A/N: So this is more domestic!Olitz. I just adore them.
My stories will be updated. I'm just arranging things.
Fitz frowned at the alarm blaring at 8 am on Saturday morning. He rolled out of bed and yawned as he stumbled to the bathroom, thankfully finding his glasses on the countertop beside the sink, having been searching for them the previous night. The soft thuds of small feet hitting the floor reminded him to shut the door before he used the bathroom. He had just flushed the toilet when there was a small knock at the door.
"Yeah?" he called over the sound of the faucet.
"I gotta use the potty, Daddy," four-year-old Zora Warsan announced.
"Give me a minute, Zo."
"And Alice is crying."
"Why is she crying?" Fitz asked as he opened the door. He could hear one-year-old Alice Audre's cries through the wall.
Zora shrugged cutely and Fitz could only smile at his and Olivia's firstborn, clad in her Princess and the Frog nightgown, her dark curls wild around her face. Fitz noticed her crossed legs and quickly stepped aside, watching as she scurried past him and pulled down her Frozen underwear then climbed onto the toilet.
"You going number two?" he asked. Zora grimaced as she nodded and Fitz felt a pang of guilt, having given his lactose intolerant daughter a grilled cheese to persuade her back to bed at 2 in the morning. "Okay. Try to make it quick. We've still gotta get baths and breakfast before ballet."
Zora's ballet class started at10 and Fitz suspected he'd be less successful than his wife at getting two girls ready and out the door. Olivia was gone on a consulting job with Abby and Quinn for the week, and he could hear Teddy pulling his luggage down the stairs. He was getting ready to spend a week with Mellie and Karen in Virginia. Alice's cries increased in volume and he quickly made his way to her room.
Thirteen-month-old Alice stood up in her crib, her olive face red from crying, and her dirty blonde hair as messy as her sister's. She wore a light green onesie with a red badminton birdie on the front. Olivia had bought the baby every design from Hallmark's new collection of minimal but staggeringly expensive onesies, and while Fitz didn't understand the appeal, he had to admit that his youngest was unquestionably adorable in them.
"What's the matter with my sunshine?" he cooed as he picked her up.
"Mama…" she whimpered, looking up at him with Olivia's dark brown eyes. He wiped the tear streaks off her chubby cheeks, marveling at the softness of her baby skin, then kissed her forehead.
"Mama will be back, I promise," he replied, bouncing her gently and noting the weight of her diaper. He carried her to the changing table and unsnapped her onesie, singing softly to quiet her whimpers. "The very thought of you makes my heart sing/ Like an April breeze on the wings of spring/ And you appear in all your splendor/ My one and only love…"
Zora entered the room and Fitz looked down at her. "Did you flush?"
Zora nodded.
"Did you wipe?"
Again, she nodded.
"Did you wash your hands?"
She nodded a third time, accepting Alice's soiled diaper to throw into the diaper genie. Fitz had been surprised to learn that the things were still in production, remembering their introduction to the market shortly after Karen's birth. It often gave him pause that he had kids who were decades apart. Gerry was 20 and off in the navy, following in his father's footsteps. Karen was 18 and getting ready to start at Smith, having forgone her dual legacy at Harvard. Teddy was 7 and getting ready to go to third grade.
Zora was 4 and already reading, and beginning to write. She reminded him more of Olivia than Alice. Though she had his blue eyes and pale coloring, she unquestioningly had Olivia's unyielding personality. Alice had softly curling hair, bleached blonde by the sun, but Olivia's dark eyes and buttery brown skin. She was of a gentler spirit than her sister but had traces of her mother's feistiness. And a firm believer in a name's effect on a personality, Fitz often told his wife that she hadn't done them any favors naming their daughters after her favorite female writers, wanting them to be "daughters of revolutions, big and small."
"Can we have toaster waffles for breakfast?" Teddy asked, standing in the doorway, as Fitz put a new diaper on Alice.
"Sure bud." Fitz picked the baby up and settled her on his hip as he left the room. He smiled as Teddy took Zora's hand as they descended the stairs. They entered the kitchen and Fitz set Alice in her high-chair then helped Zora into a chair at the island. Fitz set the iPad before them and Teddy quickly turned on Doc McStuffins. Fitz put the waffles in the toaster then set plates before his children. He set a bowl of apples and cinnamon oatmeal before Alice, smiling as she picked up her spoon to feed herself. When the waffles came up, he put them on Zora and Teddy's plates then put syrup on them. He cut up their waffles then handed them forks.
