A/N: Hello loves. First of all, I didn't realize it had been so long since I updated. I apologize. I know I do it all the time but I really mean it. I promise I won't take this long again if I can help it. I won't lie. The show has really killed a bit of my vibe, and the fandom hasn't really helped, but I'm here for better or worse.

January 1946

Olivia lay on the couch under a blanket, watching as Julia pulled herself up on the coffee table to toddle around it. She couldn't walk very far but she had gotten much better at it, turning to look at her mother proudly each time she did it made it a few steps then landed on her bottom. She finally made it around the table and walked to the couch to pull herself up so she was face to face with her mother.

"Hi precious," Olivia cooed, reaching out to smooth her wild dark curls.

"Out!" Julia whooped, bouncing on her chubby legs.

Olivia sat up and picked up her baby girl. "It's too cold to go out. Remember we talked about snow?"

"Snow!" Julia pointed at the window where another flurry had started.

"That's right." Olivia smiled. "Do you wanna paint?"

She nodded, her curls bouncing behind her white lace headband. "Paint!"

They went to Olivia's sunroom and she set Julia up on the floor with a large canvas and her pots of finger paint, watching as the little girl made dozens of handprints. Olivia stared at her own half-finished canvas, a watercolor painting of a bowl of fruit. She picked up her brush then set it down. She picked it up again and held it for a moment, willing herself to want to paint, but nothing came and she put it down again. She eventually climbed off her stool and went to her piano. She twinkled the keys for a little while before she began to play one of Beethoven's more melancholy pieces. She ran through them all, her eyes never focusing on the sheet music that she kept mostly for decoration, only stopping when she heard the front door open.

"I'm home!" Fitz called. Julia's attention immediately left the painting as she looked around for her father. A few minutes later, he appeared in the doorway. "Here are my girls."

"Daddy!" Julia bounced on her cotton-diapered bottom, reached out her painted hands to be picked up.

"Look at you, dirty girl." He knelt and picked up Olivia's paint rag to clean her hands off before he picked her up. "Have you been painting with Mama?"

"Yeah!" She pointed at her canvas, covered in clusters of handprints.

"Ooh! We've gotta hang that one up for everybody to see. Right, Mama?" He looked at Olivia with a smile.

She gave a weak one in return as she stood and walked around the piano. She stopped to press a closed-mouth kiss to his lips then left the room. Fitz followed her to the kitchen where he watched as she pulled leftovers from the refrigerator. She put the pot of chili on the stove then put the pan of cornbread in the oven to warm. She turned to look at Fitz. "That should be ready in a few minutes. I'm going to take a bath."

"Okay," Fitz replied, watching as she left the kitchen.

It had become a pattern since they'd returned from California. He spent Sunday through Wednesday at the firehouse and every Sunday morning she would kiss him goodbye. When he returned Wednesday evening, she would kiss him hello. She would reheat leftovers for them then announce she was going to take a bath and that would be the last he'd see of her until he put Julia to bed.

He figured she'd be tired of baby duty after four days so he didn't mind doing everything in her absence, especially since it was the most time he got with Julia, but a part of him wondered why she didn't talk to him anymore, what had changed between them. She didn't even wait up for him, usually asleep when he climbed into bed with her. She would wake up and talk to him if he woke her, but he didn't like to do it. He figured she was tired, but he was also a little sure that she didn't actually want to talk to him, assuming she'd have waited up if she did.

That night after he put Julia to bed, he was surprised to find Olivia awake, lying on her side as she stared out the window at the sliver of moon. He took off his clothes and went to the bathroom to shower, figuring she'd be asleep when he returned but she wasn't. She hadn't moved, and she didn't react when he joined her in bed. He scooted to her side of the bed and wrapped his arm around her, relieved when she intertwined her fingers with his and held his hand. He kissed her temple. "Livvie?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you wanna talk about what's bothering you?" he asked gently.

She gave a soft sigh. "No."

He wanted to push, but he knew her well enough to know that she wouldn't answer if she didn't want to. "Do you wanna go watch TV? There's probably nothing on this time of night, but we can kiss on the couch."

Olivia shook her head. "I'm fine here."

