Chapter Twenty-Four
And your hands are tough, but they are where mine belong
"So," Edison Davis leaned in the doorway of Fitz's office, "what's this I hear about you running for President?"
Fitz looked up from the case notes the Boston PD had sent over on a murder they hadn't gotten a confession on. "What?" He asked, glancing back down at the file in front of him. He stupidly hoped that only giving Edison a bit of his attention would make the man walk out of his office and back down the hallway.
"President. Everyone is buzzing about it. You're all over the news and everything." Edison crossed his arms, his ugly sweater stretching across his chest. Edison was trying to bait him. It'd been in the news now for a while that hew as running. Olivia released rumors of him running before he even formerly announced it. And he'd told everyone above him in the office as well. Everyone appeared to be behind him. Davis had been silent the entire, it appeared he was biding his time until now. For what reason, though, Fitz didn't know. And he didn't particularly care.
Tipping his chair back casually, Fitz tossed his pen onto the top of his desk as he decided to change his tactic to get rid of Davis, "Yeah, I decided to make a change. I wanted to do more good. I thought I'd try my hand at politics." He grinned, "Don't worry, Davis, I don't expect your vote."
"You know, it's funny," Edison moved fully into his office now and Fitz found himself biting back a growl of aggravation. He had a lot of work to do and didn't want to have to bring it home. They were going to look at a couple of potential office properties for their main headquarters after work today. Even though he knew Liv could handle it on her own, he wanted to be involved. This was his campaign. He was going to be there for every step of the way and keep his full-time job here at the DA's office. He was bound and determined to show everyone he was best suited for the job of President.
"What's funny?" Fitz interrupted as Edison gave a dramatic pause. A tactic he used in the courtroom to his advantage, but it made Fitz want to strangle the man.
"Neither you nor Olivia have spoken once about politics." He drawled out slowly.
"Not to you, that's for sure." Fitz snapped before taking a deep breath. He held it, counted to ten and released it before he spoke again, "You're not exactly part of our inner circle." He pointed out. Edison let out a small huff before turning and leaving.
"He get what he needed?" David popped his head in, "I was watching from the hall. I admit to eavesdropping like my insane wife does." He paused, "Well, she doesn't usually admit to it, but she does do it." He amended.
Fitz snorted and rolled his eyes. David had taken up a few of Abby's more questionable habits over the years. "I never have any fucking clue what that jackass wants, so I don't know. And I don't really care right now. He's not much of a threat to me." It had taken Fitz a while to get over the fact that Edison worked in the office and often held his undergrad relationship with Olivia over Fitz's head. Now Fitz was far more confident that Edison was just a scorned ex blowing hot air.
"Word on the street is he was in Maryland last weekend." David informed Fitz. "I mentioned that to Abby this morning. She said they'll look into it. Se if he was playing with Reston."
"Let the games begin." Fitz winked at David.
SSS
Olivia groaned and rocked the stroller Jerry was sleeping in. "You have to pick one, Fitzgerald." She grunted, "We've been to five offices already and"
"You had a harder time painting your office than this." Fitz pointed out, "So if I want to be"
"I was pregnant, you moron." Olivia bopped him upside the head. "And overdue, if I recall correctly."
Fitz grinned shamelessly down at her. "I feel like I should apologize, but I can't. I like you pregnant. We should get you pregnant again." He winked salaciously at her and the real estate agent following them through another office flushed.
"Oh my god," Olivia shook her head, "you're incorrigible." She smacked his stomach this time, "Seriously? We're trying to get you elected to the highest office in all the land and you're thinking about knocking me up again."
He shrugged unapologetically, "What if I like you knocked up? Are you going to tell me you didn't like being knocked up?"
Olivia snorted in a very unladylike fashion, "Yes, I loved it when I was like five days overdue and walking hormonal whale."
"Actually," Fitz held up a hand an interrupted her, "you really waddled like this." He then proceeded to waddle around the office.
Olivia tried t o hold her scowl in place, but finally succumbed to the fit of laughter bubbling in her chest. As she wiped away a few tears gathering at the corners of her eyes, she motioned to the waddling form of her husband, "Vote Grant for President." She rolled her eyes at the real estate agent.
The woman smiled fondly at the young couple, "I think I just might have to." She admitted, "So, next office then?"
"Next office." Olivia confirmed with a sigh as she shifted Jerry's stroller to lead the way out of the building they were currently in.
SSS
"Samuel Reston," Abby stalked into Olivia Grant & Associates the following morning with a folder in hand, "is a lying scumbag who is using Davis as a plant." She plastered two pictures of the two men on the wall of the conference room. When she spun around she realized no one had followed her, "Um, hello! People!" She screeched, "Conference room right now!"
