Keeping You Informed
Fitz had left the hospital and immediately headed to his house for a shower and a change of clothes. He knew that Cyrus was already pissed off at him for not being a good little puppet who did what he was told, but it had been a really long night physically, emotionally, and mentally. Besides, at this point Fitz was beyond caring what Cyrus thought he should or shouldn't be. Still, he asked Huck to step on it as not to keep the old man waiting longer than necessary.
As Huck drove Fitz rested his head against the passenger window and closed his eyes, reflecting on the past several hours. Will was dead. While it would seem that would have removed the biggest barrier for him to be with Liv, it just created other problems. He was going to have to set up dates for Liv to go on. The thought of it made his stomach churn.
Knowing some guy would think he was the luckiest man on earth because the White House had reached out to ask him for a date on behalf of the President was appalling. Knowing that same guy would be at home spending hours to get ready for the date started to piss him off. Random would end up feeling entitled, thinking Olivia wanted something from him that she didn't really want. What if one of them got handsy? Or demanding? Or mean?
Fitz decided that when it came time for him to give Liv a list of names, that each man's background was gone over with a fine tooth comb by Huck, once Fitz had done so himself. Just to make sure that nothing was missed the first three times. Fitz would also make damn sure that the dates began and ended in public spaces. Olivia was not going to be left alone with any of them. PhD or not. Of course, Fitz knew that Secret Service wouldn't let their President out of their sight, and that Olivia could take care of herself just fine. She was not above putting anyone in their place when they stepped out of line. In fact, the thought of her doing just that made Fitz grin like an idiot.
Not wanting to think about Olivia going out with anyone other than himself, Fitz thought about something much more somber. He and Liv had lost their baby. While he knew there would be more babies for them in their very bright happy future, it didn't lessen the pain of losing this baby. He was thankful Huck had showed up at the hospital like he had, to give him and Liv time to deal with the loss as well as to discuss what the future for them looked like.
It was going to be rough and lonely for a while.
The shower at home helped shake off the lingering dregs of his exhaustion. Huck sat at the kitchen table waiting for the coffee he had made to finish brewing and silently kept busy doing Huck things. Fitz ignored him, turned on the television in the living room, and went into his bedroom to find something suitable to wear to address the press corp.
"Dude! Turn that shit down." Huck called out from the kitchen.
"What?" Fitz called back from deep in his closet.
"Turn the tv down!"
"I'm listening to it."
Huck cursed under his breath and quickly made his way into Fitz's bedroom. Fitz was rummaging through his hangers, pausing to look at each suit, and then flicking the hanger to the right so he could move on to the next one. "Hey! It's so loud I can't hear myself think out here."
"What are you thinking about?" Fitz asked, not caring what the answer was, as he continued looking at his clothes. He needed to go shopping.
Exasperated, Huck grabbed a navy blue suit from the closet and threw it onto Fitz's bed. "Wear that one."
Fitz turned his head to examine the suit and scowled at his co-worker. "What the fuck do you know about clothes all of a sudden?"
Huck was standing toe to toe with Fitz. Without blinking he said, "I know that blue is your color. It makes your eyes stand out and it makes you look more formidable. The press will treat you more seriously."
Fitz gave Huck a sincerely confused look. He was still in shock at all of the words the man had just spoken. "My eyes will stand out? Have you been watching fashion police reruns again?"
"Shut up." Huck grabbed a light blue dress shirt and a blue stripped tie and threw both of those items on the bed too. "I've told you before, what you wear is a reflection on me. Usually you look fine, but you'll be on television tonight and you need to look your best. Besides, she'll be watching, and you want to her to see you looking put together and strong. Wear the blue."
Fitz grinned at Huck and slung an arm around his neck affectionately. "Awwww, who knew there was a big ole fashion forward teddy bear under that mean looking exterior."
"Shut up and get off me." Huck shrugged Fitz's arm off and stormed out of the bedroom, calling out, "the coffee is done, but you aren't getting any until you turn that fucking tv down!"
