Broken Angel 13/14
Title: Broken Angel 13/14
Pairing: Jared/Jensen
Word Count: ~5700
Rating/Warnings: NC-17 for violence, sexual situations, and references to non-con(but nothing graphic)
A/N: This story is based off a prompt by the amazing imogen_lily . Thank you so much for the gorgeous banner and for letting me play with this idea! I appreciate all the help sweetie!!!
Summary: Senator Fred Lehne has been brutally attacking, raping, and murdering young men for over a decade, but always evades arrest thanks to his money and power. He has everyone fooled, except one team of detectives headed by Captain Jeffrey Dean Morgan and his protege Jensen Ackles. When things become worse, Morgan goes to FBI agents Misha Collins and Jim Beaver for help. They offer it in the form of Jared Padalecki, hotshot profiler who also happens to be Jensen's boyfriend. But there is more to Jared...he also happens to be the only surviving victim of Lehne's...
The tie rubbed painfully against his sensitive chest. His suit jacket felt too tight and stuffy against his clammy skin. His hands shook as he flipped through everything one last time. He couldn’t concentrate. His brain was working a mile and minute…and not on what he wanted it to be thinking over. He needed to be listening and finalizing his testimony. But Jared’s brain just couldn’t stop putting himself back into the situations the Sebastian was going on about.
“Jared?” Sebastian gently called. “You still with me kiddo?”
“Huh? Um…yeah…I’m still…shit! I’m sorry Sebastian. I’m trying but…” He threw his arms up in frustration and waved them over everything. The table was covered with pictures that would be displayed during the testimony today. Most of them were of Jared and the various injuries he had sustained at Lehne’s hands. It was making it very hard for Jared to concentrate on the advice Sebastian was giving him.
Sebastian sighed and walked over to Jared. He sat in the seat next to him and put his hand up on the younger man’s shoulder. “Jare, I know this is difficult. And I can’t even begin to imagine what this feels like. But you can do this. You’ve been on the stand hundreds of times.”
“But never like this. I’ve never testified as a witness…just expert testimony as a profiler. There is a big difference.” Jared flicked a few of the pictures away from him and leaned his head down onto the table. He ran his hands shakily through his bangs, messing up his hair that Alona had just gotten to settle for him earlier. “What am I going to do?”
He felt another hand on his back followed by a familiar voice. “You’re going to take a deep breath, get rid of these pictures, and try to relax.”
Jared turned his head slightly so that he could see something other than his own hands. “Easier said than done, Jen,” he huffed tiredly.
Jensen moved his hand to Jared’s neck and squeezed gently. “Since when have you ever liked easy, babe?” Jared’s eyes followed him as he knelt down beside Jared. “I mean…you are the guy who graduated high school at 17 even after going through this hell back then. You are the guy who took so many hours of class that you got your doctorate years ahead of time. You are the guy who took down one of the most sadistic men I’ve ever had the misfortune to see. And you are the guy who is going to put the bastard behind bars for the rest of his life.”
Jared had tears shining in his eyes but he didn’t let them fall. “Jen-“
“You are incredible, Jay! And no matter what Fuller or Lehne says to you up there today, you will be. You’re the strongest person I know. You are going to kick ass up there and will totally win over that jury!”
“But-mmph…” Jensen cut him off by pressing a kiss to his lips.
“No buts. You will be amazing up there! And I’ll be in the room the whole time. I’m not going to leave you. Not now…not ever.” He pulled Jared towards him and pressed their foreheads together.
“Thank you,” Jared whispered so that only Jensen could hear. “Just what I needed…like always.” He leaned in and gave him one more kiss before moving so that he could pull the files back towards himself. “Ok…so let’s do this…
*********
Samantha stared down at the cooling coffee in her hands. She hadn’t been drinking it for some time now. But it offered a distraction for her hands, which had been shaking slightly earlier. Today was the day…her boy was going on the stand and she couldn’t do anything but sit back and watch.
