A/N: Hi! So this is a part 2 of Mr. Mom, the one shot from the previous chapter. It's pure fluffy domestic!Olitz goodness. Is there anything better? And there's a special new addition that I hope everyone loves as much as I did.

A/N (2): My stories are on the most temporary of hiatuses while I'm on this one shot kick. They have by no means been abandoned and everything will be updated when I get these stray plots written.

Olivia stood before the mirror in her bedroom, brushing her hair back into a loose topknot, while Zora sat on the floor, looking up at her. "Mama, your boobies are big!"

"That's because they're full of milk," Olivia replied, glancing down at the bouncing chair where six-month-old John Fitzgerald Kennedy Grant made spit bubbles as he kicked his tiny socked feet, making the chair bounce.

Her pregnancy had been a surprise to say the least. She was a few months' shy of her 41st birthday, and Fitz had just turned 58. Alice was 2 and they were sure they were done with babies when the doctor called with news from Olivia's annual physical. Olivia was a little taken aback, having assumed her missed periods were a sign of menopause. Thirty-nine weeks later, John Fitzgerald Kennedy Grant entered the world while Alice and Teddy slept on a couch in the adjoining room and Zora entertained the nurses.

"Are my boobies full of milk?" The five-year-old pulled at the collar of her blue polka-dotted A-line t-shirt dress to peer at her chest.

Olivia laughed. "You don't have boobies yet, Zo."

"Why not?"

"You're not old enough yet."

"But Karen has boobies." At some point over Karen's visit with them during the summer, Zora had convinced herself that she and her sister were the same age. Karen buying them matching Kate Spade cross body purses and red lipstick hadn't helped.

"Karen is old enough."

"Will I get boobies before Alice?"

"Yes."

Satisfied, Zora righted her dress then began rocking her brother gently. "Mama are you gonna have more babies?"

"No. JFK is our last baby. Mama and Daddy are getting a little too old for babies."

"Hannah's mama had two babies at the same time. Can you do that?"

"No ma'am." Olivia laughed. Alice toddled into the room, naked from the waist down. Olivia smiled at her quickly-growing baby. "Did you go potty, Allie?"

Alice nodded. "I pooped, Mama."

"Good job, but you need some bottoms. Where's your daddy?"

"Daddy make lunch," Alice replied as she walked over to the bouncy chair to peer at her baby brother. "I hold baby?"

"Let's get you dressed first," Olivia suggested. She walked over to the chair and gently lifted the baby out, cooing at his happy face, then picked Alice up as well. "Come on, Zo. It's almost time to leave."

In the hallway, Teddy stood at the top of the stairs. "Dad can I have two go-gurts?"

"Everybody gets one," Olivia and Fitz answered simultaneously.

Teddy turned to look at his stepmother. "Can I have money for the vending machine?"

"If you help your sister get her backpack together, you can both have two dollars," Olivia replied.

Teddy grinned and took Zora's hand. "Come on, Zo. It's almost time to leave."

"And put on your boots, Zo," Olivia called as they went down the hall to Zora's room.

Alice looked up at her mother as they entered her yellow butterfly-decorated room. "Where go, Mama?"

"Teddy and Zora have to go to school, and we're going to the grocery store."

She helped Alice into a pull-up then went to her closet to pick out an outfit for the chilly fall day. The previous day's snow had melted, but they were expecting another covering that afternoon. Alice plopped onto the floor. "I hold baby?"

Olivia knelt and set JFK between Alice's legs and the toddler wrapped her arms around him. "Stay just like that, okay?"

"Okay." Alice smiled at her baby brother, smoothing his thick dark hair. "Baby pretty, Mama."

"Yes he is." Olivia had worried about how Alice would adapt to not being the baby anymore, remembering Zora's reluctance to accept a new baby, but Alice seemed to find the infant fascinating. "Do you remember who's coming today?"

Alice grinned. "Gerry and Karen!"

"That's right. And what are we doing this week?"

"Thanksgiving!" Alice wasn't sure what Thanksgiving was, only that Teddy and Zora had helped her make hand turkeys for their visiting siblings.

Olivia dressed her in fleece-lined leggings and a gray cable-knit sweatshirt then took her to the baby's red and white nursery. JFK kicked his feet as Olivia lay him on the changing table. "Somebody needs a new diaper."

"I go Daddy, Mama," Alice announced as she stood.

"Okay. Go down the stairs on your bottom."

"Okay." Alice left the room and walked down the hallway to the stairs. She sat down at the top of the stairs then gently went down them one by one, smiling at Teddy and Zora when she reached the bottom. She followed them into the kitchen where Fitz was putting turkey and kale sandwiches in the children's lunchboxes. Alice hurried to her father to be picked up. "Hi Daddy!"

"There's my sunshine!" Fitz scooped her up and kissed her chubby cheeks. "Where's your mama?"

"Upstairs," Alice replied, reaching for the silver patch of hair at her father's temple.

"What's for breakfast Daddy?" Zora asked as she climbed into her chair beside Teddy.

"Waffles." He set plates before them then looked at Alice. "Do you want a waffle too?"

Alice nodded and Fitz set her in her highchair then set a waffle before her. He cut it into chunks then gave her the fork. "Now who wants milk?"

