Screaming Color -- Ch. 8 I Wish You Would
Title: Screaming Color (8/14)
Rating: NC-17
Pairing: Jensen/Jared
Warnings: Past abuse (physical and emotional), referenced rape/non-con
Disclaimer: I do not personally know, nor do I own, Jensen or Jared. This is purely fictional.
Summary (shortened): Jared escapes his hometown, and his past, for a fresh start in the bright and busy city of New York. Jensen has been stationed in the city for the better part of the last four years. When they finally get together, neither one wants to let their fears or scars hold them back. But when the world around you doesn’t actually know you, and the demons of your past threaten to break you, can love really conqueror all?
A/N: Any feedback is welcome! It fuels the fire :) I've seemed to hit my stride! Three Chapter this week!!
Other stories/chapters can be found in the Fiction Index
Chapter Eight: I Wish You Would
”I wish you would come back
Wish I’d never hung up the phone like I did
I wish you knew that, I’d never forget you as long as I’d live
And I wish you were here, right now
It’s all good, I wish you would
I wish we could go back and
Remember what we were fighting for
Wish you knew that, I miss you too much to be mad anymore
And I wish you were right here, right now”
‘I Wish You Would’ by Taylor Swift 1989
“Hey baby.” Jensen found himself instantly relaxing as soon as Jared’s face appeared on his computer screen. The resolution was crappy, the sucky internet connection sometimes made their conversation choppy, but short of actually being with Jared? Jensen wouldn’t trade this for anything.
“Hey.” Jared smiled, reaching forward to adjust the camera on his laptop. “You look so good.”
“Nothing like you.” Jensen smiled, crossing his ankles and leaning back against the wall. He had convinced Tom to go with the guys to the gym alone, claiming he had an upset stomach and wasn’t up for lifting weights today. Jared blushed and sucked his lower lip into his mouth and Jensen didn’t bother to mask the groan that escaped from deep in his throat. “God, Jay… The first thing I am going to do when I get home, in thirty fucking days by the way, is suck on that lip myself.”
Jared’s eyes widened at the thought and the grin he was rewarded made Jensen wish he had a time machine and could fast forward the next month until he was able to be home and in Jared’s arms.
“I can’t wait.” Jared whispered, catching Jensen’s eyes through the screen. They smiled at each other, silence falling over them for a minute. It was comfortable, and Jensen knew Jared was taking a moment to just take him in, just as he was doing. “I have to tell you something.” Jared sighed, looking away from the screen and Jensen knew he was picking at his thumb nail.
“Everything okay?” He could hear the concern in his voice as he shifted so he could sit straighter up on the bed. “Jared?”
“Yeah… Well, mostly.” Jared shrugged, looking sheepish as his eyes flashed back up to the screen. “I don’t want you to get pissed at me.”
“Why would I be pissed at you, Jared?” Jensen felt his insides freeze. He swallowed hard, wanting to tell Jared to stop, that whatever it was he was better off not knowing. He repeated Jared’s name, wincing at how hard he sounded. He didn’t want to know, but he had to know.
“Jen… no, nothing like that.” Jared shook his head quickly, alarm crossing his features as he studied Jensen’s face. “Fuck, I wish we didn’t have to do this over fucking skype.” He sighed and Jensen watched him lean back, smiling slightly when he realized Jared was laying in his bed.
“Jared… you’re kind of freaking me out here, man. Just… whatever it is, just say it.” Jensen sighed, forcing himself to breathe and calm his now racing heart.
“Um… Well…” Jared closed his eyes tightly and Jensen could tell from the parts of his upper body he could see that Jared was clenching his fists at his side. “I should have told you, and I know that you’re going to be pissed that I didn’t, but I didn’t want to worry you and so I kind of maybe omitted the truth as to the real reason why I’m staying in your apartment and not mine.” Jared’s voice rushed out in one quick breath before he opened his eyes, worry flitting across his features.
“I don’t… what?” Jensen shook his head, completely missing the point. “I don’t care that you’re at my place, babe. I kind of like thinking of you in my bed.”
“Yeah… well… I’m here because Chad has been sending me messages and things at my place.” Jared winced at the camera and Jensen could only imagine what his face was betraying.
