A/N: I just want to thank everyone again who read even one chapter for reading. It means so much to me that someone wanted read my fanfiction and took the time out to do so. I have loved reading each and every one of your reviews. They mean a lot to me. So thank you. This was a lot of fun and emotional to write, but I loved it. If you have any unanswered questions about any character or storyline, just message me and I'll try my best to answer it. Thanks again and feel free to leave a review!

Disclaimer: I own nothing from ABC's Scandal.

Fitz woke up around five Monday morning, dragging himself out of bed. He was glad to see Mellie was finally asleep since she didn't fall asleep until two. He felt a sudden chill and grabbed a worn t-shirt off the dresser and slipped it on. He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and ran his fingers through his messy curls as he stumbled to the kitchen to get his coffee fix. He grabbed a cup out of the cabinet when he heard light footsteps running down the stairs and through the living room. He stepped into the living room and saw a young woman with brunette hair, barely half dressed in her skimpy clothes, running out the front door in a rush with her purse and shoes in hand. He ran after her, wondering why she was leaving in such a hurry, and opened the front door, seeing her push the gate open and run a few more feet down the sidewalk and jump into a cab. As it sped off, he knew she had to have called them; no cab normally ran this far out. He shut the door and called the guard at the gate, asking if he knew what was going on.

"Hey Doug, you know anything about the girl that just ran out?" Fitz asks, still staring out the front window, wondering what just happened.

"All I know is she came in with Jerry around one this morning. No name, no picture, nothing. Sorry, Fitz," Doug says.

"Thanks anyway, man."

Fitz hangs up and holds on to his phone as he walks back through the house, towards the flight of fifteen stairs. He passes the downstairs guest room and sees Mellie sit up, trying to wake up enough to figure out what's going on. He goes in and she sleepily looks at the clock, then back at him.

"What was all the noise about?" She asks groggily, her eyes heavy.

"I'm about to go upstairs and find out. Some girl Jerry brought home last night just ran out of here and jumped in a cab," Fitz says curiously.

"That's unusual for him. He likes to keep them around for breakfast most of the time," she remembers.

"I'll be back down in a second. You stay right there," he tells her, wanting to keep her safe.

Mellie rolls her eyes as he walks out of the room and slowly up the stairs, listening for anything, still not sure why she left in such a hurry. He makes it to the top of the stairs and sees the other guest bedroom at the end of the hall with the door wide open. His heart begins to beat faster as his palms sweat, almost causing him to drop his phone. He takes a deep breath as he steps into the room and looks around. He sees the blinds open, an empty tequila bottle on the carpet by the nightstand, Jerry's clothes in the floor by the bed - nothing out of the ordinary for him.

He looks closer at Jerry and touches his arm to wake him when he realizes it's cool to the touch. Fitz's body immediately went into shock mode, feeling his forehead and realizing he was no longer breathing. He threw back the covers and grabbed his wrist, not feeling a pulse either. He took a step back as his heart beat faster, not believing this at all.

This couldn't be real.

He couldn't be dead.

He subconsciously dials Jackson, knowing he'll be at work this early with everything going on lately.

"Hel-" Fitz cuts Jackson off mid-greeting.

"I think Jerry's dead," Fitz says, his voice shaking, trying to get past the huge lump in his throat. He was going to be sick.

"Excuse me?" Jackson asks in disbelief.

Jackson shook his head, thinking he was being pranked as he saw another aide come on down the hall and turn on the lights.

"He brought a girl home last night and she just, she just ran out of the house and, and I came upstairs to ask w-why she left and I touched his arm and he's cold and not breathing and his heart isn't beating and he's dead, oh God-"

Jackson almost dropped his phone, his heart skipping a beat. This had to be a joke. Not this now too. It couldn't be. His brain immediately went into overdrive. He could hear Fitz trying to fight the sobs.

"Fitz, stop and listen to me. Take a deep breath and pull it together. Call Ben and calmly tell him to get the medic over there ASAP. They'll assess the situation and take him to the hospital. You don't touch a thing, alright?" He told him, trying to calm him down.

"Ok," Fitz mumbles through his heartbreaking sobs.

"Is Mellie up?" Jackson asks.

"S-She woke up when she heard the girl leave," he stutters in shock.

"I'll tell her when I get there. Just stay calm, Fitz. I'll be there in ten," Jackson assures him.

They both hang up at the same time, and Fitz continues staring at his dead father's expressionless face. He was gone. Forever. He was never coming back. Fitz's heart was broken; both of his parents were gone now. They may have always been at odds, but Jerry was still his father. He also felt anger towards him continue to grow in his chest. He despised that man and had longed to see this day for years, especially since he hurt Mellie.

He finally felt free of the burden.

