This story is inspired by Season 1 Scandal, Vermont and the Olitz actors – Kerry Washington and Tony Goldwyn

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

News Update…

'As civil unrest sweeps across the country, President Fitzgerald Grant cut short his family weekend in Vermont to meet with protesters blockading Pennsylvania Avenue. The group calling themselves, Mothers for Justice, say they will not be moved until action is taken to address the gross injustices committed by police against African American children – a reference to the killing of a teenager in Faraway County by an on-duty cop…"

Fitz was putting on his jacket when Olivia entered the Oval Office.

"The Press Secretary is just finishing his spiel."

"My spies tell me you didn't have a nap today." He raised a brow, as she took over.

"I had one." She brushed down the lapels of his jacket and adjusted his tie.

"When?"

"Yesterday."

"Hmmm," Fitz swept his hands around her, linking them behind her back. "What if we get this wrong?"

Olivia crooked a finger and beckoned. "Come here."

He bent low.

"Closer."

When his smile was brushing her mouth, she kissed him softly, then kissed him again before whispering, "If we get this wrong, we'll just find another way to fix it."

He released a long sigh, his shoulder relaxing. They stood for a long moment, breathing in each other in silence.

Then she slid a hand down his back and squeezed his butt, making him chuckle.

"Do we have time for a quickie?" he asked huskily, drawing back to look at her.

"Not right now, maybe later…"

Fitz dropped a hard kiss on her cheeky grin, before reaching for Olivia's hand and heading out the door, towards the East Room for his Presidential address to the nation.

Fitzgerald Grant, the President addresses the nation…

"A movement for change is gaining pace across the United States. The people of America have been marching our streets, blockading our malls, holding candle-light vigils and having die-ins at public events – all with one message in mind: to let America know that black lives matter.

"And I agree. Black lives matter, as do white lives, Native American lives, Hispanic lives, and Asian lives. All lives matter. They should matter equally to those sworn to protect and serve our communities. They should matter equally to those sworn to uphold the law in our courts. Prejudice cannot and should create divisions of race within a system created to make us all equal before the law.

"Now some of you hearing these words, may shake your heads – thinking to yourselves 'what's he talking about? The system has never been equal'. To you, I say, yes I am aware of the reality. I know that although the ideal of inclusion has been enshrined in our words and symbols, the practice of exclusion has prevailed through much of our history. That exclusion persists even today.

"This needs to change. As a nation we cannot and must not create divisions where none need exist. We live in a community that is as diverse as the world that surrounds us. We are diverse in multiple aspects including age, ability, gender and sexual orientation. We need an America that makes us all feel like we belong, that we are home, whether that home is of our choice or our birth.

"That is my vision for this country. As a pragmatist, I understand there are no quick fixes. But we are dealing with man-made problems; man-made problems to which there are solutions. And we, the men and women of America, should be more than capable of finding those answers.

"There will be those who feel this is not their problem. They would be correct. This is not their problem, or mine or yours. It is ours. Right now we have people who are walking the streets with the same message we heard fifty, hundred, two hundred years ago. How much longer will this message have to be repeated by each succeeding generation? Can we afford to keep fighting turf wars based on race and class?

"I personally believe that we can't keep passing the buck to the next generation. I say this not as a President but as a father of three, soon-to-be-four, kids. The legacy I would like to leave my children is that we live in a just, fair and equal society – right now I am asking for your help in making that belief a reality that will be shared by all my children."

"Ma'am, the voters think we're dividing the country," said an advisor, a little breathlessly as she tried to keep with Olivia striding towards the Oval Office.

"Did they only poll the Mid West and the South?"

"No, ma'am."

"So people aren't happy. Right, got it."

"Ma'am, here's the report for the President."

Olivia walked into the Oval Office, report in hand to find Fitz leaning on the edge of his desk, sharing a joke with Zeke. Both turned as Olivia entered, their grins fading at the look on Olivia's face.

"What's wrong?" Fitz stood up.

"If this was a popularity contest, we're losing."

"Them folks ain't seen nothing yet. Wait until I bring the house down with my second act ," Zeke chuckled.

Vice President Lucas Zeke appears on Politics Now talkshow.

TV host: "At first glance this would be an impossible task – trying to fix the problem of race."

