Summary: Amelia takes Audrey around to shop for Addison's birthday present after realizing Jake planned a surprise birthday party for her. At the party, Archer shows up for a surprise visit and Audrey finally meets her uncle as well as Jake's side of the family.

After a nice breakfast together, Angela helped Jake and Addison clean up while Audrey and Amelia kept Henry distracted by playing with him and his toys. With it being a little later in the morning, Audrey wondered if it meant they weren't going to the office again today. Or, worse, if it meant she made everyone late for work.

"Don't you guys have work today?" Audrey asked, her eyes widening.

"We do, but we took the morning off," Jake informed her, recognizing the worry in her eyes. Audrey nodded and took a breath.

"Speaking of, we should probably get ready to go," Addison commented, hanging the dishwashing gloves up to dry.

"Come on, Henry," Addison called as she walked around the counter. Henry looked up and smiled before running over toward his mom. Audrey got up after him and started walking toward the stairs as Addison waved the girls goodbye and went upstairs.

"We should go, too," Amelia said as she and Angela got up from their spots on the floor.

"Dad, what are we gonna do for Addie's birthday?" Angela whispered, looking over to make sure Addison had disappeared upstairs with Henry.

"It's her birthday?" Audrey asked, keeping her voice low as she walked over to her aunt, who was grabbing her coat from the rack.

"Next week," Amelia informed her.

"I already got catering and RSVPs from everyone at the office," Jake said.

"Great. What'd you get for lunch, again?" Angela asked.

"I didn't get her anything," Audrey whispered to Amelia while Jake and Angela continued discussing the details of their plan for Addison's birthday.

"You don't have to get her anything; you're her kid," Amelia said.

"But…what if I want to?" Audrey asked.

"Well, then…maybe I can take you shopping. I'll see if I can take you later this week," Amelia smiled.

"Thanks," Audrey smiled before Amelia joined Audrey at the door.

"Drive safe," Jake said to the girls, kissing Angela's forehead before they exited the door.

After the girls left, Jake and Audrey went upstairs to get ready to leave, and not long afterward, they all left for the office. While Addison got called into a surgery at St. Ambrose, Audrey wondered what kind of birthday present she could get her. From everything she knew about her mother so far, she was determined, kind, and self-sufficient. So, what do you get a woman who could get anything she wants?

A few days later, Amelia came into Addison's office as Audrey's head was stuck in a book and asked if she could take Audrey out to the movies. She even said she'd taken the rest of the day off to do so. When Addison asked which movie, Amelia said there was a new superhero movie out: Kick-Ass 2. Audrey's ears perked up; she'd watched the first one at a friend's house last year back in Toledo and had lied to Eleanor, telling her they watched Mirror, Mirror. As much as Audrey loved the superhero genre, Eleanor didn't. And she made it very clear she thought they were too violent for her little girl. The words that had come out of her mouth disgusted her now, and she just hoped Addison would let her go.

"Really?" Addison asked after Amelia gave her the name of the movie.

"Yeah. Audrey said she's into the superhero stuff, so why not?" Amelia asked. Audrey smiled, touched that her aunt remembered.

"Kick-Ass?" Addison asked, repeating the movie's name.

"Kick-Ass 2," Audrey corrected her mom, joining the conversation.

"See? She knows what it is," Amelia said, pointing over.

"Please, Mom?" Audrey asked. The hope in her daughter's eyes made it nearly impossible to say no. Plus, she called her mom. Addison wasn't sure if she'd done that on purpose to sway her towards saying yes, but either way, it worked.

"Alright. Just…here," Addison gave in, grabbing her purse to pull out some cash.

"Addie, it's fine. I can pay for movie tickets," Amelia chuckled.

"Consider this your first allowance," Addison said, handing Audrey some money.

"Really?" Audrey asked. She'd never gotten an allowance before.

"Just don't tell your father. Yet. We haven't talked about the whole…allowance thing yet, so just let me be the one to tell him," Addison said, chuckling.

"Thanks, Mom," Audrey's smile widened.

