Can't seem to stop writing this story! GAH I just am so happy to be back in the writing groove again. I should be studying for midterms…but I'm not.
Today I posted Day 2 of #GladiatorWeek on my YouTube channel! I show you how to make 3 different Scandal-themed DIY projects! They don't break the bank and they're pretty fun to make if I do say so myself. The first day I posted a Scandal Tag video as well! If you have not checked those out, make sure to visit my channel, AleccaOfficial. I'm doing a spoilers/predictions video tomorrow so tweet me at itsmebeccax your predictions and thoughts so I can put them in!
Without further ado, here is the next update! Enjoy my lovelies.
XOXO, Becca
The hot summer sun beat down on the plentiful acres of the Vermont estate as Olivia relaxed in her innertube reading the latest New Yorker. After a long run with Fitz and struggling to get Isabella down for her nap, she was glad to finally have some time to herself. Her eyes fluttered over to the baby monitor on the edge of the pool for a few seconds before focusing back on the article she had been reading. With her luck, she would be hearing a shrill any minute now.
"As much as I enjoy gardening, your husband needs to hire a groundskeeper." Olivia smirked and looked up to see Cyrus coming out from the side of the house.
"He has one, we just like to watch you suffer."
"It looks like you're really suffering right now." He said. She laughed and ran a finger through the water beneath her.
"Oh I really am." He shook his head.
"I'm not being sarcastic." She looked up at him confusedly.
"Olivia Pope is not housewife material. You're itching to be back in the middle of all the D.C. madness. You're in withdrawal, just like I am." She sighed.
"I distract myself with my husband and Ella and gardening. You do the same. However, I still don't know if that will cure our addictions."
"This is the dream." She responded, looking around the property. Her face told a different story. Cyrus wiped a drop of sweat from his forehead.
"You know that you could easily be elected to an office, and you can't seem to get that idea out of your mind. I know what the cover story is on that New Yorker, don't even try to play dumb." She looked back down at the magazine in her lap, which was starting to bleed onto her skin from the heat.
"Mellie Grant, most powerful former first lady since Hillary Clinton." She reads with a smirk, tossing it to the concrete. She watched in amusement as it missed the pool's edge and sank to the bottom. Cyrus shook his head.
"You need to talk to him about this when he gets home from the convention. If you don't, the castle walls will come crumbling down." Cyrus picked up his clippers and began heading back towards the rose bush. Before leaving Olivia's range of vision, he turned back to her.
"Leave that at the bottom of the pool where it belongs." He said. Olivia shook her head and tried to conceal her smile. With a sigh, she closed her eyes and tried to push the conversation out of her head. Suddenly, a cry pierced through the humid air. Her eyes slowly and reluctantly opened.
"Ugh." She said in defeat, rolling off the tube and entering the water with a splash.
After rocking Isabella to sleep once again, Olivia was still on edge. Determined to release her pent up energy, she decided to return to the pool to swim laps. Plopping the baby monitor back at the water's edge, she strapped her goggles and cap on and dove swiftly into the pool. When she swam, her mind still raced, but no outside forces could put more thoughts into her head. It her time to think without the distractions of everyday life.
Did she really want a political career deep down inside? She loved being a mother and wife, but the thought of spending her whole summer isolated in Vermont made her feel restless. Sure, she and Fitz attended many events together. Recently, they started to leave Isabella with Nanny Dorin more frequently so they could enjoy time alone together and still be involved in political circles, but they were very adamant about not having their daughter raised by Nannys. Could she balance motherhood and working at Olivia Pope and Associates at the same time? Or would Isabella be left alienated like she had been?
She was broken out of her thoughts by hands pulling her out of the water. She was met with the eyes of her husband. She pulled her goggles off in confusion.
"Hi." He murmured.
"Hi?" She responded, looking down at his wet dress shirt.
"You couldn't wait to get changed?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Well, I would have preferred to come in with no clothes on, but Cyrus is here." She hummed in approval and kissed him chastely on the lips. Her fingers intertwined in his curls as he deepened the kiss, and she felt his hands slowly snake their way down her bottom through the hole in the back of her white suit.
"I came here to garden and have some peace, not to watch porn!" Cyrus yelled from across the yard, tossing vines into a bin. Fitz rolled his eyes and returned to kissing his wife thoroughly, ignoring Cyrus' comment. She slowly pushed his boxers down with her toes, still as in love with him as she had ever been before.
"You two are shameless!" Cyrus yelled before storming into the house. Olivia laughed as she allowed her husband to push her into complete ecstasy.
