A/N: 18, dispatcher652, jennkyle & Beachgirl25 & noro thanks so much for your many continued reviews.
Thanks to all who at one time or another reviewed, favorited and/or followed this fic, and especially to those of you who took the time to vote in the polls I created. I really, really appreciate your support.
I loved writing this story, it kept my overactive imagination happily entertained, never a dull moment :D
The wedding
Preparations for the wedding went along smoothly. The ceremony would take place late in the afternoon at La Jolla Wedding Bowl along the San Diego Coast.
The aptly named Wedding Bowl was quite fashionable as a wedding backdrop. It sat just below street level to reduce street noise and offered a spectacular view of three different types of terrains: cliffs, beaches and rocks. It was absolutely perfect for an intimate wedding of just under 40 guests in the middle of November. Bride and groom readily agreed that
An intimate ambiance was best for both the wedding ceremony and the reception. They wanted their big day to be a genuine celebration of their lifetime commitment rather than a big production designed to impress their guests.
San Diego was nicknamed 'America's finest city' for a reason. La Jolla, like the rest of San Diego County was generally sunny and temperate throughout the year. Therefore, planning an outdoor wedding in mid November was not out of the question. In the beach area, the temperatures were expected to range between mid sixties and mid seventies,
Bride and groom were hoping for the sunset to cast a stunning glow that day even as they shared their first kiss as Mr. and Mrs. Grant.
The morning of the wedding, Olivia woke up to Fitz softly calling her name.
She sighed and opened her eyes to the sight of her handsome husband to be. What a sight for sore eyes!
"Good morning, sleepy head," he chirped. "Welcome to your wedding day." He pecked her smiling lips. "Abby is here with the hairdresser," he rolled his eyes, "It's only 9 in the morning and they're both too high strong already, talking up a storm if you ask me."
"Oh, gosh, is that late?" She rubbed her eyes, she couldn't believe she'd overslept on her wedding day.
"Take it easy, Liv…this is our day, I don't want you overly stressed or nervous. It's not good for you or the baby." He patted her barely noticeable baby bump.
"Oh, Fitz," she sighed admiring her gorgeous husband to be. How did she ever get so lucky? Hmm…yes, of course they were trying to keep the wedding low key, nothing extravagant. Still, every bride gets nervous on her wedding day no matter how small the ceremony happens to be. " I love you so much, Fitzgerald Grant," she went on effusively, "and I can't wait to start our new life together."
Feeling overcome with joy, Fitz pulled her into his arms. "Olivia Pope, today you're making me the happiest man on earth. "Today I affirm you as my soul mate, my life partner. I will be your dearest friend, the father of your children and your lover forevermore… NOT necessarily in that order," he added the last part with a slight chuckle.
Hours later, Olivia cast a nervous glance at her reflection in the full length mirror in her bedroom. Her hair was straightened back into a ballerina bun worn low towards the back of her neck with some slick strands left loose, framing her face. She carefully readjusted the elegant hair comb (she chose a hair piece rather than a veil) that held her bun together and matched her gown.
She took one step back, her eyes shifting as she perused the details of her wedding gown. Her gown was an Ivory organza satin A-line with a hand beaded scoop neckline, matching lace midriff and short train. She smoothed her hands over the ribbon and bow detail around the waist and rested over her tiny bulging belly.
"Don't you even think about it," Abby said as though she'd been reading her mind. "You look absolutely gorgeous."
Quinn agreed. "Trust me, you're not really showing yet."
Olivia chuckled, peering at them through the mirror. "You two are terrible liars, but that's okay. I'm okay" She reiterated. "We're not in the middle ages." So she was going to walk down the aisle with her tiny baby bump as proud as ever. She loved being pregnant, and the thing she loved the most was that she carrying a little piece of Fitz wherever she went.
She checked her appearance in the mirror one last time. Posed. Pouted. Posed. Smiled. "it's perfect."
Two hours later, mid afternoon.
Location: Wedding Bowl, La Jolla Shores, San Diego. Weather: partially sunny, low 70's.
As the traditional wedding march played, Olivia and Fitz walked down the steps from the upper terrace (street level) to the heart of the wedding bowl. They made their way together locking arms all the way to the where the minister stood by the massive cliff, facing the vastness of the sky overlooking the ocean and with the waves breaking far below.
Olivia's face reflected sheer happiness. She had decided to forgo tradition; she didn't need her father or any other father figure to walk her down the aisle.
