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phantismaFandom: RPS (Supernatural with added Buffy, Angel, SGA, STNG)
Title: In Service, Part 8 (Previous parts found: Part One Here, Part Two Here, Part Three Here, Part 4 Here, Part 5 here, Part 6 here, Part 7 here)
Pairing/Characters: Jensen Ackles/Jared Padalecki, Chris Kane, Jeffery Dean Morgan, Samantha Ferris, David Boreanaz, OCs
Rating: R (for recurring themes)
Word Count: 2897
Summary: Jared reconnects with his brother while Jensen works to save them both.
A/Ns & Warnings: Ummm...yeah totally AU. It's...crack...No, seriously...total crack. I take great liberties with the families of the celebrities I...um...use...creating siblings, erasing siblings, aging and de-aging siblings...pretty much doing anything I want. Um...and just about anyone is game. As to Warnings: This is slave fic, dubious con to some degree...though there is no sex in this installment.
Jared stood and stared awkwardly at the floor as Jensen left. He’d agreed to see his brother, but now that he stood there, he was unsure of himself. He glanced up.
JP was tall, so much taller than he’d been the last time he’d seen him. He’d been 8 years old, and he’d cried when Jared was taken away. Jared licked his lips. “JP.” He said it like he was experimenting the sound, but JP smiled.
“Jared, man it’s good to see you.” JP took a couple of steps toward Jared, but stopped when Jared turned away a little. “Hey, it’s okay…right?”
Jared nodded, then crossed his arms, dropping them again almost instantly. It was one of the first things trained into him, never cover a part of himself. “I’m…a little nervous,” he admitted.
JP blew out a long breath. “God, I thought it was just me. I mean…eight years, and you’ve been…and I…”
“He took you too.” Jared said, looking up again.
JP nodded. Jared shuffled a little closer. “Did they hurt you?”
“No…I mean, not really…nothing permanent, right?”
Jared understood that. Punishment was painful, but never left a mark. “I’m sorry.”
JP took a few steps, put his hand out and touched Jared’s shoulder. “Sorry for what, Jare?”
“It’s my fault. I wasn’t good enough and he had to come take you. I’m so sorry, JP. I tried. I really tried.”
The hand rose from his shoulder to his cheek. JP’s thumb traced over his cheekbone. “No Jare, it wasn’t your fault. I heard the whole story in court. None of this is your fault.”
He wanted to believe it, just like when Jensen told him he was beautiful, that he was good…but it didn’t quite make it to his heart. “It was my ball,” he said after a long time.
“Come here, Jared, sit down.” JP drew him to the bed and Jared sat hesitantly. “Do you remember what happened that day?”
Jared made a face and looked away. He didn’t like to remember. He was bad. Criminal. Lord Stewart made sure he knew how evil he was, how he should be going to prison. “I was bad, I broke his property, had to pay.”
JP shook his head. “Jared, look at me.” Jared turned back slowly. There were tears in his brother’s eyes. That shocked him somehow. He reached up to brush them away as they fell and JP took his hand. “Jared, it wasn’t your fault.”
Jared tried to pull his hand away, but JP held onto it. “Jared, are you listening?”
“Stop. My fault, my ball. I was bad, evil…deserved to be punished. They knew. They sent me away. He told me they knew how bad I was.” He managed to pull his hand free and stood. “I thought I could do this…but…Jen—Master needs me and I—“
Behind him JP stood too. “You didn’t throw the ball, Jared.”
Jared turned around slowly. “You didn’t throw it. I did.”
Jared shook his head. That wasn’t right. “No. No. I threw it, I broke the window. It was me.”
JP’s face was wet with tears. “No Jared. You said it was you, so I wouldn’t get in trouble. You protected me. We didn’t know Stewart was going to demand…what he did. We didn’t know he’d take you away.”
JP crossed to him. “Please don’t leave me again Jared. Stay. Please?”
