A/N: There's one mention of the miscarriage in the first section of this chapter - it's tiny, but I figured I should point it out. Otherwise, this is an entirely fluffy chapter!

December 2019

He'd planned to wait.

He'd wanted to hold off until her birthday, in January, but now just feels so right.

It's Christmas – their first Christmas in Vermont together – and he's woken with her curled up in his arms, sleeping peacefully with the most serene, content expression on her face. The urge to propose is so strong, it's palpable. He can feel it in the way his heart swells in his chest when he looks at her.

He can't wait any longer.

"Livvie," Fitz whispers, stroking his fingertips along her jawline as he watches her begin to stir, "Livvie, wake up."

Olivia grumbles something unintelligible and buries her face against his chest.

"Baby, wake up," He utters through a smile, edging back to look at her, "I have something to ask you."

"Can't it wait?" Her voice is still thick with sleep, her eyes are screwed shut tight.

"Hmmm... You know, I'm not sure it can. I've been waiting over a decade to ask you properly." He watches her brows furrow and she peeks out of one eye at him.

"What?" She snaps, her annoyance only makes his lips twitch with a smirk.

"Will you marry me?"

Her eyes immediately fly wide open and she pulls back, mouth agape, studying him for any hint of sarcasm.

"What?"

"Marry me, Olivia."

"You're serious? You're actually serious?"

He doesn't immediately answer her. Instead, he swings his legs out from between the sheets and sits on the edge of the bed to search the top drawer of his nightstand. When he turns back to her with an antique ring box in his palm, a sudden wave emotion overwhelms her and she's blinking back tears as she sits up next to him.

"I'm going to spend the rest of my life with you. There were moments when I didn't think that would happen and when I thought you didn't want it either, but now I know. I want nothing more than to be able to call you my wife."

"Fitz…" Olivia's lips part with a trembling gasp and he pulls her left hand into his, lightly caressing her bare ring finger with his thumb.

"Will you marry me?" Fitz asks for the third time and she realizes she still hasn't given him an answer.

"Yes. Yes." Her voice is barely a whisper as she closes the distance between them, capturing his lips with her and kissing him lovingly.

When they part and she laughs through tears, he flips open the box to reveal the most exquisite engagement ring sitting inside. The thin, pale gold band is framed perfectly by a stormy blue diamond, lined with smaller white diamonds on either side. It's delicate and understated enough without it being too much for her taste, but the clarity of the diamonds steals the breath from her lungs. When he plucks the engagement ring from the box to slide it down the third finger of her left hand, she removes Doux Bébé from her index finger and hands it over to him, letting him place it back in the box for her.

"Do you like it?" He asks quietly, watching her hold out her hand to admire the ring.

"I love it, Fitz," She grins at him, barely able to tear her eyes from the way the diamonds catch the light, "Why blue?"

"I had always wanted something unique for you and I spent so many hours looking at different diamonds, but as soon as I saw this one I just knew," Fitz watches her examine the ring in wonder as he speaks, "It hadn't even occurred to me that it matches my eyes until Abby pointed it out."

Olivia's gaze snaps up to meet his. "Abby knew?"

"Yeah," A rueful smile tugs at the corners of his lips, "She came by my office a couple of weeks ago, while you were in Vermont. She was ready to kick my ass until I showed her the ring."

"Oh, uh… That may have been my fault. She and I had way too much to drink the night you were away for that benefit in Atlanta. She asked how things were between us and I just couldn't keep it in, I blame therapy," She explains with a quiet laugh, shaking her head gently, "I told her we were happy, but I thought you'd reconsidered wanting to marry me."

"There was never a doubt in my mind... Why would you think that, Liv?"

"It had just been so long since we'd talked about it and then… And then there was the miscarriage." It's still hard to even say the word to him without feeling broken, but they're both healing and it's slowly getting easier each day. "I figured that you may have had a change of heart."

"God, no. Never. I wanted to take my time working with the ring designer to get it perfect and then…" He pauses, tenderly cupping her jaw, "I was just waiting for the right moment."

"I love you." Her lips part on a soft exhale, and she leans into his touch to kiss him soundly.

When Fitz slides his hands down her back to grasp her hips, pulling her into his lap, Olivia giggles into his mouth. They're quick to strip out of their pajamas, eagerly exploring every inch of newly exposed skin as if this is their first time, but then, when they're naked and she's pinned beneath him, they slow things down. He feels her lips curve against his as she smiles into their kisses, humming low in her throat. Her fingertips trace lightly down his spine and she digs her nails in his ass, pulling him closer, hugging her thighs tighter around his hips.

