Coming Home, Part 3
Title: Coming Home
Fandom: RPS
Characters: Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki
Prompt: 022. Enemies
fanfic100 table: here
Word Count: 29,073
Rating: NC-17 to start, but mostly R.
Warnings: Violence, angst, character death, and the one hardcore smex scene that I just had to throw in at the beginning.
Summary: The best way for me to summarize this is to just say that it's a J2 version of All Dogs Go To Heaven, but with humans instead of dogs, gay sex, less singing, some cursing, and just a tad more violence, considering the movie is pretty damn dark for an animated kids' movie.
Disclaimer: This is a shameless ripoff of an animated kids' movie made in 1989 with a squeeing fangirl's perfect cast. In other words, I am a loser. :P
Author's Notes: This idea randomly came to me one night, so I took it and ran with it. It made me ridiculously happy, even though it's sad (like the movie), and this is the end result. I don't usually write AU's, or anything like this, but I had so much fun with this Jensen, it was ridiculous. As if I didn't love the man enough already.
Part 1
Part 2
Chad walked around the track, arm bent out for Sandy’s dainty little arm to slip through, the two of them taking in the sights and sounds of the park before the races. He smiled at his wife, and she smiled back brightly, her summer dress loose and cool in the expected heat and humidity. He took a deep breath, filling his lungs with fresh air and the smell of the stables, detectable even here, feeling just fine, even though he was sweating beneath the expensive material of his best suit. He hadn’t placed his bets just yet, but would momentarily. For now, he’d just enjoy his time in the afternoon sun.
“Oh, Chad!” Sandy suddenly exclaimed, tugging on his arm. He looked down at her before following her gaze, surprised to see a small girl in torn and dirty clothes wandering through the crowd. Sandy dragged him over to her, and he followed along without complaint, just as interested in the girl as his wife was. Her arm slid out of his as they got closer, and she crouched down very close to where the little girl was standing, catching her attention. “Little girl?” The girl turned quickly, obviously not having realized just how far she’d wandered from…whoever she was here with. “Hi,” Sandy said, smiling at her kindly. “What’s your name?”
“My name’s Mackenzie,” the little girl said sweetly, smiling back as she clutched a dirty little bunny doll in her right hand.
“Who are you here with?” Sandy asked, concerned. “Your parents?”
“I don’t have any parents,” Mackenzie replied, shaking her head, and Chad sucked in a breath, wondering what this kid was doing on her own here, of all places. “I’m an orphan.”
“Hey, Squeaker!” Chad jolted and turned around to find a young man with bright green eyes standing behind him. He was in much the same state as Mackenzie was, and Chad’s eyes widened. Another man stepped up beside him, also looking as if he could use some fresh clothes and a good shower, this one taking deep breaths and scratching his arm nervously. “We’ve been lookin’ all over for you! Come on, let’s go!”
“Oh!” The two men turned to leave, and the little girl followed after them quickly, skirting Sandy’s outstretched hands and protests. “I have to go! It was nice meeting you!” All three of them were gone in a flash, vanishing into the crowd, and Sandy slipped her arm back through Chad’s, sighing heavily.
“That was strange,” she said quietly. “Something wasn’t right about that. That poor little girl…”
“I know,” Chad said, turning to her and kissing her forehead. “But there’s nothing we can do about it right now. We’ll just have to keep our eyes open. That’s all.” He didn’t even notice that his wallet was missing until he finally went to place his bets, his pockets suspiciously empty.
****
Jensen certainly didn’t belong in this place, and certainly didn’t look like he did, but he acted like it, rifling through the wallet he’d stolen from a guy supposedly named Chad, according to his ID. He pulled out a wad of bills, confidently strolled up to the booth, pretended to ponder his options, and then placed his bet on The Great Kripke, insisting on it when the man working there repeated the odds against him. He hoped that the kid was right about this, and that they’d have even more money to spend once the main race was through. If this worked, he’d have a surefire way of increasing his horde on a regular basis. But what he won today would go towards building a new place, his own business right where the junkyard was. Maybe it was being a bit too brazen, but Jensen couldn’t help but smile when he thought of how shocked Kane would be to see “Jensen’s” suddenly go up so close to the old casino, taking all of his customers away from him. It would just be too good, too sweet.
“Hey, kid,” he said, turning away from the booth, pulling out another bill, stuffing the wallet in his back pocket and heading back over to Mackenzie and Jared. “You want some ice cream?”
****
Jared huffed in annoyance where he sat on the bench in the stands, the kid between him and Jensen. The ice cream cone had been a big mistake, and Jared found himself wondering why the hell it was that kids could never manage to eat ice cream. There wasn’t anything you really had to master about eating an ice cream cone; especially one that was kid-sized. Jared probably could’ve downed the entire thing in one gulp, but Mackenzie was still licking at the very top of it, ice cream melting down the cone, down her hands, onto her already dirty clothes, and ending in a puddle on the ground below her. He scrunched up his nose when he looked at her face, smears of vanilla all over her mouth, nose, and cheeks. He shook his head. He’d really never understand kids, even if he was one once. Forget napkins. This kid was a disaster.
“You gettin’ any of that in your mouth?” he asked in disgust, Jensen shooting him a nasty look over Mackenzie’s head. He shrugged in response, blowing Jensen off. If he didn’t know any better, he’d swear Jensen had a soft spot for the kid. A shot suddenly went off, signaling the start of the race, and the horses burst forth, Jared leaning forward to watch them, butterflies flitting around in his stomach. “Come on, come on,” he urged, watching The Great Kripke lag behind the other horses and praying that he would catch up. He could hear Jensen and the girl beside him, cheering Kripke on, and couldn’t help joining in.
With three quarters of the race done, Kripke was still behind enough horses for Jared to start worrying. But the lead horses suddenly slowed their pace, their jockeys urging them on furiously, but to no avail. Jared’s jaw dropped, his voice silenced, as he watched the end of the race. He could’ve sworn he’d seen another horse push Kripke from behind, and remembered what Mackenzie had said about the animals always winning on their birthdays. He tensed, watching Kripke near the finish line, exploding with excitement when he finally crossed it ahead of all the other horses, winning the race.
“YES!” Jared shouted, jumping up and pumping his fist in the air. He turned to Jensen, the two of them grinning at each other and high-fiving. “We did it!”
“No,” Jensen laughed, bending down and lifting Mackenzie into the air, “Mackenzie did!” The girl laughed, blowing a kiss and shouting her birthday wishes down to The Great Kripke, and Jared was almost ready to believe that things would be okay after all.
****
That first race with The Great Kripke was only the beginning. Jensen was moving on, taking the girl to each and every animal race he could find and collecting his winnings, the money piling up faster than even he had imagined. He’d never felt happier, never seen Jared happier, and it was all because of this sweet little girl who could talk to animals. Life was weird that way, but he wasn’t complaining. How could he, when everything he’d planned was coming to fruition. Jared managed to get back to his garage and scrape all his tools together, bringing them back to the junkyard, and the two of them finally enlisted the help of some other people from the neighborhood; people who were all too happy to help them and bring Kane down. They got started on clearing out the junkyard and building up the new place. It was all fun and games until he noticed Mackenzie moping around one day, her usual sunny demeanor darkened, her bunny trailing by her side.
“She doesn’t look happy,” he commented to Jared, who stood beside him, taking a break from hours of hard work, wiping the sweat from his brow.
“So what?” Jared shrugged. “It’s all over now, isn’t it? We got what we wanted.”
“No,” Jensen said, shaking his head. “It’s just started. We haven’t even gotten the place up and running yet. We might still need her. We can’t just let her down.”
“‘Let her down’?” Jared questioned, his brow furrowing, looking at Jensen like he was crazy. “What the hell are you talking about Jensen? When did this become all about her?”
“It’s not!” Jensen said defensively, feeling himself bristling. He glanced back over at the girl and sighed. “Look, I’m just saying, maybe we should make good on our promises.”
“Yeah, well, they weren’t ‘our’ promises, Jensen,” Jared replied, crossing his arms over his chest. “You dug that grave. And how the hell are we supposed to do that, anyway?”
“I don’t know,” Jensen said, heaving another sigh. As much as he wanted to throttle Jared for putting this all on him, he couldn’t deny that he’d gotten them into this situation in the first place, and he could understand Jared’s frustration. He shrugged his shoulders, trying to think of the simplest thing they could do for the girl. “We could take her shopping. We could get her some new clothes, new shoes, make her feel like we’re getting somewhere.”
“Man…” Jared pinched the bridge of his nose, rubbing slightly, and Jensen could see the tension in his shoulders. He moved behind him, kissing the back of his neck and reaching up to massage the muscles there. “Aw, don’t do this to me,” Jared breathed, letting his head fall forward. Jensen moved to Jared’s shoulders, rubbing harder, getting deep into the muscle and feeling the knots there slowly loosen. “Goddamn, you’re good. Fine. Let’s take her shopping.”
****
Mackenzie stared at the racks of clothes in the store in awe, almost frozen, unsure of where to even start. She looked at the other little girls who were there with their mothers, who looked back at her with curiosity and disgust, and she shrank back into Jensen, who wrapped an arm around her.
“It’s okay, Squeaker,” he reassured her, leading her further into the store and over to one of the racks. “Forget those other people, alright?” She looked up at him, and he smiled down at her. “They just don’t realize how pretty you are.” She blushed, unable to keep from smiling back, and grabbed the clothes that Jensen offered her with her free hand, her bunny hanging from the other. “You just take this, and go into that room over there.” He pointed, and she followed the gesture, eyes falling on a series of closed doors, one standing open. “Try these clothes on, and we’ll keep what you like, okay? I’ll hold your bunny for you.” She looked up at Jared briefly, catching a somewhat reluctant smile from him before handing her bunny to Jensen and walking off towards the dressing room, carrying the clothes in with her and closing the door.