"Livvie…"

She sighed again, this one decidedly more annoyed. "I had a bad day, okay?"

Fitz frowned at the back of her head but pulled her closer. "Tell me what's wrong."

"It was just a bad day."

"I can fix it."

He trailed kisses down her spine, stopping in the small of her back, then gently turned her over. Olivia's eyes rolled back as his tongue made contact with her center. She let him lift her legs onto his shoulders, reaching down to take hold of his hair. Fitz smiled at her gentle moans, taking care to see that she was fully satisfied. He wasn't sure what had made her day so bad, only that he wanted to be the reason it ended well. Olivia's back arched as she climaxed, her bottom lip pulled between her teeth to muffle her scream. Fitz looked up from between her thighs and smiled at her as he moved to lie on top of her. Olivia placed her hand on his chest then sat up.

"Wait." He rolled off her and watched as she slid off the bed then went to the bathroom. A few minutes later he heard the shower turn on. He went to the door and entered cautiously, surprised to hear her crying quietly in the shower.

"Livvie," he pulled the shower curtain back and found her sitting in the tub, the water running over her, "baby this is more than a bad day. Talk to me."

"I wish I could take it back," she whimpered, hugging her knees to her chest. "I didn't mean it."

"Didn't mean what?"

"All the times I wasn't happy when I thought I was pregnant." She wiped her wet face. "I went to see Jackson because I've been so…awful, and he said it's not uncommon to lose a baby so soon after conception, assuming I was pregnant at all. The first trimester is a tricky time. But I didn't think I did anything wrong except being unhappy. And he said it was nonsense, that I couldn't wish a baby away, but I think I did. And now I'd do anything to go back and make myself stop thinking all those negative things. I just… I can't stop feeling like I killed our baby. And I don't want to… What if I do it again?"

Fitz turned the shower off then wrapped a towel around her and helped her out of the tub. He kissed her forehead. "You didn't kill our baby. I promise. You know just as well as I do that you probably weren't pregnant to start with. And you were just scared. Everybody gets scared, Livvie. I'm scared every day. Every fire might be my last call. But then I remember all I've been through—all we've been through—and I know I'll always come back to you. We'll always make it though baby."

Olivia leaned against him, breathing in his clean scent. "I don't know what to do."

"Talk to me. Let me hold you. Let me take you places that make you smile. Stop hiding."

He led her back to their bedroom and Olivia sat on the bed, watching as he took her lotion from the dresser. He walked to the bed and took the towel off her, quickly wrapping it around her shivering body to gently dry her off. When she was dry, he began rubbing lotion on her back. "You make me feel so sprung/ You make me feel as though spring has sprung/ And every time I see you grin/ I'm such a happy individual…"

Olivia gave a reluctant smile. "I told you I don't like that song."

"That's just because you're getting old, lady bird."

"I am not!" She tweaked the tip of his nose. "Take it back."

"I can't when I'm looking at what I'm guessing are liver spots on your back." He chuckled when she swatted his hand away.

"Those are freckles! And you're way older than I am," Olivia replied.

"You're the one getting all huffy about your birthday." He kissed the crown of her head, rubbing lotion on her shoulders. "Speaking of which, what do you wanna do for the big day, Livvie?"

Olivia shrugged. "Nothing much. Maybe we can go ice skating or something."

"We always go ice skating. I wanna do something special for my favorite girl."

Julia's cries wafted through the wall and Olivia looked up at him with a smile. "You can go get Jules back to sleep."

Fitz left the room and Olivia got up and got a white nightgown from a dresser drawer. She smiled at the sound of Fitz talking to Julia whose cries quieted and soon she was talking back. A few minutes later he came back with Julia on his hip, clinging to him. "She wants her mama and I can't talk her out of it."

"What's the matter with my sweetness?" Olivia smiled as she walked over to take her. Julia lay her head on her mother's shoulder. "Did you have a bad dream?"

Julia reached up and tugged her ear, giving a soft whine. Olivia pressed her lips to her forehead and frowned at its warmth. "You don't feel good?"

