Executive Orders

CH 55: Many Possibilities...

As the door closed behind his son, Nathaniel wandered over to the sliding glass doors leading out to the back portion of the veranda and then to the yard beyond. He gestured for Fitz to join him. They stood there just watching the scenery outside. More people were arriving, many with children of all ages, though most of them were young. He thought that he recognized Susan Ross and her daughter holding hands and it made him smile.

It also made Fitz think of his own kids; Karen would have loved being here, but with Gerry, he wasn't so sure. Maybe that's exactly why he should have sent for them, but the trip had been so last-minute that he hadn't thought about it at first and when he had, the idea of dealing with Mellie and an unplanned request for visitation would have sucked the joy right out of the whole situation.

His smile drew Nathaniel's attention; in return, he smiled a brief smile at Fitz and then followed his gaze to Susan. "She's a part of the future. Still a little bit of a diamond in the rough, but I have no doubt that her time will come."

"She is and I agree with you, her time will come." Fitz agreed. Susan had taken some getting used to - was still taking some getting used to - but the potential for her to do great things was definitely there. "And Olivia Pope made sure of that she will be."

"I apologize for what I said earlier about Ms. Pope, it came out a lot differently from how I meant it."

"Maybe we should just stick to the subject at hand." Fitz said. He didn't want any other mistakes to interfere with his day. After all, when this conversation was done, the first thing he intended to do was find Olivia and enjoy some time in her company, knowing that no one would find it unusual if they did.

"Perhaps you're right." Nathaniel said with a nod. "I'm very much encouraged by what I see in Susan."

This time it was Fitz who was drawn by the expression that came across Nathaniel's face. "What is it you see?"

"Many possibilities. And it's not just her - she has a child, and that child is a part of the future. What Susan accomplishes - or doesn't - and how she handles it, will make a difference in her daughter's life."

The other man paused for a moment, and Fitz watches as his thoughts shifted gears. Nathaniel continued. "I've always said that having an only child could do strange things to a man's mind. It makes him hyper-focused on his own mortality - that child is more than just a child in his eyes. That child becomes his own legacy, and that's dangerous because it can blind him to everything else."

His words struck Fitz like a hammer blow. Nathaniel could have been describing his father and he suspected the other man knew it.

"I say that because I don't think that women are like that." Nathaniel continued. "At least not most of them - there's always the exceptions to the rule, of course. But the majority of women that I've come into contact with over the years, they all seem to have the ability to see every child as their own in a way. And seeing Susan with her daughter - seeing all these children - all of this reminds me of what's really important. It's one of the reasons why I've started this tradition, to bring together younger minds - at least younger than my own - with differing ideas to help them find common ground away from DC."

"If we let this country fracture along party lines and ideologies, we will go down just as surely as if we're to come under physical attack - a mental Pearl Harbor with a Hiroshima finale. That much is the truth - at least that's what I've come to believe." Nathaniel said.

Fitz thought about his words and couldn't say that the other man was wrong. "There are enemies who wouldn't hesitate to take advantage of such divisions, so I can appreciate your thoughts."

Nathaniel nodded as if he'd read Fitz's mind. "No matter what else happens going forward, I wanted you to know that. It's one of the reasons I thought you might want to see that in action, and maybe act as a mentor of sorts if the mood strikes you - without the shadow of partisanship."