AN: Finally updating. I apologize for the long break, life has been complicated. Anyway, here's the next chapter I hope you guys enjoy. I should mention I finished writing this under the effects of diverse cough medicines so please excuse spelling, grammar and other incongruences you might find. Please review :)

Olivia had a hard time falling asleep Friday night, she was reliving the entire evening in her head and just enjoying the feeling of utter contempt she felt. She couldn't remember the last time she had felt so happy and excited, it was amazing how much he had changed her life in such a short time. Fitz went home unable to wipe the goofy smile off of his face.

The next morning Fitz was in a really good mood and he got up and made breakfast for himself and his kids. He made waffles with chocolate chips, which was unusual and even allowed them to put whipped cream on them.

"So you had fun last night dad?" Karen asked.

"I did, I had a great time" He said smiling.

"Cool" Jerry said "Dad can we have cheeseburgers for lunch today? we haven't had them in a while"

"Sure" Fitz said

"Ohh, and ice cream, please dad" Karen added

"Hmm, actually there's some hazelnut gelato from my date last night, how does that sound" Both kids realized their dad wouldn't say no to anything for the rest of the weekend and gave each other a knowing look

It was turning out great for the kids that Olivia came into their lives, not only did they like her a lot, but also they'd benefit from their dad being in such a good mood a lot.

Olivia was also feeling great and it didn't go past her friends and family. She agreed to go shopping with her sister on Sunday, which was a quite daunting task considering hormones made her sister a tad difficult to deal with lately, and that night her mom called to check in on her and she definitely something about her daughter was different. Then on Monday she volunteered to deal with an obnoxious client they had and patiently fixed their problem. Abby and Emily knew everything that had happened and pestered her for every detail of her date. The guys just figured things were going well for her and Quinn, was still to earn their trust so she just wondered if anything had changed in Olivia's life.

Considering the success of their date, Olivia decided she wanted to do something special on his birthday, just for them and the kids. She was going back and forth between planning something with him or with the kids and surprising him instead. The reason she hesitated was because they hadn't discussed birthdays and didn't know if he actually liked to celebrate, the last thing she wanted was to make him uncomfortable.

After much consideration she decided that if he had something against birthdays he would have mentioned something already. Monday afternoon she was supposed to have dinner with them, so she got there quite earlier to talk to the kids.

"Hey guys" She greeted them, they were watching tv.

"Liv you came early!" Karen exclaimed, it made her happy to see Olivia.

"Yes, I need to talk to you guys about something" Jerry muted the tv and turned his attention to her

"What about?" He asked

"Your dad's birthday… I was thinking we could do something and surprise him, do you think he would like that?" She asked.

"Well coming from you… and us, I think he'd like anything" Jerry answered honestly

"We were just planning on having you over for dinner and eating some cake, dad is not really into big birthday parties, or maybe he just didn't like anything mom planned" Karen explained.

"Yeah, they fought about that a lot, but I guess it was because they didn't like each other anymore" Jerry added. "But he loves spending time with all three of us so what did you have in mind?"

"Nothing big, I was just thinking we could cook for him, and I could pretend I can't be here or that I' can just drop by after dinner because I'm busy and then surprise him"

"We could pretend we have to go a friends house for a school project" Jerry suggested

"Maybe just one of you, if we all say we can't be here he'll suspect we are up to something" Liv told him.

"It should be Jerry, I'll make a cute face and tell him he can still have dinner with me… he will be in a bad mood"

"Luckily for us, Cyrus will be the one getting the heat" Olivia told them with a small laugh.

"Poor uncle Cy" Karen said

"Nah, he'll be ok, he's the one torturing dad most of the time"

"So it's settled?" Olivia asked, and both kids nodded enthusiastically. "Ok let's start planning, we have sometime before he comes home. What kind of cake is his favorite?"

"Chocolate" Both kids said at the same time.

"Is that his favorite or yours?" Both kids laughed.

"It's our favorite, we all love chocolate cake" Olivia looked at Karen incredulously.

"We swear" Jerry said.

"Ok, I believe you" She figured he wouldn't mind "How about we make some homemade four cheese pizza and we bake him the best chocolate cake ever"

"That sounds awesome" Karen exclaimed.

"Yeah he's gonna love it" Jerry agreed.

"Great, now just remember that you guys have too keep it a secret"

"We can handle it, its just a little while" Karen said confidently, and Jerry nodded. "Would you help us with his birthday gift, we are not so sure about it yet"

"Of course, and we better hurry because your dad will be up soon"

Later that evening when Fitz arrived for dinner, Olivia and the kids had almost everything planned already, they had decided on the menu and also come up with the stories they would tell Fitz to make him think they wouldn't be available for dinner. They had even decided to call the parents of the kid Jerry was supposed to be doing homework with, so they would corroborate their story.

"Hey Liv" he said after they settled at the dinner table "As you probably already know, my birthday is on Wednesday, and I would love for you to join us for dinner and cake" He told her.