“What?” He could feel his teeth clenching as he sat up fully, suddenly reaching for his gun. There was nothing he could do, not here and not now, but he felt better with the 9mm clenched in his fist, the other hand balancing his laptop. “What the fuck do you mean he’s been sending you messages? Why didn’t you tell me, Jared? What kind of messages?”
“Um… well… the flowers for one…” Jared whispered and jumped as Jensen yelled.
“What? You said those were from--” He cut off, forcing himself to exhale slowly. He was pissed, anger swirling through his stomach as he realized Jared had lied to him. But as he took in his boyfriend’s face on the other end and realized he was shaking as he was trying to steady the laptop, Jensen knew he had to calm down. “Tell. Me. Everything.”
“He’s not here… Jeff has been kind of keeping tabs on him… so I’m not sure who he has in New York helping him. But after I got the flowers he sent me a card, asking if I liked them. I stayed at the hospital for a night or two and when I went back home there was a rose on my pillow. And that’s when I started to stay up in your place.” Jared gave him a small smile, his voice shaking. “And, um, I’ve been getting like little cards and old pictures of us and stuff in my mailbox. And I didn’t want to worry you about it… I just wanted to take care of it myself.”
“So why are you telling me now?” Jensen spat out, fighting the urge to laugh.
“Because-”
“Ackles!” The door to the room slammed open, Tom waltzing back in with a smile plastered on his face.
“Fuck.” Jensen swore, slamming down the top of his laptop, cutting off any response Jared was coming up with. “What the hell, Tom?”
“Watching porn? Hope you’re decent.” Tom laughed, yanking the sheet back, the light from the room making Jensen curse and duck further into the bed.
“Seriously?” He said, kicking his leg out at his friend, hands shaking and anger still coursing through him.
“Watch it!” Tom jumped back. “I figured I would keep you company if you weren’t feeling good. What’s wrong?” He finally seemed to catch onto Jensen’s mood and crouched down on the ground so he would be at face level.
“Nothing.” Jensen shook his head, pressing his hands against his eyes and slamming his head back into the wall.
“Dude, I’ve only seen you this pissed like once. What the fuck happed in the ten minutes I was gone?”
“Tom? I don’t want to talk about it.” Jensen pulled his hands back and met his friend’s eyes, silently pleading with him to just drop it. “Seriously. Personal crap, okay?”
“Yeah… okay.” Tom nodded after a moment, still watching him carefully. “Jensen… You know you can talk to me about anything, right? I care, about you, you know? Like, seriously, anything.” Tom struggled over the words but his sincerity was there.
“No homo.” Jensen said, halfheartedly and sat up to clap Tom on the shoulder.
“Yeah.” Tom nodded, a strange expression on his face. What the hell did that mean? Jensen shook his head and pushed his legs off the bed so they were on the ground.
“I’m feeling better. Let me get my PTs and then I’ll head with you to the gym.” He used Tom’s shoulder to push himself off the bed and crossed the room to his footlocker. He slipped out of his ACUs and into his PTs, exchanging his combat boots for his sneakers.
“Are you sure?” Tom asked, hesitating. Jensen threw him a look, making his friend sigh and grab two bottles of water from the floor by the end of his bed and tossing one to Jensen. “Whatever, man.”
Jensen threw all of his frustrations into the beat up equipment they had at their makeshift gym. He ignored Tom’s warnings to slow down, pushing himself harder and further than he had in the months they had been there. He needed to feel the burn, to feel the pain. Anything to block out the non-physical pain he felt in every part of his body.
Jared had lied to him. He slammed the bar back into its holder, ignoring Tom cursing at him as he sat up and pulled the towel up from the ground to wipe his face and shoulders. He had basically lied to his face. For almost a month… What else had Jared lied about? Jensen’s gut clenched at the thought.
He didn’t want to think of Jared lying to him about anything… but if he lied about one thing, didn’t that open the door for others? He closed his eyes, rolling his shoulders back and wincing at the burn he felt there. Why would Jared lie to him?
“Dude. We’re done.” Tom pulled him out of his thoughts, gripping his shoulder hard to draw his attention up. “You’re going to hurt yourself. You’re done.” Jensen nodded, letting himself be pulled off the bench and following Tom to the shower. “Jesus Christ, Jensen.” Tom was still muttering to himself as he stripped out of his PTs and hit the shower dial, a lukewarm spray hitting his back.
