Chapter 17

The President gave a magnificent speech. He could do this shit with his hand tied behind his back. He was the ultimate politician. He had what it took to go to the top and he had. Only thing was the Presidency hadn't been the pinnacle for him. The pinnacle had been meeting Olivia Pope and falling in love with her. And she had loved him back he knew this, so why in the hell were they here in this dark place? She would return to him she always did. He counted on the love they had for each other to sustain them.

Mellie his wife had played Olivia and she fell for the ruse. He just needed to get through to Olivia. He needed fifteen minutes with her to get her back on track. Even ten minutes would be enough. Olivia Pope loved him and he could get her back with him where she belonged. He would call her into his office once he got back to the White House. He would drag her kicking and screaming into the hidden office in the Oval and make love to her until she realized that she belonged beside him. It was a low route to take but he was desperate.

He walked into the Oval knowing he had wowed them with his state of the union speech. He and Olivia had perfected that speech at Camp David. They had also made some of the sweetest love he had ever experienced those three nights at Camp David and then Mellie had shown up and ruined it! She was going to pay for her little fiasco he would see to that. She had won the scrimmage but he would win the war. Mellie was going to regret her latest interference in his life. He had warned her!

He had gone to his desk to ring Olivia at her office. Hopefully she was still there. If she had gone home he would have Tom bring her back here. He was going to get her to see the light tonight! As he reached for the phone he saw the letter. He would recognize Olivia's handwriting anywhere. He had hundreds of letters and notes she had sent him over the years. Most of them happy and loving letters or notes telling him how much she loved him and how she couldn't wait to be with him again. He cherished those letters. Some of them had been worn thin from his constant rereading them. Somehow he knew this letter wasn't a love letter. Somehow he knew this letter was going to break his heart. His hands trembled as he picked it up.

She had resigned? She couldn't resign. He needed her. They were a team in the Oval, in the bedroom, everywhere. Liv had to be joking. She wouldn't leave him this way. Mellie had caused a rift between them but she had done this many times before. Usually Olivia could see through Mellie, but the way she more or less stripped Liv bare at Camp David was dirty pool. He kept eyeing the letter. He was sick about it. He put it down and ran his fingers through his hair. How was he going to get her back? He picked the letter up again and he saw the pin. It was the flag pin he had lost weeks ago. Had Liv found it and was returning it to him?

He rung her office and there was no answer. He had Lauren ring the deputy Communications director's number. Lauren notified him when she had the woman on the phone. He cut to the chase. "Hi Greta, this is the President. I am looking for Ms. Pope. Have you seen her?"

"Mr. President she gathered us in the boardroom about three hours ago and told us she was resigning today. She said there were some unforeseen family circumstances and she could not longer work here. She filled me in on what was on her desk tomorrow and she left. It is regrettable sir, everyone loved Ms. Pope. But I can assure you Mr. President I am up to filling her shoes. I worked hand in hand with her every day. I know what is going on. You can put faith in me."

"I am sure I can Greta. If Olivia trusted you so can I. If you will excuse me, I have to go!" He hung up the phone and asked Lauren how long ago had Ms. Pope come into his office? Olivia had come into his office while he was delivering his State of the Union speech. He called out to Tom, they were going to K Street, he would corner her in her own den!

Olivia was watching the news when she saw that the Presidential motorcade had just left the White House. The media was wondering where he was going this time of night. CNN, MSNBC, and HLN were all on it. The route they were taking was familiar. It was the route she took when she left the White House. What the fuck was Fitz doing? He couldn't come here! She ran into her bedroom and picked up her Fitz phone. She hit the number 1 and waited.

"Hi Olivia. So now you decide to answer you phone. What the hell are you doing Olivia? You tell me you are leaving me in a fucking letter? I refuse to accept your resignation Olivia. We are a team. We are in this together. Or have you forgotten?"

He was angry. He was very, very angry. They had promised to talk before either of them acted. They had promised to love each other forever. And she still did love him but she just wasn't cut out to be a mistress. It was too hard. And she didn't want to become a murderer.

God was trying her with Mellie she knew this. She had tried to respect her position as his wife and stay out of the way. They didn't broadcast their affair. They hid it. Well she did. Fitzgerald Grant wore his heart on his sleeves, it was obvious he cared for her. But for some reason no one believed Fitz would betray his marriage vows. But he had with her over and over again. And somehow Mellie had found out. So now her lot in life was to make them as miserable as she was! It was too much so she had run!

