Late May, 28 weeks pregnant
Rutland, Vermont
"Livvie! They're here!" Fitz calls, his voice attempting to rise above the sound of her playlist resonating through the speakers and through the loft where she's lounging.
She looks the definition of Vermont casual—olive green linen shorts and button-up set, thick knit blanket draped across her bare legs, hair tied back away from her face, three books stacked on the coffee table next to her chaise.
Fitz knows better than to try and sit here because he knows it's hers—the perfect vantage point to view the open living room from the rafters and the expansive property from the adjacent windows. Everything doused in the warm, late morning Vermont sun. Tucked in her own little nook, she can read or meditate—something she actually has learned to do these days—or just listen to music like she is today.
Smoothing her shirt down over her belly and righting her shorts, she makes her way down the stairs, bouncing and skipping excitedly like a little child, going as fast as her body would allow given her sizable protruding abdomen.
"They're here!" She emphasizes when she sees the Escalade parked in the driveway, just outside the front door. Her nervous hands can't help but seek his, and they share a brief moment of levity, wrapped in each other. "I can't believe it…"
"Me neither…" He agrees, kissing her forehead and embracing her in a tight hug.
"I'm—I don't know… I'm nervous? I mean, I'm excited, but this is Karen's girlfriend," Liv sighs, resting her head against his shoulder.
"Tell me about it… I've only met one of her boyfriends ever and now—" Fitz sighs, brushing a piece of hair out of her face for her.
"What if she doesn't like me?" She whispers, wide-eyed and concerned, as she searches Fitz's face for any sign of clarity.
He does what he does best—calms her anxious brain and makes light of the situation, chuckling sweetly. "Sweetheart—you've stared down the faces of dictators and drug lords. You can do this—we can do this. She's happy, she loves this girl, everything is going to be great."
Her head bobs, nodding and trying to convince herself that that is true. And when she considers it a second longer, she realizes just how invested she is in this—how she never assumed how invested she would be in these kids' lives. She's not Karen's mother, she's not Teddy's mother, but she sort of feels like she is. Or at least has this place of trust and love in their lives.
It's…weird. And beautiful. And she can't think about it a second longer because she can see the two girls approaching the door—messy bun bobbing and boho braids swishing as they walk down the path to the front door, hand in hand.
Smiles and hugs and introductions all chorus over James Brown's melodies playing through the speakers, and Olivia almost has to catch her breath at how beautiful it all is—Karen leading Kayla into the house, Karen hugging Olivia and rubbing her belly like the proud big sister she is.
"Miss Pope, wow, it's such a pleasure," Kayla greets warmly while extending a hand to Olivia.
"Oh, please! Call me Olivia or Liv or whatever—anything but Miss Pope! Makes me feel so old. It's a pleasure to meet you!" Bypassing the outstretched hand, she leans in for a friendly hug. "I've heard so much about you."
The younger woman blushes, looking to Karen slightly scandalized. "You promised!"
"I did no such thing!" Karen giggles as she places a hand on Kayla's lower back. "In my defense, she's very good at getting people to spill their secrets, so I couldn't not tell her all about you."
Kayla shakes her head before turning back to Olivia. "Well, I'm honored. Truly, I promised I would play it cool for Kare, but I've followed your career since middle school, and your inspiration has meant everything to me."
"Oh, that's so kind of you to say," the older woman replies, sincerely.
Karen sways closer to Liv with a sneaky smile on her lips, whispering, "You're on her law school vision board…"
"Hush, you!" Kayla laughs, pulling Karen back by the hand, closer to her side. "That's like not even…well—okay it's true, but—"
"—it's okay, baby. I know we all wish that we could be even a fraction as smart and beautiful and talented as Olivia Pope someday, but alas, we cannot."
"—well, still. I can't believe you would tell her that—"
"—she's cool, babe. And you are cool. I had to brag about snagging the hottest girl on campus…"
"—you are so dumb—"
"—eh, you love me anyway—"
"—I do—"
"—"
Their eyes are like magnets, attached to one another. It's not as though they would openly kiss each other in front of Fitz and Olivia, right out of the gate, but their chemistry is undeniable. They won't, but god they want to.
