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Chapter Eight: Everything is Lost

There are angels and demons at war inside my chest

The good and the evil are fighting to possess

And I can't stand up as the ground shakes underneath

And I can't stand up as the earth gives under me

Everything is lost

And this nightmare's closing in

Everything is lost

There's a sorrow beneath my skin

This is the end of me

This is the end of me

- "Everything is Lost" Maggie Eckford


Olivia steadied herself and nodded at Fitz who pressed one more quick kiss to her lips, whispering an 'I love you,' before throwing open her office door. "I said no, Olivia. And like it or not I am the President. I am the Commander in Chief. When I say back down, you back down."

Olivia stormed into the hallway behind him, "Stop walking!" She ordered. Fitz just kept moving. "Damn it, I said stop walking away from me. Right now." He stopped in front of the break room where Billy was standing with a few other aides, the perfect place for a show. "Don't you dare play that card with me Fitzgerald." She took a breath. "You do not get to stomp all over my work like it doesn't matter. Particularly, something this big and this questionable."

"So it's only okay for you to stomp on my work?" He spun, "Like when I was with the DA's office and you would purposefully make my job harder to save your client. You really think you can do that now? I'm the President. I'm the most powerful man in the world. I'm the leader of the free world and you, the First Lady, you think you have any sort of pull or power, but your role is ornamental."

"My role as First Lady may be ornamental, but that doesn't mean I don't have a brain. And I still have my firm. I built that place from the ground up. It's my sweat and tears and blood and my name on the door. And I don't back down to anyone. I stood up to Russian mobsters and you think you scare me?"

He took a threatening step forward, "If you expect our marriage to last my time in the White House, then I suggest you think long and hard about what you're next move will be, Olivia, because I will not have you put America at risk or ruin my administration over some mole you've decided to trust over your own husband." Olivia let him walk away after that, aware that too much of a show may raise just as many questions as not enough of one. Billy knew they were fighting, and he knew what they were fighting over even if they never directly identified Thorngate or Hornbacher by name.

SCANDAL

"David said it was huge, like epically huge." Abby murmured, holding tightly to her mug of tea, "Like a full on screaming match in a hallway of the West Wing."

"Over Hornbacher?" Harrison shook his head, "The guys not worth it. He's probably all hot air anyhow."

"Has Huck decoded the program yet?" Stephen asked, leaning against one of the conference room chairs.

Abby shrugged, "No idea. I haven't talked to him or Quinn. Neither of them have been answering their phones." She looked around, "And to be honest I"

"Hey everyone." Olivia appeared in the doorway holding Karen, Huck and Quinn by her side. "We've got work to do." Abby, Stephen and Harrison just stared at her. "Oh, David heard the fight and called Abby." She nodded, "Don't worry about it, we're not really fighting." She nodded to Huck, "Can you pull everything up on the monitor. I've got to feed Karen. She's about to start wailing," Karen let out a cry on cue, "now." She settled into a chair, dropping her bag to the floor and setting Karen up to nurse, "Go ahead, Huck."

Huck and Quinn simultaneously started working on bringing up the information onto the two televisions in the conference room, "Billy paid Hornbacher to bring us Thorngate. He even gave him the info on the program. There's no telling if this is even what Thorngate is about." He admitted.

"Wait, so what about the fight?" Harrison asked.

Olivia adjusted Karen slightly, "Fitz and I were going through the info Huck gave me yesterday and he and I both agree that a lot of the information we have on Chambers is circumstantial at best. We're trying to draw him out, force his hand and get a confession."

Abby stared at her, "So you and Fitz are not fighting?"

Olivia scoffed, "About this? No, we're not that easily brought down. We just want Chambers to think there's a chink in the armor, that he's gotten to us. His goal is to get Fitz out of office. If this didn't get him falsely impeached, at least I would be out of the way. Then he'd probably send Amanda Tanner in again and hope that he would fall for her." She sighed, "He really is a stupid little man."

"Okay, then, what's next?" Harrison asked.

