Plot summary
It turns out it was James who got shot by Jake in order to protect the secret of Sally Langston killing her husband. David agrees to keep quiet about what just happened. Through flashbacks we are shown the early days of Cyrus and James' relationship. We see their first date, first kiss and the moment when Cyrus decided to come out to Fitz by inviting James to dance with him at the ball. At the White House, the presidential election campaign gets suspended for a few days by Olivia because of the murder of James.
Cyrus, not willing to deal with his husband’s death, takes on more work, worried that Sally will steal the gun lobbyists. Meanwhile, Olivia realizes that Jake was the one behind killing James and confronts him, worrying that he is starting to be more like her father. Huck confronts Quinn about stealing the Daniel Douglas files, and it ends with them kissing. Olivia, after her talk with Rowan about how B613 changes you, decides to take down the organization. Maya and Adnan discuss terrorism and their involvement and want to meet with a certain Ivan. Meanwhile, Andrew and Mellie sleep together.
Credits
Adapted from Wikipedia contributors, Scandal season 3. HTML formatting and reference markers removed.