Disclaimer: Shondaland/ABC owns these characters. And the less said about that the better.

NO-Mellie and NO-Joke: Public Service Announcement for any accidental non-Olitz readers

Olivia woke to silence and automatically glanced towards the cot. Seeing it empty, she started up in alarm, only to pause when a gentle voice murmured, "Liv, she's here with me."

Heart still pounding, Olivia turned to see the baby fast asleep, curled up on Fitz's bare chest, his hands holding her steady.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Olivia leaned over to kiss a fat little arm and curled up fist. Then drew back to stroke a fingertip over a soft round cheek.

"She was fretful, and I thought holding her might calm her down."

Olivia leaned over to kiss Fitz softly, then lay her head on his shoulder. "She's so tiny."

"Not much bigger than my hand." Fitz murmured, smiling. "Guess she'll grow up to be feisty like you."

Olivia smiled, staring at the sleeping baby. "What are we going to name her?"

James found Cyrus in the front living room facing the neglected ruins of his garden, barely visible in the first light of the morning.

"You have time to make it as good, even better than it was."

Cyrus turned, with a puzzled frown. "Make what good?"

"Your garden."

"Ah, yes," Cyrus brow cleared and he turned to face the garden again. "What are you doing awake?"

"I wondered where you were."

"Did you think I'd made a run for it?"

"To the end of the garden and back? It's cold out there in the tool shed," James said mildly, talking a seat nearby.

"This really is a prison in more ways than one."

"A prison of your own making."

"And it isn't cheap," Cyrus said as if James hadn't spoken. "I've been thinking about the cost of being under house arrest: we pay the bills for food, maintenance and, AND a weekly rental fee of $150 to have a damned monitor tied to my ankle."

"Just think of what that's like for innocent people who took a plea bargain because they couldn't afford a good lawyer. Imagine having to pay a $150 a week, without the benefit of a hedge fund or an understanding husband."

Cyrus shot a look from beneath his brows, then released a heavy sigh. "Did Olivia respond?"

James nodded. "She loved the Diaper Cake, said it's been a lifesaver."

Cyrus grunted. "Ella will miss them, especially Teddy. I remember the circus they made out o his birth, calling him America's baby."

"Now the Grants have a new baby. I wonder what they'll name her?"

"Ella's Christening was at the White House. At least, she'll have that to remember."

"Ella was a baby."

"We have pictures to remind her, that the President of the United States was her godfather."

"He was the President but he is and remains her godfather, and Olivia is Ella's godmother. Funny, how things have worked out."

"Yes."

Silence fell between the two men.

"Cyrus wrote me an email."

"Oh," Olivia glanced over her shoulder at the sleeping Fitz and then tiptoed out of the room with the phone balanced between her ear and shoulder and the baby in her arms. "I didn't know you were penpals."

"We're not." Olivia heard the grin in Zeke's voice. "The guy wants me to know the cost of home arrests are – and I quote – 'prohibitive', and get this – he says 'out of consideration for the poor'. Hell, Liv, I didn't think $150 a week would put him on food stamps."

"Maybe he's trying to focus your attention on the people who really can't afford to rent out ankle monitors?"

"Like a rattlesnake trying to get to me focus on his rattle instead of his fangs?"

"You remember Marissa Alexander, the woman who fired a gun to scare off her abusive husband? She'll pay $17,000 – give or take a few dollars – out of her own pocket for the two years she'll be under house arrest."

"$17,000? Hell, the annual wage at $7.25 an hour is a little more than $15,000."

"The $17,000 is for two years, Zeke. But compare that to the $50,000 it would have taken the government to keep her in prison."

"But how is she going to find the money? It ain't easy getting a job with her prison record and ankle-monitor."

"Now we're on the same page."

There was a pause, then Zeke said slowly, "And yesterday all I heard was how tough it's getting on Wall Street guys because of rising labour costs. Man, I don't know how Fitz kept a straight face during these meetings. I really want to give those guys a wake-up call."

"Well, Zeke, guess who's President now?"