And as Olivia watches the couple with fascination, she immediately wonders where Fitz has gone, having realized that since they walked in, he has not said a word. But before she can turn around to look for him, Fitz clears his throat slightly.
The two women instantly jump apart because similarly through the whirlwind of Olivia Pope and each other, they've seemingly forgotten another huge player in this game.
Fitz. The former President. Karen's dad.
And instantly, Kayla is sheepish, retreating into herself because she's just so embarrassed that they let themselves get so carried away with their playful bantering and their touching each other and their giggling that they momentarily forgot where they were. He was who she needed to impress and right now, he looks…
Well, he doesn't look angry or disgusted or upset. He looks awestruck. He looks as though his brain is spinning and spiraling, but not necessarily in a negative way which is confusing for all parties involved.
"Fitz—" Olivia offers him a lifeline, grabbing his hand and pulling him back from wherever he drifted off to. Squeezing his hand a little, she shoots him a little questioning glare—where did you go? What are you thinking?
Shaking his head as though dusting off the cobwebs that had caused him to space out, he smiles. "I'm so sorry, I don't—I'm so—it's just that…" He pauses and then tries again. "It's nice to meet you."
They shake hands, and it's so palpably awkward—the silence, the forced smiles—that Olivia soars into her default mode—fixing.
"Your bags! Here, Karen, why don't you take yours to your room and Kayla's to the guest room, and we'll meet you back here in a few to make a lunch plan?" Before even waiting for a response, Liv begins ushering them out of the room, but Karen makes a face and halts her.
"Oh, I thought maybe we would just stay in my room…" Karen is talking directly to Olivia, intentionally not saving a glance toward her father for this conversation.
Liv's eyebrows raise, not cowering to Karen. "Hah! Do you have an engagement ring that I don't know about?" Her tone is attempting a mix between teasing and serious—difficult in this new territory, being the one to enforce this family boundary, knowing Fitz momentarily could not.
"Do you have an engagement ring that I don't know about?" Karen sasses back. But by the look on Olivia's face and the click of her tongue, she's not messing around, so Karen doesn't challenge it anymore, throwing her hands up in defense. "Oop. Got it—sorry! We're going!"
Then, they are alone. As soon as Liv turns toward Fitz, she smacks his chest. Hard.
"What. The fuck. Is wrong. With you!" She accentuates every other word with a poke at his sternum.
The way his face contorts in surprise would almost be comical, if she wasn't so pissed with how standoffish and weird he's being.
"Ouch, woman! Quit that."
"Fitz—your daughter and her girlfriend are here, and you look like you've seen a ghost. What the hell are you thinking?" And as her hand raises to punch at his shoulder again, she notices the changed expression on his face. The tears forming in his eyes. And she folds, reaching up instead to the curls at the nape of his neck and guiding him into her shoulder.
Swaying, he takes a few gasping breaths, allowing himself the time to collect his thoughts, but when he pulls away, his eyes are glassy.
"Fuck—I fucked it up, didn't I?"
"Well, we didn't get off to the best start, but I don't think it's beyond repair. Tell me what you're thinking, baby…"
"I—" He starts, searching her eyes for any hope of safety and comfort, swimming in the sea of his thoughts. "I've never seen her like that."
Her eyebrows furrow, confused. "I mean, obviously. But you knew to expect to see her with a woman, touching another woman…"
"—no. Not that. It's—I've never seen her so…happy. I don't think I've seen that expression on her face, like her eyes were lighting up by just looking at her. She was so proud and joyful and I—" He cuts himself off, sucking the tears back in as best as he can. "I can't believe I've never seen her like that before. And then I was just watching them and thanking God that she's found a type of love that I didn't find until my late forties… Until you. And it totally threw me off guard. I mean, sure they are young and who knows what the future holds, but I didn't expect for her to look so…"
"…sure? Certain?" Liv finishes for him.
"Exactly… And I mean, I think I knew that she was happy, but it's just another thing to actually see her like that. And then, I just watched them banter and be so content together, it reminded me of…" He looks at her meaningfully.
