Redemption Chapter 8
“Jenny!” A boisterous voice called over the back of the couch.
“Chaddy!” Jensen answered, dropping his head back on the cushion, viewing the upside down blonde man.
“Dude, good to see you! Been here since yesterday without seeing your gorgeous self; thought you were avoiding me.” Chad came around the front of the couch and extended his hand.
“Nah, can’t miss seeing my main man. Life’s too boring without you in it,” Jensen reached up clasping the other man’s hand, only to be pulled from his seat into a one-armed hug.
“Don’t you forget it, either.” Chad thumped him once on the back then let go. He flopped down on the arm chair, sprawling so his body took up every available inch of space.
“How’s life been treating you?” Jensen settled back on the sofa, grabbing the remote to turn the volume down on the Cowboys game.
“Can’t complain,” Chad smiled, “Doesn’t help if I do anyway. You?”
“Good. Work keeps me pretty busy and these guys keep me on my toes,” he snatched his beer from the coffee table and took a long pull.
“I heard the twins have been subjecting you to their prankster ways.”
“Nothing too major so far. Tied-together shoe laces, whoopee cushions, Superglued my hand to my keys once,” he chuckled, the bottle mouth hovering just above his lips. Shaking his head at the memory of Jared trying to use a cotton swab doused in nail polish remover to unglue his keys from his palm, Jensen took another swallow. “I was worried they were doing it because they were upset over us being together, but Jared assures me this is normal and that they’ve actually showed some restraint.”
“Sounds like it. Watch out for TJ; he’s the mastermind. Don’t let the shyness fool you. All that hair hides his horns.” Chad laughed, eyes drifting to the television where Romo was lying face down on the ground after a spectacular sack.
“Good to know,” Jensen leaned forward to put his beer back on the table, cringing as Romo slowly stumbled to his feet. “Freaking Cowboys,” he muttered.
“Would’ve pegged you for a Broncos fan.” Chad shifted in the chair, frowning. Reaching between the cushion and the arm, he pulled an Iron Man action figure out. He shrugged and tossed it in the direction of the kids’ toy basket in the corner.
“I was diehard during the Elway years. I really thought that the Florida Phenom was going to be our return to glory, but then they traded him to the Jets. Now we’ve got Manning and I don’t know what it is about that guy, I can’t stand him. So I figured since I already root for the Longhorns, I might as well root for the Cowboys, too.”
“Huh.”
Jensen made a non-committal shrug and they lapsed into companionable silence watching the game. Half-way through the second quarter, the twins wandered in, Benji curling up on the couch next to Jensen and TJ climbing into Chad’s lap. Having never watched football before, the two young boys peppered the older men with questions about different calls and plays and Chad marveled at Jensen’s patient answers. For a man who’d never wanted children, Jensen was surprisingly good with them. The front door opened and Jensen craned his neck to see Austin sticking his head in.
“Hey, Jensen, I need to run into the parlor real quick and pick up the vanilla ice cream. You guys mind if I leave Hunter and Dalton here? They’ll have more fun playing with the twins than riding to town.”
Rolling his eyes at the miniature Padalecki Puppy Eyes of Doom, he waved a hand at Austin. “No problem, bro.” No sooner did Jensen get the words out did his nephews come barreling into the house. TJ and Benji jumped up and joined the other two boys in the hallway, all four chorusing “Thanks, Uncle Jensen!” as they stampeded up the stairs.
“Dude, you’re so totally Dad material,” Chad smirked, “The gruesome twosome are head over heels for you.”
“Benji seems to like me well enough, but Teej is still stand-offish. He’s still pretty loyal to Olyphant and I think he’s afraid I’m trying to replace him.” Jensen tried to sound casual, but it actually hurt a little that TJ was so reticent around him.
“Somebody needs to,” Chad mumbled, angrily. “I’ve never understood why that child was so devoted to that asshole.”
“A dog that’s been kicked its whole life will still lick its masters boots because it doesn’t know any different.” Jensen had seen it so many times in Chicago. Children clinging to an abusive parent because in their mind it didn’t matter; that person was still their parent.
Seeing Jensen’s knowing look, Chad blanched. “You know, don’t you?”
“Yeah,” There was no need for elaboration. Chad could only be talking about one thing.
“Jared told you?” The blonde’s eyes were wide with hurt and his tone was incredulous. “Fucker didn’t tell me for four years. I mean I suspected, but he never came out and said. He’s been here, what? Two months…”
“Chill out,” Jensen shot a quick look over his shoulder to make sure that Jared and the boys were out of earshot, “He didn’t tell me. In fact, Jared doesn’t talk about his life in Atlanta, at all. I recognized the signs. I am a cop, remember?!”
