The house that we built- Chapter 3: We've all done things.

This chapter is dedicated to #Gladiators everywhere but with special shout outs to all my reviewers… I love you all and our #Scandal family. I wrote this chapter extra long for you to celebrate the fact that I just got accepted into the NEW YORK FILM ACADEMY! So this is my gift to you. ENJOY!

The door swung open and Fitz strode out onto the capitol floor; Olivia close behind. "Fitz…" He kept walking; his secret service agents moving in sync. Tom turned towards Olivia and raised his hands to stop her pursuit. "Ma'am…" Olivia looked at Tom and frowned, "I need to talk to him Tom, please." Tom's gaze shifted from Olivia to the man exiting the restroom behind her; at least he knew why the President had walked off in such a rush. "I don't think that's such a good idea Ms. Pope." He eyed the few reporters still around.

Olivia strained to see Fitz still walking off into the distance; she sighed. "Tell him to call me." Tom nodded slightly at the request, "yes ma'am."

Fitz just kept walking. He knew if he stopped everything would come flooding out and he didn't really need the attention on his personal life; especially with Mellie being out of the country. It would only cause another love triangle scandal and the only person who could fix it was one third of the problem. He made it to the armored car waiting outside. Hal opened the door and he slid in. Once the door was closed he broke down a little; leaning forward, his elbows on his knees, head in his hands. He knew he should have let her explain the situation but the shock of seeing the two together in a men's room was just too much. He sat back as the car began to move. Today really did just suck.

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Olivia strode through OPA towards her office. She came to a halt when she spotted a man sitting in the conference room. He had short brown hair, a close cut, military style. He wore a light blue button up shirt with a darker blue tie; black suit pants. Olivia assumed that his ensemble was an entire suit; his jacket placed over the back of his chair. She watched as Quinn placed a cup down in front of him. As she did so she looked up at Olivia. She made her way to where Liv was standing.

Olivia's brow furrowed and she nodded towards the man, "is that Scott Williams?" Quinn nodded and folded her arms in front of her. "Yes… but Liv, I think there is more to this story than what we know! Did you find the congressman?" Olivia nodded, her eyes still fixed on the man in the conference man. "I did. He will be here in an hour." She managed to tear her gaze away and look at Quinn, "so that means we have less than that to talk to him. Where's Abby?" Olivia moved towards her office, Quinn in tow. "She is at the justice department. Apparently they got wind of this and she's talking to David Rosen to see if she can get him to refrain from investigating until we have all the facts."

There was a short silence between the pair before Quinn remembered something, "oh, I almost forgot. Huck said that this was dropped off for you." She fished the cell phone out of her pocket and handed it to Olivia. She took it and looked at it; typical burner phone. It was a "Fitz" phone. Tom had most likely dropped it off; she was definitely going to get some questions from Huck later. She shook her head back into reality, "thanks Quinn." Just as she placed the phone on the desk, Abby came through the door, "I've got good… "I've got bad… "I've got catastrophic." Olivia frowned and sighed, "what is it Abby?" she stepped further into Liv's office, "the good.. I managed to get more info on both parties… the bad… the info on Mr. Williams doesn't help our case, it makes it more likely that congressman Jackson did do something." Olivia stood up and removed her jacket, placing it on the rack in the corner of the room. She turned back to Abby, "and the catastrophic?" Abby scratched her forehead, "I couldn't convinced David to hold off; he's starting an official investigation. Olivia thumped her fist on her desk, "he is becoming a right pain in my neck… ok then we bet get to work; lets talk to Mr. Williams."

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Cyrus paced back and forth across the presidential seal in the Oval Office, his mind in overdrive. He had watched the press conference from his office; everything seemed to go off without a hitch. That was until he had received a phone call from a journalist asking about Olivia Pope and the President in a men's room. His blood was at boiling point. He looked around the room, at what it represented. This was hallowed ground and he felt like everything that they had sacrificed to get here was about to come undone yet again. He came to a halt as the door swung open and the President walked in. He began to speak immediately but was silenced by Fitz raising a hand. He walked over to the decanter of scotch sitting on the side table next to one of the sofas in the room and poured himself a glass. He looked at the amber liquid in the glass and sighed; it felt like the only thing that could make him feel like he was still alive. He knew he had lots going for him but life without love was really no life at all. He loved Olivia, she was the love of his life, but the forces that be seemed to be destined to make sure they could never be happy.

