Chapter Text
In the 43 years that she had been on this earth, Laura Peterson had seen plenty of injustice. It could even be argued that she was in the business of injustice. She was a journalist, for crying out loud! No injustice, however, felt as personal and as painful as the one she had just witnessed.
"He can't just do that!" the brunette said, her eyes getting watery.
"Yes, he can, Laura. He can and can, and he did!" Alex said, tears rolling down her face.
"But why? Why would he fire you? You didn't do anything, and the public adores you!" Laura said, getting increasingly more frustrated. It was one of the worst days of her life. Alex Levy, her best friend and The Morning Show co-host of 13 years, had just been unexpectedly fired.
"Technically, he didn't fire me. My contract is up. He is simply not renewing it. I can't even sue him!" the blonde said.
"That's bullshit! That's a stupid technicality. He is firing you. We should take this to the board!" Laura replied.
"Fred Micklen and Cybil Richards were at the meeting, Laura. The board is fully aware. I'm screwed," Alex said, sniffling. "You know the worst part? The asshole wants me to say it was my decision to leave and have Maggie and Lizzy on the show on Friday for my farewell party, " the blonde said, making air quotes.
"I'm assuming you said no? Maggie is not going to buy this bullshit either," Laura said.
"Of course, she won't. But she'll have to come anyway," Alex said, sighing. "Cory said he would leak to the press that I slept with Fred if I didn't comply."
"He threatened you?" Laura asked, the vein in her neck popping.
Alex nodded.
"I'll kill him! That fucking snake! Why is he doing this?"
"I don't know, but he even implied that Maggie might not know about what happened with Fred. He literally said: Wouldn't it be horrible for Maggie to find out about your past through The Vault? As if! My wife knows, you fucking idiot! She knows everything!" Alex said, tears of anger rolling down her cheeks again.
"Alex. Look at me," Laura said, grabbing her friend's hands, "What happened with Fred Micklen happened 20 years ago. You can't keep punishing yourself over it. If anything, it looks worse on him than it does on you. You were 23, fresh out of college, looking to advance your career. He took advantage of you!" Laura said, trying to reason with her friend.
"I can't let them publish that. Lizzy is old enough to read this crap now. I don't want her to know what I did. I'll just have to suck it up and deal with it," Alex said.
"Maggie won't allow them to bully you like this," Laura said, knowing that the older brunette was fiercely protective of her wife.
"Maggie has no power in this network. I'm screwed, Laura. There's nothing I can do," Alex said, defeated.
"Yes, there is. I will walk over to Cory's office right now and tell him that if he fires, then I am gone too. I will quit. I don't want to do the show without you," Laura said, "Wait for me here. I'll be right back."
"Laura...I just want to go home. I want to be with my wife and our daughter. I have no fight left in me," Alex said.
"Okay. Go home. I will text Maggie once I'm done, and I'll come by your place," Laura said, hugging Alex tightly and kissing her cheek, "Everything will be okay."
Laura couldn't help but think that it was unlike Alex to be so affected and defeated. Her friend was like a firecracker! Always standing up for herself, fearing nothing and no one. She did, however, have one weakness: her family. Alex Levy met Maggie Brener 15 years ago, and the two immediately hit it off. Despite their 10 year age gap, they had a lot in common and were incredibly compatible. They fell in love hard and fast. They were Laura's favourite love story. Her aspirational couple.
Around the same time, Cory was also pursuing Alex. Initially, it seemed like they had some chemistry, but the blonde quickly rejected him, choosing to be with Maggie instead. To her, it was a no-brainer. With Maggie around, Cory wasn't even an option. No one else was an option. Alex only wanted Maggie. But being the straight white guy he is, Cory didn't take the rejection well. Instead, Cory chose to make Alex's professional life...complicated, to say the least. He wasn't able to really do anything too relevant, though. Not until that moment. He didn't have the power before.
Laura stormed into Cory's office without even knocking on the door. The man was on a phone call, but he immediately told whoever was on the line that he would call them back.
"Laur-ahh!" he said, with a fake smile plastered on his face. Laura felt like punching him.
"Cut the bullshit, Cory," Laura said, fuming.
"What is going on with my favourite news anchor?" he said.
"Why the hell did you fire Alex?" Laura asked, not wanting to beat around the bushes.
"Fire Alex? No one fired Alex, Laur-ah. Her contract was up, and she didn't want to renew it. She wants to focus on her perfect little family. Maggie might become editor-in-chief at the Times in a couple of years. Someone needs to look after little Elizabeth," Cory said, venom evident in his voice.
"Don't you dare even say their names, Cory! I can't believe you're still salty over Alex rejecting you 15 fucking years ago. Move on!" Laura said.
"I have no idea what you're talking about," Cory said.
"I think you do," Laura said. "I know you do. Anyway, I'm not here to be your therapist and help you move on from the woman who rejected you over a decade ago."
"Then what are you doing here, Laura?" Cory asked in an almost challenging tone.
