*one week later*

Come home
Please
Please Zoe
I can't sleep. I am physically incapable of it.
Please come home
I need you Zo
Bailey misses you

Don't try to guilt me like that.

She misses you! She keeps drawing you pictures and leaving them in your room! You have to come home! We're your family Zoe!
Zoe please!
I miss you too!
I am dying without you here!
Zoe!!
Come home! Come back to me!

With no response, Teddy dialed Carmen's number as he continued towards his dreadful school at the bottom of the hill. He fixed his hood over his head since his phone against his ear let in an unwanted draft and returned his hand to his hoodie pocket.

"Yeah?" Carmen asked through the phone.

"If Zoe calls you today, I need you to tell me. Better yet, if she calls, call me and then we can do a three-way call. Okay? Don't forget!" Teddy panicked.

"Is she going to call me? Did you talk to her?" Carmen asked, sounding a bit confused and taken aback.

"I told her Bailey misses her and it's the first time she's actually said anything to me so just... if she calls to talk to Bailey or something..." Teddy sighed as he trailed off, rubbing his chest when his heart began to pound so quickly that it hurt.

"I told you to give her time, Teddy. You can't keep blowing up her phone like that. You're going to drive her crazy." Carmen calmly warned. He was always on edge so she didn't want to push him but she had to say something before he ruined any opportunity to talk to her every again.

"I need to talk to her!" Teddy shouted as his feet halted but his heart raced impossibly faster.

Teddy glanced around when he realized how loud his voice seemed so early in the morning. There were a few Hudson students across the street, waiting to cross to get to school. They were staring, scrutinizing him through the dim, grey atmosphere of the morning. Teddy fixed his hood over his head again, trying his best to hide away in his shell as he returned to his phone call.

"Please, Carmen. Just let me know if she calls. I miss her." Teddy begged.

"I know. I know you do." Carmen sighed. "Don't worry. I'll let you know if she calls."

"Thank you." Teddy said before he hung up.

Reflexively, Teddy returned to his messages with Zoe as he crossed the street to get to school. For a week straight, he opened his messages and either stared at them or sent a million of them every chance he got. At this point, it was habitual. Instead of opening social media and wasting his time that way, he scrolled through his messages and even sent some when he couldn't help himself. It didn't matter. Zoe refused to respond.

I'll go to New York myself if you won't talk to me like this.
New York L.A. Japan I don't care
I just need to see you
I need to talk to you and hear your voice
I need to hear you say you love me again

Leave me alone Teddy

Zoe please!
Answer your phone for once and let me hear you say it!
I'll say it a million times just to hear you say it once!
I love you Zoe!
I am in love with you!
I need you!

Once Teddy stepped past the line of busses in front of the school, he stopped a few feet in front of the main entrance and waited for a response. Seconds passed but they felt like minutes. Those three little dots popped up and Teddy waited, staring holes into his phone second after second. He even gulped and held his breath, trying to ignore the intense rattling inside of him. He was so anxious that he was trembling. He couldn't handle this.

When those three dots disappeared and there was no message, Teddy shouted a violent curse and threw his phone into the sky. Those entering the school turned their heads curiously at Teddy and even looked up to watch as his phone flew through the
air, backlit by the dim, grey sky, and land on the roof of the school. Teddy stared up at the roof as his chest heaved and his fists clenched at his sides.

"Fuck, okay.. He's having another episode." Howl panicked from a few feet away. He looked down at Fisher and held his face in his hands. "Third period. Save my seat."

"Always do." Fisher smirked.

Howl smiled and placed a kiss on Fishers forehead before he skipped off to get to Teddy, who was already charging inside. There was enough people inside that Teddy and Howl had to dodge and weave, just like everybody else, but a few people in Teddy's path actually dipped out of his way on purpose. Teddy forgot what that was like. People never used to be in his way until Zoe came along, softened him up, and made him just another student in the crowd.

"Now we have to go on to the roof and get your phone, you realize that, right?" Howl asked Teddy when he finally matched Teddy's angry strides.

"Fuck that!" Teddy spat, not bothering to turn and look at Howl. "Let it rot! I don't give a shit!"

Howl defeatedly sighed at Teddy's response. He wasn't getting any better at coping with Zoe's absence. It hadn't been that long, Howl knew that. He also knew that her absence was taking a toll on Teddy for a million different reasons. It wasn't just because he missed her or because they were fighting, but for so, so, so many deeper reasons that were all driving Teddy mad.

After briefly talking to Carmen, however, Howl was in agreeance that he should let Zoe collect her thoughts and breathe while she was away so it was probably good that he had chucked his phone. Now he would finally stop texting her, even if she did text him back.

"I need a fucking cigarette." Teddy fumed.

"No. We're not smoking anymore, remember?" Howl countered.

"Then, let's go get a drink." Teddy blurted and suddenly stopped, ignoring everybody trying to slither around him to meet Howl's eyes. "You said you wanted to drink yourself to death if Fisher broke your heart after you told him you loved him. Well, he didn't, but Zoe broken mine, so let's go drink."

"You don't drink." Howl firmly reminded. "Your father became an alcoholic as soon as your mother was gone. You can't follow in his footsteps. You hate alcohol for that exact reason. As your best friend, I can't let that happen to you."

