"This is not what we agreed on, Mellie." Fitz had made a few more phone calls after their conversation and he was seething with what he'd learned.
Mellie stood before him, looking just as satisfied as she had sounded over the phone with herself. Fitz didn't doubt for a minute that it was due to the fact that she'd managed to get so far with her latest plan without him learning about it.
Fitz blamed himself; really, he should have known better after Mellie had called him and offered him the weekend after Thanksgiving to spend time with the kids. How foolish was he to think that she would ever put them ahead of her own schemes.
Now she was smiling at him, her voice far too reasonable. "If you would just stop and think it all through, you'll see that all I did was serve you up a golden opportunity to take advantage of."
"How's that?" Fitz asked.
Mellie spread her arms in a gesture that took in the entire room. "Fitz, I don't understand how you can't see it - you told the country that you were planning on spending Thanksgiving alone. This isn't how the president of the United States is supposed to spend this uniquely American holiday - it and you should be given its rightful due."
"I assure you, Mellie - I'm pretty sure that I had the situation well in hand." Fitz said. That had been the plan; a small, quiet mid-morning speech offering the nation the best of his good wishes.
Off-camera he would have spent some time accepting calls for the same from his peers on the world stage and then - the most wished for part of his day, and the one he had been most thankful for - an early private Thanksgiving dinner with Olivia in the Residence, with - blissfully and unusually - no other plans for the rest of the day - or night.
He'd expected the kids to fly in early Friday evening and to have all of Saturday and Sunday to at least begin to reestablish some level of family connection - especially with Gerry. But now…
Mellie's laugh - the one that he knew all too well - as bright and as false as the smile she was beaming in his direction - brought his thoughts back to the present. "You'll thank me later, darling. A sit-down with the party's leadership is exactly what you should have had planned - but not to worry - it's exactly what I've arranged, with the added bonus that everybody profits. Everyone who matters gets to make their pretty little speeches, you get a photo op with your - our - beautiful family - and best of all, it's how you unite the country behind you."
Fitz look at her in visible disbelief; she was practically glowing at what she'd accomplished. "Fitz, it's literally the most politically wisest thing you can do - and here I've wrapped it up with a bow and handed it to you on a silver platter!"
"A golden opportunity handed to me on a silver platter? The only thing wrong with this scenario is the fact that no one asked you to." Fitz was quietly furious -quiet at least for the moment and he was struggling to stay that way. "Do you really think that our kids will enjoy spending the day being forced to attend a formal dinner - to be dressed up and put on display in front of strangers and used as nothing more than a patriotic prop? Things have been hard enough for them lately - in case you hadn't noticed. Do you really think that this is something that they either want or need?"
"What they need is maybe something that you should have thought of before you chose to tear this family apart." Her voice remained steeped in her very best saccharine tones, but the sudden hard light in Mellie's eyes were saying something totally the opposite.
"Mellie, I thought that I'd done my best to make you understand that this marriage had run its course and it would benefit not just the two of us, but more importantly our children, if we just acknowledged that fact and move on." Fitz was trying, once again, to put his anger aside. "Thanksgiving is supposed to be about families and friends being together and being grateful for that. What you want is nothing more than a political stunt and a photo op."
"Wrong again, Fitz." Mellie shot back. "Our children are a part of a political dynasty - and it's never too early for them to learn their places in it."
"I see. Does this plan also include you establishing your own place in this dynasty - is that the real purpose of all of this?"
Her veneer cracked for the tiniest instant but it was enough for Fitz to catch the naked ambition in Mellie's eyes. Even as he watched, the mask lifted smoothly back into place.
"Do stop pouting, Fitz." She went on as if Fitz's words hadn't touched her at all. "This will do you more benefit than it could ever do for me."
She crossed the room to one of the end tables and poured herself a glass of water. "And before you protest too much, did I tell you that I invited Andrew to join us - and that he accepted? I don't have to remind you that he's been a friend to the both of us ever since he served as your Lt. Governor back in Cali - and he positively jumped at the chance to come."
That she could corral another maverick Republican should make several members of the senior GOP happy, Mellie thought as she met Fitz's angry gaze head on without a worry. That should raise her stock somewhat - as well as Fitz's - even though he didn't look too happy about any of this right now.
He'd get over it, she told herself. Fitz might think that he didn't need the senior members of the party, but Mellie knew better. Whether he liked it or not - or more importantly, whether she liked it or not - politically speaking - her life was still tied to his. Especially since she hasn't quite decided which political path she wanted to take.
