'Scandal' recap: Love hurts

Olivia wanted pain, and she got it.

Fitz finds out the truth about the election -- but not from the woman he loves. He already knew his wife was a viper, but at least she was honest about it. But this is Olivia, his soul mate. The person he trusted the most betrayed him.

Love hurts. And this might be one wound Fitz and Olivia can never recover from.

Justice served

Huck races to the elevator where Charlie is about to kill Hollis. They pull guns on each other, as Hollis cowers. If Hollis keeps his mouth shut and doesn't take the Justice Department deal, Huck will protect him. Everyone agrees to keep quiet, and the guns are put away.

At the White House, Mellie and Fitz are posing for photos with their new son. "What about Wallace?" Fitz asks, regarding a name.

Afterward, Fitz says he wants to spend time with all of their kids after the divorce. "There will be no divorce," Mellie says. He glares and warns her not to push him.

Olivia meets with Cyrus. He promises not to use Charlie next time, but what are they going to do about David Rosen? Fitz walks in and soundly kisses her. He's married and just had a baby! "It might take the rest of my presidency, but I'm getting out of this marriage," Fitz promises.

She says she should accept Edison's proposal (yeah, right), but he declares they belong together. "Wait for me," he pleads. Olivia will think about it.

She then goes to see Verna, and the justice ponders who tried to kill Fitz if it wasn't Hollis Doyle. Olivia answers, "You did." Killing Fitz meant never having to admit what they did.

Verna dares Olivia to turn her in for the assassination attempt and the election rigging. But she can't … and stalks out. After Olivia leaves, Verna makes a call to David Rosen. And later, she gets a visitor: the president himself.

The naked truth

At the White House, Mellie warns Cyrus that if Fitz divorces her, she'll blab about the election rigging to the world. "I will bury him and I will dance on his grave, and then, I will run for office," she promises.

At the gladiators' office, the team can't believe it was Verna. Olivia tells them to find out exactly what David Rosen knows. They listen to the recordings from a bobblehead planted in David's apartment. It recorded everything. Abby looks mortified.

They're surveilling David when he meets with James. The new dad doesn't want to be involved, but David warns him to expect a subpoena. The conversation also reveals David has the Defiance memory card; Abby volunteers to steal it.

Meanwhile, the subpoena is served, and James angrily tells Cyrus that his actions in fixing a national election means one of them is going to jail. He wants some answers, but Cyrus makes him strip down first, to make sure he isn't wearing a wire. They take off their clothes, and after some hedging, Cyrus admits he rigged the election. He says he was meant to be president, but he can't be -- he's gay. And so his name will never be on libraries or airports. Fitzgerald Grant was his chance to be at the top, and he wasn't going to throw it away. "I'm done losing," Cyrus says. "I took my shot."

James leaves to tend to the baby. He's going to do what he has to -- take care of their daughter. Cyrus says he loves him. "Is that enough?" James sadly asks.

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Meanwhile, Abby is listening to more bobblehead recordings, and softens when she hears the time David said "I love you." Abby goes to confront Olivia and asks if she faked David's abusive past. Olivia admits it, and Abby's pissed at her and at Harrison for helping.

Harrison tries to calm her down. "You don't get to have feelings. Gladiators don't have feelings," he says. Olivia saved them all and they owe her.

Abby goes to David's apartment. "You love me," she says. He nods. They start making out.

When Olivia tells Cyrus about the memory card, he decides to play his last card: He calls Charlie!

What we do for love

Cyrus calls James to beg him not to testify. But James says he's doing it for their daughter and heads into the building. Charlie is just about to shoot James in the head when Cyrus calls it off.

Quinn offers Huck $5,000 to kill Hollis Doyle. Huck says he'll do it free -- but Quinn can't come back there. She can be Lindsay Dwyer and get revenge, or she can be Quinn Perkins and live this new life. She decides to be Quinn.

On the stand, James tells a shocked David that he didn't find anything in Defiance, Ohio. David warns him about perjuring himself, and brings up the memory card, but James continues to claim ignorance.

At the office, the gladiators are waiting for the ax to fall when David barges in. He asks Abby if she took the Cytron card. She denies it and declares her love for him. But he won't listen. "I'm done with you. We're done," he says, then leaves. Abby pulls out the card from her bra and then starts sobbing in Olivia's arms.

Later, Olivia is in her apartment when Edison drops by on the way to Verna's funeral. She gives him his ring back, saying she wished she wanted a normal, happy life. Instead, "I want painful … difficult … devastating … life-changing … extraordinary love. Don't you want that, too?"

At the funeral, Olivia tells Fitz she gave the ring back and will wait for him. But he coldly brushes her off and says he changed his mind -- marrying her would be political suicide. She's stunned.

As he gives the eulogy, we see a flashback of his visit with Verna. The justice told him that she put the hit on him and about the election rigging -- and Olivia's involvement. Fitz lets her know he will give an exemplary eulogy and let her legacy remain untarnished. Then he removes Verna's oxygen mask, holds down her hands, and watches her die.

After the funeral, Fitz is brooding when Mellie comes to see him. "I thought you tried to kill me," he admits. He can't trust anyone, but she's been the only one to be honest about who she is. Fitz asks her if she'll always be on his side, no matter what.

"I have never left your side. You've left mine, I've never left yours," Mellie replies. "And, yes, I do love you -- no matter what."

"You're all I have," a sad Fitz notes. "It's you and me," Mellie promises. They kiss.

[Related: Shonda Rhimes teases what's next for Olivia & Co.]

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"Scandal" airs Thursdays at 10 PM on ABC.