In one swift move he downed the liquid and grimaced slightly at the after burn it left in his throat. He poured another glass and sat down on the sofa with a heavy thud. Cyrus looked at him and felt him self begin to calm down. He transferred the folder he had in his hand from one to the other and sat down opposite to Fitz; his friend, not his President… his friend was hurting and a speech would not help the situation right now. Fitz glanced at Cyrus, drink in hand. "Did you see it?"

Cyrus nodded and leant forward, "yes… he's trending favorably… mostly just people saying he was good at his job and that he would be missed." Fitz took a sip of his drink and chuckled slightly, "the things people don't know could fill a thousand books. I wonder what they would say if they knew the real reason for his stepping down." Cyrus frowned and leant forward, "sir… we can't". Fitz closed his eyes and nodded in Cyrus's direction, "I know Cy… It would be political suicide… not just for him but this administration… people would start to wonder if we knew the whole time… my decisions as commander in chief would be questioned… a nightmare." Cyrus stood up and poured himself a scotch. He normally hated it, but right now he could see that his friend needed someone to be there for him. "It's just how it is Mr. President…"

Fitz sat forward his elbows on his knees, nursing his drink; his eyes beginning to redden from tears he was trying to fight back, "can I ask you something Cyrus?" Cyrus sat back down and nodded, "sure…" Taking another burning swig of his drink, Fitz looked directly at him, "how do you know when it's time to let go?" Cyrus frowned; slightly confused by the question, "sir?" The air was thick with things unsaid, just like it always was but somehow this had felt different, like a change was coming and things would either rise up or crash and burn. "I mean… like with your wife. How did you know that it was the right time to let her go… move on?" Cyrus let out a heavy sigh and shifted on the sofa; he wasn't one to talk about his past very much. "Well…" he took a few moments to realize the ramifications of his answer, "it comes down to who you are… whether your happy living a lie, doing a dance that will never have a satisfying ending. I lived a lie…. It's not something I'm proud of… it hurt people, myself included. I denied myself the chance to find out who I was… you just know when it's a lost cause and there is no way through… but… I was lucky… I found James…"

Fitz couldn't help but half smile at Cyrus, "I didn't know you were such a romantic Cy…" Cyrus downed the last of the scotch in his glass and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, "just don't tell James… I will never hear the end of it." Both Fitz and Cyrus begin to laugh; a short-lived session that diminished into a somber feeling driven by the burn of scotch. A heavy silence filled the air; only broken by a knock on the door and Agent Tom Larsen entering. Cyrus took this as his cue to leave; he needed to make a call. One that he was sure would give him the answers he needed. He stood up and walked the door, "Mr. President." Fitz nodded and watched as he left; the door closing behind him.

Tom stood waiting for the President to say something. He had been on POTUS detail ever since Fitzgerald Thomas Grant the III had been elected. He liked his job; protecting the President. It did have its challenges but he knew it was all worth it in the long run. He shared POTUS detail with Hal; who was more… straight lined than he was. Tom would always do what was needed, even if it wasn't what he believed to be morally right or ethically justified. One thing he knew not to question was the President's love for Olivia Pope. The woman had a hold on his President and he would do what ever he could to make sure that they at least had a fighting chance to be happy.

After a few moments Fitz spoke, " what did she say?" Tom looked directly at his president, "not much sir. I didn't really give her a chance; there were still reporters around. She did tell me to ask you to call her." Fitz walked around his desk and sat in his plush leather chair, "what does she hope that will achieve?" Tom shook his head; he wasn't sure of what to say. He took the plunge; screw it. "I think she hoped to explain sir." From the second the words slipped from his mouth, he could feel the president's eyes on him; he was in this far he might as well step fully across the line. "It might not be as it looked Mr. President." Fitz raised his eyebrows in surprise; Tom had never been one to say anything that wasn't asked of him, "and how do you figure that?" Tom shifted nervously under his gaze, "respectfully sir?" Fitz nodded for Tom to continue; he did value his council and had always been there for him when it came to protecting him and in the case of Olivia Pope. "She loves you. I stand… I watch… you wait for her… she waits for you… you both fit each other better than I have ever known anyone to… no disrespect to the First Lady but the smile you get on your face whenever you see Ms. Pope… you try to hide it but it's my job to notice differences… She loves you… Respectfully sir."