Teddy's bottom lip began to twitch and quiver as tears pooled in his eyes. Howl could see Teddy was trying to hold himself together but he was crumbling on the outside and completely shattered on the inside. It hurt Howl to see him like this. Howl didn't have siblings so he didn't know what the actual feeling was like but he felt like he was watching his little brother break. Teddy was a brother to him, in a sense, so that's probably why it hurt Howl to see him so hurt and heartbroken.

Teddy opened his mouth to speak but his voice came out barely over a whisper as he said, "I feel like I'm going crazy, Howl. I miss her so much, I can't breathe."

"I know. I understand." Howl reached for Teddy's shoulder and gave it a firm, comforting squeeze. He let a moment of silence pass before he said, "I'll find you some weed. Before lunch. I know someone here has some. Hopefully, that will calm you down for awhile."

Teddy nodded and sniffled to try and regain his composure. Howl nodded as well to give some silent encouragement and reassurance. Teddy started walking first and Howl sighed as he fell into step with him. It made Howl feel bad that he couldn't do much to help Teddy. No matter how much he told him to calm down and breathe and take it easy, it didn't matter. The only thing that would make Teddy feel better was Zoe's return. Both in body and spirit.

"I haven't told Fisher I love him yet, by the way." Howl reluctantly confessed.

Teddy shot Howl a surprised glance. "Why not? You've had the chance to, haven't you?"

"Yes." Howl cringed and scratched the back of his neck. "I nearly spit it out hundreds of times on Valentine's Day but I just chickened out, I guess. I know how flustered and distant Fisher can be so I got scared. And then, suddenly, Zoe was gone and you were heartbroken so it just feels kind of selfish to say it now."

Teddy stopped his feet again, but this time they were in front of his locker. He stared at Howl with bloodshot eyes and a frown on his face. "Howl, don't put aside your feelings because of my bullshit. I'm not going to hold your happy relationship against you. If you love Fisher, tell him. And then say it again and again and again because you never know how much time you have with him and you shouldn't waste it."

Howl cocked an eyebrow at Teddy as a smirk overtook his pierced lips. Teddy sounded so poetic and wise giving this little lecture. This guy realized he was in love and suddenly he was a whole new man. Howl couldn't have been more amused.

"Wow.. Look at you, Mr. Know It All." Howl chuckled. "All because you said it first, you think I'm the one that needs relationship advise, huh?"

Teddy cracked a smile but it was half-hearted and fleeting. When he thought about it, he really was in no place to give Howl relationship advise. Teddy finally lost his virginity and confessed his undying love for Zoe but then lost her only a few minutes later. Maybe he had screwed up. Maybe his methods and his advise was wrong. Maybe Teddy was cursed. That would make the most sense since everybody he ever cared about left him.

"I'm teasing you, Teddy." Howl chimed as he watched Teddy's expression fall solemn.

"No, I know." Teddy muttered and turned towards his locker to exchange his books, like he did every morning. It had become a useless task recently since he hadn't studied and did very little homework for a week straight.

"Want to go get your phone before class or should we leave it so you're not tempted to text her?" Howl asked.

"I'll go get it."

"I'll come with you."

"You don't have to. I feel bad enough, Howl, don't make me feel worse by babysitting me when you don't want to."

"You're my best friend and you're heartbroken, Teddy. I want to stay by you and support you because I know you went a long time without having people there for you." Howl argued. Teddy felt his chest warm but it still hurt him when he thought about just how right Howl was. "Besides, you're not going anywhere near any roofs without supervision right now."

Teddy's head snapped toward Howl. "I'm not going to jump off and kill myself. The school isn't even tall enough for that."

"See, right there!" Howl pointed a stern finger in Teddy's face. "Comments like that are exactly why you don't have independent roof privileges."

Teddy snorted a laugh as he shut his locker and threw his backpack over his shoulder. "When did I ever have independent roof privileges? Is that a default privilege or did I earn it at some point?"

"It doesn't matter. Now you've lost it." Howl argued.

Teddy huffed another laugh and shook his head, causing a smile to break across Howl's face. It was very hard to get Teddy to smile in this state but Howl was trying his best. This was only the second time he got Teddy to cheer up since Zoe disappeared. Unfortunately, the joy didn't last very long. As they walked through the school to find their way towards the stairs that led to the roof, Teddy's smile faded into a smirk, which faded into a soft, plain expression, which faded back into a dark, solemn, heartbroken frown.

-

Being sober was not easy when you could literally feel your hands shake. Luckily, working at the bar didn't cause Roman a lot of stress, but being out in the general public did. When he went to the grocery store, he felt these similar tremors too. Being in the face of everyday, competent, thriving people made Roman extremely self conscious of himself. And now he was sat in a restaurant, anxiously looking around at the workers and the people dining. Not only was he anxious to be in public but he was even more anxious knowing that he would meet his grandchildren any minute now.

"Hey, dad.." Carmen softly chimed as she approached his table with Malik on her hip and her hand holding Bailey's at her side.

