Mya clutched Mackenzie's hand tightly as they navigated their way toward Richie in one of the main halls of Allegiant. Disdain flashed in her eyes as she observed that sorry excuse for a human being. Her voice echoed through the deserted evening hallways.

"Does your influence know no bounds?"

Richie pivoted at the snap of that familiar voice. Only one person he had ever encountered could muster such a high level of annoyance.

It was a new reality for both of them. In the past, she would wait for Richie at the docks of her former home base, and he would fly in then fly out with their daughter. However, now that they were both residing back at Allegiant, immediate interactions were unavoidable. With mandated counseling sessions reinstated under Teddy's watchful eye, each meeting left them seething with frustration. 

The two figures exuded vehement fury as they stood together, drawing the attention of a few passing soldiers. It was evident that they could barely conceal their mutual disdain, and even on the best of days, they struggled to tolerate each other's minimal presence.

A carefully structured schedule governed their interactions, and Richie had been eagerly anticipating the arrival of the pair that evening. However, it became apparent that the mother of his child was not in a pleasant mood as she encountered him.

As soon as Mackenzie spotted her father, she released Mya's hand and dashed into his waiting arms. Richie knelt down to greet his daughter, embracing her tightly. He continued to hold her in his arms as he rose from the floor.

"Mac-bear, what's your mother on about?" Richie asked his daughter, unfazed by Mya's appearance.

Mackenzie, despite her young age, was remarkably direct with her words and grasped the intricacies of her parents' relationship. "Ohhh, Mommy's upset," she sing-songed, fully aware of what would unfold next.

Growing up between academies and overhearing discussions among the older soldiers she hung around with, she was acutely aware that she was among the few who still had both of her parents around. However, this didn't promise a happy ending. She knew that her parents harbored a bitter resentment towards each other, and no matter how many times she asked, both stubbornly refused to disclose the details of where it all went wrong. The only name she ever heard was 'Jacob,' and her mother broke down hysterically the first time she said his name.

She never uttered his name again after that, but she knew it was someone that she really loved.

"Then Mommy should go be upset somewhere else," Mackenzie declared.

Mac turned her head toward Mya, a cheeky smile lighting up her face. "Daddy said."

"I heard what he said!" Mya sighed at the parrot-like tendency her daughter had developed.

"Do you think it's fun messing with my life? Just because you found out about Sawyer and me, all of a sudden you're at him like a bulldog, to the point you're changing our schedules for the war games! This is soooo typically you!"

"Perhaps," Richie retorted to his former partner, who had recently been concealing her new relationship from him, aware of the sensitive situation. "You should, however, be directing your questions to our Commander or, better yet, our Headmaster. Did you forget that they set the rosters and schedules?"

Of course, he was pissed off. Why the hell did Sawyer think it was appropriate to date his ex-missus, let alone sleep with her? Who gave him the goddamn right to cross the line like that?

"Stay out of my life!" Mya roared, her rage reaching a boiling point. "Stop thinking you have a say in it! You gave up that right a long time ago!"

"Mommy!" Mackenzie yelled, her tiny heart racing with fear.

"Can you not!?" Richie's voice rose in frustration. "What is wrong with you this morning?" he asked, his eyes widening in concern as he observed her.

"You, you are my problem!" She shot back. "Stop interfering, we are not a family! You gave up that right!"

"Mommy!" Mackenzie had tried to slip from Richie's arms as he struggled to keep her with him, her own tiny cries echoing as both of her parents' voices raised again.

"Don't act like I didn't fight for you," Mya continued, her voice rising. "Stop it, Richie! Enough!"

--- ----

Matthew, Toni, and Eko had been strolling along the hallways that late evening, they had arrived back for dinner after spending the day in the Aegis District and that's where Toni joined them, she somehow from that point had convinced them both to train, and both men relented with a smirk. 

By now it was a little after eight, and they were headed back to their dormitory's to shower and get sleep before both men shipped out for the war game trials in the early hours of the morning, and Eko would have to clean up their dormitory with Madison discharged the following morning. 

She wasn't looking forward to the interrogations about her choices from Madison, and neither was she anticipating the departure plans she was concocting. At least for now, as she glanced up to the man beside her cracking jokes with his best friend, she could enjoy a warm shower, lose herself in fucking him to dispel any thoughts of him attempting to have sex with any of the cadets, and when she felt that her jealousy had been restrained, she could curl up in the sheets of his bed and fall asleep with him. At least she could embrace that before the next two weeks turned into a world of anxiety thanks to her cousin.

