Five times Olivia Pope was definitely, totally not jealous, like at all… and the one time that maybe she was

AN: This is my first time writing fanfiction so we'll see how this goes. Also, I started this before season 7 aired so it doesn't include Olivia really acting as Command or when Jake and Olivia were hooking up in 7x01. If you don't ship olake don't bother reading.

Disclaimer: Scandal doesn't belong to me. :(

1.

Here she was, trying to invite Jake to have dinner with her father, something normal people who were- well, she doesn't exactly know if they're dating now- but it doesn't matter, she was trying to do something normal.

But Olivia Pope and Jake Ballard are not normal.

And Olivia Pope was not jealous.

She wasn't!

It's just she liked having Jake around, never mind the things they did together, but something had definitely changed between the two of them after going to the island, so the second the question came out of her mouth "Do you have a woman in there?", she immediately regretted it. Jake proceeded to read her in a way no one else does, reminding her of the man living in 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue whose life she had gotten entangled with and slammed the door in her face.

She wasn't sure what she would've done if Jake had said "Yes, I am with another woman right now", but it doesn't matter because they are not dating and Jake's right, she's in love with Fitz and for those split seconds Olivia Pope was definitely, totally not jealous… right?

2.

"How do you know her?" She was digging, she knew, but after a crazy few days, Olivia really needed for the focus not to be on her, just for a few minutes.

"She's my wife." She wasn't expecting that. Wife? Was he serious? How much did she know? Is this someone from his B613 days? Was she an agent? Another mark like Olivia once was? Even after everything they had been through, right when she thinks nothing he can say can surprise her, he pulls something like this. Of course, she wasn't jealous; she was just surprised.

Olivia wasn't sure what hurt more. The fact that he was married or the fact that he didn't tell her. Deep down, she knew that a part of her would always care for Jake. She had to resist the urge to ask a million questions, and settled on a sarcastic comment and turning her focus to her Gettysburger. It wasn't until later when he mentioned in passing how he had been planning on leaving with Elise that she realized how, despite the fact that she was about to get married at the same exact time, she wasn't ready for him to leave her.

However, sitting at that conference table, surrounded by newspapers and magazines digging up all her dirty secrets, just hours after going on national TV and doing an interview on how much she loved Fitz, she couldn't be jealous.

She shouldn't be jealous.

But she was very curious.

3.

"You're seeing someone." Ok, maybe it wasn't the normal pillow talk, and she'd probably enjoy going another round with him more, but her father's words were ringing in her head, and Jake didn't even bother to tell her directly and that pissed her off.

"He told you. I was sure he wouldn't. I can never figure him out. You think he's gonna go one way but then he turns around goes the exact opposite-" Jake stated with a sigh. Olivia wasn't sure if he was serious or not. That's what he's worried about? That he got together with my father and shared how the butterflies felt after his first date with some woman and now her father was spilling his secrets?

Still, curiosity and suspicion got the best of her, "Who is she?" Olivia questioned, trying (but failing) to be nonchalant. It didn't really matter. It was someone else. Someone who's not her. It doesn't matter that what they have now was working. Yes, still undefined, but working.

Jake was quick to reply, "Does it matter? Do you care?"

"No." Olivia replied shortly. "Are you gonna tell me who she is?"

Jake turned to her, raised his eyebrow and proclaimed, "You sound like you care."

She was only asking because she was worried about STDs. And the fact that their dating history wasn't the best and the last "outsider" she tried to date, stabbed Jake 27 times, so this time Olivia was trying to make sure she's not the one getting stabbed."I sound practical. You're dating now. You want to run around with a bunch of women. Fine. Play. Have an orgy." You know what, it doesn't even matter. Jake is an adult and if he wants to sleep around with all of D.C. then he can.

She wouldn't tell him that she was worried about what this meant for the both of them or remind him that people like them can't expect to have a normal relationship. She just kept her mouth shut and pretended like she wasn't totally, completely jealous.

4.

All those magazines, all those times she and Abby got drunk with their girlfriends in law school and cursed those boys who unceremoniously dumped them, every single one of them specifically said not to go through the guy's social media after a break-up.

Unfollow, block, report them, whatever.

And Olivia listened.

After the wedding from hell, the last thing she wanted to do was see the "happy couple", but it wasn't her fault that J-Mo had their 12 page Vogue spread and the trashy gossip magazines didn't stop caring about them, like Olivia tried to, after the wedding.

She knew she didn't have a choice; she would never gamble with Jake's life, but that doesn't mean she was happy with what she did and said at the church. For now, and possibly the rest of her life, her plan was to ignore the fact that she was so close to being happy that she could taste it, block Jake out of her mind, and avoid him at all costs, in real life and otherwise.

But it seems like God, or just BNC, had different plans for her.

She was watching the news to see the reports on Mellie's speech at the Emily's List Dinner, when suddenly her TV screen was covered by the smiling couple by- is that water? By the beach? Really? Olivia knew that a person can't own an entire environment, and it wasn't like she expected him to never go to the beach again without her, but wouldn't Vanessa like the mountains or camping or traveling through Europe better?

The picture was posted for Vanessa's 300,000 followers- well, actually 299,999 since Quinn unfollowed her after the wedding (#team Olivia, of course)-but it made 1 person specifically fill up with a weird, burning feeling in her heart.

