#President Fitzgerald Grant III

[mcfriggingonagall]

S3, E16

Amending my earlier post

Fitz and Olivia are super hypocritical by being upset about Andrew and Mellie. I understand Fitz is upset because his wife used to push him away and said shes not a sexual person buts he's the one who started having an affair. If he really felt guilty he wouldn't have continued having an affair in the first place. Olivia is upset because of the potential ramifications knowledge of the affair could cause which I understand

[foxtaeil]

CHARACTER SHEET.

𝐁𝐀𝐒𝐈𝐂𝐒 .

full name.   melody margaret grant.

nicknames / aliases.   mellie, mel.

height.   5′7”.

age.   37 - 48 depending on the timeline.

zodiac.   capricorn.

spoken languages.   english.

𝐏𝐇𝐘𝐒𝐈𝐂𝐀𝐋 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐈𝐂𝐒 .

hair colour.   dark brown.

eye colour.   blue.

skin tone.   consistently pretty pale, even when she’s been in the sun.

body type.  mesomorph.

dominant hand.   right.

posture.   impeccable, after years of being in the public eye and constantly photographed.

scars.    none.

tattoos.   none.

birthmarks.   several all over her body, but none that are particularly standout.

most noticeable features.   cleft chin, big eyes, and in her first lady years she often opted for the southern, retro big hair look.

𝐂𝐇𝐈𝐋𝐃𝐇𝐎𝐎𝐃.

place of birth.   asheville, north carolina.

siblings.  a half-sister named harmony whom she’s always resented after their father abandoned mellie’s mother to be with harmony’s. they are polar opposites in personality and can hardly stand to speak to one another.

parents.   robert and mary weston.

𝐀𝐃𝐔𝐋𝐓 𝐋𝐈𝐅𝐄 .

occupation.  president of the united states. formerly junior senator of virginia, first lady of the united states, first lady of california, and attorney.

current residence(s).   the white house.

close friends.   olivia pope, cyrus beene. on and off.

relationship status.   divorced from former president of the united states fitzgerald grant iii.

criminal record.  none, but not for lack of criminal offenses.

vices.   pride, wrath, greed.

𝐒𝐄𝐗 & 𝐑𝐎𝐌𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐄 .

sexual orientation.   straight.

preferred sexual role.   despite having quite a dominant personality, she tends to lean more submissive in most scenarios but isn’t afraid to switch it up depending on the mood.

libido.   normal to high.

turn-ons.   power. ambition. charm. a man who’s good at what he does. a good heart. a man who isn’t intimidated by her position of power.

turn-offs.   weakness. an entitled attitude. disrespect. zero ambitions. insecurity.

love language.   physical touch, quality time, words of affirmation.

relationship tendencies.  her history with relationships is messy given that she was married and unhappy for so long, and the prospect of a relationship has become complicated for her now that she is both single and president. there are impossible standards she is expected to live up to, and as such the people she falls for tend to be accidental — typically men she works closely with.

𝐌𝐈𝐒𝐂𝐄𝐋𝐋𝐀𝐍𝐄𝐎𝐔𝐒.

hobbies to pass time.   she doesn’t get to have hobbies ever (nor does she need them to pass time), but she does enjoy morning yoga when she gets the chance.

mental illnesses.   she will literally never go see a therapist so good luck diagnosing one!!!

self-confidence level. unfortunately for everyone else, it is typically through the roof. sorry.

tagged by: @flmed

tagging: steal if u want! also @careol @downs1de @lawhurt @raisedcold @b1uedcollar @petrosy4n @claochlu @wiiaca

[fridays13th]

mr president fitzgerald grant iii i am ripe and ready to be ravished

[sulietsexual]

Can you name 5 "good guys" from tv series that are actually awful people.

Only two really come to mind.

The first is Fitzgerald Thomas Grant III from Scandal. We're supposed to think he's this compassionate, good, just person who deserves to be president, when in reality he's an abusive, selfish, narcissistic asshole who treats everyone in his life, but especially the women, like shit.

