Time Warp: Unscheduled

[Dr. Sean Neville]

They were in agreement that control was important. Sean had a different perspective, not merely from being a member of the Hammel faculty, but because he had been two steps from a mental institution if it hadn’t been for Father Benedict and Hammel. And because he was sure that James’s OCD was influenced by his powers, he thought it quite important to learn control. “It’s comparing apples and oranges. One aspect of your life will improve on one hand, and another on the other. But again, this isn’t under my authority.”

He couldn’t fault James for latching on to hope that his suggestion could be approved. “I think it might work. I can’t give you more of a guarantee than that, because I can’t say for certain how anyone else would react.” Sean could make fair guesses, but he couldn’t say for certain, and given how important this was to the young man, he didn’t want to introduce that margin of error. And while the psychiatrist would – in Eliza or Claude’s position – accept this bargain and let him go escorted, he also knew that he wasn’t on the same wavelength as many of the other faculty. It was part and parcel of being a telepath and a hippie.

The telepath then felt a pang of sympathy for the other man regarding his wife being afraid of his ability. His recent breakup was still on his mind, and how she had been afraid of his telepathy. Yet again. Too many of his relationships had ended for the same reason. “She shouldn’t be afraid of your ability,” the psychiatrist said, a means of showing solidarity. “It’s only enhanced perception; you don’t create explosions.” But the telepath had a sinking feeling; if Lucy couldn’t handle his ability despite having been in a relationship with him before his meta status was discovered, then there were lager problems. A conversation was a bandage, not a remedy. But it wasn’t his place to analyze someone he had never met.

[Dr. James Campbell]

'I'll ask, then. I'll ask Aristea later." It was so reasonable a request, James didn't see how they could possibly turn him down. Well, actually he did, because pretty much everyone he'd dealt with so far at Hammel had been unreasonable.

"That's what I keep trying to tell her. It's not like anything has changed. I was like this when I met her." Of course, when they'd met, they hadn't expected they would be married less then a year later. "I understand her not wanting to move, though. Her job, all her family are in New York." All of his family was there too. That had been an unhappy conversation, calling up his parents to tell them where he was. He had told them not to worry, and though he was positive they were doing that anyway, they hadn't called the police or anything.

Now that he had a name for his ability, James really couldn't say that he was just unusually perceptive when it came to other people. But that didn't mean he couldn't tell that Dr. Neville wasn't saying what was really on his mind. But if he wasn't saying it already, it was probably bad, and James really didn't want to know. "It would be easier if I just had a timeline, or a goal, even if it was four years. But they're telling me that since I'm starting late it will take longer, and they don't know how long and..." His voice died in the middle of the sentence and James shook his head. He went back to worrying the hem of his sleeve, and after a moment, he finally figured out how he'd wanted to finish that sentence. "And I don't want Ginny to grow up without me there. It's not fair."

[Dr. Sean Neville]

Nothing ventured, nothing gained. And while Sean couldn’t say how Aristea would react, at least James was putting forth the attempt. He could regroup from there. “Let me know what she says.” If it was a “no,” and then a “no” from Claude and Eliza, then perhaps Sean could try on his behalf at the next staff meeting. Not that they listened to what he had to say, but since this wasn’t about distributing condoms in the bathrooms, it would at least have novelty.

Sean sympathized, truly he did. He’d learned over the years that people put too much of an emphasis on labels, which resulted in changed perceptions simply because a new word applied, even if the description hadn’t changed. Since James was meta-human now – rather known to be – rather than just perceptive and just suffering from OCD, or OCPD since Sean hadn’t gotten the chance to diagnose him properly, it was now a big deal. Even if James was the same as he’d been and wasn’t suddenly setting things on fire. “Just keep explaining that to her, and hopefully it’ll sink in sooner or later.” He also understood why she wouldn’t want to move, since family and job concerns were important. On the other hand, so was her marriage, in theory.

