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Some of my author's note comments are repeated from my Jam and Vermont in DC latest update (in case you are following both stories).
Author's Note:
Sorry for the long delay updating this story. As always, I appreciate fellow fan fic writers and readers for their support for this story.
While work has been diverted my attention from the writing, I also confess my Olitz writing muses abandoned me when Scandal season 6 started up. While I tuned into season 6 via Hulu for Episodes 9 through 13 (hence the resurrection of the muses, especially from Episodes 10 and 11), I didn't watch any other episodes, which included the 2-hour season finale. After reading an assortment episode re-caps/synopsis and watching an assortment of YouTube clips about the 2-hour season finale on the internet, I am more than resolved to not to watch the season finale and not to follow Season 7. As a die-hard Olitz-shipper, I feel after traveling through a desert, I finally found an oasis (from Episodes 10-11) but only to find out it was mirage (from season finale).
About the latest installment to the story:
Even though this fanfic is Olitz-centric, I wanted to write a short installment featuring some of the other Scandal couples as well as creating a fan fic pairing.
While I think it is great that SR and her production team create strong smart women characters, but in contrast to the world of Shondaland, I'm too much of a romance writer to not want these women to be paired off with strong smart men who are supportive of their accomplishments and talents.
I wrote this installment long before the premiere of Scandal Season 6, so Abby remains the Abby we all know and love and Liz North is alive, well, and a much better person in my fanfic story.
As Olivia sat on the sitting area sofa in Fitz's bedroom, she debated on whether to call Quinn to let her know what was happening in Alaska. Even though it was little bit after 3AM and Quinn and Charlie would be sleeping, Olivia knew Quinn wouldn't appreciate being kept of out of the loop, especially, if it was situation that involved her fellow gladiators. Olivia picked up burner phone and called Quinn.
"Hello?" asked Quinn with a suspicious voice. She hadn't recognized the number that appeared on her regular phone.
"Quinn, it's me. Something has happened. Turn on your burner phone so we can talk."
"Ok. I'll call you back on my burner," said Quinn before she ended the call.
Couple of minutes later, Olivia's burner phone rang.
"Quinn?"
"Yeah. What's going on?"
"Jake and my father are dead," said Olivia. She then proceeded to tell Quinn what she knew so far about the shooting.
"What do you need us to do? Should Charlie and I go to Alaska to help Huck and Marcus?"
"No," said Olivia firmly. "Fitz has gone to meet with the CIA. They are putting together a clean-up plan. I'll know more when he gets back."
"All right," said Quinn with a resigned voice. She preferred to be doing something when OPA was confronted with a crisis rather than waiting but they were dealing with a delicate complicated situation which required careful handling.
"As I soon as I know more, I'll call you back."
"Ok. We'll talk later," said Quinn before ending her call with Olivia.
Quinn turned to her attention to Charlie, who was sitting up after being awakened with the initial phone, and said, "You are not going to believe this. Jake shot Rowan."
"What?!" exclaimed Charlie.
"Rowan found out Jake was behind the fake presidential paternity suit and the two of them got into a fight. Jake must have had a gun on him and shot Rowan when the fight got ugly. Secret Service heard the shot and thought Jake was in trouble. They broke down the door to the room where Jake and Rowan were in. When the agents got inside, Jake started shooting at them…"
"Oh, shit. He must have lost it," commented Charlie. In Charlie's assessment, Jake shooting Rowan had been foolhardy but to shoot at Secret Service agents was crazy.
"I guess."
"What's happening now?"
"The president is meeting with CIA to implement a clean-up plan."
"Does Olivia need us to do anything? Should we contact Huck?"
"She told me that we should sit tight until she finds out what the CIA and the president plan to do."
"Ok," responded Charlie. With him and Quinn in "crisis fixer" mode and not going back to sleep, Charlie located the TV remote on his bedside table and turned on the TV to channel surf to find out if the world had caught wind on what happened in Alaska so they could plan accordingly.
Leo was sitting up in bed watching Abby talk on her work cell phone with Fitz as she pulled out a work suit out of her closet. He knew Abby was getting ready to go in to the White House when he saw the work suit come out of the closet.
Both he and Abby had been sleeping soundly when her White House cell phone rang. While Leo knew a slightly after 3AM White House call meant something serious happened, it didn't always necessitate Abby going in unless it was an emergency. If Abby needed to go in, it was bad.
When Abby ended her call with Fitz, she said to Leo, "I'm sorry…"
"I know. You need to go in and you can't tell me why."