Then there's Susan Mayer from Desperate Housewives, who is portrayed as this sweet, pure, naive and kind woman but she's selfish, self-centered, incredibly weak and willing to throw anyone under the bus for her main love interest.

There are definitely other characters whom I think get away with bad actions under the guise of being good, but I wouldn't say outright that they're awful people, just deeply flawed but not fully acknowledged as such.

[wyn-n-tonic]

PRESIDENT FITZGERALD GRANT III.

[thereideffects]

Fitzgerald Grant the Third is hot!! I am not stuttering

[saddiedotdk]

Cyrus forever ‘The King of Manipulation’ threw some truths bombs at Jake. Second place. Second choice. 

[yourveryownbaggagehandler]

Was Fitz a Better President or Boyfriend to Olivia Pope? | E! Live from the Red Carpet

[theusviral]

Huma Abedin, ‘Scandal’ president Tony Goldwyn have dinner at hotspot

Huma Abedin, ‘Scandal’ president Tony Goldwyn have dinner at hotspot

Huma Abedin was once married to a promising politician — but she now hangs with a more dashing chap who played one on TV. The former top Hillary Clinton aide was seen on Thursday night at celebrity favorite hotspot Sona at a cozy dinner with Tony Goldwyn, who played fictional President Fitzgerald Grant III on the hit show “Scandal.” The pair were seen sitting side-by-side in a prime banquette at…

[wallofweird]

1 and 4 :)

20 FANDOM ASKS MEME

Sorry it took so long to answer, I reblogged it and accidentally fell asleep because I hadn’t slept the previous day and am a loser lol. Thank you for the question <3

1. If you could hit any character without repercussions, who would it be?

I actually have three:

Fitzgerald Grant III (even his name sucks, this sounds like a colonizer name yuk)

So I gave up watching Scandal because the characters just became too dark and I couldn’t defend or root for anyone anymore. Howver, in the beginning I loved and it became my favorite show. Still, I’ve always hated Fitz. He’s white cishet man trash, he is a terrible father, husband, president, he doesn’t respect women, he’s responsible for countless deaths, the list goes on...He is a terrible person in general and it looks like the writers gave him a happy ending with Olivia or something? Ugh, that man deserved prison or death. And there was NEVER a moment when I was able to empathize with him. Maybe when he son died, but that would be all... I hate the way he was performed, I don’t know if I have something against Tony Goldwyn that just doesn’t make me like his face or if he intentionally wanted to make Fitz that unpleasant for the audience, but I’ve always hated him. Sometimes there are characters that are problematic but you still warm up to them a little bit because of their charisma, but Fitz is not the case. And I watched Tony Goldwyn a second time on Lovecraft Country and hated him there too, but again, his character was terrible there as well, so who knows. Just thinking about this dude annoys me.

Rafael Solano

There was a time I actually empathized, liked and rooted for him (even though I’ve never shipped him with Jane), but he showed his true colors and proved to be the ultimate trash on season 5 and I completely despise him now. And he’s also a shitty father. Bye.

Lea Dilallo

God, I hate her. She is an ableist, self-absorbed and arrogant. The writers tried to make a personality transplant and basically gave her Claire’s personality on some episodes, but it never stuck and this moment above just proves who she really is. And unlike Fitz or Rafael who were terrible, but still served a purposed on their shows, she brings N O T H I N G. The show spends more time at the hospital and she initially was only Shaun’s neighbor/roommate. The show took a lot of time that should be spent in the hospital and with the doctors to prop her and they ultimately gave her a job at the hospital, her scenes that would’ve made more sense if they had been Shaun and Claire’s, gave her Claire’s personality and basically changed a lot of their show because for some reason they find her interesting. And I’ve also never liked her, I don’t like her voice, I don’t like her face, whenever she is sad or something I couldn’t care less... And this show has amazing performances and touching moments, like whenever Shaun has a meltdown I can feel it and it makes me emotional, but the way she is written and the way she is performed doesn’t keep up with the quality of other characters/actors on the show. Plus, she is useless and doesn’t any anything to the plot.

