A/N: Welcome y'all to the real chapter 24 :D
If you're confused about the chapter numbering, refer back to chapter titled author's note. Anyhow, from now I'll try to remember to write the chapter number on top of the page.
This chapter starts where CH 22 left off.
Chapter 24.
High above them, the sound was unmistakable. It came like a thunderous storm that knows no boundaries, its presence dictating absolute attention as it pushed its way through the clouds.
They couldn't help but surrender and look to the sky in absolute awe.
Olivia was the first one to speak, effectively breaking the spell they were under. "Why do I hear chopper blades?"
Right then they caught sight of a helicopter flying directly above them.
Sayid and Boone began shouting in a pathetic attempt to match the thunderous sound of the helicopter. The moment that they all had all been waiting for was finally here. A rescue helicopter was here at last.
Olivia's first thought was that right at that moment they were like tiny ants surrounded by giant redwood trees. They needed to get back to the beach where they could be spotted more easily. Luckily the walk back to the beach was only a few yards away and should not take them more than five minutes to get there.
Still, every second counts, Olivia thought as she made her way through tall foliage. Through her peripheral vision she saw Sayid, Boone and Sawyer (someone must have untied him and set him free?) running in the same direction as she.
She only hoped that the rest of the survivors at the beach were doing everything they could to draw attention to themselves.
Right on cue, they heard the sound of a flare booming through the sky just as they approached the survivor's camp.
"They saw us! They saw us! but...they're heading for the mountains!" Someone shouted.
"They're landing up there, up there!" a man shouted with glee. "We have to get up there, now!"
In the hustle and bustle that followed with the survivors arguing over what to do next, Olivia found herself thinking of Fitz. There was no way she was hiking up those mountains to meet the helicopter without him.
"They've got a freighter a few miles out," Sawyer interjected.
Everyone looked out into the ocean transfixed as though they were staring at a mirage.
"How about we just wait here for the freighter to pick us up?" a woman wondered.
"That boat ain't got no place to dock...so the only way is for the chopper to make several trips back and forth to the boat unload passengers and come back," Sawyer countered.
Olivia thought Sawyer was probably right. The question remained was how and who was going to decide who would be the first ones to board the helicopter.
Sun approached Olivia with Aaron who was in the midst of loud a crying fit, his little face as red a tomato. The infant quieted down some as soon as in Olivia cradled him in her arms.
"I'm staying here," Olivia said to Sun. "Fitz should be back soon," she added in an attempt to re-assure herself, kissing the baby's forehead. "If I leave...if we all leave...it may be days before they'll be able to catch up with us."
Sun shook her head, not understanding. "You come..." she said with urgency, struggling with her limited English. "you come, can't stay here!"
"Well, I bet that Captain Fitz wherever he happens to be...will be leading his party of four up the mountains in search of the chopper" Sawyer said.
Olivia thought about it long and hard. There was every possibility that Sawyer was right, yet somehow she was certain that Fitz would come back to the beach instead looking for them, looking for her...and what if by any chance Fitz and the others with him had failed to spot the helicopter as it headed for the mountains?
"We'll catch up with you in the morning..." Olivia said to Sawyer, a little surprised to see him sighing up for a leadership role. "I'm sure Fitz and the others will be back by then."
"There ain't nothing I can do to change your mind, huh?" Sawyer said to Olivia shaking his head in disbelief. "Y'all need to meet with us by midday tomorrow...Otherwise we'll think something is wrong and will have to send a search party., he concluded as he prepared to lead a group of about fifteen people who were standing by just waiting.
"Let's go!" Sayid motioned to the rest of the survivors gathered behind him.
In the end, only the Korean couple and Hurley agreed to stay behind on the beach with Olivia.
Nearly eight hours later shortly after sundown, Fitz made it back to the beach along with Locke, Charlie and Kate. They were utterly exhausted as they had hurried back from the other side of the island hardly stopping for a rest.
Just when Olivia was getting ready to turn in for the night, she heard Hurley announcing: "They're here, they're here!"
Overjoyed, Olivia dashed into her lover's arms. "Oh, thank God you're back !" she exclaimed with tears of joy streaming down her face. "I thought...I was worried thinking this would be another night without you!"
"It's okay! It's gonna be okay now," Fitz cupped her face in his hands. Looking into her caramel eyes he could clearly see how much she had missed him.
"I missed you so much," she murmured gazing deeply into his eyes, feeling the warmth of those gray blue of his which made her heart skip a beat. This was the man that she loved...the man that made her feel things like no other man before him.
