Sorry for the delay, was trying to make this one a bit longer... didn't realize the last one was so short. Thanks again for sticking with me on this and for all the reviews. Enjoy x
Fitz didn't even wait for Cyrus to tell him what the development was, he shot up off the couch and ran through the halls to the SIT Room. He didn't look back but he was certain Andrew was hot on his heels and a winded Cyrus following as fast as he could. Fitz couldn't even think, his brain had shut off to protect itself from imagining what horrible things that could be happening to Mellie. All he could do was feel, feel each footstep pound through his body as he pushed against the marble flooring. The thudding began to echo in his ears and he couldn't hear Olivia as he finally reached the door, chest heaving, limbs shaking.
"Fitz" Olivia repeated again from the doorway, blocking his entrance to the room "FITZ". He stared at her blankly, as his body came to a halt everything froze. "Fitz" Olivia said once more, grabbing a hold of his arm "I need you to come with me"
His brain started to function again and the ringing started to cease in his ears "What" he question, fire and urgency in his voice
"We need to speak first" She said again trying to pull him down the hallway away from the door. Fitz looked in her eyes and saw a sadness he thought he recognized.
"Now is not the time Liv" he growled at her and snatched his arm away. Olivia looked at him confused as well as hurt, her lips parted and she went to speak again but he shook his head and walked into the SIT Room. Everyone dropped what they were doing and stood, he heard multiple sad, tired, and scared sounding 'Mr. Presidents' but couldn't truly distinguish anyone. He waved them off of decorum with a flick of his hand.
"What is it? What has happened" he said louder than he intended in the now silent room. He looked around the room at sullen faces, no one seemed to want to be the one to break the news to him and his heart sank. He sucked in a deep breath and looked around behind him for Olivia. He found her face but she would not make eye contact with him as she stood there arms crossed, chewing at the inside of her lips. Fitz turned his attention back to his group of Five Star Generals and Cabinet members fighting back his newly forming tears.
"We had contact from the rebels" a weak voice said from the back of the crowded room. Fitz raised his eyes and softened some.
"Direct contact?" he questioned trying to quell his shaking voice "Do they have my… do they have any hostages"
"No Sir, not direct contact" Abby said, her voice growing in confidence "They posted a video… and yes Sir they have captured American citizens"
"The First Lady" he asked in a whisper. The room went silent again. Fitz stared at Abby willing her to speak, but he already knew, the silence told him everything he needed to know
"We believe it is a possibility, Mr. President" the CIA Director said, finally finding the courage to speak up
"Proof of life" Fitz said, his voice barely audible
"They haven't come right out and said that they have her, which gives us pause" Fitz could feel the nervous energy vibrating around the room and it was beyond unsettling. He had sat in this room more often than he wished to, handling horrible situations. None of them however, hit as close to home as this one. Beyond the fact Mellie was his wife, everyone in the room knew just how serious, just how much danger the entire country and perhaps even the world was with The First Lady in the hands of extremists.
"Did they ask for anything" Fitz questioned forcing himself into presidential mode, forcing himself to put aside his personal feelings
"They have what we believe to be six Americans, each a member of Mel… The First Lady's team. The video showed six figures, all with their heads covered, but from our knowledge of their personal features we have been able to identify them. The First Lady not amongst them."
Fitz nodded trying to take in what he was being told. His mind was racing on what this meant for Mellie, but he was trying to force it aside. He put his hand on the back of his leather chair and let his fingers sink into the cold fabric trying in earnest to steady them as he pulled it out to sit down. He felt a hand on his arm and jumped slightly.
"Fitz, please. We need to speak first" Olivia tried again, whispering in his ear. Her breath was hot on his neck, a sensation that should have been unwelcome given the fact he was now covered in a thin layer of sweat from his sprint down the hallways. Fitz sucked in another deep breath and shook off the chills that flowed through his body.
