Watson Sessions #6 (Patreon)

*** The sixth session takes place on Tuesday January 9th, four weeks after the fifth session. 

Reminder, this series contains *Spoilers* for the 'Taste of...' trilogy and for the 'Brotherhood' story. ***

Julie watched as the brunette teen glanced around the room then settled down onto the sofa across from her. Nothing in Sadie's appearance or mannerisms so far would suggest she was anything other than a regular seventeen-year-old girl. 

She stood about five-foot-four, slim, with long straight brown hair that reached about halfway down her back. Sadie was wearing a long stylish-looking wool skirt and a pretty blouse, and her make-up was attractive but subtle. She had small gold hoops hanging from her earlobes. Apart from her hair and clothing, she looked identical to her sister Amanda.

The teen's expression was slightly serious, and a little reserved. After she was seated she glanced around again before her gaze settled on Julie. Her eyes flicked up and down, and she looked like she was evaluating or assessing the woman her adoptive mother had been meeting with since late September.

Julie gave the girl a polite, professional smile as she said "Hello Sadie. Your mother indicated you and your sister wanted to meet me?"

Maria emailed her over the winter break, letting her know that both Bethany and Sadie had expressed an interest in meeting their mother's therapist.

Now it was the second Tuesday of January, and Maria had brought the two girls here. Sadie and Beth would each have half the session alone with her, while the other sat in the waiting room with Maria. It probably wouldn't be enough time to resolve anything, but it should be enough for the girls to get a feel for her, and decide if they wanted to come back for a full session.

Julie was doing her best to remain focused and professional, but she was both curious and perhaps a little excited to meet these two girls. After listening to Maria talk about them for the past three months, she was particularly interested to speak with the two teen girls who had once been a mature married couple.

Looking at Sadie now, Julie found it impossible to picture the attractive seventeen-year-old girl sitting across from her as the thirty-nine year old man she used to be.

Sadie looked back at her, fixing her gaze on Julie. "Yeah. We were all surprised when mom told us she'd been in therapy since the end of September. I mean I guess after everything that happened it makes sense. It was also kind of a surprise when she said she'd told you everything. Like about the magic and everything else."

Julie asked, "Were you upset that she'd shared those details with me?"

The teen considered, then shook her head. "It's her story as much as it's mine or any of my sisters. I'm not upset that she spoke with you about it. If she needed help, I'm glad she was able to get it from you."

After a pause she added, "I will be upset if I ever hear you deadname me or one of my sisters, or any of our friends. I don't know how much mom's told you, but if she's told you what's happened to our family then she's probably told you at least some of those names. Whatever she's discussed with you is between you and her, I just don't want to hear it. Ok?"

The girl's tone was serious, calm, and confident. Julie wondered how many of their friends might be trans. She was aware of Amanda's girlfriend being cursed, but the way Sadie phrased it made Julie suspect there were others like herself and Jenny who may have been changed willingly. 

Julie nodded, "Of course Sadie. Everything your mother has told me is kept in the strictest confidence, and the same holds true for anything you tell me."

"Ok," Sadie nodded slightly.

After a few moments of silence, Julie asked "So, what brings you here? What would you like to discuss?"

Sadie frowned, then she looked a little embarrassed. "Actually I don't really have much to talk about. I mostly just wanted to meet you, to get a feel for you, before you spoke with Beth."

Julie smiled slightly, "You wanted to make sure I was safe, before your little sister met me?"

"Yeah," Sadie admitted as she blushed slightly. "I mean, I kind of figured you'd be ok if mom trusted you? But still... When Beth said she wanted to see you, I felt like I wanted to see who you were first."

"And what do you think?" Julie asked, keeping her tone pleasant and conversational. "Do I meet with your approval?"

Sadie shrugged slightly, "Mom said she's told you about what happened to us. How me and my sisters have all had some changes and stuff over the past eighteen months or so. For me and Beth, we've had the biggest changes. I'm not asking what mom's said, but I do want to know what your opinion is? What's your take all this stuff?"

The brunette teen was trying to act casual, but Julie could tell the girl was watching her closely.

Julie considered for a moment before replying, "Of course your family situation is unlike anything I've encountered, Sadie. From what I've heard, you and your sisters have all had some very remarkable experiences. Some things have been hard to believe, as I'm sure you can understand. However, it sounds like you've all handled those experiences well, and you've got through them together. It seems to me that you're all a very close, loving family."

