CHAPTER 4

Olivia managed to sleep for a couple of hours and when she got up the next morning, she found that Harrison was still sleeping on the couch and Stephen had already left for work, leaving a note on the kitchen counter as well as a few twenties and a burner phone. The note read "Went to work, hope you slept alright. Do not hesitate to help yourselves to anything you need. Use the money to do whatever you want today, I'll meet you tonight. My number and Quinn's are in the burner."

Olivia smiled - that was Stephen, he always thought about everything and made sure the people he took care of (whether it was his clients or his friends) had everything they needed.

She thought about what they should get done today but her mind was still a bit fuzzy. She turned to the coffee machine - a cup or two would do the trick and help her wake up fully and make the decisions she knew she had to make.

She was only beginning her second cup when Harrison appeared in the doorway, looking as rested as Olivia - which was to say, not at all. She got out another mug from the closet where she had found hers and poured him some coffee, leaving room for milk as she knew he liked it.

"Thanks," he mumbled when she handed it to him.

He went to the fridge and was silent as he got the milk carton out and poured some in his mug before putting it back. He then leaned against the counter and saw Stephen's note, his fingers brushed against the bank notes and the burner phone. He snorted and when Olivia raised an eyebrow, he shook his head.

"We don't even have money of our own. How pathetic is that?"

The question being rhetorical, Olivia didn't answer but she silently agreed, it was pathetic. And scary. They had boarded a plane as regular US citizens with names, families, bank accounts, apartments and jobs and when they landed, they were nobodies.

"I turned on the TV yesterday night, before going to bed. Just in case it was a joke. If so, every channel on the network is in on it. I'm still not convinced," Harrison said.

Olivia knew this was Harrison's way of telling her he knew about Fitz without having to say it clearly. He turned on the TV and saw every channel talking about the President's missing wife's reappearance.

They sipped their coffees in silence and then proceeded to get ready for the day. They didn't really have anywhere to go to since they didn't have jobs anymore and they couldn't re-open their bank accounts or get new phones numbers without being declared officially alive again and it would probably take a few days for whoever was in charge of that to do it. Yet, they both knew they couldn't stay hidden away in Stephen's apartment, doing nothing - so they got ready, took the burner and the money on the counter, and got out of the building.

"What do you say?" Harrison said, once in the street. "Bus or cab?"

"Well since we've got to make it through the day with that money, let's play it cheap: bus."

They walked to the nearest bus stop and while Harrison was checking where the bus would take them, Olivia called Quinn to ask her about Huck. Quinn told her he was with her at the office and they were welcomed to join them. Olivia relayed the news to Harrison who sighed.

"Well, it's gonna take us at least an hour to get there and we have to take like three different buses so I hope you're ready to go on an adventure and pray nobody recognizes us."

After a while, the bus got there and they went in. They both sat at the end of the bus, Harrison looking out the window and Olivia keeping her head down so as to not make eye-contact with the other passengers and get noticed.

A couple of stops later, Harrison gestured for Olivia to get out.

"We have to switch for another line here."

There were a few people waiting at the stop so Olivia guided Harrison to the side to wait. She was looking at an old man reading a journal in which DAL 828 had made front page when she suddenly felt a sharp pain in the front of her head, followed by a woman's voice whispering to her "Not this one."

She flinched at the pain and looked around for the source of the voice. Harrison caught her elbow and pulled her to him.

"Are you alright, Olivia? What's going on?"

Olivia looked around but saw nothing out of the ordinary and no one was anywhere near enough to whisper in her ear. The pain had disappeared too.

She rubbed her temples and sighed. She was way too tired, emotionally and physically.

"I'm fine," she assured Harrison, nodding at him.

The bus appeared at the end of the street and everyone gathered around, waiting for it to pull over at the stop. Just when the bus arrived and they were about to join the others, Olivia heard the voice again, joined with the same pain. "Not this one," it whispered once more.

Chills ran down her spine and she felt her muscles starting to tremble. The mere thought of getting into the bus filled her with dread. It didn't make any sense but the feeling was so persistent that she grabbed Harrison's arm and shook her head at him when he turned to look at her.

"Let's wait for the next one."

"What? Why?" he asked, looking at the bus and her in turns.

"I don't feel it," she said, trying to find a reasonable excuse. Her eyes caught the old man with the newspaper getting in the bus and she looked back at Harrison. "That man over there was reading something about DAL 828, I don't want to risk him recognizing us."

Harrison nodded, and they stepped back. The further they went from the bus, the better Olivia felt. Once they were a few yards away from the stop, she breathed deeply and felt calm once more.

The bus departed and she looked as it drove away. It stopped at the light and Olivia suddenly felt foolish. It was stupid, they should have taken that bus instead of waiting half an hour in the cold for the next one.

