AN: So I started writing this and worked really hard to finish this as soon as possible thinking it had been longer since I updated this one, than since I updated my other story (The Greater Good). Turns out it's been longer for the other one, but I had already started so here it is. I'm sorry I don't update more often I swear I try my best. Anyway, hope you guys enjoy. Please review I love reading what you think :)

After his birthday party Olivia stayed with him for a little while, they were both really happy enjoying each others company. Olivia would be meeting them for dinner for the rest of the week, they were trying to spend as much time together as they could, assuming they would be apart for the holidays. Christmas was merely a week away and both of them were going to spend it with their parents.

The kids were out of school for the holidays that Friday, Olivia arrived at the White House around 5pm with Abby in tow. That afternoon there was another official holiday party, in which they would be cutting a cake for Fitz's birthday. Everything had been set up, she and Abby were just overseeing the details, and checking press statements. Soon after they arrived Olivia excused herself to go say hi to the kids.

"Liv!" Jerry exclaimed when he saw her.

"Hi guys" She replied.

"Are you here for the party?" Karen asked her.

"Yes, but I wanted to come say hi to you before I get back to work" She explained Karen

"We'll get to go too, this is the first one we are allowed to go" Karen told Olivia.

"Yeah, but we are only allowed to be there for a little while" Jerry pouted.

"Just for the cake part" Karen added. "Dad said is a grown up thing"

"It's true and it's not really fun, it's more like a work thing. Your dad has to go meet with people and take a lot of photos with a lot of people" She knew Fitz was dreading it already, but also relieved it was the last one. "Not even your dad will be there the whole time, he will arrive once the party has started, then the cake is cut, and finally he spends the rest of his time there with the photo op"

"That does sound boring" Jerry agreed.

"Will you be there the whole time?" Karen asked.

"Probably, I have to make sure everything goes smoothly with the press" She told them.

"So you won't be coming up for dinner?" Jerry asked her, both kids looked disappointed.

"I'm not sure I'll be able to, but I'm coming over tomorrow so we can watch a movie and maybe you guys can teach me how to use your xbox" The kids grinned with joy. Olivia had to remind herself to call her parents and let them know she'd be arriving until Tuesday, just one day before Christmas Eve, instead of Sunday like she had originally planned. Emily assured Liv she could handle their parents alone for a couple of days.

"Ok, do you have to leave now?" Karen asked.

"Not right now, I can stay a little longer" Olivia trusted Abby could hold the fort for a while.

"You wanna see the Christmas ornaments I made in class?" Karen said excitedly.

"Sure"

"I'll go get mine too" Jerry said and both kids sprinted out of the living room.

Liv was checking her emails while she waited for the kids when Fitz walked in. He was more than pleased to find her there.

"Hello beautiful" Olivia startled hearing his voice, and quickly looked up form her phone.

"Hey, I was not expecting to see you so early" She said with a smile.

"I could say the same" He replied.

"I just wanted to come say hi to the kids" She explained "What about you?"

"I got a stain on my tie" He laughed, and she finally noticed he wasn't wearing a tie. "So where are the kids?"

"They went to get the Christmas ornaments they made at school to show me"

"Oh yes, some fine art pieces, not because they are my children, but they have talent"

"I believe you" Fitz stood there just looking at her, he had to leave, but he didn't want to. "Weren't you getting a tie?"

"Right. The tie" He still didn't move. "Maybe I don't need to get back to work, maybe I'd rather be somewhere else…" He got closer to her, she was sitting on the couch so he kneeled down to be at eye level. "Doing something else" He slowly closed the gap between them, and just as his lips were brushing against hers, the kids returned.

"Dad come on, not in front of us please" Jerry said making a face. Fitz's face turned bright red and Olivia buried her face in her hands.

"Yeah, you guys are cute but no mouth kissing please" Karen added.

"I should go get a clean tie" He cleared throat and walked towards the kids. "And you two, behave please"

"We behave dad, you are the one who doesn't" Jerry said.

"What?"

"It's true" Karen agreed, Olivia was trying hard not to laugh.

"Oh really? I don't behave?" Karen and Jerry didn't see it coming, Fitz hugged both kids at the same time and started tickling them, and kissing their faces "How is this for not behaving huh?"

"No dad, please stop" Jerry pleased, half laughing. Olivia could no longer hold in the laughter.

"Liv help!"

"Sorry guys, I don't want him to get me too" Olivia said when her laughter subsided.

"Oh I'll get you all right, you won't get away so easy" Fitz stopped the attack on his kids and whispered something to them. Before Olivia could react all three were on her.

"Show no mercy!" Fitz yelled.

Karen and Jerry were tickling her sides, and Fitz wouldn't let her get away. He was covering all three of them so he started his attack on the kids again. Their laughter was boisterous, and could be heard from the hallway right outside where Tom and Hal were standing guard. Cyrus was walking towards them and he heard the noise.

"What's going on in there?" He was going to just walk in, but the agents blocked his path. "What are you doing?" Cyrus questioned them.

"President Grant is spending some time with his children, and he does not want to be bothered" Tom improvised.

"Well, President Grant needs to get back to work, he just came here for a tie" Cyrus argued, but the agents didn't move.

"He just wanted a few minutes, he'll be out soon" Tom added. Cyrus was getting angry, he couldn't believe he was being denied access, and he got suspicious. He huffed, and turned around, but he didn't leave. Tom, quickly got his phone out and texted Fitz. Cyrus got his phone out and called Olivia, when she didn't pick up she called Abby.

"Miss Whelan, where is Olivia?" He said as soon as Abby answered the call, she knew something was up.

"Working, because I don't know if you heard, but there's a party this evening" Abby said sarcastically.

"She's working?"

"Yes"

"Can you put her on?"

"Why didn't you just call her"

"She didn't answer, just put her on"

"Not at the moment"

"Well aren't you with her"

"No, she sent me to get her computer. What is this? 20 questions?" Abby needed to hang up to warn Liv.

"Fine, whatever I have to go" He hung up the phone and Abby texted Liv about the situation.

Fitz stopped the tickle assault when he felt his phone buzzing repeatedly, Tom had texted several times when Fitz didn't reply right away. Just as he was checking the texts, Liv's phone buzzed too, and she quickly reached for it.

"Cyrus" both of them said at the same time.

"I should go, I'll see you guys later" He ruffled the kids hair and gave Olivia an apologetic look.

"I better call him"

"Yeah" Fitz rushed to get his clean tie and left her with the kids.

Olivia quickly dialed Cyrus' number, he picked up on the first ring.

"What is so urgent that you have to call Abby and demand to talk to me" Cyrus wasn't expecting that, and he really had no valid reason for it.

"It's just… this guy… a journalist who writes trash about the President was here and I wanted to know why"

"Who is he, I can fix that right now" Olivia knew he was lying.

"It's fine, wasn't him, false alarm" He hastily replied.

"Ok then I should get back to work, goodbye Cyrus" She finally hung up and went back to the kids.

"Is uncle Cy still giving you trouble?" Karen asked, seeing how the mood had changed so abruptly.

"A little bit"

"I don't like him when he's mean" Jerry said with a pout.

"It's ok, he's just stubborn, he'll come around eventually, that's why we don't want him to know anything just yet, to give him time to process"
"Hmm… ok"

"So where are those works of art you want to show me" The kids quickly forgot about Cyrus and started talking about their art projects. Fitz came back with three different ties.

"Which one?" He asked Olivia.

"Middle one" She replied.

"I knew I was gonna pick wrong" He laughed. "Gotta go now" He tossed the other two ties, and walked outside as he tried to fix the new tie on his neck.

"So are those Santa hats?" She directed her attention back to the kids.

"Yeah we used cotton balls for the fluffy parts" Karen said proudly.

"We made trees and snowflakes, and they let us use all the glitter we wanted" Jerry showed her his work.

Both kids were really enjoying Liv's attention, their mother never cared about anything they did, she never once showed interest in things they did at school. They had Fitz, who had really changed after the nanny incident, but hanging out with Liv made them wonder if that was like to have a mother that cared.

Olivia was not able to go back to the residence for dinner, but it wasn't because of work, it was because Cyrus was hovering. Once the old man left Fitz at his next meeting he started meddling. Fitz was held up longer than he anticipated and much to his despair the kids ended up having dinner with their nanny.

He knew his job was unpredictable, so he couldn't really be upset about it, however he could be upset that his children could have enjoyed a nice dinner with Olivia if it wasn't because Cyrus was a pest. Fitz knew he had to do something about it, but still thought it was too soon to let people inside their bubble.

A little after 8 it was time for him to join the party, so he took the kids and got ready for the show. The cake cutting went great, everyone sang happy birthday, the kids blew out the candles with him and everyone seemed happy. Everyone but Olivia, who had Cyrus breathing down her neck the whole time. After the nanny took the kids back to the residence, Fitz stood there like a Disney Character at Walt Disney World and posed for endless photos.

