"Mama, mama, mama!"

Teddy had been wailing for Mellie for what felt like hours. His cries had filled the entire residence at around 10 PM and had easily woken both his sister and his father. There was no getting him to stop. Fitz had tried calming him, Karen had tried calming him, and they had even enlisted the help of some people that were still around the White House. No one could succeed, and it seemed hopeless. Matters were only getting worse when they realized that he most definitely had an ear infection.

"Dad, why can't we just call mom?"

"Because this is my time with you and Teddy. Your mother has given me one night with Teddy and I don't…"

"You don't want-"

"Mama!"

His only daughter covers her ears as his youngest son screams again. He bounces him up and down, patting his back. He didn't know where this had come from, how this had happened to him. Somehow, both of his children had started favoring Mellie, but the change was most noticeable in little Teddy, who, just like his older brother at this age, had taken to following Mellie no matter where she went. He had been lucky that Teddy hadn't followed his mother out the door when she left after dropping him off.

"I get that you don't wanna see mom, but Teddy obviously needs her, so honestly dad, get over it. I'm calling her."

He's struck by how much Karen sounds like her mother, how she's doing things because they need to get done regardless of others' feelings. He wonders if Jerry would've turned out like her too. Every situation was filled with what ifs when it came to Jerry.

Loud whines exit Teddy's mouth as Karen pulls out her phone from her back pocket and leaves the room. Fitz sits down in the rocking chair and starts rocking in an attempt to calm his inconsolable son.

"Come on, buddy, you're okay. Daddy's here."

"Mama, I want mama."

Fitz sighs. He wasn't sure how both of his sons had managed to be mama's boys. He wasn't sure how he ended up here at all. Divorced, dead son, his other living children not needing or wanting him. Nothing made sense. Everything had changed.

Karen breezes in, kneeling beside the rocking chair. Her brows knit together at the sound of her brother's loud cries.

"Mama will be here soon, Teddy."

For a second, the almost four years old's face lights up. For a moment, his crying ceases.

"Mama."

"Yeah, mama will be here soon."

Fitz examines both of his children. How their faces are equally filled with wonder and almost pure happiness at the thought of their mother joining them. Teddy grabs Karen's index finger, while his eyes shift to the nursery door- waiting for his mama. When had he stopped being what they wanted? Fitzgerald Thomas Grant III had never felt so inadequate in his entire life.

…

Mellie's footsteps are heard not more than five minutes after Karen announced she was on her way. It sounds like she's almost running, but when her body passes the room's threshold, she doesn't look like she's done anything but take a leisurely walk. Teddy's arms reach out to her immediately and she quickly pulls him into her arms.

"Mama."

The whining and whimpering stops as the youngest Grant nuzzles his face into the nape of his mother's neck. She sways side to side, pressing kisses to his forehead and running her fingers gently through his hair.

"Mama's here, baby."

The worry lines in Karen's forehead dissipate as the atmosphere of the room changes. It's calmer, more peaceful, and Teddy's loud cries have seemed to vanish. Mellie knows he's sucking his thumb, a habit she has been trying to break him of, but she decides tonight is not the night to engage in that battle. Fitz can only watch from the rocking chair as the woman who said she didn't possess the mother gene did exactly what a mother was supposed to do.

"Karen, sweetie, it's late. You should go to bed, we can't let you get too far off your school sleep schedule. I'll take care of your brother."

The older girl nods before kissing her brother's forehead and allowing Mellie to do the same to her.

"Night mom. I love you."

"I love you too."

Mellie pulls her close quickly and whispers something in her ear before letting her go.

"Night dad."

Mellie smiles at her and automatically he realizes that his daughter wasn't going to say anything to him.

"Goodnight Karen."

She exits the room quietly and finally the once married couple speaks.

"We think it's just another ear infection. His ear drum probably popped again."

Mellie nods.

"I figured, he was tugging at it when I walked in here. You called the doctor and had him write a prescription to be delivered in the morning?"

"Of course, but that doesn't help for right now."

"Well, we have a secret weapon, don't we, baby?"

She shifts Teddy onto her hip before walking out of the room. Out of curiosity, Fitz follows her all the way to first the bathroom where she grabs washcloths and secondly to the kitchen. He watches as she sticks a washcloth in a pot of water before slightly wringing it out and sticking it in the microwave. Once the timer goes off, Mellie grabs it, first making sure it's not too hot, before putting it on Teddy's ear. He calms down even more if it's possible. Fitz is incredulous.

"How did you…?"

"The last time this happened, you were away doing something presidential or with Olivia, I've lost the ability to care one way or another, but he was screaming at the top of his lungs. He wanted me, but I wasn't helping, but he didn't want anyone else. I didn't know what to do, so I looked on like soccer mom blogs, stupid right? I tried everything they suggested and nothing worked until I got to this. It worked instantly and he fell asleep in our…he fell asleep and that's what was important."

"He only wanted you. I wasn't going to call. I was going to let him be in pain instead of just calling you. I didn't get it, I still don't. When he was a baby, it was always me. I was there, feeding him, making sure I got time with him. I guess you were there a lot more than I gave you credit for."

She takes the washcloth off of Teddy's ear, dipping it in the water and microwaving it again. He's sleeping, but she wants him to stay asleep and she's hoping this will do the trick.

"I'm their mom, Fitz, no matter how much you hate it, no matter how much you'd like to pretend otherwise- I've been there for them. I won't make the same mistakes I made with Jerry, I won't. Just because I never planned on being a mother or don't have the mother gene or whatever, doesn't mean I don't love them with everything I have in me."

"I know, I-"

She scoffs.

"Don't apologize to me, I don't want it and I don't need it. Just respect me as their mom. Respect that they need me, that even if I wasn't a great mom in the past that I'm trying to do better. Okay?"

"Okay."

She takes a deep breath. She didn't mean to snap at him, but it was her instinct to start fighting him before he could lash out at her.

"Look, I'm going to sleep in his room tonight and take him home in the morning if that's okay with you?"

"Of course, he needs you."

She nods, looking down to see her son's tiny fist holding tight to the fabric of her pajama shirt. She grabs another warm washcloth before vacating the kitchen without saying another word to her ex-husband. There's nothing left to say.

When she gets to Teddy's room, she turns off all the lights and gets into his bed, leaning herself against the wall, while he lies on her chest. She knew he was probably congested so she wanted to make sure his body was mostly upright in order to make breathing easier. He sleeps soundly as she rubs his back and she's thankful that he's not screaming like he was when Karen called.

Her eyes travel around his nursery, which is now just seemingly another random bedroom in the White House. Teddy hadn't slept over or even stayed there since the divorce had been finalized. She knew it was selfish to keep him all to herself, but there was something about having her baby with her that made everything feel okay. She would go through it all again if it meant having Teddy- he had saved her. He had given her a reason to continue when there seemed to be nothing but a dark abyss. Teddy was the reason she was still standing.

He squirms in his sleep, his eyes fluttering open and closed. She kisses his forehead.

"Mama?"

His voice is so small. She's struck by just how much she loves him.

"Yeah, baby, mama's got you."

He moves himself up so that his head rests on her shoulder instead of on her chest and proceeds to fall back asleep. She leans her head against his yellow walls and smiles. She realizes that this is the first time she has ever felt happy in this house. In the dead of night, with one of her children in her arms, she finally felt what she had expected living in the White House to feel like the entire time.

"I love you so much Teddy bear."