(COMPLETE) Family Is What You Make It

One Shot 2 - Little Therapist

Emile and Virgil take Remus to a therapy appointment - and Emile learns why Remus goes to 'talk to a friend' once a week.

TW - Mention of therapy and antidepressants. Main focus is on the cute kid though.

This one-shot is probably set only a few months after the story ends. So it's probably around November when the kids were adopted in June. So Emile has just started elementary school and Patton has just started high school. Roman and Remus are in their junior year.

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"Everyone in the car?" Virgil shouted automatically, it had become automatic to ask that question even though only he, Remus and Emile were going in the car. He was helping Emile with his seatbelt and Remus was sat in the front passenger seat listening to his music. Once Emile was securely in the car Virgil gave him a forehead kiss and then went in the driver's seat. He knew the route he was taking very well, he'd taken the journey alone or with Logan driving for years – and recently he'd also taken Remus. It was therapy. "Remember to ask Carol about remembering to take your pills, you should figure out a way to remember so you don't go to school without them." Virgil kept his voice low speaking to Remus; Emile didn't usually take this journey with the pair – but he had to today as Patton and Roman both needed supervising at high school competitions - and Logan had to cover that job as he was their teacher.

"Yeah, I know." Remus mumbled, his earphone only in one ear as he yawned. He was up late the night before worrying. It's not that he didn't like his therapy, he loved that he got the opportunity to have it, he just always felt a bit – off – when talking to someone about his feelings. He still wasn't used to it. Virgil nodded, not needing to say anymore as he focused on driving.

"Where's Remus going Papa?" A voice chirped from the back of the car making Virgil's thoughts pause. This was the kind of question Logan would answer with ease. He was good at simplifying things and encouraging questions. Virgil was not.

"I'm just going to a... friend." Remus answered his little brother slowly, his eyes revealing the same calculating look Logan pulls when answering Emile's questions. "Carol is a friend I talk to about my problems. She helps me understand them and improve myself."

Emile nodded, seeming satisfied with that answer and turning back to the game he was playing. It was silence in the car for a few minutes, the therapy office was in sight, and Emile spoke again. "Why don't you talk to your school friends about your problems? Or us?"

"I do. Carol just knows a lot about brains so knows the best way to help me." Remus smiled at his little brother as Virgil tried and almost failed to parallel park outside the therapy office. Once he parked they all got out the car, Virgil carrying Emile who held a confused expression as if his small brain was trying to figure out another question. Remus knew exactly what to do in these offices. He signed himself in by himself and went into the room to talk to his therapist. Virgil and Emile were instructed to wait outside as Remus was known to sometimes need calming from his family in these visits.

Virgil sat in a chair with Emile on his lap playing a game. That game only entertained him for a few minutes more before he went to the corner of the waiting room to see what games there were there. Virgil watched him happily explore, he loved watching his little mind work. Sometimes he wished he could have known the Ray-Feliz boys earlier to see Patton, Roman and Remus at their innocent child exploration phase. Emile was just the cutest.

Emile was staring at a bookshelf. He was only in first grade so couldn't read well. He knew the sounds letters made but that didn't correlate exactly to vocabulary. Emile just stared at the spines of the books sucking his thumb. "Papa! What's psh-cholo-jee?" Emile shouted across the room, grabbing one of the heavy books and running over to his father. Virgil looked confused for a moment before reading the book and smiling.

"Psychology. It's all about knowing stuff about the brain. Dad really really likes psychology – he can tell you about it when we get home!" Virgil cheered, placing Emile on his lap. Emile grabbed the book again and opened it, looking at the letter shapes to see if there were any words he recognised.

"Do I learn psychology at school?" Emile chirped again. First grade wasn't the most exciting compared to what his brothers did. All he did was reading and writing, maths, a little bit of science and a little bit of history or art or geography. His brothers did all different things like musical theatre and cooking and criminology. He wanted to learn fun things too.

"You can when you're in big school like your brothers. Then you can get a job like this!" Virgil said, pointing around the waiting room. Emile sucked his thumb and looked around the room from the comfort of his father's lap. "Look – can you use your sounds to say this word?" Virgil got Emile's attention and pointed to a word in the big book on their laps. Emile was silent for a minute remembering the 'special sounds' he'd been taught in school.

"Th-er-a-p-ist?" Emile mumbled. He was congratulated with a big hug once he said it correctly.

"Good boy! That's what the friend Remus is talking to is called!"

"I thought she was called Carol?"

"Well, yes, but a therapist is her job. Like Dad's a teacher." Virgil snuggled into his small son who was looking at everything with complete curiosity and amazement. He immediately imagined his son in fifteen or twenty years time as a therapist with his little pink tie and knitted cardigan. He ruffled his son's hair with a big goofy smile, fully preparing for Logan to be bombarded with psychology questions when they got home.

After some time Remus entered the waiting room, a small smile given to Virgil even though his eyes were bloodshot. Virgil gave his eldest son a hug, telling him that he was always welcome to talk to him about issues but Remus only shook his head. Sometimes it was just healthy to cry for no reason. When Emile saw his brother his smile widened and he ran over, shouting at the top of his voice.

"Re-Re! Re-Re! I'm going to be a therapist!"