Hello there, pretties! So here's chapter 2, I really hope you guys enjoy it! Let me know your thoughts! ;)
Regina was a bit apprehensive about going in to see Archie. She was embarrassed about breaking down like that before. However, the way he easily greeted her at the door when she arrived, settled her in the slightest way. He gave her a real, warm smile and let her in. She didn't sense any fakeness to him or any judgment either and that helped as well.
He welcomed her in easily. He didn't mention a word of their previous session or how she'd cried her eyes out. He was going to let Regina open up on her own accord, not his. Regina was one of the most difficult patients he's ever had, but that didn't mean she was helpless or hopeless. No, nobody was ever helpless or hopeless if they had a heart. And he knew quite well that Regina had a heart of gold despite what she'd done. He understood, he really did understand why she would do what she did.
Archie took a breath after Regina walked in, hoping this wouldn't backfire on him. He wanted to help her so much, even if nobody else did. It was his logic that just because nobody else was doing it, didn't mean that it was wrong. Helping this woman was far from wrong.
"Regina, how are you?" Archie asked casually as he walked over and got them both a cup of coffee. He handed it to her.
Regina gave him a small smile, "Thank you. I'm well, how are you?" Her voice was soft, low, raspy...
"I'm alright," he smiled and sat down in his usual armchair and sipped his coffee.
They sat in silence for about five minutes or so, just sipping their coffee. Regina stared at hers quietly, unsure of what to say or do next. What did people do during these things anyway? Was she supposed to just talk to him about her life and about what she'd been through and that's it? Why did he care, anyway? Nobody cared before. Nobody has ever cared...
"Nobody has ever cared..." She found those words slipping out of her lips without her consent and she swallowed hard. Hearing those words out loud hit her harder than she'd expected, but she tried not to react to it.
Archie looked up from his cup of coffee and raised a brow, quietly asking, "What do you mean?"
Regina swallowed again and took a gulp of her coffee, unsure of really what else to say. She didn't mean for that to come out, it just did. Archie noticed her internal struggle easily and said, "Regina, I'm going to pretend I don't know you, at all. For the rest of our sessions, I'll pretend that I don't know a thing about you, if that'll make things easier and you can just tell me anything and everything you want. I won't ever judge you."
The brunette looked at him confused, "Why in the world would you do that..?"
"Sometimes it helps. Just trust me, okay?" He asked of her.
She looked apprehensive about doing that; trusting... But, she nodded anyway and said, "Alright... Let's try that." Anything to help her change and redeem herself.
Archie smiled, "Alright then, tell me, Regina, why do you say that nobody's ever cared? Remember, I don't know anything about you or your past, so you'll have to explain in depth."
Regina chuckled slightly at the oddness of the situation. Goodness, she'd lost her mind. She was about to talk about herself to a bloody, former cricket! Life was so twisted! She rolled her eyes inwardly. For Henry. She bit the inside of her lip at the tight grip she felt in her chest at the thought of her son. She opened her mouth and began speaking, "My mother was... She used magic for everything. She didn't love. It wasn't even a matter of not knowing how to, magic just consumed her completely and she wanted all this power and she'd lie that she only wanted what was best for me and I was so damned naïve that I didn't see it, I didn't act on it. I didn't try harder..."
She stood up from the couch and began pacing, wringing her hands. Archie didn't say a word and merely allowed her to collect herself and think about what she wanted to say next. He felt that they were actually making progress and that was perfect! He wanted her to take her time. Give her past, he didn't want her to feel pressured into doing this, it'd be counterproductive, really. He didn't write anything down, he didn't take notes, and he just observed her closely, saying nothing. When he realized she was a bit stuck, he smiled a bit softly and said, "Regina, it's not your fault your mother was the way she was."
Regina scoffed, "I didn't try hard enough. I should've done something before she killed-" she coughed a bit; "I should've killed her when I had the chance."
He noticed how her facial expression had so much emotion in it, he couldn't even read her. She was hurt, that was foremost. She was angry and afraid, sad... She was broken. He saw so much of himself in her. So much of his past was similar to hers. He stopped her before she could get too lost in her thoughts, "Regina? Why don't you have a seat again?" He suggested when he felt the mood of the room turn dark.
She almost glared at him, but she noticed the genuine concern and did as he had asked. She sat down and went back to nursing her cup of coffee. She was silent for a bit longer before whispering, "She held on too tight. She was never a mother. She was a controlling master and I was nothing but her prisoner. She didn't care. And my father... Daddy... He... He pretended to care, he tried to make me see her side of things, to make me understand that she only wanted what was best, but... If what's best for your children is what you want, then why would you break them down to just dust and then mold them into what you want..."
Her thoughts were muddled as all she had bottled up over so many years tumbled out and realization hit her like a ton of bricks. She bit her lip as she stared at her cup of coffee, "She... Manipulated me. She wanted me to turn into her and he just let her! He just sat back and enabled the abuse and did nothing to stop her!" She put down her cup of coffee to avoid throwing it like she so badly wanted to. She took a deep breath and began pacing around the room again.
"Regina? How do you feel about this new realization?" Archie was very careful about the tone he used and the question he asked. He could tell she was already very upset and riled and she didn't need any more of that.
She stared at him to see if that question was a joke. When she concluded that it wasn't, she took a breath, "Well, I'm not sure," she sighed.
"Think about it for a moment. Don't worry, there's no rush, okay? I've cleared my schedule rest of the afternoon for this reason," he knew progress like this couldn't be timed or rushed, so he concluded that it'd be best to make sure that Regina had all the time she needed.
"Well, thank you," Regina gave a soft, small smile. After giving it some thought, Regina swallowed and replied slowly, "Well… I feel lied to. Cheated, more so now than before. I always had put my father on such high-esteem. I always thought he was the only person who really cared. I guess not even he did..." She gave an incredulous laugh and covered her face, "God, I'm pathetic. Not even my own father truly loved me."
Archie swallowed at this. Of course this wasn't completely true, was it? He wasn't going to doubt her though or make her think she was wrong for thinking like this. He thought very carefully on how to approach the matter. If he said the wrong thing, everything would just collapse. Their sessions were held on such a fragile balance, he didn't want to say or do anything that would mess it up. He looked up at her from his deep thought and found her sitting on the couch again, face in her hands and her shoulder shook slightly.
He expected the tears, to be honest. Regina had years upon years of pain and turmoil bottled up and this was the best way she could get rid of them, though it was much to her own dismay. Archie bit his lip again. Goodness, why did he want nothing more than to take her into his arms and hug her tight and take all of her pain away? He didn't even know why, but he did want to. It was actually killing him inside to her like this. He got up and sat beside her, laying a hand on her shoulder, "Regina, you're not unlovable, if that's what you're thinking. Believe me, you're not completely unlovable and I know that for an absolute fact." He wasn't going to bring up Daniel. Pouring salt on an open-wound he would not.
"Archie, my own father didn't love me… Nor did my mother and I spent nine months inside of her. What makes you think someone else could?"
Henry. Henry loved his mother, right? "But Henry loves you…"
Regina swallowed hard and sobered at what he'd said. Shaking her head slowly and wiping her face, Regina whispered, "It's time for me to go. Thank you, Dr. Hopper." She made her way to the door, "I will return in two days as scheduled." So, she turned and left.