"I can't wait for you to be Olivia Grant." He murmurs as he dips down to kiss her throat.

"Hmmm… How about Pope-Grant?"

When he lifts his head he's wearing the most elated grin and it makes her heart flutter in her ribcage.

"I'll take it."

After they've worn themselves out with the slowest, most passionate sex and fallen asleep for a couple more hours, they end up in the shower together, of course. They find their way back into bed and Olivia eventually has to order Fitz to leave her to get ready, knowing they'll never get up otherwise.

He's tending to the stove when she joins him in the kitchen, hugging him from behind and standing on the tips of her toes to kiss the back of his neck.

"Smells good." She hums in approval as she strokes his abs teasingly through his shirt.

"It'll be ready soon."

"I wasn't talking about the food, mister."

A smirk twitches at the corners of his mouth. "As I recall you kicked me out of our room earlier, when I would've gladly stayed in bed with you all day…"

"It's our first real Christmas together, we're not wasting it."

He turns in her arms, grinning widely at her. "I wouldn't say any time spent making you come is wasted."

Her cheeks flush a little but she remains firm on the subject. "You and I are getting married. We'll have all the time in the world to spend together, wasted or not."

Being reminded of their engagement makes his heart soar in his chest and his smile widens even more. "Point taken."

"After breakfast let's go for a walk with Buddy and when we come back we can have dinner, then tonight you and I can open a bottle of wine, and get cozy by the fire," She pauses briefly and her gaze darkens; she bites her lower lip teasingly, sliding a hand down to squeeze his ass. "And pick up where we left off earlier."

"Mmm," He hums, leaning in to brush his lips against hers. "I like the sound of that plan."

They get lost in each other for a moment, kissing over and over because they can't get enough. It's only when the smoky smell of sizzling bacon draws her out of the moment.

"You're burning something." She tries to break away, but he moves with her, chasing her lips.

"Don't care."

She giggles and indulges him, letting him pin her up against the counter and kiss her a little longer.

Olivia watches on in amusement as Buddy takes off, sprinting across the clearing before Fitz has even had a chance to let go of the snowball in his hand. When Buddy stops and tilts his head back to them in confusion, Fitz swings his arm back and pretends to throw the snowball for him.

"You're so mean, stop tormenting him!" She says through laughter as Buddy runs ahead again, expecting to catch a snowball that never comes.

A dark grin spreads across Fitz's face. "You know I don't have to throw it at him, right?"

"Don't you dare! I'm not even wearing gloves, I can't defend myself!" She's already backing away from him with her hands raised, but he's prowling towards her with the most devilish glint in his eyes.

"That's your own fault. Why did you think it was a good idea to leave the house in the middle of winter without gloves? You always wear gloves!" His teasing stops abruptly when she averts her gaze from his, embarrassed. "What?"

"It's nothing." She toes the snow on the ground, still avoiding eye contact with him. Out of her peripheral vision, she sees him drop the snowball at his feet, effectively disarming himself.

"Tell me. Why are you being coy?"

She sighs, knowing there's a chance he'll let this go now, so she relents, "I just didn't want to cover my engagement ring up yet."

There's a beat of silence and then he strides forward, easily scooping her up in his arms and locking her thighs around his hips, forcing her to meet his gaze. There's nothing but warmth and love in his eyes and in spite of her embarrassment, she can't help but smile back at him.

"You're goddamn adorable, you know that?"

She doesn't get a moment to respond because he's already kissing her, sucking at her bottom lip fervently. Her right hand winds into the curls at the nape of his neck and her left hand slides down his front. Their lips eventually part when the need for oxygen becomes too much; she sighs contentedly, pressing her forehead against his.

"I don't want to wait, Fitz."

"Hmmm?"

Her gaze drifts to the ring on her finger, resting against his chest, then back up to his face. "I don't want a long, drawn-out engagement. Let's get married soon."

A blinding grin tugs at the corners of his mouth the moment the words leave her lips. "I was hoping you'd want that, too."

She's leaning back in to kiss him when they're rudely interrupted by Buddy, reminding them of his presence with a loud bark.

"I think the other love of my life might be a little jealous." A tiny laugh escapes her as he sets her back on the ground, but not before he steals another kiss.

Fitz bends down to scoop more snow into his gloved hands, pressing it into his palms until he forms a ball to throw and Buddy is delighted to have all of their attention once again, excitedly leaping around in front of them. This time Fitz throws the snowball, launching it across the clearing.

By the time they've returned from their walk, the sun has set and they've played with Buddy enough to tire him out, so he retreats to his basket in their office. Finally alone in their living room, Olivia winds her arms around Fitz's neck and she kisses him sweetly until he grinds his hips purposefully against hers, softly biting her bottom lip.

