#and all the security folks were middle aged men very intrigued by what we were doing

[curiosity-killed]

Photo shoots are fun on their own but honestly some of the best parts are just Public Interacting With a Ballerina instances

[wegotpopedsir]

Top of the Ninth- Chapter 2

chapter one

AN: FYI changed it so it takes place in January not October at the start of training for baseball HS season, also obviously this doesn't follow canon because Liv is still Chief of Staff at the WH. Let me know what you think!

And now Henry with the weather. Hey there folks, be careful on the roads tomorrow as we are coming into a lot of snow and ice. The temperatures are dropping tonight-

"Oh, I just adore your bracelet young lady! Where is it from? You made it? No way!" Mellie was charming the small crowd that had gathered in the diner she was sitting at, with the local news playing in the background.

"Huh, she's gotten better with them."

Olivia half-laughed, "Yeah, it's an election year. There's no press here but just this one stop will cause people to talk and we get the entire town in the bag come November."

Jake looked at her through the corner of his eye and lightly shook his head. "So… how have you been?"

"Busy with Mellie," she replies abruptly. She hears crowd laugh in the background as she turned towards him, trying to figure out his angle. She was waiting for an explanation on everything, his divorce, resignation, how he could walk out like he did, but didn't want to be the one to bring it up.

"Do you want to go somewhere quieter? Well, relatively quieter, there's only one bar in Blackstone."

Sam's Bar had a creaky front door and an old school jukebox playing old school music in the background. The bar had few customers on a weeknight, mingling among themselves in their own space. Jake got up to get drinks for the both of them and Olivia was left alone with her thoughts. She felt anxious, an emotion she didn't usually feel with Jake. There was a gap between them and Olivia didn't know what would and wouldn't cross the line. They had been making polite small talk about the weather on the walk over- the weather! This was a man who she thought she knew better than anyone else and believed that was a two- way street. He seen her, literally and metaphorically, in ways that she didn't show to most people and now it was like they were strangers.

As her eyes wandered, she heard a group of middle aged men laugh out loud. This was a bad idea; someone could snap a picture and with social media at its pinnacle, within minutes everyone would see the two of them together. Anything could blowback on the President and with her history with Jake, Jake's show stopping wedding (and divorce), then his disappearance, Olivia didn't know how this would play out it the media.

Jake walked back over to her and seemed to pick up on her nerves, trying to calm her with a hesitant smile, "Don't worry, I was worried about what the townspeople would do at first, but no one really cares, and besides Sam would probably kick out anyone who tries to take pictures." Olivia relaxed for a moment and took a swig of her drink to distract herself.

"Right, so-""How's-"Olivia and Jake started at the same time. For the love of God, this was getting cliché like the movies.

"Ok, I'll start," Jake said with a growing smile, "how's Mellie? QPA?"

And before long they were falling into the groove they were used to. Laughing, catching up on gossip and the dirty secrets of D.C., the drinks kept coming and the walls went down. "Two peas in a pod, sharing inside jokes," his ex-wife once said.

"Oh yeah the intern was so embarrassed. His face turned all red and Mellie was trying to make it less awkward and pretend like nothing happened," Olivia said, wincing as the strong alcohol burned as it went down her throat. Jake was laughing, rather intoxicated too, when Sam shouted out last call. Olivia realized how long she had been sitting with Jake, well into the night. She had completely ignored her phone, thus ignoring many calls and texts, but the one that caught her eye at the top- We're on our way back to WH, figured you're staying the night here. Have fun with Jake. –Mellie. That sobered her up very quickly and she started rushing to make calls. How could they just leave? Where is she supposed to stay? There was so much she had to do back in D.C. she couldn't just stay here. She couldn't even drive up there now.

Jake saw the cool, calm, collected Olivia leave and started to sense an upcoming freak out and offered to drive before Olivia reminded him that he had been drinking too and their blood alcohol concentration was well beyond the limit.

Wanting to help, wanting to fix things for her, he didn't even realize until the words were out of his mouth and the offer was up in the air- "You can stay with me."

There was a pause that seemed to last for an hour before Jake stumbled on, half- drunk, half- surprised at himself, "I mean, it's pretty late and you can stay in the guest bedroom and leave in the morning." At this point it was too late and she was too tired to consider any other options.

