Abby rushed back into Liv's room, where she was finishing straightening her hair.

"Who was it?" asked Olivia, absentmindedly.

"It was Senator Grant," said Abby, nervously.

Liv paused. "Oh. I though she might come talk to me. Okay. Can you just stay in my room for now?"

"I'm going to go grocery shopping for you," said Abby.

"You don't have to do that."

"Yes I do," said Abby, wanting to get out of the house badly, but also wanting an excuse to come back so that she could hear what Senator Grant wanted.

"Fine, go," said Liv. She unplugged the straightening iron and walked out, calmly. Abby rushed out the door.

"Hi Mellie," Olivia said, sitting down next to her on her couch.

"Liv, it's good to see you."

"It's been a while. How are you?"

"I'm doing well, thank you," Mellie said in a stiff voice, on edge. The two woman looked at each other.

"So what do I owe the pleasure?" said Liv, the tiniest bit of sarcasm in her voice.

"I just wanted to let you know that though you may now be the woman in Fitz's life, you sure as hell aren't the new woman in Karen's. There are boundaries. And that little fiasco that was you're publicized get together with my daughter will never, I repeat never, happen again. Understand?"

"I don't quite know what you're getting at, Mellie," Olivia said.

"You are not Karen's mother."

"I know that."

"I don't believe you. You have overstepped in my marriage, my job, and now my children. I am Karen's mother."

"I know that."

"Well you aren't acting like you understand."

"I just took her to lunch. Maybe if you would actually talk to your daughter for once, you would understand that she needed someone to talk to, and you and Fitz didn't seem like the best candidates. I know I'm not her mother. And a mother's job isn't to be her daughter's friend, so I would understand if you didn't know every little thing that's going on in her life. But when was the last time you or Fitz even talked to her? She's lonely."

"Are you suggesting that I don't know my own daughter."

"I am. I'm not saying you are a bad mother, because that would be a lie. You have done good in your children's lives. But somewhere down the road after Gerry died you gave up on Teddy and Karen, and it was Fitz too, but you gave up on them when they needed you most. Especially Karen. Gerry was her best friend."

"And who do I have to thank for my son's death?" Mellie said gravely.

"Mellie, I. Did not. Kill your son. Do you understand? That was my father. A man who shouldn't even be given the title of father after what he has done. You don't even begin to want to imagine what type of horrors he has created. I am sorry. What happened to you and Fitz and Karen and Teddy and Gerry is unfixable and it will haunt you for the rest of your lives. But Karen has had a very hard time. And maybe if you would just talk to her, the grief that the both of you have might lessen a little," Olivia spoke in a softer tone. "It's true that you have me to blame for so many problems. You are hurt in a way that cannot be healed by what Fitz and I did to you. But you have a chance here. A real chance for the first time in your life to get to know you daughter, and it might just help you out, too. She's a good kid."

"I know that. She's… better than you and me."

"That she is," Olivia agreed. "I'm sorry if you think I overstepped. But if Karen is in a bad place I can be the friend to get her out of it. But I'm never going to be her mother. That's one thing that I'm never going to take away from you, understand? I have no desire for her, or anyone for that matter to start calling me mom."

"Well, that's a shock."

"It's complicated."

"When it comes to you, it's always complicated." Mellie said. Olivia sighed.

"Look, I don't at all care about your relationship with him, but… well you're not living in the White House. And I'd figured that he had moved you in there already. I just… I gave up everything all for him to be with. So don't ever give up on him. You owe me that." Mellie looked at Olivia fiercely.

"Okay," Olivia said.

"Thanks for having me. I have to admit that I like your place."

Olivia gave her a small smile. "Call your daughter," she said opening the door for her.

"Okay," said Mellie, leaving.

—

THREE HOURS LATER

"You're interview is in exactly six hours. Have you talked to her? Does she even realize that it's happening?" yelled Cyrus.

"Look, I don't know," said Fitz running his hands through his curly hair. "Did she mention it to you?" he asked, turning to his daughter who was once again sitting in his chair at his desk, going through her phone.

"What? Olivia? No."

"Well just have Red call her."

"You have Abby call her! I have to go start prepping questions!" Cy said, outraged.

"Look, I don't have time for this. Is Red even in today?"

"How should I know?"

"Just call her! And tell her to call Olivia!"

"Jesus christ I'll do it," grumbled Karen, putting her phone to her ear. It rung two times before Olivia picked up.

"Karen? Is everything okay?" Olivia sounded distracted. Karen put the phone on speaker.

"They want to let you know that apparently you have an interview at seven thirty tonight. And you need to be at the White House at least two hours beforehand," Karen said in a lazy tone.

"God… I don't want to—tell them I'm busy."

"Oh, they heard," said Karen, as the phone was on speaker.

"You're doing it!" yelled Cyrus.

"Oh, it's so lovely to hear from you too, Cy. How's your daughter? How's your husband?"

