Time of the Season 1/3 RPF
Title: Time of the Season. 1/3
Author: Sophie Laine
Rating: PG-13
Fandom: Supernatural/RPF
Characters/Pairing: Jared/Jensen
Summary: When a Jared obsessed killer can't get to Jared, he takes the next best thing. Jensen.
Time of the Season
What's your name?
Who's your daddy?
Is he rich like me?
Has he taken
Any time
To show you what you need to live?
Tell it to me slowly
Tell you what?
I really want to know
It's the time of the season for loving
--The Zombies
"I want to thank you. You’ve always watched out for me. I could always count on you. And now... I just wanted to let you know. Just in case."
"Again."
"Please--"
"No! You're not getting it right. You're not paying attention. Watch and listen." He pressed rewind on the remote sending the visuals skipping backward at twice the speed. Stop. Play.
"I want to thank you," Sam said on the video. "For everything. You’ve always had my back, you know? Even when I couldn’t count on anyone, I could always count on you. And now... I don’t know. I just wanted to let you know. Just in case."
Rewind. Stop. Play.
"I want to thank you. For everything. You’ve always had my back, you know? Even when I couldn’t count on anyone, I could always count on you. And now... I don’t know. I just wanted to let you know. Just in case."
"Say it."
"I want to thank you for watching my back-- "
"No!" He threw the remote across the room. "That's not how it goes. That's not how he sounds." He dropped one knee to the bed and his hand brushed a lock of long brown hair out of wide and frightened eyes. "So. . . . beautiful." He leaned down and tucked his face into the hair, lips at his ear. "Why couldn't you be him? Why?" He set a kiss on a tear-stained cheek and reached for the knife on the bedside table without even looking. "Why couldn't you be him?"
# # # #
"Jared. Where's Jensen?"
He kept his back to her a moment longer than was normal, making a show out of tucking in his shirt and re-buttoning his already buttoned jeans. He needed that moment to erase the lie from his face. He was a good actor but a lousy liar, so he had to think of this as just another role. Sam Winchester facing down a female version of Agent Hendrickson.
"I don't know." Then he turned, confident that the truth didn't show on his face. "I'm really worried. What with everything that's been going on." That part was true. All good lies had an element of truth.
Sophie Laine tried to lock eyes with him but he turned away on the pretext of checking his hair in the mirror. She was a profiler. Well trained in the art of reading human beings and he could feel her looking right into his head, seeing all the stuff he had stored there.
"I called his cell and he didn't pick up. Maybe he turned it off because he's with a girl or something."
A sharp rap on the metal trailer door and he was startled enough to jump.
"You're needed on set, Jared," called a female voice.
Good. Escape. Something to do to pass the time before they decided to shut down for the day. They'd have to shut down without Jensen.
"I gotta go." Head down, he stepped toward the door but Sophie caught his arm at the last second. She leaned in so close he could smell her fruity shampoo and she spoke so softly he almost had to hold his breath to hear her.
"He's killed two people, Jared. Nearly killed three. Tortured them. Made them suffer. And don't think he wouldn't do the same to Jensen."
"I don't--" Jared's voice failed as he yanked his arm away from her. "I understand all of that, but I don't know why you're saying it to me, now."
"Because I know you talked to him." She ducked her head, got under Jared's tree-tall form to catch his eye. "Do not risk Jensen's life on some misguided idea that this is all your fault. This is not about you. This is about Ricky Dulac and his inability to tell fantasy from reality."
Another knock on the door. "Jared. Right now, please."
"I have to go." He grabbed the door and yanked it open hard and fast freaking out the second AD on the other side. "Sorry," he mumbled though it wasn't clear even to him, who he was saying sorry to.
Jared wanted to trust Sophie. Wanted to tell her about the phone call from Dulac but he couldn’t. Couldn't risk it. She'd go all FBI on his ass, placing a trace on phone and snipers on the roofs. But Dulac was too volatile for that. If he got wind, and he would, it would be all over for Jensen and it would be Jared's fault.
He glanced over his shoulder. Saw her talking with Bender, his bodyguard. Sweet Jesus, how mixed up was the world when he needed a bodyguard? He'd have to find away around him if he was going to do as he was told. Think like Sam and it'll happen.
Jared went from a fast walk to a jog, to a full run by the time he reached the cabin where they were shooting. He tried to concentrate on the lines he was about to deliver but it was hard with Jensen on his mind. It would be harder still when he had to feed them to Jensen's stand-in. It was a workable solution for the camera - shoot all of Jared's angles today, then do the reverses' later or tomorrow or when ever Jensen reappeared. The thought that he might not, ever, brought a lump to Jared's throat.
"You okay?" The question was asked as the make-up girl ran a puff over his forehead to tone down the sweat shine.
"Yeah," he mumbled.
"It's so weird about Jensen. I've never known him to just disappear like this. You'd think he'd at least call or something."
"Yeah," Jared replied, too afraid to say anymore lest the truth come out before he could stop it.
He stepped on to the set, passed the light stands and the cameras and the throng of crew people all doing their jobs, all wondering the same thing.
It wasn't like Jensen to just up and disappear. Frankie, one of the grips knew a movie star once who used to do that all the time - just take off for Vegas or Mexico without telling anyone. Susan, the PA, said that something like this had happened on her last TV show but it turned out the actor was in a car accident and was in the hospital. Car accident would be a welcome thought at this point.
Jared mentally closed his ears to tune out all the chatter. Yeah, unconscious in a hospital would be a hundred times better than where Jensen really was - caught in the hands of a serial killer with nothing left to lose.
# # # #
They struggled along for a little over an hour and then Kim Manners decided to call it quits. Jared knew that he'd given the director little that was useable, but he couldn't help it, pro or not it was just to hard to concentrate on acting when there was so much more at stake. So he apologized to Kim and the crew but it wasn't really necessary. They were all feeling it. With every minute that passed without a word about Jensen the tension clicked up a notch. They were all thinking the worst even if no one wanted to say it.
It was dark when Jared made his way back to his trailer and Bender was right there behind him escorting him all the way. Once he was in his trailer there was only one way out, so he wouldn't lose Bender there, not that it mattered since Jared didn't have a car on site. He'd have to wait for Bender to drive him home and then find a way to slip past him.
Another hour at least.
First things first. Jared climbed into his trailer, locked the door then stripped off his "Sam" clothes. He left them on the bed for the wardrobe girl then sat down beside them and pulled out his phone.
Last number redial. Jensen's number.
