Our babies are about to take that next step! But is it the right time? Is it too soon? I'll just say that no matter what happens, they're endgame forever and forever

I was chopping vegetables for soup, humming along with the music floating through Fitz's apartment. Since he had left for New York, I had been living in his place to see if I could see myself living there. I honestly couldn't. Without Fitz, the small rooms and outdated kitchen had no charm. But he would return in a few hours and no crappy apartment could diminish my excitement. I smiled, singing along to the bouncy Natasha Bedingfield song that had recently become a favorite of mine, "Gonna button my lip so the truth don't slip/ Gotta bleep out what I really wanna shout/ Whoops/ Did I say it out loud?/ Did you find out?/ I wanna have your babies/ Get serious like crazy/ I wanna have your babies/ I seem 'em springing up like daisies!"

"Daisies, huh?" I almost jumped out of my skin at the sound of his voice. I turned around with wide, shocked eyes to find him standing next to his overnight bag, smiling at me. "Hey baby."

I finally recovered and ran, squealing, into his arms. He dropped his briefcase on the floor and lifted me off the floor, laughing and spinning me around as I covered his face in kisses. I had worked all day and hung out with Abby and James in his absence so I hadn't realized how much I'd missed him until I saw him. "I missed you so much! You're never leaving again!"

"Is that right?" he asked, smiling at me. I kissed him again, taking his bottom lip between my teeth.

"Yes," I answered after I let his lip go. "I'm gonna take you prisoner."

"I think that can be arranged," he murmured against my lips.

I laughed. "Maybe later. You need a bath, baby."

"I love when you call me baby," he growled as he set me on the island. His hands were hot on my thighs. I held his face, grinning at him like I'd slept with a hanger in my mouth.

"You are my baby, my sweet, sweet baby," I purred, stealing a kiss. "What are you doing back so early? I wasn't expecting you until later."

"I missed what was supposed to be a very lucrative dinner with the Columbia deans and caught an earlier flight because I missed you," he answered as he undid the buttons going down the back of my light pink silk blouse. He slipped off my top and grabbed my breasts, squeezing them firmly. I gasped, winding my fingers in his curls, moaning as he lay my back on the cool countertop and raised goose bumps everywhere. He pushed my bra up and rolled my nipples between his fingers, making my body tremor. His teeth on my earlobe, he asked, "Did you miss me, baby?"

"So much," I breathed. I pulled him into a kiss, dragging my nails down his neck. He moaned in my mouth and my core quivered with excitement. "But you ruined my plans coming back so early. I was gonna make you dinner and run you a bath. I even bought an apron."

"An apron, huh?" He laughed as he trailed wet kisses down my chest. I gasped when he sucked my nipple into his mouth, swirling his tongue around it. He bit the bud gently and my hips bucked beneath him. He laughed again then paused his worship to look at me. "Go put on the apron."

"Now?" I whined. He had gotten my motor running and the thought of stopping made me crazy.

"Now," he replied. "I'll run the bath. You put on the apron and pour me a drink."

He pulled me off the island and set me on my feet. He cupped my butt cheeks in his huge hands and squeezed appreciatively. "On second thought, you run the bath too. I'm gonna go unpack."

"You left me alone for two days and now you're ordering me around instead of showing me how much you missed me?" I smirked at him. "Maybe I should spend the night with my other boyfriend until you get your attitude together."

"What did you say?" He squeezed my butt harder, digging his fingers into my flesh, and smirking at me darkly. "I think you'd better watch that pretty little mouth of yours before I put you over my knee."

A shiver ran up my spine as wetness pooled between my thighs. I smiled at him. "Is this macho, useless attitude something I have to look forward to now that we're planning to live together?"

"Every day," he replied with a huge grin. He gave my bottom a firm smack and commanded, "Now get a move on. You still have to finish making dinner."

I smirked at him, shaking my head. I pinched his butt when he turned around to get his overnight bag. He gave me a sweet kiss before heading to his bedroom. He called, "How does it feel to have your man back, baby?"

"Shitty! He's a caveman!" I replied. He laughed and I left his apartment, headed to my place to get the little black lace-trimmed apron. Back in his living room, I slipped off my pants, leaving me in only my dark purple bra and panties, then tied the apron around my waist. I went to the bathroom and started his bath then to the kitchen to pour him a drink.

"You want red or white?" I called.

"Red sounds good," he replied. I got a bottle of red from his fridge and poured him a glass.

