Author's Note: Good morning, folks. I've managed to pick up a gum infection and the side effects of the antibiotics have me ravenous and productive at odd times, like two in the morning. There's not a better situation for me to write than that. LOL!

This is the last solo SCANDAL fanfic post I'm going to do until after the show comes back on. For those who are interested, HandsUp and I are well over 10K words into Chapter 4 of II Corinthians so I'm still going to be writing and drafting for the WIPs and more, old and new.

As for the show itself, all I can say is that it ain't over until it's over and that I am very glad that we still have fanfic with writers still willing to write their stories despite the deep pain/giving up on SCANDAL because we're gonna need them all. Hopefully, Scandal 5B's Liv, Fitz, and Olitz will be like Grey's Anatomy's 4B Meredith, Derek, and MerDer and after they reconcile (in the last 30 seconds of the season finale because of REASONS!), things will be good for them until and through the series finale. OLITZ ENDGAME OR BUST!

(CMW2/Trumpetnista: Draftbook Drabble #37-(Follow up to #31's Trail AU, Fitz, Olivia, Cyrus, mentioned past Mellitz Zombie and Olivia/Edison, firmly established Olitz, ride or die.))

Words from the Gladiator in a Hoodie: One of my most popular and one of my top 5 favorite D.D.-verses I've come up with is this one. I'm back with Governor/inevitable POTUS Grant and Ms. Olivia 'PantyGate' Pope aka the inevitable FLOTUS. This is the last solo fic/update I'll be posting until after the show starts up again and I hope you guys dig it.

Thanks again for your patience and acceptance of my self imposed exile from active Gladiating. I love you all and I'll be back. At the end of the day, I'm a Gladiator until the (hopefully not) bitter end. Enjoy the latest! Mad Love, Jam, and Power Drills, ~*Trump*~

Disclaimer: "Honestly, it's not mine!"

Excerpt from Draftbook Drabble 31…

"You want me to work with Olivia Pope? As in Olivia Pope?"

"That's what I said. What are you doing?"

"I'm looking up the number to Reston's campaign HQ so I can tell him that my campaign manager definitely wants him in the Oval. Olivia Pope is your ace in the hole? Really?"

"Fitz, it's not like you've got anything left to lose! You're already getting hell for the divorce…"

"The only good things to come from my marriage to Mellie are Karen and Gerry and thanks to her, I had to get my DNA tested just to make sure that they didn't belong to Nichols or that they weren't my younger siblings. I shouldn't have married her to begin with but you live and you learn. Cyrus, Olivia Pope is still very volatile and…"

"… and absolutely brilliant. She's an evil genius with contacts a mile thick and if anyone can turn this Campaign around, it's her. She's the best, Fitz. If you want a long shot at the Oval in this Race or a good one in 2012's, you need the best in your camp…"

"Livvie, it's been a year since what happened with that Davis fool. I know that he broke your heart and you're still mad at the world about it but that doesn't mean that you have to spend the rest of your life alone."

"I'm not mad at the world and Edison's a nonfactor to me, now."

"Olivia, I do not want you to end up like Eli Pope. It's bad enough that you got his mean streak to go along with my crazy ways. Don't model your whole life after him. All he's got to show for his life is a successful career, an ex-wife who hates him, an estranged daughter, and a big ass chip on his shoulder the size of Russia. He's a cautionary tale."

"I know, Mom."

"My point still stands, though. I worry about you every day.I just want you to have a full life."

"I understand but Mom, even if I wanted to start dating again, no sane person is going to want to be with me for more than a quick fling. That's the drawback of what I did. I got revenge on Edison for lying to me and hurting me but I shot myself in the ass in the process."

"He deserved everything he got, baby."

"I never said that he didn't but still…hindsight is 20/20…"

"Liv, I need you on his Campaign. He's the best one for the Job but his personal Optics are a nightmare. Getting divorced may have been the right thing to do but it certainly wasn't the smart thing to do."

