A/N: After watching Scandal's episode 10 last Thursday, I jokingly said on Twitter that Edison and Fitz needed to do a wife swap. Edison is angry with Liv and Fitz is going to be pissed at Mellie once he realizes the mess she's created. And then I got to thinking, wouldn't it be fun to write a story where Edison and Fitz swap their significant others? So, here goes! This will be a lighthearted, wacky, screwball type of story. Not sure yet, how many chapters, but no angst or heavy drama here. Leave a review and let me know what you think. Thanks! - Neo

Chapter 1: Desperate Times Call for Desperate Measures

"So, Edison, tell me why you think you're here today?" asked the psychologist.

"Well, Olivia and I have been in a relationship for roughly four years. I want to get married but she doesn't. She's happy with the way things are but I'm not. I'm a senator and it doesn't look good for me to still be single without children at 45."

"And Olivia, why do you think you're here today?" Dr. Jill Perrymore asked, turning to look directly at the petite polished woman sitting in front of her.

"Well, doctor, my career is very important to me. I recently moved my crisis communications firm here to D.C. and I want to get it well established before I take on the commitment of marriage," Olivia said. "I'm only 35, so I feel like this is a peak moment in time for me. Starting a family can wait."

"Edison, how does that make you feel?"

"I feel like a second-class citizen. I'm not a priority. I feel like if she had to choose between her career or our relationship, she'd choose her work."

"How is your sex life?" the doctor asked.

"Great!" Edison exclaimed. "In fact, that's the one area of our relationship that is working." Olivia didn't say anything and just merely nodded her head in agreement, but she wasn't very convincing.

"Olivia, you haven't said very much. Share with us what you're feeling right now," said the trained therapist.

"Dr. Perrymore, Edison and I, we're at an impasse in our relationship. I feel like we have a good thing right now, so why ruin it with marriage?"

Dr. Perrymore put down her Montblanc pen and closed the leather bound notebook she was taking notes in.

"I think the two of you could benefit from some time apart," she finally said.

"You mean break up?" Olivia asked, perhaps a bit too quickly.

"Impossible!" Edison interjected.

"No, not break up, just go on an extended hiatus. In fact, I think you both need to spend some time away from each other, and I've got just the perfect solution to help you gain some much needed perspective on your relationship."

Olivia and Edison exchanged perplexed looks.

"Now, what I'm about to recommend to you is a radical approach to fixing your relationship, but I've used this technique with other couples to great success," Dr. Perrymore said.

Later the same day...

"Are you kidding me?!" Mellie screamed. "You actually expect me, the First Lady of the United States, to temporarily separate from my husband?"

"Now, now, Mellie, calm down," Fitz said patting her lightly on the hand. "We've tried everything else already to save our marriage. Let's hear the doctor out. She did say this was going to be a radical suggestion."

"Thank you, Pres. Grant," Dr. Perrymore replied. "Yes, this is radical, but as I've said, I've used this technique before with other couples to great success."

"So, what exactly would it entail?" Fitz asked, leaning forward in his seat.

"Both you and Mellie need some time apart to get a new appreciation for the marriage you currently have," Dr. Perrymore said. "You've been married for 20 years, so it's only natural that a sort of residual resentment has built up in your relationship. What I'm proposing is you both take a break, taking some time way from one another so you can develop a new found appreciation for the longstanding relationship you have."

"So you expect one of us to move into a hotel or what?" Mellie asked, exasperated. "That's not going to happen!"

"Yes, Dr. Perrymore, this won't be easy but you still haven't said exactly how this would work," Fitz said, trying to keep a calm and measured tone.

"Well, what I'm proposing is essentially a wife swap," Dr. Perrymore said.

"A WIFE SWAP?!" exclaimed both Mellie and Fitz in unison.

"What the hell!" Fitz muttered under his breath.

"You cannot be serious!" Mellie said to the doctor.

"As I told you before, this is a radical technique and it's not one that I often suggest. But in your case, I think it would be beneficial," the doctor said.

