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Therapy: Three Witches and a Shrink	By : Shaellin Category: +S through Z > Winx Club Views: 7187 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Winx Club, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 20
- 21
Day 5: Morning
Dr. Shreever stood up from his desk chair and turned to the open window behind him.
"You have my message. Now go."
He flung out his left arm, launching the strange black creature hanging from it out the window into the morning air. Just as he was closing the window there came a knock at the door. He turned, came around his desk and crossed the room to open the door.
"Why Herbert, what an unexpected surprise! Please, do come in."
One corner of Dr. Foler's mouth quirked up in something approximating half a smile as the bespectacled older gentleman entered the room.
"Isn't it in the nature of surprises to be unexpected, Thaddeus?"
Dr. Shreever chuckled indulgently at Dr. Foler's feeble attempt at humor.
"So it is. So it is. To what do I owe the honor of this visit?"
He closed the door as Dr. Foler walked to the middle of the room and turned to face him.
"I shan't stay long. I've just come to inform you that this afternoon at one o'clock the board will be meeting to evaluate your progress with our three young helions in the virtual meadow."
Dr. Shreever looked thunderstruck. Such a meeting he knew would mean that all of the members of the board would have to cancel or reschedule whatever therapy sessions.they would ordinarily be holding at that time. What would make it so urgent to hold a meeting in the middle of the day and disrupt everyone's busy schedule rather than wait until the evening when no sessions would be scheduled?
"An evaluation? But it hasn't even been a full week yet! Why the sudden rush?"
Dr. Foler regarded him with a steady, sober gaze.
"As you well know I've had my concerns about your appointment as their therapist from the outset. The reports that have been reaching me thus far have been far from encouraging. Just this morning, however, I received the most disturbing report to date."
Dr. Shreever frowned in disbelief.
"What sort of report?"
Dr. Foler shook his head regretfully.
"You'll find out at the evaluation. As your superior, your co-worker, and your friend, I would suggest that you come prepared to defend your actions and prove that you have been making measurable progress with those three."
Dr. Shreever stood in stunned silence as Dr. Foler walked back to the door. As he placed his hand upon the knob Dr. Foler turned back to address Dr. Shreever once more.
"I wish you luck Thaddeus. You're going to need it."
With that her turned and left. Dr. Shreever stood there in shock a moment longer, then turned and slammed his fist into the nearby bookcase.
"Damn it! Not now! We're so close!"
Realizing he had no time to waste if he was going to handle his morning appointments and still be ready for the evaluation by one, he turned and began rapidly pulling together his notes and files on the three witches.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Early Afternoon
Dr. Shreever was sitting in the antechamber to the boardroom, still flipping through sheets and jotting down notes as he waited for the three young witches to be led in. He had worked right up until his first session of the morning, then cut his last session a few minutes short and worked through lunch, and still he didn't feel adequately prepared for this. If only they had given him more time!
When the outer door opened and the two guards led Icy, Darcy and Stormy inside he sighed and tapped his notes together neatly. His time was up. Now he would find out just how prepared he really was. He stood up and walked over to greet his patients.
"Good afternoon ladies."
Icy cut through the formalities in a demanding tone of voice.
"Can the formalities Doc. Just what the hell is going on here?"
Stormy chimed in curiously, her voice tigned with hints of suspicion and trepidation.
"Yeah, what's up with all this?"
Darcy wore a slightly worried frown but her voice sounded more curious than anything.
"We've never been called out of the meadow all at once like this before. What gives?"
Dr. Shreever stood with his hands folded in front of himself, trying to appear more relaxed than he felt.
"Right to it then, eh ladies? It seems that Dr. Foler has concerns as to the rate of progress I have been making with you three. The board has called for a special session in order to reassess whether I am in fact the right therapist to meet your rather unique needs."
Icy shared a look of stunned surprise with her sister witches before rounding on Shreever.
"What the hell? You've gotta be kidding me!"
Darcy planted her hands on her hips.
"Like there's anyone else in this dump who even gets us."
Stormy clenched her fists and leaned forward in a fighting stance.
"Yeah. This is bullcrap!"
Shreever smiled appreciatively but with a little touch of sadness at the three girls' show of support.
"I feel the same way girls, and I will be arguing that point before the board, but ultimately the decision lies with them and if they decide I am not adequately meeting your needs someone else will be assigned to your case."
Stormy's eyes widened in shock and outrage.
"No way!"
Icy took a step closer to the psychologist.
"They can't do this to us!"
Darcy folded her arms and frowned.
"Yeah. Don't we have any say in all this? We're the patients after all."
Dr. Shreever nodded approvingly at Darcy.
"That is one of the reasons why you three have been brought here. As the patients in question your views on the matter will carry some weight, but since you are all here involuntarily to begin with your influence on this decision will necessarily be limited."
He glanced around at the three of them.
"Another reason you've been brought here will be to guage just how successful my efforts with you three have been. Though our time together has been short they will be wanting to see measurable progress, so I need the three of you to be on your best behavior."
Darcy nodded.
"No problem."
Icy planted her hands on her hips and grinned.
"Absolutely. We'll be perfect little angels."
She shot a warning glare at Stormy.
"Right Stormy?"
Stormy folded her arms and looked away with a grumpy sulk.
"Yeah yeah. Whatever."
Icy stepped toward Stormy with a half-raised fist.
"I'm warning you, you better not mess this up for us!"
Stormy turned a defiant glare on Icy.
"I said alright! If anyone messes this up it won't be me!"
Dr. Shreever raised his hands beseechingly.
"Ladies, please..."
Just then the door to the conference room opened and a man in midnight blue robes stuck his head out.
"Ah good. You're all here. The board is ready for you now."
As the man disappeared back inside the board room Dr. Shreever stopped to pick up his notes off the coffee table. He straightened up and glanced around at the three girls.
"Alright girls, this is it. Let's all try to make a favorable impression, shall we?"
He led the three of them into the board room. The two guards followed them in. The room was a bit larger than Shreever's office with dark wood panelling on the walls. One wall was dominated by bookshelves and cabinets while the opposite wall held the kind of steel-framed double-paned windows that spoke of more money than imagination. Glow globes in shallow cone-shaped stands illuminated the peach-colored ceiling, adding to the sunlight streaming in through the uncurtained windows to light the room. The center of the room was dominated by a twelve foot long table of polished oak shaped like an oval with the ends clipped off. Seven people, all wearing the same midnight blue robes as Dr. Shreever, were seated around one end of the table already. Dr. Foler, seated at the far end, gestured toward the seats around the near end of the table.
"Dr. Shreever, ladies, please be seated."
Dr. Shreever took the seat on the left side of the table while Stormy sat opposite him and her two sister witches occupied the two seats which had been crowded together on the end. This completely filled the table with four people on either side, Dr. Foler at the head of the table and Icy and Darcy at the other end. Dr. Shreever gestured toward the two guards who had stationed themselves on either side of the door.
"Dr. Foler, I must protest. Are the guards really necessary? After all, this hearing is about sensitive information relating to my patients' treatment."
