Author's Note: In a sensible world, this is what Liv and Mellie's relationship would really be like. In a sensible world, Liv would still be human and she would be happy right now solo and with Fitz. Sadly, we do not live in a sensible world right now but luckily, that is what fic is for. Enjoy.

CMW2/Trumpetnista: Draftbook Drabble 40 (Follow up to #7- Canon Corrector AU, Defiance, Olivia, Mellie, mentions of Fitz, FTGIV and Karen, Cyrus, Verna, Hollis, strong happy Olitz, common sense and karma prevails, What the actual fuck is a Mellivia? Seriously, what?)

Words from the Gladiator in a Hoodie: All right, so with the whole "Mellivia" "friendship" and "feminist alliance means forgiveness no matter what because all men are the Devil so we ruined our own lives and blame all men, especially Fitz for our misery" idea that SR has been shoving down our throats and up our asses since 5B, I would like to write a fic where the truth about them is fully in play.

If there was any true common sense left in SCANDAL's writer's room, not only would Liv & Fitz actually be happy solo and as Olitz, OLIVIA AND MELLIE WOULD NEVER, EVER, EV-ER BE BESTIES.They would be civil for the sake of the kids and for the sake of Fitz (at least Liv would be) but actual besties? Hell, no! Who the fuck actually becomes besties with a person who helped demean you and took advantage of you? What idiocy made that possible? Well, the almighty POWER and "feminism" made it possible and this…this fic and any other fic I write nowadays is a protest.

More chapter updates are on the way and I'll return to one of the other D.D. plot lines (most likely the first Trail AU I started in D.D. #1) soon. Enjoy the latest. Mad Love, Jam, and Power Drills, ~*Trumpetnista*~

Disclaimer: "Honestly, it's not mine!"

Excerpt from Draftbook Drabble #7...

"…this was the dramatic scene two nights ago outside the Martin Plaza Hotel where the Grant Campaign had set up base. Millicent 'Mellie' Grant nee Vaughn, Cyrus Beene, Verna Thornton, and well known oil tycoon Hollis Doyle were all arrested under charges of conspiracy to commit voter fraud in Defiance County, Ohio…"

"Cytron Electronics has removed the machines…complete redesign…"

"…Olivia Pope…infiltrated the ranks of the DC4 Conspirators and turned over approximately 185 hours of audio. Individual conversations, recorded phone conversations, and roundtable meeting were given to the AUSA, along with a 2 hour and 45 minute videotaped deposition…"

"…Governor Grant filing for divorce and full custody of the children…"

"…modern day Watergate…the Governor himself was not involved but he has issued a statement saying that he will be turning the position of California Governor over to Lt. Governor Andrew Nichols and that he is throwing his support to Sally Langston to represent the Republican Party against Samuel Reston in the upcoming election in November. He also implied that we may be seeing him on the Trail again in 2016…"

"…but why, though? Other than the illegality, why? Why would Olivia Pope put herself in danger of prosecution or being silenced by the others to get the footage? What was her personal motivation? What did she get out of it and just where in the world is Olivia Pope, now?"

"…disgraceful…utterly disgraceful…a slap in the face to all American voters…they should all rot..."

"…got a sista digging up the dirt and shuttin' all of those crooked bitches down…I love it! Go 'head, girl…"

"Mellie got 8 years. Hollis and Cyrus got 15. Verna also got 8 but apparently, the old broad's chock full of terminal lung and bone cancer so they'll probably put her in a hospice someplace after a year, if she makes it to a year, anyway."

"All's well that ends well. They're where they belong..."

"...you say that we betrayed Fitz and we did but you…I still can't believe you, Liv! You set all of us up! You stabbed us in the back, stabbed me in the back!"

"I was just following your life lesson, Cyrus. You drilled it into our heads in class that loyalty and ambition don't mix. You always said that it's good to have friends, even close friends but when the cards are down, you have to be prepared to cope with stabs to the back and you also have to be ready and willing with a knife of your own at all times. The last time we spoke, you said that we were with Fitz's camp to carve Judases and protect him. That's exactly what I did and I will not apologize to anyone for it, not even God. You, Hollis, Mellie, and Verna put yourselves in prison. You're sitting in front of me in that ugly orange jumpsuit, chained to this table because of you, not me..."

"...you're a whore! You were his mistress, his dirty little whore!"

"But unlike you, I'm not a convicted felon. Unlike you, I can leave here at any time and please get off of your high horse, you hypocritical cow. You didn't have a problem at all with anything going on between Fitz and I until you realized that the position your Daddy paid your way into was in serious jeopardy. I don't understand you. You had a good man. You had one of the best men that you could ever have and all you had to do to keep him was love him for him. That's all. And do you want to know what pisses me off about you the most? You could've been anything. Even if you and Fitz had never met, you could've been someone else's First Lady and a good one. You could've been a Representative, a Senator, a Chief of Staff…hell, with the right spin, you could've even been the first female President of the United States! You could've been anything! You should've been anything! You had opportunities, privilege, and potential all your life that many women would kill for just to have for a day! You could've done anything with your life but instead, you willingly got into a political merger, lowered yourself into being into an arranged, loveless marriage and for what? This? Was it worth it, Mellie? Was it? Answer me. You asked for this visit and you never shut up on The Trail. Don't be quiet now that you're the Belle of the Ball and Chain…"

"…you fucking bitch! How dare you?!"

