Smoke & Lightning: Whatever Comes Our Way (21/?)
Title: Smoke & Lightning : Whatever Comes Our Way (21/?)
Authors: eviltwin and bloody_adorable
Fandoms: Supernatural RPS AU
Pairing: Jensen Ackles / Jared Padalecki.
Wordcount: 3,558
Rating: Adult.
Summary: The boys have a new family and face a whole new set of challenges and possibilities. But they can handle it.
Disclaimer: None of the following is true in any way, and no profit is made from this work of fiction.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
( master post)
Hannah's eighth birthday fell on a Saturday, which Jensen was incredibly thankful for. Though the shop was open on Saturdays, Jared didn't have to be there if he had other plans. He had staff that could take care of weekend business, however busy it might get. Jensen had agreed with John weeks ago that if any shifts came up on that day, John would cover them and Jensen would take any extra that cropped up afterward. It all meant that they were both home and in bed late on the Saturday morning when Hannah decided to wake the entire household. She came running into their room in her pink pyjamas, her favorite stuffed toy hanging from one hand, and leapt on the bed yelling at them that it was her birthday. Jared, awake before she'd made her entrance, quickly grabbed her in his strong arms and pulled her across his chest with a wicked grin. She squealed as he pushed her pyjama top up and blew a raspberry right on her belly.
"Good morning, birthday girl!" he told her, hugging her tightly and giving her a sloppy wet kiss on her cheek as Jensen blinked sleep out of his eyes. He looked across at them both and smiled.
"Hey, where's my kiss?"
Hannah glanced sidelong at Jared and they both must have had the same thought, because a moment later Jensen's covers had been pushed around his waist and Jared was blowing a raspberry against his stomach. Hannah nearly screamed in delight, the noise piercing, and Jensen laughed at Jared's face.
"I didn't mean you, idiot. C'mere, banana." Hannah climbed over Jared and landed on the other side of Jensen, snuggling up when he put his arm around her. He kissed the top of her head and told her happy birthday, unsurprised when the door was pushed further open another few seconds later and Matty came in. He had a little giftbag with him and Jensen met Jared's eyes, looking happy. Matty had asked them to save his allowance for two weeks for him, so that he could take it to buy Hannah a birthday gift. Apparently he couldn't wait to give it to her.
Jared invited him up into the space between them and watched as he leaned across Jensen and gave his sister a kiss on the cheek. He passed the bag to her and said, "Happy birthday."
She seemed uncertain as she took it from him, and looked at Jared as if to ask permission. He nodded.
"Go ahead, you can open that one now. We'll save the rest 'til later."
Neither of them knew what Matty had bought for her. He'd asked Kenzie to take him to the mall to find something and she told them both she'd promised not to tell. Jensen was surprised when Hannah pulled back the tissue paper and pulled out what was obviously a jewelry box. He looked over at Jared again, got a shrug in response. Hannah opened up the box very carefully and stared at what was inside for a few moments before breaking out into a huge grin.
"What is it, baby?" Jared asked, curious. She turned the box around to show them both. Matty had bought a silver chain with a pendant of a running horse on it. Jared whistled. "Wow, that's real nice, Matty."
Their son had red cheeks, but he had a smile on his face that was big and bright. He fell back when Hannah threw her arms around him, thanking him loudly. When she had calmed down, she asked Jared to put her necklace on her. He obliged, sweeping her hair carefully from her neck so he could see what he was doing.
"Good job, man," Jensen whispered to Matty, squeezing his shoulder gently. Then, louder, "I think it's got to be time for breakfast now. What do you guys reckon?"
Hannah nodded. "Can we have pancakes? And bacon?"
"We can have just about anything you want, banana. Then after breakfast we're going to get dressed and go over to Papa Jeff's."
"For the party!" Hannah exclaimed. She jumped from the bed and Matty raced after her to go downstairs, calling at their dads to 'come on, already!'
The party would be at Jeff's place, only because Kenzie and Stevie had been making cakes and cookies and various other goodies for it over there and it was easier than carting that load of food over to Jensen and Jared's house. Jensen wondered if Jeff knew just what he was letting himself in for.
Hannah and Matty both took baths after breakfast, and Jared dried and brushed Hannah's hair afterwards before leaving her to get dressed. He told her to go wait with her brother downstairs when she was ready, and that he and Daddy wouldn't be long. Then he went along the hall to the bathroom, tapped the door lightly before letting himself in. The mirror was fogged up and the air felt damp and warm and he smiled to himself as he quickly stripped off. He pulled back the shower door and stepped in alongside Jensen, running his hands down the man's sides. Jensen turned his head slightly so that Jared could kiss him.
