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Fitz's POV

I shift the weight of the large duffel bag to my left arm and grunt. "Sometimes, I seriously think you just use me for my weight lifting abilities."

Livvy swings her own bag on her shoulder and grins at me. "How did you figure it out?"

I roll my eyes and somehow manage to open the trunk of my Mercedes and throw the last bag in there. Considering Livvy's extensive, fancy wardrobe, I thought there would be a lot more boxes and bags, but there's only a couple of them. Even though we only have a few more days at the Blair House, I am ninety percent sure Livvy is moving in with us afterwards. And I am one hundred percent enthusiastic about that.

We haven't talked about it yet, but it's what both of us are assuming. At least for a little while, Livvy will be living with us. I want it to be forever, I want to marry her, I want so many things but her trust issues...I may not understand them or like them, but I have to respect them.

I'm not offended because I know it's not that she actively distrusts me. It's just that she has been hurt and she is trying to be careful letting people into her life. Into Savannah's life. And as annoying as it may be, it's fair and I understand it.

And it's hard to ungrateful when Livvy is standing here, in front of me, looking so damn beautiful. She means everything to me. These past few days...I have been feeling so light, so happy. I have everything I could ever ask for. I am so content with everything. My senate hearing is in two days and even if I don't get approved, it's really difficult to think of myself as living an unhappy life, because that's not the case as of right now.

I close the trunk.

"Hey, Livvy," i motion her to come to the back of the car and she does. When she's standing next to me, I take her by the waist and lift her up so she's sitting on the trunk of my car.

She wraps her black skinny jean covered legs around my waist and puts her hands on my shoulders, laughing. "What are you doing?"

"Trying to talk to my girlfriend," I rest my hands on the small of her back.

"I'm not your girlfriend," Livvy rolls her eyes but she's grinning. She takes her hands and puts them on the car so she's leaning back. She straightens her white tank top. "I'm staying for Savannah. I'm going to be sleeping in a different room. Don't get any ideas, Fitz."

I sigh. "You know, you're saying all this, but all I hear is 'I'm in love with you, Fitz, and we're going to move in together'."

Livvy laughs and shakes her head. "That is not what we discussed."

"But you were thinking it," I have to stop myself from putting my hands on her ass right now, mindful that we are in a public, suburban neighborhood where she's moving on. "You packed your entire wardrobe and everything you need for what, two days?"

"It's for Abby and David's house," she argues, but I shake my head. I know what she was thinking and I want to hear her say it.

To hear her say she'll move in with me. When all this is over and I'm either Secretary Defense or not, she'll walk out of the Blair House with her hand in mine and she'll move in with me. "You are not staying at Abby and David's house anymore. My daughter is not staying at Abby and David's house anymore. Has anybody told you that you're pretty stubborn?"

Livvy cocks her head and sighs. "Has anybody told you that you're kind of an asshole?"

"Everyday of my life," I nod and she grins. I put my arms around her and sigh. "Can I ask you something?"

"You can ask," Livvy brushes a lock of hair out of my forehead. "That doesn't mean I'm gonna answer."

I smile. "Five years ago, in that prison visitation room, when you said you loved me. Did you mean it?"

She stares at me for a moment, her expression serious.

"No," she admits, wrapping her legs tighter around my waist. "I was overcome by emotion and guilt and I was pregnant so my emotions were everywhere. I didn't mean it. Maybe I thought I meant it. I didn't though. But Fitz?"

I nod, trying to look understanding, trying to hide the pain I just felt shoot through my heart. I try to cover it all up. "Yeah?"

Livvy brings her hands to my arms and leans up, her smiling face close to mine. "I mean it now."

Olivia's POV

Riding through DC with my hand on top of Fitzgerald Grant's is better than I ever thought it would be.

It was this morning that I called him and finally agreed to move into the Blair House for two days. He brought the Mercedes around fifteen minutes later and we went to our old house to pick up everything.

