"Move it, Mack. I could do this when I was your age in half the time."
The skies roiled with angry storm clouds, the cold pouring rain beating a relentless tattoo with a sound like near deafening static around the two figures on the obstacle course. Soft earth underfoot was transformed into a thick clay that made it slippery and hard to move. Forced to crawl under logs and mesh Mack struggled through the water and mud under the critical eye of her father. He didn't give a shit that at fourteen he had been almost twice his daughter's size, he was going to drill some discipline into her if it was the last thing he did. When she began to falter he started screaming at her just like his old drill sergeant did all those years a go in basic, the sound of her half stifled sob only driving him on further.
"You want to cry? Suck it up, Princess, and drag that worthless ass of yours through the fucking mud right now," He snarled, "And god help you if I have to drag you to the other end again. Maybe you'll think twice before skipping class, though if anything got through that thick head of yours it would be a fucking miracle." He crossed his arms and snorted with disdain, "Why the good lord considered it fitting to take your mother but leave me with you I'll never understand."
It was a spiel Mack had been subjected to more times than she could care to remember, but it never made it any easier to hear. It was her fault that her mother was dead, Mack had killed her the day she was born. He had no problems reminding her of this fact whenever the mood took him, which was more often than not. He had never once raised a hand to her though, preferring to drag Mack out to this god forsaken place every time he considered she was in need of 'discipline', especially when it rained. She hated this and despised him; sometimes wishing one of them would just drop dead, whether it be him or herself didn't matter. Swallowing the lump in her throat she clawed her way through the mud until she reached the end of the Belly Crawl and forced along to the Easy Balancer.
"You're fucking useless," He spat as she lost her balance on the slippery log and fell off, "You here me, Mack?"
"Mack?"
"Earth to Mackenzie Evans."
"Huh?"
"There you are."
She turned to find her partner holding out a styrofoam cup of steaming hot coffee in front of him, "You really have to stop with the day dreaming, woman."
Mackenzie took the offered steaming brew and the several sugar packets that followed, dumping all three into the hot liquid before stirring it. "Thanks, Tyrone."
"No problem," He looked at her over the rim of his own drink, noting her face a mix between frustration and something else he couldn't quite place, "You ok?"
"Fine," She lied, "I just hate the rain, you know how it brings out the wet weather heroes. It's also Friday, so they'll probably be drunk too."
"Yeah," He replied with a heavy sigh as watched the water bead and run down the ambulance's windshield, "Maybe we'll get lucky tonight and not have to scrape some speeding idiot off the road with a spatula."
"One can dream I suppose."
Less than a minute later the radio crackled to life, forcing the two paramedics to dump the barely touched coffee out as Tyrone picked up the receiver and Mack started the engine. It was going to be a long night...
The rain had indeed bought out the speeders and hooligans with the end result of Mack and Tyrone being called to some downright brutal crashes, one including a couple of fatalities. It was well into the early hours of the morning by the time Mackenzie finally got home, mentally drained and physically exhausted. Opening the door she was greeted by the happy whine of a large Czechoslovakian wolfdog. Kneeling down she gave him a scratch behind both ears before moving onto the leg waggling sweet spot near the middle of his back. Satisfied with his attention received he then fell instep just behind his pack leader as she moved around the house.
Peeling off her boots she tossed them in a heap beside the door and unzipped her jacket, dumping it over the back of the couch on her way down the hall as she headed for the bathroom. As the water heated up, slowly filling the small room with billowing steam she stripped, leaving the clothes where they fell then climbed under the hot water. Eventually Mack sank to the bottom of the cubicle; she felt so tired and the spray was so deliciously warm, surely it couldn't hurt to close her eyes for just a moment...
She grumbled a little, not wanting to move when someone shook her shoulder. "Wake up, sweetheart."
"Five more minutes," She replied sleepily, waving off the familiar voice.
"You've been in here half an hour, Mackenzie," Was the answer as the water cut off and she finally cracked open a pale green eye, finding a pair of dark grey ones staring back at her. With a towel in his hands Roman Reigns couldn't help but smile a little, "Come on, you'll feel a lot better when you actually reach the bed."
With a somewhat grouchy noise she held out her hand and he helped Mack to her feet, wrapping her in the large fluffy towel and dried her off. He was obviously right of course, the soft embrace of the mattress was infinitely better than the hard tiles of the shower floor. Seeking out the warm body of firm muscle she nestled up against it and promptly drifted back off to sleep within the fold of thick arms. Now if she could have a few hours dream free she'd be set.
Blood mixed with the rain as it ran over the road, the distinct smell of gasoline clung in the damp air. Crimson coated her latex gloved hands as Mack put up a losing fight with the Grim Reaper as Tyrone's attention was focused on the passenger they had dragged out of the mangled wreck with some assistance from the responding crew of fire fighters until the second bus showed up.
Useless.
"Come on, you drunk fuck-wit," She hissed under her breath, working frantically to stop the haemorrhaging, "Fight it."
Worthless.
"He's gone, Mack." She felt Tyrone's hand on her shoulder but shrugged him off, only for him to crouch down opposite and grip her hands, "There's nothing more you can do." Suddenly his expression went hard and cold, speaking with a voice that wasn't his own warm, deep baritone, "All because you're to inept to do your fucking job."
