A/N: Hi! Have I told y'all how much I love the reviews? Well if I haven't mentioned it, please know that I do. I read every one and appreciate the time y'all took to talk to me. Some of y'all crack me up. And some of y'all are just too sweet and it makes my day.

This chapter is a little long because it covers a lot.

Olivia sat across from her parents at their dining room table, nervously picking at her food. Her engagement ring rested in the pocket of her yellow sundress. She hadn't said anything about it to them, but it was on the tip of her tongue every time they asked her a question.

"So how is Abby?" her mother, Maya, asked.

Olivia put her fork down. This was the moment to just tell them. She had to just say it. "She's fine."

"Good," Eli replied. "Did she like it here?"

"She never made it."

"What?" Both her parents stared at her like she'd sprouted a second head.

Olivia cleared her throat. "She never made it because I didn't invite her. I went to see someone else in Atlanta."

She stared back at them, waiting to be prompted but they just looked back at her, waiting as well. She looked down at her skirt and smoothed invisible wrinkles. Her hand brushed over the lump of her ring and she saw Fitz's face, smiling at her as he kissed her goodbye on her front porch earlier that day. "I went to see a man. His name is Fitz Grant. We met while I was in Italy."

"A man, Liv? Is he the man you left Edison for?" Maya questioned.

Olivia's eyes widened. "What?"

Maya frowned. "I ran into Trudy at the supermarket and she told me that you broke off your engagement with Edison because you were seeing someone else. I didn't believe her then, but I suppose I have to now."

Olivia mirrored her mother's expression. "I broke off my engagement with Edison because I didn't love him. Fitz had nothing to do with that."

"And you love this new man?" Eli asked.

Olivia nodded. "Yes I do. And he loves me too. He's the most amazing man I've ever met and I—"

The doorbell rang and stopped their conversation. Maya removed her napkin from her lap as she stood. "I wonder who that could be, showing up at dinner time."

She walked to the door and opened it, surprised to find a tall, white man looking at her politely as he clutched a dozen red tulips. "Yes?"

"Hi. I'm Fitz Grant. You must be Livvie's mother," he replied.

Maya's eyes widened at his introduction. Her voice was shaky as she called for her husband. "Eli! Can you come here a moment?"

Eli got up from the table, leaving Olivia alone and wondering what the matter was. He walked to the door and looked at Maya and the stranger curiously. "What's wrong?"

Maya looked at him like she'd seen a ghost. "This is Fitz…Olivia's Fitz."

Eli's face mirrored his wife's as he turned to look at Fitz. "You're Fitz Grant?"

Fitz nodded. Maya began wringing her hands nervously. Eli composed himself as best he could, realizing they were being rude to Fitz. He looked up at the tall young man. "Um, excuse us. We're just a little shocked as we just learned of your existence a few minutes ago and you're…different…from what we expected."

Fitz smirked. "Livvie didn't mention that I was white, did she?"

"I think she was working her way around to it," Maya replied. She and Eli stepped out of the doorway to let Fitz in.

At that exact moment, Olivia appeared in the doorway. "What's going—Fitz?"

He smiled at her, walking over with the tulips. "Hi."

Olivia took them, looking at him curiously. "Hi."

"I know I should've called first but I wanted to get here before…" He caught sight of her bare left hand and frowned. "Can I talk to you in private?"

Olivia glanced at her parents, who were looking at the two of them with confused expressions, then looked back at Fitz. "Come to the kitchen with me."

They went to the kitchen Fitz watched her flit around nervously. "Are you hungry?"

"I could eat," he replied. She nodded and began filling his plate with fried chicken and mashed potatoes. Fitz frowned at her. "Where's your ring?"

Olivia stopped. "In my pocket. I haven't told them yet. I was about to when you showed up."

"Put it back on." She set his plate down and took the ring out of her pocket then slipped it on her finger. She turned to hand him his plate and found him standing much closer than he had been. He smiled at her. "Hi."

She couldn't help smiling back. They'd only been apart a few hours but she'd missed him terribly. The world was entirely too quiet without him nearby. "Hi."

He kissed her lips then took his plate and went to the dining room where her parents had resumed their seats. He wasn't sure which one looked more likely to throw up. He sat down at the only available seat at the small square table and looked at them both congenially. "I feel like you both have me at a disadvantage. You know me but I know is that you're Livvie's parents."

"I'm Maya. And this is Eli." Maya mustered her best smile.

"It's nice to meet you both. Livvie always says the nicest things about you two," Fitz replied.

"Well she said some very nice things about you too, what little she said that is." Eli wasn't smiling but his tone wasn't unfriendly. He just couldn't process what had gone on while Olivia was away. Had she forgotten who they were? They were the Popes: proud members of the NAACP and CORE. As attorneys, he and Maya were on the ground floor of the civil rights movement. And their daughter was cavorting with a white man.

"Well I'm from California. I'm 30 years old. I'm an army captain, first class. I've served in Berlin, Italy, and Paris. I play the saxophone and the guitar. I have two younger sisters. Celie is going to college to be a teacher, and Tess worked in an airplane factory before she got recruited to play in the women's baseball league." His smile grew soft when Olivia joined them at the table. "And I love your daughter too much to understand, have since the moment I saw her."

Maya watched as her normally composed daughter morphed into a moony teenage girl looking at the blue-eyed man. Fitz reached over and took her hand, rubbing the back of her hand with his thumb. "Mr. and Mrs. Pope, I, uh, I would very much like to marry your daughter."

"You can't," Eli replied matter-of-factly. Fitz's speech was certainly moving, and anyone with eyes could see that he and Olivia were in love, but the world wasn't a wish-granting factory. They couldn't have what they wanted just because they loved each other. That wasn't true for anyone—especially not an interracial couple in Jim Crow Georgia.

"Yes sir, I'm aware. Livvie and I would get married in Paris where I'm stationed," Fitz replied, still rubbing Olivia's hand. "Or in California where it's not illegal. To be honest with you sir, I'd marry Olivia in a phone booth if I had to. I just want her to be my wife. She said it doesn't matter, that she'd wear the ring all the same, but it matters to me. She's the love of my life, and she deserves a wedding and all the trimmings. She deserves the dream."

Eli wasn't sure what to say. He hadn't been expecting Fitz's conviction, or the look on Olivia's face. He had never seen his little girl look at Edison that way. The rest of dinner passed in pleasant awkwardness as Maya and Eli tried to wrap their heads around all the changes Olivia had made in her life. After dinner, Maya and Eli went to the living room to process while Olivia washed the dishes.

"I'll help," Fitz volunteered. There was no way he was going to sit in the living room with her parents. He followed her into the kitchen and watched her run water in the sink. She worked frenetically, washing the dishes faster than he could dry them. Fitz finally put his towel down and looked at her. "Livvie…"

"They're not happy. They're not happy for me. They're not going to say anything but they're not happy." She dropped her dish towel. "I don't care."

"Livvie…"

She looked at him fiercely before she began pacing in circles. "I don't care, Fitz. I don't care. I don't care. I don't care."

"Livvie, come here." She shook her head and continued pacing, a deep frown on her face. "Livvie…"

She shook her head again. Fitz sighed. "Olivia."

She stopped and looked at him. He held his arms out and she hurried into his embrace, burying her face in his chest. He could feel sparse warm tears through his white button down shirt. She whimpered, "I don't care."

Fitz clasped her head to him. "I know baby. I know."

He held her that way for a long time, leaning against the sink. Olivia reached up to run her fingers through his hair. "You have to go. I have to talk to them."

He looked down at her. "Are you sure?"

"I'm sure. I'm a big girl. I can do it." She smiled, putting on her strong face for him. She didn't know how the talk with her parents would go but she didn't want him worrying about her.

Fitz kissed her lips, cradling her face in his hands. "I love you."

"I love you too."

His hands dropped to her waist. "I'm going back to the hotel. Call me if you need me. Even if it's three in the morning."

"Okay." They headed into the living room.

Fitz smiled at Maya and Eli, still sitting on the couch. "It was very nice to meet you both."

Eli stood. "It was nice to meet you too, Fitz."

He and Fitz shook hands, and Fitz looked down at Maya with a smile. "It was very nice to meet you ma'am."

Maya gave him a thin smile and accepted his hand shake but didn't say anything. Olivia smirked at her mother as she walked Fitz to the door. He smiled at her. "See you in a while, crocodile."

She gave a wan smile. Fitz pinched her cheek. "Come on, that's funny."

She finally laughed and he kissed her forehead. Olivia kissed his cheek then watched him leave. He went to the bus stop at the corner and checked his watch then turned the corner, headed down a side street, presumably for another bus stop. Olivia closed the door then turned to look at her parents. She sat in an armchair perpendicular to the couch on which they sat, patiently waiting for their barrage of questions.

