AN: Welcome new followers, and thank you to all the reviewers that reviewed last chapter. Enjoy!
SN: I'm half asleep updating this. Things we writers do. LOL
Brr….
"I'm freezing…" Olivia said, shivering against Fitz' body, as they made their way from the parking lot to the movie theater.
"We're almost there," Fitz quipped a few seconds later, ushering them through the double doors where they were immediately greeted by the rush of warm air from the building's heater.
Chicago winters were no joke. All week it had snowed heavily, keeping them mostly inside except for when they were on emergency calls. A few hours earlier they agreed to brave the cold for their date night instead of staying in hibernation. They were both bundled up in North Face winter apparels and accessories, trying to combat the cold weather.
When it was their turn in line they made their way up to the cashier booth and bought two tickets to see Ant Man and snacks; the obligatory bucket of popcorn with extra butter and two overpriced bottles of water. Olivia led the way to theater 5 after their tickets were torn in half and a concessionist gave directions.
Once inside the room they noticed that the second to last row was vacant and decided to sit there. Upon arriving in that row, they proceeded to take off their winter coats, gloves, scarf and hats and placed them on an empty chair nearby. Finally, they were able to take a seat.
The first thing Olivia did when they sat was, take the bucket of popcorn from Fitz' lap and placed it on her own.
"Seriously?" Fitz asked, looking at her amused.
"What? You can still get some," she answered, feigning gullibility.
"Just like you could've gotten some when it was on my lap?"
"Not the same. I'm the captain now," she said with quiet finality and a hint of laughter in her voice.
"Women," Fitz muttered underneath his breath while shaking his head slightly.
Olivia cupping her right ear, asked, "what is that you're saying?"
"Nothing," Fitz quickly piped and they both shared a small laugh.
For the next ten minutes, the couple got comfortable, preparing themselves for the almost two hours long movie. They watched the short two minutes trailers of what's to come while people watching the other moviegoers that were filing into the room. To their delight, the theater was sparsely crowded and most people were sitting in the lower seats, leaving the row in front and behind them empty.
As they were waiting for the trailers to finish, Olivia observed one particular couple that came in with a baby that was sitting next to the exit row. For some reason she kept looking at them, almost in fascination. Her gaze was broken when Fitz moved the chair arm from between them so that she can lean into him, which she did and refocused her eyes back onto the expansive screen just in time to see the movie began.
Thirty minutes into the movie and they were enjoying it. It was surprisingly humorous. If it weren't, Fitz would've enjoyed it anyway because he was a sucker for comics.
Around halfway into the movie the baby that Olivia had seen with the couple started crying and heard the mother quietly comforting them but the baby seemed to cry even harder. Out of the blue, a man's voice boomed, "sounds like they want to go home." After that, the woman quickly left but her husband stayed behind.
Olivia immediately felt bad for the couple because no doubt this was the only time they had to do something together and that jerk, granted he had paid for his movie had to say that to them.
"Mmm… shouldn't have walked with the baby in the first place," Olivia heard Fitz mumbled. Not him too… She thought.
"So, what were they supposed to do?" Olivia hissed, coming to the couple's defense. She couldn't believe that he'd said something so insensitive.
Fitz perplexed by her tone, briefly removed his eyes from the wide screen to regard her and found her wearing a scowl.
In a hush tone he rebound, "Liv, who takes a baby to the movies?"
"Parents, duh…" she rolled her eyes.
"Then they should stay at home. No one is paying to hear babies cry."
Olivia immediately recoiled from his statement and sat up straight in her seat. Again, she couldn't believe that he had said something so insensitive.
"Wow…" was all she said as she shook her head disappointedly.
"What did I say?" Fitz asked, befuddled.
"Nothing."
And for the rest of the evening she completely ignored him.
In the car, silence fell uncomfortably as they drove home. Fitz had truly enjoyed the movie albeit Olivia's sudden cold shoulder. He truly didn't know what he had said that warranted such treatments and it made him angry inside. He hated when she would get into her little attitude and expected him to know why she was upset without her telling him.
With the radio on low Fitz navigated the icy roads. Pulling up to a stoplight, he briefly looked over at Olivia who was stubbornly looking out the window and asked, "Where do you want to eat?"
