Fic: The Prince and I
Title: The Prince and I
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Jared/Jensen, Misha/Jeff
Warnings:Mpreg
Summary:Written for the abused_sammy challenge. Jared's having an awful year. He's been fired, evicted and he caught his boyfriend cheating on him. With not much to stand on, no family save for friends, Jared goes with his friends to the Mediterranean country of Biryal for a month-long vacation. While there, he meets Jensen Ross, who is unlike anyone Jared has ever met. What should have just been a summer romance is the start of something neither of the two men expected. For starters, Jensen is keeping one very large secret from Jared. Namely that he's the crown prince.
The next three years passed much the same. Jensen came to visit Jared and Ginny twice - once in June and once in November. Each time he asked Jared to marry him and each time Jared refused. It wasn't that the romance between them had died or even cooled - Jensen suspected the idea of having a very public life didn't appeal to the American. It wasn't easy on him either - his mother kept insisting that he needed to just bring him and the girl to Biryal and be done with it, but Jensen didn't want anything from Jared that wasn't given freely. At least he'd managed to keep almost all of it out of the press. Biryal didn't thrive on celebrity gossip and royal dirt - the other royal families of Europe never said much about it either, they had enough of their own problems to worry about theirs.
Everyone in Biryal knew about Princess Giovanna, or Princess Ginny as she was more commonly called. They knew she lived in America, but not where she lived - and Jensen preferred to keep it that way.
It was April and he decided that come this June, he'd insist that at least Jared come back to Biryal for a visit. After all, it wasn't like he'd seen much of the country on his single visit there.
*
Jared had put off his decision about Jensen long enough. He'd refused the man's marriage proposal each time he offered it, but Jensen always stated that he was welcome to call if at any time between visits if he changed his mind. He had thought long and hard about what would happen if he did say yes, about how his life would change. There were times he'd lie in bed and think what it would be like if he was Prince Jared of Biryal. If Ginny had little brothers and sisters - of being in the spotlight - and then doing some kind of charity work. Surely, there was something he could find that wouldn't be considered 'offensive', like humane treatment of horses.
He glanced at his watch - it was two in the afternoon here in Texas - he knew that Jensen had some kind of state dinner he had to go to tonight and was probably deep in political talk with the king of Denmark right now over helping Biryal get that 2028 Olympic bid it wanted or something else that just thinking about made his head swim. He'd call Jensen when he got home at ten. Sure, it'd be very late in Biryal, but Jensen had said he could call any time.
If Jared had known what the next twelve hours were going to bring, he would have called Jensen and interrupted that blasted dinner in the first place.
*
Octavia covered a yawn as she checked on Ginny, who had finally gone to sleep after a quick bath. They'd spent the majority of the afternoon at the playground, ending in a lot of dirt and grime on both of them. The young woman stretched and went to clean up the kitchen. She turned when she heard a buzz on the intercom and heard someone yelling that they'd forgotten their key. She shook her head and went back to work. Jared had told her under no circumstances to ever give into a message like that - true, it could be one of their neighbors and they could have locked themselves out. But there was always that possibility that it was someone who didn't live in the complex and wasn't supposed to be there.
She didn't believe it herself until she witnessed a screaming fight between a man on the ground and his ex-girlfriend screaming down at the balcony that she had already called the cops. Some dumbass let the man in and she was yelling bloody murder when the cops showed up. The whole thing ended with the young woman leaving in an ambulance from being beaten by the man. The man left in the cop car - and when the person who had let him in was discovered, they were evicted. All in all, it had been ugly.
Picking up her I-Pod from where she left it on the counter, she plugged in her ear-buds, turned on her cleaning play-list and turned her attention to straightening the kitchen. Ginny would sleep until dinner time - giving her plenty of time to get some cleaning and all of her homework done. She was halfway done putting the dishes away when someone knocked on the door.
“What the hell?” She took her I-Pod off and went to the door. “Must be time to sell chocolate bars for band trips again...” She undid the lock and opened the door.
*
Luke Dessler could not believe how easy it had all been. The hardest part had actually been getting into the apartment building. He glanced into the backseat of the car, where his girlfriend, Eva was putting sandals on Ginny Padaleki's feet. “She going to sleep the whole way there?”
Eva picked up one of Ginny Padalecki's arms and let it go, and the appendage fell limply to her side. “She'll be out until we get to Atlanta, at least. We may give her another dose in some food, just to be safe.”
Luke shook his head. “I hope we won't have to do that. People might think it's odd if she sleeps all the way across the ocean.”
The woman snorted. “They should thank us, really. Have you ever been on a flight with an obnoxious child?” She leaned back in her seat. “Such a pretty thing.”
“True. So this house of theirs... is it in the city?” He eased the car off the highway and down towards the airport. “Only thing I've seen of that country is on a few travel specials.”
“It's in the outskirts of the city, mountain views.” Eva smiled and ran a hand through her hair. “I haven't been back in years.”
“Well, it'll be a nice place to settle. Not to mention no one will be looking for the kid there.” Luke snorted. “You remember the story?”
“Of course.” She replied as they pulled into the long-term parking. “She's the daughter of you and your tragically dead ex-boyfriend. You felt obliged to take her in.”
“Simple and sweet.” He parked the car. “I'll carry her to the gate and what not. We don't have that much luggage.” He got out of the car and went to the trunk as Eva got out and unbuckled the girl's belt “Just hope Jared stays at work long enough.”
Eva's face faltered a fraction. “You think the nanny is okay?”
“Unless I miscalculated the dose of the drug, she should be fine. She's probably still sleeping like a baby where we left her in the hallway.” He shut the trunk, came over and pulled Ginny from the car, chuckling softly as she fell limply against him. “You remember to pack the needed items and what not?”
“Of course.” She shut the car door, shouldered a messenger bag as Luke did the same with a carry-on. She grasped the handle of the wheeled suitcase. “No one's going to even know she's missing until we're halfway across the Atlantic.”
*
Jared's day had taken a rapid turn for the worse this afternoon. Costs were up, tourism was down - and he once again was jobless. He knew he had enough in the bank to hold on for a few months - but not much more. The job market was crap and well, damn it all... as much as his pride resisted the idea, he might just pack up his and Ginny's bags and go to Biryal. This wasn't how he wanted things to be, he still wanted his freedom, his independence, but the truth of the matter was, he did love Jensen. He let himself into the apartment building at just after six in the evening.
