Charlotte strode through the front door and straight into the kitchen. It was only a few seconds before Mellie heard the freezer door open and close, and then the clank of silverware against dishware. Ice cream. Cookie dough had always been Charlotte's comfort food. When she was sick as a little kid, she would beg Mellie to get her some.

Marcus came down the stairs, looking cautiously around, before catching Mellie standing just inside the entryway. He came straight toward her, wrapping her in his arms, careful to avoid her back, and kissing her lips lightly. She smiled softly, but he could tell something was off.

"How'd it go?" He looked at her quizzically, trying to read the things she left unsaid in her eyes.

"As good as can be expected, I guess." She went silent, and he poked her softly in the side. Her blue eyes looked up at him apologetically, and she bit her lip. "I know I've been kicking you out of the house a lot lately, but do you mind staying at your apartment tonight? The therapist suggested we spend some time together." Mellie looked so worried and guilty as she made her request, that Marcus needed to let her know it was fine. He understood. His lips met the top of her head gently, and her eyes closed instinctively, feeling his love in the small gesture.

"Of course, baby." He took his arms back, and she sighed discontentedly at the loss of contact. One of his hands trailed down her arm to grasp one of hers, as he stepped around her towards the door. "Just relax. I'm sure it'll be fine."

She gave him a half-hopeful, half-sarcastic smile in response. Tonight would be many things, but she doubted it would be fine. He patted her shoulder, closing the door gently on his way out. Mellie straightened her shoulders, and let out a puff of breath, before following the sound of spoon-meeting-bowl to the kitchen. She found Charlotte sitting on the counter, swinging her legs and moving her shoulders to the beat of the music she was playing off of her phone. But before Mellie could say a word, the doorbell rang. And then it rang again. And again.

Mellie let out an indignant and annoyed sigh before ripping the door open, very ready to let the rude visitor have it. But she had barely opened her mouth to let loose a string of swear words when head full of thick black hair bobbed past her and into the entryway at an inhuman speed.

"Olivia…" It was half sigh, half growl, but Olivia Pope did not give a second thought the the annoyance in Mellie's voice.

"Where have you been?"

"What?"

"Where. Have. You. Been?" Olivia swung around to face Mellie, inches shorter but just as powerful, standing there in high heels and a sharp grey pantsuit, manicured nails gripping her hips tightly. "One week, Mellie. You took an entire week. I get it, you want to spend time with your daughter. I said that would be fine. But I was thinking two, maybe three days, tops. Not an entire week! The press is wondering where you've been, why you've just disappeared on them." Olivia was gesticulating wildly, but in that moment, Mellie really couldn't bring herself to care what the press thought. "The headlines, Mellie: Mellie Grant- Disappears During the Campaign, Will She Disappear as President? You're dropping in the polls. You were ahead, you had this in the bag, after everything with Charlotte, and now you're dropping. We're going to lose if you don't get out there and do something, show the people that you haven't disappeared, that you are just as strong as-"

"We were kidnapped, Olivia!" Mellie roared, lunging forward to get right up in her campaign manager's face, whisper-talking now, voice low and dangerous. "Kidnapped and tortured, and after all that, our relationship has gone nowhere. I am- I am losing my daughter."

"You're going to lose more than that if you keep this up."

"Oh, screw the campaign. The Presidency is not worth the price of my child." There was a pause. One of those pauses that seems to go on forever, where the air is so charged with emotion it seems like no one could speak, even if they wanted to.

"The Presidency will bring you back your child. What do you think it will mean to Charlotte, to see her mother in the most powerful position in the world. To watch her mom become the first female President in history. What kind of example do you want to set for your daughter? Do you want to show her that when something bad happens, and it was bad, I'm not denying you that, but when something bad happens, you just curl up and give in? Let the bad people win and stop fighting? Or do you want to show her that you take the bad, you take the ugly, you take the horror, and you let it fuel you. You let it push to do great things, be a great person, change the world. What do you want to show her, Mellie?"

Mellie stepped back, creating a gap between herself and those words. She could feel her heart pulsating in her chest, heavy and hurt, but powerful. So, so powerful. Just like she was.

"Get me a press conference for tomorrow, Liv. We're still in this thing."

A slow smile spread across Olivia's face. She out a hand on Mellie's shoulder, feeling a sudden urge to hug her ex-enemy, but she resisted.