Their guests were seated on either side of the center aisle in white chairs decorated with a golden bow. Both Abby and Quinn stood by Olivia as her maids of honor and Cyrus stood by Fitz as the best man. Sun and Jin were the only ones present from flight 815. Sun was happy to hold Aaron on her lap. Karen who had preceded the ceremony as the flower girl was now sitting with her grandfather and new wife in the first row eagerly awaiting the start of the ceremony.
The minister dressed in black spoke, "Do you mutually promise you will love, cherish and respect one another throughout the years?"
"We do", Olivia and Fitz said in unison, eyes locked, saying a thousand things they could never put into words.
When it was time to exchange vows and rings, they Fitz went first. For nearly a month, he had poured over many passages of scripture and various sources trying to put together a set of vows that fully represented his love for Olivia and the promises he was making.
FITZ:
He took her hand and slid the ring onto her finger and said:
"Today I affirm you as my soul mate, my life partner. I will be your dearest friend, the father of your children and your lover till death do us part.
With this ring I give you my promise that from this day forward you will never walk alone. My heart will be your treasure, my arms will be your home. As this ring has no end, neither shall my love for you. With this ring I give you my heart and my trust in you. I have no greater gift to give."
OLIVIA:
She took his hand and slid the ring onto his finger and said:
"This ring I give you in token of my devotion and love. And with my heart I pledge to you all that I am; in sickness and in health, in poverty or in wealth, till death do us part."
With the sound of waves splashing on the rocks below them, they both leaned forward for a sweet kiss. In the background, they heard the pastor complete the ceremony: "and with the power invested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife.
They were so caught up in the moment that their kiss deepened, lasting much longer than expected.
The sound of continual applause followed as soon as they stopped kissing and faced their guests with the brightest of smiles.
The photographers rushed to take several snapshots of them walking back through the center aisle, capturing their joy and passion with a stunning sunset as their backdrop.
The reception was held at a Mexican restaurant in Old Town, San Diego. The party room had three long banquet tables and was done with rustic décor and brightly colored Mexican crafts.
Throughout the evening, while the waiters hustled and bustled, Fitz and Olivia alternated between sitting together and visiting with their guests at their tables. Similarly, guests also took turns approaching a smaller round table which showcased a three tier cake and a tri-fold display. Abby and Quinn stood by as gracious hostesses answering questions about the tri-fold display which readily became a great conversation starter.
At one point, Fitz and Olivia gathered around the round table along with Quinn and Abby to admire the display for the first time in greater detail than when they first arrived at the restaurant.
The tri-fold display was essentially a timeline of the bride and groom complete with pictures and short descriptions of significant dates prior to meeting one another as well as their life together. Fitz and Olivia's individual timelines meet (merge) in the middle with the words OCEANIC PLANE CRASHES and an arrow pointing down to-OLIVIA & FITZ MEET - and another arrow to the right pointing to- CALIFORNIA DREAMING.
Beneath the heading OLIVIA & FITZ MEET there were pictures of Olivia and Fitz as a couple as well as with Karen and Aaron.
To the far right were the words CALIFORNIA DREAMING. An arrow points down to Mexican Proposal (and a snapshot of Fitz wearing Mexican sombrero, hehe) further pointing down to today's date as WEDDING and another arrow pointing down to HAPPILY EVER AFTER . End of timeline.
Fitz stared at another photograph from their trip to Mexico and exchanged a smile with Olivia. He had forgotten that someone had taken this snapshot at the end of the mariachi performance right before the party was over. Olivia and he posed for the camera with their arms around each other wearing their best we- just- got- engaged smiles. Karen stood in front of them sporting Fitz's over-sized sombrero which shaded her face yet drew attention to her life- is- so- much- fun smile.
Olivia was touched. For a few moments she was speechless (this was the first time she'd seen it). So her dear friends Quinn and Abby had worked together on this project which must have taken them ages to do considering that it wasn't computerized but rather beautifully handwritten in Dom Loves Mary calligraphic font.
"Quinn, Abby," Olivia bit her lip and pulled them into a three way hug. "I don't know what to say." After they were finished hugging, she stepped back. Fitz then put an arm around her waist.
They both thanked Quinn and Abby for giving them such a memorable keepsake.
Abby nodded, proud of her gift, "and to think for generations to come you'll be able to show this to your kids and grandkids….and great grandkids."
