I don't think I have specified yet in which year this story is set. I have since decided that the 4th of July in this story will be on a Sunday, so the year is 2004 and we now find ourselves in the hiatus between seasons 5 and 6.

...

45. Florida

Olivia is very sore when she wakes up in the middle of the night. The hot bath water has made her bruises worse and Gene proclaims himself her personal assistant immediately. He gets an ice pack for her as well as some painkillers. Olivia takes the painkillers without objection, determined to enjoy her weekend away with the Butlers. Still, the couple is less rested as they would have liked to be the next morning, and Olivia is suddenly grateful for the limousine and first class flight arrangements. All this luxury sure is making it easier for her to relax and enjoy their trip. She actually manages to catch some additional sleep on the plane, although she wakes up feeling very stiff. At the airport, Gene insists that she sit and wait for him with a cup of coffee while he retrieves their suitcase, and soon they are on their way to their hotel.

They are looking forward to a quiet evening together, before they will be plunged into the family festivities the next morning. After some deliberation, the couple had decided to stay at a hotel instead of at cousin Ellen's house. Ellen has four spacious guest rooms and two guest cottages, but that isn't enough to put up the whole family anyway, and Gene and Olivia have decided that they prefer the privacy of a hotel suite.

Gene is relieved that Olivia agrees with him about this, given what he has planned for her this weekend. He's happy to see that despite her injuries, Olivia is enjoying being away for a little while. She has managed to cover the bruise on her cheek expertly with makeup, and since he is the only one who will have the privilege of seeing her torso uncovered, nobody will be the wiser about her injuries. It is how Olivia wants it to be, and while he would want to pamper her to no end, it is a part of her Gene will simply need to accept: his gorgeous girlfriend is one tough cookie who does not wish to be coddled. Well, not as a rule, anyway. He is getting to know her softer side though, better and better, and the soft smile she is giving him on the drive over to their hotel, tells him that she's happy.

He insists on doing all the unpacking and since they have some time before dinner at the hotel restaurant, he encourages Olivia to freshen up while he puts away their things. He would have suggested taking a nap together but Olivia has already slept on the plane and he knows how groggy she gets when she sleeps during the day. A shower will be better.

Olivia takes him completely by surprise when she emerges from the bathroom fifteen minutes later dressed in nothing but a sheer pink negligee which barely reaches her thighs, and saunters up to him. He quickly puts down the drink he had been nursing and meets her halfway, taking her in his arms to kiss her. He tries to be careful not to bump against her bruises but Olivia seems to have other plans. He feels his entire body respond when she kisses him deeply and he can't suppress a low moan.

"What's this for?" he mumbles against her lips when they come up for air for a moment, and Olivia smiles.

"I just want to relax and have fun while we're out here," she says by way of explanation and it's enough for him. If she needs his body to shake off the remainder of her work week, he's all hers. Always.

He tries to be gentle with her but the way Olivia always manages to light up his entire body is making it difficult to hold back. She's currently writhing against his hand while he caresses her tender folds and she is rubbing him through his pants. He feels extremely overdressed but Olivia assures him it's fine. She then turns around in his arms and bends over until she's bracing herself on the bed. It's the perfect position to ensure he doesn't hurt her ribs and he growls when he stands behind her and grabs her hips.

Olivia laughs softly and wiggles her bare ass against his groin. His pants are around his ankles in a second.

"Come on baby, I'm ready," she says huskily and she doesn't need to tell him twice.

He lets his tip glide between her folds a few times without penetrating her yet, to check that she's really wet enough but also because it's an amazing feeling.

"Gene," Olivia whines, and he loves how impatient she gets sometimes.

When she lowers her upper body until she's resting her elbows on the bed, his own patience evaporates, and he is inside her instantly. They groan in unison. Becoming one with her will probably never become something ordinary and the way her body grips him every time makes him want to crawl inside her completely, just to be even more one with her.

Olivia knows what she's doing to Gene and she is greatly relieved that he isn't treating her like a porcelain doll anymore. His tenderness had helped them to get over their fight the night before, but she doesn't want things to change between them just because Gene has found out that she can actually get injured. She doesn't want him to think less of her and although she wants to be honest with him and not pretend she isn't in pain when she is, she needs for him to continue seeing her as a whole woman; his equal. His partner.

