Lycanthropy [1/1]
More JDM. Call this one experimental, if you will.
Title: Lycanthropy
Rating: PG-13 for (implied) violence and sexual content
Characters: Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Jensen Ackles, Jared Padalecki, Ashley Greene
Pairings: All implied: JDM/JP, JDM/JA, JDM/Adam LaVorgna, pre-JA/JP
Word Count: ~3,400
Disclaimer: All actors mentioned therein (there's a bunch) own themselves.
Warnings: Werewolf!AU. Violent and obsessive behavior, both implied and actually happening.
Summary: ly·can·thro·py [noun]: The ability of a person to assume the characteristics of a wolf.
***
Lycanthropy
Taken from jeffreydeanmorganunlimited.com.
***
It was a miracle Jeff hadn’t killed anyone yet. He was known to be short-tempered and rash at the best of times, and having his entire band of offspring around him every minute of every day was only making it worse. What had he been thinking, inviting them all into his home to meet their newest Sibling? He probably deserved the mess this visit had turned into just for believing it would be a good idea.
Jeff ran his fingers through the dark shook of hair by his side for comfort. The side of his neck, cut open and covered with a thin film of blood, stung with every movement. That particular incident, only a few hours ago, had set his teeth on edge even worse than before; Jared hadn’t fed this sloppily in several weeks now, and Jeff hated having to use the crop on the boy for something he could have easily prevented. Sighing, he let his hand rest on the kid’s side where his undershirt covered the three welts running along his ribs, watched him mumble and twitch away.
He had let him feed again, after the whipping, feeling the boy’s muscles quiver and bunch under his hands. It was time for this whole mess to be over. He’d be sad to see some of them go, Jensen and Daneel most of all, but he could feel himself growing impatient for the day when his brood would finally depart. He wanted time, for himself and the boy, days without intrigue and jibes and jealous backstabbing. He wanted to not have to punish Jared for being nervous. He certainly wanted them all out of the house before the full moon came around. Dealing with a whole dozen of angry, vicious creatures when he himself was at his most volatile would without a doubt end in tears and punishments, if not bloodshed as well.
He had felt their eyes on him when he’d taken Jared upstairs, some gleeful, some shyly disapproving. Jeff had ignored both. It was possible that his methods were outdated, yes, but he didn’t need anyone to tell him he was old-fashioned. It came with the territory. He wasn’t ancient, not by their standards, but as far as he knew, he was still one of the oldest ones out there. There was his Mother, of course, his three Siblings. Some of the other bloodlines had living ancestors, but that was just about it. He remembered the Thirty Years War, for God’s sake. Old-fashioned didn’t even begin to cover it.
Some of the representatives of the other bloodlines tried to talk to him sometimes, about his ‘ways’. His Children knew better than to even try. Both were lucky if Jeff did nothing more than laugh in their faces. His parents had beaten him, so had his masters. He’d gotten hidings for disobeying, for disrespect, for mistakes. No one had cried about damaging a child’s fragile psyche then, and somehow they had all still turned out alright. His Mother had spared the rod, but her sharp tongue had done more than enough to keep him unspoiled and in line. Likewise, his Children knew what to expect when they defied him. When they broke his rules.
Even Jared, after only a few short months, had merely given a short, resigned sigh when he pulled away after feeding and caught sight of the small trail of blood soaking into Jeff’s shirt. Hadn’t even tried to protest, and Jeff had felt a surge of pride for his youngest. The boy slept now, pressed against Jeff’s side, his mouth slack against his nipple. It wasn’t comfortable, but Jared wasn’t twitching fitfully for the first time since this whole mess had started, so Jeff would bear it without complaint.
God, he needed a break. He couldn’t hide Jared away from his Siblings forever, of course, but maybe it was time to end the obnoxious initiation tradition. What was the point of having the kid face the entire family at once? He did just fine when it was just the pair of them and one, maybe two of the others. It was only when there were a whole slew of them that he let them get to him, their jibes and teases and interrogations.
Maybe he should take the boy on vacation. Some island in the Caribbean, maybe, where the moon was bright and the people few. A couple of his older offspring could visit them, maybe. They seemed to be accepting him a lot better than the recent additions to his line.
A quiet, crisp knock startled Jeff out of his reverie. The boy on his shoulder shifted when the muscles underneath his cheek tensed, frowning in his sleep, and Jeff covered his ear with the palm of his hand. He threw the door a sharp look. “Yes?” he called.