He'd sit down at the table, eat a little dinner, have a talk with Octavia, then he'd call Jensen - and maybe, just maybe, they could all be on their way to Biryal by the end of the week. As the undid the lock of his apartment, he frowned. It was quiet on the other side of the door - usually by now, Ginny was watching a DVD while Octavia made or cleaned up after dinner. He pushed the door open and felt his heart drop.
Octavia was lying sprawled in the hall, unmoving.
“What the?” He slammed the door and fell down next to the young woman, shaking her. “Octavia?” The girl's body was heavy as he rolled her onto her back and his fear doubled. Her eyes were wide, glassy and unseeing and her skin was cold. “Oh.... oh fuck...” He bolted away from the body, racing towards the bedrooms. “Ginny?”
He flung open the door of the girl's room - it was empty. “Ginny?” He heard his voice crack as he went into his room, then to the rest of the apartment, his heart hammering in his chest. He sank down onto the floor, his fingers fumbling with his cell phone. How he managed to dial 911, he had no clue. There were two rings in his ear before someone answered.
“911, what is your emergency?” The woman's voice was calm and even.
“Someone took my baby!” Jared gasped out. “She's gone!”
“We're sending someone over right away sir.” He heard her shout something, indistinguishable. “Sir, how old is your baby?”
“She's almost four.” Jared squeezed his eyes shut. “Please hurry, someone took her - they... they killed the nanny.”
“Fuck.” The woman said, just loud enough for him to hear. “We have officers on the way, sir. What is your name?”
“Jared.” He swallowed. “I... I don't.... I need my baby back.”
“I understand sir, and we are going to do everything we can. Is your partner expected home soon?” The woman's voice was still calm, but he could hear the slight nervousness in her voice at asking the question.
“No... no he... he doesn't live with me. He doesn't live in Texas.” He could hear sirens headed his way. “Her father would never do something like this.” He had a feeling the woman wasn't going to believe him. All he knew was, he had to contact Jensen as soon as he could. “I... find Ginny, please.”
“We are going to do all that we can, sir.” The woman said again.
*
Jensen was half-dressed for bed when a valet came running into the room, his face ashen. “Dominic, what is it?”
“Urgent phone call for you, your majesty.” He was out of breath. “From a Detective Marlowe from San Antonio.”
“Shit.” Jensen crossed to the phone on his desk, looking at the blinking number and hit the line. “Yes?”
“Sir, this is Detective Marlowe, San Antonio...”
Jensen cut him off. “I was told where you were from, has something happened?”
The man sounded unruffled, no doubt not used to being spoken to in such a manner. “I must first ask you to confirm if you are the father of Giovanna Padalecki-Ackles.”
“Yes, I am.” He shot a look at the valet and mouthed 'contact security' to him before turning his attention to the detective. “What is going on?”
“Jensen?” Jared's voice was on the line. “Jen, oh god, Jen I'm sorry....”
“Jared?” He swallowed hard. “Jared, talk to me.”
“Someone took her, Jen... someone took Ginny.” He gulped. “I should have...”
“This isn't your fault, Jared. We'll find her. Do... did Octavia...”
“They killed Octavia!” Jared's panic returned. “I... I came home and she was... it was...”
“Deep breath, Jay. One deep breath....” Jensen listened to him breathe and glanced at the clock. It was just after eight at night in Texas. “Is the detective still on the line?”
“Yes, sir, I am.” The man's voice was somewhat calm. “We've issued an Amber Alert for the girl and are getting ready for a general news bulletin.”
“Understood.” Jensen pulled a ledger from his desk towards him. “I'm going to give you another person to contact, detective - she'll be able to help with some of protocol and media involved.” He scanned down the list. “Her name is Alona Langley. She is the Birylian ambassador to the United States.”
*
As the media was going nuts with the news that the heir to the throne of Biryal had been kidnapped by unknown persons, Luke, Eva and the missing child were perfectly settled into a row of Air France Flight 986 out of Atlanta, bound for a tiny nation in Europe called Genovia. People had remarked to both Luke and Eva what a pretty little girl they had.
Eva gave a sigh of relief as the fasten seat-belt line clicked off and the plane seemed to level out. The hardest part was over. No one was going to ever guess that a missing girl was on a trans-Atlantic flight. Jared probably wasn't even home from work yet and had no idea what had happened. By the time he did get home, they'd be well away and this was going to be one of the last places the world would look. She glanced over at the girl, who was staring, wide-eyed at the other passengers, the fear on her face was hopefully being seeing as a fear of flying.
“Not a word out of you, little girl.” Eva hissed under her breath. “Remember what we told you?”
Ginny slowly nodded. She remembered. If she didn't behave, they'd hurt daddy. She didn't know where daddy was, but these people said they could make him go away forever if she wasn't good. She rubbed at her ears, hating the funny feeling in them. She wanted her daddy or her papa. Both would be even better. And what about Via? Where was she? Did they hurt her too? It was confusing - she remembered coming home from the park, going to take a nap, a flash of some seats, a funny roaring noise - she still heard that - and now, now she was here.
She wanted to go home. She then winced. That's not all she needed. She turned to the lady, who was sitting in the seat next to the isle. “I have to use the potty.”
Eva had to bite back an annoyed retort. It was the first thing the girl had said in a while and she took a deep breath. “Okay...one minute.” She reached over and undid Ginny's seat belt before undoing her own and then guided her up the isle to the small lavatory at the front of the cabin. “It's really tight in there, can you use it alone?”
Ginny nodded, glad she was wearing a skirt instead of jeans. She still hadn't completely mastered getting in and out of those entirely. The lady was right - it was a small potty and when she was finished, she had to struggle to pull the door open. But she felt a lot better. Maybe now it would be easier to be brave. She let the woman - what was her name? - guide her back to their seats, the man they were with was snoring in the window seat. A few people had smiled at her on the way back - at least they weren't grumpy or mean.
She sat back down and remained still while the lady put her belt back on. “Thank you.”
“You're welcome.” Her smile was wan, tired. “Still sleepy?”