"Teddy did you pack everything?"
"Mama Liv packed it for me before she left," Teddy replied, picking up a hunk of waffle with his fork.
"Where you going Teddy?" Zora asked, turning to look at her brother.
"To Virginia to visit my mom and Karen," Teddy answered.
"I like Karen," Zora replied then went back to eating.
The iPad's Skype ringtone sounded and Teddy exclaimed, "It's Mama Liv!"
He hit the answer button and Olivia's smiling face appeared on the screen. "Hi babies!"
"Hi Mama!" Zora exclaimed. "Daddy fed me cheese last night and I pooped a lot this morning!"
Fitz smiled as he rounded the counter. "Hi Livvie. In my defense, she asked for the cheese. I didn't expect the poop."
Olivia laughed. "We'll just call it a lesson learned."
"And I carried my suitcase down the stairs all by myself," Teddy announced.
"Good job. Did you remember to get your mom's birthday present?"
"Oh no!" Teddy hopped off his chair and ran out of the kitchen.
"Did you pack Zora's ballet bag?"
Fitz smiled weakly. "I found the bag."
"Okay so you need a pair of shoes and a sweater. Let her pick them. It's easier that way. And some snacks. Goldfish and juice boxes should work. Don't ask what she wants. Make sure Zo goes to the potty before you get the leotard on. And you'll wanna take the iPad with you so Alice can watch cartoons or she'll throw a fit. You should probably put Harry Elephanté in her bag in case she gets sleepy."
Fitz nodded as he took Alice's empty bowl and showed it to the camera. "Look who finished their oatmeal all by herself."
He turned the iPad so Olivia could see Alice, smiling when she laughed at the baby's dirty face and onesie. "Put that in cold water so it won't stain."
Fitz nodded and took the onesie off, taking it to the sink to soak it.
"How many more sleeps until you come home Mama?" Zora asked.
"Just one, Zo. Have you been good for Daddy?"
Zora nodded. "We read Peppa Pig before bed, and we went to the McWayne Center after school yesterday. They had tropical fish!"
"Sounds like you've been having fun with Daddy, huh?"
Zora nodded again. "And we went to Applebee's for dinner. We all got sundaes!"
"You went out to dinner? Well hot dog it's been a big week!"
"We went to Cyrus's house for dinner on Thursday," Teddy added as he climbed back into his seat. "And me and Ella used her telescope to look at stars."
"Sounds like you guys decided to have all the fun without me."
"Daddy said when you come back we're gonna go to hibachi restaurant," Teddy replied. "And we painted pictures for you!"
"Ooh I can't wait to see them!"
They talked until the children finished their waffles. Fitz was loading the dishwasher when the doorbell rang. Tom stood on the other side. "Is Teddy ready sir?"
"Yeah he's upstairs changing his clothes." Fitz stepped back to let the agent inside. Zora ran to the door and grinned at Tom.
"Hi Tom! I got ballet today!" she announced, already dressed in her leotard.
Tom smiled at the little girl then looked at Fitz. "Sir, the tights go under the leotard."
Fitz looked at his daughter. "That makes sense. Can you hang out here and watch Alice while I go fix her?"
"Absolutely," Tom replied as he walked fully into the living room. He walked over to the kitchen doorway where Alice had been corralled in a bouncing swing attached to the doorframe. He squatted beside her. "Hi Alice."
"Hi!" she replied with a toothy grin. She began bouncing in the swing, squeaking each time she hit the hardwood floor. Tom frowned and stood to examine the swing's attachment to the door, making sure it was secure.
"It's her shoes," Teddy said as he descended the stairs, dressed in jeans and a blue sweater. "They have squeakers in them so we always know where she is."
"Shoes!" Alice exclaimed, lifting her foot to show Tom.
"Those are very nice." He smiled as he smoothed the baby's wild curls then turned to Teddy.
"Where's your mom?"
"She went with Quinn and Abby to Washington D.C. Do you know where that is?"
Tom nodded. "We all used to live there."
"They went to meet with Senator Sanders. He's running for president. He gave us t-shirts that say Feel the Bern. Daddy said it's a pun but I don't know what those are."
"They're jokes grown-ups make," Tom answered. Alice toddled forward in her swing and grabbed his tie, laughing as the swing pulled her back and Tom with her. Tom smiled as he pulled free. "That's very funny."