“It’s Jensen, Father,” came the reply.
Jensen. Even if Jeff hadn’t recognized the voice, a sharp sniff confirmed the quiet words. “Come on in,” he said, suddenly exhausted. He shouldn’t have to be so on guard in his own house, for Christ’s sake. It was ridiculous.
The door swung open silently. Jensen slipped through the narrow gap with his usual easy grace, nodding to Jeff before he let the lock click shut behind him. “Hey,” he said. He made his way over to them, his Mario Bruni’s silent on the thick carpet. “Heard about the thing with Ashley. She seems to be out for blood.”
“Tell me about it,” Jeff muttered. The thought alone made his jaw go tight with anger. “I was ready for some heads to roll by the end of it.”
“I’m sure,” Jensen said. He hitched up his pants and sank into the chair by Jeff’s bedside table. Nodding towards the dark head resting against Jeff’s chest, he asked, “How’s he holding up?”
Jeff smiled. “See for yourself,” he said.
Jensen blinked, clearly surprised. Jeff really hoped he wasn’t that easy to read at work, otherwise his eldest’s stint into the exciting world of real estate would be very short indeed.
Jensen searched out his eyes with his own, asking for permission, before he leaned over to tuck the strands of hair in Jared’s face carefully behind the boy’s ear. He held his position for a moment, scrutinizing his Brother’s face carefully, before he settled back into his seat.
“Well?” Jeff asked quietly. He drew Jared a little more tightly against his side before he raised an expectant eyebrow at Jensen. “What do you think of your newest Brother?”
Jensen smiled, amused. “Are you going to return him if I don’t like him, Father?”
Jeff gave him a hard look. He was more apt to tolerate cheek from Jensen than from any of his Brothers and Sisters - yes, even Jared - but that didn’t mean he had grown lax. If Jensen thought he had grown soft over this boy, he was in for a harsh surprise.
Catching his expression, Jensen ducked his head with another smile. “I’m sorry,” he said. He leaned forward again to take in Jared’s peaceful lack of expression, tilting his head while he considered. “He adores you,” he finally said. “He’d do anything to please you. Same for his Siblings. Once they realize, they are going to tear him to pieces.”
Jeff turned his head back to Jared to hide his smile. Jensen’s opinion didn’t matter, of course, but they had been companions for more than half of Jeff’s existence now. Hearing him approve of Jared - it was gratifying.
Schooling his face carefully blank, Jeff met his eldest’s gaze again. “Excluding you, of course,” he said.
A small smile curved Jensen’s lips upwards. He reached over to lift up Jeff’s free hand, resting on his stomach, and pressed a dry kiss to the back. “I have eleven younger Brothers and Sisters, Father,” he said. “And then there is you. If I were to manipulate every single one of you, I’d never get a moment’s peace.”
Jeff gave his fingers a light squeeze. They had been together long enough that words were unnecessary here. Their understanding was silent, no more than a look and a quirk of the lips.
“Do you think he’ll grow to be like that?” he finally asked. He couldn’t deny that the thought of Jared, sweet, affectionate Jared, joining the ranks of his conniving siblings stung a little. He had to learn, of course, for survival if nothing else, but Jeff still found himself wanting to delay the inevitable.
His eldest scooted forward in his chair to peer at Jared’s face, a half-frown on his face. He reminded Jeff of Paul, suddenly, seriously scrutinizing the baby sister half-hidden in the crook of his mother’s arm, hundreds of miles and several lifetimes away. Unprepared for it as he was, the memory stung his eyes and made his chest grow tight, but he blinked the thoughts away before Jensen could catch them. Those days were out of reach, now. They had been for a long time.
Jensen hadn’t noticed his unexpected detour into a life long ago, it seemed, still examining Jared’s face. “I think,” he said slowly, “that if you keep him close now, you might be able to keep the hounds at bay. He’s not as shrewd as some of the rest of us were.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure about that,” Jeff said. He looked down at Jared’s sleep-innocent face and grinned. “He’s a bit of a hellion, this one.” He frowned at the disbelieving amusement showing on Jensen’s face. “What?”
Jensen shook his head. “I just find it hard to believe that out of all your offspring, this one is the one you call a hellion. I mean, there’s… you know, me.” He chuckled. “Shiri, Adam. Of course, none of us could ever live up-“ He stopped abruptly, as if realizing that he was about to veer off into dangerous territory, and bit his lip. “Sorry,” he muttered.