“Is that what you do? I thought it was just a gimmick to pick up unsuspecting college kids,” Chad replied, jokingly, but it was only half-hearted. Eyes going uncharacteristically soft, he glanced over at a portrait of Jared and the twins taken the previous Christmas. “He denied it for years,” Chad murmured softly, “covered the worst of it and made excuses for the lighter stuff - fell down the stairs, ran into something, I tripped over my own feet, Chad, You know I’m a clumsy goof, Chad,” he perfectly mimicked Jared’s teasing voice, “I thought that was shit dialogue they wrote for after-school specials. Then I’m sitting there having coffee with my best friend, watching his kids sleeping in a stroller, listening to him say it. I tried everything to get him to tell me…” He shook his head, staring out the window.
Jensen’s eyes raked over the other man, shaken by the broken look on his normally affable face. Olyphant’s abuse had affected more than Jared and the twins, it had touched the people that loved them, too. “Wh-“ he cleared his throat quietly, “What changed?”
Chad pulled his gaze from the window, the simple act seeming to take great effort, and considered Jensen with a confused look. “Changed?”
“What was it that finally made him tell you what was really going on?” Jensen shifted in his seat to fully face Chad, curling one leg up on the cushion.
“The hospital called,” Chad huffed a mirthless laugh.
“The hospital?” Jensen interrupted in surprise, fingers gripping the hem of his jeans.
“Yeah, apparently 911 received a call from Jared’s sons, his four-year-old sons, saying that their Daddy was hurt and wouldn’t wake up. When the paramedics got there TJ wouldn’t talk and Benji kept repeating for them to call me and my phone number. The boys told me later that Jared made them memorize my name and number and told them if anything ever happened to have the police or ambulance call me. I realized then that Jared wasn’t in denial about what Timothy was doing, he was trapped. He never said, but my guess was Timothy either threatened to hurt the kids or take them from him. Jared ended up in the hospital for three days and I kept the twins. When he was released we sat down and had ourselves a little ‘come to Jesus’ meeting.”
“He didn’t try to press charges?” Jensen could feel the anger building. It was one thing to abstractly know something was going on, it was another to have it confirmed. Realizing that he was getting too loud, he lowered his voice, “There had to be an investigation. The paramedics are bound by law to report possible cases of abuse.”
“He told the cops that he’d left the garage door open and someone came in and jumped him. The police nosed around a bit, but then the investigation was dropped without another word.” Chad shrugged, shaking his head.
It sounded to Jensen like Olyphant had friends in the right places. If you were going to beat your lover, it helped to have a thin blue line of protection surrounding you in case you went too far. The bastard was an important business man in Atlanta and it wouldn’t take much to use his influence and money to keep a local LEOs on a short leash. Jensen wondered exactly how many palms Olyphant had to grease to ensure he stayed out of jail. At least it explained why his record was clean. A thought occurred to Jensen and his stomach tightened. According to Manns, all of Timothy’s businesses were bankrupt or on the verge of it except the production company that handled Jared’s photographs. That would mean it was Jared’s money that Olyphant used to keep his abusive activities under wraps.
“They’re happy here. Jared’s happy here,” Chad’s voice startled him out of his thoughts, the blonde nodding to where Jared’s booming laughter was echoing from the kitchen where he was sequestered with the woman cooking, “more than I’ve seen in years. Probably since the day the twins were born,” he snorted, “If anyone deserves it, it’s him and those kids. Don’t mess this up, Ackles. Jared needs a partner - someone who can remind him that love shouldn’t come with a Vicodin prescription - and those boys need a real father who’ll spend time with them and love them. If you can’t be that man, then back out now before they become anymore attached. They’ve had more than their fair share of douches and don’t need another.”
Jensen was taken aback by Chad’s serious tone and vehemence. “Understood. Look, Chad, I know that back in Savannah I wasn’t ready for kids, but that was then and this is now. I want to be a part of this family. I want Teej and Benji to glue my keys to my hands and Jared to complain about the horrible kids he had at his three-thirty sitting. I want the runny noses and midnight fevers, the baseball games and award ceremonies, birthday parties and principal visits. But you know what I want most of all?” He waited for Chad to look him in the eye to make sure the blonde was listening, “I want Jared there beside me. Believe me when I say that I am that man.”
Chad’s mouth hung open a little, his face slack with awe. “I guess you are. Just know, I get one phone call and my Jarebear is anything but ecstatic, I’m gunning for you, Jenny.”
“Ten-four, Chaddy,” he mock saluted.
Chad flipped him off just as a thundering herd descended the stairs, the four boys rushing toward the door. “Heading out to play, Uncle Jensen,” Benji called, hand on the knob.