Eli finally put down his newspaper and looked at her. "Okay. I'll start. What are you thinking, Olivia? Never mind that you've only spent two weeks with him, or that he's white. How do you expect to live with a soldier? They have no money and no skills."

"Fitz is very intelligent. And with the GI Bill, he'll have money after the war. We haven't really worked out what we'll do after the war, just that we'll be together. And honestly, that's enough for me." She ignored her mother's smirk. "The problem with Edison was that he had a plan for everything. And the plans progressed with or without my input. He never cared how I felt about anything as long as I didn't make a fuss. But Fitz wants to be my partner. He wants to build our life with me instead of just jamming me into his."

"But Edison had a plan, Olivia. There was a life to, as you put it, 'jam' you into. This Fitz character just dropped into your life out of the blue and now you've turned your whole world upside down," Maya replied. "He's what? A musician? The last time I checked musicians didn't have unions or insurance or even steady work. You're a nurse. You have a career. And Edison is a teacher. He has a career too. You two can build a steady life together. You and Fitz might have passion but passion doesn't buy houses or diapers or food."

"When the war is over, Fitz will be a veteran. And believe it or not, that means something in this country. He'll have job offers flying in. He—"

"Can't live in America with you as his wife," Eli interrupted. "He'll have the GI Bill and veteran's insurance and housing and all that, and none of it will be yours. And what if you get married and he gets killed over there. You can't legally receive his benefits because you can't legally be Mrs. Grant."

Olivia frowned. "So maybe we don't come back. There's plenty of jobs in Europe. Or anywhere else we want to go. You two are missing the point."

"What's the point, Olivia? Please tell me. I've never considered myself particularly stupid but it seems I am if I've misunderstood this conversation."

Olivia barely managed to not roll her eyes at her mother's sarcasm. "The point is that I love him and we're going to be together. And if that's not okay with you two then so be it."

"I'm not listening to any more of this nonsense." Maya thrust herself off the couch and stalked upstairs. A moment later, they heard the decidedly hostile shutting of her door.

"I'm happy Dad. Why isn't that enough for her?" Olivia had gotten used to nothing being enough for her prim mother but she had hoped just this once that it might be.

Eli frowned. "You know how your mother is. And you're not so changed that you can't see her point of view in all this, Livvie. You've changed your whole life in a few weeks and you just expect us to hop onboard when you don't even have a plan. It's all just a lot."

"I've fallen in love. I'm happy. I would think those are changes that y'all would be excited about."

"You've fallen in love with someone who could very well cost you your life, Olivia. And we are happy that you're happy, but it seems like you just woke up different and turned your whole life upside down."

"Well so what if I did? It's my life, isn't it? I can turn it any way I'd like." Olivia frowned as she stood. "I'm going to bed. Goodnight dad."

"Goodnight Livvie." Eli watched his daughter walk up the stairs and wondered if she was making the best choices. She certainly seemed happier, and much surer of herself than she'd ever been before, but he wondered if it was all pinned on false hopes fed to her by a man who might leave her high and dry. Fitz had seemed sure too, but marriage was rough, and two weeks of romance didn't prepare you for it.

In her bedroom, Olivia undressed and took a long shower, trying to wash the negativity of dinner off. She dried off and went to her suitcase to retrieve the light blue dress shirt she'd taken from Fitz. She put it on then laid out her uniform for work the next day. She turned on the Charlie Parker record and filled the room with jazz. She climbed into bed and lay on her back, staring at the ceiling. She missed Fitz. It hadn't occurred to her how hard sleeping without him would be. She pulled the shirt up to her nose and breathed in his scent. If she closed her eyes tight enough, she could almost imagine he was there.

At some point she drifted off to sleep only to be awakened a short while later by something pelting her window. She sat up and listened. Something else hit the window and she looked at it. She tumbled out of bed, yawning as she turned off the record player in the corner, then went to the window. She looked out at the dark yard and made out a large figure. A sleepy smile spread on her face. She knew that figure. She opened her window and leaned out.

"What are you doing here, crazy man?" she asked.

Fitz smiled up at her. "Couldn't sleep."

"I had just fallen asleep when you showed up."

"I'm sorry." He grinned at her. "No I'm not. I missed you."