"I'll eat something at home," she countered a bit haughtily.
Fitz unintentionally let her attitude get underneath his skin, and snapped, "What the hell is wrong with you?" He couldn't believe that this was the same woman that had shared a quickie in the shower before they got ready for the movies.
Olivia refused to join in with his squabble and continued to stare outside of the car window. Snow was falling lightly and she admired the snowflakes. It calmed her.
Fitz was now agitated that she hadn't answered him but said nothing further, as they continued the drive home in silence.
As soon as the car parked, Olivia was the first one to get out and Fitz followed shortly after. She stood to the side of the doorway while he turned the key in the lock.
Holding onto the unlocked doorknob, Fitz said, "I'm not letting you in until you tell me what's wrong."
That got Olivia's attention and formed knitted eyebrows on her face. "Excuse me?" She asked in a grave tone.
Not deterred, he repeated himself, "I am not letting you in until you tell me what's wrong."
Both surprised and upset by his little stunt she arrogantly pushed his chest with her arms. "Move out of my way, Fitz!"
Standing tall and resolute, he smirked, "No."
"I'm serious. Move out of my way!" She shoved him harder but he didn't shift an inch.
"Like I said, Livvie, I'm not letting you in unless you tell me what is wrong. "
"Fine," she sulked, folding her arms around her waist.
Fitz raised his eyebrows questionably while leaning against the doorframe; his entire 6'2" gait filling it out.
Seconds passed and she said nothing. Only annoyed eyes were glaring at him.
"We can do this all night," Fitz smirked again.
Olivia rolled her eyes and sighed before finally confessing, "I didn't like what you said about the couple and the baby. It was kinda insensitive."
Fitz' entire countenance changed, no longer was he playful. "Seriously, all this time you're mad at something that has nothing to do with us?"
Olivia chuckled humorless and shook her head. "You're missing the point," she stated evenly.
"Apparently, so. I have no idea why you would stop talking to me over my disagreement with some strangers' choice to bring their baby to the movies."
For the first time that night Olivia raised her voice. "What if they had no one to keep their baby? What if they're like us with no extended family? That can be us in the future and you're behaving insensitive."
Fitz immediately took pause at her statement. Was she?
Clearing his throat, he asked, "are you… pregnant?"
Olivia was taken aback by his question and didn't immediately answer. Eventually, she said, "no."
"Oh…" Fitz breathed a sigh of relief, which didn't go unnoticed by Olivia.
"You behave really…" she trailed, biting her tongue before shooting out an insult. She didn't know why she was fueled with so much anger over this, it was like he said, not concerning to them. But still, in her eyes he could behave with more understanding.
"Can you move out of my way now?"
This time Fitz opened the door and moved out of her way.
As soon as they were on the other side Bubba jumped onto Olivia and began licking her wherever his mouth reached. She ruffled his shiny coat before lowering his front paws back onto the floor. Olivia made her way to the kitchen while Fitz played with the dog.
Fifteen minutes later, she made herself an egg and ham sandwich with a cup of hot chocolate. Fitz entered the kitchen at the same time she was finish plating her food.
Looking around the kitchen, he noticed that she'd only made a sandwich for herself. However, there was extra egg and ham on the stove and the bread was out on the countertop. He got the message loud and clear and he wordlessly began preparing his own food.
Meanwhile, Olivia was in the living room in front of the TV watching an episode of Law & Order while eating her meal. In between bites she got a text from Tina asking if they were still on for Christmas shopping the next day and she replied with a quick yes.
About three minutes later, Fitz shuffled into the room with a dinner plate perched on his left hand while the other held a piping hot mug. He took a seat on the couch an inch away from her and Olivia fought hard with herself to not scoot away.
"What you watching?" Fitz asked, looking at the commercial currently playing.
Seconds passed before she released her lips from its tight pout and reluctantly answered, "Law & Order."
"Which one?"
Sucking her teeth and rolling her eyes, she quipped, "Why don't you wait and see which one?"
"My bad. Sorry for asking," Fitz returned. I guess this night is unsalvageable, he thought.