Jared couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He didn’t so much remember the part about breaking the window as he did listening to Stewart tell him what an evil child he was. Could he have really forgotten? Was it so easy to believe a stranger?
“I tried to tell Mom and Dad. But they told me they couldn’t lose me too. Told me that we would find you and get you back…that Dad would find a way to make the money…then he got laid off…and it just got worse. We tried, Jared. I started working odd jobs as soon as I could. Dad and I, we did construction and stuff until he got another accounting job.”
Jared shook his head and tried to walk away, he didn’t want to hear it. He couldn’t hear it. Not when it changed everything. He pulled his hands through his hair, held on to his head. “Stop…JP…please. Just…just stop.”
There was a knock on the door and JP moved around Jared to answer it. “Your dinner, sir.” Jared moved away from the door, not looking as one of the household staff brought in covered plates and set them on the small table, just like they did for Jensen. It was too much. When the door was closed, JP cleared his throat. “Will you eat with me? If I stop talking about it? We can talk about anything…anything you want.”
Jared nodded slowly. Jensen wanted him to. “Yes.” He took a deep breath and turned around. JP would expect him to sit in the chair. Jensen sometimes wanted him to sit in the chair too. Sometimes he was okay with Jared kneeling beside him. He didn’t always understand, but Jared had started to get good with the anticipating. And he had to admit, the bed was comfortable. “Okay.”
He sat tentatively, as if testing out how it felt. It wasn’t as awkward as it was with Jensen. Jared nodded. “Okay,” he said again, though he wasn’t sure what was okay. The food smelled good. “Lasagna. Jen—My Lord likes lasagna.” He picked up his fork and took a bite. It was hot.
“What about you Jare? You like lasagna?”
Jared dared a glance up at his brother. “I like to make him happy, so I like lasagna.”
“Not what I meant.”
“I know.” He put his fork down and met his brother’s eyes. “But right now, it’s what I can do. Okay?”
JP nodded and smiled. “Yeah, okay.”
“This is weird for me.” Jared said a few minutes later.
“Which part?”
“All of it. You being here. I just. I never thought I’d see you again.”
“I know.”
They were quiet again until Jared’s plate was empty. “May I…ask you…” Jared stopped and grimaced, then shook his head. “Never mind. It isn’t my place.”
“You can ask, Jared. Anything.”
Jared wasn’t sure about that. But he really wanted to know. “How long?” he asked after a few more moments of silence. “How long were you…there. In training?”
“A little more than a month.” JP answered, his voice soft. “Long enough to really not like it.”
Jared nodded. His first month hadn’t been bad. It had mostly been training to obey directions, follow etiquette. But he had been twelve. He licked his lips. JP was older. Old enough by law that the other training could be started. Jared couldn’t look at him. “Did you…I mean…how bad…”
JP seemed to understand what he was getting at and reached over the table to take his hand. “It’s okay Jared.”
Jared held onto his hand and squeezed it. “Did they…do things.” He cleared his throat and took a deep breath. “Did they touch you?”
JP nodded. Jared could see the movement even though he couldn’t look at him. “Yes, Jare, they did. But I’m okay. You get me?”
Jared shivered. Just the thought of the things they’d made him do, they way they touched him unnerved him. Because this was JP, his baby brother. “I’m so sorry.” Jared said again, cringing as JP sighed explosively.
JP came to kneel in front of him and Jared shivered again. “Don’t…not like that.” Jared slipped to the floor too. “Never on your knees, JP.”
JP pulled him close, into a hug, holding him close, so close Jared could feel his heart beating. “I love you Jared. Just…stop apologizing. Please.” Jared felt the tears, warm on his cheeks. It felt so nice to have his brother there, in his arms. To know he was safe. And he was safe because Jensen had helped him.
“It’s okay, JP.” Jared stroked his hair and eased off his knees to sitting, pulling JP all but into his lap. “You’ll be good. Jensen will take good care of you too. You’ll see.”
