Author´s note: Aaaand another big thank you to my darling readers and reviewers. New chapter is up, I hope it makes sense. :) Writing dialogue is something I am still practicing, I feel my strength is more with interior monologues and descriptions. Anyways, enjoy. :)

Umusarah: Thanks. :) And yes, that´s why I like Abby a lot, she has this blunt, sarcastic streak which I can identify with pretty well, especially when it comes to political remarks. ;) As for Mellie…well, this might turn out a little differently than you expected. Have fun reading. ;)

ShaunV76: I was just joking with the disappointment thing. :) Thanks a lot for your compliment and we actually share this dislike for Jake. Yes, Liv definitely needs a friend..things are quite messed up there…

Jennkyle: Thank you. Good to see that came as a surprise, I like to have a few surprises up my sleeve. Enjoy.

Clio1792: Thanks. There is definitely quite some stuff yet for Olivia to discover which is going to make a lot of things not too pleasant in the near future. This chapter starts with some realizations there, even though not in the direction of her father, but that will come eventually…

Najee79: Thanks for your review, I think I´ve not seen you here before. Welcome. :) Heh, that makes two of us. Mellie is manipulative in a dangerous way, in the end it´s about her but in subtle ways and that´s what makes her dangerous. She doesn´t shy away from using family and friends to achieve her aims. On Abby: Well, Abby is a complex person and I guess right now she just understood that Liv needed a friend but no worries, there will be bumps along the road for sure, things won´t go all smoothly of course. ;) Let me know, if you like, what you think of this following chapter, it does have quite some interaction there, hope you like how it turned out.

LoreneMichelle41: Hehe, just wait and see what Mellie is up to. Hope I´ll be able to surprise there. ;) And yes, Liv certainly has lots of explaining to do and as usually, if it rains, it pours…

Tracie Denise: Thanks a lot for your review. :) Wow, thanks. I always hope I´m able to write the characters believable, nice to hear you like my version of Papa Pope. Mellie and no drama? ;)

Guest: Whoa, some strong language there. You´ll see how it turns out. I hope you enjoy. :)

Chapter 12 - Revelation

„Mellie?!"

Olivia didn´t know what she had expected, who or why. Cyrus maybe? He had his ways to find out where she was, it would have been easy for him even though after today´s conversation him showing up would not have made much sense. Jake at worst. Fitz she had barely dared to hope, but she realized in this moment when her heart did a painful leap right down into her gut, hopes crushed, that secretly she had been hoping just that. She inwardly scolded herself for that.

"Whoa." While she was still staring at the brunette two steps away from her, Abby had gotten up to check if everything was okay. The hotel room was not too large, so maybe she had seen from where she had been sitting, it was hard to tell. Mellie´s eyes darted over to the redhead, then back at Olivia, an expression on her face that was difficult to describe. "I need to talk to you. Alone."

"Well, ma´am," She could tell Abby was now standing right behind her, audibly taken aback by the appearance of the First Lady, but Olivia could hear a mix of anger and defiance in her friend´s voice. "Whatever it is, Olivia doesn´t mind her best friend staying so I think I´ll stay. What´s going on here, Liv?"

Mellie ignored that and Olivia could tell the other woman was on edge, her fingers twitching lightly as she stepped from one foot to the other, that same expression on her face she always got when she wanted something. At once. "Can I come in? Please…"

"Liv…"

"Abby, could you…just for a moment…?"

"Really, Liv? You can´t have a chat in front of your best friend? As in the person who just…" Olivia turned around and gave her friend an apologetic look. "Please, Abby, it´s…" How was she to explain? She hated to do this, wanted Abby here, but her gut told her it was important this was a talk just between the two of them. Mellie had apparently taken the brief exchange as an invitation and stepped in, followed by her agent.

"Whoa." Abby said. "If I leave, so does Agent K."

The agent looked unfazed but now it was Olivia´s turn to cross her arms in front of her chest. "I agree. The two of us only, Mellie." she said. The other two women were frozen in what seemed like an almost dangerous stare down for a moment, both focused on her. It felt uncomfortable, almost hostile and sadly, even more so from her friend than from the woman who had and always would see her as a threat. Why was she even here? Then Mellie gave a short, quick sigh. "It´s all right, Michael, I´ll be fine. Wait outside." The agent gave her a look, hesitated another moment or two, then tossed a glance over at Abby. "Ma´am?"

Abby rolled her eyes, almost storming out of the hotel room, followed by the man. Only the fact that he was to leave the room probably avoided a dramatic slamming of doors. What stays, was silence. Mellie took her time to walk into the room, then she sat down on the sofa, the same spot Abby had been sitting on. It crossed Olivia´s mind for a moment that this little detail, even though accidental, would make her friend even more mad. She´d have hell to pay for this later. But she had to know…

"How do you know I´m here, Mellie?"

