Frederick had never thought that he would benefit from speaking to a therapist or psychologist. He was functional, and adjusted, and in control of himself and his own feelings. He didn't need the additional help that Fred did. When he started talking to Dr. Alejo though, he had quickly started to appreciate these conversations.
It was nice to have another adult around who appreciated what Fred was like, and that his confusion and struggles, and need for additional help didn't make him helpless, or whiny, or anything like that. Dr. Alejo was also able to talk Frederick through his struggles with the Freak. She didn't understand the curse at all, but she listened to him talk about it without being condescending about it, and at this point she could tell when the Freak was influencing him.
She'd yet to truly meet the Freak, as Frederick was trying very hard to hold it back. There was still a lot that he needed to do, but he felt far more controlled than before. He heard the Freak's voice, but he didn't lose control. Not since the cliff. He and the Freak were aligned. They both just wanted to protect Fred. As long as the boy was happy, he was content.
Frederick still considered Dr. Alejo Fred's psychologist. The boy was her priority. Frederick would talk to her first, so that he could tell her what help the boy might need that day, and then he would sit back and wait for his son to have as much time as he needed with her. When the boy was done, then and only then would Frederick truly talk to her about himself.
He had had another nightmare last night. He'd seen the Freak that he had been haunted by all those years ago, but he'd also seen hallways, and so much red. It felt important, but his memory of the dream had gaps in it. He wanted to know if Dr. Alejo had some strategies to help him remember his dreams more, or understand what they meant, at least.
He had just started talking about his dream when he heard the doorbell ring. He tried to ignore the interruption, because he knew that it was probably just Fred's friends, and the boy didn't need him to hold his hand every step of the way.
Still, he kept his ears open for any sign of distress. Not even a minute later he heard the door slam, followed by knocking. He turned and looked towards the door. The Freak was screaming inside of him. Something was wrong.
"Frederick." Dr. Alejo's quiet, careful voice said, very nearly breaking through the Freak's possessive fury. "I need you to take a deep breath for me."
He started to comply, doing his best to push the freak down, but then he heard Fred's voice.
"Dad?" Fred's voice called out. His voice was scared, and he sounded so young. Frederick was on his feet before the plea was even done. The Freak was roaring inside of him. He began to move towards the door when he heard Fred again, sounding even more upset than before. "Dad?!"
Frederick growled as he sped up, throwing the door open. He ran out into the hall just as Fred came stumbling right into him. The boy ran right into him, burying his face in his chest. Frederick held him tight, protectively, glaring down the hall at wherever the threat had come from.
He wanted to ask what was wrong, but the Freak was just barely beneath the surface. If he spoke now, it would come right out. He didn't want to scare his boy more.
"Fred? Frederick?" Dr. Alejo's voice said behind them. Frederick glared back at her, but she wasn't phased. "What's wrong?"
Fred shook his head and whimpered. He didn't say a word. He just shook and leaned into his dad. He was shutting down, and he was shutting down bad.
Dr. Alejo took a deep breath. "Why don't we all just sit and calm down for a few minutes? There's no hurry. No rush." She nodded at Frederick and stepped back into the sitting room they had left. He rubbed his son's arm and led him back. When Fred got like this, he needed somebody else to take control.
Dr. Alejo had described it as Fred's mind being too overwhelmed, a little like a computer that was given too much information at once, and he just needed time to calm down and let the stress ease out of him. Frederick was willing to give him that time, but not everybody was.
The doorbell rang again, followed by knocking, and then Frederick heard the door open. He seethed, furious just at the thought that someone was coming into his home. Not only were they not invited, but they definitely weren't welcome. How dare they come in here?
Frederick wanted to run to the front door and physically and literally kick the intruder out. He didn't care if it was Fred's friends, they couldn't be here. The only thing keeping him here was that Fred whined, sounding absolutely broken. He started to lean forward, closing in on himself as though cowering, and Frederick knew it wouldn't be long before he was curled up on the ground and completely unresponsive.