“Jensen, eh?” JP cracked a grin. “Not ‘my lord’?”
Jared blushed. “He likes me to call him by his name.”
“I think he likes you.”
Jared frowned and shook his head. “He…I am his Servant.”
“Yeah, okay. I guess all Masters let their Servants call them by their names.”
Jared conceded that point, as JP got up to get his soda from the table. “He is…not what I expected.”
“Yeah, I see that.” JP tried to stifle a yawn, but it escaped him and Jared scrambled to his feet.
“I should let you rest. You’ve had a long day…and Jensen…I should…I should go.” He moved toward the door. “I’ll get someone to clean up.” He looked at his brother and felt an overwhelming desire to feel his arms again. He opened his arms and JP came to him, wrapping his arms around Jared’s back. “I’m glad you’re here,” he said when he finally stepped back.
“I am too, Jared. Really glad.”
Jared managed a smile before he slipped into the hallway. He was shaking when the door finally closed. He was exhausted. The whole thing was too much. He gathered himself and headed for the stairs. He needed to find someone to clean the dishes so JP could sleep…and he needed to thank Jensen for getting his brother out…for everything.
“You can’t just…re-shoot episodes when the season is already finished. I don’t even know if we can get the actors back on set.”
Jensen shook his head and stood. The living room was a mess of papers and bodies and remnants of food. “Yes we can. It the actors aren’t available, work around them. I want this.”
“I get that you want it, my Lord. But I don’t think—“
Jeff cut the guy off with an upraised hand. “You don’t get paid to think. You get paid to do your job. And your job is to do what he says.”
Jensen looked up as Jared came to the bottom of the stairs and stopped hesitantly, his eyes sweeping over the room and coming to rest on Jensen. “Excuse me a minute.” Jensen stepped over Samantha’s lap and crossed to Jared. He’d been crying, and looked like he might start again any minute. Jensen shielded him from the room with his body. “You okay?”
Jared nodded, though he pressed himself up against Jensen for comfort. “Thank you.” He whispered the words, his body trembling.
“Hey, it’s okay.” Jensen rubbed a hand over Jared’s cheek.
“I—he’s so big and I…” He stopped and drew back. “I left him to sleep.”
Jensen nodded. “Okay. You need anything?”
Jared shook his head, his eyes skipping back over the room. “Let’s get you to bed too, okay? I’m going to be at this a while.” Jensen looked back over his shoulder. “Jeff, handle this for a minute? I’ll be right back.”
Jeff nodded, though his eyes had that weird look in them again. Jensen gathered Jared and walked with him back up the stairs. At the door to their room, Jared stiffened. “I said I’d get someone to clean the dishes.”
Jensen opened the door. “I’ll take care of it.” It was easy to see Jared was a little fragile. “You sure you’re okay?”
He nodded and moved toward his bed. “He’s…all grown up. It’s weird. He was just a little boy…” Jared sat down and pulled his sandals off. Jensen could see he was thinking about more than just how grown up JP was. He didn’t want to pry though. He watched Jared get ready for bed.
“I’m going to be working for at least the next few hours, okay?” Jensen went to him, kissing his forehead lightly. “Get some rest.”
Jared stopped him when he started to pull away, his hand on Jensen’s bringing it to his mouth to kiss. “I don’t know how to say thank you. For…for everything. I just…he’s okay…and he might have been…and he’s here, and wonderful, and…” Jared’s eyes were filling with tears. Jensen pulled their hands to his lips, kissing over Jared’s fingers.
“You don’t have to thank me, Jared.” Especially not when he might still lose everything. “Get some rest. I’ll be downstairs.”
Jeff watched him come, their eyes meeting. There was something hard there in their brown depths. Jensen frowned at him and made the turn into the room. Jeff looked away. Samantha was just hanging up her cell phone. “Okay, looks like I have some good news. One of our reporters already has a good start on our subject matter. She’s been working the story for over a year, but keeps getting squashed by management. I’m bringing her in from Washington tomorrow.”
