Summary: Olivia gets down and dirty to save Fitz from impeachment while standing up for herself against Mellie's verbal attacks. This is not Mellie friendly. Mellie, Melitz and Melivia lovers look away, I will not support a Melivia ship that is one sided or where Olivia will cower and be submissive, the show does that plenty.
PUSHING BACK
Everyone was running around the White House like chickens with their heads cut off, there was an unofficial confirmation that the senate had enough votes to impeach the president. Loyal staffers, Mellie, Cyrus, Abby and Olivia and co were all huddled in the oval office watching the news about the impending doom that was about to befall the Grant administration. They spoke freely knowing that Joe, one of the secret service assigned to Fitz had hijack the oval office cameras.
They had all given it their all but it wasn't enough, Mellie was boiling with anger and the thing with her is she always blamed everyone else while easily overlooking the part she played in their downfalls. She marched over to Olivia with her arms folded across her chest, "This is all your fault." she mumbled under her gritted teeth.
"Mellie."
"You are about to ruin us all. It was bad enough that you could not keep your legs closed, why couldn't you keep your whorish mouth shut?"
"Mellie." she said the former first lady's name again with a warning tone.
"I despise you, you home wrecking slut."
Cyrus got up from his desk and made strides toward the two women. "Mellie that's enough."
"It's okay Cy." Olivia put her hand up as a stop sign, indicating that he need not defend her honor. She steped closer to the older woman, which dispersed a nervous energy around the room with everyone holding in a baited breathe while waiting for the other shoe to drop. "Call me a slut one more time."
Mellie smirked with a twisted arrogant grin at the corner of her mouth. "You are a whore. A trashy home wrecking slut who could not keep her legs closed to a married man."
Olivia unlocked her phone, "Hi Gail, tell Oprah I'm really for that tell all." She ended the call then looked up at Mellie. "You and I are not equals Mellie, I may have lead you to believe otherwise because I felt guilty about the affair but we are not on the same level. I'm a woman of few words so I will make this short and sweet, I will save this presidency, but I will drown you politically."
"No you wont. I saved your father with his signature and you will make me president."
"You saved my father with his forged signature, you are a traitor to the American government."
"I gave Locke ten million dollars to save your ass from being exposed, you owe me the presidency."
"You gave Locke ten million dollars to hide your knowledge of the affair after inviting the president's mistress to state dinner to sleep with him, you are a traitor to to the Republican Women Caucus and the family value for which it stands." the younger held her head higher than it had ever been in the presence of the of the older woman. "Do you see where I'm going Mellie. A power hungry woman who refused to divorce her husband, who encouraged his illicit affair, who wants to launch her career by blackmailing the other woman."
"I will release your video with Jake."
"You keep forgetting there are pictures of you on your knees with Andrew." The staffers in the room gasp.
"You wouldn't dare."
Olivia busted into a fit of giggles. "Watch me. If I have to ruin myself to destroy you then so be it but I'm going to sing like a little bird."
Mellie was going to speak but Olivia shook her head as if to say I'm not done taking, then she calmly continued speaking. "I have been silent and slut shamed for too long. This is not high school and I did not steal your boyfriend, I am not a home wrecking slut, he was glad to pull his pants down. I did not take your husband, he simply crawled out of your cold couch and ran into my warm bed. I did not marry you so you don't get to condemn me for the end of your marriage when he was the one who broke his vows to you. I was sorry for the part I played, a part of me still is but you don't get to take your husband back, then pimp him out to me because it suits your purpose yet turn around and still call me a whore. We have never been friends but we could have been allies and now that you have pushed me to the edge, I will push back because I refuse to fall over the edge to keep you happy, I refuse to keep burning myself just to keep warm. I'm not your puppet anymore so I'm taking my life and dignity back from you."
"How dare you Olivia, you owe me!"
"There you go thinking everyone owes you something. News flash, I owe you shit, Mellie! Your ex-husband might owe you something but I owe you shit. Regardless of the role I played in this public debacle, I have always put your feeling into consideration, that this why I cowed in your presence, that is why I refrained from saying anything negative about the person you become behind closed doors."
Mellie rolled her eyes. "Unbelievable."