"Really, Sport, there's no reason to be dramatic." An unfamiliar voice said. Fred stiffened and he seemed to stop breathing completely. His legs gave out beneath him and Fred crumpled to the ground. People who weren't used to this might think that he had collapsed and was hurt. Frederick knew that he was just trying to run as much as he was able to right now.
Fred shook his head over and over again and buried his head in his legs. He was trying to make himself as small as possible. He was just getting worse, because he wasn't being given the chance to calm down.
Dr. Alejo knelt in front of Fred. She was much better at gently calming him than Frederick was. He was more of a fierce protector. He turned and glared at the intruder, only to freeze at the sight.
The man didn't look familiar, but the Freak was absolutely screaming now. It was roaring familiarity, and possessiveness, and raw fury.
"Chiles." Frederick growled.
"Jones." Brad greeted him as though they were old coworkers, or school mates who were barely acquaintances.
Frederick let out a roar and lunged forward. The Freak was going insane right now, and he wasn't too eager to hold it back. He would have torn Brad to pieces, but Fred cried out in a panic and shot to his feet. He wrapped around Frederick, as though he was trying to hold him back, but mostly it just felt like a desperate hug.
"D-d-don't." Fred whined. "P-pl…ngh."
The Freak didn't want to let it go. He didn't want to leave Brad breathing, but hearing Fred's distress was enough to bring Frederick back into control. He wasn't a monster right now, he was a father.
"Speak up, boy." Brad said. His tone was condescending and made Frederick seethe. He hated hearing people talk to his son like this, and hearing it from Brad was a thousand times worse.
"Nobody likes a stutterer." Judy came up behind Brad. He put an arm around her. They looked the picture of a happy, perfect couple, and they looked like they wanted the happy perfect child to complete the lovely family picture. She looked at her husband. "Isn't that right, Brad?"
"That's right, Judy." Brad nodded.
"I like him." Frederick snapped. "And don't you dare talk to my son that way."
"He's our son." Brad said. He was smiling, but his eyes showed his fury.
"He is mine." Frederick snarled.
"Frederick." Dr. Alejo put a hand on his shoulder. "This is not what Fred needs right now." His son whined, unintentionally confirming her words. Frederick huffed and forced himself to turn away from Brad and Judy and turned his attention to Fred instead. Dr. Alejo nodded in approval and looked at Brad and Judy, a kind but stern look in her eyes. She was going to be polite, but she wasn't going to take any nonsense from them.
"I presume you are Brad and Judy Chiles?" Dr. Alejo asked.
"We're Fred's parents." Brad said.
"That's up to Fred." Dr. Alejo said. "We can all discuss it later, but right now I have to ask for you to leave." Brad and Judy opened their mouths to protest, but she didn't give them the chance. "No, Fred is upset and overwhelmed enough as it is. He's going through a lot, and he needs time to process. I understand that you want to have the chance to get to know him, but it has to be at his time. I have to insist that you respect that."
"And I insist that you leave my home." Frederick said. "I don't want you here, and neither does Fred."
"If he knew who we were-" Judy began.
"He knows who you are." Frederick said. Even though it killed him, he continued. "When he's ready to talk to you, he will. Until then, I don't want you anywhere near him. Now get out." He didn't give them the chance to argue. He took Fred's hand and pulled him into the study, locking the door behind them. He could hear Dr. Alejo speaking more with Brad and Judy, but he didn't pay attention to them. His attention was on Fred.
Frederick lowered his son to the ground and knelt in front of him. He really didn't know what to do. Fred was upset, and far too overwhelmed. He needed to do something. Even if he wasn't enough, he knew somebody who probably could be.
"Can I call Daphne?" Frederick asked. Fred nodded desperately. It was enough. Frederick got out his phone and dialed the number that was far too familiar to him. He had never thought that he would know a teenage girl's number by heart, but he had never thought his life would become this.
The phone was answered almost immediately. There was no 'hello' exchanged between them. Daphne got right down to business, like she always did when Fred was involved.
"Is Fred okay?" Daphne asked.
"How soon can you be here?" Frederick asked. He heard Daphne's breath hitch.
