god complex

starter for: audrey hammond.

“don’t even think about it.” the blonde said before the other could open her mouth to protest. it was like pulling teeth to get audrey to do anything anywhere in the vicinity of fun. but it was what made their friendship work. autumn got audrey to let loose every now and then and audrey got autumn to grow a spine when she needed to. “we don’t gotta do karaoke right now or anything. we could start small. like dance around the house with a glass of wine in our hand and spaghetti for dinner.” / @avdreyh

“same. i can’t remember the last time i even went grocery shopping,” thanks to your husband keeping me busy. “the only people possibly ever using my kitchen are my friends, and i’m not working all that hard to impress them anyway,” she laughed a little bit, but she knew she should maybe try to seem like a fully developed person around audrey. “well if there’s no arsenic in it then you can definitely count me in.”

audrey waved her hand, “i have a person for grocery shopping anyway. an assistant.” it was a waste of time. she had much more important things to do than grocery shop. like, saving the free world and all of that, “impressing people is important. even if they’re your friend already.” she shrugged, at least, that was her mindset. she let out a chuckle, “well, i don’t keep any arsenic on hand, so you’re safe today.” she got out two mugs, waiting for the tea to come to a boil. 

  nodding along with Audrey’s reasoning Charlotte herself had never been truly big on the whole fishing activity, but she could recall moments from her childhood spent at campgrounds and rivers with her dad. “ You not having patience? I can’t believe that. “ the blonde teased her friend. perking up at the other part of the paper, she settled back into her chair ready to read what she didn’t before. “ Of course you’re already done with it — They’re probably waiting for their big ‘Nobel prize’ moment.” Charlotte stated with a roll of her eyes. “Lets be honest they probably won’t ever get there.”

she  needed  to  know  ,  lips  pressed  together  as  her  arms  folded  loosely.  maddie  had  to  wonder  if  her  dad  had  already  spilt  the  beans.  GOD  ,  she  hoped  not.  a  suck  of  breath  as  she  looked  at  audrey.  it  wasn’t  like  her  mother  could  really  do  anything  ,  she  was  technically  married  to  kat  already  but  playing  engaged  wasn’t  that  hard  and  it  would  save  her  mother  having  a  heart  attack  if  she  found  out  a  drunken  night  in  vegas  got  her  hooked.  deep  down  ,  she  cared  about  her  mother.

“so ,  i  got  something  to  tell  you.” maddie  commented  ,  pause  for  a  moment.  she  rarely  got  nervous  but  she  was  actually  shitting  herself  right  now. “i’ve  got  engaged  ,  to  kat.”  yep  ,  just  let  it  out  and  hope  to  god  that  your  mother  won’t  kill  you.

@avdreyh

audrey looked up as her daughter entered the room, setting aside her phone where she had been looking at the latest polling numbers, but, from maddie’s demeanor she could tell this was more important, “what is it?” as maddie continued, though, she stiffened- this had not been what she was expecting. not in the slightest. she blinked, fixing maddie with an unmoving stare, “kat... your friend kat? since when?” this could not be happening. maddie couldn't marry kat. she was fine enough as a friend, but as a wife? no. audrey could not let this wedding move forward, “you’re joking, right?” she let out a disbelieving laugh, “no, you’re not serious.” she couldn't tell her she was too young- zeke was even younger than her when they got married, “since when have you even wanted to get married?” her mind was racing, this had to be some elaborate joke. 

“ you’re so welcome. ” his words are teasing, for sure. a genuine thank you from audrey wasn’t an everyday thing. he never took it the wrong way, though. he notices the slight shift in his wife, which could only mean his attempts at pushing her buttons worked. “ nalani is far from incompetent. not that i need to justify my decisions to you, anyway. ” he replies, calmly. putting his personal interests aside, he could truly see the younger woman’s potential. he laughs lightly, knowing that didn’t mean much coming from her. “ please, you don’t trust anyone. ”

sitting in the cafe, hoping to find some solace from home & work. charlotte mindlessly stirred the spoon in the mug of coffee, eyes boring into the newspaper in her calloused hands. “ Didn’t know that there was a prime time to go fishing in the summer… I guess it’s middle june. “ she murmured out loud to no one in particular with furrowed brows. “ That’s about all that this cover’s, maybe I only grabbed a part of it…” unsure if she had really only grabbed parts of the newspaper, char turned her eyes away & towards the person to her left. “ Do you happen to have the newspaper ? “ she inquired with a soft smile and a hesitant laugh. “ I think I only grabbed a sheet of it. “

“mhmm,” alicia smiled as she took a sip of her drink. she wasn’t just suspicious because audrey being happy about anything seemed off brand. “i mean, that tracks. you definitely fuck someone who isn’t your husband for.. a year? because you’re happy with him. like, that totally makes sense,” she spoke quietly enough so that no one could hear, not looking to get slapped again. “if only they were using their knowledge to take down people who don’t deserve power,” the words came out of her mouth before she realized that it sounded like an attack – which it truly wasn’t directed at the hammonds – but she wasn’t going to attempt to take it back.