"You better believe that I'm just getting started. I will turn you into a political pariah, I will make it my life mission to get you kicked out of the senate, I will make sure you never become president and if by any chance you become one, I will make sure you are a lame duck from day one. I will destroy you Melody Grant, your presidential campaign will not see the light of day. I will grind you to dust like I do my foes. I will sic the citizens of this great nation on you, I will sic the world leaders on you because I have friends in high plac- " Olivia gasped in joy as a bright idea came to her mind, she repeated happily to herself, I have friends in high places." "Ha" she clapped her hands then pranced to Cyrus and did a quick salsa dance with him. "I have friends in high places Cy."
Just as everyone was looking at her as if she had went crazy, the door to the oval opened. A disappointed yet relieved Fitz came in. His entrance was a welcomed icebreaker for all occupants of the room, he sensed the tense environment. "What's going on?" He demanded
Olivia simply smiled, "We were just discussing how to save you presidency honey. Right Mellie?"
"Right." she nodded, making a brief eye contact with the younger woman.
A GAME OF CHESS
Fitz had come to accept that he was going to be a disgraced former president, he was resigned to fate. "Liv, it's over, and I'm okay with it."
"I'm not okay with it because I don't want you, us to have regrets down the road. I want to make sure we gave it our all Fitzgerald."
"We have done everything possible, some of these senators just aren't biting."
She stooped beside his chair "I have one hail Mary pass left so," kisses him "watch" kisses "me" kisses him "turn" kisses him "the world on it's head for you."
He was pleased because she initiated public contact without shame. "What do you have in mind?"
"A game of chess."
"Oh?"
"Oh? You disappoint me. Were you not the vice president of your high school chess club?"
"Yes."
"And who is the most powerful on the board?"
"The queen."
"Yes the queen but she cannot checkmate on her own so who is the most important?" she asked.
"The king because you cannot win chess without the king." he replied. "So?" he asked.
"So we protect the king?" she nodded to encourage him to continue.
"But how?" he inquired.
"We will sacrifice the queen, Fitz or at least pretend to."
"No."
"Yes."
"No."
"Yes. A kingdom without a king will fall Fitzgerald."
"I can't ask you to sacrifice yourself for me again, I won't allow it."
She shook her head smugly. "Who said anything about sacrificing myself?" she sighed. "In a real game of chess, America should be viewed as king that should be protected, but in a world that is ruled by political interest, and because people are more concerned about their own goals than the well being of the nation they serve, America has been relegated to the role of the valuable queen. And while clamoring for war, fracking and lobbying backdoor deals, officials have filled their pockets at the expense of this country. They all get their bellies filled with wine and beef because America is safe and sound. We will make a move to capture the 'queen' which will remind them that this chess game is different, the queen is actually the king. We will rattle their cages and they will play nice because at the end of the day each one them will only look out for themselves so we have to hit them where it hurts the most, in their wallet, their future presidential runs. They will have no choice but to protect the queen/king which is America, why? Because money and power is everything and they will protect you by default."
"We bankrupt them and destroy their reputations so that they play ball." he concluded.
"That's only the first steps we have to get in touch with world leaders that have good or almost lukewarm relationships with you."
"You know other countries and their leaders cannot interfere in American politics. We can't do that."
"Wrong again. Who said anything about interference? This is where I come in but first things first, you need to go and have lunch with the VP."
"Why?"
"Because you are the president of the United States of America. And once the world starts burning, the American people and their elected officials will realize the errors of their ways and turn to their president who will embrace them like the prodigal children that they are, and he will lead them out of this troubling climate. They will decide that while change is good, now is not the time for change." She strolled over to Marcus, "May I have your tie please?" he took his blue tie off without hesitation, she walked back to the president's table and helped him put it on. "Go and be presidential, then ask me to marry you when this is all over."
He frowned. "I already did, you ran away."
"I got scared so I ran to the enemy's camp for cover but now I realize the errors of my ways. Now go before I change my mind." she whispered.
"A kiss for luck?"
"Luck is for the weak and meek. Lets stick to kicking ass and taking names." he grumbled about how he's always being taken for granted, she tenderly pulled him back with his shirt and planted a chaste kiss on his cheek. "I love you."
"I love you back." he smiled.
She looked around the room and asked the White House staffs to please excuse themselves, only the inner circle and members of the OPA were needed for this situation. While the staffs left, Mellie was still rooted in her spot, Liv pulled a small tape out of her purse. "Because I have always put your feelings in consideration, I will do it again one last time. This should give you a head start before I have my interview with Oprah."