She had quite a few thoughts and opinions on the matter of course, and probably a hundred questions she'd love to ask. She found the whole situation unbelievable, and thought it remarkable that the family had managed to hold together through so many changes and challenges. Trying to imagine herself in any of their places, she didn't think she'd have been as forgiving as Sadie was toward Maria. Or as accepting as Amanda was, towards both Sadie and Bethany, or Maria either after having caused the whole situation in the first place. She was looking forward to meeting Bethany next, very curious to meet the girl that had once been Amanda's mother and Sadie's wife. Though looking at Sadie, she couldn't picture the teen as a husband or a father.

Of course Julie would never let any of her personal feelings affect her relationship with her clients, and she kept all those questions and thoughts to herself. She wouldn't share that sort of thing with Sadie, or any other clients for that matter. 

A slight smile appeared on the teen's lips. "That was a really good non-answer. I used to be a lawyer, you know? We'd talk like that sometimes, when we had to say something but didn't want to be too clear." 

The girl's smile widened slightly as she asked, "You know I'm a witch, right? Mom said she told you that her and Amanda and me are all witches."

"Yes," Julie nodded. She wondered where the teen was going to go with this. She recalled Maria saying that both Amanda and Sadie joined the coven at the end of September and they were both just learning magic. She also remembered Maria saying she expected the teens to surpass her soon if they kept up their training. "Why do you ask?"

Sadie still had that smile on her face as she replied, "So one of the spells we know is called a 'truth spell'. It's not exactly mind-reading or whatever, but it does let us see the truth, whatever that may be."

Julie fought a little harder to keep her expression under control, but she could feel a very slight blush come to her cheeks as her eyes widened slightly.

"Don't worry," Sadie said. "I'm glad you're keeping your personal opinions separate from your professional duties."

She stood up as she added, "I'm satisfied you're safe. I'll send Bethany in now."

Julie just nodded, still fighting slightly to control her expression and her emotions. "Ok Sadie... It was nice to meet you."

Sadie just gave her a brief smile, as she headed out of the room.

A few moments later, Maria was at the door with Bethany. The young blonde teen looked nervous and shy.

Maria said softly, "I can stay with you if you like?"

Bethany shook her head slightly.

Maria gave the girl a quick hug and whispered something to her, then Beth made her way over to the sofa and sat down while Maria exited, closing the door behind her.

"Hello Bethany," Julie gave the girl a warm smile. "How are you?"

The difference between the two girls was like night and day. Where Sadie had come across as an attractive confident young woman, Bethany was clearly anxious and uneasy, and of course she looked several years younger.

The blonde was a small girl, she was a few inches shorter than her older sister and hadn't started to fill in yet. Julie recalled Maria said that Beth was the smallest of the four. She was a cute girl, her skin was fair, her eyes blue, and her light blonde hair was just about down to her shoulders. Where Sadie had been dressed fashionably, Bethany just wore jeans and a t-shirt. She wasn't wearing any make-up, and no jewelry either.

Beth was looking around the room, her eyes wandering over the bookcases, down along the carpet, then at the basket of toys and plushies in the corner.

Finally the girl shrugged slightly and answered softly, "I'm ok I guess."

Like Maria described, Bethany seemed shy, quiet, and soft-spoken.

Julie maintained her friendly smile and asked, "Your mother said you wanted to meet with me. Is there anything you'd like to talk about?"

Beth was staring down at the floor now, as she shrugged again. After another long pause, she asked softly, "Mom says it's ok to tell you secrets... She says you won't tell anyone else?"

"That's right Bethany," Julie nodded. "Whatever you tell me will just stay between the two of us. I won't tell anyone else, not even your mom or your sisters."

"Ok," Beth said, then stared at the carpet for a few more seconds. Finally she asked, "You know my mom's a witch right? And my older sisters. They're learning to be witches too."

Julie nodded again, "Yes, your mother told me that."

Beth was still staring down at the floor. Her voice remained soft as she slowly said, "And there's this goddess person... Sometimes she helps with stuff. But sometimes she curses people..."

"Yes," Julie said, feeling a little uneasy about this topic. "I've heard about the goddess."

There was another long pause, then Beth said "Amanda got cursed in November. She was upset at first. But now I think she's happy. So I guess she got used to it."

Julie didn't respond to that yet, as she watched the timid girl. Bethany was still staring at the carpet, her expression and body language suggested she had something specific she wanted to discuss but she was anxious about sharing.

Eventually, in an even softer voice she said "I got cursed too. In September."

