Undeterred
The residence in the White House was silent. No one was up and about yet, getting into the shower, drinking cups of coffee, or bustling around, looking at their schedule of meetings for the day. No one was having animated talks with the cute new baby or feeding or changing her. It was one of those rare mornings where everyone was still blissfully asleep.
Well, almost everyone.
Olivia had been awake for some time now. Flicking her eyes to the digital clock on the bedside table, she saw that she had been enjoying the peace and quiet for precisely forty seven minutes. Her head was constantly filled with thoughts and it was often difficult to turn them off. She wondered what was going on in the world right this very minute. Innocent people sitting in prisons for crimes they did not commit, foreign dictators oppressing their people for kicks, or human beings not having something as simple as clean water to drink. Those were some of the heavy things that took up residence in her mind all the time.
Her brain yearned to escape from the shackles of heavy thinking for a few moments, so Olivia wondered what her schedule looked like for the day. She mentally brought it to mind, trying to remember in exact detail what it was that she had to accomplish today. Her daily brief was at seven. It was at the same time and location every single day and provided her with intelligence information of a sensitive nature on international events and matters.
Once that was finished, she had a doctor's appointment. She breathed a sigh of relief, feeling thankful that the good doctor made house calls. She had a series of meetings throughout her day, with a few breaks in between to make remarks to a group coming to the White House for a visit. Her day wrapped up with a meeting with the Joint Chiefs at five. Cyrus was sure to attempt to add items to her already ridiculously busy day, and wouldn't that be fun?
The beginning of her upcoming presidential campaign weighed heavily on her mind lately as well. It would be long and tiresome but well worth all of the hard work and attention to detail that was being put into it. She couldn't wait to be back in her home state – even if only for a few days – to be around the familiarity of her former life. To be back in her own home, surrounded by her own things and her lovely neighbors, instead of the elegance and isolation of the White House. She couldn't wait to show Brexley around Ohio.
As thoughts of Brexley began to waft through her mind, Olivia felt that familiar pang of guilt that constantly tortured her. Guilt from not being able to somehow carve more time from her endlessly busy days to be with her daughter. Most of the time, she reasoned that what she was doing now was important work for Brexley's future, and for the future of all women in this nation. Mommy guilt was a bitch!
She loved her job and knew the work she was doing was vital. The trail she was blazing was a new one and therefore held lots of room for mistakes, but Olivia was determined to keep the errors to a bare minimum. All eyes were always on her, waiting and watching for her to misstep. Knowing that made her much more determined to be doubly mindful of everything she said or did. Being that focused on the task at hand made it difficult to be a more hands on mom than she wanted to be. She was getting much better at balancing it all though.
Not to be deterred from spending quality time with her daughter, Olivia had her schedule cleared every day from two to four o'clock for time to play with, feed, or cuddle with Brexley. The minute Fitz got to the White House with their daughter each afternoon the President shifted into mommy mode and everyone knew to not disturb her. Everyone except for Fitz.
She turned her head to see him sleeping peacefully beside her. His repetitive heavy breathing was a comfort to her ears and the mundane sound made her smile. He was laying on his belly with his face turned towards her without a care in the world. The curls she loved to thread her fingers through or tug on, depending on the moment, were well and truly rumpled. She snatched her hand back the moment she realized that it was moving in his direction to touch the beloved curls.
He used to chastise her for not taking care of herself, but these days he was the one who needed that particular speech. He was doing an amazing job of working full eight hour days, splitting them in half to dedicate time and attention to his job as a fixer as well as his job as the First Gentleman. He did all of that with Brexley in tow, but it was beginning to take its toll on him.
She often caught him yawning when he eventually made his way back to the White House in the afternoons. Dark circles were also starting to show on his handsome face. Circles that hadn't been there before. He was so focused on staying on top of everything – his business, his job as First Gentleman that had been thrust upon him when he married her, his new passion of waking up Americans about women's rights, and being the best husband and daddy - that he hadn't left any room to make himself a priority.
They were both busy.
Once again, Olivia's hand moved in his direction. This time she didn't stop until she touched him. His cheek was warm and soft, and he didn't even stir in sleep as her thumb lightly ran along his jaw. This man, who woke up before Brexley even whimpered for food, was out like a light as his wife touched his face. He was beyond exhausted.
