Mellie Grant is sitting at a bar of a fancy hotel sipping on a beer. Yes a beer. She's in Vermont and she knows it's not very lady like or what the future first female president of the United States should be doing, but she honestly doesn't care.

She keeps playing with her wedding ring. If anyone was really paying her any attention, they could tell that she's nervous. She's waiting for someone she hasn't seen in a very long time and she needs something that feels normal. Something that feels familiar. So she's drinking a beer.

She had just come from a political debate just a few hours ago. She's wearing a dark red dress that stopped right above her knees. She can barely breathe in it and she doesn't care for the color but her stylist said it looked good on her and who was she to argue. When Mellie swings around on her bar stool, she sees her. Olivia Pope. She looks stunning and completely professional in an all black power suit and matching high heels. Her hair is shorter than she remembers last seeing it. Shoulder length. About the same length it was when she first met Olivia back in college.

Mellie eases down from her seat when Olivia approaches.

"Hi."

"Hi, Liv."

Olivia smiles softly at the nickname coming from Mellie's lips and she chuckles when Mellie points out that she cut her hair. "It's been fourteen years, Mellie. You didn't think I'd still have my hair the same way did you?"

" I suppose not." She answers and looks Liv over again. She notices her stiffen under her gaze. "You look amazing. Shorter hair always did look good on you."

There's a pause.

Then Olivia clears her throat. "Shall we sit?"

"Of course."

They both sit at the bar and Olivia orders a class of red wine. Mellie smiles to herself before finishing her beer, because it's good to know that something's never change.

There's another pregnant pause and Liv breaks it once again.

"I watched your debate today."

"It was awful. I know."

"It was not." She reassures her and pauses to take a sip of her wine. "It was pretty good actually. I would have only done a few things differently."

"Only a few?" She teases.

"You were always good in debate class."

"But not as good as you."

"You can't be the best at everything, Mellie. Debate wasn't your finest but I remember you excelling in other areas."

She can tell that Liv regrets her choice of words as soon as they leave her mouth. But Mellie did excel in other areas and apparently Liv remembered just how well she did.

"I didn't mean…"

"I know what you meant, Liv." She watched as Liv played with her wine glass. This was not the Olivia Pope she had followed in the news for the past six years. That Olivia was perfect. She had no flaws to the eyes of the public. She knew exactly what people were going to say before they said it and she definitely didn't get nervous. The Olivia Pope sitting next to her, playing with her wine glass, was the woman she knew all those years ago. "Thank you for coming by the way. I know we haven't talked in a while and Cyrus didn't tell me that he was hiring you until after the fact."

"It's ok. I know how much you want to be president. I'm happy to help you in anyway." She takes another sip of her wine. "I assume you know that you have to tell me all of your dirty little secrets if you want me to help you win."

Olivia is teasing her. She knows, but she responds quickly anyway. Looking Olivia directly in her eyes as if she wouldn't believe her if she didn't. "I'll tell you anything you want to know."

Olivia doesn't hold her gaze for very long before she's playing with her glass of wine again. She takes another drink of it. This one is less of a sip and more of a gulp. "Maybe not here. You don't want everyone knowing all of you secrets."

"You're right. Let's head up stairs." Mellie says while hopping down from her bar stool a little too quickly. "We can talk in my suite."

"I don't think that's a good idea, Mellie."

"Oh come on. We'll talk. Catch up on the past fourteen years."

"I don't know."

"Please, Liv. I'll be good. I promise. I'm sure you've heard that I'm a married woman now."

Before Olivia can respond her phone vibrates and she's never been this happy to receive a text from Harrison. She could never say no to Mellie. Not with those blue eyes.

"I have to leave."

Mellie can't help but whine a childlike "no" in response. "Stay."

"I can't. My team needs me. I'll see you tomorrow, ok? We'll discuss our plans about the upcoming political events and debates."

"Okay."

Without saying another word Mellie watches Olivia walk away from her and suddenly it's all too familiar.