Roman shot up from his place in the booth but caused a bit of clattering when his legs hit the table. Carmen flinched and internally cringed as Roman scooted out of the booth to greet Carmen at eye level. They both stared at each other for a moment, Carmen's expression unbearably indifferent while Roman's was riddled with anxiety and fear and guilt. He could already feel sweat beading on his forehead and his palms, which made him rub his hands on his jeans.

"Uh.. Hi, uhh, Carmen.." Roman nervously muttered and step forward with his arms out to embrace his daughter in a hug.

"No." Carmen took a step back, effectively stopping her father from moving any closer. "We don't have to do that. Let's not act like we missed each other and our inseparable bond."

Roman gulped as he dropped his arms and rubbed his palms on his jeans again. "Right. Of course..." His eyes bounced between Malik and Bailey before he said, "what about these ones?"

"You can say hi to these ones." Carmen said and let go of Bailey's hand to pet her tight curls. "This is Bailey Sophia Morgan and my little guy is Malik Jaleel Morgan."

"Sophia? After grandma?" Roman asked, distracted from his anxiety to marvel at the little girls name.

"Yes." Carmen nodded.

Roman softly smiled. "I'm surprised you remember grandma. She died when you were very, very little."

"Well, she was a hard woman to forget with the way mom would talk about her all the time and how she got her selfless heart from grandma. I'd like to think I did too and maybe Bailey will prove to have a selfless heart as well." Carmen shrugged. "Maybe it's genetic."

Roman nodded in understanding, smiling at the memory of his wife and her selfless heart. To distract himself from getting too wrapped up in his thoughts, Roman knelt in front of his granddaughter and offered her the warmest, most welcoming smile he could muster. It felt surreal to be staring into the eyes of his granddaughter. For years, he avoided ever thinking about his family and had only recently seen physical proof of this little girls existence. And now he was face to face with her, struck by her resemblance to his daughter and his wife.

"Hello, Bailey. It's nice to finally meet you." Roman said. "My name is Roman but you can call me Grandpa, or pops, or pa. Whatever you want."

Bailey didn't response to Roman, but instead, wrapped her arms around Carmen's leg and stumbled until she was partially hidden behind her. Roman began to frown and Carmen could see it, which made her frown as well. She didn't expect to be upset to see her father frown like that. For a long time, she didn't care about anything he felt. This was different, though. She was introducing him to her children—his grandchildren—after all. She wanted this to be a positive experience.

"Don't let her fool you. She's always shy at first but she warms up to people quickly." Carmen reassured her father, who glanced hopefully up at her.

"Ahh.. She'll surely warm up to her grandpa soon then." Roman smiled fondly at the little girl. He looked up at Carmen and asked, "When did you have this one? She looks big."

Carmen internally cringed and avoided her fathers eyes. Might as well tell him now. "I was actually pregnant with her before mom died. Just a few weeks along but I didn't know that until after the funeral. Everything else distracted me and then suddenly I was vomiting all over the place so..."

"And you didn't tell me.. And your mother never knew?"

"Didn't even tell Teddy for a few months. It was too surreal and... scary..." Carmen sheepishly shrugged.

Roman nodded in understanding and let a heavy silence hang between him and his daughter for a few seconds. He wasn't angry that Carmen hadn't told him or Eleanor. She says she didn't know at the time and he had to take her word for it. He knew he would've been angry years ago anyways. He could already hear the nasty argument that would have followed the confession, which made him almost thankful that Carmen didn't know while they were still a family.

There was no nasty argument to be had now, however. There was only sadness and guilt and regret.

Roman despised himself for being such a bad father that his own daughter couldn't come to him and tell him she was pregnant while trapped in the situation she was in. Carmen was young and she even said she was scared. She should have been able to confide in her father during a time like that. He should have been good enough to offer her comfort and support because it couldn't have been easy to be in her line of work, newly pregnant, after losing her mother and the rest of her family.

"I'm sorry I wasn't there for you, Carmen." Roman said sincerely. Carmen simply stared, scrutinizing her father and his apology. "I know there is nothing I can do or say to make up for our horrible relationship but I will certainly try. Not being there for my daughter hurts and I don't want to feel that for my grandchildren as well, so thank you for giving me a chance."

Carmen nodded but dropped her eyes as she felt her chest swell with emotions. She was touched by her fathers sincerity and it felt like a huge relief that he actually cared, but Carmen knew the giant wound on their relationship couldn't be repaired that easily. It was going to take a lot more than one apology to bring them closer. After all, it wasn't only Carmen that Roman had abandoned in his grief. He also neglected Teddy and his grandchildren. He had a lot to make up for that was bigger than his relationship with his daughter.

"Uhm.. This is our table?" Carmen asked as she pointed to the booth they were standing besides. She wanted to distract from this solemn topic as soon as possible.

"Yes!" Roman blurted as he realized they were still standing. He should have offered her to sit before they dove into such a deep topic. "You can sit. I'll grab a high chair for the baby."

Carmen helped Bailey into the booth and set her diaper bag down as she watched her father scurried over to a waiter to ask for a high chair. Carmen was still struck by the difference in her fathers appearance since the last time she saw him. Well, the last time she saw him the only difference was his unshaven beard, but before that, she hadn't seen him since the funeral. He was much slimmer but even more disheveled then. He had cleaned up since then but Carmen knew there was a loooong period in between where he had only gotten worse.