The light turned green and the bus took off as Olivia looked away. A loud tire screeching noise brought her attention back to the end of the street and she turned her head just in time to see a SUV crossing the intersection at full speed, completely out of control, and crashing against the side of the bus. There were a few moments of complete silence before people started shouting and running towards the accident.

Harrison and Olivia stood frozen at the bus stop, watching everything unfold before their eyes.

"Jesus," Harrison whispered after a while. "How many times are we gonna escape death before it actually takes us?"

Over two hour later, they were walking down the street that lead to their old office. Olivia couldn't get that damn voice out of her mind. She couldn't understand how it was possible. How had she known that something bad would happen? Could it possibly be a coincidence that she had heard a voice telling her not to get on a bus that ended up laying open on its side, just down the road, filled with wounded and dead people? If not, how was it possible?

Harrison's arm shot out in front of her and he pushed her to the side abruptly. Olivia shot him an affronted look.

"Look," he said pointing down the street "the reporters are still there, we won't be able to get in through the front door without them seeing us."

Olivia looked at the office building about fifty yards away. There was indeed quite a large crowd of reporters and news outlet crews that she had not seen, caught up in her thoughts as she was. Being a public personality and the former missing wife of the president made her the perfect target for the media to focus on to cover the DAL 828 story.

"You're right, we're not gonna be able to get in unnoticed."

She turned around and they walked in the other direction until she was sure they were far enough to be out of the reporters' radar. She then took out the burner phone from her coat pockets and called Quinn again.

"Yeah?" she picked up.

"We're in the street near the office but we cannot get in, there are too many reporters down the building and we don't have a car to get down to the parking lot."

Olivia heard shuffling on the other side and the characteristic creaking sound of the chair as Quinn got up from her chair and went to the window.

"Yeah, I can see them. Well, it's almost lunch time anyway so Huck and I will take the car and pick you up so we can go eat something if that's okay with you."

"Yeah, it's good," Olivia answered. "We're on the east side of the street, near the newspapers stand."

"Okay, give us five minutes and we're there." Quinn disconnected.

Olivia turned to Harrison.

"They're coming down and we're getting some lunch."

"Good. Maybe Quinn will pay since we're penniless."

"Not quite, we still have Stephen's money," Olivia pointed out.

"She doesn't have to know that," Harrison said, winking at her.

Olivia laughed and the man at the news stand turned towards her. She saw him observe her for a couple of seconds before she turned around to escape his insisting eyes but that wasn't enough since he started screaming her name.

"Hey? Are you Olivia Pope? It's Olivia Pope, look it's Olivia Pope!"

His screams first brought the attention of the few people around them and then the reporters', who were still further down the street and started running towards her. Harrison and Olivia found themselves surrounded by the people at the news stand in their back and the crowd of reporters running to them. Soon they were all there, screaming all kinds of questions at her and shoving microphones in her face.

"Ms Pope, how does it feel to be back after almost five years?"

"Ms Pope, can you tell us where you've been for the past five years?"

"Ms Pope, have you seen the President?"

"Ms Pope, are you planning on rebuilding Pope & Associates?"

"Ms Pope, are you going to claim your rights as First Lady?"

"Ms Pope, are you and the President getting back together?"

At those last couple of questions, Olivia couldn't help the stricken expression that came upon her face. Harrison was doing his best to protect her from the crowd but it wasn't enough, they took photo after photo of her, recording her every reactions at their provocative questions.

Olivia was looking around for an escape from the press when Quinn arrived and parked roughly on the side of the road, as close to them as possible. Huck opened the passenger door and jumped out of the car, immediately pushing aside the reporters to get to her. Once he managed to grab her arm, Harrison and him each took a side and they almost carried her to the back of the car. The three of them got in and Quinn drove away as quickly as possible, the whole thing captured by the dozens of cameras on the side-walk.

From the back of the car, Olivia got a sense of déjà-vu. It felt like years ago that Huck and Harrison had helped her in a similar manner to escape the aftermath of the video leak. In a way, it had been years ago, but where had all that time went?

"You've gone silent again," Harrison pointed out to Olivia from across the table.

Quinn had brought them to a small Italian restaurant where they were unlikely to get noticed and Olivia was indeed silent. She was thinking about all those questions the press had asked her and realized she didn't have any answers. She didn't know what had happened, she didn't know what was happening to her, and she most certainly didn't know what she was going to do. Even though OPA didn't technically exist anymore, she was still the leader of this team and felt a responsibility towards them - especially towards Huck and Harrison since she had dragged them with her in this mess. She lifted her head from the menu and looked at Harrison.

"I'm fine," she said. "Just thinking about what we're gonna do this afternoon."

"And?"

