A/N: Here's a new update. Glad that so many of you expressed your joy that they finally did the do last chapter. Woohoo! Hope you'll enjoy this new update. There's a three weeks' time jump after the Cyrus confrontation. Enjoy!
"I said I would like to see you and Lt. Grant in my office now," Chief Beene said with slight irritation in his voice.
Olivia looked at Fitz who appeared calm, she stood to her feet and walked the path to Cyrus' office.
"I want to congratulate the two of you for going above and beyond for the underprivileged families in this community. Your work has been truly noted and appreciated. Thank you." Cyrus commends the duo on their outstanding toy drive for this year. Over a hundred family was served.
Olivia was relieved that it wasn't about their relationship he'd called them in to talk about so she simply nodded her response with a smile.
"It's been our pleasure, chief," Fitz counters, also with a smile.
Both were shaping up to leave but was stalled when Cyrus cleared his throat.
"But, that's not all I want to talk to you about," Cyrus gives them both a look with raised eyebrows.
Olivia mentally kicked herself for thinking that he wouldn't have something to say about their relationship.
Both Liv and Fitz stood mute as they awaited the older man's comments about their relationship.
"It's become my knowledge, as a matter-of-fact everyone's knowledge that the two of you are dating. I want to be clear when I say that although it's not against the rules for you two to date since you're not under Lt. Grant's direct supervision, I expect nothing short of professionalism when you're at work. I don't care if you all had a fight the night before, but when you enter into this firehouse, personal feelings will be put aside and you will get the job done. This job is way too serious and there's no room for distractions. Am I making myself clear?"
Fitz and Olivia were both surprised by the very authoritative tone that he spoke in.
"Understood," Olivia was the first to confirm.
"Nothing but professionals here," Fitz said with the wave of a palm.
Cyrus' cracks a small smile at them. He expected nothing less from two of his best workers. They both took pride in doing their jobs to the best of their abilities. A small part of him was even happy for them, everyone deserved happiness and that's why he was going to live his truth in the open despite of the few naysayers.
"Alright, since that's settle. That'll be all." Cyrus dismissed with the wave of a hand.
Fitz allowed Olivia to walk through the door first but was stopped when Cyrus called his name. Looking back over his shoulder he sees his chief giving him a thumbs up, the sight of his approval caused Fitz to smile and shake his head. Nodding in acknowledgement, Fitz finally walked through the door behind his woman in high spirits.
As soon as they'd walked through the door, Fitz ambled to Olivia's side and pinched the skin covering her ribcage.
"Be a professional," she hissed at him playfully.
In a dangerously low tone he countered, saying, "I am the epitome of professionalism but something about you make me want to ravage you in my office."
Olivia threw her head back and laugh at his candor. She'd learned that he was a jokester when he gets ready; so many of his comments didn't hold much significance. However, she could tell that there was some seriousness to his random statement.
"Maybe one day you will," she retorted before swaying her hips away from him.
3 Weeks Later
For the past 3 weeks Olivia and Fitz had become inseparable. Many of their time was spent getting to know each while fucking the other's brains out. They'd already discovered the things that they liked and disliked in the bedroom. Fitz liked that Olivia was vocal and wasn't shy in telling him what she wanted him to do to her, he loved that she could be so demure in public, while behind closed door she turned into a sexual aggressor. She was everything that he could've hoped for; intellectually, emotionally and sexually. When they weren't working, sexing or talking, they spent lots of time cuddled together watching movies.
However happy their lives have been, Fitz was having trouble understanding why for the past two days she was giving him the cold shoulders. She declined an overnight stay at his house feigning that she was too tired the night prior. Fitz empathized and offered to stay at her house instead but she also declined his wishes.
Since she wasn't going to spend time with him on their off day, Fitz had no trouble agreeing to work the twelve hours shift for one of the lieutenants who had a family emergency.
Currently on the truck, leading to a desolated part of town in pursuit to fight a contained fire, he was thinking about his girlfriend and her sudden onset of moods. It was getting to him the more he thought of it, he didn't know if it was something he did or not. Knowing that now was neither the time nor the place for such thoughts, he pushed aside all personal feelings.
Sitting nervously in the waiting room, Olivia flipped through one of the generic health magazines found at a doctor's office as Abby undergo the procedure in one of the operating room. Abby had stalled the appointment for weeks waiting on her personal days to be approved so she'll have her two days to recover. Until she'd confirmed with HR two days ago that she would get her days off, only then did she approach Olivia about the morning appointment.
