#ftgiii

3 Days Later...

"I'll take care of him. Consider it Handled."

"Huck."

"He shouldn't have broken into your place. You're trying so hard to get better. You are getting better every day. You're learning how to be happy again and he wants to ruin it. He wants to drag you back down into the Dark because that's the only way that you let him be with you. Even if B613 and Rowan aren't a part of his life anymore, he won't ever leave you alone so someone needs to make him go away for good. I can do it. I'll be okay after, I promise."

"You're getting better, too and I don't want Jake to ruin your progress. He's not worth it."

"But you are. Besides, if I don't take him down, Quinn will after I tell her what happened. Charlie will help her get rid of him because he wants her to be happy and he really likes you. Marcus will run interference if anyone asks where he is and Abby still has her gun so..."

"Huck, don't do it. Please?"

"Ballard hurt you before. He put his hands on you and made you feel scared. He made you feel dirty and wrong. We all let him hurt you before and it wasn't right. It wasn't fair to you. We're supposed to be Gladiators. We're supposed to be a family. Family protects family. Always."

"I didn't protect my family when it counted most. I ran away."

"We forgave you and if Harrison was still here, he would've, too. He loved you. We love you."

"...I know."

"Do you?"

"Yeah. Try not to do it. You all can go talk to him but just...try. For me?"

"...okay."

Olivia sighed softly and tossed her phone into the duffel bag next to her. The breeze was refreshing against her skin and she closed her eyes, already feeling tears sliding down her face. After what happened with Jake, she had booked an emergency session with her therapist. Linda Marbury had seen her first thing and she had taken the rest of the day off afterwards. During that off day, she had given her apartment a deep clean, both to calm down and to check for surveillance equipment. Jake said that he had left nothing behind but she would be a fool to take him at his word. She had found nothing but it didn't mean that she wasn't being watched.

Local news had brought up the fact that she was in counseling but she had been prepared. There was no shame in admitting that one needed help. With how stressful life could be, especially in Washington, getting help and support was crucial. Mental health was just as important as physical health, if not more important. After all, if one's mind wasn't right, then the rest of the body wouldn't be either.

The statement, along with substantial donations to local outreach programs, had quickly turned the narrative around in her favor. Olivia was a Fixer. She was the best in the business for a reason and it was nice to remember that she deserved help, too.

Opening her eyes, she looked at the couch. It was waiting near the quarry's small lake, looking both huge and small. She had been meaning to get rid of it since her abduction but she hadn't the time or the strength. But now that she was healing, truly healing, getting rid of it was just as important as taking her medicine on time and removing the toxic people from her life.

She had blocked Mellie's numbers. She had also put a strict policy in place for keeping her or her representatives out of OPA. True to Fitz's warning, a series of voicemails had been left by the embittered woman, dripping with alcohol laced venom. She had Huck save each one of them, added them to the black Kill Folder, and moved on with her life. Mellie losing her Election wasn't Olivia's fault. It wasn't Fitz's fault. It wasn't Cyrus' fault or the American People's. The loss was no one's fault but Mellie's. She didn't want to wait and build her brand. She didn't want to put the work in that her opponent had. She had felt entitled to Power and rightfully got a wake-up call.

Olivia had taken to letting Cyrus go to voicemail, too. Unless it was about Ella's wellbeing, she wouldn't take his calls. He was looking for her to get back into Kingmaking. He was looking for her to be The White House's personal Fixer again and Olivia wasn't interested. She wasn't interested in being called 'The Help' ever again. If Fitz needed her, then he could and would call her himself so Cyrus couldn't use that avenue to get her anymore. She wouldn't let him.

Just because he wasn't actively interfering with her life anymore didn't mean that he was trusted. Trusting Cyrus Beene would be just as foolish as trusting Jake. She was a lot of things but foolish? Not anymore. If she was really going to heal, she had to be firm. She had to be brave. Having support from her friends and Fitz was excellent but at the end of the day, it was up to her.

Reaching down to the large speaker, she turned the volume all the way up. Fighting back bile, Olivia lowered the needle to the record player and waited.

After a couple scratches, the music began.

Yeah, everybody's got a thing But some don't know how to handle it Always reaching out in vain Just taking the things not worth having but

Don't you worry 'bout a thing Don't you worry 'bout a thing, mama 'Cause I'll be standing on the side When you check it out, oh

They say your style of life's a drag And that you must go other places Just don't you feel too bad When you get fooled by smiling faces

Don't you worry bout a thing...

It needed to go.

The couch needed to go.

It was a constant reminder of what had happened to her, now. It was poison.

