Disclaimer: Scandal belongs to Shonda Rhimes
Author's note: Thanks for reviewing. Regarding my grammar errors, they are mine – nothing is moved around in uploading, it's because I'm not fluent in English and Danish uses reversed word order compared to English. I welcome to have errors pointed out and know grammar errors can make the story hard to read.
Take It Easy On Me
Chapter 13
When Olivia returned to Olivia Pope and Associates Senator Travis and his wife were waiting for her.
"Senator and Mrs. Travis." Olivia greeted, "sorry you had to wait."
"Don't worry, we just arrived." Travis gave Olivia a tense smile. Olivia kept most of her attention on his wife, Mrs. Travis, was pale, tense and clearly angry.
"This is the team." Olivia waved her hand in the directions of Harrison, Huck, Abby and Quinn. "I need you to be honest with me if you want me to fix this." She stared directly at Mrs. Travis, "am I clear?"
Travis squeezed his wife hand, "we understand and Mary-Ann wants us to move forward together."
Olivia leaned against the big table, "this is how we do it. Senator, you will make a public statement that you have a daughter, and that you lived together with your daughter and her mother for several years. Then we schedule a live interview with you both in Texas. Senator you regret that you haven't seen your daughter for years, and have come to realize that you can't deny your love for her anymore. Mrs. Travis you will shed a tear and forgive your husband for his former sins and for not telling you. Like the good Christian you are and because you love you husband, you will welcome the girl into your lives."
Mary-Ann Travis looked up confused; "welcome the girl into our lives, I'm not sure I understand."
"You will ask for visitation rights and Mrs. Johnson will allow it. You will see Emily on a regular basis and she will sleep over, soon." Olivia was very clear in her speech.
Abruptly, Mrs. Travis stood up and stared angrily at her husband, "you never mentioned the visitation rights you just told me we had to acknowledge the girl. I won't do this."
Travis also got up, "Mary-Ann, honey. Please, I didn't know the plan but we can hardly accept the girl and then ignore her, how would that look?"
"I don't know how it will look, Jack! All I know is that you could have…should have told me this before you proposed marriage. I have obligations to my father and his Church. I've my reputation to think of. "
Travis tried to place an arm around his wife shoulders, "Mary-Ann be reasonable, please. I'm still the same man you said yes to in the church on our wedding day. We both want me to become Governor."
"You may be the same man, Jack, but I don't know you. A child out of matrimony! How could you do this to me?"
"Huck, Harrison take Senator Travis out and offer him a cup of coffee, I'll talk to Mrs. Travis." Olivia's voice cut through the argument between the Senator and his wife. Harrison grabbed the Senator by the elbow and escorted him out and Huck followed looking a bit uneasy with all the emotions on display.
"Please, sit down, Mrs. Travis." Olivia politely suggested and took her own seat next to Mrs. Travis. "Would you like something to drink, water, coffee?"
Mary-Ann Travis calmed down and took her seat, "water, please."
"Quinn, please." Olivia kept her attention on the senator's wife when Quinn left the room.
"What do you want, Mrs. Travis?" Olivia asked.
"That my husband hadn't fathered a bastard child!" She sounded bitter and hateful.
"Well that ship sailed long ago, Mrs. Travis. What you really want is a husband who is honest with you, who shares your beliefs, and you wanted to give him his firstborn child. You wanted the fairytale and got the nightmare. It isn't fair but this is what you got. You never asked the tough questions and now you're caught in this marriage. Do you want a divorce?"
"Of course I don't want a divorce it will ruin me and my parents."
Quinn walked quietly into the room and placed a glass in front of Mary-Ann Travis.
"Then your options are limited. Your husband is listed as the father of Emily Johnson, it will only be a matter of time before the truth is out, but you can control the damage and the whens and hows." Olivia paused and studied the woman she was young, maybe 24. Her blond hair was up in a fancy ponytail and her soft brown eyes completed the innocent look.
"I'll do my part to save our reputation and my marriage."