Free of that disgust, that weight, that dark cloud constantly hanging over him.

His phone rang softly as he called Ben, wiping his eyes and trying to regain his composure.

"Yes sir?" Ben answers.

"Ben, I need you to quietly get the medic out here. I think Jerry is dead," Fitz says quietly.

"Yes sir," Ben says, never changing his tone.

Ben's hand trembles as he reaches for his secure cell phone, calling the medics to come to the house. He didn't say what for, just not to waste any time getting there. He comes in the front door and shuts it quietly, going upstairs and down the hall, finding Fitz sitting in the floor with his back against the wall, his face buried in his hands. Muffled sobs came from his mouth, and Ben knelt beside him, putting his arm around him. He began softly saying a few comforting words to him, trying to calm him down. All Fitz did was cry into Ben's shoulder, not caring what he thought of him right now, whether or not he was getting too upset over this. It hurt more than he realized it would.

"I know it hurts, Fitz. I do. But it's going to be ok. It really will be. But I need you to do me a favor and calm down and go clean yourself up before Mellie sees you. You need to be strong for her. This is a life changing moment for both of you. You need to look halfway composed when you walk out of here once the private investigator gets here after the medics call him. He'll ask you to leave while his team investigates. We'll drive you to my house about ten minutes down the road. Kelly and I have plenty of space for y'all for as long as you need," he explains, trying to help Fitz.

Fitz wipes his eyes and tries to regulate his breathing again, so thankful for his security team, who were really showing up to be their best friends.

"Thank you...so, so much, Ben," Fitz chokes out.

"Yes sir."

He stands up and readjusts his gun and badge on his belt, then takes Fitz's hand and helps him up.

"Let's go get cleaned up a little," Ben suggests, heading to his room.

He follows him down the hall to their master bedroom, looking through his dresser for him a clean shirt while Fitz washes his face and combs his hair. He pulls out a plain white t-shirt and grabs his leather jacket out of the closet, handing it to him when he came out.

"You can't go out in a dirty shirt. Where are your jeans?" He asks.

"Downstairs in the guest room," Fitz replies almost inaudibly, his entire body and mind still in shock. He couldn't believe it. Jerry was gone in an instant. Here one second, gone the next.

Ben goes back downstairs and sees three medics coming in with two bags and a stretcher, heading up the stairs, probably not fully prepared for what they're about to find. He makes it to the guest room and knocks on the open wooden door, not wanting to intrude on Mellie. She sits up and puts her phone down after having checked the news for the morning, surprised to see him in the doorway. She sees another medic run in and leans forward, wondering what's happening.

"Where's Fitz? Why are the medics here? Is he ok?" She asks in a panic, wondering where her husband was.

"He's still upstairs. I just came to get him some jeans."

"What are the medics doing here?" She raises her voice and asks again worriedly.

Ben sighs and walks to the large bed, sitting on the edge, the softness welcoming after a night of guarding. He takes her hands into his and tries to think of a good way to tell her.

"Mellie...when he went upstairs to figure out why the girl left so fast...he found Jerry dead. He wasn't breathing, his heart had stopped, everything. He already called Jackson. He's on his way too and..."

Mellie's palms began to sweat in disbelief, in shock, as she tuned Ben out.

Dead.

Her father-in-law was dead.

The man who raped her was dead.

He was gone. He no longer had control of her. She was free. Fitz was free.

They were free.

"...you'll have to get dressed. The PI will have to investigate the scene and ask you to leave. You'll come to our house until the investigation is over. Then-"

"He's dead?" She whispers in disbelief, her hands shaking, a tightness forming in her chest as her heart sank to her stomach.

Ben paused and closed his eyes briefly, nodding as his lips parted slowly. Her hands squeezed his tighter. She was feeling something. She wasn't sure what it was, whether it was sadness or fear, anger or joy.

Joy, she decided.

Brief sadness for her husband's loss, but she knew he was happy too. He couldn't show it yet, but he was.

"Yes," Ben whispered.

She felt a wave of relief wash over her as she exhaled slowly, a few tears streaming down her face as Ben took her into his arms. He held her close and she was relieved. He couldn't hurt her anymore, he couldn't hurt Fitz, he couldn't hurt their child.

They hear Jackson come in a few minutes later and he stops at the guest room, seeing Ben getting Fitz some jeans and going upstairs.

"Mellie. We need to talk-"

"He told me," she fires back.

"What do you need me to do?" Jackson asks.

Mellie growled quietly, still upset with him from their conversation the other day.

"Go see about Fitz. Chris and Lance can help me pack our stuff."

