Disclaimer: Shondaland/ABC owns these characters. But I've taken the Gladiator oath as a writer: #OLITZ4LIFE #JAMMMmmmmm
#HappyBirthdayKerryWashington! #Inspirational: "Be The Lead in Your Own Life" #Aspirational: "I'm interested in living in a post-racist world." #Amazing
No Mellie or Joke: Public Service Announcement for any accidental non-Olitz readers
"Oh, and the breaking news is that conservative knuckleheads want Sally Langston to be the next President," Cyrus said, watching Fitz get his notes in order, before his meeting with the Press Secretary.
"Who announced her candidacy – Fox News?"
"Among others. You know the attack media shapes public opinion. The millions listening to the Rush Limbaughs and Glenn Becks are hearing that you're a lefty-leaning, dictator-worshiping, Constitution-wrecking abomination! Sally Langston on the other hand is the new Messiah who will lead them to their Right Wing utopia."
Fitz sat back, still with a look of amusement on his face. "Meanwhile, in other news, the Iran is willing to stop its nuclear program for six months in exchange for an easing of economic sanctions. The real breaking news is that Secretary of State will be flying out to Iran to discuss this with the foreign ministers of the P5 plus 1 group of countries."
"Oh, I'm sorry, what was that – P5 plus one, you say? Tell that on the news, and they'll think it's a new tax code or a new superbug."
Fitz grinned. "I'll help my fellow Americans understand the importance of this historic meeting by the five Permanent members of the United Nations Security Council plus Germany. And I'll keep it simple for the Limbaugh listeners at the press conference tonight."
Cyrus gave a pitying look. "Sir, they won't be watching. They'll be tuned into the Real Housewives of Atlanta or The Bachelor or whatever mind-numbing drivel is on. This is the generation of sound bites and impatience. No one cares that a country which once called us 'The Great Satan', is now negotiating with us to freeze its nuclear program."
"We can't run this country on sound bites, Cyrus."
"I would agree with you if this wasn't a re-election year. You have to get those Limbaugh listeners to believe that you are as much of a good Christian Conservative as Sally Langston who patrols the halls of Congress passing laws that restrict the freedoms of immigrants, gays and people who are pro-choice."
"Cyrus, it's too late for Sally to announce her candidacy. The only way she can run at the next election is if I die, quit or get impeached by Congress."
"So we're all decided on the red velvet cake?"
Olivia looked around her dining table at James and her associates.
Karen seated on her lap, nodded; Peter, joining them via a live link on her laptop, said 'yes'; while Jerry standing by the table, video-taping the proceedings for his 'wedding diary', gave a thumbs up.
"Red Velvet Cake with Ermine icing. Perfect," said Abby, smiling.
"Wait, ermine as in rats?" Jerry asked, looking up from the camera screen.
"No, that's vermin," said James, "This is urr-minn."
"Ermine also means the white winter fur on animals like weasels and stoats," said Peter, over the laptop speakers. "I looked it up online when I got the box this afternoon." Referring to the box of cakes that had been couriered to Andover, so he could join the rest of the 'wedding committee' in deciding on the kind of cake Abby should make for the wedding.
"But don't you think it's a bit of a cliché?" Quinn wrinkled her nose. "Can't we have something with a bit more pizzazz – like lavender and blueberry, or chocolate and habanero cake? Or should that be jalapeno...?"
"That's a lovely idea, but we're going for romance, not heartburn," James said.
"I couldn't have said it better myself." Abby smiled, as Quinn made a face.
"I like chocolate mousse cake," Huck said, "Why isn't there a chocolate mousse cake?"
"Because it doesn't look pretty when you have to take pictures and there's chocolate mousse all over your teeth," said Abby.
"I'm okay with Red Velvet, but if it wouldn't be first on my list. I'd go for mocha, or walnut and coffee, or may be lemon. Yeah, nothing too sweet," said Harrison. "The coconut with lemon icing was good. I'd pick that."
"But it's Valentine's Day," said Karen. "We have to have a red cake for Valentine's Day and the cake layers, from dark red to light red, look so pretty."
"The kid's got a point," said Harrison. "It is Valentine's Day."
"Yep." Huck nodded. "Valentine's. Gotta have red."
"I guess the red rose buds with sugar frosting are kind of pretty too," admitted Quinn.
"Okay, so we're having Red Velvet cake," said Olivia, exchanging a smile with Karen.
James looked at the list on his iPad. "So getting back to my To-Do List: cake – check; decorations –check; menu – check; flowers – check. The invitations, menu cards and name cards – all done. The music is organised. Wedding party and invited guests details have been handed over to the Secret Service and uh, that reminds me, I didn't see your parents on the list, Olivia."