Something needed to be done.
Olivia removed her hand from his face and turned to lay on her back. Looking up at the ceiling, she shut out all of her previous thoughts and started to put together a plan. Ten minutes later, she quietly slid out of bed and went into the living room. The next several minutes were spent making phone calls in a soft tone as not to wake her family up. When she was happy with the final result, she padded barefoot into the kitchen and made a pot of coffee.
Brexley began to cry from her crib as the dark brown heavenly smelling coffee began to drip down into the coffee pot.
Pulling the fridge door open, she grabbed one of Brexley's bottles and put it into the warmer before heading toward the pitiful noises coming from the nursery with a grin. The cheery pink walls were a vast difference from the unhappy red faced little girl crying in her crib. Leaning over the rail, Olivia scooped her daughter up. "Good morning, my beautiful little love."
As she kissed and cooed at her little one, Olivia felt completely at ease. Being a mother was just so...amazing. She loved every part of it. Even the dirty diapers. Her favorite thing was just watching her daughter learn new things and her reaction to them. Something as simple as the amazement of noticing her hand and watching as it moved was vastly interesting and entertaining to Olivia. Seeing Brexley smile up at her was absolutely heart melting, every single time. And, Olivia could see a little more of herself and Fitz in Brexley's features.
Brexley gave one pitiful little cry without much power behind it, causing her mommy to chuckle down at her and hold her a little closer. "I'll bet that works on your daddy like a charm, doesn't it?" Olivia cooed.
On the way to the changing table, Olivia turned off the monitor. She didn't want Brexley's cries or their happy little chatter waking Fitz up. "It's no fun having a wet tushy is it? Noooo. We're going to fix that right now. Yes, we are!"
Carefully laying her down on the padded changing table, Olivia kept a hand on the six week old and grabbed a diaper from one of the shelves underneath. She changed the wet diaper on her daughter for a dry one and then grabbed another clean one from the shelf. She held the diaper up to cover her face from Brexley, and then pulled it away, giving Brexley a big grin and saying, "boo."
Brexley grinned up at her mother as her feet moved excitedly.
Olivia played the hide and seek game with the infant for a few minutes longer. Her daughter wasn't shy about letting her mother know that it was time to eat. "I gotchu little girl. You don't like to be hungry. You get that from your momma."
After retrieving the warm bottle, the two Grant females got cozy in a plush rocking chair. Olivia enjoyed the precious quiet bonding time with her daughter. While she did her best to empty the bottle, Olivia held her close and brushed her dark curls back from her daughter's face with the side of her index finger. Hating to do it, but knowing it needed to be done, Olivia gently slid the bottle nipple from Brexley's mouth. The little one was hoisted her up onto her mother's shoulder and Olivia began to pat her back.
Brexley was less than thrilled with this and made her unhappiness known with pitiful whimpers.
"Ohhh, you're good." Olivia chuckled and kissed Brexley's chubby cheek. "I'll bet your daddy promises to give you whateeeever you want when you make that noise huh? If you think formula is good, you wait until you are big enough to try Mama's fried chicken. There is nothing better than that!"
After a few bubbles escaped from Brexley's lips, Olivia resumed feeding her. The two of them sat there, enjoying their happy little mother daughter bubble with lots of kisses and chirpy dialogue. Olivia contentedly watched Brexley fall asleep in her arms as she lazily worked on emptying her bottle. Her mother rocked her and softly hummed a happy little song. Removing the empty bottle, Olivia heard her own belly growl. She leisurely got to her feet and carried Brexley into the kitchen. A cup of coffee was poured and she took a seat at the table, quietly sipping the hot brown wake up drink.
Breakfast was brought in and set up on the kitchen table and Olivia said thank you. The young man gave a curt nod, and left as wordlessly as he had arrived, leaving the President to her breakfast. She thought momentarily about waking up her husband to join her, but ultimately decided to let him sleep a bit longer. He would probably have some things to say once he learned that she had cancelled his first meeting this morning. She'd enjoy the silence a bit more for now.
