I apologize for constantly starting new Scandal stories without finishing the old ones. Such is the hazard of attempting to write canon-compliant fanfic in the middle of the season, when new episodes keep screwing up my plans for stories. This is my idea for how I would like 6x03 to go. In the promo, there is a scene where Cyrus accuses Olivia of setting him up to take the fall for Vargas' murder. This story starts right after that scene. Olitz endgame, also a story of self-revelation for Olivia. Reviews are greatly appreciated. Hopefully I will finish this before tomorrow night's episode. I don't own the characters, if I did 5x09 and the rest of season 5 would have gone a lot differently.

"I know you're not going to want to hear this, but I believe him," Abby says to the president as they walk away from the meeting with Cyrus.

Fitz looks at Abby like she's nuts. "You believe that Olivia fabricated evidence to frame him for Vargas' murder?" he asks incredulously.

"Okay, maybe believe him is too strong. My point is, I don't think we can rule out the possibility that you're being played."

"That's ridiculous," Fitz scoffs.

"Is it?" Abby challenges. "Believe me, I wish it were. I don't want to believe she would stoop that low any more than you do but she's done a lot of things neither of us thought she was capable of."

"Not like this."

"Maybe not. But you know as well as I do that she's desperate to win this. So desperate that she had me hire Marcus Walker as press secretary because he was starting to get involved with Mellie and Olivia didn't think the optics would be good."

Fitz looks stunned, and pained, by this revelation.

"Fine, get her in here."

"Olivia? Why?"

"So I can ask her if there's any truth to what Cyrus is saying."

"Shouldn't we investigate first?"

"No. Just get her in here. I want to hear it from her that she didn't do this."

"You know if she did do it, this is exactly what she's counting on, right? You believing her."

"Just get her in here," Fitz snaps.

ONE HOUR LATER
Olivia is escorted into the Oval Office.

"What's going on?" she asks. "Abby said you wanted to talk to me about the investigation?"

"Yeah. Have a seat."

Olivia sits down. Fitz comes and sits across from her.

"Abby and I spoke to Cyrus. He insists that he's innocent, and that he's being set up."

"Well, of course he does. Is that what you called me here to tell me?" Olivia asks, confused. She becomes more perplexed as she sees the look on his face. "Wait, you think..." she asks incredulously.

"I have to ask," he says gently.

"Seriously? You have to ask if I fabricated evidence against Cyrus because I'm that desperate to get Mellie into the White House?" She shakes her head with disbelief.

"It's no secret that you're hungry to get back into the Oval," Fitz says dryly. "And it wouldn't be the first time you tried to fix an election."

Olivia scoffs incredulously. "You think that's why I went along with Defiance? So I could get a job in the White House?"

"I didn't say that."

"You didn't have to. Since you have to ask, no, I didn't fabricate evidence to frame an innocent man for murder," she snaps, looking him square in the eye. "If you don't believe me do what you have to do." Beneath her anger it Fitz can see how hurt she is.

"Liv, stop. I believe you. I just needed to ask...you know I needed to ask," Fitz says.

"Fine. You asked. I answered. May I go now?" she asks, trying desperately not to let him see her emotions. He nods listlessly, feeling bad for even asking. He chides himself, remembering Abby's warning that Olivia is counting on that. But he can't believe she would look him in the eye and lie to him. She has never done that, not even when he practically begged her to.

Coming up in the next installment:

OLIVIA: I think you should accept Cyrus' offer.

...

HUCK: You're the only one who's pretending, Abby. You're pretending you're here because you're worried about her.
ABBY: I am worried about her! You should be too.

...

MELLIE: You did this to her, Fitz! You broke her!

...

HUCK: Whenever Teddy was around it made her anxious, sometimes to the point of panic, but it took us a while to figure out what was making her anxious because we didn't know what you knew. She needed you, and you weren't there.

...

FITZ: Why didn't you tell me?
OLIVIA: What difference does it make at this point?

...

MELLIE: Wait! She didn't...Olivia didn't tell you the whole story.