Important things you should know before start reading:

- English is not my first language, the, sorry for any mistake;

- The part in talic is a flahsback;

Good reading!

They were going to Boston, the Governor of Massachusetts called Mellie for a meeting with the Republican Comitee and he is a good ally. She was going to take advantage of this situation to do a lot of appearences by his side in the rallys. It would be a long week campaigning across the state, but Olivia had everything under control. At least, she thought that she had.

"And I garantee for you, Mellie Grant is the better for our country! With her we will rise! Vote Grant! Vote for who is made for America!" The governor yelled holding Mellie's hand while she was thanking the support.

The crowd was clapping and Mellie started her speech.

Mellie and Olivia were at the Governor's house, they would had dinner with him and discuss their program strategies. They entered the house and were received to the living room, and at this moment, Liv could noticed Mellie's body shaking. She didn't understood why.

"Mellie, Olivia! Welcome to my house! This is my wife, Peggy."

The woman was tall, blonde, green eyes and very, very beautiful. She was wearing a dark blue dress and red lipstick. Actually, she was stunning.

"Mel... I was looking foward to see you." The woman hugged a shocked Mellie and the governor and Liv were not undertanding nothing at all.

"You know each other?" He asked, kind of confused.

"Mhhm... yes. We went to College together. Peggy didn't tell you?" Mellie was distinctly uncomfortable.

"No, I didn't tell him. Actually, I didn't tell anyone. Ever." It seemed like they both were talking in some secret code. But Liv started to suspect what they really were talking about.

"C'mon. Everyone sit! Do you like red wine?" The governor asked Liv and Mellie and they nodded. "Great! Lisa! Please come serve us some wine!" he said to his maid.

Olivia and Mellie sat on the couch in front of the couch that the governor and his wife was settled. Mel was acting weird, she couldn't stop scratching her own hand, and Peggy, well... she couldn't stop staring at her. Liv was paying attention in all this scene very carefully.

"So, you two were colleagues?" Olivia asked.

"Mmhm, we were friends, yes."

"Pretty good friends." Peggy said, hinting something.

"Why you never told me that?" The governor asked his wife, very serious. "All these years and you have never mentioned Mellie, not even when she was fisrt lady."

The woman didn't respond, she just took a large sip of her wine.

"It was so long time ago." Mellie said, forcing a laugh, trying to break the tension.

"Back then I would never imagine you as a republican senator." Peggy said.

"What? You know that being president have always been my dream."

"Yes. I mean, I've never imagined you as a republican. After all that we-"

"I could never imagine that you would marry a man" Mellie inturrepted "I mean, a political man" she completed the sentence, realizing what she just said.

"Okay, why we don't discuss what we came here for?" Olivia was trying to dodge that conversation, because she knew that it wouldn't ended up well.

"Good idea. But I need to use the lavatory." Mellie said, kind of nervous.

"Oh, come with me. I'll show you where it is." Peggy said standing up and grabbing Mel's hand. "You can start talking policts while I show my old girl the right way, ok? She will be right back." Peggy said looking to her husband and Olivia.

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"Ok, how many do we have?" Mellie is standing up, right in the middle of the Oval Office, while Elizabeth North and Olivia are sitting on the couch.

"According with the leader of the Congress, it will be a fierce dispute." Lizzie says.

"Ok... so are they slipted?"

"Yes, Ma'am." Lizzie does a pause and then proceeds "But I guess that if we can get the vote of that one democrat that could encourage the others, we can pass"

"Do you think we can do this, Liv?"

Olivia is not paying attention – again. God, dammit! She has never been so reckless like that, her mind has never been so fuzzy, and she has never failed paying attention on work. This is only happening because of Mellie. No, not Mellie... but the jealous that she's feeling about Mellie. And the only thing that she can pay attention right now is the way that Elizabeth North is looking at Mel. Liv can't be wrong, she's not that crazy, Elizabeth is looking at her like she could eat her. Yes, she is. It can't be Liv's mind playing with her, right?

Wrong.

"Liv?!" Mellie says louder, clapping her hands to wake up Olivia of her own trance.

"Mmhm, yes... ahn... pardon?"

"God, Olivia! Please, be focused! I've asked you if we can convince one democrat – the democrat – to encourage the others."

"Oh, of course I can do that. I can dig into their secrets and I will get you these votes. I promise."

"Alright, then. Lizzie, do you know who I can put in charge to write the Bill?"

"Yes, I have a few options [...]"