"Have fun. Don't use all of it in one place," Addison smiled, waving the girls off after Audrey grabbed her jacket.

"Thanks for taking me," Audrey said in the elevator.

"Oh, I'm not really taking you to the movies," Amelia said. Audrey looked back at her aunt, confused.

"I just needed an excuse to tell your mom so I could take you shopping for her birthday present," Amelia added. Audrey felt a little dumb for believing her.

"But, tell you this, kid, how about we go shopping first, and then we can go to the movies," Amelia suggested, watching her niece's face light up.

"Good. It's a deal then," Amelia smiled. She hadn't really put that much thought into the movie choice. All she knew about it was that it was an action movie and that the showtimes worked out in her favor, but the fact that it excited her niece meant it must've been the right choice.

After getting to the mall, they walked around and started perusing the stores. Audrey asked her aunt questions about the types of things her mother would like. After an hour, she was still stumped, but they continued walking nonetheless.

"What am I supposed to get her, Amelia? I…I'm out of ideas," Audrey asked, frustrated. Everything she thought could work never felt good enough. Not to mention, if Addison really wanted anything they'd seen so far, she could buy it herself.

"With Addie, you've just gotta get her something from the heart. You could give her a rock and she'd love it just because you gave it to her," Amelia chuckled.

"I'm serious! I want to get her something she'll actually like," Audrey said.

"Look, I get it; Addie's notoriously hard to shop for," Amelia said.

"Well, what'd you get her?" Audrey asked.

"Two tickets to see Fleetwood Mac in Vegas next year," Amelia said.

"Addie's secretly a music junkie, and Fleetwood Mac's one of her favorite bands ever," Amelia added. Audrey nodded.

"Well, I don't know what I'm supposed to get her," Audrey sighed.

"I already told you; you don't have to get her anything. You're her present," Amelia said, barely containing her laughter at how cheesy the wording was. Audrey joined in laughing along.

"Look, as cheesy as that was, it's true; you being here and alive makes up for all the years of birthdays you missed, including this one," Amelia added.

"I just…I don't know, want to get her something," Audrey said. She knew she didn't need to get her mother a birthday present, but it didn't change the fact that she wanted to.

"If it helps, it's better to get her something from the heart," Amelia said. Audrey looked back curiously.

"After much convincing, Addie took me to get my ears pierced when I was 16; a little older than you, actually. Most of my friends already got them done when they were 13, but my mom refused. Something about it signaling teenage rebellion or whatever, but apparently it was fine three years later," Amelia said.

"Well, I don't have my ears pierced yet," Audrey said. Robert and Eleanor wouldn't let her get her ears pierced, either, she thought.

"Look, whatever you get your mom, she'll love it. Just…don't think too hard about it," Amelia said.

Audrey nodded as they continued walking. They'd walked toward the farther end of the mall and Audrey still hadn't found anything she thought would work. At the end of the strip, they spotted a Color Me Mine store.

"Maybe you can color a cup or something," Amelia joked.

Audrey looked at the store for a minute, looking at the different art projects that were displayed in the window. Most of them were assorted mugs and plates, and there was one that caught her eye: a plate with a kid's handprint on it, made to look like a bouquet with the words "Happy Mother's Day" written at the top. It reminded her of the framed clay hand imprints that hung in Henry's bedroom alongside a picture of him from before he was walking. She doubted she'd ever gotten the chance to do it. Or if she had, it was probably hidden in storage somewhere.

"You know I was kidding, right?" Amelia asked after Audrey stared into the store for longer than she expected.

"Is there a craft store somewhere around here?" Audrey asked. A plate or even just a random clay imprint felt a little childish, but she had a different idea.

"What's going on in that big brain of yours, kid?" Amelia asked, suspicious.

"I have an idea," Audrey smiled mischievously.

While there wasn't a craft store at this mall, Amelia looked it up and found one nearby. When they arrived, Audrey went straight for the painting aisle, picking out some colorful acrylic paint. She then asked a store attendant on frame and paper choices for her idea and he pointed her toward the water-resistant mat boards and fitted wooden frames. Amelia had to admit, her niece had a knack for gifts. At least this time.

