The Professor and The Fledgling

Drabble Four:

Questioning His Actions

(requested by: morbidsweetie13 and kinghudson)

Her breathing was irregular and her heartbeat was erratic. The palms of her hands were sweaty and her mind was swimming with scenes how this could go horrible wrong. Her black hair was tied into a half-ponytail and the wisps of strands framed her pretty face that was covered by a light sheen of sweat made from nervousness. Only a thick slab of cherry wood door stood between her and her goal. She had been standing outside of his office for almost fifteen minutes now and she knew that nothing will happen unless she twists the doorknob and confront him about it.

'You can do this!' she mentally supported herself 'Just go in there, look at him in the eye and tell him what you want! No big deal!' Except... it was a big deal. He was scary enough when he wasn't mad and his word was law... well, most of the time.

"Stop being such a wuss and do it!" she hissed before she took a deep breath and quietly opened the door.

His office was pristine as usual with several decorations to liven up the place. Numerous photos dominated the wall and the two pictures with sterling silver frames stood proudly on his desk right next to his very first award for Best Director. Behind his chair were the posters of the movies he had directed as well as the awards he had received over the years. He was also given his own star on the Walk of Fame right by the Chinese Theater.

Speaking if which, the man in question was sitting on his desk, his shoulders squared and his eyes focused solely on the paper he was writing on. Maybe he didn't notice that she was in the room so she took a deep breath and tittered in the sweetest tone for maximum effect-

"Daddy-"

"No" he flatly answered without looking up from his work.

The seventeen year old teenager gaped before she recovered from the initial shock, "I didn't even say anything yet!"

"You only call me that when you wanted something and already know that I won't let you do or have it" he grunted, the scratching of his pen echoed his words. His face was blank and his black hair was slicked back with the parting on the left side and few silver strands were highlighted by the sunlight that peeked from the blinds.

The girl pouted and slump her shoulders before she turned her heel to look for someone who had the power to overturn his decision, someone who can persuade (or more like challenge) him to change his mind. She needed-

"Don't even think about bringing your mother into this Audrey," he warned "The last thing I need right now is a migraine and arguing your case with her is something I'd like to avoid."

Audrey scowled, the spitting image of her father's own (at least according to her parents' family and friends) before she tried to make her case "But dad, I really think I have a shot at Oxford. C'mon, you guys always told me to find my own voice and I did! I know I'm a shoe-in for a slot if I keep my GPA 4.0 up to senior year and mom said that-"

"Your mother merely told me what you have chosen as your degree once you've finished high school and I support you with it as it's your decision. But I'm far from being swayed with the university you plan to attend."

"Oxford is well-known and been one of the top universities for Arts and Humanities plus it's tied with Cambridge as-" she continued on before her father held up a finger which effectively silenced her.

"You're not going to another country just to attend a university" he told her firmly. He placed down his pen and placed his hands together in a business-like manner. Audrey knew they had entered 'the zone'; it was an invisible bubble that her parents get into whenever they talk about a serious subject. She had seen him do it to other people multiple times; usually with her mom but they usually both come out unscathed... except that one time which resulted with her dad being kicked out of their bedroom and he spent almost a week in his home office sleeping on the couch. No one can even go near him without getting their heads bitten off except her mom who wasn't even remotely afraid of him.

But now, she was on the opposite side and she knew he wouldn't go easy on her. She needed to stand her ground and she will do just that. "Dad" she started, monitoring the tone of her voice "There's no better place for me to take English Literature other than Oxford. If you and mom can just come with me to check the campus, I know you'll think it's great there too!"

"There are schools available here, believe it or not" he said in an even voice, confident that he will win this without breaking a sweat.

"None as equally prestigious as Ox-"

"Harvard, Stanford, Yale, Berkley and UCLA" he answered, his dark brown eyes blank from any emotions as he continued to rip her argument to shreds "I hardly believe that the Ivy League isn't credible enough for your chosen course. I have no qualms with you majoring in literary arts but the fact that you insist on attending college far from home is something non-negotiable."

"But I-"

His eyes narrowed and his lips curled into a scowl, "I've already said my thoughts on the subject and no amount of whining will change that."

Anger rose from her belly, an indignant growl erupted from her throat. She felt a familiar tic on her temple before she turned around and gripped the door handle but as she twisted it to open, her dad apparently still had a follow up on his statement,

"I have a set of rules in this house Audrey, I expect you to follow them as well as William."

Feeling something snapped within her, Audrey whirled around and shouted, "This is one of the major reasons why I wanted to go to Oxford! I'm sick and tired of your rules!"

