Synopsis: In this chapter, Harrison has his meeting with David, making it the first time they have spoken one on one in three years. More is revealed about Olivia's death and the days following her passing. Enjoy!

Old Friends and Favors, Part II

It's 2015. Time again to check in on an old friend.

David Rosen had done quite well for himself as his title as Attorney General had dictated. He was satisfied, and ironically, exactly where he had envisioned himself years before. And he fancied it tops, being on top. He had come a long way since tacking murals on his walls of his nemeses. Those were much more shameful, uglier times, then. Even as he concentrated on the thought, it all felt like nothing more than a horrible nightmare to him. He was grateful to have things go back to the way they were. His perky assistant was back. His reputation, salvaged. His hairline filling back in by the grace of God.

David had just sat down on the morning of the sixth of February. He had a coffee in hand and a grimace on his face. The setting was normal, but then the phone rang.

"You have a call on line one." Alyssa paged.

"Already? Damn, I just got in. This better be important." he complained with a sarcastic smirk.

"It's Harrison Wright, sir." Alyssa replied.

"Lovely," he picked up the phone on his desk. "Harrison," David grimaced.

"David, how are you these days?"

"Me? I'm just fine, but I suppose I don't have to ask how you're doing if you're calling me so chipper at 9 o'clock in the morning. I'm barely in the door. It's too early for this."

"Look, man, I need a favor."

"Of course you do. But, I've told you before we're even, we've been even. You and me and your team don't do business anymore."

"This isn't a business call."

It most certainly was a business call. People always just claimed it wasn't over the phone when they really, really wanted something. They called it a favor. "Oh, really? You could've fooled me. Look, I'll have Alyssa set up a meeting for you on Thursday, at eleven."

"Sounds good." Harrison said briskly before the line went dead.

David shook his head. Everything in him told David to lose Harrison's number the day he accepted the position of Attorney General. But, his curiosity got to him, and he caved. He knew what Harrison and his people wanted. The whole of America knew. A beautiful, young, African-American DC lawyer's accused killer was to appear before the court in a month. David knew Harrison and his people were probably scrambling to get their ducks in a row before the trial. And all of America would be watching.

David knew all of this, but his curiosity was spurred on by his own nostalgia, a bit of guilt, and sadness. He missed Olivia Pope in pint-sized amounts. Damn her for dying.

Recall 2012. Post

The masses did attended Olivia Pope's funeral. It was practically a tourist event that day. The service was beautiful. The ones who knew her best knew to bring white roses, something classy and tasteful. Open casket, but he didn't get close enough to see. It was a Sunday and it rained terribly all afternoon. People cried, strangers flocked from all over. He considered how Olivia Pope was a mystery to him. Did anyone ever really know Olivia? With a life just as mysterious and obscure as her death, how could they have? Someone had to know her, David thought, looking around as they lowered her casket into the ground with care. Just look at all of these people.

Some faces in the sea of DC elite were recognizable to David. There was the President, of course and his First Lady. Mother. Mellie felt naked in the crowd of grievers, being plagued by her own nostalgia, an immense amount of guilt, and a miniscule amount of sadness. It was just the two of them today. Together, alone, together. Cyrus Beene and his husband, James who he had seen or spoken to since the day of the Defiance hearing. He still couldn't forgive that betrayal, the pivotal part Jams Novak had played in his downfall. He had trusted James too much, for that was his downfall. Sally Langston made an appearance. Of course Harrison, Abby and Quinn were there, huddled together under one single black umbrella, like orphans, caught in the rain without a mother to guide them. He considered going over to them to give his condolences, but David knew that whatever he said would come out sounding foreign and choked out. Did she really have no one in her immediate family to whom condolences could be offered? Sad, he thought. That struck a nerve with David.

As one of the his most trusted advisors and closest friends, it was almost expected that President Grant would give a eulogy to the dearly departed. He didn't. He pulled up in the Motorcade that afternoon with the First Lady dutifully by his side.

Sat quietly with her in the third row back at the cathedral.

Bowed his head when appropriate.

Closed his eyes when appropriate.

Squeezed Mellie's hand when appropriate.

And left Olivia's body behind when the time came.

He did it all that afternoon in immaculately rehearsed motions.

He surprised everyone through ordeal by keeping quiet and hardly speaking openly about Olivia Pope's death that year. But, with one foot already halfway out of the White House already, few had a mind to care what Fitz did or didn't say.

The media had a circus that day, and the ones before the funeral and on the ones afterword. It all got to be an excess of press coverage on her violent death. The Black community, women's rights groups, the entire Union wanted an answer, wanted justice. Here was this gorgeous, polished, brilliant woman, slain in the most powerful city in the world. They wouldn't stand for it. The media made use of America's distress and plastered Olivia Pope's face on every news station, night after night for a year until another bone was tossed out and the dogs grew hungry again.

