A/N: I just thought Jake and Mellie would be something different for a change. There are differences from the show, but it's set after she and Fitz get a divorce. I hope you enjoy and please feel free to leave reviews, comments, and suggestions!
DISCLAIMER: I own nothing from ABC's Scandal or anything/anyone else.
"An escort?"
"Yes ma'am, his name is Captain Jacob Ballard. He's a former Naval aviator. He's the head recruiter at the office on this side of town," Chelsea, her assistant, explained.
"Do you know anything else about him?"
"He's 45, he's from Richmond, moved to D.C. last year. He was a pilot for 15 years. Had an honorable discharge after an injury five years ago, then became a recruiter."
"Interesting," Mellie said as she got up from her vanity chair as her stylists got her ready for a charity dinner that night. She put on her diamond earrings and sat back down to let them finish her makeup. She picked up her smartphone and looked up this guy, wondering what he looks like, if he would make a good escort.
She pulled up a picture and studied him for a second, immediately noticing his intense hazel eyes. It was like they sucked her in, and she wanted to know more about her date for the night.
"Ma'am?"
Mellie snapped out of it, setting her phone down as her makeup artist put her brushes down.
"Do you need me to do anything else?"
"No, thank you, Kate. You've done a wonderful job," She smiled, thanking her as she began to pick up her different makeups. Mellie got up again and put on her silver heels to match her fierce red gown, then grabbed her phone and clutch.
"Are you ready to go?" Chelsea asked with a smile.
"Yes," Mellie said, excited to go. They left her master bathroom and started downstairs to the living room.
"Mr. Ballard will be here in just a few minutes. He asked if he could ride with you so you two could get to know each other a little better before you get there."
"Oh, that's fine," Mellie said, hesitant, but also not wanting to tell him no. They waited in the living room, her usual two security escorts already waiting on them. They were all dressed in their tuxedos for the night, with their radios, guns, and badges already on.
"Will, Francis, you look extremely handsome this evening," she said, giving them hugs.
"You look gorgeous, Ms. Richardson," Will said.
"Will, please. Mellie is fine. I would rather you two not call me Senator or Ms. or anything with my last name. I'm trying to stay young for as long as possible," she laughed.
"Mr. Ballard is here," Chelsea said, and Francis went to open the front door. Mellie waited patiently beside Will as she watched him walk in her house. He was dressed in his full official Naval uniform, clean cut and professional looking.
"Senator Richardson, it is such an honor and a pleasure to escort you to the charity dinner tonight," he said, walking up to her and shaking her hand gently.
"It is an honor to meet you, Captain Ballard. I've heard great things about you. And please, call me Mellie," she smiled.
"Only if you call me Jake," he smiled, revealing his shiny white teeth. She glanced at his eyes and back at Will, wondering if he was wearing contacts. There was no way his eyes were naturally that color. "Are you ready to go?"
"Of course," she nodded, and he held out his arm for her to take. She linked her arm through his, feeling special as they walked to the car. He helped her into the black SUV and got in beside her as Will got in the driver's seat and Chelsea in the passenger seat. Francis got in the other SUV and led the way downtown.
After arriving at the dinner and posing for a few pictures, Mellie and Jake went in the lavish dining room and took their seats. The room was decorated with pure white curtains and four glass chandeliers. Fresh white roses and candles sat as the centerpieces of each table. She looked over at Jake, who was taking all of it in.
'He's probably not used to this kind of socializing,' she thought. 'He seems overwhelmed.'
"Have you ever been to an event like this before?" She asked him, taking a sip of her water. He looked over at her and seemed calmer.
"Nothing this large or public. Mainly Navy events," he said, noticing Will two seats down from Mellie and Francis at the table behind them. As they talked, she noticed some of the families who were helped by the charity she invited sitting at their table.
"This is my second time here, and it's always nice. Difference is, this time I'll do the speaking," she half laughed, glancing at his hands resting on the table. The first thing she noticed was a scar on the back of his hand, near his wrist, and she wondered what had happened there. The second thing was the absence of a wedding ring.
She was about to ask him about his scar when a few of her elite campaign donors came up to speak to her, and took Jake by surprise.
"And who is this handsome man you're dining with this evening?" One woman dressed in a sparkly black gown asked Mellie.
"This is Captain Jake Ballard. I've tried to have an escort from each military branch for events so far, and he agreed to come," Mellie smiled, and Jake shook the woman's hand.
"Pleasure to meet you," he said, and she smiled sweetly at him, muttered something about a donation to Mellie, and walked away.
"Donors?" He asked, taking a drink of his water.
"Very gracious donors," she sighed. "Not that I needed them. But they insisted, and I needed to get some political capital," she said quietly.
He nodded and saw the waiter come up for their drink orders.
"Two glasses of Cabernet Sauvignon, please," Jake said, and Mellie smiled on the inside as the waiter walked away.
'He can pick out a good wine. He has experience,' she thought.
"If you don't like wine, I can order something else," he said. "It just goes nicely with dinner tonight."
"No, wine is fine," she said, and turned towards the first speaker onstage. She gave a brief rundown of the charity the dinner was for, what they did, and the fact it was the one Mellie had chosen to support when she became senator.
