Jensen/Jared - The Past Never Stays There - chapter 10/14
Title : The Past Never Stays There - Chapter 10/14
Author : angels3 aka Angela
Beta : munimula - who is the best beta ever and any mistakes left are so mine, and there will probably be a plenty as I had to rework some things after she sent it back to me. I hope I got all the mistakes as I had to do this twice. Don't ask you don't want to know
Word Count : 9119
Pairing : Jensen/Jared
Supporting Characters : Eric, Kim, Sera, Mike, Tom, Chris, Steve, Chad, Kylan (who is a figmant of my imagination
Disclaimers : They don't belong to me because if they did.............................
Warnings : Some graphic images of restraints that may lead to nasty conclusions in your head. Rated R to NC17
Donna and Alan Ackles had moved heaven and hell to catch every flight they could to get them to Vancouver as quickly as possible. They hoped that by the time the taxi pulled up in front of Jared's house, they'd be able to wrap their arms around their son and the nightmare would be over. When an exhausted looking Chad opened the door with a finger to his lips and a gesture behind him that showed the devastation that was Jared, they knew it wasn't to be. Jared was still in the recliner, curled into a ball, his arms wrapped around Jensen's pillow, face buried so deep it was a wonder he hadn't suffocated.
"He fell asleep less than an hour ago. He's been running on nothing but adrenaline and anger for hours now," Chad whispered.
Donna nodded her head in understanding, the mother in her needing to comfort at least one child even if it was not her own. She carefully brushed Jared's bangs out of his face, the splotchy red, brilliant against his pale drawn features, broke her heart. She leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on his forehead before following her husband and Chad into the kitchen.
"Has there been any word?" Alan asked, southern manners stretched too thin.
"No, but we think we have some ideas. We're going to go check them out tomorrow, well today actually," Chad grimaced as he looked out the window. The sky had slowly started to lighten.
"What are the police saying?" Donna asked, moving around the kitchen and quietly pulling down things to make coffee.
"They've closed off all the roads, checked all the motels and the like, but nothing so far," Chad said grimly hating that he was the one having to relay the bad news but refusing to wake Jared and make him do it.
"So what is it you're going to check and who all is going?" Alan asked.
"Well, there are some fishing cabins up around several of the lakes that we want to check out. It's quiet up there, not real busy this time of year, and since you're here now, I guess it will be all of us, Jared, Mike, Tom and me. Chris is still at the hospital with Steve," Chad explained, running his hand through his hair.
"Why's Steve still at the hospital?" Donna asked, sitting down abruptly.
"Um...... Jared didn't tell you did he?"
"Apparently not. I'm sure he didn't want to worry us anymore than we already were," Alan reasoned. "Go ahead and tell us son."
Chad really did not want to do this. He was well aware that when given talents and virtues, tact had not been one of them.
"Well, when the asshole, sorry Mrs. Ackles, tasered Steve, it caused his heart to beat out of time until it sort of stopped, and they had to use the paddles to get it going again. So the doctors wanted to keep an eye on him just to make sure things were still going fine and Chris hasn't left his side," Chad finished in a rush, praying they didn't ask for details.
Jensen's parents seemed to be a little shell shocked, but before they were able to form a response Chad's phone vibrated on the table, causing them all to jump. Chad grabbed the phone to keep it from waking Jared, although he was pretty sure Jared wouldn't wake up for an earthquake right then. Mike's name was flashing on the display.
"Hey, what's up?" Chad asked quietly.
"Nothing, just letting you know we're going to be heading your way in another hour. Tom wants to be up at the lake by the time the sun starts hitting the sky," Mike explained.
"Yeah, go ahead and pack your stuff too."
"I thought I was staying at the house?" Mike asked confused.
"Jen's parents got here earlier than expected so we can split up now, cover more ground," Chad explained.
"Oh, that's good. How are they doing?"
"As well as can be expected, man. Give me a fifteen minute call ahead, and I'll wake Jared up. He's finally crashed and I want him to sleep as long as he can."
"Sure, no problem. Did you give him something?"
"No, it just all finally caught up with him, I think. We were sitting here talking and the next thing I know there wasn't a peep coming from him. I looked over, and he was out."
"Okay, well, let me get some shit together then, and I'll see you in a few."
Jensen's parents spent a few more minutes talking with Chad before he convinced them to try to get some rest. He showed them to the guest bedroom, assuring them he wasn't being kicked out. They only accepted when he explained he'd actually been staying with Mike. Chad promised to wake one of them before they left to go on their search. That way, someone would be up in case the phone rang.
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Jensen's sleep had been plagued by fractured nightmares of a young woman tied to a bed, eyes cloudy in death, the image quickly shifting to Jared's lifeless body laying there, making him gasp and jerk awake. He tried staying awake, knowing more nightmares would come, but his body rebelled, lulling him back under into the dark images that he refused to give power during his waking hours. This time, he was running through the woods, his heart beating frantically, gasping for air as he hurtled past trees vines tripping him and thorns digging into his flesh. All the while, he could hear the breath of another person in his ear, the sound of pursuit closing in and the chilling laughter of his name being called over and over into the darkness.
He jerked awake, gasping for air, his lungs burning and his eyelids feeling like they were on fire. His mom had said they were his early warning sign of fever. It was past time to take some medicine, so he dug through the bag, pulling it free. There were only a couple more antibiotic capsules and a half a bottle of cough syrup. Jensen shrugged, knowing there was nothing he could do at the moment but get out and hope he survived Dr. Patterson's wrath for messing up all his hard work.
Jensen unwrapped his hands and fingers, testing each one. He could feel them all and wiggle them, even if they were a little stiff. He went to work on the laces of his boots next. It took longer than usual with his fingers being uncooperative, but he finally got them loose and the boots off. His toes were still a little cold, but he could feel them. Sometime during one of his waking periods, he'd thought to put his feet on the rocks ringing the fire which had soaked up the heat and acted as a heating device.
The fire had gone out over night as expected, but the little space had managed to retain some of the heat, so while he was cold, it wasn't uncomfortable. From the way the wind was howling outside, he wasn't optimistic about his journey staying that way today. He pulled his boots back on and rewrapped his hands, making sure as much skin as possible was covered. Jensen thought about the direction he'd been heading yesterday as he repacked his bag and situated the knife back on his leg. He hadn't run across Kylan and the woods seemed to be thinning, the foliage getting less dense which usually meant signs of civilization. Of course, it was winter so that wasn't much of an indication, but he was hopeful.
Jensen poked the embers with a stick, making sure that it was completely out and that there were no hot spots that might re ignite, not that he thought it would do much damage. He was pretty sure the crevice acted as a natural barrier and any fire would go out from lack of oxygen before it could escape and catch the forest on fire. When he was sure he had everything packed back up and ready to go, he crawled out of his hiding spot, careful to make sure that no one was lurking about first.
The wind hadn't been so bad when he was on all fours crawling out of his shelter but when he stood up it was like someone was driving icicles through his body. His ears were so numb he wasn't sure they were still attached to his body and his nose, he'd long since given up trying to keep it from running, and that was just so disgusting, he didn't even want to think about it. Jensen's only thoughts were to keep putting one foot in front of the other, and listen for any signs that Kylan was catching up to him.
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Kylan had taken one of the back roads that eventually branched off into a worn and rutted dirt path, but it brought him even with the back of the shack. He was almost giddy at the different scenarios playing out in his head. He'd found it difficult to concentrate on driving, especially with his dick throbbing in his pants. He parked the rental, wanting nothing more than to hurry inside and start reenacting the scenarios he'd been constructing for years. He knew that wasn't how he wanted things to go, though. He needed to be in control, and he couldn't do that when his dick felt like it was going to explode.
He left the car running and shifted his seat back. Once he took himself in hand, it only took a few strokes, and he was spilling across his fist. Kylan took a few minutes to get his breathing under control and clean himself up before he turned the car off and climbed out. He grabbed his purchases out of the trunk and quickly made his way to the door, excitement at finally having Jensen exactly where he wanted him after all this time spurring him forward.
Kylan pushed the door open with enough force that it hit the wall, not trying to be quiet. He wanted Jensen to know he was back. He dropped the bags to the side of the door and moved towards the lamp on the small wooden table he'd shoved in the corner. There was something not right about the quality of silence that invaded his ears. The shack was so dark he could just barely make out the bed. He quickly lit the lamp, spinning around so the light fell across empty space that should have his prize still stretched across it.
He set the lamp down, reaching into his bag, and grabbed the large spotlight he'd brought with him, moving to the bed to see if Jensen was hiding. Kylan knew it was a ridiculous, there was no real spots to hide except maybe the bathroom, but he had to look just to convince himself that Jensen had actually escaped. By the time he'd searched the small shack, he was enraged and, at the same time, a small part of him thrilled at the fight his Jenny was putting up. He knew he'd chosen the perfect one and this had proven it beyond a shadow of a doubt.
Kylan spent a couple of hours searching the woods closest to the shack. He knew when he'd touched the bed that Jensen had been gone a long time, but he had to look on the off chance he hadn't been able to make it far. When he finally went back inside, he looked over the entire place and noticed where things had been disturbed. He could tell where a pair of shoes of some sort had been sitting under the sink, the prints left behind clear in the dust surrounding the spot. He could only assume there had been some kind of clothing as well since the blanket and sheets were still in the there.
The smell of vomit was strong, but he decided he'd leave that there. Once he retrieved his prize, he'd see about getting it cleaned up. Right now, though, he was going to think about the mistakes he'd made and how he'd make sure those weren't repeated. He should have paid more attention to what Jenny had been working on lately, picking handcuffs hadn't been a talent he'd attributed to the shy, quiet man he'd worked so hard to have alone and it had cost him precious time.
He smiled to himself, his blood starting to heat and pool in his groin. The punishment for an accident was nothing compared to what he could inflict for this behavior. Jensen wouldn't make it out in the woods for very long. He'd come back, and when he did, Kylan sighed, popping the button on his jeans and sliding the zipper down, he'd make sure his Jenny understood he was never to disobey again.
