Olivia wanted to laugh at herself once she realized that he was right. Damn, she had it bad. But she wouldn't have it any other way. Fitz gave her a look as though to say "now tell me there isn't still hope and next I'll fuck you against the wall, location be damned" as Olivia walked off. He admired the way her backside moved in her slacks before following her out.
He hoped he'd get to see her again and soon. He'd like to show her a few more ways that there's hope.
The next day Liv was in her office, pacing, when Jake showed up. She'd just gotten off the phone not too long ago with Quinn who informed her that the Vice President, Kubiak, and Elizabeth North had all been meeting together. Her gut was telling her that something was wrong, or about to go wrong; most likely both.
"Jake," Olivia said.
"Take it," Jake said, handing her a gun.
"Why?" Olivia didn't know why he was handing her a gun. He knew how she felt about them. Well, he should, since he thinks he knows her so well.
"You need it."
"I don't need a gun. Why would I need a gun?" The truth was, Olivia felt like she didn't need a gun because she knew Fitz had someone watching her at all times. And if something ever were to happen to her, heads would roll and Fitz would do whatever he could to save her.
"For protection," Jake said. "Your father is cleaning up." He showed her a card with his face on it, explaining to her that it was a kill card. Rowan had to cover his tracks, which meant eliminating everyone who knew more than they should; basically every B613 agent ever.
Jake took it upon himself to go over what areas of the body she should aim for if she ever got the chance to take Rowan out. As he stood behind her, inhaling her scent, he had to remind himself to focus. For his peace of mind, he had to know that she'd be able to defend herself. But he couldn't help himself. After she asked about a kill shot he blurted out, "We don't have to stay here, you know. Say the word, I will stop trying to find your father. We can pack up and leave all of this behind. We can close Pandora's box… And go back to the sun."
Olivia looked at him for a second. Oh God, she thought, he actually believed that sun crap I fed him yesterday. She almost rolled her eyes at him. Didn't he get it? There would never be a "them", not as long as Fitz was alive and breathing. The sun wasn't even theirs to begin with. Olivia distinctly remembered Jake asking her to stand in the sun with him while she was working on getting Fitz reelected and the moment he realized she couldn't because she was already in the sun with Fitz. Obviously, he had forgotten all about that. Olivia feared that leaving with Jake had caused him to believe that she was in the sun with him now. She might've been able to make herself believe that lie while they were on the island, but no matter whom she stood next to, Fitz would always be her sun. She'd just be biding her time until she could resume her place next to Fitz. The sun was hers and Fitz's alone.
"The sun went down a long time ago, and it's not coming back up," Olivia said, calmly. You wouldn't even know that with that one sentence she was crushing Jake's hopes and dreams of a life with her.
As Jake left, looking like a sad puppy, Olivia breathed a sigh of relief. Hopefully, he got the message now. It was kind of sad: a grown man pining after a woman who didn't love him, who had to live in a pretend world in order for them to "have" anything. She was Julia Baker when they were gone, because Olivia Pope was spoken for. Olivia Pope belonged to Fitzgerald Thomas Grant III mind, heart, body, and soul.
Later that same day, after all of the craziness Olivia went through, there was only one thing on her mind: getting to Fitz. He was her calm in the middle of the storm. He worked even better than wine when it came to calming her nerves.
She needed to unwind and talk to him. She had growing suspicions about Andrew Nichols and Elizabeth North. They were planning something big, something that would leave Fitz backed into a corner and force his hand. She had reason to believe it was due to West Angola. And then there was her father. She was a little shaken, still, from his impromptu visit earlier.
As soon as she got outside of the Oval Office, Fitz's assistant, Charlotte, said, "You're free to go in, Ms. Pope."
Olivia paused, though, instead of entering. She looked through the open doorway at Fitz. He was standing with Cyrus and Abby, having a drink and laughing. She loved to hear him laugh. It was such a rare thing, especially since he became President and they realized they couldn't be together the way they wanted to. She didn't want to interrupt him. She could talk to him later. In fact, that's what she'd do. She'd call him after she got home.
She smiled to herself before walking away. She had something to take care of first.
On her way home, Olivia got a call from Quinn. She confirmed Olivia's suspicions. So this could only mean one thing. If Andrew didn't get the war he wanted, he would retaliate against Fitz. But how? She wondered. She'd have to talk that over with Fitz later. After she got off the phone with Quinn, she called Jake and told him to come over.
Olivia was listening to an old record, Stevie Wonder's The Key of Life, lightly dancing around her apartment in excitement about what she was planning to do and what her team had figured out, when she heard a knock.
That must be Jake, she thought. Opening the door, she was a little disappointed to find that she was right. "You're just in time," she said, allowing him to enter her apartment.
"You look happy," Jake said. He seemed confused.
"You're coming in?" Olivia asked. She walked over to her dining room table. "I found two bottles of Bu Bellay at this tiny, little wine shop in Adams Morgan. Two."
"Liv, I need to talk to you about your father."
"I don't want to talk about my father," Olivia said, trying to change the subject. "I also got you beer, something imported, the guy said would amaze you. But it's beer, so—"
Jake interrupted her. "Liv, I had him. I had your father, and I lost him."
That last statement didn't surprise Olivia but she still didn't want to talk about her father. That's not why she invited him over. Also not surprising is Jake's insistence on talking about her father. Did he ever know when to quit?