The feeling of him moving inside her makes her physically hot from the inside out. He still wants her and he won't run because she has a dangerous job. It's as if he's driving that message home with every thrust and it makes her want to give back as much as he's giving her. But she can't do much in this position and maybe she doesn't have to. Just giving herself to him, physically as well as emotionally, is enough. Gene loves her. He truly loves her and she relaxes around him as he takes her from behind. Somehow, this doesn't feel like fucking. Even in this position, it's still making love because this is them.

She feels an all too familiar tingling building inside her fast, as if her relaxing is making the experience even more intense. Gene seems to feel it too and he swears under his breath.

"That's it baby," she whispers, encouraging him to keep going because she can already feel her orgasm approaching. "Oh, you feel so good."

"Liv!" Gene says, his jaw set as he picks up the pace.

"Take me, Gene," she replies, and she means it. She wants him to take her. All of her.

"You're mine," he grunts between thrusts and she knows.

"All yours."

"I love you so much!"

"I-, ah! Yes! I love you too!"

They both lose their ability to formulate actual words then and hurtle towards their climaxes fast. Gene comes first and he grunts while he tries to continue to thrust inside her so she can follow him. It doesn't take very long and then she is shattering around him. Their bodies jerk and Olivia braces herself against the mattress, gasping for breath.

Gene pulls out carefully and plops down next to her on the bed. He kisses her bare shoulder and hot puffs of air hit her skin.

"You good?" he asks her and she nods.

"Yeah. Just a little dizzy."

Gene helps her turn around and sit down gingerly. Her ribs do hurt a little now, but fortunately she didn't feel a thing while they were having sex. Just him. Naturally, Gene picks up on her discomfort and he tries to apologize, but Olivia will have none of it.

"Gene, I wanted this and it was great. I'm fine. We're fine. More than fine, actually."

She leans in for a kiss and Gene gives in within seconds. He kisses her deeply and she feels loved. They really are more than fine.

After dinner, they stroll along the beach for a while and when Olivia tells him that she would like to return to the hotel to take a painkiller, they go back immediately. Gene is very relieved that Olivia is so upfront about how she is feeling. He doesn't want her to hide her discomfort. Not from him. He is pleasantly surprised by how easily she seems able to relax, as if their argument of the night before has actually brought them closer together.

She sleeps a bit better the second night after her work injury and they spend their morning leisurely in their hotel suite, with breakfast in bed - among other things. They aren't expected at Ellen's until eleven thirty and have no trouble working up an appetite before lunch. When it is time to leave for the party, Gene has to do a double take when he sees Olivia emerge from the bathroom once again.

She's a vision and he feels himself falling in love with her even more.

Olivia is wearing a purple strapless gown, showing off her perfectly tanned arms, shoulders and chest, and the long skirt flows down to her ankles. A high split reveals an equally tanned leg and she's wearing high heels in the same color as the dress. Her cleavage is mouthwatering but what mesmerizes him even more is how her hair flows around her face in loose waves, almost like a halo around her. Her choice of jewelry is modest as always but she has made sure it matches the new watch he'd gotten her.

She smiles and he swallows hard. When she walks up to him he shakes his head.

"You're amazing," he sighs.

"You don't look so bad yourself," she says, giving his suit an appreciative once-over.

He is wearing a light suit for the occasion and Olivia thinks he looks even taller today. He's started to maintain a neatly trimmed scruff and he looks like he's just walked out of an advertisement for something very expensive. When he offers her his arm she takes it and she feels glamorous when they walk through the lobby of their hotel towards the car Gene has rented.

"Every man is jealous of me today," Gene says softly and she chuckles.

The drive over to Ellen's isn't too long and they are greeted enthusiastically by Anne and Hank as soon as they exit the car and walk up to the house.

"There they are! Ellen? Come on out and greet Gene and Olivia!" Anne calls out to their niece.