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Steve had tried every time his eyes would stay open more than five minutes to get Chris to go back to Jared's. It wasn't that he didn't want Chris there, holding him and helping to keep the nightmares at bay, but he knew his boyfriend was worrying himself to death. Chris didn't do well with waiting, patience was not one of his virtues, and for him to willingly be plastered to his side, Steve wasn't even sure what that meant.
"Chris, all I'm doing is sleeping. Why don't you go back to Jared's and get some sleep in a real bed? Then you can go help them look for Jensen," Steve tried again.
"I'm not leaving. I don't sleep worth a shit when your not there, and I'm not leaving you here alone," Chris growled.
"I'm not alone, there are nurses running in and out all the time, plus there's a cop right outside the door."
"Is there a particular reason you're trying to get rid of me?"
"I'm *not* trying to get rid of you!" Steve denied, pulling Chris' face around so he would look him in the eye.
He was perplexed by Chris' stubborn refusal to budge from the hospital room. He could usually read his boyfriend pretty damn well, but the emotions rolling off his body and shadowing his eyes were so muddled, he couldn't decipher them.
"Chris please just tell me what's wrong. I know I can usually figure it out without you having to tell me but the drugs must be messing with my decoding skills."
Steve wasn't above begging at this point. All he wanted to do was fix it, but without knowing what the hell 'it' was he was going nowhere fast.
Chris took a deep breath and looked down at the bed. He'd been struggling with the overload of emotions since Steve wouldn't answer his phone. He knew most of what he was feeling was normal but there was this one flash of selfish feeling that he couldn't seem to deal with, and he wasn't sure he could tell Steve.
Steve watched Chris wage an internal struggle. He couldn't figure out what could be so bad that Chris was having such a hard time talking about it. He did know that if it ever made it out of his mouth, though, he'd need to be very careful about what he said.
Chris took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. He hated talking about shit, but he wasn't finding a resolution to how he was feeling any other way, so he might as well try telling Steve and hoping he didn't hate him.
"When I found you on the floor I couldn't breath. I thought you were dead, hell, you were dead. " Chris' voice broke and Steve reached out and grabbed his hands.
"Then the ambulance came, and they worked on you the entire way in, all I could do was sit and talk to you and pray. The minute we stopped, they rushed you through the doors and all I could think was that might be the last time I saw you alive....." Chris trailed off again.
"Chris, whatever it is, just tell me," Steve begged, squeezing his hands.
"I was scared to death, and sick to my stomach, which I get. Then the next second I'm so mad at you, I just want to rip the place apart," Chris whispered.
Steve was a little shocked that Chris actually admitted to something he'd consider a betrayal but he wasn't shocked that Chris had felt that way. As a matter of fact, he'd have been surprised if he hadn't. Now, if he could just get him to talk about why and not have Chris shut down on him then things would start to get better.
"Why were you mad?" Steve asked softly.
Chris snorted and gave him a dubious look, "You were hurt."
"Yes, but that's not all is it? If that was the only reason you were mad, it wouldn't be bothering you so much."
"Why couldn't you just be one of those dumb pretty ones?" Chris moaned.
"Because you would have been bored with me after the first fuck, now answer the question," Steve responded smiling. He refused to let them get sidetracked this close to discovering Chris' problem.
"I was mad at you for getting hurt, not because you did something stupid," Chris clarified when Steve looked down guilt clearly written on his face. "I mean, because you got hurt and left me, only if for a little while. You can't leave me. You don't ever have permission to leave me. I was mad because you didn't hold on, and you left me here alone, and then I felt so damn shitty because I was mad at you and it wasn't even your fault, and I still have no idea how to make myself forget how it felt not having you." Chris stopped suddenly at a loss of words.
Steve was actually amazed Chris had spilled everything in one go. It was a measure of just how guilty he must be feeling that Steve hadn't had to pull it out of him with twenty questions.
"You know, I'd have been pretty damn mad if you left me too," Steve offered conversationally.
Chris' head popped up in disbelief.
"No, I'm serious. If you'd have left me here to live the rest of my life alone, I'd have been pretty fucking pissed off too. The guilt's just a normal response for blaming someone for something they have no control over, although I can't agree with you on that one." Steve grimaced.
"How many shipments had you signed for already?"
Steve shrugged, "I don't know about ten."
"Which door did they go to?"
"Some of them went to the side, some went to the front."
"Then how in the hell were you supposed to know that the bastard was going to be pulling a deliveryman stunt?"
"I should have been more careful," Steve argued.
"Oh wait, I think I remember someone telling me not so very long ago that guilt is a normal response for blaming someone for something they have no control over, or in your case, blaming yourself for something you had no control over. Or was that a lie to make me feel better?" Chris asked.
"You know I really hate it when you do that," Steve complained.
"Yeah well, I hate it when you scare the shit out of me, so we're even," Chris said, pushing Steve back and sliding up the bed to lay down beside him.
Steve turned his head, so he could look at his boyfriend, "You're worried I won't be here when you get back if you leave, aren't you?"
"The thought has crossed my mind," Chris confirmed.
"I'm not going anywhere," Steve said softly.
"Well then, you won't mind me sticking around to make sure," he whispered before leaning over and placing a soft kiss on Steve's lips.
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Mike called thirty minutes ahead, giving Chad enough time to get a pot of coffee brewed and both his and Jared's packs taken care of. He'd dug through the equipment in the garage and found one of Jared's old packs. He knew it was absolutely stupid, but he couldn't bring himself to use Jensen's. Once he'd gotten everything that needed to be done accomplished, he made his way into the living room and over to the recliner. His friend was still curled around Jensen's pillow, and it made Chad's chest ache to look at him.
"Hey, Jay, you need to wake up," Chad said nudging Jared's arm.
Jared curled in even tighter around the pillow and buried his face in it.
"Jared, come on. Mike and Tom will be here in just a few minutes," Chad tried again.
Jared's eyes slowly blinked open and his brows knit together as he tried to focus his blurry eyes on Chad. Chad saw the moment everything came rushing back and Jared realized he hadn't been dreaming the events of yesterday. He really hoped he got the opportunity to get his hands on Kylan because no one should be able to put that look on his friend’s face.
"I'm up," Jared mumbled. "How long before they get here?"
"Mike called about fifteen minutes ago so about another fifteen. Why don't you go splash some water on your face, wake up some? I've already got our packs ready and there's coffee in the pot."
Jared struggled to his feet and started making his way down out of the living room, but he swung back around, confused at Chad's next statement.
"Oh! I forgot Jensen's parents are in the guest bedroom," Chad informed him.
"When did they get here? Did you go pick them up? I never even heard the phone ring."
"That's because it didn't. They took a cab here, and they got here a couple of hours ago."
"Why didn't you wake me up?"
Chad looked at him like he was insane.
"I'm serious Chad. Why didn't you wake me up? Jen's parents must think I'm a total ass."
"Why in the hell would they think that?"
"I'm laying there asleep while Jensen is out there, God knows where," Jared's voice had gone a few octaves higher.
"Jared, they think you're a man that hasn't had any sleep in over a day, who watched a friend die and come back. They think you're the man that loves their son and finally passed out when his body couldn't take any more and it shut down on him," Chad shot back.
Jared shook his head in disgust. Chad understood why he was so upset and even why he was so frustrated, but it didn't mean he was going to sit there and listen to Jared beat himself up over something he had no reason to.
"Look, the guys are going to be here any minute. Why don't you get dressed and then wake up Mr. Ackles? They wanted us to wake one of them up when we got ready to leave," Chad suggested, running his hand through his hair.
"Yeah," Jared mumbled. He wasn't really running on all cylinders at the moment and Chad looked like road kill.
He turned to head to the bedroom, but swung around calling Chad's name.
"Yeah?" Chad asked.
"Thanks," Jared said quietly.
"You know you don't have to thank me Jay."
"Maybe not, but I want to. I know I'm being an ass."
"Well, I figure ten more years of that, and we might be even. Now get your ass ready, I don't feel like hearing Mike bitching," Chad said, heading back towards the kitchen.
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Jared tapped lightly on the guest room door before quietly opening it and sticking his head in. Jensen's mom was curled up under the blankets sleeping, but even he could tell it was fitful at best. Alan was propped up with his back against the headboard, a laptop balanced on his knees. He motioned for Jared to give him a minute while he set everything aside and gently slid out of the bed, trying not to wake Donna. Jared smiled when she rolled into the warm spot and hugged the pillow, a move Jensen did every time Jared left the bed.
Alan looked back to see what Jared was smiling at. "Jensen is very much like his mother," he said, closing the door as the moved into the hallway.
"I'm sure he's a lot like both of you," Jared answered, swallowing thickly.
He hated to think what it must feel like for Jensen's parents to not know where their child was, not once, but twice. Jared honestly had no idea how they were even functioning. He hadn't been able to keep it together when Harley had run off when they'd been in the park, and it'd taken three hours to find him. He couldn't even imagine what it would feel like if it was his child, it was Jensen, and that was torture enough.
"Are ya'll getting ready to leave?" Alan asked.
"Soon, the guys are on their way over here right now. What were you looking at online?" Jared asked. His curiosity getting the better of him, since nothing he'd tried had been able to keep his mind off of the situation.
"Oh, well Donna was wandering if anything had leaked yet. I promised her I would check, but nothing seems to have made it past Kripke and the detective you've been working with," Alan assured when Jared paled.
"Good, Jensen will have a fit if they find out."
"He's never really liked to talk about his personal life, not even when he was young. I think it came from when he was trying to find out who he was and being scared to tell anyone," Alan stated sadly.
"We've never really talked about it in detail, not that at least," Jared said thoughtfully.
"No, and if he has his way, you probably won't. He's always internalized, definitely something he got from me, unfortunately not a good thing to pass on. Have you talked about what you're going to do about your relationship?"
Jared was a little nervous. They were crossing into dangerous territory, and to be honest, he had no idea how to answer. This was the first time he'd seen the Ackles since he and Jensen had gotten together and he had no idea what they thought of it. "We're not hiding it, but we're not going to run out and hold a press conference either. Half the fans think we're in a relationship as it is and the other half think I can't hold a conversation without being a goof, which I guess is fair because, most of the time, I don't, so when it comes out, I don't think it will be that big of a shock."
