Friends, we all were left reeling from the mid-season finale of Scandal and it just so happened to coincide with the release of Adele's new album, 25. I got the deluxe version because of course I did. While listening to it over the weekend and contemplating Olivia and Fitz, I got so many ideas for fanfics that were just really great scenes in my mind, rather than several long stories. So these next 12 stories are a series of one-shots that may or may not have a through-line. Depends on the reader, I guess. Some will be canon OLITZ, others will be AU. For fun, you can listen to the album while you read—the chapter titles correspond with the songs that inspired them. Hope you feel something.
I have no words for the mid-season finale except, "Could have been done so much better."
Chapter 1 "Hello"
Hello, it's me
I was wondering if after all these years you'd like to meet
To go over everything
The phone ringing at this time of night was a surprise to him. No one knew he was out here except his daughter and Cyrus. Fitz put down his glass of scotch and peered at the phone through his reading glasses. He glanced at the clock and saw that it was close to midnight. He didn't recognize the number, but answered it anyway.
"Hello?"
"Fitz? Hi." The voice sounded relieved.
He tensed, however, his whole body becoming rigid, even as he remained horizontal on the couch, his feet propped on the leather ottoman.
Fitz cleared his throat and tried to say something, but no words came.
"It's me, Olivia."
They say that time's supposed to heal ya
But I ain't done much healing
"I, uh—what do you want?"
"I'm downstairs, can you let me in?"
He sat up quickly and looked around the room for his shoes. "What?!"
"It's cold, hurry up, Fitz."
As he moved quickly down the stairs, Fitz kept the phone to his ear listening to her breathe. He could hear the wind blow and wondered how she'd made it all the way up to the front door without his knowing about it. From the corner of his eye, he saw an agent stepping back into the shadows on the main floor. He recognized the man as a favorite of Olivia's. He made a mental note to talk to him later about doing favors for her—especially now.
When he finally reached the door and opened it, Olivia whirled around still cradling the phone to her ear. "Hi," she said again.
"Hi."
Hello, can you hear me?
I'm in California dreaming about who we used to be
When we were younger and free
I'd forgotten how it felt before the world fell at our feet
There's such a difference between us
And a million miles
"What are you doing here?"
"Aren't you going to invite me in?" she asked even as she walked past him.
"Olivia, what are you doing here? It's late—I, uh—it's been years."
"Just shy of 2, Fitz, I mean—I thought you would call before now." She walked around the house, inspecting it, her chin held high. He could see the wheels turning in her mind as she appraised the room. She reached out and touched things here and there, picked up a picture frame that held a snapshot of Teddy. Across the room there was another one of Karen and Fitz when she was a baby.
"Olivia, why are you here?"
"I came to say congratulations. You've set a date." Her confident demeanor was now gone, her expression that of hurt.
Fitz softened then, and sighed. "You heard."
"The world heard! Less than a year out of office and the President plans to marry his new girlfriend."
"Olivia, I've known Leslie since high school. We dated then. This is not a new relationship, and I cannot believe you're even standing here questioning me about it."
Hello from other side
I must have called a thousand times
To tell you I'm sorry for everything that I've done
But when I call you never seem to be home
Olivia stood silently watching him, her chin quivering slightly.
"Are you going to live here? With her?"
Fitz opened his mouth to respond and then closed it. Olivia gasped and turned her back on him.
"We're considering it."
"Why would you do something like that?"
Hello from the outside
At least I can say that I've tried
To tell you I'm sorry for breaking your heart
But it don't matter, it clearly doesn't tear you apart anymore
"Are you even trying to suggest that you care where I live or who I live with?" Fitz asked.
Olivia looked at him as though he had two heads. "Of course I care. This was supposed to be our house—this was supposed to be us! Our life, our chil-" she stopped herself and tried to gather her composure.
"Were you going to say 'children'?" Fitz asked. "Well that's never going to happen, you've seen to that."
Hello, how are you?
It's so typical of me to talk about myself, I'm sorry
I hope that you're well
It's no secret that the both of us are running out of time
She stared at him for a few minutes trying to read his face. As the realization hit her that he absolutely knew what she'd done that day, she turned her back to him. She closed her eyes and then her mouth formed a tight line.
"I had every right."
"Yes you did."
"It was my private business."
"Yes."
"I didn't have to tell anyone."
"No, you didn't. I still like to think that you knew me better than that. I could have handled knowing. I would have supported your decision."
Olivia's bravado broke quickly as anguish marked her features. "It was the right thing to do. We weren't ready. I wasn't ready."
"You know, I'm not as blind as you would believe," Fitz began. "That was an absolutely insane time. A child born into that—to two people who weren't ready to face those consequences—it would have been hard. It would have permanently changed our lives." Fitz folded his arms and leaned against the door frame. "Olivia, I would have supported you. I would have wanted our child if you'd told me about that pregnancy, but I'm not some Neanderthal that thinks I have the right to force you to do anything at all—especially become a parent before you're absolutely ready. I just wish—I wish you could have told me about it. Even after, you know? It didn't have to change anything. But what you couldn't say then and can't say now is that you don't want children, and you were too scared to tell me that."
"How did you know about that day?" she asked. "I dropped my security detail, I—you acted like you didn't know."
"I didn't know at first, but then the report came back to me. We'd already had that terrible fight. It was already over. There just didn't seem to be anything left to say. And you certainly didn't want anything to do with me."
The breath rushed out of Olivia's lungs as she reached out to brace herself against the fireplace mantel. "I don't know if I want children, Fitz. I mean, it's never really been a possibility for us and there's never been anyone I would have wanted to have a family with other than you. I just—I don't know if I ever could have said that to you."
If he felt anything for her now it was benevolence. What she and others viewed as weakness in him, Fitz understood for himself was a great capacity to love. To love others more than he loved power was what his father criticized him for, and possibly the only thing about him that he believed Olivia disrespected. He had a healthy appreciation for the power of the presidency, but nothing had ever been more important to Fitz than the love he felt for his children, and for Olivia. He wished she could understand it—wished she could value it. But being raised the way she had been, how could she?
"For the record, I'll always wish this was us," Fitz said. "And I don't think I could ever live here with anybody but you. So I'll probably sell the place."
As the weight of his words hit her Olivia walked over to him and put herself in his arms without asking if he minded. Fitz accepted her into his embrace and kissed the top of her forehead before resting his chin on the top of her head.
"It feels like I'm too late," she sighed. "Please tell me I'm not."
When he didn't answer, Olivia looked up into his eyes as tears spilled out of her own. "Do you remember the last thing I said to you when we were last year together?" she asked.
"You said, 'Don't sell the house'," Fitz replied.
Olivia nodded and stepped back from him. "Please, Fitz. Don't sell the house."