Present:

Thomas "Tom" Reginald Stanton watched as Olivia Pope stood ramrod straight staring into the hospital room where the President lay unconscious, attached to numerous tubes and machines. Tom watched her, from his post outside the President's room, as she tried her hardest to maintain her composure as she stared at the President through the room's window. He could tell Ms. Pope was having a difficult time, for he saw her hands tremble each time she reached out to grasp the handle on the door to the President's room. Four times she attempted to grasp the handle, and four times she failed. Finally, on her fifth attempt, Ms. Pope's hand made contact with the door's handle. Just when Tom saw the slight movement of her wrist working to twist the knob, the door opened and Mrs. Grant appeared. When Mrs. Grant saw Ms. Pope her visibly tired face morphed into one that was so laced with a type of cold fury that Tom took the slightest of steps backward. Ms. Pope repeated his movement and took a step back from the door to the private room where the President lay. Given Tom's position, he was privy to the entire conversation taking place.

"What are you doing here?" Mrs. Grant asked, her arms crossed tightly.

Tom watched as Ms. Pope opened her mouth once to give an answer but no sound came out. Then she tried again.

"Mellie. I just wanted to see him. I want to know that he's getting better. I want—"

"Do you honestly think that I care about what you want? " Mrs. Grant interrupted. "You know what, don't even answer that. I don't care what you want or what you think. You need to leave."

"But, Mellie—" Ms. Pope tried again, but was interrupted once more.

"Now! And don't come back—I will be advising both Tom and Hal that your visiting privileges are now revoked." Tom saw the look of triumph on Mrs. Grant's face. He knew what she knew—she was the President's wife, and as such, could make those type of demands. The marriage license gave her those rights.

Tom shifted his peripheral gaze to look at Ms. Pope. He could see her continuing to struggle against herself. Tom had seen the look Ms. Pope had on her face before, the look that warned she was about to explode. Ms. Pope may be diminutive, but she could cut a person to the quick with her sharp tongue. Tom could see that Ms. Pope had some choice words for Mrs. Grant. Tom could clearly imagine Ms. Pope telling Mrs. Grant that the piece of paper signifying the Grant marriage meant nothing because she held the President's heart. He could imagine Ms. Pope informing Mrs. Grant of all of the times he re-arranged his schedule, not for Mrs. Grant or for some pressing matter concerning the country, but for her so that they could be together. He could see that Ms. Pope wanted to give Mrs. Grant the dressing down of her life. Yet, as quickly as the look came upon her face, Tom saw Ms. Pope's face slacken. He began to wonder if she may cry, but knew that thought was fleeting because Ms. Pope would never let Mrs. Grant see her cry. Instead, Mrs. Pope turned around and began to walk away.

After her third step Ms. Pope turned around and spoke once more to Mrs. Grant.

"We may not be friends, but we still want to the same thing: Fitz in the oval. Regardless of what you may think of me, you need to think about what's best for him and what will put him on the road to returning to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue." With that, Ms. Pope turned around once more and began the lonely journey down the stark and sterile hospital hallway.

As Mrs. Grant walked back into her husband's hospital room, Tom thought about what had just taken place in front of him and the road that everyone, including himself, walked down to get there.

Past:

POTUS detail was the pinnacle assignment a Secret Service Agent could have. It was the most prestigious assignment any agent could hope for. To be sure, Tom had previously worked in the White House as one of the agents for Bill Clinton and George W. Bush. Yet, this was the first time he was specifically assigned to be one of two main agents for the President. Tom had heard great things about Fitzgerald Thomas Grant, III from his colleagues. President Grant seemed to be the real deal and his fellow agents spoke about how warm and engaging he was toward them. It seemed as if things were really falling into place for Tom's career as an agent. He expected smooth sailing.

