Disclaimer: I do not own Scandal

Chapter Eleven: DIrty Little Secret

Who has to know

When we live such fragile lives

It's the best way to survive

I go around a time or two

Just to waste my time with you

Tell me all that you've thrown away

Find out games you don't wanna play

You are the only one that needs to know

I'll keep you my dirty little secret

Don't tell anyone or you'll be just another regret

Just another regret, hope that you can keep it

My dirty little secret

- "Dirty Little Secret" All-American Rejects

"The President is an American hero for standing up to a rapist and protecting his wife." Alison Becker finished for the press.

Abby flicked off the television. "We have to call Olivia and tell her what that idiot Chief of Staff did before she gets too far along with Mrs. Reston."

SCANDAL

"The answer is a simple yes or no, Mrs. Reston." Olivia stood with her arms crossed as she faced the First Lady of the United States head on.

"Fine!" She screamed, "I was having an affair. I loved him. You," she pointed to her husband, "Samuel you don't even touch me anymore. You don't love me at all. He loved me. He loved me and you shot him."

"You screamed rape!" The President stared at her. "How dare you scream rape?"

"What?" Olivia answered her phone, "She did what? When we told her specifically not to?" She hung up her phone, "Where is Alison?"

"How should I know?" President Reston snapped.

At that moment the door opened, "So the press has been handled." Alison smiled, "Ms. Pope, what are you doing here?"

"I told you not to talk to the press. I told you not to give a statement like that. You have just made everything more complicated." Olivia yelled.

"Complicated? His ratings are already starting to climb. He's an American hero." Alison shrugged, "I saved you."

"You spoke to the press? What do we do now?" President Reston began pacing, "You were supposed to keep your mouth shut, and you are the most powerful woman in the world and should've kept your legs closed."

"The police know about this. There's no hiding it now." Olivia looked down at her feet. There was only one alternative, but she was hesitant to suggest it.

"I come forward. I admit I was wrong and I go to jail." Joan Reston stood.

"No," Samuel Reston stepped toward her, "we can figure out another way. I, we can fix this. I know we can. We did love each other and we can find that again and keep you out of jail."

Joan shook her head as tears streamed down her face, "There is no other option. I will not be the one to ruin your presidency."

SCANDAL

"I'm going to wait here during the statement. He may need something, the press may need something. I'll check in when everything is handled." Olivia told Harrison before she hung up her phone.

She leaned against the Resolute Desk while she waited for President Reston to finish speaking to the Press Corps. Joan had been taken into custody three hours before, giving the President enough time to gather his wits to speak in front of the people.

Olivia looked around the office, almost longingly. If she'd cheated she'd be working down the hall and Fitz would be in here. If she hadn't told him, would he have still divorced Mellie? Probably not. She probably wouldn't be his. Or she'd be his mistress and it'd be a PR nightmare when everything shook loose. And dirty little secrets always come out.

Regardless, Fitz wouldn't have shot anyone. It wouldn't have been his instinct and he was a military man. Why was it Reston's? Particularly when Reston was soft on crime and anti-gun? And he'd just bought the gun. He bought the gun just weeks before he was elected. The police honed in on that, but since he had other weapons they didn't obsess about it. It was his right as an American citizen to own a handgun. The few he did own were collectibles and would never be used for anything more than status. This one was usable. He lives in a fortress, why would he buy a gun? A Marine was stationed on every corner. He was completely protected. And he had it near him when Joan cried rape? How did he know she'd cry rape? She frowned. The nagging feeling that something wasn't right had yet to go away. She just wasn't sure what it was. Yet.

Turning suddenly, she knocked over a small inbox on the corner of the desk, sending papers flying to the ground, "Damn it." She muttered as she bent down to pick the papers up. She frowned as her eyes landed on an envelope with pictures sliding out. She pulled the pictures out and saw photographs taken of Joan Reston with the workman. Photos from before they moved into The White House and after. This affair had lasted longer than she'd admitted and the President knew about it.

He'd played her.

And she'd fallen for it.

Damn it.

At that moment the door to the Oval Office opened and a teary-eyed President walked in. "That was so much harder than I could've imagined." He admitted.

He was a good actor. Of course he was. She was played by the greatest politician in all the land. He was better at this than anyone. He had to be stopped.

Olivia stared at him and held up the photographs for him to see. "What did you do?" She asked

Reston smiled at her, "You know exactly what I did. And I have now rid myself of all problems that could plague my presidency. It was nice working with you Ms. Pope, you can find your own way out." He took the pictures from her and sat back down at his desk.

SCANDAL

"I thought you said this was handled?" Mellie snapped into the phone. "I thought you said you had a plan?"

"I did have a plan, it just didn't work out so well for me."

"Well no shit it didn't. Instead, Reston is secure in his position, his wife is in jail, he looks like a hero and a scorned husband. Oh, and to top it all off, my children and ex-husband are moving to Vermont this summer. And unless I want to create all sorts of backlash for myself we both know I can't fight it." She screeched.

"Little lady, you need to calm yourself down. I told you this will all work out. Olivia will get Reston out of office, just you wait and see."

"What does it matter if she does? Fitz can't be president and I'm divorced. It'd be him and that little harlot." She snapped.

"No, Mellie, it'd be you and Nichols in The White House." There was a pause while Mellie considered this, "Of course, if I made this happen I would expect some sort of compensation once you two were in."

"Of course you would." Mellie's voice drawled out, "I'd expect nothing less." The front door slammed shut, "Andrew is home. Call me with the next steps."

"I will call you. You need to stop calling me." Mellie frowned when she heard the dial tone in her ear.

"Mel?" Andrew called out.

"Kitchen, baby, I'm in the middle of dinner." She sang back to him.

"And it smells almost as delicious as you look." He kissed her cheek, "How was your day?"

"Fine, just watched the news. Did you hear about the President?"

"I did, never expected that from our First Lady." Andrew shook his head and opened up the fridge to take a beer out, "Such a shame. Can I pour you some wine?"

SCANDAL

"We can't just let him get away with this can we?" Olivia asked as she sat across from Cyrus in his office at Harvard.

"What choice do we have?" Cyrus shrugged, "I mean what can we do?"

"There has to be something." Olivia sighed.

"Let's think on it, we'll get together with your team and see if there's a way, without the photographs, to prove that Reston planned to kill his wife's lover." Cyrus promised.

SCANDAL

XOXO

MAS