Fitz sighed and leaned heavily back on his chair; looking at Tom with half a smile on his face, "you've been waiting for a long time to say that haven't you?" Tom cocked his head slightly to the side, "I say it respectfully sir… and knowing who you are and how you feel about Ms. Pope… I've implemented the Falcon code." There was a long silence between the pair. Fitz knew that Tom was right; he knew that eventually he would cave and want to either see or talk to Olivia. Tom's posture stiffened after a few moments, "sir if there is nothing else… I have to get back to my post." Fitz nodded and waved him towards the door. "Mr. President."

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Olivia eyed the man in front of her curiously. Everyone had gathered in the conference room to talk to Mr. Williams; Liv needed the full story. "Okay Mr. Williams, you're gonna need to tell me everything, even if you don't think its significant… and it had better be the truth because if you lie and I find out it will make life incredibly hard for you…. Harder than what it is right now, having accused a United States Congressman of sexual assault."

The young man frowned, "and who might you be to make my life harder than it already is?' Olivia secretly loved this part; at just the mere mention of her name people rethought their next move. "I'm Olivia Pope… and right now I'm a friend but that can all change in the blink of an eye." Scott had indeed heard of her and her team but didn't feel the slightest bit worried; he wasn't afraid of anything at this point.

"Is that supposed to frighten me? Make me shake in my boots? Sorry to tell you… I don't find you the least bit intimidating. You wanna know the full story?... Fine here it is. I'm tired of living in the shadows; not as an individual bit as a partner. As I can see by all your research stuck to the windows, you know a bit about me. I'm an aide to congressman Jackson… I'm 35 years old with a degree in political science. What you wall of intel doesn't inform you of is that I'm a gay man who thought he was in a committed relationship with the love of his life. So no…. your name and your entourage do not frighten me Ms. Pope…. What frightens me is that we still live in a society where a gay man feels ashamed of himself, of who he is and can't face the world; to tell people he's in love because if he did… his whole life, his future would come crashing down around him and if there is something he loves more than me…. Its being a congressman."

Everyone in the room looked at one another; surprised to say the least.. Olivia was the first to break the stale silence. "So your telling us that Congressman Trey Jack son is gay?" Scott fiddled with the handle of the mug in front of him, "yes but he'll deny it… You'll have to drag him out of his congressional closet for him to tell anyone that. I didn't want to have to force him but I can't live my life hiding the fact that I am in love with him. I want to enjoy my life, experience all of its joys, share love with the world, not pretend I'm just some aide, someone who gets paid. I wish the world could see him the way I do… but he's too ashamed, to afraid of loosing all he's worked for. I just don't think he understands that I lose everything everyday that I can't say I love him in public, hold his hand or eat at a restaurant without having to call him congressman Jackson. I don't know if you've ever felt that kind of love Ms. Pope, where everything you do and have ever done has been dictated by the way someone looks at you or how they make you lose your breath every time your in the same room. I don't want to hide that; I shouldn't have to hide that."

Olivia found herself thinking about how Fitz made her feel. She understood how Scott felt; there had to be a way to help both of them. "Ok I understand your reason's but your not my client the congressman is…" Before she could get another word out, Scott raised his hand, "I'm the one who called you Ms. Pope. I was the one who leaked the story. I just wanted… no…. I needed a problem for you to fix; so I made one.'

The others had stayed silent through their conversation but now Olivia needed them to work out what to do. "Okay, I'm not saying I'm going to help you but sit tight." Scott nodded and watched the group leave, closing the door behind them.

"So what do we do now?" Quinn was confused as to what their next step could possibly be. "Who do we help?" Olivia was pacing back and forth, thinking. After a few moments she stopped suddenly, "we try and help both of them." Abby frowned, "how do we do that when there isn't really a problem to fix… We know he's lying about the assault… What's to say he isn't lying about other things?" Olivia placed a finger to her lips, "I believe that he loves the congressman… my gut I telling me that he's telling the truth about that."

Abby raised an eyebrow and glanced at Huck who looked away immediately. "Sorry to say Liv, but your "gut" hasn't exactly been on point lately. You might wanna start basing your assumptions on something else." Huck frowned in Abby's direction; she could feel his cold glare burrowing into her soul. She raised her hands in surrender, "I'm just saying what everyone else is thinking."

