Chapter Text
It’s rare for the UBA anchors to be in one place at the same time, much more in confined space thousands of feet in the air. But here they are, packed in an enormous private jet with one of the executives, Cybil, as their main ticket to a prestigious newly founded award show that will be held in Budapest. UBA is one of the honoraries at the event. So, Cybil can only think of the top anchors in the network to be with her to receive the award.
The plane is big enough to cater to the anchors, their respective producers, some staff, and a minimized crew including a cameraman to document their journey.
Mia, Stella, Cybil, and her assistant occupy the big couch in the middle, the other seats are occupied by the crews.
Alex is fighting with Chip because she wants the window seat. “Chip, you better believe I’m going to fight you over a view. Get up and let me fucking take the seat!” Chip then grouches and mutters something like Alex is being a “self-centered bitch” again.
Bradley is on the other end of the plane, sitting beside Cory and opposite of Alex and Chip. On the last row are Laura and Gordon. Bradley takes the seat facing Laura’s direction so she can still look at the brunette if she wants to. As if she can’t help herself, she glances at Laura, who’s talking to the stewardess and laughing at what the woman said. She clenches her jaw but schools her emotions real quick as she joins the conversation between Alex and Chip.
When the older woman looks up, only to find the blonde already looking at her, she offers a soft smile. Bradley doesn’t return it though, instead, she turns to her side to talk to Cory who looks at Laura with a coy smirk on his face. What a prick.
Laura just ordered her usual drink. When the stewardess hands it to her, she also thanks Laura for being a great representation of the gay community as she is also a lesbian herself. Laura senses that the woman might be flirting with her but she doesn’t entertain the idea because the last thing she wants right now is to join the mile-high club while her ex is in the same place. She wouldn’t do that to Bradley, especially since they just broke up a couple of months ago, but it also doesn’t mean that she can’t flirt just a little.
“Wanna hear a joke?” She said looking up at Hannah, the stewardess.
“Sure. What you got there, Sweetheart?”
Gordon rolls his eyes, “Here we go again.”
Laura elbows him subtly, “How do you ask a hundred New Yorkers to get out of the pool?”
Hannah smiles, and tucks an invisible lock of hair behind her ear, “How?”
“Get the fuck out! How do you get a hundred Canadians out of the pool?” She waits for Hannah to answer.
“How, Laura?” This time, her tone is different from being friendly and so is the way she’s looking at the anchor.
Laura ignores the look and continues to deliver her line, “Just ask.”
It made Hannah giggle. Gordon on the other hand puts his hand in front of his mouth and pretends to shoot himself. When Hannah attended to the other passengers, Bradley was on her feet to go to the lavatory, she bumped into Hannah and the younger woman waited for an apology from the anchor but Bradley only arched her brow and glared at her. The stewardess straightens her posture, clears her throat, and lets the blonde pass her.
Laura saw the exchange and sighs to herself, she tried to catch Bradley’s eyes but the blonde kept a straight face and just walked past her. Laura taps her fingers on her lap, she looks ahead of her, and everyone is settled down. She wants to talk to Bradley who’s just a couple of feet away from her. She was about to unclasp her seatbelt when the announcement for take-off played on the speakers.
Bradley quickly walks to her seat and Cory reaches down to the blonde’s waist but before he could do anything, the anchor already clasped her seatbelt. “I got it, Cory. Thanks.”
Laura grips the handle of her chair, she breathes in slowly and soon they take off.
When they’re up and stable, everyone relaxes, some getting up to get a drink, talk to someone, or in Bradley’s case, go to the restroom again. This time, she catches Laura’s eyes but no smile or even hello was exchanged. Laura’s head follows the blonde. She knows that she’s upset, she wants to reassure her that nothing is happening or that nothing will ever happen between her and the beautiful, tall, blonde, attractive stewardess. But she thought to herself that she can’t do that anymore, that it was not her position anymore, she lost that right. She lost Bradley.
And yet, here’s Bradley, looking pissed as hell at her. So she got up, and follows the younger woman because she might not have the right to tell her there was nothing to be jealous about but she sure as hell wants to get through the weekend unscathed.
“Hey.”
Bradley was waiting at the door, “Hi.”
“Are you mad at me or something?”
The blonde didn’t bother to look at her, just typing on her phone, “Uhm, no.”
Laura knows what that “no” means, it means there are about 10 reasons why Bradley is pissed at her and she can think of one.
