AN: Nope I don't own these wonderful characters. The following is purely me borrowing them for a while. Jessica Pearson makes a guest appearance.

Just how long was long enough to stay with your wife after you found out your father raped her, lost your son and she saved you from your attempted suicide? Was there actually such a time? These were the thoughts running through Fitz's mind almost six months after Jerry's death.

It was happening again. Olivia was back on his radar and he was falling ever deeper, being sucked in by the quicksand that was her love. The more he fought the feelings within him, the stronger they seemed to become.

He didn't know what to do. He was consumed by such an acute sense of inadequacy, of helplessness when it came to all that had been revealed about his family. He knew he was hurting Mellie and she really didn't deserve it especially considering all they'd been through. He was only human though.

He was tired.

Tired of being miserable. Tired of having to pretend he loved his wife. Tired of wanting a woman who was within his reach and yet so, so far away. Tired of imagining how great their life together could be; in Vermont but also anywhere really.

He needed to do something. He was the President for heaven's sake.

He was going to leave his wife… and it was going to work. Olivia's plan echoed in his mind but he didn't have the patience for something as elaborate.

He was going to have Olivia and he would have her now.

It was two weeks later and Fitz was pleased with how well his plan was going though retrospectively that should have been his first sign; things that came easily rarely ended well.

Mellie had just looked at him when he told her what he wanted and had immediately started plans to move into Blair House.

Fitz was determined but not stupid. He couldn't very well divorce his wife on the national stage. He wasn't too selfish to realise that divorcing his wife while he was still President of the United States would affect more people than just her and him. He had to think of their children, Olivia too.

She had taken Teddy with her. He wasn't happy about it but he hadn't wanted to antagonise her any further than he already surely was.

He couldn't help the niggling doubt in the back of his mind that her willingness to go along with his plan was because Andrew had wormed his way back into her pants. The idea stirred such deep feelings in him but he was much too excited about Olivia to analyse them.

"Olivia," he breathed into the phone when she finally picked up after what seemed like an eternity but was in reality more likely to be just a few moments.

"Fitz," she replied in a breathless voice.

"Come to the White House, there's something I need to show you," he said.

"Fitz, I'm not sure… I'm not sure that would be a good idea," her voice conveying her hesitancy. He thought she was probably remembering her last encounter with Mellie that she'd let slip during one of their increasingly numerous late night phone conversations.

It was Friday, the perfect day, he thought, to show Olivia exactly how determined he was to be with her. He had removed every possible trace of Mellie from the Residence.

Olivia had been completely taken aback by his revelation. They had fallen into each others arms as usual and he had asked her to move in with him. She had snort laughed and then said,

"Fitz that is just… you're the President we can't just," she replied as she looked him in the eye.

"I am the President and it's time I started getting exactly what I want… and what I want is you. Every morning, every night, in my bed," he said as he stroked a hand down her cheek, "by my side."

He held her gaze then captured her lips with his. Just as the kiss deepened and they were about to lose all control, he pulled back, searching her face and asked her, "so is that a yes?"

She flopped back on the bed and flung her arms across her face, letting him stew in the uncertainty until a muffled, "yes," escaped her. She let one arm drop and peeked at him loving the boyish grin on his handsome face.

"Jessica I need you to ensure he doesn't screw me over in this divorce. I just want my kids and what I rightfully deserve after almost 22 years by his side," Mellie said. She'd called Jessica knowing that as one of her oldest friends she would deal with this efficiently and most importantly discreetly.

"How much do you want to make it hurt?" Jessica asked and studied her friend who just happened to be the First Lady of the United States.

"I'm done Jessica, I just want out as easily as possible. The only thing I won't budge on is custody of Teddy and Karen. I really just need to start fresh," she said.

Jessica searched Mellie's face and was taken aback by the pain that clouded her blue orbs. "Are you sure you don't want me to take him for everything he's worth? Cause you know I god damned will," she pressed.

"Jessica," she began with a sigh as she settled deeper into the plush sofa in the living room of Jessica's Maryland house.

"I want what's mine," she looked out the big bay windows that overlooked the beautiful estate and the amazing forest that was towards the edge of it with her chin in her hand, "but that's all. I won't fight for anything more."

"Okay," she agreed reluctantly. "You know how much I want to make him bleed though," Jessica confessed as she thought about Fitz's treatment of the wife and her friend he'd sworn to never hurt. He'd ended up treating Mellie just as badly as she'd thought but this was unfortunately one of the times she was not happy about being right. She sighed and reigned her rage back in, now is not the time she thought to herself.

Mellie managed to chuckle at the thunderous look on her friend's face.

"I do know. You did warn him all those years ago… he may have forgotten but I surely haven't," she said as she remembered Jessica's very specific warning to Fitz when they'd become engaged.

Jessica Pearson had always been a force to reckon with; even when she was young and hadn't yet been at the helm of one of the best law firms in the country.

"Mommy!" Teddy came running in and climbed onto Mellie's lap, "look what I found." He placed a beautifully coloured egg in her hand as she wrapped an arm around him to draw him closer.

"It's beautiful Teddy, where did you get it?" she inquired knowing he'd been just out back, not wanting to sit still inside with her as she talked to Aunt Jessie as he fondly referred to Jessica.

"It was in a bunch of sticks," he said as he wrung his hands together with a sheepish look on his face.

"Teddy," she said, her tone questioning. "An egg is a bird's baby; imagine if the bird came back and found their baby missing don't you think it would be so sad?"

"Yes," he mumbled with his head bowed.

She kissed his forehead and hugged him close. "Okay let's go find those sticks before the bird feels sad."

Teddy scrambled off her lap and grabbed her hand, going to get Jessica too. The two women exchanged amused looks at the display. He dropped their hands when they got out to the patio.

"This was exactly what he needed, what we both needed… thanks Jess." She smiled warmly at Jessica who bumped her shoulder with hers and wrapped an arm around her shoulder after. She was beginning to feel trapped in Blair House. The press had been sniffing around for a while. They probably thought she was going to give another expose on her husband's philandering ways so she stayed inside so they wouldn't have pictures to accompany their headlines.

"It just would not do for you to be seen entering Pearson-Specter and neither would Jessica Pearson at Blair House not add more fuel to the fire surrounding your departure from the White House," Jessica replied. "A visit to an old friend, in remote Maryland definitely isn't a problem though."

"Of course Olivia is handling it, I'm sure the media will lose interest soon." Mellie could only hope they did but there was a feeling of dread in the pit of stomach that told her otherwise.

On top of that she had her own secrets that she didn't need the nosy media unearthing…