Glass"Stained Glass Love" chapter 1
The Church of St. Bartholomew was filled with people, all clustered around the chancel, many of them with cameras. More of them waved hands and called out questions to the minister, Father Collins, a harassed looking figure who appeared out of his depth as he attempted to answer everyone. Above them, serenely beautiful, the newly repaired and reinstalled rose window presided over the altar, and the late afternoon sunlight which streamed through it cast what seemed to be a thousand colors over the church's interior.
In the midst of the clamor nobody seemed to have noticed the man who had broken away from the main group of reporters to make his way up the nave towards the main door, and freedom. He'd paused for just a moment and turned to look back up at the window and the light hit his very handsome face, casting lilac, amber, green and blue speckles over him, making him resemble an icon as he made his escape from the crush of reporters.
The tall newcomer who had just entered the nave paused beside the font, transfixed by the sight of him and gazed, open-mouthed as he turned to pass him by, disappearing through the door to leave behind only the memory of plush lips and brilliant eyes illuminated by the colors that had bathed him.
"Who the hell was that?" The man, Jared, watched him until he was out of sight and then turned to his companion. "I need to know." He began to circle around the nave, taking in each of the other windows and pausing to admire some of the whimsical carvings that had been added for ornamentation to the bosses that joined the pieces of wood that made up the rib vaulted roof. "You know, Alex, church architecture has always fascinated me. I think looking at how some of these old buildings were constructed is what inspired me to become an architect in the first place. I owe them a huge debt."
At that moment, the gaggle of reporters seemed to break up, some of them peeling off to check out other windows in the church and one or two coming down the aisle, ready to go and file their stories.
As Father Collins seemed to be at least temporarily free of company, Jared made his way up the aisle to where he was standing. Reaching forward to offer the priest his hand, he quickly introduced himself and his secretary, Alex, to him.
"Good afternoon, Father. I'm Jared Padalecki. This is my assistant Alex Calvert, and I have a very special interest in the arts. You may have heard of my foundation, 'Creative America,' and when I read that the window was repaired and about to be reinstalled, I had to come and see it for myself. I was really interested to read about the history of this particular building, since it was the first to be built as the settlers moved west. I know that the leaded glass windows were donated by the families of the first immigrants as symbols of their symbiosis with their new homeland. The delicacy of the lead rods as well as the luminous colorations of the glass were a masterpiece of the time. I was dismayed when I heard of the destruction the fire caused. My grandparents were immigrants who often attended this church, and when I read that the rose window had been repaired and would soon be reinstalled, I absolutely had to stop by and see it for myself. Would you mind telling me about the piece, and about the repair?" As he was speaking, Jared was gazing at the window itself, watching as the light faded from it as the sun moved on towards evening. "I must say it's even more beautiful than I had imagined."
"Absolutely." The priest shook Jared's hand and turned to indicate the newly installed window. "A couple of weeks ago there was an incident. Vandals broke into the church and set a fire here in the chancel, beyond the altar. It fortunately didn't destroy the whole church, and the fire department managed to put it out before too much damage had been done, but the heat from the flames melted the lead that held the glass in place, and so many of the pieces of glass fell out and were broken or lost."
"Only a couple of weeks?" Jared's eyebrows raised. "That seems almost too amazing to be true. How on earth was it repaired so quickly?"
"Yes. I'm sure that the hand of God was involved." Father Collins nodded so hard Jared was worried that his head might fall off and roll down the aisle. "One of our parishioners has a son who works in leaded glass, and he offered his services for free. He was quite literally a Godsend."
Jared's lips twitched, but he kept his laughter to himself. Alex, who had been standing beside him during the short conversation, had to turn away quickly in order to stifle the giggles.
"A Godsend indeed," agreed Jared. "I'd love to meet this generous artist. Is he here?"
"I'm afraid you just missed him." Father Collins was making his way to the door of the church to thank the few straggling reporters who were now apparently ready to leave. "He's not very comfortable with crowds, and he left when he got the chance."
Nodding to himself, Jared reflected that the handsome man he'd seen must almost certainly be the fleeing artist. "What's this amazing artist's name, Father? I work with a charity that sponsors the arts, and I'd love to meet him."