Jeff closed his eyes for a moment, refusing to allow the memories to surface. When he opened them again, he found himself looking right at Jared, a light flush on the kid’s cheeks, bangs fluttering with every even breath. He couldn’t help smiling at the sight. “Mr. Babyface here might surprise you, you know,” he said. “When I met him, he had two girlfriends. And a boyfriend on the side.”
Jensen tilted his head in acknowledgement. “Sounds like you’re going to have your hands full with this one.” He shot Jeff a quick look out of the corner of his eyes. He was probably expecting more of a repercussion for mentioning the unmentionable, and in any other situation, there would have been. Jeff didn’t know why, but the steady weight of Jared’s head on his shoulder made him reluctant to get into anything with Jensen right now.
“Maybe,” Jeff said. He waved his free hand at Jared’s head on his chest. “To be honest, he turned out a good deal more attached than I expected him to be.” He chuckled. “Not that I want to jinx it, but this one seems to be more easily tamed than the rest of you.”
“That might change.” Jensen inclined his head. “He has to be a thrill seeker too; otherwise he never would have accepted your proposal.”
“I suppose,” Jeff conceded. He rubbed his hand over his jaw, where his fangs lay hidden until the next full moon, and tried to remember what Jared looked like fully turned, roaring and dangerous. It was hard. Instead, what came to mind was Jared’s pained grimace of only a few minutes ago, hands reaching out for Jeff’s forgiveness.
He leaned down to press his lips to Jared’s forehead. Jared didn’t even stir, but when Jeff pulled away, there was a fleeting look of pain in Jensen’s eyes. Jeff knew it was hard for him sometimes, seeing Jeff’s attention focused entirely on his Siblings. They’d been alone for so many years that Jensen would never doubt Jeff’s affection, but the boy had to feel left to the sidelines sometimes. Especially with little troublemakers like this one becoming part of the family.
“Don’t worry,” he said with a grin, reaching over to ruffle Jensen’s hair. “You’ll always be my good boy.”
“I’m hardly a saint,” his eldest protested, batting at Jeff’s hand. “I was expelled from my craft!”
“For stealing,” Jeff pointed out. “That’s hardly going to make the news.”
Jensen scowled at him, fingering his scarred earlobe. He hated it when Jeff reminded him that compared to some of his Siblings, he was really nothing more than small fry. “It caused quite a stir back then,” he muttered.
“In a town of five hundred people yes,” Jeff said, gently mocking. The truth was, Jensen really had been in major trouble back then, and if it hadn’t been for Jeff, he probably wouldn’t have made it out in one piece. Things had been interesting then, easier in some ways, back when it had been just the two of them, an unfaithful glass blower and an untrustworthy carpenter’s apprentice.
He smirked, opened his mouth to remind Jensen of those two farmer’s daughters in the Swiss Alps, when his reminiscing was cut short by a sharp knock on the door. The door flew open immediately afterwards and Ashley strode in without so much as an apology, a self-righteous expression on her face that had Jeff itching to slap it away. “Father,” she said loudly. Loudly enough that Jared startled upright, still more asleep than awake, and reached for Jeff with a querying sound.
Jeff smoothed the boy’s hair down with a soothing murmur. “Hey, it’s okay,” he whispered to him, drawing both of them upwards to lean against the back rest, before he fixed Ashley with a hard look. “Is there something I can do for you?” he asked.
“I need to talk to you, Father,” she said. Her eyes flickered to the carpet, but Jeff felt more mocked than respected by the gesture. “Without… that, if possible.” She nodded her head towards Jared without looking at him, and Jeff could feel the temper growing in his stomach, hands tightening on the boy.
He looked over when Jensen rose casually, a question in his eyes, and nodded. “Take him,” he said, holding Jared upright until Jensen had scrambled onto the bed, opening his arms for the boy. Jeff eased out of Jared’s vice-like grip and turned him towards his Brother. He soothed the hurt from Jared’s expression with a hand on the back of his neck. “Jensen will take care of you,” he said.
“Come on,” Jensen said, right on cue. He coaxed Jared between his legs, chest to back, and drew the duvet over them both.
Jeff navigated past the bed to face Ashley and smiled. It wasn’t a very nice smile. “You can say your piece,” he said. “But if you don’t want to be around him, you’ll have to go.”
“Fine,” she said flippantly. “You’re just proving my point for me.”
