Chapter Eleven

"Mr President. Operation Blanket has been launched." Fitz sighed and turned back to the view behind his desk.

"Thank you Abby, I don't know should we be celebrating or sulking."

"Uh…I don't know sir." Fitz couldn't help but frown at her words.

"I personally think this deserves a good sulk. I'm the leader of the free world until we fix this issue." His shoulders seemed to slump impossibly lower, as if he weren't carrying the literal weight of the world on his shoulders already.

"Fitz, I think it depends on how you want to see it." He turned and looked at with raised brows, "I can't imagine this situation being any better, but please enlighten me."

"Well Mr President, I think you have a one in a life time opportunity, scratch that you have been given like fifteen of those. Your life has been a pile of stuff that should have buried you with it, but yet here you stand. You are the President, in about five months, when another person should be taken office, you will remain the President. You will continue to make decisions to benefit this country, but this time Congress, the parties, interest groups don't get a say in your decisions. They with this document in my hands handed you all power to rule this nation as you see fit. You are no longer just commander in chief sir, you are king. Next to God, no one can stand in your way. That's one in a life time. You can do whatever you want."

She took a deep breath after her speech and stepped closer to his desk, his fingers were steepled together, his head bowed, "I don't know if that helps you sir, but you told me to pull myself out with a line. I just gave you one and I'm going to need you to grab onto to it and pull yourself out, because if you don't a lot of people are going to die."

Fitz finally lifted his head and looked past his hands to Abby, her back straight and hair pulled back from her face, her eyes despite her words were glassy, a complete contradiction to he message he was being fed.

"I never asked for this Abby. I never dreamed of this, but you are right. I'm doing it my way though."

She smiled and placed the black file on his desk, he made quick work of signing away his life, the last swirl of the pen on the paper he released a chuckle.

"Some men were meant to be great." He dropped the pen and stared at the printed letters, eight years of pain for this. "Well I guess I'll be the greatest."

"You know I would love to have you with me at this dinner Aunt Rain, but I can't do that, it's sensitive topics." Olivia gave herself another glance in her vanity before moving to grab her strapped pumps by the bed. Aunt Rain wasn't being difficult for no reason, she had an invitation to this dinner. It was in Liv's clutch, but she wouldn't be going within a ten miles of the event for one reason.

Fitz had decided to attend, he had been slated to be out of the state but after shuffling around his schedule he could make it. In all honesty he needed to be there, even though he knew all the candidates a little too personally, it was for the press. He would be 'accepting' the contenders for the Oval into the race.

"Well I didn't get dressed in this fancy get up for nothing." He thoughts snapped to the older woman who was standing in the door way. She looked beautiful, locs pinned up with pearls and a flowery silk gown that dropped over her frame. She looked barely forty five which was no shock at all, if not for the gray hair she would have passed for younger.

"I'm sorry I forgot to call, but Aunt Rain…" She was cut off when she felt Rains fingers on her shoulder.

"Olive, I won't embarrass you. I know he's going to be there, I also know you talk to him more than a woman should talk to her ex. I won't touch whatever it is you have going on, it helps you sleep at night, but I need to meet him. Also as an American I demand to have access to the future leaders of this country. You can't stop me." Her dark gaze met Rain's and all she could do was smile and sigh at the determination there.

"For the record, I only call him for work and it's happened three times in two months." Rain raised her brow, and chuckled before kissing Olivia's cheek.

"I'm just teasing, let's go, I need to find a man tonight." The eye roll could not be stopped even if Liv tried,

"You are crazy, you have Mike."

"Oh Olive Mike's just the pregame show." She couldn't help but laugh as she took a final glance at her appearance. She had on a back lacy sleeveless sun top bodice A-line dress that fit like a glove at the top a flowed gently to her feet clad in black pumps with gold assents. She looked beautiful, her hair was what tied the look together, the short and styled in a bob that brushed her chin in the front and barely touched her neck in the back. He shade was dark red an her eyes were smokey with wings, the lack of jewelry besides her gold bangles tied it all together.

"You look so beautiful, I think this will be a good night. We need it."

They weren't late but they were one of the last ones to enter the huge hall, the presidential motorcade had arrived almost the same time as them so the entire line was held up. Upon entrance Olivia quickly directed them to the table that was already completely occupied, Mellie and Jake along with Vanessa next to him, the donors to their cause were also seated causing Olivia to slip into work mode once introductions to Rain had been made.

The donors were particularly difficult to secure, and she had told Mellie and Jake before coming to remain completely focused on securing their funds.

"Olivia, you look completely stunning." Her gaze cut to Jake across the table from her and she smiled tightly in response, this was the first time she'd seen him since their last strategy after announcing his place as VP candidate.

"Thank you, you look good as well, marriage life agrees with you, Vanessa it's so good to see you. You look great. " Olivia smile brightly at the blonde woman who seemed completely enraptured with Jake.

"Thank you Liv, I'm sure it's the lighting in here, we'll talk later I have some exciting news to share." Liv nodded and tuned back in to the conversation Mellie was having with one of the donors wives about her time in the White House. Rain jumped in occasionally with questions and much like Olivia helped to steer the conversation steadily.

"I just told Olivia yesterday when we spoke how quickly the entire campaign has gone by I mean we have less than two months till the general elections, that's bizarre. We've worked so hard, such good people on our team to help us and I hope it pays off, because I want to continue this good work that we've been doing." Mollies words hit on most of the selling points they'd discussed at OPA last night, but it was boarding a little bit on uncertainty so Olivia opened her mouth to steer the conversation towards the platforms she'd been championing in the senate, but was interrupted when all the guys stood at the table. She turned to her look over Aunt Rain's shoulders and found Fitz. He was dressed sharply in an armani charcoal tux, she couldn't help but assess his beauty. The grey hair on the sides of his hair slicked back but the top left just unruly enough to remind her of the thickness that lay there. He had his left hand in his pocket and was using the right to shake hands with all the men who had stood to greet him. She watched him work his Grant charm laughing at comments being tossed at him, she snapped out of her trance when Aunt Rain nudged her.

She looked over at her aunt who was smirking at her and quickly moved to observe Mellie who was now the object of Fitz's attention, while he still catered to the other people at the table.

"Fitz, it's good to see you look well," Mellie stood and hugged him briefly with one arm, they'd discussed this interaction briefly over the phone so she didn't know how it'd go. She'd made it a point to not tell Mellie had to act around Fitz in this campaign.

"I'm glad you say that, you look good too. Campaigning looks good on you."

"Well you and I know how it is so let's just leave it at that." Olivia watched as his smile tightened around his eyes and he moved and kissed Mellie on the cheek briefly before turning to address Jake and Vanessa. He was plainly colder with Jake and quickly moved on, leaving Olivia and Rain.

"Olivia." He said with a smile, almost surprised even though she knew he'd seen her already.