About to go out of town for a few days, but I wanted to do this. Hope you enjoy this new chapter. I would apologize for the delay, but when inspiration is low and free time is limited, it's hard to force anything. But our favorite trio is back. So I'm glad that it's here for you to read now. Let me know what you think. xo

Olivia didn't do anything spontaneously. The opposite was her comfort zone. Meticulous. Well-thought out. Always having a backup plan and never out of options. But cutting a work trip short to take a red eye back to Washington, only to see her boyfriend? What kind of nonsense? To be in the same room as this man who turned her world upside down, for the better.

That was a risk. A calculated one at that.

When she informed Harrison on the ride back on her intent, he laughed, but wasn't surprised. He probably was the only person who could see the changes, since he knew both well. Everything came before her personal life. But the distance couldn't stop her from seeing his face, being in his arms, and feeling loved. There was nothing like it.

An afternoon in her own bed after two weeks was luxurious. Spending it with Fitz made it better. After reconnecting in the most sensual of ways, they had more time to chill before getting Teddy.

"He's going to be shocked when he sees you," a blissfully naked Fitz mumbled, nuzzling his nose against Olivia's cheek. She giggled, slightly turning her head so she could see his face.

"I know. We should get ready."

Fitz stretched his arm over Olivia to stop her. "Maybe. It will only take us 20 minutes to get home. Plus, you're extremely warm and I don't feel like moving one bit."

Olivia wiggled around, playfully resisting. "Fitz!"

"I'm not about to cut this quality one-on-one time short. You know I can't let you go."

She only allowed ten more minutes of lounging around before she insisted on leaving. With a small bag of clothes and other essentials, Olivia was in the car with Fitz, ready to surprise Teddy.

After she dropped off her things, Olivia was surprised to find Fitz waiting for her.

"You want to," he asked, with mischief on his face and his hands sliding down her sides.

Olivia laughed at his lousy attempts of being discreet. Tracing his jawline, moving up to tap his nose, she reminded, "Mister, you will be highly upset if you don't get to finish what you start. I know how you get."

Fitz interrupted her train of thought with several kisses, reminding her quickly of their afternoon so far.

"Hmm, Fitzy."

The dull thump of her back connecting with the wall.

"Shh...I'm trying to work."

Olivia moaned into his ear, feeling his hand cup her sex. It didn't take long for her jeans to drop to the floor; freeing her hips to move, giving Fitz access to more. She almost slid down when his thumb pressed on her clit.

"That's right, Livvie."

Again, spur-of-the-moment events weren't her thing, but Fitz was able to change her mind. Five minutes and a strong orgasm later, they heard a car pull into the driveway. Olivia squeezed Fitz's hand, while he sighed.

"I'll go hide."

Quickly cleaning up, Fitz walked outside. The door remained open so Olivia could see and hear what was going on. Fitz met Teddy outside, picking him up.

"Hiya, Dad. I stayed with Rachel longer today."

"Did you have fun?"

"Yes! After school and the homework page, we went to the pizza parlor and I got an extra calzone for lunch tomorrow."

Fitz stooped down to meet Teddy face-to-face. "I got a surprise for you."

"Yeah? What is it?"

"Can't tell you, little man, because that's what a surprise means. Take my hand and close your eyes."

"Okay!"

"Keep 'em closed."

Fitz crossed the threshhold, leading Teddy into the house.

"Alright," he whispered. "Open your eyes."

Blinking fast, Teddy surveyed the foyer. "What is it, Daddy?"

Fitz shrugged. "Maybe it's a treasure hunt. The surprise is in the house."

Olivia stifled a laugh as she watched Teddy scampered around. He peeked into the sitting room, but found nothing. Then, he ran upstairs.

"No!"

Fitz crossed his arms, holding back a chuckle. "Keep searching, Teddy Bear."

Olivia tiptoed from the kitchen into the family room. She winked.

Soon after, Teddy came downstairs, with a bewildered face.

"Daddy! Daddy!"

"I'm in the family room."

They waited for Teddy to make his entrance.

When he arrived, they smiled, assuming he would begin to scream and jump for joy. To their surprise, Teddy's face crumpled, immediately bursting into tears, and ran into Olivia's open arms.

"You came back, Livia!" His cry was so pitiful. Olivia brought him close, rocking back and forth.

