Disclaimer: I am team Olitz and I always will be. I want to ask that anyone who reads this keep in mind that Olitz is and always will be endgame in anything I write. Even if it doesn't seem like it at first.

Beep. Beep.

Fitz rolled over, slamming his fist against the annoyingly loud alarm clock on his nightstand. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes with the back of his hand, he slowly popped one eye open. 11:45 flashed back at him. With a groan and a widening of his eyes, he tossed the tangled mess of sheets from his body. He knew he had set that alarm for 11:30.

Swinging his legs over the edge of the bed, feet hitting the soft, off-white carpet, he stood. There wasn't time to shower - there was barely time to get dressed. Locating a pair of khaki shorts and his white undershirt, he dressed in a hurry. He frowned as he caught a whiff of his shirt. The smell of sweat and the acrid, sour stench of gunpowder assaulted his nostrils. It hadn't been a good night.

Yawning, Fitz slipped his feet into a pair of slides and padded out of the bedroom. Stopping at the wicker dresser in the hall by the door, he grabbed his keys. Outside, the late September sun nearly blinded him and the dry, hot air took his breath away. Trekking through crunchy grass, he hit the unlock button on his keys. A couple beeps later, he was opening the yellow door of his Dodge Ram. Sliding into the cracked, warm leather seat, he slammed the door and jammed his keys into the ignition. Twisting the key, engine roaring to life, he pulled the gear shift into reverse.

"Fucking cat," he swore, waiting for the large, black and white cat to move. Sylvester had a thing for the outdoors and if Fitz wasn't paying attention, like right now, he would sneak out. Oh well. He'd stay around the house and if the neighbour didn't let him back in before Fitz got back, Seph or Athena would make sure he went in with them. He was their cat, anyway.

The clock in the truck read 11:58 by the time Sylvester had sauntered out of the way and Fitz was finally able to backup. On the street, he came to terms with the knowledge that he was going to be at least five minutes late. Olivia would be pissed, but she was just going to have to be pissed. He'd been on time every other time. He knew she got out of church at noon and that was why they had decided on this time, but she also knew that he worked third shift every Saturday.

"Really?" Fitz whispered under his breath as he slowed to a crawl on the hill leading into town. Typically, it was only about a five minute drive from his home to their designated place at the IGA on the other end of town. Of course today would be the day he got behind a tractor. At the top of hill, he was finally able to pass, lifting a hand in Randy's direction as he did so. He was less frustrated about a mile later when he had to roll to a stop in front of the stoplight. Getting stopped in the middle of town was always inevitable.

Once the light turned green, it was only a matter of minutes before Fitz was pulling into the large, nearly empty parking lot on that end of town. He grimaced as he hit a pothole, one of many that littered the whole lot. Rumour had it that old Carl would be repairing the whole thing after this week's fair. He rolled to a stop in the back right corner, beside Olivia's white Yukon. Putting the truck in park, he turned off the engine.

"You're late."

At least she didn't sound mad. It was just an observation.

"I overslept."

"Seph fell asleep. Do you want me to wake her?"

"I'll get their stuff loaded first."

She nodded, hitting a button on her keys and watching the back of the SUV rise into the air. She crossed her arms under her chest, staying quiet as he loaded bag after bag into the bed of his pickup. Three black suitcases. One for each of their kids. Shutting his tailgate, he walked around to the back of Olivia's car, shutting her trunk. His eyes lit up when he saw Athena standing by her mother. The twelve year old was as tall as Olivia already. Either she was a fast grower or she had taken after her father in the height department.

"Hey kiddo."

"Hey dad." She gave him a large grin, her lime green braces drawing his attention. She'd finally stopped getting embarrassed by the things.

"I'll grab your brother and sister then we'll go."

Opening the car door, he found Seph asleep in her carseat and Helios playing on his tablet. The seven year old turned to his father, dropping the tablet to the seat beside him.

"Dad! Are we going to the fair?" His smile revealed a gap between his front teeth.

"Already got your passes. You lost another tooth, buddy."

"This morning. Mom packed it so the tooth fairy can get it tonight."

"We'll have to remember to place it under your pillow. Now hop out and get in the truck."

The boy did as he was asked, reaching back into the car to grab his tablet before slamming the door. Fitz shook his head as the sound of Olivia chastising their son floated to his ears. His fingers worked to undo the various buckles holding Seph into her seat. When he finally got the straps undone, he lifted the little girl into his arms. She opened her dark eyes as he was struggling to close the door, gave him a sleepy smile, and snuggled her cheek into his shoulder. He rubbed her back, rounding the SUV and heart hurting, as always, at how much his little girl looked like her momma. Athena was his carbon copy and Helios had inherited the best from both parents.

