Virgil was in his room when he felt a tug at his core. The feeling had been unnerving when he had first joined the light sides, but he was getting used to it. He wasn't being summoned. That feeling was more intense and much harder to ignore. He had learned that the tugging sensation meant that Thomas was talking about him, or at least about his anxiety. Sometimes, Virgil ignored the tug. He figured if Thomas wanted to talk to him, he'd call him. But sometimes his curiosity got the best of him, and he popped in on the conversation. This was one of those times.

"You called?" he asked with a raised eyebrow when he appeared in the living room. He smirked at Thomas's surprised expression. It comforted him to know that, despite the level of comfort that Thomas and the other sides had developed with him, Virgil was still able to spook them every now and then.

"Oh, Virgil!" His smirk instantly dropped when he heard that voice. "It's so good to see you again."

Janus was standing in front of the blinds, squeezed in next to Patton, who looked like he was trying to give Janus as much space as possible. Virgil looked at him in disbelief before looking around the room. Logan was standing calmly with his arms across his chest, but Roman shifted uncomfortably in his spot, side-eying Deceit.

"What the hell are you doing here, Janus?" Virgil asked angrily. He was getting sick and tired of the dark side screwing things up.

"Well, Virgil, unlike some sides, I was invited," Janus said with a sneer.

Virgil scoffed. "You know, Janus, if you're gonna lie, at least make it believable."

Roman made an uncomfortable noise that made Virgil snap his head in his direction. "He's . . . not lying," Roman said, his expression contorted in a wince.

"What?" Virgil practically shouted. "What do you mean he's not lying? Who would have invited him?"

"I did, Virgil," Thomas said, not quite looking at him. Virgil stared in disbelief at Thomas. Thomas? Thomas invited Deceit? After a second, another realization washed over him. Janus was invited to this conversation, but Virgil wasn't. Ordinarily, that wouldn't bother him. He knew that there were some conversations that didn't require all of them to be fully present, so when Thomas didn't include him in a conversation, Virgil wasn't offended. But this was different. This wasn't a one-on-one with Deceit or even a 'small group' conversation. Everyone was here. They were all a part of this conversation. Except him. Thomas had intentionally excluded him. In favor of Janus.

Virgil felt like an old memory had punched him in the gut. He had been a welcome part of the group for long enough now that he had almost forgotten what it had felt like back at the beginning, back when he couldn't do anything right, back when the others tried to push him away. He forced himself to take a deep breath. Don't assume, he told himself. Don't assume that it's happening again. You're one of them now. They wouldn't . . . they wouldn't push you away.

He tried to keep the hurt out of his voice as he addressed Thomas. "Why? Why would you want him here? You know you can't trust him!"

"Can't trust me?" Janus said, placing his hand on his chest in mock shock. "Virgil! I'm hurt!"

"Virgil, I know you don't want to work with him," Thomas said, ignoring Janus. "But I've been a mess recently. I've been confused about a lot of things. You guys have tried to help me, and I'm grateful for that, but something has to change, and at this point, I'm willing to try just about anything."

"But listening to Janus? Janus?" Virgil exclaimed. "The guy who wants you to be a selfish liar?"

"Deceit does have some . . . unorthodox methods," Logan agreed thoughtfully. "But he's also proven to be capable of providing helpful insight into Thomas's need for self-care."

"Don't you do that?" Virgil pointed out.

"I look at self-care logically," Logan explained, "as I look at everything. I explain to Thomas why he needs to take care of himself, but Janus is the embodiment of Thomas's desire to care for himself. While I certainly don't agree with everything he says, I must admit that there is merit to some of his ideas."

"You've gotta be kidding me," Virgil muttered. He turned to the other side of the room, glaring at Janus as he did so. "Patton! You're Thomas's morality! Janus is, like, your opposite! You can't agree with this!"

"Well . . ." Patton gave Virgil a guilty look.

"Oh, come on!"