"Here's for the baby." Roman said as he set the high chair at the end of the booth and offered to take Malik from Carmen's arms.

"His name's Malik." Carmen reminded with a soft smirk as she passed him over to Roman, since he kept calling him the baby.

"Malik. Of course." Roman said and smiled as he held Malik in his arms. He only paused to admire him for a moment before he set him in the chair and buckled him in.

The waiter Roman was speaking to before came by as well to give them a booster chair to put in the booth, for Bailey, and Carmen thanked him as she took it. Roman slid into the booth as Carmen got Bailey situated and felt his nerves calm as he watched his daughter. She really did look like an experienced mother, which only made sense, but in Roman's eyes, Carmen was still a child. Obviously, she wasn't, but he couldn't get it out of his head. She had been acting grown ever since she was ten so seeing her actually grown was strange.

"So, uhh.. Tell me how everything is going." Roman requested once Carmen made sure Bailey and Malik were comfortable. "I hear you're getting a divorce, looking for houses, and looking at schools too. A lot of big chances are happening all at once."

"Yeah. It's a lot.." Carmen anxiously cleared her throat. "The divorce stuff is mostly dealt with already and looking at schools for Bailey is overwhelming but I'm also looking for myself as well so-"

"You want to go back to school?" Roman interrupted, letting his curiosity get the best of him.

"I'm thinking about it. I figure I won't be able to provide enough for my babies with my current skill set so going to school would be best. I just don't know how I would balance everything at once. I have been focusing one hundred percent of my attention on raising my babies for five years now so I'm a bit overwhelmed."

"I can always help, Carmen. Now that I'm trying to get my shit together-"

"Oh, daddy!" Carmen panicked and slapped her hands over her daughters ears. "I'm trying to preserve their innocence for as long as possible, dad. Please..."

"Oh, sorry.." Roman cringed and shifted his eyes towards Bailey as Carmen removed her hands. "Sorry little one. My mistake."

Bailey stared at Roman for a solid few seconds before she glanced up at her mother. "Teddy does it."

Carmen sighed but still smiled as she played gently with Bailey's curls. "And Teddy can do no wrong in your eyes, right?"

It took Bailey a few seconds to put together what Carmen meant but she eventually nodded her head. Roman smiled at the little girl, feeling his heart swell in his chest as he realized he was already growing attached to her. Bailey was his granddaughter. And she was so adorable. Why did he ever let himself miss five years of her life? Eleanor would have been so disappointed in him.

Luckily, those swirling thoughts of regret were wiped away when a waitress appeared in front of their table. She handed Bailey and Malik children's menus and crayons as she asked Carmen and Roman what they would like to drink. Roman was tempted to ask for something alcoholic, since the temptation was always present, but figured he should make a good impression in front of his daughter. Carmen was thankful when he asked for a coke and she followed his lead.

"She likes Teddy?" Roman asked his daughter once the waitress left them.

"Oh my god, you have no idea." Carmen scoffed. "They're basically best friends. He coddles her, she follows him around, he gives her everything she asks for, and she bawls her eyes out whenever he's out of the house for too long."

"That's good though, right? If you're at school or at work—whatever you plan on doing—she can stay home with Teddy and you won't have to worry."

"Yeah, I've thought about that. It's nice to know I have him to lean on now that there's so much happening, but I also don't want to stifle his youth by making him raise my children. He has friends, a love life, work, and education to worry about as well."

Roman's eyebrows pulled in but he still managed a curious smirk. "Friends and a love life? He sure is growing up. Middle school Teddy only cared about his education."

Carmen also smirked but hers was a bit more sarcastic. "He's like seven months from being a senior in high school, daddy. His priorities have shifted a bit."

"If you two really are so busy and overwhelmed, Carmen, I'm willing to help. I want to be there for my children and my grandchildren in anyway I can."

"And what would you do for us? You've only just started working."

"I can babysit." Roman shrugged, looking at Bailey as she scribbled all over her menu. "I raised you and Teddy at this age. I'm sure I've still got some muscle memory for it. I don't know where you're living right now but I could call a cab or something."

"You don't know where we live?" Carmen asked as her face contorted in confusion. She figured Teddy would have told him that they were right across the street. Why wouldn't he? Why wouldn't Roman ask?

"No." Roman shrugged. "Teddy told me that you guys were staying with a friend of his but he never said where."

Carmen nodded but kept her mouth shut. If Teddy didn't say anything more, Carmen sure wasn't going to. It wasn't like she wanted to hide from her father but she kind of valued that little bit of privacy. Besides, Carmen didn't know if she really wanted to leave her children in her fathers care yet. She hardly knew the man and treasured her babies too much to make that decision so soon. Carmen needed to know that her father really had put his puzzle pieces back together first. She didn't want to trust him with her children just for him to get overwhelmed and start drinking again.

"Can I ask..?" Roman suddenly said as he leaned forward, locking eyes with Carmen. "Is this friend you're staying with the same friend that Teddy has feelings for?"

Carmen's eyebrows shut up in surprised. Roman knew his son had feelings for a girl but didn't even know where either of them were. "Yes. How did you know?"