It rang three times and on the fourth it would go to voicemail. Jared held his breath and wished for it not to happen and then there was silence and a soft voice saying, "hi."
"They just dismissed me from the set. I just wanted you to know that I was still coming but it might not be for a couple of hours."
"You weren't supposed to call me until you were in the wind, free of your. . . watchdog."
"I know and I will, I just wanted you to know what was happening."
A pause. "Are you tracing this call?"
"No!" Jared jumped to his feet with the exclamation. "I haven't told anyone."
"Not even the lovely Sophie Laine?"
"No. Nobody knows. I swear. I've done just as you've asked." Jared closed his eyes and slipped back down to sitting. "Please don’t hurt him." The words came out as a near sob.
"Hurt him? What have they been telling you about me? Huh? What lies have they been spreading? I'll bet they're making me out to be the monster when we all know that's not true. I gave those others every chance. But they weren't you, were they? They couldn't be you, I don't know why I ever thought they could."
"Please. Let me talk to Jensen."
"Don't!" the voice snapped. "I told you not to speak his name. My name. What is MY name?"
"Ricky."
"Said it again. Softer. Like you mean it."
Jared sucked in a huge breath in hopes of controlling the tremor in his voice. You're an actor, so act. "Ricky." That was it. Soft and warm.
"Soon, baby. We'll be together real soon. You better get going. You call me back when you're on the road and then maybe you can talk to him. When you call back." And that was it. End call. No more.
It was all he could do not to cry. Despite what Sophie had said, it was his fault. The other victims, all taken and tortured because they looked like him. A college student studying art. A bartender at a local club. And Phillip, the high school track star. The one that got away. The one that lived to tell the authorities that Ricky Dulac had a wall covered with pictures of that actor from Supernatural. That Dulac had forced him watch tapes of the show so he could learn to imitate the actor's voice and mannerisms. But when he couldn't get it just right, when the inflection was off or the tone was too harsh he was punished with knives and bare electrical wires.
Tortured because he looked something like Jared.
Two murdered because of him.
When Sophie had first told him, he'd thrown up behind the set. She figured Dulac would get tired of sloppy seconds soon and get brave enough to go after the real thing. That was where Bender the bodyguard came in. No one thought to watch over Jensen, though. They'd miscalculated and now another life was hanging in the balance. Not that the other three men weren't important, but this was Jensen and Jared wasn't about to be the cause of his best friend's death.
He couldn't waste anymore time. He had to get to a car and get rid of Bender. Spurred into action, he began pulling on his street clothes. He was tying his sneakers when there was a knock on the door.
"Jared. It's Kim."
"Just a second!" Jared dashed to the bathroom where he splashed some water on his face then wiped away the tracks of the tears. He was still shaky when he opened the door but there was nothing to be done about that.
"I wanted to make sure you were alright," the director said as he stepped into the trailer. "You know, a couple of hours ago I was still able to believe that Jensen was shacking up with some hot model or sleeping off a hangover and that's why he hadn't reported in. Now, I guess we all know that it's nothing like that." The older man sighed as he turned his gaze up to the ceiling for a few seconds. "I don't have anything to say to make it easier but if you need to talk or you want some company, you call me. And keep that bodyguard close by. We don't want to lose you, too."
"Yeah, I'll do that. Thanks for checking up." Jared grabbed his backpack making it clear that he was ready to leave. Kim took the hint and went out first and there was Bender waiting at the bottom of the short metal stairs.
"I'll talk to you soon," the director said as they parted.
Jared said, "sure," but he wasn't sure. Wasn't sure if he'd ever speak to Kim or Eric or his family or anyone ever again.
Without a word to Bender, he started down the path to the parking lot. The walkway was fairly dark but the lot was well lit with huge incandescent fixtures. They were a yard away from Bender's SUV when a voice called, "Jared!"
Jared whirled and saw a man walking their way. He was dressed in a huge overcoat and he had a ball cap pulled down over his eyes. Could be Ricky Dulac - they only had one picture of him and that one was pretty old. The man had his left hand inside of his coat and he kept it there as he moved in closer.
"You're Jared, right? From that show? You making a show?"
Bender stepped in front of Jared, his eyes on the advancing stranger. "Sir, could you take your hand out of your coat?"
The bum stopped moving forward but he didn't comply. "I want to talk to Sam. I want to talk to him about ghosts and beasties and things that go bump in the night."
"Okay. But first, take your hand out of your coat."
"Why? You worried I got a gun or something?" The man stepped closer.
Bender reached back and pushed the car keys into Jared's hand. "Get in and lock the doors and if this goes bad you get out of here and you call Sophie. Got that?"
Jared nodded before he realized that Bender couldn't see it. His eyes were locked on the bum.
"Yes. I got it." Fumbling a bit, Jared fit the key in the driver's side door then climbed into the high cab of the SUV. He yanked the door shut and hit the power locks, a small voice nagging him about his cowardice and another voice reminding him that this was his chance. He fit the key into the ignition.
Bender was moving toward the bum and the bum was backing up. What if it was Dulac? What if he had a knife under that coat and he was preparing to kill the watchdog? Jared watched with wide eyes, so torn between fight and flight. Damn it! He pulled out his cell phone and called up Sophie's number. He was about to hit "call" when Bender knocked the bum to the ground and got the cuffs on him.
Situation under control.
Jared stared at the phone in his hand and the next number on the redial. He hit.
One ring. Two ring. Pickup. "Are you on the way?"
Ricky Dulac - on the phone, not on the ground. "Yes." Jared threw the SUV into drive then pulled forward across the parking space and headed for the exit. Even with the windows closed he heard Bender yelling his name.
"Are you alone?" asked the voice on the phone.
"I am."
"Then head north on Route One and go over the bridge." Jared picked up speed so he would be well out of the lot and on the city streets before Bender could summon help to stop him. Sophie would know what he was up to when she found out that he'd taken off. They'd probably put an APB out on the car but it was dark and hopefully he didn't have to far to go.
He saw a sign for Route One, followed it, but just before he hit the on-ramp he pulled off into the lot of a strip mall and stopped.
"Rick. You promised me. You promised I could talk to --" Stop, think, "Him -- as soon as I was on the road."
Silence. "You'll see him later."
"No!" Jared pounded his palm against the steering wheel. "You let me talk to him now or I'm turning around and going back. I swear! I'll tell them everything. If he's not alive, I have nothing to lose." He swallowed hard and it hurt. So did the ache in his belly and tension in his neck and he wished so hard that this was all just a bad dream that he was going to wake up from.
