A/N: It's been ages, I know. I'm so sorry. I found this chapter so hard to start - but once I did, I wrote the whole thing in about ten hours. I really love these two and I hope I can update sooner next time. Your support and reviews are amazing. Thank you so much.


Chapter 23 - Who Is This Guy?

It's Sunday morning, two days after Abby called to reveal she had tracked down Jonathan Miers and her plan to go out with him the following Friday, to find the dirt Fitz so desperately needs on his wife. He's currently sitting in bed, discussing it with Olivia as she gets dressed to go out for breakfast with her father - except she's stopped moving, and is standing in front of the mirror in nothing but her black lingerie, holding her boobs.

"I think they've grown overnight." She turns to him, looking down at herself. "Do you?"

With the way she's pushing them together, he definitely has to agree. But his brain is suddenly incapable of saying so because his overwhelming reaction to her right now - gorgeous and bare, with her little baby bump - is of absolute and total love. It rushes through him in a second, filling him from head to toe. "Come here," he murmurs, reaching out his hand towards her.

She glances up and smiles, and he wonders if she is actually an angel. She kneels on the bed and straddles his lap; when she cuddles him, his face gets buried in her glorious chest and he kisses her soft skin, exploring the changing parts of her body.

"I love you," he says as his lips wander. He's gripping her waist, brushing his thumbs back and forth over her abdomen. He doesn't think he'll ever get over the fact that she's pregnant, growing their baby. It's already been three weeks since they found out and he's still overawed. "I love you so much, beautiful."

When their eyes meet, the air around them seems to set alight.

"Fitz," she sighs, holding his face in her palms, dipping her head to put her mouth on his. He inhales sharply, breathing her in as the kiss deepens, as she presses herself against him. She is the sexiest thing in the entire world and he wants her, all the time.

But this time she draws away, breaking contact. She's already panting. He's already hard.

"We can't," she says, running her fingers through his hair.

"Why not?" He kisses her again, tenderly, and she lets him. "Are you feeling nauseous?"

"Not really. But I have to meet my dad in less than an hour, and I can't go there with you all over me. I can't."

"You can shower afterwards."

"Fitz!" she laughs, surprised. "That's not what I meant. Mentally, I just couldn't do it. I'm nervous enough anyway."

"I know. I was joking."

She smiles ruefully. "I love you, baby."

She starts to climb off of him but he makes her pause, cupping her breasts in his hands. "You're right," he says thoughtfully, "They are bigger today."

He kisses each one, then lifts her hips so she's kneeling higher, so he can brush his lips over her belly. "You're bigger too today, Little G." The affectionate nickname they gave the baby on their walk in Harriman State Park has stuck with him. Secretly, he wonders if the G, originally for 'grape' and then 'Grant', with become 'girl'.

Only time will tell.

"You may be bigger," Olivia is saying affectionately, "But you need to stay hidden today. We don't want Grandpa finding out about you yet. And now Mommy has pregnancy boobs as well…"

She trails off, looking worried.

"Livvie," Fitz says sternly, "You are glowing. You're stunning. Please don't be sad about that. It breaks my heart that you have to hide, to pretend."

"What choice do we have?"

"Maybe you could tell your dad about me? That would be a start, wouldn't it?"

But she shakes her head, standing up. He lets her go, hoping he hasn't upset her. "I want to," she says as she crosses the room, heading for her closet. "I really do. But… I don't know how. I've gone over it a hundred times in my head, and there's just no way to make 'I'm dating an older, married man who knocked me up the night we met' sound good."

They're both quiet for a while as she rummages through her clothes, eventually returning to the mirror with a small pile of different outfits.

"I don't understand why the age gap is such a huge issue," Fitz says carefully. "We're both adults."

Olivia pulls on a top and then looks at him levelly. "You don't understand fathers and daughters. Imagine if we have a little girl and one day, she brings home a man who's thirteen years older than her. How would you react?"

He frowns. Instinctively, he knows he wouldn't like it.

"The second issue," she continues, deciding against the top and taking it off again, "And I don't like saying this, is that you're white."

Fitz blinks. She's never hinted that that might be an issue for her father before, and despite his revelations during the week about how Olivia's race affects every aspect of her life, it hadn't occurred to him that Mr Pope might be in one of the groups that disapproved.

"I know that seems racist to you," she says before he can voice those exact words (something he's glad she's spared him from, because he doesn't feel comfortable making that accusation against someone he's never met before). "But my dad has this thing he always said when I was growing up: being black, I had to be twice as good to get half as much. You know it's true."