"He confided in me a few days ago about it. He started asking me about love and mentioned a friend he liked. I tried to give him some advise but I just keep thinking about how much you two have grown and it's... a lot to comprehend.. Having kids, falling in love, moving on.. I'm impressed and proud, to say the least." Roman said.

Carmen fought a smile. "It's all thanks to mom. She raised us to be strong and stand on our own two feet, just like her."

"She sure did." Roman smiled. "I am sure glad you both took after her and not me.."

"I don't know. I think I took after you. We're both very stubborn, which is half the reason we never got along. You gave me your attitude."

"That's fair."

Another moment of silence passed as Carmen and Roman reminisced. The waiter had returned with their drinks and offered to take their order but Roman asked for a few more minutes so they could look at their menus. There was so much to talk about that they hadn't even thought about food yet. There was still a lot more to discuss and Roman and Carmen both knew it.

They had only scratched the surface of a few things, and strangely enough, Carmen was a little excited to spill everything to her father. It wasn't like she had a mother to talk to about all this serious stuff. Her and her father never used to talk like her and her mother did but they only had each other now. It was about time that they let down their walls and allowed themselves to bond with one another.

-

Zoe was in Japan. Working.

Teddy stalked her via social media and he wasn't even ashamed of it. A few hours ago, Zoe was having some sort of brunch with the chairman of a big company with her parents and the chairman's daughter, who was a few years younger than Zoe. It was highly publicized across Japanese media but also hard to find on American internet servers. Teddy had to click on sketchy links that took him to questionable websites that were all in Japanese just so he could see a few photos.

Zoe looked beautiful though, so it was worth it. Her hair was as luscious as ever, her body as petite as always, skin tone fair but flawless, and smile shining bright. There were only a few photos of Zoe posing along side everybody in the lobby of the chairman's company and then some low quality ones of her getting into a car with the same person so they could go to brunch. That's all Teddy could find that he hadn't sniffed out from her excursions yesterday or the day before or the day before that.

Teddy couldn't help but zoom in on a few of the photos to admire how pretty she was. He even zoomed in on a few that had bodyguards in the picture, wondering if he would ever end up alongside those men. Abe said he would be following Zoe around the world as a part of Mission Z someday, but he also said that Mission Z was a standby unit so they didn't often get close to her.

But he was special, wasn't he? Would Teddy ever get to stand beside her in a photo and even hold her hand or would he always be watching from a distance?

"Ready, Morgan?" Abe asked as he stepped into the training room, flicking the lights on and tossing his duffel bag aside.

Despite the fact that Teddy had been there for almost an hour, he never bothered to turn the lights on. It was easier to wallow the darker the room was.

"Why do you call me that?" Teddy asked as he locked his phone and let it sit on his chest as he stared up at the ceiling. "The only people that get call by their last names are Burgess and me. Is there a reason for that?"

"There is." Abe answered plainly. "Did you already stretch? Are you ready? What are you doing on the floor?"

"What's the reason?" Teddy asked, ignoring Abe's other questions.

Abe audibly sighed. "It's just a thing we do. Nobody gets called their first name until they've lost their innocence. I don't know how it started."

"Lost their innocence?" Teddy's expression contorted but he didn't bother to get up or look up. "You think I'm innocent?"

"You haven't proven otherwise."

"What about Burgess?"

"He's innocent too."

"Does that mean he's never killed anybody?"

"He has." Abe countered and Teddy finally sat up with a confused expression on his face. "Burgess has a little girl at home and he's trying to make her proud by keeping his hands and his conscience as clean as possible. He tries to avoid killing people but he will if he has to, otherwise Burgess is trying to save his soul so he can return to his daughter and look her in the eyes without feeling too guilty about it."

Teddy frowned when he realized he could understand that, to a certain extent. It wasn't like Teddy enjoyed going home and holding Bailey in his arms when he knew he was a part of a very sketchy organization that operated outside of the law and regularly manipulated and killed people. After all, Teddy did get a man killed and lost the love of his life within a matter of days. Yet Bailey knew none of that and she looked up to him like he could do no wrong.

Admittedly, that weighed on his conscience so Teddy understood where Burgess was coming from.

"And Brian was new but he wasn't innocent so you called him by his first name?" Teddy asked.

"Exactly." Abe shrugged.

Teddy nodded and let a moment of silence go by before he was reminded of another question he had. "I was also kind of curious about-"

"Morgan, I'm not answering another question unless you can beat me in a fight. It's too late for this." Abe complained.

Teddy sat up, intrigued by Abe's challenge. "So, if I can beat you, you'll answer one of my questions?"

"Sure." Abe shrugged with a bit of annoyance in his voice as he began wrapping his wrist and knuckles in gauze.

"Every time?"

"Every time? You think you can get me on the floor more than once?"

"Hell yes. No doubt."

Abe shook his head with a condescending scoff. He tossed Teddy the gauze and gave another shrug. "Sure, Morgan. Every time you rein victorious, I'll answer one of your questions."

Teddy smirked and glanced down at the gauze he caught. "Deal."

