AN: Hello! I'm BACK. I know it's been ages but I was in a terrible place for a while and couldn't bring myself out of it. I've been working on this chapter for over 9 months now and can't seem to get it quite right so I'm just sharing it as it is. I'm doing better for sure and should be able to keep the story going if your're still interested.

I want to take a moment to say thank you for everyone who read this story and especially those who encouraged me to continue writing when I was at my worst through reviews and DMs. You might not know it but it meant a lot to me and I'm grateful.

DISCLAIMER: I own nothing but my imagination. Scandal and its characters belong to Shonda Rhimes and ABC/Disney.

Without any further delay, he's chapter 14 years in the making.

Grant Ranch, Santa Barbara - California

"Now, what do you want to do about Mellie?" Liv asked after straightening her back. This was going to get ugly.

It had been a week since Fitz learned about the kids' paternity. A lot had happened during that week. First of all, Fitz decided that he wouldn't do anything about Mellie directly, for the time being, seen as he was running for office. He was kin on making her pay but wasn't willing to jeopardize his political career and his children. But, he had Olivia look into California law to know how they should proceed about the custody battle that would eventually come.

He also had Olivia build a killer file on Mellie just to be on the safe side because knowing her, Mellie would try to use the kids' paternity to her advantage. He was also determined to have his revenge on his ex-wife but decided to tread carefully so that it wouldn't cause him his campaign and a chance at being president. But that didn't mean that he couldn't put a plan into motion. The divorce agreement prevented him from bad mouthing Mellie to the press in anyway, either by revealing the truth about their marriage or her extramarital affairs. However, he didn't need to say anything for Mellie to look bad.

The interview itself would make her look like she wasn't a fit mother, although it wouldn't be said. The simple fact that Fitz had full custody, even if he would be traveling most of the time kind of alludes to that. So, generally Mellie's approval rating would take a great hit.

Talking about the interview,, it was decided that it would take place the Ranch with the kids present for a part of it. Fitz decided to invite Rob to the Ranch and was determined to tell him and the kids the truth after the interview. He didn't want to deprive the poor man of anymore time away from the kids. Although Fitz thought of them as his, he also understood why Rob should get to know them, they were wonderful kids. Fitz thought that by making him aware of the situation maybe they could come to an agreement on custody but in case they didn't Olivia had build a case. Even if he could rationalize it, Fitz was still having a hard time coming to grips with the fact that he hadn't really fathered them. He had seen them grow, been to all their school events and spent countless nights taking care of them when they were sick. He didn't care what DNA said or what Rob decided, they were his children; end of discussion.

It had been a few days since Fitz extend an invitation to Robert but he was yet to receive a response, and it was making him very anxious. He didn't know what to think of it. They hadn't been that close to begin with and he could understand the other man's hesitation given the circumstances. After all, he had just invited his wife's lover in his home following him filing for divorce. Olivia had suggested that perhaps Andrew could talk to his brother and let him know the invitation was in good faith and not a way to antagonize him. Regardless of what Rob decided, Fitz was determined to tell the kids the truth because knowing Mellie, it was meant to come out at any moment and he didn't want them to be blindsided or worse, start doubting his love for them.

Back to the campaign, things were tense between Fitz and Cyrus; and Cyrus and Olivia. Every time Fitz and Liv would be prepping for the interview, he'd make snide remarks about the pair. Besides, Him and Liv had gotten into a major argument about the campaign when she found out that he still didn't have a group of hotels booked as their campaign headquarters when they'd be traveling. It irritated her to see what a sloppy job he had done so far with the campaign. It didn't make things easier that he kept pestering Fitz for his divorce. He'd yelled at Liv that she wasn't caring for the campaign which she had been hired for rather making goggly eyes with the candidate all day long. That had warranted him an Olivia Pope style countdown where she basically told him that for someone who had been hired at the beginning of the year he had been useless for the campaign since he still didn't have a list of other campaign workers and volunteers besides the two of them.

Moreover she'd told him that what she was doing was crucial to the campaign. For the campaign to continue they needed a candidate. And it would a waist of money and time if the public image of said candidate pictured him as a selfish and undecided rich bastard. She also reproached him them being so behind in the campaign considering others were already on the road amongst those the three main opponents on the republican side: Senator McGregor from Pennsylvania, Senator Langston from Georgia and Governor Anderson from Texas. Cyrus had since avoided the pair and that had been awfully quiet.