Dr. Foler nodded gravely.
"An unfortunate but necessary precaution considering your patients' history of aggressive behavior."
Icy gave Stormy a teasing grin. "Ya hear that Stormy? He's talking about you."
Dr. Foler opened a folder which had been resting on the desk in front of him and pulled out a sheet from within.
"Actually I was referring to all three of you. Need I remind you of the actions which landed the three of you here in the first place?"
He held up the paper and began reading off points one by one.
"Setting aside the various pranks and misdemeanors you each committed while enrolled at the Cloud Tower School for Witches which ultimately led to your expulsion, your official arrest record states that you three stalked an Alfea student back to her home on Earth, assaulted her and her family in her own home and stole her powers, then returned to Cloud Tower and seized control of it by force. You then proceeded to raise the Army of Decay which you then used to virtually demolish the Red Fountain School of Heroics, overrun the town of Magix and lay siege to the Alfea School of Magix. It states here that it took the combined might of the teachers and student body of all three schools working together in unison to finally bring your reign of terror to an end."
Darcy made an off-hand gesture and smirked smugly.
"What can I say? We are just seriously bad-ass."
All three girls laughed at that, Darcy and Stormy exchanging a high five as they did so. Dr. Shreever leaned toward them urgently.
"Girls! This isn't helping your case!"
Dr. Foler returned the sheet to its place in the folder before him.
"Indeed it is not. These are all very serious offenses and your clear lack of remorse proves that you all have a very long way to go before you are ready to be released."
The man seated on Dr. Foler's right had dark hair streaked with gray, thick bushy eyebrows shading hawk-like eyes and pinched cheeks. He gestured to catch Dr. Foler's attention, speaking in a thick German accent.
"As a point of order zough, ve are not here to discuss vezzer zese girls are ready to be released but vezzer it is in zere best interests to continue zere present course of treatment viz Dr. Shreever."
Dr. Foler nodded his head toward the man.
"Quite right Dr. Drekker. We do seem to have gotten slightly off track."
He rested his left hand on the table and gestured toward the far end with his right.
"Dr. Shreever, though you are well known around here for your unusual and unorthodox methods those methods have produced some remarkable results in a number of instances, which is why this board finally agreed to give you a chance at treating these three, despite my own personal misgivings."
Dr. Shreever nodded his head at Dr. Foler in recognition.
"A gesture of trust from you all that I deeply appreciate."
Dr. Foler nodded back solemnly.
"Yes, well, what we are here to evaluate is whether that trust has been well placed. In the five days that you have been handling the treatment of these girls an alarming number of incidents have been reported, not least of which was the hospitalization of Ms. Stormwind two days ago."
Dr. Shreever bowed his head contritely.
"A most regrettable incident, and one which I personally feel I should have foreseen."
Icy extended her hand toward Dr. Shreever.
"Hey, don't beat yourself up over that one Doc. It's not your fault that Stormy's a flake."
Stormy planted both hands on the table and surged to her feet.
"Hey! Who are you calling a flake?!"
Dr. Foler scowled and tapped his finger on the table.
"Ladies, I remind you that we have extended you a courtesy in allowing you to be present at this meeting. You are here at our sufferance. Kindly refrain from disrupting these proceedings."
Stormy frowned at Dr. Foler and pointed at Icy.
"But she started it!"
Dr. Shreever waved his hand in front of him and shook his head.
"It doesn't matter who started it. You both contributed to the disturbance. Now please Stormy, sit back down."
Stormy scowled at Icy, who sat there with a smirk on her face, and sat back down. Dr. Foler adjusted his spectacles and continued.
"Now then, as I was saying the purpose of this meeting is to determine whether Dr. Shreever's brand of psychotherapy is actually serving the best interests of these girls. Dr. Shreever, you may present your arguments first."
Outwardly Dr. Shreever maintained his composure, but he was seething inside. He knew that Dr. Foler was setting him up. By letting him go first Dr. Foler would be able to calmly rebut all of his claims and arguments while forcing him to scramble to make counter-rebuttals afterward. Worse, Dr. Foler had yet to even mention, let alone reveal, the "most disturbing report" he had mentioned briefly in his office that morning. Whatever it was, Foler was playing it close to the vest, clearly saving it to blindside him with at a key moment. With no way of knowing what was coming he had no way of preparing against it, a problem which had vexed him all morning long. Dr. Foler was playing dirty, and Shreever had no doubt it was out of professional jealousy. All he could do was build his case as solidly as he could and hope it was strong enough to withstand the blow when it came. He nodded to Dr. Foler and began pleading his case.
"Thank you Dr. Foler. As always it is an honor to be included among such esteemed company, being as I am the most junior member of the board. As we all know, about four weeks ago these three ladies seated here with us today were brought to us for help. It was only natural I suppose for Dr. Foler to be chosen as their initial therapist, given his success in my own case several years back. After all, he is the only one among us with any actual experience dealing with the peculiar psychology of witches, warlocks, dark wizards and the like. Of course I volunteered for the job, arguing that I have an 'inside track' on how they think, but I was deemed to be too close to the problem to maintain proper objectivity, and so Dr. Foler was given the nod."
To Dr. Foler's left sat a dark-skinned woman with proud, high cheek bones and her course black hair drawn back in a severe ponytail bob. She spoke in an African accent as she interrupted Dr. Shreever's oration.
"Dr. Shreever, we are not 'ere to re'ash your difference of opinion wit dis council over 'o should 'ave been given 'first dibs' on dese ladies but to review your performance since dey were given over into your care."
Dr. Shreever nodded to her respectfully.
"Quite so Dr. K'nanda. I am merely setting the scene in which these events transpired. If you would indulge me but a moment longer I will come to the point directly."
Dr. K'nanda's expression remained impassive and reserved as she nodded slightly in acquiescence. Stormy leaned in to stage whisper to her sisters.
"Boy, what a bunch of stiffs."
Darcy shot her a warning glance as she whispered back.
"Cool it Stormy. Let's just let this play out."
After a brief glance at Stormy Dr. Shreever continued.
"Dr. Foler spent the next three weeks working with these three young ladies, trying to ferret out the source of their abnormally anti-social tendencies."
Icy rested her left elbow on the back of her chair and leaned back, waving her right hand in the air dismissively.
"And we all know how well that panned out for him."
Dr. Shreever shot the white-haired witch a hard look.
"THANK you Icy. That will do."
He turned back to his colleagues.
"In the end though, through no fault of his own, Dr. Foler was forced to concede that these three young ladies were simply too much for him to handle."
Darcy folded her arms on the table and leaned forward.
"Which is where you come in."
Dr. Shreever shot her a mild warning glance.
"Yes, quite. Since our only therapist with any experience treating such dark minds had admitted defeat it was decided to try them with one who had experience being a dark mind, in the hope that I could reach them where they live and lead them into the light, without myself being drawn back into the darkness."
He glanced at each girl in turn.
"A task made more difficult by their persistent efforts to corrupt me."
Stormy placed her hand on her chest, feigning shocked innocence.
"Who, us?"