"I'm here. I came back for you and Daddy."

Teddy kept sobbing. "Thank youuuu. I missed you so much!"

Fitz could feel his heart breaking. Kneeling down, he smoothed Teddy's hair, and wiped away his tears.

"Baby."

"I'm not a baby…"

"How can I make you feel better?"

"I'm happy!"

Olivia kissed his wet cheeks. "Oh, Teddy," she sighed. "I'm so glad."

"When did you get back?"

"Today. I surprised you and Daddy."

Teddy pulled away from her shoulder. "Really?"

Fitz smiled; "Really! I wasn't expecting Livvie to be here. Isn't that awesome, Teddy?"

"Yeah," the boy exclaimed. Now, he was hopping around. Then he paused.

"Livia? Daddy?"

"Yes?"

Teddy turned into his most composed self, hands perched on his hips. In a stern tone, he announced, "I want you to pwomise me something."

Fitz glanced at Olivia, returning to his son. "Okay, buddy."

"That both of you will never leave me. As best you can. Even when you have to go to work or trips, I want you to pwomise me that you'll come back to me."

"Of course."

"I promise," Olivia declared.

For the rest of the evening, Teddy wouldn't let go of Olivia. Snuggled into the crook of her arm, sitting on her lap, and nearly crying when she tried to move.

"No...No...Livia!"

"Teddy," Fitz warned. "Please don't scream."

"Just don't go."

Olivia reassured him with a hug, 'I'm not going to leave."

"Okay," he spoke, "Sorry for yelling."

Bedtime was approaching; Olivia carried Teddy upstairs, while Fitz followed. Waiting in his room, she got a slight reprieve, while Teddy bathed. He stormed in, finding her in the rocking chair.

"I'm back!"

"Yes, you are," she smiled.

"Daddy said I need to get into bed."

"You do."

Teddy, wearing a comfy set of dinosaur pajamas, plopped himself into the covers.

"Livia?"

"Yes?"

"Do you get scared when you're alone?"

"Sometimes."

"I do."

"Why?"

"I get bad dreams. That no one will be here when I wake up."

"Do you tell your Dad?"

Teddy opened his mouth, as if to share, but closed it quickly. His puppy eyes were very prominent; Olivia could tell that he was nervous.

"Honey, it's okay. If you want to tell me, that's fine. If not, that's okay."

"I don't want him to wor-wy."

Olivia titled her head and softly asked, "Why is that?"

Teddy shrugged, giving a quiet explanation. "I know he's sad that Mommy isn't here. He feels… what's that word when you feel bad and it may be your fault."

"Guilty."

Teddy gave a thumbs up. "That's it. Guilty."

To have a mind so sharp and aware of other's surroundings. Olivia's heart was breaking all over again for this sweet child.

Fitz walked in. "Alrighty, Monsieur Theodore."

"Oui, Daddy."

"French?"

Teddy clapped. "Yes! You got it."

"Sleep tight."

Olivia felt her sweet boy's hand tug her sleeve.

"Will you be here in the morning," he whispered.

"Yes."

"Good."

"You're going to have wonderful dreams," Olivia confimed.

Teddy's cheeks rose. "I am. Gnite, Livia, I love you."

Olivia pressed her lips on Teddy's head. "Good night. I love you too."

The lights were turned off, and the door ajar. Olivia lingered to make sure Teddy had drifted off to sleep.

"That was rough."

"I am so sorry."

"Fitz? I think we need to discuss about what happened."

"What can I say? Grant men love you."

Olivia sighed, "I'm being serious."

"So am I."

"Has he ever been like this before? He was really upset if I walked away."

"The first time he visited Mellie. When his sister dropped him off after a week, Teddy wouldn't leave my side for three days."

"So, is this about…"

"Mellie?"

"Yes."

Fitz leaned back, groaning, "She is the last person I want to talk about with you."

"Baby…"

"I mean it, Liv."

Olivia knew she had hit a wall. Everything was still fresh and it hurt for Fitz. She wasn't going to invade his space, but she wanted to find a way to help out somehow.

When they got settled for bed themselves, Olivia added, "He's begun kindergarten. Maybe his teacher could give us insight."

He sighed, "This is what I've been dreading."

"I'm sorry."