"I don't know," she admitted.

Harrison laughed.

"Glad to see I'm not alone."

"You can come with me to the office," Quinn said. "I've got a case you could help me with. I've been stuck on it for a couple of days, I could really use a fresh eye."

They all enthusiastically agreed to help her - it would help thinking about something else than the mess their lives had become - so after a quick lunch (Quinn did pay for everyone), they got back to the office by going through the underground parking lot, and spent their afternoon helping Quinn on her case.

At around eight o'clock, Stephen called on the burner and Olivia told him where they were. He joined them at the office and they all spent the evening talking, laughing and eating Chinese take-out.

"It's been so long since I've last eaten Chinese," Harrison moaned as he inhaled his sweet and sour chicken. "Almost five years, I'd say."

Quinn, Stephen, and Olivia chuckled at that while Huck shook his head, the hint of a smile in his eyes.

"That one was way too easy Harrison, I've known you to do better," Olivia said.

"Give me a break, for all we know, we've all lost brain cells in that time-machine plane. It's not my fault I'm not as funny as I used to be. Time-travel has changed me."

"Speaking of time-travel," Stephen intervened "have you thought about what you wanted to do?"

Olivia looked at Harrison and Huck to see them shaking their heads in response.

"That's okay," Stephen said "there's no pressure, it's only been a day and you can stay at my apartment as long as you want but I imagine you must be eager to get back a semblance of normalcy." He turned to Olivia. "And I know you'll feel better once you have a goal and a plan to achieve it, so I say the sooner, the better."

She nodded at him. She most definitely needed to find a goal and a plan.

"I just don't know what to do yet," she told him. "I'm too much of a public figure right now to be able to start OPA business again, and anyway, you are with Baxter&Richmond, Quinn is doing her thing, and Abby..." She cleared her throat and took a deep breath. "Abby is gone. So I'm not sure OPA can still work, or if you even want to continue," she said, turning to Huck and Harrison.

"I've nothing better to do," Harrison said.

"I'd rather continue too," Huck told her.

She nodded.

"Thanks, guys. But that doesn't change the fact that we wouldn't be able to take on a case right now with the press chasing me everywhere and watching our every movement. Plus we would have to find a new office, and we still don't have bank accounts, or phone numbers so that would make business difficult."

"Well," Stephen said "Quinn and I could get you new phone contracts until you can get ones in your names. As for the bank accounts, it shouldn't be too long until they officially resuscitate you and allow you to open new ones. You should also be able to get back the money you had, as well as the benefits from the sale of your apartments."

"And you being the centre of attention right now doesn't necessarily mean it's bad for business. You can spin it. They want to talk about and follow you everywhere? Good, because while they do that, you go about your business and you take very public meetings with high ranking politicians, use the press to your advantage and get their attention on the cases you're working. All you have to do is change the angle."

"That's actually a really good point, Quinn," Stephen noted.

"But," Harrison added "it's only good as long as you don't do any public declarations about the President or go to the White House. That would be political suicide and would take their attention off OPA and the cases."

"Don't worry," Olivia said "I wasn't planning on doing either."

"Good," Harrison said.

"And concerning the office, you can just use these ones. It's only me here and I don't use all the space, far from it. To be honest, I never needed an office this big, I only kept it by nostalgia. And hope maybe."

Olivia smiled sadly to Quinn. She couldn't even begin to imagine what it must be like to have all your friends and colleagues disappear and looking for them in vain for over five years.

"So that's settled," Stephen added. "Tomorrow, we can get you the new phones, and as soon as possible we'll start the paperwork to get your money and identities back and OPA will be up and running again in no time and better than ever."

They all nodded. It wasn't much of a plan but Olivia already felt better for having discussed it with the team and started the process.

After that, they talked a bit more, then, Harrison and Olivia went back with Stephen to his apartment while Huck went with Quinn again.

"Do you want the bedroom tonight?" Olivia asked Harrison when they got in.

"Nah," he answered "I'm good with the couch, it's quite comfortable."

Olivia squeezed his arm in thanks and went to the bedroom. She took a quick shower, got changed, then, like the previous night, went to the kitchen in hopes of finding some wine to drink to help her relax after that long day. Once more, she found Stephen, freshly showered too, waiting for her with two glasses of red.

"Here you go," he said, handing her one of them.

"You know me too well," she whispered.

"You're very predictable when it comes to wine."

They drank in companionable silence for a while. Olivia kept thinking about her day and the strange voice she had heard that saved both her and Harrison from getting on the bus.

"I feel like I'm missing something," she told Stephen.

She wasn't planning on telling him about the voice, but she did feel the need to confide in him about how she felt.

"It doesn't make any sense, you know?" she turned to him.

He nodded, taking a sip of wine.

