"Livvie, have you seen that blue tie with the little stars on it?" Fitz asks while briskly walking across the second-floor landing of their Georgetown brownstone. Rounding the corner, he takes in the sight of Liv sitting cross legged on the floor, her black tank top hiked up over her round belly, surrounded by piles of her own clothing in neat, organized stacks.

Their suitcases lay on the floor, currently empty, taunting them as they attempt to pack for the weekend. It's new, packing for a trip together, and it's making them both a little panicky, a little anxious.

Not to mention, finding clothes that actually fit her since her bump finally popped a few weeks ago, their baby deciding to make her presence seen and known. It's all been tough.

On top of that, the reason for the vacation is adding a tad more stress as well. In ten short hours, they would be boarding their private plane, headed for Oakland, California to attend Karen's graduation from UC Berkeley.

Liv looks up at him from her spot on the floor, smiling gently at his frazzled appearance, cradling her belly with one hand and leaning back with the other planted on the floor. "I think I saw it on the back of your coat rack downstairs, maybe?" He immediately turns to head that way as she stops him. "Wait, come here…"

As their eyes meet, it's like his demeanor softens—he's been caught being especially too high strung, too on edge, and like always, she sees right through him. She stands and meets him in the middle of their room, wrapping her arms around his neck as soon as she reaches him.

He sighs contently, nuzzling her neck and letting her comfort him. Cupping her belly, thumbs rubbing gently back and forth, he tries to come back into himself. It's…a lot, thinking about his first child graduating college while he feels his youngest wiggle and kick his hand. It's overwhelming in a way he never expected and, all of the sudden, he's faced with the reality of time and change.

All of the memories he has of Karen, of his little girl—of holding her for the first time in the hospital, of teaching her how to ride a bike, going to her first piano recital, then sending her hundreds of miles away to boarding school… Now, she's twenty-two, and he wishes time would slow down because, while he's understanding that she's a woman, an adult, and a scholar, she will always be his little girl.

It's particularly hard too as he thinks of Gerry, of the college graduation that he won't ever get to attend for his first born. New milestones make Fitz mourn anew, and while Olivia loves every part of him, there's a depth to his suffering—his pain—that she can't ever fully understand.

So, she holds him, lets him run his hands along her back and tummy, and kisses his neck softly because she knows him well enough to know that all of this is racing through his head, coupled with the thought of bringing his pregnant girlfriend to her first family function, which is inevitably…tricky for them.

Mellie will be there, of course, bringing Teddy along with her entourage of staffers, Secret Service agents, and stylists, all mandatory for a presidential weekend away. All Fitz wants is for Karen to feel honored and not overtaken by the drama that is likely to ensue.

"Okay?" She asks, sound muffled against the skin of his neck, and while she knows that his isn't okay, she knows that asking will help him begin to process what he's feeling with her.

Olivia isn't his wife, and she's not the mother of these children, but she's the one person who has seen him through a lot of those moments. Better yet, she's been with him through this new phase of his life as he starts to reconcile the man he was for many years with the man he wants to be now.

The pit in his stomach lingers mostly because he knows how Karen had viewed him for so many years—absent, unavailable, unfaithful. He had given her no reason to believe that he was anything other than those things.

Then, he left the White House, and Karen fled as far as she could get from him. It's been months and years of messages—of handwritten notes and phone calls and attempts to repair the relationship he has with this daughter.

The one he let slip when he prioritized himself—when he became president and stopped listening to her diatribes on the latest boy band drama. When he started fucking someone who wasn't her mother and stopped taking her to the movies on the weekends. When he had another child and stopped thinking that she still needed him like Teddy did. When he lost his son and stopped believing that his presence in her life—his presence in life—mattered.

Hindsight and counseling led him fatefully back to Karen's side. She started returning his calls. She started calling him, telling him she switched her major (again…). She started visiting him when she came home on school breaks. When he offered for her friends and her to fly to Vermont for long weekends, she started accepting.

And, while their relationship is far from perfect, they amazingly have one again.

