Harrison's gaze asked a silent question. Olivia gave the tiniest nod in answer and a few minutes later, he was excusing himself from the group to find Shireen.

"What was that about?" Jocelyn asked. "Or shouldn't I ask?"

Olivia was torn about what her reply should be. She didn't like discussing her own personal life and was even more reluctant to talk about others. Still, it did concern her daughter and that made her break her own rule.

"It's Shireen - or more to the point - Jake Ballard. He's here working on the presidential remote communication team and I'm not sure that your daughter wants to find that out without getting a heads-up."

"I don't know how she'd react finding that out without warning. I don't even know if it matters or if she'd tell me if it did." Jocelyn said. She sighed. "It's the price I've paid for the truths I withheld from her. On the surface, everything is fine between us, but I can tell that she's a little cautious about what she does and does not discuss with me. I'm hoping time will fix that, but until then, it is what it is."

"It's just a phase she's going through." Fitz said.

"I hope so, but who can tell?"

Jocelyn's words reminded Fitz of the current state of his relationships with his own kids. Things seemed to be fine with him and Karen on the surface, but what did he know? When was the last time the two of them had sat down and had a real talk? And Gerry - he knew that he was definitely on rough ground with his son. Thank goodness that Teddy was too young to even begin to understand how much things had changed since he was born.

"It takes patience, but it will pass." Fitz said to her. He sincerely hoped that the words he was saying would prove to be true for the both of them.

While they had been talking, Will and Gayle had joined them with a few of their friends and several lively conversations had sprung up so when the elder Cassidy had declared that he wouldn't mind a bite to eat they all moved together as a group, heading for one of the grilling stations.

Fitz managed to put his sobering thoughts aside after accepting that there was nothing that he could do about them. Just like there was nothing to do about today and whatever it is that Nathaniel was cooking up. What was left to him was this day, this hour, this moment. And all of that he'd very much rather spend his energy on the fact that he was in the company of the woman he adored.

While everyone's attention was everywhere else, he could indulge himself for a moment, letting his eyes travel from her head to her toes, how her hair, currently pulled back sleekly into a high ponytail accentuated her exquisitely arched cheekbones, how her barely there makeup - nothing more than a trace of eyeliner and mascara - showed off her flawless brown skin, aglow in the brisk November sunshine; how her black leather jacket fit her body perfectly, ending at the perfect point to accentuate the perfect curve of her hips clad in black denim.

He felt Jocelyn's brief but amused glance at him before she drifted a few steps away, engaging Will Caldwell and the others in conversation, deliberately directing their attention away from him. The others surrounding them were busy having their own conversations, leaving Fitz to hide behind the waves of chatter and laughter and as they took their place on line, he maneuvered himself to a place slightly behind and to one side of Olivia.

"Feeling hungry, Liv?"

Knowing what direction Fitz's thoughts had probably taken after Jocelyn's words made Olivia determined to help take his mind off of matters he couldn't control, so the gaze she slanted up at him had a deliberate hint of mischievousness in it. "Not really, but there's so much to choose from, I guess I should try and satisfy my - appetite - as best I can."

Fitz sent her a look of amusement that quickly deepened into something more. "I understand - but to tell the truth, I'm starving."

"I have no doubt that you are, Mr. President." She murmured, purposefully turning her gaze away, purposefully teasing him, knowing what effect those two little words would have on him. "I understand that you have a very healthy appetite."

Fitz bent his head down to hers so that no one else could hear his next words. "You are such a tease."

"Am I?"

"Aren't you? And speaking of hunger, I'm wondering what your lips taste like right now."

The soft baritone in Fitz's voice rumbled through her. That and his nearness set off a craving inside of Olivia that had nothing to do with food. It produced an urge to turn around, knowing that he was close enough behind her that the motion would put her into his arms. And then she could reach up and run her hands across his broad shoulders, let them caress their way down his chest and then back up again, to slide her hands around his neck and pull his lips to hers…

She dared a glance at him and for a moment, their eyes met and held. "Eyes front, Mister."

"I happen to like where my eyes are just fine, thank you." But after her look, Fitz found himself struggling to keep his gaze away from her lips - so soft and full and red, that it was ridiculously difficult for him to resist the urge to capture them with his own.

For the next little while, as they were served huge platters of perfectly grilled and sliced lamb, chicken, beef and vegetable kabobs and other savory foods, both of them played into the fantasy that this was more than a brief relief from the political machinations surrounding them. They found seats under one of the many open-air pavilions scattered about and allowed themselves to just be content with one another.

It's both sweet and bittersweet being in public like this, able to laugh and take joy in the day, the hour, the moment. It's both more and less that everything around them and if they were apart, a simple look or smile shared between them made it all good.

