They were standing around the conference room table, four bodies pacing, one standing by watching them. None had any desire to pull out a chair and sit, there was too much adrenaline running through them.
They had a new problem to fix, a big problem, a close problem; one that would make them no money, but that they were all desperate to find the solution to.
It was the case of their boss, Olivia Pope. Or as the media was now calling her, the president's mistress.
The news had broken earlier that day with an ambush by the press on Olivia and as soon as they'd seen it, the rest of the team had made their way to OPA and gotten straight to work. Huck and Quinn had gotten to work tracking down the source of the leak, while Harrison and Abby had been trying to formulate a plan all morning to take control of the story and come up with a new spin.
Harrison hadn't been surprised by the news. Ever since he'd found out at the hospital just a few weeks earlier that his boss and the president were more than just former co-workers and friends, he'd been waiting for this moment to come, running scenarios in his mind over and over about how they'd go about fixing it. Coming up with different ideas and strategies to diminish the situation; he just hadn't thought it'd be so soon.
Abby for her part seemed completely taken by surprise. All the televisions were turned on to the news and every station was playing the same story over and over again, repeatedly cutting between the president's press conference a few days earlier, the first lady's interview accusing her husband of an affair, and Olivia leaving her hotel earlier that day. Every time Abby looked at it she couldn't help but shake her head and make a snarky comment. 'Typical Republican' she'd say. 'I just don't get what she sees in him'. 'They're all the same'. Over and over. Harrison had begun to get sick of it, but he didn't say anything. He had too many thoughts running through his mind to start an argument, and he wasn't entirely sure he disagreed.
When Olivia had arrived she'd seen the TVs and immediately turned them off. Quinn and Huck had come into the conference room announcing that so far they didn't have anything specific, but that they believed the leak may have been from the White House itself. Olivia had just shaken her head and looked away at the news. When she'd turned back she looked directly at Abby as if waiting for her to say something, but the redhead didn't make any comment. Without another word they'd gotten started on their work and had continued on throughout the morning.
An hour and a half in Olivia's phone began to ring for the fourth time since she'd arrived and for the fourth she didn't answer it. She would look at the screen, read the number, then press the silencer and put it back. One time Harrison tried to take a look at the name on the screen, but there was none. It was just a number. He assumed it was probably just a reporter calling and let it go.
Thirty minutes later a knock came to the door and everyone stopped. They all turned to look at each other then looked at Huck. He'd been in charge of making no one came in.
"I thought we had someone watching the door downstairs" Olivia stated.
"We do," he replied back but didn't say any more.
The knock came again, this time a bit louder and more insistent, but still within what one would consider reasonable knocking parameters. They all turned towards the door and stared at it, unsure of how to respond.
Immediately Harrison went into action.
"Olivia hide in your office, Huck go check the cameras. Quinn go and see who it is."
Quinn looked at him nervously, but nodded. Slowly she made her way to the door just as the third knock came.
"It's two guys in suits," she said after she looked through the peep hole.
"What color are their suits?" Harrison asked. She looked at him strangely but turned to check again.
"Black, and it looks like they have some sort of communication device in their ears."
"Crap." Harrison and Abby both said looking at each other.
Just then they saw Olivia come back out of her office and stand by the door, a stern look of anger on her face. She knew who it was. "Open the door Quinn," she told her employee.
Quinn followed through and as soon as the door was opened she came face to face with two men holding serious expressions looking directly at her.
"Ma'am I'm Secret Service agent Tom and this is agent Frank, may we come in and do a sweep of the office? The President would like see Miss Pope."
Quinn could only stare back at them in momentary shock, but before she could answer she heard a voice calling from behind her.
"Come in Tom!" It was Olivia. Quinn stepped back and watched as the two men walked past her and into the conference room, both looking around through every room as they did. She saw Huck sitting in his office with a worried look on his face, his hands in fists as if he was trying to keep himself under control, but when the two agents looked into his room they didn't give it much importance, quickly leaving as soon as they entered.
Once they were done looking around, they walked back towards the door and Quinn watched as one of them grabbed the lapel of his jacket and spoke into it.
