There is a clock ticking somewhere behind Frank as he sits and waits. And waits ... and waits. He leans an elbow onto the table and rests his chin against his hand, watching the person in front of him. He can't even be irritated with her. He is getting a kick out of her serious expression as she tries to figure out what is laid out in front of her.

"Claire,"

"Daddy, I said no." her tone is exasperated and her eyes flick up to his - brown meeting brown - and she scowls when she sees that he is amused. "It's not funny."

"I just thought I'd offer. It's been a while."

"That's cause I'm concentrating. Don't rush me."

He holds his hands up in defense and leans back in his chair. Claire looks at him with a narrowed gaze, almost like a warning to behave before she turns her attention back to their game.

She finally unfolds her arms and sits up, clearly having made a decision. She moves her hand out over the chessboard, hovering over the pieces, then moves her bishop diagonally five spaces to the left.

"Checkmate."

He chuckles at her little voice and focuses on the board. Her bishop has put his king at risk.

"I told you, that's only when you have someone completely blocked. You say check when there is still a way for them to move."

"I know Daddy. That's why I said it." she has that tone - the one Casey and Nate have that he was so worried about - and he nods, humoring her as he goes to defend his pieces. Except he can't find a valid move. He leans forward, viewing every piece and spot. Claire is swinging her legs under the table, her toes whacking into his shins each time. She waits for him to admit defeat but it doesn't seem like he will any time soon. She sighs quietly and sticks her finger in her mouth, biting at the nail, then looks out the window to the sand and ocean beyond.

This is how Casey finds them fifteen minutes later when she shows up at the house, calling out greetings and apologies for being so late. She makes her way to the back room and smiles at the sight of them.

"I was wondering where you two were hiding."

"Come here and help me."

"That's cheating." Claire argues at Frank's plea while Casey says,

"Oh no, you know I don't play chess."

"Why can't you just admit you lost?"

"Because I don't think it's possible."

"Why not?"

Casey hides her smile as she joins them at the table. She lifts Claire off the seat and sits down, placing the girl on her lap. She squeezes her gently as she kisses her cheek. Frank stumbles over a response, then gives up and falls silent.

"He's a sore loser." Claire says to Casey, looking quite exasperated with her father.

"And if that's so, you don't sound like a nice winner. Behave." she gives a pigtail a tug and looks out at the board. "I didn't know you were teaching her to play chess. When did this all start?"

"Three hours ago."

"You've been playing this game for three hours?"

"No, I started teaching her three hours ago. This is our third game." he glances at his wife and they exchange a look - one they've shared countless times over the past five years. Casey turns to look at Claire, who looks innocently back at her parents.

"What?"

"You just never cease to amaze us Claire-Bear." Frank sighs and tips his king over. "Good game munchkin."

She beams proudly and starts to move the pieces to their original spots.

"You wanna play again?" she asks and he chuckles as he grabs his pieces.

"It looks like you've actually found yourself a formidable opponent babe." Casey smiles as she kisses the back of Claire's head. Frank nods, smiling slightly. "I am going to get dinner started. Play nicely."

"Wait - what about the ... you know." Claire looks slightly panicked and flashes a quick look at Frank, who pretends not to listen. He knows they have been secretly planning his birthday and it is kind of adorable that Claire believes she is surprising him.

"Play your game and we can do it later. We have plenty of time."

"No, I have to help." she hops off Casey's lap and starts for the kitchen. "Sorry Daddy. It'll be worth it later. You can keep practicing!"

"Keep practicing." he repeats as Casey laughs quietly.

"And the teacher becomes the student."

"You ever get the feeling we are outmatched?"

"Every day." she replies and stands from the chair. She moves around to his side and he pushes back slightly as she sandwiches herself between him and the table.

"How was the meeting?"

"We are going to need several more meetings."

"Figured that."

"Maybe next time you can come with me."

He smirks at that and shakes his head no, to which she rolls her eyes at.

"They don't listen to me. I said exactly what you would and it went in one ear and out the other."

"Because the old, stuffy men can't take directions from a young, intelligent, vivacious woman such as yourself?"

"They aren't as smart as you. Nice compliments by the way. You don't have to try and win me over. It is your birthday - I have to be nice anyway." she smiles as she leans forward and kisses him.

"How nice?" he mumbles, leaning back just an inch.

