"I hear you're the best. We need the best."

These were the last words Olivia Pope heard from the strange man who had showed up to the office of Pope and Associates unnoticed only a few days prior.

And this man was indeed strange.

Now, Olivia had dealt with her fair share of characters. She had covered up the scandals of everyone from athletics to celebrities, from embezzlers to murderers. She had even, in spite of her better moral judgment, help rig a presidential election. That, as she thought back, had been a bad day. Olivia had corrupted an America that she had believed wholeheartedly in. Olivia sometimes helped bad people get away with bad things, which had begun to wear on her soul. The nightly glasses of wine had become more frequent as a result. In fact, she was already on second glass of the night.

Glass in hand, Olivia plopped down on her couch and sighed. Life was hard. It was lonely. She sipped red liquid from her glass and let it blur her thoughts. She secretly hoped it would make her better. Olivia didn't hope for happy. She knew better. She knew happy didn't exist in that bottle, but numb did. She wanted to be numb. Numb to her feelings for Fitz. Numb to her feelings for Jake. Numb to the guilt she felt. Her workaholic lifestyle and nightly drinking left her numb to the empty that she felt.

But Olivia tried not to dwell on loneliness. She instead thought of the man that she had met a few days earlier and pondered taking his case. The man was strange. He came into her office unannounced wearing an eye patch. Usually, Olivia wouldn't have taken such a person seriously, but the flash of recognition that spread on Huck's face intrigued her.

"Do you know him?" Olivia asked, immediately after the man named Fury left. Olivia treaded lightly with questioning. She knew that sometimes Huck didn't want to remember the past.

Huck nodded. "He used to work for B613, but he was transferred."

"Where?"

Huck stammered, "I don't know exactly. But there were rumors…" Huck paused as he thought about what to say. It was a long pause that only peaked Olivia's curiosity even more. Where there more secret government agencies that she didn't know about? Before Olivia could ask, Huck continued.

"It's called S.H.I.E.L.D. But it's a myth, an urban legend. Most people don't think it's real. Hearing what they're in charge of…it would be unbelievable."

Olivia's notions about what was believable were destroyed when she found out her own father had been command of B613. She couldn't believe it when she found out. And now, Olivia was curious as to what other secret agencies were lurking around DC. And maybe, just maybe, that's what made her accept the case, her curiosity. After placing her glass down on the table, Olivia burrowed herself further into her couch and thought about tomorrow. She thought about Fury and this place called S.H.I.E.L.D., until her thoughts became dreams.

"What made you accept the case? You had seemed skeptical." Fury asked as he placed his palm over the scanner. After his hand was scanned, the speaker projected, "NICK FURY. LEVEL ONE CLEARANCE."

Olivia blinked a few times in astonishment. There were few people that she knew of that had level one clearance: Fitz, her father, and now Jake, the new command of B613.

Olivia quickly regained her composure and placed her hand on the scanner. "My gut."

Fury raised an eyebrow, "Your gut told you to take this case? You're going on a gut feeling?"

Olivia smirked, "It's never steered me wrong." After the red line passed the base of her palm, the speaker projected, "OLIVIA POPE. LEVEL FIVE CLEARANCE. NOT ALLOWED."

"Override." Fury said and the doors to the elevator flew open. Olivia and Fury stepped into the elevator and waited in silence for it to start to descend. They had been riding in the elevator for about thirty seconds when Fury talked again.

"You're going to see things that I need kept confidential. You're now among the few people who know about S.H.I.E.L.D."

"Why do you need my help? How do you know about me?"

The elevators opened and Olivia noticed a subtle smile on Fury's face.

Fury walked forward. "Someone from B613 highly recommends you."

Olivia walked forward and asked who had recommended her. But Fury ignored the question, and went back to the business at hand. As they walked through what seemed like a training room, Fury told Olivia that he needed help keeping a scandal under wraps. They had to protect someone.

"Who needs-" Olivia's sentence was interrupted when a pair of side doors opened.

"Speak of the devil." Fury said

A man in a simple t-shirt and blue jeans walked toward them with a smile and a presence that reminded her of Jake.

"Nice to meet you." The man said extending his hand to Olivia.

Olivia shook his hand and asked, "What's your name?"

"Well, the name is Steve. But most people know me as Captain America."

Hey guys! So, tell me what you guys think! I'm still playing around with where I want to go with this, but soon we'll see what Olivia is about to get herself into. :)