I originally said that I wasn't going to make a part three when wolf345701 suggested it, but then Clianta233 and I got talking about how the different sides would react to a new Anxiety taking Virgil's place, and furthermore how this new Anxiety would feel, and I just had to write it. So here is the part three to a one shot that was supposed to only be one part when I originally wrote it.

Keep in mind that this will have hints of Prinxiety due to the storyline of the "Binge-watching" series having romantic Prinxiety in it, however it won't focus on it. This one shot will be told from the perspective of the new anxiety trait that appears at the end of part two. 

~~~

"You really expect us to call you 'Anxiety'?" Roman raised his voice.

"It's what I embody. It's as normal as calling him Logic or him Morality." I pointed out.

"I'm sorry, but we already had an Anxiety. You're too late for that." Roman crosses his arms.

"Well, apparently not anymore." I blinked, knowing I had crossed a line but not caring. Roman had been nothing but rude to me ever since I developed and Roman realized I wasn't "Virgil", whoever that was.

"That doesn't change anything! It's bad enough you're here and Virgil's not—" Roman's voice rose.

"That's not my fault! I didn't ask to develop!" I defended. 

"Please, don't fight." Patton's eyes were focused on the floor, scared to look at me, unsure of how he felt. "We can call you 'Fear' instead. That way we don't have to call you Anxiety."

I bit my lip. "I guess." 

Wow, could they make it any more obvious that I'm the cheap replacement that no one wanted?

Roman probably wanted to send that message. Patton at the very least tried to be nice, but it was obvious that he was conflicted on how to feel. As for Logan... I can tell that Logan is mourning the loss of their friend just as much as his peers, but he was the only one who didn't let that change how he perceived me, and of course I'm grateful for that. I respect that Logan can be reasonable when need be.

I didn't even know who Virgil was. To me, Virgil was a name that haunted me like a silent shadow, a hole that I was expected to fill but couldn't. These people didn't want me, they made that much obvious. They wanted Virgil back, but they were stuck with me instead. 

The three other traits were all staring at me expectantly. It was enough to make any anxiety trait anxious, so I sighed and said, "Well, uh, see you guys later?"

"Can't wait." Roman rolled his eyes sarcastically. 

"Roman, be nice." Patton said.

He still wouldn't make eye contact with me.

Logan didn't say anything.

I sank down and reappeared in my room... The room that used to be Virgil's. Virgil had left decorations on the wall, and they were my only clue as to what kind of a person Virgil could have been. He had posters for Nightmare Before Christmas, and one Death Note poster, a My Chemical Romance poster... Ha. He seems very emo. 

Something occurred to me as I pulled out my phone, however. Maybe I didn't have to rely on the posters to find out more about this "Virgil". I opened the YouTube app, and pressed play on the video I wanted.

Hours passed before I was up to date on Thomas's Sanders Sides videos. I stared at my screen and refreshed to make sure there weren't any Sanders Sides videos I was missing. I wasn't missing any, but one thing still didn't make sense to me.

I decided to ask one of the other traits. Maybe I could get answers from someone who actually knew Virgil. Roman was out of the question, seeing as how he hates my guts. Patton would at least try to be nice, but the most ideal option would be Logan. 

I teleported myself to his room and knocked. 

"Yes?" 

"It's Fear." I gulped, knowing that my name didn't exactly have the best of reputations with the other traits, but at least it was Logan, not Roman.

"Come in." Logan said, and so I did so. 

"Thanks. I'm not sure if Roman would've let me in if I had asked." I tried to play it off as a casual joke, but it ended up being more awkward than anything else. 

"I know it's hard, but you have to give Roman a chance. He's shutting you out because he's scared to open up. He's afraid that if he accepts you, he'll admit that he's replaced Virgil, and that's the last thing he wants." Logan said. "He'll come around with time. He just needs to find a way to remember Virgil without shutting you out." 

"I figured." I sighed. 

"Just saying... Virgil was an outsider when he was first introduced. It took time for him to become one of the group, but he did. It might be the same for you." Logan said.

"This 'Virgil' guy... I must've heard his name a thousand times, but I don't know him. So I was curious and I decided to watch some of Thomas's Sanders Sides videos to try to see what he was like, right?"

Logan nodded politely.

"One thing doesn't add up, though. In Thomas's videos, Roman makes it pretty clear that he hates Virgil. So why is he acting all depressed now that Virgil's gone?" 

"Roman never truly hated Virgil. It was... complicated, for lack of a better explanation. They had their moments, but none of their best ones were caught on camera. They didn't hate each other, quite the contrary. They both possessed strong romantic feelings for the other, but they assumed the other didn't like them. They had just become a couple when Virgil disappeared." Logan explained.

"Oh." I breathed. "So Roman didn't just lose a friend... He lost a boyfriend." 

Logan nodded in confirmation. 

"Why did Virgil leave?" I asked.

"He felt... Unwanted. Of course it wasn't true, but it's too late for him to see that now." Logan bit his lip. 

"And then I show up and everyone rejects me, because I fail to be the person they lost. I didn't ask for this, I never asked to develop, I never asked to be a replacement. I never even knew Virgil, but his name has become taunting. I have to fill the shoes of someone I've never even met, and now you all hate me because of him! This is what Virgil is to me, and I... I hate Virgil!" 

Logan looked like I had shot him. "Fear... Stop." 

Crap. I just lost the one person who I could talk to. Good going, Fear.

"I- I'm sorry," 

Logan hesitated. "I understand where you're coming from, Fear. But please don't... Please don't be harsh towards Virgil. It's not his fault any more than it is yours, and for the record, I don't know if I can handle it, handle hearing that. He was my best friend."

I stayed silent, but I nodded. 

