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"Good morning, doctor!"

Dr. Gyle gave Mary a weary smile as he made his way through the lounge and up to the reception desk, the door slowly closing behind the tired lion. The calico was her usual chipper self. He didn't know how she did it. He figured there must be a nuclear generator somewhere inside that feline that ran off of various isotopes of rainbows and butterflies. Either way, she never seemed to have an off day and as per usual, she had already perfumed the offices and hallways with the pleasing aroma of drip-brewed coffee.

"Would you like a cup?" she offered, motioning to the steaming contraption that lay nestled in the alcove behind her desk. Her usual offer was accompanied today with a slight tilt of the head as she examined the doctor's less-than-rested appearance. This morning, of all mornings, was probably the closest she had ever come to having him take her up on her offer, and from the attentive look in her eyes, she certainly knew it.

Today was, in fact, her lucky day.

"You know... sure, I think I will this morning. Thank you."

Mary beamed and would have bounced in place with excitement had she not already launched herself out of her chair to busy herself with the mugs and the coffee-pot. Noah's eyebrows rose as he took in the extreme, yet energetic care with which his cup was prepared. He hadn't expected such a reaction, as if a simple acquiescence to a mug of generic coffee could be the thing to make someone's day. Then again, the fog of sleep had still not completely cleared from his mind. This was needful. And within the span of only a few seconds the doctor found himself face to face (well, face to neck as far as Mary was concerned) with a grinning cat, smiling up at him and gingerly holding out her fragrant offering in a large, red mug.

Dr. Gyle offered a grateful smile. "Thank you."

And with that the large lion set off down the hallway towards his office, cradling the warm mug and inhaling the enticing vapors. It wasn't until he was about half-way down the hall that he took the first, tentative sip; and as he did, he stopped dead in his tracks, eyes widening and staring down at his beverage with renewed wonder. The flavor was rich and full-bodied, thick with deep notes of earthy cinnamon and dark cacao and barely a hint of coconut--a perfect blend of strength and subtlety. It was evident that this was no generic blend. It was the best coffee he had ever tasted. Had she been brewing this every day?

With a half-turn, the doctor looked over his shoulder at the reception desk, the look of surprise still on his face. Mary, who was now behind her desk, had been watching him this whole time, most likely waiting for his reaction, and as their eyes met the grinning calico gave the doctor a wink. Dr. Gyle broke out into a wide grin and raised his mug in her direction, toasting her with an appreciative nod. Mary giggled and began to make herself look busy with some paperwork, but before she could finish straightening out the stack, the phone cut in with its insistent ring and as she reached for it Dr. Gyle started off towards his office again. The sing-song greeting rang out behind him as he approached his office door and the white lion treated himself to another luxurious sip. Everything about the morning had just gotten many times brighter and a tone of optimism had begun to unfold, like the breaking sunrise he had been so impervious to before. Mary was a font of warmth and energy--and surprises now, apparently. And to think, all this time he had been turning down this amazing brew because he was sure it wouldn't stand up to the mass-produced mocha he had so grown to love. Come to think of it, he hadn't seen anyone else accept her coffee either. Most of the staff brought in their own acquisitions from chain-stores or drive-thru windows. Well, if this was some well-kept secret, he certainly wasn't going to share it with them!

The doctor fiddled with his keys for a few moments before the lock yielded and granted him access. Flicking on the lights he made his way over to his desk and sat properly in the chair he had become so used to flopping into. He granted the mug a place of prominence, demoting a stapler and a jar full of paper-clips, and began to rifle through the stack of files he had set out the night before. Each file represented an hour to a couple hours of his day. Tuesdays were usually one of his more difficult days as two of his regulars were from the rehab center downtown. There was Nicole, a stray mutt of indiscernible mix who had been struggling with heroin addiction for years and burly pit bull named Jed, or Jax, depending on who you asked. He was addicted to a cocktail of methamphetamines, coke, and alcohol; and as far as Noah could tell, he didn't care to change that. Apparently, the only reason he was in rehab was because it was appointed by a judge as part of his sentencing. What exactly he did to get arrested, Noah wasn't exactly sure, and while it was policy that anyone who expressed that they didn't want help would be turned down for treatment, Jed somehow became the exception. And a big, muscle-bound exception he was too. Being a large, capable lion, Noah found it rare to encounter anyone who could intimidate him. But Jed, well... he was just one big ball of exceptions. He was certainly not the type you'd ever want to turn your back to, that was for sure. The clinic downtown did toss a decent amount of business Noah's way, however, and maintaining that professional relationship was more important than having a comfortable Tuesday.

One file in particular, however, made Noah pause. The doctor thoughtfully ran a finger over the name that was scrawled on the label in blue ink: Nathanial Bryce Thompson. Nate. The new patient with an addiction to cannabis, and who it was worried might be getting himself into harder, more dangerous substances. Cannabis, to an accomplished addiction therapist like himself, was the equivalent of smoking to most other hypnotherapists. Even easier to treat, in Noah's opinion. Unlike tobacco, it didn't carry with it the extreme physical dependence that many smokers seemed to get. Usually patients who signed up for a "weed" addiction were actually just needing to deal with problems that they were using the substance to distract themselves from. More often than not, it was the parents who signed them up; blaming the rebellion, angst, and apathy on an easy target instead of the rocky maze of adolescence. But regardless of whether or not they were actually addicted, it was still important to help them through their other problems as well as try to get them off of a substance that was still illegal in many places. Young adulthood is such a tangled web that some guidance never hurts. It would have been nice, however, if this first real session with Nate were scheduled on some other day. As it stood now, Mary had Nate down for an hour on Tuesdays, starting at 4:30pm as well as late Thursdays from 5 to 6pm.

