Before the stars of "Scandal" were gladiators -- and philandering presidents -- they cut their teeth acting all over Hollywood. Several got experience on Shonda Rhimes' shows, with cameos and story arcs on "Grey's Anatomy" and "Private Practice." (A true "Grey's" fan will never get over the fact that Cyrus Beene and Sally Langston were married in a different universe.)
More than a few appeared in Aaron Sorkin's shows, and as Vulture pointed out, they all overlapped in their pre-"Scandal" career. When you combine their previous lives on "Gilmore Girls," "West Wing" and "The Good Wife," these stars provide fodder for some pretty excellent fan fiction.
Here's what the "Scandal" stars were up to before B613, teeth pulling and those symbolic white hats: