CHOHW - Six
Los Angeles, California, 2012 AD
The church of Scientology was…weird. Everyone wore disgustingly happy smiles, but they all had a slightly manic look in their eyes. Jared avoided touching anything on the grounds it could be contagious.
Everyone had gathered together under the directory that took up most of one lobby wall. According the business card, they were looking for a Mark Sheppard, and it looked like his office was on the top floor. Misha kept trying to sink to his knees every time he looked at the name and Jared occupied himself with hauling the smaller man off the floor. Anything to distract from the electrical current that had started sparking through his veins the closer they got to the church. The car accident must have knocked something loose in his brain. When all this was over, he was going to have to find an MRI scanner.
Jensen, Jared, Misha, Chris, and Sophia shuffled into the elevator and closed the door quickly on anyone who wanted to come in after, leaving Chad, Adrianne and Genevieve to take the next one.
Disembarking on the top floor, Jared quietly picked his jaw off the ground. A long hallway stretched out before them, walls of gleaming mahogany and recessed lighting leading to a glass office door tucked tastefully at the end. Somebody had an obscene amount of money. The elevator door dinged pleasantly behind them and the others crowded off in a huddle.
“Dude, I just saw John Travolta.” Chad was practically vibrating out of skin.
Jensen pinched the bridge of his nose. “Adrianne, please take the kids out to play.” Jared was beginning to worry that there would be a permanent indent if Jensen didn’t stop that.
Adrianne waved her hand around the hall. “Where am I supposed to go?”
“The lobby? Cafeteria? I don’t care.”
“Who died and made you boss?”
Jensen lowered his hand and looked at her impassively. “Justin.”
Adrianne smirked and even Jared could tell that Justin’s demise wasn’t paining any of them. “Fine. But if Osiris kicks your ass, don’t come crying to me.”
“I won’t,” Jensen called out as Adrianne, Chad, and Misha entered the elevator. ”And don’t drink anything, there might be something in the water.”
Adrianne flipped him the bird as the doors closed.
The glass door opened easily and they shuffled into the office, taking seats on the leather couches provided.
They had been sitting quietly for twenty minutes when the redhead behind the big desk that dominated the reception area finally spoke to them.
“Name?”
Since their arrival, she had been talking into a headset; they had started to doze, lulled by the light music playing in the background and her monotonous voice.
She snapped her fingers at them without so much as a glance in their direction and started typing again. “Name?”
Chris took the proverbial bull by the horns and strutted up to the desk, all bluster and old-fashioned cowboy charisma. “Hi, darlin’; name’s Christian, and I have an appointment with Mr. Sheppard.”
She barely spared him a glance. “No, you don’t. Goodbye.”
Jensen tried next. “Hi…Danneel,” he said, lifting her nameplate. “I’m sure we just got the date wrong. But we’ve come all this way, couldn’t you just slip us in?”
She paused in her typing long enough to snatch the nameplate out of his fingers. “Does that usually work for you?”
At Jensen’s perplexed look, she huffed. “Slipping it in, does that work for you.”
Jensen glanced back and Jared had to pinch his nose closed to mask the snort threatening to erupt. “No ma’am?”
“You are neither charming enough nor attractive enough for that to have any effect on me. The answer is still no.”
Well, this was going nowhere fast. As much as he would have enjoyed watching pretty women eviscerate Jensen’s ego all day, they had things to do. Jared pushed Jensen aside and leaned over the desk.
“Look, Danneel. Can I call you Danneel? We really need to see him, could you just tell him we’re here.”
The redhead removed her hands from the keyboard and stood up. She was tiny, but the aura of power surrounding her suggested the stature of King Kong. “No I can’t interrupt him just because you think you’re important. News flash: you’re not. Now leave before I call security.”
She may have been a scary bitch, but Jared was down to his last straw. “Listen, lady, he’s expecting us and he’s going to be some kind of pissed at you if he finds out you threw us out.”
Danneel set one perfectly manicured hand on his arm; a chill seeped through every bone in his body. He tore his eyes from her grip to her smirking face.