Jensen nodded. “Good. I want to meet with her privately too. Make sure we’re all on the same page.” He looked around the room. David, who produced one of the two shows that still managed to hold it’s audience was still seething, and was apparently on hold. “I need writers….I want a room full of them for a working lunch tomorrow.”
His adrenaline was starting to fade. He needed coffee. “I’m going to see about getting us some coffee and someone to clean up some of this. Keep working.” He stepped out and headed for the kitchen. Alecia was there mopping the floor when he came in. “Watch your step, my Lord. It’s slippery.”
He smiled. “Could we get some coffee? And someone needs to clear the dishes from the guest room.”
She nodded. “Of course, my Lord. Is there anything else?”
He shook his head. She smiled and went about making coffee, glancing at him. She probably wondered why he was still there. Truth was, he couldn’t quite face going back out there just yet. Once his momentum was interrupted, he had to think, had time to let it sink in. He was in deep. He wanted to call his father and find out why he’d told him to sign the paper…if his father realized…if his father knew the kind of trouble he was in.
He sighed and watched Alecia leave to go get the dishes. His head hurt. He wanted to go back upstairs and curl up in bed with Jared and just forget everything else. He wanted— He stopped, turning around as if something had hit him and he couldn’t find the source.
Want. That’s what had started him on this crazy fucking ride in the first place. His want for Jared, for things he couldn’t have, for more than anybody had a right to want. He bent over, laying his head on the cool marble counter.
“You okay?” The voice was deep and gruff and oddly comforting. Jensen lifted his head a little and looked at Jeff. He was leaning against the refrigerator, his hands in his pockets, looking tired and concerned.
“Don’t really know.” Jensen said. He pushed himself upright and sighed. “It’s…not real. It can’t be.”
“But it is.” Jeff said softly. Jensen nodded and sighed again. “What was that with your boy?”
Jensen looked away. He couldn’t explain it, but the more Jeff asked about Jared, the less he wanted to share. “No offense, Jeff. But it’s personal. He was…upset.”
“Because of your guest?” There was an ugly edge to the question and Jensen glanced back at him.
“In a manner of speaking. It’s personal, okay?” He sighed again. He was just so tired of the whole thing. “I owed someone a favor.” He shook his head. “It isn’t important. Let’s just get back to work.”
He started to walk past Jeff, but Jeff moved in front of him. “I need to understand something.”
Jensen backed up, put his hands on his hips. “What?”
“This thing, with the studio…kind of hypocritical of you, isn’t it?”
Jensen rolled his eyes. Somehow the implication pissed him off. “Because of Jared?”
Jeff crossed his arms. Jensen shook his head. “Dude, what difference does it make? It’s about the studio. It’s about the ratings. One thing I learned in college is that sex sells. Throw in a hint of corruption, a suggestion of scandal, build it up with the right advertising…we’ll get the ratings.”
Jeff nodded. “So you don’t care about how it will look when it gets out, and it will, that you have a Servant?”
Jensen was starting to really get annoyed now. “I thought it didn’t bother you.”
“It doesn’t.” Jeff said. “I was just starting to wonder about whether or not it bothered you. I guess now I know.”
Jensen pushed past him. “I guess you do. Can we get back to work now?”
It was nearly two in the morning when Jensen finally crawled up the stairs and threw himself into bed. The work was far from done, but it was a good start. He peeled off his clothes and sat on his bed, watching Jared sleep.
Only Jared wasn’t asleep. He rolled over and looked at Jensen, a question in his eye. Jensen held out his hand and Jared came, Jensen drawing him up into bed. “Just…lay with me.” Jensen whispered, curling himself around Jared’s back. “Sleep with me.”
Jared sighed softly and settled in his arms and Jensen drifted to sleep, holding the nightmare at bay.