She took her dirty clothes off piece by piece, the awful state of them just hitting her now that she had them side by side with new clean ones. She stared at the ones on hangers for a moment, biting her lower lip, almost feeling as though they didn’t belong on her body. She reached out hesitantly, pulling them away from the plastic and slowly slipping them on, shocked by how soft and comfortable they were. When she looked at herself in the mirror, her jaw dropped. Her hair was still long and ratty, face still in need of a better washing than she had given it earlier, but she hardly recognized herself in these new clothes. She suddenly felt normal, like she belonged with all those girls milling about the store with their mothers, and the pang in her heart gradually bled into a smile, one that she watched grow in the mirror. She would have a mother of her own soon. Jensen was going to help her find one. ‘And Jared,’ she thought to herself, nodding slightly towards the mirror. She couldn’t forget Jared. A soft knock sounded on the door, Jensen’s voice drifting through it.
“Hey, kid. How ‘bout you let us see?” She took one more look at herself and then turned to the door, fingers slipping on the knob before she finally opened it up, looking up at Jensen nervously. “Wow,” Jensen said, taking a step back, placing a hand over his heart, just above his watch, and looking over at Jared. “I think she just took my breath away, Jared.”
“Yeah,” Jared agreed quietly, moving closer, and resting an arm around Jensen’s shoulders, nodding down at her. “You, uh…You look gorgeous.”
“Thank you.” Mackenzie blushed and giggled, and Jensen gently ushered her back into the dressing room.
“Go on and try some more,” he encouraged. “And don’t be shy. I want to see each and every thing you pick out!”
She spent the next forty-five minutes trying on clothes, Jensen handing her more when she ran out of the ones she had in the dressing room. She smiled happily when Jared even appeared with various pairs of shoes for her to try on, and he gave her the most genuine smile she’d gotten from him yet. She was bursting with excitement by the time she was finished, gripping Jensen’s hand tightly and skipping along beside him when he led her to another part of the store, Jared carrying her bags. She held her bunny and sat outside the men’s dressing room, legs swinging, as she waited for both Jensen and Jared to pick out their own clothes, laughing when Jensen emerged after changing, striking various poses for her. She offered her opinion on every outfit, even the ones Jared picked out, telling him which ones matched his eyes, and which ones made him look even taller. They left the store with more clothes and bags than she’d ever seen in her young life, and she walked most of the way home, running on excitement and adrenaline. Jensen let her piggyback the rest of the way, and she fell asleep with her head on his shoulder, arms and legs wrapped snugly around his body. She’d never been happier.
****
Jared wasn’t surprised when the kid’s good mood didn’t last forever. Although, he had to give her some credit. It had lasted for much longer than he’d thought it would. But she was also smarter than he’d originally given her credit for, and she’d eventually realized that their shopping spree was all for show. Jensen’s Place had already been built, customers new and old already pouring in, and Jensen hasn’t made one move to leave it now that it was up and running. He’d thrown himself back into the business, living his dream in a new, classy joint with lights, decorations, and fancy dancers on a fancy stage. Jared himself wondered how the hell they’d managed to fit a place like this into their neighborhood. In some ways, Jensen was back to his old self, his lust for revenge on Kane the only thing Jared truly worried about. And Mackenzie wasn’t happy that Jensen wasn’t holding up his end of the bargain with his ridiculous promises. Jared could see her hissy fit coming a mile away, completely unsurprised when she walked straight through the casino, old clothes on and bunny in tow, marching towards the front doors.
“Whoa, whoa, hey!” Jensen called from across the room, excusing himself from a conversation with one of his patrons and running to catch up. “Squeaker! Where are you going?”
“You promised that we were gonna help the poor!” she said, stopping on a dime and spinning around to face Jensen, the bunny now curled into her fist. “You said you were gonna help me find a mommy and daddy! You didn’t even look! All you do is gamble, and…it isn’t right!” She turned back around, and Jensen stopped her, grabbing her by the arm and moving around to her front, crouching down in front of her, eyes wide and innocent.
“You know what? You’re right,” he said, looking so ashamed of himself that even Jared believed it. “You’re absolutely right. I’ve just been so selfish, and I didn’t even realize it. Thank you. Thank you for helping me see the light. I promise you that we’ll do what I said, okay? I do.” She softened a bit, and Jensen ducked his head. “Can you forgive me?” Jared watched as she broke, her arms suddenly wrapping around Jensen’s neck, hugging him tight. Jensen smiled and hugged her back. “That’s my girl. Let me just talk to Jared, and then we can go, okay?”
“Oh, thank you, Jensen!” Mackenzie squealed, waiting patiently while Jensen got up and walked over to Jared, his smile fading when Jared glared at him.
“What’s with you and this little kid?” Jared asked. “I know, she grows on you. She grew on me, too. But Jensen…this isn’t us. This isn’t what we do. We have a business to run now, and you’re just gonna run off and feed the poor and find her some parents? Do you know how crazy that sounds?”
“Yes,” Jensen said, tensing and gritting his teeth. “But Jared, I have to do this, okay? We have to keep the girl happy.”
“Oh, really?” Jared challenged. Jensen stared back at him, jaw set.
“Yeah.”
“Well, then, what about Kane?” Jared spat, feeling his face heat up and scratching at his chest. “If he doesn’t know you’re alive by now, then he must be dead. He knows you’re back, Jensen, and he’s gonna come looking for you, and what better way to find you than catching you running around the city with the little girl you kidnapped from him, trying to get her adopted? I don’t wanna lose you again.” His voice broke unexpectedly on that last word, and he lowered his head, taking deep breaths and trying to calm himself.
“You won’t lose me,” Jensen said quietly, lifting a hand to Jared’s cheek. “Hey.” Jared looked up into Jensen’s eyes, seeing the love there and wishing they could just leave this whole place behind. “You won’t lose me, alright? I promise.” Jared closed his eyes, willing his tears away. Jensen was making another promise, and Jared just hoped like hell that he could keep it. He leaned forward when Jensen pressed their lips together, returning the kiss. He watched Jensen leave after he pulled away, taking Mackenzie’s hand and walking out the door.
****
Kane stared out at the floor of his empty casino, the dog racing track out back just as deserted. He knew where all his customers had gone, and he seethed with anger at just the thought of Jensen’s name. This was the second time Jensen had come back to haunt him. He didn’t know how the bastard hadn’t died when that car had hit him, but he didn’t care. He’d already heard reports from people who’d been in Jensen’s Place. They’d seen the girl. Jensen had the girl, and Kane was going to get her back if he had to kill Jensen a thousand times over. He’d lost almost everything, except for his gang, though none of them had succeeded in finding the girl and bringing her back before Jensen had won more money than Kane could have ever dreamed of and launched his own business. He turned and stalked back outside, where he’d told his gang to wait, Steve included. Without any warning, he walked right up to Steve and punched him, the man crying out in surprise and pain, doubling over.
“Tie him up,” Kane ordered, tossing the coiled up rope he held out to the rest of his gang. The others stood and stared at him, and Kane wondered if any of them even really understood English. “Now! And follow me. Carry him with you.” They did as they were told, following Kane all the way to the pier that he’d thought he’d killed Jensen on. “Put him down.” Steve was lowered, and he fell forward uselessly, unable to move his arms or legs.
“Boss, please…”
“Shut up!” Kane cut him off, kicking him hard in the ribs and watching him try to curl up in spite of his bonds. “You failed me.” He grabbed the rope wound tight around Steve’s body and dragged him towards the end of the pier, turning him over so that he was facing nothing but sea and sky. He rested his shoe against Steve’s back, the touch a promise of pushing him into the water, where he would sink helplessly. “Goodbye, Steve. It’s nothing personal, you know; just business.”
“WAIT!” Steve shouted, and Kane could see his body trembling within the ropes. “Kane, please, wait!”
“You know begging doesn’t help you,” Kane growled, pressing his foot forward and letting Steve teeter on the edge of the pier.
“OKAY!” Steve cried, attempting to rock back onto Kane’s foot. “Okay! Look, I’m sorry! I’m sorry I didn’t get you the girl, but I can still help you, alright? I have…I have weapons; things I can get from…from our connections.”
“What kind of weapons?” Kane asked, taking some interest in what Steve was saying.
“Guns,” Steve said quickly. “Rayguns. Jensen will never know what hit him.” Kane paused for a long moment before finally stepping back.
“You better be able to deliver,” he growled. He turned back to the others, who stood trembling in fear. “Get him up and untie him. I want these guns by tomorrow.”
****
Jensen led Mackenzie up the rickety stairs of an all too familiar building, hefting a good number of pizza boxes up with him. He’d walked right into his past when he’d walked through the old, weathered door. This was a place he used to come to often, when he was younger. He still visited from time to time, checking up on things, but not as much as he used to, even though he knew he should. It felt strange being back now, with Mackenzie in tow, but he labored on, turning back and smiling at her.
“These are some of the poorest people I know,” he said, and she looked at him in wonder. “Trust me; they need all the help they can get.” He paused when they finally reached the top of the stairs, staring into the old living room he remembered from years passed, torn furniture strewn about the place and an old radio set up the middle of it, three young kids settled around it, listening to a show he’d never heard before. He felt his heart clench a little but ignored it, pasting a smile on his face and calling out to them. “Hey! Anybody here order a pizza?” The kids’ heads snapped towards him immediately, bright smiles lighting up their faces.
“Jensen! Pizza!” they said simultaneously, suddenly up and sprinting towards him.
“Whoa, whoa, okay,” he laughed, somehow managing to push his way into the room, Mackenzie following behind him. He crouched down and set the pizza boxes down on the floor before he was tackled by the kids, all three boys, hugging and squeezing and laughing. “Hey guys, I missed you, too!” He sat up when they finally climbed off of him to attack the pizza, patting each of them on the head and ruffling their hair. “I want you all to meet someone very special, okay?” They turned to him, mouths stuffed full of pizza already, and he grinned, gesturing towards Mackenzie. “This is Mackenzie.”
“Pleased to meet you!” Mackenzie giggled. The kids did nothing more than nod before diving back into their pizza, and it hit Jensen with a force he’d never felt before to realize just how hungry they were.
