We left off in September.

In December, Fitz and Abby formally launched the Fitzgerald Grant Foundation (FGF), selecting a cohort of public school juniors in the DMV area to mentor and prepare for college excellence. It came with its growing pains, but they made adjustments along the way. Their flexibility led to increased interest across the country for expansion.

Dani announced her run for the newly open senator seat in February. She faced stiff competition from the sitting governor, who had deep pockets, long-lasting relationships with industries in the state, and didn't suffer the same misinformation and dog-whistle vitriol that she did in the media. Olivia was quick to develop a strategy to win over the rural, more conservative parts of the state, that the governor underestimated. Nobody expected the "urban" NYC congresswoman to win over rural upstate so handedly, but they campaigned humbly, meeting with working class folks, running voter drives, and effectively communicating their platform through social media.

It was not pretty nor glamorous. In fact, it was exhausting and brutal. It was a constant chipping away at a brick wall that had no interest in moving. However in June, Dani pulled another David over Goliath, upsetting the governor in the primary. She coasted to a victory in the general election, despite considerable efforts from the opposing party to tarnish her name.

The first year as the Chief of Staff to New York's junior senator was a learning experience for Olivia. The Senate ran on different, unspoken rules, but she was quick to adapt. The upper chamber of the legislative branch brought on more challenges as the stakes were higher and power was more freely and violently wielded. Dani had some security, knowing her reelection campaign wouldn't begin for five more years. However, it was a constant struggle to balance being a force for good and gaming the existing system to win. Sometimes, she felt like she was using two pieces of flint to boil the ocean, but she didn't complain.

The spark between Maya and Eli that reignited during the wedding caught tinder, then grew to kindling, and on to an open flame. They had their ups and downs — Olivia observed just how much of her stubbornness and unwillingness to be vulnerable stemmed from Maya by watching them work their shit out — but they were working through it, piece by piece, and Olivia was pretty excited about it. She was getting used to seeing Eli when she was visiting Maya in Queens, and that made her heart swell.

Abby was learning that love could be found in the most unexpected places. A simple dance with David Rosen at Olivia and Fitz's wedding led to a 2-hour long conversation debating the intricacies of nonprofit tax law behind the hedges of the garden. Soon, she found herself inseparable from this kind-hearted nerd. He was her new normal. And things were progressing at a shockingly normal pace. Now two years later, David is a public defender in the DC municipal court. He was also moving into Abby's luxury penthouse condo, because that's what couples do after dating for two years… And also, a public defender salary barley covers groceries in DC.

After the Foundation successfully completed their first year, they launched a second cohort of high school juniors, expanding north to include the Baltimore area. Now, heading into three years of FGF, they were launching the third cohort. There were so many moving parts to it that their staff quadrupled. The first cohort signed to a diverse range of colleges and were now finishing their first semester of undergrad. The second cohort had all of their college apps submitted and were beginning to hear back. This third cohort that they were about to announce, had been their most selective cohort so far. If things continued at the pace they were at, Fitz and Abby had dreams of expanding to Atlanta, Philadelphia, St. Louis, and Los Angeles next year.

This picks up in December (two years and some change from their wedding).

/

The night of the 3rd Annual FTG Foundation Gala.

"You should throw something in about how crucial this moment is. Urgency translates well." Olivia leaned towards her mirror to apply her lipstick.

"What about... We need to act on today's America because tomorrow's America might be too late?" Dani asked through the speaker of her phone. She was pulling a late night on the Hill, preparing talking points for an Instagram Live with the NYTimes. Olivia would be there in the office, advising her on her speech, if it wasn't Fitz's big night. "No, that's too cliché… Fuck. I feel like I'm a broken record… That's bad, right?"

"Yeah, to be honest, it kinda is… Stop trying to create a catchphrase. Just take a deep breath and speak." Olivia blotted her lips with a tissue. "Say what you want to say about how our generation will be dealing with the effects long after those who did the damage have passed on. Be honest. Don't mince words."

"Don't you think that is too incendiary? Now that I'm a Senator?"

"Think about your audience. This is going to be live streamed exclusively on Instagram. They would ok boomer you if you didn't pull some coded generational punches."

"But then it will be posted on the New York Times website, which skews very boomer-ish."

"Think about which audience you are trying to reach." Olivia reminded. "The boomers have already made up their minds about you… If anything, aggravating the boomers who already hate you will only invigorate your supporters, who will win out on social media anyways."

"You should be writing these talking points for me." Dani chuckled. "Hell, you should be delivering this for me."

"You know I would, if I didn't have Fitz's gala. Run these notes back to Tanya. Have her send me a draft, and I'll look at it later tonight. I'll have my suggestions ready when you get in the morning."

"Do you ever sleep?"

Olivia was about to respond no, but she looked up to see Fitz enter the bathroom. He let out a low whistle, which made her motion to her phone that she was on a call. "I have to go, Dani. Get me a draft by midnight and I'll have my edits for you in the morning."

