A/N: So this is the second part of "Southern Grace." I tried my best to be both historically and anatomically accurate but I don't have any experience with either experience I talked about so I'm asking for a little slack. Anyway, Fitz and Olivia have been married for about 3 years. They live a few streets over from her parent's house and so far it's been all marital bliss. I'm not gonna lie, I was going to write some angst because I haven't written any in so long, but I don't have the strength for it anymore. With all the BS going on with S4, I'm just crafting happy Olitz left and right because it's the only way I can cope.
The knocking stirred Olivia from her nap. She rolled out of bed with some difficulty as the second trimester of her pregnancy made her burgeoning belly quite cumbersome for her 5'4 frame. She stepped into her slippers, almost too tight to accommodate her heavier feet, and walked down the hall toward the small cottage's diminutive staircase. It had seemed to her when they moved the house that one floor would have served just fine to accommodate all the rooms, but Eli had insisted that she and Fitz have two floors when he drew up the plans to have the house built on a small lot of property that gave Olivia space for a front and back garden and room for little feet to scamper when they arrived.
She took the small steps one at a time, careful to count and plant her feet firmly as her belly blocked her view of them and their destination. When she reached the bottoms, she let out a sigh of fatigue. It seemed everything wore her out those days. She could barely do the laundry. Celestine had even taken to coming around to do the housework because Olivia could hardly manage. Fitz insisted he could stay home and help her, but she sent him off to work every day like a dutiful wife and minded her own troubles. Now, she frowned at the sound of him plunking away at something in his work shed. She looked out the drawing room window as she passed through. It was dark, probably close to midnight judging by the position of the sliver of the moon. She walked on, wondering what he was up to so late and why he hadn't joined her in bed.
The dry grass crunched under her slippers as she walked the short nearly bare path to the work shed's open door. It had been a miserably hot summer and she was hoping soon-to-come September would bring a little rain and cooler temperatures so she didn't spend her days coated in a permanent sheen of sweat. She reached the shed's open doorway and leaned against the doorframe, grinning at the sight before her. Fitz, shirtless and sweating slightly, was hammering a little headboard onto a tiny basinet. She smiled at the moon and stars carved into the headboard, knowing he had taken care to get them just right.
"Did I wake you?" he asked, surprising her.
She smiled as she walked into the shed, taking a seat in the rocking chair he'd finished for her that morning. "Yes. But it's okay. I missed you today."
He stopped hammering and turned to kneel between her legs, resting his head on her right thigh. "I'm sorry I was so busy baby. Were you lonely?"
"No." She ran her fingers through his curls, scratching his scalp the way he liked. "Celestine was here for a while. She made some clothes for the baby. They're the most precious things. They've got little horses embroidered on the collars."
He smiled and kissed her stomach. "You hear that? You're gonna have horses on your clothes."
She continued scratching his scalp, listening to him sweet talk their baby, her eyes on the little crib. There was something odd about it that she couldn't figure out. "What's wrong with the basinet? Why does it look like that?"
"It's gonna rock, like a cradle, you know cause babies like rocking to sleep. I figure you can just get it going then go to bed so you won't have to sit up all night rocking in the chair. But it won't be on the floor like a cradle so you don't have to bend over to pick the baby up." He moved to give the basinet a gentle push and set it rocking gently.
Olivia smiled at his proud grin. "You're gonna be the best daddy."
He resumed his spot kneeling before her, his head on her stomach. "Only cause of you."
She kissed the crown of his head, breathing in his scent. "Are you ready for bed?"
He looked up at her with a smirk, his chin resting on her stomach. "You cannot still be sleepy, Livvie. You've been asleep since I got home at dinnertime."
She smiled at him. "I said bed, not sleep. Is sleep the only thing we can do in bed now that we're an old married couple?"
Fitz gave her a dark smile. "I can think of some other things we might be able to do."
"Like what?"
He stood, pulling her to her feet. "I suppose you'll have to come to bed and see."
Fitz held onto her as they walked back into the house. They climbed the stairs of their small cottage to their bedroom slowly, Fitz taking care to make sure Olivia didn't miss a step.