“Jensen?” Jensen heard the familiar voice behind him and turned around slowly, trying his best to smile despite the contempt he suddenly felt for himself at that moment. “Oh, Jensen, it’s so good to see you!”
“It’s good to see you, too, Danneel,” Jensen managed, his throat suddenly feeling tight. He was enveloped in a tight hug faster than he could blink, and he wrapped his arms around her, wondering what he did to deserve this kind of attention. “I, uh…I brought pizza,” he said lamely, gesturing to the melee on the floor when they pulled away from each other. “I probably should’ve brought more.”
“Oh, nonsense,” Danneel said, smiling warmly at him. “This is just fine.” She looked over at the kids, her eyes glowing. “Jensen, you have no idea how much these little guys love you.”
Jensen didn’t answer. He couldn’t imagine why they would love him. He stared at them, frighteningly aware of how much they looked like him. It was painfully obvious that they were his kids, his sons, and he suddenly regretted not doing more for them or being there for them when he should’ve been. He’d done more than most guys in this neighborhood did in his position, but he realized now that he’d spent more time with Mackenzie in recent months then he ever had with his own children in all the years they’d been alive. He’d show up every now and then with food and some money, play with the kids for a couple hours, and then take off, back to business as usual. He wasn’t sure why Danneel let him get away with it, or why she even still appreciated what he did. But Danneel was a strong girl. He guessed that that was why he’d been attracted to her in the first place. She could handle things on her own, and while her kids were still hungry and less than clean, they were faring better than a lot of children in the area. She had no qualms with taking the responsibility on for herself.
He watched as the kids finished eating, finally taking more of an interest in Mackenzie, the four of them playing on the floor. He thought it was funny, how Jared knew about Danneel, knew about their boys, but that Mackenzie was the kid who’d thrown a monkey wrench into everything. Danneel and the boys had come before he’d met Jared, and then everything had changed. Jared had had no problem with Jensen helping and visiting the family he’d created with an old fling. But Mackenzie was another story, and the only child who’d ever even remotely come between them.
“Who is she?” Danneel asked, and Jensen snapped out of his trance and glanced over at her, suddenly feeling nervous.
“She’s, uh…She’s a girl we rescued from Kane. I’ve just been helping her out, that’s all.”
“That’s good,” Danneel said, letting a hand rest on his shoulder. “I knew your parenting instinct would kick in at some point.”
“Danneel, I’m sorry,” Jensen said, the words leaving him in a rush. “I’m sorry that I left you and the kids like this, and I made you do all this on your own. I’ve made so much money, and I could’ve done so much more.”
“Jensen, don’t.” Danneel shook her head, offering him a comforting smile. “I never expected anything from you. And I don’t mean that to be harsh. You’ve done more than most others would have. I can’t ask for more than that.” She shrugged. “This is just how our lives are. Don’t get too down on yourself. You have a good heart. Everyone can see that.” She nudged him and winked. “That’s why you’re so popular in this town.”
“Yeah,” Jensen laughed without humor. “Yeah, I guess so.”
“Jensen?” He turned towards Mackenzie, who held a small fold of leather in her hand, staring at it in disbelief. “Where did you get this?” Jensen froze in horror, feeling around his body and patting his pockets. He’d dropped Chad’s wallet. Mackenzie was no doubt staring at the picture of the cute, rich couple inside of it now.
“I…Mackenzie…” He stuttered and trailed off, and her stare was an accusation and conviction in one.
“You stole it,” she whispered, almost to herself, and Jensen fought to find the right words to say.
“I was gonna give it back,” he tried, and he could see that she knew he was lying just as much as he did.
“You stole it!” she shouted, running off into another room with the wallet in one hand and her bunny in the other.
“No, Squeaker…” He started to run after her, and Danneel stopped him, catching him by the arm.
“It’s best to just leave her be for now, Jensen. Give her some time to calm down.” Jensen hung his head, and Danneel pulled him in the opposite direction, leading him into the nearest bedroom. “Here. You came all this way. Why don’t you just get some rest?”
“Yeah,” Jensen said, suddenly feeling a deep fatigue in his body and collapsing onto the old mattress. “Yeah, okay. Thank you.”
****
Jensen woke up hurtling down a darkened tunnel, a deep red light at the end of it. He landed on scalding hot ground, flames burning all around him, and he cried out as they singed his hair and burnt his flesh. He tried to stand, eventually getting to his feat, only to come face to face with what he could only describe as a demonic angel, a large beast with the head of a dragon and huge, black wings. He turned to run when it opened its mouth, fire bursting forth from it, only to be stopped by smaller demons that landed on him and forced him to the ground, digging into his skin with sharp teeth and claws. He screamed in pain and fear, tears coursing down his face as his body was burned and eaten.
“Jensen…” He flinched, a tiny voice suddenly drifting to his ears. “Jensen, wake up. JENSEN!” He cried out and jolted forward, his eyes focusing in the darkened room. He looked around, breathing heavily and shaking, his eyes falling on his three children.
“It was a dream?” he asked, and the kids nodded. He fell back on the bed and took a deep, calming breath. “Oh, it was just a dream.”
“Was it a nightmare?” his youngest asked, coming over and sitting on the edge of the bed.
“Yeah,” he said, nodding and ruffling his son’s hair. “Yeah, it was. But none of it was real, so…I’m okay. Where’s Mackenzie?” The boy thought for a moment before answering.
“She went to 402 Maple Street,” he said, nodding when he got the address right. “She said she was gonna go visit the wallet family.”
“WHAT?!” Jensen was on his feet immediately, racing out of the room. “Where’s your mother?”
“She had to go out,” his eldest answered.
“Alright,” Jensen said, running down the stairs. He had to find Mackenzie before Kane did. “Alright, just stay put. I’ll be back!”
****
Mackenzie sat at the polished kitchen table, her legs swinging beneath it happily. She’d never had waffles before, and the plate in front of her was stacked so high, she could barely see over it. She was glad she’d managed to find her way here after finding the couple’s address in Chad’s wallet.
“This is the most beautiful house I’ve ever seen,” she said between bites, looking around at the large, clean room.
“Thank you,” Sandy said with a smile. “Where do you live?”
“I live with Jensen and Jared at the casino in the old junkyard,” she said, shoving another syrupy bit of waffle into her mouth. “They’re my friends.” Sandy glanced over at her husband, worrying her bottom lip.
“Were they the men you were with at the racetrack?” she asked. Mackenzie nodded.
“Yes.” Her legs stopped swinging and she glanced shyly up at Chad. “Jensen’s the one who took your wallet. But he’s not really bad, I promise.”
“It’s okay,” Chad said, refilling her glass with milk and eyeing her with concern. “I’m not upset about the wallet. I’m glad that you brought it back, so we could all have breakfast together.”
“Chad,” Sandy spoke up, pushing her chair back and standing, “I need to talk to you.” She smiled over at Mackenzie. “Just excuse us for one minute, honey, okay?”
Mackenzie watched them leave, sipping at her milk. She could hear them talking about her in the next room, her ears perking up when Sandy said, “We can’t just let her leave with nowhere to go. She needs a home.” She put her drink down and stared into her plate, unsure of how she felt. She wasn’t ungrateful. Jensen and Jared had given her a good enough home. But she wondered if she could really end up living here, with this nice couple, and she felt butterflies in her stomach. She startled when she heard a noise by the opened window, Jensen’s eyes peering through seconds later.
“Hey! Squeaker!”
“Jensen!” Mackenzie slid down from her chair and rushed to the window.
“Oh, thank God you’re okay,” Jensen said, sighing in relief. “You shouldn’t have run off like that, kid.”
“I’m sorry,” Mackenzie said, too excited to dwell on her apology. “But Jensen, I found the wallet family! And they’re really nice! They made me waffles, with real butter and syrup, and they’re not upset about the wallet or the money!”
“That’s great, kid.” Jensen smiled sadly. “Maybe you found yourself some parents after all.”
“You really think so?” Mackenzie asked, heart brimming with hope.
“Yeah,” Jensen said, nodding. “Yeah, I do. I’m glad you found them. I really am.” He looked away for a moment before turning back to her, eyes shining. “Listen, I just came to make sure you were alright and say goodbye.”
“Goodbye?” Mackenzie felt her heart sink. “But…maybe you could stay here, too.”
“Nah.” Jensen shook his head. “They don’t want a dirty guy like me in a nice, clean place like this. And I don’t wanna spoil it for you. You deserve to have this family all to yourself.” She stared at him, uncomprehending, her eyes filling with tears. She didn’t want to never see Jensen again. “You’ll be fine,” Jensen said, smiling at her. “Good luck, kid. And thank you…for everything.”
He turned around and left, and she stared at the empty space he’d been in for a long minute before finally springing into action. She ran back to the table and grabbed her bunny doll, and then climbed out the window, running across the front lawn to catch up with Jensen.
****
Steve was surprised that he’d managed to break into one of the rather expensive cars in this neighborhood in a matter of seconds. He hopped in, tossing his duffel bag in the back and unlocking the passenger side door for Kane to jump in beside him.
“Get us started,” Kane ordered, and Steve nodded, getting to work on hotwiring the car. The engine came to life, and Kane eyed the house across the street. “Good. You said someone saw her go into that house?”
“Yeah,” Steve said, looking over at it before reaching back for his duffel and pulling it up into his lap. “You want me to get the gun ready?”
“You should,” Kane said, nodding. “We can go in, hold ‘em up, and take her out. This car should get us far enough away before we’ll have to ditch it. Just…” Kane stopped talking, a slow grin spreading across his face, and Steve followed his gaze out the front of the windshield. Jensen was crossing the street, looking around nervously, sneaking up to the house and looking through the windows. “Oh, this is just too good. Forget going in to get her. Wait until they both leave. We’ll follow along and finally put that fucker in the ground. Get the gun ready.”