"Fitz please don't come here. It would announce to the world that I am you mistress. That is what Mellie wants Fitz. She wants to shame me for daring to love you. I don't need that right now. You are the President and you are a man, you can shrug this off. But I can't."

"Then meet me back here at the White House. Please Olivia, I need to see you. Even if the press knows of your resignation you could come here to pick-up some things. Please come back to the White House and talk to me!"

"Alright Fitz I'll come back and talk to you. And I mean that, we will talk and you will see our situation is hopeless. I'll be there at midnight. Where do you want to be meet?"

"Come to the Oval Olivia."

"Fitz promise me you won't try to overwhelm me. I still love you and I am not sure I can resist you. I am so weak when it comes to you. Promise me we will only talk?"

"Olivia I promise you we will do only what you want to do. If all you want to do is talk we will talk."

He had sat at his desk the entire hour since he had returned to the White House. It was 11:50. She would be here in ten minutes. What could he say that would change her mind? She had wanted a promise that he wouldn't try to seduce her into submission. He wasn't above using sex to pull her back. It was what he had in mind initially, but what lay between them was so more than sex. Their sexual relationship was over the moon, but true love existed between them and he knew that. The great sex was a boon! She was early. He could hear she and Tom in the corridor walking together. He had sat here many nights waiting for her right here in this chair.

Tom knocked on the door. "Mr. President Ms. Pope is here. Shall I show her in?"

"Please do Tom."

She walked in and she won't even look at him. She walked up to his desk and just stood there saying nothing. "Olivia are you angry because I basically forced you to come here? I am sorry but I had to see you. You can't just walk away from us like that. I love you Olivia, I need you in my life."

"I'm not angry Fitz. I'm afraid. I'm afraid because I love you so much. if l stay in your life I will ruin it. Mellie is going to try and destroy us both if we continue our affair Fitz. She gave me your lost flag pin Fitz, she claims she found it someplace. You lost that pin one night after we had made love in the limo. She has someone watching us. She knew we were together at Camp David. It is scary Fitz knowing she has someone watching us. It is inhibiting and it is invasive."

"Olivia I plan to ask Mellie for a divorce. I don't give a shit what she knows. If she wants the public to know the truth about our marriage let her start leaking shit and I will tell the real story! And if she does one thing to hurt you I will see her penniless and out on the street!"

"I don't want my life plastered on TMZ and Entertainment Tonight. I don't want that!" She sat down in the chair in front of the desk.

He got up and went to her. He dropped down on one knee before her and took her hand into his. "What do you want Livvie, you have but to ask, and I will give it to you. Even your freedom from me is on the table."

She brought his hand to her lips and kissed it. "Just you Mr. President, just you free and unencumbered. What I wouldn't have given to have met you before you ran into Mellie. I would have chased you down and never ever let you go."

She got up and walked over to the painting of Thomas Jefferson and touched a small unseen switch behind it. The wall slid away. "Make love with me Fitz one last time please, she asked as she walked through the opening? Make me forget why we have to end this"

"Livvie please don't say it. Don't ask me to make love to you and give you up. I could never do that. I won't do that. It means I have closed the door on us and that will never happen." He still stood outside of the secret rooms. He refused to come in.

Olivia stepped out of the hidden area and hit the button again. The rooms no longer existed and nor did their relationship. "You see Mr. President the real truth is that all of this is so hopeless. It is why I resigned and knew in my heart I shouldn't meet with you again. It hurts so much each and every time I have to leave you and turn you over to another woman. It breaks my spirit and hurts my soul. Let me go Fitz." She started to walk away leaving the Oval.

He reached out grabbed her arm and pulled her into him. He wanted her to feel him hard as stone against her. She was fucking running again. He was so angry! She was just going to walk out on him and not look back! She wanted to hear some real truths he would provide her with some. "I could take you in the room behind that wall and make love to you and have you begging me not to leave you. I could make you forget every name you have ever known but Fitzgerald Thomas Grant III. I could make you scream out for me in unbelievable pleasure. I could make you never want to leave me or that room again Olivia."

"I know you can Fitz but you won't, because you are a man of honor and integrity. Good-bye Mr. President." She picked up her purse and she left him.

The President stunned at what had happened, walked over to the wet bar and poured himself his first drink of the night. Tonight seemed like a good night to get sloppy drunk!