~~~

Weeks had passed, and the other traits had at the very least gotten used to me, if nothing else. Patton had warmed up to me, and had realized that it wasn't my fault that I had replaced Virgil. Roman, however, was still giving me the cold shoulder, but whenever I talked to anyone about it, they said the same thing. "Give Roman a chance." They would explain the psychological explanation behind Roman's behavior. He was shutting me out because he was scared of forgetting Virgil, disgracing his memory, etc. To be honest, I didn't need the psychology. I just wanted Roman to see my side of the story.

So I did something that I might have otherwise considered stupid. I visited the lion in his den... Or alternatively, I went to Roman's room. I just love metaphors.

"Roman? I'm sorry, I know I'm the last person you want to see—ever, really—but I wanted to talk to you."

"Fuck off." 

"Okay, wow, that was rude." I blinked. 

Frankly, I don't know why I was surprised. I had to have been expecting this.

"Look, Roman, I'm not Virgil. I know you wish I was, and I know that you think that you'll somehow disgrace Virgil's memory by accepting me as the new anxious trait. But trust me when I say I didn't choose this any more than you did. I'm just here, and there's nothing I can do about that, so the best option is to see if I can try to get along with my fellow traits." 

Roman didn't say anything.

"Roman?"

"You're not Virgil, but sometimes you remind me so much of him, and that just makes things worse." Roman sighed. "I... I'm sorry, Fear. I'm unfair to you. I know I am. I guess I was never all that great with this whole coping thing."

"I might not be an expert, but I believe that the best way to cope with loss is support." I said.

"I..." Roman hesitated. "You don't get it, Fear. It's more than 'I miss Virgil'. I blame himself for his disappearance, and I wish that I was the one who faded instead of him."

"If you had been the one to fade instead of him, don't you think Virgil would just be in the same place you are now?" 

Roman bit his lip. "I... Maybe? It's too late now anyways. Virgil's never coming back."

"You were hoping, though. That night I manifested, when you came to Virgil's room and saw me instead... You never told Logan and Patton about then and so I figured you wanted to keep it a secret, but... You were hoping Virgil would somehow reform. You were hoping you would get a second chance, and you didn't." I said. "You know, if I were in your shoes... I'd probably hate me, too."

"I..." Roman hesitated. "I know I've been unfair to you. I'm sorry. You didn't mean to get caught up in all this."

"It's easier to place the blame on someone. That way you don't have to feel it yourself. I get it, Roman, and frankly, I don't blame you." I said. "It's human. Sure, it doesn't make it hurt any less, but at least I understand it."

"You're very mature, Fear. I admire that." 

"Why, thank you." 

"And... I can be mature, too."

"Really, because from what I understand you're a bit—"

"Oh, shut it, Fear." Roman's tone was lighthearted and somewhat... playful.

I smiled.

Maybe this was the start of... at least a mutual understanding between us.

"My point is, Fear, I... I'll try not to let myself take out my feelings on you. That's a really bitchy thing for me to do, I get that, and I'm sorry. It's not your fault, I know that, I just..."

"It's hard. I get that." I said. "It's okay, Roman. Baby steps. You're a good guy, I can tell. Just sometimes strong emotions can... Take us over, in a way. It's sorta like a form of possession."

"Emotional... possession?" Roman laughed softly. "That's an idea, all right." 

"Oh, give me a break." I smiled.

"Wow, Virge." 

Roman realized his mistake as soon as he said it, and his voice faltered. He met my eyes apologetically, waiting to see how I would take it.

I felt my hopes for a possible friendship with Roman sink.

Just when I thought things were looking better, we were back to square one.

I was the replacement, and I guess there was nothing I could do to change that.

"Oh."