This was the first and last time Olivia hoped to ever visit such a place, the workers were friendly and warm but the hostile environment of the protesters outside were both scary and unnerving. It was an experiencing that she would never forget, she almost begged Abby to turn away when one of the protestors hurled a shoe in their direction. It was a daunting experience, more so when you're on the third day of your period.
Thinking about the past two days, Olivia felt bad for the way she has been treating Fitz but she couldn't help it. When she was on her period, she's extremely moody and doesn't like being around people. If it wasn't for Abby's predicament, Olivia wouldn't have left her bed much less her apartment. It was already bad that she had to work on the first day of it and pretend like she was fine and not cramping every hour when she suffers from a mild case of menorrhagia; some months worse than some. She'd convinced herself that it was best that she wasn't around Fitz during this time. Her way of dealing with things has always been by herself with herself. After all she's a silent sufferer who's afraid of reaching out for help.
The shrill sound of sirens startled her from her thoughts. Sheer curiosity of the other sitters as well as hers were piqued. Being the fourth to rise from her seat to walk outside into the cold weather, she came upon the scene. The fire was already out and smoke was emanating from the building next door, apparently it wasn't even anything big to begin with.
Content with the knowledge she'd gain Olivia was turning around to return inside the building when she heard her name being called.
"Olivia!"
Looking around, she notices Quinn, one of the paramedics on the first shift, it wasn't until then that she realized that it was firehouse 51 who was on the call. Olivia forgetting where she was walked towards Quinn and greeted her.
She quickly embraces the perky young raven haired woman.
"How are you? It's been too long. We have to catch up," Quinn gushed on her friend.
"I'm doing well and yes we need to catch up soon. How are you doing? By the way, Happy New Year." Olivia said since it was the first time she'd seen her since the ball struck 12 ringing in 2015 a few weeks ago.
"Same to you, darling. What are you...? Wait..." Quinn paused after her brain put two and two together as she properly examined the building behind her friend. "Are you...Uh...? Were you pregnant?"
Olivia looked puzzled at her for a few seconds before realization hit her. "Oh, oh... No, no, no," she shook her head. "Here with somebody."
"Oh ok. It's not like it's my business or anything, just was curious. Sorry for assuming that," Quinn apologize profusely, feeling stupid that she even voiced such a question.
Olivia shakes her head as she speaks, nonverbally telling her that an apology wasn't needed.
"Perkins, are you ready or what?" Alisa, Quinn's partner called from the ambulance.
"Yea, yea, have some patience, Lee," Quinn shouted back.
"Alright, Liv, I gotta go but please text me. I could surely do with a girls' night out. We have so much to talk about. I know our schedules conflict but I'm dying to get the 411 on you and Grant." Olivia rolled her eyes and laughed when Quinn made googily eyes at her. "Don't think I didn't hear about you two. Girl it's not that I blame you because I would've jumped on that train if I had the chance," Quinn spoke rapidly all the while laughing during short breaks.
Olivia too laughed and smiled at her friend. She didn't have much female friends and as of late Abby was getting closer and closer to being removed from that list but for some reason she couldn't fully cut her off. She needed to be there for her friend because if she was in a similar situation, she would hope that someone would be there for her.
"I'm down, honey, just call me when we're both off on the same day."
The two women hugged good bye before going their separate ways. Olivia reentered through the front door of the clinic, oblivious to the familiar pair of eyes watching her like a hawk.
"Grant, are you ready to go?"
Fitz nodded, barely acknowledging the person before making his way back onto the fire truck. From a few feet away, Fitz saw a woman looking like his Livvie emerging from the abortion clinic but he wasn't sure and was skeptical that it was her. After all he didn't know any reason why she'd be there. His suspicions were confirmed a few minutes later when he saw her walking towards Perkins and embracing her. Fitz felt weak and sick to his stomach. He felt like a repeat of his past was happening. As he sat in the passenger seat of the fire truck his mind went back to eight years ago.
Eight Years Ago Santa Barbara, California.
"Fitz, I'm pregnant," his somewhat serious girlfriend at the time, Tiffany, tells him.
He felt like the wind had been knock right out of his chest from her admission. What!? She can't be pregnant. We always used condoms, he thought to himself.
Before Fitz could've replied, she said nonchalantly, "well I was pregnant."
Feeling his anger rising at her ever changing mind, Fitz spat, "well which one is it Tiffany?!"
Tiffany stood in front of him and rolled hazel colored eyes at him, "the latter. I found out two weeks ago that I was 4 weeks pregnant and I got rid of it last week."
