WARNING: MENTIONS OF DOMESTIC ABUSE

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IT HAD BEEN A WHILE SINCE DIANA ACTUALLY HAD A REAL SESSION WITH NICKY. The two often had sessions that bled into work, which was fine by her; she had been able to get out all of her thoughts and feelings and they just didn't have anything to do for the last twenty minutes or so. However, this time, she had too much to say. It was the day after Liz's party and Diana was now remembered as not only the girl who broke down on international television, but the girl who had a complete meltdown at Liz Allan's party.

"Do you want to go back to London?" Nicky asked, fiddling with his pen, "You mentioned that you threatened to go home if he didn't stop and, because he wasn't going to, he told you to just start packing your bags."

She sighed. "I don't know. Daisy is always asking me, but I don't know. Maybe? After last night, I really do want to." She and Flash returned home tense and neither spoke to each other; unless she counted him going onto her Spotify and playing her 'SONGS I CAN STILL LISTEN TO' playlist, just to spite her.

"Why?" he asked, "What about last night made you want to want to leave more than when you did before?"

"Everyone knows me again," she spat, "Now they don't just look at me with pity, they look at me like I'm about to scream and throw something. Then they remember who I am and it's pity all over again. It's a never ending cycle, I need to get away."

"Don't they also know who you are in London?" he ventured, "Like you said, your extended family had seen that interview."

"I don't know," she whined, "I just hate all of this, I don't want to be here, I just-"

"It feels just like before?" he asked, "When your parents first died?"

She raised her head. "My parents died six years ago and still I have people coming up to me to ask if I'm okay. It doesn't matter when they died, it just mattered that they did. At least in London, people won't recognize me as easily."

Nicky pursed his lips. "What about Jesse?"

She frowned. "What about her?" She and Flash hadn't spared her a glance when they had returned home, leaving her to continue playing a board game with Harrison who was instructed by Rosie not to talk to either teenager, easily recognizing the tension.

"The makeup," he explained, "You found it in her bag practically empty."

Diana took a deep breath. "I'm trying not to think about it." The very implications of the empty bottle made her sick to her stomach.

"Would you want to leave the two of them in that situation? You said you didn't want to stand on the sidelines again." He was trying not to tell her what to do, but he was displaying her options.

"Harrison hasn't done anything to Flash yet," she argued, "So-"

"So instead of taking out his aggression on his son like he used to, he's moved on to his daughter and neither of you have noticed because he's no longer drinking as much," he finished, "Do you hear how your excuse doesn't hold up?"

She clenched her fists, hand aching from the still fresh wound, "I'm just a kid, you can't put that on me."

"Jesse is a kid too," he replied, "You can't just put Harrison on her. Flash isn't the only person in that household."

"Rosie doesn't do anything," she sighed, "I don't understand why she doesn't-"

"Life isn't all roses for her, either, this is how toxic relationships work." He set his pen and notes to the side. "Diana. Think for a moment. Are you going back to London for other people or are you going for yourself. If you're going for your family or are you going to get away? Because that's not fair to either of them."

She worried on her bottom lip. "I'm not sure if I want to go back, but I don't want to stay, but I-"

"Breathe," he whispered, "You don't have to come up with an answer now, it's just something to think about. Okay, I'm sorry, but I gotta kick you out, I have another patient I have to get to soon and the session is over."

"Thanks, Nicky," she yawned, standing up and stretching.

"You wanna stay and wait for Rhett?" he asked, the two of them stepping out into the rest of the apartment.

She shook her head. "Nah, I should be getting home. We're going to Washington this weekend since Flash is going for decathlon. We're not allowed to watch, but Rosie wants to get away for the weekend to relax. Not really sightseeing so much as sleeping in the hotel with the nice soaps."

Nicky laughed. "Hotels are the best. You guys have fun, tell Flash I said good luck. He's a smart kid."

She shrugged. "Yeah. And thanks, Nicky, see you next week."

"Sure, kid. And hey."

She turned around, surprised by his sudden change in tone. "Yeah?"

