Author's Note: And the Olitz beat goes on. Here's another monster sized brand new D.D. and more on the WIPs (including II Corinthians) will be up soon. Enjoy!
(CMW2/Trumpetnista: Draftbook Drabble #31-(The Trail AU (unrelated to #1′s AU), Fitz, Olivia, mentioned FTGIV and Karen, Cyrus, Maya, drunk!Mellie, Mellitz Zombie divorce aftermath, mentioned past Edison/Olivia, Olitz, first meeting, first kiss, first time, ride or die, NSFW))
Words from the Gladiator in a Hoodie: Sometimes, my mind and Muses just wander off and come back with ideas that make me go 'huh?' and then, 'Well,may-be it can work'. This is one of those times. This is what happens when I think of a freshly divorced, love jaded yet still running for POTUS Fitz meets a semi reclusive, infamously love jaded political savant Liv through an utterly desperate Cyrus and...well, just read on. I've gone into left field with these two before and it's worked out tremendously. Hopefully, it will again. As always, there will be more for the WIPs up soon and I hope you guys enjoy the latest! Mad Love, Jam, and Power Drills, *~Trump*~
Disclaimer: "Honestly, it's not mine!"
"You want me to work with Olivia Pope? As in Olivia Pope?"
"That's what I said. What are you doing?"
"I'm looking up the number to Reston's campaign HQ so I can tell him that my campaign manager definitely wants him in the Oval. Olivia Pope is your ace in the hole? Really?"
"Fitz, it's not like you've got anything left to lose! You're already getting hell for the divorce…"
"The only good things to come from my marriage to Mellie are Karen and Gerry and thanks to her, I had to get my DNA tested just to make sure that they didn't belong to Nichols or that they weren't my younger siblings. I shouldn't have married her to begin with but you live and you learn. Cyrus, Olivia Pope is still very volatile and…"
"… and absolutely brilliant. She's an evil genius with contacts a mile thick and if anyone can turn this Campaign around, it's her. She's the best, Fitz. If you want a long shot at the Oval in this Race or a good one in 2012's, you need the best in your camp."
"If she's so good at politics, then why isn't she already working with Reston or better yet, why didn't she take up with Sally before I got the nomination? Why isn't she serving in office herself or advising someplace?"
"She's 28 so she's too young to run for anything major and she's very apolitical. She also doesn't have the patience or tact needed to be a candidate on any level. Asking her to be an adviser is pushing it honestly but like I said, you don't really have anything left to lose here. As for Reston, she turned him down flat and word around the water cooler is that she chased Billy-Boy Chambers off with a tire iron when he tried to seduce her to work for Langston."
"Don't you mean 'convince her'?"
"Nope."
"…wonderful."
"Look, it's either meet with Olivia or drop out of the Race. Of course, if she says no, you'll have to drop out anyway but…Fitz, do you trust me?"
"Fuck, no."
"Smart man. Look, she invited me over for lunch today. You can be my platonic plus one and if we bring her a good bottle of red and some gourmet popcorn, she'll at least hear me out."
/
"Livvie, it's been a year since what happened with that Davis fool. I know that he broke your heart and you're still mad at the world about it but that doesn't mean that you have to spend the rest of your life alone."
"I'm not mad at the world and Edison's a nonfactor to me, now."
"Olivia, I do not want you to end up like Eli Pope. It's bad enough that you got his mean streak to go along with my crazy ways. Don't model your whole life after him. All he's got to show for his life is a successful career, an ex-wife who hates him, an estranged daughter, and a big ass chip on his shoulder the size of Russia. He's a cautionary tale."
"I know, Mom."
"My point still stands, though. I worry about you every day. I just want you to have a full life."
"I understand but Mom, even if I wanted to start dating again, no sane person is going to want to be with me for more than a quick fling. That's the drawback of what I did. I got revenge on Edison for lying to me and hurting me but I shot myself in the ass in the process."
"He deserved everything he got, baby."
"I never said that he didn't but still…hindsight is 20/20."
The morning of the Town Hall Meeting, the Town Hall Meeting that would've a perfect segway to Edison Davis announcing his intention to enter the 2008 Race for the Presidency the week after it, Olivia had found them in the laundry. He had just returned from visiting his beloved recovering from pneumonia mother in Tallahassee and he had put a load in the dryer before heading off to work. She had pulled an all nighter in the PR department of Morton, Lenin, and Solomon so she had woken up to the automatic coffee maker and a load of laundry that needed to be sorted. Since Edison wouldn't send the car to pick her up for the Town Hall Meeting until 6:30PM, where she'd be the loving fiancee by his side, she had decided to handle the load before resuming her well earned, day long nap.
Opening the strawberry red front load dryer that she had picked as a pop of color in their dark neutral dominated décor, Olivia had kept a running tally of his clothing.
6 snow white undershirts from the Gap, one pair of dark wash Levis, one pair of black chinos, 4 pairs of black Calvin Klein boxer briefs, two pairs of dark gray Nike sweat pants, a bundle of gray and white socks, his Georgetown sweatshirt, two light blue Givenchy dress shirts…and a pair of pink panties.
They had been sheer, cotton candy pink with a cheerful white bow on the lace waistband. They were minuscule and made more to tantalize than to cover. They had been deep in his front chinos pocket. They had fallen out of the pocket to the black and white tile of the laundry room floor. Olivia's gaze had locked on them and everything ground to a halt. A pair of panties didn't belong in the load.
Edison didn't wear women's undergarments and Olivia only wore panties during the first two days of her 5 day Monthly Cycle. Otherwise, she went commando and the panties she owned were Egyptian cotton cheeky boyshorts in various jewel tones, not pink, certainly not sheer cotton candy pink. Martha Davis was not the type to wear such underwear and even if she were the type, why would they be in her son's chinos pocket? That would just be weird and wrong. Sure, Edison and his mother were very close but they weren't that close. The pink panties definitely weren't Edison's, they hopefully weren't his mother's, and they certainly didn't belong to her so that meant…
Calmly, she had exited the laundry room and went to the pantry, bringing back the box of gallon Ziploc bags, along with a pair of plastic tongs. Olivia had carefully put the offending lingerie in the bag, sealed it, and put it in her purse for the evening, a royal purple Fendi clutch Edison had gotten her for their 5 year anniversary the month before. 5 years…5 years and 22 days of her life boiled down to that single moment, that single pair of sheer tiny cotton pink panties.