He nods, listening and watching with fascination as she tries on a pretty floral dress. "I do."

"He liked Edison." Her eyes meet his in the mirror, dark and calm. "Not for the way he treated me, obviously, but because he came from a large black family, went to a black church. You are… definitely not the man he's always hoped I'll marry."

She turns and comes over to him, perching next to him on the bed. "I don't agree with his views," she tells him seriously. "You make me feel twice as good, all the time. But you have to understand why this will be difficult for him. And he's my only close relative - I don't want to lose him. Then there's our mixed-race baby, as well…"

She looks so distressed that Fitz squeezes her hands tightly in his.

"You are not a disappointment, Olivia." When she gazes at him, he can see that his intuition was spot on. "You could never be a disappointment. And I think you need to give your dad more credit. He might be more accepting than you expect. He loves you; he only wants you to be happy."

"I am happy," she says quietly, managing a small smile. "Stressed, but happy."

Fitz wishes he could take away all her fears - but there's only one man who can do that. "Whatever happens, I'll always be here to support you."

"I know." She leans in to kiss him. "Thank you."

"You're welcome, sweet baby."

She stands again. "Do you think this dress is okay?"

"You mean, do you look eleven weeks pregnant? You do to me. But to anyone else, no. Your secret is safe."

"Our secret."

He grins at her. "But not for too much longer."

Pending Olivia's OB appointment and her scan at the end of the week, they're planning a dinner party with their closest friends next Sunday, to make the announcement. It would be nice to keep it to themselves for longer but, with everything going on, they're going to need all the help they can get if they run into any more problems. Plus, it felt so good sharing the news with Mark and Annabel last weekend; now he's desperate to tell Henry, and his father too. Olivia will be in LA over Thanksgiving for a couple of events and he's going to fly across too, to see his dad and introduce him to the love of his life.

He suspects the next few weeks will make it all a lot more real. And, hopefully, he will have his divorce papers signed and submitted to the courts, too. Ready to move on. Ready for the next chapter.


Olivia can barely sit still, she's so anxious. Her father keeps asking questions, straightforward enough, but she's so aware of what she's hiding beneath her clothes that it's all she can think about.

"How are you?" Eli asks.

Pregnant.

"What have you been doing lately?"

Growing a baby. Trying to get rid of my boyfriend's wife.

And she knows he can sense there's something wrong. The urge to tell him everything, to blurt it all out here in the middle of the restaurant, is pulling at her. Even though they're not close, she's never kept such important information from him before and it's hard. She wants to be able to share her exciting news with him, to let him know she's finally happy again after two years of misery since the end of her last relationship. But it's too much to reveal all at once. She doesn't want him to have a heart attack right in front of her.

"What's wrong, Olivia? You're very quiet today." His eyes - lighter than hers, which are her mother's - pierce straight through her, and she almost confesses. Almost. But then he continues speaking and she's reminded of how they are so different, of the kind of man he is, and of all the reasons why she can't be open with him even if she would like to be. "Anyone would think you didn't want to be here; that you would rather be somewhere else, instead of with your father who you haven't seen in over a month."

The guilt trip: his old favorite. Suddenly, any notion of telling him anything is gone from her mind. This is what always happens when they've spent time apart: she starts to think better of him, to think he might be kinder and more accepting than in her memory. Then they meet up and he shows his true colors once again, destroying a child's foolish hopes that her daddy is actually the sweet, caring man she wishes he was.

"No, Dad. I'm sorry." She takes a sip of her juice, trying to stay calm. She's not the disappointment - he is. And yet what can she do? She's too afraid of him to stand up to him. She still loves him, still forgives him his flaws because he lost the woman he loved, and he's always done his best to bring up their daughter - even if his best wasn't the warm, affectionate kind of parenting she actually needed. She thinks about her baby and how different its upbringing will be - she and Fitz will make sure of it.

"I'm just tired," she goes on, her tone hard now. She wishes she was back at home. "I've been really busy lately."

"Doing what?"

Her work is something they can always talk about because she knows he's proud of her for it, and he's interested. They while away the next hour discussing her UN projects, her charity Christmas fundraisers, Eli's next trip abroad to give an address at the European Mammalian Congress.

"I'm flying out on Thanksgiving… I'll be there over your mother's anniversary."

November twenty-ninth: the day their worlds changed forever. Every year since, they've visited her grave together and the news that he won't be there shakes Olivia to her core. It must show on her face because his expression softens - a rare sight.

"I'm sorry. I wish I could be here with you. I almost didn't accept the invitation."

"No," she says firmly, "You have to go. It's a huge honor for you. I'll be okay."