"Good, you don't need to start a relationship living a lie. It's stressful enough keeping one healthy without trying to hide it as well. I realize this isn't the best time for this talk but once Jensen is home, I don't know that we'll have the time for it, so I wanted to get it in there while I could."
Jared couldn't even hide the relief that Alan saying ‘when Jensen came home’ instead of ‘if Jensen came home’ filled him with. He was a grown man and these weren't his parents, but he'd needed someone to tell him it was going to be okay, that Jensen was going to be okay, and be back with them, with him.
"Go ahead and get ready. I'm going to get some things, and then I'll get set up in the living room. That way, Donna might get a little bit of sleep," Alan said, squeezing Jared's shoulder and disappearing through the door.
Mike and Tom showed up a few minutes later, bringing breakfast with them. Alan sat at the table with them as they ate and listened as they went over their plans for the day again. Once breakfast was finished, Tom started another pot of coffee, so they could fill their thermoses, and Mike loaded the rest of their supplies while Chad and Jared finished getting ready.
Alan promised to keep them updated if he got any calls and Jared promised to do the same if they found anything. He gave Alan Detective Patterson's numbers in case he needed them.
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It only took them an hour to get to the first cluster of cabins once they got on the road. Tom and Mike had discussed what they thought would be the better pairing to split up into, finally deciding to send Jared with Mike, and Tom kept Chad with him.
The two groups set off in opposite directions with an agreement to use the walkie talkies they all carried only if they found Jensen or Kylan, not that were looking for Kylan, but odds were they'd be crossing paths.
"So exactly why did Mike pull Jared duty?" Chad asked as soon as they were out of hearing range.
Tom shrugged. "We just thought if someone had to be the bad guy, it shouldn't have to be his best friend. You need to be his support system."
"I don't know that I could have been the bad guy anyway. Honestly, if I get the chance, I don't know if I won't react the same way," Chad stated grimly.
"Yeah, I know what you mean," Tom agreed quietly.
Mike and Jared stopped at every cabin marked on their half of the map. They checked to make sure the empty ones were actually vacant and the ones that were occupied didn't have Kylan in them. They made up whatever stories fit their need at the time to keep the occupant from feeling threatened. Jared was sure Jensen would get a kick out of the Sam/Dean irony of the situation. Two hours later, they met Chad and Tom back at the SUV, both of them having come up empty. They piled back into the vehicle and headed toward the next stop.
Tom had told Chad on the way back to meeting place that he was more optimistic about the next cluster of cabins since this was where the fishing shacks he'd been told about were located. He was fairly positive that if Kylan had taken Jensen anywhere out here, it would be to one of them, but he wasn't willing to run the risk of missing something by not checking the other places out on the way to this one.
Thirty minutes later, Tom dropped Jared and Mike off at the beginning of the trail along the west side of the lake at a small snowmobile rental agency. All the cabins faced the lake on the east and west side with the fishing shacks being pushed all the way to the back and at the foot of a large cliff face. It was roughly thirty miles if you walked it, which was why there was a rental shop at the road, and why Jared and Mike were getting to drive the open torpedo's as Jensen called them.
"You do realize that Jensen is going to kill you for setting those two loose on those things, don't you?" Chad asked.
"Maybe he won't find out," Tom gave voice to wishful thinking.
Chad snorted. "Since when has Jared ever been able to keep his mouth shut?"
"Promise me Mike does not get to speak at my funeral. Better yet, don't even give me one. Donate my body to science," Tom moaned.
They crawled out of the truck about three miles from the first shack. They'd decided to stop far enough back that they couldn't be seen and that, hopefully, their arrival wouldn't be heard. They trekked the rest of the way in silence, not wanting to forewarn anyone of their presence. Chad turned the walkie talkie down to the lowest setting in case they got feedback from someone else, he kept it just high enough to hear if Jared or Mike needed help.
The first shack was empty, and it looked like no one had been there in years. The next cabin was a mile up the trial, and as they closed the distance, they could tell this one just might be the one they'd been looking for. There was a truck parked close to the side of the house, a feat that Tom would love to know how the owner had accomplished, and there was smoke curling up from the chimney.
"You think this one is it," Chad asked softly.
"It's the best one we've had so far. I mean it's too damn cold to be fishing and this place ain't the Ritz," Tom answered.
"How do you want to do this? You want to both go to the door, or you want me to go around the back?" Chad asked.
"This one gives me the creeps," Tom said as he pulled Chad to the side so they were shadowed by the trees. "I'll go to the door you go around the back. The last one didn't have a back door but this one might.
"If he's in there. What are you going to do?" Chad questioned, his eyes never leaving the shack.
"Whatever it takes."
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Kylan woke with a start, the sun from the small window streaming across his face. He'd spent the rest of the night setting up the room so that when he'd found Jensen, he could begin the fine art of pain and punishment.
"Shit!" he exclaimed, jumping to his feet.
His plan had been to stay awake and start searching as soon as it was light enough to see where to put his feet, but the nights spent staking out the house Jensen was staying in had left him exhausted, and when he'd sat down to rest for a few minutes, he'd obviously fallen asleep.
Kylan pulled on his boots, grabbed the taser and the knife, slipping it into its sheath. He shrugged into his coat and slid the taser into the pocket before pulling on his gloves. He'd just made it to the door when he caught the faint sound of footsteps on the porch.
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Jensen was positive he was heading in the right direction. He was even sure he'd heard at least one, maybe more, snowmobiles in the distance, but the problem was, it had started snowing again, and he didn't know if he'd make it to help before his body gave out. He'd welcomed the burning pain every muscle in his body seemed to shout, the searing burn that shot through his chest every time he breathed and the cough that had been getting steadily worse over the course of the morning, but now all he felt was numb. He knew he was putting one foot in front of the other because he was still moving forward, but he couldn't feel it, he couldn't really feel anything but exhaustion.
He'd stumbled and fallen so many times that the clothes he was wearing were soaked through before it had started snowing and there were several more holes in them than there had been when he started. Of course, the same could be said for his hands and knees if he thought about it, but the only thing he could really focus on was moving because that was the only way he was going to get back to Jared. He had to know that Jared and the rest of his friends were all right.
Jensen glanced up to try and pinpoint where the last place he'd heard the buzzing sounds coming from and missed seeing the root his foot got caught on, pitching him forward. His body hit the ground hard, forcing the air out of his lungs. He thought his head was swimming from the impact but, in fact, he was sliding down an incline. He was so tired that every attempt he made at catching something to slow his descent was seconds off and he'd already passed the object before his hands obeyed his command to grab for it.
When he finally came to a stop, he couldn't find the energy to look and see where he'd ended up. He must have hit his head at some point, though, because no matter what he did, the buzzing in his head intensified. He knew if he didn't get up, he'd freeze to death, but no matter how much he screamed inside his head to move, his body wouldn't obey. Everything started to blur around the edges and slowly started to fade. Even the buzzing sounded like it was coming from under miles of water.
"I'm sorry Jared," he whispered through cracked bleeding lips.
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Tom had just made it to the porch when the door was thrown open.
"I knew you'd come back, Jenny."
Tom didn't even have time to think. His fist flashed forward, knocking the man backwards as it connected with his cheek. Kylan face showed surprise that not only was it not Jensen but that someone else had found his hideout. However, it only took a second for him to straighten and pull back his arm, preparing to throw his own punch. Unfortunately for him, Tom hadn't wasted time, and the second punch connected with solid force. The sound of bones breaking could just barely be heard over the cursing.
Kylan stumbled backwards, holding one hand covering his face, and the other groping for a wall to support himself. Tom didn't much care for the fact that he wasn't unconscious, a problem he took care of with a right to Kylan's jaw. The man dropped to the floor, blood pooling around his face from his nose. He was on his side so Tom wasn't too worried about him choking to death on his own blood, not that he really gave a shit but he wasn't interested in going to jail for it either.
Chad came sliding to a stop in the doorway, mouth falling open at the sight of Kylan on the floor.
"Man, what the fuck happened?"
"Shit if I know, he opened the door, and I hit him. Didn't seem prudent to give him time to do any talking," Tom answered nonchalantly.
"Is Jensen in there?" Chad asked, trying to see around Tom.
"I don't think so, the bastard said something about him coming back when he threw the door open. I think Jensen got away from him."
"Well, good for him!" Chad exclaimed.
"Not really, now we have no idea where he is or what shape he's in, and it just started snowing again." Tom growled at the sky.
They both looked out at the woods, shuddering at the possibilities of Jensen being lost in them.
"I'm going to go check out his truck, see if I can find something to tie him up with," Tom advised grimly.
"Okay, I'll watch this piece of trash until you get back. Hey, don't touch the truck with your hands. You don't want to mess up any evidence," Chad hollered so Tom could hear him.
Chad shut the door to the shack and looked down at Kylan's unconscious body. The man's nose looked like it might stop bleeding soon, and it had already started to swell. He might have accidentally kicked him as he moved further into the room to double check that Jensen was indeed not there.
The smell hit him first. Someone had been sick because the unmistakable smell of vomit clung to everything. Chad could see the bathroom from where he was standing and there was nothing in there to indicate that was where it originated. He did see some items hanging on the wall, but without proper light, he couldn't make out what it was, and he wasn't about to leave Kylan unattended. His eyes tracked to the fireplace and the embers that were just barely glowing. They'd need to bring in some wood if they were going to be here much longer. It was going to get cold quick with the snow starting.
Chad heard a low moan, and when he glanced over, Kylan's eyelashes were fluttering. He stalked back to where the man was lying and watched as he twitched a little, still not back in the land of the living yet. Chad leaned down and relieved him of the knife he could see strapped to his belt and then went through both pockets of his coat, not even trying to be gentle. He grabbed the taser and flung it across the floor, well out of reach just in case he lost the battle and gave into the desire to use it on Kylan.
He stood back up and waited until Kylan's eyes opened and the man was looking up at him, groggy and disoriented.
"Where's Jensen at?" Chad growled.
Kylan just looked up at him as a smirk spreading across his face.