"Bye Liv. Have fun tonight."

"You look radiant. A little revealing for a black-tie event, but... who am I to complain?" He closed the gap behind her, wrapping his arms around her scantily lace clad body. She was still in her lingerie as she finished her makeup, waiting until the last minute to put on her gown.

Olivia relaxed back into his arms, a soft sigh escaping from her chest.

"Tired?" He asked, picking up on her fatigue. Things were always crazy between their careers, but lately, it seemed like they were running on full cylinders with no breaks. She seemed a little off. There was something else going on with her, that he couldn't quite place.

"No." She lied. "Okay, a little, but I'm very much fired up for tonight."

"Your hair person just arrived. They are in the living room." He kissed her temple.

"Okay, I'll be down in five."

"You are only giving me five minutes?" Fitz smirked, running his hands along her hips.

"Bye." Olivia jokingly elbowed him away from her, reaching for her robe. "Go get dressed yourself."

/

Thirty minutes later, Olivia was dressed in a custom-made gown that she picked out from Abby's selections. It had a simple and elegant bateau neckline that plunged down her back. Sheer fabric cascaded from her shoulders, down her back and to the floor, giving her an ethereal, floating presence. Her hair was swept up in a simple but effective updo, with two tendrils curled to frame her face.

She found Fitz in his study, nursing a scotch at his desk with his speech laid out in front of him. She sat on his lap, running her hand along his cheek "You know there is an open bar at this thing."

"You look incredible." He grinned placing his hands on her waist. He leaned in to kiss her, but she turned her face to the side.

"Makeup." She let him kiss her hand, using the opportunity to steal the glass of scotch from him. "Is this nerves?" She set the glass on the desk behind her.

"Maybe." He sighed.

"You are going to be great." Olivia adjusted his bowtie. "You are doing great work and the work speaks for itself. These people just want support you. They just want to get involved. They just want to hear from you about how to support."

"I appreciate the confidence, but you are my wife, and that is expected—"

"Did I say anything that wasn't true?"

"No, I just keep expecting for this night to get easier… And it doesn't. It's silly, buy it doesn't erase the fact that I'm nervous as fuck right now."

"You remember how the first year went, right?"

"Of course, I do. The AV system kept going in and out all night. The caterers ran out of mini quiches."

"And what did you do?" Olivia asked, running her hands along the tailored edges of his tuxedo. When he didn't respond, she arched her eyebrows. "What did you do?"

"I don't know… I got through it."

"You stepped away from the mic and spoke so clearly that everybody could hear you. You walked out into the tables and engaged with them. You were brilliant, and everybody knew."

"Yeah, that."

"Yeah, you did." Olivia affirmed. "And you are about to do it all over again… Not the tech issues, but the warm, charismatic communications."

"Sure."

"So what are you going to do tonight?"

"Yeah." Fitz blushed, looking away. "Alright."

"No, I need to hear it." Olivia said firmly, gently placing her hand to his cheek, forcing him to look up at her.

"I'm going to be fine."

"I'm sensing hesitation." Her eyes searched his.

"I'm going to kill this shit." He said, hesitantly.

"Try that again, but like you mean it."

"I'm going to kill this shit."

"That's more like it." She smirked. "I'm so proud of you."

Fitz checked his phone, which buzzed with a notification that their black car service was outside. "The car is waiting. Are you ready?"

"I am." Olivia stood, offering her hand to him. He stood up, smoothing out his suit. She looked up at him, searching his eyes. "Are you good?"

"I'm good." He nodded.

Olivia slid her hand into his, squeezing it. "Let's go."

/

"I've been meaning to get out to the alps. It's been so long, I might be a little rusty on the skis." Fitz chuckled.

"All the more reason to make it an extended trip." The wealthy guest laughed, slapping Fitz's arm. Olivia was playing the part, but she was incredibly bored. She knew how to smile at the right times and chime in when asked. She knew Fitz was acting too. He could slip back into his rich boy socialite skin so seamlessly that at times, she almost believed it. This was just an inevitable part of their marriage. Much like being photographed anytime they grabbed dinner at a trending spot.

"Olivia, why don't you and I get these men a refill? I've got some questions about your lip color, it is gorgeous." The wife of the guest said.

"Of course."

Fitz squeezed Olivia's hand, mouthing "Thank you." As she walked away.

Olivia suffered the banal questions about her makeup as she got a bartender to refill Fitz's glass. When they returned, Fitz was wrapping up his conversation with the man.

"Thank you." He repeated, accepting the glass back. "You didn't have to do that."

"I know." Olivia smiled. "It's tea, by the way. You need a clear mind for your speech."

"Right." Fitz took a deep breath, offering her a smile.

"Dinner is going to start in fifteen minutes. I'm going to go rescue Abby from some donors. Use the restroom before the program begins. Meet me at the table?"