“I’m fine.” Jensen said, stripping his own clothes off and stepping under his own spray, a few shower heads away.
“Yeah, sure you are.” Tom snorted. “Whatever the hell has you so messed up right now? It’s not worth hurting yourself over.”
“I’m fine, Tom. Just got too absorbed.” Tom snorted again and ignored him, focusing on his shower and leaving Jensen alone again with his thoughts.
”Adam?” Jensen froze, fighting the urge to wipe his eyes and make sure he wasn’t seeing things.
His ex turned around slowly, a sheepish smile on his face. He whispered something to the tall man he had been walking with before moving forward to close the space between them.
“Hey, Jensen.” He said, nodding as he looked Jensen up and down.
“What-I thought you were…” He stopped, shaking his head, confused. “You said you were leaving.”
“I was leaving you.” Adam said softly, reaching forward to squeeze Jensen’s forearm. Jensen tensed, wanting immediately to pull away.
“I don’t…” He shook his head again, hating the fact that he could feel tears spring to his eyes.
“I meant what I said… I couldn’t live that way anymore. I couldn’t have a boyfriend who refused to stand up for me, up for us. Your career was important, I understand that.” Adam smiled, drawing his hand back. “But I needed to be the most important thing, I deserved that… you know?” Jensen stared at him, unable to respond. “And before I left, I met someone… and he’s been…” He stopped, letting out a breath. “You look good, Jensen.” He smiled once more before slipping away and returning to the man he left waiting in the checkout.
Jensen sighed, washing himself quickly to make sure Tom wouldn’t be waiting for him to finish. They dressed in silence and headed back to their room, the wind causing sand to stick to his slightly damp skin.
“I’m going to go and get something to eat, okay?” Tom said when they got back into their room and dropped off his stuff from the gym onto his bed. “I’ll bring you something back.” Jensen nodded, appreciating the gesture of his friend giving him space.
He sat on his bed, pulling his laptop up onto his lap. He knew Jared had the night off… and would have his cellphone or laptop open, ready to alert him if Jensen sent another skype call through. He opened the application, hesitating over Jared’s name.
He sighed, closing the top of the laptop and laying back into his pillow. He knew the moment he got Jared back on the phone? It would be a fight. He wasn’t ready for that…. He wasn’t prepared for there to be an issue. He closed his eyes and wished he could go back a few hours and pretend that nothing had happened, that he had managed to get Jared naked way before they started talking. He rolled onto his side, kicking his shoes off to plunk onto the floor and twisted one of his arms up and underneath his head.
Tomorrow… he would call Jared tomorrow. Maybe a night to cool off would be good for them. Jensen could still feel the lingering anger and tried to believe that it was stronger than the feeling of betrayal.
Jared sunk down into the couch, clicking the TV on and leaving it on whatever channel he had pretended to be watching the night before. He leaned his head back, letting the noise from the program wash over him, letting him pretend that maybe he wasn’t alone.
He had fought with himself all last night over email Jensen to finish explaining what was going on. He now had Angela calling him twice a day to check up on him, after finally coming clean. It had been her that told him he needed to keep Jensen informed, that it wasn’t fair to keep Jensen in the dark and treat him any differently just because he wasn’t physically there.
Now, as he was greeted from silence from both his laptop and his cell phone? He wasn’t so sure. He hated lying to Jensen… but telling him the truth when he was a thousand miles away? Jared didn’t think that had been the best choice. He had no way to get in touch with Jensen and now was at the mercy of his boyfriend.
And that just sucked. Jared clicked the TV off, tossing the remote as the anger he felt last night returned. Jensen had hung up on him, completely cut him off from explaining. As if he wanted to tell him he’d been the worst possible boyfriend for lying and not have an actual reason for coming clean. Jensen knew Jared would have to wait for whenever Jensen had managed to find the time to call him back.
He chewed on his lower lip, trying to calm himself down. He jumped at the sudden clattering of his phone, vibrating its way across the coffee table. He picked up, his heart jumping to his throat when he saw the number.
“Hello?” He said, hoping he didn’t sound too anxious, too worried, or too angry.
“I’m just calling to let you know that I’m leaving in about an hour for a mission and when I get back we need to talk.”
“Hello to you too.” Jared laughed bitterly.