“A little.” Ginny yawned.
“Try and go back to sleep. We still have a long way to go.” Eva settled into her seat and closed her eyes.
Four rows in front of them, a man picked up the on-board phone and began to dial.
*
Jensen didn't check the number when his cell-phone rang. “Jared?”
“No, Jens - it's Andres.” An accented voice replied.
“Andres?” Jensen frowned, trying to think why the brother of the King of Spain was calling him - football season had just ended. “Is something wrong?”
“Uh... this is going to sound totally insane, but I think I just saw your daughter on the plane I'm on.”
“What?” Jensen's reply caused several staff members to turn towards him. “Are you sure?”
“I'm pretty sure - her eyes are the same shade of green as yours.” There was a staticy sound. “She's... is she not supposed to be here?”
“No!” Jensen grasped his desk. “Has - where are you, exactly?”
“On an Air France flight heading for Genovia. I can't remember the flight number.” Another odd noise. “Jens, what's going on?”
“A lot of bad stuff. Hang on.” He turned to his assistant, who was on the phone with someone else. “Contact Air France, Prince Andres of Spain says Giovanna on his flight.”
“At once, your majesty.” The woman replied, hung up with whoever she was on the phone with and started dialing. “Where is his flight out of, sir?”
“Andres? Where you coming from?” Jensen could hardly believe this was happening. That they were just this damn lucky.
“Atlanta. What's happened, exactly?” From the tone in Andres's voice, Jensen knew he was trying to remain calm.
“Plenty. And none of it's good. Your flight's a direct one, correct?”
“Si. I - my flight to Madrid was overbooked - I decided to be a man of the people and allow myself to be switched to another flight.” He let out a shaky laugh. “I know that...”
“It's fine, Andres. I'm going to have to let you go so we can take care of things here. Thank you for calling.”
“Of course, Jens.” Static. “I will call back in two hours with an update.”
“Thank you.” Jensen hit the end button just as his assistant set the phone against her shoulder. “Have they found the flight?”
“Yes. Air France Flight 986. They are contacting the crew as we speak.” She ran her fingers through her hair. “Do we want them to divert the flight if necessary?”
Jensen thought for a moment and then shook his head. “First we need to confirm that it's actually Ginny on that plane. We don't know what the kidnappers are capable of, even though we know they can't be carrying weapons, they can still hurt her.” He paused as the woman turned her attention back to the phone.
“Well, how the hell did airport security let them through? I thought people had to walk through those metal detectors if...” She scowled. “I understand that they are overworked, however...” She shook her head. “We can discuss this later, what is that plane's ETA in Genovia?”
*
Jared kept hoping this was all some kind of bad dream. He felt sick, frightened, worried and angry all at the same time. He wanted his little girl, he wanted to know she was safe, and he really hated the fact that Jensen was on the other side of the ocean. He had no doubt that the man would be on his way here as soon as it could be arranged. It would be easier then. He needed Jensen here - the support from friends was nothing compared to what he could get from that man.
He sat on his couch, hugging himself as he, Misha and what had to be half the police force in San Antonio waited for the kidnappers to call. They always called, didn't they? There would be ransom, they'd arrange for it, it would be delivered and maybe, just maybe, Ginny would be back home with him before this time tomorrow.
And pigs might start flying too.
Misha squeezed his friend, not certain of what to say. “Are you sure you don't want something to eat?”
“I think if I ate, I would throw up.” He couldn't think of anyone who would pull this sort of thing off. The jarring ring tome of his cell-phone shattered the silence and he fumbled to answer it. “Jen?”
“Jared? That you?” Jensen's voice sounded - odd. It was tense, but an underlying tone of calm.
“Jensen?” He swallowed hard. “I... you're on your way, right?”
“No. Before you freak out, I'll tell you why. I got a call from a friend of mine. He's on a plane with Ginny right now.”
“What?” Jared stood up, stunned. “Is... is your friend sure?”
“He's positive - he and about seven other people on the flight all got missing child alerts and contacted the authorities.” Jensen took a breath. “I'm getting ready to go meet the plane, it's landing in Genovia.”
One of the officer's cell-phones rang and he answered it.
“Jen, I... this...”
“There's a red-eye flight leaving for Madrid from Houston in four hours - there's a flight to Houston from San Antonio in an hour and a half. I can get you on both those planes and someone from Biryal will meet you in Spain to take you the rest of the way.” Jensen's voice was firm - and he honestly didn't care how bossy the man sounded at the moment - he needed to get going.
“I... but how...” He swallowed hard and saw the detectives motioning to Misha, apparently relaying the information he'd just gotten. “I take it Genovia has an extradition agreement with the United States.”
“Of course they do, the heir to their throne's an American citizen.” He took a breath. “I've got to go, Jared. I will see you in a few dozen hours.”
“I... give Ginny a hug and a kiss for me, okay?” Jared felt an odd sort of calm spreading over him. “Okay?”
“I will, Jared. I will.” Jensen took a breath. “Love you.”
“I love you too.” Jared hung up, swallowing hard. “This is...” A moment later, Misha pushed a carry-on bag in his arms. “What the?”
“Change of clothes, some underwear, bare necessities.” Misha had a stern look on his face. “We need to get you to the airport.”
“I.. um....” He shook his head to clear it. “Thanks.”
“Don't thank me yet, we have to get through traffic first.” Misha said.
“We'll get you there.” One of the officers replied and two stepped forward to escort him out of the apartment and down the elevator.
**
Luke Dessler rubbed his eyes tiredly as the fasten seat-belt light flicked on and the plane began its decent towards Europe. He had slept most of the entire flight and for that, he was glad. He glanced over at Eva, who was stuffing things into her carry-on bag. Between them, the brat was sitting calmly, looking like any kid who'd slept poorly. He gave her a small smile - it wasn't her fault her daddy was a liar. “You'll feel better after we have breakfast.”
“Okay.” She leaned back in her seat, her eyes focused on the tray-table. “Are we going home?”
“We're going to a home, yes.” He shook his head. “No more questions, not until we're there.”
She nodded and yawned. “I didn't brush my teeth.”
“It's okay, just for one night.” Luke rubbed his temple.