I have more characters that I hate, but haven’t said or done such terrible things, it is mostly because I find them incredibly useless and painfully annoying, but the ones above I have no defense for.

4. Are you likely to blush when a sex scene comes up or can you read/watch it with a straight face?

It really depends on the scene? If it isn’t too graphic or too long, I can watch it with a straight face, if is something more on HBO and Netflix level, that is a little longer, steamer and has some nudity, I can get a little uncomfortable. I have nothing against sex scenes, I actually like them, but I do have preferences regarded their execution. I don’t like when it feels graphic just for the sake of being graphic or when it feels like they’re exposing the actors for no reason. Or when it is something like 5 minutes of sex, because it just feels weird to be staring at the screen that long only to see two people doing nothing besides forplay, kissing and penetration? And here in Brazil a lot of the sex scenes are steamer, they can even include nudity, they add elements I find tacky like slow-motion and cheesy love songs and they are about five-minute long and I always roll my eyes 360º because it is just bizarre and disturbing to watch that for over 2 minutes, lol.

The one exception I have is this one time when I watched a sex scene that was more revealing, but it didn’t have nudity and the reason why I liked that one was because the man was an amputee and we barely get to see these characters, specially having sex. Let alone SHOWING the act of sex itself instead of just a post-hookup scene, so it felt pretty refreshing. 

I also blush when the scene feels intimate in general, even if it doesn’t expose the actors as much. Like the scene after Kevin and Madison slept together on episode 5x01, this is kind of silly but I only watched by the corner of my eyes, it took me like two days to actually pay attention to it, because it felt like such a private and intimate moment.

Like, this is such a quiet, silent, intimate scene where Kevin is caressing, admiring her and savoring, revering and valuing this moment and it was just so convincing to me that at first I felt like I walking into their bedroom and invading their privacy. It really felt like I was doing something I shouldn’t and that moment was supposed to be theirs and only theirs and I should leave. Like, it is ridiculous that it took me two days to watch a fictional moment without feeling embarrassed and guilty about it, but I think it just proves that the scene was executed well and beautifully? And now I can see it and appreciate with a straight face and this is exactly the kind of scene I love the most, because I love raw moments, I love scenes without dialogue, eye contact or touch and that the actors have to bring the emotion solely with their eyes, gestures or voices, but not all of their bodies, you know? Most of my favorite scenes are silent scenes or phonecalls because the excellence of the eye contact or the amount of emotion we get when they’re only using their voices to evoke it just hits different.

[storiescrafted-a]

MUSE INFO   —   MELODY ‘MELLIE’ MARGARET GRANT.

formerly found at: politicalgenius.

triggers that may apply:  death,  loss,  grief,  child death,  depression,  alcoholism,  overdose,  attempted suicide,  sexual assault,  infidelity,  abuse.   to be expanded upon as i think of more but hi she deserves hugs and a break.  

all information outlined below is based in the latest possible information   (   though some still has to be updated as i rewatch   ),   and can vary by verse.  a lot of it is headcanon based,  and has developed over my time writing mellie,  because she deserves the world and this garbage show really only gave her pain and zero (0) friends / people she could trust.

NOTE:  mellie has views that not all will agree with or like.  these don’t reflect my own feelings,  thoughts,  or opinions,  and anything that may come up will simply be me attempting to stay true to who my girl is!

BORN:  melody margaret eaves*. PLACE OF BIRTH:  asheville,  north carolina. DATE OF BIRTH:  december 5th, 1966;  age  —  53. EYE COLOR:  blue. HAIR COLOR:  brown. PARENTS:  beau eaves  (father,  estranged)*.   evelyn baker eaves  (mother, deceased)*.   SIBLINGS:  harmony eaves  (half-sister,  somewhat estranged). SPOUSE:  fitzgerald ‘fitz’ thomas grant iii  (divorced). CHILDREN:  fitzgerald ‘jerry’ thomas grant iv  (deceased,  2014),   karen grant,   theodore wallace grant. EDUCATION:  harvard undergrad,  yale law. PAST OCCUPATIONS:  attorney,  first lady of california,  first lady of the united states,  junior senator from virginia. CURRENT OCCUPATION:  45th president of the united states. POLITICAL PARTY:  republican. SECRET SERVICE CODENAME:  foxtail. SEXUAL ORIENTATION:  she’s a lesbian, harold.

