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

Also very politics-centric

Breaking News…

"You can't be President, Mr Davis, because we know you tried to kill my Mom and Dad and my little baby sister!'"

Reporter on the scene: That was nine-year-old Karen Grant's stunning announcement, abruptly ending tonight's Presidential debate. Seconds later Mr Grant grabbed his daughter and left the East Room with Professor Pope following close behind. If you recall, Professor Pope, Mr Grant's father-in-law, was dogging the Democratic candidate Edison Davis with questions of morality shortly before the Grant kid made her shocking accusation.

News anchor (male): Have you had a chance to speak to Edison Davis about the allegations?

Reporter: Mr Davis was escorted off the stage by his handlers right after the Grants' departure. We did manage to speak to Mrs Langston…

News anchor (female) interrupts: We'll have to come back to Mrs Langston's response. We're going live to the White House Press Briefing Room where President Zeke is speaking to the Press Corps…

President Zeke is speaking: "I understand you have a lot of questions for the Grants but I would ask that you respect their privacy at this time."

Journalist: "Was the Grant kid coached to derail the Democratic front-runner by the Republican party?"

Zeke: "This wasn't a set-up, not by the Grants, the White House or the Republicans. We wouldn't do that to a 9-year-old kid. And before you ask, no, the Russians aren't involved. I know Karen. She's a cool, level-headed kid and I fully intend to look into this matter further..."

Press Corps Reporter: "That was President Lucas Zeke making a brief statement tonight about the dramatic ending of the Presidential Debate. The two-way debate became more of a three-way conversation when former President Fitzgerald Grant gate-crashed the event as moderator. White House sources say President Lucas Zeke wanted Grant at the debate as he has made no secret of the fact he wants his friend to re-enter the race."

News anchor (female): "President Zeke kept a low profile during the debate. Any reason for that?"

Press Corps Reporter: "There's a rumour that President Zeke was personally monitoring the Debate in the Situation Room. There's been a lot of extra security tonight, and it appears the White House feared for the safety of their unexpected, or expected, guests – the Grants, more than the safety of the audience or Presidential candidates…"

"Am I grounded?" Karen asked her arms around her father's neck.

"No you're not grounded." Fitz kissed her cheek. They were seated on the couch in the Oval Office, waiting for Marine One to take them home.

"She shouldn't be grounded for telling the truth." Rowan frowned.

"No one is grounding Karen."

"Are you mad at me, Daddy?"

Fitz sighed. "No, pumpkin, I'm not mad at you. I'm just worried."

"We'll increase security around Karen." Tom murmured.

"It's not her safety that's got me worried…"

Democratic National Committee movers and shakers:

"That asshole Zeke knowingly added fuel to the fire. This is starting to look bad."

"Just kill the rumours."

"How?"

"She's a kid. What do kids know…"

The Liberal Media:

'It was a dramatic end to a bizarre night with Democratic Presidential Nominee Edison Davis and Republican Nominee Sally Langston. Karen Grant, the 9-year-old daughter of former President Grant, accused Mr Davis of trying to kill her father, step-mother and half-sister. It's been a rough year for the Grants – earlier this year Karen Grant was held hostage by a boy who had a crush on her, and her father was nearly impeached for war crimes. We don't know what prompted the little girl to make that accusation on national TV. All attempts by the media to get clarification from the Grants have been shut down. Republican Presidential nominee Mrs Sally Langston, whose husband tried to drown then-First Lady Olivia Pope Grant [archival footage of police car chase along the Potomac River], was quick to respond to the rumour saying there is no smoke without a fire, and the 'truth will out'.

Republican National Committee movers and shakers:

"Langston's got this in the bag."

"But do we want her to have the bag?"

"She's been dialing up the heat on the Davis guy, that's what we want."

"Yeah, but the guys that write the cheques don't want her to be President."

"Talk about a rock and a hard place…"

"Take the pro-life angle. There was an unborn baby involved."

"While we're at at - get tough on crime."

"Go the whole hog..."

The Conservative Media:

"The Democrat running for President is a murderer. That's according to Karen Grant, the 11 year-old daughter of former President Grant who said Edison Davis had tried to kill her parents - former President Fitzgerald Grant and the former First lady, Olivia Pope-Grant, who was pregnant with baby, Grace Grant. [Picture of a smiling Karen holding Gracie]. Karen Grant accused Edison Davis of murder after the Democrat's response to questions on morality and honesty. There has been no word from the Grants about what made their daughter confront their alleged killer. Mr Davis' representatives and the DNC have not returned our calls. Republican Presidential nominee Mrs Sally Grant called on President Lucas Zeke to open an investigation into the matter immediately, saying "We need to know if the Democrat running for President of America will need to serve his term of office in the White House or a jail cell…"

Earlier, on Debate Night, in a Prison Cell…

Four men sat around a card table playing poker for cigarettes; Hollis Doyle was winning.