"You're such a work wife." Fitz muttered under his breath.
"I heard that" Huck called out from the next room.
Once he was dressed Fitz looked in the mirror. He had to agree with Huck's strange but correct assessment of the blue suit. He looked powerful, felt more confident too. And his eyes really did pop! Maybe he should listen to Huck a little more often?
Maybe pigs would fly too?
He made his way into the kitchen and poured himself a cup of coffee. The moment the black liquid touched his lips Fitz groaned loudly.
"Do you need a minute with your coffee? Should I leave the room or something?" Huck chuckled.
"Shut up! This is the first decent cup of coffee I've had in twelve hours after a hellish night. Let me enjoy it." Fitz stood over Huck's shoulder with his cup in hand and glanced at the computer monitor in front of both of them. "What is everyone saying?"
"That something happened at the birthday gala, but nothing has been confirmed yet. The White House is keeping quiet and they are waiting for a statement, bla bla bla. It's all guesses right now." Huck looked up at Fitz to hear what he had to say about the situation.
"Come on, the wolves are getting restless. We'd better go get this over with. They'll have plenty to work with once I'm done with them." Fitz emptied his coffee cup and set it in the sink before he and Huck left and headed to the White House.
Upon their arrival, Cyrus met them the moment they stepped out of the car. Naturally, he looked pissed off. "Where in the hell have you been?" he growled in a low tone. "You should have been here hours ago! The press is losing their minds, blowing up the phone in my office asking for a quote."
Fitz walked ahead a few steps with Cyrus and the two of them continued their heated conversation. "There were things that had to be dealt with at the hospital before I could leave. Serious things like the loss of her husband, the loss of her baby..."
"The President lost the baby?" Cyrus cut in looking truly saddened at the news.
"Yea. It was a tough thing to go through." Fitz admitted.
Cyrus nodded his head angrily as a frustrated sound escaped his throat. "Why can't things ever work out in my favor? That baby would have given her so much political capital."
Fitz stared down at the white haired man and gave him a withering look. "Has anyone ever told you that you're an asshole, Cy?"
"Every day. Why?" He shrugged, obviously unbothered by the question. "You know what? It doesn't matter. Let's get you down to hair and make-up and then in front of the press."
"I just got out of the shower and I've been doing my own hair since I was in middle school. And I don't wear make-up." Fitz informed the President's Chief of Staff.
Cyrus leaned closer. "Let's get one thing clear. You are here now because I let you in to see her earlier. Don't act like you are in charge here. You're not. I am. And when I say you need to get into hair and make-up that means go get your hair and make-up done. Now, Mr. Grant!"
Fitz huffed loudly and walked away from the older man. Cyrus was just pushing his buttons to show how big of a man he was. He shrugged out of his coat and loosened his tie while he was waiting to get his face touched up. His cell phone pinged and he pulled it from his pocket, noticing it was a text from Liv. The message said:
Be bold and authoritative. It'll be great
He sent her a text back that said:
You'd better be in bed or I'm coming upstairs once I'm done
In no time he had a reply.
You're bossy
Grinning he ended the conversation with his reply:
You love it
Cyrus appeared with a thin folder once Fitz impatiently waved away the hair and make up people. He gave it to Fitz to look over as they finished up with him. Taking it upon himself, Fitz pulled a pen from the inside breast pocket of his jacket and made a few notes before handing the papers back to Cyrus for final approval.
Finally, the three of them walked down towards the press room. They waited behind a closed door in a narrow hallway just to the right off the podium. Cyrus had to have the last word with more directions. "Keep it brief and to the point and then get your ass back in here after a few questions have been asked. It ain't rocket science."
Fitz wanted to ask the older man if it was so easy would he like to be the one delivering the news, but that would start another pissing contest and he really wasn't in the mood for that.
"Once you're done, we'll get the hell out of here." Huck told Fitz. He looked at Cyrus daring him to say otherwise, but the President's Chief of Staff avoided eye contact with the fixer's scary counterpart.
