Author's Note: Good evening, everyone. Well, I think I may have picked up some kind of food poisoning. My whole abdomen feels like it's on fire and not in the good way. It sucks royally because I had to miss work but good for you guys, because when I'm in pain, all I want to do is sleep and write. Enjoy the latest!

CMW2/Trumpetnista: Draftbook Drabble #8-(Follow Up to D.D.s #1, 3, and 5, The Trail, Fitz, Olivia, Mellie, Andrew, FTGIV and Karen, established Olitz, established Mew, mentioned past Mellitz Zombie, mentioned past Edison/Olivia, AU aftermath of one of the greatest Olitz moments of all time, ALL. TIME., AU,)

Words from the Gladiator in a Hoodie: I have a couple of new ideas for this project brewing in my head but for the time being, it's time to get back on The Trail and then back to the Olitz GoT-verse. Shout out to everyone who enjoys and shares my work with others in the Arena and thank you for all of your support and love in the fandom. After we get a solid premiere date (anyone have the Intel?), I'll be posting revised and new pages in my SCANDAL 101 Handbook and start mentally preparing for the Premiere.

As I said to my boss a couple of days ago (who has already written off Season 4 as a wash, which pained me because she used to love the show so much...see what you did, Ms. Rhimes?! God!), I'll be watching the Premiere and the follow up episode for sure. Afterwards, I'll decide whether to enact my Season 3 promise again to watch to the end because even with the bullshit fuckery, liveblogging and commenting weekly and bugging out with all of you Gladiators was fun and one of the highlights of my week. I don't want to stop that. Although, if The Divide turns out to be as awesome I think it is, then I'll throw my energies into that camp. I don't know. I have to think about it.

Anyway, here's another D.D. to enjoy and an update for The Thunderbolt will up soon. Mad Love, Jam, and Power Drills, ~*Trump*~

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

Excerpt from Draftbook Drabble #5

"'The most honest thing that I can tell you about myself right now is that I am in love with an incredible woman.' When I said those words, I meant them. I meant them with everything that I am. However, the woman I was referring to in that statement was not the woman I was married to at the time. I have a great amount of respect for Mellie Vaughn as a person and I have tenderness for her as the mother of my children but the love that I spoke of, the love that I still feel standing before you this evening does not belong to Mellie Vaughn. That love belongs to and will always belong to Olivia Pope. I belong to Olivia Pope."

The air seemed to go out of the crowded room and he continued to the gathered Press, to the country, to her, "I fell in love with Olivia from the moment I first heard her voice. She stood up to me without fear and let me know what was wrong with not only the Campaign but with me as a person. She forced me to rip off the blinders and see what kind of man that I really was. She inspired me to do better, to be a better man, father, and politician, to be the Man of the People that is my Campaign tagline. Every bit of progress you've seen from me personally and professionally in these last few weeks and months is directly because of her."

He took a drink of water and resumed, "I want to make it very clear that it wasn't until after my divorce did I let her know just how I feel about her. I wanted…I did not want to cause the pain to Mellie, Karen and Gerry, or Olivia that my father's affairs caused to my mother and me growing up. I wanted to do it right. I did not want to make the scrutiny that Olivia will go through being attached to me worse by making her into a punch line, into a…into a mistress because she…she is beyond that. She is…everything…"

…as soon as the elevator doors shut behind them, her lips were on his. Slapping the 'emergency stop' button, Olivia backed him into the upper left hand corner of the elevator car and pressed herself full length against him. Fitz's hands cupped her face and she looked up at him with awe.

"You…you…you just told the American People, the whole world that you love me. You defended me. You…you chose me…" she rasped in disbelief and in rapture.

Fitz nodded and used one of his thumbs to wipe her tears away.

"No one's ever chosen me before. Not like this. Oh, God…you really do love me, don't you?"

"So much, Olivia."

"…I love you, too. I'm in love with you, too. It's not going to be easy and I am absolutely terrified that we'll fall apart but I love you. I am proud to love you. I choose you, too."

"…so, we're in this together?"

"We're in this together."

And she sealed that promise with a kiss.

