A/N: I wanted to just dedicate one chapter to Liv's pregnancy but I had too many ideas and it seems I'm incapable of writing long chapters, so here's part 1 I guess! Hope you enjoy.

Memories of our lives, of our works and our deeds will continue in others. - Rosa Parks

The doorbell rings just as Fitz is finishing up the dinner, so Liv hops off her usual spot on the counter to answer it. Abby stands beaming on the other side, clutching a bottle of Côtes du Rhone which she offers to Liv before even saying hello.

"Well it's good to see you, too, Abby," Olivia laughs,accepting the wine and beckoning her inside.

"Mmm, something smells good," she comments, shrugging out of her jacket and hanging it up in the closet herself as if she owned the place.

"Fitz is cooking. I think it's almost ready."

They were planning on telling Abby their news after dinner but she's not stupid, and Olivia Pope never says no to wine, so when they enter the kitchen, Liv makes a point of showing Fitz the bottle, her wide eyes signalling a change of plan is in order. He laughs when he realizes the problem because of course their friend would bring alcohol and they should have expected this. Playing their options over in his head, Fitz eventually shrugs his shoulders, tilting his head and asking, "Now?"

"Now?" Olivia balks, still wide eyed and suddenly not feeling ready to let anyone else into their bubble.

"Yeah, why not? What difference does it make?"

"Well, I-"

"Umm, excuse me," Abby butts in, "I'm standing right here, anyone wanna fill me in?"

They're both caught off guard, having momentarily forgotten they had company, and there's silence for a moment that seems to last a decade before Olivia blurts out, "I'm pregnant."

She clamps a hand over her mouth almost before the words are even out, as if they escaped without permission.

"Oh my god, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to tell you like that."

Abby's jaw is on the floor and Olivia has one hand resting on her stomach, the other clutching her chest and it's all too much for Fitz, who is unable to hold back his laughter at the situation.

"I'm sorry," Abby finally manages. "You're what now?"

Once Olivia finally regains her bearings she reaches behind her, grabs Fitz's arm and brings it round to settle against her waist so she can lean into his side.

"I'm pregnant," she says again, beaming this time. "We're having a baby. And we were planning on telling you after dinner but I knew you'd get suspicious if I wasn't drinking, so here we are." Shrugging her shoulders, she tilts her head up to see Fitz, and finds his smile envies hers, the pride clear in his eyes as he returns her gaze.

Upon realizing that she wasn't hallucinating what Olivia just told her, she immediately makes her way to the pair, enveloping them both in a hug, which they gladly accept.

"I am so happy for you both," she tells them. "I want all the details. How far along are you? How did you find out? Do you have any weird cravings yet? Morning sickness?"

Liv giggles at her friend's enthusiasm, guiding her over to the dining room table as she says, "Why don't we sit? Our food is almost ready, we'll tell you everything you want to know over dinner."

As they eat, they answer all of Abby's questions. She's about ten weeks along, no weird cravings, no morning sickness but she's much more tired than normal, that she's the first person they've told. She gets a little emotional at that, Olivia can tell, because she suddenly becomes very focused on her plate, chewing a bite of chicken thoroughly and swallowing hard before she looks up again.

Later, they walk her to the door together, waving her off as she drives away. Fitz closes the front door, and she collapses into his arms, exhausted but happy.

"That was nice," he murmurs, running his hands soothingly up and down her back. "Feels good to tell someone, doesn't it?"

"So good," she agrees, smiling against his chest.

They stay like this for a few minutes, basking the warmth of each other, before Olivia pulls back.

"Take me to bed?" she asks softly.

"You don't need to ask me twice."

.

They're rushing, Fitz grabbing a shower while Olivia rummages around the walk in closet for the one specific shirt she wants to wear. Second trimester has rendered her insatiable, so she had woken him up earlier that morning with a trail of open mouthed kisses down his neck, her hand reaching under the covers until his eyes shot open, and despite his meagre protests about work, and being late, he was always unable to resist her, so they find themselves running late for a 9am meeting. Grabbing the shirt she was looking for, Olivia makes her way to the mirror to adjust the collar before she begins to button it, turning from side to side and glancing at her stomach, a habit she formed since they found out about the baby, and audibly gasping at what she saw. It was barely noticeable, undetectable if she wasn't specifically looking for it, and even still probably undetectable if you weren't her or Fitz but she is her so she finds herself running to the ensuite, frantically shedding her clothes as she climbs into the shower.

"Woah, Livvie, again? We're already late," Fitz jokes as he reaches out an arm to steady her as she almost crashes into him.

"No, Fitz, look," she implores, shaking her head as she grabs his hand and moves it to her lay against her stomach where a small bump is protruding beneath her bellybutton.

