Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Consolidated has been running pretty smoothly since it's new CEO took charge. Violet Newstead has kept things organised and flowing ever since the man she took the role of suddenly went on a long business trip to the Amazon and supposedly ended up staying there? She's not fully informed on what happened but she's grateful for the opportunity it presented to her.

With everything going so well, it's admittedly been considerably more tiring to work there from the lack of adrenaline to run on throughout the day. Despite his horrifically misogynistic ways and disgusting sexualisation of women, Frank Hart did always make sure they had something to do. Yes, it was because he was so disorganised that everything ended up being done last minute but it kept some days interesting atleast.

She's not sure about the motivation of the other employees but Violet finds that something that will always keep her going is none other than Judy Bernly. They've known each other for what, 6 months maybe? But Judy just has that bright, glowing personality that adds a streak of sunshine in the gloom of the office, to Violet atleast. The way she smiles when she hands the CEO her morning cup of coffee and how her face lights up everyday when Violet says yes to going to lunch with her. She's honestly not even sure why Judy still asks, it's obviously always going to be a yes, but she let's her do it and she responds with the same enthusiasm everyday. It's gotten to the point where Violet looks forward to going to lunch with Judy more than she does going home everyday.

So, yes, perhaps Violet Newstead is like a tad bit in love with Judy Bernly but... She's a married woman and Violet is a widow so there's just no chance. She tells herself it's just platonic love but she knows it's something more, denial is just so much easier than heartbreak. Also, even if Judy would happen to get a divorce, she's not even into women so theres simply no chance.

Thinking about the other woman in that moment, Violet stalls going home by instead getting lost in thought whilst staring at her stapler and finding the motivation to get off this weirdly creaky leather chair and get home in one piece. Just one more second of peace... Just one more... Maybe a few more seconds.

Disturbing this inner turmoil of procrastination (of probably the easiest task she's had all day) is a gentle knock from the outside of her door and a shadow blocking the light from streaming through the bottom of the frame.

"Come in," she exclaims, just loud enough for them to hear. Her energy is slowly coming back but it feels like it's all drained throughout the day.

Creaking open slowly, the door rotates on its hinges, which break the silence with an unwelcome screeching, and a faint blue glow appears before it's source. Today Judy had opted for a knee length blue dress with details of different shades and her usual updo that she spent way too long perfecting. Violet had witnessed it firsthand when she had watched the woman intently twist it up and carefully place each hair grip on a morning of a night out, taking 3 tries before accepting it was 'good enough' for her Sunday errands.

"Judy," Violet smiled and leant back in her chair, finally averting her eyes from the stapler sitting on her desk, "You're still here?"

The other woman stood there for a second looking guilty, twisting her hands back and forth subtly in front of her.

"I didn't really feel like going home yet," 

It was in fact an hour since her shift had ended and most workers here would be dreaming of their own home by the time they walked out of the door so the office can't be all that desirable.

"You have tomorrow to do anymore work you have left, go home Judy otherwise you'll just burn out by the end of the week,"

She sighed and instead of heading out of the door, started making her way to Violet's desk and proceeded to sit in the chair opposite, hearing the leather creak beneath and behind her. Judy contemplated telling Violet things about home before but she didn't want to make it a burden, it was probably what most women were going through anyway so why worry? Apart from... It was plaguing every thought of hers at this point everytime she was about to go home. She just knew what was waiting on the other side of those walls and she didn't have the energy to keep up with it let alone fight it anymore.

"I just... Dick's getting on my nerves recently and I know he's stressed with work and I should be helping more around the house, I know that, but I don't have the energy to cope with his complaining anymore,"

For the first time in this interaction, Judy looked up to make eye contact with Violet. There was a hint of sadness mixed with self-pity but less the kind that made you hate someone for feeling sorry for themselves and more the kind that made you want to hug them into that emotion simply faded into nothing.

At this point, Violet wasn't quite sure what to say. As a CEO if someone came to her with a problem, her job was to find the solution but this sort of the thing wasn't something she could fix with power, it was something she had to be more of a bystander for despite how much it hurt knowing Judy was getting hurt.

Violet stood up and rounded the corner of her desk, widening her arms as she went and soon pulled the almost-crying Judy towards her. Tightly grasping wherever it could hold, her hand kept it's clutch ensuring it would hold on as long as Judy needed it. She had shed a few tears and leaned into Violet's embrace significantly before finally pulling away, realising she did in fact need to get home otherwise dinner wouldn't be on the table for seven and those types of nights were the worst types of nights.

"I need to go..." she sniffled as she pushed the chair outwards and stood up out of the warm safety of the red leather and straightened her dress in attempt of looking presentable for her husband waiting at home. It was all so very domestic really and Judy just wished it was as simple as the domesticity society knows of. Why did everything have to be so complicated?