There was another pause, followed by a chuckle. "It doesn't hurt to get a little reminder now and then."

After ending her conversation with Zeke, Olivia slipped the phone back into her tracksuit pants pocket, then looked down at the baby who was giving her an unblinking stare. "You look like you've got an opinion, Bubby. How about you share it with me?" The baby uttered strange snorting noises as Olivia planted several kisses on her face. "You think I should be a full-time consultant to your Uncle Zekes? That's not a bad idea, honey pie. You want to have a chat to your father about that. No? I didn't think so. Okay, how about we go raid the kitchen instead? Yeah, I can see you like that idea. But we need to be very, very quiet because everyone else is asleep."

But making her way to the kitchen, Olivia realised that was a lie.

"Mom, we're out of milk," Jerry poked his head out of the fridge as she paused in the doorway.

"And peanut butter," said Huck from the pantry.

"We need eggs and bread too," said Quinn, checking the bread bin.

"For a peach farm, you sure don't have any peaches," Abby shook her head as she poured coffee into a mug. "I was thinking of making a peach cobbler for dessert tonight."

"What are you all doing up?"

"Lindsay snores," Abby said.

"Abigail pushed me out of bed after she stole all the blankets."

"I had a nightmare, but all the noise Lindsay made falling onto the floor, woke me."

"I could have broken my neck."

"If only."

"Did you have a nightmare too?" Olivia asked Huck.

"I was working on… something."

"Jerry?"

"Yeah, I was helping Pete with his homework." When every eye turned to stare at him, Jerry blushed and muttered, "Okay, we were playing a video game."

"So you've been up all night?"

"I'm fine, Mom. I'll crash after breakfast."

"You won't be getting any breakfast. There's no food," Abby told him.

"Okay, make a list. I'll get the car keys and the baby pouch."

"What about the baby?"

"She has to come with me, it'll be feeding time soon, and I don't want her to scream her little lungs out if I'm not around."

"We'll go in the rental. Huck can drive." Quinn decided.

Getting to the store

"It would have been quicker if we walked," Abby muttered.

"There's a baby onboard." Huck said as they crawled along the main road.

"She won't mind if you go just a little bit faster," Olivia assured from her seat between Abby and Quinn.

At the store

"Maybe you should stay in the car, Liv."

"I'm not staying in the car, Abby."

"But you have to feed the baby."

"Not right now. Besides I have the credit card."

"I can take your card, Mom."

"Cute, Jer, very cute."

In the store

"Oooh, caramelised popcorn. I haven't had that in a while."

Quinn put the snack can back on the shelf. "Liv, you're lactating. You don't want to feed the baby junk. I've got a list of all the foods you should be eating – rich in iron, protein and calcium."

"Wow, you researched my diet?"

"Your dad did. He gave Abby and me a lecture on what you should be eating."

"Why am I not surprised?"

Arriving at the house

"Do you think we've been robbed? All the lights are on in the house."

As the car stopped in front of the house, Fitz, Tom, Rowan and several agents ran out of the house.

"What's going on? Has there been a break in?" Olivia asked, holding the baby tightly to her chest.

"You left without telling anyone," Fitz gritted

"I had Huck." Olivia looked at him, puzzled.

"And me."

"And Jerry. And Quinn and Abby."

"I've got my gun on me."

As Fitz continued to glower at her, Olivia added, "We were out of food."

"Milk." Jerry supplied.

"Milk," Olivia repeated.

"And peanut butter," Huck said.

"And peanut butter."

News on the Hour, Every Hour…

Vermont's newest residents caused something of a stir at a neighbourhood co-op supermarket today, when staff and patrons caught former First Lady Olivia Grant and her newborn shopping in the early hours of the morning.

Amateur video footage shows Mrs Grant in a track suit, carrying her new born in a baby pouch wondering through the produce aisles.

"… I saw her buying oranges..."

