Disclaimer: Shondaland/ABC owns these characters. But I've taken the Gladiator oath as a writer: #OLITZ4LIFE #JAMMMmmmmm #100%

Dead-Mellie and NO-Joke: Public Service Announcement for any accidental non-Olitz readers

As the car accelerated towards the edge of the pier, Olivia heard a bang, followed by the click of the door-lock being released. She quickly made a grab for the door handle as Daniel Douglas made a grab for her.

She kicked at him, trying to get away; managing to throw open the door, just as the car went over.

For a second she was flying, then she hit the water, an instant before the car belly flopped and sank; dragging Olivia in its undertow, down into the dark, freezing water.

Instinctively Olivia held her breath as she spent a moment floating in the darkness, disoriented. Then after the initial shock, her swim habits took over and she used her upper body strength to push against the weight of her dress, restricting the movement of her legs, and headed towards what she hoped was the surface.

Out of nowhere a hand reached out and grabbed her arm.

Startled she gulped a lungful of water, causing her to panic, then hit out blindly as she broke the surface, coughing and spluttering.

"Ma'am, please! I'm trying to get you out!" A hoarse voice shouted, as Olivia continued to hit out.

Olivia stopped fighting long enough to recognise the agent who had walked her out of the White House earlier that night, but with Daniel's words still ringing in her ears, she found sudden strength with a burst of adrenalin and pushed him under, getting the impetus she needed to float out of reach, only to collide with another solid form.

"Olivia!" The desperate cry wrenched out of the man she began hitting, made her still; then burst into tears as her body went slack.

"It's okay, my love. It's okay, I've got you," Fitz gabbled hoarsely, peppering her cold face with kisses as he turned her in his arms, and began dragging her to safety, helped by Tom and several other agents who were in the water with them.

They were hoisted out of the water with Olivia clinging to Fitz and his arms tight around her.

In the chaos that followed, the drenched couple were carried within the huddle of the secret service to a waiting military helicopter where medics were waiting to strip, dry and wrap them in warm blankets before they were given warmed IV fluids and oxygen.

Shivering, her teeth chattering, Olivia stared at Fitz whose gaze was locked on hers. Then a fresh bout of tears blurred her sight and she reached out blindly and grabbed the hand that gripped hers as the helicopter lifted off the ground, with medics and agents on board.

Breaking News…

"… A section of the Southwest Waterfront has been cordoned off and traffic is being diverted. We can see more paramedics and disaster recovery crews arriving in the area where the Vice President's car hit the water. We have reports of two survivors, one of them is our First Lady, Olivia Pope, seen here being helped out of the water with President Fitzgerald Grant.

"We can report that the President and First Lady have been airlifted to hospital on a military helicopter, and initial reports say that they have suffered no serious injuries other than hypothermia. In the meantime, Harbour Police are conducting salvage operations, looking for more survivors. Vice President Sally Langston was not in the car. We have confirmation from the White House, that Mrs Langston is currently flying to DC from her ranch in Georgia…"

Shortly after arriving at George Washington University Hospital, Olivia and Fitz were rushed to a private ward where emergency doctors confirmed what the military medics had advised – other than shock and exposure, both the President and the First Lady were fine, in that order.

"But we will need to keep you under observation for 72 hours just to make sure everything stays fine," said the doctor, then turning to Olivia she added, "You are one very lucky First Lady, Mrs Grant. Most people would have suffered spinal injuries or at the very least cardiac arrest on impact with that freezing river."

"Olivia was on the swim team in high school," Fitz murmured from the bed next to hers. "She's an excellent swimmer."

Olivia smiled, her gaze never leaving his. "And I used to go winter swimming with some of my friends. So I guess that helped."

The doctor cleared her throat. "All I can say is that it's a miracle you came out of that with only your party dress destroyed."

"Don't I know it," Olivia said softly, seeing Fitz's jaw clench.

Then they had visitors.

The kids arrived first with Rowan and Felicia. They were subdued as they shuffled into the room, but perked up at the sight of Fitz seated next to Olivia, his saline drip-stand next to hers beside the bed.

