Disclaimer: I don't own Scandal.
AN: WOW! I am blown away from the response to this story. I love all the reviews and it seems like the majority of you don't like Jake. Not that I blame you. Anyways, here's the next chapter. Does Liv marry Jake? Read and find out ;)
Breathe. In and out. In and out. Olivia had to remind herself of those simple actions as she stood in the bridal suite of the church. Her dress that had felt perfect just the other day was suffocating her. In her bones she felt she was making a mistake, but she couldn't break Jake's heart. They'd been together for seven years and she wasn't going to throw that away for one moment of passion in a bathroom. No matter how hot it was or how many times she thought about.
The door opened and her mother and Abby walked in. "Wow," two women gasped as they saw Olivia in her full attire. They looked equally as stunning, Abby in her deep purple bridesmaids gown and her mother wearing a lavender dress.
Olivia had a princess type dress that had a sweetheart bodice and was bedazzled with crystals. It synched at the waist before it poofed out into a fluffy mass of tulle. She thought that this was her gown and didn't hesitate to say yes to the dress. But now, the tulle that she had once loved only provided padding for layers of guilt that were hidden underneath the material.
"Sweet pea, you look absolutely breathtaking," her mother said with tears in her eyes. "Jake is going to be speechless when he sees you," she continued and Olivia winced upon hearing her fiancé's name.
Because it last night was the eve of their wedding, Olivia and Jake had spent the night apart. That was both a blessing and a curse. A blessing because she didn't have to face Jake and a curse because the guilt was practically eating her alive. Jake was a good man. From their first meeting in chemistry class to now, he had never done anything to warrant her cheating. But with him, she never felt it with him like she did Fitz. There was a spark that crackled between them the minute he stepped on stage, but with Jake it was different. But he was nice and handsome and he loved her.
Ever since she was little, Olivia wanted to have a marriage that mirrored her parents. Patricia and Rowan Pope had been married for over thirty years, and with Olivia being an only child, she was spoiled immensely. Spoiled and sheltered. Her parents expected her to act a certain way, get certain grades, and have a certain career. From the time she was five she was groomed to be great and she never veered from the path they forged for her. At least not until last night. And it had felt damn good to do something that crazy.
"Mom, can you give me and Abby a minute," she asked, needing to get the whole incident off her chest.
"Sure, sweet pea. I'm going to go check on last minute details with reception," Patricia told her daughter before exiting the room.
"Liv, what's going on? You've been acting funny ever since you left the bathroom last night." Abby was genuinely concerned for her friend.
"Last night…I did something that I don't normally do…"she hinted, unable to say the words.
"Well, duh. I still can't believe we got you to that club last night. Those guys were hot…"Abby was getting lost in her own memories last night.
"I slept with him," Olivia blurted out. She felt an immense weight lifted off her shoulder at her admission.
"Slept with who?" Abby asked, her brows furrowed together in confusion.
"Him. The stripper, the one that was dressed like a president." Abby's expression turned from confusion to amusement.
"Wow, Liv. I didn't think you had it in you. Tell me, how was he?" her friend wondered excitedly.
It was just like Abby to think about how good the sex was rather than the real crisis at hand. "Abby! That hardly matters," Olivia scoffed, blush creeping into her cheeks.
"It does matter. Because if it sucked, then you can go out there and marry Jake with no problems. But if it was so good that if he walked into the church right now you'd leap on him, then you have to call off the wedding," Abby rationalized.
"What difference does it make whether it was good or not. I still cheated," Olivia huffed, sinking into a nearby chair.
Reading her friend, Abby sat down next to her and barely got out a "that good, huh?" between laughs.
"It's not funny, Abby," Olivia whined.
"Oh yes it is. This is the girl that wouldn't have sex with Jake until two years ago. Now tell me, how was it? Was it eye rolling, toe curling good?" Abby asked way too enthusiastically.
Finding the twisted comedy in the situation, Olivia laughed too. "Better. Abby, this man had me calling on Allah and I'm not even Muslim."
"Damn."
"I second that. I'm going to burn in hell for bragging about the sexual prowess of my one night stand while sitting in a church on my wedding day," Olivia said on a laugh.
"No, but seriously Liv, what are you going to do?" Abby asked, sobering up from her laughing fit.
"I don't know Abby. Last night was an anomaly, a blip on the radar. Jake and I have been together since we were eighteen. He's all I know. From since I could remember I pictured marrying him and then out of nowhere, this guy comes and screws it all up," Olivia confessed on the verge of tears.
"Maybe that's what the problem is. Liv, you don't know yourself away from Jake. Maybe you need a break before you make any concrete plans. I suggest you sit down with him and tell him what happened. A lie is no way to start a marriage."
Before Olivia could answer, the door opened, her mother's head peeking around the corner to let her know it was time. Abby went out of ahead of her, walking down the aisle with the rest of the bridesmaids. Before she knew it, the traditional music was playing and Olivia's arm was hooked with her father as they stood at the bottom of the aisle.
"I'm so proud of you, sweet pea," he father leaned down to whisper in her ear.
"Thank you, Daddy." Olivia whispered back then looked to the man she was set to marry.
Jake stood proud at the end, patiently waiting for his bride to make her way to him. She looked beautiful, the dress she wore looked like it was custom made to fit her. He couldn't imagine his life without Olivia. From the first time he walked into Professor Kandisky's chem lab, to now, he only had eyes for her. She tutored him in his science classes and he would stay up late with her while she crammed for her final exams. They were a good match, both having a good head on their shoulders, good careers, and bright future that included 2.5 kids, a dog, and a white picket fence.
The thing that Jake liked the most about Olivia was her familiarity. They'd been together for so long now that her always being seemed like second nature. She was good for him, had kept him grounded during law school and always was there when he needed her. No other woman would ever replace her. He was more than ready to make her his wife. After all, it did seem like the natural next step in their relationship.
Olivia couldn't even feel her legs moving as she steadily took each step down the walkway. The church was decorated beautifully with tall vases of flowers at the end of each pew. The bridesmaids and groomsmen were all lined up, Quinn, Abby, and Sarah for her and Harrison, David, and Stephen for Jake. The seats were filled with family and friends that had come far and wide to partake in this joyous occasion. She looked at Jake in his black tux and he smiled at her, but it wasn't the crooked grin that she saw last night. Jake's eyes were on her, but they were the wrong color and they didn't hold the desire that the ones last night did. He was too short and his hair was too straight. He wasn't Fitz.
Breathe. In and out. In and out, she reminded herself as the memories of last night took over. Breathe.
"Fitz…"she screamed as he maneuvered them against the door to the bathroom.
"I love it when you saw my name," he murmured in her ear before taking her lips in a searing kiss.
In.
"I can't…I just…oh god," she moaned, meeting him thrust for thrust.
His fingers dug into her thighs and his mouth attached to her nipple.
And out.
"I'm so close. Don't stop…please don't stop," she begged as he pounded into her from behind.
"Come for me…"
In
"Tell me your name," he growled between clenched teeth, hitting her spot and turning her brain to mush.
At this point she could deny him nothing and whimpered out, "Olivia."
And out.
"Fiitttzzz,"she wailed as he sent her over the edge yet again.
She could feel him jerk inside her, his orgasm forcing hers to go on forever. "Livi…"
Just Breathe.
Before she knew it, her father was passing her off to the man that she was supposed to be spending the rest of her life with. Jake took her hands, kissing each before turning to face the pastor. Olivia couldn't even look him in the eyes and she really didn't know how she was expected to get through her vows knowing what she did last night. She was still surprised that she hadn't been struck down yet.
"We are gathered here today to witness the holy matrimony of Olivia Carolyn Pope and Jake Bartholomew Ballard. If anyone has just reason for these two not to be wed, speak now or forever hold your peace," the pastor began and the silence in the church was deafening.
Olivia prayed that someone, anyone would speak up. But as she looked out into the sea of people no one did. The ceremony continued with the pastor speaking of eternal love and two souls becoming one. Olivia tuned the majority of it out, wanting to literally be anywhere but where she was.
She absentmindedly repeated her vows, thankful that she didn't write her own. Everything she said seemed like a lie, but how was she supposed to let her family down? Let Jake down? Jake said his vows next, saying each word with a conviction that Olivia wished she could muster.
"Do you, Jake, take Olivia to be your lawfully wedded wife?" the pastor asked before Olivia was ready.
"I do," Jake said confidently.
"And do you, Olivia, take Jake to be your lawfully wedded husband?"
Silence. Not an answer, not a head nod because she was too choked up to speak. Not a squeak, not a sound for two whole minutes. Silence except for the sound of her breathing in and out.
"Olivia?" Jake asked, confused by her lack of an answer.
"I uhhh…"
Fitz had been searching for Olivia two weeks with no such luck. The DJ had given him her last name, having announced it the night of her party, but that's where the clues stopped. Fitz was no private investigator and after his quick Google search for either a Facebook page or a Twitter account showed no results, he decided to try plan B. Wait for her to come to him. He wasn't cocky or anything but he knew when two people connected like they did, they'd have to meet again.
In the meantime, he was swamped. Between his real job and the stripping gig taking up all his time, he really did not have enough energy for much else. However, no matter how busy he got, he couldn't stop himself from thinking of her.