"Ah, the grandkids, Big Jerry chimed in wearing a proud look on his face. "Life is short, you know…one day you're holding your firstborn and the next he's getting married the second time around." He chuckled. "And there you are wondering what the heck happened. Where did all those years go?" he paused for effect making sure he had the attention of both bride and groom. "My best advice? Take each day at a time and enjoy it. The years will go by in a heartbeat, trust me on that."
Watching Big Jerry give his son a congratulatory pat in the shoulder, Olivia smiled to herself a bittersweet smile. While she was glad that Fitz had a relatively good relationship with his father, she couldn't help but me reminded of her own father and her resolution to cut him out of her life. In a perfect world, she would have had a different father one that she'd be proud of, one who would be here celebrating her wedding day.
The sonogram
Olivia and Fitz made an appointment at the Prenatal Imaging Center to get a the first sonogram of their baby in color 3D. Not your standard sonogram by any means, but a state of the art ultrasound catering to the needs of eager first time parents.
At first, it had been hard to make out anything beyond a beating heart and a flexed arm….until the technician switched the image to 3D…that's when they got an amazingly sharp image of the baby's face.
The pictures were in an unnatural yellowish color yet you could clearly see the baby's face up close: the silhouette of the eyelids, mouth and nose staring right up at them.
"OH, Fitz, look," Olivia let out a huge sigh, and then tears streaming down her face. She was overcome with joy at the miracle growing inside of her. Nothing can quite prepare you for the moment when you see with your very own eyes the snapshot sonogram of your own child.
The outline of the fetus' nose was stunningly clear. "He's definitely got your nose," Olivia smiled at her husband through her tears
Fitz smiled back, his blue eyes holding hers. He was absolutely speechless.
"Oh, gosh…are those his eyelashes?" Olivia asked.
The technician looked closer. "Hmm…yes," she drew an arrow pointing to the eyes. "Those are his eyelashes all right, they're incredibly long…"
Another sonogram picture (a regular black and white in 2D) showed the baby's entire body profile. In this one, an arrow clearly pointed to the baby's male parts. Fitz had nearly squealed when the doctor had told them that the baby was indeed a boy. Since they learned of the pregnancy, Fitz had claimed that something 'told him' that the baby was a boy.
On the drive home, Olivia rode on the passenger seat, blinking through the tears at the sonogram picture (she just couldn't stop being so emotional). And to think they had almost lost this baby! With her fingertip, she traced the tiny head, the arms, the legs. Her baby. She peered at Fitz who was concentrating on his driving. Their baby.
The rest of the pregnancy was blissfully uneventful. Olivia craved fish tacos day and night even for breakfast. She played Wii Fit advance with Karen. They both had fun trying to beat each other's records.
And she spent her free time writing every detail, thoughts, and dreams in a pregnancy journal.
The entry for her 8th month read:
Dear baby:
Today I was listening to the radio and this beautiful song came on. I couldn't stop singing:"Even though I ain't got money I'm so in love with you honey everything will bring a chain of love...everything will be alright..".
I looked up the lyrics. The song is called Danny's song. I loved the beginning of the song so much it's like it was written for us : "People smile and tell me I'm the lucky one and we've just begun, I think I'm gonna have a son and he will free as a dove conceived in love, the sun is gonna shine above.
I think the lyrics are perfect, except maybe for that part about not having any money.
Later when your daddy and I were discussing baby names I suggested Daniel. He asked why Daniel? When I told him he smiled one of his best boyish smile, and said that Danny's song was his favorite song. I laughed. He says that just about every song (okay, just oldies) we hear on the radio. Amazing, but we do love the same songs.
Danny's birth
Standing by the side of her bed, Fitz took her hand into his. The pains were becoming harder now and her nails dug into his palm with surprising force. Perspiration beaded her forehead and her eyes were filled with fear of the unknown.
"It's time to push now, Olivia"
Olivia pushed and pushed and pushed.
"I can't, I can't…" she yelped. She was so incredible exhausted.
"Don't think about the pain, sweetheart, think about us, think about how much I love you," Fitz mumbled.
Yeah, right, easy for you to say, she thought but only grunts escaped her lips.
She screamed as the worst contraction took hold, bearing down harder than ever.
Her fingers dug into his hand again—nearly drew blood- as she closed her eyes and pushed.
For a moment, she felt as if she had been swallowed by darkness, and then she heard a baby cry. And then she heard Fitz's voice telling her that he loved her and that it was all over now.
"It's a boy," one of the nurses announced.
