AAuthor: Hikari
E-mail: Machi_NO_Tenshi@Excite.Com
Story: Tenderly
Part: Chapter 7
Rating: PG-13



Chapter 7:

She opened the door silently, peering inside as she walked
in. The room was dim lit and looked deserted. "Hello?" She asked
as she walked towards the desk near the shaded window. "Doctor
Mendat?"

The executive chair whiled around, as a man stared face to
face with Serena. "Good Morning Miss Moyers." He moved his hand
towards the leader sofa. "Please take a seat and make yourself
comfortable."

Serena did as she was told, placing her purse at her side.
Then, bringing her hands to her skirt, she began to fiddle with her
fingers in a nervous reaction. "So... What do I do know?"

The man laughed as he left his chair only to sit on one closer
to her. "Why don't you tell me a little bit about yourself?"

"Umm..." She wondered. "What do you want to know about me?"

"What ever you want to tell me." He leaned back into the
seat. "I want you to feel comfortable speaking with me."

"Well, I came here to talk about my last relationship. So...
do I just talk about that?"

Doctor Mendat looked at Serena intently. "If you want."

"Well," Serena began. "I met David at college. I had just
finished the fall semester of my Junior year and he was very sweet."
She lowered her eyes. "We went out a couple of times with my friends
and soon we began to date." Her hands played nervously with her
skirt. "He was very- He was very nice. He treated me the way I
deserved to be treated." She pulled her skirt down towards her knees
to take away the wrinkles. "It was just this one time that he went
too far."

"Miss Moyers," Interrupted Doctor Mendat. "Would you mind
if I asked you some questions about your family?"

Serena looked up. "My- family?"

"Yes. Would you mind telling me a little about them?"

"I suppose not." Serena thought for a moment before asking,
"What do you want to know?"

"Just tell about your Mom... Dad. Do you have any brothers
or sisters?" Doctor Mendat took out his glasses and placed them on.
"Tell me how your life was growing up."

"There's really nothing to tell. My real father divorced
my mother when I was five. She dated a lot of guys while I was
growing up but now she has a steady relationship with John, who's
living with us at the moment." Serena looked at the wall on her
right side trying to avoid Doctor Mendat's intense stare. "I don't
have any brothers or sisters."

"Tell me about your childhood, Serena."

She looked at him at the mention of her name. "I- I really
don't know what you want me to tell you."

"Serena..." He took his glasses off and began to clean them.
"Tell me about your mother. What type of woman is she?"

"I don't understand your question."

"Would you..." He placed his glasses back on. "Consider your
mother a strong woman?"

"I- suppose." Serena reflected on her answer of a moment.
"Yes, actually she is. She never cries."

"So, to you, not crying is proof of strength?"

"Of course. If she doesn't cry when she feels pain it means
that she..." Serena's voice died in her throat.

"It means what?"

Serena tried to speak but the words wouldn't come out. She
had fallen into a daydream. One she had thought forgotten.


*/^.^\* flashback */^.^\*


"PLEASE MICHAEL!!" A woman screamed. "STOP IT!!"

Michael whirled around one hand closed in a fist, the other
tightly gripping the small arm of an eight year-old girl. "YOU KNOW
THAT THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT, RIGHT?" He swung the girl towards her
mother without loosening his hold on her. "IF YOU HAD TAUGHT HER
RIGHT SHE WOULDN'T HAVE WET THE BED!!"

"Michael, please... let Serena go."

"NO! She has to learn her lesson." And grabbing tighter
Serena's arm, he slammed her into the wall, her head colliding with
the cold white plaster before slowly sliding down its sooth surface.
In the mean time, Michael took the opportunity to slide the belt
off his pants.

The woman cried softly as she watched in horror how her child
got punished. "Please stop Michael... That's enough."

Michael turned to her and slapped her to the ground. "SHUT
UP SANDRA!!" Grabbing her by her blouse, he lifted her up and
slapped her again. "COME ON!" He taunted. "WHY DON'T YOU CRY SOME
MORE?"

Serena looked on as two blurry figures appeared to fight.
One of them constantly meeting the floor during their battle. And
that was the last thing she saw before slipping into unconsciousness.


*/^.^\* end of flashback */^.^\*


"Serena... Serena?"

She snapped out of her dream. "Huh?"

"Here." Doctor Mendat said as he handed her his handkerchief.
She had unknowingly begun to cry at some point during her trance.

Serena took the handkerchief from his hands and dried her
face. "Thank you."

"Now," He smiled softly at her. "Do you mind telling me what
you where thinking about?"


*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*


Serena and Darien had just left the courtroom. The case
against David had been dismissed due to Serena's scanty testimony.
It seemed like they had some way to twist everything she said for
their benefit. By the end of the trial, Serena was so confused she
didn't know if she was doing the right thing or the wrong.

It ticked Darien, to say the least, that David would walk
out of jail as if nothing had happened. As if everything he had done
to Serena didn't mean a thing. And what angered him most was that
David was now free, to do as he pleased. To do to another mixed up
girl, everything he had done to Serena and more.


*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*


"So..." Doctor Mendat began. "How did the trial go?"

"I- I lost." She said as she bent her head down in disgrace.

He smiled. "I don't think you did."

Serena looked up, tears in her eyes. "But he's free. They
didn't believe me. I let Darien down."

"Do you really believe that Serena?" He asked as he adjusted
his glasses. "Because I don't think you did."

"What do you mean?"

He placed his pen and paper on a near by desk and took her
hand in his. "I think that you won in more ways than one. He may
not have gone to jail, but you had the courage to face him and your
insecurities. You proved how strong you are by testifying."

"But they believed him instead of me!"


*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*


"Hey Serena." Darien called out as she entered the apartment.

She smiled. "Hi Darien."

He came closer to her and kissed her cheek softly. "How did
it go at your session with Doctor Mendat?"

"Well," She began. "He wants me to start going to group
therapy."

"That sounds like a good idea."

Serena fiddled with the strap of her purse. "Actually...
umm- It's a camp."

Darien brow raised in wonderment. "A camp?"

"Yes... and umm-" Serena avoided Darien's gaze. "I'm leaving
tomorrow."



To be continued...

`='=*='=*='=*='=@='=@='=@='=%='=&='=&='=%='=@='=@='=@='=*='=*='=*='=`

AuThOr'S NoTeS:

If I'm not mistaken... I have one more chapter to go for this
story to be all wrapped up. I'm going to try my best to finish it up
before I leave for college this Sunday. Wish me luck Minna-san!!

Also, after this Sunday... stories from me might become a
little scarse. But don't worry, I'll keep writing (just not as much).

Jya NE!!
Hika-chu - O_o; *snickers* "That's all you Mariedel."