Chapter 6

"The past twenty-four hours have been some of the most difficult hours of this administration, and of my marriage. I am aware of the rumors surrounding my life and I am here to address those rumors.

I am a human being and I am not perfect. I was unfaithful in my marriage. Please understand, this wasn't a case of an established pattern, or me trying to satisfy a need. This was a case of meeting the love of my life at the wrong moment, and not being strong enough to resist the feelings I have for her.

Make no mistake, I am deeply, completely, soulfully in love with Olivia Pope. After the assassination attempt, I realized I can no longer live without her and I asked the first lady for a divorce.

I realize this is unprecedented, and for my human failing, I apologize. But I will not apologize for following my heart. I will not apologize for any part of my relationship with Ms. Pope. I will apologize for the circus that this has become, but rest assured, my administration is as focused as ever on running this country to the best of our ability.

I hope you will respect Ms. Pope's privacy as she is a private citizen. I apologize to my family for what they have endured, and what they will endure as we move through the divorce process.

Thank you and may God bless America."

Olivia sits in a hotel room, on the floor with a bowl of popcorn and a bottle of her favorite red wine. What a day it's been in her life. In some respects, it is the happiest as the burden she'd been carrying was lifted. In others, it is just the beginning.

She watched his press conference and marveled at how good he looked. Peaceful. It's something she rarely sees on his face because there's always so much pressure, but when he makes up his mind about something, he becomes more youthful looking. Has a bit of a bounce in his step which she noticed as he walked toward the podium.

He will become a better president because of this. Because he can focus on the job at hand without worrying about Mellie's next move. They'll still have to worry about her, but she no longer has the power of their affair to hold over his head. A new set of worries, certainly, but she is weakened.

Now, she must think about her own life. What's next. Press is still camped out in front of her home and office. No amount of pleading for privacy will give her that. OPA is likely finished. Then again, while her reputation may take a hit, it doesn't negate the fact that she is still the best at what she does. Perhaps a temporary hiatus is the route to go because eventually the revelation will become back page fodder, and then it'll drop out of the news entirely.

She looks back at the television and sees a couple of talking heads interviewing representatives from both sides of the aisle. She looks at the democratic senator speaking on behalf of the entire party. He was coached well. Using buzzwords such as "disappointed," "hearings," "impeachable offense," all things she expected. She has a file on him though, with the names of the teenage prostitutes he's solicited over the years and the many messes she had to fix.

The republican representative is no better. Well, on the immorality scale he is better. He had a drug problem, still does. Heroin and cocaine. A combination. He overdosed a couple of times and OPA had to sneak him in and out of rehab. He's fallen off the wagon. It's all there in his file.

She turns off the television and waits. She hopes Fitz will call, wants him to call. He probably won't. Can't. He'll likely sit with his communications team and devise a plan for moving forward. Then, there will be calls to his divorce lawyers. The discussion on where to file, when to file, how much to offer her.

Then, there's Cyrus. Cyrus. What to do about him.

There is a complication. She owes him her life. He didn't have to stop for her. Didn't have to rescue her or take her in. For years he took care of her in a way her own father wouldn't. Fed her thirst for knowledge. In exchange, she let him mold her into one of the best political minds "in a generation," his words, not hers.

Although she worked throughout college, and earned a full ride scholarship to Yale, it was he who gave her extra money. He is the one who sat in the auditorium during her debate competitions. And awards ceremonies. And graduation ceremonies. He was always there.

At the same time, her debt has been paid several times over. She worked many campaigns for and with him. Teetered in the area between white and black for him, and lived with that guilt that every questionable deed caused. Most painfully, she let him play mind games when it came to Fitz.

He knows her well and is able to play just the right notes to get what he wants. She knows she gives him too much leeway. Too much power over her life. Every time he plays a game, she knows exactly what he's doing, at the same time, her conscience always gets to her. This last time though, playing the Verna card with her and the Jake card with Fitz, that was the final straw.

She doesn't know how she will handle it. She can't simply cut him out of her life. Her thoughts are interrupted by the ringing of her phone.

"Huck? What is it?" Huck stayed at the office, trying to get a handle on B613. Listening to chatter. Making sure the Rowan problem really was put to bed.

