American Snapshot 11

Chapter 11 - Marriage Counseling

Summary: Mac and Alexis are determined to find who the winner of an argument, unfortunately their children know better then to pick a side. Alexis finds a way to decide the winner once and for all and bring everyone along for the ride.

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"I don't understand why we all need to go to the doctor together." Maxie frowned as Alexis pulled her SUV into the parking space, "We are all old enough to got to an appointment by ourselves."

"I am you mother and that means that you're not going to question me." Alexis frowned as she turned the car off and opened the door.

"I don't think that we all need flu shots. I mean I don't think I've ever had one and I never get sick." Sam added as she linked her arm with Robin who just shook her head.

"Do you want to die? If you don't get your shots that is what is going to happen!" Alexis insisted as she ushered her four oldest daughters towards the office building.

"Therapy?!" A voice exclaimed from the other side of the parking lot, which caused the Scorpio women to turn their attention to where they saw Patrick trying to pull out of Mac's hold, "Do you honestly think that this is a good idea? We are going to be committed."

"Dad?" Kristina questioned as she hurried over to her boyfriend and father.

"Therapy!" Patrick yelled as he pulled free of Mac's grasp and hurried behind Sam and Robin, "They tricked us."

"How did you get lured here?" Johnny asked as he wrapped his arms around Maxie, "We were supposed to go to the fishing expo in Raleigh."

"Under penalty of death. My mother kindly informed us that we would die without a flu shot." Maxie answered as she glared at her mother.

"When are you going to realize that anything having to do with fishing is a lie? No one is ever actually going fishing." Alexis frowned.

"We have the next five hours blocked out to speak with Dr. Lewis" Mac explained as he headed towards the office building.

"Why?" Sam questioned as the children remained standing in the parking lot.

"We wouldn't have had to make these appointments, if you eight would have just taken a side."

"This is about the fight at dinner last week?"

"You made therapy appointment for all of us just so you could see who was right?" Patrick summed up, "That is crazy and a reason that we shouldn't be here. Everyone in this family is crazy, we don't need a professional to tell us that."

"I don't understand why we need to all be here for this. You and dad can just go to an appointment." Robin reasoned.

"No, you each have an appointment to tell the doctor who you think is right." Alexis explained, "Before you think about walking out the door, I would choose if you want some information out in the open."

"Oh, being forced into therapy by blackmail. That is normal."

"I think that you're bluffing." Maxie accused as she took a step away from the door.

"I think it would be a shame for Nikolas to find out about who really bought the house for him in Wisconsin." Alexis shrugged, "Did you ever wonder where your skills came from my loving daughter."

"Looks like we are seeing a therapist!" Maxie grinned as she pulled Johnny towards the door.

"Samantha, if you even attempt to fake an injury or faint. The videos will be coming out." Mac warned. Sam just stared at her father for a minute before she followed her sister into the building.

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Aaron Lewis had seen a lot in his time therapist for couples and there wasn't much that surprised him anymore. The idea to open a private practice in the small town of Willow Creek had been the perfect plan to wait out his retirement. His days were relatively slow, and he rarely got new patients, which was why he was so surprised that he has five new couples waiting for him when he walked into work that morning.

Sam and Jason

"I don't have an option on the fight with my parents." Sam declared as soon as Jason and she went into the office.

The older man that stood from his chair to greet the couple froze at the comment, "I don't understand."

"We have nothing to say to you." Sam repeated slowly as she took a seat on the couch and Jason just leaned against the wall and glared at the man.

"I don't understand. Why did you make an appointment if you didn't want to talk about your relationship?"

"I already told you that we don't have anything to say. We are going to sit here for an hour and then be done with this." Sam insisted as she pulled her phone out.

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Ethan and Kristina:

"You look like a happy couple." Dr. Lewis observed as Kristina and Ethan made their way into the office.

"Extremely." Ethan answered as he plopped down on the couch and got comfortable. Kristina just nodded as she took a seat next to her boyfriend.

"How did the two of you meet?"

"We go to Sunday school together." Kristina answered as she elbowed Ethan in his side as he let out a laugh.

"Is there a reason that you come here today?"

"Blackmail." Kristina answered, "I think that you will see that we don't need to be here. So, we're just going to wait this hour out."

"You get paid either way." Ethan reasoned as he leaned his head back on the couch and closed his eyes.

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Maxie and Johnny

"We watch all those shows on TV, where the couples will kill people." Johnny started to explain as Maxie leaned across the couch and placed her hand over his mouth in an attempt to make his stop talking.

"This is a safe space." Dr. Lewis interrupted, "It isn't healthy to censor what your partner says." He continued as he flipped to a new page on his notepad. Maxie shot the man a glare before she removed her hand, "It actually make is feel like you don't value their opinion."