Over an hour later, the sleepy and very confused First Gentleman stirred in bed. He gave an exhausted grunt before rolling over onto his back. Laying there for a minute, he immediately noticed a couple of things that seemed strange. The bedroom was bathed in a lot more light than it normally was when he woke up. After closing his overly tired eyes, and then rubbing them with the heels of his hands, Fitz realized that he wasn't hearing any crying.
Startled, his blue eyes flew open on high alert, all traces of sleepiness leaving his body in a flash. He jumped out of bed, calling out, "Liiiiiiiiiv?" as he quickly strode towards the nursery.
"Hey, hey, hey!" Olivia said gently as she got to him in the hall before he reached the pink nursery. She brought a finger to her lips and said, "shhhhhh."
Fitz squinted at his wife. "She can't be still asleep. What time is it?"
He wasn't going to like her answer. "It's eight forty five."
"Eight forty five?! Are you serious?" He demanded loudly.
Olivia grabbed his arm and led him towards the kitchen. As much as she was enjoying watching him lose his mind in his underwear, she wasn't going to let him wake up Brex. "Yes, I'm serious. You needed a little more sleep."
"Liv, I had a meeting at eight thirty. A meeting that..."
"A meeting that I cancelled." She said patiently as she cocked her head to one side.
"You what?" he asked. His voice was growing loud again, but the confusion he was experiencing took him by surprise, quieting his tone. "Why would you cancel anything on my schedule?"
"I cancelled my first meeting too if it makes you feel any better?" She tried.
"It doesn't. And you didn't answer my question." He gestured with his hands. "Why did you do that?"
"Because we are so busy. Always. Every day. There's so much to do and people to meet with. I just wanted us to slow down for a few hours this morning." She put her arms around him. "Please don't be mad."
"I'm not mad." He relented. "It just took me by surprise. I panicked when I didn't hear Brexley crying. I'm sorry that I raised my voice to you."
"Apology accepted." She got up on her tip toes and puckered her lips.
He gave her a quick kiss, holding her close for a moment. "Did she already get up for her breakfast?"
"She did. I gave her a bottle and we cuddled and I sang to her a little. We had quite a busy morning while you did nothing but sleep."
"I'll bet she loved seeing you when she woke up instead of me."
"She didn't complain."
"She wouldn't. She's just like you." He grinned down at her and that's when he noticed that she wasn't in her pajamas. "Why are you dressed for the day?"
"Brexley and I are going to spend the day together. Who knows? It could be the start of something new?"
"But what am I going to do all day?" He was already missing mini Liv.
She shrugged at him. "Get some work done?"
"While you get all the cuddles and kisses?"
"Pretty much."
"I don't think I like this new plan." Fitz complained.
Olivia crinkled her nose and patted his cheek. "That's too bad. I'm the President and can do whatever I want in my house. Go eat your breakfast and then get dressed. You have a day to tackle."
He knew it would happen. The minute Fitz and Clay walked into Grant and Associates minus Brexley, Huck was right there demanding answers. The second he started in; Fitz rolled his eyes so hard he just knew they would stay that way.
"Where is she?"
Fitz ignored him.
"Is she sick?"
Fitz sighed heavily. "No."
"Is she hurt?"
"No."
Huck looked forward to Fitz bringing Brexley into the office every morning. It was the new highlight of his day. After he was finished being an asshole and decided to share her, Fitz would let his right hand man take Brexley into his office for an hour or so. The two of them had some very important talks in there. They conducted lots of business too.
It was weird for him to be here without her. He needed to know where she was and that she was okay, because if she wasn't, Huck would kick his boss' ass. "Then where is she?"
"She's with her mother." Fitz stated calmly. He hoped to hell it sounded a lot calmer than he was actually feeling. He was missing daddy's little love. He had almost asked the driver to take him back to the White House no less than three times on the ride into the office. Huck being all over his ass about it wasn't helping!
"Olivia?" Huck said in a voice laced with doubt.
"That is her mother's name." Fitz snipped.
"Brexley is with Olivia?"
"I don't know how many times I can tell you that, but yes, she is with her mother. Olivia."
"Are you alright?" Huck asked.
Fitz strode angrily towards the bearded IT genius. Lifting a finger up between them, he spat out, "do I look alright?"
"No. You look like you have rabies."