Chad pulled back his booted foot and drove it into Kylan's side, a smile playing across his lips at the gasp of pain it caused.
"Where's Jensen?" he asked again.
"I got tired of playing with him," Kylan wheezed.
Chad knew the man was lying but it didn't stop him from delivering another solid kick to the same spot.
"I'm not going to ask you again. Next time, I'll just keep kicking you until you tell me or your ribs break and puncture your lung. I hear it's a pretty painful way to die."
"Fuck you!" Kylan spat out between gasps for air.
"No, fuck you," Chad said, calmly kicking three more times.
He watched as the man curled in on himself, trying to protect his body from the next blow. Chad moved a little further into the room so he could see what, if anything, had happened in there. The sight that met him made him want to heave, but he didn't have the luxury of relaxing his guard. He forced his eyes to the bed, seeing the cuffs, ropes, and the blanket on the floor. He wasn't sure why, but he was positive he didn't want to take a closer look at it, although he knew he had to.
He pulled his attention back to Kylan, moving closer until he could see his face.
"Where's Jensen?"
Kylan looked at him and grinned a sadistic smirk that Chad was going to have fun whipping off his face.
When he pulled back and landed the next three kicks, he made sure they were aimed much lower.
"Shit Chad! What the hell's going on?" Tom asked sharply when he walked back inside with several lengths of rope and another set of handcuffs.
"Oh well, Kylan here woke up and decided he didn't feel like telling us where Jensen was. I was just trying to change his mind," Chad said, grinning down at the man crying in front of him.
"Did he tell you?"
"Nope, but that's because he doesn't know. Isn't that right fucktard," Chad said, nudging Kylan with his foot.
Kylan did nothing more than cry and moan. Tom took that as his cue to start tying on the restraints.
Chad had to yank the man's hands away from his crotch in order to cuff them behind his back so what if his knee might have accidentally slipped and hit him where it was a little bit sore now. Tom just shook his head and kept working on his feet. They used rope on Kylan's wrists as well. Not trusting that he didn't have tricks up his sleeve to get out of cuffs, Chad suggested they attach the rope from his hands to his feet to make it even harder in case he tried to do a Houdini.
Chad helped Tom lift Kylan onto his shoulder and waited while he was dumped in the trunk. The temperature had dropped at least another ten degrees and Tom wrapped two sleeping bags around Kylan to make sure he didn't freeze, although he really wanted to smother the bastard with them instead. Chad decided to investigate while Tom was taking out the trash and contacting the detective which meant he probably would have to walk a good three miles to do it. Tom said he'd contact Mike and Jared too, which was why putting Kylan in the trunk was a much better idea than leaving him where Jared was sure to get his hands on him.
He went straight to the bed, praying he'd be able to put his mind at rest. The cuffs were still hanging off the head boards, and he could see where there were small pieces of wire running along the frame to the top and bottom. Chad followed the wires until they lead him to the other side of the bed where a small controller set wired to a battery. He swallowed thickly at the implications. He knew exactly what it was supposed to be used for, but from the looks of the bed, that hadn't happened.
He'd seen enough and read enough to know that bodies under duress, especially from that type, tended to lose control of bowels and that hadn't happened. Chad moved closer and he could see a piece of wire pulled loose. He figured it must have been how Jensen was able to pick the locks and get his hands free before moving on to the ropes at the foot board. He moved back around the bed, trying to decide what had happened next. His eyes landing on the blanket, he nudged it with his foot and saw the small puddle of vomit, most of it having been soaked up by the blanket.
Chad's breath stuttered to a halt when he saw the unmistakable stains. He glanced up when Tom walked back in his face must have telegraphed his distress.
"Is that what I think it is?" Tom asked, slowly making his way towards the bed.
"Yeah," Chad whispered hoarsely.
"Fuck!" Tom exclaimed, running his hands through his hair. He glanced at the bed, his brow furrowing at the wires he saw. " What the hell were those for?"
"Electric shock therapy. It's connected to a battery and a controller on the other side," Chad answered gruffly. "Jensen used the wires to pick the cuffs, then got his feet loose."
"Not soon enough."
"Maybe not, but it could have been worse," Chad motioned at the rest of the setup.
Tom paled as he looked at the chair he'd been avoiding since he'd walked into the room. It had been moved to the back of the cabin and bolted to the floor. There were leather straps attached to the arms and legs as well as straps that would go around the chest and thighs to hold a person in place. The ceiling had an extra piece of wood that had been added to it, coming off of the support beam. Kylan had drilled holes in it and bolted chains that hung down a few feet with shackles at the end. The same had been done on the floor. There was even an extra set of restraints set into the wall with a band that would close around the occupant's throat.
"How do you know he didn't get to use any of this?"
"No blood." Chad said shortly.
"So, what's that got to do with anything?"
"Jensen would have fought. There would be blood on something, the chair or the restraints. There isn't, the bastard never got the chance to use them. I'll bet he got Jensen here and went out to finish getting his toys, which by the way I haven't checked that black bag over there and don't intend to, and Jensen got away while he was gone."
"God, I hope you're right. It's bad enough knowing that happened," Tom gestured vaguely towards the bed.
"Yeah, well, we don't know exactly what happened so let's not jump to conclusions, and yes, I do realize I just said that. Did you get hold of the detective and Jared?"
"Finally, I had to walk all the way to the truck to get a signal. Detective Patterson said he'd be up here in a under thirty minutes, and he's bringing help to look for Jensen. He said something about dogs, and he was calling an ambulance as well."
"What? For that fucker?" Chad jerked his head in the direction of where Kylan lay in the trunk.
"No, for when they find Jensen. I didn't bother to tell him about Kylan's little mishap, and he didn't ask," Tom responded.
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The engine of the snowmobile was whining under the stress of the throttle being opened up and left there. Mike was having a hard time keeping up and he was afraid Jared was going to kill himself getting to where Tom and Chad were. He'd gotten the call from Tom, and before he could even finish the short conversation, Jared was on the snowmobile and headed up the trail. Thankfully, both Chad and Tom were waiting out front when they got there to stop him from barreling inside and destroying everything in sight.
"Jared, you have to calm down. If you tear everything up, they'll have no evidence," Chad reasoned.
"I don't think they need that much evidence, not with the kidnapping and the assault on Steve," Jared argued as he tried to get past them.
"You are not going in there until you calm down, and we can prepare you for what you're going to see," Tom said, yanking on Jared's coat until he spun around to face them.
"Listen to them Jared," Mike said as he walked up to the group. "Jensen's not in there and, honestly, I'd prefer you not go in there at all, but if you need to then stop and listen to them." Mike said, placing a hand on Jared's arm and squeezing.
Jared's shoulders slumped. He leaned against the side of the shack and waited for someone to start talking.
"When we got here, Kylan opened the door thinking I was Jensen coming back. He got a fist to the face for his troubles. Chad never got anything out of him, but we're pretty damn positive he has no clue where Jensen is. Jensen's time as Dean served him well, and he was able to pick the lock on the cuffs." Tom stopped when he got a small smile out of Jared. Unfortunately, he knew it wouldn't be there long.
"There are some things in there that are going to upset you, but you can't touch them. Just know that he didn't get to use them on Jensen. They were set up after he got away, so if you have to go in there, remember that," Chad finished.
Mike had no clue what was in there, but he wasn't looking forward to finding out, especially when he noticed just how pale his friends were. He knew Jared was going to go in, there was no way he couldn't, and Mike knew he would be right there beside him, if only to keep him from messing things up or falling apart. When Jared started to make his way to the door, both Tom and Chad shook their heads. They knew he'd go in even thought they wanted to protect him.
Mike slammed into Jared's back when he came to a complete stop, a choked off noise making its way free before the man could stop it. Mike moved around him and saw the chair and the chains. He tried to pull Jared back out the way they'd come, but Jared was having none of it. He shoved trembling hands into his pockets to keep from ripping the chains from the ceiling and using them to break everything in the room. He moved closer to the bed, noticing the blanket on the floor. The wires immediately caught his eye, and he looked up at Tom.
"What are those for?"
"We think he was going to use electric shock. There's a battery on the other side, but he never got the chance," Chad reassured.
Jared swallowed and went back to tracing the wires with his eyes. "He used the wire to pick the cuffs?"
"Looks that way," Tom agreed.
Jared stepped back and looked down at the floor.
"He got sick, but he hasn't been eating much," he stated sadly.
The sharp intake of breath told Tom and Chad that he'd spotted what they were hoping he'd miss.
"Son of a bitch!" Jared whirled around, heading towards the door.
"What's wrong Jay?" Mike asked confused.
Tom motioned for him to be quiet for a second.
"Jared, we don't know what happened," Chad tried.
"The hell I don't! You don't think I know what that is? Where the fuck is he? I'm going to kill him!" Jared pushed past Chad and out the door heading to the only place Kylan could be.
"What the hell is going on?" Mike asked.
Chad motioned towards the blanket and then bolted after Tom who was already trying to keep Jared from ripping the trunk apart to get to Kylan.
Mike made his way cautiously across the room, his nose wrinkling as the smell got stronger the closer he got. He looked down at the blanket and the realization of what he was seeing was enough to turn his stomach and have him fleeing the room to throw up himself. He'd just made it out the door when a large truck pulled up and the detective climbed out while Jared was still trying to rip the trunk open with his bare hands.
Tom tried to explain to Garrett exactly what had happened and why Jared was in the state he was in but the detective just held up his hand and nodded his head. He walked slowly up to Jared, coming in from the side so he could see who it was.
"Jared, I need you to stop and listen to me for a minute," Garrett said in a calm steady voice.
Jared didn't seem to register anything but the desire to rip Kylan limb from limb.
"Jared!" Garrett's voice cracked across the air, startling them all, and causing Jared to pause in his systematic destruction of the trunk.
"I need you to listen to me. Chad is going to take my truck, and you're going to go to Vancouver General Hospital."
"Why?" Jared asked, his voice hoarse from where he'd been yelling and screaming at Kylan through the trunk.
"Jensen stumbled out of the woods ten miles the other side of the lake. There were some kids up there snowmobiling. They found him. The ambulance is on the way to the hospital right now.
