Therapy for the Supernatural

34

"Shelly?" the incredulous disbelief her father has in his voice makes Shelly wince. "Just let me get your mother." Shelly hears her father set the phone receiver down and yell for her mother. Her parents don't own cell phones. She's not even sure if they have an answering machine. Magic and electronics don't mix very well. Shelly gave up on cell phones some time ago.

Matt still doesn't understand why he has gone through two phones since she came to live with the pack.

"Shelly? You still there?" Shelly hears the slight panting from her father running to get her mother.

"Yeah, I'm still here." That's all Shelly is able to get out before her father and mother start talking over each other in order to talk to her.

Shelly lets it go on for a bit, tears welling in her eyes. She hadn't realized just how much she's missed them or how much they'd miss her.

"I'm sorry." Her quiet words are almost drowned out by her parents, but still they heard her.

They fall silent. "We don't blame you, Shelly. We've never blamed you. We knew when you left that you might never contact us again." The warmth and understanding in her mother's voice makes the tears fall down her face. She can't hold back the sob.

"Hey, now, buttercup, no need for tears." Her father never could tolerate females crying.

"I've missed you two." Shelly manages to get out. It's been so long since she's seen them.

"We've missed you too, buttercup. We think of you everyday. Just tell us where you are and we'll come visit. We know that you'll never come back here, but please, let us go to you?" The pleading in her father's voice breaks her. She starts sobbing.

Her parents do their best to calm her down over the phone. "Mom, dad, listen, I don't live in the city anymore." Her words bring about absolute silence. She knew that her parents had kept tabs on her and so she placed a spell so that their spell wouldn't tell them where she was. They'd still know that she was okay, but that's all.

"Where are you then?" Her mother finally is able to speak. Her parents are both very strong magic casters. But neither of them are as strong as Shelly. But they are both on the witches council and they have the authority to question and demand answers from witches about spells they perform and who they perform them for.

"There is a tenant in the apartment complex I was living, she is a therapist for supernaturals."

Before Shelly could say anything else her father interrupts, "How is that possible?"

"She's a werewolf that went to school and became a therapist. She's been helping me with my werewolf issue." 

Silence, then, "A werewolf is helping you?"

"Yeah," Shelly suppresses her inclination to nervous laugh. "She lives right next door to my old apartment. Thing is, her alpha came to visit and I'm his mate." Shelly manages to get that out before she chickened out or they said anymore.

"You're the mate to an alpha wolf?" Shelly can't read the emotion in her mother's voice with that. "Do you want us to do a breaking of bonds for you?"

"NO!" Shelly says quickly and forcefully. "The pack has accepted me and I'm able to mostly deal with being in the pack. They understand that at times they need to back off and stay away, but for the most part we're all good."

If Shelly had thought there was silence before she was wrong. She could hear the slightest of noises.

"That's great, honey, if you're happy then we're happy for you." Shelly's mother tells her, but she can hear the confusion her mother has.

"That's not why I called." Shelly tells them.

"It doesn't matter. Please, tell us where you are and let us visit you. It's been years and I need to see my daughter again and make sure that she is alright." The pleading in her mother's voice almost breaks her.

"Can you be here tomorrow? Come to my restaurant, it's outside of pack lands so you won't have to worry about being attacked by the were's. My restaurant is strictly neutral and they all abide by that rule. My mate will be here as will my therapist."

"Well, first we need to know where you are at before we can tell you whether we can get there by tomorrow." Here father's slightly sarcastic comment makes her blush.

"Right, sorry. I'm three hours south of the city." Shelly continues to give them instructions on how to get there.

"Yes, we can be there tomorrow. Shelly, we love you. Whatever you need must be pretty big to make you overcome-" Shelly's father takes a breath, none of them like to remember what happened to Shelly. "Whatever you need, we'll be more than happy to help you with."

Shelly wipes more tears away with his words. "You shouldn't make such assurances until after you hear what it is I'll be asking."

"You called us for help. You haven't even talked to us for years after what happened to you. Not that we blame you for that. We want to be part of your life again, Shelly. So yes, we can make that assurance to you. As long as it's within our power to do so." Shelly's father tells her and Shelly can hear the tears in his voice as he does so.

Her parents hadn't lost just one daughter after the incident with the werewolves, they had lost them both. One to death and one wishing she had died. Now they might just get the one back and they'll do anything for that to happen, even if it is just her calling once in a while.

They can't wait to meet the werewolf that made it possible for their little girl to overcome what happened to her. Not just overcome her aversion to werewolves but to accept a wolf mate and to become luna to a pack of wolves.

The irony of the situation isn't lost on them.

Shelly talks to them a bit longer and then hangs up. She lets out a relieved breath and then the tears fall. She's wanted to talk to them for so long, but she just couldn't do it. Now, now she feels like maybe she can have that part of her life back.

Her parents on the other hand hang up the phone and give each other hugs and weep unashamedly. They are going to see their daughter after all these years. Then they go and pack. It's going to be a long drive. They'll take turns sleeping and driving. If they leave shortly they'll be able to make it to the restaurant for lunch like Shelly has requested.