Ellen comes out of the house with her husband to greet the new arrivals, and soon Olivia is surrounded by more Butlers than she had thought possible. Gene has told her a bit about his many aunts, uncles and cousins, but now that they are all gathering in the same place, it is a bit this is just his father's side of the family! The already familiar faces are a relief though, and she greets Blake and Lyndsey warmly. Gene has been swept up in the growing crowd and it takes her a while to find him again, out in the spacious garden where he is talking animatedly with even more family members she hasn't been introduced to.

Hank has two older sisters and an older brother who all have children, and most of the children have children of their own by now, and some even grandchildren. The two people Gene introduces her to are, of course, cousins but she can't keep straight which cousin is a kid of which aunt or uncle. Fortunately, cousin Mariana is in the same boat, and while the men are talking some business, Mariana takes Olivia's arm and pulls her to the side gently.

"I'm new here too," the brunette tells her. "This is only my second family event with the Butlers so I know how you must feel."

Olivia smiles and glances at Gene over Mariana's shoulder. He winks at her and gestures that he'll rejoin her soon.

"Everyone wants to meet you though," Mariana continues. "But one look at you and they'll understand why Gene fell for someone at last."

Olivia smiles politely. She knows it is meant as a compliment but looks certainly aren't everything. She and Gene have connected on a much deeper level, however shallow their beginnings may have been. They've found common ground in their fear of commitment because they're deeply afraid of getting hurt. Their love is about much more than looks and in the end, much more than physical compatibility. She feels like she is finally finding a safe haven, not only away from the horrors of her job, but a safe haven for her soul as well. Gene wants to lift her up and show her her worth as much as she wants to prove to him that he is safe with her and she won't do to him what Barbara did.

When Gene pops back up next to her, they mingle together for a while, meeting up with Frank and yet another cousin, but naturally, Gene notices that her body is protesting a bit, and he finds them some bar stools to sit on at one of the high tables in Ellen's spacious living room, which has an amazing view of the garden as well as the beach and sea behind it.

"The fireworks will be on the beach tonight," Gene tells her and Olivia nods, taking in the view.

Gene watches her face and daydreams a little about what the evening will have in store for them. He can see it now. Everyone gathering on the beach and her beautiful eyes reflecting the fire that will be lit in several of the fire pits in the sand. The sun won't set until very late but it will be a romantic setting anyway. And that's where he'll ask her, in front of his parents, his brothers and many other relatives. He is a little nervous, but not because he is worried about her answer. He just wants this moment to be perfect because it will be the only time he will ever ask this question as far as he's concerned. He wants it all with Olivia and his heart skips a beat when she suddenly looks at him.

"What?' she asks him with a chuckle.

"Nothing," he says quickly. "Just admiring the view."

She knows perfectly well he means her but she just smiles softly again. She's happy and he wants to make damn sure she will always be happy. He sees Frank lift his glass at them and smiles. If anyone knows what Olivia means to him, it's Frank and he's glad things haven't become awkward between the three of them.

Lunch consists of all kinds of small bites that people can take with them into the garden or to the beach, and everyone fans out after a while. Gene makes sure Olivia doesn't overexert herself and he can see her relief when he secures a few comfortable beach chairs for them to relax on during the afternoon. Ellen has made sure the family will have the entire beach to themselves for the day and people can sit wherever they want. The children have fun playing in the water, and Ellen has even hired a few professionals to keep them busy and safe.

A few people drop by to introduce themselves and to chat with Gene and Olivia. She encourages him after a while to go out and talk to other people while she relaxes a bit. He doesn't have to babysit her all day. But it never takes him long to return to her side. Anne pulls a chair up next to Olivia when Hank decides to join the kids and teens in the water, and they laugh at the older man's antics. Somehow it feels like a tiny glimpse into a possible future and Olivia bites her lip. Her own mother was a mess but Gene's parents have made it work. She glances at the woman next to her and sees the love in her eyes for her husband, even after all these years together. It's possible, she thinks. And she wants it. No matter how well she can take care of herself and how strong and independent she is, in the end, this is what she wants. The short time she's been living with Gene has already taught her that it makes so much difference to have a real home to come home to after a long day or week, and not just a house. It's time to give up her own apartment, she realizes. She's ready for it. She wants to go all in with Gene because it doesn't get any better than this.

...

A/N: Awwwwwwwww. Too mushy? I don't caaaaare! XD
Next chapter, Gene carries out his plan!