Next Chapter
Author : angels3 aka Angela
Beta : munimula - who is the best beta ever and any mistakes left are so mine, and there will probably be a plenty as I had to rework some things after she sent it back to me. I hope I got all the mistakes as I had to do this twice. Don't ask you don't want to know
Word Count : 9119
Pairing : Jensen/Jared
Supporting Characters : Eric, Kim, Sera, Mike, Tom, Chris, Steve, Chad, Kylan (who is a figmant of my imagination
Disclaimers : They don't belong to me because if they did.............................
Warnings : Some graphic images of restraints that may lead to nasty conclusions in your head. Rated R to NC17
Donna and Alan Ackles had moved heaven and hell to catch every flight they could to get them to Vancouver as quickly as possible. They hoped that by the time the taxi pulled up in front of Jared's house, they'd be able to wrap their arms around their son and the nightmare would be over. When an exhausted looking Chad opened the door with a finger to his lips and a gesture behind him that showed the devastation that was Jared, they knew it wasn't to be. Jared was still in the recliner, curled into a ball, his arms wrapped around Jensen's pillow, face buried so deep it was a wonder he hadn't suffocated.
"He fell asleep less than an hour ago. He's been running on nothing but adrenaline and anger for hours now," Chad whispered.
Donna nodded her head in understanding, the mother in her needing to comfort at least one child even if it was not her own. She carefully brushed Jared's bangs out of his face, the splotchy red, brilliant against his pale drawn features, broke her heart. She leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on his forehead before following her husband and Chad into the kitchen.
"Has there been any word?" Alan asked, southern manners stretched too thin.
"No, but we think we have some ideas. We're going to go check them out tomorrow, well today actually," Chad grimaced as he looked out the window. The sky had slowly started to lighten.
"What are the police saying?" Donna asked, moving around the kitchen and quietly pulling down things to make coffee.
"They've closed off all the roads, checked all the motels and the like, but nothing so far," Chad said grimly hating that he was the one having to relay the bad news but refusing to wake Jared and make him do it.
"So what is it you're going to check and who all is going?" Alan asked.
"Well, there are some fishing cabins up around several of the lakes that we want to check out. It's quiet up there, not real busy this time of year, and since you're here now, I guess it will be all of us, Jared, Mike, Tom and me. Chris is still at the hospital with Steve," Chad explained, running his hand through his hair.
"Why's Steve still at the hospital?" Donna asked, sitting down abruptly.
"Um...... Jared didn't tell you did he?"
"Apparently not. I'm sure he didn't want to worry us anymore than we already were," Alan reasoned. "Go ahead and tell us son."
Chad really did not want to do this. He was well aware that when given talents and virtues, tact had not been one of them.
"Well, when the asshole, sorry Mrs. Ackles, tasered Steve, it caused his heart to beat out of time until it sort of stopped, and they had to use the paddles to get it going again. So the doctors wanted to keep an eye on him just to make sure things were still going fine and Chris hasn't left his side," Chad finished in a rush, praying they didn't ask for details.
Jensen's parents seemed to be a little shell shocked, but before they were able to form a response Chad's phone vibrated on the table, causing them all to jump. Chad grabbed the phone to keep it from waking Jared, although he was pretty sure Jared wouldn't wake up for an earthquake right then. Mike's name was flashing on the display.
"Hey, what's up?" Chad asked quietly.
"Nothing, just letting you know we're going to be heading your way in another hour. Tom wants to be up at the lake by the time the sun starts hitting the sky," Mike explained.
"Yeah, go ahead and pack your stuff too."
"I thought I was staying at the house?" Mike asked confused.
"Jen's parents got here earlier than expected so we can split up now, cover more ground," Chad explained.
"Oh, that's good. How are they doing?"
"As well as can be expected, man. Give me a fifteen minute call ahead, and I'll wake Jared up. He's finally crashed and I want him to sleep as long as he can."
"Sure, no problem. Did you give him something?"
"No, it just all finally caught up with him, I think. We were sitting here talking and the next thing I know there wasn't a peep coming from him. I looked over, and he was out."
"Okay, well, let me get some shit together then, and I'll see you in a few."
Jensen's parents spent a few more minutes talking with Chad before he convinced them to try to get some rest. He showed them to the guest bedroom, assuring them he wasn't being kicked out. They only accepted when he explained he'd actually been staying with Mike. Chad promised to wake one of them before they left to go on their search. That way, someone would be up in case the phone rang.
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Jensen's sleep had been plagued by fractured nightmares of a young woman tied to a bed, eyes cloudy in death, the image quickly shifting to Jared's lifeless body laying there, making him gasp and jerk awake. He tried staying awake, knowing more nightmares would come, but his body rebelled, lulling him back under into the dark images that he refused to give power during his waking hours. This time, he was running through the woods, his heart beating frantically, gasping for air as he hurtled past trees vines tripping him and thorns digging into his flesh. All the while, he could hear the breath of another person in his ear, the sound of pursuit closing in and the chilling laughter of his name being called over and over into the darkness.
He jerked awake, gasping for air, his lungs burning and his eyelids feeling like they were on fire. His mom had said they were his early warning sign of fever. It was past time to take some medicine, so he dug through the bag, pulling it free. There were only a couple more antibiotic capsules and a half a bottle of cough syrup. Jensen shrugged, knowing there was nothing he could do at the moment but get out and hope he survived Dr. Patterson's wrath for messing up all his hard work.
Jensen unwrapped his hands and fingers, testing each one. He could feel them all and wiggle them, even if they were a little stiff. He went to work on the laces of his boots next. It took longer than usual with his fingers being uncooperative, but he finally got them loose and the boots off. His toes were still a little cold, but he could feel them. Sometime during one of his waking periods, he'd thought to put his feet on the rocks ringing the fire which had soaked up the heat and acted as a heating device.
The fire had gone out over night as expected, but the little space had managed to retain some of the heat, so while he was cold, it wasn't uncomfortable. From the way the wind was howling outside, he wasn't optimistic about his journey staying that way today. He pulled his boots back on and rewrapped his hands, making sure as much skin as possible was covered. Jensen thought about the direction he'd been heading yesterday as he repacked his bag and situated the knife back on his leg. He hadn't run across Kylan and the woods seemed to be thinning, the foliage getting less dense which usually meant signs of civilization. Of course, it was winter so that wasn't much of an indication, but he was hopeful.
Jensen poked the embers with a stick, making sure that it was completely out and that there were no hot spots that might re ignite, not that he thought it would do much damage. He was pretty sure the crevice acted as a natural barrier and any fire would go out from lack of oxygen before it could escape and catch the forest on fire. When he was sure he had everything packed back up and ready to go, he crawled out of his hiding spot, careful to make sure that no one was lurking about first.
The wind hadn't been so bad when he was on all fours crawling out of his shelter but when he stood up it was like someone was driving icicles through his body. His ears were so numb he wasn't sure they were still attached to his body and his nose, he'd long since given up trying to keep it from running, and that was just so disgusting, he didn't even want to think about it. Jensen's only thoughts were to keep putting one foot in front of the other, and listen for any signs that Kylan was catching up to him.
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Kylan had taken one of the back roads that eventually branched off into a worn and rutted dirt path, but it brought him even with the back of the shack. He was almost giddy at the different scenarios playing out in his head. He'd found it difficult to concentrate on driving, especially with his dick throbbing in his pants. He parked the rental, wanting nothing more than to hurry inside and start reenacting the scenarios he'd been constructing for years. He knew that wasn't how he wanted things to go, though. He needed to be in control, and he couldn't do that when his dick felt like it was going to explode.
He left the car running and shifted his seat back. Once he took himself in hand, it only took a few strokes, and he was spilling across his fist. Kylan took a few minutes to get his breathing under control and clean himself up before he turned the car off and climbed out. He grabbed his purchases out of the trunk and quickly made his way to the door, excitement at finally having Jensen exactly where he wanted him after all this time spurring him forward.
Kylan pushed the door open with enough force that it hit the wall, not trying to be quiet. He wanted Jensen to know he was back. He dropped the bags to the side of the door and moved towards the lamp on the small wooden table he'd shoved in the corner. There was something not right about the quality of silence that invaded his ears. The shack was so dark he could just barely make out the bed. He quickly lit the lamp, spinning around so the light fell across empty space that should have his prize still stretched across it.
He set the lamp down, reaching into his bag, and grabbed the large spotlight he'd brought with him, moving to the bed to see if Jensen was hiding. Kylan knew it was a ridiculous, there was no real spots to hide except maybe the bathroom, but he had to look just to convince himself that Jensen had actually escaped. By the time he'd searched the small shack, he was enraged and, at the same time, a small part of him thrilled at the fight his Jenny was putting up. He knew he'd chosen the perfect one and this had proven it beyond a shadow of a doubt.
Kylan spent a couple of hours searching the woods closest to the shack. He knew when he'd touched the bed that Jensen had been gone a long time, but he had to look on the off chance he hadn't been able to make it far. When he finally went back inside, he looked over the entire place and noticed where things had been disturbed. He could tell where a pair of shoes of some sort had been sitting under the sink, the prints left behind clear in the dust surrounding the spot. He could only assume there had been some kind of clothing as well since the blanket and sheets were still in the there.
The smell of vomit was strong, but he decided he'd leave that there. Once he retrieved his prize, he'd see about getting it cleaned up. Right now, though, he was going to think about the mistakes he'd made and how he'd make sure those weren't repeated. He should have paid more attention to what Jenny had been working on lately, picking handcuffs hadn't been a talent he'd attributed to the shy, quiet man he'd worked so hard to have alone and it had cost him precious time.
He smiled to himself, his blood starting to heat and pool in his groin. The punishment for an accident was nothing compared to what he could inflict for this behavior. Jensen wouldn't make it out in the woods for very long. He'd come back, and when he did, Kylan sighed, popping the button on his jeans and sliding the zipper down, he'd make sure his Jenny understood he was never to disobey again.
