A/N: Regarding the citizenship of the baby, I know that it would be American regardless to where it's born. Olivia and Fitz don't. I needed them unaware for the sake of the argument. They will find out if they ever decide to move back to the states. Also, there was a typo in the last chapter. Olivia is 10 weeks pregnant, not 8.

*two months later*

Olivia gasped as she awoke, bolting upright in bed and waking Fitz. "What's wrong Livvie?"

"I had the worst dream."

Fitz sat up and wrapped his arms around her. "What was it about?"

"The baby came out with two heads and every time I got one to stop crying, the other would start." She could still see the scrunched red faces of her two-headed dream baby, alternating earth-shattering wailing. She looked down at her small paunch fearfully.

Fitz pulled her hair back from her temples, one of his favorite places to kiss, and pressed his lips to the left one. "Livvie, our baby won't be born with two heads."

"But what if it won't stop crying?" She turned to look at his sleepy face in the semi-darkness of the room.

"Well there's two of us and one of it, so the odds that we'll win the battle of wills are pretty good." He lay back on the bed and Olivia did the same, curling her body into the curve of his. She lay her head on his chest and breathed in his scent. Fitz rubbed soothing circles on her back until her breathing evened out.

The next morning, he awoke at dawn and got in the shower. Olivia frowned as she was unceremoniously awakened by the sound of the water and Fitz's singing. She rolled out of bed, intent on finding something to bludgeon him with as she schlepped to the bathroom. She threw the door open then wrenched back the shower curtain, startling Fitz mid-song.

"Shut up," she hissed.

"You're awfully crabby this morning," Fitz replied with a smirk.

Olivia thrust her finger out, pointing at the dark window. "The sun isn't up so it isn't morning yet. Hence my insistence on you shutting up."

"Why don't you go back to bed?" Fitz could tell it was going to be a hormonal day from her irritation. He had learned the signs of a bad day over the past two months.

"I'm trying. Shut up." She turned and headed back to bed, still scowling. She crawled back into bed and cocooned herself in the blankets, closing her eyes and hoping to settle into sleep again. She was just dozing off when Fitz rejoined her.

He wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her back to spoon her. "Tell me you're sorry."

"I'm sorry for snapping. I'm not sorry for making you be quiet," she replied with a yawn. "Why are you up so early anyway? You're off."

"Habit." He crawled under the covers with her.

"Well some people in this bed have to drag their tired asses into work in a little while, so I think that's quite enough of your habits." She yawned and snuggled against him.

Fitz kissed her forehead. "Rock-a-bye Livvie/ In the treetop—"

"Shut up, Fitzgerald," Olivia murmured sleepily.

XXXXX

Olivia smiled at Fitz as he stepped off the hospital elevator. He hurried to her side and took hold of the laundry cart she was pushing. "I can do that for you."

"I can do it myself," she replied, taking the cart back.

"Livvie let me do it." He frowned at her. "I wish you didn't work so hard."

Olivia smirked. "It's a laundry cart full of gowns. They're not particularly heavy."

"I know." They turned a corner, headed for the laundry chute at the end of the hall. "I've just been thinking a lot about all the stuff you do."

"And?" She glanced at him, not liking where the conversation was going.

"Well, maybe you could cut back your days. Maybe you could only work two or three instead of five." Fitz had been dreading the conversation since Olivia's hormones had become unpredictable but after catching sight of her swollen ankles that morning, he hadn't been able to put it off any longer.

"I don't mind. And it's not like I work five in a row. I always have an off day in the middle."

"I know. But you're gonna be big soon and you won't be able to do so much. Plus you get off work and cook and you're on your feet even more. I just don't think it's healthy for you or the baby."

Olivia frowned as she began stuffing the gowns down the chute. "I think we're okay."

"But you're tired."

"I'm pregnant. If I laid around all day, I'd still be tired. It's normal." She didn't look up as she continued stuffing clothes down the chute. "Plus, we're going to need a house when the baby comes so we need the money."

Fitz frowned. "So you don't think I can afford the house on my own?"

Olivia finally looked up at him, hearing the edge in his voice. "One, I didn't say you could or couldn't afford anything. Two, I don't want you to buy the house on your own. I want an equal part. I was under the impression that we're partners. And three, did you just snap at me?"

Fitz sighed. He hadn't come to fight. He wanted to take her to lunch so that she'd take an actual break from work instead of just having a sandwich in the common area while the children pestered her. She said she didn't mind it, and he was sure that she didn't, but the nonstop interaction left her nerves frayed at the end of the shift and she often arrived home too irritable to do anything except make him a quick dinner then soak in the bathtub. "Livvie… Let's not do this. Let's just go to lunch."

Olivia sighed too. "I'm sorry. I just don't like when you talk that way."