Darcy held both hands up in front of herself and turned her head aside.
"We'd never do something like that."
Icy held the back of her wrist to her forehead and looked up in a show of deeply wounded honor.
"Perish the thought."
Dr. Shreever shook his head at the girls' antics and continued.
"As every psychologist knows, for any progress to be possible there must exist a basic level of trust between doctor and patient, trust which I understand Dr. Foler was unable to establish."
At the far end of the table Dr. Foler gave him a hard look but said nothing. Dr. Shreever pressed on.
"Quite understandable, really. Building trust can be difficult even when the patient is willing. When the patient has been committed unwillingly, as these three were, as I was, one must bridge the gap of trust largely without the patient's assistance. In my own case it was merely a matter of outlasting my stubborn nature, remaining strong until I finally grew weary of fighting against the inevitable. Against any one of these three that strategy might have worked once more."
Icy folded her arms and smirked.
"Ha! Fat chance."
Shreever shot her a warning look.
"However the three of them together present a much more formidable challenge. Not only are they able to bolster one another's resistance but they are also able to work together as a unit to counter-assail and wear away at whoever dares try to change them. In short, simply outlasting them was never going to work."
Darcy propped her head on one hand and gestured boredly with the other.
"I could have told you that."
Dr. Shreever ignored the interruption.
"Fortunately I have other options for reaching them. After all, it's so much easier to open up to someone who proves he already understands you."
The man sitting next to Dr. Shreever had short, sandy hair and round-rimmed glasses. He held out a hand toward Stormy as he addressed Shreever.
"Is that why you chose to assault your own patient during your first session with her? To prove that you 'understand' her?"
Dr. Shreever folded his hands on the table and smirked at his colleague.
"I could plead self-defense Dr. Adison, but the truth of the matter is that yes, that is exactly why I used force to suppress her. If you don't think that assaulting a witch is a valid way to earn her trust then you clearly don't understand the witch mindset. Witches respect strength, ruthlessness, determination, and the willingness to do what it takes to reach one's goals. Had I permitted the guards to subdue her for me she would have taken that as proof of weakness and any chance of reaching her would have been lost. By using force to stop Stormy's tantrum myself I was able to prove to her in a way mere words never could that I not only understand how she thinks but am someone worthy of her respect. Once a witch respects you, then and only then do you have a basis for forming trust."
Stormy placed her hands on the table and leaned forward with a shocked and angry look.
"Wait! You mean you tricked me into liking you?"
Icy gave her a taunting smirk.
"Not like it's the first time that's ever happened."
Dr. Shreever touched Icy's arm to silence her as he addressed Stormy.
"No Stormy, I did not trick you. There was no need to. I merely spoke to you in your own language, the language of strength, and showed you the strength of my will and resolve. The fact that you reacted as I expected you would doesn't make it a trick, merely a case of successful communication."
Stormy didn't seem completely convinced by Shreever's words, but unable to think of a way to disprove them she sat back in her chair and grumped. Dr. Shreever returned his attention to his fellow psychologists.
"Each of the three plays the game of power in her own unique way. Stormy is the most forthright, applying her will through her aggressive tendencies. Darcy plays a more subtle game of seduction and innuendo, seeking to bend others to her will through subversion. Icy goes for more of a blended approach, preferring mind games while not disdaining aggressive behavior when it suits her. Each presents a unique challenge to reach individually. Taken together their overlapping defenses make them nigh unassailable, but if one is able to think, act and speak as they do it is possible to navigate the minefield of their personal defenses with minimal casualties."
The man sitting beside Stormy had strongly Chinese features, including a long, thin beard and an even longer, thinner mustache. His hair, still mostly black if receding, was tied back in a ponytail. He gestured toward Dr. Shreever with a hand showing early signs of aging.
"While self-affirmation can be a valuable tool for personal growth, it holds no place in these proceedings Dr. Shreever."
Seated between him and Dr. K'nanda was a heavy-set fellow with short, frizzy brown hair and piggy little features. His voice sounded childishly high-pitched and he made frequent little gasps for breath as he spoke, as though he were having trouble filling his lungs with air.
"Dr. Lo is right. *gasp* We didn't come to *gasp* listen to you brag about your *gasp* special techniques, but to find out *gasp* if you've been having any *gasp* success in applying them. *gasp*"
Dr. Shreever nodded respectfully to the man while all three witches stared at him with looks of open disgust.
"Of course Dr. Eisenberg. I was just coming to that."
He glanced around the table.
"In each case the results have been mixed, as one might expect when dealing with such difficult personalities, but on the whole I believe that the advances we've achieved outweigh the setbacks. We have formed bonds of mutual respect which, while occasionally strained, have enabled us to open up to one another and share secrets about ourselves."
Dr. Foler cleared his throat to interrupt.
"Heh hem. You speak of sharing secrets with your patients, but I wonder who has divulged more secrets to whom, you or them."
Dr. Shreever gave him a little smirk.
"On the whole I'd say the exchange has been about equal. Each of them has learned something of me and I have learned something of each of them in turn. Predictably each of them seems to have family issues of one sort or another, although Miss Stormy has been most reticent to share hers with me. On the other hand she was the first of the three to voluntarily undertake a course of treatment to better herself."
Icy and Darcy both stared at Stormy in astonished surprise while the storm witch sat back in her chair, folded her arms and grumped, pointedly ignoring their stares. Dr. Shreever pressed onward.
"Overall I am quite pleased with the progress these three young ladies have made in such a short span of time."
The woman seated between Dr. Drekker and Dr. Adison was a petite thing with chestnut brown hair done up in a loose bun. She pushed her half-moon glasses back up on the bridge of her nose as she piped up.
"Forgive me for saying so but their manners don't show much evidence of this progress you speak of. They seem quite rude and ill-mannered, which is usually a sign of inner self-loathing. It's such a shame too, because they seem like such genuinely fascinating young ladies."
Stormy flung her arm out toward the woman and looked at her sisters.
"Did she just dis us?"
Darcy set her elbows on the table and propped her chin on her folded hands as she frowned at the lady psychologist.
"Oh, she did far worse than that."
Icy glared at the woman.
"She actually had the nerve to take pity on us!"
Stormy surged to her feet and slammed her hands down on the table.
"Who the hell do you think you're talking to, you old bat?!? We're the Trix! We don't take pity from anyone!"
Down at the far end of the table Dr. Foler glowered like a thunderhead.
"Miss Stormwind! Cease this outburst and be seated at once or I will have you removed."
Stormy glared right back at him.
"Like hell you will! No one gets away with dissing us like that!"
Just then she felt strong hands clamping down on her arms. She glanced back to find that the guards had moved from their posts by the door to flank her from behind and were now restraining her. As she shrieked in rage and struggled to free herself a calm voice called to her from the other side of the table.
"Stormy."
The storm witch whipped her head around to glare at Dr. Shreever where he sat with his arms folded, regarding her calmly.