"Fine."
"What?"
"I said fine. You can talk to him."
A rush of relief washed over Jared, the fear of the past day fading slightly at the knowledge that his best friend was still alive. He strained to listen for every sound as footsteps echoed and then a door creaked.
"Talk to him," came a muffled voice and then breathing on the line.
"Jen?"
"Jared? God, whatever you're doing, just don't. He's crazy."
The voice was pulled away and the sounds of a scuffle. Flesh on flesh and a moan.
"Ricky, don't!" Jared yelled as loud as he could into the phone.
Then he was back. "Keep driving. Over the bridge and turn on 5th. You'll see an old gas station. It's closed. Pull in there and wait for me."
"I will if you promise you'll bring Jensen. You'll trade him for me, right?"
"Of course. He's a hateful jerk. I don't want him. I want you. It'll be good. You'll see." The call ended. Jared dropped the dead phone on the passenger seat. He reached for the shift to put the SUV into gear but he didn't quite get there. Someone was going to die. Himself or Jensen -- there didn't seem to be any other outcome.
A wash of anger and fear and despair turned him non-functional for a moment so that all he could do was pound his fists against the steering wheel and scream. It was like House of Wax, when he realized he was trapped. Strapped to a table, paralyzed, unable to escape the pain. Jared had forced himself to go to that place, to imagine being that close to death. Waiting to be tortured, knowing he'd never see his family again. He had forced himself to think about his mother's face as she dealt with a son gone missing. It was hard place to go to. A hard place to maintain but it had given him what he needed to react properly on film.
This wasn't a movie. This nightmare wasn't going to end when the director yelled cut. This time, Mrs. Padalecki really would be suffering the torment of never knowing what had happened to her son.
Not true.
She'd know. Sophie and Bender would go to see her in Texas and they'd sit her down and tell her how brave her son was. How he'd turned himself over to a serial killer to spare the life of his best friend.
He wondered if that would make the news any easier to take.
Jared slipped the SUV into gear, pulled back out on to the road and headed into darkness.
# # # #
"Still thinking this was a good idea?" Bender asked, his eyes peering through night vision goggles.
Beside him in the car, Sophie squirmed for a moment then gave a decisive, "yes, I do. There's no way Jared was going to tell us about the meet. And if we'd kept him from going--" She stopped speaking when the radio in her hand crackled to life.
"Car approaching," said the male voice. "Two door, big car, older model, it's. . . oh geez."
"What?" Bender asked even though the other man couldn't hear him.
"It's an old Impala."
"That would be our boy," said Sophie. She trigger the talk button on the walkie. "Hold your positions until I give the order. I want to make sure he's got Jensen with him before we take him down."
Bender made a huffing sound then leaned closer to the windshield as if that would help him see more. "You really think he's going to make the trade?"
"Maybe. Psycho's have rules, just not always rules the rest of us understand, but he wants Jared and if he thinks he needs to give up Jensen to do it, he will." Sophie leaned closer, too. She didn't have goggles so all she could see was the tall shadow form that was Jared pacing back and forth by the hulking shadow that was the SUV.
He was parked in a defunct gas station. There was a street lamp within fifty yards of him but that wasn't enough light at this distance to see his face or any real detail. Then she saw the headlights of the approaching car and heard the deep rumble of a powerful engine cutting through the quiet night.
Jared reacted. Even at this distance, she could see him tense up.
Sophie thumbed the talk button on the walkie. "Don't forget that this guy is dangerous. I want everyone coming out of this alive. Everyone."
# # # #
When Jared heard the familiar rumble of the Impala's engine, he thought he'd gone mad. Maybe this was a freaky dream after all. Maybe it would be like The Wizard of Oz and "Ricky Dulac" would turn out to be Jeffrey Dean Morgan or maybe Fredric Lehne, the yellow-eyed demon.
That would actually be a relief. He knew how to deal with yellow-eyed demons.
Jared averted his eyes from the glare of the approaching headlights but only for a second so he could adjust. He desperately wanted to see inside the car, but once he had his vision back he saw there was only one person in the vehicle.
One visible person.
Jensen could be lying down on the back seat or in the trunk. God knows, an Impala's trunk was roomier than his first apartment back in LA. He stuffed his hands in his jacket pockets to keep them from shaking then swallowed hard to push down the lump in his throat. Neither act was very successful.
The driver side door opened and a man stepped out. He was in his late thirties, maybe just forty, almost as tall as Jared and nearly as well built. He had sandy blonde hair and teeth that were so white they stood out in the semi-darkness when he smiled. And he did smile as he said, "there's my boy."
Showtime.
"Where's Jensen?"
"Hello to you, too." Dulac took a step forward and Jared countered with a step back.
"You promised. You said you'd bring him. You said you'd trade me for him."
"I will. I always keep my promises." He stepped again and this time Jared stayed put. It was hard but he knew he had to. Had to show this guy that he wasn't afraid.
"And I keep my promises. I said I'd go with you if you let him go and I will." Jared shifted to the left to get a better angle on the car's interior but Dulac moved with him. When he got within arm's reach Jared was forced to retreat or risk getting grabbed.
"You don't trust me? That's no way to start our relationship, Jared."
Relationship? Nice word choice.
"Is Jensen in the car? I just--"
"Him. Him. HIM!" Dulac snapped and he went from looking like a harmless surfer dude to the psycho he was in the fraction of a second. "It's always about him with you and I don't like it. I've told you several times that I don't like it. He's not your friend. You think he is, but he's not. He was ready to give you up in a second to save his own skin. Piss-ant little diva boy. Not as tough as he looks on TV and still they give him all the good lines, don't they?"
Dulac took a monster step forward and Jared nearly tripped over his own feet trying to back away.
"You're the movie star. What's he, huh? What's he ever done? Soaps. Dawson's Creek," he said dragging the words out with great distain. "You're the star."
And what to say to that? Agree or disagree? Better to say nothing at all.
"Wait until you see your room. It's everything you like. I like. I have these pictures of you and me -- only, you know, we've never met before so I had to manip them but not now. Now we can take real pictures together. You and me. Enough to fill up a wall and then some."
"Sounds good," Jared said, hoping Dulac didn't catch the tremor in his voice. "But JUST you and me. Jensen needs to go home."
Dulac smiled and his teeth looked even whiter. "Yeah. That's right, see. . . I knew you'd feel it if I just . . . we just. . . talked. Close, like this." He stepped to within three feet of Jared and Jared willed himself not to move.
