This is your fault Liv.
No...
It's your fault I'm not here.
No...
It's your fault my parent's marriage is screwed up!
Jerry it's not like that-
Shut up! You don't get to talk, you don't get to spew your false apologies. Your father had me killed Liv, your father! Why didn't you show up Liv? You save any and everyone else! Why wasn't the namesake of the man you claim to love important enough for you to save! What? Because I'm not a liar, a criminal, an idiot or a whore working on the hill? Because I'm just another teenaged boy?
No Jerry-
Why didn't you show up for me Liv?! Why!? Why did you try to run? I died and you ran! You didn't even show up at my funeral. You aren't worthy of my father.
Jer, I'm sorry...
Every night for the past three and a half months Liv has been startled out of her sleep by the same dream. Sometimes she can see Jerry and those night just about ruin her. Those nights are when she consumes the most wine.
Liv tried her best to keep Fitz from finding out but she failed miserably. Ever since she woke up by the bedroom door in Fitz's arms, Liv has refused to spend the night with him. Fitz may have found out about the dreams, but Liv wanted the frequency of them to remain a secret. Liv knew she should probably speak to someone about them, but she had to consider the optics.
"Olivia Pope does not need to see a shrink or take medication. I'm a gladiator. I can get through this on my own."
This became Liv's mantra and she found herself repeating it whenever a nightmare would wake her up or tears threatened to fall. It had been almost 14 weeks since Jerry's death and a little over two for both of her parents and Liv had yet to shed a tear for any of them. She knew the time would come but she wouldn't go down without a fight. Those tears would not fall as long as she had anything to do with it.
Liv looked over at the clock on her nightstand and groaned when she realized it was time to wake up. He set off to do her morning routine when there was a knock on the door. There was only one person that would knock this early.
"Tom! Go away until after I have my tea!"
"Ma'am"
"Unless you have a pumpkin spiced latte in your hand I am NOT opening that door yet!"
"I do ma'am."
Liv sighed and made her way towards the door and allowed Tom in. Tom knew she was still mad at him, he wouldn't blame her if she never forgave him but he prayed she would. In all truthfulness, he missed his buddy. He missed being the person Liv would open up to when Fitz pissed her off or made her smile. Seeing as how Tom was the only seemingly sane person that knew the nature of their relationship, she would go to Tom when something heavy or light needed to be discussed. Since finding out about Jerry, Liv had been civil, but the warmth was gone. She tried to keep up their old ways, but it just wasn't the same.
"I brought you a pumpkin spice muffin to go along with the latte... Ma'am..."
"Thank you... Tell me, why so early?"
"Cyrus Beene sent me. The President isn't awake yet."
Liv turned around at this moment. Fitz was still asleep, and Cyrus was sending for her at 5 am in the morning? What the hell was going on.
"Give me ten minutes and I'll be ready."
"Ma'am, I've been given direct orders to tell you to bring your clothes and get dressed there."
"It's that major Tom?"
"Has Cyrus Beene ever sent me after you before?"
"I'll pack a bag." Liv said as she ran towards the bedroom
"Cyrus what is going on?" Liv asked as she barged into his office, still in her pajamas. Seeing as how it was Sunday there were that many people roaming the halls. It also helped that her pajamas looked more like a casual silk outfit instead of something she had just climber out of bed wearing. Cyrus was pacing the floors something he too picked up from Liv. He was walking the same pattern so fast Liv was sure there would be holes in the carpet soon.
"This is bad Liv, very bad."
"What is Cyrus?"
Cyrus walked over to his laptop and turned it around before explaining.
"The photographer, Preston whatever, he decided to set up a poll where the people of this great nation could choose the cover of the magazine."
"Ok?" Liv said as she clearly hadn't understood what the problem was at the time. That is until Cyrus clicked on the link revealing the options. Liv began scrolling through the pictures and everything seemed normal. She remembered each shot and although some seemed very "friendly", none of them were cause for alarm.
"Cyrus I don't see what - the hell is this?" Liv asked as she got to the picture Cyrus was worried about. It was a picture of the two of them kissing in the rose garden. From the angling of it, Liv could tell it was taken from higher up, inside of the White House maybe. To make matters worse, this picture was winning by a landslide.
"Oh My-"
"This is bad Liv, VERY BAD! We may as well start packing up right now."
"Cyrus"
"I knew I should've taken that job at Harvard. I could be running Harvard right now, but NOOOOO, Harvard wasn't exciting enough!"
"CYRUS! We will handle this. This is what I do. I'm the best at it so relax, it will be fine."
Just then Ethan came running through the door.
"Mr. Beene, there's a situation." Ethan cried as he walked towards Cyrus' desk.
"What Ethan"
"Well, sir... There seems to be a video of some sort that was just uploaded. Of the First Lady..."