"See you up front." Fitz affirmed, kissing her cheek.

Olivia sought out Abby, who was clearly bored out of her mind, talking to some grey-haired men with deep pockets. Olivia gracefully interjected, asking to borrow Abby for a few minutes, stealing her away.

"Thank you for that." Abby sighed, once they were out of ear's reach.

"My pleasure." Olivia winked, linking her arm into Abby's. "Well."

"Well." Abby grinned.

"You really pulled this off. Again." Olivia complimented. Fitz was the handsome visionary with a nice head of hair and a knack for speeches, but Abby was the logistical mastermind behind all of the details that made the gala flow seamlessly.

"If you would have told me eight years ago, sitting on our twin dorm mattresses, that we would be here... The third time around… I would have laughed… I mean the absurdity of it all."

"I'm really proud of you, Abby." Olivia squeezed her hand. "Fitz gets all of the credit – but you also did this."

"You know, it feels pretty fucking good to see something like this not only take off… but to be here a two years later to see it still here."

"Damn right it does." Olivia clinked her glass against Abby's. "How is David? I didn't get to catch him before he left."

"Loud." Abby rolled her eyes, as they found their seats at the head table, away from any eavesdroppers. Her date that had just moved into her apartment left the gala thirty minutes ago, because he had an 8am court showing the next morning.

"That's an adjective I never thought would be applied to him." Olivia chuckled.

"He makes his smoothies at an ungodly hour every morning. He doesn't exactly snore, but every other hour in his sleep he chokes on his spit. It wakes me up."

"Rough adjustment to cohabitating? It's only been like a week."

"Ten days… Which is nine nights of me waking up at 3 in the morning, thinking he's dying, when it's just his loose phlegm rattling around in his throat."

"Gross." Olivia double checked to make sure the mic at the podium wasn't on to pick up their conversation, before she settled into her seat. "You've spent how many nights together? Hell, David was practically living with you already."

"Yeah, well, it's different now. Before, it was sexy and fun. We'd make breakfast for each other and have morning sex and I—"

"Less details, please."

"And I wouldn't be woken up by his 5am alarm clock. Before, I didn't have to stare at his hideous drug store 3-in-1 soap in the shower. Before, it was exciting to get dressed up for a date night and have him greet me at my door with flowers."

"Before, you could kick him out anytime you wanted space."

"Exactly… How do you and Fitz make it look so easy? Did you not hate his guts the second he was living with you, full time, no breaks?"

"We had bigger issues to worry about than snoring and smoothies… We were, you know, recovering from an international scandal and other things." Olivia's hand instinctively rested on her stomach, but she quickly pulled it back, resting it on her glass. "But what I'm gaining from this is that I'm the best roommate you've ever had."

"You are the only roommate I've ever had… up until 10 days ago."

"Then I'll take it." Olivia smirked, clinking her glass against Abby's, before becoming more serious. "If living together is worth it, then you will learn to deal with the give and takes."

"And what if I can't?"

"Then, you can't… But that that doesn't mean you two can't still be together. This is the 21st century, after all. Define your relationship on your own terms… If that means that you live separately and he is okay with it, then fucking do it. Your happiness and his is the most important thing."

"That's hella wise, coming from someone who swore she wouldn't be married before she was a partner at a law firm… And now look at you."

"I think that's the proof." Olivia admitted, realizing how bizarre her current life would seem to herself only a few years ago. The right-hand woman to a senator, married to the brash and overly confident silver spoon kid she thought she would never fall in love with… "You don't really know what you want, until you are actually faced with the reality of it."

"And how is work?" Abby asked.

"It's fine." Olivia said nonchalantly.

"Fine?" Abby narrowed her eyes. "You are in the middle of a supreme court nomination hearing, where Dani is facing the heat for being too soft on the nominee… Plus this whole climate change battle."

"Business as usual." Olivia shrugged, realizing she wasn't escaping Abby's critical look. "Okay, yeah, I haven't gotten more than four hours of sleep for the past month, six on a good night… But you know… It's going."

"Okay." Abby accepted, not pushing it further.

Fitz approached them at the table, silencing their conversation. "What were you two talking about?"

"Confidential." Olivia deadpanned.

"So you were talking about me." He smirked.

"If that boosts your ego, then yes." Olivia rolled her eyes in jest, letting him peck her on cheek as he sat down. "Just worry about this speech, so everybody leaves this ballroom with your name on their lips."

The rest of the guests found their seats and the program commenced.

Olivia watched, as the supportive wife, clapping at the right moments and smiling on cue. Her pride for what Fitz was accomplishing overwhelmed the banalities of playing the supportive companion. He was stepping into his potential and leading something so admirable.

She was so in awe of what he was doing - his ownership of a project that was making an impact.

It nagged at something she'd been thinking about since Dani won the senate seat. It was something that she entertained, only in her most private thoughts. But now, that she was witnessing Fitz succeeding at this thing, that seed in the back of her mind was beginning to blossom into an idea.