"Of course...!" A sudden crash sounded from somewhere out of sight of the main body of the church, and Father Collins startled visibly. "Please excuse me," he muttered, before turning and racing up the aisle towards the vestry.
Jared seemed about to follow him, but Alex, who had been silent up until then, put a hand on his arm. "You know you have an appointment with the fundraising committee for the auction. It wouldn't do to be late."
"But..." Jared dithered for a moment, but it seemed that Father Collins wasn't going to return straight away, and finally he sighed and followed Alex out of the church, making a mental note to return once he had an opportunity.
Traffic was hell, and by the time Jared arrived at the office he found that his committee were all on the verge of leaving. Swiftly apologizing, he set about presenting his plan for the auction he was hoping to hold the following month. He had set up his foundation, 'Creative America, ' on his 29th birthday, after his company had hit the Fortune 500, and now his aim was to provide support to as many local artists and arts organizations as possible, giving them the power to inspire minds, encourage expression, foster creativity and help further Austin's reputation as the creative hub of Texas. The coming auction was dear to his heart, and he was hoping that the money generated would take his foundation to the next level.
"Currently, we have sent out invitations to 300 companies, suggesting that they purchase a table. Catering is all set, and chef Hugo Ortega has offered his services on a complimentary basis to ensure that all goes well. Right now, we're hoping for donations of items for auction. Do any of you have any information that might lead to substantial gifts?" Jared gazed around the small group, hoping that there would be some good suggestions. They'd received a number of items, but there wasn't really a single prize that would set the art community of Austin buzzing.
"I've been speaking with Mark Bradford." Heads turned as Alaina Huffman, noted art collector, began to speak. "He's just completed a set of paintings that reflect his thoughts on creativity in isolation, following the lockdown. He's happy to give a talk on the purpose of art in this complex time of societal indetermination and to put a canvas up for auction if we would like."
"That sounds worth pursuing," said Mark Sheppard, one of the lawyers retained by the foundation at need. "What's he asking?" Others nodded along at Mark's question, and a buzz of chatter broke out before Jared cleared his throat and attempted to bring them back to order.
"Great question, Mark." He turned back to Alaina, who was sitting, smiling serenely, knowing that her announcement had just scored her points against her main rival, Samantha Ferris, who was looking chagrined.
"He said he'd do it for free," said Alaina, smirking as if she'd just won a contest. "Just so long as the money it raises can go into a scholarship to be awarded to an up and coming artist following the auction."
Once more the buzz of conversation rose, with everyone agreeing that the offer should be taken up and congratulating her. Samantha alone remained mute, and Jared just knew she was madly planning how she could top that for the following week's meeting.
"That's incredibly generous of him." Jared once again cut through the chatter. "Please tell him thank you for his kindness. Does anyone else have anything to add at the moment?"
Nobody did, and so Jared went on to discuss the budget details and housekeeping arrangements for the auction, finishing the meeting by setting a final one for two weeks away, when hopefully all would be finalized and ready for the event. He had been hoping for more donations, but knew there was still time, and he intended to buy at least one attractive item to put up for auction himself before the big day.
Once everyone had finally taken their leave, and he'd been left to reflect on the meeting, Alex brought in a pile of papers all requiring his signature. Sighing, he settled down despite the beginnings of a headache to read through each paper and sign those that required his authorisation. As he worked, he found his thoughts constantly wandering back to the beautiful man he'd seen at the church, forcing him to keep dragging his mind back to the routine of his paperwork. Much to his exasperation, he was fighting a losing battle.
Consequently it was well after 9pm when he finally stumbled into his loft and sat down to munch his way through the lamb souvlaki he'd picked up on his way home. His headache was definitely making itself felt, and he finally took a couple of Tylenol and headed up the spiral staircase to his bed.
As Jensen Ackles walked up the gravel pathway that led to his workshop, he was joined by a slinky grey shadow, which proceeded to twine itself between his feet as he went. "Oh, hello, Your Majesty. Nice to see you. I guess you're hungry."
Not wanting to fall over his cat, who seemed to be intent on tripping him, Jensen bent to pick her up, kissed her nose and smiled into her bright blue eyes. He received a soft trill of greetings as he lifted her onto his shoulder so she could survey her territory.
The workshop was currently deserted. Jensen's assistants had gone home after the successful installation of the window in the church, and Jensen himself was grateful for the peace and quiet as he let himself into the studio.