Steve stared at Jensen for another minute before opening the duffel bag up, pulling the gun out. He didn’t miss the way his hands shook as he turned it on, charging it up. There was no way he could back away from this without ending up dead himself. But Jensen had come back to them twice now, and the remorse that he’d kept himself from feeling that first time they’d sent him away to be killed in prison was undeniable now. He couldn’t help but think that, if he hadn’t fallen under Kane’s fist, he’d be on Jensen’s side right now. Jensen was a good guy who didn’t deserve to be betrayed once, let alone three times.
“Gimme the gun,” Kane said suddenly, and Steve looked up to see Jensen walking back away from the house, head hung low, the little girl climbing out the window and running after him. “Gimme the gun and follow them, slowly. I don’t wanna be caught shooting people up in a neighborhood like this.”
Steve swallowed and did as he was told, suddenly feeling nauseous. He waited while Jensen and Mackenzie seemed to have some kind of argument on the corner, and then followed once they started moving again. It took some time to reach the outskirts of town, heading back towards the neighborhood they lived in, and Steve felt his anxiety heighten as the scenery started changing.
“Stop,” Kane said quietly, rolling his window down, and Steve did, watching in fear as Kane leaned out the window with the gun, aiming it at Jensen, who was quite a distance away, but not far enough for the gun’s rays to fall short. It scared him, just how silent the shot was, light flashing before he even realized that Kane had pulled the trigger. He flinched and turned his head to look out the windshield, his eyes catching Jensen suddenly falling to the ground. “Got him!” Kane yelled triumphantly, opening his door and jumping out.
Steve heard the girl scream and ran a hand through his hair, fighting to keep his breath from hitching. He couldn’t let on that he felt bad about this in any way, shape, or form. He froze, mouth falling open in shock as he saw Jensen spring to life again, looking back at Kane before grabbing the girl and sprinting away, turning into an alley. There was no way. It just wasn’t possible. Jensen couldn’t still be alive. He watched Kane round the corner after Jensen and the girl, then return minutes later, rage in his eyes. He held back the urge to smile, cheer, or laugh, knowing Jensen was much too fast to be caught on foot. Kane wrenched the car door open, tossing the gun in the back.
“It’s FUCKING impossible!” Kane screamed, falling back into his seat. “How the fuck can that bastard still be up and running?”
“…I don’t know,” Steve said quietly when the silence between them grew thicker.
“I’m gonna kill him,” Kane seethed, fingers digging into the armrests of the passenger’s seat. “If it’s the last fucking thing I do, I’m gonna kill him.”
****
Jensen turned away from the house, away from Mackenzie, and started walking back the way he came. He had to leave. It was only fair. The girl deserved a home, a family. She deserved more than he could give her. She deserved more than him. He cleared his throat, hiding his emotions from no one in particular. It just took him by surprise, how much it hurt to walk away and leave her there. He didn’t think he’d gotten too attached, and certainly didn’t think he’d acted as if he had. But he felt her absence now, deeply, and knew that it would take some time for him to feel normal again without her around.
“Jensen!” He spun around, surprised to see her running after him and caught off guard when she flung herself at him, wrapping her arms around his waist.
“Squeaker, what…” He took a breath and composed himself, then gently grasped her arms and pulled her away, looking her in the eye, his heart breaking when he saw tears there. “Kid, you gotta go back. This is your home now. You’re better off here.”
“But…” he watched her glance back at the house and then lower head, thinking deeply for a kid her age. When she looked back up at him, it was with determination in her eyes. “I want to stay with you.”
“You can’t,” he said, forcing the words past his lips, hating the way her bottom lip quivered. “Squeaker, you can’t. Alright? You have to stay here. After a while, you’ll forget all about me.”
“NO!” she cried, wrapping her arms around him again. He felt his own lip quiver at that, and closed his eyes for a moment, hugging her back. “I don’t wanna forget you, Jensen,” she sobbed, tightening her hold. “I don’t wanna forget you. You rescued me! And Jared…” She trailed off, sniffling into the worn material of his shirt, and he cursed under his breath, swiping at a stray tear. He shouldn’t have let her get this close to him. He shouldn’t have gotten this close to her. “Please don’t make me leave!”
“Okay,” Jensen said, collecting his thoughts and once again pulling her away. “Okay, here’s what we’ll do. We’ll go back to my place and get your stuff, okay? You can say goodbye to Jared, and we’ll get all the nice clothes and shoes we bought for you together and bring you back here.”
“But, Jensen…”
“No buts,” Jensen said firmly, hardening himself. He couldn’t afford to care so much anymore. It was making things too complicated and ruining them both. “That’s the plan. We either do that, or you just stay here now and let me walk away.” She swallowed her tears and slid her free hand in his, her bunny hanging from the other. “Okay. Come on.”
They walked back to the old neighborhood, slowly, Jensen lagging to keep pace with her, telling himself that he wasn’t just doing it to spend more time with her. It was a long walk, but she hadn’t yet complained or asked for a piggyback. Jensen thought she might’ve been afraid to, uncharacteristically silent along the way. Things were just beginning to change, buildings beginning to crumble and streets beginning to grow narrower, when a burning pain suddenly exploded in his back. He cried out, his hand slipping from Mackenzie’s as he fell to the ground, gold watch scraping along the sidewalk.
“JENSEN!”
He heard Mackenzie’s scream, and the pain disappeared just as quickly as it came. He reacted quickly, hurriedly getting to his feet and glancing behind him, catching sight of Kane running at them, gun in hand and a look of pure disbelief on his face. He grabbed Mackenzie and started running, turning off into the first alley he came to. Mackenzie had just found the perfect family. He’d be damned if he let her get caught by Kane again. He ran with her in his arms, clinging to him, winding through the streets and alleys and ducking through doorways. He didn’t stop until he was sure they’d lost Kane, letting Mackenzie down and dropping to the ground himself, panting hard.
“Oh, Jensen, I thought he shot you,” she said, shivering where she sat next to him.
“So did I,” he admitted, still trying to catch his breath. “So did I.” He reached around to his back, fingering the hole that had been left in his shirt from the blast and feeling smooth, unbroken skin beneath it. He moved his hands around to his watch, cradling it in his palms, and remembered crawling out of the water when he’d come back from Heaven, taking his first real breaths after the watch dried out. That was when it hit him: He’d stolen this watch from Heaven, and now he couldn’t die unless the watch was destroyed. “Oh, you beautiful thing,” he muttered, staring at it for a few more seconds before letting it dangle around his neck again, looking up to take in his surroundings. He hadn’t even realized that he’d stopped inside an actual building, the open door behind him. It was nothing special, and pretty much the same as everything else around here, dark and rotting, slivers of light filtering through the doorway and one broken window. He got to his feet, noticing that Mackenzie stayed put on the floor, still shivering, a couple shallow coughs shaking her small frame. “You okay, kid?”
“Jensen.” A voice suddenly sounded from behind him, and he spun around, standing in front of Mackenzie and tensing, preparing for a fight. “Jensen Ackles. It’s been a long time.” He took in the tall frame of the man before him, the dark, curly hair and dimpled smile.
“Jason,” he said simply, beginning to feel nervous as he saw a gang of men step into the light behind Jason.
“You all know this guy, right?” Jason asked his gang, not taking his eyes off of Jensen and slowly stepping closer. “I mean, who doesn’t? He’s famous. He beat me out for Kane’s partnership.” He stopped just a few feet away from Jensen, crossing his arms over his chest and staring, the smile never leaving his face, even though his tone was slightly threatening. “You’re a rival, Jensen. You usually don’t step foot in these parts. And it looks like you’re actually caught off guard.” He leaned over, peering around Jensen, and Jensen reached back, pushing Mackenzie further behind him, taking note of how warm her skin seemed beneath his touch. “And with a little girl, huh? I didn’t know you had four in your brood.”
“She’s…” He kept himself from saying “She’s not mine,” though he wasn’t sure why. “She’s a little girl I rescued from Kane. Kane’s trying to get her back now, and I’m just trying to get her to safety. That’s all. I’m sorry if I stepped onto your turf. I didn’t mean to.”
“You’re apologizing?” Jason asked, genuinely confused. “You must be losing your touch.” Jensen bristled, but Jason continued, switching to another topic. “So, you’re really running from Kane, huh? I heard you set up a rival business. Some people I know checked it out. I wasn’t sure if I should really believe it, or if it was just for show. Are you really against him now?”
“Oh, with every damn fiber of my being,” Jensen growled, fists clenching. “That man has to be stopped.”
“Well…” Jason looked back at his men and held a hand up, and the gang turned away, walking back into the darkness and, Jensen assumed, into other rooms, “That’s something we can agree on. I always wondered why you took up with him in the first place. I mean, sure, I was competing to get his attention, too, but you? You always seemed too good for him.”
“Apparently, I’m not,” Jensen begrudgingly admitted, beginning to relax. “And that was a long time ago. I think I’ve seen the error of my ways.”
“Good,” Jason said, nodding appreciatively. “Not many people who end up in his company do. But I guess that’s why everyone in town respects you so much. They all want Kane gone. And so do we. Is he still after you?”
“Yeah,” Jensen said, laughing bitterly and nodding. “Yeah, that seems to be his hobby nowadays. Plus, he’s hell-bent on getting Mackenzie back and locking her away in his basement again.” Jason moved around him to get to Mackenzie and Jensen let him, the threat gone.
“He should know better than to treat a little girl like that,” Jason murmured, placing a hand on her forehead. “She feels warm.”
“I know,” Jensen said, worry creasing his brow when Mackenzie just closed her eyes, not doing much to respond.
“Where were you planning on taking her?” Jason asked, turning back to him.
“I was planning on taking her back to my place,” he said. “But now I think I’d better just get her to the nearest safe place I can find. I’ll probably take her to Danneel’s.”
“Okay.” Jason stood for a moment, thinking. “I know where it is. I’ll round the guys up. We’ll take you there; make sure you get there safely. Hopefully, Kane won’t get his hands on her again.”
“Thank you,” Jensen said in a rush of gratitude, the offer completely unexpected. “Thanks. We could use all the help we can get.”
