This is the sequel to Flight. I started Flight during the very long hiatus after episode 15, "Boom Goes the Dynamite." So this whole story takes a divergent path after events of that episode. I tried to stay true to what I thought the characters would do in certain situations. I hope you enjoy this story.

Chapter 1: Harrison

Harrison stood next to Quinn in front of the landscape of television screens in his office, displaying his usual tick of repeatedly flipping the remote in his hand. All of the screens were on mute except for one, with the remote he swiftly went through the news reports that caught his attention. . . . CLICK . . .

". . . who are the two American nationals kidnapped from their home in the city-state of . . ." CLICK . . . ". . . if it wasn't true, Grant would have denied it!" CLICK . . . "So who really was on that Presidential sex tape? Find out from the man who claims he actually recorded it two years before it came out!" CLICK . . . "The White House has refused to comment about the allegations stating that this is a delicate hostage situation and they will not endanger. . ." CLICK . . . ". . a President and a Senator? We've got the juicy details coming up."

CLICK . . . "Honestly? We may be witnessing the fall of the Grant Administration."

CLICK . . . Harrison settled for the calming voice of a senior news anchor from CNI. He was old school and did not try to embellish his stories or offer his opinions like most of the media figures did these days. He simply reported the facts as he got them. "The alleged state-sponsored terrorist group claims to be holding, quote 'the American President's Whore and his Daughter.'"

He could feel his anger growing in the pit of his stomach. How dare they call her that? Don't they know who they are dealing with? The news report continued, "Two days ago, Brothers of the Golden Path released a video of the adult American hostage. Facial bruising made it difficult to positively identify the woman at first, but CNI is willing to confirm tonight the woman is former White House Communications Director, Olivia Pope."

Damn. Harrison handed the remote to Quinn, walked to his desk chair and slumped in it, trying to process the information. He knew it from almost the very first moment details of the kidnapping broke, but to actually hear them confirm it was Olivia Pope made it very real. And now she was half a world away in very grave danger. No one had seen or heard from Olivia since she took off two and a half years ago under mysterious circumstances. They had helped hide her so well that even when the White House tried to repeatedly intimidate the former Olivia Pope Associates over the years into disclosing her location, they were hard pressed to be able to do it, even if they wanted to. So who on earth could have found her? Much less know that she had some kind of relationship with the President that could have resulted in a child?

Now that blew his mind. Although, truth told, looking back on everything it made sense, and he couldn't believe that he hadn't caught on to it sooner. Sometimes he would have sworn Olivia's reaction to the Amanda Tanner situation was more of a scorned lover than a methodical fixer. And the lengths she went to make Grant president and to protect his secrets . . . now he thought about it, all of her interactions with the President seemed deeply personal. When her former colleagues began to put together what they knew or thought they knew about Olivia and President Grant's relationship, Huck remained quiet. Finally Harrison turned to him and said, "Huck, just spill it, you knew the whole time, didn't you?" Huck shrugged.

So in the end, Olivia's escape had nothing to do with election rigging and everything to do with the frustrating nature of the human heart. It all came down to a child, a child that might now be lost in a hail of bullets in a foreign land along with her mother. As the hostage crisis deepened, the public began to turn on the President. He was facing some serious damage control, which could affect how this whole situation played out. Some were calling for his resignation or impeachment right then, and where would that leave Olivia? At the mercy of some right-wing nut job who would take pleasure in using her death as an excuse to bomb the hell out of an unfriendly country. Harrison thought about all this as he sat in his office, that use to be hers. He still had some of her framed pictures of her and the President in his office. Even though it had been years since they had seen each other, she was still family and needed help.

Quinn leaned against his desk, arms crossed and kept tapping the remote on her upper arm as she listen to a new report, "When Mellie Grant moved to Texas six months ago with Teddy, Republican Party insiders insisted it was just to establish residency and start her campaign for the open Senate seat in the midterm elections. Those suggestions that the move was fueled by marital problems have now gained more credence. Sources close to the First Lady have said that for years she dismissed the rumors of a supposed relationship between the President and Ms. Pope as vicious gossip. They say that she is shocked to learn that the allegations may have been true and, is quote 'heartbroken over the level of betrayal from both of them.'"

Ok, that's it. He grabbed two framed pictures. "Everyone, conference room, now!" Quinn walked behind him, while Huck and Abby came out from their offices to join them. When Olivia left, the four main principles had all invested some of the money they got from their last case back into the business and hired two more associates. Two other stray dogs, talented in their fields, who needed fixing and would eventually fill a little of the Olivia Pope sized hole that she left behind. Lauren and Josh were already at the table. Harrison took out one of the pictures out of its frame, grabbed some tape and slapped it on the window. "We have a new client, people. Fitzgerald Thomas Grant III."

He could see Abby's mouth already starting to twist and she was about to say something, so he turned to the young woman seated at the table, "Lauren, I'm going to need you to get on the phone to the White House and tell the President that all of our resources and knowledge are fully available and we expect him to take advantage of them." Lauren Tsang was in her late 20s, but had already been Communications Director for two Congressional and one Senatorial campaign.

She looked a little flustered. "OK, but the only people I know in the White House are strictly lower level management; I don't know how we will reach the President."

"Well, start with the lower level, work your way up, and make it happen! Move!" Lauren bounced up from the table and scrambled back to her office. "Josh, find out some good dirt on those Congressmen who have appeared on all the news shows calling for Grant's impeachment."

Josh Roblan had worked as a staffer on the Hill for years and knew where all the bodies were buried. "I'm on it," he said without hesitation.

"Huck and Quinn, let's see what we can find out about who the hell knew about Olivia and her kid. It has to be traced back somehow to someone here in Washington."

Finally, "Abby, let's pull the file on Twinkle Toes and anything else we can dig up on Mellie Grant." Here it comes in three . . . two . . . one . . .

"So, we're not even going to talk about this?" Abby asked, incredulously. "We're helping this man out, again? This is his entire fault! She stole an election for him! He knocked Olivia up and she ran half way around the world to get away from the guy. He's been an obsessive ghoul, having his agents come around here looking for her for years! And we are really going to try and salvage this guy's reputation?"

Harrison spoke quietly, "Look, Abby, I don't know what the deal was with their relationship. I don't know who broke whose heart, and I don't care. All I do know is that some jackasses are trying to use Olivia and her child to bring Grant down." He took out the other picture from the frame and placed it on the wall next to Grant's picture. Olivia had on one of her signature white suits on. She was smiling and looked content. "We are going to help this man, because he's her best hope. We are going to salvage his reputation so he can do his job and manage this crisis. We're handling this so the President of the United States can save Olivia Pope."