She wanted that type of ownership. That special knowledge that what you were doing was not only helping people, but completely your own. She loved working for Dani. Every day, as tiring as it was, she was conscious that she was in the position to steer a political machine into a new era that was not only historic, but desperately needed.

But at the end of the day, she was itching to not be the person pulling the strings for someone else, but someone calling her own shots. She wanted to be her own boss, even if she didn't know how she would do that. She didn't want to be in the spotlight. In fact, she dreamed that the paparazzi and blogs and faceless twitter accounts would one day lose interest in her and Fitz. But she yearned to one day have something that she could completely, without question, call her own.

But she also had something different pressing against her conscience and body, that she needed to figure out. She had been feeling off lately… Maybe it was the exhaustion of giving her 110% at work and in her marriage and in every facet of her life… But it felt strangely familiar, in a way that she was scared to identify.

So, she pushed her ideas aside, as she watched Fitz command the room with his speech.

/

"Man, I feel both energetic and exhausted." Fitz settled into the backseat of the black car.

"You were incredible." Olivia pulled the rest of her dress behind her into the car, so the chauffeur could shut her door. She reached across the middle seat, squeezing his hand. "Refreshingly honest. Measured. Warm. Sexy."

"Where to, sir?" His driver asked.

"Home." Fitz loosened his bowtie and his top few buttons.

"Tom, right?" Olivia leaned forward, addressing the driver.

"Yes ma'am." He acknowledged.

"Can you stop at a drug store along the way?"

"Any preference on the store, ma'am?"

"No, it doesn't matter. Thank you." Olivia smiled, pressing the partition button to give them some privacy. She scooted into the middle seat, leaning her head against Fitz's chest, and running her fingers from her opposite hand along the lines of their clasped hands.

"Everything okay?" Fitz looked down at Olivia. "What do you need to stop for?"

"Nothing."

"Nothing? I can have Lauren pick it up on her store run."

"It's nothing… I think."

"You think?" He asked.

Olivia was quiet for a moment. "I've just been feeling kind of… off this week… Borderline nauseous… I didn't want to worry you with your big speech tonight... Because it could be stress or everything going on, but... I had the catering company serve me grape juice tonight, just to be safe."

"You think that you are pregnant?" Fitz read between the lines of what she was saying, gingerly lifted her face up to look at him with his fingers under her chin.

"Think is a word that I don't know applies here." Olivia whispered back. "It just feels like last time, and I want to know."

Fitz had a million emotions running through him, but his main concern was Olivia. He tried to keep his face as neutral as possible.

"You are very hard to read right now." Olivia pulled away from him so she could take in his expression better. Her eyes began to moisten against her will. "It's kind of freaking me out."

"I'm feeling a lot of things." Fitz alleviated the tension with a soft smile. "I was trying not to freak you out."

"It's a little too late for that." Olivia took a deep, steadying breath. "Let's just wait and see, okay? It could be nothing."

"Or it could be something." Fitz blurted. "Sorry, I didn't mean to—"

"Just… don't make it something unless it is." Olivia said softly, leaning back into his side, as she breathed a few deep breaths, in sync with him.

Tom pulled the car into the parking lot of a drug store, getting out to open their door.

"Do you need me to go in with you?" Fitz asked.

"No, I think I can manage a $15 pregnancy test." Olivia patted his thigh comfortingly, stepping out of the car. She returned within 3 minutes with a brown paper bag clutched in her hand. She kept it at her side like it was nothing and leaned her head back into Fitz's shoulder. He understood that she needed to not make a big deal of it, so he simply held her hand for the rest of the car ride and offered his shoulder as a resting place for her racing mind.

When they got home, he helped her out of her dress and gave her privacy to use the bathroom. She emerged a few minutes later wearing one of his t shirts, holding the test in her hand.

"Now we wait." He motioned for her to sit on the bed. They sat there, for what seemed like an hour, even though it was only a few minutes, in complete silence, intensely watching the stick that was resting on a piece of tissue on the bed.

"It's a bit ridiculous, isn't it?" Olivia broke the silence, trying to find some humor to alleviate her anxiety and the suffocating silence between them. "Staring at a piece of plastic that is literally soaked in my pee, to see if we are going to be parents."

Fitz's eyes snapped from the stick to hers, wondering if he was reading too far into her words. "You..."

"I want to have your child, Fitz." Olivia nodded. "Do you still want that?"

"Livvie." Fitz pulled her to him in a tight hug. "I want nothing more." He whispered into her hair. He pulled back, kissing her soundly.

Olivia pulled back in a moment of clarity, looking at the stick.

Still blank.

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves, okay?"

Fitz held her face with his hand, looking deeply into her eyes, "Okay."