"Why" he questioned in a low growl, he knew her to be persistent and this must be important but everything in him needed to stay and hear everything about the new developments
"It's about.." she started to say when someone in the room cut her off
"Sir we've loaded up the video for you, it hit the internet a few hours ago and hasn't gained much traction yet amid all the chaos. We're working to keep the media from finding it as well…" the voice trailed off and was replaced by another. Everyone in the room was beginning to find their will to speak again
"Sir… we must warn you… the video contains very graphic content"
Fitz's ears trained on 'graphic content' and he forgot about Olivia at his side. He pulled out his chair and sank into it with the full weight of his exhaustion and worry. Everyone else took their seats as well and Fitz braced himself to hear more
"Graphic content" he whispered. Remembering all too clearly watching Americans beheaded on his watch before.
"Yes… yes Sir. You see.. The video was not posted for 'us' it was posted to gain support from other militant groups."
"As far as we can tell Mr. President, the militants more or less want praise for their capture in a display of rather gruesome behavior"
"So they are not even asking any sort of ransom" he questioned
"No Sir" The CIA Director chimed in "If not for some sort of rescue mission, this most likely will not be a hostage situation with any survivors"
"And my wife" Fitz questioned swallowing hard and forgetting his own drive not to address her
"She isn't in the video" Abby's voice said filling the silence "There is no mention of her at all Sir."
"This could mean a multitude of things. Either they have her and are trying to figure out what to bargain for, they do not have her or…" The CIA Director's voice trailed off not wanting to finish his sentence. Not wanting to tell the President of the United States that on their watch, his wife was killed.
Fitz heard Andrew let out an uneasy sigh of air next to him. Without looking at anyone he said "Play the video"
The room was silent again as the footage began to play. The lighting was horrible as was the footage itself. Clearly nothing was well thought out, this wasn't your typical hostage situation. Everyone in the video was running on adrenaline and hype, over-proud of their accomplishment and celebrating it without thinking. Here and there Fitz could make out the hostages on the floor in a dingy room. Their arms were bound behind them and their heads were covered with a dark fabric. Most of them had blood on their clothing or exposed skin, Fitz couldn't tell if it was from injuries sustained before or after capture. Excited voices shouted back and forth near and far from the camera, everything was still in chaos. Which made the entire scenario all the more terrifying. If no one was thinking clearly, people were libel to get seriously injured or even killed at the drop of a hat. And with no one planning out what to do with the hostages, there would be no trading, no bribing, no way to get them home safely. Amid the shouting Fitz could hear the hostages pleading for their lives, pleading with their captors and repeating 'I am an American' as if that alone would save them.
"This is where things get a little more difficult Sir" someone said but Fitz barely heard them. His eyes were trained on the screen, trying to take in every detail and his ears on the interpreter doing her best to transcribe the situation. He did however hear the distinct sound of a very uncomfortable Olivia sighing heavily behind him.
Suddenly one of the hostages was grabbed and pulled up to his feet. Fitz knew the body to be that of one of the Secret Service agents, he tensed. They were supposed to give their lives for Mellie. Another man came into the frame and struck the agent hard in the ribs with the butt of his rifle. The agent took the blow but did not fall. Voices encouraged him to be hit again, and he was repeatedly. They continued to strike him with different objects, kick him, and hit him with their fists but he refused to give them the satisfaction of falling. It was horrible to watch but Fitz was uncertain why the tension in the room was growing, he could see people fidgeting uncomfortably. Even turning their eyes away from the screen. Even if they killed the man, it wasn't nearly as bad as watching another be beheaded in the past.
Abby's red hair caught Fitz's eye as she moved away from the table. He watched her curiously as she quietly made her way out of the room. His attention was immediately drawn back as he heard a woman scream. Fitz's eyes darted to the footage to see one of the female hostages being pulled away from the group. There were multiple hands on her as she was being pinned down and her clothes ripped off. The other male hostages struggled against their bindings and then the captures holding them down, they were trying in earnest to help her in some way. Agents to their core. Her screams continued to echo around the SIT Room. Fitz swallowed the bile threatening to rise up out of his stomach, he was certain he just turned every shade of green before going completely white.