Title: In Service, Part 8 (Previous parts found: Part One Here, Part Two Here, Part Three Here, Part 4 Here, Part 5 here, Part 6 here, Part 7 here)
Pairing/Characters: Jensen Ackles/Jared Padalecki, Chris Kane, Jeffery Dean Morgan, Samantha Ferris, David Boreanaz, OCs
Rating: R (for recurring themes)
Word Count: 2897
Summary: Jared reconnects with his brother while Jensen works to save them both.
A/Ns & Warnings: Ummm...yeah totally AU. It's...crack...No, seriously...total crack. I take great liberties with the families of the celebrities I...um...use...creating siblings, erasing siblings, aging and de-aging siblings...pretty much doing anything I want. Um...and just about anyone is game. As to Warnings: This is slave fic, dubious con to some degree...though there is no sex in this installment.
Jared stood and stared awkwardly at the floor as Jensen left. He’d agreed to see his brother, but now that he stood there, he was unsure of himself. He glanced up.
JP was tall, so much taller than he’d been the last time he’d seen him. He’d been 8 years old, and he’d cried when Jared was taken away. Jared licked his lips. “JP.” He said it like he was experimenting the sound, but JP smiled.
“Jared, man it’s good to see you.” JP took a couple of steps toward Jared, but stopped when Jared turned away a little. “Hey, it’s okay…right?”
Jared nodded, then crossed his arms, dropping them again almost instantly. It was one of the first things trained into him, never cover a part of himself. “I’m…a little nervous,” he admitted.
JP blew out a long breath. “God, I thought it was just me. I mean…eight years, and you’ve been…and I…”
“He took you too.” Jared said, looking up again.
JP nodded. Jared shuffled a little closer. “Did they hurt you?”
“No…I mean, not really…nothing permanent, right?”
Jared understood that. Punishment was painful, but never left a mark. “I’m sorry.”
JP took a few steps, put his hand out and touched Jared’s shoulder. “Sorry for what, Jare?”
“It’s my fault. I wasn’t good enough and he had to come take you. I’m so sorry, JP. I tried. I really tried.”
The hand rose from his shoulder to his cheek. JP’s thumb traced over his cheekbone. “No Jare, it wasn’t your fault. I heard the whole story in court. None of this is your fault.”
He wanted to believe it, just like when Jensen told him he was beautiful, that he was good…but it didn’t quite make it to his heart. “It was my ball,” he said after a long time.
“Come here, Jared, sit down.” JP drew him to the bed and Jared sat hesitantly. “Do you remember what happened that day?”
Jared made a face and looked away. He didn’t like to remember. He was bad. Criminal. Lord Stewart made sure he knew how evil he was, how he should be going to prison. “I was bad, I broke his property, had to pay.”
JP shook his head. “Jared, look at me.” Jared turned back slowly. There were tears in his brother’s eyes. That shocked him somehow. He reached up to brush them away as they fell and JP took his hand. “Jared, it wasn’t your fault.”
Jared tried to pull his hand away, but JP held onto it. “Jared, are you listening?”
“Stop. My fault, my ball. I was bad, evil…deserved to be punished. They knew. They sent me away. He told me they knew how bad I was.” He managed to pull his hand free and stood. “I thought I could do this…but…Jen—Master needs me and I—“
Behind him JP stood too. “You didn’t throw the ball, Jared.”
Jared turned around slowly. “You didn’t throw it. I did.”
Jared shook his head. That wasn’t right. “No. No. I threw it, I broke the window. It was me.”
JP’s face was wet with tears. “No Jared. You said it was you, so I wouldn’t get in trouble. You protected me. We didn’t know Stewart was going to demand…what he did. We didn’t know he’d take you away.”
JP crossed to him. “Please don’t leave me again Jared. Stay. Please?”