“considering that was over three years ago i think it’s safe for you to assume that zeke and i have moved past that.” audrey hissed, her voice a deadly whisper, “though, i don’t think i need to explain my marriage to you. you of all people. what we had was nothing but a bump. a flyover chapter. irrelevant in the scheme of my life.” she scoffed, voice still low- she couldn’t risk anyone hearing, “you think just because we fucked a handful” it was more than a handful, “of times that you have the power to ruin my marriage?” she laughed humorlessly, “you’re hilarious, ali.” at alicia’s next remark, she quirked an eyebrow, “who don’t deserve power? the only reason anyone has power is by working for it tooth and nail. there’s a balance to everything, a reason why those in power are in power.” she rolled her eyes, “i wouldn’t expect you to understand.” 

“i’m an adult about things sometimes,” alicia snarked back, knowing what audrey was surely thinking. “oh, you don’t? right, because you have the best marriage in all of ashcroft. if only everyone else could be like you and the senator, right?” she asked with a smile – pushing buttons was her usual game but she knew that if anyone was able to give it right back to her, it was audrey. that didn’t seem to stop her from wanting to get a rise out of her in that moment. “i don’t know. maybe it truly was someone who saw something they shouldn’t have.”

“zeke and i are very happy together.” audrey insisted, though, alicia of all people could've guessed that that wasn't true, “we’ve been through rough times, but we’re good together and better than ever. and you’re right, everyone in ashcroft should be like us.” lying was one of audrey’s best skills anyway. she shrugged, “whoever it was, they aren't showing any signs of stopping. they’ll even reveal kids’ secrets.” as long as they didn't spill her secrets then audrey didn’t mind too much. 

audrey’s words sounded more like an affirmation rather than a question, and while it wasn’t like zeke was afraid of her, per se, he knew better than to piss her off. so whether or not he’d already had something scheduled for then, a dinner with the mayor and his girlfriend is what he was now attending to. “ sure, of course. ” plus, when it came to work stuff he was aware it was best to set aside their differences for each other’s good. “ i’ll ask nalani to clear my schedule. ” he only says that to annoy audrey,  pushing her buttons was still amusing.

“you have no idea how much i needed this.” gen deadpans, taking a sip of her martini. everything in her life felt utterly wrong. her children were talking to her, but it just didn’t feel the same anymore. her husband could barely look at her, let alone have an actual conversation with her. she used to walk around town with the utmost confidence, believing wholeheartedly that no one would ever try to cross her, only to know hear whispers behind her back and resorting to dying her hair brown to avoid being easily recognized. “we shouldn’t leave our gaps between martini nights so long next time.” ( @avdreyh )

“i don’t hate her. i’m not her biggest fan, but i also don’t hate her. i’ve done a really good job at watering her own hatred for me though, that’s for sure. but at least one? very funny. only the one. and my current marriage is fine, thank you very much. i’m not looking to destroy anyone else’s. can you say the same?” she smiled as she asked her question. “it must have been someone she told then, because you’re the only one i told,” alicia sighed, feeling some sort of relief that it wasn’t going to come down on her.

“you don’t hate her? interesting. that’s big of you.” audrey raised her eyebrows in amusement as she took another sip. she was thankful she had already swallowed when the other asked her question. she pursed her lips, indignant, “i don’t know what you’re talking about.” she waved it away, trying to keep her cool facade intact, “you really think she would have told anyone? it seemed like something she’d rather throw far away- not that i blame her. we all make mistakes. sometimes the same ones.” 

maddie’s  inhaled  a  deep  breath  as  she  looked  at  her  mother. “i  don’t  want  to  be  living  under  the  hammond  name  all  my  life.  POWER  doesn’t  matter  at  all.  power  leads  to  diasters.”  arms  folded  as  she  watched  her.  she  didn’t  want  to  be  in  the  shadow  of  her  family.  always  the  disappointment  to  the  family  ,  she  was  sure  of  it  from  the  moment  she  could  walk. a  small  bite  of  her  inner  cheek.  she  always  felt  like  she  had  to  help  the  family  out  ,  even  if  she  didn’t  want  to  do  it  at  all. “the  best  doesn’t  always  happen  by  winning.  winning  can  be  the  worse  for  some  people.”

“well, unless you really do change your name, blow j, you’re going to have to live with that part of it.” audrey told her, quirking an eyebrow, “everything comes down to power. power only leads to disaster in the wrong hands. that’s why you need to give it to people that actually know how to use it. like me... and your dad.” she would never understand maddie’s mindset, but they had fought about this enough, “give me one scenario, historically, where losing has benefitted the loser. go ahead. make your case.” audrey let out a humorless chuckle. 

“uh, no, no. i’m good. i appreciate that though,” she nodded, locking her phone and getting it out of her face. she laughed uncomfortably as she kept her body leaned on where she had just been sitting. “i mean, i barely use my kitchen anyway. it’s just there for decoration at this point,” mostly because she was never home, but also because she barely even knew how to make coffee let alone a meal. “i do, yeah. pretty regularly. don’t go through the trouble of making any for me though. i don’t know if you were offering, but..”

“mine too.” audrey replied,“i use it to host and to make my house look more impressive. i don’t cook. i don't have the time.” or the talent, but nalani did not need to know that, “but you should still keep it clean, someone might want to use it sometime.” she turned on the stove and put the water to boil, “i am offering. i’m making some for myself. and it’s not hard to make it into two.” she tipped her chin up slightly, “it’s not like i’m going to poison you, nalani.” she scoffed, an amused grin on her face.