"Why are you getting two of them?" Amelia asked when she saw Audrey pick up two of each.

"Well, I didn't get anything for Dad's birthday, either," Audrey replied.

"He's gonna love it," Amelia smiled as the store attendant finished up.

When they went to pay, Audrey was less than a dollar short, so Amelia paid for the rest before they packed the bag into the car. Since it was already getting late, Amelia texted Addison to let her know they'd be out for longer than expected, deciding they'd grab dinner first before going to the theatre to watch the movie. Addison loved that the two of them got plenty of time to bond today, but she wondered why they'd gone shopping first before watching the movie.

"You guys have fun?" Addison asked when the girls got home.

"Yeah," Audrey smiled, hiding the plastic bag of supplies behind her back, which made Addison suspicious.

"What are you hiding?" Addison asked.

"Nothing," Audrey said, smiling while backing away toward the staircase.

"Audrey," Addison said sternly.

"Relax, Addie. It's your birthday present; she just doesn't want you to know what it is yet," Amelia said.

"You didn't have to get me anything," Addison said, still touched that her daughter thought to get her something, anyway.

"I know. I just wanted to," Audrey said.

"It's a good one, too," Amelia teased. Addison looked at her sister-in-law, suspicious.

"Thanks for taking me, Amelia! Goodnight!" Audrey said quickly before scurrying upstairs.

Addison gave Amelia one last skeptical look before saying their goodbyes. When Addison got upstairs, she saw Audrey and Henry playing with Milo in her room, and the bag of things she'd bought earlier was nowhere to be found. She must've hidden it somewhere, Addison thought. When Addison knocked on the door, the bell on Milo's collar rang as Henry turned around and ran toward her, knowing it was time for him to go to bed. Addison looked around Audrey's room as she waited for Henry, telling Audrey not to stay up too late before following her son back to his room.

The minute she left the room, Audrey went to work making her birthday present. She even put her earphones in and listened to some Fleetwood Mac for inspiration while she worked, and she could see why her mom loved it so much. As it got later in the night, Audrey finished her little art projects before washing her hands. Once she put away the paint, she grabbed the mat boards with her creations and left them on the bathroom counter to dry overnight.

It wasn't the best hiding spot, but she didn't think Addison, much less Jake, would be the type of parent who would snoop around any further than just poking her head into her room. At least not yet. It'd only been a few months of knowing each other, and they were still very careful with her. If Addison was the type of parent who would snoop around her room, she hadn't gotten to that point yet. And Audrey doubted she would ever be that kind of parent, anyway.

In the morning, Audrey woke up and went into her bathroom, relieved the boards were still exactly where she had left them. She carefully touched the paint, satisfied that it had dried overnight, before grabbing and placing them in the wooden frames. After fitting them in the frames, she heard Henry running in the hallway, so she quickly hid them under her sweaters in the drawers. She then grabbed her phone and texted Amelia, asking if she had any wrapping paper she could use.

Audrey spent the rest of her morning with Henry, before joining Jake and Addison downstairs for breakfast. She even helped him get dressed for the day after they ate before they headed out to the office. Later that morning, Amelia sent back a thumbs-up emoji. Over the next week, Jake continued planning Addison's birthday party, despite Addison's objections, and Audrey wrapped the gifts in Amelia's office after hiding them in her backpack. She even called Derek to ask if he'd come down for the weekend. He was planning on waiting until next week, which would mark her first day of school, but since his daughter asked him to, Derek agreed to come.

On Saturday morning, the day before Addison's actual birthday, Addison woke up to an empty bed. Or at least it felt that way when she realized Jake wasn't beside her. After rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, she saw a familiar orange tail waving in the air. Addison reached out and petted the orange tabby before feeling the inevitable purr coming from Milo. After a minute of giving the cat her attention, she heard small footsteps running toward her bedroom. When she turned around, she saw not only Henry but Jake and Audrey standing at her doorframe, with Jake holding a tray with breakfast.