“Not really feeling like ‘hello’ right now, Jared.” Jensen replied, sighing. So, that’s how this was going to be.
“Whatever, Jensen. Not really looking for a hello from you either. I’m fucking pissed off.” Jared said, pushing off the couch to stand in the center of the room, needing to move.
“You’re mad at me?” Jensen sounded shocked and Jared fought not to laugh.
“Yeah Jensen, I’m mad at you. We were in the middle of a fucking conversation, one that was pretty fucking important I think! I sat there like an idiot thinking that maybe the internet went out and that you were going to ping me or call me back. I sat there for three hours Jensen. And you waited an entire day to call me back?”
“I was pissed. And Tom had come back into the room and I couldn’t exactly explain to him that I was in the middle of a fight with my boyfriend!” Jensen hissed on the other end of the line.
“Well maybe that’s your problem.” Jared scoffed, gripping the phone tighter as he bit back the rest of his response.
“What is that supposed to mean?” Jensen’s voice was cold, a strange feeling creeping in and settling in his stomach.
“Nothing. Nevermind.” Jared sighed, rubbing his temples as he felt the start of a migraine.
“No, don’t do that. You started it, so finish it.” It was a challenge, a dare.
“It means,” Jared started, his hands and voice shaking as he paced the large living room, trying to ignore everything that everything around him screamed ‘Jensen’. “that maybe your issue is that you’re trying to live two different lives. Tom is your so-called best friend and he knows nothing about you! I shouldn’t be put on the back burner when I’m trying to tell you something important because you’re too fucking afraid to be yourself.”
“You have no idea what you’re talking about.” Jensen’s voice was barely a whisper, but Jared heard him perfectly.
“No, no idea. It’s not like I’ve been a flaming homo most of my life.” He shot back, stopping his pacing to rest his head against the wall. “Dammit, Jen-”
“No, Jared. You know what? You knew that was one of my issues. I told you when we started this that my career was not understanding about my lifestyle. I never lied.” Jared felt the accusation wash over him, the anger that had started to recede returning in full swing.
“Fuck you, Jensen.” Jared swore, slamming his fist into the wall, not caring as he dented the sheetrock. “For someone you claim to ‘love’? You have a shitty way of showing it.” Before Jensen could retort, Jared pulled the phone away from his ear, slamming the off button and throwing it across the room. “Fuck!” He yelled, tears springing to his eyes as the adrenaline began to leave, leaving him shaking against the wall.
He stared across the room at the phone, unmoving and silent on the floor. He willed it to ring, for Jensen to call him back so he could apologize, so they could fix this. He stared for what felt like hours, the phone silently telling him what he already knew. Jensen was gone.
***
“Hey, Jeff.” Jared answered the phone, trying to sound cheerful.
“Where are you? I’m here.” Jared hesitated, confused as he repeated his brother’s words slowly. “Yes, I’m here. I was sick of listening to you mope and try to pretend like everything was okay. I’m outside of your apartment.”
“I’ll be right down.” Jared said, hanging up. He looked around Jensen’s apartment, grabbing his bag from the side of the couch and the keys from the counter. Since their fight a week ago, he couldn’t bring himself to actually go back down to his apartment, but he hadn’t felt comfortable either. He had spent most of his nights sleeping on the couch or finding an excuse to sleep in the on-call room. His things had been packed up, every morning and night his toothbrush and shampoo replaced in his bag. Part of him felt like the moment he hung up on Jensen, he had sealed their fate and he had no right to be in Jensen’s apartment or his life at all.
He spent most of his free time refreshing his email, checking to make sure his phone was on sound, and every time the disappointment crept back in, making him feel even guiltier than he already did. He knew he hurt Jensen, hell, if roles had been reversed, he would have been mad too. He didn’t blame Jensen, he just missed him. More than anything, he wished Jensen would just fucking call him so he could apologize and beg for him to forgive him.
He slipped out of the apartment, trying not to think it would be the last time he was there, and locked the door behind him. He made his way to the elevator, shaking as he thought of his apartment. He hadn’t been inside of it since the night he had decided to stay at Jensen’s.
He felt himself relax when he saw Jeff leaning against his door, arms crossed over his chest and watching him made his way towards him.
“Jared, you look like shit.” He said, and Jared let himself be pulled into a hug. “What the hell, man?”
