A/N: Just wanted to thank everyone who reads this story for your support. I hope you enjoy this chapter. I know I sound like a broken record lately but I'm eternally sorry for the delay in updating. Life has been getting in the way quite a bit and I'm not always motivated to write. Please let me know your thoughts. Your reviews are much appreciated. I love hearing what you have to say! XO
Olivia instinctively pulled the sheet and blanket around her naked torso, burying her face in Fitz's shoulder. Fitz held his palm firmly against Olivia's bare back.
"Cyrus, there had better be a world war otherwise you are going to find yourself on the unemployment line." Fitz held Olivia close while he spoke, the sheet laying low across his hips.
"There isn't a world war yet but your very angry wife is on her way so it won't be long." Cyrus was out of breath, "I suggest you two get dressed. I'll be out in the hall."
Olivia suddenly found it hard to breathe, the vacuum of reality sucking the oxygen from the room. Fitz's arms tightened around her as tears trickled down her cheeks, wetting his chest.
"Livvie." He ghosted his fingers along her spine, "It's going to be okay."
She slid from beneath the covers and walked to the bathroom. He heard the water from the shower and let his head drop back against the headboard. He took several deep breaths, trying to collect his thoughts before the inevitable confrontation with Mellie. He looked down at the pale line on his left ring finger and fought back the tears that stung his eyes then he set his jaw and strode in the direction of the bathroom.
X-X
Olivia slid the ring on and off her finger, unsure of whether she should have it on when Mellie arrived. She smoothed the wrinkles from her blouse and pushed the ring firmly onto her finger where it belonged. She had cowered in front of Mellie for the last time, if she and Fitz were going to be together they needed to put up a united front.
Fitz sat on the end of the bed, cell phone pressed firmly to his ear, speaking in a low voice, when Olivia emerged from the bathroom. He curtly finished his call and slammed the phone down.
"What is it?" Olivia asked tentatively, coming to sit beside him atop the mattress.
"Nothing I can't handle." He gave her a half-hearted smile then tilted his head back, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath.
"But you shouldn't have to handle things on your own anymore." She slid her hand over to rest upon his on the bed.
"You can't fix everything Livvie." He ran his fingers through hers appreciating the sensation of her ring against his skin. There he was preparing to face his raging wife yet his mind was flooded with thoughts of Olivia and their life together. The White House, maybe a small intimate wedding on the South Lawn, the children she would have, Air Force One, hours spent in her arms, Camp David, and, of course, Vermont. He had mentioned it in passing one fleeting night as they lay in one hotel room or another. He wanted a quiet existence with the woman of his dreams, he wanted the mundane things that come with a real relationship, things that could exist out in the open without fear that someone would see.
"Will you call me when it's done?" her question shook him back to reality.
"I thought we were going to face Mellie together. I want you here."
"You need to talk to her alone," explained Olivia, placing a gentle kiss on his smooth cheek, "She needs to understand this isn't about you and I or she will never see the other issues in your marriage."
Fitz took her hands in his, pulling her until she stood between his thighs as he sat on the edge of the bed.
"I love you." It came out as a whisper.
"I love you too." She squeezed his hands and took a half step back, "Call me. Be strong. Tell her everything that has bothered you all this time. Tell her what's been missing."
He stood to walk her to the door, fighting the urge to pull her back into the suite's bedroom or linger at the open door.
"Tom, I trust you'll see Ms. Pope makes it safely home?" The authoritative voice that caused her knees to go weak.
"Of course, Sir." His simple reply accompanied by a sweet smile.
"I love you Livvie." He kissed her one final time, allowing his lips to drift apart and his tongue to tempt hers. He twined his fingers in her curls, holding her mouth captive to his. He kissed her for luck, strength, hope, and for every second they had missed because he chose to make the Presidency more important than their relationship.
Tom and Brian turned their backs, the most privacy they could afford the Commander in Chief in public. Tom cleared his throat, "Sir."
The sound broke through the couple's lust filled haze just soon enough for Olivia to see Mellie approaching.
"Fitzgerald, I would have thought you would have your whore gone by the time I arrived." She reached the door to the suite, "I guess these days you don't care about flaunting your trash in public."
Fitz saw Olivia begin to speak but touched her arm to stop her, giving her a sympathetic smile before he spoke, "That's enough Mellie. Come inside and we can discuss this in a civil manner." His voice was even, a near perfect calm.