"I am well aware of how to handle the press. Thank you, Cyrus." He made eye contact with Huck and nodded once before opening the door and walking briskly to the podium.
"Good evening. I will be making a brief statement and then I'll take a few questions. At approximately six forty nine this evening a gunman began shooting at the birthday gala for the First Gentleman, William Swann. Before the gunman was shot by Secret Service, two people in attendance at the party had been shot by him."
The press corp leaned closer towards the podium with microphones or recording devices extended not wanting to miss a word.
"Mr. Graham, a long time friend and former college mate of the First Gentleman died instantly from a gunshot wound to the head. Mr. Graham lived in Nevada. He had no family to leave behind.
The other victim was that of our First Gentleman, William Swann."
The press corp got rowdy, talking loudly to each other and shouting questions in hopes to get answers from the podium. Fitz had paused speaking and waited patiently until they quieted down before he continued addressing them.
"Mr. Swann had been shot in the neck as well as the chest and was rushed to County General Hospital where the President was at his side. He was taken into surgery immediately upon arrival but died on the table as a result of the gunshot wound to his neck that had hit his carotid artery."
Anxious hands immediately went into the air, accompanied by loud voices shouting questions at Fitz. He once again stood still and said absolutely nothing until the noise subsided. Once they were quiet, Fitz called on the first journalist to ask his question. "Chris?"
"Was the President hit by any bullets?"
"No. President Pope was not shot. She only suffered a sprained wrist as a result of her Secret Service team forcing her to the floor abruptly once the shooting began. She was treated and released from the hospital."
Fitz pointed to another man. "Sean."
"What do we know about the shooter?"
"Because it's still an ongoing investigation, I am not at liberty to discuss much about him. His name was Caleb Pennington. At this time, we have no connection between him and the First Gentleman. Susan."
"Have any arrangements been made for the First Gentleman yet?"
"Our country has lost three First Ladies while their husbands were in office as President. Since Mr. Swann was our first official First Gentleman, the President has been advised to give him the same treatment as the females in his position who came before him. With that being said, Mr. Swann's funeral will be held on Monday, in the East Room. He will then be laid to rest in a family plot near his parents in Richmond, Virginia." Fitz pointed to another man and then called his name. "Jason."
"Why was the location of the birthday gala changed from the East Room to the Hamilton Hotel?"
That question had caused Fitz to momentarily pause. He remembered that question briefly floating through his head while he was in the hospital with Liv, but he'd never gotten around to asking it with all that had happened with the baby and Liv and all the tests. Fitz mentally chastised himself for not thinking to get an answer to that question. He didn't know how to answer it now and decided to go with the truth. "I'm not sure about that one, Jason but I will take that question back to the President and see if I can get you an answer."
At the back of the room, Fitz saw Cyrus giving him the wrap it up motion with his hands.
"I'm sorry, but that's all I have at this time."
He heard loud voices still asking questions even though he was almost behind a closing door to the right of the podium. They were relentless, but this time it would be a good thing. They had a name to do some digging on, and that would keep them busy for a while. Long enough for Olivia to get through the funeral.
…...…...….
Will's brother, Edward arrived at the White House from his home in North Carolina the day of the funeral. He spent some time alone with his brother's body before the service in the East Room. When he finally exited the room, he was emotional but trying to keep it together.
Fitz went to the funeral in the East Room as well but was especially careful to keep his distance from Liv during this time. He kept his eye on her either directly or in his peripheral vision. The man of God who spoke the eulogy had been the pastor of William and Edward's parents for twenty three years. It was a short but beautiful service and then Will's coffin was loaded onto Air Force One, and Olivia, Edward, and several others boarded before heading to Virginia where William would be buried. Fitz had not been invited to that gathering.
That had been three weeks ago.
Fitz had updated the press every day for a week after the shooting and then, as interest dwindled and the funeral was over, he was no longer needed. He'd never been more grateful to be back in his own office working side by side with Huck. The peace and quiet were heavenly.
Since the shooting at the First Gentleman's birthday party, things had slowed down quite a bit for the two of them. On one hand that was good. It gave Fitz more time to work on the finer points of his plan for his future with Liv as well as try to figure out why Mr. Pennington had killed Will. On the other hand, it was bad for the bills that needed to get paid.
"At this point, I might have to get a part time job." Fitz muttered.
"You could always go back to your job as press secretary." Huck suggested with a grin.
"No fucking thank you!" Fitz shot back.
"I give you a lot of shit about a lot of things, and most of it is in good fun, but you were great behind the podium. Very professional and to the point."
Huck was complimenting him? Fitz briefly wondered if the world was about to end. "Thanks, man. That's a really nice thing to..."
"I kept it on while I was banging some chick I met at the grocery store." Huck told him with a maniacal laugh.
Fitz knew it was too good to be true and threw his middle finger up at him. Huck ignored him though and went back to working on his laptop. Fitz got out of his chair and headed into his office to think some more. His mind veered from the dating plan he had been over a hundred times before to a niggling thought in the back of his mind that he couldn't shake.
Why had Will's birthday party been moved from the East Room to the Hamiton Hotel? Did that change have anything to do with the ease at which the shooter was able to gain access inside and start shooting? Was it an orchestrated plan or just bad luck? Fitz had a feeling it was the former and decided to have Huck do some digging into the matter.
When Fitz had asked Cyrus about it after the initial press address, but he had brushed it off and began nit picking the things that the fixer had done or said wrong. When Fitz had pressed the older man about the question, Cyrus had told him he'd ask the President and get back to him.
After Fitz left the conference room and went to go do whatever in the hell it was that Fitz did, Huck grabbed his laptop and headed into his own office. This task would require his full attention and he planned to give that. It took Huck no time at all to discover that the East Room had been closed for fumigating purposes the morning of the party. A memo had been sent to Secret Service a few days prior and that was when the change in venue had been made. According to the information he had found, it wasn't time for that scheduled maintenance, not for another five months. Someone had covered their tracks well and claimed to have spotted a mouse in the large gathering room. The exterminator reason seemed believable.
Apparently, there had been a good amount of grumbling made by the people who had to decorate about the change in location. While their mumbled agitation never reached the ears of the President, it did make much smaller ripples within the White House.
He brought up an image of Mr. Pennington on one of his other monitors as a reminder of what the man looked like. It was possible he had entered with some slight changes to his face. When he looked much closer at the killer, Huck didn't find much about him at all. The man was a recluse. Very low key. He had an online presence, but it was almost nonexistent.
Huck got his hands on the guest list for Will's birthday party. Naturally, there wasn't a Caleb Pennington on it. That left two options. Either the man crashed the party, got past Secret Service; with a gun no less, and acted natural for the first hour until he began shooting, or he had stashed the gun beforehand and probably used an alias. He wondered if Mr. Pennington had been brought by someone who had a beef with the First Gentleman. That was a possibility too.
Next, Huck put himself into the mind of Caleb Pennington. If he was at the President's husband's birthday party to shoot him in a public place, he would have scoped out the hotel beforehand to know the lay of the land. The hiding places. To notice where the cameras were and where they weren't. To find the perfect place for him to pull the trigger to end a life. It seemed that Huck would be making a trip to the Hamilton after all, but he wouldn't be wearing a tuxedo.
Huck got his hands on the video footage from the night of the party. He wanted to watch for Mr. Pennington's arrival. To see who he walked in with, what time he got there, and to see how he was acting. Was he cool, calm, and collected as if murdering someone in cold blood wasn't a big deal? Or was he jittery with his eyes darting all around the room like a newbie at the task? Either reaction would be a tell into the mind of this killer.
Shutting the door behind him, Huck began viewing the footage. He watched face after face walk through the door of the party, and he paused at each one to memorize their features. And then he saw him. Huck watched as Mr. Pennington walked into the party alone. He was wearing a tuxedo and looked like he fit right in with the Washington D. C. crowd.