Zeke: "If we focus on race – we're going to miss the bigger problem of anarchy in our community policing. The 10th Amendment handed police powers to the state, the states then went and handed those powers down to townships and municipalities. The end result is that we now have 20,000 law enforcement agencies across the country, employing over a million and a half cops, run like independent organisations. BTW, those figures are guesstimates because we ain't sure of how many police agencies we've got, what they do and just how many cops we have in uniform."

TV Host: "So the problem is a lack of transparency?"

Zeke: "And survival. Take the state of Florida for example, it has about 500 special-purpose police agencies. With that many, they won't be fighting crime, they'll be fighting to survive budget cuts."

TV Host: "So the problem is too much police and not enough oversight?"

Zeke: "It ain't that simple. We don't have a proper classification of police agencies in this country. We have cops who aren't categorised as cops, and we have cops who are categorised differently by each level of government, even though these guys work for the same organisation. There are Tribal police agencies in our 600 federally-recognised Native Indian reservations that could be counted at state, county or local level. Some guys aren't counted at all – like our 14,000 school districts which can have their own police agency. The same goes for colleges and universities which have campus police units which, from what I hear, essentially police themselves. What we've got is a crazy de-centralised system. It's chaos, man, absolute chaos. No other industrialised country has anything as dysfunctional as this. The way the system has been set up, it ain't surprising that we have people making the rules as they go along."

TV Host: "That's not a comforting thought."

Zeke: "No, it ain't. The system is broken and we need to fix it. We need more community oversight in how the cops operate in our neighbourhoods."

TV Host: "Are you saying the problems with our police lies in the community themselves?"

Zeke: "That ain't what I'm saying. When you look at the budget for these police departments which adds up to more than $50 billion, a little more than 10 per cent is federally funded through the regular channels. Communities do a lot of fund-raising to keep their departments operational, their taxes, fines and fees are contributing to the living wage and station facilities for law enforcement in their communities. If you get what you paid for – communities across America need to ask themselves: 'are we happy with the people and services we are paying for? Do we deserve better?"

TV Host: "Sounds like there's not a lot the Grant Administration can do, because fixing the problem is out of Federal hands, right?"

Zeke: "We ain't about throwin' in the towel. We've been looking at what ain't working. We know there's a lack of data on actual numbers in the field. We know we have problem in the known number of loosely connected cop agencies – many of these guys duplicate services without communicating with each other. That's not efficient or effective. On the flip side, we know that community policing, when it works well, delivers a better service than a large organisation. Right now, we're talking to a lot of people – community leaders, police chiefs, FBI, even Interpol – on what works and what doesn't. There's a big clean-up that needs to happen, and we're working on it."

TV Host: "So you think this is a case of policing run amok and little to do with racial bias?"

Zeke: "I'm saying we have more data on organised crime than we have on law enforcement. This needs to be fixed before we look at why community law enforcement includes people who are clearly unfit to police the people in their neighbourhoods."

Media Update…

"Vice President Lucas Zeke staged a frontal attack on law enforcement during a political talk show tonight. Critics on both sides of the fence say counting the number of police is not going to take care of the problem of race.

"A sentiment echoed by protestors at Faraway County. 'The President talked about finding solutions to a problem. We're out here expecting real solutions to real problems. I don't care how many we police got in this country. I care about the one cop in my neighbourhood who's on a paid vacation while the parents of the kid he murdered, are out here every night, freezing their asses, praying for justice for their son. That's the kind of problem we need fixing.'

"While Mr Zeke drew wide-spread criticism for side-stepping the issue of race, some sources in Congress say it's a sign that President Grant's focus on race is not sitting well with senior officials in his own Administration…"

Olivia was nearing the end of a meditation session with her personal trainer when she felt a tap on her shoulder. Opening her eyes she saw a phone being held in front of her face by a female agent.

"Uh, it's probably an emergency," Olivia murmured, seeing the trainer had snuck an eye open just as she was reaching for the phone.

"The FBI are in," Fitz said in her ear. "I had to threaten them with a civil suit for my unauthorised detention in Roswell to get movement on the negotiations."

"Good choice, because you can only use that threat once," Olivia murmured.

"No, the threat's good until I follow through, but just to be safe Zeke's on his way to make the big announcement before they can call me out on it. He's on his way to the face the media hounds right now. They're baying for his blood. I almost feel sorry for them."

Olivia chuckled. "What about the Pentagon?"

"Ma'am, there will be no talking politics during yoga mediation," murmured the trainer serenely, her eyes closed. "The President will have to call back in 10 minutes."