"How dare he want to be happy? How dare he exit a toxic situation for the sake of what's left of his own and his children's future sanity? By Gum, what is the free world coming to nowadays when our politicians behave like they're real humans without being caught red handed in a sordid sex scandal first?"

"…some people aren't meant to be happy. They're meant to be powerful."

"That is absolute bullshit."

"Liv…"

"That is a load of steaming bullshit and if that little mantra is an example of what you've been selling to him over the years, then it's no wonder that his Campaigns have stayed in trouble until the last minute! Newsflash, Cyrus: you can't ride on a person's coattails without making sure they're still true to themselves in all ways. Your philosophies don't always work with him because he's still fully in touch with his humanity. You need to throw out your Playbook and come up with a better one or you need to make way for someone who will get the job done without ruining him as a person. Your evil ways will get him elected but they'll ruin him as a person and that would be a shame. "

"So that means you'll join the Campaign?"

"I need to talk with him one on one before I make that decision. In the meantime, you need to keep selling your big idea of PantyGate Pope jumping in to save the day. He went pale at the just the mention of my name, didn't he? Everyone does…"

"I want you to join my Campaign, Olivia."

"I know and luckily for you, I actually want to join it. I have some rules, though."

"Name them."

"Don't lie to me. Don't lie to yourself. Don't waste my time and you need to run the campaign. It's your campaign, not mine, not Cyrus', not anyone else's. When push comes to shove, it's your name on the ballot, your name on the bus so you have final say about everything. You're going to have to start putting your foot down firmly, especially with Cyrus or you'll lose. Most importantly, you have to want it, Fitz. You have to really want to be President and you have to fight for it. Do you really want to be the President of the United States?"

"Yes, I really do."

"Okay. I'll take the job."

"You will?"

"Mm-hm. It'll be fun…"

"…we should not have done that."

"No, we shouldn't have…this is inappropriate. You're my adviser. You're my friend. I can't… we can't… we shouldn't… shit, Livvie…"

"We shouldn't have done it… but I want to do it again…"

"America and his Party will never accept you, especially after what you did to Davis!"

"Yes, yes. His Party will be horrified that not only did he have the audacity to divorce his proper lily white Antebellum princess during his Campaign, he decided to move on with the uppity black PantyGate causing bitch nearly half of his age. Oh, I can already hear them bemoaning the horror, the crying shame of it all between sips of scotch and snorts of cocaine. As for America, they've gotten over PantyGate and you're behind the times by about 30 years. Interracial relationships still get scrutinized, especially the ones between white men and black women but no one's going to mount up horses for a midnight ride. If they do, I don't have a gun permit and a Colt .45 semi-automatic for nothing. I'll be more than happy to put some bowling ball holes in a bigot's head if they take it there."

"Liv, you're setting yourself up for a big fall and him, too. It won't work out. You'll ruin him…"

"I'll ruin him? So, I guess they're just supposed to welcome him having a semi-closeted conniving Chief of Staff with a liberal investigative reporting boy-toy who deserves far better than him with open arms, champagne bottles and confetti?"

"Olivia…"

"You are a hypocritical piece of shit of the worst sort, Cyrus. Have several seats."

"This isn't even about me…"

"Exactly. It's not about you so stay out of it…"

"Mark my words, Cyrus Beene: you're gonna rue the day you allowed Fitzy and PantyGate Pope to meet! You're gonna look back on it and wish you had a DeLorean or a TARDIS so you could undo it! She's gonna ruin everything for you and you're gonna be on the outside looking in just like me!Just you wait…"

"…what did I tell ya, Cyrus?"

"Even a broken clock is right twice a day…she was just supposed to revamp the Campaign, goddamn it! She wasn't supposed to fall for him and she certainly wasn't supposed to be so damned public about it!"

