A/N - Sorry about stalling with the update for over 2 weeks, totally not my style. I've been so consumed by 'Find a way' that I had to take a mini break to gather my thoughts. On the plus side I met Joe Morton AKA Papa Pope in person a few weeks ago. I'm a personal stylist/Personal shopper in new york city and he came to my office and worked with our service to find a dress for his 'girlfriend' or wife, I'm not sure who she was but he was a total sweetheart. Anyways leave reviews as always and I'll update as soon as possible.
Fitz hurried to the situation room. There was a capture of hostages at American embassy in Libya. Fitz, the secretary of state and the other heads of security pulled an all nighter, trying to control the chaos and managed to get a delta force team in there to get them out. It was a little after 7 in the morning when Fitz went back to the residence. He practically dragged himself in and out of the shower and lugged into bed. He was careful in trying not to wake her up but she woke up anyways.
"Fitz-"
"Hey Livie?"
"Did you just get in?"
"Yep?"
"What happened?"
"Hostage situation."
"Oh sorry, you should get some sleep your eyes are red from staying up all night."
She scooted closer to him and rest her head on his shoulder.
"Thank you for that party, it was amazing." he yawned.
"Thank you babe but you should definitely get some sleep, we'll talk later."
By the time she looked over, he was fast asleep. She realized that there was no way she was going back to bed so she got up and went to brush her teeth and shower. Every part of her body hurt since she her belly started to get bigger. Her feet and back hurt the most, everything else was only a slight discomfort. Other than that, she couldn't really complain, things were good, they were better than good, they were great, her mom was alive and well and most of all happy, she was finally going to give Fitz the baby he always wanted, she was getting married in a few weeks and Rowan was finally out of the picture. She had no idea what FItz did with him and she didn't care to ask, not after how things transpired the last time. Once she got into the bathroom, she did a couple of stretches that her instructor told her would help with the back pain and then took her shower. She got dressed into something comfortable then stopped by Maya's room to check if she was up and when she was, they went down to the kitchen to grab breakfast and discuss the wedding now that Fitz's birthday was out of the way.
Olivia wanted the wedding to be small and intimate, consisting of only family and close friends. She had already decided that Abby would be the maid of honor, obviously, and Cyrus would be Fitz's best man pending approval from Fitz. they were on such great terms lately, she found it hard to that Fitz's would choose anyone else unless he had some other best friend that she didn't know about. She wanted the color theme of the wedding to be white, an idea the wedding planner loved. She decided on the Rose garden, she briefly thought about maybe flying everyone out to Vermont and having the wedding there but Vermont was her and Fitz's private haven and she didn't want anyone else there, even if they were friends and family. All she had mostly were thoughts and ideas for far, nothing was set in stone, she needed to talk to Fitz before she actually did any planning. Once breakfast was finished, she went on about her day as planned. She had a doctor's visit, followed by meeting with the wedding planner and interior decorator for the baby's nursery. She kept that fact that she was going to work on the nursery private because she didn't want every celebrity interior designer offering to do it the same way they offered with Teddy. After her meeting she was free for the rest of the day and planned on speaking with Fitz about a few things.
Her meetings went great and she was excited to share with Fitz, everything she discussed in the meeting.
He had slept for a couple of hours but then went back to work just before noon. She called Lauren to see if he was free but he was in a bunch of debriefing meetings and he had to fly out-of-state as well, so she decided to wait until he came home in the evening.
Fitz came home around 9 that night, , she was laying in bed with Rosie. They had all had dinner without him, so when he came home, Olivia joined him in the dining room as he ate. She sat with him as he ate his steak dinner, occasionally picking something off his plate.
"So I met with the wedding planner today and the decorator for the baby's nursery." she said excitedly.
"Oh yea. How did it go?"
"Well I was basically letting him know that I wanted a really small wedding, the Rose garden would be perfect. I wanted the theme to be white and the floral arrangement could white roses."
FItz listened intently.
"Abby is going to be my maid of honor, she'd kill me if she wasn't and I was thinking Cyrus could be your best man since you were his, but I'm not sure, what do you think?"