The guy was obsessed and it didn't sound like he meant Jared any harm so maybe that was the way to go. Play into it until he was sure Jensen was all right then keep up the farce until he found a way to escape himself.
"Please tell me where he is."
"We should go." Dulac reached out and caught hold of the sleeve of Jared's jacket. It was an almost gentle touch, not threatening and yet it made Jared want to knee this guy in the groin and then run. But he couldn't do that. Jensen would pay if he did that.
"We should go," Jared echoed and then walked with feet that weighed a ton toward the passenger side door of the Impala.
Sometimes the line between Sam and Jared got blurred.
This was one of those times.
# # # #
"What the hell is he doing?" Bender shoved the night vision binocs at Sophie so she could have a better look.
"He's going to get in the car. And no Jensen."
"We could follow," Bender suggested even though he knew it was a bad idea. The SUV had a locator on it. When Jared was driving it there had been no chance of losing him, but this. . .
"We can't let him leave with that psycho."
"But if Jensen's not in the car, we don't know where he is."
And the clock was ticking on making the call. Jared was almost to the car door. Dulac was right on his heels. He hadn't brandished a weapon but they knew he had a fondness for knives.
Sophie triggered the walkie. "Prepare to move in. Wait until Jared's in the car then go." That would put a solid Impala door between Jared and Dulac in case the man did have a weapon. "Damn it." She climbed out of the car and was careful not to slam the door then she and Bender started their approach keeping to the shadows on the dark side of the road.
This wasn't what she'd hoped for. Her instincts had told her Dulac would bring Jensen along for leverage and yet. . .
The passenger side door of the Impala closed with a squeak and thud and that was the signal to run.
Jared's hopes were dashed when he opened the passenger side door of the car and got a good look at the back seat. No Jensen but there was a dirty blanket laying back there and stains that he didn't want to think about.
See it through. Go with him. He'll take you to Jensen.
That was Jared's mantra as he climbed into the car then pulled the door shut.
Dulac circled around front. For a second he was bisected by the headlights and then something was happening. Jared saw it in the way the man stiffened. He glanced left and saw two armed men come charging out of the woods from the other side of the street.
Cops!
The two men converged on Dulac. They shouted for him to hit the ground, on his belly, hands behind his head.
Dulac dropped out of sight down in front of the car which opened up Jared's line of sight and he saw Bender and Sophie coming straight toward him.
They had tracked him! The SUV or maybe his cell. Whatever. Didn't matter now. One last hope.
Jared yanked the keys out of the ignition then threw open the car door and tumbled out. Sophie was calling to him but he ignored her. He ran around to the back of the car, fit the key in the trunk lock then popped it.
She was yelling at him to stop but he couldn't. Even though he was terrified by what he might find in there, he had to look.
He slipped his fingers under the trunk lid then shoved upward. The large expanse of metal blocked a good deal of the light but there was still enough to see inside and it broke him.
"Oh god, no."
Sophie came tearing around the car expecting the worse.
The trunk was empty.
"I thought--" She reached for Jared but he was on the move.
He went after Dulac with a vengeance. Grabbed him by the shirt and yanked him right out of the hands of the two cops that had just helped him to his feet.
"What have you done with him! You fucking bastard! Tell me! Tell me where he is!"
Bender got a restraining hold on Jared then yanked him back as the cops pulled Dulac in the opposite direction.
"You lied to me!" Dulac screamed matching the tone and volume. "You said you'd come alone. You promised me you'd trade! I kept my promise and you broke yours!"
"I didn't. I didn't know they were following me! They--" Recognition hit Jared in the form of the scruffy cop who was holding Dulac. "They set me up. That guy pretended to be after me in the parking lot. I thought it was you, testing me. But it was you!" Jared tried to twist in Bender's arms but he couldn't get loose.
"We had to give you a chance to break away. Jesus--" Bender groaned as a pointy elbow rammed into his stomach. That was followed by a head slamming back into his nose and that was what made him lose his grip. "Christ almighty!" He backed off seeing stars as the blood began to spurt from his nostrils.
"That's it!" Sophie snapped, jumping between the again advancing Jared and Dulac in the hands of the other two cops. When he kept advancing she contemplated pulling her gun but he lost all of his steam a second later and then he was on his knees in tears.
She stooped down in front of him and set a comforting hand on his heaving shoulder. "I'm sorry that we had to deceive you but I had a feeling you were in contact with him."
"So you planned my escape. Gave me the opportunity and the means."
"Yeah, I was hoping want you were, that Dulac would have Jensen with him."
Jared sniffed as he ran his sleeve across his eyes and then his nose. He pushed up to his feet and locked eyes with Dulac. "You killed him, didn't you? That's why you didn't bring him. Because he's dead."
Dulac shook his head and a lock of blond hair fell into his eyes. "Not dead yet, but he will be soon."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Sophie asked, a restraining hand on Jared's arm.
Dulac simply rolled his eyes. A look that would have been comical in any other circumstance.
"Don't do this," Jared pleaded. "You say you care about me, so do this for me. Tell me where he is!"
Dulac hesitated and for a second they all held their breath thinking it might happen. "We'll still be together. It'll happen. Nothing will keep us apart. You'll see. It'll be you and me. I know it's what you wanted and these stupid cops screwed it up but you'll see. We'll work it out and then I'll keep my promise. Jensen he. . . " Dulac struggled to motion with his hands cuffed behind his back. "Jensen wasn't like the other ones. Jensen was simply a cell phone."
There was logic there somewhere but Jared's aching brain couldn't get there. "He was what?"
"It was the only way I could talk to you. You were always surrounded by people but your number was on his phone."
Bile rose in Jared's throat. He swallowed it down but it came back with more force. Of all the horrible things he'd heard in the last few days, the nightmare images that had haunted him, the knowledge that two men had already died because they looked like him. . . none of that even came close to the insanity of that last statement.
Sophie tried to wrap her arms around him but he shoved her off and then stumbled away. Toward the Impala. No. Towards the SUV. No. Towards the darkness off the side of the road. Maybe. Darkness would be good. Really, really good.
Jared startled when his cell phone buzzed in his pocket. He grabbed for it so overwhelmed with hope he didn't even look at the ID. He simply opened the phone and brought it to his ear. "Hello."
"Jared? It's Eric. Is everything okay?"
He was sitting cross-legged on the ground laughing hysterically when Sophie pried the phone out of his hand.
TBC
Author: Sophie Laine
Rating: PG-13
Fandom: Supernatural/RPF
Characters/Pairing: Jared/Jensen
Summary: When a Jared obsessed killer can't get to Jared, he takes the next best thing. Jensen.
Time of the Season
What's your name?
Who's your daddy?
Is he rich like me?
Has he taken
Any time
To show you what you need to live?
Tell it to me slowly
Tell you what?
I really want to know
It's the time of the season for loving
--The Zombies
"I want to thank you. You’ve always watched out for me. I could always count on you. And now... I just wanted to let you know. Just in case."
"Again."
"Please--"
"No! You're not getting it right. You're not paying attention. Watch and listen." He pressed rewind on the remote sending the visuals skipping backward at twice the speed. Stop. Play.
"I want to thank you," Sam said on the video. "For everything. You’ve always had my back, you know? Even when I couldn’t count on anyone, I could always count on you. And now... I don’t know. I just wanted to let you know. Just in case."
Rewind. Stop. Play.
"I want to thank you. For everything. You’ve always had my back, you know? Even when I couldn’t count on anyone, I could always count on you. And now... I don’t know. I just wanted to let you know. Just in case."
"Say it."
"I want to thank you for watching my back-- "
"No!" He threw the remote across the room. "That's not how it goes. That's not how he sounds." He dropped one knee to the bed and his hand brushed a lock of long brown hair out of wide and frightened eyes. "So. . . . beautiful." He leaned down and tucked his face into the hair, lips at his ear. "Why couldn't you be him? Why?" He set a kiss on a tear-stained cheek and reached for the knife on the bedside table without even looking. "Why couldn't you be him?"
# # # #
"Jared. Where's Jensen?"
He kept his back to her a moment longer than was normal, making a show out of tucking in his shirt and re-buttoning his already buttoned jeans. He needed that moment to erase the lie from his face. He was a good actor but a lousy liar, so he had to think of this as just another role. Sam Winchester facing down a female version of Agent Hendrickson.
"I don't know." Then he turned, confident that the truth didn't show on his face. "I'm really worried. What with everything that's been going on." That part was true. All good lies had an element of truth.
Sophie Laine tried to lock eyes with him but he turned away on the pretext of checking his hair in the mirror. She was a profiler. Well trained in the art of reading human beings and he could feel her looking right into his head, seeing all the stuff he had stored there.
"I called his cell and he didn't pick up. Maybe he turned it off because he's with a girl or something."
A sharp rap on the metal trailer door and he was startled enough to jump.
"You're needed on set, Jared," called a female voice.
Good. Escape. Something to do to pass the time before they decided to shut down for the day. They'd have to shut down without Jensen.
"I gotta go." Head down, he stepped toward the door but Sophie caught his arm at the last second. She leaned in so close he could smell her fruity shampoo and she spoke so softly he almost had to hold his breath to hear her.
"He's killed two people, Jared. Nearly killed three. Tortured them. Made them suffer. And don't think he wouldn't do the same to Jensen."
"I don't--" Jared's voice failed as he yanked his arm away from her. "I understand all of that, but I don't know why you're saying it to me, now."
"Because I know you talked to him." She ducked her head, got under Jared's tree-tall form to catch his eye. "Do not risk Jensen's life on some misguided idea that this is all your fault. This is not about you. This is about Ricky Dulac and his inability to tell fantasy from reality."
Another knock on the door. "Jared. Right now, please."
"I have to go." He grabbed the door and yanked it open hard and fast freaking out the second AD on the other side. "Sorry," he mumbled though it wasn't clear even to him, who he was saying sorry to.
Jared wanted to trust Sophie. Wanted to tell her about the phone call from Dulac but he couldn’t. Couldn't risk it. She'd go all FBI on his ass, placing a trace on phone and snipers on the roofs. But Dulac was too volatile for that. If he got wind, and he would, it would be all over for Jensen and it would be Jared's fault.
He glanced over his shoulder. Saw her talking with Bender, his bodyguard. Sweet Jesus, how mixed up was the world when he needed a bodyguard? He'd have to find away around him if he was going to do as he was told. Think like Sam and it'll happen.
Jared went from a fast walk to a jog, to a full run by the time he reached the cabin where they were shooting. He tried to concentrate on the lines he was about to deliver but it was hard with Jensen on his mind. It would be harder still when he had to feed them to Jensen's stand-in. It was a workable solution for the camera - shoot all of Jared's angles today, then do the reverses' later or tomorrow or when ever Jensen reappeared. The thought that he might not, ever, brought a lump to Jared's throat.
"You okay?" The question was asked as the make-up girl ran a puff over his forehead to tone down the sweat shine.
"Yeah," he mumbled.
"It's so weird about Jensen. I've never known him to just disappear like this. You'd think he'd at least call or something."
"Yeah," Jared replied, too afraid to say anymore lest the truth come out before he could stop it.
He stepped on to the set, passed the light stands and the cameras and the throng of crew people all doing their jobs, all wondering the same thing.
It wasn't like Jensen to just up and disappear. Frankie, one of the grips knew a movie star once who used to do that all the time - just take off for Vegas or Mexico without telling anyone. Susan, the PA, said that something like this had happened on her last TV show but it turned out the actor was in a car accident and was in the hospital. Car accident would be a welcome thought at this point.
Jared mentally closed his ears to tune out all the chatter. Yeah, unconscious in a hospital would be a hundred times better than where Jensen really was - caught in the hands of a serial killer with nothing left to lose.
# # # #
They struggled along for a little over an hour and then Kim Manners decided to call it quits. Jared knew that he'd given the director little that was useable, but he couldn't help it, pro or not it was just to hard to concentrate on acting when there was so much more at stake. So he apologized to Kim and the crew but it wasn't really necessary. They were all feeling it. With every minute that passed without a word about Jensen the tension clicked up a notch. They were all thinking the worst even if no one wanted to say it.
It was dark when Jared made his way back to his trailer and Bender was right there behind him escorting him all the way. Once he was in his trailer there was only one way out, so he wouldn't lose Bender there, not that it mattered since Jared didn't have a car on site. He'd have to wait for Bender to drive him home and then find a way to slip past him.
Another hour at least.
First things first. Jared climbed into his trailer, locked the door then stripped off his "Sam" clothes. He left them on the bed for the wardrobe girl then sat down beside them and pulled out his phone.
Last number redial. Jensen's number.
