Broken

Chapter Three:

Because of You

"Fitz, talk to her," Olivia implored her husband, awkwardly collapsing into the red and white pinstriped sofa.

"I will, but I can't right now. The prime minister…"

"Fitzgerald Thomas Grant!" Olivia crossed her arms, giving the most intimidating stance a woman could give when six months pregnant. "The prime minister can wait. Your daughter is on the verge of a breakdown because she thinks you don't care."

Sighing, Fitz turned in his chair, looking at his wife as he loosened the too tight knot of his blue tie. Glancing between the black phone and Olivia, he finally stood and slowly walked toward the woman on the sofa.

"You are a pain in my ass," he grinned, placing a hand on either side of her head as he leaned forward to place a chaste kiss on her lips.

Ring. Ring. Ring.

The shrill noise of the phone broke the two apart. Olivia glared at the small, black box as her husband began walking toward it. So much for getting him to speak to Karen.

"Karen, we need to talk." Fitz leaned against the doorframe leading into the young girl's bedroom. Karen, for her part, chose to keep her back turned to the door and her nose buried in a magazine. Fitz sighed, shoving the door open farther and taking a step into the room. He glanced around taking in the changes Karen had made in the past two weeks. Clothes were strewn across the floor, half-empty water bottles mixed in, the closet door stood half-open with more clothes thrown inside, a guitar leaned against the window seat, and photographs hung on the mirror, nearly covering the whole thing. Moving closer and looking at the photographs, Fitz noticed that of all the smiling, happy moments Karen had captured with friends, not a single photograph contained his ex-wife.

"Unless you're hear to talk about finally letting me decorate in here, I have nothing to say."

"Are you planning on cleaning up in here anytime soon?" Fitz's retort had a frown covering Karen's face as she whirled around to look at him, causing him to elaborate, "I'm not inviting anyone in this room to decorate for you while it's in this shape."

"I can do it myself."

"No, because doing it yourself would mean painting everything black and that is not happening."

"You said I could decorate my room the way I want it."

"As long as you don't make it the most depressing room in the house."

"You're just like mom."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"She won't let me make my own choices, either. It's always 'you have to do this or that' 'you can't do that even if you want, because it will make me look bad'," Karen nearly shouted, her face turning red as her eyes brimmed with tears. Fitz neared the edge of her bed as she fell forward, burying her face in the dull pillow.

"I didn't mean that you can't make your own choices, but Karen, I can't allow you to continue making these choices that are only negatively impacting you."

"Because something is wrong with me, right? That's why you left."

"I didn't leave because of you," Fitz began, gently sitting on the corner of the bed, sinking into the soft mattress, "Your mother and I had problems. None of them involved you."

"Whatever."

"If you want to decorate your room, you're more than welcome to pick out some things with Olivia's help." Fitz stood, feeling as if he were barking up the wrong tree with his daughter and making a mental note to call a therapist come Monday. Maybe they would be able to squeeze in one session before she started school.

"I don't want Olivia's help. Will you just go?"

"Be dressed by five. We're having dinner with Speaker James." With that said, Fitz headed out of the room. After hearing her door shut, tentatively lifted her head from her pillow, tears streaking down her face. She quickly swiped at them as her phone began ringing. Accepting the FaceTime call, she rubbed at her eyes, hoping they would look less swollen before turning the phone toward her.

"It's about time you ans- Karen what's wrong?"

"Nothing. Just a stupid argument with my dad. How's everyone?"

She heard chucking as the picture switched from the dark haired, sinewy boy to a group of teenagers. A short, blonde girl sat beside a dark-faced boy, a smoking joint resting in the glass ashtray on the table before them. Another boy, his long red hair flopping in his eyes, stood to the side, pressing vigorously on a controller. Karen smiled to herself: Mica, Leo, and Tyler looked like they were having a good time.

"They look good."

"I can't teach them any better." The picture once more flipped to the grinning boy Karen was speaking with.

"I miss you, Thomas."

"That's what you keep telling me," Thomas winked, "Your dad can't be that bad. Maybe he'd let me visit?"

"No way. He's mad at me because I won't decorate my room with my stepmom."

"Why not decorate it with her?"

"Why would I?"

"She hasn't been mean to you, Karen. Give her a chance. For me?"

"Fitz, wha –" Olivia began, rounding the corner of the hallway and seeing her husband standing outside Karen's slightly ajar door, his ear pressed to the crevice.

"Sh!"

Narrowing her eyes, Olivia moved closer, standing just behind Fitz and straining to hear what he was hearing. It was obvious that Karen was on the phone with someone – a boy, from the sounds of it.

"Fine. For you," Karen said, an annoyed sigh leaving her lips. Olivia shook her head, unable to follow Karen's conversation. Yanking on Fitz's arm, she finally managed to get him to follow her away from his daughter's door and down the hall, around the corner.

"Did you talk to her?"

"Yes."

"Why were you standing outside her door?"

"Our talk didn't go so well…"

"Why eavesdrop? Fitz, you have to give her some trust."

"I wanted to know who she was talking to – sounded like a friend. You know what Mellie said about Karen's friends." Olivia chuckled at the near pout that crossed Fitz's face as he crossed his arms. Placing her hand on his bicep, Olivia squeezed.