"I have my ways." The other woman said, watching her. Her expression was not fury, not anger, but almost a plea. If it hadn´t been Mellie, Liv might have described it as apologetic. Olivia remained standing.

"Cyrus?"

"Yes."

"Well, he didn´t seem too eager to know I´m in DC."

"I… I talked him into telling me. Olivia, you need to come back."

Olivia felt her mouth drop open and herself gulp for air for a second.

"What?"

"We… you´re a valuable asset at the White House, Olivia, you always have been, we need you back in your old job. You know how things work, you…"

"Mellie, you have excellent staff over there, why are you here?"

She could tell the other woman was uncomfortable, almost squirming.

"You won the election, Mellie, my job there is done…" She could feel an ounce of pity for the other woman. Not for everything that had been between them, not for the countless of times the First Lady had insulted and yelled at her, but…she, just like Fitz, was a parent still grieving for a child. Therefore she softened her tone. "…you have a lot to handle, Mellie…"

"He needs you." Interesting rephrase, all of a sudden. "He…he´s falling apart, Olivia. He´s moody, he´s … unable to do his job at times."

"That´s hardly got to do with me, Mellie. I know what you two have been going through recently and I am sorry. It would be wrong for me to intrude…"

Suddenly the other woman jumped to her feet. "Intrude? When has it ever felt wrong for you to intrude on him, Olivia? On me? On us. My family!?"

Olivia did a step back. Not because she was being intimidated, but because right now there was no way she felt like she wanted to be yelled at.

"Mellie…It was time for me to get some distance from…"

"You were always there! Always there, with your hands down my husband´s pants." Mellie was speaking through her teeth now almost. Silently and sarcastically, Olivia wondered what the newspapers might make of this eventually. This was not exactly a sound proof room. "You never listened to me asking you to back off, you just did what was convenient for you. But the one time he needed you, when he for once really needed you…"

For once? How did this woman even know the man she claimed to love?

"Convenient?" Olivia could tell her own voice was starting to feel strained, partly because this was taking a toll on her, partly because it was becoming an effort not to scream back.

"You had a job, Olivia. You ran away from your responsibilities. This is a professional matter!"

"No it is not. I left when I had to. You know this. And I am not discussing this with you. I am not the…monster you try to make of me." Now she was raising her voice. Not as much as the brunette, but still. They would have to keep it down or the neighbours would be getting quite a show. "Because I am not. I stepped aside in a professional manner, because intruding on a family grieving their son would have been just as wrong as you accuse every single of my steps to be."

Her eyes widened. "This broke him, Olivia. Literally broke him. I hate to admit you have powers over him that I don´t but your just leaving crushed him when he was already down. You saw how he looked. You…."

The other woman broke off mid sentence, a look of almost shock on her face. Clearly she had not wanted to give that away. A second passed, two, three. Pieces were painfully assembling in Olivia´s mind.

"The photos…" she then said, realization dawning, her voice low, almost choking. "You sent them."

Her opponent´s eyes flickered. It was all the answer Liv needed. She felt herself grow cold. Furious. How dare she? Stand here, indirectly claiming she was doing this for love, making herself so low she approached her husband´s lover for help while she had in reality just manipulated both of them. Hired someone to snap pictures that even the world had never seen and Fitz undoubtedly didn´t know about. Using him as a prop to get her back to make him function, to play her strings, her weaknesses, her biggest weakness that was him… When, Liv wondered, would people ever try to stop and manipulate her, to stop and decide what was "best" for her?

You will get on that plane, come hell or high water as her father said.

Take me with you, let´s start a new life as Jake had said.

Come back, come back, because I gracefully allow you so. Mellie.

"Out."

"Olivia…"

"Get out of this room, Mellie. Now."

She had no idea where she was taking the calm from amidst all the fury, not even knowing what angered her more. That she once more felt manipulated, even though she didn´t doubt that eventually she would have come back now or the way this woman had exposed the grief and anguish of her own husband. Probably….likely…surely, the latter.

"I did it for his sake, Olivia, it was the only way I thought you would…"

She didn´t even care how she had known and maybe, Olivia realized in that moment, this was another reason for her anger. Mellie had known where she was, Mellie had had her watched, Mellie had decided when the right moment was. Oh how she hated to be everyone´s puppet.

"Don´t. Play the loving wife." She knew she was getting to levels now she didn´t want to ever get. "I swear to you, Mellie, get out. You expose him…I have my ways to expose you if you don´t. Leave. Now."

Another second, two, then Mellie abruptly turned and strode towards the door. No other word, the knowledge of the weight of the sum of secrets they shared weighing her down, silencing her. Not even another glance and then the First Lady was gone. Again, no doors slammed. Quite unlike Mellie.