"Going into the homestretch of the National Election, approval numbers for Grant are maintaining in the mid to upper 70th percentile…"

"Doyle Oil officially dropped their endorsement for the Grant Campaign this past Saturday morning…"

"From the ashes of the Grant marriage rises up a brand new relationship, dubbed 'Olitz' within the Social Media spheres. Last Friday night, Republican Presidential Candidate Fitzgerald Grant III stood up in front of everyone in the World and declared his love for Olivia Pope, who joined the Grant Campaign in…"

"Patrick Grant was an adulterous silver mining and ranching whore, Fitzgerald Thomas Grant I was an adulterous wine making and ranching whore, Senator Fitzgerald Thomas Grant Jr. was an adulterous ranching and political whore but with Governor Fitzgerald Thomas Grant III…I believe him when he says that he didn't touch Olivia Pope until after his divorce was final. I don't know why but I genuinely believe him and I respect him for remaining true to his Vows. Obviously, they didn't mean that much to Millicent Vaughn or Andrew Nichols…"

"…the only other major romantic relationship Ms. Pope has had that we know of was with Senator Edison Davis of Florida back in 2002, which is intriguing. While it seems that she doesn't have a specific type when it comes to race or Party, she does like an older, upwardly mobile man with big political ambitions and accomplishments. She doesn't see them as a springboard nor does she ride on their coat tails. No, she takes care of herself and has quite a bit of clout in the Public Relations and Crisis Management circles but you have to notice and acknowledge the pattern…"

"…the revealing of the relationship between Fitz Grant III and Olivia Pope set Social Media ablaze and a new dialogue on race and interracial relationships has been opened…"

"The NAACP has announced its official endorsement of the Grant Campaign…"

"Any man that can go up on stage live and just put all of his shit on the line…that's gangsta. That's hardcore and that man definitely loves him some Olivia Pope. You can see it in his face, hear it in his voice when he talks about her. He did it right, he came correct, and he's got her hook, line, and sinker…lucky SOB…"

"…elevator footage from the night of Governor Grant's public declaration of love for her shows a very passionate Olivia Pope showing her appreciation. The video and audio of the new couple were leaked to TMZ from an anonymous source within the hotel's staff and the hotel is in full damage control mode. So many high profile politicians and celebrities make it their home base when they're in town and even in the elevators or service tunnels, there's an expectation of privacy. A public apology has been issued on the hotel's website and…"

"What's wrong, Livvie? You've been quiet lately." Fitz Grant III asked with concerned eyes.

"I'm just tired, baby. I'm fine." Olivia Pope replied quickly, too quickly.

"Olivia, please don't lie to me. Something's been troubling you and I want to know what it is so I can help you Fix or Handle it. Is it the Campaign? Is it us?" he continued gently, sitting down on the edge of their bed they had just made.

With a soft sigh, Olivia sat down next to him and met his gaze head on. She had made a promise to herself to be different. She was going to be open. She wasn't going to shut down for no good reason. This wasn't her admittedly juvenile relationship with Edison Davis where it was all too easy for her to deflect and run. Her relationship with Fitz was a grown up relationship and he wasn't going to be dismissed or deflected. If he was asking for her opinion or after the state of her emotional health, he was doing so with tenacious determination and resolve.

Fortunately, being open and honest with Fitz came to her as naturally as breathing.

"No, it's not the Campaign and we're fine. I'd let you know if I thought that we weren't. It's just…I'm nervous about seeing the kids again and spending time with them. Things have changed, now and while they were perfectly fine with me being Liv, the Campaign manager, I'm not too sure that they'll be okay with me being Liv, their dad's girlfriend, especially with all the buzz surrounding us still. The majority of it is positive but still…it's got to be overwhelming for them, traumatizing even."

Understanding dawned in his cerulean slate gaze and he nodded in agreement, as well as appreciation.

"You're right and I'm glad you're concerned for their welfare, Liv. Although, when you think about it, knowing that you and I are a couple isn't nearly as overwhelming and traumatizing to them as finding out that their Uncle Andrew was in love with and having sex with their mother for years."

"That's true… I have to admit that your invitation to them to visit the kids with us here was a pleasant surprise. I thought that you'd still be too hurt or angry to even consider it."