It was difficult to say who moved first, Olivia and Fitz trying to get off the bed or the kids who rushed forward but suddenly they were all squished together in a group hug.

"Are you okay?" Jerry mumbled, his face pressed against them.

"We're fine." Fitz said huskily, holding on tight, leaning down to kiss the top of Jerry's curls, then over to kiss Olivia who was blinking back tears.

"Are you coming home?" Karen's voice floated up through the huddle of bodies.

"In a couple of days. They want to make sure we don't have any delayed complications."

"So was Aunt Liv kidnapped?" Peter asked.

Olivia and Fitz exchanged a glance. Then Olivia said in a hoarse voice, "It's complicated."

"The police chief is outside, along with Cyrus and a couple of other people," said Rowan from the background, reminding them all of his presence.

Fitz drew the kids away to sit on his bed, while Olivia approached her father. "Dad."

Her father's stern face softened around the edges, as he reached up to touch her cheek and grip her shoulder before letting his hand fall back slowly to his side. After a moment, he cleared his throat and said, "Is this what you signed up for, Olivia?"

Before Olivia could react, Felicia stepped closer. "Rowan, don't start. Not now." Then turning to Olivia, she murmured, "You should rest. It's late and the kids need to be in bed. We'll come back in the morning."

"Can't we stay?" Karen asked, clinging to Fitz like a limpet.

Fitz stroked a hand over her hair. "Teddy needs to see you at breakfast. You need to tell him we're okay, pumpkin."

"Daddy, Teddy is too little to understand what's going on. Besides Marta won't let me see him until he's finished eating his icky fruit poop."

"Come on, Kaz, we should go." Peter tugged her arm. "We can't stay here. There aren't enough beds."

"Yeah, Mom and Dad need to rest," Jerry muttered, then stopped long enough to give them both one last hug.

"Yes, Olivia needs to recover from a wedding, a kidnapping and a near drowning all in one day. Not to mention a honeymoon in hospital. All for the price of being a Grant."

"Dad…" Olivia said in warning, seeing Jerry's stricken face and Karen's lips begin to pucker.

"Nothing happened. We're okay," she assured the kids, leaning over to pull them both into another hug. "And we'll be here in the morning. Waiting impatiently until you come back."

After their family exited the room, Fitz circled a gentle arm around Olivia's waist, pulling her close against him.

Instantly she turned, tears welling as she pressed her face against his throat.

"I'm sorry," he whispered into her hair.

"You have nothing to be sorry about," she choked, then blurted in a rush, "Daniel said someone's trying to kill you, kill us. He said we shouldn't go to Vermont. That someone had told Sally to stay out of DC, until she could return to the White House as President, this morning!"

Fitz could only stand in silence as the torrent of words hit him like rocks.

"He said we shouldn't trust the Secret Service, and that basically we couldn't trust anybody." Olivia drew back and looked at Fitz. "He said he was working with Zeke to get me to leave you."

Fitz lifted a hand and wiped away her tears with unsteady fingers, querying huskily, "He wanted you to leave me?"

"Yes. He said it was the only way to keep us both safe. The only way we could survive."

Fitz stared at her, continuing to wipe her tears, then he said on a deep, uneven breath. "I'm going to ask Cyrus and the guys to come in here. Will you be okay with that?"

"Yes," she nodded, relieved that Fitz wasn't going anywhere.

Cyrus came in first, followed by the Counsel to the President, the DC Police chief, and directors of the FBI and Homeland Security.

They paused, seeing Fitz seated on the bed beside Olivia, holding her hand.

"Sir, are you okay?" Cyrus asked formally, but his face was marred by a worried frown. "Liv?"

Fitz gripped Olivia's hand. "We're fine, Cy, but Olivia and I will be under observation for at least another couple of days. How's Tom?"

"Tom's okay. The others are still being checked out. They're still in ICU."

The Police chief rocked on his heels. "We have recovered the body of the agent who was driving the car. It's a homicide, the man was shot in the head."

"I heard a shot, just before we went into the water. There was a shot, then the door lock was released," Olivia recalled, as Fitz stared at her unblinking.