Would you like to cut the cord?" The doctor asked Fitz from far away. He nodded, unable to peel his eyes off the baby.
A son. He had a son. Tears filled his eyes. Awkwardly, he cut the cord and held him for a brief moment before the nurse took the newborn away to get cleaned up and weighed.
Fitz came back to Olivia's side, she was crying tears of joy. He fixed a large pillow behind her back and helped her sit up higher. "I love you so much," he said feeling like the luckiest man on earth. "He's beautiful, Liv, just like you" he murmured softly stroking her cheek and gently wiping away the tears with the back of his hand.
Their baby's wails continued to fill the room with the wonder of new life. And both parents continued to smile the biggest of smiles as the nurse finally placed their baby boy in Olivia's arms.
Her face was radiant as her gaze shifted between the baby and Fitz.
"Do we have a name yet?" one of the nurses ask.
"Daniel," both Olivia and Fitz said in unison.
Seeing that the baby was rooting against her gown, she expertly put him to her breast. Her joy was now complete. It was as if she had a little piece of heaven in her arms.
The nurse took one of the baby's wrists and clipped an ID band that read in big uppercase letters: BABY GRANT and Daniel in parenthesis.
They counted his dimpled fingers and toes. They were all there. Olivia wondered at how small they were how perfectly formed. His skin was as soft as down and his hair was like black silk. Although Fitz knew it was too early to tell for sure, yet he had the feeling that this baby was the spitting image of his striking mother.
First year anniversary (written in present tense)
It's their first year anniversary and Olivia is a stay home mom. She plans to return to her law practice after Danny's first birthday.
She spends her days busy with 6 month old Danny and 15 month old Aaron. The babies seem to share a sort of mysterious bond. When one laughs or cries so does the other. Fitz thinks is hilarious. Their evenings are generally more relaxed. Karen comes home from school enthusiastic and ready to pitch in. She's now in fourth grade and it's a long standing joke that babies are her big baby dolls. So she gets the best of both worlds, she gets to play a helper role and she also gets to play mommy.
Olivia spends her free moments thinking of Fitz and what she can do for him when he comes home in the early evenings. She makes sure their kitchen is always stocked with his favorite foods and snacks and makes sure he gets sometime to unwind after work. She helps Karen with her homework while their housekeeper helps with the babies.
It is their first year anniversary and Fitz is more in love with his lovely wife each day that goes by. He brings home flowers and small tokens of his love. He gives her time to herself (as much as possible) and makes sure she goes in for a massage and beauty treatments at their local spa at least once a month.
It's their first year anniversary. Yes. Even though people kept telling them that the first year would be Sooo hard especially with two babies in tow, as if they were naïve children marching off to war.
No, it wasn't hard. Their first year together as a family was busy indeed but it was also full of so much joy. Their wedding, small and classy, the birth of their baby, Aaron's first steps.
Not to mention that upcoming arrival of yet another new member to the Grant clan. Yes, more about that in a minute.
But back to Fitz and Olivia. They have the most honest and fun relationship. Sometimes they would just laugh and laugh at the absurdities of some married couples. Like how some couples that insist on having the ability to finish each other sentences and how more often than not they really don't have the slightest clue as to what their partner is really thinking…yet they love to pretend they actually know everything about their spouse, especially when they have company.
Sometimes they laugh at the mean things that some women make their husbands do to prove their love. Wear this, don't wear that. Do this chore when you get a chance and by that I mean now. And definitely give up all the things you love for me (golfing, hanging out with the guys, etcetera) so then I will have the proof that you love me best.
But of course, Olivia didn't belong to that club or the nagging wife club. She wasn't into emotional coercion or getting Fitz into playing a 'happy-hubby' role. She is confident and secure enough to know that Fitz loved her without him having to constantly prove it.
In turn, Fitz plays the dutiful husband on his own accord, just because he loves her and wants to see that beautiful smile of hers.
Karen's Kitten surprise
Karen had been wanting a kitten for the longest time. Fitz had been more than ready to make his little girl deliriously happy (yes, he was a doting dad).
Olivia had been the holdout, not exactly crazy about the idea. She wanted to wait until the babies were older before adopting a cat. She had heard tales of cats don't take well to newborn babies and she wasn't taking any chances. (Presently Aaron and Danny were 18 and 8 months old respectively)
She'd been shocked to learn that Fitz had ever even entertained the idea of a kitten proposal. Huh? What? Seriously?