To be honest, I have no idea what happens from here on out. Savannah has school and I have work. My work, granted, is more versatile and I can speak to my crisis management clients through my phone and everything. And I guess since Savannah is only in kindergarten, it doesn't matter if she's out of school. I just want her to have a normal routine and this is everything but normal.

And am I going to move in with Fitz after two days? I don't know. I want to. I really want to. But I would give anything for Karen to feel comfortable and I just don't know if that's what she's okay with.

Like I said, I want to make the right choices from here on out. Fitz and I? I think that's a right choice. Our relationship is inconvenient and painful and emotional and crazy but it's also the only thing that's made me undoubtedly happy in a long time.

I love him. I am IN love with him. And not just because he's Savannah's dad. I don't love him because he's her dad - he's her dad because I love him.

I trust him - or at least I am trying to. I am trying do the right things, make the right decisions but I have to be completely honest - being with Fitz makes me feel like a reckless teenager in love.

I turn down the volume of the radio with my free hand. Somehow, while we were pulling out of the driveway, our hands ended up together, which I don't mind a bit. It just feels so natural - my palm, face down on his, our fingers interlocked. It feels like we've been doing it for years.

"How's Karen?" I ask Fitz.

He scoffs, glances at me, then back on the road. "Karen - is she all you talk about? I mean, you've mentioned her at least fifteen times in the past hour. I love the girl but is she all that's on your mind?"

I look at him, frustrated. "She's in this too, Fitz."

He shakes his head and squeezes my hand tighter. "I know she is. And you're a sweetheart for asking about her all the time. I am trying to take your advice but it's only been a couple of days. Like you said - she needs time."

"I get it," I sigh, because I do, I really do. I was in her position a long time ago. But it was different. "Fitz, when my mom died when I was twelve, my father wasn't there for me. He tried to be, but only for a little while. He gave up when he decided for himself that it was too hard to try to comfort me - to be there for me. I'm not saying you aren't there for Karen. And I know that you won't give up on her. But I had nobody. I had to be out there - support myself. And it sucked. It was hard. And I wouldn't wish that on any little girl."

"I know," Fitz swallows. He turns to me for a second before looking back on the road. I think he thinks that I am getting sentimental, but I am not. I'm just stating facts. "I'm sorry you had to go through that, Livvy."

I shake my head. "It's okay. It was a long time ago."

Fitz takes my hand and lifts it up before kissing it. "It doesn't matter. Why do you keep acting like your problems are trivial? That I don't care about them? Because I do care, Livvy, I care a lot. I care about you. I'm always going to care about you."

I run my thumb over the back of his hand. "Thank you, babe. I appreciate that."

I can a huge smile grow on Fitz's face. I turn away, facing my window. I didn't expect to say 'babe' - it just came out very naturally, habitually. Babe. I don't call guys babe. Wow. I just called him 'babe'.

Fitz clears his throat through the awkwardness. "No problem, babe."

I roll my eyes. "Stop mocking me."

"My apologies," Fitz smirks. "Won't happen again, babe."

"Fitz," I try to pull my hand away from him, pretending to be annoyed, but he keeps a firm grasp, laughing. "Stop it. You're so annoying."

"Okay, okay," Fitz chuckles. "I'm sorry. I'm really sorry."

I sigh. I was never seriously annoyed - it just feels like Fitz has a great time messing with me. I settle my hand back into his. "Whatever."

Fitz smiles and brings my hand back up to kiss it again. He is such a little kid sometimes. It annoys me and makes my heart melt all at the same time. I keep on stealing glances on his smiling face on the road. All I can think of is that I love him. I love him so much and maybe that's stupid of me - maybe that's vulnerable. But it's the truth.

"I love you," Fitz says lightly, beaming. Then, a smirk pulls over his face. "Babe."

X

We pull into the Blair House sidewalk, where a Secret Service agent asks us to get out so he can park the car. Another agent helps up carry all my bags up to the porch of the house, where Karen and Savannah are. Karen is in her maroon school uniform and Savannah, white shorts with a lilac shirt that has a picture of Sofia the First. She's laying stomach down on the porch steps, the top of her body on Karen's lap. Karen is painting her little sister's nails a bright shade of pink.