"There's a ladder behind the house." She watched as he went to get it and leaned it against the house. He climbed it with ease and in moments was stepping into her bedroom. Olivia smirked at him as he sat on her bed and took off his boots. She climbed into bed, watching as he removed his shirt and pants. "I don't know why you're stripping mister. I'm going to sleep."

"I happen to sleep in my underwear, thank you. But it's nice to know you have such a dirty mind." He lay back on her bed, allowing her to take all the covers. Olivia wrapped herself in her blankets then draped her body over his. Fitz wrapped his arms around her and kissed the crown of her head.

"Now that you've interrupted my sleep, I don't think I'll be able to go back," she murmured against his neck.

Fitz laughed. "Want me to sing you a lullaby?"

Olivia looked up at him with a silly smile and nodded. Fitz wrapped her tighter in his arms, snuggling her warm little body to his. "Stars shining bright above you/ Night breezes seem to whisper I love you/ Birds singin' in a sycamore tree/ Dream a little dream of me/ Say nighty night and kiss me/ Just hold me tight and tell me you'll miss me/ When I'm alone and blue as can be/ Dream a little dream of me/ Stars fading but I linger on dear/ Still craving your kiss/ I'm hoping to linger on til dawn dear/ Just saying this/ Sweet dreams til sunbeams find you/ Sweet dreams that leave all worries behind you/ But in your dreams/ Whatever they be/ Dream a little dream of me."

Outside Olivia's bedroom door, Maya stood listening. She'd been awoken by voices and imagined it was teenagers out well past curfew. Now she knew it was her daughter and the blue-eyed man who looked at Olivia like she'd hung the moon. She listened to him singing to Olivia and wondered if her daughter had stumbled on the real deal. It certainly seemed like it. She listened to Fitz's lullaby then went back to her room and got into bed with Eli.

"What was it?" he asked sleepily.

"Olivia's fiancé. He's singing to her." Maya rolled on her side and looked at her husband. "What are we gonna do?"

"Hope they send us pictures from Paris," he replied.

XXXXX

The next morning, Olivia awoke with the sun. She stretched in Fitz's embrace and he held her tighter to him. She looked up at him and smiled at his sleeping face. His eyelashes seemed much longer splayed on his cheeks and his lips looked much fuller, lending a boyish quality to his face. She reached up to smooth his hair back from his face and smiled when he sleepily kissed her wrist as he blinked awake.

"Hi." He yawned and gave a sleepy smile.

"Hi," she whispered back, grinning at him.

He dropped his voice to a whisper. "Why are we whispering?"

"Because my parents haven't left for work yet."

"How long before they leave?"

Olivia looked at the clock. It was nearly 7:30. "In a little bit."

She could hear them shuffling around downstairs in the kitchen. Fitz rubbed her back. "Is this my shirt? Did you steal my shirt, little woman?"

"Well you have so many that I figured you wouldn't miss one." She smiled at him sweetly.

"You're gonna have to make it up to me. I want breakfast in bed."

Olivia smirked at him. "Do you now?"

"Yes ma'am. I want French toast and sausage."

"And if I refuse?"

"Well I'm gonna take my shirt back." He grinned mischievously. "And then I'm gonna tickle you."

Olivia's smile fell. She was terribly ticklish and despised it. "No."

"Well then I'd suggest you get your apron ready." He might have been incredibly cute at that moment if he didn't look so smug. "And I like my syrup warm."

They drifted back off to sleep, and Olivia woke a little while later. She crept out of bed and went to the kitchen. She tied her mother's lace apron around her waist then set to work making Fitz's breakfast. She was just putting the toast in the skillet when a pair of hands enveloped her waist.

"I didn't think you'd actually make me breakfast." Fitz tucked his chin in the curve where her neck and shoulder met.

Olivia smiled. "I should stop since you're out of bed."

"But then I couldn't help you," he replied.

"You're not helping."

Fitz laughed. "You haven't given me any directions."

"Go get back in bed."

He kissed her cheek. "Can I have grits and eggs too?"

Olivia smirked at him. "Anything else?"

"I want cheese in my grits but not my eggs."

"Go get back in bed before I hurt you, Fitzgerald."

"Yes ma'am." With another kiss on her cheek, Fitz went back to bed, leaving Olivia to finish making his breakfast. He got bored lying in bed and went downstairs to watch television.

"Fitz shut those curtains before the neighbors see you," Olivia called.