Olivia pursed her lips, "how bout you focus on heading to the justice department to make sure David doesn't ruin a man's career?" Abby shook her head slightly and stormed off in a huff. Olivia watched her leave; a pang of guilt hitting her knowing that Abby was right. "Ok Quinn, you and Huck dig into both the congressman and Mr. Williams a bit more…. We need to find common ground for both of them. The congressman will be here soon." Both Quinn and Huck nodded and headed towards Huck's office, "how come Abby is the only one who is allowed to question Olivia?" Huck sat down at the bank of computers, "its none of our business Quinn, we have a job to do." Quinn could tell that Huck knew more than he was saying.

Olivia closed the door behind her as she entered her office; she was startled by the shrill ringing of her phone. She picked it up off the desk, its screen making her sigh; Cyrus Beene. This wasn't really a conversation she wanted to have but knew he wouldn't leave her be until she answered. "Yes Cyrus?"

"Our spot… 10 minutes."

She didn't get a chance to agree. He hung up.

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Cyrus sat on the bench, two cups in hand. The sun was high in the sky and people were taking advantage of the mild conditions; milling around like ants. He spotted the woman he was waiting for. She strode towards him purposefully; her long legs accentuated by grey slacks, ending in black Louis Vuitton pumps. Both matching with a white ruffle blouse, grey jacket and white Prada handbag, She reached where he was sitting, eyebrows raised, "what?"

Cyrus handed her one of the cups; tea of course, Olivia Pope didn't drink coffee. "Is that any way to greet a friend?" She took the cup and sat beside him, "are we…. Still friends?" Cyrus looked at her, surprised, "of course."

There was a short silence between the pair before Cyrus continued. "I do however have a problem that needs fixing." Olivia took a sip of the tea in her hands, the liquid warming her insides, " I don't work for the White House anymore." Cyrus shook his head and leant into her, "it's hard to know who your working for these days. If recent events serve me well anyone would think that you're a janitor at the Capitol Building; cleaning men's rooms."

Olivia gritted her teeth, "what did you call me here for Cyrus… To tell me to stay away?... to give me a lecture on how I'm endangering the republic? Cause I can tell you now either wont serve you well." Cyrus shifted his position and leant forward, "I called you here to ask you why I'm fielding calls from reporters about you and the President of the United States being seen leaving a men's room together."

Olivia closed her eyes and sighed; this was the last thing she needed, "why don't you ask the President?" Taking a sip of his coffee, Cyrus let the question linger… "Because if I push him on this he will break…he's fragile and… " Olivia cut him off, "the last thing Fitzgerald Thomas Grant the III is, is fragile." Cyrus shook his head, disagreeing. "The man can be a political monster with the best of us, but one meeting with you in a men's room bring shim to his knees…. So before he loses it completely and I can't stop the meltdown, I wanna know why your endangering the republic!"

Olivia scoffed; Cyrus could be so self- righteous sometimes. "I had no idea he was going to be there Cyrus. I was there on a case. My client just happened to be in the men's room…"

Cyrus eyed her curiously, "what client?" Olivia lent back on the bench and cradled her cup in both hands. "I got a call about Congressman Jackson, one of his aides accused him of sexual assault." Cyrus frowned and let out a half hearted giggle, "so you thought it would be a good idea to go into a men's room alone with him?" Olivia shook her head, "I'm not his type, anyway I'm handling it…. It won't be a problem for you or the White House. Fitz got the wrong idea Cyrus…. Washington is a small town in a political sense… what do you expect me to do?... not take on clients that may or may not have me entering places that he might turn up? I'm sorry if seeing me affects him…. It affects me to Cyrus. He's not the only one in this situation. I'm sorry if it affects you but this is really none of your business."

With that Olivia stood up and made to leave. Before she could do so Cyrus grabbed her hand, stopping her. He stood up. "It does more than affect me! It affects the entire country… when he can't concentrate due to having seen the woman he calls the love of his life, in a restroom with another man. Do what you have to… see him…. make one of you late night heavy breathing phone calls, JUST… FIX… IT.." Olivia snatched her hand back and started to walk away. Cyrus called after her, "keep me in the loop on the Jackson thing; a senate seat just opened up and he's on the short list!"

Olivia didn't respond; she kept walking. She had a job to do… one that didn't involve demands from Cyrus Beene. She did want to explain to Fitz that what he saw was just a misunderstanding; she knew he had always had trouble with jealousy when it came to her… it clouded his judgment and he didn't know what to believe anymore.

NOTE: aaaaannndddd done. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter.. I HAD SO MUCH FUN WRITING IT! Feel free to leave reviews and tell me what you think. I love you all!

XX MEL XX