"They've got a Name Mashup now: Olitz. The papers and TV shows are already contacting me, tryin' to see if she and Fitz used to be between the sheets when we were married. I wish I could say they were but…hell, even if I could, the lousy son of a bitch would ruin me right afterwards."

"That's what you get for, how did you put it? Hedging your bets? You're lucky that the DNA tests came back right or you'd be up shit's creek, regardless of King Grant's wishes."

"How does Chief of Staff Olivia Pope-Grant sound to you?"

"Not nearly as bad as First Lady Olivia Pope-Grant sounds to you…"

"Hmph…well, it's all water under the bridge now. I can't do anything about it. He got his stupid divorce so he can be balls deep in any woman he wants, now. He can…he can go and m-marry and make more damned babies with anyone he wants with, even her. He's gonna get the Nomination and Reston's already sweating bullets. PantyGate obviously made a deal with all the devils so she'll be able to Spin whatever unholiness she calls herself doing with him into Olivia and Fitz: A Love Like No Other. She's gonna be FLOTUS and you're gonna be her Bitch for the rest of your career, Cyrus Beene. You're gonna have do whatever she tells Fitzy to tell you to do or you'll be out your ass with just one pretty little pout from her…"

9 Weeks Later…

"Cyrus, it's not like he didn't have valid reasons for showing Hollis Doyle the door! Yes, he has a lot of money and a lot of pull with the Good Ol' Boys Club in D.C. but Fitz did not want him here! He said point blank that he didn't want Hollis here but you flew him in, anyway! He didn't want a cent of money from him or even an endorsement because Hollis wasn't trying to support him because he believes in him! He just wanted to buy a President! He wanted to have all exclusive access to the upper tiers of government so he can push every blood and oil drenched money Bill through that his little cheeseburger clogged black heart desires!"

"I get that but sometimes, you have to make sacrifices to…"

"There is a big difference between making sacrifices and climbing into a burning bed with the Devil, Cyrus! Getting Hollis Doyle involved with the Campaign is a prime example of the latter and you know it! You're so focused on getting yourself into 1600 Penn that you've forgotten just what your job is! Your job is to manage his Campaign and to support him, win or lose! You're not supposed to undermine him! What the hell is wrong with you?!"

"I don't even know why I came to you! I knew that you'd take his side! You always do!"

"You're damned right that I'm going to take Fitz's side and stick up for him! Somebody has to!"

"He's wrong, Olivia!"

"No, he's not!"

"Fitz is going to lose this Election all because…"

"All because of what, Cyrus?! Because he won't just roll over and let you manipulate him, anymore?! Because he's thinking for himself and taking control, now?! What's the matter, Mr. Geppetto?! Do you miss your puppet?! You are unbelievable! You smile in his face and then you go behind his back to try to run him through 5 minutes later! You say that you are on his side, that you're on his team but you're nothing but a fair weather leech! You're disgusting!"

"Goddamn it, you are not the only person who cares about him, Olivia!"

"You don't give a shit about him for him! All you care about is the power, the prestige, the political capital that he's got that you can never have on your own merits, what few you have!"

"That is not true! I've been on his side for years! He's like a son to me!"

"Oh, please! Remember who you're talking to, Cyrus! You can't bullshit me like you bullshit the others or yourself so you can sleep at night!"

"…I shouldn't have bothered. You're too close to the situation to look at things objectively…"

"If you're implying that the only reason that I'm supporting Fitz's Doyle embargo is because I'm sleeping with him, then you are wrong, closeminded, and obscenely sexist. Even if Fitz and I were still just friends, still just Fixer and Client, I'd be supporting the decision because it is a completely sound one, whether you like it or not. I'm not a love struck little girl and I'm not a sycophant, either. If I thought that he was wrong, I would've told him immediately. I've never been one to hold back my opinions and you know it. Look, at the end of the day, it is his Campaign, not mine, not yours, not anyone else's. It's his name on the ballot and his face on the bus. He gets final say and full control of the radio because he's running this motherfucker. If you can't accept what's going on, if you can't accept the new reality and the new order of things, then you need to get out before you get fired."

