Down in the ballroom, everybody was talking, dancing, laughing, everything you'd usually do at a ball. Donkey, Puss, and Queen Lillian were waiting by the entrance, overviewing the room and waiting for Shrek and Fiona.

Puss asked, "Are you sure this will be okay to Boss? He said to not do anything for his birthday, and the Princess planned on telling him about their baby, and he said he didn't want one right now. So-?"

Donkey said, his eyes squinting at the crowd, "Yes, yes, you furry chatterbox. It will work. Just keep your pie hole shut about it until Fiona tells him."

Puss rolled his eyes and he continued to stare at the door. Lillian looked at Donkey, and she asked, "Is everyone pretty much here? I can't really tell."

Donkey replied, "Yes, your highness. Everyone is here."

Puss then slightly opened the door, and looked out the hallway. Unluckily, he didn't see them walking down the hallway, but what he saw was a castle servant walking towards them.

He asked Puss, "Excuse me… cat? Um, is the Queen in there?"

Puss squinted at the man, and he hissed. The servant threw his hands up nervously, and he cried, "Oh please don't attack me! I just need to tell her that the King is dying!"

Puss yelled, "What?!"

Donkey and Lillian turned to face him, along with some of the guests, with nervous looks on their faces.

Puss told the servant, "You can't be serious!"

The servant had tears running down his face, and he said, "I am serious! That's why I need to see her!"

Donkey and Lillian exchanged nervous looks, and Lillian walked out into the hallway. She asked the servant, "Christopher, what's going on? Why are you upset?"

She slowly walked up to the servant, and she put her hand on his shoulder. Donkey stepped out of the hallway, and Puss curled up in a ball nervously. Donkey asked quietly, "What is going on, Puss?"

Christopher said sadly, "Your husband, your highness… he's dying."

Lillian's eyes shot wide open, so did Donkey's. Lillian cried, tears forming in her eyes, "Oh my God! Take me to him!"

Christopher and Lillian quickly started running to Harold's bedroom. Puss faced Donkey, and he said, "That's what's going on."

Donkey said anxiously, "Puss, we have to tell Shrek and Fiona. We can't just keep this to ourselves! He's Fiona's father, for God's sake!"

Puss glanced over to see if Shrek and Fiona were coming, but they weren't. Puss said, "Here, let's let them enjoy this party and then we can tell them after."

Donkey said, "No! We can't do that!" He jumped up in the air nervously, and he could feel himself starting to shiver nervously.

Puss said, "Oh, sí podemos, mi amigo." He stuck his claws out, and he stabbed Donkey in the side. Donkey groaned in pain, "Jeez!"

Puss rolled his eyes, and he pulled Donkey back in the ballroom.

Shrek and Fiona were almost in the ballroom, and they were holding each other's hands. Shrek smiled, and said, "Honey, you know you didn't have to do this. My birthday isn't that special."

Fiona gave him a kiss on his cheek, and she said smiling, "Of course it is special. Well, it is to me." They both exchanged chuckles, and Fiona said, "I'm serious, though, Shrek. I really do care about your birthday. Plus, what I am leading you to is the biggest surprise I've ever had for someone."

Shrek thought, wow, this never happens to me. Usually my surprises are attacks with pitchforks and torches or being starved. I bet she won't do that to me.

Shrek glanced over at Fiona with a smile on his face, and he asked, "Well, can I get a small hint of what it is?"

Fiona chuckled, and she said, "What, no! It's a surprise, Shrek. I am not going to tell you."

He let out a laugh, and he asked, "Well, can you tell me where it is? Please?"

She let out a playful sigh, and she said, "Fine, fine. It is here at the castle, but I am not telling you what it is."

They got closer to the ballroom, and then Fiona gasped. She then stepped in front of Shrek, and they both stopped walking. He asked smiling, "What is it?"

She smiled, and said, "Close your eyes. We are almost there." Shrek gave her a smile and a look that said, "Are you sure you won't trick me?"

Fiona smiled, and she said, "Trust me, honey. I won't fool you." Shrek closed his eyes, and he said, "Don't you dare trick me."

They both started to chuckle, and Fiona took his hands. She said, "I'll lead you to it."

