new york wolves } { of first appointments and boiler plate answers

[likeababyduck]

Derek: [knocking on the door frame] Dr. Sweets? [yeah, it's weird to hear that as a name. He almost didn't believe Flack when he told him, but it was on the door. Poor guy]

Sweets: [glances up with a grin] Hi. You must be Detective Hale. Come on in.

Derek: That would be me. [walks in, holding out his hand for a shake] Nice to meet you.

Sweets: You as well. [he shakes his hand firmly before gesturing to a cluster of comfy chairs that he has set up in the corner] Have a seat.

Derek: [moves to sit where indicated] I hope I'm not taking up too much of your time. Flack told me it was protocol.

Sweets: Not at all. This is my job, and it's not like there are a lot of werewolf friendly shrinks in the city.

Derek: [eyebrow raised] You know.

Sweets: I know. That's why he sent you to me and not the standard department shrink.

Derek: Makes sense. [leans back a bit] So, what do you need from me to be able to get me back to work?

Sweets: Well, right now I just want to get a feel for each other. Once I get a sense of your mental state and see where you're head's at, we can go from there.

Derek: Well, I’ve been on vacation for two weeks so right now I'm antsy and just want to get back to work already.

Sweets: I get that. Trust me, I won't keep you any longer than I have to - but this isn't a one size fits all process. I won't know if there are any concerns we need to address until we start talking - I usually take at least two sessions - one for you to get to know me and build a little comfort zone, and then two to actually start talking about the situation.

Derek: I get that. So where should we start.

Sweets: Well, do you have any questions for me? Anything you're curious about or want to know? Considering you're basically trusting me with your secrets, most people want to be thorough.

Derek: Not really. If Flack feels you're safe enough for me to talk to, that's all I need.

Sweets: Really? So you don't want to know anything about me at all?

Derek: Not unless you think it's relevant.

Sweets: Huh. Alright, then let's talk about you. How long have you lived in New York?

Derek: Since 2011. We moved from California after the house fire.

Sweets: And that's you and ... ?

Derek: My older sister Laura, younger sister Cora, sister turned cousin now Malia, and my uncle Peter. Everyone else died in the fire.

Sweets: That's still a pretty big family.

Derek: We were three times that size before.

Sweets: It must have been a hard loss.

Derek: [nods] Yeah, it was. Especially since our parents were in there. And Peter just barely survived.

Sweets: Have you been back to Beacon Hills since the fire?

Derek: No.

Sweets: Have you thought about it?

Derek: A while back, when I was younger. But now, not really. There's really nothing for me there anymore. So unless my sister decides we need to go back, I'm happy here.

Sweets: Why would it be your sister's choice?

Derek: You know about werewolves... so you know a pack goes where the alpha takes them.

Sweets: Ah. I didn't know your sister was the alpha. All I knew was that you were a werewolf.

Derek: My mother was the alpha. She died in the fire, and the spark passed to her.

Sweets: [nods a bit as he processes that] So you probably miss your mother the most.

Derek: Yeah. She and I were very close, but we were a close family in general. We all miss her.

Sweets: Are you close like that with anyone else in your family?

Derek: My sisters and Malia. I used to be that close to Peter but it was strained for a while after the fire. We're getting better though.

Sweets: Why was it strained?

Derek: He blamed me for the fire. I was dating the woman who orchestrated the entire thing.

Sweets: And your relationship has never recovered from that?

Derek: It's starting to. Peter had a bit more trauma to recover from than the rest of us so it's always been on his terms.

Sweets: But you feel like he's coming around?

Derek: Yeah. We're getting there.

Sweets: Do you think that this recent case helped in that respect?

Derek: It gave a good push in it, but we had started beforehand. My sister has been helping Peter learn to move on from the position he put himself in after we got to New York and had to reestablish pack responsibilities.

Sweets: And how's that working for him?

Derek: So far so good. I think he's actually starting to move on.

Sweets: And what about you? Have you moved on?

Derek: I'm getting there. It's taking time to finally come to terms that it wasn't my fault. I carried that around for a long time, not wanting to believe others when they told me it. But after the case... I'm starting to let myself believe that.

Sweets: How does that feel?

Derek: [shrugs] Not sure what you mean by that.

Sweets: [yep, he's not dumb. This is all pretty boilerplate] Usually guilt can weigh a person down in a lot of ways. How does it feel to have that being lifted?

Derek: Confusing sometimes. Mostly good though. Sometimes I need to stop and remind myself of it, but it's a work in progress.

Sweets: Aren't we all?

Derek: [small snort and smirk] I guess.

Sweets: So why a cop?