"Do you have someone who can take you?" He looks genuinely upset. Where was this fatherly concern during her teenage years, her messy break-up with Edison?

"Yes," she reassures him, thinking of Fitz. His words about her father come back to her: 'he only wants you to be happy'. And then, without thinking too hard about it, without giving herself chance to back out, she tells him: "I'm dating someone. He'll give me a ride."

Eli is taken aback. "Oh. I see. When were you going to-" But he stops himself; resists his instinct to admonish her. Maybe he is learning, after all. Maybe she should give him more credit. "Is he… nice?"

She smiles. "Of course he's nice."

"And he's good to you?"

"Yes. Very."

He studies her for a long moment. "You're not going to tell me anything else about him, are you?"

Olivia finds herself laughing; to her surprise, her father joins in. "Not yet," she says softly. The fact that he clearly understands her hesitance implies he has at least some self-awareness of his own behavior, and how judgmental he can be. She tries not to get too excited about how promising that is.

"Fair enough," he says lightly. "As long as you're happy."

"I am. I'm good."

"Good. You look beautiful today, by the way. Just like your mother." He stares into his coffee cup. "I know I'm difficult, Olivia. You think I expect perfection from you-"

"Because that's what you used to say to me, all the time."

His smile is wistful as he gazes at her again. "I remember. And I should have apologized for that long ago, because you are already perfect. You've been perfect since the day you were born. I should tell you more often. So… I'm sorry."

Olivia is speechless. For once, she can't blame her emotions on her pregnancy: that kind of admission from him would always have made her cry. "Dad," she breathes, reaching for his hand. It's been a long time since they've shared such an honest moment. Their relationship is so complicated she can barely keep up; and yet, underneath it all, she's never doubted that he loves her - unconditionally.

"What was I like as a baby?" she inquires, wiping away her tears with her napkin. She hadn't dared to believe she'd be able to ask him these kinds of questions, to inform herself about her own possible future.

"You were... very good. A little fussy sometimes, especially when your mother went out and left you with me. But after five minutes, you'd be happy again. We had a lot of fun together. As soon as you could walk I used to chase you around the house, pin you to the floor and blow raspberries on your little belly. I'll never forget how you squealed with delight."

They share a fond smile. She can imagine Fitz doing exactly the same thing with their child. "How was my birth? Was Mom okay?"

Eli leans forward and rests his chin on his palm, looking thoughtful. If he's suspicious as to why she's so interested, he doesn't show it. "She was amazing. They had to induce her at forty-one weeks. She was in labor for thirty-six hours, but she barely complained. She was just so excited to meet you."

The longing for her mother, which has faded over time but never disappeared completely, suddenly returns full-force. "God, I wish she was here," Olivia says, tearing up again. She looks away across the restaurant, trying to control herself.

"So do I. Every day."

That breaks her.

"Oh, Daddy." She stands up and he's on his feet too by the time she's rounded the table, welcoming her into his arms. They stay there for several minutes: remembering, mourning… and, maybe, healing a little, too. "I love you."

"I love you too, baby girl."

He hasn't called her that for years. She wonders why he's suddenly opening up, apologizing to her. Is it just because he feels guilty about missing the anniversary of her mother's death, or because he really wants to make amends? And if it's the latter, why now? What's changed? He seems the same as ever. Can he somehow sense a change in her? She certainly feels more vulnerable now. Falling in love and deciding to have a baby will do that to a woman.

"Well," her father says at length, stepping back. He seems a little awkward. "That was… unexpected. I'm sorry if I upset you."

"You didn't. I love to hear you talk about Mom, and my childhood."

"Maybe we should do it again sometime?"

"Yes please."

He has no idea how many more questions she has about her early years. It all helps build up a picture in her mind of how her life might look when her son or daughter comes along.

"When are you next free?" Eli asks, after signaling to the server for the check.

"Whenever you want."

He seems genuinely touched by her response. "Okay. I'll be in touch soon then."

"Would you like me to pay this time?"

"Don't be ridiculous, Olivia. I'm your father."

And she has to laugh, because for the first time in a long time, she actually feels like he is. And, while it doesn't make up for the years of distance he put between them, for the moment it feels really, really good.


Buoyed by how well she bonded with her dad, Olivia's week flies by. With each day she gets closer to twelve weeks, feeling more and more secure about her pregnancy. Her OB appointment is on Friday and they are both so excited to see their baby on screen - Fitz especially, given it's his first time.

