Couple's Counseling I - Long way to go

Posted on Tue Sep 29th, 2026 @ 6:37pm by Lieutenant Commander Sabastian Walker & Lieutenant Delix & Lieutenant Lanna Alexander

1,957 words; about a 10 minute read

Mission: Echoes in the Triangle
Location: Chief Counselor's Office | Deck 7 | USS Arcadia

ON:

Del and Sabastian stood at the door. Sab, now that he was here, didn't want to be here.

Del looked over. "You ever going to forgive the lady?"

Sabastian sighed. "I have I just...maybe this was a bad idea."

Del snorted. "No backing out now!" He pressed the button to chime in.

Lanna was expecting them, but as she approached the door she could feel that neither were too happy to be standing outside. Opening the door she offered a warm smile. “Hello gentlemen, please come on in.”

Del walked in but Sabastian moved more slowly, partly because he was still recovering.

"Hello Counselor." Del began. "Ready for some therapeutic fun?"

Lanna smiled. “Hello Delix, fun is one way to put it, but I’d prefer it’s taken seriously.” She looked towards Sab. “Hello Sabastian.”

He gave a nod as he sat. "Counselor."

Del unceremoniously plopped down beside Sabastian. "Alright! So how do we do this." He asked the counselor smiling.

Lanna walked over to her seat sitting down and making herself comfortable. “We start with you telling me what brought you here, this is a decision that you’ve both agreed to, now I want to hear why you feel you need this.”

Del looked over at Sabastian.

Sabastian sighed. "There is some baggage between us that has to be sorted. We both have to ensure we are entering this relationship for the right reasons."

Lanna nodded. “Of course, starting off a relationship on unsteady ground could be a recipe for disaster. That said you’re both here which is a sign that you want this to work. How are things between you right now?”

"Fine," Sabastian said at the same time as Del said, "Strained."

“Okay I see the problem already” Lanna smiled. “Sabastian what made you say fine?”

He sighed. "I dont' know. I think we're fine but....Del is right. There is a lot of background we have to work through."

Lanna nodded. “Well you just made your first step towards working it out. I’m afraid I’m going to have to ask you both about that background to better be able to help you.”

Delix laughed and shook his head. "Don't sweat it love. I'll take this." He turned to the counselor. "So we met when Sab was in the academy. He....saved my life in a sense and we were close then Zai showed an interest in him and he picked Zai. He said somethings to me that were not so nice and now he's feeling guilty."

“Thank you Delix, but I’d like to hear Sabastian’s side of the story as he sees it.” Lanna added with a polite smile.

Sabastian sighed. "Yeah. It's that but there is more to it. I really cared about Del and Zai...lied to me. I said horrible things to Del. I can't excuse that. Especially with everything that happened with Zai."

Lanna nodded as she listened acknowledging what was being said. “Have the two of you talked about what was said? Or tried clearing the air before now?”

Del looked at Sabastian. "I forgave you long time ago. You're the one who needs to forgive yourself so you answer this."

Sab glared at him. He sighed. "Zai accused Del of trying to drown him. I believed it. I didn't even listen to Del. I told him he lied. I called him delusional and told him what we had was never love and that I could never love him. I told him that...." His voice broke. "I only got him away from the Orions because I felt sorry for him and that maybe he belonged with them because he was just as bad. I ... found out later that Zai lied because he was afraid I would have left him for Del and ... He wasn't wrong. I was struggling with that. I tried to apologize to make it right but Del was already gone."

“You’ve carried that guilt around all this time” Lanna added offering a caring glance. “Delix is right you need to forgive yourself before you can move on. I know that’s not easy.”

Lanna looked towards Delix. “Have you truly forgiven Sabastian for what he said, or are you saying that to make him feel better?”

Delix shrugged. "I was never angry. I was hurt and it gutted me but I found that i loved him too much to keep reliving it. I'm not going to lie sometimes the words come back to me and it did change a few things for me relationship wise with trust but I'm working through it."

Lanna nodded. “Thank you both for being so honest you’re both doing very well, but what I’d like to ask now is for the two of you to talk to each other. Just be open and honest with one another about how you truly feel, if I need to step in to assist I will. So, who wants to start?”

There was a stretch of silence and Del smiled and shook his head. "I'll start. He suggested couple's counseling but I'm doing all the work."

Sabastian was about to say something and Del waved him off. "It's fine." He turned fully to Sabastian. "When you said I don't trust you, it hurt but you were partially right. I don't trust you not to pick someone else over me but I still love you. I loved you from the moment you walked into that stupid Orion club."

Sab raised an eyebrow but Del held up a hand. "I've forgiven you for the cruel things you said for not listening to me and maybe that's where it lays. You didn't listen you just assumed the worst of me and I never knew why. Was it Zai's spell on you or did you really think I would do something like that?"

