This is the last chapter, but there is an epilogue that I will post in a couple of days. I'm not sure if people are going to like this chapter, or how I resolved the story, but this has always been what I would like to see happen on the show. Thank you for reading and reviewing; your feedback is amazing!
The bedroom was dark when he entered it, but Fitz could see his wife's unmoving form sleeping in their bed. She was lying on her side, facing away from him. He closed the door quietly and walked into the room and around the bed. Taking a moment to look at the woman he had married many years ago, he felt a sense of sadness and melancholy wash over him. He wished they would have never let it come to this. Carefully, Fitz knelt in front of the bed, letting his eyes fall on her face. Mellie was a beautiful woman, and in her sleep she looked relaxed and almost innocent. She had given him three amazing children and for a long time she had even been somebody he could rely on – a friend, a confidant. When he looked at her now, Fitz wondered why they had not realized that they should have remained friends instead of letting their marriage be arranged for them. Both of their lives could have been easier, better maybe, if he would have listened to his heart many years ago. Fitz reached out and gently pushed Mellie's hair out of her face. He couldn't remember the last time he'd actually truly looked at his wife. After a moment of hesitation, he leaned in to place a chaste kiss on her forehead. He was connected to this woman in so many ways, but he felt absolutely nothing for her now.
"We were so stupid, Mellie.", he whispered almost soundlessly.
With a sigh, he stood and made his way into the bathroom, locking the door behind himself. Fitz undressed, and smiled slightly when he caught a glimpse of the tiny love bite Olivia had left on his collarbone the night before. He wanted to give this woman the world, while his wife was still sleeping in the next room. The reality of his life was beginning to catch up with Fitz, and he felt an overwhelming need to make everything right for all of the important people in his life.
When the shower was turned on and the sound of water hitting the tile filled the room, Mellie opened her eyes. She hated nothing more than feeling weak, but in the darkness of the night she allowed herself a moment. Hot tears flowed down her cheeks, and she tasted their saltiness on her lips. So many times over the years, Mellie had been forced to fight to keep her husband by her side, to assure he understood that a divorce was going to hurt both of their careers and ambitions. Although it had always been an inconvenient, tiring task, she'd never been afraid that the outcome would be less than what she had planned for. This time, it was different. When her husband had walked into the bedroom mere minutes ago, Mellie had decided to feign sleep, because for once, she didn't want to have to face him or talk to him. She didn't want to hear him explain why they needed to be divorced; she didn't need to hear that he wanted nothing more than to leave their marriage behind him. His gentle touch had been so surprising that it shocked her, because there were no cameras around, and he hadn't been forced to do it. The moment his lips had touched the soft skin of her forehead, Mellie had felt the tears well up in her eyes. She'd always remember that moment. It was the moment she'd understood that she had lost her husband for good.
Mellie listened to the splashing of the water and let her mind drift to all the possibilities she was left with now. There was a locked drawer in her desk that held enough secrets to tie Fitz to her indefinitely – or ruin his life if he chose not to play along. She had pictures of him and Olivia, video tapes of late night visits and Oval Office sex, and signed depositions of his other indiscretions over the years of their marriage. She had Cyrus, who was arguably even more power-hungry than she was and would help her in a heartbeat if she'd play her cards just right. She had three children who she wouldn't hesitate to use as bait for their loving father. And finally, she had Olivia, who loved Fitz enough to do let him go if only she could twist the right kind of lie to make that happen. The words of her husband's mistress still bothered her, nagging her every day. "Don't you want more out of life than a husband that doesn't love you? Aren't you better than that?" Mellie wondered what it was like to feel a love like the one her husband was sharing with another woman. She couldn't remember ever feeling those butterflies they talked about in cheesy romance novels. She'd never looked at a man and been swept right off of her feet. But she didn't need that, did she? Love was a fleeting emotion and those didn't get you anywhere in life. It was time to sort her thoughts and be strong.
The shower turned off, and Mellie quickly wiped her tear stained face. She would never allow Fitz to see her like that. By the time he walked out of the bathroom, Mellie had returned to her previous state, looking peaceful and very much asleep. He never joined her in bed.
Fitz quietly tip-toed into the nursery and dropped a blanket and pillow on the couch that had become his makeshift bed. He peeked into the crib at his beautiful son. The baby was sleeping peacefully, his small chest rising and falling and reminding Fitz of the little miracle he truly was. He was reminded of the day Olivia had met Teddy – the scenes replaying in his mind over and over again. It had arguably been one of the happiest days of his life. Teddy was a joyful baby, and Fitz had hoped that he would be able to ease Olivia's worries with his happy demeanor. What he hadn't expected was Olivia's reaction to the child. She'd looked so enamored, so completely enchanted by Teddy's happy smile, that it had made Fitz dream of a future were moments like that would become their normal. He leaned in to kiss his son's forehead, and then settled on the couch for the night.