Back in the ballroom, Puss slightly opened the door again, and he saw Shrek and Fiona walking towards them. He gasped, and shut the door. He told Donkey, "Quiet the crowd! Their coming!"

Donkey took a breath in, and he thought, for once, I get to yell. He yelled, "Everyone! Shut your waffle holes! They're coming!"

Surprisingly, everyone heard him yell, and they all quieted down. They all stood in their positions, and Donkey thought, wow, I really did it.

Donkey looked at Puss, and he quietly said, "Open the door for them." Puss gave him a nod, and he opened the door to find Fiona and Shrek approaching the door.

Fiona softly gasped, and she exchanged nods with Donkey and Puss. Puss whispered to her, "It's all ready, Princess."

Shrek chuckled, "Puss? Was that you?" Fiona held up her fingers to the crowd to signal them to start cheering.

Her fingers counted down from 3, and when she got to 1, she told Shrek, "Alright. Open your eyes."

Shrek smiled, and when he opened his eyes, the crowd yelled, "Surprise! Happy Birthday, Shrek!"

Shrek's jaw dropped in shock, and he scanned the room with his brown eyes. He could feel tears of happiness coming up his eyes, and he ran a hand through his hair.

Fiona had her hands on his shoulders, and she kissed his cheek again. She said, as the crowd was cheering, "Happy birthday, darling."

A tear ran down his cheek as he faced Fiona with a smile. He said happily, "Come here, you." He picked up Fiona and held her in his arms. They both leaned in, and shared a passionate kiss.

The crowd then continued to dance and cheer as they continued to kiss. Shrek thought, I can't believe this is happening. I am more than happy that she did this for me. I am so glad I married to the best woman on Earth.

When they separated, Shrek asked, "Let's go dance, shall we?"

Fiona nodded, and Shrek told Puss and Donkey, "Thank you, guys. This was really nice of you."

Puss replied, smiling, "No problemo, Boss. It was fun doing this."

Donkey said excitedly, "You can thank Fiona! It was her idea, Shrek!"

Shrek looked at Fiona with a wide smile on his face, and he asked, "You did this?"

She put her hand on his cheek, and she said with a smile, "Of course I did. Two reasons: one because it's your birthday and I love you like crazy; two, I have another big surprise for you."

Shrek smiled, and he kissed her again. He said, "You're going to have to tell me, or show me, the other surprise later. I just want to dance with you right now."

Fiona replied smiling, "That's fine by me." She thought, not really. I want to, I need to, tell him about the baby. I can't hide the secret of him becoming a father.

Then, Shrek and Fiona headed down to the dance floor and started to dance, and so did most of the crowd.

Upstairs in King Harold and Lillian's room, Harold was laying in their bed, and he looked very ill. He was non-stop coughing, and he has been vomiting up blood and flies.

Lillian was kneeled down next to him, and she had tears in her eyes. She held his slimy finger, and she sobbed, "Tell me you're going to be okay. I don't want to lose you, Harold. Fiona doesn't either. Nobody does."

Harold coughed loudly and violently, and he groaned, "I… don't think I'll be able… to make it this time, L-Lillian. I think my time is… up."

Lillian's tear ran down her faces and made her face wet. She thought, who's going to replace you as king, Harold? No one is as good as you. I don't want you to die.

Lillian asked sadly, "Who would be king, Harold?"

Harold's eyes threatened to shut, but he did his best to keep them open. He groaned, "It w-would have to be…"

He then started to wheeze and cough loudly; he couldn't breathe at all, and Lillian sobbed, "Who Harold?! Don't die on me!"

Harold then pointed at Lillian, trying to touch her face, but he then froze and shut his eyes. His mouth was open, and he wasn't breathing at all.

Lillian sobbed, "No, Harold! Come back! Come back, please!" She let her head drop as she took one last look at her slimy husband. She cried in her other arm as she held his finger.

Then, she heard a buzzing sound; it was fly, and it flew out of Harold's mouth. She thought as she watched the fly buzz in the air, oh thank heavens! He must have choked on the fly! He could still be alive!

Then, she saw a tongue stretch out and snatch the fly. She watched the tongue, and she saw that Harold's eyes were open. He was smiling at her, and Lillian returned the smile. She sighed, and said, "I thought you were dead, Harold. You scared me to death."