"I can tell you a part of it – Jake and Olivia's father Rowan are dead. But, I can't tell you anymore."
With Abby's last statement, Leo knew he couldn't ask what happened because Abby couldn't tell him. Leo suspected things were being done to tightly control the narrative of their deaths and Abby would be apprise of what was being done given her position as White House Chief of Staff. He, along with the public, would be given an "official" story about their deaths while an "unofficial" true story would be kept secret. "I understand," responded Leo.
As he was getting out of bed, he said, 'I'll be in living room while you get dressed and call David. I'm presuming David needs to be contacted."
"He does." As Leo walked passed Abby, she gave him a kiss. After their kiss, Abby said, "Thank you," before he walked out of the bedroom. Leo closed the bedroom door to give Abby privacy to talk with David.
When Abby was left alone in the room, Abby called David and put her phone on speaker so she could talk while she got ready.
Over at One Observatory Circle, the official residence of the Vice President, in Susan's bedroom, both Susan and David were wide awake talking on the phone. Susan was speaking with Fitz on her bedroom landline phone while David was standing in a corner of the bedroom talking on his cell phone with Abby so the noise of the two calls didn't overlap each other.
After David ended his call with Abby, he started to get dress. While David was doing a silent happy dance with the news of Rowan's death, he also knew it was Rowan's nefarious act of blackmailing or threatening the White House team to make the trip to Santa Barbara helped him to reconcile with Susan. The flight back to DC on Susan's Air Force Two, the official plane for the Vice President, brought them closer as the two of them worked together to handle the White House press corps who flew with them on the flight. The press corps wanted and expected to fly back with Fitz on Air Force One. They had to tag team to deflect the press corps' less than friendly attitude about having to fly back with the Vice President instead of the President.
David had been so focused on getting dressed quickly he hadn't noticed Susan was still sitting on the bed after she finished her call with Fitz. It was until he went over to floor length mirror so he could tie his tie that he saw the reflection of Susan sitting on the bed. David walked over the bed and sat down next to her. "Honey, are you ok?" he asked.
"I had wished him dead," Susan replied in a stunned shocked voice as she turned to look at David.
"It's ok, sweetheart. No one would blame you for wanting Rowan dead. He was a nasty son of a bitch," said David as he took Susan in his arms to give her a hug to comfort her. He knew Susan was a good and kind person and wanting someone dead was contrary to her personal nature but in this case, her desire was justified.
When they broke away from their hug, Susan said "I don't know what to say to Olivia when I see her."
"You don't have to say anything. Olivia knows what kind of man her father was. I'm sure there is no remorse on her part."
Susan wasn't so convinced from David's comments but figured she would have a better idea of what to say to Olivia when she saw Olivia in person. Susan knew she had a tendency of putting her foot in her mouth and this was one of the times she needed to be careful on what she would say. At least her relationship with Olivia was better now. Olivia apologized to her for her behavior and for what happened with the Republican Party presidential ticket.
Susan realized precious time was ticking away and both she and David needed to get to the White House. "I need to get dress," she said as she started to get up from the bed. "Wait, before I do that, I need to call my on-duty agents to let them know we are on the move." Susan then picked up the handset to call the agents' duty room to let them know she and David needed to go to White House. While Susan was speaking with her agent, David proceeded over to the mirror so he could tie his tie.
When they were dressed, Susan and David left her bedroom and headed into the hallway. After they walked passed Casey's bedroom, Casey, wearing a nightgown, came out of her bedroom. She saw Susan and David were heading out and asked, "Mom, David, where are you guys going?"
Susan and David stopped walking and turned their attention to Casey. While David stood still, Susan walked to Casey and said to her, "Something has happened. The President needs David and me at the White House."
"I suppose it's a big secret and you can't tell me," said Casey.
"It's something serious and right now it is a secret but it won't be in a few hours. When it becomes public, we can talk about it, ok, sweetie?"
"Ok, Mom," said Casey with a weak smile. "I guess three of us won't be having breakfast together."
Susan looked at David and the of two them exchanged a knowing glance that holding key roles in the running of the US government sometimes meant domestic or family life would have to take a backseat.
"Probably. I'm sorry about that. David and I will make up to you, though"
"It's fine, Mom. Maybe we can do pizza and movie night once the government crisis is over."
"It's deal. I promise," said Susan before giving Casey a hug and a kiss. As Casey went back inside to her bedroom, Susan and David headed down to the front door. When they got down to the front door, an agent was standing waiting for them. The agent opened the front door for Susan and David to walk out and enter into Susan's unmarked car which was waiting outside for them.