Yes, she and Fitz had their good moments on it. After hearing their first time on tape, he had held her for One Minute, comforting her and saying goodbye. When he came to her to run out the clock, the couch had been where he sat, looking at her with all the love in the world, all the trust in the world. She had fallen into his arms on the couch, letting herself be loved and letting go...

...but now? The couch had to go. The couch and the whole apartment, for that matter! Why was she still living there? Even before her abduction, there were so many bad times in the place, more than good. It had been a point of pride to stay put. Olivia had seen it as a sign of strength to stay but had it really been? It was something to think about. It was something to talk about, both with her therapist and her family. She had money. She had contacts. Finding a new place in or close to DC would be simple, even with the inherent hassle of moving.

She would have one less piece of furniture to deal with in the process.

Come on, everybody needs a change A chance to check out the new But you're the only one to sees The changes you take yourself through Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh

Don't you worry 'bout a thing, thing Don't you worry 'bout a thing, thing Don't you worry 'bout a thing, thing Don't you worry 'bout a thing, thing...

After renting the truck and putting the couch inside, Olivia had driven to a small hardware store about 90 minutes away from DC. She had looked it up online, not wanting to deal with a large crowd. Not to mention that the sight of The Olivia Pope in a Home Depot or Lowe's would be instant Beltway gossip fuel. She didn't need that. She didn't deserve that. Over the years, she had become so protective of everyone else's privacy, everyone else's Reputation, that she had neglected herself. She had seen herself as a burden, as a Scandal, and it had led to some of the worst decisions she had ever made. That needed to change. Olivia needed to take control.

It was her life to live. It was her life to Fix so she could enjoy it again.

Don't you worry 'bout a thing Don't you worry 'bout a thing, mama 'Cause I'll be standing on the side When you check it out When you get it off your trip Don't you worry 'bout a thing Don't you worry 'bout a thing, mama...

The muscles in her body burned. Tears were falling and her body was shaking but with each blow of the sledgehammer, Olivia could feel more of the heaviness lift. The couch was going to be gone. She would never have to look at it again. She would still have the memories. She would still have the flashbacks and terrors but things would be better. Huck was right. She was trying. She wanted to be better. She wanted to be happy again. No one was going to stop her from being happy again.

Not Jake.

Not Mellie.

Not Rowan.

Not Cyrus.

And especially not herself.

Once she could lift the hammer no more, she let it fall to the ground and took in the sight in front of her. The couch was now a jumble of metal, fabric, and wood. There were cuts on her hands, small but stinging. She would take care of them soon enough. She wasn't done just yet.

Returning to the truck, Olivia got the red gas can and the engraved silver lighter. It had been a gift from Rowan. She couldn't remember exactly when he had given it to her but it was before she had realized the truth about him. She had found it during the deep clean of her apartment and it was only fitting to use it.

The remains of the couch ignited immediately and she threw the lighter into the flames, letting it all burn. Olivia knew that she still had a lot of work to do. She knew that her fight for joy was far from over but at the moment, she felt victorious. She felt vindicated and empowered.

She had taken back another piece of her soul.

She would never get them all back but that was fine.

She would always be more than a little broken inside but that didn't mean that she was unworthy.

It didn't mean that she was ruined.

There was hope.

As long as there was breath in her body, there was hope.

Don't you worry 'bout a thing Don't you worry 'bout a thing, mama 'Cause I'll be standing on the side When you check it out Oh don't you worry 'bout a thing Don't you worry 'bout a thing, mama 'Cause I'll be standing, I'll be standing by you

3 Months Later...

"...it takes a special kind of patience and strength to be a politician. There's always so much to be done, things that need to be done but they don't happen or they do happen but then, the victory is lost in all the partisanship and administration changes and...I can't do it. I know that a lot of people want me to run for the Senate or the House or even to run for the Oval when I'm old enough but I know and accept in my heart that I can't. And honestly? I don't want to be a politician on any level, local or national. I really don't want to. I'm happy as I am. I like the Olivia Pope-Grant that I am right now and I don't want to change her. Plus, it's been tough. These last 7 years have been some of the toughest that we've gone through. There's been Media dissecting every little thing we do, Fitz got shot in the head and almost died, there was the whole West Angolan Conspiracy that could've led to my death and there has just been so much craziness around us since Fitz took the Oval. I mean, it's to be expected. The first interracial First Couple, the youngest First Couple to be in the White House, it's historic. Everyone is watching, everyone is holding us up as an example or as a warning, depending on your point of view and... after all of this, we just want to live quietly. Fitz and I have discussed this and at the end of the day, we just want to be a family. Sure, the spotlight and the fishbowl will always be around but we just want to be Liv and Fitz with our babies and to keep helping people on a smaller scale."