"I am hurt and angry but I have to look at the bigger picture. Regardless of the divorce, Mellie is still their mother and they still love her very much. She deserves to be a part of their lives. And they knew that Mellie and I weren't happy together. We hadn't been for years before they were born but we were both too cowardly and ambitious to divorce when we should've. We went into our marriage with the odds stacked against us to begin with and it didn't take long for the distance and neglect to set in on both of our parts. Yes, the fact she slept with my best friend and political blood brother, the fact that there was a distinct possibility that Karen was Andrew's daughter was devastating but…well, if she hadn't done what she done with Andrew and the others, then I wouldn't have met you. I wouldn't be with you right now and you are more than worth the pain. So, I'm actually grateful to them for it. Plus, now Mellie and all of her ways are Andrew's full time problem, now. When she gets in one of her crazy and ambitious moods, I can just leave and come home to someone sane. He can't. That's more than enough karmic balance for me. That's what he gets for having ghastly taste in women to begin with."

"Governor Pot, you have an urgent call from Adviser Kettle on Secure Line One. The subject is your blatant hypocrisy." she deadpanned with a poke to the tip of his nose.

"I married her under duress and you know it, woman!" he protested laughingly while batting her hand away gently.

"You still did it, Fitzgerald and while the love you should've had for her as a wife never took root, you had enough attraction to her to make not one but two precious babies!"

"Not really, Livvie but at the end of the day, a willing hole is a willing hole, especially when one is blessed with a vivid imagination." he mused aloud.

In response to that, she grabbed one of the plum purple accent pillows and started walloping repeatedly him over the head, much to his cackling amusement.

"Oh my God, you're such an asshole, sometimes! And you're absolutely nasty!" she declared with an exaggerated pout.

"I'm a Grant man, Olivia. Nastiness and assholery runs through my veins like expensive scotch and Republican red..."

He caught the pillow before she could resume her attack and she looked at him somberly, making sure that he knew that she wasn't playing with him, anymore.

"I know that well but you better keep your Grant man tendencies in check when it comes to our future or I will drop you like a bad habit and not look back. I mean it, Fitzgerald. No matter how much I love you, I'm not putting up with any of the bad, crazy, and slutty nonsense that came from the Fitzgeralds and the other Grant men before you. I'm in this relationship to do it right and you better be too. Bad, crazy, and slutty Nonsense is not an option for either of us, really. It's just too important. We're just too important." she informed him firmly.

The pillow was removed and Olivia crossed her ankles at the small of his back as Fitz drew her onto his lap. Instead of kissing her on the lips like she expected, he pressed a soft kiss to the slope of her shoulder revealed by his slate gray t-shirt she used as a nightgown and hugged her to him tenderly. She took the large clip holding her hair up out and both of them finger combed it into some semblance of order, her side bangs nearly hiding her right eye now.

"You won't ever have to worry about any bad, crazy, and especially slutty nonsense from me, Olivia. I grew up with all of that and I swore that I'd never do what Big Jerry did to Mother to the woman who chose to be with me."

"Disagreements happen and I'm sure that we'll end up starting WWIII a few times between us but…promise me we'll stick together in the end?"

"Always."

"Good."

/

Grinning, Fitz caught his running 12 year old daughter in a tight hug and spun her around the main house's wraparound porch, much to her giggling delight.

"Dad, put me down! I'm gonna puke!"

Gently but firmly, Fitz set Karen down on her feet and took her in. She had grown at least 2 inches since the last time he had seen her, putting her at Olivia's 5'4 height. She had on a long sleeved red shirt with small pink elephants on it (like her stuffed winged elephant Phanti), black jeans, and canvas sneakers, one pink and the other red with white smiley face laces. Her bitten down nails were painted black and there was clear glitter gloss on her lips. Her hair was loose and straightened so it went to just past her collarbone, the chocolate brown shot through with…navy blue highlights?

"Karen Marie Grant…"

"No worries, Dad. It's hair chalk. It washes right out in the shower."

"Good. You know the rules."

"No real makeup until I'm in high school and no permanent crazy hair dyes until I'm 16 and can pay for it myself.", she recited dutifully as she collected her neon green luggage from the stairs.

"Yep."

"Well, you better brace for impact with Quatro, then. Ever since he hit 16 at the top of the month, he's been…a masterpiece."

"What do you mean, Kare-Bear?"

