbra Capshaw, Eli and Maya Pope, John and Mary Ballard, and Rachel and Stephen Grant all sitting together. "He's fired."
"Hey, I just thought it might make things easier on the boys, if they looked out and saw all their family sitting together."
"Yes, ordinarily, Tom, but these people are more likely to be at each other's throats before the night is over."
"It just got worse. Nikki and Jason just showed up with the girls."
"How could that get worse?"
"Jason and John despise each other. Jason and Jake got into it at one of the kid's birthday parties once. John tried to intervene; Jason punched him in the mouth."
"What did Jake do, hit on your sister?"
"How'd you know that?"
"I'm beginning to think there isn't a woman in New York over the age of fifteen that he DIDN'T hit on."
"I love you, Fitz." She planted a kiss on his lips.
"What was that for?"
"Because you're perfect." He smiled and kissed her again as the lights dimmed. "Here we go!"
Robin started to sing "Sweetest Love" and the curtains slowly opened, a single spotlight illuminating the singer.
Robin sang the first two verses, and then a second spotlight shone on Bryce. "Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Robin Thicke."
Robin finished his song and then went right into "Love After War." He finished with "Blurred Lines", and received a standing ovation from the surprised audience. The boys snuck a glance at their headmaster, who was beaming with pride.
While the next acts took the stage, Fitz and Olivia ushered Robin, Paula and their daughter to the back door and a waiting limo. Robin signed autographs for Karen and the boys before giving Olivia a hug. "You take care, Babe. Thanks for inviting me to your sons' party. They're great kids, you two should be so proud of them."
"Thanks, Robin, we are." She hugged Paula and handed her a card. "Here's our new phone number in Monroe. You'll have to come out and visit. Alexa will have a ball with the girls, and we just don't see each other very much anymore."
"Well, if you'd come back to work." Paula grinned at her friend.
Fitz slipped his arms around his wife's waist. "She'll have plenty of work to do getting this new house in order." Olivia wrinkled her nose and the women both giggled.
"I'll definitely come out and visit. Tell Abby it was great meeting her, and that I'm so jealous that she gets to spend so much time with you."
"Honey, we need to go."
She hugged her friend one more time. "Love you!"
"Love you more!" Olivia watched her friend crawl into the limo and close the door behind her. Her eyes filled with tears as the limo turned the corner and disappeared from sight.
"You miss your friends, don't you? Do you want to go back to work?"
She leaned back against his chest, and he wrapped his arms tighter around her. "Yeah, I do miss them, but I don't want to go back to that life. I was never home, I missed the kids. I only worked so much to avoid Jake." She turned around to face her husband, wrapping her arms around his neck. "We've lost too much time already, Honey, I want to spend as much time with you as I can."
He leaned down and kissed her passionately, letting his hands begin to roam her body. They were so lost in each other that they forgot they were outside in the alley. They were interrupted when the stage door opened.
"Sir, it's almost time for you and Mrs. Grant to sing."
They rested their foreheads together and caught their breath. "We'll continue this at home." Fitz pulled back and looked over at his butler. "Thank you, Tom, we'll be right there. It's show time, Mrs. Grant."
"Oh, great. Fitz, I think I'm gonna throw up."
"You'll be fine, Babe, you can sing your numbers in your sleep."
"If you say so, Fitz." She grinned and followed her husband back into the theater.
First up were Abby and Olivia. They did the song and dance number they had made up to 'What About Your Friends' by TLC. Tom and Fitz, sang "Latch" by Disclosure and had a dance routine done that no one was expecting. To say they had no help from the ladies, the audience was thoroughly impressed. Once that number was done Tom quickly changed into his costume for his duets with Abby, and pulled her onstage for 'My Girl'. They brought the house down with their rendition of 'New York, New York'.
Fitz and Olivia took the stage for their duets. Having the perfect dance routine for 'You're All I Need to Get By'. They moved as a unit and you could see the love they had for one another. By the time they sung 'L.O.V.E' there wasn't a dry eye in the place. After their two numbers, Bryce and Jerry stepped on stage with them.
"Ladies and gentlemen, it is our great pleasure to announce that two weeks ago", they announced in unison.
"My mother, Olivia Pope", grinned Bryce.
"And my father, Fitzgerald Grant", smirked Jerry.
"Were united in marriage." Karen appeared on the stage with Alyssa and McKenzie; Bryce handed her the microphone and hugged her tightly.
"Please join us in congratulating our parents, and wishing them a long and happy marriage." She started the applause, which quickly spread through the entire theater. "We are proud to present Mr. and Mrs. Fitzgerald Thomas Grant III!" The children rushed to hug their parents.
Olivia and Fitz both had tears in their eyes as they hugged their children. "You kids are just too much."
"It was Karen's idea. She asked Abby, and she said you wouldn't get mad."