Mellie put on the earphones and pressed play, she heard herself ranting about how she Liv fell on the Job, how she was going to take her husband back, how she would have America's baby and her heart dropped. It turned out that their then housekeeper had hard feeling about the way Mellie pushed her around and she wanted pay back.
"Liv?"
"I would get on that if I were you, this is me giving you one final head start."
Mellie looked to the couch where Cy was seated but Cyrus quickly turned away as if it was non of his business. She then went and sat beside him. "Cyrus, do something."
Everyone who knew Cy knew he was the wet rat that survived the tsunami, he was the rat who would definitely survive in an earthquake. He was the rat who only goes to a house with fresh cheese and he would not give it up unless there was a nicer house with fresher cheese awaiting him He would protect himself at all cost. "Maybe you should take some responsibility in the part you played to facilitate this affair."
"Excuse me?"
"You are grown woman, stop asking others to wipe your ass. You never take responsibility for your actions."
"Neither do you Cy, yet here you are."
"You overplayed your hand, Missy. Lets deal with this later." With that she got up and caught up with at the president by the door. "I have done nothing but love you and this is my reward?"
"What are you on about Mel?"
"Ask your sl" she cautioned herself. "Ask your girlfriend." with that said, she stumped out of the room prayed that Cyrus would find a solution to this situation she had created but in the main time she had an idea on how soften Olivia's anger toward her.
SET THE WORLD ON FIRE
Olivia took off her black short sleeved jacket. "Marcus, get me the kill folder from OPA, find me all the names of officials getting kick backs from the misfortune of their constituents, the names of those with hidden foreign accounts, the names of those who are using their positions to line the pockets of their relatives. Drag out the skeletons in their closet, bring me the darkest secrets that would make them shit themselves."
"Ok." he left the room.
"Quinn, get me at least twelve untraceable phone. I need to make some calls."
"Hulk, I need you shutdown the computer system of the Pentagon and the White house for two hours without being detected and I need you to empty the offshore bank accounts of all immoral officials that have refused to support the president then transfer it into the accounts of members of congress and senate who are financially clean but otherwise dirty. Strange lump of money will cause them distress. Can you manage to do that?"
He shrugged his shoulders, "Is my name Hulk?" he went to a corner with his computer and started wrecking havoc.
Cyrus humbled himself and walked over to her, awaiting his assignment. "What do you want me to do Liv?"
"Just sit down and look pretty Cy. This is not a race for an old, we wouldn't want you to have a heart attack now would we?"
"I just want to help."
"Fine. I will need you to conduct a poll on the security of America, every twenty minutes for the next two hour. Polls on how a shift in leadership can economically cause disturbances in the financial stability of families and their protection. One thing I know about Americans is if given a choice, they hate to part with their money and-"
Cyrus continued Olivia's train of speech "And they would rather settle for a philandering president than welcome an inexperienced and easily manipulable VP who could mess with their money and security. We fill their heads with so much doubt that they and their elected officials will want her nowhere near the oval office let alone near the nuclear football."
"Fear Cy. People want change but in the face of fear, they are more likely to stick with the known than go with the unknown. I need you to stir up the press so that they can stir up the people, make parents run around screaming that sky is falling, do you think you can handle that you old bastard?"
"Olivia, all you have to do is call the devil by his name and he will appear. What's the trigger word?"
"Untested is the word we want the whole nation screaming."
"He got to the door then looked over his shoulders at the angelic looking yet scary woman who was dishing out orders. He took a deep breathe then left.
Abby stood beside Olivia, "what about you, what will you do now?"
She remembered how Tom once called her Helen of Troy. Nah, Liv was no Helen, she was better, smarter and more beautiful. So why have wait to have men war for you when you can launch your own fleet of armadas? "sometimes we have to tear down before we can rebuild so I am going to launch a thousand ships for the man I love."
THE PHONE CALLS
"…... yes Benjamin, and no, I'm not asking you to interfere. I'm just reminding you that he is a great supporter of Israel and his possible replacement thinks America is spending too much money in the defense of God's chosen people... …..."
###
"The press only needs to know that you have a great friendship with Fitz …. …. …... ….. …..You know I'm right David, and that deal you are trying to negotiate with Germany will be dead in the water as soon as power changes hands. ….. …"
###
"Enrique, consider your people who came here seeking refuge from your country that is being taken over by drug lords. America has been fighting this drug war with you side by side and that could easily change. …. …. …... ….. .. there are also millions of your people that could be forcefully returned just because some people think that they don't deserve to be here... …... …... …..."
