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Chapter 1: Grant

Grant Thomas Pope came screaming into the world one cold January night. It was the 24th at 10:20 pm to be precise, and what a difficult time he gave his mother entering this world. Olivia began her labor at 3am and it continued well during the day and into the early evening.

The doctors were determined to change her mind and have her deliver the baby c-section. Liv wanted no such thing. She would suffer long and hard before she had this baby with surgery. The last thing Liv needed was to be in recovery mode.

Strong and stubborn, just like her new baby boy, Olivia finally was able to push him out, all 8 lbs. 5oz and 20 inches of him. Huck was with her, and everyone mistakenly took him as the father, which made Liv laugh. He took it all in stride, though, and when he saw Grant enter this world, Liv saw tears in Huck's eyes for the first time.

Huck fell in love with the boy the moment he set eyes on him. Huck didn't even cry when their friend Abby was murdered, killed by her husband. Olivia thinks it was and still is all the anger he has because of it. They both blame themselves for the death of their best friend, neither one of them convincing each other otherwise.

Huck held Olivia's hand as he watched Grant latch on and quietly suck from Liv's breast. With his other hand, he wiped away the tears Liv had in her eyes with a tissue from the bedside. "He's perfect Huck, just perfect." She sniffled a bit watching him. "Your aunt Abby would have devoured you up."

Huck nodded. He grabbed Grant's hand with a finger. Huck's whole finger was bigger than Grant's little hand and Grant squeezed down on it. "That's it big guy, nice and strong, just like your mama."

Liv rubbed the soft head of her beautiful baby. Her fingers gently caressed his light brown curls, the tiny bit of hair he had come into the world with. "Your father's hair." Grant didn't move, he was enjoying his first meal, but Liv had to move him, to burp him, and try the other breast, as instructed.

He cried a bit when she pulled him off. "Definitely your father's son, crying when I want my breast back." She laughed and put him gently over her shoulder. He let out a little burp and latched right back on the opposite breast.

She glanced at Huck. His face no longer somber, but serious. She looked away, but then right back at him. "I know what you're thinking, and I can't Huck, I just can't. His inauguration just passed; he has his life."

"You have to tell him." Huck's teeth were clenched now. "He has a right to know Olivia. You've known for too long and you've kept this secret for too long. Nine months now, you can't blame him for not being in his life."

"And I don't intend to. I want no help from him, I am not about to destroy his life Huck, not when he's taken his first step to presidency."

"He's not the president. He's a governor." Huck reminded her.

"A newly elected, married governor who is a shoe in eight years from now to be president." Liv felt Grant let go, the sucking stop, and he was peacefully sleeping against her bosom. Liv placed a gentle kiss on his forehead. He was her life now.

"So, you wait eight years, then what? He becomes president and you wait eight more? Grant will be sixteen by then, that's not fair, Liv."

"Huck, please. This is supposed to be a happy occasion. Don't we deserve to be happy for a few hours after all we've been through, just stop."

Huck looked down, the look of guilt on his face. He could never stay mad at Olivia no matter how infuriated she made him. After the loss of Abby, Liv quitting her job, and Charles's trial about to begin, Liv was right, they needed moments of happiness.

Charles "Chip" Putney was political royalty. When Olivia came back from doing pro bono law for her firm overseas, Abby had married him on a whim. She was pregnant with his child and his family did not want an illegitimate child. They were of strong Republican morals, and they couldn't chance it, not with Charles soon to be elected to a Senate seat.

Olivia tried everything when she returned to have the marriage annulled or deemed unofficial. Nothing she did mattered; Abby wasn't having it. She wanted to have the baby and raise it with Charles. Olivia begged Abby to leave him, she knew in her gut something was off, and Charles hated the sight of Olivia anyway.

For a family so concerned about an unborn baby's wellbeing, they certainly didn't care much for Abby's wellbeing. In her fourth month of pregnancy, Abby began bleeding, heavy bleeding coming from her uterus.

She was rushed to the hospital, but the baby had already been gone. The doctors couldn't save it, and Abby was heartbroken. Looking for comfort from her husband was a mistake. He felt he was stuck now in a loveless marriage, and he couldn't control his anger.