"When I was brushing her teeth, I saw some stubs. She might be teething again," Fitz said, frowning at Julia's grimace. She had four front teeth, two on the top and two on the bottom, and was sprouting adjacent ones.

Olivia nodded. "I saw them last night. They must have completely erupted."

"I remember my dad used to put whiskey on Celie's gums when she was a baby."

"Whiskey? That doesn't sound good for a baby."

Fitz shrugged. "It'll make her mouth numb, and she'll go back to sleep."

She looked down at Julia, now beginning to whine softly. "How do we do it?"

"Dad soaked her pacifier in it."

"What if she gets…drunk?"

Fitz smiled. "We're not giving her shots, Livvie."

"Mama…" Julia whined, snuggling close to her mother, still pulling her ear.

"We're gonna fix it, ma petite," Olivia cooed, kissing her warm forehead. She looked at Fitz and nodded. He left the kitchen and Olivia listened as he climbed the stairs. "You want some ice cream?"

Julia gave a weak nod and Olivia went to the freezer. She pulled out the carton of rainbow sherbet and got a spoon from the drawer. Julia allowed her mother to rub the cold spoon on her gums, her whining settling down. "Stars shining bright above you/ Night breezes seem to whisper I love you/ Birds singing in a sycamore tree/ Dream a little dream of…"

"Me," Julia finished before accepting another spoonful of sherbet.

"You know I've been singing that song to you since you were teeny tiny. Your daddy and I first heard it in Georgia. It was the spring of 1944 and you were just a twinkle in your daddy's eye. Oh, you should have seen him, ma petite. He was the handsomest thing in his uniform. I don't know if it's because I was so crazy about him or if it was his tan or if he's just that good-looking, but he had the darkest hair and the bluest eyes. And that smile… He could charm the sweet off a honeysuckle. The morning after the first night we spent together, he turned on the radio and it was playing. And we danced. Oh, did we dance..." She smiled as she gently rocked the baby. "It was a short song, but in that little hotel room, it seemed like we twirled around forever. I'd like to say it takes more than one dance to fall in love, and there were plenty of other times, but that was probably the moment I fell in love with him."

"That's not true. She just wanted me for my money, Julie Bean," Fitz said, making his presence known.

Olivia laughed, leaning against the counter as Fitz retrieved a bottle of cognac from the cabinet. He filled a shot glass with the dark liquid then dipped Julia's pacifier in it. "He's right. I had my heart set on his bunk mate, Stephen, but they shipped him off to Japan before I could make my move."

Fitz laughed, reaching out to swat her hip. "Did I tell you I got a letter from him?"

"No. What's he been up to?"

"Well after the hospital released him, he got an honorable discharge and went back to Japan. He's even got himself a wife, a Japanese girl named Miyako. He brought her and her mother back to Vermont and bought a farm of all things. He wants us to come out in the summer, says he'll probably have his own little one running around by then." He smiled. "Oh, and Huck finally made it back to Delaware. The doctors made him some kind of robot leg. He even got to dance at his wedding."

Olivia smiled as Fitz took the pacifier out of the glass then walked over to them. Julia raised her head to look at her beloved pacifier and Fitz stuck it in her mouth, surprised when she didn't spit it out. "She's a true Grant alright."

"Feel better, precious?" Olivia looked down at her baby girl. Julia gave a weak nod as she lay her head back down. Olivia smiled, pushing her curls back from her face, when the little girl yawned. "I think we can go back to bed."

Julia whined, kicking her feet in her yellow footed pajamas. Fitz smiled. "You wanna stay up all night, Julie Bean?"

She took out her pacifier. "Wan' play."

"It's time for bed. Why don't we go read a book?" Olivia suggested, replacing her pacifier.

Julia nodded and yawned. They went upstairs and Olivia went to their bedroom while Fitz went to Julia's room to get a book. He came back with two and climbed into bed beside them. He held them up for Julia to see. "Do you wanna read Winnie the Pooh or Goodnight Moon, Julie Bean?"