"Hey."
"We have a few minutes to ourselves," Jared murmured.
"Enough time for you to shower," Jensen told him, elbowing him back a step and then turning to face him. "And shave."
Jared rubbed at his chin. "I'm growing it."
"Did you sleep okay last night?"
Frowning, Jared reached for the shower gel. "What's that got to do with anything?"
"Nothing. Did you?"
"I've been awake a few hours. So what?"
"You look like you've been awake more than a few hours, is all. I worry about you."
"You worry about everyone." Jared sighed at Jensen's expression then, ducked down and pressed a kiss to his mouth. "I'm fine, Jen. Same old, same old. Why are you bringing this up right now?"
"Because you look tired right now." Jensen shook his head. "So long as you're okay."
"I promise I'm okay."
"Okay."
Jared smirked. "Okay."
"Shut up and get showered." Jensen pulled the door open, letting in a blast of slightly cooler air. "I'm going to get dressed."
"Mm. The only thing I like about you walking away from making out with me in the shower is seeing your naked ass-" Jared cut off as Jensen threw a sponge in at him and pulled the door shut quickly, laughing as he did.
"Don't be long!" Jensen knotted a towel around his waist and went out to his and Jared's bedroom. His jeans and shirt were already out on the bed, and he grabbed some underwear on his way past the chest of drawers. Hannah hadn't wanted to wear a dress today and they knew that the party would get rowdy enough that jeans were probably the best thing for her anyway. Something that it didn't matter if they decided to play a game of backyard football later on. By the time Jensen was dressed, Jared was out of the shower, his stubble still intact.
"You look hot," Jared told him.
"So do you."
"You're hotter."
"Yeah, I am. I-"
"Daddy!" Hannah's voice sounded from downstairs, interrupting whatever Jensen had been about to say. "Hurry up!"
Sounding amused, he continued, "And on that note... I'll grab the gifts and get the kids in the car. I'll drive."
"I was going to take the-"
"If you say bike... No, Jay, you can come with us. I think I'd rather be responsible for you right now."
"Oh, why, because I'm tired?"
Jensen nodded. "Yes, because you're tired. Last night was a bad night, wasn't it?"
Jared shrugged, but didn't argue when Jensen moved closer to him and wrapped both arms around him. "Let me take care of you once in a while, huh? I don't want you to have another accident. I don't ever want to go through that again. So just-"
"Okay. All right." Jared put his hands to Jensen's face, kissed him softly. "You can drive. I'll be five minutes."
"Christ, kid, you look like you ain't slept in days." Those were Jeff's first words as Jared walked in ahead of the others, carrying two bags filled with gifts.
"Don't you start," Jared told him, shaking his head as he off-loaded the bags onto the kitchen island. Jeff held his hands up in surrender, then pulled his boy into a hug. "Where's everyone else?"
"All out back, go on out there. Hey, birthday girl," Jeff added, as Hannah skipped into the house. She gave him a hug and then followed Jared out. When Jensen came in, Matty by his side, Jeff laid a hand on his shoulder. "Is he okay?"
He didn't need to clarify. Jensen nodded. "So he says. He just didn't sleep. Don't be surprised if he takes a nap later. If he gets a chance, anyway."
"Talkin' about me?" Jared asked, coming back into the house.
"Yeah, 'cause you're such a riveting topic of conversation," Jeff muttered. The doorbell sounded then and Matty offered to go get it, although Jared followed him. He pulled the door open and Matty stepped back, foot colliding with Jared's boot as he made a strange sound. Then he dodged round Jared and ran in the opposite direction, towards the safety of the kitchen and his daddy and grandpa. The clown on the front porch shrugged his shoulders at the look Jared gave him.
"I get that a lot," he said.
"Man, I'm sorry, looks like you had a wasted journey."
"Really?" The clown looked disappointed. At least, Jared thought he did. It was kind of hard to tell.
"I'm thinking we'd better not. To be honest, you guys are pretty creepy looking." Jared dug into his pocket. "Here, here's your money. Only fair."
"Thanks, man. Well, uh..." The clown looked down to the bag at his feet. It was an over-sized holdall, to go with his over-sized shoes. He picked it up and fished something out, handed it over. "For the balloon animals. Only fair."