###
"Common Putin, I'm just saying, you have a lot of birds flying over Syria, it would be wise not to be silent. To be silent is to advocate for the oath of office of a woman would may decide to shoot them out of their sky on a whim."
###
"They think China is taking over the world, who's to say they won't try to cut you off, Jinping?... …... …..."
###
"Salamalekum Ali..."
###
"I have no Idea what you are talking about Senator Abram. I only fix peoples' images, how could I have possibly done what you are accusing me of?"
###
"Sally, I may be a miracle worker but I am not Jesus Christ, I do not forgive sins, neither do I give second chances. Jesus called, Sally, his hour of grace for you is over. It is time to pay the piper and I will be payed in full."
###
"Fall in line or fall out of your senatorial seat Mr. Johnson."
AND THE PRESS GOES WILD
"We have set the world ablaze, now what?" Abby asked.
"We sit, wait and watch then put out the flames." Olivia turned the tv on.
"There are Iranians out there chanting death to America, can we trust the VP to protect out interests in the Middle-east?"
Click
"Russia has increased it's aircraft in the air space of Syria how will America respond."
Click
"How did the Mexican drug lord, El Chapo, escape prison?"
Click
"With the looming doom and a possibility of change in political climate, Wall-street has taken a big hit, it is down by 723 points, are we on the brink of another financial collapse due to one man's moments of weaknesses? Folks are scrambling to do away with their investments as a financial meltdown might be unpreventable by an untested leader."
Click
"The Nigeria Boko Haram has claimed responsibility for the 200 girls that were kidnapped in the village of-"
Click
"Senator Grant admits that she knew about the affair but she decided to turn a blind eye because her marriage had been broken for a long time and she wanted her ex-husband to be happy. She said that they were going through a secret separation period and had been planning divorce for a while but the time never seemed right. She went on to say Olivia Pope is a dear friend and she wishes the first girlfriend the best with the president."
Click
"Breaking news, Senator Sheldon has been exposed for corruption, it turns out that his-"
Click
"Prime minister Netanyahu praises the partnership that President Grant has managed to restore between The US and Israel and hopes it will only continue to get better."
Click
"America under siege, the Pentagon has been hacked are we even safe on American soil?"
Click
"The President is currently meeting with his security team as he faces impeachment. He has always stood strong in his belief on protecting our nation at all cost. Is this the right time to change leadership?"
Click
"The most recent CNN poll shows that 52% of Americans would prefer if the president finished his second term. 55% believe that his affair has not affected and will not affect his ability as the president. 57% of Independent voters believe that Olivia Pope's association with the Grant administration has positively impacted the president's domestic and international policies.
Click
"The president has had a phone conversation with the Chinese president concerning our trade partnership."
Click
"Our enemies see that we are a nation of hypocrites and they are testing us."
Click
"Where is the Vice President of the Untied States of America in all of these? This is the woman who could possibly be sworn into office if the president is kicked out, is she even fit to take the reins of power? She is untested in terms of handing important national issues. Can she handle the great responsibilities that come with the White House?"
Click
"America, I'm Sally Langston, would I ever lie to you? The world is watching is us make fools out of ourselves just because we would rather crucify a man for his libido while he guards our interests when it matters. It would be a grave mistake to punish him for his personal indiscretions because if we do, this country would implode under Susan's watch. As much as I hate to say it, we are better off with a man who cannot keep his pecker in his pants than taking chances on an ignorant woman. I do not trust this unseasoned woman to protect you. It is 2AM, your children are sleeping America and the phone is ringing, who do you want to pick it up? A battle tested veteran or an untested bumbling pastry chef who can hardly spell her name on a birthday cake?"
Click
"Fox poll shows 61% of republicans would rather keep the president in office, 77% of them say they do not like the president's girlfriend because she seduced him, 79% of them do not trust an untested VP to keep us safe."
Click
"MSNBC polls shows that 53% of Democrats would keep a moderate Republican Fitzgerald over an untested Susan. 92% of African Americans say that the Brandon Bill made them see the president in a good light and 56% of them would like to have beer with the President and First Girlfriend. "
Click
"The senate majority leader, Senator Johnson has suspended the impeachment vote permanently, calling it an unnecessary witch-hunt that is turning America on it's head."
