Reunited

Lincoln is 19

Carter & Kate are 18

Fitz walked through the front door with his arms weighed down with white crinkly grocery bags. He walked as fast as he could through the living room straight to the kitchen table. He almost dropped one of the bags because the handle broke, but he made it just in time and released the handles, causing a loud thud to be heard. He grinned proudly at his wife and gestured to the table. "One trip, babe."

"The table has a million scratches now, but you did it in one trip. That's great, Fitz." Olivia said dryly. She lifted her wine glass to her mouth and took a sip as she eyed him.

His proud grin faded to a type of scowl. "What are you so upset about? I'm the one who had to go to the grocery store and buy all this shit. You got to stay home and drink wine in the peace and quiet."

Her eyebrows went to the ceiling. She emptied her glass, setting it on the counter, and then put a hand on her hip. "I'm sorry. Do you somehow think that I got the easier of the two tasks? I got to stay home and clean this entire house by myself while you got to escape all alone to buy some food. The kids that the party is for, aren't even here to help me! But the toilets are gleaming, the mirrors are spotless, the floors are immaculate, and the living room looks like a showroom at a furniture store. But I got to stay home and drink wine." She rolled her eyes.

"I'm sorry. Can I redo the last three minutes? Please?" He asked. He didn't wait for her to answer but went back to their front door and stepped outside. He felt like an idiot, but an unhappy wife is an unhappy home. He walked in the door, all smiles, and began looking around. "WOW! Babe! The house looks amazing! You have been busy while I was gone." He went to her and wrapped his arms around her waist. "You are amazing!"

She didn't want to, but Olivia began to grin at him. It was really annoying how he could change her mood like that. Unable to help herself, she put her hands on his shoulders and said, "you are such a dork, but I love you."

"This dork would be lost without you. I'm sorry I was a jerk. Do you forgive me?" He asked.

She closed her eyes and shrugged dramatically. "I mean, I guess I forgive you. I am kinda stuck with you, aren't I?"

"I'd like to be stuck in you." He said suggestively and slid his hands down to her ass.

"Don't ruin the moment, Fitz." She half chastised.

"Yes, ma'am." He could tell she was over her anger. It was time to get something for his trouble. "I need a kiss now please."

Inspired, she came up with a plan quickly. "You'll get a kiss when the kids are home to help me. This graduation party is for them after all. You'd think they'd want a say in everything?"

Fitz pulled his phone from the front pocket of his jeans. He slid his long finger up the screen and then touched a button. Putting it to his ear, he said, "Carter. Whatever you're doing and wherever you are, make it stop and get your ass home. Now!" He held the same index finger up to his wife, indicating that she give him a second, and then resumed touching his phone. "Katie? If you're home in the next five minutes from Anna's, I'll give you a fifty. Yup, really. Bye."

Looking back at his wife with a wide smile, he said, "Ten minutes tops, babe."

"Wow! Someone really wants a kiss? Maybe we should spend the next ten minutes making out on the couch like horny teenagers?"

"Mmmmmm." He put his hands back on her ass and started walking her backwards towards the couch.

They had just sat down when the front door flew open. Kate looked around wildly and was out of breath. "Dad? Daaaaaaaaaaad?" She yelled and ran towards the stairs.

"Jesus. I'm right here. Where's the fire?" He asked in an irritated tone.

Kate came to a sudden halt and turned around to face her parents. "Oh. Hey. Sooooo, about that fifty." She grinned.

"Do I look like a money tree to you?" He asked sarcastically.

"Do I look like a human stopwatch to you? No. But here we are." She held out her hand and watched him stare at it until eventually, an eye roll later, he reached for his wallet. He was about to hand over the bill when she said, "Why did I have to come home anyways?"

Fitz held the fifty just out of her reach. "Because your mother is killing herself to clean this house for the graduation party for you and your brother. You need to help her."

Kate looked around. "Place looks good to me." She snatched the bill from his fingers.

"You're going to help me cook the food." Olivia said with a too polite smile. "And Carter is going to be kept busy by your father. It's your party after all."

"No one mentioned getting paid to come home." Carter said from the doorway. He took a few steps towards his twin sister and glanced at the bill before she quickly tucked it into her pants. He nodded. "Fifty works." He held out his hand.