"Some will say that you're settling for less, squandering your potential..."

"...and they are wrong. A common criticism is that I'm not doing enough for feminism, that I'm not a good enough role model for young girls but...the way I see feminism is a woman being treated as an equal in all aspects and for her decisions to be respected, whether she wants to be a housewife, a politician, or whatever else she sets her mind and heart to. My mind and heart are firmly set and I will not apologize for being who I am, even if people see me as less or as being lazy."

"...and on that note, I think we can wrap things up. Thank you for coming in today, Madame First Lady."

"Thank you for having me. This was fun."

"You're welcome to come back anytime. Up next will be an interview with Marcus Parker, a local activist who went viral during..."

As soon as she walked into the Residence's living room, she grinned.

Alex and Maddie were sitting in their indigo bouncy chair, enjoying an early afternoon nap. Alex had a purple pacifier in his mouth and Maddie a green one, matching their zip up footie pajamas. Hank and Onyx were on their usual yoga mat, the little black kitten gently nuzzling the large hound's shoulder as he napped. Gerry was watching an episode of Adventure Time in his favorite Star Wars pajamas while eating a bowl of peanut butter crunch and Krishna Rose...

"Momma, isn't Daddy pretty?"

Fitz was sitting across from their daughter who had apparently wanted to play tea party. Krishna Rose had on a glittery blue crown and her red ladybug princess dress. Her husband had a pink feather boa draped over his broad shoulder, a glittery purple crown on his head, and a full face of makeup, lovingly done by his gracious host. He looked up from carefully slicing up apples and gave her a brilliant grin.

"Am I pretty, Livvie?"

"Yes, you are. I like your eyeshadow. It brings out your eyes."

It actually did. The shade was a rich mahogany and his cerulean slate gaze seemed to glow from within. Of course, the glow was mostly from joy but the eyeshadow helped. He could've gone a shade darker with his blush but it was blended well enough. The gloss on his lips was clear and Olivia nodded in approval. Their oldest girl had a growing knack for cosmetology, it seemed. Not to mention the image of her 6'2, 210 pound Presidential husband happily being a canvas warmed her heart. Her family warmed her heart, made life really worth living...

"Come sit down, Momma. We're having manzanas y mantequilla de maní (apples and peanut butter) and Ger-Ger made the cucumber sandwiches. He made them look like stars!"

Olivia kicked off her heels and placed her purse on the couch before joining them, accepting the purple tiara immediately. Tucking herself into Fitz's side, she draped some of the boa over her shoulder and smiled at his kiss to her temple. In every single interview she did, someone would ask her about her future plans. What did she want to do professionally now that she had turned ownership of OPGA to Quinn and Harrison? Would she remain a silent partner, a consultant for big Cases? Would she expand her urban gardening empire further? Would she become a professor like her husband? Would she practice law and most of all, would she be the next great Grant politician? There was a growing grassroots movement to get her in some sort of office and a countdown to when she turned 35.

She'd be lying if she said that she hadn't seriously considered running for office, running for the Oval. Being around Fitz's campaigns, helping him when he asked (or when a crisis erupted like Krakatoa) had proven more than once that she had what it took. She had bipartisan support throughout the capital and her work with OPGA had given her quite the pedigree. She was the First Lady but she also had her own separate identity, very marketable, very relatable. Plus, she was a woman, a black woman. The representation, even if she lost would be remarkable, something that young boys and girls could see and bolster their dreams.

However, it wasn't all roses. Danger lurked around every corner. Whether it was an assassin with a bullet, a member of the staff or a group of "lobbyists", someone was always plotting. Politics was a cutthroat game, one requiring many sacrifices. Sacrifice of time, sacrifice of finances, sacrifice of privacy, sacrifice of humanity...Olivia was no angel. There was no such thing as a White Hat. She had many shades of gray to her character, to her methods of getting things done professionally, some of those shades of gray being outright black and...it wouldn't be worth it. Her words to Big Jerry all those years ago were still true: no job, not even the highest job in the land was worth a lifetime of misery. Not even close to worth it.

Being surrounded by so many cautionary tales, watching as those clawed and scraped for Power that could be taken away at any second had left their mark. It firmed her resolve to have as little to do with politics as possible as soon as Fitz's time was done.

What did Olivia want for her future?

This. She wanted to be by her husband's side, surrounded by their babies and loved ones. It was against her nature to stop working but mainly, she just wanted to be happy. Happiness was with her family, her friends, and building a life, a lasting and real legacy with them all.

That was what life should be like and if she had her way, it would be a reality.

And Olivia Pope-Grant always got her way.