Julia pointed to Goodnight Moon and Fitz put Winnie the Pooh aside. He was surprised when Olivia snuggled into the curve of his body, her head on his chest, with Julia nestled against them. He opened the book. "In the great green room, There was a telephone, And a red balloon, And a picture of, The cow jumping over the moon…"

"Moo," Julia cooed sleepily. It didn't take long for her eyes to flutter closed as she clutched a bunch of Olivia's nightgown in her chubby hand.

"Goodnight moon, Goodnight air, Goodnight noises everywhere." Fitz read the last lines of the book then looked down at Julia and Olivia. Both were asleep, snoring softly, and he smiled as he put the book aside then turned off the bedside lamp. He pulled the blankets over then then kissed each's forehead and lay down with them.

XXXXX

Four Days Later

Olivia smiled as she held Julia in her lap, both of them fastened into the plane's seatbelt. "Let's count our fingers."

Julia grinned as she held up her hands, quickly beginning to count off her fingers. "One…two…three…four…five!"

"And how old are you, Julie Bean?" Fitz asked.

She raised her left index finger. "I one."

Fitz smiled and ran his fingers through her springy curls that had become less like his and more like Olivia's except their sun-bleached whiskey brown hue. "Almost, Jules. And we're gonna have a big birthday party aren't we? Daddy's gonna get you the whole world."

Julia nodded, going back to counting her fingers. Olivia watched her for a moment then looked at Fitz. "Do you think she's left-handed, or is it too soon to tell?"

"I think it might be too soon. I used both for a long time before Mama decided I was better with my left and taught me to write with it," he replied, watching as Julia moved on to identifying the colors around her, mumbling yellow and green to herself as she looked at the plane's striped seats. "I do think she's a genius though. She's the smartest baby I've ever known."

"She is bright. I think it's because we don't do all that silly baby talk to her." She looked down at Julia when the baby tapped her knee. "What is it, precious?"

She pointed at her sailor dress. "Blue!"

"That's right. What else is blue?" Olivia replied.

Julia looked around and pointed at her father's pants. "Blue!"

"Can you find something that's red?"

Julia looked around then grabbed the skirt of Olivia's dress. "Red!"

"That's right! I told you she's a genius, Livvie."

Olivia didn't reply and Fitz looked up at her, frowning when he found her gaze wistfully fixed on the woman seated across the aisle from her. She reclined in her seat, a pregnant paunch ballooning her yellow wrap dress. He reached for her hand and gave it a squeeze. She looked away from the woman and sniffed then gave him a weak smile. Fitz leaned over and kissed the soft spot below her earlobe, smiling when she blushed as her smile broadened. "We lived our little drama/ We kissed in a field of white/ And stars fell on Alabama last night/ I can't forget the glamour/ Your eyes held a tender light/ And stars fell on Alabama last night…"

Olivia finally turned to him and gave a genuine smile as the pilot announced takeoff. "I love you so much."

"I know. I love you too. And it's gonna get better, okay?"

"Okay."

"Okay." Julia grinned at her parents, reaching for a button on her mother's dress.

Olivia smiled down at her as she placed the earmuffs over her ears. She pointed to the window and Julia turned to look out, cooing "ooh" softly as the plane began to move.

xxxxx

Julia was asleep when the plane landed, sprawled across her parents' laps, her mouth red with fruit punch. Fitz was asleep too, his head against the window. Olivia smiled at him as she nudged him awake, watching him yawn as his eyes fluttered open.

She unbuckled her seatbelt and gently lifted Julia in her arms as she stood. "Did you sleep well?"

"Except for Jules kicking me in the stomach, yeah," he replied as he stood and stretched. Olivia stepped out into the aisle and Fitz followed, taking her purse and Julia's diaper bag from the overhead compartment.

They got off the plane and went into the airport to collect their luggage. Olivia unfolded Julia's stroller and placed her in it gently, taking care not to wake her, then looked at Fitz as he took down their suitcases. "So what's the plan?"

"We're gonna drop everything off at my sisters—including Jules—and I booked us a very nice hotel room for the night. There's a very nice restaurant with a bar on the bottom floor, and I made a reservation for myself and a very special lady."

Olivia smiled. "If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were trying to seduce me."

He smiled. "You'll just have to wait and see, won't you?"

