Chapter 7

Three Weeks Later

Olivia sat in her office, shaken from an encounter she'd just had with her father. Eli Pope or Rowan, depending on what persona he was wearing that day, still remained a specter over her relationships with both Jake and Fitz. Some small part of Olivia knew that Fitz was safe as long as she stayed away from him, and that though her father didn't want her with Jake either, it was a relationship he tolerated more, because he still believed in his own ability to manipulate Jake. Eli had come to remind her of that—that her situation remained precarious—that nothing about his role in Fitz's son's death, or his imprisonment of her mother Maya would stop him from continuing to run B 6-13. Short of letting Jake murder her father, she knew he was right. The knowledge caused bile to rise in her throat. How were any of them supposed to live with that?

She pushed Jake from her mind, not anxious to examine her complicated feelings for him. She looked at her watch and wondered what was keeping Abby. The night after the ball and her argument in the limo with Fitz, Olivia had been grateful for Abby's listening ear. But Abby had left suddenly that night when she got a mysterious text from Olivia's rival political fixer, Leo Bergan. Olivia detected a hint of a smile on her friend's face, but she didn't have the energy to ask more.

Olivia's mind was reeling. She was losing Fitz. The thought of that made her want to go crazy. She had to think of something to do. This was the man she loved. This was her friend. This was a man who was in so much pain he was willing to ruin his legacy for some sort of peace. Olivia knew no peace would come from severing their relationship. It was the truest thing either one of them had ever experienced. She had to make him see that again. But the cost would be to remove Jake from her life, and she didn't know if she wanted to do that yet. She ignored the hypocrisy, squelched the feeling, refused to examine how she could not have them both in her life and how she was unwilling to relinquish her hold on either of them.

A small part of Olivia worried if she should just listen to Fitz and let it go. She could live with Jake. Fitz could date. He could find someone and be happy. He was already happy. The words were black in her mind-Fitz happy with someone else. The news coverage burned into her memory of Fitz and Maddie playing pool at the White House, her in the audience of his speeches, the fact that he looked younger and happier than when he won the election the first time, and the most glaring truth—Olivia had almost run into Maddie in a department store and she'd nearly run over the salesgirl getting the hell out of there before she was seen. Olivia Pope didn't back down from anybody, but she didn't want to meet Maddie. She didn't want to hear her voice, or see her up close, because then she would know.

Olivia didn't want a front row seat to how Fitz's heart could ever lead him to someone else. Maddie Anderson was perfect for him in every way. She was beautiful, elegant, funny, down-to-earth, and beloved by her students. She had an amazing record of judgments in her favor as an attorney, and damn her, she was willing to hold hands with the President in public. Olivia didn't dare think of what else she was willing to do with Fitz in private. She knew his passions all too well, knew what an accomplished and purposeful lover he was, and she knew how passionless his relationship with Mellie had been. The thought of Fitz touching Maddie, of wanting her at all, made Olivia want to break something—hard.

She couldn't dwell on that now though she had to think of something to do. This limbo they were all in couldn't last forever, and she had a feeling she was the key to it all. Standing, she flung open her office door. "Huck, can you get me Tom and Jake's interrogation tapes?"

Two Hours Later

Olivia sat in her office with the door shut, head phones in place, fingers wrapped together and resting underneath her chin. She watched the footage with a cold and calculating eye, analyzed Jake's responses, his insistence upon seeing the President, wincing when she heard him taught Fit, and the way that both Jake and Tom reacted to the pressure of being questioned by her father. Eli was a master manipulator and it was going to take a while for Olivia to put together everything she needed to bring him down. She didn't know if Jake or Fitz would wait, but she would do what she could.

In the meantime, she felt desperate to secure her relationship with Fitz and there was one person who could help her.

Santa Barbara, California, the next day

"Olivia Pope to see you, ma'am." Mellie's assistant walked out of the room as quickly as she had entered.

Olivia squared her shoulders and stepped from the foyer into the living room of the Santa Barbara ranch house that Fitz had shared with Mellie. She hadn't been there since Big Gerry's funeral several years ago. She had both painful and happy memories here.

Mellie wore her hair up in an elegant bun, a bright red blouse and high-waisted slacks and a matching cardigan along with basic flats. Olivia was surprised at how casual Mellie looked but she wasn't the First Lady anymore and didn't have to look the part every day. Olivia was still dressed in her business chic charcoal gray pantsuits of which she had many, choosing instead to let her expensive Movado watch, a secret gift from Fitz, and her couture purse add the flash she needed.

The two women stood staring at each other, sizing each other up. Mellie appeared wary, and after a moment of awkward silence, she spoke up. "What do you want, Olivia?" Mellie spoke through gritted teeth as though it was difficult to put up the pretense of politeness.

"I'm sorry things didn't go the way you wanted," Olivia began. How did you apologize for a divorce that you didn't want to happen—well, not until later?

