J2 - An Unexpected Love - Chapter 6A/16 - Mpreg
Title : An Unexpected Love 6A/16
Rating : R
Word Count : 7206/57,075
Disclaimer : Really if they belonged to me do you think I'd have time to be posting.
Warnings : Talk of past abuse, Mpreg
Author : angels3 aka Angela
Beta : munibunny
Art and Soundtrack : ldyghst
Additional Art : wincest_drarry
Characters : Jensen/Jared, Steve/Chris, there may be more pairings along the way I'm not sure at the moment.Mike, Tom, Chad, Sandy, Sophia and Joshua Jackson will all be in this fic. There may be others as I find myself needing more characters.
Summary : Grief stricken over the death of his brother, cynical movie maverick Jared Padalecki did the unthinkable - he sought comfort in the arms of his brother's fiancee. The morning after, they both realized their mistake and left for their separate lives. Only Jared can't forget Jensen's soft lips and beautiful eyes. Even as Jared was beginning to think he had to see him again, Jensen came to him.
Jensen was pregnant with his child. His - not his brother's. Jared knew he wanted Jensen more than he'd ever wanted any other woman or man.
First he had to marry him.
Then he had to make Jensen love him.
Author Notes : I am basing this story off a book I read fourteen years ago. I do actually have the book but I will not be using it to write this story. I will be going from my memory of what happened in it, there will be some things that run the way the book did and lots that will not as this is a J2 and mpreg on top of that. The only thing that will be word for word, and then not really, will be the summary since I couldn't do it justice any other way.
Based on the book Scandals by JoAnn Ross
Harlequin Temptation Sept.1994 #506
Chapters 1 2 3 4A 4B 5A 5B 5C 6A 6B 7A 7B 8A 8B 9A 9B 10 11A 11B 12A 12B 13A 13B 14 15A 15B 16
Art and Soundtrack
Additonal Art
Jared spent the first couple of days getting used to the routine of Jensen getting up in the morning and keeping the toilet company. He'd already known Jensen was having a hard time with morning sickness but there was a difference between knowing about it and witnessing it Jared hated the feeling of helplessness. The only thing he could do was wet the washcloth and have a glass of water ready for Jensen to rinse with between bouts of toilet hugging. He despised that Jensen had been doing this on his own for six weeks, even more.
He'd finally called his mom after the first day, positive that no matter what the books and websites said nor Jensen's reassurances, it couldn't be healthy for the man or the baby to be losing everything he ate. Sherri assured him it was, unfortunately, a normal part of most pregnancies, but if it was still bothering him when Jensen had his next doctor's appointment to make sure and ask. That brought up something else he needed to remember to ask Jensen, so he could tell Chad not to schedule anything those days because he had all intentions of being there at every appointment from now on.
Jensen was standing in the solarium looking around when Jared finally found him. He'd asked if Jensen wanted help setting up the rest of his equipment the day before, but Jensen had wanted to get the rest of his things in his room straight before he tackled his painting.
"Hey, I'm going to make some breakfast. Do you just want toast or do you want to try for something a little heavier?" Jared asked.
"What do you mean by heavier?" Jensen asked as he turned around and quirked an eyebrow.
Jared had to shove his hands in his pockets to keep from reaching out and grabbing the man in front of him. Jensen was wearing a t-shirt and sweat pants which really shouldn't have looked so damn good, but they hung low enough that Jared could see a thin strip of skin where Jensen's shirt had ridden up. If that weren't enough, his husband was barefoot, his hair was mussed from sleep, there was a light shadow of stubble over his jaw, and he was wearing glasses.
Jared almost whimpered. He didn't think he had a glasses kink, couldn't even remember them being something that had revved his engine before, but Jensen in glasses had him going from zero to sixty in two seconds flat. He moved to stand behind the chair, hoping to hide his very physical reaction to Jensen's appearance, profoundly grateful that he seemed to be oblivious to his effect on those around him.
"Well, mom said to stay away from things that were real greasy, but I though if you felt up to it, I could make some pancakes," Jared finally answered, trying not to appear brain dead.
"You called your mom?"
"I was worried about the morning sickness," Jared answered, shrugging.
"The doctor said it was normal." Jensen paused for a second and then couldn't help himself. "What did your mom say?"