“Ladies and Gentlemen, we have begun our final decent and we should be on the ground in ten minutes. When we land, we ask that you remain in your seats and do not turn on your electronic devices until we have arrived at the gate.” The captain repeated the message in French, and then in Spanish.
“I am so glad to be back.” Eva let out a sigh. “Weird rules and all.”
“Yeah.” Luke chuckled.
*
Jensen watched, passively from a window in the Genovian airport as the 767 landed and taxied towards the gate. The urge to run down the stairs and onto the plane was great. He knew that they would catch the culprits at customs. There was only a handful of officers on duty, but they all were on alert. There couldn't be that many kids on the flight. He turned back to the room, usually reserved for pilots and members of an airline's frequent fliers. It had been a harrowing ten hours. He had talked to Jared before he boarded that flight to Madrid. The man was somewhere over the Atlantic right now.
He rubbed the back of his neck and took a breath. It wouldn't be too much longer now. He knew he couldn't sit down - and he had to resist the urge to pace. He idly walked to a row of posters, advertising vacations in Sydney, Beijing, and New York City. He turned, looking towards the glass doors, and then he heard the shouting - followed by someone crying. A cry he knew. He went out into the passageway and looked down into the concourse. A woman was screaming for her child, restrained by two guards. The crying came from a tiny figure in the arms of an airport security guard. Jensen ran down the stairs, and suddenly, the blond girl caught sight of him.
“PAPA!” Ginny screamed loud enough that it echoed through the airport. She squirmed free of the man holding her and ran to the first friendly face she'd seen in what felt like forever.
Jensen swept her up into his arms, holding onto her for dear life. “I've got you, baby girl.” He smoothed her hair down. “You're safe now.”
“Papa I was so scared!” Ginny sobbed into his neck and he held onto her, backing away from the crowd, knowing that she was keeping him from punching the people responsible for scaring his child.
“I know.” He brushed the tears from her face. “I was scared too.” Airport guards escorted the two of them back upstairs.
“I want daddy.” Ginny's lower lip trembled. “And I'm hungry.”
“Daddy's on his way - and we'll have breakfast in a little bit, okay?”
“Okay, papa.” She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and let out a tired breath. “Are we going home?”
“Yeah, sweet pea. We're going home.” Jensen smiled faintly.
**
Jared was exhausted - one car ride, three planes and now a helicopter ride - each leg of the journey seemed longer than the one before. He leaned against the glass of the door of the copter, looking down at the passing countryside of Biryal. It was a part of the country he hadn't seen - except in pictures. Green augmented by the occasional town. He blinked suddenly when the trees suddenly ended and he was looking at gardens and lawns - he could see horses, and the roar of the engine increased and then he saw the landing pad a moment before they were on the ground.
He straightened up, his heart surging as he looked out and saw both Ginny and Jensen waiting for him. He unbuckled himself and then the door swung open. The heavy smell of flowers augmented with a whiff of aviation fuel greeted him and then he was escorted towards the palace.
The palace. Jared had almost never called Jensen's home that. But that's what it was.
“Daddy!” Ginny ran across the distance and flung herself against his legs. “You're here!”
He picked her up and kissed her cheek. “Yeah, bun. I'm here.”
Jensen came out to join them and kissed his cheek. “She's been asking when you're going to get here every five minutes for the past six hours.”
Jared laughed. “Funny, she does the same thing when you come to visit.”
**
Jared wasn't certain what was up with Jensen. He and Ginny had been in Biryal for two weeks and not once had Jensen asked him to stay. His mom hadn't asked either. They knew he had no job, they knew that there wasn't much waiting for him back in Texas, except moving back into the Morgan family's home - and still, Jensen wouldn't bring up the subject.
Ginny loved it here - that much he could tell. The three of them made it a point to have lunch or tea together every day. Dinner, however, was strictly for the grown-ups, and while enjoyable, there was such a formality to it that he still wasn't used to. He didn't know if he could get used to it.
Jared sat down in front of the massive fountain in the center of the garden, lamenting the fact that soon, he and Ginny would have to go home. Ginny would hate going back to Texas now, he was certain of it. It was... this was just a nightmare.
“Jay?” Jensen's voice cut into his thoughts and he turned.
“Hey.” He watched as the slightly shorter man came over and sat down on the bench with him. “Is something wrong?”
“No.” He rested his arms on his legs, not watching him. “I think I should be asking you that.”
Jared snorted. “I'm sorry... It... well, I'm sort of surprised you haven't asked me to stay here. Or are you assuming I'm going to stay?”
“I didn't feel it was - right for me to ask you to stay. Nor was I assuming. You always seemed content with the way we had it, and if you want to go on that way, we can continue to do so.” Jensen straightened up. “However, if you would like to stay, you're welcome to. You have no doubt noticed I'm not exactly short on room here, so it's really no bother...”
He gave the man a playful shove. “Smartass.”
“Yeah yeah.” Jensen stood up. “Like I said, I didn't feel it was - exactly right of me to ask you to stay given the situation that brought you here.” His shoulders rose and then fell. “It wouldn't be right to take advantage.”
Jared swallowed hard. “I...”
“What is it?” Jensen frowned. “Did I say something wrong?”
“No - but uh... I was going to call that night. I was going to call that night two weeks ago anyway.” Jared stood. “I was going to call to say yes.”
Jensen's eyes widened. “You're serious, aren't you?”
“Of course I am!” He closed the distance between them, hoping to get out what he needed to without crying. “You said that the proposal was open and I could reply if I changed my mind. Well, I changed my mind and my answer is yes!”
“Jared...” Jensen took his face in his hands and kissed him softly. “Are you sure?”
He smiled. “Positive.”
***
The wedding of King Jensen Ackles to Jared Padalecki was a small affair. Close friends and family were among the only people invited. There would be a celebration later, of course, for the large number of friends who were, as Jensen put it, 'required' invites - princes and queens, kings and princesses. Things seemed to swirl around him for weeks on end. Ginny adjusted to her new home rather well, Sadie took to it even better - though she seemed content to lie around with the older dogs that were in the palace, former hunting dogs now too old to track, retrieve or do much more than play an occasional game of fetch.
Seven months after the wedding - King Jensen of Biryal and Prince-Consort Jared, welcomed their second child into the world - Prince Octavian.