Former Grant Estate, Charlotte - North Carolina

Mellie was going out of her mind. She never planned to move back to Charlotte let alone without anything of consequence to show for it. It didn't make it easier that the news was portraying Fitz like an angels and those she thought her friends didn't want to be seen with her or seem to be linked with her in any way. She needed to do something to get back what she deserved. She had to wait for the divorce to be finalized though. She knew that if she did anything right now she would deprive herself of the little she was allocated.

So, she found herself in this moment, alone and isolated from the world left only with her bottle of hootch and haunted by the failure that was her marriage which seemed to emulate the trajectory of her career before it even started. And damed be Fitzgerald if she was going to allow him to take anymore from her. He took too much from her to begin with. She gave up her own body to carry those ungrateful bastard kids just to appease him and further his career. And what did she get? Nothing. The idiot tossed her to the curb without a second glance and is now riding into the sunset smelling like roses and rainbows. She wouldn't stand for this, she deserved better.

Even if it was the last thing she did in her life, she would make Fitzgerald regret ever meeting her, he and his so perfect family that couldn't be bothered with her. She wouldn't lie and say that her relationship with her in-laws was perfect but she expected better from them. Now they were acting all high and mighty as if she was never part of that family after the years she bore their last name, attended events together and had to play nice with all the kids when they came over. For now, she was biding her time carefully, keeping up with what was going on with the Grants. That's how she found herself downing her third bottle of hootch while rewatching the news bow down at the feet of the Grant family it seemed as though she couldn't escape them no matter where she looked.

Governing Family Matters

… In other news, a partial picture of the behind the scenes of Governor Grant's divorce and presidential campaign seems to be developing. It has been almost a month since Grant filed for divorce from his wife of almost 15 years and much is still unknown. Speculations and allegations have been flying left and right but not a word has been heard from both the governor and his future ex-wife. It seemed as though the Grant-Ford-Lauder clan were ready to speak to the media when many members were seen arriving in Santa Barbara last week. But so far the only official news from the family came from a press release in which they expressed that they stood by the governor in this tough time and asked for privacy while dealing with this family matter. They refused to say more but hinted at an potential interview in two weeks though nothing has become concrete as of yet.

Sources close to the family told us that the divorce should be finalized by next week. This speedy process can be attributed to the fact that the divorce was amicable and the pair sorted through all the necessary procedures before filing.

We might want to remind our viewers that Fitzgerald Grant announced that he was running for president on the fourth of July. Grant's aspiration at the White House is the reason the divorce announcement came as a shock for many. However only those on the outside seem to have been the only ones caught off guard by the news.

From what we're being told, friends of the family expected the pair to call it quits a while back. From what a person close to the family told us, "They had drifted apart so much that it was the only logical conclusion. Most of us expected this sooner or later. They tried mending it but it just didn't work. But I must admit that for the announcement to come right as the campaigns starting surprised me."

This expression of surprise is what many other are experiencing as the timing of this divorce could not be worse. Speculations of an affair have been swirling as being the cause for the rushed divorce. If this were the case, the cheating would have likely been on the part of mrs. Grant. From what a source told us, Governor Grant is retaining full custody of the couple's children. We can also remind our audience that the first thing the governor did once the divorce was as announced was to take his kids away to New York, where they seemed to be spending quality time together as a family. One has to concede that in light of these informations, allegations of an affair seem plausible.

Neither party has yet spoken to the press since the press conference announcing their separation. Apparently mrs. Grant moved out of the governor's mansions and the Grant Ranch a little before news of the divorce came to light and is now residing in the couple's estate in Charlotte, North Carolina.

On the political side of things, the shock and uncertainty that came with the divorce announcements hit the governor's approval ratings which came from 73 to 48%. However, as the news sinks in and the fact that it seems as though Grant is prioritizing his children's wellbeing, his rating is starting to increase slowly and now sits at 56%. However, one should not that this process is taking time away from campaigning which is making Grant fall behind in the race. But all is not lost as there remains ample amount of time to turn things around before the convention next year. We have no doubt that this can be done given who is running his campaign; Cyrus Been. He is…

Mellie stood suddenly, she couldn't stay there without doing anything while the press tarnished everything she had worked so hard for and painted Fitz like a saint when he was far from one. She needed to do something and fast before it got out of hand. She didn't know what it would be yet but she knew she needed a plan.

AN: So, what do you think for the come back? did I disappoint?

- What do you think is going to happen? What do you want to happen?

- Please suggest questions you want Fitz to answer in the interview.

- Any ideas are welcome and will be taken into consideration if they do not change the whole story and how I want it to go.

All the best,

Ghissie..