Olivia had a legal aid from the firm she worked for trail Putney. Olivia was given photos, recordings, and logs of evidence that Charles was cheating on Abby, and on more than one occasion with more than one woman. When Olivia went to Abby's to show her the evidence, she found her friend beaten and unconscious on the kitchen floor.

Huck came right away and took Abby to a safe place. He was able to get in contact with a doctor, and privately in Huck's place the doctor was able to bring Abby back to healthiness. She had recovered from three broken ribs, a broken cheekbone, and a fractured arm.

That's when Olivia lost all control. She waited for him to walk one of his whores to her apartment and when he exited, Olivia struck him. She took a good hard swing and nailed both his kneecaps with a wooden bat. Hearing him scream in pain was comfort to Olivia's ears.

As he lay, breathing heavily on the wet sidewalk, Liv put her foot on his chest. "I would kill you if it was worth going to prison for, go ahead tell your family you were beat down by a woman, a black woman no less, that should go over quite well."

His eyes were closing and opening, and she could see the pain he was trying to hold in. She lifted the bat in the air. He screamed, "No, please God, no."

"You're a fucking coward Putney. You ever go near Abby again; I won't hesitate to take the bat to your head and beat you until you die." She kicked him in the ribs, heard him grunt in pain, and left him lying on the sidewalk.

She immediately drew up a restraining order and it went against his record. This was a disaster to his political career and Olivia's boss had called her in the day after Putney was served with the restraining order.

"Put an end to this." Mike Flannery, the senior partner was holding up a copy of the order. "This is madness, Pope, you've gone too far. Do you know what the Putney's mean to this firm?"

"I don't give a rat's ass what they mean to this firm. Do you know what I mean to this firm? How much money did I make you in the first two years.?" Liv waited.

Flannery slowly brought his hand down that was holding the paper. "There has to be a better way." He rubbed his face with a stress like rub.

"Well, there isn't. This has nothing to do with you, with me, with the firm, this is Abby and her being able to move on in life. I'm acting as her friend, not her attorney." Even as Liv said the words, Flannery knew as well as she did it was a lie.

"You're impossible Pope, you really are. Just watch your back. His family isn't going to let this go without a fight."

Liv turned to leave. She nodded. "Neither am I."

"Wait, before you go, I have a case for you. A client in California." He looked down at the folder. Liv saw a bit of guilt in his face.

She crossed her eyebrows. "What is it?"

"It's the Ballard case. He's retained our firm, but the lawyers out there…."

"NO, MIKE, NO, I am not going to defend that scum. He's guilty as hell." Liv was screaming now. "After what Abby has just been through, you seriously want me to take this case?"

"Peters" Mike was speaking of the California senior lawyer. "Peters requested my best lawyer. You're junior partner for God's sake Liv. You know how fast you're climbing. Take the case. Swallow your pride and…."

Liv snatched the file. "I'll read it over and give you my answer in the morning, which will still be no. I am not defending a rich white man accused of slashing his wife's throat and poisoning his father-in-law. I can feel in my gut the man is guilty." She looked down at the file and saw Jake Ballard's picture. She could feel the vomit in the back of her throat.

"Get some rest Pope, sleep on it. It'll be a month before the first hearing, so you have time. In the meantime, the California team will be sending documents over sporadically. I have no doubt you'll do what's best for you as a lawyer."

Liv shook her head with disgust as she exited his office. She stared at the sign glaring at her. Flannery, Peters, and Neville. Three of the top attorneys in the country. They had sought out Olivia upon her graduating from NYU law school.

Liv had interned there, and she had made a substantial sum of money for them in that time. They hired her once she passed the bar and sent her overseas to fix up some clients and cases. She learned so much in international law along with her knowledge of criminal law and brought back everything she knew.

Olivia gave hours and hours of her time to the firm, and now, almost four years later, she's climbed to just below partner. She was listed in Forbes 30 under 30, having just made the cutoff in age for Law and Policy. She knew she was one of the best they had, and she could have a judge eating out of her hand in a courtroom.

Ten months ago, she could never imagine what would happen in her life. She sat up in her hospital bed now, caressing the soft cheek of a son she never dreamed of having. His bronze skin was glorious, and she just knew he was going to have blue eyes, dark hair, and amazing curls.