"Very nice." she retorts with an airy laugh. She closes the gap between them, wedging a knee between his thighs to balance herself. His hands mold to her hips, slowly moving upwards.

"Mommy!" Claire's call from the kitchen makes them pull apart and Casey chuckles as she leans her forehead against Frank's.

"I am being summoned."

"You should go before she comes looking for you. I'm going to go on a run."

She nods and they exchange one more kiss before they stand and go their separate ways.


"Close your eyes!" Claire demands as soon as Frank finishes his last bite of dinner.

"Can I have a second?"

"But -"

"Claire, relax." Casey soothes her as she threads her fingers through the girl's hair. "I know you're excited but none of us are in any rush. I want to clean up the rest of the kitchen before we do anything else."

Her shoulders fall in disappointment but eventually she concedes and gives a reluctant nod.

"Come on, let's sit outside and you can show me what Pop taught you so far." Frank gestures towards the sliding door and drops his napkin onto the empty plate. Casey flashes him a grateful look as he passes by and drops a kiss on her cheek. Claire is already gone, outside on the porch waiting for Frank. She is staring up at the sky when he steps out and turns her head when she hears him.

"I can't see anything."

"Probably because of the lights from the house. We'll go down onto the sand."

She nods and hops off the low wall, then takes his hand as they walk to the beach.

"That's better." she decides, tilting her head up to examine the stars.

"Good." he drops to the sand with a quiet groan and braces himself as she launches onto his lap and snuggles against his chest. "Okay, show me."

She takes a deep breath and begins rattling off the names of the stars. She knows the more prominent ones and gets stuck on the more obscure. He can tell she is beginning to lose focus and steers her in another direction.

"Do you know what type of moon that is?"

"A waxing crescent. Mommy told me that one."

"Very good. I don't know Claire, I think you may be smarter than me." he kisses the top of her head gently and she burrows further against him. Despite it being the end of August, the night is cooler and a steady breeze is blowing. He feels her shiver and wraps her in his arms, which she sighs contently at.

"Daddy?"

"Yeah?"

"Do I have to go to school?" her usual exuberant tone is suddenly meek and he is almost surprised to hear it in her voice.

"Not for another week but yes." he replies. She sighs and turns her face into his shoulder. "Why? I thought you were excited to start school."

She shrugs, trying to stall from answering.

"What's the matter munchkin?"

"I just think I learned everything so it will be a waste of time."

He chuckles at that and rubs her back gently.

"Ah, honey, there is still plenty of things for you to learn. That's why we have schools."

"Can't you and Mommy tell me? You are the smartest ones ever."

"There are things that even we don't know."

She sighs and is quiet for several moments before he hears her whisper "Daddy" again.

"Yes?"

"What if I don't make any friends?"

The question stuns him momentarily. Some times he thinks he and Casey have done a good job thus far and other times, they've completely failed at parenting. Claire is happy, smart, loved, and she knows it. But maybe she is too much of those things. They build her up but failure is nearly a foreign concept to her.

Maybe they should have exposed her to more. He remembers Casey's bewildered expression as she recounted a conversation with another mother who rattled off every activity her child was enrolled in. "Should we put her in some type of class?" He had looked at her like she had grown three extra heads. Claire had been nine months old at the time and although she was walking and beginning to babble, he couldn't imagine her doing much else then. But the question had lingered as she grew older. She needed interaction from her own age group. He thinks she does but maybe it hasn't been enough. Is she supposed to have a friend by now?

"Everyone will be in the same boat. You're all going to be starting together. Everyone will be friends together." he can't believe a group of five and six year olds could be judgmental and he can't see why they would avoid his daughter.

"Guys, come on!" Casey's voice cuts through the air and any fears Claire have dissipate as she jumps off his lap and races across the sand. He slowly follows, allowing her the space, knowing she is safe between both their gazes. She is bouncing with excitement when he reaches the deck and he allows her to drag him into the house as he exchanges a smile with his wife.

"Surprise!" she squeals as they step back into the kitchen. In their absence, Casey has decorated with birthday signs and balloons.

"Wow, look at all of this!" he exaggerates his tone and watches as Claire swells with pride at her accomplishment.

"You really didn't know?"

"I was not expecting this at all."

"See, I told you we could do it!" she exclaims, looking at her mother. Casey nods, conceding, as she goes to pick the cake off the counter. Claire hustles Frank into a chair and climbs onto his lap as she says, "Mommy thought we weren't sneaky enough."