"Can we have strawberry, Daddy?" Teddy asked as Fitz went to the stainless steel refrigerator that for all the housekeeper's cleaning remained covered in tiny handprints.

Fitz pulled out the carton of strawberry almond milk then poured cups for everyone.

"When is Karen coming?" Zora asked, eager to be reunited with her favorite sibling.

"Karen and Gerry will be here when you get out of school, Zo."

Fitz sipped his coffee, smiling as Olivia entered the kitchen, the baby on her hip. "There she is."

"Here I am." Olivia grinned as she approached her husband who immediately took her in his arms. "Hi."

"Hi." He kissed her lips, lingering just long enough for Zora and Teddy to laugh then pulled away. He smiled as he took JFK and held him over his head. "And here's my boy."

"Don't shake him up. He's full," Olivia advised. She turned to the children. "Are your backpacks ready?"

Zora and Teddy nodded as they ate. Zora put down her fork. "Yesterday, Mrs. Lebowitz put me in time out."

"Why?" Olivia asked.

"I was coloring and Aaron kept taking my crayons so I punched him in the nose."

"That son of a bitch!" Teddy exclaimed.

"Teddy!" Fitz and Olivia looked at their son in shock.

"That's what mom calls people."

"Well your mom is a grownup. You can't say that," Fitz admonished.

"When did you talk to your mom, Teddy?" Olivia asked.

"Last night. I invited her to Thanksgiving dinner."

Fitz blinked hard to keep his expression neutral. "You did? Why…why'd you do that, bud?"

"Cause Gerry and Karen will be here with us so Mom would be all alone. I told her she could come to dinner so she wouldn't be by herself."

Olivia smiled and nudged Fitz. "That was very sweet of you, Teddy. Wasn't it, Fitz?"

"Yeah. Uh, good job bud." He gave his best smile. "Okay everybody needs to wash their hands then go get their backpacks."

Teddy and Zora left the kitchen, headed for the half-bathroom off the living room. Fitz frowned at his wife. "How pissed would you be if I burned the house down?"

"It won't be that bad." Fitz gave her a look. "Well, it might be, but we've done this before. Remember that time at Camp David when she tagged along on our dinner date?"

"I remember getting my ass chewed out for it," Fitz replied with a smile.

Olivia laughed. "Well what's the worst that could happen?"

"She could steal JFK's soul to preserve her youth, or turn Alice's heart into ice, or feed Zo poisoned apples."

Olivia laughed again. "You've gotta stop watching movies with the kids. It's warping your mind."

"You've gotta admit she's a consummate Disney villain. The big hair, the overdone makeup, the laugh that could take paint off the walls. I could go on but I think I've proved my point."

"It's just one dinner."

"No it isn't. Karen and Gerry are staying until Sunday, which means we have to extend the same invitation or it'll look like we're trying to hog the kids. Plus, it's a holiday so she'll have to take the earliest flight available which means she could be here by dinner." Fitz looked stricken. "Oh my god what if she's here by dinner?"

"Then we'll have dinner like we always do." Olivia smirked at her husband. "You know, I don't remember you ever freaking out about Mellie like this when you were married to her."

"That's because I had been with her for every day twenty years. I was numb. Now that I've tasted freedom, I can't go back." He raised his eyebrows at her. "And I don't remember you being so pro-Mellie."

Olivia shrugged. "She's a cartoon villain. She'd like to believe she's some evil mastermind but she's a mild inconvenience at best. Plus, she's really mellowed out. You're not the only one who got your freedom, you know."

Fitz blinked. "Are you friends with Mellie now?"

Olivia shook her head. "No. We talk on the phone occasionally but it's almost always about the kids, or a quick consult. I'm still Olivia Pope after all."

"How did I not know this?"

"Because it rarely happens. I've talked to her twice in the past month, once because Teddy had a rash and the other time was to vet some girl angling to be her assistant."

"So it's your soul she's after," Fitz replied.

Olivia laughed then kissed him. "You are ridiculous. Have a good day."

Fitz smiled and kissed JFK's forehead. "Be a good boy, okay?"

He handed the baby over then went to pick up Alice. "Who loves you?"

"You do!"

"And who loves me?"

"I do!"

He kissed her then carried her into the living room where Teddy and Zora stood by the front door getting into their coats. He knelt and fastened Zora's pink pleated pea coat. "No more punching, okay?"

"I'll try."

"That's all I ask. Now where's my kiss?" Zora gave him a hug and kiss then he moved on to Teddy. "Good day?"

"Good day." They bumped fists and Fitz put on his coat then left the house.

Olivia looked over her bundled-up children. "Everybody got hats and gloves?"

The children put on their hats and gloves and Teddy held JFK while Olivia donned her own coat. She took her keys and phone from the bowl on the table beside the door. "Last check for homework, backpacks, and lunches."

"Got mine," Teddy answered as he pulled on his Ninja Turtles backpack.

"Got mine," Zora echoed, pulling on her Princess and the Frog backpack.

Olivia picked up JFK and Alice's shared black diaper bag then herded the children out the door onto the shoveled walkway. She got them all into the car then headed for Teddy and Zora's school.

"Teddy did your mom say when she would be here?" she asked.