Olivia readjusted Karen slightly, "Huck, go back and check on Hornbacher. Make sure he's still in one piece and that he hasn't bolted or stolen anything he shouldn't." She directed. "We're not delving into whatever Thorngate is. Fitz told us to back off, so we back off." She paused, "Quinn, Abby, tail Chambers. See where he leads us to."

"What about us?" Harrison and Stephen asked.

Olivia leaned back, "I'm not sure yet, to be honest. It's going to depend on what Huck, Quinn and Abby turn up." She told them.

"I'll drive." Abby grinned, picking up her bag. "He's at the White House, right?"

Huck held up his hand, "One second, no, wait, he's on the Hill. It looks like Sally's there too, so be careful." He warned them, his eyes on Quinn.

Quinn leaned down, "We'll be safe." She murmured, moving her lips up to her ears, she grinned, "All three of us." He just beamed at her.

Olivia eyed Quinn and Huck, a knowing smirk on her face. "Text me when you're at the safe house and keep me in the loop on what Hornbacher's up to."

Huck nodded and left, and Harrison spun his chair towards Olivia, "So what? We just hang out here until someone texts with a problem?"

"Pretty much." Olivia agreed. After a moment, she paused, "Actually, I take that back." The grin that curled at the corners of her lips was nearly feral.

"I do not like that look." Stephen narrowed his eyes.

"Neither do I." Harrison agreed. "I'm afraid to ask, but what are you taking back?"

She chuckled, "How do you feel about B&E?" She asked.

"B&E?" Stephen echoed uncertainly.

"Breaking and Entering." Olivia clarified.

SCANDAL

Harrison fiddled with his iPad, linking it to the security camera just as Huck told him to do over the phone on the way to Chambers's apartment. "Can I just say what a terrible idea this is?" Stephen asked.

Harrison rolled his eyes, "You've been saying that over and over for the entire fifteen minute drive here." He tapped on the screen a few more times, "And we have the cameras now."

Stephen gave him a fake smile, "Congratulations, we need to stop now. This is a crime."

"Haven't you ever broken the law before?" Harrison asked glibly.

"God, I'm going to prison." He rubbed his temples, "And I haven't even been with Mellie nearly as long as I wanted."

Harrison grimaced, "That's just nasty." He led them up the steps to Chambers's door. "And here we are."

"This is such a bad idea." Stephen muttered again as Harrison squatted on the floor in front of Billy Chambers's front door. "She's the bloody First Lady of the United States of America and I'm a bloody attorney and"

"Stop being such a wuss and just make sure no one comes." Harrison grunted, "Damn, I'm out of practice." He muttered.

"Why the bloody hell were you in the practice of picking locks? You were an attorney, too. You shouldn't be picking anything." Stephen ranted. "If I get arrested, Mellie will kill me. And you really suck at this by the way. If she was going to send me with a thief, she could've at least picked a half decent one."

"Wow," Harrison stood up and pushed the door open, "I had no idea you were this big of an ass. Now come on, you've got your gloves on, right?"

Stephen scowled, "Of course I've got my gloves on, what do you think I'm that much of an idiot?"

"Actually, yes, I do." Harrison quipped, "Now, come on, let's see what Billy Boy is hiding in his cave."

SCANDAL

"He left Sally in the Hill parking lot." Abby told Olivia. "He's met Amanda at a restaurant. We managed to snag a table within hearing distance. They're going to push to get between the two of you and then she's going back in. I'm telling you, Liv, he did a number on this one. She's totally brainwashed by him. Totally brainwashed to think Sally is God and that if she does this she will be saved. Oh, she's also completely in love with him."

Olivia scrunched up her face, "That's disgusting." She sighed, "The things people will do. Did you"

"We got the recording." Abby confirmed. "How'd the boys do?"

Olivia was grinning as she bounced a recently awake Karen on her lap, spinning in her chair, "Oh, the boys found the computer with the fake Thorngate program on it. The idiot hadn't even cleared his hard drive. They could do it without Huck."