"Afraid of offending poor Tom's sensibilities?" she scoffed, giving the agent a sneer before taking a step into the suite, "Don't want him to hear us argue? It can't be any worse than hearing you two go at it." She looked in Olivia's direction, her stare penetrating as it moved from her pristine Louboutin heels to her perfectly tailored Calvin Klein suit, finally settling on the other woman's flawless features.
This time Fitz couldn't stop Olivia. He watched her body tense, her jaw set, "You're right Mellie." Her words froze Mellie in the suite's foyer as the door crashed closed behind them. "Tom has to hear your husband moan my name over and over. He listens to me scream Fitz's name again and again. He has heard furniture break and headboards dent walls."
Fitz stood speechless as Mellie's face changed from rage to disdain to sadness, finally arriving at a look that could only be described as anguish. She was just about to voice a reply when the light coming through the nearby window glinted off the diamonds wrapped around Olivia's finger.
Mellie's mouth went instantly dry. She reached for the back of a nearby chair to keep herself from falling, the room suddenly thick with tension and nearly devoid of oxygen.
"What is that?" she managed to get out through gritted teeth.
Olivia blushed, pushing her hand into her pocket. Fitz stepped to her side. Nothing was going the way they had planned. Olivia should have left as soon as Cyrus arrived that morning. She regretted wearing the ring. Fitz should have talked to Mellie alone, it was just all wrong.
"I'll let you two talk." Olivia's voice was tentative as she turned to walk out the door.
"No, stay," Fitz implored, "She needs to hear the truth and," his voice dropped to a whisper when his mouth neared her ear, "I need you here with me Livvie."
Olivia turned to Fitz, wanting to tell him no but finding her body betraying her mind as she nodded yes. He took her hand and led her to the couch, sitting close to her, memories of the previous night creeping into her mind, her fingers absently touching her lips in response.
"What is this ring?" Mellie repeated her previous question, "I mean you can't be engaged to her Fitzgerald. You have a wife, children, a duty to the American people. No one wants to see you leave your wife and marry your whore."
"That's it Mellie!" Olivia had taken Mellie's abuse long enough, "You will not refer to me as a whore, a slut, trash, or any variation of those. I let you get away with it because I felt guilty, but no more. I love Fitz, we love each other and I want to be with him, I am going to be with him."
Mellie laughed, an eerie laugh that sent chills through Fitz.
"Olivia and I…"
"No!" Mellie interrupted, "There is no you and Olivia. I tolerated your little dalliance. I figured you would get it out of your system." She looked Olivia up and down with scorn, "I thought you would get her out of your system. Now it's time to come back to your family. Be a man and end this silliness."
"This isn't an affair Mellie. I'm not going to change my mind. I don't love you."
"No." Mellie shook her head vigorously, "You are not going to do this. Pack your things, kiss Olivia goodbye, and I'll meet you back at the White House."
Fitz let out an exasperated sigh, his hands running through his thick hair, "You're not listening. I'm not leaving Olivia. I love her. You and I are going to get a divorce and I'm going to keep being President. I am going to date Livvie, then marry Livvie, and the American people will love her because she's brilliant and beautiful and sensible." He chanced a glance at Olivia who sat, mouth agape, tears brimming in her eyes, and he spoke directly to her, "And I love her….more than I've ever loved anyone."
The fingers of Olivia's right hand skimmed over her ring. All of the times she wondered if Fitz would ever really choose her, pondered what would happen when push came to shove, considered where she really fell on his list of priorities.
"I'm not divorcing you. You are not going to leave me. I won't let you."
"Let me?" a laugh escaped Fitz, "Let me? I'm not asking you, I'm telling you. We are going to get divorced and you are not going to drag it out. You will cooperate or I will ruin you."
Mellie scoffed, "Ruin me? Oh Honey, how in the world could you ruin me? I'll ruin you."
Fitz took Olivia's hand, there to steady her when the word left his mouth, "Defiance." He didn't let his eyes meet Olivia's, instead concentrated on the movement of his breath and the loud thud of his heart in his ears. Mellie's face morphed into an expression of disbelief.
"You told him?" Her tone was sharp, accusatory. She glared at Olivia, a million thoughts rushing through her mind, "How could you? We agreed that Fitz would never know. You agreed, Liv. How could you?"