Why is Mellie smiling to Lizzie? Why is she even discussing this Bill with her? It was supposed to be something that both of them should talk together, right? Without Elizabeth. At least, this is what Olivia thinks. She is being replaced. And she can't take it.

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"What the hell, Peggy?" Mellie said the moment the woman pushed Peggy into her lavatory and locked the door.

"So, I can't believe you are going to be president!"

"And I can't believe that you are the fisrt lady of Massachussets"

"Yeah... well, life is complicated" she sighed. "After all these years I have been keeping up with you on the news. I have to say, I'm so proud of what you became."

"Thanks?" Mellie didn't know how to act. She is standing right in front of the first girl that she kissed.

"I've missed you all these years." The woman was getting closer to her.

"Don't even start it! I- I can't. Just... stay away from me, ok?" Mellie said shaking her hands.

"Ok. If that's what you want." She took a deep breath "Anyone knows? I mean, about me?"

"Nobody knows."

"Not even the President?"

"Especially him."

"Mhhm, that's a shame. I thought that at least I would be a rumour..."

"Listen, Peggy. No one can know about it, ok? If you tell anyone I'm over."

"I know, I know. I don't want to ruin my life either." The blonde rolled her eyes.

"How you ended up here, by the way?" Mellie asked kind of stunned.

"Remember my dad? He didn't liked the idea of his little girl kissing other girls. Then, he had presented me to Thomas family, one of the most importants family of the State. I followed what he told me to, and now I'm here. Twenty five years of a fake marriage. Just smiling and playing the game for politics."

"I'm sorry, Peggy."

"Don't be." The woman let out a bittersweet laugh "The truth is that it all happened when you replaced me for Fitz. But screw it, I'm better without you."

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"Do you know whats funny? We are changing positions." Fitz says entering the residence of the White House.

"I think we already did" Mellie says, without taking her eyes off the newspaper.

"No... you took my place. Now I'm gonna replace you in senate."

"What?!" Mellie finally looks up

"Yeah!" he's smiling as a dumb, and Mellie asks herself how could she had loved him one day.

Fitz sits by her side, and put his arm across her neck, how they used to be back then when they both lived there.

"I'm gonna run as Senator of the Great State of Virginia."

"Well... I was expecting you to be homeless, so it is a upgrade." She joked.

"Very funny" he says while she laughs "Where's my son?"

"He's sleeping but since you are not the President anymore, you can wait until he wakes up."

"Mellie, I was thinkin-" Olivia says as she walks into the room. She stops by the moment she sees Fitz there. With his hand across Mellie's neck. "Oh! Sorry to interrupt."

"Olivia!" his eyes start to shine when he looks at her, and Mellie notices.

"Hi, Fitz." She nodds. "I can go back other time."

"No, wait. Don't go." Mellie says standing up. "Fitz is here for Teddy. What do you want to tell me?"

"Nevermind." She shrugs.

This is quite a scene. The three of them, in the same room. Olivia – who used to be Fitz mistress – is now in love with Mellie – who used to be Fitz wife. Fitz still in love with Olivia, eventhough they don't know about it. Liv is jealous about Mel with Fitz, but she doesn't know that Mel feels jealous about her too – she sees the way Fitz looks at her, and knowing all their past, she got reason to feel this way.

It would be funny, if it isn't so tragic.

"It has been a while since we don't talk, Liv. How are you?" Fitz asks.

"Great." Her face is serious.

"Fitz, why don't you go inside check on Teddy?" Mellie says, trying to get free of him.

"Why don't you go?" he asks, still looking at Liv.

"I'm sure that I am interrupting, something. I'll catch with you later, Mel." Her voice is throbbing. "Bye, Fitz."

"It's nice to see you, Liv!" he says trying to get attention.

Olivia leaves the room, and Mellie notices the sad look into her ex husband's eyes. Yup, he still loves her. What a douchebag! The last thing that Mellie needs is him to steal Olivia from her. But, wait... they are not even together. Shit. If he wants he can have her right now. He still can have Vermont. He still can have his political career and the girl. Once again, he will have all that he wants, because he is a spoiled privileged rich-straight-white-man. Ugh, now she reminds how much she hates him!

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There was late in night, and they were in their bus, travelling to Worcester, for another day on Trail. Mellie was sitting close to the window, looking to the stars and thinking about everything that happened that day. All she wanted was a jar of her hooch, but she didn't get any, and probably Olivia wouldn't let her to drink any kind of alcohol during the Trail. She was too focused on her thoughts that she didn't see Olivia approaching and sitting next to her.