"Oh," he breathes, "Liv, you're showing."

Her eyes fill with tears as she nods, and he pulls her into his arms, raining kisses on her forehead and down her nose as she dissolves into laughter.

They miss the meeting. Neither of them can find it in them to care.

.

He's lying between her legs, speaking softly to her stomach and she thinks her heart might just burst. He's telling their baby about Teddy and Karen, how much they're going to love their baby sister, because they found out the gender yesterday and they're having a girl. She absentmindedly plays with his curls as he continues his monologue, giggling when he brings up the fact that he's "never going to let Mommy cook for you, baby, so don't worry," and she's suddenly overcome with the realness of it all. Her sharp intake of breath that came with the realization distracts him from his one-sided conversation, and when he looks up, her eyes immediately let him in on her thoughts.

"Hey," he breathes, scooching up so he's closer to her, "what's going on?"

"Nothing, I just…do you think I'll make a good mom?"

"Oh, Livvie," he sighs, "I think you'll make a great mom."

That draws a real smile from her, memories of almost the same sentiment leaving her lips years ago, before… everything... springing to mind.

"Yeah?"

"Yes," he insists. "I know you don't see it, but you've got the biggest heart of anyone I know. You're incapable of not taking care of the people you love. Remember how OPA started? You took all those people in, saved them from themselves or their old lives, and gave them a chance to start fresh. You played mother for years without even knowing it."

The reminder is meant to be comforting, but she stiffens, more recent memories of how she treated her team having the opposite effect on her, her ever soulful eyes filling with regret.

"I let them down," she whispers, her voice breaking. "I- I abandoned them, I-"

He cuts her off by pressing his lips to hers, effectively silencing her, then pulling away slightly.

"You were in a bad place," he soothes, "and it's not gonna happen again. And you're fixing things with your team, you're getting back to that place, you know this."

A few days after she found out she was pregnant, Olivia brought up the fact that she wanted to talk to someone about her panic attacks. Her voice shook as she told him, the mere thought of confiding in someone other than him terrifying, but she wasn't sure she could handle motherhood without at least attempting to address the damage the past ten years had caused to her mental state. Since then, she had been speaking to her therapist twice weekly, and they were both already starting to see progress. Sometimes, she would come home with puffy eyes and slumped shoulders, making a beeline for his arms, needing him to piece the broken parts of her back together after a session dissected them. Other times, she wanted to decompress alone, seeking him out later once she had enough time to digest. It was tough, and there was so much to unpack, Olivia felt they had barely scratched the surface, but she was getting there.

"Yeah, I'm gonna be better for you, baby," she mumbles, cradling her barely there bump. "You know, now that we know the gender, we should probably start thinking of names," she continues, "I don't like calling her baby. Makes her feel… not real."

He chuckles at that, finding her newfound motherly instincts completely adorable, and reaches out to brush a strand of hair behind her ear.

"We can talk names," he agrees. "Have you had any ideas?"

Suddenly she's blushing, averting her gaze and desperately trying to tame her smile.

"Hey," he presses, placing a finger under her chin, "tell me."

"I've always thought that if we had a little girl, we'd call her Rosa."

"Always?" It comes out as a whisper, like he can't quite believe she ever contemplated the idea of kids with him, and she shakes her head at him, her smile telling him he's an idiot, but meaning I love you.

"I think with our genes… our kid could change the world," she says around a laugh then, still unable to tamper down the ridiculous grin that has overtaken her. "So, I think she should have a name that reflects that, the name of someone who's done that."

"Rosa Parks," Fitz offers, needlessly, and she nods. "My mom's name was Elizabeth Rose."

"I know."

"I love Rosa, Livvie. This feels like fate."

"Did we just name our baby?" she asks him, not bothering to attempt to hold back the tears this time, half-heartedly wiping the wetness from her cheeks.

He answers by moving back down the bed again, pushing up her silk cami and pressing a kiss just below her bellybutton.

"Hi, Rosa," he says softly, more love in his voice than she's ever heard, "I'm your daddy, and I love you so much. I can't wait to meet you."

This time, when he looks up, Olivia is sobbing, and his heart stops for a second, but she shakes her head, running a thumb along his cheekbone to assure him she's okay.

"I'm just so, so happy," she explains. "I've never been this happy."

Later, she's drifting off in his arms, taking advantage of her favorite position and draping her body across his while she still can, when he murmurs, "I think she would have really loved you," into the darkness.

She squeezes his arm to let him know that she's listening, that he can continue.

"My mom. She would have loved you. She was a firecracker, she never let anyone cross her. She was way too good for my dad. I think I was the only reason she stayed with him. But, she was my best friend, too. Seeing how much I love you probably would've been enough to earn her approval," he huffs at the thought, "but she would have admired your tenacity, and your intelligence, the way you bring out the best in me."