Julie did her best to hide her surprise. She knew that had happened of course, but she didn't know Bethany knew it. She kept her voice level as she asked, "You did?"

Beth nodded, "Yeah... I used to be Jenny and Amanda's mom. My name was Elizabeth. Now I'm Bethany, and I'm their little sister. And there's lots of stuff I can't remember anymore."

"I see," Julie said. "How do you feel about that?"

The young teen shrugged, "It's weird. My whole life is weird. At least the stuff I can remember."

Julie watched her for a few more moments then asked, "Are you upset? Does it bother you, that your life is weird or that you were cursed?"

Beth frowned slightly at the carpet. "My family won't tell me any of this stuff. Sadie told me some stuff in November. But not everything." She sighed and added, "I think they're scared of making me unhappy. Like, they all want me to be happy, which is nice."

"I'm sure they all care about you a great deal, Bethany."

"Yeah," the girl nodded slowly, looking down at her feet now. "I wish they'd tell me the truth though."

Julie asked, "Even if the truth was something that might upset you?"

Beth frowned again. "I think I already know it. I just want them to tell me."

"What makes you think you know?" Julie asked.

The teen looked at Julie's feet this time as she replied slowly, "I have dreams. About when I was older. I thought they were just dreams at first. But some of them turned out to be true. So I think the rest are probably true too."

Julie hesitated. "What sort of dreams? Would you like to tell me about them?"

Bethany's face started to colour as she blushed. It didn't look like she was embarrassed though, it looked like she was upset, and uncomfortable. Julie could see a lot of sadness and some pain in the young teen's eyes.

Her voice was almost a whisper now as she replied, "I dreamed that I hated mom. And I hated my sisters. And I dreamed that I wanted to hurt mom. I dreamed that I tried to hurt her really bad. And I dreamed that I hurt one of mom's friends too." She sighed and added, "I think that's why I got cursed."

Julie sighed as well, "I can tell that you're upset about that, Beth. It's ok to be upset. And you don't have to keep talking about this if it's too hard for you."

The girl shook her head slightly, it looked like she wanted to continue. 

Julie asked, "Do you know why you were so angry with your mom and your sisters in your dream?"

Staring at the carpet again, Bethany replied softly "It's because of what happened to Sadie. In my dreams I thought it was mom's fault and I got mad at her. And I was mad at Sadie for going along with it. And I got mad at my sisters because they liked Sadie more than me."

She added "I'm not really mad at them though. I know Sadie is happy, she likes who she is. And both mom and Sadie love me a lot. So do Amanda and Jenny. And I love them too."

After a few moments, Julie asked "Do you think these dreams are real? That they're memories, of before you were cursed?"

Bethany nodded quietly.

Julie considered for another few moments, then asked "Do you ever have nice dreams, of being older? Or are the dreams just things that make you unhappy?"

"Sometimes they're nice," Beth replied softly. Her eyes wandered a bit, then fixed on the bookcase for now. "Once I dreamed about when me and Sadie got married, except she wasn't Sadie then. And I dreamed about when Jenny got to be Jenny and she was super happy."

Julie asked, "Bethany, have you ever told your mother or your sisters about these dreams?"

Beth shook her head again. "I don't want to make them upset."

That brought a slight frown to Julie's face. "Why do you think that would upset them? Would they be unhappy with you?"

"No," Beth shook her head once more. "Not that kind of upset. I think they'd be sad because the dreams upset me."

Julie nodded, "You care about them, you don't want them to be sad."

Bethany nodded slightly. She was staring at the carpet again.

"Your family care about you too Bethany," Julie said softly. "I think they would be sad that you were having upsetting dreams, but I also think they'd want to help you if they could. They can't help though if they don't know what's making you upset or sad."

She saw the girl suddenly looked anxious now, perhaps worried Julie was going to tell them about this.

"Don't worry Beth, I won't tell them anything." She hesitated, then said "If you wanted to tell them yourself though, maybe I could help you with that? Your mom and Sadie are in the waiting room. If you wanted, I could ask one of them to join us? Or both of them, even."

Beth frowned, staring down at her feet now as she seemed to be thinking it over.

Finally the girl nodded slightly, "Ok... Both please?"

Julie gave her a supportive smile, "I'll be right back Bethany."

She got up and moved to the door. She didn't want to look like she was rushing, but she also didn't want to leave the shy girl alone for too long either.

She went down the short hallway and opened the door there. Sadie and Maria were sitting together in the waiting room, and both looked up when the door opened.