"It's okay." He smiled, reaching out to smooth her hair. Olivia put the last of the laundry in the chute then stepped closer to Fitz, leaning her forehead against his chest. Fitz wrapped his arms around her, leaning down to kiss the crown of her head. "We're gonna be okay baby. You know that, don't you?"

"I know. I just want to make sure that it's a joint effort." She wrapped her arms around him. "Edison used to always lord his money over me. He made me feel like he was in charge because he made more than me and it always made me feel small."

Fitz rubbed her back. "I don't ever want you to feel like that. I promise all our decisions will be mutual."

XXXXX

"We can't eat in here," Olivia announced as the waiter brought her bowl of soup to the table.

"Why not?" Fitz looked up from his sandwich.

Olivia shook her head. "It smells like fish in here. I can't stand it."

Fitz sniffed. "I don't smell anything."

"How do you not smell that?" She shook her head again, feeling clammy. "Doesn't matter. We have to leave."

"Okay. Why don't you wait outside and I'll get the food boxed up." Olivia nodded, standing and quickly heading out of the small restaurant. A few minutes later, Fitz joined her with their lunch in small boxes. "Where to, lady bird?"

"There's a little park a few streets over."

They walked to the park and sat on the grass. Olivia kicked off her work shoes and considered her swollen ankles for a moment. She looked up at Fitz as a breeze blew through the trees. It would be autumn soon, and winter by the time the baby came. "We should get a house near a park. It'll be nice for the baby."

"I was thinking we could live out in the country. Somewhere maybe near a lake where I could teach you and the kids to fish and all that. There'll be room for barbecues and bike-riding. All that open air and space. Doesn't that sound nice?"

"It does. I want our baby to grow up with plenty of space." She looked up at him shyly. "Will you come hold me? I'm chilly."

Fitz moved to hold her and kissed the back of her head. He wrapped his arms around her, palming the pouch of baby fat like a melon. Olivia turned to kiss the curve of his jaw. "I'm not chilly. I just wanted you to hold me."

Fitz kissed her cheek and rubbed her belly. "I think it's a boy."

"I think you just want a boy," Olivia replied. "My mother says boys always sit low, on your bladder. This one doesn't seem to be doing that though."

Fitz smiled. "I'd love a girl too."

"I think we should name him Henry," Olivia suggested.

"I think we should name her Julia," Fitz replied.

Olivia looked up at him with a silly grin. "Is that the name of your first love?"

Fitz chuckled. "My mother. Julia Celeste was her name."

Olivia's smile softened at the look on his face. "I like Julia."

Fitz nuzzled her cheek. "I like you."

"I suppose you should since you married me and knocked me up."

"In my defense, I knocked you up first. I kinda had to marry you."

Olivia gently elbowed his stomach as she laughed. "Don't you be sassy with me, Fitzgerald."

XXXXX

*one day later*

Olivia smiled at the paunchy postman as he walked into the apartment building. "Bonjour Madame Grant."

"Hello, Mr. DuBois." He smiled at her as he dug through his bag for their mail. "Bring any good news?"

He took out a stack of envelopes and looked over his little round spectacles at the first one with a smile. "Ah, California. Land of the movie stars."

Olivia laughed at his heavily accented English. "California? It must be from Fitz's sisters."

He handed over their mail with a grin. Olivia thanked him and he turned for the stairs. "Have a nice day, Madame Grant."

"Goodbye, Mr. DuBois." Olivia went back up the stairs, stopping to say hello to the half-death old man who lived in the apartment below hers. The old man didn't speak any English, and seemed to think Olivia was his wife though the woman was long dead. Olivia didn't mind. She would pour his tea and bring him his newspaper and kiss his wrinkled forehead.

"Do you want me to shut this window?" she half-shouted, pointing at the window. The man, Mr. James, looked at the window then nodded, the newspaper open on his lap to the crossword puzzle. He never filled it in but Olivia would always find him poring over it. He was about her size and the green armchair in which he always sat dwarfed him. His feet barely touched the ground. Olivia shut the window, closing out the autumn chill, then walked over and wrapped an afghan around his thin shoulders. "Do you want your tea?"

She pointed to his cup, sitting on top of a book on the table beside the chair, and he looked over in it then at her. He nodded again, taking out the used bag and dropping it into the garbage can on the other side of the chair. Olivia took the cup and filled it with water from the perpetually heating kettle. She put in a tea bag and two lumps of sugar then took it back. He smiled as she set it down. "Laura, ma belle."

"James, ma douce," Olivia replied with a smile. She ran her fingers through his white hair then turned on the radio. She pointed to the door. "I'm going to go, James!"

He nodded, blew her a kiss, then went back to the paper. Olivia left the apartment, leaving the door cracked. She headed for the stairs and almost collided with Mr. James's daughter, Cherie. "Hello Cherie."