"Ive seen enough" he whispered and the footage stopped immediately
"They brutally rape her and the other female hostage" a voice said, Fitz couldn't place it he was still trying to process… everything. He was certain he would be hearing those screams, the pleading and most of all the cheering of militants every night in his sleep.
It was Andrew who snapped him out of his daze. He had loudly gotten up from the table, his face completely red with rage. Fitz watched him storm from the room and then it hit him. Square in the gut with more force than he could handle. He turned quickly to his left to find Olivia waiting with a small trash can. He was grateful as the contents from his stomach came roaring out of him, contents that were nothing more than the alcohol he had consumed in the past hours.
"Could we have the room" Olivia said "Perhaps everyone could use a ten minute break." And then she turned to an aid "Order food, everyone is going to be here for a while"
Olivia returned to Fitz as the room cleared out, he was bent over in his chair elbows on his knees and face in his hands.
"I'm sorry" She whispered returning to Fitz's side and running an all to knowing hand across his back, trying to soothe him. "I tried to stop Cyrus from getting you but he's so eager to be in your good graces he took off, I guess he still doesn't know" she said letting her voice trail off "I really didn't want you to see that. Knowing is one thing but seeing it..."
Olivia continued to rub his back for a few more minutes, allowing him to collect himself before she continued. The sensation was more soothing than Fitz had expected, in his vulnerable state he was thankful to have her at his side.
"Look, we don't even know if they have Mm… her." She said her soothing voice dropping away as it was replaced with her commanding Olivia Pope voice. Fitz assumed she was flopping between roles for his benefit, but perhaps it was for her own too. Despite everything there was an odd energy between them, a familiar comfort. "I can't imagine them doing anything like that to her, they would have to play it smarter than that. I think we should have more fear in the prospect of a malicious mastermind getting in there and taking over."
"She'll never survive that….even if we get her home if they have touched her…." Fitz swallowed more bile threatening to escape as the fear and sadness was being replaced with rage. He wasn't able to save Mellie from his own father and now this?
"If you want to back away from this… and allow us to handle it, no one will judge you" Olivia said softly
"No" Fitz said with as much strength as he could muster. Olivia nodded and she moved to one of the leather chairs next to him.
"Huck is working on capturing their feed so no more videos leak to the public as well as pin pointing their exact location. Quinn is scouring the internet for other videos and pictures that may help us piece together what has happened and who is responsible. Jake is trying to locate a team in the area." Fitz nodded along as he spoke, grateful for her team's expertise.
"Thank you" he whispered taking in a deep breath. Olivia stood checking her watch to see how much time there was until everyone returned perhaps, Fitz wasn't sure but he stood as well
"You don't have to thank me, outside of doing this to keep my nation safe" she paused and flexed her jaw before continuing "You have to know deep down I would do anything for you Fitz… I…" She didn't need to finish, Fitz knew what she meant. There would always be something between them, what it was he may never be able to put his finger on it but he would always feel it deep in his marrow. He stepped forward and embraced her. Olivia wrapped her arms around him and clutched at his shirt.
"People will be returning shortly" an angered voice said from behind them. Fitz released Olivia and a lot of the tension he had been carrying. She looked up at him and he could read 'sorry' written across her face. He gave her a sad smile and turned to see Andrew angrily taking his seat at the table.
"You should eat something" Olivia said "I'll get you a plate" clearly wanting to remove herself from the room, the situation, and the feelings she was having.
"Sorry to break up the love fest" Andrew growled, fidgeting with his hands in his lap while he glared at him. Fitz didn't have the energy to have this fight again, he just shook his head and stepped out of the room. He found an aid and asked for a clean shirt as well as an update on his children. This was going to be a long stressful night.