Finding Peace When You've Been Looking Too Hard
Title: Finding Peace When You've Been Looking Too Hard
Pairing: J2
Rating: PG-13 this chapter, but NC-17 later.
Warnings: Language, terrible punctuation, and also the naughty box-smexing.
Disclaimer: I can't think of a funny way to say that I don' t own them.
Summary: Jensen flees from the city and buys a little farm. Jared is his surly neighbor that just wants his dogs to stay in the yard so he won't have to keep visiting the quiet, gorgeous man down the road.
Jensen followed the old man across the threshhold. He'd been hesitant at first, not sure he had the wherewithal to maintain even a small farm of only 200 acres. Money wasn't the problem so much as the knowledge issue, but Jensen felt a slight clenching in his chest as he walked through the small house. It was simply decorated, all wooden floors and soft colors. Most of the furniture had been sold at auction, he'd been told, and only a few pieces remained.
Jensen stood at the backdoor and surveyed the land rolling back as far as he could see. It was green, fragrant with the spring-time flowers. Closing his eyes, Jensen took a deep breath and tried to center himself. He knew that the old man was only selling the place because his wife of sixty years had died in the bedroom he could no longer stand sleeping in. It didn't bother Jensen, he wasn't the squeamish type, but he was a bit of a romantic, and his heart went out to the grieving widower.
He watched as a deer suddenly appeared from behind a small barn and began to graze peacefully. Peace. That was all Jensen wanted. "Ok, sir. Where do I sign?" He turned to gray haired man, and took a sheaf of papers from his hand. Slight tremors made the papers shake slightly, and Jensen wondered if it was age or sorrow that made the old man tremble.
He signed the papers without flourish, and gave them back. He'd read through them carefully before setting foot on the property, and knew that he was getting a fair deal. He nodded quietly and followed the stooped figure back out to his car. He'd get the title for the land, the keys to the house and various sheds, and then he'd be the owner of more land than he knew what to do with. Jensen sighed. He just wanted peace.
****
Jensen let himself back into his apartment, and allowed his shoulders to droop. He'd lived in big cities his entire life. Chicago, St. Louis, and Seattle had been the latest, and he idly wondered if he would go stir crazy out in the boonies. His apartment was carefully styled by a decorator to give the illusion of ease and luxury. It was complete bullshit. He didn't even like the place. He had decided to rent out the apartment furnished, and he was mildly excited about buying new furniture for his little farmhouse.
Jensen was no longer a black leather couch and impressionist paintings sorta guy. He just needed to figure out where to buy blue jeans and flannel shirts, maybe a pair of steel toed boots. Nodding to himself, Jensen by-passed the hated couch and went into his bedroom. A bowflex stood in one corner, and a huge black and silver wardrobe in another. A gigantic bed covered in plush black dominated the room. He stripped off his khaki pants, carefully creased by the maid and dropped them in the laundry hamper. A green buttondown followed, and Jensen slid under the fluffy comforter with tv remote in hand.
****
The move itself was relatively easy. All Jensen took with him were his books, some clothes, and his guitar. He hadn't played in years, but he'd found it in the back of his hall closet and grabbed it on a whim. He spent a few days just setting up the small house. There was a small town about ten miles away, and he'd spent a few hours at the local store buying supplies for the house. He even saw a small bookstore that he might have to check out sometime.
Jensen had been taken aback at first by the townspeople. They already knew about him, and he'd shaken more rough, chapped hands than he could keep track of. No one really pried, though, and seemed content to just welcome him to the community. He felt himself loosening up more with every minute, and he was grateful. Peace just might be obtainable here. Maybe.
Jensen had bought a couple of comfy chairs in shades of faded green from a thrift store in town, and he'd found a bed in the small furniture store on the square. He had struggled with the washer and dryer when he tried to wash his brand new sheets for the first time, but he got the hang of it pretty fast. He'd never washed anything before, and he felt a small amount of pride when he smoothed the blue and white striped sheets across his new mattress. The bedframe was a simple gray metal stand that held the bed off the floor, and a royal blue and gray quilt capped the whole thing off.
As soon as the internet was installed, Jensen went online to research, and he didn't stop until he felt prepared to face the land outside his doorstep. The old man had quite generously given him the small amount of farm equipment that he had, and Jensen put on his new blue jeans and a t-shirt before heading out to the shed in the backyard.
Most of the land was simply grass, a giant fenced-in square. It wasn't even a farm really. It was mowed twice a year for hay, but Jensen knew that a cattle farmer down the road did all the work and paid a fee for the hay he harvested. Jensen had already contacted the gruff man, and Singer farms had readily agreed to continue the contract.
The house was centered on two acres of unmanicured land, and Jensen was trying to decide if he wanted to take up landscaping. He found the small riding mower that had been left behind, along with a weedwhip, various gardening implements, and a tractor that had a small plow attached to the front. Jensen knew that would come in handy when winter hit.
The driveway wound around the side of the house, and it ended at at small garage that housed Jensen's shiny new Ford pickup, and a few shelves for tools. Jensen made a mental note to buy some tools. The house was set back far enough from the road to be private, but Jensen decided to get a few pine trees to make a natural privacy fence. Besides, the road was gravel, and Jensen didn't want to spend his days choking on dust. Not that there was much traffic, but whatever.
Trees were peaceful, and that was the goal, right?
****
The yellow dog with gigantic ears was sitting quietly on the front porch when Jensen pulled up to the house with his new pine trees. She trotted over to greet him when he opened his door, and Jensen cautiously held his hand out for her inspection. She sniffed his fingers and licked them gently before stepping back.