Cherie smiled. She, unlike her father, spoke English. "Hello Olivia. How is he?"

"Still chipper as ever. He's reading the paper." She was about to walk away but stopped. "Oh! I've got some papers for you in my apartment."

"Papers for me?" Cherie looked confused.

"They're some papers your father gave me this morning when I took him the paper. Poetry I can't read. I speak French better than I read it, you see. I think they were from him to your mother."

"Oh. I can't imagine why he gave those to you. He's going, you know." Olivia knew. They went upstairs to Olivia's apartment and she retrieved the bundle of yellowed poems from her nightstand then brought them to Cherie. Cherie took a seat at the kitchen table and untied the bundle. Olivia put the kettle on.

She unfolded a page and read it aloud in English. "'I am tracing the knobs of your spine like a map of my favorite continent. You are all the places I haven't visited yet and I mark each one off with teeth.'"

"That's beautiful," Olivia commented as the kettle began to scream. She went and took it off the fire.

"It is." Cherie examined the thick bundle. "Do you suppose these are all poems?"

"The ones I've looked at are, at least from what I can translate. They're not very long. Only a line or two." Olivia poured tea for both of them then sat opposite her. "I don't mean to pry, but was your mother colored?"

Cherie frowned. "No. Why do you ask?"

"Your father has been calling me Laura since I met him and I just thought…"

"My mother's name was Hilda. She was German." Cherie tilted her head. "Laura? We don't know any Laura except… The dancer who lived upstairs. In your apartment when I was a little girl. Her name was Laura, and she was from New York. She…"

Olivia tilted her head, waiting for Cherie to finish her thought. Cherie looked over Olivia's face. "I never even realized how much you look like her. What does he say? I know your French is minimal, but anything you could tell me…"

"He always calls me 'Ma belle.' 'Laura, ma belle.' He just repeats it. And yesterday…" Olivia wasn't quite sure how to tell Cherie the story as it had occurred to her that she might be exposing some buried secret. "Yesterday, when I got home with my husband, we stopped in to check on him, and he was up and about, dancing around the living room. I didn't know he could move that way. When he saw me, he lit up, and we danced the Varsouviana. He kept saying 'Laura, ma belle, mon seul amour.' I don't know what it means, but he kept repeating it. It was like he was somewhere else."

"It means 'my only love.'" Cherie picked up another paper and unfolded it. "'My hands are nomads, my dear desert. May they never find rest.' I never even knew Dad was so poetic. He isn't much of a talker you know. I suppose love does odd things to people."

"Maybe he wrote to her because he couldn't say those things."

"He and mom always seemed more like roommates than anything else. They never even kissed, but I never thought… Dad and the dancer upstairs." She opened another poem. "'And just like that everything ceased and began anew in the light of me, poised so sweetly against the whole of you.' Do you suppose he gave these to her?"

"They've been handled quite a bit, like they were read a lot."

"When she died, he…" She looked up like she had suddenly remembered something. "He left us, mom and me. He went to New York to tell her family personally. He said it was because she didn't have anyone. I suppose she had him."

Olivia couldn't read Cherie's expression. "Laura… I can't believe it…"

"Cherie I didn't mean to—"

Cherie shook her head, finally smiling. "It's not you. I'm just shocked."

She finished her tea, looking through the poems in silence, occasionally reading one aloud. When her tea was gone, she stood and picked up her purse. "I should go. He's probably hungry and wondering where I am."

"Of course," Olivia replied, standing as well. She put their cups in the sink then followed Olivia to the door.

Cherie reached for the door handle then turned back and handed Olivia the bundle of poems. "Keep them, for him."

"Thank you." Cherie left and Olivia started dinner. She turned on the radio, setting the bundle of papers on the kitchen table. A little while later, just as her spaghetti noodles softened, Olivia heard the front door open.

"Daddy's home!" Fitz called.

Olivia smirked and called back, "There aren't any children here."

Fitz's arms snaked around her waist and he pulled her back against him, holding her belly. "Well, there's one baby here. There's also someone here who can be convinced to call me daddy when properly motivated."

Olivia laughed as she turned off the pasta. She turned around in Fitz's embrace and smiled at him. "Hi."

"Hi," he replied, running his hand through her curls. Olivia stood on her toes, wrapping her arms around his neck, and smiled against Fitz's lips as he kissed her. "How was your day?"

"I went grocery shopping."

He grinned. "Ooh grocery day! What'd you get?"

"Pasta, vegetables, chicken, some steaks, those little oranges you like," she smiled, "and boysenberries."

"Ooh boysenberries." He grinned.

"Maybe I'll make pie. If a certain husband of mine can be sweet and get the living room floor mopped."

"I suppose I could." He nuzzled her cheek.

"Good boy. Now go get washed up for dinner."