When they got to Jake's house, Olivia took in her surroundings; the house was spacious and modestly decorated. Everything was new, but she could see the bits and pieces of Jake in them.

Jake offered her a change of clothes and showed her where the guest bedroom was. Olivia stood in front of the mirror and reflected on the last 24 hours. She was happy that Jake was happy but it still felt like something was missing. They have gone through so much together and so many phases of relationship, dating, friends, dating (again), Quinn calling them an old married couple, Command/Chief of Staff/ National Security Director, then most recently strangers, but a couple of drinks can't rebuild a friendship or relationship. Tomorrow, she would go back to the dark pit of D.C. and Jake would return to his school and perhaps they would occasionally text to make plans to meet again.

She shook her head and quickly exited the bedroom before being hit with 6 feet and 1 inch of a man whose body she was very familiar with.

Olivia looked up and suddenly she was transported back 4 years; the two of them were getting ready for bed, 2 nights before Jake was supposed to get married, if only she had known then the triumphs and disappointments that were coming. It seemed like everything was the same as Jake still looked at Olivia with the love like he did before but everything was different-like a gust of cold air blasted in, killing the mood-

"Uh, sorry I was just going to get some water."

"Oh… glasses are in the first cabinet on the right when you walk in the kitchen."

Olivia woke to her phone ringing, not unlike other days, but other days she's comfortable in her apartment in D.C., only 10 minutes away from 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, ready to fix another crisis. This time it took her a minute to get oriented to where she was before she picked up the phone.

"Olivia!" Olivia groaned, she really didn't need Mellie in her ear at 5 in the morning, especially as she was trying to fight the hangover from last night.

"Mellie, yes I'm about to get on the road, I can get to the White House by 8:30, before Ethan even brings the donuts," in a biting tone, partially because of the hangover pounding in her head and partially annoyed at the assistant not even in her vicinity. Some of Cyrus's Chief of Staff tendencies had rubbed off on her.

"Oh no, no, no, no"

"What?!" God, what has gotten into Mellie?

"The snow storm remember? It's about to hit D.C. and Virginia and you shouldn't be out on the road. Don't worry we'll be fine here, you stay in Blackstone and make your way up tomorrow or Thursday."

"Mel- Madam Pres-"

"No buts! I'd rather you didn't die on the road so just relax; you haven't taken a vacation in so long, maybe Blackstone is nice."

"No, there's nothing in Blackstone, I should be coming back to work."

"I'm sure there's something or someone there to entertain you. If it makes you feel better, I'll email you some things that you can take a look at if you have time." Olivia sighed in exasperation. How was this happening to her? Right when she needs to be in D.C. to work on this bill, she's stuck in the middle of a snowstorm.

She had the worst timing.

Olivia was pleasantly surprised at how many hidden gems Blackstone had to offer. She was lounging on the couch, with a takeout box in her hand waiting for Jake to grab the hot sauce before starting the movie, reflecting on her mini-vacation.

Earlier that morning she asked Jake if he was ok with her staying until the roads were clear and as always, a brief look of surprised crossed his face, but was quickly covered up and he was ready to accommodate. Jake still had to go to work as it was only lightly snowing but told her to check out the town square if she wanted to get out of the house. After breakfast, she went back to bed for the first time in months to get some more sleep.

Everything seemed to be within walking distance, so in the afternoon after she had checked her email (she couldn't resist), Olivia took his advice and went out, stopping at a cafe to pick up something small to take to Jake while he was at practice afterschool.

She walked into the gym, intrigued as she saw a group of teenage boys grouped around the former spy; she was reminded of another time Jake had been a leader, stepping up to the plate as Command and how as much as she had wanted Quinn home, she knew the young brunette was safe with Jake in charge. Soon one distracted high school kid noticed her and, like wildfire, the whispers spread before one of them shouted out "Coach, you have a visitor!" Jake turned around and his eyes lit up.

"Hey, I don't mean to interrupt. I just stopped by a cafe and bought some doughnuts and wanted to give them to you."

