Room Enough To Love - J2 Mpreg - chapter 4/?
Title: Room Enough To Love 4/?
Rating: PG this chapter
Author: angels3
Beta: munibunny
Word Count: 5567/15919 (at the moment)
Disclaimer: Unfortunately I have no claim to them.
Warnings: mpreg, talk of past abuse for center residents
Summary: Jensen and Jared have everything they've ever wanted. They have thier friends, family a beautiful daughter and twins on the way. Will an unforseen situation ruin all that or will they find they have more than they ever thought they did to give.
Picture Bio has been updated to reflect new characters.
Picture Bio
Chapter Index : 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
It had been three weeks since their meeting, and three weeks they'd come up empty. The children hadn't returned, and all Jensen could do was worry and watch the news obsessively in case they'd been found. Jared tried to mitigate the stress his husband was under, but he'd be lying if he said he hadn't been just as worried.
Even though they'd tried to keep things as normal as possible, Avery had still picked up on their tension. Instead of being whiny or clingy, she'd gone out of her way to try and get things for Jensen whenever she thought he was getting ready to get up. She was scarily adept at reading what he needed before he could shift himself off the couch and get it. Jared couldn't help the snort that escaped when Jensen commented on their daughter’s behavior.
"What?" Jensen asked, confused.
"Jen, she may look a lot like me, but she acts just like you. "
"What's that supposed to mean?"
Jared bit back the laugh that tried to escape as he watched his husband try to figure out what to do with his hands when he realized he couldn't put them on his hips because of his growing waistline. He reached out, drawing Jensen towards the bed, sliding back to rest against the headboard before pulling his husband between his legs and wrapping his arms around him until he could smooth his hands over Jensen's stomach.
Jensen sighed, relaxing into Jared's hold, letting it soothe his frazzled nerves. It had been a long day at the gallery on top of worrying about his next doctor’s appointment. His blood pressure had been a little higher than they would have liked, and he was worried that not only would they put him on bed rest, but that it might endanger the twins as well.
"Do you remember the summer that Jeff broke his leg?" Jared kept rubbing circles into Jensen's stomach.
"How could I forget? I think that's one of the few times I've ever heard your dad raise his voice and it sort of freaked me out."
Jared winced a little, remembering. It had been very rare for either of his parents to raise their voices so when it did happen they knew they were in deep shit. Of course, it hadn't helped that he'd gotten suspended three days for fighting.
"Yeah, he wasn't very happy with me. It was worth it though, the jackass didn't mess with you or Jeff anymore after that."
"You do realize that Gary was only trying to show off ‘cause he liked Jeff right? I don't think he was planning to fall off his skateboard right on top of your brother."
"I know what the little prick wanted. I think it worked out just fine." Jared kissed the top of Jensen's head.
"You got suspended from school, and your dad grounded you for like a month."
"Sure, but it got rid of Gary too."
"Well, yeah, but what's this got to do with Avery and her being like me?"
"Don't you remember how you waited on Jeff hand and foot? I thought he was going to smack you in the head with his crutch, you were hovering so much. "
"I was not, and Jeff would never have hit me."
"Probably not, but my point remains. Avery is just like you, she senses something’s wrong and she's trying to fix it. You're both fixers, you always have been, and she's already exhibiting the signs."
"Like you're not," Jensen scoffed. "She could have gotten that from you just as well as me."
"Maybe, but I wasn't the one bringing Jeff all the baby birds and rabbits."
"No, that's true," Jensen agreed. "You're just sneakier about your fixing habit than I am."
Before Jared could respond, Avery came rushing into the room followed closely by Sadie and Harley. She was holding both their cell phones babbling about Uncle Chris calling.
***************
Jason was on patrol, which typically meant he walked the perimeter and made sure there was no one setting up camp in the woods surrounding the property that could be a threat to any of the people working or living at the center. It wasn't a particularly dangerous assignment, but one never knew.
He had a shadow today. Robbie was one of the kids staying at the center while his dad tried to get them back on their feet. The kid’s other dad had been an absolute tyrant asshole and Kevin had finally had enough when the man had turned his temper on Robbie. Many residents of the Center were known to have endured unbelievable abuse, but they’d leave to protect their kids even if they wouldn’t do it for themselves.