Fitz smirked. "Wouldn't they stand a better chance of seeing me shutting the curtains than they would with me sitting on the couch?"

Olivia smirked as she walked past him into the living room, popping the back of his head on her way to close the curtains. "You're awfully sassy this morning."

"And thanks to that pretty diamond on your finger, you'll get a lifetime of this sass." He smacked her bottom as she passed back by him.

She resumed cooking while Fitz watched the morning news. He could see them doing this every morning in the French countryside with babies and dogs running around.

"Go wash your hands, Fitz!" Olivia called from the kitchen.

"Yes ma'am," Fitz replied, smiling as he turned off the television and got off the couch. He washed his hands in the small downstairs bathroom then went to the kitchen. Olivia had set the table with their steaming plates on the table.

"Do you want coffee or juice?" she asked as she removed her apron.

"Juice." Fitz sat at the table and draped a napkin in his lap.

Olivia smiled at him, wrinkling her nose, as she brought the orange juice to the table. "Don't think you're gonna get this treatment every day mister."

"Well no, some days I'll cook for you."

Olivia's smile became a smirk. "And what is it you can cook?"

"I'm surprisingly good at cereal, hot or cold. And I've been told I'm not terrible at scrambled eggs."

Olivia laughed. "You can cook on weekdays when we don't have time for a real spread. I'll do Sunday brunches."

"I can do that." Fitz grinned at her. "I might have to brush up on some things when the babies start coming. Kids like to eat more than juice and crackers."

"Actually they don't. The kids at the hospital want grape juice and cookies all day. Trying to feed them actual food is a daily battle."

Fitz grinned. "Well shit, I'm ready for fatherhood already cause that's about the only meal I can really put together."

"I think you'd better learn a little more if we want six babies. That kind of crowd needs more than juice and crackers."

XXXXX

After walking Olivia to the bus stop for work, Fitz headed back to the hotel to pack. He was set to leave for Paris the next day. He wanted Olivia to come with him more than anything, but he couldn't ask her to just drop everything and leave, especially not when he still needed to get their life together. He needed to find them a house, and a church for their wedding. But there was something even more important he needed to do before he left the states. He showered and dressed then left the hotel and hailed a taxi.

"I need to find a jewelry store. A good jewelry store. The best you've got," he told the cabbie.

"You want nice jewelry, you want Tiffany's," the cabbie replied.

The ride wasn't particularly long. Fitz entered the quiet store and looked around. There was more jewelry than he'd ever dreamed of. He wasn't even sure where to start looking. Before he could get even more confused, a tall slim man in a suit approached him. "May I help you sir?"

"I need wedding rings," Fitz replied.

"You couldn't have come to a better place," the man replied. "Where is your bride?"

"She's at work right now. I'm sort of winging it."

The man smiled knowingly. "Sir…"

"Fitz."

"Fitz," the man replied, "I am a man of many talents. Being a woman is unfortunately not one of them. So here's what we'll do. I'm going to find my friend Laura and she's going to help you."

"I don't understand what's wrong."

"You never pick wedding rings without a woman. Never. They'll kill you." The man wasn't smiling and a part of Fitz believed him, especially when he remembered Olivia's critique of her first engagement ring.

"Okay."

The man led him to an enormous case filled with matching sets of rings. "Why don't you get some ideas—vague ideas—while I get Laura."

Fitz nodded and went to the gold bands. The man left him, walking swiftly to the other side of the store. Fitz's eyes immediately went to a gold band, encrusted with marquis-cut diamonds, that went with a thicker, plain gold band.

"Fitz?" A woman's voice with a thick southern accent, even thicker than Olivia's drawl, called. Fitz looked up and smiled at the woman as she approached him. She was a little taller than Olivia, with a stiff-looking peroxide blonde bouffant, and bejeweled horn-rimmed glasses. Her lipstick was a shockingly bright shade of red and a penciled-in beauty mark adorned her left cheek.

"Yes ma'am," he replied. She joined him on the other side of the jewelry case.

"What do you have your eye on?" she asked. "Michael told me you're shopping for wedding rings without your fiancée. While I don't recommend it, I can work with it."

Fitz smiled and pointed at the gold bands he'd been looking at. "I like those."

She looked down at the rings then back at him. "Not tacky at all. I'm surprised."

Fitz smiled proudly. "Well, I just figured…they're like me and my Livvie, you know. She's delicate and beautiful, and your eyes go straight to her. And then there's just plain old me."

