Kimberly Mitchell looked at the couple and smiled. She had been patiently waiting for this moment. It was not because her having the exclusives with the couple in front of her put her in the driver's seat of what she wanted to happen in her career. It was because she really respected the two of them. She had dealt with her fair share of politicians since she moved to D.C.

President Grant was different than most politicians. He was always respectful. He never made demands when it came to interviewing him. He was always as honest as he could be. While his ex-wife was as phony as the hair pieces in her head the President was the total opposite.

She was not surprised at all by the actions of Mellie Francis. There had been some rumble about the fact that the President had an affair, but if you really wanted to define their relationship using the word affair it did not seem like it was appropriate for the couple.

When Olivia's team called her to set up the interview she expected them to give her a list of questions she could not ask, but that did not happen. Olivia had personally sent an email to her apologizing for having to delay the interview, but they didn't want to do it until they had some closure to the charges again Mellie & Jake for the attempted assassination attempt on the President. Olivia promised her they had not forgotten about her.

Once the cameraman let her know that she was on. Kimberly turned and face the camera.

Good evening everyone. I know that America has been waiting, and the time has arrived. President Fitzgerald Grant is giving his first sit down interview since the assassination attempt on his birthday. For those of you who have not kept up with the case the former First Lady Melody Francis pleaded guilty to the attempted murder of President Grant and was sentenced to life without parole for being the mastermind. The hitman Jacob Ballard also plead guilty to the same charges and was sentenced to life with a chance of parole after 25 years. The President's former Chief of Staff Cyrus Beene was sentenced to five years without parole for hindering prosecution.

While the President was in a coma we learned that the President's former Communication Director had temporary guardianship of his children. I did an interview with Olivia who admitted that she and the President had a relationship in the past. She had stayed in contact with the kids which is why he left them in her care.

Tonight we get an in-depth look at how the President is doing. We get to see what life is like for him and his family right now. Finally we will discuss what the future holds for the President.

Kimberly turned and faced President Grant and Mrs. Pope-Grant.

KM: Good evening. Thank you both for taking the time to sit down and talk with me tonight.

FG: It is our pleasure. I know that America has been patient. They want to know that I am alive and still kicking.

KM: They do. How are you doing?

FG: Physically things have been going well for me. I no longer require the use of a wheelchair. It has been hard to learn how to walk and talk again. Something that I have always done. I still have ways to go, but I am happy to be this far. I was in a coma for two months and rehabbing for three months. I still have memory issues. My short-term memory is still a problem. I also don't remember some things from my past.

KM: Do you remember what it was like when you woke out of the coma?

FG: Honestly I don't remember the specific details. I do remember this woman coming to the hospital. It eased my fears.

KM: While you were in a coma Olivia admitted that the two of you had a relationship in the past. She did say at the time of your shooting that you were not together, but you still had papers drawn up to take care of your children should something happen to you. Can you explain why you wanted the children with Olivia?

FG: Olivia is the love of my life. Mellie & I were put together. We were the perfect political couple, but there was no love there. I accepted it for a long time until I met Olivia. I realized that I could be loved, and I loved her. It is no secret that Mellie did not enjoy being a mother. The kids knew it. When Olivia was on the trail she protected the kids from Mellie. She became a mother figure, and my kids trusted her. No matter what was happening with us she always made sure the kids were okay. She sometimes did things with the kids when I couldn't because it was too many security issues for me to be there. So once Mellie signed away her rights it was a no brainer who I wanted to take care of the kids should something happen.

KM: Olivia, where were you when you found out the President had been shot, and when did you find out that the President was requesting that you care for the kids in an event that something happened to him?

OPG: I watched the President being shot. (Olivia took a moment to get her bearings Fitz held her hand a little tighter) To this day I have never been more frightened than I was at that moment. I realized that the kids had more than likely saw their dad being shot which they did. Their agents brought them to me at their request. The President's SSA then called me and asked me to come to the hospital. It was at that time that I learned about the divorce, that Mellie had signed away her parental rights, and that he had paper work asking me to take guardianship of the kids if something happened to him.

KM: Did you consider not taking the kids considering you have a demanding job and are sought after across the world?

OPG: Never. Those kids are my world. I would never let some stranger care for them. Their mother had put them through hell. They had no idea if they would ever see their dad alive again. I was not going to pawn those kids away.

KM: Did you ever prepare yourself that you never see the President alive again?

OPG: (With tears in her eyes) I had no choice but to prepare for that to happen. I had two children I had to think about. I was devastated. He has always told me that he loved me and wanted a life with me. I was always more worried about the American people and keeping him President that I forgot to think about the man who was doing the job. Being a President is not who he is. That is a job. I had to face the fact that I would not get to have a life with Fitz. The kids would not get to have a dad see them grow and make their way in this world. There were some scary moments, and I had to be prepared for it all.