"I see," said the police chief gravely. "We'll have more questions for the agent in the front passenger seat, once the doctors are done with him."

"What about Daniel Langston?" Fitz asked grimly. "Have you found him?"

"We're still searching, but we don't hold much hope of finding him alive."

"Sir," The legal counsel to the President spoke up, "The Cabinet is waiting in the Situation Room, and Vice President Sally Langston is flying back from Georgia tonight. She'll be taking over the reins until you're back in the saddle, uh, until you're discharged, sir. The White House Counsel has prepared the transfer of presidential powers under the 25th Amendment."

Fitz looked at Olivia, giving a wry smirk. "So she gets her wish one way for another."

"For a couple of days," Cyrus assured, while the men beside him glanced at each other, then glanced away.

Fitz glanced at the directors of the FBI and Homeland Security. "I need to have a word in private. And Cy, can you organise to have Tom moved to a private room. I need to speak to him. Oh, and call Zeke at his hotel, I need to see him."

"Now?"

"Now."

Once the others had left the room, Fitz told the intelligence chiefs in confidence that he needed the bomb squad to check Marine One. "And we need a similar check on our house in Vermont. If you find anything, let me know. This has to be done on a need-to-know basis, and for the moment the less people who know the better."

As the two men left, Cyrus entered with Tom wearing hospital scrubs.

"He insisted on being here," said Cyrus.

"Sir, Mr Beene said you wanted to see me and it's easier for me to get around, than for the guys to make sure you're safe walking around this hospital."

"Cy, can we have a moment?"

Cyrus looked from one to the other, then he muttered, "I'll call Zeke."

After Cyrus left the room, Fitz looked at Tom. "In the car, you said 'Mike's okay'. What's going on? Do you know anything about what happened tonight, why Daniel Langston took Olivia?"

Tom glanced at Olivia. "Ma'am, are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Tom," Then after a pause, she said, "Daniel said there were agents we shouldn't trust."

Tom's gaze flickered towards the door, where the agents on duty could be seen through the glass panel.

That action prompted Fitz to snap, "Tom, answer the question, dammit!"

In a milder tone, Olivia said, "Tom, you are authorised by US Code title 18, section 3056 to protect the President and his immediate family."

"And the Vice President, ma'am."

Fitz frowned. "Are you saying there's a conflict of interest between my safety and that of Sally Langston?"

"No, sir. I'm just pointing out that not every agent on the Secret Service Protective Mission looks after the President," He shifted his gaze from Fitz to Olivia then back again. "And as agents, we take an oath to support and defend the United States Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic."

"So I'm an enemy now?" Fitz quizzed, with a confused frown.

"Not exactly an enemy, sir, but it looks like you're attacking the Constitution."

"Wait, is this is about the Second Amendment?" Olivia inserted, sitting forward.

"Yes, ma'am. Some of the guys feel the President's push towards gun control is an attack on the fundamental principles of our job. They feel Mrs Langston's goals are more aligned with their ability to faithfully discharge their duties. That's the conflict of interest."

Olivia glanced at Fitz, sliding her arm through his. He stared at her hand, then asked wearily, "You said 'some of us' – do you feel conflicted too?"

"No, sir. And neither does Mike."

"But others feel 'conflicted'?"

"Yes, sir."

"Conflicted enough to want Olivia and me dead?"

"Not to my knowledge, sir. But some would take a bullet for you. Others may hesitate."

Fitz looked up at Tom, then sighed, "Thank you, Tom. Please go back to your room and rest."

"Thank you, sir. And sir, I'm glad you and the First Lady are okay."

"Me too."

"This is my fault. I put you in danger, Livvie," Fitz murmured after Tom had left.

Olivia scooted closer. "You didn't. This isn't your fault. None of it." She placed fierce little kisses along the side of his face, running her fingers through his tangled hair. Then stilled as their lips touched.

For a long moment, neither of them moved then he whispered against her lips, "This iceberg is beginning to look like Antarctica."

She drew back stroking his cheek, then turned as the door opened and a nurse walked in followed by a couple of agents.