"Mommy!" Savannah beams when she sees me, but sits tight so Karen can continue her work.

"Hi, girls," Fitz balances two bags and kisses them both on their heads. "What are you up to?"

"I'm painting her nails," Karen states matter of factly, not even looking up at us from the bottle of hot pink polish. "Is that okay with you?"

I know she's referring to me, even if she can't look at me. I clear my throat and smile, even though she isn't looking. "That's fine, honey."

I am so happy that Karen seems unbothered by Savannah but she is not good at covering up how uncomfortable she feels around me.

"Do you need help with bags?" Karen asks in a monotone voice.

I speak up before Fitz can. I don't want Karen to do anything she doesn't want to - because from her voice, it's obvious that she isn't interested in helping. This isn't me being scared of us - it's me being sympathetic. If I were Karen, I would be completely pissed about this whole thing. She deserves some slack. "Nope, I think your Daddy has it."

With that, I toss the bag I am carrying on top of the two Fitz already has in his arms. That causes Karen to finally smile a little, but I still sense some coldness.

"Let's go inside," Karen suggests to Savannah. "I'll paint your toes too."

Savannah gets up enthusiastically, but I gently lean down and grab her arm. "Savannah, can I steal Karen from you for a minute?" I look at Fitz, who gives me a look of understanding, then back at a very confused Karen. "I would like to talk, girl to girl, if that's okay with you."

Karen shrugs as if it's nothing, but I can tell she's not entirely enthusiastic to speak to me. She looks a little scared, even.

I would never want to make Karen feel uncomfortable but it's important that I talk to her. I don't want to shut her out, to avoid her and to move awkwardly past her for these next two days. I'm not saying we're going to be instant BFFs but if she's going to be my daughter's sister, she is going to be in my life more. And I am so happy about that. Karen seems like a sweet girl. And her reluctance towards me is understandable. But I need to talk to her anyways. "Go inside, Anna. I'll finish your nails when I come in a couple of minutes."

I look at Fitz, who has a nervous smile on his face. He leans forward, with the bags threatening to fall out of his arms, and kisses my cheek. With his face close to mine, he whispers, "Good luck."

I watch his go off through the doorway and swallow. I think I am going to need it.

I put on a brave smile and walk to the swing where Fitz and I sat just the other day. I'm nervous as hell but I don't want Karen to notice and take advantage of that, so I try to look confident. Karen reluctantly follows me, but sits as far away as physically possible on the bench.

I look at her for a moment. Karen doesn't seem like a cold person and I don't think she actively dislikes me. I just think that, like me, she has developed trust issues over the years. I know how bad that sucks, so I want her to know that I understand. But I don't want to come as if I know her situation better than her, because I don't.

"So," I cross my legs and point to the bottle of nail polish. "That's a pretty color."

"Thanks," Karen says dully. We're silent for a few seconds before she hesitantly continues. "I'm not allowed to wear it to school though. It's against the dress code, which is totally unfair."

I nod. "I can imagine."

She nods back and looks out into the street. I do too. Washington is truly a beautiful place. I was raised here. I grew up here. But I am just now realizing that Karen hasn't. This isn't her hometown - this district is a stranger to her.

"Karen," I rest my hands on my knee and look at her. She doesn't return my glance, but I go on anyway. "Just a couple of days ago, I was sitting in this exact spot with your father. He's worried about you. We're worried about you."

Karen scoffs and shakes her head, as if that's the most disgusting thing she's ever heard. She doesn't elaborate, so after I minute, I speak up again. "Karen...please talk to me. What do you mean?"

"We," she actually answers this time, crossing her arms. Her whole demeanor has changed. She actually looks pretty pissed right now. "There is no we. You and Dad? You're not together. I mean...maybe a long time ago but not now. I'm not trying to be offensive or mean or anything but Olivia, we don't need you. It can just be Daddy, me and Savannah. We don't need you."