“Are you sure, Honey?”
Fuck. It slipped right through her. She didn’t mean to call her that but old habits die hard.
Bradley pierced her with her ocean blue eyes -darker ocean eyes.
“I’m positive, Sweetheart.”
Laura tries hard not to smirk or show any indication that she’s enjoying how Bradley’s southern accent slips when she’s mocking someone. Before she could answer, the sliding door opens and Gayle’s brows shoot up at the two women in front of her. Bradley steps back to let her pass which makes Laura hitch a breath as she feels Bradley’s ass cheek on her hip.
When Bradley was inside, Laura waited for Gayle to go through the curtain that separates the restroom area and the seats, before she puts a hand on the door and goes inside.
Bradley’s eyes widen, the small confinement makes the space even smaller with the two of them inside.
“Laura, what are you doing?” She whispers.
Laura locks the door and the plane hits a bump which made the older woman lose her balance as she tries to get hold of something.
When Bradley felt Laura’s hands on her hips, and when their breasts touched, it sent chills down her spine. She tries to steady Laura by putting her hands on her shoulders. When the plane steadies, Laura mutters a sorry and breathes slowly, closing her eyes in the process.
Knowing Laura, the blonde makes a soothing pattern of up and down on the brunette’s arms.
“Hey. Hey. You’re okay. It’s just a quick bump.” She said, her features softening.
Laura’s eyes are still closed, trying to even her breathing she says, “What you saw earlier. It’s nothing, Bradley. She meant nothing to me.”
She opens her eyes, and when the arms on her shoulder stop moving, there is a moment of silence. Bradley looks away first, looking down, she whispers to her, “I know, it’s just that-”
The older anchor lifts her chin, and searches ocean eyes to hold hers, “Hey, if you thought I’d go looking for someone right after what happened between us, you’re wrong, Bradley.”
I’m still in love with you. I think I’ll always be in love with you, she wanted to add but didn’t.
Bradley’s eyes sting, she was glad when a knock interrupted them. She didn’t know what to do with Laura, with this feeling of being pulled again into an orbit she was once revolving. Although there’s a slight panic in her eyes as to who’s at the door.
Please don’t be Cybil. Please. Please.
“Hello? Are you almost done or have you decided to take a bath and shampoo your hair there? Bradley, come on, I can’t hold it any longer.”
“Fuck.” The younger woman mutters.
Laura chuckles, unlocking the door, she turns her head to Bradley again, “It’s just Alex. Don’t worry.”
When Alex sees Laura, she takes a step back, but when she sees who’s behind the older woman, her mouth forms a silent “o”.
“Don’t. It’s not what you think.” Bradley warns her.
“Or is it?” Laura looks at Alex and smiles as she walks through the curtain.
Bradley chuckles and follows suit leaving a confused and stunned Alex Levy.
“Fuck, I think I just peed my pants a little!”
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Their flight is 8 hours long so there’s time to catch up on some sleep. After all, Cybil made the call time 12 am to 1 am for their take off.
Laura took her supplements and pills, putting her carry-on bag underneath her chair. Hannah insisted on making their bed (chair that pulls down) for them. When Laura turns, just like before, she catches Bradley’s eyes on her. She smiles and just shrugs to which the blonde smirks and shakes her head.
Almost everyone is asleep by the time Gordon comes back from the restroom, his and Laura’s bed already made.
“So you two made up?”
“Shut up.”
“Just saying. Earlier she looked like she'd kill someone and you’re all swoony eyes now.”
“Shhh! Let me get my beauty sleep.”
“Fine! Good night.”
“Night.”
Before the lights went out, Cybil stood from her chair, looked around, and said, “If I can get a minute of your time, people.”
Everyone looks up at her, even Alex who already has an eye mask on her face.
“I just wanted to say thank you for coming and sacrificing your weekends and days off. The award means a lot to the network and to me. I won’t cry and please, you shouldn’t either when we’re on stage but…I just want to say that you are the backbone of UBA, and I’m very proud of each one of you. I’m proud of us. So let’s enjoy the two days we’re in Budapest and use the company card well because it’ll be long until you’ll be able to use it again.”
People on the plane clapped, and the crew whistled in excitement.
“Alright, alright. Go back to whatever you’re doing now.”
