Chapter 16

Olivia absolutely refused to ride with the President and his wife. Mellie was insisting that she ride in Marine I with the "family." Olivia had said no she had work to do for OPA and she would be talking on the phone the entire trip. She made her good-byes and got away from the happy couple. Mellie was as sweet as pie but Olivia had honed in on her last night. She had come there to get between her and Fitz, she knew about the affair. Fitz had called her this morning and wouldn't confirm to her that his wife knew, but he did say Mellie was up to something. He said he loved her and would call her later.

Olivia hadn't closed her eyes last night. All she could think of was that she would be the downfall of Fitz' Presidency. It wasn't fair that they would have to choose. But she knew one of them had to. Fitz would never end the affair, in her heart of hearts she knew he wouldn't. She had come to believe he really did love her and he really was willing to give up the Presidency for her. It was going to have to be her. She was going to have to end this thing between them in order to save him!

She sat stoically in the chopper saying nothing to anyone. Fiona the head speech writer had tried to engage her about the speech but she just didn't have any enthusiasm for it any more. All of her joy had been taken from her by her own personal Alex Forrest. Though their roles were reversed and she was the President's lover and Mellie was the was the quote on quote "cheated on wife" there were many parallels in the farce. All that needed to happen now was Mellie boiling a bunny rabbit aka Fitz' Presidency. And there was no doubt Mellie would do it. She wouldn't go gracefully. She would make their lives a living hell. There was no way she would let Fitz' Presidency stand without her.

She turned her head to hide the tears streaming down her cheeks. She had found love. She had found the love of her life but she couldn't have him just for herself. She had shared him with a wife and a nation. In her heart she knew it wasn't going to last. Every last thing she had ever loved was always taken from her. Her mother, her father, anything that she chose to love eventually it would be taken from her in some cruel way. Her mother was killed in a plane crash. Her father abandoned her when she was twelve years old. He just stopped loving her and discarded her like yesterday's old trash. Fitz' wasn't abandoning her, but he should have never entered an affair with her. He wasn't free to do so. Their love affair was doomed from the start.

Why couldn't she learn her lesson? There was no happiness for her in the world. She was not meant to lead a happy life.

Fitz refused to sit beside Mellie in the chopper. He told Cyrus he would return to Washington, DC by car before he would sit beside her. He was still steaming. Mellie had come out of her room still intent on making small talk pretending that they were some happy couple on holiday. He wasn't going to be part of her pretend world. He no longer had a part in the soap opera. He had played his part for too long. He had found love, honest to God true love, and he was determined Mellie would not ruin it.

Olivia wouldn't even look him in the eye. She had barely said good morning. And she was now riding home in Marine 2 instead of in here with him where he wanted her to be. He needed to talk to her again. She was wavering he could tell. Mellie had gotten to Olivia with her bullshit. He thought they had weathered her Camp David fiasco, but apparently not. He had begged Olivia to let him handle this but he could see that she was withdrawing from him. Damn Mellie to hell!

He had gone straight to the Oval. He looked at today's schedule. There were two meetings that Olivia should be attending. He would talk to her then or at least he thought he would. Olivia didn't show up for either. She sent her deputy. He called her and she was busy. Her assistant said she would call him back she didn't. He had decided to go to her office when he saw her in the hallway. He rushed down the hallway before she could disappear.

"Olivia what are you doing? Don't do this. Why are you avoiding me? We said we wouldn't do this. We made commitments Olivia."

"I can't do this today Mr. President. In fact I can't do this at all. We have to end this thing between us. You are a wide-eyed optimist. You are living in a dream world instead of the real world. Mellie is never going to go quietly. In fact she is never going to go. Her goals in life have extended to me. Now she gets to ruin my life too. Soon I will be known as nothing more than Sally Hemmings to your Thomas Jefferson. It is too much. You bringing your wife to my cabin was an eye opener. You can't play house with another woman's husband Mr. President. That type of shit always ends badly.

"Livvie please don't do this. I love you! We are together that should be all that matters. This is what she wants Livvie. She wants to get in your head and make you crazy. Don't let her do it. You know my marriage was over long before you came into the picture. Don't let her put you in the role of a villain in this mess. You aren't, she is!

"It doesn't really matter does it? The issue is she is your wife and I am not. Good day, Mr. President," she said as she turned her back to him and walked on.

He wanted to go after her. But they were already drawing stares here in the middle of the hallway. He turned and went back to his office.

His day had been holy Hell. Since spying Olivia in the hallway and trying to talk some sense into her he had been in a downward spiral. He was to deliver his state of the union speech in ninety minutes. He could make the delivery but his heart was heavy. He needed to talk to her again and get her to see that they were meant to be together. He had asked Tom to find her since he had been unable to get through to her again. Tom had come through; she was in the Rose Garden he said. She was pacing he said.

He rushed there to their spot in the Rose Garden. They often met there to talk and dream. They had even made love there once late at night in a secluded area hidden away by trees and shrubbery. That night on that bench it had been glorious. He saw her then in their spot pacing in circles.

"Olivia stop pacing. Get Mellie out of your head. This is about me and you, no one else. I love you Olivia. Don't over analyze this thing. People get divorced every day. Life goes on, children survive, Presidencies, they survive and so will mine. The Hemmings and Jefferson comparison is a low blow Olivia. I would never forsake you or deny any children of ours. I would proudly claim you and any children we would have. Stop the madness and listen to me. Mellie staged the entire Camp David event to make you feel guilt and to get you to walk away from me. Don't do it Olivia!"

"Someone has to be the adult here Fitz. I won't be the cause of your Presidency ending. I won't!"

"So you stopped loving me then? You stopped wanting to live your life with me? You no longer want to marry me? You no longer want to make babies with me? You no longer want to share your body with me? What are you saying Olivia? What the hell has changed in less than twenty-four hours? This is fucking ridiculous and you know it! Again don't let Mellie do this! Every breath I take is for you Olivia. I love you and you love me."

"Love has nothing to do with this Fitz. This is about reality. You think I don't love you too? Do you think for one minute I don't want my belly stretched with our children? Do you think that a night goes by that I don't want you by my side? There is not one Fitz, not one single night. But the reality is that you are someone else's husband. And you are the President of the United States, you and I don't get to fuck that up just because we love each other, we don't."

"So what the fuck are you saying Olivia? You are just going to walk away? You are going to let Mellie win? You are going to buy into the bullshit? I warned you not to fall into her trap and you walked right into it. I thought I got through to you. You have been played Olivia by the best manipulator in the business. Mellie didn't get here by accident. She lies and deceives as a profession. She played me Olivia and now she is playing you. We deserve more than a Mellie Grant infused ending Olivia. Again I am begging you. Let me come to you tonight and we will sift through this"

"Fitz what I want you to do is be the man I voted for. Do your job and be the best President you can be be. All of this can't have been for nothing. You are supposed to President. You are supposed to lead this great nation. I can't condone anything that would alter that including the love I have for you Mr. President. Please don't send Tom to my apartment again and for God's sake don't show up there yourself! We have to end this. You won't do it so I have to."

And then she just turned and walked away. He stood there for another fifteen minutes he was sure waiting for her to return. There was no way she could just walk away from him, from them, from what they shared. He refused to believe it. He stood there begging her to come back.

He heard footsteps, she had comeback. She had heard his pleas. He looked up and Tom stood there. Disappointment covered his face. "Mr. President you have about twenty minutes until time for your speech. Mr. Beene is frantic. Come back to the White House Sir."

He ran his fingers through his hair and looked up to the heavens. "She isn't coming back is she Tom?"

"No Mr. President, I don't think so, at least not tonight."