Teddy looked up from his book. "Today."

"Of course," Olivia mumbled to herself.

xXx

Olivia snapped awake at the sound of the doorbell. She peeled her face off the couch's leather, sitting up gently when she realized JFK was asleep on her chest, then looked around for Alice. Thankfully, the two-year-old was seated before the television singing along to Dora the Explorer.

She got up, cradling the baby, and went to the door, smiling when she found Gerry and Karen on the other side. "Hi!"

"Hey Liv!" Karen replied with a smile. "Guess who we found on our flight?"

"Your mom," Olivia answered, her smile twitching.

Gerry smirked. "You can only imagine my surprise."

"You should have seen your dad's," Olivia replied as she stepped back to let them all in. Mellie smiled in her uncomfortable way as she followed her children. Two agents held up the rear, carrying their luggage.

"Where is everybody?" Karen asked.

"Your dad is at the office; Teddy and Zora are in school; and Alice is in the living room. It's Dora time so excuse her if she doesn't notice you." Olivia followed them into the living room, cooing at JFK as he blinked awake.

Gerry picked his youngest sister up and smiled at her. "Hi. Do you know who I am?"

"Gerry," the toddler replied, pronouncing his name "Ge-wy."

"That's right. You've gotten so big since the last time I saw you." He tickled her plump stomach. He hadn't seen Zora or Alice since they were infants. He'd managed to be present for their births and first birthdays but not much more.

She pointed to the screen. "I watch Dora."

Mellie smiled as Gerry sat down before the television, and Alice began a spirited introduction to Dora, turned her eyes to the baby. She stepped tentatively closer and Olivia held him out.

"He won't bite. Couldn't if he tried." She smiled.

Mellie took him, holding him at arm's length. "It's been forever since I held one of these."

The baby drooled as he smiled his toothless grin, staring at Mellie with Fitz's eyes. Mellie gave a crooked grin. "Hello."

The baby began to babble, kicking his feet, and Mellie shyly held him closer, cradling his soft body. She buried her nose in his whiskey curls and breathed deeply. "Oh he's got that smell. Isn't that baby smell the best?"

Olivia nodded, watching as Karen walked over to take him. He immediately latched onto her gray sweater and Karen laughed. "You're barking up the wrong tree, John."

Gerry looked up at Olivia. "Do you guys actually call him John? Cause that's a pretty grown up name for someone who's just learning to hold up their own head."

Olivia shook her head as she sat on the couch. "We call him JFK. John is a little mature."

"Who picked his name?" Mellie asked.

"Fitz. I named Zora and Alice so we figured it was his turn."

Mellie laughed. "You took a gamble, I'll tell you that. He wanted to name Karen Francis. His big selling point was that we could call her Frannie."

Karen wrinkled her nose. "Francis? Ew."

"When I told him I wanted to name Zora after a writer, his first response was Sylvia. I love The Bell Jar as much as the next girl, but that's quite the legacy to put on a baby," Olivia replied, smiling as JFK continued to gum on his sister's collarbone. She looked up at the sound of the front door opening. Fitz's voice came a moment later. "We're home!"

"Daddy!" Alice jumped off her brother and ran to meet Fitz.

Zora's wooden heeled boots echoed off the foyer's hardwood floor as she ran to the living room. "Mama, Daddy said we can have fried chicken for dinner!"

"Okay Zo. Look who's here." Olivia found her introduction futile because Zora had already scrambled into Karen's lap.

"Today at school we learned a new word," she announced.

"What is it?" Karen asked.

"In—In—Indigemous," Zora answered.

"Indigenous," Karen corrected, pronouncing it slowly.

"Indigenous," Zora repeated. "Know what it means?"

Karen smiled and shook her head. Zora continued, "It means native. Native Americans are indigenous to America."

"Yes they are," Karen agreed.

"Mrs. Mendez said white people colonized America because of imperialistic greed and that Thanksgiving is a celebration of genocide," Teddy said as he entered the room, dropping his backpack beside the door.

Fitz laughed as he entered the room. "Back in my day we just made hand turkeys."

He smiled as he received hugs from his oldest children, running his hand over Karen's bleached blonde hair. "This is new."

"Just trying to see if blondes have more fun."

"You hated being blonde as a kid. You wanted dark hair like your mom."

Karen smiled, remembering her aversion to her blonde hair and her elation at it darkening until it inexplicably turned red. "That was a great two months until it ended up red."

Fitz smiled at his son as they stood eye to eye. "Private."

"Captain," Gerry replied as he embraced his father, Alice wrapped around his leg. He touched his father's graying temples. "I never thought I'd see that day you got old."

Fitz rubbed his son's cropped hair. "I never thought I'd see you become a man. You've come a long way from peeing in the pool, Ger."

Fitz finally turned his attention to Mellie, walking over and giving her shoulder a squeeze. "It's good to see you, Mel."

She gave a smile that he could almost believe was genuine. "You too, Fitz."

Fitz sat on the couch beside Olivia and wrapped his arm around her, pulling her close to kiss her temple. JFK lifted his head to grin toothlessly at his father. Olivia smiled as she handed him over. "Nothing to do now that he's seen you."

Fitz sat him up on his knee then looked at Olivia. "Have you been a good boy for mama?"

