A/N the site deleted my story. I'm reposting the chapters I wrote today and yesterday.
"He said that he's the president of the United States!"
"What did I tell you about talking to homeless strangers?"
"I believe him."
Olivia dropped the stack of papers she was reading on her desk. There was never a boring day with Harrison.
"You know the President's name is Reston."
Olivia slumped her shoulders and looked up at the clock. It was another slow day in the office. When she decided to be a fixer, this wasn't what she had in mind. She expected her office to be bustling with new clients every week. Marcus really needed to do better about advertising their services.
"What are your plans after work?"
"Nothing but wine and popcorn, as usual."
"You really need some friends."
"Marcus, I don't know how many times I'm going to have to say this. I do not want to hang out with you and your friends after work. You should be thanking me for letting you turn our office space into a daycare."
Marcus laughed, but he knew Olivia was serious.
"Harrison will only be hanging around the office until summer vacation is over. His mom doesn't want him getting mixed up in the streets."
"He should be in a real daycare. We're supposed to be solving cases not providing child care for your friends."
"I've been thinking about offering Harrison a job."
Olivia rolled her eyes at the sarcasm.
"Not little Harrison. I know he's tired of selling luxury cars. I think he'll do great at OPA."
"I think my friend Abby would be a better choice."
"The woman who was in the political marriage?"
"Yeah."
"I don't know Olivia. She seems to have a lot of issues."
"I want to give her a chance."
"How about flip a coin?"
"Marcus, you can read right?"
"Okay now you're being fastidious," he said, knowing where Olivia was going with the conversation.
"My name is on that door. I make the final decisions. I don't need your approval."
"Okay, no you don't. I think that Harrison would be a better choice because he has more connections than Abby. He may be able to get us in the White House. I'm sure he has a friend who knows somebody who also knows somebody. Maybe after a few phone calls we will be close to having a connection with President Reston."
"I highly doubt that Harrison has those kinds of connections. I heard that he's into insider trading. We do not need that at OPA."
"Okay, I don't want to argue with you Liv. I'm going home early."
"I'm not staying here and just staring at the wall until the office closes."
"Fine, go home and drink wine and eat your popcorn. It's not like we're waiting for anybody."
Little Harrison followed Marcus out of the office. Olivia grabbed her purse and followed them outside to the parking garage. It was raining outside, and Marcus was complaining about how much he hated driving in the rain. Olivia looked in her purse for her car keys for a few minutes before she realized that she left them in her office.
"I left my keys upstairs. I didn't put them back in my purse after unlocking the office."
"I can wait for you."
"No, it's okay. You don't like driving in the rain. It's going to start pouring rain in a few minutes. If you leave now, you can probably get ahead of the storm."
"Are you sure you'll be okay?"
"Yeah I'll be fine. The building is empty. I'll be back in the parking lot and on my way home in two minutes."
"I can wait for you if you're only going to be two minutes."
"I'm fine Marcus. Go take Harrison home and tell big Harrison that he or his girlfriend need to get their child care situation sorted out."
Olivia made her way back upstairs and hurriedly put the keys in her purse. She paused when she heard footsteps behind her. Heavy footsteps. A man was in her office. She tried to stay calm. Maybe he was a client. She turned around and knew that the guy didn't belong in her office.
"You need to leave."
"Olivia. You have to help me."
"I have a gun. Leave my office, now."
"I have a story for you, and I know you won't believe it. Livvie you're my last hope."
"Are you stalking me? Are you the guy Harrison was talking about?"
"You have to help me get home, Livvie. I'm stuck here."
"Your feet seem to be okay. I want you to walk out of my office."
"You're the love of my life in another universe. I know you don't believe any of this, but I'm the President of the United States. I woke up here. Outside, leaning against this building."
Olivia took a step back, almost running into her desk. The guy had to be crazy. He wasn't dressed like a regular homeless man. He was wearing an expensive suit that was very dirty. He smelled like a skunk.
"Have you been sleeping in the woods? You smell like a wild animal."
"You have to help me get home Olivia Pope. I know you don't believe any of this, but somewhere in another world you are the love of my life."
"You need a psychiatrist. I'm not that kind of fixer. I can't help you."
"I'm the President of the United States."
"Have you been living under a rock? The President's name is Reston. The Vice President's name is Langston."
"My name is Fitzgerald Grant."
"I've never heard of you."
"Answer one question for me, and then I'll leave your office."
"What?"
"Who ran against Governor Reston?"
"Mellie Grant."
"My wife?"
"She's not married to anyone, though I'm sure she wants to be married to Marcus."
"What?"
"Nothing. I answered your question now leave my office."
Olivia was scared, but she tried not to let him know that.
"Okay, I'll leave your office but we are not over, yet. I don't know any other person who can help me get home."
"Okay, let's say I believe your story. How am I supposed to help you get to another universe? I don't have magical powers."
"You can fix everything except your love life."