They walked out into the crisp California afternoon and Fitz hailed them a cab. Halfway to Celie and Tess's house, Julia awoke, sitting up in her mother's arms. She yawned as she scratched the back of her head. "Wan' eat."

"We're gonna eat when we get to Aunt Tess's house, okay?" Olivia replied, smoothing her hair. Fitz dug her bottle from her bag. "Look. Daddy's got your juice."

"My juice." Julia smiled as Fitz handed her her bottle.

"Are you gonna share with Daddy?" Olivia asked.

Julia shook her head as she held onto her bottle tightly. "Mine."

"Well I'm gonna take your nose." Fitz took her nose, smiling as Julia pried his hand open. She frowned at his empty palm, looking up at his face in confusion. Fitz gave her a wide-eyed look. "Where'd it go? Where's your nose?"

Julia touched her face, smiling when she touched her nose. Fitz laughed. "There it is!"

XXXXX

Olivia smiled at Tess and Liz sitting on the front porch as the cab came to a stop in front of the house. She held Julia up to the window. "Look! That's your Aunt Tess and Aunt Liz. They're gonna take you to the beach today!"

"Beach!" Julia whooped, already waving.

They got out of the cab and Fitz grabbed their bags then followed Olivia up the walkway. Tess smiled as she stood. "Y'all are late. Teddy's almost cleaned us out of barbecue."

"That bastard," Fitz replied, giving his sister a hug.

"Hi!" Julia smiled as she waved.

"Hi gorgeous! You've gotten so big!" Tess cooed as she took her, quickly covering her face in kisses. Olivia smiled as Liz joined in. By the time they finished, Julia was covered in red and pink lipstick prints.

"She's talking up a storm these days," Olivia said with a smile. "And she's got some teeth. Show them your teeth, precious."

Julia grinned, revealing her four teeth. Liz squealed and gave her another kiss. "Do you know what that means? We can fatten you up, little bit!"

"Fatten her up? She can't get much fatter," Fitz replied with a smile, reaching out to give Julia's pinch Julia's chubby calf. She giggled when he tickled the back of her knee.

"Oh that's nonsense." Tess waved him away then grinned at Julia, bouncing her on her hip. "Want some barbecue, sugar beet?"

Julia nodded. "Wan' eat."

"Let's go eat then," Liz replied. "And after that, we're gonna go to the beach and play in the water. Does that sound fun?"

Julia nodded again as they walked into the house. They went out the glass sliding kitchen door to the deck where Teddy and Celie were sharing a plate of ribs. Fitz could only grin at his old friend, no longer bald and baby-faced. Teddy's hair was nearly as long as Celie's, brushing his broader shoulders and he even had the whisper of a beard.

"Well I'll be damned. The army finally made a man out of you," he said, walking over to hug Teddy.

Teddy shook his head. "Not the army. It was Tess. She taught me to smoke, fight, and cuss."

Fitz tossed his sister a smirk. "That figures. Tess is probably twice the man I am."

"And don't you forget it." Tess tied her apron back on and Fitz smirked as he watched her lean over and light her cigarette on the grill's jumping flame.

Teddy smiled at Olivia. "Look at me Liv! I'm a man. I even got a tattoo!"

Olivia laughed. "You didn't!"

"Yep!" He unbuttoned his denim shirt and pulled the left side away from his chest to reveal a U.S. Army symbol tattooed over his heart, and his platoon identification below it.

"Well hot damn! I guess you've grown up on us," Olivia replied.

Fitz smirked. "I bet it washes off in the tub."

"No it doesn't," Celie insisted.

Fitz smirked at her. "And how would you know?"

"Fitz leave those children alone and come get some ribs," Tess called. He turned to look at her with a smirk, marveling at how she reminded him of their father as she stood at the grill, her hair pulled back from her face in a low knot, her apron stained with sauce he knew she'd made herself.

"Tess, you're damn near a dead ringer for your daddy," he teased as he walked over and took a slab then went to sit with Olivia, Julia, and Liz at the patio table. Julia's face was already stained with sauce as she munched on the rib Liz held to her lips. She turned to look at Tess with a smile.

"Isn't she precious? Don't you want one?" she asked.