She’d known Jared since he was a teenager, and he had wormed his way into her heart ever since. She didn’t want him to have to go through all of this. She knew he could…they’d talked just yesterday about it all. Jared had been quite determined, yet Sam could see the fear he was trying to hide and she hated it. She hated Lehne and what the bastard had done to put that fear in there. She hated the system that was making Jared have to testify. She just hated today…
“Give me that,” JD said, suddenly close to her and pulling the cup from her hands. He tossed it into the trashcan and took a seat beside her on the bench. The cool air whipped around them both as various reporters rushed by to get inside the courthouse. He ignored them and looked over towards her. Without the cup in her hands, she sat wringing them together nervously. “Come here, Sam.” He gripped one of her hands in his before pulling her closer to him.
“This sucks,” she replied bluntly as he pulled her close to his side.
Any other day, JD would’ve laughed at the normally stoic and put together doctor using such a phrase, but not today. “It really does.” He hugged her tighter to him. “But he’ll get through it.”
“What if he doesn’t?” she whispered.
“He will,” JD replied adamantly.
Samantha pushed herself up from his side. “You weren’t there! You didn’t see…”
“I saw him this time, Sam. I know how hard it-“
“Don’t finish that sentence, because until you’ve sat there watching him break down on your watch…” She bit her lip as tears welled up in her eyes.
JD knew Jared was different for Sam, however he had never realized the extent. Jared was more than just a patient.
“I’m sorry,” Samantha mumbled, still fighting back tears.
“Me too.” JD slid his arm around her and squeezed her shoulder. “I may not have been there for all that like you were, but I do know Jared. He’s got a good head on his shoulders. Has amazing people behind him, including you.” He bumped her shoulder with his own. “With that combination, I think he’ll get through…hell I know he will. Not sure how anybody couldn’t with you there.” The last part was said as a whisper. JD bowed his head, trying to cover the blush he knew was creeping out onto his cheeks.
Samantha felt a slight smile start to form on her face. She reached up and rubbed at JD’s neck. He turned towards her. She pulled his face towards hers and pressed a soft kiss to his lips. “Thank you…you’re not bad yourself you know…”
She leaned her head on his shoulder before slipping her hand into his. The two of them stayed on the bench while the chaos started all around them. People ran by, paying little attention to them. They weren’t important, not to those people. Those people were milling about, desperate for a glimpse of Lehne or Jared. They didn’t care about the people behind Jared. Not like he did…
*********
“Just don’t,” Alona snapped as Chris tried to get her to sit down. Her high heels clicked quickly across the tiles of the courtroom. She couldn’t sit still…not with her best friend back their preparing to stand up to his attacker. It didn’t matter how many times Christian gripped her hands and tried to pull her towards the nearby bench where everyone else had congregated.
Jared’s entire family had shown up, minus Lisa who was too close to her due date. Danneel and Misha were going over some last minute details in case they too were forced to take the stand today. Chad sat off to the side as well, bouncing his leg nervously while he watched for Sophia. She had run off to find Sam and JD so they could all head in soon.
Chris grabbed her arms and pulled her out of her pacing. She flared her arms out, knocking his hands away. “Stop!” she called out louder than she meant to. Her words echoed off the marbled pillars around them, causing Chris to flinch at the sound. Alona’s face reddened as she saw a few people start to stare their way. She turned her gaze to the floor. “I’m sorry…”
Chris sighed and put a hand to her shoulder so that he could guide her over to the corner. Once they were away from everyone, he leaned down to press a kiss to her forehead. She was practically shaking with nerves under his touch. “Deep breath Al. It’s ok.”
“No it isn’t! Jared…he…”
“Shh, I know it babe. I hate it too. Just try to calm down. Gettin’ all worked up won’t do ‘em any good. Ya know that.”
“I know,” she muttered. Some of the fight started to leave her. Chris saw it and pulled his girlfriend towards his chest. Alona finally went, allowing a few tears to soak into Chris’s suit jacket. He held her close and let her cry for the moment. She’d been so strong throughout everything when he knew she had wanted nothing more than to break on more than one occasion.
“It’s gonna be ok, Al. I promise.”