Julie gave them both a smile, and said "Bethany has asked for you both to join her."

The brunette teen was on her feet in an instant, with Maria just a half second behind. Both of them followed Julie back into her office, closing the doors behind them.

Maria and Sadie joined Bethany on the sofa. Beth was seated in the middle, so Maria sat on the right and Sadie on the left. As the two sat down, Maria put an arm around the young blonde and gave her a supportive hug.

Bethany was still looking down, she was staring at her feet again at this point. Sadie's eyes were on Julie while Maria's attention remained on Beth.

"Is everything ok?" Sadie asked.

Julie nodded, "Yes, I believe so. Bethany were discussing something, and we thought it might be best if you both joined us."

Maria glanced up at her, then her attention returned to Bethany. She asked softly, "Is there something you wanted to tell us, Beth?"

The girl shrugged as she continued staring down at the floor. 

Julie watched for a few moments. A quick glance at the clock told her this session was going to go long, but she wasn't going to interrupt things now. She didn't have another patient waiting, it was her lunch break next and in this case she wanted to make sure Beth had as much time as she needed.

After a minute or so, she asked softly "Beth, would you like me to help get the conversation started?"

There was another shrug, but then a few moments after that, Bethany nodded.

Julie then prompted her, "You were telling me about some dreams you've been having?" 

She watched Beth nodd slightly, but the girl didn't seem ready yet to start talking.

Julie prompted again, "Dreams about when you were older?"

Both Sadie and Maria tensed slightly at this. They were both obviously concerned now. 

Beth remained quiet for a few more moments, before she finally took a breath and nodded. 

"Yeah..." her voice was very soft again as she spoke. "Some of the dreams are bad... They make me upset... But some are nice..."

Maria asked softly, "Would you like to tell us about the dreams, honey? What have you dreamed about?"

Julie suggested, "Perhaps you'd like to tell them one of the nice dreams?"

Bethany nodded again. "I dreamed about me and Sadie getting married... We were both older and we both looked different, but I knew it was us."

Sadie seemed to get a little more tense at this.

Beth continued, "I dreamed we had a fancy wedding. Then me and her went on a big plane and had a vacation together on an island. There was a beach and everything."

The brunette teen seemed to relax a little now, and she nodded. She spoke softly, "We went to Hawaii. We spent ten days on an island called Maui."

"It was pretty," Beth said. 

Sadie smiled, "Yeah, it was."

Beth was quiet again, staring at some point on the carpet. 

After another minute or so, Maria spoke up again. She was quiet, and a little hesitant as she asked, "Beth, would you like to tell us about one of the bad dreams? If not, that's ok. You don't have to tell us if you don't want to."

The girl sighed, then gulped. Finally she whispered, "I dreamed that I hated you. All of you. I dreamed that I hated you for what you did to Sadie. And I hated Sadie for wanting you to do it. And I hated Amanda and Jenny too, because they liked Sadie more than me." She paused, then added "I dreamed I wanted to hurt you really bad. I dreamed..." she trailed off, unable to continue.

Both Maria and Sadie looked pained now. Maria pulled Bethany a little closer, giving the girl a hug.

"Beth, you don't have to say any more if you don't want." Maria whispered to her.

Julie could see Beth seemed comfortable and happy with the hug. She leaned closer against her adoptive mom.

Finally Sadie asked, "Beth if there was something we could do about the dreams, would you want us to help? If that meant making them go away... Or if it meant you would have more of them... Is there anything we can do for you? To help?"

Bethany looked down at her feet again, then replied "I want to know the truth. I think the dreams are my memories. The stuff I can't remember, from before."

Sadie sighed, but nodded. "Those two dreams you just told us about sound like memories. The wedding and the trip to Hawaii happened eighteen years ago. And the uh, bad dream, happened in September."

Beth and Maria were still holding each other. Maria kept quiet for now but Julie could see the woman was dealing with a lot of emotions right now. Sadie was too, but she seemed to be keeping them under control.

After another pause, Bethany whispered "I don't want to be Elizabeth again. I don't want to hate my mom or my sisters. But I think I want to remember stuff. Like you do, Sadie."

Julie saw the two brunettes both looked more uneasy. 

Sadie said, "I don't know if we can do that, Beth. It's not up to us..."

Maria said softly, "I'll talk to Nikki, and ask to speak with Her. If that's what you want Beth, and if it's possible, then I'll do what I can to make it happen for you."

"Thanks mom," Bethany whispered.