AN: Okay guys there are mentions of sexual abuse, though not really graphic. If that's not your bag than please take the time NOT to read this chapter. Thanks and please review...
"Please Duncan, I don't want to do this," Dri said, lying in her bed. Her heart was pounding.
Mac was sitting on the edge of her bed. He hated when she called him Duncan. It meant she wasn't happy. He hated not seeing her happy. "Dri, this can't go on anymore. You won't talk about it...
"I don't remember," She said glaring at him.
"I know," Mac said patting her hand. "I know, but even the stuff you do remember you don't want to talk about. Sean knows what he's doing. You're going to be perfectly safe."
"Says you," She snapped.
"We'll start off easy," Sean said from the door. He had been getting things together for the session.
"I don't want to start off easy; I don't want to do this. I just want to leave my memories where they are, forgotten."
Mac looked up at Sean. "Are you sure she's ready for this?"
Sean sighed and walked over to them. He pulled out the chair from Dri's desk and sat down. "Dri, I want you to tell me again why you cut."
Dri's eyes went wide and she looked over at Mac. "Y..You already know why," She stuttered.
"Dri, I'm not mad at you," Duncan said. "I'm not going to kick you out, I'm not going to abandon you."
Dri's eyes glistened with tears. "Really?"
Mac shook his head. "I don't understand why you would even think that."
Dri pulled away, not answering him. Her head turned to the window as silent tears slid down her face.
"Dri?"
"I don't want you here for this Duncan."
The Highlanders eyes went wide. "Dri.."
"No, I don't want you here for this." She looked back to him, eyes angry. "I don't want to remember this, but you want me to, fine, for some reason you think I need to, but I want to tell you whatever it is when I'm ready. I don't want you to hear it through some drug."
Duncan sucked in his breath. He respected that he really did, but he also didn't want to leave her alone to go through this alone. Then again, she wasn't really alone. Sean would be here and Mac knew Sean wouldn't let anything happen to Dri. Slowly he let his breath out and nodded his head. "All right, I'll be in the other room."
"No, I don't want you here."
Mac looked like he was about to say something, but Dri cut him off before he could. "These walls are thin Duncan. If I scream you'll hear and you'll want to come running in here. I don't want that. I've respected that you want me to do this, but I need you to respect that I don't want you here when I do."
Mac felt like he'd been punched in the gut. It hurt him that Dri didn't want him there. He knew she was right though. Being in the other room wouldn't muffle her screams and Duncan would want to come running. He had to respect what she wanted. Leaning over he kissed her on the head. Turning to Sean he said, "You'll take care of her?"
Sean nodded. "You know I will."
Dri didn't watch as Mac walked out of the room. She didn't even want to look at him. She knew what she said had hurt him, but she didn't know what she was going to remember and her memories were not an audience for all to see. Dri would tell Mac and Richie when she was ready, not before.
When Dri heard the door close she turned her gaze towards it.
"He understands why you don't want him here," Sean told her.
Dri turned her attention to the other man in the room. She had almost forgotten he was there. She almost wished he wasn't there. "He's hurt."
Sean nodded. "Yes, he is, but not in the way you think."
"He's hurt because I don't want him here." Tears still slid down her cheek.
"That's true in a sense. Duncan knows you care about him and you're not kicking him out because you don't want him here. You're asking him to leave because you need to deal with this on your own first."
"It still hurts him."
"Because he wants to be here to ease your pain, and he can't do that. Duncan doesn't like to see you hurt and when you are he wants to do everything he can to fix it."
Dri tilted her head to the side. "Is that why he asked me to do this?"
"Yes I believe it is."
Dri sighed. She didn't want to do this, but she'd do just about anything for Mac or Richie. She still believed it wasn't fair, but she couldn't stand seeing the pain in either of their eyes anymore.
"So how does this work?"
Sean pulled a syringe out of his shirt pocket. "This is a mild sedative. It will put you in a relaxed state, but you won't be entirely asleep."
Dri nodded.
"Why don't you lie down and get comfortable."
Dri did as she was told, settling on her side, facing the wall. Sean would still be there, but that didn't mean she had to look at him.
Sean injected the sedative into her arm, sat back down and waited for it to take effect.
After a few minutes he had passed he started talking to her. "Dri can you hear me?"
"Yes." Her voice was soft, no sound of pain in it.
"Tell me about you're brother Dri."
Dri sighed. "Adrian, so sweet, so...protective. He acted as though I was five years younger than him even though I was only three minutes younger."
She pictured Adrian in her head. The same red hair as her own, same olive skin, but his face was more masculine. "No matter what happened he never got mad at me. I could never understand it."
"Why would he get mad at you?"