"What are you unpacking in there? A dead body?" I asked, wondering what was taking him so long.

"I was hiding my other girlfriend," he answered, coming to stand in the doorway, gloriously naked. My jaw dropped at the sight of him and his did the same when he looked at me. I recovered first and smirked at him.

"Where's your other girlfriend?" I teased. "Shouldn't she be out here tending to one of your numerous demands?"

He walked over and wrapped one hand around my waist, grinning at me as he pressed his semi-hard member against my stomach. He ran his fingers through my freshly straightened hair, sending tremors through my body at the contact of his fingertips with my scalp. "Baby the only way I'd have another girlfriend is if you had a twin."

I laughed and playfully pushed him away. "Go get in the tub, you pervert."

"Yes ma'am," he replied. He turned to head into the bathroom and I smacked his bare bottom. He yelped and looked back at me, pointing a stern finger. "No."

I laughed as I went to get his glass of wine, sipping it as I headed to the bathroom. I leaned against the doorframe, silently watching as he lowered himself into the steaming water then sunk below the surface. He emerged and slicked his wet curls back. He grinned when he looked up and found me staring.

"Hi," he chirped in his honeyed baritone, setting off fireworks in my stomach.

"Hi," I replied, smiling at him as I walked into the bathroom. I sat on the edge of the tub and handed him the wine glass. He sipped it then set it on the other side of the tub.

"There's room for two," he said, making little circles on my thigh with his index finger. I wondered if there would ever be a time when his touch didn't make my pulse quicken.

I smirked. There was barely room for his gargantuan frame. My tub was much larger. "No there isn't."

"I guess we'll have to get creative," he replied, smiling flirtatiously at me. I smiled as I stood and untied my apron. He watched me with lusty eyes as I unhooked my bra. I turned my back to him and slid my panties down, moving slowly. I made a show of bending over slowly as I slid the silk down my legs.

I smiled at him as I stood upright and stepped out of the bundle of fabric. "See something you like?"

"Not really," he teased.

"Is that right?" I asked taking his offered hand as I stepped into the tub. I sat down, straddling him and pressing my chest to his.

"Yes," he answered. "I don't like your body." My eyebrows shot up at the seriousness of his tone and face. He laughed at my shocked face then ran his wet hands up my back. "I don't like your body, baby. I love your body. I adore your body. I'm obsessed with your body. I worship your body."

I smiled as I slid my hand down his chest then took hold of him. "Oh really?"

"Would you like me to prove it?" he asked in reply as his hands found my breasts.

XXXXX

"God, these still haven't healed," Fitz muttered in disbelief as he looked over his shoulder at the red welts streaking down his back. It had been three days since our tryst in the bathtub and his back still looked like he'd been whipped.

"I'm sorry." He winced at the contact of the aloe gel on his back. "Are you gonna be okay to pack?"

"Yeah." He turned and pulled me onto his lap. "Maybe I should mark you up to get even."

"You already did," I replied, pointing to the purple hickeys and red bite marks on my neck and chest. He smiled and kissed a particularly large hickey on my pulse point before setting me on the bed so he could pull on an impossibly snug black Under Armor t-shirt.

XXXXX

"Fitz!" He startled awake in the arm chair in which he was sprawled. I frowned at him, annoyed. "You're seriously napping while I'm lugging your shit across the hall? Really?"

"You said you didn't need any help," he mumbled sleepily as he stood up and stretched.

"With your clothes!" I snapped loudly. "There's still books and dishes to move! Not to mention your fucking furniture!"

"Stop yelling," he grumbled as he picked up a box labeled "Books."

"Don't tell me what to do!" I wasn't sure what made me so angry about him sleeping in the chair. I dropped the box of books I was holding and he looked back at me in annoyance then went to my apartment. I stormed behind him, livid. "Don't walk away from me!"

"Because you're making it so inviting to be around you right now," he replied sarcastically with a smirk.

"Don't take that fucking tone with me!" I shrieked. My eyes nearly bulged out of my head.

"Stop yelling at me!" he shouted. He left my apartment and I stormed into the hallway, stopping him as he carried another box.

"Stop walking away from me!" I bellowed. He stepped around me, headed into my apartment. I was hot on his heels.

"I'm helping you move the damn boxes! Isn't that what you want?" he boomed. His face was bright red.