Olivia breathed a sigh of relief when she entered her apartment that night. The case she was working with her team was beginning to turn into a fiasco. Every time she turned around a new secret seemed to be exposed, and even Huck was having trouble keeping track of the countless off-shore bank accounts, mistresses, sex tapes, and money transfers he was trying to organize into a pattern that made sense. It didn't help that their client was a major figure in D.C. politics – and married with children. Olivia did not judge, because she wouldn't be able to do her job if she did, and because she had no right to comment on the moral shortcomings of others.
Her very own moral shortcoming had left a bite mark on her shoulder the other night, and despite her better judgment, the thought made Olivia giggle. She decided to skip dinner in favor of an extra thirty minutes of sleep and quickly got herself ready for bed. Once her tired body was situated under the sheets, Olivia stared wide-eyed at the shadows playing on the wall. Her mind was as exhausted as her body, but sleep still did not come easy. She thought about Fitz and the night they'd shared just the other day. He'd been so unbelievably passionate with her, and Olivia loved knowing that she had that kind of power over him. What kept her up at night, though, were the thoughts about their future. To Olivia, it seemed like they were turning a new page every day, and she could not wait to finally reach the chapter where their lives would finally become one.
A few days passed in the same fashion, and Olivia barely had time to miss Fitz with how busy work was keeping her. She watched him on TV once during a quick lunch break and called him after to tell him that his tie looked awful. There was such a normalcy in that small moment that Fitz realized he would move heaven and hell to assure them an amazing future together, if only to experience more of those moments.
"It's blue.", he laughed. "How can I go wrong with blue?"
"Blue would have been wonderful.", Olivia explained. "But that's not blue. That's I-can't-decide-if-I-want-blue-or-grey-or-purple. Just awful."
"You're crazy, you know that?", Fitz smiled into the phone.
"And you need a tie consultant.", she teased in return.
"Are you up for the job? I can think of a thing or two we could do with those ties."
"You could stop by tonight and we can figure out if I'm up for it."
"Olivia Pope.", he growled. "Are you tempting me to leave the White House to engage in sexual activities?"
She giggled: "I need to get back to work and so do you. I love you."
"I love you, too, Livy."
Fitz dropped the phone back into its cradle and returned to the paperwork in front of him. He never noticed that the door had opened slightly, giving his wife the opportunity to listen in on his conversation with Olivia. Mellie closed the door silently and stepped away. Her husband's words should anger her, but they no longer did. Instead, she was left with a feeling of emptiness. Even during a phone conversation that only lasted seconds, Fitz had managed to sound completely in love and utterly consumed by Olivia Pope. Mellie could not remember a single time in her life that a man had sounded like that talking to her. "Aren't you better than that?" In the buzzing halls of the White House, surrounded by countless people, First Lady Mellie Grant felt completely alone.
It was nearly midnight but Olivia was wide awake because she was expecting company. In a moment of temporary insanity, she had gone out and bought Fitz an expensive, deep blue silk tie earlier. She wasn't planning on pairing it with one of his suits. Olivia Pope had other plans. Heat was beginning to spread throughout her body, because even in his absence, Fitz made her consider things she'd never even dreamed of before.
The knock on the door interrupted her thoughts, and Olivia dropped the small box that held the tie on the table. She sauntered to the door and opened it with a small smirk. Fitz stepped in, waited for her to close the door, and then wordlessly handed Olivia a manila envelope. His face was so serious, and she almost wanted to reach out and smooth her finger over the furrow between his brows. The stiff paper of the envelope felt heavy in her hand, but Olivia knew by how thin it was that it couldn't be holding more than three or four sheets of paper.
"Open it.", Fitz said when she looked at him questioningly.
She watched him take a seat on her couch, his gaze fixed firmly on a spot on the floor. Olivia's plans of a naughty night were forgotten and replaced by a feeling of tread and worry. Slipping her fingers into the open envelope, Olivia pulled out a small stack of stapled sheets of paper. Her eyes caught the bold, large letters in the middle of the first page and her breath caught. Fitz looked up and studied her features before their eyes met across the room. He gave her the tiniest, barely noticeable smile.
"Flip to the last page, Livy.", he instructed, and she thought his voice sounded strained.
Olivia did as she was told. What she saw changed her life in an instant. There, on the last page of the papers she found Fitz' signature. The spot next to his name was occupied by a different handwriting.
Mellie had signed the divorce agreement.