They tried to discourage the kids from hanging out with them when they were doing rounds but Robbie had attached himself to Jason and no amount of redirection had worked. He just hadn't had the heart to tell him no and disappoint him. He swore the kid had special powers because he'd never had a problem telling anyone ‘no’ before and he couldn't figure out why an eight year old could affect him that way.
Jason was doing his normal visual sweep while keeping an ear out for Robbie's steps crunching on the gravel beside him. He'd explained to the boy why they walked the perimeter and why they had to be quiet, and Robbie had mirrored his actions, both his walk and his silence. It was disturbingly comfortable in its normalcy.
He was contemplating the things he'd need for the night's surveillance at the gallery. It had taken them two days to set up the equipment to try and catch the kids and every night there had been someone there to keep watch. Tonight was again his night. His body stopped moving before his mind registered what he was hearing.
He spared a quick glance at Robbie who had frozen beside him, eyes huge in his head. Jason really wanted to send him back to the center, but without knowing what was in the woods, he was worried about the kid moving and becoming a target. Jason slowly stared moving in the direction of a large tree, angling Robbie until he was standing behind it for cover.
He motioned for the little boy to stay and keep quiet before disappearing into the woods. It didn't take him long to find the source of the noises he'd heard. Jason could make out a body curled in on itself, low moaning cutting through the still afternoon. The birds had quieted in the trees. There was no rustling of small animals and even the bugs had seemed to still, sensing danger in their habitat.
The closer he got, Jason could tell there was no danger from the kid that was lying in the underbrush. He carefully picked his way around, keeping a dual focus on the surrounding area and the body in front of him. At first, all he could see was the back of the person, but as he made his way around the face of a boy who looked like he'd been ten rounds in a cage match and lost badly was revealed.
He knew there was no way he could risk moving the kid, the injuries he could see were bad enough, but there was no telling what was under the torn and dirty clothes. Jason did lift up the boy’s shirt and was met with ugly black bruises littering the little amount of skin he could see.
"Shit!" Jason sat back on his heels, tapping at the communicator in his ear that Ash had given all of them to wear when they were out doing sweeps.
"Speak and be heard. The all powerful Oz is listening."
"Ash, I've got a body in the woods."
All background noise cut off as Ash's voice came back calm and dead serious. "Alive body or dead body?"
"Alive at the moment. I need you to call 911 and see if Jake is up at the center."
"Derrick's out the door, give me a location."
Jason gave him his general vicinity, waiting while Ash relayed it to everyone that would need it. "Robbie is here with me. I'm going to have him waiting at the road so make sure they're keeping an eye out for him."
"What's little man doing out there?"
"You know how he is, he knows my schedule better than I do."
"True that. Derrick should be there in five. I'll tell him to keep his eyes open. Ash out"
Jason took one last look at the boy before dashing out of the woods and explaining to Robbie what he needed him to do. The little boy nodded. Jason could tell he wanted to ask questions, but he never did. He stepped back onto the path and started looking for their help to arrive.
It couldn't have been more than three minutes later when he heard someone making their way through the woods, but it felt like it had taken forever. Jason stayed alert until he was sure that it was Derrick and not the person responsible for the kid’s condition.
"Not very quiet there, man," Jason observed.
"Didn't want to get shot dude," Derrick responded when he got within earshot. "What have you got?"
"Male, late teens I think, it's hard to tell. He's been beat to all hell," Jason answered between clenched teeth.
"Jesus," Derrick breathed as he got his first look at the boy. "Do you know who he is yet?"
"He's been unconscious the whole time and there was no way I was moving him to look for ID."
Derrick nodded in agreement. "Ambulance is about ten minutes out. Jake should be here in about three with Chris and Steve. Steve's going to take Robbie back up to the house."
Jason relaxed a little knowing that help was on the way and someone was going to be taking care of Robbie. He hated leaving the little boy on the path alone, but even with Derrick here he didn't want to leave the unconscious young man's side. Derrick seemed to sense it and disappeared back the way he'd come to stay with Robbie and lead the others back to where they were.
Jake was the first one at his side, Chris and Derrick following close behind, slowed down by the equipment they were carrying. He was relieved to see the backboard and neck brace, it meant they could get things rolling and didn't have to wait for the EMT's.