"Cleared for Eagle," he said. They left the office, but didn't go far. One stayed just outside the door, while the other kept walking until he reached the elevator, parking himself against it.
Just as Quinn thought it was okay to close the door, the elevator dinged and the doors opened. Next thing she knew, the President of the United States was walking towards her with two more agents by his side. As he crossed the hall each agent stopped at a different spot facing the opposite wall. He walked like he was determined to find something, like a man on a mission no one could stop until he could accomplish it.
Quinn watched him walked towards her then stood flat against the wall holding the door as she waited for him to come in. She was in shock, she'd never met him before. Had never once in person seen the man whose affair had been the cause of such distress for her during her first case at OPA and was now once again the cause of the office's latest assignment. She didn't know what to think of him, but as he walked past her and nodded, greeting her by name, she felt the kind of nerves one usually got when they were meeting their favorite celebrity for the first time or when they were in fact meeting the President. She felt star struck.
As soon as he came in she closed the door behind him and followed him back into the conference room. He greeted everyone but quickly turned his sights on the one person he came to see.
"Olivia," he said looking right at her. She was leaning against the frame of the door that led to her office, arms folded across her chest, with a look on her face that said she was less than impressed by his presence.
"Mr. President," she replied firmly.
"I've been calling you," he told her, ignoring the fact that there were four other people in the room listening.
"I know." She countered.
"You haven't been answering," he continued.
"I know that too."
He sighed and shook his head, clear frustration present on his features. He looked around the room at the people watching them and suddenly appeared to become self-conscious in front of them. He stuck his hands into his pockets then stood straight, his chest sticking out in the process.
"Olivia, we need to talk," he finally explained, his voice low and demanding.
She didn't say anything at first, she simply looked back at him with her lips pressed tightly shut as if refusing to acknowledge what he'd just said. The rest of the group stood quietly between them, looking back and forth at the two figures, unsure of what they should next. Abby had her hands folded in front of her, her fingers continuously tapping against her knuckles, with a smirk on her face like she wanted to say something but she was holding back her tongue. Harrison, for his part, stood next to her mirroring Fitz's posture with his hands in his pockets and his back to Olivia in a protective stance. Quinn and Huck were both behind Fitz, Huck watching Olivia the whole time, waiting for any sign from her that the President had overstepped his boundaries.
After about a minute Olivia finally spoke.
"Fine," she said and walked into her office, not waiting for him to walk over. She left the door open and he followed her in, closing it once he stepped into the room.
As soon the doors were closed it was like the tension had finally been let out of the room. Everyone let out a breath and turned to each, Harrison picked up a paper from the table and Quinn finally pulled out a chair and took a seat.
"Can you believe it?" Abby asked, shaking her head. "The nerve of some people."
"Abby not now," Harrison responded, looking up from the paper in front of him.
"What do you think he's saying to her?" Quinn whispered from her seat.
Abby pulled out a chair to take a seat and Harrison followed shaking his head in response to Quinn's question as he did. "I don't know, "he told her. None of them said anything after that, all choosing instead to quietly focus on the task at hand, unwilling to move until the door once again opened.
"What are you doing here? You can't just show up here unannounced like that, any reporter could have seen you!" Olivia snarled as soon as the door to her office was closed. She was standing behind her desk, Fitz was standing by the door but walked closer to her and stood on the other side opposite her, keeping the distance she apparently wanted between them.
"Let them see me," he said defiantly, then continued before she could respond again. "Liv, we need to talk about what happened this morning." His tone was calm when he said the words, as if he was trying to calm her with just the sound of it if she wouldn't listen to their meaning.
"What happened was I completely ambushed by a sea of reporters because of a leak of information that only a hand full of people knew about, a leak that apparently came from the White House according to my source."
Fitz was already shaking his head before she even finished. "It wasn't me," he told her honestly.
For a moment her features softening slightly at his confession, instinctively believing him without a reason to doubt, then hardened just the same before she asked her next question.
"Who was it then?"
"It was Mellie."
