Today is update Monday, so here is a new chapter. Do not own Scandal or its characters. Please excuse any typos. Happy Readying, and as always reviews are greatly encouraged.
Later that same day at the White House . . .
Olivia got a few hours of sleep before returning to the White House for Fitz's big 50th birthday Party. The White House Chef made every effort to impress and prepared an amazing Mediterranean dinner. The group was not huge composed of Fitz, Gerry, Karen, Lily, Olivia, Savi, and Tom.
Cyrus, James and Ella were invited as well. A hour before the party, however, Cyrus got a mysterious illness and being a good husband, James decided to stay home to nurse his husband. They allowed Ella to call Fitz and wish him happy birthday. Neither Olivia nor Fitz were surprised Cyrus decided not to come, given his recent demotion; he probably would not have been in the best of moods.
The group spent almost two hours just talking and enjoying each other companies.
The kitchen staff began to clear the table of empty plates as Tom stood up and began to speak. "Sir . . . "
Fitz smiled and shook his head. "You can call me Fitz when you are not on duty . . . you are technically my brother-in-law you know."
Tom nodded his head. "I have really enjoyed dinner . . . but me and my wife must depart."
Savi looked confused. "Depart . . . where are we going . . . I still have at least 12 more age digs for Fitz."
Tom smiled slightly and shook his head. "We must depart because I want to take my wife on a date . . . I don't get much time off, but the time I get off I want to spent it showing you how much I adore and appreciate you." Tom was not a man of many words, nor was he a huge romantic person but having Savi in his life created a softer side to him.
Savi blushed slightly.
Fitz chuckled loving the sight of his sister so happy and loved. "I will be 50 for a year . . . so you have time to say your age digs . . . go be all mushy with your husband Savi." He teased her.
Savi punched Fitz in the arm hard.
Fitz rubbed his arm. "Hey that hurt . . . Tom did you see she just assaulted a sitting president."
Tom smirked. "I saw nothing Si . . . Fitz."
Savi stood to her feet and grabbed her purse. "See wife trumps president for once." She stuck her tongue out at him. Despite both Fitz and Savi being well into adulthood, they still could be childish when it came to their sibling relationship.
Lily went into a giggling fit at watching the interaction between Fitz and Savi. "Daddy . . . you and Auntie Savi are like an old old version of Gerry and Karen."
Fitz pretended to frown but could not help but smile at Lily. "Hey not you too butterfly with the age jokes."
Gerry laughed and shook his head. "Me and Karen are so not like Dad and Aunt Savi . . . I would never let Karen get a sneak attack like that off on me . . . I would have blocked it or grabbed her fist before contact."
Karen who was sitting to the left of Gerry, smirked and skillfully punched Gerry in his arm. "So you would have blocked a punch like that."
Gerry rubbed his arm trying to pretend that punch did not hurt. "Hey no fair . . . I was not paying attention . . . you caught me off guard."
Karen laughed. "That's the point . . . that is why it's called a sneak attack . . . duh."
Lily giggled and turned to Olivia. "Mommy . . . I want a brother so I can do sneak attacks on him."
Olivia smiled. "but you already have a brother . . . Gerry is your brother."
Lily shook her head. "No, he is too tall . . . I want a little brother . . . easier to do a sneak attack."
Savi smirked. "You heard her Fitz . . . Lily wants a brother . . . I guess when you eventually marry again you will give her one." She winks at him.
Tom took this as his cue to pull his wife away. "Let go Savi . . . I have our date all planned out."
Fitz looked slightly confused at Savi's comment but he laughed it off and shook his head.
Tom and Savi left the dining room as the White House chef came into the room. "Sir I have set up your cake and other baked goods in the living room as you requested."
Fitz nodded. "Thank you Anika . . . I am sure everything will be great."
Olivia decided to pull Fitz away briefly to tell him that Savi knows. "Uhm guys you grab your gifts and get settled in the living room . . . Fitz will you come with me to grab another red wine . . . the good stuff is on the top shelf . . . I cannot reach it."
Fitz laughed. "You always want the bottles at the highest height."
Olivia chuckled. "of course . . . if I am going to drink wine . . . it's going to be a nice aged European brand . . . I only drink the best . . . it's your fault, insisting to put the good wine so high up."
Fitz smirked. "Yeah . . . I do that so I can help you . . . it's rare the great amazing Olivia Pope needs little ole me."
Olivia rolled her eyes as she leaves the table and Fitz followed her to the wine cellar.