Laura laughed a little. "Well if that isn't the cutest thing in the world, I don't know what is."

She took the rings out and Fitz tried his on. It fit surprisingly well. "Good fit."

"Now what size is you Livvie?"

"Little," he replied. Laura gave a crooked smile.

"Little like me," Laura raised her little hand in front of his face, "or bigger?"

Fitz pressed his hand to Laura's and looked at them, hoping to God he was right in relative measurements. He had teased Olivia about the smallness of her hands more times than he could count. He looked down at Laura's little hand. "Little like yours, definitely."

Laura smiled and slipped on the ring. "It's a little loose but we can fix that easily."

"Good. How long will that take? I've got a plane to catch tomorrow morning."

"We can have it done by dinnertime," Laura assured.

"So 7?" Laura nodded. "How much do I owe you?"

"The set is $1100."

"Ouch," Fitz joked. He pulled out his checkbook and made out the check. He didn't have much money except his share of his parents' insurance money. But he'd spend every scent on Olivia if she wanted it. She deserved it.

Laura looked down at the check in surprise. "You're not going to haggle? Not even a little?"

Fitz shrugged. "I can if you'd like but money's no object when it comes to my Livvie. She had eyes and she chose me, and that's worth every dime I've got to my name."

Laura fanned at imaginary tears. "You're gonna ruin my makeup. Write me another check for $800 and leave before I try to steal you for myself."

Fitz grinned as he rewrote the check then thanked Laura and left.

XXXXX

Olivia sighed at her mother calling her name as she climbed the stairs to her room. She'd just gotten off work and really wasn't in the mood for any more debating about her life choices. Dinner had been plenty. She walked back downstairs and stood in the doorway of the living room, frowning at the backs of her parents' heads. "Yes?"

"You got a package. It's on the kitchen table," Maya replied, not looking away from the television screen.

Olivia walked to the kitchen and picked up the large package, wondering who it was from. For a moment she considered Abby, but the return address was in Decatur. She took the package to her room and sat on her bed. She unwrapped it and frowned at the plain white box. She took the top off and her eyes widened as the bundle of white fabric. She pulled it from the box and gasped. It was her mother's wedding dress. She knew then what she needed to do. Her mother had given her her final push.

XXXXX

*Monday morning*

Fitz frowned as he walked down the street to the barracks. He had gone to Olivia's house at the break of dawn to see her before he caught his flight to Paris, but her father had informed him that Olivia was gone. Fitz unfortunately had had the time to ask when she'd be back so he could at least call her. So he left the states and the love of his life behind without even being able to say, "See you in a while crocodile."

He dejectedly looked around at the soldiers and civilians milling about, wondering what Olivia was doing, and if she knew he was gone, and if she felt as bad as he did about not seeing him. He walked into the barracks and went to his sergeant's office to report his arrival.

"How was Georgia Grant?" his sergeant, Hollis Doyle, asked with a grin. "Pick any peaches?"

Fitz smirked. "Yes sir. This one even picked me back."

"Well good for you son. In a few months, you can go back and have yourself a proper family." Hollis' hand unconsciously went to the picture of his wife and four children. "I'm eager to get back to Texas myself."

"I'm just eager to get wherever she is, sarge." Fitz replied. He saluted Hollis then left, headed for the bunker where all their beds were.

"You guys could've cleaned a little while I was gone," he said to Huck as he passed him in the hallway.

Huck smirked as he clapped Fitz on the back. "My sincerest apologies Your Majesty. We didn't expect you to return to us peasants so soon."

Fitz laughed. "So I see."

"So how's the missus?" he questioned.

Fitz couldn't help grinning goofily. "The soon-to-be Mrs. Grant is wonderful."

Huck whooped. "Hot damn! Congratulations man!"

"Thanks man!"

Huck headed out and Fitz continued on to the bunker, his smile immovable. Even if he hadn't gotten to say goodbye, he would be getting to say hello soon enough. He had another six months on his enlistment and he had no intentions of re-upping. Hitler be damned. There was a beautiful with whom he had an appointment to do everything in the world, and no nazi was going to stand in the way of that. He got to his bunk and dropped his bag then sat on his bed. It was odd, how someplace so devoid of warmth could feel like home if you were there long enough. A woman's laugh made him bolt upright. He knew that laugh anywhere. But surely he was imagining things. He looked in the direction from which it had come and thought his heart would leap out of his chest. There she was, walking casually with Teddy as if she showed it there every day. She smiled as they reached his bunk.