"You do fifty things and you'll get a fifty." Fitz said blandly.

"Are you telling me that Kate has done fifty things?" He asked.

"Kate is going to do a hundred and fifty things." Olivia said. "You two wanted a graduation party so you two can help get things ready for it."

"What your mother said, kid." Fitz chimed in.

Carter glanced at his watch. "It doesn't start for another five hours. What's the rush?"

"Ohmygod! Only five hours to go?" Olivia asked in a panic. "We've got to move, people! Kate, you and I are in the kitchen. Fitz and Carter, you two check the front yard and make sure there isn't any loose trash in the yard."

"That's what I rushed home for? Loose trash? Really?"

Fitz cuffed him on the back of the head and immediately froze. He was turning into his father! He thought about that for a second and realized it wasn't a completely terrible thing. It felt pretty damned good too! No wonder dad did it all the time? "Do you want us to be murdered in our sleep? Loose trash! Now!"

"Fine! But when we're done, I'm decorating the desserts. That is NOT mom's specialty. That's my area of expertise. Right?" Carter asked as they walked outside.

"Sure, son. You just go in the kitchen and tell her that. I want to see how that goes for you." Fitz said laughing.

"Dude, can you be on my side just once in life?"

"I'm always on your mother's side. No questions asked, kid. But I'll arrange it. When's Link coming home?"

"He and Huck are leaving in an hour or so."

"Good. We'll have male reinforcements."

"At least we aren't in the kitchen making sandwiches like Kate." Carter chuckled.

His dad joined in the laughter as the two of them looked for trash that wasn't there. "How is everything going at the bakery now that you're finally out of school?"

"It's great. I love the freedom to go in and try something new with the food or get inspired by something. I know you're reaping the financial benefits by the truckloads. Speaking of that, where's my paycheck for the week?"

Rolling his eyes, Fitz reached for his wallet again and handed the brat a wad of cash. "There's a fifty in there somewhere. We're even now. In all seriousness, I'm glad you're enjoying yourself at the bakery. You do damned good work, Carter. I'm counting on that to continue so I can retire in the lap of luxury with your mother when I'm older."

Carter grinned at his father. The old man had never mentioned retiring before. Maybe, just maybe, he was one step closer to handing the reins of the bakery over to him? "Thanks for the encouragement, but we're nowhere near close to being even, dad. We've been out here long enough. I'm going in and reporting that we did the job."

The house was spotless. Olivia wouldn't let her family sit down in the living room until the first guests arrived. She kept asking them to pick up things that weren't there to begin with. Plastic on the floor from one of the grocery store bags, crumbs on the counter from the food, a lopsided couch cushion. She was driving them a little insane. Fitz received harried looks from his kids and suggested that his wife go upstairs to take a moment for herself before anyone showed up.

The first to arrive were the four grandparents, and of course, they brought a ton of food with them. Olivia eyed the platters and bowls, filled with God only knew what, and urged them to bring it all into the kitchen. Once their hands were empty, the grandparents went to fill them back up with their grandchildren.

"Are you too old for hugs?" Emma asked Carter before pulling him into her arms, unwillingly if it came to that.

"Not for the best hugger in the state." Carter wisely replied smiling.

"Excuse me?" Lila asked with sarcasm.

Ohhhhh shit. Carter hadn't thought that one all the way through and had to come up with something to quickly get himself out of the doghouse. "Mimi, your hugs squish my bones. I guess I'm still a bit rattled from the last great one I got from you. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. Am I forgiven?"

Lila grinned up at the tall handsome fast talking boy. He'd do just fine in this world, she decided. She didn't have to make it easy for him though. "I suppose. See that you get more than one before I leave today though, young man."

"This day wouldn't be complete or as great without that." Carter replied.

"MmmmHmmm. It's a good thing you're heading off to college. You're starting to sound like your smooth talking father when I first met him."

Fitz had been watching their exchange with a huge grin and took that moment to swoop in and cement his place as Lila's favorite son in law. He kissed her cheek and said, "You thought I was a smooth talker back then? That is high praise coming from you, Lila."