In the background, a portable TV set was showing the Presidential Debate.

"You think a black man is going to win this election against a white woman?" said a guard seated at the poker table.

"I've been praying he won't," Mack growled.

"You don't want a brother to be the next President of the United States of America?" the second guard looked at Mack.

Mack exchanged a glance with Hollis, then said grimly, "He ain't no brother of mine."

"You can't be President, Mr Davis, because we know you tried to kill my Mom and Dad and my little baby sister!"

Four heads jerked around to look at the television screen.

"WTF did that kid say?"

"She said Davis tried to kill her Pa." Hollis Doyle chewed on the end of an unlit cigar as he considered his next move.

"Spit that out, and say it again. Because I don't think I heard you right."

"You heard right, she said what she said," Mack rearranged his hand.

"Well, damn…" The guard uttered.

"Read em and weep, boys, read 'em and weep." Hollis laid down the winning hand, pocketed the pile of cigarettes and smiled. "I need a phone."

"You talking crazy," a guard responded, "You got no phone privileges at this time of night."

"I ain't supposed to have poker privileges either."

"All calls are recorded out of this joint. We give you the phone and we'll be replaced by Hank the Hulk? You want that?" the second guard asked patiently.

"Why do you need a phone? The only person on the outside, still talking to you is me, and I'm right here," Mack said.

"I need to have a word with the President of the United States."

There was a silence, then the two guards burst out laughing.

After several minutes, they stopped, seeing that neither Mack nor Hollis had joined the laughter.

Zeke walked into the Oval Office with a heavy frown, but his brow cleared and he smiled, seeing Karen.

"Hey, Miz Veep, you sure got the media howling like a pack of crazed wolves. And that's a good thing." Zeke hunkered down in front of her. "I got a job for you. Think you can handle it?"

Karen nodded.

"I need to speak to your Dad in private for a couple of minutes. But someone needs to sit in the hot seat," Zeke nodded towards the Resolute Desk. "And field my calls. Think you can do that?"

"Can I?" Karen looked at Fitz.

"It's okay," Zeke assured. "Lauren's going to transfer a call from the White House kitchen and Miz Veep needs to tell her what she wants on her Giant ice cream sundae."

"Giant?" Karen's eyes widened.

"Giant. You're gonna need help finishing it. Maybe Professor Pope and Oscar will help."

Karen grinned, slipping out of her father's protective hold, to hug Zeke. Then she hurried behind the desk and climbed onto the chair, looking pleased enough to make the men laugh.

In the President's private dining room attached to the Oval Office, Zeke closed the door and turned to Fitz.

"Hollis called."

"Hollis? As in Hollis Doyle? Has he escaped from Prison?"

"No, he's still locked up with no place to go, but you wouldn't know it. The dude called me from the Warden's Office."

"What did he want?"

"He wants to go on national TV and make a confession, in support of what Karen said, and you know why."

"He wants out."

"Yeah."

"No." Fitz returned.

"You sure about that? Davis didn't confess. Maybe Hollis can shame the guy into quitting the race."

"Leaving Sally to take the Presidency, unopposed."

Zeke shook his head. "Doyle wants to get both birds with one stone."

"How?" Fitz frowned.

"Hollis said they discussed Defiance – the second coming in Sally Langton's cabin in Georgia…"

"Do you think Dad will ground Karen?"

"Fitzgerald shouldn't ground her for telling everyone what we already knew."

"No one is getting grounded."

Olivia, Felicia and Jerry carrying Gracie were waiting on the front porch when Marine Two touched down on the front lawn. Teddy was upstairs, asleep.

As soon as the door opened and the steps were lowered, Karen rushed down and came racing towards them, stopping in front of Olivia.

"Are you mad at me, Mom?"

Olivia got down on her knees and smiled at Karen. "What do you think?"

A relieved smile broke out on Karen's face as she flung herself into Olivia's hug.

Above their heads, Jerry said, "Dad, if you're going to ground Karen. I just want you to know that I put her up to it."

"No, you didn't." Karen broke away from Olivia.

"Yes, I did."