"Happy Birthday!" the three of them exclaimed in unison.

"My birthday's tomorrow," Addison giggled before sitting up.

"Well, today's Saturday, so we're celebrating today," Audrey said before picking Henry up so they could sit beside their mom in her bed.

"Wow," Addison commented as Jake placed the breakfast tray in front of her before them, revealing the very impressive Dutch pancake with an assortment of berries, a bowl of whipped cream, and a dusting of powdered sugar.

"The kids are great sous chefs, by the way," Jake commented before joining the three of them, sitting beside Henry. Milo meowed from the foot end of the bed before resting at Addison's feet.

"This looks amazing, guys," Addison commented, kissing Audrey's temple and ruffling through Henry's hair.

"Happy birthday, sweetheart," Jake smiled before leaning in for a quick kiss before Addison encouraged them all to share her breakfast.

As the day went on, Addison let Jake take the lead, since he had clearly made plans for the rest of the day. They spent a nice morning at home with their kids and when they got out of bed to clean up their dishes, Jake turned on Addison's favorite movie to watch: Casablanca. Henry was too young to really be all that interested, but luckily, he had a variety of toys to entertain him, and eventually, he went down for his nap as the girls finished the movie.

By almost lunchtime, Addison went up to check on Henry, who would be waking up soon from his nap. Meanwhile, the first party guests arrived as Jake and Audrey let them in: it was Angela, Amelia, James, Sam, Naomi, Betsey, and Michael. Naomi was nice enough to pick up the food and Amelia brought a few balloons and tied them to the dining room chairs while they all stayed quiet. The rest of their guests would arrive shortly, but for now, the eight of them (or nine, if you counted baby Michael) would be enough. When Addison got back downstairs with Henry in her arms, they all (minus Michael, who was too young to really understand what was going on) yelled surprise to the birthday girl.

Addison took it in stride, thanking everyone for coming while greeting them all. As they talked, more guests started piling in, causing everyone to move outside to the patio in the back due to a lack of room in the living room. Eventually, the rest of the practice showed up and Jake's sisters arrived. It'd been a few months since they'd seen them, but they were thrilled to meet Audrey for the first time.

"We've heard so much about you," Penelope said, smiling at the girl.

"My kids are around your age, too. Or…at least one of them is. I guess that makes them your cousins, doesn't it? This is my older one, José, and my younger one, Mariana," Penelope added, introducing the kids.

José was tall, much like Jake, and even had some stubble growing under his nose and on his cheeks. 19 and about to be a sophomore at Berkeley, Audrey later learned. Mariana, his younger sister, was on the younger side, just barely a teenager, and about to enter eighth grade. Even Penelope's ex-husband, Felix, came. If it hadn't been for seeing her own parents, Audrey would've never thought two divorced people could be so cordial with each other, but it was nice to see that Derek and Addison weren't the only exes who could stay on good terms while co-parenting their children.

Audrey also met Jake's other sisters, Ximena and Camila, and learned Ximena and her wife, Aria, had only just gotten married earlier this year in July, despite being together for four years and being parents to a six-year-old little girl named Quinn. But Audrey learned they'd also added gotten engaged after two years; they just wanted to wait to get married in California instead of traveling to a state that already legalized same-sex marriage like Washington state. Quinn was sweet and shy, but after being at the party for a while longer, she invited Audrey to color with her, which Addison jokingly commented must've been her parents' influence, who were artists in their own right (with Ximena being a photographer and Aria being a graphic designer, as Audrey later learned).

Then there was Camila, Jake's youngest sister, who had a little boy just a little over a year old, making him younger than Henry. Theo and Henry seemed to be great friends, and it was clear Henry liked being the older kid for once when they played together, since he was used to playing with the older boys like Lucas and Mason. Camila also introduced Audrey to her husband, Josh, and they were both more than happy to tell Audrey how they met working together as elementary school teachers.

"Hey, we havin' a party here?" Archer asked as he poked his head outside.

"Archie!" Addison practically squealed before the two met in the middle, squeezing each other tight.

