Time Warp: Escape Artist (Zeb)

[Jesse Adams]

2027

Jesse was once again reminding himself why he avoided taking both kids shopping with him at all costs. With Gabrielle constantly on the go and Joey was a handful on his own. But he didn’t really have a choice. Clement was working to meet a deadline with his editor and had requested that Jesse please please take the kids out for a bit so he had some quiet.

Why he’d thought the mall was a good idea, he didn’t know. Gabby had all but squealed and yanked on his hand in her fury to get though the doors. With Joey on his hip, Jesse let her pull him along. If this didn’t tire them out, he’d take them to the park and let them run wild for a bit. Anything to make sure Clement got what he needed.

Watching Gabby bounce up and down in excitement made the blond man smile. She was so enthusiastic about everything, and it was as fun as it was exhausting. She lived for adventuring and had recently gotten into a fairly strong princess phase that Jesse was praying to the parenting gods that would end soon.

“Dad!” A sharp tug on his hand alerted Jesse to his daughter, who was pointing a store with a lot of feather boas and costume jewelry. God no. No no no.

... Aaand he was being dragged in by an incessant three year old girl.

Thirty dollars later Gabby was draped in two long beaded necklaces and an electric green feather boa, with several other trinkets in a bag dangling from Jesse’s arm. Clement might kill him for impulsively spending money like that, but Jesse didn’t worry about their finances the way his husband did.

“Gabby, you know we have to stop at a store for Joey now too, right? We have to be fair.” Gabby skipped along and nodded, while Joey simply cuddled against his father’s neck and watched his sister bounce. She was so busy all the time.

Busy was what tended to get her into trouble. One moment she was skipping beside her father and the next she had her eye on something shiny in a store window. In seconds she let go of his hand and ran off. It took Jesse a beat before he realized she was gone, and he barely stopped himself from swearing. “Gabrielle!” He took off after her, narrowly missing running into someone before actually running into someone. “Ahh, sorry, I just – Gabby.” His daughter came trotting back, a perfectly innocent look on her face.

“I’s just lookin’!” Jesse shook his head, holding out his hand for hers.

“You ran away without Dad,” he scolded gently before taking a firm grip on her hand again. If Clement would be annoyed over spending money, he didn’t want to think about what would happen if he lost their daughter. Now he had her back, he glanced back the person he’d run into, surprising himself when he recognized him. “Zeb?”

[Zebadiah Hayes]

It had been a few years since Zeb's breakdown. And while he was still looking more tattered and exhausted than the regular Joe, for Zeb he wasn't looking pretty good. Most importantly, he'd finally learned to ask for help when he needed it.

He was at the mall that day just killing some time before heading back to Hammel (yes, he'd gotten his job back too). One of the ways he dealt with his side effects these days was to get out and about. Also lots of exercise. Making himself physically tired helped him to get to sleep, stay asleep, and out of other people's heads at night. It wasn't perfect but it helped.

So since it had been looking a bit like a storm that morning, he'd decided to walk around the mall instead of his usual walk around town or the lake. It wasn't exactly a morning run, but he figured it kept his feet and blood moving. That had to count for something, right?

He was about to head out of the mall when he noticed a young girl running away from her father. He was about to reach out and grab the girl when the father ran after her and bumped into him. It was then that Zeb realized he recognized the man.

"Jesse," he said, hugging the man. It was good to see the young man, but at the same time to see him with not on, but two children. "Wow. Kids," he added with a smile. He bent down to get eye level with the young girl.

"What's your name, princess?"

[Jesse Adams]

Jesse knew that a lot had changed for him since graduating Hammel. Hell, he’d graduated university, he had a good job where he felt like he was actually making a difference most days, he’d gotten married, and now... now he was Dad to two kids. He couldn’t have even predicted this in his last year at Hammel, but looking back now, it didn’t matter. He was where he wanted to be.

Well, most of the time. Gabby’s independent streak was not unlike his own when he was a child, and it was because of that he was actually a little nervous about her. He’d do anything to keep her from making the bad decisions he’d made. At least for now, the worst she could do was –

Run away. Yeah.

Now that Gabby was back in his now iron-grip, he could actually focus on the person he’d accomplished barrelling into during the chase. The fact it was Zeb surprised him, and he gave a little laugh as he was hugged. It had taken time to get over his general aversion to contact, but now he had very few incidents of flinching away. Contact from Zeb had long since been okay, though, and he gave him a one armed hug back, careful not to squish Joey in the process. “Yeah, kids. Scary, huh?” Granted, only Gabrielle was biologically his. Joey was Clement’s by blood, but together they were still their kids.

