Hey guys so here's the next chapter. Now what I'm trying with this story is to write chapters that all fit with the plotline but take place months or years apart. I'm doing this because this story will take place over the course of about 20 years so I really hope you guys enjoy this story and just to answer the question in this story Fitz is a stayed at home dad. Now I know some people said it was hard to see her as a democrat but I made her a democrat for a specific reason that you will see later. I really believe that in this story and on the show that would be a good job for him. So here's the next chapter hope you enjoy.

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1 month later:

The sunlight streamed through the crack in the curtains as Mellie's eyes fluttered open. She couldn't believe this day. As excited as she was she also felt a hint of sadness. This house had so many memories, the kids had grown up here, and they had said their first words and taken their first steps here. This had been home for the past 5 years and she was sad to let it go. She silently swung her legs over the side of the bed before slowly peeling away the covers trying to be as quiet as possible as to not wake up Fitz. As she stood up she tiptoed into the bathroom. As she stepped into the massive bathroom she felt the hard cold marble against her bare feet. There was no bath mat on the floor there were no towels, all this stuff had been packed into the moving truck last night so they were stuck in a house with just the bare minimum of stuff. They had put this home on the market shortly after she won her senate race. While the majority of senators commuted every weekend from D.C. back to their home districts Mellie was adamant that she wanted her family to move with her to D.C. She wanted her family close not thousands of miles away. She wanted to be able to come home every night and give her kid's their baths and tuck them in and things like that. She didn't want to miss a second of their 2 in California so she still seemed connected to her state. Since she could live anywhere in the state they decided it was best to sell this home In L.A. and just stay in their Santa Barbra ranch that they had inherited from Fitz's father when he died last year. The ranch was a gorgeous palatial home on 4 waterfront acres, with its pool, beach and hiking trails it would be a great place for the kid's to spend weekends and summers. Even with her family living in Washington she knew it would still be hard to find the balance between a job that would demand her attention 24/7 and a family that would deserve her attention 24/7. She knew that things would always be so busy and she worried that she would mess up and be an awful parent just like her parents. She quickly pushed these thoughts out of her head as she turned on the sink and splashed water over her face before realizing they didn't have any towels left. As she pushed back a few wet strands of hair she felt the cold water drip onto Fitz's Navy tee-shirt. If there was something Mellie loved more than anything it was sleeping in Fitz's Navy tee shirt and boxers. It was something she had done since law school, even now when she had multiple pairs of designer pajamas she always opted for the tee shirt and boxers. As she felt the cold water droplets drip down her flat stomach she quickly grabbed a hair tie and tied her hair up into a messy bun before exiting the bathroom.

She quickly tiptoed into the bedroom careful not to wake Fitz up. As she climbed over a suitcase blocking the door she exited the room and headed out of the room. She first passed by Karen's room. She let out a quick sigh as she saw the bare room defined only by its light pink walls that Karen loved oh so much. Mellie smiled at the thought of how the little girl would react to her new room in D.C. She slowly closed the door but only after she searched under the bed to make sure that no stuffed animals were left behind. Once she made sure the room was clear she headed down the hallway and did the same thing to Jerrys room. After that she slowly opened the door of the guest room to see Jerry and Karen curled up next to each other on the bed. Mellie had decided it was easier for the kids to sleep in the guest room because that way Mellie had had free reign over the kid's room to pack late into the night. As Mellie closed the door she headed down the staircase towards the kitchen. When Mellie had first moved to the west coast she had been surprised at the lack of two story homes in the L.A. area. Growing up in palatial Sothern estates Mellie was used to the bedrooms being on the second floor while the main floor was where the living area was. This was why she was shocked to find how many one story ranch homes there were in L.A. Luckily they had been able to find this two story fixer upper that they had taken down to the studs. They had customized every inch of this place. They had put so much time and energy into this place and now they were selling it. She wondered if she would ever see this house again, if she would ever walk these halls. She knew that she probably wouldn't and that hurt but deep down she knew that letting go of this house was just her moving on with her life. She was so caught up in her thoughts that she didn't hear Fitz walk up behind her. She was so stuck in her trance that when he spoke she got so scared she let out a shriek.

