Night Chronicles

Flight of the Bumblebee
Part Thirteen
Play Therapy

Harry spent most of Wednesday and Thursday out side, playing in the fresh snowfall that appeared and falling down the front steps at the school and taking Lance and Ali down with him.  No one was hurt, but Duo had seen the entire thing, and spent the car-ride home gently needling Harry about it in good humor.

Harry got him back when Wu Fei drew a beard on Duo in blue marker while he was "resting" and Trowa was glad Harry was comfortable enough to joke with his "big brothers."

The child was not so happy on Thrusday, however.  "Remember, Harry, after school we're going to go talk to a councilor,"  Quatre reminded Harry, since he was taking him to school.  "You'll be alone this session, so they can get to know you, but Trowa and the rest of us will be with you next session."

"Why do we have to go talk to someone?"  Harry tilted his head, geninuinly curious.

"We're as unused to having family as you are.  We're hoping a new set of eyes will help out,"  Quatre grinned.  He didn't add that Harry probably had some left over scars from the Dursleys and they were hoping to find them before things grew worse.  Knowing what Harry had gone through and being able to help him when it happened, would make them all happier in the longer run.

"All right,"  Harry sighed, like it was a chore to go talk to someone, and obediently left the car when Quatre stopped at the school.  Trowa would take him to the clinic that afternoon, but would then leave to head across the street until Harry's session was over.  The therapist felt it would be better for Harry not to rely on Trowa the entire time.

Harry pouted a bit about the appointment to Lance and Ali, but didn't complain to his cousin as they went.  Trowa, who had some counsiling before they'd given up on him, knew little about it.  He'd been trained to appear "normal" and didn't mesh well with the last therapist.  Harry, finally checked in, gave Trowa one last hug before sitting down to wait a few minutes before he was called back.

"Good afternoon, young man,"  The therapist was older, and looked like he should have been retired ages ago.

"Hello, sir,"  Harry sat down, watching the man take a few notes.  The office was really, really boring and bland, and Harry didn't want to stay there.

"So you've just come into custody of the Gundam Pilots?  Do they treat you well?"

"Yes, sir."  Harry didn't continue, just watched the man scribble and ignore him.  He didn't even know his name, and Harry was getting really, really uncomfortable.  "Am I in trouble?"

"Of course not.  We're just here to talk some.  Now, I want you to know that everything you tell me is confidential, all right?  There's only a few things I could tell other people, but what you tell me here mostly stays here."  The doctor handed him some forms, and Harry frowned, attempting to read them and giving up after a few lines.  The print was really small and gave him a headache.  Plus he didn't understand most of the words.

'What's this?"

"Just some forms.  You need to sign them."

"But I can't read them."  Harry knew not to sign anything he hadn't read.  Quatre had warned him about that, especially with what he did to the Dursleys!

"That's all right, Trowa said it was okay."

"He did?"

"Of course he did.  Now, you need to sign right there and then it'll be fine.  You wouldn't want to disappoint Trowa, would you?"

Harry shook his head.  Trowa was really nice!  But Quatre had said not to sign things if he couldn't read them or have someone he trusted help, so he didn't want to sign the papers.  And Trowa hadn't said anything to him, but the doctor should know what he was talking about, right?

"Hurry up,"  The doctor barked, and Harry bit back a sniffle.

"I don't want to!"  Harry shouted, throwing down the pen.  "Quatre said not to sign things if I couldn't read them and I don't want to sign them because Trowa didn't say anything to me!  He said I could ask him first, so I'm going to!"

"You little brat--"

"Go away!"  Harry jumped to his feet, and the doctor almost seemed frozen in his chair as Harry ran out of the room and slammed the door behind him.  Wiping his eyes furiously, he ran headlong into a pretty woman with the same new-penny colored hair as his mother.  Harry stared at her for a moment, eyes wide, then burst into tears.

"What's wrong, sweetie?"  The woman gathered him up, rocking him gently.  "Why are you crying?  Did Dr. Devon hurt you?"

"I dis--disapp-ppointed T-Trowa!"  Harry wailed, clinging to her.  "I didn't want to sign the papers, and Trowa's not here to ask, and I wanted to ask but the doctor yelled at me, so Trowa'll be mad!"

"Where is Trowa?"

"He's in the cafe.  The doctor didn't want him in the waiting room so I could talk to him, but I want Trowa!"  Harry wiped away his tears and sniffed.