Vice President Lucas Zeke at White House press briefing

Media: "Mr Vice-President, do we understand this right – you don't think the current civil unrest in parts of the country have anything to do with race?"

Zeke: "Those ain't my words. I said focusing on race won't fix a bigger problem in law enforcement. There are towns policed by anyone who volunteers for the job. Anyone can wear a uniform and carry a gun, without meeting the minimum requirements for a new recruit. We're talking about people sworn to uphold the law who are a law unto themselves. That ain't policing – not in my book. Now the reason cops gets away with less than professional standards is because there's a lack of oversight. The lack of oversight is related to the fact that we don't know exactly who and how many we're supposed to be overseeing."

Media: "Are you saying situations like Faraway County occur because of a lack of organisation, not racial bias?"

Zeke: "Well, it seems logical to me that if we ain't checking if these people are fit to carry a gun or have the basic comprehension to understand current laws, that we wouldn't be checking for deviant behaviours like pathological hatred or psychopathy."

Media: "Isn't this too much to bite off for the Grant Administration, in the dying hours of its first, and possibly, last term in office?"

Zeke: "That sounds like a glass half-empty kind of question. So let me disappoint you with the answer – we've already started managing a problem that's a multi-headed beast. Take classification – under the President's directive, I've put together a taskforce to upgrade and expand the FBI database, so we have a federal listing of every single organisation and individual in law enforcement, whether they are public or private."

Media: "How is putting a name to a number going to help with your claim that there's a decline in professional standards?"

Zeke: "There's a point I need to correct in that loaded question – I didn't say there's an across-the-board decline in standards. I'm saying there's a decline in oversight to make sure those standards are met. Everyone is trying to cut costs, even the cops. We've got police departments outsourcing training programmes for new recruits. This means the level of training and skills required vary between departments. Here's where the FBI has agreed to step in. It currently offers training to federal, state, municipal and international agencies on a voluntary basis. We're looking at making that a mandatory standard."

Media: "Where will the funding come from?"

Zeke: "The 'show-me-the-money' question. The answer is the Department of Defense and Homeland Security. Y'all know by now that a sizeable chunk of federal funding is channelled into local and state law enforcement agencies through the 1033 Program, which allows the Pentagon to use community police departments as storage facilities for surplus military equipment. The 1033 programme is part of the Defense Authorization Act which sets the defense budget and is passed into law each year with a President's signature. If we're serious about de-militarising our police we need to veto that bill until the 1033 program is excluded."

[Silence, followed by a babble of questions break out.]

Media: "You're threatening to veto the defense budget?"

Zeke: "No, I'm saying the defense budget should not include the transfer of war weapons into civilian neighbourhoods. We don't need no mine-resistant ambush protected vehicles in our neighbourhoods. How many neighbourhoods you know that got mines laid down in front of their local school, church or corner store? So why do the police need MRAPs in our neighbourhoods?"

Breaking News…

"Vice President Lucas Zeke dropped a bomb on defence spending today, with a claim that President Grant may veto the annual Defense Authorization Act, unless the 1033 program is excluded from its budget allocation.

'He later added that Administration was looking at ceasing grants from the Department of Homeland Security to local law enforcement agencies. It is believed that at least $40 billion in DHS grants were spent on military equipment including drones, bomb-disarming robots by community police in 2011. According to a DHS press release last year, $1.6 billion in grants was given to 'states, urban areas, tribal and territorial governments and nonprofit organizations as well as the private sector to strengthen our nation's ability to prevent, protect against, mitigate, respond to, and recover from terrorist attacks, major disasters, and other emergencies in support of the National Preparedness Goal and the National Preparedness System'.

"The Pentagon has refused to comment on the threat of spending cuts, but it has outraged both Republicans and Democrats who claim a renegade President cannot hold a Congress to ransom until they meet his demands. They say vetoing the annual defence budget in its entirety would put national security at risk, and make America a target for every terrorist on the planet. They say it's clear that panic is steering an Administration that is clearly aware of its last days in government…"

"Man, they sure are getting vicious out there. Guess they must finally see us as a threat." Zeke grinned as he entered the Roosevelt Room.

"The pollsters are reporting a spike in our approval ratings," Fitz grinned, leaning back in his chair, his hands linked behind his head. "And I hear that community groups are contacting members of Congress, demanding a pledge that both major parties will stick to the scrapping of 1033 and the DHS grants."