Part 4
Fandom: RPS
Characters: Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki
Prompt: 022. Enemies
fanfic100 table: here
Word Count: 29,073
Rating: NC-17 to start, but mostly R.
Warnings: Violence, angst, character death, and the one hardcore smex scene that I just had to throw in at the beginning.
Summary: The best way for me to summarize this is to just say that it's a J2 version of All Dogs Go To Heaven, but with humans instead of dogs, gay sex, less singing, some cursing, and just a tad more violence, considering the movie is pretty damn dark for an animated kids' movie.
Disclaimer: This is a shameless ripoff of an animated kids' movie made in 1989 with a squeeing fangirl's perfect cast. In other words, I am a loser. :P
Author's Notes: This idea randomly came to me one night, so I took it and ran with it. It made me ridiculously happy, even though it's sad (like the movie), and this is the end result. I don't usually write AU's, or anything like this, but I had so much fun with this Jensen, it was ridiculous. As if I didn't love the man enough already.
Part 1
Part 2
Chad walked around the track, arm bent out for Sandy’s dainty little arm to slip through, the two of them taking in the sights and sounds of the park before the races. He smiled at his wife, and she smiled back brightly, her summer dress loose and cool in the expected heat and humidity. He took a deep breath, filling his lungs with fresh air and the smell of the stables, detectable even here, feeling just fine, even though he was sweating beneath the expensive material of his best suit. He hadn’t placed his bets just yet, but would momentarily. For now, he’d just enjoy his time in the afternoon sun.
“Oh, Chad!” Sandy suddenly exclaimed, tugging on his arm. He looked down at her before following her gaze, surprised to see a small girl in torn and dirty clothes wandering through the crowd. Sandy dragged him over to her, and he followed along without complaint, just as interested in the girl as his wife was. Her arm slid out of his as they got closer, and she crouched down very close to where the little girl was standing, catching her attention. “Little girl?” The girl turned quickly, obviously not having realized just how far she’d wandered from…whoever she was here with. “Hi,” Sandy said, smiling at her kindly. “What’s your name?”
“My name’s Mackenzie,” the little girl said sweetly, smiling back as she clutched a dirty little bunny doll in her right hand.
“Who are you here with?” Sandy asked, concerned. “Your parents?”
“I don’t have any parents,” Mackenzie replied, shaking her head, and Chad sucked in a breath, wondering what this kid was doing on her own here, of all places. “I’m an orphan.”
“Hey, Squeaker!” Chad jolted and turned around to find a young man with bright green eyes standing behind him. He was in much the same state as Mackenzie was, and Chad’s eyes widened. Another man stepped up beside him, also looking as if he could use some fresh clothes and a good shower, this one taking deep breaths and scratching his arm nervously. “We’ve been lookin’ all over for you! Come on, let’s go!”
“Oh!” The two men turned to leave, and the little girl followed after them quickly, skirting Sandy’s outstretched hands and protests. “I have to go! It was nice meeting you!” All three of them were gone in a flash, vanishing into the crowd, and Sandy slipped her arm back through Chad’s, sighing heavily.
“That was strange,” she said quietly. “Something wasn’t right about that. That poor little girl…”
“I know,” Chad said, turning to her and kissing her forehead. “But there’s nothing we can do about it right now. We’ll just have to keep our eyes open. That’s all.” He didn’t even notice that his wallet was missing until he finally went to place his bets, his pockets suspiciously empty.
****
Jensen certainly didn’t belong in this place, and certainly didn’t look like he did, but he acted like it, rifling through the wallet he’d stolen from a guy supposedly named Chad, according to his ID. He pulled out a wad of bills, confidently strolled up to the booth, pretended to ponder his options, and then placed his bet on The Great Kripke, insisting on it when the man working there repeated the odds against him. He hoped that the kid was right about this, and that they’d have even more money to spend once the main race was through. If this worked, he’d have a surefire way of increasing his horde on a regular basis. But what he won today would go towards building a new place, his own business right where the junkyard was. Maybe it was being a bit too brazen, but Jensen couldn’t help but smile when he thought of how shocked Kane would be to see “Jensen’s” suddenly go up so close to the old casino, taking all of his customers away from him. It would just be too good, too sweet.
“Hey, kid,” he said, turning away from the booth, pulling out another bill, stuffing the wallet in his back pocket and heading back over to Mackenzie and Jared. “You want some ice cream?”
****
Jared huffed in annoyance where he sat on the bench in the stands, the kid between him and Jensen. The ice cream cone had been a big mistake, and Jared found himself wondering why the hell it was that kids could never manage to eat ice cream. There wasn’t anything you really had to master about eating an ice cream cone; especially one that was kid-sized. Jared probably could’ve downed the entire thing in one gulp, but Mackenzie was still licking at the very top of it, ice cream melting down the cone, down her hands, onto her already dirty clothes, and ending in a puddle on the ground below her. He scrunched up his nose when he looked at her face, smears of vanilla all over her mouth, nose, and cheeks. He shook his head. He’d really never understand kids, even if he was one once. Forget napkins. This kid was a disaster.
“You gettin’ any of that in your mouth?” he asked in disgust, Jensen shooting him a nasty look over Mackenzie’s head. He shrugged in response, blowing Jensen off. If he didn’t know any better, he’d swear Jensen had a soft spot for the kid. A shot suddenly went off, signaling the start of the race, and the horses burst forth, Jared leaning forward to watch them, butterflies flitting around in his stomach. “Come on, come on,” he urged, watching The Great Kripke lag behind the other horses and praying that he would catch up. He could hear Jensen and the girl beside him, cheering Kripke on, and couldn’t help joining in.
With three quarters of the race done, Kripke was still behind enough horses for Jared to start worrying. But the lead horses suddenly slowed their pace, their jockeys urging them on furiously, but to no avail. Jared’s jaw dropped, his voice silenced, as he watched the end of the race. He could’ve sworn he’d seen another horse push Kripke from behind, and remembered what Mackenzie had said about the animals always winning on their birthdays. He tensed, watching Kripke near the finish line, exploding with excitement when he finally crossed it ahead of all the other horses, winning the race.
“YES!” Jared shouted, jumping up and pumping his fist in the air. He turned to Jensen, the two of them grinning at each other and high-fiving. “We did it!”
“No,” Jensen laughed, bending down and lifting Mackenzie into the air, “Mackenzie did!” The girl laughed, blowing a kiss and shouting her birthday wishes down to The Great Kripke, and Jared was almost ready to believe that things would be okay after all.
****
That first race with The Great Kripke was only the beginning. Jensen was moving on, taking the girl to each and every animal race he could find and collecting his winnings, the money piling up faster than even he had imagined. He’d never felt happier, never seen Jared happier, and it was all because of this sweet little girl who could talk to animals. Life was weird that way, but he wasn’t complaining. How could he, when everything he’d planned was coming to fruition. Jared managed to get back to his garage and scrape all his tools together, bringing them back to the junkyard, and the two of them finally enlisted the help of some other people from the neighborhood; people who were all too happy to help them and bring Kane down. They got started on clearing out the junkyard and building up the new place. It was all fun and games until he noticed Mackenzie moping around one day, her usual sunny demeanor darkened, her bunny trailing by her side.
“She doesn’t look happy,” he commented to Jared, who stood beside him, taking a break from hours of hard work, wiping the sweat from his brow.
“So what?” Jared shrugged. “It’s all over now, isn’t it? We got what we wanted.”
“No,” Jensen said, shaking his head. “It’s just started. We haven’t even gotten the place up and running yet. We might still need her. We can’t just let her down.”
“‘Let her down’?” Jared questioned, his brow furrowing, looking at Jensen like he was crazy. “What the hell are you talking about Jensen? When did this become all about her?”
“It’s not!” Jensen said defensively, feeling himself bristling. He glanced back over at the girl and sighed. “Look, I’m just saying, maybe we should make good on our promises.”
“Yeah, well, they weren’t ‘our’ promises, Jensen,” Jared replied, crossing his arms over his chest. “You dug that grave. And how the hell are we supposed to do that, anyway?”
“I don’t know,” Jensen said, heaving another sigh. As much as he wanted to throttle Jared for putting this all on him, he couldn’t deny that he’d gotten them into this situation in the first place, and he could understand Jared’s frustration. He shrugged his shoulders, trying to think of the simplest thing they could do for the girl. “We could take her shopping. We could get her some new clothes, new shoes, make her feel like we’re getting somewhere.”
“Man…” Jared pinched the bridge of his nose, rubbing slightly, and Jensen could see the tension in his shoulders. He moved behind him, kissing the back of his neck and reaching up to massage the muscles there. “Aw, don’t do this to me,” Jared breathed, letting his head fall forward. Jensen moved to Jared’s shoulders, rubbing harder, getting deep into the muscle and feeling the knots there slowly loosen. “Goddamn, you’re good. Fine. Let’s take her shopping.”
****
Mackenzie stared at the racks of clothes in the store in awe, almost frozen, unsure of where to even start. She looked at the other little girls who were there with their mothers, who looked back at her with curiosity and disgust, and she shrank back into Jensen, who wrapped an arm around her.
“It’s okay, Squeaker,” he reassured her, leading her further into the store and over to one of the racks. “Forget those other people, alright?” She looked up at him, and he smiled down at her. “They just don’t realize how pretty you are.” She blushed, unable to keep from smiling back, and grabbed the clothes that Jensen offered her with her free hand, her bunny hanging from the other. “You just take this, and go into that room over there.” He pointed, and she followed the gesture, eyes falling on a series of closed doors, one standing open. “Try these clothes on, and we’ll keep what you like, okay? I’ll hold your bunny for you.” She looked up at Jared briefly, catching a somewhat reluctant smile from him before handing her bunny to Jensen and walking off towards the dressing room, carrying the clothes in with her and closing the door.
