Serenity was sitting on her bed, music blasting through headphones in her ears when her parents came in her room. She paused the song she was listening to and pulled her headphones out, placing her iPod on her nightstand.

"I don't understand how you can listen to music so loudly," Catherine said as she sat beside her daughter on the bed. "But that's not what we came to talk about."

Serenity sighed. "I know. You came to explain that I'm mental and I need to see a shrink."

"Lose the attitude, Serenity." Steve put his hands on the edge of the bed and leaned down to make eye contact with her.

"I don't want to talk to someone about how I feel and you can't force me!" Serenity reached for her iPod again but Catherine placed a hand on her arm to stop her.

"Please, Serenity, you're making this take longer than it needs to be."

"I don't want to talk about this, Mom. There's nothing wrong with me and I'm not talking to someone about my feelings."

"I believe I told you to lose the attitude," Steve warned sternly. In a softer tone he continued, "Of course there's nothing wrong with you. You've gone through a lot and we think you need some help getting through it."

Serenity shook her head. "You can try to convince me all you want but I'm not going."

"We just want you to be happy, Serenity, and right now, you're scared. That's understandable. Talking to Dr. Harrington will help you." Catherine tried to convince her that this was a good thing, but it wasn't easy.

"I just...don't think I need to talk to anyone. I can handle things on my own."

"Oh, really? Because last night your mother and I could hear you talking in your sleep."

"I don't talk in my sleep. You must've heard Willow and thought it was me."

"Since when does Willow's voice sound exactly like yours?"

"Just let it go!"

"No, Serenity, we're not going to just let it go! I've said this before, but I'm going to say it again. Do you have any idea how much it hurts me to see you in any kind of pain? Do you have any idea at all?" Steve had raised his voice without realizing it, and instantly was angry with himself for doing so when he saw Serenity flinch.

Because of Meredith's recent call, Serenity started to remember the abuse from Devin and Wendy Payne more often than she normally did, which meant it didn't take much to scare her, something that Steve had accidentally done by raising his voice.

Catherine sent him a what-did-you-just-do face and immediately reached out for their daughter. Serenity leaned into her mom's arms while looking fearfully at her dad. Suddenly she became the little girl that was scared of her own parents, the girl she had to be when living with Wendy and Devin. "I'm sorry. I'll talk to a psychiatrist. I didn't mean to be bad."

"You don't have anything to be sorry for," Steve began, moving to sit beside his wife and oldest daughter, but Serenity cowered back into Catherine's arms. Steve felt like he had been stabbed, like he couldn't breathe. His daughter was afraid of him. He had scared her so much just by accidentally raising his voice. He needed to pay more attention to things like that, things that might scare Serenity and Willow. "I'm sorry for scaring you, Serenity."

She didn't say anything, just stared back at him with fear in her eyes. Slowly the fear started to fade and was replaced by the pain of a girl with an awful past. Serenity flew into Steve's arms, still not saying anything. She just wanted her dad to hold her and so what if she was fourteen?

Catherine stood up and said, "I'm going to go check on your sister. You stay here with your dad, okay?"

Serenity nodded, the look of pain still in her eyes, breaking her parents' hearts. Their daughter was in pain and they couldn't do anything about it. It wasn't an injury that could be treated right away. No, this was emotional stress that had taken over Serenity.

Catherine left, going to her younger daughter's room. She smiled when she found Willow sleeping, changed into her pajamas but laying backwards on the bed. She gently turned Willow around, careful not to wake her up, and pulled the blanket over her.

Willow looked so peaceful when she was sleeping. That's what she deserved, not the hell she was reliving. Catherine kissed her daughter's forehead before leaving.

Back in Serenity's room, the silence remained. Serenity just needed to be held by her daddy and again, who cares if she's fourteen?

"I'll talk to Dr. Harrington," Serenity stated, breaking the silence.

Steve nodded, never letting Serenity move from his arms. "I'm so sorry for scaring you, honey. I didn't realize what I was doing."

Serenity stared up at him again, the pain still in her eyes, the pain her father wanted to take away right now more than anything. "If I wasn't such a wimp, everything would be fine."

Steve wanted to punch the wall. Devin and Wendy drilled into their daughters' heads that they were wimps, that they couldn't handle anything because they were weak. Every time this was brought up Steve became angry and he felt like he needed to punch the wall.

Seeing the look on her father's face, Serenity quickly said, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you mad."

"You didn't make me mad, Serenity. I'm mad at the Payne's for treating you like they did. Sweetheart, you're not a wimp. Never think that."

Slowly Serenity nodded, but a blank look still remained in her eyes.

The first session with Dr. Harrington didn't go too bad, Serenity had to admit. Her parents were with her so she felt comfortable, but at the next appointment she'd have to go in by herself.

It hurt to talk about the things that were bothering her, but in the end Serenity was glad she got everything off her chest. Willow was, too. Both girls looked relieved after they shared what ghosts from their past were still haunting them.

Everything was fine until they arrived back at home when the phone rang and Catherine answered it. "Hello?"

"How unfortunate. I was hoping Willow or Serenity would answer."

A look of confusion took over Catherine's face when she didn't recognize the voice. Whoever was calling knew who they were. Why didn't Catherine know the person? "Who is this?"

Steve could tell by Catherine's tone that the conversation wasn't something Serenity and Willow should overhear. He suggested they could go in their rooms and he'd come get them when the call was over. They reluctantly went upstairs, knowing something was going on with the phone call, but their father's firm tone told them it was probably best to listen to him. The girls went in Serenity's room, waiting to hear what was happening.

The woman ignored the question and said, "If I were you, I'd keep a closer eye on your daughters."

"Answer my question," Catherine, who was getting annoyed, snapped.

"I called Serenity a couple weeks ago. That's all you need to know." Then she hung up.

Catherine stared at the phone in her hand for a moment before she put it back. She looked up at her husband. "That was Meredith Townsend."