A/N: Sab allowed me to post her birthday present in case others want to read it too. It's set in my 'Notes on a Scandal' universe and spoils the ending, because it takes place a little after the epilogue of that fic.

Jo and Lynn are my original characters, Diane and Will belong to the Kings. I wish they treasured them like we do.

Happy Birthday, Sab! 3

To Make You Happy

"Could you help me with something?" Will finally entered Diane's office and approached her desk with an expression on his face which suggested that the subject he'd come to talk about wasn't work related.

"What is it?"

He'd thought it through and decided that asking Diane was the right thing to do, so here he was, taking a seat opposite from his partner, while she turned her full attention to him.

"Jo's birthday is coming," he revealed the reason and saw the change from a serious expression to a more pleasant one on Diane's face right away.

"And?" She leaned back in her chair comfortably.

"You remember the party she threw me," he stated the obvious. His birthday had only been two months before and the party Jo had planned and executed in his honor was definitely unforgettable.

"Of course I do," she replied with a smile.

His birthday party had been one of the few occasions in the last months when he'd seen Diane having a good time. Fortunately their forced separation with Lynn had already ended since then, so he was able to see his friend happy on a regular basis again.

"She's so excited about her birthday, I'm sure she expects some big surprise."

He had lost count of how many times Jo had made a hint about the big day that was coming. Others would have been depressed about their fortieth birthday, but she was definitely looking forward to celebrating it with him.

"You want to throw her a party too?" Diane guessed his intention easily.

"I think she'd love it," he affirmed and she seemingly agreed.

"I think so too."

Now that his agenda was clear, he could reveal why he turned to her on the first place.

"But I'm going to need some help and I thought you and Lynn could help me out, especially Lynn.

He and Jo had been together for a few months, but he was aware that Lynn still knew her better, she had many years of advantage on Will on that front. Not to mention throwing a party wasn't his strongest suit, it was always Diane who did the heavy lifting when it came to organizing the offices parties.

"Of course, whatever you need," she promised quickly, surprising Will a little.

"Are you sure? Isn't she too busy right now?" That is why he had been hesitant to ask, because he knew that Lynn had a lot on her plate at the moment after winning the election.

"Jo is her best friend, she will always have time for her," Diane insisted and Will finally felt relieved. He would have arranged a party somehow without Lynn's help, but it was going to be much easier this way.

"I really appreciate it, thank you."

"Why don't you come over to my place sometime this week so you two could talk?" She offered and it was all Will needed to hear. He could have asked Lynn directly, but he figured going through Diane was the better plan, this way he was able to make sure he wasn't imposing.

"You're a lifesaver," he smiled at her.

"Should I feel offended you never threw me a birthday party?" Diane replied in a teasing tone.

"I thought you don't like surprise parties," he reminded her to defend himself.

"Excuses," she waved dismissively with a smile on her face.

"And you know I suck at party planning, that's why I'm here, practically begging you," he tried harder this time and saw her chuckle.

"I haven't heard you beg yet," she leaned closer to him over the desk to challenge him.

"If that's what it takes," he was willing to meet her expectations, but it already seemed enough for Diane, because she pulled back with a satisfied smile on her face.

"We are happy to help," she reassured him one last time.

"Thank you," he smiled back at her.

o-o-o

"Hi," Diane welcomed Will at her door with a wide grin on her face.

"Hey, brought you some wine," he handed her the bottle of Chardonnay.

"Thank you, come on in," she gestured and he walked inside, finding Lynn in the living room.

"Hey there, it's good to see you," she greeted him with a smile, offering him a handshake.

"It's nice to see you too," he replied, shaking her hand.

"A handshake? Really?" They heard Diane's voice, she sounded disappointed.

"You think it's too formal?" Lynn turned to her, letting go of Will's hand.

"Definitely," Diane smiled at them.

"I'm sorry," Will heard Lynn say before she leaned closer to him, placing a kiss on his cheek. "Hope you are satisfied now," she turned back to Diane.

"I sure am," Diane grinned and placed a kiss on Lynn's cheek in return.

"How about my kiss?" Will turned to Diane, thinking now she kind of owed him a kiss as well and she didn't fail to deliver.

"We really should get together more often," Lynn declared, taking a seat on the couch. "I'm sure Jo would like it too."

"I'm sure she would," Will agreed. He would have supported the idea to repeat the dinner the four of them had had. It had happened so long ago the memory had started to fade. But Diane and Lynn had only gotten back together very recently, there hadn't been time to arrange anything yet.

"Would you like something to drink? Maybe some wine?" Diane lifted the bottle he'd brought.

"Why not?" he made himself comfortable in an armchair and turned to Lynn. "Thank you for helping me out with the party."

"It's the least I can do. I've been planning enough surprise parties for our girl, it's nice to see someone volunteer," she showed him that she was glad to be of his service.

"It's a win-win then," he smiled. Jo had told him everything about her birthday parties, so he was aware that he had big shoes to fill if he wanted to make her really happy.

"Definitely. So what are your plans?" She inquired, taking the glass Diane offered her and tasted the wine.

"I want to do it in our apartment, you'll have to keep her away from home until the time comes."

He'd thought of renting a bigger place, but then he'd decided against it. A smaller company might be nicer and more intimate. Just Jo's closest friends, maybe her family…

"That will be no problem at all," Lynn reassured him, so he quickly checked this item on the list that was in his head.

"I'll need your help with the guest list," he brought up the subject next that he wanted Lynn's opinion on.