Jeff refrained from asking her if she actually had a point, or if she was just there to stir up trouble. Instead, he took a calming breath and said, “I gather you have a problem with your Brother?”
She scowled at the term but drew herself upright, flicking her hair back. “Yes, I do,” she said. “My problem is that you are completely obsessed with him, in an entirely unhealthy way.”
Jeff opened his mouth to reply, but apparently she wasn’t finished yet. “Plus, he’s unfit for this family.”
Jeff heard Jensen whisper something to Jared behind him but didn’t turn around. “Unfit?” he echoed.
She nodded. “He worked at a porn store, Father. He’s hardly a worthy successor of your line.”
“Is that so?” he asked quietly. Some of his anger had to be reflected in his tone because Ashley fell quiet, watching him stalk closer with wide eyes. “And what exactly made you worthy? Taking classes at a community college and working at a coffee shop that sold lukewarm coffee and stale cookies?”
She flushed, more angry than embarrassed, and balled her hands into fists. She hated being reminded of her pre TV producer days, but it wasn’t like the rest of Jeff’s family was any better. They were all misfits. Daneel had tried to pick Jeff’s pockets the first time they met. Jessica had lost everything when she went to jail for embezzlement. Peter had been scraping together a living as a moonshiner. No one with a successful career, with a house and a dog and a couple ruby-cheeked babies would ever accept what Jeff had to offer.
“That is exactly what I mean!” Ashley said, shrilly. She ignored Jeff’s wince. “Whenever someone dares to criticize the boy, you’re immediately on the defensive. You’ve never been this way with any of us.”
He had to admit that she had a point. With his other Children, Jeff happily sat back and watched them tear into each other. He didn’t know what it was about the boy that made him want to rip apart anyone who dared look at him. It certainly wasn’t that Jared demanded Jeff’s attention more than the others had. He’d been told about his obsessive streak by everyone who dared speak to him that way. Hell, he’d barely let Adam out of bed the first couple of years, which in retrospect probably hadn’t been a very good idea, but Jared was different. There was just something about him that made Jeff want to stuff him into a steel cage and post several heavily armed guards before it. He knew that.
But just because Ashley was right, didn’t mean he wanted to hear it.
“Get out of my sight,” he told her, voice low.
“Listen to me, Father” she said earnestly. “He’s not a part of the family yet. It’s not too late to just make him disappear.”
Jeff growled at her. “I will make you disappear if you don’t show me and him some respect.”
Ashley huffed an exasperated sigh. “Father, he can’t even feed properly!”
Behind him, Jared drew in a sharp breath. He heard Jensen whisper soft words, looked over his shoulder to see his eldest smooth his hands over his Brother’s arms. Jared looked like he might cry.
Jeff clenched his hands into fists. The thought that anyone could reduce the loud, foul-mouthed, mischievous little maverick that he had met at a San Diego coffee shop to this uncertain kid made red-hot violence roll through his body. It made him wish for the moon to be right so that he could really teach these brats something about respect.
For now, though… the old-fashioned way would just have to do. He snatched the crop from the foot of the bed and brought it whistling downwards. She bit off her cry of pain, but the tears in her eyes and the blood welling up across her cheek was gratifying enough. “Get out of my sight!” he snapped.
She didn’t need to be told a third time, fleeing the room with a hateful look towards the bed, one hand pressed to her face. Jeff waited until the door had shut behind her, then he tossed the crop into a corner. Sometimes he wondered what on Earth he had been thinking with most of his brood. Needy, whiny, unpleasant children, the lot of them.
Jeff wanted them gone. He just wanted to sleep; wanted to lie back down on the bed, draw his boys on top of him and rest. To return to the peaceful, easy moments before Ashley had come barging in. But if he went over there right now, there was no chance of Jared not flinching away from him, and that was something he wouldn’t be able to take.
“Take care of him,” he said, not meeting Jensen’s eyes. He couldn’t make himself look at Jared at all when he left, letting the door fall shut behind him. The corridors were wisely deserted. He let out a roar and smacked his fist into the wall, breaking the plaster, barely aware of the blood smeared across his knuckles. He was going to kill her.
He turned to look at his bedroom door, but it was firmly shut and he couldn’t make himself open it. Instead, he turned on his heel and stalked down the corridor, heading for the gym, the shooting range, anywhere he could work off some of the rage boiling in his veins.
And God help anyone who got into his way.