“How can you promise that? It’s a trial, Chris. All up to a damn jury and Lehne…”
“And Lehne is one sick bastard and they’re gonna see it.”
“But what if they don’t? What if he’s back out there? What if he hurts Jared again? Oh God…”
“Hey…if that happens, we’ll deal with it Al. We’re not going to let anything happen to Jared again. You know I can guarantee that.” He leaned his forehead down onto hers. “Jared’ll get through this and so will we. We’re here for him…and I’m here for you. Don’t forget that.”
Alona allowed a flicker of a smile to cross her face. She tilted her head up so that she could press a kiss to Chris’s lips. They had have hope that things would go well. They couldn’t dwell on the what ifs. Not now…
*********
Kurt Fuller sat back in his chair, running a hand over his balding head. He felt as if he’d lost a lot more hair since this whole debacle had started…hell probably since working for Lehne if he was brutally honest with himself. For years he’d convinced himself he liked working for Lehne. He loved the money, the prestige, the benefits…
With a sigh, he couldn’t help but look down at the files in front of him on Dr. Padalecki. The pictures showed the poor kid all battered and bruised after his encounter…alleged encounter Fuller had to remind himself…with Lehne.
Kurt had never been blind when it came to Lehne. He liked to think the money and the initial fame being a senator’s advising counsel brought had blinded him. But he knew he never truly was. He’d always known something was off with Lehne. He learned the truth fairly early on about Lehne’s…extracurricular activities. Lehne had planned on keeping it from his lawyer, but things rarely go as planned with these situations. Instead, he’d thrown around enough money and threats to ply Kurt into keeping his head down and going along in any way the senator saw fit.
Which was why he was currently sitting in the courthouse with a suit draped across a nearby chair for his client. Everything was riding on one damn case. He could lose everything, even go to jail himself, if this went south. He had to give it his best or else he’d never have a shot again. He wasn’t a delusional man; he knew no one else would want to hire him after being associated with a convicted murderer.
The door suddenly burst open, drawing him out of his thoughts. An officer escorted Lehne into the room and pushed him down into the chair before removing the cuffs. He did a quick scan and pat through the suit to make sure there wasn’t anything inappropriate concealed. He then moved towards the door to stand.
“Officer,” Kurt greeted, “is there any way I could please brief my client alone? I know you are just doing your job, but, no offense, it is quite distracting.”
The officer looked skeptical but after a few moments he opened the door. “I’ll be right outside, so don’t try anything.” He slammed the door shut behind him and leaned on the wall outside.
With the officer gone, Kurt took a good look at the senator sitting across from him. Lehne had dark circles under his eyes and was a lot paler than Kurt had expected. He refrained from commenting on it and tossed Lehne the suit instead. Lehne stood from his chair and started to change. As he stripped off the prison attire, bruises of various colors and sizes were revealed.
“What the hell?” Kurt couldn’t help but gasping. He stood up and moved to get a better look. He moved Lehne’s shirt back up, receiving a murderous look in the process. “What happened?” Kurt asked, ignoring the harsh glance from his boss.
Lehne didn’t answer. Instead, he continued to change into his suit and make himself presentable for court. He took a seat once his tie was properly knotted, wincing a little as the position must have pushed on the bruises.
“Senator-“
“Let’s just focus on the damn case so I can get the hell out of prison,” Lehne interrupted coldly.
“So…this happened…”
“I’m not going to talk about it, Kurt. Let’s get down to business. I want this finished today! I need to get back to work…and Padalecki needs to pay for this! No one gets to make me look like this!”
“I’m trying-“
“No more trying, damn it!” He slammed his fists down onto the table. “We get this done today or so help me God I’ll…” He took a deep breath, trying to rein his anger back under control. The past couple of weeks in prison had not been what he had expected. For once in his life, his money and prestige couldn’t get him ahead. In fact, it seemed to make things worse for him. He’d been pushed around, beaten up, and more within the first few days. He didn’t want to think what would come if he was actually convicted. He couldn’t let that happen. Jared could not win. No one ever beat him and he sure as hell wasn’t going to let that little son of a bitch start.
