Thanks so much for all the reviews on the first chapter. This part takes place about 9 months after the wedding, 3 months before the big fight.
Fitz gets out of the shower and walks into the bedroom wrapped in a towel. He smiles when he sees his wife sitting at her makeup bureau in her bathrobe pressing her hair.
"You don't have to do that," he insists. "I can think of a better way to spend the time," he says seductively, leaning down from behind her and kissing her neck.
"Fitz, no, no, no. This meeting is important. We need to be a believable couple that people can envision as President and First Lady."
"Mmm, I like the sound of that. But why do you need to straighten your hair?"
"Because it makes me look a little more palatable to the Republican base."
"I'm a Republican and I like your hair curly," he responds.
"You know what I mean. Besides, I wore it straight during the campaign and I don't remember you complaining," she remarks.
"I like it straight too, I just...you shouldn't have to..."
"I don't have to do anything," she says pointedly. "This is my hair and I'm the only one who gets to decide if I want to straighten it or not."
"Okay, fair enough," he concedes. "But by the same logic, shouldn't I get to pick my own tie?" He holds up a multi-colored tie that he knows she is going to hate.
"Um, no," she says firmly, cringing at the memory of some of the ties she had to yank off of him during the campaign. She started carrying a supply of ties for him that she found appropriate, and she's pretty sure he started picking bad ties on purpose after a while because he liked having her change it for him.
"Now, that doesn't seem fair, now does it?" he complains.
"Deal with it," she retorts.
"I still don't understand why we're even having this meeting now," he grumbles. "The election's more than 2 years away."
"Because if you want to run again, you need to line up some key people now to run your campaign, before the top talent gets taken. As the standard bearer for the party the last time around they're going to expect you to make a decision early."
"I want you to run my campaign," Fitz responds.
Olivia laughs. "Okay, Fitz, there are a million reasons why that is a non-starter," she says, amused by how unrealistic he is being.
"Go on, let's hear it," he says with a groan.
"Now that we're married my job is to stand next to you and smile, not give orders to staffers who won't take me seriously because I'm your wife. More importantly, donors and activists and operatives and politicians whose endorsements you'll need won't take you seriously if you have your wife running your campaign. You need people who have credibility, who can be objective, whose commitment to your campaign will scare away potential rivals."
"Fine, but why does it have to be your ex boyfriend?"
"He is not my ex boyfriend! The night you showed up was supposed to be our first date and as you know I didn't even go," she says with a grin, hoping to placate him.
"Yes, I know. I kept you pretty busy, didn't I?" he brags. "How about we stand him up again today?" he says suggestively, making another attempt to get inside her robe.
"You are shameless. Get dressed!" she orders, amused by his persistence.
"Fine," Fitz agrees with a groan.
An hour later, Fitz and Liv are sitting with Leo Bergen at Leo's office.
"Look, I took this meeting as a courtesy because...well, honestly I don't know why, but I'm going to give it to you straight," Leo tells them. "You can't win a Republican nomination."
Fitz looks taken aback. "You get right to the point," he comments. "You realize I did win the Republican nomination 3 years ago, right?"
"That was three years ago. The party's moved further right since Reston took office. Honestly, you were too liberal for the party even then. The only reason you got the nomination..."
"Was because a miracle worker came onto my campaign," Fitz says proudly, wrapping his arm around Liv.
"Okay, that may be true," Leo continues, rolling his eyes at the display of affection. "But the only reason you had a shot at winning the nomination is because George W. Bush had made the Republican brand toxic and being the son of Ronald Reagan's lieutenant governor made you synonymous with a time when the party was more popular."
"What?" Fitz says with disbelief.
Olivia grips his arm reassuringly. "Fitz, just hear him out," she encourages.
"The point is, you're too liberal for the Republican base. That's strike one. Strike two, you lost. You're a loser. People don't like to vote for a loser again."
"Ouch," Fitz responds.
"Leo, to play devil's advocate, he came so close to winning in a year when Republicans shouldn't have even had a chance," Olivia says.
"Close or not, he still lost."
"What's strike three?" Fitz asks, trying not to get irritated.
"The third strike is...your marriage."
"Our marriage?" Fitz asks with disbelief. "There is nothing wrong with our marriage," he says indignantly.
"Internally, maybe not, but the timing of it is suspicious. There's going to be speculation that the two of you were screwing before you were divorced. Which I'm pretty sure you were based on the fact that your wife stood me up and told me she was getting married before your divorce was even made public, but either way there's going to be speculation. And even if it's not true, there's still the problem of..."
"Problem of what?" Fitz demands.
"Okay, this is a little awkward, but there are some voters who still aren't going to be comfortable with you as a couple," Leo says.
"You mean because..."
"Because I'm black, you're white, and some Republican primary voters are going to be put off by that," Liv explains, her cool demeanor making it clear that she doesn't take it personally as she states the obvious.
"That's ridiculous," Fitz protests. "We're always talking about being a more inclusive party. Hell, we give prime time speaking slots at the convention to the mayor of some podunk town in Kentucky because we're desperate to show diversity."
