Disclaimer: I do not own Scandal

Chapter Eight

Veteran's Breakfast, Washington, DC

"He's good." Cyrus commented. Olivia turned to him with a questioning brow, "Our boy, he's good. You wouldn't even know that he was dying to tear Langston's throat out." He chuckled. Her eyes wandered to where Cyrus was staring. Fitz and Sally were each holding a twin, smiling with a young couple and an older couple, clearly a family, taking pictures for the White House photographer. There was limited press allowed at the event, most of the reporters were White House correspondents. Cyrus was right, Fitz and Sally both looked like they didn't have a care in the world. They looked like best friends, hanging out with a bunch of veterans on the White House lawn having breakfast.

Olivia shook her head and linked her arm through Cyrus's, allowing him to guide her through the gardens where the Veteran's Breakfast was being held, "Are you sure you're not mixing your wildest dreams with his?" She teased.

"Mhm, that does sound like a dream, relieving the world of that puritanical bitch." He chuckled and Olivia rolled her eyes. "What, you disagree?"

"Not that I agree with her on anything politically, but she's not that bad." Olivia reprimanded him lightly.

Cyrus scoffed, "Speak for yourself. Oh, speaking of you, where's your husband. He's supposed to be here right?"

Averting her gaze, Olivia shrugged, "He's here somewhere." She replied casually. "He didn't have to be here as early as I did."

Cyrus studied her, "Liv," he drug her name out slowly, "is everything alright?" She scoffed at his question and he tugged on her elbow lightly, "You can talk to me, you know, about Edison and stuff. We're friends. And I've been down that road with a marriage and it failing and maybe I can remind you of how yours is really good. How it isn't anything like mine was."

Olivia stopped walking and studied him closely, "He was mad because we met last night."

"Met to go over the game plan for today? He was mad about that?" Cyrus questioned skeptically.

"Which means he was really made about something else entirely and that was what he could latch onto as an excuse. I think he's really mad about my hours and the distance. This is a 24/7 job and I don't think he likes that. I don't think he realized that's what I was getting into when he agreed that I should do this. I knew it and I told him, but he didn't really understand until now." Olivia rambled on, "And now I'm afraid that it could drive a wedge between us." She admitted.

"Did you apologize?" He asked, "Even if you didn't have anything to be sorry for and you were just doing your job."

She nodded, "He told me I didn't mean it." Sighing, she dumped her to-go cup of tea in a garbage can as they passed it, "And in some ways I did and some ways I didn't. I'm not sorry for doing my job to the best of my abilities. I'm not sorry for the hours I keep or doing what you hired me to do." She bit her lip, "I was sorry that I snapped at him, that I didn't take the time to listen to his concerns and try to find a solution before storming out. He was just so mean." She sighed again, her shoulders sagging slightly, "He's never been mean before."

Cyrus patted her hand, "It was just a fight, Olivia. Nothing is going to come between the two of you. You'll be just fine." He predicted.

Olivia's eyes floated over to Fitz, where he was holding up a baby, a grandchild of one of the veterans. Nothing may come between them, but someone just might. "You're right, I think I'm just tired from all the travel. It's making me edgy and emotional."

SCANDAL

Olivia jumped when the chair next to her moved. Glancing up, her eyes connected with a concerned Fitz, "You look exhausted." He commented, holding out a cold can of Coke. "Drink this. The caffeine and sugar should help."

She smiled softly at him, accepting the ice cold can, "Thanks. You're doing great, by the way. The optics are incredible. I actually believed you and Sally like each other." She teased lightly.

Fitz chuckled and tipped his chair back, "We both know that pretending is in both of our best interests." He pointed out, "And it's easier to do without Mellie around."

Olivia rolled her eyes, "Do you even like her?" She snapped her mouth shut as soon as the question spilled out. She hadn't meant to ask him that. It was rude and probing and completely inappropriate. Their relationship was none of her business. As long as they could fake it for the cameras enough to get them into 1600 Penn, it didn't matter to her.

But that was a lie. And Olivia knew it. She did care. She wanted to know if their relationship worked or not. She wanted something from him, she just wasn't sure what. She bit her lip as he closed his eyes, almost as if he were contemplating how to best answer her and she suddenly knew what she wanted to hear him say.

"No, I don't even really like her." He admitted. "I loved her once. I liked her once. I respected her once. Now," he shook his head, "she's this cold machine and she doesn't care about me, I don't even think she cares about our children." He ran a hand over his face, "I need to shave." He muttered.