“You do not have an appointment, and do you know how I know you don’t have an appointment, Jared?”
Jared shook his head slowly, unable to look away from her eyes that had started to swirl with a kaleidoscope of colours. It was like staring into a vortex or the great abyss. Neither of which made him feel comfortable about any part of her touching him. “Because I’d know if you were on the list.”
Jared nodded before he stumbled away from the desk and fell onto the couch.
Danneel slowly sat down and went back to typing as though they weren’t there.
Jared leaned over and whispered into Chris’s ear. “That’s Mahaf.”
Chris shrugged Jared’s head off his shoulder. “Who?”
Sophia was pale as she cuffed her brother. “The ferryman. Woman. Person.” Sophia looked confused.
Chris’s eyes opened comically wide. “The actual… Wow.”
Jared glanced back at Danneel and slid to edge of the couch. “Could we just get out of here? She’s never going to let us past.”
“Oh, fuck that!” Genevieve stood up, smoothing down her hair. “We didn’t come all this way for Satan’s bitch to hold us up now. I want to go home, and if the only thing standing in my way is her…”
Genevieve snapped her jaw tight and charged the desk, ripping the cord out of Danneel’s headset. “Look, bitch, you’re going to march your ass in there right now, and-”
Jared was braced for his wife’s organs to be sprayed all over the shiny wood walls when a man stepped out from behind a door next to the desk. “Jared. You’re early.”
They all stared at the dark man standing in the doorway of the office they were trying to get into. He was shorter than mythology had led them to believe. Also, no horns. Still, something about him screamed “scary mother fucker”; Jared felt a little give in his knees and cursed Misha. “Osiris… Mr. Sheppard?”
He waved a hand. “Please, call me Mark. Come on in.”
With a slight hitch in their steps, they all gave the reception desk a wide berth as they headed for the office. Mark put up a hand before Genevieve could walk in.
“Not you.”
“But…” Genevieve fell silent. What could she say?
“Danni, honey, get this lovely lady a beverage; she must be parched after her trip.”
Danneel stood slowly, looking less than amused. “Yes, sir.”
Mark nodded and slapped her ass on the way by.
They all heard the “Fucker” she not-so-subtly muttered under her breath.
Mark smiled at Genevieve. “I wouldn’t drink that if I were you.” He leaned forward. “She’s a spitter.”
Closing the door in her face, Osiris turned and faced the remaining members of the group. Had he been paying attention, he would have borne witness to the entertaining game of musical chairs they had engaged in, all trying to fit onto the loveseat set furthest away from the wide oak desk of all the furniture. Jared and Jensen had lost and were uncomfortably perched in the two chairs that brought them mere inches from the desk’s edge.
“Coffee, tea?”
Jared sat forward in his seat, dangerously close to falling off the edge. “No, thank you.”
“Carbonated soda pop?”
“No. Sir. We need-”
Osiris cut him off with a sharp wave of his hand and they all stared as he opened a mini-fridge and removed a Pepsi. Taking a long gulp, he smiled at the bottle and replaced the lid before placing it back in the fridge. Dozens of half-drunk bottles littered the shelves.
He walked back to his desk and sat, shuffling his papers, before he leaned forward and rested his chin on his steepled fingers. “So. Lovely to meet you all. What can I do for you?”
Jared wondered if that was the standard greeting for gods; looking to his companions, he sighed when no one else seemed willing to talk.
Bull. Horns.
“We just need to know if you have my brother and sister…sir.”
Osiris closed his eyes for a moment. “Nope. Don’t see them. Is that all?”
Chris piped up from the back. “Wait, don’t you need to touch Jared or something? Ra lit him up like the fourth of July.”
Jared glared at Chris; he knew what it felt like when Ra had touched him, but he hadn’t realized the fire had been apparent on the outside. “You weren’t even there!”
“Pfft. That old game. He wasn’t looking for your brother; he was scouring your soul. Painful and completely unnecessary. He can be such a hack when he’s in a mood.”
Jared sat up straight. There were so many things wrong with that statement, but now was not the time to be picky. “So he didn’t even look?”