"What happened?" Daphne asked. Quieter, muffled, he heard Daphne tell someone, probably Shaggy to drop her off at the house. At least she worked quickly.
Frederick had to push down his fury. He couldn't let the Freak out. Not when Fred was so vulnerable. "Brad and Judy showed up out of the blue."
"His parents?" Daphne asked, sounding surprised. "And Fred…he doesn't want to see them?"
"It was unexpected." Frederick said. Daphne knew as well as he did that Fred didn't handle changes like this well. He needed warning, and time. "They've already tried to get him to change."
He heard Daphne hiss in a wince. "I'm on my way now." She was quiet for a moment. "Are you okay? You sound a little…"
"Freakish?" Frederick asked. "You have no idea how hard it is to hold it back."
"Where are Brad and Judy?" Daphne asked.
"In the other room." Frederick said. "Hopefully Dr. Alejo is going to get them out of here, but right now I'm with Fred."
"Stay with him." Daphne said sternly. Her voice was hard to argue with. "Don't go anywhere near Brad and Judy."
"As long as they don't come near Fred." Frederick said. "I'm going to keep him safe."
"At least we can agree on that." Daphne said. "Can you put Fred on?"
"Is speaker okay?" Frederick asked. He was still on edge and having a hard time fighting the Freak's instincts. He had hated the way Brad and Judy had spoken to and upset Fred, and even though he knew that Daphne wouldn't do anything like that, he couldn't relax. He hoped that if he could just hear for himself that Fred was okay, then he could calm down and finally put the Freak away.
Daphne sighed, obviously not too happy, but she agreed with only a touch of reluctance. "Yeah, we can do that." She didn't understand the Freak, and how much Frederick was trying to fight it, but she still tried to meet him in the middle.
Frederick pushed the button and put the phone on the floor between them. "Okay, you're on speaker."
"Hey, Freddie." Daphne said.
"H-h…hi." Fred stammered. His face was red, and Frederick knew that it was both from frustration about struggling to get the words out, and just general distress.
Daphne knew that he wouldn't be able to talk right now, so she took over. She just talked about whatever came to her mind. She rambled a fair amount, and about things that Fred normally wouldn't care about, but just hearing the sound of her voice encouraged Fred to relax, and eventually his breathing began to even out.
It was about fifteen minutes before Daphne arrived. By the time she let herself into the room Fred was still sitting on the floor, but he wasn't curling in on himself. He was looking at the phone, and responding a bit to Daphne, though his voice was still strained and his words were limited. It was better than nothing. Definitely an improvement.
Daphne stayed on the phone even when she got to the house. She only hung up when she came into the room itself. "Hey, Fred."
"Hey." Fred said. "S-sorry."
"Don't apologize." She knelt in front of him and laid her hands on her lap, inviting Fred to take her hands, but not pressuring him to do anything. "You haven't done anything wrong."
Seeing Daphne and Fred together, looking intimate and comfortable, Frederick felt better about leaving his son in her care, just for a few minutes. He'd been holding back the Freak for too long. It demanded to be satisfied, and he wouldn't be able to relax until it saw that Fred was truly safe. Unless he saw that Brad and Judy were out of his house, the Freak was going to be just below the surface.
"I need to step out." Frederick said to his son. If Fred protested or looked scared, he would stay. His son nodded at him, and Frederick left. He took a deep breath and went to the front room, feeling annoyed and furious when he saw Brad and Judy sitting on the couch like they owned the place.
"What did I say?" Frederick asked stiffly. The Freak wasn't coming out quite yet. Being with Fred had calmed him. But it wouldn't take a lot to fall apart again.
"They're stubborn." Dr. Alejo said. She was standing in the corner, looking just as unhappy about their presence as Frederick was.
"If Fred wants us to leave, he can tell us himself." Judy said. She looked at her husband. "Right, Brad?"
"Right, Judy." Brad said. "We're not going to just take the word of a kidnapper and a hippie claiming to be a doctor."
Dr. Alejo pursed her lips. "As I told you multiple times, I'm not a hippie, I'm Fred's psychologist."
