CH 4 – Fresh

The next day I got a call from Harrison. "Hey Liv, I have a place".

Olivia "Wow, that was fast. Text me the address and I will be right over".

She drove over to the address. Harrison and the rest of the gang met her in the lobby. They rode the elevator up. The realtor opened the doors and the all walked in. It was perfect. A hallway down the middle with offices on either side and a boardroom down the end. They exchanged glances that told her all she needed to know.

Olivia turned to the realtor with a smile "where do I sign?"

Three days later they were up and running.

The next few months passed without consequence. The business was going better than expected, so much so that Olivia was considering bringing someone else in. They had already worked with a number of high profile clients including Sandra Harding, Verna Thornton, Ambassador Heller, the Caldwell's and Governor Swarez.

She had heard from Cyrus sparingly since she left the White House. He was angry at her for leaving the White House, especially without warning him. She had told him the same thing she told Harrison, Abbey, Stephen and Huck the day after she quit, that he didn't need her anymore and that her work was done. He seemed to accept though and was very slowly starting to forgive her. On their few phone calls he had tried to get her to come back and had asked her advice on a few things, but generally it hadn't been too bad.

Fits had seemed to accept that she wasn't coming back. After that night he had tried to ring her a few times, but she didn't answer. She hoped he would get the hint.

XXXX

Fitz was trying so hard to concentrate on his Presidency and his family, but it wasn't easy. He had done some great things in his presidency, like helping kids go to college and had helped provide medical care to emergency workers involved in the 9/11 attack, but every time he done so the only person he wanted to talk to was her. He had tried on a few occasions to call her, but she didn't answer.

He still didn't really understand why she left in the first place. She said he loved him. When he asked Cyrus, he said she had completed her job and was moving on in the world, starting her own "fix it" firm. From what he had seen on tv and in the papers, she seemed to be doing well, landing some big clients. But the only thing he wanted to know, that no tv interview or newspaper article would tell him, is whether she had moved on, was she dating again. Cyrus hadn't said anything, and he wasn't game to ask.

Things with he and Mellie were fine, as fine as can be when you are with a woman that you no longer love. They slept in the same bed, and considered her a friend, but when he missed Olivia she would get on his nerves more than usual.

About 9 months after Olivia met he was doing a speech on the south lawn of the White House, and this great big Labrador came bounding up to him, nearly knocking him down, causing a great amount of panic within the secret service. The owner, a 27year old girl came running after the dog, grabbing his leash. She apologized profusely for her dogs intrusion. Fitz gave the dog a big rub behind the ears.

Fitz "not a problem at all, but I think you might need to apologies to Tom over hear, I think he nearly had a heart attack". The girl looked over to Tom and let out a giggle. Fitz whipped his head around so quickly that he almost pinched a nerve, that laugh sounded a little like Olivia. How he missed her so much.

Fitz "You look familiar, do I know you?"

Amanda "I work in the West Wing, just started after volunteering for the campaign. I must say, it is an absolute pleasure being part of your administration Mr President".

The way she said Mr President sounded a little more sultry than most people but he didn't make much of it. Just as he went to ask what she was doing a loud interference noise came from the speaker announcing that the President would soon be speaking. Not sure if this girl could hear over the noise, he leaned in and said "See you round then?" Amanda smirked.

Over the next few weeks he had begun to see more and more of the girl with the dog, whose name, upon further conversation, he had established was Amanda Tanner. She worked for Billy Chambers and would often act as courier of documents between the President and Sally Langston. He had noticed her flirting with him on several occasions, but had generally tried to brush it off. She seemed like a nice girl though. He liked to tell her jokes, in the hope her laugh would once again give him a glimpse of Liv's laugh.

XXXX

After about a year of Pope and Associates was established, Olivia was driving over to the office from her apartment and her tire had a puncture in it. Unfortunately she was wearing her favorite white pants suit and pump heels. She was pulled over on the side of the road just about to call for help when a car pulls up in front of her car.

The man gets out of the car and walks over to her. "Thank you for pulling over, but I have help on the way (lie)"

The man said "Oliva Pope, don't you recoggnise me. I am hurt, I thought I was your favourite Partner, you were certainly mine".

Olivia took a closer look and realized who had come to her rescue. A colleague of hers from her pre-campaign cushy job as Associate at Hemmings & Walsh, Anthony Mason. "Anthony Mason?"

Anthony "Its Justice Mason now actually".

Olivia "Ah yes, of course. I did hear about that, how is the municipal court treating you these days?"

Anthony "Pretty well, so well in fact I had time to stop off to help out my favourite associate with what appears to be a flat tyre, is the spare tyre in the back here?"

Anthony proceeded to replace Olivia's flat tyre.

Olivia "Well thank you good sir for your services, may I buy you a coffee for your troubles?"

Anthony "Why certainly, I have a light workload today in fact, so im all yours."

Olivia and Anthony walk across the road to a coffee shop which had just opened as it was still early in the morning. They sat down to their coffees and caught up on the last 2 years since she had left the firm, including his appointment to judge. Unbeknown to either Olivia or Anthony there had been a few photographs taken of the two during their coffee. While both parties are single, the meeting was strictly platonic in their eyes.

Unfortunately a few of those snapps made it onto the early morning news of a political cable channel.