"Good. I can't force you to like Emily but you will have to pretend to do in public and you will speak politely to Tammy Johnson. You want to give the impression that you are a mature woman who can handle difficult situations. This is compulsory for a Senator's wife and for a Governor's wife!"
"Do you think he can still become Governor?"
Olivia was tempted to roll her eyes but instead she said. "His chances will be as good as before." Olivia found Abby's eyes "get the Senator back in here."
Travis walked into the room with a worried glance in the direction of his wife, he awkwardly sat down next to her and reached for her hand, and relaxed a little when she didn't pushed his hand away.
"We follow the plan. I need to talk to Reverend Wilkes and his wife first, preferably tomorrow. Don't make your statement before I've talked to your father-in-law."
"Thank you so much, Ms Pope." Travis got up and shook her hand eagerly, his smile charming and full of relief, "I'm sure the voters will understand my mistake with your help."
"Did he just call his daughter a mistake?" Abby was chocked.
"I think so." Olivia was chocked too.
"The daughter he raised and then abandoned for power and fame, what a catch." Abby mocked. "We help the good ones you could actually call us Robin Hood and Associates."
Olivia had just opened a bottle of wine when someone knocked on her door, barefoot she answered the door and looked into the smiling face of Fitz, he held out a paper bag for her. "Chinese?"
"What are you doing here?" Olivia glared to her right and then to her left before she pulled him into her apartment. "You are not supposed to be here."
"Yet here I am." He laughed and pulled her into his arms and claimed her lips. Olivia willingly surrendered and her lips became soft and inviting. Her arms reached up and her fingers began to caress his hair. He moaned into her mouth and pulled her tighter to him. His arms encircled her waist and he lifted her up and she locked her legs around him, she felt how aroused he was and she twisted against his sex. Fitz moaned again and began to walk towards her bedroom. They broke the kiss and she nestled her nose into the valley between his throat and ear and breathed in, she was addicted to his scent. Somehow, the bag had vanished at some point, and his hands were free to caress her body after he had put her down on the bed and he took full advances of the situation. His hands greedy and warm and slowly they found a way up under her clothes to touch her bare skin, she moaned and his lips covers her in an urgent kiss.
"You know you can't sneak out of the White House, don't you?" Olivia raised her head from Fitz's chest and watched him, he looked so relaxed and carefree, and he just smiled at her.
"Fitz?"
"I just got you back and I'm not letting you go again, we can sneak around for a month."
"Or we can wait a month and play it safe." She was serious.
"No!" He was just as serious. "Don't be my fixer, be my…" he smiled, "girlfriend"
She smiled, "girlfriend. That's something."
"It is." He agreed. "Hungry?" He asked and she remembered that he had not come empty handed.
"Yes," She smiled and kissed him, "Chinese takeout where did you leave it?"
Fitz smiled and leaned his bodyweight on his elbows, "on the floor in your living room. I think I was a bit distracted." He apologized, he didn't look the least bit sorry but rather smug.
Olivia kissed him again before she got out of bed and got into her outfit. She looked with disapproval at Fitz, "get up," she said and threw his shirt to him, "we will eat outside the bed."
She found two wine glasses and poured wine into them, after placing the glasses and the food boxes on a tray she walked to the couch and sat down. Just as she opened one of the boxes Fitz came in and joined her. He was wearing his shirt and pants but was barefoot and tieless, and he looked gorgeous. He reached for the wineglass and took a sip, Olivia gave him a box of food and couldn't help smiling, this was such a normal and simple thing to do together; sharing a meal late at night. This was the simplicity of life she had always wanted to have with him and suddenly it seemed possible.
The next morning Olivia followed Reverend Wilkes, his wife and Senator Travis into the conference room and asked them all to take a seat together along with her team.
"Where is Mrs. Travis?" Olivia glared at Travis who fidgeted uncomfortable in his chair, "she is not feeling well today." He apologized.