Jared couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He didn’t so much remember the part about breaking the window as he did listening to Stewart tell him what an evil child he was. Could he have really forgotten? Was it so easy to believe a stranger?
“I tried to tell Mom and Dad. But they told me they couldn’t lose me too. Told me that we would find you and get you back…that Dad would find a way to make the money…then he got laid off…and it just got worse. We tried, Jared. I started working odd jobs as soon as I could. Dad and I, we did construction and stuff until he got another accounting job.”
Jared shook his head and tried to walk away, he didn’t want to hear it. He couldn’t hear it. Not when it changed everything. He pulled his hands through his hair, held on to his head. “Stop…JP…please. Just…just stop.”
There was a knock on the door and JP moved around Jared to answer it. “Your dinner, sir.” Jared moved away from the door, not looking as one of the household staff brought in covered plates and set them on the small table, just like they did for Jensen. It was too much. When the door was closed, JP cleared his throat. “Will you eat with me? If I stop talking about it? We can talk about anything…anything you want.”
Jared nodded slowly. Jensen wanted him to. “Yes.” He took a deep breath and turned around. JP would expect him to sit in the chair. Jensen sometimes wanted him to sit in the chair too. Sometimes he was okay with Jared kneeling beside him. He didn’t always understand, but Jared had started to get good with the anticipating. And he had to admit, the bed was comfortable. “Okay.”
He sat tentatively, as if testing out how it felt. It wasn’t as awkward as it was with Jensen. Jared nodded. “Okay,” he said again, though he wasn’t sure what was okay. The food smelled good. “Lasagna. Jen—My Lord likes lasagna.” He picked up his fork and took a bite. It was hot.
“What about you Jare? You like lasagna?”
Jared dared a glance up at his brother. “I like to make him happy, so I like lasagna.”
“Not what I meant.”
“I know.” He put his fork down and met his brother’s eyes. “But right now, it’s what I can do. Okay?”
JP nodded and smiled. “Yeah, okay.”
“This is weird for me.” Jared said a few minutes later.
“Which part?”
“All of it. You being here. I just. I never thought I’d see you again.”
“I know.”
They were quiet again until Jared’s plate was empty. “May I…ask you…” Jared stopped and grimaced, then shook his head. “Never mind. It isn’t my place.”
“You can ask, Jared. Anything.”
Jared wasn’t sure about that. But he really wanted to know. “How long?” he asked after a few more moments of silence. “How long were you…there. In training?”
“A little more than a month.” JP answered, his voice soft. “Long enough to really not like it.”
Jared nodded. His first month hadn’t been bad. It had mostly been training to obey directions, follow etiquette. But he had been twelve. He licked his lips. JP was older. Old enough by law that the other training could be started. Jared couldn’t look at him. “Did you…I mean…how bad…”
JP seemed to understand what he was getting at and reached over the table to take his hand. “It’s okay Jared.”
Jared held onto his hand and squeezed it. “Did they…do things.” He cleared his throat and took a deep breath. “Did they touch you?”
JP nodded. Jared could see the movement even though he couldn’t look at him. “Yes, Jare, they did. But I’m okay. You get me?”
Jared shivered. Just the thought of the things they’d made him do, they way they touched him unnerved him. Because this was JP, his baby brother. “I’m so sorry.” Jared said again, cringing as JP sighed explosively.
JP came to kneel in front of him and Jared shivered again. “Don’t…not like that.” Jared slipped to the floor too. “Never on your knees, JP.”
JP pulled him close, into a hug, holding him close, so close Jared could feel his heart beating. “I love you Jared. Just…stop apologizing. Please.” Jared felt the tears, warm on his cheeks. It felt so nice to have his brother there, in his arms. To know he was safe. And he was safe because Jensen had helped him.
“It’s okay, JP.” Jared stroked his hair and eased off his knees to sitting, pulling JP all but into his lap. “You’ll be good. Jensen will take good care of you too. You’ll see.”