She took her dirty clothes off piece by piece, the awful state of them just hitting her now that she had them side by side with new clean ones. She stared at the ones on hangers for a moment, biting her lower lip, almost feeling as though they didn’t belong on her body. She reached out hesitantly, pulling them away from the plastic and slowly slipping them on, shocked by how soft and comfortable they were. When she looked at herself in the mirror, her jaw dropped. Her hair was still long and ratty, face still in need of a better washing than she had given it earlier, but she hardly recognized herself in these new clothes. She suddenly felt normal, like she belonged with all those girls milling about the store with their mothers, and the pang in her heart gradually bled into a smile, one that she watched grow in the mirror. She would have a mother of her own soon. Jensen was going to help her find one. ‘And Jared,’ she thought to herself, nodding slightly towards the mirror. She couldn’t forget Jared. A soft knock sounded on the door, Jensen’s voice drifting through it.
“Hey, kid. How ‘bout you let us see?” She took one more look at herself and then turned to the door, fingers slipping on the knob before she finally opened it up, looking up at Jensen nervously. “Wow,” Jensen said, taking a step back, placing a hand over his heart, just above his watch, and looking over at Jared. “I think she just took my breath away, Jared.”
“Yeah,” Jared agreed quietly, moving closer, and resting an arm around Jensen’s shoulders, nodding down at her. “You, uh…You look gorgeous.”
“Thank you.” Mackenzie blushed and giggled, and Jensen gently ushered her back into the dressing room.
“Go on and try some more,” he encouraged. “And don’t be shy. I want to see each and every thing you pick out!”
She spent the next forty-five minutes trying on clothes, Jensen handing her more when she ran out of the ones she had in the dressing room. She smiled happily when Jared even appeared with various pairs of shoes for her to try on, and he gave her the most genuine smile she’d gotten from him yet. She was bursting with excitement by the time she was finished, gripping Jensen’s hand tightly and skipping along beside him when he led her to another part of the store, Jared carrying her bags. She held her bunny and sat outside the men’s dressing room, legs swinging, as she waited for both Jensen and Jared to pick out their own clothes, laughing when Jensen emerged after changing, striking various poses for her. She offered her opinion on every outfit, even the ones Jared picked out, telling him which ones matched his eyes, and which ones made him look even taller. They left the store with more clothes and bags than she’d ever seen in her young life, and she walked most of the way home, running on excitement and adrenaline. Jensen let her piggyback the rest of the way, and she fell asleep with her head on his shoulder, arms and legs wrapped snugly around his body. She’d never been happier.
****
Jared wasn’t surprised when the kid’s good mood didn’t last forever. Although, he had to give her some credit. It had lasted for much longer than he’d thought it would. But she was also smarter than he’d originally given her credit for, and she’d eventually realized that their shopping spree was all for show. Jensen’s Place had already been built, customers new and old already pouring in, and Jensen hasn’t made one move to leave it now that it was up and running. He’d thrown himself back into the business, living his dream in a new, classy joint with lights, decorations, and fancy dancers on a fancy stage. Jared himself wondered how the hell they’d managed to fit a place like this into their neighborhood. In some ways, Jensen was back to his old self, his lust for revenge on Kane the only thing Jared truly worried about. And Mackenzie wasn’t happy that Jensen wasn’t holding up his end of the bargain with his ridiculous promises. Jared could see her hissy fit coming a mile away, completely unsurprised when she walked straight through the casino, old clothes on and bunny in tow, marching towards the front doors.
“Whoa, whoa, hey!” Jensen called from across the room, excusing himself from a conversation with one of his patrons and running to catch up. “Squeaker! Where are you going?”
“You promised that we were gonna help the poor!” she said, stopping on a dime and spinning around to face Jensen, the bunny now curled into her fist. “You said you were gonna help me find a mommy and daddy! You didn’t even look! All you do is gamble, and…it isn’t right!” She turned back around, and Jensen stopped her, grabbing her by the arm and moving around to her front, crouching down in front of her, eyes wide and innocent.
“You know what? You’re right,” he said, looking so ashamed of himself that even Jared believed it. “You’re absolutely right. I’ve just been so selfish, and I didn’t even realize it. Thank you. Thank you for helping me see the light. I promise you that we’ll do what I said, okay? I do.” She softened a bit, and Jensen ducked his head. “Can you forgive me?” Jared watched as she broke, her arms suddenly wrapping around Jensen’s neck, hugging him tight. Jensen smiled and hugged her back. “That’s my girl. Let me just talk to Jared, and then we can go, okay?”
“Oh, thank you, Jensen!” Mackenzie squealed, waiting patiently while Jensen got up and walked over to Jared, his smile fading when Jared glared at him.
“What’s with you and this little kid?” Jared asked. “I know, she grows on you. She grew on me, too. But Jensen…this isn’t us. This isn’t what we do. We have a business to run now, and you’re just gonna run off and feed the poor and find her some parents? Do you know how crazy that sounds?”
“Yes,” Jensen said, tensing and gritting his teeth. “But Jared, I have to do this, okay? We have to keep the girl happy.”
“Oh, really?” Jared challenged. Jensen stared back at him, jaw set.
“Yeah.”
“Well, then, what about Kane?” Jared spat, feeling his face heat up and scratching at his chest. “If he doesn’t know you’re alive by now, then he must be dead. He knows you’re back, Jensen, and he’s gonna come looking for you, and what better way to find you than catching you running around the city with the little girl you kidnapped from him, trying to get her adopted? I don’t wanna lose you again.” His voice broke unexpectedly on that last word, and he lowered his head, taking deep breaths and trying to calm himself.
“You won’t lose me,” Jensen said quietly, lifting a hand to Jared’s cheek. “Hey.” Jared looked up into Jensen’s eyes, seeing the love there and wishing they could just leave this whole place behind. “You won’t lose me, alright? I promise.” Jared closed his eyes, willing his tears away. Jensen was making another promise, and Jared just hoped like hell that he could keep it. He leaned forward when Jensen pressed their lips together, returning the kiss. He watched Jensen leave after he pulled away, taking Mackenzie’s hand and walking out the door.
****
Kane stared out at the floor of his empty casino, the dog racing track out back just as deserted. He knew where all his customers had gone, and he seethed with anger at just the thought of Jensen’s name. This was the second time Jensen had come back to haunt him. He didn’t know how the bastard hadn’t died when that car had hit him, but he didn’t care. He’d already heard reports from people who’d been in Jensen’s Place. They’d seen the girl. Jensen had the girl, and Kane was going to get her back if he had to kill Jensen a thousand times over. He’d lost almost everything, except for his gang, though none of them had succeeded in finding the girl and bringing her back before Jensen had won more money than Kane could have ever dreamed of and launched his own business. He turned and stalked back outside, where he’d told his gang to wait, Steve included. Without any warning, he walked right up to Steve and punched him, the man crying out in surprise and pain, doubling over.
“Tie him up,” Kane ordered, tossing the coiled up rope he held out to the rest of his gang. The others stood and stared at him, and Kane wondered if any of them even really understood English. “Now! And follow me. Carry him with you.” They did as they were told, following Kane all the way to the pier that he’d thought he’d killed Jensen on. “Put him down.” Steve was lowered, and he fell forward uselessly, unable to move his arms or legs.
“Boss, please…”
“Shut up!” Kane cut him off, kicking him hard in the ribs and watching him try to curl up in spite of his bonds. “You failed me.” He grabbed the rope wound tight around Steve’s body and dragged him towards the end of the pier, turning him over so that he was facing nothing but sea and sky. He rested his shoe against Steve’s back, the touch a promise of pushing him into the water, where he would sink helplessly. “Goodbye, Steve. It’s nothing personal, you know; just business.”
“WAIT!” Steve shouted, and Kane could see his body trembling within the ropes. “Kane, please, wait!”
“You know begging doesn’t help you,” Kane growled, pressing his foot forward and letting Steve teeter on the edge of the pier.
“OKAY!” Steve cried, attempting to rock back onto Kane’s foot. “Okay! Look, I’m sorry! I’m sorry I didn’t get you the girl, but I can still help you, alright? I have…I have weapons; things I can get from…from our connections.”
“What kind of weapons?” Kane asked, taking some interest in what Steve was saying.
“Guns,” Steve said quickly. “Rayguns. Jensen will never know what hit him.” Kane paused for a long moment before finally stepping back.
“You better be able to deliver,” he growled. He turned back to the others, who stood trembling in fear. “Get him up and untie him. I want these guns by tomorrow.”
****
Jensen led Mackenzie up the rickety stairs of an all too familiar building, hefting a good number of pizza boxes up with him. He’d walked right into his past when he’d walked through the old, weathered door. This was a place he used to come to often, when he was younger. He still visited from time to time, checking up on things, but not as much as he used to, even though he knew he should. It felt strange being back now, with Mackenzie in tow, but he labored on, turning back and smiling at her.
“These are some of the poorest people I know,” he said, and she looked at him in wonder. “Trust me; they need all the help they can get.” He paused when they finally reached the top of the stairs, staring into the old living room he remembered from years passed, torn furniture strewn about the place and an old radio set up the middle of it, three young kids settled around it, listening to a show he’d never heard before. He felt his heart clench a little but ignored it, pasting a smile on his face and calling out to them. “Hey! Anybody here order a pizza?” The kids’ heads snapped towards him immediately, bright smiles lighting up their faces.
“Jensen! Pizza!” they said simultaneously, suddenly up and sprinting towards him.
“Whoa, whoa, okay,” he laughed, somehow managing to push his way into the room, Mackenzie following behind him. He crouched down and set the pizza boxes down on the floor before he was tackled by the kids, all three boys, hugging and squeezing and laughing. “Hey guys, I missed you, too!” He sat up when they finally climbed off of him to attack the pizza, patting each of them on the head and ruffling their hair. “I want you all to meet someone very special, okay?” They turned to him, mouths stuffed full of pizza already, and he grinned, gesturing towards Mackenzie. “This is Mackenzie.”
“Pleased to meet you!” Mackenzie giggled. The kids did nothing more than nod before diving back into their pizza, and it hit Jensen with a force he’d never felt before to realize just how hungry they were.