"See you around." Jared took the balloons and then watched the clown turn around, shutting the door as he walked back down to his car. A Prius, Jared noticed, with a grimace. Fucking clowns. He went back to where Matty was still hugging his grandpa, head buried against Jeff's side. "You okay, man?"
Matty lifted his head and nodded. He looked embarrassed. "I'm sorry," he apologized.
"It's cool, man. We should've mentioned the surprise so you could've told us. He's gone now."
Matty rubbed at one eye, then looked at what Jared had in his hands. "What's that?"
"Did I mention I'm like a world-class balloon animal maker?" Jared said.
Jensen snorted. "Your dad's got a vivid imagination."
"Huh, we'll see," Jared retorted. "I'm gonna go entertain the kids. C'mon, Matty." He took his son's hand and left Jensen and Jeff alone in the kitchen. It wasn't for long, though, as Kenzie soon returned to the house with Stevie, to start laying the food out on the kitchen table. They would let people come and help themselves throughout the afternoon, and then end the party with Hannah's birthday cake. Jensen helped, took the opportunity to ask Stevie how she was doing. She patted her stomach with a smile and told him that she was just fine.
"How is Hannah enjoying her birthday so far?"
"Loving it, I think. I hope she likes her gifts."
"That reminds me," Kenzie said. "Dad left her present with me. He asked me her size so I'm really hoping they fit okay. Jensen, he had them shipped over from England. Said there's a company there that make the very best." She rolled her eyes. "I think he forgets that kids outgrow things real quick."
Jensen shrugged. "Hey, if he wants to waste his money then it's up to him. At least when she does outgrow them, they should sell for a good amount." Jeff laughed at that, but Stevie gave him a stern look. "What? It's true. We can use the profits to buy her new boots. Cheaper ones that it won't matter if she outgrows. See? It's like the gift that keeps on giving."
"I just think it's good of him to buy something that she'll appreciate," Stevie said. "Seems like he's making an effort. It's just a shame it's taken him so long."
"Yeah," Jensen said, softly. "I guess." Any other thoughts on the matter were interrupted as Corey and Holly ran into the kitchen, both talking at once and very loudly as they shoved balloons up towards their mother's face.
"One at a time, guys!" Stevie told them. "Oh, wow, what are these?"
"Jay made us animals!" Holly exclaimed. And, Jensen thought, 'wow' was about right. So maybe Jared really did have hidden talents, if the balloon giraffe and the balloon fish that the two children were proudly showing off were anything to go by.
"Okay, I take it back," he said. "I guess I'd better go get my request in."
Holly grabbed his hand at that and pulled him towards the open door. "C'mon, Jensen! There aren't that many balloons left!"
Outside was mayhem, but Jensen hadn't expected any less. Hannah's friend Wimberly was already here, along with eight of her classmates from school. A couple of the parents had evidently stayed to keep an eye on their kids, although they stayed off to one side and were chatting with Jensen's mom, glasses of wine in their hands. The girls were running around with water balloons, squealing as they lobbed them at one another and at Jared. They seemed to mostly be missing him, but it was clear that at least one had hit him because the knee of his jeans was darker where it had gotten wet. Helium balloons were tied to the fenceposts and there were streamers all over the yard. Music was playing out from somewhere inside and even Shelby had a party hat on her head, fixed with elastic.
"Hey, you," Jensen said, moving to stand next to Jared. Almost immediately, a water balloon splatted and exploded against his chest, plastering his shirt to his skin. Hannah whooped and he grinned, shook his head. "I'll remember that," he told her, jokingly. He turned his head, gave Jared a quick kiss. "What're you doing?"
"Making another animal, non-believer."
Jensen laughed. "Sheesh, I'm sorry! You make great balloon animals. What's that one?"
Jared finished it up and held it up to Jensen, who immediately felt a slight blush on his face. "Uh." He took it off Jared quickly and turned it around. "Jared, is this-" He didn't need to finish the question. The wink Jared gave him answered it before it was asked. "You're not funny," Jensen told him, quickly disattaching one of the balloons so it didn't look quite so...obscene.
"What is it, uncle Jensen?" Holly asked.
"Nothing you need to see," he told her, handing her one of the balloons. "Go on and play, we'll join you kids in a little while."
"This is an awesome party," Jared said, watching Holly run off to find Hannah.
"Even better because we didn't have to do all the hard work." Jensen leaned his head against Jared's shoulder, felt Jared's arm come around him. "I'm glad your family are so awesome, you know. And I'm glad we moved back here."
