Fitz Grant had it made.
Seeing his face everywhere — commercials, on the sides of buses, magazines, and billboards — confirmed that life as he knew it, was good. As co-anchor to the illustrious Kimberly Mitchell, they were the fun-loving duo on KCSD, dominating the timeslots of 6 and 11PM. He could go anywhere and get what he wanted. The perks of being a photogenic news anchor. It was the closest thing to be spoiled as an early 40-something. On paper, he had so much going for him; News at 6 with Kim and Fitz, was the highlight of everyone's evening in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. He was the golden boy; resting until 2pm, getting to the station by 3, working until 11:30. His routine was like clockwork, easy and comfortable. Numerous appearances at galas, store openings, and fun events. The dating game was a little difficult because of his work schedule, but it was fun to meet new people whenever he could.
But over time, he had this sense of longing to do something different. He was questioning his career's trajectory.
He called his agent, Abigail Whelan, and brainstormed about what he could do to make some changes. Of course, Abby gave him a lecture of how important it was to be on top, and how strange it would be to just up and leave. This was their normal - bouncing ideas, arguing, and then coming to a solution. After a rough patch at the beginning of their dynamic, Fitz and Abby had become very close friends. She knew what he would like and what appearances he would not prefer. They both called each other out, but knew it was for the best. He would do his job, she would do hers.
Yes, it did seem like he was out of his mind to leave. But the following questions ran through his mind constantly: When is the right time to move on? Move forward with your life? Even if the situation you're in is fun, successful, and most importantly, comfortable?
Abby began to research for new opportunities in journalism across the country. Throughout the grapevine, she received word that a top-rated station in Washington, DC, had put out a call for new anchors. A rumor had been spreading - the producer had fired a previous team because they weren't bringing in acceptable ratings and they wanted to have a landmark show in the morning.
Three thousand miles away to start new? It was crazy, but it sparked something inside of him.
Fitz had only been to Washington twice in his life. A tour of the well-known museums when he was 10 years old and an Inauguration Ball party, thanks to a connection he had. But the secretive press release was too good to pass. After much thought and support from others closest to him, Fitz called off for two days and took a red-eye to visit the East Coast. When he arrived, he immediately noticed how this city was a different kind of busy. Intrigued by the wealth of knowledge and history, he knew it could be an area he could get accustomed to.
With Abby's blessing, Fitz applied for the position, sending off a current reel of his top moments at the station, that varied from serious topics to funny and light-hearted segments. Hoping that would help him forgo the initial round of interviews and allow him more time to get things situated. Soon after, a call from an assistant director in Washington confirmed his next interview. But he was needed on Monday. He received the call on Saturday afternoon.
Everything was going so fast; taking another red-eye, breaking the news to his boss and Kim, that he might be moving on.
After the first round of interviews, subsequently making the cut, Fitz was becoming more confident in his chances.
Along with Abby, Fitz drove around, seeing what Washington had to offer. The day after the interview, he had a meeting with a realtor who had much success with other news personalities in the area. Fitz was told the perfect condo or loft would be found, either in Northwest or by the baseball stadium. All before sundown. No need to look across the border to Arlington or on the other side to Chevy Chase or Bethesda, in Maryland.
Staying at the Mayflower Hotel was nice, but if he was going to get this job, he would need something more permanent immediately.
Fitz Grant was looking for the next level in his life.
"Hey Kyle," Fitz called his boss in Los Angeles, "I'm on my way to my second interview. Not sure how it will go, but I'll give you a ring once I find out. See ya."
The Uber stopped in front of the building. WWTK. Fitz slid his credit card through the reader, punching in the amount for his tip to the driver. "Thanks a lot."
Wearing his favorite navy blue suit, light blue dress shirt, and a dark tie, he was feeling good about himself. Taking a deep breath, Fitz entered the building, signing in, taking the elevator to the fifth floor. When the door opened, he was greeted by a familiar face.
"Fitz!"
"Hello, my good man! I didn't know you worked here."
Marcus Walker, a former co-worker from L.A., beaming while casually shruggling, "You know. Just another stop in the grand scheme of things. Welcome to DC. How was your flight?"
"It was alright, still getting used to the time change."
"Well, the person you need to see is in that office over there," Marcus pointed. "No matter what. Just keep your cool."
That confused Fitz. Eyebrows knitted, he asked, "What?"
Marcus laughed while walking away. "Trust me. Let's catch up when you're done. I have a meeting in five."
Waving goodbye, Fitz strolled into the particular suite, mentioning to the receptionist of his appointment, and waited.
And waited.
And waited.
It was odd to be patient, not quite his strongest suit. Fitz sighed, smoothing out his tie down several times, distracting himself. There was no need to be anxious, but the whole situation could be a huge stepping stone in his career.
"Good morning, Mr. Grant."