"Just spit it out, false platitudes don't become you. You were always a woman who spoke her mind. It's the one thing I liked about you. What does Fitz want now? I've done everything he's asked of me. I've kept my mouth shut, I moved out of the White House and out of D.C. I've stuck to the script and now he's free to be with you." Mellie stood with her hip jutted out to the side and her arms akimbo.

"Fitz didn't send me here," Olivia said as she cleared her throat. "May we sit?"

Mellie's features remained blank, and then an evil smile slid across her face and smug satisfaction washed over her features. "Madeline Anderson is not your creation, I take it?"

Olivia adjusted her suit jacket and perched on the edge of the couch cushion as far away from Mellie as she could get. She wasn't sure if Karen was home, the door hadn't been shut all the way. She would have to be careful what she said, but she needed to know where Fitz's head was, she needed Mellie's help to determine what he would do next.

"I—Fitz—their relationship is real," Olivia stated looking at the floor.

"He left you, too, didn't he? Seems he dropped all of us. Well, I'm not surprised." Her posture indicated the complete opposite. "Fitz isn't the same man. He's developed…backbone," Mellie snarled. "Before we were married I found that to be very attractive about him." Mellie's thoughts appeared to drift momentarily. "So why are you here, now?" Mellie asked. "Surprised to still find yourself as the mistress? Well, Olivia I could have told you—you would always be his dirty little secret."

"Okay," Olivia took a deep breath and stood. Mellie looked up at her in shock. "Let's not pretend anymore, shall we? You're no longer Fitz's wife. I came here to find out how in the world he got you to agree to a divorce when I was quite sure you would keep your nails in him to the grave. We both know that Fitz loves me, he's proud of me, and he still wants me. We're in love, we're not some torrid affair and but for the fact that he is the President, his relationship with you ended the day he met me. I don't say that to you out of disrespect, but let me make one thing clear, the days of you treating me with disdain and disrespect are very, VERY, over."

"How dare you come into my house and speak to me this way?!" Mellie boomed as she stood. "You are nothing but a-"

"Don't say it, Mellie. You still have an ally in me that you will lose if you utter that next word. I'm many things, but I am not Fitz's whore. We both know that."

"What do you want?" she huffed.

"I want to know what changed. Fitz may have been unhappy, but I thought he was content. You were clear in your terms of marriage," Olivia continued as she paced the room after abandoning her bag and coat on a nearby chair. He has a little more than two years left on his term, he didn't have to get divorced right now, after six years in office—after everything—how did he get you to agree?"

"I signed the divorce papers in a moment of insanity after Jerry died," Mellie replied, wringing her hands. "I was drunk, I didn't even remember, but Fitz did. He learned of my resumed affair with Andrew and assumed that I wanted it too. He came to me, ready to file the divorce papers, with a promise to support me financially, and politically, if I agreed to end things now."

"And if you didn't?"

"Then he would expose my affair with Andrew and divorce me anyway. Karen walked in on us during this discussion and I looked at her face and his—I had to be strong enough to put us all out of the pain we were in. Karen wanted to come home from boarding school, but she didn't want to live in D.C. not after everything that's happened here." Mellie turned away from Olivia then and walked over to the family portrait that rested on the fireplace mantel. "I did it for my daughter, not for Fitz."

"You did it because he had physical evidence of your affair that he was willing to expose," Olivia said succinctly. "Why didn't you just threaten to expose our relationship?"

"With what proof?" Mellie snarled. "You've been much more careful than I ever was, and I couldn't count on the public even believing it after that Jeanine debacle. No, this way was best for everyone."

Olivia still suspected that there was something Mellie wasn't telling her, but the scenario was plausible enough. Fitz was tired of the pretense and he wanted to be free. He was making room for Olivia in his life and she still couldn't step into the role. The knowledge was bitter.

"Mellie, tell me the truth, and you have me on three campaigns when you run for office—your choice." Olivia folded her arms and looked at her expectantly.

"He found letters written to me by his father. I never opened them, never responded to them, apparently Fitz read them. They were…explicit."

Olivia sighed as understanding washed over her. Fitz had reached his breaking point and needed Mellie out of his life. Faced with the knowledge that his father had harbored these feelings for her throughout their marriage and that she had kept it from him coupled with her affair with Andrew was something Mellie couldn't come back from. She knew when to fold and live to play another day.

"Considering everything we've been through, I thought it best not to protest."

Olivia nodded. "You were right. Fitz is forgiving, but he has his limits."

Mellie shook her head in agreement, a look of vulnerability flashing on her face. "You should know, right? Madeline Anderson is happening because of Jake Ballard."

Olivia's shock only stayed on her face for a moment—there was the Mellie she knew so well, ever ready to go for the jugular. Olivia decided to ignore her and gather her things.