"I want you again."

"You are insatiable today!"

"C'mon, I'll make it worth your while." He declares with a ridiculous, suggestive wiggle of his brows that she can't help but giggle at.

"Save it for later, mister. You have a dinner to cook." She prods his chest playfully. "You promised me the best roast beef I've ever eaten, so you better deliver."

"And what are you going to do in the meantime?"

"I'm going to call my dad. Tell him the news."

"Okay, tell him I say hello." A genuine smile tugs at the corners of his mouth. In the most bizarre turn of events, he and Eli have actually managed to form some kind of a dysfunctional friendship.

"I will." She presses her lips to his one last time before leaving him to prepare their dinner.

Following a long evening of overindulging on delicious food and a few glasses of wine by the Christmas tree, Fitz is snoozing on the couch. As Olivia watches him softly snoring she almost lets him continue to nap, but she has other plans for them in mind. She tiptoes into the room and pulls his hand into hers, gently waking him with sweet kisses dotted over his knuckles.

"Baby, wake up. I wanna give you your present."

His eyes slowly drift open and a crooked, lazy grin tugs at his lips as he weaves their fingers together, blinking blearily.

"I thought we agreed, no presents?" He murmurs, his voice a little gruff with sleep.

"And how well did that go on your side of the deal?" She quirks a brow, lifting her left hand in front of her face and wiggling the finger now adorned by her sparkling engagement ring.

"But I didn't exactly plan to propose today, it just happened..." His eyes roll playfully, matching the boyish smirk spreading across his face.

"Fine, I don't have to give you your gift." She teases him and turns to step away, but doesn't get far due to their still linked hands; he tugs her back until she's sitting in his lap.

"What did you get me?"

"I'm not sure you deserve it."

"Livvie, please, I want it."

His bottom lip juts out dramatically, giving him an appearance of youthfulness that, in that moment, makes him look more like Teddy than she's ever noticed before and her heart melts. She lightly pinches his chin between her thumb and fingers, narrowing her eyes into a glare.

"Only if you quit pouting."

He immediately raises his brows, feigning a look of innocence as he struggles to suppress a smile. She moves onto her knees and straddles his thighs, then clasps her hands around his wrists and guides his hands to the belt of her black silk robe.

"You get to unwrap me." The sultry purr of her voice makes the hair on the back of his neck stand up.

His fingers slowly work open the belt, revealing a tiny red lingerie set underneath. She revels in the way his gaze is transfixed at the sight of her body, roaming over the delicate lace of her thong to her dark, erect nipples peeking through her sheer bra. There's something about how he looks at her with the same awe and hunger in his eyes as he did a decade ago that leaves her breathless.

After a full minute of his staring, she interrupts the silence softly. "What do you think?"

"It's uh… Very festive." He clears his throat as he runs a fingertip under the suspender clip attached to her matching red stockings.

"I chose it for a reason, baby."

"Well, it's fucking sexy."

She smiles, "I'm glad you approve, though that wasn't the only reason. There's something special about it."

"Yeah?" He slides his hands behind her to cup her ass and dips his head to line her throat with open-mouthed kisses.

"It's Italian. And..." Her fingertips find their way into the tousled curls at the back of his head as she sighs out, distracted by the sensation of his lips and teeth on her neck.

"And?" He smirks against her flushed skin, amused at her inability to focus when he's kissing her like that.

She arches her back, leaning away from him. "And in three days, after Karen and Teddy's visit, you and I are flying out to celebrate the New Year in Venice."

"You planned this?"

"Mmhm."

"It's about time we had a vacation together, thank you Livvie."

"You don't have to thank me. Just kiss me. Make love to me." She leans in close to brush her lips against his ear, then whispers lowly, "Voglio sentirti sulla mia pelle."

A jolt of electricity runs up his spine at the sound of her breathy, seductive voice, saying god-knows-what in Italian. Hearing her talk dirty in another language is the most dizzying form of foreplay and he groans deep in his chest; she's more than aware of how arousing it is for him, his jeans are stretched tight with an aching erection that she can feel pressing against the inside of her thigh.

"Sei bellissimo…" Olivia pauses to pull his ear lobe between her teeth, nipping softly as she guides his hand under the waistband of her panties. "Sono tutta bagnata."

"Fuck," Fitz pants unevenly, pulse racing when she slowly rocks her hips over his fingertips, letting him feel how wet she is. "I didn't know you spoke Italian."