I swallow. I was expecting her to say something amongst the lines of that, but I wasn't expecting it to hurt this much. I know it's not personal or anything, but it still is painful hearing how much she hates me. I mean, I know she doesn't hate me, but by the tone of her voice, I wouldn't be surprised if she did. "I understand that you feel that way. And I know you don't need me. You and your Daddy and Savannah would be fine without me. You are all so strong."

"Look," she sighs, actually turning her head to face me. She looks a little guilty, but I don't need her to be. I just need her to be honest. "I'm not saying you aren't strong. I'm not saying I hate you or you're mean or stupid or anything like that. But... I just don't need you to be here."

"Of course you don't," I nod.

"You're not my mom," she adds.

There it is - what I was waiting for.

"I'm not your mom," I repeat, looking her in the eyes. They're blue - but not as deep blue as Fitz's. And not as bright as Savannah's. They're very very light - almost grey. Very subtle. Very sensitive. "I am not trying to replace your Mom, Karen. I could never be her. She loved you so much. And I know you miss her."

Karen turns away from me and rubs her face. I can tell she's crying. "You don't know anything."

"I know that much," I reach over and touch Karen's arm. She doesn't pull away, but she is still facing away from me. "I know because...when I was your age, maybe a year older, I lost my Mom too."

Karen doesn't reply. I think she's seriously crying now but I don't feel horrible about it. I think it's something she needs to do and I just need to be here for her. If she is crying, she is doing it silently. The only sound between us is the busy streets of Pennsylvania Avenue and the chirping of mid afternoon birds. Finally, after a good minute or so, she speaks up - very softly. "Did she walk out on your family?"

"No," I shake my head, even though she can't see me. She's still turned away, guarded. "She died in a plane crash when I was twelve."

Karen sniffs. "Was she...a good mom?"

"Yes," I reply softly, even though I barely have any remembrance of my mother whatsoever. It seems like the right thing to say and it's not a lie. From what I know, my mom always provided for me. Which counts for something, I guess.

"My mom," Karen begins, then pauses for a sniff. She finally turns to face me and sure enough, her light blue eyes are rimmed with tears, some already down her pretty face. It hurts to see Karen cry. I run my finger over her shoulder and trace a circle on it, much like Fitz did yesterday. She sniffs again and continues talking, her voice quiet and shaky. "She was the best mom in the world."

I press my lips together. I don't know anything about what the type of mother Melinda Grant, but I never imagined her being good. Then again, when Karen was a little kid, her mom must have meant everything to her, good or bad. I think I know what happened, what's been happening for years. If I am wrong, I am going to look stupid as hell bringing it up. But Karen is worth it to me. "Let me guess - people have always been telling you she was a bad mom?"

Karen nods, more tears rushing down her face. "Yeah."

I inhale deeply. Granted, Karen isn't exactly opening up to me. It's more like I am prying answers out of her. But either way, it's working. I'm discovering more and more and I am peeling off layers of the complex young girl named Karen Grant. I understand her pain - I really do. How would you like it if you were suffering a great loss and all people could say about the person you missed is how shitty she was? There were a lot of Mellie critics when she left the Grant household. The tabloids were calling her 'Malevolent Mellie' or 'Monstrous Mellie'. The newspapers and talk shows talked about her insensitivity - how she was evil enough to abandon her family just months after her husband was acquitted of murder charges. She made national headlines. The press followed her to Stanford, California, and Nevada, then all the way up to New York, where she is today. The reports have obviously stopped over the years, but she is infamous. And she is hated. And I am guessing Fitz's family and friends didn't have kind things to say about her either. I don't think Fitz talked shit about Mellie but I suppose he didn't assure Karen's belief that she was a great mother.

Like I said, I don't know what type of mother Mellie was. All I know is that she meant a lot to her daughter. Even if she was the shittiest mother on the planet, Karen would still look up to her idealistically, which is normal and understandable. But in the end, Karen just got hurt.

"Everything t-those TV channels were saying," Karen hiccups, looking at her hands. "They were calling her a m-monster. And Daddy's friends called her s-some bad words. Daddy never told me what a good mom she was. But she was, Olivia! She was a really good mom."