"I want you to stop being an asshole!" He went to get another box and I stayed put, terrified of what I might do if I went after him. I took a few deep breaths, tried to stop my hands from shaking. He came back and scowled at me as he set a box of dishes down.

"Are you finished moving boxes?" he spat. "What the hell's wrong with you anyway? Are you on your period or something?"

"What did you say to me?" I wasn't even aware of my feet moving until my hand made contact with his face. He looked so shocked that I almost felt bad for hitting him.

"You've lost your fucking mind," he growled as he stormed out the door. I huffed as I picked up a box then carried it to his place, setting it down among the others. He was leaning against the island in the kitchen with his back to me, rubbing an ice cube on his cheek. I felt a twinge of guilt but I was too angry to apologize. I went back and got another. I was on my third box before he turned around and saw what I was doing.

"What the hell are you doing?" he asked in a tight voice. I couldn't blame him for being angry at me, especially when my hand print had yet to vanish from his face.

"Bringing your things back," I answered simply.

He looked shocked. "What the hell for?"

"We're not ready for this," I replied, feeling a lump rise in my throat. I didn't look at him as I went back to my apartment to get another box. The fourth box was too heavy and I sank to my knees, crying as I leaned against it. I had feared that we were moving too fast since I'd suggested it but pushed the fear to the back of my mind, thinking it was just jitters about taking the next step. Our little blowout just confirmed my suspicions. I wondered where we were going, where it left us.

"Liv…" His arms wrapped around me and I didn't fight him. He asked, "Are you scared? Is that what this is?"

I nodded, blubbered, "What if you get sick of me? What if we don't make it?"

"I'll never get sick of you, okay?" he assured. "And we're gonna make it or die trying." He made me look at him, wiping my tears. "I have loved you since the moment I laid eyes on you and nothing in the world will change that. I have faith in us, a lot of faith in us. And I know you do too. Remember what you said at the carnival?" I nodded. "I'm not gonna get over you and you're not gonna get over me." I sniffed and wiped my eyes, feeling silly.

"I'm sorry," I whimpered, gently rubbing his cheek.

"Me too," he replied. He gently kissed the tip of my nose. I threw my arms around him, crashed my lips against his. He pushed a box out of the way so he could lay me back on the floor. I tugged at his curls, moaning as his tongue massaged mine.

"Dude shut the door," someone called as they walked past the door. We laughed as he rolled off me then stood, offering me his hand.

It took us two days to get everything moved and another to get everything situated. We christened every room and every usable surface in each one with such frequency and fervor that every neighbor gave a knowing smile when they passed us.

XXXXX

I was sprawled in Fitz's armchair, trying my hand at Halo 3 when he walked excitedly into the bedroom with his hand behind his back. I looked at him and smiled, thinking he had bought me a present.

"Got something for me?" I asked when he walked over to the chair.

"Yes," he answered with a smile. "It's from Cyrus and James of all people."

He handed me a small black jewelry box and I opened it excitedly. I immediately burst into a fit of laughter at the contents of the box. A perfectly rolled joint lay on the silk cushion inside the box.

"Really?" I couldn't stop laughing. I made a mental note to call James to thank him for turning back the clock to sophomore year for Fitz and me.

Fitz grinned at me. "Are we really gonna do this? Remember what happened last time?"

I smiled. The last time he and I had gotten high was the end of our sophomore year. Sufficiently blazed, we decided to go play in the fountain in the middle of the quad. Splashing around in our underwear, I had come dangerously close to uttering those three little words but lost the thought every time I opened my mouth. I replied, "Light it up."

He laughed as he left the room in search of a lighter. He returned a moment later with a book of matches and an ashtray. I snuggled into his lap and watched him light the joint then take a deep inhale. He held it for a moment then exhaled. "This is good shit."

He held the spliff to my lips and I took a drag, instantly setting my throat on fire. I coughed and Fitz laughed, calling me an amateur before taking another pull. I smirked at him. "You were the weed head back then, not me."

He held the joint to my lips again. "Just take it easy, lightweight."

I smirked, rolling my eyes as I took the joint from him. I took a pull and it went down much smoother. I exhaled, "See! I can do it on my own."

We smoked the whole joint and were positively delirious by the time Fitz stubbed out the roach. He leaned back in the chair, staring at me with heavily lidded eyes. He furrowed his brow and said, "I had the greatest thing to tell you but I just lost it."

"Was it about sex?" Weed made me crazy horny, another reason I didn't smoke very often—and definitely not around Fitz—in college.

