A/N: Hi! It's been forever since I updated and I'm so sorry. I'm really trying to be better about it but time has really gotten away from me this semester.

December 1963

"Have yourself a merry little Christmas/ Let your heart be light/ From now on our troubles will be out of sight," Olivia sang as she hung Christmas lights on her fireplace. She could hear Quinn and her boyfriend, Huck, placing the mountain of toys they'd collected for Toys for Tots into cardboard boxes. Olivia herself had purchased two dozen bicycles in a rainbow of colors for the children.

The phone rang and she looked at the clock. It was 4:52, meaning it could only have been one person. She smiled as she sat on the couch and picked up the phone. "Hello."

"Hi," he replied. "Guess what Tom brought me today."

"Eggnog?"

He chuckled. "No. He brought me an issue of Life magazine and guess who's on the cover?"

"I hope it's not the president cause he owes me money," she replied with a smile. She had gotten a copy of her Life issue a few weeks before. It sat on the magazine rack in her gown room with the others.

"Unfortunately it's not but the person on the cover seems to have a bit of a crush on him. Apparently he's a dream." Olivia smirked at the sound of pages turning. "He's very kind. And the sweetest thing. And very smart. And funny. A hoot, apparently. That's interesting because someone said I wasn't funny enough to write my own jokes for the State of the Union."

"You're funny but you're not funny."

"And you're funny?"

"I'm funnier than you."

He laughed because it was true. "Well I've got some jokes for the Holiday Ball that I think are pretty funny. Tell me what you think of these…"

Outside Fitz's cracked bedroom door, Mellie stood in her pajamas. Her hand on the knob, she listened to him talk to Olivia. She could see a sliver of his smiling face as he read her his jokes off an index card, and she frowned deeply. She had been on her way to help him vet his jokes but apparently she wasn't needed. She wasn't sure what to make of the evolution of his dalliance with Olivia. She had been expecting them to grow bored of each other after a few months but it had been almost a year, and they showed no signs of wearing. And Fitz seemed much lighter, so much happier. She'd catch him humming love songs as he drank his morning coffee on the balcony, and poring over the books Olivia had sent them for his daily lunch breaks. She didn't resent his falling for someone else—she'd done that long ago—but she hadn't expected him to stop being her partner. But he had found someone to take her place.

"I've always hated spring weddings. You're almost guaranteed to get rained out," he said and Mellie's eyebrows furrowed. She wondered who was getting married. He laughed. "Winter weddings are too much competition with the holidays… Take it from someone who got married in the fall. You're gonna underestimate the cold and everyone's gonna freeze. You start at 4 and it's nice and warm. By 5:30, it's cold and dark and everyone's just ready to go."

Mellie frowned harder, remembering how she had misjudged the timing of their wedding, and how everyone was cold and annoyed by the end of the ceremony. Still, she wondered what had brought on a conversation about marriage between her husband and his girlfriend.

"…No. Summer wedding on the beach can't be beat. Everyone can just change into their bathing suits and hang out after. A couple of beers, steaks on the grill, some good music. It's easy and could be cost-effective if you tell people it's a barbecue beforehand. People will bring their own grills and side dishes… That is not rude, Livvie. It's standard barbecue etiquette to bring side dishes. A wedding doesn't change that… We'll have to agree to disagree…"

Mellie didn't want to listen to their whole conversation but she found herself rooted to the spot. She needed to listen, to discover their magic. Whatever they had had changed Fitz and Mellie needed to know what that change meant for her. By the time they said their "I love you's" and goodbye's. She wasn't sure what to think about them, only knowing that she had painfully misjudged them, thinking their affair tawdry and salacious.

She waited a few minutes, gathering herself, then knocked on the door. A moment later, Fitz said, "Come in."

Mellie opened the door and put on a crooked smile. "I was just coming to see if you had your remarks ready for the holiday ball. I can look over them for you if you want."

Fitz gathered his index cards. "I've got them. You don't have to look over them. I think they're pretty solid."

He didn't want to tell her that Olivia had vetted his jokes. He and Mellie weren't typically married anymore, but he didn't feel right talking about his relationship with Olivia with her. She raised her eyebrows at him but didn't say anything, instead turning around and heading for the door. "Wait, Mel. I do need to talk to you about something."