"Liv…" growled Cyrus.

"I'll be there at seven. I'm choosing my outfit, doing my own makeup."

"No, you'll be here at—"

"Let her be, Cy. It's fine. Let's just get this over with," Fitz said. Olivia hated that her heart sped up at the sound of his voice.

"Seven o'clock," Olivia repeated, and then she hung up.

"God save us all," muttered Cyrus. Karen chuckled, going on her phone again, and her dad angrily sat down on the couch.

—

ONE HOUR LATER

Abby's phone started ringing as she scanned her badge through the White House's security system.

"Liv?"

"Hey, are you at work yet?"

"I'm walking in, why?"

"Um, Mellie Grant, she… might be on her way."

"What?" asked Abby.

"You heard me," Olivia said with a sigh. "Senator Grant. She'll want to speak with Karen."

"Oh God, Liv. You didn't."

"I didn't do a thing. I told her to call Karen. But, you know Mellie."

"Okay. Thanks Liv. I'll warn Cyrus."

There was a silence.

"Liv?" Abby asked.

Olivia sighed. Abby smiled to herself.

"I'll tell him too."

"Bye, Abby," Olivia whispered. She hung up. Abby walked down the hall to her office, dropped her things off, and checked the President's schedule. Because he had nothing going on at that time, Abby made her way to the oval. She was surprised to see Karen lounging in her father's chair but said nothing of it. Fitz was sitting on his couch working and Cyrus was on the phone with Barbra Walters.

"… confirmed for tonight, yes. You can have your team start setting up any time. Which room were you thinking?" Cyrus glanced up, seeing Abby walk in.

"Okay, sounds good Barbra. See you soon," Cy said with a forced cheerfulness as he hung up.

"Where have you been?" he asked.

"Places," Abby answered. "Olivia is confirmed for seven," she said after. Fitz acknowledged her presence for the first time by looking up when she spoke Olivia's name.

"Anything else?" Cyrus asked in a tired voice.

"Yes, actually. I think—Well Olivia thinks that we have a storm coming our way."

"As in?" Fitz asked.

Just as he said it Mellie Grant barged into the room with two frantic security guards following.

"As in Senator Grant," finished Abby. Fitz rolled his eyes. Cyrus stood there with his mouth open. Karen shrunk down in her seat.

"We're sorry, sir, we tried to stop her, but—"

"You had no right to," stated Mellie. She turned to Karen. "Hi, sweetie. I wanted to talk."

"Did you bring Teddy?"

"What?" asked Mellie, taken aback.

"I haven't seen my younger brother in forever. I don't think he knows I exist. Dad said that he was staying with you this weekend. Did you bring him? Or will I have to take that awkward car ride to your new house to pick up my younger brother and bring him back here?" Karen looked her mother in the eye. Mellie looked as if she wanted to say something but was stopping herself.

"He's here," she said finally.

"Where?" asked Karen, looking excited for the first time since her mother appeared in front of her. Mellie sighed and stepped out of the oval to where a stroller was sitting next to Charlotte, Fitz's secretary. Mellie picked up her sleeping son who started to wake up and walked back into the office. Fitz grinned for the first time that day and took his son out of her arms. Teddy was now fully awake.

"Daddy!" he cried.

"Hi, little man. How are you today?"

"Yeay!" he cried happily. Everyone in the room laughed, even Cyrus.

"Can I hold him?" asked Karen, from the other side of the room.

"You can sit with him," said Fitz with a smile. He sat his son next to him on the couch. "You're a big boy, aren't you. You don't need to be held."

"Big boy! Big boy!" Teddy repeated.

"Can you walk over to your sister and say hi?"

"Whose dat?" Teddy asked, looking around, confused. Fitz pointed to where Karen was sitting.

"Can you go say hi?"

"Hi!" screamed Teddy, waddling towards the girl. "Hi, Teddy," whispered Karen. Her younger brother looked up at her with eyes of wonder. Then he broke out into a toothy grin. "Hi! What's your name?"

"Karen," she said. "Remember me? I'm… I'm your sister."

"Kawen…" Teddy said, testing it out. "Kawen! Kawen!" he said excitedly, remembering. She laughed. "That's me."

Fitz smiled for the first time in days. Mellie cleared her throat.

"Karen?" she asked softly.

"Yeah?" said Karen, not looking up but still looking at her younger brother.

"Could we maybe talk after this?" The room went silent, even Teddy stopped laughing, sensing the tensions rising in the room. Abby and Cyrus both gave lame excuses and left the room, and Fitz looked up, wanting to hear Karen's response.

There was a long silence.

"Maybe," she said quietly. "But first Teddy is going to show me his big boy bed, aren't you?" Teddy nodded. "Last time I saw you, it was a crib. But now you're a what?"

"Big boy!" Teddy cried. Karen picked him up and put him on her shoulders. "Tell me where to go, big boy!" she called.

Their shouts of laughter could be heard down the halls of the White House.