"Of us?" She guesses, already having drawn the parallel in her own head too.
"Yes. And not just because Kayla's, you know—" He gesticulates with his hands, motioning between the two of them.
"—because she's Black?" Olivia offers, smiling teasingly at him.
"Not just because of that, of course, but because the way Karen looks at her…I felt like I was looking in a mirror because that is how I look at you, I know it."
She's nodding now, finally understanding where his reaction was placed, and she just has to kiss him because she knows how overwhelming this has been for him, how much he's wanted this to go smoothly, how he feels like he's messed everything up.
Their lips settle together, soft presses, her hands cupping his jaw, his thumbs circling at the sides of her bump. Pecking his lips once, twice more, she retreats, pulling away to look at him again.
"Just be honest with her. I think she'll appreciate that. They both will…"
He hums, stroking her cheek affectionately. "I will…I want to…" Leaning down to kiss her once more, he sighs against her lips and finds comfort in her touch, but after a few more soft kisses, he abruptly pulls back, looking at her with wide eyes. "Wait–was she trying to convince you to let them sleep together?!"
"Oh my god, oh my god, I'm so sorry—baby, I got so caught up, that was totally my bad—" Kayla is ranting, pacing back and forth as she whispers heatedly under her breath. They had quickly dropped her bag in the guest room before making it to Karen's a few doors down at the end of the hallway. "He hates me, right? Your dad?"
Karen watches her pace from her perch at the end of her bed, conscious that Kayla needs to move when she's anxious like this. She smiles fondly at her, at how flustered she looks, and maybe it's because she realizes that they both can't freak out, but Karen doesn't feel worried about the earlier interaction at all.
"Baby, come here," Karen beckons, outstretching her hand and opening her knees for Kayla to stand between. She cups her jaw and drags a thumb across Kayla's full lips. "He doesn't hate you. I really don't think it went that badly, all things considered. My dad can just be…weird sometimes. Like he gets stuck in his head—it's happened since Gerry died—I think he gets emotional and then doesn't know how to work through that in the moment so he just kind of shuts down."
"But still, I just was so focused on Olivia fucking Pope," Kayla confesses, shaking her head and scolding herself.
"Seriously," Karen reiterates before murmuring a quiet "c'mere" and drawing Kayla even closer to her, tugging her face down toward hers and kissing her squarely on the mouth. Their lips linger together as Karen tries to comfort her, tries to convince her that everything is okay. "We're good."
But her girlfriend is not convinced. Kayla pulls back, her hands keeping contact at Karen's hips to steady herself. "I mean, he used to be the President, for god's sake. Even people who aren't dating his daughter know the importance of greeting him first, of being deferential to him, of showing him respect, and I feel like I didn't do that, and he must think that I'm terrible."
"Babe, I think you would be surprised to know how used to that he is. His ego is well equipped to handle playing the supporting role, the eye candy, the second in command to Olivia Pope. He's been doing it for years. You know how many times he goes to a fundraiser or gala or event where all eyes are on her and not him? And the best part is that I think he truly gets it–like that's how he sees her too, so really, I don't think that's what upset him."
Kayla sighs, eyes closing and forehead resting against Karen's as she accepts her fate, resolved to her role in all of this. "Then maybe it was just me…"
"Shhh-" Karen breathes against her lips, silencing her with another kiss. And Kayla lets herself get lost in it because her brain is spinning and turning it off in favor of reveling in the heat of Karen's body is much better and much simpler.
They settle into long, slow kisses, and Kayla moans at all of the touches: feeling Karen's hands at the backs of her thighs, guiding her into Karen's lap, knees pressing into the bed, thighs straddling hips.
Instantly, she's frustrated that Karen's put her hair up today–she's so fucking cute with her wavy tresses tied up in a bun but it pales in comparison to how much Kayla loves to run her fingers through it. Nimbly, she grabs the hair band holding Karen's hair up and tugs, both hands immediately finding their way into her hair, scratching her scalp, tugging with just the right amount of pressure.
"God, I want you–" Karen sighs against the onslaught of Kayla's mouth as she bites down on her bottom lip and squeezes her ass through the denim shorts she has on.
