EPISODE TWENTY-TWO
CHAPTER 86
They stepped into the morning sunlight just as it was shifting towards the warmth of the mid-day. Fitz swore that he could feel it filling him - but then again, maybe it was the events of their plan finally unfolding all around that might be the source. Either way, it was a good feeling.
More importantly was what was happening here and right now - Olivia by his side and people he could trust surrounding him. All that was missing was Cyrus and Jocelyn - she had gone on ahead of them all to greet her husband, and he'd be returning with James and Ella. That would make his son Teddy very happy - and his happiness was everything.
Add Karen and Gerry to the list and his heart would be over the moon… and he hoped that he could add Gerry to the list before the end of the day. Despite Karen's text, his oldest son was still a wild card.
His eyes swept across the lawn, past the arriving families of the mid-level members of the support staff of both parties. Fitz felt his smile widen; another great idea from Susan. As she had pointed out more than once - they were the workhorses of the Senate, that did the grunt work and dealt with the more pestiferous lobbyists and reporters "- and they are never thanked enough." She had told him.
Susan had also pointed out that their presence would almost guarantee a showing by senators and congressman across the aisle, if for no other reason that their concern over how their absence might play out in the media.
No doubt, she was glad to see it all working out - they all were. Fitz's smile was genuine as he smiled and waved to parents already beginning to chase after their youngest one as they were already scampering from one activity to the next, from the bouncy house to the plastic ball pit and arts and craft stations.
Finally his gaze was caught by what he'd been looking for; a group of boys and girls standing to one side of an area already marked out for use as a game field, their ages running the gamut of middle schoolers to high school seniors. All of them were surrounding Michael Davis and best of all, his son was among them - his expression as excited as the rest.
Jocelyn was standing a short distance away and as their eyes met, she smiled. From the knowing look on her face, Fitz knew that she had a good idea of his own feelings and he acknowledged that with a nod and a smile back.
And with those feelings in mind, as much as he wanted to, Fitz steered himself away from the group. Be careful his heart whispered. This was just as much about Gerry's feelings, his wants and needs, as they were about his own.
For once, his son's normally closed-off and far too often mutinous expression had been replaced by something else - something close to excitement and happiness. There was time for Fitz to find a way to wander over, but not just yet. It was enough that Karen had been right about catching her brother's attention.
::Good job, Dad::
Fitz understood that the smartest thing he could do right now was give his son the space he needed and not take what he himself wanted.
At this point, Olivia was walking to one side of him, with Susan on the other and he turned his attention to them. He gave his attention to Susan first, praising her for the way things appeared to be falling into place.
"Thank you, sir." Susan's relief and pleasure were obvious - and that was a pleasure for Fitz as well. "I can't take the credit for this - at least not without acknowledging the fact that I couldn't have done any of this without help."
"A lesson that's always good to be reminded of." Fitz said. "All of this is a team effort." His eyes slid instantly to Olivia's to see that she was already smiling at him.
He felt the warmth of her gaze fill him for a moment, then his attention was pulled back to Susan as he notes hers shifting as well, to one of the servers unexpectedly approaching them - waving to get Susan's attention.
"I'd better see what that's about - if you'll excuse me, Mr. President?"
"Of course." Fitz said. Susan looked behind her, asking with a glance for Harrison to accompany her. The two of them walked to meet the server, then the three of them were walking back to the White House.
Everyone else seemed to take this as a cue to also find other things to do and they drifted away, finally leaving Fitz alone with Olivia.
It was a moment that wouldn't last long and it only took a single glance between them to show him that Olivia knew it as well. There would be other moments that he'd snatch before the day was done, but this was the first - and Fitz was determined to take full advantage of it
He turned a warm gaze towards Olivia, one she returned. It was clear she was reading his thoughts and even better, she shared them. It was in her voice, in the way that her voice softened, a note that she usually reserved for when they were alone and intimate.
"Everything looks like it's all off to a great start, doesn't it?"
"I agree - and I'm definitely liking what I see." His heart did a silly little lift as he deliberately twisted her words and he gave her a mischievous smile, but he didn't care. For these few moments, he could pretend that the world was different, that there was nothing to hide from the world, nothing at all…
"So am I."
"Then we're both satisfied."
"For now." Olivia deliberately let her eyes travel up and down the length of Fitz's body. "Barely."
Surrounded as they were by so many people, such a bold admission was unexpected enough that it forced an startled burst of laughter out of him. "Why, Ms. Pope - I'm shocked at the level of impropriety that I'm hearing."
There was no mistaking the spark of mischief that flashed momentarily in her eyes. "Are you really? I seem to remember someone suggesting that we be inappropriate not so very long ago."
"That was an eternity ago." Fitz said, feeling the warmth of that particular memory move through him.
Let's be inappropriate.
He'd had no idea how much his life would change from uttering those three little words. And yet here they were…
He could see the same memory in Olivia's eyes.
"Sometimes, it feels like it was only yesterday." Her words echoed his own thoughts. "And yet, here we are."
He watched as a flicker of her true emotions crossed her face, her love dancing in her eyes just for a minute before it shifted again in a return to her earlier playfulness. "Here we are - and I think I could be persuaded to be much more inappropriate in the right time and place."
Fitz bent down so that his mouth hovered deliciously close to Olivia's ear, briefly careless of who might be watching. "Promises, promises."
"And where have I heard that before, Mister?"