Her racing heart had shattered in her chest and her knees had buckled as the first sobs broke free.
She had spent the rest of the morning crying alone, first on the laundry room floor and later in the shower.
If Olivia were being honest, she'd say that she wasn't shocked to find proof of him cheating.
As her own career began to pick up momentum, as she became a household name in certain circles, Edison had become distant. He had also started pushing for a sooner wedding. He said it was because he loved her. He said it was because they had been engaged for going on 3 years so what was the point of waiting? He said it was because it would be better for his political Optics, which she agreed on. After all, the eyes of the Public and the Base, a married candidate was a more stable candidate, a more mature candidate, a more reliable and faithful…Edison hadn't outright accused her of being unfaithful but he had a way of implying it that made her feel like the bad guy.
He always made her feel like she wasn't as invested, as present as he was. He always made her feel…small, like a child who was trying their best but still couldn't get it right at the end of the day. It made sense that he'd have someone on the side.
Just because it made sense didn't mean that it didn't hurt and hurt badly.
Edison said that he loved her and he lied. He had lied straight to her face. He had slept with at least one other person, exposing her to countless STDs. Yes, she and Edison always used multiple options of protection (another point of contention between them…) but no birth control pill, no condom was 100% effective. Edison had gone out there and made love to…fucked another woman while he was supposed to be taking care of his sick mother and while she had been at home trusting him, believing in him, being a good girl…
The tears had stopped and had been replaced with a deep, icy scarlet tinted rage.
She was still hurt, devastated actually, but the rage burned deep inside of her guts, as well as a pressing need to hurt him, to get even. He wasn't going to get away with doing her dirty. No. It wasn't fair and it wouldn't be fair if he got to get away with it. She had been there from his early days hustling, networking to get in with the political heavy hitters. She had even helped him during his campaign to become the Senator he had become. She had helped draft speeches, she had picked out ties and suits, she had charmed donors, she had made sure that he ate, slept, and was kept warm at night and how did he repay her? What did he give her in return? Betrayal. Lies upon lies and burning betrayal.
What Olivia helped giveth, she would taketh away. She was done with Edison for good. She wasn't going to stay with someone who disrespected and disregarded her like she was nothing. She wasn't going to stay with someone who couldn't be trusted. She wasn't going to give her love to someone who didn't want it anymore or deserve it. She was going to go away and never look back.
She wasn't going to go quietly.
She was going to be any and everything but quiet.
Olivia had arrived to the Meeting looking like a million and two bucks. She had done her hair into a cascade of onyx waterfall curls. Her lace dress was knee length and the snow white emphasized the radiance of her earth toned skin. She had put on her favorite black pumps and when she had joined a beaming Edison on stage after the very successful live Town Hall Meeting, she had given a beautiful smile, emphasized by the tasteful red of her lipstick. He had moved in to kiss her and her left fist had sailed into his jaw with knuckle breaking force, sending him staggering to the carpeted floor. She had opened her clutch, pulled out the Ziploc bag, and picked up the microphone that had fallen with him.
Her tone had been pleasant and calm.
"I have one last question for you to answer tonight, Senator Davis: whose panties are these?"
She held the incriminating Ziploc bag up for the whole room, the whole country, the whole world to see and Edison had looked mortified as the room erupted into a zoo. His political career was done. He'd never be taken seriously again. He would have to resign. Olivia knew that she had hit him where it hurt the most and while it didn't undo the hurt he given to her, it made it more bearable knowing that he would be miserable, too. Nobody would forget the moment. He would never, ever forget…
"Olivia, I can explain…"
"I don't want an explanation! I don't want any more lies! I just want to know who this dental floss belongs to! I found them in your pants pocket while I was sorting the laundry and don't you dare say that they're mine! They're not mine. You know full and damned well that they're not mine, Edison because I don't wear panties and even if I did, I can't fit my left ass in this tacky Victoria's Secret crap! Oh, I'm sorry: tacky Wal-Mart crap! Whose panties are these? Who did you cheat on me with, Edison?! I want to know who they belong to! I deserve to know who they belong to! It's the least you can do! I gave you 5 years and 22 days of my life! I gave you my virginity! I gave you my trust! I gave you my heart and you stomped on it! You lied to me! You said that you loved me and you lied to me! I hate you and I want an answer: whose panties are these?! Answer me, you lowlife son of a bitch!"
"Olivia, please calm down…you're making a scene…"
"…I-I'm making a scene? That's all you have to say to me? That's just…wow. Okay, then."
Disgusted, she had thrown the Ziploc bag at his bruised jaw and left the Meeting with a medium sized group of reporters following her to see what she would do next. She had returned to their condo and calmly began bringing out Edison's possessions, stacking them neatly in the front lawn. Filled suitcases, duffel bags, and all of his clothing from the closet were put in the grass, along with the old doorknobs and locks.
A flustered and furious Edison had arrived just in time for her to light the trash can full of their photos, the trinkets and gifts he had given her (including the Fendi clutch) ablaze. She had thrown her ring at him and spat on his shining Prada dress shoes. Ignoring his shouted pleas after her, she had gone inside and locked herself in, sitting with her head bowed and her back to the front door. Eventually, the MPD had cleared everyone out and Olivia moved to the porch with half a bottle of Du Bellay wine, a bowl of her favorite popcorn, along with the first cigar she had touched since undergrad. After smoking it, she had downed the wine and ate her popcorn quietly, feeling her neighbors' gazes on her through their windows.