"We shouldn't–" Kayla attempts to reason, but at the same time she says it, she makes no move to slow down any of Karen's actions. She wants her too.
Kayla moans at the feeling of hands on her ass, her arousal heightening as her anxiety lessens in Karen's arms. She rolls her hips, grinding her core, pelvis to pelvis. Her mouth opens and Karen is immediately there, offering her tongue, brushing and sweeping, consuming each other. Karen's right hand makes its way up under Kayla's shirt, palming her left breast and brushing her thumb against the lace covering her pebbled nipple.
"Oh that feels good, baby–" Kayla whimpers into the space between their wet lips.
And it spurs Karen on as she glides her fingers around to Kayla's back, unclasping her bra and granting her further access to her gorgeous bare skin.
"Yeah? You want my hands all over your body? Tell me what you want baby…" Karen murmurs heatedly against her ear and in the next moment, her fingers are back at her breasts, both hands this time, pinching and rolling her nipples to hard peaks in Karen's touch. It's exquisite and incredible and…
"-Kare, I'm thinking we go to Doc's for–oh!" Liv squeaks as she cracks the door to Karen's room open at the same time she sees a flash of tongues and hidden hands retreating from under shirts. Karen moves to stand up, knocking Kayla off her lap and onto the bed next to her in her haste.
"I'm so sorry, Liv… We were just–" Karen fumbles for an excuse. Not that she needs an excuse. She's an adult, a college graduate, but she still feels the need to apologize for having Olivia Pope walk in on them, particularly right after an already awkward moment.
Then, Liv starts to laugh from her position across the room, having turned around to face the door, giving them privacy to sort themselves out. She can hear them rearranging their clothing items and re-clasping bras. "Ha! Girl, I'm not that old. 'We were just…' It's fine. Just maybe close the door fully next time? Everyone good?" She asks, waiting for the all-clear to turn back around. When she does, she sees the guilty expression on Kayla's face, the deep red flush on Karen's cheeks. Liv crosses the room and plops down on the ivory settee at the end of Karen's bed.
She looks between their faces, offering a warm smile, cradling her belly, and considering all of the moments she has to come with her own child on this front, even if that is decades away.
"Well…I'm happy for you both," Liv says in a sincere and calm voice, and by the look on Karen's face, she's surprised. "What? You think I would be mad, seeing you two together?"
Kayla glances at Karen, hoping she'll take the lead, still mortified of her own careless actions in the last 15 minutes. And thankfully, she does.
"I'm not sure… I–my parents have never walked in on me with anyone. We should have been more careful…"
"Hon, we've all been there. I know you two are…in love," She motions between them, not wanting to embarrass them too much more. "And you're also adults. Let's just not give your dad a heart attack, okay? Which let me be clear, he would have if he walked in on you with a girl or a guy. That's not the issue here. The rules have been no sharing beds with your partner until you're engaged–I know, I know…it's outdated and kind of ridiculous because you guys are already having sex and obviously cannot get pregnant, but your father cares about it okay? His conservatism is lessening these days, but it's not entirely gone. While you're here at his house, you will not be staying in the same room, got it?"
The two younger women nod tersely, looking like two scolded puppies.
Liv smiles sneakily at them and continues. "Let me reiterate. Your dad and I's room is on the other side of the house, upstairs. After we go to bed, you two will be sleeping in separate rooms," she emphasizes each of the words, staring at them with meaning and offering a tiny wink. "Fitz is a very heavy sleeper and will definitely not be aware of anything else happening in the house. So, he will definitely not be able to hear anyone sneaking to a room they shouldn't be in. And you two will definitely be in separate beds in the morning, yeah? And the blankets and sheets and pillows in the guest room will show evidence of someone sleeping there "all night" … Right?"
Now they are smiling back at her, Karen shaking her head in disbelief of Olivia's sly support of them. Karen mouths a thank you to Liv, leaning over the end of the bed to hug her.
"But let me make this abundantly clear," Liv adds, her voice dropping to a whisper. "If you do get caught, I granted you no such permission and told you explicitly that you needed to follow the rules, yeah?"