Teddy jumped up and put his phone in the pocket of his discarded jacket before he wrapped his wrists and knuckles in gauze. Him and Abe stood in the muddle of the room and rolled their shoulders and their necks as they prepared to attack each other. Teddy held Abe's stare, silently challenging him for a moment before he started moving forward. He wanted to attack first and Abe could see it in his eyes, which made him lunge forward first to catch Teddy off guard.

Abe had Teddy in a headlock quicker than Teddy could comprehend but it was a little harder to actually get Teddy off of his feet. They stumbled back and forth as they aimed blindly for each other's legs, trying to trip each other up for somebody would finally fall. Abe eventually caught Teddy's foot and sent them both tumbling towards the ground.

Unfortunately for Abe, Teddy landed on top of him and knocked the wind out of him. Teddy wanted to laugh but he kept his focus and spun so he could grab Abe's arms and pin them against his chest and grappled Abe's legs to keep him immobile. For a moment, Teddy thought he had won. But even if this was a good position that put Teddy on top, Abe was still physically stronger and could shove Teddy off of him.

"Fuck!" Teddy spat in a panic as he landed on his back.

Abe tried to attack while Teddy was on his back but Teddy already saw it coming and managed to catch his arms as Abe went diving at him. In a frantic scramble of limps, Teddy managed to hold Abe's arms and lock his legs around Abe's shoulder, keeping his head and the rest of him under him but his arms locked in Teddy's possession. Abe tried to wiggle free by attempting to pull his arms free and move his body but Teddy had him, it was undeniable.

"Haha!" Teddy triumphantly yelled. "One win for me! Give it up, Abe!"

"You're a sore winner." Abe grunted as he continued to struggle.

"And you're a stubborn prick." Teddy groaned.

"You have to be if you want to live!"

"You're already dead!"

Abe gave his escape one last attempt but Teddy wouldn't let him go. He wanted a win, but even more then that, he wanted to be strong. Knowing Abe was defeated, he finally gave up the fight and relaxed so Teddy would let him go. They both separated with a few groans and heavy pants as they tried to gather themselves. Abe stretched out his arms and wiggled them to get the blood flowing properly again, while Teddy stretched out his legs since he hadn't warmed up before Abe showed up, like he was suppose to.

"Give me a question, Morgan." Abe commanded.

Teddy stared at the ceiling for a moment as he tried to decide which question was the most important. "Who taught Zoe how to fight? Why did she have to learn? Has she been in a situation where she's had to fight her way out before?"

"Kenneth." Abe answered.

Teddy stared blankly at Abe until his expression eventually turned sour. "That's it?"

"You asked a question and I answered it."

"Come on, dude! You know how rare it is that I actually win? Give me a little more." Teddy complained.

Abe sighed and paused to recall Teddy's other questions. "Zoe trains with Kenneth. She's learning self defense because she's Rin's daughter. There's no way Rin would birth a child that couldn't defend itself if necessary. And besides your recent tests, I don't know of any situation where she's actually had to fight for her life."

"Okay.. that's good." Teddy said.

Teddy was relieved to know that Zoe wasn't in direct danger very often. It did hurt, however, to know that Zoe was only in danger because of him. That definitely wasn't fair to her. It made sense that she would run after discovering that Teddy was the reason she was getting hurt. Maybe it was better that she had left. A week had gone by and Teddy had yet to be tasked with another test. Although, he had been training every single day since.

"Ready?" Abe asked, interrupting Teddy's train of thought.

"Yeah.. Let's go.." Teddy sighed and sauntered towards Abe.

This time Teddy went at Abe with his fist and Abe smiled as he dodged his swing. They didn't often throw punches, since it was taxing on the persons hands and the other people's body, but it was fun and necessary. Not every fight would just be grappling so Teddy needed that training. But Abe was much stronger than Teddy so Abe usually had the upper hand when they fought like this.

Teddy and Abe went back and forth exchanging swings, either barely managing to hit each other when they dodged or successfully blocking the attacks. Abe got in more hits than Teddy until the young grappled him and managed to get a few strikes in with his knee in Abe's stomach. Abe retaliated twice as hard by flipping Teddy over his shoulder and causing him to land with a thud so hard that it echoed alongside his painful groan in the empty training room.

Abe won that round. And then he won the round after that. Teddy was pushing through his exhaustion the best he could and tried to use every last bit of strength he had to win. Abe was so skilled that it nearly took a miracle in order for Teddy to win. But eventually, he did.

"Fucking, finally!" Teddy shouted as he rolled away from Abe, untangled their limps from the twisted position that Teddy managed to capture Abe in. "You have to answer another question."

"Go for it, Morgan." Abe coughed and rubbed his neck. Since Teddy just had his arm around his neck, he was trying to remember how to breathe again.

Teddy simply laid on the floor and panted for a few seconds as he tried to remember what he had wanted to ask. He could barely think with his lungs and heart working overtime as he sweat all over himself and the floor.

"What are the other units that work for Rin? And what about Zoe's dad? What's his name...? Hiro? Does he have special groups of henchmen too?" Teddy asked.

"Rin's units are very flexible. Some of them, like Mission Z, always exist, even if their members change. Some only exist when she needs them for something specific. Like Cerberus. We aren't usually in the same place at once unless she needs us. But she has people for different errands and occasions, all of which have different specialities and purposes." Abe explained.