Olivia smiled. "He ate some mashed bananas, and sat in the bouncy swing."

"You sat in the bouncy swing? Sounds like you had a big day, huh?" Fitz grinned as the baby reached for his tie, tugging on it gently. He looked up at his wife. "We're having chicken for dinner."

"So I heard. Make sure you get some extra gravy."

He covered the baby's face in kisses then handed him over. "I'm gonna change then head out."

xXx

Zora tugged off her boots and socks to show Karen her newly painted toenails. "Look Karen!"

"Those are pretty!" Karen removed her own shoes to show her younger sister her sapphire toes. "Mine are blue."

Zora looked at Mellie with her usual friendly smile. "What color are your toes?"

Mellie removed her black pumps and held up her pale feet, showing the child her own crimson nails. Zora smiled as she turned to her mother. "Look Mama we match!"

JFK squirmed in his mother's arm, frowning as he fussed. Olivia held him to her chest, patting his back. "What's the matter precious?"

The baby continued to cry, clenching his tiny fat fists. Olivia frowned as she cradled him. "Gerry will you hand me the sling on the table?"

Gerry reached over Teddy's bowed head and took the gray baby sling off the table then passed it to his stepmother. Olivia put the sling on then settled JFK in it. She unbuttoned her gray blouse, unsnapped her nursing bra, then situated the baby so he could latch on. Mellie observed, "I never pegged you for a breastfeeder."

Olivia shrugged. "It's easier than constantly making bottles."

"Honestly I never thought the Olivia Pope would be such a happy homemaker."

Olivia shrugged again. "It's not so different that what I used to do at OPA. My gladiators are just shorter. And I still work, just over the phone."

"Don't you miss it? Being in the mix?"

"I help Fitz, and I still consult. I got to D.C. a few times a year. But—and this might sound cliché—being home with them is the best job in the world."

"Being home with the kids used to drive me up the wall. I think I'm missing the 'mom' gene."

"It's all about the routine. Fitz gets them up and fed, and I get them dressed and out the door. I park Alice in front of the TV, and JFK in the swing, then I get some work done. Then we have lunch and naps. Then Fitz gets home and all hell breaks loose. I make dinner while they destroy the playroom."

Zora turned to her sister. "Karen can we play supermodel?"

Karen smiled. "Let's play with Gerry this time."

"Okay!" Zora left the room and returned a few minutes later with a makeup case filled with Karen and Olivia's old cosmetics. She set it on the coffee table.

Alice peered into it, eventually pulling out a bag of old barrettes. She showed them to Gerry. "What this, Gerry?"

"Hair bows." He took a purple bow and clipped it in his hair. "See?"

Alice nodded. "Gerry pretty."

Mellie smiled. "She's got Karen's speech impediment."

"Karen's was that bad?" Alice couldn't pronounce the "r" sound to save her little life, instead replacing it with the "w" sound which seemed to roll off her tongue much easier.

Mellie nodded. "Yeah. Up until she was about 4, she sounded like Elmer Fudd. Everyone thought it was cute but I was horrified."

"Did she need speech therapy?" Olivia had been consulting with three separate speech therapists about the best course of action. They all agreed Alice was too young for any real therapy, telling Olivia it would pass with age. She wasn't sure she believed them as it showed no sign of weakening.

Mellie shook her head. "We took her to one and the only thing he said was not to correct it. I believe his exact words were 'Ignore it because it's nothing.' He said bringing it up would shame her and make it worse. By her 4th birthday, it just kind of faded."

"I hope Alice's does the same thing," Olivia replied.

Alice began clipping the bows in his hair while Zora dug through the case, finally producing two compacts and two brushes. With Karen's instructions, she contoured her brother's face.

"She's actually not bad," Mellie observed, watching Zora apply bronzer to the hollows of Gerry's cheeks.

"She and Karen did this all summer," Olivia replied. JFK had drifted off to sleep.

"She's a fast learner," Karen commented. "Alice is too, just a little heavy-handed."

True to form, Alice was smearing her brother's cheeks with bright red blush. "Pretty."

Mellie smiled. "She's really taken to Gerry."

"I think it's because he looks so much like Fitz," Olivia replied.

"Don't they all?"

"Oh don't get me started. We've spent a total of four years pregnant, given birth three times each, lost waistlines we'll never get back—"

"And youth," Mellie added.

"Just for them to all look like him."

Fitz was everywhere in the Grant children: Gerry was a carbon copy; Teddy, Zora, and JFK had his eyes; Karen and Alice had his ears; and they all had his unruly curls.

xXx

"What should we watch?" Fitz asked as everyone squeezed onto the sectional couch.

"Frozen!" Zora answered.

"Frozen!" Alice echoed, nodding her head.

Zora hopped off the couch to retrieve the DVD.

"Again?" Teddy groaned even as he helped his sister turn on the movie. "Last time, okay?"

"Okay," she agreed. Olivia smiled, knowing it wasn't.

The movie started and Alice climbed into Fitz's lap while Teddy sat on Karen, taking the bowl of popcorn off her lap. Olivia filled her wine glass then Mellie's, JFK situated between them.

"This movie is so stupid," Gerry said though he smiled as Alice pointed to the screen to tell him about the singing trolls.