"Maybe Daddy is just getting old and losing his touch." Casey suggests as she sets the plate in front of them. He glares over their daughter's head but the teasing doesn't seem to faze her.

"I picked it all out. We made chocolate cause it's your favorite and I wrote the words, see." she points to the cake top, where there is yellow and green icing spelling out Happy Birthday Daddy. "I kind of messed up."

"It looks perfect munchkin." he kisses her head, reassuring her even as he examines the lopsided letters that gradually decrease in size from gigantic to minuscule.

"I didn't know how many candles to put but Mommy said if we tried putting one for every year, they wouldn't all fit. So I put five for me."

"Good choice." he replies, noticing Casey's smirk and they way she wouldn't meet his gaze. She lights the candles, then they sing, and he hesitates briefly before blowing out the candles.

"Did you make a wish?"

"Yes."

"What was it?"

"I thought I'm not supposed to tell."

"Oh, right. Keep it a secret or it won't come true."

"Why don't you go wash your hands?" Casey suggests. Claire stands, then moves to the kitchen sink. Before she can turn on the water, she adds, "In the bathroom."

"Geez, you could just say you want some privacy." Claire rolls her eyes dramatically and skips from the room. Frank snorts and leans back with a groan as Casey takes up their daughter's previous spot.

"She's going to be the death of me."

"She's definitely going to keep us on our toes." She agrees. She cups his jaw in her hand and turns his face to meet hers in a slow kiss. "Happy Birthday."

"Thanks." he tightens his arm around her waist, smirking slightly as she scans his face. "Seventy looks pretty good huh?"

"Funny." she scrunches her nose in annoyance. She still doesn't like the idea that he is taking the shakes and doesn't like that he used Laura to come up with that stupid de-aging serum.

If she's honest, she doesn't mind it. She is happy knowing that she will have him much longer than she would have. On the more shallow end, yes he looks damn good and he actually has been keeping himself healthy and in shape in addition to it. She feels guilty though. She knows it would have never crossed his mind to do this if it wasn't for her and Claire. How many times did she hear him mock the use of the shakes and he had gone and taken it one step further?

"I think I look good." he smirks, nudging her with his shoulder. She rolls her eyes but smiles slightly.

"I'm back!" Claire slides into the kitchen before they can go any further. Casey plants a quick kiss on Frank, then stands up. She flashes him a grin as he squeezes her hip teasingly.


Long after Claire is in bed and they have enjoyed their own festivities, Frank sits out on the balcony alone while Casey showers. His thoughts keep going back to his conversation with his daughter.

He jumps when he feels a hand on the back of his head and turns to see Casey at his side, dressed in pajamas with her hair hanging loose and damp around her shoulders.

"You ok? I've been calling you for a couple minutes."

"I didn't hear you. I wasn't paying attention."

"I could tell." she looks amused and plucks the beer out of his hand to take a sip. "What's on your mind?"

"Nothing. Just thinking about something Claire said." he shakes his head and squints at a light blinking off in the ocean. "Do you think we pumped her up too much?"

"There's nothing wrong with encouraging her."

"Yeah but -" he sighs, running his hand over his head. "Sometimes, I wonder if we're doing her more harm than good. I don't want to be my father. I think I go overboard in an effort to ensure I don't act like him."

"Frank, you are nothing like him." she may never have met her father-in-law but she has heard plenty of stories. "Claire adores you and you are a great dad. I think we're doing a pretty decent job so far."

"I don't want her to feel like she isn't good enough or worthless."

"She won't. We'll make sure of that."

"Do you think she has friends?"

"I think right now, she is friendly. When she interacts with kids, she has no problem getting along. She doesn't have one specific friend right now. I think that will change once school starts."

"Yeah? I was awkward."

"So was I. I don't know where she came from." she chuckles and kisses his temple. "Are you being moody and reflective because it is your birthday and you're now considered geriatric?"

"I guess." he mumbles, then jerks his head around. "Geriatric? Does this look geriatric to you?"

"Just because you look and feel thirty five doesn't mean you are thirty five."

"I beg to differ. Besides, I didn't hear you calling me geriatric before." the scowl turns to a devilish grin as he wraps an arm around her waist and pulls her onto his lap. "Called me lots of things but I definitely didn't hear geriatric in there."

"You think you're smooth."

