AN: Hi folks! Wow I'm so sorry for the delay in posting. The holidays really swept me away. I still am planning to finish my holiday story as well as post a Christmas chapter of Whatever We Want, so thank you all for being patient with me! In the meantime, enjoy this completely random update of my current favorite story. :)
To say the last four weeks since Olivia and Fitz have been back home have been busy would be the understatement of the century. Between ordering and shipping new baby essentials to the Vermont house, having Teddy with them for a full two weeks, letting Karen stay with them for one of those weeks to apartment hunt, and trying to wrap up work before they leave for Vermont again in mid-July, it's been hectic to say the least.
Liv loved having the extra hands around the house—Karen, who insisted on cooking dinner for them every night, and Teddy, who decided that he was very good at labeling the baby stuff and putting it into boxes—and Fitz easily fell into the comfort of having his kids together again in the house and watching Olivia navigate this whole stepmother role beautifully. Though neither of them had labeled it that yet, of course.
One night in particular stands out in Olivia's memory as she reflects on the last month that has flown by—the night they told Teddy they would be going back to the cabin to have the baby.
Three weeks ago
"Ted! Dinner's ready," Fitz shouts, his voice trailing up the staircase toward Teddy's room. Before he has to call again, he hears the padding of Teddy's feet against the hardwood and the subsequent sound of the door being flung open and crashing into the adjacent wall. "Dude! You've got to be more careful with that door!"
Teddy's feet bound down the stairs, and before he can crash himself into Fitz, he utters a little "Sorry, Dad," and skips off to wash his hands in the kitchen sink.
"Hi, 'Livia," he greets shyly, ducking himself under her arm as she pulls him into a side hug. "Did you cook dinner?"
Liv shakes her head and laughs heartily at his fearful expression, obviously remembering the last time she tried to make the three of them dinner. "No, bud. I did not cook, but your dad definitely did. Spaghetti and meatballs."
"Yes! No 'fence, but it's better when Dad cooks."
Fitz chuckles from across the kitchen because he knows the truth of that statement, but when Liv shoots him a warning glance, he stifles his laugh and attempts to reprimand his son for his words.
Over noodles and garlic bread, Liv and Fitz wait eagerly for Teddy to finish his rambling stories of the day—anecdotes about his morning in theater camp and the songs that, in his words, 'were totally uncool'.
"Well, you can't just start with Hamilton. You've got to learn the classics too, even if they aren't as cool," Fitz offers.
"I'm sure you'll get some cooler songs by next week," Liv chimes in.
Teddy contemplates their words seriously, chomps another gigantic bite of pasta, and allows the topic of conversation to shift.
"So… We wanted to tell you something," Fitz starts, assessing his son's reactions intensely.
He stops, mid-chew, and looks up at his dad quizzically, already preparing for the worst. There are immediate echoes of when they did this to him some six months ago—when they told him they were having a baby, and he wasn't really sure what to do with the information.
"What?"
"Well, Liv and I have decided to go to Vermont for a little bit. To live there for a little while."
"Why?"
"Uh—well, to have your baby sister. We just thought it would be best for our family and the new baby. You know, not as much traffic, not as many people around, more space to get outside. All of that."
"Oh."
"I know it's a lot to take in right now, and if you're not okay with it, Teddy, you can tell us. We can stay here if you want us to."
Teddy picks up his fork again and pushes his food around his plate, giving himself something to do besides having to stare at the grown-ups.
"Would I like…get to come stay with you?"
"Of course, Teddy. I've already talked to Mom about how that would work. You could fly up on the weekends with Karen or even stay with us for a few weeks—we would be sure to get with your teacher and make sure you could complete assignments online—but it's up to you."
Liv smiles softly from her place observing their conversation. "I know this is a big change for you—for all of us as a family. If you're not okay with it, we will understand."
There's a pause, total stillness as they await his response. It has been a lot—they know he's not completely adjusted to the idea of no longer being the baby of the family, let alone having a real-life baby to contend with. And she's right. It's a huge change for all of them, one that not even she is necessarily ready for.
A pit forms in her stomach, thinking about the reality that he may say 'no'. It may be too much for him, and the very thing that has made her own anxiety lessen may cause his to worsen. And she would have to be okay with that—she'd have to be okay with staying in DC, dodging the photographers, staying indoors for at least three or so months. She'd have to be okay because Teddy is a child, and her choosing to be part of this family means making sacrifices for the children, even if those children are not exactly hers.