And, of course, Olivia has gotten to witness the journey firsthand. She can't let herself dwell too much on it before tears well in her eyes—the relentless pursuit of a father to repair a fraught relationship with his daughter. What she would give for it.

The collar of her tank is damp when he leans back to meet her gaze.

"She's graduating, Livvie…" His voice is soft and serene, like he doesn't believe the words coming out of his own mouth.

As she packs the last item of clothing into her luggage, she registers her phone buzzing on the nightstand. Picking it up, she sees the contact light up her screen.

"Karen?"

"Hey Liv!" Her voice is chipper, friendly and easy going, which vaguely surprises Olivia. Their relationship is amiable and kind, but it's not like Karen calls her often.

"Oh hi! What's up?"

"Oh, nothing much. Headed out for grad night soon with—with my friends and was gonna just see how it was going there."

Her brow furrows skeptically. "Yeah, we're good… Trying to help your dad get packed, you know he is with these things. It takes ages to get him to focus on anything, but we're finally done. Our flight leaves early tomorrow, so I think we should be at your place before lunchtime…"

"That's great. Sounds like you'll be here before Mom, which is—that's good. I was hoping… Yeah. That's perfect." Karen's voice is clipped now, with a tinge of nerves, if Olivia had to guess.

Liv pauses, waiting to see if she'll elaborate, but when she doesn't, she presses. "Karen… Is everything okay?"

The line is quiet for a few seconds. "Um… is my dad around?"

She catches a glimpse of Fitz through the open window blinds. "Looks like he's watering the garden, right now. Want me to go get—"

"No!" Karen interjects quickly. "No, I mean, it's okay. I—I just wanted to talk to you."

"Okay… Are you safe? Karen, if you're in trouble, you need to tell me a lot faster than this."

She hears laughing on the other end of the phone, her pulse relaxing at the sound. "Geez, Liv. No need to set off the alarms. I'm safe. I just… I have this thing… and I need your advice on how to handle it this weekend."

"I'm listening…"

"Well… I—I don't know how to say it."

"Well, usually with words is best."

"Ha. Ha. Ha," Karen deadpans. "I'm serious, it's just…hard. I don't know what I'm doing."

"Hmm. I'm here to listen, you know that. I feel like I need to look at you… Switch me to FaceTime."

Karen quickly does so, and Olivia is reassured to see her smiling face, covered in half-complete make-up. She's leaning over the sink and propping her phone up on the faucet so she can finish her make-up, brown curls already pinned back from her face.

"Well, on with it then, please," Olivia urges, trying to make light of the situation—trying to feign that she isn't about to vomit. Her boyfriend's daughter is confiding in her about god-knows-what, and she's about to have to spend a weekend with them all. She's going to throw up. Then, the jellybean in her belly does yet another flip, and she's really going to throw up.

"Ugh. Okay… Like—I know you probably wouldn't—but can you promise not to tell dad?"

Liv nods, cautiously. "Unless your life or someone else's life is in danger…"

"No one is in danger, god!" Karen chuckles, and Olivia watches as she rolls her eyes before her face sobers. Her mouth opens and closes as she tries to find the words. "So… I'm dating someone."

There's a pause. Then, Liv throws her head back in fits of giggles. "Karen Elizabeth Grant. You almost made me have a heart attack, just to tell me you have a new boyfriend? What, is he a criminal? Or a terrorist? Oh shit, wait… is he a Democrat?"

Karen shakes her head and laughs briefly. "Are you done? No! They are not a criminal or a terrorist… I mean, yeah, they're progressive, but that's not necessarily what I'm concerned about…"

Karen's eyes look away from the screen, and for a second, she looks sad…scared…maybe a little queasy? And instantly, Olivia kicks herself for being so blasé. She's seen that look on one too many of her own clients' and friends' faces.

"Oh, Kare… I'm—shit. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have assumed… It's—it's not a guy, is it?"