"What would you have done then if I had showed up in Mexico with Karen and a new kitten ?"
"And you proposed with the mariachis and Mexican sombrero and a kitten to boot?" she laughed. "That would have been overkill."
He put his arms around her waist and murmured, "Maybe, but we both know that the answer would have been the same" drawing her closer, "you wouldn't have been able to resist..." kissing her on the lips.
"Very devious, Fitzgerald Grant…what a well thought-out plan," Now she was teasing him and enjoying it too, "you wicked, sexy man," she went on giving a long sultry look.
A slow warm smile spread across his lean face and he bent into her, kissed her forehead, her nose, her lips. For as long as he lived, he would never tire of kissing and adoring this woman.
"Daddy, Olivia!" Karen brought them back to the present moment. It was Karen's birthday. Olivia and Fitz planned a big party for her.
Now that her friends had left, Karen had started opening all her gifts. This was the latest trend, have the birthday child open gifts after her friends leave.
"Can I open your gift now?" she excitedly burst into the kitchen, dying to know what was in the huge cardboard box wrapped with a bow that Maria had brought into the living room right after the party was over.
Hand in hand, Fitz and Olivia sauntered over from the kitchen to the living room.
That's when they all heard a faint series of distinctive meows.
Karen squealed, tearing the box open, "Is it mine?" She reached in and pulled out a tiny and sort of scrawny looking kitten.
Fitz and Olivia exchanged a smile.
"Of course it is, silly goose," Fitz replied with a smirk.
"Happy birthday, sweetheart!" Fitz and Olivia said in unison.
"It's so sweet," Karen said excitedly petting the kitten. It purred; its lively eyes looked at her expectantly.
"It was the smallest from the litter but also the smartest" Fitz said taking a seat on the nearest armchair.
Olivia sat on the couch next to Karen. "It's a Siamese," she stroked the kitten's head. With a gesture, she drew attention to the tips of kitten's ears, tail and paws which were much darker (a shade of deep grey blue) than the rest of the body was bluish white. "He has the markings of a blue point, one of the 6 types of Siamese cats." Yep, Olivia had done her homework. She made sure the kitten was purebred and had all his papers.
"But his ears are gray, not blue," Karen laughed.
Right then, Aaron who had been playing in the next room toddled over to see what the commotion was all about.
Fitz waited until Aaron was turning the corner to lift him onto his lap and flopping into the nearest armchair. Aaron burst into a laughing fit, he loved it whenever Fitz would 'surprise him' by lifting him onto his lap when he least expected it. For some reason, Aaron thought it was funny, so Fitz never missed an opportunity to play. Few things in life gave him more joy than the sound of his children's laughter.
"Now, let's see if kitty passes the Aaron test," Fitz said, noting that Aaron had now noticed the kitten sitting on Karen's lap.
Both Fitz and Olivia turned their attention to Aaron and then to Karen and the kitten as though they were watching a tennis match.
"Kitty, Kitty!" Aaron pointed excitedly.
"Come, Aaron," Olivia said, patting her lap. "Come and say hi to the kitty."
Aaron dashed over but instead of sitting on Olivia's lap, he immediately tried to take the kitty into his hands.
"Wait!" Karen exclaimed.
"Honey, hold on. I know you want to pet the kitty, but you got to be gentle" she said and then later realized that those were indeed too many words for Aaron to process in the midst of his excitement. "Be gentle, look," she picked up the kitty from Karen's hands and held it to her chest. "Touch his head softly, gently," she prompted.
Aaron pouted but he reached out to touch the kitty's head.
"Olivia, he might be too rough and hurt him," Karen said to Olivia, clearly worried.
"Yes, he might in the beginning. And that's where you come in. You're a big girl now, you need to watch out for that and remind him to be gentle."
"It's gonna take a lot of work," Fitz agreed. "But you can do it, sweetheart, you're old enough now. Having a pet is a big responsibility, especially one as small as this one. He could get easily hurt. Are you up for it? Ah, also, you're in charge of feeding him and looking after him." he paused for her to digest the information. "If not, we can take him back right now. It's up to you."
For a moment there, Karen looked a little scared. Her daddy had never talked to her in this way, expected so much from her.
Aaron wailed, he wanted to hold the kitten.
"I know it's a lot, K, "Olivia turned to Karen and the kitten meowed right then as if in agreement. "We just want you to understand that it will not all be fun and games."