Fitz kissed her again then went to the bathroom. Olivia put their spaghetti on plates then put them on the table. She went to the bedroom and brushed her hair, frowning at her full face. She turned to the side and examined her belly's invisible bulge under her apron. She sighed again and turned forward. She pulled her hair up into a French twist and secured it, still frowning. Fitz came into the room, humming and smiling. He wrapped his arms around Olivia and kissed her temple. "What's got you frowning, lady bird?"

"I'm fat," she huffed.

"You're pregnant," Fitz reminded in a gentle voice.

"But I'm so big so soon." She was 18 weeks along and her bump was barely noticeable until she took off her clothes.

"No you're not. Looking at you, I can't tell you're pregnant."

"You called me beefy on our wedding night." She frowned at him.

"Well of course I noticed your weight gain. I'm your husband. It's my job to notice everything about you. You don't look any different than you did the day I met you." Fitz kissed her temple again. "And even if you were enormous, you'd still be gorgeous to me."

"You mean it?"

"I'll tell you what, if you ever get fat, I'll get twice as fat so you can still feel skinny."

Olivia smiled, wrapping her arms around him and laying her head on his chest. "You're such a good husband."

"Yeah I am." He began humming "Moon River" and swaying her around the bedroom.

Olivia laughed as she lay her head on his shoulder. "Mr. James is in love with me."

"I'd hate to beat up an old man for trying to steal my girl," Fitz replied with a chuckle.

"He thinks I'm his lover from years ago and he gave me a bundle of the most beautiful poems."

"I should have suspected something. He's always speaking French to you, pitching woo right under my nose."

Olivia laughed. "Frenchmen are just crafty like that, I guess."

At the dinner table, Olivia looked through the mail. She got to the letter from Fitz's sisters and held it out to him. "It's from Celie and Tess."

Fitz looked up at her, still chewing, his hands and mouth red with pasta sauce.. "Can you read it?"

"Yeah." She smirked at him. "Honey, you need a bib."

She opened the envelope and unfolded the paper.

Dear Fitz and Olivia,

We're so happy to hear about your wedding! The pictures are beautiful. We never imagined Fitz would have such a gorgeous bride. We hope the honeymoon was divine. And we hope to make it to Paris one of these days, especially since there's going to be a new little Grant running around in a few months.

Sadly, we're not writing on happy terms. Uncle Fred died Sunday. The doctor says it was a myocardial something or other. He went quickly is the gist of it. The funeral is on Saturday. We hope you can make it. It would mean a lot to Aunt Iris but we understand if you can't. We would love for you to bring Olivia. I (Tess) would like to meet the woman who's signed up for a lifetime of you.

Write us back soon to tell us if you're coming. We miss you, Fish. Love,

Tess and Celie

Olivia looked up at Fitz. "I'm so sorry about your uncle."

Fitz shook his head. "It's alright. We were never real close. He insisted on taking us when my folks died, and I fought him tooth and nail about it. I was 26 but I wasn't mature enough to take care of them. They were only 18 and 14, then I got the call to ship out. There was nothing I could do. We didn't speak for a long time after that. I only just started talking to him again when I had to ship out. We made peace. I'm fine."

Olivia could tell he wasn't. She got up and moved to sit in his lap. "I think I'll hold you anyway."

Fitz lay his head on his wife's shoulder. "Suppose we'll have to go. For the girls. This is the second father they've lost."

"Of course." She ran her fingers through his hair, humming "Moon River."

XXXXX

*two days later – Thursday*

"Olivia Carolyn Grant if you make us late for our flight, I'm gonna—"

"I would choose those next words very carefully, Mr. Grant," Olivia replied, stepping into the living room with her luggage. She smirked at him. "I'm even wearing a sweater in case the plane is chilly."

Fitz smirked. "Why do you need such a big suitcase for three days?"

"I need options. Are you ready?"

Fitz picked up his suitcase just as a horn blew outside. "There's the taxi."

"Look at us, out the door on time," she laughed. Fitz smiled. "Oh! I should go tinkle before we leave."

The corners of Fitz's mouth dropped. He took her suitcase. "Five minutes, Olivia Carolyn. Five minutes and I'm leaving without you."

"Five minutes," Olivia promised then hurried to the bathroom. Fitz took their bags to the taxi and loaded them in the trunk. A few minutes later, Olivia emerged from the building, grinning.

She swaggered triumphantly to the car. "I've even got a minute to spare."

Fitz smirked as he looked down at her rust-colored dress. "Where's your sweater?"

Olivia's eyes widened and she scowled. "Shit! I left it in the bathroom."

Fitz laughed. "Such a potty mouth, lady bird. I'll go get it."

"I can get it."

"No. If you go back up there, we'll be late."

Olivia smirked at his back as he went into the building.