"No it's not. It's about the power of love and the importance of courage," Olivia argued. Fitz gave her a questioning look and she shrugged. "What? I've seen it enough times to grasp the themes."

"Is this the prince?" Mellie asked, pointing at the blonde man onscreen.

"That's Kristoff," Zora answered. "He pretends his moose can talk."

"We had a guy do that with his socks on the ship. They all had to go ashore when the puppets had a disagreement."

Fitz laughed. "Puppets are a sensitive bunch."

They finished the movie then came time for baths and bedtime.

"Mom I'll bunk with Teddy and you can sleep in my room," Gerry offered.

"Thanks Ger," Mellie replied then headed upstairs. Gerry tossed Teddy over his shoulder then carried him upstairs behind his mother.

"Karen can sleep with me and Allie," Zora piped up.

"Ooh we're having a slumber party," Karen replied before taking their hands to lead them to Zora's room. At their request, Karen cpainted both Zora and Alice's face with charcoal masks then twisted their hair into conditioning mask-covered buns.

Fitz grinned at his wife. "You can bunk with me."

"Ooh we're having a slumber party," Olivia teased as they ascended the stairs.

"And you're gonna be a good sport and sleep through the night, right Tater?" Fitz had given JFK the nickname shortly after his birth, citing the nearly bald newborn's resemblance to a potato. JFK blew a spit bubble as a reply, laughing when it popped.

xXx

Fitz entered the room and Olivia could only smile at his soaked gray t-shirt. "Did you take a bath too?"

"He's learned to splash," Fitz replied as he peeled off his wet shirt. He balled up the shirt and wiped his wet chest then tossed it in the hamper. "And he had a whole bottle of formula so he should be out for the night."

"So today wasn't terrible," Olivia said as she brushed her hair. She wore a cream silk nightgown trimmed with black lace.

"Way better than I thought," Fitz replied as he walked over to the mirror to stand behind his wife. Surprisingly, dinner had gone without incident. He wrapped his arms around her soft midsection and rested his chin on the top of her head. "You know how we should celebrate?"

"We should eat the rest of the chicken and watch Spongebob."

They crept downstairs and Fitz heated up the leftovers while Olivia waited on the couch shrouded in a blanket. He returned a few minutes later with a cardboard bucket and sat beside her. Olivia shared the blanket with him and took a biscuit from the bucket.

"You know what I don't get. What Plankton's endgame was," Olivia mused. "You know he's always saying he's gonna steal the Krabby Patty formula and run Mr. Krabs out of business, but he never says how he plans to do it. He can't just start selling Krabby Patties—that's probably copyright infringement—and expect to beat a popular restaurant with their own product."

"Maybe he'll sell them at a lower price," Fitz argued. "Maybe he's got some ideas for improvement."

"Then wouldn't it make more sense to just make his own burger?"

"Well, people are already familiar with the Krabby Patty so maybe he's hoping to hit the ground running."

"But how good his plan be? I mean, he's trying to sell fish entrails to fish."

"But fish eat other fish."

"Not the fish who live in Bikini Bottom, apparently." She laughed. "Why are we like this?"

"Because we're parents." Fitz laughed.

"Remember when we used to discuss world issues and not cartoon villainy?"

Fitz pulled her closer. "Remember what used to happen when we had those discussions?"

Olivia laughed as he pulled her onto his lap. "It's been a long time since we had one of those sweaty weekends locked away in a hotel room, supposedly solving the problems of the world."

"So let's do it," Fitz whispered in his wife's ear, peeling back the lace of her nightgown.

"Right here?"

He laughed. "No. Let's go away for a weekend."

"Who's gonna watch the kids?"

"Abby?"

"She'll kill them."

"Quinn?"

"They'll kill her."

"Well if they both come, there's a good chance we'll have at least two kids and one godmother left. Not a bad bet."

"Can we really stay gone a whole weekend?"

Fitz thought for a moment. "Okay, one sweaty night in a hotel room. Just you, me, and some really good wine."

"Just like old times, I see," Olivia purred, running her fingers through his hair.

"We should have someone bug the room and really make it like old times."

Olivia laughed. "You're not getting me in front of a camera until I lose 10 more pounds, Mr. President."

"I think you're camera-ready right now."

Fitz had just slipped the nightgown's flimsy straps off her shoulders when JFK began crying above them. Olivia laughed as she slipped from beneath him. "I'll check on the baby while your brain regains control of your blood flow."

She headed upstairs and nearly collided with Mellie in the dark hallway. "Sorry if he woke you."

"I was up already looking for the bathroom."

"Oh it's right there." She pointed to a door at the opposite end of the hall facing Gerry's room.

"Can't imagine how I missed it. I don't have my contacts in though." Mellie turned and went to the bathroom while Olivia went into JFK's nursery.

She lifted the baby out of his crib and his cries quieted. "What's the matter?"

She sat in her rocking chair and rocked him gently, humming softly. The baby quieted almost instantly and she smiled at his light brown face. "I think you just wanted your mama."

xXx

Thursday – Thanksgiving

Fitz rolled out of bed at the sound of JFK crying. He tumbled to the nursery and lifted his half-asleep son out of the crib. "What's the matter with my sleepy boy?"