"He been unconscious the whole time?" Chris asked as he pulled a camera out of his pocket to document the position of the boy’s body and the surrounding area for evidence in case it was needed later.
"Yeah, he was moaning a little at first, that's what caught my attention. He stopped not long after I found him. I didn't want to move him looking for ID so we don't know who he is yet."
Chris nodded, grimacing as Jake and Derrick put the neck brace in place and then slowly shifted the kid onto the backboard. The boy whimpered and Jason's hand shot forward without his permission to run through sweat soaked hair.
He knew he was getting odd looks, he just didn't give a shit at the moment. Jason had no idea why he was acting the way he was so he just rolled with it, hoping he'd figure it out later. Chris took several more pictures as more damage was revealed, and even though Jason knew why and what it was for, he still wanted to shove the camera down Chris' throat.
Chris kept shooting him looks like he knew exactly what he was thinking, but Jason continued to ignore him in favor of listening to Jake catalogue the damage he could see without further tests. Derrick was relaying the information to Ash who was in contact with the EMT's.
"Jake, the ambulance should be here in about two. Ash has let them know everything we know so far. You want to go ahead and get him to the road now?" Derrick asked when Jake took a breather.
"Yeah, I want to get him to the hospital as quick as possible. I don't like his color and I can't tell if there's any internal bleeding without more tests. Looking at the contusions, though, I'd say there's a good chance he has some.
They each took a corner and started making their way to the road, being as careful as they could be to keep from jarring the kid, but moving as quickly as possible. Jason could hear the sirens as they grew louder, cutting off abruptly when they reached the flare Derrick had set up on the path.
Derrick and Chris relinquished their corners of the board as the EMT's took over loading the board onto gurney and pushing it into the back of the ambulance. Jake took one look at Jason's face and shook his head. "Just stay out of the way, man."
Chris had already led the police back into the woods. Derrick gave the ambulance one more confused look as it moved down the road, lights flashing, before heading back to join Chris and answer the police’s questions.
***************
Jensen had just finished waving Avery and his mother-in-law down the driveway when his phone rang. He knew it wasn't Jared because his husband was on a night shoot in the middle of the desert. Even if he had time, there was no way he was getting a signal where they were shooting.
He glanced at the display, but didn't recognize the number. "Hello."
"Jensen, it's Alex."
"Hey, Alex. Is everything all right?"
"We're going to have to put off the stake out tonight."
"Why? What's wrong?" Jensen asked, concerned. He knew there was no way any of the guys would bail on something so important unless there was an emergency.
"Jason found a kid in the woods a little while ago. He was the one doing the stake out tonight, but he rode to the hospital in the ambulance. There's no telling what time he's going to get finished there."
"What do you mean by kid and why were they in the woods?" Jensen took a seat in one of the outdoor chairs they'd added to the patio area. It was a little chilly, but the sun was still up, and just like before when he'd been pregnant, he always seemed to be hot.
"Derrick said from what he could tell the boy was about seventeen, maybe eighteen. We don't know why he was in the woods. He'd taken a beating, though, so whatever reason he was there, it wasn't a good one."
Jensen laid his head back against the chair. He got so tired of hearing how badly people treated other people. He just couldn't understand how it never seemed to end. There was nothing he could do about boy in the woods at the moment, but there was a chance he could do something about the kids.
"So there's no one that can go over tonight?"
"Cliff has everyone else out on jobs. He's even pulled Ash from behind his computers to help out," Alex explained.
"Okay, thanks for calling and letting me know. I'll call Natalie and tell her not to wait for anyone and to go ahead and lock up."
"I'm sorry man, if there was any way one of us could get over there, we would."
"I know. Go ahead and take care of whatever it is you have to do."
Jensen sat for a while longer contemplating his options. He knew Jared wouldn't be home until the next day, and Avery was spending the night with her grandparents so they could get an early start for their trip to the zoo.
The more he contemplated the issue, the more uncomfortable he became knowing that they might lose their chance at finally getting the kids off the street. With his mind made, he pulled himself up and went to pack a bag.
Jensen had lied through his teeth and told Natalie that Alex was on his way. He knew she was studying for exams and he had no intention of being the reason she failed a test, he'd spent too long talking her into going back and getting in some business classes so she would be able to make educated decisions concerning marketing her art and her future.