“Just… had a really bad week.” He said, trying to force a smile as he shifted positions with his brother and pulled out his keys to unlock the door. He let Jeff in and hesitated, eyes scanning the small hallway quickly for any signs of intrusion.
“J-man…” Jeff said softly, pushing the door closed. “Wait here.” Jared nodded and watched as he brother slipped into the kitchen before moving into the living room and then onto the bedroom, checking for any surprises on the way. He came back into sight, a dead rose - the one that Jared hoped was the one he left on his pillow - and tossed it into the trash in the kitchen before returning to Jared’s side. “You okay?”
“Not really.” Jared mumbled, dropping his things at the doorway and moving deeper into the apartment. He made his way to the couch, sinking down and nodding to the spot next to him as an invitation for his brother.
“Why didn’t you tell me what was going on with…?” Jeff asked him, hurt reflecting in his eyes.
“I’m sick of bothering everyone.” Jared replied, biting back tears. “I’m sick of needing everyone. I got a restraining order and he still doesn’t give a shit. And like you said, he wasn’t even here… so it’s not like I was in danger or anything.”
“Jared… harassing you is serious. Just because you weren’t being physically hurt, because if that bastard ever lays a finger on you again, I’ll kill him, doesn’t mean you weren’t hurting. What did Jensen say about it all?”
Jared knew he looked guilty as he looked down at his lap, picking at a tear in his jeans. Jeff sighed beside him, making Jared feel like he was a child again, preparing for a lecture. He swallowed hard, turning his body to face his older brother and forcing himself to look up.
“I… I didn’t tell him until last week. And he was pretty pissed that I lied to him…” Jeff nodded, waiting for Jared to continue. “We haven’t talked since then. We got into a fight… because he hung up on me and I kind of said some things that I shouldn’t have. And I think it’s over.” The living room blurred as the tears flooded his eyes. He took in a shaky breath, allowing his brother to pull him into his chest, knowing he didn’t deserve the comfort.
“Jared, Jensen is in another country. He’s a world away… but I doubt things are over. Fighting with someone you care about sucks when you’re fighting in the same room as them. Last time I talked to you about him, you said he was pretty busy and wasn’t able to talk to you all that often. I’m sure he’s just working. And he’s probably upset, and maybe pissed… but if he cares about you half of the amount you care for him? You’re going to be fine.”
Jared nodded into Jeff’s shoulder, wishing he could fully believe him.
“I just don’t want him to hate me. I just wish he was here.” Jeff nodded, brushing a hand through his hair to push it out of his face.
“I know Jared… I wish he was here for you too.” They were quiet for a minute, letting Jared reign his sobs back in and calm down. “But, for now, you’re stuck with me. And I am ordering pizza, and I brought beer.”
“How long are you staying?” Jared asked, sitting up and wiping his eyes on the sleeve of his t-shirt, watching his brother stand up to grab the house phone to call for food.
“I took FLMA at work… so, as long as you need me here.” Jeff smiled at him softly, reaching over to ruffle his hair. Jared shoved his hand away, laughing as he tried to pat his hair back down. Jeff used to do that to him when they were kids, embarrassing him in front of all of his friends. Now, he found a strange comfort and was glad his brother was here. “Pizza?” Jared nodded and let himself relax back into the couch.
Jensen pulled his helmet on, letting the straps hang loose as he walked around the Humvee to find Tom waiting for him.
“Sergeant.” He smirked, bumping Tom’s shoulder. “You ready for this?”
“Of course I am, piece of cake. You’re the one that is doing the actual work.” Tom laughed, looking up and counting the men around them. “Everyone here?” Jensen made a quick count and nodded as well.
“I just have to find Pamir…” He scanned their area for the translator that would be accompanying them. “I’ll take point?” He shot over his shoulder to Tom as he located the Afgani man and moved towards him. He heard Tom’s mumbled reply and laughed to himself. “Pamir! You’ll be riding with me.”
“Okay, Sir.” The man nodded quickly, smiling and following him to the first Humvee in the line of four. Jensen opened up the right side door and climbed up so he could see over the Humvee. “Everyone ready?” He shouted, getting the rest of the squad’s attention.