"I know she was," I lie. I scoot a little closer and without thinking twice, I put my arms around Karen. Surprising me, she comes closer and rests her head on my chest, sobbing harder. I put my chin on top of her head, running my fingers through her long, wavy light brown hair. "I know she was a good mom. I know how much you loved her, Karen. I know, baby."

"N-no," Karen sobs. She is crying pretty hard into my chest. Some people are turning around to look, but I don't care. I just hold her tighter.

Fitz is the type of man who would be too sensitive to let his daughter cry this much, so he would try to softly hush her down for his own sake, but I am not that type of person. Karen has the right to cry so, although it's breaking my heart, she can do just that. And I am just going to be here, holding her.

"I-I miss her so much," Karen hiccups into my chest. "W-why isn't she here? She never c-calls me...she never visits. Why?"

I don't know. I really don't know. I have a feeling that Mellie never cared about Karen, which appalls me. How can she not love this beautiful, sensitive, loving girl right here? It's beyond me. Or maybe Fitz's wrongly thought that he should refuse to let Mellie contact Karen. Maybe he thought that was the best thing. I understand why, but it's the wrong choice. And believe me, I know all about wrong choices. But telling this to Karen will only make things worse, so I just rub Karen's back and kiss the top of her hair. "Maybe she thought that it would hurt your feelings if she came back and she couldn't stay."

"S-she can stay," Karen mumbles, finally lifting her face up from my collarbone. She inhales sharply, trying to catch her breath. Her face is drenched in tears, which i try to gently wipe away. "I really want her to stay."

I realize that Karen has probably built up an ideal image of her mother. She probably doesn't remember much of anything - she honestly believes her mother was the perfect mom and everything would be completely fine if she was here. It's not my place to break that image but I don't want Karen to get her hopes up.

I think that's what Fitz did. I don't think he actively led her to believe that Mellie was perfect. But I think he didn't want to crush her dream - that one day, Mellie would come back and all would be right. I think he just loved her to much to do that. But he was wrong. His intentions were right, but his methods were wrong. If he had done the right choice, she wouldn't be crying in my arms right now.

So yeah, I suppose Fitz does have flaws. But the amount of love he has for Karen is not one of them.

"I know you want her to come back," I whisper into her hair and hug her tighter. "I know you want her to stay. But you know what I think? I think things are going to be okay either way."

"No," Karen mumbles. "N-no. They're not. Mom's not here. Gerry is not here."

Oh. So this is about her brother too. I know nothing about Gerry except how much he was loved by his father. This morning, Fitz and I were listening to his music while we packed and I went to go change the song. The wallpaper on his phone was an old picture of Gerry and Karen on the beach.

X

Four Hours Ago

"Hate to break it to you," I make my way across the near empty master bedroom and collapse on the bed, kicking my legs up. "But this song sucks."

Fitz sighs and zips up a big Adidas duffel bag with Savannah's toys and clothes in it. He is on the other side of the room, on his knees, practically sweating from the work he's doing. "Maybe when you're done bashing my music taste, you can come down here and actually help me?"

"You're no funny," I sigh, looking around the room. We have managed to fit almost everything in a couple of bags and boxes. We still have a few more to go. I pat a spot on the bed next to me. "Sit with me. Take a break."

"Unlike you," Fitz gets up and wipes his hands sweaty hands on his thighs. He casually slides off his forest green t-shirt and takes his phone off the coffee table, tossing it next to me. "I am actually helping you out get out of this house. Pick any song you want."

After staring at shirtless Fitz for a good minute, I take the phone and press the home button. The wallpaper is a really cute picture that was obviously taken a long time ago - Karen looked only a year or two older than Savannah in here. She was in a little purple bathing suit and standing on a surfboard on the beach with a little boy next to her. The boy doesn't really look like Fitz but I know he's his son. He was really cute - with dark brown hair and big eyes. He looks like Mellie but his eyes are brown, not blue. This must be Gerry.