"A little bit, yeah."

She shakes her head a bit though she is smiling as well. He notices the difference in her eyes though, one he sees from time to time and knows there is going to be one of those talks.

"What?"

"You don't have to keep taking the shakes."

"I know."

"I don't want you to feel like you need to because of me."

"It isn't about that. At least not in the way you're thinking. I'm doing it because I want to. Not because I think I need to. I want to be here for you and Claire and make the most of whatever time we have - whether it's five or fifty years.

"But you can stop. It isn't like you are going to rapidly age and crumble to dust if you stop. Your aging process will just restart and with the de-aging serum, your system had a total re-do so you'll be okay."

"I know. How many times are we going to have this conversation?"

"As many as it takes until you agree with me."

"It probably won't happen. How about at some point, we can come to a consensus and say, when you turn 30, I'll stop."

"That's your plan?"

"I can make it work."

"I want you to be happy."

"I am happy. Trust me, I am only doing this to benefit us. Casey, this is what I want. I wasted so many years. It isn't just about you guys. This is a re-do for me. You know, Claire was all on me about making a wish and it was kind of ridiculous because I have everything that I want and need. As long as I have you two and if someone else happens to come along, that's fine too."

"You mean it?"

"Every word. I just want more of the same. We're in a good place right now." he says quietly. The worrisome look on her face softens to a smile and he tucks a portion of hair behind her ear. He keeps his hand on her cheek, thumb stroking gently, then smirks. "This isn't one of those conversations where this is really about you and not me right?"

"Nope, it is all about you."

"Okay good because I thought maybe you were trying to twist things but really you are the unhappy one."

"Well, now that you mention it, I did have plans to turn you in for a younger model. Something that-" her words muffle when he kisses her. She smiles against him, arms curling around his neck. "Maybe I could wait a few years though."

"Glad I could persuade you so easily." he laughs and she chuckles along with him before turning so she is sitting with her back against him. She sighs briefly as she watches the waves and his arms wrap around her.

"If we ever decide to leave Tomorrowland for good, I want to move to the beach." she says. They are on vacation for the week, starting today, and this has already been too tempting for her at points. It is relaxing and peaceful, away from the bustle of the city, constant meetings, and multi-tasking every day.

"I'll put it on my to do list."

"We do have it good." she murmurs. He nods in agreement and kisses the top of her head. "I'm glad we both realize that. I don't think a lot of people do."

"We are optimists."

"Oh you're an optimist now?" she lets out a laugh and he pinches her teasingly in response.

"Between you and Claire, I just have to go with the flow. It was a reluctant decision."

"Ok, I got it now."

"I didn't think I ever would be again." he mutters a few minutes later. He thinks she has started to fall asleep because she stretches a little and makes a noise that sounds like confusion.

"Hmm?"

"Optimistic. Happy." he smiles slightly and leans his head against hers. "You're right. I'm being reflective. I'm not moody though."

He pauses and feels her press closer to him, a sure sign of her drifting off to sleep.

"I love you Case."

"Love you too." it is half hearted and mumbled but he knows she means it even if she is half out of it. He falls asleep some time after her and they wake up early the next morning by courtesy of Claire. She wastes no time in making them aware how disappointed she is that she was not allowed to sleep outside and requests that they all do it again tonight.

He smiles slightly as he watches his wife and daughter make their way down the stairs and into the kitchen. He has the advantage of being able to see into the kitchen as the railing upstairs overlooks the room. Claire's high pitched giggles send a spark of warmth through his chest as she skips around the room, collecting the items Casey requests in order to start breakfast. He watches his wife carefully, taking in the light hearted smile and the loving gaze she is looking at Claire with.

The past almost feels foreign to him, as if he is unable to reconcile their lives now with who they were then. He understands, of course, how they got to this point and he almost wishes that there was some way to go back and reassure their previous selves that everything would be fine. However, he strongly believes those moments of fear and doubt and loneliness were what brought them to this moment now. He wouldn't change one thing because who knows how it would have affected their lives.

He is too happy at the moment - too optimistic - to think that these picture perfect moments could be corrupted somehow. He doesn't wonder about five years from now or contemplate what their future selves would have to tell them, either in warning or reassurance about what was up ahead.

He doesn't know it now but in a few weeks, he is going to be kicking himself for this blinded view. He forgets that things turned out for the better but they could just as quickly take a turn for the worse.