From the way her brown thighs wrapped around his waist to the way her breath would hitch right before she exploded, he was bewitched. In the back of his brain, he knew that she wasn't his to covet. She was probably lying on a beach right now sipping Mai Tai's with her new husband. The thought of another man touching her made him physically ill.
Luckily he had a day off from both of his jobs last night, a rare opportunity that he took full advantage of by sleeping almost eighteen of the twenty four hours. Unfortunately, that didn't last and it was time for him to go back to work. Swinging his legs to the floor, Fitz stretched his sore muscles before getting up completely. After getting out of the shower, Fitz grabbed his tools, a brown paper bag containing his lunch, and got ready for another long day.
"Olivia, you've got a patient coming in from the ambulance. It's a construction worker that fell off his ladder while trying to nail in a beam. According the EMTs he has a broken leg, head trauma, cracked ribs, and most likely a collapsed lung," one of the other residents, Mellie, informed her.
Olivia really loved being a physician, but doing rounds in the ER was tough for any new doctor. The pace was fast and the job was stressful. But it was more than worth it when she was able to save a life, to fix a problem that someone came in with.
Grabbing a blank chart from the board, she asked Mellie for the description of the man that was coming in. "He is a twenty something white male, about 6'2, 190 pounds or so. Currently unconscious due to the head trauma and potential internal bleeding."
"Okay. Get me the materials to make a splint and call OR and let them know we have a collapsed lung and internal bleeding about to come in." She ordered just as the EMTs were wheeling in the patient.
Thirty minutes later, her patient was off to the OR with a good possibly of a full recovery. The success stories were the best and the feeling of a job well done always gave Olivia a sort of high. Taking off her bloody gloves and tossing them in the trash, Olivia went back to her post to wait for the next person to come in off the ambulance.
"Team meeting in the on-call room," their mentor, Dr. Cyrus Beene, informed all the residents.
Olivia loved the older man. He was a brilliant doctor that had been practicing for longer than Olivia had been alive. She heard horror stories of people getting mentors that didn't even speak, would just stand back and watch as they worked on a patient then would rip them apart afterwards. Cyrus was more of a learn as you go kind of teacher, correcting mistakes as soon as they occurred to assure the full safety of the patients.
All five residents including Abby and Olivia piled into the small on-call room. Olivia idly wondered what the meeting could possibly be about, then looking up, she was met face to face with the answer to her question. Standing beside Cyrus was the man that had been haunting her dreams for the past two weeks. Although he looked a little different in scrubs instead of oiled down with no shirt on, there was no mistaking that this was Fitz.
"Holy shit is that…?"Abby started to question before Cyrus answered for her.
"This is Dr. Fitzgerald Grant. His is our newest resident and will be taking the place of Gerald who apparently didn't know that he fainted at the sight of blood. He graduated from Harvard Medical School and just recently finished rounds in pediatrics," Cyrus introduced.
Fitz greeted everyone, each person telling him their name as he went down the line. When he got to Olivia, they feigned not knowing each other but he winked at her before moving on to Abby. How the hell was this possible? A stripper turned doctor? And of all the hospitals in the world he had to choose this one?
She didn't think it was possible, but he looked better than she remembered. There was something about seeing that stethoscope around his neck that made her want to play doctor. Get a grip, Olivia chastised herself. He's just a man. A hot, sexy man that had you crying out his name within twenty minutes of meeting him. Shaking her head to clear the dirty thoughts that were floating around her brain, Olivia tried to focus on what Cyrus was saying.
"Olivia, I want you to get him caught up on the schedule and how things work in the ER," Cyrus told, only the three of them still in the room. Everyone else must have left when she was daydreaming about Fitz's mouth doing wicked things all over her body.
"Me? Can't Rogers do it? He's been here the longest out of all of us." There was no way she would be getting stuck with him. Already her body was starting to react to him simply being in her vicinity.
"We all know that you're the best resident here, regardless of time served. You are the most equipped to get him caught up. It's not a permanent buddy system, only for few days until he can perform on his own," Cyrus reasoned, giving her no choice but to accept.
Before she could protest any further, Cyrus' pager went off signaling that a patient just came in. "Show him his locker and where we keep all the equipment," Cyrus instructed before leaving them alone in the room.
"Well, well, well Ms. Pope, we meet again," Fitz smirked as he came closer.
"I guess we do. And it's not Ms. Pope, its Dr. Ballard."
AN: I know, I know. Don't shoot me. I hated writing that last line, but believe me it's necessary for an interesting story line. Don't count him out just yet. How many thought that Fitz was the construction working? How many guessed that he was going to be a doctor? We'll learn more next chapter on what made him take the gig, but all I gotta say is that student loans are a bitch and a half. Oh, and just in case you missed it, Mellie is a resident in the ER too. Anyways, let me know your thoughts, angry or otherwise, in a review below, they make me smile every time I get a new one