Derek: Flack found me when I had just gotten to town. Not easy for a seventeen year old to make friends when you're not in school. He kinda became my mentor, and felt it would be a good way for me to feel that I had a bit of control in getting justice for people who have been hurt by others. And he was right... like usual.

Sweets: You really trust his judgement.

Derek: He hasn't led me wrong yet. And it took him a long time to earn it.

Sweets: Mmm. Which means it will probably take a long time for us to build the same rapport.

Derek: Probably. You do get some trust already since Flack trusts you to talk to me. So you're not starting with nothing.

Sweets: No, but I know shallow answers when I hear them. Eventually I'm going to need a little more than that.

Derek: [and one eyebrow goes up] I've been completely honest. If you don't think I have been, then maybe Flack was wrong.

Sweets: I didn't say you weren't honest. The word I used was "shallow." Just enough of the truth to get me to move on, but a little too pleasant. Think you're fine and you'll actually be fine, right?

Derek: I've already had two breakdowns and two weeks of time to reflect and find my own way to move on. [leans forward] It comes down to me needing to feel useful, learning to forgive myself, and how to deal with learning to open up again in terms of relationships. I do have an alpha who tends to know me just a bit better and seeing that she's also my older sister, has more vested interest in my psyche and helping me move on.

Sweets: Yeah, but your alpha isn't the one who's going to rubber stamp your return to duty. [that would be him] And I saw the tape of the interrogation - you don't process that kind of trauma in two weeks.

Derek: I didn't say I was cured. I said I found a way to move on. It’s a work in progress. [one hindered by keeping him from working he would add]

Sweets: Well, that's for me to judge. It's nothing personal, but Captain Flack is trusting my opinion both as a professional and his friend, and he knew in advance that I wasn't going to go easy on you. You've obviously convinced yourself - now you've got to convince me too. And you're not going to do that by giving me boiler plate answers.

Derek: [just watches him a moment] Then I guess we'll just see what happens. [because nope, he'll be honest, but he's not going to give openings for Sweets to dig into. He has over ten years of practice since Paige's death on that]

Sweets: I guess we will. [he glances down at his watch before nodding] I'd like to meet twice a week, if that works for you?

Derek: Depends on you. I'm pretty sure you're not clearing me for my gun and badge, but am I clear for desk duty or you recommending I stay on leave completely? That'll have an effect on my schedule.

Sweets: [tips his head to the side, before shaking his head] No, I'll clear you for desk duty.

Derek: Good. Then I'll just be down the street and as long as I'm not being buried in paperwork from my team, I should be fine.

Sweets: Great. You can schedule your next appointment with Maria on the way out. [he glances down at his watch] Though that should be good for today. [he gets up and moves over to shake his hand] It was nice meeting you, Detective.

Derek: [stands and shakes his hand back] See you soon then, Doctor. [and he will go and make that appointment schedule, grab a coffee for himself - and one for Kate - and head back to the station]

Flack: [is leaning against Kate's desk, looking over the murder board when he sees him with a smirk] Well, you're not pissed. I'm not sure if that's a good or bad sign.

Derek: [leaves the coffee on Kate's desk and shrugs, moving to stand beside him] Hey, I get procedure. I'm not going to be pissed at you for that. The fact I'm stuck on desk duty and not out in the field where I'm actually useful? Now that I'm pissed about.

Flack: At least you're on desk duty. Administrative work may be boring, but it beats sitting at home wanting to blow your brains out.

Derek: Maybe you should have thought of that then two weeks ago instead of siding with my sister.

Flack: [shakes his head] Nah, we needed you out of here until that case cleared up. That I couldn't do anything about.

Derek: [nods, sipping his coffee] So what's going on here? [because yup, that was the end of that discussion]

Flack: [sighs, but will change the subject] Castle and Beckett are working this crazy case. Apparently it ties back to these murders from the forties? Pretty crazy stuff.

Derek: Castle must be loving it. Is he walking around talking like some kind of noir style detective?

Flack: Oh, you bet.

Derek: Has she smacked him yet? [smirks]

Flack: [laughs] Not yet, but she's getting there.

Derek: Maybe having me back will help corral her slapping urges.

Flack: We can only hope.

Derek: Anything I can do on this? I'm apparently going to be becoming very familiar with my computer.

Flack: Actually ... how about something without a computer?

Derek: Like?

Flack: Castle's been going through the PI from the first case's journal. Maybe it could use some fresh eyes.

Derek: Alright, I can do that.