"Because he took all of the beatings that were meant for me," There was an edge of regret in her voice.
"Why were they for you?"
"I...I don't remember."
Sean edged towards her. "I want you to tell me about the first time you remember Alec beating Adrian."
"I remember being in my room with Adrian. Alec came in and just started hitting him."
"Why?"
"I..don't know."
"Yes you do Dri, tell me why Alec was beating Adrian."
"I don't want to remember." Her voice was small, like a frightened child.
"But you need to remember Dri. Tell me what happened. Alec can't hurt you now, he's dead."
"I...I'm scared. I don't want to remember."
"There's nothing to be scared of Dri, it's just a memory. Tell me why Alec was beating Adrian."
In her mind Dri saw Alec hitting Adrian over and over again. It was like a movie in her mind. She could rewind or fast forward, so she tried to rewind it, but it was like the beginning was missing. All she could see was Alec beating the hell out of Adrian.
Dri could hear Sean coaxing her, telling her to tell him why. She didn't want to know why, and she didn't know why she didn't want to know why, but whatever it was it scared her.
She tried rewinding the movie again, and this time she sucked in her breath. She was at the beginning. It wasn't Adrian who had been in her room first, it had been Alec.
"Tell me why Dri, why was Alec beating Adrian."
New tears slid down her cheeks. "Because Adrian was trying to protect me."
Sean sat back in his chair. He was making progress, this was good.
"What was Adrian trying to protect you from?"
Dri moaned.
"Tell me what you see Dri," Sean encouraged.
"Alec, no!"
"What is he doing to you Dri?"
Dri was sleeping in her bed, in her old room. Something woke her up, but she wasn't sure what it was. The clock showed that it was a little after midnight. Yawning she sat up in bed. A gasp escaped her throat.
"Alec, what are you doing here?"
Alec smiled and Dri didn't like the way he did it. It was evil, knowing, but Dri didn't know what Alec knew that she didn't.
"Alec?"
He walked over to her bed and Dri backed herself against the headboard. She didn't like this. She didn't like it all.
Alec sat down next to her, pushing a strand of hair out of her face. "Did I ever tell you how beautiful you are?"
"Alec what do you want?"
He leaned in to kiss her, but Dri pulled away. "What are you doing?"
Alec laughed. He acted as though he was going to brush away another strand of hair, but instead he grabbed her hair and forced her lips against his.
Dri let out a muffled cry. She pushed him back and slapped him across the face. A glimmer of something flashed in his eyes.
"I never thought you'd be a fighter."
Dri's heart was pounding as she tried to roll off the opposite side of the bed, but Alec was too fast and grabbed her around the waist. Dri screamed as Alec rolled her on her back and climbed on top of her.
Alec undid his robe and shrugged it off, leaving him nothing but a pair of boxers. Dri went to slap him again, but Alec held her wrists down. She was completely pinned beneath him. Alec leaned in close to her face, so that Dri could feel his warm breath on her face. "I've been waiting a long time for this."
"Alec no, Alec no, please get off of me," Her voice was frantic as she struggled underneath him.
He laughed. "Keep begging, I like it better when you beg." He held her wrists with one arm, using the other to slide his hand up her shirt.
Dri's door flew open just as she screamed again. Adrian was standing at the door.
"Get off of her!" He yelled, lunging for Alec.
Alec rolled off of Dri and was standing before Adrian could rush him. Alec used Adrian's own body weight to flip him over and down on the ground.
"This has nothing to do with you boy," Alec told him. "Just walk away and no one gets hurt."
Adrian stood back up. "No one but my sister right." He threw a punch, but Alec caught it, pulled Adrian into him and kneed him in the gut.
"Alec, leave him alone!" Dri screamed.
Alec paid no attention as he continuously hit Adrian over and over again. Dri jumped on his back and tried to pull Alec off, but the end result was Dri against a wall.
The next few minutes were hazy and all Dri could remember was being thrown on the bed.
"NO!" She screamed.
"Dri, listen to me, it's Sean." He didn't like the fact that she was getting so excited. It was time to bring her out of it. "I want you to come back, come out of the memory now."
Her body was shaking so badly it was almost in convulsions.
"Dri, I want you to come back to the present."
Dri listened to Sean's voice and pulled on it like a fishing line. She followed it, followed the soothing sound of his voice, anything to get away from this memory.
"Dri?"
"Yeah Sean?" She asked groggily.
Sean smiled, knowing that Dri's mind was back where it should be. "Get some sleep Dri, we'll talk some more in the morning."
Dri snuggled into her pillow. "M'kay."
When Sean was sure that Dri was asleep, he left her alone to rest.
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