"Fitz would never get rid of me! He needs me! We've been through too much together! I've sacrificed far too much for him and his career! He wouldn't dare!"

"I'm sure that Mellie used to tell herself that all of the time but you know where she is right now, Cyrus? Gone. You know why she's gone? She's gone because she was disloyal and manipulative. She got away with it for a long time but times have changed. Fitz has changed. He's stronger, he's happier, and he has so much more confidence in himself. He's a better man and he'll do what needs to be done. Plus, he's got me in his corner and even if God forbid, Fitz and I break up, I refuse to knowingly let someone put the screws to him, especially someone who claims to love him. I won't allow it."

"…y-you would turn him against me?"

"I wouldn't have to. Fitz is a grown man with a fully functioning brain, including working eyes and ears. If he sees your fuckery or hears about it after the fact, he'll act on his own and I'll support the decision."

"Adding you to his life was a mistake. I shouldn't have done it."

"Well, you did and now, you have to live with the consequences. You will return to your lane and you will treat him with the respect he's earned as a man and politician from this point forward or I will happily make your life a living hell before you're thrown out on your ass. Have I made myself perfectly clear?"

"You've made yourself crystal clear. I'm going to bed."

"Good night, Cyrus. Please give James Novak my love and greetings."

Despite having won the argument and the last word, Olivia Pope sat heavily at the conference room table and rested her head on it with a low groan. She hadn't lost her temper like that since the Town Hall Meeting and she was remembering why. Every time she went nuclear, she ended up with a nasty migraine afterwards and she could already feel herself start to shake with the effort to hold her tears in. The release of adrenaline and held in venom always made her cry. Typically, she would find a way to let things go, especially after the last time she got as angry as she still was but Cyrus Beene had crossed the line. He had crossed more than one line in the last two weeks. That line crossing couldn't go unanswered, especially since the old bastard wasn't even sorry for doing it.

Fitz Grant III had swiftly gotten rid of Hollis Doyle two Mondays ago and spent the last 10 days freezing Cyrus out. He wouldn't even acknowledge his presence and it didn't take long for the media, along with those within the Grant camp to start speculating loudly about his job security. Cyrus had been a fixture at all things Grant since Fitzgerald "Big Jerry" Grant Jr.'s heyday as California Senator and Governor. He had been a part of Fitz's administration in California and had been around through all sorts of major life events, including the birth of his two children and his (long overdue) divorce from Melody 'Mellie' Vaughn.

Would the 'Doyle Debacle' be the last straw? Had Cyrus finally gotten himself kicked off of his Grant gravy train? Would he ever apologize? Was he about to be fired or just "accidentally" left behind at the next truck stop that the Bus ended up at? Nobody knew for sure but the old man was obviously scared, which is why he came to her to try and justify his actions. After all, everyone knew that Olivia was the key to getting through to Fitz nowadays. He listened to her before he listened to anyone, even God. If Cyrus could just get her on his side, get her to intervene with Fitz and thaw him out, then surely, he would be okay.

Yes, he had gone against Fitz's wishes by calling in Hollis Doyle but he was just trying to do his job like he had always done, he had explained unrepentantly. Sometimes, he would have to do what was necessary, even if Fitz didn't like it. It was like forcing a child to eat their broccoli and to not bite the doctor while getting their vaccinations. Surely, Olivia could see his reasoning and agree with it. She had been his best student, after all. She understood The Game better than anyone out there. That was why he had introduced Fitz to her in the first place. Just because she and Fitz claimed to be a loving couple didn't mean that she couldn't see the bigger picture and help him out for the sake of the Greater Good…