KM: So after two months President Grant you finally come out of your coma. You are reunited with Olivia and your kids. What was that like?

FG: Well I had a tube down my throat so I was scared at first. My main SSAs Tom and Hal comforted me. I was not aware that Olivia had been at my side the entire time. We had not spoken in six months. So it was an exciting moment to see her at my side. I remember her and my kids talking to me while I was in my coma, but I didn't know what it all meant. I seen my kids and they looked healthy and happy. I don't have all of my memories, but I can't recall a time where they looked this content and happy.

KM: When you found out that Olivia was available and you were now divorced when did you approach her giving your relationship another go?

FG: (Laughing) Well here is a funny story for your audience. At the time I could not speak sentences. I could only say either words or phrases. That being said I had my best friend go get something that I had purchased a while ago. It was an engagement ring that I purchased hoping that one day we would get our happily ever after. I proposed to her the day I woke up from the coma. As much as I could for a man who could not talk or write much.

KM: Olivia, what were you thinking?

OPG: I was laughing and crying all at the same time. Seriously I was in shock. It took me a minute to realize that it was real. What was even more shocking was the request with the proposal.

KM: What was the request?

OPG: He wanted to get married before he came home with me and the kids so that we could be a real family.

KM: Did you agree?

OPG: (Smiling) I did under one condition and that was that he fight to get his life back. I wasn't worried whether or not he would be able to serve again as President I just wanted Fitz the man. Fitz the dad as healthy as he could be.

KM: May I ask did you follow through and get married? (She hoped that she kept a straight face)

FG: (Smiling from ear to ear) As a matter of fact we did. Although I could not personally make it happen my secretary Lauren went to work for Olivia after I was shot. I was able to communicate enough with her and asked her to plan a wedding for Olivia. I asked her to get the kids involved. She had access to my accounts so while Olivia thought we would have a civil ceremony we actually had a wedding and reception the day that I was released from the hospital.

KM: I have to confess to our views. I was given access to the Grants wedding, but I was unable to disclose that information until we had the sit down interview. Here is some snap shots of their wedding day.

They showed a picture of Olivia before the ceremony, a picture of the kids walking her down the aisle, a shot of them saying their vows, a shot of the ring exchange, a shot of them in the gazebos after they were married showing their bands, and several shots from the reception.

While the pictures played the children were brought in the room and miced up.

KM: If you are just joining I have the pleasure of sitting down with President Grant who is doing his first interview since the attempt on his life. We just shared the news that the President is not on the market. He is married to Olivia Pope. May I ask if you took the President's name.

OPG: Yes. My legal name is Olivia Carolyn Pope-Grant. Due to my business I didn't want to drop my maiden name completely, but I had a huge desire to take my husband's name. I want to have the same last name as my kids. All of them.

KM: Speaking of kids. Jerry & Karen thank you for joining me. I can't imagine what it was like to see your dad shot. How are you doing?

JG: Thank you. We are good. It will be a while before I get the image of my dad being shot out of my head. However mom has taken great care of us, and made sure that we live a normal teenage life.

KM: So you look at Olivia as your mother? Whose decision was it to call her mom?

KG: It was ours. She has taken care of us behind the scenes for years. My dad has a demanding job. He was governor first and then he became President. He always made an effort to spend time with us, but of course it is different for us. We can't just walk in a restaurant or go shopping without a plan in place. From the moment that we were in Olivia's care she took care of us physically and emotionally. She loves us for who we are. That means a lot.

KM: Has it been a difficult transition with you becoming a family?

OPG: No it has been a great thankfully. I was nervous. I can handle crisis with my eyes closed, but being a parent is different. I was lucky. They are two great kids. I love them and they love me. As Fitz gets better we are learning to co-parent, but we are on the same page.

KG: I love having her in my life. My biological mother didn't like me or my brother very much so it was nice to have a mom who I could talk to about girl things. It is nice having her support and love. It is nice that being me is good enough for them.

JG: I am happy for my parents. Teenagers like to pretend they don't need their parents, but it's not true. We want them to love and accept us. We need to know if we are doing okay. Dad was always supportive but my mother had no interest in us unless it had something to do with campaigning or keeping up the appearance of being a perfect family for America. I am about to turn 16 so I have been thinking a lot about my future. I love having parents who I can talk to about my future. They have been there to guide me, but also allowed me to grow on my own. Learn from my mistakes and be accountable to myself and others. I love being accepted by both of my parents. Karen & I are enough for them.