Harold chuckled softly, and he said, "It's alright, Lillian… I won't die on you."

She then asked, "Who would the new king be, darling?" She thought, hopefully it's Shrek… I don't want it to be anyone else besides Shrek.

Harold groaned, but smiling, "It would have to be… Shrek. He is the next one in line. I need you… to go tell him."

Lillian asked, "I will, but what if he doesn't take the spot, Harold? Who would it be then?" She thought, I want Shrek to be king, but I can't see him wanting to be the king of this kingdom.

Harold sighed, and he rolled his eyes up in thought. He thought, it would have to be Fiona's cousin, Arthur…

He then said, "His name is Arthur. F-Fiona's cousin… our nephew. He is in high school… Worcestershire Academy."

Lillian thought, oh yes, Artie! He would be a great king! Only if Shrek doesn't take the job…

Lillian then asked, "Isn't that a boarding school across the sea?"

Harold nodded, and he groaned, "He would be… the new king if Shrek… doesn't do it." Lillian then smiled, and suddenly, Harold started wheezing and coughing violently again. Lillian could feel her tears still streaming down her face like a river. She sobbed, "No, Harold! Stay with me!"

She was begging him to not die, but this time, there was a good chance he did. He then froze again, but then he spoke, "I know… Shrek will do what's right… he will be a good man to his kid… and our daughter…"

Then, Harold closed his eyes and took his final breath. Lillian gasped, and she cried, "No! Harold! Harold! Come back!" But it was too late; he had already passed away.

Lillian's tears continued to fall, even harder than before. She laid her head on his chest, hearing no heartbeat. She continued to cry as she softly hugged his tiny body.

Christopher came back in their room, and he asked sadly, "Is he… dead, your highness?"

Lillian looked up at Christopher, her eyes shining from her tears. She sobbed, "Yes, Christopher. He passed."

Christopher then felt his own tears threatening to spill out his eyes, and they did. Lillian sadly stood up, and she sobbed, "I have to go tell Shrek and Fiona."

Christopher put his hand on her shoulder, and he said, "No, ma'am. I will go tell them. Just stay here with the king."

Lillian then started to cry even harder, and she sobbed, "Hurry!" Christopher nodded, and he sadly ran out of the room, and Lillian hugged Harold again as she sobbed.

Downstairs in the ballroom, the party had gone on for about thirty minutes. All they have done was sing and dance. The guests would come up to Shrek and tell him "Happy Birthday".

Shrek was having the time of his life, so was Fiona. They just continued to dance with

each other, not caring about anything else.

As they danced, Shrek said happily, "Fiona, I cannot thank you enough for this party. I am having so much fun."

Fiona laid her head on his shoulder, and she said smiling, "I am glad that you are enjoying this. I really wanted you to feel special."

Shrek kissed her head, and he said, "I think you're the only person that makes me feel this way."

Fiona chuckled softly, and she let Shrek control her body as they danced. She thought, I think now is the time to tell him that I'm pregnant… maybe he'll be okay with it.

Fiona sighed, and Shrek asked, "What is it, Fiona?"

She then looked up in his brown eyes, and she said, "I… I have something to tell you. It's… kind of huge."

Shrek laughed, and he asked, "Well, what could be bigger than this?" He then looked behind her, seeing a huge cake with a bunch of lit candles on it.

She said, "You see, I'm… I'm-."

"Hold that thought, Fiona. Come look at this huge cake!" Shrek said excitedly. He walked right by her, and she just stood in her position. She watched him walk over to the cake, and she sighed nervously.

She thought, damn it. I didn't get to tell him. Fiona sighed and then she started walking over to the cake that was surrounded by guests.

Shrek stood right in front of the cake, and he was smiling as he stared at the bright candles. Donkey said to him, above the loud crowd, "Come on, Shrek! Blow out your candles! Make a wish!"

As the guests started singing "Happy Birthday" to him, Shrek closed his eyes. He started wishing; he thought, I wish my life would remain the same as it is now. I also wish I could see my father again…

The guests then stopped singing, and Shrek opened his eyes with a smile on his face. He then heard a voice yell, "Blow out the candles, Shrek!"