"I think it was a wonderful idea. Let me get your mother off the stage before she floods it." Fitz smiled at his wife, who now had tears streaming down her face. She wiped her eyes and took her husband by the hand, and they took a final bow before leaving the stage.
"Can you believe those kids?"
"They ARE something. Why don't you take the girls and go sit in the audience with the family? I have my song to do, and then Tom sings. I think that is the end, if I'm not mistaken."
"I love you, Mr. Grant." She picked up her youngest.
"Want Daddy."
"I love you too, Mrs. Grant. McKenzie, go with Mommy and Lyssa. You can watch Daddy sing."
Fitz returned to the stage and watched his wife and daughters take their seats. "I can't tell you all how proud I am of my two sons, Jerry and Bryce. They planned this show with little assistance from their mother or me. They suggested that since I was singing to their mother, that a song for their sisters might be nice, too, so Karen, Alyssa, and McKenzie, this song is for my little girls."
He began to sing 'Butterfly Kisses', which caused Eli Pope to get up from his seat and take Olivia by the hand. He began to dance in the aisle with her as Fitz sang to their daughters. This brought the crowd to their feet with a thunderous applause. When Fitz finished, he waited for the applause to die down, then addressed the audience again.
"This next song has a special meaning for my beautiful wife. Livvie, this is for you." The music started and Olivia put her hands to her cheeks and began to cry. He was singing 'Crazy Love' by Michael Bublé, the song they danced to the night they confessed their love to each other. She hadn't heard him rehearse this; he must have practiced when he was at work. When he finished singing, he quickly made his way off the stage and into his wife's arms. "I love you, Livvie".
"I love you more." He wiped the tears from her face and kissed her softly. They took the last two empty seats with the family, and watched the boys introduce Tom. His first song was "The Way You Look Tonight", and then he moved quickly to "Stay With Me". His gaze never left Abby, who had moved over next to Olivia and was holding her hand tightly.
"Look at him, Liv, he's wonderful. He can't want me."
"He's SINGING to you, Abby! It's so romantic! What's he doing?"
Tom was pulling a CD from his jacket pocket and whispering something to the boys, who were grinning from ear to ear.
"I have one more song this evening that I'd like to dedicate to a very special lady. I've known her for what seems like most of my life, but only recently have I had the opportunity to really get to know her."
"My, God, Liv, what's he doing?"
"I think he's talking about YOU, Abby!"
"He'd better be!" She grinned at her friend, and then looked back up at the man she adored.
"I always thought I'd be alone all my life, until this beautiful angel came along and stole my heart. Abby, I love you." The music started, and Tom started to sing.
When a man loves a woman, can't keep his mind on nothin' else…
Abby leaned her head on Olivia's shoulder and started to cry softly. "No one has ever done anything like this for me before."
"Well, I think you should get used to it, Abs." They turned their attention to Tom, who was looking at Abby adoringly and still singing.
During the song, Tom hopped off the stage and moved quickly to Abby, pulling her to the stage steps.
"Tom, please, I can't."
He moved the microphone to his side. "I love you, trust me."
She grasped his hand tighter. "I do trust you, Tom, and I love you, too."
His smile lit up the room as he pulled her onto the stage and continued the song, his eyes never leaving hers. When he finished, the crowd was again on its feet, as Abby leaned in to him and kissed him, gently at first, becoming more passionate as he responded.
When the judges finished tallying the votes Tom and Abby won the grand prize, with Fitz and Olivia coming in a close second. They all agreed, you just couldn't beat the romance.
"Congratulations, Old Man, I'm glad everything worked like you hoped."
"Thank you, Sir."
"You KNEW about this, Fitz? And you didn't tell me?"
"Sorry, Abby, I knew Liv would kill me."
"He didn't even tell ME, Abby!" She threw a mock glare at her husband.
"I hate to cut this evening short, but Mrs. Grant has asked me to do some work at her townhouse tonight."
"You're sure you won't join us? We're all going out for dessert."
"I think I'm going to pass, too, Fitz. If I go over and help Tom pack up the townhouse, we might get moved a bit faster."
"You're sure Abby? We're going for cheesecake."
"I'm sure I'll find something good to nibble on at your place." She grinned at her friend.
"O.K., if you're sure. Be careful." She hugged her friend and whispered in her ear, "Have fun!"
"Thanks, Liv. Good night, kids!"
"Night, Aunt Abs! Love you!"
"I love you, too, Kenz. See you tomorrow!"
"Morrow, Aunt Abs!" She ran and hugged Abby, then ran back to her father. "Want up, Daddy, please."
He scooped the child up in his arms as he told his friends goodbye.
AN: Yay for the talent show! I loved writing this part! Thoughts?
Oh, and I already have a plan for Fitz finding out about the baby. It's coming sooner than you and (he) thinks. I promise!
Comment, Review, Suggest :)