"No not Cyrus, I want Gerry to be my best man."
Olivia mouth curled into a grin.
"I think that's a great idea and honestly I think the wedding planning is going to go smoothly, it's such a small wedding, how many issues can there be?"
"Yea I guess you're right."
"I'm gonna have the planner get in touch with you to give you all the info because I'm pretty sure I'm missing a lot of info out and remember to make your list of all the people you wanna invite, the wedding's in three weeks, I at least want to give everyone a two-week notice."
They chatted for a little while more until Fitz finished dinner. They went back to the bedroom and Olivia watched as Fitz undressed for his shower. When he went in, she stripped quietly and went in the shower after him.
"Livie … hey, what are you doing in here?"
She giggled and wrapped her hands around his waist.
"You know Fitz, a kiss would be nice."
He wasted no time in leaning down for a kiss. He wrapped his arms around her waist and cupped his cheeks and returned the kiss wholeheartedly.
In no time Fitz had her on top of him in the tub, working her hips back and forth slowly as the water from the faucet sprinkled all over them. There was no rush or urgency, they made love slowly, undulating to each others rhythm until they both came intensely.
They hung out in the shower for a little while until they went to bed. They cuddled up under the blankets, Fitz had his fingers intertwined with Olivia, playing absently with her hand.
"So I've been thinking about a few names and I wanted you to hear them." He began.
"Really?" she smiled.
"Yep."
"Oh my gosh, I'm so excited. Let me hear them."
"I really like Stella."
"I think Stella is a really pretty name."
"I'm glad you like it, I was also thinking Mia, it's simple."
"Hmm Mia Grant, I actually really like that. What else did you have in mind?"
"That's pretty much it, what were you thinking?"
"Uhm I really liked Gracie and Amara, I don't know all the names I liked before don't seem to fit now." she chuckled.
"I love those names Amara is very pretty, we could call her Mara for short."
"I also really like Zoe and Lily."
Fitz chuckled.
"We are definitely gonna have to figure out how to lower this list and I know Karen and Gerry are gonna have suggestions too."
"Oh yea Karen is dead set on naming her Chloe." Olivia added.
"Oh I know, she been trying to name everyone Chloe since she was 8."
Olivia laughed a little, then began to muse.
"I still can't believe I'm going to have your baby in a few months."
"I can't wait, I think you're going to be a fantastic mother."
He kissed her hands softy.
"You're already a fantastic father, so quit fishing for compliments." she joked.
"Okay fine you caught me." he chuckled.
She heard Rosie yammering as she rolled back and forth on the carpet.
"Rosie,it's bed time."
She didn't respond she just kept rolling on the floor. Olivia got up and went to pick her up and then brought her over to her mat to sleep. Then she went back to Fitz and after they chatted for a little while longer, they both drifted to sleep.
Olivia sat in the makeup as she got all dolled up. She wasn't particularly nervous but she was very anxious, she didn't like all eyes on her even though it would be just friends and family. She opted for the classic vows because as much as she loved Fitz, she knew she would be a stuttering wreck if she was to stand in front of everyone and say a written vow. The last week leading up to the wedding was hectic, between waiting last-minute to go dress shopping because she didn't want to buy the dress three weeks ahead only for it to not fit the day of the wedding and planning all the specific details, she was pretty exhausted. Even though dress shopping was last-minute she managed to find the perfect dress. A Marchesa haute couture satin blend spaghetti strap fitted gown with a slight mermaid effect at the bottom and a slight train. She loved it, it was simple and elegant it was. She was already pregnant and didn't want anything too flashy. She didn't buy any jewelry, Fitz had given her plenty of diamonds and she planned on wearing some of them today.
The entire rose garden was decked with a beautiful array of white chairs with white tulle bows attached to the back. The altar was decorated with white roses and leafy green vines wrapped around the two columns.
She was pleased when she walked through the garden in the morning to inspect how everything was coming along, it was exactly how she envisioned her wedding simple and beautiful.
There was about half hour left before the wedding started, her hair was curled softly and fell down her back her makeup was beautiful and soft. Abby and Maya, helped her put on her dress then she stood on standby waiting for the music to begin in 25 minutes or so.