Laura meets her eyes, smiles from afar, and joins clapping. It’s an honor to stand with her friend to receive an honorary award for the work they’re all passionate about.
_______________________
Mia and Stella are going through the schedule when their things start to move. They look at each other then at the stewardess who’s now on the phone talking with someone.
“Woah. Is this normal?” Mia asked
“Yeah. As long as it’s no—”
A loud bang was then heard, waking everyone up. It only took seconds for the plane to violently jerk and send everyone frantic.
Alex sat down, pulled her eye mask in a hurry, and fastened her seatbelt. “What the fuck was that?!”
A voice from the intercom advises everyone to put their seatbelt on, then a loud bang was heard again. The pilot’s voice came over the intercom saying that they are experiencing engine trouble. Right after he said it, Cory pointed out the window, “FIRE! FIRE! It’s on fire!”
Everyone looks at the left wing, panic was written all over their faces as the oxygen mask compartments burst open. The lights go off and on.
Bradley can easily see the massive fire on Alex’s window, she holds to her seatbelt tight and looks at Laura. She’s frozen. Her face -eyes don’t show any emotion. Bradley panics even more, she’s unclasping her seatbelt, I need to go to her.
“Laura! Laura!” She calls, but Laura doesn’t hear her, doesn’t look at her, and doesn’t move an inch.
“Bradley! Bradley, what are you doing? Stay seated!”
“No. Let go, Cory. Laura!” Bradley calls on her again and tries to push Cory’s hand so she could go to Laura. Tears streaming down her face.
“Please, Laura! Look at me! Look at me!” She shouts and shouts and shouts until she can feel her voice get hoarse.
When Laura was awakened by the jolt, she immediately woke Gordon up and put her seat back into a seating position. She’s reaching for her bag when she hears a man shouting “Fire!Fire!”
She looks to her left, and there it is. Fire. Their plane is on fire and they’re having turbulence.
It took her seconds to even hear Gordon, “Laura! Laura! Are you okay?”
He looks at her, his voice sounds far from her. Instincts come even when she’s in shock, she manages to say, “Gordon, get our bags. In the compartment and and…”
“I can’t Laura. It’s too dangerous. Your bag! Where’s your carry-on?”
There is another distant voice she hears, a man, warning them to text their families.
Laura’s breathing is strong in her ears, she blinks slowly as she tries to assess the situation.
“ Laura! Laura! Please look at me!”
Bradley? Is that you? Where are you?
“ Laura I’m going to call my husband, you should call your family. Oh my god, I can’t believe this is happening. God, please. Oh god.”
Family? What family? My mother is dead, my father barely acknowledges my existence, my sister… My sister! I should call her… but I can’t move. Why can’t I move?
“Laura, listen… Get back. Get back. You’re here.”
She feels a squeeze on her hand, hard. When she snaps, she realizes she’s been facing the window to her left, where the burning wing is in view. Instinctively, she looks up, looks at Bradley whose face is red from crying, shouting her name over the cries and screams from other people.
She shakes her head, Bradley.
She unfastened her seatbelt, Gordon tried to stop her but before he did, she’s on her feet, opening the compartment box above them and getting her small suitcase and Gordon’s backpack.
“Laura! Sit down! It’s dangerous.” Hanna shouted.
A sudden jerk shocked all of them, Laura stumbled a few seats but managed to hold Daniel’s hand. She goes back to her sit, put her luggage between her legs, ducks down to get her bag underneath, puts it on her lap, and fastens her seatbelt as tight as she can.
When she looked up she saw Bradley, still looking at her -still crying. She shakes her head, telling her she’s okay. She points at her seatbelt, urging Bradley to tighten hers. She then puts her palm up and down, reminding the frightened younger woman to breathe.
As chaos surrounds her, she thinks, what if this is it?
Laura’s tears fall down but she wipes them immediately, not wanting her vision to blur, she wants to look at Bradley as she mouths the words, “I love you.”
Bradley’s pained face only made it worse when she mouths the words back, “I love you. I love you, Laura.”
In her peripheral vision, Laura can only see the fire on her left, the smoke from it, then to her right, all she can see is dark. Then with the chaos of turbulence, their plane started to turn sideways. Things flying in the air, bags, mugs getting shattered, and a chair suddenly flew together with the person sitting on it -Chip.
The pilot speaks once again, this time, his voice is clear to Laura.
“Brace yourselves for impact! We’re gonna crash. God save us all.”