Chapter Text
Bradley rolls her eyes at ALex’s outburst over her interview with Laura. It pisses her off that Alex is treating her like an inexperienced intern and not her respective co-anchor who is not new to all this. Sure, she’s never met Laura in person, but that doesn’t mean she’s some petite lamb sent to slaughter and in need of saving. She shakes her head and heads up the plane ramp where Gayle and Laura’s team are already waiting for her.
“How do you get a hundred Canadians out of the pool?” Laura Peterson’s voice immediately draws her attention and she smiles unconsciously, albeit a bit nervously. “Just ask.” Everyone starts laughing at the joke that Bradley doesn’t fully understand and then Laura turns to face her. “Oh, well, if it isn’t Bradley Jackson.”
“Yep, that’s me.” Bradley smiles widely as her breath catches in her throat at how utterly gorgeous Laura is up close. “I’ve heard so much about you.” She blurts out without thinking and studying the brunette’s face, awestruck by her sharp cheekbones and silky shiny hair and oh those hazel eyes with a touch of gold and… wait, what. Her smile falls immediately and she barely registers that Laura asks her something about good things.
“Yeah, a-all good.” She responds on autopilot, her eyes flickering between Laura’s eyes and her golden ear cuff and her blue jeans and everything inside the plane that is not black and white any longer.
“Well, welcome. Come on in.” Laura turns back to her team and Bradley is thankful for that, because she definitely feels like she’s about to pass out from the overwhelming array of colors around her and most importantly what it means. Gayle comes in and ushers her to the empty seats ( beige leather seats) in the front and Bradley tries to calm down by taking deep breaths.
No no no. This can’t be happening. She shuts her eyes, but when she opens them again all the colors are still there. She can see colors now. She can see colors after meeting Laura. Which means Laura is my… No! No! No! This whole soulmate thing is total bullshit and nothing good will ever come of it.
“Are you okay?” Gayle asks with a concerned frown.
“Yeah, yeah, I’m just sleepy.” Braley sighs. I’m not okay. Not even close.
This universe is completely fucked up. Whoever created this soulmate-oriented shit can burn in hell, for all Bradley cares. You are born normal, seeing colors and everything, but at the age of ten the colors start fading away until your world becomes black and white and you can only see colors again when you meet your soulmate. Only when you meet them in person at some point of your life, the world will stop being black and white. Pretty out-of-a-movie romantic setting, right? Tough luck! Bradley scoffs to herself. This so-called-romantic soulmate story has millions of traps. If you happen to meet your soulmate when you’re still a kid, you will still see colors after you turn 10 years old, but then you will have no idea who the hell your soulmate is, because you won’t have the ‘I saw you and I saw colors again’ life-changing moment. There’s no universally fixed age by which you are definitely supposed to meet your soulmate. Bradley knows a guy who met his soulmate when he was 82. And his soulmate died 7 months after they met. And the shittiest shit of this entire scheme is that there is absolutely no guarantee that your soulmate will see you as a soulmate too. And in case you are not your soulmate's soulmate, or if your soulmate dies, the colors you see will fade back to black and white in a year. So yeah, it’s not some rom-com movie scenario when two people lock eyes, colorful sparks fly and then they live happily ever after. Bradley is 45 years old and she’s seen it all - people committing suicide when their ‘soulmating’ isn’t mutual, people leaving wives and kids after 20 years of marriage when they suddenly meet their soulmate, people breaking up with the ones they claimed to be the love of their life for this soulmate they just met, a guy at 7-Eleven told her that she was his soulmate and he saw colors the moment he saw her, but her world remained black and white and she ran out of the store as fast as she could.
Bradley has always considered herself to be very lucky since she never really wanted to find a soulmate. Well, maybe when she was a little kid and attended the ‘soulmate introduction’ classes at school, she wanted this once-in-a-lifetime romantic moment. But taking care of her little brother, dealing with her fucked up parents, getting pregnant at 15 and all the following bad life choices made her throw any thought of meeting a soulmate into the trash bin of her mind. She is perfectly fine with navigating through life by engaging in meaningless one-night stands or short-lived relationships that all left a sour aftertaste in her mouth and only strengthened her conviction that this love and soulmate stuff is complete and utter bullshit and is definitely not even worth the trouble. Her life is perfectly fine without a soulmate and she doesn’t care about the colors, she is perfectly fine with the way it is.