The baby babbled a series of sounds in reply and Fitz smiled. "You've just figured out how to get people to pick you up, haven't you?"

He took the baby to the rocking chair and sat down, breathing in Olivia's scent on the afghan draped over the back of the chair. He pulled the blanket down and draped it over his bare legs. He smiled when JFK grabbed the blanket and stuffed a bunch in his mouth. "That smells like Mama, doesn't it?"

The baby continued to chew on the blanket, his tiny feet kicking contently. A few minutes later, a trail of small Grants entered the room, each sleepily following the other. Teddy came first, dragging his old copy of Where the Wild Things Are. Zora trailed behind him, her pajama shirt buttoned incorrectly. Last was Alice, dragging Harry Elephante.

"Daddy will you finish this for me?" Teddy asked, holding out the book. Teddy climbed onto his lap and the other children followed suit, resulting in a shuffle to make room for everyone. Teddy ended up holding JFK one Fitz's right knee while Zora and Alice shared the left one. Fitz opened the book and squinted at the small print.

"You need your glasses, Daddy," Zora pointed out. She hopped off his knee and left the room, returning a moment later with Fitz's glasses. She clambered onto his knee, careful not to bend the wire frames, and put them on his face.

Fitz began reading, rocking the chair. Zora reclined against him, peering at the book intently and stopping him often to ask him what a word was, or what it meant. Alice laughed in delight, pointing out the wild things as "puppies."

Mellie stopped in the doorway at the sound of his voice and couldn't resist looking in on him. Shrouded in children, smiling as he read to them, Mellie didn't think she'd ever seen him so content. She smiled as she continued her walk to the kitchen where Olivia was pouring coffee for Gerry and Karen.

"Morning," she greeted, taking a seat at the island beside her children.

"Mom will you settle a bet for Gerry and me?" Karen asked. "Of the three of us, Gerry was the accident right? First kids always are, aren't they?"

"Um…" Mellie wasn't sure how to answer the inquiry as it would mean admitting the orchestrated circumstances surrounding Teddy's conception. "I wouldn't call any of you accidents."

"Come on! It has to be Teddy. You are dad were coming up on 50. There's no way you expected to get pregnant. Not to mention that dad was half out the door." Gerry nodded at Olivia who gave him a wide-eyed look. "What? Anybody with eyes could see that."

"Teddy wasn't an accident. He was a Hail Mary of sorts," Mellie replied, her face red. "Things were bad and we needed…something."

Gerry and Karen nodded. Karen asked, "So it was Gerry, right?"

"No. We planned on having Gerry. We wanted him born before your dad ran for governor, but he happened about halfway through the campaign. Unfortunately, you were the accident Karen. Well, surprise I should say."

"Me? How?" Karen stared at her mother.

"Your dad and I went on a cruise for our anniversary. I got nauseas just stepping on the deck so we had to stay in the cabin. Eventually you run out of stuff to do except…"

Gerry grinned at his sister. "I'd like my winnings in large bills, please."

"Oh shut up."

Olivia smiled at her stepdaughter. "Don't feel bad. JFK was an accident. We thought he was menopause."

"I can't believe Dad's almost 60 with an infant."

"I'm still in my prime," Fitz said as he entered the kitchen, laden with children. JFK sat on one hip and Alice on the other. Zora was wrapped around his left leg and Teddy held onto his blue pajama pants.

"For grandkids maybe," Gerry teased.

Fitz smirked at his son. "Whatever. What's for breakfast?"

"What's always for breakfast?" Olivia replied. As if on cue, the waffle maker dinged.

"You used my waffle-maker?" Fitz asked.

Olivia smiled. "Sorry. Forgot the rule."

"What's the rule?" Mellie asked.

"Fitz is the breakfast king. I don't touch his precious waffle-maker, and he never touches my computer." The agreement had been reached shortly before Alice's birth to avoid the destruction of the family.

"Yeah!" Teddy whooped, running to sit at the table. Zora followed her brother and the older Grant siblings soon joined them.

"Okay so the photographer will be here at 4:30 so everybody needs to be picture perfect by 4. And we're gonna eat right after. After that, we're gonna watch a movie that isn't Frozen," Olivia said as she handed out waffles.

"Do we even own a movie that isn't Frozen?" Fitz asked with a smirk.

"God I hope so," Karen muttered. The previous night, she had been subjected to the movie until she fell asleep during the slumber party.

"Do we have to wear matching sweaters for the pictures again?" Gerry asked.

"Yes. This year we're wearing Columbia blue," Olivia announced proudly. The previous year they had worn Harvard yellow for Fitz's alma mater.

"Ah Columbia blue, the color of Harvard rejects," Fitz teased.

"Do not get your ass kicked, Fitzgerald," Olivia threatened with a smile.

"Can I at least wear my dress blues? I still haven't lived down the sweater thing on the ship," Gerry requested.

"Yes, but only since you just got your first commendation," Olivia answered.

xXx

Noon

"No, Mama," Zora wailed as Olivia attempted to braid her damp hair. Her face reddened as she wailed and Olivia sighed.

"We're gonna do this one way or the other, Zora Warsan," she admonished. "Either you sit still or you get a spanking."