"… I was this close. No, I couldn't see the baby, only her bobble hat…"

"… They were talking about popcorn…"

"…The redhead kept asking if it was feeding time…"

"…I thought it was the President, that boy looks just like his dad…"

"…She was lovely, gave me her autograph when she was signing for the receipt. My Ma is crazy about the Grants…"

"… That baby is so adorable, a gorgeous little thing. I'm going to vote for him, you know, Fitzgerald Grant. He quit? Why'd he quit? Oh that's a shame…"

In Other News…

For a leader who'll be gone in a blink of an eye, President Lucas Zeke sure is letting everyone know who's boss. The President today signed an executive order for all police precincts to have a community oversight board. He said the boards would report directly to the Department of Justice on complaints of police misconduct, and the FBI would investigate.

President Zeke also said there is an imperative to break the 'unholy alliance' between corporations and community policing.

"Right now we have an unholy alliance between police departments and private companies, getting rich on the desperation of poor people. Poor people are doing jail time because they can't pay their fines for jaywalking or rolling a stop sign; poor people are turning their homes into prisons because a private corporation profits from tracking your every move with the help of an ankle monitor…

"Poor people in this country are not working to get ahead, to get by or even feed their starving kids; poor people in this country are working to pay a corporation that's adding private interest to the public debt of a police fine. Poor people in this country are skipping meals to pay corporations for the privilege of turning their homes into prisons, cutting the cost of incarceration from State Budgets; poor people in this country are being pushed further into poverty because the proceeds of crime have been privatized.

"We need to break this cycle – not just the cycle of poverty, but the cycle of profit and policing, and we need the community get involved, and I aim to help them in every way that I can."

Meanwhile Congress has yet to approve of President Zeke's Vice Presidential nominee, Hailey Longfeather. Insiders on Capitol Hill say they cannot justify the expense for mere tokenism.

Olivia paced the upstairs family room, softly humming to the baby, who was fighting sleep with both fists in the air.

The sound of footsteps on the stairs made Olivia pause, but the steps were light, not the firm purposeful tread belonging to Fitz.

"Olivia," Felicia appeared, carrying a large box. "The Secret Service has gone through this package from the General Society of Mayflower Descendants. It's not dangerous." She placed the box on the nearest table and held her hands out for the baby.

Inside the box was an ivory silk and antique lace christening dress, accompanied by a lace and ivory silk baby bonnet. "It's gorgeous!"

"That dress will go well with the moccasins from UAINE." Felicia glanced at Olivia, who smiled.

"Yes, they'll be perfect. Bubby is a very lucky girl."

"Have we got a name for her besides 'Bubby' and 'Cutie Pie'?"

Olivia opened her mouth to give a snappy response, then seeing the way Felicia was smiling down at the baby, she swallowed her ire and said evenly, "No, we have too many choices."

"Fitz mentioned that you were thinking of naming her Elizabeth after his mother."

"And Betsey, the slave who survived inhuman odds."

"Sometimes, Olivia, it doesn't do to dwell on the past."

This time Olivia didn't hold back. "I want my daughter to know the strength she has inherited from Betsey, to prevent her from making heroes of the men who enslaved us." She paused, before adding, "With all the support you've given to the Native American Indians of New England and their National Day of Mourning, you should get where I'm coming from."

Felicia opened her mouth, then closed it and an awkward silence followed, where Olivia took time folding the Christening dress and Felicia fussed with the blanket swaddling the baby. Then suddenly Felicia blurted, "If Fitz is naming this child after his mother, you should give her one of Louise's names."

Olivia stared. "You don't mind?"

"Olivia, Louise was your mother. My feelings don't come into it."

"No," Olivia agreed, but bit off what she'd been about to add when Huck appeared at the door.

"It's my turn to look after Bubby… I won't drop her," Huck assured Felicia, who appeared reluctant to hand over the baby. "I'm good at handling delicate objects and I have steady hands – I was trained to disarm bombs."

"It's okay, Felicia. Huck knows the difference between Bubby and a bomb."

"Yes, this one poops." Huck said solemnly, then grinned.

"So has Aunt Liv come up with a name for Grant Newbie?" Peter asked via video chat.

"No, and Dad won't let me pick one either."