QUICK FACTS THAT MOST WOULD KNOW!

graduated top of her class from both harvard for her undergrad,  and from yale law.

former partner at a prestigious california law firm,  a job she gave up to help fitz get elected governor.

while mellie is a republican,  it’s been noted that she’s the most progressive republican president in over 100 years,  and is pro-lqbt+,  pro-immigration,  pro-choice,  and has notably pushed through legislation for stricter gun control,  and worked toward middle eastern peace.

tbh she’s only a republican bc fitz is and she for political and image reasons she had to match him.

wrote a ‘tell all’ book about her time as first lady,  though only bits of it were published in a ‘leak’ in an attempt to get her better footing as a presidential candidate.

was the first person to air information about fitz’s affair with olivia pope   (   though she didn’t leak olivia’s name   ).

ex-wife of 44th president of the united states,  fitzgerald ‘fitz’ grant iii.

once she filibustered for 16 hours on the eve of the christmas holidays to save planned parenthood bc a man told her not to / bc her convictions are so good and i love her.

her son,  jerry,  died during fitz’s second campaign and she spent three months in a deep depression,  where she was regularly attacked by the press for regularly visiting his grave in her pajamas.   *   this led to a stalwart fight both as a senator and as president to support mental health and discussions and destigmatization of as many aspects of mental illness as she’s able,  particularly as depression is something she’s dealt with her whole life.

she didn’t win the presidential election,  she lost to frankie vargas,  who was assassinated almost immediately after being announced as the winner.  mellie was elected by the electoral college over cyrus beene.

her chief of staff was initially olivia pope,  until mellie forced her to resign.

her original pick for vp was jake ballard,  who was blackmailed out of the position and replaced by frankie vargas’ widow,  luna.  luna died the evening of mellie’s inauguration and was replaced by cyrus beene.

olivia was replaced as chief of staff by jake ballard,  who tried to push mellie out of office with the aid of cyrus beene.

jake was later arrested and sent to a maximum security prison,  and cyrus was forced by olivia to resign as vp.

was under suspicion of plotting to kill cyrus beene while he was her vice president,  though this was found to be a plot by cyrus to unseat her and get his shot at the oval.

underwent impeachment hearings during her first year in office,  though they were later found to be under false pretenses presented by jake ballard.

i headcanon that she convinces susan ross,  who ran against her for president,  to come on as vp;  and abby whelan,  who worked previously as fitz’s chief of staff,  to come on as her chief of staff,  as cyrus resigned,  jake was imprisoned,  and olivia refused to come back on.   *   this all depends on plotting bc depending on who i’m writing with,  things here could easily change

also this isn’t necessarily crucial to mellie,  but david rosen definitely didn’t die and is helping mellie to restore her public image post impeachment-hearings thank u.

near the end of her presidency,  mellie does a press conference where comes out as a lesbian and announces proposed initiatives to improve lgbtq+ support nationwide,  and she works hard to implement them before her last term is up.

in her main verse,  post-presidency she moves to new york city to live with her best friend and fellow lesbian,  minerva allory  (@crimscnmalice),  and her friendship with min in general is included heavily in mellie’s main default verse and it’s not something that’s at all secret so people Know they’re best friends and it’s soft and cute and Fine.

FACTS THAT PRIVILEGED PEOPLE MIGHT KNOW!

her marriage to fitz was arranged for political benefit,  as mellie’s father came from old money so her name was ‘good’.

had an affair with former vice president andrew nichols.

was a part of the team that conspired to rig voting machines in defiance county, ohio in order to get fitz elected,  along with olivia pope,  verna thorton,  hollis doyle,  and cyrus beene   (   commonly referred to as ‘defiance’   ).

her son was murdered by a secret service agent under orders from olivia’s father,  rowan pope.

was in a flirtatious relationship with president farid rashad of bashran before he was killed by olivia pope via her b613   (   an underground spy organization,  now dismantled   )   resources.

she legitimately has mason jars of moonshine made by her family stashed around the white house and she’s a barely-functional alcoholic and needs hugs.

