A/N - While this collection is just a set of one-shots for me, with the occasional tie-ins, anyone who happens to be an author themselves (or is thinking of writing) is welcome to take any of these chapters that inspires them or they think could work as a longer piece, and turn it into something else.

The Greatest

"And the ball goes up

And the ball comes down

Swings his bat all the way around

The world's so still he can hear the sound

The baseball falls to the ground"

~ Kenny Rogers

"Run!" The crowd screamed, pointing toward the first base, the sound of the ball having connected with the aluminium bat still echoing in their ears. The seven-year old grinned from ear to ear, his blue eyes sparkling with pride at the knowledge that he had hit the ball. He was slow to catch on to the fact that the crowd was shouting at him - urging him forward. Finally, realisation flashed through his eyes and he took off down the first baseline, kicking up dust behind him. The crowd breathed a collective sigh of relief when his fit touched the base, barely beating the first baseman.

He straightened his blue and white jersey, turning his toothy grin, minus his front two teeth, toward the lovely woman sitting on the bench. She had her braided hair pulled into a ponytail, a scorebook laying across her laps and her hands joined together in thunderous applause. Her blue and white jersey proclaimed her the "mom of 18". As the little boy caught her attention, she gave him a thumbs-up, her smile brightening. She made a few marks in the book on her lap and turned her gaze back toward home plate where another little boy in a blue and white jersey had just squared up, his bat on his shoulder.

Number 18 allowed bent, placing his hands on his knees and watching his teammate swing and miss the ball. Strike one. He groaned as the umpire made the call and looked toward the coach standing to his side, his bald head glistening red in the sunlight and his jersey stretched tight across his stomach.

"As soon as he throws that pitch, run for second, Joel," The older man advised, keeping his eyes locked on the pitcher's mound. As the ball left the pitcher's hand, Joel took off at a run, urging his legs to move faster than they had before. He could hear the crowd chanting his name and sense the other team scrambling to figure out what was happening. By the time they realised just what he was doing, he had already tagged second and was halfway to third.

"Joel!" The tall, dark-haired man standing by third, shouting his name and clapping his hands, urged the young boy to run even faster. His lungs burning, he hopped onto third seconds before the baseball connected with the baseman's glove. The opposing team's fans groaned in frustration, but Joel didn't pay them any attention. He only cared about the man standing by the base. A grin covered his face as the man, dressed in a jersey like his only this one said "dad of 18" on the back, patted the boy's back.

"Way to go, son."

"Thanks dad. Did mom see?"

"Your mom saw," the man chuckled, tossing his hand in the air and waving at the beautiful woman on the bench. Joel watched as his mom lifted her hand, the diamond ring on her finger sparkling in the sunlight, and waved at him and his dad. She was beaming.

He turned his attention back to the game. Their last inning. If he could make it home, then they would win. He bent, hands on his knees and watched the pitcher. It was a 1-2 count - anything could happen. He was hoping for the pitcher, or the catcher, to make a mistake, though. He waited for his dad to say something, to hold him back. Instead, the man asked:

"Do you think you can do it?"

He gave a nod, adjusting his cap and watched as the pitcher released the ball. It made a perfect arc over home plate - and right past the catcher. Joel's dad nodded and without a second thought, Joel took off down the baseline. The catcher had his back to him, but that wouldn't last for long. Not with the other fans yelling, trying to warn their team that they were seconds from losing. The yelling didn't help, though, Joel made it across home before the catcher had fully turned.

His teammates surrounded him, clapping his back and chanting his name. For the moment, he was their hero. When he finally broke away from his teammates, he found his mom and dad standing by the team bench. His little sister, Adriel, was cradled in his mom's arms. Her chubby cheeks were flushed and sticky from a lollipop his grandma had given her earlier. Her head rested against their mother's shoulders, her darks eyes closed and a thumb in her mouth. Everyone liked to say that he looked like their dad and that Adriel was their mom's mini-me.