In a flash, her dad's whole demeanor changed and she knew she had crossed that line. "Would you like to rephrase that, young lady?" he hissed through gritted teeth. The eyebrow twitch she and her brother had feared had made itself known but she held her ground. It might have been her inner teen rebel or the adrenaline that pumped through her veins because she wasn't fazed and bit back,

"I hate your stupid rules! 'Don't do this!' or 'Don't do that!' It's choking the life out of me dad! I can't wait to move out of here!" and with that, she forcefully opened the door and slammed it to emphasize her words. With indignation and anger still bubbling in her chest, she ran to her room and screamed into a pillow.

"-I can't wait to move out of here!"

Fia abruptly stopped as soon as she crossed the threshold of their front door. She had just dropped off Will at summer camp and came home only to hear Audrey screaming at her father. The woman sighed before she placed her keys on the crystal bowl and walked to her husband's home office, not missing the stomps Audrey made as she went to her room.

She knocked on his door tentatively before opening it to find her husband writing on a piece of paper in a furious pace. Scrunched up face? Clenched jaw? The eyebrow twitch? Face flushed with total anger? All checked.

"... so she told you about Oxford?" she asked quietly before she braced herself for the rant that was about to come.

"What in the hell was she thinking?! Oxford University? That girl is doing this to spite me! I have half a mind of sending her to a boarding school with that attitude! I have no-"

She let him yell and shout until he (finally) fizzled out which prompted her to look up from the book she was reading and said, "Feeling better now?" The glare he had sent towards her had lost some of its touch, maybe because years of being at the receiving end of it had softened up its effect. Not that she will ever tell him that; the man had his pride of being very intimidating. He gave out a frustrated sigh and slammed the pen on the desk,

"I don't know why you aren't upset about this!"

The female director shook her head and walked next to his tense form, it was as if she's walking on a field of landmines. She reached to his side and sat on the armrest, one of his major pet peeves; before she leaned to his shoulder-

"I'll talk to her about it. But-"

"But what?" he growled

She rolled her eyes; he will always find a way to make things confrontational "Hon, biting my head off isn't going to make Audrey change her mind" she soothed, placing a gentle hand on his forearm.

He exhaled audibly before leaning back on the chair, "I know that my words can't reach through that stubborn thick head of hers, considering that she got it from you-"

"Glad to know that we didn't lose our routinely loving banters after all these years" she drawled as he plowed on, pretending that she didn't say anything.

"-and I'm not averted to the idea of sending her to military school if she keeps forcing that insane compulsion to study abroad" he finished. Fia shook her head deftly and turned to face him with a raised brow,

"What are you going to do, bar our daughter from leaving the country?" she scoffed. When his silence answered her, her eyes widened before she stood up and placed her hands on her hips-

"Thomas Orson Hunt, don't tell me you're seriously thinking about that!"

"It's a sensible move-"

"No, it's a selfish and, not to mention, stupid move! If Audrey's mad at you now, she will hate you then! I won't have two emotionally-constipated Hunts to take care of; one of you is already a handful!" She took a deep breath and placed the tips of her fingers against her temple, "I hope Will's not going to go through this phase. I don't know if I can handle a rebellious teenage boy."

He rolled his eyes and began to pile the papers on his desk. The grandfather clock chimed to exactly ten o' clock, signalling him the time. "I have to go" he said, his voice sounded more gruff than usual, making her frown a bit. LA's been hit with an unusual flu season and no one's immune to it.

"You have a class today?" she asked, watching him place several thick piles of paper into his leather bag. Thomas gave out an exhausted sigh and placed his jacket on his arm, "No but I have to give a lecture to those high school hopefuls who're attending the college fair. That event is getting more tedious every single year." He started to walk out of the office and she immediately followed the suit.

Their home wasn't unlike his old one near campus; a spacious one-story house with a pool and lounge out back was enough for a family of four. Lisa and Aria once asked why they didn't grab a mansion in Hollywood Hills since they can easily afford it. Her husband alone was worth millions, and they can certainly live a charmed life of luxury ala Stones but they both have rather simple tastes in home environments. And Fia would rather choke herself to death than let her kids grow up to be spoiled, rotten brats, i.e. (again) Bianca.

He walked to the oval mirror by the parlor and straightened his already perfect tie, "The faster I end my lecture, the faster I can weed out those who had what it takes and all those who aren't. One in a million chance."

Fia chuckled at the sour expression on his face, "I bet they're going to remember your pep talk. You should have sidelined as a motivational speaker" she japed. He rolled his eyes before he leaned down and placed a chaste kiss in her lips.