"Good. Makes me happy, too." Jared kissed the side of his head, kept an arm around him as they stood there and watched the kids wreak havoc in Jeffrey's backyard.
Chris and Lynn came by late in the afternoon, with Johnny and Tammy. Kenzie immediately took charge of the baby, leaving a grateful looking Lynn to go and get herself a drink. Kenzie looked happy to have her. The smile had been wider when Phin had arrived, although right now he was sat on the grass while Holly explained to Hannah that he really wasn't all that scary, even if he looked it a little bit. He kept their attention right until Stevie called everyone to sit in a big circle so Jared could bring Hannah's birthday cake out. Jensen followed with paper plates and plastic forks and the yard was soon filled with all their voices singing Happy Birthday to Hannah. She was beaming by the time Jared set the cake down on a low stool nearby.
She shuffled over to it on her knees and Jared told her to make a wish as she blew out the candles. She hugged him as the party guests cheered, then she ran over to Jensen and hugged him too. He nearly missed the soft thank you she whispered to him. The cake was then cut and divided out amongst everyone there who wanted some and when everyone looked fit to burst, Jared brought Hannah's birthday presents out. Her face lit up at the sight of the two bulging bags and he set them down in front of her and told her she could open them now. For the next twenty minutes, Hannah had everyone's attention and she seemed to be revelling in it. She opened the presents one by one, running over to each of the givers as she did to give them a hug and a kiss in thanks.
Stevie and Jeff had bought her some pretty, girly clothes; Jensen's mom and Rock gave her a new game for the PS3 she and Matty shared, as well as a couple of her favorite movies and a giftcard to Toys R Us. There was a lot of pink and a lot of Hello Kitty in amongst the gifts from her classmates, and the riding boots from her grandfather met with a good reaction. Jensen had a feeling she might have been more excited about them if they'd come from someone else, but he kept the thought to himself. She was happy, and as long as he passed that on to his dad, it would be enough.
Jensen and Jared had bought her a lot of the other things she might need for her horse-riding lessons, which she was thrilled with. They had also found her a cute blue check shirt with the Harley Davidson logo on the back in sparkly little studs and a kid-sized cowboy hat for her to wear when she was riding. When all the presents had been opened, Jared gathered up all the paper and shoved it into a bag, told Jensen he was taking it through to put it in the trash. Then Hannah was asking Jensen to help her open one of the toys she'd been given and he spent the next little while watching her and her friends play.
Finally, as the sun was just starting to go down, all the young guests were given a small bag of goodies and then went to wait out front with Stevie for their parents to come fetch them home. Wimberly's mom picked her up, telling Jensen that Andy would be calling sometime in the week. He wondered only briefly what that might be about before he was distracted by Hannah asking him to come inside.
"What is it, banana?"
"Where's Dad?"
Jensen thought for a moment, realized that he hadn't seen him in a little while and smiled. "I think I have a good idea. Come on, let's go find him." He took Hannah's hand and they went through the kitchen to where he opened up the door that went through to the garage. None of the lights were on, although with the light from the kitchen it wasn't pitch black. As they went down the stairs into the garage itself, Stevie wandered over behind them.
"What's going on?" she asked, then heard the soft snoring from above and laughed quietly. "Aw. Poor guy."
"Can I go up there?" Hannah asked, looking to Stevie for permission.
"Sure you can. Do you guys want to stay here tonight?"
"Ah, I should get back home and feed Maya. We left her with the run of the house, but, yeah, she's going to need her dinner." Jensen looked towards the upper level. "I don't want to wake him up, though."
"Leave him with us."
"And me," Hannah declared, then looked hopefully up at Jensen.
"Yeah. Okay, you stay here with Dad and I'll take Matty home. You want me to come get you later?"
Stevie shook her head. "We'll bring them over tomorrow morning, if Jared sleeps that long."
Jensen nodded. "Fingers crossed."
"You can always come back," she suggested.
Jensen thought about it. He'd miss having Jared beside him in bed, but coming back would mean disturbing him and he didn't want to do that if the man was finally asleep and resting. He thought it would be unfair to Matty and to Maya as well to go back and forth yet again today. "No," he said. "We'll see him tomorrow." He hugged Hannah close and kissed the top of her head. "I'm glad you had a good birthday, baby. You be good."
"I will," she said. "Love you, Daddy."
"Love you, too. Hey," he added, leaning down and giving her another kiss. "Pass that one on to Dad for me, yeah? And tell him I love him, too."