***
Read the next installment: In Times of Trial
Thoughts?
Title: Lycanthropy
Rating: PG-13 for (implied) violence and sexual content
Characters: Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Jensen Ackles, Jared Padalecki, Ashley Greene
Pairings: All implied: JDM/JP, JDM/JA, JDM/Adam LaVorgna, pre-JA/JP
Word Count: ~3,400
Disclaimer: All actors mentioned therein (there's a bunch) own themselves.
Warnings: Werewolf!AU. Violent and obsessive behavior, both implied and actually happening.
Summary: ly·can·thro·py [noun]: The ability of a person to assume the characteristics of a wolf.
***
Lycanthropy
Taken from jeffreydeanmorganunlimited.com.
***
It was a miracle Jeff hadn’t killed anyone yet. He was known to be short-tempered and rash at the best of times, and having his entire band of offspring around him every minute of every day was only making it worse. What had he been thinking, inviting them all into his home to meet their newest Sibling? He probably deserved the mess this visit had turned into just for believing it would be a good idea.
Jeff ran his fingers through the dark shook of hair by his side for comfort. The side of his neck, cut open and covered with a thin film of blood, stung with every movement. That particular incident, only a few hours ago, had set his teeth on edge even worse than before; Jared hadn’t fed this sloppily in several weeks now, and Jeff hated having to use the crop on the boy for something he could have easily prevented. Sighing, he let his hand rest on the kid’s side where his undershirt covered the three welts running along his ribs, watched him mumble and twitch away.
He had let him feed again, after the whipping, feeling the boy’s muscles quiver and bunch under his hands. It was time for this whole mess to be over. He’d be sad to see some of them go, Jensen and Daneel most of all, but he could feel himself growing impatient for the day when his brood would finally depart. He wanted time, for himself and the boy, days without intrigue and jibes and jealous backstabbing. He wanted to not have to punish Jared for being nervous. He certainly wanted them all out of the house before the full moon came around. Dealing with a whole dozen of angry, vicious creatures when he himself was at his most volatile would without a doubt end in tears and punishments, if not bloodshed as well.
He had felt their eyes on him when he’d taken Jared upstairs, some gleeful, some shyly disapproving. Jeff had ignored both. It was possible that his methods were outdated, yes, but he didn’t need anyone to tell him he was old-fashioned. It came with the territory. He wasn’t ancient, not by their standards, but as far as he knew, he was still one of the oldest ones out there. There was his Mother, of course, his three Siblings. Some of the other bloodlines had living ancestors, but that was just about it. He remembered the Thirty Years War, for God’s sake. Old-fashioned didn’t even begin to cover it.
Some of the representatives of the other bloodlines tried to talk to him sometimes, about his ‘ways’. His Children knew better than to even try. Both were lucky if Jeff did nothing more than laugh in their faces. His parents had beaten him, so had his masters. He’d gotten hidings for disobeying, for disrespect, for mistakes. No one had cried about damaging a child’s fragile psyche then, and somehow they had all still turned out alright. His Mother had spared the rod, but her sharp tongue had done more than enough to keep him unspoiled and in line. Likewise, his Children knew what to expect when they defied him. When they broke his rules.
Even Jared, after only a few short months, had merely given a short, resigned sigh when he pulled away after feeding and caught sight of the small trail of blood soaking into Jeff’s shirt. Hadn’t even tried to protest, and Jeff had felt a surge of pride for his youngest. The boy slept now, pressed against Jeff’s side, his mouth slack against his nipple. It wasn’t comfortable, but Jared wasn’t twitching fitfully for the first time since this whole mess had started, so Jeff would bear it without complaint.
God, he needed a break. He couldn’t hide Jared away from his Siblings forever, of course, but maybe it was time to end the obnoxious initiation tradition. What was the point of having the kid face the entire family at once? He did just fine when it was just the pair of them and one, maybe two of the others. It was only when there were a whole slew of them that he let them get to him, their jibes and teases and interrogations.
Maybe he should take the boy on vacation. Some island in the Caribbean, maybe, where the moon was bright and the people few. A couple of his older offspring could visit them, maybe. They seemed to be accepting him a lot better than the recent additions to his line.
A quiet, crisp knock startled Jeff out of his reverie. The boy on his shoulder shifted when the muscles underneath his cheek tensed, frowning in his sleep, and Jeff covered his ear with the palm of his hand. He threw the door a sharp look. “Yes?” he called.