Closing his eyes, Fitz mentally counted to five. It was all he had the energy to count to right now. "Look. I'm sorry I'm yelling at you. Liv sprang this on me this morning and I'm not exactly a huge fan of it. This idea of keeping Brexley with her today. It's insane and she isn't going to last the entire day. Not because she isn't able to, but because her schedule is packed! It's always packed! And Cyrus will definitely try to add more shit to it, like he does every other day."
The President's schedule was a lot lighter today as well as for the next few days. Fitz's was too, but Huck didn't share any of that news with his boss. "Do you want me to hack into her schedule and take some stuff off?"
Fitz's eyes doubled in size. "You can do that?"
Huck gave him an are you serious look.
He almost said yes, but instead said, "no. That's not being respectful of her, is it?"
Huck simply nodded and said, "then you'd better be ready to go get Brexley the second she calls you all stressed out." He'd be getting that call before long.
"That's good advice. Thanks, Huck." Fitz went to get coffee, leaving Huck smiling to himself before heading to his own office.
As the fixers got to work across town, Olivia carried Brexley downstairs to see doctor Lane for her six week post natal check up. The President had scheduled her daughter's appointment for the week before so she and Fitz could concentrate on taking care of her after getting her vaccines. It ended up working out perfectly for everything Olivia had planned later that afternoon. Her getting the all clear would be the icing on the cake she had baking in her mind.
"Hello, Madam President." Doctor Lane said with a warm smile.
"How are you?"
"I'm fine, thank you. I know I just saw her last week, but I do believe Miss Brexley has grown an inch since then."
"Oh, I hope not." Olivia replied, giving Brexley a little hug. "She's so much fun at this age. Sleeping through the night has happened a few times already, and she grins all the time it seems."
"Treasure all of these moments because they go by faster than you might think." She touched the President's arm. "I know that your daughter is doing great, but how are you doing? This appointment is all about you, so if you have questions or concerns, please feel free to ask away. Let's get your height and weight out of the way first."
"That's a curse word." Olivia joked.
Doctor Lane chuckled, but understood the hated word weight. "Yes, ma'am. No new mommy likes to be weighed after giving birth, but, we're all in it together and we will make it quick. We also need to check your blood pressure and a few other things. I know you are a busy lady, so if you will go get a gown on, I'll happily hold this little cutie pie."
Once Olivia had been checked from head to toe and declared healthy, she got dressed while doctor Lane held Brexley and explained in a soft tone what a stethoscope was. When the baby was in her mother's arms the two women sat down for a talk. "Your cesarean delivery for Brexley went very smoothly, Madam President. Of course, she did have that little breathing issue while you were in the hospital, but she hasn't had any other problems and was announced healthy last week at her own appointment. Your incision is healing up very nicely. Have you had any problems with it?"
"None whatsoever."
"Great. Your weight – I know, curse word – is good. Your blood pressure is very good, and the rest of you seems to be fine too. Are you experiencing any baby blues?"
At Olivia's blank look, the good doctor elaborated. "Are you feeling sad for no particular reason at all?"
The President shook her head back and forth in the negative.
"How about anger? Anxiety? Hopelessness? Guilt?"
"That last one sounds familiar." Olivia admitted.
"Okay. Let's talk about it for a minute. Are you experiencing guilt all the time, or just when it comes to your daughter?"
Olivia gave a light shrug. "Both."
"Some of that is mommy guilt and some of that comes from being the most powerful woman in the world. Did you feel any amount of guilt before you had your baby?"
"I did." Olivia admitted.
"Are you feeling any of the other things I mentioned a moment ago?"
"Not at all." Olivia stated confidently. "I think I feel guilty because I have to be at work and can't spend as much time with Brexley as I'd like. I don't have the kind of job where I can simply call in sick or not show up at all."
"I understand, Madam President." Doctor Lane answered. "It's very hard to be a mom. Physically and emotionally. It's draining. That's why it's important that you take care of yourself. Give yourself a mental assessment and see if you or the First Gentleman notice any of the other emotions sneaking in. Talk to your husband. Let him know what changes to look for in you. If either of you see anything out of the ordinary, call me and I'll schedule a visit."
"That makes a lot of sense. It's good advice with perfect timing." Olivia replied.
"How so, ma'am?"
