Days Behind - Chapter 13
The band was just finishing up taking off their costumes when the intercom in the room beeped.
“I'll get it!” Steve bounced over to the phone and pushed the button. “Sassafras dressing room, Steve speaking.”
“This is Rob. Can you have Jensen come up here at his earliest convenience?”
Steve looked over to Jensen, who nodded. “Yeah, not a problem, man.”
Before anything else could be said, the call was disconnected.
“Wonder what that's about,” Misha mused aloud, frowning. “I mean, of all the people in here, Jensen is the last person I would expect to have to visit the head of the studio.”
Steve shrugged. “Maybe they wanna give the wonder boy a raise?”
“If he gets a raise, we all deserve one,” Christian challenged.
“Calm down,” Jensen pulled his shirt over his head. “No one is getting a raise. I'll be right back.”
“Hey, man, if you aren't back in an hour, we'll meet you at the usual watering hole,” Christian shouted after him.
Jensen wiped his hands on his pants and knocked on the door.
“Enter.” Pushing the door open, Jensen noticed the man sitting behind the desk was reading a memo and hadn't even looked up to answer. “Mr. Ackles, take a seat.” Rob Benedict, head of programming, motioned to the chair across the desk.
Doing as he was told, Jensen frowned. “What is this about, exactly?”
Rob leaned back in his chair and put away the memo before steepling his fingers. “Well, Jensen, certain things have been brought to my attention.”
“I'm not sure I know what you mean.”
“Don't you?”
Jensen blinked. “Honestly, sir, no.”
“That's too bad.”
“What's too bad? I'm not sure I follow--”
Mr. Benedict leaned forward now, bracing his hands on his desk. “In light of this information I was given, I'm going to have to ask you to take a leave of absence.”
“What?” Jensen felt a bit like he was in the Twilight Zone. “What is going on?”
“Jensen, I'm going to be frank with you.”
“I sure hope so.”
“I got more than one disturbing email regarding...” Mr. Benedict paused, searching for the right words. “...well, regarding your private life.”
“My private life? I don't see how...”
“If you'll just let me finish-”
“I'm sorry, go on.”
“It seems that a few parents saw you out of costume and 'out on the town'...”
“Okay, first - no one knows what we look like out of makeup,” Jensen defended himself, trying his best not to shout.
“Mr. Ackles.”
Jensen clamped his mouth shut and narrowed his eyes.
“Now, I understand that you boys need to 'let loose' every now and then, but if you really were at a gay club like it was reported...”
Jensen couldn't listen to the rest of that sentence. “A gay club?!”
“...talking about who you were and how much you hated - quote/unquote - the ungrateful brats you had to sing for...”
“...but I never...”
“Mr. Ackles, this is not up for debate. Now, while I feel these accusations are unfounded, my higher-ups are calling for a voluntary suspension effective immediately - with pay, of course - until all this has time to be investigated.”
“But - what will I tell the band?”
“Don't worry about that. As we speak, Mr. Hutton is explaining that you asked for a little time off due to stress.”
“They won't believe that.” Jensen shook his head as he talked, his jaw clinched. “And what happens to Chip?”
“We've already found a replacement. The kids won't be able to tell behind all that makeup.”
“What? Oh, that's got to be in violation of my contract.” Jensen's voice was getting progressively higher as he talked.
Mr. Benedict glanced down at the paper on his desk. “And now, Mr. Ackles, I have to ask you to leave the premises.”
“Or?”
Mr. Benedict sighed, running his hand over his face to reveal exhaustion and dropping all formalities.
“Or, Jensen, I'll have to call security.” He paused, watching Jensen's face. “I don't want to, but my hands are tied. Please don't make me do this.”
Jensen broke eye contact and fell forward, his head in his hands. “Then don't,” came the muffled response.
“Jensen.”
He looked up. “You know what, Rob? I thought we were friends.”
“...We are...”
“Right.” He took a deep shaky breath, eyes closed, thinking a while before continuing. “Right.” Jensen slapped his hands on his thighs as he stood. “You'll be hearing from my lawyer, Mister Benedict.” Then, walking out of the office as calmly as he could, he ignored the way the security guards all but herded him to the exit.
After being escorted to his car, Jensen looked around the parking lot, hoping to see one of his friends. But luck wasn't on his side. When it was clear that the security guards were tired of just standing around waiting for something to happen, he slid behind the wheel and made his way off the lot, not knowing when - or even if - he would return.