"Go away, Fitzgerald. You are not getting any more brownie points from me today." She cackled.

"You heard her. Get the hell out of here, sonny." Thomas said scowling. His face lit up when Kate giggled at her father's expense, reminding him of when her mother used to do it once upon a time. He pulled out his wallet and handed her some money slyly. "Your grandmother probably has a card for you with some sappy words in it. But this is just between you and me. I'm really proud of you for getting through high school. Valedictorian no less. Even prouder of you for getting through all those years with your crazy dad around."

Kate chuckled. "He reminds me of you so much, Pops." She watched him roll his eyes and chuckled again. "It's a compliment. You raised a good man who in turn raised great kids. If you really think about it, you're responsible for how the three of us turned out."

Thomas' sour expression turned to immediate joy. He handed his granddaughter another large bill. "You are going to be a phenomenal lawyer one day, Kate."

"Katherine, you grew up to be the most gorgeous young lady. We are so proud of you." Nathaniel said, sliding into their conversation and giving her a hug.

Kate's eyebrows went up. "I thought mom was the most gorgeous young lady in your eyes, Grandad?"

"So did I?" Olivia jokingly accused from a few feet away.

"No offense, Munchkin." Nathanial told his daughter. To Kate he said, "Your mother will always be my second favorite person in the world. But the three of you are extra special, and you know that, so stop trying to paint me into a corner." He chuckled.

"Don't give Carter and Kate all your best hugs, you two." Lincoln fake complained.

"Lincoln!" Emma exclaimed. She would always have a soft spot for him, even if she never told a soul about it. "You're too thin. Aren't you eating enough at that college you go to?"

Lincoln grinned at his grandmother and held her tighter before pulling away from her arms. "I'm eating plenty. I get better ideas for my writing when I have a full stomach. Don't worry about me, Nana."

"If you ever want us to bring you some good home cooking, the two of us would gladly make a trip into the city with lots of it for both you and Huck." Lila said with a wink.

"I'd never say no to that, Mimi." Link replied and hugged her tightly.

Lincoln started making his way to his mother with a huge grin, an exact replica of his fathers, on his face. He grabbed her into a hug and held on for a long minute. "I missed you mom."

It was so good to have her baby home, even if just for a few hours. Olivia held onto him tightly and whispered, "I missed you too, baby." Realizing she was making a scene without meaning to, she pulled away from him with a huge smile on her face and asked, "Where's Huck?"

"He was on the phone outside. He'll be in in a minute." Lincoln informed her. "DAD! How ya been, old man?"

Fitz hugged his son and said, "I'm not too old to kick your ass. But I'm too happy to have you home to even entertain the thought today. How's it going at school?"

The front door opened, and Huck quietly stepped inside. He saw Lincoln talking to his dad and the twins talking to their grandparents. He smiled at their happiness and before he could understand what was happening, he found himself being hugged. He tensed up for a moment before he realized the arms were tiny ones. It had to be Olivia. He relaxed and hugged her back.

Olivia examined him with motherly eyes. "How's it been going, Huck? Have you been eating enough? Have you been swamped with attention from lots of girls? Do you want me come down there and have a chat with them? Cause I will! You are part of the family now and family takes care of family."

Huck gave an almost imperceptible smile at Olivia's words and stood a little taller, taking the role very seriously. She was little, but she was fierce. "I think that could be dangerous for the girls, Mrs..." He caught her expression and corrected his words. "Olivia. But, since you're parked outside our dorm every ten days, running a few sandwiches upstairs would be appreciated." Everyone who heard his comment laughed loudly.

"Mom just got told!" Lincoln said laughing.

"Up high, Huck!" Carter offered his palm.

"Ohmygod, you're not doing that to me when I go to college." Kate said.

"The nerve of these damned kids, huh?" Fitz said as he wrapped his arms around her waist from behind her. It was a good thing she couldn't see his satisfied smirk. Huck was a great addition to their family. He might be Fitz's new favorite?

Thank God the front door opened and spared Olivia from any more embarrassment. Loud female shrieking was heard as Kate ran to the door and happily grabbed whoever it was and began jumping up and down with them.

"Who is that?" Fitz asked Olivia.

"Like I can see any better than you can. Or think straight over that noise!"

