"...suppose I found a way to guarantee they wouldn't go after Mason?"

"Like what?"

Shrug. "I don't know. Would my word that it's not within their legal rights suffice?"

"People sometimes do illegal things."

"Yes, sure, and teachers sometimes hit kids, doesn't mean you stop sending kids to school, it's a statistical anomaly."

Jackson doesn't seem to find this very convincing.

"Look, if their losing their license for doing it is not enough of a deterrent for you I don't know what is."

"Only if they'd actually lose their license," says Jackson. "Instead of just sort of doing things they shouldn't and then nothing happening."

"And why do you expect that to happen?"

"Do I look like I have the energy to sue anybody?"

"Well, I do. I'd do it for you."

"You wouldn't mind if something happened to Master."

"I wouldn't mind if you two broke up, and I'd very much love it if someone took him aside and told him a thing or two about healthy relationships, but that doesn't mean I wish him ill. And more to the point, I want to help you, and letting a therapist do exactly the one thing that's basically guaranteed to make them completely unhelpful for you without being punished for it would be contrary to my interests."

Sigh. "I dunno."

Sadde eyes him expectantly.

"What are you looking at me like that for?"

"I'm waiting to see if you'll decide I may not be full of it and you might as well give this a shot."

"You don't have to look at me like that to wait for something."

"I can stop looking at you like that," he says agreeably.

Jackson grumbles.

"What?"

Mumble mutter.

"Sorry, didn't catch that."

"That's probably because I didn't say it very clearly!"

He laughs. "Well what did you say, then?"