He looked at her seriously, his expression shifting to that of a person who was, more than anything, tired. "Stay safe."

She tried to smile, but he wasn't smiling back. "I will."

"Good."

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Diana finished packing a few minutes after dinner, coming to sit next to Jesse in the living room, avoiding looking at Flash who sat across from them, leaning against an armchair. He had a few books laid out in front of him, one in his lap, his eyes devouring it with fear rather than hunger.

Rosie and Harrison were talking in the kitchen and Diana noticed that they still left some room between each other, Harrison trying to edge into her personal space and Rosie somehow keeping the barrier intact.

She looked over at Jesse who was fiddling with her cards. They seemed to be all she ever played with nowadays, often spending her nights with Harrison instead of doing her homework. She decided not to comment on that.

"What?" Jesse asked, glancing up at her. Her eyes were cold and distant, much like Flash's own. Diana had really messed up this time.

"Sorry," she mumbled, glancing away. Jesse just scoffed and went back to shuffling.

"Kids," Harrison called out, "Why is your mother trying to convince me to come to Washington with you?"

Flash jerked, his entire body going tense. "Why's she asking you?" His tone was suspicious and more than a little hurt.

"She told me to ask you," he replied, "She said it wasn't her place to tell me, it was yours. Flash? The team have an away game?"

Flash glanced over at Diana, fear in his eyes. She held his gaze; he had never actually told her he had quit either. She didn't know what to do, so she made no move to try and help him. He took a deep breath and looked back down at his books.

"No, it's decathlon nationals," he mumbled, flipping the page idly.

Harrison laughed. "W-what? Decathlon? Is this some new thing, are you in track now, are you and the team combining sports?"

"No, dad," Flash said, shoulders up to his ears, "I'm in academic decathlon. We've been invited to nationals."

"Academic decathlon?" Harrison repeated, shocked, "Like-Like trivia and answering questions?" He laughed. "What kind of prank is this?"

"It's not a prank," Flash gritted out, "I'm in academic decathlon and we're going to D.C. for nationals."

"What about football?" the man asked, now frowning.

Flash shrugged, struggling to flip the page of his book. "I quit. There's really nothing for me there anymore, it's not like I'll get a scholarship or do it in college, it's better if I focus on other thi-"

Before he could finish, Harrison grabbed the book out of his hands and threw it across the room, soaring over the girls' heads and hitting the window roughly.

"Harrison!" Rosie shouted from the kitchen, but he paid her no attention.

"What the hell do you think you're trying to pull?" the man roared, grabbing Flash by the collar.

"You let him drink?" Flash demanded, looking over towards his mother who didn't meet his eye. "Look at me, I can smell it on him, what were you thinkin-"

"Don't talk to your mother like that!" Harrison roared, shoving him away, Flash tumbling to the ground, "You kids think you know everything, think the world is so great!"

"No, we really don't," Flash replied, "That's kind of why you hate us, we actually get that it suck-"

"Shut up and listen!" the man continued, starting forward, Flash scrambling back, "Look at you! You've gone all soft! Be a man!"

"Get away from me!" Flash commanded, trying to get away from his father. "Don't touch me!"

"Football was the one thing you were good at!" Harrison shouted, "I wasted money for you, you little asshole! So that you could play just like how I did! And-and what, now you think you can waste all that away because some liberal think-tank told you that you were good enough? That you could be whatever you want to be if you just set your mind to it? That's not how it works, dumbass!"

"Don't call me that!" Flash shouted, "I'm not dumb! I-I'm not stupid, I-"

"Yes, you are!" Harrison said, a taunting grin forming, "You think you're so smart? Huh? Think you know everything? You don't! You'll never be smart! You'll never amount to anything, you worthless piece of-"

"Leave him alone!" Diana shouted, jumping to her feet. Her heart was racing faster than it ever had, but Harrison had Flash backed into a corner and she wasn't about to watch this unfold.

"What, you think he's smart? You think this idiot actually has the brains to do anything in his life? This punk!" he punctuated his word with a sharp jab in Flash's chest, "Isn't gonna amount to anything in his life! Waste of space."