"That's fine.  My office is right here.  Why don't we go in so you can blow your nose, and I have a sink and we can wash you up, and I'll have the front desk call your cousin, is that okay?"  The woman smiled gently at him.

"O-Okay.  What's your name?"

"I'm Jennifer Reece, but you can just call me Dr. Reece.  Is that all right?"  Her smile was kind, and her dark, blue eyes were good natured.  Harry gave a little nod.  She was small, may be an inch under Quatre's height, with her new-penny hair cut in a short bob.  Harry gave a smile in return, and Dr. Reece offered her hand while she led Harry to her office, handing him a tissue before running cool water over a paper towel and wiping his face.  She wet another one to lay on the back of his neck, and let him get a bottle of water from the small fridge.

"Better, sweetie?"

"Yeah,"  Harry nodded, sipping at the water.  Her office was nothing like the man's, painted a soft, sky blue at the top and a deep chocolate at the bottom.  Calming paintings littered the walls and a her large window was open to catch the afternoon sun.  A small desk and filing cabnet sat near the sink and fridge, and the rest of the room was open, holding a couch, a couple of chairs, and a small table, as well as a wooden toy chest.  Cupboards along one wall, lightly stained oak with plexi-glass in the front housed art supplies.

"Do you have a name, sweetie?"  Dr. Reece smiled gently at him.

"I'm Harry Potter,"  The child put the lid back on the bottle.  "And my cousin is Trowa Barton.  Can you call him?"

"I'll tell the secretary do it right away, all right?  And you can play with the toys until he gets here.  Is that all right?"

Harry nodded, moving cautiously to the toy chest.  "C--can I draw?"

"Of course,"  Dr. Reece pulled open the cupboard, letting Harry pull out some paper and crayons.  Harry looked at her hesitently, and Dr. Reece gave a small smile, telling Harry to sit where he wanted.  Harry nodded, sitting in the corner by the window, and Dr. Reece winked at him, then picked up the phone and told the secretary to call Trowa, and to send the teen to her office when he arrived.

"Thank you for letting me draw," Harry whispered, coloring diligently.  Dr. Reece knelt next to him.

"May I join you?"

"Uh huh,"  Harry shoved some crayons in her direction, and Dr. Reece moved to grab a sketchbook of her own.  Harry glanced at her, then returned to his picutre, his eyes flicking in her direction every now and then.  His picture took up most of the page, obviously his family.  Dr. Reece seemed to ignore him, coloring on her own sheet.

"What are you drawing?"  She set her pad on the floor, letting Harry see her drawing.  It was very pretty, a picture of a flower, and Harry really liked it.

"I'm drawing my family."  Harry held it up to show her.  Six figures took up most of the picture, and Dr. Reece had to look very carefully for Harry, finding a tiny likeness of him in the background.

"You're so tiny,"  Dr. Reece smiled.

"I'm very small,"  Harry explained.  "So I stay out of the way good."

"Do you?  Is it important you stay out of the way?"

"Well, not now, but it was before Trowa.  Trowa lets me play with other kids and stuff, and I really like it.  And he doesn't make me do all the chores and stuff."

"So you like living with Trowa.  What about where you lived before?"

"They were mean."  Harry frowned, slashing the black crayon across his picture.  "I don't like them.  Trowa said they shouldn't have treated me that way.  I don't know.  Maybe they should have.  Trowa doesn't have parents, and Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon had to take care of Dudley, and he's their real son, so maybe Trowa just doesn't know that he should be mean."

"Are you afraid he'll start being mean?"

"Well. . . I dunno."  Harry ripped the sheet from the book and flipped it, starting to draw on the back.  "He's really nice, and so are all his friends, and I guess we're like real family.  Not like me and Dudley, you know?  He's more like a brother than a cousin.  I guess. . . maybe cousins are supposed to be mean to each other, and Trowa will when he finds out he's doing it wrong."

"Do you think cousins are supposed to be mean?"

"Dudley was."  Harry put the crayon down, staring at the page he had been scribbling on absently.  "You kind of remind me of my mum."

"Oh?  How do I do that?"

"You have her hair,"  Harry explained, tugging at his own, messy locks.  "I don't remember her, because I was really little when she died, but Quatre found her picture and you have the same color hair.  She had green eyes, though."

"Do you miss her?"