"Way to go, kid," his mom grinned, using her free hand to tousle his hair.

"Good game, Fitz!" Joel turned to find the coach of the other team shaking his father's hand.

"Josh! How's it been, man?" The blond guy smiled, laugh lines forming around his eyes.

"Same old same old," he shrugged, "When did you start coaching little league?"

"My son, Joel, plays," Fitz nodded toward the young boy standing by his mother, "This is my wife, Olivia, and my daughter, Adriel."

Josh shook Olivia's hand before turning his attention to the 'tall-for-his-age' boy standing beside her. "You played one heck of a game, kid! I'd say you're even better than your old man was."

Joel puffed his chest out in pride, a grin forming at the man's words. As good as his dad? That was all he could ever hope for. His dad's baseball photos and trophies graced a large portion of the display bookcase that they had in their den.

"What have you been up to, man?" Josh asked Fitz, crossing his arms and waiting for the other guy to respond.

"I'm the government teacher at Western," he referenced the high school the two had graduated from together, "What about you?"

"Foreman at the Ford plant. I can't believe we haven't ran into each other before now."

"Crazy isn't it?" Joel watched as his mom inched forward, clearing her throat and giving his dad a look that clearly screamed, "wrap this up or we're going to be late!"

"It was good seeing you. We actually need to get to my parents' for a cookout. We should catch up sometime." They stood there for another minute or two so that Josh and Fitz could exchange numbers before the family of four trudged toward their grey SUV.

/

"I was starting to think you weren't going to make it!" Edith Grant stood just at five feet, but her tiny frame was no match for the loud, full of life personality. Her brown hair was starting to fade to grey, but her sparkling blue eyes more than made up for the dulling hair.

"We would have been on time, but someone likes to talk," Olivia rolled her eyes, moving slowly as she helped Adriel make tiny, slow steps over the patio stone. The little tot held tightly to her mother's hand, her dark eyes settling on her grandmother.

"That almost reminds me of my husband," Edith teased, moving toward her daughter-in-law and swinging her granddaughter into her arms. Rubbing noses with the little girl, she exclaimed, "And how has my precious princess been?"

"Cranky. She fell asleep at the field," Olivia answered, turning and shielding her eyes from the sun as she searched behind her for her son. Joel came running across the patio in a pair of swimming trunks, Fitz had taken him inside to change, and skidded to a halt in front of his grandma.

"Gran, can I swim?"

"Jerry, how much longer until the food is done?" Edith called over her shoulder. The older man by the grill, a kiss the cook apron covering his clothes, swivelled around to look at his family. The crows' feet around his eyes, courtesy of years of laughter - Edith always had accused him of being the world's biggest prankster, depended with his smile.

"He has time. Let the boy swim!" Joel didn't wait to hear what his grandmother had to say before speeding off toward the pool, barely stopping to throw on a life jacket at his mother's insistence.

"He reminds me so much of Fitz," Edith chuckled, making faces at the little girl she held in her arms.

"I wish you could have come to the game. He played hard." Olivia followed Edith to the patio chairs, taking a seat at the glass table. Edith balanced Adriel on her lap, letting the little girl play with the string of pearls around her neck.

"I do, too, but Andrew and his fiancee flew in this morning." Olivia smiled knowingly at the eye roll that Edith ended her sentence with. Fitz's younger brother was the nerdy, quiet boy that spent way too much time with his head buried in his books. Everyone had been surprised when he had come home a couple years ago with a girlfriend and shocked even further when he had later announced that he was engaged. The speculation behind his engagement didn't last long after the family had officially met the woman. Melody Roberts was the stereotypical definition of a gold digger. From the way she dressed - outdated skirt/jacket combinations with heels for every occasion, even the ones that didn't require such outfits, to the sky-high hair and fake southern charm, she oozed bad vibes.

"How has that been?"