"Fuck you." Her hands clenched tightly, Tyrone and the scene abruptly vanished as she took the swing.
"The hell?!"
Mack's eyes snapped open, finding her fist had shot across and connected with Roman's eye. Shit, not again. "I'm sorry."
He bought a hand to where surprise the blow had landed, massaging it to try and work out some of the sting. By now he had half come to expect it on nights like this, though it didn't make it any easier to anticipate receiving a knuckle sandwich while he was asleep. "Don't worry about it."
"Let me see." He didn't argue as she flicked on a bedside lamp, squinting a little at the sudden burst of light. Her hands cupped his face, turning his head until she could see where she had hit him and already could tell it was going to bruise. "God damn it."
How she hated the rain...
He ran a finger down the line of her jaw, trying to distract her from her own mind, "I'll be fine."
Despite his reassurances she couldn't quite look him in the eye, opting to stare blankly at his chest instead. Her head could get so fucked up at times, Mack couldn't understand why he put up with her for as long as he had. She wouldn't blame him if he eventually left, they inevitably always did.
Roman refrained from sighing, he had known the stakes well before he had finally made his move on her twelve months a go. She was a complex puzzle plagued by self doubt and self esteem issues so low you'd have to dig for it at times, but beyond all that he saw something good, something strong. There had to be, considering her career choice and all the sights she had seen while on the job but still hadn't quit. He just needed to search a little deeper until she could finally see it too. In the mean time he would have to deal with the occasional punch to the face at night.
Bringing an arm around the small of her back he shifted until he was propped up on one elbow looking down at her. Brushing the hair from her face he held her chin between thumb and forefinger before Roman leaned in and kissed her softly, refusing to break it until he felt Mackenzie finally begin to relax. "I love you."
She didn't reply and he wasn't expecting her to; he simply said it because it was something she needed to hear. Sinking back down on his side and pulled her towards him until her back was against his chest. Taking her hand in his Roman draped his arm over her stomach, at least this way if she were to swing in her sleep again he'd be ready for it this time.
A sleek BMW pulled up to the curb, the driver quickly double checking the address before he stepped out. Straightening out his jacket he then grabbed his briefcase and opened the gate, avoiding a small puddle on the pavement as he did so, then headed up the path towards the small cramped house. Knocking on the door he was greeted by the sight of a large Samoan, his long hair tied back in a loose pony tail.
"Good morning," He began pleasantly, pulling a business card out from an inner pocket of his jacket and handed it over, "My name is Brad Maddox, I'm a solicitor with the firm McMahon, Helmsley & Associates. I'm looking for a Miss Mackenzie Evans; is she at home?"
"Depends what this is about," Roman replied, reading the card over before crossing his arms, "You're not here to serve papers or something, are you?"
"No, nothing as unpleasant as that," Brad answered mildly, "It concerns a family matter, actually."
He eyed Maddox a second or two longer before standing aside to let him in. "Mack!" Roman called out, "There's someone here to see you."
A moment later she appeared, Brad doing a double take at the animal following her, "Is that a wolf?"
"Not quite." She was used to the random comments and looks from strangers that Loki attracted, he wasn't exactly a common breed after all. "Is there something I can help you with, Mister...?"
"Maddox," He supplied as he held out his hand so she could shake it, "Brad Maddox. I'm here on behalf of the estate of Gaspard Beaulieu."
They ended up in the kitchen, Mack offering him a seat and a coffee to which he accepted both. When they were all settled Brad opened his briefcase and pulled out a file. "Unfortunately Mister Beaulieu has recently passed away and left behind a sizable amount of assets. Since he never had any children of his own and you are his next of kin, you are now the sole beneficiary of his entire estate."
He passed the folder over the table so she could see the will for herself, Roman leaning over and reading over her shoulder. "This can't be right," Mack finally said, unable to hide the disbelief when she saw how much he was claiming she had just inherited. As far as she knew she didn't have any family any more. "Are you sure you have the right person?"
"Absolutely," Brad replied, taking a sip on the strong brew, "Mister Beaulieu's estate is one of the largest the firm has ever handled. We were very meticulous when it came to tracking you down."
"How am I even related to this Gaspard?"
"He was your mother's grand uncle," the lawyer answered, "The details of the family relationship is all in there." Mackenzie grilled him a while longer, Brad answering each of her queries in turn before she was finally satisfied, though still a little stunned. "While the majority of the assets will still be tied up in some financial and legal hoops for a few weeks until everything can be transferred into your name, I have been authorised to give you these." Delving once more into his case there was a soft metallic jingle as he retrieved a set of keys, some far older than others. "There's a property in Louisiana that's been in the family for generations. It is in a rather isolated location however, but it has had regular maintenance to keep it falling into disrepair."
After she had signed several documents Brad left with promises to keep her up to date on anything that required her attention. Mack closed the door behind him and leaned up against it, trying to let what had just happened sink in. Looking up at Roman he looked just as surprised as she felt, "Did... Did that just actually happen, or is this some really weird dream?"
"That actually happened," He replied.
"What do I do now?"
He thought for a moment, then grinned as he took her in his arms, "You have some much needed vacation time to claim that's long overdue, sweetheart." He held up the keys and shook them a little on the end of his finger, "And I think we just got given the perfect getaway spot."