Just when Kate and the mystery guest parted, the boys ran to the door and had their turn at happily hugging whomever it was. Finally, Fitz caught part of a face and excitedly whispered one word. "Ladybugs!" He kissed Olivia on the cheek, dropped his arms from her waist, and went to the door. "Who the hell let the three of you grow up and get so beautiful?"

"Uncle Fitz!" They sang together and happily swarmed his neck with hugs.

A shy young man stood just behind the group but kept his eye on Elizabeth. "I'm sorry, I don't think we've met yet?" Fitz said, extending a hand.

"Oh! I'm sorry, uncle Fitz. This is Robert. He's my fiancé." Elizabeth explained and reached for his hand.

She held up her left hand and Fitz grabbed it, examining the ring closely with a shocked expression. And then he turned his squinted eyes on this Robert kid and sized him up. The kid had on jeans and a green polo. He looked nice enough, but Fitz knew there was no such things as anyone being good enough for one of his ladybugs. He caught Elizabeth's eye and she gave him a look that said give him a chance. He begrudgingly said, "Nice to meet you, Robert."

"Nice to meet you too, sir. I've heard all about you, Mr. Grant. You're a lot less intimidating than your brother." Robert said.

Fitz looked over his shoulder and watched his brother fake throwing up after taking a sip of wine. He was so annoying. "He's harmless. Don't let him make you feel bad for marrying his oldest daughter. He'll try to. Do you love her?"

Uncle Fitz!" Elizabeth hissed.

"Of course I do." Robert said. He desperately wanted to win over at least one other Grant.

"Then you stand your ground for her. Don't take any shit from her dad for loving her. That's your job from now on. Loving her. It's a full time gig. Don't screw it up and don't get lazy on the job! If I hear that you do after the two of you are married, I will personally come and deal with you myself. Got it?" Fitz threatened.

Robert gulped. "Got it." He said meekly.

"You do your job right and we won't have a problem. Elizabeth and her sisters were like my own daughters before I had kids, so they are special to me. Take care of my girl!"

Elizabeth smiled at her uncle. He was just the best. She kissed his cheek while Fitz kept his eyes bored into Robert's. "Thank you, uncle Fitz. That will be all." She said with a grin.

"Is there room in there for one more?" A voice asked from the porch. More loud shrieking as the girls saw Ella standing there watching the hug fest with two gift bags in her hand.

"ELLA!"

Fitz stepped back before he was trampled and watched his three kids, his three nieces, and Ella all huddle up with arms around each other like a football team before a game. It warmed his heart that the seven of them always picked right up where they left off from the last time they saw each other. They all giddily chatted with each other in rapid fire words about any and everything. Their way of catching up. The adults watched with grins and wild fascination.

Olivia interrupted to give Ella a hug and asked, "Where are your fathers? I was hoping to see them today."

"They are on a cruise for their anniversary. It's so romantic. They won't be back until Sunday night. I'm sure you'll hear from them soon because they are going to want to do dinner and show off their pictures." Ella giggled.

"You know them so well. You can stay with us until they come home if you want? We have plenty of room. And if you need some girl time, you can go to Anna's house, which is where Kate spends most of her time these days."

"Thanks, aunt Olivia. I think I'll take you up on that. It gets boring being by myself all the time."

"Where's my hug Ella Bella?" Fitz asked with his arms open wide.

"She's not two anymore, Fitz. She probably doesn't want to be called that?" Olivia said.

Ella grinned at both of them. "Nah, it's really okay with me. He's the only one who ever gave me a nickname and I kinda like it."

Fitz stuck his tongue out at his wife and Ella laughed at them. "You don't have a boyfriend do ya? I don't think my heart could take it if all of you got married."

"No boyfriend. That doesn't mean I'm not looking though." She answered with a grin.

"Yea, you need to hang out with Kate for the next ten days. The two of you have a lot in common, girly." Olivia informed her.

After the kids had all given each other individual hugs and began to separate to talk to the adults inside, Thad and Robin made their way into the house with their own gifts in hand. "ROBIN!" Olivia shrieked, mimicking the kids.