She had resigned from her job via voicemail (saving them the time and effort of trying to Spin her actions) before going back inside to sleep on the couch. She had woken up at 7:45 the next morning and once she turned on GMA, the leading story had been aptly and alliteratively titled 'PantyGate Pope'. Just like she had intended, Edison was a very public punchline and there would be no recovering. Of course, the Media had quickly painted her as the ultimate crazed "Woman Scorned" while still being "on her side" and inevitably, some had scolded her for being so blatant, for "putting a good black man on blast just for one little mistake" but Olivia hadn't cared. She had gotten her revenge and she could move on…
Except she that really hadn't…
"Livvie, are you still there?"
"Yeah, Mom. I'm here…listen, Cyrus is coming over for lunch so I need to go get groceries."
"Mm-hm…tell him and the good Governor Grant I say 'hi' and I'll give your love to Dom."
"Okay. Bye, Mom."
"Bye, baby girl. Be safe."
After she ended the call, Olivia took a deep breath and continued walking towards the grocery store. She had kept the condo after throwing Edison out. All feelings aside, it was a good place and she already was familiar with the neighborhood. She had been tempted to pack up and move out of DC for a fresh start but Olivia was never one for shying away from the consequences of her actions. Besides, no matter where she went in the country, in the world, she was now that Olivia Pope so even if she wanted to hide away forever, she couldn't.
And damn it, she had born in DC! She may have been sent off to Swiss boarding schools but DC was her hometown and she had been there first. Edison had picked up on her resolve to stay and quickly put an ocean and a continent between them. According to an embittered Martha Davis (who blamed Olivia for everything bad from the Greenhouse Effect to rush hour traffic), her son had settled in the French countryside as a local lawyer, specializing in land disputes and public defending. He was applying for permanent citizenship and she had ruined her baby boy's life.
More to the point, Olivia had ruined her chance to be a grandmother and that was the 8th, 9th, and 10th deadly sins in the woman's eyes. Why didn't she just break up with him quietly like a normal person? Why did she have to be so damned bratty and so mean to her boy? Her boy was supposed to be in the Oval but he was chasing down goat cheese thieves thousands of miles away from his country, from the people who still loved him…
Olivia refused to feel guilty about Edison's fate or apologize to anyone about it, not even God.
He had deserved what he got and he should count himself lucky that he was still alive.
The only reason she felt regret over how she Handled him was because she had pigeonholed herself into being forever alone…
Struck by a fit of whimsy, Olivia pushed her shopping cart at a light jog and jumped on the back railing, coasting until she got to the middle of the empty cereal aisle. Using the helping hand reacher she kept in her car, she grabbed the pumpkin flaxseed granola she preferred, along with two boxes of Captain Crunch. 3 loaves of whole grain bread, 4 boxes of microwave popcorn, and a huge jar of Nutella were added to the cart next. She then picked up 3 packages of boneless chicken breasts as she walked through the Meat section, along with 3 pounds of fresh sliced turkey for lunchmeat.
She exchanged a polite nod with the butcher on duty (Lawrence) before picking up 2 large packages of Sargento cheese, one cheddar and the other Swiss. 2 cartons of almond milk, 2 dozen eggs, a large tub of plain Greek yogurt, and an impulse buy of a half gallon of chocolate milk ended her time in Dairy. Stopping at a cooler, she picked up a large bag of frozen broccoli and just as she stepped into the Produce section, her phone rang.
"What?"
"Hello to you, too, Liv."
"Hello, Cyrus. Quick question: is Governor Grant allergic to anything?"
3 cartons of strawberries, a bag of Granny Smith apples, 2 bunches of bananas, and 4 bags of seedless grapes went into the cart. Onions, celery, carrot sticks, chard, arugula and fresh mushrooms joined them.
Last but not least, a large bottle of Blue Machine Naked Juice was added to her haul and she proceeded towards the self checkout area. Before PantyGate, she would use one of the lines with a cashier but another side effect of her staying in the neighborhood was that whispers and pitying looks had a tendency to follow her when people thought she wasn't paying attention.
"No food allergies but he hates bananas. Liv, I need you on his Campaign. He's the best one for the Job but his personal Optics are a nightmare. Getting divorced may have been the right thing to do but it certainly wasn't the smart thing to do."
Collecting her receipt and coupons, Olivia exited the store and pressed the unlock button on her car key fob.
"How dare he want to be happy? How dare he exit a toxic situation for the sake of what's left of his own and his children's future sanity? By Gum, what is the free world coming to nowadays when our politicians behave like they're real humans without being caught red handed in a sordid sex scandal first?"
"…some people aren't meant to be happy. They're meant to be powerful."
"That is absolute bullshit."
"Liv…"
"That is a load of steaming bullshit and if that little mantra is an example of what you've been selling to him over the years, then it's no wonder that his Campaigns have stayed in trouble until the last minute! Newsflash, Cyrus: you can't ride on a person's coattails without making sure they're still true to themselves in all ways. Your philosophies don't always work with him because he's still fully in touch with his humanity. You need to throw out your Playbook and come up with a better one or you need to make way for someone who will get the job done without ruining him as a person. Your evil ways will get him elected but they'll ruin him as a person and that would be a shame. "
"So that means you'll join the Campaign?"
"I need to talk with him one on one before I make that decision. In the meantime, you need to keep selling your big idea of PantyGate Pope jumping in to save the day. He went pale at the just the mention of my name, didn't he? Everyone does…"
"He did but once he meets you, I'm sure he'll change his tune. Do you trust me, Liv?"
"Fuck, no."
"Smart woman. See you at noon."
/
"Cyrus, I forgot to get ice cream at the grocery store. Here's my card. The pin's my birthday."
"Liv, you just ate a Creamsicle."
"I want to talk to him. I can't do that if you're here and one can never have too much ice cream. Ben and Jerry's, please. You know what I like. Get what you like and take the scenic route back. Lock the door behind you."
