Hanna's office in Baltimore, Sunday

[sharp_as_knives]

After returning home and unpacking, then having a lovely dinner, a good night's sleep, and an equally good breakfast, Hanna was ready to get back to normal (for her) life. Which started with her Sunday patient.

She opened the office, set out water for Mr. Hale, and sat down to do some paperwork until he arrived.


[OOC: NFB, open for phone calls and the one who really needs therapy!]

Comments

[justlurkinghere]

Derek frowned, thinking that one over. "Only that it had to happen. That Laura died for it."

[sharp_as_knives]

Something you didn't feel guilty for, Derek! This was progress!

Hanna nodded. "Does it ease the pain at all, to know that you killed the person who killed her?"

[justlurkinghere]

"No." Because now he had no family at all!

[sharp_as_knives]

"Do you mourn your uncle as well? For the person and the family he was?"

[justlurkinghere]

"Yeah." And now he had to go cut him in half to make sure he couldn't come back to life.

[sharp_as_knives]

Did you need help with that, Derek? Hanna had experience.

"Tell me about him. Tell me about Laura," she prompted.

[justlurkinghere]

At that, Derek took a seat so he could look at his hands rather than respond right away. "It was just Laura and I for six years. Peter wasn't waking up and nothing seemed safe, so we drove until we got to New York."

[sharp_as_knives]

"Quite a drive. You must have gotten to know each other rather well."

[justlurkinghere]

"I guess..." There was was also the raw wound of losing a pack between them.

[sharp_as_knives]

"You were already the only ones left for each other. Then you deliberately isolated yourselves further. If you couldn't rely on each other, it would have been brutal."

[justlurkinghere]

"It wasn't safe in Beacon Hills." Because hunters. Horrible, horrible hunters.

[sharp_as_knives]

"Was that the only place you'd ever lived before?" If you wanted her to actually pull your teeth, Derek, she would be willing.

[justlurkinghere]

Knowing they'd grow back wasn't a deterrent, was it?

"We were born in that house."

[sharp_as_knives]

Not entirely, no.

"How did it feel to leave behind everything and everyone else that you knew?"

[justlurkinghere]

"It felt like losing a limb." Though, that was the lack of family.

[sharp_as_knives]

"You mentioned that at our first session; that losing your family was like losing a limb. But losing your family was something you had no control over. To continue with your metaphor, leaving home was the act of an animal chewing off its own limb to escape a trap."

She watched him evenly. "Was it worth it?"

[justlurkinghere]

"It was until Laura went back." To her deeeaaaaaath.

[sharp_as_knives]

"She went back and you stayed away?" Hanna asked. "When was that?"

[justlurkinghere]

"She told me after Christmas she was going. And that I was to stay where I was and wait for her to call." Which never happened.

[sharp_as_knives]

"This was your first Christmas away? Where were you then?"

[justlurkinghere]

"I went to her apartment," Derek replied, shaking his head. "Being apart for too long wasn't..."

He made a face, struggling for the word.

"...pleasant."

[sharp_as_knives]

Hanna frowned. "I thought you said you left together?"