Chapter 28: Jerry

A/N I didn't think I would do POV chapters from characters that haven't really been established on the show. I don't want to create a Mary Sue or whatever the equivalent is for a guy. This story is about Olivia and Fitz and all of the POVs go to tell their story. However, I felt it was important to get one of Fitz's kids' point of view at this time in the story. I tried to base Jerry on what little we know about him on the show. This is probably the only POV chapter he will have.

He clutched the rabbit in his hands tightly as the limo made its way through the winding roads of the Catoctin Mountain ridge. Jerry wasn't sure what to get her. He knew Teddy liked anything that he could roll on the floor or stack up high so he could crash into it. His little brother wasn't that interested in stuffed animals. Then he remembered that Karen loved stuffed animals. She'd spend hours in her room making elaborate stories about each of her "friends." She kept one of them named Lamby forever. She carried it around everywhere she went. He remembered how filthy it became during the two weeks they fully campaigned for their Dad the first time around. Mom almost had it thrown away. Karen left it behind on the plane when she ran out to greet their Dad. Mom picked it up by two fingers with her nose upturned and told their caregiver Carmela to get rid of it.

"No," he declared adamantly. "No, you are not going to throw it away! That's Karen's stuffed animal, not yours." Mom turned and looked at him, shocked that he had spoken to her like that. He rarely spoke up at all, let alone confronted his mother. He saw the hard look in her eye, he was about to hear her wrath.

Then Carmela intervened, "Mrs. Grant I can wash this pet, no problem. Good as new. With her going to boarding school, maybe she needs it a little longer?" Carmela chatted happily with Mrs. Grant distracting her from arguing with her son. Their nanny always had a way of doing that, of smoothing things out before they escalated. He missed her. Carmela had been with them since he was born. She was an older woman who already raised her children and a few of her grandchildren. She had already decided to retire after the campaign, regardless of the outcome. Both he and his sister were sent to boarding school that fall; he to Massachusetts and she to Connecticut. Carmela was retained until after the election so when they had a free weekend, she took care of them. She then went to Arizona to live with her son. He still called and talked to her occasionally. She was kind to listen.

He finally decided on a stuffed animal for Maya at the toy store. When he went to pay for it, the cashier asked him if he also wanted the book. He looked at the animal again and he remembered. It was The Velveteen Rabbit, Dad use to read that book to him when he was young. It was about loving a thing so much it became real. He got the book too. He hoped she would like it.

He looked up and saw the sign for Catoctin Mountain Park. They were almost there. This had already been a bizarre day. He already knew that the divorce announcement would come any moment, Dad prepared him for that. He also called him this morning right before the press release went out. He braced himself for a new round of snickering from some of the kids at school. He had no idea that so many people he knew felt comfortable telling racist jokes until he found out that his dad had an affair with a black woman and that he had a bi-racial sister. He actually started a physical fight with one of these people when it first came out; his Secret Service Agent broke it up immediately. Although he never got the best grades, he was always considered an easy-going guy who never got in a fight. He was sent to the Principal's office and almost got suspended. He didn't react this time around. He just ignored the taunts. Still, he was glad it was only a half day. Finals were next week and they were let off early that Friday to prepare.

He called Karen a couple of days ago and pleaded with her to join him this weekend. She once again refused. "I can't believe that you're perfectly ok just going to see Dad and his new girlfriend, like it was completely normal."

"I'm not going to see his ah," he really didn't know what to call her. "I'm not there to see Olivia Pope. I'm going there to meet our little sister. Karen, she's family. We don't turn our back on family."

"Dad turned his back on us," she accused.

"No, he didn't. He would never turn his back on you or me or Teddy. And you know that. You know the truth, Karen. You've always known it. This divorce should have happened years ago." He hadn't convinced her. She was just as angry as ever judging by that ridiculous tweet she sent out earlier that day.

He felt his heart race as they reached the gates of Camp David. They pulled up to the Aspen Lodge and his dad was there to greet him. "Jerry, it's so good to see you," he said smiling, clasping his son's shoulder and then drawing him into a big hug. Jerry returned it awkwardly. His father looked surprisingly happy, in spite of all the craziness that was happening. It was a relief. For most of his life, he considered his dad to be a good one, even if he was a little absent. He would read and play with him when he had time. He would hold him if he got scared and told great stories. His dad was an extremely busy man though. Dad worked long hours and Jerry really only saw him on the weekends even before he went to boarding school. Even so, Jerry was proud to have him as his father.