Fitz chuckled at the scathing look Cyrus sent her over his shoulder, especially after she gave him an angelic smile. Once Cyrus was gone, Olivia set down her mug of blueberry tea and climbed up on kitchen counter in front of him. Once again, he was struck by just how petite she was. Her feet were half hidden by her gray lounge pants and without heels, she only came up to his chest. Her toes were painted snow white, the same snow white of her cotton camisole and her hessonite gaze met his without hesitation, without fear or guile.
"Ms. Pope…"
"It's Olivia or Liv. Why did you get divorced, now?"
"It was the right time."
"The right time would've been after the honeymoon but before the kids showed up. There's a big difference between Sweet and Sour opposites attracting and a Match Made in Hell. You and Melody Vaughn were an example of the latter. Still, you were fine with staying with her until 8 months ago. What happened? Who happened?"
"Who?"
"Governor…"
"If I'm calling you Olivia or Liv, then you need to use my name and not my title."
"Fitzgerald…"
"Fitz."
"Fitz, relationships end for a variety of reasons but 9 times out of 10, the root cause is some form of infidelity and despite you being a Grant man, my Gut says that you're the one who stayed faithful to the end. Who happened? Who did she do? It had to be someone big and reputation destroying if she actually let you divorce her without her getting to ruin you first."
"Andrew Nichols and Big Jerry. Jerry was a one night stand and Andrew was off and on."
"Seriously? Your best friend and your dad?"
"Mm-hm."
"Are…are they yours? Karen and Gerry, are they yours?"
"Yes."
"Thank God. Wow…and I thought what Edison did was bad."
"It was. It was terrible."
"We weren't married and we didn't have kids together, though. That's a good thing because if I had found the panties then, he would've woken up dead. I was still tempted to slit his throat but I decided that he wasn't worth 25 to life and in my case, getting everlasting revenge feels a hell of a lot better than committing a murder."
"It's definitely more legal."
"Mm. Of course, now I've got a bad Reputation that keeps me forever alone and scares people…you were expecting me to be a brilliant, bitter, man hating bitch, weren't you?"
"Would you be offended if I said yes?"
"No, I wouldn't because for a while, that's exactly who I was. I'm not like that anymore. I chose not to live like that anymore because it wasn't doing me any good."
"That's the other reason I got divorced. Plus, it's for better Karen and Gerry to have two separated but happy parents caring for them than for them to stay caught in the middle of a bad marriage. Kids shouldn't suffer from their parents' issues. God knows how much we've hurt them already…"
"It's a lot of hurt but speaking from experience? Children are a lot more resilient than they get credit for. Your kids will be all right in the long run as long as you and Mellie take the time to be with them and nurture them. Well, more like you take the time. Your ex doesn't seem to be the nurturing type, not without plenty of cameras around, anyway."
Fitz snorted ruefully at that, refreshed by just how candid and astute Olivia was. He was so used to double talk and layered lies that hearing her was like hearing a new language. No, not a new language, a language that he had forgotten but had always been fond of. She was honest with him without being condescending and it was very easy to talk to her, startlingly easy. They had just met but he could tell that she got him. She got him because she was like him…
"I want you to join my Campaign, Olivia."
"I know and luckily for you, I actually want to join it. I have some rules, though."
"Name them."
"Don't lie to me. Don't lie to yourself. Don't waste my time and you need to run the campaign. It's your campaign, not mine, not Cyrus', not anyone else's. When push comes to shove, it's your name on the ballot, your name on the bus so you have final say about everything. You're going to have to start putting your foot down firmly, especially with Cyrus or you'll lose. Most importantly, you have to want it, Fitz. You have to really want to be President and you have to fight for it. Do you really want to be the President of the United States?"
"Yes, I really do."
"Okay. I'll take the job."
"You will?"
Not all of his excitement was professional. He wanted Olivia on the Campaign because he wanted to spend more time with her. He wanted to keep talking to her. The fact that she very well could turn things around for him in the Race was just a happy side effect.
The smile she gave him was luminous and he smiled back, even as he felt himself blushing in front of a woman for the first time since he was a teenager.
He was in trouble and damn if it didn't feel good…
"Mm-hm. It'll be fun."
"You brought in PantyGate Pope?"
"I brought in the best political and PR mind that I've ever met to get him to the Oval. The fact that it's housed inside Olivia Pope is irrelevant. You do realize that me being the only person you can drunk dial at 10PM is pathetic, don't you?"
"Don't remind me. Unbelievable…you went on and on and on about how him divorcing me was the worst decision he could ever make but then you bring on the ultimate Woman Scorned to save the day and…and it's working. It's only been 2 months and it's working. She's working…he wants to fuck her, doesn't he? Hell, knowin' Fitzy and his special little heart, he probably thinks he loves her…"
"He probably does. I haven't really thought about it."
"Bullshit…as obsessive you are about him, I know you've thought about it."
"Even if he does, Liv's not going to let him at her. Davis scared her off of love for good."
"You don't know how persuasive and persistent a Grant man can be when they want you, Cyrus. They could charm the granny panties off a nun and he wants her. She wants him. I saw a clip of 'em at that truck stop IHOP…she was absorbed in whatever book she was reading but he was looking at her like he wanted to slather her with Mrs. Butterworth and go down to Lady Town. He's always around her and I bet he listens to her first, doesn't he? You do realize that if she sticks around, she'll probably end up taking the Chief of Staff job you're panting after? Either that position or Director of Communications or…or First Lady…"
"Mellie, you're falling down crying drunk and not making sense…"
"'M drunk and crying and I'm making perfect sense! Mark my words, Cyrus Beene: you're gonna rue the day you allowed Fitzy and PantyGate Pope to meet! You're gonna look back on it and wish you had a DeLorean or a TARDIS so you could undo it! She's gonna ruin everything for you and you're gonna be on the outside looking in just like me! Just you wait…"
"…if you could only listen to one album for the rest of your life, which one would you pick?"
"Songs in the Key of Life. It's my favorite album."
"Mine, too. I mean, any and everything Stevie's awesome but Songs is my favorite. What are your favorite tracks?"
"'As', 'Another Star', 'Knocks Me Off My Feet', and 'Isn't She Lovely' because it reminds me of when Karen was born. You?"