Shrek sighed, and then he blew out the candles with all his breath. He watched in delight as the candles blew out, and the guests started cheering when no candle was bright.

Shrek smiled at his cake, and he felt Fiona give him a kiss on his cheek. He smiled at her, and she mouthed, "Happy birthday."

He then gave her a quick kiss, and then Puss jumped up on the table. He said, "Allow me to cut the cake, senor."

Shrek laughed at the orange cat, and Puss pulled out his sword. He yelled to the crowd, "Alright! Who wants some cake?!" Basically everyone's hands shot up in the air in excitement.

It was like they were little kids yearning for their first piece of cake.

Puss and Donkey started counting the crowd so they could cut the cake evenly. When Donkey was done counting, he sighed, "There's 348 people, Puss. How are you going to even that up?"

Puss scanned the cake, and he said, "You kidding me? Look at it! The cake is bigger than a whole table! It will divide evenly!"

Shrek and Fiona watched their friends cut the cake, and Fiona looked at Shrek. She said, "Shrek, I really do have something to tell you."

Shrek smiled at her, and he asked jokingly, "Can it be bigger than that damn cake?! That is seriously a huge cake!"

Fiona laughed at him, and she put her hand on his arm. He gasped when she started pulling him to where they could possibly be alone in the room.

When they were sort of alone, Shrek asked, "What's wrong, Fiona?"

She sighed, and thought, well… here I go.

She asked, "How would you feel if we wouldn't be the only young ones in the family?"

Shrek gave her a confused look, and he asked, "What do you mean?"

Then, randomly out of the crowd, there was a baby crying. She thought, wow, perfect timing for that to happen.

Fiona said, "Well, you see… I'm…"

Shrek smirked, and he asked, "Yeah?"

She smiled, and she said, "I may be-." Then, the entrance doors flew open, and the crowd silenced. All the people in the crowd stared at the door, and there stood a saddened Christopher.

He announced sadly, "Everyone! The king… he has died!" The crowd gasped in unison, and murmurs started running around the room.

Fiona screamed, tears coming up her eyes, "What?!" Everyone stared at her, and Shrek held her in his arms.

She then started to sob in Shrek's shoulder, and he could even feel himself starting to cry. He thought, of course my wish doesn't come true. Fiona is going to be heartbroken for awhile.

Fiona looked up at Shrek, and she sobbed, "Take me to him, Shrek." Shrek nodded, and he picked her up. He started to carry her, and when he stopped in front of Christopher, he sadly said, "Take us to him."

Christopher nodded, and he started walking upstairs to their bedroom with Shrek following him. Puss and Donkey even ran behind him so he wouldn't cry alone.

Upstairs in Lillian's room, she was still hugging Harold and sobbing. She sobbed softly, "I don't want you to leave me, Harold."

It was obvious that he wasn't going to answer… because he was dead. Suddenly, the door flung open, and Shrek walked in, still carrying Fiona.

Lillian stood up, and she said sadly, "Oh my, Shrek. Fiona."

Shrek put Fiona on her feet, and she turned to face her dead father. Fiona's face was wet from all her tears and she ran up to Harold.

She knelt next to him, and sobbed, "Oh, Daddy. Please." While she was sobbing and begging for him to come back, Shrek sadly said to Lillian, "I am so sorry."

Lillian then started to sob again, and she started to hug Shrek. He returned the hug, and he could feel his own tears fall as he saw Fiona crying beside her father.

He thought, I can't imagine the pain she is feeling. I really wish this hadn't had happen.

Shrek told Lillian, "I really wish I could've done something about this."

Lillian sadly said, "There was nothing you could do, darling. I guess sickness decided to take him tonight… just way too early."

Then, Shrek saw Fiona put her head on his shoulder. He and Lillian separated, and Fiona sobbed, "I need to get some air. Take me outside, Shrek. I can't be in here."

Shrek nodded, and he started to carry her again. Fiona continued to sob in his shoulder, and he kissed her head.

He told her, "Don't worry, Fiona. I'll help you get through this." Somehow, that made her cry even harder, and Shrek sighed sadly.

He thought, I should've wished for her life to be better than mine. Or I should've wished for her to be happy.