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Tweak says, "Our growth is like a tumor"

Elaine Hammond (elaine_hammond) wrote in omega_reality,
@ 2013-01-21 19:36:00

Entry tags:

*complete, 2013 01, character: bud hammond, character: elaine barrish hammond

RP: Elaine, Bud
Who: Elaine, Bud, possibly others
Where: the office
When: Monday, January 21, 2013
Summary: They talk while watching the inauguration speech

They were working, or pretending to, and at least for today, they could get away with this. The TV was on, every channel broadcasting the inauguration, or at least any channel that counted. They should have been there, in their finest suits, hand on the bible, swearing the oath of office. Instead, they were here, dressed like soldiers, training to go who knew where and with two sons who couldn't make up their minds if they should stay or go.

There was a pang of regret, but she wasn't as upset as she thought she'd be. "This should be affecting me," she told Bud, "but instead, I'm worry about two grown sons who seems to want to talk to each other only when high. And here I thought I'd worry about you or Mother." She leaned against her desk. "That and I've had terrible migraines for days. If Reese starts with me today, I might claim inexperience and shoot him."

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bud_hammond
2013-01-22 12:49 am UTC (link)

This was the first time in many decades that Bud didn't mutter along as Palmer recited the oath of office. He certainly recalled the two times when he stood on the West Front of the Capitol and said those words himself, "I, Donald Hammond, do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States and will to the best of my ability preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States."

But this time was different for two reasons. This time was supposed to be Elaine's turn, and he knew he would never understand what it was like to get so close and then have your destiny ripped away. But they were also in a different place. And this wasn't their politics. It wasn't their world.

"It feels alien, foreign," Bud realized, turning to his ex-wife. He couldn't help but wonder who would be taking the oath right now in their world. "I wonder what's being said about you right now."

He then snorted. "Those little ingrates." He paused, referring to his sons. "No, I suppose they aren't little. Their huge asshole ingrates. You'd think they could take responsibility for their lives."

Bud's attitude immediately turned from disgruntled father to worried husband, even though he wasn't her husband... for the moment. "For days? That doesn't sound good. What have you tried? It's a shame there isn't someone with a super power to heal others."

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elaine_hammond
2013-01-22 01:23 am UTC (link)

"It does, doesn't it? It's like watching a movie, some actor on screen, but he's not and we know nothing about him, his allies and if we end up staying here, we'll have to learn about them. It might become important if dimension traveling ever comes out," she said, still staring at the television.

"What are they supposed to say? They think I'm dead, so everyone will have great things to say about me, about our entire family. It's also bad form to badmouth the dead, and political suicide," she said, with a shrug.

Elaine laughed. "No, they aren't little and we can't make them talk, although it might end up being the easiest way to fix whatever problem there is between them. They'd join forces just to tell us how wrong we are."

Looking at her ex, she snorted. "I'm not asking my mother to cure a migraine. You know that the one time she fixed Spencer's eyes, she was tired for days. I'll just take more excedrin or maybe some of Brian's pot. Those brownies seemed to put a stop to the migraine. Or maybe I didn't care about it anymore."

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bud_hammond
2013-01-22 01:53 am UTC (link)

"How could it not come out? I'm surprised it hasn't, with all those in the government who had to know. With the criminals on the loose with super powers --" he refused to call them bad guys or super villains. "Surely it is only a matter of time until they make their nature known." He had been concluding that the reason they hadn't was because they wanted to go for the biggest debilitative effect, which probably required some kind of proof that the U.S. government knew about it. Talk about an international debacle.

"That's a good point," Bud said perching his chin in his hand and pondering.

Bud joined Elaine laughing. "Give it another couple of days. If their heads are still stuck up their asses, I say we go with that plan. Then, just to piss them off even more, we should make sure they knew it was intentional to get them to join forces against us."

Bud held up his hands relenting, because Elaine was right. It wouldn't be good to ask Margaret to do that. "I won't say a word to her, I promise." And he meant it... at least for the next few days. "Magic brownies. Those were the good ole days, Sugar."

His eyes fleeted back to the television that showed David Palmer and his wife Sherry walking down Pennsylvania Avenue. He smiled.

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elaine_hammond
2013-01-22 02:24 am UTC (link)

"Exactly. How has it not come out? A different president, a different party. You know that they would have gone over all of the state secrets during the transitional period, but would Allen disclose what a fuck up she created?" she asked. "And criminals... they aren't exactly the smartest, but people like to believe what's normal. Easier to think terrorists than people from other dimensions with superpowers."

She closed her eyes and rubbed her temples, while she smiled. "We should do it at dinner, although I don't know if I want to get Marks and Isles involved, and I say that it's very strange that TJ is bringing his boyfriend to dinner, while Doug probably should get laid." She opened her eyes again and looked at Bud. "He's given up, Bud and if TJ can't get to him, I don't know who can."