They never spoke of her father, Olivia and Huck. She doesn't want to; he doesn't pressure her. He does think, maybe things at The Compound unfolded too quickly, too neatly, and there will be consequences. He's nervous, but he doesn't share that with her. Doesn't share with her the suspicions about her mother either. She has enough to deal with.

"So far, there's chatter, but not much. It looks like someone may have been trying to push him out, which is good for us because we took care of their mess. They were in the midst of a coup anyway, so we may be in the clear."

"May?"

"We'll just have to stay on top of this. You never know how these things can go but you don't have to worry. I'll take care of whatever comes up."

"Thanks, Huck."

He wants to ask her if she's okay, but she doesn't know the answer to that question. Instead, he says, "You're welcome," then hangs up.

The bigger issues are Harrison and Fitz.

Her life, for the past three, nearly four years, has been all about Fitz. Getting his campaign on track. Leading him toward victory. Then, coming to his rescue with the whole Amanda Tanner debacle. It's all such a mess.

This though, saving his presidency after this, is going to be her biggest challenge. No longer can she come and go from the White House as she pleases. No longer is she anonymous. Whatever planning, whatever assistance she can offer has to kept quiet.

Still, he hasn't called.

Harrison. Until today, he'd been her most trusted, most loyal gladiator. He's always been willing to do whatever was asked of him, without question. But today, he betrayed her. After all she'd done for him. He may say he was looking out for her, but without at least involving her in his decision, he put everything she worked for at risk.

She should've seen it coming. There seemed to be some ill feelings bubbling to the surface lately. She ignored her gut.

With Olivia and Harrison all those years ago, there was an instant connection. Not of the romantic variety, more like the brother/sister kind. He was being cared for by the same woman whose name escaped Olivia. They were supposed to call her mommy, but she never did. Never really called her anything.

Harrison's situation was a little different than Olivia's. Both of his parents were B613. They left him with the woman, but they never came back. So, he became Olivia's responsibility, something she didn't take lightly.

As she was planning her escape, it was he whom she confided in. He doubted her. Said no one had been successful and she knew she would be the first. She liked to be the first to achieve things. So, she met the challenge head on and she did it, with the promise she would come back for him.

What she didn't anticipate was being saved. Was Cyrus Beene. Although Harrison was never far from her mind, she didn't go back for him. Not until she found out he was being held on a variety of charges. Then, she re-appeared and saved his life.

Olivia has never been the type of woman who reacted. She is more like a slow burn. Wait until you relax and think you've gotten away with something, and then she'll strike. Harrison learned all about it when they were growing up with that woman.

He was different from Olivia. Where she would go and have a good think, he was a smooth talker. She'd somehow managed to convince him to share some of his secrets of coping, but he she never reciprocated.

He owes her his life, he knows. When she walked into that jail, at first he didn't recognize her. But, as soon as she spoke in that unique voice, he knew she'd come to rescue him. There was no longer that sense of hopelessness that hovered above him.

From that day forward, he did anything for her. When she called, he jumped and did whatever necessary to get the desired outcome. Never any questions.

It's why her secret relationship with the President cut him so deeply. She was his confidante and it turns out, he was nothing to her. It was a sad realization, but a necessary one.

Harrison sat in his office alone, playing with the phone in his hand. It had stopped ringing long ago. His plan, which seemed foolproof at the time, was a complete and utter disaster.

Since there had been no denials in the beginning, he thought he could be in control. There was a woman, he'd leak, but it wasn't just an affair; it was love. It was the first lady who drew first blood with her alleged affair on the campaign trail, a fact he'd help cover up. There would be whispers of the President wanting to protect the mystery lady from scrutiny; it would be chivalrous.

The first lady was in on it. She knew of the relationship and didn't object. She facilitated meetings, pointing specifically to a state dinner, a fact he'd been able to dig up. He'd paint the picture of a first lady who was an enabler, who, in fact, benefitted from her husband's relationship.

Leaking Olivia's name, that was a mistake. The smooth talker spoke too fast and referred to "Liv" when the reporter said something. Now, he can't even remember what set him off, what made him slip.