He's been calling his lawyer daily, asking her to put pressure on his wife's representative. He doesn't seem particularly optimistic that it will work - which, given his description of Clarissa Ma, doesn't surprise Olivia - but she's grateful that he's trying anyway. They are almost totally relying on Abby's plan to succeed: they met with her on Monday night to discuss how she might go about getting their suspect to confess. Olivia then spoke to Huck, who is a computer genius (and borderline hacker, but that's a very closely kept secret), asking him to track down any dirt he could find on Jonathan Miers.

"We might not have to use it," she'd explained when Fitz looked shocked at the mere suggestion of more underhand tactics. "All we need is him to confess that your wife did something - anything - outside of company rules and we've got her. She'll have to sign your papers or it's goodbye partnership."

"And if she hasn't done anything wrong, which I find very unlikely," Abby had chimed in, "We can use our information to convince Mr Miers to say that she has."

Fitz had sighed and run his hands over his face. Olivia knew how tired he was of this whole debacle. "Fine. Whatever works. But please, spare me the details."

Later that night, when they were in bed, she'd held him close in the dark. "We don't have to do it dirty if you don't want to," she'd whispered. "I just want it to be successful. I want you to be free."

"So do I," he'd replied wearily. "That's all that matters. Do it however you need to. Besides, I'm the one who started all this."

She'd kissed his forehead, his temple, his cheek. "You're a good man, Fitz. I know you don't want to hurt her, but she's hurting you and I can't bear it. I won't let her do this to you anymore."

He'd loved her so fiercely, after that. She still trembles whenever she thinks about it.

She meets him outside the obstetrician's office on Friday afternoon. "Professor Mohammed Iftikhar," he reads from the plaque on the wall as they enter the building. "How did you find him again?"

"I went through all the online ratings websites I could find, read some of his extensive research, saw he's delivered countless celebrities' babies so he's particularly stringent about patient confidentiality. He's a university lecturer too. By all accounts, he's the best."

"Well then," Fitz admits, "I guess he'll do."

Olivia smiles at him; once they're inside the elevator, heading for the fifth floor, she kisses him. "You're so protective. It's cute."

"I know."

She laughs and takes his hand. She's already phoned ahead, paid enough for her appointment to ensure she's the only client at this time of day. Being able to act like a normal couple is so thrilling, she lets him kiss her again even as the doors are opening.

They check in with the receptionist, Olivia giving her real name this time. Professor Iftikhar, a greying gentleman who grew up and studied in India before taking up his OBGYN residency in Boston thirty years ago, is punctual, warm and friendly. She likes him immediately. He asks her and Fitz about themselves, where they're from, how they met. When she confesses it was an unplanned pregnancy, he smiles.

"In all my years so far, I have found that some of the best things in life are unplanned. Now, shall we have a look at this baby?"

"Yes please."

She can sense how nervous Fitz is, sitting in the chair beside the examination couch she's lying on, his hand fidgeting in hers. She meets his eyes as Professor Iftikhar sets up his ultrasound machine, offering a reassuring smile. "Love you," she mouths, and he seems to settle slightly.

"Love you too."

His gaze drifts downwards as she lifts her blouse, lowers the waistband of her pants. Her little bump has grown slightly in the last week, protruding below her belly button; however, lying flat it's almost indiscernible.

"Right," the professor says, "This will feel cold."

When he applies the gel-covered probe to her abdomen, she flinches and he immediately apologizes - but she's not listening because she can already see her baby there on the screen, and it's just the most beautiful thing in the world.

"There we are. One baby… There's its heart beating."

This sonogram is so different from her last one, when she felt so afraid; so detached. Now, she's the opposite: she already loves her child so much that seeing it there, alive, moving inside of her, just blows her away. And then she turns to look at Fitz, who has tears in his eyes, falling onto his cheeks, and the floodgates open.

Professor Iftikhar passes them a box of Kleenex, smiling kindly. "Everything looks good so far Olivia, Fitz. I'm just going to take some of baby's measurements."

They both watch, completely fascinated, as more and more of their child is revealed to them: its crown-rump length and biparietal distance; its tiny internal organs, spine, arms and legs; the placenta, which is posterior and high (apparently a good thing). One arm is raised, hiding most of its face, but eventually it moves - which Olivia finds bizarre, as she can't feel a thing - and they can see its little button nose and pursed lips. The professor takes several images, printing them off.

"It's too early to reveal baby's gender," he says, "but I can tell you that everything I've seen looks perfect. I'll just check your other abdominal and pelvic organs, Olivia. It's quite routine."

Afterwards, as he tidies his equipment away and she wipes the gel from her skin, Fitz finally speaks. "That was… incredible." His voice is hoarse. She looks at him and sees he's still thoroughly shaken.

