I wanted to remind everyone that I am still moving stuff over from my Tumblr (scandalouscastleanatomy) so if you follow me over there you may have read these stories. I do feel a little bad for getting your hopes up if you have read my work there and are looking for new material so I'll probably be uploading new material some time this/next week. If you have any ideas or stories that you'd like to see let me know or if I have something currently uploaded that you'd like an update to, leave a review!

Her eyes flit from person to person, ignoring details, uninterested. It's become a game. The soft piano in the background creating classic showtime music.

"Nope, still don't see anyone." Olivia rejoices in a singsong voice.

Harrison and Abby shake their heads at her as they all turn back to the tall table that they have gathered around. A small smirk plays on Olivia's face as she downs the remainder of the sparkling liquid in her glass.

"Oh come on, Liv. You can't stand in a corner by yourself. I'm sure there's a guy here that it wouldn't kill you to make conversation with for the night." Abby groans, her swan-like neck extending as far as she can get it to search the room more thoroughly than her friend.

It's Olivia's turn to shake her head. Abby and Harrison had always been more approachable, more open to meeting new people. Since she was deemed old enough to attend these types of events, Olivia had become the girl that made friends with the help. The one that watched from a dark corner where she could see everyone but no one could see her. The company began to bore her at an early age. One thing about having money, about having parents with money, is that their children are afforded the "luxury" of never coming into contact with people that have obtained anything less than they have. Besides the people that worked parties and people that worked for her family or her friends, Olivia Pope had never had extended exposure to people that did not have some type of immeasurable power. Boarding school insured that all her friends were affluent as well. She went to school with the children of kings yet she couldn't find one person in a room full of her equals to make company with for a few hours.

"It wouldn't kill me but I wouldn't enjoy it." Olivia teases with a smile on her face. "The only reason you're even pushing it is because David just got here and you're going to leave me. I'm fine. Both of you. Harrison, go ahead and find a girl and Abby, you should go dance with David. He's been watching you since he walked in the door. I'll be fine right here."

The small group exchanges a look.

"Liv, I can hang with you tonight…if you'd like." Harrison offers reluctantly.

"Go. Have some fun." Olivia orders, straightening her spine like a drill sergeant. "That's an order."

Abby gives her a small smile. A smile filled with pity, albeit, but then kisses Olivia's cheek with a smile before she hastens away to find the man that she's been waiting for all evening. Harrison, on the other hand, hesitates before checking on her once more. He puts his hand on her shoulder gently.

"It's the first big charity event of the year. You usually don't get like this for another few months. You, at least, pretend to care about making connections and keeping up appearances." His eyebrows are furrowed as he hints at his concern. "Are you sure that you're okay?"

"I'm fine, Wright." Olivia gripes, hoping that it's enough to get him to leave her alone.

He raises his eyebrows in question at her.

"I just have a lot on my mind. There's a case that I need to prep out for a novice debate tournament next week. Plus, I spent all of yesterday with my parents in New York and they're a handful as it is. I just need to de-stress and stop worrying but I didn't have the option of not coming tonight so, don't worry. I'm good. I'm just going to stand at this table while that cute guy keeps offering me chocolate covered strawberries and the other one offers me champagne."

He nods his head at her, his eyes still filled with concern but he leans forward to kiss her cheek like Abby did and then disappears into the ballroom to mingle. As soon as she's alone, she goes back to watching the crowd. The beautiful dresses adorned by girls that would never know how shallow others thought it was to wear such an expensive fabric for just a night and then toss it aside. Olivia scoffs at herself, realizing that she's not better than them at all. That the gorgeous tailor-made Armani gown would only be worn tonight and then she'd probably never see it again.

She watches the men outside of the glass door that leads to a balcony that is reserved for their smoking purposes. It has never been a spoken rule but it was almost like all women were told as babies that the balcony was for the men to smoke their cigars, to talk about business, to exchange contact information. That was not a place for a lady. She should never desire to be there. And she doesn't. But another thing that was drilled into her pretty little head was that she should, no would, marry one of these men. They took this time on the balcony to get away from their women. Their wives and mistresses and girlfriends. It was why she found it so hard to mingle among her peers. Men and women that she grew up with. Whom she vacationed with. The men that once saw her as somewhat equal now saw her as less. Someone that should feel privileged to be afforded their time. The women that once had dreams of being Princesses and doctors now wanted to be Princesses for the power of the position and a doctor was a field reserved for the husband that they'd one day have. These women at twenty-one were planning for multiple children and houses and gardens and parties. The same women that just five years ago held immeasurable vigor for what their unknown futures could hold. Was this what they hoped for? They all knew it would happen. Olivia, although she hypocritically thought less of them for embracing it, knew that it would happen to her as well. That there was a large chance that in twenty years she would be standing in this exact same spot, her husband on the balcony with a glass in hand and cigar between his lips. His mistress across the room. Her daughter beaming at the glamour of her dress, her son having "proper" fun with the other boys, learning the same unspoken elitist values that she did. When did she become so self-aware that she was dying to break out of the mold that she had been baking in since conception?

