Hello, folks, and welcome to my latest story!

Now, I've already featured Virgil the painter in The Gift. This time, he's showing off his musical talents. Again, I'm really hoping this will appear in a later episode of the series. I mean, we've all seen his piano in the den - now we just need to hear him play it!

So, if just in this little one shot, he's bringing some pricless memories back for Scott... and giving an equally joyous gift to Gordon and Alan.

Enjoy!

Play It Again, Virg

Glancing around the den, Scott smiled at the pleasure he saw mirrored on two other, equally enthralled faces. Yes, wasn't this the perfect way to spend a Saturday? Chores all done, no disasters to disturb them - just the sleepy calmness of a sunny afternoon, and the soothing sound of Virgil's piano.

Relaxing back into the couch, he then sighed and closed his eyes - letting his thoughts drift on waves of softly lilting keys. He'd be the first to admit that classical music wasn't really his thing, he preferred something with a bit more rock to it, but... yes, for so many reasons, this softest of classics was just so beautiful.

Debussy's Clair de Lune. It had been one of their mother's favourite pieces, and to hear it again now, played with all of her gentleness, and passion, and skill... yes, if just in his imagination, it brought her so poignantly back to life. So when it ended, he couldn't quite stop a sigh of disappointment. Just a few more moments with these treasured memories, and Scott was sure they'd have lulled him to sleep.

Instead, alerted by the silence that followed, he opened his eyes again, directing them instinctively towards Virgil's seat - catching just a glimpse of another wistful smile, before Alan and Gordon blocked it from view.

Another instinct brought out the start of a frown. As much as he loved his youngest brothers, he really didn't want their prankish mischief to spoil this moment, and... hmm. To his relieved surprise, such fears seemed to be unfounded. Instead, the notoriously Terrible Twins had come to stand by Virgil's shoulder, regarding him with the kind of hero-worshipping awe that only little brothers could express. And while Gordon's response to what he'd just heard didn't really suit its genteel elegance, Scott knew every part of the admiration in his voice came straight from the heart.

"Wow! Virg, that was great! Really neat!"

"Yeah, cool!" Alan agreed, with the same enthusiasm that, for reasons he'd never understood, had made his older brother smile in that special, older brother way.

Scott understood it, though, as he came to join them, and returned the wry grin on Virgil's face. Yep, kids today. To them, everything was 'neat!' and 'cool!' Even the works of one of the world's greatest composers. The thought of how Debussy would react to it made both of them shake their heads, resigned to the fact that... yes, they really were getting old before their time.

"Well, I'm glad you liked it," Virgil said at last, starting to close the lid over its keys, then staring in surprise when Gordon's hand on his arm stopped him.

"Can you play us something else, Virg?" he asked, the hopefulness on his face doubling when Alan, naturally, went that little bit further.

"Yeah, can you teach us to play?"

Against such innocent eagerness, Virgil found it impossible not to laugh. It had taken him years of practice to master this most lovely of instruments, and - yes, the thought of teaching its joys to these two miscreants was a little bit... daunting. Especially when they clearly thought he could do so straight away.

Glancing up at Scott, another fond memory passed silently between them. When his brother shrugged, though, in that patented 'hey, don't look at me!' way, Virgil knew he was expected to handle this on his own.

Well, that big brother had another thought coming.

"You mean like I tried to teach Scott?"

Yeah, that had him. As Scott's eyes narrowed into an 'I'll-get-you-for-that' glare, so all thoughts of revenge were swept aside by two incredulous voices.

"You taught..."

"...Scott how to play this piano?!"

Still laughing at his brother's battle to keep his own face straight, Virgil just shrugged. Well, if his life was going to made hell for this little stunt, at least he'd make it worth the effort. Even so, it was still a relief when, battle finally lost, Scott started to laugh too.

"Well, yeah, he tried to teach me," he said at last, a brisk ruffle of two already tousled heads ensuring he wouldn't suffer for this revelation too badly.

Recalling the real reason why those lessons had stopped, he threw another wry smile towards the one brother in the room who'd understand it.

"But by the time Dad heard Take Me Out To The Ballgame for the hundredth time... well, let's just say his interest in baseball kinda dived... and he really encouraged me to find another hobby."

Reading the wistful amusement in his brother's eyes, Virgil responded to its deeper meaning just as Scott had hoped he would.

"Yeah, I think he felt the same each time you played Ode To Joy... the, uh, joy just went right out of it."

For them, of course, it was another priceless memory to ease the pain of their father's disappearance. But for two still happily innocent younger brothers, it now posed an irresistible opportunity.

"Can you play them for us now, Scott?"

"Yeah, go on, Scott! We really wanna hear you play too!"

"Yeah, then both of you can teach us!"

"Awww, come on, Scott! Pleeeeeeaaassse?!"

Under such a double assault of hopeful pleading, Scott did the only thing he could do. Rolling his eyes, he sat next to his still grinning brother - studying the keys in front of him with 'now what?' uncertainty. Then he frowned and stood up again, nodding towards the stool that was still generously occupied.

"We're gonna need a bigger seat."

"Yeah, a lower one, too, so that you little Shortstops can reach the pedals," Virgil agreed, throwing a teasing grin towards his two, much shorter brothers.

When they hit their inevitable growth spurts, of course, he'd pay for that, and... yeah. Like these two could ever wait that long. Always the first to find the most practical way out of a problem, Gordon was already grinning as he wedged himself against Virgil's knees.

"Nah, we'll just lean on you... then you and Scott can hit the pedals, and we can hit these!"

Grabbing those over-eager hands before they could cause too much damage, Virgil threw a 'help-me-out-here' glance towards his fellow teacher - rolling his eyes at the 'hey-you-asked-for-that' shrug that he received in response. Yeah, brotherly solidarity at its best.

It was impossible not to smile, though, as Scott sat back beside him, and Alan snuggled happily against his lap. As cramped and unorthodox as it was, he couldn't think of a nicer way to play the instrument that he loved so much.

"Okay, lesson number one, before we move on to the harder stuff," he said at last, flexing his fingers, before letting them let rip along the keyboard in a flawless rendition of Chopin's Waterfall. Finishing with a theatrical flourish, he then turned to grin along a line of three incredulous faces.

"Right, who wants to go first?"

Answered with three 'you've-gotta-be-kidding!' stares, he then heaved a much overdone sigh of martyred disappointment.

"Okay. Ode To Joy it is, then."

Beyond his teasing, though, Virgil couldn't think of a more perfect piece of music for this impromptu lesson. Guiding Gordon's fingers over the keys, while Scott did the same for Alan, this was a joy. In every sense of the word, it was a joy, and a privilege, to introduce his younger brothers to the same wonders of music that their mother had done for him.

From the pleasure on Scott's face, he knew his brother felt exactly the same way. Knew how much their mother would have loved to see this moment. Her beloved piano as it was meant to be played. With family. With love.