“Jensen?” Jensen heard the familiar voice behind him and turned around slowly, trying his best to smile despite the contempt he suddenly felt for himself at that moment. “Oh, Jensen, it’s so good to see you!”
“It’s good to see you, too, Danneel,” Jensen managed, his throat suddenly feeling tight. He was enveloped in a tight hug faster than he could blink, and he wrapped his arms around her, wondering what he did to deserve this kind of attention. “I, uh…I brought pizza,” he said lamely, gesturing to the melee on the floor when they pulled away from each other. “I probably should’ve brought more.”
“Oh, nonsense,” Danneel said, smiling warmly at him. “This is just fine.” She looked over at the kids, her eyes glowing. “Jensen, you have no idea how much these little guys love you.”
Jensen didn’t answer. He couldn’t imagine why they would love him. He stared at them, frighteningly aware of how much they looked like him. It was painfully obvious that they were his kids, his sons, and he suddenly regretted not doing more for them or being there for them when he should’ve been. He’d done more than most guys in this neighborhood did in his position, but he realized now that he’d spent more time with Mackenzie in recent months then he ever had with his own children in all the years they’d been alive. He’d show up every now and then with food and some money, play with the kids for a couple hours, and then take off, back to business as usual. He wasn’t sure why Danneel let him get away with it, or why she even still appreciated what he did. But Danneel was a strong girl. He guessed that that was why he’d been attracted to her in the first place. She could handle things on her own, and while her kids were still hungry and less than clean, they were faring better than a lot of children in the area. She had no qualms with taking the responsibility on for herself.
He watched as the kids finished eating, finally taking more of an interest in Mackenzie, the four of them playing on the floor. He thought it was funny, how Jared knew about Danneel, knew about their boys, but that Mackenzie was the kid who’d thrown a monkey wrench into everything. Danneel and the boys had come before he’d met Jared, and then everything had changed. Jared had had no problem with Jensen helping and visiting the family he’d created with an old fling. But Mackenzie was another story, and the only child who’d ever even remotely come between them.
“Who is she?” Danneel asked, and Jensen snapped out of his trance and glanced over at her, suddenly feeling nervous.
“She’s, uh…She’s a girl we rescued from Kane. I’ve just been helping her out, that’s all.”
“That’s good,” Danneel said, letting a hand rest on his shoulder. “I knew your parenting instinct would kick in at some point.”
“Danneel, I’m sorry,” Jensen said, the words leaving him in a rush. “I’m sorry that I left you and the kids like this, and I made you do all this on your own. I’ve made so much money, and I could’ve done so much more.”
“Jensen, don’t.” Danneel shook her head, offering him a comforting smile. “I never expected anything from you. And I don’t mean that to be harsh. You’ve done more than most others would have. I can’t ask for more than that.” She shrugged. “This is just how our lives are. Don’t get too down on yourself. You have a good heart. Everyone can see that.” She nudged him and winked. “That’s why you’re so popular in this town.”
“Yeah,” Jensen laughed without humor. “Yeah, I guess so.”
“Jensen?” He turned towards Mackenzie, who held a small fold of leather in her hand, staring at it in disbelief. “Where did you get this?” Jensen froze in horror, feeling around his body and patting his pockets. He’d dropped Chad’s wallet. Mackenzie was no doubt staring at the picture of the cute, rich couple inside of it now.
“I…Mackenzie…” He stuttered and trailed off, and her stare was an accusation and conviction in one.
“You stole it,” she whispered, almost to herself, and Jensen fought to find the right words to say.
“I was gonna give it back,” he tried, and he could see that she knew he was lying just as much as he did.
“You stole it!” she shouted, running off into another room with the wallet in one hand and her bunny in the other.
“No, Squeaker…” He started to run after her, and Danneel stopped him, catching him by the arm.
“It’s best to just leave her be for now, Jensen. Give her some time to calm down.” Jensen hung his head, and Danneel pulled him in the opposite direction, leading him into the nearest bedroom. “Here. You came all this way. Why don’t you just get some rest?”
“Yeah,” Jensen said, suddenly feeling a deep fatigue in his body and collapsing onto the old mattress. “Yeah, okay. Thank you.”
****
Jensen woke up hurtling down a darkened tunnel, a deep red light at the end of it. He landed on scalding hot ground, flames burning all around him, and he cried out as they singed his hair and burnt his flesh. He tried to stand, eventually getting to his feat, only to come face to face with what he could only describe as a demonic angel, a large beast with the head of a dragon and huge, black wings. He turned to run when it opened its mouth, fire bursting forth from it, only to be stopped by smaller demons that landed on him and forced him to the ground, digging into his skin with sharp teeth and claws. He screamed in pain and fear, tears coursing down his face as his body was burned and eaten.
“Jensen…” He flinched, a tiny voice suddenly drifting to his ears. “Jensen, wake up. JENSEN!” He cried out and jolted forward, his eyes focusing in the darkened room. He looked around, breathing heavily and shaking, his eyes falling on his three children.
“It was a dream?” he asked, and the kids nodded. He fell back on the bed and took a deep, calming breath. “Oh, it was just a dream.”
“Was it a nightmare?” his youngest asked, coming over and sitting on the edge of the bed.
“Yeah,” he said, nodding and ruffling his son’s hair. “Yeah, it was. But none of it was real, so…I’m okay. Where’s Mackenzie?” The boy thought for a moment before answering.
“She went to 402 Maple Street,” he said, nodding when he got the address right. “She said she was gonna go visit the wallet family.”
“WHAT?!” Jensen was on his feet immediately, racing out of the room. “Where’s your mother?”
“She had to go out,” his eldest answered.
“Alright,” Jensen said, running down the stairs. He had to find Mackenzie before Kane did. “Alright, just stay put. I’ll be back!”
****
Mackenzie sat at the polished kitchen table, her legs swinging beneath it happily. She’d never had waffles before, and the plate in front of her was stacked so high, she could barely see over it. She was glad she’d managed to find her way here after finding the couple’s address in Chad’s wallet.
“This is the most beautiful house I’ve ever seen,” she said between bites, looking around at the large, clean room.
“Thank you,” Sandy said with a smile. “Where do you live?”
“I live with Jensen and Jared at the casino in the old junkyard,” she said, shoving another syrupy bit of waffle into her mouth. “They’re my friends.” Sandy glanced over at her husband, worrying her bottom lip.
“Were they the men you were with at the racetrack?” she asked. Mackenzie nodded.
“Yes.” Her legs stopped swinging and she glanced shyly up at Chad. “Jensen’s the one who took your wallet. But he’s not really bad, I promise.”
“It’s okay,” Chad said, refilling her glass with milk and eyeing her with concern. “I’m not upset about the wallet. I’m glad that you brought it back, so we could all have breakfast together.”
“Chad,” Sandy spoke up, pushing her chair back and standing, “I need to talk to you.” She smiled over at Mackenzie. “Just excuse us for one minute, honey, okay?”
Mackenzie watched them leave, sipping at her milk. She could hear them talking about her in the next room, her ears perking up when Sandy said, “We can’t just let her leave with nowhere to go. She needs a home.” She put her drink down and stared into her plate, unsure of how she felt. She wasn’t ungrateful. Jensen and Jared had given her a good enough home. But she wondered if she could really end up living here, with this nice couple, and she felt butterflies in her stomach. She startled when she heard a noise by the opened window, Jensen’s eyes peering through seconds later.
“Hey! Squeaker!”
“Jensen!” Mackenzie slid down from her chair and rushed to the window.
“Oh, thank God you’re okay,” Jensen said, sighing in relief. “You shouldn’t have run off like that, kid.”
“I’m sorry,” Mackenzie said, too excited to dwell on her apology. “But Jensen, I found the wallet family! And they’re really nice! They made me waffles, with real butter and syrup, and they’re not upset about the wallet or the money!”
“That’s great, kid.” Jensen smiled sadly. “Maybe you found yourself some parents after all.”
“You really think so?” Mackenzie asked, heart brimming with hope.
“Yeah,” Jensen said, nodding. “Yeah, I do. I’m glad you found them. I really am.” He looked away for a moment before turning back to her, eyes shining. “Listen, I just came to make sure you were alright and say goodbye.”
“Goodbye?” Mackenzie felt her heart sink. “But…maybe you could stay here, too.”
“Nah.” Jensen shook his head. “They don’t want a dirty guy like me in a nice, clean place like this. And I don’t wanna spoil it for you. You deserve to have this family all to yourself.” She stared at him, uncomprehending, her eyes filling with tears. She didn’t want to never see Jensen again. “You’ll be fine,” Jensen said, smiling at her. “Good luck, kid. And thank you…for everything.”
He turned around and left, and she stared at the empty space he’d been in for a long minute before finally springing into action. She ran back to the table and grabbed her bunny doll, and then climbed out the window, running across the front lawn to catch up with Jensen.
****
Steve was surprised that he’d managed to break into one of the rather expensive cars in this neighborhood in a matter of seconds. He hopped in, tossing his duffel bag in the back and unlocking the passenger side door for Kane to jump in beside him.
“Get us started,” Kane ordered, and Steve nodded, getting to work on hotwiring the car. The engine came to life, and Kane eyed the house across the street. “Good. You said someone saw her go into that house?”
“Yeah,” Steve said, looking over at it before reaching back for his duffel and pulling it up into his lap. “You want me to get the gun ready?”
“You should,” Kane said, nodding. “We can go in, hold ‘em up, and take her out. This car should get us far enough away before we’ll have to ditch it. Just…” Kane stopped talking, a slow grin spreading across his face, and Steve followed his gaze out the front of the windshield. Jensen was crossing the street, looking around nervously, sneaking up to the house and looking through the windows. “Oh, this is just too good. Forget going in to get her. Wait until they both leave. We’ll follow along and finally put that fucker in the ground. Get the gun ready.”