She turned, a knot in her stomach, prepared for a speech about how they just weren't working anymore and needed to cut their losses. "What is it?"

"I, uh… Sit down, Mel." She took a tentative seat at the foot of his bed. Fitz swallowed and rubbed his scruffy beard. "Look I've been thinking and I've decided that in a year, I'm going to resign. It's time. I'm not getting any younger or healthier. I can hardly sleep. So, after I get the Civil Rights Act passed, I'm going to throw all my support behind Derek and resign."

Mellie's jaw slackened but she quickly recovered. Now wasn't the time for sentimentality. "And after you resign, you want a divorce so you can marry Olivia."

"And you can marry Andrew, or whoever you want."

"And you think things can go over this smoothly?"

He shrugged. "The way I see it, we've all gotten what we wanted. I got to be president. You got to be First Lady. Andrew got to be a senator. My dad got to be proud of me. The country will see some actual change. I mean, that was my whole campaign. Once I get it passed, I'll just be in here counting the days until I get out so I can do what I want. Why wait?"

"You can't resign. You won't."

"I can and I am, Mel. It's all over. The credits are rolling on this show. Aren't you tired? Haven't you had enough of being tied to me out of convenience?"

Mellie's eyes dropped to her lap. "I don't have anyone else to be tied to."

"Andrew—"

"Will never be president. He doesn't have it. I don't know what you've got that he doesn't, but whatever it is, it can't be fixed. At least not by me. You and I work because we only need someone to give the 50% we're missing. But Andrew…he needs someone who can carry him completely, someone to prop him up and make him into the president. I can't do that. I'm too old. It's time for me to be propped up, Fitz. And he's got nothing for me to lean on."

Fitz frowned. "You know, I've always thought you were cunning, that you were smart enough to make the earth move at will, but you're not. You're lazy, Mellie. You're willing to slither in and do anything you have to to make sure someone else is doing the legwork. You walk around like you've got the world on a string, but really it's got you. If everyone stopped helping you, you wouldn't be anything because you're not willing to make yourself anything. What I don't understand is why you're so lazy. You've got all the parts to make something of yourself. Why won't you?"

"Because I've never had to!" she shrieked. "My whole life people have done everything for me. Daddy made me rich. Mama made me pretty. Tutors made me smart. Nannies made me charming. All anybody has ever asked is that I show up. They would do the hard work. Beauty pageants, debutante balls, finishing school! They didn't teach me math! They taught me how to sit like a lady, make flower arrangements, throw nice parties, land the right man! I didn't need to think. I just had to exist and everything else was put into place. You even did it! You made me the biggest ornament on the American crown! No one cares if the First Lady went to college. They wanna know what she's wearing, how she's decorating the residence, which brown country she's championing. It doesn't even matter if I can find Cambodia on a map as long as I'm there to smile in pictures with the skinny children and cry over their distended bellies when I get home. I've never had to be anything special. I've just had to be. What do you expect me to do without you?"

"Survive. You can do it," Fitz replied.

"I'm 42 years old!" It was the first time she'd ever spoken her true age to anyone. Fitz knew it, having seen her birth certificate, but she never talked about it. "I can't grow up now, Fitz."

"Mellie I had a heart attack. I could have died. And you want me to keep a job that's literally killing me because you're afraid to be uncomfortable? Are you hearing yourself?" He blinked at her, his voice rising. "You're talking about us being partners while you're ignoring my wellbeing! Would you like me to die so you can become a First Widow? You'd definitely never have to work then. Oh poor Mellie, losing her husband to the American Dream. You could be the victim for the rest of your life, and wouldn't that suit you so well?"

"I didn't mean—"

"Get out."

Mellie blinked at him. "What?"

"Get out. This isn't a discussion. I was just giving you a heads up. You've got it, now go."

Mellie sighed and squared her shoulders. "I want a divorce."

Fitz scoffed. "You've got it."

"No. I want a divorce. When the story comes out, I want it to say that it was me who filed, that I left you because you were insufferable and selfish and—"

"Fine. You can file the papers, and sell your sad story. I just want my freedom."

"And I want the house."

