"You know I love you Olivia but why am I here?" JoJo Lodge asked. She, Oliva, and Rip had all gone to college together. JoJo was old money, just like Rip. Her family made their money from selling guns and popular cast-iron cookware. Olivia got word that JoJo was in town for a wedding and asked her to meet up at a boutique. Olivia shrugged, "Figured that I'd buy your cousin a nice wedding gift, which is what you should be doing."

JoJo rolled her eyes, "I paid for the honeymoon. That's all she's getting from me." JoJo didn't want to beat around the bush. "Since everyone in this town is more your speed than mine, why did I get an invitation to a black-tie event by the President's wife?"

Olivia put down the heavy decanter she was holding. "Why would I know that?"

"Don't play dumb. You were shoulder-to-shoulder with that damn White House for years. If anyone knows why…it's you. Why was I invited?"

"I think they want Rip to be a major funder to the President's re-election campaign."

"So, they want Rip because they finally see Hollis Doyle for who he is or because of the Rip/Hollis beef?"

"Probably a bit of both."

JoJo grabbed a wooden cheese board. "If they want my presence then it's much more than Rip donating to the campaign. They want Rip to back the whole thing don't they?"

"Probably."

"And they want me too because of my family's ties to the NRA?"

"Probably."

"They know they won't get me without Rip." JoJo surmised. "Rip got an invite too?"

"Yes."

"Did you?"

"Yes—but I'm not going."

JoJo looked at her, "Why not? These are 'your people'.

"They're not my people…not anymore."

JoJo opted not to push Olivia, "If you don't go then I don't go. I think that creates an entire domino effect that results in me, you, and Rip not making an appearance."

Olivia didn't like the ultimatum that JoJo was giving. She was torn but made up her mind that Rip and JoJo could decide for themselves whether or not they wanted to fund Fitz' campaign. In order to do that, they would need to hear him out which meant-going to Mellie's gala. "Fine. I'll go but I'm not getting involved at all. The two of you can make your own decisions." JoJo smiled at the small victory of getting Olivia Pope to agree on something without a lengthy argument.

"I thought you weren't going Liv." Quinn said from where she sat on the bed.

Olivia was trying to decide on which gown she was wearing. Abby and Quinn had come over after she texted them that she would be going to the gala. Abby decided to come over to see what Olivia's game plan was when it came to being in the same room with the President; Quinn came to see how Olivia would handle being near Rip after their last conversation. Olivia grabbed a lilac gown that was one-shoulder designed and flowy. The dress tumbled to the floor and she opted for crème colored pumps that brought the ensemble together.

"I wasn't going to go but JoJo said that she wouldn't go if I didn't." Olivia replied.

"Why would any of that matter?" Abby asked as she sat on the other side of the bed eating popcorn.

"I just feel like they need to decide for themselves whether or not they want to participate. They can't do that if they're only making a decision based on my opinion. I am not the least bit comfortable going to this gala but I'm doing it because JoJo asked me to."

"What are you going to do when you see Rip?" Quinn asked.

Before Olivia could respond, Abby put her hand up. "Before we get into all that. What is the backstory with you, JoJo, Rip, and Hollis Doyle? Huck mentioned that Rip and Hollis have issues."

Olivia began to curl her hair at the vanity. "JoJo and Rip are from Texas just like Hollis. One of Hollis' business deals includes a lot of fracking. I have no idea what that really is but it was enough to get Rip ticked off. As you know, he has a huge ranch that Hollis is apparently trying to get fracking rights to. JoJo and Rip have been really good friends since college. As of 3 years ago, they're in-laws. Hollis allegedly did some sort of illegal drilling in some small towns around Houston that poisoned their water supply. A few of Rip's employees live in those towns and got sick because of it. It's been a battle between him and Hollis ever since. With Hollis backing out of supporting the President, he would desperately need a new funder if he has any hopes of beating Sally Langston for the nomination. Sally has all the religious fanatics and conservatives. With Rip and JoJo, the President may get blue-collar people, minorities, gun enthusiasts, farmers, and feminists to vote for him."

"How exactly?" Quinn asked. "I mean we know some of Rip's background but JoJo?"