[lovepersists2]

MUSE INFO   —   MELODY ‘MELLIE’ MARGARET GRANT.

formerly found at: politicalgenius.

triggers that may apply:  death,  loss,  grief,  child death,  depression,  alcoholism,  overdose,  attempted suicide,  sexual assault,  infidelity,  abuse.   to be expanded upon as i think of more but hi she deserves hugs and a break.  

all information outlined below is based in the latest possible information   (   though some still has to be updated as i rewatch   ),   and can vary by verse.  a lot of it is headcanon based,  and has developed over my time writing mellie,  because she deserves the world and this garbage show really only gave her pain and zero (0) friends / people she could trust.

NOTE:  mellie has views that not all will agree with or like.  these don’t reflect my own feelings,  thoughts,  or opinions,  and anything that may come up will simply be me attempting to stay true to who my girl is! 

BORN:  melody margaret eaves*. PLACE OF BIRTH:  asheville,  north carolina. DATE OF BIRTH:  december 5th, 1966;  age  —  53. EYE COLOR:  blue. HAIR COLOR:  brown. PARENTS: beau eaves  (father,  estranged)*.   evelyn baker eaves  (mother, deceased)*.   SIBLINGS: harmony eaves  (half-sister,  somewhat estranged). SPOUSE:  fitzgerald thomas grant iii  (divorced). CHILDREN:  fitzgerald ‘jerry’ thomas grant iv  (deceased,  2014),   karen grant,   theodore wallace grant. EDUCATION:  harvard undergrad,  yale law. PAST OCCUPATIONS: attorney,  first lady of california,  first lady of the united states,  junior senator from virginia. CURRENT OCCUPATION: 45th president of the united states. POLITICAL PARTY:  republican. SECRET SERVICE CODENAME:  foxtail. SEXUAL ORIENTATION:  she’s a lesbian, harold.

QUICK FACTS THAT MOST WOULD KNOW!

graduated top of her class from both harvard for her undergrad,  and from yale law.

former partner at a prestigious california law firm,  a job she gave up to help fitz get elected governor.

while mellie is a republican,  it’s been noted that she’s the most progressive republican president in over 100 years,  and is pro-lqbt+,  pro-immigration,  pro-choice,  and has notably pushed through legislation for stricter gun control,  and worked toward middle eastern peace.

tbh she’s only a republican bc fitz is and she for political and image reasons she had to match him.

wrote a ‘tell all’ book about her time as first lady,  though only bits of it were published in a ‘leak’ in an attempt to get her better footing as a presidential candidate.

was the first person to air information about fitz’s affair with olivia pope (  though she didn’t leak olivia’s name   ).

ex-wife of 44th president of the united states,  fitzgerald ‘fitz’ grant iii.

once she filibustered for 16 hours on the eve of the christmas holidays to save planned parenthood bc a man told her not to / bc her convictions are so good and i love her.

her son,  jerry,  died during fitz’s second campaign and she spent three months in a deep depression,  where she was regularly attacked by the press for regularly visiting his grave in her pajamas.

she didn’t win the presidential election,  she lost to frankie vargas,  who was assassinated almost immediately after being announced as the winner.  mellie was elected by the electoral college over cyrus beene.

her chief of staff was initially olivia pope,  until mellie forced her to resign.

her original pick for vp was jake ballard,  who was blackmailed out of the position and replaced by frankie vargas’ widow,  luna.  luna died the evening of mellie’s inauguration and was replaced by cyrus beene.

olivia was replaced as chief of staff by jake ballard,  who tried to push mellie out of office with the aid of cyrus beene.

jake was later arrested and sent to a maximum security prison,  and cyrus was forced by olivia to resign as vp.

