A/N: Thanks for following this story! This hiatus has been hard, but hopefully this story has helped ease some of your Scandal fix. Feedback is life!

Chapter 10: Pompeii

But if you close your eyes,
Does it almost feel like
Nothing changed at all?
And if you close your eyes,
Does it almost feel like
You've been here before?
How am I gonna be an optimist about this?
How am I gonna be an optimist about this? – Bastille (x)

They decided to stay at the hot springs another day. They could have left earlier, but the springs continued to offer a nice reprieve. After their first night together, Liv and Fitz took their time making it down to the lodge to check in with the other two. As soon as she saw them, Twitchy gasped, "You two had sex, didn't you?" Without waiting for them to respond, she ran up to Liv and gave her a hug. "I'm so happy for you!"

Liv patted her on the back and awkwardly looked towards Fitz. He shrugged and tried to temper his smile. Spin pointedly ignored the conversation, concentrating on stripping a deer he had killed that morning. The meat provided could feed them for several days. He put another log that he had gathered that morning on the fire and cooked some meat for a mid day meal. They talked about their travel plans and what route to take through the heart of the Denver Territories. Fitz couldn't help feel trepidation as they got closer to Denver. He watched Liv as she talked over the map again and felt a knot in his stomach thinking about something happening to her.

Eventually Spin and Twitchy went off to swim again and Liv and Fitz were left to explore the old building. Even though many years had passed since people had regularly used the former hotel, the solid foundation made it possible to glimpse its glory days. The stairs that lead to the guest rooms had long since collapsed, but Fitz showed her around what was once a lobby with its high ceiling and carved stone awnings. He pointed out the paint that still shown through in the decorative beams.

She tried to imagine a world of such luxury, a world designed for play where a person didn't have to worry about finding food, or fuel, or death lurking around the corner. Liv squatted down to pick up a bit of a vase; she could make out the partial image of a deer jumping through the forest. She turned it over and over again in her hands, feeling its dull edges and examining the detail. "There was an abandoned city we went to when I was a child that survived the initial attack; however the plague that swept through the area some years later wiped out most of the population. We came across a museum that had all of these marble statutes and fading paintings. They were so beautiful, I almost cried. I just imagined the people that created them, and the people who collected them, and the people that would come and see it all. My father said not to weep for the past because they never wept for us. This is the world that we live in because they cared about such trivial things."

Fitz didn't say anything for a moment, just watched Liv as she got up and tossed the piece of porcelain aside and dusted off her hands. "I don't think that mourning the past and appreciating its beauty makes you trivial. It just seems human." Fitz leaned against one of the solid pillars and look around picturing it fully restored. "My Mom used to show me old art books with paintings, sculptures and murals; most of it is all gone now. And that's painful; however humans have been doing that stuff for thousands of years. Civilizations rise and fall, but it hasn't stopped people from creating beauty in this world. I don't know, it kind of gives me hope." He shrugged and smiled, knowing he probably sounded foolish but wanting her to understand him.

"How can you be so optimistic standing in this shell of history?" She shook her head in wonder at this strange man who stood before her. She hadn't met anyone quite like him before. Hope was a rare commodity and not something people talked about often. People lived and died and maybe found some comfort in between, but faith in the future was for the delusional or the preachers.

He walked towards her slowly, with a smile. "Maybe it's the company I keep," he speculated. She gave him a puzzled look, not believing that she could be the source of such inspiration. He reached out for her waist and almost subconsciously thrust his hips into hers. His hands traveled up her body and held her face while his lips grazed her mouth.

Liviana broke off and said, "Let's go back to our camp." She gave him another kiss and pulled his hand for him to follow her. Instead he guided her so she was pressed against one of the sturdy columns.

"No, here," he commanded as he found her breast under her shirt and planted a series of kisses on her throat and jaw.

"It's dirty here," she protested even as she gripped his ass pushing the evidence of his growing need against her stomach.