Robin laughed loudly, passing the gifts to her husband and met Olivia halfway in a hug. "Why do you always look like you're never going to age past twenty five? It's kinda rude to the rest of us, Liv."

"Why do you insist on having the perfect figure for the rest of your life? It makes all of us want to force feed you sweets to see a glimpse of fat on you." Olivia chuckled.

"Our husbands are lucky men, aren't they?" Robin replied, still smiling. They turned to watch the adult brothers smack each other around and laugh as their father ordered them to stop.

"They really are. How have you been? It's amazing to me that we live in the same city but rarely see each other." Olivia lamented.

"We have a wedding to plan for next year." Robin said.

Olivia rolled her eyes. "I heard Fitz talking to Elizabeth and giving Robert the 'taking care of my girl' speech. When did she get old enough to get married?"

"I know, right? He's a really nice guy though. He had to endure much, much worse from Thad, I'm afraid. As much as I'm not ready for any of my girls to get married, he is in absolute denial over the whole thing." Robin admitted. The two of them went into the living room to talk some more while their husbands and children entertained each other. It was just like old times.

Fitz went to this brother and poked him in the gut. "Hey, fatty. How's it going? I hear you're getting a son soon?"

"Shut the hell up, Fitz! I don't want to talk about it."

"Don't be such a baby. He seems like a nice guy." Fitz glanced back over at the kids. "Is he? Cause if he's not, we can make him disappear in the middle of the night?"

Thad got a gleam in his eye at his brother's words, but then his whole face fell, and he sighed loudly. "Nah. He's a good kid. I just don't want say goodbye to any of my girls."

"Are they moving to Guam or something?" Fitz chuckled.

"You know what I mean, smartass." Why did his brother have to be so damned annoying?

"I get that you don't want her to move out of the house, but she went to college, Thad. You've survived four years of college without her. And they'll come home to visit all the time as long as you don't act like a total jerk to the kid and make him feel unwelcomed."

"How would you like it if Kate told you she was getting married?"

Fitz paled for a moment, and then he remembered how his daughter was with the opposite sex. "Kate isn't getting married for a very, very long time. She's just like her mother. She's going to get her career started before she gives anyone the serious time of day."

"What about Lincoln and Anna? They've been dating forever. You gotta know the two of them are gonna get married sooner or later? They are inseparable." Thad pointed out.

"I'll give you that one. If they aren't married within the next two years, I'll be amazed. But, I'm fine with that. Anna is amazing, and she's been a part of this family since she was born." Fitz said calmly. "And before you even begin with Carter, that boy has his eye on running my bakery. Even if that means pushing my cold dead body out of the way." he chuckled.

"Really? You're going to have one of those and son businesses?"

"Something like that. I've got a plan in mind. Something I've been working on for a while now."

"Tell me all about it. It'll take my mind off the shit Elizabeth's putting me through."

"Jesus. You're such an old woman." Fitz teased.

"MOM!" Thad cheerfully called out. "Fitz just said you're an old woman."

"Fitzgerald Grant!" Emma called out from the living room. "Come here to me now!"

Thad grinned evilly at his brother. "Mom wants you."

"You can't be at a family function without starting shit, can you?" Fitz asked grinning back. In a louder voice, Fitz said, "Hey, dad? Remember that trip we all went on to Disney?"

Thad's eyes went wide and he started furiously shaking his head no.

"Thad was the one who stole your rental keys and was screwing around with the car alarm when it was dark outside."

"Thaddaeus Grant? Where in the hell are you? I owe you an ass beating!" Thomas roared.

"Bye, dipshit." Fitz said with a smile and went to speak to his mother.

"Huck? Come meet the girls." Lincoln said. Huck shuffled shyly into the kitchen and stood amidst the large group. "Huck, this is Elizabeth, Megan, Sophie, and Ella. Ladies, this is Huck. He's my roommate at college."

They all greeted him warmly, some with hugs, some with handshakes, and the eight of them got to know Huck a little better over the next several minutes. He smiled a few times during the highly animated conversation and felt very much at ease with Lincoln's family. "After this party ends, let's all go do something fun together." Megan suggested. "Maybe late night paintball?"

"I could be into that." Huck answered bravely.

"I wanna go too." Anna said as her parents stepped around her and went inside to chat with the adults.