“Jared’s going on the stand today. So you better cool it before then, Lehne,” Kurt warned. “You better make damn sure that jury doesn’t see how pissed you are at him. It’ll screw up everything we’ve worked so hard for already. Got it?”
Lehne nodded but sent a glaring look towards his lawyer. “Keep your own tone in check, Fuller. Don’t forget who pays your bills here.”
“I’ve never forgotten that, sir. But you need to remember who is running this trial. It isn’t you. Hell it isn’t even me. Everything rides on twelve people. So don’t lose it in front of Jared.” Kurt pointed his finger at Lehne to emphasize his point. The senator wanted nothing more than to snap the finger in half…but it would be a mute act. Despite how much he hated to admit it, Kurt was right.
“Fine…I’ll-“
The door opened and the officer walked back inside the room. “We’re ready to move you now.” He grabbed Lehne by the arm and guided him from the room. He forewent the handcuffs, but kept his grip tight to prevent the man from running. Kurt walked at his side, dreading what was to come today.
They rounded the corner and were engulfed by a sea of reporters all barking out questions to Lehne. It had been the same thing all week during the trial. It was getting old quick. After sifting through the crowd, they finally entered the courtroom and took up their seats at the bench.
Lehne looked around the room for a moment before his eyes locked on Jared. He couldn’t help the smile that formed on his lips. The boy wasn’t looking his way yet, so it gave Lehne a few moments to take him in. Jared had dark circles under his eyes and seemed pale. He had a few cuts and bruises still evident around the collar of his suit. One hand was gripping his cane tightly. It was obvious that Jared was still feeling the aftereffects of their recent encounter.
After a few more seconds, Jared glanced up to see Lehne staring at him. His Adam’s apple bobbed up and down while his gaze stayed locked on Lehne. A shudder ran through him while Lehne’s stare never wavered.
“All rise!”
Jared had never been more thankful to see the judge approach her bench as he was now. He knew Lehne was just trying to shake him, but a few more minutes of that and the senator might have succeeded.
“You may be seated,” Judge Devine called out before going straight to business. “Mr. Roche would you like to call your first witness for the day?”
“Yes ma’am,” Sebastian replied, standing up so he could work the courtroom. “The prosecution would like to call Dr. Jared Padalecki to the stands, your honor.”
A few murmurs echoed throughout the room as Jared hobbled up to the stand. He didn’t dare look up at Lehne until he was at the front of the courtroom. He placed his hand on the Bible and was sworn under oath before the court. His body was tense and nerves threatened to overtake him. But he couldn’t let them. Instead, he just looked at Lehne and set his face in determination.
Sebastian approached Jared, dreading what he had to do to his friend. “Dr. Padalecki, will you please state for the record how you first met Senator Lehne?”
“O-of course,” Jared took a deep breath to settle his nerves some. “I-I met Senator Lehne when I was seventeen. My older brother, Jeff, was working on his campaign team at the time through his college. Our whole family was invited to a campaign party. Jeff introduced us at the time.”
“Did anything feel out of the ordinary about the encounter?”
“Objection!” Kurt spat from his bench.
“Overruled, Mr. Fuller,” Loretta said.
Sebastian nodded his thanks to the judge before turning back to Jared. “Please answer the question Dr. Padalecki.”
“Yes…he was overly affectionate during the meeting. He came onto me.”
“Was this advance unwanted?”
“Absolutely,” Jared couldn’t help but scoff.
“Did it end there…with what could basically be described as unwanted flirting?”
“No…”
“Can you please explain?”
“He…when I-I turned him down…he became more aggressive and made threats on my family.”
“What kind of threats?”
“Objection! This is just hearsay!”
“Overruled…he is an eye witness giving his testimony so I would advice you to be more cautious, Mr. Fuller,” Loretta warned.
“Jared?”
“He said that he’d made sure my family struggled a lot if I didn’t do what he wanted.”
“How so?”
“He was funding Jeff’s schooling and a lot of my sister’s extracurricular activities as a way to thank Jeff for his hard work. He…told me that if I didn’t sleep with him that he’d make sure all of that went away.”