What Cyrus failed to understand was that while Olivia did understand The Game and his ways, at the end of the day was a loyal person, especially to those she trusted enough to let in her mind, heart, and body. Edison Davis had that loyalty and squandered it, which is why PantyGate happened. Olivia was not the forgiving sort when she felt that she had been wronged and Edison had not only lied to her face, he had been sloppy about his indiscretion. She had found the other woman's cotton candy pink panties in his laundry like something straight out of a soap opera. Sure, she could've quietly broken up with him but that hadn't satisfied her sense of justice. She wanted to inflict an equal to greater amount of pain on her ex-fiancé so he would learn a lesson. He would learn not to be a coward and he would learn to never underestimate or disregard a woman ever again. So, she had gone big. She had gone loud and public. The YouTube video of the Town Hall Meeting Confrontation had well over a million hits and even 20 years from now, she would never truly escape the moniker of "PantyGate Pope".

Anyway, Fitz prompted the same kind of loyalty that she had to Edison but much, much deeper. Her feelings for Fitz were much deeper in less than 6 months than her feelings for Edison had been after a little over 5 years together, which was honestly quite sad. Fitz Grant III had looked past the piss and vinegar, ignored her bad Reputation, saw through the bravado, and found her still very hurt heart. It wasn't broken anymore, just wounded. Fitz had coaxed it out of its hiding place and shown her his own hurt heart, his own wounded underbelly.

He had been honest with her from the start and that amazed her. Pretty much all of his life, Fitz had been used, manipulated, and hurt but he was still able to be honest with people, still able to believe in them, still able to open his heart without waiting for the other shoe to drop. She admired his honesty and kindness. Add in his intelligence, his wicked sense of humor, and his sheer physicality and Olivia falling for him like a ton of bricks had been inevitable. Frightening but inevitable, all the same.

Slowly, she stood up and rubbed the heels of her hands over her eyes. Olivia no longer felt like she was going to break down (at least not until she was in private) but she was completely worn out. It had been a long day and the argument with Cyrus had taken the last of her energy. She was moving on autopilot, now. All she wanted was a hot meal, a long shower and at least 2 hours of uninterrupted sleep, preferably in Fitz's arms. She had never been one for cuddling before Fitz came along. She liked to keep to her side of the bed and while she didn't mind being held after sex, snuggling in general had a tendency to make her feel smothered. Of course, those feelings came from doing it with the wrong person…

She wanted to do it with the right person, now.

/

"Who did it, Livvie? Who made you upset?"

"I got into a screaming match with Cyrus. He was trying to get me on his side about the whole Hollis thing and I didn't like how he was talking about you so I called him out. He made it sound like you were being a brat and that we needed to get you in line because you don't know your right hand from your left."

"…I'll kill him first thing in the morning."

"Please don't. He's not worth the effort and the Campaign doesn't need any more drama."

"He shouldn't be causing the drama and upsetting you, Olivia."

"I'm fine, now. After I won the fight, I made it clear that it would be in his best interests to stay in his lane. I know you've been upset with him and you want to get rid of him but it's best to keep him around for the time being. He's an absolute bastard but he still has his uses. Plus, if you got rid of him now, he'd find ways to sabotage the Campaign and you as a person because he's just that small and petty."

"Keep your friends close and your enemies closer?"

"Exactly. Throw him a bone so he'll calm down and then leave him be."

"I'll throw him a bone but not until after I yell at him. His behavior is unacceptable and I'm not going to put up with it anymore, whether I'm elected or not."

"You're going to be President, baby. Whether it happens this November or in November 2012, you'll be President and a good one. One of the best."

"You really think so?"

"I know so."

Her complete faith in him both inspired and terrified him to the core. Having Olivia Pope in his corner provided the confident perspective he needed to go forward but Fitz didn't want to let her down. Olivia had been hurt and let down so many times. Edison Davis was the most prominent example but there were more people, more slights and disappointments that she had to learn to cope with. That was why she understood him as well as she did. She understood his insecurities, his self loathing, and his fears because she had them too. On the surface, they were complete polar opposites but really, they were cut from the same cloth.