“Just don’t get dirty or your dad will have all our heads.”
Benji threw open the door and ran straight into Penn, whose hand was raised about to knock. “Whoa, guys. Where’s the emergency?”
“Sorry, Deputy Badgley,” Benji apologized.
“Don’t worry about it, little man. Just slow down or I’ll have to write you a speeding ticket.” He held the door open, allowing the young boys to walk underneath the bridged created by his outstretched arm.
“Yes sir,” Benji answered, eyes wide and serious, scampering after his brother and friends.
Chuckling, Penn shut the door. “Hello? Anyone home? Parental units?”
“In here, Penn,” Jensen called, rising from the couch to greet his friend with a warm handshake. “Glad you could make it, man.”
“Me, too,” Penn transferred a large magazine from one hand to the other and gripped Jensen’s hand firmly. “Hey, Chad.”
“Badger!”
Badger? Jensen mouthed, raising his eyebrows at his fellow officer behind Chad’s back. Receiving a glare in response, he decided to drop the subject for now, but file it away for future station torment.
Dropping the magazine down on the coffee table, Penn sat on the arm of the couch. “Thanks for letting me borrow that, Chad. The photographs were absolutely amazing. There was an article in there about hyperfocal distances that I had a few questions on. You, um, got a few minutes?”
Interest sparkled in Chad’s eyes and Jensen tried to focus on the ballgame, not entirely sure what was going on between his two friends. Picking up his beer bottle again, he took a sip.
“Yeah,” Chad jumped up from his chair, checking the time on the small clock on the wall, “we’ve still got about an hour before this shindig is supposed to start. I have my handheld camera in the car. Come on out and we’ll see if we can’t make things a little clearer.”
Jensen waved dismissively with the hand holding the bottle as the two men made their exit. Just as he was becoming engrossed in the game again, Jared came in and flomped on the couch next to him. Sighing, Jared crossed his arms and stuck his bottom lip out in an exaggerated pout. “It’s my house,” he mumbled.
“They kicked you out of the kitchen, didn’t they?” Jensen laughed at the childish pose and nudged Jared’s ankle with his toe.
“Yes,” Jared answered, petulantly, “They told me if I didn’t have any worthwhile gossip that I was just in the way.”
Jensen snickered. That sounded like something his mom would say.
“Of course, I don’t think it helped my case when I started making gagging noises while Genevieve was talking about the gloriousness of your brother’s ass.”
Jensen shuddered, “That’s an understandable reaction. I’m surprised you didn’t use the ice pick to burst your eardrums.” He patted Jared’s arm consolingly, a smirk playing across his lips.
“It was close, man, I tell ya’,” he snatched Jensen’s beer and took a long swallow, emptying a quarter of the contents in one pull, “But I think what really sealed my fate was my argument that your tushie was better. Your mom said she didn’t want to hear anything more about her sons’ derrieres and that I was a distraction.”
Taking his beer back, frowning at how much was now gone, Jensen turned to face his boyfriend. “Tushie? Seriously, Jay? There’s gotta be some kind of rehab for parents to teach them to talk like adults again after their kids pass the baby stage,” he lifted up and tugged his phone from his pocket, touching the screen to activate it. “You think it’s listed under Baby Talk Therapist or maybe Parent Re-acclimation Specialist?”
“Give me that!” Jared lunged trying to reach his phone, only to have Jensen quickly moving it out of reach, all the while holding his bottle to the side to keep from spilling it. Realizing his attempts were useless and that he was practically in Jensen’s lap, Jared leaned in to give the older man a soft kiss.
“Mmm,” Jensen moaned. Jared tasted a little like pumpkin and cinnamon from taste-testing his pumpkin pie filling, the flavors intoxicating mixed with Jared’s own. “You really defended my ass’s honor in front of my mother?”
“Damn straight!” Jared nodded, settling on the couch beside Jensen again, “Have you seen your ass?” Thinking about it for a minute, Jared made a considering face, “Probably not. It’s kinda hard to see your own ass. Rest assured, it puts all others to shame, including Austin’s.”
“I think I should be slightly disturbed that you’ve been staring at Austin’s ass long enough to compare,” Jensen winked, leaning in to steal another kiss.
“No worries, stud. Your ass is the only one I’m interested in.” Jared nestled into Jensen’s side to watch the last quarter of the game.
During a commercial break, Jensen peered outside to check on the kids. Frowning, he jostled the shoulder under Jared’s head to get his attention. “Hey.”
“Hmmm,” Jared sleepily shifted to face him, eyes hooded in relaxation, a look Jensen could get used to seeing on the other man.