"I would love to" She smiled at him "So theres no big party besides the event on Friday?" She asked him.

"No, I'm not a big fan, I'd rather just celebrate with you guys and feed the press with a little cake cutting on the holiday party" The kids looked at each other mischievously, which went unnoticed by Fitz, who was too distracted looking at Liv.

"Ok, what time should I be here?"

"Around 5 I guess, I'm leaving work a bit earlier, Cyrus can't say anything because it's my birthday"

Olivia didn't stay much longer after dinner, it was a school night, and Fitz had to get back to work. He walked her out and they bid each other goodbye until Wednesday because their schedules would be keeping them apart the next day. Fitz was over the moon, for the first time in a long time he would be enjoying his birthday instead of fighting about stupid parties for people who only pretended to like him.

Tuesday morning Olivia arrived early at her office and went to find Huck, he was already there and he had already picked up Fitz's birthday gift.

"Good morning Huck" She greeted him with a smile. "This looks great thank you so much"

"Glad you like it, I take it things went well on Friday" Huck inquired

"Yes, everything went great, now I need another favor, it's really just a question" The previous night the kids had asked her for advice on what to give their dad, and she suggested they shoot a video were they say something nice to their dad and then say happy birthday. Both of them agreed and they did it right away. The thing was that the video needed some editing, and she was not really sure what to do.

Olivia explained the situation to Huck, she just needed a little tips on how to use the software, she could have asked him to do it for her but she wanted to do it herself. It ended up being something pretty simple and when she was done she was pleased with her work. She busied herself with her clients and cases the rest of the day to make sure she had the day off for Fitz's birthday. Later that day she called Tom to make sure the kids were picked up from school a little earlier than usual. Tom talked to the kids agents and they agreed, Fitz didn't really need to call the school or anything, no one questioned the secret service agents when they picked up the first children from school whatever time it was.

Everything seemed to be going well, she just hoped Cyrus wouldn't find out about it, they were getting a fair amount of people involved in their plan. Trying to surprise the President was quite a task. Before she went to bed that night she briefly talked to Fitz and told him she would be there at 5 sharp, she just hoped he wouldn't be too upset when he heard the fake news about her and Jerry.

Fitz had a great birthday morning, the best he'd had in ages. He woke up to a call from Olivia singing him happy birthday and then his kids jumping on his bed to give him birthday hugs. He left for work feeling great. Around noon he got a text from Olivia complaining about a client, it was all part of the set up.

Karen and Jerry were picked up from school at 1pm and Olivia arrived at the White House a little after that. Lauren assured her that both Cyrus and Fitz had back to back meetings and had no idea she and the kids were home already. Around 3 Fitz got a call from a desperate Jerry telling him about a project he had forgotten about and that he had to go to a friends house to do it. They got the boys dad to call Fitz and pretend to be just as mad about the kids being so irresponsible. Jerry's agents said they had it all worked out, Jerry apologized and promised to work really hard to so they could still hang out before his bedtime.

Around half an hour later it was Olivia's turn, she first texted him that things had gotten complicated and that she was at a town about two hours away from DC, but that she was trying to get things done fast, saying she would be there a little late. Ten minutes later she called and told him she wouldn't be making it for dinner, that she just hoped she could return to the city that night so she could stop by to see him.

Fitz was upset to say the least, his dinner plans were basically spoiled and he was not feeling the birthday spirit anymore, he was even considering staying in the office late like any other normal day until Karen arrived. She took a break from the cooking and went down to the oval.

"Hey daddy" she said in a really sweet voice. "I just heard Liv won't make it either" she went to him and sat on his lap. "But you can still have dinner with me, I'll help you blow the candles"

"Thank you sweetheart" He kissed her cheek "I really needed a little cheer up"

"Look on the bright side dad, we can celebrate again with them" She suggested

"You are right, why don't you go do your homework, I'll be up in like an hour" Karen hugged him tight and left. Fitz was feeling a little better, but he was still quite disappointed, he had started the day with really big expectations and things had gone awfully wrong.

Olivia and the kids were busy at the residence putting the finishing touches on the cake. They had made a quite large chocolate cake, and the kids drew some happy faces and hearts on it with white icing, and they also wrote happy birthday, it was a little messy, but they knew Fitz would love it. Also they cooked 2 large pizzas, cheesy garlic breadsticks, and a simple caesar salad, which Karen and Jerry said they were not having.

When Fitz got to the residence it was all dark and empty, they had turned off most lights and hoped he didn't stop by the kitchen before looking for Karen, since it was a complete mess. They heard his footsteps and that was Karen's cue to call out to him. They were in her room.

"Dad I'm in here" Fitz heard his daughter and walked to her room. When he walked in, the lights were off and the TV was on, Olivia and Jerry were hiding next to the bed and Karen was in front of it waiting to hit play.