Elaine nodded. "Thank you. Mother needs to take it easy, even if she doesn't agree with me." She chuckled. "Oh I don't know. I think we convince Brian to share some more pot and we can make a batch just for us. We can have it at dinner."

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bud_hammond
2013-01-23 12:19 am UTC (link)

Bud pondered, remembering back to his own transition into 1600. "I would think Allen would have to fess up to Palmer. The Joint Chiefs are the same. They know of us. Sure, they have secrets of their own, but it would be hard to keep this under wraps." At this point, he just sighed. "This whole thing is one big cluster fuck."

"Getting them involved would probably not be the smartest move," he concurred. But then how to get them alone? They'd think of something. They always did. "I was afraid of that," he sighed even heavier when Elaine mentioned the giving up.

"Our own private pot stash..." he beamed at the thought and then chuckled. "Remember that time when I tried to convince people I smoked but didn't inhale? Jesus Christ." Bud shook his head at his own shame.

"Is there anything I can do for you, Sugar?" His eyebrows rose, "A shoulder massage perhaps?"

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elaine_hammond
2013-01-23 01:34 am UTC (link)

"Yes, that's what I would think too, except why aren't we worrying about it? Or why isn't Vance? How much of this project is being written and reclassified. Look at our own dimension, even if Garcetti knew, he wouldn't have told anyone else and with his death, no one in charge would have known." She shook her head. "It might not be the most diplomatic position, but you're right. It is one big clusterfuck."

Elaine sighed. "Well, we'll have to think of something, because with this partners business, they will never be alone again. We could always hit on Marks and Isles. Or is that too much of an imposition?" she asked with a smirk.

And that was the Bud she loved, the one that made her laugh. "I remember you looking straight at the camera and swearing it. I remember people believing it. God, you really can make them believe anything. Did you convince yourself that it was the truth? Is that it? Because even I believed you and I was there when you didn't 'inhale'."

She looked at her with the corner of her eyes. "Is that for me or for you? But since a masseuse is not in the vicinity, go right ahead."

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bud_hammond
2013-01-23 02:17 am UTC (link)

"We aren't worrying because there is nothing we can do about it?" He posed it as a question, not an answer, because he didn't know the answer. For all he knew, Vance was worrying about it, he just wasn't sharing it with them, and while it frustrated Bud to no end not to know everything, he also knew that Vance was competent and seemed to have done a great job in nearly impossible environs. "Don't forget one thing, Sugar --" he paused for a moment before continuing, "Someone told Garcetti." He couldn't believe that Garcetti wouldn't have told someone else, too, such as the CJCOS, DNI, COS, NSA. It would've been irresponsible not to.

"Surely as parents we can request alone time with our children!" Bud said it with both incredulity and sarcasm in his voice. Not like his parents could have gotten him away from Elaine when they were together.

He roared with laughter. "I swear, I didn't think I could hold it together. I thought for sure I'd just burst out laughing." He shook his head some more. "Easily in my top five lies. Easily." Which said quite a bit. He had told a lot of lies. And still was.

"Both," he whispered, "Now, just close your eyes, and take some deep breaths. Think of Lake Springfield. The pitter patter of the small waves hitting the shore." Lake Springfield wasn't far from the governor's mansion in Illinois. It was a peaceful place.

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elaine_hammond
2013-01-23 02:47 am UTC (link)

She snorted. "And that has ever stopped up before." But she knew his point without him saying it. They weren't privy to all the information, and that wasn't something she enjoyed. "Oh, I'm not forgetting, but you know as well as me what happens when there's no one in charge to direct the play. Sure, sooner or later, someone will remember, and it will go up the chain of command, and when it does then we are all in trouble. The point is are we already in trouble or has the president bought us time? How much political sway does Vance hold? And what happens if he leaves and we stay? So much to consider, and it would be so much nicer if we could do it with those men we called children."

Elaine laughed again. "Sweetheart, would you like to tell our boys that we need them alone so that we can pretend to fight so they speak to each other? We might shock them with blunt honesty."

She looked at him and chuckled. "You're incredibly good with your lies." There was a soft sigh as she closed her eyes. "I bought a few as well, but no more lies, Bud. This isn't about politics anymore, but about survival and our children." It wasn't the image of Lake Springfield that made her smile, but the gentle touch, so familiar and comforting. "Remember how beautiful it was in San Francisco. I mean when we were still at Berkeley. We were going to change the world, and we did. White House or not, I got that nomination. We will be forever in the history books." She looked up and him, smiling. "I don't regret anything."

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bud_hammond
2013-01-23 04:36 am UTC (link)

Bud nodded. He had spent a lot of time pondering these questions. "I don't know, Sugar. I don't know." His instincts told him that Vance didn't hold much sway. They had tried to wipe Vance and his team out once, even after knowing there were criminals with super powers. That of course wasn't a criticism of Vance. There were only so many ways to get political sway. "What we really need is leverage."