Dr. Gyle let out a sigh as he returned the file to the top of the stack and retrieved his mug of coffee, leaning back in his chair. Nate... Well, at least he was signed up for twice weekly. While he had made it seem like a common schedule during the prelim visit, the truth was that he had very few patients who attended so often. Out of his entire caseload, there were only two others who came for the talk session as well as a hypnosis session later, and one of them was Nicole. Heroin was such a pernicious substance. The other was an alcoholic who suffered from a deep depression with suicidal ideation. Nate's case wasn't nearly as bad as either of them, not even close, and as the doctor swiveled a bit and took a sip of warm liquid, he let his mind drift over why he had goaded the pup into such a schedule. It wasn't the money. Although after Nate had gone home he was fairly certain that a twice weekly schedule was unlikely to be approved by the young man's mother. Times were tight for everyone. Then again, if she was looking for a quick fix, maybe she thought it would speed things along. Either way, the true reason for it, as much as it had troubled him to acknowledge it, was curiosity. Curiosity revolving around this attraction that he felt from the first time he gazed into those crystal-blue eyes. Something he saw in them had cut right through his usual professional demeanor--like a mixture of suspicion, distrust, and hopefulness; as if somewhere buried deep within was an intense, painful longing to trust, even though a lifetime of experience had cautioned otherwise. Somehow these things seemed real to Noah for the first time when gazing into that young pup's face. And there was that long forgotten flutter that he had felt when they shook hands the second time; when for a brief moment it was like they were holding hands, the dalmatian's soft paw nestled within his own.

There was also something else. Something... even less comfortable to think about, but the doctor promptly pushed it from his mind, backtracking to his strange reaction to this new client.

The attraction was real--visceral. It reminded him of when he was Nathan's age, and every relationship shook the very foundations of his world. Puppy love... so the cynical called it at the time. And Noah knew that it was inappropriate for a therapist to entertain such feelings in regards to a client. It was just a fluke. Some sort of manifestation of his subconscious attaching itself to something it saw in the pup. It wasn't real. Couldn't be real. And it would fade just as quickly as it had arrived. However... that other thing... it was telling of something hidden in his subconscious as well, and the thought made the lion's stomach turn. He was in a position of power and trust with his clients. This impulse was completely inappropriate, even worse. Inappropriate wouldn't even begin to describe it. And if anyone ever found out he even entertained such notions his entire career would be over. Hypnosis was the stuff of movies for the public at large: Evil geniuses or wizards of the unknown arts, masters of mind control taking the lives and free-will of their victims into their own hands, melting their will and reducing them obedient slaves and puppets. Such silly notions had to be fought with every new prospect. Even stage performers had convinced the public that they could make people do all manner of crazy things. And never once had Noah entertained the dark and subtle notion of power over another. His craft was a cooperation of trust and guidance aimed to help others help themselves. It never occurred to him, consciously, that he could possibly use his position for more... selfish reasons, reasons unrelated to the wishes of the clients. At least, when the whim scampered across his mind in the past it was never serious and easily brushed away. Why now was it suddenly full of weight? Surely even now he had never truly considered it.

An accusatory remembrance of the prelim session with Nate intruded upon the doctor's introspection--a recollection of how he felt when he had jokingly snapped to illustrate something he had said, and how strongly the fanciful vision of Nate suddenly going limp and falling into his arms had tugged at him. With great annoyance, the doctor shook the thought from his head and placed his mug back on the desk. No... This was getting him nowhere. His first client of the day was scheduled to arrive in a little over half an hour and he needed to prepare. Today was a Tuesday and he still had to deal with the incredible hulk before all was said and done. And as he sifted back through the files on his desk the doctor glanced over at the large red mug, hoping that the contents would be enough to get him though what was promising to be a very long day.

~ ~ * ~ ~

The day had gone by much more quickly than Noah had anticipated. His morning had started with a feline who was addicted to cocaine and then on to Nicole who was making a small amount of progress in her treatment. She spent most of her session talking about some of the hardships she was having at the inpatient clinic with the staff there. Noah had politely nodded and tried to steer her back onto topic as often as he could. Then came the brutish Jed, since Noah liked to load most of the difficult work into the mornings when he was more equipped to deal with it. On this day in particular Jed seemed to put up much less of a fight than usual. Instead, the meaty fiend was a little withdrawn and seemed to be very preoccupied with something that he adamantly refused to share with his good doctor. Speaking to him was like conversing with a brick wall. A very apt description, Noah mused to himself, recalling the resemblance when the pit bull's abs revealed themselves through the too-tight muscle-shirts his client was so fond of. After that was lunch, mostly a microwavable burrito from a vending machine and another mug of coffee from the ever-prepared Mary. The flavors seemed to go well with each other, though if Janet had been in the lunch area she would have chided him on his poor choice of sustenance, no doubt. After his lunch break, the lion saw three more clients, mostly easy stuff such as food addiction and the like. After a harsh morning, Noah liked to keep the afternoon workload light. While there may be more clients, their issues and personalities were easier to deal with.

Noah glanced up at the cuckoo clock across the way. It was 4pm and he was now down to his last two clients of the day: Nathaniel and later a muskrat factory worker named Pete. The latest evening time-slot, usually from around 5 to 6pm or shifted back by 30 minutes, was reserved for those whose schedules could not accommodate any other times for appointments. It was the one slot of the day that Noah didn't have much control over. In Nate's case, his appointments had to revolve around his schooling and his ride situation. On Thursday he got the late slot due to an after-school club of some kind. Mary was kind enough to work something out with the previous owner of that time-slot. Today, however, Nate was the second-to-last appointment and something about that seemed comforting to Noah; as if knowing he had to prepare for Pete somehow added some accountability and warded off the troubling issues the doctor had been thinking about earlier. Even so, it didn't do anything to quell the nervousness about his first talk session with the pup.

"Dr. Gyle," the lion jumped a bit as his intercom sprang to life, "your 4:30 is here."

It was only 4:05. He was early. Probably due to his mom having other places to be. That was okay though. He didn't want to keep the boy waiting and starting early was better than sitting pointlessly at his desk, agonizing about the future while watching the slow rotation of the clock arms. Pushing down the button, Noah leaned forward as he rose from his chair.

"Thanks Mary... I'll be right out."