"Karen is a brave little girl, you shouldn't ground bravery," Felicia looked Fitz in the eye.

"No one's grounded," Fitz said wearily, as he took Gracie in his arms and reached over to give Olivia a kiss on the lips after she'd got to her feet. "We need to have a family discussion about what happened."

"You want me to wake Teds?" Jerry asked.

"No. Let at least one member of this family stay blissfully unaware of all this."

Family Discussion Snippets…

… "The media have already started attacking Karen…"

… "I'm not sorry about what I said…"

… "We don't want you to be sorry, pumpkin…"

… "We're worried about the trolls, baby…"

… "What are they saying about me?"

… "You don't want to know"…

… "Hollis Doyle will make a confession…"

… "Will anyone believe that criminal…"

… "It will get people talking…"

… "Something else that people are talking about is Olivia…"

… "Is Mom going to run for President?..."

… "Mom isn't running for President because Dad was being evasive…"

… "I thought I made a decisive endorsement…"

… "You were being evasive about your choice of third party candidate…"

In Abby's living room

"Well, that went better than I expected," Quinn murmured, shoving a handful of popcorn into her mouth.

"I never liked Edison," Abby scowled, gulping down the last of her red wine.

"That's what you said about Sally Langston."

"I can hate one person at a time. I'm good at multi-tasking."

"Olivia should be President," Huck said, prompting the other two to turn and stare at him.

In Peter's shared bedroom

"Hey," Peter's roommate called from a prone position on his bed. "Is Olivia the lady who took care of that bully?"

"Yeah," Peter said from his desk, in the middle of doing his homework.

"She's a cool lady."

"She's a very cool lady. She got me out of trouble with my dad, when I pulled that prank impersonating Jerry in the White House."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah"

"It would be cool if she was the President."

Peter forgot his homework for a second, as he turned to stare at his roommate.

In a kitchen in the MidWest

"Professor Pope was going for a confession. Too bad he didn't get one," Hank said as he sat at the kitchen table, helping Ginny make protest signs for the NRA-sponsored event at the council.

"That poor child. What the media is saying about her is a disgrace."

"I don't know what the world is coming to, Ginny, attacking children."

"It's power. These people will step over their mother to get to the top."

"Well, that's the last nail on the election coffin, as far as I'm concerned. No point voting for crooks and liars."

"You cannot 'not vote' – it's too important."

"You cannot seriously vote for Langston? The choice of 'lesser evil' doesn't apply to her - she wants guns in every school."

"I'm not going to vote for evil, lesser or otherwise. I'll be voting for Grant's endorsement."

"What? You're going to vote for Olivia?" Hank chuckled.

Ginny didn't.

"I'm going to write Olivia Pope on the election ballot. Much as I love Fitzgerald, it wasn't until Olivia came along that he issued executive orders on gun control. That little gal made that man Presidential. And she uses her power for good, not evil."

"She's not running, Ginny."

"That's not going to stop me from sending a protest vote with her name on it, Hank."

In a church basement

Nancy Drake turned to see Anna Gordon and her son walk in.

"Well this is a lovely surprise. But the Bible Study class ended an hour ago."

"Did you catch the debate?" Anna said.

"I sure did."

"What do you think about the idea of Olivia becoming President?"

The others helping Nancy tidy the basement, came over.

"We were just talking about that – I'll never forget that time she stood in front of the White House gates on Pennsylvania Avenue and faced down that army of white hoods," one woman said.

"She had the Marines with her," a man clarified.

Nancy Drake gave him a look. "Olivia Pope got those racists gentlemen, with a legacy of lynching people of colour, to lay down their weapons. Olivia Pope had the Marines stand guard behind her. She was the one in front. She led the way. You tell me if I'm wrong about that."

After a pause, the man said, "You are not wrong."

The third woman shrugged, turning away to finish tidying up. "All I know is that, President Fitzgerald Grant didn't even know he was black until he married her."

Anna looked at Nancy. "So how are we going to vote for someone who's not running?"

Carlita Mendoza's radio show

Caller #1: "Your good friend Mrs Grant, she should run for President."

Carlita: "I agree. I think she'd make a very good President."

Caller #2: "I was going to vote for her husband, but he's not running. So she should run. I don't want to vote for a criminal or fascist. What other choice do we have? Nothing."

Carlita: "She doesn't want to run."

Caller #2: "You should tell her to run. I wouldn't be so depressed thinking about the future if she ran."