"JoJo's family created an extremely successful cast-iron cookware company as well as created a popular firearm brand. The votes that Hollis would take away and pour into Sally may be able to come back to Fitz with the help of Rip and JoJo."

Abby placed the bowl of popcorn down and got off the bed. "Liv, do you want us to come with you? I'm sure we can find something to throw on at home. It's obvious that going to this whole thing is making you uncomfortable."

Olivia tried to wave them off, "Your night doesn't need to be monopolized by this. I'll be fine."

Abby pursed her lips, "Okay. Let us know if you need us."

Olivia finished curling her hair, pinning a few pieces behind her ears, and grabbed her small handbag. "I'll see you guys later. Stay as long as you want."

Olivia's hands were sweating as the car pulled up to the gala. JoJo tapped her knee. "You ready to go?"

"Sure."

They both got out of the car and stopped near the photographers to pose for some photos. JoJo was very petite and chose to wear a bright orange form-fitting dress with an A-line neckline and black strappy heels. Her chestnut locks were securely placed atop her head in a messy updo. She and Olivia took a few photos and entered the ballroom. Olivia could feel a lot of eyes on her and for the first time in her life, she hated it. She and JoJo got in line to properly greet Mellie and Fitz. Olivia was crawling out of her skin because she didn't even want to touch Fitz. When they got to the front of the line, she finally looked up. She looked up to see Mellie in a red dress that complimented her figure and her hair pulled back into beachy waves secured behind a satin headband.

"Hello Liv! I am so excited that you got my invitation and decided to come." Mellie turned to look at JoJo. "Hello Ms. Lodge. Thank you for coming to my event." Olivia and JoJo both shook Mellie's hand. Olivia inched forward and saw Fitz staring at her.

"Hello Mr. President."

Fitz remembered where he was and cleared his throat, "Hello. Ms. Pope. Thank you for coming." Fitz turned to acknowledge JoJo. "Hello Ms. Lodge. I am looking forward to speaking with you more throughout the night."

"I'm sure you are." JoJo said with sarcasm. Olivia nudged her and she plastered on a smile. "Let's go get a drink Liv."

Olivia and JoJo got away from Mellie and Fitz quickly. They both ordered a glass of wine from the bar. Olivia felt goosebumps cover her body as someone walked up behind her. She heard him before she saw him, "JoJo! What's up fam!" Rip gently touched her elbow, "Hey Bambi. Didn't think you'd be here."

Olivia turned around and regretted the motion. Rip looked fantastic in his dark brown tuxedo. It was expertly designed to fit his large frame. He had put gel in his hair and pushed it back off his face. She looked past his shoulder and saw Fitz looking in their direction. Her stomach started to churn violently. Both of them looked equally good in their tuxedos and she was actually turned on by the both of them. She looked back at Rip. "Yeah. JoJo wouldn't show up unless I did."

Rip looked her up and down, "You look beautiful Bambi."

Olivia blushed and smiled, "Thank you. You look nice as well." JoJo studied the interaction between them, picking up on something more than just their friendship.

Rip grabbed Olivia's hand, "I'm sorry about our last conversation. I'm not sorry about the context of what I said but I do apologize about the way I said it."

Olivia was offended and pulled her hand away, "So you do think that I'm set up that way? You think I'm that cruel?"

Rip sighed, "I think you're very conflicted and you don't see how that makes you treat others. You lashed out at me for telling you a truth that you needed to hear."

"I'm not your child Rip. I don't need you to parent me!" Olivia countered.

"See what I mean?" he pointed out. "I'm not parenting you. If you think for a second that I don't have your best interest at heart then you don't know me at all anymore. Make up your mind and let me know your decision."

Before Olivia could respond, Cyrus materialized out of nowhere—with Mellie and Fitz close behind him—and gave the biggest smile Olivia had ever seen on him. "Well, it looks like the party is over here. JoJo Lodge, Ripley Cartwright, I'm Cyrus Beene. I'm the President's chief of staff. We were all hoping to steal the two of you away for a private conversation."

