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Chapter Ten: If You Ever Come Back

If it's the fighting you remember or the little things you miss

I know you're out there somewhere so just remember this

If it's the fighting you remember or the little things you miss

Oh just remember this, oh just remember this

I'll leave the door on the latch

If you ever come back if you ever come back

There'll be a light in the hall and a key under the mat

If you ever come back

There'll be a smile on my face and the kettle on

And it will be just like you were never gone

There'll be a light in the hall and a key under the mat

If you ever come back if you ever come back now

Oh if you ever come back if you ever come back

- "If You Ever Come Back" The Script

"Olivia?" Quinn stood in the doorway of Olivia's office, "I have what you wanted on Amanda Tanner."

"Let me see." Olivia held out her hand as she skimmed through information on other potential Supreme Court nominees. She flipped through the folder, "Have Huck track her down now and then you and I are going out for a few minutes."

She set the folder on her desk.

"Hey," Stephen popped in her office, "do you really think Zuckerman will buy that this is a fishing expedition?"

"Zuckerman's old school she may." Olivia tapped her chin and stood up, she slid the folder Quinn had handed her into her purse, "Take Harrison, he's charming." Harrison who was standing in the doorway just stuck his tongue out at her. "Really mature Harrison." She chuckled.

"Here's where she is now." Huck handed Olivia the name of a park.

"Let's go Quinn." Olivia slid into her coat.

SCANDAL

"Don't say anything, just stand behind me." Olivia walked towards Amanda who was sitting on a bench with a dog. "What a pretty dog." Olivia sat next to her.

"Thanks his name is Thomas Jefferson, which is nerdy, but he's very presidential, aren't you TJ?" She petted the dog.

"Don't think there won't be consequences to spreading lies about the President Amanda." Olivia looked away from her as she spoke. Quinn watched in horror as Amanda's face broke and tears started to form.

"How do you know my name? Who are you?" Amanda asked, "Did he send you here?"

"My name is Olivia Pope and I want to assure you that I'm not here in any official capacity. Just to warn you about what could happen if you continue telling lies about the President. You could find it very hard to find employment, you name and face would be everywhere. That would be difficult on your family. Your mother just got out of Bedford Sanitarium, didn't she?" Olivia asked casually.

"How did you know that?" Tears slipped down Amanda's face as she asked.

"If you continue to talk about President Grant like this everything about you will be public, for example, you've had 27 sexual partners that we know of, and that bout of gonorrhea." Olivia leaned back.

"Who are you?" Amanda repeated, confusion and anxiety laced her voice and face.

"I told you, my name is Olivia Pope. We never formally met, but I allowed Billy Chambers to keep you on as part of the White House staff." Olivia paused, "I know who you are. You are threatening the man you campaigned for."

"He told me he loved me. He gave me this dog." Amanda petted the dog in an effort to calm down.

"It doesn't matter Amanda. Whether it's true or not, it really doesn't matter. But if you're lying about the President there will be consequences. Even if you're telling the truth, the press will suffocate you, you'll be drowning before you even know what's happening. Just look at what happened to Monica Lewensky. And she was telling the truth. Imagine if it came out that you were lying?"

Amanda stood up and darted away, dragging TJ with her. Olivia stood up and pulled her phone out, "If you're subpoenaed you can testify that I in no way threatened her, if you aren't this never happened." She put her phone to ear, "It's handled."

SCANDAL

Abby walked into the conference room where Olivia was staring at the pictures. "It's amazing. She didn't even budge when you accused her husband of sleeping with a high-end hooker. I'm not even dating Stephen anymore and I want to shoot him."

"You want to shoot a lot of people Abs, it's not exactly an uncommon reaction for you anymore." Olivia chuckled.

Abby just shrugged and continued, "Still, Keating is a good man. He's good and yet he still slept with a hooker. He doesn't seem like a hooker man. Then again, neither does Stephen."

Olivia's head fell to the side, "Yeah," She straightened, "I'll be back."

"Where are you going?"

"To talk to Stacy!" Olivia called back.

SCANDAL

Olivia found Patrick Keating's wife sitting outside of a sitting area in the West Wing. She was proudly watching her husband shake hands with the President with cameras flashing around him. "Stacy?" Olivia called out quietly.

She turned, "You found me." She whispered.

"You were Stacy. You met him and fell in love and then his dreams became your dreams and now here you are." Olivia took the seat next to her.

"How did you figure it out?" She asked.

"You didn't even flinch when I told you your husband slept with a hooker." Olivia took her hand, "And he has no idea does he?"

"It's how we paid for Georgetown and our house, his law school, I was just," she paused, "working the nightshift. At least that's what I told myself."

Olivia looked up and her eyes locked with Fitz's, "Trust me when I say, it's better if you tell him than if he hears it from someone else."

SCANDAL

"So he knows then?" Olivia smelled the scotch permeating from Fitz's body before she heard his voice.