She shakes her head, and Olivia can see the tears pricking at the corners of her eyes. "No… it's not. Her name is Kayla, and she's incredible. I love her so much, and I—I don't know how… Mom and Dad and Teddy are going to be here, and I don't know how to pretend she doesn't exist. I can't do that… But I also can't tell them! Mom would kill me, and Dad… I don't even know what he would do, but I can't say he'd be happy. And god if the press find out, I can't even imagine what the conservative base will do to Mom and—"

"Hey," Liv cuts her off, sitting back down on the floor and propping her own phone up on the leg of their bed. "Let's not spiral here… I know that you're anxious. I hear you…and I'm not going to sit here and tell you that it's going to be easy. Trust me—I get what you're feeling. I don't know how they will react—but I do know that you are strong and resilient and more than capable of standing on your own two feet. You want to tell them? Great. That's beautiful and brave. You aren't ready, yet? Great! That's wise and honest and true too. There are no rules here, Karen."

"I know… That's what she's been telling me too. I just—I want to be out. I want to be free. I've lived in a fucking cage my entire adolescence, not able to do anything that I wanted to do. I had to be what they wanted. And now, I've found something that is for me. Kayla is for me, Liv, and I don't want them to take her away…"

"Oh, honey," the term of endearment flows naturally from her lips, and she can't help but feel protective over this young woman. She's watched her live in that cage, help her get out of situations when she tried to break free, and now, she's here, begging to be released again. "I'm so sorry. Breathe. Yeah, just like that. Hey. I'm on your side. You need me to slap some sense into your father? Gladly. I've been doing it for years. You need me to work the media? Spin it on Fox News? Have all of the GOP congressmen posting pride flags on their official Instagram accounts? I've got it. I—have got—you," she emphasizes, meaningfully.

And within this five-minute conversation, Olivia realizes that she's in this. This is her partner's family, but in an odd way, she's a part of it now. Maybe she's always been a part of it. She's watched a twelve-year-old Karen smile and wave at cameras and cheering crowds, not even fully cognizant that her father was about to run the most powerful country in the world.

And now, she watches as that same little girl smiles and consumes the entire weight and responsibility that that office laid upon her.

Liv glances back toward the window, watching as Fitz has finished up the yard work, pulling his shirt off and trudging back inside. Sighing, she turns her focus back to Karen.

"He's coming back inside. Let's get coffee tomorrow and chat more. Think on it tonight, and maybe we can make a game plan, yeah?"

Karen sniffles through her tears and agrees.

"I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

"Yeah. Sounds goods. And…just—thank you, Liv. I know we put you through a lot, but I'm glad you get it. Thanks. I'll see you tomorrow."

And before Liv can reply, the line is disconnected, and she can hear Fitz's feet climbing up the stairs.

"You've been quiet this morning, Livvie. You feeling okay?"

She's nestled into his side, his arm draped over her shoulders as they sit sandwiched together on the lush couch. Of all the seating on this private jet, the couch is where they inevitably fall most trips.

His free hand rests on her stomach, where it usually does these days, and he presses his lips against her temple, breathing in the amber and patchouli of her perfume.

"Yeah, I'm good… Excited to see Karen," she replies nonchalantly, slipping her shoes off and laying down amongst the couch pillows before draping her legs over his lap.

"Mm. Me too… It's okay if you're feeling unsure about this weekend. I know you don't—I'm not—I hope you know I don't expect you to play housewife."

She looks at him incredulously. "Fitz. Trust me, I know that. That's not—I'm not your wife and I'm certainly not your kids' stepmother. I know my role here."

"Livvie—that's not what I meant… My kids love you. Karen talked my ear off all week about how glad she was that you were coming. I just mean that this whole thing—spending the weekend with my kids and ex-wife on a non-work-related outing—is new to us. If you need some time, I understand…"

She hums in acknowledgement, but doesn't press the topic any further, so he lets it go, rubbing her calves in his lap and reaching over to the side table to grab the newspaper.

"Oh look… The Pride parade in DC is doing to be the first weekend of June this year. Should we go gather our rainbow bandanas and glitter?" He laughs to himself, poking her teasingly in the rib.