"Yeah.  I want a mum.  Like everyone else.  Because then she'd be nice to me, like Aunt Petunia was to Dudley.  I'd like that.  And my daddy would love me, too.  Sorta like Trowa, except he'd be my daddy, and not my cousin, so he couldn't change his mind and be mean to me, cause he's my daddy, you know?"

"Mm hmm."

"And then we could play together and stuff too."  Harry sighed.  "I don't even know what he looks like.  I mean, like me, I guess cause I don't look lots like Mum, but Quatre couldn't find his picture and Aunt Petunia didn't like it when I asked.  She didn't have any, anyway.  But I want to know what he looks like.  I shouldn't, because Aunt Petunia says he was a lazy drunkard, but I don't want him to be like that."

"What do you think he was like?"

"I bet he was really cool.  Like superman, or something."  Harry frowned.  "He'd love me lots and lots, and he and Mum would be just perfect, and she'd bake cookies for me, like on the telly, and she'd buy me toys, like Aunt Petunia did for Dudley, and Dad would play football with me, or basketball, or something, and he'd teach me to swim and. . . and. . . all sorts of stuff.  And he'd read to me at night, like Trowa does.  And he wouldn't bet mad at me for reading books."

A sudden knock on the door made them both start, and Dr. Reece gave Harry a tiny smile.  "I guess we should pay attention, shouldn't we."

"Yeah,"  Harry giggled.  "You think that's Trowa?"

"Probably,"  Dr. Reece pulled the door open and stepped to one side to invite Trowa into the room.  Trowa introduced himself, and smiled, seeing Harry still sitting by the window.  "Harry, Trowa's here."

"I know,"  Harry didn't look up.  "I just wanted to finish a picture for you."  He finished and pulled it out of the book, waving it at her.  "See?  For you, because you let me stay here while I was waiting for Trowa.  I didn't like the waiting room."

"Oh, well, thank you."  Dr. Reece took it, and frowned.  "You didn't put your name on it for me.  Will you do that?"

"Sure,"  Harry pulled out a crayon and scribbled his name on it, then handed it back and put everything away.  Dr. Reece watched him, blue eyes sharp, but kind.  Trowa glanced at her.

"Why is he in here and not with Dr. Devon?"

"I'm not sure; I think he ran out of Dr. Devon's room, but he was crying and wanted you. . . I'm not sure why Dr. Devon made you leave if he's so dependent on you.  I don't like that.  Anyway, Harry was crying so I thought I'd calm him down, let him draw.  We had a very nice conversation."  Dr. Reece smiled and took the picture back from Harry and set it on her desk.

"Do you like it?"  Harry smiled.

"I do,"  Dr. Reece ruffled his hair.  "I'll put it on my fridge at home, all right?"

"Okay!"  Harry grinned at her, his green eyes so bright.  "Will I get to come back?"

"Maybe.  Why don't all three of us sit down and you can tell Trowa why you ran away from Dr. Devon before you leave, just in case Trowa wants to go talk to him."

"I didn't want to sign the paper,"  Harry frowned.  "I couldn't read it, and Quatre said not to sign anything I couldn't read, and then he tried to make me sign it.  I told him no, and he said you told him to have me sign it, but you weren't there for me to ask and I wanted to ask first, so I didn't sign it."  Harry crossed his arms.  "And then he told me to hurry up and sign them, but I said I didn't want to and ran away and ran into Dr. Reece."

Trowa nodded, considering.  "Why don't we go talk to Dr. Devon and you can let me see the papers.  How's that?"

"Okay," Harry agreed, waving to Dr. Reece and following Trowa from the room.  Trowa wasn't sure whether or not he should be angry at Dr. Devon, choosing to withhold judgment until they'd at least spoken about the paperwork Harry had been supposed to sign.  Pausing at the man's door, Trowa glanced at his cousin when Harry timidly took his hand.  It seemed the child didn't like Dr. Devon much after all.

Harry started when Torwa knocked on the door and practically dove behind Trowa when it opened.  Trowa frowned softly.  "I'm with a client,"  Dr. Devon frowned at Trowa.  "If you'll return in a little while, we can talk about the boy then."

Trowa looked at him, then frowned.  "I don't think so.  Thank you.  If we have further need of your services, we'll call."  With that, Trowa swept Harry into his arms and stalked down the hallway.

"I don't like him,"  Harry admited.  "Will I have to see him again?"