Until she did, until she could sense which way the political winds were likely to bend, the idea of her own political career was something she intended to keep in play and if she took a little time to set up the foundation for that before throwing her hat in the ring, wouldn't that be seen as the obvious - and smart - thing to do? That was the main point of this entire Thanksgiving idea.
No doubt Fitz had had every intention of spending Thanksgiving with his whore - Mellie stopped that thought before it could go any further, before even a gleam of it could show either on her face or in her words. But the fact that she'd probably blocked those plans did provide the teeniest tiniest taste of satisfaction.
Mellie deliberately turned her focus back to the political. She hadn't forgotten that Fitz had promised to support her as a part of their separation agreement, so as far as she was concerned, she would have been a fool to not seed the ground in her favor whenever the chance presented itself = and Fitz should have been able to see this.
If he were in his right mind, he would just accept what she was offering… but he hadn't been in his right mind since that woman had walked into their lives. And to think that they had invited her in…
Buoyed by her frustration, the words spilled out of her mouth, determined to convince him of the righteous of her actions.
"I didn't just pull this idea out of my… purse, you know." she told him. "I had the good sense to run this by a few trusted members of the Party before I acted - up to and including your vice-president and the GOP chair. The Party is backing me, Fitz - so tell me, how awful can this plan be?" Her eyes narrowed. "- unless you're choosing to take this personal."
So Sally and Elizabeth had a hand in this? Fitz promised himself that there would be a reckoning concerning the both of them in the very near future.
From her expression, it was clear that Mellie was mistaking his silence for something other than what it actually was. He started to correct her but stopped himself as he realized that her mistake would suit his purposes just fine.
"Take what I'm offering, Fitz - a smooth paving of the way that focuses on your announcement of the beginning of your re-election campaign."
"So." And here Fitz's voice went deceptively quiet. "Both Sally and Elizabeth gave their stamps of approval. Was this officially or unofficially?"
Mellie was no fool; warned by the tone in his voice, she hesitated before she answered, searching for a clue to how she should proceed.
"Both." she said finally. "Whatever faults they may have in your eyes, they do have a clear vision of what the Party - and the country - needs."
If she were being honest with herself, Mellie had been flattered that Elizabeth had reached out to her, to have a 'clear and honest' conversation about the future of the GOP and its future - and whether or not Mellie intended to be a part of it - and in what capacity.
Sally's input was also valuable - but maybe not as much as Elizabeth's; this was something Mellie was going to have to make a decision about in the very near future.
Sally was more of the Old Guard of the Party, while in Mellie's mind, Elizabeth still had a long and seemingly bright and rising future ahead of her. Plus, she was no fool; in reaching out to her, Mellie recognized that Elizabeth saw the same potential for Mellie's political future that she herself did - something that Fitz needed to know - at least not at the moment.
Neither was she foolish enough to dismiss Fitz's anger, but she told herself that she could sooth his obviously ruffled feathers. Yes, he was definitely angry at her, but sooner or later, he would have to bow to the inevitable - at this late date there was very little that he could do about her plans - and she was sure, if for the kids' sake if nothing else - Fitz would get over it once everything fell into place.
"And if I happen not to agree with either of them? What then, Mellie?"
"You could at least take the time to consider what they're saying, Fitz. Are you telling me that you're unable to even try to see things from my point of view? I didn't think that you were so narrow-minded."
"Narrow-minded isn't what I'd call it." Fitz said. "I can see your point of view very clearly - and honestly, I don't like what I see."
"If you're going off of your first reactions, then you only think that you do, darling." She knew that she was taking a chance using her former term of endearment, but Mellie couldn't resist the opportunity to flex a little mental muscle. "You forget that I know you too well."
"Do you?"
"Of course I do; for example, I totally understand your need to declare your independence from the Party. After all, you've had Big Gerry's shadow to contend with since forever - and no matter what you and I really know about who and what he was in private - to the country, he was a great and popular politician."
Like it or not, Mellie did know Fitz - and she wasn't done playing her cards just yet.
"He used you, Fitz - as much as, or even more than anyone else has tried to use you - and here's your chance to return the favor."
"What?"
Mellie ignored the incredulous tone in Fitz's voice. "Use him, Fitz. Let us - you and I together - use him. Invoke his political legacy, show the country three generations of Grant men. Remind them - the country and the Party both - of the dynasty and the legacy that is standing right here before them, ready and willing and eager to serve."
She smiled at him. "Like I said, I understand what's going through your mind right now - and why. But there seems to be one thing that you're forgetting - and that's the fact that you have to keep the donor base happy. To do that, you need them - and to do that, you need me - you need us." Mellie finished triumphantly.