There was a brief silence, then Olivia said brightly, "I only have one parent, James, my dad. And he's not invited."
"So your Dad isn't going to walk you down the aisle?" Quinn's eyes rounded.
"No. I can walk, unaided, on my own two feet."
There was a long silence, then James got to his feet. "Right, let's have a look at those wedding gowns that Abigail got from the bridal boutique in Virginia."
There was a noisy exodus from the table to the guest room where the dresses had been stored. The only people who remained were Olivia, Harrison and the kids.
After a moment, Harrison said diffidently, "Liv, I've got to say something. And I know you're going to hate me for saying it but I'm going to speak my mind because you're the closest thing to family I have around here. So I want you to hear me on this: even if you don't want Rowan to walk you down the aisle, he has to be there."
At Olivia's stony expression, he added quickly, "Now, don't get me wrong. I hate having to say this because I never liked the guy too, but he is your dad, Liv. And you can't cut him out on the most important day of your life."
Karen leaned her head back on Olivia's shoulder and reached up a hand to stroke her cheek, as Jerry cut in with quiet determination, "I can walk you down the aisle, Mom."
Olivia smiled at Jerry, and gave Karen a kiss. Then she looked at Harrison and sighed. "Harrison is right. I do have to tell my Dad."
"The problem is the man is damned near incorruptible."
"Unlike his father."
There were guwaffs of laughter from the men and polite laughter from the women around the table at Number One Observatory Circle, where Sally and Daniel Langston were hosting a dinner party for a handful of Republican supporters – men who had their feet cemented in America's top one per cent.
"Big Gerry was a man who could never say no to a bribe."
"Or a woman."
This time only the men laughed heartily; the women avoided each other's gaze as they cut into the food on their plates.
"We could always count on the man to be the strong arm of the law. Listening to him threaten some damned Mayor with funding cuts if he didn't approve my building permits and to hell with the gotdamn zoning restrictions, was pure entertainment."
"Pity the son doesn't take after the father."
"If not that, he should have remained the ineffectual idealist he's been the past three years. That head injury of his is doing us all a lot of damage."
"The man did lose his wife," one of the wives ventured. "The shock must have shaken his priorities."
"From what I hear, her replacement is the one lighting a fire under his wazoo, with her damned middle-class expectations of affirmative action."
There was a brief silence, as if the conversational meander had brought them to an unexpected precipice.
"I believe Ms Olivia Pope was introduced to the President by Cyrus Beene," Sally said, carefully dabbing at the corners of her mouth. "A man who displays his depravity with pride. Not only was he the catalyst for that disgraceful affair, which destroyed Fitzgerald's marriage, but he himself married a man to highlight his utter contempt for the traditions of marriage."
There was an easing of the tension around the table. "I must admit it is audacious of the man."
"To marry so soon after the death of his wife."
"I could not stand the wife myself, but he should have waited a decent amount of time, considering the tragic circumstances of her death."
"A tragedy that is punishing the innocent, with these restrictions he is proposing on gun ownership."
"Those laws will never pass through Congress. They got the message after Bloomberg's anti-gun Mayors were run out of town in November."
"Well, I can assure you that I will do everything in my power to ensure that our Constitutional right to bear arms is protected," Sally gave a steely smile.
"You can top that assurance by making sure Grant doesn't succeed in turning this great land of opportunity into a gotdamn Socialist country. I sure as heck don't want a redistribution of wealth! I earned every penny my daddy gave me, and I intend to keep it!"
There was general laughter again.
"Oh, I believe I am in total agreement with your views," Sally smiled. "We need to cut cut taxes, cut welfare spending, cut red tape and open up the markets."
"I got to say, Mrs Langston. For a woman, you talk a lot of sense."
"Oh, please, call me Sally," she simpered. "I hope I can call you, Chuck."
"You can call me any damn thing you like, if you can get that get that Socialist kicked out of office!"
His brother, Doug, nodded in agreement. "I never thought I'd be the first to say this, but I think this country is ready to have its first female President. And not on an interim basis."
Sally gave a laugh. "Strange, but I am of the same mind, and to quote that great queen Elizabeth the First, 'I know I have but the body of a weak and feeble woman, but I have the heart and stomach of a king."
"Well, if you know of a way to get into the driver's seat, let me tell ya, we're all here to put gas in the tank."
Olivia was trying not to smile at Jerry's suggestion of a fashion parade for his video diary, as she sat on the couch, between Karen and Peter, via laptop, munching on popcorn and drinking fruit juice.
"Okay, we're ready," Jerry called out.
Quinn came out of the bedroom wearing a white lace gown with an A-line skirt and a plunging neckline.
"Nope," Olivia said
"Why? I like this one," Jerry said.
