I am trying to cover all the important aspects of a relationship between Fitz and Olivia, and in my opinion that includes his children. In case you can't tell by this chapter, I'm a total sucker for babies. Please keep reading and reviewing. I love your feedback!
When Olivia entered the White House on Sunday afternoon, the halls were typically busy but relatively quiet. She managed to slip through unnoticed which was a miracle in itself being that so many of the White House staff members knew Olivia from the time she had spent working there. She only stopped when she arrived in front of the Oval Office.
"He's expecting you, Ms. Pope.", the President's assistant informed her with a small smile.
Olivia nodded and walked up to the door of the world's most famous office, giving it a gentle knock. She heard his reply and entered, immediately closing the door behind her to shut the rest of the world out as much as possible. When she turned, she was met with the sight of the President of the United States crouched on the floor, a chubby little baby boy bouncing happily between his legs, screeching joyfully as he threw a small toy at his father. Fitz lifted his head to meet Olivia's gaze and smiled at her expression. She looked almost stunned, as if this wasn't what she had expected to see.
"Come on and meet the next great Grant.", he encouraged, bringing Olivia out of her thoughts.
She laughed nervously, but walked towards father and son anyway. After all, this is what she had come here to do. When she reached them, Teddy caught sight of her and dropped his building blocks to inspect his visitor. He tipped his head to the side and stared at her, looking her up and down before reaching two tiny hands out for the bag she was holding.
"He is adorable.", Olivia laughed, the boy's happy demeanor putting her at ease.
For a moment she considered sitting on the couch that Fitz was leaning against to keep a bit of a distance between them, but Olivia decided against it and joined them on the floor instead. She sat close to Fitz, and he turned to her with a smile.
"Hi.", he greeted her with a quick, innocent peck on the lips.
Olivia pushed him away playfully and returned her attention to Teddy, who had not stopped staring at her. His eyes traveled from hers to the bag that was now sitting between her legs, then back to Olivia's face. Scooting himself closer, he reached out for the bag again, looking at the new person in the room expectantly.
"He has a one-track-mind just like you.", Olivia giggled and Fitz laughed.
"We can't help it. We just get completely distracted when a beautiful woman enters the room, right buddy?"
The baby cooed adorably and Olivia found herself falling in love with him. She had always liked children because they were honest and didn't censor their words. However, she had always preferred older kids, because she found it easier to communicate with them, to understand their moods and actions. It was one of the reasons Fitz' older children had taken to her immediately when she had met them on the campaign trail. Olivia had never talked down to them or treated them like lesser human beings because they were still young, and Gerry and Karen had enjoyed that immensely. This little boy, no matter how young he was in that moment, was difficult not to love when he looked up to her with the biggest, most inquisitive eyes.
"This is for you, Teddy.", Olivia said, pushing the small gift bag closer to him before turning to Fitz. "I don't know what he likes and I'm sure there's nothing he doesn't have, but I wanted to get him a little something."
Meanwhile, Teddy had busied himself with the yellow tissue paper in the bag. He'd pulled it out and was now happily ripping it apart until shreds of paper were spread all over the floor between them. He giggled every time he ripped off a new piece, and Fitz watched him with amusement.
"I think he loves it.", Fitz teased, and Olivia poked his side lightly.
"There's an actual gift in there, but I think he's content with the paper."
When Teddy had managed to rip both pieces of tissue paper apart completely, he turned to his father as if to ask what he was supposed to do next. Fitz tipped the gift bag for him, so the baby could reach into it and pull out its contents. His small hands grasped the object inside and he pulled it out to inspect it. The teddy bear was not much smaller than the child himself, and Olivia watched in delight as Teddy's eyes got bigger, his small hands patting the bear carefully.
"What do you have there, buddy?", Fitz spoke up, pulling his son to sit on his lap.
He held the teddy bear up and noticed the small detail that had just now become visible to him. A tiny American flag had been stitched on the right side of the stuffed animal's chest, and Fitz realized the sentiment behind it immediately. He knew to Teddy, this was simply a new toy to play with, but to him, Olivia's thoughtfulness meant the world. The small flag had only 48 stars, and looked exactly like the flag pin Olivia had given to him a couple of years ago. Fitz traced it with his finger, and Olivia watched how both father and son seemed to be completely taken by the small toy.
"I thought he might like something that will remind him of his daddy, even if he doesn't understand that quite yet."
"You're amazing.", Fitz whispered, holding his son with one hand and using the other one to stroke Olivia's cheek.
He leaned in for a kiss, and this time Olivia allowed him to linger a little. The cameras were ever present, but they'd done much worse than kissing in this office in the past, and Olivia let herself trust Fitz to take care of the surveillance cameras later. Suddenly, a tiny hand pushed between their faces, and they broke apart, laughing. Teddy stared up at them, his fingers still resting against Olivia's chin. She smiled at the boy, and before she could stop herself, she left a kiss against his fingertips. For just a moment, all three of them were completely quiet, then the baby's arms stretched out towards Olivia.
"Are you okay with that?", Fitz asked, because he knew this was all new for her, and the last thing he wanted was for her to be overwhelmed. "It's no problem if you want to slow this down a bit."
"I don't know if I'll be any good at it.", she admitted nervously, but held her arms out anyway.
Fitz lifted his son and handed him to Olivia, who held him with outstretched arms awkwardly for a moment, before nestling him securely into her lap. Teddy bounced once, then again, before he fell back against her body contently, and returned his focus to his brand new toy, babbling happily. The little body fit perfectly into the safe grasp she had on him, and Olivia relaxed visibly.
"Looks good to me.", Fitz whispered, the adoration in his voice not lost to her.
"He makes it easy.", Olivia replied, running her fingers through the baby's soft hair. "He's a great little boy, you know that?"
"I do. I am so lucky to have him. Thank you for being here today and for being so amazing with him, Liv. It means more to me than you could ever imagine."
She knew that it meant a lot to Fitz that she was making an effort to get to know his third child, but it meant just as much to her that she was given that chance. If they would manage to make their relationship work this time and if they had a future together, then Fitz' children would play a huge role in their lives. Gerry and Karen were getting older and more self-sufficient, but Teddy would rely on them fully for a long time yet, and for the first time Olivia realized that she could see herself playing that role in the boy's life – along with Fitz and Mellie. As much as things would always be tense between them, Olivia hoped that Mellie would eventually agree to a compromise that would make living between two homes easier on the children. She never wanted to take away her role as a mother, because no matter what, it belonged to Mellie and no-one else. However, Olivia did not want to be just a bystander. If she and Fitz were taking a serious shot at a life together, then she wanted to be there for all of his children. Fitz' arm wrapped around her shoulder, and she leaned into him, enjoying a moment that was sure to shape their future in new ways. Teddy gurgled in her lap and twisted his little body to get Olivia's attention.
"Fifteen minutes in and he's already taking your attention away from me.", Fitz said jokingly. "This child is going to be a problem."
Teddy reached out and slapped his father's thigh, adding a loud screech for emphasis. The two adults shared a laugh at his antics, and Olivia pulled the baby back into her body, beginning to feel more comfortable around him. She smirked at Fitz who was shaking his head in amusement.
"Oh, I think you are just the greatest little thing I've ever met.", she cooed, tickling Teddy's belly, hoping to hear his little laugh again.
A new voice interrupted the moment they three were sharing.
"Isn't this the most heart-warming scene?"