A/N: The Vegas trip has official begun. There'll be more of it in another chapter, I promise. I apologize for being slow on the update. Please feel free to share and leave a review!
DISCLAIMER: I own nothing from ABC's Scandal or anyone/anything else.
I had my usual playlist going as I tried to sleep on the flight to Vegas early that morning. I refused to use my father's oversized personal jet and opted for booking something smaller for the seven of us. Flying commercial was not an option - the guys wouldn't allow it for security purposes and I didn't want to be seen publicly any more than I had to. I wanted everyone to shut up and leave us alone. Jackson decided it was best I didn't address any rumors after the Darren Lewis interview. All I said was it was very sad about my father's death and the baby was fine. When Darren asked me about the assault, I quickly turned it all around on him and ignored the question. I was a smart aleck, I'll admit it. But why should anything my wife's rape be public? Why should the whole world know her business? Her world was already disrupted enough by it.
Needless to say, Jackson wasn't very happy with me then.
I looked across from me after I figured out I wasn't going to sleep any time soon and saw Mellie and Jade with their noses in her iPad, laughing over the latest episode of TMZ. On the couch, Ben had Kelly in his arms, and behind me, Chris and Lance were asleep.
I was just ready to be there, get the keys to the suite, and lock us up for a night. I figured we would go sight seeing today, go back and play some tables that night. I got tickets to see The Weeknd Friday night since he was in town. She had fallen in love with his music almost a year ago, and I had wanted to take her to a show but never got the chance until now. Saturday was her day - we were doing whatever she wanted to do. But that night, that night would be mine. And I already had everything planned out.
I leaned my head back and closed my eyes, hoping to nap the rest of the way there.
As we pulled up in our rental cars and parked at The Venetian, the roaring of the strip traffic seemed to get quiet as the ringing of slot machines got louder. We carried our bags inside and I walked up to the check-in counter, getting our keys and paying for the first night. The manager quickly recognized me and offered us extra security free of charge. I declined, but said I would let him know if we needed it. I thanked him and threw the guys' keys to them and gave Jade hers, then picked up mine and Mellie's bags.
"Let's go check it out," I said with a smile, heading across the busy lobby towards the elevator. The bright red and gold carpet was a bit much, but the sounds and sight of the slots and tables had me ready to let loose.
We rode up to the 26th floor and got off, looking for our suites. We were all in awe of the interior design - it was beautiful. The Italian theme really fit well and I knew the suites would be amazing. We walked down the hall and found our rooms, all four suites next to each other. We all agreed to unpack a little and get going again in an hour or so.
I unlocked our door slowly and let Mellie in, and I quickly shut the door behind myself. I set our bags down by the couch and followed her into the bedroom.
"Fitz, this is simply amazing," she said with a smile as she took off her sunglasses and set them on the imported wooden dresser. "This is too much."
"I don't want to hear a thing about money, ok? This is for all of us, but especially for you. I wanted to get you away from there for a little while. I want you to enjoy yourself, because this might be the last time we get to do this for a while," I hugged her, giving her a slow kiss.
"You got that right," she said, hugging me tightly before going over to look out the window. The view of the city was breathtaking, and I knew it would be even better at night.
"So what's the plan for today?" She asked, lying on the king sized bed covered in a white, plushy down comforter and huge white pillows.
"I was thinking we could go get some lunch, then do a little bit of sightseeing, maybe come back and go to the casino," I said, laying beside her. "Anything specific you want to do?
"I want to get out by the pool, if we get the chance today," she told me. I would call the manager, get some more security in on them, and make sure it was on our list of things to do.
"Then that's what we'll do," I said assuringly, holding her hand and kissing her forehead. I pulled out my phone and texted the guys and Jade the plan. Everyone was excited and ready to go eat and start our adventures.
I heard a knock on our door and found it was Jade, and I quickly let her in.
"I found the perfect place for lunch and the spa downstairs has a great deal on a package and Kelly said she was up for it and this place on the strip-"
"Jade, slow down a little," I laughed, letting her inside. She immediately went and sat down beside Mellie and tell her all about it, and I went to go check out the fancy bathroom.
I walked inside and saw a large jacuzzi tub with a mirror beside it, a beautiful vanity that she would love, and a white marble shower. The toilet was in its own closed off section and the double sinks were great. I hoped we would get to use the jacuzzi before we left.
I walked out and into the kitchenette, going through the fridge to find some water when I just grabbed a glass out of the cabinet and got some water. The mini bar was amazing and I was sure I would get into it later. I heard the guys and Kelly knock on our door, and they were all ready to go explore the busy city. I grabbed my sunglasses and some water, then followed everyone out the door.
By 3:45 that afternoon, we had eaten gourmet sandwiches at a small family owned diner, done some shopping along the strip, laughed at some character impersonators, visited a museum, taken a bus tour of the city, and taken lots of pictures with people who had recognized us. Everyone had been really nice, which relieved all of us.
We got back to the hotel and all went to look at the main pool. We walked out and found it almost empty, which was a surprise. It was huge, and had palm trees at the edges and beautiful cabanas at the water's edge. Chris and Lance still wanted to go the casino, but me and Ben decided to go hang out at the pool with the girls. We went upstairs and changed into our swimsuits, and I couldn't help myself. Mellie looked gorgeous in the new white bikini she had bought online a few weeks ago. She got the matching netted robe, which I didn't like as much, but she did. She put her hair up and sunglasses on and we waited on Jade in the hallway with Ben and Kelly.
We went downstairs and grabbed a few chairs by the pool. I was looking around the entire time, making sure I didn't see any cameras. Ben could tell I was nervous and nudged my arm.
"Relax, man," he said, seeing a pool attendant coming around with drinks. He stopped him and got two beers off his tray, then handed him his card. He handed me a beer and I sighed. I was also self-conscious about my foot. I had a wrap I put around my ankle where the prosthesis went on, and makeup around it to blend it in. It looked like a real foot, but I was still nervous someone would notice and mention it.
"I told you don't worry about it. I've kept an eye out. If you're really worried about it, call security," he told me, taking a drink of his beer. The attendant brought his card back minutes later and I quickly finished my beer, trying to relax. It was vacation, I was supposed to have a good time. I looked over and saw Mellie, Jade, and Kelly enjoying themselves, and I was immediately more at ease. I closed my eyes and felt my body sink into the cushiony chair, and quickly fell asleep.
"Fitz, wake up. It's time for dinner," I heard Mellie say as she stroked my hand. I took off my sunglasses and saw her and Jade waiting on me to get up.
"Sorry, I fell asleep. What time is it?" I asked groggily, standing up and going back inside to the elevator with them. I figured it was around five thirty or six.
"Seven. You gotta hurry up and get dressed. Nothing fancy, it's just the buffet," Jade said.
Mellie held my hand all the way to our suite and we got dressed for dinner. I was the luckiest man in the world.