AN: This is my first fic so please go easy on me! I have been reading Scandal fics since I became a fan of the show earlier this year. I've read many of the amazing Olitz fics published on this site and really wanted to try my hand at my own. I recently made a claim that I didn't like AU fics, but I've since changed my mind. See, I know next to nothing about politics, but I do know a bit about my chosen topic. However, my story will contain characters and plot points from the series, because firstly, I'm just not talented enough to come up with something completely original, and secondly, if the only thing similar to the series itself is the character names and looks, than it's really not fan fiction, it's just fiction. Right?

"If things keep going as they are," Dr. Fitz Grant paused in his effort to get his point across, "this school is going to crumble from the inside out. We really need to work together to bring change!" Fitz was the principal of a school for kids with severe behavioral issues. The kids were bussed in daily from 4 local group homes in the area. These were kids who were shuffled from one foster home to the next before the state decided they weren't fit for a family. Or kids who were adopted out of the system, but whose adoptive parents then decided they couldn't actually parent the child they chose. And still more were kids whose biological parents were too abusive or neglectful to be parents. The kids in Fitz's school had it hard. And their behavior showed it.

However, the school was supposed to be a safe place for the kids, a place where the teachers would know how to handle their difficulties and ways of expressing themselves. Unfortunately, it seemed that lately the so-called "quiet room," where kids were sent when they couldn't remain the classroom, was more crowded than the classrooms themselves. And not only that, but the staff in the quiet room seemed unable to calm the children when they were in there, instead riling them further. "So, any suggestions?" Fitz surveyed the group of teachers and support staff, his eyes moving from one to the next. No one was making eye contact. But in the back row, he spotted a woman he did not recognize. As his eyes settled on hers, he felt his heart-rate increase. And she stood up.

"As the principal, you really need to be getting into the classrooms," she said. "You can't just sit in your office by yourself all day. You need to watch the children with the teachers. You need to model how to interact with the kids and the teachers will learn from you. You have to get in that quiet room, get down on the mats with the kids when they're screaming and punching anything in a two foot radius, calm them down yourself. Nothing's going to change until YOU help it change."

Fitz stared at her. He felt like his legs might fail him as he briefly allowed himself to be mesmerized by her beautiful lips, her deep, round eyes, and her silky, shiny hair. He had never seen such a striking beauty. And he had never felt so completely overwhelmed by a woman the very first time he laid eyes upon her. "And you are?" he asked.

"Olivia," she replied. "Olivia Pope."

Something in his brain clicked. "Excuse me everyone," he said to his staff. "Cyrus, can I see you in my office please?" This was directed to his assistant, Vice Principal Cyrus Beene. Cyrus followed Fitz out of the room and down the hall to the school offices. Turning to Cyrus, Fitz spat out, "Fire her!"

"S-sir," Cyrus stuttered. "With all due respect. We need her. You were just saying a minute ago that something has to change here. And Olivia's the best educational consultant out there. She did me a huge favor coming out here to help us – "

Cyrus was interrupted by a softer voice from the doorway. "That's ok Cyrus," Olivia said. "I don't mind heading back home if I'm not needed here." She turned on her heel and headed away from the office.

Fitz rubbed his head. "Damn it," he said. "You really think she can fix us?"

"Of course I do," Cyrus answered. "I wouldn't have brought her in otherwise. Now go apologize!"

Fitz nodded and hurried from the room.

Olivia had made it about halfway from the office towards the front door of the school when she heard footsteps behind her. Expecting Cyrus, she turned. Instead, she saw Fitz. Her eyes traveled over his tall, muscular form before settling on his eyes. The bluest eyes she'd seen in recent memory. She inhaled, almost sharply, as he approached.

"Miss Pope, I apologize," he said.

"Why?" she asked snarkily.

"Why do I apologize?" he asked, a hint of a smile at his lips.

"No, why did you fire me?" she clarified. "Dr. Grant, I came out here as a favor to my friend Cyrus. He thought we'd work well together. He said you needed me. And you barely gave me a chance! You fired me before I even gave you any real suggestions. Are you that insecure that you couldn't handle just my mentioning getting yourself into the classrooms? Well trust me, if you don't even want to do that, I can't help you anyway."