In one of those moments, where their eyes met and held, there was an unspoken conversation between them. One day, Fitz's eyes promised, this is going to happen. Good food, with friends and family of our own all around - this is going to be us.

XXX

Harrison pretended to wander idly around the back yard at first, before backtracking his way through the main house, trying to think where Shireen might be. He was careful to keep a pleasant smile on his face, one that overlaid the growing sense of worry inside him.

There was nothing to worry about, a part of him insisted. It was none of his business what Shireen and Jake were or were not doing. Their relationship was definitely none of his business and he had no right to be worried about any of it. It was his job to keep situations around Olivia smooth and he was just doing his job.

Except his gut was telling him otherwise.

Not finding her indoors, Harrison decides to take a stroll around the entire veranda and just as he turns the last corner, he finds what he had hoped he wouldn't - Jake and Shireen involved in what looked like was a tense conversation.

She was leaning against the corner post of the veranda, Jake's hands braced on the porch on either side of her, basically trapping her in place. Harrison frowned inside but as he walked forward, he pasted a smile on his face.

He played his approach smoothly, offering his most sincere act of "I hope I'm not interrupting" interruption. A part of him means it; Harrison has never wanted to get too emotionally deep with his own relationships, but one thing that he's always done is offer respect on every level. There was a tension that he could read in the both of them body that made his guts begin to boil just a little.

Her eyes left Jake's face and darted to his and there was no doubting the relief he saw and that decided him. Jake barely paid his presence any attention, beyond a quick flicker of his eyes that went back to studying Shireen's face. Harrison didn't care for the intensity he read there.

"We need to figure this out." Jake spoke to Shireen as if Harrison wasn't standing a few feet away.

She shook her head. "This is not the time or place - and to tell the truth, there's nothing to figure out. You've made yourself clear and this is me doing the same."

"Just tell me what I did wrong -"

"- you didn't do anything -"

"Is this the 'it's not you, it's me' speech? C'mon, Shireen, you've got to be kidding me!"

"You know as well as I do, that my life has changed a lot in the last year - I'm just looking for a little space to figure it all out."

She wanted a little space - and that was enough. It was clear that this was a conversation that Shireen wasn't interested in having in the here and now and that was all that Harrison needed to know.

It seemed as though some of his feelings must have shown in his face because Shireen used the opportunity to push past Jake. Her smile as she walked to Harrison was genuine, although Harrison thought he saw something else behind her eyes that he couldn't quite identify.

"Harrison! What a nice surprise it is to see you! Did my mother send you looking for me?" she asked.

"Something like that." Harrison picked up on her intent and slid smoothly into the role of messenger that she seemed to want him to play. "She's with the president and would like for you to join her."

"I certainly can't refuse an offer like that." Shireen said as she slipped her arm into his. Harrison could feel her trying to control the slight shaking in her in them and then he found himself trying to control the irritated response swelling up inside him. What - he wondered - had he walked in on?

"Shireen…" Jake started to say more, but she turned to face him.

"I don't have the answers that you want, Jake." Shireen said. "Can we just leave it at that?"

Before Jake could answer, Harrison did. "Look, I don't know exactly what's happening here -"

"That's right." Jake said. "You don't."

Harrison kept going as if Jake hadn't spoken. "- and I don't want to know. What I do know is that we're all guests here -"

"Some of us are out here working, not just enjoying the scenery." Jake pointed out.

"You're right. Some of us are - but Shireen isn't." Harrison answered him this time. "And for those of us who are working - you know, me and you - a part of the job is keeping the environment in which they work smooth so that our bosses can do their thing to the best of their abilities -and that means that we put the personal to the left."

Jake had nothing to say to that and before he could think of a reply, Harrison nodded a cool goodbye and steering Shireen away from the conversation before it became a confrontation.

He thought that'd he'd been right because once they had moved out of Jake's hearing, he felt Shireen relax a little.

"Thanks." She said.

"None necessary." Harrison said.

"I'm sorry you had to get involved…" her voice trailed off. "So much has happened since the last time we saw each other. I don't even know where to begin to start explaining…"

"It's none of my business." Harrison said, then realized how sharp his words sounded and that wasn't his intention at all so he corrected himself quickly. "I meant that you owe me no explanations."

There was a little silence between them before she spoke again. "Thanks again, then. This time for not judging."

While he kept the smile on his face for anyone who might be watching, his words were serious. "I don't judge unless I'm given reason to. You've been on one helluva roller-coaster ride this year and if you need space to figure it all out, well - anyone who cares anything about you would give it to you - no questions asked."

It turns out that was exactly the right thing to say; Shireen's smile was full and genuine when she flashed it at him. "I really am going to have to find a way to thank you without repeating myself."

He grinned down at her. "The pleasure of your company is a good start."

Shireen smiled up at him. "That, I can do."