"Hi." He had to be dreaming. She wasn't there. She hadn't just said hello to him like she wasn't giving him the biggest surprise of his life.

"What…How did you…When did you…" He had too many questions to settle on one.

Olivia just smiled. "Well I figured we couldn't do everything in the world if we were on two different sides of it. So here I am."

Fitz laughed. He didn't know what else to say or do. Olivia watched with a smile, reaching out to pinch his cheek when he stopped. "Man do I love you."

Fitz laughed again, this time scooping her up in his arms and covered her face with kisses. "I can't believe you're here. How did you get here, Livvie?"

"Well I took a plane, then a bus, then I walked some. You know for a military base, it was ridiculously easy to get in here. I just sat on your bunk and no one said a word to me. Then Teddy showed up and we haven't stopped talking since."

Fitz remembered Teddy and put Olivia down to look at him. The young man wasn't any heavier, but his hair had grown back some and covered his head in a thin brown fuzz. Teddy grinned. "Olivia's the best man. If I wasn't already in love with Celie, you'd have some stiff competition on your hands."

Fitz laughed as he and Teddy hugged. "How are Tess and Celie?"

"Tess' team is undefeated and Celie and me got to go to a playoff game. She's amazing man! They both are! When my tour's up, I'm heading back to California. Celie says I should go to school. I got potential. She's gonna help me with applications and I'm gonna be a teacher too." Teddy's grin was so wide Fitz thought it might fall off his thin face.

Fitz rubbed his friend's fuzzy head. "Sounds good man. I'm glad you had fun."

"Fun? I had way more than that. Celie took me to the beach for the first time. Ain't no beaches in Wyoming, man. Hell, there's nothing in Wyoming. And we went and saw the fireworks. Celie's incredible. She's the smartest, prettiest, funniest girl on the planet! She's the kind of girl I could marry someday!" He stopped and turned at the sound of another captain calling his name. "I'll see y'all later."

Olivia smiled at Fitz as Teddy walked away. "He's precious. He's been talking about Celie like that for an hour."

Fitz shook his head. "We Grants are just bewitching I guess."

She laughed, leaning her head on his chest. "I can't believe I'm here. I can't believe I just packed up and left everything."

Fitz wrapped his arms around her. "Are you happy to be here?"

She looked up at him with a wide Teddy-like grin. "I am. I can't think of anywhere else I'd rather be."

"I've got a surprise for you. Do you want to see?"

She smirked at him. "It better be good if you're smiling like that."

Fitz sat on the bed and pulled her onto his knee. He went into his bag and fished out the little blue bag and placed it in her lap. "We're not even gonna talk about how embarrassing it was walking around with that bag."

Olivia laughed as she dumped its contents onto her lap. Her eyes widened as she looked at the little blue boxes. "Are these our wedding rings?"

Fitz smiled at her. "Open them and find out."

Olivia opened the small box and gasped at her wedding ring. She looked at Fitz in awe. "Oh Fitz it's beautiful! It's perfect!"

She toppled him backward on the bed, covering his face in kisses. Fitz laughed and lay back, enjoying her affection. He had missed her like he hadn't just seen her the day before. Someone called, "Hey Cap, no hokey pokey in the bunk!"

Olivia laughed as she let Fitz sit up. He smiled at her and kissed her lips. "I can't believe you're here. I'm so glad you're here."

"Me too." She brushed his hair back and smiled at him.

"So what's your plan, lady bird?"

"Well my parents gave me money for an apartment for a couple of months until we find somewhere permanent. And I'm gonna apply at the children's hospital tomorrow. And after that, I don't really know."

"You forgot the part where I march you to the first church I can find and marry you." He nuzzled her cheek with his nose. "You'd best go home and get your beauty rest. You've got a big appointment in the morning."

Olivia laughed. "Can you walk me home?"

Fitz gave an exaggerated sigh. "Just like a wife, already putting me to work."

Olivia laughed as she climbed off his lap. "Well get used to it. Thanks to this ring, you're gonna be taking orders for the rest of your life."

Fitz stood and took her hand, smiling at the top of her head. "We'll see about that."

Olivia smirked as they began walking toward the door. "We sure will."

A/N: Are you smiling? I'm smiling so hard. Next up is the wedding and the wedding night and after that a little *gasp* drama. Don't forget to review?