After it was all over Olivia was planning to go to the residence with him for a bit, but Cyrus very kindly offered to walk her out. Much to Fitz's relief aside from being annoying, he wasn't trying to scare Olivia away. The old man had thought about it, but quickly realized it could really backfire on him because he knew they still needed her to keep the President's approval rates up.

"Hi there" He answered on the first ring, she called him as soon as she got home.

"Hi"

"So… the evening took a weird turn"

"Yeah, Cyrus just wouldn't leave me alone, you think he suspects something?" She voiced with concern.

"It's a possibility… did he say anything?"

"No, he was just far too interested in my whereabouts and my work"

"I'll keep an eye on him"

"Do you think he will loose it when we tell him" He liked the way she said we, it brought a smile to his face. "I mean considering how he reacted when he found out about when we met" she added.

"Don't worry, I'll deal with him, and he better behave, after all he works for me I'm the damn President he can't tell me what to do" he said with confidence. "I'll show him who's the boss"

"Ok Mister Commander in Chief" She said with fake seriousness, earning a hearty laugh from him "I'm going to sleep now, I have a busy day tomorrow, I'm learning how to play xbox"

"Oh boy, that's a big deal, you better get some rest" he laughed and then both of them stayed quiet for a moment. "Goodnight Liv"

"Goodnight Fitz" After a few more moments of silence they both hung up.

The next morning Olivia woke up early and started getting ready for her day, she was going to the White House before lunch and she was going to stay there all day. She was getting her clothes from the closet when she saw the half packed suitcase for the holidays and remembered she had to call her mom.

"Good morning mom" She said when Camille answered the phone.

"Hey sweetheart, are you ready for the trip? Did something happen?" She just knew something was up.

"Yes, I'm ready and no, nothing happened, well nothing major" Olivia started to explain.

"But" Her mother said before she continued.

"I still have quite a few things to wrap up at work so, I won't be leaving until Tuesday morning" She braced herself for her mother reaction, but it didn't happen.

"Oh well, It's expected, you just started your business, it's a blessing it's doing so well" This time Olivia was worried, it was not normal for her mom to be so mellow.

"Yeah, it is, so is everything ok over there?" She asked.

"All good, you know your dad he can't stay still, today it's poker with his buddies"

"What about you?"

"Oh just the usual, we've been getting a lot done for the new community center. There's this new volunteer, a very nice young man, he's also very handsome, you would like him" And there it was, Olivia thought, that's why her mother was acting weird.

"Mom you are not thinking of setting me up with someone right?" Her mom was quiet for too long.

"I wouldn't put it that way, but you should at least meet him, he's a sweetheart"

"Mom, please, how would that even work I live in DC remember" She kept quiet about the other reason she couldn't date that guy.

"Liv, just give it a shot, it's been too long since you dated anyone, you are all work" Her mom insisted.

"Mom, I'm fine, I don't need you to get me a man, please stop ok? I have to go, I'll see you in a few days"

"All right child, all right, take care of yourself, I love you"

"Love you too mom, bye" She hung up the phone and rubbed her temples, and she wondered how much of that conversation to tell Fitz.

Fitz and the kids were cooking lunch when she arrived at the White House. The kids insisted on grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup, and he agreed because it was something simple enough they could cook with him. Liv was greeted by Tom and Hal and told to go meet them in the kitchen.

"Hey guys" She greeted them.

"Hey, beautiful" Fitz walked to her and kissed her cheek.

"Hi Liv" Karen said, followed by a hi from Jerry. "We are making lunch"

"I can see that, need any help?" Olivia asked as she took off her jacket.

"I dunno, I think we almost done" Jerry answered.

"Yes, we are so just sit tight and prepare to taste the best grilled cheese sandwiches you've ever had" Fitz declared proudly.

"Fine" She sat at the kitchen island for a moment just watching them. "How about something to drink? Maybe some lemonade? I can do that" Fitz gave her a look "You know I can't just sit and do nothing"

"Ok, if you insist, there's concentrate in the fridge" He then went and retrieved a pitcher from a cabinet.

"You can use this" He handed her the pitcher.

In the next few minutes everything was ready, they were going to take it to the dining room but decided to stay in the kitchen.

"These really are great grilled cheese sandwiches" Liv conceded.

"Best you've ever had?" Jerry asked, and Olivia nodded, which earned big smiles from both kids.

"You two are great cooks" She said two on purpose to tease Fitz.