Her body was quite ruined by the time EMS arrived at the scene. There was no salvaging it- her, rather. She had been stabbed several times over in her chest and abdomen. She bled profusely, hence the permanent stain left behind on the floor. They carried her out on a gurney, her elegant form, no longer elegant, deformed and broken, the glow of her brown skin, gone. Her eyelids were shaded closed, though her mouth was left slightly agape, as if she was still trying to inhale.

That was June 11, 2012.

They were taking a walk, and talking with the hopes that they wouldn't draw too much attention to themselves. They weren't going anywhere in particular, just wandering, walking and wandering.

David wanted to grab a hotdog, stopping off at a food truck. Harrison was forced to lower his voice, " You and I both know that Huck wouldn't have, couldn't have possibly done this."
"I know nothing of the sort." David retorted.

"I do. Trust me. Look at me. You are not an idiot. You and I are both well aware of what Huck's capable of, what his skill set is, where such skills were acquired-"

"You should stop. As a lawyer, it is my suggestion that you stop." David said, reaching for his change and shoving it in his pocket.

"B613 is setting him up!"

David smiled politely at the hotdog stand man and reached for his food. "Give me a break."

"Oh, come on, David. I didn't come here to talk to the Attorney General. I need to talk to you, the Real David Rosen, conspiracy theorist, merciless dispenser of justice. Where is he?"

"Save me the speech, Harrison." he took a messy bite out of his hotdog, relish and mustard dribbling onto his chin. He swiped it away with a napkin, "And just for future reference, you and I were never friends." he added.

"You slept on our couch!"

"You and Olivia totaled my life." he snorted. "- And you all told me to be happy about it. You ruined my relationship, my reputation. You stole from me. Tell me, what do I owe you?"

"And Olivia was right there behind you when you wanted to pull yourself back up again."

"I don't want any part of this. I don't owe you or your people anymore favors You're only drudging up the past." They both took a seat on a sidewalk bench as David continued to gorge himself.

"Then why did you agree to see me? What was the point?"

He waited a long while to answer back. Truth is, he didn't have an immediate reason, or at least none that he could recall. He finished up his last bite. He slurped noisily at his cup. He spoke up finally, " You know what the most screwed up part of all of this is?"

Harrison regarded him with his undivided attention.

When he didn't answer back, David continued, " You say you're doing it for her, but he killed her. What about that do you not understand?"

Harrison sighed, " Huck did not murder Olivia Pope. The man sitting in that jail cell, the man who is getting ready to be hanged before all of America is not the one responsible. Are you really ready for that burden? They've got the wrong guy. Huck is innocent."

"Innocent?" David scoffed. "Innocent?" he repeated. "I'm going to do you one better and level with you here. You said it yourself - we both know what that man out there is capable of. He can cold-blooded and ruthless and carry out an order without thought. He's killed people, tortured dozens and killed them all. You say he's innocent. Innocent is not a term that can bend and twist however it suits you or me. He's going down for this, for what he's done. Huck's as good as dead."

"But, he didn't kill her." Harrison added lamely.

"Okay, and what evidence have you gathered to support this theory of yours?"

"You know I can't disclose that information to you."

David nodded, "None. You have nothing. Your whole team has nothing. You're asking me to stick my neck out for a murderer, but you can't even come to me with some proof? The case goes trial in thirty-four days. How am I supposed to take you seriously right now?"

"Huck did not murder Olivia Pope." he said, exasperated. He knew the truth as it was.

And the truth was this: Huck, Harrison's friend, his teammate, his gladiator, was not responsible for Olivia's death.

The frustration with his incapability to prove this truth as true, made him wish for another truth entirely. He fixated on this case for three of the hardest years of his life. Harrison bled over this case. They all had. They had lost their noble leader and mourned the loss while still trying to carry out her name and work.

"Yeah, you keep saying that." he noted, sinking back in the metal bench, clasping his hands together pensively. "A word of advice, you are all in way over your heads with this thing. Give Olivia what she would've wanted and lay the case to rest."

"She would have never given up." Harrison said before preparing to take off. He'd heard enough and it had seemed this meeting was turning out to be a colossal waste of Harrison's time. He was counting on Rosen to pull through. That was his last card. He wanted David on his side. As Attorney General, David could pull some strings to get Harrison in to see Huck before his hearing began and the whole mess of the trial was due to start-up again.

B613 had somehow made it impossible for Harrison to get in to see his own client. He just knew it. Someone was pulling strings.

Many nights had come when they all considered throwing in the towel, giving up the fight and allowing Huck to burn. They questioned whether it was worth the insomnia, trying to save his life. But Quinn insisted, and she persisted, and she dug her heels in until they resolved to keep going. Huck was her only family now, and she would not, she would not let this go, let him go. No one was giving up. No one was throwing in the towel, not yet. They had a little fight left in them still.

"Wait,"

Harrison stood still, waiting, before turning back around to continue their discussion.

Thanks for reading!