It's been forever in a day but I'm finally back with Olitz and Lola. I was going to make this chapter longer but I really wanted to get this up tonight so keep an eye out. I'll probably upload the next chapter around this time next week. Happy reading.

Lola's small footsteps were apparent as soon as she stepped off of the elevator. Fitz could hear her around the corner as she recounted her day for her nanny and agents as if they hadn't been there for it and he could only hope that her level of excitement wouldn't drop when she heard the news that he had to share. When she rounded the corner and saw him standing outside of Olivia's room, she took off, running straight into his arms as if he hadn't dropped her off at school just six hours ago. He couldn't complain though, he reveled in the fact that at any given time all that she wanted was to be in his arms. After she had hugged him for what she deemed a significant amount of time, he set her on the ground and quickly looked her over, telling himself that if she looked like she couldn't handle the news that he wanted so badly to give her, that he would just have the nanny take her home. As he took his time observing every inch of her, she tilted her head to look back at him and he knew that there would never be a good time. He couldn't wait until the perfect moment because it would never come.

"Daddy, I thought that I was s'posed to go to Carson's house after school. Her bigger sister said that we could make cupcakes with sprinkles on the top."

He could hear the question burning behind her words as she tilted her head in confusion. He knew that since she was here not even a week ago that she would be highly suspicious of another visit so close to the last and by the look on her face, he knew that she was waiting for him to divulge every detail that robbed her of a long awaited playdate with her best friend.

"Why don't we go get a snack from downstairs and then I'll answer your question."

As soon as Lola had devoured her cookies, Fitz had tried his hardest to tell her about her mother as gently as possible.

"Well," Fitz started off, taking a swig of water to stall the inevitable. "Remember when I told you that Momma had to rest so that her body could get better and that she would either rest until she was well enough to get up or her body would decide that it wouldn't be able to get well and then she would go to sleep forever?"

"She would die." Lola's voice was a mere whisper when she said it and it made Fitz feel immediately guilty for starting out the conversation the way that he did.

She had relayed to him once that she didn't like to talk about what could go wrong with her mother because her therapist had told her that speaking negative things into the atmosphere could sway them to come true. At the time he felt like the insane shrink was telling his daughter to repress her negative feelings, which would help her in no way, but he realized shortly after that it often helped with her short temper, which she definitely inherited from him, and she was very cognizant of what she said and how she said it.

Because Lola had been so young around the time of Olivia's accident, it was easy for Fitz to pass her off to a nanny, or their friends that were eager to help, to free up time for him to sit at Olivia's bedside as much as he was allowed. In turn, there was often a power struggle, as much as a three year old could give, when he was mentally well enough to parent. With a few recommendations, Lola began seeing a "counselor" once a week and although Fitz often felt like she was too young to be constantly exposed to the psychobabble of a therapist, she seemed to like it and rarely had behavioral issues. He just hoped that it would help them now.

"I said that that was a possibility but that's not why we're here." Fitz's voice was soft and persistent; he could not show her that he was scared out of his mind that their reunion would not be everything that he dreamed of.

And much like he thought she would, she went silent and didn't say another word in response to his life changing update. The levity of the news was becoming more prevalent the longer that Lola stayed quiet and played with her bracelet, avoiding meeting her father's eyes. Various people moved around them in the cafeteria which only made the silence louder as Fitz scanned every inch of her body for a sign of how she felt about the fact that her mother was very much awake. Lola's fingers twisted and bent as she played with them, her head bowed and her hair a messy halo outside of her blue headband.

"Lola?" Fitz whispered softly at a complete loss for what to say.

She lifted her head at his voice, her expression unreadable. Fitz couldn't help but wonder when his five year old had gotten so good at hiding her emotions from him.

"Lol, do you have anything to say?"

"Can we see her?" Her voice came out in a timid whisper like she was scared of the answer that her question would receive. "Can we go see Momma?"

The contained smile on his face was threatening to break through at her words. He was hoping that she would say something like that.