The breath he exhales as he finishes is watery, so she shifts in his arms, moves up to press a kiss to his lips, lingering for a second as he gathers himself.

"I'm sure I would have loved her too, Fitz," she whispers. "Sounds like Rosa is a lucky girl, getting to be named after two amazing women."

"I love you," he tells her, somehow the perfect response. Always the perfect response.

"Love you, too. Sleep now."

.

The news is playing in the background but neither of them are paying attention, both focused on Liv's belly, determined for Fitz not to miss the next time their baby kicks.

"There, did you feel that one?" she asks, moving his hand further down her bump.

"Ugh, no," he sighs, exasperated, resting his forehead against her shoulder in defeat.

"Just leave it here a minute," she replies, giggling at his theatrics, "she'll kick again, I can tell."

They sit in silence, both slightly tensed in anticipation, until finally Fitz feels a dull thump against the palm of his hand and almost jumps off the couch in excitement.

"Oh, I felt that," he exclaims, "Livvie, our baby can kick."

She nods, teary eyed, always teary eyed these days, damn hormones, as he moves to kneel in front of her, pressing his lips to the spot where he felt the movement moments before.

"Hi Rosa," he whispers. "You're getting so big, huh? Thanks for saying hi to us today, that made mommy and daddy so happy. We love you so much, little girl."

Liv runs her fingers through his curls, used to his adorable conversations with their baby at this stage, but no less affected by them than she was the first time he spoke to her bump. Her eyes are shining when he lifts his gaze to her and it's suddenly all too much for him. He closes his eyes to stop the tears, resting the side of his against his hand that's propped up against the couch cushion as he attempts to control his breathing.

"Hey," Liv breathes, furrowing her brow worriedly, "Fitz, what's wrong? What's going on with you?"

He opens his eyes after a moment, standing up and settling onto the seat beside her and drawing her to him before he speaks.

"I just can't help thinking… for so long I thought you didn't want this. We'd talk about it, but it was really only me talking about it and then… that Christmas when you left the White House, I just… well after I found out I thought you never wanted this and I'm just so—"

"Oh, Fitz," Liv sighs, her heart breaking at his admission, "that was...I—"

He pulls her in closer, hearing the break in her voice and cutting her off.

"Liv, we don't have to talk about this."

"No, I want to. We should." She shifts so that she's facing him, resting one arm against the back of the couch, her knee on the seat between them. "That day… that was the hardest thing I've ever had to do. But I don't regret it." She takes a steadying breath before continuing, "We were in a really bad place. We broke up and you didn't even know so I think that speaks for itself. I was so overwhelmed with everything, and we weren't communicating at all and I really, truly felt like it was my only option at the time. I couldn't handle it, I wasn't even looking after myself. Looking back though, I think… even if we weren't on such rocky ground, it would have been unfair to bring a baby into that world. I mean, the entire world was watching us, scrutinising our every move, every glance we shared was ripped apart and analyzed. We wouldn't have stood a chance. So, I don't regret what I did, but I hate that I had to do it."

The silence between them is almost mournful, and it lingers for what feels like minutes before Fitz finally says, "I understand Liv. I really do. I still wish you would have told me."

His words break her, so she drapes her legs across his, enveloping him in her arms as best she can at this awkward angle, wanting to be as close as possible to him.

"I do, too," she mumbles. "I was so scared the whole time, I wanted you there, but I had convinced myself you wouldn't want me to do it, that if I told you I'd give in and keep the baby because it's what you wanted and I couldn't, Fitz, I really-"

She breaks off sobbing and he pulls her closer, running a hand through her hair as he softly shushes her.

"Shh, Liv, I know, it's okay. It's all over now, you're okay. We're okay."

She nods against him, letting him know she believes him, that she'll be fine in a minute, so he gives her all the time she needs, settling a hand back on her stomach as he waits for her to be ready. Once her tears subside, she pulls back and looks at him, cradling his face with both hands before leaning in for a chaste kiss.

"I want you to know that I know you would have respected my choice, if I had told you. I just really couldn't see it back then."

"I would have," he nods, "but it doesn't matter, we can't change the past. So, we can sit here and wallow in self pity, or we can count our blessings for getting to the place we are now, where we're ready to raise a happy and healthy baby, in a safe environment."

"You always know the right thing to say," she says in wonder.

He chuckles and presses his lips to hers.

"Past president, comes with the job. Now, let's go to bed and celebrate the fact that our baby can kick."

She follows him out of the room, smiling softly, and wondering how it's possible she just fell in love with this man for the thousandth time this evening.

A/N: I hope everyone is staying safe and doing their best to look after themselves in these strange and scary times!