"If you don't give Alex her job back, I'm gone. I will quit. I will not do this show without her," Laura said, looking straight into Cory's eyes.
"You're hilarious," Cory said, laughing madly.
"I am not joking," Laura said.
"While I think it's cute that you're willing to sacrifice your career for your ride or die , I need to remind you that you still have three more years on your contract. You can't quit. Unless, of course, you're willing to deal with a lawsuit," the man concluded.
"Are you threatening me too?" Laura asked, not believing what she was hearing.
"Not at all. I'm simply stating the facts," Cory said.
"You really are a snake," Laura said.
"May I need to remind you that I'm still President of the News Division, and you owe me respect?" Cory said.
"Respect is earned, Mr. Ellison," Laura said.
"No matter what you think, I'm still your boss," he said. "Besides, I think you'll like Alex's replacement. America is tired of seeing Gen Xers and boomers delivering their news! They want someone young, fresh and new! A millennial, for example. And that person is-"
"You already have a replacement for her? How long have you been planning this?" Laura interrupted.
"-Bradleyjackson," Cory said the name so fast that it sounded like a single word.
"Huh?" Laura asked.
"What?" Cory asked.
"What the hell is a Bradleyjackson?"
"Bradley Jackson will be Alex's replacement. As of next week. Not on Monday, though. Perhaps Tuesday or Wednesday," Cory said.
"You're replacing Alex with a dude? This is even worse than I imagined!" Laura said, throwing her hands in the air. She was livid.
"Oh no, Bradley is a woman," Cory said smiling, "A very good-looking, 33-year-old woman, I must say. I think you'll like her."
Laura rolled her eyes at Cory. "Oh yeah, I'll like her simply because she is a good-looking woman? Straight men are so basic."
"You'll see her for yourself on Friday, right after Alex's last show," Cory said, winking an eye. "And please, don't ever imply that I have some sort of vendetta against Alex because she chose Maggie Brener over me. That whole thing is water under the bridge. Do I think we could've been happy had she made the right choice? Of course! But she made the wrong choice, and I don't resent her for it."
"Go fuck yourself, Cory!" Laura said.
"Listen carefully, Laura, because I will not repeat this. Treat me with respect. I am your boss. You do not want to be on my wrong side, trust me. Are we clear?"
"Yes, sir," Laura said.
"Okay, then. Now, please be on your way. I need to make a few phone calls and get everything ready for Alex's farewell show. You must stay after the show to meet Bradley. I will not take no for an answer," Cory said, shooing Laura away with his hand.
Laura stood up, grabbed her things and walked towards the door. Before leaving, she turned around and looked at Cory. She had one more thing to say.
"Oh, and Cory?" the brunette woman said.
"Yes?" Cory asked.
"You don't hold a fucking candle to Maggie Brener. Alex made a choice between a piece of shit and a diamond. She was always going to choose the diamond. So, Mr. President of the News Division, respectfully, go fuck yourself," Laura said, closing the door and leaving Cory's office.
"Get the good whisky out, Mags. I'm on my way to your place," Laura texted before getting into an Uber. It was going to be a long evening.
---
When Laura arrived at Maggie and Alex's penthouse, the two women were on their couch, sipping on some Johnnie Walker Blue Label whisky. Alex looked like she'd been crying for the past four hours, which she probably had. Maggie just looked pissed off.
"Auntie Laura!" A little voice said.
"Hey, Lizzy. How are you, honey?" Laura asked. At seven years old, Lizzy was curious, creative, and spunky. She was also fiercely protective of her mothers and resembled Maggie in a mind-blowing way. Especially considering that the two didn't share any DNA.
"I'm doing good," Lizzy said, her blue eyes looking directly into Laura's green ones, "But mommy is sad, and mama won't tell me why. She still thinks I'm a baby, but I am not. Can you tell me why mommy is sad?"
Laura was about to answer when the little girl's nanny came into the living room, apologizing for letting Lizzy out of her watch and taking her to her room. Maggie handed Laura a glass of whisky.
"She's very smart," Laura said, referring to Lizzy.
"Well, the donor must've been a fucking genius because she clearly didn't get it from me!" Alex said, her nostrils flaring a bit.
"Baby, please stop saying that," Maggie said, placing her hand on Alex's shoulder, "You made a mistake 20 years ago. Do not beat yourself over that."
"Easy for you to say it. You didn't sleep with any sleazy men to advance your career," the blonde said.
"How does Cory know that anyway?" Laura asked.
"Fred must've told him," Alex said, shrugging. "I've never told anyone other than Maggie and you."
Laura sat down next to Alex and explained that she had tried to quit the show, but she still had three more years in her contract. The blonde understood. Laura shouldn't have to pay for her past mistakes.
Maggie insisted that they should expose Cory and Fred for the snakes they were. She said she could write a feature and have it published on the front page of the New York Times. But Alex didn't want to. She was too embarrassed by what she had done, and mostly, she didn't want Lizzy to know about it. At least not yet. She was too little.