To say Tom was shocked when he reviewed White House surveillance footage after the night of the inaugural balls was an understatement. Tom expected to see mundane things like people coming and going in and out of rooms, coffee breaks, heated discussions and the like. He did not expect to see President Grant make love to a woman who wasn't his wife in the Oval Office. When Tom watched footage of Olivia Pope walking into the Oval, he didn't think anything of it. He'd heard how close she and the President were and knew how instrumental she was to winning the Presidency. He knew they were close, but he didn't expect to see President Grant stalk her like a lion hunting its prey or see President Grant grab her from behind and caress Ms. Pope's body—and caress it in a way that denoted very intimate knowledge of her being. Tom didn't expect to see them slow dance with so little space between their bodies nor did he expect to see them make love on the Oval Office desk, a desk that belonged to numerous Presidents before President Grant.

Tom watched the footage because it was his duty and part of his job, not because he got some type of voyeuristic pleasure out of it. Honestly, he liked Ms. Pope. The few times he'd been around her had left Tom with a good impression. She was obviously a beautiful woman, but besides from that Ms. Pope was friendly, respectful, and clearly smart as a whip. Tom enjoyed listening to President Grant and Ms. Pope having one of their policy debates. Because of his favorable impression of Ms. Pope, watching the tape was just….weird. It didn't arouse him to see Ms. Pope's head thrown back in obvious ecstasy and President Grant kissed his way down her body and removed her panties. Tom watched with the sort of clinical attachment used by doctors as he saw President Grant move in and out of Ms. Pope and grip the back of her neck as he kept their mouths fused together. And he watched unfeelingly as they both reached their climax.

When Tom saw President Grant kiss Ms. Pope so sweetly after both of their orgasmic highs wound down, he realized that this was so much more than a quick romp or a meaningless fling. This was the real deal. What was he going to do?

It wasn't until the following week that Tom had the opportunity to let President Grant know about the cameras all over the white house. It was imperative because, luckily for President Grant, Tom was able to catch another piece of footage of both President Grant and Ms. Pope making out in a deserted wing of the White House. Tom knew that there was nothing worth archiving and he wouldn't be the one the spill the proverbial beans, but he didn't know if he could say the same about all of his colleagues. With two crises averted (well, Tom hoped there were only two crises to have been averted), Tom knew that he had to find the right opportunity to talk to President Grant as soon as possible.

The opportunity presented itself when President Grant gave Tom and other agents notice that he wanted to take a run around the grounds. Tom suited up in a pair of sweats, a shirt, and some running shoes and met up with the President and other agents outside of the doors leading to the Residence. Once outside Tom began mid tempo jog with the President and four other agents. It was clear to Tom that running wasn't one of President Grant's favorite pastimes, and the President said as much as he explained his reason for running to Tom upon Tom trying to engage him in conversation. Yet, Tom pushed through and told the President that he might like to know where the cameras in the White House were. It was clear that President Grant had no idea there were cameras all over the White House and its grounds. Of course Tom had to let the President know that he viewed the Oval Office footage from the night of the Inaugural Balls.

Tom couldn't lie to himself—he was somewhat embarrassed having this conversation with the President of the United States, of all people. Yet, interestingly enough, President Grant didn't seem to be embarrassed at all. After Tom let President Grant know that it wouldn't always be him reviewing footage, the President got a pensive look on his face as he began running again. Tom, once again, ran in step with President Grant. Yet, he almost lost his footing when President Grant asked him for options and places that didn't have cameras. To say Tom was shocked would be an understatement. By asking that question, the President was essentially letting Tom know the relationship between he and Ms. Pope wasn't going to stop.

It would have been so easy for Tom to be judgmental. Fitzgerald Grant was the President—the married, father of two President. It would have been easy not to tell President Grant about Camp David and the fact that it was not under surveillance. Yet, Tom didn't judge nor did he keep the answer to President Grant's dilemma to himself. What would be the point? It was obvious that the President was going to continue to see Ms. Pope and that he had some intense feelings for her. So, Tom told the President about Camp David and after that, Tom found himself stationed outside of the same cabin on a weekly basis.

