Sorry for the long delay folks.

I know four years is a hell of a long time to be away, but I got my muse back and am ready to write again! Hopefully I still have fans of this story and hope to gain new ones, as I tend to update more frequently.

All characters of Scandal are ABC and Shonda Rhimes' property.

No amount of Kentucky bourbon could wipe out the feeling of defeat and loneliness Mellie felt at this moment. Status, prestige, power it was all slowly fading from her grasp and she had no but herself to blame if she was really taking the fault and admitting defeat.

Of course, Mellie being who she was couldn't go away that easily, no the true culprit behind this betrayal and overthrow of her crown was Olivia Carolyn Pope, because she's always in the center.

Mellie stood, although none too graceful to her feet, and began to pace the floor. After a few glasses of Johnny Walker, she was feeling loose, free, vindictive and she relished in it too.

Trying to come up with a plan to make Olivia pay for her latest screw-up was better than just wallowing in self-pity.

Raising the tumbler of Amber colored alcohol to her lips, Mellie let the smooth taste flow down her throat and into her veins, fueling her and replacing the ice-cold water running through her body.

"How can he do this to me, of all people, me?" Mellie asked herself as the anger built.

Taking another sip, Mellie decided the only way to deal with this was to face it head on. A meeting with Olivia was needed and long overdue, both women needed to hash out their feelings toward each other where Fitz was concerned.

It would take a few days to get the meeting in place but the sooner the better.

Standing on the balcony alone before Fitz showed up gave Olivia time to reflect on the crazy roller coaster that was her life. Both her parents weren't model citizens, one a terrorist and the other, the head of a top secret killing organization, what an upbringing to talk about to the grandchildren.

Olivia let out a soft chuckle before sipping her wine.

How did she get here? How did she come to be waiting on the Truman balcony in the White House of all places waiting for the love of her life?

When Charlotte informed her of Mellie's dismissal and Fitz leaving the White House to go to her doorstep, she knew she had to act.

She'd gotten a bottle of Au Bon Climet Pinot Noir; Santa Barbara, something inexpensive but still not undeserving of this special occasion.

She'd poured the smooth fruity marron tinged liquid into the glass, filling it a third of the way.

No doubt that meager amount would be gone in mere seconds due to the phone call Olivia had gotten from the Wicked Witch of the East.

Earlier

Jake hadn't been gone 5 minutes before Olivia's body was moving on auto pilot and her feet were carrying her into her room to change clothes and slip on a pair of shoes.

The ringing phone brought her back to reality like a fuzzy picture coming back into focus. Walking back into the living room where she'd left her phone, Olivia picked it up checking the screen, private number bounced on the screen. It wasn't unusual for clients to call unknown, so she thought nothing of answering. Big Mistake.

"You must be so proud of yourself, bagging a prize catch, the fucking President of the United States."

Pulling the phone away from her ear, Olivia looked at it as if it were the ugliest pair of kitten heels she'd ever seen. Despite the slight slurring of words and lazy pronunciations, she knew who was on the other end.

Silence, dead silence is what Mellie was wet with, but she could hear breathing on the other end, so whoever picked up was still there.

Johnny got her started earlier, but now her daddy's moonshine was her crutch , her liquid courage, her strength.

"Why Olivia, why?" She paused to gulp down the wonderfully smooth yet ascorbic alcohol and relished in the burn it created going down her throat.

"I know we weren't perfect, but damnit if I wasn't holding our family together while we were in California, in the governor's mansion. Every marriage falls on hard times, goes through a rough patch and hell I'd gotten good at the illusion of a happy home. That was until the mystifying, all-encompassing force that is Olivia Pope walked into our lives."

Olivia was a little taken aback by this late call from Mellie but she wouldn't dare speak, no that was like feeding into the boogeyman or believing the tooth fairy was real. It would just feed the monster known as Melinda Naomi Grant.

Mellie drunkenly laughed to herself as she continued her alcohol powered tirade. What possessed her to call Olivia after being kicked out of her house, she'd never know, but shit if felt good to get somethings off her chest.

"You know Fitz was never one to go outside our marriage, oh trust me there were times I encouraged it as long as he was discreet, but no my husband, ever faithful always refused.

"I wonder what power you have to possess him in such an unbecoming way I mean he's the fucking POTUS for goodness sake! I mean I'm a good catch, scratch that shit, GREAT catch, after three children, my body is still snatched and I'm smart as hell."

A bitter, humorless laugh rung out over the phone line. Olivia closed her eyes in anguish because the sorrow and pity she felt for Mellie, although small, was too much to bear.

Even though Mellie never made it a point to be besties, Olivia still felt a sense of compassion toward the woman. She had given up her career after all, to be a mother and wife of a politician.

Oliva was the first to break the silence.

"Mellie, I don't know what made you call me of all people, but I hope you get answers for whatever you're seeking."

The sharpness of the dial tone was heard before Mellie brought the phone away from her ear and tossed it on the couch.

"Well that wasn't very nice, was it?" Mellie said to herself as she let her drunken state take completely over.

Olivia shook her head as she cleared her mind from the earlier debacle with Mellie and shifted her head slightly to the right when she heard the screen door softly creak open, announcing Fitz's presence. She watched from the around the corner has he leaned his tall muscular frame against the railing and sighed.

He looked tired, disheveled, weary as if the weight of the world was on his shoulders.

The suspense was too much and she finally made herself known.

"Nice view." Olivia stood up from the arm of the chaise she'd been lounging on while waiting for Fitz.

He turned around in awe as if he couldn't believe she was right in front of him. Only moments ago he'd been at her door

"Hi."

Joy radiated through is his insides as he spoke.

"Hi."

A moment was shared between the two with that magical way they loved to communicate, with their eyes, using unspoken words.

"You're here," Fitz gasped out, still in disbelief.

Olivia began stepping forward, a small smirk creeping on her face before she could stop it.

"I'm here." She steadily kept coming forward, closing the distance between them. "Charlotte is very helpful and informative."

She'd come to a stop in front of Fitz and really looked at him, he was indeed a handsome man and didn't look at all 53 years old. This kind, gentle, passionate and sexy man was hers and she couldn't wait to enjoy him.

Fitz turned toward her an anxious but hopeful look on his face.

"What happens now?"

With a shrug of her shoulders and the same small, mysterious smirk on her face, Olivia answered,

"Whatever we want."