And as Olivia stared at the screen and tuned out the reporter, all she could think about now was an island which felt a million miles away, and memories that came back to her in her dreams, and she definitely, totally, didn't feel jealous

But maybe she did feel like getting under the covers and crying for a million years.

5.

Olivia was already frustrated looking at the poll numbers. They weren't bad, per say, but weren't were she wanted them to be.

And now they were canoodling.

And it was annoying.

Not because she cared, no, of course not.

Olivia was too focused on the campaign and the new poll numbers that were coming out of Ohio. Coming out of Defiance, Ohio, and Cleveland and Cincinnati, of course, but specifically those numbers next to "Defiance-" reminded why she was doing this, to herself, to Jake.

There were moments, moments she didn't tell Mellie or Quinn or anyone about, when they drove past a little league team practicing while going through some small town when she thought "What if?"

But then she remembered what the past 8 years have been and recognized that the only way she would feel normal, sitting with those moms cheering their kids on, would probably be if she could go back in time 20 years and stop her mother from leaving for the airport.

She wanted a life with Jake, and maybe if the timing had been different, they would've moved past this fight, but they were both stubborn so the only interactions between the two of them for the past month had been Olivia telling Jake to be more open when meeting the voters or in interviews and Jake rolling his eyes and responding with a sharp (and very annoying) "Ok, boss".

Looking at Jake and Vanessa flirting like teenagers in high school, just made her more irritated. But it wasn't because she was jealous. Right?

One year into Mellie's term-

"Jake, you've got to help me. I'm… I don't know… Hurry"

"I'm on my way," and true to his word Jake rushed out and sped through traffic, probably running a couple red lights. He got to her apartment and didn't even bother waiting for the elevator. The way she sounded on the phone, the only thing on his mind was Olivia was in danger, assuming that she wouldn't call him to her apartment if it was a matter of national security, and ran up 12 flights of stairs instead. He banged on the door and in an instant, a panicking Olivia yanked it open. "Oh, thank God, what took you so long?"

Jake quickly took account for Olivia's surroundings and well, Olivia, but after noticing nothing out of the ordinary he asked, "What happ-" and then he heard it.

He was actually more surprised he didn't hear it earlier. A wailing noise coming from the other room. Coming for the newest addition to their crazy little "family". Charlie and Quinn wanted to go out for a date night and Olivia, determined to step up in her role as godmother, offered to take care of little Amelia. Olivia figured the baby would already be half asleep by the time Quinn came to drop her off and all she would have to do would give her a bottle that Quinn already filled, make some funny faces, change a diaper or two, and then let her sleep. Then she could retire to her bed with a glass of red wine and the latest unemployment numbers from the latest quarter.

It was all going to plan; Amelia had her dinner and Olivia played with her and (successfully!) changed her diaper, but when it came time for her to go to sleep Amelia started crying and wouldn't stop. Olivia explained all of this as Jake made his way to the baby. "I didn't want to interrupt Charlie and Quinn and you were the first person I thought of and I didn't know what to do and I kind of panicked," she rushed out. And it was like magic, Jake brought the baby close to his chest and instantly-

Silence.

"Wha-How did- This isn't fair!" All Jake had to do was pick up Amelia and walk back and forth around Olivia's living room and suddenly little Amy was back to being an angel.

"I don't know, I think she likes her Uncle Jake better," Jake stated with a smirk coming to his face. Olivia rolled her eyes but a soft smile came to her face. The thought came to mind- this was nice; when Amelia wasn't crying her eyes out, babysitting her was nice. At least it was better than babysitting the CEOs, politicians, and world leaders that Olivia has dealt with for the past 9 years.

Once Jake put the sleeping baby down in the bassinet Quinn brought, Olivia decided that she wasn't quite ready for him to leave yet. Olivia brought out a bowl of popcorn, 2 glasses of wine, and invited him to stay to watch reruns.

Because Amelia could wake up, of course.

And yet, 2 hours later, with a soft knock on the door, Quinn and Charlie walked in to see, not only one sleeping baby of theirs, but also two more slightly stubborn, a little oblivious, a little dangerous, but still very much in love individuals entangled on the couch with an old movie from the 70s playing on TV in the background. Quinn softly cleared her throat and both individuals suddenly arose, a blush creeping on both of their faces, despite, or maybe because, of their complicated history. They had fallen back into old habits and had somehow gravitated towards each other while sleeping and any semblance of polite personal space disappeared. Something so innocent, yet so meaningful.

"Hey, how was she?" Quinn whispered.

"She was great. There was a small incident when she wouldn't stop crying, so I had to call Jake," Olivia replied.

"Oh well, he is her favorite," Quinn said looking between Jake and Olivia with a knowing smile. Charlie made eye contact with Jake and wiggled his eyebrows. Jake simply rolled his eyes and turned to Olivia, grinning, "Haha, see! You jealous?"

Olivia looked right at Jake's eyes and slowly smiled because as Charlie and Quinn picked up Amelia's things, she knew that her heart was full. A kind of full that it gets when every time she sees the empire she has built. A kind of full that it gets when she gets to spend time with the family she might not have been born into, but the family she chose. A kind of full that it gets when she's with the man beside her, as a friend or lover, who has been so unwavering, so constant in her life.

"Hmm…maybe a little."

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