"No.  What about Dr. Reece?  Would you talk to her again?"

"Yeah!"  Harry looked up.  "She was really, really nice.  Do you think she'd let me?"

"We'll have to see.  Her client list might already be too long, but we can always ask, right?"  Trowa smiled.  He didn't want to get Harry's hopes too high, but Harry had really seemed taken with Dr. Reece.

"All right,"  Harry frowned.  "Do you think she'll want to talk to me again?"

"I'm sure she will,"  Trowa pressed a kiss to Harry's forehead, letting the boy snuggle into his shoulder.  He probably shouldn't carry Harry so much, but it was hard not to pick him up and comfort him when he looked frightened or sad.  And he knew well enough that Harry had never had comfort like that before.  Trowa almost sighed.  He didn't want to spoil Harry or make him fully dependent on Trowa, but Harry needed the comfort.  The aftermath. . . well, that came later.
<>*<>

"How did it go?"  Quatre met Trowa at the door, claiming a quick kiss.  "Inquiring minds want to know."

"Dr. Devon's mean,"  Harry announced.  "But Dr. Reece is nice!"

"Is she?"  Trowa had texted her name to Quate for some research.  "That's good to know."

"Uh huh.  I want to talk to her again.  Trowa said maybe I could talk to her instead of Dr. Meanie."  Harry stared at the floor.  "I didn't like him."

"That's all right,"  Quatre shooed Harry down the hall and smiled when he heard the boy squeal out something to Wu Fei.  "So, how did it go, really?"

"Dr. Devon is not my choice to go to.  He might be top in his field, but he's not good with children at all."  Trowa sighed.  "He was very rude as well.  I found Dr. Reece much nicer, and Harry really liked her.  What did you find out?"

"Dr. Reece doesn't really have much of a name for herself, but all the reviews she's gotten are good."  Quatre shrugged.  "I figured that since Dr. Devon was a leader in his field, he'd be good for Harry.  But there's obviously a trust issue. . ."

"Well, as long as Dr. Reece has gotten good reviews, I see no reason Harry couldn't continue to see her."  Trowa considered the thought.  "He seemed to like her, and they do say the client-counselor relationship needs to be good."

"That's true.  I'll call and see if she won't take him on, and when we can schedule his sessions,"  Quatre pulled his phone out and started making calls, leaving Trowa to go do damage control when Harry finished telling the others about his visit to the therapist.  Zechs and Wu Fei both looked murderous, and the only reason Harry didn't know was because he was looking at Duo and waving his arms around while he spoke.  Hiiro also looked homicidal, but he was much better at hiding it from Harry.

"He is not going back to Dr. Devon,"  Wu Fei growled, and Trowa shook his head.

"No.  Quatre is making arrangements for him to see Dr. Reece on a regular basis."  Trowa plopped down in a chair, and Harry looked at him uncertainly for a moment.  Absently, Trowa patted his lap and Harry jumped on him, snuggling into him.  Harry just loved to hug people and be cuddled and sit on their laps and was highly affectionate, but only if invited.  He would never do things without an indication that it was safe.

The Gundam pilots had grown conscious about that in the last week, and it was surprising how quickly they'd grown into the habits.  They could tell when Harry wanted to hug them or hold their hands, or whatever, and had small, unobtrusive signals they offered to him to tell him it was all right.  Dangling their arm in reach and flexing their fings so he knew he could grab their hands, patting a leg so he knew he could sit on their lap, or a hip so he'd know they'd care him if he wished, the posture of their body to invite him to hug them, or a tilt of the face for him to give a kiss.

And Harry usually did.  Happy and with abandon.  He snuggled and cuddled and clung and enjoyed every moment of it.  He'd never been paid any mind to at the Dursleys, and now he was more than happy to have the attention.  Snuggling into Trowa, Harry listened as the adults of the house caught up on the news and gave a contented sigh.  Hiiro smiled at the boy, but didn't have the heart to pry him off Trowa when he moved to make supper, and Harry, draped over his cousin, slept for part of the afternoon, warm and safe.
<>*<>

Harry next session, a week after his first, was met with a little trepidation and a lot of excitement.  He liked Dr. Reece, and he really wanted to see her again, but he was still nervous about the counseling session.  Most kids he knew didn't have counselors or anything, and some of them had teased him a little when Harry told them about Dr. Reece.  It wasn't mean teasing, but Harry didn't like beaing teased because Dudley had done it all the time.  He hated being teased by Dudley, because that had been really mean, so it made him nervous about being teased by everyone else, too.