XXXXX

*San Francisco, California*

"Fitz!" Olivia and Fitz turned at the sound of a girl shouting their name. A young woman that Olivia guessed was Celie ran toward them, her skirt flapping around her legs. She reached them and jumped on Fitz, hugging him tightly. A tall dark-haired woman who bore a striking resemblance to Fitz appeared a moment later. Fitz laughed as he set his youngest sister on her feet.

"Celie, Tess, this is my wife Olivia." He smiled proudly, wrapping his arm around Olivia's shoulders.

"It's so nice to meet you!" Celie squealed. She was a slight girl, about a head taller than Olivia, with blonde hair swinging near her waist in a thick braid knotted with a red ribbon. She enveloped Olivia in a tight hug.

"You're so pretty! What on earth are you doing with Fish?" Tess asked with a smile as she took her turn hugging Olivia.

"Fish?" Olivia questioned.

"Well when I was little, I couldn't say Fitz for anything in the world. Celie was the same way. So Fitz ended up being Fish until he was almost grown," Tess explained.

They collected their luggage then piled into Tess's yellow Chevy pickup truck and headed for the Grants' house.

"Fitz take those bags upstairs. Liv come here and look at these pictures," Tess instructed as they walked into the house. Olivia inhaled the scent of clean laundry.

"So nice to be back home," Fitz replied with a smirk as he carried their bags to the stairs.

Olivia followed Tess and Celie to the mantle above the fireplace. Tess took down a picture and showed it to her. A man who looked a lot like Fitz and a woman who looked a lot like Celie smiled as they held up three crying children. "We were a good looking family."

"Yes you were," Olivia agreed. Tess put the picture back then picked up another one.

"Fish went through quite the nude phase." Tess held up a picture of a naked Fitz, probably 5 or 6 if his missing front teeth were any indication.

Olivia laughed as she held it. "Oh I need a copy of this."

"Keep that one. There's an album full. From ages 2 to 7—when I was born—your husband was quite the jay bird."

"You did the same thing," Fitz replied as he joined them. He took another picture off the cluttered mantle and showed it to Olivia. She guessed the child was Tess though it still looked an awful lot like Fitz. He went on, "If you're wondering about her haircut, that was her own handiwork. People kept saying she looked like me, so when she was about 5, she hacked off her ponytails. She was 'Little Fish' for a whole summer until her hair grew back."

Olivia laughed. "She did a pretty good job with the haircut. It looks even."

"She did a much better job on me when I was 5," Celie added as she entered the room.

They spent the next few hours going through the photo albums and telling embarrassing family stories. After a quick dinner of left-over macaroni and cheese and fried chicken, Fitz walked Olivia upstairs. He stopped at the door at the end of the hall. "Livvie I need you to remember I haven't lived in this room since I was about 18 when I enlisted."

Olivia smiled. "Stop being silly and open the door. It couldn't be that bad."

Fitz opened the door and Olivia stepped inside and turned on the light. The blue walls were covered in hand-drawn comic strips. Olivia looked at them with interest before her eyes drifted to the bed, neatly made with white sheets. She turned back to look at Fitz. "What were you worried about me seeing?"

Fitz looked around with a smirk. "My cowboy bed sheets, but it looks like they've been stolen."

Olivia looked back at him with a smirk. "Cowboy bed sheets? You were 18 when you left home."

"Well my mom left my room exactly like it was for when I came back. It looks like somebody cleaned in here though." Olivia chuckled as she sat on the bed. She moved to take off her white Mary Janes. Fitz sat next to her and took her feet in his lap. "Your ankles are swollen again."

Olivia lay back like she hadn't heard him. She yawned. "I like your sisters."

"They like you too."

"How do you know?"

Fitz smirked. "If they didn't, you'd know. We Grants don't possess a lot of subtlety."

He moved to the side of the bed to lay beside her, wrapping his arm around her waist to pull her close. Olivia giggled as he kissed the hollow of her throat. "Fitz, stop. Your sisters are still awake."

Fitz looked up at her. "We can turn on the radio."

Olivia smirked at him. "Because that helps so much."

He shrugged. "They'll understand. We're newlyweds."

"Fitz…" His hands found the side zipper of her dress. Fitz only smiled, sliding the left arm of her dress off her shoulder with his teeth. He kissed his back up to her neck to her lips. Olivia moaned in his mouth, pulling on his bottom lip with her teeth. She began unbuttoning his shirt, forgetting his sisters. Fitz slid the right side of her dress down, exposing her bra-clad top half to the chilly room and raising goose bumps everywhere on her skin.

"Fit, Liv, I made hot chocolate. It's on the stove," Celie called from the other side of the door.

Olivia and Fitz reluctantly stopped kissing. Fitz's erection twitched against Olivia's left hip. She smiled at his red ears. He replied, "I've already got some hot chocolate!"