"You look like you're contemplating the meaning of life." A husky voice sounds behind her.

She turns immediately, startled by the sound of another person so close. She recognizes him instantly. His curls are shorter. Still long but they don't form an afro like they did when he was younger. The facial hair is weird for her as well. She'd never seen him with it.

"I was. Isn't that what these parties are for? 'Give us money so that you can stand in a room and compare yourself to your best friend and everyone standing around you.'" She replies facetiously. "It's like we're paying for self-deprecation."

One of his curls falls out of place, making itself at home on his forehead as he tilts his head in observance.

"Really? I thought all of the cash I was shelling out was for cancer research." He jokes with a smile on his face.

His kind face forces a genuine smile from her as well.

"I haven't seen you in a while." She notes softly.

"It's been a few years." He nods in agreement.

They stand in silence, taking in each other's differences. He leans in close to her ear.

"Would you do me the honor of dancing with me?" His tremulous voice stirring up nerves in her body.

"Fitz…I don't dance."

"What do you mean you don't dance? You could be famous someday."

They both dip their heads with small grins on their faces in silence of a memory so far off that it almost seems foreign. It's enough to convince her to place her small hand in his and let him lead her to a place that she's avoided her entire life, the center of the room.

Her arms wrap around his shoulders immediately as his find their home around her waist, skimming the visible, soft skin of her lower back.

"Your dress is beautiful." He compliments in a low tone.

She leans farther into him as they mesh into the rest of the slow dancers on the floor. It's a bit strange to be here like this with him. In front of everyone. Olivia was sure to be the center of attention with the stunning dress that she was wearing and the man that she chose to dance with.

"I didn't want to come tonight. I never do but…there was something about this night that made me want to curl up in bed. I guess I've just been more miserable than I usually am today."

He sighs, raising the hairs on the back of her neck in attention.

"But…" His voice is gravely in her ear.

"But I'm glad I came. Who knows when I would ran into you next if I hadn't? It's been quite a while already."

He nods, continuing to brush his hands up and down her exposed back in a manner that was less than appropriate for the company that they kept. Olivia can feel her body warming. Her face heating up. Her ears on fire. She almost feels guilty for enjoying the feeling of his hands on her. There's a distinct difference in the way that he touches her now and the way that he touched her before. He never used to touch her this way or at least not with his current intentions. As she stands in his arms, Olivia remembers the way his hands would run soothingly up and down her back. How now, Fitz was trying to soak up every detail about her while simultaneously turning her on whether he knew it or not. Before, his hands meant comfort. The circular pattern that he's using is the same except that before his hands were trying to stop her tears and now she wants to do nothing but weep at the touch of his fingertips.

Her fingers unconsciously thread themselves into his hair. She sighs at the feeling, beginning to lightly scratch his scalp with the tips of her fingernails. Fitz moans softly into her ear at the gesture and she instantly pushes her body into his, bringing her pelvis into direct contact with the hard muscle contained under his tight pants. Realizing what she's done, she pulls back. Fitz looks alarmed, afraid that she'll leave and grabs her to pull her back into him.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean for that…I'm just sorry." He apologizes, tilting her face to look at him.

"Fitz," Her voice gravelly when it reaches him. "This is inappropriate."

"Let's be inappropriate." The words are out of his mouth before he can catch himself.

She takes a step back from him, apprehension written all of her face. They're standing in the middle of the dance floor, a foot of space between them, gauging each other's reaction. 'It's gone too far already.' Olivia tries telling herself but after a full minute of stopped time she shakes her head imperceptibly. Throwing her shoulders back and straightening her posture like her mother taught her, she asks a question that should have never crossed her mind.

"Would you like to order room service with me?"

His incredulous expression lets her know that that was not the question that he thought she was going to ask.

"I know that there's food here but I'm really in the mood for breakfast and I know that this hotel has breakfast because I looked at the menu when I got in and I have a room here so you could come up and we could have breakfast…if you're hungry."

He chuckles lightly at her rambling but puts his hand in hers anyways.

"I love breakfast food." He reassures her, nudging their now intertwined hands against her thigh.

That gives her all of the confidence that she needs to lead them from the room. They make their way through the ballroom, dodging curious looks as they go, finally making it to the dimly lit corridor that leads to the main part of the hotel. Fitz trails behind her, their hands hanging in the space between them as Olivia tries her best to remain inconspicuous about bringing a man that did not arrive with her, up to her hotel room. She wants to throw caution to the wind, to adopt a nonchalant attitude about other people's opinions. She's able to hold her head high for all of two seconds before she remembers the way that she was raised and drops her eyes right back to the floor in front of her. God forbid this got back to either of their parents. They'd be furious and the succession of people trying to keep them apart wouldn't end there. Being with Fitz was supposed to be fun but she knew that the alternative to her parents being furious was loving him and she couldn't have that either. She didn't want her parents to hate him but she surely didn't want her hand to be promised to him. She just wanted to be a normal twenty-one year old woman that takes random men back to her hotel room for…breakfast. Not that Fitz was random and certainly not that she really thought they'd ever get around to eating anything but each other but because of the scandal this little tryst was sure to cause if anyone ever found out. Their rocky past flashing in her mind as she presses the button to summon the elevator.