"No offence, Jer, but you need to have a different name for your kid sister, or she won't know who your Dad is yelling at when he gets mad at you."

"Maybe that'll make him stop yelling at me."

Peter exchanged a look with Karen, who changed the subject. "How did you get your name, Peter?"

"Pretty sure my grandmother picked it. That's my dad's mother. She ran the family business and she was technically my dad's boss." Peter paused. "Do you think Aunt Liv will let Professor Pope choose a name?"

Karen and Jerry looked at each other then back at Peter. "Nope, uh-uh, I don't think so." Then Jerry added, "You're coming early for the Christening, right? The Little Dudette needs to meet her honorary bro."

"Yeah, do you think Grant Newbie will have a name by then?"

"If Mom and Dad start speaking to each other… maybe," Jerry muttered.

"What did you do?"

"Hey, what makes you think I had anything to do with it?!"

"Jerry got Mom to run to the store for milk," Karen explained. "At like four in the morning."

"I went with Mom."

"Yeah, but no one told Dad, and he was about to call the FBI."

"Dad needs to chill."

"You should have left a note. Dad thought you'd been kidnapped."

"In Vermont?" Jerry rolled his eyes.

Peter cut in smoothly, "You know if your parents can't decide on a name, Grant Newbie can have mine."

There was a pause at the shift in conversational gear, then Karen giggled, "But you're a boy."

"I had a girl's name for my milkname, it's like a nickname, until I started school. Giving a boy a girl's name helps ward off evil spirits."

"Then shouldn't we give the little Dudette a boy's name?" Jerry frowned.

"Girls don't get evil spirits."

"We just get boys with guns holding us hostage in school."

Jerry put his arm around Karen, drawing her close. "Kaz has a point. How do we keep real life crazies away?"

"When your dad figures it out, he'll probably tell you," Peter smiled.

"So how long are you going to give my daughter the silent treatment," Rowan murmured, while peering through his reading glasses at the instruction manual in his hands. He was helping Fitz put together a toy train track for Teddy in what Olivia called Fitz's Man Den.

"I'm staying away until I calm down enough to avoid yelling at her."

"Think you'll get there before Christmas?"

"Maybe."

"The Community Oversight Board of Zeke's is a good idea, but eleventh-hour Executive Orders make the execution of those orders someone else's problem, and will most likely be repealed by the next President."

"Zeke is doing the best he can in the short time he has."

"Makes you wonder what the other guy did while he was in office." Catching the glance Fitz shot him, Rowan murmured, "You left the job half-done, Fitzgerald. You should run again."

Fitz looked up from laying tracks on the floor. "You want me to return to the White House?"

"Olivia believes in you're the only man for the job, and I respect my daughter's judgement."

"I'll tell her that."

"At Christmas? You might want to wait until April Fool's Day."

The two men exchanged a smirk, then Rowan went back to the manual and Fitz went back to searching for missing pieces.

"So have we decided on a name for the little one yet?"

"Elizabeth after my mother and Betsey."

"Ah," Rowan nodded. "She has more than one grandmother, you know. I believe Felicia has reminded my daughter of this fact."

"Felicia?"

"The female mind is a mysterious thing."

Fitz cracked a laugh. "You can say that again."

He fell guiltily silent when Olivia poked her head through the door and asked if they wanted soup and salad, or grilled toasted sandwiches because she was on lunch duty, after giving Abby a break.

Rowan said promptly, "How about Pizza? I'll make the call."

"Dad, I can make sandwiches without burning the house down."

"I'll help," Fitz started to get up.

"No, you finish what you're doing. I'll be fine." Olivia disappeared.

As Fitz started to sit down again, Rowan murmured, "You're not going to let her make those sandwiches by herself."

"She wants me to."

"She does not."

"No?"

"No."

Olivia had begun slicing bread, when Fitz turned up in the kitchen. Seeing that she was intent on ignoring him, he silently collected sandwich spreads, cheese and other fixings and placed them on the table. Still without a word, they managed to get a sandwich-making process going.

"Hey, Mom, Pete said…" Jerry paused in the doorway. "What are you guys doing?"