Carlita: "I'll see what I can do

Caller #3: "Her husband endorsed her. That's saying something my husband doesn't trust me with the car, Mrs Grant's husband trusts her with the country. Do you think she'd make a kickass President?"

Carlita: "Oh I agree wholeheartedly with Senor Grant – Olivia Pope will make a kickass President. I know because I've seen her kick some very big asses…"

Cornelius Ryan's home office in the shelter

Ex-sergeant Cornelius Ryan just shut the door to his apartment, when he heard a knock. Wondering if someone had lit a fire on their living room carpet again, he opened the door to be confronted by a dozen or so residents crowding the passageway.

"What's going on? Is there a fire?" He reached for his phone.

"No, no there's no fire. Is it true Mrs Grant is running for President."

Mack put the phone back in his pocket. "She don't run her stuff by me, but that's news to me."

"So she ain't runnin'?"

"I don't think so."

"Mrs Grant took us off the street and got us this place to live. She took on the city and the zoning authorities and them heritage people and she won, and she even got us funding. Don't ask me how, but she did."

"All them empty building that the state's been paying to keep maintained now has us living in them."

"I was sleeping on a park bench. Nearly died of cold a couple of winters ago."

"She's an itty bitty little thing but she's got guts."

"Cahonas."

"Big, beeg, cahonas."

"In other words, we think she'd make a mighty fine President."

"What you think ain't going to matter, 'cause she ain't runnin as far as I know."

"Then someone better talk her into runnin' because I got myself registered to vote today."

Jerry's bedroom

Jerry woke to the sound of his buzzing phone. It was Pete.

"Is it true your Mom is running for President?"

"She's not."

"That's what I said. But my dad insists she's running; he heard it from someone in the Malaysian government, who heard it from a Chinese official."

"She's not running."

"Maybe she should run. They really like her in China."

"Mom won't run. We all think she'd make a really cool President. I asked, Karen asked, dad asked. Grandpa Pope even tried reverse psychology by telling her not to run but she didn't fall for it."

"Remember how your Mom took on that bully?"

"Yeah. "

"The guys here at school are starting a petition for your Mom to be President."

"Yeah?" Jerry sat up.

"Yeah. And I signed it."

In Sameera's office

"Olivia should sue the networks for what they are saying about Karen," Sameera said, switching off the TV and returning to the client files on her desk. "She's a child."

"The child is right," said Preethi, placing a mug of coffee on the desk, and taking a seat in the visitor's chair.

"What? What do you know?"

"Remember those audio files I copied on Reston. There's a conversation between Reston and Edison Davis. I didn't know it was him at the time, because they were careful not to name names but his voice is distinct and I recognised it tonight."

"What were they saying?"

"They were talking about Sally Langston and Hollis Doyle. That they were obstacles to a permanent Grant solution. Davis was trying to convince Reston to go it alone. That they could get rid of the Grants – permanently – without Langston or Doyle. But Reston wouldn't do it – he never liked to stick his neck out, in a way that was sure to get it chopped off."

"Where's the audio file? Did you send it to the President's office?"

"No."

"You still have the copy."

"Yes."

"I can't tell you what to do."

"I know what I have to do… I just don't know if I have the guts to go through it."

"I'm not going to sack you for being a whistle-blower."

"But can you afford to lose your business because you have one on your payroll?"

"Let me worry about that."

Preethi groaned, dropping her head back. "What am I going to do?"

"Coin toss?"

Preethi raised her head and looked at Sameera. "You'll just keep tossing the coin until you get the result you want."

"Olivia would make a kickass President."

Preethi sighed. "Olivia helped me when the DNC were shutting all doors in my face."

"They're attacking her nine-year-old daughter."

Preethi got to her feet. "I'll make the call."

"Use my phone."

Under a skylight in a Vermont Bedroom…

Olivia sighed, her breath fluffing the hairs on Fitz's bare chest. Then she inched over his chest to turn the light on.

Fitz stared back at her wide awake.

"Now that Gracie's finally asleep, you're awake," she said, looking down at him. "What's wrong?"

"I'm just wondering how Darius is taking this."

"Darius?"

"The little boy who wants Edison to be President."

"Oh."

They were both silent for a long moment. Then Fitz shifted further up onto the pillows, taking Olivia with him.

"Would you have been happy with Edison if I hadn't come along?" He surprised Olivia when she was comfortable in his arms.

She wrinkled her nose. "I broke up with him before I'd even met you."

"Because of Papa Pope."