"Your muscles are so tense," he commented as he undid the buttons down the back of her dress. He kissed his way down her spine. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"Because I didn't want you worrying about me." All she needed was the feeling of his hands on her to loosen her up. He lay her on the bed gently, like she was porcelain, slipping the dress off and leaving her clad in only her pink cotton panties. Olivia watched with rapt eyes as Fitz removed scratchy wool-blend work pants. It always awed her that a man could be so beautifully made as she watched his muscles flex. He threw his pants on a chair in the corner of the room then turned to look at her. Olivia sat on the corner of the bed, smiling at him as she held onto her much-larger breasts.
"God you're beautiful," he whispered as he walked closer, coming to a stop between her legs. Olivia wrapped her arms around his waist, laying her head on his stomach. Between Celestine coming over to help out and running his carpentry shop, she and Fitz rarely had any alone time. And when they finally were alone, they were asleep. Fitz ran his fingers through her sweet-smelling curls.
"I've missed you," she murmured.
"I know baby. I've missed you too. I'm gonna be here more I promise." He lay her back gently on the bed, his hands traveling over her goose-bumped flesh to the waistband of her panties. Braced on her elbows, Olivia lifted her hips so he could remove them, then watched as he rid himself of his boxers, his erection springing free. He looked down at his wife's naked frame, wondering how it was he was so blessed with such a beautiful creature. At 19, her figure had filled out some over the course of their married years but pregnancy had made her more beautiful to him than ever. He leaned forward, his knees digging into the mattress as he braced on his elbows to keep his weight off her. Olivia pulled his face down onto hers, surprising him with an eager tongue that swirled around his and coaxed a groan from his throat. He took her breasts in his hands, squeezing them gently.
"God I've missed this." She couldn't remember the last time they'd made love. Celestine's constant presence over the past few months had proved an unexpected impediment to what had been daily marital romps before her presence.
"I've been going out of my mind without you Livvie," Fitz murmured against her neck as he planted kisses that made her heart flutter. "You're so beautiful. I think I'm gonna keep you pregnant forever."
Her laugh was light and sweet. "Are we gonna be one of those families with so many babies that we can't keep the names straight?"
"If you're gonna be this beautiful pregnant then yes." He took her left nipple in his mouth and licked around the tight bud, eliciting shivers that made her twine her fingers in his hair. She cried out when he did the same to the left. His fingers travelled to the apex of her thighs and he groaned at the wet warmth waiting for him there. He loved how excited she got for him. When he slipped his fingers inside her, Olivia tumbled over the cliff immediately, surprising them both with her high-pitched cries. Taking advantage of her heightened sensitivity, Fitz pressed his thumb to her bundle of nerves and sent her off on another trip, her body rocking and making the bedframe groan.
"Fitz I can't wait anymore!" Her pleading voice made him want to crawl out of his skin as he removed his fingers and replaced them with what she wanted most. She inhaled sharply, her head fall back and her eyes snapping shut. He had missed this particular feeling more than anything else and it was a Herculean effort not to explode on contact. He let out a strangled groan, gripping the sheets on either side of Olivia's head as she rocked back and forth. He paused when he was fully inside her, giving them both a moment to enjoy the sensation they'd been longing for for months. He set a slow, steady pace that made her moans echo off the walls. Olivia lost track of time and space and by the time her next orgasm rocked her body, she wasn't sure if it had been minutes or hours. It could have been days for all she knew. All she comprehend was the spending feeling of their union. Just as the aftershocks washed over her, she felt the tide welling up again. "Oh…Fitz wait…I can't…not again…too…soon."
"Breathe baby. You can do it. You know you want to." She did want to. The slow merciful grind of his hips in sync with hers had her shaking. She held him for dear life, scoring his bar with crescent nail marks as she splintered into a million piece, leaving her a quivering mess in his arms. He couldn't understand what she was whining in the crook of his neck but her still-spasming channel coaxed an eruption from him that he hadn't been expecting. He kissed her hard, tugging greedily on her bottom lip. He lay atop her for the briefest moment, enjoying her fingers running through his curls before rolling off her. Olivia rolled onto her side, facing him, and gave him the sweetest smile. Her eyes gleamed like new pennies as she leaned over to kiss him once more. He rubbed her arm. "You're cold, Livvie."