Osiris leaned forward and patted Jared’s head. Or, he leaned over the desk, pulled Jared forward by his shirt collar, and then patted his head. Either way, Jared had the vague sense that it was meant to be a reassuring gesture. “Oh, I’m sure he looked. I’m also sure he had no intention of telling you whether he found them or not.”
Jared glanced sideways at Jensen, a silent plea to somehow get the god to quit touching him which was summarily ignored. “Why? How do you know that?” It wasn’t nearly as invasive as Ra had been, but someone was definitely combing through his mind, pausing here and there like his memories were an old paperback to be read and discarded. Jared had the distinct impression he was in the middle of two very different conversations.
“He sent you here, didn’t he? Chances are he made a deal with someone. Us Gods are always wheeling and dealing for this or that. The politics are quite draining some days.” Osiris glanced around at the group like he was expecting sympathy and received nothing but blank stares. “Well, never mind that. Not really your concern right now. Have you ever considered careers as actors? I could see great things for you two, maybe a buddy movie… I think I have a script here somewhere.” Osiris let Jared go to shuffle pages around on his desk; lifting one, he grinned triumphantly only for his smile to fall when he noticed all the glares directed back at him.
“Oh, for…” Osiris stood and came around the desk, leaning back against it and crossing his arms over his chest. “Look. I’m not allowed to help you. I made a deal, too. I can tell you truthfully, though, that they are not in the Underworld, and I can also tell you that there is someone who will help you.”
Sophia piped up from her place behind Chris’s shoulder: “Why should we believe you?”
Osiris spread his hands at his sides. “What other choice do you have?”
“Okay.” Jared sighed; he had a pretty good idea of what was coming. “Who’s next?”
“Isis.”
Jensen finally found the voice Jared had started to suspect had left with the guy’s balls. Osiris was just a God; Jensen dealt with one daily. He needed to get a grip.
“Isis? The mother of all? Why would she help us?”
Osiris sized Jensen up and, judging by the slight wrinkle of his mouth, found the Nefertem leader lacking. “She’s a little pissed at the rest of the Ennead, so I’m fairly certain she wouldn’t have made any deals with anyone. “
It wasn’t that Jared really wanted the god’s attention back, but as they were running in circles at the moment, he tapped Osiris lightly on the knee. “How do you know that?”
“I can’t divulge too many of the details. What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.” He winked.
Jared shook his head. “I don’t want to know. Where is she?”
“Canada. Last I checked.”
“Last you… Isn’t she your wife?”
“I thought she was his sister,” Chris whispered, about as subtle as Pride parade.
“Wife…sister… Tomato, tomäto.” Osiris grinned wolfishly.
Chris and Sophia shifted away from each other.
Jensen raised a hand. “Canada’s not a really convenient place to search.”
Chris looked confused. “It’s Canada. Doesn’t everyone know everyone else?”
Osiris rolled his eyes. “Americans.” He reached into the clutter on his desk and produced a small white card. “Ah. Here.”
“What is with all the business cards?” Chris asked. “Was there a sale?”
“Yes, actually. We found an amazing printer who gave us a fantastic deal; buy five thousand cards and get-”
At their incomprehensible stares, he cut himself off and shrugged. “Anyway. Good luck; I’ll be seeing you. If you change your mind about the acting thing, you just give me a call.”
…
…
“So. Plan B?”
One more diner to add to Jared’s list of eclectic little stops along the way had supplied their dinner, and now they were all jammed around the table on the bus, trying to determine their next move. Jared stuffed a fry in his mouth and spoke around it. “That was Plan B.”
Adrianne propped her arm on the back of the seat and lay her head in the crook of her elbow. “I think we’re on Plan F for ‘failure.’”
Misha waved the business card around the table. “Isis.”
“And how in the fuck are we supposed to find the mother of all gods?” Jensen was getting a wee bit bitchy.
“She’s on an island, according to this.”
“Well isn’t that convenient. Are we going to swim there?” Jensen snapped. Maybe more than a wee bit.
Chad spread a map out on the table, tracing some lines with his finger. “No, there’s a ferry. If we head due north, we can be there in two days, tops.”