"You really are stalking me."
"I'll come back with proof that I know everything about you Livvie."
Olivia held her breath, and she finally exhaled when he walked out of her office. That was a scary encounter. From now on, she was leaving the office with Marcus.
"What are you not telling me?"
"Nothing," Olivia said, giving Abby a glass of wine.
"You never invite me to your home. You're a hermit and now you're asking me to stay here for a few nights. Something is up with you, Liv."
Olivia lifted the glass to her lips with trembling hands. Abby put her glass on the table and studied Olivia for a few minutes. She hated that Olivia was so closed off about everything besides work at OPA. She was an open book about her clients. When it came to her personal life, she wasn't sharing the details with her best friend.
"Okay, there is something. Maybe I'm overreacting...I'm scared...there is this homeless guy who knows too much about me. He wouldn't leave my office until I listened to his story. He thinks he's the president from another universe...Now I sound crazy repeating this."
Abby tried to discern if Olivia was serious. She didn't want to laugh if it wasn't a joke. Maybe she was drunk when she answered the door, and she could blame her erratic behavior on the alcohol, "Are you serious?"
"Yes, I'm serious. He seemed sincere. I mean...I know he probably needs psychiatric help, but he really believed his story."
"You're lonely, Olivia. You've been single for a long time...it's okay. You really need to start dating...because you're telling me a homeless guy flirted with you, and you are thinking about giving him a date."
"I didn't say I want a date with him. I'm just saying. He was so intense. He really believed his delusions. I think he might be stalking me...and I'm afraid...but yet I kind of want to know more about the mystery guy. He gave me his name...Fitzgerald Grant."
"Never heard of him."
"He was wearing a filthy designer suit."
"He sounds like a professional basket case. They are the worst. I married one. He might be dangerous. You need to stay away from Fitz."
"You're giving him a nickname."
"He has a fancy name with a filthy suit. He comes with a lot of problems. You don't want those problems in your world."
"How do you think he got like that? You know...homeless?"
"Maybe he's from a rich family in a small town...that's probably why we never heard of him. He could be the mayor of some small town in Vermont. That would explain the fancy name and suit."
"Vermont...A small town in a state that has a few thousand people."
Olivia finished her wine and pulled the throw blanket from its place draped over the sofa. She curled into the sofa and closed her eyes. Abby poured herself another glass, "Don't leave me Abby. If the guy shows up asking for help getting back to his world, I'm going to need your help getting him out of my apartment."
"I've had too much wine. I'm not going anywhere until daylight."
XXXX
Fitz sniffed his underarm. He hadn't cleaned himself in a gas station bathroom since his drunken college days. He didn't have any other place to get himself clean. For now, he would have to settle for paper towels and hand soap. Someone knocked on the bathroom door again. Fitz ignored the guy complaining about him taking too long to drain his lizard. One minute he was sleeping at his desk in the oval, and the next minute he was waking up beside a building, OPA. His pants and suit jacket were covered in dirt, and he was sitting in a dried urine stain. He roamed the streets for hours hoping someone would recognize him and get him back to the White House. There had to be a logical explanation for this. He finally made it to the outside of the gate. An armed security guard made him leave. Fitz kept walking and he noticed political signs in yards. Most of them said Reston Langston for President and Vice President. He didn't know where to go. The only thing that was still the same was OPA. He wasn't sure if Olivia would be able to fix this, but he had to try. He didn't know where he was, but he knew he wasn't home. He washed his armpits and left the gas station. He had to find Cyrus and Mellie. He was lost in his thoughts until he heard a voice that he knew say dad. He turned around quickly, and his mouth dropped.
"Dad? Fitzgerald Grant?"
"Jerry?"
"Yes, how did you get here...are you...dead?"
"How...?"
Fitz couldn't find any more words. Jerry was wearing a uniform shirt with the gas station logo. He didn't notice him until now. Jerry spoke again.
"You can't exist in two worlds, so I don't know how you're here."
"Am I dead...I don't know."
"I've been here long enough to learn the rules of the universe. If you're in this reality, you don't exist in this world. Neither did I, and that's why I'm here now."
"I am really lost right now."
"I can't explain quantum mechanics, but I somewhat understand. I woke up here scared and alone. I have a life here now."
"I can't be dead. I fell asleep at my desk. I don't understand any of this."
"Come home with me. My place is nothing like the White House, but you can stay with me until you figure out how you got here, and how you're going to get home."
"Does Mellie know you're here?"
"She's not my mom here. I had to learn that the hard way. She got a restraining order when I wouldn't stop following her. She's a politician in this world."
"Do you know anything about Olivia Pope?'
"Yeah, who doesn't know Olivia. She had a very public divorce from Edison Davis a few years ago."
"I can't believe I'm really talking to you right now."
"Come home with me. I can't promise you that I'll get you home, but you won't have to sleep outside while you're here."
Fitz was too exhausted to try to figure anything out. It was after midnight, and he didn't want to stay outside all night.
