Sorry for the delay! A brief sickness had me so exhausted... But I hope you enjoy. xo
Routine was her favorite word. All of Olivia's life was rooted in pattern appreciation and taking comfort in things being in order. Her parents instilled the consistency.
Her mornings were simple. With the exception of rushing to the station for a breaking story, Olivia would wake up every day, trained to get dressed in athleisure wear, go out for a run or do yoga exercises in the living room, showering, brewing a cup of coffee while checking emails, packing a lunch, and heading off to work. Now in Washington, Olivia didn't want that routine to change; it was only a different location. But as her eyes opened to find the sun rays pouring light into the temporary space — the spacious and beautiful hotel suite — she realized one thing: It would take more time than she thought to get accustomed to this new life.
Olivia had a power outfit that she wore on every first day; a grey jacket, white tank, and form fitting black slacks. Being a petite woman, she used her five-inch heels to lift her danceresque frame. Standing tall and walking with a vengeance was her speciality. Even though she rightfully earned the position of co-host, the powerful admonishment of her father replayed in her mind: You have to be twice as good as them to get half of what they have.
That could mean anyone — men, people who didn't look like her, or more established individuals. It didn't matter. She was not going to rest on her laurels. Especially not on the first day.
Face beat. Clothes pressed. Lunch packed. Materials in her purse. Olivia was ready for the day.
There was a coffee shop two doors down from the building. She ordered her favorite chai latte and a medium sized black coffee, as she promised. With the tray in her hand and purse straps swung over her shoulder, Olivia swiped her badge, allowing her inside the building.
Wondering if this first meeting would be different than her regular newscast briefings, she took a breath, ready to conquer everything. The first day for Morning Live would be one for the books.
She was directed into the brightly lit conference room. Ten people were already inside, chatting it up, drinking their morning fuel. Fitz was in the corner, going over something, looking quite handsome, dressed in a white shirt and grey slacks.
Olivia felt her cheeks slightly rise. Her co-host was the best looking person in the room and to be honest, that excited her.
In the process of walking up to Fitz, she watched Michaela Pratt, one of the segment producers, glide over to him. She was beautiful, and the peppy type, who probably modeled herself after Annalise. Olivia could spot how over the top she was; Michaela was acting all sorts of a hot mess around Fitz, wearing a hot pink blazer, black skirt, and heels that were a little higher than usual for a first day gathering.
"Good morning, Mr. Grant," she extended her hand, "My name is Michaela Pratt and I am very excited to be working with you."
With a chuckle, he said hi. "You can call me Fitz. I'm not a professor or anything. Glad to be working with you too."
Michaela beamed. "Okay, Fitz!"
The younger ones had a level of spunk and vigor that Olivia found somewhat endearing, but mainly obnoxious. Their enthusiasm had to be commended, ready to rub shoulders with the veterans.
Profusely denying any hints of jealousy and shifting her eyes away from the second hand embarrassment, Olivia pivoted towards an available seat. She placed the tray down, and grabbed the packet her boss created. Compact but full of information. Procedures, call sheets, how much vacation time she would receive per season. Since it was more of a variety show setting, it was quite different than the news outlet she was accustomed to.
"Excuse me, Miss."
She lifted her head; Fitz was standing next to her with a raised eyebrow and a mischievous grin.
"Yes?"
"You walk into the room and you decided to ignore me? I'm shocked."
Olivia noticed the intensity in Fitz's blue eyes; they were striking. No one could avoid his pointed look. If she was a weakling, she'd buckle and fall into them. But that wasn't her forte.
"You were busy," she curtly responded, pretending to be unbothered. Her acting skills needed some work.
"Oh. Okay," Fitz answered with a laugh, then leaned over to say, "Good morning, partner."
Olivia's lips cracked into a smile. "Good morning."
"Which one is mine?"
Fitz gestured to the tray. Olivia handed him the untouched paper cup. With a nod, he took a long sip.
"Mmm. That tastes good. Thank you. Next time it's on me. May I sit next to you?"
Olivia shrugged, moving her possessions over on the table. "Sure, if no one already claimed it."
Annalise entered, in a sleek black dress, looking like the fearless leader she was. "Good morning, everyone. Thank you for being here — on time — tardiness will not be accepted. Ever. Unless there is a family emergency or if 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue calls you to cover a story."
Some laughed, others stood still, a tad nervous by Annalise's firm statements.