“It’s Jensen, Father,” came the reply.
Jensen. Even if Jeff hadn’t recognized the voice, a sharp sniff confirmed the quiet words. “Come on in,” he said, suddenly exhausted. He shouldn’t have to be so on guard in his own house, for Christ’s sake. It was ridiculous.
The door swung open silently. Jensen slipped through the narrow gap with his usual easy grace, nodding to Jeff before he let the lock click shut behind him. “Hey,” he said. He made his way over to them, his Mario Bruni’s silent on the thick carpet. “Heard about the thing with Ashley. She seems to be out for blood.”
“Tell me about it,” Jeff muttered. The thought alone made his jaw go tight with anger. “I was ready for some heads to roll by the end of it.”
“I’m sure,” Jensen said. He hitched up his pants and sank into the chair by Jeff’s bedside table. Nodding towards the dark head resting against Jeff’s chest, he asked, “How’s he holding up?”
Jeff smiled. “See for yourself,” he said.
Jensen blinked, clearly surprised. Jeff really hoped he wasn’t that easy to read at work, otherwise his eldest’s stint into the exciting world of real estate would be very short indeed.
Jensen searched out his eyes with his own, asking for permission, before he leaned over to tuck the strands of hair in Jared’s face carefully behind the boy’s ear. He held his position for a moment, scrutinizing his Brother’s face carefully, before he settled back into his seat.
“Well?” Jeff asked quietly. He drew Jared a little more tightly against his side before he raised an expectant eyebrow at Jensen. “What do you think of your newest Brother?”
Jensen smiled, amused. “Are you going to return him if I don’t like him, Father?”
Jeff gave him a hard look. He was more apt to tolerate cheek from Jensen than from any of his Brothers and Sisters - yes, even Jared - but that didn’t mean he had grown lax. If Jensen thought he had grown soft over this boy, he was in for a harsh surprise.
Catching his expression, Jensen ducked his head with another smile. “I’m sorry,” he said. He leaned forward again to take in Jared’s peaceful lack of expression, tilting his head while he considered. “He adores you,” he finally said. “He’d do anything to please you. Same for his Siblings. Once they realize, they are going to tear him to pieces.”
Jeff turned his head back to Jared to hide his smile. Jensen’s opinion didn’t matter, of course, but they had been companions for more than half of Jeff’s existence now. Hearing him approve of Jared - it was gratifying.
Schooling his face carefully blank, Jeff met his eldest’s gaze again. “Excluding you, of course,” he said.
A small smile curved Jensen’s lips upwards. He reached over to lift up Jeff’s free hand, resting on his stomach, and pressed a dry kiss to the back. “I have eleven younger Brothers and Sisters, Father,” he said. “And then there is you. If I were to manipulate every single one of you, I’d never get a moment’s peace.”
Jeff gave his fingers a light squeeze. They had been together long enough that words were unnecessary here. Their understanding was silent, no more than a look and a quirk of the lips.
“Do you think he’ll grow to be like that?” he finally asked. He couldn’t deny that the thought of Jared, sweet, affectionate Jared, joining the ranks of his conniving siblings stung a little. He had to learn, of course, for survival if nothing else, but Jeff still found himself wanting to delay the inevitable.
His eldest scooted forward in his chair to peer at Jared’s face, a half-frown on his face. He reminded Jeff of Paul, suddenly, seriously scrutinizing the baby sister half-hidden in the crook of his mother’s arm, hundreds of miles and several lifetimes away. Unprepared for it as he was, the memory stung his eyes and made his chest grow tight, but he blinked the thoughts away before Jensen could catch them. Those days were out of reach, now. They had been for a long time.
Jensen hadn’t noticed his unexpected detour into a life long ago, it seemed, still examining Jared’s face. “I think,” he said slowly, “that if you keep him close now, you might be able to keep the hounds at bay. He’s not as shrewd as some of the rest of us were.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure about that,” Jeff said. He looked down at Jared’s sleep-innocent face and grinned. “He’s a bit of a hellion, this one.” He frowned at the disbelieving amusement showing on Jensen’s face. “What?”
Jensen shook his head. “I just find it hard to believe that out of all your offspring, this one is the one you call a hellion. I mean, there’s… you know, me.” He chuckled. “Shiri, Adam. Of course, none of us could ever live up-“ He stopped abruptly, as if realizing that he was about to veer off into dangerous territory, and bit his lip. “Sorry,” he muttered.