A low murmur went through the courtroom, causing Loretta to bring order back before Sebastian could continue onwards with his questioning.
“What happened after the threats?”
“I still declined his advances. I had a boyfriend of my own at the time and did not want to have relations with the senator.” Jared voice was starting to shake as the memories came pressing back, but he did his best to continue. “After awhile, he dropped it. My family came back over and he went on to talk about something else.”
“But this wasn’t your last encounter?”
“No…not at all,” Jared gulped.
“Do you care to describe the implications of that?”
Jared felt his hands start to tremble. “He…he grabbed me one night on my way home from the library. He drugged me with chloroform and shoved me into his van. I woke up while he was on the road with him…on…on top of me.”
“I know this has to be hard for you, Jared. But can you briefly explain what it was that Senator Lehne was doing?”
Jared bit his lip and nodded. “He cut me up with his hunting knife. It…he enjoyed it. After awhile that got too…boring for him I guess. He moved on to other forms of assault.”
Sebastian hated the next part. “Sexual?”
“Y-yes.”
“As the state has already shown to the court, hospital records do show signs that Dr. Jared Padalecki was sexually assaulted multiple times, resulting in extensive internal and external injuries.” Sebastian turned towards Jared. “And this wasn’t the only time Lehne would do this?”
“No…it went on for two days before I was able to escape. After that, I didn’t see him again until this year.”
“When you went undercover with the police department?”
“Yes, sir. Lehne was suspected of a string of more recent assaults and murders. I fit the profile for the victims so I agreed to go undercover to get close to him and find possible evidence.”
“Which you were unable to do because Lehne soon learned of your true identity through PI Tom Welling…as the state has shown through Mr. Welling’s testimony yesterday. After learning of your true identity, Mr. Lehne attacked you once more?”
“Objection! Speculation!” Kurt was out of his seat this time and Lehne looked ready to jump up as well.
“Overruled,” Loretta sighed. “Mr. Roche has provided his evidence to support this claim.”
“Jared?” Sebastian continued, barely missing a beat.
“He…he attacked me while I was in the park with my dogs one night. It was late and there wasn’t anyone really around. My dogs tried to stop him, but he overpowered them.”
“But they did leave marks that the hospital did record and believe match the teeth belonging to Jared’s two mixed breeds,” Sebastian stated for the jury. “What happened after he subdued your dogs?”
“He…knocked me around and then dragged me into his van. I managed to turn on the recorder on my iPhone during the time he was dragging me away.”
“Yes, and I would like to now show this video footage for the court.” Sebastian clicked on the video, not bothering to rewatch it while it played out. He’d seen it too many times already. “As the court can see, the man in the picture is clearly Senator Lehne dragging Jared away. Now, Dr. Padalecki, what happened after this?”
“He…took me back to his cabin out in the woods. He wanted…” Jared paused for a moment to close his eyes and take a deep breath before being able to continue. “He wanted to continue where he had left off all those years ago. He cut up my chest, to finish where he had started. He reinjured my thigh and then tried to move on to…more…sexual endeavors which I was by no means consenting to.”
“But you were able to stop the…rape…this time?”
“Yes…he still assault me,” Jared continued as tears formed in his eyes, “but I was able to stop him before he actually got to that. He had left the room long enough for me to be able to grab a fire poker. I used it to fight him off and get into another room. He came after me and the police showed up. I don’t remember much after that.”
“You were gravely injured, correct?”
“Yes…he had stabbed me in the side with his hunting knife during the time I was fighting him off. That coupled with the other injuries he had inflicted…I was barely functioning and conscious when the police entered.”
“Thank you, Jared. No more questions your honor.”
Loretta nodded to him. “Defense…would you like to cross examine the witness?”
“Yes, your honor,” Kurt replied, walking towards the stand. “Dr. Padalecki…if all of these…allegations…are true, what would possibly make you want to go undercover with the man that had caused you such pain?”
Jared knew Fuller wouldn’t back off in any way, but it still felt like a slap. “I was tired of seeing other young men similar to myself killed by Lehne.”