As she chokes down the sip of water in her mouth, she tries her best to ignore his attempt at a joke.

This was going to be a long weekend.

"So… Kayla!" Liv gushes, reaching across the table to grab at Karen's hand. They've tucked themselves into a discreet corner booth in a coffee shop a few blocks from campus. The band of Karen's Secret Service agents shielding them provides a sense of privacy in an otherwise public place. "Tell me about her."

Karen laughs, slightly in embarrassment, not having had the chance to tell anyone new about her girlfriend in very long time. "Well… She's amazing. She's from out here on the west coast, LA, of course. She's fucking brilliant and graduating with a degree in Political Economy with a minor in Environmental Economics and Policy. God, she's also like the most gorgeous woman on the planet. Here, look…"

Karen opens her phone and quickly scrolls through her camera roll, finding her favorite picture of them from, it looks like, some university-sponsored event. Olivia is struck immediately by how sweet and perfect they look together.

The picture shows Karen in a tea-length, champagne-colored satin dress with her arms wrapped around the waist of a slightly taller woman. She has rich caramel skin, the bronze hues reflecting off the flash of the camera. She's glowing in her own satin frock—hers a bit shorter, falling just above her knees, and a sunny yellow color, though—and even Liv finds herself a little jealous at the length and shine of this girl's silk press. Kayla's smile is magnetic, and Liv almost wants to look away at how sincerely she's admiring Karen in this picture. As though she's interrupting a precious, intimate moment.

"Wow. She's—" Olivia starts, looking back up at Karen's face beaming with pride.

"I know. Tell me about it. She's everything." She takes a sip of her oat milk latte, realizing that she's quickly becoming overwhelmed and trying to calm her breathing. Her relationship with Olivia Pope is definitely unique, but nonetheless, she realizes how much she wants her approval, how much she needs it.

"You look happy, you know? You deserve it. You deserve it more than most people, I genuinely mean that…" Liv squeezes her hand for emphasis and goes to take a swig of her hot tea.

"I am happy. I mean, I'm terrified out of my mind sometimes, but deep down, I wouldn't change it for the world."

"I have to say. She's quite…different than your usual pick. I've only known you to go for the tall, muscly, scruffy frat guys, but then again, I've never seen you with a girl so…"

Karen giggles. "Well, those guys obviously never worked out well for me… Plus, when your dad is clearly hot and bothered for Olivia Pope during peak time of your sexual awakening, you tend to have some lingering consequences…"

Olivia immediately coughs on the sip of tea, clearly caught off guard with that one. "Karen Elizabeth. You did not just say that."

"Haha I'm just being honest!"

Liv peers sneakily at her over the lid of her drink before teasing, "You are your father's daughter, I suppose…"

"Oh my gooood, I should have kept my mouth shut."

They laugh and fall into easy chatter as Karen recounts the history of their relationship until now—meeting in a local bar after midterms last Fall, convincing the Secret Service to fast track her clearance because they needed to "study" together, countless secret dates together, finally telling their friends who all "definitely already knew", and, now, graduating and planning for their next steps together.

"She actually just got her law school acceptance letter the other day," Karen recounts cautiously.

"Oh, that's great. Here in California?" Liv asks.

Slyly and with a hint of reservation, she answers. "No. Not here. She was accepted to Georgetown Law."

Liv's eyebrows raise in surprise. "Really? Wow. That's great for her! How do you feel about her moving to DC? I know you haven't always enjoyed it there."

"Well, I wasn't on board at first. I thought, 'really? Of all the place we could go, it had to be the one where my dysfunctional, highly politicized, and publicized family is?' But, over the last year, it just feels like things have changed. Things with Dad are so much better—I feel like I actually know him and that he actually wants to be around me. And then the thought of being around it—the presidency and the power, Mom and Teddy, plus the new baby—actually excited me.