The guest began arriving, the ushers led them to their seats and they too, sat quietly waiting for the ceremony to begin.
She hadn't seen Fitz all day, Maya was adamant about being traditional in that way. She couldn't wait to see him in his tux, she found herself being more excited than nervous the closer the it got to the start of the wedding. She couldn't wait to marry him, she kinda felt like they were married already, all she needed to do was get the formal side of the marriage over with and he'd be hers forever.
Finally she heard the 'Cannon in D' symphony begin to play and she knew it was time. Abby helped her to put her heels on because as much as she had grown to hate heels while she was pregnant, she didn't want Fitz to tower a foot over her in wedding pictures.
When Olivia stepped out the first thing she noticed was how intimate the wedding was. Everyone was chatting and having a good time as they waited for her. Abby and Karen had gone ahead of her so she was sure they were at the altar by now, but she wasn't in clear view of the altar as yet. Maya had insisted on walking Olivia down the aisle. Olivia thought it was a little dramatic but agreed to do it since she knew it would make her happy. The aisle was covered in white rose petals, the more she walked, the closer the altar came into view. A few more paces and Fitz came into full view, he stood statuesque in his tux.
She tried to hide the smile that tugged on her lips as she walked closer and closer to the altar. Fitz helped her up the steps with a huge grin on his face that made her blush.
Once she was standing in front of him, all her emotions came flushing down.
She took a few deep breaths and the minister began.
"We are gathered here today…"
Olivia began to tear up and they quickly trickled down her face.
Fitz wiped them away.
Olivia looked out to everyone who was watching her intently.
"I'm sorry everyone, Allergies."
They all chuckled, Fitz did too.
Maya tapped her and handed her a tissue to dab her eyes.
"Woah, thanks mom."
She wiped it quickly and gave it back to her mom and then turned around the face Fitz.
She held onto Fitz's hand, lost in his eyes as the minister said his piece. She wasn't sure how long she was standing there, a minute, 5 minutes, an hour…
All she heard was
"Till death do you part-"
"I do." She said quickly.
Fitz chuckled, he know she was just as lost as he was.
"Fitzgerald Thomas Grant the third...That's a mouthful."
The crowd laughed.
The minister had been a long time friend of Fitz and felt no qualms about making jokes at Fitz's expense.
"Do you take Olivia to be your lawful wedded wife, in sickness and in health, for richer or for poorer. Till death do you part-"
"I absolutely do." Fitz said with a smile.
"Come guys, exchange rings so we can see the hardware."
They all chuckled softly.
Gerry handed Fitz his ring for Olivia and Karen handed Olivia her ring for Fitz.
Olivia got Fitz a gold band, similar to her 'sweet baby' ring, she had the words 'something special" engraved in italic characters on the outside. Fitz upgraded Olivia's engagement ring, he had the jewelers switch the diamond to a platinum princess float cut.
They exchanged rings.
"You may now kiss your bride Fitz."
Fitz grabbed her cheeks and kissed her and then lifted her arm up in the air triumphantly.
Everyone cheered.
They stayed in the garden for a while and chatted and took pictures before the ushers led everyone into the grand ballroom for the reception.
Olivia and Fitz sat the their own table in the middle of the room. Everyone else had seats at tables around them. Music played, people danced and ate and laughed together. It was a beautiful reception.
"You look so beautiful."
"You've told me that a million times today." She blushed.
"And I'm going to tell you a million more before the night is over."
She chuckled.
"And you look dashing, my husband"
"Well duh, this is a Tom Ford three-piece. Of course I look great."
She rolled her eyes.
"I have a surprise for you."
"What is it?" She said excitedly.
"Close your eyes, do not peak at all."
"Okay Mr. President."
She closed her eyes and waited.
Fitz cued the wedding planner to bring out the guest. Olivia heard the music stop as the orchestra began playing a familiar song. She was a little nervous as she waited for the surprise.
The chatter in the room died down and all she heard were people being hushed and shushed.
Then she heard the familiar sultry voice come over the microphone.