"Calm yourself and think. Think back to what we have talked about. This isn't how you take charge of your life. Your current behavior is worsening your position and making you look small-minded and foolish. Is that really what you want, for life to kick you around and put you down once again? You know you deserve better than that. You have the power to take back control of this situation by controlling yourself. Remember, the insults of others have less impact upon one's reputation than one's own ill-considered actions. Do the smart thing, and sit back down."
Stormy gaped at him, clearly wanting to argue but finding herself unable to come up with anything to say that didn't sound petty or petulant. Looking down at the table with a scowl and a small growl, she shook off the guards' hands and sat back down.
Though he didn't show it outwardly, Shreever was quite pleased by this turn of events. He had blundered badly at the outset, reacting with panic when the girls had first started acting up, but now that he knew what to expect from them he was on his game and this little scene had given him the perfect chance to prove it. Not only had his method of controlling Stormy's temper tantrum proved far more effective than Dr. Foler's effort but he had also shown Foler up by keeping his cool while the old fool blew his stack. Now he was the one who looked competent and in control of things while Foler looked the fool. He could have crowed with elation when he heard Darcy chime in.
"Whoa! Someone telling Stormy to sit down and behave herself? And she actually listened? Now that's a first."
Icy wore a smirk as she crossed her arms.
"Never thought I'd live to see the day!"
Dr. Shreever placed a hand on Icy's shoulder to quell her gloating.
"She listened to me because she knows that I respect her, as I respect each of you girls."
He turned to address the rest of the board.
"When dealing with difficult personalities, respect is the key to gaining cooperation and trust."
He focused his attention on the woman whose remark had sparked the whole incident.
"Wouldn't you agree Dr. Boyd?"
The poor woman was clearly flustered by the reaction her casual remarks had provoked. She seemed all too eager to agree with Dr. Shreever.
"Yes, yes of course! Ladies, I apologize for any disrespect my comments might have implied. I assure you, none was intended. All I actually meant is that I see great potential in each of you and would love to see you all reach that potential."
Icy tapped the glowing green band across her forehead.
"Unlock these headbands and we'll start reaching our potential right now."
Down at the far end of the table Dr. Foler 'harumph'ed loudly.
"As evidenced by Miss Stormwind's outburst just now and the behavior all of you have displayed so far that is quite clearly out of the question at this time. The three of you would have to demonstrate a consistent pattern of much more civilized behavior before we would feel justified in considering such a move."
He opened up the folder before him and withdrew a set of pages.
"As for all of Dr. Shreever's talk of 'trust' and 'respect', I rather doubt that these three give him nearly as much of either as he would have us believe. In fact I question whether the 'progress' he claims to have made in their cases is actual progress at all."
Dr. Shreever rested one arm on the table, leaning on his elbow as he gave Dr. Foler a cocky smirk.
"Oh please Herbert! Don't confuse my results with yours."
He tapped his own folder of notes that he had brought in with him.
"I have documentary evidence of the progress these three have been making right here, and if anyone cares to see it they need only obtain my patients' permission to do so."
Stormy gripped the edge of the table and leaned forward.
"No way! The only way anybody's looking at my file is over my dead body!"
Icy's arms remained crossed as she leaned back in her chair.
"Yeah. Fat chance."
Darcy shrugged and gestured casually.
"You know what, I don't give a fuck what's in my file or who reads it. Knock yourselves out."
Icy smirked at her.
"Thanks. I already have, Andromeda."
Darcy clenched her jaw and glared at Icy. The ice witch had zeroed right in on the one lone piece of information about her that she actually did not want commonly known. Stormy looked at Icy strangely.
"Huh? Andromeda? What the heck are you talking about?"
Icy grinned smugly and gestured toward Darcy.
"That's her middle name: Darcy Andromeda Romanov."
Darcy glared at Icy murderously.
"I meant anyone with a degree in psychology, not you!"
She rounded on Dr. Shreever.
"This is your fault Thaddeus! This wouldn't have happened if you hadn't let Icy read my file!"
Dr. Shreever held out his hand toward her.
"Darcy, calm down. I didn't let her read anything, and she has not seen your private file. She snatched my list of patients out of my hand and read your name off the list before I could take it back from her. That's all."
Darcy crossed her arms and grumped.
"Like it really makes a difference how she found out. My middle name was the only thing I didn't want becoming public knowledge. Thanks a lot doc."
Stormy leaned toward Darcy with a malicious grin.
"Heh. Andromeda. What a dorky name. Sounds like a fairy!"
Darcy gave her the death glare.
"Don't even start, Amanda!"
Dr. Foler was scowling at the three young witches and their psychologist.
"That will be enough from all three of you. It would seem, Dr. Shreever, that perhaps we should add 'failure to secure the confidentiality of patients' personal information' to the list of charges against you."
Dr. Shreever frowned back at him.
"Charges? What's all this about charges then? It's the first I've heard of it."
Dr. Foler calmly tapped the pages in his hands together on the table.
"Come now Dr. Shreever. When I visited you in your office this morning I did make mention of a series of disturbing reports. Did you honestly think we canceled scheduled appointments with our patients to hold a special meeting in the middle of the day just to review your progress with these three young ladies? You are here to answer charges of neglect and misconduct in the care of your patients."
Dr. Shreever planted his hands on the table and leaned forward angrily.
"This is absurd! I have done everything in my power for the betterment of my patients!"
Dr. Foler gave him a quelling over-the-glasses stare.
"That remains to be seen. Shall we review the charges?"
He glanced at the top of the first sheet in his hands.
"Charge number one: refusal to accept assistance in the restraint of an unruly patient, leading directly to the aggravation of an existing injury in said patient."
Dr. Shreever shook his finger at the older psychologist.
"We've been over that already Herb. The timing of the incident was regrettable, but I stand by my actions. Because of that one incident Stormy and I were able to come to an understanding that allowed us to dispense with her restraints for good, and which was also instrumental in helping to convince her to undergo anger management therapy. Had I accepted the guards' help Stormy would never have respected me and the progress we've made since then would not have been possible."
Dr. Foler adjusted his spectacles, clearly unimpressed.
"So you would have us believe, but I for one remain unconvinced that there wasn't a more peaceful solution to be found."
Dr. Shreever sneered at him.
"Oh, of course there was. There was also an ineffectual solution that would have led to the same constant combative behavior that you were never able to quell, rendering forward progress unobtainable. It just so happens that that solution and the more peaceful solution you would have preferred were one and the same. It is precisely because you were unable or unwilling to comprehend the futility of the peaceful solution that you were never able to make the slightest headway with Stormy's case."
Sitting beside him, Dr. Adison slowly nodded his head.
"Yes, I'm beginning to see your point Dr. Shreever. As much as I try to stay away from such aggressive tactics there are patients who respond better to someone who can prove they are in charge than to someone attempting to approach them as an equal. Some patients simply don't believe in the concept of equality, always seeking to prove who is superior. To such individuals there is no such thing as an equal, and anybody inferior is not worthy of respect. The only way to reach such a patient therefore is from a position of proven superiority."
Icy hooked both hands behind her head and leaned back in her chair.
"Ha! Listen to the mouse man. He thinks he's got us all figured out."