It rang three times and on the fourth it would go to voicemail. Jared held his breath and wished for it not to happen and then there was silence and a soft voice saying, "hi."
"They just dismissed me from the set. I just wanted you to know that I was still coming but it might not be for a couple of hours."
"You weren't supposed to call me until you were in the wind, free of your. . . watchdog."
"I know and I will, I just wanted you to know what was happening."
A pause. "Are you tracing this call?"
"No!" Jared jumped to his feet with the exclamation. "I haven't told anyone."
"Not even the lovely Sophie Laine?"
"No. Nobody knows. I swear. I've done just as you've asked." Jared closed his eyes and slipped back down to sitting. "Please don’t hurt him." The words came out as a near sob.
"Hurt him? What have they been telling you about me? Huh? What lies have they been spreading? I'll bet they're making me out to be the monster when we all know that's not true. I gave those others every chance. But they weren't you, were they? They couldn't be you, I don't know why I ever thought they could."
"Please. Let me talk to Jensen."
"Don't!" the voice snapped. "I told you not to speak his name. My name. What is MY name?"
"Ricky."
"Said it again. Softer. Like you mean it."
Jared sucked in a huge breath in hopes of controlling the tremor in his voice. You're an actor, so act. "Ricky." That was it. Soft and warm.
"Soon, baby. We'll be together real soon. You better get going. You call me back when you're on the road and then maybe you can talk to him. When you call back." And that was it. End call. No more.
It was all he could do not to cry. Despite what Sophie had said, it was his fault. The other victims, all taken and tortured because they looked like him. A college student studying art. A bartender at a local club. And Phillip, the high school track star. The one that got away. The one that lived to tell the authorities that Ricky Dulac had a wall covered with pictures of that actor from Supernatural. That Dulac had forced him watch tapes of the show so he could learn to imitate the actor's voice and mannerisms. But when he couldn't get it just right, when the inflection was off or the tone was too harsh he was punished with knives and bare electrical wires.
Tortured because he looked something like Jared.
Two murdered because of him.
When Sophie had first told him, he'd thrown up behind the set. She figured Dulac would get tired of sloppy seconds soon and get brave enough to go after the real thing. That was where Bender the bodyguard came in. No one thought to watch over Jensen, though. They'd miscalculated and now another life was hanging in the balance. Not that the other three men weren't important, but this was Jensen and Jared wasn't about to be the cause of his best friend's death.
He couldn't waste anymore time. He had to get to a car and get rid of Bender. Spurred into action, he began pulling on his street clothes. He was tying his sneakers when there was a knock on the door.
"Jared. It's Kim."
"Just a second!" Jared dashed to the bathroom where he splashed some water on his face then wiped away the tracks of the tears. He was still shaky when he opened the door but there was nothing to be done about that.
"I wanted to make sure you were alright," the director said as he stepped into the trailer. "You know, a couple of hours ago I was still able to believe that Jensen was shacking up with some hot model or sleeping off a hangover and that's why he hadn't reported in. Now, I guess we all know that it's nothing like that." The older man sighed as he turned his gaze up to the ceiling for a few seconds. "I don't have anything to say to make it easier but if you need to talk or you want some company, you call me. And keep that bodyguard close by. We don't want to lose you, too."
"Yeah, I'll do that. Thanks for checking up." Jared grabbed his backpack making it clear that he was ready to leave. Kim took the hint and went out first and there was Bender waiting at the bottom of the short metal stairs.
"I'll talk to you soon," the director said as they parted.
Jared said, "sure," but he wasn't sure. Wasn't sure if he'd ever speak to Kim or Eric or his family or anyone ever again.
Without a word to Bender, he started down the path to the parking lot. The walkway was fairly dark but the lot was well lit with huge incandescent fixtures. They were a yard away from Bender's SUV when a voice called, "Jared!"
Jared whirled and saw a man walking their way. He was dressed in a huge overcoat and he had a ball cap pulled down over his eyes. Could be Ricky Dulac - they only had one picture of him and that one was pretty old. The man had his left hand inside of his coat and he kept it there as he moved in closer.
"You're Jared, right? From that show? You making a show?"
Bender stepped in front of Jared, his eyes on the advancing stranger. "Sir, could you take your hand out of your coat?"
The bum stopped moving forward but he didn't comply. "I want to talk to Sam. I want to talk to him about ghosts and beasties and things that go bump in the night."
"Okay. But first, take your hand out of your coat."
"Why? You worried I got a gun or something?" The man stepped closer.
Bender reached back and pushed the car keys into Jared's hand. "Get in and lock the doors and if this goes bad you get out of here and you call Sophie. Got that?"
Jared nodded before he realized that Bender couldn't see it. His eyes were locked on the bum.
"Yes. I got it." Fumbling a bit, Jared fit the key in the driver's side door then climbed into the high cab of the SUV. He yanked the door shut and hit the power locks, a small voice nagging him about his cowardice and another voice reminding him that this was his chance. He fit the key into the ignition.
Bender was moving toward the bum and the bum was backing up. What if it was Dulac? What if he had a knife under that coat and he was preparing to kill the watchdog? Jared watched with wide eyes, so torn between fight and flight. Damn it! He pulled out his cell phone and called up Sophie's number. He was about to hit "call" when Bender knocked the bum to the ground and got the cuffs on him.
Situation under control.
Jared stared at the phone in his hand and the next number on the redial. He hit.
One ring. Two ring. Pickup. "Are you on the way?"
Ricky Dulac - on the phone, not on the ground. "Yes." Jared threw the SUV into drive then pulled forward across the parking space and headed for the exit. Even with the windows closed he heard Bender yelling his name.
"Are you alone?" asked the voice on the phone.
"I am."
"Then head north on Route One and go over the bridge." Jared picked up speed so he would be well out of the lot and on the city streets before Bender could summon help to stop him. Sophie would know what he was up to when she found out that he'd taken off. They'd probably put an APB out on the car but it was dark and hopefully he didn't have to far to go.
He saw a sign for Route One, followed it, but just before he hit the on-ramp he pulled off into the lot of a strip mall and stopped.
"Rick. You promised me. You promised I could talk to --" Stop, think, "Him -- as soon as I was on the road."
Silence. "You'll see him later."
"No!" Jared pounded his palm against the steering wheel. "You let me talk to him now or I'm turning around and going back. I swear! I'll tell them everything. If he's not alive, I have nothing to lose." He swallowed hard and it hurt. So did the ache in his belly and tension in his neck and he wished so hard that this was all just a bad dream that he was going to wake up from.
