𝙵𝙻𝙴𝚂𝙷 𝙰𝙽𝙳 𝙱𝙾𝙽𝙴 | 𝚃. 𝙾𝚃𝚃𝙾 𐂃

- Cristine & Madison -

During the time Madison and her family had been on the Ranch, Cristine silently took note of the women's looming presence. At first, she detected little thing: the way she did her chores and socialized with the people to find her place and integrate with their community. It wasn't after the outpost that she noticed Madison change her shadowing tactics around. She was there when they talked about their defense plans, put her two cents in, which proved her experience with the outside world and her practicality. The woman knew what she was talking about, but it never sat right with Cristine that her father took her words into so much consideration. Maybe it was because of Jeremiah's lack of fight or Vernon's cowardice that pushed him to the mother that would do anything for her children, but Cristine didn't like it one bit. She told Madison to stay away from her father and out of whatever shady and selfish plans she had for her and her family's self-preservation.

"You need help with that?" Madison asked and gestured at the stacked supply boxes with medicinal supplies. The smile on her lips brief and she didn't wait for Cristine to answer and went through her knees and help sort the last supplies. Cristine looked around saw everyone busy packing right now and sighed at her luck.

"Alicia told me about the birth of our youngest member." Cristine went through her hunches too and grunted her answer. "You did good."

"I did my job," Cristine answered curtly, clearly signaling she wasn't in the mood for a conversation about her. "Alicia is the real hero. How is she holding on with Jake leaving? She won't admit it, but she has a soft spot for him."

"She's strong and Jake's been checking in with us every couple of hours. Seems Walker is taking negotiations seriously." Madison handed Cristine the medicine box and peeked from the corner of her eyes. "It's not ideal, but Jake his heart is in the right place."

"He put us at risk going off like that... it put everyone on sharp." Cristine slightly scrunched her brows together and pushed her tongue against the inside of her teeth and rather bluntly remarked, "you seem to take it well though. I mean even my father trusts you." Cristine looked at Madison and didn't flinch when those narrowed blue eyes peered straight back at her. She wasn't the only one watching the other's moves and Cristine found it rather insulting Madison wouldn't stay back.

"We're both parents who want the best for their families." Madison did want to talk to Cristine; alone. Without her children or Cristine's family present. Just a conversation between the two of them. She watched the younger mockingly shake her head with a quick chortle, probably finding the answer a fabrication. "You don't have to like me Cristine and what I do, but if you were in my situation you'd do the same. You don't know me."

"Hm," Cristine hummed absently and agreed with her stance. "I would and that's exactly why I don't trust you. You've been here for a week. Something just tells me you don't get attached too easily even if I did try and get to know you. So this bond with my father and all that... it's bullshit. You just care how you can use his... authority and influence cause neither Jeremiah and Vernon want or can do what he does."

"Your father made that call. You should take your grievances with him."

"Did he come with these sudden decisions before or after you 'bonded' as parents?" Madison was worse than Dolores. While her stepmother had always been more direct and forward with her words, Madison was a manipulator and worked in the shades. An effective trait as a guidance counselor, but after a while Cristine saw through it and found it boring. "You need to play chess with the Otto's and leave me and my family out of it."

Madison sighed and quickly organized the last first aid kits, tools and medicines in the box. She occupied her mind by finishing that little task and "We want the same thing; safety. Your father wants that too and he's doing it in the only way a parent knows. By being overprotective." And that was Madison her truth. If she needed to suffocate her children with her love, she would and no one would stop her. She wanted to integrate and she wasn't lying when she could better connect with Jeremiah and James through parenthood. Jeremiah had opened about his abusive streaks, his late second wife and Troy. James was doing that now with him and mostly Cristine. It was just now that the situation between the Founding Fathers had become so fractured. James being the only one to let his actions speak for himself, lead, and do what needed to be done to protect them that she lined beside the man. James share personal grievances with her and Madison remembered those. The sensitive dynamic with his eldest daughter was the puzzle that didn't quite fit within the Gerrard family. So if Madison could use that to her advantage at one point, Madison definitely would.

Cristine's didn't miss the intentional jab Madison made shook her head to stop the woman right there, "I'm not a child, definitely not yours, so you need to watch your mouth and your place." Rubbing her finger under her chin, Cristine held the equally cold and unblinking blue hues of Madison. "When you first introduced yourself during the service, I admired how you went about it. With care and precision. You read the room and let the people sympathize with you. That's admirable. Hell, I think if I met you from the very start of this, we could've been a great team. But I don't know you and you think you know me from what my dad probably told you. It must be hard. To always worry if your kids are safe and protect them from the world even if it means doing the absolute worst." She kept looking at the mother of the two and flashed a dimpled smile that wasn't quite one. "I don't think I want children," she confessed while rolling her palms over her denim pants. "It'd be too much of a pain. Too big of a burden." Cristine curiously asked her a question, "what's it like to give birth? Is it as horrible as I imagine?"

Madison looked back at the younger woman, brows slightly arched when her lips relaxed, "the first is the hardest. You don't know the type of pain there will be. You don't know if there will be any potential complications." There was a faint smile on her lips now, as if remembering the birth of her children, and just that memory made her glower at Cristine when she shared it. "But in that moment when you know and see that tiny thing out into the world, you know you would die for it. At one point you change and you don't even realize it. You're able to do all sorts of things if it means they're safe from people that want to hurt them."

Cristine understood that. Family was family. And while she wouldn't have those same mother bear instincts, she would kill for her loved ones. Had killed for them when she was out usually, tortured a man. So yes, she would give Madison that. But that didn't mean she was blind to everything else and the nagging feeling at the scalp of her head. "I get that. Truly, I do... but you need to understand why I'm wary. Why I want you to stay away... because you'd do all of that just for your children. At the expense of others and not give a shit and I actually do give a shit about this community and these people. We're not pawns to keep your children safe."

Short chapter, but I really needed to do this to remind ya'll that yes, Madison is still being her shady self and manipulating people from the shadows. Hence Cristine her distrust towards her, especially cause it involves her father. Expect another chapter to drop soon, cause I've been on a roll. Also, don't fret Troy will appear soon enough