Therapy for the Supernatural

28

Matt picks up his plate of food again and finds a seat. He makes sure that he's as far from Cheryl as he can get. Only after taking a bite, "Damn, there's no way I'm letting you go. You want to move to China? I'll follow." Matt says and takes another bite.

Shelly is burning a deep red at his words. She didn't think she was that great of a cook. "That's what I do, I cook. But in the human world I'm just a lowly helper cook. I haven't even made sous chef yet."

"If you choose to stay here as Luna we'll open a restaurant and you'll be chef." Matt says not even looking at Shelly, just paying attention to his food. Shelly had loaded it up knowing how much food Matt eats.

"You would do that for me? You have no idea just how much time it takes to run a restaurant."

Matt waves that away. "I don't care, as long as you are with me and happy. We can hire pack members to help you run it. I know a few that would be very competent. When word gets out that our luna has her own restaurant other packs will be asking for permission to come here and try the food. I have no doubt that you'll be  a success."

Shelly just looks at Matt stunned. Her dream has a real possibility of coming true. "You would honestly support me in that?"

Matt finished with his food looks up at Shelly, "Yes. If that would make you happy then of course I would. We could go to the city and do the same if you want, but there is a lot of competition with the human chefs there. Here there would be no doubt you'd do well. But if you so choose we'll do it there instead of here."

"You sure know how to make a decision hard on a girl." Shelly says softly fighting tears. Matt pulls her into his arms. 

"I want you happy. Here or out there as long as you let me be a part of your life, I don't care. Just don't reject me, that's all I'm asking." Matt is flat out begging her at this point. He doesn't think he'd be able to survive if she rejected him.

"I love you," Shelly tells him.

Matt holds her to him and whispers, "I love you too."

Cheryl is amused and lets things play out. Eric is watchful but still on alert.

Cheryl lets it go for a bit before cutting back in. "This is all sweet. But I've asked you before Matt, why are you here?"

Matt sits back and it's his turn to burn red. "I came to ask you one last time to stay and move your clinic here. I thought we could rent one of the office spaces just out of pack territory for you. That way you could still have your clients, guard their privacy but still be part of the pack."

"I've told you no, Matt. We'll be leaving Sunday unless you push this, then we'll leave today." Cheryl says keeping her tone even but she's very angry that he's pushing this.

Matt holds up his hands in surrender. "I just wanted to give it one more shot. I know how important your work is, I want you happy as well. I'm just not comfortable having you live in the city."

Cheryl looks at him with brows raised. "I've lived three years in the city just fine."

"Yes, but you weren't targeted then," Matt says then shuts his mouth.

Eric looks sharply at Matt, "What do you mean?"

Matt sighs, "I don't think Cheryl's apartment was chosen randomly. I think she was targeted on purpose. I'm just not sure what that purpose was."

"I have better locks now, and I'll have my mate. He's a lovely big furball when he wants to be." Cheryl smirks at Eric who gives her a dirty look.

"Furball?" Eric says in disbelief at her word.

"Yes."

"You turn into one as well," Eric counters.

"Yes, but I'm prettier than you." Cheryl smirks at him.

Matt and Shelly hold back their laughter. Matt not so successful.

Eric looks at him, "You turn into one as well."

"Yes, I do."

Shelly comes to his defense, "And he's a lovely furball too." She pulls him close and gives him a kiss.

Eric breaks the moment when he asks Cheryl, "Are there any clients you potentially have, that could have fixated on you? You're a beautiful woman, could any have become obsessed with you?"

Three pairs of eyes turn to look at her and it makes her feel uncomfortable. "I can't think of anyone off hand. Vampires don't really obsess, they have a tendency to just take what they want. Most of the wolves I deal with are already mated and the single ones aren't looking to find female companionship at this time. As for fey, they just don't do cross relationships and witches would be more likely trying to get me as their familiar."

Eric and the others have to agree with her assessment of the supers.

"What about humans? Are there any humans that might have become obsessed with you?" Matt hates to bring them up. He's not a huge fan of humans.

"I don't really interact with many humans. Just in passing. If any of them have become obsessed with me I don't have a clue who it could be." Cheryl says more than a little worried. There's a damn lot of humans in the city. Most of her apartment building also holds humans. It's part of the reason Shelly was able to turn to Cheryl so easily. She couldn't talk things out with humans, but Cheryl understood. Perhaps even understood more than she wanted her too.

"Your father owns the apartment complex, could he give us insight on the humans that live there?" Eric asks, he would rather demand, but Matt is still his acting alpha.

Matt shakes his head. "He doesn't interact with those that rent from him. He makes sure that supers know the rules, but other than that he leaves his tenants alone and lets the superintendent deal with the renters. He hasn't even talked to Cheryl much and he loves her."

"He sent you to keep in contact with her." Eric dismisses Matt's words. Layne watched over Cheryl without interfering as much as he could. 

Matt looks down, it's true. But it's only because Layne knew how much Matt cares for Cheryl.

"Hey, it's alright, Matt. I knew what alpha was doing. I still consider you a friend."

Matt looks at Cheryl with grateful eyes. 

Shelly to break the tension, "One thing you were right about, Cheryl." Once she has everyone's attention she smirks and with devil's dancing in her eyes says, "Matt is a great kisser."

"Oh, shit." Matt says stumbling over his stool as Cheryl does her best to hold Eric back.

"Why the fuck would you say that, Shelly? You want me dead?" Matt asks keeping a wary eye on Eric even as he backs up to the kitchen door.

"Um, sorry, love, I didn't realize that he would take it that bad." Shelly apologizes to Matt.

She then turns to Eric, "It never went further than that. You knew that Matt kissed her, Cheryl told me that Matt kissed her the night she rejected you."

With that reminder Eric settles down and backs off.

Cheryl can't stand to see the pain in his eyes from the reminder of that night. She goes over to Eric and holds him to her. He starts crying forgetting about his audience.

"I didn't mean to cause problems," Shelly says sadly.

"Newly mated wolves are always very touchy when it comes to their mates. The fact that it was Eric's fault that I ever had the chance to kiss Cheryl is especially difficult for him. Any reminder of that time is likely to make him flip." Matt comforts his own mate.

"Come on, I think they'll do better if we aren't here." Matt guides Shelly to the front door and back towards the pack house.