Currently the furnaces were turned off, the kiln was cold, and while the paraphernalia for painting and sculpting the glass were strewn about the place, it was only now that the church window had been replaced in its original housing that he had the space to set up his next project. It was the commission that he was hoping would bring in not only the hefty fee they had offered, but would also make his name in the art world as one of the few real talents in the world of glass.
He was excited to begin making it, but first he had a cat to feed, and she was letting him know it in no uncertain way, by biting sharply into his ear lobe.
"Ow! Fuck it, Cat. I refuse to be your dinner. I'm not even willing to be an hors d'oeuvre!" He made for the small kitchen towards the rear of his studio and as he reached it, the little gray cat left his shoulder to leap down onto the worktop and saunter up and down in front of him, yelling in a very loud voice and clearly demanding to be fed. Reaching up into a cupboard above, he pulled out a can labeled salmon and then bent to grab her dish from the floor. Meanwhile, she studied the can and, with a swipe of her paw, knocked it off the counter onto the floor to roll across it and get lodged up against his drafting desk.
He tossed the dish into the sink and went to retrieve the salmon. "Not feeling fishy today, eh?" he asked her. "Well, it's fish or chicken, because that's what I've got right now. He replaced the rejected can in the cupboard and took out one that said chicken, studying her as he did so. To his relief she didn't offer it any violence, so he turned back to washing her bowl and filling it with the food of her choice.
Once she was busily chowing down on her dinner, Jensen opened a can of beans for himself and fumbled through the drawers for a clean spoon. He took it over to the little, curtained-off alcove that contained his bed and sank down to reflect on the success of the day as he ate.
Setting up the studio had meant that he was almost completely broke, but offering to repair the church's damaged window for free had garnered enough publicity that he'd been commissioned to produce a panel for a new community center and swimming pool in Houston. The retainer they had paid him would see him through enough to complete the panel and get paid. Following that, he hoped there would be enough orders that he would be able to start making a profit.
So here he was, living his dream, with his own studio, and a potentially bright future. His cat, her own meal completed, hopped up beside him and snuggled in against his side, protesting vociferously as he tried to dissuade her from shoving her nose into his can of beans.
"It's okay, Queenie," he said as she glared at him. "Today we're eating out of cans, but pretty soon we're going to be dining on caviar and steak. I'll buy you a collar with diamonds on it and your name in gold." It seemed that she'd understood, because she yawned widely at him and curled up for a nap.
Leaving her side for a few minutes, he went to wash out his empty can and toss it into his recycling bin, then decided he wanted a drink. He had a fifth of Scotch he'd bought to celebrate finishing the window, and decided that it would be good to celebrate completing phase 1 of his plan. Reaching for a jar that held a bunch of paintbrushes, he dumped the brushes onto the counter, rinsed it out and poured himself a liberal amount of whisky. "Cheers," he said, raising it to the empty workshop.
In the morning he would start work on his commission, but for tonight he was content to sip his drink and reflect on his choices.
It was still dark when Jared was roused out of his dreams by the shrilling of the telephone, and he groaned as he heard Alex's voice.
"We're outside, are you ready?"
"Oh, God! Give me five minutes." How could he have forgotten to set his alarm? He checked his watch as he struggled into his clothes and grabbed his laptop and suitcase, madly trying to remember if he'd actually unpacked it from his last trip. It seemed on quick inspection that he had at least got some clean clothes and toiletries in there, and he ran down the stairs clutching it, to where the elevator awaited him.
Alex looked as placid and urbane as ever, and Jared wondered for a moment if he actually ever slept or if he merely turned himself off for the night when he wasn't off duty. He fell into the car beside the young man, and without more than a brief, "Morning," from Clif, the driver, they were on their way to the airport for an early flight to New York, where he would spend the next couple of days meeting with his creative team and their clients.
"Here." Alex held out a large travel mug full of chai, and as he inhaled the aromatic scent of the spicy drink, he was finally able to relax.
"Thanks, man," he mumbled as he sipped his drink and closed his eyes in bliss. "I honestly don't know what I'd do without you."
"I'm guessing you'd decline and fall like Rome or something," said Alex, giving a slight smile. "You'd certainly miss your flight!"
"No kidding. I had a headache last night that was not conducive to remembering things well. Forgot to set the alarm."