Huck committed to memory everything he saw and considered important as his eyes darted around the computer screen to watch for interaction or for the dead man to linger near anyone at all in attendance at the party. Huck didn't notice anything other than the dangerous man standing near a small group of people to appear as if he was one of them instead of the lone wolf he actually was. It wouldn't draw suspicion to Secret Service. Smart.
He was so engaged in the video that he almost didn't hear Fitz approaching his door. Huck paused the video and looked up just as Fitz knocked sharply once on his door before opening it and poking his head inside. "Hey. Whatever you're working on, put a pin in it. We've been summoned to the White House."
Huck scowled up at Fitz who was smiling giddily. "What the fuck for?"
"It has something to do with the shooting at the party. Apparently, there's an update on the case. Come on!" This was the first time he'd been asked to come to the White House since he had wrapped up his duties as press secretary. Fitz was dying to see Liv.
The man was practically vibrating on his feet. Huck wanted to tell him to stop acting like an excited middle school kid, but he knew his boss was anxious to be around the President again.
Fitz saw his IT genius weighing the pros and cons and added a little pressure. "It'll be money to pay the bills."
"Fine, but I don't have anything to wear."
"Why do we spend so much time discussing clothing all of a sudden?" Fitz asked annoyed.
Huck looked down at his attire and then back up to his boss. "I'm wearing jeans. You don't go to the White House in jeans. It's just not done. I need to put on a suit."
"So, we have to make a trip to the Men's Warehouse before we go speak to the President now?"
"Do I look like I've ever been inside of a Men's Warehouse?" Huck asked with a scowl.
"No. You don't look like you've been inside of a shower either, but..."
"Man, shut up!" Huck interrupted.
"If you would let me finish." Fitz said with an innocent smile. He loved these verbal jabs the two of them threw at each other on a daily basis. "I was gonna say, but I know better. You don't smell bad."
"A glowing endorsement. Asshole." Huck shot back, throwing up his middle finger for emphasis. "I keep a suit here for emergencies such as this. Just give me a few minutes to change and I'll be ready to go."
"Why didn't you just say that to begin with? Hurry the fuck up so we can get going." Fitz said before practically skipping out of Huck's office.
The two men signed in at the White House less than an hour later and were waiting for the President to finish up the meeting she was involved with in the Oval. Fitz struck up a conversation with Liv's secretary, a woman named Charlotte, about the arrival of early spring as Huck rolled his eyes. The middle schooler was back. He needed that door to open soon to retain his sanity.
And then he got his wish. Several men walked out, talking amongst themselves as they went.
"The President will see you now." Charlotte politely informed them.
Fitz took a deep breath and nodded at Huck before the two of them went into the Oval Office. Olivia was sitting behind her desk writing something intently. When the door closed, she looked up, zeroed in on Fitz, and gave him a big smile before turning her attention to Huck and smiling even bigger. "I'll be right with both of you. I just need to finish this first. Please. Make yourselves comfortable."
While Olivia finished up, Huck took a seat on one of the sofas as Fitz sat across from him. He winked, then held his hands a foot apart with a wicked grin on his face, and mouthed the words, "I got a bigger smile." God, he loved fucking with the fixer. His grin doubled when Fitz flipped him off, pretending to rub his nose.
"Sorry about that." Olivia said as she made her way to them. Standing in front of him, she said, "Huck? You look very sharp in a suit. You might want to look away or close your eyes. I've missed my favorite guy lately."
Fitz tilted his head behind Liv's back to see Huck better. He shot him a super smug look and gave him a short wave as he got to his feet.
"Fitzgerald? Don't be petty." Olivia said, still looking at Huck.
Huck got to his feet and went to the window to get the hell away from the two of them.
Olivia turned around and tilted her head back to look up at Fitz. Either he looked exceptionally good today, or she had been missing him more than she realized. Either way, she was anxious to get her hands on him and they wound around his neck. "Hi."