She opened her eyes not bothering to wait on Fitz to give her the okay.
Will you still love me
When I'm no longer young and beautiful?
Will you still love me
When I got nothing but my aching soul?
I know you will, I know you will
I know that you will
Will you still love me when I'm no longer beautiful?
It was her favorite singer, Lana del Rey on stage singing her favorite song, Young and beautiful.
She squealed loudly.
"Oh my god, you got Lana to come here."
"I sure did."
Olivia wrapped her arms around his neck tightly and kissed him.
"Thank you, this is the best gift you could have ever gotten me."
Fitz chuckled.
"Don't just sit there, let's dance."
She kicked of her heels and followed him to the dance floor. Lana sang quite a few songs as Fitz and Olivia danced. When her performance was finished, Lana walked over to meet Olivia.
"Hi, it's nice to meet you."
"Its nice to meet you too, I'm sorry, I'm just so nervous. I know you get this all the time but I'm a huge fan."
Lana chuckled.
"Thank you."
They chatted for a little while before Lana had to run but she took a few photos with Olivia before she left.
Then they cut the cake and Olivia threw the bouquet which Maya caught and after a little more dancing and some heartfelt toasts, the night was over.
Olivia was now 8 months pregnant. Things had been perfect since the wedding. The only downside was that Fitz was extremely busy with the campaign and couldn't make it home many nights but she didn't make a fuss about it because he tried his hardest to be home as much as possible. Whenever he was at the white house, she would hang out with him in the oval to maximize their time together until the baby came.
She had finished decorating the nursery with the help of Fitz. They wanted a neutral color so they went with cream. Karen added a few pink pieces in the room to brighten it up. They still hadn't decided on a name but at night when Fitz came home, they would shop online for clothes and toys. It was the most fun she had during the day and she found herself anxiously waiting, for him to come home so they could lay on the bed with the laptop and buy cute baby stuff online. She made it known that she didn't want a shower even though she was hoping they would surprise her and throw her one anyways.
It was two weeks before her due day, the doctor told her to be ready to go in labor at anytime even though it probably wouldn't happen until her due date or right after. Fitz tried to go to doctor's visits with her as much as possible and he let it be known to the campaign team that when Olivia went into labor, all events were to be cancelled until further notice.
After Fitz had been on the campaign trail for 3 days he was finally on his way back to the white house. He was supposed to have arrived around 6pm, but she couldn't find him in the oval or anywhere for that matter. She asked Lauren but she was really vague with her answer and Cyrus was nowhere to be found. She decided to go back their bedroom and wait for dinner. Maya had been going out more since she contacted some old lawyer friends of hers and family from England, who were all too eager to meet. Abby and Harrison were barely in D.C. because of the campaign. Karen and Gerry were busy having the summer of their lives and were barely home. She had become quite lonely in the white house whenever Fitz was away. She decided to stop by the nursery before she went to her bedroom. She loved to sit in the rocking chair and talking to her baby. The baby dropped 2 days ago so she was taking a lot of time to mentally prepare for when the baby came. As she walked closer to the nursery she heard voices and easily thought that maybe the maid had been cleaning, which was a little strange seeing as there was nothing to clean. She opened the door and everybody froze.
"Who was suppose to be keeping her busy?" Fitz asked.
Everyone just looked at each other.
"What's going on?" Olivia asked as she stepping into the nursery.
Fitz stood up from the mat, walked over to her and gave her a kiss.
"This was suppose to be our baby naming party but it looks sad as hell if you ask me."
"Hey-" Karen called out.
"A baby naming party?" Olivia asked skeptically.
"Yes, you said you didn't want a baby shower, which, of course we know you do but instead of a shower seeing as though we already have everything we need for the baby, we are going to have a baby naming party, since we still can't decide on a name. It was James' idea."
Olivia smiled.
"So what are you guys doing?"
"Were trying to figure out this name chart." Abby interjected.
She looked around a realized pretty much everyone was there, Karen, Gerry, Abby, Harrison, Huck, Quinn, Cyrus, James and Maya.
"Hey guys, I see wine and first, I'm jealous, secondly if I see any wine stain on this fur throw, I will lose it."