"What about me?" Fitz complained, and Olivia stifled a laugh.

"Oh I'm sure you were a great assistant" She tried hard no to laugh at the face he made, but only succeeded for a few seconds before bursting out.

"Oh ok, so this is how we are playing" He said in a low voice, he was sitting next to her so only she heard him.

"I don't know what you are talking about" She feigned innocence, and gave him a sweet smile.

Before their conversation took a completely different tone, the kids started talking about the things they had planned to do with Liv. They started talking about the movie they had picked and the games they chose for the xbox lesson. Both of them were really excited and Fitz couldn't be happier, he hadn't seen them so happy in a long time.

Even though it had been for the best, the divorce still hit them hard, and more so because their mother had completely disappeared from their lives. In the eight months since she had left, she hadn't seen the kids at all, and only called on their birthdays. She had completely abandoned them, and it affected them a lot. It wasn't like she had been there so much before the divorce, but they didn't realize how little she cared until she left.

They only asked questions in the first few weeks, they were expecting weekend visits or holidays with her, they knew how divorce worked for kids because of friends from school. They weren't really looking forward to it, but they were expecting it. Fitz talked to his ex-wife about it and never got a concrete answer, and since he didn't want her around them anyway he didn't insist. He ended up trying to sugarcoat it, telling them she was busy getting settled, and that it would be discussed after she got her life together. Neither of them said anything again but Fitz knew they were hurting, so it meant a great deal for him to see them so happy.

After lunch they all headed to the game room, where they watched the Lego Movie, and later the kids gave her a choice between Disney Infinity and Lego Batman to start with the xbox. She went for Lego Batman because of the movie. At first they showed her the ropes, then they made teams to play because only two people could play at a time. She teamed up with Jerry and Fitz teamed up with Karen.

They played for quite a while until it was time for dinner. It was a simple meal of grilled chicken and pasta, afterwards the four of them watched tv for a little while until it was time for the kids to go to bed. After Fitz read them a story and got them tucked in he went back to Liv for some grown up time with a bottle of red wine.

"Fun day huh" He told her after he sat on the couch next her. He opened the bottle and filled both glasses.

"It really was" She agreed.

"I can't believe it's almost christmas, it feels like thanksgiving was just yesterday, and yet so much has changed" He gazed at her lovingly.

"Couldn't agree more" He took her hand and interlocked his fingers with hers. "I called my mom"

"Is she mad you are delaying your trip"

"She was actually pretty cool about it"

"Really?"

"Yeah, which I found really odd, turns out she had ulterior motives" Fitz looked confused. "She was telling me about the community center she volunteers for" Olivia stopped suddenly doubting her decision to tell him.

"And?"

"It seems like she has found me a lovely gentleman suitor" Fitz was briefly shocked by what he heard, and he couldn't help the jealousy creeping up inside him. He was aware Olivia had nothing to do with it, nor did she even know the guy, but still he just could not help it. He stayed quiet unsure of what to say. "I told her to not even think about it" She quickly added. He was relieved but not completely.

"Ok"

"Fitz it's nothing, she just worried because, well I hadn't dated in a while and she says I work too much… I contemplated telling her she doesn't have to worry anymore, but I didn't feel ready for the interrogation that was sure to follow, besides I wasn't sure if we were telling people, or still keeping it a secret"

"Fair enough, I haven't told my parents either, rather do it in person, and I also wanted to ask you if it was ok with you that I tell them about us" He knew he had no reason to be upset, but it was awful to think she could be whisked away from him by some guy.

"Well not everyone but we can tell our families, and also you know, my sister and Abby already know"

"And my kids and agents" He chuckled. Olivia looked down at her glass of wine.

"So… what are we telling our families?" He was confused for a moment, but he soon caught what she was implying.

"I was planning on telling them I have a girlfriend… Is that ok?"

"Yeah, that's ok" She gave him a sheepish grin.

Fitz just stared at her and smiled too, he couldn't even find the words to describe how happy he felt. He put his glass on the coffee table and then took hers to put on the table too. He scooted closer to her and gently cupped her face.

"Miss First Girlfriend, may I kiss you"

"Yes you may Mr. President" He slowly brushed his lips against her, he started with soft pecks and slowly deepened the kiss.