"Not really. I spent a summer in Tuscany when I was twenty," She pauses and reaches for the collar of his shirt, taking her time to unbutton it to admire his muscular torso, "I met a boy. He taught me the basics…"

"All the dirty words?"

"Uh huh."

"What else did he teach you?"

Slowly, a smile edges onto her face. "He taught me the joys of skinnydipping and oral sex… Not necessarily in that order."

Her fingertips dance over his well-defined abs, unhurriedly committing every inch of his body to memory. A breathy giggle escapes her lips when she finally lifts her head and her eyes lock onto his dazed expression.

"What?"

"Why have we never been skinnydipping?"

She laughs again. "We did last week, in our pool in DC."

"You know that's not what I mean."

"Well, Mr. President, we've never been anywhere private enough that it wouldn't cause an international scandal."

"Hmmm… We need to change that," He muses as he caresses his thumb over her clit, smirking at the way her hips jerk involuntarily, "Just how soon do you want to get married?"

"Oh god. I – uh… One month, two max."

"Wow, that is quick." He can't stop the blinding grin from spreading ear to ear. "You weren't kidding, huh?"

Her palms run down his bare torso and clasp around his wrist, then she pulls his hand from her panties and lifts it to her lips. His jaw clenches and eyes darken with lust when she sucks his fingers into her mouth to taste herself, releasing them from her lips with an audible pop.

"Too fast?"

"No, because the sooner we're married, the sooner we can go on our honeymoon," Fitz bites his bottom lip, pupils dilating with growing desire when she places his hand on one of her breasts, "And I want to fuck my wife on a beach and make her forget all about Italian boys."

The way he pinches her hardened nipple between his thumb and forefinger makes her inhale a sharp gasp. She has to grip his shoulder with one hand as she reaches behind him, tangling her fingers in the curls at the nape of his neck. His lips, tongue and teeth trail a path down her chest; her brain shortcircuits when he sucks her other nipple through the sheer fabric and bites softly.

When she grinds deep into his lap, rocking against his erection to create some much-needed friction between them, the warm pressure of her body writhing against his is too much and he stills her hips with a firm hand.

"Livvie," Fitz sighs out unevenly, brows furrowing, "You're gonna make me come in my pants if you keep that up…"

With a dark smirk, Olivia slides out of his lap and kneels between his feet. While he peels his shirt off, his belt is quickly snapped open and jeans unfastened with dexterous fingers; her manicured nails scratch his hipbones as she strips him until he's gloriously naked before her.

"Tell me what you want." She purrs lowly, eyes flitting between his aching erection and the look of desperation and hunger on his face.

Her sultry voice makes goosebumps rise on his skin. Before he can answer she leans in close, swiping her tongue along the underside of his cock, then swirling it around the tip as she wraps a hand around him.

"Jesus fucking Christ." He groans breathily, hips twitching with the effort to hold back.

Her dainty fingers stroke over the base of his erection and she cups his balls in her palm as she takes him deep in her throat, gagging a little at the stretch of his thick cock.

"Liv… Livvie… Stop."

The neediness in his voice makes her ease back, releasing the head of his cock with an audible pop, doe eyes gazing up at him.

"Let me taste you."

"I'm supposed to be seducing you."

"Liv, I'm already naked."

"You know what I mean, I want to give you pleasure."

"Going down on you gives me pleasure," He declares boldly and lifts her onto the couch, positioning her so that her head is on the armrest, "You can't wear something like this and expect me to not want to go down on you…"

A shiver runs through her when his fingers loosen the satin ties resting on her hips. He doesn't even give her a chance to catch her breath as he tosses her panties aside and immediately takes her into his mouth, spreading her wide apart to french kiss her clit. The air is stolen from her lungs but then she gasps sharply, arching her back and the most intense, breathy moans start coming from her parted lips. He feels an overwhelming surge of pride knowing that it's all because of him; that nobody can ever – or will ever – make her fall apart like this.

He eats her out until she's trembling and crying out his name, gripping fistfuls of his hair tightly. And then he stops. Her brows furrow and she half sobs in frustration, half laughs in spite of herself. He loves to play with her like this, coaxing her right to the edge, holding her orgasm just out of reach.

"Baby," Olivia whines breathlessly, tugging gently at his hair, "C'mon, please."

"Speak more Italian to me." Fitz requests, biting her inner thigh playfully.

"I don't – I can't even think straight…"

"I'm not going to make you come until you do, Livvie."

She can tell from the darkening glint in his eyes that he means every word. He blows cool air teasingly over her center, making her hips spasm.

