Chapter Sixteen


Lurking in the shadows with their lip gloss smiles


Mellie paced outside of Fitz and Olivia's apartment steeling her nerves for what she was about to do. The plan Big Jerry laid out for her was very simple. All she had to do was seduce Fitz, let Olivia catch them in the act, manipulate the break up to devastate Fitz so he went to his father and then she could either try to stay or leave. Big Jerry didn't care, apparently, in some ways she was replaceable. As long as she went through with the plan, Leo was safe.

She wrung her hands and bit her lip. The only problem was that Leo would get hurt either way. Either he would be physically hurt by Big Jerry, or she'd break his heart by cheating on him, even if it didn't mean anything. There was no justifying cheating. Not on Leo. He was good. An arrogant bastard who thought he was God's gift to the world, but still good. And he loved her in spite of everything she'd done and how she'd gotten wrapped up with Big Jerry. He knew everything and he still cared, he was still there at the end of the day. She didn't want to hurt him, but she didn't want him hurt either.

She spent another thirty seconds debating her next move before she finally rapped sharply on the door.

The door opened with a wide swing. "Mellie?"

Squaring her shoulders, Mellie felt a newfound confidence seep through her veins. She'd made up her mind and she knew she was making the right decision. The right decision for her and the right decision for Leo. "We need to talk."

SSS

"So the bachelor party," Stephen tipped his chair back, "what are we doing? Atlantic City? Vegas? Strippers and gambling?"

Fitz snorted, "There will be no strippers."

"But it's a bachelor party." Stephen objected.

Harrison chuckled, "I'm with Fitz on the no strippers. Quinn will kill me. Like actually break me in half."

"You're scared of your girlfriend? The little tiny brunette who talks too much and too fast?" Stephen shook his head, "You're whipped, man."

"You know what, Quinn is fucking frightening as shit, so yes, I'm afraid." Harrison defended. "What about you, Rosen? Afraid Abby will shoot you?" He deflected the conversation away from him and towards David who'd been silently taking them all in.

David flushed and took a swig of his beer. "Abby and I are not a thing. She's crazy and hyper and high-maintenance. We're just friends." He winced when he heard his own defensive tone. It sounded weak to his own ears. There was no way the rest of the guys would buy it. From the looks around the table, he knew they didn't.

"Are you honestly telling me that you haven't wanted to tap that?" Stephen shook his head in disbelief. At David's nod, he scoffed, "Oh come on, she's hot. We've all wanted to do her."

"Cheers to that!" Harrison tapped his glass of scotch with Stephen's shooting a salacious wink toward David, who buried his face in his glass of beer.

"Not me." Fitz quipped.

Stephen dropped his head to the table top, banging it against it a couple of times for good measure. "God, you and Liv are so disgusting." Fitz just chuckled at him, flagging down a waiter for another drink. "Fine, no strippers." Stephen relented once the woman had left them alone.

"You know, you really are a pushover." Harrison commented.

Stephen's mouth popped open, "You didn't want strippers either!"

"But you gave up way too fast." Harrison teased.

Stephen let out a growl, "I seriously hate all of you."

Harrison shook his head, "If that were true, you'd have other friends. Instead you have us."

"Wow," Stephen muttered, "now I feel pathetic. Thank you."

Raising his glass in toast, Harrison grinned, "Happy to be of service."

SSS

"Livie!" Fit pushed the door to their apartment open an hour later. "I'm home. I'm drunk. Well, only a little. Stephen wanted shots. I'm too old for shots. They're good, though." He slurred.

He stopped dead in his tracks when his eyes landed on Mellie, a glass of wine in her hand, seated on his sofa. "Hello, Fitzgerald."

"Olivia! What the fuck is Mellie doing here?" He shouted, sobriety suddenly hitting him like a cold wave.

Olivia emerged from the kitchen, a plate of cheese and bread in her hand. "I was just getting us something to eat. Sit. I'll get you another scotch. You're going to need it." She set the plate on the coffee table, giving Mellie a small smile before moving to the corner bar.

"Olivia, what's going on?" He asked sharply.

Olivia cleared her throat, "Mellie has some news for us." She told Fitz, pushing him down into a chair and pressing the scotch in his hands.