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Steve had tried every time his eyes would stay open more than five minutes to get Chris to go back to Jared's. It wasn't that he didn't want Chris there, holding him and helping to keep the nightmares at bay, but he knew his boyfriend was worrying himself to death. Chris didn't do well with waiting, patience was not one of his virtues, and for him to willingly be plastered to his side, Steve wasn't even sure what that meant.
"Chris, all I'm doing is sleeping. Why don't you go back to Jared's and get some sleep in a real bed? Then you can go help them look for Jensen," Steve tried again.
"I'm not leaving. I don't sleep worth a shit when your not there, and I'm not leaving you here alone," Chris growled.
"I'm not alone, there are nurses running in and out all the time, plus there's a cop right outside the door."
"Is there a particular reason you're trying to get rid of me?"
"I'm *not* trying to get rid of you!" Steve denied, pulling Chris' face around so he would look him in the eye.
He was perplexed by Chris' stubborn refusal to budge from the hospital room. He could usually read his boyfriend pretty damn well, but the emotions rolling off his body and shadowing his eyes were so muddled, he couldn't decipher them.
"Chris please just tell me what's wrong. I know I can usually figure it out without you having to tell me but the drugs must be messing with my decoding skills."
Steve wasn't above begging at this point. All he wanted to do was fix it, but without knowing what the hell 'it' was he was going nowhere fast.
Chris took a deep breath and looked down at the bed. He'd been struggling with the overload of emotions since Steve wouldn't answer his phone. He knew most of what he was feeling was normal but there was this one flash of selfish feeling that he couldn't seem to deal with, and he wasn't sure he could tell Steve.
Steve watched Chris wage an internal struggle. He couldn't figure out what could be so bad that Chris was having such a hard time talking about it. He did know that if it ever made it out of his mouth, though, he'd need to be very careful about what he said.
Chris took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. He hated talking about shit, but he wasn't finding a resolution to how he was feeling any other way, so he might as well try telling Steve and hoping he didn't hate him.
"When I found you on the floor I couldn't breath. I thought you were dead, hell, you were dead. " Chris' voice broke and Steve reached out and grabbed his hands.
"Then the ambulance came, and they worked on you the entire way in, all I could do was sit and talk to you and pray. The minute we stopped, they rushed you through the doors and all I could think was that might be the last time I saw you alive....." Chris trailed off again.
"Chris, whatever it is, just tell me," Steve begged, squeezing his hands.
"I was scared to death, and sick to my stomach, which I get. Then the next second I'm so mad at you, I just want to rip the place apart," Chris whispered.
Steve was a little shocked that Chris actually admitted to something he'd consider a betrayal but he wasn't shocked that Chris had felt that way. As a matter of fact, he'd have been surprised if he hadn't. Now, if he could just get him to talk about why and not have Chris shut down on him then things would start to get better.
"Why were you mad?" Steve asked softly.
Chris snorted and gave him a dubious look, "You were hurt."
"Yes, but that's not all is it? If that was the only reason you were mad, it wouldn't be bothering you so much."
"Why couldn't you just be one of those dumb pretty ones?" Chris moaned.
"Because you would have been bored with me after the first fuck, now answer the question," Steve responded smiling. He refused to let them get sidetracked this close to discovering Chris' problem.
"I was mad at you for getting hurt, not because you did something stupid," Chris clarified when Steve looked down guilt clearly written on his face. "I mean, because you got hurt and left me, only if for a little while. You can't leave me. You don't ever have permission to leave me. I was mad because you didn't hold on, and you left me here alone, and then I felt so damn shitty because I was mad at you and it wasn't even your fault, and I still have no idea how to make myself forget how it felt not having you." Chris stopped suddenly at a loss of words.
Steve was actually amazed Chris had spilled everything in one go. It was a measure of just how guilty he must be feeling that Steve hadn't had to pull it out of him with twenty questions.
"You know, I'd have been pretty damn mad if you left me too," Steve offered conversationally.
Chris' head popped up in disbelief.
"No, I'm serious. If you'd have left me here to live the rest of my life alone, I'd have been pretty fucking pissed off too. The guilt's just a normal response for blaming someone for something they have no control over, although I can't agree with you on that one." Steve grimaced.
"How many shipments had you signed for already?"
Steve shrugged, "I don't know about ten."
"Which door did they go to?"
"Some of them went to the side, some went to the front."
"Then how in the hell were you supposed to know that the bastard was going to be pulling a deliveryman stunt?"
"I should have been more careful," Steve argued.
"Oh wait, I think I remember someone telling me not so very long ago that guilt is a normal response for blaming someone for something they have no control over, or in your case, blaming yourself for something you had no control over. Or was that a lie to make me feel better?" Chris asked.
"You know I really hate it when you do that," Steve complained.
"Yeah well, I hate it when you scare the shit out of me, so we're even," Chris said, pushing Steve back and sliding up the bed to lay down beside him.
Steve turned his head, so he could look at his boyfriend, "You're worried I won't be here when you get back if you leave, aren't you?"
"The thought has crossed my mind," Chris confirmed.
"I'm not going anywhere," Steve said softly.
"Well then, you won't mind me sticking around to make sure," he whispered before leaning over and placing a soft kiss on Steve's lips.
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Mike called thirty minutes ahead, giving Chad enough time to get a pot of coffee brewed and both his and Jared's packs taken care of. He'd dug through the equipment in the garage and found one of Jared's old packs. He knew it was absolutely stupid, but he couldn't bring himself to use Jensen's. Once he'd gotten everything that needed to be done accomplished, he made his way into the living room and over to the recliner. His friend was still curled around Jensen's pillow, and it made Chad's chest ache to look at him.
"Hey, Jay, you need to wake up," Chad said nudging Jared's arm.
Jared curled in even tighter around the pillow and buried his face in it.
"Jared, come on. Mike and Tom will be here in just a few minutes," Chad tried again.
Jared's eyes slowly blinked open and his brows knit together as he tried to focus his blurry eyes on Chad. Chad saw the moment everything came rushing back and Jared realized he hadn't been dreaming the events of yesterday. He really hoped he got the opportunity to get his hands on Kylan because no one should be able to put that look on his friend’s face.
"I'm up," Jared mumbled. "How long before they get here?"
"Mike called about fifteen minutes ago so about another fifteen. Why don't you go splash some water on your face, wake up some? I've already got our packs ready and there's coffee in the pot."
Jared struggled to his feet and started making his way down out of the living room, but he swung back around, confused at Chad's next statement.
"Oh! I forgot Jensen's parents are in the guest bedroom," Chad informed him.
"When did they get here? Did you go pick them up? I never even heard the phone ring."
"That's because it didn't. They took a cab here, and they got here a couple of hours ago."
"Why didn't you wake me up?"
Chad looked at him like he was insane.
"I'm serious Chad. Why didn't you wake me up? Jen's parents must think I'm a total ass."
"Why in the hell would they think that?"
"I'm laying there asleep while Jensen is out there, God knows where," Jared's voice had gone a few octaves higher.
"Jared, they think you're a man that hasn't had any sleep in over a day, who watched a friend die and come back. They think you're the man that loves their son and finally passed out when his body couldn't take any more and it shut down on him," Chad shot back.
Jared shook his head in disgust. Chad understood why he was so upset and even why he was so frustrated, but it didn't mean he was going to sit there and listen to Jared beat himself up over something he had no reason to.
"Look, the guys are going to be here any minute. Why don't you get dressed and then wake up Mr. Ackles? They wanted us to wake one of them up when we got ready to leave," Chad suggested, running his hand through his hair.
"Yeah," Jared mumbled. He wasn't really running on all cylinders at the moment and Chad looked like road kill.
He turned to head to the bedroom, but swung around calling Chad's name.
"Yeah?" Chad asked.
"Thanks," Jared said quietly.
"You know you don't have to thank me Jay."
"Maybe not, but I want to. I know I'm being an ass."
"Well, I figure ten more years of that, and we might be even. Now get your ass ready, I don't feel like hearing Mike bitching," Chad said, heading back towards the kitchen.
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Jared tapped lightly on the guest room door before quietly opening it and sticking his head in. Jensen's mom was curled up under the blankets sleeping, but even he could tell it was fitful at best. Alan was propped up with his back against the headboard, a laptop balanced on his knees. He motioned for Jared to give him a minute while he set everything aside and gently slid out of the bed, trying not to wake Donna. Jared smiled when she rolled into the warm spot and hugged the pillow, a move Jensen did every time Jared left the bed.
Alan looked back to see what Jared was smiling at. "Jensen is very much like his mother," he said, closing the door as the moved into the hallway.
"I'm sure he's a lot like both of you," Jared answered, swallowing thickly.
He hated to think what it must feel like for Jensen's parents to not know where their child was, not once, but twice. Jared honestly had no idea how they were even functioning. He hadn't been able to keep it together when Harley had run off when they'd been in the park, and it'd taken three hours to find him. He couldn't even imagine what it would feel like if it was his child, it was Jensen, and that was torture enough.
"Are ya'll getting ready to leave?" Alan asked.
"Soon, the guys are on their way over here right now. What were you looking at online?" Jared asked. His curiosity getting the better of him, since nothing he'd tried had been able to keep his mind off of the situation.
"Oh, well Donna was wandering if anything had leaked yet. I promised her I would check, but nothing seems to have made it past Kripke and the detective you've been working with," Alan assured when Jared paled.
"Good, Jensen will have a fit if they find out."
"He's never really liked to talk about his personal life, not even when he was young. I think it came from when he was trying to find out who he was and being scared to tell anyone," Alan stated sadly.
"We've never really talked about it in detail, not that at least," Jared said thoughtfully.
"No, and if he has his way, you probably won't. He's always internalized, definitely something he got from me, unfortunately not a good thing to pass on. Have you talked about what you're going to do about your relationship?"
Jared was a little nervous. They were crossing into dangerous territory, and to be honest, he had no idea how to answer. This was the first time he'd seen the Ackles since he and Jensen had gotten together and he had no idea what they thought of it. "We're not hiding it, but we're not going to run out and hold a press conference either. Half the fans think we're in a relationship as it is and the other half think I can't hold a conversation without being a goof, which I guess is fair because, most of the time, I don't, so when it comes out, I don't think it will be that big of a shock."