At first, Jensen drove towards home, but the thought of going there seemed wrong. He wanted to be around people, wanted to be somewhere he could at least talk to someone, even if he couldn't tell them the full story. After ruling out a nearby restaurant and the coffee shop, he turned into a bar he had been to a few times and turned off the ignition.
Puffing out a sigh, Jensen opened the door, supposing this was as good as any place to hide out and think.
An hour later, Jensen was still nursing his beer - though it was much warmer than when he'd started trying to figure it all out.
“I'll have a beer,” a voice cut into Jensen's thoughts. He turned to the owner and frowned, thinking the face looked vaguely familiar.
“Hey,” Jensen nodded.
“Hey.”
The bartender slid the beer across the counter, never looking at the customer directly in the eye, even as she accepted payment.
“Wow, don't be too friendly,” the man muttered with an emotionless chuckle.
“Tell me about it. I asked for peanuts half an hour ago - still waiting.”
The new guy extended his hand with a smile. “Name's Steve.”
“Jensen.” Even as the words left her mouth, he realized who he was talking to. “Oh, wow. Steve Burns?”
“Yeah, the one and only.”
“Your face is all over the studio.”
“Studio?”
“Yeah - uh,” Jensen dropped his voice to a whisper and spoke behind his hand. “The Sassafras Junction Studio.”
Steve frowned in thought for a moment, “Oh, that kid's show?”
“Yep.”
“Which one are you?”
“The monkey,” Jensen drank. “Well, actually, I was until earlier today.”
Steve nodded, taking a drink from his own beer, “You wanna talk about it? Swap war stories?”
“Yeah, sounds good. Let's grab a table and maybe order some nachos?”
“Sounds good. Looks like there's a booth over there.”
One giant plate of nachos, 4 beers, and one giant sized beer-battered onion rings later, Steve and Jensen were laughing about the ways they liked to slip things in for the parents.
“It's gonna be tough not going to work tomorrow,” Jensen sighed, his mood suddenly sober.
Steve nodded. “At least you aren't losing your hair.”
“But I did have the death rumors last year.”
“Those are the worst. Except maybe for the gay rumors.”
Jensen chuckled nervously, then cleared his throat.
“Oh. Not rumors?”
“Maybe?”
“I get ya. No worries, man. Just remember - kids love you for who you are, not who you love.”
“Good point.”
“I know; I'm brilliant.” Steve finished the beer he had been drinking and stood. “Don't let it get you down - they'll realize their mistake and come crawling back. And if not, no one knows who you are. You can do something new.”
Jensen smiled. “Thanks, man.”
“Anytime.”
Jensen watched him leave before finishing his own beer and throwing down more than his share of the bill. He had a lot of thinking to do.
Jensen moved on autopilot, finding himself standing on Jared's doorstep, his hand poised to knock. It had been two days of trying to contact his fellow band mates and getting nothing but voicemails. Two days of trying to figure out where his life was going and if everything was worth it or not. Two days that had made him decide.
“Dammit, Addison!” Jared's voice carried through the door.
“Don't wanna!” Came the answered reply in shrill tones and Jensen wasn't sure his knock would be heard. “Don't wanna! Don't wannnn-nuh!”
“Then you'll be going to your room.”
Jensen listened to see if this was the best time to interrupt, but only heard a muffled thump and one of the girls, possibly Eleanor, crying.
“And don't hit your sister, it's not her fault!”
Jensen knocked hesitantly, forcing himself to wait until Jared opened the door.
“Who's... oh, Jensen. Come on in.” Jared threw the door open wider and motioned wide. “Tried calling you the other day, but you didn't answer.”
Jensen stepped inside, turning to face Jared. “Yeah, sorry about that - I was just going through some things I needed to work out with work and...”
Addison chose that moment to make her re-entrance, stomping her feet and kicking at anything that got in her way, including Jared's foot. Jared looked down and frowned before watching his daughter continue to stomp down the hall and to her bedroom.
“Don't mind her, she's just angry that the concert we were going to go to got canceled.”
Jensen took off his coat and sat on the couch. “Which one?”
“The girls’ favorite show - Sassafras Junction.” Jared joined him on the couch.
“Sassafras Junction?” Jensen frowned.
Jared leaned back, his arm across the back of the sofa. “Yeah, they said that one of the guys was sick and they had to postpone. And, the guy was Addison's favorite - Skip the monkey.”
“It's Chip.”
“That’s what I said.”
“You said Skip.”
Jensen continued when he found Jared looking at him blankly. “The monkey - his name is Chip, not Skip.”
Jared nodded. “Oh, yeah. Well, I heard he got some girl pregnant and they’re gonna get someone new to replace him.”