"I will."
tbc
Authors: eviltwin and bloody_adorable
Fandoms: Supernatural RPS AU
Pairing: Jensen Ackles / Jared Padalecki.
Wordcount: 3,558
Rating: Adult.
Summary: The boys have a new family and face a whole new set of challenges and possibilities. But they can handle it.
Disclaimer: None of the following is true in any way, and no profit is made from this work of fiction.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
( master post)
Hannah's eighth birthday fell on a Saturday, which Jensen was incredibly thankful for. Though the shop was open on Saturdays, Jared didn't have to be there if he had other plans. He had staff that could take care of weekend business, however busy it might get. Jensen had agreed with John weeks ago that if any shifts came up on that day, John would cover them and Jensen would take any extra that cropped up afterward. It all meant that they were both home and in bed late on the Saturday morning when Hannah decided to wake the entire household. She came running into their room in her pink pyjamas, her favorite stuffed toy hanging from one hand, and leapt on the bed yelling at them that it was her birthday. Jared, awake before she'd made her entrance, quickly grabbed her in his strong arms and pulled her across his chest with a wicked grin. She squealed as he pushed her pyjama top up and blew a raspberry right on her belly.
"Good morning, birthday girl!" he told her, hugging her tightly and giving her a sloppy wet kiss on her cheek as Jensen blinked sleep out of his eyes. He looked across at them both and smiled.
"Hey, where's my kiss?"
Hannah glanced sidelong at Jared and they both must have had the same thought, because a moment later Jensen's covers had been pushed around his waist and Jared was blowing a raspberry against his stomach. Hannah nearly screamed in delight, the noise piercing, and Jensen laughed at Jared's face.
"I didn't mean you, idiot. C'mere, banana." Hannah climbed over Jared and landed on the other side of Jensen, snuggling up when he put his arm around her. He kissed the top of her head and told her happy birthday, unsurprised when the door was pushed further open another few seconds later and Matty came in. He had a little giftbag with him and Jensen met Jared's eyes, looking happy. Matty had asked them to save his allowance for two weeks for him, so that he could take it to buy Hannah a birthday gift. Apparently he couldn't wait to give it to her.
Jared invited him up into the space between them and watched as he leaned across Jensen and gave his sister a kiss on the cheek. He passed the bag to her and said, "Happy birthday."
She seemed uncertain as she took it from him, and looked at Jared as if to ask permission. He nodded.
"Go ahead, you can open that one now. We'll save the rest 'til later."
Neither of them knew what Matty had bought for her. He'd asked Kenzie to take him to the mall to find something and she told them both she'd promised not to tell. Jensen was surprised when Hannah pulled back the tissue paper and pulled out what was obviously a jewelry box. He looked over at Jared again, got a shrug in response. Hannah opened up the box very carefully and stared at what was inside for a few moments before breaking out into a huge grin.
"What is it, baby?" Jared asked, curious. She turned the box around to show them both. Matty had bought a silver chain with a pendant of a running horse on it. Jared whistled. "Wow, that's real nice, Matty."
Their son had red cheeks, but he had a smile on his face that was big and bright. He fell back when Hannah threw her arms around him, thanking him loudly. When she had calmed down, she asked Jared to put her necklace on her. He obliged, sweeping her hair carefully from her neck so he could see what he was doing.
"Good job, man," Jensen whispered to Matty, squeezing his shoulder gently. Then, louder, "I think it's got to be time for breakfast now. What do you guys reckon?"
Hannah nodded. "Can we have pancakes? And bacon?"
"We can have just about anything you want, banana. Then after breakfast we're going to get dressed and go over to Papa Jeff's."
"For the party!" Hannah exclaimed. She jumped from the bed and Matty raced after her to go downstairs, calling at their dads to 'come on, already!'
The party would be at Jeff's place, only because Kenzie and Stevie had been making cakes and cookies and various other goodies for it over there and it was easier than carting that load of food over to Jensen and Jared's house. Jensen wondered if Jeff knew just what he was letting himself in for.
Hannah and Matty both took baths after breakfast, and Jared dried and brushed Hannah's hair afterwards before leaving her to get dressed. He told her to go wait with her brother downstairs when she was ready, and that he and Daddy wouldn't be long. Then he went along the hall to the bathroom, tapped the door lightly before letting himself in. The mirror was fogged up and the air felt damp and warm and he smiled to himself as he quickly stripped off. He pulled back the shower door and stepped in alongside Jensen, running his hands down the man's sides. Jensen turned his head slightly so that Jared could kiss him.