was under suspicion of plotting to kill cyrus beene while he was her vice president,  though this was found to be a plot by cyrus to unseat her and get his shot at the oval.

underwent impeachment hearings during her first year in office,  though they were later found to be under false pretenses presented by jake ballard.

i headcanon that she convinces susan ross,  who ran against her for president,  to come on as vp;  and abby whelan,  who worked previously as fitz’s chief of staff,  to come on as her chief of staff,  as cyrus resigned,  jake was imprisoned,  and olivia refused to come back on.

also this isn’t necessarily crucial to mellie,  but david rosen definitely didn’t die and is helping mellie to restore her public image post impeachment-hearings thank u.

near the end of her presidency,  mellie does a press conference where comes out as a lesbian and announces proposed initiatives to improve lgbtq+ support nationwide,  and she works hard to implement them before her last term is up.

post-presidency she moves to new york city to live with her best friend and fellow lesbian,  minerva allory  (@crimscnmalice),  and her friendship with min in general is included heavily in mellie’s main default verse and it’s not something that’s at all secret so people Know they’re best friends and it’s soft and cute and Fine.

FACTS THAT PRIVILEGED PEOPLE MIGHT KNOW!

her marriage to fitz was arranged for political benefit,  as mellie’s father came from old money so her name was ‘good’.

had an affair with former vice president andrew nichols.

was a part of the team that conspired to rig voting machines in defiance county, ohio in order to get fitz elected,  along with olivia pope,  verna thorton,  hollis doyle,  and cyrus beene   (   commonly referred to as ‘defiance’   ).

her son was murdered by a secret service agent under orders from olivia’s father,  rowan pope.

was in a flirtatious relationship with president farid rashad of bashran before he was killed by olivia pope via her b613   (   an underground spy organization,  now dismantled   )   resources.

she legitimately has mason jars of moonshine made by her family stashed around the white house and she’s a barely-functional alcoholic and needs hugs.

[film-and-series-stills]

this is completely unrelated to anything anyone cares about but I’ve been rewatching frasier and i cannot believe I didn’t realize that ms. queen roz doyle dated the president of the united states fitzgerald grant III back when he was just a garbage truck driver wow we stan

[teafortwo29]

‘Chambers’ Photos: Uma Thurman and Tony Goldwyn in Disturbing Netflix Horror Series

Tony Goldwyn and newcomer Sivan Alyra Rose star in the horror fantasy series premiering April 26 on the platform.

Hanh Nguyen Mar 25, 2019 4:23 pm

Uma Thurman, “Chambers”

Netflix

Uma Thurman is the latest A-lister to join the Netflix talent pool: the Oscar nominee will attempt to heal trauma with horror in the streaming giant’s newest psychological fantasy series “Chambers.” The “Pulp Fiction” actress stars alongside Tony Goldwyn, Candian TV’s Griffin Powell-Arcand, and newcomer Sivan Alyra Rose in the ten-episode drama, set to premiere late April. The drama centers around a young heart attack sufferer (Rose) who is recovering from a much-needed heart transplant, but what comes afterward is anything but celebratory. There’s something odd about her new heart, and she’s determined to find out what caused her donor’s sudden death. The closer she comes to uncovering answers, the more she begins to lose herself and take on the more sinister characteristics of the deceased.

Netflix released an intriguing batch of first-look photos that promise plenty of fresh-faced talent while hinting ominously at the parts Thurman and Goldwyn play in the horrific circumstances. See below for a first glimpse.

According to series creator Leah Rachel, “‘Chambers’ is a psychological horror story taking place in a mystic, New Age pocket of Arizona, that explores the different ways we metabolize trauma. But what starts out as a grounded human story pivots into something far more strange and fucked up.”

“Chambers” is Rachel’s first full-length TV series. She previously wrote all six episodes of the WIGS web series “Audrey,” starring “Veep”‘s Gary Cole and hailing from executive producers Jon Avnet and Effie Brown.

