A/N: Yay another update when I should've been doing my actual work. Welp, that's life. This story is all fluff pretty much so nothing too dramatic happens here. Either way, I hope you enjoy. Next update is in the distance because I really need to do the work I should be doing.
Thanks for reading.
-M
Dressed in a navy suit with his dishwater blond hair, minus the one unruly curl that refuses to fall in line, slicked back, Fitz grins at his reflection in the mirror. He brushes off imaginary dirt from his shoulder and winks at his reflection. He looks damn good. Damn good and ready. Tonight is his first date with Olivia and he has everything planned to a T; flowers, food, music, and more. First, though, is dropping his daughter off at her Eighth Grade Farewell dance.
Originally, Mellie had been scheduled to drop Karen off with Fitz providing moral support and a yay or nay on Karen's makeup, but she'd called last minute to let Fitz know work wouldn't allow her to get away. That's become a running theme with Mellie when it comes to their kids; any time something big seems to be on the horizon, she throws herself into her work.
"Dad! Karen's having a meltdown!" The muffled and cracking voice of Jerry Grant sounds from the other side of the bathroom door.
Fitz sighs, taking one last look at his reflection. Come on Grant, you can do this, he assures himself, pushing away from the sink. He exits the bathroom to find Jerry, his spitting image with ice blue eyes, leaned against his sister's bedroom door.
"What do you mean she's having a meltdown?"
"I mean she's gone full on spaz attack in there. She came out screaming about hating her dress and it not fitting right and said she didn't have boobs, blah blah blah." Jerry shrugs. "She said she isn't going now."
Fitz works a warm palm over his face, massaging his temples. He takes a deep breath and flashbacks briefly to his own adolescents, and his older sister's million meltdowns when it came to clothes, shoes, and makeups. Oh boy, he's in over his head and he doesn't need Jerry's unimpressed gaze to tell him so. It takes a minute, but he gathers his courage and trots over to Karen's door. He raises his fist to knock and his eyes glimpse the gold watched wrapped around his wrist. Shit. He has about forty minutes to talk Karen out of her bedroom, into the family car, to her dance, and then get to Olivia's.
"Kare…" he calls out, knocking.
"Go away, dad!" Karen responds.
"Karen, baby, what's wrong. Jer, said you don't want to go to the dance. I know that's not true, you've been looking forward to this for a while now, baby. We bought you that beautiful dress and those ridi-"
"I look stupid in these shoes, I look flat chested in this dress, and I'm not going!"
Fitz's face scrunches up at his daughter's choice of worries and he fights the urge to tell her that while his knowledge of the female anatomy is elementary, he's pretty sure she should be flat chested on thirteen. "Karen, come on now. I know you don't feel that way. Come on out, Kare Bear or let me in and we'll get you ready."
"No! I look like Shrek!"
Jerry snickers from his spot on the wall and Fitz narrows his eyes.
"Karen...come on, you know I have a date tonight and Jerry's going to his friend's. We can't do this. Now get dressed and lets go!"
"No!"
"Karen!" He huffs, fist hitting the door. "I'm coming in so you better be decent!" He tugs at the door expecting to find it locked, but instead it gives.
The bedroom is a contrast of girl child and young woman. The walls are a bright bubble gum pink and there's stuffed animals on almost every available surface. Posters of young pop stars Fitz couldn't name in a million years are tacked to the wall and a pile of clothes in the middle of the floor. On the bed in the corner of the room, Fitz sees his daughter curled into a ball. The sky blue, halter aline dress with a light tulle skirt he'd argued with Mellie over sits abandoned at the corner of the bed; Karen's still in her pajamas. The ire Fitz feels dissipates as he moves towards the bed. He picks up the delicate dress, the satin material soft against his fingers and sits down in its place.
"Kare Bear…"
"Go away, daddy. I'm not going. Jerry can go to his stupid friend's house and you can go on your stupid date and you both can leave me here!" she snaps.
It takes everything in Fitz not to let the growl buried deep in the back of his throat loose. He reminds himself that she's a frustrated young girl - his daughter - who's hurting right now. "Why don't you want to go, Kare."
Karen doesn't answer and Fitz takes a deep breath.
"She doesn't want to go because she looks like Shrek, you didn't hear her earlier dad? I kinda agree too." Jerry teases from the door.
Fitz turns to tell his son to shove it when a pillow flies at the door courtesy of Karen. Fitz finally gets a full look at his daughter and while she's the spitting image of her mother, minus the dirty blonde hair she sports, her makeup skills leave a lot to be desired. Smudged eyeshadow, liner, and whatever else women people on their faces blue together on her lips, cheeks, and forehead. She looks like she's played in her makeup, not tried to do it.
"Karen, what did you do to your face?"
"A full on Shrek," Jerry bites.