Whenever Tom was around the President and his wife Millicent "Mellie" Grant, he never knew which way was up or down. The pair would throw callous verbal jabs at each other sometimes. It wasn't the type of verbal sparring that a long married couple in love sometimes engaged in. Tom knew that his own parents still had major fallouts. But the type of verbal jabs that the President and First Lady threw at each other were cold, mean, and did not speak to a loving twenty plus years of marriage and love. Yet, on other occasions, they acted so sweetly with each other—even off camera. Being an astute Secret Service Agent, however, Tom realized that those times of sweetness often coincided with the President spending quality alone time with Ms. Pope. After those times, it seemed as if President Grant were calmer and could better handle his wife. And, because he was calmer, the First Lady was calm and would get extra affectionate with her husband. It was an interesting dynamic for Tom to witness.

Tom's theory about President Grant being in a better state after having spent time with Ms. Pope was pretty much proven in the few days after President Grant couldn't get out of taking the First Lady to Ms. Pope's cabin at Camp David. Tom stood outside the Oval Office and overheard the President try to give the First Lady reason after reason to not take her to Ms. Pope's cabin, including the fact that Olivia wasn't much of a cook and likely wouldn't want to feed them. But nothing worked, the First Lady would not be denied. It made Tom wonder if she suspected that the President's relationship with Ms. Pope was more than that of an important President making team member, but an important part of the President's personal life.

After that night and for the next week, Tom saw President Grant become slightly more sullen. He hadn't had his time with Ms. Pope and Ms. Pope seemed to have been doing a good job of avoiding him. Thus, President Grant had been somewhat caustic and ready to snap. Tom made sure to stay as far away from him as he could, despite the fact that the President's ire was never directed at him. Then, all of a sudden, President Grant was back to his usual charming, charismatic self. Maybe their meeting in the Rose Garden the previous night went well…

Tom and his new partner, Hal Rimbeau, stood in the shadows at the National Archives as President Grant and Ms. Pope viewed the original Constitution. It was easy to figure out that Hal did not share Tom's non-judgmental stance on the relationship between the President and Ms. Pope. Hal's feelings of disapproval were quite evident, for his face remained in a permanent scowl the entire time they stayed at the archives. The scowl only deepened when the occasional sigh or soft moan wafted its way to their ears. Tom was used to these sounds, particularly after always being the one stationed outside of "their" cabin. Tom was pretty sure, however, that this was Hal's first time being in this situation. Tom was curious to see how Hal would handle it, and hoped that he remembered the "secret" in his job title.

So much for Tom's hope. It took one day for Hal to find a way to spill the proverbial beans to the Mrs. Grant. Tom and Hal were present as President Grant and the First Lady stood smiling for photographers. Because Tom stood slightly off center, he had a clear view of Hal's face and the look that he gave the First Lady after she mentioned the President's missing pin. Once Mrs. Grant saw Hal's face, her smile dropped slightly. Ever the politician's wife, it took only a moment for the smile to reappear.

Later, after realizing that Hal gave Mrs. Grant the flag pin and told her that the pin was lost at the National Archives the previous night after they pair viewed the Constitution together, Tom felt he had to say something. That night as the President gave his first State of the Union address, Tom corned Hal as they stood in the wings watching.

"What was that about earlier?" Tom asked, facing him.

"What do you mean?" Hal didn't look at him as he responded and Tom thought he was trying to play dumb.

Tom walked over to stand in front of Hal so that the shorter man would have a harder time averting his gaze. "You know what I'm talking about. Earlier when the President and Mrs. Grant were taking pictures. Why did you give her that look? Why did you tell her that he took Ms. Pope to the National Archives?"

Hal looked indignant. "What's wrong with what I did? As his wife, she had the right to know where he was and with whom."

Tom stepped forward, with somewhat of a menacing look on his face. "That's not your call. It's not my call. We are his personal agents, not hers. What he does is none of our business. We are to protect him—take a bullet for him if necessary. Not squeal on him to his wife about his comings and goings. That's not our job."

Hal opened his mouth to speak, but Tom cut him off.

"We are Secret Service Agents, emphasis on the "secret." Understood?" Tom was the senior agent, despite Hal being older than him. Despite the seniority, Tom didn't think it was necessary to pull rank as he thought he made his point clearly.

"Understood," Hal said in a way that let Tom know that he wasn't happy about this turn off events. But, Tom didn't give a damn. His loyalty was to Fitzgerald T. Grant, III and no one else.