"Hey."
"We have a few minutes to ourselves," Jared murmured.
"Enough time for you to shower," Jensen told him, elbowing him back a step and then turning to face him. "And shave."
Jared rubbed at his chin. "I'm growing it."
"Did you sleep okay last night?"
Frowning, Jared reached for the shower gel. "What's that got to do with anything?"
"Nothing. Did you?"
"I've been awake a few hours. So what?"
"You look like you've been awake more than a few hours, is all. I worry about you."
"You worry about everyone." Jared sighed at Jensen's expression then, ducked down and pressed a kiss to his mouth. "I'm fine, Jen. Same old, same old. Why are you bringing this up right now?"
"Because you look tired right now." Jensen shook his head. "So long as you're okay."
"I promise I'm okay."
"Okay."
Jared smirked. "Okay."
"Shut up and get showered." Jensen pulled the door open, letting in a blast of slightly cooler air. "I'm going to get dressed."
"Mm. The only thing I like about you walking away from making out with me in the shower is seeing your naked ass-" Jared cut off as Jensen threw a sponge in at him and pulled the door shut quickly, laughing as he did.
"Don't be long!" Jensen knotted a towel around his waist and went out to his and Jared's bedroom. His jeans and shirt were already out on the bed, and he grabbed some underwear on his way past the chest of drawers. Hannah hadn't wanted to wear a dress today and they knew that the party would get rowdy enough that jeans were probably the best thing for her anyway. Something that it didn't matter if they decided to play a game of backyard football later on. By the time Jensen was dressed, Jared was out of the shower, his stubble still intact.
"You look hot," Jared told him.
"So do you."
"You're hotter."
"Yeah, I am. I-"
"Daddy!" Hannah's voice sounded from downstairs, interrupting whatever Jensen had been about to say. "Hurry up!"
Sounding amused, he continued, "And on that note... I'll grab the gifts and get the kids in the car. I'll drive."
"I was going to take the-"
"If you say bike... No, Jay, you can come with us. I think I'd rather be responsible for you right now."
"Oh, why, because I'm tired?"
Jensen nodded. "Yes, because you're tired. Last night was a bad night, wasn't it?"
Jared shrugged, but didn't argue when Jensen moved closer to him and wrapped both arms around him. "Let me take care of you once in a while, huh? I don't want you to have another accident. I don't ever want to go through that again. So just-"
"Okay. All right." Jared put his hands to Jensen's face, kissed him softly. "You can drive. I'll be five minutes."
"Christ, kid, you look like you ain't slept in days." Those were Jeff's first words as Jared walked in ahead of the others, carrying two bags filled with gifts.
"Don't you start," Jared told him, shaking his head as he off-loaded the bags onto the kitchen island. Jeff held his hands up in surrender, then pulled his boy into a hug. "Where's everyone else?"
"All out back, go on out there. Hey, birthday girl," Jeff added, as Hannah skipped into the house. She gave him a hug and then followed Jared out. When Jensen came in, Matty by his side, Jeff laid a hand on his shoulder. "Is he okay?"
He didn't need to clarify. Jensen nodded. "So he says. He just didn't sleep. Don't be surprised if he takes a nap later. If he gets a chance, anyway."
"Talkin' about me?" Jared asked, coming back into the house.
"Yeah, 'cause you're such a riveting topic of conversation," Jeff muttered. The doorbell sounded then and Matty offered to go get it, although Jared followed him. He pulled the door open and Matty stepped back, foot colliding with Jared's boot as he made a strange sound. Then he dodged round Jared and ran in the opposite direction, towards the safety of the kitchen and his daddy and grandpa. The clown on the front porch shrugged his shoulders at the look Jared gave him.
"I get that a lot," he said.
"Man, I'm sorry, looks like you had a wasted journey."
"Really?" The clown looked disappointed. At least, Jared thought he did. It was kind of hard to tell.
"I'm thinking we'd better not. To be honest, you guys are pretty creepy looking." Jared dug into his pocket. "Here, here's your money. Only fair."
"Thanks, man. Well, uh..." The clown looked down to the bag at his feet. It was an over-sized holdall, to go with his over-sized shoes. He picked it up and fished something out, handed it over. "For the balloon animals. Only fair."
