Author's Note: Hey guys, just wanted to give you a fair warning. I'm starting law school next month so if my updates are a bit slower than usual please bare with me. Anyways, hope you enjoy the new chapter.
Chapter 21
Ethan was preoccupied in his office at the Pentagon, busy making up all work he'd missed while he was on recovery leave. The Data analysis and number crunching could grow tedious. Times like these made Ethan miss being on the battlefield, as opposed to being bogged down with paperwork. His office phone suddenly rang, breaking his chain of thoughts.
"Hello Brigadier General Daniels," Ethan spoke into the receiver. "How can I help you?"
"Well, hello, handsome," Olivia replied from the other end of the line. The sound of his wife's voice made Ethan smile.
"Hello there. How may I help you, Mrs. Daniels?"
"I was wondering if you wanted to go out to dinner this evening," Olivia suggested. "I can tell the sitter to keep Amelia a bit longer."
"Sounds great," Ethan agreed. "I should be out of here about six. Our usual spot?"
"Roberto's?" Olivia asked. "Sounds good to me."
"Great! I'll see you then. I love you."
"I love you, too." With that, Olivia hung up. His wife had not only provided him with a brief distraction but also with a bit more energy to power through his paperwork. He had just about finished everything he heard loud footsteps, seemingly approaching his office. As he looked up, he saw his Supervisor standing in his office doorway, flanked on both sides by military police.
"Brigadier General Ethan Daniels," his Supervisor addressed him.
"Yes, sir, Major General Johnson?" Ethan replied, rising to his feet to properly salute the Major.
"I never would've imagined I'd be telling this to you, of all people…" General Johnson began, and Ethan couldn't help but raise a confused eyebrow at the man.
"Never imagined you'd be telling me what, sir?" Ethan asked.
"General Daniels…you are being court-martialed for acts of treasons."
"WHAT?!" Ethan was stunned by these allegations.
"Enough probable cause has been provided to have charges brought against you. Please do not make a scene, Ethan."
"What allegations?!" Ethan blurted out. "How…why am I being charged with treason?!"
"General Daniels, that's enough!" The Major General warned him. "Now, you can come quietly. Or, if you refuse to do so…we will have to use force."
Ethan was dumbfounded by the entire situation. He couldn't believe this was happening. Just a minute ago, he'd been handling his paperwork. Now, all of a sudden, he was being arrested? He shook his head in disbelief, but knew he had no choice but to cooperate.
"Yes sir, I'll come peacefully."
The Military police handcuffed Ethan and then led him out of his office. Thankfully, Ethan didn't run into anyone on their way down to the Pentagon basement, where the holding cells were. Ethan wanted to believe that he was imagining it all. But reality set in and he accepted his fate as he heard the clang of the cell door being closed in front of him.
"Can I call my wife?" Ethan asked his supervisor.
"We can't let you have any contact with anyone on the outside just yet," the Major General replied. Ethan then remembered how the rules for handling prisoners changed when it came to charges of treason. At this point, he'd just hoped he'd have a chance at a fair trial so he could clear his name.
"Since I can't have my phone call, can I at least know exactly what I'm being charged with?" Ethan offered instead. "And get in contact with a lawyer?"
"I'm afraid I don't have all the information," the Major General said. "I was only told to bring you into custody." Ethan could tell from the look in his supervisor's eyes that the Major General didn't believe any of the charges against Ethan, either. However, the Major General was in a tight spot because, if he didn't obey orders, then HIS head would be next on the chopping block. Ethan understood that he was only doing his job.
"Very well," Ethan replied unable to take the disappointment out of his voice. "Thank you, sir."
"I'm sure this will get cleared up, General Daniels." The Major General assured him.
"I hope so." Ethan sat down on the bunk in the cell and watched the Major General and MPs walk away. He racked his brain trying to pinpoint something, ANYTHING, that might have caused this. And yet, his every thought kept drifting back to his wife and daughter. How was he going to explain to Olivia that he had been brought in for treason?
That was the main thing he couldn't understand. Ethan had never betrayed anybody, much less his country. He could admit he wasn't the most patriotic person in the world ,but he would never do something stupid to jeopardize his status, let alone his life. He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't hear the cell door open and didn't see someone step inside.
"Hello Daniels," Ethan recognized the voice immediately. Of course it was HIM, he thought. He looked up and cast a sour look at Fitz, who was now standing up against the wall all but smirking at Ethan.
"So it was you," Ethan spoke dully. "I got dragged from my office down to a holding cell on some bullshit charges. I should have known this was your doing."
"Good for you, putting two and two together." Fitz replied sarcastically.
"Where is Olivia?" Ethan asked him. As pissed as he was right now Fitz, his family was still his immediate concern
"She's safe. I have no intentions of harming 'Liv or your daughter," the President assured him. "I do, however, need you to step aside."
"Step aside?" Ethan chuckled at the very suggestion alone. "You want me to abandon my family because you have a thing for my wife?"
"Oh, I figured you wouldn't do so on your own. So…I'm taking steps to ensure you're out of the way." Ethan looked at Fitz and burst out laughing. Fitz raised an eyebrow confused.
"What's so funny?" Fitz demanded. In a whim, Ethan had gone from angry to amused, and Fitz didn't know whether to be confused or ticked off at Daniels' suddenly cheerful mood.
"Oh man," Ethan managed to get out between chuckles. "You got some damn nerve. You really think you're going to get rid of me like this? Ha!"
"See, I know your type all too well," Ethan began, "Spoiled little rich brat who had the world at his fingertips since the very day he was born. Oh, and I'm sure you had daddy issues out this world. What's happened? Daddy didn't give you the Benz you wanted for your 16th birthday? Or was it that he saw you as nothing more than a failure?" Ethan watched as his words wiped the smirk off of Fitz's face.
"Me, on the other hand, I didn't have anything growing up," Ethan said. "No parents, no money. Nothing but myself from as far back as I can remember. Everything I ever got, I had to get it for myself, and it's because of that, I cherish Olivia and my daughter so much more. You see, when you're from the gutter you can't go anywhere else but up."
"Is that right?" Fitz snarled at him.
"You know what makes me angry, though?" Ethan asked. "That you had the nerve to think you could take the precious thing in the world away from me. Olivia's is not your damn toy."
"You're right- she's not a toy," Fitz agreed. "I love her."
"You don't love her," Ethan replied, crunching up his face. "You love the chase. You love the idea that there's FINALLY someone out there that won't bend over backwards for you. You love the felling of power you get from being able to take from someone else.
"Olivia stood up to you and told you no. That's why you run after her. It's not because you love her: it's because of your pride. And when you get her- if you EVER get her- you're just going to put on the trophy stand with the rest of your toys. And then when you get bored, you'll just toss Olivia aside for the next little toy that comes along."
"I DO love her," Fitz insisted. "She's not a toy to me, and I WILL be with her for the rest of my life." He rose up off the wall and stood before Ethan, looking down at him.
"You will NOT stop me from being with the woman I love. You don't even deserve her. You're nothing."
"I am a man, unlike you, little boy." Ethan rose up from his seat on the bed and stood up to the President face to face. "You have all this shit to talk now since I'm handcuffed and you can hide behind your little executive privilege. You and I both know you wouldn't be able to handle me on your own, one-on-one, because I'd kill you. As a matter of fact, it's only by the grace of God and Olivia that you're still alive."
"So you're threatening to kill the president now, too?" Fitz was trying to get some control over the conversation. Daniels and Solomon were a lot more alike than he'd thought, Fitz realized. CP9 members were truly a cut above the rest, and that made them very, very dangerous.
"No, I'm threatening the man-child who had the nerve to try and assault my wife on multiple occasions," Ethan clarified. "I'm threatening the unruly brat who had somebody all but shoot at my baby girl. I want him very dead." Ethan jerked forward like he was going to punch the President, and Fitz leaned back immediately, nearly tripping over his feet.
"See?" Ethan smirked. "You're just a scared little boy. Now, go run to daddy." Ethan sat back down on the cell's bunk bed, glaring at Fitz hard enough to burn holes through his skull. He wasn't playing games with Fitz anymore.
"You'll regret this." Fitz mumbled. He gestured at a military policeman and the young man came over and opened the cell door to let the President out.
"Before you go, there's just one last thing sir," Ethan said. The President turned to face him.
"I just wanted to tell you…in case I don't get to before you decide to kill me… kindly go fuck yourself, Mr. President." Ethan smirked at the sight of Fitz's turning red as a cherry tomato. Furious, Fitz stormed out of the cell.
"HE doesn't leave that cell until his trial is over," Fitz barked at the MP.
"Yes sir." The military policeman on duty replied.
"Oh, and be sure to add to charges against General Daniels that he issued a direct threat on the Commander-in-Chief's life."
***OOO***
Hours later, Olivia arrived at Roberto's restaurant. She gave her name to the maitre'd and a server led her to the table she'd reserved. She was shocked to not find Ethan there waiting for her. She figured her husband might be running late behind work, so she sent him a text message letting him know that she'd arrived.
"Would you like some water ma'am?" A waiter asked, coming over to the table bearing a pitcher.
"Yes please," Olivia replied. "Oh! Can we have some wine as well, please?"
"I will get that right away." The waiter replied, filling her glass with water and rushing off to retrieve the wine. Olivia busied herself with playing on her phone until Ethan arrived, but it suddenly got eerily quiet in the restaurant. She looked up and found the entire restaurant completely cleared out. Where had everyone gone?
"What on Earth?" Olivia wondered aloud.