"'Love's in Need of Love Today', 'Knocks Me Off My Feet', 'As', 'Have a Talk with God', and 'Ebony Eyes' because of my mom and my step Dominic. They always used to sing that to me when I was sad."
"Step Dominic?"
"Yeah, my mom and biological father were like you and Mellie: a Match Made in Hell before they mercifully divorced when I was 8. Dominic Bell and Mom used to curate together in London and he had always been in love with her but before he could tell her, she had transferred back to New York to marry Eli Pope like her parents wanted her to. They were supposed to be a loving couple ruling the arts world but really, they couldn't stand each other. Anyway, after the divorce and Mom got full custody of me, Mom moved down to DC and literally ran into Dominic again at the Constitution while she was waiting for her antiquities contact from Lebanon. He told her how he felt, she told him that she had always loved him back, and the rest is history."
"That's a really romantic story."
"Eh, I guess so. It certainly champions the ideas of second chances and true love conquering all but seriously? If Mom had just been brave and told her parents to keep their grubby little paws out of her personal life, she could've been happy sooner. Although, if she had, I probably wouldn't be here and that would've sucked. I rather like being here."
"I rather like having you here, Livvie."
"You keep calling me Livvie."
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be. If I didn't like it, I would've stopped you by now."
Calling her Livvie wasn't the only thing she liked about Fitzgerald Grant III. He was sharp as a tack and he had a wicked sense of humor, one that would have you double taking before cracking up. He was respectful to those around him (95% of the time…) and he was actually very easy to work with as a Client. He didn't lie to her. He didn't do drugs. He didn't gamble. He wasn't a party animal. His drinking was under control. He was a damned good father and her Gut had been proven right. Her deepest digging hadn't found anyone on the side on his part. He had stayed faithful in his stone dead marriage until he couldn't take it anymore and had used Mellie's own indiscretions as leverage to get what he wanted. He got the divorce and primary custody of their children. He had kept all of his family properties and ¾ of their joint assets.
However, he hadn't been stingy. Mellie walked away with their townhouse in Charleston, the yacht in San Francisco, the remaining fourth of their considerable joint assets, and a promise for him to endorse her when she eventually ran for public office herself. Of course, the only reason she could still run was that unlike herself with Edison, Fitz had kept his betrayer's indiscretions very quiet and left them out of the divorce statement. Officially, it was 'just two people who had loved each other but eventually realized that they would be better friends/co-parents than spouses'.
The moment Mellie stepped too far out of line, he'd gut her like a freshly caught trout and Olivia really liked that. She liked a decisive man, one who could be ruthless but only when provoked. She understood that mentality all too well…
"Are you okay? You've been rubbing your shoulder off and on all day…"
"It's nothing."
"It doesn't look like nothing. Come here."
"Fitz…"
"Come here, Olivia."
There was a commanding edge to his tone but instead of making her bristle, Olivia felt warm heat blossom in her lower abdomen. They were alone in the conference room turned nerve center of the Campaign. Everyone else was out on the town, eating a late dinner on the other side of the hotel, or asleep upstairs. She had been stacking folded 'Grant for the People' shirts when he came in. Instead of a suit, he was in black lounge pants and a gray NAVY shirt, a black zip up fleece layered over it, black house shoes on his feet. His gaze had locked on her and he had joined her in stacking, filling boxes to be sealed with tape later. The silence between them as they worked was warm but also loaded with tension. The tension between them was like a taut guitar string waiting to be strummed. She had started their music conversation in an effort to temper it but now…
Each step towards him made the heat coil and she swallowed dryly as she stopped in front of him, close enough to feel the warmth of his breath, smell the earthy spice of his skin. She had removed her shoes a half hour into her task and she could feel his gaze on her. Olivia refused to meet it. There was something about his eyes that made her feel weak, made her feel like she was either going to melt into a puddle of goo on the floor or that she'd pounce on him.
It had been over a year since the last time she had sex.
It had been at least 3 years since she had good sex. Sex with Edison got the job done but it wasn't exactly mind blowing, nothing to stop the presses about.
Fitz looked like he would turn her all the way out and damn if she didn't want him to, despite it being all kinds of wrong. Sure, he was single but he was still running for President and still her Client and now one of the few friends she had. Not to mention, that even with the good press surrounding her nowadays, she was still the infamous Ms. Olivia 'PantyGate' Pope and if she pounced on him, if she let him turn her out, then that could prove to be very problematic and…
"Turn around."
Her brain was screaming at her to shut this down, to put some very firm distance between her and this man but her body was not listening to it. She turned her back to him and he put an arm around her middle, guiding her forward to the table. Instinctively, she rested her elbows on it and shivered as he came up behind her, moving the collar of her oversized white sweater aside to reveal her shoulder. The sweater was layered over a lacy periwinkle camisole, the same periwinkle color of the polka dots on her black capri leggings and of her cashmere ankle socks.
Olivia whimpered softly as Fitz's left hand went to the large knot there and began to expertly manipulate it into yielding. It took a few minutes because the hard knot was very stubborn but soon, she let out a relieved hiss as the tension began to drain away steadily from both her shoulder and her neck. It hurt but it was a good hurt, a needed hurt so she'd feel better. And his hand felt very nice, warm and gentle but firm. He had man's hands: veiny and strong with calluses on a couple of his fingertips. She was curious about the calluses. He hadn't always been a politician, after all and while she had looked into him, background checks didn't add details to the picture…
"I learned how to do this while I was enlisted. Being in a cockpit is wonderful but after a few hours, it can you turn into one big cramp. Officers from all over wherever I was stationed would come to me and I'd help them out. I even worked on an Admiral once."
"I can feel why…oh…"
The last of the massive knot yielded with an abrupt pop and she sighed as she straightened up, rotating her arm slowly. Her shoulder was tender but it no longer hurt. Also, the low grade headache she had been dealing with all day was gone, too. She'd still have a glass of wine before bed but the Aleve she had planned with it was no longer necessary.
