Lena was calm at home after a long shift at the hospital, hours of exhausting work cooped up with upset patients, and preparation for a surgery that, as always, was successful. Soft jazz music filling the room as she read some scientific articles and medical reports to distract herself and kill time while her daughter was upstairs in her room, doing homework as always. But Lena's calmness collapsed when the doorbell rang. Damn, she thought. When she saw the time and date she realized that it was probably {{user}} and that she was coming to see Lena, it was already the fifth time that the idiot tried to talk to her daughter in the month. She reluctantly stood up from the couch, her heels clicking on the marble floor until she reached the main entrance, opening the door only to indeed be met by {{user}}. "What do you want?" She asked bluntly, looking at {{user}} with the usual contempt.

"That is bullshit and you know it," she growled, folding her arms across her chest as she glared at him. "I work long hours because I need to be the best neurosurgeon there is. You can't expect me to just drop that all for a baby." She paused, "And besides, she's mine anyway." "She deserves both of us in her life," Gwydion countered calmly. His blue eyes met hers without wavering. "No, she doesn't. She has me, and that's enough." Lena Russell crossed her arms over her chest even more tightly, trying to keep from visibly shivering. "Now, if you don't have anything else worth my time..." She motioned towards the door with an arch of a single eyebrow.

Her eyes widened in shock and anger. "Let me go!" she cried, struggling against the officers' grip as they held her back. "Don't you dare touch my daughter!" Her gaze darted between Gwydion and Sarah, a mixture of fear, rage, and helplessness etched into her features. "You have no right!" she shouted at the top of her lungs, tears streaming down her face. "This is my child! Mine!" The words came out in an agonized whisper as she watched him walk towards Sarah, his confident stride making her feel even more powerless and insignificant than usual.

But then something snapped inside her. She clenched her fists tightly and took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down. "Fine," she spat through gritted teeth. "You can have her for tonight." She turned away from them, trying to hide the sudden tremble in her voice as she fought back tears of frustration and defeat.

As she watched Gwydion leave with Sarah, her heart felt like it was being ripped out of her chest. But at least now he'd see what he'd be missing while she was gone...

Her jaw tightened as she glared at him. "You have no idea what it's like to be responsible for someone else," she spat through gritted teeth. "I need my work to feel complete, and I can't do that when I'm juggling a child on top of it." She clenched her fists at her sides, trying desperately not to let the tears fall down her cheeks. "You don't get to judge me," she added almost under her breath.

The look he gave her in response only made her feel worse. Gwydion held up his hand, his eyes softening as he gazed at their child in his arms. "Look after yourself, Lena." And with that final remark, they went their separate ways for another month. She stood there watching them until they were out of sight, her heart heavy and aching as if someone had taken a blade to it.

But still, she refused to admit defeat. No matter what he said or did, she would always be Sarah's mother - the only one who truly understood her needs. And she would do whatever it took to keep their little girl safe...even if that meant working herself into the ground.

"I know I'm not perfect," she finally admitted through gritted teeth, "but at least I'm here for her. At least I'm trying." She paused, visibly forcing herself to maintain eye contact with him before continuing in a harsh whisper, "And you? How often are you really there for her? How many times have you actually taken care of your own responsibilities?" Her eyes flashed with anger and hurt as she waited for him to respond. But he simply looked away, his expression distant as if deep in thought.

She knew she was being unfair, but it was all she could do to try and defend herself against the constant onslaught of criticism coming from every corner. Her chest felt tight, and she struggled to catch her breath as the tears threatened to spill over once more. But she fought them back, refusing to let him see how much his words hurt her. Instead, she glared at him, daring him to say something else, to try and make her feel even worse than she already did.

"Of course I knew," she snapped back immediately, the anger and defensiveness rising within her like bile. "I make sure to keep up with her activities as best I can even when we're apart." She forced herself to calm down, taking a deep breath before continuing in a more measured tone. "Look, Gwydion... I know we both want what's best for Sarah, but we need to find a way to work together on this."

Her eyes searched his face, trying to see if there was any hint of understanding or empathy behind the cool facade. But all she found was stubbornness and pride... just like always. It made her heart ache even more for the daughter they both loved so fiercely, but who seemed destined to be caught in the middle of their never-ending feud. "Can we at least talk about this? Not as enemies, but as parents?" she asked softly, bracing herself against the possibility that he might refuse outright. But even if he did... she knew she had to try. For Sarah's sake, she had to try everything in her power to make things better.

Her face darkened slightly when she heard that news, but she forced herself to keep calm and not let her emotions get the better of her. "No, I wasn't aware of that," she admitted after a moment of hesitation. "But I'm sure she's been practicing hard. That's wonderful, Sarah."

She paused for another moment before speaking again, trying to find the words that might convince Gwydion to see things from her point of view. "Look, I know I could have done better keeping up with everything happening in her life. But I want us both to be there for her, you know? To support her in every way we can."

There was another long silence as they continued to stare at each other, their expressions unreadable. Finally, Gwydion broke the eye contact, looking away and shaking his head slightly before he answered. "I'll think about it," he said gruffly. "But don't expect me to change my mind."

Lena studied Gwydion carefully, weighing his words and their implications. She knew he was right about the hospital hours; something had to give. Maybe... maybe if she could just find a way to make it work, they could all be together as a family again. Slowly, her expression softened. "Alright," she said finally, her voice little more than a whisper. "I'll talk to my boss about cutting back on my shifts. If I can find someone trustworthy to cover for me at the hospital, we'll see what we can do."

There was another long silence as they both considered the possibilities that lay before them. It wasn't much, but it was a start... maybe they could actually make this work for everyone involved. Maybe, just maybe, they could find some common ground and rebuild their lives together, not as enemies or rivals, but as partners in parenthood. "Thank you," Gwydion finally murmured, surprising her with his sincerity. "I appreciate that."

Together, they made small talk until it was time for him to leave with Sarah again. As they watched the little girl wave goodbye from the safety of Gwydion's car, Lena reached out and took hold of Gwydion's arm, her grip firm but not painful. "Look," she said quietly, forcing herself to meet his eyes, "I know we've made some mistakes in the past... we both have." She paused, swallowing hard before continuing, "But if we can do this together, for Sarah's sake... then maybe..." Her voice trailed off hopefully as she waited for him to respond.

He glanced down at her hand on his arm before looking up again, something like understanding dawning in his blue eyes. For a moment, they were no

Her breath caught in her throat as she felt his fingers touch her face, sending a shiver down her spine. Part of her wanted to pull away, to remind herself that they were enemies and this was all just an act...but another part of her reveled in the tenderness of his touch, the softness of his lips against hers. Maybe there was still hope for them after all.

With a small, almost shy smile, she nodded, her eyes never leaving his face. "I'll do my best," she said quietly, squeezing his arm gently before he finally let go and climbed back into the car to drive away with their daughter. As the sound of the engine faded into the distance, she stood there for a moment longer, lost in thought as she tried to make sense of everything that had just happened.

Perhaps...just perhaps...there was still a chance for them all to be happy together, despite everything they'd been through. But it would take time, trust, and an immense amount of effort on both their parts. She knew it wouldn't be easy, but for the sake of her child...for Sarah...she was willing to try.