The next few months were a blur. Tom had been shocked to learn that Ms. Pope resigned from her position as Communications Director the same night as the State of the Union address. He didn't understand why she'd leave, as it was very clear to him that she and the President were very much in love. Of course it wasn't his place to ask the President. Even if it were, he wouldn't have because it was clear, despite moving having passed, that President Grant wasn't over Ms. Pope's departure. There were times when, while reviewing the previous day's video footage, Tom would watch the President in chair at his desk in the Oval and just rub his hands over the desk, as if remembering the one and only time he and Ms. Pope made love in that room. Other times the President would just sit as his desk and stare at the picture of him and Ms. Pope that he kept hidden in a secret desk compartment.

Whenever President Grant's chief of staff, Cyrus Beene, would mention Olivia, the President would become rapt with attention, yearning for any scraps of information about how she was doing. While it would have been so easy for the President to have Tom or someone else follow Ms. Pope, the President didn't even make the effort to do so. The President would have to be content to get updates on Ms. Pope from third parties like Mr. Beene.

Once again it was Tom's turn to review the footage from the previous day at the White House. As he reviewed the video, he thought about all that had happened in the last month due to the whole Amanda Tanner debacle. Tom made sure that Hal wasn't aware of the gravity of the situation. All Hal new was what the media was reporting. Once First Lady Grant told the world that it was she on the tape, Hal had no reason to shoot daggers into the back of the President's head.

Tom knew the real score, however. That evening after the interview that saved President Grant's presidency, Tom found the President sitting behind his desk in the Oval. He was despondent, with his face in his hands and a second tumbler of scotch sitting there waiting for him to drink

Tom stepped forward. "Sir…?" Tom wanted to get a gage of how long he planned to stay in the Oval before going up to the Residence.

President Grant looked up. "Come in Tom. Close the door behind you." Tom did asked was told, surprised at this turn of events. He walked up to stand in front of the desk and waited for President Grant to speak.

The President sighed. "I know I don't have to do this, but I feel I should. You've always been straight with me since day one—since you warned me about the cameras. You've known about me and Olivia Pope since the beginning and I appreciate your discretion."

Tom nodded, unsure of where this conversation was going.

"And I know that you know more than most about this Amanda Tanner situation. While I don't have to explain my actions to you, I feel that I should just say that I am aware of the mistake I made. I was in a state one night—missing Ms. Pope and wanting her here with me. I just lost it—and Ms. Tanner was there." President Grant paused. "I'm telling you this because I don't want you to think that this is common, that I use my position to influence to…"

Tom felt that he should stop the President right there. "President Grant. Sir. Like you said, you don't have to explain yourself to me. I have seen you with Ms. Pope and have seen the effect of her absence on you. I understand—though, I do not approve," Tom said and then panicked. "Not that you need my approval, sir."

President Grant chuckled. "It's understood. Tom, who's turn is it to view the White House footage tomorrow?"

"Mine, sir."

President Grant nodded. "Good. You will inevitably see Ms. Pope and myself in this office kissing. I told her that I would use this Amanda Tanner situation as a gift—I'd divorce my wife and resign from the presidency in order to have a normal life with the woman I love. Suffice it to say, that plan has been shot to hell. I'm sure you saw tonight's 20/20 interview?" President Grant asked and I nodded.

"Don't worry sir, I'll take care of it," Tom said and the President nodded his response. Tom turned to walk away but then turned back to face the President. "Sir, maybe you should call it a night. It's been a long day," said Tom, staring pointedly at the tumbler full of scotch.

"Don't worry about me Tom. I just need a night to myself to drown out the fact that the one thing I want most in the world was taken away by the person I want most in the world. I'll be fine. Thank you."

With that, Tom walked out of the Oval and went back to his post guarding the door.

Tom shook his head clear of the memories as he watched the video of President Grant kissing Ms. Pope sweetly as he held the back of her neck and kept their mouths pressed together. Once he viewed the tape, he pressed the red button which deleted the archive. Once again, there was nothing there worth archiving.

Tom hadn't seen Ms. Pope since the day of the infamous 20/20 interview. But now here he stood outside her door with Tom. Mr. Beene had sent the pair to collect Ms. Pope and bring her to the President, who was out on his annual hunting trip.