Karen laughs quietly, taking Kayla's hand back in hers. "Yes ma'am! Heard you loud and clear. So, Doc's for lunch?"
Vermont. It's so beautiful and peaceful and everything Olivia never thought she needed until she had it within her grasp. The mountain air makes her feel lighter, makes her stress lessened, makes her realize that all of the drama going on in DC is just that… drama. It's not the end of the world or even what consumes her life now.
This is what makes up her life now. Sunny afternoons sitting on the back porch with Fitz, watching the apple trees sway in the gentle breeze and hearing Kayla and Karen cackling at Tiktok videos from their spot lounging on the back lawn, spread out together on a dense quilt.
It all coalesces into an idealistic afternoon: Fitz making good with Karen and Kayla over burgers and fries, Kayla becoming more at ease with herself and subsequently these adults she's trying to impress, and Olivia basking in the comfort and glory that is Vermont, to her.
"Whatcha thinking about over there, Livvie?" Fitz asks, breaking her silent revelry.
And truthfully, she's not really even thinking about anything because it's not conscious thought that has her heart surrendering to the charm of Rutland, Vermont. It's her soul. It's this subconscious awareness that Vermont is…home. They have a home together in DC, which is beautiful and she loves as well, but this home? It symbolizes something different.
Their Vermont home symbolizes everything they've fought for. The dreams that they dared to dream that somehow mercifully became realities. The hope of love and commitment and family that they spent years longing for. It symbolizes the grandiose depth of his love for her. It symbolizes the vast breadth of her trust in him.
It's not a conscious thought, but a knowing.
"I love it here…" She finally replies, her voice soft, a smile on her face.
Fitz's gaze is fixed on her, drinking in the image of her skin glowing in the sun, her face tipped up toward the sky, her hands holding the baby in her tummy. His heart floods with warmth, and he cannot help but smile. "That's all I've ever wanted."
She turns her head to look at him, and his expression gives away the double meaning to his words. It's everything he's ever wanted in one image: Olivia, Vermont, his kids around and happy, a family with her. "I know it is. Thank you for being patient with me."
It's a raw thing for her to admit: the fact that he's waited for this reality. She doesn't always like to take the blame for it taking this many years for their dream to become actualized, but when she does, Fitz understands intuitively the level of vulnerability she has to muster to admit it.
"I just had a thought…" She adds as she curls her legs up into the chair with her.
"Oh yeah?" Fitz replies, encouragingly.
"Yeah…but it's kind of a big thing, so I need you to be honest. I need you to tell me if you're not comfortable with it…"
And now he's nervous because while they've been talking a hell of a lot more, he's not sure he can say he's comfortable with it just yet. At least not when she says stuff like that.
"What is it, Livvie?"
"You promise to be honest?" She presses, needing to hear him say it.
He tries to chuckle–to laugh off her seriousness–but it comes out dry. "I promise, love. What's up?"
Liv takes a breath as she looks wistfully out across the fields and orchards within view. "Well… I was just thinking about how much I love it out here. How we can just sit and enjoy being together… We can be outside without anyone bothering us. We can go to a grocery store without being chased and mobbed by reporters. It's so nice…"
"...it is," Fitz agrees, nodding along with her.
"...and I just had this overwhelming feeling all of the sudden that maybe…maybe we should have the baby here instead of in DC?"
"Oh." He lets out a breath that he didn't even realize he was holding in.
"Yeah, but I know that would change the whole plan. I mean, we don't even have a nursery in this house, and we'd have to find a new birth center…I'm sure Dr. Cahill would travel for us, but I don't know if that would even make sense. It's probably a dumb idea, I'm not sure where it came from–"
"-would you just take a second, woman?" Fitz laughs, tugging her arm and motioning for her to come and sit with him. It's more difficult to negotiate these days–her sitting on his lap–for obvious reasons, but it's still worth the effort. It always is, and when she sinks into him, her heart rate starts to regulate once again. His fingers grasp her chin lightly, directing her gaze up at him. "Hey. I think that's an incredible idea."
"You do?"