"We can get clean," he smirked as he dropped to his knees and worked to free her from her pants. He pushed them past her calves and she felt chilled by the air and the cold stone behind her. She took in a sharp breath as he spread her legs and stuck his hot tongue in her folds. She clutched his hair and moaned as he tasted her warm center. She wanted to throw her legs over his shoulders, but her feet were trapped by her pants and shoes. She slid down the dusty pillar a bit and spread her legs wider. His fingers dug into her thighs as he concentrated on her. When another wave of her essence filled his mouth, his groin responded with an almost painful jolt.

He stood up and his questing tongue found her mouth again. Liv tasted herself on his lips. She finally kicked off her boots and stepped out of her pants while Fitz undid his and took off his jacket. He then grabbed her by her ass and lifted her up to meet his eager cock. He used the column as leverage, each thrust filling her as they found their rhythm. She could feel the dirt of the pillar rubbing into her butt cheeks, but she hardly cared as she wrapped her legs around Fitz's waist and held on tightly to him. She studied his face as it contoured in pleasure. His eyes were wide open and as she looked into them, she felt a kind of hope that she never dared to have before. She felt herself reach her climax as he shuddered within her. They stood there for a moment before they sat down on his discarded pants. He wrapped his jacket around her and just held her in his embrace.

They spent the rest of the day either swimming or by their own campfire enjoying themselves. When they settled down for the night, he again enveloped her in his arms and drifted into a deep sleep. She rubbed the length of his forearm and sighed. She could get used to this.

It had been a month since their encounter in the Rose Garden after the State Dinner. One late night as he sat in the Oval Office, he called her with the excuse that he needed her to vet his speech for his first White House Correspondent's Dinner. In all honesty, he just wanted to hear her voice again. The conversation started out awkward at first, but soon they were laughing and talking as if nothing had ever changed. "I miss you," Fitz sighed. Silence greeted him and he immediately regretted saying those words out loud. What did it matter if he missed her? It wouldn't change anything. He tried to return to the lighter mood of before. "No, forget I said it. I don't miss you. I'm a big important person with big important things to do, I don't miss anybody."

"You are a big important person, who is doing big important things," Olivia said softy. "And I miss you too."

During the Correspondent's Dinner, his eyes immediately found Olivia when he was seated with Mellie at the long table in the front of the room. She brought one of her co-workers with her to the Dinner. They apparently had known each other since a summer internship during law school. The man was handsome and closer in age to her. She smiled and chatted with him familiarly. He felt the bottom drop out from his stomach. Had she already moved on? He hardly heard what the person introducing him was saying, although he laughed at the appropriate times, following the cues of the audience. All his attention was focused on the woman dressed in white. When her hand casually reached out for her companion's arm, all he could see was red.

Just before taking the podium, he turned to his wife, held her head in his hands and gave her a big kiss. Mellie looked taken a back at first, but plastered on a smile while the audience cheered. He confidently told one joke after another and had the room roaring with laughter; all except one person. The smile was wiped off her face; her big brown eyes held an infinite sadness. He felt like an asshole.

After his speech, Olivia turned to her companion and didn't look his direction again. She became even more tactile with her date. The night had not gone as planned. He needed to speak with her. He made the rounds giving small talk, but his eyes kept going back to her. She hadn't left yet, although she kept on looking at her watch as she talked to people. He whispered instructions into Tom's ear. He told Mellie that he had some private meetings with foreign diplomats scheduled and she should return to the White House. She gave him a strange look and for a moment he thought she'd protest. Instead she smiled, gave him a kiss on the cheek and straightened his collar. "See you later, Fitz."

In the hotel suite, he waited and watched his clock. For a moment he thought she wasn't coming. Finally, she arrived. As soon as Tom closed the door on them, she went off. "You do not summon me," she snapped. "I told you last time, this would not happen again!"

"So, you're dating your employee now? I'm surprised, Livvie." It seemed he couldn't stop the words spewing from his mouth.

Olivia gasped at his audacity. "I was your employee, your date is your wife and this conversation is over."

"Like hell it is." Fitz grabbed her arm as she turned to leave, pulling her close to him with the length of her body pressed against his. He didn't intend for this to be a tryst. He thought he'd have a reasonable conversation with her about something that bothered him since she left the White House. But just being in this close proximity and seeing the fire in her eyes and the fullness in her lips made him lose his concentration.

