A/N: This is my first FF and I'm really excited about it. I think it comes from a different and interesting POV. Be mindful that there is some creative license taken. Please read and review and enjoy of course (:

Mellie froze at the sight of Olivia sitting at Fitz's bedside. The young woman held his limp hand in her much smaller one, her lips pressed to the palm, her eyes closed like she was praying. It looked like she had been crying, tear stains on her thin face. Mellie didn't see Olivia Pope as one for tears—she had actually never even seen Olivia on the verge of tears except for that fateful night, but then again everyone was on the verge of tears that night, even Cyrus—but apparently Fitz changed her. Olivia certainly changed him.

With her, he was deliriously happy. Everything that came out of her mouth was the best thing Fitz had ever heard. Every laugh from her pouty mouth made him giddy with pride. Olivia didn't laugh easily like Fitz; it was like winning a prize when someone got a laugh out of her. A smile from her turned him into a moony sixteen-year-old boy. One compliment and he was a hero, standing tall and proud, ready to take on the world. Those doe eyes made him putty in her little hands.

In all honesty, Olivia was perfect for him. She made him a better man. Mellie's brand of no-nonsense criticism made him angry; he snapped back like a petulant child. Olivia's made him work harder, turned him into the man America knew and loved and trusted. He worked his hardest to impress her; not that it took a lot for him to impress her. If her doe eyes were as honest and expressive as they seemed to be, Olivia was hopelessly in love with Fitz. She looked at him like he hung the moon and lit the stars for her every night. It honestly made Mellie laugh to think of how terrible they were at subtlety.

Mellie had suspected something on the campaign trail, mostly from the way Fitz lit up around her. He stood taller, smiled brighter, seemed more assured of himself but nervous at the same time. He told her the best jokes, the most interesting stories, gave his best effort in everything just to earn her small smile of approval. He would always reach out to touch her—her hair, the small of her back, her hand—then remember that they weren't alone and drop his hand, his eyes doing the touching his fingers weren't allowed. He always found a reason to talk to her, something he needed her opinion on, no matter how innocuous the subject. Mellie learned quickly that when she couldn't find Fitz, all she needed to do was find Olivia because he wasn't too far behind, trailing her like a puppy eager to be petted.

Olivia tried harder to maintain the image of propriety but she couldn't stop herself from looking at him longer than necessary when she thought no one was paying attention, or getting all moony when he made his speeches. Mellie recalled a campaign stop where Fitz mingled with the voters, holding a woman's baby and playing with it like it was his own. Mellie had never cared for children but she put on the right face. She looked around the room, making sure everyone was having the right reaction and that was when she saw Olivia, staring at him like her uterus had just skipped a beat. She looked back at Fitz just in time to see him look at Olivia with a face that said, "This could be us one day."

Mellie assumed it was just a crush until she watched Olivia change Fitz's tie out for one a little less flashy that belonged to an intern. There was so much adoration in her eyes that Mellie knew there was nothing she could ever do to change the way the two of them felt about the other. It was a few months before the election when she heard them together and her suspicions were confirmed. They were in Olivia's hotel room, making no other sound except heavy breathing. At first Mellie thought it might have been Olivia and someone else; but then she heard Fitz command, "Take off your clothes," in the gentlest voice. She wasn't hurt, not exactly. She and Fitz had long ago given up on being married like normal people. You needed love to do that. She was more annoyed at the carelessness than anything else. After all she had given up, all the nerve-grating time they had spent with each other, he owed her the White House. But there he was, jeopardizing it for a pair of big brown eyes and a heart-shaped butt. Now, so far removed from that incident, Mellie was mostly indifferent to it. She had never been to Fitz what Olivia was to him and that wasn't Olivia's fault.

Standing outside the hospital room, peering through the window at the two of them, Mellie truly felt bad for Olivia. If Fitz didn't pull through, Mellie would be devastated true enough. But Olivia… Mellie wouldn't be surprised if she died of a broken heart like an animal who had mated for life.

She gingerly opened the door and stepped into the room. Olivia jumped, releasing Fitz's hand immediately. Mellie tried to look friendly but wasn't sure what expression her face contorted into. "Any change?"

Olivia sniffed, glanced down at Fitz's pale hand. She half-whimpered, "No."

Mellie stayed near the door. She couldn't seem to make herself move closer. It felt like she was imposing on an intimate moment. She suddenly remembered why she had come. "I was just coming by to shave him and change his pajamas…but you can do it."

Mellie held out the blue NAVY overnight bag holding the shaving kit and pajamas. Olivia looked from the bag to Mellie's face and back again. She stammered, "Mellie I can't…"

"I think he would want you to," Mellie insisted. Olivia gave a weak smile and Mellie knew how much it meant to the young woman to be able to care for Fitz. She sniffed like she might cry then straightened herself. "I'll just leave you to it then."

"You don't have to go," Olivia said almost too quickly. Mellie nodded, unable to stop herself from looking surprised. She moved the chair in which Olivia had been sitting back to its original place and sat down. She took Olivia's newspaper from the arm of the chair and unfolded it. Olivia had highlighted a few stories in the Sports section: basketball, lacrosse, and hockey. They were Fitz's sports. Mellie realized Olivia must have been planning to read them to him. It was perhaps the sweetest thing Mellie had experienced in a long time.

Mellie put the paper down and watched as Olivia used the remote to raise the bed up. Fitz looked like he was asleep sitting up. She pushed Fitz's curls back from his face and Mellie made a mental note to have someone come in and cut his hair. Olivia disappeared into the bathroom and returned with a spare bedpan half-filled with water. She used a washcloth to gently wash his face then retrieved the shaving cream from the bag. She lathered the lower half of his face with a tenderness that was palpable. Mellie watched Olivia shave Fitz's face with the utmost care, her small hands moving gently and steadily.

When she was finished, she wiped the leftover lather off his face, then took the washcloth and bed pan to the bathroom. When she came back, she sat uncertainly on the bed. Mellie almost got up and hugged her. She had never seen the mighty Olivia Pope look so small and lost. Mellie quietly declared, as if she had just realized herself, "You really love him."

Olivia looked up in surprise. Her expression immediately crumpled into a remorseful one. "Mellie, I… I never meant for this to happen. In the beginning, I fought it. I begged him to… I wanted him to be faithful to you. I insisted he leave me alone. But he didn't and I couldn't fight it…" She dissolved into a puddle of tears, her little body shaking with sobs. She choked out, "I'm sorry I fell in love with your husband."

Mellie again felt like getting up and hugging her. Instead she nodded though Olivia couldn't see her. "You didn't… It wasn't… It's okay."

Olivia nodded, wiping her eyes. Mellie stood up and walked to the bed. She ran a hand through Fitz's hair then hesitantly placed her hands on Olivia's shoulders, giving them a reassuring squeeze. It was the first time Mellie had ever touched her without obligation, the first time she ever actually meant the affection she was offering Olivia. She let her go then headed for the door. She stopped, her hand on the knob, and looked back at Olivia. The young woman was untying the hospital gown a nurse had dressed Fitz in after bathing him. Mellie admitted, "He loves you too, Olivia. He really does."

Olivia looked up at her, her hands paused from removing the gown which had apparently been layered over another to give Fitz the dignity of not having his backside exposed, and nodded. Mellie nodded too, then left. She heard a sob wretch from Olivia's throat and sighed. As Mellie walked down the hall, her security trailing, she frowned and shook her head. In another lifetime, under different circumstances, she and Olivia might have actually been friends.