So, they wait on bated breath, sensing the tide about to wash over them and sweep away their dreams of a relaxing and peaceful postpartum experience.
Then, Teddy looks back up at them and grins sneakily.
"Can we get a dog then?"
"What?!" Olivia and Fitz chorus amid laughs and giggles.
"You said that we couldn't get a dog before because there isn't enough room here and 'dogs don't like living in the city', buuuut… there's lots of grass in Vermont and so much space for a dog so… can we get one now?"
Fitz peeks a glance over at Olivia, who is already looking at him dubiously.
"I feel like this is a scheme that you boys are playing on me…" She laughs, knowing that she has been the only one in this situation against the pet-plot. Something about never having one growing up has made her weary of a four-legged creature roaming around her house, but she can't deny how her heart thuds with joy as she watches the father and son pair share equally boy-ish grins at the prospect.
"No scheme, I swear!" Fitz smiles, leaning over to kiss her cheek as he reaches for another slice of bread from the center of the table. "Us Grant boys just have incredible ideas… Just picture it, Livvie. Hanging outside on the back porch with our family and the baby and a puppy. It would be perfect…"
"Okay, puppies are off the table. I will entertain the idea of a dog— a fully trained, well-mannered dog, but no puppies when we are about to have a newborn in the house."
Teddy's eyes light up. "Really? We can get a dog?"
"I think that was our green light, son," Fitz confirms and accepts the high-five from the six-year-old.
"You two are too much…" Liv laughs and rolls her eyes.
She chastises Fitz every now and then for how child-like he can be—how idealistic and playful—but in the back of her mind, she can't help but smile at the image he has conjured. Her holding the baby, watching Fitz play fetch with the dog. It's the vision they had years ago of their idealistic, dream-state of a life together actualized.
A baby, a dog, and the rest of their lives together.
They had promised Teddy shortly after that conversation that on his first trip up to Vermont, they would go to the shelter, the three of them, and look. Olivia was particularly careful to stress that they would only be looking at dogs until the perfect fit came along. It was not something she wanted to rush into by any means.
But he had agreed, and the thought of having something (besides the baby) to look forward to in Vermont had become a godsend. It had made everything in the last month go much smoother as they prepared to make the final transition.
Now, only one thing, one event, stood in the way before they could pack up and make their way to the paradise of the Rutland house: Fourth of July.
Two weeks ago
"So, what's the plan, Kare?" Liv asks as she sorts through the bin of bottles and breastfeeding supplies, attempting to check off her typed list and ensure everything that is needed is safely tucked away in this box.
Karen sits on the floor next to her, pen in hand, making check marks next to the little boxes on her own paper.
Bottles (various brands). Check.
Newborn pacifiers. Check.
Nipple cream. Check.
Little baggies for milk storage. Check.
Breast pump. Check.
"What even is this?" Karen chuckles, picking up the cylindrical contraption with a bulbed base and a wide flared mouth.
"It's called a Haakaa…collects milk while you're nursing. Nice avoidance tactic there…"
Liv looks up from her own list and catches Karen's eye, giving her a little smile.
"It's okay to be nervous."
"I know it is," Karen scoffs before tossing the notepad aside and flopping down onto the carpet on her back. "Fourth of July feels so close, yet so far. I'm just ready for it, I guess. I mean the plan hasn't changed— we're going to the White House party with you all, taking a picture with the fireworks, posting it, and then releasing a statement the next morning. I'm just…"
Karen sighs before rolling onto her belly and kicking her legs up behind her. "I'm ready, you know? I guess I'm nervous, but it already sucked missing Pride this year, I'm tired of my life passing by."
Nodding, Liv grins and rests her palms against the floor, arching back and shifting to get more comfortable. She's finally to the point where her body is just…uncomfortable. Damn Fitz and his six-foot-tall genes making this baby inside her huge.
"I hear you, Kare. But you're also only twenty-two. You've got a lot of life ahead of you. You can't be wishing away time like that already."
"Mmm," the younger girl hums in agreement. "Is this what it felt like all those years before you could really be with Dad?"
Olivia breathes a sharp inhale, not expecting the question. "Yeah. I guess so. It was…awful. Hard. Painful. Just watching the months and years go by, knowing that we weren't getting any of that time back. But I also acknowledge that we were very different…there were times that we could have been together and just weren't able to make it work. So, maybe it feels the same but it's probably different…"
"I'm glad you made it work."
She says it softly, so serenely, surveying the way Olivia looks, illuminated by the sun coming through the window, glowing from the light and the natural beauty her pregnancy provides.