"Fine."
"What?"
"I said fine. You can talk to him."
A rush of relief washed over Jared, the fear of the past day fading slightly at the knowledge that his best friend was still alive. He strained to listen for every sound as footsteps echoed and then a door creaked.
"Talk to him," came a muffled voice and then breathing on the line.
"Jen?"
"Jared? God, whatever you're doing, just don't. He's crazy."
The voice was pulled away and the sounds of a scuffle. Flesh on flesh and a moan.
"Ricky, don't!" Jared yelled as loud as he could into the phone.
Then he was back. "Keep driving. Over the bridge and turn on 5th. You'll see an old gas station. It's closed. Pull in there and wait for me."
"I will if you promise you'll bring Jensen. You'll trade him for me, right?"
"Of course. He's a hateful jerk. I don't want him. I want you. It'll be good. You'll see." The call ended. Jared dropped the dead phone on the passenger seat. He reached for the shift to put the SUV into gear but he didn't quite get there. Someone was going to die. Himself or Jensen -- there didn't seem to be any other outcome.
A wash of anger and fear and despair turned him non-functional for a moment so that all he could do was pound his fists against the steering wheel and scream. It was like House of Wax, when he realized he was trapped. Strapped to a table, paralyzed, unable to escape the pain. Jared had forced himself to go to that place, to imagine being that close to death. Waiting to be tortured, knowing he'd never see his family again. He had forced himself to think about his mother's face as she dealt with a son gone missing. It was hard place to go to. A hard place to maintain but it had given him what he needed to react properly on film.
This wasn't a movie. This nightmare wasn't going to end when the director yelled cut. This time, Mrs. Padalecki really would be suffering the torment of never knowing what had happened to her son.
Not true.
She'd know. Sophie and Bender would go to see her in Texas and they'd sit her down and tell her how brave her son was. How he'd turned himself over to a serial killer to spare the life of his best friend.
He wondered if that would make the news any easier to take.
Jared slipped the SUV into gear, pulled back out on to the road and headed into darkness.
# # # #
"Still thinking this was a good idea?" Bender asked, his eyes peering through night vision goggles.
Beside him in the car, Sophie squirmed for a moment then gave a decisive, "yes, I do. There's no way Jared was going to tell us about the meet. And if we'd kept him from going--" She stopped speaking when the radio in her hand crackled to life.
"Car approaching," said the male voice. "Two door, big car, older model, it's. . . oh geez."
"What?" Bender asked even though the other man couldn't hear him.
"It's an old Impala."
"That would be our boy," said Sophie. She trigger the talk button on the walkie. "Hold your positions until I give the order. I want to make sure he's got Jensen with him before we take him down."
Bender made a huffing sound then leaned closer to the windshield as if that would help him see more. "You really think he's going to make the trade?"
"Maybe. Psycho's have rules, just not always rules the rest of us understand, but he wants Jared and if he thinks he needs to give up Jensen to do it, he will." Sophie leaned closer, too. She didn't have goggles so all she could see was the tall shadow form that was Jared pacing back and forth by the hulking shadow that was the SUV.
He was parked in a defunct gas station. There was a street lamp within fifty yards of him but that wasn't enough light at this distance to see his face or any real detail. Then she saw the headlights of the approaching car and heard the deep rumble of a powerful engine cutting through the quiet night.
Jared reacted. Even at this distance, she could see him tense up.
Sophie thumbed the talk button on the walkie. "Don't forget that this guy is dangerous. I want everyone coming out of this alive. Everyone."
# # # #
When Jared heard the familiar rumble of the Impala's engine, he thought he'd gone mad. Maybe this was a freaky dream after all. Maybe it would be like The Wizard of Oz and "Ricky Dulac" would turn out to be Jeffrey Dean Morgan or maybe Fredric Lehne, the yellow-eyed demon.
That would actually be a relief. He knew how to deal with yellow-eyed demons.
Jared averted his eyes from the glare of the approaching headlights but only for a second so he could adjust. He desperately wanted to see inside the car, but once he had his vision back he saw there was only one person in the vehicle.
One visible person.
Jensen could be lying down on the back seat or in the trunk. God knows, an Impala's trunk was roomier than his first apartment back in LA. He stuffed his hands in his jacket pockets to keep them from shaking then swallowed hard to push down the lump in his throat. Neither act was very successful.
The driver side door opened and a man stepped out. He was in his late thirties, maybe just forty, almost as tall as Jared and nearly as well built. He had sandy blonde hair and teeth that were so white they stood out in the semi-darkness when he smiled. And he did smile as he said, "there's my boy."
Showtime.
"Where's Jensen?"
"Hello to you, too." Dulac took a step forward and Jared countered with a step back.
"You promised. You said you'd bring him. You said you'd trade me for him."
"I will. I always keep my promises." He stepped again and this time Jared stayed put. It was hard but he knew he had to. Had to show this guy that he wasn't afraid.
"And I keep my promises. I said I'd go with you if you let him go and I will." Jared shifted to the left to get a better angle on the car's interior but Dulac moved with him. When he got within arm's reach Jared was forced to retreat or risk getting grabbed.
"You don't trust me? That's no way to start our relationship, Jared."
Relationship? Nice word choice.
"Is Jensen in the car? I just--"
"Him. Him. HIM!" Dulac snapped and he went from looking like a harmless surfer dude to the psycho he was in the fraction of a second. "It's always about him with you and I don't like it. I've told you several times that I don't like it. He's not your friend. You think he is, but he's not. He was ready to give you up in a second to save his own skin. Piss-ant little diva boy. Not as tough as he looks on TV and still they give him all the good lines, don't they?"
Dulac took a monster step forward and Jared nearly tripped over his own feet trying to back away.
"You're the movie star. What's he, huh? What's he ever done? Soaps. Dawson's Creek," he said dragging the words out with great distain. "You're the star."
And what to say to that? Agree or disagree? Better to say nothing at all.
"Wait until you see your room. It's everything you like. I like. I have these pictures of you and me -- only, you know, we've never met before so I had to manip them but not now. Now we can take real pictures together. You and me. Enough to fill up a wall and then some."
"Sounds good," Jared said, hoping Dulac didn't catch the tremor in his voice. "But JUST you and me. Jensen needs to go home."
Dulac smiled and his teeth looked even whiter. "Yeah. That's right, see. . . I knew you'd feel it if I just . . . we just. . . talked. Close, like this." He stepped to within three feet of Jared and Jared willed himself not to move.
