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Grant Ranch - Santa Barbara, CA

They both headed to the study. And Mellie knocked. Fitz opened the door somehow irritated to have been interrupted. Before Fitz could say a word, he heard:

"I'll sign but I want a deal".

Fitz stared at Mellie in disbelief, there was no way she was giving in so easily. She had to have a motive. There wasn't a single thing she did without having a concrete plan and course of action. But, another part of him was happy at the simple thought of her signing even if it was with ulterior motives. He was just looking forward to a part in his life where he didn't have to pretend anymore. He was happy he would finally be able to make things right with his baby girl. So, instead of putting her through an interrogation about what changed her mind since she was adamant about not wanting a divorce, he decided he'd be civil with her and get this over with.

"Have a seat so we can get this over with." He said dryly.

Seeing how her husband responded to her and the tone in his voice, she knew there was no way of convincing him to stay married to her while having an open marriage. Part of her had thought it, the ideal scenario. They could both carry on with their private lives but remain married on paper. But she wouldn't even dare broach the topic now. Since she couldn't go with her plan A, she decided to go with plan B; making sure that Fitz would be emotionally destroyed once the divorce was over. She needed to make sure he regretted the day he put this idiotic idea in his head.

"So, what do you want? I don't have all day." He said getting impatient. How dare she interrupt his moment with Olivia only to come and remain silent?

Cyrus went and took a sit around the table. He sensed that Fitz and Mellie were going to get into one of their screaming matches again. He had been around them long enough to know that that's how it was going to end. There was no civility around each other while arguing mostly on Fitz's part when the children were concerned. He had seen them argue bout whether or not to send the kids to boarding school and it had been a nasty fight. He couldn't understand for the love of him why 2 people who hated each other so much got married in the first place.

Liv on the other hand didn't know what to do. The tension that was in the office was palpable. She saw Fitz go into defense mode. And from what Fitz had told her about Mellie, she already hated her. How could she be so cold to someone like Fitz? How could she hurt him so deeply that her mere presence changed his whole demeanor? She couldn't understand the woman. She had an amazing man, her gut told her he was one, and yet she made little to no effort to make sure he was happy. Contrary, she contributed to his misery. She didn't know where this would go but she knew that whatever happened, she would be on Fitz's side.

"I think you should call the lawyer for this deal. Don't you think so Fitz?" Mellie asked calmly trying to stall him.

Fitz was fed up with Mellie's games. He knew her invoking the lawyers was her way of stalling him. And, he didn't buy it. "Olivia is a lawyer. And, I am her client. I think, unlike Cyrus since she doesn't know us, she can be our legal counsel for this meeting. She wouldn't be biased. And, later on, she can send our decision to our lawyers so that they can file them with the to the judge by Monday morning."

Mellie got irritated. She really had lost him. He didn't want her anymore. He despised her so much that he didn't even want to wait for their lawyer to cut a deal with her. And, something about the way he softened when talking about Olivia irked her. The way he was looking at her infuriated her. He had known her for what? Less than a day? And he was looking at her as though she hung the sung and the moon. In over 10 years of marriage, never had he looked at her like that. The only time she had seen him look at her with even half the adoration and admiration he was giving Olivia was when she had told him that she was pregnant, the second time, or at the birth of the Twins.

"So, you expect me to take as legal counsel someone you spent your whole afternoon fucking in your office? I'm not that dumb. I want my lawyer!" she snapped.

"What?" Fitz and Liv chocked out at the same time. Liv was disgusted by this woman. Who the heck did she think she was, coming here and accusing her of a such thing. Fitz on the other hand was shocked. How could she think that he'd strike as low as her as to having an affair? With Olivia nonetheless. He had known her for less than a day but he felt like she deserved to be treated like a queen. There was no way he would disrespect her by dragging her into an affair with him. She deserved better than that.

"Oh, come on. We all know that there is no way in hell you spend all your afternoon talking and "strategizing" with her all afternoon." She said making air quotes. "I mean, look at her, she's young and gorgeous. And, with the way she's looking at you like you hang the stars and the moon, I'd be surprised if you didn't pounce on her the minute you got a chance. Besides, knowing how horny you must be, it wouldn't really be a surprise. Admit it, Fitz, she's everything I am not. And I'm sure she wouldn't mind spreading her little legs for you."

Fitz was fuming. Who the heck did she think she was? How could she disrespect Olivia in that manner? Olivia had been the only person that had shown interest in him as a person. He could never allow anyone to disrespect her in such a manner and certainly not Mellie. Was he attracted to her? Of, course. But, Olivia deserved to be treated like a goddess, and he couldn't cheapen their connection to a tawdry affair when he wanted the world with her.