Alice reached for him again. "Want out!"
Tom lifted her from the swing and held her unsurely. He smiled at Teddy. "Did you know I knew you when you were this little?"
"You did?"
Tom nodded. "You used to run around the White House like a little devil, always playing hide and seek."
"I like hide and seek," Teddy replied with a smile as Fitz entered the room with a correctly dressed Zora.
"What time is it, Tom? I can't find my phone."
Tom looked at his watch. "It's 9:15."
"You left your phone in the kitchen," Teddy added, standing still as he allowed Zora to unbutton and rebutton his sweater, a recently learned skill.
Fitz nodded then went to retrieve it. When he came back into the living room, Tom was picking up Teddy's suitcase. "We're ready if you are, sir."
Fitz looked at Teddy. "You ready, bud?"
Teddy nodded then walked over to his father who knelt to be eye to eye with him. Fitz pulled him into a hug. "You gonna be okay down there for a whole week?"
Teddy nodded as he let go then straightened the collar of Fitz's white dress shirt. "Are you gonna be okay while I'm gone?"
Fitz laughed as he nodded. "I think we'll hold it together alright."
After hugging his sisters, Teddy left with Tom, promising to call when he landed in Virginia. Fitz picked up Zora's dance bag, a tiny pink tote embroidered with her monogram and a pair of little pink slippers identical to the ones on her feet, and Alice's diaper bag, a black and white polka dotted tote that he noted went much better with his wife's clothes than his own. Realizing his arms were full, he looked down at Alice who looked up at him with equal confusion.
"You need Mama's snugglie," Zora suggested.
Fitz smiled. "I forgot we had one of those!"
He went to Alice's room and retrieved it, along with Harry Elephanté, then went back to the living room. Zora stood before the coffee table, holding a family picture. "That's Gerry. He's our biggest brother. He's on a boat on the ocean. That's water. And Karen's at college. That's school for grownups. And that's me and Teddy. And that's you. You were really little, and bald. And you cried a lot."
Fitz smiled as he snapped their picture to send to Olivia. Alice pointed at the picture with a frown. "Want Mama."
Zora put the picture down and picked up her sister, a struggle that she managed valiantly. She kissed Alice's forehead. "It's okay, Allie. We only got one more sleep until Mama comes back. Okay?"
"Kay," Alice replied, laying her head on her sister's shoulder. Fitz took another picture.
"Marry me/ Marry me/ Today and every day/ Marry me/ If I ever get the nerve to say hello in this café/ Say you will," Zora sang softly, rocking gently.
Fitz realized she was emulating Olivia. "Did Mama teach you that song, Zo?"
Zora nodded, allowing her father to take Alice and put her in the black snugglie. "She plays it in the car all the time. She said it was your wedding song but I don't 'member."
Fitz smiled as he took her hand. "That's because you weren't there."
"Where was I?"
"In heaven."
"Was Allie there?"
"No. She was in heaven too."
"I don't 'member that either."
"That's because you were being made. You were in the factory part of heaven where God makes babies." Fitz got the distinct feeling he was digging himself into a hole.
"Then how do they get down here?"
"Mommies and daddies pray really hard and God sends them a baby through the mommy's tummy." He hoped this satisfied her curiosity as they left the house and headed for Fitz's black Range Rover. He put the girls in their car seats and fastened them in, passing Harry Elephanté to Alice as she nodded off. Zora pulled a book from the passenger seat's pocket and opened it as Fitz got in the driver's seat.
He smiled as Zora began reading, carefully pronouncing the words and spelling the ones she couldn't so Fitz could pronounce them for her. They made it to Zora's class with a few minutes to spare and Fitz frowned as he looked around at the other little girls' perfect buns. "Zo why didn't you tell me you need a bun?"
Zora shrugged. "I don't know."
He dug through her bag and gave a relieved sigh when he found a pack of hair ties. He hastily pulled his daughter's springy curls into a puff at the crown but the hair tie snapped. He frowned when the same thing happened with a second one. Alice laughed as she kicked her feet together, making her shoes squeak.
"She needs two buns. She's got too much hair for one," a mother volunteered as she sat in the chair beside Fitz's.
He nodded gratefully then attempted to split Zora's hair into two buns but failed miserably. "How does your mommy do this?"
"She braids it," Zora replied.