"What is this?" Fitz voiced full of curiosity.

"Just a little something we made for you" Karen started the video and both kids appeared on the screen.

"Dad we love you, you are the most awesome dad ever, you are always there for me and my sister" Jerry started "You always make time for us to help us with school and play with us even though you have like the most important job in the world" Karen continued.

"We just wanted to tell you that we feel like the luckiest kids on earth because you are our dad" It was Jerry's turn again. "and that we are very grateful for all you do for us" Karen added.

"We love you dad! Happy birthday!" Both of then said at the same time.

Fitz was teary eyed by the time the video ended, he knew his voice would crack as soon as he tried to say something.

"Thanks sweetheart, this is the best gift ever" Fitz said as he went to hug his daughter. He was just about to say he was calling Jerry to thank him too and asked who helped shoot the video when Karen spoke again.

"Wait until you see the rest of it" As soon as she said that Olivia turned on the lights and she and Jerry yelled surprise. He turned to them, shock written all over his face. Jerry ran over to him.

"You didn't see it coming did you dad" Jerry said happily.

"No I did not, you guys totally played me, I'm wondering who masterminded all of this" He was looking at Olivia who was now standing just a few feet away from him, right behind the kids.

"It was all Liv's idea" Karen replied.

"Yeah, and she shot the video and made it all nice" Jerry said.

"Well this is the best birthday surprise ever" He said looking at her.

"Glad to hear that" Liv couldn't help but smile broadly at him, it just made her really happy to see him happy.

"You know what this calls for?" Fitz asked the kids, and opened his arms wide.

"Group hug?" Jerry suggested, and Fitz nodded

"Yay! Group hug!" Karen said, both kids went in for the hug, but Olivia hesitated and stay back. Fitz looked at her expectantly.

"Liv, would like to join us?" Fitz asked her "Please" He wasn't even sure why she hesitated, he thought she already felt comfortable around them, after all the surprise had been her idea.

"Come on Liv" Jerry urged her.

"Yeah, it's not a group hug unless we are all in it" Karen grabbed Olivia's hand and pulled her closer to them. She just needed one look at Fitz's warm welcoming gaze before she gave in.

Fitz wrapped the three of them in his arms and squeezed them tight, her arms were around both kids, and she rested her head on his chest, she could feel the steady thump of his heart and she finally relaxed. They stayed like that until the kids started wiggling to be freed.

"Are you ready for more?" Liv asked excited

"There's more?" Fitz was so happy he could burst.

"Of course theres more" Karen and Jerry took hold of both of his hands and dragged him out of the room. When they got to the kitchen Olivia walked in first and turned on the light.

"You guys cooked!" Fitz exclaimed.

"Yeah… well Liv did most of it but we helped" Karen said proudly.

"And we learned a bunch of cool things" Jerry told him.

"They were the best sous chefs anyone could ever as for" Olivia said, earning huge grins from both kids.

"I can't wait to try all of this" Happy couldn't even begin to describe the way Fitz was feeling, they had played him but it had totally been worth it, his birthday had turned out way better than what he had expected.

"Let's get this to the table" Olivia suggested. As they were moving the food to the dining room, Fitz finally noticed what kind of pizza they were having.

"It's four cheese… you remembered" He was in awe with all the effort Olivia had put into the evening.

"Of course I did"

Once they had all the food at the table they sat and enjoyed their meal. Fitz was quite impressed by Olivia's culinary skills. When the cake was brought out his heart warmed seeing the kids handiwork on the decoration, he took photos of it before blowing the candles and then he gave his phone to Tom, who had kind of become their official photographer. Olivia, Karen and Jerry sang happy birthday and urged him to make a wish before blowing the candles.

After having some cake, they decided to watch a movie so they could just relax and hang out together, Olivia and Fitz sat in the middle with the kids on either side of them. After they finished big hero 6, the kids were already falling asleep so Fitz took them to bed.

"Thank you for everything" Fitz said when he returned. "This was just… perfect"

"It was my pleasure" Fitz sat back down on the couch and scooted closer to her, he gently took her hand and kissed it. "Oh wait, I almost forgot" Fitz was startled as she quickly got up to her something and returned to the couch.

"There's one more gift" She handed him the neatly wrapped picture frame.

"Livy, you shouldn't have… you already gave me the best birthday party ever"

"Just open it" Fitz complied to her wished and carefully removed the wrapping paper. His breath caught in his throat when he turned the picture frame around and finally saw the photo, it was a beautiful candid of him and the kids playing in the snow.

"I was going to print it bigger but I figured this way you could have it in your office"

"I love it, it's perfect" He cupped her face with his free hand and leaned in for quick kiss. "What did I ever do to deserve you" Fitz looked at her dreamily, he set the photo on the coffee table, he cupped her face in his hands and he pulled her in for a proper kiss. It was slow and tender, he wanted to communicate through that kiss the three words he felt it was too soon to say.