The next morning, Deanna woke extremely early. She lay in bed, trying to figure out what had awoken her, when she felt a twinge at the back of her mind. Sarah, she thought. She immediately jumped out of bed, throwing a robe on as she ran down the hall. Although the feelings were mild, the fact that Sarah-someone who wasn't an empath-was able to project into her mind at all meant that it was probably severe.

Thankfully, Deanna had retained her voice access to Sarah's suite, just in case a situation like this should arise. She entered without asking. "Computer, lights on low," she whispered. Walking through the suite, she saw Sarah's form tossing under the sheets in the still dark bedroom. The counselor quickly walked in, sitting on the edge of the bed, and placing a hand lightly on Sarah's shoulder. The girl didn't wake, but instead started struggling more. "Sarah," Deanna said forcefully, "you need to wake up." Now that she was in such close proximity to the girl, the feelings of fear, anger, and shame were much stronger. After Deanna gave her a light shake, Sarah awoke. She sat straight up, gasping for air. Seeing a dark figure in front of her, she instinctively curled into a ball and shoved herself backwards, ramming herself into the headboard with a crack.

"Shh, Sarah, it's okay. It's Counselor Troi. You're safe now," Deanna said, projecting calming feelings towards the girl. She wasn't sure if Sarah would register them, but it couldn't hurt. After she spoke, Deanna sat silently, waiting for the girl in front of her to relax. After a minute or two, her breathing had evened out, and she wasn't quite as tense, although she remained curled up against the headboard. Deanna could still feel the fear in her mind. It was pushed to the back now-she was trying to suppress it-but it was definitely still there.

"You were having a bad dream, Sarah. It was strong enough to wake me from down the hall, so it's understandable that you're upset," Deanna said softly, after she thought Sarah was calm enough to listen.

"I'm sorry I woke you," the girl replied quietly. "I'll try not to do it again."

"Don't be silly, Sarah, I told you that you could come to me day or night. Even if you didn't come to me physically, I still want to help." She decided to try reaching out, and rested a hand on Sarah's shoulder. The flinch was still there, but this time it was smaller. Sarah didn't pull away though, so Deanna left her hand in place, and scooted a little bit closer on the bed.

"Do you want to talk about your dream?" the counselor prompted.

"It wasn't a dream," Sarah replied bitterly. Up until now, the girl had been soft-spoken and quiet, and Deanna was surprised to hear the strength in her voice.

"What do you mean, Sarah? What was it?"

"It...nothing, Counselor Troi. I'm sorry that I disturbed you. You should go back to bed now, there's no reason for two of us to lose sleep."

"Sarah, what did you just call me?" Deanna asked quietly.

"Counselor Troi?" The girl replied, obviously confused at the question.

"Exactly. I'm the counselor. Day or night, I'm available. Whenever you need me, I'm here. To talk to, for advice, for a shoulder to cry on. And..." Deanna paused, searching for the right words. "I want to help you, Sarah. This isn't just a job. You aren't a job to me. I want to make you feel better, feel safe here, but I can't do that if you won't talk to me."

After she finished her speech, Deanna sat silently, waiting for Sarah to process what she had said. Her hand had fallen to rest lightly on top of the girl's, and she left it there. The empathic connection was made stronger through the physical contact, and she waited patiently for Sarah to work through her feelings. Eventually, it paid off.

"It wasn't a dream," Sarah stated again, though less severely this time. "It was...a memory." She stopped, clearly unsure of whether to continue.

Not wanting to lose this chance to communicate, Deanna prompted her to continue. "A recent memory?" Sarah nodded quietly, turning her head away from the counselor. Although the room was dimly lit, Deanna had seen the glimmer of tears in Sarah's eyes before she turned away.

"Do you want to tell me what the memory was of?" Sarah shook her head.

"I can't."

"Why not?"

"Because...because I just can't." Not wanting to push her, Deanna just rubbed her thumb across the back of Sarah's hand, letting her know that she was still there. "It's...I'm embarrassed," Sarah finally admitted in an almost nonexistent voice.

Deanna sighed. "Something tells me that you have nothing to be embarrassed about," she commented, trying to get the teenager to open up. Sarah looked at her closely, trying to read her expression in the dark. Deanna knew without being asked what the girl was wondering, and answered. "Like I told you before, Sarah, I can't read your thoughts, nor your memories. I don't know what happened. But I do know that whatever it was, it wasn't your fault, and it's nothing for you to be embarrassed about."

Feeling slightly more confident in her ability to communicate with the girl, Deanna slid up next to Sarah and leaned back against the headboard, wrapping a comforting arm around Sarah's shoulders. That was all it took for the dam to break, and Sarah fell into the counselors arms, her small body wracked with sobs. Deanna just pulled the girl into her embrace, letting her cry. She ran her fingers softly through Sarah's hair with one hand, and with the other, held the teenager close to her, keeping her safe from whatever demons inhabited her mind. Eventually the sobbing turned into quiet hiccups, and then silence. Sarah lay still, her head resting on Deanna's chest, but the counselor could tell that she wasn't asleep. She rested her cheek on Sarah's head, still cradling the girl in her arms.

"Sleep, Sarah," she commanded in a soft voice.

"Will you leave me?" Sarah asked meekly. This was a different girl from the one who had so casually hidden her injuries from view earlier. Good, Deanna thought. I may not know what happened yet, but she's ready to admit that she needs help.

"I won't leave you, Sarah. I'll be here as long as you need me." Deanna felt the girl squeeze her tightly in reply, and after a few moments, relax into slumber. Deanna just laid there, continuing to run her fingers through Sarah's hair as she thought through the situation. This was going to be difficult for both of them, but for some reason, she felt compelled to help. It was more than just her Betazoid half kicking in. She felt some kind of connection to the teenager, something that she couldn't explain. Her last thought before she fell asleep herself was that she had to find a way to make Sarah comfortable sharing her story.