"Hope it will pass very soon." Olivia shot him another glare before she turned her attention towards the Wilkes, "I take it that Senator Travis has told you his secret?"
Reverend Wilkes turned reddish from anger, "Jack has informed us about his former life and the daughter he left, not to mention the woman he left alone to care for his lovechild, and I disapprove of his actions." Mrs. Wilkes nodded her head in agreement.
"Whether you approve or not is not really important, it is between you and the Senator, we're here to find the best way for the voters to accept the Senator's past without judging him. The question is does he have your support or not?"
The Reverend stared sourly at Travis, "we do not have a choice, he married our daughter and divorce is out of the question, it would ruin our daughter and us."
"Then you will have to support Senator Travis one hundred percent in the press and at your Church. You'll let everybody know that the girl is innocent in all of this, like all children are innocent, and no one should mark her as a bastard child. You will welcome her into your family as the daughter of your son-in-law. You are disappointed in your son-in-law's mistake but we all sin sometimes, and the Senator regrets and therefore should be forgiven. You will act like a family and take Emily to social events for the sake of family bliss. Mrs. Wilkes you have always wanted a granddaughter and now you got one."
Mrs. Wilkes gave her a cold stare, "I've always wanted a granddaughter from my daughter or son, not an additional granddaughter." Mrs. Wilkes looked like an older version of Mary-Ann, her eyes were less naïve but she was as stubborn as her daughter.
Olivia took a quick breath, "this is not a question about grandchildren and their family trees, this are about saving your daughter and her husband's reputations and the senator's political career. If you don't care about your daughter's reputation and social life then stick to your dislike of additional grandchildren, but if you do care, you will welcome Emily and do it so convincing that people believes you. The choice is yours"
Mrs. Wilkes looked at her husband, the Reverend folded his hands and said, "we will do this for our daughter. I'll make a statement and I will support Jack and hopefully he will be Governor, one day."
"Good choice. Gentlemen, if you'll excuse me the White House is expecting me." Olivia looked Travis directly into the eyes when she spoke, he looked rueful but took her hand and shook it.
Olivia closed the door behind the Wilkes and Travis and sighed relieved, now she had to prepare Mrs. Johnson for how to navigate through the mess Travis had made.
In her office, she switched the television on and leaned her body against the doorframe, the screen showed the President on his way to a meeting with the Secretary of the State, and she simply stood rooted to the floor and watched him unable to look away. He was looking handsome and happy. He had left her apartment just before six this morning after a night of cuddling and peaceful sleep. Her pillow now bore his scent again and her body was relaxed.
On her way to Mrs. Johnson her phone vibrated, "Pope!"
"Read page three, we have a small situation that can get big. When can you be here?"
"Give me 2 hours, Cyrus." Olivia answered.
Emily was in school but Tammy had taken the day off to speak to Olivia. Olivia sat at the same couch that she had sat on when she first visited Emily and Tammy.
"Mrs. Johnson."
"Call me Tammy, please."
"Tammy, Jack wants visitation rights with Emily. Tomorrow he will make a statement that he has a daughter with you, and he wants her to be a part of his family."
"He just wants to save his career." Tammy stated a little bitter.
"Yes, he wants to save his career but he is also Emily's father, and it would be good for her to see her father and his wife. Mary-Ann has agreed to spend time with Emily and so has Mary- Ann's parents."
"I just hope they will treat her well. What will happen if I refuse his request for visitation rights, I mean he just left and hasn't seen Emily for years?"
Olivia fixed her stare on Tammy, "He hasn't seem Emily for years but he has supported you financially each months and that will be viewed in his favor, he's not uncaring. If you take this to court Emily will lose, a lot of bad stuff will be written in the papers and she will be called a lovechild, a child born out of wedlock and maybe worse. It won't be pleasant and the reporters will dig in your past and write all sorts of lies. If you help Jack to stay Senator Emily will suddenly be a senator's daughter and have privileges. Doing this the right way will save you a lot of grief. I know you're disappointed with Jack and wanted more from him, but this is what you will get from him."