FG: (Choked up) I hate what I put my kids through. I know that when this interview is over some will have an opinion of me divorcing my wife while in office, being in a coma to wake up and get married again. To those critics I say life is too short. I should have stood up for myself and my kids a long time ago. It is too soon to say whether I will be President again, but if I am that is temporary. The three people beside me are my life. I haven't lost my mind. I gained it. We are happy and healthy. That is what is most important to me.

KM: I know that this is tough to think about, but recently your ex-wife pleaded guilty to trying to kill you. It was determined that she used you wife's ex-boyfriend to carry out the hit. She thought that killing you would prevent the divorce from going through. How do you feel about Melody Francis and your friend Jake Ballard?

FG: I feel nothing for any of them. Mellie got enough of my attention and she gets no more. She sealed her fate when she tried to kill me. She is a selfish person. She only thinks about herself. She had no consideration for our children when she came up with this plan. While I have no ill feelings towards any of them, I have no love for any of them either. They not only shattered my life, but put our country in an difficult place. Thankfully Sally is holding down the fork and keeping the country going.

KM: Do you have a desire to be able to finish your term as President?

FG: Honestly I am not sure what I want. Right now I want to continue to get healthy. I want to be a good husband and father. When the time comes I will discuss what it best for us as a family. I think about finishing what I started, but I will only do that if it doesn't bring any harm to my family.

KM: Have you thought about your family growing?

OPG: We have and if my husband gets better, and feels that we can handle it then we will expand our family.

KM: Have your days as a crisis manager ended?

OPG: No they have not. I still own my business, but fortunately I have a team that can hold down the fork. They don't need me to hold their hands. I still speak with them on a regular basis. I provide input and from time to time I have met with clients to assure them that I will make sure they are taken care of. I can't be the Olivia Pope that worked for 20 hours and slept for 4 hours or less. I've had to learn to balance and trust that people have my back. My family is first. My team knows that and supports that. They love my husband and kids and spend a lot of time with them.

KG: They are our aunts and uncles. They helped a lot when dad was in the coma. We love having this fun extended family.

FG: I trust them with our lives. Olivia only works with the best. I just want to make it clear that my wife is brilliant. She is smarter than me. Olivia is my partner. She will not stand behind me. She will only stand beside or in front of me. If we are unable to make it back to the White House I will be the stay at home dad. My wife has too much to offer the world to be sitting picking out china.

KM: Thank you so much for your time. Was there any last comment that you wanted to say?

FG: I want to thank everyone for their words, cards, thoughts, and prayers. This has been one of the most trying times in my life. At the end of the day I still got my happily ever after. My kids are happy. They are enjoying the life that my wife has help them build. Madam President is capable of doing the job and we support her 100%. I know that people want to hear something definitive, but I can't give that to them honestly. Right now I am just working on being the best me I can be, and that will determine what the future holds. I will only walk back in the Oval Office if I am capable of performing that job at a highest level.

KM: Thank you so much President Grant for sitting down with us tonight. I wish you, your wife, and children the best. You are in our thoughts and keep us posted.

Grants: Thanks we will

The interview ended. The cameraman let them know they were clear. They spent a little more time talking to Kimberly. Of course they told her they would call when Fitz determined whether he was able to finish his term. Kimberly wished them well and thanked them for the interview.

After Kimberly and her crew left they made it to the family room to see what they were saying about them.

Twitter was on fire. Everyone was commenting how good the President looked. They talked about how fashionable the family looked. Many commented that Olivia really looked like a First Lady. It shocked many people who expected her to be in one of her power suits.

While there were some comments here and there and some commentators who dared to speak ill of them they were overwhelmingly accepted.

Those who loved President Grant loved him more it seemed. They said that he was really personable. Many noted that the couple looked happy and in love. You could clearly see that it was not forced.

The kids were a hit. They had not seen or heard the kids speak until tonight. Adults loved them. They found them humble and caring. They commented that they could tell that the kids were speaking freely. Nothing came across as forced.

They were happy that the kids were in a better environment. Teenagers loved both of them. They found them cute, sexy, handsome, and beautiful among other things. It made the kids a little uncomfortable.

Olivia was not overly concerned about the optics. At least not how she was in the past. She really just wanted to make sure that Fitz was looked at in a positive light. They saw him and their family as survivors. This would allow all doors to remain open when it came to their future. That task had been accomplished. Now they could focus back on Fitz and their family. Jerry was turning sixteen soon. She had talked with Fitz a little and they decided they were going to throw him a huge sweet sixteen surprise party.

A/N-The crew has finally been dealt with. The public finally got to see Fitz and know that he and Olivia are indeed married. Thank you again for all of the love and support for this story as well as my other stories. Fate Stepped In will be updated next...