Title: The Longest Battle
Rating: T
Disclaimer: I do not own Macross Frontier.
Summary: Alto deals with a pregnant Sheryl.

A/N: As you've noticed, updates are slow and it's due to the many activities happening in my University. It doesn't help that Semi-finals are approaching. Hopefully, you can understand. Also, if you check my profile page, you'll find some links to some MacF comic strips I made. Enjoy. X3

A piercing scream filled the air…quickly followed by another…and another.

It was a kind of scream you only heard in horror movies and the kind you surely did not want to hear in real life. There was a loud crash, followed by yet another shriek. It was a sound of painful rawness that made your spine tingle in fear and your skin break into goose bumps.

All of this was coming from next door.

The woman shut the curtains and turned her gaze to her husband who was sitting in his chair, trying to block the tortured sounds with TV.

“I’ve had enough! We have to do something, dear.”

The man deepened the frown that was already set and met his wife’s gaze, giving her a look of uncertainty.

“I don’t think it’s our business to”—

A new scream cut him off, causing him to wince.

His wife was now wringing her hands in worry.

“Darling, that sounds exactly like he's beating her and we can’t just ignore it! Think of the poor woman! I heard that her husband is a sort of soldier— think of the things he could be doing to her right now!”

“But sweetheart”—

“Honey, if I were that woman, right now…I would want someone to step in and stop the abuse.” She bit on her trembling lower lip while she squeezed her eyes shut, trying not to imagine what that brutal soldier could be doing to his unfortunate wife.

Realizing that his wife was correct, the husband stood from his chair and took his wife’s hands into his.

“It’s okay...” he soothed, “I’ll call for the police.”

Another shriek sounded.

The husband made no delay and ran to the phone.

It did not take more than five minutes for the authorities to arrive in the scene after receiving the call.

The policeman squared his shoulders and together with his partner, climbed up the small front steps to the door.

Before his knuckles even brushed the door, they were met with a loud scream.

“Jesus Christ,” his partner muttered, shaking his head in disgust. A man who laid harm on a woman was scum. Absolute scum.

They pounded on the door.

For a while, it seemed that no one was going to answer and they were just about ready to break down the door, when the door knob turned. The door swung open.

Disarrayed hair, torn clothes, bruised lips and swollen eyes was the sight that greeted them. The poor woman was a complete mess. She looked like she had been wrestling from something in hell. It was really disgraceful how some men used their physical advantage to strike on the opposite sex—but everything was going to be okay now because the law was here.

They flashed their badges.

“Ma’am, we’re here on a call of domestic abuse. We’d like to see your husband.”

…

…

…

…

…

“I am the husband.”