He jutted his chin toward the large picture window where Penn and Chad could be seen on the front porch swing sitting a little too close for casual acquaintances. “What’s up with them?”
Jared rolled his head to see what Jensen was referring to and shrugged. “Penn came by last night to drop off that punch bowl your mother asked him to bring and I introduced them. They seemed to hit it off right away. I finally went to bed around midnight and they were still going strong.” Jared watched as Chad threw his head back and laughed at something Penn said, the younger man blushing at the reaction.
“You think it’s one of Chad’s weekend things?” Jensen unconsciously nuzzled into Jared hair, his nose slotting into the long locks and inhaling the fresh scent of his shampoo. “You said he was talking about moving out here to be closer to you and the kids. Was that before or after he met Penn?”
“This morning actually,” Jared watched the two men closely, something about Chad’s behavior was off. He studied them as ads for Black Friday jingled in the background, Santa hocking everything from snow blowers to Barbie dolls, and just as Aikman began the recap of the pigskin activity before the break, it hit Jared. Chad’s usually over-the-top personality was more subdued, the charm washing over Penn in gentle waves instead of the normal tsunami. Chad’s smiles were shy and almost demure, his touches more caresses than gropes. Eyes flicking to Penn, Jared could see the young officer soaking up the attention, his face open and completely enamored. “Aw, crap!”
“What?” Jensen had turned back to the television to see the replay of the Redskins’ touchdown drive, cringing at the whiffed tackles by the Dallas defense, when Jared spoke. Following his gaze, he pursed his lips at the intimate image the two men outside were creating. “JG’s gonna be heartsick.”
Sighing deeply, Jared smiled up at Jensen. “Afraid so, but there’s nothing that can be done about it now. I don’t think turning the hose on ‘em, is gonna work. ”
Tightening his arm around Jared’s shoulders, pressing him closer to his side, Jensen placed a kiss to Jared’s temple. “Only thing to do is let it play out and be there for JG to help pick up the pieces. I guess it’s better it was Chad than someone local.”
Nodding his head in agreement, Jared settled it on Jensen’s shoulder and let the smell of his boyfriend’s skin wash over him, reveling again at the lack of cologne. He closed his eyes and absorbed the warmth of being held, the play-by-play a soothing background.
They passed the beer back and forth between them, greeting new arrivals as they entered, and refused to move until it was time to corral the kids to wash up and change clothes.
*****
Long tables were set up in Jared’s back yard, burgundy linen table cloths fluttering in the slight November breeze. It was probably the last weekend that they could comfortably spend outside, fortunate that winter had held off for this celebration. Paper lanterns had been strung from the eaves of the house to the surrounding oak trees, interwoven between strands of white lights, to create a fabric of soft illumination overhead that warmed the eating space as the sun set without being obtrusive. Dozens of people had showed up and Jensen allowed his gaze to travel over each face, friends new and old, their presence feeling right and comforting.
A small table to the side had been claimed by the children as their domain, the chairs filled with a variety of ages ranging from little BethAnn Shoemaker, just turned three and only visible over the edge of the table because of the phone book she was sitting on, to Rusty Harper, eleven and firmly rooted in the awkward no-man’s land of adolescence, where you weren’t a kid anymore, but not a teenager either. Benji and TJ were seated at one end, TJ carefully scooping Benji’s carrots on to his plate and Benji more sloppily transferring TJ’s cranberry sauce to his, both darting looks at their Daddy whose back was to them. Feeling his gaze on them, they turned simultaneously - something they did often and Jensen still hadn’t become used to - with guilty looks. Smirking at them, Jensen winked and moved his attention to his own table.
This table had been reserved for closest friends and relatives. His father sat at the head of the table opposite him with his mother to his right. The sides were lined by those he held dear - Chris, Steve, Austin, Genevieve, Chad, Penn, Jim and Sam - while the surrounding tables were filled to the brim with other townspeople. Sandy and Milo were talking with Danneel and Tom Hardy while Jeffrey Dean, the town doctor, checked his pager before returning to his conversation with Misha and his wife, Vicky. Jensen continued to scan the crowd, noting the people he should speak to before they left and hadn’t had the opportunity - the Shaws, curbing their cantankerous ways in lieu of the holiday and a free meal, and Amber Benson, Jared’s boss. He smiled as everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves, feeling that somehow this was the way it was supposed to be. Something kicked his shin under the table and he snapped his eyes over to Jared’s mischievously smiling face.
“What are you grinning at?” Jensen felt his heart warm at Jared’s questioning smile and soft eyes. If he hadn’t realized it before, he knew now. He was in love with Jared, maybe never stopped being in the first place.
Cupping a hand to the side of Jared’s face and leaning in for a chaste kiss, he grinned sappily, “Just thankful, that’s all.”