"What!? What Ethan!? Didn't they teach you in that fancy prep school of yours how to finish a thought in under 30 seconds?!"
"Sir, there is a video on YouTube of the first lady making out with Andrew Nichols. It has over 5,000,000 hits in less than an hour... Sir."
"HOW ETHAN!? HOW IS THERE A VIDEO OF THE FIRST LADY IN ANY PRIVATE MOMENT ON YOUTUBE?!"
"Sir, apparently it was taken by a student during the tour of the White House on Thursday."
Liv sat silently as Cyrus screamed every obscenity his mind could conjure. It was only a matter of time before the nation learned of the divorce and their relationships. Of course the situation wasn't ideal, but worse things have happened. Neither Fitz or Mellie had broken any laws, so right now the optics swung this as an ethical problem. As long as they handed this properly, they could announce the divorce and spin the relationships in their favor. After all, it's not like Fitz or Andrew were caught with their hands in their respective cookie jars... Thank God!
Liv calmly picked up her phone, a move that seemed to calm Cyrus down immensely.
"Liv, we're already on it. Both to be exact. Call for the press corps to meet in the rose garden at noon and I will email you the president's speech to review."
"Thanks Abby."
Liv ended the call and quickly placed another.
"Liv I'm on it."
"Huck?"
"I'm on it." With that, Huck gung up.
Liv put her phone away and began to move towards the door.
"What a minute, Liv where are you going?"
"I'm going to wake the sleeping giant. While you call for a press conference, full press - no questions. Everything they need to know will be disclosed in a few hours. Oh, and notify Mellie and Andrew that they will be joining Fitz and me in the rose garden at noon to address the nation."
"For?"
"It's time to come clean Cyrus."
Liv entered Fitz's bedroom and quietly climbed onto the bed. She got under the covers and snuggled herself as close to Fitz as possible. Liv let out a little smile as Fitz's arm instinctively made its way across her torso, pulling her in closer.
Fitz himself thought he was dreaming as his hands moved up and down Liv's body. His eyes shot open as she moaned when his hand cupped her breast.
"Good morning Mr. President." Liv replied the halt in his movements.
"I go to sleep alone and wake up with you in my bed, it's definitely a great day." Fitz added as he buried his face in Liv's neck.
"Well, I have some good news, some bad news, and some very interesting news. What do you want to hear first?"
"The bad news."
"We are addressing the nation at noon along with Mellie and Andrew. It's time to come clean about the divorce."
"I've been wanting you to say this for so long. But why now?"
"It seems Preston decided to set up a viewers choice where the public could pick the cover of the photo."
"Ok..."
"Well, it seems that one of the pictures, actually the picture that is winning by almost 10 million votes, is one of us kissing... In the rose garden."
"And what's being done about this?"
"The picture? Nothing. As for Preston... Let's just say that neither of my "big brothers" Huck or Tom are too thrilled with his behavior at this time. I wouldn't be surprised if they paid him a little visit in the near future."
"And I take it your team is on it."
"They were on it before I even knew about it."
Fitz sat quietly for a moment. There was still more news. The bad didn't seem to be so bad, so the rest had to be better...
"So what's the interesting news?"
"The interesting news is that there was a video uploaded to YouTube of Mellie and Andrew getting a little hot and heavy in a corridor. The video is gathering more attention than the picture. Waaay more attention."
"Very interesting. Now, what's the good news?"
Liv turned and pushed Fitz onto his back as she straddled his waist. She placed gentle kisses along his jawline as she worked her way towards his ear. She nibbled on the lobe gently and smiled as she pressed her lips to his ear.
"Today is the first day of the rest of our lives."
Noon was upon them and Fitz and Mellie made their way to the podium with Liv and Andrew on either side. The silence in the rose garden was deafening as everyone waited with cameras rolling to hear what the president had to say. Fitz looked down at the speech Abby had prepared (which was approved by Liv with no corrections needed), and ripped it in half. Fitz took a deep breath and began to speak.
"My fellow American's I stand before you today to respond to private moments that have been leaked early this morning. While it was not our intention to deceive the American people, we have exercised our right to privacy in our personal lives far more than many of my predecessors." Fitz took a sip of water then continued.
"As you all know, the past few months have been very trying for our family. In the end, we both felt it was best we part ways for the sake of our the two children we still share. So we stand before you all to say that as of last Monday, the First Lady and I are no longer married. The divorce was finalized in private as this was a matter of home, not state. The divorce was amiably, and we want nothing but happiness for one another. Mellie will remain my First Lady for the time being and will work with me in raising our children to become great, respectable citizens in spite of our not being together."