"You'll see." she sing-songed before going inside.

As if on cue, the rear left SUV door opened again and Fitz felt his brows raise at the sight of his 16 year old son. Gerry was dressed in black from head to toe, other than a navy blue open plaid shirt and a white belt. Black t-shirt, black cargo pants with enough chains to break a metal detector, and a pair of black Doc Martin shitkickers. His curly hair was an unruly mop top and the light brown was also shot through with navy blue, only his would not be washing out anytime soon. A black electric bass case was placed on the porch swing and a large red overstuffed duffel went on top. Like Karen, his nails were bitten down and black but there was a band aid on his right thumb. There was even a large silver skull ring on his left hand to match the studs in his ears. Practically straightening to attention on the porch, Gerry removed his aviators and black lined cerulean slate eyes looked up at him from his 5'9 height, silently challenging him to say something, anything about his appearance.

"You look a hell of a lot better than when I tried the punk rock look, son. I was trying to look like one of the guys from the Ramones but honestly, I looked like a blend of Peter Frampton and Dr. Frank n Furter."

Surprise registered on Gerry's face and then, both of them grinned.

"Pics or it didn't happen, old man.", he demanded after hugging him and they did a quick fist bump.

"I think they're in the attic someplace. What brought all of this darkness on?" he inquired as they went inside.

"Honestly, it started as just a way to stick it to The Man and you and Mom's political optics but turns out, I really fucking dig it and so do the ladies…"

"Language…well, as long as you don't put yourself in the hospital, get anyone pregnant, or get arrested, you can keep the look. Of course, if we do a sit-down family interview, you'll have to tone it all the way down. I may be a renegade RINO but I'm still a Republican at the end of the day and there are still Republican Optics to consider."

"Natch…where's Liv? She didn't make a run for it yet, did she?"

"I'm right…Ger-Bear?"

Both Fitz and Karen cracked up at the utterly befuddled look on Olivia's face.

"Yeah, it's me. Don't worry, I don't bite…although, apparently, dad does…"

With a moue, Olivia adjusted the white cashmere scarf she had on to cover her neck and the admittedly triumphant hickey there.

"I knew I should've used concealer…get over here and hug me, Billie Joe."

"You know Green Day, Liv?" Karen asked with surprise.

"Of course. Your father's the one who's old, not me.", she replied brightly.

"Hey!"

"C'mon, dad…you gotta admit that you're getting up there. You'll be qualifying for AARP any second now. Not to mention the senior discount at IHOP…" Gerry trailed off with waggling brows, sending Karen and Olivia into a longer fit of giggles.

"One more crack like that and you're sleeping with the horses, young man. Shut up and go unpack." Fitz grumbled good naturedly.

"Aye, aye, Governor Methuselah. Come on, Karen."

/

"I was right. When you came to my office to lay it on the line, I told you that you were going to make him happy. I was right, thank God."

"Mellie seems to be happy, too."

"Most of the time, she is. She really is. It's just…it's been really hard for her. I know it's her own doing and partially my doing but her life has turned out in a way that she never dreamed it would. She's known as a punch line on a good day and an adulterous slut on a bad in the Media. Everyone's taking a shot at her. Well, everyone but who really has the right to. Fitz has kept it above board."

"That's just his way, Andrew. He can be tough when it counts and an absolute nightmare when he's angry or annoyed but overall, there's not a malicious bone in his body. He wants the best for Mellie and you, too."

"God broke the mold when he came up with him. Did you know that he still considers me to be his friend, his best friend other than you? I fell in love with his wife, I slept with his wife, I lied to his face for 12 years, his daughter could've easily been mine but still…can you believe it? I'm waiting for him to slug me or something…"

"He won't slug you unless you do something to hurt them. Karen and Gerry are his heart and even though he loves me, he still cares about Mellie as the mother of his children, as he should. If you do something to hurt the 3 of them in any way, he'll rip you apart. And what's left of you will go to me. You don't want to make an enemy out of me, Andrew. Ever."

"Duly noted. You're going to be a damned good First Lady to this country, Olivia."

"I'm more concerned about being a damned good First Lady to Fitz."

"Both are one and the same. He's in good hands."

"And Mellie is in good hands with you."