"If being POTUS doesn't work, you should become a masseuse or a chiropractor. Thanks for…"
She met his eyes and her words left her. Instead of their usual cerulean slate, Fitz's eyes were closer to cobalt and his ears were tinted red. His jaw was clenched and his hands were shaking. Olivia reached for one of them but before she could make contact, his arms snapped forward and drew her firmly against him, their lower halves flush. His kiss was aggressive yet undeniably tender and she responded immediately, almost melting against him.
She hadn't been kissed since she had arrived at the Town Hall Meeting and that kiss had been for the cameras. That kiss had been tainted by the truth she had figured out about Edison and it had taken every bit of control she had not to vomit afterwards.
Fitz kissing her felt like heaven and hell all at once, heaven because he was delicious and so good against her but hell because she wanted more. So much more…
/
If he succumbed to the Grant Man Heart Attack now…well, he would be pissed but at least he finally knew just how Olivia tasted, just how she felt. She tasted spicy sweet and felt like warm silk. And she wanted him. She actually wanted him to kiss her. She had let him touch her. She had initiated a conversation and was actually interested in what he had to say. She remembered things that mattered to him and god, did she defend him. She didn't let donors or strategists steamroll over him. She defended his desire to run a clean campaign, win or lose, and her playbook reflected that, a playbook that worked very well.
It irritated Cyrus to no end but Fitz loved it. The Campaign was beginning to thrive and he himself was happier than he had been in a long time. Olivia had made it clear that she was on his side and she wouldn't tolerate any bullshit from anyone, including himself. She was his friend, too. She had become his friend and didn't want anything in return for it, which was a welcome change of pace.
'PantyGate Pope' had become 'the Pope Pistol', 'Hurricane Pope' and 'the much needed Savior of the floundering Grant Campaign'. One Talking Head had used a quote from an "insider" comparing Olivia's presence to someone airing out an old house and the analogy fit so well…
She was also driving him nuts.
By the time she had accepted the job offer, Fitz knew that he had a crush on her. She was brilliant, she was honest, and she was so fucking beautiful. The more he worked with her, the more he talked with her about everything and nothing…
It was inappropriate. She was inappropriate. She was infamous and he could not fall for her. No matter how much he wanted to, he could not fall for PantyGate Pope. He couldn't. Mass Media would turn on her like angry rabid dogs if they knew of his feelings, not to mention some of the less progressive (racist, classist, cowardly…) individuals in both Parties, especially his own. She was younger than him, smarter than him, and so completely out of his League, it wasn't funny. She would never even think of crossing the Line with him…
Lines were overrated.
Her lips, her taste, her skin were heaven on Earth. One of her mile long legs hitched over his hip and Fitz laid her down on the table he had bent her over. He hadn't meant for it to become so charged. His time in the Air Force had given him hawk eyes when it came to spotting cramped up muscles and the last thing he wanted was for Olivia to be in pain. She didn't deserve to be in anymore pain so he had asked her, demanded her to come to him and…as soon as her elbows rested on the table, as soon as he got a real look at the smooth planes of her back and the curves of her luscious behind, he was done for. She was done for.
She was not getting away from him without getting kissed first.
Lack of oxygen forced him away from her lips and Fitz blazed a trail of hot kisses over her neck, delighting in her moans, the way she quivered underneath him. Her nails dug into his back through his NAVY shirt and he rested his brow on hers, trying and failing to calm his racing pulse. Her small hands went to his chest and Fitz immediately straightened up. Olivia was still lying on the table and he watched as she scraped together enough composure to open her eyes. Her hair was fanned out over the tabletop and her parted lips swelled before his eyes, calling for him to take them again, to take her fully. Her sweater had gone fully askew and he could see her breasts heaving with each breath, the bud of her left nipple against her camisole…
"…we should not have done that."
"No, we shouldn't have…this is inappropriate. You're my adviser. You're my friend. I can't… we can't… we shouldn't… shit, Livvie…"
"We shouldn't have done it… but I want to do it again."
She sat up slowly and Fitz stepped forward to reconnect their lips, this time soft and tender. Her arms wrapped around him and one of them, both of them sighed happily as the kiss deepened.
Unbeknownst to them, someone was running full tilt down the hall from the ajar door, forgotten purse left behind in favor of spreading the word…
"Is there something you want to tell me?"
"Jeannine saw Fitz kissing me in the conference room last night. We've decided to be together."
"How stupid can you be?!"
"If you ever call me stupid again, I will cut your tongue out and burn it to a crisp. Nobody would miss it except for James Novak…what, you thought I didn't know? Everyone knows about you two. It's not a big deal and Fitz and I are none of your concern."
"America and his Party will never accept you, especially after what you did to Davis!"
"Yes, yes. His Party will be horrified that not only did he have the audacity to divorce his proper lily white Antebellum princess during his Campaign, he decided to move on with the uppity black PantyGate causing bitch nearly half of his age. Oh, I can already hear them bemoaning the horror, the crying shame of it all between sips of scotch and snorts of cocaine. As for America, they've gotten over PantyGate and you're behind the times by about 30 years. Interracial relationships still get scrutinized, especially the ones between white men and black women but no one's going to mount up horses for a midnight ride. If they do, I don't have a gun permit and a Colt .45 semi-automatic for nothing. I'll be more than happy to put some bowling ball holes in a bigot's head if they take it there."
"Liv, you're setting yourself up for a big fall and him, too. It won't work out. You'll ruin him…"
"I'll ruin him? So, I guess they're just supposed to welcome him having a semi-closeted conniving Chief of Staff with a liberal investigative reporting boy-toy who deserves far better than him with open arms, champagne bottles and confetti?"
"Olivia…"
"You are a hypocritical piece of shit of the worst sort, Cyrus. Have several seats."
