A/N: One-shot rewrite of Season 5 Episode 5

"Obstruction of Justice, perjury, witness tampering. These are offences everyone understands and they won't just cost you your presidency … they'll put you in jail.

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She sat on the floor of her family room leaning against the side of the sectional. She absentmindedly rubbed the just buffed hardwood floors as she tried to pull her attention away from the TV. She knew she should turn it off and pay attention to her son but she just couldn't peel herself away from the TV. It didn't matter anyway considering Teddy was more interested in his Lego's then he was in her. He had just gotten to the age where he was now big enough to be able to play with Lego's without causing her to worry about him putting them in his mouth. He only played with very simple ones, but maybe one day he would be like Jerry who was solving 16+ Lego's at age 10. She felt he chest tighten as she thought of Jerry. It had been almost 3 years but she still couldn't think about him without feeling guilty. She didn't think she would ever feel beter, she didn't ever think she would truly get over it. The loss of a child had forever changed her. It wasn't the way things were supposed to go, no child was supposed to drop dead at 16 years old. Whenever she thought about him she felt the pain but she also felt the determination to do better with the children she still had left. She was trying hard and she was already improving greatly. She was making sure that no matter how busy she got as a senator that she always had time for her kids. Weather it was going to Karen's school for her Play's or making sure she was there to tuck Teddy in every night. She really had changed for the better. Suddenly the sound of feet on the stairs snapped her out of her daze. She quickly turned around to see Karen walking down the stairs in her plaid PJ pants and peter pan tee-shirt.

"Hey Sweetie, I … I can turn this off if you want" Mellie said motioning to the TV

"No I think you should keep it on, I mean this is probably going to be like 9/11 or JFK's assassination, something people talk about forever and ever" She pointed out

"Well sweetie it doesn't affect those people the way it affects you , I mean you're the one whose father is facing jail time" Mellie said wondering if she was begin to cold. She knew Karen though and Karen was not someone who liked sugar coating.

"Yeah well since this does affect us I think it's good that we watch so we know what happens the second it happens."

"I guess your right" Mellie conceded as she helped Teddy pull apart two blocks that were stuck together.

"I always am" Karen said with a smirk as she walked into the kitchen and poured herself a glass of soy milk. When she was at school she drank coffee religiously but that wasn't something she wanted her mother to know. As she grabbed a glass from the sleek white cabinet she took a moment to admire the kitchen and the house. She loved her mother's new house more than she ever loved the Whitehouse. Sure her mother's home was huge and open but somehow it was still extremely warm and cozy which was a quality that the White House would never have. Soon Karen finished her milk and put the glass in the huge stainless steel sink before whipping off her inevitable milk mustache. After that she walked back into the family room and sat down next to her brother. At first she had been apprehensive about a new sibling, especially a brother. She had thought that Jerry would ditch her in favor Teddy but that never happened. In fact they were so busy at school they barely ever saw Teddy, but ever since Jerry died. Her mom had been trying to make up for lost time. She was so wrapped up in her thoughts she didn't even here her mother calling her name.

"Earth to Karen!" Mellie teased as she tried to get her daughters attention.

"Sorry what?" Karen said finally snapping out of her haze

"You okay sweetie?" Mellie asked gently resting a hand on her daughters arm.

"Yeah I'm fine … I'm just thinking about Jerry and how I wish he was here"

"I wish that too"

"Yeah but I mean like I always miss him but today I wish he was here, I mean he would ecstatic at the possibility of Fitz in prison"

"Oh sweetie, I don't think that's true"

"It is though, I mean no offence but I knew him the best and he hated Fitz with a burning passion" Karen admitted as Mellie tried to think if she had ever heard Karen call him Fitz before. It was always dad or daddy but never Fitz. "We both liked you better you know that right?"

"You really love me more than you love your father?" Mellie asked not believing what her daughter was admitting

"Of course we did I mean you're our mom and you always cared about us more than he did. I knew it and Jerry knew it, he even told me when Fitz was going to lose the election that he wanted to move back to North Carolina with you and me and Teddy , he wanted us to be a family again" Karen admitted as Mellie felt tears welling up in her eyes. She wanted to break down at the thought that Jerry's wish would never come true. She couldn't break down though, not now, although Karen was putting on a strong face, Mellie knew that deep down her daughter was hurting. Her brother was dead, her father had kicked her mother out to shack up with his mistress before getting impeached and possibly going to prison. Karen had had to leave school due to the relentless teasing from her supposed friends. Her world was falling apart and the entire world was watching like it was some sick twisted reality show. Mellie couldn't believe Fitz had been so heartless as to not even think about the repercussions his affair was going to have on the kids. Sure even Teddy who was barely 5 was suffering not being able to leave the house for fear of the relentless paparazzi putting him in danger. Mellie pained when she thought about what her children were going through. She had made it her mission to try to maintain a sense of normalcy during the holidays, spoiling the kids more than she had ever thought possible. She had of course though had the majority of the gifts bought on her mother's credit card , because she was after all a politician who couldn't look too extravagant even though her bank accounts contained a long train of zero's that was more than most people would make in 20 lifetimes. Suddenly BNC played the frantic music it always played during breaking news alerts as Noah Baker appeared on the screen. As he began to talk Mellie felt Karen squeeze her hand as the room went quiet.

"We now have breaking news from inside the courtroom where disgraced former President, Fitzgerald Grant was just found guilty of Perjury, Witness Tampering and Obstruction of Justice and was sentenced to 17 years in Federal Prison"