Content Warning
This chapter contains discussion of a legal case involving an exploitative sexual relationship between an adult and a minor.
That night, Gabriel had a new experience. He dreamed a scent. He dreamed he was in a green field that had no borders. He dreamed of the thunder of an approaching storm and he could smell the storm as it came and it was the scent of Alex Anderson. Unafraid of the storm, he dreamed that he was suddenly inside a little pavilion where he could shelter and he dreamed that the rain began to fall in heavy curtains all around him, and he was warm and safe and hidden from the world inside it.
When he woke up, he was glad that he’d gone straight to bed instead of studying. After a little extra sleep, he felt very human again. He felt slightly superhuman, in fact. He sang in the shower and spent a little extra time picking out his OOTD– a cool new shimmery tank top that looked fantastic under his favorite fitted jacket. He was having a good curl day, which was not the kind of thing to be taken for granted in Southern humidity, so he pulled a section back on either side to keep his hair out of his face and twisted them together into a mini man-bun and let the rest stay loose. A little lip balm and he was ready to roll.
The wind was at his back and the morning air was cool as he biked, and he got to the office slightly early, feeling energized. His first order of business was to get that contact information sent over to Alex.
Gabriel pulled up the previous night’s miniature conversation and re-read it. He felt that annoying breathless feeling again. And then he rolled his eyes at himself. Alex Anderson was kind to him because Alex was fundamentally kind. It was that simple. There was no special meaning in it. Alex saw him as a colleague, maybe as a potential friend– he’d seen Gabriel at his lowest, so he perhaps felt some pity towards him. That was all. There was no need to either hope or worry.
Besides, what would he hope for, exactly? He really was done with romance. In four years he hadn’t had a single heart flutter or flirtation to deal with. It had been extremely peaceful and free of disappointments and drama and risk. And peaceful was good. So was productive, and no one could say the last four years hadn’t been the most productive of his life. He had a streak of successes going, and he wasn’t going to ruin it by mistaking friendliness for interest just because Alex’s face game was abnormally strong.
So he made sure his text didn’t convey any weirdness on his side.
<Gabriel> 8:17 am Good morning! Dad’s name is Martin Jeffries. Number is XXX-XXX-XXXX.
<Alex> 8:18 am Okay, I should get a chance to try him later this morning.
<Alex> 10:12 am No dice on first try. Left a voicemail.
<Gabriel> 10:24 am Thanks for trying :(
<Alex> 10:25 am No problem. I’ll try again later.
<Gabriel> 10:40 am *thumbs up emoji*
<Gabriel> 11:14 am Got a reply from Jaiden. He said he could get a ride to the office after school. Maybe I’ll make progress *fingers crossed emoji*
<Alex> 11:14 am Let me know if you need help talking to him.
<Gabriel> 11:19 am Thanks, will do.
<Alex> 2:49 pm Tried dad again, left another voicemail. When is Jaiden coming in?
<Gabriel> 3:03 pm Thanks for trying again. He said he’d get here around 4.
<Alex> 3:04 pm Okay, keep me posted. How’s your day been? Did you get some sleep?
<Gabriel> 3:05 pm Busy & we’re all bracing for Daniels interview on Fox tonight *barfing face emoji*. I slept _hard_ I was out by 11:15! Should do that more often.
<Alex>3:06 pm You should. Sleep is where you’re a viking.
<Gabriel> 3:07 pm Ok, Ralph Wiggum.
<Alex> 3:07 pm I can’t believe you got that reference.
<Gabriel> 3:07 pm Well, I’m part unitard, so I have eerie powers.
<Alex> 3:07 pm Ha! 🤣 Nice.
Jaiden arrived a little after four. He looked exhausted and thin and he was wearing the same clothes he’d worn the first time they’d met. Gabriel offered him a quick side hug and he accepted, sniffling a little. Gabriel wanted to wrap him in bubble wrap and build a barbed wire fence around him and make all of his problems disappear forever. They talked for a long time, and Gabriel could tell that he was wavering about the claim.
Jaiden nervously fiddled with a paperclip as they talked, unfolding it, bending it, walking it across the desk. “I haven’t seen my boyfriend since everything happened. His cousin said he left town, and she called me pathetic when I tried to find out where he was. I don’t get it. He said he loved me. He said we were going to get married when I graduated next year. I love him, I mean, I think I do. I let him do this to me, and it’s messing with my head. I’m so stupid. I don’t know what I’m supposed to do?” Jaiden rested his forehead on the table in Gabriel's office and sobbed and Gabriel patted his back gently, reaching for the box of tissues.
“Jaiden, I know this is very hard. This guy has let you down in so many ways. But it can get better. A lot better. There are a lot of resources available to us, and I'm going to help you use them. So, I didn’t ask you this before, but is there any chance you might be pregnant?” Gabriel kept his tone carefully neutral.
Jaiden looked up at him, teary, and shook his head. “No, I took two tests. It’s the one thing that’s gone right. I can’t have a baby right now. I don't even have a home anymore.”
Gabriel nodded, trying to hide how relieved he felt. “Okay, that’s good. That simplifies a lot of things. It means that you could start claim reversal right away if you wanted to. You know it’s something I went through, too. I was force-claimed about four years ago by an Alpha I was seeing, but I had claim-reversal treatment and it worked perfectly. It was hard, but I got through it. I know you will, too, if that's what you decide to do.”