"I'll be back around four. I hope by then you've talked her out of thinking about Oxford and move that idea somewhere within this continent."

"Really? I've graduated from college for almost two decades and you're still giving me homework?"

He chose to ignore the jab and walked out. She followed him out of the front door and waved goodbye as he rode out his car to the driveway. When his car turned to the left corner, she closed the door and proceeded to Audrey's room.

The loud thrum of a rock-ballad echoed so the option of knocking on her door was off the table. She opened it and peeked in to see Audrey lying on her bed with the stereo on full blast.

Audrey sat up with a glare on her face but it immediately softened when she realized it was her. She turned down the volume and jumped back on her bed; her hair's dishelved and the rims of her eyes were red.

"Mom I-"

"I know. I caught the finale after I got back from dropping Will off to summer camp" she sighed as she sat next to the teenager.

Audrey groaned as she hugged a pillow to her chest, "How long am I grounded?"

Fia hummed as she brushed the bangs off of Audrey's eyes, "You're not grounded, although you might want to take a few weeks before you can ask to attend another party with your friends."

The teen buried her face on the pillow and leaned her head to her mother's lap. For a moment, the seventeen year old reverted back to a toddler who liked climbing on her mommy's leg to hear bedtime stories but Fia knew that her little girl is all grown up. Now if only her husband would share the same opinion...

"Why is dad so strict?" Audrey asked, her voice muffled by the pillow, "Shouldn't he be happy that I'm as ambitious as the two of you? I thought that he will be proud that I'm chasing my dreams and instead, all I got was a flat-out 'No' Why is dad so... so... dad?!"

A sudden thought entered Fia's mind, a sleeping memory that triggered a giggle. Audrey stopped her ranting and looked at her like she had lost her mind. Fia held up a hand and grinned apologetically,

"Sorry sweetie. I just remembered something."

"What?"

"Ancient history and all... it was something your dad and I talked about when you were born."

Fia watched as the anger on Audrey's face turned into confusion and pure curiosity; the one thing she didn't inherit from her father was his single-minded attention span.

She sat up and threw the pillow to the side, her attention now directed at the possible storytelling especially it involved her. "Why, what happened?"

"Well..."

Flashback

It was 11:45 PM on a Friday in Cedars-Sinai Hospital.

Ten hours... it took ten hours to get her daughter out of her and she was tired. Childbirth wasn't as easy as the numerous books she had read made out; it was like she was being cored inside out. But as soon as the doctor placed the small pink bundle in her arms, the pain became a dull hum as Fia stared down at the fragile being who was quietly gurgling. Within a second, Thomas was standing next to her with an unreadable expression on his face.

"Here she is" Fia cooed, gently stroking the downy black hair. Their daughter squirmed under her touch and slowly opened her eyes. No doubt the newborn can't see anything clearly yet unless they're really close, and by then the object would be fuzzy and unfocused.

"She's..." he started but he somehow grew silent as the seconds ticked on and Fia looked up and carefully watched him. His face was myriad of emotions and he was as stiff as a statue; do her eyes deceive her? The great Thomas Hunt was, for once, unsure of what to do?

He looked so... lost. It was as if someone had placed him in the middle of nowhere with no map and no stars at night to guide him out of it. Normally she would have loved to rub his face on it but seeing him like this just made her smile and held up their daughter to him,

"Want to hold her?"

His eyes widened for a second before he took their child from her arms and into his own. "Watch her head" she whispered. She silently observed the scene before her; father and daughter that make a pretty picture. If only he would just relax, she knew their daughter could sense it as well. Call it a mother's intuition.

"Will you just relax? I don't want our daughter to learn how to scowl at such a young age" she joked "But I bet she'll be a 'daddy's little girl' in no time."

"Are you insinuating that our child will be spoiled?" he asked, earning an eye-roll from her.

"No, I think you will do whatever it takes to let her grow exactly the opposite if that. But since our kid is half and half of us... there's a high chance that she'll be as stubborn as a mule" she laughed when realization dawned on him.

She adjusted her position on the bed when she felt the slice of agony on her lower regions, making her wince with pain. He caught her on the act, "What? Is something wrong?"

On cue, her obstetrician, Dr. Reynolds, came up to them. Her friendly face was covered by a face mask with a light sheen of sweat covering her forehead. "No need for alarm Mr. Hunt" she assured him "She had just experienced a light tearing but we can fix it in no time at all."

She stared at Thomas with an expectant look, as if telepathically asking him to do something before Fia caught on as to what the kind doctor wanted to say. So she turned to her husband and cleared her throat, "Uh, Thomas? Could you um... step out for a moment?"

"Why?"