Olivia's heart stopped as soon as he said the words and stared at him in disbelief with her mouth hung open. Of course it was. Who else would it be? She'd thought about it and other than Fitz there was only one person that could possibly benefit from the story coming out, Mellie. It made perfect sense. With Olivia's identity coming out as the President's mistress it would either force him to deny the claims, which would put a strain between their relationship, or force him to acknowledge it, which would make Mellie come out as the sympathetic wife of the philandering husband who couldn't keep it in his pants. It would put her in the public's good graces and would allow her to become independent in order follow the career path she'd always wanted.
"I thought you were supposed to go to her last night, we talked about it yesterday. You were supposed to beg her to forgive you."
Fitz took a seat and put his head in his hands, rubbing his eyes as he remembered the image of himself on his knees as he asked for Mellie to take him back. An image he now wanted only to forget.
"I did." He said sitting back in the chair, "and she did. But apparently that was after she had already leaked the story, none of it matters now."
Olivia rested her hands on the desk in front of her and leaned forward, a look of contemplation on her face as she took in the information he had just given her.
"Have you spoken with her?" she asked.
"Argued with her, yes. She's packing her bags once again and moving officially out of the White House as we speak."
Olivia raised her eyebrows.
"What?" she asked in complete surprise.
Fitz sat forward in his seat, folding his hands over his knees to get as close to her as possible.
"I'm not denying our relationship Livie. I don't care anymore. After all was said and done this morning, I actually found myself feeling happy despite the leak, like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. We spoke about this before. I don't want to keep pretending I'm in a marriage I don't want to be in. Mellie and I are getting a divorce, then you and I can be together. I don't care if I lose the presidency. If the American people can't accept you, then they can't have me either."
Olivia locked eyes with him for a moment once he'd finished, then quickly looked away. She couldn't believe what he was telling her. It was the same thing all over again, the same story. She felt the pressure of his words hit her and the same fear that always set in when they got too close to actually becoming a reality filled the pit of her stomach. As much as she loved him, as much as she wanted to be with him, she wasn't sure she was really ready to give up the life she had. If he continued to be president and somehow won re-election what would that mean? He wanted to marry her, she would have to move into the White House, she would have to leave her job behind.
And if he lost? Then where would that take them? His home was in California, though with impending divorce she guessed now that he'd probably be losing it. Still, even if they stayed in DC, how well could she work when her clientele would know her mostly as the woman who caused the president to lose his office in disgrace?
Neither option seemed particularly pleasing, yet another part of her felt that it didn't matter. That she was over-thinking things too much and that in the end what would make her happiest would be simply just to be with him, no matter what the sacrifice. When they were together she never felt more satisfied, more safe. Like she could be in his arms forever and never get tired of it. He was more to her than just another boyfriend, just another man she'd shared her bed with, he was the love of her life. He was her soul mate brought together by the kind of fate many people spend their whole lives searching for, but never get to experience.
She couldn't let her fear take the opportunity for happiness slip away from her, he'd earned her after-all and she knew she had to earn him just as well.
"All right," she answered, taking a deep breath. "So where do we go from here?"
He smiled at her, his face brightening instantly. He stood and she watched him walk slowly around her desk, the smile remaining on his lips the entire time. She turned to face him as turned the corner and stepped close to her.
She stared up at him as he placed his hands on her hips and pulled her close, waiting to see what he'd say next.
"I'm going to hold a press conference again this afternoon."
She nodded.
"I'm going admit to them the truth, I'm going to tell them everything. I'm also going tell the press I still intend to run for a second term, as I know you want me to, then I'm going to let them know that my intention is to marry you as soon as my divorce is final. "
She shifted her gaze away from his for a moment, thinking about his plan, then turned back. She looked deep into his eyes, the blue as bright as she'd ever seen it. His face appeared younger than it usually did, like the hope for a different future, one where he could finally be with the woman he loved, had taken years off him. She didn't want to take that away again.
"Okay," she whispered.