"Yes, life is not all about having fun," Fitz said giving Olivia a look. "It's about loving others, working hard and growing up…and it's about taking care of the ones we love," he said cocking his head just so inviting Karen to take up the challenge. "Are you up for it?" he repeated.
Karen nodded, carefully placing the kitty in Aaron's hands. "Be careful, be gentle," she said as Aaron put his arms out. "Hold him just like that," she said although she thought Aaron was holding the cat against his body a little too tightly.
"I'll go check on Danny," Olivia mumbled, seeing that every one was content. She thought she heard him waking up through the baby monitor clipped to the strap of her jeans.
Prompted by Fitz, Karen took the kitten into the kitchen and poured some milk into the cat's bowl. Then, she started petting him coaxing it to drink.
"We got to be patient. Kittens are usually shy in a new home," Fitz said.
Surprisingly, the kitten decided right then to comply and started lapping the milk.
Karen's face beamed with happiness. "Daddy, you're the best daddy in the entire world!"
The kitten finished his milky treat, looked up at Fitz as if in acknowledgement and then licked his paw.
A few months later
One day, Olivia went to Barnes & Noble shopping for a birthday present for Fitz. She was thinking perhaps a book by a well-known politician, Fitz always enjoyed reading about what the opposition had to say. While browsing, she ran across a book that caught her attention obviously a misplaced piece from the self-help section.
The book was titled Don't sweat the small stuff with your family. She opened it to a random page:
Happy people know that whatever happened yesterday, last month, years ago—or what might
happen later today, tomorrow or last year- now is the only time when happiness can be found and experienced.
Obviously this doesn't mean that you aren't affected by or you don't learn from your past or that you don't plan for tomorrow (retirement and so forth), only that you understand that your most effective, powerful, and positive energy is the energy of today—the energy of right now. When you're bothered or upset It's usually over something that is over or something else that is yet to be.
Children understand intuitively that life is a series of present moments, each meant to be experienced wholly, right after another, as if each one is important.
Later that day, she took the boys to the beach (conveniently located just a few feet away from their backyard) and set up camp in the pristine sand on a large beach towel. Watching them play, so absorbed in the here and now, the words she'd read readily echoed in her brain, putting all other thoughts on hold.
It was amazing how much her babies could teach her about living in the present moment.
"Mama look," two year old Aaron proudly showed her his bucket full of sand. Then, in a flash motion, he turned over the pail onto the towel.
"Oh, oh," Olivia laughed, there was wet sand everywhere on the towel and all of their belongings. She ruffled his dirty blond hair, admiring how it glittered in the sun. "Hey, big boy let's keep the sand in the sand," she gently reminded him.
With a smile, Aaron picked up his blue shovel and once again started filling up his sand pail.
Meanwhile, Danny who had been content to sit in Olivia's arms up until that moment, reached over to put loads of sand in his mouth. Olivia wiped some of the sand off but then realized it was pointless, he was only going to do it again and again. She then, helped him to a standing position and praised him. He looked so adorable- olive skin, dark brown eyes, wavy brown hair fluttering in the wind-shirtless and clad in a pair of Oshkosh B'gosh overalls.
"Wow, look at you! You're standing all by yourself," she chirped. Ah, any day now he'd be walking. No need to rush it, Olivia, he'll grow up on his own alright without her help. Much to her surprise, Danny took a tentative step forward while she held his hands, his bare feet firmly planted on the towel. She praised him again.
In the meantime, Aaron dumped more sand onto the towel, "sank'astle" he looked at Olivia for approval.
"Sandcastle? You want to build a sandcastle? Ok, I'll help you," she said to Aaron, slowly letting go of Danny's hands, encouraging him to stand on his own. Danny successfully balanced himself on those tiny bare feet, happy to feel the ocean breeze on his face.
Olivia then turned her attention back to Aaron She started narrating the necessary steps for building a sandcastle. "Now, let's pat it like this with the shovel and then carefully put it upside down in the sand," she demonstrated while he crouched down in the sand and watched. "Aha! She carefully removed the pail to reveal a perfect sandcastle. "Isn't it beautiful?"
Aaron laughed, absolutely delighted.
Olivia turned to Danny. He sat down with a flop, his expression bright and happy, "Dada, Dada," he chanted, pointing to Fitz who was coming down from the steps that lead to their beach house to meet them.
Fitz approached them clad in his swimming trunks. Olivia's breath hitched at the sight of his naked torso, another thing she appreciated even after what seemed like many years together. "Hon, did you hear that?" Danny's first word!