"I'm okay." He got up and closed their bedroom window then went to retrieve his flannel work shirt so she could put it on. Olivia smiled at him as he pulled her upright and slipped the shirt on her body, enveloping her in his scent, and buttoned the shirt over her naked body. She smiled when he lifted her up, carrying her to the side of the bed and pulling the covers back so she he could lay her down. He kissed her forehead when she yawned.
"Go to sleep baby," he murmured.
"No. You're gonna leave if I do." She pouted like a little girl.
"I was just gonna finish the basinet so I could be with you all day tomorrow."
"Or you could wait and do it on Thursday when Celestine comes back and we won't be able to be together anyway." He smiled at her then went to get his boxers. Olivia rolled on her side so they could spoon when she felt him climb into bed with him. He placed his chin in the delicate curve where her neck and shoulder met, breathing in her scent. "Would you be disappointed if we had a girl?"
"What?" His eyes snapped open and he leaned up to look down at her.
"Would you be disappointed if we had a girl?" she repeated.
"Baby, you couldn't disappoint me if you tried." He kissed her cheek.
Olivia turned to look at him. "I'm only asking cause my dad's been talking about having a grandson and I was just wondering if you felt the same way."
He smiled down at her. "Livvie, baby, we could have a million babies and never have a boy and I wouldn't mind one bit. I just want babies with you."
She gave him a soft smile. "Do you mean it? I would hate to disappoint you if that's the only thing you want."
He palmed her belly. "Well that's not really something you can fix."
She kissed his stubbly jaw. "Have I told you lately that I love you so much?"
"How much?"
"To the moon and back. And some days even that's not far enough." He smiled at her, leaning down to kiss her lips.
"Well I love you twice as much."
XXXXX
*3 months later*
"It's a boy! I got my boy!" Olivia laughed at the sound of Fitz whooping as he ran up the street to the walkway. She could only imagine what the neighbors were thinking as she listened to the sound of Eli running out to greet his son-in-law, both of them screaming about the latest addition to the family.
She smiled down at her son, his wispy honey-colored curls crowning his head. "You hear that? That's your daddy and your papa acting like absolute fools."
Olivia had gone into labor shortly after Fitz left for work, trapped in her bed until Celestine arrived. She breathed a sigh of relief at the sound of the old woman's footsteps on the stairs then yelled that she was in labor. Celestine had immediately jumped into action, moving like someone half her age as she boiled water and found towels and sent for the doctor. Ten hours later, Fitzgerald Elijah Thomas Grant joined the world with a mighty shout.
It was only then that Celestine remembered she needed to alert Fitz and Olivia's parents. She sent a child from the neighboring house to tell Fitz and another to tell Maya and Eli, who all hurried to the cottage to see what was what.
"Let me see my grandbaby," Maya cooed as she hurried into the room. Olivia slicked her sweaty hair back from her face and held the bundle out to her mother. Maya walked to the side of the bed and peered at the little boy nestled in a white blanket. He peered up at her with Olivia's big brown eyes, his little tan fist reaching from under the blanket and grasping at the air.
"I'll be damned, girl. You and Fitz made the most beautiful baby I've ever seen," Maya said as she took the little boy in her arms. She breathed in his perfect baby scent, cooing that she was his grandma.
"Isn't he the handsomest thing?" Celestine cooed. She would never openly admit to liking Fitz but there was no denying that he and Olivia had created the most beautiful baby the Pope family had seen in a long time, not that there were many around. "Now Livvie was fine-looking but he's a doll."
"Um, thanks for calling me an ugly baby, Celestine," Olivia replied, looking at her mother. She looked toward the window and Celestine was immediately on her feet. She looked down with a smirk at the sight of Fitz and Eli handing out cigars to the men who'd gathered to congratulate Fitz.
"Fitzgerald, get up here and see your boy!" she called. Fitz immediately jumped to action, handing off his cigar and running into the house. Olivia laughed at the sound of his boots clacking on the stairs. He stopped in the bedroom doorway to catch his breath. Olivia smiled at him as he smiled at her.
"Took you long enough," she teased.
"I'm sorry baby." He was immediately at her side, planting a kiss on her temple. "I meant to be here when it happened I just didn't think it would be today. I'm so sorry, Livvie."
She caressed his face. "It's okay, Fitz. It happened right after you left. Lord knows I couldn't get up to get you."