"Did you guys hear the chopper?...most of our people left for the mountains," Hurley said from a distance.
"We'll catch up with them in the morning," Fitz replied, his eyes still glued on Olivia. Although the fact that the camp seemed deserted for the most part was one of the first things he noticed, the fact was that right now he could only think about this woman, this woman who had captivated his heart like no other.
His lips captured hers and they kissed as if they were each other's lifelines, as if they had been separated for months rather than just a few hours.
"I love you," he whispered against her lips.
"I love you too," she replied with no hesitation caught up in the moment, her heart a whirlpool of emotions. While he was gone she had been so afraid of losing him and now that he was back she vowed to herself that from this day forward she would live her life grateful for every second, for every chance to show him how much she loved him.
She took his hand and lead him inside the tent.
His eyes quickly scanned the place. It seemed that Olivia had packed away most of their belongings except for the baby items. His eyes momentarily focused on Aaron who was sleeping peacefully in his bassinet. He noticed that he didn't look quite as wrinkly as when he left, somehow he'd lost some of that newborn baby look.
"It looks like we won't be missing this place much, don't you think?" he said in a lighthearted tone as he lay down on the blanket. That's when he realized he was so exhausted he might fall asleep at the drop of a hat.
"I can't believe it still..." Olivia replied in a daze, laying down beside him. "Part of me doesn't want to jinx it...you know, count the chickens before they hatch..." she added even though she could already picture herself flying high above the clouds waving good-bye to the damn island forevermore.
He chuckled a little. "There's no way you can ever jinx anything even if you tried...We're leaving this island, Liv, this is real...it's finally happening," he continued wanting to share with her everything about his journey, but realizing that he was losing the battle against drowsiness.
"Fitz...I have something very important tell you..." she spoke in an imperative tone, knowing that tonight was really there last chance for them to be alone before they left the island.
"Let me...I have something to tell you first," he declared, slurring his words, not waiting for her response. " We made contact with your dad...we found this place, a communication station of some sort...it's a long story...well, I actually saw his face on this TV monitor. He asked for you and then said he was getting us help, " he paused. His eyes were feeling heavier by the second. "Liv, he knows you're here on this island and there is no way that chopper is leaving without you," he concluded with a drowsy smile.
Olivia blinked a couple of times speechless. By the time she found her voice again, Fitz had drifted off to sleep. "My dad...how? she mumbled to herself.
Early the next morning, Olivia woke to the cries of little Aaron.
Her gaze drifted to Fitz who was standing near drying his hair with a towel. He'd been out for a swim while she slept.
"Fitz," she said his name with a smile, admiring his naked torso. The sight of him looking so hot so early in the morning brought forth a deep longing for him. If only they could, she sighed.
Fitz smiled back in recognition, also wishing he could make love to her right then in there. Most reluctantly, he picked up the baby and placed it on the blanket beside Olivia. It occurred to him that this was the first time in many hours that he had given Aaron more than just a fleeting thought. Now that it seemed unlikely they would find Claire, and given Olivia's attachment to the child, it seemed very likely that from now on it would not just be him and Olivia...
He shook his head, willing such thoughts away. Right now, there was no time for selfishness. The important thing was to get everyone off the island safe and sound.
Olivia lifted her top and brought the baby to her breast. A moment later, she lifted her gaze to meet his and he thought she looked absolutely radiant.
I got to tell him about the baby...our baby.
Back when Fitz left a few days ago to find Claire, she had wanted to wait for the perfect moment. But now his absence had inspired her to become mindful of the fact that this her last opportunity to tell him the news before they got interrupted by the world around them, demanding that they focus on their immediate future.
She realized that if she kept on waiting for the perfect moment, she would probably be sending her kid off to college. She laughed inwardly at the thought.
Perhaps, there was no such thing as the perfect moment. Like James used to say, life is not a romance novel. She needed to seize this moment; the here and now. She reminded herself that no one is guaranteed a happy ending. Real life is largely unpredictable, not in sync with the perfect timing of a novel. All she had for sure was this moment.
"Fitz... I'm...I'm pregnant, " she blurted out thinking as she spoke that even though this was not exactly the ideal 'good morning', she couldn't afford to waste another second.
Fitz stared at her for a long time. Surely, somehow, he misheard? "Are...are you sure?"
Olivia gave him an almost imperceptible nod. For a moment she feared her words had scared him away. Her wanting him to feel overjoyed was just a fantasy divorced from reality. How could he be happy about having a child with a woman he'd known for just a few weeks while leading a life that was not his own... away from the real world?
