Hey guys look, it didn't take three months for me to update, are you proud of me? I am. Thank You for the unbelievable feedback I love reading it so much, so again thank you it means so much.
Enjoy!
Olivia stared down at her glass, the liquid swirled around the bottom. It just kept going around and around until she stopped it. If that wasn't a metaphor for her life she didn't know what was. But unlike a moving glass in her hand, she couldn't just stop. She had the opportunity when Fitz ceased to know who she was, but she decided it wasn't time. Olivia took the remnants in her mouth and set the glass back down. "I take it back, I don't want your advice," Liv said standing up and walking passed Abby.
Abby couldn't say anything before Liv reached her office door. And no sooner had she walked out she was in the elevator on the ground floor of the building. From here Olivia didn't know where to go. She had three options. 1. Walk around aimlessly. 2. Go home. Or 3. Go back to the White House. Sadly none of the options seemed optimal. Walking around seemed pointless, though it could help her in by getting her thoughts worked out. Going home was unprofessional and would be retreating, and Liv didn't retreat from a fight. But going back to the White House meant she would have to see Fitz and she wasn't ready for that.
Waving down a cab, Liv knew she had to make a decision soon. "Where to?" The driver asked as Olivia hopped in the back of the taxi.
It took a brief moment, but Liv got the words out, and no sooner had she, they were pulling away from the curb and were on their way.
...
It hadn't taken long to get from OPA to the White House, but when she did she scattered quickly to her office after passing security so not to be seen. It probably wasn't the best idea to work with alcohol in her system, but she was someone who could handle her liquor and given a half an hour and a few glasses of water she would be fine.
Once she felt like her regular self Olivia got an idea in her head. And began executing it instantaneously. She walked down the hallway, just hoping Fitz wouldn't jump out of his office and grab her. Finally, and with no Fitz attack, she made it to her destination.
After getting the go ahead from Cyrus' assistant, Liv walked into his office. She had a few questions to asked and hoped her good friend could give her the answers she was so desperately seeking.
"Olivia, how can I help you?" Cyrus asked upon seeing his old student.
"I was just wondering if you had an opinion on the public perception strategy I discussed with the President earlier?" She asked. She had asked Fitz to talk it over with his Chief-of-Staff and hoped he had followed instruction.
"I think it would be best if we went with the interviews option. I wouldn't be able to go on the trip, so we should keep the President in the White House. That way we can monitor everything going on with him a lot more closely," Cyrus replied.
"What does Fitz want?" Liv asked, assured she was only hearing what Cyrus wanted.
"The President, has taken what I have said under advisement, and you will have an answer soon enough." Cyrus put extra emphasis on 'The President', to remind Liv that he wasn't Fitz to her anymore.
"Okay, I'll start working up the plans," she conceded.
This was normally where Liv would turn around and leave, but she didn't move. Noticing this Cyrus had to ask. "Is there anything else?"
"Yeah...Has he said anything?" Liv asked.
"About?" Cyrus questioned, not sure what Olivia was referring to.
"Remembering me. Has he mentioned anything about that to you?" She asked, though she wasn't sure what answer she was hoping for.
"I think you'd know about that before me," Cyrus said not even bothering to look up at Liv. If he had, he would have noticed the utter confusion splashed across her face.
"That's just it, I'm not sure," Liv confessed, causing Cyrus to finally look away from what he was reading.
"Ah," was all Cyrus could say. "Did you know my life is a hell of a lot easier since you two are no longer a thing? Which is why I was obviously against him hiring you back, but unlike Mellie I wasn't stupid enough to voice my opinions. So no, Olivia he hasn't mention anything about you to me, and if he had, I wouldn't tell you," Cyrus continued to Olivia's shock.
"Right," was all Liv could say, she was slightly dumbfounded, she didn't think Cyrus would think like that, but obviously she was wrong. Before either of them could say anything else, Liv exited Cyrus' office.
...
What Cyrus had said had really hit a nerve with Olivia. Of course Cyrus felt that way, why wouldn't he. There wasn't nothing Cyrus liked more than having the President all to himself, and with the selective amnesia Fitz had given him exactly that.
She wanted to screw with Cyrus, to show him that she would not disappear, that she wouldn't back down, but that was easier said than done. Two months ago, she could beat Cyrus with her eyes closed and her hands tie behind her back, but now he had the advantage in the situation. She didn't know when, she didn't know how, but she would get him back in his rightful position. She didn't care about the power, she cared about Fitz having it, and with Cyrus leading the way he did not have it. But what she wanted could not outweigh what she was actually going on. She couldn't ignore the situation with Fitz and move on. She needed to face it, but she wasn't ready.