She lets him enter the elevator first and moves to stand in front of him, nervously pressing the number twenty-three. The doors aren't even fully closed before he presses his body against her back, tilting his head into the curve of her neck.

"You smell wonderful."

She sighs in reply, leaning into him as his hands move to circle her waist. The elevator moves swiftly and the doors open before the couple can get too wrapped up in each other. Olivia leads the way down the narrow corridor while Fitz trails behind, this time his hands at his side instead of intertwined with hers. Olivia stops in front her door, pulling the access card the inside of dress she hesitates, letting her hand rest lightly on the handle of the door.

"We can pretend that this never happened. Just say the word and I'll walk away." Fitz whispers into the quiet hall, his breathing unsteady like he's afraid that she'll really take him up on his offer. "Liv…only open that door if you really want to."

Olivia doesn't say a word but instead taps the card against the scanner and flings the door open as wide as it will go. Before the door is even closed his lips are on hers, his hands pulling her hips to his, her fingers lost in the wavy tufts on his head. Fitz begins to rub his hand over the entirety of her body searching for a zipper, a few buttons, anything that will help him get her undressed faster but before he can get started on her, she's pulling the bow tie from his neck and pushing his tuxedo jacket from his shoulders.

She steps back once she's discarded a few items. Her breathing heavy, both of their chests heaving. She looks him up and down, lust written all over her face as she steps out of her heels and slips the thin bands of her dress off, causing the smooth white fabric to pool at her feet. It leaves her standing in nothing but a pair of lacy underwear. Fitz stares at her from about a foot away, almost shocked that she would make such a bold first move but he follows her lead and kicks off his shoes as well, keeping his eyes on her the entire time that he strips, baring himself for her. Once he's naked, Olivia walks through the small sitting room and through the first door to the bedroom where she lays herself back onto the bed, ready and waiting.

Unconsciously, Fitz begins to stroke his length looking at her.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" She asks in an almost self-conscious tone.

"I'm taking you in."

And that's exactly what he did. From her perfect curls spread across the pillow to the way her toes were already digging into the duvet underneath her with her knees spread to accommodate him. Fitz finally climbs onto the bed with her but refuses to touch her the way that she wants to be touched. He starts by running his large hands from her shins up to the tops of her thighs. Slowly. Watching the goose bumps appear on her skin. He brings his head down to her sex, pressing his nose right into her panty covered center, closing his eyes to concentrate on the overwhelming scent of her. His hands continue their previously forgotten journey and make their way up her sides to cup her breasts squeezing them slightly and then moving in to massage her nipples. Fitz licks the inside of her right thigh, nipping and tugging so near to her center that his cheek is pressed against her soaked panties. As his hands continue to pull at her nipples he changes course and begins to suck at her fabric covered clit, causing her hips to jerk, pushing her further into his mouth.

He can hear her heavy breathing and whimpering so he brings his left hand down to move the soft lace to the side, leaving her completely exposed to him. His thumb runs down her slit, applying pressure to her thick, wet button begging for attention. He uses one finger to tease her entrance, dipping into between her lips and then pulling out before she can find pleasure in it. And then the door slams open accompanied by a gasp.

Fitz jumps back from Olivia like she burned, trying to put as much distance in between them as she covers herself but they both knew that it was no use trying to pretend like this situation could be passed off as anything else. Olivia looks up, catching the eye of the man in her doorway.

"Don't say a word to anyone." Her voice is terse, her throat closed in anxiety.

There was nothing else for her to say. There was no end to the consequences that Fitz could be slammed with if anyone ever found out that he was in this position with her. It had already been called out very publicly that not all was right between the youngest Pope and eldest Grant. The way that she talked about him was always viewed with suspicion. The way that he looked at her had already been questioned endlessly. And now here they were. It would be easy for people to say that he had been inviting himself into her bed for years. It would be easy for people to solidify in their minds that his sudden disappearance, not too long ago, had everything to do with her and not with pursuing other interests outside of the family business.

Fitz shakes his head, his eyes moving from Olivia's shifting body to the still one on the other side of the room. How different his life would have been if he had never been good at math. How different his life would have been if the Popes and Grants hadn't decided to bury the hatchet and come up with a beneficial merger. How different his life would have been if six years ago he had never fallen in love when he was supposed to be nothing but the babysitter.