Therapy for the Supernatural

17

"Eric," Cheryl questions as they near pack territory. 

Eric glances at her not willing to take his eyes off the road for too long, "Yes, Cheryl?"

"Why are you doing this? You've wasted your time on me enough this week. Why are you bringing me here?" Cheryl didn't mean to make him angry, she had no idea her question would anger him. He's hardly left her side since Matt called him back to her apartment Sunday.

"First off, you need to stop thinking like that. I haven't wasted my time. I was helping you at work and then spending time with you after work. If you didn't want me around all you had to do was tell me to fuck off and I would have." Now his voice holds more than a little hurt.

Cheryl had enjoyed the time with him. Three years ago she'd have done anything to have so much of his attention. Now she doesn't understand why he's giving it to her.

"Fine, if you say you aren't wasting your time by being with me and doing my job, I'll accept your words. I don't mind spending this time with you, that's why I didn't tell you to leave. I just don't understand why you are spending this time with me. I'm no one special. And before you get upset with me again, those are your words. Words that you told me."

Eric pulls off to the side of the road and gets out. He needs to get rid of some of his anger before he does something he will regret. He doesn't want to hurt Cheryl, he's done that too much already. If he knew three years ago what he knows now, there's no way in hell he'd let Cheryl out of his sight until he had his mark on her. She is the most incredible person he's ever met. It makes him sick to know that she's not his because of his own actions.

He can't blame her for questioning him for wanting to spend so much time with her. Three years ago he made his disdain for her beyond obvious.  He stays out for some time before Cheryl steps out of the truck and moves towards him.

"I didn't mean to make you angry." Cheryl says trying to figure out why he was so angry with her.

"I'm angry with myself. I did say those words and I said them in ignorance. Had I taken the time to get to know you, the real you and not who I thought you were, you'd be mine. Perhaps you'd have some pups by now. I do know you'd be warming my bed every night.

"But because I'm a jackass, I didn't take the time and I did things no wolf should ever do to their mate.

"I'm angry because I hurt you. I'm angry because I told you lies. I'm angry because I'm an ass and I don't deserve you. I'm angry, because I know, just know that sometime soon you're going to tell me that you're done helping me and I need to go. And I'll have to go.

"I've spent so much time with you, because I want as many memories as I can get before you throw me out. I'm doing this because I can't bare the thought of being away from you any more than I absolutely have to. I'm doing this because I fucking want you." Eric tells her then walks away needing more space than she'd given him.

Cheryl stays where she was unable to move at his statement.

She knows that what he said is the truth. He wants her. Yet he hasn't made any move towards her. 'Because he knew that you would throw him out if he did,' her conscience whispered to her.

Does she dare let him back in after all he did to her? Can she truly forgive him like that?

'You can him, but I won't forgive his wolf,' Cheryl's wolf tells her. She'd been strangely quiet for the last week.

'You don't have a problem with me taking him back?'

'Him, no. His wolf, oh yes, I have problems with him. Once a fucking cheater always a fucking cheater.'

'But Eric cheated on me.'

'Only because he didn't understand. He thought he was being kinder to do that than reject us. It was his wolf that lied to him that caused him to hurt us. Eric won't cheat on us again. But I can't say the same thing about his wolf.'

'Well if I take him back, then I'll be taking his wolf back.'

'I know, I've been working on the problem. I think I might have a solution, but I have to work on it some more. If I do, Eric shouldn't have a problem with it, but his wolf might.' Cheryl definitely feels her wolf is more than a little smug. But she also knows that her wolf won't tell her anything until she's ready.

'We need to get going. Make sure to have him stop at a store, there won't be any food at the house.'

'Right.' Cheryl tells her wolf, like food is even on her mind right then. There is so much that could go wrong tonight, she gets sick just thinking about it. She hopes that Matt has a way to spin his mate being a witch into a positive for the pack, because if not things are going to get real ugly real fast.

"Sorry for that," Eric says coming back to her and touching her shoulder. She jumps not having heard him because of her talk with her wolf.

"It's alright. My wolf says that we should get going soon. She also wants me to remind you that there is no food at my house so we'll need to stop at the store before you take me to my house. If you'd rather just drop me off and head over to your place, I can walk back to the store..."

"If it's alright with you, I'd rather stay at your place." Eric says but can't look at her.

He's stayed at her place or she's stayed at his hotel suite every night since her apartment was broken into. Although they've never even kissed he likes being in the same place as her.

"Are you sure? Your place is much nicer than mine. Hell, I have no idea what condition it's even in after three years of being away."

"The alpha had people go in and clean every week. They also made sure that all repairs that needed to be done were. I think he had the roof replaced last year." Eric tells her trying to reassure her.

"He did all that for me?" Cheryl says her words barely above a whisper.

"Yeah, it's not just Matt that cares about you."

Cheryl gives a small disbelieving scoff. "Only the alpha and Matt. The rest of the pack never even noticed me gone."

"I noticed," Eric says the words reluctantly.

Cheryl whips her head around. "Why?"

Eric shakes his head, "I honestly don't know. Before we were mates I never noticed you. But after you rejected me, I looked for you everywhere. Finally I got the nerve up to ask the alpha. He told me that you left and to leave you alone. He's not going to be happy seeing me with you."

"I'll talk to him, don't worry about it." Cheryl says absently. Eric had noticed her absence? She thought he'd be too busy celebrating to notice anything.

"Eric, we need to talk." Cheryl tells him, even as they drive onto pack territory. Cheryl feels the difference as does her wolf. She can't suppress the howl that comes out of her throat. She's come home. She never realized that she felt that way before.