“Jensen, eh?” JP cracked a grin. “Not ‘my lord’?”
Jared blushed. “He likes me to call him by his name.”
“I think he likes you.”
Jared frowned and shook his head. “He…I am his Servant.”
“Yeah, okay. I guess all Masters let their Servants call them by their names.”
Jared conceded that point, as JP got up to get his soda from the table. “He is…not what I expected.”
“Yeah, I see that.” JP tried to stifle a yawn, but it escaped him and Jared scrambled to his feet.
“I should let you rest. You’ve had a long day…and Jensen…I should…I should go.” He moved toward the door. “I’ll get someone to clean up.” He looked at his brother and felt an overwhelming desire to feel his arms again. He opened his arms and JP came to him, wrapping his arms around Jared’s back. “I’m glad you’re here,” he said when he finally stepped back.
“I am too, Jared. Really glad.”
Jared managed a smile before he slipped into the hallway. He was shaking when the door finally closed. He was exhausted. The whole thing was too much. He gathered himself and headed for the stairs. He needed to find someone to clean the dishes so JP could sleep…and he needed to thank Jensen for getting his brother out…for everything.
“You can’t just…re-shoot episodes when the season is already finished. I don’t even know if we can get the actors back on set.”
Jensen shook his head and stood. The living room was a mess of papers and bodies and remnants of food. “Yes we can. It the actors aren’t available, work around them. I want this.”
“I get that you want it, my Lord. But I don’t think—“
Jeff cut the guy off with an upraised hand. “You don’t get paid to think. You get paid to do your job. And your job is to do what he says.”
Jensen looked up as Jared came to the bottom of the stairs and stopped hesitantly, his eyes sweeping over the room and coming to rest on Jensen. “Excuse me a minute.” Jensen stepped over Samantha’s lap and crossed to Jared. He’d been crying, and looked like he might start again any minute. Jensen shielded him from the room with his body. “You okay?”
Jared nodded, though he pressed himself up against Jensen for comfort. “Thank you.” He whispered the words, his body trembling.
“Hey, it’s okay.” Jensen rubbed a hand over Jared’s cheek.
“I—he’s so big and I…” He stopped and drew back. “I left him to sleep.”
Jensen nodded. “Okay. You need anything?”
Jared shook his head, his eyes skipping back over the room. “Let’s get you to bed too, okay? I’m going to be at this a while.” Jensen looked back over his shoulder. “Jeff, handle this for a minute? I’ll be right back.”
Jeff nodded, though his eyes had that weird look in them again. Jensen gathered Jared and walked with him back up the stairs. At the door to their room, Jared stiffened. “I said I’d get someone to clean the dishes.”
Jensen opened the door. “I’ll take care of it.” It was easy to see Jared was a little fragile. “You sure you’re okay?”
He nodded and moved toward his bed. “He’s…all grown up. It’s weird. He was just a little boy…” Jared sat down and pulled his sandals off. Jensen could see he was thinking about more than just how grown up JP was. He didn’t want to pry though. He watched Jared get ready for bed.
“I’m going to be working for at least the next few hours, okay?” Jensen went to him, kissing his forehead lightly. “Get some rest.”
Jared stopped him when he started to pull away, his hand on Jensen’s bringing it to his mouth to kiss. “I don’t know how to say thank you. For…for everything. I just…he’s okay…and he might have been…and he’s here, and wonderful, and…” Jared’s eyes were filling with tears. Jensen pulled their hands to his lips, kissing over Jared’s fingers.
“You don’t have to thank me, Jared.” Especially not when he might still lose everything. “Get some rest. I’ll be downstairs.”
Jeff watched him come, their eyes meeting. There was something hard there in their brown depths. Jensen frowned at him and made the turn into the room. Jeff looked away. Samantha was just hanging up her cell phone. “Okay, looks like I have some good news. One of our reporters already has a good start on our subject matter. She’s been working the story for over a year, but keeps getting squashed by management. I’m bringing her in from Washington tomorrow.”