It was not lost on Gerry and Karen that Fitz and Olivia were flirting with each other in that exchange.
Lily happily swung her arms. "Come on you guys we have to get ready for the gift giving part of the party!." She says in a high pitch squeal as she ran off to the residence to retrieve her gift.
Meanwhile in the White House wine cellar . . .
Fitz walked over and retrieved the exact wine Olivia wanted without her saying a word. "Here you go my lady for your drinking pleasure."
Olivia laughed and shook her head. "How did you know I wanted that one?"
Fitz smirked. "Oh I can put this Bordeaux back if you want something else."
Olivia smirk shook his head. "No I want the Bordeaux." She swiftly took the bottle of wine out of Fitz's hands. "I just wanted to know how did you know that's what I wanted?"
Fitz smirked as he leaned in and brushed his lips against Olivia's before pulling away. "I know because I know you."
Olivia placed her head her against his chest feeling her knees give a little. "You are not allowed to do that."
Fitz smiled as he wrapped his arms around Olivia. He loved how unguarded Olivia could be around him, that sometimes her harden armor is not on. "I also know you didn't ask me to come to the cellar just to retrieve wine . . . you can have used one of the many very tall secret agents here to do that . . . so why did you need to get me alone Ms. Pope . . . quickie in the cellar." He slid his hands down to her hips.
Olivia laughed. "No . . . I did not want to get you alone for a quickie . . . our kids are waiting for us in the living room . . . get your mind off naughty things Mr. President . . . I need to tell you something."
Fitz smiled loving the fact that Olivia says 'our children' without hesitation. He released her hips and took a step away from her. "holding you is making little Fitz down there misbehave and you requested I get my mind off naughty things . . . so what do you need to tell me Livvie."
Olivia smirked happy he released her because her body would have betrayed her and gave him a quickie in this cellar without a hesitation. "I need to tell you that Savi knows about us . . . she kind of caught me leaving the residence earlier."
Fitz began to laugh. "Ok so that explains her comments about giving Lily a brother . . . I guess I am going to have to deal with many comments like that now that the cat is out of the bag with her."
Olivia nodded. "Yeah but she has promise she will not say anything to anyone about us." She chuckled. "she wants to give you the opportunity to shout it from the rooftops that we are together when the time is right."
Fitz smiled. "See that is why she is my favorite sister."
Olivia shook her head. "She is your only sister . . . let's get back to the kids . . . you have some pretty great birthday gifts coming to you."
Meanwhile in the White House living room . . .
Lily immediately ran to Fitz excited. "Daddy . . . Daddy, are you excited about your gifts."
Fitz happily lifted Lily up and kissed her forehead. "I already have the greatest gifts of all Butterfly . . . that is you, Gerry, and Karen."
Lily pouted slightly. "So does that mean you don't want your birthday gifts?"
Fitz smiled. "of course I still want my birthday gifts my sweet girl."
Lily clapped her hands. "Yay!"
Fitz sat on his reclining chair.
Lily happily remained on his lap, figuring either Gerry or Karen would be going first.
Olivia took a seat on the couch and shook her head looking over at Fitz and Lily. While Lily favored her, she was very much a daddy's girl.
Gerry smirked, "Ladies first" He muttered wanting to out shine whatever gift Karen had bought for their father. The older Grant children have been competing for best birthday gift for the last few years with each other.
Karen shrugged; "No I insist you go first, age before beauty." She stuck out her tongue at her brother.
Lily just laughed at her older siblings acting like children her age.
Gerry and Karen stared each other down neither wanting to budge or conceded to the other.
Fitz shook his head at his oldest children, "You two do this every year . . . Gerry you go first and then Karen."
Gerry frowned, "You take her side every year and allow her to go second."
Fitz laughed, "Yeah . . . so you shouldn't be surprised when I make you go first."
Gerry sighed as he goes into the other room and pull out brand new state-of-the-art golf clubs, "I remember the last time we went golfing, several of your golf clubs were scratched up from wear and tear . . . I figure it was time for some new clubs . . . I also bought us a coupon to golf at that Virginia country club you like."
Fitz smiled 'Thank you . . . I look forward to crushing you on the green."
Karen retrieved her gift from her room and came back with the fishing rod Fitz was obsessed with in a magazine a couple weeks ago. "I remember you talking about how this rod had everything and it was the best . . . today is your 50th birthday, so I thought it was only fitting the best dad should have the best rod . . . when we go to California for the summer, I figured me, you, and Lily can have a daddy and daughters day out on the lake."