"It was amazing. I'm so excited."

He leans in and kisses her, his palm coming to rest on her belly. She covers his hand with hers, happier than she's ever been before. When she eventually sits up again and pulls her top back down, Professor Iftikhar is entering some data into his computer.

"Are you both okay?" he asks compassionately. "It can be overwhelming sometimes."

"We're good, thank you," Olivia replies with a smile, brushing away the last of her tears. "You must get bored of over-emotional parents."

"Never," he grins. "It's one of the reasons I love my job so much. Now, when is your due date, according to your earlier scan?"

"June seventh."

"Well, it was right. According to my measurements, you are still due June seventh." Fitz squeezes her thigh. "Today you are… eleven weeks, five days. So a way to go yet, but you've made a great start."

"Is it okay to tell people?" Fitz asks. "I know the conventional wisdom is to wait until twelve weeks -surely nothing will change between now and Sunday?"

"Well, you can never say never. But there's no reason why anything should change. I'm not worried about you, Olivia," the professor says with a reassuring smile. "You've been taking your folic acid every day - which you can stop at twelve weeks, by the way, as the baby's spinal cord has developed by then - and you're young, fit and healthy. There's nothing else you can do except continue along as you are. Eat well, exercise. I'll send you for some blood tests - check your iron levels, screen you for several infections. You can have them early next week, that's fine. And call me straight away if you're worried about anything. Okay?"

"Yes, thank you."

"Do you have any questions?"

She asks him a few things, about whether she can continue to practice yoga (absolutely, with modifications), when she might feel movements (any time from sixteen to twenty-four weeks; usually later in first-time moms), when her next ultrasound will be (the anomaly scan at twenty weeks, unless there are problems).

"Oh," he says just as they're wrapping up, "I had some test results through from Dr Roberts. Would you like Fitz to leave while we discuss them?"

Olivia has no idea what he's talking about. "Um… no, he can stay. What test results?"

"Your STI screen. It was clear."

"Oh." She laughs. She'd completely forgotten to tell Fitz about that, and looks at him with an apologetic smile. "The doctor insisted," she explains. "Sorry I didn't mention it before."

"That's okay." He returns her smile. "I've already gotten you into enough trouble; I wouldn't add any more."

Olivia picks up the photographs of their baby from the desk. "This isn't trouble," she says softly. "This is the best thing that's ever happened to me."

They bid farewell to Professor Iftikhar, both certain that her choice of OB is perfect for them. Fitz hasn't made a single comment about him being male, something she's certain is a measure of his maturity. She knows without a shadow of a doubt that Edison would have insisted on a female doctor if they'd ever gone on to have children (a thought which makes her shiver, and quickly banish forever).

They spend the evening at Henry's place because it's nearer the city, and Abby will be coming round after her 'date' to let them know how it went. They're nervous, eating pasta in the kitchen, distracting themselves by looking at the images from her scan. "I can't wait to see everyone's faces when we tell them," Olivia says, thinking how stunned her friends will be.

"You're sure they'll all be happy for you?"

She frowns. "Of course they will. They're my closest friends. Why do you say that?"

"No reason." He tidies away their bowls, kissing her cheek as he passes. "I'd just hate for you to be hurt. Nobody else truly understands our relationship yet. I know they saw us together on your birthday, but what we think is normal is actually pretty unusual."

"They'll be fine," she insists, and she's sure of it. "What about Henry, Cyrus, James?"

"Cy and James will be shocked, but I think they'll be really happy for us. James loves babies. Henry will probably be the least surprised of all as he knows us the best. It will certainly explain last week's shower incident."

She laughs and blushes, remembering how he found them pretty much naked together on the floor in Fitz's bedroom.

"Actually, I really want him to know," Fitz goes on. "He's been so good to me. I don't like keeping it from him."

"We could tell him sooner, if you like. We don't have to wait until Sunday."

Fitz looks at her. "He'll be home soon. Maybe we could… leave these lying around for him to find?" He gestures to the images. "It'll be funny to see how long it takes him to realize what's going on."

"We could casually pin one to the fridge?"

"You, my beautiful girl, are a genius."

He picks up one of the pictures, which has Olivia's name and today's date printed in the top corner, and sticks it to the refrigerator door just below eye level using a magnet of the Eiffel Tower. Then he takes her in his arms and holds her tightly, sending up a silent prayer to whoever is listening that tonight works out, and that soon his nightmare will be over.


