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A/N: Update time! Aren't you all so glad? If you are then review.
It's like the song ...
If you're happy for the update, review for it
If you're happy for the update, review for it
If you're happy for the update, then you should show it
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("If You're Happy And You Know It ...")

Dr. Harry Roland was disappointed when he saw the teddy bear in Charlie's arms as he ate Cookie Crisp.

Alan sighed as he led the doctor in the room, knowing full-well that he would be disappointed. "Charlie?"

Charlie looked up and smiled, "Hiya, Dr. Roland."

"Hello, Charlie. Archie." Harry nodded at the two of them. He sat down in a chair across from Charlie, "How was your first night at home?" He tried to keep his voice sounding casual.

Charlie took a bite of his cereal before answering, "Scary."

"Scary?"

Charlie nodded, taking another bite, "In my room, it's scary."

Alan spoke up quietly, "Charlie, don't talk with your mouth full."

Charlie sighed, chewed, then swallowed his food, "My room is scary."

"What did you do? To cope with the fear?"

Charlie took a breath, "Donnie." He nodded, his mouth set in a line. "Donnie."

"Donnie? What did Donnie do?" Roland asked.

"I went into Donnie's room, because he would keep me safe." His voice, small, scared.

"Safe from what?" Roland kept his voice, light.

"Safe from the darkness, hurt, the bee sting in my neck, waking up cold and alone." Charlie's voice cracked. He had fear written all over his face.

"Want to talk about the cause of your fears?" Harry asked.

Charlie shook his head, forgetting about the cereal, hugging Archie as tight as he could.

Roland sighed, "Want to play that game again? The one where you go to sleep?"

Charlie shook his head, "Not without Donnie here."

"Where is Donnie?" Harry asked, looking about and not seeing the brother.

"He had to go to his anger school." Charlie stated, "And I don't want to play that game if Donnie isn't here to protect me."

Regina watched Don as he milled about the snack table after class. Don hadn't really spoken in class at all, and she understood. He had paid attention to her lecture about keeping your 'cool', or she hoped he did. "What's wrong, Don?" She asked, "Normally you would have left class by now."

Don sighed, "I got mad at Charlie yesterday. It wasn't his fault and I got mad."

Regina raised an eyebrow, "How did he take it?" She knew the basics about Charlie, but only what she needed to know in order to get Don through the class.

"He got scared." Don sighed.

"And what did you do?"

"I apologized as soon as I calmed down." Don shrugged.

"Then?" She kept her voice smooth.

"Then we were okay. But I still feel guilty for getting mad at him." Don hung his head.

"Today's class is over, you can go home now ..." She suggested.

Don sighed, "I'll see you next class, then."

Regina shook her head, "No you won't. This was your last class, Don. Congrats. You graduated Anger Management School."

"I? ... What?" Don asked, shocked.

"You passed. All I have to do is sign some papers and give them to your boss."

"You're joking."

"Nope. You're free to go." Regina smiled at him.

Don was smiling as he opened the door. He had noted that Roland's car was parked out front, so not wanting to disturb what they were talking about, he came in the back door.

"Donnie?!" Charlie's voice rang out.

Don sighed. So, he wouldn't' have interrupted anything.

"Donnie?!" His voice sang with worry.

"Yeah, It's me, Buddy." Don called back, getting himself a beer before going into the living room. He walked in and found Charlie sitting on the couch while Alan was going through a sudoku book and Roland was facing Charlie in a chair.

Charlie's face lit up when Don walked in, "Donnie!"

"Hey, Buddy. How's it going?"

"He wants me to play that game again." Obviously , 'He' was Dr. Roland.

"Do you not want to play?" Don sat down next to Charlie.

Charlie shrugged. "It's a scary game. I don't like it."

"I want you to play the game again." Don said, knowing that his brother needed help and hypnosis would help him a lot.

Charlie's shoulder's slumped. "Alright. I guess we can play the game again." His voice was quiet.

Roland sighed, glad that Charlie had finally agreed. "Alright, Charlie lay down again."

Charlie did as he was told. Frightened of what the doctor was going to make him relive again.

He was scared. Why couldn't they just leave him alone? Not just the people, but the fears and the nightmares that he saw whenever he closed his eyes. Why did it all have to happen to him? Was it a kind of justice for his mom, because he didn't spend the last months of her life with her? He felt as if he deserved it if that was the case.

He opened his eyes when Don said his name. "Donnie?"