"And I don't really know what to do about it. I don't know how to find answers about what has happened to us on that plane, how it is all possible. I know I need to start re-building my life but it seems almost ridiculous to go back to life as though nothing has changed when everything is so different and incomprehensible."

She fell back into silence. Stephen didn't speak either. There wasn't really anything to say - he didn't know either what had happened or how to begin to understand how it was possible.

Her thoughts drifted back to Fitz and the questions she was asked about him by the press today. Harrison was right, she wouldn't be able to go see him without creating a scandal now that he was married to someone else and was sitting in the higher office in the world. They would all be watching, waiting for her to make a mistake. Doing so would be extremely damaging both for Fitz' presidency and her own career - or what was left of it.

Still, she couldn't stop thinking about him. She wanted to see him, hold him, kiss him. She wanted him to hold her tight into his arms and not let go until she felt better. She had this ache in her that could only be eased by Fitz. She felt like she was drowning and everything was so out of control and the only thing that would allow her to get back to the surface and breathe would be to see Fitz. But he wasn't hers anymore. To tell the truth, he hadn't been hers for quite a while now. He hadn't been the one to hold her up for over a year before she got on that damn plane.

"And then there's the President," Stephen said, reading her mind.

Olivia didn't answer. Stephen already knew her too well and she knew she couldn't see Fitz, she didn't need anyone reminding her of what she could and should not do.

"You should go see him."

Olivia froze, then turned to him slowly.

"What?" she whispered.

"You should go see him," he repeated. "I know you've had your doubts about your relationship with him, I know you weren't sure you wanted the same thing for the future, especially concerning your career and family life. But all of this is in the past now. It may not seem like it to you because it feels like it's only been a week but to him it's been over five years. And I also know that despite all your doubts, you love him. You've always loved him and you're always calmer and anchored after you've seen him. You sleep better too. So if what you need is him, you should go see him."

"I can't," Olivia murmured, her head down.

"Why not?"

She looked back at him with an eyebrow raised.

"I feel like I shouldn't have to point out the obvious here, but he's married to another woman. A woman he promised me times and times again he had no interest in."

"Olivia, come on! You know him and you know Mellie. He's never been interested in her and to be honest, no matter how good a politician he is, he's never been really able to fake being in love with her."

"No, even if I was ready to forget the fact that I am now his ex-wife and she is his current wife - which I'm not - it's too dangerous. I don't have an apartment anymore and anyway, he's the President, he wouldn't be able to go there even if I did have one, and I certainly cannot go to the White House incognito."

"Then get in touch with Cyrus and plan something together."

"I'm not sure that's a good idea," she whispered. "And I don't think Cyrus would agree to help me ruin the past decade of work he's put into Fitz to get him where he is today, destroying it all with one visit."

Stephen stayed silent for a while before setting down his glass on the counter and turning his entire body towards her.

"Olivia," he whispered "the man has been living for the past five years thinking that you were dead. Now, I don't know him much but he's never hid how much he loved you. It transpired in his every move, his every look. The man has always been absolutely sure and had no problem saying to the world you were the love of his life. It must have been hell on earth for him to live thinking that you were dead but never being able to have complete closure. You're right, it may not be a good idea because if you get caught, it might end both of your careers, but if you ask me, it might be worth taking the chance. I can't speak for him but if I were him, I wouldn't care if my presidency was over if it meant I'd get to see the woman I love after thinking she was dead for over five years."

Olivia got quiet again. She hadn't told him about seeing Fitz at the hangar - she hadn't told anyone. She knew he was right in a way and that Fitz was probably hurting right now but every time she thought about Mellie Williams being his wife, every time she thought about him marrying anyone else but her, her heart ached deeply. She wanted to scream. She wanted to tear his heart out. She wanted him to suffer as much as she was suffering. It wasn't fair, it was cruel and probably unnecessary given the fact that he had five years of suffering ahead of her but it was the way she felt.

She couldn't see him. She needed to, everything in her screamed for him to be close, but she couldn't think about him without wanting to curl up and cry with the pain of it all, there was no way she could see him.

"What about you and Georgia?" she asked Stephen eventually.

"Didn't work out."

"How come?"

"I couldn't do it."

She squeezed his arm.

"Normal is overrated," she told him with a sad smile.

He chuckled.

"Normal is most definitely overrated with you."

Hope you enjoyed :)

Sorry for being so late, I don't really have an excuse except for the fact that I wasn't really feeling like writing Olitz for a while but sheer boredom got me back into the fandom and I couldn't be happier! Thank you so much for all the reviews, they helped a lot getting back into writing this fic! I hope you're all staying safe at home and that your loved ones are alright 3

This is my contribution to help distract you from the anxiousness of all of this mess 3 3