His lips turned into a smile as he found himself lost in her gaze, those eyes of hers truly held the key to his heart. His gaze eventually dropped to the baby she was nursing and for an instant he thought he caught a glimpse of the future. If she could this loving to another woman's child...how much would she give to her own child?
"I don't know what to say..." he offered with a slight tilt of his head. For the first time in his life he found himself at a loss of words. All he knew was that he loved this woman and that he would be honored to have her in his life.
He lay beside her on the blanket and softly stroked her cheek with the back of his hand.
She closed her eyes lost in the sensations of his touch. "You don't have to say anything right now...I know it's a lot to take. I just want to know you're okay with this..."
He smiled again in awe of her. "Olivia, I love you...and I want us to be together...actually, I never want to be separated from you ever again, " he murmured pressing his forehead against hers. She was more important to him than anything and he would be thrilled to have her by his side for the rest of his life. He was sure that in time he would grow to love however many children she wanted to give him. Although right now he needed sometime to adjust to the idea since at this point in his life he had given up on the notion of ever fathering any more children. Yet, he was not exactly sure how to say any of this.
Olivia nodded knowingly. While he didn't necessarily address the pregnancy, she knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that his feelings for her were sincere and for now that was all that mattered.
Three years later
Santa Monica, California.
Olivia, clad in a red cocktail dress, turned towards the click of a knife being tapped against a champagne glass which immediately hushed the the sea of voices around her. At once, she made eye contact with Fitz who stood by a long banquet style table.
Fitz cleared his throat and gestured for Olivia, who had been talking to Abby and Quinn, to join him.
Realizing that he was about to give a speech, Olivia came to stand by his side at once and he wrapped an arm around her waist.
"First of all, I wanna thank you all for coming to our anniversary party, we both really appreciate it," he began, pausing to give his wife a chaste kiss on the cheek. "I wanted to say to my beautiful wife..," still holding her around the waist, he turned his body to face hers. "Thank you for the past three years, the best years of my life." he pulled her closer and held her gaze. "Thank you for giving me two wonderful children, for putting up with me and all my crazy stunts...especially with the craziness of the upcoming elections, " The audience chuckled. "I am no doubt the luckiest man alive...so please raise your glasses to my beautiful wife, Olivia."
"To Olivia!" various voices echoed, raising their glasses.
"Wait! It's my turn to say something," Olivia chimed in with a glorious smile. "Well, who could top that, right?" she cleared her throat just a little. "Except to say that if you're the luckiest man alive, then I'm the luckiest woman," she went on in a merry tone meeting his gaze. "And thank you for being there for me, always. " Then, she turned to the audience. "Thank you all for being here to help us celebrate."
Fitz leaned in to give Olivia a kiss, she surprised him by wrapping her arms around him and giving him a real kiss and not just a little peck.
The crowd whooped, cheered and enjoyed their champagne.
"Mommy, mommy, I want cake!" three year old Aaron ran to hold onto Olivia's legs.
"Mommy!" two year old Danny dashed to her almost in unison.
Olivia put an arm around both boys, clad in matching formal wear and who were close to the same height in spite of the age difference.
Not wanting his eleven year old daughter to feel left out, Fitz motioned for Karen to come to his side and put an arm around her.
Someone in the crowd snapped a candid shot of the Grant family right at that moment with the backdrop of a 'happy anniversary' banner sparkling and a three tier wedding style cake.
Later that night, Olivia went into the kitchen for some water. A bright red envelope siting on the counter on top of the days mail immediately caught her eye as it stood out like a holiday greeting card. Curious, she noted that there was no return address and that her own name and address were typed using old fashioned typewriter font. She went ahead and opened the envelope at once. Inside there was a piece of paper with the words 'I know what you did, 'and glued across the page from magazine cut-outs.
'I know what you did.'
Olivia stared at the words, biting her lip. What in the world?
Her jittery fingers fumbled with the envelope, quickly recognizing that there was something else inside. Indeed, there were various magazine clippings cut into uneven shapes but that fit neatly into place like the pieces of a simple jigsaw puzzle.
A/N:
In this story, Cyrus' quote 'Life is not a romance novel' is attributed to James.
I skipped the part of them finally leaving the island, although we'll learn some of those details later most likely in dialogue. But I really wanted to get to this part of the story, you know. If you're wondering whether what happened on the island will have an impact 3 years later, the answer is YES.
I will be using flashbacks to account for Fitz and Olivia's relationship during those 3 years.