Fitz frowned, remembering the previous night's bath when Zora had untwisted her French-braided hair. "If you knew that, why'd you take it down?"
Zora shrugged. "I was tired of the braids. I missed my fro."
The woman laughed and looked at Zora. "Come here and let me try."
Fitz watched as she quickly twisted Zora's hair into two French braids and secured them with hair ties. "There we go."
"Thank you," Zora said then skipped away to join the other little girls doing stretches.
"Thank you," Fitz chorused.
"No problem. You look like you've had a rough time."
"Why do you say that?"
"You've got a juice stain on your pants that haven't noticed yet. Your baby's clothes have two different critter patterns. And Zora's doing the pee pee dance meaning she didn't go before she got dressed." She gave a shrug. "You're a classic new mom."
Fitz laughed, watching as Zora sprinted to the bathroom, already pulling her leotard off. "I've been holding it together for six days. I have no shame in admitting the wheels have fallen off."
The woman shrugged. "They always do. Better now than Monday morning with the bus on the way."
"I just wanna go back to being Dad. I doctor the booboos. I give baths. I make breakfast. I never have to answer their questions."
The woman laughed. "Motherhood isn't easy. If it was, fathers would do it."
"I have a totally new appreciation for it. I knew Liv worked harder than me, but this is ridiculous. They're taking over my life."
"They do that," the woman replied. She pointed to a little girl with a perfect red bun. "Sam plays baseball, and has started a garage band that is going to gray my hair within the month. Travis plays hockey, and the saxophone, and he's in the physics club. Sadie's got soccer on Mondays and Wednesdays, piano on Thursdays, plus this. And she told me this morning she wants to learn to paint."
"Well I've thankfully got two out of the house who thankfully only call for money. Teddy is 7. He's got lacrosse on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and violin on Wednesdays. Zo is only in dance right now but once she starts school, Liv wants to put her in piano lessons and maybe swimming. I don't understand why she hates free time. She hasn't really made plans for Alice yet."
"Haven't you seen them with free time?" The woman raised her eyebrows at Fitz.
"Oh. Okay that makes sense." He had recently experienced their free time on Monday. It had taken them less than two hours to destroy the house on a kool-aid sugar rush then all fell asleep on the couch.
xXx
Later that night
"So how was it?" Olivia asked over the phone.
Fitz smiled at Zora asleep on his and Olivia's bed, strangely up on her knees. Alice was in his arms, drifting off to sleep. "Teddy made it to Virginia. We got through dance class and had frozen yogurt after. We had Chick-fil-A for dinner and stayed in the play place for a little while. We read Goodnight Moon after baths and now everybody is asleep."
"So how was your week as a single dad?"
"Exhausting. I thought single dads got pity sex but no one offered. Zo got her hair rebraided at dance class, but that was all the grace given. And I got Juicy Juice on my favorite jeans. Plus, my bed has been full of little people every night. I don't even get to pee in peace. I'm fully ready to go back to being Super Dad, because I am failing miserably at Mr. Mom."
"Well Mrs. Doubtfire, I'll be home by naptime tomorrow."
"And I will be waiting with open arms. I think I'm gonna do that thing you do when you sit in the tub for an hour to decompress."
"So it's harder being Mr. Mom than Mr. Mayor?"
"Exponentially. The people I'm in charge of at the office are mostly fully functional adults. They use the bathroom independently and I never have to tell them to put their clothes back on. And usually I get to pee alone, and eat without sharing, and sleep past 5 am."
"And you've got a wife who manages everything, and looks damn good doing it."
"That I do. I miss you so much, Livvie. I haven't been kissed in seven whole days."
"I should hope not." Olivia laughed.
"So what's your week been like?"
"Pandemonium. This campaign is huge but there's literally no machinery behind it. He's totally grassroots. Thousands of twenty-something kids have turned him into a phenomenon. He's even got this whole tumblr thing going on. I don't know what it is, but he's huge."
"Bigger than me?"
"Bigger in a totally different way. You had the whole family angle going. He's got this millennial cult following that's absolutely unbelievable."
"You think he could do it?"
"He might. It's totally uphill but he's ready to scrap for it. I believe in him."
Fitz smiled. "Sounds like you're sweet on him to me, Mrs. Grant."
"He is surprisingly cute, but I've quite the man waiting for me at home."
Fitz laughed. "Yeah you do."
A/N: Don't forget to review! XOXOXOXO