"Oh thanks," he saw the amused smirks out of the corner of his eye and turned to the teens, "Guys, why don't you start warming up?" Unfortunately they were reluctant to start, all of them thinking about the headlines from a few years ago with the woman standing in front of them and the former President, confirming their sordid affair. And now that woman was here and seemed to be awfully friendly with someone who had caused schoolwide gossip the moment he stepped foot on the school, but now was a normal sight. It wasn't until Jake blew his whistle and ordered, "I meant now!" that they got up, with a new set of gossip ready to be spilled during AP Bio.

"Nosy kids…" he muttered.

Olivia smirked, "Ok old man, how's your team doing?"

"We've only had a couple practices and this weather isn't helping, but they're alright."

"Yeah, the principal was telling us yesterday. With good coaching, I'm sure they'll be great," a smile crept up on her face as Olivia turned to him with an innocent expression, "Know any good coaches?"

Jake rolled his eyes as he elbowed her, "Haha, you're hilarious. You can stay, if you'd like."

"Oh, I can't, I have to go back hom- to your house- to finish reading over some things Mellie forwarded me."

"Yeah, of course, America never sleeps," there was a split second of unease that came with the reminder of his past, before "but hey I can pick up some Chinese food for dinner if you'd like."

So she went back to a place she'd only been for 2 days but surprisingly felt very homely-in a way that was different from the houses she had before, namely the Vermont one that had been built up and glorified before being met with harsh bouts of reality- and tried to get some work done but her mind was drifting off every so often. She recognized the familiarity, and felt the warmth even though it was the coldest time of the year, as they slowly reconnected like on island when it was just the two of them, but this time it seemed as though there was another layer that needed to be peeled back.

"One Extra Hot Hot sauce," Jake said, shaking Olivia out of her reverie "Did you choose a movie?"

"Yup, Miss Congeniality"

"Oh my god, nothing has changed, Liv," the nickname dancing off his lips, a sharp contrast from the "Boss" or "Ma'am" that he'd been addressing her as the last time he saw her, "we've watched this a million times." Jake said shaking his head, but reaching for the remote to press play.

2 hours of watching Sandra Bullock kick-ass, well Jake was watching her kick-ass while still critiquing her technique, Olivia was watching Jake as she thought about how things weren't awkward anymore but still felt like they were just starting to break down the walls that had been building up over the last few years.

She had shifted towards him as the movie went on and had managed to get up close against him, cuddling into Jake's body as the snow fell outside, and if anyone had asked then, she would've said it was because it was too cold. But the heater was on and it was just the two of them, with no one, Command, her father, or Fitz there to stop her as she leaned closer to him and stared at his lips before looking up into those deep green eyes, daring him to make the first move.

His lips brushed against hers and it was like it was in slow motion; the room got warm and it wasn't the heater protecting from the outside cold. And maybe it was them being a little wine drunk, or maybe it was the reminder that it didn't matter where in the world they were or what position they held but for Olivia and Jake, home was a person. Home was a person that had been gone for months now and now maybe it was the stars that aligned so that Olivia and Jake had the opportunity to go back to being, well, Olivia and Jake, and that night they were reminded that it wasn't just conversation and trust that they missed from one another. Their lips met again, more eager to fill what had been missing for so long, and that night they remembered.

Pretty soon, the storm calmed, the snow started to melt, and the two had to return to reality. Jake didn't wake up alone for the first time in a while, sometime that night they had made it to the bedroom, but as he looked over to the woman next to him, he didn't know what to think. He slowly shifted away, careful not to wake her as he grabbed his discarded clothes and made his way to his kitchen. Did this one night change anything between them? Nights like this hadn't before, but it wasn't a conversation he was ready to have and wasn't sure if she was ready either.

Olivia fell asleep cuddling, pressed against Jake's chest, but when she woke to an empty bed she wondered for a moment if it was all a dream. If she was being honest, she had woken up confused like this, after a passionate night only to wake up to find it all was just a dream, a few times after Jake left. But this time it was real; this time the space next to her was still warm. And yet there she was- alone. She stared up at the ceiling with a million thoughts flying through her mind before finally finding the courage to get up. She could hear the rustling in the kitchen and when she walked through the doorway, caught Jake's eye when he looked up from the stove and flashed her a polite smile. Ok we're going to talk about this right? Maybe he just doesn't know how to bring it up.