"I am too. And I'm glad that you're getting to be with your person much earlier than we did," Liv sighs, resting in the stillness of this moment.
"Me too," Karen agrees through a broad grin, taking one more breath, soaking in the reality that in just a few weeks, the world will get to know her for the first time. It's beautiful in an overwhelmingly real way. But then, her eyes catch on two small silver objects, very obviously nipple-shaped, and she bursts out in a fit of giggles.
"What the fuck are those?"
The morning of the Fourth is hot. Of course, it's hot because it's July in Washington and that means that it's hot. The city is full of sweaty tourists, and there's a part of Olivia that knows deep down that if they hadn't promised Karen that they would be with her on this monumental day, they would be jet setting off to Vermont as quickly as possible to escape the heat.
Not to mention, last year's conversation in which Olivia shared her thoughts on "Independence Day", and Fitz vowed they wouldn't be celebrating it again. So, they aren't necessarily going to the White House party today to celebrate the 'holiday' per say, but rather to show support for the young woman that they both love.
After much fuss with her wardrobe, Liv finally settles on a simple red sundress with braided little straps and enough flowing fabric to accommodate the extra person she's carrying around these days. Her hair is swept back already into a low ponytail because she knows it won't survive the heat otherwise, and she throws on a '1865' bracelet to complete the look. Then, she finds Fitz already donning his black t-shirt with the same year printed on the front and khaki shorts.
She smiles sweetly at him, her heart full of love for this man, and crosses the room to kiss his face as quickly as she can.
"You're sexy," she comments in between deep kisses, rubbing her hands along his biceps and feeling the strong muscles there.
He groans, his own hands caressing her hips and tummy as they share the same air for a few minutes. "You are the sexy one, I think…"
Cupping her ass, he emits a moan from her, low and heady, the kind she makes when she wants to jump his bones. He's really not aware of how turned on she is all of the sudden that he has to break their kiss and rest his forehead against hers for a breather.
Liv whimpers and tries to chase his lips once more, but he's persistent. They can't get carried away today.
"Just one little orgasm?" She teases, laying it on thick—fluttering her eyelashes at him, playing with his ears, and wiggling her belly against him.
"No ma'am," he shakes his head, laughing at her petulant expression.
"Please? I know you're anxious about today, and you know I don't really want to go to this at all besides to see Karen, so I think you owe me as much."
"I owe you an orgasm?" He chuckles.
She nods her head playfully, fingers curling in the hairs at the nape of his neck. "You owe me, mister."
"What if I tell you that I have something better than a quickie to offer you?"
Rocking back on her heels, she studies his face, attempting to detect the joke. "Something better than your dick? Wow, it must be something good."
He throws his head back and laughs loudly. "Damn, that's some high praise, baby. Thank you."
"Oh, shut up. I didn't mean for that to go to your head."
"I see. So, you're taking it back now, huh?"
"Will you just tell me before I smack you?"
"Oh, now that sounds like a good time."
"Okay, I'm getting in the car. Good-bye."
"Wait!" He laughs, grabbing her hand and stopping her body from fully turning away from him. "I'm sorry, love. I've been waiting for the right moment to tell you."
Liv rolls her eyes. She's noticed how much he likes to rile her up these days, how easy it is for him to do so. Even though she pretends to hate it, she kind of likes when they play like this. "Well, you've definitely set up a great moment now—"
His lips land on hers, effectively shutting her up, and after a few soft presses, he retreats. "I was reading about something that people do these days… It's called a 'babymoon.' Ever heard of it?"
She tilts her head, eyeing him cautiously. "Yes… I have."
"Well, I know it's a little late for us to go anywhere too extravagant, and it may be really cheesy, I know that. But I was talking to Mel after our engagement and believe me, she was the one that offered, I wouldn't have asked…"
"...Fitz…"
"You wanna go to Camp David this weekend? Just you and me before we head to Vermont. Just the cabin and candles and as many orgasms as you want."
Her mouth is slightly agape, taking in the idea. It's been almost five years now since they've gone to Camp David together, and the idea of taking a retreat, taking time to rest and enjoy their last few moments as just the two of them, after this chaotic month…it's the perfect thing.
"Will you go to Camp David with me, Livvie?"
And there's something about his tone of voice that transports her all the way back to the first time he asked her that question all those years ago. She can almost see in her mind's eye: his younger features, the gray streaks of hair vanished, the ties he always wore a little too tight… It's the same, but they are so different.
It's the same question. Her answer is the same. But somehow everything is different.