"I thought I'd be the only one, but it looks like everyone beat me to it," Archer joked as they pulled away.

"Yeah, it…this was all Jake," Addison chuckled.

"So, where's the kid?" Archer asked, looking around at the party guests. When Archer laid his eyes on the teenager, he immediately knew she was his niece.

"It's good to see you again, kid," Archer said before walking over to get a closer look.

"Audrey, this is your uncle, Archer," Addison said, introducing the two, even though an introduction was unnecessary at that point.

"Hi," Audrey smiled nervously.

"You look like Addie when she was your age," Archer commented. He could swear she was a carbon copy of Addison in her first high school yearbook photo.

"Oh, we know," Addison said. They'd heard more than their fair share of how alike they looked by then.

The party went on as everyone conversed easily while eating.

Audrey thought she'd been overwhelmed before with the amount of family she'd met in Seattle on Derek's side, but it was nice to see how much more there was now that the rest of Jake's family was here. The more she learned about these people, though, the more she started to embrace them. She'd never had siblings or cousins or multiple aunts and uncles before, and they were all so warm and kind. More than Isaac had ever been with her, despite the 13-year uncle-niece relationship.

Audrey only wondered how things would change over time as she watched Jake interact with his sisters, where there were obvious inside jokes and an air of familiarity and ease that only comforted her. Angela was the only one who was older than her out of all of her new siblings, but she saw how Addison fit in seamlessly with Jake's sisters, despite only being married to Jake for just over two years now. So she knew it'd only be a matter of time before she felt that at ease with her siblings and cousins.

After taking a breather to grab a drink from the fridge, Audrey heard the front door open to reveal her father. Her face lit up before running over to hug him, hearing and feeling him chuckle as he hugged her back.

"Sorry, I'm late," Derek commented upon seeing all the people outside.

"Oh, yeah. Jake threw together a surprise party for Mom," Audrey said. Derek smiled wider upon hearing her refer to Addison as Mom. Just as much as he did hearing her address him as Dad on the phone earlier that week.

"Derek?" Addison asked, coming into the house with some empty paper plates alongside Amelia.

"Hey, Addie. Happy birthday," Derek said.

"What - Thank you. What are you doing here?" Addison asked as Derek helped her throw away the paper plates.

"Audrey called and asked me to come," Derek informed her. Addison looked over at their daughter curiously.

"Happy birthday," Derek smiled, holding out a neck pillow.

"Really?" Amelia asked, snickering.

"It was that or a magazine," Derek said.

"You couldn't have gotten…I don't know, some flowers or something?" Amelia asked.

"It's fine, Amelia. Thank you, Derek," Addison said, placing the neck pillow on the table.

"Come on, let's just go out and enjoy the party," Addison added.

"Audrey, why don't you grab the presents?" Amelia suggested before pulling the two outside while Audrey ran upstairs.

Amelia introduced Derek to Jake's sisters and their families after Jake greeted him while Audrey grabbed the presents from upstairs. By the time she got back outside, she saw Derek and Archer, practically staring each other down.

"Derek," Archer said flatly.

"Archer," Derek said. Audrey looked at Addison, confused.

"They don't get along," Amelia clued her niece in. Audrey nodded, remembering how her mom told her that when she told her about Archer.

"Why not?" Audrey asked, unbothered by the fact that they were both in front of her.

"I don't know. It's not like I saved his life or anything. Oh wait, I did," Derek replied sarcastically.

"You saved his life?" Audrey asked, looking over at her dad.

"Yeah. I pulled a bunch of worms out of his brain," Derek confirmed.

"Only because I made him," Addison said, playfully bumping elbows with Archer.

"You could've killed me," Archer said stubbornly.

"But he didn't," Amelia chimed in.

"Alright, let's just…play nice," Addison said, getting in between her ex-husband and brother.

"It is my birthday, after all," Addison added jokingly.

"Your birthday's tomorrow," Derek and Archer said in unison, making the girls giggle in response.

"Whatever. We're celebrating today," Addison brushed it off, smiling.