That morning was filled with casual, tranquil amity like they had been getting dressed and ready for the day together for years. Jake was driving her up to the nation's capital, making it a road trip, much more pleasant than the last one they went on before she stood up and admitted to being the President's mistress. No, this one was filled with pre-popped popcorn, a road trip playlist filled with surprisingly a lot more Niall Horan than Jake expected, and a lot of quiet laughter. Olivia knew something was on Jake's mind because she did know him as she had said before. They were both smiling but they were also the two best people at wearing masks.

Over the last few days a lot of walls had come down, and it was as if their friendship was stronger than ever, but during the comfortable silences Jake reminded himself that this isn't her life, and he has to protect himself.

Finally, they entered familiar territory; a place that they had each taken a turn controlling from the depths of Wonderland or the White House, but for Jake was now simply an old memory, a touristy city that held secrets around every corner. After a making a call to Quinn, the two of them pulled in to the QPA building so that Jake could visit all of them for the first time since leaving.

They spent the rest of the morning catching up with the Quinn, Huck, Charlie and Abby, with the redhead and brunette making knowing eye contact every time Olivia and Jake shared a smile from across the table.

"Oh, we better head out. I need to get to the White House and check on Mellie. I'm just going to run to the restroom real quick."

Olivia was washing her hands when Abby barged in. "Ok, what was all that about?"

"What?"

"That! You leave for D.C. and you're not talking to Jake at all and now you're back and you're- well, you're happy! And it's a good look on you!"

"I don't know what to tell you Abby, it was just a mini vacation. It was surprisingly nice being down there. "

"I'm not talking about Blackstone," Abby said recognizing the Olivia Pope style of spin and ignoring what's right in front of her.

"Oh, Jake. We talked a lot and maybe slept together last night," Olivia said, rushing through the last part of her sentence, walking back into the QPA foyer.

"Wow, are you going to get back together?"

"I mean, I don't know what this means for us." She was still waiting to get a moment for them to talk about what happened the night before and how they had gotten there. It was ironic, usually she never wanted to talk about their long and complicated history but this time she wanted to know, she was open to seeing where this could go.

Meanwhile-

Quinn turned to Jake, her eyes lighting up and a smirk creeping on her lips, "Did something happen? And don't even try to lie to me." He had trained her too well and all this time running QPA and dealings with stubborn clients made her internal lie detector pretty good.

Jake sighed, knowing he wasn't getting out of this, "We slept together."

"So now …"

Jake turned away from the interrogation, "So, nothing. "

Quinn scoffed, "Really, don't you still love her? You can make your move now. What's stopping you?"

"Of course I still love her," he shook his head and paused, "but she's here and probably thinks it was nothing, just a normal Tuesday, or a last hurrah maybe."

"What if she doesn't think so?"

Jake looked over at her with his eyes just begging for her not to push. It wasn't a road he wanted to go down again; falling in love with the formidable Olivia Pope only to be left out in the cold. "I doubt that; we've slept together before without any emotion being involved, nothing is gonna change between me and Olivia."

"Do you want to get back together?" Abby said, trying to catch up with Olivia.

"I- Maybe? You know me, I'm not saying we should jump into anything, but everything felt so real, you know? Like we actually have a shot this time. We don't have to worry about my father or-" Olivia quieted when she heard her name.

"I'm not getting back together with Olivia."

"Jake," Quinn said with a knowing tone.

"Really, nothing is going to change."

She really does have the worst timing.

AN: so cliffhanger sorta! this chapter was kinda fluffy so that in the next chapter they really dig in! Let me know what you think!

[olwog]

Getting There

I’ve missed the last few rambles so today is something of a bonus. We’re heading for Rosedale to do a walk that I’ve fancied for some time. I did a shortened version of this a couple of years ago after a visit to the ‘Seated Man’ and it was quite boggy. Today, the weather is perfect for walking. The skies are a deep blue with some careless brushes of cirrus cloud although there is every possibility that it will change a little later and there are threatening signs of some deeper cloud over the Pennines in the far distance. 

    I’m enjoying the ‘now’ though. I’m in Postman Pat country on winding roads that are little more than tarmac enhanced lanes that have been here for centuries. They twist and turn as they follow the edge of fields, woods, rivers and ancient boundaries. 