"She has a perineal tear. Now some husbands are welcome to share this experience with the new mother but you see when the va-"

Before she could finish the word, he was already out the door. Fia gave a breathy laugh before she leaned back while Dr. Reynolds shook her head, "Yep, they're all brave and strong until you talk about the perineum."

Hunt

He took a deep breath as he stood by the window just outside the delivery room. Thankfully their suite was adjacent to the room so there will be no disturbances; although having a private maternity ward won't be enough to keep their colleagues from coming in and give their congratulations. Their room had resembled a florists' shop with all the flowers her former classmates from HWU had sent to them. She was flattered and touched by the gesture, he was annoyed.

He jolted back to reality when he felt his daughter started to squirm in his arms. A small alarm in his mind blared when the child fussed and began to whine. A high-pitched squeal escaped her small lips and her face started to redden all over and he started to feel panic.

Fear was usually beneath him. He used fear as a weapon but now he was under its command, he didn't like it one bit. The screech grated his nerves and the baby began to thrash about.

"Mnnnn- waaaaaah!"

He flinched at the sound but he shifted the squalling baby amd started to stroke her back. "Shhh, it's all right" he muttered in a soft tone. The baby didn't heed and instead, it made her angrier for no reason whatsoever.

"Shhh, hush now" he said yet there was the unmistakeable tone of plea in his usually strong voice. He can't just calm his daughter by shushing her, and he can't exactly throw her back to Fia's arms right now. So he started to pace around the room and rocked his arms slowly, "Easy now, it's going to be alright." His soft crooning had silenced her for a moment before she started to act up again. This time, he clearly said-

"I'm here Audrey, I'm here."

The word just came to him in an instant. Did he just name his child after an award? He paused for a minute before he resumed the rocking motion and sure enough, Audrey settled herself against him and slowly drifted to sleep.

End of Flashback

"I'm kinda wondering why dad would name me after an award though" Audrey interrupted, making Fia look at her with humor in her eyes.

"Well I personally think 'Audrey' is a beautiful name! Think of Audrey Hepburn and Audrey Wells" she replied. Her daughter seemed to accept this notion before she crossed her arms and leaned back to her bed.

"Pfft, I don't think I've ever been 'daddy's little girl'. He's super strict, I can't even attend a birthday party without asking permission from him with the list of who's going to be there and what time I should go home. He's worse than Alli!" she scoffed.

The casual use of Alli, Addison's daughter, to the conversation made Fia sighed for nth time that day and leaned on the bed to lie next to Audrey. "I know you're mad at him right now, but he IS your dad, not your friend. He can't just let you do whatever you want."

Audrey chose not to answer him so she gave her a side-glance and looked up at the ceiling. Memories flooded her mind and right then, she knew how to end the friction between her husband and her daughter.

"D'you remember your father's annual dinner parties?" she asked.

Audrey blinked to her and shrugged, "Yeah. He throws one every year for the staff and the top students from his class."

"When you were three, you were really scared of strangers. So when the guests arrived, you practically ran behind your dad and hid behind his leg for the whole evening" she recounted, smiling at the memory. "Normally your dad didn't want to be disturbed during an important event but he just let you be and even carried you half the time with your face buried against his neck because you were too tired."

"I... don't remember that one" Audrey confessed.

"No one can remember everything when they were three years old" Fia replied "Like the time when there's a really bad thunderstorm and in the middle of the night, you ran to your dad's side of the bed rather than my side. Aside from the fact that I felt jealous that you came to him than to me, it showed that you rely on your dad more than you think."

She watched the conflicting emotions dance on Audrey's face before the teenager sat up and ran a frustrated hand through her hair, "But that doesn't mean that he should still treat me like I'm a kid! I'm seventeen; I know what's right and wrong!"

Fia closed her eyes for a moment before she sat up as well and circled her arms around her daughter, "Sweetie, no matter what your birth certificate says... You'll always be a little girl to your dad. Making these rules is his way of protecting you, he just didn't like to be blindsided by anything. He loves you so much Audrey. Even if he sometimes acts like an ass"

Audrey snorted before Fia nudged her and dropped her voice in a whisper, "Don't mention to anyone that I called him that, especially to William. He's in a very impressionable age."

Her daughter stared at her, "Uh mom? You call dad an ass right to his face. I'm used to it and I don't think Will cares either."

"Yes well I usually use it as a term of endearment but in this situation, it's actually an insult" she huffed before her tone turned serious again. "Audrey, I'm not saying that I'm agreeing with his decision but I'm not opposed to his reasons either. We're your parents; it's natural for us to worry about you. I can't talk in your dad's place but for me, all I can do is give you the tools you need and hope that you've taken the lessons we've taught you by heart."