"I heard Lio tell you about his tooth. It's in a baggie on top of his clothes." Olivia held the back door open for him as Fitz placed Seph into the carseat in his truck. After he was finished, he moved out of the way for Olivia to shut the door.

"Sorry I was late." He tried. They were getting better at letting all the hurt and anger go. It had taken time, but they were finally there.

"It's your job."

Stuffing his hands in his pockets, he offered another Olive Branch.

"If you want to go to the fair with them any, just text me."

"Thanks. Bye Fitz."

"Bye Olivia."

He watched her wave to their kids, blowing a kiss through the window before she got into her SUV. As he rounded his truck, he heard her start her engine and slowly drive away. Sighing, he opened his truck door and climbed in. The sound of some Taylor Swift song and Helios's complaining hit his ears.

"Dad, make her change it!"

"You're not even listening. You're playing Minecraft," Athena fired back.

"Stop arguing. Unless you're going to put your tablet down, Ath can choose the music."

"But this song sucks."

"Maybe she thinks your game is boring. Does that mean you should stop playing?"

Helios tilted his head to the side, meeting his dad's gaze in the rearview mirror before shrugging and going back to his game. Athena's rummaging in her pocket drew Fitz's attention from the backseat to the seat beside him. He smiled to himself when she pulled her earbuds from her pocket and handed the headphones back to her brother. Even when they were fighting, she was still a good sister.

"Where are we going to for lunch?" Fitz asked as he began pulling out of his parking space. They always had lunch together on Sundays. Either before he dropped them off or after he picked them up. It was part of their routine.

"Can we go to Mama Rosa's?" Athena was quick to suggest.

"Yeah!" Helios agreed from the backseat.

Fitz smiled to himself, turning right out of the parking lot at the stop-sign. The kids loved Mama Rosa's and all of its small town charm. Of course they were stopped by the light in the middle of town. Athena took that time to continue blasting music from her phone and, as a song Fitz actually knew the lyrics to began playing, Fitz began singing along.

"You are somebody that I don't know."

The look on Athena's face was priceless. It only took her a second to recover and then she was singing right along with him. They belted every line of that song together. Loudly. Even after he had parked alongside the road, they waited until the song was over before getting out of the truck.

"Hey Sheriff!"

The bell's ring over the door echoed behind the quartet as they entered Mama's and Mama herself greeted them. Her loud, larger-than-life voice carried through the diner and her ample frame leaned against the bar across from the glass, double doors.

"And his little deputies are with him!"

"Hi Mama." Athena was the first to greet the older woman.

"Go have a seat! I'll send Lillian out with your drinks."

At their usual booth in the corner, under one of the flat screen tv's, they began the process of filling each other in on their week. Athena had gotten a B on that science test she was worried about. Helios had promised to ask if his dad would help coach basketball and Seph was supposed to have her first spelling test after fair break.

"Dad," Athena began, coating a mozzarella stick in marinara sauce, "Mom said somebody robbed the BP in Fairfax last night."

"Yes they did and yes I was there." He had always been honest about his job and the dangers of it with them. It was better to talk through their questions and their fears than to pretend they didn't have any.

"She said the guy died."

"He did."

"And that he shot at the cops."

"He did. That was before my department got there."

"I was worried."

"That's normal."

She bowed her head, long blonde hair falling into her face. Athena was a natural brunette, like her father, but had begged to bleach her hair a week ago. After a conversation between both parents, Olivia had taken her to get it done. Shoving her hair to the side and biting her lip, she said the one thing to make Fitz's heart stop.

"Mom was worried too."

"Sylvester! You're supposed to be inside." Seph struggled to lift the heavy cat in her arms, following her brother into the house.

"I'll grab mine and, dad." Athena jogged around the truck and took her back from Fitz's hands. Shouldering Seph and Helios's bags, Fitz followed Athena up the sidewalk and into the house. He dropped the bags onto the floor.

"You need to check on the goats, Ath."

"Let me put my bag in my room."

The cat ran past him in a blur, followed closely by Seph. That poor cat.

"I'm going to take my suitcase to my room, dad." Helios appeared from the restroom down the hall.

"Did you already take Ivor to the fair?" Athena emerged from her bedroom in a blue and white Hillsborough cheer shirt and a pair of blue jean shorts that brought a frown to Fitz's face.

"Your grandpa took him last night. We'll have to go take care of him later."

She nodded, bounding out the backdoor and in the direction of the field behind the house. His daughter was an animal lover so he never had to remind her to take care of the goats, horses, cows, rabbits, or chickens. Athena would even check Sylvester and Greywind though they were her brother and sister's responsibility. At the end of the week, he knew he would be comforting her after she had to sell Ivor. That's how it went every year at the fair.

"Daddy! Sylvester is hiding under my bed!"