"No…it was about…" He looked so adorably confused. I leaned over and began kissing his neck. Fitz's hands squeezed my breasts, pulling me onto his lap so I was straddling him. Somehow we ended up on the floor, grinding against each other. His lips on my pulse point took chunks of time from my consciousness. The next thing I knew we were going at it hard on his favorite chair. Someone banged on the front door loudly.

"Go away!" Fitz shouted toward my bedroom doorway, not stopping his hips from thrusting into mine.

"It's Stephen!" I frowned. It was our building manager. I looked back at Fitz, wondering what we would do. We were both naked and I was on my knees, bent over the seat of the large leather chair. My ponytail was wrapped around Fitz's fist. Not to mention we were both still pretty high. We were in no condition for company.

"Shit," he muttered. He reluctantly pulled out of me, but not before kissing me and declaring, "We're not finished. We'll pick this up later." He called to Stephen, "Just a minute!"

He stood and pulled me to my feet, stealing another kiss and smacking my bare bottom before moving to get dressed. I stepped on unsteady legs, looking around for my clothes. My panties were under the bed, my sweatshirt tossed onto the dresser. I pulled on my clothes then ran a brush through my hair, watching Fitz as he stepped into his boxers and sweatpants. Smirking, I said, "I look thoroughly fucked."

"Just a little," he teased. From my sweated-out hair to my bee stung lips to my sucked-raw neck, there was no disguising what we'd been doing. The only evidence on him was a little red bruise on his bottom lip where I'd bitten him. We went into the living room and I sat on the couch, watching as Fitz opened the door.

"Hey man," Stephen greeted as Fitz stepped back to let him inside. He smiled at me knowingly. "Hey Liv."

"Hi," I replied. Fitz sat next to me on the couch and wrapped his arm around me.

"What's up man?" Fitz asked. Stephen looked conflicted and embarrassed as he sat in the overstuffed armchair perpendicular to the couch.

"I don't really know how to say this so I'm just gonna say it. You guys…" He looked down at his shoes then back at us. Since Stephen lived below us, I had a rather strong suspicion of what he'd come to talk to talk to us about. "I'm gonna say this and then we're gonna pretend the conversation never happened." Fitz and I nodded. "You guys have been fucking around the close like animals and everyone can hear. It's great that you're finally together, don't get me wrong. But can you keep it off noisy surfaces?"

I buried my face in Fitz's neck to laugh. Fitz poked my side. I gained control of myself then asked Stephen, "What exactly counts as a noisy surface?"

"Wherever you do it that makes you shout his name like your hair's on fire," Stephen answered. I had to bury my face to laugh again. I had a serious case of the giggles thanks to the weed.

"That's not really a surface thing," Fitz answered, pulling my face from his neck again. I couldn't stop laughing as I leaned back on the couch. Fitz swatted my knee with his hand and I covered my mouth, still unable to stop. He told Stephen, "We'll try to keep it down, man."

Stephen looked at me knowingly. "Liv, are you high?" I nodded, still laughing. I wasn't even sure what was so funny. He smirked. "Well at least I know what to get you for your housewarming."

"Maybe you should have this place soundproofed instead," Fitz replied, pulling me into his arms. I scratched his neck slowly, staring at him intently.

"Well I'll be off," Stephen announced with a chuckle as he got up to leave.

"Bye," Fitz and I called, not looking away from each other. His hand was hot on my back as it slid up the back of my sweatshirt. Stephen left, shutting the door behind him.

"Now where were we?" Fitz asked, staring darkly at me. I hopped off his lap.

"First one completely naked gets to cum first!" I announced as I raced to the bedroom, already pulling my sweatshirt off. Fitz was hot on my heels with his sweatpants and underwear around his ankles. He managed to get his underwear off a split second before I did. I smirked at him and rolled my eyes as I walked toward the chair.

"Winner, winner, chicken dinner," I laughed.

"Well I'm gentleman if nothing else," he murmured as he bent me over the chair's right arm. "So I guess I'll still let you cum first. Ladies first and all that."

A few minutes later, on the brink of an orgasm, my marijuana-clouded mind sparked. "Remember what Stephen said? We get to have a housewarming party!"

Fitz laughed as he wrapped my ponytail around his fist. "Whatever you want baby."

So they weathered their first fight pretty well, and they're having a housewarming party! That couldn't possibly be a source of drama, right? Don't forget to leave your reviews!