He'd debated on where to wait. He knew the security team sat in his office and monitored the cameras, and just thinking about sitting there for hours made him want to cry from boredom. Jensen decided to sketch instead. He'd been toying with the idea of expanding the gallery to include other art forms as soon as the gallery was in the black.
Jared had been behind the idea, suggesting he include enough space in his expansion to have someone teaching those forms as well. Jensen was positive he wanted to add pottery and possibly some form of metal works, but he was still in the research phase.
He'd been working on his sketches for about three hours when he heard a small thud coming from down the hall. Jensen rolled his chair back slowly, careful to make as little noise as possible. The button to release the hidden grate inside the vent shaft was just inside the breakroom door so he was going to have to wait until the kids went into the bathroom.
It seemed like hours before he heard the careful shuffle of little feet make their way down the hall and the bathroom door shut. Jensen slipped around the corner and pushed the button, relieved to hear the small click it made when the grate locked into place. He'd seen Alex test it, but you never knew when something was going to go wrong.
Jensen placed a chair in the corner and waited for the kids to come back into the room. There was no way around scaring them when they were confronted, and it made his heart ache having known that kind of fear. He just kept telling himself that things would be so much better for them once they were safely off the streets.
"Can we go look at the pictures tonight, Bray?" A little boy's voice floated through the hallway.
"Not tonight. This is the best place we've found. We can't screw it up."
The children rounded the doorway and were halfway to the refrigerator when the little girl stiffened and turned to survey their surroundings. Her eyes widened when she found Jensen sitting in the chair watching them.
"Look, mister, we didn't mean no harm," she rushed to explain, pushing the little boy behind her, and backing towards the vent. "We'll just leave and not come back."
Jensen didn't move, afraid that any sudden movement would send them scrambling. He wasn't worried about them getting out, not without breaking the glass in the door, he just didn't want to scare them even more by having to hunt them down, not to mention he was worn slam out, and the night was nowhere near being over with.
She chanced a quick glance behind her when she realized her charge wasn't climbing back out the way they came in. The little boy’s eyes were filling with tears and Jensen wanted to do nothing more than scoop him up and make it all better, but he knew there was no way that would be received well by either of them.
He watched while she came up with and discarded escape options until her shoulders slumped when she realized there was truly no way for them to get out of the situation, at least not together, and Jensen knew she wouldn't leave the little boy, nor could she sacrifice herself and leave him on his own.
"Why don't you both sit down I'll fix you something to eat and then we can have a talk about what to do."
"Look, mister, we don't want to do anything. If you'll just let us leave, you won't ever see us again, I swear." The girl tried one last ditch effort to bluster her way out.
"My name's Jensen, and I'm afraid letting you both leave so you can fend for yourselves isn't an option," he answered, taking out the makings for ham and cheese sandwiches.
Jensen watched as the girl, resigned to their fates at the moment, helped the little boy out of his coat and hat and stood beside him as he crawled up into the chair in case he fell. When she finally took a seat, Jensen set the plates down in front of them, adding some chips and grabbing a couple of sodas.
He waited patiently until they finished eating before setting a plate of molasses cookies in front of them. Jensen couldn't help smiling when the little boy reached out and grabbed one, nibbling on it while he looked at Jensen curiously.
"You like those cookies?"
"Mama liked 'lasses she said I got that from her," the little boy answered, swinging his feet back and forth, none of the tension radiating from the girl showed in his actions.
Jensen noted that the boy used past tense and how the girl looked down and refused to make eye contact with him. "Will you tell me your names?"
The little boy looked over at the girl. It was clear he wasn't going to answer until she told him it was okay. She nodded slowly, still refusing to look up from where she was studying the color flakes in the table top.
"My name's Xavier."
Jensen waited until the girl finally looked up at him. She heaved a sigh before relenting and mumbling something he couldn't understand.
"I'm sorry, I didn't catch that."
"Brayden."
"How old are you, Brayden?" Jensen asked.
"Eleven, and Xavier is almost seven," Brayden answered before Jensen could ask.
"Is Xavier your brother?" He almost snorted when she gave him the 'duh' look.
"Yes. What are you going to do with us?"
"That's a good question, actually. It's three in the morning right now, and there's not much we can get done tonight. I can take you to a place my friends run for people with nowhere to go, or I could take you home with me tonight and then we can contact the right people after we've all had some sleep."