That was before Dad turned into an absolute monster for about a year after Teddy was born. Jerry didn't understand it at the time. His father loved his little brother, but everything else seemed to set him off. At first he thought that maybe it was really true, sometimes parents just replaced older kids with younger kids in their hearts. However, the fact that his father was drinking so heavily made him think that it was something different.

Dad got so mean, that both he and Karen reached out to Mom to intervene. Shortly afterwards, his father came to visit him and his sister separately at their boarding schools. Dad told Jerry that he was deeply sorry for his behavior and that he had some personal issues to deal with that had nothing to do with him or Karen. Things started to improve. A few months after that, their parents sat them down while they were all at the White House and told them that they were getting a divorce. Karen was upset and ran off to her room. The thing that he dreaded since he first heard about the word "divorce" was finally coming to pass but all he felt was a sense of relief. No more fighting. No more cold wars between his parents. He tried to comfort his little sister with this, reminding her about how much better they got along with them when they were apart. Of course, the divorce wouldn't happen for awhile so Dad could get re-elected and Mom could become a Senator. They had to pretend to be a happy family for the cameras a little longer. He actually got pretty good at that.

"How are you holding up? Were people supportive today," his father asked, concern written over his face.

"Yeah," he said, not revealing that some people were downright assholes about the situation. "People were fine. I'm doing fine, Dad." He had a couple of good friends who stood by him through the whole mess. In fact, one friend, Matt Hill, offered for him to spend the summer with his family on Martha's Vineyard to get away from the chaos. Jerry wanted to take Matt up on the offer.

Dad wrapped his arms around his shoulders and started to walk him up to the Lodge. "I'm glad to hear that, Jerry. I know this whole situation must be difficult for you and I want to thank you for coming. It means so much to me that you want to meet Maya and Olivia." Jerry didn't respond. In truth, he felt ambivalent about meeting Ms. Pope again. He really liked her during the campaign. She always seemed interested in what he was saying and drew him into long conversations, even though he was barely ten. He might have even had a little crush on her. But she represented a side of his father he knew nothing about.

He never thought Dad would cheat on Mom. Even after all the fighting, after the years of silence, after he figured out that his parents never loved each other in the first place, he always believed that his dad's honor would never allow him to cheat. His father made a vow and he would keep it. When the whole Amanda Tanner scandal broke, he was so angry. He knew that it was all a pack of lies. His father would never do that sort of thing. When the truth came out, he felt vindicated, even if he had to hear all the embarrassing jokes about his parents' sex tape. After the hostage crisis began, he felt devastated. One more thing he thought he knew about his Dad was taken away from him. Still, he felt an overwhelming since of dread that Ms. Pope and the little sister he never met would die. He was so relieved when they were both rescued.

They entered the Lodge just as Ms. Pope said goodbye to James and Ella. "Check your email, I'll probably have some follow up questions," James said as he picked up Ella.

"Fine, James," she responded, but she wasn't looking at him anymore. She stared right at Jerry. She appeared as nervous as he felt. James stood back for a bit and observed what was happening.

Dad stepped in. "Goodbye, James, we'll talk to you later," he said firmly.

James nodded, clapped Jerry's shoulder on the way out and said, "Nice to see you, kiddo."

The little girl had been playing with some toys on the floor. When she noticed someone new had come into the lodge, she ran up to her mom and hugged her leg. Her mother picked her up and held her on her hip. "It's really good to see you again, Jerry," she said with a smile. She has kind eyes. He always remembered that about her.

"It's good to see you, to Ms. Pope. I'm so glad you are alright," he said truthfully.

"Thank you so much. Please call me Olivia," she said encouragingly.

"Olivia," Jerry repeated. He looked to his Dad who was quietly watching both of them. Jerry then looked at Maya. For weeks, the only image he had of her was a crying little girl in the middle of a room all alone. She was a beautiful child. She had huge eyes that followed his every movement. "Ah, I got something for her." He held out the stuffed bunny. "There's a book that goes with it in my suitcase."

"The Velveteen Rabbit, that's very sweet, Jerry. She'll love it," Olivia assured him. Maya looked at the rabbit for awhile before she grabbed it from his hands .She gave it a test squeeze, and turned her eyes back to him.

He reached out and stroked her back. "Hi, Maya, I'm your brother, Jerry." She gave him a shy smile.