Liv had gathered everyone who worked hard to save the presidency in the Oval for a thank you drink, Cyrus ran into the room and punched the air in victory. "Now that is how you save a presidency, Liv, I will forever be loyal to you."
She rolled her eyes and whispered. "Bitch please."
He whispered back, "Fine. I'm a baby bitch. Now about that Oprah interview?"
"I got my point across today. so I'm saving it for a rainy day."
"What does that mean?"
Olivia thought about Karen and how her mother's outing would affect her, so once again, she decided to go out of her was not to raise hell. "I will not help her but I won't stand in her way either... ….. as long as she does not come for me."
"Thanks Liv."
"Fuck off Cy, this isn't about you or her."
The door cracked open and the president hurried in to sweep the fixer off her feet. He didn't care about the spectators, he just felt so lucky and happy to have her in this life. "Liv, you have done the impossible by saving my administration and I love you for it but I need you to do the impossible again. Will you marry me? Again?"
"Yes. And this time I won't run."
The End
Authors Note
I came out of my 2 year Scandal hibernation and boy I have a bridge of rant to sell you all.
Watch the new season, they say.
Scandal is back, they say
OP is back, they say
It got better, they say.
You will not regret, it they say.
I call bullshit on this, all I got was one step forward and ten giant steps back. She used Kerry's face and OP's fixing talent to launch the show, then turned it to a show about Mellie's pain and sacrifices after the show's success. Nothing against the actors and actress as they are just doing their jobs but Shonda, Lovely Ms. Shonda, give Bellamy/Mellie and Scott/Jake their own shows since you love them so much. I'm sure their shows will be hit shows since it would have your seal of approval. Oh I forgot, they may not be very relevant without having the opportunity to put down Olivia's vagina activity history.
OP has been the most disrespected lead character I have ever seen on tv, so where are the feminists who have defended Mellie's honor and right to be a woman with flaws? Why aren't they doing the same for OP? Why are Mellie's and Jake's sins forgiven while Liv and Fitz are held to a higher standard? Whatever Shonda is selling, I'm not buying. Is she trying to say that this woman who stands up for her clients will keep mute for 5 seasons of being constantly slut shamed by Melli, Jake and Cy to name a few.
Why would OP keep confiding in Jake? They are not friends, they have never been friends, they were only fuck buddies and apparently that dick was not that good compared to the presidential one.
Why do I have the feeling that either OP or FG will end up dead at the end of the series while Mellie sits as a newly minted president?
Shonda has a track-record of writing better SL for supporting characters and I'm okay with it, just not at the expense of your lead.
Yang on Grey's
Mellie on Scandal
Charlotte on PPP
Bailey on Grey's
The above characters were mostly well written than the leads, but no other lead has suffered character regression and assassination as much as OP. I would not put killing Fitz or OP past her in the final season as she offed Mc Steamy, George, Mc Dreamy, and Pete on PPP just to name a few. Even if the actors wanted to leave, was death the only answer? And then there's Joke who is like a pet snake slithering all over the nice Italian furniture while leaving it's waste all over the place.
All these reviewers that swear Jake's the man for Liv would be calling for Fitz's head on a stake is if Fitz had choked Mellie or slammed her head on the table. Why can they not defend OP's right to be protected from physical or other forms of abuse or is that only reserved for Mellie? I get that Shonda wants Mellie to be Prez but what is Jake's purpose? B613? Eating greasy burgers or slut-shaming the lead at every turn?
So I was told that she was not writing for htgawm, that she was only producing it. Big mistake on my part, I can see her foolishness making appearances all over that show and it's only the beginning when an intelligent defense lawyer makes a rookie mistake of kissing her lover in broad daylight. What would they have her do next? Twist and turns, shock and awe then bait and switch will soon take over that show as well and the free-fall will commence..
Oh Goodness! I did myself a disservice by coming back to Scandal so I decided to write an OP fanfic that I would like to see on Scandal because Olivia Pope of season one is dead in the water and she has to remain dead and do dumb shit for the favored characters to be elevated as 'smart' and above the lead who is supposed to be the smartest person in the room. Why can't the supporting characters be smart without dumbing down Olivia?
I feel a whole lot better after writing the fic and ranting in the authors note, hope I didn't take too much of your time. Hopefully my rant and fic makes sense.
See yall around, I'm going back into hibernation, I don't know for how long or if another fic would come to me. Bye lovelies and thanks for reading.