Tess snorted. "Where the hell are we gonna get a baby?"

Liz shrugged. "One of those homes for wayward girls?"

"And you think they're gonna give our queer asses a baby? Two unwed mothers is hardly a better solution than one."

Fitz chuckled. "Hell, have one the old fashioned way."

Tess gave him a straight look. "And which one of us lesbians do you think would be willing to do that?"

"Well you smoke, cuss, and drink like you've got more hair on your chest than I do, so I'd guess Liz."

"Oh I don't think I could do that. I'm skittish as all hell," Liz replied then looked at Olivia. "Was labor terrible?"

"Well, I don't really remember. They gave me just enough ether to keep me foggy. By the time I came to completely, Jules was here." Olivia smoothed Julia's hair, separated into two painstakingly twisted French braids. "The real trouble is that first week at home. She slept all day and stayed up all night, and kept at it for at least a month. And the shit… My god there was so much of it. She was a little shit factory. And if it wasn't shit, it was vomit. I thought she was broken."

Olivia laughed. "Oh, but it's the most wonderful thing. That first smile just steals your heart. And you know it's not a real smile yet—usually it's gas—but seeing them look up at you and grin is just the most beautiful thing in the world. And when they get big enough to know you and you see their face light up when they see you… And when they finally say 'Mama'… Oh you would have thought she gave me the moon."

Liz turned to Tess with a longing smile. "See? We need at least one."

"My buddy Stephen says Japan is running over with babies needing families. Apparently it's a bad sign to have a baby girl on the first try over there and families are actually giving them away," Fitz interjected.

Tess frowned. "That's a god awful shame. Guess we've got to go see what we can do."

Liz smiled and looked down at Julia. "How do you like that, Jules? Should we go get you a cousin? Should your aunties have a baby?"

"Baby!" Julia clapped.

Olivia gave her lap a glum look and Fitz squeezed her knee then picked up a rib. "Aren't you gonna eat ladybird?"

Olivia shook her head. "I was promised dinner at a very nice restaurant. And I've got to fit into my dress."

Fitz grinned. "Oh really? Is it a terribly tiny dress, Mrs. Grant?"

"You'll just have to wait and see, won't you?" She winked at him.

XXXXX

Later That Night

Fitz entered the hotel bar and took off his hat, looking around for a moment before he spotted a woman sitting at the bar, her bare back to him. He looked around the restaurant again then headed for her, thinking a little harmless flirtation wouldn't hurt. He felt like he hadn't had more than a few minutes of fun in months. So he took a seat beside her and smiled as he set down his hat. She smiled back, brushing her hair back from her face then looked down at her glass.

"What are you drinking?" he asked.

"Jack and ginger," she answered.

He nodded then signaled for the white-coated bartender. "Scotch neat for me—a double—and another Jack and ginger for the lady."

The bartender nodded and turned around to the liquor shelf.

"I'm Fitz." He grinned at the woman again, not hearing her name as his eyes fell to her cleavage. "So what's a beautiful woman doing all alone tonight?"

She shrugged. "No company to be had except my old friend Jack."

"He's a bad friend. He's guaranteed to leave you ass out every morning." He smiled when she laughed. If there was one thing he loved more than anything, it was making a woman laugh. And this woman was something to see as she did, her head falling back, pushing her cleavage out of the low v of her wine red dress. His ears reddened when she touched his forearm. He couldn't remember the last time a woman seemed to enjoy his company so much.

"Well that's true. But it's a hell of a night," she replied.

The bartender delivered their drinks and Fitz took a sip of his scotch. "That's good scotch."

"I've never been a scotch fan. I've found it's not very kind to a lady," she replied.

"How so?"

She grinned mischievously. "It makes you act like a man."

"Oh yeah?" He cocked an eyebrow at her. She nodded, still smiling, and Fitz called for the bartender again. "Bring the lady a scotch, but make hers a single."

The bartender nodded and left and Fitz turned back to the lady. She smiled, leaning closer. "So where are you from?"

"California originally, but I was in Paris during the war and I stayed."

"What do you do now?"

"I'm a fireman."