"Well, truth be told, I am planning to kidnap my husband for the weekend. We'll probably have a hard time being able to stay away for an entire weekend, but twenty four hours is the absolute minimum that I'm settling for. We both need a little break from work, and I want some quality together time with my family without distractions."
"I think that is a lovely idea, Madam President." Doctor Lane encouraged. "Does your husband have any idea that you are planning to steal him away for a day or two?"
Olivia grinned proudly. "None whatsoever. My fixer is going to get fixed."
"And how do you plan to accomplish this kidnapping of yours?" The doctor asked with a conspirator's grin.
"I have cleared both of our schedules for the weekend. Fitz's right hand man is very valuable when it comes to my scheming. He did all the heavy lifting for me on that end. I'm going to lure Fitz to the White House under the pretense of me being stressed out having my little angel at work all morning – even though it was my idea to do so. He'll come running over to try to help out, and that's when I'll get him in the car. I'll say something like...I need to get out of the White House for a while or something like that. Once we arrive at Camp David, I'll tell him what's going on."
"That is one of the sweetest, yet most devious plans I've heard in a while. I hope the three of you enjoy yourselves completely and are able to stay away for the entire weekend. You all deserve it."
"Thank you."
"You're most welcome. Do you have any other questions for me?"
"Is it okay for me to take the pause button off my sex life now? That would really help make this weekend even better."
"It is. You are released to resume all physical activities. Anything else?"
"How long do I have to wait to get pregnant again?" Olivia watched the doctor's face for judgement. She was happy to not see any. "If Fitz and I decide to have another baby."
"The answer varies. Some obstetricians say to wait twelve to twenty four months before attempting to get pregnant again." She began.
Olivia kept a good poker face, but she was beginning to feel deflated on the inside at her obstetrician's words.
"There are others who say waiting twelve to fifteen months is best to give your body time to properly and fully heal."
"What do you say?" Olivia wanted to know. "You're my doctor, and your opinion is the one I hold in the highest esteem."
"My medical opinion is that it's best to wait at least six months before getting pregnant again."
"Six months? That's all?" Olivia asked, feeling somewhat better. "Is it okay for your body to give birth to another baby that soon after already having one?"
"It is. Studies show that getting pregnant before the six month mark will increase your risk for complications though."
"What kind of complications?" Olivia asked.
"Such as having a baby with a low birth weight or even a ruptured uterus. My medical opinion is that six months is the bare minimum amount of time to wait before you become pregnant again."
Olivia held Brexley a little tighter and got to her feet. "Something to think about. Thank you. I always learn something new from you, doctor Lane. I appreciate your time."
"Thank you, Madam President. If you need me for anything at all, just have someone from your office call mine."
"Thank you again." The two women shook hands and Olivia headed to her office. After leaving Fitz with no choice about Brexley this morning, he would be adamant about keeping their FaceTime appointment so he could see her. It would be about time for Olivia to start her one woman stressed out act too. With a smile on her face, Olivia spoke to everyone she and her agents passed by in the hall. She kept it in place as she opened the door to the Oval with a happy little Brexley in her arms.
After sitting in her leather chair behind the resolute desk, Olivia grinned down at her daughter. "Are you thinking closer to six months or two years on the little brother or sister?"
Brexley grinned at her mother.
"That's what I was thinking too, my love." She brought her daughter to her face and kissed both of her cheeks before giving her a little squishy hug. "Who smells better than momma's baby?"
"That's right. Nobody! Not even daddy, but we're not gonna tell him that, are we?" Olivia crinkled her nose. "Noooo. We don't want daddy to be sad. He's already sad enough without having his little love with him at work, huh? No wonder he likes having you at work with him. He gets all of the kisses and hugs. Poor daddy."
Picking up her phone, Olivia took a photo of Brex and sent it to Huck.
A few moments later, Olivia's phone pinged, signaling a text message. She moved her fingers across the screen to open the message from Huck. "Let's see what Uncle Huck sent us."
A sharp burst of laughter bubbled up through her lips, startling Brexley. She immediately began to cry. "Awwww, I'm so sorry, sweet girl. Uncle Huck sent us a picture of daddy. Look at him, Brex. Daddy looks so sad. He's going to be much happier when we get him to Camp David."