"You can see her boobies," Karen said.
"What?" Quinn clutched the neckline, and glared at Jerry. "Stop looking at my boobs!"
"I am not!"
"It's okay, you're not showing anything X-rated," Olivia said, "But the neck is too revealing."
"I agree. My parents would not approve of me standing next to all that cleavage," Peter mumbled, the crunch of pop corn audible over the speakers.
"Fine," Jerry sighed wearily as Quinn flounced off to change. "Next!"
This time Abby came out wearing a chiffon, strapless, empire style dress with a beaded waistband.
"It's a bit summery," Olivia said, with a considering tilt of her head. "And we'll probably still have snow in February."
"The White House has heating." Abby frowned.
"I was hoping for a shorter skirt."
"Okay, we want a shorter skirt out here!" Abby called out.
James came out wearing a tea-length gown with a sweetheart neckline that he was holding up with both hands
"I couldn't zip it up the back, but this should give you an idea."
There was a silence, then everyone spoke at once.
"Um, the skirt..." Olivia began.
"Maybe because he's not wearing shoes," Karen said.
"I think it's the hairy chest," Jerry said. "It's distracting."
"And the hairy ankles," Peter said.
"You can see my ankles from over there? Olivia, what brand is that?" James narrowed his gaze on Olivia's laptop.
"Next!" The others called out.
"I'm not happy about this." Harrison came out wearing a tulle ball gown with a chapel train, most of it carried in his arms.
"Well, he's wearing shoes," Karen said.
"But those custom-made leather shoes and purple-striped socks kind of spoil the effect," James said.
"If you let the skirt down, we'll get a better idea," Jerry said.
Harrison rolled his eyes and dropped the skirt. "Happy?"
His audience shook their heads.
"Okay, Huck you're next!"
Huck came out wearing a knee length skirt he was holding with one hand and a jacket that was unbuttoned to reveal a hairy chest.
Karen looked at Olivia. "Is it okay for me to look at him, Mom?"
"Only if you want to," Olivia whispered.
"I like this one," Huck said grimly. "It's pretty."
"This kind of works," Olivia said kindly. "I like the skirt and jacket idea. But there's just something…"
The others contemplated Huck in silence.
"Yeah, maybe if you smile," Harrison said.
Huck smiled.
"Or maybe not. Quit smiling. It worked better the other way."
"Maybe it's the colour, that's wrong," said Peter. They all looked at the laptop screen. "You should wear red. It's a very lucky in Chinese culture. Traditionally, brides wore red."
"Yes, wear red!" Karen clapped her hands. "Your dress can match the cake."
"No, you have to wear Olivia Pope white," Abby shook her head.
"Yeah, the media will never stop talking about you wearing red," Harrison added.
When the kids and Olivia got back to the White House residence, Karen ran on ahead to find Fitz.
"Mom, Jerry, quick look at Daddy," Karen whispered, chuckling, as she tiptoed out of the East Sitting Hall and gestured Olivia and Jerry forward, with a quick wave of her hands.
They found Fitz asleep on the couch, with all four dogs lying on various parts of him.
Olivia chuckled. "That is too cute!"
"Say 'snooze', Dad!" Jerry grinned, taking a picture with his phone.
He had enough time to take a few quick shots before Rex and Poppy jumped off and came running forward, their tails wagging madly; while Darth looked up from Fitz's chest to give a little yip; and Daisy thumped her tail, squeezed in between Fitz and the couch.
"Hi," Fitz grinned sleepily rubbing his eyes, before he lifted Darth off his chest, and coaxed Daisy aside so he could sit up. "You guys look happy. Has the Grant wedding approval committee finalised all the details?"
Olivia and Jerry sat down on either side of him, while Karen clambered onto his lap.
"Everything, except Mom's dress," Karen said.
"I couldn't decide."
"But we know the cake you're going to have," Karen changed the topic.
"Red velvet cake with ermine frosting. Weird name but it tasted good," Jerry added.
"It was yummy."
Fitz raised a brow. "You guys didn't save me a piece?"
Smiling, Olivia reached into the carrier bag she'd placed on the corner of the couch, and lifted out the sample box of mini cakes, identical to the box that had been sent to Peter.
Fitz gave her a smile and a kiss, which Olivia cut short with a shy smile as she made a production of opening the box.
"We chose this one," Karen pointed to a white square, topped with a sugar-frosted rose bud.
"Pretty." Fitz polished off the cake in two bites, rose and all. "Mmm... yummy."
Karen giggled as Fitz nuzzled her cheek, adding, "I'm going to wear a red dress. And so is Abby and Quinn. Harrison is going to wear a Tux. Huck says he's okay wearing a suit, after he spent all afternoon in a dress."