"Of course we can. We can go right now if you would like."

Fitz tried to keep the zeal out of his voice as he answered her, wanting nothing more than to see his girls together as soon as possible. Like she was reading his mind, Lola jumped up, nodding her head as she went.

"Yeah. I wanna go right now."

And that was all she had to say for Fitz to scoop her up and move towards the elevators. He stopped to let Lola pit stop at a restroom just down the hall from Olivia's room and watched her wet her small hands to smooth down her hair and adjust her uniform dress so that it hung faultlessly on her body. A small grin passed Fitz's face at her preparations.

"Alright, Sweet Girl, let's get a move on. You look perfect."

She turned to give him a smile at her pet name and then took a deep breath with her eyes locked on herself in the mirror. She nodded and then hugged him before they stepped out of the tiled room to take the first step of reacquainting themselves as a family.

Fitz found himself taking a deep breath with his left hand on the door knob, trying to quell his nerves. His right hand was in Lola's, trailing behind him as she hid slightly. He could feel her squeezing his hand tightly between the two of hers and the action only made him more anxious.

He cracked the door open first, trying to get a visual of his wife before stepping in the room. She had clearly tried to make herself more presentable. Her hair had been combed through and probably washed since it was damp and her curls looked fresh. She'd changed into a sweatshirt and leggings, throwing the cold and thin hospital gown across the chair in the corner, and her face showed how excited she was for them to be there.

Fitz pulled Lola into the room behind him and closed the door. Olivia's eyes were glued to Lola, who continued to hide behind her father, once the door was shut. She still had a death grip on his hand but she was staring intently at her mother as she peeked from around his leg. It seemed like neither Fitz nor Olivia had taken a breath as they both watched their little girl, waiting for her reaction.

"Lola," Fitz prodded, nudging her front of him before taking a step back to leave her in the middle of the room. "Say 'hello'."

Lola's eyes flickered up at him before she turned her attention back to her mother.

"Hi." Lola whispered, raising her hand a little to give a small wave.

Olivia looked to Fitz before responding, taking his head nod as a cue for her to speak.

"Hi, Sweet Girl." Olivia whispered back in a silvery tone.

She kept a small smile on her face, trying not frighten her little baby but her face cracked, marring as Lola instantaneously burst into tears and ran two steps behind her, pushing her face into Fitz's leg as both of her arms wrapped around him, clawing to be picked up wherever her hands reached. He looked up at Olivia alarmed but she could be of no emotional support. Her worst fear was unfolding before her. By the time Fitz had hauled Lola into his arms, Olivia had tears of her own spilling down her face. Fitz turned his back to her, bouncing Lola in his arms like a baby and rubbed her back to quiet her. He whispered in her ear a mixture of 'it's okay's' and 'I'm right here's' to relax her but she kept her fingers interlocked behind his back and her face buried in his neck as she cried, her sobbing showing no signs of calming.

"Fitz?" Olivia's voice reached him sounding strangled and hoarse.

He turned his head over his shoulder to find her wringing her hands. Her eyes were red, her face tear-stained and he could see the disappointment and hurt radiating from her.

"It's okay." She was nodding to herself as she spoke. "You can take her. I'll be okay."

Fitz shook his head imperceptibly, refusing to let their interaction end on a sour note. He opened his mouth to speak, to calm her fears since he couldn't take her in his arms and make it better like he was doing with Lola, but all that came out was a stress filled sigh. He turned his head back to focus on their daughter. Fitz knew that if he left the room it would be over for all of them so he bounced and soothed Lola until her sobbing and shaking stilled. It took five minutes for her full blown wailing to turn into weeping and Fitz took this opportunity to speak to her.

"What's wrong, Lol? Tell me what's wrong?"

She took in two quick breaths before trying to pant out a reply which brought on another bought of tears.

"It's okay, Lola. It's okay. Tell me what's wrong."