“Allegedly killed by my client. But weren’t you worried Lehne would recognize you?”
“Of course I was,” Jared quickly replied. “But I was more worried about what could happen if I didn’t try.”
Kurt bit his tongue. The kid was good…he had to give Jared that. “So are you just saying you are a truly selfless individual then?”
“No,” Jared huffed. “I’m saying I was tired of cowering away from this and wanted to put a stop to everything before another young man ended up the key focus of a crime scene.”
“But can you be certain that the man sitting over there truly did what you are claiming?”
“Objection! Fishing!” Sebastian yelled.
“Overruled, but watch your yourself Mr. Fuller,” the judge lamented.
“Thank you ma’am. Jared…please answer?”
“Wh-what he did to me was quite memorable.”
“I would imagine so, but as you’ve said, both times you were gravely injured. Given this, isn’t there a possibility the mind could be playing tricks on you?”
“No,” Jared said, almost pleadingly.
“Dr. Padalecki, aren’t you one of the leading forensic psychologists in the field?”
“Yes…”
“Then you would of course know that in times of trauma, the mind can often twist things around.”
“Objection! Badgering the witness!”
“Mr. Fuller,” Loretta sighed, “does this have a point?”
“Yes, your honor.”
“Fine…overruled.”
“Jared?” Kurt smiled slightly towards him.
“There can be times the mind can play tricks, yes. But I do not believe that to have occurred in this instance. There would be evidence to that that most clinical psychologists or psychiatrists would be able to note…such as holes in my testimony.”
“Ah…but there is one hole, Doctor. When the police arrived, they dusted fro fingerprints in the cabin. During this, they found both yours and my client’s prints. But they also found those belonging to Mark Pellegrino at the crime scene. Now, is there any way you could explain that?”
“Mark wasn’t there that night. He could’ve been there the previous night or some other time, but he was NOT there at that time.”
“But as you’ve said, the mind can find ways to trick you, especially with such…traumatic experiences, as I’m sure this was for you.” Kurt sounded practically patronizing. “But my, as this evidence shows, there is that possibility, which my client supports. As I said in opening statements, Senator Lehne said that he drove up to the check on his cabin after learning that Mr. Pellegrino had gone there that night. He found Jared being attacked by Mark and then preceded to try to help Jared. Jared, delirious with terror and pain, mistook the senator as his attacker.”
“Objection!”
“I’m finished anyway your honor,” Kurt said with a smile.
Jared couldn’t help but gape at the lawyer. He knew Kurt would pull that out, but it still stung. Suddenly, there was an officer by his side and helping him from the stand. He felt shaky, but he managed to step down with the assistance. He didn’t look at anyone until he felt another set of hands on him…Jensen’s. His boyfriend had met him half way to help him back to his seat.
“You did great, Jay,” Jensen whispered in his ear. Jared didn’t reply…he definitely didn’t believe he’d done well up there…
*********
Jared was curled up on the couch with the dogs by the time Jensen got home. It had been a few days since Jared testified, and he hadn’t felt like going back to the courthouse since. Between Jensen and the news coverage, he didn’t see a point…not that Jensen blamed him. He knew that going up on the stand had shaken Jared more than he had expected.
Jensen walked into the living room, setting down the food cartons onto the coffee table before approaching Jared. The younger man looked peaceful for the first time in days. Jensen hated to wake him, but he knew Jared needed to eat. “Jay?” He ran his fingers through Jared’s long hair. “Babe?”
“Hmm,” Jared mumbled tiredly. He slowly blinked awake, trying to focus on Jensen. “Hey.” His voice was raspy from sleep. “How’d it go today?”
“Good…it’s in the jury’s hand now.”
“A-already?”
“Yeah…they finished up closing statements today.”
“How does Sebastian feel about it all?” Jared asked, running a hand over his face and sitting up. The dogs shifted and hopped down to go get their own food.
Jensen started divvying out the food between himself and Jared. “He feels as if he presented the evidence in the best way possible and that the jury will make the right call.”
“You know that’s basically lawyer speak for ‘I really don’t know but am praying I win,’ right?”