Their activities will surely be the same, but they are so different now. They are so much better.
The nostalgia of crossing through the White House gates never gets old for them. Co-parenting with the current President makes visiting the WH a pretty regular occurrence, but not often do they get to do this together these days. Olivia and Fitz walk hand in hand onto the South Lawn where hundreds of people are already gathered.
Based on the general lack of buzz, they can sense immediately that Mellie and the kids have not made it out here yet. After much deliberation, Karen and Kayla had decided that it would probably be best to enter the party together from the Residence, so they had both stayed upstairs the night before with the plan to meet Liv and Fitz sometime during the evening.
Now, as they meander through the crowd, Liv wishes they were already out here. She thinks this mostly for selfish reasons—if the President arrived and her daughter came out with another woman on her arm, the attention would immediately be shifted away from herself and her fiancé.
It's hardly been twenty minutes since they've arrived, and she's already had three strangers attempt to touch her bump mid-conversation and at least ten others gawk openly at her engagement ring.
There is part of Olivia that enjoys showing Fitz off these days—his handsome salt and pepper locks, his obvious firm muscles on view, his gorgeous smile. But there are other parts that she's not so keen to show off, namely their unborn daughter. It feels like their presence alone gives people they barely know the opportunity to ask questions that they have no right to have answers to. Things like "when are you due?" and "is it a girl or boy?" and "do you have a name picked out yet?"
It feels wholly invasive, and she's one question away from losing it when she spots Abby and Leo across the way.
"Hey you!" She calls, getting the red head's attention. Fitz is at her heels, not straying but two feet away from Liv at any given time.
"Liv!" Abby shrieks, skipping over to her and wrapping her arms around her friend's neck.
"I didn't know you were going to be here," Liv confesses.
"Well, you tend to stay on the invite list unless you do something ridiculous like sleep the President, oh wait…"
Liv laughs and pushes Abby's shoulder jovially.
"I'm surprised to see you guys here actually. I would have assumed you'd want to keep that baby hidden as much as possible."
Stepping up behind her, Fitz chuckles, wrapping his arms around her and cupping Liv's belly in both of his hands. "It's a little hard to hide her at this point…"
"Yeah," Liv agrees, peering up at Fitz and enjoying his touch for approximately two seconds before she's swatting him—and his heat—away. "We're really only here for Karen, though. She's making an announcement of sorts tonight…"
At that moment, they hear the crowd beginning to roar, and Hail to the Chief plays through the speakers. They turn toward the South Portico, where they can see Mellie being escorted to the podium to give her remarks. A band of staffers follows close behind, followed by Teddy, Karen, and then Kayla.
To the average observer, the scene looks nothing out of the ordinary. If anything, Kayla just looks like a young staffer—her attire and physique not giving much else away. But to Olivia, she can see the tension harbored in Karen's expression, how tight her smile is, how white her knuckles are, laced together in front of her.
"Who's that with her?" Abby whispers in Liv's ear, earning an elbow to the ribs in response.
Mellie gives a nice speech, something simple about coming together as a nation, embracing our differences, loving each other, and so on. It's pretty innocuous, and only because Olivia is listening for it, she picks up on the uncurrent of words like love and acceptance and pride that Mellie is using. And as the speech ends and the music returns, Olivia watches as Karen smiles, takes a deep breath, and seizes the moment.
Most eyes are still trained toward the small stage, where some pop artist will be playing in a few minutes, and as Mellie leaves the stage first, Karen waits. She waits and smiles and finally turns toward her girlfriend. It feels big—like a huge moment that she's been waiting days and weeks and a lifetime for—but at the same time it feels so simple.
She reaches out, laces her fingers together with Kayla's, kisses her cheek softly for good measure, and guides them both off the stage, hand in hand.
"Ohh, that's who that is. I love that! Go Karen!" Abby cheers lightheartedly, mostly to herself, though it does earn a smile from Olivia.
It feels so big, but it also feels like nothing at all. The world keeps turning. There is no shouting or calls for flag burning or the like. Yeah, there are some stares, and sure, there are probably some pictures floating around social media already, but that's a problem for later, when they finally decide to confirm it.
For now, Karen and Kayla make their way through the crowd to find Liv and Fitz. Abby and Leo had moseyed away and back into the crowd a few minutes ago, allowing the couple to be available for when Karen and Kayla inevitably find their way over. And when they do, the four of them all share hugs, even Kayla and Fitz, much to the other two girls' surprise, and everything feels right again.