"Good, you don't need to start a relationship living a lie. It's stressful enough keeping one healthy without trying to hide it as well. I realize this isn't the best time for this talk but once Jensen is home, I don't know that we'll have the time for it, so I wanted to get it in there while I could."
Jared couldn't even hide the relief that Alan saying ‘when Jensen came home’ instead of ‘if Jensen came home’ filled him with. He was a grown man and these weren't his parents, but he'd needed someone to tell him it was going to be okay, that Jensen was going to be okay, and be back with them, with him.
"Go ahead and get ready. I'm going to get some things, and then I'll get set up in the living room. That way, Donna might get a little bit of sleep," Alan said, squeezing Jared's shoulder and disappearing through the door.
Mike and Tom showed up a few minutes later, bringing breakfast with them. Alan sat at the table with them as they ate and listened as they went over their plans for the day again. Once breakfast was finished, Tom started another pot of coffee, so they could fill their thermoses, and Mike loaded the rest of their supplies while Chad and Jared finished getting ready.
Alan promised to keep them updated if he got any calls and Jared promised to do the same if they found anything. He gave Alan Detective Patterson's numbers in case he needed them.
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It only took them an hour to get to the first cluster of cabins once they got on the road. Tom and Mike had discussed what they thought would be the better pairing to split up into, finally deciding to send Jared with Mike, and Tom kept Chad with him.
The two groups set off in opposite directions with an agreement to use the walkie talkies they all carried only if they found Jensen or Kylan, not that were looking for Kylan, but odds were they'd be crossing paths.
"So exactly why did Mike pull Jared duty?" Chad asked as soon as they were out of hearing range.
Tom shrugged. "We just thought if someone had to be the bad guy, it shouldn't have to be his best friend. You need to be his support system."
"I don't know that I could have been the bad guy anyway. Honestly, if I get the chance, I don't know if I won't react the same way," Chad stated grimly.
"Yeah, I know what you mean," Tom agreed quietly.
Mike and Jared stopped at every cabin marked on their half of the map. They checked to make sure the empty ones were actually vacant and the ones that were occupied didn't have Kylan in them. They made up whatever stories fit their need at the time to keep the occupant from feeling threatened. Jared was sure Jensen would get a kick out of the Sam/Dean irony of the situation. Two hours later, they met Chad and Tom back at the SUV, both of them having come up empty. They piled back into the vehicle and headed toward the next stop.
Tom had told Chad on the way back to meeting place that he was more optimistic about the next cluster of cabins since this was where the fishing shacks he'd been told about were located. He was fairly positive that if Kylan had taken Jensen anywhere out here, it would be to one of them, but he wasn't willing to run the risk of missing something by not checking the other places out on the way to this one.
Thirty minutes later, Tom dropped Jared and Mike off at the beginning of the trail along the west side of the lake at a small snowmobile rental agency. All the cabins faced the lake on the east and west side with the fishing shacks being pushed all the way to the back and at the foot of a large cliff face. It was roughly thirty miles if you walked it, which was why there was a rental shop at the road, and why Jared and Mike were getting to drive the open torpedo's as Jensen called them.
"You do realize that Jensen is going to kill you for setting those two loose on those things, don't you?" Chad asked.
"Maybe he won't find out," Tom gave voice to wishful thinking.
Chad snorted. "Since when has Jared ever been able to keep his mouth shut?"
"Promise me Mike does not get to speak at my funeral. Better yet, don't even give me one. Donate my body to science," Tom moaned.
They crawled out of the truck about three miles from the first shack. They'd decided to stop far enough back that they couldn't be seen and that, hopefully, their arrival wouldn't be heard. They trekked the rest of the way in silence, not wanting to forewarn anyone of their presence. Chad turned the walkie talkie down to the lowest setting in case they got feedback from someone else, he kept it just high enough to hear if Jared or Mike needed help.
The first shack was empty, and it looked like no one had been there in years. The next cabin was a mile up the trial, and as they closed the distance, they could tell this one just might be the one they'd been looking for. There was a truck parked close to the side of the house, a feat that Tom would love to know how the owner had accomplished, and there was smoke curling up from the chimney.
"You think this one is it," Chad asked softly.
"It's the best one we've had so far. I mean it's too damn cold to be fishing and this place ain't the Ritz," Tom answered.
"How do you want to do this? You want to both go to the door, or you want me to go around the back?" Chad asked.
"This one gives me the creeps," Tom said as he pulled Chad to the side so they were shadowed by the trees. "I'll go to the door you go around the back. The last one didn't have a back door but this one might.
"If he's in there. What are you going to do?" Chad questioned, his eyes never leaving the shack.
"Whatever it takes."
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Kylan woke with a start, the sun from the small window streaming across his face. He'd spent the rest of the night setting up the room so that when he'd found Jensen, he could begin the fine art of pain and punishment.
"Shit!" he exclaimed, jumping to his feet.
His plan had been to stay awake and start searching as soon as it was light enough to see where to put his feet, but the nights spent staking out the house Jensen was staying in had left him exhausted, and when he'd sat down to rest for a few minutes, he'd obviously fallen asleep.
Kylan pulled on his boots, grabbed the taser and the knife, slipping it into its sheath. He shrugged into his coat and slid the taser into the pocket before pulling on his gloves. He'd just made it to the door when he caught the faint sound of footsteps on the porch.
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Jensen was positive he was heading in the right direction. He was even sure he'd heard at least one, maybe more, snowmobiles in the distance, but the problem was, it had started snowing again, and he didn't know if he'd make it to help before his body gave out. He'd welcomed the burning pain every muscle in his body seemed to shout, the searing burn that shot through his chest every time he breathed and the cough that had been getting steadily worse over the course of the morning, but now all he felt was numb. He knew he was putting one foot in front of the other because he was still moving forward, but he couldn't feel it, he couldn't really feel anything but exhaustion.
He'd stumbled and fallen so many times that the clothes he was wearing were soaked through before it had started snowing and there were several more holes in them than there had been when he started. Of course, the same could be said for his hands and knees if he thought about it, but the only thing he could really focus on was moving because that was the only way he was going to get back to Jared. He had to know that Jared and the rest of his friends were all right.
Jensen glanced up to try and pinpoint where the last place he'd heard the buzzing sounds coming from and missed seeing the root his foot got caught on, pitching him forward. His body hit the ground hard, forcing the air out of his lungs. He thought his head was swimming from the impact but, in fact, he was sliding down an incline. He was so tired that every attempt he made at catching something to slow his descent was seconds off and he'd already passed the object before his hands obeyed his command to grab for it.
When he finally came to a stop, he couldn't find the energy to look and see where he'd ended up. He must have hit his head at some point, though, because no matter what he did, the buzzing in his head intensified. He knew if he didn't get up, he'd freeze to death, but no matter how much he screamed inside his head to move, his body wouldn't obey. Everything started to blur around the edges and slowly started to fade. Even the buzzing sounded like it was coming from under miles of water.
"I'm sorry Jared," he whispered through cracked bleeding lips.
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Tom had just made it to the porch when the door was thrown open.
"I knew you'd come back, Jenny."
Tom didn't even have time to think. His fist flashed forward, knocking the man backwards as it connected with his cheek. Kylan face showed surprise that not only was it not Jensen but that someone else had found his hideout. However, it only took a second for him to straighten and pull back his arm, preparing to throw his own punch. Unfortunately for him, Tom hadn't wasted time, and the second punch connected with solid force. The sound of bones breaking could just barely be heard over the cursing.
Kylan stumbled backwards, holding one hand covering his face, and the other groping for a wall to support himself. Tom didn't much care for the fact that he wasn't unconscious, a problem he took care of with a right to Kylan's jaw. The man dropped to the floor, blood pooling around his face from his nose. He was on his side so Tom wasn't too worried about him choking to death on his own blood, not that he really gave a shit but he wasn't interested in going to jail for it either.
Chad came sliding to a stop in the doorway, mouth falling open at the sight of Kylan on the floor.
"Man, what the fuck happened?"
"Shit if I know, he opened the door, and I hit him. Didn't seem prudent to give him time to do any talking," Tom answered nonchalantly.
"Is Jensen in there?" Chad asked, trying to see around Tom.
"I don't think so, the bastard said something about him coming back when he threw the door open. I think Jensen got away from him."
"Well, good for him!" Chad exclaimed.
"Not really, now we have no idea where he is or what shape he's in, and it just started snowing again." Tom growled at the sky.
They both looked out at the woods, shuddering at the possibilities of Jensen being lost in them.
"I'm going to go check out his truck, see if I can find something to tie him up with," Tom advised grimly.
"Okay, I'll watch this piece of trash until you get back. Hey, don't touch the truck with your hands. You don't want to mess up any evidence," Chad hollered so Tom could hear him.
Chad shut the door to the shack and looked down at Kylan's unconscious body. The man's nose looked like it might stop bleeding soon, and it had already started to swell. He might have accidentally kicked him as he moved further into the room to double check that Jensen was indeed not there.
The smell hit him first. Someone had been sick because the unmistakable smell of vomit clung to everything. Chad could see the bathroom from where he was standing and there was nothing in there to indicate that was where it originated. He did see some items hanging on the wall, but without proper light, he couldn't make out what it was, and he wasn't about to leave Kylan unattended. His eyes tracked to the fireplace and the embers that were just barely glowing. They'd need to bring in some wood if they were going to be here much longer. It was going to get cold quick with the snow starting.
Chad heard a low moan, and when he glanced over, Kylan's eyelashes were fluttering. He stalked back to where the man was lying and watched as he twitched a little, still not back in the land of the living yet. Chad leaned down and relieved him of the knife he could see strapped to his belt and then went through both pockets of his coat, not even trying to be gentle. He grabbed the taser and flung it across the floor, well out of reach just in case he lost the battle and gave into the desire to use it on Kylan.
He stood back up and waited until Kylan's eyes opened and the man was looking up at him, groggy and disoriented.
"Where's Jensen at?" Chad growled.
Kylan just looked up at him as a smirk spreading across his face.