"I will always protect you my baby boy, and someday you'll meet the man I love, your father, but for now, it's us. You, me, and Uncle Huck." She smiled at him; sound asleep as she felt the teardrop fall. "Abby should be here, your Aunt Abby." Her voice drifted off.

The nurse came in. "I can take him to change him and let him sleep in the nursery for a bit."

Huck stood up. "He's fine here, I'll change him." The nurse nodded and walked out.

"You're not letting him out of your sight. You don't know what Putney's family is capable of." Huck reached over and took a diaper from the drawer. Liv had the tightest smile on her face, this was something she needed to see, Huck changing a newborn.

Huck placed Grant in the tiny crib case and pulled at his diaper in the middle. He was actually tugging, and Liv said "Huck, the tabs on the side, peel them back."

Huck nodded when he noticed and soon Grant was butt naked, just waiting for something to cover him up, not a care in the world. Huck unfolded the diaper, but it took too long, and he was sprayed with Grant's first little pee.

For ten months Liv couldn't laugh, but tonight, her laughter filled the room, as Huck grabbed hold of a baby towel and dried himself. Liv slowly stood up from the bed. She took the diaper, lifted Grant's legs, and pulled the tabs over, buttoned his little onesie and scooped him back into her arms.

"You're a natural Liv", Huck said smiling.

"You will be soon enough also; remember he didn't come with directions. Are you staying?"

"Yes, they think I am the father, I can stay all night with you, and I intend to, so you can get some sleep."

"Ok. Can you take him now, so I can sleep before he wants to eat again?"

Huck cradled Grant in his arms and walked towards the window. Staring at the lights of NY, Huck began telling Grant the story of how he met Olivia.

Liv turned to her side, her body sore and exhausted from giving birth and thought of Abby. Soon Charles's trial would begin, and Liv would be sure to put the bastard behind bars.

Two weeks before Liv was leaving for California, Charles killed Abby. He could try to defend his alibi all he wanted, Liv had a secret weapon no one else had, Liv had, Huck. Huck had solid proof, evidence it was Charles, and Charles had a fear Liv knew more than she was leading on.

Huck hired Quinn Perkins to take over lawyer duties. Liv would be on the sideline to help, and Quinn was outstanding in practicing law. Liv would place her second to her in a courtroom, and Liv was not full of handing out praise.

Abby had been working for Olivia for a year after she was beaten and left for dead. She was an investigator for Liv helping her out on cases for the firm. Liv paid her well, and Huck was showing her how to analyze pictures and video footage.

Because of the danger Charles still posed to Abby, no one ever left her alone, there was always someone with her. Liv even hired a bodyguard, a good one, but miscommunication and confusion is what got Abby killed.

Liv sent a text to Abby that her security would be late, to stay in the building. Huck was working on gathering files from a home of a suspected extortioner. Liv hit send and continued with her meeting.

When she left the meeting, she noticed due to lack of signal in the building, the message never sent. Liv tried frantically to call Abby over again, but it would go right to voicemail.

Liv called Huck who was on his way to Abby's, but Liv got there first. Huck witnessed the unimaginable. At the bottom of her brownstone stairs, Abby's body was sprawled out, her head tilted from the broken neck she suffered having fallen down the stairs.

She reeked of alcohol, but Abby wasn't a drinker. Her father had been hit by a drunk driver when Abby was in high school, and Abby took an oath to never drink in his honor. Her face was all bloody, and her gorgeous red hair had streaks of blood throughout it.

Huck arrived at the scene with Liv cradling her best friend of 15 years in her arms. Liv's head was buried in Abby's neck, and she was crying heavy sobs, begging her best friend to wake up. She knew as much as Huck she would never see Abby awake again.

Olivia closed her eyes now, hearing Huck speak softly to Grant, and she drifted off to sleep. Her mind was just as exhausted as her body, and she needed her rest for the sake of Grant. Just maybe with the birth of his son, Fitz would come to her in her dreams, so that's why her eyes closed so easily, and sleep was not hard to come by for the first time in ten months.

Fitzgerald Grant the Third was political gold. His father knew it as soon as his boy was old enough to talk, Fitz would one day be the President of the United States. He began grooming his son from that moment, despite the hesitation from Fitz's mother.