"We?" Teddy asked, rolling his head on the ground to look at Abe. "You're a part of Cerberus?"

"Yes. I'm one of the heads, which is why I have some authority over the Mission Z crew." Abe said. "That's not the only group I get to boss around but it's been my main crew for a few months now. The other heads have different roles but they're also the strongest of Rin's men."

Simply through context clues, Teddy could already understand what Cerberus was. Cerberus was some kind of demon dog with three—or sometimes more—heads from Greek mythology that guarded the gates of the underworld, aka Hell. That had to mean that the Cerberus heads was a group of very strong and powerful henchmen that watched over the others. And Abe was one of the heads.

That was kind of intimidating, if Teddy was being honest. It really put Abe's power into perspective.

"And, of course, there is Rin's favorite men. She doesn't have a name for them as a collective but they all have special pet names. She hasn't added a new member to the group in a few years. I guess they do a good enough job at keeping her satisfied." Abe continued to explain, a humor tone in his voice that intrigued Teddy. The smirk on Abe's face both terrified and fascinated Teddy, as he obviously knew something that Teddy didn't. "Since they do not have a special group name, the rest of us simply call them Hives."

"Hives?" Teddy's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Like a rash?"

"It means that too, because they are so strange that it gets us all physically irritated, but they are also called Hives because they work like bees. They cling to Rin like she is their queen and they work together like a hive mind whenever they are given a task, always trying their best to please her, no matter what. They are a special kind of freaky. They don't need to be blackmailed like the rest of us. They actually like Rin and follow her without question."

"Have I met any of these Hives?"

"Not formally, no. I don't think any of us have. I couldn't even tell you their names unless you wanted the pet names that Rin has given them. But you have seen them. When Rin offered you that pin, she had her Hives with her. She does not go anywhere without them at her hip and they probably wouldn't have it any other way either."

Teddy was silent as he tried to recall the men he watched invade their home on the day that Rin offered him that pin. There were maybe seven men, more or less, if Teddy remembered correctly. It shocked Teddy to imagine seven different men that were head over heels for Rin and treated her like a queen. That meant they must be very dangerous, as well, if she always kept them at her hip. There was no way she would let someone that close to her unless they could properly defend her, Teddy knew that much.

By the way it sounds though, those Hives would probably jump in front of a bullet for her. So maybe they were disposable. Did they really want to please Rin that badly if they didn't have to be blackmailed like everybody else? How far did they go to please Rin? When she was angry, did they kill people without being ordered, just to please her? Did they do her sexual favors? If they were that in love with their queen and she also liked keeping them around, things couldn't be just that simple. Not with a woman as reckless as Rin, even if she did have a husband.

It took awhile for Teddy's brain to finish processing everything before he asked, "What about Hiro? I haven't met him or his henchmen yet."

"Well, first of all, Hiro doesn't like when people refer to his team as anything other than his Mafia. His team is a lot smaller, though, and they all stick by Hiro's side since he treats them like family while Rin treats hers like prisoners." Abe explained. "They are nothing like us, either. They are sloppier, cockier, unprofessional, and just plain stupid. The two sides have an ongoing rivalry but we don't fight or anything. It's just insults and bickering and dirty looks. Luckily, we don't have to talk to each other much so there isn't usually a chance for us to get wrapped up in a fight."

Teddy marveled in awe at everything Abe was saying. Teddy didn't know Hiro but his side of the family sure colored a picture of him. He must be a lot more laid back than Rin if he called his Mafia a family and kept them all close. But Teddy could see how that would make them sloppier than Rin's henchmen. If they had less order to their group dynamics then it was sure to be a bit chaotic. They probably weren't even as well trained as Rin's if Abe was calling them sloppy and unprofessional.

How did they have balls big enough to insult Rin's side when she had so many and they were all so strong and ruthless? Were they really idiots too?

"How are there two different sides, a rivalry, and those creepy Hives freaks when Rin and Hiro are still married?" Teddy asked as his thoughts continued to run and run for miles. "Do they even love each other or is it a business relationship?"

"You're asking too many questions. Beat me again and I'll give you more answers. You're not done training yet." Abe said as he pushed himself off the floor and got into a fighting stance.

Unfortunately, Teddy did win another fight after that. Abe was too good. Teddy had stamina, which always worked in his favor, but so did Abe. And he was stronger. When Teddy did start to lose his fire, he went back to purely defending himself against Abe and only trying to get him on the ground when he found a good window for it. Even then, it was hopeless. Teddy was exhausted and weak.

"You need to start working out and building muscle, Morgan." Abe chuckled as he circled Teddy, who laid breathless on the ground. "You're smart, you're a quick learner, you're agile, but you're just not strong enough. Put some muscle on your bones and you could be pretty powerful."

"I'm not that weak, just tired." Teddy retorted.

"For a seventeen year old kid that doesn't work out, you're not weak, but you're not strong enough."

"Not strong enough for what? Do you henchmen often face off with body builders and unstoppable assassins or something?" Teddy groveled.