"Like I said he is a difficult man to love and I'm finally over him, so I will do as you say."
"Is there a new man in your life?" Olivia was curious and worried.
"Yes, John is a high school teacher and Emily likes him."
Sighing, Olivia asked "how long have you know John?"
"Nine months, we're talking about moving in together."
"That's sounds nice. Has John been married before?"
"Yes, he was divorced four years ago. His ex-wife is a dentist and remarried two years ago."
Olivia got up and walked to the front door, "thank you for your time, Tammy."
In the car Olivia called the office and got hold of Harrison, she asked him to check Tammy's boyfriend John, during her short conversation with Harrison Olivia found page three in the newspaper and understood why Cyrus was worried. It was a small article following a full coverage of the presidential divorce and Mellie's adultery.
The President had his first crisis six months ago when Billy Chambers accused the President of having an affair with his girlfriend, and came forward with a sex tape he claimed was evidence of this affair. At that time the former First Lady claimed that she was the one having relation with the President on the tape, and that it was recorded on the night she possible had become pregnant. How can this be the truth when the baby isn't the President's? Was Mrs. Grant not the only one cheating in the presidential marriage?
Olivia frowned, she should have been prepared for this and for the pang she felt in the heart when she was reminded of Fitz's ordeal with Amanda. She wondered if she would ever be able to forget that Fitz had been intimate with another woman?
She turned the car around and headed for the White House. The tone in the political debate and coverage seemed to become hasher and more personalized each year.
Cyrus met her in the hall and walked her to her temporary office at the White House, "this was a small article but you know how small articles often grow and become fatal." Cyrus said as soon as the door was closed behind them.
"Let us not jump to conclusions, Cyrus." Olivia sounded calmer than she actually was. She knew perfectly well who Fitz was being intimate with on the tape and how damaging it would be if that became public knowledge. "There is no reason to believe it's not Mellie on that tape."
"Yes, yes there is! The President told us he couldn't be intimates with his wife at the time his soon to be ex-wife became pregnant. Remember?"
Olivia pace the floor for a brief moment, "as long as Mellie cooperates this is not a problem. They told the nation on national television that they wanted a baby and fought hard for their marriage, and that normally requires sexual activities, right?"
"Ok, we can work with that." Cyrus didn't sound convinced, "why can't the Presidents of this country be saints?"
"Because they are humans like the rest of us, Cyrus." Olivia answered tiredly."Just tell the Communication Director to make a small comment on this we don't want to make it a big issue for the press"
"The communication department worked much smoother when you were head of the department." Cyrus looked innocently at her. "I'm not coming back." Olivia meant it.
"I've to try." Cyrus frowned. "I miss you here, miss having a sane, smart person to talk to, it relaxes me."
"Buy the poppy, they take away anxiety, at least I heard they do." She laughed. Her phone vibrated in her pocket. "Pope!" Listening she headed for the door, "Coming, Harrison."
Harrison waited for her at Olivia Pope and Associates with a worried look in his face, "we have a situation in Texas," he said. Olivia sighed and waited for him to continue. "Mrs. Travis didn't follow your instructions. Huck has the live statement from the Senator and his wife on his computer."
"Show me." Olivia barked
"Mrs. Travis, how do you feel about your husband keeping his daughter a secret from you? Have you seen the girl, yet?"
"I accept my husband's past and forgive him, we all lose our ways sometimes and it's how you handle the mistakes that define you as a human being. Jack regrets and deserves forgiveness and understanding. No, I haven't meet Jack's daughter and I'm not sure I will."
Olivia stared at the screen unwilling to believe what Mary-Ann Travis had just done to her husband, she talked about forgiveness but the last comment stated that she offered none. This was bad. Olivia began to pace the floor, she could fix this but she needed to see the Senator and his wife and right now was not the time for her to leave Washington. Her two jobs were in conflicts and she hated that.
"What do you want to do, Olivia?" Harrison and Huck watched her pacing, "do you want me to book a flight?" Harrison asked.