"Well, hell hasn't frozen over yet!" Karen laughs, slinging her arm over Kayla's shoulders.
"Indeed, it hasn't…" Liv smiles, teasingly. "I'm proud of you two. I know tonight is kind of the easy part, and tomorrow might be worse, but I'm so proud of you both. You did it."
And before she can get carried away and divulge into tears, she hugs them both once more and lets Fitz pull her away to go get something to eat.
An hour later, when the sun has finally set and the fireworks are ready to begin, they find the girls once again and insist they share their blanket to watch the display. They sprawl out on the quilt, Liv resting back against Fitz's chest, Karen and Kayla laying side by side. After a few moments of light chatter, they sense encroaching eyes on them and turn to find two couples approaching.
Both are Congressional leaders that Liv immediately recognizes. Senator Dylan Pollard and his husband. Congresswoman Maria De Luz and her wife.
She offers them all a welcoming smile. "Senator Pollard. Congresswoman De Luz. It's good to see you."
"Likewise, Miss Pope. Mr. President." Maria says through a warm grin, before peering with soft eyes down at Karen and Kayla's intertwined fingers.
"How are you guys this evening?" Fitz asks, attempting to draw them closer to chat without attracting too many extra eyeballs. "Please, feel free to join us."
"Oh, we don't want to take too much of your time," Pollard replies to Fitz before shifting his gaze to the First Daughter. "We just want to introduce ourselves, and say… Well, congratulations. We didn't want to…speculate or anything, but we all remember how difficult it was to come out…how scary that can be."
Karen is a little starstruck, having followed this particular Senator since his first bid for the House of Representatives some five years ago when he was the underdog, the would-be first openly gay Congressman from Texas. And then, when his seat went up for re-election, all the stars aligned for him to run for the Senate and by some miracle, he won. The first openly gay Republican in the Senate.
"And we know that this town is insane," Maria adds, "but we wanted you two to know that you have people in your corner. People who walk these streets and halls every day and face people who believe we shouldn't exist—that our marriages shouldn't exist. It's hard, but you guys are not alone."
Kayla is particularly starstruck by De Luz, hailing from the same county back home in California. She was definitely not the first queer Democratic congressperson from California by any means, but the work she's done since getting elected two terms ago has been legendary.
"And we are proof that there are people working on both sides of the aisle to make safer and more welcoming spaces for all of us," Pollard continues. "I don't mean to give you a pitch or anything now, trust me, but we could do some amazing stuff together. An LGBTQ+ friendly, Republican President in office…it's a chance to really turn the tables."
Liv immediately wants to fly into fixing, to turn to Karen and tell her that she doesn't have to think about any of this right now, that all she has to worry about is being happy and being with Kayla, but she doesn't. She stays silent and considers the truth of his words.
"And I don't want to diminish this time. This is a huge transition, coming out publicly, so please don't hear our desperation as a call to do something you're not ready for," the Congresswoman insists. "But when you are ready, if you are ready. If you want to help us move legislation and turn the tide on equal protections, you have more influence than you even know. Think about it."
And without so much as three more words, their business cards are placed on the blanket, and their goodbyes are said.
Fitz and Liv exchange a look, fighting with the parental instinct to not want Karen to dive into something so significant so quickly, and simultaneously beaming with pride at the prospect of everything these young women might be able to get done.
The four of them don't talk any more about it for the rest of the evening, and soon the fireworks are starting, booming across the sky, illuminating the top of the Washington Monument with their explosive shimmers. Olivia's been waiting for this opportunity all day, and as Karen helps Kayla sit up on the blanket, she tugs her halfway into her lap, turning their heads so their profiles line up, and settling their lips softly together.
Liv captures the perfect photo, complete with the scarlet and gold flares lighting up the sky behind them. The picture is dark, but the fireworks trace their silhouettes beautifully. There's no denying, no hiding their love in this image.
She already has a caption picked out and approved by her mom's staff, so as soon as Karen approves of the photo, she doesn't even wait for the fireworks to end. She doesn't wait to say goodbye to Liv and Fitz. She doesn't even wait for them to go back into the Residence where they are safe and hidden away.
It feels right to do it here, in the open. Nothing to hide. Nothing to fear.
* FDOTUS_karen_grant posted a new picture*
"Let freedom ring *heart emoji*"
AN: Woo! Karen did it! I've had this particular chapter in my head for almost nine months now so I'm so glad we finally made it here! As always, please let me know what you thought! What do you think the reactions will be? What's in store for Camp David? ;) LMK!
