Memories

XXXV

BATTLE SCARS

'These battle scars, don't look like they're fading
Don't look like they're ever going away
They ain't never gonna change'

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Wymack took them back to the Columbia house. It was clear Neil didn't want to spend any more time in the city, but Thalia couldn't imagine going back to her teammates just yet. It had only been a few hours since the incident, and Thalia needed more time to process everything. 

Neil and Thalia had been relegated to the backseat while Andrew sat up front with Wymack, but none of them got out immediately when they pulled into the driveway. Thalia sighed and pushed the car door open. The men followed her lead, and soon they were walking towards the house. Thalia almost didn't notice the unfamiliar car in the driveway ahead of them, but Andrew smiled his manic smile and spread his arms as the door opened.

Betsy Dobson, the teams - but more importantly, Andrew's - therapist, stood in the doorway to the house. Neil stopped where he was, and Thalia wasn't long behind him. She hated the woman because she forced Thalia to speak and think about things she wanted to leave behind. Things she wished she forgot.

"Oh, Bee! What great timing. We were just talking about you," Andrew said. "I've got other things to do right now, but Neil said he would keep you company in my stead. You don't mind, do you? I didn't think you would."

"I mind," Neil spoke. "I have nothing to say to her."

"I'm sure you'll come up with something." Andrew smiled back at Neil. "You always do, right? It doesn't have to be the truth, you know. Bee's not expecting honesty from you. I told her not to trust a single word you said, or have you started playing the secrets game with her too?"

"I said no."

Andrew fully turned to Neil and stuffed his hands in his pockets. Thalia looked between the two and debated stepping in, but instead she stayed where she was, opting to listen to their conversation. "You misunderstand," Andrew said. "I wasn't asking, Neil. You helped create this mess, the least you can do is help clean it up. Where's your sense of responsibility?" Thalia tensed.

"Andrew, that's a little harsh," she said quietly, and, surprisingly, Andrew turned to her.

"And you," he said, but Thalia wasn't scared. "Did you know you could be charged with post mortem disfigurement, or something? Criminology classes come in handy with these sorts of things." Thalia swallowed. She'd figured something like that could happen. She looked down. 

"Where's yours," Neil asked, getting their original conversation back on track and away from Thalia. "Why didn't you tell Higgins?" Thalia looked up at that. She wanted to hear Andrew's answer to that. See if it was similar to her own. 

"He wasn't ready for it back then." Andrew said. "He and Drake were friends. They met in the PAL programme and hit it off somehow. I knew he wouldn't believe me, so I didn't bother trying."

"So you did nothing," Neil said. "You didn't lift a finger to protect Cass's other children. You knew what Drake would do to them, but you did nothing."

"There weren't supposed to be other children," Andrew said, sliding a glance at Thalia.

"But there were." Neil reminded him. Thalia squeezed her eyes shut. Andrew laughed and stepped forward, wrapping a hand around Neil's throat. Thalia tensed again, and she could see that Wymack was too, but she shook her head at him in a silent plea to stay out of it.

"I hope she was worth it," Neil whispered and Thalia took in a sharp breath. 

"Oh, Neil. You are far too heavy to tread on ice this thin." Andrew said.