Lincoln broke into the biggest grin any of them had ever seen on his face as he turned his head around and went to catch Anna as she launched herself into his arms. "Snickerdoodle!" He was happy to be with his girl again, and began kissing her, not caring who saw it.

Two heads whipped in their direction and demanded in unison, "What did you just call her?"

Lincoln set Anna on her feet as the two of them eyed each other in confusion before turning their heads towards the adults who had asked the question. "Uhhh, snickerdoodle. Why?"

Abby laughed, popped a mini carrot into her mouth, and said, "This is gonna be good."

"What's wrong with Snickerdoodle?" Lincoln asked. "Carter told me a while back that he had come up with a new recipe for snickerdoodle cupcakes with ginger in them. It just made sense because of Anna's red hair. And it's a super cute nickname."

"Nothing is wrong with it, son." Fitz replied with a lopsided smile. "There's a real good reason why you like the nickname though."

"You're right, Lincoln. It is a super cute nickname. That must be why I used to call you snickerdoodle when you were still in my belly." Olivia said grinning.

"Ohmygod. That is so cute, Link. That was your nickname before you were born." Anna laid her head on his shoulder.

"I don't know if I should be weirded out by that news or proud because I remembered it from so long ago?" Lincoln replied.

Olivia shook her head back and forth. "You are your father's son. He wanted a mini Fitz and boy did he get one." She flicked her eyes at Carter and muttered, "Two really."

"Whad I do?" Carter asked.

"I need wine. Abby!"

"I'm on it." The redhead called with a chuckle. Looking at Lincoln she added, "You know...Snickerdoodle cupcakes were the first thing I bought at The Sweet Spot. I was doing recon on your father for your mother."

"No, she wasn't." Olivia said. "She was stalking my future husband."

"I beg your pardon?" Stephen said.

Fitz chuckled. "She'll tell you all about it when she's older."

"No, she won't. And she won't tell you about the conversation that she, Yvonne, and I had at work that afternoon either. No way. No how." Olivia said firmly.

"I kinda want to hear about that right now." Fitz said.

"Me too." said Stephen.

"If they get to hear it, then so do I." Lincoln chimed in.

"Nobody is hearing anything. Go play." Olivia said, causing laughter from the room.

The party was a huge success. Carter and Kate were loaded down with gifts and cash from their family and friends. All nine kids helped clean up until Olivia turned to them and said, "Thank you for all your help but I know you want to get out of here and go do something together without adult supervision. Go." She made shooing motions with her hands.

"I'm sure you'll be out really late, which is fine. You are all welcome to come back here and crash instead of trying to make it back home. Carter and I will make breakfast in the morning. Right, son?" Fitz said.

"You're on your own, dad." Carter replied. "But I want pancakes."

"Oooooh, pancakes!" Sophie said.

"Fine. I'll make pancakes in the morning. Be careful and have fun. Now get the hell out of here so I can be alone with my woman." He joked.

"He's not even kidding." Kate informed the group.

The large group of kids piled into different cars and went to get ice cream in the city. They had a great time catching up with each other's lives without the distraction of parents. Megan suggested the paintball place that was nearby, and everyone agreed. It sounded like the perfect place to blow off some steam and have fun at the same time.

When it was time to drive to the paintball place from the ice cream parlor, Huck went to Megan's car. "Is it okay if I ride with you?"

"Yea. Of course! Get in. We'll work on our strategy to take them all down one by one." She suggested. She had a feeling he liked her, which was good because she could see herself being into him too.

"Perfect." Huck breathed. He liked Megan. She seemed like she would be a fun girl to hang out with and might be into the same kind of extreme sports he liked but didn't want to seem obvious about it. "But then I'm going to have to take you out of the game, because there can only be one winner in paintball." He couldn't wait to hear her reply. It would tell him a lot about her.

"You wish! After everyone else has been eliminated, I'm going to light you up so fast you'll wonder where I had been hiding. Consider yourself warned." Megan said confidently, as she pulled out of the parking lot.

Huck's heart beat a little faster at her words and his smile grew wider. They'd see who was the last one standing soon enough.

Only 1 chapter left in this story, but I am going to write an epilogue after that...