Therapy for the Supernatural

14

Cheryl's phone ringing breaks the tense silence after Eric's declaration. Cheryl is thrown for a loop not expecting him to say anything like that. After all he was the first one to hurt her. Without thinking she pulls her phone out and looks at the caller ID. When she sees who it is her face turns stony and she refuses to answer it.

After the final ring silence descends into the room again. "Well, it seems as if I'm not really wanted now. Thank you for your ti-" Eric's phone ringing cuts him off and he gets it out more than a little irritable.

He answers without looking at the caller ID. "What?"

"Yeah, I was just about to leave." Eric says his voice far more mellow this time.

Cheryl leaves once he answers his call. She could hear who is on the line and doesn't want to be where she has to listen to him.

"I really don't think she wants to talk to you alpha. She left the room when she heard your voice. She was hurt by your orders." Eric thinks that she'll cut loose from the pack just from the betrayal Matt gave her.

"I'll try, alpha, but I'm already on thin ice with her as it is. I don't have any right to force her to talk to you." Eric goes to Cheryl's door and knocks on it.

"Cheryl, Matt wants to talk to you. He says that he's sorry." Eric tells her through the door.

Eric waits but there is no reply, nor does she open the door. Eric knows it's a long shot but he tries the door and finds it locked.

"I'm sorry, alpha, but she's locked herself into her room and won't even talk to me at this point."

Eric feels a little sick at this. Cheryl needs her pack, she needs to be part of them. She's been separate from them for too long. Eric knows that a good part of that is his fault. She wouldn't have stayed away if she hadn't wanted to not see him again.

Eric hangs up and goes to the room he'd stayed in and hastily packs his things. The sooner he leaves the sooner Cheryl is likely to come out. Perhaps Shelly will be able to get her out.

He sadly goes to her door and knocks once more. "Cheryl, I'm leaving now. After everything that's happened I won't bother you again. I just wanted to thank you for letting me get to know you. I should have done that three years ago instead- anyway, thank  you and I hope you find someone that is worthy of you.

"You can go back to the pack and not worry about running into me. I won't make it harder for you." Eric picks up his bag and turns towards the living area.

"There is no fucking way I'm going back to that celebration on my own." Cheryl declares opening her door.

Eric turns to her, "But why would you want to go with or be with me at it?" The celebration three years ago was when they held her parents funeral and she rejected him.

"I don't want to go to that celebration at all. Mr. high and mighty alpha has ordered me to go to it." The pain is there and it hurts Eric to hear it.

No longer caring about the rules he drops his bag and goes to Cheryl and holds her. When she starts crying he takes her to the sofa and has her lean into him as she cries. He's pretty sure that the tears aren't because of the order Matt gave her. Eric isn't sure but he thinks that they are tears from her parents loss. Perhaps tears for everything that has happened in the last three years.

Eric loses track of the time as Cheryl cries. But he continues to hold her even after she fell asleep from crying so long and hard.

There is a knocking on the door and Eric carefully arranges Cheryl's head so that she'll not wake when he moves. The knocking comes again and a little harder before Eric is free from Cheryl's body. 

Opening the door he isn't too surprised at who he finds there. "She's asleep after crying for hours. Please, keep it down." Eric tells his alpha.

Matt is pushing past Eric when his words hit him. He looks over to the couch and sees Cheryl asleep. "She was crying?"

"Oh, yes, for hours. When you ordered her to go to the celebration she felt betrayed by you, alpha. If you force her to go she just might take the alternative, she doesn't feel part of the pack anyway.

"Did you know that even when she was a pup she wasn't accepted?"

Matt whirls to face him, "What?"

Of course Matt knew that she didn't feel part of the pack, that's why she hadn't returned unless she absolutely had to. But he had no idea just how bad it had been.

"She told me that even when she was young she didn't have any friends. That the other pups didn't play with her. She's always been alone. She said that Shelly is her first friend. But I think she counted you as her second. When you ordered her to come back for the celebration it felt like her friend betrayed her."

"Fuck." Matt said, not having realized just how hard Cheryl had taken things. He runs his hands through his hair. How does he fix things with Cheryl?

"You know the reason she doesn't want to go to the celebration, right?"

"Because of you." Matt says baldly.

Eric shakes his head, "I might have been part of it, but only a small part. That day marks the anniversary of her parents being buried. She hasn't truly mourned them yet. To her their deaths are still fresh and painful. Forcing her to go to that celebration is like making her relive her parents death all over again."

"Are you a fucking counselor now as well?" Matt demands looking at Eric intently.

Eric shakes his head. "He's been like that with me too." Cheryl says sitting up.

"What the hell are you doing here, Matt?" Cheryl's voice is anything but welcome.

"I'll just let myself out. Call me, if you need anything, Cheryl." Eric says going back to where his bag is. His wolf is whining at him to not leave, that Cheryl needs him. Eric can't stay though, the protective instinct he has towards her is almost overwhelming at this time. He'll definitely cross the boundaries if he stays. And not ones that would be acceptable.

Picking up his bag he quietly leaves the tension filled room. He doesn't expect to hear from Cheryl again. He wipes his eyes then heads out to his truck. All pack members are expected at the midsummer celebration. If they aren't, they better have good reason. He doesn't have a reason not to go.

This year at least. He doesn't expect to live until next year. Not now.