~

“Hey, Allie,” Elizabeth said, giving her a quick glance before turning her eyes back towards the television.

“Hey,” Allison replied softly, while taking off her coat. Once she was done, she trotted over to the sofa and flopped down right next to her former mentor with a sigh. Elizabeth reached her arm around and rubbed Allison’s shoulder affectionately, to which she leaned in and closed her eyes. After a few minutes of peaceful relaxation, with the television serving as the only source of noise, Allison began to speak while keeping her eyes closed.

“Any developments?” she murmured, which elicited a small sigh.

“Nothing public,” Elizabeth answered.

“What about private?” asked Allison.

“One of my contacts says that they’re reviewing security camera footage around the financial square where Timmy died, as well as his last known location before he died,” Elizabeth replied. Allison opened her eyes and looked at her with a slightly confused eye.

“They didn’t do that when it first happened?” she asked incredulously.

“They didn’t do anything, honey,” came the reply. “No need to investigate when they thought they already caught the killer.”

“That’s dumb,” Allison muttered, to which Elizabeth nodded in agreement.

“What’s happening in the news, then?” she continued. Elizabeth’s face darkened.

“They showed the bodycam footage again,” she said quietly. “Edited, of course, but I still had to change the channel eventually.”

“Yeah…” Allison whispered. 

“That footage keeps me up at night, Allie,” Elizabeth admitted.

“Me too.”

“You know, when Steve gave it to me a few weeks ago, he told me that he couldn’t let me watch it with him. He said it was because once I did, I would despise him,” she continued.

“Really?” Allison asked. This was the first time she was hearing this.

“Yeah. And you know what? As unbelievably grateful as I am to him for giving us that footage, he was right,” Elizabeth replied, as her face twisted in anger. “I don’t care how angry he was that a child was dead, I simply can’t believe the way he kept kicking Brian like that! I could never forgive someone for violently and heartlessly abusing my sweet boy.”

She paused and took a breath, getting her anger under control. After a moment, her face dropped in unbearable sadness at the memory.

“His screams haunt me,” she continued quietly. “Moments after a child died in his arms…”

She stopped and lightly slapped her cheeks a few times, which also snapped Allison out of her own haze. She had been staring straight ahead while Elizabeth was talking, her eyes carrying an ocean of darkness.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t be talking about this,” Elizabeth hurriedly said. “I’ll just say that I’m glad Brian had no desire to watch the footage. If he had wanted to, I’m not sure if I would have let him.”

“Yeah…” Allison whispered. Personally, she had immensely regretted watching the footage, and was extremely relieved that Brian wouldn’t have to relive that memory.

“Anyway, enough about that,” Elizabeth said, turning the volume down on the news. “How was your session, honey? Did you tell her about Brian?”

Allison perked up slightly at the mention of her session.

“Yeah, I did,” she answered. “Before you ask, she’s not going to tell anybody. For one thing, she assured me that we have doctor-patient confidentiality. For another, she believed me when I told her that he was innocent, and she’s really happy that I’m part of the effort to prove it. She actually gave me a hug at the end of the session, saying that she was so proud of me for saving his life.”

Elizabeth beamed.

“Oh, I think I love her,” she gushed. “That makes me so happy to hear. I’m really glad you have somebody else to talk to about all this.”

“Yeah,” Allison replied, reciprocating her smile. “Still, it’s crazy to think how many people are coming around to the possibility that Brian is innocent. A month ago, I never would have told her about him, but now it feels like we’re finally getting to the place where we don’t have to keep it a secret.”

“I know what you mean. And it’s all because of us,” Elizabeth replied jovially, before adopting a teasing grin. “You saved Brian, he came up with the idea to find the officer that arrested him, and I beat the bodycam footage out of him. We all had a part!”

“Professor!” Allison exclaimed jokingly, jabbing her with an elbow. “You did not beat it out of him!”

She paused.

“…you didn’t, right?” she asked nervously, to which Elizabeth laughed out loud.

“Of course not. I simply charmed him with my loveliness, that’s all,” she replied with a wink.

“You’re killing me,” Allison groaned, before collapsing back onto Elizabeth’s side, resting her head on her shoulder. Elizabeth wrapped her arm around Allison and squeezed her tight. After a moment, though, she adopted a somewhat conflicted expression.

“I did manipulate him, though,” she said quietly, causing Allison to furrow her brow.

“What?” she asked.

“It’s not important. Anyway, you told your therapist. Did you have a productive session after that?”

“Yeah, but…” Allison started, trailing off at the end as she adopted a troubled expression.

“What is it, honey?” Elizabeth asked concernedly.

“Well, we spent most of the time talking about the breakup…” she continued, to which Elizabeth nodded knowingly.

“I see, I see,” she said softly. “I’m sure that wasn’t easy.”

“Yeah… but, it’s just…” Allison said, before letting out a huff. “She said that I’m still acting possessive of him.”

“What did she mean?” Elizabeth asked, raising an eyebrow.

“I don’t know…” Allison muttered. “Just, like, I broke up with him, but she said I’m acting like he’s not allowed to move on, or something…”

“I see,” Elizabeth replied softly, internally agreeing with the assessment. 

“She told me, if I truly believe that breaking up with him was completely for his own good, then I have to accept the possibility that he might move on. She said that it would be selfish to expect him to wait around until I’m ready. And…”

“What is it?”

After a brief hesitation, Allison groaned in frustration as she adopted a sour expression.

“She asked me how I would feel if Brian found another girl,” she muttered. Elizabeth was slightly stunned, but she soon understood the value in such a question.

“Well, how would you feel?” she asked hesitantly. After another moment of uncomfortable silence, Allison’s expression transformed into one of rage.