"You're right," he replied. "I do need you." His eyes attached to hers and she stared up at him. She watched as the blue of his eyes slowly darkened and she felt the charge in the air. He was attracted to her, she realized, and she couldn't help but be flattered. Dr. Grant was an extremely attractive man. With difficulty, she tore her eyes from his, looked at his shoes. Then she looked up again.

"Is this why?" she asked, not bothering to explain what she meant. He nodded. "Should we just go back in there?" she suggested, gesturing towards the gym, where the staff was still waiting for his return.

"I think that's a good plan," he answered, another hint of a smile appearing, making his whole face brighten. She tried to control her breathing as she moved in front of him, knowing he was watching her from behind as she moved past him.

Soon enough, Olivia had Fitz in the classrooms, just as she'd suggested at their first meeting. The two of them were sitting on the floor in the 6-7 year old class, surrounded by 5 of the kids. Olivia was working with them on anger control, steps they could take to calm themselves, and ways to express their anger without hurting themselves or others. Fitz was just as entranced with her as the children were and he felt a stab of jealousy as one of the little boys climbed into Olivia's lap as she spoke. He watched as Olivia placed her hand on the boy's back, acknowledging his presence, all while she continued to work with the other 4 children. She had a way of making them each feel that she was there for him or her only. As he watched, Olivia's dark eyes raised and met his. Fitz held her gaze and could have sworn he saw her cheeks redden.

At that moment, Fitz felt the impact of a small body landing on his lap and he grinned as he realized he was now holding Alisha, one of the children who had been beside him on the rug a moment ago. Imitating how he'd seen Olivia interact with Tyler, the boy she still had in her lap, he placed his palm on Alisha's back. Then he returned his gaze to Olivia. She seemed to be looking at his large hand on Alisha's small back. Her eyes then returned to his and she gave him a small nod, letting him know she approved of his interaction with the child. This time, Fitz felt his own cheeks redden.

After spending time in most of the classrooms, some of the time with Dr. Grant and some of the time on her own, Olivia found herself in the quiet room. She knew from her conversations with Cyrus that this was the place that was giving the staff the most difficulty, as although the kids were meant to calm down in the room, they usually ended up angrier and more out of control after spending time there. Olivia wanted to observe the interactions with the children in the room and hoped to demonstrate better ways to work with them, so she sat to the side and waited. It wasn't long before a boy about 10 years old was brought inside. The usual direction for being sent to the quiet room was for the child to stand in a small squared off area while regaining control of his or her emotions. There were four of these squares available. The walls of the square were made from mats. If the child turned towards the wall, he or she would not see the eyes of the staff members, but if the child faced towards the open side of the area he or she would be looking directly at a large, intimidating staff member. Today, the staff member was Robert Huck – who it seemed was just referred to as Huck.

It was Olivia's feeling that the child should be allowed to scream and yell and throw himself into the mats as much as he wanted to, as long as he wasn't hurting himself or anyone else at the time, but Huck seemed intent to antagonize the boy who was now standing sullenly in one of the squares, toeing the side of the mat with his gym shoe clad foot. "Stop kicking the mat Wayne!" Huck scolded. And as Wayne started humming under his breath, Huck immediately hissed at him to quiet down. Now Wayne began muttering to himself, and Huck was on his feet and beside the boy in an instant. Olivia herself was startled by this move, so she was not surprised to see Wayne jump back from Huck, raising his arms in front of him. It looked to Olivia that Huck was about to reach for Wayne, and in her mind, touching Wayne would only incense him further. She was about to intervene, when another child was brought into the room. Huck turned away from Wayne and Olivia breathed easier as she saw Wayne relax.

The little girl who had entered the room seemed to be about 5 or 6. She was crying, sobbing actually. Olivia got to her feet, hoping that she could be an example on how to help an upset child. As she moved across the room, she was relieved to see Huck return to his seat in the front of the room. Olivia knelt down beside the small girl who had now curled herself up inside of her square. "What happened, honey?" she asked, wishing she knew the child's actual name.