Lola leaned back in his arms, unlinking her hands from behind his back and covering her face.

"Lola?"

Fitz could tell that she was trying to calm herself by the shaky, interrupted, deep breaths that she was taking behind the hand mask that she'd created. She began trying to dry her face, pulling at her skin as her hands drug down her face.

"Sh-she…" Lola started before taking deep breaths again.

"It's okay. Take your time." Fitz's cooed trying to keep her composed.

He chanced a look back at Olivia while Lola kept trying to dry her face. She was wiping away tears of her own, her eyes trained on lap. He could tell that she was purposely trying not to look at the pair huddled by the door. He turned his attention back to Lola, who was sniffling.

"Lol?" He tried again, as her sniffling and face wiping slowed.

"Sh-she called my name." Lola whimpered, keeping her hands over her face.

Fitz could feel the confused expression that his face adopted. Had she not expected her mother to know her?

"Yeah, she did." Fitz started, trying to come up with something reassuring to say to her. "Did that scare you?"

Lola shook her head emphatically, finally removing her hand from her face, drying her face one last time before looking him straight in the eye.

"Momma never talked to me before."

And then it clicked. It had not occurred to him how overwhelmed she would be. He had thought that maybe she'd be scared or shy or excited but he'd forgotten to account for the fact that this would be the first time in her memory that she would interact with her mother. The scenario would be too much for any adult handle, let alone a five year old.

All that Fitz could do was nod his head reassuringly. What did he say to that? As much as he had hated that therapist in the beginning, he found himself praying that she would be able to undo any damage that he had just done by throwing his daughter into the deep end.

"Well…don't you want to talk to your mom?"

Lola nodded, wiping her eyes again.

"Alright…well, what do you say we try again, huh?" Fitz prodded, hoping that he could steer the visit in a more positive direction, bouncing her a little bit to cheer her up.

She nodded again and slid down in his arms so he set her on her feet gently and watched as she rubbed her face once more and pushed down her curls. This time when Fitz turned back to face Olivia, Lola stood in front of him. She was leaning against him but it was better than the hiding. Olivia looked at him and shook her head, drying her face and smoothing her hair like Lola had done moments prior.

"Everyone's okay, right?" Fitz asked, looking back and forth between his girls. "Huh? Everyone's okay. No more crying."

Lola looked back at him nodding and then looked back at her mother, taking her in. Olivia stared at Fitz incredulously, consciously keeping her eyes away from her daughter to keep from setting her off again. Fitz gave her a reassuring smile and then bent down to whisper in Lola's ear. Olivia watched Lola nod and then begin to walk towards her. She looked up at Fitz in shock. What had he said to her? Lola paused at her bedside, looking over her shoulder at her dad who tilted his head towards her as a go ahead. Lola then moved slowly, shuffling until her stomach was touching the side of the bed, she hesitated and then slipped her foot onto the metal bar at the bottom of the bed and used her hands to push herself onto the mattress. Before Olivia could get a word out, Lola had flung her body over hers and wrapped her arms around her figure like she had every single time that she had visited her mother.

Olivia hesitated, her arms open and hovering over Lola's petite body. She looked down at her little girl, her small head nestled against her chest, and slowly draped her arms around her while pulling her closer. Mere seconds had passed before tears began to pour down Olivia's face. She sniffled and caressed Lola's back and hair. She kissed the top of her head and pulled her body as close to her own as she could manage without squishing her but the tears flowed steadily as her body began to shake.