"Sounded more like a boyfriend. If you're so worried about her friends, invite them here. Get to know them."

"No! I won't have some hooligans running around the White House." Grunting, Olivia removed her hand from Fitz's arm and crossed hers over her chest.

"At least think about inviting this boy here. She sounds like she cares for him."

Relaxing his facial muscles, Fitz looked down at Olivia, grabbing her hand and intertwining his fingers with hers, "Alright."

"Did you tell her about dinner?"

"Yes."

"At least something went right."

"Don't be so quick to jump the gun – we'll say that if she shows up in something respectable and on time," Fitz laughed, bringing Olivia's hand to his lips.

"I hate my hair," Karen mumbled to herself, trying to get her straightened locks to stay in place. Giving up on that endeavor, and checking her makeup one last time, she stood in front of the floor length mirror, snapping a shot of her baby blue skirt and jacket. She waited patiently for a response to her text, smiling to herself when Thomas texted back with, 'you look great'. Taking a deep breath, she marched to her door, slinging it open and heading in the direction of the family dining room.

"You look nice," Olivia commented, startling Karen as she entered the dining room. Karen turned to find her stepmother in an off-white sweater dress.

"Thank you." Olivia's surprised look didn't last long before she was able to recover with a warm smile aimed at Karen. Fitz was less successful at covering his expression once he entered the room, turning a critical expression on his daughter.

"Is there something wrong with my outfit?" Karen asked, looking down at herself. The only thing she had thought her father might object to were her black Converse.

"No," Fitz answered, stumbling a little on his answer as he turned toward Olivia, "Can I talk to you?"

"Karen, would you like to head toward the front entrance and greet the Speaker? We'll be back in here by the time you get back."

Karen nodded, waiting until she was out of the room and half down the hall before allowing a sneer to cross her face – she didn't want to do anything for Olivia. Olivia and Fitz, on the other hand, had waited until Karen was out of earshot before speaking.

"What is she up to?" Fitz wondered aloud, giving his wife a worried look.

"She's a teenager – her mood changes on a dime," Olivia tsked, rubbing her bulging stomach as she headed toward a chair, sighing when she sat, reliving the tension on her legs. She would be happy when she finally had this child.

"She was too upset when I spoke to her, Liv. This isn't something that will just go away if I wait – it's not like she didn't get a new car or phone or whatever it is girls her age want. She thinks I abandoned her and her mother won't allow her to be herself."

"She probably wants to ask you a question and is playing nice so she has a better chance of you hearing her out."

"That just makes me feel so much better." Fitz rolled his eyes.

"Promise me that when she does ask you for whatever it is that she is going to ask for, that you will listen."

"I will."

"Thank you," Olivia smiled, moving to stand as the door to the dining room opened, grimacing at the feel of her too tight heels – her feet had recently started swelling.

"Mr. President." A stout, average-height elder man moved past Karen to greet Fitz.

"Henry," Fitz nodded, extended a hand to shake the Speaker's, "Have a seat."

"You look wonderful, Olivia," Henry noted, inclining his head toward the First Lady as she took the seat across from him.

"Thank you."

"And I must say, Fitz, your daughter is spectacular. She told me she's thinking of going to law school when she graduates?"

"She still has a few more years to decide," He stated, throwing a glance his daughter's way.

"Dad, can I ask you something?" Fitz finished undoing his tie before turning around to face his daughter, standing awkwardly at the threshold to his and Olivia's room.

"Sure," Fitz nodded, glancing at Olivia who was doing a good job at pretending to ignore the conversation, her eyes tracing the words in one of her many maternity books.

"I was wondering if I could invite a couple friends…"

"Karen, you're here to get away from those so-called friends."

"Not all of them are bad and there's actually on one I wanted to invite…he didn't have anything to do with what happened at that party. He wasn't even there," she was quick to add, noticing the disapproving look that crossed her father's face.

"Fitz, let her invite this one friend." Karen's attention turned to her stepmother and she suddenly felt a rush of relief for Olivia – for the moment she would play nice.

"Fine," Fitz agreed.

"Thank you, daddy." Karen rushed forward, giving her father a quick hug before she bounced out of the room, practically skipping toward her room. After closing her door, Karen flopped onto her bed and yanked her phone from her nightstand. Dialing Thomas's number, she waited patiently for him to answer, rolling onto her stomach and kicking her legs.

"Thomas, pick up." After a few more rings, the phone went to voicemail. Karen sighed and began to leave a message.

"I hope this isn't a mistake," Fitz bemoaned, yanking the blanket back on the bed and sliding in beside Olivia.

"We need to show her some trust, Fitz. Maybe she'll open up with us. She can't continue to be miserable here."

"Mellie said that her friends were to blame for…"

"Like Mellie has never lied to you before," Olivia rolled her eyes, "And those choices were as much Karen's as her friends. Wait until you meet her friend before you judge him."

"Him?" Fitz's eyes flashed with uncertainty, "She never mentioned a him."

"I will bet you that she is inviting the boy she was on the phone with," Olivia giggled.

"I'm not ready for this."

"It's practice for our little girl," Olivia laughed, rolling onto her side and snuggling back against Fitz. "Now can we please get some sleep?"

"Anything for you."