Henry figures it out within about ten minutes of arriving home. He's helping himself to leftovers in the kitchen, calling through to the living room to ask if they want anything to drink, when suddenly they can hear his footsteps rushing towards them. Fitz turns to see him enter, holding the sonogram image in front of him, mouth agape.

"What is this?" he asks, gazing between Fitz and Olivia. "Are you joking?"

"No," Fitz says solemnly as she shakes her head. They are both smiling from ear-to-ear.

"Fuck. You're pregnant?"

She just continues to beam at him as she stands up, lifting her sweater to show off the new shape of her abdomen beneath her tank top. "I am pregnant."

"Wow. Congratulations!" Finally, a grin lights up his face and he pulls first Olivia and then Fitz into a giant hug. "Man," he says to his friend, "This is so cool. I'm so happy for you. I can't think of two people who will make better parents."

"Thanks, buddy. That means a lot."

"How long have you known for?"

"Four weeks," Olivia answers. "Sorry we didn't say anything sooner, but you know…"

"Yeah, I know. That's fine." He still looks shell-shocked. "So you're twelve weeks now?"

"On Sunday."

"Ah. The dinner party."

Fitz grins. "Subtle, right?"

"Well, I wouldn't have guessed in a million years. Although, last week… You two sitting on the floor in a towel-"

"Yes," he interrupts quickly, glancing at Olivia, "That was pregnancy-related. Also very embarrassing for Liv, so can we never mention it again?"

Henry laughs. "I'll try. Wait, tonight's also the night your friend is coming over, right? Hopefully bringing the dirt on Mellie."

"That's right."

"Big day then."

Olivia's hand is absentmindedly stroking her belly, something Fitz has noticed her doing recently whenever she's worried about something. "Yeah. Big day."

He puts his arm around her shoulders, kissing her hair. "It'll be fine. I promise. What can I do to take your mind off it? Would you like a chamomile tea?"

"Yes please. That'd be great."

In the kitchen, Henry finishes heating his pasta while Fitz boils the kettle. "Twelve weeks…" his friend muses. "How long have you two known each other again?"

Fitz rolls his eyes at his failed attempt at subtlety. "Yes, it happened the night we met. Well, the morning after, actually."

"Didn't you use-"

"No."

"I see." Henry is smiling, trying to make him uncomfortable, but it's not working.

"I'm not embarrassed," he says evenly. "It's the most amazing thing that has ever happened to either of us. And you know how long I've wanted children for," he adds quietly. "This feels like fate. I still can't believe it's actually real, sometimes."

Henry's expression changes then, from amused to affectionate. "Aw, Fitz. That's great. I genuinely am so pleased for you."

"I know. Thank you."

"And I can see why Mellie is such an issue now." He grimaces, mimicking Fitz's own feelings. "You must be desperate to get her signature on those papers."

"More than desperate. I promised Olivia I'd make myself free for her, for our baby. She deserves better than this… And it's killing me."

"Man." Henry claps him on the back. "It'll all work out, I'm sure. What's important at the end of the day? That you're together, and healthy."

"I know. You're right." He sighs and pours Olivia's tea into her favorite mug. "Anyway, we need a way to distract ourselves until Abby comes over later. Any good movies you can recommend?"

Cinema is one of Henry's great passions. "Always, my friend. Come this way."


Abby calls at the very end of Les Intouchables, a French film which has Olivia bawling her eyes out for most of the second half. "You're so adorable," Fitz says fondly, cuddling her close as she blows her nose.

"Ugh, I'm so snotty right now. Thanks for that, Henry. Next time maybe choose something a little easier on the pregnant girl's hormones, okay?"

He laughs, offering an apology as her mobile rings.

"It's her." Suddenly the movie is forgotten. They all sit up straighter, staring at the phone in trepidation. "Hey," Olivia says when she answers, her voice shaking - from tears, or nerves, or both. There's a lot of background noise: people shouting, traffic, rain. "How did it go?"

"Great! Literally, could not have been any easier. I'm just grabbing a taxi now. I'll see you in fifteen, okay?"

"Okay." Abby hangs up and Olivia turns to the two men, stunned. "Wow. She said it went great. 'Couldn't have been easier'."

"Oh my god." Fitz is staring at her, hardly daring to believe his own ears. "She really said that?"

"Yep."

"See," Henry adds as he stands up, heading for the bathroom, "I told you. It's all gonna be fine."

"I hope so." She texts her friend, double-checking she heard right.

He likes to talk, Abby replies straight away. Like, seriously likes to talk. He told me pretty much everything. Mellie has no leg to stand on, honestly xx

She shows the message to Fitz, whose reaction is: "Fuck."