Ms. Pope didn't look shocked to see them at her door. Then again, Ms. Pope kept her looks of shock to a minimum and used them sparingly. She merely let them in and told them to get comfortable while she changed. When she reappeared from her bedroom she wore her customary pantsuits with 5 inch heels. Tom almost let her know that her clothes may not be appropriate for the venue, but then Tom stopped himself, figuring that some part of the President actually liked this attire on Ms. Pope. So sue him, Tom thought to himself. He was a romantic at heart.

Despite being a romantic at heart, he didn't expect to be privy to the President and Ms. Pope almost screwing against a tree! When they started to kiss and frantically paw at each other, Tom caught Hal's gaze and motioned that they should turn around, which they both did. As Tom eyed the expanse of land before him, he chuckled internally and wondered how he'd gotten there. Then next thing he knew, Ms. Pope was screaming that she didn't belong to the President and that things between them were over. Tom turned around and saw Ms. Pope stomp away back to the Escalade. When Tom pulled up in front of Ms. Pope's building, she said a terse goodbye and made her way up to her apartment.

Tom pulled Hal aside. "What's your problem, Hal? Didn't we talk about this before? Did you have to blink so many goddamn times as if you have a damn tick? What's wrong with you?"

Tom was livid. Once again, Hal took it upon himself to let the First Lady know the private happenings of President Grant. As Mrs. Grant ran down a list of names, Tom knew that Ms. Pope's name would come up. When it did, he continued to look straight ahead. But, he saw Ms. Grant's look at Hal and knew that Hal had to have blinked upon hearing the petite woman's name.

"I didn't blink!" Hal said.

"Stop fucking lying. Do you have a hard on for the First Lady? Is that why you feel the need to take any opportunity to be disloyal to the President in favor of the First Lady?" Tom demanded.

Hal tried to stammer out a denial, but Tom wasn't here for it. "Look, I don't give a shit if you have feelings for the First Lady. But remember this—I am the senior agent here. I will write you up. You are the agent of Fitzgerald Thomas Grant, III, not Millicent Grant. Your loyalty belongs to him, not her. I know that, I believe that. Respect the post or ask for a new one."

"Look, I didn't sign up for this, to watch a philandering President sleep around with some—"

Tom poked a finger in the middle of Hal's chest. "Don't even said it, Hal. Watch what you say about Ms. Pope. Keep your feelings to yourself. Stop running to the First Lady to tell of the President's business. This is your second warning. Heed it."

Hal stood to Tom's left as they stood behind the President's table, a table he shared with Ms. Pope. He didn't have to look at Hal to know that, once again, Hal disapproved of the President having such intimate contact with Ms. Pope. Tom wished that he could tell Hal to go kick rocks or something, but this certainly wasn't the time or place. Instead, Tom stared at the wall before him and tried hard not to stare at the saga behind going on in front of him. Just because he wasn't looking, didn't mean that he didn't hear anything.

Tom listened as the President tried to explain to Ms. Pope his efforts to get Kurkistan to waive diplomatic immunity for Lavitch. He listened as the President invited Ms. Pope to join him on Air Force One to go to the G8 with him. He listened as Ms. Pope asked if she could leave and not be stopped by him or Hal. As he listened, Tom knew that this conversation was not going the way the President planned. Hell, it wasn't going to the way Tom thought it would go. Sure, she said that she didn't belong to him a mere week ago, but Tom didn't believe it. If Tom didn't believe it knowing only a fraction of what he knew about them, then why should President Grant have believed it?

Yet, Ms. Pope's coldness toward the President and her questioning him about where their relationship could go seemed to have made a believer out of the President. Tom's eyes darted quickly to the pair as he heard the President explained that he was letting her go and that he had to be responsible. To Tom's ears, though, the President was pleading for Ms. Pope to tell him that he didn't have to be responsible, that she loved him and they could face it together, that they were this together. But despite Ms. Pope's obvious surprise at hearing the President say that he was letting her go, she held firm and agreed with all of his words.

President Grant got up and walked out of the restaurant; Tom let Hal and the other agents go in front of him, so he was the last to leave. He was the only one who heard Ms. Pope's sobs.