Olivia felt like a douche then for still having an attitude with him, but she was still upset. In remorse, she whispered, "I'm sorry, SVU."
"Thanks," Fitz mumbled.
The couple watched the episode in silence, Bubba claimed his spot at the foot of them, and by the time they were onto the second episode all their dishes were retired on the coffee table. Their bodies took on a lax nature and slowly gravitated towards each other until Olivia's head gently rested onto Fitz' shoulder and his arm came around her.
In a quiet, loving tone, he said, "You know sometimes you can behave really miserable?" He rested his head against hers, inhaling her sweet scent.
"Maybe," she answered in a light tone.
"You're luck that I like you."
"Mmm… Only like?" she chortled.
"Yup, only like." He nuzzled his nose into her soft fro.
He sighed.
"Why were you really upset with me tonight?" He asked in a serious tone.
She sighed.
"I feel like you're not ready for a baby. We talked about starting in the New Year but are you ready?"
Fitz pulled away, observing her with intent eyes.
"Why would you ask that?"
"Because tonight you weren't even understanding to the couple and to me it-"
"Means I'm not thinking in those realms," Fitz finished for her.
"Right," Olivia agreed.
"But, how should I think, Liv? I'm not a father as yet."
Olivia sighed again and pinched her nose. "I know. I'm sorry. Sometimes, having a baby is all I think about." She finished nervously.
Studying her seriously, he asked, "You really want this?"
Looking directly into his eyes, she whispered, "more than anything else in the world."
Flashback
It had been a month since the Tiffany debacle and they were finally getting over it, which was a good thing since in another month and half they were preparing for their Big Apple trip to commemorate their first wedding anniversary. They had plans to dine the city at night and tour it during the day. Over the course of the last few days, Olivia had been extensively planning up to the very last detail of their trip. Exiting out of the Groupon app where she found most of their hotel and restaurant deals, Olivia rested the iPad onto the nightstand before burrowing herself deeper into the cocoon of soft sheets, only waiting for Fitz to get out of the shower.
Shortly after, he sauntered into their bedroom wearing only a pair of pajamas bottom and his hair slightly damp, curled atop his head thickly. He walked over to the windows to secure the dark drapes, blocking out the sunlight before making his way to their bed. The minute his body connected with the mattress he got underneath the covers and enveloped his arms around her waist. It didn't take them a full five minutes to fall into a deep slumber. After finishing a rigorous 24 hours shift at the fire station they were both exhausted.
The next morning, they were refreshed and were getting ready for the end of summer Mud Run in Graysake, a small town outside of Chicago. Fitz had always wanted to participate in one and Olivia being his supportive best friend and wife told him she would accompany him when Stephen fell through with alternate plans. Despite not knowing how she was going to survive the nineteen-course trail; she was keen to keep up.
Fitz returned to their room after exiting their walking closet, to the sight of Olivia bent over in short black running tights, tying her shoelaces. The sight of her rounded ass was very appealing to his vision.
"Ouch!" Olivia yelped when she felt a sharp smack on her bottom. "What was that for?" she asked, standing to her full height and rubbing her ass cheeks to soothe it.
"Sorry, I was going for a light tap you but I guess my hand came down too heavy," a smirking Fitz countered, feigning remorse.
Pointing her index finger at him, she threathened, "I'm gonna get you back for that."
Walking right into her personal space, he wrapped an arm around her lower waist and pulled her in closely. In a low voice, he said, "I look forward to it, beautiful." He then tilted his head downwards and kissed her passionately, prying her mouth open and slipping in his tongue. They stood kissing for close to a minute when Fitz' phone began ringing. Pulling apart from the kiss Fitz answered the call and talked for a few seconds before hanging up.
"We gotta leave now, baby."
"Ok. Let me grab the Gatorades." On tippy-toes she pecked his lips before rushing out the bedroom and down the stairs to the kitchen.
When they arrived at the venue, Olivia observed all the people there. The parking lot was overflowing and people were milling around in groups like herds. The buzzing and camaraderie made her excited. She and Fitz were going to have a good time; she could feel it. And she didn't care that in a short while she was going to be covered in mud. For this very reason she had convinced Fitz to drive his truck and not her car. She wasn't going to put her baby Camy through that.