Putting Brexley on her shoulder, Olivia held her close and began to sway with her in her arms. The little one was asleep within seconds. As she gently patted her daughter's back, Olivia studied her husband's face with a frown on hers. "Don't be sad, handsome. The three of us will get away from it all together very soon."
An hour later, Brexley woke up screaming her lungs out for a bottle. Olivia put a bottle in the warmer on the way to the private bathroom in the Oval. She removed the stinky diaper from her daughter's bottom and put a clean dry one on in its place. The little one was some happier, but not completely. Not by a long shot. "Sweet girl. It's gonna be okay. I promise. Two more minutes and your bottle will be ready. Hang in there and we'll..."
Just then, her phone made a familiar sound. The sound of an incoming FaceTime call. Olivia froze. This would work better than her original plan. Taking her seat once again behind her desk, and trying to calm Brexley down, she slid her finger across the phone screen. Trying her best to look frazzled and stressed, she said, "hi, Fitz."
"Hi" he started brightly. His smile fell off his face in an instant. He picked up his phone from his desk and leaned closer to the screen. "Liv? Are you okay? What's the matter with my girls?"
Gotcha, Olivia thought triumphantly, but she made her lower lip tremble on purpose. "We are...well, it could be better." She gave a watery laugh and sniffed, amazed at her acting skills. There was no doubt in her mind that Fitz would buy her whole act. "I think she has a belly ache."
"Did she burp good for you this morning?" He asked in a voice filled with concern. He got to his feet and began putting his suit jacket on one handed as he continued watching the screen.
"I thought she did, but maybe I didn't quite get all of them? Maybe she's hungry?"
"I'm headed that way now. We'll get our little love all straightened out and you can breathe for a minute. I know it's hard to do it all while you're at work, but I also know you're doing an amazing job. This is just a little bump, Liv. She's going to be fine and you will too. Give me fifteen or twenty minutes, okay?"
"Don't rush. We'll be fine. I'm going to track down Jessica and see if she would mind holding her for a bit." Olivia knew Fitz's secretary was basically a female Harrison. She didn't want to look at or be around babies. And she definitely didn't want to hold them.
"No!" Fitz practically yelled, causing Brexley to cry harder. "Shoot. I'm sorry Brex. I'm sorry, Liv. Please don't bother Jessica. I'll be right there. I promise. I love you, okay?"
Olivia was getting out of her chair and bouncing Brexley as she walked towards the bottle warmer. "Okay. I'll try. I love you too." The call was ended and Olivia slid the phone in her dress pants pocket. She picked up the bottle and slid it between Brexley's gums, ceasing all crying from her daughter. "Is that what you wanted, mommy's angel?"
As Brexley chugged the bottle as if it would jump out of her mouth at any moment, Olivia apologized to her repeatedly. "I'm sorry, sweet girl. I know you hate to wait for your bottle, but it was for the greater good. It was a long thirty seconds huh? I'm sorry if you thought I wasn't going to feed you. Mommy would never do that. Perfect timing on the fit though. You should consider becoming an actress when you're older. You're very convincing. Your daddy is going to think so too once he calms down."
Fitz burst through the door twelve minutes later. He looked stressed and impatient. He was breathing hard, as if he had physically run all the way to the White House from his office. Olivia almost laughed at the sight of him, but kept it together enough to look exhausted. Barely. She lifted a finger to her lips and told him, "shhhhh."
Striding to the Resolute desk with his cloudy blue eyes on their daughter, Fitz flicked them to meet Olivia's brown ones. She looked tired and stressed out. And maybe on the verge of tears. Knowing Brex was asleep and no longer upset, he focused on his wife. Squatting beside her large chair, he leaned towards her until his forehead rested against hers. Very carefully, he wrapped her into his arms and whispered, "are you alright?"
"Piece of cake." Olivia teased, with a hint of stress in her voice somehow.
"I'm sorry that she had a meltdown with you today. Hopefully, her belly ache is gone and she will be more like her happy little self when she wakes up?"
Olivia didn't want Fitz to think Brex had been bad tempered the entire time she had her, and jumped to her defense. "She was great all morning long. She just lost her mind about the time you FaceTimed us. I felt so bad for her, you know?"
"I know how that goes. Sometimes it happens with me too. The last time she had a complete meltdown, was the day I took her to the park across the street. Since she's asleep, maybe we should take advantage of that and all three of us go up to the residence and lay down for a while?" He suggested in a soft tone.
