2nd Sherlock Fanfic,with such delightful feedback from the first I decided I would take a stab at it again! I don't know if this has been done before so it's the therapist, John and Sherlock after Sherlock's return.

John led a tall dark-haired man into the room and she watched him uneasily yet lithely move to a seat where John soon sat next to him.

He avoided her gaze, he was uncomfortable. Being here at odds with her and others of her profession she guessed by his terse posture.

But more than this she felt an intimidating air about the man. She completely understood now why a more vulnerable manlike John broken from his life as a soldier, would be attracted by this strange presence.

John decided to break the silence or rather the tension first.

'hi Ella…this is well. This is Sherlock,my..my friend the one that's been in the papers and just one more column of the obituaries'

Sherlock expected her under normal circumstances to offer a handshake or some kind of affirmation that she welcomed Sherlock's presence to the session but instead she sat staring him down with her head tilted slightly to the side. Sherlock recalled a pet dog once imitating the exact same face.

She tried to get a gauge on his person, but she had about as much hope as cracking as producing a cure for influenza, Sherlock had decided as soon as he walked into her room that he would stop John's sessions with this woman and either find a the most prestigious psychologist or devise a way of helping John recover himself. So he decided to have some fun and play with her since she had been so inviting and so ambitious trying to analyse him, little did she know the only person to have witnessed a bared and emotional version of himself was sitting right next to him. Looking as depressed and withdrawn as he had been when since Sherlock arrived home 2 months ago.

Sherlock called on John with his eyes to speak privately but Ella caught it and started instead

'I think John can speak unaided Mr Holmes?'

'so I am aware' Sherlock narrowed his eyes at her just to show how much she 'repelled' him much like the naive Journalist of the Reichenbach disaster.

'we believe in patience in this room and that John can speak when he is ready'

'yes…but for 100 quid an hour its quite an expensive fee o pay for patience isn't it..is there something wrong with the earpiece?'

Ella looked straight at him intrigued by this question

''im sorry'

'the earpiece or is it a listening device whereby Mycroft can listen in on John's sessions or do you simply send the cliff notes afterwards?'

'I abide by the strictest laws of confidentiality with all of my patients Mr Holmes and as to this Mycroft character I can recollect no memory-

'is he listening now or would expelling a string of expletives be wasted? That twitch you have of scratching your eyebrow is more of a giveaway than fidgeting, it is an anxiety relief mechanism, you became anxious when I asked you about Mycroft….cant blame you really he is blackmailing you these plaques on the wall are five six years old…credentials are outdated and it turns potential clients off especially those that are of the lower paying scale so Mycroft comes along offers you money for files. Patients confidentiality protected until the British Government offers you a pay off for one particular patient and suddenly its buy one get one free day'

John silently shakes with hot tears following its lost comrades down his cheeks.

Ella looked at her ring finger where her wedding band used to be, her husband had left because of her insecurities. She had been one of the best psychologists in the country only a few years ago, suddenly her client list had fallen, her faithful patients had left her, the bills piled up. She felt like she had been cheated on by..life not by the husband who tried to help her though it, she should have never accused him of that but her insecurities were being fed by the lifeline of stress.

But she would be damned if she would let her pride be insulted she was good at her job and more than that she actually cared about her patients so she tried a different tactic with this insufferable man.

'have you ever killed someone,Mr Holmes?'

'excuse me?' Holmes was completely taken aback by her blunt question

'have you ever killed anyone or lost anyone you….had some sort of emotional attachment to?'

She let actions speak louder than words or insults as the case may be..

'look at John Mr Holmes….Look at him and tell me whether you can in some small way empathise with him'

For the first time since they arrived Sherlock noticed him shaking as the sobs physically shook his whole body and given his sturdy figure it was no small movement.

He took John into view as if he projecting his image on screen, every tear was counted every gasp was heard and for the first time Sherlock since they arrived Sherlock showed…compassion.

'look at John and tell me if you can see the hope that you've killed in him?'

She didn't miss the small gesture of Sherlock putting his hand on Johns shoulder. It felt so intimate, she felt like an intruder.