Lance and Chris came up beside him, a few of the other guys in the living room and kitchen, wondering who they need to follow and watch right now. Jackson walked out of the room without saying a word, knowing he was not on her good side. They followed him upstairs so they could get a bag for Fitz and Mellie, and watched as he walked down the hall and saw the medics tending to Jerry. Lance knocked on the bedroom door and Ben opened it, Fitz still trying to fully calm down as he finished getting dressed.

"How did she take it?" Fitz asks nervously, still trying to stop the tears from coming to his swollen, hurting red eyes.

"She couldn't believe it at first. I think she was... relieved, sir," Ben says.

Fitz nodded and saw the boys in the door, and quickly went from a mess to professional.

"What do you need, guys?"

"We just came to get a bag for you and Mellie so we could pack some clothes for you," Lance explains.

"Thank you, Lance. They're in the closet," Fitz nods towards the closet, then looks back at Ben.

They went over to the closet and got two small suitcases out and headed back downstairs to help Mellie pack. Fitz walked into the master bathroom and grabbed a few things, stopping to look around the room, and then leading Ben out.

"I just need to get my bag out of my office and I'll be ready," he tells him.

He goes downstairs to his office, opening the door and turning on the light, seeing his leather bag in the floor by his desk. He grabs a handful of files off his desk, a book off the shelf, and his favorite ballpoint pen and puts them all in his bag. He zips it up and Ben grabs it before he could, just wanting to get Fitz and Mellie out of this chaos.

"I'll put this in the car and come back for the suitcases, sir."

Fitz nods and watches as he carries his bag to the car, then sees the medics coming down the stairs with a black body bag strapped to the stretcher. He stops in his office doorway, frozen at the sight of his dead father being carried out of his house.

His father was dead. Gone.

He comes to a minute later and goes across the living room and into the guest room, finding Mellie changing into her t-shirt and blue hoodie from yesterday. She puts on her gray jeans and boots, then turns around to see him come in and look through the closet once more.

"Fitz," she whispers, knowing how hurt he is right now.

His eyes meet hers as he turns around and she watches his fill with tears as she approaches him. She hugs him tightly, rubbing his back and whispering to him, trying to calm him down as intense sobs left his body. His own father, whether he liked him or not, had just died. This was not something to come back from so easily.

But they knew as one door closed, another would open. He was gone, and he could not longer haunt her. Now Fitz could have more political freedom. He could prove that he was different than his father. He could change the family name and image for the better.

"It will be ok, baby. Just give it some time," Mellie whispers confidently to him.

Fitz nods and pulls away, wiping his eyes, smiling at her.

"I'm just glad you're free. He can't get you, he can't get us anymore, Mels," he said as she looked into his bloodshot eyes.

She nods silently and smiles, hugging him again. He takes in her scent, wishing he could keep some in a bottle forever. She lets go and he goes over to the full-length mirror leaning against the wall, combing his hair quickly and grabbing the second suitcase, zipping it up. She puts her curls up in a messy bun on top of her head and looks back at her husband.

"You ready?" He asks.

Mellie grabs her crutches and Fitz grabs the second bag, leading the way into the living room. He looked around and took it in, the kitchen, his office door, the sliding glass door to the back patio, the stairs, the chandelier attached to the tall ceiling, the skylight, everything.

Lance comes back in and takes the bags from Fitz, leading them out to the SUV. Ben gets in Fitz's truck and pulls out first, slowly pushing through the cameras blocking the street outside the front gate. Fitz puts his arm around his wife as they walk outside, their first time seeing sunlight since the rumors started flying. They stepped out of the house, feeling like they had just finished one battle, and knew they were going head first into another as the cameras began flashing from the street. He helps her into the backseat of the gray SUV, putting her crutches in the truck, and getting in beside her as Lance starts the car, driving off slowly.

Fitz ignores the banging on the side door and yelling from the reporters as they get out of the gate and down the street, and instead focuses on the awfully quiet woman next to him. He notices she's deep in thought as she looks out the window, her breathing quiet, her body looking more relaxed. He unbuckled his seat belt and scoots over to her, wrapping his arms around her fragile body, buried under her large hoodie. She closes her eyes, letting out a big sigh as her body begins to tremble.

"I can't get his face out of my mind. It's all I see. Over and over, that smile on his face, the joy he got from hurting me. He raped me, Fitz. Me. I know that sounds selfish, but you will never know what that feels like, having every single ounce of self-worth and innocence and joy sucked right out of you, right before your very eyes. I will never be the same person again," she says through her sobs.

She tries to catch her breath but hyperventilates more as he holds her tight. Fitz sheds a few tears as he strokes her hair, his heart officially broken.

She bursts into tears, tears of happiness as she hugs him back, now sobbing. It was in this moment that she finally accepted he was gone and she and control of her own life again. She could do as she pleased, she had no one watching her every move, no one threatening her. It was all over.

"But now... I'm free."