"I didn't…." Olivia's voice trailed off as.
"Olivia didn't tell me." Fitz interrupted, "She had no idea that I knew."
He gave Olivia a reassuring grin but it did nothing to help quell the nausea that rolled in her stomach. She had convinced herself that they were in the clear, that this day would never come. She wanted to run and hide, escape the world that was quickly closing in around her.
"You wouldn't." Mellie regained her composure, "You wouldn't send the mother of your children to prison."
"Try me." Fitz spoke with finality, "If you do anything to sabotage our divorce, my standing with the American people, or my relationship with Olivia I will destroy you."
"You can't destroy me without taking down your precious Olivia." Mellie stood, walking hurriedly towards the door. The door slammed closed behind her leaving an unnerving silence surrounding Olivia and Fitz.
Words echoed in Olivia's head. He deserves to win, Liv. A cold sweat covered her. No one will know. Her stomach rolled, acid rising in her throat. We all have to agree. It's up to you Olivia. Weakness overcame her as the most fateful words she'd ever uttered haunted her. Okay, for Fitz.
Fitz watched Olivia's shoulders slump, a look he'd never seen contorting her beautiful face. He began to reach for her but stopped himself as she gathered her knees to her chest, hugging them tightly. There had been few times when he couldn't sense what Olivia needed. They were so in tune with one another, almost able to communicate without speaking but the emotional distance, sitting on that couch was insurmountable. He wanted to hold her, tell her that he would forgive her for whatever part she played in the plot to steal the election. He wanted to kiss her, to assure her that she was all he wanted for the rest of his life, that no woman would ever hold a candle to her, that even if it cost him everything he would still love her. Instead he sat and watched her endure the anguish, silent, hesitant, frightened.
Olivia jumped from the couch, running towards the bathroom. She collapsed onto the marble floor, the cool causing her breath to catch just before she vomited. Her head pounded and every insecurity climbed into her consciousness. She remembered that day, sitting with Cyrus, Mellie, Verna, and Hollis. How every part of her wanted to say no but her love for Fitz, how much he deserved to be President, how much he needed to prove his father wrong, made her say yes. She thought of Verna talking about what everyone would gain if Fitz won, how every one of them had benefitted, except her. Saying yes had been a sacrifice she made and now she stood to pay the ultimate consequence, losing the man she desperately loved.
She felt two large hands gently collect her hair, holding it away from her face. He didn't speak, just sat beside her, one hand holding her hair while the other gently stroked her back. His touch mocked her, reminding her of how much she didn't deserve to have his love. She had broken the law to ensure he got elected then sabotaged his presidency by being too weak to stay away from him. She shouldn't have attended his birthday dinner, she shouldn't have admitted to missing him, she shouldn't have shown up at the hotel weeks ago, she should have let him go. Her thoughts turned to their clandestine meetings, the moments of scorching passion they had shared over the past four years. She reflected on the lies she had told herself, that the moments were enough, that he loved her, that they would be together, that her father was wrong and love was sufficient.
"Livvie?" he spoke softly, not wanting to frighten her.
"Go away." She whispered but didn't make a move to put distance between them.
"I love you." For the first time he felt her stiffen at those words then she stood. He watched her rinse her mouth at the sink, dark circles now prominent below her eyes. She looked so small, fragile, as he stepped to embrace her she rushed past him out the door.
"Livvie," he called following her into the bedroom where she began throwing clothes into her suitcase.
"Tom can take me home right?" she zipped the suitcase closed then pulled it to the floor.
"You can't leave." He felt his heart ache at the thought of enduring any more time away from her. When he held her in that closet during his birthday gala he swore to himself that he'd never let her leave again.
"I have to go." Her back was to him but he could tell she was crying.
"I can't lose you Livvie." He felt everything that ever mattered to him slipping away. He couldn't go back to life without Olivia, he wouldn't.
She turned and he got his first look into her red rimmed brown eyes. He searched for the love in her eyes but the shadow of fear and rejection eclipsed all else. If she left that would be the end of them, he was sure, he needed to find the words but they caught in his throat. He pled with his brain to function and his mouth to speak but instead he stood stalled.
"I broke the law…" she looked appalled with herself, "You aren't really the President. Because of me, because I was so in love with you, because I knew that your father was wrong and you weren't a loser. Because I let my feelings get in the way."