Jeff closed his eyes for a moment, refusing to allow the memories to surface. When he opened them again, he found himself looking right at Jared, a light flush on the kid’s cheeks, bangs fluttering with every even breath. He couldn’t help smiling at the sight. “Mr. Babyface here might surprise you, you know,” he said. “When I met him, he had two girlfriends. And a boyfriend on the side.”
Jensen tilted his head in acknowledgement. “Sounds like you’re going to have your hands full with this one.” He shot Jeff a quick look out of the corner of his eyes. He was probably expecting more of a repercussion for mentioning the unmentionable, and in any other situation, there would have been. Jeff didn’t know why, but the steady weight of Jared’s head on his shoulder made him reluctant to get into anything with Jensen right now.
“Maybe,” Jeff said. He waved his free hand at Jared’s head on his chest. “To be honest, he turned out a good deal more attached than I expected him to be.” He chuckled. “Not that I want to jinx it, but this one seems to be more easily tamed than the rest of you.”
“That might change.” Jensen inclined his head. “He has to be a thrill seeker too; otherwise he never would have accepted your proposal.”
“I suppose,” Jeff conceded. He rubbed his hand over his jaw, where his fangs lay hidden until the next full moon, and tried to remember what Jared looked like fully turned, roaring and dangerous. It was hard. Instead, what came to mind was Jared’s pained grimace of only a few minutes ago, hands reaching out for Jeff’s forgiveness.
He leaned down to press his lips to Jared’s forehead. Jared didn’t even stir, but when Jeff pulled away, there was a fleeting look of pain in Jensen’s eyes. Jeff knew it was hard for him sometimes, seeing Jeff’s attention focused entirely on his Siblings. They’d been alone for so many years that Jensen would never doubt Jeff’s affection, but the boy had to feel left to the sidelines sometimes. Especially with little troublemakers like this one becoming part of the family.
“Don’t worry,” he said with a grin, reaching over to ruffle Jensen’s hair. “You’ll always be my good boy.”
“I’m hardly a saint,” his eldest protested, batting at Jeff’s hand. “I was expelled from my craft!”
“For stealing,” Jeff pointed out. “That’s hardly going to make the news.”
Jensen scowled at him, fingering his scarred earlobe. He hated it when Jeff reminded him that compared to some of his Siblings, he was really nothing more than small fry. “It caused quite a stir back then,” he muttered.
“In a town of five hundred people yes,” Jeff said, gently mocking. The truth was, Jensen really had been in major trouble back then, and if it hadn’t been for Jeff, he probably wouldn’t have made it out in one piece. Things had been interesting then, easier in some ways, back when it had been just the two of them, an unfaithful glass blower and an untrustworthy carpenter’s apprentice.
He smirked, opened his mouth to remind Jensen of those two farmer’s daughters in the Swiss Alps, when his reminiscing was cut short by a sharp knock on the door. The door flew open immediately afterwards and Ashley strode in without so much as an apology, a self-righteous expression on her face that had Jeff itching to slap it away. “Father,” she said loudly. Loudly enough that Jared startled upright, still more asleep than awake, and reached for Jeff with a querying sound.
Jeff smoothed the boy’s hair down with a soothing murmur. “Hey, it’s okay,” he whispered to him, drawing both of them upwards to lean against the back rest, before he fixed Ashley with a hard look. “Is there something I can do for you?” he asked.
“I need to talk to you, Father,” she said. Her eyes flickered to the carpet, but Jeff felt more mocked than respected by the gesture. “Without… that, if possible.” She nodded her head towards Jared without looking at him, and Jeff could feel the temper growing in his stomach, hands tightening on the boy.
He looked over when Jensen rose casually, a question in his eyes, and nodded. “Take him,” he said, holding Jared upright until Jensen had scrambled onto the bed, opening his arms for the boy. Jeff eased out of Jared’s vice-like grip and turned him towards his Brother. He soothed the hurt from Jared’s expression with a hand on the back of his neck. “Jensen will take care of you,” he said.
“Come on,” Jensen said, right on cue. He coaxed Jared between his legs, chest to back, and drew the duvet over them both.
Jeff navigated past the bed to face Ashley and smiled. It wasn’t a very nice smile. “You can say your piece,” he said. “But if you don’t want to be around him, you’ll have to go.”
“Fine,” she said flippantly. “You’re just proving my point for me.”