"I couldn't stop it. The list is coming out." She looked up to find Fitz standing next to her.

"Do you think they'll get through this?" He asked, taking a sip of the drink in his hand.

"I don't know. A lie this big?" Olivia looked up and took the glass, taking a sip of it herself, "We didn't."

Fitz took the glass back and set it on the table next to them, "I'm sorry about how I reacted."

Olivia sighed, "I'm sorry for what I did."

Fitz leaned against the door, "I did something much worse."

Olivia closed her eyes, "You really did sleep with Amanda Tanner didn't you?" At Fitz's nod she asked, "How? How did it happen?"

Fitz frowned, "I was drunk and she came onto me. It only happened once." He continued to look at her, he watched as she tried to hide the emotions that were playing across her face. Most people would not be able to read her, but he could. He knew her too well, "Don't."

"Don't what Fitz?" She sighed, "I don't want to play this game."

"What game?"

"Where we go back and forth between who loves who. I love you. I want to marry you. But the minute I want to marry you, you want nothing to do with me. Then you'll want to be with me and I'll run. I can't keep running. I'm here. I'm yours for the taking. So either take me or leave me for good." She sighed, "And don't what?"

"Don't put yourself on the same level and Amanda Tanner. That's almost as bad as comparing us to Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings."

Olivia chuckled, "I still can't believe I said that."

"Me neither." He paused, "And I do want to marry you. Despite all this crap that has surrounded us," he looked down at her, "I think all of this shit has made me realize exactly how important you are. How amazing you are. How I can't live without you."

"I betrayed you and you still love me?"

"I betrayed you and you still love me." He restated her question.

"One time with Amanda Tanner is not nearly as bad as what I did." Olivia waved him away.

"No I'm not talking about Amanda Tanner. I'm talking about my wife. I should've divorced her by now. Or at least filed for divorce by now." Fitz looked down at her, "I'm going to do it. If I do it now, will you help me? Will come back and be my fixer?"

Olivia's mouth dropped open. She stared at him for thirty seconds before her lips curved into a smile, "Of course I will, but I'm not giving up my practice."

Fitz brushed a piece of her hair behind her ear, "I wouldn't dream of asking you to. Besides what would all the powerful men and women of DC do if you gave Olivia Pope and Associates?"

Olivia stopped at that comment, she stared over his shoulder, "Powerful?"

"Livie?" Fitz tapped her nose, "Are you still here?"

"Yes, but no I have to go." She pulled his face down and kissed him hard before picking up her purse, "I know how to save Keating's nomination. It was right in front of me! Damn you," she pointed at Fitz, "you're good!"

SCANDAL

"Don't take the pictures down!" Olivia came to a skidding halt in the conference room. "Harrison!"

Harrison leaned in the doorway as he took a bite out of his apple, "Yeah?"

"Liv, we lost this one. At least we'll have a bunch of new clients." Stephen looked down at a photograph in his hands.

"Harrison, I want you to get all of these men in this room."

Harrison grinned, "This will be fun. Disgusting, but fun."

"I'm going to pay Sharon's bail if it hasn't been paid and get her in here. Harrison, get the details you need from Huck. Abby and Stephen help him." She paused, "Quinn find out who Amanda Tanner's friends are in the White House. And none of your notes mentioned a boyfriend. Dig deeper."

SCANDAL

"Thank you all for coming." Olivia looked around the room at the fifty men, "I realize that you all don't agree politically, however, screwing around seems to be a bipartisan past time. I think you all can agree that my client, a small business owner, should not be unduly harassed by the government."

"Lady, I don't know what you're talking about, I have a dinner to get to." A congressman from New York stood up.

"She's talking about how like you to go around the world Charlie, twice in one night if you take your medicine." Sharon smiled sweetly at him from the doorway, even though there was venom in her words.

When the man sat down Olivia gave him a sickly sweet smile, "Good, let's talk about how you all are going to make enough calls to get the District Attorney's office to drop the case. Oh and you're going to support Keating's nomination."

SCANDAL

Fitz turned off the TV in the Oval Office, "Low and behold the day was saved by Olivia Pope," he walked the circle of the seal on the floor, "again."

"She is the best." Cyrus agreed.

"I'm going to divorce Mellie and marry Olivia." Fitz stated confidently.

Cyrus stilled, "You can't just divorce her with no cause. She'll throw Olivia in her face."

"Olivia and I will figure it out."

"Maybe you don't have to," At Fitz's confused look, Cyrus continued, "I think Mellie is having an affair."

"I thought that, but I think I was wrong." Fitz waved it away, "She's not stupid."

"No Fitz, listen, I don't know anything for sure, it's why I haven't said anything, but I really think she is." He sat forward, "I can find out who if you want me to look into it."

Fitz stared at him, "Yes. You, Liv and I will meet to map things out."

Cyrus stood up, "Consider it done sir. I can't say I'd be sad to see Mellie go and Olivia come in."

SCANDAL

XOXO

MAS