I think about mentioning how adorable the picture is to him, but wouldn't he already be aware of how beautiful his son is? That, and although I believe Fitz has grieved healthily over this, he's obviously always going to be emotional about his son. "What's your passcode?"

I look over Fitz, who has started duct taping yet another box closed. He answers without looking up. "Gerry."

X

So I don't exactly know how to reply to this. I know that Gerry was a beautiful, loved boy. And I know how much Karen misses her older brother. But nothing I say can bring him back. Hell, nothing I can say can bring Mellie back either.

But I have to say something. I think it's pretty clear that, much like Fitz, I love Karen. It's hard not to love a girl raised by Fitzgerald Grant. "I know you miss Gerry. Your Daddy misses him too."

Karen sighs. "H-he doesn't act like it."

I rub Karen's back gently. "He is trying to be strong for you, but Karen, I know your father. I know he misses Gerry a lot. Maybe he doesn't talk about your brother or you mom because it hurts his feelings. He may start crying and he doesn't want you to see."

"But," Karen looks up, wiping her tear stained face. "He is my dad. Dads don't cry."

I laugh softly. "It may seem like that, but Dads cry. So do Moms. And Karen? I know you don't want to hurt your Dad anymore, so you need to stop with this attitude you've been having with him."

Karen looks back down.

"You know what I am talking about," I go on seriously. "It's not your Daddy's fault and you need to stop making him feel bad. When he gets upset, he thinks he let you down. He thinks he's a bad father. And Karen? I know your dad - he is the best father."

"He is," Karen mumbles softly. "He is a good dad. And I love him a lot. But sometimes he doesn't listen to me. Sometimes he's not here. When me and Gerry were little... he was never, ever home."

"And that was a terrible mistake," I tell Karen, looking down into her eyes. "He is sorry for that. But things are going to be different. Even if he gets this job, even if he gets really busy, he's always going to put you and Savannah first."

Karen folds her hands and nods, like she doesn't believe me but she accepts my answer. I lean my head on hers. I just need her to hear me. I care about this little girl so much and although I know she may not feel the same way about me, I really want her to be okay. I really want her to listen to what I am saying. But in the end, I can only tell her things. Whether she hears me or not is up to her and it's out of my reach. We sit quietly for a minute, just looking ahead onto that big house on 1600 Pennsylvania. Finally, she speaks again. "What about you? Is he gonna put you first too?"

I exhale. I really don't want Karen to be uncomfortable with me living with Fitz but that doesn't hide the fact that I seriously want to. For him and for Savannah. "Karen, I told you this before and I will say it again. I know I cannot replace your mother. But if you let me move in with you, I promise to always be there if you need to talk and give you and your Daddy plenty of space and time together. I get if you don't want to me to. I understand that. But if you would let me...I would really like staying. Even if it's just for a little bit."

"It's not that I don't like you," she repeats for the hundredth time. "And it's not that I don't like Savannah. It's just...weird."

"It is," I agree. "Savannah and I...no matter how you feel about us, we're strangers. New characters in your story. Yes, she's your sister and yes, I have a close relationship with your father, but we just. So yeah, it's gonna be weird. And it's going to be hard. And there will be times where you don't like us. But, if it counts, I think it's worth a try. Don't you?"

Karen sniffs once more and nods against my chest. "Yeah. And besides, it gets really lonely sometimes. So I guess you can stay with us."

I smile against her hair. It really means a lot to hear her say that. This is the first time we've actually talked and I think it's been pretty successful. She was right - she doesn't need me. And she hasn't changed her mind. She just let her guard down - allowed herself to trust me.

Maybe I should do the same with Fitz.

Karen gets off me slowly and grabs the nail polish next to her. "Olivia?"

"Yes?"

Karen looks at me with a very small smile, then back at the bottle of nail polish. "Maybe one day, I could do your nails?"

I look down at my professionally manicured nails, acrylic nails and then over at the tacky, cheap dollar store nail polish Karen has in her hands. I look up at Karen and smile at her. "I would like that a lot