"See you around." Jared took the balloons and then watched the clown turn around, shutting the door as he walked back down to his car. A Prius, Jared noticed, with a grimace. Fucking clowns. He went back to where Matty was still hugging his grandpa, head buried against Jeff's side. "You okay, man?"
Matty lifted his head and nodded. He looked embarrassed. "I'm sorry," he apologized.
"It's cool, man. We should've mentioned the surprise so you could've told us. He's gone now."
Matty rubbed at one eye, then looked at what Jared had in his hands. "What's that?"
"Did I mention I'm like a world-class balloon animal maker?" Jared said.
Jensen snorted. "Your dad's got a vivid imagination."
"Huh, we'll see," Jared retorted. "I'm gonna go entertain the kids. C'mon, Matty." He took his son's hand and left Jensen and Jeff alone in the kitchen. It wasn't for long, though, as Kenzie soon returned to the house with Stevie, to start laying the food out on the kitchen table. They would let people come and help themselves throughout the afternoon, and then end the party with Hannah's birthday cake. Jensen helped, took the opportunity to ask Stevie how she was doing. She patted her stomach with a smile and told him that she was just fine.
"How is Hannah enjoying her birthday so far?"
"Loving it, I think. I hope she likes her gifts."
"That reminds me," Kenzie said. "Dad left her present with me. He asked me her size so I'm really hoping they fit okay. Jensen, he had them shipped over from England. Said there's a company there that make the very best." She rolled her eyes. "I think he forgets that kids outgrow things real quick."
Jensen shrugged. "Hey, if he wants to waste his money then it's up to him. At least when she does outgrow them, they should sell for a good amount." Jeff laughed at that, but Stevie gave him a stern look. "What? It's true. We can use the profits to buy her new boots. Cheaper ones that it won't matter if she outgrows. See? It's like the gift that keeps on giving."
"I just think it's good of him to buy something that she'll appreciate," Stevie said. "Seems like he's making an effort. It's just a shame it's taken him so long."
"Yeah," Jensen said, softly. "I guess." Any other thoughts on the matter were interrupted as Corey and Holly ran into the kitchen, both talking at once and very loudly as they shoved balloons up towards their mother's face.
"One at a time, guys!" Stevie told them. "Oh, wow, what are these?"
"Jay made us animals!" Holly exclaimed. And, Jensen thought, 'wow' was about right. So maybe Jared really did have hidden talents, if the balloon giraffe and the balloon fish that the two children were proudly showing off were anything to go by.
"Okay, I take it back," he said. "I guess I'd better go get my request in."
Holly grabbed his hand at that and pulled him towards the open door. "C'mon, Jensen! There aren't that many balloons left!"
Outside was mayhem, but Jensen hadn't expected any less. Hannah's friend Wimberly was already here, along with eight of her classmates from school. A couple of the parents had evidently stayed to keep an eye on their kids, although they stayed off to one side and were chatting with Jensen's mom, glasses of wine in their hands. The girls were running around with water balloons, squealing as they lobbed them at one another and at Jared. They seemed to mostly be missing him, but it was clear that at least one had hit him because the knee of his jeans was darker where it had gotten wet. Helium balloons were tied to the fenceposts and there were streamers all over the yard. Music was playing out from somewhere inside and even Shelby had a party hat on her head, fixed with elastic.
"Hey, you," Jensen said, moving to stand next to Jared. Almost immediately, a water balloon splatted and exploded against his chest, plastering his shirt to his skin. Hannah whooped and he grinned, shook his head. "I'll remember that," he told her, jokingly. He turned his head, gave Jared a quick kiss. "What're you doing?"
"Making another animal, non-believer."
Jensen laughed. "Sheesh, I'm sorry! You make great balloon animals. What's that one?"
Jared finished it up and held it up to Jensen, who immediately felt a slight blush on his face. "Uh." He took it off Jared quickly and turned it around. "Jared, is this-" He didn't need to finish the question. The wink Jared gave him answered it before it was asked. "You're not funny," Jensen told him, quickly disattaching one of the balloons so it didn't look quite so...obscene.
"What is it, uncle Jensen?" Holly asked.
"Nothing you need to see," he told her, handing her one of the balloons. "Go on and play, we'll join you kids in a little while."
"This is an awesome party," Jared said, watching Holly run off to find Hannah.
"Even better because we didn't have to do all the hard work." Jensen leaned his head against Jared's shoulder, felt Jared's arm come around him. "I'm glad your family are so awesome, you know. And I'm glad we moved back here."