His ears burned when her eyes widened. "Really? That sounds so exciting!"

He gave a shrug. "It puts food on the table."

"Well yes, but so does any job. You're a hero!"

"I don't know about that, but thank you anyway."

She sipped her scotch, shook her head. "No I'm serious! You run into fire for a living. That's incredible!"

His ears continued to burn. "It's no different than running towards bullets in the war."

She laughed, sipped her scotch again. "I think I prefer the fireman uniform though. I think it's the suspenders, or maybe it's cause it's all one piece. You just step out of it and—"

She hiccupped a tipsy laugh then set her glass down. "I shouldn't have had this. I'm terribly close to embarrassing myself."

Fitz laughed and shook his head. "I'm having a nice time."

"Me too." She gave him a soft smile, her fingers playing over his forearm again. "And here I thought tonight would just be a waste of a dress."

"I can't even remember the last time I've had such a nice conversation," Fitz replied. "I had a really nice dinner—amazing steak—but this was definitely the best part of the evening."

"Well it doesn't have to end." She nodded at the door where a group of laughing men was entering. "I think it's about to get terribly crowded in here. Maybe we could go somewhere else?"

"Do you have a room?" Fitz asked.

"Yes." She stood and picked up her little black purse, her curls falling around her shoulders, and Fitz quickly paid their tab then followed her out of the bar, a slight quiver in his stomach. He had never done anything of the sort before, but he was suddenly excited to try his luck.

He spent the elevator ride toying with the tie on the back of her dress, and running his fingertip down her bare back, delighted at the goosebumps that rose on her shoulders. He wanted to kiss her, but he hadn't worked up the nerve just yet.

When they reached her room, he watched as she unlocked the door then opened it, his heart hammering as he followed. He shut the door then grabbed her waist, turning her around and pressing her against it as he finally claimed her lips. He was glad he'd waited, that he'd saved such an illicit pleasure for the quiet room where he could hear her breath hitch as she took hold of his lapels. It didn't take long for their kisses to become feverish, or for their clothes to be shed as they stumbled through the dark foyer to the bedroom. Fitz let out a sigh of relief when his knees hit the soft solid mattress and the pliant woman beneath him immediately fell back, bringing him with her.

Fitz paused their kisses to look at her beneath him, her black lingerie more lace than actual garment. He took off her bra, his lips watering at the sight of her bare breasts heaving with each breath. It had been so long—too long—since he'd excited a woman so thoroughly, and that thought, coupled with the scent of her arousal thick in the air, nearly pushed him over the edge before he'd even begun. He couldn't resist falling to his knees between her thighs, throwing them over his shoulders and worshipping her scent with lavishing licks and kisses after he pulled her tiny panties off. He groaned against her sex, savoring the sweetness and the sound of her moaning as she weakly clutched at his hair.

He wasn't sure how many times she climaxed, only that when he was finished, she lay weakly on the bed, her legs open and waiting. He climbed atop her, pulling her legs around his waist as he lay down. "Do you know how good you taste?"

She weakly shook her head and Fitz lowered his mouth onto hers, quickly slipping his tongue in her mouth so she could taste the sweetest nectar he'd ever encountered. He paused, his erection pressed to her entrance but not inside yet. He had butted against far too many boundaries as of late, and the ease of this triumph made his eyes fall shut as he pushed inside her. And here was the sound of her moans, soft and acquiescent, immediate capitulations to the demands of his feverish thrusts. Fitz sunk his teeth into the supple flesh of her shoulder, slipping his arms underneath her small, soft frame as she convulsed with a climax, her nails in his back. He roared as his own climax swept through him, his hips thrashing against her center with enough force to set the nightstand beside the rocking bed shaking. Spent, he collapsed atop her, resting his face in the warm curve of her neck and peppering her damp skin with soft, wet kisses.

Her fingers wound in his curls and she turned to kiss him, a sated smile playing on her red-stained lips. "That was incredible."

Fitz smiled too, reaching up to smooth her wild hair. "Happy birthday, Livvie."

A/N: So that was something, huh? Maybe enough for Baby Grant #2, but we'll have to wait and see on that. Don't forget to review! XOXOXO