A/N: Here's the first step of Fitz trying to prove to Mellie that she's his number one, and only one. Don't forget to review and tell me what you think of this chapter (and previous chapters!), what you'd like to see in later chapters, and what you think Fitz should do next! Y'all are the best! Enjoy! :)
"Get dressed. Marta's watching Teddy. I'm taking you out tonight." Fitz sent the message, setting his phone on the bed before finding his way into the closet to find something to wear. He looked at Mellie's side of the closet, which he hadn't really noticed until now. He hadn't noticed how bare, how empty, it looked. He took a deep breath and silently hoped that soon, her things would be hanging there again. Fitz picked out a black suit and shirt, but didn't pick out his tie yet. He wanted to wait until he knew what Mellie was wearing so that he could match her.
He heard his phone go off, and he practically ran to the bed to retrieve it. "Sounds good. Getting ready now. Make sure you give me a ten minute warning."
"You got it. Let me know what you're wearing so I know what tie to wear." He sent back almost immediately as he went into the bathroom to shave and make sure that his hair looked alright. When Mellie texted back and told him that she was wearing purple, he went back to the closet to find his favorite purple tie. He sent Mellie a text to let her know that he was leaving, and that he would be there in about ten minutes. He knew that she wouldn't be ready, even with the warning, and that he would have to wait for her. But at this point, he didn't mind waiting on her. He would wait hours for her if he had to.
He went inside and stood in the living room, looking around. He didn't want to go to her bedroom, since he wasn't sure what she was comfortable with at the moment. He chuckled to himself, feeling like a teenager waiting to go on a date with his girlfriend. It was strange that they hadn't ever had moments like that.
"Mels, can I come in?" He knocked on her bedroom door, and when he heard her say he could, he slowly walked in the room. She was fixing her hair in the mirror, and the back of her dress was unzipped. "Need some help?" Fitz questioned, smiling as he walked toward her.
"Please." She laughed. "I can't reach."
Fitz zipped up her dress and spun her around so that he could see how she looked. His mouth dropped slightly when he got a good look at her. "You look stunning, Madam First Lady."
Mellie blushed, something that she hadn't done in years. Not due to something nice that Fitz had said, at least. "Well thank you, Fitz. You don't look too bad yourself." She held out her hand and Fitz took it, walking out of the room and out of the house with her. They found their way to the car, and Mellie couldn't help but smile. He was finally showing up for her.
"I made reservations at that steakhouse that you've been wanting to go to for years." Fitz told her as they got into the car, and the secret service shut the door. "I'm hoping you still want to go there...I suppose I should have asked first..." He was getting nervous that he did so,etching wrong, and he couldn't afford to do something wrong. Not right now.
Mellie chuckled, shaking her head. "It's okay, Fitz. I'm glad you didn't ask. Yes, I still want to go there. It means a lot that you remembered..." If he was going to try, so was she. She meant it when she had told him that they were both at fault in the crumbling of their marriage. There weren't just things that he had to change; there were plenty of things that she needed to change as well.
"Of course I remembered, Mel." He reached over and ran his hand through her hair. She rarely wore it straight, but for some reason, she chose to wear it that way. And God, did she look amazing. "You look beautiful. I know I told you that earlier, but you really do." He couldn't help but smile when she blushed again. He loved seeing her blush.
When they got to the restaurant, he got out and took Mellie's hand, leading her inside. They went to their table and he sat across from her, unable to stop looking at her. Even in his attempt to stop loving her, he had never once stopped thinking that she was beautiful. She had always been drop-dead gorgeous, and that was something that he could never get over, no matter how hard he tried. "So, Teddy's doing better."
Mellie nodded as she looked through the drink menu. "I noticed that. I was going to say something about that earlier, but I didn't want to jinx it." She laughed. "But I'm glad."
"Thank you for that, by the way."
She just shrugged. "Don't thank me. It was teamwork."
Teamwork. They were a team. Throughout this and even throughout how he treated her, especially after the night he kicked her out, she still considered them a team.
They both ordered their drinks and their food; Mellie got a margarita on the rocks, and steak and a baked potato. Fitz got the same thing to eat, only he got a beer to drink. Mellie kept teasing him, saying that she was surprised that he didn't get scotch, and he teased her right back, saying that he was surprised that she didn't get something harder to drink. They were joking around with one another and laughing together all night. And after a while, Mellie started to wonder if it would always be like this, if this was the start of their new life together, their new marriage. Because if it was going to be like this from now on, then she would have absolutely no problem forgiving him.
They finished eating and paid the bill, and the two of them stood up and walked to the car, hand in hand. They were both a little tipsy after having a little too much to drink, but neither of them really noticed; they were having too much fun. "Hey, Mels?" Fitz asked, wrapping an arm around his wife. He had expected her to move, but when she moved closer to him, he couldn't help but smile.
"Hmm?"
"I know I can't prove it all at once, and I know it's going to take a while for me to be able to prove it to you, since it's going to take a while to get you to trust me again. But you are the only one for me. You are my one and only, and that's how it is going to be until the day I die. I promise you this, Mel. I swear to you, you are my everything. You're all I want, you're all I need, you're everything. And I refuse to screw that up again." He turned and kissed the top of her head. "Because I love you. I need you, I want you, and I love you more than anything in the entire world. And I just want you to know that."
Mellie smiled, resting her head against his shoulder as he spoke. "You have no idea how much that means to me, Fitz..."
Neither of them spoke on the way home, and neither of them needed to. It was nice to just have each other's company, even in the silence. It felt familiar, it felt like home to them, even though it was something that neither of them had experienced in years. For the first time in a very long time, they had both felt whole again.
When they got back, they got out and Fitz took Mellie's hand, walking her to the door. Once again, he felt like a teenager, and he couldn't help but laugh to himself. The two of them walked inside, and Mellie looked at Fitz with the biggest smile on her face. "Thank you, Fitz. I can't tell you the last time I've had such a good time...It was a simple act, but it really meant a lot."
"You're welcome, Mel. Be looking forward to a lot more of these simple acts, then, because I have a lot more planned for you. I'm gonna prove this to you, I promise."
"I don't doubt that, Fitz." She smiled at him, walking toward him and giving him a hug. She wasn't ready to kiss him; not yet. If she kissed him now, it would be too much. Especially if he ended up not going through with him promise to prove it to her. If she kissed him now and something happened, she would have to start all over again. And she wasn't sure if she was strong enough to do that.
Fitz hugged her tight, softly rubbing her back as he held her. "I had a really good time too, Mellie." He pulled away from her and smiled at her, genuinely smiled at her. "I'll bring Teddy back in the morning."
Mellie nodded, watching him as he walked toward the door. "Goodnight, Fitz. I love you."
"Goodnight, Mels. I love you too." He blew her a kiss as he walked out, and the smile on her face didn't falter for a long time. She was still smiling when she changed her clothes, and when she climbed into bed. That's when it hit her. Maybe things were really going to be different this time. Maybe he really did choose her, and only her. Maybe he was going to be able to prove that. And for the first time in a long time, Mellie fell asleep without a problem. She didn't toss and turn and wonder whether Fitz was talking to Olivia Pope in his office, she wasn't wondering when he was going to throw divorce papers in her face. For once, she didn't fall asleep with worry on her mind, and she couldn't possibly be more grateful for that.