Olivia let out a little chuckle, "You're starting to look like a wolf man." She admitted. He let out a small howl that had her holding her hand to her mouth to smother the laughter. "You are ridiculous, Governor Grant." She snickered.

His eyes clouded over and hardened, "Governor Grant." He echoed.

Olivia cleared her throat at his tone, "Yes, Governor Grant. It's what's appropriate." She murmured.

His head bowed slightly, "You're right, it is what's appropriate." He stared over at her, "If you don't mind me saying so, though, it sucks."

She shook her head at him, "We're both married." She reminded him.

"You keep saying that." His head fell to the side, "Are you trying to remind me of that or yourself?" She opened her mouth to respond, but found she didn't have an answer to that. At least not one she wanted to think about. He stood up when she clicked her jaw shut. "I should go make nice with some of the senators and congressmen here." He paused, "Edison is here, right?" Olivia nodded mutely. "I haven't seen you with him."

"We're not speaking right now." She answered quickly.

Fitz nodded knowingly, "Well, if you want to make your marriage work, that certainly isn't the way to go. I'm fairly certain that was the beginning of the end of Mellie and me." He moved to pat her shoulder, but thought better of it, instead just stepping away from her with a half-wave.

"You are just Miss Popular this morning." Abby fell into Fitz's recently vacated chair and Quinn pulled another one around, "You and Cy were attached at the hip all morning long. What gives?"

"Believe it or not, he was giving me marriage advice." Olivia replied.

"Him?" Abby scrunched up her nose, "Has he even been married?"

"He's divorced." Olivia answered, "And his advice wasn't all bad." She stared off to the side, watching as Fitz approached her husband. Her jaw clinched at that.

"Is he talking to Edison?" Quinn asked quickly, "Lord have mercy, Liv, this could be a huge blow out."

"It's not going to be. There's nothing going on." Olivia snapped.

"Yet." Abby sang out knowingly.

SCANDAL

Fitz approached Senator Edison Davis slowly. He was still trying to work out exactly what he would say to the man. He knew he wanted to talk to him. He'd never actually met the man. He just wanted to see what it was Olivia was after. It was some quality Davis had. He shook his head and inwardly chastised himself. If he was being honest, he was scoping out the competition. Even though, as Olivia kept pointing out, there couldn't be a competition because they were both married. Still, he had every right to see what the man was like. "Senator Davis!" Fitz called out, a grin on his face, "I have been itching to meet the man who is married to the great Olivia Pope-Davis."

Edison turned away from a congressman from Rhode Island to speak to Governor Grant, "Governor Grant, please, call me Edison. I've been dying to meet the man my wife works for, as well."

Fitz noted the possessive tone behind the words 'my wife' and only widened his grin. The man was uncertain where they stood right now. It could make this conversation in particular quite interesting. "She's good, I'll give her that. And please, Fitz works perfectly for me." Fitz shrugged, "But I'm sure you know that better than anyone. I'm fairly certain I would've already pulled out of the race if she hadn't come in with her band of gladiators."

Edison's head fell to the side, "Gladiators?" He echoed.

"Harrison has named them that." Fitz shoved his hands in his pockets comfortably, rocking back and forth on his heels. "I like it. It fits. They'd jump over a cliff for her."

Edison nodded, "Well, Olivia has been there for a lot of rough times for them. She's helped them through quite a bit, so it's understandable they feel that way. She's quite a woman, my Liv is."

And there was that possessive note again. "How's your own campaign going, you're up for re-election, right?"

Edison nodded, "Oh yes, and it's going very well. Liv has been able to help out here and there."

"I'm surprised she's not there full-time." Fitz admitted.

"We agreed years ago not to cross worlds. Simpler that way. I run my campaigns and my politics. She stuck to her cases. Now she's sticking with your campaign. It works for us. Less arguments that way." Fitz found it hard to believe (or possibly just plain stupid) that Edison wouldn't want Olivia involved in his campaign. While he might be considered a shoe-in in a New York race, she's still too good at her job not use. Plus, people adore her.

"Well," Fitz held out his hand, "it was nice to meet you, Edison. Hopefully I'll see you around again."

"I'm sure you will, Fitz." Edison gave him a firm handshake before stepping away. When the senator was gone, all Fitz could think of was that he would be a much better match for Olivia than Davis was.

SCANDAL

XOXO

MAS