Disclaimer: Do I own Scandal? Nope.

AN: So I decided to try my hand at story that had an actual story line and not just Fitz and Liv going at it like rabbits (however, it will be moving to the M section in later chapters) Anyways, I hope you guys like it. Happy reading.

Olivia was never the sappy romantic type that believed in love at first sight. She never once imagined that there was a person out there that was truly meant for her and she definitely didn't need a prince charming to save her. She supposed that her calloused views on love came from watching her mother make a fool out of herself seeking affection from men that was never returned. Olivia vowed that she would never be that woman, the one that clung to her man's every word and worshiped the ground he walked on. She had herself, her work, and a vibrator and that was more than enough. Well… almost.

Then he appeared and ruined it all.

One look at him and she understood why Juliet killed herself over losing Romeo, why Desdemona defied everything to be with Othello, and why Ophelia couldn't live without the affections of Hamlet. One look into those gray eyes and she was tethered to him. Millions of invisible steel ropes tied her heart and soul to his and he didn't even have to speak to destroy every wall she haphazardly built. And in the same amount of time it took for him to make her heart beat in her chest was the same amount of time he took to make it stop cold.

He spared her one more glance, not even a meaningful one, and kept right on walking. Kept right on walking as if she didn't just give him her soul, didn't just wordlessly tell him all her secrets, didn't just promise to be his forever. He kept walking. She had to fight back the ludicrous tears that threatened to fall from her eyes as she tried to convince herself that it was all just a figment of her imagination.

A person pushed past her on the busy street and Olivia was literally knocked back into reality. She adjusted her purse on her shoulder and continued on her journey. Nothing was going to bring her down today, not even the mystery man. She was on a mission to fulfill her own destiny and today was the big day. She finally reached the building and gripping the metal handle to the glass door, she pulled it open and walked into the welcomed warmth of the space.

She stepped up to the front desk and the familiar receptionist greeted her with a friendly smile. She didn't even ask Olivia's name. She'd been there enough times that she recognized her face. They had sort of became friends over the past few months and Olivia appreciated getting premium appointment slots. Olivia made small talk as the receptionist filled out some information on her computer before she told Olivia to have a seat and wait.

"This time will be the one, Liv. I can feel it in my bones," Lisa, the receptionist, called as she turned away from the desk.

"I hope so," Olivia replied more to herself than to Lisa.

She sank into the plush seat which was unusual for where she was at. The whole place was unusual, the walls were a warm an earthy green instead of stock white and the dim lighting made it feel almost like a hotel lobby. She supposed it was decorated this way to create a calm and inviting area and with what she was paying these people, she would hope they had a sense of décor.

"Ms. Pope, the doctor is ready for you," the nurse called out from the hallway five minutes later.

Olivia could feel butterflies in her stomach as she followed the nurse down the long corridor. This was the sixth and last time she would be taking this type of walk, no matter what the results were. There were other options that she hadn't wanted to consider before, but this journey was a long and tiring one and she thought she might need to consider other outcomes.

The nurse opened the door to the room Olivia was usually seen in and told her that the doctor would be in in a little bit. Olivia nodded, confirming that she heard her, and proceeded to take off her clothes when the door closed so that she could change into the paper gown. The scratchy material against her skin was just another reminder of where she was in her life. That she had to resort to this to get what she wanted, but she knew in the end it would all be worth it. The knock at the door brought her out of her thoughts and Olivia told the doctor to come in.

"Nice to see you again, Liv, although I hope this will be the last time under these circumstances," Dr. David Rosen said with a sad smile.

"I agree. What are my chances of getting pregnant this time?" she asked as she took a seat on the exam table.

"With women your age…" he trailed off, already having explained the statistics to her several times.

Olivia had been trying to get pregnant via in vitro for a while now and each attempt ended in failure. She was thirty-four, and although it wasn't the ideal age in life to be having a baby, she knew of plenty of other women that had a perfectly healthy baby and were older than her.

The calling to be a mother hadn't hit her until she witnessed her best friends Abby and Stephen welcome their daughter Vivian into the world two years ago. Then Cyrus, the guy she looked at like a second father, and his partner James adopted their daughter Ella and the need to nurture hit Olivia like a ton of bricks. She ached to fill her arms with a little bundle of joy and so she started the process to becoming a mother.