As he entered the lounge, dressed once again in his lab-coat, Dr. Gyle found his client sitting in the same chair as last time. It was late in the afternoon and so the dalmatian was the only one there. This time he looked up as Noah appeared and rose from his seat. He was dressed much the same as he was last time with his bluejeans, dark t-shirt and black hoodie.

"Ah Nathan, welcome back!"

The words slid out effortlessly and with an air of professional warmth that belied the nervous energy that lay beneath. The pup was approaching, and every step made the doctor's heart-beat a little bit louder within his chest. Brown bangs, swept to the side, obscured one of Nate's eyes and the tentative smile he offered made the white lion swallow hard. Heat rose in Noah's cheeks and he hoped to the gods that he wasn't blushing. If he was, however, neither Nate nor Mary seemed to notice as he made a gesture for his client to accompany him back down the hallway. Times like these made the doctor extremely grateful for his ability to hide his emotions beneath a collected yet warm exterior. It still took a few more minutes than he would have liked, however, to gain enough internal composure to begin some small-talk.

"So how've you been? Things going well at school?"

Nate was looking at the floor ahead of himself as he walked and gave a small nod in answer to the question. His expression didn't seem to agree with his answer.

"Yeah... It's been alright I guess."

Noah didn't want to probe any further out in the hallway and so he decided to change the subject.

"It's starting to get a little chilly out there."

"Yeah..."

The doctor hid a grimace, mentally kicking himself for making such a lame observation. Really, it wasn't his fault for Nate not biting. Some clients were either too nervous or didn't have much practice or use for small-talk. Still, it often made for awkward silences when this was the case. Luckily they had arrived at the doorway to his office, and as Nate entered, the doctor turned on the small device that would hide actual, useful conversation from the rest of the world, and closed the door.

"Go ahead and have a seat."

Nate sank down in the same spot as last time and tried to make himself comfortable. It was obvious by the tenseness of his movements that something was bothering him. Noah grabbed his notepad from his desk and returned to sit in front of his client.

"So," began the doctor, trying to shift gears and settle into the session, "I'm glad that you decided to come back. Right now we have you down for twice weekly as we discussed last time. Today will be a normal session, just talk and no hypnosis. It's my hope that we can spend time in these early-week sessions to try and focus on areas that you'd like to work on and hopefully gain some good insights along the way that will help make your hypnosis sessions even more effective."

Nate nodded silently and Dr. Gyle offered a smile.

"So, the last time you were here you got to try it out a little bit--the hypnosis part that is. What did you think?"

The dalmatian was hugging himself now, arms folded close to his chest and eyes fixed down at his feet.

"It was pretty cool, I guess."

Dr. Gyle squinted a bit as he listened; it was obvious to him that the pup's mind was elsewhere.

"I mean, it was relaxing. But that is all I really remember of it."

Noah nodded and smiled, shifting the clipboard between hands.

"You did seem to like that aspect of it. But we can talk more about that later if you want. Like I said, today is mostly a starting point--to get an idea of where we want to head in the sessions to come."

Nate shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

"Is there anything you wanted to talk about?"

The doctor paused for a second, weighing whether or not to add his observation of Nate's behavior. He didn't want to put the pup on the spot, but things were getting off to a slow start and sometimes client's needed that extra push to start unburdening themselves. He decided to go for it.

"You seem to have something on your mind."

Nate made a face that seemed like the half-way point between a scowl and a smile, still looking down at his feet. At least now he was shifting into a more open posture. It reminded the doctor of when he had talked about his mom during the first session. This was a good sign.

"Well, things haven't been going all that well lately, I guess."

The doctor nodded, adopting an expression of interested attentiveness.

"At school? Home?... both?"

"Both, I guess. I mean, school is always a pain, but my parents are being..."

Nate looked over at the shaded window.

"A pain?" offered the lion with a knowing grin.

Nate looked down and smiled.

"Yeah, you could say that. My mom won't get off my case. It seems no matter what I do, nothing is good enough for her. And she won't shut up about this whole drug thing..."

Bingo.

Noah nodded, ears perked.

"...I mean, I agreed to get therapy and to do this hypnosis stuff. You'd think she could lay off a bit. But it seems like she wants everything to be fixed yesterday."

Nate looked up, making eye-contact and holding his paws open in his lap.

"And the ride up here... I thought I'd never make it out of the car!"

Noah nodded understandingly and watched with interest as Nate shifted gears. The pup's featured darkened a bit and his eyes dropped down to his paws which began to fidget. Even though Noah's earlier inclination was to keep the topic centered around the drug aspect, he could tell that what was on the pup's mind now was bothering him much more. When clients first open up, it can be like a waterfall. It's like breaching a dam, and it is usually best to let it all flow out until everything is at rest again. Such unburdening can be extremely therapeutic by itself. Some people just need someone to talk to. Especially those who have no one to talk to.

"And my dad..."

Nate's eyes were filled with contempt and the pup shook his head, trying to clear it away.

"Well, anyways... Home sucks. And school is full of assholes. If my mom had to live like this she would be sparking up too."

The pup had avoided the topic and drawn the conversation back around to drugs anyways. Now, more than ever, Dr. Gyle's curiosity about that unhappy subject was piqued. The time before, Nate had regressed to a troubling period in his past and his unhappiness then was also somehow involving his father. Either something happened back then, or the current issue was so strong that it colored the pup's past perceptions as well as the present. The intensity of Nate's emotions before changing the subject suggested that this topic would best be visited a little later.

"People are giving you trouble at school as well?"

"Yeah... well... my girlfriend left me."

"I'm sorry to hear that," offered Noah sympathetically.

"Yeah, well it gets worse. Turns out, she has been secretly getting it on with one of my best friends behind my back."

"Man..."

"Yeah." Nate's features were shrouded in sad recollection. "Not that I had many friends to begin with... two birds with one stone."

"Do you have anyone else at school that you can talk to? A different friend that you can count on for support?"

Support groups are an important part of breaking free of addiction. That and Noah was curious if this friend was the mystery friend that Nate's file said got him into drugs in the first place.

Nate looked up and gave Dr. Gyle a suspicious look.