Mellie flinched at the speed that brought Fitz to stand in front of her, so close that she could see the vein throbbing in his forehead. "How dare you ask for my mother's house? It's the only piece I have of her and you know it."

"I just thought—" If she was being honest, she hadn't been thinking. She just wanted to see how far she could push him, to see if he was still hers to push. If he was, then maybe she could change his mind. Now she knew better.

"Get out."

This time, she left. Fitz slammed the door behind her and flung himself on the bed. A few minutes later, Stephen entered, holding two bottle of beer. He handed one to his younger brother as he sat down on the bed beside him.

"To what do I owe the pleasure of hearing the first Grant fight in years?" he asked.

Fitz glowered at the ceiling. "We're getting a divorce after I resign next year. She wants to me the one to file. She asked for mom's house."

"That bitch!" Stephen scowled. "I should go wring her saggy neck."

"You'd have to beat me there," Fitz replied. He gave a deeper frown. "My chest hurts."

Stephen looked down at his little brother's red face. "Sit up and cough like we practiced."

Fitz sat up and coughed obediently. The pressure in his chest eased up considerably and the color in his face dissipated. He let Stephen check his pulse which was, thankfully, steady. Stephen patted his shoulder. "Have you told her?"

Fitz grinned. "I told her a few months ago. She's the one who convinced me to stay a year because I was out the door in January."

Stephen chuckled. "I'm happy for you, Gerry."

XXXXX

December 23

Olivia smirked as she looked around the White House ballroom, noticing the absence of one very special guest. She put on a smile as photographers snapped her picture in the entryway. Mellie and Fitz's brother grinned as they greeted guests and Olivia smiled warmly at Stephen, making sure to get away from Mellie as quickly as possible. There were few people that she found genuinely off-putting, but the First Lady was definitely one of them.

She got a glass of champagne from one of the circling waiters and tucked her present for Fitz under her arm so she could hold her clutch. Tom sidled to her side and stood casually, his free hand in his pocket. "Have you ever seen a moon so blue?"

"I don't believe I have," she replied with a good-natured smile.

"I can show it to you." Olivia nodded and followed him out of the ballroom's back exit, wondering where they were going. She was surprised when he led her into the Residence then into a bedroom and sincerely hoped that Fitz wasn't thinking they could have sex while a ball was going on. But Tom led her through the bedroom that she knew to be Fitz's simply from the scent of him lingering in the air, and out onto a balcony where he draped her wrap over her shoulders then disappeared.

"It's Christmas. You should be wearing red," Fitz greeted with a smile as he looked over her bronze-gold sequined strapless gown. He didn't even realize it was sequined until he took her in his arms and his hands brushed over the back of the dress.

"Are you saying I don't look nice?" She pouted cutely at him.

"I don't think that's possible." He leaned down at kissed her, trying to remember the last time he'd had the opportunity. It had been almost three months and the realization made him kiss her harder, searching for change with his tongue. "I've missed you, Livvie."

Olivia kissed his bottom lip, gave a smile. "It's the holidays. Don't be sad, honey."

"I'm not sad. I just miss you. I've been waiting for this for weeks." He kissed her cheeks then her chin then the length of her neck, pausing to breathe in her scent. "You smell like heaven."

She ran her fingers through his hair and relished the feel of being in his arms again. It was a sensation that happened far too infrequently. Her smile twitched when his nose wandered to the cleft of her cleavage. "Hey! I'll have you know I have a boyfriend who wouldn't appreciate that."

"I could probably take him…unless he's like, the President or something. That's one guy I wouldn't tangle with." He smiled at her laugh, rumbling in her chest and pressing her breasts against his face. "You know, this would be the best way to die."

She laughed harder as she pushed his face away. "You are shameless, Mr. President."

He hummed with pleasure as he took her back in his arms. "Don't say that. You know what happens when you say that."

Olivia shook her head as she stepped back. She turned at the sound of voices on the lawn and frowned. Fitz squinted in the darkness then looked at her. "Do you want to go inside?"

She nodded. "I think we should."