"Hello, Olivia," She shuttered at the sound of her name coming from behind her, in that voice, of all voices. Fitz walked around and took the chair across from her that had been meant for Ethan, as two secret services agents kept watching from behind.
"I'm leaving," Olivia said and she rose up from her seat.
"Sit down, Olivia," Fitz told her sternly.
"No." Olivia gathered up her purse. "You don't get to order me around."
"Sit down," Fitz repeated. "This is about Ethan." He had her attention now that he'd mentioned her husband. Looking the President dead in his eyes, Olivia took her seat back at the table.
"What did you do?" Olivia demanded.
"I didn't do anything," Fitz replied, raising his hands up in defense. "But General Daniels has been arrested. Brought up on charges of treason." Olivia shook her head in disbelief.
"You made those charges up," Olivia insisted.
"Olivia, do you know who your husband really is?" Fitz asked her. "Hmm? Do you know what type of man he is?"
"I know he's a better man than you'll ever be," Olivia snarled back at him.
"You're so cute when you're angry," Fitz replied, ignoring her snide remark.
"Then you'll love me when you see me REALLY angry."
"I don't think I could love you any more than I already do," Fitz told her. He reached out to rub her hand but Olivia snatched her hand away.
"Very well, then. Let me show you the man your husband is," Fitz placed a manila folder on the table before her, and Olivia just looked down at it. "Well, open it up." Olivia picked up the folder and laid out its contents. It was a variety of graphic photos.
"Your husband was a part of CP9," Fitz explained. "WE consider them the assassins of the Military. Your husband has a lot of blood on his hands." Olivia pored through the pictures, unable to believe some of the things she was looking at. "Arsons, bombings, torture," Fitz casually ran down Ethan's "resume". "You name it, Ethan's done it."
"Now… what were you telling me earlier, about him being this better person and such? He looks more like a sadist, if you ask me." Olivia looked up at Fitz, a look of disgust painted on her face. The President was overjoyed. He had finally won her over to his side.
"I can't believe it," Olivia said.
"I know. It's probably very hard for you to accept," Fitz egged her on.
"No, I can't believe YOU," Olivia replied, looking up at the President. "You really thought that digging into my husband's past would make you look good, didn't you?" Now Fitz got it. Her look of disgust wasn't at the photos- it was at him.
"I KNOW the man I married. I know he was in CP9… and I love him no matter what because he's not that person anymore." Olivia gathered up every one of the photos and threw them in Fitz's face. The Secret Service agents approached the table but Fitz waved them back.
"You THINK he's not that person anymore," Fitz replied.
"Please, just let my husband go," Olivia told Fitz. She was starting to feel a bit flustered. "Ethan hasn't done a damn thing wrong and you know it. This isn't funny anymore."
"So you can sit up here…" Fitz began, trying to process how everything had backfired, "…and seeing all the killing and damage that he's done…and you're still in love with him?" Fitz had been certain that revealing Ethan's secrets would all but drive Olivia away from him.
"My husband is a soldier," Olivia replied, looking right at the President. "I know he didn't do this for the fun of it. He did as his country told him to. You can't really expect me to blame a man who was following orders, can you?"
"That's how I know these claims of treason are false," Olivia continued. "So, please, let him go." Fitz simply shook his head.
"There's nothing I can do about it right now," Fitz told her. "It's out of my hands and solely in the military's now."
"Where is he?" Olivia asked. "I need to talk to him."
"Your husband is in a holding cell at the moment. He will remain there till he he's brought to trial to face the charges."
"Well, I'll get his lawyer," Olivia replied, but again, Fitz shook his head.
"It's not going to be that easy. This is a military matter," The President informed her. "They deal with things their own way. You should know, though, that if Daniels is found guilty…he may be executed." Olivia's eyes widened at that very thought.
"No…" She had been defiant this entire conversation, but the suggestion that Ethan might die behind these lies had Olivia truly worried. "Please don't do this. You can stop this. Please."
"I told you-I can't. It's already in the works." And with that, Fitz got up out of his seat.
"They'll contact you if anything extra is needed." Fitz placed a hand under Olivia's chin and lifted her face to his. He thought he'd be disappointed by the hurt in her eyes, but instead, he was annoyed.
"You'll be alright no matters what happens," Fitz assured her. "I'm sure this is a lot to take in. So order whatever you want. Dinner's on me, tonight." And with that, Fitz walked out the restaurant with his agents.
Olivia was literally shaking right now. Her mind was running a thousand miles a minute and she couldn't help but start to weep. The love of her life could lose his life all because of another man's envy. She took a few deep breaths and then straightened herself up. She wasn't about to let this happen without a fight. She picked up her phone and dialed a number.
"Hello?" A guff voice answered from the other end of the line
"Huck, it's me. I need you to get the team assembled. It's an emergency."