They went back to silently staring. Olivia's emotions were all over the place, and she couldn't control her thoughts. What if it was negative? She just admitted out loud that she wanted this thing that Fitz would die to have. What if the stick only produced one line? Would they immediately start to try again? Would they have to have a conversation about trying to have a kid? Or would they quietly forget this moment happened and go back to their normal cadence.

She had to admit that if the stick told her she was pregnant, she would want to have the baby. But if it wasn't, then the thought of actively trying to get pregnant seemed like a mountain of anxiety, she wasn't sure that she wanted to climb. She already had an abortion, which maybe would affect her fertility chances. She didn't know. She never googled it, but it was a possibility. What if she opened this door of hope for Fitz, only for it to be closed for good?

Then, the oval started to shift in hue, breaking her internal monologue. Two lines appeared in the oval, paralyzing Olivia.

"Holy shit." Fitz whispered, squeezing her hand.

"I am pregnant." Olivia said, in shock. Her free hand fell to her stomach.

"We are going to make a family." He kissed every open bit of real estate on her face, before pulling her into a tight hug.

"Fuck, I'm so young. We are so young. We are only 26. I just said fuck." Olivia pulled back from his tight embrace with panic in her eyes. "I can't say that anymore. How are we going to do this like this?"

"Like what? Married to each other, in a house that is a little bit too big for just the two of us, very financially secure..." Fitz tucked her hair behind her ear, caressing her chin. "And hopelessly in love."

"I need you to try to be the clear-headed one here. I am actually freaking out right now." Olivia took several deep breaths, forcing her mind to focus on her feet planted on the ground and her hands resting on her knees, just as her therapist trained her to do.

"I'm not saying anything that isn't true." Fitz said softly, holding her face in his hands. "No time is going to be perfect, but we will just give this our best shot."

"I have so many things to do. I need to find a doctor and look into vitamins and what I can't do and shit… And fucking shit, I still have to take a look at Dani's talking points. I just cussed again. Godda—" Olivia paused herself, mid-curse. "Dang?"

"One thing at a time." Fitz said. "You work on Dani's talking points now. I'll start doing the research on the major no-nos of pregnancy. Wine is for sure in the No category, but I think you can keep cursing for now. Tomorrow we can look at the best OBGYNs the DMV has to offer, okay?"

"Okay." Olivia nodded, taking a deep breath. "That sounds like a plan. That sounds like a very good plan."

Fitz held her cheeks in his hands, forcing her to look at him. "We are in this together. I am by your side through all of this. I can't promise that everything will be okay, but I will work my hardest to make sure that we are okay… Okay?"

Olivia nodded, taking a deep breath, "Okay."

"I love you." Fitz pecked her lips.

"I love you too."

/

ONE MONTH LATER

"This is a pleasant surprise, having the both of you here at the same time." Maya poured three glasses of wine. "Fitz, it seems like you are in a new city every night."

"The Foundation is really taking off." Fitz placed his hand on Olivia's knee. She instinctively placed her hand over his. "But things will begin to slow down soon enough."

"Well, if that means that you two will be visiting me more often, then I'm grateful." Maya handed them each a wine glass. "What's up?"

Olivia set hers on the table and clasped her hand in Fitz's. She knew it was her news to share, so she took a deep breath, collecting her words. "I don't know how to say this, other than actually, just... saying it." Olivia took a deep breath.

"You are pregnant." Maya blurted.

"How did—?" Olivia looked to Fitz, who was just as flustered, then back to her mother. "What?"

"You have a different energy about you. I couldn't quite place it, but then Fitz said things were going to slow down. Also, you two are more touchy-feely than usual. You are wearing a loose-fitting shirt, which isn't out of ordinary when you come home to visit, but… You placed your hand on your stomach when you sat down and didn't take a sip of your wine the second I handed it to you, which means that either you are pregnant or I just had a golden opportunity to make Fitz's ears turn very, very red."

"I'm pregnant." Olivia affirmed, with a nod.

Maya looked to Olivia, then to Fitz, then back to Olivia. "I assume this means you are..."

"We are keeping it." Olivia nodded with an unstoppable grin sneaking across her mouth.

"Oh." Maya exhaled, reaching for Olivia's wine glass. She poured a fourth of it into Fitz's glass, and the remaining amount into her own. She took a lengthy swig. "That's wonderful."

"Really?" Olivia asked.

"Yes! Come here." Maya tightly hugged Olivia, pulling back to rest her hand along Olivia's stomach. "How many weeks are you?"

"Ten." Olivia said. "Well, probably ten and a half by now. I know I should have told you sooner, but we wanted to take some time to process it. We saw a really nice doctor at James Madison Hospital and heard the heartbeat a few weeks ago."

"Baby, that's wonderful." Maya held Olivia's face in her hands, looking into her eyes.

"I am going to go double check the parking signs." There was so much emotion between their mother daughter bond, that Fitz felt his cue to step out. "To give you two some privacy."

