It was shortly after dawn on Thanksgiving morning, Fitz had woken to see Olivia's side of the bed empty once again. He smiles to himself as he rises and begins to search for a hoodie. He quickly makes his way to the kitchen, silently preparing a hot green tea for Livvie and a black coffee for himself. Sure enough the window in "Liv's room" was open. Outside the window, on the roof of the apartment sits Liv, simply gorgeous. Her hair in a messy bun, wearing leggings and one of his old high school hoodies. A few months ago, Olivia discovered she could climb onto the roof of the apartment building through the window in what was once Jake's room. The thing about Liv is she truly enjoys the little things; a good book, a cozy blanket, swinging in a hammock. Her favorites though are sunsets and sunrises. She says it is peaceful and calming. She always says it centers her, reminds her of the beauty in the world. No matter how bad a day was the sunset always brings her joy. So here she was bundled in warm clothes, on a cold November morning, head on her knees watching the sunrise.
"Morning Beautiful." Fitz says quietly, not wanting to startle her.
Olivia turns to see the man of her dreams settle in beside her, with a steaming cup of green tea waiting for her to take.
"Good Morning Handsome." She smells her tea, letting out a content exhale. "Thank you, this is perfect." She leans over softly planting a kiss on his lips before cuddling into his side. The couple takes in the sunrise, like they have many times before. Sometimes Olivia watches alone, when Fitz is still sleeping but many times he notices her absence even in his sleep and joins her soon after.
After a few moments of comfortable silence, Olivia turns to take in Fitz's handsome face. Occasionally, she will catch herself just taking in everything that is Fitzgerald Grant. His mess of curls, those brilliant blue eyes, and the kindest smile on the planet.
"I'm so thankful for you Fitz. I know it's cliche and corny because it's Thanksgiving and everything but I really am. I love you." She kisses the tip of his nose causing a giant smile to take over his sleepy face.
"Livvie, I'm the one thankful for you. From the day we met, Baby." He pulls her in tight to him as they continue to enjoy the peaceful scene before them.
Later in the morning, Olivia and Fitz are going about their now normal routine. They've showered, together naturally because it saves the planet, right? At least that is was Fitz always says.
Their parents had decided to do holidays together this year, Thanksgiving Jerry would host and Christmas would be at Maya and Dominic's home. The families truly had continue to grow closer as time passed. The last month had continued the new pattern of homework, work and trying to fit in family time. The semester would be coming to an end in just two weeks. Olivia couldn't wait. Next semester would be student teaching and downhill to graduation in May. Fitz would still have classes, as well as his new found internship but they were both excited for the new challenges.
Olivia smiles as Fitz walks into the bathroom to brush his teeth. She was finishing curling her hair, putting the last touches to her look for the day. She couldn't help but laugh when she notices that they are coordinating, unintentionally. She was wearing skinny jeans with a maroon v-neck sweater while he wore jeans and a plaid white, navy and maroon button up.
"Are we this couple?" She teases.
"What couple?" Fitz responds confused by her statement.
"The matchy-matchy couple. Look." she nods her head to their outfits.
"Whatever, we look good." He says.
They arrived at Jerry's house at nine, they had agreed to help prepare for lunch, which would end up turning into dinner as well. Jerry hugged both Fitz and Olivia tightly, overjoyed at the chance to rebuild his family and start new traditions. Jerry had started the turkey earlier that morning, so the trio began to divide and conquer sides. Luckily, the Grant home had double ovens which would come in handy.
Jerry wanted everything you could imagine for this special Thanksgiving. So here they were, three people who rarely cooked, stumbling their way through preparing a Thanksgiving meal that could feed an army. They laughed at their inept skills but that made it all the more special. As the hours passed, they were pleased to see how successful the meal was coming together, thank you Pinterest.
Olivia was putting the final touches on the pecan pie before putting it in the oven, when she suddenly felt Fitz wrap his arms around her from behind. She instantly tenses, turning to see what Jerry could see. Fitz buries his head into her neck, softly kissing her exposed skin, "he's not in here, Livvie."
Her body relaxes at his words, as she leans back into his embrace. His hand naturally spread across her body, left hand on her breast while the right drifts further south. Her hand stretches into his hair, she can never resist his curls. With a soft tug she pulls his head in closer, turning her own to take his lips. Within seconds she is turned in his arms and lifted to the counter, Fitz moving into the space between her knees. As always, things get a little carried away but it doesn't last long. Things turn to sweet pecks and Eskimo kisses until both hear a throat being cleared.