Jensen shrugged to himself, and went about unloading the small trees. He'd already mapped out where they would go, and he used a shovel from the shed to scoop out the places he'd marked earlier. The dog followed at his heels as he worked, her tail wagging gently. Jensen worked for a couple hours, his shirt clinging to his back as the sun rose higher in the sky.
He went inside briefly to make a sandwich and drink a glass of water. The dog waited patiently until he came back outside. Settling himself into a slider chair that the old man had left behind, Jensen scratched behind her ears. He could see where a collar had left an impression on her neck fur, and she was in excellent condition. Jensen wasn't really sure what to do with the escapee, or even where the local animal shelter was.
Hell, it was such a small town, he decided, that all he would need to do was take the runaway with him into town in the morning, and she'd be home by lunch. She was quiet, and Jensen was already sorry that she would have to go. He hadn't really thought about getting a pet of any kind. He'd never been allowed when he was a kid. He was always away at boarding school, and once he was older, he was always traveling for business.
Animals were peaceful. Jensen had read somewhere that they were scientifically proven to relieve stress, lower blood pressure, and improve one's life quality. It had sounded nice on paper, and Jensen determined to see if it held true in real life. He patted the dog's furry head, and gazed out at the small trees planted in a neat row.
It was a good day. Peaceful.
****
Jensen and the yellow dog ate supper in the twilight. Lightning bugs gave them a pretty show, and man and dog were content to sit quietly. Jensen hadn't quite known what to feed her, but she had taken the roast beef and water he offered, so he figured it was all good.
They were watching the last of the light fade away when a beat up old Chevy pulled into the driveway. The headlights flashed over them briefly as the truck rolled to a halt. Jensen stayed still, but the dog stood up, her tail beginning to wag.
"Sadie, what the hell? Get over here!" a voice spoke harshly, and the dog ran to obey, jumping into the flatbed of the truck. Jensen flinched slightly at the annoyance in the man's tone, and pulled himself to his feet. He could barely make out the other man's features as they walked toward each other, and Jensen found himself twitching with nerves.
"She just stopped by to visit," he said, " and I was gonna take her into town in the morning to see if anyone recognized her." Jensen spoke carefully, keeping his voice as neutral as possible. He had spent years diffusing angry investors and pompous business men. He just wished he didn't still need to use those skills.
"Sorry 'bout that. She usually stays put, but her collar broke. I'm Jared," the other man offered his hand as they met in the driveway. Jensen readily shook it, noting the strength and roughness as Jared's hand engulfed his. He was fucking huge, too, looming over Jensen in the dim light.
"No problem, she, uh, was helping me plant trees," Jensen said calmly, nodding to the small row of pines. Jared was already turning away, and Jensen found himself talking to the man's back. "Yeah, well. It won't happen again, " he tossed over his shoulder as he got back in the old truck.
Jensen watched, mouth slightly agape as the truck began the process of backing out of his drive. He lifted a hand to wave goodbye, and watched Sadie's tail wag as they moved out of his sight.
So there was that. Jensen honestly didn't know what to think, and found himself mildly irritated by the man that had come and gone so fast. He didn't even have a good idea what the dude looked like, just that he was a jackass with a sweet dog who he didn't deserve. The bastard.
Jensen shook himself from his pissy thoughts, and went back inside the little house to do the dishes. He took pleasure in the small chore, and let himself get lost in thought as he worked. It was such a small house, smaller than his three bedroom condo in the city, and it had far less stuff crowding it.
He'd already unpacked his books, placing them in neat rows along the built-in shelves that ran across one wall in the living room. He had a suspicion that the previous owner had made them himself, and the quality was apparent even to Jensen's unpracticed eye.
The walls were all painted in shades of blue and green, and the wooden trimmed gleamed from years of waxing and polishing. Wooden floors creaked pleasantly as Jensen went from the small living room into the single bedroom, and he smiled at the sound.
The bedroom was painted soft blue, and Jensen had no desire to change it. He was tired, and he just wanted to be someplace that felt like home. Aside from the unpleasant man he'd met earlier, he was beginning to think that he might have found it.
Jensen stripped off his jeans, dirty from planting trees, and his sweat stained t-shirt. He walked naked back down the hall to the bathroom, turning on the light to reveal an old fashioned claw foot tub and free-standing sink. He loved it. It was so far from what he knew, and so close to what he wanted. Simple and made to last, not to impress or dazzle.
Jensen stepped into the tub, turning on the shower as he pulled the curtain shut. He stood in the cold water patiently until it became a hot pounding on his tired shoulders. He felt good. He'd worked hard all day, and his body ached slightly from the physical strain. He couldn't remember the last time his muscles had known anything but the careful structure of a gym membership and his bowflex.
Jensen stood under the stream until his eyes began drooping with sleep. Sighing contentedly, Jensen stepped out of the deep tub and wrapped a towel around his middle. He padded back down the hall, drying off as he went, and checked all the doors and windows. Once he was convinced that he was secure, he went into the bedroom, pulled on boxers, and settled down in the soft bed to watch television until he drifted off.
He lay for awhile wondering why a dog as nice as Sadie got stuck with such an asshole for an owner, but decided it didn't matter. He determined to find out where the closest animal shelter was, though, and see about getting a dog for the farm. Farms should have dogs. Maybe a chicken or two.
Jensen fell asleep smiling. If peace was to be had, he was going to find it.
Part 2
This is so far from what I set out to write. I don't even know what happened.
*shrugs* I'd love to hear what you think, though.