The sandy-haired psychologist pushed his glasses back up his on nose and turned a hard gaze on the ice witch.
"Don't make me angry Ms. Darkholme. You wouldn't like me when I'm angry."
Icy leaned one elbow on the table and glared back at him.
"I don't like you now, so shove off!"
Dr. Foler scowled at Icy.
"If we might get back to the business at hand? The second charge: fraternizing with patients."
Dr. Shreever folded his hands on the table in front of him and raised his chin.
"You mean sharing a pizza with my patients after hours. You call it fraternizing, I call it an informal group session."
Dr. Foler gave Shreever an over-the-glasses look.
"That was but the first of several such 'informal group sessions' you had with them, but moving on. The third charge: interfering with the scheduled serenity broadcasts."
Dr. Shreever frowned back at him.
"An issue we've been round and round on many a time before. Come now Herbert. If you're going to waste all of our time on baseless 'charges', at least come up with something new."
Dr. Foler gave a tight-lipped smile.
"As it happens I was just coming to that. Charge number four: inappropriate conduct toward a patient."
Despite a surge of sudden concern over the seriousness of such a charge Dr. Shreever remained outwardly calm as he shook his head.
"That's a little bit vague. It could easily apply to any of the so-called charges you've already named. Care to narrow that down a bit for us?"
Dr. Foler glanced down the length of his nose at his papers.
"I am referring to the incident two days ago with Ms. Darkholme. You may recall interrupting her regular sessions to take her to the gymnasium instead for a little fencing?"
Dr. Shreever's face turned grim as he saw where Dr. Foler was going with this.
"I do recall that. It was my considered opinion that a change in venue and tactics could open up a few doors for us."
Dr. Foler stared pointedly at him.
"It is the opening of certain doors which concerns me, one door in particular. According to the guards' report you entered the ladies' locker room after Ms. Darkholme had been in there for some time, and remained in there for an unseemly length of time. Would you care to explain why?"
The atmosphere in the room turned distinctly chilly as all eyes turned toward Dr. Shreever. He knew this was going to be a tricky one to defend against as even he had to admit that his actions that day had been less than professional. His only salvation, he knew, lay in Icy wanting to keep him around badly enough to back up his version of events. He steepled his hands on the table as he stared calmly back at Dr. Foler.
"I don't deny entering the ladies' changing room. As I'm sure the guards must have reported I gave Icy a rather sound thrashing during our duel and grew concerned when she took rather a long time coming out. I'm actually rather surprised that my aggressive dueling tactics aren't on your list of 'charges'."
Dr. Foler stared implacably back at him.
"They are in point of fact, but as you seemed eager to get to the more serious charges against you I elected to skip over all that."
Dr. Shreever inclinced his head in acknowledgement and continued.
"As I said, I grew concerned, so I went to check up on my patient. When I entered she complained of soreness from our duel, so I gave her a healing massage to ease her aches and pains."
Dr. Foler frowned at him.
"A massage? That's rather pushing the boundaries of acceptable doctor-patient relations. Was that all that happened in there?"
Dr. Shreever spread his hands before him.
"What more do you expect?"
Put off by Shreever's evasive answer, Dr. Foler turned his gaze toward Icy.
"And what say you Ms. Darkholme? Was that all that happened? A massage?"
Icy looked down at the table with an expression like she had bitten a lemon.
"No."
Dr. Foler leaned forward with interest.
"I see. What else happened?"
Icy raised her eyes and scowled at him.
"He confiscated the rapier I was trying to smuggle out with me."
Dr. Shreever smiled and chuckled.
"Hah hah. Of course. I'd quite forgotten about that part."
Secretly he was both relieved and grateful to Icy for bringing that up. For a few brief moments he had feared that Icy was about to sell him out by revealing what all had actually transpired between them in that locker room. Instead she had brought up a point that actually worked in his favor while simultaneously diverting Dr. Foler's attempt to dig for further details. In one stroke she had made him look more respectable and ended Dr. Foler's line of inquiry. If circumstances had allowed and he didn't think Icy would detest him for it he could have kissed her. Instead he settled for the satisfaction of watching Herbert Foler grump over having his hoped-for scandalous revelation turn into a metaphorical black eye. Sucking it up, Dr. Foler pressed onward.
"Yes, the guards did report that as well. A rather clumsy effort I would have expected any competent therapist to see through. Moving on, we come to Ms. Stormwind's unfortunate incident."
Icy leaned to one side and smirked.
"You mean the 'unfortunate incident' where Stormy almost bashed her own brains out trying to get her headband off?"
Dr. Foler flicked her a look of mild annoyance.
"Yes. Quite. Mere minutes after your own return from your little play date at the gymnasium Ms. Stormwind, for reasons as yet unclear, exhibited a fit of self-destructive behavior and attempted to remove her magic suppression headband through repeated application of blunt trauma to the frontal lobe."
Darcy slumped forward on the table, resting her chin on one arm and waving the other hand in the air boredly.
"Or in layman's terms she bashed her head on a rock over and over trying to get the damned thing off."
Dr. Shreever frowned at Dr. Foler.
"I do hope you are not seriously implying that was somehow my fault?"
Dr. Foler folded his hands on the desk before him.
"Quite the opposite in fact. While it can perhaps be argued that your method of making 'progress' with Ms. Stormwind's case may well have been a contributing factor in precipitating this event, I seriously doubt anything could have prevented it from occurring sooner or later anyway. No, what I blame you for is the manner in which this matter was resolved. Records from the time in question reveal that the reason you became aware of Ms. Stormwind's condition is because you received a comm crystal call from Ms. Darkholme."
The chorus of gasps and startled exclamations from the other members indicated that this was the first most of them had heard of this aspect of the case. Directly to Dr. Foler's right, Dr. Drekker leaned forward to stare down the length of the table at Dr. Shreever.
"Is zis true? You allowed a patient direct access to our private communications netvork?"
Dr. Shreever held out his hand placatingly.
"I allowed her access only to my own personal comm crystal through a dedicated direct link crystal. Without the use of their magic there is no way these girls could use it to connect with anyone other than myself."
Across from Dr. Drekker the dark-skinned beauty Dr. K'nanda spoke up.
"Den per'aps dat is why de Stormwind child was so eager to remove 'er 'eadband, so dat she could attempt to use 'er magic to tamper wit de crystal you provided."
This provoked an eruption of rauccous laughter from Icy and Darcy. Dr. Shreever looked like he was struggling mightily to suppress a smile and losing. Dr. Foler rapped his knuckles on the table in lieu of a gavel.
"Ms. Darkholme! Ms. Ravenov! Cease this outburst at once!"
Stormy looked like she was about ready to explode.
"Knock it off guys! It's not funny!"
Darcy wiped tears of mirth from her eyes.
"Come on. You? Hacking a comm crystal? That's about as likely as a heavy-weight boxer performing brain surgery."
Stormy crossed her arms and scowled.
"Hey, it could happen!"
Icy shook her head and smirked at her.
"Yeah, right. And Bloom's gonna walk in here and apologize for beating us and hand over the Dragonfire. You don't hack stuff Stormy. You break stuff."