Olivia's heart, which has been pounding away for the last few minutes, finally starts to settle again. She climbs onto Fitz's lap, sitting sideways, resting her forehead against his. Automatically his palm moves beneath her sweater and tank top, coming to lie on her abdomen, skin to skin.

"If Abby's right," he murmurs, "I might tell her I love her. But that's just the relief talking, okay? I won't mean it."

"I will," she replies forcefully. "We'll have to do something really special to thank her."

"Definitely."

They pass the next few minutes anxiously wandering around the house, tidying things which are already tidy, staring unseeing at the news. Finally, after what feels like an eternity, they see headlamps outside the front window and then, seconds later, the doorbell rings.

"Hey," Abby says happily as she crosses the threshold and hugs Olivia. "How are you?"

"Good, thanks."

"How's baby Grant?" She looks down expectantly. Olivia dutifully reveals her bump; despite how desperate she is to hear Abby's news, her friend's excited reaction still makes her smile. "Oh my god, Liv. That's so cute! You really are pregnant."

"I wasn't pretending, you know."

"I know. But you look great! It really suits you."

"Thanks. Now, before you keep distracting me, you need to tell us everything that's happened. We've been dying here, waiting."

Abby grins as she pulls a GoPro out of her handbag. "I can do more than tell you."

After greeting Fitz and being introduced to Henry, who seems particularly charmed by her, they all sit down in the living room while Henry connects the camera to his TV. Abby is studying the sonogram pictures while they wait. "It looks like… a baby," she says eventually.

Olivia frowns. "What?"

"Maybe best to say something a little nicer to the expectant parents," Henry suggests, trying not to laugh.

"No, I mean… I thought it might look a bit alien, but it actually looks like a baby already. That's awesome."

"Right."

"Something for you to work on," Henry says kindly, taking a seat beside her on the sofa. "Are we ready?"

Fitz is gripping Olivia's hand so tightly she thinks she might lose circulation, but she doesn't ask him to stop. "Ready," they say together.

The film starts shakily, muffled and dark. "I was trying to set it up in my bag," Abby explains. "Can we fast forward five minutes?"

"Is that him?" Olivia asks as a fairly tall, well-built guy comes into view. He's good looking in a 'trying way too hard' kind of way, and she immediately dislikes him.

"Yep," Abby confirms. "That's Jonathan." The two of them chat for a few minutes, making small talk.

"We can fast forward again, about fifteen minutes," she says. "He's just telling me some crap about how Cornell is the greatest place on earth. Blah blah. Keep going… Now stop. Stop there."

Jonathan is still talking about his beloved law school. He seems unbelievably arrogant. "Look," Abby interrupts. She's not really in the picture but her voice is clear, despite the background noise. "I actually had an ulterior motive, meeting you here tonight."

"Oh yeah? Because I did, too." The way his eyes fall so brazenly down her body makes Olivia's mouth fall open.

"Jesus," Fitz murmurs. "Who is this guy?"

"Nobody I can't handle," Abby reassures them. "Now, listen."

On screen, she's telling him that she knows something about him sleeping with one of his bosses. "How do you-? What the fuck?" he asks, clearly sensing danger.

"I have friends in high places."

"I didn't-"

"No, Jonathan, you don't understand. This isn't some vendetta against you. I'm not threatening you. I actually wanted to know how you did it."

He looks confused. "What? Why?"

"For the same reasons, I'm guessing. To get ahead in this game. Being a junior attorney is crappy. We both know that. There aren't enough jobs in this city for us all to get promotions, and I want one. I deserve one."

He stares at her for a long moment. "Wait. You want me to tell you how to sleep with your boss? Can't you figure that out for yourself?"

"Of course I can," she says smoothly, "But I just wanted some tips. Mellie Grant… She's got quite a reputation, hasn't she? How did you even get close to her?"

Jonathan takes a sip of his beer, looking thoughtful. "This is weird - you know that, right? If you weren't so hot, I'd be out of here right now."

"Thank you for the compliment," Abby gushes, and she sounds so fake Olivia is surprised he doesn't realize straight away. "But I'm serious. I'm ambitious, Jonathan. I know you are too. I've heard great things about you. Us sharks need to stick together, to rise about the rest. I'm asking you to help me."

"You know I'm leaving for London tomorrow, right? I'm spending a year at one of the oldest law firms in the country."

"You told me. And so it makes no difference to you if I get promoted in the next six months, does it?"

He sighs. "What do you want to know?"

"Is it true? Did you have sex with her in your office?"

"Yes."

Fitz gasps. Olivia looks at him and, for the briefest second, she wonders if he's truly upset at the news. Then she chides herself for being so stupid. He's just astounded that all their speculation has turned out to be true.