Fitz befuddled, blinks at her with wide eyes. "Excuse me?"
"You heard what I said. I wasn't going to bring a child into this world because A. I'm not ready for a baby and B. You're a cheating ass and not fit to be anyone's father. Even if I was ready to be a parent it wouldn't be with the likes of you," her words were spoken with calculated amounts of venom, enough to poison his veins.
"So as far as I can say, this, whatever this was between us, is over."
Fitz watches as Tiffany turns her back, flips her blonde hair over her shoulders and walk completely out of his life for good. He was ashamed to say that even that experience didn't stop him from chasing everything with skirt.
End of Flashback
Fitz shakes himself out of that memory and his mind immediately ran to Olivia. It had been a little over a month since they'd start having sex. Was she pregnant and decided to terminate it behind my back? Fitz didn't know if he could forgive her if that was the case. He couldn't live through that sort of devastation again. He hoped that if in fact she was pregnant that she would talk to him before making terminative decisions on her own.
As the truck pulls up back to the firehouse, Fitz still felt queasy and uneasy. He couldn't get seeing Olivia at that place out of his mind. Sucking up to his lot in life, he mindlessly goes through the remaining 6 hours of his shift worrying about his future with Olivia.
Later that day after getting Abby settled in her apartment and spending some time with her, Olivia returned to her apartment around six. Tired from the day's activities, she got home, took a long shower, overdose on some aspirin (not really), ate some leftovers from the fridge and went to sleep.
Two hours later, she was roused from her sleep by loud banging on her front door. Looking at her phone, she sees that it was already 9 PM and that she had 10 missed calls all stemming from Fitz.
"Shit," she mutters to herself, becoming alert by the long missed call log. Olivia hadn't spoken to him all day except for the text message she'd sent that morning in response to his message that he was picking up a 12 hours shift from 5:30 AM to 5:30 PM for another lieutenant. Stealthily rising from the bed, she makes sure to check that she hadn't leak during her sleep — once that was cleared, she grabbed her robe from behind the bedroom door, and proceeded to the incessantly banging front door.
Looking through the peephole, she sees gray stormy eyes staring angrily at the door. Alarmed and worried by his expression, she immediately opens the door for him.
"Babe, what's wrong?" She asked as he walked through her front door without so much as a "hi", kiss or hug; something that she'd become accustomed to. Instead he walked inside of her apartment with a rigid jaw and tense shoulders.
"Fitz?" She looked on even more worriedly. She'd never seen him like this before. Closing the door softly behind her, she locks it securely.
He stands with his back towards her in the small foyer space. She watched him and waited for him to say something.
Her mouth open and ready to call his name again was interrupted when he asked, "Where were you today?"
Olivia immediately got defensive by his question. Living with an overbearing grandmother for eight years caused Olivia to detest that question. She was a grown woman who turns her own keys; she doesn't feel obligated to share her every whereabouts with him.
Trying to hide the disdain in her voice, she replies coolly, "out. Why?"
"I'm going to ask you again, Olivia. Where were you today?" This time his tone was slightly elevated.
Olivia having had enough of his passive aggression decides to walk to the front of him, since he wouldn't face her.
Her heart broke at the pain shown on his face. Now she was confused by his weird behavior. Needing to get to the bottom of all this miscommunications, she asked, "Fitz, I'm confused by your question. Why are you so upset?"
Fitz takes a deep breath before shifting his weight from one leg to the next. He realized that he needed to calm down because he really didn't know the full story and he was already jumping to conclusions.
He takes off his heavyweight jacket and slowly pulls off his boots before taking her by the hand and leading her to the couch.
Settling on the couch, Fitz opens and closes his mouth twice before he was able to tell her what's upsetting him. "Today I saw you at an abortion clinic."
Olivia's eyes open wide as realization sets in. Of course he was there since it was firehouse 51 that handled the call. Shit, she thinks to herself. She'd never told him about Abby's predicament, wanting to preserve her friend's privacy.
"I...Uh..." She begins to stutter.
Fitz mouth drops open in shock. It was true, she did it; his mind reeled. I should've picked that up from her sleepy state when she answered the door, he thought.
"Were you pregnant with my baby? With our baby?" He painfully asks. Was this why she was being so distant from me?
Immediately she responded, "Oh God no! It's not like that. Actually I'm on my period and that's why I have been acting so strangely lately."
It took him a few seconds to absorb her words. "So you were never pregnant?" He asked hesitantly for clarity.
Olivia shakes her head no. "I promise you no."