"I'm sorry, Kiddo," Patton said. "I don't agree with a lot of what Janus says, but I also know that I don't always have the right answer. Lately, I feel like I haven't done a very good job of steering Thomas down the right path." Patton had a sad look in his eyes, but there was something else there, too – acceptance. Virgil knew he had been struggling, and the recent appearances of Janus and Remus had made things that much harder for Thomas's morality. But the look on Patton's face made Virgil wonder if Patton had given up.

"Patton, I know things have been hard," Virgil said, "but that doesn't mean that you should just hand over the reins to Janus!"

"I'm not!" Patton said. "I just . . . I think I need a little help. I think Janus can help me put things into perspective."

"He doesn't want to help, Patton! Don't you get that? All he wants to do is mess everything up!"

Patton sighed. "Well, we used to think the same thing about you." Virgil's eyes went wide. "We were so sure that, at best, you were just there to get in Thomas's way. But we were wrong! When we started seeing all of the good things that you do, everything got so much better for Thomas, and for us! We just had to give each other a chance. Don't you think Janus deserves that chance, too?"

"You're seriously comparing Janus to me?" If Virgil had been hurt when he thought he was being excluded in favor of Janus, he was outright wounded now. How could they even think it was the same?

"I mean," Thomas cut in. "You have to admit, the situations are similar."

"No, they're not."

"Why not?"

"Because I've never intentionally hurt any of you!" They were all staring at him, and he felt his anger deflate in favor of anxiety. He hated being the center of attention.

"If it helps," Roman offered. "I agree with you."

Virgil gave him a small smile, but Janus interrupted before he could say anything. "I don't see what all of the fuss is about. I am one of Thomas's sides. I am as much a part of him as any of you. Is it so much to ask to be a part of the conversation?"

"That's why you're here," Thomas told him. "To be a part of the conversation. That's why I invited you!"

"But not me." It was a low blow, even for Virgil, but he was ticked at the moment. Besides, if none of the other sides were going to call Thomas out on this terrible choice, he would.

"Virgil, I'm sorry," Thomas said sincerely. "It's not that I don't want you around. It's just that . . . I'm already feeling really uncertain about doing this. I thought it would be easier for everyone if I wasn't also feeling really anxious."

Virgil's eyes widened when he realized what Thomas was saying. "You . . . you want me to back off?" he asked softly.

"Just for a while, buddy." Virgil looked at the floor. It was the first time Thomas hadn't wanted him around since Thomas and the other sides had realized what Thomas's life would be like without him, and that hurt more than Virgil wanted to admit.

"Well, I'd personally like to thank you for your vote of confidence, Thomas," Janus said. "I'm sure we'll all get along splendidly."

Virgil opened his mouth to respond, but his own hand clamped over his mouth. His eyes darted to Janus, who was smirking but not looking at him. He glared at Deceit and then looked to Patton for help. But Patton hadn't noticed him. He was watching Janus. Virgil looked at each of the other sides, and finally at Thomas, but none of them looked at him. None of them noticed him. His eyes fell on Janus again, and he realized what had happened. He had been silenced.

Thomas had decided that he didn't want to feel his anxiety, which gave Janus the power to stop Virgil from reaching him, and, by proxy, the others. All he could do now was watch the scene unfold before him.

The others listened to Janus spin his web of lies. Virgil wasn't all that interested in what he was saying. He was convinced that whatever it was, it wasn't worth listening to. What interested Virgil was the others' reactions.

Patton looked . . . concerned. Not worried. He couldn't be worried without Virgil's input. But he clearly wasn't entirely convinced about all this. That gave Virgil some hope. Still, he could remember how hard Patton had tried with him at the beginning. He had always wondered if some of it had been forced – Patton's whole 'fake it 'til you make it' idea. He now wondered if that's what he was trying with Janus. He wasn't sure how to feel about that.

He could feel himself getting anxious as he thought about the effect Janus had on the others, but it was different than it normally was. Usually, his anxiety was channeled from him to Thomas. Low levels of anxiety were usually nothing more than passing thoughts that gave Thomas pause. But Virgil was cut off from Thomas now, so that anxiety didn't go anywhere. It stayed balled up inside of him. He could feel it in his gut. Ironically, the realization only added to his anxiety, and the feeling in his gut turned to pain.

Virgil grunted into the hand that still covered his mouth. He eyed Janus who still wasn't looking at him. But the smirk on his face told Virgil that he knew perfectly well what he was doing to Virgil, and he didn't plan to stop anytime soon.

Virgil took a few deep breaths through his hand, trying to calm his anxiety. After a minute, the pain was still there, but it hadn't gotten worse. It won't last forever, he told himself. Just wait it out.

To distract himself, Virgil looked over at Logan. The logical side hadn't changed position. He was still standing with his arms crossed over his chest with a thoughtful expression on his face. He supposed he shouldn't be surprised that Logan would consider Janus's point of view. Logan was rarely a large part of their conversations about ethical dilemmas. To him, most decisions came down to what was most practical, what made the most sense, and Janus certainly had a flair for reasoning, flawed though it was. And Logan was an advocate for Thomas's self-care. Why couldn't he see that Janus was more than that? If Janus was nothing more than Thomas's sense of self-preservation, Virgil would be on board with that! After all, what was the fight or flight response if not self-preservation? But Janus wasn't just self-preservation; he was selfishness. He would do what he wanted without a second thought about who it hurt. Why couldn't Logan see that? Why didn't he –

"Mmph!" The pain was getting worse. Virgil wrapped his one free arm around his middle. None of the other sides noticed him or his pain. He had to force himself to remember that it wasn't their fault. They would never ordinarily ignore him like this. It was Janus.

He looked over at Roman. Roman looked the most uncomfortable with Janus. Virgil wondered what had changed. Originally, Roman was the only one willing to listen to Deceit. He had fallen for Janus's false flattery and agreed with Janus about the callback. Virgil could still hear Roman's words: "Are you seriously so close-minded to think that everything said by someone you don't like is automatically untrue?" It had hit a little too close to home at the time, and even now, it still stung. It wasn't so long ago that Roman had felt that way about him – arguing every little point, mocking him the second he opened his mouth. And if he was honest, Virgil hadn't been much better.

But something had changed. Virgil knew that something had gone down between Thomas, Roman, Patton, and Deceit, but neither Roman nor Patton would talk about it. Whatever it was had changed the way they saw Janus. It had made Patton more willing to accept him, but, apparently, it had made Roman wary of him. Virgil had to admit, he wasn't used to having Roman on his side, but at this point, he would take whatever help he could get. If only he could get them to listen! If he could just get their attention –

He grunted again, louder this time. The anxiety was building inside him. He had never felt like this before. This wasn't like when he decided to "duck out." That had been his choice. This was different. Thomas wasn't feeling a lack of anxiety, he was just denying his anxiety. And the longer it went on, the harder it would hit when he finally allowed himself to feel it. It wouldn't just affect Thomas; it would affect all of the sides. How long would Janus let this go on? How long before –

Another wave of pain washed over him. The anxiety was snowballing now. He couldn't stop himself from worrying, which only added to the pain. He doubled over and grabbed the banister with his free hand, gripping it until his knuckles turned white. But out of the corner of his eye, he saw something, or rather felt something – someone's eyes on him. Roman. He snapped his head towards the prince, but by the time he did, Deceit had already moved to stand between them, distracting Roman with another false compliment.

But Roman had almost noticed him. Maybe . . . maybe he would again. He just had to wait for Deceit to be distracted by Logan or Patton, and then he would have his chance. Virgil watched the scene before him, waiting as patiently as he could, his breathing heavy behind the hand that still covered his mouth.

