Executive Orders

CH 41 | EPISODE 11: Q And A

The grin that spread across Fitz's face made it easy for Olivia to guess at the direction of his thoughts. It makes her smile even as she shakes her head at him. This was the man that no one but her got to see, the one that brought out the smiles in her like no one else ever had or ever would.

"Do you want some help?" she asks with a mischievousness in her voice, already knowing how he'll answer.

"I don't know - I know you can pop popcorn, but I'm wondering if toast is within your pay grade. Are you sure you can handle it?" Now both of them were playing the same game. His question was probably corny and probably the lamest thing Olivia had heard in a very long time, but that was all right. Right now, everything is all right.

"Cute, mister." Olivia gave him a look that he returned. It held for a moment before his smile broke out across his face again and the look on his face made her laugh and Fitz swore to himself that he'd make all the corny, dumb jokes that he needs to if that will keep *that* smile on her face along with the sound of her laughter in the air between them.

"I think I can handle the toast - but I know I can handle the jam, if you just point me to it." She filled her voice with deliberate sass, just to make him smile again, and it does.

Fitz directs Olivia to the pantry and as she passes by him, he takes the opportunity to slip his arm around her waist. She laughed again as he pulled her to him and buried his face in her hair, inhaling her as he pressed a quick kiss to the back of her neck. "Are you sure that's not too much for you?"

Olivia closed her eyes as Fitz's lips grazed her skin. His touch made her happy enough to smile once again. "I'm sure."

As his arm tightened around her, she murmured his name in a soft protest. "Fitz..."

Because if he were thinking what she was thinking, about jam, that meant thoughts of a sweet stickiness were in both of their minds and if they weren't careful, they'd end up right back in bed. As nice as that sounded, they had other matters to tend to first. Olivia couldn't let herself forget that.

But on this quiet sunny morning, there was time for that. There was time for a long leisurely breakfast where they could take the time to concentrate on only them; time to share bites of food and to linger over mugs of tea - because Fitz had insisted on it; coffee was for busier times, for hectic mornings in the White House with details and deadlines and was a whole other lifetime away.

There was even time for the conversation that they'd begun last night. There's time for everything that needed saying today.

Olivia didn't bring up their earlier, more personal talk, so neither did Fitz. What she'd already shared was enough for a first step and he'd wait patiently for her to be ready to take on the next one.

So instead, the conversation drifted naturally to politics and the upcoming re-election, eventually, finding its way to the subject of the Caldwells and the informal open house at the start of the holiday season. It was common knowledge that the family alternated hosting between the family members' homes and Olivia pointed out that this was the first one that would be hosted by the youngest son, Will.

The way Olivia's explained it, it made sense to hold it at Will's this all, he was new to the national stage and this tailor-made to step up the spotlight. He already had Fitz's endorsement, which every knew since he'd given a fund-raiser speech back when he'd been running for governor.

"Why didn't he ask me earlier?" Fitz asked.

"He probably thought he'd be seen as presumptuous." Olivia said. "I'm betting the invitation isn't from him."

"If not Will, then who - Peter?"

Olivia thought about it for a moment, then shook her head. "If it were Peter, you would have received the invitation well before now. As you said, this was a last minute invitation. If I were to take a guess - I think it might be their father Nathaniel." The more she thought about it, the more her guts told her she was right.