Jensen nodded. “Good. I want to meet with her privately too. Make sure we’re all on the same page.” He looked around the room. David, who produced one of the two shows that still managed to hold it’s audience was still seething, and was apparently on hold. “I need writers….I want a room full of them for a working lunch tomorrow.”
His adrenaline was starting to fade. He needed coffee. “I’m going to see about getting us some coffee and someone to clean up some of this. Keep working.” He stepped out and headed for the kitchen. Alecia was there mopping the floor when he came in. “Watch your step, my Lord. It’s slippery.”
He smiled. “Could we get some coffee? And someone needs to clear the dishes from the guest room.”
She nodded. “Of course, my Lord. Is there anything else?”
He shook his head. She smiled and went about making coffee, glancing at him. She probably wondered why he was still there. Truth was, he couldn’t quite face going back out there just yet. Once his momentum was interrupted, he had to think, had time to let it sink in. He was in deep. He wanted to call his father and find out why he’d told him to sign the paper…if his father realized…if his father knew the kind of trouble he was in.
He sighed and watched Alecia leave to go get the dishes. His head hurt. He wanted to go back upstairs and curl up in bed with Jared and just forget everything else. He wanted— He stopped, turning around as if something had hit him and he couldn’t find the source.
Want. That’s what had started him on this crazy fucking ride in the first place. His want for Jared, for things he couldn’t have, for more than anybody had a right to want. He bent over, laying his head on the cool marble counter.
“You okay?” The voice was deep and gruff and oddly comforting. Jensen lifted his head a little and looked at Jeff. He was leaning against the refrigerator, his hands in his pockets, looking tired and concerned.
“Don’t really know.” Jensen said. He pushed himself upright and sighed. “It’s…not real. It can’t be.”
“But it is.” Jeff said softly. Jensen nodded and sighed again. “What was that with your boy?”
Jensen looked away. He couldn’t explain it, but the more Jeff asked about Jared, the less he wanted to share. “No offense, Jeff. But it’s personal. He was…upset.”
“Because of your guest?” There was an ugly edge to the question and Jensen glanced back at him.
“In a manner of speaking. It’s personal, okay?” He sighed again. He was just so tired of the whole thing. “I owed someone a favor.” He shook his head. “It isn’t important. Let’s just get back to work.”
He started to walk past Jeff, but Jeff moved in front of him. “I need to understand something.”
Jensen backed up, put his hands on his hips. “What?”
“This thing, with the studio…kind of hypocritical of you, isn’t it?”
Jensen rolled his eyes. Somehow the implication pissed him off. “Because of Jared?”
Jeff crossed his arms. Jensen shook his head. “Dude, what difference does it make? It’s about the studio. It’s about the ratings. One thing I learned in college is that sex sells. Throw in a hint of corruption, a suggestion of scandal, build it up with the right advertising…we’ll get the ratings.”
Jeff nodded. “So you don’t care about how it will look when it gets out, and it will, that you have a Servant?”
Jensen was starting to really get annoyed now. “I thought it didn’t bother you.”
“It doesn’t.” Jeff said. “I was just starting to wonder about whether or not it bothered you. I guess now I know.”
Jensen pushed past him. “I guess you do. Can we get back to work now?”
It was nearly two in the morning when Jensen finally crawled up the stairs and threw himself into bed. The work was far from done, but it was a good start. He peeled off his clothes and sat on his bed, watching Jared sleep.
Only Jared wasn’t asleep. He rolled over and looked at Jensen, a question in his eye. Jensen held out his hand and Jared came, Jensen drawing him up into bed. “Just…lay with me.” Jensen whispered, curling himself around Jared’s back. “Sleep with me.”
Jared sighed softly and settled in his arms and Jensen drifted to sleep, holding the nightmare at bay.