What was weirder (at least Harry thought it was weird) was that Dr. Reece had made this session extra long and told Harry and Trowa, and all the pilots to come.  But Harry was sort of looking forward to it, too.  Because he liked his family and he really didn't mind them being there.  He didn't think he could talk to Dr. Reece for a whole hour, all by himself.

"Harry!"  Trowa's call made him jump, and the child rushed to the SUV and settled between Quatre and Wu Fei in the back.

"Did you have a good day?"  Wu Fei's smile made Harry feel special.

"Uh huh."  He launched into telling them about sharing his lunch with Ali again, and how Lance had gotten some new mobile dolls and they'd buried them in the playground and lost them by accident, and how Miss Grace had a mock spelling bee in class and that Harry's team had won because Harry had beaten a girl because he spelled his word right and she didn't.

"Sounds like you had fun,"  Trowa glanced back for a moment to smile at him, then looked quickly back to the road.

"Lots and lots,"  Harry agreed.  "It was so cool, too!  And now I can talk to Dr. Reece, too.  Do you know why all of you are coming?"

"Well, we were all going to come to some of the sessions anyway,"  Quatre explained, shrugging.

"But why?  You don't have to become un-freakish like me,"  Harry looked confused.

"You're not going to see Dr. Reece because you're a freak, Harry.  Just like we're not.  We're all going together because a lot of us aren't used to have a real family, so we're going so we can learn to be one,"  Duo frowned at Harry's declariation of being a freak.  There was no reason a child Harry's age should think, with such conviction, he was a freak in the first place.

Harry pondered Duo's answer, grabbing Quatre's hand and following Trowa up the stairs.  Dr. Reece was on the third floor, and they could have taken the elevator, but the stairs were more fun.  The receptionist glanced up in time to see them, and grinned.  "You have perfect timing.  Head on back, her last client just came out."

"Great!"  Tossed her a wink, and gave a tiny yelp when Hiiro grabbed his braid and walked toward the door, pulling Duo along behind.  "Hii-chan!  Ouch!  That's my hair!  Hii-chan!  Hii-chan!"  Duo whined and tugged futilly at his poor hair while Harry and Quatre snickered helplessly at the sight.

Dr. Reece poked her head out the door to see the commotion in the hall and blinked at the two before letting the seven into the room.  "Good afternoon?"

"You bet!"  Duo grinned at her, stroking his braid lovingly as Hiiro released it, wrapping his arms around his stoic lover.  "Hii-chan just does that becuase he loves me."

The other four pilots rolled their eyes in exasperation and Harry just giggled a little more.  "I see."  Dr. Reece managed not to laugh outright.  "That's very nice, then.  How about we all take a seat?  I want to go over a few things before we get started.  There is some paperwork we need to fill out, and I want to talk about the goals you have for your family, and then we can go from there.  How does that sound to all of you?"

They group shrugged, settling into the offered chairs.  Harry plopped onto Trowa's lap, watching with interest.  Dr. Reece handed out the paperwork, explaining each of the forms and waiting while they filled in the blanks and signed and allowed the young men to help Harry, rather than offering to do so herself.  This would give them a chance to learn they could trust her.  Harry was obedient, and Dr. Reece was almost concerned with the level on compliancy Harry was showing.  He had been just as compliant last time, too.

"Now what?"  Wu Fei offered her the collected papers, and Dr. Reece glanced them over.

"You said you wanted family therapy?"  Dr. Reece had gotten the file from Dr. Devon and looked it over, unhappy at how general the information had been.  "Can you tell me anything a little more specific?"

"Well, we're new to this, most of us,"  Trowa shrugged.  "I've never really had family before and neither has Hiiro.  We don't really know how to make a family."

Dr. Reece nodded, making a note in her legal pad, and looked at Harry.  "What about you?  What do you want here?"

"I just want Trowa to keep me, and you'll teach me to be good so Trowa won't take me to the Dursleys, right?"  Harry's look was absolutely heartbreaking in its earnestness.

Dr. Reece smiled at him, making another note.  "We'll come back to that, all right?  Harry, I want you to do something for me, okay?"

Harry blinked at her, but nodded, leaning foward.  "You're going to use this whole room, and make me a family portrait, okay?"  Dr. Reece smiled at him.