Once they were settled inside the car, Susan said, "I need to call Liz," as she pulled out her White House cell phone to make the call.
Liz North was sleeping soundly in her bed with a strong male arm protectively draped over when her work cell phone rang. She picked up the phone and saw it was Susan calling her. She immediately sat up in bed to answer the call causing the arm that was draped over her to fall.
"Madam Vice President" Liz said as she turned on the lamp by her bedside table.
"Liz, I'm sorry to wait you, but you need to come in. There's been an incident on Mellie's campaign trail. Jake and Rowan are dead," said Susan in a dead serious voice.
"Oh my God! What happened?!" exclaimed Liz in a loud voice. Although the phone call awakened Liz's male companion, Liz's exclamation had him sitting up as well.
"There was a shooting. We need to do the details in person though." Even though their cell phones had secured lines, both Susan and Liz knew the less spoken over the phone was better, especially given how sensitive the situation about the fixed Republican Party ticket was.
Of course. I'll be at the White House shortly," said Liz before they ended their call. Liz then turned her head and saw the serious expression on Paul Ellison's face.
"What's happened, Liz?"
"I can't tell you. I'm sorry."
"It's ok. I understand." As a military man, Paul was more than familiar with the concepts of secrecy and confidentiality, especially when it came to matters of the state. "I'll drive you over to the White House," he said as he got out of bed and started putting on his clothes.
"Thank you." Liz then got out of bed so she could get dressed as well.
Liz counted her blessings that her daughter Jane was having a sleep over at a friend so she didn't have to worry needing to find child care before the crack of dawn. Even though she was the Vice President Chief of Staff, she had been fortunate enough not needing to be call into the White House during the middle of the night for emergencies. When she had been traveling or working late for Susan's presidential nominee campaign, she made the necessary arrangements for a live-in nanny to care for Jane during those times. The fact Jane was at a friend's home afforded Liz the opportunity for her to invite Paul to spend the night with her.
Liz knew Paul for a number of years through the world of Republican Party politics. Although Paul wasn't in politics or in any profession related to politics, like law, his family was heavily involved in politics. She also knew Paul's connection to Fitz wasn't just the two of them serving together in the Navy but it also stemmed from politics in that both Paul and Fitz were the scions of political families and Fitz's father, the late Governor and Senator Fitzgerald Grant II of California, aka Big Jerry and Paul's father, the late Congressman Steven Ellison from Michigan had been longstanding friends. Although Paul's family had been disappointed he hadn't followed the route of a legal-political career like so many his relatives, he had done the family proud with his military service and establishing a medical career on his own merits.
Liz considered Paul as her first proper relationship since her divorce. Although she had been involved with David, in hindsight, it had been a fling, perhaps one she had let it get out of hand. She had been lonely and David came across as someone in need of sex. The fact he had been so easily seduced confirmed her suspicion. However, what she hadn't expected was her boss having a sweet spot for David and David being charmed by her boss's homespun personality while simultaneously drawn to her as well. Nonetheless, she thought she would have come out ahead with her manipulating David and Susan with the outcome of Susan becoming POTUS and she would attain the coveted job of being White House Chief of Staff. Instead, all of them got burned. Initially, she blamed Olivia for what happened but when she found out it was Olivia's father who had been playing all of them like chess pieces, and especially after being blackmailed to go to Santa Barbara to campaign for Mellie, she had been humbled by a grand master of manipulation and the danger she had been in.
In her newly found humbled state, Paul approached her and invited her to have a drink with him. This was followed with a few coffee or lunch dates which lead to tonight's dinner date and the two of them spending the night together. Liz had hoped for the two of them to have breakfast together to continue on with the progress of their relationship now they were in the phase of having sex as part of their relationship. She wanted their relationship to be more than a "friends with benefit" arrangement.
Liz got her glimpse of hope of there being something more to their relationship when Paul, after stopping his Mercedes in front of the White House West Wing gates so she could get out, asked, "I'm not on duty today but can I call you later? Or will it be too crazy for you talk?"
"Call me," replied Liz before she gave him a kiss and got out of Paul's car. As Liz walked passed the security booth and headed towards the West Wing entrance, she felt a warm glow from the kiss but was also feeling the cold reality of the White House was about deal with. She knew there would be plenty for her and Paul to talk about once the news about the shooting and the death of the NSA Director-Republican Party Vice Presidential candidate became known.