"Well, there is Jessie. You probably read about him in my file. He is the one my mom hates and says is a bad influence on me. But at least he doesn't go around and bang his best friends' girlfriends. If anything, he is the only one at school who gets me. My mom and my 'dad' don't really care about me. All they care about is if I'm breathing and not making them look bad."

"Do they know about this recent breakup?"

"No... I stopped talking to them about stuff like that some time ago."

"How long ago was that?"

"I dunno. The last time I told my mom about something that was going on at school she just grilled me and asked what I had done to cause it and if I had been getting into any more trouble she should know about. And my dad..."

There was that look again.

"... My dad is a fucking..."

Noah raised his eyebrows inwardly, but externally there was only a look of concern. There was a lot of emotion behind those words. Judging from what he had seen of this pup, he didn't strike the doctor as the kind to use words like that lightly. Though, since Nate had brought the conversation back to this point, Noah decided to continue forward with it.

"What happened the last time you brought something to your dad for help?"

Nate took a second to regain his composure, straightening up in the love-seat before continuing.

"The last time I had brought something to him was when I was having a fight with my best friend at the time."

"Jessie?"

"No, the other one. The one who stole my girlfriend."

Noah nodded.

"I was really upset with him and the things he was doing, and my dad just..."

Nate looked down at his paws, his cheeks flushing red with shame. Noah sat in silence, waiting for him to continue.

"He just threw it back at me, telling me that I was acting as if this friend was my boyfriend."

Noah was starting to get some of the picture.

"It really pissed me off. Still pisses me off. I mean, what the hell?"

"Had your father made comments like that to you before?"

This question made Nate shift uncomfortably in his seat and look sidelong at the window. A little time passed with the ticking of the cuckoo clock and it soon become evident that he wasn't going to answer.

"It's okay; we don't have to talk about that right now if you don't want to."

"Yeah, I'd rather change the subject," said the pup, words soft and timid; as if his mind were off somewhere, far away.

Dr. Gyle surreptitiously stole a glance at the clock before offering Nate a reassuring smile. It was almost time to end the session and he didn't want to leave off on such a heavy note.

"Well, I'm glad that you've got Jessie..."

Noah's statement snapped Nate back into the present, eyes fixing themselves on the doctor's with a faint hint of surprise.

"I know that your parents may not like him very much and perhaps your previous therapists saw him as a threat to your recovery, but I think the fact that you have someone there who you can talk to and who has your back is more important than the fact that he exposed you to drugs. While our primary goal here is to help you break your substance dependency, people have to realize that there are more important things."

Nate's eyes lit up and the pup offered the doctor that heart-melting hint of a genuine smile. There was hope burning behind those eyes and Noah felt as if he could fall into them. He wanted to give the pup a hug, but instead he just smiled in return, wondering how long it had been since anyone had told this poor, beautiful lad that there were more important things in life than what he did or didn't do. That his wellbeing was more important than grades or public opinion. Too often parents programmed their offspring to only find their value from external sources. It was a travesty that so many grew up and lived their lives in constant struggle, striving to achieve this intrinsic value that they were never told they already had.

"Don't worry," Dr. Noah said, almost biting his tongue as he caught himself about to refer to the boy as 'pup,' "we'll get to the bottom of things."

Nate nodded, noticeably in a more positive mood.

"But as for now, we've just about run out of time!"

Noah looked at the clock openly this time, and as if on cue, Nate followed suit.

"That went by fast."

Noah chuckled at the boy's observation.

"It always does. This Thursday I have you down for 5 to 6, is that right?"

It was a rhetorical question meant to suss out any misunderstandings the client might have about future scheduling.

Nate simply nodded, almost excited about the prospect of experiencing hypnosis again, looking up into the doctor's golden eyes.

"Well, I look forward to seeing you then."

Noah offered a paw and Nate took it unquestioningly, shaking it firmly but slightly more relaxed than the previous session. The feeling was divine, and oh-too-fleeting. Noah could see himself calculating the maximum acceptable number of social situations in which one could initiate hand shaking, just to continue to feel that pup's paw in his own. But soon he was just standing there before his open office door, watching the dalmatian lad, wolfish features and all, pad his way out of the building.

~ ~ * ~ ~

Dr. Gyle lowered the lights. Nate was sitting in his usual spot on the love-seat, back straight, right on the edge. Nervous people tended to exhibit the best and the worst of posture, mused the doctor as he slowly made his way over to the couch. Wednesday had passed so quickly and uneventfully that it was almost like it hadn't existed at all. During his breaks and his lunch hour the doctor had found it difficult to think of anything other than his upcoming session with the pup. While this was going to be his second hypnotherapy session, it was really more like the first. The previous encounter had taken an unexpected turn and had to be ended prematurely. This time, however, things would be different. He had put in a lot of thought about it, between then and now; and as charming as Nathan was, even without meaning to be, the doctor had reclaimed his firm footing. He was a professional and this boy was his client, who he was going to help. There were firm boundaries, and these boundaries would not be crossed. His whole career revolved around helping his clients find and master their willpower and self-control. For years he had seen others struggling with constant temptation and had skillfully steered them clear of the rocky shoals. If he could do this for others, then for himself... well, it really wasn't even a consideration.

The lion flashed a warm smile as he sat down in front of his client.

"Are you about ready to get started?"

Nate nodded nervously, his eyes shifting before returning to meet Noah's gaze.

"Don't worry, there is nothing to it really. It will be just as easy and relaxing as the last time. Just sit back and try to relax."

The dalmatian mutt scooted back and tried to make himself comfortable.

"Now, before we begin I want to tell you..."

Those big, crystal-blue eyes made the doctor momentarily lose his concentration. Nate wasn't usually big on maintaining eye-contact but now he was transfixed, filled with trust and attentiveness. They were waiting... waiting for him to explain what would transpire in the next hour and for a moment the doctor was lost.

Noah blinked, violently pushing back against the urge to lean forward and take the pup's paws in his own, muzzles so incredibly close, and engage his client in a soft, warm kiss. The warning sirens in his mind were going off again, more loudly than ever. While gazing into this sweet pup's eyes, his leg muscles had made the slightest, most imperceptible twitch--such was the strength of the sudden upwelling of desire to act. Something wasn't right about this and it deeply troubled the lion. He tried his best not to let it show, but instead of his usual warm, professional mask, his external expression was one of being slightly dumbfounded. Nate was starting to notice too, the attentiveness changing to more of a questioning look.

Noah's professional persona swept in to the rescue, a smile replacing his dumbfounded stare with a warm smile. It was going to be so much easier to deal with this once the pup was out.

"Forgive me," rumbled Noah, "something had just occurred to me."

What had just occurred to him? Thoughts were flashing quickly through the lion's mind, like a Rolodex in a hurricane, trying to find something to fill in the gap to cover up his momentary lapse. This was survival, it was important, and without even consciously examining the card his mind chose, the doctor tossed it out into the wild. There had to be no pauses, as if he knew this all along, for it to be convincing.

"You are currently signed up for 5-6 on Thursdays for your hypnosis sessions and I know you had mentioned extracurricular activities earlier. Is this time-slot good for you? Because if you wanted, we could work something else out."

Internally, Noah was blinking at himself with the same dumbfounded expression he had shown earlier. What was this? It was just as random and unexpected to the doctor as it was to the boy, but even so, Nathan was giving it some careful thought. Maybe something good would come out of it.

"Well, I guess now is good. I mean, practice lets out at 5 but they let me leave a little early."

"Practice?"

"Marching band," replied the pup with a bashful glance.

Dr. Noah grinned.

"That sounds like fun. What instrument do you play?"

"I'm in the brass section... I play trumpet."

There was some discomfort in the reply, as if it was something the pup was ashamed of or perhaps his answer wasn't exactly the truth. It seemed like a strange thing to lie about though.

"Well, I'm glad that you've got some extracurriculars that you enjoy. It probably helps to have something to participate in away from home or the typical school crowd."

Nathan nodded, obviously wanting to change the subject.

"Well, what I was going to say earlier is that a lot of what we will be doing later in these sessions will be focused on willpower, resisting temptation, and making healthy life changes. And while all of these things are good and necessary, dealing with the effects and pitfalls of the problem, what I'd like to focus on first is finding out and addressing the root of the problem. Specifically, what it is that led you to start using. If we address that, then the rest usually falls into place quite easily. Avoiding it often leads to an eventual relapse, and that is what we are trying to avoid."

Nate nodded, almost too avidly. He was happy to be talking about something other than his personal life; something more removed--clinical in nature.

"But for now I don't want you to worry about any of that. Right now I just want you to relax. Just sit back and breathe."

The pup complied, automatically shutting his eyes again, just as he did last time. Something about it annoyed the doctor this time around. It wasn't the willingness. He loved the willingness--really loved it. But it was something else that was harder to place a finger on. Somewhere in the deep recesses of his mind there came a soft and powerful voice, uttering three words that vibrated with a sinister, almost whimsical edge in the darkness: ...Simon didn't say...

"You don't have to close your eyes just yet." Noah tried to keep his voice soothing and non-accusatory. "Just breathe deep. Slowly in, and out."

Nathan opened his eyes, his beautiful pools finding the doctor's intent stare.

Yes... that's much better.

Dr. Gyle smiled and raised his paw, stretching it out towards the pup and forming it into the shape of a pincer, fingers straight, as if his arm were now a snake with its mouth wide open. Nate's eyes automatically gravitated to the paw and the doctor gave the slightest of nods.

"That's right, just relax and focus on my paw. Breathing deeply. In... and out... Just in... and out..."

This wasn't a usual induction. In fact, the doctor hadn't done anything like this before. He didn't know where it was coming from, but right now he was too in the moment to question it. Instead, he was staring at the pup's eyes that already seemed weary from the deep breathing and focusing on something so close to them.

"Just in... and out..."

The doctor allowed the snake's mouth to close just the tiniest bit, only a short spasm, and as he did he saw the pup's eyelids spasm the slightest amount as well. A thrill rose up the doctor's spine. The pup's eyelids and his open paw were linked. Slowly closing the pincer, the serpent's mouth, a little more saw the pup's eyelids start to sink until they were half closed.

"Just in... and out... That's it... just in... and out... So relaxed... your eyelids... so heavy... so ready... Just in... and out... so ready... Just in... and out... so relaxed... so ready to close..."

A curious impishness rose up within the lion, urging him to open his pincer very slightly, and sure enough, the dalmatian's eyelids opened the slightest amount as well. The doctor shivered and almost growled--the impulse so surprising him that he immediately snapped his fingers shut and uttered with a raspy and urgent voice that almost didn't seem like his own: "Sleep!"

The boy's body went completely limp on the love-seat, eyes closed and mouth hanging slightly open, and the doctor sat on the couch and stared in disbelief. His heart was pounding. What the hell had he just done? Was he really out?

A few moments passed in silence.

"Nathan?..."

Silence. The boy must've really gone under. His breathing was slow and steady, and his muscles didn't show any of the nervousness he would expect for someone feigning sleep. It had been about five minutes since the command and still there was no movement. Taking this as a sign that Nate was truly out, the doctor allowed himself a small sigh of relief. The bulge in his pants was pressing up against the clipboard in his lap. There was something about the instant transition that excited him. It wasn't quite like the vision he had before, of snapping and Nate falling into his arms, but it was close. He had never put someone under quite like that. Not without having conditioned them for it in a previous session.

Dr. Gyle pressed down on the clipboard and closed his eyes, allowing himself a small rumble of pleasure.

Fine... so there was this. He was lucky to have put Nate under so instantly. Heavens know what would have happened had the pup noticed his flushing or the other, less subtle signs of his arousal. But now that he was out, and there was no more chance of discovery, the doctor could proceed with the session. He would work out this strange impulse and his arousal at some later date.

"...Nathan, you are very relaxed now. But you can still hear my voice."

Dr. Gyle wondered if that were true, or if the pup was actually unconscious or asleep. There was no answer but the breathing of the mutt had now become more ragged, starting that slow transition into a snore. This wouldn't do at all... but how to wake him without truly waking him? Leaning forward, the lion gently tapped the top of one of Nate's hands. The pup started, eyes opening half-way with the bleary expression of one who had just been shaken out of a deep sleep. He began to look around but before he could become fully aware Noah stretched out his paw again and closed it in front of the pups face. Nate's eyes followed suit and Noah felt another shiver run through himself. His pants were feeling way to tight, full of heat. Making sure that Nate wasn't going to open his eyes again the doctor reached under the clipboard and adjusted himself. The adjustment turned into more of a nice squeeze and a firm rub or two through the material. His mind was becoming hazy, half focused on his work and half lost in the wonderful feeling of his paw stroking along his bulge, a tranced pup right in front of him, so unaware of what was happening.

A glance at the door brought the doctor closer to his senses. It wasn't locked, and someone could come in at any time. No... he had to focus. Just get through this. After Nate was gone he could take care of this problem. In the meantime...

"Nate... you can hear my voice now. So relaxed... so deeply relaxed... but you can still speak. Speaking is easy for you... you feel yourself drifting even deeper... but you can still respond to my voice..."

The pup's mouth was not agape anymore after his eyes being willed closed for the second time. His breathing was also more rhythmic and deep, suggesting a trance state instead of the sleep of only moments before.

"Nate?..."

Silence.

"Nate, can you hear my voice? Say yes..."

"...yes..."

The reply was very soft, more like a sigh. Even so, it was a success. Such a rapid induction couldn't be counted on in the future though. Even now, the lion couldn't believe how lucky he'd been to have such strong rapport with the pup so as to drag him under like that. It was better to be safe than sorry.

"Good... that's good... just drift in this comforting darkness... relax... and know that this place is yours... do you remember that safe place? Do you remember the place you went to last time where you were completely safe? And you could return to any time you wanted?"

"...yes..."

"Good... go there now... with just one thought, you find you are instantly there... are you there now, Nate?"

"...yes..."

"Good..."

The doctor shifted in place, removing his paw from under his clipboard in an attempt to concentrate on the matter at hand. He was already feeling the dampness of pre in his underwear and he didn't want to tempt himself any further.

"Remember the words I taught you... the words that can bring you here no matter where you are... all you have to do is say them, and you will be back in this place... this soft, safe place... you remember what those words were, don't you Nate?"

"...yes..."

"Say them for me."

"...I'm back..."

"That's right. Whenever you feel frightened or threatened, or anything at all that makes you need to come back here, just say those words and you will immediately be back in this safe place."

Dr. Gyle paused for a moment as he considered this next step. He wanted to create a trigger that could rapidly bring Nate back to this state, but after seeing how deeply having such an instant power over this client in particular affected him, he doubted if he should make it something so instant. He could try to solidify a nice countdown induction... something that would take more time but not be quite as long as his introductory experience. But still... the thought of the pup instantly falling into trance... Mmm... No... No, he wasn't going to tempt himself like that. He should avoid that at all costs until he had a chance to do some personal work of his own and find out the source of all these latent feelings... But then again... what harm could it do, really? I mean, getting a hard-on in front of a client that is already out isn't the worst thing in the world. He could just ignore it, and proceed with the session. It would be okay. In fact, it would be better. He could practice his own willpower in a safe environment. Safe? Who are you kidding?

The doctor frowned as he argued with himself. He had to make a decision fairly quickly. He didn't want Nate drifting off to sleep again. On the one hand, having this instant transition would come in handy, but on the other, there were just too many variables and this urge he had... it couldn't be allowed to get the better of him. So he should just stick with the countdown. Yes... That would be the best course of action.

"Nate... whenever you are awake, and you wish to return here quickly, we can return here by counting down from ten... All it takes is for us to count down from ten together... and with every number you will feel yourself more relaxed... with every number you will find your eyes getting heavier... with every number you will go deeper and deeper until we get to one. By the time we get to one, you will find yourself back in this place... by the time we have counted down to one, you will be back in this safe place... do you understand?"

"...yes..."

"And if I ever say the words 'now you're under' you will instantly find yourself back in this place, do you understand?"

"...yes..."

The doctor's eyes widened as he screamed at himself internally, blinking in disbelief. What did he just say?! What the hell did he just say?! He had decided against it! It was too risky! But the words... they just came out. They just came out as if of their own accord, before he even knew what he was saying. But now... now it would risk causing dissonance if he immediately undid something he just created. Oh my gods... what the hell is wrong with me?

It took Noah a few moments to pull himself together. His heart was pounding loudly in his chest and he had to quiet it down. A few deep breaths helped. Closing his eyes the doctor attempted to relax himself, trying to match his breathing with the one in front of him. It was okay. It was going to be fine. He would just use the countdown and never use the command. It would be the same as if he had never put it there in the first place. Just calm down. And continue. This was addiction therapy after-all. He was supposed to be getting at the root of Nate's problem, not inventing ones of his own. So yes... the root...

Noah took a deep breath.

"Now I want you to think back to when you first tried drugs... do you remember what kind of drug it was?"

"...yes..."

"Tell me, what kind of drug?"

"I dunno..."

Dr. Gyle frowned.

"Do you know the name of the drug?"

"No..."

Okay... so this was strange. Nate's voice had taken on a more youthful tone. It was possible that this early event from last time included some sort of substance Nate took as being a drug, yet was too young to fully comprehend. However, Nate was here primarily for cannabis. He needed to find a more recent time period to draw on.

"Do you remember the second time you tried drugs for the first time?"

Questions didn't always have to make logical sense. The subconscious mind wasn't a completely linear and rational beast. If it felt there was a second time that felt like a first, then it would gravitate towards that event.

"...yes..."

Bingo.

"Do you remember the name of the drug?"

"... It was pot..."

Dr. Gyle smiled.

"Very good... thinking back, do you remember who was with you?"

"My friend..."

"What is his name?"

"Jessie."

"Was Jessie the one who gave you the pot to try?"

"...Yes."

Nate's voice had returned to normal. His mind was now in a more recent period of his past.

"Now I want to you think back... and remember how you felt in this situation. What was it that you were feeling at the time? It is okay to feel it; you are completely safe. Do you remember what it felt like?"

"Yes..."

"How were you feeling?"

Nate didn't reply. Instead the young pup shifted on the love-seat, legs sprawled out and arms lying limp at his sides. Slowly, the dalmatian drug his right paw over the cushion of the seat and onto his lap. Noah's eyes followed the movement and the lion swallowed as he realized what was going on. There was a hint of a bulge there that hadn't been there before. Underneath that cloth, he could see the pulsing of something that was slowly filling out, and Nate's paw instinctively found it and gave it a squeeze. This was not at all what the doctor was expecting. Of course, Nate and his friend were teens when this event occurred, and teens were rife with hormones, but Dr. Gyle was expecting something more along the lines of angst or rebellion to be present during this first brush with substance abuse.

"C.. Can you tell me how you were... are... feeling?" stammered the doctor as he watched the young pup slowly stroke himself to full arousal over his pants. Nate only replied with a small moan and the doctor cursed the stars for tormenting him like this, his own paw sliding beneath the clipboard again, this time stroking along his bulge without restraint. Gawds... he wanted to be free of his trousers so badly... Of course... he had to stop this... he had to wake Nate up. He couldn't let this continue... there were some lines that you just didn't cross.

Nate let out a soft sigh as he drew his paw upwards and undid the button to his bluejeans, deftly finding the zipper and slowly tugging it down. He was wearing boxers and as soon as the zipper was down, the pup's pulsing member made a tent of them, straining against the thin layer that was the only thing that stood between his swollen cock and the open air. The doctor's eyes glanced sidelong at the door and then back to the spectacle before him. Nate had begun to stroke himself through his boxers and a small patch of wetness was forming where his tip met the cloth. The scent coming from the boy's excitement made the lion weak. He couldn't stand it... he had to undo his own trousers, the top button, and then the zipper. His own cock was much larger and thicker than the pups, and the outline it made was all the more impressive as it strained against the dark-colored briefs. Noah's briefs already sported a large patch of wetness from earlier and he closed his eyes as a trembling sigh escaped him, his paw closing around his shrouded warmth. He couldn't just leave it bound up... but what if someone came through the door? What a sight that'd make! The doctor sitting here with...

Noah's thoughts trailed off, distracted by something red. The growing pup's cock had somehow found its way to the fly of his boxers but the button was not allowing it to free itself from that small opening. Breathing hotly, the doctor stared at that teasing slip of red, peeking out as if to taunt him, telling him, asking him to help it free. But Noah knew this had to stop... this was madness... this had to be a dream. There was no way he was openly stroking himself through his briefs in front of a client. He wasn't sitting here and letting a pup stroke himself off in front of him. There was no way...

"Nathan... make yourself comfortable..."

The doctor closed his eyes tightly. Those weren't his words. He didn't just say that. But he did... and the puppy was obliging. Squirming and fiddling with the elastic band, Nate pulled the front of his boxers down, allowing his dripping red cock to spring free. One movement more and the pup's fuzzy white balls were out over the elastic band as well. The lion shivered as he took in the view. Never, from the first time he laid eyes on this beautiful pup, had he ever considered the possibility of seeing him laid bare like this, exposing his cock and pawing right in front of him. But now... now he could smell the musk. He could hear the contented sigh as the pup smiled and stroked at his throbbing redness with renewed fervor. Nate's chest was rising and falling, his breathing getting more ragged and every now and then a small whimper escaped that beautiful boy's muzzle.

Noah couldn't stand it anymore. With one motion he freed his large cock from its confines and began to stroke himself out in the open. The clipboard hand fallen to one side, completely forgotten. Nothing else in the room existed. It was just him, his cock, and that whimpering, panting dalmatian. And that intoxicating scent. Oh gawds... And he could tell the boy was getting close. His thighs had begun to flex sporadically; those fuzzy balls tightening in anticipation of the main event. Nate had even pulled up his shirt with his other paw, revealing his gorgeous belly and chest to the lion. It was probably out of habit, to keep from staining his shirt with cum. He was so close. Noah was as well... for all he knew, the whole world could be right outside his door, about to barge in, but it was too late now. His balls were tightening, the pup was moaning, and with a yelp the pup's body arched upwards, his slick cock spasming in his paw as he shot several long streams of hot puppy-cum over his chest and paw. The scent of that fresh seed hit the doctor hard, sending him over the edge. Giving several large thrusts up into his rapidly stroking paw, Noah gasped, trying his best to keep silent as hot jets of his own cum covered his paw, lab-coat, and one even hitting the side of his face and neck. The whole world was spinning and the doctor couldn't tell up from down anymore. This orgasm was more powerful than anything he had experienced in a very long time--every inch of him feeling as though it had been electrified in a current of pure bliss and agonizing release.

The sound of the cuckoo clock ticked away the silence of the afterglow, the scents of the two males' handiwork intermingling in the room as Nate fell back into a deep, restful sleep, covered in his own stickiness. For a time Noah just sat there and watched him breathe, thinking to himself that if he could have just one wish, it would be to be able to sit like this and watch him forever. Time was not on his side, however. He had to clean up; to make sure that he had everything taken care of before the pup awakened.

Cleaning himself up was no problem. The doctor kept a box of tissues on the end-table next to his couch for those times when clients were unburdening themselves... in ways very much unlike what happened this evening. It took nearly half the box to clean the wetness out of his fur as well as his lab-coat. The wastebasket near his desk was now almost two-thirds of the way full. But when it came time to take care of Nathan, Noah felt a bit of hesitation. Up until now the whole event had transpired without him so much as laying a paw on the boy. But now... now he found himself leaning over the sleeping puppy, and as gently as he could manage, wiping the cum out of his fur before it had a chance to dry. Something about this made it all seem more real. Even though there was a barrier between his paws and this boy's chest and sides, he could feel the wetness through the tissues as they became saturated. He was feeling the cum of his sleeping client on his fingertips. It wasn't as if he could just leave him this way, though.