"Making sandwiches," Fitz said, cutting a ham and cheese sandwich in half.

"Brrrr….it sure is c-c-cold in here," Jerry rubbed his arms. "Let me get my coat, and I'll help."

He ran off only to appear a few minutes later in his coat, scarf and hat pulled down low over his brow.

"Very funny, Jer," Olivia murmured, fighting a smile, as she buttered another slice of bread. "You can be the sandwich filler."

"Yes, ma'am Mom."

Karen appeared with Teddy a few minutes later. "Teddy wants chocolate. Felicia told him he could have one piece if he finished all his broccoli, and carrots."

"She bribed the little dude?" Jerry pretended to be shocked.

"Why are you wearing your winter coat?" Karen quizzed.

"Choclatt!" Teddy demanded.

"Did you finish all your broccoli and carrots?" Fitz asked Teddy.

Teddy nodded.

"All of it? Every single piece?"

"Yes!"

"Okay, bud, you can have chocolate." Fitz turned to Olivia. "Where's the chocolate?"

"Umm…"

They all went looking for chocolate, with Jerry abandoning his winter gear halfway through the search. Then while Teddy was getting chocolate all over his face, sitting on the kitchen table; the rest of them went back to lunch preparations.

"Jerry, you can't make jam and cheese sandwiches."

"Mom, you liked the ones I made before."

"I was pregnant, Jer." Then as Jerry shoved a freshly made sandwich in her face, she took a bite. "Okay, it still tastes good."

"So one for me, one for Mom…"

"And me," Karen said.

"And me!" Teddy shouted with chocolate all over his face.

"Teds, you can have half of mine," Olivia said.

"Dad?"

"I'll pass."

"Next up, sweet dill pickle and peanut butter."

"Jerry…" Fitz began.

"But…"

"No."

"Dad, at least try it before you knock it …. yeah, right? I told you."

They made sandwiches, three kinds of salad: bean, green and pasta – all out of pre-packaged containers – and tomato soup out of an entire shelf of cans, with Olivia stirring the pot and Karen standing on a chair next to her, to make sure it looked and tasted all right.

"Jeez, Mom, you can cook." Jerry teased.

Olivia shared a giggle with Karen, managing to avoid eye contact with Fitz who was cleaning chocolate and jam from Teddy's face.

Much later lying on the grass beside Abby and Quinn, their hands resting on their full stomachs, Olivia said happily, "Admit it, lunch was edible."

"It was okay" Abby muttered, her eyes covered by sun-glasses.

"It was more than okay. I was expecting popcorn," Quinn mumbled from beneath a floppy sun hat covering her face. "I especially loved the pickle sandwiches."

"I'll tell Jerry." Olivia rubbed her bare feet on the grass.

"Jerry?" Quinn lifted the corner of her floppy hat.

"Jerry."

"Oh boy."

"I think the baby's hungry."

Olivia turned to see Huck approach with the baby in his arms. "I'm not surprised; she was asleep during her regular feeding time."

Huck knelt down before Olivia, carefully transferring the baby into her arms. "She's been trying out her crying skills."

On cue, the baby gave a cry, followed by another one.

Just then an upstairs window was thrown open and Jerry yelled, "Huck, have you got a minute? Pete's got a question about your video game!"

"Yeah, sure." Huck shot to his feet and jogged towards the house.

"Huck's been really keen on baby-sitting duty." Quinn sighed. "It's really cute."

"I thought he'd have had enough before lunch. I didn't think he'd want Bubby's company after lunch too." Olivia lifted the baby up to kiss her face, but changed her mind at the wail she got in response. "Okay, okay. You're hungry, no kisses."

"Tell me you're not going to pull a boob out and start feeding her out here?" Abby muttered.

"No, I won't tell you that."

"Is she flashing her boob?" Abby asked Quinn.

Quinn pushed up the brim of her hat. "Define boob-flashing?"

Abby pushed up her sunglasses with a fingertip. Then tipped them back with a groan, "Olivia."

"Abby, breast feeding is the most natural thing in the world."