Part B
“Chaddy!” Jensen answered, dropping his head back on the cushion, viewing the upside down blonde man.
“Dude, good to see you! Been here since yesterday without seeing your gorgeous self; thought you were avoiding me.” Chad came around the front of the couch and extended his hand.
“Nah, can’t miss seeing my main man. Life’s too boring without you in it,” Jensen reached up clasping the other man’s hand, only to be pulled from his seat into a one-armed hug.
“Don’t you forget it, either.” Chad thumped him once on the back then let go. He flopped down on the arm chair, sprawling so his body took up every available inch of space.
“How’s life been treating you?” Jensen settled back on the sofa, grabbing the remote to turn the volume down on the Cowboys game.
“Can’t complain,” Chad smiled, “Doesn’t help if I do anyway. You?”
“Good. Work keeps me pretty busy and these guys keep me on my toes,” he snatched his beer from the coffee table and took a long pull.
“I heard the twins have been subjecting you to their prankster ways.”
“Nothing too major so far. Tied-together shoe laces, whoopee cushions, Superglued my hand to my keys once,” he chuckled, the bottle mouth hovering just above his lips. Shaking his head at the memory of Jared trying to use a cotton swab doused in nail polish remover to unglue his keys from his palm, Jensen took another swallow. “I was worried they were doing it because they were upset over us being together, but Jared assures me this is normal and that they’ve actually showed some restraint.”
“Sounds like it. Watch out for TJ; he’s the mastermind. Don’t let the shyness fool you. All that hair hides his horns.” Chad laughed, eyes drifting to the television where Romo was lying face down on the ground after a spectacular sack.
“Good to know,” Jensen leaned forward to put his beer back on the table, cringing as Romo slowly stumbled to his feet. “Freaking Cowboys,” he muttered.
“Would’ve pegged you for a Broncos fan.” Chad shifted in the chair, frowning. Reaching between the cushion and the arm, he pulled an Iron Man action figure out. He shrugged and tossed it in the direction of the kids’ toy basket in the corner.
“I was diehard during the Elway years. I really thought that the Florida Phenom was going to be our return to glory, but then they traded him to the Jets. Now we’ve got Manning and I don’t know what it is about that guy, I can’t stand him. So I figured since I already root for the Longhorns, I might as well root for the Cowboys, too.”
“Huh.”
Jensen made a non-committal shrug and they lapsed into companionable silence watching the game. Half-way through the second quarter, the twins wandered in, Benji curling up on the couch next to Jensen and TJ climbing into Chad’s lap. Having never watched football before, the two young boys peppered the older men with questions about different calls and plays and Chad marveled at Jensen’s patient answers. For a man who’d never wanted children, Jensen was surprisingly good with them. The front door opened and Jensen craned his neck to see Austin sticking his head in.
“Hey, Jensen, I need to run into the parlor real quick and pick up the vanilla ice cream. You guys mind if I leave Hunter and Dalton here? They’ll have more fun playing with the twins than riding to town.”
Rolling his eyes at the miniature Padalecki Puppy Eyes of Doom, he waved a hand at Austin. “No problem, bro.” No sooner did Jensen get the words out did his nephews come barreling into the house. TJ and Benji jumped up and joined the other two boys in the hallway, all four chorusing “Thanks, Uncle Jensen!” as they stampeded up the stairs.
“Dude, you’re so totally Dad material,” Chad smirked, “The gruesome twosome are head over heels for you.”
“Benji seems to like me well enough, but Teej is still stand-offish. He’s still pretty loyal to Olyphant and I think he’s afraid I’m trying to replace him.” Jensen tried to sound casual, but it actually hurt a little that TJ was so reticent around him.
“Somebody needs to,” Chad mumbled, angrily. “I’ve never understood why that child was so devoted to that asshole.”
“A dog that’s been kicked its whole life will still lick its masters boots because it doesn’t know any different.” Jensen had seen it so many times in Chicago. Children clinging to an abusive parent because in their mind it didn’t matter; that person was still their parent.
Seeing Jensen’s knowing look, Chad blanched. “You know, don’t you?”
“Yeah,” There was no need for elaboration. Chad could only be talking about one thing.
“Jared told you?” The blonde’s eyes were wide with hurt and his tone was incredulous. “Fucker didn’t tell me for four years. I mean I suspected, but he never came out and said. He’s been here, what? Two months…”
“Chill out,” Jensen shot a quick look over his shoulder to make sure that Jared and the boys were out of earshot, “He didn’t tell me. In fact, Jared doesn’t talk about his life in Atlanta, at all. I recognized the signs. I am a cop, remember?!”