Jasmine intercepted the three of them as they walked down the hall. "Oh good!" she exclaimed. "Matthew, they're at it again, and it's super intense. Jesse's trying to break them up."

Matthew sighed, and without a word, he took off running with Jasmine. Toni shook his head beside Eko. "Come on," he said, and he picked up his pace.

Eko followed Toni as they hurried down the halls, and the commotion grew louder and louder. "What the?" Eko muttered as they arrived at the scene.

"It gets like this," Toni said, and they could see that Jasmine and Jesse were clearing the cadets to leave while Matthew was trying to pull the fighting duo apart.

Mackenzie was clinging to Matthew's leg, crying, as both Richie and Mya continued to shout at each other.

"-And another thing!" Mya's voice grew louder than Richie's had been before, and she seemed almost ready to walk away, with Jesse pulling at her waist.

"Quit with the victim card as though it was all my fault in our story! Try telling the goddamn truth for once in your miserable life! You had something good, and you messed it up all by yourself!"

"You have some nerve! You make it sound like it was sooooo black and white, Mya!"

"And how many tears do you think I wanted to cry?" Mya screamed. "Eventually, they run out, Richie!"

"You're not the only one that went through this, so fuck off, Mya! Just fuckkkk right off!"

"You had two god-damn choices, Richie: to do better or to stay the same. You chose the latter!"

"Richie, Mya, enough! This doesn't help anyone," Jesse was trying to force Mya back, but her strength was relentless.

Toni then left Eko's side, who continued to stare in utter shock at the unfolding events.

Feeling paralyzed and deeply uncomfortable for eavesdropping, Eko took a step back, as though she were an intruder in the midst of a private moment. She breathed in deeply, absorbing the intensity of the domestic scene unfolding before her.

She watched as Matthew pulled Richie back with him, ensuring Jasmine took a hold of Mackenzie. Jasmine scooped her up into her arms, pressing the girl to her chest, attempting to shield her from the intense screaming between her parents.

"-And ironically, I had the same choices you did, and while you chose to stay the same, I chose to do better, and I fucking left you!"

"You're a spineless bitch, you always were!" Richie clenched his fists, his jaw set, feeling the bubbling fury in his guts that threatened to erupt.

It took every ounce of strength for Richie to control his words; his voice mirrored hers, shaky if you listened closely between the intakes of air.

All they could do these days was shout at each other. Despite their efforts to prevent grief from controlling them, the anger bubbled up, and now they just yelled at everything they were angry about, directing their frustration directly at each other.

"If you keep this shit going, I swear to god I will cut you off from Mac, mark my words!"

It was as if another person had come alive. Matthew immediately intervened, grasping Richie, who was vehemently hurling various forms of verbal abuse at Mya.

"Get her out of here!" Matthew commanded, as Jesse guided Mya through the corridors.

There were moments that passed when the girls disappeared, and with Mackenzie realizing that the screaming had stopped, she turned from Jasmine, wanting to be let down to her feet. Upon release, she instantly took off in the opposite direction, away from the family dispute that was her parents.

"Mac!" Richie shouted, pushing Matthew aside and chasing after his daughter.

Jasmine was completely bewildered, like Matthew, Eko, and Toni, who had been exchanging glances before she exhaled, and her shoulders dropped.

"That escalated quickly," Toni remarked, closing the distance between the four of them, with Eko close behind.

"Totally," Jasmine replied, glancing in the direction of Mya and Jesse. "Come, Eko, I think she may need support," stepping forward and leaving Eko to look at Matthew, who nodded his head towards Jasmine, indicating for her to follow.

With a gentle smile, Eko followed Jasmine as she led the way out of the hallway, leaving the men to contemplate the aftermath of the heated confrontation.

"What are you going to do with this?" Toni cocked his head toward his best friend, watching as the unreadable expression plagued his face.

Matthew ran a hand through his tousled hair, his eyes following the path Jasmine and Eko had taken. "We, my friend, are getting dinner. I'm not getting involved."

Toni watched in disbelief as Matthew headed towards the elevators, the weight of the recent family drama evident in his tired expression. "Are you coming or what? Or do you want to get involved in that domestic?"

"Mate." Toni groaned, "you need to sort them out!"

"Yea, yea," he kept the elevator open, "I will... after dinner. It's not going anywhere, Richie needs to calm down," he offered, "might as well eat before I endure that abuse. Besides, war game trials begin in like what eight hours, I got shit I need to do before we head off. Chop, chop."

Urmmmmmmmm
So that was intense ?

Guess's for what that was alllll about?

Oh and do your thing and vote.... I don't wanna have to threaten to kill anyone today 😂