*Four Years Later*

Mellie walked around the house looking for Teddy's overnight bag while she was also trying to talk on the phone. Teddy was yelling something from upstairs, but Mellie couldn't hear him. The doorbell rang, and Mellie groaned with frustration. She was stressed out, and she was thankful that Fitz was taking Teddy an extra night. She went to answer the door, and waved Fitz in. Fitz saw she was on the phone, so he didn't say anything.

"Honey, I have to go. Your dad is here to pick up Teddy. Yes, I know. Don't worry. It's not a big deal. I will call you later," Mellie hung up the phone and sat down on the couch.

"Everything alright?" Fitz asked curiously.

"Karen is just having a meltdown because she'll be arriving here about twenty minutes before the rehearsal dinner because she has an exam that day, and she had to book a later flight."

"How are the wedding plans going?"

"I'm stressed to the max between those, and work. Will isn't much help with the wedding plans because he tells me to just choose what I want, but this is supposed to be what we want. It's so frustrating. You were so much help when we got married. I guess I just expected more from Will," Mellie smiled sadly.

"You can't keep comparing him to me, Mellie. If you do that, you're never going to be happy. Obviously we didn't work, so maybe it's a good thing that the wedding is already going differently."

"Enough about me. How are you and Emily doing?"

"I'm thinking about breaking up with her. I like her, but I don't see us going anywhere. She wants more than I can give her," Fitz looked down at the ground avoiding Mellie's eyes. It physically pained him to see her marrying someone else, but he was doing his best to be happy for her. It would be a lot easier if he knew she was truly happy.

"I see. I should keep looking for Teddy's bag. I have no idea what he did with it."

"I'll help. I'll go look upstairs, and you keep looking down here," Fitz said and went to look upstairs.

He started in Teddy's room with no luck. Teddy must have given up looking because he found Teddy sitting in Mellie's room watching tv. Teddy didn't even notice Fitz walk into the room.

"Hey, buddy. We're still trying to find your bag."

"Mom and I were looking, but I got tired and wanted to watch tv."

"Did you look in here at all?" Teddy shook his head, so Fitz looked around the room. He walked into Mellie's walk-in closet and had to resist the urge to yell when he saw Will's suits hanging across from Mellie's clothes. As Fitz was turning to leave, he found Teddy's bag next to Mellie's dresser. He walked out, and saw that Teddy was gone.

"Mel! I found it!"

"You don't need to shout, honey. I'm right here," Mellie said before she realized what she said. She stood there silent for a minute. She hadn't slipped up like that in years.

"Uh, well we better get going," Fitz said as he heard a door downstairs open. They both heard Will on the phone, and Fitz started to go downstairs.

"Teddy, sweetheart, it's time to go," Mellie said as she walked into the kitchen. Fitz saw Mellie kiss Will on the cheek, and he didn't even glance in her direction. Fitz had to restrain himself from going in there and punching the idiot in the face. Will finally got off the phone and noticed Fitz.

"Fitzgerald," Will said and nodded in Fitz's direction.

"William," Fitz replied, and Mellie rolled her eyes.

"Theodore! Let's go! Your dad isn't going to wait on you all night!" Mellie yelled. She just wanted to get them out the door before Will and Fitz decided to start picking at each other.

The three of them stood there silently waiting for Teddy. The silence was uncomfortable, and Mellie looked at Fitz to apologize. He nodded before she even said a word. He knew what she was trying to say. Mellie missed that. Her and Will weren't nearly as in sync as she was with Fitz. Will got another phone call, and left the room.

Mellie had met Will at a dinner party she had to attend for another senator's birthday about a year and a half after her divorce. He was sweet and charming, and he asked her out almost as soon as he saw her. Mellie was floored by his boldness, and she agreed to go out with him. They dated for almost two years before he proposed. Mellie was comfortable with him, so she said yes. She loved him in a way, but she didn't think she was truly in love with him. After they moved in together, Mellie noticed he wasn't as willing to give her attention. He wasn't home often, and when he was, he was usually working. He worked for the largest law firm in D.C, so he was often in the middle of a big case.

Teddy finally made his way downstairs, and Mellie sighed with relief. Being around Fitz was still too much for her sometimes. She wouldn't admit it to anyone, but she missed him. She knew her marrying Will had hurt him, but Mellie didn't think she could handle being with Fitz ever again.

"Well we will see you later, Mels. I'll have him back here Sunday evening."

"Sounds good. Bye sweetheart! I love you!" Mellie hugged Teddy and kissed his head.

"Bye mommy. Don't forget to get fruit snacks when you go to the store tomorrow. We're all out," Teddy stated as he walked out the door.

"Bye, Fitz."

"Bye, Mel."

Mellie walked into the kitchen and poured herself a glass of wine. By the time she finished what she had to do tonight, she'd probably finish the whole bottle. Mellie grabbed her laptop and her wine and sat at the table.

"Mels, huh?" Mellie looked up confused to see Will leaning against the doorway.

"What?" Mellie didn't understand what he was saying. He had never called her anything but Mellie the whole time they had been together.

"He called you Mels and Mel all in a span of two minutes."

"And?"

"Seriously? He's using nicknames for you, Mellie."

"William, don't use that tone with me."

"Then don't act like this isn't an issue."

"You're acting like a child. We were together for almost twenty years. He hardly ever called me anything other than Mels or Mel."

"I've never heard him ever call you either of those."

"Maybe that's because you're never here, or when you are, you have your nose buried in your phone."

"I am too here! I live here!"

"The keyword there is live. Yes, you live here, but half the time you aren't home until almost eleven, and I understand that you're busy with work, but you never call to say you'll be late. You don't ever text throughout the day. For shits sake, you don't even ask how I'm doing, or if I need help with anything for the wedding."

"Mellie, the wedding is your thing. I don't know anything about…" Mellie cut him off by holding up her hand.

"The wedding is my thing?" Mellie had to close her eyes and take a deep breath.

"Yes!"

"WE ARE BOTH GETTING MARRIED. YOU AND ME. NOT JUST ME, WILLIAM."

"Mellie, calm down," Will started to continue, but Mellie had had enough.

"DON'T YOU DARE TELL ME TO CALM DOWN!"

"Mellie, just take a deep breath. Let's talk about this."

"I am done talking. You can sleep on the couch tonight."

"But, Mellie, I was hoping," Mellie turned around quicker than a snow cone melting in hell.

"Hoping what? That I would have sex with you?"

"Mellie, we haven't in a while, and I miss you."

"If you missed me, maybe you'd come home for dinner once in a while. You thinking I would have sex with you after all of this makes me want to chuck this laptop at your face, but I like my laptop too much for that. I am going to bed. Please be gone for work before I get up," Mellie said as she went up the stairs.

"Mellie, I don't have any clothes down here. Can I come upstairs for five minutes?" Before Will could get an answer, Mellie threw clothes for bed, work, and his bathroom stuff over the edge. It all landed at his feet. He looked up with astonishment. He heard Mellie slam the door to their room, and he just stood in the middle of room.