There was a little silence before Fitz spoke. "There's something that you seem to be forgetting - there is no us - we're not married anymore - "
"We're not quite fully divorced yet either." Mellie reminded him sweetly.
"Not yet." Fitz said. "But allow me to remind you that I extended the separation as a courtesy to make matters easier for you to settle your personal life - and not to put out any false hopes of conciliation - to either you or the country. You do remember that, don't you?"
"I do - but why not let the media, the Party and the country wonder - just for a little bit? Just imagine how this one small act will keep your name in the media throughout the holidays." She smiled at Fitz, already anticipating what was to come. "The speculation over will we or won't we will be absolutely delicious…"
Fitz was back behind his desk; now he leaned forward, both hands flat on the surface, somehow still managing to keep his temper in check. "This is not a reality show, Mellie - and I have no intention of putting the kids through any of what you're proposing to do."
Mellie ignored him and continued, her voice taking on the tone of a mother explaining things to a two-year old. Honestly, it starting to feel like it would be easier explaining this to Teddy. "You're clearly not thinking this through, Fitz, so let' try this again. The point will be showing the public that we're still united on not only doing what's right for our children - but what's right for the country."
"You have to be kidding me, Mellie." Fitz said. "You can't be serious."
"Believe me, Fitz, I am very, very serious. And if this is the attitude that you're going to have, then between now and then, we need to sit down and talk about protocol - how the two of us are going to behave towards one another before our guests."
"No." Fitz's heart was pounding in his chest.
"No?" She arched an elegant eyebrow at him.
They glared at one another for a moment more before both of them were distracted by a knock at the door.
"Come in." Fitz called out, not caring who it was. Lauren announced a harried looking Cyrus.
His arms were full of folders and he was talking before the door closed behind him. "Sir, I'm getting all kinds of phone calls routed to my office - catering services - trying to confirm menus and specialty desserts and wines and what-not for some formal sit-down dinner for Thanksgiving - but I thought the plans were for you to spend a quiet day in the Residence and then the weekend with your kids. Is there something I missed?…"
His voice trailed off as he noticed Mellie standing there for the first time. One look at her and the confusion evaporated from his expression. "Oh."
"Oh." Mellie mimicked him. "Hello Cyrus."
"Hello, Mellie." Cyrus said. He turned to Fitz. "Well, this explains - everything."
Mission accomplished, Mellie couldn't quite hide the satisfaction in her eyes. She gathered up her coat and purse and headed towards the door.
She paused, one hand on the doorknob, to look back and smile sweetly. "If there are any other questions about the dinner, Cy - just have them forwarded to me at Blair House. You know that if there's one thing I do well, it's that I give great dinners."
Mellie couldn't resist one last parting shot. "And not to worry, both you and James are invited, of course. It will be lovely seeing little Ella again."
She looked at Fitz. "See? Think of the photo op that you with your god-daughter will do for your ratings. So forward, progressive and so photogenic at the same time… you can't pay for this kind of opportunity. You can both thank me later."
Cyrus took one look at Fitz's face before he turned his attention back to Mellie. "You're right, Mellie - and I'm sure Ella's god-mother will feel the same way - pictures of the three of them will be great for the president's popularity across the board."
It was a deliberately malice-filled smile that Cyrus offered her. "And don't you worry, I'll make sure that Olivia gets her invitation personally."
Mellie's smile dropped and she marched out of the Oval without another word.
"Was that petty of me?" Well aware of Fitz's mood, Cyrus allowed himself a grim smile. "I really should work on that, shouldn't I?"
"I appreciate every drop of it, Cy." Fitz said. He raised one hand to the back of his neck, feeling the tension and tried rubbing it away.
He sat down. "I really should have known better."
"Maybe just this once, you could just grin and bear it, sir?" Cyrus was sympathetic, but practical, as always.
"It doesn't look like I'll have a choice, does it?" For the kids' sake, Fitz admitted that he would probably have to do exactly that. The idea of letting one of Mellie's trickeries actually succeed made him angry, but a total shutdown of Thanksgiving dinner would solve nothing, would hurt no one more than it would the kids. Teddy wouldn't understand, Karen would understand all too well - and Gerry - Fitz couldn't even begin to imagine what his reaction will be, but it wouldn't be pretty either way, he was sure of that.
"We'd better call Olivia." He said. Maybe she could see a way out of this. He hoped so, because right now, he couldn't.
a/n: Apologies for this very late update; I don't have to tell you how crazy this last little while has been. That being said, I hope everyone enjoys the story going forward. Stay safe, everyone!