"Which is a fake profession." Brad said confidently. "Invented by the liberals to prey on vulnerable youth."
Dr. Alejo seethed, and Frederick was just exhausted. How could this man be related to the kind boy in the other room?
"Whether you approve of me or not, I'm not going anywhere." Dr. Alejo said sternly. "I've explained Fred's situation to you. He's hurt, and confused, and in a very vulnerable place right now. If these feelings aren't addressed, they can get out of control and become dangerous. You don't need you to agree with me, but if you aren't willing to cooperate, I'll be making the executive decision, and you'll need to leave."
Frederick nodded, pleased with Dr. Alejo's strength. Not a lot of people could stand up to Brad, and even less people would bother to fight for Fred's sake. She was really good for his son.
Brad and Judy wouldn't go down without a fight, but Frederick knew how to get to them. "She is a court ordered psychologist. She reports to a judge. If she thinks you're harmful for Fred's recovery, there will be a restraining order, and then you won't be able to get anywhere near Fred."
He didn't want them to even look at his son, but he knew that this was Fred's decision. Unless they were a threat to the boy, Fred had control. He needed it.
Brad and Judy looked at each other. She raised an eyebrow. He furrowed his brow. Finally he nodded, relenting.
"Whatever we need to do, we will." Brad said.
"I'm glad we're on the same page." Dr. Alejo said. "Now, I'll need you to leave. Fred needs space, and this surprise visit has not been good for him.
"Can't we see him again?" Judy asked.
"Not today." Dr. Alejo said. "We'll let you know when Fred is ready."
"We'll be anxiously waiting." Judy said far too cheerfully for somebody who had just had their request denied. She stood up, and Brad followed her lead. "I left my jacket over there." Judy gestured to a chair near Dr. Alejo. "Can you get it for me?"
Frederick frowned and grabbed Dr. Alejo's arm to keep her from approaching the jacket. "Wait a second." He cautiously approached the chair and bent down to examine it carefully. Fred had traps all over the room, and one of them was with this very chair. They had deactivated all of the traps, but he didn't trust Brad and Judy.
Frederick looked carefully before he spotted the smallest thing. He wouldn't have even noticed it if he hadn't searched. Smirking, Frederick went to the other side of the room and grabbed a book. He tossed it at the jacket, pushing it off the chair. There was a snapping sound and then one of Fred's cages fell near the chair.
"I don't know what you thought you were doing, but you're going to have to try harder than that." Frederick picked up the jacket and tossed it to Judy. She caught it, her face a complete mask. "Now get out."
"Gladly." Judy smiled in a way that seemed almost predatory. "We'll see you soon."
"We're looking forward to it." Brad said. Frederick could tell that he was sincere, which just made him worried about what they had planned. He wasn't really scared of them. He could take them on any day of the week, especially now that he had some knowledge of traps thanks to Fred's obsession with them.
No, he was nervous for Fred's sake. The last thing that boy needed right now was to be caught in the middle of a fight that may or may not be about him. Frederick wasn't going to back down and let Brad and Judy just force their way into Fred's life, but he was not looking forward to the conflict that Fred would be feeling.
Finally, Brad and Judy left, and the Freak slinked back again. Frederick could breath easy. Dr. Alejo on the other hand suddenly looked incredibly stressed herself. "I thought that Fred meeting his biological parents would be good for him, but now…I'm not sure it's a good idea. They're passionate, and opinionated, which is not necessarily a bad thing, but for Fred right now-" She took in a slow breath to calm herself. "I'm sorry. I'm used to people not respecting my profession. I can handle it. I can't stand for people disrespecting my patients though. Especially not when it's their children."
"Don't apologize." Frederick said. "As you can tell, I don't like them either."
"Yes, I could tell." Dr. Alejo gave him a concerned look. "I've heard about the so-called Freak, and you've talked about your struggle with it, but I've never seen, and it's not what I imagined. It was…frankly, it was frightening."
Frederick felt his stomach twist, even while the Freak reared its head in pride. "I wouldn't have hurt you."
