"Fitz!"
"He's not home right now." Olivia peeked her head around the wall, looking toward the door. Her eyes widened as she took in the sight of Fitz's younger sister standing halfway in the living room.
"Livvie!"
"Sadie!"
Both women squealed at the same time. Mercedes crossed the room in long strides, wrapping her arms around Olivia and squeezing tight. Olivia returned the hug, clasping her hands together behind Mercedes's back.
"It's been a long time," Mercedes commented, pulling away from Olivia and holding her at an arm's length. "You look good."
"Yeah, right," Olivia shook her head, laughing. "You though! You're as beautiful as ever."
"I am, aren't I?" Mercedes scrunched her nose, her eyes sparkling. Dropping her arm from Olivia, she followed the other woman into the kitchen.
"So how have you been? Finishing your degree?" Olivia rounded the island, grasping the wooden salad servers she had laid across the glass bowl on the counter.
"Finishing my residency," Mercedes corrected, gripping the edge of the island.
"Sorry. I've lost a bit of time lately."
"No need to apologise to me, Liv," Mercedes shrugged, watching as Olivia began tossing the salad mix in the clear, glass bowl. "Although I think we are long overdue for a girls' day."
Olivia smiled to herself, chewing thoughtfully on her bottom lip. "I never thought I would hear those words come out of your mouth again."
"You mean because you called me a bitch and threw me out of your house when I told you that you needed to see a psychiatrist?" Mercedes smirked, her blonde hair swaying as she shook her head. "You weren't in the right state of mind. I told you that then and I don't blame you for what you said. I would have been fucking pissed off if someone told me I was crazy."
"You probably didn't deserve to have that stapler thrown at you though." Olivia bowed her head, her eyes shifting to the mixture in the bowl on the island as her hands slowed to a stop. She dropped the utensils in the bowl, letting them lean against the side.
"Luckily, you have shitty aim." The corners of Mercedes's eyes crinkled as she grinned, showing off her perfectly straight teeth.
"I don't deserve to have you in my life." Olivia's shoulders slumped, her eyes sliding to the stove as a musical tune filled the kitchen - indicating that the oven had preheated.
"We're all a little fucked up, Liv. I think that's something you and Fitz both need to understand. Everyone has done something completely messed up that they have to atone for." Mercedes lifted one shoulder in a half shrug, tucking her straightened strands behind her ear and exposing the silver rings in her ear.
"Well, not everyone thinks their husband is cheating and screws his…frenemy?"
"Oh girl -" Mercedes shook her head, twisting her lips, " - Fitz fucking hated Jake before you ever slept with him."
"He never mentioned that." Olivia's brows shot upward as she grabbed the glass pan of seasoned chicken from the counter behind her.
"Because you two absolutely suck at communicating. And Mellie was your friend. Fitz hated her, too, but he wasn't going to say that because she was your friend. Wherever Mellie went...her bitch-ass leech went, too." Mercedes watched as Olivia slid the pan into the oven, shutting the door and starting the timer. "But you two really need to hash this out. No third parties. That's how things get messy as hell."
"Fitz won't even talk to me." Olivia sighed, turning her back to the stove and moving back toward the island. "I've tried."
"That's because the two of you suck. At. Communicating." Mercedes crossed her arms, her right eyebrow raised and a close-lipped smile on her face - as if she were saying 'see?'
"My therapist suggested a family sessions -"
"Then do it if it will help you guys. Both of you need to be more proactive. Especially for your kids. Athena is practically drowning."
"She won't talk to me either." Olivia hung her head.
"Because she's fucking terrified!" Mercedes frowned when Olivia jumped at her raised tone. "I'm sorry, Liv. I just...Athena's heading down a dark path if you two don't step up for her. I know there are a lot of emotions and unfinished business between you and Fitz, but...Athena's going through similar shit. And she's too scared to mention it to either one of you."
"Have you told your brother?"
"If I told my darling brother what I just told you: how do you think he would react?"
"Fair point. I'll try to talk to him. Are you staying for dinner?"
"Are you trying to change the topic?" Mercedes chuckled, "Don't mention to Ath that I said anything. She's still talking to me. I don't think either one of you would want her to suddenly stop talking to anyone."