"Of course."

"I'm not sure if I should invite Jo's parents," Will revealed hesitantly.

"I thought you haven't met them yet," Lynn made the point Will was about to make himself.

"Exactly. Meeting them this way is probably not be the best idea," he concluded. Jo might want to be in control of when to introduce him to her parents, there was no reason to rush the inevitable.

"I'm sure Jo would rather introduce them to you on her terms," Lynn seemed like reading his mind, so Will nodded in agreement.

"That's what I was thinking too."

"They are delightful people though, I just thought you should know," she pointed out with a smile.

"I'm sure they are," Will appreciated the comment and in the back of his mind he was a little curious about them, but then he remembered all the bad experience he'd had with the mothers of his previous girlfriends and pushed the thought away.

"So what else do you need help with?" Lynn inquired.

"The food," he mentioned his biggest weakness and heard a chuckle coming from Diane, that made both him and Lynn look in her direction.

"Sorry," Diane apologized to Lynn who gave her an eye roll in return.

"Obviously Will meant he wants me to hire a caterer," Lynn clarified the request to tease Diane in return.

"Obviously," he backed her up firmly.

"It will be taken care of," Lynn promised, without looking at Diane, but Will saw that his partner was having fun with their interactions nevertheless.

"We also need a cake," he listed the next item.

"Consider it handled," she nodded.

"I'm going to take care of the music," he offered something he could fully handle on his own.

"You also need some decoration," Diane interfered.

"You're right," he turned to her.

"Can I take care of that? I need something to do as well," Diane volunteered and Will appreciated the gesture.

"That would be great, thank you."

"How about the present?" Lynn brought up another item Will was confident about.

"I don't think I need help with that," he declared confidently.

"Are you sure?" Lynn challenged him, but he was in fact a hundred percent sure.

"Yes."

"Will you tell us what is it?" Lynn sounded very curious, but Will intended to keep this important detail to himself.

"No," he shook his head with a half-smile.

"Come on, I won't tell Jo, I promise," Lynn started to beg, but it had no effect on him at all.

"Sorry," he rejected her.

"I might just take back my offer to help you with this party," Lynn threatened him playfully, but Will was strong enough not to budge.

"I'll take my chances," he told her and glanced at Diane to catch her reaction.

And her thumbs up showed all the encouragement he needed.

o-o-o

After cutting the cake the birthday girl was sitting next to Will with a huge smile on her face, eating a slice.

"I can't believe you pulled this off all by yourself," she looked amazed. It was safe to say the party was a huge success and Will took great joy in Jo's reactions all night long.

"As much as I'd love to take all the credit, I have to admit that Diane and Lynn have helped a lot," he revealed his secret.

"It's the perfect party." Jo's enthusiasm was admirable.

"I'm glad you think so. You deserve the best," he said softly and pulled her close to kiss her.

"Thank you for not inviting my parents," she told him in a playful tone, a smile visible in the corner of her lips.

"Sure thing," he replied, glad to have made the right decision on that question with Lynn's help.

"But do I get a present too?" She inquired hesitantly.

"The party isn't even enough?" He chuckled, trying to make her feel guilty for being so greedy, while he actually couldn't wait for the moment to give her the gift.

"I'm dying to know what you got me. I even searched the apartment randomly a couple of times in case I find something," she admitted, making him laugh.

"Then it's a good thing I've kept it in the office all this time," he concluded, seeing her face light up right away as he actually admitted there was a present.

"Sneaky," she flashed him a smile.

"I thought you like surprises," he faked a slight disappointment at her reaction.

"So where is it?" She asked impatiently, but he didn't let her rush him. Everything had the right time and he planned this night to the fullest.

"Later," he kissed her to silence her curiosity.

"Do I get it after the cake?" Jo wasn't ready to give up yet.

"Maybe," he teased her.

"Because then I'll just eat faster," she offered with a grin.

"There's no rush. We have the whole night ahead of us," he reassured her.

o-o-o

"I'm exhausted," Jo yawned after the last guest had left their apartment.

"That's too bad because the night is not over yet," Will reminded her and reached for her hand.

"Of course it's not, because I still haven't gotten my present," her excitement was back in a second.

"And here I was thinking you might have forgotten about it already," he teased her.

"No chance. So where is it?" She looked around.

"I'm not sure, but maybe if you go in that direction you will find something," he gestured towards the bedroom and he didn't have to say it twice, because Jo let go of his hand and rushed inside.

From the doorway he observed her opening the box he'd left on her pillow and when Jo finally turned towards him it was written all over her face how she felt about the present.

"Do you like it?" He inquired, because he wanted to hear her reply nevertheless.

"I love it," she approached him with the open box. "Will you help me put it on?"

"Of course."

He followed her to the mirror where she placed the box down to take her necklace off, then put the one she just got from him around her neck and allowed him to connect the ends of it on the back of her neck.

"It looks perfect," he observed her reflection through the mirror, the white gold necklace graced her skin, making her look even more beautiful in the dark blue dress.

"Thank you, for the necklace and the party," she turned around and he slid her arms around her waist to pull her closer.

"You're welcome. I hope it was everything you wanted," he looked for the answer in the brown eyes that were glued to his.

"It was," she affirmed, "But I could have worn this tonight, for everyone to see," she touched the necklace and Will shifted his gaze on it only for a second.

"You're going to wear it only for me," he whispered and before he closed the gap between them he added, "Happy Birthday!"