"I wanted to believe him. I honestly don't know what I was thinking. I knew you had feelings for me and I cared for you a great deal but Zai...I never gave up the hope that he would love me and when he showed interest I didn't want to let that go. I didn't want to admit that my feelings pulled me more towards you because they scared me. How could you carry two people in your heart?"

Del laughed. "Have you been to Denobula? My father had three wives and my bother had three husbands. All different and all love."

Sabastian blinked. "I..."

Del turned to Lanna. "Please tell him he's being an idiot. The heart is infinite. It can hold a lot of love."

Lanna gave Del a smile. “You have to remember that for our culture, as is for many others, people would normally have one person that they lavish their love on. Whereas on Denobula you have multiple mates, it’s not the norm for us. It’s not the way Sabastian would have looked at it he’d have felt he was betraying either you, or Zai by having two lovers at once. When the heart is torn it’s not an easy choice to make, and once that choice is made you stick with it.” She looked at Sabastian. “Did you want to add more?”

He shook his head. "I don't know anymore. I have no excuse and maybe I don't deserve this second chance." Sabastian's heart hurt. His mind replayed all the words he said and how Del left the planet would not speak to him when he tried to apologize. It was too much. He dropped his head in his hands.

Del's eyes widened. He looked over at Lanna helplessness clear on his face.

Lanna moved across to Sabastian gently placing her hands on his. “Sabastian if you didn’t think you deserved this chance then you wouldn’t have come through my door.” She paused to let that sink in. “You’ve been through so much, lost so much, been betrayed, and yet you’ve come back stronger. Don’t let past regrets blind you to the love of the man sitting in this room with you. I don’t need my empathic senses to see how much Del loves you.”

"It's not his love I doubt it's my worthiness. It's the fear that I could do something like this again to him."

Lanna nodded as she moved back to her seat. “One simple question Sabastian, Do you love Delix?”

He paused. "I think I always did but I convinced myself that I didn't...Zai pulled me from darkness..."

"You felt you owed him your loyalty maybe you confused that with love," Del said.

Sabastian was quiet for a long moment. "I don't know."

Del sighed and took Sabastian's hand. "We have a long way to go with this couple's counseling thing."

Lanna nodded in agreement. “You do, but you’ve both made a very good start. Honesty is what’s truly important if your relationship is to work.”

Before anyone could respond Sabastian got called to engineering. He called in and found that he had to go. After apologizing he left.

Dell stared after him. "Counselor could I ask a favor?"

Lanna nodded. “Of course you can Delix.”

"Can you check on Lieutenant Poe?" After all his hate and harsh words he gathered that the counselor was probably shocked.

Lanna was somewhat surprised, but she tried not to let it show. “Of course I will, I was planning on going to see Poe anyway.”

"There was...an incident last night." He said slowly. "One science department reject and one of my Engineers both have been dealt with but they pushed Mr. Poe and he hit a wall. He was a little hurt but when I left him he was feeling a little better." Del, for his part, left confused. Part of of him believed that Poe was faking his vulnerability and another part...was wondering if Poe really was the innocent naive being he was projecting. He wasn't ready just yet to say he was wrong but...last night had shaken him.

“I see” Lanna nodded. “In that case I’ll make it a priority. Poe is a very sensitive soul so I want to be sure he’s alright. Thank you for telling me Delix, I appreciate it. For what it’s worth Poe isn’t at all like Zai, he is as he appears to be a very vulnerable individual who believes the universe is somehow against him.” She didn’t say more. “I’ll head straight out to see him once we’re done.”

He stood. "Thanks. I should head out too check on Engineering." He paused again. "I'm not ready to say I was wrong about Poe but he...is not what I expected."

“In all honesty Delix, you were completely wrong about Poe says she who was also taken in by Zai.” Lanna paused. “Anyway I’ll no doubt see you again soon.”

Indeed. "Don't feel bad about Zai. He was a manipulator and despite my hatred of his actions I don't exactly hate him. He was a product of his own trauma and he never dealt with it. Had he, maybe he would have been different." He sighed. "Anyway I should go. Thank you for today...also try some mint tea for the nausea. It works with Betazoid physiology on more then just that. Very helpful for pregnant Betazoids."

Lanna nodded smiling warmly. “I’ll remember that, and thank you Delix.”

He gave a nod and headed out the door. He had a lot to think about.

OFF:

Lieutenant Commander Sabastian Walker
First Officer
&
Lieutenant Delix (PNPC)
Assistant Chief Engineering Officer
&
Lieutenant Lanna Alexander
Ship's Counselor

 

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