"Mom, Ms Maguire has asked me to stay back at rehearsals tomorrow afternoon. Gemma isn't feeling well so she wants me to rehearse as lead instead of my part.."

"I'm sorry about Gemma honey but yay for you." Bellie rolled her eyes.

"Thanks Mom. Are you okay to pick me up at 7?"

"Sure Baby. I have a meeting late in the afternoon so I can pick you up right after. Teddy has practice tomorrow and Dad was going to take him. What do you say you and I have a Mommy and Bellie date?"

"Really?" Her question tugged at Olivia's heartstrings. She and Bellie hadn't really spent any time together just them since they had returned from Paris. More often than not she and Fitz swapped immediate children as though trying to compensate for something the kids had been deprived of. Bellie of her father and Teddy of a loving and nurturing mother. All the other times were spent together as a family, immediate and extended.

"Yeah baby, just you and me. We can make a night and day of it. We can stay overnight at the Plaza and spend the next day doing girly things. Shopping, manicures, maybe some High Tea like we used to do in Paris. You need new clothes anyway . You've shot up a couple of inches since your birthday." At eleven Bellie was head to head in height with Olivia confirming that she had inherited that part from her father's gene pool. Teddy was already taller than Liv.

"That sounds great Mom." Through all the changes Bellie had remained a well rounded and indredibly grounded kid. She was smart as a whip, generous, strong and kind. Liv tried to never take for granted how lucky she had been with Bellie. Through everything she had remained her sweet little Bellie Boo.

"Are you okay finishing up dinner? Dad said he'd help me practice my jump shots tonight before dinner."

"Go on sweetheart we're all done here." Bellie dropped a kiss on her mother's cheek before heading up the stairs to get changed into her sweats. Shortly after Fitz walked in from the garage. He had spent the day fulfilling what seemed to be never ending post presidential duties.

"Hi Baby." Liv greeted as Fitz wrapped his arms around his wife kissing her on the lips.

"Hi," he said with his famous Grant smile that always had her weak at the knees.

"How was the rest of your day?" He asked.

"Busy. Papers to grade, the usual."

"Kids okay? I'm supposed to be shooting hoops with Bellie, we got time?" Liv nodded.

"You have about an hour. Dinner just went in the oven. Teddy has his violin lesson till 6:30 so I thought dinner at 7."

"Sounds good. I'll go change and be back down."

"Hey Dad, you still up for b'ball?" Bellie asked she bounded down the stairs.

"Of course. Give me a few minutes." Fitz said dropping a kiss on the top of her head. Fitz and Bellie had come leaps and bounds. Fitz worked hard for Bellie and though Bellie was open to him there was a part of her that was still guarded. At present they were more like buds than father and daughter. It was the type of relationship that a niece had with her favourite Uncle but Fitz was thankful for what they had. Little by little she was starting to let him breakdown barriers she had long since built to protect herself from him. She wasn't resentful and unless you looked close enough you wouldn't realise that she was guarded. Bellie reached for the phone before sitting on the stool in front of the island bench her mother worked on dinner.

"Hi Kare Kare." She greeted sweetly as her sister answered the phone.

"Hi munchkin. How did you day go today? English test go okay?" Karen had just left the office and was driving home for the day.

"I think it went better than I thought it would but you never know. It's English. How did the interviews for your assistant go today?" Karen sighed and began to tell Bellie all about her candidates and Bellie laughed at Karen's exasperation. Liv chuckled as Bellie put Karen on speaker so Liv could hear too. When Karen had finished her rant she greeted Liv knowing she was on speaker

"Hi Momma Bear."

"Hey honey. Sounds like you had a fun day."

"I wouldn't use the word fun." By the time Fitz had come down the stairs his girls had moved on to the topic of shopping.

"Hey Pumpkin."

"Hey Dad. Have you talked to Gerry today? He said he was going to call you about a case he wanted fresh ears on."

"Yeah he did. You okay sweetheart?"

"Yes Daddy. I was talking to Liv and Bellie I was thinking of coming home Saturday afternoon and just hang there a couple of days."

"I totally support that thought." Fitz encouraged making them all laugh.

"Of course you do." Karen replied amused.

"Bellie and I are going to work on her jump shots before dinner so you can talk boys with Liv now."

"Funny Dad. I'll call you before you head to bed tonight Boo."

"Cool Kare drive safe."

"Is she the lead now?" Karen asked as soon as she heard the side door close. Liv laughed.

"She's rehearsing lead tomorrow. I think Gemma has chickenpox. Poor kid."

"That's such a shame. Poor kid. Yay for Belle though."

"That's exactly what I said. So tell me more about this new boy..." Karen sighed and began a play by play for Liv. Karen was seeing a new guy and it was still at that early stage where everything was romantic. Though she wasn't quite ready to take him home to the whole family just yet he had met Liv when she flew in for a conference and had dinner with Karen. Liv liked him. He had a quiet and thoughtful disposition and he looked at Karen as though she hung the moon and stars which to Liv was enough to gain a good word to Fitz about him.

Fitz watched Bellie's grace and fluidity with flow. Though her height had come from him, her grace was definitiely her mothers. Her footwork was almost a form of dance. He was always captivated by it. There was no doubting he was a proud father. Anypne whp onew him would know that even if his children bore no talent he'd still be incredibly proud of them.

"How was your meeting today?" Bellie asked as she dribbled the ball.

"It was okay."

"Do they want you to run for a seat in congress?"

"Yes, but I don't think I want to." Their family was finally getting a form of normalcy to it and the last thing he wanted was to interfere with the quietness they had finally reached. She stopped to look at him.

"Because of me?" Bellie was her mother's daughter. She knew that Fitz was more careful with her than any of his other children.

"Because of all of us Kiddo. Running would mean campaigning and I don't want to put our family through that. I like our life now." Bellie's eyes met his,

"Me too." She admitted. She was freaked out enough about the secret service and attention post presidency. She didn't want to imagine what it would be like campaigning.

"But Dad, if you want this you should go for it. I've had 10 years of anonymity that my other siblings never had the liberty of having. I know you feel bad that it came with its own price but Dad I get it. I do. I missed you a lot, you know that but I also know that I am lucky. I had Mom 200%. I had Ger and Karen. I know with all my heart that Mom loved me wholeheartedly and more. Teddy didn't even get that. I had Ger and Kare most of my life while he only had them on holidays. If you want to run for congress Dad you should do it. It couldn't hurt the world having you in congress."

"Thank you sweetheart. I'll think about it and talk to your Mom. Whatever happens it will be a family decision. From Gerry to you okay?" Bellie nodded and made her shot from where she stood.