"Since we're going steady, you can sit on my bed if you want." Olivia laughed as she walked into the bedroom and sat on his bed. Fitz sat beside her and kicked off his shoes, flashing her a smile. He leaned back on his elbows. Olivia smiled as she crossed her legs. "You know, I can remember being in a very similar position after my senior homecoming."

"Were you queen?"

"Of course." She smiled proudly. "All we're missing is a cheap bottle of champagne and a condom that's been stuck in your wallet for months."

Fitz slipped off the bed and went to his small refrigerator to retrieve a bottle of champagne. "It's not cheap but I think it'll do. I'm afraid I don't have any condoms though."

"Guess you won't be getting lucky." She snickered as she watched him uncork the bottle then bring it to the bed.

"I still like my chances." He drunk from the bottle then passed it to her, smiling as she turned it up to her lips. "And if nothing else, I'm at least guaranteed a hickey."

"Won't that be nice to show the press downstairs?" Fitz shrugged as he dug in his pocket. Olivia's eyes widened when he produced a ring box and she shook her head at him vigorously. "No."

Fitz set the box in her lap anyway. "It's not that. I'm not even divorced yet."

"Then what is it?"

"Open it." Olivia handed him the champagne bottle then opened the box. She gasped at the thin gold ring, simply encrusted with three small round diamonds. Fitz took it from the box. "It was my grandmother's, a gift from her father for her debutante ball. I was supposed to give it to my wife but it never felt right. I can't imagine anyone but you wearing it now."

"It's beautiful."

"Read the inscription."

Olivia held the ring up to read the tiny script on its inside: Ever thine. Ever mine. Ever ours. She recognized the lines from one of Beethoven's love letters that she'd read to him one night when he called her at nearly dawn, unable to sleep. She turned her glassy eyes on him. "Fitz…"

He slipped the ring on her finger. "I know we've got a ways to go until I can give you the ring I really want you to have, but this one enough right now. As long as you're wearing it… As long as I know you're wearing it…"

"I know." She ran her fingers through his hair and pulled him close to kiss him again, lingering to brush her nose against his. She remembered her gift and retrieved it from the bundle of her wrap.

Fitz smiled at the little red gift box. "You didn't have to get me anything Livvie."

"I can take it back if you'd like."

He laughed. "Well you already went through the trouble of wrapping it."

He opened the box and his eyebrows furrowed at the sight of a single key. He looked up at her with a smirk. "Is this the key to your heart?"

"Do you really think I'd do something so cliché for our first Christmas?" Olivia raised her eyebrows at him.

"Honestly I expected something Hollywood like a Rolex, but an ambiguous key is just the same I suppose." He teasingly poked her side.

"It's the key to my new apartment here but I can take it back to get you a gaudy Rolex if that's what your heart is set on."

Fitz's eyes widened. "Your new apartment? You're moving here?"

Olivia smirked, cocking an eyebrow at him. "For a year or so. Los Angeles has become quite crowded lately, and Quinn thought it was time for a change of scenery. Her boyfriend is going off to live on some commune with a bunch of people who don't do anything but sing and dance all day. So here we are."

"Here you are." Fitz grinned as he held up the key. "And this key means I can come over anytime I want? Do you promise to always have popcorn and cherry Coke for me?"

"I suppose. I'll have to see what my boyfriend says about that."

They began passing the champagne bottle back and forth again and managed to get quite tipsy, eventually finishing off the bottle. They lay back on the bed, giggling tipsily. Olivia lay with her head on Fitz's chest, smiling as he twisted the ring on her finger. "Wise men say only fools rush in/ But I can't help falling in love with you/ Shall I stay? Would it be a sin?/ If I can't help falling in love with you…"

Fitz hiccupped softly, pulling her tighter against him. "Like a river flows gently to the sea/ Darling so it goes, some things are meant to be/ Take my hand, take my whole life too/ Cause I can't help falling in love with you…"

Stephen entered the room and smiled at the sight of them lying across Fitz's bed like drunk teenagers after a dance. He shook his head at the sight of the empty champagne bottle on the floor beside the bed then quietly shut the door.

A/N: So Mellie and Fitz had their first talk and Olivia is moving to DC. This year is about to get a lot more interesting. This update wasn't very long but the next ones will be longer as the drama unfolds. Don't forget to review! XOXOXO