Thurman won a Golden Globe for the HBO film “Hysterical Blindness.” Her last TV role was on the con artist dark comedy “Imposters” on Bravo. Goldwyn’s best known small screen role is playing Fitzgerald Grant III, President of the United States on “Scandal.” Rose was discovered modeling at the Santa Fe Indian Market at the age of 16.

“Chambers” joins Netflix’s ever-growing horror and true crime slate of programming on April 26.

[babybemydownfall]

EDIT: It’s posted! https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13060507/1/Four

I’m writing something new, something I’m really excited about. I’m also working on the next BMD too, so don’t worry. But this is very different, very fun, and I thought I’d share the intro with you.  The premise: Fitz and Olivia met on the campaign trail, but not in the way you might imagine. Now he’s left the White House a single man, and they’re about to meet again for the first time in over four years...

“The memories are sweeping through her defenses, making her vulnerable. Just like she was back then, across four crowded rooms, four different states. Four of his favorite points in time in all of his fifty years on Earth.” 

As Yet Untitled: Intro

There are many things in life that President Fitzgerald Thomas Grant III is thankful for: his two teenage children, Karen and Gerry; his four years in the White House, serving his country from the highest position in the land; the bareness of his left ring finger, where his wedding band used to be.

And tonight, especially: freedom. The finest bourbon in his glass. The party he’s throwing in his rented Georgetown mansion, in appreciation of all the members of his team who have dragged him through his presidency. They’ve seen him at his highest and lowest: celebrated his groundbreaking victories with him in the Oval office; coaxed him out of bed on his darkest days, reminding him of what it was they were all fighting for. It didn’t matter that his marriage was going to hell and his personal life was all over the world’s media: he had a job to do, one which the American people had chosen him for, and he was damn well going to stop wallowing in self-pity and go out and do it.

Honestly, without these people, he would have been a disaster. He owes everything to them, something he made abundantly clear in his very last speech before leaving Pennsylvania Avenue two weeks ago. He recognized everyone - from his Chief of Staff to the kitchen hands who washed his dishes each evening - and they’re all here tonight: over a hundred of his colleagues and friends, gathered to commemorate their achievements; to say farewell; to finally let their hair down.

All except one.

Olivia Pope.

She’s not here to share in their successes. She never worked for him; didn’t step foot in his White House. In fact, they’ve only ever met one another a handful of times.

And yet, even though she doesn’t know it, she had an enormous impact on his time in office. Hearing she was back in DC, he knew he wanted to invite her: not only to thank her but just to see her again, after all this time. To find out if the spark he once felt around her is still there; if she really could be the light at the end of the tunnel, the one he’s been striving towards since the moment their eyes met, since they almost kissed in that hallway and then he won the election and she disappeared off the face of the Earth.

He lost his heart to Olivia Pope on the campaign trail, and every day since he’s wondered if she knew. Has she been keeping it safe for him, all these years? Or has she forgotten all about it, like he should have done? Maybe that would have spared him the agony, the soul-destroying disappointment of becoming the first US president to get divorced on the job. Maybe that would have spared their kids.

No. His marriage was already irretrievable. Divorcing Mellie spared their kids, in the long run. He’s spent the last two weeks with them and, for the very first time, they told him as much: that they were glad their parents were no longer together, because they were both so much happier apart. It lifted a weight from his shoulders which had been there for so long, he felt like a new man without it. And then he excused himself from the room and called his assistant Michael, instructing him to mail out the invitation to Olivia - the one which had been sat on his desk for a week, burning a hole there.   

He never really expected her to come, though. Why would she? She wasn’t one of his staff. She owed him nothing. In any conventional sense of the term, they barely knew each other.

And so, when he meanders through the crowd in the extravagant entertaining area of this enormous house and spots her sat by herself at the bar, he almost drops his drink.

She’s here.

His heart thunders. Is that actually his, inside his chest, or the version she’s brought back with her? Is he about to feel complete again, for the first time since she turned and ran away over four years ago?

He downs the rest of his bourbon, the glass shaking slightly in his hand.

Only one way to find out.

[saddiedotdk]

Mr. Tony Goldwyn, ladies and gents.