"I'm just so sorry, Livvie," he insisted, sitting next to her.
"It's okay. You'll be here for the next one." He smiled at her then leaned over and kissed her lips.
"Starting on the next one already?" Maya asked, making her presence known. Fitz looked up and his mouth fell open slightly at the sight of the bundle in his mother-in-law's arms. He couldn't believe his eyes as he peered down at his boy.
"God he looks just like me," he whispered as he ran his fingers over the newborn's downy soft curls. The infant opened his eyes. "And you. He's beautiful Livvie." He planted a kiss on his baby boy's forehead before looking back at his wife. "What did you name him?"
"Fitzgerald Elijah Thomas Grant," Olivia answered. She was on the verge of tears looking at him look at their baby. She'd never loved two people so much in her whole life.
"That's a big name for such a little fellow," he cooed at the little boy looking up at him with intelligent brown eyes. "You're gonna live up to it, aren't you?"
A gentle knock announced Eli's entrance. Fitz held the little boy up. "Look. That's your papa."
"Can I hold him?" Eli hadn't exactly been overjoyed about Olivia's pregnancy, only warming to the idea when Maya reminded him that the child was his grandchild. He was positively delighted at the idea of being a grandfather, even if he and Fitz were still only civil. It wasn't that Eli disliked Fitz. It was just that Eli would never Olivia as any older than 6, running around the house in her ballet outfit, asking him a million questions.
"Of course." Fitz walked over and gently handed off his son to his father-in-law.
"Hey there little man. I'm your papa. You hear that? I'm your papa." Eli bounced the little boy gently, cooing at him. Fitz rejoined Olivia on the bed, kissing her all over her face.
"I can't believe you had my baby," he whispered against her lips.
She smiled at him. "Well I did. All by myself I might add."
"You are so brave." He kissed her temple. "And beautiful. And perfect. And everything in the world."
"What's his name?" Eli asked, drawing the parents out of their bliss.
"Fitzgerald Elijah Thomas Grant," Olivia answered.
"That's a big name baby boy," Eli cooed at his grandson.
"Fitz said the same thing Daddy," Olivia replied with a smile.
He smiled lopsidedly at his son-in-law as he walked over to the bed and kissed his daughter's forehead. "I can't believe my baby had a baby."
Little Fitz began whimpering and fussing, kicking his little feet beneath the blanket. Olivia smiled as she reached for her baby boy. "He must be hungry."
"Well I suppose we ought to get going. We'll try to get back tomorrow," Eli said, smiling at his daughter. "Get some rest. You're gonna need it."
Maya walked over and kissed her daughter. "I'm so proud of you, Livvie. You have a beautiful baby."
"Thank you Mama." Olivia sniffed, holding back her tears.
"I'll go put on some dinner," Celestine announced as she gathered the towels. After exchanging hugs and kisses, Maya and Eli left and Celestine went downstairs, leaving the new parents alone.
Olivia pulled down the left strap of her nightgown, smiling down at her baby boy as she lifted his little face to her breast. He latched on immediately. Olivia grimaced. Fitz looked concerned. "Does it hurt?"
"No. It just feels a little weird." She stroked her baby's head, looking at him in awe. "I can't believe I had a baby. I can't believe we made a baby."
"Well we did, Livvie. And he's pretty damn cute if I do say so myself." He smiled at her, leaning over to kiss the crown of her head. "What should we call him?"
"What do you mean?"
"Well his first two names are taken, Livvie. I guess we could call him Little Fitz but that's a mouthful."
She smiled at her baby boy as she switched breasts. "I guess we could call him Tommy. He looks like a Tommy, doesn't he?"
Fitz smiled at his son, reaching out to touch the infant's golden ringlets. The little boy opened his wide eyes and peered at his father. "How 'bout it little man? Does Tommy work for you?"
The little boy released his mother's nipple and gave his first toothless grin. Fitz grinned. "Hot damn we got a smile! Tommy it is."
Olivia laughed at her husband. "I'm gonna have hell on my hands with the two of you running around, aren't I?
Fitz smiled as he wrapped his arms around her thin shoulders. "Every day. Isn't it great?"
"The best," she replied.
A/N: I'm positive there's gonna be a part 3 because now I want to build a family for them. Don't forget to leave your thoughts! XOXO