They pulled into a vacant spot on a grass parapet since all of the parking spaces in the regular parking lot were full. Fitz parked the truck and turned off the engine before turning to face her and said, "I have a surprise for you."
"What's that?" Olivia queried cautiously.
"You'll see soon enough," he replied quickly, reaching over and pecking her lips before climbing out of the truck and swiftly making his way over to open her door. He didn't do it as often as he would like but he still made a conscious effort to treat her like they were still dating.
Stepping out of the truck she said her thanks before following him in the direction of the sign in station.
"What's the surprise?" Olivia pestered as they stood in line for their T-shirts and other memorabilia that came with the package.
"You'll see shortly," Fitz smiled.
If it weren't for his 6'2" body of lean muscles, handsome face, including a dashing smile she would fine him incredibly annoying. But, instead, she found him extremely distracting in the black Nike running shorts and armless red dri-fit tee that clung to his chest, baring muscular arms with his curly hair disheveled.
Looking up at him, an idea suddenly came to her mind. She tried to envision it and when she could, she said, "you should grow your hair out."
"Why?" Fitz was puzzled by her randomness.
"Because I think you would look hot with a man bun."
"Hmmm…" he mulled over her proposition; his bicep flexing when he brought his hand to his mouth in careful contemplation.
Olivia was expecting him to say no from his uncertain looks, but was surprised when he said, "for you I will. I hope then you'll stop lusting after male celebrities."
Olivia laughed, "I do not lust after anyone… I only admire. There's a difference."
"Whatever…" Fitz quipped and discretely pinched her butt cheek.
"Ouch," she swatted his arm. "What's your problem with my ass today?"
"It's not my fault that it looks so good in that tights."
Olivia rolled her eyes good-naturedly and smacked his arm again. In a low voice, she whispered, "If you behave yourself, maybe I'll let you play with it."
"All the way?" Fitz' eyebrow shot up at the prospect of what she was implying.
She replied by slowly nodding her head while smiling. "All. The. Way," she enunciated.
Fitz got excited at the possibility of claiming every square inch of her.
Leaning down so that his mouth was by her ears, he said, "Your ass is mine."
His little statement sent shivers through her body and if she wasn't careful a part of her would already be wet before starting the 5k.
After their little exchange the line moved up and so did they. Fifteen minutes later, they got their packages and returned to the truck to leave what they weren't planning on taking with them, which was everything minus the white T-shirts with the Mud Run logo at the front. On their way to the starting line they stopped in front of a photo booth with a Mud Run backdrop and asked a passerby to take a picture of them. They chose to do a silly pose, both flexing their muscles while baring white teeth.
In the midst of a mass of people Olivia heard her name being called and just when she was about to look around she was ambushed by the presence of several of firehouse 51's associates.
"Yo! What took you two so long?" Harrison asked, hugging her first before giving Fitz a man hug. Lauren, Ryan, Charles and Jason followed after.
"Traffic," Fitz explained.
"You here now, so let the fun begin," Harrison shouted, fist pumping in the air. Some frat-looking boys that were standing next to them joined in with the chant.
Olivia laughed at the scene, knowing that her day was going to be filled with craze testosterones.
When the noise had died down, Olivia turned to Fitz and asked, "Was this my surprise?"
"Uh huh," he told her noncommittally.
"Hmmm…" she regarded him suspiciously through squinted eyes but he ignored her.
A few minutes passed by…
Out of the corner of her eyes she saw familiar figures moving in her direction. Looking across she saw Stephen and Tina walking closely together.
"Surprise," Fitz mouthed.
Olivia was indeed surprised. When did the two become a thing? Were they even a thing? She had questions. The last she knew Tina was forgetting about him. She wondered what changed and she had all intents to corner her when she got the chance.
Upon their arrival they shared brief hugs and Stephen introduced her to the rest of the team. When Olivia was hugging Tina, Tina whispered, "I'll explain."
And Olivia returned, "You better."
Shortly after, the announcer came on over the speakers and began going over instructions for the day. Olivia made her way back to Fitz' side, watching him warm up. He was doing basic stretches and she joined in with him.
