Executive Orders

CH 47 | A Need For A Little Normal

There it was, Fitz wasn't - couldn't - be surprised that Olivia had guessed his thoughts. And what she was saying without words was that anything that was a part of his life, was a part of hers. This wasn't her trying to fix him, or trying to handle him as he'd once accused her of. This was her standing strong for him. Standing strong for them. It was in her voice, in the way her hands reached for his. Whatever the cost of her opening herself to him had been, she'd put it aside for now.

This was Olivia being the partner he deserved, wanted. Needed. And to accept anything less than that was unfair to the both of them. This was their life moving forward and they needed to face it - together.

Fitz took a deep breath and let his own inner walls down. He felt a new appreciation for what Olivia had just gone through, finding out for himself just how hard of a thing that it was. He found himself squeezing her hands gently as he began to talk, letting his feelings about what Mellie had said and done show, ending by saying that in his mind, there was very little he could do about his son from the east coast. The best that he could hope for was that sometime during the holidays he get to spend time with Gerry and see for himself how he was doing. In the meanwhile, he could only hope that Mellie was exaggerating.

Olivia was silent until he was done, her only reaction was her hands tightening on his in support. "Exaggerating is what Mellie does best." she reminded him.

"This is true." Fitz hoped it was true. Mellie was on the other side of the country claiming that Gerry was refusing to come to the phone and of course unless he wanted to argue the point with her. Why she would think that he would take her word for anything made him both angry and sad and that was the last thing he wanted to be while he and Olivia were here.

Fitz shared another truth with Olivia. "It's as if she instinctively knows exactly the right time to show up and crush my -" he caught himself and corrected his words. " ...our happiness."

He smiled at her, then very deliberately changed the subject, reaching a hand out to gestured to the paperwork scattered across the bed. "What's the verdict so far?"

Olivia hesitated, unsure as to whether or not she should let the matter drop. A few seconds later, she changed her mind, realizing that pushing wasn't what Fitz would want - and it wasn't what he needed. Her first instincts were hard to ignore - but then it hit her - it was Fitz's turn to need a little normalcy in the here and now. He'd been so patient and loving with her, now wasn't it her turn to offer him the same?

Olivia picked up one of the newspapers and directed his attention to the article she'd highlighted.

"I'd say the verdict is two thumbs up. These articles all make good photo ops for a pre-election event. I can say truthfully that you were looking might good, Mr. President." Olivia sent him a purposefully flirty little grin. "In spite of the blonde on your arm."

The fact that Olivia was doing for him what he had tried to do for her warmed Fitz's heart in just the right way and was just what he needed. "You've got a thing against blondes?"

"Not especially -" Olivia shrugged, pretending to be indifferent. "Well, maybe one in particular -"

Fitz grinned at her, playing along with her game.

"Stop that." She scolded him with a laugh, happy to see the light back in his eyes. "As I was saying - I don't have a thing against blondes, it's just that I know for a fact that you have a type."

"I do have a type." Fitz agreed. He shifted himself a little closer, his smile turns a little bit warmer causing a subtle heat to bloom between them.

"And it doesn't include blondes." Her eyes take on a simmering shimmer and every sense gets turned up a notch, both his and hers.

"It certainly does not include blondes." Fitz bent his head to run his lips along the smooth curve where her shoulder and neck met. The warmth of her flesh rose up and he breathed in the delicate scent of the outdoors mingling with the honeysuckle-vanilla scented lotion she'd used earlier. "And that's a very good thing."