"Don't mind me," the nurse smiled. "I'm just here to do check on your vitals - temp, pressure, reflexes. And if we could have the President pop back on his bed for just a few moments until I can see to the First Lady. Then it'll be your turn, sir."

"The President goes first," one of the agents said. "It's protocol."

"Not on my watch he doesn't, and I follow patient protocol at this hospital, not White House protocol." The woman kept her smile intact. "Now if you gentlemen can step back, I can do my job and we can all get out of each other's hair."

The agents didn't budge, until Fitz cleared his throat. Then as they took a step back, the nurse gave them a smile of saccharine sweetness. "Why, thank you. Really appreciate the effort."

The nurse was just finishing up, when Cyrus walked in to say Olivia's associates had arrived, and were creating a ruckus in the visitor's lounge because the Secret Service wouldn't let them through.

"Shall I call the National Guard to have them evicted? And deported? Oh, and Zeke is here."

Then after the nurse and the agents left the room, Cyrus drew close and muttered, "Is there anyone else you'd like to see? I'm just asking because the nurses are complaining that we're turning this place into Grand Central Terminal, outside visiting hours. And unless you can sign an executive order to get them all fired, I think we all need to call it a night."

A few minutes later Fitz walked into the private sitting room in his hospital gown, dragging the mobile drip; followed by a handful of agents who positioned themselves by the door and the windows.

Senator Lucas Zeke got to their feet.

"How is she?"

"Safe," Fitz said shortly, looking at the man he'd known for three decades. "How well do you know Daniel Douglas Langston?"

Zeke raised a brow over his good eye. "What? Are you accusing me of something?"

"I'm not accusing you of anything. I'm just asking a question. How well do you know Daniel Douglas Langston?" Fitz repeated.

"If you're going to use that tone with me, you should read me my rights. Sir."

"Langston mentioned your name to Liv before they hit the water."

"And that's all it took? Some over-privileged redneck makes an accusation and you forget we're friends?"

"What am I to think – I nearly lost my wife tonight."

"And that's your excuse for going all 'Big Gerry' on me? Listen, ace, I'll cut you some slack because you're going through some PTSD-shit, but you need to know that I love Olivia like a sister. Hell, I might even consider going straight for her, and that should tell you where I stand on the issue of her safety."

Fitz sat on the couch, his shoulders slumped. "I'm just… I want to know why the fuck this happened."

Zeke sat down beside him. After a long pause, he said, "I've been investigating Langston."

"What?"

"Langston made a lot of friends in high places when his wife was Governor, including the Federal Prosecutor's Office. I suspected he took the hit out on US Attorney Patrick Dent."

"Fuck you, Zeke! Why didn't you tell me!"

"Listen, asshole, I mean Mr President, Dent's no loss to the human race. And I wasn't going to accuse the second-highest ranked officer in your administration of being connected to the murder of a federal employee. I would have stopped right there but my investigations turned up something else."

"What?"

Zeke glanced at the agents dotting the room.

Picking up his unspoken hint, Fitz raised his voice, "Guys, we need the room."

The agents glanced at each other, then headed out of the room, closing the door quietly behind them.

Zeke leaned closer, lowering his voice. "Langston's current lover is in the Secret Service. They've been seeing each other since the guy started working for his wife."

"There have been rumours about the Langston marriage, but no one's been able to prove anything."

"Yeah, that's because Langston's smart – he picks guys who have more to hide than he does. This time he went a step further and picked a man who is sworn to secrecy, and is part of a brotherhood of solidarity – they watch each other's backs, not just yours."

"And you think that's why he tried to kill Olivia? Because he thought he was going to be outed?"

"Hell, I wasn't going to out the guy for being gay. No, he and his lover are running a prostitution ring within the Secret Service."

"Fuck, Zeke, when were you going to tell me all this?"

"After the wedding. I didn't want to ruin your big day." Zeke exchanged a wry glance with Fitz. "So now what?"

"This is why you should never marry a Republican!" Abby glared at Olivia. "They have no idea how to keep anyone safe!"