"Do you think the American People can ever get past it?" Mellie asked in a sudden burst of hopefulness. "I can run again and win, can't I, Liv?"

"Do you think Fitz can get past Jake?" Olivia surprised herself with the question.

"If he hates the sight of Jake Ballard the way I hate the sight of you, no. Goodbye, Olivia." Mellie flounced out, leaving Olivia to stand alone in the room.

One Week Later

Olivia clutched her glass of wine and waited. She wasn't surprised when Fitz answered the phone this time. Mellie had probably told him about her visit and if she hadn't, undoubtedly it had reached him via the Secret Service report. It had been a week since Olivia had traveled to Santa Barbara trying to get some answers out of Mellie about their divorce.

"Hello."

"Hi," she ventured. He didn't respond. Only slightly discouraged, Olivia sighed and continued on. "I went to see Mellie."

"I know."

"She told you?"

"She did. She wanted to make sure I was aware of your promise to help her on future campaigns and that I wouldn't forbid it."

"That's Mellie," Olivia smiled.

"Did you get the answers you wanted?" Fitz asked.

"I don't know."

"You can't keep calling me, Olivia."

Of course she could. His word of warning meant nothing to her. They had told each other countless times over the years that it was over. They had rarely been on the same page when it came to their relationship and she felt more possessive of him than ever. She ignored him.

"Mellie told me some things, about your father," Olivia hedged anxious not to upset him, "But not what I really wanted to know."

"If she told you about the letters then you have your answer," Fitz said.

"But what did you say?" Olivia asked quietly. "How did you ever get Mellie Grant to let you go?" She finished her glass of wine and put it down. Mellie was the queen of blackmail, which never would have been enough.

"I told her everything would be fine," Fitz insisted. "I wouldn't abandon her, even though I was going to be with you. When you're with me, even if we're fighting, everything is fine. The world is burning now, but everything is fine. I told her that. I've never told her that before."

Olivia scoffed. "She's heard you say you love me before. She's heard us both say that."

"I know," Fitz replied. "You're my home. I love you. With you, everything is easier. Without you, everything is harder. I told her, and she listened."

"It can't be that simple," Olivia countered. "You had to threaten her, bribe her, promise our first born-" Olivia was trying to make a joke but Fitz's voice stopped her.

"I'd never do that."

Olivia smiled. "Then why do you want to end things?" She asked. "Why are you dating? Is this because of Jake?"

Fitz sighed loudly. "You can't be this oblivious, Olivia. When was the last time you slept with Jake? You know what, don't answer that. What you couldn't say before and can't say now is that you love him. Loved him. Love him still, I don't know. It's none of my business."

"I love him," Olivia nodded, sorry she had to say the words. She poured her second glass of wine in her kitchen and got half way through it before continuing. "I will always love him, I will always love Edison, and I will always love my father. I can't erase them. You are punishing me for it."

"Punishment? What punishment? Because you're not getting your own way? Damn it, Olivia! Go be in love. Go have your life, go stand in the goddamned sun! Leave the rest of us here. I can't talk about this anymore. I don't want to see you again. STOP calling me."

Her heart slammed in her chest, cold hard panic thrummed through her veins. She blurted out anything she could think of to stop him hanging up, anything she could do to make him stay on the line.

"What are you going to do, coward? Try to kill yourself again?!" The words came out in a gasp and she shook as she uttered them, hopeful that it worked, that he would forgive her one day, for the betrayal.

He stopped breathing for a moment and in that instant her heart surged high and then a dial tone filled her ears.

"Ohhh, my god," she wailed, her knees buckling under her. Scrambling to her feet she clutched the door knob and twisted to fling the door open. Through her tears she could see Abby's hand raised, poised to knock. No longer able to keep it all inside, Olivia fell apart in her friend's arms.

Two Days Later

"Olivia?" Abby knocked softly and opened Olivia's bedroom door. Shrouded in darkness, the only glow coming from her cell phone and a digital clock on her nightstand, Olivia lay in the center of her bed, staring up at nothing. Abby put the tray of food down on the seat of the bench at the foot of the bed and sat gingerly. "Olivia," she said again as she brushed her friend's forehead. "I think you need to get some help. I think you need to talk to someone."

A/N: I didn't know what would come out of this chapter. The finale left me reeling and I have decided to stop watching and following Scandal until Olivia and Fitz are fully reunited. I realize that because that may never happen, I may never get to enjoy that world again. You'll have to let me know in the reviews, as the story goes on, if they ever find their way back to each other in canon. For my story and purposes, Fitz has to get past Olivia's relationship with Jake, but in order to do that, she has to stop breaking his heart by continuing her association with Jake. And I guess they just aren't done yet, are they? Thanks to everyone for sticking with the story, and for enduring that hiatus of me posting. The muse just wasn't there. But she's back now and I've got much more left to say. Some nicer stuff coming up for Olitz in the next one, brief though it may be.