"I dare because you let me, just like you let me take your husband. And I take bitch as a compliment nowadays. It's a badge of honor and you were right. I was bluffing just now. I know Karen is Fitz's but the Public…a rumor can get very out of hand very quickly and if you can conspire to steal a National Election, it's not too big a leap for people to think that you would screw his blood brother since Pre-K and pass the lovechild off as his to keep him under your thumb. Yes, I slept with Fitz while he was still married. I also fell in love with him and he loves me back. If that makes me a whore, if that makes him a whore, then so be it. We'll be happy and free whores together. But, Mellie? She who lives in glass houses should not be naked on her knees…and she who lives 24/7/365 in a 12x8 concrete cell should be a good little girl and pay her debt to society quietly so that she can have a shot of having a nice future far, far away from her ex-husband and the woman who really loves him after she gets out..."

"You did this when Cyrus got out. You picked him up."

"I did."

"And you went to Verna and Hollis' funerals."

"I did."

"Why?"

"I don't like leaving things unfinished."

"You say that but your ring finger still looks pretty unfinished, don't you think?"

"Fitz doesn't want to get married again until he's absolutely sure that he'd be a good husband. I have you to thank for that. There's a diner coming up. Do you want me to stop?"

"...sure."

After 8 years behind bars, Mellie Vaughn was a shadow of the woman Olivia Pope had met on the 2007 Trail. She had lost about 15 pounds, her skin was a near ghostly pale, and there were dark circles under the woman's bloodshot blue eyes. Instead of the designer ensembles she had become known for before being arrested, she was in a pair of jeans and a large black sweatshirt that was large enough to fit her ex-husband easily, along with prison issue sandals. Her dark mahogany hair was streaked with gray, thrown into a messy ponytail and she had on a pair of white horn-rimmed glasses. All of her worldly possessions fit in 2 bags and a shoebox, a very far cry from the luxurious lifestyle she had enjoyed as a politician's wife.

The biggest difference was in the other woman's body language.

Olivia would've never associated the word 'meek' with Mellie before everything went down but today? That was the best word to describe her, other than just bone tired. Even the venom she spat was weighed down with exhaustion. Getting to the diner, they settled into a back booth and soon, Mellie was devouring a bowl of chicken noodle soup. Olivia stuck with a mug of chamomile tea, having eaten before leaving for the prison. It was a very early Saturday morning, barely past dawn so the diner was basically deserted.

Hopefully, that wouldn't change before they got back on the road.

The last thing either one wanted to deal with was the Media...

"How...how are the kids?"

"They're doing just fine. Gerry's going into his 3rd year at Davis, 1st in his class. He's right on track to be a veterinarian. He wants to open his own practice, either in Santa Barbara or in Rutland to be closer to me and Fitz. He's not sure yet. "

"He's always loved animals. Him and Karen...how...how's she doing?"

"She's a Junior, 1st in her class. Harvard already sent her some information but she wants to go to Julliard. She's deep into musical theater, pit orchestra, choreography. She either wants to join a troupe or become a conductor. She'll probably conduct. She was a drum major for marching band this season and she loved it so...we'll see."

"...and Fitz? How's he doing?"

"He's still Professor G at Georgetown. He just got tenure and he'll have a spot on the director's board once winter semester starts up."

"He's happy?"

"Yeah."

"...good...I'm glad that he's happy."

"Are you really?"

Mellie chuckled bitterly and replied, "I don't have a choice but to be happy for him. It's not like I didn't do this to myself. Sure, you helped but...I was wrong. All of us were wrong. Fitz had what it took. We didn't need Defiance. Even if he lost, after 4 years of Langston's nonsense, he would've been seen as America's salvation and swept the 2012 Race. Reston...Reston wouldn't have gotten 2 Terms or even one."

"I tried to tell you guys."

"You did...the Great Olivia Pope knows all...god, we were so fucking stupid. All we had to do was just let things be but no... well, karma's a bitch, huh? I'm an ex-con and considered to be one of the biggest traitors to democracy. You and Fitz are one of America's great love stories. Verna's dead from like 10 types of cancer. Hollis made himself into a lovely chandelier before he did a year behind bars and last I heard, Cyrus is a... goat farmer in Oklahoma?"

"Alpacas and donkeys, actually. He's really good at it."

"Well, he's always been an ass."

Olivia laughed and Mellie's smile was genuine, sad but genuine.

"Daddy says that I can come home once I get the tether off of me after the halfway house . I'm surprised that he didn't disown me. Everyone kept telling him to but he didn't. He wrote me letters, sent me pictures, and made sure that my commissary account was always full."

"That's a good thing. You shouldn't be all alone."

"I shouldn't?"

"No, you really shouldn't."

"...this would be so much easier if you'd just be a bitch to me."

"Easier, maybe but not right. Regardless of the history between us, inside and outside of Fitz, you are Gerry and Karen's mom and they still love you very much, even though they're hurt. Being a bitch to you without just provocation would hurt them and Fitz and that is the last thing that I want to do."

"He's very lucky to have you."

"He is and I'm very lucky to have him."

"At least something good came from all of this shit...do they have fried chicken here? I have been jonesing for some fried chicken."

"Yeah, you want to split some?"

"...that would be great."