"Sono pazzo di te!" She whispers, eyes sliding shut immediately when he sucks her clit back into his mouth. "God, Fitz–"

His tongue swirls and rolls over her, just the way she likes it. He's relentless. His gaze lifts to lock on her expression just as she starts to come. Her lips part soundlessly and her back arches, then she screams and gasps and writhes through it uncontrollably; it's nothing less than a privilege for him, being able to watch her so uninhibited and out of control, in a moment of complete intimacy with him.

He's the luckiest man on earth, he's absolutely certain of it.

"C'mere..." She murmurs softly, moaning low in her throat when his palms slide up her stomach and fingertips caress her nipples through her lingerie.

"You're so sexy when you come, you know that?" He asks as he crawls up on top of her, unhooking the clasp in the front of her bra to finally expose her breasts to his hungry stare. "Mmm… Love your boobs."

His comment makes her giggle breathily and she wraps her legs around his hips to draw him closer. As he settles between her thighs, he groans at the feeling of her so hot and wet against his length.

Her lips graze along his jawline and her tongue darts out to trace the shell of his reddened ear. "Facciamo l'amore…"

Fitz doesn't need any more reason to be turned on, but Olivia's sultry voice whispering Italian in his ear again makes his cock throb. With a shift of his hips, he slowly enters her slick heat and rests his forehead against her shoulder, panting unsteadily for a moment.

There's no more talking from that point. Fitz is too far gone to do anything but grunt hotly against her neck and Olivia can't even string a sentence together now that he's inside her. He'd had every intention of taking her slowly, dragging it out and doing all the things to make her toes curl, but when these needy little whimpers start sounding from her throat he can't hold back. The moment his hips snap forward roughly, her lips part with a deep groan and she scratches at his back.

It's animalistic and raw in the best way. She lets him dominate her; he fucks into her, gripping her hips so tight she knows she's going to be discovering bruises in the morning. A shudder runs through her and she inhales sharply when he dips lower, pressing against her g-spot and grinding against her clit with every thrust.

She grips his shoulders, digging her nails into his taut muscles. When she comes hard, moaning feverishly, he feels a rush of wetness as she clenches tighter around him.

He bites her neck possessively when he climaxes, marking her, claiming her.

Mine.

"Mmm… All yours." Olivia agrees in a dazed murmur, reading his thoughts.

Later, they're tucked up in bed together, talking in hushed murmurs as they fight to stay awake just a little longer.

"My dad told me what you did." Olivia announces casually as she caresses her fingertips along his jaw. Even in the dim light, she can see his eyebrows shoot up into his hairline.

"What I did…?" Fitz repeats, a mild wave of panic washing over him. "What did I do?"

Her lips twitch with a faint smile. "You asked for his blessing."

"Oh right. That."

"Fitz. I can't believe you did that."

He shrugs with an air of nonchalance as if it's nothing. "I would've proposed regardless."

"I know…" She concurs quietly, eyes shining with emotion. "But you still asked."

"You never said it, but I knew that it was important to you." Under the covers, he traces circles on her lower back. He watches as a soft frown creases her forehead. "What?"

"I just–" She hesitates, catching her lip between her teeth. "How do you do it?"

"Do what?"

"Let go of everything he's done to you… To Jerry."

He breathes out a deep, tired sigh. "Haven't you had enough of holding onto so much bitterness and hate over things you can't change?"

"I just – I can't fathom it…"

"Livvie, as much as I hate the things he did, I love you more. And I know that even if he has a really twisted way of showing it sometimes, he loves you too."

Olivia blinks back tears as Fitz leans in closer, pressing his lips to her forehead in a gentle kiss.

"I have to admit I'm surprised he agreed." She murmurs after a while, absentmindedly toying with the hairs on his chest.

A soft laugh vibrates from his chest. "Me too."

"Were you nervous?"

"No," He scoffs, and then she fixes him with a skeptical look, "Okay, a little. But nothing was ever going to stand in my way of me asking you to be my wife."

There's a second that the word 'wife' hangs between them and they both break into matching giddy smiles at the reminder that this is real. They're getting married.

"This has been the best Christmas, you know that? You make me so happy." Olivia whispers as if she's sharing a secret with him.

"Mmm, likewise." Fitz hums in agreement and cuddles closer to her, circling his arms tighter around her waist.

"You have no idea how long I've waited for you to ask me to marry you."

"Oh Livvie, trust me, I know." A sleepy smile touches his lips as his eyes finally drift to a close. "I've wanted to hear you say 'yes' like that since the day we met."

A/N: So they're finally engaged! I hope it was worth the wait!

If you're enjoying this story, please drop a comment and let me know! I'd love to hear what you think, comments and feedback make me want to post more. Also suggestions are welcome!