"Oh okay." They heard her footsteps in the hall for a few steps before she stopped. "Wait. I just made it so you can't… Eww!"

Olivia smirked at Fitz for a moment before her face crumpled with laughter. "You are terrible."

"Come on." He smiled, laughing a little. "She set me up for that one."

A moment later they heard Tess's footsteps. She paused at the door then moved on. They heard her and Celie have a brief muffled conversation before Tess's heavier steps made it back to the door. "She's already pregnant Fitz. What are you trying to do, give her a litter?"

"Goodnight Tess!" Fitz replied.

Olivia laughed as she sat up and pulled on her dress. Fitz sat up too, leaning over to kiss her neck. His hand roamed her stomach. "No. We can't."

"Come on," he pleaded, his lips on her ear.

"No. Listen." Tess and Celie could be heard talking across the hall in their respective bedrooms.

Fitz blinked at her. "So my sisters are talking about making jam tomorrow. And?"

"If we can hear them that clearly, how well do you think they can hear us?"

"Pretty damn good!" Tess shouted.

Fitz laughed reluctantly as he fell back on the bed. Olivia leaned over to kiss his nose. "I'm gonna go get some hot chocolate. Do you want some?"

Fitz sat up. "I'll get it. You should rest your ankles."

He got up and adjusted his pants, giving her a cute sour face, then left the room. Celie appeared in the doorway, wearing a polka dotted pajama shirt. "We're making jam in the morning. Do you wanna help?"

"I've never made jam. I've always wanted to learn," Olivia replied. Celie was very tall, but she looked almost comically child-like. She had the soft, round face of adolescence, and freckles dusted her cheeks and nose. Olivia could see pieces of Fitz. They had the same eyes and nose, but he and Tess looked much more alike.

Celie walked to the bed and sat down, folding her long legs Indian style. She looked at Olivia conspiratorially. "I stole Fitz's cowboy sheets. Don't tell him."

Olivia smiled. "Your secret's safe with me."

Celie looked down at her lap. "Can I tell you another secret?"

Olivia got up and went to shut the door. "Yes."

"Teddy and I had sex when he was here."

Olivia's eyes widened. "Please tell me you're not pregnant."

"No. We had one of those condom things they give soldiers." She blushed. "It was nice, I guess. But it wasn't… You know how in the books it's so great and there's all these fireworks?"

Olivia nodded. Celie bit her lip. "It wasn't like that. It was quiet and awkward."

"Was it his first time too?" Celie nodded. Olivia smiled wryly, reaching out to squeeze Celie's thin shoulder. "Well, don't worry about that. The first time is odd for everybody. Especially when you're both virgins and neither of you really knows what to do. And you and Teddy are just kids. You've got a lot to learn. When you both get older and know more, it'll be better."

"I just thought cause we were in love that it would be…" She wasn't sure how to phrase it.

"Well love does make it better, I'll admit that. But there's nothing that cures that awkward newness. And you shouldn't be imitating books. Those scenes are written to be perfect. They're not about regular sex."

Celie nodded. "We were in the bed of the truck and I could tell it was good for him, and I guess it was nice for me too, but I kept waiting to…and I didn't. Am I weird? Am I broken?"

Olivia rubbed her shoulder. "That's not weird. And you're definitely not broken. Can I tell you a secret?"

Celie nodded, clearly desperate for some reassurance. Olivia went on, "Well I was 22 before I ever… and it was by myself."

Celie reddened. "By yourself?"

Olivia nodded. "Well my current boyfriend didn't know what to do, and all the girls I asked had never had one with a boy either. I was sort of left on my own to figure out what was wrong. And I did. And once I did, I taught him."

"And he learned?"

Olivia nodded, smiling. "Very well. You see, Celie, we women have to do a lot for ourselves. The world says we should wait on men, but believe me honey, if you do, you'll die waiting. You've got to take matters into your own hands, and when Teddy comes back, you help him learn to do it."

Celie looked at her lap for a long moment, chewing her lip. She turned to look at Olivia, a glimmer of a smile on her face. "Thank you for not making me feel odd. Tess made me feel strange, but she likes women so I think that's a case of the pot calling the kettle black. Anyway, I'll come get you in the morning."

She hopped off the bed and left the room. Olivia smiled as she got up to get undressed. She cleaned off her makeup then put on a green nightgown before getting back in bed. She smirked at Fitz as he came back into the room with two mugs and a plate of cookies. "Took you long enough. Did you bake the cookies from scratch?"

"It might have been quicker if I had. You wouldn't believe how hard it is to find a cookie in this house," he replied as he walked over to set the mugs and plate on the nightstand. Olivia ate a gingersnap as she watched him get undressed.

"I'm gonna make jam with your sisters in the morning."