"Don't yell at her, she's in hospital!" Quinn glared at Abby.

"Yeah, we need to have this conversation at a more appropriate time, like never," Harrison muttered.

"But Olivia's needs better security. Nobody drove her into the river when I was looking out for her," Huck said grimly.

"And who the fuck is Daniel Langston?" Abby snapped.

"The Vice President's husband. She doesn't listen to anything I tell her." Quinn looked at Olivia and rolled her eyes.

"Why was he trying to kill you, Liv?" Harrison asked.

"Is the wife behind this?" Huck glowered.

Olivia shook her head. "I don't know. All I know is that Daniel Langston wanted me to leave Fitz. He said that was the only way both of us could stay alive."

There was a silence then Abby muttered, "He wanted you to leave the President?"

"On your wedding day?"

"If he wanted you to stay alive, what's with the night-swim? You could have drowned!"

"Or died of hypothermia. Or had a heart attack."

"I don't know. I was blind-sided. I was worried about Fitz."

"Fitz!" Abby spat. "He's the reason you're in hospital!"

"No!" Olivia shouted suddenly. "Don't say that! Don't ever say that! He's beating himself up about this and I don't need you to dump more guilt on him!"

Abby opened her mouth, then after a warning glance from Harrison, she closed it again. "Fine, I won't tell that jackass he sucks at his job protecting you."

They fell silent, then Harrison said slowly, "We need to look into this."

"And you need to come back to OPA," Abby muttered.

"We're better at looking after you," Huck agreed.

"And our clients maybe crazy, but they're not crazy enough to want you dead," Quinn added.

When Fitz returned to the room, Olivia was alone, sitting up in bed, waiting for him.

"Hi," he said softly, closing the door behind him.

"Hi," she smiled.

He approached the bed, pulling the drip stand with him, and she shifted so he could settle in beside her.

"This is not how I wanted our wedding day to end," he murmured, slipping his arms around her, pressing his lips to her forehead.

She snuffled a laugh. "Oh, I don't know. It's kind of nice at the Honeymoon Hospital, we get room service and a sassy nurse for entertainment."

He chuckled, tightening his arms around her. "You feeling okay?"

"Perfectly fine," she smiled against his neck. "How did it go with Zeke?"

"He's not in with Langston."

"So Daniel was doing a head trip on me? That makes sense."

Fitz stroked a hand over her back. "How did it go with your guys?"

"Um, okay. I think they'll be doing some digging around on their own."

"Good, one way or another, I want to know what the hell happened today and why."

A/N: Okay, okay I see you want to KNOW WHAT HAPPENS NEXT and enough of this finger-biting, edge of the seat; peeing in pants, 84 years of waiting! Sorry, but you have to know the output speed of this story is limited by my brain power – think slug on hamster wheel (that's my pace at the moment).

This chapter sort of is half way to what-the-hell-happened but I didn't want to leave you guys with another cliffhanger – you need a five minute break. Or a three-day one, the way I'm writing these days.

So Daniel Douglas has disappeared – hmm…

And the Secret Service stuff was inspired by actual reported events –

1) Ex-secret service agent Dan Bongino who apparently doesn't agree with President Obama's gun control initiatives. He ran and failed to win a US Congress Senate seat in Maryland in 2013, but apparently he's gaining popularity with pro-gun enthusiasts.

2) Around twelve US Secret Service agents were caught up in a scandal involving prostitutes in Colombia in 2012. According to news reports, the incident became public after an agent and prostitute fought over payment, and a full-scale investigation was done into the Secret Service. You can read more about the report findings in Secret Service Report Reveals No Evidence Of Widespread Problems by Alicia A Caldwell, published in Huffington Post on Dec 20, 2013.

And the cold water immersion stuff was misappropriated from Cold Water Survival from the US Search and Rescue Task Force website and Drowning/Submersion Injury on EMS village DOT com website, written by Kevin High.

Also I should say I have no idea who gets called in an emergency - the few job titles listed here, I got from reading about the Assassination of Ronald Reagan on Wikipedia - if you get a chance read it. Seriously, it's hilarious! Keystone cops hilarious!