Part 19

"So Ballard, tell me what you've got."

"Sir, it's not much, but what I do have is rather alarming…"

Jerry holds his hand out, curious to uncover the findings of his private investigator; he had been trailing Fitz for over a week now. "Give it to me…"

Reluctantly, Jake hands over the brown envelope and simply waits for the fallout. It doesn't take long before the penny drops… "No way, but she's… she's black..." He stammers, thrown by the evidence laid out before him. For the life of him he had not expected that. Shocked, he has to take a closer look, flicking through the many photos, unable to comprehend that the woman his son is having an affair with is black. Had his son lost his mind? "This must be a mistake…"

"Sir…"

"I mean, where's the intimate photos? There are none here…"

"Sir you're right, there are none, yet… because they've been very discrete, but I can assure you, if your son is having an affair, then I guarantee it is with this woman."

"What makes you say that?"

"Since I've been following him, your son has spent more hours, including significant time alone with this woman, than he has with his own wife."

Jerry shakes his head, he still can't believe it… "Who is she?"

"Her name is Olivia Pope…"

"Pope? Why does that sound familiar?"

"Well, her father is Elijah Pope- well known for his civil rights work and his service to the black community, in fact he has worked with your son on a number of ventures…"

"Hold on… How old is she exactly?"

"She's 22… She's young, but remarkably accomplished… And was hired 4 months ago to work for NOW, handling legal cases."

"Fitz hired her?"

"Yes…"

"So he's known her for a while?"

"It appears so, but my bet it was initially through her father…"

"So he probably hired her as a favour to her father, only now he's taken to bedding her..." The cogs were beginning to turn in his head. "Does she still live with her father?"

"No, she's living with a colleague, a Miss Abby Whelan."

"And is this woman white or black?"

"White, Sir".

"Wow, how liberal of her, having an affair with a white married man and playing house mate with a white woman… Her father can't be happy about that, surely?"

"If my sources are correct, father and daughter are recently estranged…"

"And her mother?"

"Dead, killed by racist vigilantes when Miss Pope was 12 years old."

"Perfect…"

"Sir?" Jake looks at him in confusion.

Jerry explains… "I have an idea, but I need you to keep tailing them until you catch them in the act… they'll slip up soon enough… I will require strong evidence that they are sleeping together first, before taking necessary action… Starting with her father, because I have a sneaky suspicion that Mr Pope will not be a fan of this union. The way in which he lost his wife, he is bound to harbour ill feelings and a deeply embedded hatred for the white man… Therefore the knowledge of his daughter sharing her bed with one…"

"Aaaaah… You believe he'll bring an end to it himself; successfully driving the love birds apart…" he finishes off.

"Exactly!"

"But what if that doesn't work; what then?" Jake questions, feeling the need to play devil's advocate.

"Then, I suppose the dirty work will have to fall upon me…" he reveals menacingly. "And I'll stop at nothing to achieve my goals."

Xxxxx

As soon as the thought crossed her mind, it had been niggling away at her ever since… It was a dangerous notion, but yet somehow it made sense- And the more she witnessed them together, the more she was certain of her suspicion.

Could the married man Liv was sleeping with actually be Fitz?

Abby first picked up on signals the day Liv's father dumped her stuff off, and Fitz had offered to drop Liv and herself home that night... As any decent gentleman would, he helped her to carry her belongings up and settle her in; but it was the way he was with her, it spoke volumes- tentative, caring and for a man of his moral high ground, not once did he look at her with a disapproving eye. At first she put it down to him simply feeling sorry for her, but lately Abby was starting to think there was a strong possibility that a lot more was going on between them, and if so; she had a terrible sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach about it… Because this was bad, real bad.

She had yet to share her suspicions with anyone, mainly because she felt she owed it to Liv to ask her first, but she didn't know how best to go about it, without causing her friend to shut down. But someone had to talk to her about it, because what she was doing could possibly get her killed if the wrong people were to find out.

She would talk to her tonight. But in the meantime, they had work to do… Right now, the team was looking into the recent genocide controversy over the contraception pill. It was a topic that Liv held a particular interest in; although she was more interested in the research regarding the pill's side effects and whether or not they outweighed the merit of a woman's right to Planned Parenthood.

Facts had showed that more and more women were taking the contraception pill since the FDA's approval of it two years ago, and being the forward thinker that she was, Abby happened to be one of those women, and she couldn't help but think it would be wise for Liv to show an interest in safe-guarding herself in this manner too; because getting pregnant with Fitz's baby, or if not him; any other married man's baby would be unthinkable at this stage. It would categorically ruin her life... She just hopes that for Liv's sake, more than anyone else's that she's been smart enough to practice safe sex thus far, because God help her otherwise.

It seems they had a lot to discuss tonight, which funnily enough Liv had unknowingly provided the perfect window of opportunity...

After a couple of hours spent reading through various medical journals and articles, Liv had sheepishly walked over; cautiously looking around the office floor first; making sure the coast was clear before leaning over and quietly whispering… "Abby, where would be the best place for me to get my hands on a prescription for the pill?"