Dr. Foler glared down the length of the table at the three witches.
"If you girls are quite finished?"
Icy waved a hand toward him magnanimously.
"Sure. Knock yourself out."
Dr. Foler "Hmph!"d quietly.
"Thank you! Regardless of whether or not these girls were actually capable of tampering with the crystal you provided them with, the fact remains that this was a serious infraction of the rules. Patients are not permitted access to our comm crystals. By providing these girls with a crystal you potentially opened up our private communications to eaves-dropping or abuse. This is a serious offense!"
Dr. Shreever slapped his hand down on the table and pointed at Dr. Foler.
"Wrong Herb! This is a safety issue! There is no regular monitoring of the meadow and no means for patients to call for help should they need it. Had I not provided Icy with that crystal it would have been a full hour before anyone knew that anything was wrong, in which time Stormy's brain injuries could have become irreversible or worse. She could have died! Rail against me all you want for breaking the rules but my conscience is clear."
Dr. Foler gazed very calmly back at him.
"There are procedures in place for dealing with potentially self-destructive patients Thaddeus. If you had reason to believe that Ms. Stormwind was a danger to herself the proper course of action would have been to report your concerns to me as head of staff so that arrangements could be made to have her watched. Instead you took it upon yourself to break the rules by providing these girls with access to our secure channels. This is unacceptable."
Dr. Lo glanced serenely back and forth between the two of them.
"As usual when the two of you bicker, I find that wisdom lies not with either side exclusively but in the middle ground. Dr. Shreever's actions may have violated important rules protecting our privacy and that of our patients but his solution was not entirely without merit. It did, as he points out, protect the well-being of his patient and quite possibly save her life. As Dr. Foler points out, however, Dr. Shreever should not have acted alone in this. His concerns should have been reported so that more comprehensive steps could have been taken to watch over Ms. Stormwind's safety and well-being. Perhaps then these three could have been provided with a means of summoning assistance that did not constitute a risk to our private communications."
Dr. Shreever nodded at the man seated beside Stormy.
"As always Dr. Lo, I am humbled by the keenness of hindsight in your words."
Dr. Foler scowled at him.
"You would do well to mind your tone Thaddeus, for we have yet to address the most unsettling charge against you."
'Here it comes,' thought Dr. Shreever. 'He's finally about to unveil his big surprise.' He folded his hands and gazed calmly back at his superior.
"And what might that be?"
Dr. Foler adjusted his spectacles and glanced at the top paper of the stack in front of him.
"I have reason to believe that you, Dr. Shreever, are becoming corrupted by these three young witches and are reverting once more to your old ways as a warlock."
The reactions from around the table, while not as loud as the last time, seemed more profoundly disturbed. Dr. Boyd held out her hand toward Dr. Foler.
"Doctor, that is a very serious charge you are leveling at a member of our own staff. Have you any proof of this?"
Dr. Foler gave a firm nod.
"Sadly I do. Dr. Adison, if you would kindly present the recording crystal I gave you earlier?"
Dr. Adison reached into the sleeve of his robe and withdrew a four inch rod of green crystal which he inserted into a conveniently placed stand set in the middle of the table. Dr. Foler continued.
"This is a recording taken just last night. I think you will find that it speaks for itself."
He nodded to Dr. Adison who reached out and touched the crystal in a certain way. In the next moment Icy's voice could be heard issuing from the crystal.
"What was that?"
Slightly quieter and less distinct came a reply in Stormy's voice.
"What was what?"
The looks on the faces of all three witches turned to shock and outrage as Icy's voice responded.
"I thought I just heard something, like a cricket chirping."
Now came Darcy's voice, also slightly quieter and less distinct than Icy's.
"That's all we need is crickets keeping us up all night."
The three witches glared angrily at Dr. Foler as Stormy's voice responded.
"Like they don't do enough to torment us in this place already!"
Darcy: "Maybe it snuck in from outside. They'll do that you know."
Stormy: "Forget about that. I wanna hear more about what all I missed yesterday. You said Shreever cheated at fencing?"
Icy: "Yeah. He judo flipped me. I could have taken him if he hadn't done that."
Darcy: "But that's good for us. A goodie-good would never cheat like that. He wanted that win bad enough to do whatever it took to get it."
Icy: "True. And that's not the only sign of progress from him either. After the match I took a shower while I had the chance-"
Darcy: "Lucky!"
Icy: "- and while I was toweling off Shreever waltzes in and starts giving me a massage."
Stormy: "No way!"
Icy: "Yes way."
Stormy: "You mean you let a guy run his hands all over you while you were naked?"
Icy: "Hey, I may not have Darcy's way with men but when an opportunity like that just falls in your lap you take it."
Stormy: "So how far'd you let him take it?"
Icy: "Let's just say he got a ..."
Just then the sound level dropped off and became too indistinct and garbled to understand. Dr. Eisenberg looked at Dr. Foler.
"What happened *gasp* to the audio? *gasp*"
Dr. Foler sat with his hands folded on the table.
"We presume that Ms. Darkholme shifted to a position which briefly covered the transmitter. Not to worry though. The recording picks back up again in a few seconds."
Icy, Darcy and Stormy were all exchanging looks of outrage over this invasion of their privacy. Meanwhile Dr. Shreever sat very still and expressionless, impassively taking it all in while his mind scrambled to find a way out of this mess. Just how damning would this recording turn out to be? At last the audio picked back up again.
Stormy: "-ver did that?"
Icy: "He certainly did. Of course the moment he realized what he was doing he stopped and apologized profusely."
Stormy: "Typical. He finally does something totally cool and then wimps out. They've turned him into a real wuss."
Darcy: "Maybe, but Icy and I took care of that after your little 'accident'."
Stormy: "What'd you guys do?"
Icy: "After we came by to check up on you Shreever took us both back to his office for a little two-on-one time."
Stormy: "Lemme guess. You guys vamped him again like you did last time?"
Darcy: "Didn't have to. Icy brought up what he did in the locker room and he went all emo on us again."
Icy: "So we told him how disgusting that was. He realized what a big wimp he'd become and vowed never to do that to himself again."
Stormy: "So you talked him into being arrogant again? Nice!"
Darcy: "Yep! At this rate we'll have him back on the side of evil in no time."
Icy: "Then he'll sign our walking papers and we'll be out of this place by the end of next week."
As the sound of all three girls laughing came from the crystal Dr. Foler caught Dr. Adison's eye and nodded. Dr. Adison reached out and touched the crystal, ending the playback. Before Dr. Foler could say a word, Icy jumped to her feet and pointed at him accusingly.
"You fucking prick! You hacked the comm crystal Shreever gave me and used it to eavesdrop on our conversation!"
Dr. Foler steepled his fingers as he gazed solemnly back at her.
"I admit that I had your crystal tapped so that we could more closely monitor the three of you. It seemed prudent after Ms. Stormwind's string of self-inflicted injuries, especially this latest one. Imagine my shock upon hearing the contents of this test run of the monitoring system. Patients plotting to subvert their therapist, and gloating over their success thus far! Outrageous! What have you to say to this Dr. Shreever?"
