A/N: For my bestie, even if its WAY too late to be considered a birthday present lmao :) Love you. I was listening to Karma while writing this as promised lol xx Mariah

Ages -

Katie - 42
Scott - 38
Mackenzie - 33

This was one of the bad nights.

They were fewer than they used to be, before, when the assault was still a fresh wound in her heart, but there were still nights like this, when she couldn't settle when the nightmares wouldn't let her be. Mackenzie always had trouble sleeping, it was an unwelcome tradition in her family, but nights like this were so much worse. She would take a ghostly vision over the reminder of what Preston did to her any day.

Driven by her emotions, the air around her almost crackled with power, the atmosphere charged and heavy, like a storm about to strike. Scott could feel it like electricity on his skin as he reached for her, grasping her hands through the haze of red that surrounded them. She was trembling, but her slender fingers clutched at him with fierce strength, and he pulled her close. She looked up at him with a wordless plea, tears unshed but glistening in her eyes.

He leaned down and kissed her, his lips both warm and soft on hers. She opened her mouth and welcomed his invading tongue, letting him taste her. She whimpered and began to kiss him back just as ferociously.

He knew what she needed. He always knew.

Her arms were around his neck, keeping him close as they devoured each other. This was how it went, how it always went on nights like this. How she took it all back and refused to let that bastard haunt and destroy her again.

Her legs wrapped around his hips. His cock pressed against her through their clothes as he slowly and roughly pressed against her just like that.

Mack's hands slid to his shoulders, her thighs tightening around him as her hips rolled and jerked, and she moaned into his mouth. She broke their kiss to look at him, desperate and hungry, tears still standing in her eyes, and he leaned forward to bring his lips to her ear.

"I love you. I will always love you. From the moment I saw you at that party, you were the one. You will always be the one. It will always be you," he whispered.

That was all it took. Her body tensed against him, then bucked and heaved as she cried out her pleasure. He held her, pressing soft kisses to her neck and cheek, ignoring the throb of his still-hard cock.

Her tears afterward were not a surprise. That was how nights like this went. Now she could grieve. Now she could let it out.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry," she said through her tears.

Scott held her close, brushing the hair off her face. He gazed down at her, eyes sad. "It's alright, baby. It's okay. I'm here. It's alright." He repeated it over and over as she cried into his chest, her entire body rocked by the force of her sobs. "I'm here for you, Mack. I will always be here. He won't win."

When her tears slowed, he still cradled her close, just enjoying the feel of her in his arms. When she eventually slept, it was with her head nestled in his neck and his rich voice in her ears, telling her it would be okay.

Mackenzie's fingers trembled slightly, slipping over the wheel of the old lighter uselessly. "Fuck," she hissed around the cigarette dangling between her lips. After two more tries, the flame sprung to life. As she inhaled the tobacco into her lungs, she prayed that her hands would stop shaking. That the nicotine would settle her nerves as it had for the past ten years or so.

Most of the time it worked, but pressed against the courthouse wall, she felt more stressed and anxious than ever before. How was this what it had come to? She was fighting her rapist over her daughter in front of a judge.

It wasn't even much of a fight. Thankfully, Preston had never tried to be any sort of parental figure in Freya's life before this new wife of his came along. At least she had that going for her. Today had been the worst so far. Josh had testified about her case and she just had to sit there and listen to it all. Both Scott and Katie had come today and she was grateful for their support, but at the same time, Mack could see the writing on the wall. She knew how she was coming off. Or rather, she knew how Preston's lawyers painted her.

A lying, cheating whore who couldn't let go of the past.

Mackenzie had never claimed to be a perfect person. But she was a good mother. She knew that. She tipped her head back to rest against the wall in a poor effort to stop any tears from falling. Why was he doing this? But she already knew that answer. Preston craved any kind of control he could have in his meek life.

She tossed the butt of her cigarette to the ground and lit another without so much as a second thought. Her worst fears were finally coming true. What was she going to do? Freya knew very little about what happened. Scott was her father and she was still so young. She thought this conversation was much farther off, but if Preston got any sort of custody, her daughter would have to be told something.

"There you are! I thought you quit a long time ago."

"I don't need a lecture right now, Katie." She didn't even look up at her sister, but took a long drag, feeling for all the world like her seventeen-year-old self just trying to defy her parents. She exhaled after a few beats, the smoke curling around her. "It's been a tough few days."

"No judgment here as long as you don't get Ned back onto them," Katie teased, trying to lift the mood, but it didn't work. "Anyway, the judge is back. Josh thinks that the judgment should be in your favor."

Mack scoffed, dangling the cigarette between her fingers before tossing it down to the pavement. Not bothering to stomp it out. "One can hope. I mean, Preston's lawyer said I'm a workaholic whore, who's unfit to be a mother. It could go either way." She moved to step past Katie.

"Hey, deep breath." Her sister blocked her path, placing her hands on her shoulders. "None of that is true. You know that, right? For fuck's sake Preston even knows that. He's just a piece of work scrambling for what little bit of control he can have over you. Don't let him win."

Easier said than done. But she knew Katie didn't mean it like that. Scott appeared a moment later. She knew he could smell the nicotine but he knew better than to say something.

"I tried to stall as much as I could," he said.

She sighed. "Thank you, honey." She reached out for his hand, turning her head over to Katie. "Let's go inside."

"You guys are coming to family dinner tonight, right?" Katie asked once they walked back into the courthouse. Thank God. Mackenzie didn't want to talk anymore about this damn thing.

"Yeah, I think so. Dad is making his chili," she said, trying not to look at Preston even though she could feel him staring at her. "Can't miss out on that."

"No, you can't," Katie said, holding her hand out to her as well once they sat down.

She took it and squeezed her hand. Family dinner and her dad's famous chili sounded like a dream come true once this was over. Now all she could do was pray that she wasn't about to lose everything.

Mackenzie walked out of the courthouse feeling like a weight had been lifted. She could scream from the rooftops. She had not only been granted sole physical custody, but Preston had to rescind his parental rights and still pay child support while having no contact with her daughter.

She was finally free and could breathe a little easier when she watched Preston slither away. Not before after promising to appeal and to make her pay, but it only made her laugh.

"Karma's a bitch, ain't it Preston," she said as he crept a bit closer to her. Scott wanted to step in front of her but she didn't let him. Mack didn't want Preston to think he could still scare her. Even if he did. Sometimes. Most of the time. Fuck. All of the time.

He walked away that time, moreso because of his lawyer telling him to, but he did nonetheless and she stood tall. Fuck him.

"Let's go home," she said, smiling up at Scott. "I wanna see the kids."