"And when have I not kept them?"
Olivia's answering smile was brilliant. "Point taken - and just so you know, I intend to hold you to that."
"Give me half a chance and I plan to hold more than that." Fitz swept one hand before them as they shared a laugh. "And on that happy note, we should at least pretend to be working, before someone does find something for me to actually do."
That led them to share a final private look between them, each of them enjoying the nearness of the other, before they turned to enjoy the taste of that freedom as they roamed the grounds together.
Fitz pauses to personally greet and thank the many cooks, servers and other volunteers manning their food stations and activities and making small talk with families, achingly and happily aware of Olivia at his side.
The sound of children and their families laughing and enjoying themselves filled Fitz, eventually leading him back to where an energetic game of touch football was underway.
He was grateful for that; it gave him the opportunity to find a spot among the other adults watching the game without drawing too much attention to himself.
There was some of course, he was the president, after all - but after a few minutes, the attention moved from his arrival back to the game.
Fitz had picked Jocelyn out of the crowd and now he and Olivia found his way to her side.
She greeted them, a soft grin gracing her face. "Planning on getting in on the game?"
Fitz paused, thinking before he answered. "A certain part of me thought about it - but then the side of me that holds on to my common sense brings me back to a more rational state of mind."
"In spite of the good photo ops?" Jocelyn asked.
"Especially because of the photo ops." Fitz answered her with a grin. "If these old bones decide not to cooperate, it might not be the wisest thing to plaster across the media just before my re-election campaign begins."
The three of them laughed together; after all, Fitz was in excellent shape for a man his age, despite his recent assassination attempt.
"I think I might want to disagree with that." Olivia said. Knowing that she could feel at ease in Jocelyn's presence, she paused purposefully. "For reasons."
Jocelyn gave her a conspiratorial grin. "I think that I'll agree with Olivia on this one."
"Two against one? That hardly seems fair." Fitz said. He was enjoying this just as much as they were; it felt incredible that he could enjoy a laugh about it all.
Olivia was feeling very much the same. "Just accept the compliment and keep it rolling, Mr. President."
"Common sense says that I should leave that work to your husband." Fitz said.
When both women turned a mock glare on him, Fitz held up his hands in surrender. "Then again, I guess I should accept these compliments gracefully?"
"I should think so." Olivia said, clearly enjoying herself.
"You leave my husband to me." Jocelyn said, love and pride filling her expression. "He'll be feeling the after effects of the day, trust me - and he'll be more than grateful for some TLC - which I will be more than happy to provide."
She gave them both a meanngful look. "No doubt I could suggest the same to you."
"No doubt." Fitz said. He gave Olivia his own meaningful look. "Under those circumstances, I might be tempted to take to the field…"
"I could be persuaded to render aid - if it turns out to be necessary." Olivia said.
"I'm sure it will be." Fitz said.
"I'm not convinced that it will be." Olivia said.
Fitz surrendered a second time - not that he minded. "I give up."
"Wise man." Jocelyn murmured.
"I concur." Olivia's eyes were sparkling with amusement.
"Two against one." Fitz reminded them both.
While they were chatting, they were also watching the game and as they watched, Gerry's team was running down the field, chasing the other team who had possession. They clapped and cheered along wth everyone around them as Gerry flung himself forward, managing a last-minute tackle.
"Remind me again about taking the field, because that hit that my son just delivered just reminded me that now would be a good time to stay in my lane." Fitz said as he laughed, pride in his son's effort swelling in his heart.
Groans and cheers filled the air and under the cover of the happy noise surrounding them, Jocelyn spoke quietly. "Is that the only reason?"
"No - and I'm sure you can guess why." Even before she answered, Fitz knew that she did - for reasons that they both knew she shared.
"I'm sorry to bring it up, it's just that…"
"You don't have to explain yourself, Jocelyn." Fitz said - and he meant it. "We're on the same page here."
They were both very much aware of that fact, something that was underscored even as Fitz watched Jocelyn's attention drawn away from both the conversation and the game.
He followed her gaze to see her daughter and Harrison walking in their general direction. They were engaged in a deep conversation, one that had them unconcerned with everyone around them - at least that was the case until Shireen happened to look up, her glance casually crossing the field - until she noticed them.
It was a painful check in his heart for Fitz to watch Jocelyn's expression go from hopeful to disappointment as Shireen halted in her tracks.
Harrison had stopped when she did; waiting and listening patiently while Shireen said something to him. She turned around and walked away without a second look in their direction.
The three of them watched as Harrison looked after Shireen for a minute, before he turned and continued to come their way. Fitz, Olivia and Jocelyn took a few steps to move a little ways away from the other people still watching the game to meet him.
Harrison's gaze flickered from one face to the other, pausing briefly to send a very careful and apologetic smile in Jocelyn's direction before he turning to Olivia. "I hate to interrupt…"
"But…" Olivia said.
"But…" Harrison offered another apologetic smile. "I think we may have a potential situation brewing."
He went on to explain the problem - one of Congressman Tillman's senior aides was badgering Susan over some perceived slight, finishing up with: " I have my suspicions that there's more there than meets the eye, but in either scenario, I think that a little powerhouse backup may be called for."
"I'm not surprised." Olivia said, knowing that she wasn't alone in this. They had already discussed the possibility that someone would challenge them - and that they might target Susan as the weakest link.
The only question in the end, it seemed, had been who would try them first.
And now they knew.