"Holy shit you scared me" she said as she tried to catch her breath

"Sorry baby I didn't mean too ... are you okay? You seem a little tense"

"Yes I'm tense, Fitz in 5 hours we need to be packed up and moved out of this house"

"So ... we already packed the suitcases and we bathed the kids before we put the stuff in the moving van so that's all taken care of and Martha cleaned the house so we don't have to worry about it being dirty so ... were all set"

"I know but I'm still just ... I don't know I'm just feeling on edge for some reason"

"Baby what's wrong ... I mean were moving to D.C. because you're a United States senator, Mel's your dreams are coming true ... I don't get what could possibly be wrong."

"Nothing it's just ... I'm scared" she admitted as tears started to roll down her face

"Oh baby ... scared of what?" he asked her he guided her over to the sofa before pulling her into his arms and letting her cry into his shoulder.

"I don't know it's just ... everything is changing and I mean were selling this house and were moving to D.C. and it's just ... maybe there's a reason there are no young mothers in the senate because it is such a hard job and it takes so much time and I'm afraid of not being enough ... I'm afraid of being an awful parent just like our parents and ... I'm scared" She said as the tears continued to flow down her face.

"Mel's look at me" she said his hand cupping her face as she looked into his bright blue eyes. "Mellie you are about to become a United States senator, you are about to take on the world and sure things are changing but their changing for the better. And it might not be easy and sometimes we might be so busy that we just want to quit but the truth is everything will work out because we love each other and we love or children and I swear to god we will never be like our parents ... I will never leave you like your father and you will never put your work before your kid's like my father." Fitz said as he hugged her slowly rubbing her back

"You know I'm starting to think it was a good thing that we had such shitty parents" Mellie whispered

"Really?" Fitz asked sarcastically

"Yeah because I think it showed us everything not to do"

"Yeah namely to not bang your secretary" Fitz said as Mellie playfully hit her shoulder

"Hey what do you say we leave this house with a bang" Mellie whispered as her hand crept down his chest and straight into his boxers.

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10 minutes later Mellie found herself pulling on his boxers. After a second she realized they weren't the ones she had worn downstairs but it didn't matter. As she pulled on his navy tee-shirt she stood up as her muscles began to scream. She prayed to god that she had a bottle of Advil left behind. As Fitz stood up he came up behind her as he wrapped his strong arms around her.

"You remember when we bought this house we said we wanted to fuck each other in everywhere well I think that was mission accomplished because we have done it everywhere"

"We have haven't we ... oh god we were so young back then"

"Not really I mean it was only 4 years ago"

"I don't mean young that way I just ... I mean we were just two kids expecting a baby and now we have two kids , I mean I'm a senator I ... its's , I mean I'm a senator I ... it's just crazy how things change"

"Yeah but it's changing for the beter. You're going to fix Washington and you're going to be amazing and I am so so proud of you Mellie ... you know that right."

"I know" she said as she leaned up and captured his lips in hers "We better go upstairs and get changed" Mellie said as she broke away from the kiss and headed upstairs. She walked past the kid's room and back into the master where she pulled out the clothing that she had set out last night. After she pulled on the blue jeans a long sleeve white shirt and a navy blue scarf with little anchors. Once she did tied the scarf she tucked the boxers and tee shirt into her bag and brushed her hair before she made the bed. All the things they had with them would go through in their suitcases. They were flying to D.C. with just some stuff while the other moving trucks were driving to L.A and would arrive on Monday. As Mellie tucked the hairbrush into the suitcase she handed Fitz the clothes that she had left out for him. Once he had changed into his jeans and button down they headed to the guest room to wake up there little angels. As they slowly opened the door and walked over the bed and found jerry lying under the covers with his eyes open trying to pretend he was asleep.