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Jared/Jensen, Misha/Jeff
Warnings:Mpreg
Summary:Written for the abused_sammy challenge. Jared's having an awful year. He's been fired, evicted and he caught his boyfriend cheating on him. With not much to stand on, no family save for friends, Jared goes with his friends to the Mediterranean country of Biryal for a month-long vacation. While there, he meets Jensen Ross, who is unlike anyone Jared has ever met. What should have just been a summer romance is the start of something neither of the two men expected. For starters, Jensen is keeping one very large secret from Jared. Namely that he's the crown prince.
The next three years passed much the same. Jensen came to visit Jared and Ginny twice - once in June and once in November. Each time he asked Jared to marry him and each time Jared refused. It wasn't that the romance between them had died or even cooled - Jensen suspected the idea of having a very public life didn't appeal to the American. It wasn't easy on him either - his mother kept insisting that he needed to just bring him and the girl to Biryal and be done with it, but Jensen didn't want anything from Jared that wasn't given freely. At least he'd managed to keep almost all of it out of the press. Biryal didn't thrive on celebrity gossip and royal dirt - the other royal families of Europe never said much about it either, they had enough of their own problems to worry about theirs.
Everyone in Biryal knew about Princess Giovanna, or Princess Ginny as she was more commonly called. They knew she lived in America, but not where she lived - and Jensen preferred to keep it that way.
It was April and he decided that come this June, he'd insist that at least Jared come back to Biryal for a visit. After all, it wasn't like he'd seen much of the country on his single visit there.
*
Jared had put off his decision about Jensen long enough. He'd refused the man's marriage proposal each time he offered it, but Jensen always stated that he was welcome to call if at any time between visits if he changed his mind. He had thought long and hard about what would happen if he did say yes, about how his life would change. There were times he'd lie in bed and think what it would be like if he was Prince Jared of Biryal. If Ginny had little brothers and sisters - of being in the spotlight - and then doing some kind of charity work. Surely, there was something he could find that wouldn't be considered 'offensive', like humane treatment of horses.
He glanced at his watch - it was two in the afternoon here in Texas - he knew that Jensen had some kind of state dinner he had to go to tonight and was probably deep in political talk with the king of Denmark right now over helping Biryal get that 2028 Olympic bid it wanted or something else that just thinking about made his head swim. He'd call Jensen when he got home at ten. Sure, it'd be very late in Biryal, but Jensen had said he could call any time.
If Jared had known what the next twelve hours were going to bring, he would have called Jensen and interrupted that blasted dinner in the first place.
*
Octavia covered a yawn as she checked on Ginny, who had finally gone to sleep after a quick bath. They'd spent the majority of the afternoon at the playground, ending in a lot of dirt and grime on both of them. The young woman stretched and went to clean up the kitchen. She turned when she heard a buzz on the intercom and heard someone yelling that they'd forgotten their key. She shook her head and went back to work. Jared had told her under no circumstances to ever give into a message like that - true, it could be one of their neighbors and they could have locked themselves out. But there was always that possibility that it was someone who didn't live in the complex and wasn't supposed to be there.
She didn't believe it herself until she witnessed a screaming fight between a man on the ground and his ex-girlfriend screaming down at the balcony that she had already called the cops. Some dumbass let the man in and she was yelling bloody murder when the cops showed up. The whole thing ended with the young woman leaving in an ambulance from being beaten by the man. The man left in the cop car - and when the person who had let him in was discovered, they were evicted. All in all, it had been ugly.
Picking up her I-Pod from where she left it on the counter, she plugged in her ear-buds, turned on her cleaning play-list and turned her attention to straightening the kitchen. Ginny would sleep until dinner time - giving her plenty of time to get some cleaning and all of her homework done. She was halfway done putting the dishes away when someone knocked on the door.
“What the hell?” She took her I-Pod off and went to the door. “Must be time to sell chocolate bars for band trips again...” She undid the lock and opened the door.
*
Luke Dessler could not believe how easy it had all been. The hardest part had actually been getting into the apartment building. He glanced into the backseat of the car, where his girlfriend, Eva was putting sandals on Ginny Padaleki's feet. “She going to sleep the whole way there?”
Eva picked up one of Ginny Padalecki's arms and let it go, and the appendage fell limply to her side. “She'll be out until we get to Atlanta, at least. We may give her another dose in some food, just to be safe.”
Luke shook his head. “I hope we won't have to do that. People might think it's odd if she sleeps all the way across the ocean.”
The woman snorted. “They should thank us, really. Have you ever been on a flight with an obnoxious child?” She leaned back in her seat. “Such a pretty thing.”
“True. So this house of theirs... is it in the city?” He eased the car off the highway and down towards the airport. “Only thing I've seen of that country is on a few travel specials.”
“It's in the outskirts of the city, mountain views.” Eva smiled and ran a hand through her hair. “I haven't been back in years.”
“Well, it'll be a nice place to settle. Not to mention no one will be looking for the kid there.” Luke snorted. “You remember the story?”
“Of course.” She replied as they pulled into the long-term parking. “She's the daughter of you and your tragically dead ex-boyfriend. You felt obliged to take her in.”
“Simple and sweet.” He parked the car. “I'll carry her to the gate and what not. We don't have that much luggage.” He got out of the car and went to the trunk as Eva got out and unbuckled the girl's belt “Just hope Jared stays at work long enough.”
Eva's face faltered a fraction. “You think the nanny is okay?”
“Unless I miscalculated the dose of the drug, she should be fine. She's probably still sleeping like a baby where we left her in the hallway.” He shut the trunk, came over and pulled Ginny from the car, chuckling softly as she fell limply against him. “You remember to pack the needed items and what not?”
“Of course.” She shut the car door, shouldered a messenger bag as Luke did the same with a carry-on. She grasped the handle of the wheeled suitcase. “No one's going to even know she's missing until we're halfway across the Atlantic.”
*
Jared's day had taken a rapid turn for the worse this afternoon. Costs were up, tourism was down - and he once again was jobless. He knew he had enough in the bank to hold on for a few months - but not much more. The job market was crap and well, damn it all... as much as his pride resisted the idea, he might just pack up his and Ginny's bags and go to Biryal. This wasn't how he wanted things to be, he still wanted his freedom, his independence, but the truth of the matter was, he did love Jensen. He let himself into the apartment building at just after six in the evening.