Jensen worked on cleaning up the break room while he waited for her decision. He'd given her as much control over the situation as he could, knowing that right now it was the only thing he could offer her that she'd accept.
"We'll go with you, but me and Xavier are staying in the same room," Brayden answered, the challenge clear in her voice.
"That's not a problem." Jensen turned to throw the paper towels away, hiding the relieved smile that spread across his face.
They all jumped when Jensen's phone started to ring. He looked down at the display and grimaced.
"Hey, Alex. It's kind of late to be calling isn't it?"
"It's kind of late for you to be so wide awake too," Alex growled. "You had better not be where I know you're at."
His eyes shot to the kids who were watching him curiously. "If I don't answer that question, you have plausible deniability."
"I'll be there in fifteen minutes, don't you budge," Alex shot back, exasperation clear in his voice.
"Okay, but I have company. Call me when you get here and I'll unlock the door."
"They're there?"
"Yeah, see you in a few." Jensen hung up, putting the phone back in his pocket.
"Is someone else coming?" Brayden asked, standing up, her gaze darting around.
Jensen could tell she was terrified by the idea, but was trying to hide it. He took a seat, hoping she followed suit, but she remained standing.
"I'm going to be honest with you. I'm not supposed to be here, especially by myself."
Xavier looked at him and then back at his sister. "Why not?"
"Well, my husband and friends didn't think it was a good idea. See, I'm going to have a baby, well, two actually." He paused waiting for that to sink in.
"Really?" Brayden asked, lowering herself back into her seat.
"Yeah. We've known for about a month that you were staying in here to keep safe and some friends of mine have been hanging out here each night in hopes of helping you guys. Tonight, the guy that was supposed to come couldn't because someone had gotten hurt and he stayed with them."
"When are you going to have babies?" Xavier asked, peering under the table to get a look at Jensen's stomach.
Jensen stifled a laugh at the little boys antics. "Not for another five months, if we're lucky."
"So that's why no one wanted you to come was because you were going to have babies?" Brayden asked.
"I get tired easy, and they didn't know how you guys would react so they were afraid either the babies or I might get hurt."
"They thought we'd hurt babies?" Brayden looked appalled.
"Not on purpose, there was no way you'd know I was pregnant. People do things they wouldn't typically do when they're scared, especially when they're trying to protect someone they love."
Brayden looked over at Xavier before looking back at him. "This person that's coming is one of your friends?"
"Yes, his name is Alex. He's not very happy with me at the moment, but he's not mad at you guys. He's going to help me get everybody home and settled in." Jensen glanced over to where the little boy's face had taken on a dejected cast.
"Xavier, is something wrong?"
"I wanted to look at the pictures."
"I tell you what, we'll look at the pictures until Alex gets here. Once we get some things settled, I'll bring you back and you can stay as long as you like."
"Promise?"
"I promise?" Jensen swore, standing up and leading them into the gallery section.
Alex called as he was following Xavier through the aisles. Brayden stayed close as well, keeping an eye on her brother. Jensen watched the little boy’s eyes light up as he found a new favorite picture. He slipped away long enough to open the door, not wanting to disturb the kids.
"You are in so much trouble," Alex hissed.
"Blah, blah, blah. I can't hear you," Jensen whispered back.
Alex rolled his eyes. "Are we taking them back to the center?"
"No, I'm going to take them home with me."
Alex's eyebrows disappeared underneath his hair. "Do you think that's wise?"
"It's almost four in the morning. I'm worn out, and so are the kids." He motioned to where Xavier, despite his excitement, was starting to droop.
"There's nothing that can be done right now anyway. We might as well all go back to the house and get some sleep."
"Fine, but I'm staying until Jared gets there. He's going to ring your neck, but maybe he won't kill you if there's a witness."
"He's not going to kill me, I have two passengers. He's probably not going to be happy with me though," Jensen acknowledged.
"Brayden, Xavier can you come over here for just a minute? I'd like to introduce you to one of my friends."
Both children looked towards the doorway and Jensen noticed some of the tension return to Brayden, but they both moved closer for the introduction.
"This is Alex, he's been helping me to find you." Jensen held his breath as the kids checked over the new arrival.