"Oh, good. Present time everyone!" Amelia exclaimed, after spotting the gifts in Audrey's hands.

As everyone gathered around, Addison opened various gifts from everyone, mostly small things like books, candles, and some nice jewelry from her husband and brother. Archer may not be the best gift giver, but Addison could admit he had an eye for jewelry. And anything Jake got her was always sentimental. This year, he got her a simple phoenix necklace, symbolizing a rebirth and transformation.

He loved Addison, but even Jake could tell there'd always been something broken in her. It was only when he learned about Audrey that he realized that was why. But ever since Audrey came back into their lives, it was like it'd lifted this weight off of her. She was still Addison, but she was stronger and more confident. More whole, if that was possible. So, a phoenix felt like the perfect metaphor to describe the last few months. Plus, the necklace was small and simple and beautiful, even if it wasn't something Addison would've ever picked for herself.

Audrey asked if Addison could open her gift last. She wanted to see more of what everyone else would give her mother, hopeful that it'd reveal more about the things she liked. Amelia definitely had the best gift so far, which Audrey could tell by Addison's eyes widening upon reading the concert tickets in the envelope Amelia gave her. And if that hadn't been enough, the huge smile that came onto her face and her mother grabbing her aunt in for a squeeze was also a dead giveaway.

"Okay, kid. Your turn," Amelia said, giving Audrey the floor. Audrey smiled excitedly before handing one of the wrapped presents to Addison and the other to Derek, twiddling her fingers nervously in anticipation.

"For me?" Derek asked. He didn't realize that one gift was for him. Quite frankly, he just thought Audrey wanted him here to celebrate Addison's birthday with everyone. As a family. Clearly, there was more to it than that.

"Yeah. I didn't get you anything for your birthday, so…," Audrey's voice trailed off.

Derek and Addison looked at each other and smiled before unwrapping their presents, excitedly anticipating what was inside. After tearing the wrapping paper, they found a framed canvas of a colorfully painted handprint, with Audrey's name signed alongside a date from last week. Her fingers were a mix of blue, green, and yellow, while her palms were an artistic blend of red, orange, and purple. It took a while for Audrey to figure out the color distribution and combinations, using scrap pieces of paper she'd found in the office recycling bin to practice, but the result ended up being beautiful. It was reminiscent of a child's art project but creative enough to stand out as a bona fide piece of art in its own right.

"Wow, it's…it's beautiful, Audrey," Addison said, touched.

"Yeah. You made this?" Derek asked, looking over at their daughter.

"Yeah," Audrey smiled, glad her parents liked it. It looked like a glorified art project, with small attempts to make it look like something more artistic, but it was still just a colorfully painted handprint in a wooden frame.

"I saw the clay ones in Henry's room and I just…I don't know, I thought this might be nice," Audrey said, slightly embarrassed.

"It's very nice. Thank you," Derek said, pulling the girl in for a hug from the side, kissing her temple.

"I love it. Thank you, honey," Addison added, getting her turn to hug their daughter.

"Told you it was good," Amelia commented.

A/N: Chapter title inspired by the song, You Make My Dreams (Come True) by Daryl Hall & John Oates. I originally wanted to pick a Fleetwood Mac song (for hopefully obvious reasons), but there wasn't really one that worked for this, so I at least wanted something classic pop to kind of have that same kind of feeling, so I went with this song. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter; it took me a while to figure out birthday presents, but I think the idea of having this artistic version of a kid's handprint hopefully encapsulated Audrey's age as someone who is still very much a kid, but growing up.

The other fun part of writing this chapter was definitely coming up with stuff for Jake's family because the writers really gave us crumbs on this man's backstory, so there's so little we really know, and we saw next to none of it. I've done something similar for my Jaddison fic (Begin Again for anyone interested), but these are different from the ones I've written there, and I tried to expand more on them this time around since I wrote his sisters in that story more than a year ago now (I think). They will come back in a future chapter, but this was hopefully a good introduction to the girls and their families. Thank you all for reading 3