He rose to shake hands with a beautiful dark-haired woman approaching him. She moved with authority and that was incredibly sexy.
"Good morning, Miss..."
"Keating. Annalise, to be exact. WWTK executive producer. Thank you for coming in. I know you and your team were told about our search of a dynamic, charming co-host for our new morning show. It's in the 9-10AM slot. Perfect for late rises and stay at home-parents. Walk with me."
Fitz smiled, as they made their way to her personal office."Yes, the opportunity sounds very appealing." Annalise invited him to sit down.
"Since you passed the first round of interviews with one of our directors, I would like to invite you to participate in a chemistry test. I'm sure you've gone through this before at your current station. You will be reading sample prompts and we want to see how you and the other person mesh. We want to see fireworks."
"You got it," he agreed, nodding. "Would I know of anyone?"
"Depends on who you know," Annalise replied, in a somewhat cold tone, but she had a smirk on her face. "We have several candidates, coming from all over the country. Just do what you have to do to get noticed. Can you come into the studio now?"
Enthusiastically, Fitz answered. "Yes, ma'am."
As he spoke with Annalise, he began to relax. He knew his natural, God-given genes would help his case. Tall, dark-haired, with a smile that no one could compete with. But his charisma, the way he was able to connect with his co-workers and guests — he thought that was the reason why he was successful. Of course, whenever he spoke, people listened. He was a leader in front of the camera and backstage.
The green room, was decked out with a fancy cappuccino machine, plush couches, and a full-body mirror that anyone could use before rushing off to the set.
Four individuals — one man and three ladies — were also waiting, going over lines. He noticed that he probably was the oldest of the group. It shouldn't have bothered him, but a little bit of doubt was creeping in. Had he phased out of being the ideal candidate?
Always the gentleman, he greeted the others. "Good morning, everyone."
"Fitz Grant?"
His eyes shifted to the voice. "Yes, that's me."
One of the ladies, a blonde with a short bob hairstyle, extended her hand. "Amanda Tanner. I've seen you on TV in Los Angeles. KCSD. You're great!"
He smiled, graciously replying, putting his hands in his pocket. "That's great you've been able to watch."
"What brings you to DC," the man questioned.
"A change."
After a few minutes of small talk, Fitz glanced over to the last individual in the room he had not talked to. A petite African-American woman, with shoulder-length hair, was sitting in the corner, in a black dress and red pumps, focused on the piece of paper she was reading. He didn't want to interrupt her, so he chose to sit in an available chair to prepare. She was probably the one to look out for.
Amanda mentioned to Michaela Pratt, who seemed to be a younger version of Annalise, "I heard they brought in Laurel Castillo all the way from Miami."
"There's no doubt. They'll hired her like that," Jake Ballard commented, snapping his fingers. The athletic-looking transplant from Chicago, added, "DC needs more diversity. Not just the reporters. The anchors."
Cyrus Beene, the news director, stormed in, announcing, "Good morning. Please remember this is just a screen test. No need to do anything fancy. Act as natural as possible. Following me. I need Fitz Grant and Michaela Pratt."
The two rose, moving in Cyrus' wake.
"By the way they're treating us, you would think we were rookies," Michaela complained while finding her seat at the desk,
Fitz shrugged.
"Teleprompter is straight ahead. The cameras are labeled. Alright in 5, 4, 3…"
"Rain or shine, we are Morning Live, I'm Fitzgerald Grant."
Ten minutes later, he and Michaela were done.
Cyrus said, "Okay, Fitz, take a twenty, and we will call you back out."
As he strutted away, the woman he hadn't met, confidently entered the studio.
"What do you bring to the table," Amanda asked. The other woman replied, but he couldn't catch the answer.
Fitz stood in the very back to observe.
After the countdown was called, she began.
"It is July 10th, here in Washington. Rise and shine, this is Morning Live, I am..."
Two directors were yapping about some technical issues, so Fitz missed the woman's name. But he was completely mesmerized. He couldn't move.
An assistant stage manager tapped Fitz on the shoulder, waking him out of his trance.
"Mr. Grant, you're next."
Rubbing his hands, he returned to the set. His partner was her.
"Good morning."
"Hello. Olivia Pope." She lifted her hand to shake his.
"Olivia. Fitzgerald Grant. Pleasure to meet you."
"Likewise," she nodded, before returning to read the paper on the desk.
"Alright, you two. Act natural," Cyrus barked.
They watched for the cues. Fitz started talking, then Olivia jumped in. It was a different script than before, but everything seemed to be effortless. They didn't have a pep talk, figuring out how to segue from point A to point B; they just knew. Wonderful eye contact. Genuine laughs. Olivia mentioned a quick antecdote during the segement about a local situation in the next county over, while Fitz interjected with something funny.