They laughed.
"Amen to that." James agreed.
"Well can I help with anything?"
"Not really were pretty much done, we're just trying to get food from the kitchen." Fitz replied.
"As long as there's food involved I'm excited."
There wasn't much to do, they sat on the fluffy white carpet waiting to start the game.
"Honestly I think this is a bad idea. What if we don't like the name that wins?" Fitz asked.
"Then we vote, democracy wins. Whatever the name is, we all vote and see which names gets the most votes." Abby answered.
"Okay let's start. When I call your name, give me the name you've decided and I'll write it on the chart and on this piece of paper. When we have all the names then Olivia and Fitz will pick one piece of paper each and then we vote on which name we like more. Got it everyone." Abby asked loudly.
They all agreed.
"Okay starting with Karen, what name did you pick?" Abby asked.
"Chloe." Karen said excitedly.
"Of course." Gerry murmured.
"Shut up." Karen fired back.
"Gerry, what did you pick?" Abby asked again.
"Zuri."
"I like that Gerry." Olivia said from across the room.
"Okay James. What do you got?"
"Julliet."
"That's terrible James." Fitz laughed.
"Actually Juliet is very in right now."
Cyrus shook his head.
"Alright Cy, what about you."
"Olivia."
They all laughed.
"Not funny Cy." James scolded.
"Alright, is liked this one for Ella but James said no, Carly."
Fitz nodded, he liked it too.
"Harrison, you're name?"
"I like Emma."
"Alright Huck, you?"
"Uh Sophia?"
"Quinn?"
"I like Ava, it's girly but simple and it's also really pretty."
"We don't need an explanation Quinn, just the name." Abby teased.
"Maya, you are the Grandmother of the baby, what is your choice?"
"Naomi."
"Nice one mom." Olivia called out.
"Uhm Mr. President?" Abby asked.
"Stella."
"Olivia, you're pick?"
"Zoe."
"Okay and my pick is Kenna, Scottish, just in case you guys didn't realize." Abby announced.
She crumpled up all the papers and put then in a bowl and then spun them around a few times.
"Okay, Olivia, Mr. President, pick a piece of paper and accept your fate."
They both reached into the bowl and grabbed a piece of paper.
They both smiled.
"I got Stella." Olivia announced.
"I got Carly."
"Aww man." Karen whined, so did Gerry.
Everyone let out their disappointing grunts over their name not being picked.
"Okay time to vote, show of hands for Stella."
Fitz, Olivia, Karen, Gerry, Maya and James raised their hands.
Abby took note and counted herself as well.
"Looks like it's 6 against 4, so her name will be Stella."
Fitz did a victory dance with Olivia and they all laughed and ate and celebrated until one by one, they all went about their business.
Olivia and Fitz went to their bedroom. She got into the routine of doing stretches every night before bed and tonight was no different, whenever Fitz was home he would help her. He stood squarely in front of her with his hands placed on her hips and helped her bounce from leg to leg. Olivia got tired pretty quickly just from moving back and forth, Fitz suggested she have a bath to relax and she happily agreed.
He filled the tub with water and suds and then helped her undress. He gauged the water to make sure it wasn't too warm and then helped her in then sat on the floor and rested his head lazily on the side of the tub.
"How's our girl doing?" he asked.
"Good, I honestly feel like she's going to come any day now, I don't think I'm going to make it till the due date. She dropped the other day so I'm feeling less pressure in the upper torso and more pressure in my pelvic area."
"That's good though, that means she's ready to come and meet everyone."
Fitz rubbed her stomach lightly and watched the waves ripple through the water.
"I'm a little nervous." she admitted.
"Why?"
"I'm worried you'll be halfway across the country when I go into labor, which would suck because then I won't get to scream at you for getting me pregnant the way they do in the movies." she chuckled.
"I wouldn't miss the birth of our daughter for anything in the world."
Fitz felt Stella kick.
"Ouch." Olivia said loudly.
"Woah that was a pretty strong kick. Does she normally kick that hard?"
Olivia felt a pop in her lower area.
"Fitz I think my water just broke."