Fitz scooped up Danny into his arms and twirled him around which made him burst into laughter. Then, he sat beside Olivia with Danny on his lap.
"Sorry I took so long," Fitz started referring to that darn phone call right before their planned beach outing. Normally, they came down to the beach together as a family at least once a week. Today Karen was at a friend's house.
Olivia sighed. She had a pretty good idea what the phone call had been about and hence her attempt to focus on the present moment as opposed to worrying about the future. "So, did they find her?"
The search and rescue teams had once again combed the island in search of any survivors.
Fitz shook his head, "I'm afraid not," he replied meeting her eyes briefly and then focusing on interacting with Danny and keep him entertained, bouncing him on his lap.
"Daddy, look!" Aaron proudly patted his sandcastle for Fitz to see, except that the sandcastle tumbled down with each motion of his hand.
"Awesome, Aaron!" Fitz praised him before the sandcastle completely disintegrated. "Can you make another one?"
Aaron went right to work enthusiastically on his masterpiece as though he was an artist paid by the hour.
Olivia and Fitz shared a look of fondness and love for each other and the children.
"No signs of Claire?" she managed to say after what seemed like a very long pause. "Fitz…do you think it's still possible?"
"No. I don't think so. They've searched everywhere especially now with a Rockefeller wanna be who wants to develop the island as a celebrity exotic retreat."
Olivia was peered at Aaron for the longest time. Once upon a time Claire had entrusted her with her baby thinking it would be temporary and now…She sighed. In due time, she would tell him about Claire, she promised herself.
One and a half years later (third wedding anniversary)
Day of anniversary party
Olivia had just received a letter in the mail that turned her heart and mind inside out. This threat. It had to be about Aaron, she thought.
I know what you did.
Who was behind this?
Someone who knew about their secret deal with Aaron's birth father?
Fitz was in bed working on his laptop when Olivia came into the master bedroom.
He glanced up. "Liv," he cocked his head welcoming, "Are you okay?"
Olivia bit her lip and approached him with trepidation, "This came in the mail today," she handed him a red envelope with no return address and addressed to her.
"What's this?" He closed up the laptop. His first guess was that it was a Christmas card but then judging from her expression, he changed his mind. He peeked into the envelope. There was a single piece paper folded in fours.
Olivia sat on the edge of the bed and watched him unfold the piece of paper. The words "I know what you did" glared at them both. Each letter had been glued onto the paper from magazine cutouts and combined to form each word.
For a long time neither of them spoke.
"This is about Aaron, isn't it?" Olivia said.
Fitz shrugged and huffed out a breath. "Is this it? Are there any others?"
"Of course not, I would have told you," she sulked. "What are we gonna do?"
Fitz thought about it for a moment. "I'll have Cyrus check into it." He reached out and took her hand. "Don't worry…whatever it is we'll face it together, all right?" He gave her a reassuring smile.
Something in his voice reminded her of when he'd asked her to trust him three years ago when they almost lost Aaron. Ever since then, their relationship had grown stronger, ever since then she had held on to the unwavering belief that no matter what the world three at them they were together as a team.
Furthermore, the last three years had been the best years of her life. Absolutely. Yes, crashing on the island had been such a blessing in disguise.
"You know, Liv, If I had to do it again," he began as if he had been reading her mind, " I would crash on that island a million times if it meant I get to be with you," he gave her a boyish smile.
She grinned back at his grand statement. This was one of the things she loved the most about Fitz: he was such a romantic. "Oh, sure…" she patted his knee playfully. "You're just trying to distract me from our troubles."
"I mean it," his face grew serious. He peered at her with love and adoration. "If I had to do it over again, I would choose to crash on the island again so that I get to meet you and be with you."
Her eyes brimmed with unshed tears, even when the future seemed most uncertain he stood tall like a beacon shinning the way to the light. All of a sudden, the words came pouring out like a torrent released by the breaking of the dam. "The last three years have been the best of my life, each year getting better and better, every day I look forward to our life together. You're the most thoughtful, the most wonderful man I've ever met" she murmured, her words coming from the heart. "Before I met you I was half-alive. But with you I have learned to love and trust and how to live."
Fitz stared back at his wife and marveled at how extremely fortunate he was to be sharing his life with such an amazing woman. He leaned forward and gave her a sweet peck in the lips. He was going to do everything in his power to protect his family come hell or high water.