The girl didn't answer, just sniffled and continue to leak tears all over herself. Olivia stayed kneeling beside her, saying nothing, just being there with the crying child. As Olivia's legs began to ache, finally the girl looked up. Olivia gave her an encouraging smile. "I want my mommy," she said.

Olivia felt her heart breaking for the child. "What happened in the classroom, sweetheart?" she asked.

Looking up at Olivia were the sweetest, dark brown eyes she had seen that day so far. "Ms. Quinn told us to read and it wasn't Kira's turn but she read and it was supposed to be my turn," she girl blurted.

Olivia smiled. "Did that make you mad?" she asked. She received a small nod in return. "And how do you feel now?" she asked.

"Tired," the girl answered.

Olivia almost laughed at the honest reply. "Do you think you're up to going back to class?" Another nod from the girl whose name she did not know, and Olivia reached for her hand, helping her to her feet. Then she turned to Huck, who was sitting at his deck, looking slightly interested in the interaction. "Is Wayne ready to return to class too?" she asked him.

Huck nodded, looking either annoyed or amused, Olivia wasn't sure. Turning to Wayne, she gestured at him to come with her, and she headed to the door, ready to bring the children back to their classrooms. It was then when she realized Dr. Grant was in the doorway of the room. He was leaning on the door frame, his arm up above his head in a fully casual stance, his blue eyes regarding Olivia with interest. "Dr. Grant, hello," she acknowledged.

He dropped his arm to his side, stepping away from the door and slightly towards her, causing Olivia to take a breath. She found it harder to breathe when he was around. "Ms. Pope," he said, his voice deep and smooth as silk. "Hello Wayne, Kayla," he added, nodding to the children at her side.

"We're just heading back to class, right guys?" Olivia said cheerfully. The children nodded and Kayla reached for Olivia's hand. Olivia smiled down at her and then looked up at Dr. Grant. He stepped to the side to allow them to pass.

"Ms. Pope," Dr. Grant said as she was passing directly beside him.

She turned her head, her eyes connecting with his chest first before flying up to his face, tracing his strong jaw line around and up to his forehead, wanting to touch him and wondering what was happening to her. Flustered, she answered him, "Yes?"

"Could you come to my office after school ends today?" he said it in a perfectly normal voice, but to Olivia it sounded like music. She smiled at him.

"Of course," she replied.

Smiling as he headed in the opposite direction from Olivia, Fitz found himself replaying her interaction with Kayla over in his mind. She was really good with children, he realized. Olivia hadn't known he was watching her and she had been so naturally kind and sweet with Kayla, one of the youngest students in his school. He couldn't help but feel that Olivia was amazing, and he barely knew her. He wanted get to know her better.

Fitz entered the high school wing of the school, wanting to spend a bit of time in those classrooms, as he'd spent most of his morning in the younger aged classes. Plus, he hoped that Olivia was on her way to the high school wing as well. As he approached the closest classroom in the hall, he realized that two of the male high school teachers, Jake Ballard and Harrison Wright, were standing inside the open doorway and he could clearly hear their conversation.

"That girl is hot," Harrison was saying. "I think I'm gonna ask her out, man."

"Not if I get to her first," Jake replied. "She has some amazing body," he continued, before Fitz stepped into the doorway, allowing the other men to see him.

Trying to keep his expression neutral, he addressed them. "Gentlemen. Shouldn't you be with your students?" He hoped he sounded calm, though his heart was racing with anger.

"Sorry, Sir," Jake said quickly, "I left the class with Abby for a minute." He moved past Fitz on his way back to his classroom.

Fitz turned to Harrison with a raised eyebrow.

"My kids are working independently right now," he said, gesturing into his classroom where 7 high-schoolers sat pretending to read out of science text books.

"I'd prefer if you stay with them, even if they are working on their own," Fitz said.

"Yes, Sir," Harrison answered, turning on his heel and returning to his desk at the front of his classroom.

Fitz shook his head. He knew he had no right to get angry at his teachers. Harrison and Jake had every right to be attracted to Olivia and he knew both could be worthy of Olivia's attention. However, he found himself not only angry, but outraged at the thought of either of them approaching her. He was going to have to make his move, and quickly.