"As for the pictures and video that were leaked this morning. Mellie and I understand our roles in this nation very well and for the last four years we have upheld those positions to the best of our abilities. It is why we stand before you in the midst of another term and we are humbly grateful for all of your continuous support. However, there is no law that requires the First Lady and I to remain married once in office, and there is no law stating that the first lady and president cannot respectfully associate with other people. There is also no law that requires us to alert the nation when matters of our personal life change if they do not affect the nation which in our situation, it does not. Therefore we ask that you all grant us the same privacy you would want when it comes to your job and personal life. I will continue going to bat for every single citizen of this great nation the same as I have in the past. I can safely say that a happy president makes a functioning president and I have never been happier outside of the birth of my children. Thank you all and God Bless America."
"Mr. President, are you in a relationship with Ms. Pope."
The room went silent as Fitz looked at Liv. Liv gave Fitz an approving smile.
"Yes." Fitz replied before grabbing Liv's hand and exiting the rose garden.
Mellie and Andrew answered a few questions stating that neither relationship began until the final stages of the divorce process. They confirmed their relationship and agreed that Mellie only wanted what was best for Fitz and he likewise. They asked again for their privacy to be respected as much as possible and exited the rose garden as well. They walked towards the oval and this time knocked before entering. Once they were given the ok to enter, they walked into the oval, Mellie with a very noticeable, much lighter step.
"So it's out." Mellie said with a small smile. As happy as she was to be free, this was a still a bittersweet moment. She and Fitz did care for one another, just not in a way that was strong enough to sustain a marriage.
"It's out." Fitz replied as he wrapped his arms around Liv's waist. Liv slid her arms over his and tilted her head as Fitz buried his head in her neck.
Mellie's face grew serious for a moment as she addressed Liv.
"Olivia, I know I've said some very nasty things to you over the years. I've been conniving and manipulative and just a down right bitch at times. But I've known since the moment you set foot on the trail five years ago that you were Fitz's endgame. I'd like to try to put the past behind us as we do have to work together for the sake of the children."
Liv stood there looking at Mellie as if she had just created a new language. Was this Mellie's way of apologizing? Liv wanted nothing to do with Mellie, the woman had spent the past four years making her life a living hell. But, the woman was right. They had to at least try to get along for Karen and Teddy's sakes.
"I'd like to try Mellie." Was all Liv could offer in the moment.
"So, where do we go from here?" Andrew asked as he still wasn't so sure the public would embrace this new revelation.
"Fitz and Mellie will do a sit down interview, Diane Sawyer, Oprah, Barbara Walters doesn't matter as long as it is one of those three. These two have just made history as being the first couple with a sitting president to divorce. Definitely the first public revelation that the First Lady is romantically involved with the vice president. They need to explain a little further in detail. America will appreciate some form of understanding."
"I now understand what they mean, you are the best." Andrew said giving Liv an impressed smile.
"Don't you forget it. I didn't back down from Sally, and I won't back down from you... But I have a feeling I won't have any problems with you." Liv replied with a wink. Andrew threw his hands up in surrender and they all laughed together for the very first time.
Fitz and Andrew shook hands, and they parted ways as all they could do now was wait for Cyrus to bring the polls and go from there. When the room was clear, Fitz turned Liv around in his arms and smiled.
"Are you ready for our date?" Fitz asked with a sly grin.
"And what date might this be?" Liv asked as she stroked Fitz's chest.
"We have a date in the theater."
"Oh really?"
"Yup. Me, you, and that movie you've been dying to see. What was it? The one with Angelina Jolie... Maleficent?"
"And what about Cyrus?"
"He'll be fine. Let him find us if he needs us. Right now he should be setting up your security detail since I know that there is no way of convincing you to move in with me this early."
"Your knowledge is correct, but that doesn't mean we can't just be until that time arises."
"Hmmmm let the date begin."
After the movie Liv and Fitz headed to the residence for a vegetable lo mein dinner, then over to the sofa to watch a the news. As of now the messages were mixed. Some people didn't care either way as long as Fitz was doing his job. Some were of course outraged that the couple that was supposed to portray perfection to the world had crumbled. Others were overjoyed the two were divorced and voiced their approval over a blooming relationship between Liv and Fitz. Fitz's approval ratings were at a 47% with the Republican base, but he held a high 92% with the Democrats. It seemed Fitz's presidency was safe for now. Liv stood up to leave as it was getting very late.
"Livvie, please don't go." Fitz begged as he stood and wrapped his arms around Liv's waist.
"Fitz..."
"Livvie, the numbers have it. We're safe. Please stay. I'll do that thing you like with the pillows." Fitz said as he began trailing kisses up Liv's neck. Liv felt her resolve slipping away and her body beginning to succumb to the will of Fitzgerald Thomas Grant III.
"Fine... I'll stay but only for tonight."
Please don't let the nightmares begin tonight...