"You don't know me Doc, you just presume that you have a right to diagnose me when my sister was the one that consented to this foolish practice, I, well don't like it and don't think I'll warm up to it as your other patients or should I say, Clients? What is the correct term for describing the disturbed and plagued?"

Caeserion sarcastically spat out to the woman that had the gall to tell him to come to these meetings, he thought he was perfectly fine, his sister, well she thought that he was not and deserved these moments to vent, wanting him to get better with managing his personalities. He felt that he was fine as a whole. 

"Am I something of a special case, hmm? A teen with multiple personalities that speak in his head, a teen that wants the attention of his family, yet never got it until his sister had got back from boarding school and now has to put up with him? Just what did I do to deserve you? And no, I do not mean that in the romantic cliche, I mean that in the way that I did not deserve to be betrayed, I did not deserve to be here as a person with a disorder! I am fine! I am fine!!"

Caeserion yelled out as his face had gotten red with such anger that it seemed like he had lost control and blacked out, almost like he was about to attack the doctor opposite him. In her bravery, it seemed that the Doc had stayed, watching the boy for all he was and she could see the tiny bits of his personality coming through, the defiance, the anger, the fearlessness of not being held back to say what he wanted, he was free in this space. 

"Well Caeserion, it seems that you are not fine, your sister has often stated that you go through switches, one minute your in control, you are yourself and then it's like you are taken over, like someone is speaking your thoughts in different tones, almost like you are approaching situations differently, but instead of you doing it yourself, your personalities are seemingly assigned to the situation with how it matches with their personalities, like now."

Caeserion growled lowly as he could see the Doc eying him like he was a prized project, like he was the one break she could have from the normies, from the people that did not suffer as he did. Only he did not see this as suffering, nor did he wish to be cured, he was fine like this, he did not see himself being any worse off than other people. 

"And the problem is? If I can't deal with a situation, they come out and handle it, they know how to deal with this better than me, why would I take that from them? They protect me, they guide me to the correct path, they have always protected me and my family, so tell me, Doctor Jenkins, just why would I want that to stop?"

Veronica could see the clear connection that Caeserion held with these personalities, they were essentially him, it was him doing these things but somehow, he did not see it that way. It was him talking to himself yet, he did not see it that way, he saw it like others were the ones helping him, maybe they were. He just did not see it that way, what would she do if she could see from his perspective?

"Hm Caeserion, you see it like they are protecting you? Like they are taking up the responsibility that you don't think you can handle, correct?"

He nodded, making it clear what he thought of these personalities and how they have helped him up til now, it was like it was becoming a problem for his sister to handle, how nosebleeds were becoming more frequent with how he woke with painful headaches that often lasted days and he would not respond unless called by his own name. 

"And what do you think when you wake up with nosebleeds and headaches? Do you think that all the talking in your head is affecting you? How about when you fall back onto your bed with your sister watching over you? These personalities, they are not helping you as well as you think, it's hurting you and you may end up hurt because of it."

Caeserion stared at his hands, noticing how they were oddly still and for once, he did not hear voices in his head or the odd beating of his chest, all he could hear were the words of the doctor in his head, he was hurting himself? His friends were hurting him? No, that couldn't be possible, they had protected him for eight years.

"Doctor, are you trying to help me? Or are you doing this for yourself? Is this for personal gain? Cause either way, my family has trusted you to help me and possibly...'cure' me. I don't see how that is possible but I'm putting my faith in them and they trusted you, so why are you helping us?"

"Hm, you Montague's - you guys are something aren't you? Yes, I know your family name, considering that I knew your Father, Andrade was a good man. I am doing this for both your family and myself because my brother once went through what you did, only we did not see it, he had kept it very hidden and his personalities, well they had taken over, almost as he himself could no longer handle the pressure of being in this life, he was a good man but he had demons."

Caeserion stopped and watched Veronica for a moment, he could see how she was being and how she had spoken of her brother, it had occurred to Caeserion that the man in question had died, he could see how she spoke with such sorrow and regret in how she could not save her brother. He did wonder how the man died but knew that would be too much for how she might not be able to handle it. 