Jaiden shrugged and shook his head, pulling a grungy sleeve across his eyes. “I don’t know. What if he comes back to me and he’s angry I undid it? And I’m scared of needles and doctors… I don’t know.”
The situation was so incredibly delicate. Gabriel didn't want to push Jaiden into doing something he didn't want to do, but he was fairly confident that this Alpha had done nothing to earn any loyalty from Jaiden, and never would. He figured the direct approach was best. “Jaiden, even if you had claim-reversal, if he ever came back and you were older and decided the timing was better and he’d proved himself for a few years, you could still choose a claim bond then. But I’m going to be honest with you, I don’t think he deserves that from you. I know he doesn’t deserve to have a claim on you right now. The doctors and nurses that work with the clinic are amazing. They’ve helped so many Omegas like us. They can explain all your options to you and tell you how the treatment works, and I can go with you to your first appointment if you want me to. It would just be a talking appointment. No needles.”
“I’m just scared," said Jaiden, closing his eyes and leaning back in his chair, letting his head fall backwards so he was addressing the ceiling. "I don't know how to decide all this by myself. I'm sixteen, I'm not supposed to know how to do these things. I wish I'd never... I wish my dad was here, but he won't even talk to me."
Gabriel gave his hand an encouraging squeeze. He wished this father could see how lost his Omega child was, get the hell off of his high horse, and help. He couldn't imagine abandoning a child at a time like this. “I know. And you're right. These are hard things to deal with and make decisions about at any age. Would it help if you could meet one of the doctors unofficially? Outside of the clinic? I think I could get one of them to stop by and say hi, maybe even today.”
“Yeah, maybe. That’d be okay, I guess,” said Jaiden to the ceiling with a heavy sigh, swiveling his office chair from side to side.
Gabriel hoped Alex could get here before Jaiden bolted. He needed to stall for time. And Jaiden looked like he hadn't eaten in days. “Alright, let me step out and make a call, but while I'm out there can I get you anything? A drink? A snack?”
Jaiden sat up and looked at him with interest. “Could you… do you have a coke? Maybe something to eat? I didn’t have money for lunch. I’m sorry.”
Gabriel smiled at him. “Don’t apologize! Absolutely, I have both. I’ll be right back.”
Gabriel grabbed his phone and headed for the break room. They were so close. He thought Alex could maybe tip the scales. He checked the time– a little after five– and tapped his phone number and prayed he was available. He answered on the second ring.
“Gabriel, hi. How did it go with Jaiden?” the goosebumps Gabriel got from hearing his voice were probably just caused by how keyed up Gabriel was about Jaiden.
Gabriel breathed a sigh of relief. “Oh, thank God you answered. He’s still here. He’s really close to agreeing to come into the clinic, but he’s majorly afraid of doctors. Is there any chance that you could, and tell me if I’m overstepping here, but is there any chance you could meet with him over here just to introduce yourself and let him ask you a few questions? Like, in street clothes? It doesn’t have to be today.”
Alex was not bothered by the short notice. “I’ll be there in fifteen minutes.”
Gabriel was lightheaded with relief. He wasn't sure how often he'd be able to get in touch with Jaiden, and every day that passed, more shitbird DNA spread through Jaiden's system, complicating his treatment. Still, it was a big favor to ask of a busy physician. “Are you sure? If you have plans or something…”
“It’s no problem. I’ll see you in fifteen.” Alex didn't sound like he was mad at all.
Whether he'd been rude to ask Alex to do this or not, Gabriel couldn't afford to pretend he wasn't incredibly glad Alex was coming. “You have no idea how much of a relief that is. You’re a lifesaver.”
“Pssh. Let’s just hope I can help. Ok, I’m gonna run and change and I’ll head your way.”
Gabriel opened the break room fridge, searching for food for Jaiden. “Okay, thanks so much. See you in a bit.” He ended the call and stuck his phone in his pocket.
In the fridge, he found the remnants of the cake from the night before. He cut Jaiden a massive slice of unicorn-tears cake and grabbed a cold can of coke. He brought it to Jaiden and watched as he wolfed it down, clearly starving. They had to get this shelter thing figured out quick.
“This cake is freaking amazing," said Jaiden around a mouthful of chocolate mousse.
“I know, right? If you're still hungry after that, I'll get you another slice. So, my friend Alex, who is one of the clinic doctors, is going to come over here in just a little bit to meet you. He’s not going to pressure you or anything, I just want you to see that he’s not a big, scary ogre. I was a basket case when I went to him, and he was the first person who got me to laugh. You can ask him anything you want to about claim reversal, anything at all. He’s super nice. Plus, his mom made that cake, so you know he’s legit.”
Jaiden smiled a little nervously, but he didn't look ready to run. “Ok.”
Gabriel walked over to his desk and fished out a handful of gift cards from a drawer. “And Jaiden, I want you to take these. We get card donations for our clients in case they need them.” Gabriel handed him three gift cards for local fast food restaurants that would keep him fed for a week or two if needed. “And take this too, I don’t want you to have to worry about finding rides.” He handed him a pre-loaded CharmCard that would give him access to the public transportation system. “Let me know if it runs out, okay?”
“Thank you so much! Why are you being so nice to me? Oh my god,” said Jaiden, wide-eyed.
Gabriel brushed away his thanks with a hand. Was this a faint echo of what it felt to be a real fairy godmother like Victoria? “Anytime, honey. I'm being nice because I've been there. And I could be there again. And we’re all on your side, Jaiden."
Comments (10)
See all