“Pretty much,” Jensen sighed.
Jared hung his head into his hands and tried to rein in the emotions threatening to surface. He’d been doing better, but he didn’t know what he would do if Lehne was set free. He’d been avoiding that thought process as best as he could. But with the case now in the jury’s hands, it was a lot harder to put it off.
The couch dipped down next to him and Jensen’s hand was at his neck, rubbing at the tense muscles. “He’s not going to hurt you again, Jare. I promise.”
“Jen…we don’t know what’ll happen if he gets off. Anything could happen. I don’t…”
“Jared, I promise you…Lehne will never touch you again. I won’t let him.”
“Jen-“
“I mean it Jay. He’s never getting near you again.” Jensen slid his arm around Jared’s shoulder and pulled him towards him. “If he’s acquitted, we’ll deal with it.”
“What if I can’t?” Jared admitted quietly.
“Then I’ll be there to help you find a way to.” Jensen turned so that he was facing Jared again. “We’re a team, babe. Lehne isn’t going to break us apart. Not now…not ever. Even if he is set free. We’ll figure out a way to deal with it. If that means moving away or getting a restraining order or me carrying my gun everywhere…whatever it takes.” Jensen hugged Jared tighter to him and pulled them both down onto the couch further so that Jared ended up lying on top of him.
Jared looked at Jensen for a moment, processing everything, before leaning up to press a kiss to Jensen’s mouth. “I don’t deserve you, you know that?”
“Nah…I think we deserve each other.”
Jared chuckled. “You have any idea how cheesy you sound?” He buried his face into Jensen’s neck and pressed another kiss there.
“Yeah…but you love me.”
“Yeah…I really do.” Jared relaxed down onto Jensen. The food was forgotten as they just lied there with their arms wrapped around each other. Everything could wait for just a little longer…
*********
Jared and Jensen had fallen back into a semblance of a routine after that night. They didn’t talk a great deal about the jury deliberations or Lehne at all. They knew it was coming, but they both needed that small reprieve. For months, their lives had been completely controlled by that bastard. They decided it was about time they tried to get out from under his thumb for a few days.
“Jared! Come on!” Jensen yelled from the bottom of the stairs. They were planning on going out with the dogs to the park today. It would be the first time Jared had returned there since the attack. Jensen knew his boyfriend was nervous about it, but Jared had been the one to suggest the outing.
“I’m coming,” Jared breathlessly replied from the top of the stairs. He was struggling to put his shoes on without falling.
“You should probably wait until you can sit down to put those on, Jay.”
Jared tried once again to unsuccessfully pull them on without stumbling. “Yeah…probably,” he huffed. He hobbled down the stairs barefooted before taking a seat on the landing.
“How’s your leg holding up today?” Jensen asked, taking a seat next to him.
“It’s sore, but not bad. No more than normal.” Jared smiled slightly and bumped shoulders with Jensen. He leaned down to tie his Chuck Taylor’s.
“You ok to go out today?”
“I’m fine Jensen. I can’t hide out forever. I tried that before…and it didn’t work. It just made me worse. I can’t do that this time around.”
“I know babe, but I don’t want you to push yourself.”
“Jensen…I feel a lot better. I’m still sore, but that’s normal. I’m always going to have that.” He reached over and took Jensen’s hand in his own. “Don’t worry so much.”
“I-“
Jensen was cut off by the chirping of his cell phone. He fumbled through his hoodie pocket until his hands wrapped around the phone. He glanced at the screen and frowned when he saw the name…Sebastian Roche.
“Hello,” he said upon answering.
“Hey Jen…listen I know you and Jay are taking a few days off…but you guys need to come down to the courthouse tomorrow morning.”
“Why? What’s going on?”
“Jury’s finished…the verdict will be read tomorrow…”
Next Chapter -->
Masterpost
A/N: Sorry this took so long! Same old excuse…family/school took over my life for the last week. Was slammed w/projects then my mom decided we needed to get all the Christmas trees up this week. Anyway…have breaks started soon so will finish this story up in the next week. Also hoping to update Gone Away Awhile as well this week. Thanks again!