Another pillow flies in his direction, but Fitz catches it in time. "Jerry go call Mike's mom before I change my mind about you leaving tonight!"
Jerry does as he's told, laughing along the way. Once he's gone, Fitz turns his attention back to Karen.
"What happened with…" he waves his hand in the direction of Karen's face and for the first time notices the blue eyeshadow travelling up the side of her face.
"Mom was supposed to help me," Karen says. She frowns, looking down at the bedspread. "And since you won't let me wear makeup, I don't know what to do. I tried watching videos and nothing's helped."
Fitz nods. "Let me see a video and I'll try, how about that?" he suggest and the look on Karen's face tells him she'd rather die than let him experiment with her makeup on her.
"No offense, daddy, but if you wanted to read me the Constitution, then yeah, but makeup...you're wearing a red tie with a green shirt underneath a navy suit."
Fitz looks down at his getup and frowns. "No, this is navy, too. It's the monochrome look I read about in GQ. Idris Elba dresses like this."
Karen rolls her eyes. "No, dad, it's dark green. You're colorblind, remember?"
He narrows his eyes and holds up his shirt. It really looks blue! Well, he is actually colorblind.
"Go put on a white shirt dad."
Fitz lets out a hot breath and checks his watch; twenty-nine minutes until he's set to meet Olivia.
Olivia.
A light bulb goes off in his head and he grins at Karen. "How about I go change my shirt to a white shirt, you put your dress back in its bag, grab your makeup and we go get you ready?"
"What?"
"I have someone who can help us," he tells Karen, digging his phone out of his back pocket. "And don't worry, it's a woman so she'll know what to do."
Karen eyes her father with a raised brow.
"I promise," Fitz assures her as he hops to his heels, thumb already running across his phone screen.
/
"My dad was going to actually try this himself," Karen says as Olivia runs a blush brush along her left cheek.
The young girl's words cause a laugh to fall from Olivia's lips. She shakes her head at the thought of her former professor following the latest MUA tutorial to set the internet ablaze.
"Your dad can barely write on a chalkboard. I would've paid to see that." Olivia jokes as she turns away from Karen. Next to her stands a diligent Frankie, a tube of mascara in her tiny hand.
"Ooooh, she looks pretty mommy," Frankie comments, "can Aunt Abby do my makeup later?"
"No, baby. Your skin is too delicate for heavy stuff like this, but if you're good, Aunt Abby can paint your nails." Olivia trades the blush brush for the tube of mascara and looks up at Abby who has a curling iron in one hand and a fistful of Karen's hair in the other. Together they're helping Karen Grant get ready for her dance. Admittedly, she'd been hesitant when Fitz had first called, the panic high in his tone as he begged her to help him help his daughter, but nearly an hour later, Karen Grant was almost set and ready to go.
"When mommy leaves, Poppy, you can do my makeup," Abby says, earning a scowl from Olivia.
"What? You said she couldn't wear makeup. And she won't. Now let me have fun with my niece."
Karen laughs from her chair. "Thanks so much, Miss Abby, Miss Olivia. When my dad said he knew someone I thought he was going to drag me to my aunt's. I love my aunt, but she's a bit...old fashioned and she would've done things her way. My mom probably would've too now that I think about it."
Olivia simply nods, though a thousand questions swirl in her mind at the mention of Fitz's ex-wife. She feels like she's at a disadvantage here. He knows about Jake in detail and he's barely talked about … Melanie? Melody? Millicent? Whatever her name is, Olivia feels a pang of inadequacy when she thinks of what she knows of the woman. A name partner of a big firm, a mother, and according to Fitz, a budding politician. How did she, a law student and summer associate, stack up?
"No need to thank me," Abby says as she lets a few loose curls slip through her fingers.
"Yeah, it's honestly no issue at all, Karen. Just a few more touches and you're good to go." Olivia waves to Frankie, motioning for her to grab the tube of red lipstick sitting on the edge of the dresser. Frankie moves as fast as her little feet will carry her and with one flick of the wrist and pin of curls later, Karen Grant is ready to go.
"Stay here and let me go ready your dad." Olivia says.
"You look like Cinderella." Olivia hears Frankie say as she shuts her bedroom door behind her.
She finds Fitz sitting at the kitchen table she and Frankie do their homework on. He leafs through an old People Magazine and the sight of him makes Olivia's flutter. He's so handsome in his navy suit and white button up sans a tie. He looks like he's just walked off the cover of GQ.
"Hi," she says, tucking a loose curl behind her ear.
"Hi," Fitz answers, looking up from the magazine and climbing to his feet. "You look great."