"You know my family name? And you knew my father? How come we never recognized you? If you hung around my father, I would have remembered you, I have something akin to an Eidetic Memory."

Veronica knew this was an odd turn and one that was not entirely welcome, her history with his father was not exactly the best and sometimes it had gotten violent to the fact that her own family had been on the outs with Andrade, The Jenkins were a legal team and knowing how her own father had prosecuted mobsters, well, it did not leave the best for them as her own work and family views got in the way. 

"Hm, I knew your father very well, we had gone out for a while until our views on the law had gotten in the way and we separated, for a while, we had remained civil until his wife and the mother of Valerie had got in the way. Things were not the best from there, then I heard of you, the son, the heir, it's almost fascinating how I could have been your mother."

Caeserion tilted his head, he could not see the resemblance between them but still, he had to admit that she was a pretty woman for her age. He sighed and watched her for a moment, he did not wish to learn more of his father's love life but still, he did find it interesting how she was being so forthcoming with such information maybe psychologists were just as broken as their patients. 

"Hm, my father seems to be quite the ladies man and he died not a while later after me being born, it left quite the impression considering that I had no father figure and neither did I have a mother figure, that woman, she was not the best and would not rank on my top ten. She was there, but not really, she was just there."

Veronica watched him and she could see him, how his personalities had formed to help him, how they guided him, it was almost sick how she could see this from him. The way he displayed himself, the way he looked like he wanted to have a mother, a father and all he had was a sister who had already received help from her mother and father, like the child that was never wanted but came anyway.

"You know Caeserion, you are not alone as you think, your father had friends, not the friends that you would want to be a role model to a kid but friends nonetheless. You could reach out, I am sure that they would want to help Andrade's kid, you are someone who is important to them, trust me on that."

Tilting her head and sighing, Veronica poured herself a glass of water as she could see Caeserion struggling with how he wanted to go about this situation, he did not wish to find another replacement, he wanted his real father, he wanted his real mother, he did not wish to be the scraps left for someone to pick up, maybe this boy's problems went deeper than anyone had at first glance realized.

"My father's friends, they didn't care, they simply placed someone else on his throne and they took over the place, it didn't change, didn't do shit. All it did was make a couple of hungry guys the next in line for my father's throne, now my mother is somewhere and I am trying to find her, damn Doc, I don't know if I am important to them, I have a feeling that I am more of a threat to them then they realize."

Veronica knew what he was hinting at, due to being the son of the Montague Family and their ties to the Pavanno Crime Family, how Benito Montague had paired off with Jeanette Pavanno of the main family branch in Sicily, it became a whole new union of the Old Ways and once Andrade had become a Boss of his own Neighbourhood, it all started to become a bit of politics mixed in with who should be the boss after Andrade kicks the bucket.

"What does that have to do with your mother?"

Caeserion smirked and for the first time, it seemed like he was genuinely happy. 

"My mother is coming back here, to South Philly and we will be meeting. Some people think that my life and hers will be threatened by those currently in power of my father's organization. If I find my mother, Dasiel tells me that I might be one step closer to healing myself, that's what I need, they told me that I have to want this, that I gain so much from meeting my mother and I believe them."

"Wait, your mother is coming home? Really? Just to meet you? Do you personally think that would be good for you? Would the years of her not being there, not help and just add more distress for your life? I don't see you getting better from such an event, I see you getting worse and that is not the best thing for you, trust me."

Veronica spoke softly, she used her words, knowing that she could get through to him only one way, using any other way was sure to fail. She could not let him become like her brother, he had gotten worse after such a thing, only it was their father who had left after one month when their mother and father had split. If one month had done that to her brother, what would eight years do to Caeserion? Just how would he react with this? Veronica knew that it would not be anything good. 

Caeserion was of the same opinion, he knew the voices in his head were appealing to his more loving side, the side that he always listened to. Only he knew there was a part of him that always told him the cold hard truth and he did find that was the voice that had always sounded like him; never old or even angry or lost, just like it had been waiting for him to approach with a question and want to help him as the other voices, only it was never destructive. It knew the exact ways in which to help him. 