She yanked the handle of her suitcase, wheeling it behind her towards the door. Panic gripped Fitz, taking every coherent thought from him. Instincts took over when he took large strides to catch up with her, grabbing her arm and pulling her to a stop just as she reached the door leading to the hallway. She looked up into his now dark grey eyes, "Fitz…."
"Shut up Olivia." His tone shocked her, causing an unexpected warmth in her core. She felt like she would fall as she hurried behind him, his fingers gripping her arm tightly. When they reached the bedroom he pulled his shirt over his head exposing his muscular chest. Her breath quickened involuntarily at the sight and she felt her entire body warm.
"Sit down." His voice dropped when he gave the instruction and she did as she was told.
"Fitz….I…." she wanted to explain why he would be better off without her.
"I said shut up, Olivia." He unzipped his pants and let them drop to the floor, stepping out of them as he moved closer to her. He knelt in front of her, not meeting her eyes, his hands roughly unbuttoning her blouse and pushing it down her arms. He leaned in kissing her neck and shoulder hard then threw her blouse in the direction of his pants.
"Lay back." Her body complied before her mind could even process the words. She watched as he unbuttoned her pants, pulling them from her legs then focusing his attention on her bare stomach and the satin that barely covered her most sensitive places. His warm hands moved up the outside of her thighs, then over the flat plane of her stomach, coming to rest at her hips.
"Fitz…." Her voice was softer, betraying the lust that coiled in her belly.
He moved over her, pressing his mouth firmly against hers, forcing his tongue between her lips before pulling back. She panted beneath him, craving more as she looked into his stormy eyes.
"It's my turn to talk and you're going to listen." The statement was so finite and she found herself nodding as he continued, "You are mine. I am not going to lose you. I'm not going to let you run away." His mouth found her pulse point provoking a moan, "This is mine." He moved between her breasts, sucking hard, sure to leave a mark, then tracing his tongue over her firm brown peaks. His assault continued as he left bright red marks down to where his hands had gripped her hips. He marked her there then moved between her soft caramel thighs, "These are mine." She squealed when his teeth sunk into the flesh of her inner thigh.
His eyes never left hers as he pulled the flimsy satin down her legs and claimed his favorite part of her. "Mine," he rumbled as his mouth devoured her, his tongue pressing into her as his nose caressed her clit. He watched her bite her lower lip to keep from moaning, only driving him to pick up his pace. Her hands fisted the sheets then went to her breasts, the sensations nearly overwhelming her. She thrust her hips against him, pushing her closer to her release. His tongue worked in and out of her soft walls until her hands found his curls and the most primal of screams leapt from her lungs, "Fitz…"
Her eyes flew open when he didn't stroke her all the way through her orgasm and she felt a sudden emptiness. Then he was flipping her over and pressing his chest against her back as he pressed inch by agonizing inch into her. He bent close to her ear, "You're mine. Only I get to do this to you." His fingers worked his trusted circular pattern over her clit, "What do I have to do to convince you?"
Olivia couldn't speak, focused solely on the man she loved as he ravaged her body.
"Tell me Olivia." His hand found her neck, his fingers digging into her jaw, "Tell me that you belong to me."
She felt like she would go insane from the overwhelming sensations, him stroking in and out at a relentless pace, one hand at her throat, the other stroking her closer to oblivion, his breath against her ear, the words he spoke.
"Yours…." She whimpered only causing him to move faster, "Fitz…..please….."
"Please what?" still faster in and out, gripping tighter, smaller, harder circles.
"Oh God….." Another whisper, so close to the edge.
His tongue moved from her shoulder blade along the curve of her neck, finally finding her ear, "Tell me you're mine Livvie. Tell me that you'll never leave me."
The flames of her orgasm licked at every nerve in her body, "Yours….." she keened, her arms and legs going numb as she collapsed against the mattress, Fitz spilling into her seconds later, his teeth sinking into her shoulder as he grunted her name. He rest against her back, their chests heaving.
"I'm sorry," she whispered.
"We can talk about this later." He didn't want the moment ruined, wanting to bask in the simplicity of their naked bodies together.
"No, you need to hear me out," she maintained as he flipped her to face him.
"Shut up Olivia." This time his lips met hers tenderly.
Looking forward to your feedback! Thanks so much for reading!
-RG