Abe chuckled again and stopped circling to place his hands on his knees and stare down at Teddy. "Admittedly, Morgan, you won't be faced with those kind of foes. Most of the altercations we get in involve guns but some physical skill will help as well. Not to mention, if you want to climb the ranks, you'll have to face off with some pretty strong henchmen—as you say."

Teddy couldn't imagine the kind of gun fights Rin got in. Or maybe she didn't get in any and left it all in her henchmen's hands. Still, those kind of altercations had to be pretty intense if someone as famous and powerful as her would bother to get involved. It wasn't like Rin really was apart of a mafia, though, so she couldn't be fighting for territory or money or something. What kind of messes would a woman like that even bother with?

"When am I going to learn how to fire a gun?" Teddy asked.

Abe shrugged. "When Rin tells me to teach you."

Teddy sighed and rolled his eyes. Everything had to be under Rin's command. Nobody could move a muscle unless they were instructed to. Luckily, Rin had made good on her promise about giving Teddy some freedom. Everybody else lived under her constant demands but all Teddy had been doing recently is training with Abe. That could also be because Teddy was still a trainee, however. Maybe he didn't have any commands because he wasn't useful yet.

Not getting his hands dirty every single day should have been a good thing to Teddy but he still feared becoming disposable. He wanted to move up the ranks. He wanted to be powerful and useful.

"What about the other guys then? Can I train with them?" Teddy asked.

Abe walked across the room to grab his water bottle and tossed Teddy his, answering as he untwisted the lid. "They're stronger than you and most of them are bigger, which means you'd get squished like a bug. Finnegan is probably the only one you could take since he's smaller and closer to your age but they all left?"

Teddy filed his mouth with water and let it puff out his cheeks as he swallowed it down. "Left? All of them?"

Abe nodded since his mouth was also full of water. He didn't answer until he tossed the empty bottle aside. "Yep. They're in Japan right now but they should be back in Los Angeles with Rin and Zoe soon."

Teddy sulked in silence as he realized he had been left behind. He was apart of Mission Z and Abe even said that Teddy would need to travel with them to keep an eye on Zoe. Why did they all follow her and leave him and Abe in Cincinnati to train over and over again, as if they had nothing better to do? Teddy wanted to see Zoe. So, so badly. Teddy would follow her with the Mission Z crew if it meant he would only get to watch from afar. That was good enough.

"When are we going to be done with this?" Teddy whined, still sat on the floor with his shoulders down and sweat dripping off his face. "All we do is train and train and train.. If you're so big and bad, why did Rin leave you here with me? I'm getting impatient."

"Patience is a virtue." Abe retorted with a smug smirk.

"Come on!" Teddy smacked the ground in his frustration. "I'm sick of this! Take me to Japan or Los Angeles or wherever Zoe is! Give me another test or something! I'm going crazy here!"

Abe sighed and used his shirt to wipe his sweat from his face. He looked like he was thinking so Teddy stayed silent and waited. Teddy didn't want another test, since they were dangerous and difficult, but he missed Zoe so much that he just vomited words.

"I can talk to Rin.." Abe sighed as his hands landed on his hips. "But we need to train like this for a little while more. There is an order we have to follow. You can't just run to wherever Zoe is just because you're in love with her."

Teddy glared at Abe, internally cursing him for trying to throw that in his face. As far as Teddy knew, Abe was the only one that knew he was in love with Zoe but he couldn't be sure that Abe hadn't said anything to anybody else. If Abe was this open about mocking him for it, had he said something to another Mission Z member or even to Rin? Had Zoe, herself, said something to Rin when she left him?

"Few more rounds and then we can be done for the night, alright?" Abe stepped towards Teddy and offered his hand to help him up.

Teddy grabbed Abe's hand but paused before he stood up to ask, "one more question?"

"After you beat me." Abe countered.

"I'm not going to beat you. I'm fucking exhausted." Teddy scoffed and used Abe's strength to pull himself off the ground. Him and Abe's heights were pretty evenly matched but Abe always had an air around him that demanded dominance over Teddy. "One more question."

"Fine. Shoot."

Teddy nervously gulped and but tried to maintain eye contact, despite his sudden burst of anxiety. "Why haven't I been punished yet? For falling in love with her?"

Abe took a deep breath in and let it all seep out of him, holding Teddy's stare the entire time. Abe studied the younger before he gave him an answer, absorbing Teddy's anxiety and worry and fear. All Teddy had to do was kiss Zoe and he got beat for it. It made sense that he would be anticipating some kind of punishment for crossing a line that was so far beyond a kiss. Abe wondered if Teddy assumed that he ratted him out to Rin after their altercation the night Zoe left and that's why he was awaiting a punishment.

"I have no clue." Abe genuinely answered. "I didn't say anything to Rin about it and I have no idea what Zoe said when she got home. If Rin knows you're in love with her daughter, I would have expected something very painful to happen already but it's been a week already.. Either, she has something bigger in store for you, she just doesn't know, or she doesn't care."

Teddy nodded but his anxiety wasn't soothed. He was thankful that Abe hadn't said anything to Rin, if he was being truthful about that. Teddy didn't know whether Zoe would say anything to her mother either. She was pretty riled up when she left and it felt like she was going to explode.