The way it was… Bradley reminds herself with a quiet groan, looking out the window to the blue sky. Laura fucking Peterson is my fucking soulmate. Just my fucking luck. She glances at Laura, who is laughing at something someone from her team said, not paying Bradley any attention and it’s perfectly clear she has no idea that she turned out to be the blonde’s soulmate. Surely, she would have approached Bradley or at least spared her a glance if that stupid real life magic soulmate revelation was mutual.
Bradley slumps back against her seat and closes her eyes with another sigh. She will be interviewed by Laura in less than 6 hours and she needs to get herself together. Soulmate or not, she has a job to do and an image to uphold. There’s no way she will let this nonsensical soulmate bullshit get in her way. Seeing colors is nice, yes, and Laura is stunning and tantalizing and magnetic, there’s no denying it, but Bradley is not her soulmate, that’s pretty obvious. So Bradley needs to pull herself together and get this trip over with without making a fool of herself and without revealing anything too personal to Laura Peterson. Laura, whose beautiful laugh is still ringing in Bradley’s ears and she dares to dart a glance at the older woman again, cursing herself immediately because Laura is now sitting with a book on her lap and wearing a pair of sexy black reading glasses, a picture of poise and elegance at its finest. Jesus, of all the people in the world, of course my soulmate has to be a woman who will probably look gorgeous even wearing a potato sack. Bradley rolls her eyes at herself and her luck and stares out of the window again, calling out to her will and determination, trying to push the unsettling and tingly realization that Laura is her soulmate.
At some point she drifts off to sleep and only wakes up when the plane lands in Des Moines. She doesn’t have time to think about the soulmate stuff anymore, because they are ushered to get their luggage and into the vehicles that take them to the hotel, Gayle thrusts a stack of papers into Bradley’s hands with some last-minute updates on the caucus, and Bradley turns on her work mode.
After checking into the hotel and doing a quick make-up and hair retouch, they all meet in the lobby and drive to the center of the political activity, where her interview and then her coverage will take place. Laura is sitting next to her on the back seat of the rental sedan, her hair pulled up into a perfect ponytail and her pin-striped shirt peeking out from under her coat and Bradley does her best to look anywhere but at her.
“Hey.” The brunette whispers quietly, so that Gayle and Gordon in the front seat won’t hear her. Bradley’s head snaps up at her in surprise. “Are you nervous?”
“I…I am, yeah, a bit.” Bradley admits, looking away. She is nervous, but not for the reason Laura is obviously thinking.
“Bradley, you’ll be great. I wouldn’t be doing this interview if I thought otherwise.” Laura places her hand on Bradley’s between them for a second, and it’s enough for the blonde’s nerves to spike up again. Laura pulls her hand back and Bradley follows the movement, looking up and meeting her eyes. The brunette is smiling softly and Bradley’s insides do a somersault. She gulps and smiles in return.
“Thank you.” She says and with an enormous amount of self-control tears her gaze away from Laura’s eyes.
The interview goes incredibly well, making Bradley question why on Earth did Alex warn her about Laura. The brunette is very sweet and considerate and shows genuine interest in what Bradley is telling her. Only once Bradley tenses, when Laura mentions a topic no one has ever touched upon, thinking that she’s going to ask about how she got this job, but Laura asks about how she was feeling instead and the blonde melts inside. Laura’s kind and beautiful hazel eyes and such care will definitely be the death of her. Towards the end of the interview she’s so smitten with Laura that she makes a fool of herself by dropping her cup of coffee on Laura’s shoes, but the brunette only laughs it off, easing her nerves.