"They invited you to make jam? I never get invited to make jam." He grinned at his wife as he climbed into bed. Olivia handed him his mug and placed the plate of cookies between them.

"Maybe they like me more than you."

Fitz smirked. "Maybe it's some kind of coven-recruitment ceremony that I can't witness."

Olivia laughed. "A coven? Well, I do look good in black."

XXXXX

*Friday*

"Are you girls done? I'd like some actual food at some point." Olivia, Tess, and Celie turned away from the pot they were poring over to find Fitz smirking at them in the doorway.

Olivia smiled as she hurried to him. He had left right after they'd gotten up that morning to help his Aunt Iris rearrange her furniture in anticipation of the wake that evening. She threw her arms around his neck and kissed his freshly shaved chin. "Is that all you have to say when you've been gone all day?"

Fitz laughed as he lifted her off her feet, burying his face in her neck to kiss her. "You smell good, like cherries."

"We made cherry jam," she replied, giggling as Fitz nuzzled her soft skin. "Do you want some?"

"Mmhmm," he murmured, still kissing her neck.

"Don't make me turn the hose on you two," Tess warned, exhaling smoke from her Virginia Slim.

Fitz smirked at her. "You look just like Big Gerry when you smoke. All you're missing is the mustache."

Tess laughed in spite of herself. "Go to hell, Fish."

"I'll see you there," he replied.

Olivia ran her nails over his smooth cheeks. "Be sweet to your sister."

"Will I get in trouble if I don't?" He grinned mischievously.

"I'm going to get the hose," Celie announced before Olivia could reply. They all laughed.

Celie left the kitchen and Fitz carried Olivia to the stove to inspect their handiwork. "Smells good, but I hope you haven't been on your feet all morning with this, Livvie."

Tess snorted. "A whole three hours. It's a wonder she didn't succumb to the—the—what the hell is it southern women get?"

Olivia laughed. "The vapors."

Tess snorted again. "That's it. Liv, don't let him run you crazy. If you wanna run marathons until that kid falls out of you, you do it."

Olivia laughed again, rubbing Fitz's face. "He's just sweet."

Tess smirked, taking a drag off her cigarette and running her hand through her hot-roller-curled hair. "You two make me sick."

The doorbell rang and Celie's footsteps knocked on the hardwood floor. "I'll get it."

A moment later, Celie returned with a tall blonde woman behind her. The woman had short, ash-blonde hair, coiffed in hot-rollered ringlets. Olivia wondered who she was as she didn't bear any resemblance to Fitz, Celie, or Tess. She smiled as she walked over to them. "You must be Fitz. And that makes you, Olivia. You were right Tess, she's too pretty for him."

"And to whom do I owe the pleasure of being called ugly?" Fitz asked with a smile.

The woman extended her hand. "I'm Liz, short stop for the San Francisco Starlets."

"Fitz grinned. "Oh, "Fitz grinned. "Oh, you're Liz. I was wondering when you'd show up."

"I've been in traction. I gave myself a hell of a bruise sliding. You know we girls aren't supposed to do that." She moved to wrap her arm around Tess's waist. They shared a brief kiss that Celie interrupted by clearing her throat.

"Everybody's getting action but me. I've decided to take a very bitter stance about it." She grinned and began scooping the jam into mason jars.

"What time does the wake start?" Liz asked.

"Six," Fit replied. He looked down at Olivia. "Livvie, maybe you should go up and lie down so you won't be tired."

"I'm okay." Olivia turned to help Celie fill the jars.

Tess smirked. "You sound like Dad. Celie, it's a wonder you weren't born in their bed. Dad made Mom take a nap every day before dinner. Only the grace of God kept us alive with his dinners."

"He was just looking out for her. A nap never killed anyone," Fitz pointed out.

Celie sneered at him over her shoulder. "How do you even know she's tired? Did you ask?"

"Livvie are you tired?" Fitz looked down at his wife.

"No. I had a marvelous night's rest. It's so quiet here," she replied. "My ankles haven't gone down yet though."

"See? She's fine. Liz, will you set her up in my chair and put her feet up?" Olivia had quickly learned that Tess ran the house with an easy firmness. "Olivia, are you hungry?"

"I'm not sure. What do you have?" Olivia replied.

Celie opened the refrigerator. "We've got chicken salad that I made personally, so believe me when I tell you it's magical. And some more mac and cheese but this is day 5 so I would pass. There's some baked chicken that I could heat for you in the oven if you feel like waiting a bit. And some very old cookie dough. Wow. We're really bad hosts."

Olivia laughed. "I'll just take a chicken salad sandwich. And could you put some grape jelly on it? I've been having the strangest craving for it."

"Chicken salad with grape jelly? I can do that," Tess replied, taking to loaf of bread Celie handed her with a silly smirk.