It was surreal and bittersweet to be cuddled up with Lola the way she was. Olivia had left the house one day, kissed her husband and babbling toddler goodbye. She was going to be Wonder Woman and save the world. Do a job that her daughter could be proud of and then she woke up underwater. It felt like she was constantly under a wave, unable to come up for air and just a layer away from the rest of the world. Occasionally she'd hear voices, beeping, a pull, someone trying to rescue her but her mind could never keep going long enough to reach her hand out to be pulled up. And then when she did, when she found the mental strength to outstretch her arm and be dragged to safety, her sweet baby had changed into this beautiful girl that she hardly recognized. She was elated at the fact that she could be here with her family, that she was no longer drowning but she didn't think that there was anything that hurt more than the fact that she was the mother to a little girl that she knew nothing about. She didn't know her favorite color, or movie, or song, or what she ate for breakfast, or how she liked to be woken up. Holding her daughter made Olivia think of every lost moment that she could never get back and the tears fell in quick succession to her thoughts.

As Lola looked up at her, she turned her attention to the ceiling, closing her eyes to compose herself but she knew it was no use. There was no doubt that Lola had noticed the tears wetting the cloth were she had lain her head.

"Momma?" Lola breathed cautiously.

Olivia was afraid to respond, having Lola's breakdown fresh and at the forefront of her mind.

Lola sat up, sitting back on her knees and raised her hand deliberately, softly setting it on her mother's cheek.

"Don't be sad." She murmured. "It's okay now."

Olivia smiled as Lola tried to wipe away her tears, bushing her fingers across her cheeks.

"I'm not sad. I promise." Olivia assured her, taking her hand and holding it in her own. "I'm very happy, actually. I just missed you so much."

Lola nodded and looked back at Fitz before replying.

"We missed you, too…" Lola trailed off. "Maybe…maybe you shouldn't go to sleep for so long next time?"

Olivia and Fitz laughed, locking eyes over Lola's shoulder as Fitz leaned in the corner of the room and watched their exchange.

"I'll try my best, I promise, but I don't think you have anything to worry about."

Lola nodded again and took a deep breath before speaking.

"Momma?"

"Yes?"

Lola looked back at her dad and took another deep breath.

"I love you."

And although Olivia tried her hardest, she couldn't stop herself from crying.

"I love you, too. So much." She managed to choke out before pulling Lola back into a hug and kissing the top of her head repeatedly.

They laid like that for a while. Lola acquainting herself with the way it felt to be held by her mother and Olivia making herself familiar with every single part of her little girl that she could see. Fitz continued to watch on, teary eyed, from the sidelines. He'd had all day to familiarize himself with his wife again so it was nice to see his daughter do the same with her mother.

The room was silent aside from their breathing but it wasn't long before its youngest occupant asked the question that had been swirling around Olivia's mind since she had learned how much time had passed.

"Daddy, is Momma gonna stay at our house now?" Lola's face was buried in Olivia's sweatshirt so her question was muffled but both adults heard it clearly.

Olivia tried her best not to look fearful at what the answer might be but Fitz answered immediately as he walked to her bedside and took the chair beside it.

"Of course. They probably won't let her leave until tomorrow, maybe the day afterwards but as soon as the doctors do everything that they have to do, we'll bring her home." Fitz made eye contact with Olivia before he spoke again. "And then we'll be a family, the three of us."

Lola nodded and yawned, her face betraying how drowsy she was without her afternoon nap.

"That's good." She murmured before closing her eyes again.

Fitz smiled at her and leaned forward to kiss her forehead. He looked up at Olivia who was smiling at her as well and took her hand in his, interlocking their fingers, and let them rest at the small of Lola's back.

They looked at each other, tearing their eyes away from the precious little human that they were marveling at and Fitz grinned and winked, feeling at peace. He mouthed an 'I love you' and made sure that every single emotion that he was feeling was shown clearly on his face and when she returned the sentiment in the same fashion, he knew that it really would be okay. It wasn't a fairytale to sell their daughter. Forever was a reality.

If you read the AN at the beginning you know that I had something prepared to add to this chapter but held off. Because I really love this story and I'm excited about the next chapter and the dynamic between this little family, if you leave a review and add preview to it, I'll send you a couple of paragraphs as a sneak peak of the next chapter. For you to get a preview, you must have an account so that I can send it through the PM system.

Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed.

Reviews are appreciated.

-BiJan :-)