"Oh no looks like Jerry is still asleep ... Maybe we shouldn't have let him stay up so late last night" Mellie said as she winked at Fitz.

"Yeah I guess we better put him to bed extra early tonight" Fitz said as the little boy sprang up out of the bed not wanting to have to go to sleep any earlier then he already did.

"I'm awake daddy" he said as he jumped up and down instantly walking up his sister who began to fuss.

"Oh no sweetie don't cry" Mellie said as she sat on the bed carefully picked up the little girl and began to rub her back trying to sooth her.

"Hey Jerry can you say sorry for waking up your sister" Fitz said

"Sorry Karen" Jerry said as he climbed back up on the bed and planted a kiss on his little sisters head.

"It okway fairy" Karen mumbled as she smiled at her brother. Mellie could never get over how Karen mispronounced her brother's name ... it was so cute. As Mellie picked the little girl up of the bed and placed her on the floor she immediately waddled over to Fitz who picked her up.

"Hey why don't we get them changed so we can finish packing" Mellie suggested as Fitz nodded his head in agreement. As he went over to the table where Mellie had left out outfits for the kids. He pulled on Karen's black leggings and yellow top along with her pink Velcro flats. Mellie pulled on Jerrys blue jeans and his star wars tee-shirt. Since it was a travel day Mellie knew it was better for the kids to be comfortable as opposed to fashionable. Once the kids were changed Fitz brushed a very fidgety Karen's hair before taking the kids downstairs to watch TV while Mellie finished packing. She packed away their PJ's from last night along with their cosmetics and stuffed animals. She decided what would go in checked luggage and what would stay in their carry on's. She remembered back when she and Fitz were in law school and they went to Europe and every day they would just get on a train and go to a new countries. She remembered how little stuff they had brought with them. Now she was stuffing two carry on's full of snacks and toys and books and back up clothing and back up stuffed animals. It was funny how much her life changed after having kids. It had changed in a good way thought... her kids had made her happier than she ever thought possible. They had filled the whole in her heart from her own screwed up childhood, they had given her the one thing she had never thought she would have had ... a real family. With this thought in mind Mellie did a quick scan around the empty room before letting out a sigh and heading downstairs to the family room where she found Fitz watching sponge bob.

"Hey... you okay?" Fitz asked

"Yeah I'm ... I'm okay... why don't you go upstairs and make sure I'm not forgetting anything." Mellie said as she sat down on the sofa next to her kids who were fully engrossed in the TV. After a few minutes Fitz came downstairs with the suitcases.

"Mel's you ready to go?" Fitz asked as Mellie turned off the TV causing the smile on Jerry's face to turn into a scowl

"Yeah ... Hey guys can you say goodbye to the house?" Mellie asked

"Why are we saying good bye?" Jerry asked as he jumped off the edge of the sofa.

"Well were moving ... To Washington for mommy's new job ... you remember mommy and daddy telling you about that" Mellie said as she and Karen walked over to Fitz

"But I thought daddy said we would come home sometimes" Jerry said

"We are ...but when we come home were going to stay at the other house"

"Grandpa's house?" Jerry asked as his face lit up

"Yeah ...Grandpa's house" Mellie said

"Can we go swimming at grandpa's house?" Jerry asked referring to the fat that the house was on 3 miles of private beach.

"Of course we can Buddy" Mellie said as she ruffled the little's boys hair. She then proceeded to take one last walk around the house. He felt the mix of fear and excitement as she stared at the bathroom where she had taken her pregnancy test with Karen and the hallway where Jerry had taken his first steps. They had made so many amazing memories in this house but now they were going to make new memories in D.C. as she returned to the foyer she found Fitz loading the suitcases into the range rover along with strapping the kid's into their car seats. After that he headed back into the house and wrapped his arms around Mellie.

"I can't believe were really leaving" Mellie muttered as Fitz held her close.

"I know but were leaving for a good reason... besides remember how much you used to hate California" he pointed out

"It's grow on me but I can't say I'm not happy to move back to the south"

"Well D.C.'s not really the south" he teased as she playfully hit his arm.