"More natural than carrying a gun in your bag," Quinn murmured.

"We're not talking about guns."

"Speaking of guns—" Olivia began.

"We weren't." Abby cut her off.

"Speaking of guns, you can't have a gun in the house, Abz."

"It's okay, Huck disabled it," Quinn murmured.

"What?" Abby ripped her glasses off, and sat up. "Huck sabotaged my gun?"

"Fitz would approve," Olivia murmured as Quinn retreated under her hat again.

Abby glared at Olivia, then frowned. "What's that on the baby's leg?"

The blanket covering the baby had loosened to reveal a band around the baby's ankle.

"Dammnit, Huck!" Olivia muttered under her breath.

"Guess Fitz would approve of that too, huh?"

"Huck! We need to have a word!"

As the door slammed open, the kids and Huck turned to stare open mouthed at Abby.

"We need to speak to Huck in private," Quinn said mildly.

"Uh, sure!" Jerry scrambled up off the floor, taking Karen with him then returned a second later to unplug the the laptop and take it away, with Peter still on the screen.

When the four adults were left, three glaring at the fourth on the floor, Huck muttered, "Do we have to do this now, I'm on the last level of this game. If I quit now, I'll lose all my points."

"Huck!"

"Okay, okay," he paused the game on the big screen television and stood. "Do I need a lawyer?"

"This is no joke," Olivia scolded. "You put a tracking device on Bubby. Is that thing dangerous?"

"It's like the one that Cyrus has."

"He's a criminal!" Quinn glared at Huck.

"There are people wearing tracking devices because they want to," Huck said solemnly. "It helps them keep track of their sleep patterns and how many times they ate."

"Those people are letting Big Brother in on their every move by choice," said Olivia.

"The baby is in a house full of people and you weren't sure who she was with, that first day we arrived here. This way you can keep track of her at all times. I'll show you." He pulled out his phone and opened an app. "See, here she is, downstairs."

"It says Tom on the screen." Olivia frowned.

"I synchronised cell phone trackers with this app. Tom suggested it."

"Tom's in on this?"

"Yeah. He said it would avoid the kind of stress attack he had this morning, when his guys fell asleep on the job. He wanted me to make one for you too."

"No."

"Okay."

"So we're all part of this baby tracking network?" Quinn mused.

"Yeah, except the two people who refuse to carry a phone with them – Professor Pope and his wife Felicia, so I guess we'll have to guess which one she's with when no name appears." Then glancing at Olivia's set face, he murmured, "Have you got your phone? I can load the app now."

"Who has access to this information? I don't want potential kidnappers to hack the database and know where we are at all times of the night or day."

"I've secured the data, Liv. You know me."

"Yes, I do know you."

"Oh, right. So what Huck means is that the information is safe until some enemy agent captures and tortures him to reveal all the passcodes to bypass security." They turned to look at Quinn. "What? You think people don't get tortured for information? Isn't that what Guantanamo is all about?"

At that point, Abby who'd been fuming in silence, demanded, "Excuse me, can we talk about my gun?"

"You can't have a gun in the house, Abby," Olivia said, leaving the room.

Olivia was on her down to give Tom a piece of her mind, when she met Fitz on the stairs with the baby in his arms.

"Where's Tom?" Olivia said reaching for the baby.

"Fort Knox." Fitz murmured, referring to one of the barns which had been converted to a residential and relaxation area, away from the house, for Tom and his team.

"He's not going to escape that easy."

"What are you talking about?"

"Huck has put a tracking device on Bubby, and Tom thought it would be a good idea if I had one too," Then seeing Fitz's expression, she added, "Don't even think about it."

Fitz followed her upstairs to the bedroom. "Can we call a truce?" he asked, closing the door.

"Why? You'll only get mad at me the next time I act like an ordinary citizen and not an inmate in the crown jewel of America's prison system."

Fitz released a noisy sigh. "Olivia, there are a lot of lunatics out there. That reminds me—"

"Huck disabled Abby's gun."

"He did?"

"Yep."

Fitz padded towards her, purposefully. "Olivia."

