~*~

"I’m so sorry, but there’s been a slight change of plans."

All five men stared at each other in horror, all five pairs of eyes widening as they viewed first-hand the dramatic change in Dr Sheffield. Gone were the immaculate, blue or black, ironed-on tailored suits and in its place were gray casual loose-fitting pants that hung from her hips and a plain white shirt.

Gone were the skinned-back-from-the-forehead type hairstyles and in its place her long blonde tresses cascaded gently down her back. And finally, gone were the click-clack of her Italian suede heels, because now in their place were Nike’s. All in all, this didn’t really seem to be the same Dr Elizabeth Sheffield, if only in looks.

"Excuse me?" Nick said, stepping forward, eyeing her with extreme hostility. "Slight change of plans? What the fuck does that mean?" He swore for the fact that he wanted Dr Sheffield to start screaming at him, to reprimand him, to threaten him with solitary confinement. Their identical blue eyes met across the way, though Nick’s were taunting hers, and hers just didn’t respond, wisely didn’t take the bait.

Instead, Dr Sheffield smiled coyly. "Calm down, Nick," she emphasised, blatantly no longer calling them all gentlemen or by their last name, for she no longer had respect for them or had to give them any sort of honour. They had failed her, and this was her payback, her reversing psychology. "What that means is, is that I’ve taken the liberty of checking all you fellas into a retreat for a week."

"Fellas?" Kevin repeated, arching an eyebrow in suspicion, looking at his four friends for an explanation. No one could come up with an explanation as to what had gone on at the queer house on the hill. Nobody knew the reason for her change. And nobody knew whether or not he and Nick were going to get back on track once more. "Since when do you call us fellas?"

Dr Sheffield’s coy smile remained intact. "That’s what you are, aren’t you? Fellas?"

Howie held up his hands with a bright smile and a trademark wink. "Hey, honey, call me your fella any day!"

To their disbelief and, almost disgust, she smiled back and returned the wink. "As you wish, Howie."

Howie nodded wildly. "Oh, yeah, I do wish, honey! I do!"

A.J. rolled his eyes as everyone around him groaned. "Listen, I hate to be the one to break a sweet little freakin’ moment, but could you please tell me what we’re doing here? I thought we were free to go, Doc!"

"So did I, Alexander," Dr Sheffield agreed, looking at them all with a twinkle in her cerulean blue eyes. "But I think you all need just another week to settle what ghosts call unfinished business."

Howie sniggered. "I’d like to finish her!"

Nick punched Howie’s arm. "Jesus Christ - "

Brian instantly covered his ears and began rocking back and forth. "I’m not going to listen to this, I’m not going to hear this now..."

"I want to kill everyone, Satan is good, Satan is a pal..." Nick sang along with him, enjoying the ripples of chuckling that he got in response.

Brian dropped his hands from his ears and stared at Nick with sad blue eyes and his lower lip trembling. "You’re so cruel to me, all of you are. Why? What have I ever done to you?"

Nick rumpled Brian’s hair playfully. "Because we love ya, church-boy!"

Kevin narrowed his eyes. "Nick, leave him alone," he hissed.

Nick’s eyes turned on Kevin and hardened instantly, freezing over at the sight of him. "You’re acting sane now, Kevin, and that’s weird. Think it’s time for a shoot-up. Whaddya think, huh, Kevy the crackhead?"

Kevin rolled his eyes. "Fuck you!"

Dr Sheffield sighed. "All right, all right," she said, trying to ease the tension between the five men, and most certainly between Nick and Kevin. "Now, this is how it’s going to be. You’ll all stay here for a week, we’ll have a group meeting everyday as well as a one-on-one session - "

"Ooohh, goodie," Howie drawled, rubbing his hands together expectantly.

"And as far as that goes, you’re all free to do whatever you please with your time off," she concluded with a smile.

"You’re kidding," A.J. said, his mouth falling open with disbelief.

Dr Sheffield shook her head. "No, not at all. All you’ll be required to give me is three hours of your time a day, and after that, you’re free to do whatever."

A.J. jumped up and down and clapped his hands together. "PAR-TAY!"

Dr Sheffield watched all five of them, and she knew what was going through their heads. They were all wondering why she was beginning to be so relaxed with them, and not so strict and so threatening. And maybe she was wrong from the start for being that way. Maybe if she had acted like she didn’t give a damn in the beginning, maybe she would’ve gotten better results from them. And now, this is what she was trying to do: act like she didn’t give a damn.

She stopped dressing so formally. She stopped speaking so eloquently. She stopped being so threatening. And she hoped this would make all of them warm to the idea of becoming better people and trying to help themselves out of the hell-hole that they were in. Not that being who they were was a hell-hole, but it didn’t take a psychologist with a million degrees to know that they all had issues that needed to be dealt with - and soon.

Howie raised his hand. "I like it," he announced, his eyes travelling over Dr Sheffield’s body and yearning for what he had missed out on that night in her bedroom when she allowed him to sleep with her, and he would’ve too, if she hadn’t have been so willing. Now he regretted that, and wished he had the chance to do it all again. "So, umm," he continued, giving her a seductive wink, "what’s this retreat place like?"

Dr Sheffield smiled. "You’ll all like it. There’s log cabins at the retreat, and it backs onto a trail that leads into the woods. There’s a lake nearby where you can swim and a field where you can run and play - "

"Yeah, and we can all be five year-olds again," Kevin said to himself. "Fucking fantastic."