"I think that I and my mother have a lot to talk about Doctor, it's not exactly going to be candy and rainbows with a nice little leprechaun with a cauldron filled with hearts at the end, no, it's going to be sad and angry, and a lot of patience. Only that is family, I know it, so do you, I can't hide from my mother and pretend like there isn't the chance I won't lash out but I do know that I will do my best to heal. It is the only thing I can do, I am not your brother-"

Caeserion stated sadly as he stared into her green eyes, he could see that she was a bit different in how she approached him now, he did not wish to bring up a painful memory but he could see that she was applying different methods in how she worked with her brother. He was not the same, it seemed that she had yet to learn that people were different, people were not always the same in how they had this condition, Caeserion was just learning that as well. 

"I know you're not my brother, I know that but there is the part of me that wants to help you, that wants to heal you. I told you that I am doing for more than just your family, I have a personal experience with this type of thing and it's often the noted point that meeting family members you don't know is not always the best."

He nodded and looked at the room for a while, clearly he was taking a breather and needed some time to think of a response for the doctor that had decided to take this case and make it a personal one, he did think this would not end well but who was he to argue with such a woman of her standing? He was a lowly teen with mental issues and seemingly did not have enough to think for himself. 

"Veronica, I understand your history with people like me, I understand to fix what your brother went through, I understand what it feels like to feel helpless and wanting to find the next thing that could solve this, that could bring about a close to the condition that your brother went through. I am different from your brother, for one, I am a teenager, I never had the support system of a father or mother and maybe that is what I need now? Maybe it's what I need to cure myself, can't you see that?"

A soft laugh was all that came from Veronica as she narrowed her eyes as they glistened, seemingly looking at Caeserion in a new light, no teenager spoke like this for their age, yet here he was, speaking like a professional on the subject that she spent years on and she could not help but feel a bit embarrassed at how she was being schooled by such a boy.

"I can see that Caeserion, I can see that you care so much about having a mother's love that maybe that is what you think you need. We're here to help you, make you better, tell me, why do you think having the love of your mother is so needed? Just tell me why? What makes it so special?"

"You ask me what makes it so special, the truth of the matter is, that it is already special. The care of a mother is like no other, the care of a family is like no other, I've never had any of those and while I do think that it may be dangerous and somewhat foolish to believe that I may get better there is no other option."

He spoke softly, standing from his seat and walking around the office as he sat down at the Window ledge, a soft breeze flowing in and out of the room as he watched the people below going about their daily commute. It was interesting to him, how all these people wanted to go the honest route and yet at the snap of his fingers, he could be involved with a life of crime and have more money than he knew what to do with.

"You talk as if the mother of your very life is wanting you, Mr. Montague, she left you. She left your father, is that the good sign of a mother? Is she the best material for you guys? No, I'd recommend that you stay with your sister and talk to her about these feelings. It is not good to place all your eggs in one basket."

Veronica spoke with what she thought was the correct way to go, she had gone about it bluntly. She knew that she had allowed some of her bias to show up at that particular moment and it was not the best way to approach this meeting. She bowed her head as she heard a soft chuckle escape Caeserion, she could tell that it sounded a bit scratchy from this back and forth game that they had done. 

"I talk because she is my mother, I defend her because she is my mother, and I believe that she can help me. If I don't trust my therapist who was hired by my family to cure me, then what hope do I have? Just who are you and what have you done for me to trust you with my secrets? You, who has no inkling of what I've gone through."

Caeserion never turned his head, nor did he raise his voice, instead it was a simple tone. He knew that he had gotten his point across, that was all he needed to do and all he heard was a soft sniff from the Doctor, telling him that she understood him from that moment on. Only he heard footsteps and the Doctor had sat on the window ledge as well, eying the people below with something close to envy. 

"You're right, I do not have a single clue on what you went through and how you became this way, so why don't you help me understand? Why don't you tell me your story? What made you become Loka, Dasiel, and I am presuming others. It cannot just be the fault of your adopted mother, so tell me, where does this begin?"

Caeserion turned his head to face her and gave her a sad smile. He did not know what to say or do, she wanted to learn, she wanted to know but he had this feeling that this was getting more into the personal business of life and less about the actual therapy.