I’m driving across the tops and can see the road gently but ominously dropping towards a ford and the water is in full flow from the rain overnight; in fact it’s been raining heavily for over a week so there is more than the usual amount of water flowing in the tiny stream that is currently impersonating a river.

This ford is normally dry and the stream ducks under the road through a small culvert. Not today though, there is a strong current running over the road although the marker that’s been established at the side suggests that it is no more than a foot (30cm) deep. There’re no cars in front or behind me so, in a fit of adolescent fun I welly the car and wash the underside quite nicely with the residue of the water flushing the top of the car and removing the gull shit that I acquired in Whitby yesterday quite effectively.

I stop at a small lay-by at the other side to take some photographs and just as I’m about to get back in to the driver’s seat another car appears, it’s the rest of the team, bar one, and they can see the results of my new, low tech, car wash. After some minor interrogation regarding what I’m doing we’re off again heading out of Westerdale into Rosedale passing some well known stones on the way.

I visited some of these with Pete a year or so ago and they’re well worth getting of the car for if you’re in this neck of the woods. See next section…

Tracks and Ancient Stones

There are tracks across these moors established by drovers, traders and religious people many centuries ago. The evidence is in the form of crosses, monoliths and smaller stones. Some of these were placed where they are for a known reason i.e. way markers or commemoration of an event (usually gory, or at the very least, scary!) and the ones that don’t have folk lore attached, but they all have a story and you’ll find a couple here:

Old and Young Ralph’s Crosses

Actually there are two that are well known along with Fat Betty and various lesser-known but equally fascinating markers and stones.

    Young Ralph is the one you’ll pass if you’re on the moor road. Old Ralph is about 320m (350 yds) west i.e. if you stand next to Young Ralph with your back to the road you can just about see Old Ralph on the horizon. Although it’s a relatively short distance, at the time of writing there had been significant rainfall and this has created numerous boggy areas so the actual walk whilst avoiding them is nearly 800m (half a mile) either way.

Young Ralph stands just under three metres (9 feet) and was restored by three local men who deserve a mention here as the work they did was considerable. 

First recorded in the 12c or 13c although the current one is probably from the 18c. It was vandalised in the 1960’s and again in 1980’s when three dedicated men restored it. 

*In 1985 the cross was lovingly restored and re-erected by some local men, Mr Robert Dixon, Mr Tom Rudd and Mr Michael Smith, at the English Heritage Commission’s stone masonry workshop at Mount Grace Priory.  The middle section of the cross was made from new stone from nearby quarries; the top section was not badly damaged, but a section of delta metal was inserted inside the shaft to make a secure link between the sections and the cross-head.  The cross is a listed monument. *Acknowledgements and thanks to ‘The Northern Antiquarian’

I couldn’t find anything to differentiate Old Ralph from Young Ralph in terms of the folk tales so here’s a synopsis that could apply to either or both!

A nun from Farndale and a monk from Rosedale who would meet there for an ecclesiastical chat followed by a romantic liaison! The latter could have been a medieval euphemism and given the steep paths from both directions I have a lot of admiration for them if they went beyond the chat…

A local man called Ralph found a penniless traveller who’d starved to death here and was so moved that he erected a cross to mark the spot and commemorate him. He then had a hollow carved in the top to enable passers by to add small coins to share so that other desperate travellers would be able to buy a simple meal at one of the nearby inns and no-one else should suffer the same fate. Given the fact that the average hight of a tall man in those days wouldn’t be much more than five feet I think the only poor starving travellers that would be able to avail themselves of the bounty would needed to have been carrying a step ladder!

A medieval way marker. They stand at a point where there are at least two contemporary roads and possibly three paths or tracks in years gone by.

…and connected to 3 above, they have a groove in their tops where money could be left for destitute travellers so that they would have some small change for a meal when they reached the next hamlet or farmstead.

Fat Betty

        Is a four foot piece of stone that has the impression of a head at the top. The upper part is painted white and the myths and legends that surround it are numerous…

Two nuns and their attendant were lost in the fog and were eventually found dead and the stone is there to commemorate another is that it is named after a nun called Margery and it was originally called ‘Margery Cross’ and another that a local farmers wife didn’t return from a trip to the local hamlet and he found her here dead. The stone is a memorial!