"Screw you" she teased as she headed to the door before turning to back one more time

"Good bye house hello future" Mellie said as she headed to the car. Once she got to the car she climbed into the passenger seat and they drove away from the house into the town where they stopped at a breakfast place to get food. As they got inside a few people recognized Mellie and began to talk to her. This made her feel amazing as she thought of all these people that she could help once she got to Washington. After having feeding the kids and sneaking in a few bites of their own. After that they loaded back into the car and headed towards the airport. As they were driving down the road Fitz suddenly pulled to the side of the road where there was the entrance to a gorgeous beach. As Fitz parked her got out of the car and Mellie followed suit making sure to roll down the window as to not suffocate the kids. As she stood at the edge of the sand she felt the cold wind blow causing her to shiver. Fitz quickly pulled of his jacket and wrapped it around her.

"You know I just realized that you've been so focused on how I'm feeling I never asked you how you're feeling. I mean California was always your home"

"Yeah I know but I love you and the kids and you guys are my home ... wherever you are I'll be ... I love you guys so much and this is going to be an amazing experience." He said with a smile as he leaned in and kissed her. After a second of standing there they headed back to the car and continued towards the airport. Once they got there they checked their luggage and got their boarding pass. After that they headed through security. While everything went smoothly it was required that Karen walk through the metal detector on her own. Since the little girl had just learned to walk Mellie had to kneel in front of the metal detector and cox the little girl across the threshold. After that Jerry put the wrong shoe on each foot and ended up falling down. After about 20 straight minutes of crying and a band aid on a bruise they finally made it to the gate with 1 hour to spare. While Fitz entertained the kids with his iPad Mellie grabbed some sandwiches along with gum, candy and magazines at one of the airport news's stores. When she returned to the boarding gate she found Karen playing with her Barbie's on the floor. Soon they had to board so Mellie had to quickly stuff away multiple Barbie shoes. Once this was done they boarded the plane and got settled in first class. While it was okay this time Mellie knew she would have to start flying coach. She couldn't seem to rich and elitist even thought her bank account was worth more than what 20 people make in one lifetime. As she sat down she entered her credit card info into the screen so the kids could watch movies. They were seated her at the window. Jerry next to her and Karen next to Fitz who was on the isle. Soon he flight attendant came on the loudspeaker with the safety instructions Mellie let out a small chuckle when the flight attendant said that a parent should put on their own oxygen mask before helping their children. She couldn't imagine a single parent ever putting themselves before their children. Soon they taxied away from the gate and Mellie felt the mix if fear and excitement again. Soon she felt them speed down the runway as the wheels left the tarmac. As they circled around the airport Mellie pushed up the window covering to see all the little cities disappearing beneath the clouds. She couldn't believe this had been happening, she couldn't believe she was going to be a United States senator. As the flight went on the kids played with their toys , read some books and watched a fair amount of movies before Jerry laid his head on his moms lap and went out like a light while Karen continued to watch Manny's tool box.

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5 hours later:

Finally they landed and disembarked the plane tying to hurry off before someone noticed the silly putty Karen had stuffed between the seats. After they disembarked then they picked up the stroller and stopped at the bathroom before heading to the baggage claim in which Jerry tried to pull the bags off the carousal and nearly crushed himself in the process. Fitz quickly ran over and held the little boy while Mellie gave jerry her phone so that he could play subway surfer and forget all about the bags. After that they left the airport and headed to the place where the car service was waiting for them. They loaded into the car after a struggle to fold the stroller they finally all pilled in. The kids where so whipped out from traveling that they both passed out in the car. As the driver drove down the streets Mellie recognized some of the streets that they had drove down with their realtor. When they finally arrived at their street the driver pulled them into the driveway and helped with the backs before diving away. As they stood in front of the huge oak door surrounded by suitcases with the kid's in their arms Mellie whispered

"Where home"