"Do you want me to walk you to the station?" It wasn't far but it gave Violet an extra 5 minutes of knowing her friend was safe.

"No... No it's okay," Judy smiled and headed out the door, leaving the 'thank you' she always whispered lingering in the quiet air.

Violet took this as a sign to get everything of hers ready to leave and start to make her trek home before everything repeated tomorrow. One day things will hopefully change, she wants to help fate along with that but perhaps now just isn't the right time. Although, when is? 

Chapter Text

For many days after, Judy pretended that however she was feeling that one evening simply hadn't happened. She went home at the end of her shift every day with a smile on her face that Violet swore was forced but she couldn't quite prove it. Excluding that one afternoon, Judy seemed happy with her husband or atleast... Fine with him. Some days she would even speak about him or something he did and she said it so lovingly that occasionally it made Violet miss having that sort of relationship with her late husband...

Days turned into weeks and everything seemed like a normal day with Judy. She came in with her morning chai tea, sat at her desk and got her work done and at lunch she would go to the local cafe with Violet- which is exactly where they were right now.

"Maria's been talking about finances again," Judy said in a light-hearted tone, knowing that the CEO wouldn't have a massive freak out about it like Hart did. It was more of just a catching up about the office considering the isolation of Violet's desk from the rest of them.

Still, the other woman sighed at the news, having it remind her of the abundance of work she has, "I've been trying to file the paperwork for Equal pay in the office since my very first day. It became my top priority and I know you know that but I just wish the others could know too..."

Judy smiled despite the situation, "I wish they could know too, I'm sure morale would be boosted so much more although... Not sure how some of the guys would act,"

Violet laughed at what their reactions would be... Matt would definitely sulk for a few days and then continue with his misogynistic ways and probably be in denial about the women getting the same treatment as him. It's how it went with Violet becoming CEO apart from the sulking part lasted a bit longer considering the man she overtook was his best friend who everyone knew would have given him special treatment so... He really lost out on that one. Bill would refuse to accept the fact equal pay was a thing at all and a few of the other guys would just bitch about the CEO behind her back yet still make it so obvious as if she would step down if she heard a few assholes telling her that a man would be doing a better job than her. They were all the same really, which made for quite a humorous situation ignoring the snide comments that came from it. 

"It would definitely be something," They both smiled and Judy looked down to her salad, picking up a few pieces with her fork and biting the lettuce off of her fork.

She finished her mouthful and continued the conversation, "Why is it taking so long to process the paperwork anyway?"

Violet rolled her eyes, "The owners of the company don't seem to see why women deserve the same pay as men when doing the exact same job as them, it's the same argument that's been going on since the beginning of time but... I don't know, maybe I'm getting somewhere, maybe I'm not but I'm still trying, I want to prove that I'm the person for this role despite already being CEO... I could always be replaced"

"You've already done so much for the office, so much more than Hart ever did and probably whoever came before him. Anyways, I can't see them replacing you anytime soon with the statistics you've improved alone. You yourself told me last week that profit margins have increased by 4% and that number will just keep increasing, that's enough to convince any owner that you're worth staying," Judy put her hand on Violet's in the middle of the table and moved her thumb up and down her knuckles,"Not that that's your only selling point,"

Silence filled the table for a moment as Violet took in the compliment. The old uncomfortable feeling that came from compliments was slowly swimming to the surface but she tried to push it down for just a second to accept that maybe she deserves a bit of credit. Plus, Judy had never lied to her.

"So... How's everything at home?"

"Oh, just great! Dick got a promotion last week so he took me to dinner last night and it was so romantic," Her thumb stopped it's movement as she thought of her husband. She almost drew her hand back but it felt comfortable there so she decided to keep it.

"Sounds lovely," It was sometime difficult to hear about Judy's home life and her husband but it was normal so it rarely pierced her heart or caused a large reaction in her. Why sweat over something she can't change?

"Hey Judy, can I ask you a question?" There was a curiosity that had been held in her mind ever since that afternoon a few weeks ago and for some reason she hadn't decided to search for an answer yet.

"Of course!" This time she did draw her hand back but it felt like it somehow put more of her attention on Violet despite the lack of physical attention.

"Why didn't you want to go home that one evening?"

Judy seemed to know exactly what she was talking about because her shoulders seized. Not much, not in an obvious enough way that any external viewers would notice but Violet did and she wonders if she was about to find out why. 

"Oh, well, I'd just had a slight misunderstanding at home and I was worried Dick would still be angry but it was actually fine! He said to leave it in the past and move on and I also think that was the best solution. It was just a couple quarrel, nothing major," Her smile had changed but it wasn't clear how.

Violet knew she'd never lied to her, they'd been through too much but somehow this felt like a lie or perhaps just a twisting of the truth. Unfortunately, Judy was someone who cared a lot about appearance to the public and sometimes Violet got worried that would cloud her judgements on particular situations. For now, she vowed to leave it, no point in getting too curious and ruining her friendship with the other woman over something that could be nothing. 

"Ah alright, well as long as you're okay," she smiled back, a closed, tight smile but it gave the point across that she cared.

They finished up their lunches and headed back to the office, ready to get the rest of their work done and head home for the evening.

Winter was beginning to take over the air creating a crisp breeze whenever the wind decided to flow. It's the type of cold that turned your nose red and made your face feel like it was frozen by the time you got home but Violet loved the ambience of it and the way it contrasted so much with the excruciating heat of summer. She absorbed the feeling of the new season whilst she sat on the subway, waiting for her train to arrive and tried to ignore how it began to feel like a little too much with her thin jacket that needed to be upgraded to a winter one asap.

A peaceful evening was just what she desired everyday after work and it felt fulfilling to finally get such thing and a small voice in her mind hoped Judy would be feeling the same.

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Tomorrow came around faster than normal. Time always moves faster when she's enjoying it which felt like one of those things that proves the universe is against her, not that she was ever serious about that although sometimes it did feel possible. Violet opted for a burgundy scarf today matched with a dark blue trench coat (which she kept for weather just like this) and her usual black and grey kimono. This was the first time she was wearing a scarf since last winter and it was something she did miss doing when the warmer weather had started to take over. 

She had made it just in time today due to the foot traffic being a little busier than usual do everyone was already at work hy the time she arrived. However, she was still able to get started just as fast and begin her work after taking a sip of the coffee left by Judy on her desk. 

Towards the beginning of the morning, Judy's work seemed to be getting done slower than normal. Nothing concerning or worthy of reporting, especially as it wasn't a common occurrence, but it peaked Violet's concern for the other woman. Said concern had been more heightened recently anyway. 

When delivering the next set of files to each desk, she sensed a lower level of motivation in everyone. Perhaps it was the changing season as sunlight is proven to create a more joyous mood but something was up and Violet hoped it wouldn't continue. Maybe it was because it was the middle of the week... Wednesdays did always feel like a worser day than others. 

Lunch time came around pretty fast much to everyone's delight and the CEO was given the chance to approach Judy's desk instead of vise versa. 

"You ready to go? I was thinking we could go somewhere a bit closer considering the cold," She looked down and noticed Judy's hands were shaking slightly as they typed their final letters on the typewriter sitting on her desk. 

"Yeah that sounds good, let me just finish up," Judy quickly flicked her eyes up to Violet's and offered a small smile. Her voice seemed to have been matching her hands with having an unusual uneasiness to it, a small quiver as if she was about half the way to tears. 

"Okay, I'm just going to go to the restroom," Without waiting for a response, she headed off, leaving the other woman to finish her article. 

Nothing of it was mentioned over lunch and Judy seemed to be back to normal. She was probably just having one of those days where every small inconvenience feels like the end of the world, Violet hated those days... Well, who didn't? 

The ticking clock in her office finally reached 5pm and the CEO took a moment to stretch her arms and remove her paper from her typewriter. She was actually finished on time thankfully and would be able to get home to make Josh dinner before he went to some party he seemed to be going to tonight. It was supposedly his friends birthday but she hadn't heard anything of it until the previous day. 

All packed up, coat on and bag in hand, Violet headed out of the office and turned off the final light. Making it to the subway by quarter past 5, a new record. The only benefit that came from your employees leaving work slightly earlier than they're meant to is that you don't have to wait for them to leave, it's probably not the most professional thing to do but hey, it was nice. 

Oddly, the subway air was a lot chillier than the outside and she felt the need to wrap her scarf even tighter around her neck to isolate whatever heat she could. Her fingers reached for the hanging material and annoyingly found nothing. She'd left it at the office in such a haste to get out, plus she wasn't particularly used to the extra accessory yet so remembering it wasn't something her auto-pilot, tired self would consider. 

It would still be there tomorrow, there's no point in going back now- she convinced herself whilst racing down the staircase. Violet shoved her hands in her pockets, making a mental note to try to remember gloves tomorrow, and checked the monitor above for her train time. She always got the 6pm one but she dearly hoped there was an earlier train. 

To much of her disappointment, there was not in fact an earlier train and the ones to her home town only ran once every hour so now she had 45 minutes to spare... 

Instead of wallowing in the freezing temperatures of the confound space built with concrete walls and only lit up by the smallest, saddest-looking ceiling lights. She made the decision to go back to get her scarf. The extra steps wouldn't hurt after all and New York looked gorgeous in the dark, why not admire the view. 