"This week is for preparing for our pilot. Our first show is next Monday at 9am. The plan is to support each other, so we can have the best morning show in Washington. Every day, we will have a theme, and everyone will need to contribute. Full participation. Even if you're behind the scenes."
For twenty minutes, Annalise and Cyrus reviewed the introductory packet, answering questions, and led a team building exercise — focusing on cues and quickly adding onto a conversation.
It reminded Olivia of a high school theatre class she attended, in which she had to work on improvisation. Every three minutes, the rotation began, and she went to a new partner, making the best of what she received. While she focused on body language, she mentally noted on other aspects that were important to her — who took the lead most of the time, who was more creative, and if the partner talked over her.
When she and Fitz crossed paths, their drill was seamless.
"Ahh," Cyrus exclaimed, pointing at them. "This is why you got hired. Annalise, do you see the spark they have? I want to work with them all the time."
Annalise crossed her arms, smiling in approval. "I knew what was best."
On average, it took weeks and months to gel with a new co-worker; but in this rare case, the connection needed to happen sooner. Olivia and Fitz had four and a half days.
Thirty minutes later, Annalise brought everyone back to the table, closing the meeting.
"Thank you, everyone. I believe this was a great start. It's going to be a busy week, but it is possible. Your room assignments are in your folder. Now let's disperse and have fun," her voice boomed, prompting the team to applaud.
While the room thinned out, Annalise called for Olivia and Fitz. "Come with me to my office, please."
The two followed her lead, to her luxurious workspace. She offered them seats.
"I wanted to touch base with you before I head off. How did you think the morning went?"
"Pretty well," Olivia stated. "It was nice to meet everyone officially and start on a good note."
"Fitz?"
Olivia watched Fitz lean forward, calm and collected. With his signature smile, he agreed, "I loved it. I'm ready to get to work."
"Excellent," Annalise replied, "I'm happy you both got a sense of what we're trying to do here. It's different than what you're used to. Here's your assignment for this week — I would like you to create an opener and a mini script. Not quite banter, but material that will engage the audience. What you gave in the conference room was remarkable. But we need more. I want you two to get comfortable. Do whatever you need to do to make that happen. There are two rooms you can use to brainstorm, if that's your preference. I'll give you until Thursday. Any questions? Find Cyrus."
Fitz glanced at Olivia, who was jotting notes down. "Thank you."
"Anytime. I want to thank you for coming aboard. I know you two will make a great team. Okay, I'll leave you to it."
Olivia rose to her feet, thanked her boss, and left the room. Fitz bolted to follow her.
"Where are you going?"
Without looking back, she explained, "Finding the room Annalise suggested. We don't have that much time." Olivia peeked through each window, then snapped her fingers when she discovered a large room. "This will do."
They had to get to know each other, fast. More than the limited tidbits from the conversation the night before.
Fitz brought out his notebook, sharing ideas he wrote down during the meeting. The hour went by quickly, asking questions, working on taglines, segues, and tradeoffs.
"What if after each segment, I wink at you?"
Olivia side eyed Fitz, who was standing against the wall, "No, thank you. We have to broadcast chemistry, not flirting."
"Says who?"
"Says me," she continued, not relenting her stern pose.
"Thanks for the correction, Liv."
"Liv?"
Fitz rubbed the back of his neck. "Oh. Sorry."
Olivia paused to think it over, as she twisted her lips. "I kind of like it. Maybe it's the way you say my name."
Turning away, feeling heat rise on her cheeks, she almost wanted to take back everything she said; it was coming off as a flirtatious answer. "You have a great speaking voice. Calming presence. I'll allow it. Compromise?"
Fitz smiled, returning to his seat. His eyes lit up, a sign he received inspiration. He pointed his finger to Olivia, he stated, "Thanks for De-LIV-ering that segment. How about that?"
That soft moment crashed and burned. Olivia tilted her head, let out a scoff, while giving Fitz another stank eye. The ultimate look of disgust while the light in Fitz's eyes faded.
"You didn't like that?"
Dragging out her response, Olivia said, "Absolutely not! So cheesy! Annalise isn't looking for that. Neither am I!"
"But didn't you almost laugh?"
"No. I was hoping for something more clever!"
Fitz shook his head, "It was all right there, Olivia! We need to have some Grant and Pope-isms..."
"Try again. Try harder. Be charming and funny."
"Wait, I'm funny!"
Olivia decided to play it up, rolling her eyes, sighing heavily. "Oh, I don't know. I didn't find that to be funny."
"Not even a little?"