Zora wailed louder at the prospect of a spanking and Alice, familiar with the punishment from the beginning of her terrible two's, sat down on her chair to get her hair braided. Karen entered the room, her own hair wet from a fresh wash, and frowned at her sobbing sister. She squatted before the child. "What if I get my hair braided too? Would that be okay?"

Zora's cries quieted as she mulled over the idea then finally nodded. Karen sat on her stool then turned to look at Olivia. "It might not stay, but give it a shot."

Olivia twisted Karen's blonde shoulder-length hair into a fishtail braid that crossed her head diagonally, hanging over her right shoulder. Olivia secured it with a rubber band then Karen stood and stretched. Zora sheepishly took her seat on her stool and Olivia looked down at her with a frown. "What do we say when we throw tantrums?"

"Sorry, Mama," Zora mumbled, her eyes still glassy.

"I accept your apology." The two shared a hug then Zora resumed her seat to get her hair braided. Karen busied herself combing the kinks out of Alice's wet curls. "Would you mind braiding it? I've got to do something to my own hair."

Like most days, Olivia's dark hair was twisted in a loose knot atop her head, secured with two pens. Karen nodded and began her valiant attempt to braid Alice's thick hair, eventually giving up when she got her fingers stuck in a knot. "I have never failed this miserably at anything."

Olivia laughed. "It's okay. Their hair is trickier than you'd think just from looking at it."

Karen found she was much more successful at rolling Olivia's hair than she had been with Alice's curls. Olivia chuckled. "I must really like you. I don't usually let white people touch my hair."

Karen laughed. "I honestly feel really special."

Fitz entered the room, holding a bundle of sweaters. Karen's smile quickly faded when she saw that the sweaters had everyone's first initial on them. "Seriously? Are we really gonna be that family?"

Fitz gave her a pointed look. "It was Teddy's idea, Kar."

Teddy peered around his father's legs with wide eyes. "Don't you like them? I wanted to be like the Weasley's cause I think they're a nice family like us."

Karen quickly fixed her expression. "Of course I like them. You know I love Harry Potter. I gave you my old books, remember?"

Teddy slowly smiled, coming out from behind his father to reveal his sweater with its large "T" on the front. He wore a white dress shirt and red tie underneath. "And me and Dad and Gerry got matching ties."

As if summoned, Gerry bounded into the room dressed in his sweater. "Why didn't you tell me they were Weasley sweaters? Screw my dress blues!"

Olivia laughed as she finished Zora's hair. "Go get your dress that goes under your sweater. And bring Alice's too."

Zora nodded and ran from the playroom to her bedroom to get her cherished red dress and Alice's identical one. Alice took her seat on the stool between her mother's legs to get her hair braided. Fitz walked over to his wife and peered down at the top of her head. "Livvie did you know you're going gray?"

"I am not!" Olivia protested. Fitz plucked a gray strand from the crown of her head and showed it to her. Olivia looked at him in horror. "Why'd you pluck it? Six more are gonna grow to avenge it!"

Fitz laughed. "Now we can be old together."

"No we can't. I'm still young. I can still remarry." Olivia teased.

"You've got four kids under 10. You can't remarry. I've made you wonderfully damaged goods."

"And you're graying my hair on top of it."

Mellie laughed as she entered the room, JFK surprisingly content on her hip. "Don't feel bad. He grayed mine too. I've just got a wonderful colorist."

Olivia smirked. "I'll have to look into it."

Mellie walked over with the baby. "He's trying to breastfeed. He doesn't know I'm terribly unqualified."

Fitz laughed as he took the baby. "He tried it on me this morning. I see our talk didn't fix anything."

Zora returned with her and Alice's garment bags, each containing a dress, white tights, and little brown lace-up boots. Zora set down Alice's bag then showed her own to Mellie. "Look at my picture outfit!"

"That's very pretty," Mellie complimented.

"It goes under my sweater." She held up her blue sweater. "Do you know what the Z is for?"

Mellie shook her head and Zora smile. "Z is for Zora!"

Alice, not one to be outdone, walked over with her own sweater. "A for Alice."

Zora frowned at her mother. "Mama your sweater has the wrong letter on it. Mama doesn't start with O."

"Mama's name is Olivia," Fitz answered.

Zora looked at his sweater. "What's your name Daddy?"

"Fitz."

"Fizz," Alice replied.

Zora shook her head. "Not 'fizz," Allie. Daddy's name is Fish."

"Fish," Alice repeated.

Fitz laughed. "Close enough."

Zora walked over to her father and fixed him with her best sad eyes. "Can we have some juice?"

Fitz shook his head. "No juice until after we take the pictures, but if you promise to be good in the pictures, everybody can have some fruit gummies."

"I promise!" she agreed eagerly.

"I promise!" Alice parroted.

"Me too!" Teddy exclaimed.

"Everybody sit down and try to stay clean," Fitz instructed. Each child took a seat and Karen turned on the television. Fitz handed her the baby then left the room.

"Lay him on his back and see what he does," Olivia told her.

Karen lay the infant on his back and he promptly rolled over onto his stomach and pushed himself up on his hands. Karen clapped and cheered, and the baby smiled his toothless grin. He rolled back onto his back and kicked up his tiny feet, tugging at his tiny blue "J" emblazoned sweater. Fitz returned and smiled at the baby. "Look at you showing off for Karen."