"Aunt Abby, you're loud." Jerry whined as he followed his mother and Uncle Harrison in the room.
"Yeah, Aunt Abby, why are you screaming obscenities when you know my four-year old son is in the office?" Olivia crossed her arms over her chest and arched a brow teasingly at the dramatic redhead.
With a roll of her eyes and a flip of her long hair, Abby pointed to the pictures on the wall, "Edison and Reston are friends now and"
"And we're supposed to be shocked by this?" Harrison bit into an apple, choosing slowly and swallowing before he continued, "I mean Davis is a Democrat." He pointed out as if it were the most obvious thing on the planet.
"But I think Reston is using Davis to get the inside scoop." Abby argued.
"You think or you know?" Stephen asked, falling into a chair at the long conference room table with a stretch of his back and a yawn.
"Late night?" Harrison smirked.
Stephen spun slightly in his chair, leaning down to scoop up Jerry who had toddled over to him, "You know it."
"Gross!" Olivia, Abby, and Quinn said together.
"Now," Abby continued, "I think Reston is using Davis and"
"Seriously, Abs, enough with the conspiracy theories." Quinn plopped down loudly into a chair, cradling her cup of coffee against her chest like it was something precious. "Of course Reston and Davis are talking. Davis has big money, he'll put all of his weight behind the only viable Democrat running." Raising her mug, she took a long sip, sighing as it burned down her throat, "You're overreacting."
"And being loud." Jerry whined again, burying his head against Stephen's shoulder.
Stephen stroked Jerry's back slowly, "Honestly, Abs, what has brought this on? We know Edison was fishing at the office yesterday, but it doesn't matter right now. Right now all our efforts need to be building our base and prepping to face off against Langston."
"That's just it though, Reston and Langston have had a meeting." Abby splayed her palms out on the table.
"And?" Stephen asked, another yawn cracking his jaw slightly.
"And what do you think they're talking about? Ganging up against Fitz. I think we need to start worrying about Reston now, particularly with Davis in the picture." Abby argued.
"Okay," Olivia held up her hands when she saw Stephen was about to snap back at Abby, "we can only slay one dragon at a time." She paused until she was sure Abby wasn't going to interrupt. "Let's start with Langston. That's what Fitz wants right now and he's our boss. We need to start on opposition research. I want to know her voting record, who's running her campaign and what poll numbers look like for us and her." Olivia spun her chair around, "I want our office set up and operational by Monday." She continued, "And I want our website up and fully operational by tomorrow. Connect a," she paused, "what is it called now?"
"Facebook." Quinn answered.
"Right, a Facebook account and whatever other social media is out there. Just get us in the loop. Make sure a donations link is easy to find." She continued, "And a blog. Someone start us up a blog. Fitz was talking last night that we should have something for our supporters. He was thinking a family blog of our road trip on the trail. He and I will write most of the posts with add ins from you guys and David and Cyrus since you're all family." She paused again, "And the bank accounts?"
"Already made in the campaign's name." Harrison replied.
"Shirts, signs, bumper stickers. I want to see the designs we've been leaning towards and then I want them mass produced and in our office within the next two weeks." She nodded, "I think that's it for now."
"I've got the designs here." Quinn pushed a folder toward Olivia, "And I'll take over the social media and blog. I can handle the shirts and stuff too."
"I've got the website almost up and running." Huck replied quickly, he was typing away on his laptop, not looking at any of them, "And I can help with opposition research."
"Which is what you three will be on." Olivia pointed to Stephen, Harrison, and Abby. "Get me all of the details on Sally and her people. Once we have a good picture of her, we'll do a prelim on Reston." At Abby's worried expression, she sighed, "And you can look into Edison if it will make you feel better. I still don't think we have to be worried though." Rising, she took a now sleeping Jerry from Stephen, "I'm going to tuck my little monster in for a nap. I'll be back in a minute."
A minute turned into fifteen. Jerry woke up the moment Olivia set him down and she wound up reading him three books before his eyes fluttered shut again. The moment she shut off the light in her office, the door flew open, "What?" She whispered at Harrison.
"We have a problem." He murmured.
With a roll of her eyes, she motioned for him to lead the way. She followed him down to the conference room to find the four televisions tuned into the four different major news stations – ABC, CNN, MSNBC, and Fox – and her team paying rapt attention. "What am I looking at?" She asked.
"Just listen." Harrison raised a hand to silence her.
"So far Davis has not come forward to deny the affair." One of the news anchor's voices broke through the others. "Though it has been confirmed that Davis and Olivia Pope-Grant were in a relationship during their time at Georgetown in undergrad."
"Holy hell." Olivia muttered.
SSS