"What do you want, Fitz," she questioned loudly, her chest heaving.

"I just wanted to talk to . . ."

Olivia rolled her eyes before she suddenly grabbed his head and pulled him down for a kiss. She drew his tongue into her mouth sucking on it. He held her neck while his other hand slid down her body and groped her ass. His need was sudden and fierce. He turned her around and worked on the bodice of her dress, but couldn't figure out the buttons so he lifted the voluminous skirt and tugged off her panties before pushing her against the wall. She splayed her hands against the wallpaper. He reached around and slid two fingers into her and discovered that she was just as ready as he was. He undid his pants and slammed into her. He held her waist with one hand while the other interlaced her fingers with his. She moaned with every thrust. He kissed her back and the side of her neck as he called out her name.

She filled all his senses. He tried to memorialize every touch, the taste of her skin, the smell of her hair. He knew that as soon as they were finished, she'd regret it. Tell him they wouldn't see each other again. Tell him to let her go.

All he had was now. And it wasn't enough. It would never be enough. He needed tomorrow too.

He needed a lifetime with her, and all he had was this moment.

They spent the next couple of hours in the hotel suite, locked in their passions safely away from the rest of the world. Once they found a moment of respite, all of Fitz's fears became real. As she picked up her clothes off the floor, combed her fingers through her hair, she gave him the same speech he knew she would give.

When she was finished dressing and having her say, he stood up from the bed, naked and walked towards her. She held up her hand to keep him away. "Don't Fitz, please," she begged. "This needs to stop."

He walked past her to a table. There was a steel metal suitcase on it. He punched in a code on the briefcase and unlocked it. He picked up the single folder in it and handed it to her.

"What's this," she asked perplexed.

"It's called a Providence Key. It's a special code, Olivia. A fire alarm, if you will. I realized that once you left the White House, you weren't in the inner circle anymore. That if something happened," his voice caught in his throat. "If there was some kind of disaster, an outbreak, a terrorist attack, whatever, I wouldn't be able to get to you. With this, if there is some kind of extreme emergency, you would always be able to find me. You can only use it once before the NSA would catch wind and change the codes, but if you call those numbers no matter where you are, they will bring you to me."

"I can't take this," she shook her head and attempted to give it back to him. "Fitz, this is breaking all kinds of national security protocols. There's a reason people outside the White House don't have this kind of access."

Fitz took a hold of her hand that clutched the file. He cradled her face with his other hand and looked into her eyes. "Olivia, I want you to hear this. I love you. I need you to be safe. I can't handle a world without you in it. So please, do this for me, ok?"

She stood for a moment in silence, her eyes glossy with unshed tears. She slowly nodded her head and brushed her thumb on his lip. He kissed it and then held her hand tightly for a moment before he let her go and she walked out the door.

Liv and Fitz got up early the next morning and found Spin working on the rover. He popped his head out from underneath the vehicle and declared grimly, "We've got trouble." Sometime during the travel the fuel tank ruptured and while they stayed at the hot springs nearly all of it had emptied. Rovers were designed to use fuel sparingly, which made the vehicles so much slower than their earlier counterparts. They carried more fuel in the back, along with everything else they were storing, however the patch Spin made would not last long and he didn't think they would have enough fuel to make it over the pass. "Too bad we didn't take the other rover when we had a chance. Now we are going to get stuck here in the middle of winter."

Fitz ignored the accusatory look from Spin and presented an idea, "We aren't stuck. We are close to one of those old bunkers. There are stashes of fuel there and maybe we could find something to make a stronger patch to your tank."

Spin shook his head, "It's too much of a risk. There could be some of the General's men there."

"I'm telling you, there is no one there this time of year," Fitz said emphatically. "Besides, it's better than making camp here until spring isn't it? We can't all fit on the horse and there don't seem to be many other options."

Spin's eyes bore into Fitz. He then turned to Liv, "It's your call. What do you want to do?"

The idea of walking into a location the General used made her nervous, but she didn't see many other options. Her eyes narrowed, trying to determine what her gut was telling her.