He handed out packs fruit snacks and Olivia laughed as Gerry took a seat on the floor beside his siblings to receive one. She stood and left the room, headed for hers and Fitz's shared bathroom to take down her rollers. Fitz quietly followed, softly shutting the door behind them. He wrapped his arms around her and turned her around then lifted her onto the counter. He promptly attempted to lift her sweater but Olivia stopped him. "You do not wanna see my bra. So not sexy."

Undeterred, Fitz lifted her sweater anyway, revealing her black nursing bra. He undid the flaps and smiled. "This is convenient."

"It's not for y—" Olivia's words caught in her throat at Fitz's warm mouth on her left nipple. Her legs instinctively wrapped around his waist. "We're gonna get caught."

"Not if you're quiet." His lips moved to her neck as his hands wandered up her red pencil skirt.

"Fitz we can't."

He looked up at her with dark, aroused eyes. "We've done it before. Come on. Bathroom counter, Mellie in the other room, an excellent chance we'll get caught. Just like old times, remember?"

Olivia couldn't help a purred laugh as she lifted her skirt around her waist. Fitz resumed his assault of her neck. "I haven't…had my…wax…"

"I don't care." He pushed the skirt up and moved between her legs, quickly unzipping his dark jeans.

They both let out a stifled hiss as he slid inside her. Olivia smiled as she caressed his ears. "I vaguely remember our last quickie ending in JFK."

"Good quickie," Fitz huffed, pulling her closer and moving slowly inside her.

"Oh right there…right there! Faster! Faster! Faster!" Olivia bit into his shoulder, leaving a crimson mouth print on his sweater, as she climaxed.

xXx

Gerry grinned at his father and stepmother hurrying out of the bathroom at the sound of the doorbell. "I think it's funny how this house has 4 and a half bathrooms but you two had to use the same one."

Olivia's face burned. "The zipper on my skirt got stuck. Your father was just lending a helping hand."

"I bet," Karen muttered as she passed them, JFK on her hip. Teddy was leading Alice down the stairs, counting the steps as she repeated the numbers. Olivia could already hear Zora downstairs talking to the photographer.

Everyone headed downstairs and Mellie busied herself making hard cider while the Olivia and James discussed how best to take the family photo. "We want at least one cute one for the Christmas card."

"I've been thinking about that one all day. What about nesting dolls. We'll line you up on the couch from tallest to shortest," James suggested. "And for the mantle picture, I'm thinking something very traditional. Fitz in his chair with the family gathered around. Very old school portrait."

They managed to get through all the pictures without incident with the exception of JFK vomiting on James after too vigorous a tickle. James wiped his shirt. "It's fine. Grown women have done worse to much more expensive."

Still, he held the baby at arm's length as he returned him to his mother.

"What time are Cy and Ella coming over for dinner?" Fitz asked.

"Oh Cy will be early. He's even wearing elastic pants in preparation for Liv's mac and cheese."

Fitz looked at his wife. "We've got two pans of mac and cheese, right?"

"We've got two of everything. I'm not cooking for weeks," Olivia replied.

"And we've got bread for my leftover sandwiches, right?"

"Of course."

"What do we have to eat now? I at least need crackers before I take a crack at the hard cider," James said.

"I'm hungry, Mama Liv," Teddy whined from the couch where he lay beside Zora.

"Me too, Mama Liv," Gerry mimicked.

"Everybody can have a bag of chips while we wait on Uncle Cy and Ella."

"None for me, thanks," Karen said loudly from across the room. She snickered as she leaned on the piano, a half-empty glass of hard cider in her hand.

"Lightweight," Gerry replied as he went to get his own glass.

Zora quickly joined her sister at the piano. "Karen can I have some of your juice?"

"No. We'll get you your own cup." Karen took her into the kitchen and Alice and Teddy quickly followed. Olivia followed to hand out chips, smiling as Karen reconsidered and took a bag of Cheetos then refilled her glass.

Olivia and Mellie exchanged a look and Mellie shrugged. "She got a double dose of the drunk gene."

"Didn't we all?" Olivia replied as she took her own glass.

"It's Charlie Brown!" Karen announced excitedly as she tumbled onto the floor beside her siblings.

Gerry took her large glass. "I think you've already had enough, slugger."

"I haven't seen Charlie Brown in years." James grinned as he sat on the couch.

"Hey Mel, bring the cider. Charlie's Brown's on," Fitz called as he and Olivia sat on the couch.

Mellie brought the pitcher out of the kitchen and squeezed onto the couch beside Fitz, Olivia, and James. Fitz smiled as Olivia cuddled into his lap. She gave him a tipsy grin. "Maybe it's just my empty stomach but this cider is strong."

Fitz smiled down at her. "Strong enough for me to get lucky again?"

Olivia took another sip. "Definitely."

The cartoon ended and Karen wiped her eyes, sniffling loudly as she tried to stop crying. "That was the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. And we all got to see it together. That's beautiful. God bless us everyone!"

She proceeded to lay back on the floor and promptly fell asleep. The rest of the family quietly left her there to go to the dinner table.

A/N: Don't forget to review! XOXOXOXO