"Yes, and the RNC diversity chair and whoever's tasked with picking convention speakers will love her," Leo agrees. "Joe Truckdriver and Holly Homemaker in Iowa, not so much. Look, you had the perfect political wife," Leo says. "Honestly, when you got divorced, most of us took that as a sign that you weren't planning on running again. Look, I'd like to help you. Unlike many of my clients, you actually seem like a decent person..."
"Well, shouldn't that count for something?" Olivia cuts in. "Wouldn't you rather work for someone who's a decent person, who's authentic and not afraid to make bold choices?"
"Ten years ago, when I was as green as you are, sure. But I'm at a point in my career where I want to work with winners. And I'm sorry, governor, but I just don't see you as a winner."
They are silent on the cab ride home. Liv can see how upset Fitz is and goes to hold his hand, but hesitates, afraid he might need space.
When they get home, Fitz slumps down onto the couch and pours himself a generous glass of Scotch. Liv comes out of the bedroom after changing into more casual clothes for work, pulling her sweater on as she sits down next to him but still keeps her distance.
"Can we talk first?" she asks hesitantly.
"What's to talk about? You knew what he was going to say. You knew I didn't have a chance. You could have just told me that yourself instead of having your ex-boyfriend do your dirty work."
Olivia shakes her head in frustration. "First, Leo is not my ex-boyfriend. We've been over this. Second, the idea that I need a man to do my 'dirty work' is sexist and insulting. Third, I wouldn't have taken the morning off from work to go to this meeting with you if I didn't think you had a chance."
"Cut the crap, Liv," Fitz snaps. "You just sat there nodding your head and offering token protests when he laid out all the reasons why I'm a loser. If you didn't agree with him you would have launched into a tirade about all the reasons you think he's wrong. But you don't think he's wrong, do you?"
Liv sighs, not sure how to answer. She can't deny that there's some truth to what he's saying, even if he's greatly exaggerating. "I think he raised some valid points," she concedes. "I think the things he talked about are obstacles. But I don't think they're insurmountable."
"Then why didn't you tell that to Leo Bergen?" he demands, the disgust evident in his voice when he says Leo's name.
"Because you need someone who believes in you, someone who will fight for you instead of writing you off. You don't want to work with Cyrus anymore because he's married to your ex-wife. Fine. I get it. But that means we need to find someone else who believes in you as much as he does. So we'll meet with more strategists until we find the right one. Okay?" she urges, gently cupping his hand in hers.
"Okay," Fitz agrees. The tension dissipates, but Liv can't shake the nagging feeling that he is just saying okay to placate her. She kisses him and then goes to grab her backpack, but he pulls her back onto the couch.
"Take the whole day off," he urges, placing his hands strategically to try to tempt her.
"Mmmm...I can't...I have to go to work."
"Oh, come on. You can't be a tease twice in one day. That's just evil."
"How am I being a tease?" she asks indignantly.
"This morning you were sitting there wearing nothing but that silky robe I got you while you did your hair, and then just now you came in here putting your sweater on showing just enough for me to see that you're wearing that white lace bra that you were wearing the first night we were together. You're being a tease," he complains.
Olivia rolls her eyes. "I am not being a tease," she protests.
"Yes, you are. You're evil," he whines.
She suddenly smirks mischievously. She climbs onto the couch, straddling him, and slowly, sensuously removes his tie, then leans in and whispers in his ear.
"When we make our first campaign trip, I'll use your tie on you the way you used it on me that night in Cleveland," she whispers seductively, hoping that reminding him of how much fun they had together during the campaign will lift his spirits and motivate him. He moans as he remembers the time she went through his tie collection and threw all the ones she found too distracting to be worn on the campaign trail into a pile, which led to him using one of the "distracting" ties to blindfold her while he distracted her in ways that made her crazy.
She lifts her sweater gives him a quick peek at the aforementioned lace bra she is wearing, then to his disbelief, she pops off his lap and grabs her backpack.
"You can't be serious," he grumbles.
"Just to be clear, that is me being a tease," she says smugly, giving him a quick kiss on the head before leaving for work.
THREE WEEKS LATER
Liv walks through the halls of her alma mater, Georgetown Law, and smiles when she sees Cyrus' name on the door of the dean's office.
"Nice office," she says as she enters.
"Liv! Surprised to see you here," Cyrus says. "No, wait, actually, I'm not. I'm not surprised," he says coldly. Liv looks confused.
"You're here because you're desperate, right? You're here because you've talked to every Republican strategist in town and they've all told you that he's unelectable, right?"
"They don't know him like you do, Cyrus. He needs someone who believes in him."
"Well, then you've come to the wrong place. I did. I did believe in him. I believed in him for years, put my blood, sweat and tears into propping him up. I got him this close and what did you do? You snatched away his dreams, my dreams, everyone's dreams, including yours. You were my star student. You could have made a name for yourself, established yourself as a campaign miracle worker, become a power player in this town," Cyrus laments.