Tom stood outside of the doors to the Oval, envelope in hand. He knew that the envelope contained intimate pictures of Ms. Pope and her seemingly significant other, Edison David. Mr. Beene had directed him to supervise agents to conduct surveillance on Ms. Pope's apartment. Mr. Beene directed Tom to give the photos to the President. It was because Tom knew the story being told by the photos that he stood hesitant outside of the doors to the Oval. Tom was used to the toughness of the job, but in this instance, he hated to be the barer of such bad news. Finally, he toughed it up and walked into the office and handed the President the envelope of pictures. When President Grant said that he'd given the order to stop the surveillance, Tom was confused since Mr. Beene gave him specific instructions to keep the surveillance going. He didn't say that however; Tom had sense enough to know that if he mentioned Mr. Beene's name, things would get even worse. Tom merely nodded his acknowledgment of the change in plans and left. He didn't want to be there when President Grant's face dropped as he viewed pictures of his love being intimate with another man, a man that wasn't him. All Tom could think to himself was that President Grant's 50th birthday couldn't get any worse than this.

Present:

Tom stood outside of the President's hospital room and looked through the room's window. The President, a strong and fit man, looked so fragile laying on the bed with all of the wires coming in and out of his body. When Tom thought that the President's birthday couldn't get any worse, he didn't think that he'd jinx things so bad that they would all end up here.

The President lay in the room by himself; the First Lady left a few hours earlier and said she'd be back in the morning. Tom had a plan, but he had to wait for the First Lady to leave. He also knew that he needed to wait for Hal to be relieved from his post. Hal had already proven himself to be a snitch and untrustworthy—who gave a damn if he took a bullet in the arm? Once Hal had been gone for the hour, he knew what he had to do.

Tom looked up at the clock hanging on the wall next to the closest nurses' station. It was 10:30pm, not too late in his opinion. He reached into his pocket and grabbed his cellular and dialed a number that he'd decided months ago to program into it. Tom didn't know why he did it, but figured that he may need it one day. The phone rang three times before he heard it:

"This is Olivia Pope."

"Ms. Pope. This is Tom, President Grant's—" Tom began

"I know who you are, Tom. Is he ok? Is he…is he?" Tom could hear the hitch in her voice. Ms. Pope thought that he was calling because the President had died. Tom didn't know that just a few hours earlier, Ms. Pope told Mr. Beene that she feared that she wouldn't be able to say good bye.

"No, he's stable for now. Ms. Pope, I'm calling because I was wondering if you'd like to come see him." Tom waited with bated breath, wondering if he'd overstepped some invisible boundaries, and heard Ms. Pope's shallow breaths.

"Really? I mean…how can you….what about Mellie?" Ms. Pope asked.

"Mrs. Grant will not return to the hospital until the morning. No one is here except for me and the doctors. It's safe, Ms. Pope, if you'd like to spend time with him and talk to him. Let him know that you are here for him."

"Why are you doing this, Tom?" Ms. Pope asked.

"I'm doing this because this is what President Grant would want. I'm sure of it."

Tom heard a deep intake of breath.

"Okay, I'll be there in 20 minutes," she said.

"I will wait for you at the wing's entrance," Tom said.

"I'll see you there. Thank you, Tom. I can't begin to tell you how much I appreciate you doing this for me."

"It's not a problem Ms. Pope. I'll see you soon."

Tom clicked the off the button and stuck his cellular back into his suit jacket inner pocket. As he looked into the President's hospital room, he knew that he'd done the right thing. As he told Hal weeks ago, his loyalty was to President Grant. Allowing Ms. Pope to be there with him and for him was the best thing that Tom could do for his President.

A/N: Whew, that was a long one-shot! But, it had to be this way. This story came to me after seeing 2.08 and seeing the origination of Blinky Hal's snitching. All of the Scandal-fandom knows that Tom is ride or die for Fitz (and probably a closest Olitz shipper), so I had to write a story about his and his take on the whole Liv/Fitz relationship.

I hope you all like it! Please review, all thoughts are welcome :-)

Happy Holidays everyone!