Her assurance and truthful eyes gives him the relief he has been looking for. Drawing her to his side for comfort, he kisses her temple.
"So what were you doing there today?"
Olivia takes a deep breath before saying, "promise you won't breathe a word about this?"
He chuckled for the first time in 48 hours at her cute serious face, "promise," he acquiesced.
"I went with Abby."
Fitz took a deep breath before asking, "Is she ok? I mean how's she handling the whole Stephen getting married in two weeks?"
"She's fine but is she ok ok? I really don't know. I'm trying to be a good friend to her but all she does is whine about everything. You know when we first came out," she stops and laugh at her choice of words before continuing, "She told me she thought you were gay and wait for it. She said I have this incredible life and all the good things happens to me." At the conclusion of her recap, Olivia laughed dryly at the sheer ludicrous of her friend's theory. If her life was that great then she wouldn't have been an orphan most of her life but you don't see her complaining.
They may've only been together for two months now but Fitz could tell when there's a hint of sadness in her voice. He squeezes her close to his side and kisses the top of her head.
"You're a good friend, a damn good friend. You know if Abby was my friend I would've kicked her to the curb along time but that's just me," Fitz spoke lightly, which resulted in a luscious giggle from her lips.
"I know but I don't want to give up on her yet."
"I know baby but please don't let her steal your joy. Friendships should make you happy for the most part."
Olivia sighs and stretches her limbs languidly onto the couch. She hugs his midsection as her head takes up occupancy on his lap. He smelt like his Tommy Hilfiger bath gel and uniquely him. How could she have been so stupid to push him away when he felt so great in her arms? She asks herself.
They both were quiet for a few seconds, Fitz rubbing small circles onto her lower back as if it was his way of assuaging any pains she may be experience.
Almost in a trance like state due to his ministrations, she softly mumbles, "Fitz?"
"Yes?"
"Why did you assume I was having an abortion behind your back? Granted you saw me there, but why do you think I would do something like that without consulting with you first?" The more she thought about it the more unnerved she became as to why he'd jumped to such conclusions.
Fitz lets out a long breath, for a few seconds he stopped rubbing her back. He knows that he couldn't run from his past and if they were going to go forward in a relationship with each other, there had to be no secrets. So he begins to tell her about his past.
"Just like you, I was 10 years old when my life fell apart. I remember coming home from soft ball practice one afternoon, my friend's mom had dropped me off. At that age I had my own keys to the house and I unlocked the door and went inside. As soon I got in and was heading towards the kitchen, I heard loud yelling coming from my parent's room. My father was calling my mother a whore, a slut and every other questionable names in the book while she tried to defend her honor. I immediately got worried and ran up the stairs to see what's going on and what I saw, I wasn't prepared for."
Olivia watches as he closes his eyes as though the memory was imprinted on his mind. He looked pained and ill, much like the way he appeared earlier. She intertwines their fingers and squeezes his between hers in encouragement.
He absorbs her strength and continued talking, "on the floor was a knocked-out Tim, my father's supposed best friend. He'd come home to find the two in bed. I remember the look of horror on my mother's face when she sees me entered the room. My father jumped on the moment and scrambled me to his side. With disdain in his voice, he said, "look at the whore who give birth to you. Son, if your mother can be a whore then all women are. Never trust a woman or give her your heart. They don't deserve it." That was his exact words to me." He shakes his head and laughed bitterly.
"I'm ashamed to say that for most of my dating life I treated women like empty vessels that were only good to deposit in. I took his word to heart and I believed that none were worthy enough besides a casual tryst."
Olivia's heart ached from the brokenness she hears in his voice. She would be lying if she said his confession didn't shock her but nevertheless, she didn't allow it to cloud her judgements about him
"Nameless and faceless women plagues my past and I remember just being empty. I had no respect for women because I hated my mother. I blamed her for cheating on my dad and leaving me without a mother. For fifteen years I refused to talk to her. My whole life I played the blame game and never took full responsibility for my actions, so many wake up calls I had but I never woke up. I forcefully stayed asleep, I didn't want to wake up and face my demons. I didn't want the pain in my chest to continue to hurt. I didn't want to believe that I would be an awful father if one of my hookups went through with the pregnancy, but it was all true. I was scum."
She listened to him as he vented, at some parts she held her breath as she anticipates what he would say next. This was a lot to take in but she listened anyways.