"A family portrait?"  Harry frowned a little.

"Yup.  First we're going to pretend and make one with the Dursleys, and then we're going to make one with your new family.  Is that okay?"  Dr. Reece ignored the others, watching Harry only.  Harry gave a slightly hesitent nod, looking at Trowa, then back to Dr. Reece.

"How do I do it without a camera?"

"We're going to pretend Zechs is Vernon, and that Duo is Petunia, and Hiiro is Dudley.  Is that okay?"

"But they'll be mad!"  Harry protested, looking terrified.

"Why don't you ask them and check?"  Dr. Reece encouraged.  "I don't think they will, because it's just pretend.  Not real life."

"You'll be mad, right?"  Harry looked at them, almost desprately.  "Because you're not them!"

"Harry, listen,"  Zechs put his hands on Harry's shoulders.  "We aren't going to be mad, and we aren't going to act like them.  You're just going to pretend we're the Durselys long enough to turn us into a portrait, okay?"

Harry considered that for a moment, then nodded.  "If they're not going to be mad."

"No, this is just pretend.  Will you do that for me?"  Dr. Reece told everyone to stand up, and directed everyone but Harry, Zechs, Duo, and Hiiro towards one side of the room.  "Whatever you want to do to make it real, okay?"  Dr. Reece told him.  "If you want anything from the cupboards or anything.  And you're going to do a poritrait of the Dursleys and you.  Ready?  Go!"

Trowa had never seen Harry go wild before, but he did this time.  Dr. Reece had earned at least some of his trust the last visit, and it was nice to know that the boy still had trust to give.  Her words seemed to give him the bravery to begin what he was doing.

Harry led Hiiro--who was pretending to be Dudley--to the middle of the room and plopped him down, telling him to pout and then spread toys all around him.  Hiiro, following Harry's instructions, crossed his arms and pouted, though he couldn't hide the curiousity in his eyes when Harry dumped toys around him, strewing them around the room as though Hiiro had thrown them away from him.  Taking Zechs' hand, Harry led him over to Hiiro, putting a hand on Hiiro's head in an affectionate gesture.  Hiiro forced himself to stay relaxed, and Harry dragged Duo over, having him kneel by Hiiro with his arms around Hiiro's shoulders.  Zechs' other arm was draped around Duo, and Harry looked it over for a moment, then nodded.  "Okay."

"You're not in it, Harry," Dr. Reece pointed out, gently.  "You're supposed to show where you belong."

Harry blinked at her, then moved a chair to the far corner of the room and hid behind it, curling up in a little ball.  "I'm not allowed to be in the picture," Harry explained, poking his head out.

"Okay, now I want you to add Trowa to the picture," Dr. Reece told him, making several notes on her pad.  Harry nodded, grabbing Trowa's hand and leading him to another corner, in plain sight, and took his hand, hiding behind him.

"Like this."  Harry announced.

Dr. Reece nodded again.  "So this time you're allowed not to be hidden."

"Trowa will protect me.  But I don't want to get close to the Dursleys, because they're still mean," Harry explained.  "So I stay behind Trowa because he protects me.  So I can be in the picture now, because Trowa will protect me, but I don't want to be close to them."

"I see."  Dr. Reece put the pad down after making one more note.  "Now I want you to make a new picture with you in your new family."

"Okay!"  Harry looked at the floor.  "I got to put the toys away first."

"We can all get it done very fast,"  Duo told him, grabbing several of the toys and putting them away.  The others followed, and even Dr. Reece grabbed a few.  It was the work of a moment before the toys were picked up, and Harry led the teens to the middle of the room.  He started by having them snuggled up to each other, Hiiro tucked under Duo's chin, Wu Fei under Zechs' and Quatre under Trowa's.  Trowa had a free hand that Harry had latched onto, and the boy was snuggled up to Trowa's back, little hands clutching his shirt, one of Quatre's arms also aorund Harry to form a bit of a group hug.  The other four were close enough to help hide Harry's tiny frame, standing near him protectively, a hand from both Wu Fei and Hiiro gripping his shirt protectively.  Duo's and Zechs's hands were casually laid around his shoulders, very protective gestures.