Olivia rubbed his back, dragging her fingers around in a circular motion. She always found it amusing when he purred like a cat. Either his back or scratching his scalp, she would hear this.

"You want to watch some TV," he asked in a lazy voice.

"Okay."

"Fitz?"

"Hmm."

"How do you want me to be in his life?"

"What?"

Olivia assured him, "I don't want to overstep, nor do I want to cower. This is all new to me. I've never had a child like me in the way that Teddy does. He means a lot to me. But I'll be traveling. I won't be able to avoid that. I don't want to hurt him; I want to know how to respond."

"Thank you. I appreciate you."

"Love you," he said.

Olivia grinned. "I love you too."

"I'm going to call out tomorrow."

"What?"

Fitz nodded; "Let's just spend the whole day together."

"Are you serious?"

"Yes. You said you weren't going in. After I drop off Teddy, we'll have 8 hours of free time."

Olivia pulled herself up so she could lean against the headboard. "True."

"I don't want to hide anymore."

"Who said we were hiding?"

Fitz gave her such a scowl, she giggled.

"Don't you dare. You think I don't notice? We barely go out. I want to take you out. In public. Show everyone how much I love you and want to share this world with you. I want to go out with my girlfriend. Who is smart, beautiful, giving, and so fucking sexy. Why not tomorrow?"

The pleading in his eyes was making all the difference. How could she not said yes. She knew she had the same power to knock down his stubborn resolve.

"Finneee…," she dragged the word as her lips slowly turned upward into a smile.

He kissed the inside of her arm.

"Fitz…"

"What?"

"You're a trip."

"You like it," he purred.

A few deep kisses later, Fitz asked, "Do you want to keep some of your things here?"

Olivia's eyes widened. "What do you mean?"

Fitz paused to rephrase his question, "I was wondering if you wanted to leave some items here, so you're not lugging all sorts of crap behind and I don't want you to forget anything."

"Maybe," she answered, a little confused and mostly worried. 'Would you like to do the same?"

"Yes," he replied confidently. "I would like that very much."

"This is exciting."

Olivia quipped, pulling the covers over herself, "Next level shit."

Fitz coughed out a laugh. "Exactly."

"Livia, are you walking with us?"

Teddy skipped to Olivia, after breakfast. It was the first time she had seen him in an uniform. He was rocking a blue polo with khaki pants. Looking extra dapper. It seemed like he had grown an inch or two since she saw him last.

"Okay."

"Yay!"

The leaves were starting to change. Fitz smirked as Teddy nudged him away so he could stay with Olivia.

"What are you going to do today?"

"Math, reading, recess, social studies, lunch, sometimes we go to Chapel."

Olivia smiled, lightly squeezing Teddy's hand, "Nice!"

"How about you?"

"Oh, just cleaning and doing some work."

Fitz loudly mimicked a buzzer, startling the two. "Wrong!"

Teddy and Olivia exchanged a shocked look then laughed.

"Daddy!"

"Livvie isn't doing any work today. We're going to take a day off. Almost like a field trip."

"That's fun," Teddy replied. He tugged on her arm, to stop her from walking. Olivia responded to his gesture of kneeling down.

"Just make sure he doesn't kiss you the whole time."

"What?"

Teddy giggled. "You two kiss a lot. Daddy loves romance and he loves you. I'm not blind. Kissy-kissy! Blech!"

"Yes, we do. Isn't that right?"

Olivia shook her head. "Yup."

It was nice walking to the school. Olivia opted for a lightweight sweater, chinos, and red flats. She wanted to be comfortable and give a good impression, just in case she ran into any of Teddy's teachers.

As they approached the carpool line and the groups of children waiting for the bell to ring, Olivia could feel a heavy weight in her stomach.

They'd been together since mid-summer and it was the first time she would be with him in front of a considerable crowd. The nerves were rising and usually not physically showing signs of weakness, Olivia could feel something off.

Olivia and Fitz stopped in front of three ladies who were standing around, watching the children play. They had a very typical Chevy Chase/Somerset look. Preppy and classy, some wore athletic wear, others in casual business outfit.

"Mornin', Fitz."

"Good morning."

Teddy scurried to his friends.

"This is my girlfriend, Olivia."

She watched the ladies' reactions - one immediately frowned, another stood taller, as if being threatened. The third smiled.