"Done." She turned to leave, her fixing work done for today, but realized she needed to say one last thing. Without turning around, she spoke over her shoulder. "I know it was hard. I can't imagine… parts of it, but I know. I'm sorry. I wish… I wish it hadn't happened to you. But I'm glad you're okay."

"Because it means your campaign's not ruined."

"No. Because you're my friend."

There was no need for teary hugs or admissions of love, Mellie simply let out a surprised little puff of air, and Olivia nodded. Their eyes never met, but they felt all they needed to.

As the door closed, Mellie took a moment. She was back in this race, and she was determined to win. That Presidency was hers, and she would fight tooth and nail to get it. But right now, she had to fight tooth and nail for someone else. She walked carefully back to the kitchen, finding Charlotte in the exact same position, still eating ice cream and listening to music. She looked up this time as Mellie came in, heading straight for the freezer.

"Who was that?" Charlotte lifted her chin in the direction of the door.

"Olivia Pope. We have a press conference- where did you put the ice cream?"

"Top shelf, on the left."

"Oh." Mellie pulled her head out of the cold, mostly empty carton of ice cream in her hand. "We have a press conference tomorrow, sort of an 'I'm back, please still vote for me' type of thing. She was mad that I disappeared for as long as I did."

"Got it. What exactly are you gonna say at this press conference? I mean, are you planning to talk about the, uh..." Charlotte tried to make clear what she meant without actually saying it. Doctor's orders, after all. But Mellie quickly shook her head as she pulled a spoon from the center drawer in the island.

"No. I don't know what I'll say yet." She popped the lid on the ice cream to find about a quarter of a serving left. She glared up at her daughter, casually enjoying the very last of her very large bowl. "We need more." She pointed at the ice cream with her spoon. "Since somebody ate it all."

"Hey, I was hungry." Charlotte threw her hands up, dishware and all, trying to portray total innocence. Mellie laughed.

"Ice cream isn't really what you should be eating if you're hungry."

Charlotte nodded defeatedly, and Mellie's eyes widened that her daughter, who had the biggest sweet tooth, was agreeing with her on this.

"You're right, Mom." Charlotte paused, always having had a flair for the dramatic. "Strawberry ice cream is the better choice, since it's got fruit and all." Mellie let out a jingly laugh that echoed around the kitchen, eyeing Charlotte's skinny waistline.

"You keep eating the way you do, and you won't be as skinny as you are for much longer. Trust me on that one." But Charlotte just shrugged.

"Then I'll change my eating habits when that happens. Until then, I'm planning on enjoying my food." She popped the last bite of ice cream into her mouth, letting the spoon slide out slowly, and making over exaggerated sounds of enjoyment. After a moment, neither woman could hold it together, and both burst out in laughter.

This was nice, Mellie caught herself thinking. Laughing in the kitchen with her daughter, this was how it was supposed to be. How it always should have been with them. How it always would be from now on, God willing.

"So, what do you want to do tonight?" Mellie threw away the now empty container, rinsing her spoon and putting it in the dishwasher, before taking Charlotte's spoon and bowl as well.

"I don't know. What do normal moms do with their daughters?"

Mellie thought hard about it, trying to remember all the interactions she'd seen between other mothers and their daughters over the years, interactions that used to make her so jealous. The thing was, she really couldn't remember ever seeing what they were doing together. She did remember watching Gilmore Girls, and thinking how cool Lorelai was, wishing she could be that way with Charlotte.

"I have an idea. Why don't we get some food, find a movie, and get some nail polish. We can eat and then give each other manicures."

Charlotte gave her mom a long look. The idea sounded great to her. In fact, it sounded just like scenes she used to imagine between her and Mellie. But it also sounded like the absolute farthest thing from what Mellie would actually enjoy.

"Manicures? Are you sure?"

"You don't like it." Mellie tried to stop the defeated feeling from rising in her chest.

"No, no! I think it sounds fun!" Charlotte tried to reign in the self-detriment she could tell was taking over her mom's brain. She really hadn't meant to sound uninterested. "It just doesn't seem like something you'd, you know, enjoy. I mean, Mellie Grant and manicures?"

Mellie smiled, completely aware of where Charlotte was coming from. It didn't sound like Mellie. But maybe it should.

"Let's give it a try, ok?"