Shreever gazed quite calmly at Dr. Foler.
"What do I say to this? I say I just heard three young ladies, frustrated by their powerlessness to control their present circumstances, indulging in an elaborate fantasy where they use their wits to overcome the odds against them and grasping at straws to lend their fantasy verisimilitude. Not at all surprising really given their background and present incarceration."
A quick glance at the three witches revealed their reactions to be about what he would have expected: Stormy looked ready to pummel him within an inch of his life, while Darcy was looking at him with a mix of suspicion and uncertainty. Icy seemed the least affected of the three as she gave him a very calculating look. 'Sorry girls,' he thought to himself, 'but I can't afford to give these others the slightest room to wonder if there might be any truth to the things they've just heard you all say.' Dr. Foler frowned at him suspiciously.
"So you would have us believe that all of this was just idle talk? That there is no truth whatsoever to the things these girls had to say about you?"
Dr. Shreever crossed his arms.
"None whatsoever. I remain as firmly in control of myself as ever, and just as dedicated to the betterment and well-being of my patients."
Dr. Foler pounced on his words.
"So you claim, yet in this audio recording Ms. Darkholme-"
Dr. Shreever stabbed his finger at the tabletop as he leaned forward to interrupt.
"Icy! Her name is Icy. Please show my patient the courtesy of using her preferred form of address."
Dr. Foler shook his head irritably.
"Very well! 'Icy' indicated that you did something during the course of her massage so out of line that you felt the need to apologize to her profusely. Would you care to enlighten us as to exactly what that was?"
Since the moment the recording had ended Dr. Shreever had been wracking his brain trying to come up with an answer for this very question. The truth would be the end of his career, and would probably also get him recommitted as a patient himself, but any lie would have to be similar enough to the truth to be believable without being scandalous enough to ruin him. A quick glance at Icy showed him a small, barely discernible smirk. He knew she was enjoying watching him squirm, but she was probably also looking forward to seeing if he could dig himself out of this. Well, they were about to find out. He looked back at Dr. Foler, then lowered his gaze to the tabletop in evident shame and embarrassment.
"I... *sigh* During the course of her massage I'm afraid I inadvertently placed my knee between her thighs."
There was a small audible gasp from Dr. Boyd. Dr. Foler narrowed his eyes suspiciously.
"Indeed? And was that all you did?"
Dr. Shreever looked up at him with a look of mingled shame, bitterness and remorse.
"Isn't that enough?"
Dr. Foler pushed his spectacles back up on the bridge of his nose as he looked toward Icy.
"And what do you say Ms. Dar- I mean, Icy? Is that what happened?"
Icy leaned back in her chair and folded her arms with a subtle smirk.
"I don't know how 'inadvertent' it was, but yeah, that's what happened."
Dr. Foler tilted his head back, staring down the length of his nose at Icy doubtfully.
"I see. And what was your response to that?"
Icy leaned forward, bracing one elbow on the table and holding out the other hand.
"What do you think? I yelled at him to get the fuck away from me, then chewed him out for being such a perv until he was practically blubbering in apology. Then I let up on him and let him finish my massage."
Dr. Foler glanced skeptically at Dr. Shreever.
"And is this your version of event as well?"
Dr. Shreever raised his head indignantly.
"I don't recall 'blubbering', but yes, basically, that's what happened."
Dr. Foler folded his hands on the table in front of him.
"You do realize that such an incident is technically grounds for dismissal?"
Dr. Drekker was quick to add "Not to mention revocation of your license to practice psychology?"
Dr. Shreever lowered his gaze to scowl bitterly at the table in front of him.
"Yes."
Stormy slammed her hands down on the table and leaned forward to glare at Dr. Foler angrily.
"That's bullshit!"
Darcy placed a hand on the storm witch's shoulder and spoke in a cautionary tone.
"Stormy..."
Dr. Foler barely glanced at Stormy before turning his attention to Icy.
"However, under the circumstances I do not believe it would be inappropriate to let the aggrieved party choose whether or not we should pursue such measures."
Icy's eyes went wide with surprise. Had they just handed her the power to choose whether or not Shreever continued to practice psychology? Her eyes locked with his for a moment, then she looked back at Dr. Foler.
"Nah. I overreacted. He apologized. As far as I'm concerned the matter's closed."
Dr. Foler nodded solemnly.
"So noted. Ladies, we would like to thank you for your participation in these proceedings. The guards will escort you back to the antechamber while we deliberate the issue of your continued course of treatment."
Darcy wore a look of mild shock and outrage, mirrored by her sisters, as she grasped the edge of the table and leaned forward.
"You're kicking us out?"
Dr. Foler laid his hands on the arms of his chair and leaned back with an aloof air.
"Your participation was of value during the fact-gathering portion of this hearing, but now that we are entering the deliberations your continued presence is no longer required. You will be informed once we have reached a decision."
Icy pushed back her seat and rose.
"Come on ladies. Let's blow this scene."
As the other two rose, Stormy deliberately knocked her chair over backwards.
"Yeah. This party was lame anyways."
Before turning to go, Icy fished something out of her left sleeve and tossed it down on the table where it clattered noisily almost all the way to the other end.
"And you can keep your little spy device. Its presence is also no longer required."
Dr. Shreever also rose and placed a hand on Icy's shoulder.
"Thank you for coming girls, and for being on your best behavior."
Icy gave him a smirking grin as they started toward the door. As they filed out they could hear Dr. Boyd say "If that was their best behavior, I'd hate to see them on a tear."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
During the next several minutes the three young witches could occasionally hear the sound of voices raised in anger coming through the closed door as they waited in the antechamber, but they were never able to quite make out what was being said. Finally, after what seemed like an interminable period of waiting, the door opened and the board members began filing out. The three girls jumped out of their seats and gathered around Dr. Shreever as he emerged. The look on his face made it clear that things hadn't gone the way he would have wanted them to. Darcy was the first to question him.
"What happened in there?"
Stormy chimed in right behind her.
"Did they fire you?"
Shreever gave the three a bitter look.
"No, they didn't fire me, but I am on disciplinary review until next month's board meeting."
Icy leaned in toward him.
"What about us? You're still our shrink, right?"
Dr. Shreever gazed back at her for a moment, then bowed his head and closed his eyes.
"No, I'm afraid not."
Darcy wore a look of mild shock.
"No."
Stormy looked mad enough to spit.
"This is bullshit!"
Icy flung an arm out to the side.
"Well if you're not our shrink anymore then who is?"
Dr. Foler stepped over to join them.
"An interesting question. As Dr. Shreever pointed out to us during our meeting, now that both he and I have failed in your course of treatment there is no one left on our staff capable of handling the three of you."
Icy poked a finger at Foler's chest.
"Thaddeus didn't fail. You kicked him off our case."
Dr. Foler plucked her finger off his chest and gently moved it away.
"Be that as it may, the fact remains that not a single member of our staff is qualified to handle all three of you. Therefore, each one of you will be assigned two separate therapists."