He moved his hands down her back to pull her closer to him, Olivia wrapped her arms around his neck at first, then she started running her hands through his hair, he let out a soft moan. He slowly moved, then in one swift motion he pulled Olivia down to pin her to the couch. He looked at her through hooded eyes, full of lust. He only broke contact with her mouth to place soft kisses on her neck, when he reached her ears he realized he found a very sensitive spot as Olivia's breath hitched. Fitz continued his assault, and turned back his attention to her lips, he was in awe of the way she made him feel, he had never felt such passion and need for anyone before.

He could feel himself loosing control, and she wasn't doing anything to stop him. Olivia's brain had gone to mush pretty much since they started making out, but she truly lost any trace of self control after he found her sweet spot behind her ear. She knew they had to stop before it was too late, but she just couldn't find her will. She hadn't lost her bearings so fast with any other guy she dated, or felt such passion, not even with her 5 year boyfriend who she thought was the one for a long time.

Before either of them could find enough will power to slow things down, his phone started ringing loudly. Fitz was so startled he dropped the phone trying to get it out of his pants, when he sat up to retrieve it from the floor Olivia quickly sat up too and nervously smoothed her clothes. The call had gone to voicemail, but it started ringing again.

"Ugh" Fitz groaned seeing the called id. "What the hell Cyrus?"

"I was just notified of an article that will come out on an important magazine on Monday and-" Fitz interrupted him.

"You called me about an article, are you fucking kidding me right now, I thought there was an international crisis or something. Couldn't this wait until tomorrow?" He was pissed and seriously wondering if Cyrus had some sort of radar to find the right moment to be inconvenient.

"Yes, this is a big deal, is the first positive piece written about you in a very long time"

"This is not a good time Cyrus" He interrupted again

"Why? What are you even doing, aren't your children in bed already" Fitz cursed in his head.

"Yes, and I was trying to do the same, I have a splitting headache" He told Cyrus the first excuse he could think of, and being honest that call was giving him a headache.

"Oh ok" He wasn't fully convinced

"We can continue this conversation on Monday" Fitz suggested.

"Why not tomorrow?" Cyrus inquired.

"Because I'm hoping to have a calm and relaxed day, and this is not that important" Fitz took a deep calming breath. "Just stop thinking about me for five minutes, go enjoy your husband, do some gardening, whatever besides calling me unless it's an emergency"

"Fine, whatever" Cyrus finally conceded "I'll se you Monday morning"

"Goodbye Cyrus" Fitz hung up his phone, and immediately turned it off.

"Cyrus does have great timing" Olivia said after a few moments of silence. Fitz chuckled.

"I was thinking maybe he has some sort of sixth sense or a radar"

"It's getting late, I think I should get going"

"So soon?" Fitz pouted, and also he wanted to strangle Cyrus for spoiling the mood.
"I've been here all day" Olivia countered.

"Hmm… Still not enough time" He declared.

"I really should go, I know you were just trying to get Cyrus off your back, but you really should get some rest, you barely ever get a good nights sleep, and I'm actually pretty tired too." Fitz was tempted to asked to stay, but decided against it, he didn't want to push her limits.

"All right, but will you come over tomorrow?" He paused, but before she could answer he got a better idea "Wait no, how does tomorrow sound for our second official date?" Olivia paused for a moment, as if she was thinking about it.

"I think… it sounds great" He broke into a huge grin "Will you tell me this time what we are doing, so I can plan my outfit"

"I don't know, I wouldn't want to miss another dress like the one you wore last time"

"Fitz!" She playfully swatted his arm.

"Ok, ok I'll tell you, I was thinking dinner and a movie, and a ton of ice cream, since you said it sounded fun"

"Ah yes, and you said you would keep it in mind for our second date" She thought it was sweet. "It sounds nice"

"And we can watch a grown up movie, with actual people in it"

"That's good, but to be honest I have enjoyed the movies we have watched with the kids. Do you have any movie in mind?"

"I actually do"

"But you won't tell me"

"Nope, I've already said too much"

"Ok, I can live with that. I should go now, will you walk me out?"

"Why yes, of course I will"

As they walked out he reached for her hand, it was a quiet walk; Tom and Hal kept their distance and tried to make as little noise as possible. They held hands through the halls of the White House in peaceful bliss. Fitz gave her a chaste goodnight kiss when she was ready to leave and asked her to text her when she got home. He went back to the residence and got ready for bed as he waited for her text, he wished the hours would go by faster so he could see her again.

When Olivia got home she promptly texted Fitz, and he replied with a goodnight and kiss emojis, she replied with a similar text and got ready for bed. She missed him even though she had just left his house, and wished she had taken him up on his offer to keep his pj's.

They both drifted off to sleep thinking of the other.