Finally, Patton voiced a doubt, and Janus moved back in front of the blinds to persuade him. Virgil hadn't planned anything in particular, but, in the end, he didn't need to. The pain in his stomach was becoming unbearable, and he couldn't have stopped the sound that escaped his lips even if he wanted to.

And it was enough. Roman's head perked up. His brow wrinkled as if he were trying to remember something. Come on, Roman, Virgil pleaded silently. Notice me. See me! Another muted cry escaped him, and Roman finally turned.

"VIRGIL!" The instant Roman spoke his name, Virgil's hand left his mouth. Virgil stumbled at the sudden freedom, but he clung to the anxiety that had built up within him. It was too much now. If he let it go, it would overwhelm the others. He had to protect them.

Roman's outburst had gotten the others' attention, and they all looked in his direction. Patton gasped and covered his mouth. Thomas yelled his name, and Logan let out a concerned, "Oh, goodness!"

It was Roman who first had the sense to act. He turned on Janus, drew his sword, and demanded, "What have you done to him, you snake?"

"Me?" Janus said as though he were offended. "Why, I didn't do anything! You were the ones who ignored him, denied him. I just gave Thomas what he wanted." And with that, Deceit sank out.

"I don't understand!" Thomas said. "What's happening? Virge, what's wrong?" Virgil tried to give some semblance of an answer, but he couldn't focus. Not while he so desperately tried to keep the ever-growing ball of anxiety inside of him from escaping.

"I believe I understand," Logan said. The logical side's expression was as calm as ever, but the softness of his voice betrayed the tiniest bit of emotion. "You decided that you didn't want to feel anxious, Thomas. That gave Deceit the power to cut off Virgil's connection to you."

"Then shouldn't I feel listless and unmotivated, like when Virgil ducked out?" Thomas said.

"No," Logan continued. "You are still anxious, but you're in denial. You refused to acknowledge Virgil, so Deceit forced him to contain your anxiety. That is why he's in pain."

Thomas looked at Virgil in horror. "Virge, I'm sorry!" he said. "That's . . . that's not what I wanted!" Virgil winced as Thomas looked him up and down. "Look, I'm not in denial anymore. I'm anxious about listening to Deceit. So, let me have it!"

"No," Virgil said, struggling to stay upright. "I can't."

"But . . . Janus is gone!" Thomas argued. "He's not stopping you anymore!"

Virgil inhaled sharply. "If I . . . let go . . . it'll be too overwhelming." He looked at each of the sides, who were all staring back at him with wide eyes. "It'll be like . . . when you were in my room . . . except all at once . . . and a lot worse."

"Virgil," Logan said gently. "You cannot continue like this."

"I'll . . . be okay," he gasped out. "I'll just . . . let it out . . . slowly."

"No, Virge," Thomas said decisively. "You've had to deal with this for too long already."

Logan nodded curtly. "Thomas has learned several calming techniques to deal with anxiety. We'll be prepared."

"We want to help you, Kiddo," Patton said.

"We shall face this challenge with courage and fortitude!" Roman said, though his usual bravado was lacking a bit. "Together."

"You sure?" Virgil said, looking at Thomas.

"I'm sure, Virgil." Virgil closed his eyes and steadied himself. He rallied every ounce of self-control he had so he didn't bombard them in one instant. It would still be a lot, but it would be a steady stream over a few minutes rather than a single blast of anxiety. "Here goes." And he let go.

The reaction was instant. Thomas started shouting. "Whoa! WHOA!" He paced the living room, shaking his hands and occasionally jumping. "Nervous energy! So much nervous energy!"

Patton burst into tears. "I'm so sorry, Virgil!" he cried. "We never should have listened to Janus! How could we do that to you?"

Logan started yelling at the top of his lungs at lightning speed. Virgil couldn't make out more than a few words here and there, but most of it sounded like the names of scientists and philosophers intermixed with algebraic formulas and random bits of trivia.

Roman was waving his sword around and shouting angrily. "How dare that snake fool us like that? He's nothing but a selfish, lying coward!"

The ball in his stomach was shrinking, and the sensation made Virgil lightheaded. He stumbled backward and caught himself on the banister. "Guys?" he said weakly. Ordinarily, he'd be able to help them cope, but he wasn't strong enough to do much. Instead, he focused on Thomas. If he could get Thomas to calm down, even a little, the others would too, and it would all be more manageable. "Thomas, breathe!"

Thomas was still pacing frantically, but he heard Virgil and took a shaky breath. Then another. Every couple of breaths, Virgil reminded him to breathe again. As he continued, Thomas began to breathe deeper. After a few minutes, Logan had calmed enough to count for Thomas as he breathed – in for four, hold for seven, out for eight. With Logan's help, Patton and Roman began to calm too.

For a few minutes, they all just breathed together. Virgil still felt dizzy, and while the pain in the pit of his stomach had lessened significantly, it was still there. But things were getting closer and closer to being . . . normal. He looked up at Thomas. "You . . . okay?" he asked slowly.

Thomas nodded. "Yeah, I think so." Virgil looked pointedly at Thomas's hand, which he was still shaking unconsciously. Thomas looked down at his hand. "Still some nervous energy, I guess," he said with a hint of embarrassment as he used his other hand to push the shaking hand down to his side. "But I'm okay."

"How about you guys?" Virgil looked at each of the others. Logan was nodding more emphatically than would be normal for him, but otherwise, he seemed okay. Patton was sniffing and rubbing at his eyes. He hiccupped once and gave Virgil a sheepish smile. Roman had sheathed his sword and was now nervously shifting his weight from one foot to the other. Virgil relaxed a little. It would be some time before the anxiety dissipated, but they seemed okay.

"How are you, Virgil?" Thomas asked.

Virgil shrugged, but he couldn't hide the fact that he wasn't back to normal. "I'm okay," he said. "That just . . . took a lot out of me."

"I'm sorry, Virgil," Thomas said, shaking his head. "I don't know what I was thinking. You were right. I never should have listened to Janus. The next time he shows up, I'm ignoring him!"

"As much as I'd like that, Thomas," Virgil said with a small smile, "you can't do that."

"Why not?"

"You were right," Virgil said, somewhat reluctantly. "Janus does have something to offer."

"But Virgil!" Patton said. "He hurt you!"

"Yeah, he did," Virgil agreed. "And believe me, I really don't like the guy. We can't trust him. But we also can't dismiss everything he says."

"Then what do we do?" Thomas asked.

"Handle him the same way you handle me," Virgil suggested. "When I sound the alarm, you stop and listen to me. Sometimes, there's a legitimate problem that needs to be addressed, and sometimes I'm . . . overreacting. You don't let me take over, but you also don't ignore me."

"Yeah, but you don't lie to me, Virge," Thomas said.

"Not intentionally, but that doesn't mean I'm always right," Virgil said. "You learned to work with me, even though I scare you. Maybe . . . you can learn to work with Janus, too, even though he lies."

Thomas looked uncertainly at Virgil. "Maybe," he said slowly. "Whatever I do, I won't shut you out again. I need you, Virgil. You know that, right?"

"We all do," Patton agreed, giving him a big smile.

Virgil tried to give them a weak smile, but another wave of dizziness hit him. He closed his eyes and leaned heavily on the banister.

"Virgil? Are you alright?" Logan said cautiously.

Virgil tried to nod, but the movement only made him dizzier.

"Come on, Emo," Roman said as he reached out to support Virgil's other arm. "I think it's time you lie down before you fall down."

"Maybe you're right."

"Will you be okay, Kiddo?" Patton asked worriedly.

"I'll take care of him, Patton," Roman reassured him. Then, Virgil felt a slight pull from below as Roman sank down, still holding on to him. Virgil let himself go with the prince. A nap was just what he needed right now.