Gabrielle looked up at the stranger with wide green eyes, a bright smile taking over. Just like she saw princesses do in Disney movies, she curtsied low to him. “Gabrielle,” she introduced herself before looking back up at him. “Who’s you?” Jesse smiled and shifted Joey a little higher on his hip. The kid could get heavy after a while, but there was no way he was chasing after two of them on the loose in the mall.

“And this is Joey,” he introduced his son. “Guys, this is Zeb. I knew him at school.”

“Like Daddy!” Gabrielle squealed happily. Jesse just rolled his eyes and laughed softly.

“Not quite, Gabby. But close.” Turning his attention back to Zeb, he smiled. “How have you been?” He could remember the last time he’d run into his old dorm monitor all too well, and though he looked better, that didn’t mean much. He truly hoped things were better for him.

[Zebadiah Hayes]

Zeb enjoyed this part of his job. Really, he enjoyed just about every part of his job. But this, bumping into old students and seeing how much they'd grow, how happy they were...it was wonderful. Zeb knew if he had told Jesse how things would have turned out, the young boy would have probably laughed in his face. Or just scowled.

It had been hard back then to picture Jesse grown up, in a relationship, and with kids of his own even. But Zeb had always known that things would work out for Jesse. He held on to the hope that all of his students would have happy and meaningful futures.

Of course, he'd faltered a bit along the way. But even when Zeb had lost hope in himself, he'd still had hope for the students.

"Nothing you can't handle," Zeb said, patting the young man on the shoulder.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Miss Gabrielle," Zeb told the young girl, smiling. He could see a bit of Jesse in her. Something in the smile.

"How is Clement these days?" Zeb asked, patting Joey on the head. It was so odd to see Jesse holding a child on his hip. Odd. And wonderful.

"I've been good," Zeb answered. "Really." There weren't many people in the world that Zeb answered that question honestly to, but Jesse had become one of them. And true, Zeb still had his bad days. But he was much better off than he had been.

[Jesse Adams]

There had been a time in his life that Jesse honestly thought that if he saw Zeb after graduation, he’d have to walk the other way and pretend he hadn’t seen him. Now, he was glad they’d reached a sort of understanding before he’d graduated. It made encounters like this a lot easier.

He couldn’t have in a million years predicted how his life would have turned out. Clement had done him so much good, and though he’d gone through several panic attacks over having kids... things were okay so far. He’d felt none of the insane urges his father had seemed to have about pushing them past their breaking points or smacking them around. Sure, they could be pests, but he didn’t stop loving them for it.

“Yeah, most of the time,” he said with a little smile and an affectionate gaze at his kids.

Gabrielle beamed up at the new person, evidently thrilled over being called both Princess and Miss. “You too,” she chirped back, her expression bright. There, she remembered her manners and everything. Maybe that would warrant ice cream later. She could hope.

“He’s good. Busy, but good. If he’s not writing novels, he’s working on translation jobs, and if he’s not doing that, he’s wrangling these two while I’m at work.” Which was often more of a full time job than writing.

The blond man really hoped that Zeb was answering honestly. The image of him just a few years ago at the lake made him worry, even now. “That’s good. Are you back at Hammel?” The question was asked gently, and he hoped the answer was yes. Despite everything, Zeb always had been a grounding influence, and so good with the kids. If he belonged anywhere, it was there.

[Zebadiah Hayes]

It was hard for Zeb to imagine having kids of his own. Mostly because he was still single, but also because the past few years had been so rough that he wondered if he was even fit to have a kid. Though he'd been toying with the idea of fostering and/or adoption. After all he felt like he'd basically adopted every student at Hammel. Though of course having a child that was legally his would be a bit different.

Jesse's kids were certainly adorable. It was wonderful to see the young man smiling. And a bit inspiring. Jesse had been through so much. Struggle for so long. And here he was. Happy. With Clement. And two kids. It was wonderful.

It cracked Zeb up a little that Jesse's daughter had such good manners. He wondered what she would think to know what her father had been like at Hammel.

"Yes. And glad to be so," Zeb replied, smiling. It had taken a bit of work. And he'd had to prove that he was mentally ready to be responsible for the students' well-being again. And more importantly, actually learn to ask for help when he needed it. But it was worth it to be back. Hammel was his home. It was where he needed to be.

"How's work going for you?"

[Jesse Adams]

Jesse had spent so long being so scared of having his own kids that even when Gabrielle had been born and brought into their family, he’d still been terrified. There had been an insane rush of love, but always that dark patch of fear at the back of his mind that he’d do something to her. He’d been feeling better by the time Joey had arrived, and now he was actually leaning towards trusting himself with them. It was a good feeling, to say the least.

