Chapter Forty-One

Preparing

I own nothing except Melissa, Kate, and any OC's that I mention.

Sorry it's a short chappie, but next one is so worth it!

Melissa wondered if it was too late to move into a college dorm.

She didn't want to live at home anymore, not with Jack there.

Even if she was debating to forgive him.

The pros were that...well, it was Jack! Did she need another reason? He was unlike anyone she had ever met.

The cons were that he cheated! Why would she want to take him back if he cheated?!

But maybe he wouldn't do it again. The compass was pointing to her last night. And he did seem pretty sincere.

Forgiving too soon could lead to more problems. Ha! Like they didn't have enough already!

Melissa knew that the right time to either make up or break up for good would come. Time could only tell when, though.

She still wanted that apology from Kate. Would Melissa forgive her? Could she? If she could be thinking about forgiving Jack, surely she could forgive Kate.

Being an actress was not Kate's job. Her job was to not eat and look good in pictures. But today, it seemed, her job was acting. She did not want to be here, nor did she feel beautiful today. After putting on a short, sapphire, empire-waist dress and having her hair pulled at to create a messy bun (which doesn't sound painful, but can be painful with obsessive compulsive hairstylists, she learned), she felt even less motivated to do her job. Why?

She didn't want to go see Dr. Beckett and go through a stupid therapy – no, counseling – session.

She wanted Will to talk to her.

She knew that the counseling session wouldn't help.

And it was too hot out now!

Kate walked to an alleyway with Jacques, the same photographer as two weeks ago, and saw that the set today was decorated to look like an abandoned amusement park, with scattered letters, a blue, curvy wall to match her dress, and a red bar.

"Alright, Miz Kate," Jacques said, in his native accent. "Today, I would like to act like you are alone, like you have no one. But do not act sad, please. What do the children call it? Emotional?"

"Emo," Kate corrected.

"Yez, please do not act emo. You are all alone at an amusement park, but you do not zeem to notice, yes?"

Kate nodded. "Okay."

I can relate to this one, she thought, setting, her hand on the bar.

And so began the long, ninety minute photo shoot outdoors in ninety degree weather with an already unhappy Kate.

What exactly was therapy? Will knew that Dr. Phil did therapy. Would they have to do it in front of an audience, just like that show? Would it be with someone calm and patient? What would he and Kate talk about for an hour? Just her wanting to be with somene else?

Will had first gotten the idea to go to a doctor after seeing his first episode of Dr. Phil, where the episode was about unfaithful spouses. He remembered wishing that he and Elizabeth had gone to one of them back then. And, when Kate and Will talked on Sunday evening, he thought that this was their last hope; the one, last thing that might be able to save them.

A counseling session wouldn't be that hard, would it? After all, they would discuss their issues, something that they needed to do if they wanted to move past what happened.

Will saw Kate pulling up to the parking lot. He got in the car and fastened his seatbelt. He noticed that Kate's hair was in a messy bun, with large, dark glasses over her eyes. She did not seem happy, nor did she want to talk.

Will saw the picture that Kate took today. She was holding onto a red bar and looking down at the ground, her lips slightly parted. One leg was crossed over the other, and one hand had gathered a side of the short dress, sweeping it to one side.

He looked at Kate, who, by her lack of talking, made it obvious that she didn't want to go to the doctor's appointment. Will realized that she was doing this for him: she wanted them to get back together, and she wasn't going to let Will slip through her fingers.

"It's a very nice picture," he said softly.

"Thank you," she murmured, going onto the highway.

E.I.T.C. Couples Counseling was the a small, brown, brick building that looked to be built in the 1950s. Kate parked her car in the parking lot, then Will and Kate walked up to the building. According to the directory, they were supposed to go up to the second floor. The two of them walked up to the stairs together in silence, then checked in to confirm their appointment.

At the desk sat the receptionist that Kate had talked to yesterday morning. She had wavy, light blonde hair and light blue eyes, along with a tan that she probably got at a tanning bed: exactly as she pictured her to be.

"Hi, can I help you?" the receptionist asked.

Kate started getting angry, but tried to hide it. "Hi, I'm Kate Sims, and this is Will Turner. We have a 4:00 appointment with Dr. Beckett." She saw that they were five minutes early.

The receptionist smiled. "Alright, have a seat. He'll be out soon."

Kate and Will down at the chairs. She wasn't scared, she was angry. She didn't want to be here. She exhaled deeply and looked at an aquarium. Next to it was a picture of an old-fashioned ship from around the 1700s. On the other side of the room was a sword, if it was real or not she didn't know.

Kate wasn't angry now, she was uncomfortable. This room scared her for some reason. What was a sword doing in a couples counseling center? Wasn't that just asking for violence?

The light brown-wooded door, with four large, frosted panels opened. A man who scared Kate even more than the sword (and being at E.I.T.C. Couples Counseling altogether) appeared. He was not, as Jacques would say, photogenic. He gave off a freaky vibe, one that if he yelled at children to shut up, they would totally have done it.

"Miss Sims and Mr. Turner," the man said with a scary smile. "Beckett's been waiting."

Will stood up quickly. "Mercer! Not you, too!" He looked at Kate. "You scheduled Beckett...Beckett...for our doctor's appointment."

"Yeah...Dr. Beckett, so–"

Wait...Mercer. Wasn't he Beckett's manservant/assistant/sidekick?

Beckett. Lord Cutler Beckett?

The sword hanging by the door.

The picture of the ship.

Shit

"I had no idea, Will! I wouldn't go out of my way to do this to you!"

"You did it with Jack–"

"Now, now, children," Mercer said. "Save the tiff for Dr. Beckett, why don't you?"

Kate sighed and stood up and walked with Will to a door that read in bold, black letters Doctor Cutler Beckett. The three of the stepped into the room, and there was Cutler Beckett, in all his coldness, sitting at a chair, a yellow notepad in hand.

"Mr. Turner," Beckett said. "We meet again."

Melissa's Blog Entry

Same as yesterday. I don't know if I should forgive Jack or not. Give me a sign!!

Love,

Melissa Rose

Kate's Blog Entry

Just got done with my photo shoot. Couple's counseling in an hour and fifteen minutes. I'm so not looking forward to this now. Ugh.

XOXO,

Kate

Oooh, a teaser! The quicker you all review, the quicker I can get to writing the first session! XD