“Is that what you do? I thought it was just a gimmick to pick up unsuspecting college kids,” Chad replied, jokingly, but it was only half-hearted. Eyes going uncharacteristically soft, he glanced over at a portrait of Jared and the twins taken the previous Christmas. “He denied it for years,” Chad murmured softly, “covered the worst of it and made excuses for the lighter stuff - fell down the stairs, ran into something, I tripped over my own feet, Chad, You know I’m a clumsy goof, Chad,” he perfectly mimicked Jared’s teasing voice, “I thought that was shit dialogue they wrote for after-school specials. Then I’m sitting there having coffee with my best friend, watching his kids sleeping in a stroller, listening to him say it. I tried everything to get him to tell me…” He shook his head, staring out the window.
Jensen’s eyes raked over the other man, shaken by the broken look on his normally affable face. Olyphant’s abuse had affected more than Jared and the twins, it had touched the people that loved them, too. “Wh-“ he cleared his throat quietly, “What changed?”
Chad pulled his gaze from the window, the simple act seeming to take great effort, and considered Jensen with a confused look. “Changed?”
“What was it that finally made him tell you what was really going on?” Jensen shifted in his seat to fully face Chad, curling one leg up on the cushion.
“The hospital called,” Chad huffed a mirthless laugh.
“The hospital?” Jensen interrupted in surprise, fingers gripping the hem of his jeans.
“Yeah, apparently 911 received a call from Jared’s sons, his four-year-old sons, saying that their Daddy was hurt and wouldn’t wake up. When the paramedics got there TJ wouldn’t talk and Benji kept repeating for them to call me and my phone number. The boys told me later that Jared made them memorize my name and number and told them if anything ever happened to have the police or ambulance call me. I realized then that Jared wasn’t in denial about what Timothy was doing, he was trapped. He never said, but my guess was Timothy either threatened to hurt the kids or take them from him. Jared ended up in the hospital for three days and I kept the twins. When he was released we sat down and had ourselves a little ‘come to Jesus’ meeting.”
“He didn’t try to press charges?” Jensen could feel the anger building. It was one thing to abstractly know something was going on, it was another to have it confirmed. Realizing that he was getting too loud, he lowered his voice, “There had to be an investigation. The paramedics are bound by law to report possible cases of abuse.”
“He told the cops that he’d left the garage door open and someone came in and jumped him. The police nosed around a bit, but then the investigation was dropped without another word.” Chad shrugged, shaking his head.
It sounded to Jensen like Olyphant had friends in the right places. If you were going to beat your lover, it helped to have a thin blue line of protection surrounding you in case you went too far. The bastard was an important business man in Atlanta and it wouldn’t take much to use his influence and money to keep a local LEOs on a short leash. Jensen wondered exactly how many palms Olyphant had to grease to ensure he stayed out of jail. At least it explained why his record was clean. A thought occurred to Jensen and his stomach tightened. According to Manns, all of Timothy’s businesses were bankrupt or on the verge of it except the production company that handled Jared’s photographs. That would mean it was Jared’s money that Olyphant used to keep his abusive activities under wraps.
“They’re happy here. Jared’s happy here,” Chad’s voice startled him out of his thoughts, the blonde nodding to where Jared’s booming laughter was echoing from the kitchen where he was sequestered with the woman cooking, “more than I’ve seen in years. Probably since the day the twins were born,” he snorted, “If anyone deserves it, it’s him and those kids. Don’t mess this up, Ackles. Jared needs a partner - someone who can remind him that love shouldn’t come with a Vicodin prescription - and those boys need a real father who’ll spend time with them and love them. If you can’t be that man, then back out now before they become anymore attached. They’ve had more than their fair share of douches and don’t need another.”
Jensen was taken aback by Chad’s serious tone and vehemence. “Understood. Look, Chad, I know that back in Savannah I wasn’t ready for kids, but that was then and this is now. I want to be a part of this family. I want Teej and Benji to glue my keys to my hands and Jared to complain about the horrible kids he had at his three-thirty sitting. I want the runny noses and midnight fevers, the baseball games and award ceremonies, birthday parties and principal visits. But you know what I want most of all?” He waited for Chad to look him in the eye to make sure the blonde was listening, “I want Jared there beside me. Believe me when I say that I am that man.”
Chad’s mouth hung open a little, his face slack with awe. “I guess you are. Just know, I get one phone call and my Jarebear is anything but ecstatic, I’m gunning for you, Jenny.”
“Ten-four, Chaddy,” he mock saluted.
Chad flipped him off just as a thundering herd descended the stairs, the four boys rushing toward the door. “Heading out to play, Uncle Jensen,” Benji called, hand on the knob.