"And it would have been a lie," Olivia insists.
"I'm not even talking about Defiance," Cyrus snaps back. "Defiance wouldn't have even been on the table if you had done the job I brought you on to do," he says. "I never in a million years thought you would decide that crawling into bed with him was part of the job, but I could forgive you for that. At least you had the good sense to be discreet, so discreet that even I didn't know. Honestly, getting some on the side probably made it easier for him to fake it with Mellie and made him more bearable for everyone on staff to be around, so if you'd done it right I might even be thanking you."
"Done it right?" Olivia asks incredulously.
"You let him believe it was more than just sex, more than just a way to unwind at the end of a stressful day on the campaign trail. You let him get attached. He took his eye off the ball, he lost his fire because he was dreaming about a life with you, a life he couldn't have if he won. "
"Cyrus, this may be hard for you to understand, but it was never 'just sex'. He was 'attached' to me - we were attached to each other - before we started sleeping together. Pretty much from the moment we met," she says with a smile, remembering the first time they talked. "I know that sounds insane, but…"
"But nothing. It sounds insane because it is insane! Come on, you know better. You should have shut it down, or at least managed his expectations. You should have had the good sense to realize it was just a fantasy, that you're drawn to power and that he'd be a lot less attractive to you if he didn't win."
"That's not true!" she says in a tone that indicates that Cyrus has touched a nerve.
"Oh come on, it's true and you know it. It's why you're here, determined to get him to run again. I'm guessing he doesn't even know you're here, right? He doesn't even want my help, but you're going to try to push it on him because you're the one who's desperate."
Olivia sighs. "I'm just...I feel like he's losing his passion," she admits.
"Of course he is! He feels like a loser, because he is a loser. He had it all and now he's realizing he threw it away for a fantasy. He was delusional enough to think that he could divorce Mellie, marry you six months later, and get another shot at the presidency. Him, I can understand. He's always been naive, pampered, detached from reality. But you? You're smarter than that! You had to know that marrying him would kill any chance he had of winning the Republican nomination again."
"You mean because I'm black?" she snaps.
"Among other reasons. Come on, Liv, you know better than to get sensitive about this. You know that you're not exactly the right hue for the Republican base even if they could get past the cheating and the lying and the abandonment."
Olivia looks like she has been punched in the gut. She has heard a similar spiel from other Republican strategists but from Cyrus feels a lot more real.
"Look, Liv, don't despair," Cyrus says in a tone that is half patronizing, half sympathetic. "You made a mistake. A big mistake, one that cost all of us dearly. But it's not too late, not for you at least. You can still get out. You don't even have to divorce him. Just accept that he's a dead weight and focus on your career, not his. Get on another campaign, preferably for a woman so you can't be accused of sleeping your way to the top, and work your magic. I'll even make some calls for you, because even though you broke my heart I still believe you have a lot of potential."
Olivia considers for a minute. She wants to tell Cyrus why he's wrong but can't find the words, because deep down she wonders if he isn't.
"No, thank you," she says after a moment. "I am not abandoning Fitz. I am not giving up on him."
Cyrus shakes his head. "Don't say I didn't warn you," he chuckles dryly.
TWO WEEKS LATER
Olivia is sitting on her couch when Fitz comes in, dressed in a suit and tie, smiling.
"Hey you," he says cheerfully, leaning down to give her a kiss.
"Hey," she says, happy to see him in a better mood than he's been lately.
"I have good news," he says. She lights up and looks at him expectantly.
"The producers at BNC want me to take over the 3 o'clock hour, host a political talk show."
"A political talk show?" she asks skeptically, hoping he didn't notice the excitement drain from her face.
"Yeah. I'll give commentary on the news of the day, interview politicians and statesmen."
"That's...that's great," she says, trying hard to be happy for him.
"You don't look happy," he comments.
"No, I am. I just...I thought..."
"Come on, Liv. We've talked to I don't know how many potential campaign managers and they've all said the same thing."
"We still have more..."
"They're going to say the same thing too. You know it. And I noticed you've suddenly stopped insinuating that I should call Cyrus, which means you already went to talk to him behind my back and he said the same thing, didn't he?"
"Yes," Olivia admits.
Fitz sighs, frustrated. "It's not going to happen, Liv. It's time to accept it and move on with our lives, okay?" he says gently, sitting down next to her and taking a sip of scotch.
"Okay," she agrees reluctantly. His tone is reassuring but she can see the disappointment in his eyes. He leans in to kiss her but she pulls away. "I'm sorry. I have to finish this," she explains, gesturing to her computer. It's a lame excuse but she just can't be close to him or even look at him right now, because all she can think about is how she is responsible for taking away his dream.
Sorry to end on a sad note, but I thought this would provide some context for why Fitz decided not to run again and why Liv seemed so disappointed about it. The next chapter will likely start after the end of the dream in 610, when Liv shows Fitz the townhouse in Georgetown. Please review and feel free to be honest if you didn't like it or think it could be better.