The next day, another letter arrived with a somewhat of a less cryptic message. Cyrus had already started working on the case and hiring a private detective to further investigate.
Grant drops out of race
OR
I will tell
"Obviously someone wants me to drop out of the race," Fitz commented sitting behind his desk in a meeting with Cyrus. He reclined in his chair, rubbing his forehead with his thumb and forefinger, deep in thought
"Whoever is doing this is an amateur," Cyrus commented nonchalantly, taking a seat in Fitz's office, a stack of files on his lap. "We tracked him down, he talked."
"Let me guess, the big fish is behind governor Jerry Brown," Fitz answered back after a long moment. No brainer. Jerry Brown was the longest serving governor in California history. Fitz was already thinking the odds were already stacked against him trying to take the state out of the hands of an incumbent governor. The question who was doing Jerry Brown's dirty work ?
"There is this organization," Cyrus started with a shrug rather sardonically, "I'm sure you heard of it, the Dharma Initiative?" Prior to this meeting Fitz had brought Cyrus up to speed regarding Elijah Pope and his connection to the Dharma Initiative.
Fitz took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I'm sure they're not exactly buddies with Elijah Pope. Is that why they targeted Olivia? They know that she knows what her father did." he sank deeper into his chair. "But how did they know she knew? Sayid?" He wondered out loud, thinking that now they had something to really worry about.
Cyrus told him that it was as if Sayid had disappeared off the face of the earth.
Later that day, Fitz further discussed the matter with Olivia.
"So then it has nothing to do with Aaron."
"Not necessarily," Fitz began cocking his head, "We're not completely ruling it out. The point is that they are planning on tarnishing my reputation…" He further went on to say that it could very well be a double whammy or a double scandal. The first having to do with him being married to the daughter of a man with a questionable past (guilty by association) and secondly with Aaron's supposedly illicit adoption.
Olivia shook her head in frustration, she already knew his plans well before he spoke, "don't…Fitz, you can't quit."
"I'm not quitting. I'm just trying to protect my family." The primary elections were next week, now was the time to withdraw his nomination. "The bottom line is that we don't know exactly what we're dealing with here. It will take time getting to the bottom of this. I don't want to do it, it's not worth it."
"So you're just going to give up your political ambitions just like that?"
"For now, yeah." He took a step closer holding her gaze and then reached for her hands. "Don't you see? You and the kids are the most important thing to me. If all they want is for me to withdraw from the race, that's an easy fix because nothing, absolutely nothing is more important to me than my family," he spoke passionately.
Olivia opened her mouth in protest but he quickly cut in, "I was already thinking that running for office was too much for our family right now. Look at how time consuming it is. It kills me that most nights I'm not home to tuck the boys in at night. I barely have time to spend time with you and Karen as it is. And it's only going to get worse in the coming months ahead."
Olivia sighed. Well, he did have a point there. Of course she would like him home more with her and the kids.
"Liv, please. Right now this is the right thing to do. Who knows, maybe a few years from now we can reconsider this decision and I can run again."
Olivia shrugged. She needed time to process all this.
After a moment or two the wheels started turning in her head. "Maybe there is a way this can be fixed. I can make a public statement carefully crafted deploring my father's atrocious acts at against the Dharma Initiative," she offered with a sparkle of hope in her eyes, reaching to caress his face. She didn't want Fitz to give up his dreams especially not on her account. "Just because of my father, his deeds have nothing to do with me. I can be pretty convincing when I want to be…and as to Aaron's adoption, I'm sure we'll find some way to explain and turn public opinion around to our side."
He hesitated, she sounded so convincing. "Liv, please…"
"Dad, Olivia, come and see this," Karen called from the next room. "I found Pink panther, the show you told me about on Netflix."
When Fitz and Olivia came into the family room, they found Aaron and Danny laughing their eyes fixed on their over-sized flat screen TV, and with the Siamese cat perched on the curtain rod above one of the windows.
"Hey, this is great, glad you found it," Fitz remarked taking a seat on their ultra comfy sectional couch. Olivia sat to his right and Karen to his left while the boys remained on the rug in front of the TV with their toys scattered about.
Soon enough, another round of laughter filled the room. Olivia and Fitz shared a smile.
For a moment there, Olivia's smile changed as another thought filled her mind. Yes, there was still hope, not all was lost. There was no reason why they couldn't have it all. There was still time, she could still get him to change his mind. Maybe not today but someday.
A/N:
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