Alex had knelt down on the floor so he was closer to their level instead of towering over them. He held out his hand. "It's nice to finally meet you."
Xavier hid behind his sister until the little girl reached out and shook Alex's hand. He tentatively moved to her side and did the same.
"Now that everybody's been introduced, why don't you go grab your coats, Brayden, and we'll go to the house and all of us can get some sleep."
Jensen didn't say anything when she took Xavier's hand and disappeared down the hall.
"Money says she's trying that vent again just to make sure," Alex muttered as he watched them go.
"Mama taught me never to bet against a sure thing." Jensen took a seat on the edge of one of the tables to wait it out."
Several minutes later, both children emerged with their hats and coats on, looking resigned. Jensen handed the keys to Alex and reached down, scooping Xavier up in his arms before either of them could protest.
Brayden gave him a disgruntled look that he returned with a gentle smile. She followed him out and they all waited until Alex had set the alarm and locked the door.
"We'll take mine, it's got more room and it's still got Avery's car seat in it," Jensen told Alex as they were walking to the parking lot.
"Whose Avery?" Xavier asked around a yawn.
"She's my little girl.. We'll have to adjust the straps because you're a big boy," Jensen explained while he shifted the boy's weight so he could reach his keys.
"How old is she?" Brayden asked, climbing into the back seat and sliding until she was sitting right next to her brother.
"She's three," Jensen answered as he sat Xavier in the seat and went to work adjusting the straps.
Alex had already slid behind the wheel and had the heater going. Jensen pulled his seat belt on and relaxed into the seat, letting some of the tension he'd been holding onto drain away. He was thankful Alex had shown up because he didn't know if he'd be able to keep his eyes open all the way home.
Thanks to the late hour, it took less time to get there than it typically did, and they were pulling into the garage before Jensen even realized it. As he got out, he glanced into the back seat and noticed both kids were asleep. He was a little surprised that Brayden had dozed off, but there was no telling how long it'd been since she'd gotten a decent nights sleep and it was warm and cozy in the vehicle.
She startled awake when he opened the door, looking around in a panic. Her eyes finally landed on him and he smiled, hoping to relieve some of her fear. He stepped back and let her unlatch the straps holding her brother in place, but he reached out and pulled the little boy back into his arms.
"Let's not wake him up unless we have to. That way, you can get some sleep. He's going to want to explore if he wakes ups now," Jensen explained as he waited for her to climb out so he could shut the door.
Alex opened the door and waited until Jensen went in and turned off the alarm. The dogs bounded around the corner and came to a halt, eyeing first Alex and then Brayden. He felt the little girl edge closer to him and he dropped a hand to her shoulder.
"It's okay, they won't hurt you. They're just trying to figure out who all the new people are."
Alex stepped around them slowly, kneeling down and offering the dogs the back of his hand. Brayden watched closely as each dog sniffed the offered hand and then proceeded to give Alex an unwanted bath. Alex stayed kneeling until after the dogs had checked out the little girl and given her a bath of her own.
Sadie was the first to venture over, sniffing Xavier's tennis shoe and then moving on to licking at Jensen's exposed hand. Harley wasn't far behind and he waited until both dogs seemed satisfied with their visitors and moved on to their food bowls.
Alex could tell Jensen was ready to drop so he reached out, taking the little boy and heading in the direction Jensen indicated. The extra weight wasn't fabulous for his leg, but Jensen had been toting too much since they'd left the gallery.
Between the two, they got the children settled in Jensen's old room and closed the door. Once the alarm was set and the dogs were taken care of, Alex got a pillow and blankets while Jensen disappeared into his own room, leaving the door open in case the kids woke up and needed something.
Alex dropped down on the couch and gave into gravity, falling sideways and burying his face in the fluffy pillow. He groaned as he lifted his leg up onto the couch and shifted around until he was more comfortable. Alex pulled his pills out of his jacket pocket and downed two with the bottle of water Jensen had left him.
He'd been surprised when Jensen had dropped the ice pack on the table beside him, shrugging when Jensen had raised an eyebrow at him before heading up the stairs. Alex didn't fully understand all the dynamics that went on in the ever expanding group of people he now seemed to be involved with but he was positive it sure wouldn't be boring while he figured it out.
Next Chapter