Ten minutes later, the race had started and they were all jogging out of the start point in small droves.
"How did you know Tina and Stephen were dating before me?"
"I ran into them at Mario's when I was picking up our food," Fitz panted out.
"Oh…" Olivia stopped talking when the first hurdle came into viewing, triple pits. The slippy slapstick started with three muddy ups and downs to get the heart pumping.
Olivia and Fitz along with everyone else on their team quickly got over it. After all, they were a fit bunch as their jobs called for it.
Thirty minutes later they were having fun going through hurdles after hurdles, fully covered in mud.
When they got to hurdle sixteen, skid mark, Olivia was feeling the exhaustion and was lagging behind. Fitz who was leading their pack, turned around when he hadn't noticed his wife anywhere close to him. He saw her bending over with her hands on her knees. Running over to her, he asked worriedly, "You ok?"
She breathed in deeply and then out, "Yea. A little tired, need to catch my breath."
"Don't worry about it." He moved over to her and threw her across his shoulder in the infamous fireman carry.
Olivia giggled loudly as he ran with her through the rest of the three obstacles. He was truly a champ. Her champ…
At the end of the mud run they took off their muddy running shoes and piled it on top of the large pile of shoes. At the end, the shoes were washed and dried before they were donated to charity.
Instead of putting her on her feet Fitz insisted on lifting her and she wasn't complaining. They walked with the others to the clean up area and only then did he let her down onto the ground.
They mingled with their friends for a bit, enjoying the after run festivities before departing.
On the way home, the couple were so giddy as they recapped the day's event. They had so much fun but were both so tired. So, by the time they got home they ate, showered separately from head to toe before retiring to bed for a quick nap.
Around late afternoon they awoke and instead of rushing out of bed they remained lying. They were both lying on their sides facing each other. Fitz had his hand drumming lightly on her exposed arm, enjoying the satiny feel of her brown skin.
"Do you want to talk about our future?" Fitz asked modestly.
"What about our future?" Olivia hummed, enchanted by his soft rhythmical touch.
"Kids…" One word, so much meaning.
That got Olivia's attention, her ears piqued with interest. Aside from the statement he made in front the paternity clinic he'd never said anything more about them becoming first time parents.
"Kids?" she questioned, dubious.
"Yes, kids. I give it a lot of thought and I want you to know I'm ready when you are." His face was pleasant while he spoke.
Surprised wasn't beginning to express how she was feeling. Nevertheless, without hesitation she said, "I'm ready."
Fitz wasn't expecting her to be ready, ready but at most, close to ready, so he asked, "should we like plan for this or start right away?"
Olivia was a bit taken back by his question so she asked, "What do you want to do?"
"Honestly, I would love for us to make a plan. It may sound silly but I need this, Liv."
She studied the anxious look his eyes took on; gone were the sparkly merriment.
"Why?" she asked quietly.
He sighed, "Because I need time to prepare. I need to learn to be a good father."
"When that time comes you will be a good father. You'll learn along the way," Olivia insisted softly.
Fitz nodded and closed his eyes briefly.
Silence fell over them for a few seconds.
"What if we decide to start in the New Year?" Olivia suggested.
Fitz liked the sound of that. Four extra months of preparation? He could do it.
"I think that's a great idea," Fitz said, elated.
Olivia leaned forward and sealed the deal with a soft kiss that slowly morphed into sweet lovemaking. They were planning on having a baby and it felt oh so good.
End of Flashback
Olivia shook her head out of her thoughts. She and Fitz were still sitting on the couch with the TV playing in the background and Bubba lying by their feet.
Desperately wanting to know if he was really ready to become a father, Olivia nervously asked Fitz, "Are you ready?
AN: Do you think he's ready? Or hesitating? Does he have cause to be hesitant? I can probably just make her pregnant like I normally do in my rest of stories but I don't want to as yet. I want them to work this out. Tell me what you think about the present time and flashback chapter. We see that the couple was having a good time in the beginning until the baby at the movies triggers something in Olivia. Did she overreact? Was Fitz insensitive? Let me know.
Hope you enjoyed the flashback and I can't wait to read your reviews. Thank you in advance.
Until next time,
XOXO
