Marie and Terry, Wednesday evening

[x-traction.livejournal.com]

Terry volunteers to help Marie out with assignment, but things get a little out of hand during the questioning portion.

"Thanks again for helping me out Terry. Some of the other students are having a bunch of trouble getting volunteers. Ah just need you to fill this out and then Ah’ll ask you a couple questions. But first, Ah have to go over a few things with you." Marie paused, brushing a strand of white hair out of her eyes as she looked at the redhead seated across from her. "Everything you say and do will be confidential. Do you know what that means?" she asked, one hand resting on a soft cover booklet.

Terry grinned and waved her hands before picking up the pencil next to the book, "Sure and I do. I'm Catholic after all." Her blue eyes sparkled indicating she wasn't in the least offended by the routine question.

Smiling, Marie continued. "Good. Just to review, it means that what we talk about today and anything you fill out for me will be kept between the two of us. There are a few exceptions to the rule though. If you tell me you are thinking about killing yourself or someone else, if you disclose any child or elder abuse or if I get a court order, I'll have to break confidentiality. We'd talk about it first, but I'm required by law to do that." She pushed over a sheet for Terry to sign, indicating that she understood "Do you have any questions?"

"Not a one," Terry signed with a flourish then blinked down at the signature for a few moments before grinning even more widely and pushing it back. It still said Terry Cassidy. She hadn't quite made a decision about that yet. "I promise I'm not planning on doing any of those things."

Sticking the form in the file laying on the table, Marie nodded. "If you are, though, Ah’m more than happy to listen and help you find someone to work through your feelings." They had been carefully coached on what to say and she was happy to find the words rolling easily off her tongue. She pushed the booklet and an answer key across the table. "This is called the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. It’s a personality test that just looks at your preferences, the process of how you think and feel, that sort of thing.”

Terry nodded her understanding and opened the booklet quite curious to see what she would be answering. She was approaching this whole thing as a sort of adventure. There was always a certain about of narcissistic fun in having someone look into your head. She answered the first couple of questions quickly then frowned, "What if the answer is both agree and disagree?"

"Try to pick the one that fits you best, even if it's just a little more agree than disagree or the other way around. If you really can't pick, skip it, but try not to do that too often or it won't be able to give a complete picture of you. Just go with your first instinct." Marie waited patiently for Terry to finish the test, opening her file to review the list of questions she'd be asking.

Terry did her best though she occasionally would mutter to herself and more than once reacted with outright scorn at the question. Several questions she lingered over, torn, heart or head, justice or mercy. Finally she finished marking the questionnaire and flipped to the last section requiring personal details. She stared at the question about relationship status for a while before firmly marking her response and closing the book. "There you are then. All done."

Marie put the booklet and answer sheet into her file before placing a blank sheet of paper on the table in front of her. Pulling out a pen, she took a deep breath. "Some of the questions I'm going to ask may seem strange or silly, but just remember that Ah ask the same questions of everyone. If you could please tell me your name, date of birth and where you are right now."

"Full name? Theresa Rourke Cassidy. Born eighth of August, 1988 in County Mayo, Ireland. Currently in Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters in Westchester, New York." Terry leaned back in her chair, getting comfortable.

"Highest grade completed? Parent’s names?" She continued with her list of questions, dutifully writing down the answers, even the information she already knew. "And marital status?" she asked, barely remembering to pause for Terry’s response.

"Graduated high school. Maeve and Sean Cassidy." Terry paused over the marital status question, this time blushing when she realized just who she was about to answer the question for. "Uh...married."

Marie’s pen scritched on the paper and she was about to ask the next question when she stopped. She reread what she had just written, then blinked repeatedly, finally looking up at Terry. "Married?" But that must mean…Bobby. It was to Marie’s credit that she didn’t grow pale, stammer or allow her shock to show on the surface beyond her initial blinking. Inside, though, she felt her stomach clench. “For how long?”

Terry turned just a little redder and cast her gaze down at her hands, unable to look Marie in the eye just now. "Um, since we went to Vegas. It was kind of an accident." One of these days she was going to come up with a good explanation of how she ended up getting married in Vegas. Possibly when she was 80.

An accident? How the hell did a person get married by accident. Marie had been calm, but those words flipped some internal switch. "You may want to come up with a better story when people ask. You know, we felt it in the moment or some crap like that," she said, her voice growing a little cold. "Don’t worry though, your secret is safe with me. Confidentiality and all."

Terry's temper, never slow burning, flared. Her head snapped back up, cheeks flushed now with irritation and eyes darkened with anger. "Sure and yeh'd be a poor excuse for a psych student if yeh failed on that account. Is it usual then to be mocking your volunteers and encouraging them to lie instead of telling the truth?"

Marie usually had a good handle on her temper, but this situation was anything but usual. "Guess that’s why this is a learning experience. I learn not to react when people tell me the stupid things they’ve done," she said, a bit of a sneer playing around her lips. A little voice inside her head was telling her to back off, but another louder voice was egging her on.

"Sure yeh're one to talk then, Rogue." Terry spat back and shoved away from the table. Her voice didn't so much as tremble though there was more than enough power behind it. Control was second nature. "What's the problem then? That we were a mite foolish or that yeh're jealous?"

"Jealous? What’s there to be jealous of? You accidentally got married. How the hell does that even happen? You tripped into a wedding chapel? Or wait, don’t tell me…it was all a big game of make believe and then you suddenly realized that oops, that was a real ordained Elvis impersonator?" Marie dropped her pen on the table, crossing her arms and staring up at the fuming redhead. Her tone wasn’t angry, it was flat out disdainful.

Terry's eyes narrowed, "As though yeh're some kind of saint. As though yeh've never done a foolish thing." She threw her pencil back to the table hard enough that it snapped. "I don't regret it, never even for a moment. Can yeh say the same of yerself?"

Marie snorted, Terry’s words proving her point in her mind – after all, she wasn’t denying that her marriage to Bobby was foolish, just that they were going to stick it out. Her hand went to her pocket and she was surprised to find it empty, though she couldn’t quite name what she had expected to be in it. "If you don’t regret it, then why are you so…volatile?” She shrugged, an air of indifference entering her eyes. “You sure sound like someone trying to justify a mistake.”

"Because I'm bloody sick of people assumin' it was!" Terry shouted and the room rang with the sound. She flinched and modulated her tone though there'd been no power behind it at least. "It wasn't a mistake. It was rash, aye, but no mistake. There's no power on earth that would make me regret it. Yeh may think as yeh will, Marie, as sure yeh will, but don't yeh dare speak to me as though yeh've any right to judge my choice." Her eyes narrowed, "Or his."

"Then stop acting like it was one," she said, her voice cool and level despite Terry’s outburst. "But you’re right, Ah sure shouldn’t be judging anyone’s decisions, especially Bobby’s." She closed the file in front of her, suddenly tired of it all.

Terry stared at her for another moment, face flushed, her whole body trembling. "All right then," she said finally then without another word, turned on her heel and left, slamming the door behind her.

Marie's hands clenched into fists, wrinkling the file in her hands. She was willing to admit her reaction hadn't been ideal, but neither had Terry's. And just when she'd thought all her mansion relationships had finally been sorted out. She let out a sigh, then slowly stood up and collected her things, resisting the urge to dump the file into the trashcan on her way out the door.