The Spider Queen

(Four days later…)

(Peterlor Estate- Holosuite 009)

"Are you feeling a bit nervous?" Cleo asked softly as she saw Sophie silently stand in front of the metalloid door to the holosuite.

"Just a little tad…" Sophie replied awkwardly.

Her finger was a few centimeters away from the scanner, but she needed some time to work up the courage to press it.

Today was her first session with Doctor Reynolds since Cleo had arrived and it was going to be a special one.

The psychologist had suggested that if she was comfortable, he would like to invite Cleo to come to the next session.

He was interested in the mental connection between the pair as well as to discuss any issues in their relationship.

Sophie at the time thought that it wasn't a problem but when she finally arrived at the door, she could not help but hesitate.

It may sound silly, but Sophie wanted herself to seem invincible in Cleo's eyes. It was embarrassing enough to have to need therapy…

"Stop overthinking," Cleo whispered gently as she stood on tip toes to plant a soft kiss against Sophie's lower jaw.

Sophie enjoyed the warm feeling of her girlfriend's body leaning into hers as she suddenly felt a lot more confident.

Come on… Cleo had already seen her at her worst… it was a bit too late to pretend to be perfect…

There was a comfortable silence between the pair that was interrupted by Cleo stepping back and complaining.

"God… I wish you weren't so freaking tall!" Cleo scowled as she had tried her best to reach Sophie's lips.

Sophie lightly chuckled and bent down to fiercely press her lips against Cleo's. She was careful not to go too far because she didn't want to trigger her instincts.

"I think I'm ready now. Thanks babe," Sophie spoke peacefully. She pressed her thumb against the scanner and the door slid open.

Inside the holosuite was the familiar looking office space that resembled her father's study room.

Doctor Reynolds was sitting peacefully on a chair next to the open fire while playing with a strange device in his palms.

He slowly got up from the chair and made his way to the front of the room. The numerous mechanical parts sewn into his body creaked and groaned with every step that he took.

Sophie stepped forward and handed over the chip that contained the memories of their sessions.

Doctor Reynolds nodded in thanks and then pressed a button on the side of his robotic skull. A small gap suddenly appeared on his head, and he placed the chip inside.

There was a brief moment of silence as the doctor froze in place. It was impossible to see from the outside, but data was constantly pouring into his mind.

Finally, the doctor let out a heavy sigh as the last memory assimilated into his core.

"It is a pleasure to meet you Miss. Sisrelis," Doctor Reynolds extended his skeletal-like hand outwards to shake.

"Good day. It's okay if you just call me Cleo," Cleo politely shook his hand and then responded.

"I've heard that you are one of the best psychologists. Thank you for agreeing to Duke Peterlor's request."

"Please why don't you both take a seat on the couch," Doctor Reynolds suggested. He walked over to the console in the middle of the room and inputted a series of commands.

The temperature was instantly lowered to a more comfortable range and a large couch materialized out of thin air.

The psychologist also adjusted some of the finer details in the room such as the position of a few bookshelves and the painting on the wall.

Cleo grabbed Sophie's hand as the hybrid girl led her over to the couch. The pair sat down slowly as the doctor finally finished modifying the room.

Doctor Reynolds walked over to a chair that was directly opposite the couch and sat down.

"I'm sure that Sophie has already informed you, but these sessions are completely confidential," Doctor Reynolds talked slowly.

"My goal is to help Sophie learn to manage her emotions, memories and feelings in a way that is not destructive."

"This will be a bit of a special session as I really wanted to get to know you. It is clear from our previous chats that you are someone that is very important to Sophie."

"She is also very important to me," Cleo immediately replied as she softly squeezed her girlfriend's hand.

A blush spread across Sophie's face as there was a hint of pride in Cleo's tone. Doctor Reynolds hummed softly as he stared at the pair.

There was no way to tell what his facial expressions were since everything was covered by a plain grey mask.

"Sophie how do you feel about Cleo?" Doctor Reynolds asked curiously.

"My everything. It's hard to describe but she was one of my biggest regrets and motivations when I was trapped in the Unovan Syndicate," Sophie spoke seriously.

"I kept worrying that I would never see her again. The thought of her moving on eventually and falling in love with someone else… it scared me..."

"It isn't just the physical connection that we share… I genuinely love everything about this girl from her laugh to her pranks to the way she makes me feel…"

"Special."

Sophie's eyes began to water as she felt a surge of emotions. She accessed her storage ring and pulled out some tissues to wipe the tears that were beginning to form.

"Take as much time as you need to compose yourself," Doctor Reynolds spoke warmly. He tilted his head towards the princess and spoke in a clear tone,

"Cleo… take me back to the first time that you met Sophie and how did you end up deciding to pursue a relationship."

"Tell me a little bit about your relationship."

"Well, the first time that I saw Sophie was in her dorm room. It was a funny situation… I still remember the startled look on her face when I…" Cleo replied with a nostalgic smile.

The princess didn't even realise it as she talked but Sophie could see the warmth in her eyes as she talked about their journey together.

There were many events that Sophie had not thought about in awhile and hearing about them made the hybrid girl realise just how much the pair had gone through together.

From unexpectedly bumping into each other at the palace to going on a date in the zoo. To even more dangerous situations like battling pirates on planet Calypso.

The way that Cleo described their relationship made Sophie want to grab the princess and take her back to the bedroom immediately.

This thought was enough to cause a faint pinkish mist to begin to spread from the corner of her left eye.

"One… two… three…" Sophie quickly began her routine to calm down. She took a few deep breaths and then gently exhaled.

"Are you feeling alright now?" Doctor Reynolds asked with concern.

"Yeah… sorry… I got a little bit excited for a moment there…" Sophie replied nervously.

Doctor Reynolds leaned forward and addressed Cleo, "Perhaps we should talk about the main topic that I would like to explore a bit further today."

"Cleo… How do you feel about being permanently bonded to Sophie?"