"No, not because of Dad. Remember, Dad didn't approve of you either, but I kept you."

A slow smile crept over his lips. "You've got good taste," he kissed her. "And you taste good."

She smiled under another kiss, then whispered, "What's behind the question?"

He sighed, his hand rubbing over her back. "What if I hadn't come along, would Edison have been a different man?"

"You think this is your fault?" Olivia shifted to look straight at him. "That's crazy talk. Power corrupts. Edison is corruptible if the stakes are high enough. What do you think would happen if he became President; a job that gives him sovereign immunity? What would he do with all that power, influence, money and the ability to declare war on whoever he wants, whenever he wants?"

"I killed a Supreme Court Judge and bombed a medicine factory."

On the brink of a quick retort, Olivia paused then nodded. "You did."

He frowned. "You usually try to make me feel good about my criminal choices."

"You're intent on a solo guilt trip; I didn't want to ruin it for you."

A laugh escaped him, and he smiled at her.

She brushed the hair away from his forehead. "You are a good man, who did bad things to protect the people you love, the people to whom you feel responsible. Edison's moral compass is guided by self-interest. Edison will stop at nothing to get what he wants."

"I stopped at nothing to get you."

"I wanted to be got."

"There were times you acted like you didn't."

"It felt wrong to want you for myself."

Fitz tightened his arms around Olivia. "Sometimes doing what other people think is the wrong thing, is right for the people involved."

Olivia stroked his arm. "You're talking about doing the wrong things for the right reasons, I'm talking about a man who would do the right things for the wrong reasons… Edison gave us his support while you were locked up in New Mexico, because he expected payback. He didn't stop at one demand, he kept coming back. And when I wouldn't deliver on the Vice Presidency, he turned on me, on you, on our kids." Her tone softened, as she finished. "You are not Edison, Fitz. When I turned you down, you didn't set out to destroy me."

Fitz pressed his lips to her forehead. "You see me differently because you love me."

"I love you because you are different."

He tipped up her chin and kissing her deeply. "I'm insanely in love with you."

"Insanely?"

"Insanely." He kissed her again, and smiled.

She smiled back, rubbing her noses against his. "Do you remember what we were talking about?"

'...No."

She chuckled. "You had this insane idea that Edison should be a figurehead President."

Fitz stared at her mouth. "It's not insane, if Edison became President, he'd be smart enough to avoid doing anything stupid to jeopardize his position."

"His position with whom? The voters or the people who made him a candidate? They are not one and the same. If Wall Street told Edison to approve an oil pipeline through Native land because it would create jobs, while polluting the local drinking water – would he side with power and money or the spiritual and environmental integrity of the land? If Wall Street told him transfer public health care costs into the hands of private insurers – would he think of the bottom line or understand that he's shifting America's most vulnerable into the care of people who think of health as a commodity and patients as consumers? If the Military Industrial Complex within Wall Street told Edison that he needed to kill a lot of black and brown people in countries we've never heard of to increase the Pentagon welfare programme and improve the Dow Jones Industrial Average - would he kill them all, or remember that he is a person of colour, who has been black his whole life?"

Fitz stared at her silently.

Olivia lifted a hand to stroke his cheek. "Darius needs to learn that representation is not skin deep."

"That's what Dad said," Fitz gave a ghost of a smile. "But maybe we need skin deep representation before we can focus on its deeper meaning. We need black and brown kids to dream of being President."

"Maybe we can't afford that," Olivia paused, before adding, "Dad was right about something else."

The grave look on Fitz's face vanished as he peered at her closely. "Olivia, is that really, really you?"

"Fitz, don't tease. I'm being serious." She paused to receive his contrite kiss.

"Tell me what else Rowan was right about," he urged softly, laying back on the pillow and drawing her back into his arms.

"Dad said that Edison was setting himself up to be the guy who achieved Dr King's dream. A hero for little kids like Darius. But we know he's no hero, and an anti-hero would set back Dr King's civil rights legacy like it never existed."

"You're saying it's like crying 'wolf', but the opposite. If Edison promises hope and change, but doesn't deliver, no one is going to believe the next black guy who does the same, even if he's the real deal."

"You got it."

Fitz smiled. "I was right. You would make a kickass President."

"Oh hush," she kissed him quickly before reaching out to turn off the lamp, then settling back down to sleep in his arms. "Good night, Mr President."

He smiled against her forehead, and whispered, "Goodnight, Mrs President."

A/N: Dear readers, long suffering and new, thank YOU for reading...