"I won't tell her, Sadie. That kid adores you. More than she adores her father. She's a Grant through and through."
"Nah. She's got plenty of her momma in her, too. I've got one strong, stubborn, smart as hell siostrzenica." Mercedes walked around the island, patting Olivia on the back before heading toward the sink. With the water running and suds on her hands, she asked: "So, what do you have left to do?"
"It was nice getting to see Sadie." Olivia trudged alongside Fitz in the field, her boots sinking into the soft ground with each step. The cold weather had slowly given way to a slightly warmer February and more rain than anyone could ever recall at that time of year.
"She's looking at places nearby. She already has an offer from University." Fitz huffed, arms straining as he carried the large, blue feed trough up the muddy hill.
"Do you think she'll like teaching?" Olivia wondered, her boots squoshing as she stomped through the mud.
"I don't think Sadie knows what she likes," Fitz chuckled, dropping the feed trough on a grassy, less muddy swatch of land. He spent a few minutes adjusting the trough before he seemed to notice that Olivia was no longer by his side. Turning around, laughter rumbled from his chest when he saw Olivia struggling to pull her boot free from the mud.
"I can't move," Olivia laughed, her knee jerking as she strained to move her foot even an inch. She only succeeded in slinging mud up her leg.
"I told you not to follow me," Fitz reminded her, trekking back down the hill until he was standing in front of her. Placing his hands on her hips, Fitz gave her time to sink her fingers into his shoulders before he began pulling. "Damn did you get yourself stuck."
"I don't know how," Olivia laughed, "I was following yo -"
Fitz gave one strong pull, sending him backward onto his butt. Instinctively, Olivia reached her arms out - landing on top of Fitz and sinking elbow deep into the cool ground. They sat there for a moment, shaking their heads, before their eyes met and laughter filled the air.
"I'll get up."
"You lost your boots." Fitz pointed toward her now bare feet hovering an inch above the ground.
"I'll just have to brave it."
"There's no point in you getting muddier than you have to. And this mud is cold af." Fitz shook his head, shooting her down. Wrapping his arms around her once more, he struggled to his feet - sliding and nearly falling once more on the way up.
"Cold af? You've been hanging around Ath and Sadie too much," Olivia giggled, her legs dangling - but not quite touching the ground.
"Gotta stay relevant." He glanced at her boots, tilting his head. "I think we'll get those in the morning. When there's a little more light."
"We're a mess," Olivia laughed once they were out of the field and trudging back toward the house.
"An absolute mess." Fitz's tune, while still playful, held an underlying double meaning. One that gave Olivia pause as he gently sat her on her feet on the cold concrete of the front porch.
"Sadie thinks we're bad at communicating." Olivia turned her back to Fitz after uttering that sentence, busying herself with finding the slides that she always left near the door. Finding them, she slid them onto her cool feet as Fitz began speaking:
"She's not wrong," Fitz shrugged, kicking out of his boots. "I've been thinking about the family session your psychiatrist mentioned. I don't think Ath's ready for it, but I am willing to go if you set it up."
"I will."
Fitz gave a half-smile that didn't quite reach his eyes before patting her gently on the shoulder. "You go on in and take a shower first."
Fitz rested his arms on the railing of the porch, leaning against the wood as he stared up at the starry sky - barely registering the opening and closing of the door as one of the neighbor's dogs barked in the background.
A/N - Mercedes and Olivia have an interesting relationship. Much like Big Jerry, Mercedes tends to be the voice of reason. Unlike Big Jerry, Sadie is 100% chaotic good. She will be present more as the story goes on.
Olivia and Fitz are slowly, slowly making progress forward. There are a lot of emotions in place here - from all sides. One side sees the other as the problem and vice versa. Add to that is the guilt that both sides feel, to an extent, because they know they played a part in the events of the past.
Siostrzenica is Polish for niece. I wanted Fitz's family to occasionally use the native language of their family's "home" country. It hasn't been mentioned yet, but Fitz's grandfather was from Poland. Kudos to anyone who gets the connection for that decision.
I hope all of you are staying safe! And to my fellow healthcare workers, I send up a prayer for you every night. All you badasses stay safe.
Until next time,
G.