"Thank you." Olivia mouthed, as he grabbed his keys. Once he was out of the apartment, Olivia turned back to Maya. "Tell me I'm too young."

"If that is what you want to hear, then you are too young." Maya said, motioning for her to sit down with her on the couch. "But if this is what you want, then you aren't too young."

"Three years ago, you were telling me that I was too young. I still feel really, really young."

"You are in a really different place than you were then. Yes, you are still young, but if this is what you want, then it is the right time to do it..." Maya squeezed Olivia's hands in hers. "It is scary, isn't it?"

"I'm terrified." Olivia admitted.

"No one feels prepared for this, and if they tell you that they are..." Maya shook her head with a soft chuckle. "They are lying."

"I have no idea if I'm going to be good at being a mother." Olivia said. "I mean, it's not something you can exactly stop being, if you suck at it."

"Do you know how many times I thought I couldn't do it?" Maya chuckled. "How many times I thought you were onto me. That you could see how out of my depth I was?"

"I never noticed." Olivia said. "I mean, sure, I thought you were oppressive from years 14-17, but other than that, you did an excellent job."

"Exactly." Maya rubbed her cheek. "As much as it pains me that you are grown… You are. You will be an excellent mother, if that is what you want. If you don't want to do that, then you should feel empowered to make that choice."

"I want to have this baby, Mom." Olivia exhaled, letting go with it a layer of stress. "I just think I'm a bit overwhelmed. I mean, there is actually someone growing inside of me. Right now."

"You aren't alone in this." Maya pulled her in for a hug. "You have a strong support system. Including a loving husband who is probably freezing his butt off in the cold right now, because he didn't take his coat with him."

"Right, I'll go get him." Olivia pulled back and collected herself.

"Can I tell Eli?" Maya asked, as Olivia donned her coat. "I told him that you were visiting, so he wanted to join us for dinner. But if you want to keep this news on the DL, then I won't say anything."

"I'd love to tell him at dinner." Olivia smiled, feeling so full of emotions, as she grabbed Fitz's coat. This was what family was. Sharing news that was exciting, but daunting, with people that she knew would love and support her though it. She went outside to find Fitz in front of the building, pacing back and forth, with his hands shoved deep in his pockets from the cold.

"Hi." His worried look dissipated when he saw her, and a crooked smile crept across his jaw.

"Hi." Olivia stepped into his arms, wrapping his coat around his shoulders. "You can come back inside."

"Thank you." Fitz leaned down to brush his nose against hers. "I can't feel my nose."

Olivia laughed at his thinly veiled attempt to sneak a kiss from her. "You are safe to return."

"Is your mother..." He looked back to the apartment.

"She is genuinely happy for me. For us."

"I was a little worried that she was going to smash your wine glass and use it to, I don't know, shank me... Just based on how it went last time."

"She is happy for us." Olivia assured. "And I'm not just saying that, because I'm in denial. She is really happy for us."

"I'm relieved." Fitz grinned, leaning down to kiss her again before they went back in.

/

FOUR MONTHS LATER

"Sorry, I meant to clean up, before you came over." Olivia gathered her work documents off of the coffee table, clearing the way for Abby to set down a glass of fake wine, a glass of real wine, and a bowl of popcorn. Abby had been splitting her time between DC and Los Angeles, getting the west coast office set up for the expansion of the foundation. This was the first time in two months that they had a chance to catch up over a girl's night. Olivia banished Fitz to the gym to give them some privacy.

"Don't apologize. You clearly have your hands full with..." Abby helped her clear the remaining papers away, with one document catching her eye. "Student debt relief, eh?"

"Confidential." Olivia took the papers from her, shuffling them into her stack. She was reading up on some research her team did on student debt cancellations. They were in the early stages, but it was something Dani wanted to tackle next, now that she had more power in the upper chamber. It also seemed like a mountain that seemed too insurmountable to climb.

"Wait, is Dani considering introducing something to cancel student debt? That would be huge."

"It would, wouldn't it?" Olivia dismissed, shoving all of her papers into a folder, and setting it on the edge of the coffee table.

"I don't know how you are even working right now, let alone preparing to tackle one of the most divisive and inflammatory financial topics of today."

"First off, I'm only six months pregnant. I have a whole other trimester to go. Second off…" Olivia sighed, deeply. "Yeah. It is a lot."

"When does your leave start?"

"I haven't set a date yet. I want to postpone it until the last second possible. The maternity leave policy grants me 12 weeks, which seems like such a short time, so I'm trying to spend as much of that time possible with the baby outside of me. I mean, I'm trying not to need longer. Everything just moves so fast on the Hill. I feel like even taking a week off sets me months behind."

"I'm sure Dani will work with you if you need to take it slow, or if you need more time." Abby said, with faint concern filling her eyes. "Are you good?"

"Of course, I'm good." Olivia said, almost defensively.

"Are you still considering…" Abby trailed off, hinting at an idea that Olivia shared, early in her pregnancy, that she admittedly put on the back burner, given her new condition. "You know."