“Just don’t get dirty or your dad will have all our heads.”
Benji threw open the door and ran straight into Penn, whose hand was raised about to knock. “Whoa, guys. Where’s the emergency?”
“Sorry, Deputy Badgley,” Benji apologized.
“Don’t worry about it, little man. Just slow down or I’ll have to write you a speeding ticket.” He held the door open, allowing the young boys to walk underneath the bridged created by his outstretched arm.
“Yes sir,” Benji answered, eyes wide and serious, scampering after his brother and friends.
Chuckling, Penn shut the door. “Hello? Anyone home? Parental units?”
“In here, Penn,” Jensen called, rising from the couch to greet his friend with a warm handshake. “Glad you could make it, man.”
“Me, too,” Penn transferred a large magazine from one hand to the other and gripped Jensen’s hand firmly. “Hey, Chad.”
“Badger!”
Badger? Jensen mouthed, raising his eyebrows at his fellow officer behind Chad’s back. Receiving a glare in response, he decided to drop the subject for now, but file it away for future station torment.
Dropping the magazine down on the coffee table, Penn sat on the arm of the couch. “Thanks for letting me borrow that, Chad. The photographs were absolutely amazing. There was an article in there about hyperfocal distances that I had a few questions on. You, um, got a few minutes?”
Interest sparkled in Chad’s eyes and Jensen tried to focus on the ballgame, not entirely sure what was going on between his two friends. Picking up his beer bottle again, he took a sip.
“Yeah,” Chad jumped up from his chair, checking the time on the small clock on the wall, “we’ve still got about an hour before this shindig is supposed to start. I have my handheld camera in the car. Come on out and we’ll see if we can’t make things a little clearer.”
Jensen waved dismissively with the hand holding the bottle as the two men made their exit. Just as he was becoming engrossed in the game again, Jared came in and flomped on the couch next to him. Sighing, Jared crossed his arms and stuck his bottom lip out in an exaggerated pout. “It’s my house,” he mumbled.
“They kicked you out of the kitchen, didn’t they?” Jensen laughed at the childish pose and nudged Jared’s ankle with his toe.
“Yes,” Jared answered, petulantly, “They told me if I didn’t have any worthwhile gossip that I was just in the way.”
Jensen snickered. That sounded like something his mom would say.
“Of course, I don’t think it helped my case when I started making gagging noises while Genevieve was talking about the gloriousness of your brother’s ass.”
Jensen shuddered, “That’s an understandable reaction. I’m surprised you didn’t use the ice pick to burst your eardrums.” He patted Jared’s arm consolingly, a smirk playing across his lips.
“It was close, man, I tell ya’,” he snatched Jensen’s beer and took a long swallow, emptying a quarter of the contents in one pull, “But I think what really sealed my fate was my argument that your tushie was better. Your mom said she didn’t want to hear anything more about her sons’ derrieres and that I was a distraction.”
Taking his beer back, frowning at how much was now gone, Jensen turned to face his boyfriend. “Tushie? Seriously, Jay? There’s gotta be some kind of rehab for parents to teach them to talk like adults again after their kids pass the baby stage,” he lifted up and tugged his phone from his pocket, touching the screen to activate it. “You think it’s listed under Baby Talk Therapist or maybe Parent Re-acclimation Specialist?”
“Give me that!” Jared lunged trying to reach his phone, only to have Jensen quickly moving it out of reach, all the while holding his bottle to the side to keep from spilling it. Realizing his attempts were useless and that he was practically in Jensen’s lap, Jared leaned in to give the older man a soft kiss.
“Mmm,” Jensen moaned. Jared tasted a little like pumpkin and cinnamon from taste-testing his pumpkin pie filling, the flavors intoxicating mixed with Jared’s own. “You really defended my ass’s honor in front of my mother?”
“Damn straight!” Jared nodded, settling on the couch beside Jensen again, “Have you seen your ass?” Thinking about it for a minute, Jared made a considering face, “Probably not. It’s kinda hard to see your own ass. Rest assured, it puts all others to shame, including Austin’s.”
“I think I should be slightly disturbed that you’ve been staring at Austin’s ass long enough to compare,” Jensen winked, leaning in to steal another kiss.
“No worries, stud. Your ass is the only one I’m interested in.” Jared nestled into Jensen’s side to watch the last quarter of the game.
During a commercial break, Jensen peered outside to check on the kids. Frowning, he jostled the shoulder under Jared’s head to get his attention. “Hey.”
“Hmmm,” Jared sleepily shifted to face him, eyes hooded in relaxation, a look Jensen could get used to seeing on the other man.
He jutted his chin toward the large picture window where Penn and Chad could be seen on the front porch swing sitting a little too close for casual acquaintances. “What’s up with them?”