"Good. Makes me happy, too." Jared kissed the side of his head, kept an arm around him as they stood there and watched the kids wreak havoc in Jeffrey's backyard.
Chris and Lynn came by late in the afternoon, with Johnny and Tammy. Kenzie immediately took charge of the baby, leaving a grateful looking Lynn to go and get herself a drink. Kenzie looked happy to have her. The smile had been wider when Phin had arrived, although right now he was sat on the grass while Holly explained to Hannah that he really wasn't all that scary, even if he looked it a little bit. He kept their attention right until Stevie called everyone to sit in a big circle so Jared could bring Hannah's birthday cake out. Jensen followed with paper plates and plastic forks and the yard was soon filled with all their voices singing Happy Birthday to Hannah. She was beaming by the time Jared set the cake down on a low stool nearby.
She shuffled over to it on her knees and Jared told her to make a wish as she blew out the candles. She hugged him as the party guests cheered, then she ran over to Jensen and hugged him too. He nearly missed the soft thank you she whispered to him. The cake was then cut and divided out amongst everyone there who wanted some and when everyone looked fit to burst, Jared brought Hannah's birthday presents out. Her face lit up at the sight of the two bulging bags and he set them down in front of her and told her she could open them now. For the next twenty minutes, Hannah had everyone's attention and she seemed to be revelling in it. She opened the presents one by one, running over to each of the givers as she did to give them a hug and a kiss in thanks.
Stevie and Jeff had bought her some pretty, girly clothes; Jensen's mom and Rock gave her a new game for the PS3 she and Matty shared, as well as a couple of her favorite movies and a giftcard to Toys R Us. There was a lot of pink and a lot of Hello Kitty in amongst the gifts from her classmates, and the riding boots from her grandfather met with a good reaction. Jensen had a feeling she might have been more excited about them if they'd come from someone else, but he kept the thought to himself. She was happy, and as long as he passed that on to his dad, it would be enough.
Jensen and Jared had bought her a lot of the other things she might need for her horse-riding lessons, which she was thrilled with. They had also found her a cute blue check shirt with the Harley Davidson logo on the back in sparkly little studs and a kid-sized cowboy hat for her to wear when she was riding. When all the presents had been opened, Jared gathered up all the paper and shoved it into a bag, told Jensen he was taking it through to put it in the trash. Then Hannah was asking Jensen to help her open one of the toys she'd been given and he spent the next little while watching her and her friends play.
Finally, as the sun was just starting to go down, all the young guests were given a small bag of goodies and then went to wait out front with Stevie for their parents to come fetch them home. Wimberly's mom picked her up, telling Jensen that Andy would be calling sometime in the week. He wondered only briefly what that might be about before he was distracted by Hannah asking him to come inside.
"What is it, banana?"
"Where's Dad?"
Jensen thought for a moment, realized that he hadn't seen him in a little while and smiled. "I think I have a good idea. Come on, let's go find him." He took Hannah's hand and they went through the kitchen to where he opened up the door that went through to the garage. None of the lights were on, although with the light from the kitchen it wasn't pitch black. As they went down the stairs into the garage itself, Stevie wandered over behind them.
"What's going on?" she asked, then heard the soft snoring from above and laughed quietly. "Aw. Poor guy."
"Can I go up there?" Hannah asked, looking to Stevie for permission.
"Sure you can. Do you guys want to stay here tonight?"
"Ah, I should get back home and feed Maya. We left her with the run of the house, but, yeah, she's going to need her dinner." Jensen looked towards the upper level. "I don't want to wake him up, though."
"Leave him with us."
"And me," Hannah declared, then looked hopefully up at Jensen.
"Yeah. Okay, you stay here with Dad and I'll take Matty home. You want me to come get you later?"
Stevie shook her head. "We'll bring them over tomorrow morning, if Jared sleeps that long."
Jensen nodded. "Fingers crossed."
"You can always come back," she suggested.
Jensen thought about it. He'd miss having Jared beside him in bed, but coming back would mean disturbing him and he didn't want to do that if the man was finally asleep and resting. He thought it would be unfair to Matty and to Maya as well to go back and forth yet again today. "No," he said. "We'll see him tomorrow." He hugged Hannah close and kissed the top of her head. "I'm glad you had a good birthday, baby. You be good."
"I will," she said. "Love you, Daddy."
"Love you, too. Hey," he added, leaning down and giving her another kiss. "Pass that one on to Dad for me, yeah? And tell him I love him, too."
"I will."
tbc