"So we've got one in the bag. The next one's not going to be that easy."

"No," Fitz murmured, leaning forward, folding his arms across his chest. Then he paused as the Attorney General entered the room with a bunch of files under his arm.

"Am I late?" he asked, looking at his watch.

"No, but Olivia is," Fitz stood up.

"She's on her way," the Attorney General smiled. "At Poppy's pace."

"I thought Karen was taking that dog to school?" Zeke turned to Fitz.

"The Principal asked us to keep Poppy at home, because the teachers were getting too distracted fussing over her."

Media Update…

…"President Grant is appealing to Congress to approve a $300 million law enforcement package that would equip each cop with a body camera. Official White House sources the funding will go towards an initial allocation of 50,000 cameras. So far the initiative has garnered criticism from all sides. Civil rights groups have said 50,000 cameras will not cover a tenth of the cops employed across the country. State and local government sources oppose the suggestion that they would need to contribute to funding, while the Grant Administration is currently making moves to cut revenue streams. Police unions also oppose the proposal on grounds that it would violate privacy and other Constitutional liberties of their members…"

The Attorney General's office releases footage of news conference at the Justice Department, Washington DC on social media, largely ignored by mainstream organisations.

Media: "Do you feel body cameras alone will take care of the current issues of trust that the community has with law enforcement?"

AG: "No, I don't. Nor does the President. We know we're dealing with several factors: transparency is one, a lack of discipline is another. Police departments rarely discipline police officers who break the law. We have enough criminal prosecutions to support the anecdotal evidence. "

Media: "You mean like in the case of Kenneth Banks, the New York cop who killed an unarmed civilian with a walkie-talkie, then got charged for losing his means of communication?"

AG: "We're not here to target individuals. We're trying to fix a broken system. We need to bring the focus back to what's important in community policing – protecting and serving the community. Which brings me to the next point, we don't have enough civilian oversight. The community pays for cops to be in their neighbourhoods, but don't have access to see how effective they are at their jobs."

Media: "What if the cops don't want the crims to have insider information?"

AG: "We're not talking trade secrets; we're talking about people hired to protect and serve. It's in the public interest to see that these men and women are up to the job, that they are working within the laws that they are sworn to uphold. If you can't work within the law, then you cannot be law enforcement officers. It's as simple as that. If cops are found to have broken the law – then a civilian oversight board should be allowed to bring charges against them."

Media: "How would civilian boards gather evidence? They would be biased towards the victims of police whether there is a valid case or not."

AG: "That's why we want this funding package to be passed by Congress. It's a start in making sure every uniformed cop wears a body camera. The cameras will provide evidence – either in support of civilian claims of police brutality or to protect police from false claims of misconduct. I see a win-win situation here."

"Political bloggers are spreading the message," said Olivia as she got ready for the ultrasound. "But we need an expert opinion. Someone who isn't afraid to tell the unvarnished truth when it comes to the law."

"Let me take care of that," Fitz murmured, "How are you doing?"

"I'm fine. Fitz, I've got to go, the sonographer wants me to turn the phone off."

An hour later, Fitz arrived at the doctor's office with the Secret Service in tow. The waiting room had been cleared of other patients, and Olivia was alone with the doctor when Fitz entered the room.

"What's wrong?" His gaze flew to Olivia as she stood up to face him, with a mixture of expressions.

"Fitz, everything is fine," Olivia went to him, laying a reassuring hand on his arm. "I became a bit emotional when I saw the scan. That's all. You didn't have to get the agents to keep me here until you arrived."

Fitz reached out to draw her close. "They told me you burst out crying. Is something wrong with the baby?"

"The baby is tracking along nicely," the doctor assured. "There is nothing to worry about."

Fitz looked from the doctor to Olivia, lifting his hands to her face. "You're sure you're okay?"

"Our baby has your pout and it caught me by surprise," Olivia smiled extending a 3D image for Fitz to see.

He took the sonogram with unsteady fingers. "He or she has got your nose," he said thickly after a long silence.

"Would you like to know if it's a boy or a girl?" the doctor asked softly. "It's fine if you've changed your mind."

"No." Olivia and Fitz spoke together, then looked at each other, smiling. "We'll wait."

Walking back to the car, their arms around each other, Fitz murmured, "You know I love this kid already. I would love our child no matter what."