Dr Sheffield ignored the comment and continued talking, and after all, she had certainly learned patience with these men around, and they had certainly tested her enough. But with this new approach to their treatment, her I-don’t-give-a-damn formula, maybe they could be saved, after all, despite all that had happened back at the house on the hill.

"And of course, you’ll all be able to find individual things to do, things you can do on your own that will give you all some space and free time, which I strongly urge. But other than that, your time is your own."

Howie clapped his hands together. "Yes!" he exclaimed to himself, puffing out his chest in an arrogant way. "I knew she’d be more relaxed after a few minutes alone with me!"

A.J. groaned and slapped the side of Howie’s head with his palm. "Take a chill, D, and remember: you didn’t get anywhere with the Doc."

"And I’m sure Howie’s very disappointed with that," the doctor injected with a small but winning smile. "As like some of us, too."

Nick’s mouth fell open. The Doc? Coming onto them? No way! She was like...too much of a prude! They had all joked that she was probably still a virgin at the age of twenty-nine, she was so uptight. But now...she was different. And it was scary. Matter of fact, it sent chills down his spine.

"Okay, all right, very funny. Ha ha ha. Joke’s on us. We get it. Now what have you done with the real Dr Sheffield?"

Dr Sheffield gestured with her hands to display her body. "This is the real me, fellas. The real me."

"Oh, God," A.J. whispered. "It’s just like Carrie revisited."

"Or the exorcist," Kevin contributed in the same whisper. "Look at her! Her eyes are possessed!"

Howie rolled his eyes. "Come on, give a beautiful woman some credit," he said, giving Dr Sheffield another wink, and his heart soaring when he got a stunning smile from her in return.

Brian rocked back and forth, his hands covering his ears again. "I’m not going to listen to this, I’m not going to hear this now..."

"And so, I’ve been thinking I’ll let you fellas decide between yourself who you’re all going to share with. Unfortunately, there’s only three cabins. So someone’s going to be a very lucky man and get one all of his own."

"BRI-AN!" they all shouted.

Brian shook his head. "So cruel," he whispered.

Dr Sheffield nodded and hoisted her bag more comfortably over her shoulder. "Well, boys, that’s it for tonight. I’m going to bed." She turned to Howie and smiled. "Sweet dreams."

"Sweet dreams, Doc!" Howie called after her as she walked down the steep drive to where the cabins were located at the bottom. His eyes lustily lingered on her slowly disappearing form. "Love that ass. Gotta love the good Lord for making things like that."

Nick rolled his eyes. "Oh, please!"

Howie smiled. "Can I help it if she totally digs me?"

"Oh, yeah, D, she digs you, all right," Kevin drawled. "And that’s why you called it off at the last minute! You just couldn’t handle all her passion, right?"

Howie nodded. "Oh yeah! She was like a tiger!"

Kevin couldn’t help but laugh. "Unbelievable."

A.J. picked up his bag, hoisted it over his shoulder and slapped Howie on the back. "Me and Mr Nympho here - "

"I resent that," Howie objected, pouting childishly.

"Are going to shack up together," A.J. finished, giving them all a smile and pulling Howie away with him. "Sweet dreams, boys!" he called out in a high, feminine voice, their laughter drifting down the drive with them.

"So cruel," Brian whispered and followed A.J. and Howie, leaving Nick and Kevin by themselves.

There was an uncomfortable silence between them both, both of them looking away from each other, purposely not meeting each other’s eyes, in case a fight broke out, or apologies were said. And Kevin had apologised, and so he was waiting for Nick to make the next move. But Nick was hurt, and he refused to accept what he thought of Kevin’s apologies - lame. He was pretty sure that he had made the biggest mistake of his life by doing what he did with Kevin, and believing all his words, when in fact they were all lies.

They didn’t share a love like they thought they did. That was just delusional. And there was nothing that was going to come of this ever again. And sure, they had to share a cabin now, but so what? Did that mean that they actually had to talk to one another? No. Sure, maybe see one another, but not talk. Nick never wanted to talk to Kevin again.

Kevin sighed. "Screw this childish silence. I’m leaving," he said and began to walk down the steep hill to the cabins with his bag over his shoulder. He turned around. "You just going to stay there?"

Nick’s eyes narrowed. "Don’t test me, crack-head," he hissed to himself and began to follow Kevin down the hill to the log cabins in which they were staying in, and from where he was on the hill, it looked far more comfortable and cosier than the horrendous house they had been staying in. The lights were on, the cabin looked quaint, the whole place looked like a real rehabilitation centre, with quiet surroundings and a calm aura about itself.

The cabin, while somewhat small, was indeed cosy. The fire in the fireplace had been lit and was burning steadily, giving the cabin a nice warmth to it. There wasn’t much around, and obviously whoever owned these were opting for a ‘less is more’ approach to decorating. Nick sighed, thinking that this was going to be yet another week in hell.

"Oh, shit," he heard Kevin’s voice drift from the back of the cabin.

Nick rolled his eyes, threw his bag down on the floor and walked down the small, wooden hallway to a little room that served as a bedroom. What he found in there was just a single double bed and a tiny room adjacent to it that served as a bathroom.

Nick placed his hands on his hips. "What? What’s wrong?"

Kevin frowned. "There’s only one bed."

~**~