"Ready to start?" Don asked, in a protective voice.

Yes. Donnie was there. As long as Donnie was there, he was safe. No matter what the monster's were. Donnie would protect him. Don would have protected him earlier, but Charlie hadn't told him. He had wanted to battle those monsters by himself, without his brother thinking that he was weak. But now Donnie wasn't thinking, he knew. He knew that Charlie was weak. Charlie was not strong like Donnie. He was acting like a child - not someone his age, not staying strong. And Charlie hated himself for giving in to the horrors and letting them control him.

It wasn't the first time Charlie let something control him. He had let math control him a lot. But nothing like this had ever happened. He had never broken this much when math controlled him. He missed math, but his fears wouldn't let him go into his room. Or the garage. His fears wouldn't even let him be alone. He always had to have someone with him. Daddy, Donnie, Dr. Roland, Megan, Archie. Always someone. Charlie hated letting his fears control him. Stupid fears.

"Yeah." Charlie answered.

Soon Charlie was asleep again, ready to tell any secret they asked, ready to tell them the truth from the lies, ready to let them control him - instead of his fears or math.

"Charlie," Dr. Roland began, "Could you count the days when you were in the basement?"

"Yes."

"How did you know?" He was actually curious. He wouldn't be able to see any light while in the basement, so the only way Roland could think of being able to tell was if Tirry had told him.

"He came once a day. Came to hurt me, once a day." Charlie answered, his voice even.

Don's inside dropped. That is not a way to count the days. It would be horrible thinking Hm. Well, I'm bleeding now, it must have been one more day. That makes day three. He listened as Roland asked another question.

"Charlie, I want you to tell me about your last day."

Charlie's hand twitched, "I don't know exactly when it switches days."

"How about just tell the last thing Tirry did to you ..." Roland's voice, quiet.

"I had been trying to drown out what they were saying when he came." Charlie's voice strong, knowing what he was talking about.

"They?"

"The hallucinations. They wouldn't shut up. Always there. Talking, taunting." His voice cracked, "He came and yelled at me for talking, not shutting up. But I was talking to make them shut up. He had something for me. Claimed to be a present. No one believed him. They glared at him. Or me. I don't know. Couldn't tell." His talking started to come faster, "I didn't even try to move. Moving hurt. Moving meant more pain. But he came anyway. He always comes to hurt."

"What did he do? Charlie?"

"Something forced in my mouth. Made it stay open. Then the taste. Thick liquid. I had trouble breathing. I couldn't stop coughing. I don't know how long it went on. But my insides started to burn from it. When I opened my eyes it was dark and he was gone. But they were still there. They are always there. Never giving me peace. Then they speak in numbers, telling me things through equations."

"And how did that make you feel? Them talking in equations?"

"It calmed me. Math. I had missed it. 57.641592653589. 57.641592653589 was the only other math I did. Th-Then I saw two Megan's. One spoke math, like the others. The other didn't. I thought that was strange."

"And the other Megan? The one who didn't speak in math?"

"She touched me. Not right for them to do. They can't touch. Not real. But she did." Charlie didn't seem to be breathing anymore.

"Breath, Charlie. Breath." Roland's voice was rushed.

Charlie was talking so fast, he was having trouble getting breathe, "Then Donnie came and he saw. He can't see. If he sees then it's real. Colby too. They stared at me like I was an animal in a cage. Like I didn't matter, or like I mattered too much. All at once." His breathing wasn't getting much better.

"Charlie!" Roland yelled, knowing that he needed to wake his patient. "When I get to five you will be awake!"

Charlie's body started twitching.

"One. Three. Five!" Roland hurried the counting.

Charlie's eyes snapped open, he dropped Archie, letting his body go limp. His breathing slowly began to get normal.

"Charlie?"

He shook his head. Charlie didn't want to talk. He didn't want to listen.

Alan put his hand on Charlie's arm, causing his son to look at him.

Alan knew right away. He smiled big. "Charlie!"

Don watched his dad and brother. Something was different. He smiled. "Hey, Buddy? Wanna say something?"

Charlie shook his head.

"Alright." Don nodded. "That's fine."

Charlie nodded and closed his eyes.

"You tired?"

Charlie nodded again.

"Alright. Go ahead and get some sleep. I know you didn't sleep well last night." Don said, "Want to sleep here on the couch?"

Another nod escaped.

"Okay then, Buddy. We'll be in the other room." Don collected the two other's with his eyes and they made their way to the other room.