"Then when I decided I wanted to go to grad school too, I started applying. I knew Georgetown was on the top of her list, and I know it sounds crazy to pick a school for a person, but I hadn't been so excited about the idea of anything like this. I didn't think I would, so I didn't make a big deal of it, but I got accepted—my parents don't even know. Art & Museum Studies. It's a master's program and I start in August."

Olivia can count on one hand the times in her life where she felt "motherly." Pulling Abby from Charles's house and holding her while she cried; holding baby Ella at James's funeral; sitting on the bathroom floor of their brownstone, staring at a positive pregnancy test, while she let herself tentatively hold her lower abdomen for the first time.

They have been few and far between, but this moment, listening with joy as Karen confides in her, is easily added to the list, and for the first time she thinks that maybe she can do this. Maybe she can play this role in Karen's life. Maybe she really can be a mother to this baby and do all of the mothering things that she worried she couldn't.

She congratulates Karen on getting into the highly selective program, telling her she cannot wait to have her in the same city as them, ensuring her that they would stay out of her hair as much as she wanted. Karen, however, insists that she will be the primary babysitter after the baby is born and when they inevitably want a night out, and Olivia can't help but take her up on the offer.

The conversation turns serious again, however as Olivia presses the elephant in the room.

"So, you'll be in DC, then. With Kayla. How are you feeling about that? Are you ready for that?"

The younger woman sighs and shifts in her seat, tucking a leg under her in the process. "I think so… I know how I feel about her, and that's what makes me feel ready. When I dwell on how other people will react like my mom and dad, that's when I get scared. I feel like I just fixed shit with them, and I don't want to go fuck it up like I always do, you know?"

"I get it. I really do, and I want you to hear me when I say this. We don't get to choose how people accept or reject us. We don't get to dictate how they respond, as much as we wish we could. All we can choose is to be ourselves—live and walk in your truth, because if you do, it won't matter what anyone else thinks. If you show them what you've showed me today, they won't be able to be upset, because they love you. They want you to be happy, regardless of how they've expressed that in the past."

"I guess you're right. It's such a difficult feeling, I can't even describe it. It's like once I tell them this huge thing about myself, I'll never get to take it back. I'm letting them into this part of me, and that's a level of vulnerability I don't think I've ever had with them. I know that doesn't make a ton of sense to you as a straight person, but it's… a lot."

Olivia chuckles briefly at Karen's ability to always be direct with her—something she loves—and it makes her realize that maybe she can confide in her too.

"Now would probably be a good time to tell you something," Liv starts, immediately laughing at how Karen's eyebrows have skyrocketed up her forehead.

"No way. You're not about to come out to me, are you? What the hell is happening?"

"Would you hush it, please?" Liv playful scolds, realizing how loud their voices have carried in this small, albeit busy coffeeshop. "I guess 'coming out' would be the right terminology, but after spending years not talking about this, it feels like new territory for me too."

Karen quickly leans back over the table, grabbing Olivia's hand, her knees bouncing under the table with excitement and the excess caffeine in her system. "Come oooon, Liv. Spill!"

"There's really not much to say. There was a girl in undergrad—Mariah. Princeton was very different at the time, as you can imagine. I loved her, and she loved me, and we were terrified what that meant for either of us. What it meant for our careers. For two years, we holed up in our shitty student apartment, sharing kisses and even shittier take-out food, convincing ourselves that what we had was enough. No one knew. I mean, literally no one.

"The night that we graduated, we laid in bed, and she told me I had to go. That I had a future at Georgetown, in DC. That she couldn't be part of that life—wouldn't be part of that life because she couldn't live with herself if she held me back. I had been through some difficult times in my life, but that heartbreak almost killed me.

"Then, living in DC, I took her advice and did everything to make myself appear as straight as possible, flinging myself at many successful, powerful men. It wasn't until a few years ago that I really began to think, "Wow. Have I been bisexual for all of my life and just pretending that I'm not?"

"I sometimes wonder if we would have done things differently had we known what progress laid ahead of us, but at the same time, if we were together, I likely wouldn't have met your father and my life would be cataclysmically different. So, there you go. That's it."