5 minutes later, she was running up the stairs and allowing herself to walk through the office in the dark instead of having to deal with the blinding lights. Her hand connected with the door handle and soon she was stepping into her office and turning to the right for the coat rack that was holding her scarf safe. 

Heels clicking against the wooden floor, she lifted her foot to step closer but instead of reaching the ground, it collided into something that definitely hadn't been there before. When it did so, she heard a muffled noise come from below. 

"Hello?" It was definitely a person and now they were sniffling, just once or twice but enough to make it clear they had been crying. 

"Are you okay?" It must be a coworker, probably someone from another floor or section considering hers had been fully cleared when she left, unless they'd been hiding in the bathroom... 

Just another, quieter sniffle sounded from below and now she was concerned. For a moment her mind debated whether it was an animal that had gotten in and that's why she wasn't getting a response but it quickly came to the conclusion that it was a human. 

She flicked the light switch for just her office area and looked over to the person. They were sat against the wall opposite the coat rack, knees to their chest, arms hugging their knees and a tissue in one hand that their fingers were messing with. Violet recognised them immediately. 

"Judy! What's wrong?!" 

Violet knelt by her side and placed her hand on the other woman's back. Rubbing it and down soothingly and looking at her concerningly. 

Judy didn't lift her head but rather just sat there motionless. She wasn't making any noise anymore but she didn't seem to want to lift her head or make a move to go anywhere. 

Violet used her other hand to move the pad of her thumb up and down the very side of Judy's face, trying to get her to lift her head with gestures rather than force. 

"Do you want to talk about it at all? Do you want me to call Dick?" 

The only response she received was a heavy sigh and it seemed like she was about to lift her head but was debating it. Violet was worried she felt ashamed and wasn't sure how to tell Judy that she shouldn't feel ashamed at all. 

Unsure of her next move or how to go about this, Violet slowly stood up, removing all contact, and headed towards her office phone. Perhaps Judy's husband would know what was going on. 

Hearing the buttons on the phone clicking as Violet pressed them down, Judy seemed to finally lift her head. 

"What are you doing?" 

"I was going to call Dick to help, or perhaps just give you a ride home to make sure you're not alone, or maybe just inform him that you'll be late home so he doesn't worry?" It was stated as a question and she waited for Judy's response of which of those she wanted to do. If her husband knew she was upset atleast she'd have him to help her if she didn't want to confide in Violet, it was important she had someone to care for her even if she was just simply having a bad day. 

"No!" Judy sprung up and grabbed the phone off Violet, putting it down on the holder. Now that she was standing and closer, it was more possible to notice how dishevelled she was. Her mascara had given her a dark shadow all around her eye, her foundation was separated in lines from the tear tracks on her cheeks and her hair was falling out of its usual tight updo, which is a standard Judy would never allow.

"Okay," Clearly calling her husband wasn't what she wanted, and Violet respected that... She just wasn't sure how to go about this now. 

Fortunately (well, as fortunate as this situation could be), Judy prevented Vioelt from having to make any decision by enveloping her with her arms. They wrapped loosely around her neck yet somehow were still holding tightly onto her and Judy buried her face into her own arm. Violet took a moment to process but as quickly as she could comprehend, she circled her arms around her waist and held her tight. 

"I'm sorry, that's what I thought you'd want me to do," 

"I understand, thank you Violet," 

It sounded more sincere than just a 'thank you for trying to help' but Violet wasn't quite sure what she needed to be thanked for. 

"Do you not want to go home again?" Might as well ask because time wasn't standing still and the evening was quickly becoming night. 

"I... I don't know," 

"Judy?" 

She hummed against her shoulder in acknowledgement. 

"Please talk to me, I want to help you however I can, I don't want to force you or put any sort of pressure on you I just want to know how I can help you," 

Judy took a large breath and paused for a moment. Not even breathing for a second creating a silence so deafening that it was beginning to engulf Violet in all the emotions she was feeling in that moment. 

"It's Dick..." 

"Is he hurting you?" 

"Yes..." She realised what that sounded like and retracted her statement, "No! No, not really... It's just..." 

She pulled back from the hug and leaned against the desk for support. Holding eye contact with the taller woman, she braced herself to tell her whatever she could voice in that moment. 

"Sometimes he'll come home and... He's not himself. He's miserable and angry and so overtaken by emotions he can't even think straight. On occasion I'll hear the front door slam and just know it's one of those days and it's so exhausting to try to calm him down or even to think rationally. It's not his fault, of course, he just works with some terrible people and I wish he'd find new work but he... Anyway, I just need a moment for myself sometimes to remind myself not to yell back at him and to be the wife he needs in that moment. I'm just so tired of it Violet..."

A tear travelled down her cheek and she wiped it away fast, refusing to start crying for the second time.