Olivia hadn't noticed that Rip partially blocked her frame as Fitz, Mellie, and Cyrus walked over. Fitz however did notice and it made him clench his jaw. Fitz extended his hand, "I must have missed your arrival Mr. Cartwright. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Rip didn't flinch at Fitz' unnecessarily rough handshake. "Yeah I kind of just sauntered in. Didn't want or need a big production." Everyone picked up on the intentional dig made by Rip. "Sure Mr. President. Let's go have the chat."

Mellie looked at Olivia—who'd been completely silent throughout their exchange—and donned her practiced smile. "Olivia, will you be joining us?"

All eyes turned to Olivia and she felt her stomach churn even more. She put her wine glass down and held her purse closer. "Um no. I won't be joining you." She looked at JoJo. "You mind if I take the town car?"

JoJo was concerned, "You okay? You need me to come with you?"

Olivia shook her head, "No! I'm fine…just work stuff. I need to do some really important stuff for a client."

"You just got here Liv." Cyrus whined.

Olivia gave a polite smile. "I know but you know that OPA never sleeps." She pleaded at JoJo with her eyes. "Will you be alright if I take the car?"

Rip said, "JoJo can ride with me when we're done here." He turned to face her and stepped close enough to be chest-to-chest with her. He lowered his voice, "Are you sure you're okay Bambi?"

Out of the corner of her eye, Olivia could see Fitz ball his fist up at the nickname. She couldn't handle being so close to him. She nodded, "I'm fine. I just have some work to do." She looked at Mellie, "As always, this is a beautiful event Mellie. Have a good evening everyone."

Olivia fled the ballroom as quickly as she could without raising suspicion. When she got into the car, she started hyperventilating. It took nearly 5 minutes until she was able to calm herself down and instruct the driver to take her home. During the elevator ride up, she was tempted to call Abby and Quinn. When she unlocked the front door, she couldn't hide the smile on her face.

Quinn looked over at her and grinned, "You said stay as long as we want. We got caught up watching American Horror Story. Want to join us?"

Olivia laughed, "Of course." She kicked her shoes off and plopped down between the two of them. Abby, never taking her eyes off the screen, handed Olivia a container of food. They had ordered Olivia's favorite Jamaican food. She started to dig in. "You guys knew I was coming back early?"

Abby replied, "We had a feeling. You alright?"

Olivia chewed her food, "No. I had a panic attack on the way home. I don't know what to do or who to choose."

"We talked about this Liv." Quinn said. "You're supposed to choose Olivia."

"It's more than that."

"In what way?" Abby asked.

"I'm caught in the middle either way. If Rip funds his campaign then Cyrus will use me as a go-between to keep them from locking horns. If he doesn't, then I will be seen as the reason why and never hear the end of it if Fitz loses the election because of me."

Abby snorted, "First of all, you're powerful but not that powerful. The voters wind up making that final decision not you. To hell with Cyrus trying to use you as a buffer or a punching bag. I don't know what you think you owe Cyrus but I guarantee you that you don't owe him for the rest of your life. Rip is a grown man who makes his own choices about how he spends his money. You will only be caught in the middle if you allow them put you in the middle. It's not about who you choose. It's about how you respond to them regardless of what they choose to do and what follows that. You are Olivia Pope. Please start acting like it."

"Abby" Quinn chastised. "She loved him and she has a connection with Rip. It's a hard choice."

Abby turned to face Olivia. "I say this with all the love that I can muster. You shouldn't have fucked your friend if you weren't willing to deal with the repercussions. When it all boils down to it, only one of them is married. If you want your life to turn into a messy scandal then by all means run behind the President. If you want a chance to truly start over with someone that isn't wrapped up in the White House, then choose Rip and move on. If you're going to continue to walk this tight rope, then leave the both of them alone until your maturity rises back to where it was."

Olivia was getting annoyed. "This coming from the woman who can't decide between David and Leo."

Quinn was hoping that this wouldn't turn into a big argument, "Guys let's dial it back a bit."

Abby final statement was, "At least being with either one of them doesn't put me in the crosshairs of the unrelenting paparazzi. Now eat your damn food before I take your plantains."