"They've found a replacement for you already. The network will announce it on your farewell show," Laura said, sipping her second glass of whisky.
"Those bastards," Alex said. "Who is it? Is it anyone we know?"
"No. It's some millennial reporter named Bradley Jackson," Laura said.
"Are you fucking kidding me? They're replacing me with a 30something-year-old dude?" Alex said.
"Apparently, Bradley Jackson is a woman," Laura said.
"What?" Alex asked, shocked.
"I know. It surprised me too," Laura said.
"Has she even been vetted?" Maggie asked.
"I don't know. Cory didn't give me many details," Laura said.
"Let's look her up," Maggie said, grabbing her phone, "I think this is her," the older woman said, flipping her phone and showing it to Alex and Laura. It was Bradley's LinkedIn page.
Cory was right. Bradley Jackson was beautiful. To the point where her picture made Laura catch her breath. Too bad she was also a snake.
Maggie kept digging into Bradley's account. She found out that Bradley had gone to West Virginia University for journalism and had worked at many small TV stations around the south and the midwest. For some reason, the southerner had never held a job for a long time. That was the first red flag. She also didn't seem to have any experience anchoring. That was the second red flag.
After creeping her LinkedIn profile for around 30 minutes, Maggie moved to Facebook. Bradley's page looked like it hadn't been updated in years. At least the public bits looked like they hadn't been updated in years. They saw some pictures of her with friends, family and even one with Taylor Swift back when she had long curly hair and wore cowboy boots. There seemed to be nothing there until...
"That fucker!" Maggie exclaimed loudly.
"What? What happened?" Alex asked, almost jumping.
"Look at this picture and read the caption," Maggie said, handing Alex her phone. Laura scooted closer to her best friend. It was a picture of Bradley wearing a pretty dress and a graduation cap. She was holding what Laura assumed was her diploma and was standing next to a woman, a young man and...
"Is that Fred Micklen?" Laura asked. Sure, he looked younger and thinner, but the man was definitely UBA's CEO. Third red flag.
"Read the caption," Maggie said, downing the remaining of her whisky.
"Thank you, WVU, for some of the best years of my life. Happy to share this day with my mama, Hal and uncle Fred #LifeIsGood" Laura read. "Uncle Fred?"
"Are you kidding me?" Alex said. "I'm being replaced by a...nepotism baby?"
"Oh, I'm bringing these bitches down," Maggie said. "I will pretend everything is good and dandy on Friday, but I will expose this. Nepotism might not be illegal in this instance, but it's not a good look on the network. And definitely not a good look on Bradley Jackson."
"Don't worry about Bradley Jackson," Laura said, "I'll make sure to make her work life miserable. If she thinks she can just take Alex's job, she is very wrong. She is going to wish she never asked uncle Fred for that co-anchor chair."
Bradley Jackson had messed with the wrong people. The brunette was going to make sure that the blonde ran back to West Virginia after a couple of weeks. Laura knew how to be mean and rude better than anyone she had ever known. It wasn't a game she enjoyed, but it was a game she could play very well. She would destroy Bradley Jackson, even if she was insanely gorgeous.
Of course, Laura had no idea that Bradley had never asked for the co-anchor chair. How could she know?
---
Down in the south, in West Virginia, Bradley Jackson was getting ready to travel to New York. Her big chance had finally arrived! She had tried to move out of her home state plenty of times, but she always ended up returning. Last time, she managed to make it all the way to Chicago. She enjoyed the midwest. She would've stayed there forever, but her brother overdosed and, once again, she was asked to pick up the pieces. This time, things were different. This time, she would leave for good.
Her uncle, Fred Micklen, had contacted her and made her the offer of a lifetime. He said that Alex Levy was retiring after 13 years on The Morning Show. She wanted to focus on her family, and the network felt like they needed someone fresh and new to replace her. Fred suggested her, showed the President of the News Division her reel and voila! They made an offer. She didn't even need to be vetted. Which was strange, but whatever. She was not in a position to question her luck.
Fred Micklen was her mother's cousin and was like a fairy godmother to her. He was the one who paid for her education and made sure she and Hal were well fed and dressed when they were growing up. He had been good to her and her brother, and she was grateful. She didn't like how he always made her feel like she owed him something in return, but if Fred Micklen was her ticket out of West Virginia for good, then be it.
Bradley was excited for the new things that lay ahead for her. She was excited to be moving to a big, cosmopolitan city full of new experiences and possible adventures. She was excited to finally have a good job at a major network and be a real journalist at last! And, most of all, she was excited to be working next to the painfully beautiful Laura Peterson.
Bradley had admired Laura Peterson since she first appeared on her TV 20 years ago. Bradley had only been 13 at the time, but as soon as she saw the fresh-out-of-college brunette on her screen, she developed a huge crush. And now, she was going to be working with her celebrity crush! Maybe, if she played her cards right, she could even get Laura Peterson to go on a date with her. After all, they were both single (yes, she had checked), attractive, and into women. Moving to New York was going to be a blast!