EPISODE 20: Something Mellie This Way Comes
"I'm just keeping my word to your daughter." Olivia pointed out. "Whole wheat toast - tea - not coffee - because we both know you'll probably drink way too much of that before the day is done."
Fitz made a face at her, but gave no other protest. Olivia mimicked him before she continued.
"I've also ordered a low cholesterol butter spread for your toast, along with a very healthy serving of your favorite fresh fruits - blueberries, strawberries, sliced peaches…"
"Fresh, perfectly ripe peaches." Fitz finished her sentence for her. "My favorite."
Olivia smiled at him, knowing from the husky drop of tone in his voice exactly what he meant.
They were both seated cross-legged on Fitz's bed facing one another, a small table at their side with carafe and two teacups and the tray that it formerly held now sitting between them, loaded down with several smaller dishes holding the already mentioned foods.
Seeing her expression, Fitz leaned forward and Olivia met him half-way in a kiss that was sweet and soft and sticky and highly appreciative. "Peaches and cream are my favorites…"
"I know." Olivia's lips curved themselves softly against his.
"And I love that you know." Fitz snatched himself another kiss - he really couldn't resist - after all from the very first, Olivia's kisses had reminded him of fresh peaches and cream. Since then, he could never eat them without being reminded of that. Fitz hummed softly, a little sound of satisfaction as they kissed, before drawing back reluctantly, the memory lingering sweetly upon his lips.
It was very early in the am, a little less than two hours before sunrise because they both knew that Olivia would want to leave long before the busy day they had ahead of them kicked in. So with that thought on both of their minds, they were stealing a last few minutes of their time alone.
"We could go back and forth debating that all day." A soft laugh escaped Olivia's lips.
"We could do a lot of things all day -" Fitz said with what was wickedly purposeful intent. "- if only we had the time."
"Exactly." Olivia smiled… If only…echoing in her eyes. "So, Mr. President, what's on your menu for the day?"
"This morning?" Fitz thought for a minute. "First things first - there's the conversation with my daughter that I need to have."
"She's fine, Fitz." Olivia reminded him.
"I know. But I'll still feel better after I've talked to her." Fitz said, before continuing to answer her question. "After that, I've got an appointment with Cyrus to go over my last phone call with the General and see where we are as far as us moving forward with the Summit and the makings of a treaty."
He went on to fill Olivia in on more specifics of the conversation, going on to share his initial thoughts on it. "I'm wondering what level of agreements can we offer that won't act as some kind of provocation to his neighbors."
"I can see the dilemma." Olivia said, her mind following his thoughts; from what he'd told her, there was no doubt that Fitz was facing a careful balancing act. "You don't want to seem to have an undue influence on the General - but at the same time you need to make it clear to his neighbors - and anyone else who might be paying attention, that there are advantages in entering into a peaceful and profitable alliance with the US..."
"Exactly." Fitz said, satisfaction filling him. Trust Olivia to go straight to the heart of what mattered to him. When they next spoke, it was at the same time.
"I was thinking about Jocelyn…" he said.
"I think that Jocelyn…" she said.
Realizing what they'd just done, they stopped, then laughed at the same time as well - which made them both laugh again, filling the room with warmth.
Olivia smiled at him; it seemed as though she couldn't stop smiling this morning and she had a million reasons why; for one, they were here, cocooned away in their own little world, something that didn't happen often enough for either of them.
Secondly, there was no better feeling in the world than when their hearts and minds were in perfect sync. Even after all this time, it gave her a little thrill each and every it happened - and here it was happening again.
Fitz raised one hand and made a gracious gesture. "Ladies first…"
She reached out and took his hand, fingers lacing themselves together simultaneously. "Obviously we're on the same page -"
"Great minds thinking alike…" Fitz lifted her hand to his lips briefly.
"Obviously." Olivia smiled happily at his touch. "- but I was so rudely interrupted -" Another smiled swept across her face. "- I was going to say that you should dial Jocelyn into the meeting."
"Are we thinking for the same reasons?" Fitz asked.
"Something about this being something close to her area of expertise?"
"Something like that." He agreed. If not in this region, Jocelyn had once been one of the government's more successful envoys, even before they'd met. What she done since then had even managed to amaze Fitz. "It should prove to be a good fit for her talents. The fact that you thought of it too only convinces me that it's the right decision."
A certain light came into his eyes. "What about you - don't you think you should be there?"
"Not really - and we both know why." Olivia said, reading his look. She shook her head at him. No doubt he'd do his best to keep her afterward - for a little one on one consultation - and as enticing as that might sound right now, considering her current state - of mind and being - she did have work to do.
"Down, Fitz - I don't need to be there and you know it. I'm fine with getting the information second-hand. You also know that I need to check in with my office first thing this morning."
Olivia allowed herself a teasing little smile, knowing that what she said next would hand him the opportunity to flirt outrageously with her. "You can update me later."
And of course, Fitz gave her a knowing grin, just before he did exactly that. "Updating you later - I like the idea of that. In fact a little personal and private one on one sounds perfect."
Fitz leaned forward again, but this time it was to move the tray to the side table, then to sweep Olivia into his arms and backwards into the rumpled comforter and pillows.
He hovered over her, his mouth inches from hers, his blue-grey eyes darkening as they gazed down into hers. "I like the idea of that very much."
"Speaking of the General…" Olivia tried to divert Fitz's thoughts.
"Actually, we weren't -" Fitz bent his head a little further down, grazing her lips with his own. "But since you're determined to bring his name up, I'll play. I am wondering what Annarosa and your people got up to last night."
"That's one of the things that I'll be checking in on as soon as I get to the office." Despite her best intentions to keep their minds on work, Olivia began kissing Fitz back, in between words. "I did get a text from Harrison and seems like plans were made to go out on the town last night."
"Sounds like fun." Fitz said. "In fact, we should try it sometime."
Olivia lifted an eyebrow at that. "Fitz…"
"Don't you 'Fitz' me." he said. "It's not the first time I've brought the subject up and it won't be the last, either."
He underscored his words with another, gently deeper kiss.
"I'm not arguing with you - well, not exactly." Olivia said, when she could breath again. "It just has to be the right time."
"Timing is everything - you've drilled that lesson into me enough times so that I won't argue with you." Looking into her eyes, he couldn't deny her words and so Fitz gave in - for now. "But I will say this much - that timing had better be soon."
Olivia nodded, happy for that much to change the subject. She knew how Fitz felt about their being together being a secret - just like she knew that eventually they wouldn't be. But deep down inside, that made her more than a little nervous - but she was working on that. "On a brighter note, I've been working out when it might be the best date to your announcement to run for re-election."
"I would think that it's a given that I'm going to run." Fitz let Olivia change the subject and started thinking out loud. "I'm thinking that New Year's Day would be good - people are laid back, filled with holiday cheer, open to a new start with the new year and all of that."
"I approve. It's perfect, in fact." Olivia said. "So enjoy this Thanksgiving holiday because it just might be the last holiday you get to kick back and relax for a while."
"With you by my side, I'm up for all of it." Fitz said. "And speaking of Thanksgiving - are you still going to be dessert?"
"You already know my plans. It's important that I show my face in a few politically correct places before your re-election campaign begins for real. And this weekend, I promised to join you and the kids for dessert." Olivia laughed as she playfully corrected him.
But then she sobered a little, her expression fading to something approaching seriousness. "But only if you're sure that it will be all right with Karen, Gerry and Teddy."
Fitz noted her concern and did his best to make them go away. "I think that we can safely say that Karen is definitely open to the idea of you and me - and I don't see Teddy as having a problem either. He's a sweetheart and loves everybody that he meets - and you know that includes you."
She had to admit that what Fitz was saying was true; at the same time Olivia knew that she didn't know too much about kids outside of her relationship with Ella - but Teddy definitely had one of the sunniest little personalities that she'd ever had the good fortune to meet. When the time came, the press were going to love him.
She was going to love him, just as much as she loved Ella. The thought melted her more than a little inside, making her smile.
But then a shadow passed over her thoughts. "But Gerry?"
Fitz frowned a little, then he sighed. "Right now, Gerry is unhappy with the entire world, and not that I can blame him, but it's me that's on the top of his list - not you."
"Daddy issues." Olivia took a deep breath to steady her thoughts; after all, she was all too familiar with those - but that was a conversation for another time and place.
"And it's important not to let things get any worse between the two of you. I know that there's nothing either one of us can do about that and that it's all on Gerry, but I won't be one of the reasons for what's happening between the two of you either." Olivia said. "I can't."
Seeing the sincerity in her eyes; Fitz's response was to brush a reassuring kiss across her lips. "You won't be. I'll be careful - we'll be careful - I promise."
He paused, obviously caught in his own thoughts for a moment. "Not for the first time, I'm wondering if Gerry is one of the reasons that Karen called. I swear, if Mellie has done something to pour fuel on that particular fire…"
The thought made him feel both helpless and angry. Olivia felt the tension suddenly flooding through him.
"Hey." Olivia reached up with one had, trailing her fingers across his cheek, pulling his focus back to her. "If that turns out to be the case, then we will deal with Mellie the way that we've always talked about - together."
"Are you sure?" His eyes probed hers carefully. "Are you ready?"
"I'm sure - and I'm ready."
"Together. I like the sound of that." The certainty in Olivia's words reassured Fitz and he showed it in the way he wove his fingers into her hair and the breathless, needful way that his mouth took hers. A kiss that left her gasping a little against his mouth and her soft body arching up against his.
The warmth and love that flowed between them in this moment left them both smiling and more than a little light-headed when the kiss was done.
"In fact, hearing that makes me almost happy to say that I can't wait for the rest of the day to get started." Fitz said.
"Ditto - but for any of this to happen, you do know that I actually have to leave, you know." Olivia reminded him, another teasing gleam in her eyes.
Fitz smiled down at Olivia, slow and deep and once again full of intentions that had nothing to do with work. "But you don't have to leave this very moment, do you?"
"No," she told him, her arms coming up, fingers sliding deliberately into his hair this time and drawing his mouth down to hers. "And I like the idea of that very, very much…"