Alex chuckled. "Dude, you always forget to set your alarm."
Jared relaxed back into the seat as he enjoyed his chai. Gazing idly out of the car window he could see the beginnings of morning rush hour traffic. There were brake lights, flashing lights, and tail lights flashing everywhere in the darkness. Red, orange, green... out of nowhere his mind went to the image of that beautiful man as he stood in the church, bathed in colorful light before vanishing like a wet dream. Who the hell was he?
As the two men boarded their plane to New York City, the vision he'd seen in the church just wouldn't leave his mind, and he wished he could skip the trip, so he could go find out if he was real or just a fetch brought on by too much paperwork and not enough romance. He lost himself for a few minutes in a daydream of meeting his vision and getting to know him, but very soon had to bend his mind to the business of running his empire, and at least for a day or so his crush was banished from his mind.
Sharp claws digging into his shoulder blades woke Jensen from his slumbers, and his cry of outrage was instantly drowned out by the complaints of Her Majesty the Czarina Catherine II, who had decided that breakfast was long overdue. Sighing heavily, he rolled out of bed and stumbled to the corner he was using as his kitchen. Once Cat had been fed, he began to set up his Keurig. He had a refillable pod, and in his sleepy state he counted it as a win when he only spilled the coffee grounds onto the worktop once.
Setting it to brew his coffee, he went into the tiny bathroom to make himself ready for the day. Once he emerged, Traci had already arrived and was sweeping the floor and generally tidying up.
"Hey," she called. "I brought you breakfast."
Approaching the counter, Jensen saw that not only was his coffee brewed and ready, but there was a bag containing a couple of breakfast sandwiches. "Thank you. You can stay!" Then, on second thoughts, as he pulled one of the sandwiches out of the bag to unwrap, "Are both of these mine?"
"You're a growing boy," she said as she emptied her dustpan into the trash. "I figured that we don't need you passing out from hunger this morning. We're starting a new project and we need you at your best."
Ty was arriving as Jensen dug into his food, and before long they were preparing to create the new panel that Jensen had designed.
Jensen had spent most of his recent evenings programming his new design into his computer, and between the three of them they successfully printed it out onto the paper that bore the design and laid it out on the work table ready to start work.
Jensen had already counted out the number of colors he would need for the completed design, which would use both clear, tinted cathedral glass and colored, opalescent glass in a design that would show a mermaid sitting on a rock while behind her a shoal of dolphins cavorted in the waves, and a distant coastline standing in the misty background. Traci was going through the stocks of colored glass they would need and setting them ready, while Ty prepared paper templates for the different pieces Jensen needed to cut.
They worked in companionable silence for a while. Jensen had begun cutting glass to shape, clipping the curved edges and then grinding the pieces smooth. There were several moments when Cat took it on herself to jump onto the design table and bat pieces of the cut glass away from their designated places, but they were easily short circuited by Traci, with the aid of a remote-controlled mouse. Following a whirlwind chase through the workshop, she retreated to Jensen's bed to lounge in comfort and wash her paws.
By the end of the day, much of the glass for the background was trimmed and ready for soldering, and the three of them were winding down their efforts, well pleased with what they had accomplished.
"I don't think it's going to take longer than a couple of weeks to get it all ready to go to Houston. Less than that if we really get going," said Jensen, stretching to relieve his back from the stooped position he'd been holding for most of the day.
"We're going to have to get it to Houston in pieces." Ty surveyed the size of the panel and shook his head. "No way we could transport the complete thing without breaking it."
"Yeah." Jensen nodded. "We'll need to solder it all together at the site, but I designed it so we could assemble some of it in strips, so it won't take long."
"Jensen, we're going to need more lavender glass for the dolphins. Want me to order it?" Traci was done with her inventory of the glass and had begun to catalog the copper foil they would need to solder the glass into position.
"Get a price first, please, Trace. We might need to make it ourselves." Jensen's usually good-natured expression darkened. "I'm pretty well out of funds until the check for the advance clears and goes into the account. If we can wait for next Monday we'll be good, but the bank was putting up obstacles galore."
"No worries." Traci was busily sorting the different tints into their pigeonholes ready for use. "We've got plenty of everything else. I'll make a note to order it on Monday."
Masterpost