"Wait, Liv, did we" Abby started to ask.

"It's not over yet." Olivia reminded them. "I want Billy to plant Amanda in the Oval. I want them both to be in trouble for trying to take down an Administration. I don't want them to have a chance to get anywhere near 1600 Penn or anywhere outside of a prison in DC ever again."

"Well then, I guess it's time to spread the world that you are not sleeping in the Residence tonight." Abby surmised.

"Go tell David and Cyrus that I'll be staying at the Blair House tonight." Olivia agreed, "And make sure Fitz works late. Hal is going to get Jer from school and taking him to Eleanor's, he's also going to take my little munchkin so they're out of the way for this."

"Sounds good. Quinn and I are on our way to 1600 Penn now."

Abby hung up, so Olivia did to, standing up and walking out, "Hal?"

Hal appeared at that moment. "Now, you make sure my little bears are all taken care of?"

Hal's face softened, "You know I will Mrs. Gra"

"Uh uh." Olivia tsked him lightly.

Hal shook his head, "It's against protocol, ma'am."

She sighed, "One of these days, I will break you."

He gave her a small grin, "Come on Miss Karen, we're going for a car ride to get your bother and spend the night with your grandma."

Olivia shook her head at the bear of a man cooed to her baby girl. Picking up her cell phone she quickly dialed Fitz's number, filling him in on what was more than likely to come tonight.

"I promise to be pretend drunk in the Oval. Then I'll meet you at the office."

She chuckled, "Now, prepare for my phone call that sends the West Wing spinning." She sing-songed before hanging up.

SCANDAL

Fitz paced around the Oval, a glass of scotch in his hand. The West Wing was already buzzing. Cyrus had thrown a fit in the middle of the hallway when he'd heard the news. He declared that First Ladies did not throw tantrums and run to the Blair House to hide from the husbands during a spat. He'd ordered Olivia to get back here. Fitz had $50 that she'd just laughed at him and hung up after enough time had passed that it seemed like she'd given him a legitimate response.

According to David, Billy looked like a kid in the candy store, pretending to be concerned for the First Couple when everyone was looking, but grinning when he thought people weren't looking.

That was when the door to his office opened and the slip of a blonde girl appeared, "Mr. President?"

He turned, slowly, "Ms. Tanner." He forced the slur, "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

She approached him slowly, "I understand that Mrs. Grant has left you." Fitz didn't respond. "Is there something I can do to help you?"

"What did you have in mind?" He asked. The moment her hand touched his chest, he set the scotch down and grabbed her wrist, "Who put you up to this, Amanda?"

"What?" She stuttered out.

He straightened, "I asked you, who sent you into my office to try to seduce me? Or do you think I'd actually stray from my wife who I love even if we had a disagreement."

Her eyes were wide, "Wait, even if?"

"We're not fighting, but we do want you to tell us what's going on." Fitz told her, "So who did this?"

Amanda stepped back, "You don't deserve to be President." She yelled, "You're a bad seed, you're like a bad weed. We know that Sally should be President, not you!" She screeched at him.

Fitz blocked her door, "Who is 'we'?" He asked patiently. Amanda glared at him and didn't respond, "My son is mature enough not to give the silent treatment when he's mad. Now, Amanda, who?"

She rolled her eyes to the back of her head, "Billy." She finally relented. He nodded, "That's what we thought." He crossed his arms, "Now, tell me, Amanda, just how much do you know?" He waited while she sifted through his words. He was good at waiting. It's what made him such a good DA. He was an excellent interrogator. Within the minute she was telling him everything she knew. The one thing she didn't know about was Hornbacher and Thorngate.

He let her go, knowing that SSAs would be watching to make sure she didn't try to flee town.

SCANDAL

Billy hung up the phone. He threw it against the wall. Amanda told him what happened. Everything was crumbling around them. He was standing on his last leg. He had to get out of town before Sally found out. This was it. He'd lost.

SCANDAL

XOXO

MAS