"Okay, let's go to your place."
Olivia sat at her desk twirling her wedding ring between her thumb and index finger. It was worth a lot of money, but she wasn't selling his grandmother's ring, yet. Edison was still asking for it. She sold all the jewelry he gave her and used the money to start OPA. She wasn't staying married to a man who wanted her to be his trophy wife. They didn't have any chemistry. He wanted her to stand next to him and look pretty every day of the week. She was okay with that until he started cheating. He was sloppy with it. The last straw was when she found a woman's lipstick in her lipstick holder. Edison was an idiot to think that she wouldn't notice the drug store brand in her collection of beauty products. He still wanted to try again, and Olivia refused. Despite his good connections as the leader of the Senate, putting up with his scandalous ways was not worth it. Edison told her that he could get her a meeting with President Reston. He had his direct number. Becoming friends with Mellie would be a better route to the White House. She was so smitten with Marcus. Olivia was waiting for her to ask Marcus to help her win the next presidency. Olivia knew how to finesse her way into their friendship. She could smile for the cameras. Olivia smiled to herself; Marcus and Mellie had such an odd friends with benefits situation. He was a black community activist before they started OPA. Olivia was working for a mostly white law firm. He was caught up in the middle of a murder investigation with a white politician's wife. He asked Olivia for help. The firm refused. Olivia decided to help him without their resources. That was the beginning of OPA last year. He was called a sellout all over the media for being seen with Mellie. Olivia thought her scandalous divorce and his penchant for attracting high profile white women would get them a few clients. Potential clients could see how they navigated scandals.
"Harrison stop running in my office before you break something!"
The next second, a vase fell and shattered. Olivia glared at the broken glass for a few seconds, "Get the broom out of the supply closet," she said, gruffly.
Harrison ran to look for the broom. Olivia was not going to deal with this for the whole summer. Her anger was replaced with curiosity when she smelled a foul odor seeping into her office from the hallway. She groaned to herself. Was the homeless guy back? A smile raised the corners of her mouth when she saw the bearded man entering her office, waiting for her to acknowledge his presence at OPA. It was an old friend from a very long time ago. This was a surprise. She would bring him lunch every day when she took the subway to work. After marrying Edison, she didn't step foot on public transportation anymore. Her first gift from Edison was a luxury car.
"Huck, what are you doing here?!"
"I need a job and a hamburger and fries."
"What?"
"I can fix your phone and computer."
"It's not broken."
"Yes it is. Everything is broken. The whole world is broken. They don't want the general public to know this, but they're experimenting with traveling to parallel universes. I know it sounds crazy, but it's not crazy. They tried to send me to another universe. I was there for a few minutes, and I found my way back here."
Olivia leaned back in her chair and gave Hulk a half smirk, "I believe you."
"You do?"
"Yes, I don't think you're crazy, Huck. Tell me everything you know."
"They told me that they're still testing the program. They've made several errors and now universes are crashing into each other. There might be two of you a person or more in one universe in a universe where you never existed before their experiments. When you switch universes, you may or may not retain your memories. So, you might remember your old life or you might think you're the person from the new universe. You might not be the real you, Olivia."
"Slow down Huck. Are you saying the government is experimenting with time travel? I thought that was some fringe science popular with science fiction nerds."
"Not time travel. Universe shifting. There's a different president. His name is Fitzgerald Grant."
"What?! Wait a minute."
Huck turned around when two men walked in the office and each took one arm, "I'm sorry for the disturbance ma'am. This man has been annoying business owners across the city. We have several complaints about him."
"He's not a disturbance. He can stay."
"That's not an option ma'am," the men said, leading Huck out of her office.
She tried to follow them but by the time she made it downstairs they were gone. Not a trace of them. It was like they disappeared.
XXXX
"I'm not crazy!"
"You expect me to believe some story about the government sending people to different universes. Marty, you need a psychiatrist. I'm not that kind of fixer."
"He might be crazy, but I think he's telling the truth," Olivia didn't see Abby step in her office.
"Why aren't you at the White House?" Olivia said, snidely.
Olivia never missed out on a chance to let Abby know they were not close friends anymore. She was in the White House and Olivia was out. Olivia was fighting with Fitz every week about something minuscule. This was a fighting week for them. Olivia didn't like being replaced. He wasn't calling her anymore now that he had Abby to complain to about his daily problems.
Abby dropped a folder on Olivia's desk, "Proof of the government trying to destroy the world, and I don't mean like the cartoon, I mean destroy the world."
"So, I guess I'm Pinky and you're the Brain." Olivia said, not looking at the manila folder on her desk.
"Well, you said it, not me."
Abby answered her phone and turned away from Olivia and Marty. A few seconds later, she turned around with a solemn expression."
"I have to go. Read the information."
"Is Fitz okay? What are you not telling me Abby?"
"I don't know," Abby said, quickly walking away.