“Where are we going?” Jensen squinted at the map. “Victoria?”
Jared ignored them all, staring out the window as the bus crept further into the night. Further and further away from home and any semblance of normalcy.
Sunrise broke over the Seattle skyline and soon they were waiting in line to cross the border into Canada. Why it was taking three hours was a mystery. How many people could really be that interested in going to Canada?
Jared threw down the map he’d been reading and stretched his arms, his palms flat against the ceiling of the bus. Gen and Misha were asleep and Adrianne was watching a movie, leaving Chad to navigate the border and the city beyond it with Chris and Sophia as his GPS.
Stumbling down the aisle, Jared pushed aside the curtain separating the beds from the common area and did his best to ignore Jensen sleeping on the only bed available. Tucking into the tiny bathroom, he made do in the confined space and used a cloth to wipe off his face with some of their limited supply of running water.
He had barely managed to get the accordion plastic masquerading as a door shut when he was shoved up against the wall. The heat of the highway beneath them radiated through the walls of the bus, but he was more concerned with the hot body pressed up behind him. Jared was mesmerized by the patterns the light made through the blinds on Jensen’s hand next to his face. “What do you want?”
“I thought that was obvious,” Jensen said, grinding against Jared’s ass.
“We don’t do this anymore.”
“We’ve never done this.”
Jared closed his eyes. “Why now? Because you’re not her favourite anymore? Because now you’re just as dispensable as I am?”
“Because I never had the chance? I might never get another one? Does it matter?”
Jared turned in the circle of Jensen’s arms and shoved him halfway to the bed, his lungs heaving in air. He wanted, in equal parts, to fuck Jensen blind and kick his ass. He had no idea which was the right decision and didn’t really giving a shit either way; he opened his jeans and toed off his shoes.
Seeing the surrender in Jared’s eyes, Jensen pulled his shirt off and shoved Jared the remaining steps to the bed. Jared landed flat on his back, air forced from his lips with a sharp gasp. There was no tenderness here, none of the teasing or soft touches that made up their history. It was tantamount to two strangers fucking, the only way it could be anymore.
Jared stared at the ceiling as Jensen ripped his pants off and tossed them over his shoulder, his only contribution a slight lift of his hips. He wasn’t sure he’d be able to do this while he was looking Jensen in the eye. For years, he’d begged Jensen for this, craved the intimacy that only this act could provide. Now that he was finally getting what he wanted, he felt…broken. Jared jumped when slick fingers wrapped around his cock; his fingers curled against the sheets and he held his breath, waiting for the inevitable invasion of his body.
“Open your eyes.”
Jared hadn’t even realized they were shut until Jensen barked the command. He turned his head to the side, refusing to give an inch; his spine arched when Jensen impaled himself on Jared in one brutal downward stroke. Jared’s eyes flew open in shock; for one, that was not how he had expected this to go, and for another, that had to have hurt.
“You never do as you’re told.” Jensen’s voice echoed with pain and something neither of them wanted to examine too closely.
Jared’s fingers scrambled for purchase on Jensen’s hips, locking tight and holding him place when Jensen started to shift back up. The slightest movement would end this long before Jared was ready for it to be over. Jensen toppled forward like his strings had been cut. He slid his hands under Jared’s back, curling his fingers over Jared’s shoulders, and rubbed his lips over Jared’s ear. “Shh. Easy.” Jared wasn’t sure if the sentiment was meant for him.
“Jen.” A tear crept down Jared’s cheek, but he had no idea which of them had spilled it. He was pretty sure even the pain of death would not have gotten either of them to admit to it. Regardless, Jared’s heart split wide open.
“I always wanted this, wanted you. Just for today, Jared, just for now, let us have it.”
The words were dropped softly into his ear. They weren’t from the Jensen he knew, nor the one he’d seen lately; there was someone else glimmering just beneath the surface. A new someone that Jared was desperate to know. He had his doubts as to whether he’d get the chance. He didn’t know if he had the strength to care.
Jared nodded and brushed his lips against Jensen’s face. Jensen rocked back and fire shot through Jared’s body, coalescing in his spine; this was not going to take long at all. Given the current status of their relationship, there should have been biting and tearing, not this smooth glide of two bodies utterly focused on the same goal. The thought that most people didn’t get to have this drifted through Jared’s mind, but it was quickly swept away as Jensen’s teeth rode the edge of his neck. Jared felt Jensen, hard and leaking against his stomach, as their panting grew harsher and louder. He held Jensen’s face in his hands and stared into his eyes. There was something there, something new, but…
“It’s too late.”
Jared came to the sound of Jensen’s bitten-off howl into his neck. Not his teardrops after all.
…
…
Between the Vancouver traffic, a few wrong turns, and the long lines, they’d barely managed to catch the last ferry of the day heading over to Vancouver Island. Everyone left the bus to wander around the passenger area before congregating on a group of benches that afforded a panoramic view of the ocean through the wall of windows protecting them from the elements.
Jared left the rest of them crowded into the seats and headed for the deck. He found a large metal box to sit on and stared out at the water as the mainland disappeared behind him.
“Hi.”
He jumped when Genevieve sat down next to him.
“Hey.”
She lifted his arm and curled up along his side. “It’s cold out here.”
Jared lightly kissed her forehead. “Yeah, it sure isn’t Texas.”
Genevieve snuggled closer. “I can’t wait to go home.”
“We’re going to find them, soon.” Jared glanced down at the top of Gen’s head. “You know I won’t stop until we do.”
He felt her sigh into his chest. “Jared… Just… Never mind.”
“What?” He rubbed his hands up her arms, trying to warm her.
“What if Isis can’t help us? What if we’re just chasing our tails? What then?”
Jared stiffened. “Then we’ll find someone who can. We can’t just give up. Gen, what if it was me? You’d keep looking for me.”
Genevieve rolled her face against his chest and curled closer to him. “It’s not the same.”
“Why?”
Genevieve sat up and put a foot of space between them. “For one, I wouldn’t take off to another country with a bunch of cats. Two, I’m your wife; it’s our job to look out for each other. Your brother sure as hell wouldn’t be wasting his time if it was the other way around.”
Jared grabbed for her, but gave up without a fight when she just shifted further away. “Why are you even here if that’s what you think?”
“Why do you think I’m here? Even if I think this is insane, I’ll follow you because you’re my future. You’re all I have.”
Jared shifted his eyes back to the water. Somewhere along the way, he’d forgotten that without him and the security she’d imagined he offered for her future, she was alone. It wasn’t like she could meet someone else and move on; there was no such thing as divorce in Kebechet society. It was his job to protect her and keep her safe, and so far, he was doing a bang up job of that.
“You’re not going back.” It wasn’t a question, but Jared took it as one anyway.
“Of course I am.”
Genevieve shook her head sadly. “No. No, you’re not.” Jared spread his hands but didn’t reach for her when she got up and leaned against the railing running the length of the deck. She watched him for a moment, trying to piece something together in her mind. Jared wasn’t really prepared for the outcome. ”Gods, you are such a selfish asshole. You were never even going to try to love me, were you?”
“Gen. I...”
Genevieve threw her arms wide. “What’s wrong with me?”
Jared jumped up. “Nothing! You’re perfect, and beautiful, and-”
“Not Jensen.”
He wanted to deny that so badly that his teeth ached, but in the end, all he could offer up was a weak, “What?”
“You think I don’t see the way you look at him. I’m not an idiot. I’ve done everything I could to keep you apart for years, but he wouldn’t give up. Neither would you.”
Jared grabbed for her hands and held on, even when she tried to slap him away. She didn’t understand. She-
“You don’t know what you’re talking about. Jensen and I. We. It wasn’t real.”
Genevieve squeezed his fingers to make him drop her hands, and she gripped his face. Jared avoided her eyes as long as possible until he couldn’t stand it anymore, watching her break with every word she spoke. “You’re so naïve. You two are never going to let each other go. Ever. If I can accept that, then you better start doing it, too.”
Chapter Seven