"I seriously can't leave you two alone for a second." Jerry teases.
They shyly turn to see that he is not alone. Behind Jerry stands a short blonde woman who appeared to be in her late forties, early fifties, nervously wringing her hands together.
"Kids, I want you to meet Laura. Laura, these are my kids Fitz and Olivia." Jerry leads introductions.
"It's nice to meet you both, Jerry has told me a lot about you." She smiles politely as Jerry takes her hand in his.
Fitz is stunned, is this Jerry's girlfriend? Olivia sees Fitz's eyes are locked on their joined hands, so she takes the lead, "It's so nice to meet you as well! We can't wait to get to know you."
Olivia nudges Fitz with her shoulder, bringing him back to the moment. He raises his hand to shake her free one, "I'm so glad you could join us today." He adds sincerely. Jerry hasn't looked his happy in a long time. Fitz just can't help but wonder why his father has not mentioned his girlfriend.
"Fitz why don't you help me get drinks for everyone?" Jerry asks, wanting a moment alone with his son. Once in the kitchen Jerry decides to put everything on the table.
"So what do you think?"
"She seems nice, but I literally just met her Dad, why am I just now learning about her? You could have told me."
"I just wanted some time to figure things out before including anyone else in this."
"Well, lets get some drinks and get back in there, then." Fitz pats his father's shoulder and carries on as if nothing had happened.
Once they rejoin the ladies, the conversation flows easily. Fitz and Olivia are both fans of Laura. A little after noon Olivia's parents arrive, shocking both Olivia and Fitz when they both embrace and say hello to Laura like old friends.
"Okay, do you all know each other?" Liv asks watching the display in front of them.
"Well who do you think introduced these two lovebirds?" Maya teases. "Laura and I went to college together! We ran into each other a few years back and reconnected. Then I played a little Cupid" she adds proudly.
Fitz could not remember a time he saw his dad so happy, he wore a genuine smile nonstop. Throughout the day together the group played games and enjoyed the endless food. For the first time in as long as either could remember they were truly experiencing a family holiday. Everyone was also happy that Laura fit in so seamlessly. Jerry hadn't needed to say it but it was obvious this relationship was serious.
More than once Fitz and Olivia both caught themselves taking in the moment. The teasing while playing games, the laughter when telling stories and the genuine love felt was something neither wanted to end. After years of feeling alone, they finally had what they'd dreamed of, real family.
Laura and Maya insisted on doing dishes. As the men and Olivia relaxed in the living room, Jerry took the opportunity to ask their opinions on Laura.
"So, what do you two think?" He nervously questioned.
"She's great Jerry! I'm so happy for you" Olivia replies.
"Yeah Dad, you did good. Don't mess this up" Fitz chuckles.
Jerry simply smiled at their responses.
After a full day of family time, Fitz and Olivia returned home. As they make their way through their apartment, Fitz pulls Olivia into his arms and begins to slowly sway. In the quiet, dark living room the couples dances with no music.
"Today was perfect." Fitz whispers, not wanting to ruin the moment.
"It really was."
"This is the only way our kids will remember holidays. They will always be surrounded by love." Fitz states in a faraway tone.
Olivia swears her heart could explode. He talks about marrying her a lot but the talk of kids is rare. Not that she thinks he doesn't want them but she knows he is focused on marriage first. Sometimes she daydreams about what their kids would look like. Curly brown hair is a given but she wonders which of her features their children will inherit or if they will have miniFitzes running around.
"That sounds wonderful" she softly responds against his lips. She slowly ran her fingers into his hair, pulling him close. Fitz dipped his head, taking her lips with his. There was nothing rushed about this moment. It was slow yet full of emotion. The type of kiss that said forever.
They continued to sway, kissing one another, losing track of time. Simply carried away in the moment of love and happiness. Both silently thanking God for the gift of the other.
That night they made love in a way they never had before. The emotions were heightened and everything was more intense than ever. Every kiss was a promise. Every touch was in worship of the other. As if they hadn't already, they completely have themselves to each other that night in more ways than they knew.
As Olivia laid in his arms that night, she couldn't help but laugh at herself. The word Imzadi was all she could use to describe what she had with Fitz. Never in her life did she think she could feel this loved.
AN: okay so here is my nerd self showing. Imzadi is a term from Star Trek that means the first to touch your soul or spirit. It takes soulmate to another level. In the end, no matter what happens, Imzadi will always be the same person. I hope you enjoyed. I'm sorry it's taken so long to get a new chapter out!