Flack: It's in here. [and he will lead the way to the evidence room to set Derek up]

Derek: [and he's going to just sit there reading through the journal, taking notes and sipping his coffee, lost in the world of the journal]

Beckett: [and eventually the rest of them will wander back and she'll track him down with a smile] Look who's back.

Derek: [he'll look up and flash her a grin] Yeah, desk duty for now, but I'm back. I left you a coffee on your desk if Flack didn't confiscate it.

Beckett: [holds it up] Don't worry, I saved it.

Derek: [puts a bookmark in the journal and sits back in his seat, regarding her a bit] So what'd I miss?

Beckett: Oh, just the usual. Murderers killed people. We caught them.

Derek: Good to know some things never change.

Beckett: [she nods as she moves to sit across from him, pulling out a chair] New York can be a pretty predictable place when it wants to be. How was the Hamptons?

Derek: Beach and ocean, kinda monotonous after a while. Did a lot of reading.

Beckett: Read anything good?

Derek: Not really. Castle's libraries tend to be all murder and sci-fi. More Peter's taste.

Beckett: What do you usually read?

Derek: Classics. Alternative histories and dystopian novels.

Beckett: So you like morals and warnings with your fiction.

Derek: Something like that.

Beckett: Good to know.

Derek: So pretty much spent most of it bored and just wanting to come back to work.

Beckett: Well, you're back now.

Derek: Yeah... and regulated to desk duty.

Beckett: I worked a desk for a while too after I got shot. It's protocol.

Derek: Yeah, I know that. But I’m pretty sure that this doc isn't going to let me take the easy pass through the program.

Beckett: Who'd you get?

Derek: Lance Sweets. Private psych since no one in the department knows about my genetic complications.

Beckett: [pauses for a moment before she looks up] I've heard of him. He worked with this odd couple partnership in the FBI for the past couple years. He wrote a book about them - with their permission.

Derek: ... What kind of book about them?

Beckett: It was just about their relationship. About how on all accounts, on paper they shouldn't work, but for some reason they do. [there’s a beat] I've worked with the FBI agent in the partnership though. From what I can tell, Sweets is good. He'll help if you let him.

Derek: Yeah, he called me out on having shallow answers.

Beckett: He's used to working with cops.

Derek: Yeah, but is he used to working with werewolves.

Beckett: I don't know. You might have to ask him - I'm not sure that's something you can google.

Derek: Well, true.

Beckett: Did you talk about him or did you mostly talk about you?

Derek: Talked about me.

Beckett: Maybe next session talk about him a bit. It might help you open up and get you on the job faster.

Derek: How is me getting to know him going to get me back to work any faster?

Beckett: Situations like this go both ways. The way he answers the questions can tell you just as much about him as he can tell about you.

Derek: I don't see any reason to get to know the guy.

Beckett: Not even if it gets you back to work faster?

Derek: The fact that it's a factor in me being able to work is suspect to begin with.

Beckett: Why? [she sighs softly] The better he knows you the better he can help you. But that can't be a one way thing. If you distance yourself, you're only going to keep giving shallow answers and it's going to tie you up longer.

Derek: I've been completely honest with him. I'll tell the guy the answers to whatever he asks. But I don't see the purpose in needing to know about him in the process. I thought this whole psych analysis is supposed to be about him understanding me and helping guide me.

Beckett: It is. [she pauses for a moment, nodding] Read his book. Then you'll get what I mean.

Derek: Fine. After I finish reading his one. [holds up the journal]

Beckett: Deal.

Derek: And find some lunch.

Beckett: I think we were about to order some Chinese if you want in?

Derek: Hell yeah. Extra eggrolls?

Beckett: You got it. I'll tell Espo.

Derek: Those two are going to enjoy knowing I'm the paperwork monkey aren't they?

Beckett: I'd watch out for paper cuts.

Derek: Well they've been bitching that I need to learn the stupid computer programs anyway.

Beckett: I'm sure by the time you're approved for field duty, you'll be a pro.

Derek: Not sure if that's a good thing to wish for or not. [smirks]

Beckett: If it gets them off your back, I would go with good.

Derek: Alright. Let me know when lunch is here?

Beckett: Will do. [and with that she heads to go find Espo]

Esposito: [is sorting through some paperwork] So what's the news on Hale?

Beckett: Desk duty, pending pysch approval.

Esposito: Poor guy. But hey, I'm sure we will find him things to keep his mind off it. [and he goes to toss the file on Derek's desk] Chinese?

Beckett: Yeah. Add Derek's order in there too. Extra eggrolls.

Esposito: On it. [and he's off to order, because it's a good week now to be Ryan & Espo - the wolf gets all the paperwork]

Beckett: [And she's going to head back to her desk to go to work]