He was taking a small convoy out into Charikar to speak to the village elder. Jensen had been hesitant, Charikar being a on the bigger side, closer to a city than a village. It was closer to Kabul than Jensen would have liked, increasing the danger of the mission. He nodded to Tom and two other Sergeants and watched as everyone climbed into their places. He waited until his Gunner, Private Weisberger, and Driver, Specialist Plante, climbed into their positions and nodded for Plante to start their journey.
Pamir was given a helmet to borrow, and Jensen spent ten minutes convincing him that the protocol was in place for safety and not to provide all of the soldier’s headaches. When Pamir muttered that the helmet weighed a million pounds as he slipped it on and pulled the straps together underneath his chin, Jensen couldn’t help but agree.
“So, this is going to be pretty simple.” He said after a moment, turning his attention to the other man. “We’ve set up a meeting with the Elder Abeen and have been given an hour. We’re hoping to gain some intelligence on enemy movement within the city. We received a report on terrorist weapon placement and we’re hoping we can intercept and confiscate the weapons safely and to our own advantage.”
Pamir nodded, listening to as Jensen spoke. “Sir… Not to be rude, but you’re very young.” Jensen couldn’t help but smile.
In the Afghanistan culture, age set up the hierarchy. The village elders were respected because of their age and therefore, experience. Jensen nodded quickly and patted Pamir’s arm gently.
“I’ve met Abeen before, on my first tour. I was only a Specialist then, but I’m hoping he remembers me. My Sergeant then did a lot of work with him, and although I wasn’t as important, I was usually present at the meetings.” Pamir nodded, thinking.
“If he does remember you, he treat you with the respect of an established relationship.” Jensen nodded, offering the other man a reassuring smile. Pamir seemed content and leaned back into the seat, resting his eyes.
“Staying awake on me, Plante?” He asked, turning his attention back to the front of the vehicle.
“I’m finally out of the base, I wouldn’t miss this for anything.” The boy laughed and Jensen knew the feeling. Most of them were anxious to get out and do something other than check bags. He saw the first check point and reached forward for the radio.
“Patriot X-Ray, this is Patriot 6. We are passing CP1, over.” He released the button and waited for the scratchy response.
“Patroit 6, this is Patriot X-Ray. Let me know when you pass the next one. Over.”
“Patriot 6, out.” Jensen said, returning the radio to its spot on the dash. He pulled a small and worn notebook out of the pocket on his jacket and flipped it open to re-read the key reminders he had jotted down.
Right Hand NOT LEFT
Right palm over heart = respect, palm on elder = respect for elder
Pause for translation
Shake hands with SAME sex only
Do not pass gas or collect go
He rolled his eyes at the last comment, knowing Tom must have gotten into his notebook. They had most of the Afghan customs and signs of respect drilled into them and were kindly reminded by the men that were employed in the base, but it didn’t hurt to be refreshed.
He thought of his squad and wished he had thought to bring a few women with him. They made a point of trying to use mixed company in hopes that once a relationship was established with a certain group, there wouldn’t be any issues with communication if a female soldier was tasked.
From his experience, as long as the rank and the age of the female soldier was considered high enough, they were treated relatively the same as a male. He leaned his head back against his seat, turning to look out the window.
He was glad he had been able to convince the Commander to split up the squad between some of his team and Tom’s team. Although he wouldn’t admit it, he felt a million times safer knowing that Tom had his back. He watched the desert roll by them, calling in the checkpoints as they came, their Humvee otherwise in a comfortable silence with everyone lost in their own thoughts.
Jensen sighed, pulling out his cellphone as he checked the time back in the States. He had almost called Jared that morning before they left. He was still mad, he couldn’t deny that. He was angry he had been lied to and he needed to know if there was anything else Jared neglected to tell him. He had spent the last four nights torturing himself over what could be happening back at home that he had made himself physically sick and had to bribe Tom not to get him a medic.
By that morning, he had mostly convinced himself that Jared had meant well and he was resolved to the fact that Jared hadn’t been unfaithful. Jared wasn’t like that. And even though he knew he would still ask the next time he saw Jared? Coming to that conclusion allowed a huge weight to be lifted off of his shoulders.
He tried to relax as they approached the small city, the colorful banners and signs that lined the buildings and small carts with goods to sell a false contrast to the tone of the city. He tried to ignore the piles of trash and dead animals that littered the sides of the roads, to bite back the churning in his stomach as he watched kids playing with a sun-bleached cow skull instead of a soccer ball.