"I don't know… I mean, I kinda put a pause to that thought, because… the obvious… but it is hard for me to imagine going back to my job." Olivia admitted.

"Have you brought it up with him yet?"

"No, I haven't said anything." Olivia admitted.

"I'm sure he would be 100% supportive."

"I don't doubt that he would be, it's just…" Olivia trailed off, before finding her words. "Bringing it up would make it so concrete. It would be like actually cementing this wistful idea I had, before everything changed."

"You just said that it is hard for you to imagine going back to the Hill once your little one is born." Abby reminded. "And I know you well enough to know that you can't simply not work… So, once you feel ready, why not?"

"Because the future is uncertain." Olivia sighed, drumming her fingers lightly on her stomach. "I don't know how I'll feel in seven minutes, let alone seven months."

"You'll figure it out in your own Olivia Pope way. There is no rush." Abby assured, patting her hand.

"Anyways, cheers to that." Olivia clinked her glass against Abby's. "Sound advice."

"Cheers, mama." Abby took a sip of her wine, her eyes landing on Olivia's stomach.

"Quit looking at me like that." Olivia pulled a blanket over her bump.

"I'm sorry." Abby apologized with a faint smile. "It's just that you are like… Pregnant pregnant."

"I'm well aware." Olivia chuckled, taking a sip of her non-alcoholic wine.

"Are you, like craving pickles dipped in mayonnaise or any weird shit like that?"

"Not really… I obviously crave wine every day, and while this shit is nice, it isn't the same. Fitz has cut down on the post-work scotch, because I think he could sense that I was resenting how he can still drink."

"How overbearing has he been?" Abby asked.

"The perfect amount." Olivia smiled. "I've had to set some boundaries with him, you know, to limit the smothering… but he is just so wonderful with this stuff. As terrifying as this all gets sometimes, he knows exactly what to do and what to say."

"You know he shows pictures of your latest ultrasounds to everybody at the office every chance he gets. We are all well acquainted with the inside of your uterus."

"Gross. Don't say it like that." Olivia crinkled her nose. "For all of the bullshit that comes along with pregnancy… The back pain, the extra weight, the fatigue, the discomfort of your body changing and you having no control over it… There's also… I don't know… Something I can't put my finger on that makes it worth it.

"You are glowing." Abby admitted. "And I know everybody says, 'oh you're glowing!' when you are pregnant, but you actually have a different aura to you… Like a tenderness that is tangible."

"Who knew you were such a poet."

"You are the one with the hormones."

"Don't I know it." Olivia rolled her eyes. "How are things with David? How is the new arrangement working out with you spending 50% of your time on the west coast with the foundation expansion?"

"Honestly, really well." Abby said. "I know you are getting tired of hearing this, but you were right. Creating some distance from cohabitating every day of the week, has actually been really good for us."

"I'm glad to hear."

A key turned in the front door, ending their alone time. Fitz came in the door wearing gym shorts and a t shirt that was still pretty soaked in sweat.

"Hey, hey." He announced his presence, tossing his keys on the counter. "Sorry, I thought I timed my arrival better to not interrupt."

"No worries." Olivia started the process of getting up from the couch, which took considerably more effort than before, with a six-month baby bump. She intercepted him on his way upstairs "Hi."

"Hi." He pecked her on the lips, gently resting his hand on her stomach. "How are you feeling."

"Fine." Olivia answered honestly, although his post-gym musk was triggering mild nausea inside of her. "You need to shower."

"Okay, yeah, I smell. I can take a hint." Fitz chuckled, taking a step back. "Hey Abs."

"Hi boss." Abby waved from the couch.

"Can't wait to hear about how the west coast office is setting up. You'll be in the office tomorrow to give an update, right?"

"Bright and early."

"Great. I'll catch up tomorrow, then." He made his way upstairs, leaving them alone again.

"I'll put these in the dish washer." Abby grabbed their glasses, taking them to the sink. Olivia began to seal up their snacks. "I should probably get on my way."

"Thank you for coming by." Olivia said. "I really needed this."

"Any time." Abby hugged her, holding her tightly. "Ask Fitz about your idea. I think it could be a good thing."

"Okay." Olivia nodded. "Text me when you get home safe."

"Of course."

By the time Olivia finished cleaning up downstairs, Fitz was exiting his shower with a towel hanging low on his hips.

"How was your workout?" Olivia asked, as he came out of the bathroom.

"It was nice." He replied, heading to their closet to retrieve a pair of boxers to change into. "How was your girl's night?"

"Needed." Olivia admitted. She went through her nightly routine, finally retiring to the bed to rub some shea butter along the stretchmarks that had formed on her thighs and stomach. Fitz joined her on his side of the bed, reading an article on his phone.

"So what do you need to ask me?" Fitz asked, not looking up from his phone.

"Huh?" Olivia asked.