He didn't want to add to her pain. He didn't want to be just another person, just another lousy son of a bitch who had let her down…

"What really made me go after him was how appalled he sounded when he realized that I was sticking up for you. How can he claim to be on your side, how can he claim you as a surrogate son but then get disgusted when someone is genuinely concerned about your wellbeing? I don't understand that."

"Cyrus is Cyrus and he's used to how things were. Before you came along, he was the one I turned to. He was the one I put faith in. I didn't have anyone else to trust, not really. Mellie was in it for herself and I didn't want to burden Karen and Gerry. He was my go-to guy and I got so used to his…what was the word you used earlier? It was a really good one…"

"Fuckery."

"…that I just ignored it. It was easier that way."

"It doesn't make it right."

The way her fingertips were massaging his scalp made him feel like he was going to melt through the mattress. She smelled of honeysuckle, vanilla, and of himself, a result of the love they had made earlier. What bedding that didn't end up on the floor was shrouding their lower halves and she was straddling him from behind, her breasts flush against his back. Their left hands were entwined, hers resting on top and his right fingers clenched into the pillow his head rested on for an anchor.

This was the sort of thing he missed the most during his marriage to Mellie. He had missed sex, yes but what really had him miserable was the lack of affection. Fitz was a very tactile person. Mellie only touched him when it suited her purposes and after the kids came, she had treated all of their intimacy like a burden and him like an inconvenience. He was a trial to endure for the sake of political capital and prestige by proxy. She pulled away when he tried to hold her and he didn't dare ask for her to hold him. She would've laughed in his face. The revelation of her affairs with Andrew Nichols and his sperm donor hadn't surprised him sans the identities. Once she had secured his name and "had kids for him, gave up everything for him", she felt like she could write him off.

In the end, it hadn't worked out that way. Mellie was gone and contained by the information he held over her head. Fitz had kept mum about her affairs and the paternity issues. If the situations had been reversed, Mellie would've lit the fire to burn him at the stake but Fitz was different. The only thing Mellie cared more about than herself was her social standing, her personal political Optics and capital. By not throwing her to the wolves, not only did he behave like a stand up guy (the polar opposite of his sperm donor), he had the high ground. He had the high ground with their children (not that Fitz would ever consider using them as pawns but they certainly wouldn't allow their mother to do it, given the circumstances) and with the Media. Unless Mellie came forward and admitted to the affairs (something that she'd never do, she had to save face, after all), Fitz could and would use them as leverage against her to keep her in line.

While he didn't have the benefit of blackmail to put Cyrus back in his place, Fitz had something, someone better than all the dirty little secrets in the World.

He had his best friend. He had his Livvie and provided that he didn't do something Grant Man Stupid (ego, pride, and libido conspiring to destroy any and everything good that happened to them…), she would stay with him. She would be his partner, his backup, and he would gladly do the same for her. Olivia could take care of herself. He knew that in his bones but it was always best to have someone in your corner no matter what. Just because the Media had gotten used to them as "Olitz" didn't mean that there weren't still detractors, especially given Olivia's infamous "woman scorned" behavior against Davis.

Fitz didn't blame her for PantyGate now that he had the full story. 5 years of a relationship, 5 years of milestones and trust had been thrown in her face. What recourse did she have? She could've left quietly but that wouldn't have been just. Davis needed to learn a lesson. He needed to see and feel the consequences of his actions for the rest of his life. She had taken the situation and did the right thing. It wasn't necessarily the smart or sane thing but it had been right…

"You make things right, Livvie. I'm glad that we met. Life's better with you in it."

Fitz could feel her smile as she kissed his cheek and shifted deeper into the mattress as she turned the lamp off.

"Go to sleep, babe. You've got a prayer meeting and pancake breakfast tomorrow."

"Okay…I love you, Olivia."

"I love you, too. Good night."