"I do. You're right. We would hardly be bothered out here. All of that other stuff, we can work out. I can get the staff started on vetting local providers and birth centers or hospitals on Monday if you're serious. And we can easily get the baby stuff sent up here, or just order extras to keep here… I'm not sure how long you're thinking about, but it probably wouldn't hurt to have some essentials up here anyway."
A crib, bassinet, changing table, stroller, lounger, changing pad, slings and wraps and– the mental list Olivia makes is already exhausting but she's just too excited. She's starting to feel the urge to "nest", and she tries valiantly to not chastise herself for it. She's allowed to be happy. She's allowed to want to prepare for this baby.
"Oh my god–" She says it so quickly and so overwhelmed with emotion that Fitz's eyes, which had drifted back toward the two girls across the yard and the surrounding scenery, dart back to her, only to find tears welling up in her own. "We can take her for walks outside in the stroller. And everyone can come up here and visit–we have so much more space here anyway. Maybe we will stay for a few months? I don't know! But I think she'll love the peace and quiet, right? …Is that right, love bug? You wanna be a mountain baby?"
Her voice is so soft and sweet, cooing to their unborn baby, that Fitz cannot control the emotion that arises in him at the sight. This baby was wanted, of course. They weren't ready to get married, but they were ready for a baby–really, it was more of a biological clock thing. She wanted to have a baby and knew there wasn't as much time to contemplate it.
So, they had tried for months, and when they finally got that positive pregnancy test, they were both ecstatic and giddy–even to the point where they both took the next three days off of work to "celebrate."
But even still, there was a part of Fitz that had worried that Olivia wouldn't enjoy it. That she would have a baby for him and convince herself that everything was okay and that she could be happy when she wasn't. He's been vigilant–they have been vigilant–to talk those fears through, but in the depths of his soul, the fear remains.
She might not enjoy being a mother.
Then, he gets these glimpses into her joy. Her talking in that adorable baby voice, her thinking about and talking about the future, her asking the baby questions as though she could answer them. He sees her joy, and his anxieties are eased.
She's going to be an incredible mother.
"...and maybe daddy can build you something special like a bassinet or a rocking chair, using all those fancy tools he just bought… and oof–that was a big kick, little girl… She's getting strong in there, Fitz–"
"...I love you."
Olivia glances back up at him and smiles as she rests her cheek against his chest. "I love you too," she says, and he'll never get tired of hearing it. His hand glides up her body and comes to rest on her opposite cheek, pulling her in close.
He nuzzles her nose with his own before capturing her lips in a gentle kiss, sharing air, sharing love, sharing their hopes and dreams for their future. And it's everything.
"What do you think they are talking about?" Kayla asks Karen, locking her phone and flopping down onto her back on the blanket. Karen is laying on her belly next to her, her ankles crossed together as they swing in the air.
"Who?" Karen asks, too emerged in her comment scrolling to track Kayla's gaze.
"Your dad and Olivia."
Karen immediately looks up to find them cuddled in the same chair on the porch, laughing and looking down toward Liv's stomach, seemingly both chatting away to the baby. She smiles. "Oh, they are so disgusting!" She lets out a loud laugh and turns over on her side to face her girlfriend.
Kayla does the same and grabs one of Karen's hands, tangling their fingers together. "You seem closer with Olivia than you let on before this weekend," she comments.
"Oh?"
"Yeah…which I mean…that's great obviously. It just surprised me, that's all."
"Hmm," Karen hums. "I don't know. Before graduation weekend, I wouldn't have said we were particularly close. Obviously, I've known her for many, many years. She's helped me during some of the worst moments of my life, but that wasn't really for me, you know? I knew back then she was helping me because she wanted to help my dad. We've been friendly these last few years, but I think the closeness happened when I came out to her.
"She's bi, too. Did I tell you that? Don't worry, she told me I could tell you." By the look on Kayla's face, she's as surprised as Karen had been. "Yeah, right? So, after that whole weekend, I have felt closer to her. It's kinda weird when I think about it."
Kayla's eyebrows furrow as she pushes a loose curl away from Karen's face. "What do you mean?"