"No, I'm not!" Flash cried, "I'm smart, I'm almost as good as Parker, and we're gonna win nationals because we have a good team-"

"That team doesn't need you!" Harrison laughed, "You're just weighing them down. And Parker? What've I been telling you and your mother since you were small, he'll grow up to be everything you never will. That's the way the world works. People like you. The ones who don't amount to anything? You get left behind."

"I'm better than Parker, I'll prove it!" Flash shouted.

"What, like how you proved it all these years?" Harrison laughed loudly, throwing his head back. "Quit lying to yourself, Flash, do yourself a favor. Now, you're gonna quit this smart contest nonsense and beg coach to get you back on the team." He turned and began walking back towards the kitchen where Rosie was turned away, not paying attention.

"No."

Harrison turned around slowly. "Excuse me."

"No," Flash repeated, "I'm gonna go to Washington and we're gonna win Nationals, because I matter and I'm smart, you son of a-"

He shouted as Harrison shoved him back, his back crashing into the wall roughly. He took a step towards the fallen boy, an arm already raised. Diana was up in a flash, jumping between the two of them, staring up at him, unflinching.

"Don't. Touch. Him."

Harrison stared at her for the longest time, his arm still slightly raised. She could see him weighing his options, glancing between her and Flash to Jesse. Rosie was still in the kitchen, not paying attention, shoulders up to her ears. Diana just continued to stare up at the man, daring him to hit her instead of Flash.

In the end, he just scoffed and turned away. "I'm not wasting my time and money to watch you fail."

"Good," Flash muttered, "'cause I don't want you there."

Harrison turned around sharply, but Diana was still in the way. With one last dark look, he turned and made for the door, opening and closing it with a loud slam.

Diana turned towards Flash who was sitting on the floor, legs pulled up to his chest.

"I'm gonna prove him wrong," he mumbled, eyes dark, "I'm gonna bring home that trophy and show him."

Diana reached for his arms. "There's nothing to prove."

Flash laughed mirthlessly. "You kidding me? It's been fifteen years and I still haven't proved that I deserve to be alive."

Diana shook her head. "Are you okay?" She gestured towards his head and his back.

He nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine."

She was about to speak when she heard Jesse scoff on the side. The two turned and saw her wrapping her arms around herself, staring right at the wall. "So when Flash gets hurt, you jump in. But when I get hurt you just keep hiding in your room."

Diana frowned. "Jesse..."

"Whatever," she spat, rising to her feet, "It doesn't matter. Jesse didn't get hurt before, so it's her turn now, time to give Flash a break, I get it."

"Jesse," Diana called out, "No, that's not what I-"

"Whatever!" she shouted, slamming her bedroom door roughly.

"What does she mean by that?" Flash demanded, rising to her feet, "Did he touch her?"

Diana shook her head wildly, thinking back to what Jesse had asked her the night before. Don't tell Flash. "No, she's just-she's angry that I was never with her when she had to deal with Harrison's comments, but I was here for you, he hasn't touched her."

Flash stared her right in the eye. "You sure?"

Her chest constricted as she nodded. "Yeah. I'm sure."

He didn't believe her, that much was obvious. But he just leaned his head against the wall and closed his eyes, sliding back down. "We have to win decathlon."

She fell into a crouch in front of him. "What do you have to prove?"

He looked into her eyes. "Everything."

AUTHOR'S NOTE

( 08.16.17 )

For those just reading, if your comment gets deleted it's because it had some commentary on the actions of Diana, Jesse, and/or Rosie that could potentially cause an argument/harm to another reader (and me because I read these and this hits close to home for me so be mindful) so please don't come hounding at me. I didn't want to do this, but it's gotten too toxic.

I wasn't sure whether to put a warning at the top of the story, so I apologize if I should have. Please tell me if you think I should and I will immediately.

I decided to give backstory as to why Flash, during the elevator scene, was so adamant that they take the trophy. You'll see it two chapters from now.

That's all I have to say so...thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed!