Chapter 6

Seasons Change

Sources confirm and we can now report on the kidnapping and rescue of Ms. Olivia Pope. Seven days ago at Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport, an unidentified assailant, believed to be part of the domestic terrorist group, Take Back America Now, was attempting to take Ms. Pope out of the country. No motive has yet been uncovered. His attempt was foiled by journalist, Nathanial Wright, former fiancé, of Olivia Pope. She was a part of the storied campaign team of former President Fitzgerald Thomas Grant, III who resigned under allegations of an affair with her. She recently gave birth to twins. Sources report that she is engaged to the former President who is believed to be the father. Ms. Pope nor the former President could be reached for comment.

Abby muted the volume on the television in Harrison's apartment where she, Harrison, and Huck were staying since they had all relocated from DC to Atlanta. Nate was there recuperating from his injuries sustained during the airport melee.

"I hope Liv isn't listening to this. It makes her seem, well, trashy." Abby plopped down beside Nate on the sofa. He winced in pain from his bruised ribs.

"I don't care how it sounds. This is the fake story I leaked to the papers so no cub reporter would go digging around. I hope no one snapped a picture of Ivan. It was difficult enough to deny that Fitz was there so we can't have a photograph of someone with his likeness skulking around." Harrison turned the volume back up.

"All is pretty much back to normal now that Liv is safe," said Abby.

"Nothing in our lives will ever be normal again…not that it was normal before…but it won't be our kind of normal. We are members of The Organization now since we know it exists," said Huck with a stoic face and monotone voice.

"That's where I am confused, Huck. You knew it existed before now, but you weren't a member. So what's the deal?" All eyes shifted to Huck after Abby's question.

"I was already in the CIA when they came recruiting. I guess it's like secret shadowy organization immunity or belonging to one cancels the other out. Who would blow their cover in one to expose the other?" Huck said.

"How can you all be so cavalier about this? Ivan is still on the loose. As far as I am concerned, Carrie will always be in danger as long as she is with Grant. I may have been wrong about my Illuminati theory, but this is far worse." Nate had everyone's attention. He hadn't said much since the day of Olivia's rescue.

He was still reeling from all that had happened. Ivan set him up. When Fitz had banished him from the contiguous United States, he'd done some investigation into his past. Ivan had directed people to feed him false stories. Ivan knew Nate would contact Liv at some point. He had planted the trap, banking on the fact that Olivia would run. Nate had seen it all as he chased her that night: The bright lights. The woman who came out of the woods and hit Olivia over the head. The man who picked her up and put her in the car. Nate had heard them talking about going to a warehouse. Miraculously, the woman had dropped a slip of paper that Nate discovered was the warehouse's address. Without looking back he had jumped in his car and driven there. Nate had hidden his car a mile away and walked the rest of the way. He stayed outside the warehouse all night. Olivia had appeared standing in the door once, looking very distressed. Unfortunately, she'd turned around and gone back inside.

When they left the following morning, he trailed them to the hotel and then the airport. Nate also let Mellie go when he found her tied up in one of the warehouse rooms. He promised not to reveal her whereabouts to anyone. He figured she might continue working to break up Fitz and Olivia. Even though Mellie knew she was in on the kidnapping, she was an ally in his struggle to free Olivia from Fitz.

"Nate, brother, Olivia is with Fitz. They are engaged with two children. You have to move on. I'm sure they will be forever grateful to you for being there, but you have get over this fixation on Olivia. Doesn't the scar on your face remind you that it is over between you…and it was before she got with Fitz?" Harrison pleaded with Nate.

"She didn't know what she was doing. She was protecting herself against what she thought was a threat. It wasn't intentional. I know her. She isn't going to stay with him now that she knows the truth about him. It is only a matter of time…"

Abby traced the thin scar on Nate's face that ran from his left cheek to his ear. "Liv really backhanded you good. Harrison is right. As long at Fitzgerald Grant walks the earth, Liv will never be with anyone else. You are a great guy. I'm sure there are a lot of women out there who would kill to be with you."

Harrison rolled his eyes at Abby's futile attempt at being subtle when he felt his cell phone buzz in his pocket.

"Liv, it is good to hear your voice. Yep, he's right here." Harrison handed his cell phone to Nate. "It's Liv."

"Hello." Nate was nervous. He hadn't seen her since the day at the airport. Fitz had forbidden him from coming to the hospital to visit her when she'd been admitted after the rescue.

"Yes. Okay. See you then," Nate said.

"She wants to see me." Nate rose from the couch and headed for the door.

Olivia reached up to the high cabinet for two mugs. When she turned around, Fitz was standing behind her. He took the cups from her hands and placed them on the counter. He rested his hands on either side of her on the counter, blocking her in.

"Good Morning, Livy."

"Good Morning."

He grabbed her face in his hands and kissed her deeply. Olivia pushed against him.

"Fitz, stop. Karen and Gerry will be down soon." He pulled his head back but held her face in his hands, looking in her eyes as if he was searching for something.

"Why did you sleep in the nursery last night?"

"I was trying to get Arthur down, and I…I fell asleep."

"Something is wrong. We'll talk when I get back from taking Karen and Gerry to school."

Since the kidnapping, Fitz wouldn't allow anyone in his family to drive. Instead he or one of the guards chauffeured them around with extra security trailing them. They were on high alert since Ivan was still at large.

Karen ran down the stairs and headed straight for the twins who were resting in their portable cribs in the family room.

Olivia stepped around Fitz. "No, Karen, get your breakfast before you get them riled up. Where's Gerry?" Karen had a special connection to the twins. They started moving and wriggling whenever she was near.

"He's coming." Karen popped some cut pineapple in her mouth and took a bite of bagel before she returned to the cribs. She picked up Annelise and Arthur and started dancing around the room with them. Gerry skipped down the stairs and took Arthur out of Abby's arms. "Good morning, Red." Gerry had nicknamed Arthur, "Red" shortly after he came home. Karen had said, "Why didn't I or Annelise get red hair…all that beautiful hair wasted on a boy."

"Gerry, breakfast." Olivia motioned to Gerry to come to the counter. He walked over still holding Arthur. "What kind of bagel should I eat, Red, Cinnamon Raisin or Everything?" Gerry held Arthur over the Everything bagel. He kissed his little head, "You know me so well, Red. An Everything bagel it is."

Olivia watched how Gerry and Karen were with the babies. Her eyes welled up with tears. She inhaled to get her bearings and turned to fill the coffee cups. Fitz watched her closely as he tried to figure out what was going on with her. He could sense she was struggling with something.

They finished breakfast and prepared to leave.

"Fitz, what time will you be back?"

"I don't know exactly, why?"

"No reason." Olivia let him kiss her on the cheek before she closed the door behind him and secured the lock. With all the hired guns they had around the house she could keep the doors unlocked. How was she was going to get Nate around all those guards. She had called him this morning to arrange to see him, but she still hadn't worked out the logistics. The window to work this out was very short.

Fitz ushered Karen and Gerry into the SUV. "I'm not going with you all this morning. Sam will take you to school. Tom, you come with me."

After the SUV was far down the path, Fitz spoke to Tom who was very confused. "Olivia's aunt is here outside the checkpoint gates. Please go and pick her up for me and bring her to the house." He took out his cell phone and dialed as he walked back to the house.

"Hello."

"Nate, this is Fitz. You won't see Olivia today. Call her and back out of it."

"You…how did you know? Does she know that you are calling me? Olivia set this up this meeting so you take that up with her. You can't continue to keep me or Mildred from seeing her!"

"Our home sits on approximately six acres of land. There are five men per acre ready to shoot anything with two legs. There is a check-point on the road and only those I approve can get through. I'll let you decide whether or not you'll come here today." Fitz disconnected the line.

Olivia was nursing Annelise when her cell phone rang. "Hello, Nate? I'm still working on how to get you past all these guards. Call me when you are near."

"I am not coming."

"Why? I can get you through."

"Something has come up. How are you, Carrie?" Olivia heard the front door opening.

"I have to go." She disconnected the line and tried to unlatch Annelise from her breast. She wasn't finished nursing and started to protest.

"I'm sorry, Annie…sh…sh." Olivia settled back in the rocking chair.

"You are so beautiful." Fitz walked in and kneeled in front of the rocker. He touched Annelise's cheek as she suckled at Olivia's breast. He knelt there until Annelise's her jaw went slack. Olivia rocked her for awhile and then laid her down in the crib. She walked out of the nursery and into the master bedroom with Fitz following behind her.

"So how did you find out I was planning to meet with Nate?" Olivia faced Fitz with her arms crossed.

"Does it matter?"

"I am so sick and tired of you trying to control me. I don't know who you are anymore? Are you Fitz? Are you Soren?"

"Hello, anybody home?" A familiar voice called out from the foyer.

Olivia looked at Fitz puzzled by the sound of her aunt's voice.

"We are in here," Fitz raised his voice so the guest could hear.

"Is that Aunt Diane? What is she doing here?" Olivia whispered.

"Livy, you and I need to talk…really talk so I asked her to come and help out for a few days."

"Why would you do that without telling me? For a few days? How long do we need to talk?"

"I'm sorry, but something is wrong with us, and I need to get to the bottom of it."