The wastebasket was nearly to the brim with used tissue and Nate was mostly clean now except for one area. His red, canine member was still somewhat engorged, though limp enough to be laying against the pup's leg. It was slick with the last of the remaining cum and the doctor stared down at it with a worried look on his face. He couldn't. He couldn't touch his client there, even through a tissue. What had happened was just a fluke. The boy got himself off, and the doctor, keeping his distance, did the same. But this... This was different. Maybe if he used the last of the tissues in one thick wad? Maybe the thickness would help prevent him from really touching the young man's member.

Reaching into the box the lion pulled out a paw-full of the tissues and gently rested it atop Nate's cock. With as gentle a motion as he could manage, he allowed his paw to enclose it, picking it up off the pup's thigh and stroking upward along the shaft. It seemed to be working, all the cum was coming off without the doctor being able to truly feel the shape of the cock he held in his padded grip. And with that, the boy's member flopped back down into his lap and Noah made his way to the wastebasket.

The rest followed fairly easily. Thankfully, patients in a trance are usually lethargic in motion except when instructed otherwise. Nate was no exception, and the fact that he had simply pulled down the elastic band made covering him back up as simple as pulling down, out and over. A careful and slow zip, a gentle tug on the bottom of his shirt, and a dexterous buttoning later; the pup was as good as when he had walked in. Restless and a little tired, the doctor looked over at the clock on the wall. He had fifteen minutes left in the session before he had to wake the boy up, and with a weary flop, Noah sank down onto the couch and closed his eyes.

~ ~ * ~ ~

Nate stretched and yawned widely before rubbing the blurriness from his eyes and blinking across at the doctor, who seemed busy writing something down on his clipboard. Glancing over the top, as if noticing the pup for the first time, the doctor lowered the board and smiled warmly.

"Ah, welcome back!"

Another yawn stole the pup's ability to respond for a few more seconds. Instead, Nate glanced at the clock and then back to the doctor.

"Only an hour... I feel like I've been asleep for ages."

Noah chuckled. "You have developed a habit of drifting off at the end of the sessions."

"Oh, I'm sorry..." Nate began before being stifled by another yawn.

"Don't be. Rest is good. You'd be surprised how many of my clients rarely get to relax this much in their day to day lives. I can wake you if you'd like, but I tend to let clients get a bit of rest out of the deal when I can."

Now it was Nate's turn to chuckle.

"Don't tell my mom. I don't think she'd like the thought of paying for me to take naps at other people's places."

Noah grinned, but inwardly he was visualizing Nate's mother's reaction to paying for her son to get off in front of a stranger. And worse... the look on her face as she watched this stranger clean off her son's dick with a long, tissue-filled, stroke.

"Well, I won't tell if you won't..."

Nate nodded. "Deal."

Noah looked down and away for a moment.

"Is everything alright?"

"Oh yes!" protested Noah, returning his attention to the pup a bit too eagerly. "I'm just a little tired myself. It's been one of those days."

"Oh... alright. I saw that look on your face and I was worried that it was something I said while I was under or something..."

"No... No need to worry about that sort of thing. Believe me, after as much experience as I've had in this profession, I've heard it all."

Nate nodded and began to fidget with a tassel on his hoodie.

"So... like... what did we do?"

Noah's blood ran cold as he felt a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"W... what do you mean?"

"I mean... like, what kind of therapy happens when I'm under? I don't remember any of it."

Noah's laugh was as filled with relief as it was with the remnants of nervous tension and cold fear. "Well, there is nothing to it really. We try to go back to memories in the past and get an idea of how you felt and what was going through your mind. We also try to get a good picture of what happened and, with that information, I can help walk you through these things in our talk sessions." Oh,Thank gawd...

Nate nodded. "Anything good this time?"

"It is a bit slow at the start, but I think we're making progress. We can talk more about it next Tuesday if you like."

Nate grinned, taking the hint, and began to stretch as he rose to his feet. Dr. Gyle rose as well and offered a paw. This time, there was no giddy anticipation of the handshake. Instead, the contact made the lion swallow, his spent cock twitching inside his briefs. A vague vision of him taking that paw and pulling the pup up against him before reaching around and squeezing the dalmatian's ass in his large paws, flashed before his eyes, vanishing just as quickly as it had arrived.

"Have a good evening," was all the doctor could manage.

"I will. See you next week."

Nate gave the lion a small wave and with that, the pup was gone.

The weary doctor made his way over to his desk and allowed himself to fall into his chair like a pile of rubble. This was no good. But as much as he knew he should, he just couldn't bring himself to cancel the rest of Nate's sessions. Who knows... maybe doing so would arouse suspicion anyways. And what if Nate somehow remembered what had happened? No. He would just remember pawing himself off. After all, his eyes were closed the whole time, lost in the bliss of his trance. And Noah hadn't touched him. At least, not directly...

The acid pangs of guilt were washing up against the lion's internal impulses and instinct. He couldn't get the image of the boy's cock out of his head. It was the perfect size, swollen, pulsing with life; slick, red, and dripping. That look on the pup's face... eyes closed, eyebrows arcing upwards as he moaned with pleasure. And what the hell was he thinking? He could have and should have stopped it. But instead, he just watched. No. He participated in this voyeuristic act. It all seemed so surreal. By now, however, the lion was too tired to sort it all out. Some sleep would be nice. Even though his cock was rock hard again, straining at its confines at the mere remembrance of what took place only a half-hour before.

As Noah rose from his desk and grabbed his keys from his pocket, he made a small and feeble deal with himself. He would continue to see Nathan as usual, but he would never let something like that happen again. This was the only time. It was a fluke. And it's not like he touched his client. Not really. He just cleaned up. He got off easy this time. Next time he might not be so lucky. But no. There was no 'next time.' Just one moment of weakness that would be his secret forever. No one had to know and no one would ever find out.

A flick of a switch bathed the room in darkness, a few straggling bars of light disappearing as the door to the office pulled closed.