He laughed for nearly a minute before regaining his composure. "If we want blunt honesty, let's just let your mother loose on them." Bud really hoped she was with them for many years to come. She was a pain in the ass, but she was his kind of pain in the ass.

"Good with the lies, not so much with the truth," he commented. "Yes, I know this isn't about politics anymore." He didn't think there was anything wrong with her reminding him. Hell, the reminder was helpful. "We sure as hell did change the world. And there will be lots more change because of the people we inspired, especially the ones you inspired." He kissed the top of her head softly.

"Feeling better yet?" He asked teasingly.

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elaine_hammond
2013-01-23 09:58 pm UTC (link)

"Leverage? Like super powers that can destroy them? I think that can backfire fast. I think the bigger problem is that we're too far away from New York. We need to know people. That's how it's done," she pointed out, knowing that Bud knew that as well as she did.

It was good to see him laugh like that, even if it was at their children's expenses. "They expect it from Mother. They don't from us. We can shock them. It'll do them good."

Elaine nodded. "Something like that." She like to think that they had such a big impact on the country. It was her dream after all. "Now, we get to change a few other dimensions. If only this migraine would go away. Oh wait, you just needed to kiss it better."

She rubbed eyes before opening them and suddenly she couldn't see. It lasted only a moment and then the darkness turned red and a beam shot from her eyes, blasting the desk in front of her. Elaine closed her eyes tight again. "I just found another meaning to the words 'death glare'. Help me out, Bud. We need to get to some of those boys who know about powers."

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bud_hammond
2013-01-24 11:52 pm UTC (link)

"Knowing people -- relationships -- is a kind of leverage," he added, almost meekly. "But you're right. It is about knowing people. And I don't see how that can get done." It was a restriction he understood the reasons for and wasn't questioning. He just wished there was some way to make this happen.

"Don't ever understimate how much better you made the country," he whispered that truth as if it were gospel, "and don't ever underestimate the number of leaders you created. The good that the next generation of leaders achieve will be because of you."

He was leaning over to kiss her forehead when red beams erupted from her eyes. "HOLY SHIT!" He yelled, rubbing his chin that nearly got singed. Before another second had gone by he was dialing for their lead. "You better get over here fast. Elaine's eyes just destroyed a desk."

He looked around the room trying to figure out what to do next. "You sure you want to move, Sugar? It might be safer to stay seated." Hell he didn't know.

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elaine_hammond
2013-01-25 12:02 am UTC (link)

The discussion about political leverage and historical impact became unimportant as the implication of what she had done became clear. Still, she laughed at the reaction. "Bud Hammond. I know for a fact that you can be more diplomatic than that. You scared poor Deeks with that."

Men! Even the best of them suddenly lost it when there was a medical emergency. "I'm not an invalid, Bud, but I can only keep my eyes closed for so long. It's safer if you can guide me outside and point me in a direction with no cars, people or anything else that's valuable or explosive." Making the gas truck explode would not be a good thing. She stood up and then reached for her husband. "I trust you."

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bud_hammond
2013-01-25 12:17 am UTC (link)

"What the hell am I supposed to say?" He shook his head. "My wife suddenly produced an optical amplification effect presumably by stimulating the emission of photons, which disturbed the molecular bonds of a nearby piece of furniture." He didn't immediately know if you could call what Elaine projected a laser, but it was the definition he knew, so he went with it.

"That's a really good point," he said and then his voice turned to mocking, "When did you get so smart?" He hoisted up from the chair, taking the brunt of her body's weight and he maneuvered them out of the room and toward safety. "Be careful with the trust: If Fred Collier just happens to appear, I may tell you to open your eyes because everything is safe." He could've found a better joke, he knew; that would do in a pinch. He glanced around to see if he could see anyone coming.

Bud started laughing. Maybe it was from the absurdity of it. Maybe it was because he felt entirely helpless. But he just couldn't stop laughing.

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elaine_hammond
2013-01-25 12:47 am UTC (link)

Elaine bit her lip, trying not to laugh, but then gave up. "Oh, I would have enjoyed that discussion a lot more. I wonder what his reply would have been, other than to put you on the phone with Sheldon or Dominic."

She snorted. "When I decided that I should get a divorce?" she answered sweetly. "And I can walk, Bud, unless you're trying to cope a feel. No, you wouldn't do that," she mused. "You want people to come to you, because they can see how great you are. And maybe I should think of something else, or I might forget why keeping my eyes closed is a bad idea." She chuckled. "If Collier appears, I won't blame you."

She patted his arm. "It's okay, Bud. I'm all right. Let's just wait for those boys and I'm sure that they will find a solution."

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