Defining Factors

Wibbly Wobbly Timey Whimey Stuff

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Welcome back y'all! It's been a long ass time but rest assured! This fic has not been abandoned...entirely. More like a case of What the Hell Am I Supposed to Do Now? But! Here we are!

Y'all should probably remind me what the ships are because I've totally forgotten.

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Warnings:

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Patience is not one of Hamilton's strong suits. The longer he sat around the apartment, waiting for news of Thomas, the faster he felt like he was going insane. Mulligan had put up some fliers and posts for people to see, even going as far as contacting the police, but Alex knew it wouldn't do any good. So, while Mulligan sits in the floor, piecing together his pattern for his latest sewing project, Alex drums his fingers against the keys of his laptop, trying to focus on his current essay. It's the only thing keeping his mind from spinning down a dark pit. But even as he types, his thoughts nag at him.

Thomas was obviously taken by James. It's the only way out of the compound without being seen. The problem is Alex can't decide if that's what Thomas wanted, or if it really was foul play. His instants scream foul play. Despite his regret and his apologies, he just can't come to trust the creepy little guy. Or maybe it's him refusing to believe Thomas would leave Alex for James.

Nonsense. Really.

He uploaded his essay and turned it into his professor, officially catching him back up on his workload for the semester. He closed his laptop with a yawn. Mulligan had set down his project hours ago and was snoring on the couch, pieces of stray thread clinging to his clothes. Alex smiled a little. Maybe it was a good thing to step away for a bit?

Yeah. Right. Sure.

Alex stood and stretched, his spine popping in rapid succession. Food next. He looked over to Mulligan again. Wondering if he should grab something for him too, but stopped. He was gone. The tv was still playing the time travel murder mystery show and Mulligan had vanished.

Then, to top it all off, Alex's phone went off. He flipped it open the moment he saw the caller ID. "John, what is it?"

"Get back here. James is in custody."

***

"There's no way you caught him," John says as the three of them walk briskly down the hall. "We've been trying for years! He knows too much about how we work."

Angelica shrugged. "The trick is not letting him sense you coming. He can't teleport away if you grab him. He'd just take you with him," she says.

"So, you just walked up and hugged him?" John asked.

"Basically," Angelica said. "Then snapped on those new power-dampening cuffs the science department whipped up.

John frowns. "Convenient."

They could hear the shouting before they even opened the doors. Francis was trying to pull out of Lafayette's grasp to get to James, who was being dragged through a door.

"Stop!" Francis screamed. "You're scaring him!" Tears were leaking from his eyes in anger, but Lafayette was holding him firm. Fredericks was standing stoically, watching as the door shut behind James.

"You must understand, Francis," Fredericks said calmly, trying to sooth him. "We would never be able to trust him. It's better this way."

"You don't understand!" Francis yelled, his voice hoarse and scratchy. "He doesn't recognize any of us! He doesn't know who any of us are!"

"What do you mean by that? How can you tell?" Fredericks asks.

"I-" Francis cuts short.

"He can read minds," John says, coming to a stop. "What's going on?"

Fredericks looks at Francis for a long moment. "What are you saying then? Is that not James?"

Francis was struggling less. "No, it sounds like him. But it's... It's not the James we know?"

"What does that even mean?" Lafayette asks, trying to be as gentle as possible with Francis.

"Didn't any of you even see his hands?" Francis asked. "He wasn't wearing gloves."

"And?"

"And his hands were completely normal," Francis said. "Not even a hint of skeleton. That's not the same James."

John could only imagine the implications. Two of the same person? What Francis must be hearing? If he's right, John shuddered to think of the begging and the terror Francis must be hearing from this supposedly innocent not-james.

"Impossible," Angelica murmurs. "There's never been such an occurrence."

Fredericks looks deep in thought. "Until we know more, he has to be collared and kept under surveillance."

"Collared?" Francis asks.

Andre looks grim from his place in the room. "It's like the cuffs but stronger."

Francis looked like he was ready to throw hands. "That's inhumane. He hasn't done anything."

"He could be deceiving you," Fredericks says gently. "We have to be careful."

Francis jerks his arms from Lafayette's grip. "You're making a mistake." Then storms from the room.

***

Thomas was watching James sleep. They had been sitting in the living room, reading when James had set his down and curled up on the couch tiredly. Mulligan wasn't back yet, leaving just the two of them, a ghostly cat, and a gross dead dog. When sleeping, James curled up in a small ball, as if he expected to be attacked while defenseless. It made Thomas's heart ache, wondering what James had gone through in the time they had been separated.

Bella, the dog, was growing on him, a little. Not much. He still wouldn't touch her, but he didn't mind her presence so much.

The peace was disturbed when Mulligan burst through the door, startling everyone awake. "James," he said, just a bit out of breath. "We've hit a snag."

James was already on his feet, his hands forming words. What is it?

"We messed with too much. The timeline moved up."

James visibly paled.

"What are you talking about?" Thomas asked. "What the hell is going on?"

Mulligan looked to Thomas. "It's complicated and now's not the time-" James cut mulligan a look and Mulligan sighed. "Alright, listen. James and I, we're not from this moment in time. We travelled back. Right now, there's a younger version of both of us that are in for a whole world of hurt."

Thomas blinked. "What?"

James pulled his device from his pocket and connected it around his throat. A speaker on a nearby table glowed to life and James' voice came through. "I haven't been forthcoming with you. Not really. Right now, in your Society, I've been captured for the first time. I doubt they'll be any kinder than I remember."

"What the hell does that mean?" Thomas demanded.

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