Jared rolled his head to see what Jensen was referring to and shrugged. “Penn came by last night to drop off that punch bowl your mother asked him to bring and I introduced them. They seemed to hit it off right away. I finally went to bed around midnight and they were still going strong.” Jared watched as Chad threw his head back and laughed at something Penn said, the younger man blushing at the reaction.
“You think it’s one of Chad’s weekend things?” Jensen unconsciously nuzzled into Jared hair, his nose slotting into the long locks and inhaling the fresh scent of his shampoo. “You said he was talking about moving out here to be closer to you and the kids. Was that before or after he met Penn?”
“This morning actually,” Jared watched the two men closely, something about Chad’s behavior was off. He studied them as ads for Black Friday jingled in the background, Santa hocking everything from snow blowers to Barbie dolls, and just as Aikman began the recap of the pigskin activity before the break, it hit Jared. Chad’s usually over-the-top personality was more subdued, the charm washing over Penn in gentle waves instead of the normal tsunami. Chad’s smiles were shy and almost demure, his touches more caresses than gropes. Eyes flicking to Penn, Jared could see the young officer soaking up the attention, his face open and completely enamored. “Aw, crap!”
“What?” Jensen had turned back to the television to see the replay of the Redskins’ touchdown drive, cringing at the whiffed tackles by the Dallas defense, when Jared spoke. Following his gaze, he pursed his lips at the intimate image the two men outside were creating. “JG’s gonna be heartsick.”
Sighing deeply, Jared smiled up at Jensen. “Afraid so, but there’s nothing that can be done about it now. I don’t think turning the hose on ‘em, is gonna work. ”
Tightening his arm around Jared’s shoulders, pressing him closer to his side, Jensen placed a kiss to Jared’s temple. “Only thing to do is let it play out and be there for JG to help pick up the pieces. I guess it’s better it was Chad than someone local.”
Nodding his head in agreement, Jared settled it on Jensen’s shoulder and let the smell of his boyfriend’s skin wash over him, reveling again at the lack of cologne. He closed his eyes and absorbed the warmth of being held, the play-by-play a soothing background.
They passed the beer back and forth between them, greeting new arrivals as they entered, and refused to move until it was time to corral the kids to wash up and change clothes.
*****
Long tables were set up in Jared’s back yard, burgundy linen table cloths fluttering in the slight November breeze. It was probably the last weekend that they could comfortably spend outside, fortunate that winter had held off for this celebration. Paper lanterns had been strung from the eaves of the house to the surrounding oak trees, interwoven between strands of white lights, to create a fabric of soft illumination overhead that warmed the eating space as the sun set without being obtrusive. Dozens of people had showed up and Jensen allowed his gaze to travel over each face, friends new and old, their presence feeling right and comforting.
A small table to the side had been claimed by the children as their domain, the chairs filled with a variety of ages ranging from little BethAnn Shoemaker, just turned three and only visible over the edge of the table because of the phone book she was sitting on, to Rusty Harper, eleven and firmly rooted in the awkward no-man’s land of adolescence, where you weren’t a kid anymore, but not a teenager either. Benji and TJ were seated at one end, TJ carefully scooping Benji’s carrots on to his plate and Benji more sloppily transferring TJ’s cranberry sauce to his, both darting looks at their Daddy whose back was to them. Feeling his gaze on them, they turned simultaneously - something they did often and Jensen still hadn’t become used to - with guilty looks. Smirking at them, Jensen winked and moved his attention to his own table.
This table had been reserved for closest friends and relatives. His father sat at the head of the table opposite him with his mother to his right. The sides were lined by those he held dear - Chris, Steve, Austin, Genevieve, Chad, Penn, Jim and Sam - while the surrounding tables were filled to the brim with other townspeople. Sandy and Milo were talking with Danneel and Tom Hardy while Jeffrey Dean, the town doctor, checked his pager before returning to his conversation with Misha and his wife, Vicky. Jensen continued to scan the crowd, noting the people he should speak to before they left and hadn’t had the opportunity - the Shaws, curbing their cantankerous ways in lieu of the holiday and a free meal, and Amber Benson, Jared’s boss. He smiled as everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves, feeling that somehow this was the way it was supposed to be. Something kicked his shin under the table and he snapped his eyes over to Jared’s mischievously smiling face.
“What are you grinning at?” Jensen felt his heart warm at Jared’s questioning smile and soft eyes. If he hadn’t realized it before, he knew now. He was in love with Jared, maybe never stopped being in the first place.
Cupping a hand to the side of Jared’s face and leaning in for a chaste kiss, he grinned sappily, “Just thankful, that’s all.”
Part B