Fitz loved his mother as a young boy, never leaving her side, always clinging to her. His mother, Emma Grant, taught her son to read at an early age. By the age of three, Fitz was already reading on a kindergarten level. His mother had been a teacher before meeting Big Gerry.

Together they raised Fitz until Big Gerry was elected Governor of California. After an eight-year term, Emma never seeing her husband finish it out, Big Gerry ran for the Senate seat and won easily in a landslide.

When Fitz was 6 years old, Emma was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Fitz didn't fully understand why his mother was losing weight and spending less time with him, but he saw how sad his father was.

Three days after Fitz's 7th birthday he ran into the house from his ride home from school, his driver frantically trying to catch him, but the young boy was too fast. Fitz received an honor certificate for reading and was being moved into the next grade level of reading before all his classmates. He couldn't wait to tell his mom.

When he swung open her bedroom door, the bed was empty and Big Gerry was sitting on the edge, crying into one of her nightgowns. "Where's mom?" Fitz looked around at first smiling, but realizing his dad was crying.

Big Gerry picked his young son up into his lap and pushed his head close to his chest. His father rocked him gently, still crying. "She's gone son, she left this Earth early this morning."

Fitz jumped from his father's lap. He looked under the bed, in the bathroom, and opened her closet. He thought this was all a trick, just a game. When people got sick, they got better, and his mom should've gotten better.

When he couldn't find his mom anywhere, he ran to his room and buried his head in his pillow. He cried until he remembers waking up the next morning. He was never going to see his mother again and Fitz couldn't imagine a life without her.

His father buried himself in his political life, leaving Fitz to the staff of their Santa Barbara ranch. He grew up going to private school, never losing his love for reading, but still lost with no guidance in his life.

He had no choice but to follow his father into politics and was quickly rising on the political scene. He was the youngest mayor ever in Santa Barbara serving for eight years while going to the University of Santa Barbara.

Now he was four months away from becoming Governor. He was traveling the state of California on the last wing of his campaign trail. He was now feeling like a robot, a machine in a human body. He no longer wanted this, but he had no other life.

His father thought it best to get him on track to have a wife, a good woman by his side. Fitz always clung to his mother, he obviously needed a woman by his side, so Big Gerry talked to the Sinclair's, and they staged a chance meeting between their daughter, Melody "Mellie" and Fitz.

With pressure to win the Governorship by being married, he proposed to her. It was the first selfish thing Fitz had done in his life, but he had done it and he had to live with it.

They were to be married in October, a month before elections. It was all publicity now and what would better his chances at being Governor. The only thing, Fitz couldn't stand being around Mellie, but what was he to do?

Three months before the wedding, Fitz's friends rented a hotel floor at the Ritz in Oakland, as they were traveling on the campaign. This would be his bachelor party because the campaign would go full swing, and there would be no other chance.

Armed with his "secret service" thanks to his father, Fitz was ready to get name forgetting drunk and drink his sorrows away. He was beginning to hate everything about his life, at just the time when he should be loving everything that was coming his way.

He checked in to the hotel at 9 am and promptly began drinking at noon. He had no intentions of being sober at all this weekend. Little did he know he would conceive a child with a woman he would fall in love with after meeting her that very night.

Olivia Pope, fresh off the burial of her best friend, arrived angry and frustrated to the Ritz in Oakland. Mr. Flannery was impossible, and Liv was sure she was going to be disbarred. She was being forced to meet with Jake Ballard, and Liv couldn't stand the thought of it.

As she walked into the hotel lobby, she glanced to her right and saw the bar. Right after she dropped her bags in her room, she would find a seat at the bar and drink until she forgot her name. She was still mourning her best friend, nightmares of Abby's death haunting her every night.

Huck wanted to come with her, but Liv made sure everything was safe for her through her firm. She wanted time alone and she would use it to become numb, determined to drown her sorrows in alcohol. Abby, Jake, and Charles all heavy on her mind, she found a seat at the bar and met Rick the bartender.

As she ordered her first drink at 3 in the afternoon, Liv had no idea she would leave the hotel on Monday pregnant with the would-be Governor's baby. She also had no idea how easily she would fall in love with a man she just met.