Stormy looked confused.
"Wait, you're assigning us two shrinks now?"
Darcy frowned at her.
"No. Weren't you listening? He's assigning us six shrinks, two for each of us."
Stormy's eyes went wide at that.
"What?! You've gotta be kidding me!"
Dr. Foler returned her a level gaze.
"I assure you, I am quite in earnest. Seeing how the three of you have been making such use of your superior numbers to team up against both Dr. Shreever and myself I felt it only fair to turn that tactic back upon you. No longer will the three of you be seeing the same therapist. Instead, each of you shall have her own private pair of therapists. It required a bit of schedule juggling for each of your therapists to free up a slot for one of you girls, but-"
Icy cut him off with a sweep of her hand.
"Forget that! Who'd you saddle each of us with this time?"
Dr. Foler adjusted his glasses in mild annoyance as he turned his gaze upon her.
"You, 'Icy', have been assigned to Dr. Elizabeth K'nanda, who specializes in dealing with strong-willed and narcissistic personalities, and Dr. Henry Eisenberg, who focuses on stress relief and relaxation techniques."
Icy's eyes went wide with outrage.
"Eisenberg!?! You're sticking me with the pig man?"
Stormy sneered at her mockingly.
"Sucks to be you! Who'd I get?"
Dr. Foler regarded her reprovingly.
"Your therapists will be Dr. Peter Adison-"
Stormy cut him off angrily.
"Adison?! The mouse guy?"
Dr. Foler continued with only a hint of annoyance.
"- who is our top anger management specialist, -"
This time it was Darcy who interrupted him.
"Well, he's really got his work cut out for him!"
Dr. Foler flicked his eyes at Darcy in irritation as he continued.
"And Dr. Lo Hung, practitioner of dream analysis and hypnotic regression techniques in the pursuit of inner tranquility and personal self-enlightenment."
Icy grinned mockingly.
"You're kidding me! His name is actually Low Hung? With a name like that he shoulda been one of Darcy's."
Darcy wore a thoughtful frown.
"So I guess that leaves me with Dr. Freud and the librarian."
Dr. Foler turned to face her.
Dr. Hans Drekker is our resident expert in patients with sexual disorders, while Dr. Francine Boyd specializes in self-actualization techniques with a focus on empowering women."
Darcy scowled at him.
"I don't have any sexual disorders. And the only empowering I need is getting this stupid headband off and getting out of here."
Icy grinned at her.
"Hey Darcy, I'll trade ya Eisenberg for Boyd."
Darcy shuddered in revulsion.
"No thanks! I'll pass."
Stormy chimed in.
"Trade ya Dr. Hung for her. I wanna see how 'empowered' she feels when she's hiding under her desk."
Darcy grinned back at her.
"Done. You can even have Dr. Drekker. You need him more than me."
Dr. Foler frowned at the three witches.
"These assignations are not open for negotiation. Your new schedules will begin on Monday. Enjoy your three day weekend ladies."
With that he turned and left, all three witches glaring after him. Icy turned to Dr. Shreever.
"So that's it? You're just gonna let him push you out and leave us in the care of these losers?"
Dr. Shreever frowned back at her somewhat bitterly.
"Believe me, I pushed as hard as I dared, but much as I believe I am still the only therapist who can actually reach you three I refuse to place my job in jeopardy over it when clearly the board have already made up their minds against me."
Darcy stepped up to him and stabbed her finger at his chest.
"In other words you bailed on us to save your career."
Dr. Shreever puffed up in annoyance.
"I did what I had to do! If there had been a real chance that they would have let me continue on as your therapist have no doubt I would have fought with might and main to make that happen."
Stormy crossed her arms and looked away.
"Yeah yeah. Whatever."
Icy placed her hands on her hips and turned to the side.
"You had your chance Thad but you blew it. Nobody turns their backs on us! Come on ladies. We're done here."
The three witches turned and marched out of the antechamber, Guard One and Buard B hurrying to fall in step on either side of them with startled looks. Dr. Shreever stood there seething with anger as he watched them go, then stalked out the door himself and with one last glance at the departing trio turned to head back to his office.
When he arrived there he threw the folder he was carrying down on the desk in a rage, watching its contents scatter on the floor.
"Damn it all!"
At that moment the tiny crystal ball on his desk chimed. He gave a startled look, then hurredly sealed the door, waved his hand over the crystal and went down on one knee with his head bowed.
"Master?"
A nightmarish skeletal figure appeared in the air above the crystal, clad in rust red armor. Strips of black cloth dangled from his arms as he stood with his hands on his hips.
"It's about time. I've been trying to reach you for the past twenty minutes."
Dr. Shreever looked up with a look of contrition.
"Forgive me Lord Darkar, but I was unavoidably detained."
Darkar made an impatient, dismissive wave of his hand.
"Never mind that. I see from Kerbog's report that you've made quite a find."
Dr. Shreever smiled wickedly.
"Indeed I have. Three young witches full of attitude and rage, just waiting to be plucked up to serve you."
Darkar grinned back at him.
"Excellent. When I planted you in Light Haven to ferret out the locations of the pieces of the Codex for me I never expected such a windfall. Are they controllable?"
Dr. Shreever's expression turned nuetral.
"Not as such, no, but they are easily manipulated. You should have no trouble convincing them to serve you once you free them from this place."
Darkar nodded.
"Good. Have you made the preparations for my arrival?"
Dr. Shreever bowed once more from his kneeling position.
"I have sabotaged both the dimensional barrier around Light Haven itself and the containment spell enclosing the Virtual Meadow. They should be child's play for you to breach when you arrive."
Darkar rubbed his bony hands together in anticipation.
"Very good. I can hardly wait to pick up my new minions."
Dr. Shreever looked up with a worried expression.
"Forgive me my lord, but you might not want to call them 'minions' to their faces. They are very proud and headstrong and would not respond well to being considered such."
Darkar raised his head arogantly.
"I'll take that under advisement. Now I want you to return to Shadowhaunt. I'll be bringing the real Dr. Shreever to take your place when I arrive."
The would-be warlock tilted his head curously at that.
"Won't he tell the others where he has been?"
Darkar shook his helmeted head.
"No. I've erased all of his memories of the past two months. He will wake up in his office chair completely unaware that any time has passed since the day I abducted him."
A malicious smirk appeared on the doppleganger's face.
"I could almost feel sorry for him, having to face the consequences of my actions here during that time, and with absolutely no idea why."
Darkar raised his hand toward the imposter.
"Does anyone suspect you?"
The false psychologist shook his head.
"They suspect Dr. Shreever of a few things but none suspect that I am not him."
Darkar lowered his hand and gave a nod.
"Then that's how we'll leave it. The less anyone knows about our actions here the better. Now return at once. I've got my sights set on capturing a certain paladin. Congratulations. You're going to be teaching at the Alfea School of Magix this year."
Three red lightning bolts appeared on each of the creature's cheeks as he grinned back at his master.
"I can hardly wait."
- 20
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Therapy: Three Witches and a Shrink