Gabby’s manners tended to fall few and far between. She knew what she was supposed to do, but it certainly didn’t stop her from ‘forgetting’ them more than once. Jesse was just grateful she wasn’t playing hard to get or anything and still running around. She was an active girl, and staying still seemed to be along the same lines as torture. But that was just too bad, because Jesse honestly didn’t need to lose her in the busy mall. It was one thing for Clement to give him heck over spending money on them just because, but entirely another to just come home with one child.

“Good!” In Jesse’s mind, there was no other place Zeb truly belonged. He’d been a big help to him during his final years at Hammel, and knowing that he was back at it pleased him. “I’m happy for you. Hopefully all the kids are good. Not giving you trouble like... uh... I did.” Which was a big understatement, and he knew it. But he wasn’t about to revisit things like sneaking in alcohol in front of his daughter, even if she couldn’t follow exactly what he was talking about.

Gabby had begun to dance impatiently from foot to foot as they spoke, clearly unimpressed about standing still, but knowing full well that whining wasn’t often tolerated by Dad, but was a definite no-no with Daddy. If they took any longer, she’d start though.

“It’s good. Well, as good as it can be.” Jesse was always very careful about what he said about his job around his kids. They didn’t need to know that not all kids had it so good, even when they thought that being presented with new food for dinner or the concept of a bedtime was entirely unfair. “It has its ups and downs, but at the end of the day, I know I’m making at least a little, if not a big difference.” Depending on the case, of course. Issuing warnings with parents always seemed like a loss, but when he actually got to assist in the pulling of kids from terrible situations and help them through it... that was when he knew this was what he needed to do. Much as Zeb belonged at Hammel, he belonged where he was, too.

[Zebadiah Hayes]

Though Zeb didn't share the same fear, he'd been inside enough people's heads to understand the nightmare of becoming just like one's parents and continuing an abusive cycle. Still, Zeb didn't need to peek into Jesse's thoughts to know that the young man had avoided that. His children seemed happy and well adjusted. And of course Jesse had learned to deal with his own demons during his time at Hammel. Zeb hoped that he had had a hand in that, though he of course didn't dare to take all of the credit. That honor was for Jesse.

"There's always trouble makers," Zeb said, laughing. Truly it was part of the job and something that Zeb didn't really mind. True, sometimes the students could get out of hand. But as long as they weren't hurting anyone, Zeb tried to let kids be kids as much as possible.

Zeb smiled down at the small girl. She looked ready to dash off again from boredom. And while Zeb was enjoying catching up with Jesse, he didn't want to have the young man have to catch up literally with his daughter again.

"I'm sure you make a big difference in those kids lives. I know you've made a difference in mine," he added. Then looking down at Gabby he smiled. "Perhaps I should let you get on your way. Before we have to chase someone around the mall again." He laughed, hoping if the girl picked up what he meant that she wouldn't be offended.

"We can catch up another time," he suggested. "When you hands are a little free-er."

[Jesse Adams]

Despite keeping them at bay for quite a while, Jesse had gone through a period of raging nightmares during their surrogate mother’s first pregnancy with Gabby. They had made Jesse doubt his ability to overcome whatever genetics could have hard-wired his father, and therefore him, for any sort of abuse. Yet when the time had come that he had first held his infant daughter, the rush of love he’d felt had negated all of that. He couldn’t bear the thought of hurting her in any way. Even when she was being naughty, he couldn’t imagine doing anything his father had when he’d been growing up. If he had his way, both Gabrielle and Joey were going to stay safe.

“Yeah, I don’t doubt that.” He had been one of the more extreme cases, he knew that. But he’d seen kids pull the more minor trouble. Things like pranks getting out of hand. Innocent, kid stuff. Not running away or drinking or anything he’d done to make Zeb’s life hell. “I’m sorry I was one of them.” He didn’t want to go into details, not with the kids here, but he was positive that Zeb would know what he meant.

The praise made Jesse smile. It felt good to know that someone outside of his family was proud of him too. “I had a good teacher, Zeb.” And he meant it. Seeing how Zeb helped the kids at Hammel had helped him to solidify his plans upon graduation for what he wanted to do in college.

Gabby stared up at the Zeb-person and tilted her head, offering one of her most charming, innocent smiles. Of course she didn’t need to be chased. She was on best behaviour.

Yeah, right.

“They’re distractible,” Jesse offered. He was pretty sure there was a small play centre in one of the hallways. The kids were easily deposited there for a bit. After parting last time, it really was good to see Zeb in better spirits. He wasn’t so sure he wanted to let go of that so soon. “There’s a little play centre down... uh... that way, I think.” He nodded in the direction he was indicating, so as not to pull Gabby around or shift Joey. “They can play there for a bit, if you’re not in a hurry?”

[Zebadiah Hayes]

Zeb had to laugh a little at the thought of Jesse hiding his former self from his kids. It was unbelievable and yet, so wonderful. Hopefully his own kids would have better luck dealing with life and avoiding problems in their own teenage years. Still, he was sure if Jesse's kids ever ran into personal problems, their fathers would be there to help. With plenty of personal experiences to back them up.