"Well, Jerry repeated multiple times that he needs to see a lawyer because he doesn't think Fitz and Andrew should split the company - he doesn't want that woman anywhere near his company." Jerry had started a law firm that had quickly spiralled into one of the largest, most trusted firms in the country back in his twenties and he had made millions from it. The company had been how Olivia and Fitz had met - she had been Jerry's right hand, the youngest law protege in the state. The two had hit it off instantly, and Jerry and Edith's blessing had been an added bonus.

"That's sad."

"But necessary." The women turned their attention to the men at the grill when they heard the two talking, debating, loudly, what the best way to grill a hamburger was. Olivia rolled her eyes at her husband - always the competitive type.

"Your son," she giggled, shaking her head, "Where are the two lovebirds, anyway?"

"Inside. The sun is just terrible for Miss Mellie's complexion." Edith wrinkled her nose, helping Adriel slip out of her lap. The little girl was eager to examine the caterpillar inching along the warm stone.

"Are you making fun of your future daughter-in-law again?" Fitz winked, sliding into an empty seat by Olivia.

"Me? Never," Edith shrugged innocently, "At least one of my sons had the decency to grace us with a respectable daughter-in-law."

"Me?" Olivia feigned ignorance, "What isn't there to love?"

"Your morning breath, for one," Fitz mumbled, rubbing his shoulder when she punched him.

"I suppose if my morning breath is that bad, you'll have to do without your wakeup kiss." Olivia shrugged, bending to retrieve her daughter as she started to crawl past her parents - heading straight for the pool and her older brother.

"Now that's just evil," Fitz protested, turning his attention to his daughter, "We can go swimming after we eat."

As if on cue, Jerry turned toward the table with a large plate piled high with food and asked, in his loud, booming voice:

"Everyone ready to eat?"

/

"Your mom may just murder your brother's fiancee before the wedding even takes place," Olivia stated, moving a stuffed animal from the sofa before settling into the lush fabric, cuddling up to her husband.

"If she does, I doubt anyone will ever find the body," Fitz smirked, flipping the page of the book he held in his hand. Olivia read the title, wrinkling her nose. The whole family practically lived on the baseball field during the season - did Fitz really need to read about the sport as well?

"I was thinking that we could take Joel to see the Red Sox play for his birthday." She changed the topic, bringing up her plans for her little boy's birthday.

"What about Adriel?"

"I'm sure your mom and dad or mine will watch her. We can let Joel invite his friends."

"Okay. He'll like that."

"We need to do something for Adriel's birthday." He finally shut his book, laying it on the coffee table and sliding his glasses from his eyes, placing them on top of the book. He had resisted the glasses at first, but last summer he had finally caved. He was a reader and that had become a nearly impossible hobby without corrective lenses.

"We could always do something at mom and dad's. She loves the pool."

"I don't want to put anymore stress on your parents." She shook her head at the idea. Adriel did love the pool, but Edith seemed to have her hands full with Andrew and Mellie.

"I think mom would welcome it."

"Do you think Andrew will go through with the wedding?" Olivia asked, tilting her head back to look at Fitz.

"I don't know. He's naive. He doesn't see her for who she really is."

"He thinks he's in love, too."

"Ew. Love," Fitz shuddered, winking as he lowered his mouth to Olivia's, placing a soft, sweet kiss on her lips. She laughed at his comment - an attempt to mimic their son's feelings when a little girl his age had mentioned that he liked her. Sometimes, being parents provided an endless reservoir of entertainment.

"Your mom wants me to go dress shopping with them tomorrow," Olivia groaned, resting her head against the back of the sofa.

"Mom needs someone there who is in her corner," Fitz shrugged.

"I'm not looking forward to it."

"If anything happens, my bet is on you and my mom," Fitz winked, standing and holding a hand out toward his wife, "The kids are asleep. What do you say we have some fun?"

"You are a dork," she giggled, allowing him to help her stand and lead her up the stairs to their room. Life in the Grant family sure did come with its set of challenges, but she wouldn't trade it for the world.