"Nanny Dorin is coming at seven-thirty. You and I are going to have a nice night on the town together." Olivia announced, lying on their California king bed across from her husband. After swimming and showering, the two were lying in bed together in robes talking about their days. Of course, she did not have much to say compared to Fitz, further pushing the questions of the day to the front of her racing mind.
"What's the occasion?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Nothing in particular." She responded, moving closer to him. He gently wrapped an arm around her and pulled her to his stomach.
"With you, there's always a motive." He said knowingly, locking eyes with her darting ones. She smiled nervously.
"I want to talk to you about something important. In a nice setting."
"So our home isn't a nice setting?"
"Not with a screaming baby it isn't." She murmured, smiling slightly. He sighed.
"Alright. I'll make a reservation at L'amante."
"Already done." She said, sitting up. She hopped off the bed energetically and made her way to the bathroom to do her hair and makeup before hearing Isabella scream through the baby monitor.
"Case and point." Fitz mumbled, rolling off the bed to go soothe his daughter.
By the time Olivia was ready, Fitz and Isabella were settled on the couch watching the Giants and Chargers game. Isabella donned her Chargers dress, a gift from the team's owner after Fitz flew down for one of the games.
"She completely ruined the onesie she was in. You don't want to know."
"Mmm I probably don't." Olivia responded, sitting down next to the two and throwing her legs over Fitz's lap. Fitz handed Isabella to her mother and started rubbing Olivia's feet. She hummed in appreciation and began to pepper the baby's face with kisses.
"As much as I do like our nights out, I miss her terribly." She admitted, bringing the gentle baby to her chest.
"As do I." Fitz responded, turning his attention to Olivia's ensemble. She was wearing a simple white dress that was tight at the top, but flowed beautifully down to her knees. Her hair was in a tight, curled ponytail, revealing the temples that he loved to kiss.
"You're so beautiful." He murmured, running his hand up her leg. She shivered slightly from his touch.
"You're not too bad either." She quipped, smiling slightly. Isabella's sticky hands moved to play with the dainty silver chain she was wearing, a necklace Fitz had given to Olivia after her birth. Olivia gently pried the baby's eager fingers off of the chain and brought them to her lips to kiss. Isabella laughed in delight.
The moment was broken by the sound of the doorbell. Olivia knew it had to be Nanny Dorin. Cyrus had gone home for the night, not as eager to return to finish the gardening job after the scene in the pool. Something sank to the pit of her stomach as she rose to retrieve the Nanny, not knowing what the evening was going to hold.
Olivia pushed the salmon around in her plate as Fitz talked more about his day at the Club For Growth convention in Massachusetts. It had gone off without a hitch, and he had and splendid time talking with potential Presidential candidates and top donors who had helped him win elections. However, her discomfort was starting to become too noticeable for him to push aside.
"Livie, what is it you wanted to tell me?" He asked softly, reaching for her hand across the table. She rose to meet his concerned gaze with a nervous smile.
"It was something Cyrus said today." She admitted, looking back down at her plate for a couple of moments to gather her thoughts.
"I love being Mrs. Grant. I love being your wife and Isabella's mother. But I'm still…Olivia Pope." She began cautiously.
"What's wrong?" He asked, squeezing her hand lightly. She shook her head.
"Nothing's wrong. I think that's the problem. Everything is perfect." She responded, smiling.
"I'm used to chaos and corruption and madness. Now that everything is quiet and peaceful, I find myself craving the life I used to have." Fitz's face made her heart further drop in the pit of her stomach. She could feel his hand becoming colder, and it seemed to threaten to burn her.
"I want to go home. Just for two days. I need to get it out of my system and decide what future I want for us." She murmured, tangling her fingers with his.
"You're never going to lose me. I don't want you to think that. But I have this constant itch to do more that needs to be scratched." Fitz nodded slowly, taking her words all in.
"You have my blessing. I'll stay home with Isabella. I'll have a copter take you down." Olivia could not believe he did not offer to come with her, and her face gave her thought away to him.
"You need to see it yourself. There will be less security detail and more freedom for you to soak it all in. Just promise you'll come back to us." She slowly stood and walked over to his seat. After he scooted out to make room for her, she collapsed into his lap and wrapped him in a tight hug.
"I love you."
"I love you too."
What will Olivia decide when she visits her old firm and is reunited with old friends? Will she decide to run for mayor of Burlington, or will she set her sights higher? Next chapter she will make her decision :) I am the biggest fan of Vermontgate but what past President is going to run for mayor? And Olivia Pope is not the jam-making housewife type. I definitely still see Fitz being involved in politics and Olivia as well.
Thank you all for the kind reviews! They keep me going. I was so surprised to see them pour into my email. You all are great.