"Abby mentioned something about something you wanted to ask me."

"When?"

"When she was leaving, I caught a bit of what she said to you… I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but I heard it when I was tossing my gym clothes in the laundry… All I caught was ask Fitz about your idea." Fitz set his phone to the side. "If you don't want to ask me yet, you don't have to… But you know that you can ask me anything."

"Okay." Olivia nodded, sitting up straighter, and accepting that this was when she needed to share what was weighing on her mind for months. "I've been thinking about my career… What my return to the Hill looks like after my maternity leave is over, and I'm not sure that I want to… I think I want to resign."

"What?" Fitz wasn't sure that he heard her correctly. When he realized that he did, he continued, "If that is what you want, then you know that I support you 100%. You don't have to worry about money, I'll make sure we are well taken care of, and you can have anything you want."

"I don't want to stop working." Olivia said. "I mean, obviously, I'm going to stop working for a while, once the baby comes, but I do want to go back to work eventually… I will always want to work. We both know I would go crazy as a housewife."

"Okay, so what do you want to do?" Fitz was caught off guard by what she was sharing. Olivia loved her job. She was in such an impressive position, being the youngest chief of staff to a senator by at least a decade. She loved working for Dani and got so much fulfillment out of the important, historic work they were doing. He was interested in what else she wanted to do, because the thought of her leaving Dani Flores's staff was so left field.

"I'm not sure yet." Olivia lied, doubting herself last minute. She had a plan, she just didn't know if she was ready to vocalize it out loud.

Fitz raised his eyebrows, rolling on his side. He dipped his fingers into container of shea butter and began to rub it gently into her stomach. He knew her well enough to know that she knew what she wanted to do next, but she was scared to say it out loud. "So what are you thinking you might want to do? Even if you don't know if that is what you will do?"

"I think I might want to open my own firm." Olivia stated, biting back the anxiety that rose up at the thought of even saying it out loud.

"Like a law firm? Wouldn't you need to go back to law school to start an LLP?"

"Not a law firm, exactly." Olivia fidgeted with her fingernail. "But a firm that helps people with their image, when they are in crisis."

"Like a fixer?"

"Yeah, exactly that." Olivia nodded. "I want what you have with the foundation. Full ownership. I love Dani, but I want to be my own boss… Be able to set my agenda and cadence, while still being able to avoid the public focus on my personal self… And when I think about the work that I like to do… the work that I'm good at… I think about things like managing Dani's image after she was outed as gay on New Year's Eve… And I can't help but think that there is more work to be done like that for other people. I love Dani like a sister, but I don't love the politicking or the lobbying or the elections or the constant offering up of the personal for the public's consumption… I want to be my own boss, and I want to be independent."

"Livvie." Fitz said softly, as he gathered his thoughts, still rubbing the lotion into her stomach.

Olivia interpreted his pause as a cautioning against her pipe dream. "It's stupid. I know. I mean, I'm only 26. I can't start my own firm. I shouldn't give up what I have already with Dani. It was just a stupid thought—"

"Livvie." Fitz repeated, running his hand long her cheek. "I think that sounds like an excellent idea, and I think that you have it in you to make it a reality."

"Really?" Olivia asked. For someone so secure and sure of herself 99% of the time, this was one of the rare instances where she was being vulnerable. Where she was opening herself up to show that she was scared that this could fail.

Fitz sat up, crossing his legs and taking her hands in his. "I think that you would become a brilliant fixer. You clearly have the talent. You have the network. Everybody in this town who knows anything knows your name and what you are capable of. Given this town, I have no doubt that you would have clients lining up around the block, seeking your help. If this is something you want to do, then you should. And know that I will support you in any way you need."

"Thank you." Olivia's eyes moistened as she looked at the love of her life. She touched his cheek with her hand, softly rubbing her thumb across his chin. "I love you."

Fitz craned his neck to kiss her. She leaned in, seeking comfort in his lips against hers. He parted her lips with his tongue, as she ran her fingers through his hair.

"Mmph." Olivia pulled back to gasp in shock. Her hand dropped to her stomach, as she caught her breath.

"Are you okay?" Fitz was immediately concerned, searching her eyes. "What's wrong?"

"I'm fine." Olivia shook her head. "They are kicking." She guided his hands to where she was feeling the strange kicks. This wasn't the first time they kicked. She almost dropped her coffee the first time it happened, as she was walking up the Capitol steps. It happened a few other times when she was alone, but this was the first time Fitz was there to feel it.

"Wow." Fitz whispered, staring at where his hand was resting on her bump, feeling the soft thumps against his palm. "Does it hurt?"

"It isn't necessarily comfortable, but it doesn't hurt." Olivia admitted. "It just kinda catches me off-guard. Reminds me that there is an entire other human inside of me."

"There is a whole future inside of you." Fitz whispered, in wonder.

/fin/

Thank you all so much for following me on this journey.

- Parker19