Olivia followed Liz into the living room and sat in Tess's large plaid recliner. Liz pulled the lever on the side and the chair leaned back, propping Olivia's feet up. She smiled. "Oh this is nice. I should get one of these for the house."

Liz smiled. "Since you'll be so big soon, it might not be a bad idea. They're good for the back."

Olivia nodded, smiling politely. "So how long have you and Tess been together?"

"About a year. She's marvelous, isn't she?" Liz's eyes gleamed with affection. "And she's one of the best woman ballplayers I've ever met. She could play with the men, she's so good. That's how we met, you know. I was headed for second base and she nailed me in the kidney with a ball. She called it an accidental low toss but she meant it. She wouldn't have me throw off her perfect pitching game. I about kicked her ass something serious, but she was so beautiful that I forgot she'd nailed me."

"She hit you with a baseball?" Liz nodded. Olivia chuckled. "I'd have at least slugged her."

"And she'd have gotten her ass kicked into her throat if she had," Tess announced as she walked into the room with Olivia's sandwich on a plate. She handed her sister-in-law the plate then smirked. "Liv, please get your husband away from the jam before he eats it all. He likes it warm for whatever reason."

"Fitz, will you come here?" Olivia called. A moment later, Fitz came into the room.

"Yes dear?" He gave a silly grin.

"Come keep me company so Liz doesn't have to be bothered with me."

Liz smiled. "I was having fun but I'll leave you newlyweds to your quality time. Tess, let's go sit on the porch swing."

Tess grinned. "I'll get some lemonade."

Liz walked to the front door and smiled at Olivia and Fitz as he massaged her ankles. "I would tell you two to behave but she's already pregnant so there's not too much more damage you could do."

She went out onto the porch and a moment later, Tess followed. Olivia could hear Celie upstairs giggling on the phone with one of her friends. She leaned back in the chair and smiled at Fitz as she ate her sandwich. "This is really good. Do you want some?"

Fitz looked up at the sandwich with a crooked smile. "No thanks, Livvie."

XXXXX

*Sunday*

"Livvie do we really have to bring the cat?" Fitz asked as he held their suitcases beside the waiting taxi.

Olivia stopped cooing at the sandy brown cat's white face and looked at Fitz. "We have to. Your uncle left him to us."

Following the funeral the day before, Olivia and Fitz had attended the reading of the will. Uncle Fred had left everything except the cat to his wife, who was in turn willing it to Fitz, Celie, and Tess. He had said that giving Fitz Aloysius, his beloved companion, was the only consolation he could make for all the ugliness that had gone on after Big Gerry and Julia's accident. He hoped Fitz would understand what he meant by the gesture.

"I know, but I'm not really a cat person." Fitz had always been a dog person, and the cat hadn't exactly taken to him. Aloysius had, however, fallen in love with Olivia. He had spent every waking minute on her lap since they'd brought him home from Uncle Fred's funeral.

"But look at him." Olivia held Aloysius up to Fitz's face. The cat was a runt or stunted or something because he was fully grown but no bigger than a kitten. He stared at Fitz with big green eyes that mirrored Olivia's pleading face.

Fitz sighed. "Fine. We'll keep the bastard."

"Fitz! Don't talk about him that way." Olivia climbed in the cab and waved at Celie, Tess, and Liz as they stood waving on the porch, having already said their big goodbyes.

"He scratched me all night and I'm pretty sure he peed on my boots. What would you call him?"

"He's acting out because he knows you don't like him."

"He's a cat, Livvie."

"And animals know when they aren't wanted."

Fitz sighed. "Fine. Give him here."

Olivia handed over the cat and Fitz held him at eyelevel, staring at him. "I like you. Do you hear me? I like you. Don't piss on anything else of mine, alright?"

The cat continued to stare at him for a moment before it yawned. Olivia cooed, "Oh he's sleepy. Isn't that precious?"

Fitz set the cat on his lap and it promptly fell asleep, purring gently. Olivia smiled. "Now look at that, y'all are bonding. I think you're going to love him."

"Maybe."

"And you'll be sweet to him?"

"I suppose."

"And you'll let him sleep on the bed?"

Fitz shot her a look but sighed. "I suppose."

"And you'll mop those floors like I asked you to?"

"I su—" Fitz stopped and looked at her. "What does that have to do with the cat?"

Olivia grinned. "Nothing. I was just making sure you hadn't forgotten."

Fitz laughed as he pulled her close. He kissed her lips. "I can think of one thing we definitely have to do when we get home, something we haven't done in ages."

Olivia gave him an impish smile. "Laundry?"

Fitz laughed and replied, "We can do it on the washer if you want."

A/N: I know this was a long chapter. The next few probably will be as some more family will be popping up. Don't forget to review! XOXOXO