He'd sit down at the table, eat a little dinner, have a talk with Octavia, then he'd call Jensen - and maybe, just maybe, they could all be on their way to Biryal by the end of the week. As the undid the lock of his apartment, he frowned. It was quiet on the other side of the door - usually by now, Ginny was watching a DVD while Octavia made or cleaned up after dinner. He pushed the door open and felt his heart drop.
Octavia was lying sprawled in the hall, unmoving.
“What the?” He slammed the door and fell down next to the young woman, shaking her. “Octavia?” The girl's body was heavy as he rolled her onto her back and his fear doubled. Her eyes were wide, glassy and unseeing and her skin was cold. “Oh.... oh fuck...” He bolted away from the body, racing towards the bedrooms. “Ginny?”
He flung open the door of the girl's room - it was empty. “Ginny?” He heard his voice crack as he went into his room, then to the rest of the apartment, his heart hammering in his chest. He sank down onto the floor, his fingers fumbling with his cell phone. How he managed to dial 911, he had no clue. There were two rings in his ear before someone answered.
“911, what is your emergency?” The woman's voice was calm and even.
“Someone took my baby!” Jared gasped out. “She's gone!”
“We're sending someone over right away sir.” He heard her shout something, indistinguishable. “Sir, how old is your baby?”
“She's almost four.” Jared squeezed his eyes shut. “Please hurry, someone took her - they... they killed the nanny.”
“Fuck.” The woman said, just loud enough for him to hear. “We have officers on the way, sir. What is your name?”
“Jared.” He swallowed. “I... I don't.... I need my baby back.”
“I understand sir, and we are going to do everything we can. Is your partner expected home soon?” The woman's voice was still calm, but he could hear the slight nervousness in her voice at asking the question.
“No... no he... he doesn't live with me. He doesn't live in Texas.” He could hear sirens headed his way. “Her father would never do something like this.” He had a feeling the woman wasn't going to believe him. All he knew was, he had to contact Jensen as soon as he could. “I... find Ginny, please.”
“We are going to do all that we can, sir.” The woman said again.
*
Jensen was half-dressed for bed when a valet came running into the room, his face ashen. “Dominic, what is it?”
“Urgent phone call for you, your majesty.” He was out of breath. “From a Detective Marlowe from San Antonio.”
“Shit.” Jensen crossed to the phone on his desk, looking at the blinking number and hit the line. “Yes?”
“Sir, this is Detective Marlowe, San Antonio...”
Jensen cut him off. “I was told where you were from, has something happened?”
The man sounded unruffled, no doubt not used to being spoken to in such a manner. “I must first ask you to confirm if you are the father of Giovanna Padalecki-Ackles.”
“Yes, I am.” He shot a look at the valet and mouthed 'contact security' to him before turning his attention to the detective. “What is going on?”
“Jensen?” Jared's voice was on the line. “Jen, oh god, Jen I'm sorry....”
“Jared?” He swallowed hard. “Jared, talk to me.”
“Someone took her, Jen... someone took Ginny.” He gulped. “I should have...”
“This isn't your fault, Jared. We'll find her. Do... did Octavia...”
“They killed Octavia!” Jared's panic returned. “I... I came home and she was... it was...”
“Deep breath, Jay. One deep breath....” Jensen listened to him breathe and glanced at the clock. It was just after eight at night in Texas. “Is the detective still on the line?”
“Yes, sir, I am.” The man's voice was somewhat calm. “We've issued an Amber Alert for the girl and are getting ready for a general news bulletin.”
“Understood.” Jensen pulled a ledger from his desk towards him. “I'm going to give you another person to contact, detective - she'll be able to help with some of protocol and media involved.” He scanned down the list. “Her name is Alona Langley. She is the Birylian ambassador to the United States.”
*
As the media was going nuts with the news that the heir to the throne of Biryal had been kidnapped by unknown persons, Luke, Eva and the missing child were perfectly settled into a row of Air France Flight 986 out of Atlanta, bound for a tiny nation in Europe called Genovia. People had remarked to both Luke and Eva what a pretty little girl they had.
Eva gave a sigh of relief as the fasten seat-belt line clicked off and the plane seemed to level out. The hardest part was over. No one was going to ever guess that a missing girl was on a trans-Atlantic flight. Jared probably wasn't even home from work yet and had no idea what had happened. By the time he did get home, they'd be well away and this was going to be one of the last places the world would look. She glanced over at the girl, who was staring, wide-eyed at the other passengers, the fear on her face was hopefully being seeing as a fear of flying.
“Not a word out of you, little girl.” Eva hissed under her breath. “Remember what we told you?”
Ginny slowly nodded. She remembered. If she didn't behave, they'd hurt daddy. She didn't know where daddy was, but these people said they could make him go away forever if she wasn't good. She rubbed at her ears, hating the funny feeling in them. She wanted her daddy or her papa. Both would be even better. And what about Via? Where was she? Did they hurt her too? It was confusing - she remembered coming home from the park, going to take a nap, a flash of some seats, a funny roaring noise - she still heard that - and now, now she was here.
She wanted to go home. She then winced. That's not all she needed. She turned to the lady, who was sitting in the seat next to the isle. “I have to use the potty.”
Eva had to bite back an annoyed retort. It was the first thing the girl had said in a while and she took a deep breath. “Okay...one minute.” She reached over and undid Ginny's seat belt before undoing her own and then guided her up the isle to the small lavatory at the front of the cabin. “It's really tight in there, can you use it alone?”
Ginny nodded, glad she was wearing a skirt instead of jeans. She still hadn't completely mastered getting in and out of those entirely. The lady was right - it was a small potty and when she was finished, she had to struggle to pull the door open. But she felt a lot better. Maybe now it would be easier to be brave. She let the woman - what was her name? - guide her back to their seats, the man they were with was snoring in the window seat. A few people had smiled at her on the way back - at least they weren't grumpy or mean.
She sat back down and remained still while the lady put her belt back on. “Thank you.”
“You're welcome.” Her smile was wan, tired. “Still sleepy?”