They arrived at their destination and he quickly dispatched to the base before getting out of the Humvee and slipping off his helmet. He nodded to Pamir who crossed around the vehicle to stand beside him.
“Ackles.” Tom walked up beside him, holding his own helmet underneath his arm. “I’m taking four guys to run a perimeter check. Are we early?”
“No,” Jensen shook his head. “It’s not uncommon for the Elder to make us wait for him. It’s a sign of respect. Go ahead, radio if you need me.” Tom nodded and motioned four guys to follow him and they disappeared out of sight. Jensen walked forward, more into the middle of the street and looked up, carefully surveying the buildings around him for himself.
He knew that there had been a sweep before their meeting - by the Army and probably the Elder’s men as well. But it didn’t stop him from being slightly nervous and willing his heart to stop beating so quickly in his chest. He watched the people milling around, going about their business and felt himself relax when he saw the Elder, surrounded by six other men, approaching. The sooner this was over, the better.
“Good Morning.” Jensen said, returning the smile that the Elder offered him and allowed himself to be pulled into a hug. Good sign, Jensen thought, he was remembered. Pamir translated their greetings quickly, positioning himself so he was between the two men, so neither side felt shorted.
Jensen gave short greetings to the rest of the men with the Elder before returning his attention back to the task at hand.
“We received a report that there was some weapons movement in your city.” Jensen said, pausing as Pamir translated. “We know that you want your city and your people to be safe, and we wish the same for you and for us.”
“We may have heard something similar.” The man replied, nodding his head and turning back to look at one of his men.
“We would appreciate the help in locating the weapons and possibly the people who are responsible for their transportation.”
“We would appreciate your help. But it’s not that simple.” The Elder replied, looking sad as he met Jensen’s eyes. “We have had an increased presence as of late.”
Jensen felt his blood chill at that thought. He wanted to ask why the hell they weren’t given this information before they walked into this city. Although he would have liked to believe they already knew where increased terrorists activity and presence was, he wasn’t stupid enough to believe it. It seemed that lately, every step they took, groups such as Al Qaeda and ISIS were a few steps forward as well.
Instead, he smiled softly and tried not to look around the square too quickly as he made a mental note of where all of his men were.
“Well, we may be able to assist in figuring out why there is an increased presence. We care for your safety, and your people’s safety and cooperation.”
Pamir continued translating but stopped short, turning a confused look to him. Jensen heard the whistling before he heard the shout behind him.
“Grenade!” He spun around, looking up to see a shadow in one of the windows. He turned again, his ears ringing as he was hit with a wall of heat and sand. The noise was loud, and he wasn’t sure if it was the sound or the blast that knocked him backwards. He hit something hard, and then silence.
“Pa- Patriot X-Ray, this is Patriot 6!” Jensen blinked, looking around him. Why was he on the ground? He looked around, people were laying on the ground, there were large puffs of smoke, no sand, beginning to settle around him. He looked over at the Humvees, one of the Specialists was leaning into the vehicle, screaming into the radio.
He wanted to tell him he didn’t need to yell. It was a radio, they could hear you just fine if you hit the goddamn button. He wanted to ask him why he was calling the base, that was his job. He blinked again, looking around to see Tom running past the Humvees in his direction.
“We are under contact, grenade fire. We are at--” The Specialists’ voice was cut off by a screaming and Jensen looked around wildly, trying to figure out why someone was screaming. He looked at Tom confused, seeing the fear in his face before he looked down at himself.
He was laying in blood. He tried to push himself up, to drag himself away from the pool, wondering where the hell all of the blood came from and why the hell he was laying in it.
“Jensen!” Tom’s voice cut through and he opened his mouth, realizing it was already open, realizing the screaming was coming from him again. He looked down again, blinking as he realized the blood was his, his pants were crimson and he couldn’t move. He gasped, wild eyes trying to find Tom’s again.
“I need a medic!” Someone yelled and Jensen tried to move, tried to fight the darkness that was coming over him.
The pain hit him suddenly and he couldn’t breathe. He couldn’t speak and he couldn’t move. He was trapped in his own mind, as everything went black. Jared. He should have called Jared, he should have told him it would be okay, that he loved him. At least one more time.
Jared.
Chapter Nine