Olivia's cheeks swell and her face flushes. She's dressed in a form fitting a-line white mini dress Abby swears is identical to Cher's in Clueless that sits just above her knees, giving her the appearance of long legs. Her feet are tucked into three-inch, black ankle strap sandals and her hair bounces in tight, perfectly coiffed curls. She'd been hesitant to wear her hair natural on their first date, but had decided to go for it after hearing Frankie tell Abby that she wanted straight hair because straight hair was prettier. Minus a bit of highlighter, eyeliner, and mascara, Olivia's face is bare of most makeup. A delicate gold chain with two hearts on it sits around her neck.
"You do, too," she says, unable to stop the slightly goofy smile that spreads across her face. "Karen's ready if you are."
"I, I am. And I'm so thankful to you and Abby for doing this. Her mom was supposed to, but things happened at work and Karen held a meltdown about boobs and I was in over my head."
Olivia laughs, thinking about the padded bra of hers Karen is currently wearing. The young girl had been right about the top of her dress not fitting well and confessed to forgetting her push-up bra at her mother's house (while also being too afraid to ask her father to go get it).
"It's no problem, honestly. You've done more than enough for me, I'm glad I get to repay you."
"I told you, you don't ever have to repay me," Fitz says. He tucks his hands into his trouser pockets and Olivia bites her bottom lip, stifling a damn.
She turns away from him and back towards her bedroom door. "Karen, you ready?" she calls. Instead of a verbal answer, her bedroom door opens.
Flanked by Frankie on her left and Abby on her right, Karen exits the bedroom. Her dirty blonde hair is in loose waves that are pinned to the side by a silver. She wears a subtle blue eyeshadow that fades into two perfect brows. Her eyes are perfectly lined, her lashes extended well beyond their natural length, and her lips pop with a subtle red lipstick. The halter fits nice and snug, thanks to Olivia, and the skirt is nice and full.
"How do I look daddy?" Karen asks Fitz.
A large grin beams on Fitz's face. "Like I'm gonna have to carry a gun tonight."
"Daddy!" Karen chides.
"Mr. Fitz!" Frankie yells, running towards Fitz at full speed. She slams into his leg and Olivia's heart melts as he lifts her up onto his hip. "I helped. I held the brushes and the mascara!"
"You did?" Fitz asks.
Olivia's smile only widens at the interaction and she catches Abby watching the interaction with a hand on her hip and smirk on her lips.
"I did! You did great, Frankie. She looks amazing."
"Does mommy?" Frankie asks, looking back at Olivia. Once again, Olivia's cheeks swell with embarrassment. "She's letting her hair be natural. Like mine."
"I like it natural. Like yours. Now...we really should get going. We're…" he jostles Frankie against his hip as he finds his free hand and glances down at his watch. "fifteen minutes late so it'll be about thirty when we get there and...Olivia and I will have to find a different restaurant to eat at."
"I can make us pop tarts!" Frankie offers and the room erupts in laughter.
"Why don't you get down Poppy and let mom, Mr. Fitz, and Karen get going?" Abby suggests, motioning for Frankie to get down.
Frankie frowns as she wiggles free from Fitz's hold and hits the floor.
"Baby, will you go grab mommy's jacket from the bed?" Olivia asks her daughter. Begrudgingly the seven year old does.
"Hey, Liv, Karen and I are going to wait for you in the car. Okay?"
Olivia nods as 1/3rd of the Grant family disappears, the door falling shut with a soft thud behind them. Seconds later Frankie reappears, Olivia's black blazer in hand.
"Be good for Aunt Abbie, Francesca," Olivia warns as she bends down to kiss her daughter. The young girl yawns and nods, the night's events have clearly tuckered her out. "I love you."
"I love you, too, mommy."
"Abby, you-"
"Olivia, I've watched her more than once; hell, I was there when you had her. I know the deal. Now go," the redhead seizes her friend's wrist and drags her in the direction of the door. She lowers her voice and leans down so only Olivia can hear her. "And if you need to take some extra time out tonight, run a little late than midnight, I completely understand."
Olivia pulls a face in confusion.
"Don't play stupid with me, Pope. Go get you some d-i-c-k."
Olivia's mouth falls open and she casts a glance back at Frankie to see if the little girl is paying attention, when she realizes she isn't, she smacks Abby on the arm. "Abby!"
"What? You forget, I know the last time you were laid. There are cobwebs down there and that's not sanitary! Plus, now that he isn't being an a-s-s. Jump on it." Abby teases, throwing an imaginary lasso over her head.
"I'm done with you." Olivia pulls away from her friend and walks over to the kitchen table to grab her purse. "Frankie, I love you."
Frankie doesn't answer, she's completely engrossed with something on the TV.
"All I'm saying, Liv, is that that dress with those shoes says f-u-c-k me."
Olivia doesn't respond, she exits her apartment in a huff, slamming the door shut behind her.