"Oh really?" He asked, setting the scotch on the side table and leaning forward, "Okay, catch me up."

Mellie fingered a small slice of cheese, ultimately setting it on her napkin, "Your father came to visit me yesterday." Fitz just raised a brow and waited. "He has this whole plan where I seduce you and break up the wedding. He wants you devastated enough to run back to California after law school."

"And you're telling us because?" He questioned.

"Because I don't want to seduce you." She told him honestly. "I don't want you, Fitz. I don't love you. I don't even really like you." She paused, "But I'm afraid of your father."

"Of course you are." Fitz snorted.

"Fitz," Olivia warned, "listen to why she's afraid."

"He threatened to hurt Leo." Mellie's bottom lip quivered a bit and she had to take a breath to get it under control before she could continue. "Look, I get that we don't like each other. And you have every right to hate me and not trust me. I get it, okay? I'm seeing a therapist. I've talked extensively to Leo, I know what I did and why I did it and there's really no excuse. But your father is a band man. We both have known that for a long time. People mysteriously die around him. It happens every time someone gets in his way and he can't handle it any other way. Leo could get hurt and he didn't do anything to ask for that. He's a good man, and I don't want him hurt, but I can't cheat on him. I think that would hurt him worse."

Fitz gauged her words, unsure of if she was telling the truth or not and honestly, he didn't know if he cared. Still, he wouldn't want to be responsible for Leo getting hurt. With or without Mellie in the picture, Leo was an innocent bystander and a decent enough guy. "Liv, side bar in the kitchen?" He requested.

Nodding, she followed him into the other room, "My gut says she's telling the truth and your father is running out of ways to fuck with us before the wedding. And to threaten Leo means that he's losing control over Mellie." She told him before Fitz could even ask.

Fitz leaned against the counter, still hesitant too trust Mellie's information, "You know I trust your gut, Olivia. I know it's always right, it's just so hard to trust Mellie and"

"She's different, Fitz." Olivia interrupted him, "She has been ever since she started dating Leo. We haven't heard a peep out of her. They only time she's even interacted with us is in class or debate. She's been attached to Leo and they're happy. I can't see her risking that for you. Particularly since you've made it clear that you're not interested in politics. Hell, I don't even think she's interest in politics anymore. She was working for a huge private practice this summer and I heard she loved it. She and Leo were both in North Carolina all summer. I heard they're both going to take the North Carolina Bar. You and I both know she'd have to give it all up if she were First Lady. And I honestly don't think she would want that."

"So you think we should trust her?"

"I think that we should find out how Big Jerry plans to hurt Leo and stop him." Olivia cut in. "She's right about one thing, we could all be in trouble if Big Jerry doesn't get his way. And it's not just Leo we should worry about. If it suits him, your father could come after Quinn or Harrison or Abby or Stephen or David. And I just can't live with that." Olivia paused for a moment. "Did you note that she wasn't afraid or worried about herself, just about Leo?"

Fitz considered that for a moment before nodding in agreement, "Okay, I'll trust you."

"Good enough for me." She raised up on her toes and gave him a quick peck, "Let's go tell Mellie."

When they got back into the living room, Mellie was refilling her glass of wine and Olivia's. "Well? Am I still the enemy or can I be trusted for now?"

"One condition." Fitz held up a hand. She nodded and waited, "Before we start trying to thwart his plans, I talk to my father."

Olivia's eyes widened. "Hell no." She replied.

"He's my father and this is my battle. It's not either of yours and it's certainly not Leo's." Fitz argued. "If I think he's still going to do something, then we'll start planning, but for now, I am cutting him off."

Mellie chewed on her lip. "I don't like it. You could wind up hurt." At Olivia and Fitz's incredulous looks, she snorted, "I'm a conniving, manipulative bitch, but I'm not a complete monster." She reminded them.

Fitz scoffed, "That has remained to be seen." He cringed when Olivia kicked him in the shin. "I do this my way or you're on your own and I'm on my own."

Olivia let out a sigh of resignation. "Fine."

Fitz nodded. "The Senate is in session. I'll go down to DC to meet him after classes tomorrow." He stood. "Goodnight, Mellie."

SSS