Fitz wanted her mouth much more than her words. He dipped his head and captured her lips in a smoldering kiss. The moment his tongue invaded her mouth, he felt her fingers thread between the curls at the back of his neck. He wanted so much more, but now wasn't their time. Breaking the kiss, Fitz gave her a contented smile and said, "hi." The two of them looked lovingly at each other for several long quiet moments.
Huck broke the weird quiet by asking, "is it safe for me to come back over there now?"
Keeping her eyes on Fitz, Olivia said, "it is." She discreetly mouthed I love you before taking her seat in one of the plush chairs near him. "As I explained to Fitz, the reason I asked both of you to come to the White House is that there has been a new development in Will's death. I know that the two of you have been investigating it, trying to find out why Mr. Pennington did what he did. I appreciate your hard work and diligence to helping me get answers, but I'm going to ask you to stop now."
Both Fitz and Huck gave her a genuinely confused look. "I don't understand. Why would you want us to stop looking into it?"
"We are very close to finding a connection between the shooter and the First Gentleman. Just this morning I was l looking over the video footage from the party and I saw..." He stopped speaking when he saw Olivia lift a hand quietly in a gesture for him to stop speaking.
"I got a letter earlier this week. No return address. It was from the person responsible for Will's death."
"What?" Fitz spit the word out quickly. "You've had this letter for a few days? Why wouldn't you tell me that before now?
Huck wanted to roll his eyes at the incredibly stupid way Fitz was questioning the President of the United States. He had more important questions. "Do you still have the letter, Madam President?"
Olivia smiled and nodded as she got to her feet to retrieve the letter from her desk. "That's exactly why I invited you to come to the White House with Fitz. You are more of an analytical thinker and would get straight to the facts instead of reacting emotionally."
"Olivia?! Why wouldn't you tell me about this sooner?"
"I only got my hands on it myself last night. It had to be cleared through Secret Service first to make sure there wasn't a threat inside or a chemical weapon inside. You know the drill, Fitz." She handed the letter to Huck.
"May I look at it?" he asked.
"Please."
Fitz watched Huck interact with Liv with all of his perfect manners as if he was the King of Spain. His mind was working overtime trying to understand why she would keep this from him and what possible reason she could have for wanting the digging to be stopped.
Huck handed the letter back to Olivia when he was finished and said, "it makes sense. I understand why you are accepting this, and I have to say, knowing what I know, I completely agree, Madam President."
"Can I see the letter too?"
Olivia gave a slight shrug. "Huck asked so much nicer."
Fitz shot daggers at Huck's grinning face. "May I PLEASE look at the letter, Madam President?"
"I picked up on your hostility, but yes, you can." She handed him the letter and watched him scan it.
"This was one of the women who had an affair with Will?"
"Yes."
"The first one we found, if memory serves? Uhhh, Courtney wasn't it?"
"Yes and yes."
"In this letter, she plainly takes responsibility for orchestrating the killing of Will and how she went to great time and expense to find someone to carry out his death?"
"Yes."
"Using money that he had given her a little over eight years ago to keep quiet about their tumultuous affair?"
"Right."
"And the person she found was Caleb Pennington? The guy who Secret Service killed at the party?"
Olivia nodded.
"And you just want to let her go."
"We don't have her to let her go, but yes."
"Why?" Fitz asked.
"Because she was used by Will too. Maybe not for as long as I had been, but he definitely hurt her. I think she was in love with him once upon a time, and that eventually turned into hate once he discarded her as if she was nothing. It's a dangerous thing to hurt women like Will did. To use them like chess pieces to see how far he could get in his own little game.
I don't feel bad for her because she willingly had a relationship with a married man. And there are things that I am feeling about how all of this turned out that I can never speak out loud, no matter how much time passes. But she did apologize for having an affair with my husband, even though she knew he was an asshole. She said she could tell that Will and I were unhappy in our marriage and that she was providing a permanent out in a way where none of it could blow back on me. She said some other things as well."