The charity supported young adults, ages 18-25, who were fighting some sort of cancer. She had chosen it after hearing about one of Karen's friends who was diagnosed with a brain tumor a few months ago.
She wondered how Karen and Teddy were doing, and if she would get to see them soon. They were her life.
She sat there by Jake, grateful when the waiter brought their glasses of chilled wine back. She knew she had to get up there after this and say a few nice words about her donors, the charity, and everyone who attended the dinner.
She heard everyone clapping for the woman and Jake nudged her arm. She immediately stood up and he escorted her to the stairs of the stage and she made her way to the wooden podium under the bright lights.
"I want to first thank everyone for coming out this evening and supporting this wonderful charity," she smiled, looking around the audience for a familiar face. "Our support, whether it be physical, monetary, or spiritual, means so much to these young adults and their families."
She continued her short speech, looking back and forth between Jake and Chelsea. She had never been this nervous about speaking in front of a crowd before. Maybe it was the fact it was only her third big event since becoming a senator and the fact she was no longer pushed to the side. She was the one in the spotlight now, after years of standing in the wings.
She quickly finished and headed backstage, her heels tapping against the shiny black floor. She was greeting by a young gentleman waiting to take her back to her seat.
"Wonderful job, Senator Richardson," he said, taking her arm and walking back to the dinner floor.
She returned to her seat and listened to one more speaker before the dining staff brought out the meal, which included a nice steak. She began talking to the family that had sat with them. Their 20-year-old son, who had overcome leukemia last year, was sitting beside Mellie. She smiled and pulled out her phone, handing it to his father, who was sitting across the table from her.
"Would you mind taking a picture of us? It's not every night I get to sit between two handsome young men," she smiled, and took a picture with the young man, named Elliot, and then they took a selfie with Jake. She and Elliot talked about his plans for the future, how college was going, and what his interests were. Before they all knew it, dinner was over and it was time to go home. She looked down at her phone - it was already 9:30.
She thanked Elliot and his family for coming, and promised to keep in touch with them. They all left, and after mingling on their way out, Mellie and Jake finally made it back to the car at 10:30.
"That went well," she said, glad it was over. Jake shut his door and glanced over as she took her shoes off. Francis started the car and they started back to her house.
"I heard we took in close to $60,000 for the charity tonight, and that's just an estimate," she told him. "Thank you for coming, Jake."
At first, she had been hesitant having another random escort. This was her third one since moving here. She had tried to get someone she knew personally to go with her to events, but it didn't always work out.
"Of course, Mellie. I had a really good time," he smiled, showing his perfect teeth again, and she longed to know more about him.
"So did I," she said, looking back at the scar on his left hand. He must've caught her looking, because he smiled and began telling the story.
"Happened five years ago. Hot shrapnel," he said, and she could see his smile turn to sadness as he looked out the window. The memories must've been bad, because he wouldn't tell her anymore then. She felt her heart sink, and regretted her ever wondering.
"I'm sorry to hear that," she whispered, saying nothing else until they got back to her house. They pulled up in her driveway, and Will and Francis made sure they got inside safely to say goodbye.
"Jake, I cannot thank you enough for this wonderful evening. It was great spending time with you," she told him as they stood in her living room once again, and she could tell he looked tired and happy all at once.
"No, thank you, Mellie. I had a lot of fun. If you ever need another escort, you know where I'm at. It is late, so I'll be heading out. Come by the recruitment office sometime and I'll show you around," he smiled, thanking her again and leaving. Chelsea came in as he left and Mellie sat down on the couch, unsure of what she was feeling.
"I've never seen that look before," Chelsea grinned as she walked up, arms crossed, and sat in the recliner by Mellie.
"What look?" She asked, taking her diamond earrings off.
"That look. It's different. It must have been something about Jake."
"What about him? He was a good escort, that's all," Mellie shrugged, seeing Will and Francis check all the doors and windows before leaving for the night.
"He was ecstatic on the phone about going tonight. He must have had a good time, the way he walked out of here with a smile from ear to ear. And you seemed to have a pretty good time too," Chelsea smiled at her.
"He told me if I came to the office, he would show me around," she said quietly, twisting her earrings between her fingers, her deep red nails shining. "You want something to drink?" She asked, getting up from the couch and going into the kitchen.
"No thank you, I have to drive home. Wait, he wants you to visit the office? That sounds like he's interested to me," Chelsea said, following her into the kitchen, sitting at the bar while Mellie grabbed a bottle of whiskey out of the cabinet and poured a glass, then leaned over the counter, taking a long drink.
"Are you going to go soon?"
"I don't know," Mellie said. Deep down, she wanted to scream yes. She would go tomorrow if she could. Those gorgeous hazel eyes and pearly white teeth made her weak. He was such a gentleman to her. "Maybe I'll get there in two weeks."
"Good luck. Do you need me to do anything else before I leave, ma'am?" Chelsea asked.
"No, I'm fine. I'll see you Monday morning at the office," Mellie smiled. "Thank you, Chelsea."
"Yes ma'am," she nodded, quickly getting up and leaving.
Mellie finished her whiskey and saw it was eleven, then went to bed. The soft sheets were cozy, but her bed felt lonely. It had felt lonely for the past twenty years without Fitz, but this was a different lonely. She didn't even have him now.
She was all alone.