Elated by her response, he brought her closer to him still and pressed his body against hers. He moved his hands to her face and looked into her eyes, allowing her to see the undeniable love for her he had behind them, then he shifted his view to her lips. He ran his thumb gently over them, admiring how they felt against his skin, before he leaned forward and met her mouth with his. Her lips immediately parted to allow him in and she savored the taste of his mouth as he kissed her hungrily, like if he'd never had the chance to kiss her before. The sensation sent chills down her spine at the knowledge that it signified the start of a new beginning.
Once they broke the kiss they continued looking eyes, simply taking the other one in. It felt like minute upon minute passed where the felt satisfied simply lost in the other's stare, until finally she broke the silence when she remembered the one person they hadn't spoken about.
"What about Cyrus?" she asked. "What has he said?"
Fitz smirked, remembering Cyrus's reaction just hours earlier that day. "Cyrus has been running around the whole morning like a chicken with his head cut off trying to convince me to change my mind."
She laughed; she could perfectly imagine what her friend must be like at the moment. It didn't surprise her.
"I don't care though, I've made up my mind." He added then leaned down to kiss her again, but just then a knock came to her door and they were startled apart by the voice the followed.
"Sir, we need to start heading back now." It was Tom.
"Okay, be right out." Fitz called out to him then turned back to Olivia.
"One more thing," he started. "I want your team to work for me during the campaign. I know you'll want to help too, but I feel like it would come off as less of a conflict of interest if they work as the leads with you behind them."
She nodded, "that might be a good idea. I'll let them know. I had already been planning to leave the practice to Harrison before anyway."
"Good, then it's settled," he beamed.
As soon as the door opened the remaining members of OPA all sat up in their chairs, then immediately stood. Fitz walked out with Olivia following close behind, at seeing that he'd once again garnered the team's attention Fitz decided to speak.
"It was nice seeing you guys once again and meeting some of you for the first time," he stated while looking at Quinn.
He walked up to the young woman and extended his hand to hers. She took it cautiously and said, "it's nice meeting you Mr. President."
He smiled as he shook her hand. "Call me Fitz, you'll be seeing a lot more of me now." He said, then to look beside him at Olivia.
"Okay, F-Fitz." Quinn replied nervously.
He then went up to Harrison and also extended his hand. "Good to see you again Mr. President," the younger man said. Fitz nodded and once again smiled despite his ignored request. He wished Harrison hadn't been so formal with him; he wanted to befriend Olivia's team because he knew they were important to her, but he knew it would be much harder to get the other man to trust him and become comfortable. The fact that he was courteous was enough for now.
When he went up the Abby, however, he got a much different response. She extended her hand before he did and spoke first, "wish I could say it's good to see you again too, Fitz, but I wouldn't want to lie." She said it with such venom in her voice, that it almost made him want to pull his hand back, but he shook hers firmly and continued to smile.
"Abby!" Olivia scorned her.
"No, it's okay Liv. I'm a politician, I'm used to that," he as he looked at Abby and challenged her pleased smile. He wasn't at all surprised by her response. In fact he had expected it and it surprised him more when the others hadn't reacted more similarly, though he guessed they were probably just better at hiding it.
As soon as he took his hand back he looked in the direction of the hall that led to the door where Huck was standing and nodded to him. He understood that Huck was not a person whom he could just as easily exchange casual greetings with. He knew a lot about all the members of Olivia's staff, she never hesitated to talk about them. He knew they were like a family to her and he felt grateful that he could meet them again, though under much different circumstances.
For a second Huck didn't move at all, but then he nodded slightly, letting Fitz know that things were in fact okay between them. Fitz gave him a thankful smile.
Once they were done Olivia then followed him to the door, but he turned to her before he opened it.
"Don't release any statement yet," he told her. "Watch the press conference and I'll call you after. Please answer this time."
She laughed. "I will," she said kissing him. "Good luck."
She opened the door and watched him go, keeping an eye on him until he reached the elevator and the doors closed behind him. When she turned away from the door she found her team watching her curiously.
"What did he mean we'll be seeing a lot more of him now?" Quinn inquired.
Olivia chuckled and pushed herself away from the door. Now she'd have to tell them about their new assignment, she only hoped they'd want to take it.