James was a lesson in why it was important to find students early after their abilities manifested. Sean had also been such a lesson, although Hammel had found him within a few months of his manifestation. Because the young man had lived half his life with this ability without learning control – and because that was unprecedented since Hammel had opened – the trainers didn’t have a timeline for him. The trainers had barely had a timeline for Sean and he’d arrived when he was young; thankfully he’d managed to graduate on time. Unfortunately for James, he was a first, and the worst part of being a first was that there were rarely any concrete answers. “Hopefully they can give you an assessment at the end of the semester, and that will give you a timeline. But I’m not a trainer, and so I can’t speak to the nitty-gritty of scheduling.” Would that he could. “And no, it isn’t fair to have to miss your daughter’s childhood, but that’s why compliance is important. Working hard and cooperating can speed up your time here, and having a good conversation with your wife might help ease the pressure on the other end.”

[Dr. James Campbell]

"I know I haven't been here for very long, but a few months should be enough to see some sort of improvement, right? I mean, I can't stay here forever." Though James absolutely believed that that was what the school wanted. To keep him there for the rest of his life. And if not that, at least the next few years, which honestly bothered him more. "I know I'm being difficult, but it's not like my power is going to screw me up any more. It's been eleven years. What's wrong with a few more, at least until Ginny is in school?" But he'd more or less given up on getting out of being a student, and had transferred all of his hopes to the thought that he could go back and convince Lucy that he loved her, and that she should move up to Vermont so they could be together, and they could be a family again.

"Thank you, Dr. Neville." At least someone at this ridiculous school as willing to listen to him. And it was encouraging, to have someone on his side for this. He got up then, eager to set his plan in motion. He could put things right

A FIVE DAYS LATER...

James knocked on the open door to the psychiatrist's office, and even if the older man had not been a psychic, the look on James's face was probably more than enough to tell the story. "Dr. Neville, do you have a minute?"

Lucy wanted a divorce. It was over.

[Dr. Sean Neville]

The day of the sexual education seminar loomed ever closer, which meant that Sean had to spend more time preparing for it. He had slides to prepare, and this year he’d debated a practical demonstration. If he was lucky, Eliza would be so horrified that she would immediately assign someone else to the duty for next year. And barring that, he hoped that a practical demonstration would at least teach the children something. If nothing else, the girls should know that a condom could fit around a water bottle, and they should never believe anyone who claimed that he was too big for a condom. His desk was a mess as he prepared the materials, and he pitied anyone easily embarrassed who entered during the preparation.

His plotting was interrupted by a knock on the door, followed by James becoming that unfortunate soul who entered his office and had to deal with the blown up photographs and the slides he was preparing. The look on his face told the psychiatrist everything he needed to know, and the other man’s surface thoughts confirmed that. He frowned in sympathy. “Of course I do. Please, have a seat.” The other man would need a sympathetic ear; Sean usually did after his relationships went south. And that was without a difficult legal battle and a child.

[Dr. James Campbell]

Lucy knows. She's taking Ginny. It's all over, she knows. Ginny's going to think I left them. They won't want me back. I didn't do anything! Not with anyone, not since her.

Ginny is going to grow up without me, and she's going to hate me.

James's thoughts were disjointed at best as he stepped into Dr. Neville's office and sat down across from him. Less than a week ago, he'd been sitting in the same spot, worrying about how he could prevent a divorce and to see if he could talk his way out of a sex ed seminar he didn't need. Now, seeing a photo of genitals on the doctor's desk made him blush a dark red and look away. "I'm sorry, if you're busy, I can come back later."

But he didn't get up, because the only other person he could go to was Aristea, and he didn't want to give her the satisfaction that she was right. Also, she'd been sent out on another recruitment the minute she'd returned to Hammel. His voice caught in his throat though, and James couldn't get any more words out. Instead, there were just the thoughts, 'I'm a freak and I ruined my family.'

[Dr. Sean Neville]

“This,” Sean said, gesturing at the materials which littered his desk for the upcoming seminar, “can wait until later.” He would find the time to finish his presentation materials, even if he had to take them home with him. James, however, could not be taken home for a session and needed to be prioritized. Given the fragile mental state the young man projected, Sean wanted to take him off campus but that wasn’t within the rules.

The telepath waited, not wanting to probe. And yet the thoughts entered his mind, unbidden. The word freak had always bothered him, from the minute he’d developed his telepathy he’d felt that way and the word cut through him like a knife. He was better with it now, but still he found it beneath anyone who used it on himself. He shook his head, denying the sentiment the other man expressed. “You’re not a freak.” It was important for James to understand that concept.