Olivia turned to him hands, on hips.

He slipped his arms through the spaces between her arms and hips, pulling her close. "Stop glaring at me."

"I'm not glaring at you."

"Then what do you call this?" He rubbed his nose over her frown.

She smoothed her brow and gave him an arch look.

Then they both turned at the sound of a snore.

"She even snores like you." Fitz rested his cheek on her hair.

"I don't snore," Olivia returned without heat, smiling down at the baby fast asleep, on her back, her arms akimbo.

"We might as well sneak in a little nap ourselves while she's out," Fitz drew back, taking Olivia's hands in his.

She barely resisted when Fitz tugged her down onto the bed to be cuddled in his arms.

"So I understand we have a few more names for Bubby, thanks to Felicia. I like her suggestion."

"Me too. I'd like Bubby to have a connection to my Mom, Louise Grace Mae."

"How about Elizabeth Louise?"

"Elizabeth Mae."

"She has more Grace than Mae - Elizabeth Grace Grant."

"Elizabeth Grace Pope-Grant. I want her to have a piece of me too, beside the piece of you."

"Livvie, she has lots of pieces of us in her DNA."

"Poor kid. The DNA of a prison warden and escapee all in the one body."

He pressed his lips to her forehead. "Liv, don't make me feel bad about wanting to protect you."

"There's protecting and protecting," she griped, then gasped when he rolled her onto her back but kept his weight off her by balancing on his arms.

"What?" Olivia whispered as he studied her face, his eyes soft.

"Do I look older?"

"Older than what?"

"Older than I did last night?"

"No…why?" she frowned.

"I literally aged a 100 years when I found you gone this morning."

"Fitz!" she smacked his shoulder.

"That is no way to treat a geriatric."

"I hate you," she groaned a laugh.

"I believe you." He rolled away so abruptly, he left her bemused.

"Fitz…?"

When he didn't answer, she lifted herself on top of him and took his face in his hands. "You don't mean that?"

Seeing him remain stubbornly silent, she kissed him softly. "Take it back."

He didn't.

"Fitz!" she glared at him. "Take it back!"

"Kiss me and I'll consider it," A smile tugged at his lips.

Her glare turned mutinous.

He gusted a sigh. "Okay, I take it back."

"Meanie," she muttered, rolling off him to lie on her side, with her back to him.

"You really don't do apologies well," he grunted a laugh, curling himself around her, burying his lips against her neck.

"You don't do Average Joe well either…" She paused, before adding, "Carlita will be here in the morning. She's going to help us transition into normal life."

He lifted his head, leaning over to meet her gaze. "Glad you discussed this with me."

"Pot kettle black, Mister."

"What?'

"Remember the times you sicced the Marines on me to make sure I was taking my naps?"

A smile tugged at his mouth. "So this is payback?"

"Yep."

He flopped onto his back, hauling her onto his body. "I should have stayed President."

"That's what I've been saying."

"Sneaky."

"Mm, so are those hands. You're still in solitary confinement for another six weeks."

"How about I let your hands wander over me?"

"Nope."

"Why not? Bubby's asleep."

"I'm thinking of your 152-year old heart."

He snorted a laugh. "This old ticker still has plenty of juice."

"I don't want to risk it. At your advanced age, I'd rather have quantity over quality."

"Listen, Mrs Smartypants, in six weeks I'll get my own payback."

"Promises, promises."

"You can count on it," he said huskily, tightening his arms around her.

Smiling, she darted a quick kiss to his lips, before settling down to sleep.

A/N: So I have to thank September Mom for her tutorials on how Olivia would feel, physically, post-childbirth. No sex for at least six weeks! And no fooling around for her, just him. I really appreciated the info as I've been doing research on what people have said on web forums!

Also glad that she's given me a pass on the fact that I do more research on politics than birthing and mothering!

Yes, I am trying to get the Grants back into the White House because these Vermont chapters are a struggle (I have no idea how I wrote 5500+ words for this chapter, as I've mostly stared into space for the last 3wks trying to find inspiration!).