Fitz smiled to himself at Seph's call. Turning and walking down the hall, he chuckled as he glanced into Seph's room. The little girl was half under the bed, legs sticking out, and meowing. Just another day with his little ones.

"Good morning, Sheriff." Kolbie greeted as Fitz entered the Sheriff's station. Adjusting the belt around his waist, he nodded at the receptionist. The young girl had proven invaluable since he'd hired her a couple months back as a favour to her uncle. If it could be called a favour. Fitz knew better than to tell the mayor no - not when he had a favour of his own to ask, anyway.

Using his key to open the door, he entered the hallway and walked back to his office. He had only just gotten settled into his chair when there was a knock on the door.

"What's up Stephen?" Fitz barely glanced up from his computer as his fingers flew across the keyboard, typing in his login credentials.

"You driving the car in the parade tonight?"

"Yeah. I think Lio is going to ride with me and Athena is doing the cheer float this year."

"What about Seph? She can go with Lisa and the boys if you need her to."

"Thanks. My mom and dad are taking her."

Stephen nodded, crossing his arms and leaning against the wall.

"We had another issue with Hillsborough last night."

"Again?" Fitz turned his attention to Stephen, his eyes wide.

"Jake was all the way in Bethel. We got a call from the lady he pulled over."

"That's twenty minutes out of his jurisdiction. What the hell?"

"It's all in the report. Just in case he calls to complain. Huck and I didn't give a damn about hurting his feelings."

Fitz snorted at the suggestion that Jake would even think about giving him a call.

"That dumbass isn't going to call me. I'm going to call the Chief. Next time, tase his ass."

"I see you two still aren't getting along." Stephen smirked as Fitz gave him the finger. The two were close, having started the force around the same time, and Stephen knew Fitz's feelings toward Jake as well as the why behind those feelings. At this point, he was just trying to get Fitz riled up. And it was working.

"No, Stephen. The man who fucked my ex-wife in my bed while we were still married isn't off my shit list. He can go to Hell for all I care."

"How is ol' Olivia by the way?"

"Good, I suppose. Unless it's about the kids, we don't speak."

"She finally stopped being a bitch and blaming you for fucking another man?"

"I'm sure it's still somehow my fault." Fitz shrugged. He didn't dwell on that part of his life very often anymore. They had three beautiful kids from their marriage and Olivia? Olivia had Jake now. It was...less than perfect, but what could he do?

"Man I actually liked her too."

"Marriage is messy. You should know that by now. Liv and I just couldn't make it work."

"I probably wouldn't make it work with Lisa if she cheated either." Pushing off the wall, Stephen dropped his arms and hit his hand against the doorframe.

"I don't know. Sometimes I wish I would have done things differently."

Shaking his head, Stephen walked out of the room and left Fitz to dig through his emails from the previous night. By the time Big Jerry dropped Helios off, Fitz was finally caught up on all his administrational duties. He had also gotten a call in to the Hillsborough Chief about Jake that had been less than pleasant. Now, he found himself scheduled to meet with the very man he wanted nothing more than to eviscerate. Wednesday morning was going to suck.

"Dad?" Helios was following Fitz out to the car they would be driving in the parade.

"Yeah, buddy?"

Fitz hit the unlock button on his set of keys. Opening the door of the patrol car, he held it as Helios got in.

"Can I have a phone like Athena?" Helios asked as Fitz slid behind the wheel.

"We'll talk about it later, bud. Let's focus on the fair and parade, okay?" Fitz clicked his seatbelt into place, checking Helios's before turning the engine on.

"We'll talk about it, right?"

"Yes, Lio."

They drove in silence to the high school parking lot where all the other vehicles and floats were lining up in the order they would be participating in the parade. Fitz drove through the parking lot, parking at the front of the line and rolling the windows down.

"Are you going to toss candy, Lio?"

"Yeah!"

That was always Helios's favourite part. That and getting to turn the patrol car's lights on. The kid was always talking about being a cop when he grew up. Just like his dad. Fitz helped Helios open candy bags and dump them into the small, plastic bowl in his lap.

"Ready to get this started?" Fitz winked, putting the car in drive.

"Whoo!" Helios shouted, finger moving to the switch for the lights as Fitz turned onto the dead main street through town, laughing along with his son.

A/N - Just like Ocean's Daughter, this one will be updated weekly. I just finished writing this not long ago and now I'm going back through and typing up the chapters. Yes, I hand wrote it first.

So, this chapter introduced Olitz's children and there was a bit of what has been going on between the two up until this point. Fitz and Olivia have quite the journey ahead of them and their children are going to play rather large roles.

I hope all of you who read this and didn't run the moment you realised that Olitz are divorced and Jake is involved, enjoyed what you've read so far. Please trust in the process and remember - wherever Jake and Mellie are concerned, karma is a bitch.

Until next time,

Gabi