Eventually she said, "Let it go." She gave Jake a pointed look. He needed to let a lot of things go, starting with her.
"This one. This is one of my favorites." She's referencing Stevie Wonder's "Don't You Worry 'Bout a Thing" playing in the background.
"Hey, hey Liv," Jake tries to say.
"Dance with me," Olivia commands. She considers this her final parting gift with Jake; his first and last dance with her before she sent him on his merry way.
He finally gave in and did as she requested, because he couldn't resist partaking in this carefree moment with Olivia. He briefly wondered why she couldn't always look that carefree. She didn't even look that relaxed on the island with him. In fact, the last time she'd been that relaxed was around the time Cyrus had his first heart attack and Fitz and her were planning on being together, for real. That thought was pretty sobering for him. And that's when he realized why she probably called him over.
Fuck, he thought. The sun really has gone down, making today the darkest day known to man.
He didn't stop dancing though. He was trying to remain optimistic.
Olivia looked at him for a moment, trying to determine if she could ever see herself with him. She couldn't. "I want Vermont, with Fitz," she said. It felt good to finally admit that out loud. There's hope, she thought to herself.
"Oh. Okay," Jake said, looking like someone had kicked his puppy.
Olivia only allowed herself to feel bad for a few seconds. "I choose Fitz, Jake." She stopped dancing. "I'm sorry." She really was sorry but she had to do this. There was hope for her and Fitz.
Jake stopped dancing, too. He nodded his head, letting her know that he understood. She didn't want him. He could accept that, right?
He didn't even bother trying to convince her otherwise, or sticking around. He put on his jacket and left.
As soon as he was gone Olivia turned off the music, smiling to herself. She'd done it. She finally got rid of Jake. She hoped that it would be for good, but who knew when it came to Jake. He couldn't seem to accept that he had fallen in love all by himself. She didn't feel the same way about him.
Well, so much for the Gettysburger she had bought to share with him. She wasn't that cold. She had planned to at least feed him before kicking him to the curb.
Olivia put the untouched food into her fridge. Grabbing one of the bottles of wine and a wineglass, she made her way into her bedroom. She was anxious to talk to Fitz. If she weren't used to controlling her emotions, she'd be bouncing up and down with excitement.
Getting in bed, she poured a full glass of wine, sitting the bottle on her nightstand. She grabbed her phone, not her regular cellphone, but her Fitz phone as she liked to call it, and called Fitz.
It rang three times before he picked up. "Hi," she said, smiling.
"Hi."
They sat there for one minute, just listening to one another breath.
Olivia was the first one to speak. "I missed you," she admitted.
"I missed you too, Livvy."
"How was your day?"
"Besides getting to see you this morning, it was long and boring. Thanks for saving Cyrus, by the way. I'm not sure how well I'd function without him," Fitz admitted.
"Yeah well, like I told him. Marriage is the only way to sell this. America loves a love story. America will forgive anything for love."
"And they did," he said.
They both thought about that fact. If America could forgive Cyrus, a gay man, then surely they wouldn't be crucified for wanting to be together and get married.
"I came by the White House tonight to see you, but you were busy."
"You should've interrupted me. You know I'm never too busy for you, Livvy."
Olivia smiled. "I know, but I had something I needed to take care of, anyway."
"Yeah, like what?" Fitz asked. He was sitting on one of the couches in his office, feet propped up on the table. He loosened his tie.
"I got rid of Jake. I told him that I choose you."
Fitz's movements halted at her words. She what?
"Fitz?" Olivia called his name after he was silent for longer than a minute. "Say something."
"I'm here, I just—I don't know what to say." He was getting choked up. "You chose me."
"I did," Olivia said, proudly. They let her words sink in. Usually Olivia was the one who feared that she'd never be chosen, that is, until that night that they ran out the clock together. But she walked away from him after that. And then she left with Jake right after he was re-elected. So, although he never admitted it, he was starting to fear that it was her who would never choose him.
Fitz cleared his throat. "So, what were you coming to see me about earlier?"
"Who's to say I wasn't there just to see you?" Olivia asked.
Fitz laughed. "No, seriously."
"I came to you to talk, actually. My team had been following Elizabeth North and noticed that she was working with Andrew and a man named Kubiak. They've been communicating a lot lately, and I believed that they were planning something. After I left the White House tonight, one of my team members confirmed my suspicions."
"And what were, or are, your suspicions?" Fitz asked.
"The bombing was staged by Andrew to get you to go to war against West Angola. But you didn't, and Fitz, he isn't happy about that."
Fitz grunted. He didn't care how Andrew felt.
"So I felt like he was going to do something to get back at you and force you to go to war. But that's were I'm drawing a blank. I can't figure out what he'd do."
Fitz sat up straight, feet planted firmly on the ground. His eyes were wide. "Shit," he mumbled. "Livvy, hold on." Immediately, Fitz summoned his Secret Service agents and let them know what he wanted them to do.
Five minutes later, Fitz picked his phone back up. "Livvy, are you still there?"
"Fitz, I—" and then she screamed.
"Livvy hold on. Someone's already on the way!" Fitz yelled before dropping his phone. He instantly ran out of the Oval Office. His security detail was trying to keep up with him, but he was running like a bat out of hell. And they said white men cant run.
"Mr. President, sir, stop!" his agents yelled behind him. "Slow down!"
Fitz slowed down only a little, allowing one to catch up. "Take me to Olivia Pope's apartment, NOW!" he yelled, out of breath.