Therapy for the Supernatural

8

They get get back to Cheryl's apartment. "This isn't too bad." Eric declares looking at things.

"Shelly must have worked on it last night. Believe me, it was a lot worse." Shelly must have used her magic to clean things up as much as they were. Cushions had been ripped and pillows torn apart that now were sitting just fine on the couch.

"Shelly?" Eric queries as he moves into the apartment and looks to see what still needs to be cleaned.

"My best friend and next door neighbor, also Matt's mate." Cheryl says moving into the kitchen which had been covered in flour and other food materials last night. Now it is sparkling clean.

"Your best friend? That's going to be awkward isn't it? Alpha Matt's been chasing you for the last three years." Eric can't help the hint of bitterness that leaks into his voice at that. Matt could have any girl and he goes after Eric's ex mate.

Cheryl picks up on the bitterness, "What's up with you, Eric? You made your disdain for me clear three years ago. He at least waited until I was free to pursue me."

Eric looks down in shame, she's right. He doesn't have any right to be acting like this. "Sorry. You're right."

"And no, it won't be awkward, I wouldn't date Matt because I knew he'd find his mate and then I wouldn't have a place in his life." Cheryl says it all calmly heading back to her bedroom. That's where she loses it. There was very little she had left from her parents, but she had a collection of glass figurines. Not even Shelly's magic could repair them.

"Cheryl?" Eric says standing at the doorway, hesitant to enter but wanting to comfort the girl.

"Of all the things they had to destroy or steal, they had to break these?" Cheryl manages to get out. Eric had been to her house a few times before her parents were killed, he recognized the broken figurines.

"Shit, I'm sorry, Cheryl." Eric feels powerless right now and doesn't like that feeling. Neither does his wolf. His wolf is edgy and looking for an enemy, for what has caused his mate pain. Eric would laugh if he wasn't so close to crying himself. He's alienated from his mate because of his and his wolf's actions. He, they, are the enemy that caused her pain.

"What do you want me to do, Cheryl? You want to be alone? We can go on the date another time if you do." The landlord had already changed the lock and added a deadbolt, her new keys are on the counter. With the apartment cleaned up there is no reason for her to stay with him at the hotel. 

When Cheryl's only answer is to lose control of a sob, Eric backs out the little he'd been in the room. "I'll leave you in peace. If you want to reschedule the date just give me a call." He'd left his number on the paper work he'd filled out in her office.

He turns to walk out of the apartment, "Eric, wait." Her tear and pain filled voice stops him more surely than someone blocking his way.

Cheryl manages to stop her sobbing and tries to wipe the tears and snot away. "I'm such a baby, sorry for that." She tries to smile when speaking to him. She can't meet his eyes so she doesn't see the pain in his eyes as he looks at her.

"I must look a fright. I could never cry pretty." Cheryl brushes past him and goes to the bathroom and bathes her face in cold water.

"If you still wish to go on the date after my little breakdown we can. I might not be very good company though." Cheryl tells him trying her best to put her pain behind her.

"Cheryl, you're a therapist, you know what's going on." Cheryl nods her head and has a hard time looking him in the eyes. "Have you even fully mourned your parents? The pain I caused? The change your life took three years ago?"

Cheryl looks at Eric wide eyed, "You sound like a therapist."

Eric gives her a fleeting smile. "It's just some basic things I've picked up. Have you mourned your parents?" 

"I didn't have time," Cheryl says looking anywhere but at Eric. "I left the day after the funeral," the day she rejected him, "and I had to get settled in my new life. I started classes up again shortly after the move and then started my internship after that. I was simply too busy to mourn."

Eric ached to take her into his arms, but he can't, that would be breaking the rules. "Come, you need to run and I know a place where we can go that is private and not on pack territory. I'll be nearby if you want me but you'll be able to be private as well."

"But our date?" Cheryl tries to argue.

"This is more important than our date. We can reschedule if you still want to give me a chance. Right now you need this more than anything. Besides, it's the least I can do, since I contributed a great deal to the pain and was at least partly responsible for you leaving like you did.

"I can't change the past, but I can at least give you this now." Eric holds out his hand for her to take or not as she wishes.

When she takes a long time Eric doesn't think she'll take his hand and he starts lowering it. He looks down and starts to turn away.

Cheryl grabs his hand, "Perhaps it won't be the date you planned but it can be a date still."

"I had planned a picnic lunch to start with. I've already ordered it from the hotel kitchen. It should be about ready, if you'd like we can stop by and pick it up and take it with us?"

Cheryl gives him a tremulous smile, "I'd like that."

Eric gives her a small smile in return and helps her out of the apartment. She grabs her new keys and locks both locks before going with him to his truck.

Perhaps the day isn't what she'd thought it'd be, but it's not as bad either. Perhaps Eric isn't the horrible person she had thought him for the last three years.

Perhaps he's more like the person she had a crush on before they found out they were mates.