"I know," Olivia tightened her arm around his waist. "Me too."

Fitz waited until they were in the back of the car, before gathering her close to kiss the trace of tears from her lashes and the smile on her lips.

Then he broke off mid-kiss to say, "I don't pout."

"Yes, you do," Olivia murmured, tugging him back for another kiss.

Opinion piece in A Law Journal by Professor Rowan Pope, reprinted and re-distributed by major media news networks

Cops are killing civilians in greater numbers, helped by a culture of impunity fostered by the theory and practice of law.

According to FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting Program figures, law enforcement officers committed 461 'justifiable homicides' last year - the highest number in 20 years. Yet, those figures may just be the tip of a predatory iceberg as the FBI database relies on voluntary reporting by state and local law enforcement agencies.

This arbitrary compilation of police brutality incidents has prevailed, despite attempts by the US Congress to regulate reporting, under section 210402 of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, which the Attorney General the mandate to collect data on the use of excessive force by police and publish a report, each year.

A decade later, we have movement in the right direction. The expansion of the FBI database to include the name and number of every individual authorised to wear a law enforcement badge is the first step in a long road to accountability.

Along that journey, we need to further establish a system for reporting and recording every incident or complaint against a law enforcement officer, as well as the outcomes when those complaints are upheld. This would not only resolve the current dearth of information when it comes to accurate data on officer-involved killings, but also the black hole regarding the number of indictments for the killers.

Four Hundred and Sixty One justifiable homicides is a number that concerns me. The word 'justifiable' is a particular concern in light of the fact that we have 'progressed' from the clarity of the Fourth Amendment, which makes it unreasonable for a law enforcement officer to use excessive force during a lawful arrest or when defending oneself or others; to judicial interpretations which endorse the use of deadly force as a right of law enforcement, using the test of 'objective reasonableness'.

Despite the lack of comprehensive data, media investigations and academic research suggest that police are rarely indicted for killing on the job. Houston Chronicle states that in Dallas between 2008-2012, of the, 81 shootings brought before a grand jury, there was only one indictment. In support of this but not limited to grand juries, research by Bowling Green State University criminologist Philip Stinson has found that officers are rarely charged in on-duty killings.

In comparison, according to the latest figures by the Bureau of Justice Statistics, US attorneys prosecuted 162,000 federal cases in 2010, grand juries failed to indict in 11.

Former New York state Chief Judge Sol Wachtler once observed that a prosecutor could persuade a grand jury to "indict a ham sandwich." However from the piecemeal data gathered, it would appear more difficult to indict a ham sandwich when the accused is a law enforcement officer.

Part of the blame, I believe, falls on Supreme Court jurisprudence. We need to revisit the legal precedent set by the two Supreme Court cases for the use of deadly force, using the test of 'objective reasonableness'. The first, Tennessee v. Garner (1985), found that police could use deadly force to prevent a fleeing suspect from escaping or if the suspect was believed to poses 'a significant threat of death or serious physical injury' to the officer or others.

The second case, Graham v. Connor (1989), determined that "[t]he reasonableness of a particular use of force must be judged from the perspective of a reasonable officer on the scene, rather than with the 20/20 vision of hindsight."

This essentially prevents the second-guessing of an officer's decision to use deadly force under the constitutional provision of the Due Process clause, contained in the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments, which states that no one shall be "deprived of life, liberty or property without due process of law; or deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.'

Can we have a civil society if the people sworn to uphold the law are placed above the law? I believe not; nor can we have a just society if this culture of impunity is further advanced by the very people whose job it is to prosecute those who do wrong…

"Did you know about this?" Olivia swept into the Oval Office, holding the law journal up like a winning Bingo card, folded to reveal her dad's article.

"Yes." Fitz rounded the desk, coming to a halt when Olivia smacked the magazine on his chest, with the accusation,

"You didn't tell me about it!"

"No," Fitz admitted, placing the magazine on his desk before gathering her stiff figure in his arms. "You have a blind spot when it comes to your father – you're usually blind to his good intentions."

"I am not."

"Yes, you are." He kissed the side of her cheek when her mouth evaded him.

"He should have run it past me, so we'd be prepared for the flack." She tried to push Fitz back. "I need to speak to him."

"No."

"Yes."

"LIvvie, we needed a legal expert's opinion. Your dad volunteered. At least, Rowan doesn't lie to kiss my ass and his opinion is respected among his peers."