Jeff refrained from asking her if she actually had a point, or if she was just there to stir up trouble. Instead, he took a calming breath and said, “I gather you have a problem with your Brother?”
She scowled at the term but drew herself upright, flicking her hair back. “Yes, I do,” she said. “My problem is that you are completely obsessed with him, in an entirely unhealthy way.”
Jeff opened his mouth to reply, but apparently she wasn’t finished yet. “Plus, he’s unfit for this family.”
Jeff heard Jensen whisper something to Jared behind him but didn’t turn around. “Unfit?” he echoed.
She nodded. “He worked at a porn store, Father. He’s hardly a worthy successor of your line.”
“Is that so?” he asked quietly. Some of his anger had to be reflected in his tone because Ashley fell quiet, watching him stalk closer with wide eyes. “And what exactly made you worthy? Taking classes at a community college and working at a coffee shop that sold lukewarm coffee and stale cookies?”
She flushed, more angry than embarrassed, and balled her hands into fists. She hated being reminded of her pre TV producer days, but it wasn’t like the rest of Jeff’s family was any better. They were all misfits. Daneel had tried to pick Jeff’s pockets the first time they met. Jessica had lost everything when she went to jail for embezzlement. Peter had been scraping together a living as a moonshiner. No one with a successful career, with a house and a dog and a couple ruby-cheeked babies would ever accept what Jeff had to offer.
“That is exactly what I mean!” Ashley said, shrilly. She ignored Jeff’s wince. “Whenever someone dares to criticize the boy, you’re immediately on the defensive. You’ve never been this way with any of us.”
He had to admit that she had a point. With his other Children, Jeff happily sat back and watched them tear into each other. He didn’t know what it was about the boy that made him want to rip apart anyone who dared look at him. It certainly wasn’t that Jared demanded Jeff’s attention more than the others had. He’d been told about his obsessive streak by everyone who dared speak to him that way. Hell, he’d barely let Adam out of bed the first couple of years, which in retrospect probably hadn’t been a very good idea, but Jared was different. There was just something about him that made Jeff want to stuff him into a steel cage and post several heavily armed guards before it. He knew that.
But just because Ashley was right, didn’t mean he wanted to hear it.
“Get out of my sight,” he told her, voice low.
“Listen to me, Father” she said earnestly. “He’s not a part of the family yet. It’s not too late to just make him disappear.”
Jeff growled at her. “I will make you disappear if you don’t show me and him some respect.”
Ashley huffed an exasperated sigh. “Father, he can’t even feed properly!”
Behind him, Jared drew in a sharp breath. He heard Jensen whisper soft words, looked over his shoulder to see his eldest smooth his hands over his Brother’s arms. Jared looked like he might cry.
Jeff clenched his hands into fists. The thought that anyone could reduce the loud, foul-mouthed, mischievous little maverick that he had met at a San Diego coffee shop to this uncertain kid made red-hot violence roll through his body. It made him wish for the moon to be right so that he could really teach these brats something about respect.
For now, though… the old-fashioned way would just have to do. He snatched the crop from the foot of the bed and brought it whistling downwards. She bit off her cry of pain, but the tears in her eyes and the blood welling up across her cheek was gratifying enough. “Get out of my sight!” he snapped.
She didn’t need to be told a third time, fleeing the room with a hateful look towards the bed, one hand pressed to her face. Jeff waited until the door had shut behind her, then he tossed the crop into a corner. Sometimes he wondered what on Earth he had been thinking with most of his brood. Needy, whiny, unpleasant children, the lot of them.
Jeff wanted them gone. He just wanted to sleep; wanted to lie back down on the bed, draw his boys on top of him and rest. To return to the peaceful, easy moments before Ashley had come barging in. But if he went over there right now, there was no chance of Jared not flinching away from him, and that was something he wouldn’t be able to take.
“Take care of him,” he said, not meeting Jensen’s eyes. He couldn’t make himself look at Jared at all when he left, letting the door fall shut behind him. The corridors were wisely deserted. He let out a roar and smacked his fist into the wall, breaking the plaster, barely aware of the blood smeared across his knuckles. He was going to kill her.
He turned to look at his bedroom door, but it was firmly shut and he couldn’t make himself open it. Instead, he turned on his heel and stalked down the corridor, heading for the gym, the shooting range, anywhere he could work off some of the rage boiling in his veins.
And God help anyone who got into his way.
***
Read the next installment: In Times of Trial
Thoughts?