"Who do you think I am Mel? Please don't answer that because right now your answer might make me want to strangle you. This is the last time I'm going to tell you this. I did not cheat nor do I intend to cheat. I am not you. I have more dignity than that. And I would never want to hurt anyone by bringing them into an affair.

Furthermore, Olivia is a smart and beautiful woman. She does not deserve you coming in here and calling her out of her name. She is intelligent and known all across the country for her hard work. She deserves nothing more than your respect. She is here to help you, and not because of you might I remind you but because of Cyrus. So, do not come in here and start insulting the one person that can help you get through this divorce with the little dignity you have left.

So, I am going to say this, and, Cyrus, pay close attention because I think that to some extend, you were thinking the same thing as Mellie. Olivia and I did not have sex. We talked, that's what we did. We talked about the divorce and that's all.

Oh, by the way, Mel, I think you owe her one hell of an apology."

Everyone was dumbfounded. Mellie at the tone Fitz's voice and at the fact that he defended Liv's honor more than his own. Liv at the fact that he was adamant that she receives respect and recognition for her work. She was thankful that he had such a high esteem of her even if he knew almost nothing about her. She knew that people often said or thought she was sleeping with her bosses to get what she wanted, but, never in her life had someone defended her the way that Fitz just did. And, that small act drew her to him further. Cyrus was astonished that it had been Fitz who responded instead of Liv. But he could have sworn that she might have said the same thing.

"Wow! Poped and it's not even by Olivia Pope! Never thought I'd see this day coming. " Cyrus says in disbelief looking at Mellie.

The room falls into an uneasy silence.

Washington, DC

He sits at his table looking at the file in his hands. He thinks for a minute and knows what he has to do.

"Get me the mayor on the phone please?" he calls to his assistant.

"Of course sir. Wait one minute sir." The assistant goes back into her office and comes back about a minute and a half later. "The mayor is on line two sir." She says and quickly walks back.

"Thank you." He picks up the phone to speak to the mayor.

"Good morning Mr. mayor." He says dryly

"Good morning, Sir. How can I help you today sir?" the man at the end of the line answers somehow terrified

"I'm calling about that project we talked about." he trails off.

"What about it Sir?" he asks unsure of where this conversation is going.

"I want the paperwork done and ready for the final signatures by tomorrow morning."

"Of course Sir, that is doable Sir. Is there anything else I can help you with Sir?"

"No, nothing for now." And the line goes dead.

Grant Ranch - Santa Barbara, CA

The silence is broken by Fitz.

"Mel, I think that she's still waiting for her apology."

Mellie feels so humiliated. Not only is he publicly divorcing her, but he's chastising her in public by making her apologize to someone who's way younger than her.

"I'm sorry," she says in a whisper.

"What was that Mel? I didn't hear you." Fitz says.

Liv is dumbfounded. Not only did he defend her honor, but, he is making Mellie apologize. He's putting her at her mercy. She has no words of what to say. She stays there in shock.

"I said I'm sorry." she nearly shouts.

"That's much better," he smirks. "What do you think Liv?"

She can't believe that he actually called her Liv. Only her friends call her that. But, something about him calling her that seems different. It feels better, it feels, right.

"It's okay. I think that if you'd all like we can turn to business." She motions for everyone to take a sit around Fitz's desk. Thankfully there are 4 chairs, so, everyone can be sited.

"By the way, thank you, Governor," she says with a smile.

Fitz loves her smile, it's heartwarming to see her smile. And, after what Mellie just did, it's good to see her smile. For a moment, he was worried that she would actually let him go as a client because of Mellie. So, seeing her back to business and smiling is a sight worth enjoying.

"It's nothing Liv, it's nothing." he smiles back at her.

Mellie watches the exchange between the two. She can swear that she's never seen Fitz smile like that for her. It's a genuine smile and you can see that it actually reaches his eyes. At that moment, she knows that she's lost him forever. They might not have slept together, but she can tell that there is something tangible between the two of them.

"I want the house in North Carolina, the one in Boston, the one in LA, and the one in Aspen. I want 35 million dollars. I keep the Grant last name. You will endorse me when I ran for senate. You will not breathe a word about my infidelities or my mother." Cyrus's eyes go wide because he didn't know about Mellie's infidelities. But, he's more shocked that Liv doesn't seem surprised by the news. He made a mental note to ask her how she knew. "And, I get shared custody of the kids." She says confidently.