The guy was obsessed and it didn't sound like he meant Jared any harm so maybe that was the way to go. Play into it until he was sure Jensen was all right then keep up the farce until he found a way to escape himself.
"Please tell me where he is."
"We should go." Dulac reached out and caught hold of the sleeve of Jared's jacket. It was an almost gentle touch, not threatening and yet it made Jared want to knee this guy in the groin and then run. But he couldn't do that. Jensen would pay if he did that.
"We should go," Jared echoed and then walked with feet that weighed a ton toward the passenger side door of the Impala.
Sometimes the line between Sam and Jared got blurred.
This was one of those times.
# # # #
"What the hell is he doing?" Bender shoved the night vision binocs at Sophie so she could have a better look.
"He's going to get in the car. And no Jensen."
"We could follow," Bender suggested even though he knew it was a bad idea. The SUV had a locator on it. When Jared was driving it there had been no chance of losing him, but this. . .
"We can't let him leave with that psycho."
"But if Jensen's not in the car, we don't know where he is."
And the clock was ticking on making the call. Jared was almost to the car door. Dulac was right on his heels. He hadn't brandished a weapon but they knew he had a fondness for knives.
Sophie triggered the walkie. "Prepare to move in. Wait until Jared's in the car then go." That would put a solid Impala door between Jared and Dulac in case the man did have a weapon. "Damn it." She climbed out of the car and was careful not to slam the door then she and Bender started their approach keeping to the shadows on the dark side of the road.
This wasn't what she'd hoped for. Her instincts had told her Dulac would bring Jensen along for leverage and yet. . .
The passenger side door of the Impala closed with a squeak and thud and that was the signal to run.
Jared's hopes were dashed when he opened the passenger side door of the car and got a good look at the back seat. No Jensen but there was a dirty blanket laying back there and stains that he didn't want to think about.
See it through. Go with him. He'll take you to Jensen.
That was Jared's mantra as he climbed into the car then pulled the door shut.
Dulac circled around front. For a second he was bisected by the headlights and then something was happening. Jared saw it in the way the man stiffened. He glanced left and saw two armed men come charging out of the woods from the other side of the street.
Cops!
The two men converged on Dulac. They shouted for him to hit the ground, on his belly, hands behind his head.
Dulac dropped out of sight down in front of the car which opened up Jared's line of sight and he saw Bender and Sophie coming straight toward him.
They had tracked him! The SUV or maybe his cell. Whatever. Didn't matter now. One last hope.
Jared yanked the keys out of the ignition then threw open the car door and tumbled out. Sophie was calling to him but he ignored her. He ran around to the back of the car, fit the key in the trunk lock then popped it.
She was yelling at him to stop but he couldn't. Even though he was terrified by what he might find in there, he had to look.
He slipped his fingers under the trunk lid then shoved upward. The large expanse of metal blocked a good deal of the light but there was still enough to see inside and it broke him.
"Oh god, no."
Sophie came tearing around the car expecting the worse.
The trunk was empty.
"I thought--" She reached for Jared but he was on the move.
He went after Dulac with a vengeance. Grabbed him by the shirt and yanked him right out of the hands of the two cops that had just helped him to his feet.
"What have you done with him! You fucking bastard! Tell me! Tell me where he is!"
Bender got a restraining hold on Jared then yanked him back as the cops pulled Dulac in the opposite direction.
"You lied to me!" Dulac screamed matching the tone and volume. "You said you'd come alone. You promised me you'd trade! I kept my promise and you broke yours!"
"I didn't. I didn't know they were following me! They--" Recognition hit Jared in the form of the scruffy cop who was holding Dulac. "They set me up. That guy pretended to be after me in the parking lot. I thought it was you, testing me. But it was you!" Jared tried to twist in Bender's arms but he couldn't get loose.
"We had to give you a chance to break away. Jesus--" Bender groaned as a pointy elbow rammed into his stomach. That was followed by a head slamming back into his nose and that was what made him lose his grip. "Christ almighty!" He backed off seeing stars as the blood began to spurt from his nostrils.
"That's it!" Sophie snapped, jumping between the again advancing Jared and Dulac in the hands of the other two cops. When he kept advancing she contemplated pulling her gun but he lost all of his steam a second later and then he was on his knees in tears.
She stooped down in front of him and set a comforting hand on his heaving shoulder. "I'm sorry that we had to deceive you but I had a feeling you were in contact with him."
"So you planned my escape. Gave me the opportunity and the means."
"Yeah, I was hoping want you were, that Dulac would have Jensen with him."
Jared sniffed as he ran his sleeve across his eyes and then his nose. He pushed up to his feet and locked eyes with Dulac. "You killed him, didn't you? That's why you didn't bring him. Because he's dead."
Dulac shook his head and a lock of blond hair fell into his eyes. "Not dead yet, but he will be soon."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Sophie asked, a restraining hand on Jared's arm.
Dulac simply rolled his eyes. A look that would have been comical in any other circumstance.
"Don't do this," Jared pleaded. "You say you care about me, so do this for me. Tell me where he is!"
Dulac hesitated and for a second they all held their breath thinking it might happen. "We'll still be together. It'll happen. Nothing will keep us apart. You'll see. It'll be you and me. I know it's what you wanted and these stupid cops screwed it up but you'll see. We'll work it out and then I'll keep my promise. Jensen he. . . " Dulac struggled to motion with his hands cuffed behind his back. "Jensen wasn't like the other ones. Jensen was simply a cell phone."
There was logic there somewhere but Jared's aching brain couldn't get there. "He was what?"
"It was the only way I could talk to you. You were always surrounded by people but your number was on his phone."
Bile rose in Jared's throat. He swallowed it down but it came back with more force. Of all the horrible things he'd heard in the last few days, the nightmare images that had haunted him, the knowledge that two men had already died because they looked like him. . . none of that even came close to the insanity of that last statement.
Sophie tried to wrap her arms around him but he shoved her off and then stumbled away. Toward the Impala. No. Towards the SUV. No. Towards the darkness off the side of the road. Maybe. Darkness would be good. Really, really good.
Jared startled when his cell phone buzzed in his pocket. He grabbed for it so overwhelmed with hope he didn't even look at the ID. He simply opened the phone and brought it to his ear. "Hello."
"Jared? It's Eric. Is everything okay?"
He was sitting cross-legged on the ground laughing hysterically when Sophie pried the phone out of his hand.
TBC