"This isn't even about me…"
"Exactly. It's not about you so stay out of it. If anyone's going to ruin our relationship, it's going to be me or Fitz, most likely me, but we'll burn that bridge if we get to it. I hope we don't because I'd be losing a dear friend and my man this time and he is my man, whether you or anyone else likes it or not. Interfere and what I did to Edison will look weak compared to what I'll do to you before I give what's left of you to Fitz. Now, get off of my phone and get ready to go out. We've got the barbecue today with Langston's Campaign and I still have to pick out what I'm going to wear. I want to look nice for my boyfriend."
"Olivia!"
"Goodbye, Cyrus and please give my best to James when you sneak him into your room later."
"If looks could kill…"
"Don't worry too much about him. He's just jealous."
"Well, you have taken his place as my main adviser…"
"Not just because of that. I think he's jealous."
"…but he's with that Novak kid, isn't he?"
"He is but he's not interested in getting you in bed. Okay, he is but he knows you're straighter than parallel lines so it would be a waste of time trying. It's all about political power and social influence to him. He wants both badly but he knows he can't get the amount he wants on his own so he wants to enjoy yours by association. He's gotten used to sharing your attention and confidence with people who would let him get his way like your dad and your ex-wife. I'll call him out and promptly shut him down. I know his bag of tricks. He can't control me. He can't manipulate me and my influence on you keeps him from controlling and manipulating you like he's done for years. He's angry at me because I partially derailed his Gravy Train, angry at you for letting me, angry at himself because he's the one who threw me into your path to begin with and he's just angry to be angry."
"That makes a horrifying amount of sense, Livvie."
"It does but it is what is. At the end of the day, he's fanatically loyal to you so you should keep him around. It takes all sorts to make a successful Administration. A dragon can be useful to have in certain circumstances. Don't ever turn your back on him, though."
Olivia could not only feel the hot glare of Cyrus on them but she feel knowing gazes, envious gazes, and more than a few happy ones. Apparently, she and Fitz were shipped ala Mulder and Scully and she heard the portmanteau "Olitz" being whispered and giggled about in the corridors, in the dining area, and on the bus. Jeannine hadn't told any of the reporters around, just her friends but as Cyrus' irate phone call had proved, word would spread to them soon enough. The long shot divorced RINO Grant and PantyGate Pope becoming more than political associates, more than friends, especially after their high profile (and in her case, messy) break ups would be one hell of a bombshell for Mass Media to chew on and spit out everywhere…
Shifting so she was on her side, she took in his profile as he rested his back against the tree.
He looked so handsome. Instead of a suit, he had on dark wash Levis, a crisp white Oxford with the sleeves rolled up just right, and gray canvas sneakers. He looked relaxed and not too formal, unlike Sally in her cranberry power suit and pearls. His hair was tousled from the warm breeze and she could smell strawberry lemonade on his breath. He had brought her a cup of it and joined her underneath one of the park's many oak trees. She had settled there on a picnic blanket and with her tablet, absently scrolling through the Campaign's intranet and itinerary, keeping an eye on him.
He had moved through the crowd with a sense of calm and of genuine joy to be outside. Fitz was the outdoorsy type. He probably was the kid who would climb the big trees at recess and organize the first muddy football game of spring, complete with tackling and angry moms/housekeepers who had to get 3 types of sodden sediment out of cotton. Fitz had grown up on a Ranch with horses and looking into him, she had found (and saved) a picture of him in the midst of a water polo match. Like her, he loved the water. Maybe they could have a swimming date. That would be fun, especially if bathing suits were optional.
The sight of him holding a toddler right before he came back to her side, smiling as he lifted the giggling child up high had made her ache with longing. Contrary to popular belief and her stringent birth control policy with Edison, Olivia had always wanted to be a mother. She just didn't want to do it all by herself or with the wrong person. She had been young during the death throes of her parents' bad marriage but she hadn't been stupid. She had seen firsthand what happened when a person made and tried to raise a baby with the wrong person, namely nothing good. The last thing she wanted was for history to repeat itself because she was certain that unlike her mother, there would be no loving Dominic waiting for her after her escape, no happy ending…
She wanted a happy ending. She wanted a stable long term relationship. She wanted to know what it was like to be truly accepted, truly cherished. She just wanted…
Sitting up, she turned Fitz's head towards her, cupped his face in her hands, and initiated their third in general and first public kiss. He startled and then melted, responding with smiling lips and tender hands stroking her legs. After going through her entire wardrobe twice, Olivia had settled on a scoop necked royal purple sun dress and her translucent short sleeved white cover up. Black wedges had finished the look and the dress made her bare strong legs look fabulous, not to mention her ass.
Fitz loved her legs and ass. Whenever they kissed, his hands would end up there, just like they were now during their first public kiss.
It would be the first of their many public kisses if she had her way.
Olivia had a tendency to get her way.
"What did I tell ya, Cyrus?"
"Even a broken clock is right twice a day…she was just supposed to revamp the Campaign, goddamn it! She wasn't supposed to fall for him and she certainly wasn't supposed to be so damned public about it!"
"They've got a Name Mashup now: Olitz. The papers and TV shows are already contacting me, tryin' to see if she and Fitz used to be between the sheets when we were married. I wish I could say they were but…hell, even if I could, the lousy son of a bitch would ruin me right afterwards."
"That's what you get for, how did you put it? Hedging your bets? You're lucky that the DNA tests came back right or you'd be up shit's creek, regardless of King Grant's wishes."
"How does Chief of Staff Olivia Pope-Grant sound to you?"
"Not nearly as bad as First Lady Olivia Pope-Grant sounds to you…"
"Hmph…well, it's all water under the bridge now. I can't do anything about it. He got his stupid divorce so he can be balls deep in any woman he wants, now. He can…he can go and m-marry and make more damned babies with anyone he wants with, even her. He's gonna get the Nomination and Reston's already sweating bullets. PantyGate obviously made a deal with all the devils so she'll be able to Spin whatever unholiness she calls herself doing with him into Olivia and Fitz: A Love Like No Other. She's gonna be FLOTUS and you're gonna be her Bitch for the rest of your career, Cyrus Beene. You're gonna have do whatever she tells Fitzy to tell you to do or you'll be out your ass with just one pretty little pout from her. Has he fucked her yet?"