Dr. Reece nodded, telling them to take their seats and managing to glance at the clock to make sure they'd have time to discuss what had happened.  "Is it all right if I ask you some questions, Harry?"  Dr. Reece pulled out paper and crayons for all of them and gestured to the small coffee table.  She was startled when all six of them sat seiza-style at the table, allowing Harry and Dr. Reece to take the tiny, child-sized chairs.  Hiiro and Duo flanked Dr. Reece while Zechs and Wu Fei sat at the ends, ever watchful, and Trowa and Quatre were on either side of Harry.  It seemed so natural, for them to sit that way.

"What did you want to ask?"  Harry began to draw Lance and Ali and the Gundams.

"When you made the portrait of the Dursleys, why did you start out in the corner?"

"I'm not allowed to be in the picture."

"Is there a reason?"

"Because I'm a freak,"  Harry explained.  "So I have to be quiet and stay out of sight.  They don't like to think about me."

"I see.  And what about after Trowa was put in the picture?  Was there a reason you were hiding behind him?"

"Trowa was protecting me!"  Harry grinned, adding some lasers to his picture.  "And he wouldn't let the Dursleys put me in the cupboard no more, and he made sure I didn't get hurt.  And then he took me away from them!"

"That's really good.  What about after you were showing me your new family picture?  Why were you in the back, then?"

"Well. . . no one should see me or pay me any mind, right?"  Harry looked a little confused.  "So I didn't want to be a bother so Trowa would keep me, but they protect me, too, so I had to be close to them so they'd protect me."

"Good, good.  Now, I'm going to talk to the others a little, okay?  You can listen if you like, you may also work on your picture, of you may do both at once, okay?  That's your choice.  Do you understand?"

"Yeah."  Harry kept coloring.  He learned to do both at once, and he decided he'd like to keep coloring unless it was really, really interesting.

"What did you six think about Harry's portrait of the Dursleys before Trowa was there?"  Dr. Reece glanced at them, ignoring her drawing.

"I hated it,"  Quatre scowled.  "Harry should never have been treated that way!  It's terrible!  I don't ever want him to think we don't want him or love him, ever."

Trowa gave a small shudder.  "It was. . . horrible. . . to see what they did to him.  All I wanted was to hold him and never let go.  They'd put him in a cupboard because they did want to give up a bedroom!  How could I leave him to that?"

Duo just clentched his jaw and turned away.  Dr. Reece noticed, but said nothing, for the moment.  Wu Fei and Zechs both had looks on their faces that clearly stated what they thought about the matter and what they wanted to do to the Dursleys.  Harry, who wasn't looking at them, had no idea what was going on over his head.  "Duo?"  Dr. Reece's voice was gentle.  "Will you tell me what gave you that look on your face?"

Duo stared at her, surprised.  "You saw?"

"I'm trained to do so,"  Dr. Reece pointed out, her smile still gentle.  "Is there a reason for it?"

Duo gave a small shrug, glanced at Harry, then looked at Dr. Reece.  "I grew up on an L2 colony.  An orphan.  I ran the streets until the plague, then was taken into an orphanage.  We didn't have much, because it's L2, you know?  Everyone is poor.  I never really thought anything of it, because I didn't have any more than anyone else.  Sister Helen did the best she could, and so did Father Maxwell.  If we did without, it was because they couldn't afford it, but not for lack of trying.

"When I found out about Harry, Trowa told me about him not having toys, or a proper coat, or shoes.  Then he told me all about the stuff Dudley had, and that Dursleys had.  They could have bought Harry new shoes and a new coat.  Dudley could have shared his toys.  I mean, I was poor as a kid so at least there was a good reason I didn't have things, but the Dursleys didn't have that reason for Harry!  They didn't even care about him!  At least he healthy, but those b--those rats could have at least kept him properly fed and clothed!"

"You hurt by all this,"  Dr. Reece nodded.

Duo shook his head, then paused, considering.  "I guess so.  I never thought maybe that was part of the reson I was so angry."

"There is nothing wrong with being angry, hurt, and sad because of this, Duo.  Your feelings are your feelings.  You don't need a reason to feel them.  They don't even have to make sense.  It's perfectly all right to feel a number of things toward Harry's family because they refused to give him toys or clothes or books."

"Yeah, I know that, Doc.  Thanks."  Duo grinned cheerfully at her, and Dr. Reece couldn't help but smile in reply.

"They aren't, you know."  Wu Fei spoke suddenly.

Dr. Reece blinked.  "Who aren't what?"