Fitz smiled "I would love that Karbear." He loved that his older children bought him nice gifts, but he loved even more they wanted to spend time with him.
Lily bit her lip barely able to contain her excitement as she waited her turn. "Is it my turn now?"
Fitz smiled "yes butterfly it's your turn."
She climbed off his lap and stood in the center of the living room. "I wanted to buy you a yacht so me and you can sail around the world but mommy wouldn't let me use her credit card . . . so I made you something instead."
Olivia chuckled. "Yeah . . . you can buy your daddy a yet when you have your own credit card my love." Olivia tried her hardest to ensure Lily had as normal childhood as possible and that she did not get consumed by have a lot of material things.
Lily retrieved a DVD from the backpack she often carried. She slid the DVD into the DVD player and grabbed the remote to press play. Lily ran and sat back on Fitz's lap.
Lily appeared on the television. "Hi Daddy . . . today is your 50th birthday . . . that's a really big number . . . that is half of 100 . . . I wanted to get you something really nice . . . I thought really hard and remember my favorite thing about my birthday is people saying Happy Birthday to me . . . it makes me smile and feel warm inside . . . So day for your birthday I am giving you 50 happy birthdays." In the video, she holds up one finger and muttered loudly "one Happy Birthday."
The video flashes to Fitz's family members, friends from throughout his life, White House Staff members, and members of Congress. In between, each person said Happy Birthday, Lily would slid in counting up after each Happy Birthday.
Fitz could not help but smiled recognizing the work Lily put in to make this video with the help of Olivia of course. He wrapped his arms around his youngest.
The video went black after the 49th person said Happy Birthday and then clicked back in to an old home video of a birthday party from Fitz childhood. He did not have many birthday parties that were not political publicity stunt for Big Gerry re-election bids. There was one birthday, however, his 7th birthday, that Amelia Grant, Fitz's mother, tried to make it a real kid birthday with cake, balloons, and kids his own age. Big Gerry was off probably having an affair with yet another woman, and forgot all about Fitz's birthday because it did not fall during a re-election cycle.
Amelia decided to take this opportunity in Big Gerry absences to give Fitz a real birthday party for once. However, things did not go as planned, as result of a nearby brush fire, which made it difficult for people to reach the street of their house. The only people to attend the party were Fitz, his mother, and his maternal grandparents. Nonetheless, Fitz still had an amazing time and remembered that birthday as one of his favorites, because he was free to be kid with no expectations or restrains.
Fitz was bought out of his memory when he heard his mother's voice on the video. "Happy Birthday to You . . . Happy Birthday to you . . . Happy Birthday my Fitzy . . . Happy Birthday to you . . . blow out the candles my love." She blew him a kiss in the video.
The video flashed back to Lily. "50 Happy Birthdays for your 50th birthday . . . everyone love you daddy . . . but I love you the most." She blows him a kiss on the video.
Fitz had many different emotions going on in his body. He never realized how much Lily favored his mother until that moment. Lily shared Amelia's striking blue eyes, but also her feisty spirit and huge heart. "Butterfly that was one of the best gifts I have ever received." He hugged her tightly as she giggled.
Lily smirked. "I guess I won the best gift competition." She clapped her hands.
Fitz laughed as he waved his arms telling his oldest children to come over. "Grant Hug." The four of them hug. Fitz smirked. "Come on Olivia . . . you are a honorary Grant." Fitz thought to himself, until the day I make you an official one.
Olivia shook her head as she joined in on the group hug.
Fitz closed his eyes for a moment, wanting to freeze this moment and keep it forever . . . him having all his loves in his arms. He was a man that had many material things, but what meant the most to him was the four people currently in his arms.
AN: I hope this was enough Lily, I know some reader want more of her. I try to weave her in as much as possible but at times I find difficult to insert a 4 year old in adult centric chapters.
Recaps:
- Battle of the brother/sister relationship and sneak attacks.
- Lily wants a brother and Savi suggest Fitz give her one.
- Olivia reveal to Fitz, Savi knows they are together.
- Gerry and Karen gives Fitz expensive gifts but he appreciate their desire to spend time with him more.
- Lily makes Fitz a very special video that Amelia Grant makes an appearance in.
- Sweet Family Group Hug
Preview: Mama Pope's wedding and Fitz is put in the dog house
As always review, I really like hearing everyone's thoughts! LM1.