"Hey, Mel." She said getting no answer in return. "Mel... is everything alright?"

Mellie took a deep breath before that she could respond.

"I don't know..."

"Is it because of Peggy?" Mellie looked up to Olivia, she thought that Liv wouldn't realize that yes, it is because of Peggy. But Olivia realizes everything.

"How do you know?"

"I've suspected by the moment you first saw her." Mellie was with a very sad look. "Are you going to tell me?"

"Tell what?" Mellie knew what Liv wanted to know, but she was faking because deep down she wanted to avoid this kind of conversation.

"Your history, silly."

"You know everything about me, Liv."

"Not everything. Not this."

Mellie took a deep breath – again. She wanted to tell Liv, after all, she was her best friend. But she didn't know if she was ready to talk about something that she spent all these years pretending that never happened. You know what? Fuck it. Maybe seeing Peggy had a purpose, maybe this happened so she could not pretend anymore. Maybe it was the perfect timing for her talk about it with someone, and nobody is better than Olivia.

"Ok... I will tell you, but... don't judge me, ok?"

"I would never judge you, Mel. You know it."

Mellie took a pause before start telling her history:

"I was at College, and you know that I used to be a great student... I was the top of my class in Harvard and-"

"You can skip the part when you show yourself off." Olivia interrupted.

"But it is important!" Mellie got offended "As I was saying... I used to be a great student. The better one, actually. So, I was always at the library, and this girl – Peggy – was always around too. One day I walked through the Britsh Modernism section, and I was looking for a book of Virgínia Woolf. Then Peggy appeared and intruduced herself, of course I had saw her there other times, but it was the first time that we have spoken with each other. After this, we had became to be best friends. We did everything together, we were like- like you and me" she made a pause "Anyway, I loved her and she loved me, as a friend I guessed. But one night we had drank way too much and... well, she kissed me. She kissed me and I kissed her."

"And... ?"

"That night is kind of a blur, but we spent the night together. The next day I had pretend that I didn't remember a thing. It hurted her. But we were still friends until it happened again, and I couldn't fake anymore. One night she told me that she was in love with me, that she wanted a serious relationship, but I wasn't ready, you know?"

Olivia nodded her head. And Mellie continued talking

"I had said terrible things to her. I couldn't stand the fact that she loved me, and I was so confused, Liv! I had told her that I wasn't ready to a relationship and that it would be better if we never talked to each other again. A few weeks later I met Fitz, and you know how it goes."

"Wow, Mel... I honestly don't know what to say." Liv was being honest, but then she noticed that Mellie started to cry. Liv pulled Mel close to her and hugged her.

"Mellie, you don't have to cry. It's alright. Shhhh" Olivia was holding her tight. Mellie was sobbing and it hurted Liv to see Mellie this way. "Mel, look at me: It's alright to feel this way, ok?"

Mellie took a deep breath, and now she stopped sobbing, but the tears was still dropping across her face.

"I don't think of her in years, Olivia! I just- I... I don't know. I'm so fucked up. I don't know what to think."

"You mean..."

"Please, don't say that again. I've told you several times: I'm not gay."

"Ok." Olivia said eventhough she wasn't convicted at all about this.

"It was just a fling. It was just... what girls do in College, right? Or you are gonna to tell me that you have never been with a girl?"

"Actually... I've been with a lot of girls."

"What?!" This was not the answer that Mellie was expecting.

"It is not a tabu for me, Mel... I just... I kiss whoever I want to and I sleep with whoever I want to sleep with."

"So, you-"

"I've dated men and women, It is not something that I hide. I just don't like labels, that's all."

"And how the fuck I didn't know about that?"

"Who I sleep with or not is irrelevant."

"No, it isn't!"

Olivia made a shocked face while Mellie was wiping her tears.

"I mean... well, you are my friend. You were supposed to tell me this kind of stuff." Mellie said.

"I'm telling you right now."

They stayed in silence until Olivia held Mellie's face with her hands.

"Listen, Mel: There's no shame about a woman loving another woman. I know we were raised in a society that thinks that it is wrong but it is not! It's alright if you fall in love for a woman, it's alright kissing other girls. It is okay. It is normal, eventhough they say it is not! You don't have to be ashamed of your past, or of who you are. And now you are running for presidency, you can be the difference. You can fight for us."

"I'm not gay, Olivia."

Liv sighed and took a long pause before finally say:

"Keep repeating that to yourself and maybe one day you will start to believe in it."

Let me know what you guys think about this chapter! xx