Audrey looked thoughtful for a moment before she nodded solemnly, "... I kinda see where you're getting at. But mom," she looked at her fully with brown eyes gleaming "I really have my heart set on Oxford. I know it sounds crazy but I feel like I can reach my full potential there."

Fia leaned against the bedpost and stared at her daughter. She strongly resembled Thomas in face value except for her light brown eyes which she got from her. A sweet and shy girl who grew up to be a precocious and independent young woman. No doubt her husband's proud of their daughter; he just didn't show it as much as she does.

"I'll see if I can get him to warm up to the idea" Fia promised, which made Audrey pull her into a tight embrace and said "Oh mom thank you thank you thank you!"

"Hold on, I didn't say that-"

"C'mon mom, it'll be a year and a half before I can go to Oxford and maybe by that time-"

"Audrey, even if I've been given a century for this I don't think I can turn around your dad's decision a hundred percent. All I can do is offer my side to him but I won't force him to make a decision that he didn't like especially if it's involving you" she gently explained. "We may not agree to a lot of things but we will back each other up when it comes to you and William, even if it makes him look like the bad guy."

Audrey's face fell for a moment before she nodded, "Okay. I guess I have to apologize for shouting at him..."

Fia smiled before she leaned in and pressed a loving kiss on her forehead "Give him time Audrey, he'll come around. For now, let's go to the mall."

"I'm always up for our mother-daughter bonding trips but I can't help but ask; why the mall?" she inquired as she stood up and grabbed her bag that was lying on the carpeted floor.

She answered her daughter with a coy smile and simply said, "I told you; I'll have to persuade him to warm up to the idea. He'd seen me in every lingerie I own so I think I better get a new one-"

Audrey's face scrunched from confusion to utter disgust, "Oh my- Ewww! Mom, come on!"

"What?"

"I didn't have to know that you're planning to do... that!"

Fia rolled her eyes as they walked out of Audrey's room "You and your dad share the same radar on humor. It's just a joke!"

Audrey gave her a suspicious stare which she responded with a smirk "If you can't take a joke then I can just make your worst nightmares come true. Your dad's not the only director in this family after all-"

"That's it, Veto all sex jokes and innuendos in this trip!" she growled.

"You're more like your father than you think. Good thing Will's a lot like me"

"He's annoying, nosy and an overconfident brat! I swear, one day he'll get into so much trouble and I'm not going to bail him out of it!" Audrey seethes as she buckled up. Fia shook her head in mock surrender and said,

"Yep. Like father, like daughter"

Hollywood University

"-I see. Thank you, I'll keep in touch."

Hunt ended the call from his cellphone and read a page on the computer screen carefully, scrutinizing each word like he was reading a script. A soft and tentative knock interrupted his reading and he looked up to find his wife's best friend peeking from the door. Her long blond hair was pulled up with a messy bun and her pink and lilac office ensemble was certainly a status apart from all other professors, except his.

"What is it?" he asked curtly. Addison Sinclair may be one of the fashion icons of the current generation but for him, she will always be the Fashionista hopeful who got into trouble multiple times with Fia. Even if she's now the newest teacher in the university, in a way, she's still one of his previous students.

"Uh, prof- I mean- Mr. Hunt, the high school students are waiting in the WFC hall for your lecture" she squeaked.

He gave her a curt nod before she ran out of his sight. Good to know he still had power over them. He stood up from his chair and straightened his tie as he proceeded to the hall. On his computer was the homepage for Oxford University and the tab of the downloadable form of the Undergraduate Prospectus was minimized on the bottom of the task bar.

A/N: I'd like to thank the reviewers who had given me their support since the beginning:

kinghudson (My very first and regular reviewer!)

AnonymouslYours

morbidsweetie13

snowharvester

Sigilscry

You guys are the best!

Sorry for the late update since I had trouble with this one. I really enjoyed writing Audrey so maybe I can write a chapter about Will too. I'm torn with what I should write next so maybe you readers can help me decide:

-The first real date

-Proposal

-Hiding their relationship from everyone else

-Breakup (I think the angst should balance out the tumbling sweetness of this fic) then makeup (I don't like tragedy too much)

-A class setting or assignment

Note: Fia's dialogue about 'Giving you the tools you need and hope that you've taken all the lessons I've taught you' was actually Hunt's dialogue in the game so I kinda borrowed it since it's appropriate. I really think that MC and Hunt can totally name their kid 'Audrey' xD I dunno why but it just somehow fits! Read and Review as usual and stay awesome!