"Try something else," she chuckled, watching Fitz's demeanor change. "You're too experienced to give me lame ass phrases."
It felt good to laugh during an obviously stressful time. They were having fun. That's what the station was looking for. Olivia and Fitz were on their way.
Two days later, they were in the thick of it. Putting in longer hours to find that perfect recipe of energy, fun, charisma, and sex appeal. Annalise wanted a format that would bring in their desired watching crowds.
Fitz was well on his way to making his office more like home. He strolled in with two boxes of his favorite items. A photograph of his family. Pens. A glass that he could put candy in — he learned that trick from his mother.
Down the hall, Olivia was decorating her new space, with trinkets and essentials needed for the day-to-day, along with extra dresses and outfits, in the closet. Annalise was extra wise to give her this room instead of the others.
Speaking of Annalise, she needed her stars to have a photoshoot; no time like the present to start marketing.
For their first commercial, she wanted their looks to stand out.
Olivia chose a lemon yellow dress with caramel pumps, to elongate her frame, while Fitz picked a navy blue suit — his favorite — with a light blue-grey dress shirt.
As they crossed paths on set, they locked eyes. That was a mistake. The focus Olivia had soften, as she observed her co-host.
"You look nice."
Olivia curtly noted, "Thanks."
"Wow."
"What?"
Fitz crossed his arms, always ready to jump into the hard-to-get mode. "I thought I would receive a similar comment."
Rolling her eyes, Olivia stated, "The feeling is mutual. Lookin' sharp, Grant."
"Tell me something I don't know."
Olivia leaned back, feigning offense, "Excuse me?"
Before they had a chance to prolong their playful banter, Cyrus stormed into the room, hair already disheveled, headset dangling off of his neck.
"Alright, folks. Let's get the show on the road. I need ten perfect shots so I can send it to advertising. AK wants perfection."
Cyrus gave them different poses and blocking. Facing away from each other. Turning in. Each take brought them closer. Backs pressed. Eyes connecting, making glances that were comforting.
"Alright," Cyrus yelled, waving his arms. "Let's do it. In three, two..."
Fitz began reading the teleprompter, with his smooth baritone. "Looking for something new to watch? We're bringing you a fresh take on DC life."
"Before you head out for the day, learn more about your community, and have fun doing it," Olivia added.
"I'm Fitz Grant."
"And I'm Olivia Pope. Join us on Monday at 9am for Morning Live."
A quick break for water and touchups, Cyrus offered some advice to the two.
"I have a few tapes from your previous shows. This is what drew us to you. Look at those reels; we want the best."
Back at it, and they were on a mission, looking like models.
Cyrus flailed about, wanting more from them.
"A little more smirk, Fitz. Move that stray curl back, you're not Elvis. Olivia! Drop your shoulders. You're not constipated, right? We need more you, less proper. We want our audience to fall in love with you. Immediately. Instantaneously. Immaculate."
Olivia slightly frowned, adjusting her shoulders, hoping the corrections were what Cyrus wanted. Shooting her eyes to her right, Fitz sat upright on the sofa, focusing on the teleprompter.
"He's so crabby," he whispered. "I should fuck it up so he'll get even more mad."
"Stop it."
Her smile made him stop in his tracks. He loved to see her smile.
"Ready?"
"Yup."
Five screen tests later, four o'clock arrived, the official ending time for the day. Cyrus got what he wanted and he dismissed her golden girl and guy.
Olivia rushed off to her office, changing into something more comfortable.
Timing was always impotant. When she got to the elevator, Fitz was walking towards her.
"Well, hello, there."
"Hi."
"What a day."
She hummed, "You betcha. How many times could we say 'Join us!' without strangling each other?"
Her ears perked when Fitz's laughter started. It was so infectious, she could listen to him all day. But she wouldn't let him know that. Not just yet.
The ride downstairs was quiet. As Olivia started her exit, she heard Fitz ask her a question.
"Heading out?"
"That's the plan."
Fitz opened the front door. "Wanna get a drink?"
"I wish, but I need to rest my feet and start looking at all the listings I received." Olivia twisted her lips, as she watched Fitz nod in understanding, but still looking a little disappointed. "Sorry, hopefully I'm not the only person who will turn you down on a consistent basis. Maybe next time?"
Fitz rocked on his heels, giving her a wink. "Okay. Not a problem. See you tomorrow?"
She grinned and confirmed. "Of course."
As they went their separate ways on Wisconsin Avenue, Olivia had a feeling like she knew.
Something was there.