“And you didn’t ruin your family.” Such assurances might ring hollow given that the telepath had no family of his own in the sense of having a spouse or children. But whatever James had done – and given the other thoughts, he had a fair idea – it wasn’t the ruin of his family. “You’ll still be able to see Ginny.”

[Dr. James Campbell]

James flinched, because he hadn't said "freak" aloud. He'd known the older man was a telepath, but hearing the comment to something he hadn't said still made him uncomfortable. His thoughts were private, even if the youngest weakest of psychics could hear any thought he said. It wasn't his fault he had no mental shields.

"I won't, though. Lucy hates me, and she's scared of metas. She wouldn't even let me be alone in the same room with Ginny when I was there." He shook his head and leaned forward, bracing his head on his hands and his elbows on his knees. "She wants full custody, and if I get any visits, they'll be supervised, at least until I'm out of Hammel. And I can't leave the campus to get a job, so now I'm going to be a fucking deadbeat."

James winced as he leaned onto his palms, the red, raw skin there betraying one of his more destructive tics, excessive hand-washing. Around his wedding band, the irritated skin seemed to burn, as if reminding him that his marriage was over. The fact that it had been ending pretty much since day one wasn't lost on him, but he'd hoped that they could at least be happy together.

[Dr. Sean Neville]

There were times when the telepath simply couldn’t help overhearing thoughts and couldn’t help commenting. He might be in his thirties, but he was also still relatively new to Hammel; it had only been a few years. There were times when commenting was necessary; this was one of those times.

“Her hatred is irrational.” The point had to be made. Hatred as an intense emotion, and James was undeserving of that. And while Sean had personal experience with metaphobic relatives, he didn’t want the young man to believe that this was his fault. “And the court would see that. Just because she’s seeking full custody doesn’t mean that she’ll get it.” Sean had distinct memories of Josh studying family law when they lived together and he remembered that part. Of course, that was New York law, but then again, Lucy lived in New York.

Unfortuantely he couldn’t give actual legal advice, since that was a crime and he wasn’t qualified. “We have attorneys here; you should make an appointment. They’ll be able to help you.” They might even be able to represent him during the divorce.

It was small comfort, because nothing that Sean said would remedy the situation; everything was assurances and damage control. “You might be able to get a job.”

[Dr. James Campbell]

"She doesn't hate me because I'm a meta." He didn't love Lucy, but she wasn't prejudiced. She was scared. "She hates me because she thinks I've cheated on her. Or that's what she says...but I haven't. There hasn't been anyone else."

James didn't even know where to start when it came to the divorce. He didn't want to speak to an attorney, because he didn't want it to happen. He didn't love Lucy, but things had been better after Ginny was born, and they could have made it work. And even though he was finally understanding why he was so different, he would rather be ignorant of it and be back at home.

"I don't want to work here." James frowned into his hands, then finally looked up at Dr. Neville. "I majored in Economics, and I'm no teacher. I can't work here, and I can't leave without an escort, and even that involved begging." Five days ago, he had been desperate, now he was just beaten. With a pained smile, James added, "At least I'm not going to run away anymore." I have nowhere to go.

[Dr. Sean Neville]

“Her hatred remains unfounded, if that’s the reason.” Sean did not hesitate there; he had no doubts that James had been faithful to his wife, and thus if she believed that he had cheated, then her hatred remained irrational. Jealousy was often a false excuse, even subconsciously, a way of severing ties while allowing the person to remain psychologically blameless, even when she wanted the out.

He remembered a conversation with Josh about divorce laws in New York, complaining about their draconian system. “And she’ll have to prove you cheated in order to get divorced. Again, you should talk to an attorney but I think you need to be away for six months or a year for her to claim abandonment, which you haven’t been, or she needs to prove adultery, which you haven’t done. I don’t think the situation is as hopeless as it appears. Although I’m sure that’s cold comfort.”

Although the psychiatrist did not say so, Hammel would agree that James couldn’t teach here. James was a student, and it would be a horrible breach of boundaries for him to also teach a subject. Furthermore, Economics wasn’t an area where they actively needed faculty, as of their last staff meeting. “I wasn’t suggesting that you work here,” the telepath informed him. “I know you needed an escort when you last left, but as you said, you won’t run anymore. And I’m willing to go to bat for you.”

[Event !]

Thank you for your participation, the Time Warp has now ended.