"When?" Abby is asking on the video.

"One Saturday night, a couple of months ago. There was a company audit. She asked me to stay late."

"Do you think she was trying to seduce you?"

"Yes."

This time, Fitz, Henry and Olivia all react loudly. Abby shushes them.

"Why do you think that?"

"We used to flirt. It's one of my many charms, as you've probably realized by now." Ew. "I was thinking I might try and stay back that evening, to see what happened. And then she asked me to, and I knew it was on."

"Right." Olivia can hear the revulsion in Abby's voice. "So, did she imply that you'd benefit in any way from sleeping with her?"

"She might have joked that it would look good for me. I think it was just flirting, but I knew I'd have leverage over her in the future if I ever needed it."

The real-life Abby stands up now, telling Henry he can pause the video. "That's it," she says smugly. "That's all the evidence you could ever need to blackmail her with."

"But that's secret footage," Henry says, frowning. "Isn't that inadmissible in a court of law?"

"It doesn't matter," Fitz answers, sitting forward. Olivia can see that all the tension he's been carrying around in his body for the last month is finally starting to leave him. "We'll never go to court with this. Does it look like this jerk wants to press charges against her? Of course not. But she only has to think he might. Or that I might show the footage to her boss. And, with him leaving the country, he's safe from her. She won't have chance to get to him, to find out if it's all true or not. It's… perfect."

Abby grins at him. The next second, he's on his feet and hugging her. "Thank you. Thank you."

"My pleasure," she says. "I really enjoyed myself."

"How did you get out of there?" Olivia asks. "He was such a creep."

"Tell me about it. I did the age-old trick of going to the bathroom and never returning. He had, like, three leaving parties to go to afterwards anyway. I'm sure he'll find some other girl to bore to death tonight."

"You're a damn good lawyer, Whelan," Olivia tells her proudly. "I bet you could have gotten him to admit to anything. Next time you try and convince me otherwise, I'm going to show this to you and tell you to shut the hell up."

"Duly noted."

They share a long embrace. Naturally, everyone then turns expectantly to Henry, who's the only one who hasn't congratulated her.

"Well," he says, hands in his pockets, "I know we've only just met, but I can tell you now that I don't ever want to meet you in a courtroom. You're quite formidable, Abby. In the best way possible."

Her smiling eyes linger on his just a fraction of a second too long; Olivia glances at Fitz who has also noticed, and they grin at one another. They've discussed before how they think Abby and Henry would make a good couple - they're both loud, fun and a little bit crazy.

"Celebratory drinks all round then?" Henry suggests, clapping his hands together. "Except you of course, Liv. I can rustle up a nice mocktail for you."

"Thanks," she laughs. "Something with pineapple, please. There's some in the fridge. The baby has been craving it lately."

"No problem. Abby, Fitz, Champagne?"

"Of course."

"Yes please."

He disappears into the kitchen. Fitz pulls Olivia into his side, kissing her temple. "God, I can't believe it's almost over. Do you think I should go email Jemima and Harrison now, ask them to prepare the documents we need?"

"They won't check their email over the weekend," Olivia reasons. "You may as well just call them first thing Monday. You can probably have it all sorted by midweek next week."

"I hope so."

Abby turns and picks up the GoPro, politely giving them a moment together. Olivia reaches up and presses her lips to his, her fingers curling into the hair at the back of his neck. "You'll be mine soon enough," she murmurs, unable to stop the smile which curves her mouth.

"I've always been yours."

"I know. But really, truly mine."

"I can't wait."

"Neither can I."

She kisses him once more before they both sit down again. "Hey Abs," she asks, "Did Huck send you any dirt on him?"

She doesn't want to mention that man's name ever again.

"He did, actually."

"Anything good?"

Abby grins. "Oh yeah. His family has a lot of hidden secrets. We're talking feuds, embezzlement, incest-"

"Incest?"

"Yep. And that's just the start. It's going to be really useful in future if we're ever in competition for positions."

"Wow. You are ruthless."

"It's a dirty world out there," she shrugs. "You have to fuck the bad guys over before they do it to you."

"What an... interesting life lesson," Fitz says, his eyes bright with bemusement. "Remind me never to leave you alone with our child."

Henry reappears with their glasses. "What are we toasting to?" he asks, handing them out.

"To Abby," Fitz begins.

"To the end of your marriage," Olivia adds with a mischievous smile.

"To baby Grant," Henry continues.

"And to fucking the bad guys over," Abby finishes, in the most perfect way possible.