"Dad volunteered?"

"I may have encouraged him in that respect."

Olivia looked at him for a long silent moment, then muttered, "You should have told me."

"I was going for the apology better than permission option," he murmured, trailing kisses to a point below her ear.

"Don't kiss me, you're making me lose focus…" She paused, when her gaze fell on the latest addition to the family photographs on his desk. "I wondered where that went."

Fitz turned, to see that Olivia's attention was on the sonogram of their baby. He faced her again with a soft smile. "Since you're carrying Baby Grant 24/7. I didn't think you'd mind if I had the picture."

Olivia angled a look at him, then released a deep sigh, burying her face in his chest. "Just once," she mumbled, "I'd like to stay mad at you for an entire day."

He laughed softly, pressing his lips to the top of her head.

News Update…

"President Grant issued a directive today, which requires the Attorney General to appoint an Independent Prosecutor for all office-involved cases. This follows legal commentary by the President's father-in-law, Rowan Pope, who claims that the biases of local prosecutors favour law enforcement officers and helps them escape justice.

"The office of the Attorney General later released plans to expand the scope of liability for law enforcement officers found guilty of misconduct. When contacted for clarification, a spokesperson for the Attorney General said currently taxpayers pay for settlements in civil lawsuits, while the accused walk away with their badge, jobs and full entitlements.

"The spokesperson said the recommendations the Attorney General had received from several legal sources, ranged from disciplinary action recorded in personnel files to preventing profit from the proceeds of crime by way of media appearance fees, book or art sales that benefit perpetrators, instead of victims' families…"

President Fitzgerald takes questions at White House Press Briefing …

Media: "Mr President, are you taking legal advice from your father-in-law?"

Fitz: "As a member of the Emeritus Faculty of Law at Cornell, Professor Pope is well aware of his First Amendment rights to free speech. Occasionally he chooses to exercise those freedoms within listening range of my ears, but am I taking legal advice from my father-in-law? No, I have not been accused of a crime that would warrant such advice."

Media: "How do you feel about his views on the Fourth Amendment?"

Fitz: "The Fourth Amendment affirms, and I quote, 'the right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects,against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.' I believe those words clearly uphold the importance of Due Process. Legal judgement may contradict that view, but I believe it is unethical for cops to have the right of deadly force without civilians having the right to question if their actions were based on subjective prejudice, instead of objective reasonableness."

Media: "Are you accusing our Supreme Court judges of being racist, Mr President?"

Fitz: "I'm saying we have a problem that needs fixing but we have our hands tied behind our backs."

Media: "How are you planning to fix the problem with legal precedent putting roadblocks in your path?"

Fitz: "As you point out, I can't change legal precedent, but we can increase oversight into the system. In fact we need to bring order to a system that is clearly unravelling at the seams…"

White House media release:

President Fitzgerald Grant issued the following Executive Orders today:

Executive order to prevent profiting from the proceeds of crime

Executive order for FBI to list all domestic hate groups as terror groups with the same standing as international terror organisations.

Executive Order to establish a Federal Hate Crime Tribunal with direct oversight by a board of citizens and civil rights organisations

President Grant's message to the people:

"I believe that we as a nation need to dispense with the antiquated idea that the Bill of Rights should only apply to those who share the same ethnicity, religion and gender of our Founding Fathers. I believe that we in the 21st century are wise enough to understand the benefits of diversity and its contribution to the creation of this great nation of ours. And in our wisdom, we must share the wealth of equality and justice with those who find it a scarcity in their daily lives.

"In support of these beliefs, I, as President, am doing what I can to make changes within the limitations of my office to fix a broken system. For these changes to be far-reaching and effective, I am calling for public support. In short, I need your help.

"You may think that you, as an individual, have little or no power compared to those elected to hold office. I can assure you that the power of the people is not an exaggeration. You have the power of your voice, the power of your convictions, the power of your actions and the power of your spend. More than that you have the power of your vote. Legislative change must benefit the people, and you – the people – must ensure that your legislators are working for your benefit.

"This is a monumental task, but to ensure we create an enduring legacy, we need to work together as a nation to stand by the convictions of our beliefs; we need to act on our words so they don't dissipate as empty rhetoric…"

Media update:

"Congress is questioning the legality of the President's newly released Executive Orders to deal with 'lawlessness' in law enforcement. This view was refuted in a letter to the President sent by 10,000 police union members, protesting the new measures.

"President Grant's has responded with the following statement: 'This is not a campaign of persecution. I would assure each and every police officer, that they have nothing to worry about, if they are not doing anything wrong. Our aim is to clean up irregularities, streamline processes and make law enforcement more accountable to the communities they police."

"In related news, First Lady Olivia Pope Grant hosted a picnic lunch on the South Lawn for the protestors calling themselves the Mothers for Justice. Many accuse Mrs Grant of fanning the flames of civil unrest to increase her husband's political capital in an election year.

"Mrs Grant is said to have worked 'a miracle' in producing a winner from the first lacklustre Grant for President Campaign. Sources say she's now playing the race card in a bid to turn the tide in President Grant's favour for a second term. [Pictures of Olivia shown posing with protestors wearing 'Vote for Grant' election pins].

"Sources once close to the President say Mrs Grant has used her influence to torpedo President Grant's career with her unorthodox ideas. They say that she is manipulating her husband's insecurities to isolate him from his once-trusted advisors to become the President's sole point of reference. There is great concern that Mrs Grant is steering public policy through her husband when she is not an elected official…"

"We can't ignore this," Fitz said firmly, helping Olivia bank the pillows against the headboard.

"We can." She knelt before him on the bed, sliding her arms around his waist. "I can weather this storm if you can."

"I don't want to." He smoothed the hair back from her face with gentle hands.

"Fitz, they know I am your weak spot. If we make a fuss, they're just going to escalate the attacks until it's all about me and not your policies."

"I know," Fitz cupped her face in his hands. "But we're going to answer this."

Olivia gusted a sigh, sneaking sly hands into his boxer shorts. "You are so stubborn."

"Mmm," he grunted, "Feels like you found my stubborn spot, which…" he took a deep breath as Olivia smiled wickedly, "fits perfectly with yours."

Taping of Interview with ONNNN founder, Onah, in the Blue Room with President Fitzgerald Grant and First Lady Olivia Pope…

Mr President, Mrs Grant thank you for inviting us to the White House.

"It's our pleasure," Fitz smoothed his thumb over Olivia's hand clasped in his.

"Mrs Grant, may I say that I think pregnancy suits you, you are positively glowing. Do you know if it's a boy or a girl?"

"No," Olivia laughed, exchanging a look with Fitz. "We're waiting to be surprised."

"President Grant, the first term of your presidency has been tumultuous to say the least – a divorce, a death in the family, a new wife. Critics are saying your personal life is impacting your policies."

Olivia felt Fitz tense but his response was calm. "I cannot fault that accusation. Loving Olivia has opened my eyes to a lot of injustices that minority Americans still face. I would imagine that, as no stranger to these injustices yourself, you would not disagree that they exist."

Onah gave a small smile. "There are those who would say that African Americans are not the only minority to be discriminated by the institutional injustices that you are trying to address."

"It's true African-Americans are not the only victims of our systems of injustice. We have Native Americans, Latinos, and Asian Americans reporting death and injury from police brutality; nor of being unable to find adequate justice in our courts. This is what we want to change. We're doing our best to fix the system – which would benefit everyone, if we get it right."

"Do you have time to get it right with only a few months more until the next Presidential election?"

Olivia spoke up, "This isn't a fix that can be achieved by one President in one term. These systematic injustices have become entrenched for centuries. It's going to take long-term commitment and it is the voters who can help ensure that our elected legislators stay committed."

"It sounds like you're not sure if President Grant will win a second term, Mrs Grant?"

Olivia tightened her grip on Fitz. "No one can be sure of that. I can say though that I know my husband is the best person for the job. He makes his choices from a good place – for his family, for his country, for the people he has been elected to serve. But the rest of us can't sit back and wait for one individual to fix every problem – that's a dictatorship, not a democracy. It also makes that one individual vulnerable. Fitz is an independent. He has neither the support of his old party nor the support of the Democrats who want their man in government. So he needs the support of the American people."

"President Grant, despite your wife's apparent caution, independent polls would suggest that your approval rating is way ahead of either of your political rivals."

"Polls are like the weather, good today, bad tomorrow. I'm not paying too much attention to that right now. Like Olivia said, we've got a blueprint for change but it's going to take long-term commitment to make sure those changes are effective. I want people to participate actively in this democracy, not just by turning up to vote or voicing their dissent but also by taking the initiative. We have a democracy of the people, by the people for the people. Those words cannot be left to gather dust in our constitution; every one of us needs to breathe life into those words to make them a reality in our daily lives instead of an idea we're always striving towards – an effective democracy needs active participation by its people—"

Fitz stopped as the doors slammed open to reveal Karen breathless from running. "Mom, Dad, come quick! Poppy is having her babies!"

A/N: Hello there. I have returned to the land of the living (from whence I left after reading something about 100 chapters!) :D

To reassure those who are actually keen on taking this journey into the literal wilderness with me, I meant I want to end this part of the story. I'm planning a third part, but first I have to end the election. Also I had hoped to finish this story way before now – I wrote the first part in a little more than a month, but part 2 is still going after more than a year! Seriously I can't believe those of you who still follow this story have stuck with it this long, especially when at times I've seriously lost the plot!

Now about this chapter - it should be called the theft of other people's ideas, because every solution here was taken from actual suggestions other people had written about, starting with the wonderful Clio1792's suggestion of an independent prosecutor. The corresponding Google search gave me so much gold that I just had to include all the ones that made sense to me. (Besides, seriously, what do I know about fixing law enforcement in America – I didn't even know there were 20,000 cough*renegade*, cough*anarchic* organisations and individuals, loosely associated with 'law enforcement'). Most of these solutions came from Ilann Maazel's article: Opinion: How to Start Policing the Police (For Real)

Also please forgive Rowan, Fitz and every other character in this chapter for any legal, procedural or Constitutional mistakes I have made on their behalf!

BTW, I completely agree that Shondaland has wasted an incredible opportunity with the platform they had– wasted the opportunity of putting real issues to a world audience (based on real life resources instead of Google search), wasted the opportunity of giving us an insight into the work of a real life crisis manager (after season 1), wasted the talents of Kerry and Tony who were helping a lot of small business people thrive on the sidelines (seriously what is this title 'Where's the Black Lady' - I'm sure it will be herald a dynamic discussion on race *sigh*), etc…

This is exactly why I have so much contempt for Shondaland and the executives at ABC. They had a platform to educate as well as entertain – but from recent reviews and comments it appears they are doing much of neither. They seem to take pleasure in their power to give the majority of their audience exactly what they don't want, and yet expect us to gleefully lap up their crap. I'm speculating that Shondaland and ABC spend too much time watching or participating in S&M or egotistic head gas has fried their brains. Or Shonda is doing her best to kill the show and Kerry's career, but ABC doesn't want to pull the plug because of all the celebrity guests on the show and friends of the show.

Still Scandal did give a smidgin of a chance for those of us who write for fun, to reach out to once-were-fans-of-scandal, and I'm so glad to have the opportunity to share ideas with you all, including some of my favourite writers on this site. So, so glad for fanfiction ;))

Anyway here are the other references (I have plagiarised) for this chapter, please see Scandal-Maniac tumblr for links:

The police

POLICE STRUCTURE AND ORGANIZATION

Police: Organization and Management - The American System Of Policing

Republicans and Democrats have vastly different views on race and police. But they agree on solutions.

The NYC Cop Who Strangled Eric Garner to Death Is Free Thanks to a Legal Flaw. Here's How Voters Can Fix It

Here's the Shocking Tally of How Many Americans Die From Police Shootings

Seven Reasons Police Brutality Is Systemic, Not Anecdotal

When militarised police meet institutional racism

What Has Changed About Police Brutality In America, From Rodney King To Michael Brown

Not Just Ferguson: 11 Eye-Opening Facts About America's Militarized Police Forces

Why The Ferguson Police Force Looks Like A Military Unit

America's police have become too militarised

Dear GOP: Fix the Damn Justice System!

Why It's Impossible to Indict a Cop

Allegations Of Police Misconduct Rarely Result In Charges

Opinion: How to Start Policing the Police (For Real)

How Objective is the "Objective Reasonableness" Standard in Police Brutality Cases?

Objective Reasonableness Not 20/20 Hindsight

It's Incredibly Rare For A Grand Jury To Do What Ferguson's Just Did

Obama asks Congress to fund 50,000 police body cameras

Obama resists demands to curtail police militarisation calling instead for improved officer training

List of killings by law enforcement officers in the United States

US Police Have Killed Over 5,000 Civilians Since 9/11

DHS Announces Grant Guidance for Fiscal Year (FY) 2014 Preparedness Grants