"Well my story begins like any other, I was born to a mother and father. I didn't see much of my father in the beginning, he seemed to avoid me like the plague as I reminded him of something that was so close in his reach and yet so far. I remember all his friends wanting to see me, wanting to see his son and yet it never happened. I was alone, no one knew about me or my father did not wish for them to see me, it was a moment where my hatred for him grew."

Veronica had remembered Andrade's secrecy, he never wanted anyone to know about their relationship or better yet, their affair. She had never told anyone and no one had ever found out, she knew that people had suspicions of why he was visiting her on a weekly basis. She had kept it a secret and would take it to her grave but she couldn't exactly say that she understood and so she raised an eyebrow, motioning for him to continue. 

"You see, Father was not the best and then there was my adopted mother, the bitch I would call her but never in front of my sister, she loved her mother and it seems that one of them has already ruined that image for her. So, I broke away one piece at a time, how that came to be, I have no idea. All I know is that both adopted Mother and biological father have a role to play."

"They have a role in creating who you are now? Is that what you are saying? It seems wrong to blame them Caeserion, it's almost like you expected them to be there for you, well not all parents are like that. Not all of them are loving, kind, and ready to sacrifice themselves for a child who they did not bear. Some of them are disgusting, vile, and pitiful human beings that it's a wonder how they've lived so long and gotten away with nearly everything under the sun. Parents are not those who conceived you Caeserion, they are who would die for you, and you would die for them."

Veronica had not once spoken like that ever during her time with a patient, yet she could feel the feelings just bubbling under the surface. She could see that he was not reacting that well and seemed a bit different, it may have been the drop in tension, yet she could see that he was acting a little different from before and was calmer. He did not lash out at her with a sarcastic remark and instead seemed more like a laid back person. 

"Well, I have not chosen that family yet Doc, they have not found me either it seems, I do believe that I have to look for my mother for entirely different reasons besides a family reunion. I believe that we may have a connection, she is someone that I have never met and yet I look so much like her, isn't that just something? The person I've never met, yet I look like her? It's not always the best thing to look at, you know?"

Oddly enough, Veronica found herself agreeing, it was not always the best thing to see. She had looked like her Mother, yet she had not met the woman for a good portion of her life and now things were not the best for them, she had met her through Andrade and the meeting was less than welcoming. She knew that she had lost her mother then, there was nothing else that she could do besides stay by her true family, which she had found with the Montague's for a while. 

"I agree with you on that Caeserion, I often looked like my Mother, yes, we are the same in that regard. My mother walked out on my family, it took me a while to meet her and from there, things became different, I was the daughter she never had for a while. Until she did it again, she walked out on me this time, not my father, not my brother, but me. Look where I am today because I realized that she had never changed but I could change, I could make the decision to never walk out on my family, do you see what I am saying?"

Caeserion pushed himself off of the ledge and walked back to the couch, laying down as his eyes looked up at the ceiling with clear thoughts flowing through them. He wondered what he could do and see what could be done for the future of this meeting, he did want to meet his mother but he did not want to be naive and state that she was not going to be Veronica's mother and walk out because he did not know his mother, he could never predict her moves. 

"So what should I do Doc? If not my mother, what do I exactly need to get better? What do you think I need to become one with myself and get rid of these people inside my head? Hm?"

Veronica sighed before she noticed how he seemed to be pleading with his voice, he did not want to become broken in some way as he asked her how he could get better without the help of his mother coming into play. Her heart went out to the boy, knowing that all he wanted was to be cared for and in some sick way, he had gotten that but with the cost of his own sanity as it was clear that he often fought with these personalities and it led to him getting headaches, nosebleeds, and the like. 

"Weekly sessions like this one, you need to be able to vent, otherwise I fear that you may lose yourself and who you truly are to these people inside your head. Do you think that you would benefit from that? I think you would because your mind is not lost and you are not hiding it. This would be for the best."

Caeserion stared up at the ceiling for a while as he wondered how to go about this issue and how it would better him, along with his family and people like Veronica who clearly supported him and his struggle up to this point.