It felt like a matter of minutes before "Liv" slip to the reporter became "Olivia," and seconds later came "Pope". Now, it's all over. There's no way he can fix this. He'd just earned his way to the big office and she'd likely ask him to vacate it sooner, rather than later.

He looks up when he feels eyes glaring at him. The same eyes that have been glaring at him all day. They know. They all know. And, he's broken their circle of trust.

He gets up and marches toward the conference room where the eyes that had just been staring a hole into him, are suddenly occupied by something else. "Okay, let me have it," he says, preparing himself for the harsh words that will come next.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Abby says it in such a way and with that little smirk, it tells him she knows exactly what he's talking about and she feels nothing but scorn toward him.

"I messed up, okay? I made a call and it was the wrong one."

Abby moved closer to Harrison, but Huck steps between them. The rage that has been building from Huck's stomach moves closer to the surface. Harrison, of all people, one of those they protected, betrayed her. His rage though, quickly turned to pity as he sees the expression on Harrison's face. "You need to leave," he says simply. "You need to go far from here and never look back."

It is a command, no, a demand. Without another word or backwards glance, Harrison is gone.

The knock on Olivia's hotel room startles her. Ever since the attempted, well, she still isn't sure what it was, the break-in perhaps, she's been leery of answering the door. At least not without backup which, for her, is a baseball bat. She leaves the guns to Abby.

She knocking increases in urgency and volume, "Who is it?"

"Me."

She can't open the door fast enough. There he stands with the most beautiful expression on his face. He enters without invitation, but the smile on her face tells him everything he needs to know. She's okay and most importantly, they are okay.

They embrace each other. No words. Just arms wrapped around bodies; warmth meeting warmth. Breathing calmly because this is the beginning of forever; they have time.

When they separate, their fingers still touch, neither wanting to completely sever their connection. He smiles down at her, then takes his hands and brings them to her face, cupping her cheeks. He leans in and kisses her. He isn't gentle, nor does he want to be. In that kiss, he tells her he loves her, craves her, needs her. In his kiss, he promises her forever. Tells her she is his reason for breathing; without her, he is nothing.

In her kiss, she says they're going to be okay. That she loves him and she's not leaving this time. It will be different because there are no more secrets; there is no more hiding. She she trusts him; their love is the reason she exists. He gives her life.

They do a perfectly choreographed dance toward the bedroom. There is something magical on this night when the fog of their relationship was lifted. There's a freedom that comes with that; a new level of commitment and honesty.

Fitz tries to be gentle as he lays her on the bed. They've waited so long for this moment and he's wanted it so bad, he's afraid of losing control and hurting her in the process.

She looks at him and him at her. She gives him a little smile as she reaches for him, needing to feel his body on top of hers. If Olivia thought he played her body masterfully in the past, tonight, he takes it to another level. He runs his hands along the sides of her body as he removes her top, then her slacks. He touches the little spot by her ribcage that makes her giggle. He caresses her neck.

His lips do not leave a single spot on her body unkissed, unloved. His tongue draws circles in the places she loves, her breasts, her navel, the inside of her right thigh which, for some reason, is more sensitive than the left.

Olivia gives just as much as she receives. She knows how much he loves how she plays with his hair, giving him gentle scalp massages. And how he loves the feeling of her palm pressed against his abdomen. How sensitive his ears are and how he moans when she takes his lobes into her mouth. She knows how much he appreciates how open she is with him in the bedroom, how she hands over control and the trust she shows in him.

Their lovemaking, though it starts off frenzied, is slow and methodical; instinctual and passionate. When he enters her, it feels as though it's the first time. Not that her body had to adjust, but just that sensation of being that close to another human being with no barriers, emotional or otherwise between you, it's otherworldly. And when they cum, it's an explosion unlike any other. It's "I LOVE YOU!" It's "YOU ARE MY LIFE!" It's, it's...everything.

There is no hurry tonight. It's just them, no talking or strategizing. No worries. Just each other. Fitz pulls Olivia into his body and she lays her head on his chest. She wraps her arm around his body, then looks up, kissing his lips.

"I love you," she says.

He looks at her for a moment. She rarely says it, which makes the words even more meaningful to him. "I love you too," he says as he covers them both.

Within minutes, they are both in the most peaceful sleeps they've had in years.