"That would be because I don't value his opinions most of the time." Maxie agreed.

"Like I was say, we always watch these show together and I am now really surprised that we haven't killed anyone yet." Johnny continued as he scooted away from his girlfriend, "Those show are like a how to guide. You learn from the mistakes of those who did get caught and to their crime better. I am also pretty sure that we fit the profile of a killer."

"You need to stop talking." Maxie growled.

"You heard the doctor, you don't get to censor me."

"You know that we are going to go home soon and be alone. You aren't going to have some shrink to hide behind."

"I don't think it's me so much that would fit the profile. I think that it would be more Maxie. I really think that she could kill someone. I know this because I asked her."

"You asked me if I ever had the urge to kill someone."

"I did and you answer was 'Everyday on the way to work, I have to resist the urge to stab a stranger with my keys.'" Johnny insisted, "I think that is something a killer would say."

"If I was a killer, I would have taken care of you a long time of you. I think that alone proves that I am not a killer."

"I don't think that you physically could murder me." Johnny corrected as he leaned back into the couch, "That would mean blood and you hate to stain any of kind, not to mention that it is almost impossible to get out."

"Actually blood isn't that hard to get out of clothes. You soak the item in white vinegar for thirty minutes, rub the stain with your fingers and then rinse it with cold water."

"See." Johnny exclaimed.

"You are contradicting yourself, first you say that I am a murder, then you say you don't think I would be." Maxie stated confused.

"Oh you definitely are a potential murder. I am just saying that I don't think you could physically carry it out. You would outsource it to someone else." Dr. Lewis just started at them with his mouth hanging open before he glanced back at his notepad.

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Robin and Patrick

"I feel like one of our biggest problems is that I am not allowed to make certain decisions on my own. I am an adult and should be able to decide what I spend my hard-earned money on."

"You get an allowance." Robin insisted, "If you could prove that you are a responsible person, I wouldn't have had to take your privileges away."

"It was one time I buy something that you don't agree with and I am never going to live it down. I think that Waffles was a good choice."

"Who is Waffles?" Dr. Lewis questioned as he set his notebook down.

"A drunken idiotic mistake."

"Don't talk about my baby that way."

"You and the terror trio got drunk and bought an ostrich after a drunken night out."

"We already had Bacon and now we have a Waffle. I wanted to continue the tradition of naming our pets after breakfast foods."

"I bet the doctor would love to know what type of animal Bacon is." Robin suggested as she turned her attention back to Dr. Lewis, "Bacon happens to be a pig."

"On that note, I also have no say in what my child's name is going to be. I helped create that little leach and you would think that I would be allowed to help pick out a name."

"I have my reasons for no letting you name anything and that is because you are terrible at it. You wanted to name our kid Calico. What the heck kind of name is that? It's a color type of cat."

"It was a unique name."

"We are having a boy." Robin argued.

"According to our agreement, states that I would get to name our child."

"You didn't get it in writing, which means that it's not binding." Robin dismissed, "We are not here to talk about us."

"I think that both Alexis and Mac are wrong." Patrick declared as he glared at his girlfriend.

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Mac and Alexis

Alexis hurried into the office and pushed her husband out of the way as he opened the door. Mac let out a heavy sigh as he walked into the room and took a seat at the very end of the couch in an effort to be as far as Alexis as possible.

"I just want to commend you on taking the first steps to get help. It takes a lot of courage to make an appointment." Dr. Lewis started.

"We are happily married." Alexis corrected as she took out her own note pad, "We are simply at an impasse and need a third party's input to rectify the situation." She added as she began to take down her own notes.

"In other words we need you to say which one of us is right." Mac added.

"I think that maybe your problem right there. There are no winner or losers when it comes to an argument." The therapist expressed as he set his note pad down.

"I would object to that. Of course there are winners and losers in an argument, I make my living from that very premise."

"She's a lawyer." Mac commented, "The best thing to do is agree with her."

"Maybe if you would have followed your own advice we wouldn't be here right now." Alexis frowned.

"I know that I am right about this." Mac urged.

"The important things to remember about marriage is that it is about partnership and comprise. There are no winners or losers." Dr. Lewis interrupted.

"You have met with all of our eldest children throughout the morning and I think that their opinions will help us see who is right." Alexis continued as she spoke over the doctor.

"I can disclose what happened with my other patients."

"You don't have to say their names, just tell us who the majority sided with." Mac urged.

"I am not sure what you're talking about?"

"We want to know who is right. It's what we've been talking about for the last thirty minutes. I am afraid if you don't catch on soon, I am going to have to find another doctor."

"What exactly is your agreement about?"

"Which is the right way to put the toilet paper on?" They both answered in unison.