Olivia wondered why she even bothered coming up with plans at all? Fitz was unknowingly making this easier than she could have imagined. He was in fixer mode, trying his best to remain calm and rectify the situation as best he could, all while staying positive and supportive. After taking a moment to enjoy being held by her husband, she nodded. He gently took Brexley out of her arms and helped her to her feet, wrapping an arm around her waist. "Come on." He encouraged. "We'll get your eyes closed and you'll forget all about crying little girls."
Olivia gave a fake yawn, but kept up with her husband's long strides.
Once they were out in the hall, Cyrus came and planted his feet firmly in their path. Crossing his arms in front of his chest, he gave a scowl and asked, "and just where do you think you're going?"
Fitz took a step towards the older man. "We're going up to the residence to lay down for a bit. Liv has had a busy morning and she's exhausted."
"Well, that's too damn bad. She's got work to do down here."
"Back off!" Fitz said in a low threatening tone. He flicked his eyes down to make sure Brex was still asleep.
Olivia watched Cyrus continue to taunt Fitz and raised her eyebrows at him. The argument was fake and arranged ahead of time by Cy. The problem was, he was being too convincing, and he was getting dangerously close to pushing Fitz into waters that were too deep for her to get him out of. Cyrus ignored her warning look.
"You might give the orders at your fancy office, and people actually do what you say, but around here...people do what I say! Now, you can take your daughter upstairs and lay down or do whatever the hell you want to, but the President is needed in the Oval!"
"Back. The fuck. Off!" Fitz's tone was low, as not to wake up his sleeping daughter, but the harsh meaning of his words was well conveyed.
The two men stared at each other for an intense minute before Olivia stepped between them. Looking at her Chief of Staff she politely said, "I'll walk them upstairs and be back in a few minutes."
"Liv!" Fitz exclaimed in an impatient tone.
She turned her head towards her husband and patted his chest. "He's right, Fitz."
"The hell he is!" Fitz growled.
"I'm sorry. I have a lot to do and don't have time to take a nap today. The President can't just walk away from her job. I'll take the two of you upstairs and then I'll come back and get some work done."
Fitz glared at the older man as the hatred radiated off him in almost visible waves. "Fine" he spat out before walking away. If he hadn't been holding Brexley, he would have punched the guy. "Why is he such an asshole?" he muttered.
"It's his job." Olivia told him.
"If that's the case, he's excellent at his job."
Once they were around the corner, and out of Cyrus' sight, she quickly led her husband towards the door of the South Portico instead of to the steps leading up to the residence.
"Liv? Where are you going?"
The President smiled up at her unsuspecting husband and looped her arm through his. "Getting the three of us out of here. Let's go!"
"Are you insane?" He asked, lashing out. "You're the President. You just reminded me moments ago that you can't just leave whenever you feel like it. And you also just told Cyrus that you'd be back to work in a few minutes."
"When did you become such a buzzkill?" she teased.
Fitz stopped in his tracks on the landing outside and shot his wife a crazed look. "You can't just leave, the White House, Olivia."
"Oh, it's Olivia now." she stated, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "This is serious."
Had she lost her mind? "People will come looking for you! You could also get fired. But you know that because you're smart, so what the hell is going on?"
His anger had grown to impatience and he was beginning to take it out on the one person who didn't deserve either. His face softened. "Damn it. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have spoken to you like that."
He was so damn sexy when he was mad. Maybe she'd try to purposefully get him mad later on, now that she had been given the green light for sex? The outcome would be amazing, she knew from experience. Her brain told her to not get ahead of itself right now though. Giving him a small smile, she asked, "do you trust me?"
Fitz's blue eyes studied her intently. She seemed to be up to something, and she seemed to have a plan. Whatever it was, he was with her. Always. His reply was honest and heartfelt. "With my life."
Olivia grinned at her husband. He appeared to be catching on that they weren't going on the run from the White House and all of their work responsibilities. While he couldn't have any idea of what her plan was, he was with her; and that meant everything. The next few days were going to be amazing. Reaching for his hand, she excitedly said, "then stop dragging your ass and let's go!"
A/N - The next chapter will cover their time at Camp David