She looked around the fertility clinic exam room at the posters of pregnant women and the fetus growing at different stages and felt a pang of sadness. The road to having a baby had been a long one, filled with shots, pills, and miscarriages. This was the last of the sperm that she bought and she prayed that it would finally take.

When she first walked into sperm bank a year and a half ago, she had no idea what type of man she was looking for to father her baby. She had looked at the checklist of the features she would want and had to laugh because it resembled a grocery list. Height check, weight check, hair color check, ethnicity check, pedigree check. She thought the whole process was shallow but when she pictured her child, the whole thing seemed a lot less trivial. The people at the sperm bank recommended this place to get the procedure done and that was how she ended up her now, with about to inseminate her for the fourth time.

"You know the drill, Liv. Legs in the stirrups," he instructed and got his instruments ready.

Olivia got took a deep breath and let her mind drift to the man she saw earlier today. He was extremely handsome with brown curly hair, broad shoulders, and eyes that drew her in. She pretended that it was his baby that she was having before she scolded herself for being pathetic and unrealistic. When this baby finally did come it would be just her, no mystery man. But she still couldn't help herself from imagining the details of his life. He was dressed in a tailored three piece suit that spoke of wealth so she pictured him as a high class business exec with an important job. He looked like the type to schmooze on the golf course and then go home to two perfect kids and a perfect little wife. She felt irrationally jealous at the thought of him having a family but quickly dismissed it.

"Alright Olivia, that should do it. Come back in two weeks and we'll see if it took," Dr. Rosen said, taking off his gloves and throwing them away before exiting the room.

Olivia hopped down then got redressed. She looked around the room, hoping that this would be that last time she would have to do this. She opened the door and headed down the long hallway and towards the front desk to set up her next appointment. Lisa had already penciled her in and wished Olivia luck before she left the clinic all together.

"Are you feeling pregnant Liv,"Abby asked a few days later as she balanced Vivian on her lap.

"Well, I haven't had any symptoms, but you didn't have any with Vivian until like your two month mark," Olivia replied as she put a popped a grape into her mouth.

It was her and Abby's weekly brunch and this week it was held at Abby and Stephen's house. They had been friends since freshmen year of high school. Abby was there when Olivia's dad died, and Olivia was there when Abby first met Stephen. Abby understood Olivia like no one else did and she loved the fiery red head for it.

"That's true. I just hope this one works this time. I'm tired of being the only MILF in our group of friends," Abby complained and Olivia couldn't help but laugh.

"What friends?" she questioned in between giggles.

It had always been just them until Stephen and Vivian came along. Olivia jokingly referred to them as friend stealers and was slightly jealous that they required all of her friend's time.

"Well, there's me, you…uhhh, Lisa the receptionist, oh and Cyrus and James," Abby listed, putting up a finger for each name she said.

"I highly doubt that my mother's third husband that turned out to be gay and his partner James could qualify as our friends," Olivia pointed out.

"You're right," Abby agreed before Vivian started crying.

The little girl had the red hair and looks of her mother, but her personality was all Stephen. Olivia smiled at her goddaughter/ honorary niece and couldn't help but imagine her child. This time however, the baby that she pictured had gray eyes and Olivia wasn't prepared for the feelings that came along with the image

"It looks like someone is ready for a nap," Abby cooed, getting up to put down the baby.

"Alright Ms. Pope, are you ready to hear the results of your pregnancy test?" Dr. Rosen asked at her appointment two weeks later.

Olivia nodded, anticipation making it impossible for her to vocalize her thoughts. He began talking and Olivia tuned him out, not wanting to the bad news. But then she heard, "Congratulations," and relief flooded her veins.

I'm pregnant, she thought and smiled to herself. However, she quickly tried to shut out the images of her stomach swelling with a child, her baby in her arms, her little one saying mommy for the first time, him or her tottling over to her in their first steps, first days of school, scrapes and cuts that needed mommy's special kisses, prom, college and weddings. She had been here twice before and each time ended with her screaming as her baby died in her womb. She wouldn't let herself hope until she was holding her little miracle in her arms.

"Now, I know we've been here before, but I really think that this time you'll carry to term and deliver a healthy baby," David tried to reassure her.

He went over all the things that she already knew about prenatal care and she promised that she would follow his orders down to the punctuation mark. Now all that was left was to pray.

AN: Let me know what you guys thought in a review below