Jensen sat up abruptly, “Really, Jared? You believe that?”
“Well, you know - it could be...”
Jensen was now on his feet, pacing the floor in front of the coffee table as he spoke. “Jared, it's hard enough for those performers, if he were gay, it would be worse. Shit, this is just like the Steve Burns thing - he was right.”
“And you know who Steve Burns is?”
“Yes! Blue's Clues!”
“I'm so confused.”
“You know what's really confusing? Having your world yanked out from underneath you and finding that the rumors are already circulating.”
“Okay, more confused...”
“Jared, I have to tell you something.”
“This isn’t a good something is it?”
“Depends on how you look at it.”
“Jensen, can you please stop talking in riddles?”
“Okay, you know how you heard that Chip was going to be replaced?”
“Yes.”
“Who did you hear was replacing him?”
“Some young guy - Brock Kelly or something like that. Why is this so important?”
“Jared. I’m Chip.”
Jared looked at the man pacing in front of him for a moment before breaking out in laughter. “Right. You’re on Sassafras Junction.”
“No, really. I’m him. I hang out with the other animals.”
“Okay then, what are the other animal’s names?”
“Francis, Pericles, and Joe.”
“You remembered from when Eleanor told you.”
“Jared, listen to me carefully.” He sat down. “Have you ever gotten a good look at my friends?”
Jared thought back to the wedding and the other people that had been sitting at the table. “You mean Chris and Steve and Misha?”
Jensen nodded. “I think you mean Francis, Pericles, and Joe.”
“No way!”
“Yeah. ‘Fraid so.”
“That’s great man! Just wait until-wait.” Jared frowned in thought. “That means that you are being replaced. Why are you being replaced, Jensen?”
“Because somebody phoned the head of the network and reported that I was gay.”
“So you can’t be gay and work with kids?”
“Did you just hear what you asked me?”
“Yes. I was there. What does being gay have to do with anything?”
“The studio says I misrepresented myself to them. Just so you know, I didn’t say I wasn’t gay…”
“Do the other guys know?”
“Huh?”
“Do the other guys know where you are?”
“Why do you ask?”
“Chris called here looking for you. I told him I had been trying to call you. He said he wanted to know what the hell was going on with you and that if I saw you I should tell you to call him right away. You should do that.”
“Jared, I can’t call him or anyone else. The studio asked me to have no contact with them.”
“That’s bullshit and I am calling Chris right now.”
“You can’t.”
“No - I can do what I want. And I’m calling Chris. And if I can’t get ahold of him, I‘m calling Steve.”
“Can I maybe go and get something to drink while you do that?”
“There’s beer in the fridge behind the lettuce.”
“Too early for that. You got any tea made?”
“Top shelf.”
Christian was pacing the living room of the apartment that he and Steve shared. “I mean it, that boy better be callin’ in the next hour or Imma go and find him just to kick his ass.”
“Chris, we’ve looked everywhere we could think to look for him, including Jared’s house. You’re going to have to let him come to us. Besides, I’m sure he has a damn good reason for his actions. Jensen’s not irresponsible.”
“I still don’t like it.”
“And you don’t have to. But give him space and time.”
“You’re starting to sound like Collins.”
“Hey now!” Misha poked his head out of the kitchen. “I’m in here making you my world-famous chocolate chip cookies and you’re in there bad-mouthing me? Christian, that hurts.”
“Collins, you weren’t supposed to hear that.”
“But I did.”
The phone rang as Christian started to go into another tirade. “Is that Ackles?”
“I don’t know the number, actually.” Steve held the phone out to show Christian. “Do you?”
“Answer it, man. If it’s not Ackles, he better be dead in a ditch and someone callin’ us about it.”
Steve shrugged. “Hello? Oh, hey Jared. No, he hasn’t called us. Oh, I get it, you have him there?”
“Tell Padalecki if he ain’t dead I’m coming over to kill him.”
Steve held his hand over the receiver. “No, I won’t. Jared says he’s over there and he’s pretty upset. He can’t fill us in on the details, but that Jensen says he’ll meet us at the usual place.”
“Well, you tell Padalecki to tell Ackles that I don’t want any more bullshit. And tell Padalecki to tell Ackles that I oughta kick his ass, but I’ll let it slide this one time. And tell Padalecki to tell Ackles-“
Steve cut off his friend by pushing the phone into his hand. “You tell him, damn!”
Christian held the phone to his ear. “Padalecki? Tell Ackles the cavalry’s comin’.”
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