Fitz and Mellie looked at each other in complete surprise.

"C'mon, Fitz, let's go!" Mellie said, standing up and grabbing her coat. "I've heard enough from this overpriced quack! And to think she came so highly recommended!"

Mellie was halfway to the door when she realized that Fitz was still rooted to his chair and wasn't going anywhere.

"Fitz? Are you coming?" Mellie asked impatiently.

"Dr. Perrymore, I must say that if I find your suggestion completely unorthodox, but if you say that you've used it before with success, I'd like to hear more about how this might work," he said.

"Are you insane?!" Mellie yelled. She marched back over to Fitz and tried to pull him out of the chair. "We are NOT doing this! I can't believe you're even listening to this crazy woman!"

"Mellie, we've tried everything, from meditation to Buddhism to traditional marriage counseling with Dr. Phil and Deepak Chopra. Nothing has worked. This is our last chance. Aren't you even the least bit curious about how this might work?" Fitz asked looking up at his wife.

Mellie remained standing with her arms crossed.

"Doctor, please, continue," Fitz said.

"Well, like I was saying, I've identified a couple in a similar situation as yours. They've agreed to take this approach. What it would entail would be that Mellie would move into the other couple's house and the woman in the other couple would move into the White House with you."

"The other woman? Aren't they married?" Mellie asked.

"No, it's a couple that has been together for a number of years in a long-distance relationship, but they are unmarried," Dr. Perrymore replied. "The woman recently moved from New York City here to D.C. to be with the man."

"So how long would this woman live in the White House?" Fitz asked.

"Six weeks," said the doctor.

"SIX WEEKS?!" Mellie exclaimed. "Oh there's no way in hell that I would agree to live in some stranger's house for six weeks!"

"Well, six weeks is the maximum amount of time. Often what happens is that a breakthrough happens way before the experience is over. However, I've found that six weeks is the ideal amount of time for a deep meaningful change in attitude to take place," the doctor replied.

"This other couple, who are they?" Fitz asked.

"FITZGERALD THOMAS GRANT! Are you seriously considering this?!" Mellie exclaimed.

Fitz ignored her outburst and looked straight at the doctor.

"Actually, you already know the man. He's Sen. Edison Davis from Florida."

"Wow, Sen. Davis has come to you for counseling?" Mellie asked, finally taking a seat. She was astonished and so was Fitz, especially since he was aware that Sen. Davis' long-term girlfriend was the spectacularly stunning Olivia Pope. Fitz had never met Olivia in person, but her reputation as a crisis communications expert preceded her. She had recently been featured in a Sunday New York Times Magazine article with an extensive photo spread, and Fitz had been particularly struck by how physically attractive she was.

"Dr. Perrymore, well, I must say that you had my curiosity before but now you have my attention," Fitz said with a smirk. The idea of a "wife swap" might not be so bad after all. Mellie, noticing the change in his demeanor, slapped him on the shoulder. "Hey, I haven't agreed to anything yet," she said testily.

"Look, I know this is a big decision, so I'll give you a few days to think about it and get back to me," the therapist said.

"No, that won't be necessary," Fitz said. "We'll do it."

"We'll WHAT?!" Mellie hissed.

"I said, we'll do it," he said turning to look directly at her. "You either go along with this little experiment or you go find yourself a good divorce attorney. Today."

"What?!"

"You heard me! I'm at the end of my rope. This is our final shot. On the ride over here, you asked me to tell you what to do to fix our marriage. I told you to have an open mind to what the doctor recommended. And you agreed, before we even stepped foot into this office, that you would do anything to fix our marriage," Fitz said firmly.

Mellie slumped down in the chair and pouted.

"So, Doc, when can we get started?" Fitz asked, perhaps a bit too eagerly.

A/N: Thanks for reading all the way to the end. Hope you enjoyed the first chapter. Check the "follow" box below so you can get an email alert when the next chapter of this wacky adventure/experiment in couples therapy is posted. Thanks for reading and reviewing! -Neo

Find me on Twitter at: NeoScandal