She was going to kill him.
She was going to kill him stone cold dead and Fitz knew that he'd die a happy man.
Seemingly oblivious to his (and the lingering paparazzi cameras…) attention riveted on her, Olivia continued to enjoy her dessert, a half dozen large chocolate strawberries. She was an absolute vision in a robin's egg blue v-neck sweater. Her skirt was knee length and had a floral print in various shades of purple with black accents and her legs were emphasized by a pair of 4 inch calf length black leather boots. Surprising him, she had taken her hair out of its usual braided twist and his fingers longed to run through the onyx coils. The white pearls on her hair clip matched the ones encircling her wrists and…god, she was going to kill him.
They were sitting side by side in a booth and her free hand was resting on his black slack clad thigh, stroking it gently. After their dinner dishes had been cleared, he moved to sit next to her and Olivia had happily rested her head on his shoulder, making him feel like a king. Of all the people she could've chosen to be with, to open herself up to again, she had picked him. Fitz felt humbled and more than a little scared by her gift. He wasn't very good at relationships. Granted, he had a tendency to pick the wrong woman (or let himself be railroaded along with the wrong woman) but still, he was scared of messing whatever they were doing up.
Fitz wasn't afraid of her taking revenge on him like Davis.
He was afraid of becoming just another asshole that had hurt her and disappointed her…
A poke to his side broke him from his morose thoughts and he refocused on her. Olivia had stopped her torture with the strawberries (there was one left) and he raised a brow.
"No brooding."
"I'm not brooding, Livvie."
"Rules #1 and 2, Fitzgerald."
"Don't lie to you or myself…all right, so I'm brooding. I just…I've been married and I have kids but I've never been in a real relationship before. I really don't want to fuck us up, Olivia."
"It takes two people to make a relationship work and it also takes two people to fuck it up. We won't fuck us up. Sure, we'll have some rough patches sometimes but we'll stick together in the end. You'll see. It's gonna be great."
She picked up her last strawberry and held it to his lips. Holding her gaze, he bit down and let out an approving hum at the explosion of flavor on his tongue. The camera flashes that had started to taper off picked up again as she replaced the strawberry with her lips halfway through and he resisted the urge to pull her onto his lap fully. Her kisses were addicting, all of her was addicting, and Fitz knew that he'd never get enough of her…
"Um, excuse me?"
Fitz ended the kiss slowly and looked at their blushing server (Candace) questioningly.
"Is there anything else you two would like tonight?"
Fitz looked at his Livvie.
His Livvie looked back at him.
"The check, please." they replied in unison.
/
His steel gray pullover sweater hit the floor and Olivia pulled him down into the bed, pleased at the ravenous look on his face.
Reaching behind her, she undid the clasp to her white lace balconette bra, leaving her completely nude to him. Her skirt had come off as soon as his hotel room door slammed behind them. Before she could even think of reaching for his belt, he had sunk to his knees. She had thought his tongue was exquisite before but after feeling it between her legs, feeling him devour and tease her until she was wailing took it all to another level. Her previous lovers had only seen oral as a one sided deal or they had done it half assed, seeing it as an unimportant interlude before the main event. Fitz not only went after her like he was a starving man, he did it with exceptional skill and he was an eager student.
Once her head stopped spinning and he had lowered her to her feet, he had kissed her deeply, letting her taste herself on his mouth. He had then removed her boots and carried her to his bed, handling her with care. He had toed off his socks and shoes before undoing his belt with slightly shaking hands. Olivia had smiled at him when he came back into her reach and now, she had him right where she wanted him.
Her hips rolled against his gray boxer clad cock and she moaned as he roughly reversed their positions, his lips beginning to descend her body again. Grabbing him by the arm to halt him, he looked at her with a mulish expression that made her smile. She would allow him to use his tongue and lips to drink his fill later. Right now, though?
"I want you up here…I want to feel you inside of me…"
Fitz nodded in agreement and quickly removed his boxers. Olivia swallowed at the initial sight of him and spread her knees as he settled between them. He was long and thick but she was sure that he'd fit inside of her. They'd make it work. They always found a way to make it work…
His hands pinned her wrists down to the pillow and she gasped as his hips flexed forward. His chest rumbled with a low feral growl as her sopping core steadily engulfed him and Olivia placed her heels at the small of his back to guide him, to urge him deeper. Both of them moaned out when his groin touched hers and her fingers flexed, wanting to be free to roam over him again. Fitz released his grip and she pulled him down into a soft kiss, thrusting her hips in silent demand.
They were slow at first, a bit clumsy but eventually, they fell into sync. Having established their rhythm, they began to add speed and force to their movements. Olivia was moaning and gasping, he was groaning and he rained kisses over her neck before giving attention to her breasts. She quivered as he suckled at her nipples and cried out as his thumb stole to her humid heat, finding and stroking her throbbing clit in slow circles.
"…so good…so fucking good…made for me, Livvie…made for each other…"
"…don't stop…want to feel you…so good inside me…make me…m-make me…oh, god!"
Olivia shuddered hard and yelped as she came, her hips jumping against him. Fitz hissed as her nails scored his back and the headboard followed his now fierce rhythm as he gave into his own need. Her limbs locked around him and he cried out wordlessly as he succumbed, his face buried in her neck. She pressed soft kisses to his and cooed as he nuzzled her shoulder, smiling at his low laughter…
"What's funny?"
"Nothing…I'm just happy…"
"Me too…"
Reaching, she turned off the lamp and the room was dark sans the light from the windows. Fitz eased himself off of her and rested on his back. Scooting over, Olivia rested her head on his chest and he pulled the bedding up to cover them. His strong arms wrapped around her and she returned his gentle embrace, accepting his kiss on the brow.
"That was…"
"…exquisite…"
"Mm..."
Olivia kissed him on the sternum and sighed deeply, her body already shutting down.
"Sleep, Livvie…I'll be here when you wake up…"
God willing, that statement would be true for the rest of their lives.