"Trust me, Liv." Fitz's eyes pleaded with hers to once again take a chance with him.

She made her mind up. "We're going to the bunkers." Fitz smiled and Liv nodded her head before heading down to find Twitchy.

Fitz was about to follow her when Spin grabbed his arm. "If this is a trap, I will slit your throat. I don't care how much she likes you."

Fitz pulled his arm away from the man. He almost punched him for the suggestion. But instead he responded, "It's not a trap. But honestly, the only reason I'd care if we left you behind here is that Liv would be upset. So, let's get cracking and get your vehicle fixed, ok?"

Spin nodded and turned back to working on the rover. "Follow Liv's lead," he grumbled under his breath.

They got to the bunker a little before dusk. Spin, Twitchy and Liv checked the parameters to make sure there was no one around while Fitz used his security clearance to open the bunker. He flipped a switch and the groans of the generator sounded like an animal just woken from hibernation. It opened up to a room carved into the mountain with a large freight elevator. Fitz told them to follow him as he entered the elevator.

Liv hesitated for a moment, wondering how safe it was after all these years. Fitz could sense her apprehension. "Don't worry, it's safe enough. And if we drop to our deaths it wouldn't take that long to die anyway." He gave her a wink.

As the elevator made its slow decent, Liv noticed that the temperature felt warmer than outside. She took off her gloves and unzipped her jacket. "It's always the same temperature, summer or winter," Fitz explained. "Rocks don't transmit heat very well, so overtime it the temperature just becomes the average of what it is outside."

The freight doors finally opened to a room with large steel doors. Fitz used another passcode and the doors slowly opened. The chamber inside was large, enough to house many people. "Most of the best equipment has been stripped, but there are several barrels of fuel stockpiled here and I think you might find some parts for the rover, Spin."

While Fitz showed Spin and Twitchy some of the scrap metal, Liv took a look around the room. A large map of the land dominated one of the walls. It seemed to be built into the wall and had glass light balls representing major cities. The East Coast had many bulbs. So many cities. Liv could see the outline of Texas and lightly touched the ball that represented Houston.

"Pretty cool map, huh?" Fitz stood beside her and touched the map.

"What are the light bulbs for?" Liv asked curiously.

"They were to show which cities were lost in the attack and if any of the other cities established communications. It stopped working shortly after the first wave I believe."

"So this place is where the military went after the attack, right?"

"Not just the military, government leaders and their families including some children. Come on, I'll show you some of the living quarters." Fitz held out his hand, which she took. There was a mess hall kitchen and several sparse living quarters. One seemed fancier than the rest. It had a living room with sofa chairs and a couch, three bedrooms and what appeared to be a study room. Liv entered that room and noticed the shelves stacked with old books. She perused the titles; The Prince, The Art of War, The Decline and Fall of the Western Empire, The Federalist Papers. She walked towards the heavy wooden desk in the center of the room.

"Why doesn't the General use this place more? It seems like a perfect place." She picked up a miniature ship sitting on the desk and examined it.

Fitz looked around at the office, feeling a sudden urge to flee it like he usually did when he was in here. "Well, food is an issue. And they wanted to expand to the larger population base of Denver. But the main reason is that the General hates it here."

The idea sounded strange. She couldn't imagine a leader hating a location so much that he didn't utilize its full potential. She had another question but Fitz interrupted her thought. "Let's get out of here and get some dinner. We can actually cook deer in a kitchen tonight." He held out his hand with a smile. She forgot what she was going to ask and instead took his hand and followed him out of the room.

A/N: So, what do you think of the story so far? Who do you think the General is? Let me know in the comment section.

I thought I'd start giving a cheat sheet on which present character corresponds with their past life. There are a few that might remain a mystery until the right time.

Olivia Pope = Liviana Bishop
Fitzgerald Grant III = Fitz Grant
Quinn Perkins = Twitchy
Huck = Spin
Stephen Finch = Fincher (already left story)
Harrison Wright = Harry Walker
Abby Whelan = Amber
Lewis = Edison Davis (died in Tombstone)