Green Day, 3a/3

[boogieshoes]

A/N: This is a big author's note for me, so I'm putting it up top this time.  This little piece is kind of a teaser to incite excitement and give me a chance to repost the URLs to previous parts for everyone to refamiliarize themselves with this universe.  I continue to work on Green Day's 3rd section, and I'm literally a scenelet and a bunch of dialog away from finishing. 

What I really want to emphasize is that the current 'Part 3' is a Rough Draft Ending - depending on comments from betas and other consultants, I may end up heavily revising Part 3 for the final version.  But I wanted to stick this up here for a couple of reasons:  to encourage *myself* to continue all the way to the end, and to re-assure readers that I haven't forgotten this piece.  I know at least one person would like to see the end of this piece before she starts on her own story in this AU, and so I want to finish the rough draft version by the end of October so she can start/ write/ finish her story with a clear understanding of the tone and style I'm hoping to set up here.  

Now, on with the show:


Title:   Green Day, Part 3a/3
Fandom: Magnificent 7
Universe: ATF LB Green Day AU
Pairing: N/A
Summary:  JD has a meltdown at school, and Chris and Buck are baffled.  Vin still isn't sure he can trust the adults enough to confide in them, but he may need to, if he's going to help his little brother.  Green Day Universe information here.
 

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My Warnings Policy Post is here.

Warnings: 
Kinks: 
Rating:  PG-13; the adults cuss.
Archive Information: Feel free to archive, just drop me a note if you do so.
Additional Links: Part 1/3; Part 2a/3; Part 2b/3; Part 2c/3; Part 3a/3; Part 3b/3; Part 3c/3

 

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Part 3

 

The ride to Dr. Lowery’s the next morning was filled with JD’s typical high-speed chatter, which Buck responded to with his normal booming affection. Vin’s silence was not strained, simply distracted; the little boy gazed out the window at the passing scenery in fascination. Chris sighed. You’d never know anything had happened at all yesterday, except for the fact that they were going to an appointment with a child psychologist specializing in abused children.

 

*************MAG7: ATF LB AU*****************************

 

The family arrived at Dr. Lowery’s office promptly at 7:45 AM, and Chris signed them in while Buck got the kids settled in the play room one of the receptionists showed them too. The room doubled as a waiting area and observation room for Dr. Will’s patients.   JD immediately took off for the box of Lincoln Logs, intent on building the world’s greatest log house out of the miniaturized construction materials. Vin more thoughtfully looked for a Batman coloring book and a box of crayons. Dr. Lowery spent some time assessing the family before he came out and smiled at his patients.

 

“Hello, Vin, JD. Hello Chris, Buck.”

 

Chris and Buck nodded politely at him while Vin and JD chorused, “Hi, Dr. Will!”

 

“Why don’t we get started? Chris, I know we discussed yesterday’s events over the phone, but I’d like to hear it again, and get everyone’s reactions this time,” Dr. Lowery began. He pulled out his notepad and began taking notes as Chris talked. By the end of the short narrative, he knew several things, things that worried him: One, Vin was both familiar with JD’s unusual behavior, and determined to minimize it. Two, JD himself was worried that he’d be somehow punished for something out of his control. And three, Chris and Buck had been truly disturbed to find out that their ‘normal’ JD had issues of his own.   He knew he’d have to reassure them on that point. So much of their focus, his own included, had been on Vin, that they had all been guilty of minimizing any of the signs JD might have given off.

 

But as he watched JD throughout the narrative, he realized that the 5 year old was just as aware of his environment as Vin was. He was just better at passing as unaffected by events around him than his older ‘brother’. Better at passing. Dr. Will was very careful to show no expression, although the dismay he felt was momentarily overwhelming. JD was better at passing. Which meant he was better at hiding his problems than Vin. Which meant he had more experience than Vin with those problems, whatever they may be.   

 

Feeling just a little unbalanced, and knowing now that he’d need to be at his best when it came to JD’s interview, he held out a hand to Vin as Chris wound down. “Thank you, Chris. Vin, will you come back to my office with me?”

 

Vin glanced over at Buck, JD, and Chris before rising slowly and nodding. He avoided taking Dr. Will’s hand, though, a sure sign he wasn’t too certain about trusting the man with what he knew just yet.
 

-bs

Comments

[farad.livejournal.com]

Nice addition - and about time!!!!

I like the way it's progressing; I might offer one suggestion: Dr. Will's been counseling kids for a long time, and while he might be and probably would be somewhat dismayed to realize this about JD - I don't think he'd be overwhelmed by it. If he were newer in the field, maybe, but I suspect that for someone as experienced as this, he's been caught off-guard before.

But other than that - nice lead in to the conversations! I'm looking forward to more!

[boogieshoes.livejournal.com]

*grins* well, that's what betas are for - to catch stuff like that! :)

thank you. and yes, i got tired of waiting too, which is why i wanted to have something to post. it's mildly annoying to be working on a story out-of-order when you're posting chapters like this; it can take ages to get to the 'next part', while the ending's been written for months! (trufax, in this case).

i'm going to be squirrelly about JD's interview, given that i wasn't able to stay in touch with phil, whom i kinda counted on. this makes Vin's interview more important, and i'm still working on it... and it's next in the sequence. oi!

*hugs* i'm glad i could post this for you, though - and never fear, i'm real close.

-bs

[farad.livejournal.com]

The thing is - as you've set up the story and as the LB universe is constructed, I think that JD is going to be more matter-of-fact in his interview; he's not given to being 'discrete' even canonically, so he's going to be worried about what Vin has told him *not* to say - not about hiding it. JD understands some of the issues about himself, and he's aware of himself. He's aware that sometimes the things he 'feels' and the way he acts get him in trouble and he knows that Vin has told him that those actions can get them both removed from CHris and Buck. That's JD's concern and what he's going to fear. Once Dr. Will figures out how to get around that and gets JD to answer him, JD's not going to lie. He isn't able to.

vin's interview is actually the one that I think would be harder because he's canny enough to understand that something is wrong with JD evne if he doesnt' know exactly what it is. He's scared - more scared, actually, than JD because he doesn't trust the way that JD does. So Dr Will is going to have a harder time getting through his defenses, but he knows he has to start with that.

I'm looking forward to what you have!!!

[boogieshoes.livejournal.com]

i agree with what you say here, but i still feel like i'm missing some key pieces for JD's interview. my confirmed-aspie contact had life happen to him, so i'm going to have to look at other sources for information on experiences and testing and what kind of questions Dr Will is likely to ask and so forth. i'll probably ask in little_details for some help there.

but i'd like to have the draft out and finished for you, and then i'd stick the JD interview scene into the re-write. a good part of this is because one of my goals this year is to actually finish a story from beginning to end, even if it's in draft form - Green Day is the closest one to being done.

-bs