Executive Orders

EPISODE 3 CH 06: Plans and Priorities

Chapter Six
First Week of November...

There was an initial, but comparatively slight uproar over the weekend when the news of the presidential separation broke, but the Halloween weekend had worked to their advantage as they had planned and other more traditional news diluted much of its impact.

The Sunday morning talk-shows did the rest, allowing the talking heads of all the networks to speculate to their hearts' delight. What that meant was that by Monday morning's news press briefing, most questions had been already been asked and answered, making it easier for Olivia to simply inform them that the President and the First Lady preferred to keep their personal affairs just that - personal - and neither of them have anything to add to this news at this time.

Reading from a well-prepared statement, Olivia also told them that they both were also asking that the press to remember that there are children involved and to respect their feelings as well as their need for privacy at this time.

In the Oval...

"I only wish that I could have been there to see their faces." Cyrus looked very much pleased with the discussion of their meeting with Garner and Sally. "Between that and the media's reaction to the separation news, I think all and all, it's a good start to the week."

"I believe that last part of this morning's briefing went over very well with the press corps." Olivia said.

Seated behind the Resolute desk, Fitz looked up from the folder of photos. Olivia and Cyrus were seated in the chairs placed directly opposite him, each of them holding copies of the same.

This last photo op had Fitz bouncing Teddy up into the air, with Mellie just close enough to him so they didn't appear as intimate strangers and looking on with an expression on her face that said nothing to the internal turmoil she must be going through as their marriage ended.

Mellie had come through just as they had known she would - she'd always known how to give good face. So there she was, not resigned, but accepting and brave in the face of a Brand New Day (tm). Her suit was a rich ivory cream, trimmed in a deep crimson meant to set off her porcelain beauty and oh so subtly declare her republican partisanship. This with the pearls she wore declared her intentions as a political candidate on her own as the three of them walked to the private plane that had taken Mellie and Teddy to California.

On the other hand, Fitz was in a pair of midnight blue slacks and a shirt that matched it - and no tie. That was Olivia's doing; she'd noticed that Fitz always seemed to look good in either a dark blue or an equally rich brown. But after getting the scoop on what Mellie had chosen - and this was something that Olivia had insisted on beforehand - Olivia had carefully moved Fitz's attire to the opposing end of the color wheel, meant to just as subtly declare not only his own independence, but his commitment to America, be they Red or Blue.

Again, as planned, it showed an amicable parting between Fitz and Mellie and that was exactly as all involved had wanted; even Mellie had seen the wisdom in it and had agreed. Now and after the fact of the breaking news, the press would understand there had been something more to that picture than they had known at the time, but this was what the public had seen and Olivia had known that it would make it that much harder for any of the press to try and conjure up any scandal or click-bait outrage behind it.

"It should - the President has a life. He has children to think of; it's just as much my duty to be a good father to them as it is to be a good president to the rest of the nation." Fitz said. "I've witnessed a toxic marriage - I've lived with the fallout of it and I will not inflict it on my own kids."

"If you don't mind me asking, how are they taking it, sir?" Cyrus asked.

"Teddy's too young to really understand; Karen's been sad but understanding - but Gerry? I can't read him just yet - he's shutting both me and Mellie out." He sighed. "When the press gets to speculating, I hope they remember my kids."