"I wasn't afraid for myself." Dr. Alejo said, and he could hear the honesty in her tone. He gave her a curious look. "I was worried for your sake. You're normally so controlled and restrained, even when I know you're fighting with yourself, but earlier I thought you were going to kill Brad where he stood."
"If it wasn't for Fred, I very well might have." Frederick admitted.
"This really is the kind of thing I should report to the judge." Dr. Alejo said. "There's not supposed to be any sign of violence."
"I was caught off guard." Frederick said stiffly. "I'm capable of controlling myself. You know I am."
"I do." Dr. Alejo said. "Considering the situation, I can let it go, but this is something we need to talk about. I need to be sure that you have control, not just for Fred's sake, but for your own."
Frederick blinked. "I'm fine."
"We've talked about this." Dr. Alejo said. "You are far from fine, and there's nothing wrong with admitting that." She gave him a careful look. "You didn't show self-destructive tendencies today, but I'm afraid that you might should you see more of Brad and Judy, and if it's what Fred wants, then you will."
Fred had a hard time understanding her concern. She was supposed to be here for Fred. Why should she care what happened to Frederick as long as it didn't hurt or threaten his son?
Dr. Alejo gave him a sad look. "Frederick, I'm not just here for Fred. I'm trying to help both of you. I need you to allow yourself to get help. Just because you've done wrong things in the past does not mean that you deserve to be hurt by the Freak. Whether it's a curse, or your personal demons, or whatever this is, you deserve to be free from the Freak's hold."
He liked the thought of letting go of the Freak, but now that Brad and Judy were in the picture he felt like he couldn't afford to do that. "The Freak is the part of me that is actually capable of protecting my son."
"But what if the Freak is what Fred needs protection from?" Dr. Alejo asked carefully. At that moment Frederick felt like he was back on the cliffs, too late resisting the Freak to save his son. Frederick's stomach plummeted and he felt like he was going to be sick. Despite himself, he felt his eyes grow wet.
He wasn't the type of man that cried, not unless he was alone, but he felt lost, guilty, overwhelmed, and oh so tired. There was only so much that one man could take. He raised a hand and brought it to his eyes, pushing back the tears, and hiding his vulnerability from the world.
Dr. Alejo had to know that he was crying, but she didn't say a word about it. She waited for him to get control of himself. He had to take a minute, but he took a deep breath and pushed everything down. He lowered his hand and looked at Dr. Alejo, only to immediately feel the need to look away when he saw the pity in her eyes.
"What happened to Fred wasn't your fault." Dr. Alejo said. "It was an accident, and you handled the situation as best you could."
"There wouldn't have been a situation in the first place if I hadn't let the Freak get the better of me." Frederick said. No matter what Dr. Alejo said, that fact wasn't going to change.
"Do you need to talk about it?" Dr. Alejo asked. "Your session got interrupted."
"All I need to do right now is to go through the living room and make sure Brad and Judy didn't mess with any more of Fred's traps." Frederick said. "His friends are coming over for dinner tonight."
She looked like she was going to make him have this conversation that he wanted to avoid, but she sighed and shook her head. "Just remember that you can call me whenever you need me. It doesn't matter the time, or how small you think the issue is, or if it's you or your son that needs me."
"I'll try to keep that in mind." Frederick said slowly. She nodded determinedly.
"And I want to know the second that Brad and Judy come back here." She said, because they both knew that the two of them wouldn't wait for permission or an invitation. Fred was going to need all the help he could get to deal with them. So would Frederick.
"I'll let you know." Frederick said. "I promise." She nodded.
"Then I'll leave you to it." Dr. Alejo said. "I hope you and Fred are okay." She made her way to the front door. When she was gone and Frederick was left alone he sighed, feeling completely drained. He sat down on the couch, debating whether he should get himself a stiff drink or not. He was exhausted. He was ready to go to bed, even though he knew he would have more of those nightmares, with the red rooms and the haunting Freak.
Those cursed nightmares would be a vacation from the infuriating fight for control that his life was spiraling into.