"At 22 I wasn't ready to be a dad but it hurt that I wasn't even given the privilege in the matter before it was decided for me that I won't be one. And that's why I freaked out earlier, I'm really sorry about that by the way. I can honestly say that in the past 5 years I've been by myself I've been working on me, I'm not there yet but I'm trying to be. I just hope that you won't use my past against me. Is it too much to ask that you look beyond my past and see the new me? The true me?" His voice was pleading at the end. This was the moment he was dreading, he'd bared it all to her and was hoping she wouldn't walk away from him.
Olivia empathizing and feeling the uneasiness radiating off of his body, sits up and turns her body to face him. She grabs onto his face with both of her hands so that their eyes could be on the same level. "I see you, I see the kind hearted man you are, we both came from some fucked up circumstances and we try to do our best each and every day. What's in the past is in the past, we can't do anything about that, it's gone, bye bye, that's it. But we're here now, together, and I know that we may have plenty of difficult days and bumpy roads ahead of us but we'll be fine. I believe that we'll be fine. I see you, Fitz. I see you because you let me see you. I see you," she repeats again in earnest for him to believe her words.
Fitz stares long and hard into her chocolate brown orbs, fully appreciating the caring woman in front of him. She was his first in many ways, his first committed relationship but most importantly his first love.
They stayed silently for a few seconds as the demons from the past dance in victory believing that they'd won over love; believing that they're too ugly to love. But that wasn't true, that could never be true when Fitz opens his mouth and professes, "I love you Olivia. I'm in love with you. I'm in this 100% with you. You're it for me."
Olivia audibly gasps at his profession of love. Her heart speeds up rapidly in her chest. For weeks they'd both been dancing around the three letters words. Ever since the park, the true depth of their feelings for each other was shown in their touches, looks and words. Their hearts knew that they were in love but their minds were too afraid to acknowledge it.
Overcome With emotion, she wraps her arms around his neck and presses her body flush against his, whispering similar words, "I love you too. I'm in love with you too."
Fitz pry her face from his neck in order for him to seal the moment with a sweet kiss. He took his time kissing her and she reciprocated with equal fervor, only pulling apart at the unwelcome clench of her uterus, reminding her of her current predicament.
Their reverie was also broken when Fitz' stomach let out a loud rumble, both burst into laughter at the angry sound.
"Did you eat dinner? I can get you something," she offered after her laughter had died.
"Nope I was too busy worrying about you," he quipped which resulted with a small head shake and pout from her. "But you don't have to, I can prepare something to eat. I should be asking you what you'll like to eat. You need to relax."
Olivia shrugged her shoulder and smiled shyly at him, not used to the idea of someone else taking care of her.
"And for the record if you ever pull some shit like you did these past two days again, you'll have hell to pay. I want the entire package, mood swings and period cramps, I'll take it all if that means I'll get to spend time with you."
Olivia chuckled and kissed his lips soundly. Pulling apart still feeling the sheer infectious joy in her heart, she says, "I love you so much."
He gives her his lopsided smile, the one that she absolutely, completely adores. He replies," I love you too, baby. So much...so,so much." He pecks her lips before leading her to the kitchen where he brought one of her dining chair for her to sit on while he whipped up some grilled cheese sandwich that they ate with orange juice. During the entire process Fitz told her about his reconciliation with his mother, he'd come to forgive her on her dying bed. As for his father, who was deceased two years before his mother he'd learned that he wasn't blameless in his ways. He was a man of many affairs, his wife had simply had enough and decided to step out on her own with someone close and dear to him. Making the devastation all the more real for his father when he found out.
Like all humans they weren't perfect and neither was he. He was simply happy and content that someone would love him in his imperfections.
When they'd finish eating, Olivia went to do a quick bathroom change and freshen up while he cleared the kitchen. Afterwards, they settled into bed where they snuggled and dreamed of a world where the pain of the past was a distant memory.
A/N: So I had this idea during work yesterday. Haha. May not upload again this weekend have Family First to work on. So as we read, Cyrus does not have a problem with the relationship because Fitz is not Liv's direct supervisor so it's all good. We learned that Fitz didn't see the value in women due to the hatred he harbored for his mother in conjunction with the "wise" words his father spewed to him.
Do you think a woman should tell a man about an abortion before or after the fact? How did Fitz handle the situation with Liv?
Per customary I had them say I love you in no grand fashion, simple every day way like them.
Also, our girl Quinn made an appearance. Hopefully she's a better friend than Abby. PS: Abby was 10 weeks preggers in case anyone wanted to know.
Like always leave them reviews, the longer the better, hehehe. It fuels my muses.
SN: it's funny that only two people said yes for BJ being alive. We ain't got time for his salty ass so death be onto him.
Until next time,
XOXO