He had to think. Think about all the possible ways that this could go and how he could protect Olivia down each possible path. No one was aware of the connection between Olivia and Courtney. And if it ever was discovered, none of the money could be traced to Olivia as a payout. It had been Will's doing with his own inheritance money. There was no return address for anyone to locate Courtney even if they wanted to find her. She could literally be anywhere.
Looking up at Olivia, Fitz said, "this works. With all due respect, she basically did you a favor without you having to ask for it. There is no link between the two of you in any way shape or form except one. This letter. The question is, which one of your Secret Service agents read it and who did they report it to before it got to you?"
Olivia smiled at him. He was such an intelligent man, even if his heart got in the way sometimes. "As good fortune would have it, Tom was the one who received the letter. He came straight to me with it and didn't take it to my Chief of Staff as protocol demands."
"Tom deserves a raise." Huck murmured.
"He does indeed, Huck." Olivia agreed. "And now that I know all of this, I understand why Courtney did it. He did her wrong too. Turns out he used her to get to his next conquest. It seems Will was a bad guy way before I had any inkling about it."
Fitz smiled at Olivia. "And all of that means that you will never be associated or blamed with any of this if it ever comes out."
"And that I can clear my conscious when it comes to Will. Any lingering guilt is long gone now." Olivia agreed.
"I'm very happy for you, Madam President. But I had money on you the whole time." Huck told her. "You are a lot stronger than you realize."
"Keep him." Olivia told Fitz. "Huck is good people."
"Huck is a pain in the ass." Fitz mumbled.
"This is great news all around. And forgive us for rushing out, but we have a client and need to go meet them." Huck stated.
"We do?" Fitz asked with genuine surprise.
"I'll just go make small talk with Charlotte." Cutting his eyes to Fitz, Huck gave him a stern warning. "You have one minute."
"I'm going to fire him." Fitz told Olivia as soon as the door closed behind him.
"Don't you dare." Olivia chuckled.
"I'm really happy for you. For both of us. The universe is clearing the path for the two of us to be together without any obstacles." Glancing at his watch, Fitz added, "he's not kidding about that minute. I gotta go."
"You're not leaving here without kissing me first." Olivia told him.
Fitz pulled her into his arms and wasted no time covering her lips with his own. The only thing that stood in their way was Olivia's dating life. Once that was over, the two of them would be together forever, and nothing would ever separate them.
Olivia pulled away from him, put a hand on his chest and said, "go. Huck will leave you."
"I love you, Liv. And I'll speak to you soon."
"I love you too."
Once she was alone once again, Olivia touched a finger to her lips and smiled to herself. She took the letter from Courtney and threw it into the fireplace and watched until the entire thing disappeared. There was no trace now. She went to her desk and sat in her huge leather chair and pulled the top right drawer open. Seeing the envelope that perfectly matched the one she had just watched burn, she read the second much shorter letter once again.
Madam President,
I followed you on the campaign trail, anxious to confront
Will about why he left me broken hearted and alone.
Instead, I saw you with the tall handsome man who worked
as your fixer. You were sharing a kiss in the hall of the hotel
you were staying in. You looked perfectly in love with him.
While you were digging into me, I was doing some digging
of my own. I know that man is still in your life. I hope both
of you can be happy together now. Love is too precious to hide. C
Olivia wanted Fitz to read this, but not in front of Huck. And she didn't want to be rude but not including him to be a part of it as Fitz read it. She would show it to him soon. And then it would have to be destroyed. Just like the first letter. As a very intelligent man once told her recently, sometimes waiting really is necessary.
I was trying to find a way to wrap this up quickly in a way that makes some kind of sense instead of dragging it out. No one cared about Will anyways so no one would care if his killer sent Liv a note saying you're welcome & going free. Besides, it's LA_fangirl! You can't want her to go to jail for Will!
The next chapter is a six month time jump to Liv's first date after Will's death.