Olivia stared at Fitz. He saw something flicker across her face that he'd never seen before: disgust.

"Hi Olivia, dear! Give me a hug. I knew I should have stayed longer." Diane embraced Olivia.

"Fitz should have told me you were coming, Auntie. I haven't prepared the extra room."

"It's no trouble. I am here to help. I will start by taking those beautiful babies of yours for a walk if that is okay. I've been on a plane for an hour and cooped up in a car for about the same amount of time. I need to stretch my legs."

"I just fed Annelise and laid her down. Arthur is fine, but he will probably be hungry in about 45 minutes."

"I'll take your things and put them in the spare room," Fitz grabbed her bags and left to go upstairs.

"Honey, Fitz is a dear. How are things going? Any word on the man who kidnapped you? Any word about why?"

Olivia wanted to tell her aunt the whole truth, but she couldn't. "There hasn't been any new information."

"They'll get him. Fitz will see to that."

After they helped Diane get the twins ready and comfortable in their double stroller, Fitz and Olivia followed Diane outside. Two guards followed behind her as she pushed the stroller down the street.

Olivia walked into the foyer. Fitz walked in behind her and shut the door. He pulled her into an embrace.

"It feels so good to hold you. When you were gone, I missed that the most…holding you...seeing you…I could barely catch my breath…I can't imagine how hard it was for you…"

Olivia stepped out of his embrace. "Can we have this talk now?" She walked to the couch and sat down.

Fitz stood in the foyer unmoving and not understanding her reaction to him. He walked over and took a seat beside her.

"What is wrong? You seem unhappy…angry? Is it because of the kidnapping? Did he…hurt you?"

"You mean did your brother rape me? You should know. Why ask me? You read the report from the rape examination before I did. Why didn't you let me read it first? I asked them to do a rape kit, and I deserved to know first. You aren't even my next of kin!"

"I am your fiancé and I…why are you pushing me away? You cringe when I touch you? I know that is common after someone has been…"

"No, as you know he didn't rape me. But he might as well. I left here naked except for your robe and was knocked out for a long time. Someone had dressed me when I came to. Maybe it was your wife, but I can't imagine her caring enough to get clothes for me," Olivia rose and started pacing.

"Mellie isn't my wife. We are divorced. She will pay for what she did… so will Ivan. My father is working on that."

"Why won't you let me see Nate? Why can't my mother come to this house?"

"They are partially to blame for all of this. They colluded with each other that day. Don't you remember? Mildred gave Nate a key to our house, for God's sake! She lied to you, baby. When Nate found out where you were, he kept it to himself. We could have saved you sooner, but he wanted to ride in like a knight in shining armor. Livy, he wants to break up our home! Can't you see that?"

Olivia stopped in her tracks and faced Fitz head on. He was now standing too.

"All I see is a tyrant. That is what you are. You lord over me like I am your property. I am suffocating. Your so-called love is suffocating me. But to top it all off, Fitz, or shall I call you Soren…you are not really the man I fell in love with. You are the son of the Supreme Eminence of The Organization? I am still trying to understand that. I feel like I am in a nightmare. My mom and Nate are not to blame for my kidnapping. This Ivan person was trying to use me to get back at you, Fitz. So I lay this at your feet. You are to blame for all this…for the state we are in right now."

Fit's face was flushed. Her words destroyed him. "I'm sorry.…I never meant for you to be hurt by any of this. I defected when I decided to resign the presidency. It was my father who…"

"Yes, your father and mother who are now going to force you to go back. Why would you consider going back…without even consulting me? After you lay this big news on me, I find out that you are going back. Fitz, I am buried under the weight of all this and I can't breath!"

"Honey, once we are married…"

"I don't know if I want to marry you." Olivia said.

"What did you say?"

"I am not sure if we should get married. You need someone who will gladly follow your lead. I feel diminished by you. I am disappearing. This is not the life I want for myself or my children."

"Our children, Livy…I've never asked you to be anything other than who you are. I love you. We fight. We don't always agree, but that doesn't make me love you any less. We can work this out. What we have is worth fighting for. You are my life and I will never give up on us. How can you when we have Annelise and Arthur?" Fitz's face was filled with pain and pleading. He touched her cheek searching her eyes for solace.

"Fitz, I need some time to sort things out. I will take the twins and go to…"

"No," He closed his eyes and let the tears fall that had welled there, spill over. They stood there for a long while.

"I'll go. I will be at the cottage. Don't say anything to Gerry or Karen. I'll explain it to them in my own way. I'll be back to get a couple of things, later. Livy, you may not think so, but I hear you. Please don't give up on us."

He kissed her on the cheek and left.

Olivia couldn't staunch the flow of tears that followed after he left.