"Do I even want to know what that is about?" Fitz looked at Olivia.
"Jerry took pictures. It's going to be his gift to us. You'll get to see the video diary after the wedding."
"Yeah?" Fitz bumped Jerry's shoulder.
"Yeah." Jerry bumped back.
"I'm sorry we missed your press conference," Olivia murmured.
"It's okay. We've uploaded the entire session on Youtube."
Jerry did a double-take. "Wow, Dad, welcome to the World Wide Web. You are officially a nerd."
"I was always a nerd," Fitz grinned.
"A sexy nerd," Olivia said softly, leaning against Fitz, earning herself a look that centred on her lips.
Jerry gave an exaggerated yawn. "This wedding stuff is hard work. I'm tired. Kaz should be too. Come on, say goodnight."
"I'm not tired," Karen frowned.
"Yes, you are." Jerry made a face at her.
"Oh! Yes, I am!" Karen grinned, giving Olivia and Fitz a kiss and a hug, followed quickly by Jerry.
Then they both disappeared.
"Should I be worried, that my kids know when I want to kiss you badly?" Fitz asked.
Olivia laughed. "I'd be worried if you didn't want to kiss me," she whispered, as he leaned into her so they lay sprawled on the couch.
He kissed her long and lazily, then handed her the cake box and said 'feed me'.
"You are not eating all of them tonight."
"Yes, I am."
"No, you're not."
"We can share."
"Even sharing, that's a lot of sugar."
Fitz kissed the tip of her nose, and smiled. "You know it's customary to get me naked if you want to play doctor."
"Which doctors have been making a custom of that? I need names, addresses, mug shots if available."
He laughed. "You're cute when you get jealous."
"Names, Fitz."
He looked at her with smoky eyes, until she said huskily, "Maybe we should continue this conversation in the bedroom. After I put the cakes away in the kitchen for you to have tomorrow."
"Awww... can't I at least try the one with the coconut flakes?"
She rolled her eyes. "All right, but that's it. The others will have to keep for tomorrow."
He gave her a noisy kiss. "I love you."
"I'll take that under advisement, after I check out your doctors."
He chuckled, kissing her again before releasing her, and helping her off the couch. "So what's the problem with the dress?"
"I don't know, they were a bit Southern Belle-ish."
Fitz slipped his arm around her waist as they exited the room, placing a lingering kiss on her temple. "You won't look anything like her."
"I know... it's just," Olivia sighed, then gave a soft chuckle. "Peter said I should wear red."
Fitz grinned. "You'll be gorgeous in red."
"But my dad would not approve." Olivia paused, scrunching her nose. "Maybe I should wear red, just to annoy him."
Fitz stopped abruptly. "Your Dad?"
"Yep, Harrison talked me into inviting him."
"Harrison? What did he do?"
"Just explained the importance of family."
"Hey, I did that, and you didn't listen."
"There are ways. And there are ways."
"Huh. Is Harrison interested in joining the Republican Party? I could use a man like him in Congress."
Olivia glanced at him as they entered the Private Kitchen. "Still no support for the anti-gun proposal?"
"None. From my own party. I've had more offers of support from the Democrats, especially the Senate, with Edison's working the numbers in my favour."
"Edison?"
"Edison." He watched her face, but Olivia kept her expression bland. "What about the House?"
"That's where I've got the biggest roadblock."
Olivia placed the cake box on the counter, and approached Fitz, sliding her arms around his waist. "Well, Mr Sexy President, I think it's time to use your Presidential superpowers."
He grinned, sliding his hands down her back. "Oh, I'm going to, Mrs Grant-Pope."
She gave a husky laugh. "I was talking about an executive order."
A/N: So thanks to President Obama's SOTU 2014 address where (to paraphrase Jon Stewart of The Daily Show) he essentially said 'F*ck all y'all' to Congress, I have learnt of the wonders of an Executive Order. However, I will try to give Fitz some new material instead of stealing all of Barack Obama's initiatives ;)))) #FuturisticWorldParliament-Obama4President-2020!
So for the other stuff I stole for this chapter - there was the Iranian update: Sanctions lifted after Iran curbs nuclear programme - written by Charlotte McDonald-Gibson in The Independent on Jan 20, 2014;
Bloomberg's Anti-Gun Lobby Takes Another Huge Hit With 23 Reelection Failures- by Katie Pavlich published in Townhall-dot-com, on Nov 8, 2013
Chuck and Doug are loosely based (Klunkett style) on these guys: Political activities of the Koch brothers- article on Wikipedia.
The Top Talk Radio Audiences from Talkers-Dot-Com which gives the weekly figures for January 2014. Rush Limbaugh rules apparently (*whyyyyeeeeee!*)