“A little.” Ginny yawned.
“Try and go back to sleep. We still have a long way to go.” Eva settled into her seat and closed her eyes.
Four rows in front of them, a man picked up the on-board phone and began to dial.
*
Jensen didn't check the number when his cell-phone rang. “Jared?”
“No, Jens - it's Andres.” An accented voice replied.
“Andres?” Jensen frowned, trying to think why the brother of the King of Spain was calling him - football season had just ended. “Is something wrong?”
“Uh... this is going to sound totally insane, but I think I just saw your daughter on the plane I'm on.”
“What?” Jensen's reply caused several staff members to turn towards him. “Are you sure?”
“I'm pretty sure - her eyes are the same shade of green as yours.” There was a staticy sound. “She's... is she not supposed to be here?”
“No!” Jensen grasped his desk. “Has - where are you, exactly?”
“On an Air France flight heading for Genovia. I can't remember the flight number.” Another odd noise. “Jens, what's going on?”
“A lot of bad stuff. Hang on.” He turned to his assistant, who was on the phone with someone else. “Contact Air France, Prince Andres of Spain says Giovanna on his flight.”
“At once, your majesty.” The woman replied, hung up with whoever she was on the phone with and started dialing. “Where is his flight out of, sir?”
“Andres? Where you coming from?” Jensen could hardly believe this was happening. That they were just this damn lucky.
“Atlanta. What's happened, exactly?” From the tone in Andres's voice, Jensen knew he was trying to remain calm.
“Plenty. And none of it's good. Your flight's a direct one, correct?”
“Si. I - my flight to Madrid was overbooked - I decided to be a man of the people and allow myself to be switched to another flight.” He let out a shaky laugh. “I know that...”
“It's fine, Andres. I'm going to have to let you go so we can take care of things here. Thank you for calling.”
“Of course, Jens.” Static. “I will call back in two hours with an update.”
“Thank you.” Jensen hit the end button just as his assistant set the phone against her shoulder. “Have they found the flight?”
“Yes. Air France Flight 986. They are contacting the crew as we speak.” She ran her fingers through her hair. “Do we want them to divert the flight if necessary?”
Jensen thought for a moment and then shook his head. “First we need to confirm that it's actually Ginny on that plane. We don't know what the kidnappers are capable of, even though we know they can't be carrying weapons, they can still hurt her.” He paused as the woman turned her attention back to the phone.
“Well, how the hell did airport security let them through? I thought people had to walk through those metal detectors if...” She scowled. “I understand that they are overworked, however...” She shook her head. “We can discuss this later, what is that plane's ETA in Genovia?”
*
Jared kept hoping this was all some kind of bad dream. He felt sick, frightened, worried and angry all at the same time. He wanted his little girl, he wanted to know she was safe, and he really hated the fact that Jensen was on the other side of the ocean. He had no doubt that the man would be on his way here as soon as it could be arranged. It would be easier then. He needed Jensen here - the support from friends was nothing compared to what he could get from that man.
He sat on his couch, hugging himself as he, Misha and what had to be half the police force in San Antonio waited for the kidnappers to call. They always called, didn't they? There would be ransom, they'd arrange for it, it would be delivered and maybe, just maybe, Ginny would be back home with him before this time tomorrow.
And pigs might start flying too.
Misha squeezed his friend, not certain of what to say. “Are you sure you don't want something to eat?”
“I think if I ate, I would throw up.” He couldn't think of anyone who would pull this sort of thing off. The jarring ring tome of his cell-phone shattered the silence and he fumbled to answer it. “Jen?”
“Jared? That you?” Jensen's voice sounded - odd. It was tense, but an underlying tone of calm.
“Jensen?” He swallowed hard. “I... you're on your way, right?”
“No. Before you freak out, I'll tell you why. I got a call from a friend of mine. He's on a plane with Ginny right now.”
“What?” Jared stood up, stunned. “Is... is your friend sure?”
“He's positive - he and about seven other people on the flight all got missing child alerts and contacted the authorities.” Jensen took a breath. “I'm getting ready to go meet the plane, it's landing in Genovia.”
One of the officer's cell-phones rang and he answered it.
“Jen, I... this...”
“There's a red-eye flight leaving for Madrid from Houston in four hours - there's a flight to Houston from San Antonio in an hour and a half. I can get you on both those planes and someone from Biryal will meet you in Spain to take you the rest of the way.” Jensen's voice was firm - and he honestly didn't care how bossy the man sounded at the moment - he needed to get going.
“I... but how...” He swallowed hard and saw the detectives motioning to Misha, apparently relaying the information he'd just gotten. “I take it Genovia has an extradition agreement with the United States.”
“Of course they do, the heir to their throne's an American citizen.” He took a breath. “I've got to go, Jared. I will see you in a few dozen hours.”
“I... give Ginny a hug and a kiss for me, okay?” Jared felt an odd sort of calm spreading over him. “Okay?”
“I will, Jared. I will.” Jensen took a breath. “Love you.”
“I love you too.” Jared hung up, swallowing hard. “This is...” A moment later, Misha pushed a carry-on bag in his arms. “What the?”
“Change of clothes, some underwear, bare necessities.” Misha had a stern look on his face. “We need to get you to the airport.”
“I.. um....” He shook his head to clear it. “Thanks.”
“Don't thank me yet, we have to get through traffic first.” Misha said.
“We'll get you there.” One of the officers replied and two stepped forward to escort him out of the apartment and down the elevator.
**
Luke Dessler rubbed his eyes tiredly as the fasten seat-belt light flicked on and the plane began its decent towards Europe. He had slept most of the entire flight and for that, he was glad. He glanced over at Eva, who was stuffing things into her carry-on bag. Between them, the brat was sitting calmly, looking like any kid who'd slept poorly. He gave her a small smile - it wasn't her fault her daddy was a liar. “You'll feel better after we have breakfast.”
“Okay.” She leaned back in her seat, her eyes focused on the tray-table. “Are we going home?”
“We're going to a home, yes.” He shook his head. “No more questions, not until we're there.”
She nodded and yawned. “I didn't brush my teeth.”
“It's okay, just for one night.” Luke rubbed his temple.