Chad pulled back his booted foot and drove it into Kylan's side, a smile playing across his lips at the gasp of pain it caused.
"Where's Jensen?" he asked again.
"I got tired of playing with him," Kylan wheezed.
Chad knew the man was lying but it didn't stop him from delivering another solid kick to the same spot.
"I'm not going to ask you again. Next time, I'll just keep kicking you until you tell me or your ribs break and puncture your lung. I hear it's a pretty painful way to die."
"Fuck you!" Kylan spat out between gasps for air.
"No, fuck you," Chad said, calmly kicking three more times.
He watched as the man curled in on himself, trying to protect his body from the next blow. Chad moved a little further into the room so he could see what, if anything, had happened in there. The sight that met him made him want to heave, but he didn't have the luxury of relaxing his guard. He forced his eyes to the bed, seeing the cuffs, ropes, and the blanket on the floor. He wasn't sure why, but he was positive he didn't want to take a closer look at it, although he knew he had to.
He pulled his attention back to Kylan, moving closer until he could see his face.
"Where's Jensen?"
Kylan looked at him and grinned a sadistic smirk that Chad was going to have fun whipping off his face.
When he pulled back and landed the next three kicks, he made sure they were aimed much lower.
"Shit Chad! What the hell's going on?" Tom asked sharply when he walked back inside with several lengths of rope and another set of handcuffs.
"Oh well, Kylan here woke up and decided he didn't feel like telling us where Jensen was. I was just trying to change his mind," Chad said, grinning down at the man crying in front of him.
"Did he tell you?"
"Nope, but that's because he doesn't know. Isn't that right fucktard," Chad said, nudging Kylan with his foot.
Kylan did nothing more than cry and moan. Tom took that as his cue to start tying on the restraints.
Chad had to yank the man's hands away from his crotch in order to cuff them behind his back so what if his knee might have accidentally slipped and hit him where it was a little bit sore now. Tom just shook his head and kept working on his feet. They used rope on Kylan's wrists as well. Not trusting that he didn't have tricks up his sleeve to get out of cuffs, Chad suggested they attach the rope from his hands to his feet to make it even harder in case he tried to do a Houdini.
Chad helped Tom lift Kylan onto his shoulder and waited while he was dumped in the trunk. The temperature had dropped at least another ten degrees and Tom wrapped two sleeping bags around Kylan to make sure he didn't freeze, although he really wanted to smother the bastard with them instead. Chad decided to investigate while Tom was taking out the trash and contacting the detective which meant he probably would have to walk a good three miles to do it. Tom said he'd contact Mike and Jared too, which was why putting Kylan in the trunk was a much better idea than leaving him where Jared was sure to get his hands on him.
He went straight to the bed, praying he'd be able to put his mind at rest. The cuffs were still hanging off the head boards, and he could see where there were small pieces of wire running along the frame to the top and bottom. Chad followed the wires until they lead him to the other side of the bed where a small controller set wired to a battery. He swallowed thickly at the implications. He knew exactly what it was supposed to be used for, but from the looks of the bed, that hadn't happened.
He'd seen enough and read enough to know that bodies under duress, especially from that type, tended to lose control of bowels and that hadn't happened. Chad moved closer and he could see a piece of wire pulled loose. He figured it must have been how Jensen was able to pick the locks and get his hands free before moving on to the ropes at the foot board. He moved back around the bed, trying to decide what had happened next. His eyes landing on the blanket, he nudged it with his foot and saw the small puddle of vomit, most of it having been soaked up by the blanket.
Chad's breath stuttered to a halt when he saw the unmistakable stains. He glanced up when Tom walked back in his face must have telegraphed his distress.
"Is that what I think it is?" Tom asked, slowly making his way towards the bed.
"Yeah," Chad whispered hoarsely.
"Fuck!" Tom exclaimed, running his hands through his hair. He glanced at the bed, his brow furrowing at the wires he saw. " What the hell were those for?"
"Electric shock therapy. It's connected to a battery and a controller on the other side," Chad answered gruffly. "Jensen used the wires to pick the cuffs, then got his feet loose."
"Not soon enough."
"Maybe not, but it could have been worse," Chad motioned at the rest of the setup.
Tom paled as he looked at the chair he'd been avoiding since he'd walked into the room. It had been moved to the back of the cabin and bolted to the floor. There were leather straps attached to the arms and legs as well as straps that would go around the chest and thighs to hold a person in place. The ceiling had an extra piece of wood that had been added to it, coming off of the support beam. Kylan had drilled holes in it and bolted chains that hung down a few feet with shackles at the end. The same had been done on the floor. There was even an extra set of restraints set into the wall with a band that would close around the occupant's throat.
"How do you know he didn't get to use any of this?"
"No blood." Chad said shortly.
"So, what's that got to do with anything?"
"Jensen would have fought. There would be blood on something, the chair or the restraints. There isn't, the bastard never got the chance to use them. I'll bet he got Jensen here and went out to finish getting his toys, which by the way I haven't checked that black bag over there and don't intend to, and Jensen got away while he was gone."
"God, I hope you're right. It's bad enough knowing that happened," Tom gestured vaguely towards the bed.
"Yeah, well, we don't know exactly what happened so let's not jump to conclusions, and yes, I do realize I just said that. Did you get hold of the detective and Jared?"
"Finally, I had to walk all the way to the truck to get a signal. Detective Patterson said he'd be up here in a under thirty minutes, and he's bringing help to look for Jensen. He said something about dogs, and he was calling an ambulance as well."
"What? For that fucker?" Chad jerked his head in the direction of where Kylan lay in the trunk.
"No, for when they find Jensen. I didn't bother to tell him about Kylan's little mishap, and he didn't ask," Tom responded.
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The engine of the snowmobile was whining under the stress of the throttle being opened up and left there. Mike was having a hard time keeping up and he was afraid Jared was going to kill himself getting to where Tom and Chad were. He'd gotten the call from Tom, and before he could even finish the short conversation, Jared was on the snowmobile and headed up the trail. Thankfully, both Chad and Tom were waiting out front when they got there to stop him from barreling inside and destroying everything in sight.
"Jared, you have to calm down. If you tear everything up, they'll have no evidence," Chad reasoned.
"I don't think they need that much evidence, not with the kidnapping and the assault on Steve," Jared argued as he tried to get past them.
"You are not going in there until you calm down, and we can prepare you for what you're going to see," Tom said, yanking on Jared's coat until he spun around to face them.
"Listen to them Jared," Mike said as he walked up to the group. "Jensen's not in there and, honestly, I'd prefer you not go in there at all, but if you need to then stop and listen to them." Mike said, placing a hand on Jared's arm and squeezing.
Jared's shoulders slumped. He leaned against the side of the shack and waited for someone to start talking.
"When we got here, Kylan opened the door thinking I was Jensen coming back. He got a fist to the face for his troubles. Chad never got anything out of him, but we're pretty damn positive he has no clue where Jensen is. Jensen's time as Dean served him well, and he was able to pick the lock on the cuffs." Tom stopped when he got a small smile out of Jared. Unfortunately, he knew it wouldn't be there long.
"There are some things in there that are going to upset you, but you can't touch them. Just know that he didn't get to use them on Jensen. They were set up after he got away, so if you have to go in there, remember that," Chad finished.
Mike had no clue what was in there, but he wasn't looking forward to finding out, especially when he noticed just how pale his friends were. He knew Jared was going to go in, there was no way he couldn't, and Mike knew he would be right there beside him, if only to keep him from messing things up or falling apart. When Jared started to make his way to the door, both Tom and Chad shook their heads. They knew he'd go in even thought they wanted to protect him.
Mike slammed into Jared's back when he came to a complete stop, a choked off noise making its way free before the man could stop it. Mike moved around him and saw the chair and the chains. He tried to pull Jared back out the way they'd come, but Jared was having none of it. He shoved trembling hands into his pockets to keep from ripping the chains from the ceiling and using them to break everything in the room. He moved closer to the bed, noticing the blanket on the floor. The wires immediately caught his eye, and he looked up at Tom.
"What are those for?"
"We think he was going to use electric shock. There's a battery on the other side, but he never got the chance," Chad reassured.
Jared swallowed and went back to tracing the wires with his eyes. "He used the wire to pick the cuffs?"
"Looks that way," Tom agreed.
Jared stepped back and looked down at the floor.
"He got sick, but he hasn't been eating much," he stated sadly.
The sharp intake of breath told Tom and Chad that he'd spotted what they were hoping he'd miss.
"Son of a bitch!" Jared whirled around, heading towards the door.
"What's wrong Jay?" Mike asked confused.
Tom motioned for him to be quiet for a second.
"Jared, we don't know what happened," Chad tried.
"The hell I don't! You don't think I know what that is? Where the fuck is he? I'm going to kill him!" Jared pushed past Chad and out the door heading to the only place Kylan could be.
"What the hell is going on?" Mike asked.
Chad motioned towards the blanket and then bolted after Tom who was already trying to keep Jared from ripping the trunk apart to get to Kylan.
Mike made his way cautiously across the room, his nose wrinkling as the smell got stronger the closer he got. He looked down at the blanket and the realization of what he was seeing was enough to turn his stomach and have him fleeing the room to throw up himself. He'd just made it out the door when a large truck pulled up and the detective climbed out while Jared was still trying to rip the trunk open with his bare hands.
Tom tried to explain to Garrett exactly what had happened and why Jared was in the state he was in but the detective just held up his hand and nodded his head. He walked slowly up to Jared, coming in from the side so he could see who it was.
"Jared, I need you to stop and listen to me for a minute," Garrett said in a calm steady voice.
Jared didn't seem to register anything but the desire to rip Kylan limb from limb.
"Jared!" Garrett's voice cracked across the air, startling them all, and causing Jared to pause in his systematic destruction of the trunk.
"I need you to listen to me. Chad is going to take my truck, and you're going to go to Vancouver General Hospital."
"Why?" Jared asked, his voice hoarse from where he'd been yelling and screaming at Kylan through the trunk.
"Jensen stumbled out of the woods ten miles the other side of the lake. There were some kids up there snowmobiling. They found him. The ambulance is on the way to the hospital right now.
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