"Nice to meet you."

"Likewise."

"Fitz Grant, you've known us how long and never mentioned about dating?"

"Yes, I did," he said. "I told you."

"How long have you two been together?"

Fitz proudly confirmed, "Three months. Loving every minute of it."

"We haven't seen you around, Olivia. Are you from out of town?"

Olivia hoped she didn't sound too irritated. "I live downtown."

"What do you do?"

"Crisis management, PR."

"In DC?"

"Yes."

"That's cool."

"Which firm?"

Olivia stated, "It's mine, on K."

The ladies marveled.

"Will you two be working with each other?"

"I don't think so."

"Anything's possible."

Olivia forced a grin as Fitz counter answered. It was taking every ounce of patience and self-control to not storm off.

"Aww," Dana, the second mom smiled, "Y'all are so cute."

"We shall see."

Jennifer suggested, "Maybe we can all get together for wine. Do you like wine, Olivia?"

"I do," she promptly said. "Red is the way to go for me."

Another mom walked into the circle and began to talk about an event. Olivia could feel them eyeing her. This interrogation was coming from the most random of sources and she didn't like it at all. She had no control of the situation. Everything was happening so fast. She wasn't expecting this introduction to school life. To come in, unprepared, was not pleasant either.

Fitz kissed her temple, then nodded to the gaggle. "We're going to say goodbye to Teddy. I hope you all have a great day."

When they were finally out of earshot, Olivia moved extra closer to Fitz, standing on her tiptoes to let him hear her.

"I'm going to kick your ass," she harshly whispered.

Fitz asked incredulously, "Why?"

Olivia leaned back slightly, shooting back a glare. "Because you pushed me into the lion's den. Who the fuck are those women? Did you flirt with them? Are they smitten by the Grant charm?"

"Unfortunately, they know who I am. Doesn't help that I'm a Chevy Chase anomaly," Fitz clarified. "I am always cordial, but I haven't deliberately given them any signs of interest."

Olivia knew Fitz was telling the truth, but she didn't like the attention he was receiving in front of her. "What they need to consider are boundaries. Their kids are probably the ones who give Teddy a hard time for having a single Dad."

The look of amusement vanished. "What?"

"He didn't tell you?"

"When did he tell you?"

Olivia replied, "The other day on FaceTime. That's why he wanted to talk to me. It's an issue."

"Bye, Livia! Bye, Daddy!"

Olivia and Fitz waved to Teddy, as he walked with his classmates in the building.

"I can't believe this. I completely missed this."

"Bye, Fitz!"

Olivia's eyes perked, immediately grabbing Fitz's arm when they passed the trio. She wanted to clearly mention she's the only one he calls for in the middle of the night, but that would be petty and foolish. As soon as they reached the first intersection back to Fitz's, she let go.

"You're jealous."

Rolling her eyes, she glanced over. Fitz lifted his chin, waiting for her admission. A snarl crossed Olivia's lips.

"Say it."

Olivia already wasn't a fan of this bunch of kindergarten moms. But there was no point to lie about the obvious. "Fine. I don't like them looking at you that way. It's disrespectful. Especially when they know you have a girlfriend."

"I'm sorry."

"Still doesn't feel good."

"See? This is why I wanted you to come with us today. I don't want to keep you a secret. I needed your permission."

"You could have reminded them you were taken."

"Do you?"

Aghast, Olivia stammered, "This isn't about me."

Fitz sucked his teeth and continued to walk; "But now it is. Do you tell others that you're with someone?"

"In a general sense."

That was the wrong answer. Fitz narrowed his eyes, with an intense gaze, that only registered to Olivia that he was looking straight into her soul.

"That's not acceptable in my book. You can't accuse me of anything like that, and be guilty of the same thing."

Olivia relented. "You are correct. Forgive me. I was jealous."

Even though they weren't even home, Fitz got right into her space, looking down at her with love.

"I'm done hiding, baby. I'm here. I only want you. I get jealous too, so you know for sure I don't want any man looking at someone who has my heart. We have to get over this hurdle."

With a nod, she agreed. "So am I. No more hiding. Let's go somewhere fun. Hell, let's take some pictures and put it on Facebook or something."

Fitz whistled, "Whoa, nelly! This is next level shit."