Zeb beamed at the return compliment. He loved helping. And though he didn't do it for any reward, not even simple praises from old students, that didn't mean that he didn't enjoy hearing it. Really the true reward was seeing Jesse standing here. A young man with a smile on his face, well-adjusted and happy. That was enough for Zeb.

"Would you like that little Miss?" Zeb asked. He couldn't help but want to get on every kid's good side. He smiled to show Jesse that he was in no hurry and wouldn't mind catching up a bit more while the kids played.

[Jesse Adams]

If there was anything Jesse wanted to keep from his kids, it was the details of some of the more sordid things he’d done growing up. Yes, they would know he made some bad decisions and mistakes, but there was no way they were going to know about the details. No one needed that in their heads, especially his children. It would be one thing to tell them about drinking early, or the more innocent things, but not about things like near-terrorist groups, or gunplay. Nope nope nope.

It was true for Jesse. Zeb had been a tremendous help and good influence on him when he had needed that the most. He wouldn’t forget that easily, and if either of his kids manifested, he knew they’d be in good hands.

The question was all it took for Gabby to squeal happily and nod. Though she knew better than to take off from Dad’s hand again, it didn’t stop her from pulling him in the direction she wanted to go. “Yes yes yes yes yes YES!”

“Gabrielle,” Jesse warned softly. She turned to glance up at him, her bright green eyes almost the same shade as his own.

“Yes PLEASE DAD!”

... One day they’d get the indoor voice thing down.

“I guess we’re going this way, then.” With Gabby part dancing, part yanking, Jesse found the little play area with relative ease, and let Gabby’s hand go. After depositing Joey on the ground as well to investigate, he flopped onto a nearby bench. “I swear, every time I think I’m in decent shape, they prove me so, so wrong.”

[Zebadiah Hayes]

Zeb had to laugh as Jesse's daughter dragged him along to the play area. He was sure Jesse was a bit embarrassed at having his daughter drag him around and yelling excitedly in the middle of the mall. Still Zeb couldn't help but think it was adorable. And hilarious.

"I'm sure it's worth it," Zeb said, trying to keep the jealousy out of his voice. One day he'd have a family of his own too. One day. "I'm sure they keep you and Clement busy. And will for about...16 more years? At least." He laughed a little at the idea of Jesse with teenage children.

[Jesse Adams]

Jesse had long since gotten over most of the embarrassment that went along with kids. At least until they found a new way to horrify their father. Gabby could still get him with her requests to play princesses. Clement could say what he wanted about how good Jesse looked in a tiara, he still died a little inside when the dress up box came out. But dragging him around the mall? That wasn't so bad.

"Busy is a good way to put it, yeah." He shook his head and leaned back, glad for the moment to sit quietly while the kids did their thing. "If Gabrielle has her way, she'll never leave, I don't think. She's kind of attached. They both are." He had a hard time thinking about them any older than they currently were. "So things are... better... with you?" He wasn't so sure how else to pose the question. While Zeb had confirmed he was back at Hammel, that wasn't exactly what he meant. He needed to know Zeb was okay.

[Zebadiah Hayes]

Even after all these years, Zeb was still getting used to seeing Jesse like this. Jesse the father. Jesse with Clement. Jesse...happy.

It was wonderful.

"That's good," Zeb said, meaning both how busy the other man's kids kept him and how attached they were. He always knew Jesse wouldn't turn into his father. And he was glad that the man had proof now.

"Do you think they'll manifest?" Zeb said. Though it would be years from now, he wondered if Jesse and Clement ever talked about it. Or ever wondered what abilities their children might have. He'd never really looked into the genetics and research of it, but always enjoyed learning about powers that ran in families.

"Yes." Zeb answered, looking the other man in the eye. "Thanks to you."

[Jesse Adams]

Jesse sometimes needed to take a moment to give himself a reality check, just to ensure that his life really was... sorted. He was happy, and sometimes that was weird when he looked back. Especially at his teenage years. But Clement had been such a big help in sorting himself out. And Zeb. Zeb just being there for him had made all the difference.

"I don't know. I kind of hope so. Hammel was a good influence on me, and for Clement, too." Sending their kids to Hammel would reassure him that they were somewhere good. "My sister and I both have sleep-related powers, but I think Clement's the only one in his family. That he knows of, anyway. So it's hard to say." But as long as neither of them did something like set fire to the house, he'd be okay with just about any power.

Zeb's own response to his question made him pause. He knew he'd had a hand in helping, but... not that much. Blinking, he let that set in before he smiled at Zeb. "I'm glad I could do something. Anything, really. I was really worried that day."