"The Dursleys.  They aren't Harry's family, you know."  Wu Fei nodded, as though agreeing with himself on something.  "We are, now.  Harry is as much my brother as Trowa's."

"I thought they were cousins?"

"Only by blood.  We have a lot of chosen family."  Quatre explained.  "Trowa has a sister that he just sort of picked up with.  Well, she's more like a sister to all of us.  Not that I needed more, but you know."

"Ah, yes, with twenty-nine of your own, right Mr. Winner?"  Dr. Reece was smiling, her light teasing apparent, and Quatre laughed, nodding.

"I guess it's twenty-nine and a sister-in-law now,"  Quatre giggled.  "Serves me right.  Well, at least I have brothers."

"Family is very, very important,"  Dr. Reece agreed.  "So you consider Harry your brother?  Who is his actual guardian, that will be making all the rules?"  She noticed Harry's little head perk up at them mention of that.

"Well, Quatre and Wu Fei said that in their families it was always a very joint effort.  The parents made the rules together and they were enforced the same way, you know?  Mother never said one thing and let Father say another.  We think that we will be able to manage that, if we work together."  Trowa chewed his lip.  "So we all agreed on rules and punishments.  It will be. . . a partnership.  Like we've always had, I guess."

"You're very used to those dynamics.  All of you equal to the others."  Dr. Reece summerized, and the pilots nodded.  They'd never considered themselves anything but partners.  Sure, each of them had been the leader when their experteise was needed, but never had they ever been unequal.

The session continued in in that vein for a time, with Dr. Reece taking notes, and about three quarters of the way through the session, she stopped to look over her notes.  "I think we need to set some goals, here.  From the looks of things, you really need some help with the family system.  You're not entirely sure how to have a family, since only a few of you have ever had a traditional family or rules. That is, I think the most important thing.  Have a stable family leads to trust and affection, just as trust and affection lead to a stable family unit.  So we'll be working on them all at once."

Hiiro looked a little dubious about that.  "That's not very concrete.  How will we know when it's achieved?"

"That is where we set goals to get to along the way."  Dr. Reece smirked at him a little, and Duo wrinkled his nose in a tiny laugh.  "We'll make a comprehensive list next time, but it is first important to see how much you already appreciate each other.  Our first goal will be about appreciation.  I want you to learn to apprciate each other as brothers, not just friends and comrades.  And this all leads us to. . . homework!"

The boys all stared at her.  "You sound far to cheery for giving us homework.  Were you a sadistic teacher in a past life?"

"I'll have you know people like my homework assignments,"  Dr. Reece liked the boys, who enjoyed teasing her and didn't mind her light teasing in reply.  "Now, starting after this session and going until the next one, I want you to privately take notice of the little things the people in your family do for you that you apprciate.  Don't share, though.  We'll share together next session, all right?"

"Anything else?"  Trowa stood, holding out a hand for Harry.

"Yes.  I would like you to get in the habit of keeping a journal.  We will be using the technique more a little later, but I'd like you to start getting in the habit now, if you don't mind."  Dr. Reece also stood.  "It's been nice having you."

"I really like you,"  Harry announced, grinning at her.  "You're nice."

"Well, thank you."  Dr. Reece bent so Harry could hug her, and then smiled at the others.  "Now, you have your assignments, and all the paperwork you need to take with you, and we can make an appointment really quickly right now, so I can phone the front desk. . ."  She grabbed her planner, flipping it open.  "I have this time next week."

Trowa glanced at the others, who shrugged.  "That's fine."

"Good, good.  I'll mark you in and we'll have everything all arranged.  It was very nice to meet you, today."  Dr. Reece opened the door for them, smiling as they left.

"I think I like her,"  Duo commented, grinning.  "Good pick, Harry."

"Thank you, Duo,"  Harry blushed a little.  "I liked her too.  She'd got Mummy's hair."

"I did notice that,"  Trowa agreed.  "It's a very pretty color."

"Uh huh,"  Harry giggled a little bit, suddenly throwing his arms around Trowa and hugging him tightly.  Trowa half-started since he hadn't been expecting it but had known it was Harry and hugged the child in reply.  Maybe they really could have a family.  Maybe this really could work out.  Dr. Reece had certianly thought so, and so had everyone else Trowa had spoken with.  Smiling at the hug, Trowa had to believe them.  Even with their pasts, maybe they really could make a family.
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