Olivia looked at the clock on the wall, it had just hit five. Normally that would mean nothing. That was the time normal people went home. Normal people who worked in an office building with cubicles, and had proper functioning relationships. She was anything but normal. But tonight she had to be. If she left at five she could escape Fitz. He had been coming into her office each night for the past week. But tonight that couldn't happen. She couldn't be in the same space with him. It was awkward and she wasn't ready to face it. All she needed was the night. In the morning she would return and she could forget about it. But forgetting it right now was not possible. So she had to leave.
Olivia packed up her bag, and was out of her office as quick as can be. But it wasn't soon enough. "Olivia," Fitz called out as he walked down the corridor. Liv stopped walking knowing there was no escaping him now. "I was just coming to your office," he said as he caught up to Liv.
"I was just leaving," Liv said not meeting Fitz's gaze.
"For the night?" He asked surprised. He hadn't known Olivia long, but since she had started working at the White House she hadn't left at a normal hour once.
"Yes, Sir," Olivia said.
Fitz noticed straight away that there was something off with Olivia, he noticed it in his office earlier and he noticed it now. "Have I done something?" Fitz asked.
"No, Mr President," Liv answered, she couldn't say it if he didn't know, and she definitely couldn't say it out in the hallway for everyone to hear.
"Why do I get the impression that isn't true?" He asked. Liv looked up for the first time, and it truly seemed like he didn't know. Maybe he thought he had done nothing wrong earlier, or maybe he honestly didn't know how he had touched her. Liv wanted to answer but she couldn't do it out here.
"How about we talk in my office," Fitz said sensing Olivia's hesitation to be forthcoming.
Liv wasn't sure that was such a good idea, though she followed him anyway. They walked silently until they reached the Oval. Fitz took to one of the sofas and Olivia sat on the opposite one. This was already awkward.
"I understand all this has been difficult for you," Fitz began. Liv was glad he had taken the reigns, she wasn't sure what she would have started with.
"Yes, Sir," Liv said.
"And I'll never fully understand how difficult that really is. However I thought we were making progress. But you've seemed to have reverted back. Back to what I don't know. Maybe this is who you really are. Maybe since you've been at the White House you've been pretending, and you've now stopped. I don't know. But I would like some explanation," Fitz said. He didn't know if he should be tact with Olivia or not, and if he knew her better he would have known the right approach to take. But alas he was no longer privy to that piece of information, so he had to take the bluntest option as to get the truth fast.
"You touched my back," Liv said, there was a way she could explain it without the truth, but she didn't want to lie to him, he actually seemed to want to know what was happening, and it seemed only cruel to not let him in on the problem.
"I'm sorry?" It wasn't an apology, he generally didn't understand what Olivia was talking about.
"When I was in your office earlier, you touched my back," Liv explained.
"Was it just a graze?" he asked, though he was sure that wouldn't make Olivia react like this.
"No. It was full on contact. Something you would do to a romantic partner when your walking through a crowd, as if you we're claiming them as your own, that sort of thing," Liv said, and she carefully watched Fitz's reaction, and it wasn't one she was expecting. He laughed.
"I really don't know what you're talking about," Fitz said.
"Why is it funny?" Liv asked, she wished she could see the humour in the situation, it just escaped her.
"It's not. I just really don't remember that," he said. It had to be something about Olivia, because his mind held no recollection of that event.
"Have you been forgetting anything else?" Liv asked worried. Maybe this was a symptom of something worst. She knew it happened, and if he didn't remember something from earlier in the day, then something could be seriously wrong.
"No, just you," he said trying to lighten the mood, but it didn't work. "Sorry, that was insensitive. I don't think you're lying, maybe I did touch you, but I swear it was not on purpose, maybe I thought I was touching the back of my chair, I don't know. I can't explain something I can't remember. So for that I apologise," he said, and Liv actually believed him. Though now she knew she had been overreacting earlier.
"No, I'm sorry for bringing it up," Liv said, though she wasn't sorry. She needed to get answers and now she had them, it felt like things could return to how they were before.
"Don't be. I would like us to be honest with each other," he said, and a pang of guilt went through Olivia because she knew she couldn't live up to that on her end. However she liked that he wanted to be honest with her, and couldn't let him down.
"I'd like that," she said agreeing to the terms. "But in saying that, there's something I need to tell you," she said and Fitz's ears perked up wanting to know what it could possibly be. Fitz gave her the go ahead to talk. "In my professional opinion I believe for the public perception plan we should go out on the road, show everyone you're healthy. Don't tell the world, show them," Liv finished. She wasn't lying, this was the best option, it just so happened that it came with the added benefit of saying 'screw you Cyrus' if Fitz happened to agree.
"Alright then, if that's what you really believe start setting it up."
So what do you think? Is going away on the road a good idea for the pair? Did Olivia do the right thing? Should she have used her feud with Cyrus to practically manipulate Fitz, even if it was what she honestly believed? Will they actually go on the road? What will happen on the road if they do go? hmm...so many questions!
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