"Absolutely not. Here is how it's going to go, you get the house in North Carolina, and the one in LA. You will get 10 million dollars. You take back your maiden name. I will not endorse you for anything. I will not say a word about your business because that would hurt my kids. And, I get full custody of the kids; legal and physical and you get visitation rights once every two months but, they don't get to see you if they don't want to." Fitz retorts.

"No," Mellie says. "We've been married for over 10 years. I can't go back to my maiden name, no one's ever heard of the name 'Montgomery'. Plus, you come from a family of billionaires. I can't settle for that, it's too little. I know what you're worth Fitz. And, you can't keep me from seeing my children, I'm their mother."

"Ow, I know what I'm worth too, Mel. But, don't believe for a second that you're touching on my family's money. The money you'll get comes from my personal accounts. And, for the children, I'm not keeping them away from you, you have visitation rights. And, don't kid anyone here, we all know that you're less of a mother to those kids than their nanny is."

It was starting to get heated once again. They started screaming at each other. Liv sighed.

"Quiet". She shouted. Everyone went silent and looked at her.

"Look, it's getting late. And I'm very tired because of the flight. So, I would like both of you to just listen to me so, that we can get this over with."

She looked around and found all eyes on her. She really looked tired. Fitz immediately felt bad for not realizing how tired she was earlier. He was so busy talking that he hadn't thought about how tired she must have been after her flight.

"Thank you," she said quietly. "So, this is what I propose you do. Mrs. Grant gets the houses in LA and North Carolina, 20 million dollars. She keeps her maiden name. Governor Grant does not have to endorse her but he has to keep her indiscretions secret. Governor Grant gets sole custody of the kids and Mrs. Grant, Ms. Montgomery, after the divorce, gets visitation rights once a month. And you both sign NDAs." She looks around and says "Do we have a deal?"

Fitz and Mellie both seemed to be thinking about Liv's solution. After a while Mellie said "We have a deal." and Fitz then said "Deal."

Mellie then got up and exited the study.

"Governor, I suggest after you call your lawyer to tell him what you just agreed upon, you should call your grandfather and have the kids at home as soon as possible."

"Why?" Cyrus asked.

"This is something they need to know face to face not over the phone. Plus, they need to be comforted by their parents. They need to be reassured that it's not their fault. They need their parents. It's never easy, even when you want it, to see you parent's marriage end." Liv replied. "Besides, with all the media scrutiny that this divorce is going to get, I think it's better if they're here with you."

"Well, that makes sense. I'm going to call the lawyer. Liv, you should probably get to your hotel, you look exhausted. We'll hash out the rest tomorrow morning when everyone is rested. It's been a long day." Fitz says as he grabs his phone.

"Yeah, you're probably right." She says with a yawn. Fitz yawns as well. That doesn't go unnoticed by either other them.

"The next few days are going to be hectic!" She says as she grabs he purse.

Fitz offers to escort her to his chauffeur who's waiting for her so that he can take her to his hotel. Once they get out of the house, they realize that it is now dark. Fitz opens the door for Liv, and, she gets in. Before closing, he looks at her and says: "Thank you."

She looks at him confused, she doesn't understand why he's thanking her. Seeing her confusion, he adds, "Thank you for listening to me earlier even if you didn't have to. Thank you for letting me open up and not judge me. Thank you for agreeing to do this favor for Cy. It all means a lot to me."

She is touched by his gratitude. She hadn't realized that the smallest thing that she could do such as listening to Fitz would made such a big difference in his life. It showed her that he didn't have many people in his life to talk to; and, she can relate to that.

"It's nothing, but, you're welcome."

He steps out of the door so she can close it and before she can do so, he says; "Goodnight Liv."

She smiles at him and says, "Goodnight Governor Grant."

He smiles back at her. She closes the door and he watches her drive away. And, he can't help but keep smiling, thankful to whatever God that exists for a wonderful day marking the beginning of a new life. And, hopefully, a life with Olivia.

Meanwhile...

Once outside, Mellie grabs her phone and makes a call.

"Hello." says the voice at the other end of the line.

She doesn't even greet her and says "Fitz and I are getting a divorce."

It takes a little time for the person at the other end of the line to register what she's hearing. "What? You finally told him?"

"No, I haven't told him yet," she responds calmly.

"Mel, you know you have to tell him eventually right?" she enquires somehow worried that she might never tell him.

"Don't worry, he'll know soon enough." She says with a wicked grin.

They chat for a little longer then, end the call. Mellie goes to the master suite and lays there, contemplating one of her last nights at the ranch.

Please tell me what you think. Your opinions are welcomed and desired.

JLG20