Nothing seemed forced and it was brilliant. Whenever they looked at each other, Fitz saw a brightness he hadn't seen in a co-anchor in a long time. It was like they had been friends forever.
"And cut!"
Cyrus began to clap. "That's it!"
As the stage manager came around to get the lav microphones, Olivia turned to Fitz, with a friendly wink. "Good job."
"You too," he answered, pulling off his earpiece. "That was fun."
Before they could interact further, the stage manager interrupted, "Alright, Fitz. You can take a 20. We'll call you back in."
He stepped away, trying to watch her next test, with Jake. Still, Fitz was overwhelmed by how good she was, as well as drinking in her beauty.
"She's a powerhouse, isn't she?"
"What?"
Cyrus answered, "Liv Pope. Only the best anchor on the East Coast. Well, Southeast."
"I've never heard of her."
"That's unfortunate. Too bad you've been only focused on California talent."
Slightly embarrassed, Fitz grinned, and turned to walk back to the green room. He couldn't pinpoint why and how he was drawn to her, a stranger. To be honest, she was competition. They were auditioning for the same spot. Who could say what Annalise, Cyrus, and others were looking for.
In all, there were eleven people who were called in for the chemistry test. Some were gregarious. Others had a strong presence. Most could work the camera. While a few had some difficulty with transitions. But Olivia, she had something amazing. Her delivery, her sweet laugh, how she made her partner comfortable.
With all eyes were on her — her energy was undeniable and infectious — and Fitz wanted to know more. Whether or not he got the job. He had to get to know her.
After an early lunch, everyone was called into the large conference room. Fitz sat with Marcus. Still groggy from the time difference, he was hoping not to doze off.
Shortly after, walked in, was waiting at the head of the table.
"Thank you all for attending. Unfortunately, we will not be able to hire everyone. I only want the most competent, beautiful personalities on my show. I don't care who they are. Squeaky clean track record, veteran in the business. Doesn't matter to me what you look like, how long your resumé. I want success. I don't want bullshit. I don't care for drama, but if background noise helps will help you will perform better, I'll concoct a recipe that will work and bring viewers to us. We will make our decision by tomorrow morning."
And like that, with all eyes on her, Annalise Keating walked out of the room, leaving the whole group speechless.
Abby counseled Fitz to just relax, and let her do the heavy lifting. But inside the spacious hotel room, that was the last thing Fitz wanted to.
With the fast-paced tests and Annalise's strong words, he didn't seem as confident as when he walked in at 10 in the morning. Besides, he had other things to think about. Was he ready to leave everything behind and start all over? Would it make sense to leave his home, for a new adventure?
He wanted this job. For whatever reason, sitting next to Olivia Pope, revitalized him. Kim Mitchell was brilliant at what she did — delivering the news in a wonderful way, but the connection they had, it took a while. With Olivia, it was instantaneous. It was scary how well they meshed. They were in sync. But maybe he was overthinking, being incredibly smitten by this woman.
Just when his eyelids closed, Abby called. Scrambling, throwing all kinds of calm out out the window, Fitz answered the phone.
"Hey, what's up."
"Fitz."
"Yeah?"
"Stop playing calm. I know you've been sitting on pins and needles."
"Whatever," he said, running his hand through his brown hair that curled at the ends, ruining the gel that he used to style it perfectly.
"I heard back from Annalise, and I've got great news. You got it. Lead anchor for Morning Live."
He fist pumped, then allowed his emotions to take over, letting out a hearty yell.
"Congrats, dear Fitz."
Fitz fell back onto the bed, relieved that he impressed everyone, including Annalise. This was the moment he needed to propel him to the next level.
"Aren't you going to ask?"
"What?"
Abby laughed, "You don't want to know who you're working with?"
"Okay," he smiled, not as concerned, but willing to humor Abby, as he poured his favorite Scotch into a glass. "Who has the pleasure of being my right hand man?"
"Woman. Olivia Pope."
All effortless confidence flew out the window. He sputtered, "What? Who did you say?"
"Olivia Pope. The one with the bright red heels. She was there with you. The fourth screen test."
Fitz didn't want to sound completely dumbfounded, so he admitted, "Oh, okay. Wanted to make sure I heard right. You know when I get excited, I block things out."
"Hmm. Is there a problem?"
"No. Not at all."
Abby chuckled, "Okay, I'm going to receive a draft of the contract. I'll wait until dinner to hand it to you."
"Okay. Bye."
This was what he wanted.
Now, the next step; making sure the chemistry he thought that existed between him and Olivia was real enough to present in front of thousands.
Hi, there! Yes, it's something new. But this been brewing since September 2017, and finally, it was time to share. It won't be a long story, but after the crossover episodes, and watching T on Today and other spots, it inspired me to write about Olitz as TV co-hosts partners. Hope you'll stick around for the next part — Olivia's POV.
xo