“I’d feel fucking awful!” she exclaimed. “Are you kidding me?! My Brian with another girl?! I don’t want some weirdo to come snatch him up, I want him to be mine forever!”

Allison huffed in anger once more, before looking down at the floor as she grinded her teeth. Elizabeth needed a moment to adjust after her unexpected outburst.

“I-I see…” she stammered, now completely understanding what her therapist meant by possessive.

“She’s just saying the same thing as Brian,” Allison angrily continued. “She’s saying that I was being selfish by breaking up with him. She doesn’t understand!”

“Is that what Brian said to you yesterday?” Elizabeth asked softly.

“Yeah…” Allison sighed. “It’s just… I didn’t want to do it. Of course I didn’t! I did it because I thought it was the right decision! But now… Brian isn’t happy, I’m not happy, and everybody is saying that I was being selfish. Maybe it wasn’t the right decision, after all…”

“Well, honey, I’m not saying you were selfish,” Elizabeth quickly assured. “I think you were scared. And don’t forget, I heavily influenced the decision.”

Allison nodded, still keeping her eyes on the floor. Elizabeth rubbed her shoulder comfortingly.

“I was scared, too. Brian, and your therapist, didn’t see what we saw. They didn’t see him scream and cry, terrified out of his mind because he didn’t know where he was or why he was small. It’s impossible to overstate how much I don’t want to see something like that happen ever again, and I made a judgement call in service of that desire.”

Allison nodded once again, glad that at least one person understood her point of view.

“With that being said, though…  Elizabeth said, adopting a sad smile. “Perhaps I was misguided.”

Allison’s eyes shot up at her in modest shock.

“Maybe I was too concerned with his safety, and not enough with his happiness,” she continued.

“Where’s this coming from?” Allison asked in awe. After Elizabeth’s harsh scolding, this was the last thing she had expected to hear.

“Well, I had a talk of my own with Brian yesterday,” Elizabeth replied. “He made some good observations about the way I’ve been treating him, and it gave me a lot to think about.”

“What kind of observations?” Allison asked, gently pulling away from Elizabeth’s side so she could face her more fully.

“Oh, you know… just that I’m extremely protective of him, perhaps to the point that I’m overbearing,” Elizabeth said, averting her eyes in embarrassment.

“I see,” replied Allison, trying not to smile.

“It got me thinking about why I treat him like that, you know…” she said, before trailing off. Suddenly, Elizabeth’s adopted an expression of deep, refined sadness.

“I, um… I told him that I love him like a son, and… that I know what it’s like to lose a son,” she whispered, trying not to get emotional. Allison’s eyes softened in sympathy, and she scooted closer so she could hold Elizabeth’s hands.

“Brian is just so small, so fragile,” she continued, slightly gritting her teeth. “It would be so easy to lose him, too… Ever since I first saw him, and especially after I learned what his mother did to him… I committed myself to protecting him in the way that he should have been protected. If I were to let something happen to him… I don’t know what I would do.”

She couldn’t stop herself from tearing up a bit, which Allison noticed.

“I understand,” she softly replied, “I feel the same way. That’s why I broke up with him, because I kept hurting him. How could I forgive myself for that?”

“I do know this, though,” Elizabeth said firmly, pulling one hand away and wiping the tears away. “Loving someone means carrying the risk of hurting them, and being hurt by them.”

“What does that mean?” Allison asked. Elizabeth sighed in soft contemplation.

“Losing my boy was the worst thing that ever happened to me,” she said quietly. “It caused me, and still causes me, more pain than I ever thought was possible. It’s the kind of pain that I would never wish on anybody, no matter how terrible they are. Not a day goes by that I wish I didn’t have to feel this pain. But you know what I realized last night?”

She looked into Allison’s eyes, and adopted a warm smile.

“I would never give this pain up, if it meant never having had my son in the first place. The happiness that he brought me is worth every bit of sadness I feel now, because it’s simply a reminder of how much I loved him,” she said, positively glowing with emotion. Allison couldn’t prevent a few tears of her own, and she smiled back.

“Do you understand what I’m saying?” Elizabeth asked. “You might hurt Brian. He might hurt you. But the pain that might happen in the future is nothing compared to the happiness that you bring each other. That’s what I hadn’t realized when I encouraged you to step away from your relationship. You can’t let the fear of pain stop you from seeking happiness.”

“I understand,” Allison whispered emotionally, as she came to an epiphany. “You’re right. Thank you.”

“It is my absolute pleasure, sweetheart,” Elizabeth replied. “That’s what mentors are for.”

Allison smiled even wider, her eyes positively glowing with appreciation.

“I did learn another lesson from my chat with Brian, though,” Elizabeth continued, holding one finger up for emphasis. Allison made a questioning noise.

“We can’t leave him out of the conversation anymore,” she explained firmly. “If you’re going to make a decision about your relationship, you have to talk about it with him first.”

At that, Allison’s eyes widened slightly as her heart sped up.

“But… but… what if it’s too late? What if I hurt him too badly? My talk with him yesterday ended horribly, what if I pushed him too far?” she asked nervously.

“What did I just say about not letting fear stop you?” Elizabeth gently chided. “The only way to find out is by talking to him. Tell him what you’re feeling, and just be honest. You’re one of the strongest people I’ve ever met, Allie. You’ll be okay.”

“Okay,” Allison said firmly, closing her eyes and letting out a determined huff. She then rose to her feet and adopted a serious expression.

“I can do this. I want him back,” she continued, as if carving the goal into her soul.

“Good luck, honey,” Elizabeth said, unable to prevent herself from smiling.

Just like that, Allison was ready to try and repair her relationship with the one-inch man she had rescued from death.