Liv shrugs and leans back, letting Karen, and herself in many ways, process the new information.

"Wow, Liv. I'm—I don't even know what to say. I'm so sorry. That must have been so scary."

"It was at the time… I don't feel scared about it now, though—I'm comfortable with who I am."

Karen nods along and offers her a reassuring smile. "Where is she now? Have you talked to her since?"

Liv's eyes widen. "Mariah? I—no. I haven't… I have no idea where she is. She went to law school in New York City, but when we parted ways, we didn't keep in contact."

"You should find her!" Karen encourages with the optimistic expression of a golden retriever, continuing as Olivia makes a face. "I mean…not to rekindle anything! You're pregnant with my little sister, trust me, I don't want you leaving. But, Liv, you deserve closure. Don't you want that?"

She considers it for a second, but ultimately shakes her head. "I don't think so… I think for years I've been so embarrassed, thinking about how my life has been plastered through the tabloids. Her sitting somewhere, seeing my face on a newspaper with the words "mistress" and "whore" next to it… the thought alone makes me sick. The life she gave up so that I could make it big, for that. I just—can't. Plus, not even Fitz knows about that relationship, Kare. It's not like I've been purposely hiding it from him—It's been so long and feels inconsequential now. There's never been a great time to tell him, 'You're the love of my life and also I dated a woman once.'

"But anyway, we aren't here to talk about me—I just wanted to share that to tell you that I do actually understand a little bit of how it feels. And that I have your back, no matter what. I meant what I said the other night."

Karen hums in acknowledgement and lets the topic go for the time being. She sits in silence for a few moments, dwelling on the weekend ahead. "You'll be there with me? When I tell them?"

"No place I'd rather be," Olivia replies, giving Karen's hand one last squeeze before wiggling out of the booth and tapping Morgan, the head of Karen's SS detail, signaling they're ready to go.

Within seconds, the agents have them shuffled out of the café, blocked from paparazzi, and into the back of the all-black Escalade. As they sit side by side on their way back to Karen's apartment, Olivia notices the bouncing knee beside her. She reaches over to place her hand over Karen's leg, stilling its movement.

"Hey. We've got this, yeah?"

Karen sighs deeply, resting her head back and closing her eyes briefly. "Yeah. Got it. Going to tell my Republican parents that I'm fucking a woman. Easy!"

"Karen!" Liv suppresses a surprised laugh. "Let's field questions as they come, okay? Perhaps don't open with Scissoring and Strap-ons 101…"

"Okay, seriously?" A stream of uncontrollable and slightly mortified giggles come from Karen. "C'mon Liv. No one even scissors anymore, and the fact that you even know what that is… I can't!"

"What?!" She gasps, feigning hurt at the insinuation that she's out of touch. "Do I already need to remind you that I slept with a woman for two years? It's been a while, but I think I know a thing or two about lesbian sex…"

"Lalalala—not listening!" Karen pretends to block her ears and laughs hysterically.

Liv pulls her arms away from her ears and clasps her hands between her own. "Okay, okay. I'm just teasing. Seriously though, you can do this. You are capable and so fucking strong. And no matter how today goes, I'm proud of you."

Karen looks down at their grasp on each other. When she looks up, her eyes are wet and glassy. "Thank you. I can't even put it into words. Thank you so much, Liv. I couldn't do this without you…"

"You could. But I'm glad I can be here to support you… And while it's just us—because I know your parents are not going to have the capacity to ask you this—I just want to be sure. You guys are being safe, yes? I know you can't get pregnant and are in a committed relationship, but you still need to make sure you're getting tested and staying clean. The Times had a fascinating article about dental dams last week. I can send it to you if you want."

"Oh my god."

AN: I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter! I do plan to make this story a bunch of one-shots in this post-finale setting as Olivia navigates her sexuality, becoming part of the Grant family, and having a baby herself! I personally love Karen as a character so much and wish she was more explored throughout the series, so this felt like a cathartic place to start. Feel free to leave a comment and let me know what you think! :)