After the caucus coverage they head back to their hotel, and although it was an exhausting day, Bradley is not in the least sleepy, and neither is Laura, so they are left alone outside, Gayle and Gordon heading to sleep. Bradley is a bit pissed off that Cory asked Laura to mentor her, but the brunette’s ‘you’re bigger than that’ and ‘I don’t think you need it’ makes all negativity towards their boss disappear, leaving her absolutely swooning at the praise and her heart kicks against her ribs again. Even if Laura wasn’t her soulmate ( which doesn’t matter at all! ) she would have still fallen completely under the brunette’s spell.
They head inside the hotel and Bradley, against her better judgment, suggests grabbing a drink at the hotel bar, which Laura agrees to without hesitation. They order a bottle of red wine and talk about everything from favorite movies and books to their careers and funny accidents and Laura is so witty and relaxed and Bradley is…well, she’s fucked , she realizes when she catches herself staring at the dark red smudge from the wine on Laura’s upper lip that she wants to kiss so badly. Laura raises an eyebrow, but doesn’t say anything, and Bradley looks away quickly, chastising herself for acting like a way-too-obvious schoolgirl with a crush.
Over an hour later they decide to call it a night, since their flight back tomorrow is also early and they need sleep. Bradley’s logical side knows they are doing the right thing, but the side that is infatuated with Laura doesn’t want this evening/night to end yet. Talking to Laura is easy and so comfortable and just…right. Bradey is used to always being on guard, but with Laura she forgets all about being careful and she finds herself opening up to her, sharing things she barely tells anyone and they only just met.
“What floor are you on?” Bradley asks, breaking the silence as they step into the elevator.
“4th, you?”
“Me too.” Laura smiles and presses the elevator button and they fall silent again.
Turns out, their rooms are also in the same part of the 4th floor so they walk together until they reach Laura’s room. They stop and turn to face each other, neither woman saying a word. Bradley studies Laura’s face, pausing on her hazel eyes and golden e ar cuff and her light pink lipstick smudged a bit after drinking at the bar. The brunette’s intense gaze doesn’t leave her eyes, as if waiting for her to say or do something, but Bradley is too paralyzed with fear to act. She desperately wants to just step closer and kiss Laura, consequences be damned, and in any other situation she would have done exactly that, never one to deny herself kissing a gorgeous woman. But Laura is her soulmate and Bradley is terrified. She’s no coward, never has been, she always faces fear and threats head on, be that a politician or some grabby-ass guy at a bar or her family. But this…soulmate stuff is new for her and too scary. One wrong move and she will have her heart broken irreparably if she is not Laura’s soulmate, one move and she loses the respect and friendship of the woman in front of her if the kiss is not welcome.
Laura lets out a barely audible sigh and breaks eye contact.
“I truly enjoyed our time tonight, just so you know. Good night, Bradley.” She leans closer and presses a soft kiss to Bradley’s cheek, a kiss that sets off 4th of July fireworks inside the blonde and her breath catches in her throat.
“Good night.” She manages to say, her voice cracking in the middle.
Laura sends a small smile her way and disappears inside her hotel room and Bradley lets out a loud breath that somewhat resembles a sob. I’m so fucked. It was a simple friendly kiss on the cheek and it had her knees almost buckling. Laura’s perfume invaded her senses, the soft touch of her lips sent a shiver down her spine and what the hell is she supposed to do with that. The brunette’s hazel eyes are all she can think of and her body is physically aching, that’s how much she wants to be in Laura’s arms now. I don’t need this. She tries to convince herself and moves towards her room down the hall, but every step feels like she has a 1000-pound stone chained to her legs, the yearning to go back to Laura rendering her almost unable to move. If this is what having a soulmate is supposed to feel like, I don’t want that. I can live another 40 years without seeing the fucking colours. But this is Laura…
She turns around and stares at Laura’s door, her stupid heart having already made the decision for her and she goes back, but as she raises her hand to knock, the door swings open, startling her and revealing an equally shocked Laura. Bradley sucks in a breath and lowers her hand.
“I was…going to…” Laura motions vaguely, stumbling over her words which is so unlike the kick-ass reporter who can bring the most menacing politicians to their knees. “Do you…wanna come in?” She asks and Bradley nods, stepping inside, whistling quietly at the suite that is twice as big as her own hotel room. She turns to Laura who is still standing by the door, looking so honestly vulnerable that Bradley’s breath catches in her throat again at the sudden hope surging in her heart.
“Laura, I…”
“Blue.” Laura cuts her off and the blonde frowns, stepping closer as the brunette slumps back against the door.
“W-what?”
“Blue. The color of your eyes.” Bradley whimpers and her shoulder sag in relief, warmth and excitement spreading through her body, her legs moving forward on their own accord until she is standing right in front of Laura, who watches her every move cautiously. The blonde smiles softly, her eyes stinging with sudden tears, and raises a hand to cup Laura’s left cheek tenderly.
“Hazel with a touch of gold, and so so beautiful.” She traces her thumb across Laura’s cheekbone as the brunette lets out a breath she’s been holding.
“You…see colours too?”
“Mm-hm. Since I looked into your eyes on the plane.”
“Me too.” Laura whispers and her hands find Braldey’s hips, pulling her closer gently. “I can’t believe it…you’re my soulmate.” She states, completely in awe.
“And you’re mine. Wow, Laura Peterson.” Bradley smiles, bringing her other hand to Laura’s shoulder. Laura leans in, pressing her forehead against Bradley’s, her chest heaving with deep breaths as she pulls her completely into her. Every cell in Bradley’s body thrums, sings in utter delight, thrilled at this turn of events. Laura Peterson, her soulmate, is in her arms and she’s Laura’s soulmate in return. A jolt of electricity shoots through her and she slides her hands to the back of Laura’s neck and without wasting a second longer she kisses her. Laura responds immediately, kissing her back tentatively at first, but as their kiss deepens and their tongues meet in a passionate dance, Bradley feels the woman in her arms shudder, setting off another set of 4th of July fireworks in the blonde’s stomach. Kissing Laura Peterson is nothing like Bradley has ever experienced, her heart bursting with feelings she’s never known and an uncalled-for tear makes its way down her cheek. As luck would have it, it lands right on Laura’s nose and she pulls back, concern clouding her face.
“Honey, what’s wrong?”
“Nothing…” Bradley shakes her head and another traitorous tear rolls down her cheek. “It’s just…I just…I’ve never…this is…” She sighs, all the words jumbling in her head, and she simply takes Laura’s hand and presses it to her heart, so that the brunette can feel how erratically it’s beating against her ribs, hoping it will answer the question. Laura hums and mirrors Bradley’s move, pressing her other hand to her heart. Bradley sucks in a breath when she feels Laura’s heart pounding in sync with her own. “Laura…” She whispers looking into her eyes and in that moment she realizes with complete certainty that she wants to spend her life with this gorgeous woman looking at her with unconcealed awe and… love , there’s no other way to describe the look in her eyes.
“Bradley…” Laura murmurs softly, her smile bright enough to outshine all the lights of New York or Las Vegas and Bradley smiles right back. Her body doesn’t stop tingling happily all over as she leans in for another kiss, a kiss that slowly leads them to the bed on the other side of the suite, to clothes being discarded on the way, to them falling down on the mattress, Laura on top, to making sweet and tender love till the wee hours of the morning, to Bradley shedding a few more tears (kissed away by Laura’s velvety soft lips) at the intimacy and connection that goes beyond physical. And when they finally succumb to sleep, Bradley’s head tucked into the crook of Laura’s neck and the brunette’s arms wrapped safely around her, Bradley thinks that if this is what having a soulmate feels like, she wants this for the rest of her life. The word ‘love’ crosses her mind, scaring her a bit, because she couldn’t have possibly fallen in love in just one day, could she? And then Laura pulls her even closer, so gentle and so warm, and whispers ‘good night, honey’, pressing a kiss to Bradley’s cheek, the blonde’s heart skips a beat or two with all the emotions swelling within her, with all the love she undoubtedly feels for the woman in her arms. And while Bradley never believed in soulmates and love, she definitely believes in Laura.