Steve stared at Jensen for another minute before opening the duffel bag up, pulling the gun out. He didn’t miss the way his hands shook as he turned it on, charging it up. There was no way he could back away from this without ending up dead himself. But Jensen had come back to them twice now, and the remorse that he’d kept himself from feeling that first time they’d sent him away to be killed in prison was undeniable now. He couldn’t help but think that, if he hadn’t fallen under Kane’s fist, he’d be on Jensen’s side right now. Jensen was a good guy who didn’t deserve to be betrayed once, let alone three times.
“Gimme the gun,” Kane said suddenly, and Steve looked up to see Jensen walking back away from the house, head hung low, the little girl climbing out the window and running after him. “Gimme the gun and follow them, slowly. I don’t wanna be caught shooting people up in a neighborhood like this.”
Steve swallowed and did as he was told, suddenly feeling nauseous. He waited while Jensen and Mackenzie seemed to have some kind of argument on the corner, and then followed once they started moving again. It took some time to reach the outskirts of town, heading back towards the neighborhood they lived in, and Steve felt his anxiety heighten as the scenery started changing.
“Stop,” Kane said quietly, rolling his window down, and Steve did, watching in fear as Kane leaned out the window with the gun, aiming it at Jensen, who was quite a distance away, but not far enough for the gun’s rays to fall short. It scared him, just how silent the shot was, light flashing before he even realized that Kane had pulled the trigger. He flinched and turned his head to look out the windshield, his eyes catching Jensen suddenly falling to the ground. “Got him!” Kane yelled triumphantly, opening his door and jumping out.
Steve heard the girl scream and ran a hand through his hair, fighting to keep his breath from hitching. He couldn’t let on that he felt bad about this in any way, shape, or form. He froze, mouth falling open in shock as he saw Jensen spring to life again, looking back at Kane before grabbing the girl and sprinting away, turning into an alley. There was no way. It just wasn’t possible. Jensen couldn’t still be alive. He watched Kane round the corner after Jensen and the girl, then return minutes later, rage in his eyes. He held back the urge to smile, cheer, or laugh, knowing Jensen was much too fast to be caught on foot. Kane wrenched the car door open, tossing the gun in the back.
“It’s FUCKING impossible!” Kane screamed, falling back into his seat. “How the fuck can that bastard still be up and running?”
“…I don’t know,” Steve said quietly when the silence between them grew thicker.
“I’m gonna kill him,” Kane seethed, fingers digging into the armrests of the passenger’s seat. “If it’s the last fucking thing I do, I’m gonna kill him.”
****
Jensen turned away from the house, away from Mackenzie, and started walking back the way he came. He had to leave. It was only fair. The girl deserved a home, a family. She deserved more than he could give her. She deserved more than him. He cleared his throat, hiding his emotions from no one in particular. It just took him by surprise, how much it hurt to walk away and leave her there. He didn’t think he’d gotten too attached, and certainly didn’t think he’d acted as if he had. But he felt her absence now, deeply, and knew that it would take some time for him to feel normal again without her around.
“Jensen!” He spun around, surprised to see her running after him and caught off guard when she flung herself at him, wrapping her arms around his waist.
“Squeaker, what…” He took a breath and composed himself, then gently grasped her arms and pulled her away, looking her in the eye, his heart breaking when he saw tears there. “Kid, you gotta go back. This is your home now. You’re better off here.”
“But…” he watched her glance back at the house and then lower head, thinking deeply for a kid her age. When she looked back up at him, it was with determination in her eyes. “I want to stay with you.”
“You can’t,” he said, forcing the words past his lips, hating the way her bottom lip quivered. “Squeaker, you can’t. Alright? You have to stay here. After a while, you’ll forget all about me.”
“NO!” she cried, wrapping her arms around him again. He felt his own lip quiver at that, and closed his eyes for a moment, hugging her back. “I don’t wanna forget you, Jensen,” she sobbed, tightening her hold. “I don’t wanna forget you. You rescued me! And Jared…” She trailed off, sniffling into the worn material of his shirt, and he cursed under his breath, swiping at a stray tear. He shouldn’t have let her get this close to him. He shouldn’t have gotten this close to her. “Please don’t make me leave!”
“Okay,” Jensen said, collecting his thoughts and once again pulling her away. “Okay, here’s what we’ll do. We’ll go back to my place and get your stuff, okay? You can say goodbye to Jared, and we’ll get all the nice clothes and shoes we bought for you together and bring you back here.”
“But, Jensen…”
“No buts,” Jensen said firmly, hardening himself. He couldn’t afford to care so much anymore. It was making things too complicated and ruining them both. “That’s the plan. We either do that, or you just stay here now and let me walk away.” She swallowed her tears and slid her free hand in his, her bunny hanging from the other. “Okay. Come on.”
They walked back to the old neighborhood, slowly, Jensen lagging to keep pace with her, telling himself that he wasn’t just doing it to spend more time with her. It was a long walk, but she hadn’t yet complained or asked for a piggyback. Jensen thought she might’ve been afraid to, uncharacteristically silent along the way. Things were just beginning to change, buildings beginning to crumble and streets beginning to grow narrower, when a burning pain suddenly exploded in his back. He cried out, his hand slipping from Mackenzie’s as he fell to the ground, gold watch scraping along the sidewalk.
“JENSEN!”
He heard Mackenzie’s scream, and the pain disappeared just as quickly as it came. He reacted quickly, hurriedly getting to his feet and glancing behind him, catching sight of Kane running at them, gun in hand and a look of pure disbelief on his face. He grabbed Mackenzie and started running, turning off into the first alley he came to. Mackenzie had just found the perfect family. He’d be damned if he let her get caught by Kane again. He ran with her in his arms, clinging to him, winding through the streets and alleys and ducking through doorways. He didn’t stop until he was sure they’d lost Kane, letting Mackenzie down and dropping to the ground himself, panting hard.
“Oh, Jensen, I thought he shot you,” she said, shivering where she sat next to him.
“So did I,” he admitted, still trying to catch his breath. “So did I.” He reached around to his back, fingering the hole that had been left in his shirt from the blast and feeling smooth, unbroken skin beneath it. He moved his hands around to his watch, cradling it in his palms, and remembered crawling out of the water when he’d come back from Heaven, taking his first real breaths after the watch dried out. That was when it hit him: He’d stolen this watch from Heaven, and now he couldn’t die unless the watch was destroyed. “Oh, you beautiful thing,” he muttered, staring at it for a few more seconds before letting it dangle around his neck again, looking up to take in his surroundings. He hadn’t even realized that he’d stopped inside an actual building, the open door behind him. It was nothing special, and pretty much the same as everything else around here, dark and rotting, slivers of light filtering through the doorway and one broken window. He got to his feet, noticing that Mackenzie stayed put on the floor, still shivering, a couple shallow coughs shaking her small frame. “You okay, kid?”
“Jensen.” A voice suddenly sounded from behind him, and he spun around, standing in front of Mackenzie and tensing, preparing for a fight. “Jensen Ackles. It’s been a long time.” He took in the tall frame of the man before him, the dark, curly hair and dimpled smile.
“Jason,” he said simply, beginning to feel nervous as he saw a gang of men step into the light behind Jason.
“You all know this guy, right?” Jason asked his gang, not taking his eyes off of Jensen and slowly stepping closer. “I mean, who doesn’t? He’s famous. He beat me out for Kane’s partnership.” He stopped just a few feet away from Jensen, crossing his arms over his chest and staring, the smile never leaving his face, even though his tone was slightly threatening. “You’re a rival, Jensen. You usually don’t step foot in these parts. And it looks like you’re actually caught off guard.” He leaned over, peering around Jensen, and Jensen reached back, pushing Mackenzie further behind him, taking note of how warm her skin seemed beneath his touch. “And with a little girl, huh? I didn’t know you had four in your brood.”
“She’s…” He kept himself from saying “She’s not mine,” though he wasn’t sure why. “She’s a little girl I rescued from Kane. Kane’s trying to get her back now, and I’m just trying to get her to safety. That’s all. I’m sorry if I stepped onto your turf. I didn’t mean to.”
“You’re apologizing?” Jason asked, genuinely confused. “You must be losing your touch.” Jensen bristled, but Jason continued, switching to another topic. “So, you’re really running from Kane, huh? I heard you set up a rival business. Some people I know checked it out. I wasn’t sure if I should really believe it, or if it was just for show. Are you really against him now?”
“Oh, with every damn fiber of my being,” Jensen growled, fists clenching. “That man has to be stopped.”
“Well…” Jason looked back at his men and held a hand up, and the gang turned away, walking back into the darkness and, Jensen assumed, into other rooms, “That’s something we can agree on. I always wondered why you took up with him in the first place. I mean, sure, I was competing to get his attention, too, but you? You always seemed too good for him.”
“Apparently, I’m not,” Jensen begrudgingly admitted, beginning to relax. “And that was a long time ago. I think I’ve seen the error of my ways.”
“Good,” Jason said, nodding appreciatively. “Not many people who end up in his company do. But I guess that’s why everyone in town respects you so much. They all want Kane gone. And so do we. Is he still after you?”
“Yeah,” Jensen said, laughing bitterly and nodding. “Yeah, that seems to be his hobby nowadays. Plus, he’s hell-bent on getting Mackenzie back and locking her away in his basement again.” Jason moved around him to get to Mackenzie and Jensen let him, the threat gone.
“He should know better than to treat a little girl like that,” Jason murmured, placing a hand on her forehead. “She feels warm.”
“I know,” Jensen said, worry creasing his brow when Mackenzie just closed her eyes, not doing much to respond.
“Where were you planning on taking her?” Jason asked, turning back to him.
“I was planning on taking her back to my place,” he said. “But now I think I’d better just get her to the nearest safe place I can find. I’ll probably take her to Danneel’s.”
“Okay.” Jason stood for a moment, thinking. “I know where it is. I’ll round the guys up. We’ll take you there; make sure you get there safely. Hopefully, Kane won’t get his hands on her again.”
“Thank you,” Jensen said in a rush of gratitude, the offer completely unexpected. “Thanks. We could use all the help we can get.”
Part 4