AUTHOR'S NOTE

PLEASE READ

Hi guys! Thank you for your nice reviews and I'll try to make this quick even though I have loads to say. First, a little bit about me. This is my first fanfic ever and I'm not sensitive whatsoever so if you have any criticism or advice, please write a review! Also I'm really young and I'm not comfortable saying my age on here (I'm like a freaking infant) so please excuse my sometimes crappy writing. I don't plan out ANY of this ahead. I type and write whatever comes to my mind! Obviously this is AU and I promise you, the more you read, the better it will get! This chapter is short and I'll tell you more about it next chapter. The ending is lame and I'll explain why I made it like that. The thing is, more reviews and follows motivate me to update faster, so if you can recommend this story to anyone, please do so!

Olivia's POV

Washington DC

"Hey, Liv." Jake Ballard's charming smile greets me as I make my way into his loft. I really wanted to stay at my apartment today but he insisted. And he is my boyfriend, one year as of two days from now, in fact. He strides his blue jean wearing legs over to me and kisses my cheek. "How was your day?"

"It was good," I reply honestly, letting him take my purse. It was amazing today - OPA got so much work (actual, raw work) done today. I was in and out of the White House for President Obama and his wife. It was a thriving, fulfilling day and I come home to...this?

Don't get me wrong - I love Jake with everything in me. He's a great guy and standing here, I can already tell he is starting dinner. He loves me and takes amazing care of me. He is intelligent, sweet and charming. I have been in this committed relationship for almost a year now.

But our relationship is a bit complicated. Due to some terms of his government job, he can't share about his day and I can't share about mine. Which sucks because on nights like these, I just want to throw on pajamas and gossip everything to him from sex scandals to election rigging.

But Jake and I still have the little moments that make this relationship worth enduring. First and foremost, he is quite the romantic. He likes showering me with gifts from chocolate to flowers to coach bags. He never fails to surprise me with these generous presents.

Second of all, he has a shoulder to offer when I am sad or down or just had an off day. I really appreciate this.

But I think that what I love most about Jake is how much he loves me. He loves me unconditionally when I am a girl with large conditions and a busy lifestyle and a dark background. He knows we don't talk about my parents - he knows that. He respects my boundaries and walls, because God knows I have them.

"I just started on dinner," Jake says, pushing the hair out of my face with his fingers. All of a sudden, he smiles widely. "God, you look so beautiful."

"Someone wants to get laid tonight," I roll my eyes with a playful grin and walk to the table and set down my keys and coat.

"That's what I was aiming for, yes," Jake teases, walking towards the kitchen. If my apartment is beautiful, Jake's is stunning.

"What's for dinner?" I ask, taking out my phone.

"Steak. Is that okay?"

I scroll through my feed. Three missed calls from David Rosen. I roll my eyes. He probably called to get me to talk to Abby for him. The two broke up about a week ago and I absolutely knew he was going to try and get back with her.

I dial his number and he picks up on the first ring.

"Olivia? I've been trying to call you for a century!"

He sounds as if he is in a car or someplace buzzing or kind of loud. All I know is that he is in LA - he posted it on FaceBook this morning.

I roll my eyes again and plop myself on the sofa.

"David," I sigh. "I am not talking to Abby, okay? If she is over you, she is over you."

"What?" David sounds confused, then he scoffs. "This has nothing to do with Abby, Liv. Look, how would you describe me in three words?"

I wrinkle my nose and fire back instantly, "Stupid, fugly and most definitely annoying."

David sighs once again.

"Would you say I am honest?"

"Painfully so."

"Then you'll believe me when I tell you this," David sounds like he's worried. For the first time, I am concerned.

I am quiet for a second, pondering what David could be talking about. Jake appears in a door and gives me a questioning look, rubbing his hands with a towel. I hold up a finger.

"What is it, David?"

"There is a guy down here, Liv. I was walking and I heard a gunshot and saw a man and I...I ran into the house," David takes a deep breath in the middle of his words. I take a double take. He's not on duty, so why would he do that? Before I have a moment to intervene, he goes on. "Liv, his two children were shot and his wife. He was upstairs with the kids. I don't know how they are but they took him in for questioning!"

"And?"

"And plenty!" David insists passionately. "Liv, I saw this man, okay? He is not a man who shoots up his entire family. He was traumatized, he still is and he might get incarcerated as we speak. You need to come down here. Please."

"David," I begin, feeling unwanted sympathy. "I'm sorry, but you guys are in Los Angeles, thousands of miles away. I can't do it. I feel bad, I do, and I hope this guy gets the help he needs, but right now-"

"Bullshit!" David yells through the phone in a fury rage. "You're Olivia Pope. You can do it - you can do anything. You just don't want to!"

I sigh. Jake gives me a questioning look.

"Honestly, I don't owe you anything." I reply frankly into the phone. "You broke my best friend's heart and we are not friends. I hope you know that."

"Obviously we aren't best pals, Liv. But in all honestly, you are the best lawyer I know. You stand for what is just and I respect the hell out of that. You are a gladiator and you will fight for this man. He doesn't deserve to go to prison after watching his family get shot. And you may be his only chance. I wouldn't ask you if I didn't trust you. Now I am asking you to trust me."

I bit my lip, feeling defeated. Everything David is saying is true. But I have a business, I have clients, I have Jake...I can't drop everything and hop out to the sunshine state. Can I? I look at Jake. He looks worried, confused, rubbing his hands absently with a dish towel. I love him, I do. And I don't wanna leave him. But I would be lying if I said a few weeks in California would kill me.

"Okay." I mumble.

"What?"

"I said okay," I hiss. "I'll be there first thing in the morning. Bye."

"Wait, Olivia!" David cries. "Thank you! Thank you so much."

"Whatever."

I turn off my phone and turn to Jake, my eyes past his shoulder.

"Where will you be first thing in the morning?" Jake asks cooly. "Sunshine state you said? Come on, Liv, please tell me you are shitting me."

"I'm not," I reply evenly. "David needs help with a homicide case. May be multiple homicides. Sounds real important. I want in. California isn't ideal...but it shouldn't take long."

"And you wanna help out David?" Jake questions, sounding frustrated. "Liv, the guy is an ass who cheated on your best friend."

"This isn't about David. Even if it was, David is a lot of things but he's not a liar. This guy sounds really innocent and David wouldn't call me if it wasn't important." I sigh, move over to Jake and touch his arm comfortingly. "Baby, why are you so worked up about this? I travel a lot for work and you're always understanding. Don't you trust me?"

"Of course I do." Jake whispers and looks me in the eye so I know he means it. "But... you caught me at a bad time."

I raise my eyebrow.

Jake takes a deep breath and walks over to the entrance of his apartment. His hand goes into the jacket on the coat rack and comes out yielding a small black velvety box. My hands go numb.

"Jake." I whisper but it comes out as a croak. He says nothing, just walks over to me, a grin growing on his face. "Jake Ballard. Tell me that is not what I think it is."

"I don't think I can do that." Jake beams. He gets down on one knee. All air leaves my lungs and even though I'm not the emotional time, tears fill my eyes. He goes on. "I was planning on doing this in two days on our anniversary. But since you're not gonna be here...Olivia, you mean the world to me. I will never love anyone as much as I love you. I want to be with you forever and we have something special I know that. And I do trust you...I trust you with my heart and our future. Will you marry me?"