"No! No, I can't leave right now." Olivia stopped her pacing she was in deep conflict, one part of her loyal to her company and another part of her unable to leave Fitz right now, afraid he would abandon her if she left town. She knew she was being foolish but she needed him right now.
"The Senator and his wife need to come here." She finally said and got a confused look from Harrison, Olivia always assisted her clients where they needed her. Harrison took her by the elbow and walked her to her office.
"I've seen you struggle for a very long time now, Olivia. I don't know what the struggle is about but I see you hurt more and more. Today you seemed more like the old Olivia until I suggested that you left town. How can I help you, Olivia? Just say the words."
Olivia felt cornered, Harrison was right she had been falling to pieces but nowthepieces were coming back together again, but her fear was just the same. She feared being abandoned by the people she loved especially she feared being abandoned by Fitz.
"Olivia?"
Taking a deep breath she smiled kindly at Harrison, "thanks, I just need to be in town right now. Help me with Senator Travis and his wife when they arrive, please?"
He gave her a long look, "sure. Are you shutting down the firm?"
"No! I would never do that. This firm keeps us together, I want that." Olivia was shaken by his question.
Harrison smiled, "good, you're my family. You know, once a gladiator always a gladiator."
Quinn came into the office before Olivia had a chance to react to Harrison's statement, "Travis and his wife are already in town."
"What?" This was absurd and Olivia was choked.
"They left Texas right after the interview yesterday." Quinn enlightened her.
"Are they completely out of their minds?" Olivia asked in a loud voice, "Quinn call the Senator and have him and his wife in here before lunch."
"Incoming" Huck yelled.
Olivia, Harrison and Quinn rushed to the hall and watched the elevator, "it's your friend, the Senator." Huck yelled again.
"Of course." Olivia whispered, "Quinn call Senator Travis, Harrison work up a legal binding contract with the terms of visitation rights between Travis and Johnson, we need to work fast." Thinking fast she yelled to Huck, "check Mary-Ann Travis."
Olivia stayed and watched the door open, "hello Edison."
"When the mountain won't come to you… why haven't you returned any of my phone calls?" He smiled but there was a touch of seriousness in his eyes.
Bowing her head slightly, "sorry Edison, I've been very busy."
"Thought so, fixing a presidential divorce must be time consuming but even the President doesn't need his fixer twenty four seven, Olivia. He can't be that demanding."
"I'm not the President's fixer and he is not demanding in any way. I'm busy with two jobs. That's the twenty four seven job." Calming down she added, "let us take this to my office."
Closing the door behind them she turned and smiled sweetly, "I know I promised to think about dating you, but honestly my life is too busy for dating right now."
He just stared at her, "I'm not giving up, Olivia. But I won't wait forever, we lived together and don't need to take it slow, I guess I know you better than most people."
"You do," She agreed. "This is not about taking it slow or fast Edison, this is about me not having room in my life for you right now." This time Olivia's voice was firm, "I'm not trying to play games with you Edison and I'm sorry that I called you, it wasn't to get back together." She had called him in desperation, needing someone to hold her and want her, but she couldn't tell him that.
"Don't be sorry, Liv." He gave her a hard look, "the President has my support, because I like Mrs. Grant but mostly because of you, Liv. You may have a bad judgment of Presidents but I believe in your gut anyway" He laughed at her and she couldn't help smiling back.
"Then there is hope for you," she bantered, their different views on the former Presidents had always been a source to heated and fun discussions between them. The memories still made her smile, "you always had a narrowed mind."
"Only when it comes to the things I value most," he was quick to answer and she saw the heat in her eyes, her body didn't respond but she wanted to get away from him. She fought the urge to take a step back and forced a smile to her face, "then you must value the list of Presidents very much."
Edison pushed his head back and laughed loudly "you always had a sharp, witty tongue, Liv." Still smiling he added, "I'll leave you to your demanding jobs, see you around, Liv."