"Well, I actually love our relationship that we have now. Like, I text her constantly–she tells me she hates it, but I think she secretly loves it. She gives really good advice and has helped me process this whole journey to coming out. So, it's amazing and I'm so thankful for it. But I also have this weird guilt about it. Like I'm not supposed to have a relationship with her."
"Why?"
"Well, because she was the other woman! My dad was cheating on my mom with her, and as their child, I'm not exactly supposed to like the woman who tore our family apart, right?"
"Hm. Do you actually feel like that though? That she 'tore your family apart'?" Kayla presses.
Karen sighs. "No. I don't. Our family was broken long before she entered the picture. I think she just made the fracture worse–she actually made my dad happy, and that made my mom jealous, I think. That she stayed loyal to him all those years just for him to fall in love with another woman."
"That must have been a lot of turmoil for you to have dealt with as a kid. Especially once you were always in the public eye, being the President's daughter…" Kayla sympathizes.
"Mm, yeah. I guess it was a lot. We've sorted through so many of those emotions as a family, and I truly do forgive him for making our lives shit at times. He did some great things for the country though, so I guess it was worth it."
Kayla chuckles and rolls her eyes. "Now, I don't know about that, ma'am. Increasing the national debt by 2 trillion dollars, tax cuts to the rich, sending troops into an ill-fated war, his homophobic Supreme Court picks… I'll give him the Brandon Bill, but that's about it."
Karen just laughs, shoving her shoulder a bit and cutting her off with a kiss before Fitz hears her. "Hush it, baby girl. We're still on the First Impression stage of this plan…a long way from the Talking Politics and Criticizing His Administration phase. Not that I disagree with you but still…"
They both laugh, and Kayla extends her arm for Karen to cuddle up into. "Don't worry my lips are sealed for the rest of the weekend. Just had to get that off my chest."
"I wish you could have met Gerry. He would have loved you," Karen whispers in reverence. "Dad used to get so upset with him–Gerry used to start all kinds of arguments about politics just to get a rise out of Dad and make him angry. One time before the 2012 election, Gerry had bought a Reston campaign t-shirt and made this whole big plan to wear it for a sit-down family interview on primetime television. Oh my god, that night was horrible for so many reasons, but I'll always remember Gerry's mischievous smile when he pulled out that shirt and showed it to me.
"Sometimes I think about what it would be like if he was here in the after. If he could have known our dad after his presidency. If he could have seen how happy our family is now. I wish he could…it's just so unfair. He left when everything was at its worst…
"I love being out here though–in Vermont. I feel him the most here, you know?"
Kissing her forehead, Kayla hums and rubs her back while she listens intently to Karen's confessions.
"We'd never been to this house when he was alive–obviously–wait, I don't think I've even told you the history of this house–that is a story for another time. I'll have Dad tell you later. But anyway, Gerry had never even been to Vermont, but something about the stillness up here, being able to see the stars, and hear my own thoughts for once…I feel him. I feel like he talks to me up here."
"That's really special, Kare. Thank you for telling me that… He saying anything right now?"
"Ha– well I can definitely tell he approves of you, and he's similarly disgusted at the sight of our dad fawning over his pregnant girlfriend. He did always like Liv though–I think it was my dad's one redeeming quality in his eyes. But…" She pauses, tilts her head up toward the sky, and closes her eyes, breathing deeply and steadily. "I think more than anything he's happy. For some reason, I picture him smiling down at us–watching our family become even truer and more beautiful every day."
There aren't words that are needed. Kayla's heard every word she's said, felt every emotion she's shared, and there's not a place in the world she'd rather be than right here–basking in the radiant sun with the love of her life in her arms. Sure, they've only been dating for six months, but the epithet just feels right.
Kayla urges Karen to roll back into her, hugging her into her chest where Karen can breathe in the remnants of her perfume–bergamot, sandalwood, and her.
She nuzzles her nose with her own before capturing her lips in a gentle kiss, sharing air, sharing love, sharing their hopes and dreams for their future. And it's everything.
AN: Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed this longer update! Next chapter will be more Vermont goodness and maybe some spicy times :) As always, let me know what you think and what you'd like to see going forward!