The bottom line is that nobody knows, but they’re good tales and tick all of the boxes of intrigue, mystery, bit of supernatural, suffering and death; what’s not to like?

Rosedale

We’re passing all of this to drop down into Rosedale Abbey for the start of the walk. It’s a beautiful little village and there’s plenty fo parking space, there’s also facilities for those of us of an age and five minutes later we’re ready to rock n roll – well walk.

    Our route follows the stream which is swollen but not at risk of flooding. There are numerous boggy areas that need a little bit of care and I complement myself for choosing the heavier Gortex boots for this walk, they’ll keep me dry provided I don’t step into anything that’s going to see my foot disappear under more than six inches of mud or water.

    We’re through a couple of fields now and rising all the time so the boggy areas are becoming less frequent and the view down Rosedale more spectacular. We stop and look back as we cross Knott Road. The sun has made an appearance and we can see the shadows of the clouds scooting down the dale. They’re moving apace and it would be impossible to keep up with them on foot, inf= fact, it’s only when you see this kind of evidence that you appreciate the strength of the wind that’s driving the culprits across the sky.

We enter Knottside Plantation and walk for twenty minutes in the shade and protection of the wood. The blustery wind can still be heard and the tops of the trees are flexing as it looks for easier routes and leaves us in a quiet corridor that undulates and gently twists with the land, it’s not difficult in here but there are plenty of boulders and stones so care is needed at each step.

          As we’re exiting the wood George mentions some evidence of an industrial past and almost on cue we see a small yard of abandoned ‘stuff’ the highlight of which is a very old wagon of indeterminate vintage and make. One of its lights seems to be a slit light that were evident in the last war and it’s a left-hand-drive, beyond that, it’s a mystery.

  As we walk I realise that we’re now on the bed of a disused railway track. It was opened in 1861 as an extension of the ingenious funicular that serviced the needs of the mines above Battersby Junction. The wagons on that section would be pulled up the slope using the weight of the full ones going down and with the help of various braking systems the speed was held at about 20 mph which would be pretty rapid in those days. The 10 mile extension over the moors enabled the iron to be transported initially from the east side of Rosedale but in later years a further extension was added and more iron could be extracted by mines to the west at Blakey.

The views along and down the valley change as we walk and the weather adds a damp threat to the atmosphere bit doesn’t come to anything.

As we round one of the gentle bends some brick structures come into view. They’re like a multi arch bridge but they were built to be part of the processing of the ore and are listed as calcining kilns. They’re semi derelict now but there is work being done to restore them or, to be more precise, make them safe.

    It’s fascinating that this little dale was host to such an industrial heritage with miners injecting life and money into the local economy. Wikipedia suggests that this dale is heavily financed by holiday cottages and, whilst this keeps the dale alive it does mean that local workers will have difficulty raising the funds to buy even the most modest of properties.

After a brief encounter with a mini-Striding-Edge we take a narrow track down towards the valley base at Dale End where the aptly named Dale End Farm promises shelter, coffee, tea, scones and various beautiful cakes all home cooked and all financed by an honesty box and suggested price list. It’s quirky and wonderful with various types of seats that vary between normal tables and chairs to comfortable armchairs and settees many of which have a lovely view that comes as standard. 

    Forty minutes later we’re well fed and ready for the return leg which is mostly road bound but still offering lovely views and we get another angle on the Kilns that stand out well in the sun and from this distance not as dilapidated.

    As we make our way down the long descent to Rosedale Abbey we pass Bell End Farm and stop to revert to adolescent humour and numerous photographs – to paraphrase – “You can grow old with dignity but you can’t take the boy out of a man!”

    This walk is about 13km (~8 miles) and whilst there are some quite testing ‘ups’ it’s easy and fascinating in equal measure.

Thanks to George Renwick, George Preston (Tracker George), Peter Hymer, Dave Rider and Dave Bowman.

Wonderful friends and excellent company. G…x

Fabulous walk around the Rosedale and the industrial past - fabulous...G..x Getting There I’ve missed the last few rambles so today is something of a bonus. We’re heading for Rosedale to do a walk that I’ve fancied for some time.