“Ladies and Gentlemen, we have begun our final decent and we should be on the ground in ten minutes. When we land, we ask that you remain in your seats and do not turn on your electronic devices until we have arrived at the gate.” The captain repeated the message in French, and then in Spanish.
“I am so glad to be back.” Eva let out a sigh. “Weird rules and all.”
“Yeah.” Luke chuckled.
*
Jensen watched, passively from a window in the Genovian airport as the 767 landed and taxied towards the gate. The urge to run down the stairs and onto the plane was great. He knew that they would catch the culprits at customs. There was only a handful of officers on duty, but they all were on alert. There couldn't be that many kids on the flight. He turned back to the room, usually reserved for pilots and members of an airline's frequent fliers. It had been a harrowing ten hours. He had talked to Jared before he boarded that flight to Madrid. The man was somewhere over the Atlantic right now.
He rubbed the back of his neck and took a breath. It wouldn't be too much longer now. He knew he couldn't sit down - and he had to resist the urge to pace. He idly walked to a row of posters, advertising vacations in Sydney, Beijing, and New York City. He turned, looking towards the glass doors, and then he heard the shouting - followed by someone crying. A cry he knew. He went out into the passageway and looked down into the concourse. A woman was screaming for her child, restrained by two guards. The crying came from a tiny figure in the arms of an airport security guard. Jensen ran down the stairs, and suddenly, the blond girl caught sight of him.
“PAPA!” Ginny screamed loud enough that it echoed through the airport. She squirmed free of the man holding her and ran to the first friendly face she'd seen in what felt like forever.
Jensen swept her up into his arms, holding onto her for dear life. “I've got you, baby girl.” He smoothed her hair down. “You're safe now.”
“Papa I was so scared!” Ginny sobbed into his neck and he held onto her, backing away from the crowd, knowing that she was keeping him from punching the people responsible for scaring his child.
“I know.” He brushed the tears from her face. “I was scared too.” Airport guards escorted the two of them back upstairs.
“I want daddy.” Ginny's lower lip trembled. “And I'm hungry.”
“Daddy's on his way - and we'll have breakfast in a little bit, okay?”
“Okay, papa.” She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and let out a tired breath. “Are we going home?”
“Yeah, sweet pea. We're going home.” Jensen smiled faintly.
**
Jared was exhausted - one car ride, three planes and now a helicopter ride - each leg of the journey seemed longer than the one before. He leaned against the glass of the door of the copter, looking down at the passing countryside of Biryal. It was a part of the country he hadn't seen - except in pictures. Green augmented by the occasional town. He blinked suddenly when the trees suddenly ended and he was looking at gardens and lawns - he could see horses, and the roar of the engine increased and then he saw the landing pad a moment before they were on the ground.
He straightened up, his heart surging as he looked out and saw both Ginny and Jensen waiting for him. He unbuckled himself and then the door swung open. The heavy smell of flowers augmented with a whiff of aviation fuel greeted him and then he was escorted towards the palace.
The palace. Jared had almost never called Jensen's home that. But that's what it was.
“Daddy!” Ginny ran across the distance and flung herself against his legs. “You're here!”
He picked her up and kissed her cheek. “Yeah, bun. I'm here.”
Jensen came out to join them and kissed his cheek. “She's been asking when you're going to get here every five minutes for the past six hours.”
Jared laughed. “Funny, she does the same thing when you come to visit.”
**
Jared wasn't certain what was up with Jensen. He and Ginny had been in Biryal for two weeks and not once had Jensen asked him to stay. His mom hadn't asked either. They knew he had no job, they knew that there wasn't much waiting for him back in Texas, except moving back into the Morgan family's home - and still, Jensen wouldn't bring up the subject.
Ginny loved it here - that much he could tell. The three of them made it a point to have lunch or tea together every day. Dinner, however, was strictly for the grown-ups, and while enjoyable, there was such a formality to it that he still wasn't used to. He didn't know if he could get used to it.
Jared sat down in front of the massive fountain in the center of the garden, lamenting the fact that soon, he and Ginny would have to go home. Ginny would hate going back to Texas now, he was certain of it. It was... this was just a nightmare.
“Jay?” Jensen's voice cut into his thoughts and he turned.
“Hey.” He watched as the slightly shorter man came over and sat down on the bench with him. “Is something wrong?”
“No.” He rested his arms on his legs, not watching him. “I think I should be asking you that.”
Jared snorted. “I'm sorry... It... well, I'm sort of surprised you haven't asked me to stay here. Or are you assuming I'm going to stay?”
“I didn't feel it was - right for me to ask you to stay. Nor was I assuming. You always seemed content with the way we had it, and if you want to go on that way, we can continue to do so.” Jensen straightened up. “However, if you would like to stay, you're welcome to. You have no doubt noticed I'm not exactly short on room here, so it's really no bother...”
He gave the man a playful shove. “Smartass.”
“Yeah yeah.” Jensen stood up. “Like I said, I didn't feel it was - exactly right of me to ask you to stay given the situation that brought you here.” His shoulders rose and then fell. “It wouldn't be right to take advantage.”
Jared swallowed hard. “I...”
“What is it?” Jensen frowned. “Did I say something wrong?”
“No - but uh... I was going to call that night. I was going to call that night two weeks ago anyway.” Jared stood. “I was going to call to say yes.”
Jensen's eyes widened. “You're serious, aren't you?”
“Of course I am!” He closed the distance between them, hoping to get out what he needed to without crying. “You said that the proposal was open and I could reply if I changed my mind. Well, I changed my mind and my answer is yes!”
“Jared...” Jensen took his face in his hands and kissed him softly. “Are you sure?”
He smiled. “Positive.”
***
The wedding of King Jensen Ackles to Jared Padalecki was a small affair. Close friends and family were among the only people invited. There would be a celebration later, of course, for the large number of friends who were, as Jensen put it, 'required' invites - princes and queens, kings and princesses. Things seemed to swirl around him for weeks on end. Ginny adjusted to her new home rather well, Sadie took to it even better - though she seemed content to lie around with the older dogs that were in the palace, former hunting dogs now too old to track, retrieve or do much more than play an occasional game of fetch.
Seven months after the wedding - King Jensen of Biryal and Prince-Consort Jared, welcomed their second child into the world - Prince Octavian.