"Oh, um..." Jared stalled, seeing his chance to ask about the appointment without it sounding intrusive. "She pretty much said the same thing, that and stay away from greasy stuff. She said bland things are better right after and if you feel nauseated, but if you're feeling pretty good you can try other things. She said if I was still worried to ask the doctor the next time you went."
"Ok," Jensen answered, relief at having the doctor’s words echoed by Jared's mom. "Did she say anything about heart burn?"
Jared was a little taken back by the question, but he remembered reading something about that. "No, but the book says there would be some of that too."
"Yeah, it's just nice to hear it from someone whose actually lived it," Jensen said, shrugging.
"You can always call and ask."
"Maybe," Jensen said, a blush coloring his cheeks.
Jared watched Jensen look around the room and shift from foot to foot, realizing he was actually uncomfortable calling and asking.
"Did you ask your doctor the last time you went?"
"No, it's just started not too long ago," Jensen confessed, blushing again.
"When's your next appointment?"
"Not for another two weeks. I think it's the 27th. I have to go once a month right now as long as everything goes well."
"That's too far away. How about we go and get some breakfast, and then we can call mom later? We'll see what she says. If she doesn't have a suggestion, we can always call the doctor’s office."
"It's not that bad, honest. I just thought maybe she might have mentioned it. It's really not that important," Jensen said.
"It is important. There's no reason you should have to make do with it if there's something that can be done. I mean, there's going to be a whole lot we don't have any control over as it is, so if there's a way to help, then I'm going to make sure you get it." Jared stated firmly. He didn't know why Jensen felt like he needed to deal with things alone, but he was going to make damn sure he didn't have to.
"Okay," Jensen said, slowly trying to work out whether he should be irritated or not. He finally decided if it was taking him this long to figure it out then he obviously wasn't angry. "Do you need any help with breakfast?'
"Nope, I've got it all under control. What were you doing before I came in?"
"I'm trying to figure out what kind of storage system to use in here. I still want to keep my drying racks, but it would be nice to have somewhere to store my paintings after they're set. That way, I don't have to make a special trip into the gallery just to make room for more."
"Why don't you grab the laptop and come in the kitchen? You can do a search until you find something you like, and maybe I can help while I cook," Jared suggested.
"It might be easier to decide what I need before I decide where it goes," Jensen acknowledged as he followed Jared down the hall.
Jared started pulling ingredients out of the refrigerator and cabinets while Jensen went to retrieve the laptop. He had just started mixing everything together when Jensen padded back into the kitchen and slid into the chair next to the window. The sun was shining in through the open curtains lighting him in a warm glow. Jared hadn't realized he'd stopped stirring and was just starring until Jensen cleared his throat.
"What?" Jared asked, assuming he'd missed something.
"I asked if you were planning on going anywhere today?" Jensen repeated, looking at him curiously.
Jared could feel his face flush at being caught gawking. "Yeah, actually I was just thinking I needed to run by the office, and we could stop by your place and pick up that other rack today," Jared answered, giving himself a mental pat on the back for a halfway decent save.
Jensen didn't look completely convinced, but he gave a small shrug anyway. "Do you think we'd have time to stop by the bakery? I promised Sophia I'd introduce you, and if I don't do it soon, she'll be mounting a full scale attack on the garden wall," he finished sheepishly.
"I'd love to meet your friend, and we're not rushed to do anything this week." Jared thought about it a second, "Well, I'm not. I had Chad cancel everything this week, but I know you’re still trying to get ready for your show."
Jensen had been wondering when Jared was planning on going back to work. He hadn't realized he'd taken the whole week off and the gesture made him feel an unexpected surge of warmth and a cold dash of guilt.
"I probably need to get something done this weekend, but I'd like to take a few days and settle in, maybe get used to things a little and straighten out my supplies so whatever you wanted to do is fine."
Jared watched as Jensen went back to concentrating on the screen in front of him. His brow was furrowed as he scrolled through websites and mulled over choices. He almost burnt the first batch of pancakes when he glanced over to find Jensen with his lower lip caught between his teeth, worrying the flesh until it was bright red and swollen. Jared groaned under his breath and turned back just in time to flip the stack and adjust himself, hopefully without Jensen noticing.
"Did you find anything?" Jared asked a few minutes later as he sat the platter on the table and slid into the seat next to Jensen.
"I think so, but I was wondering if you think the frame could be done in the same wood as the floor?"
"Probably. Doesn't it need to be metal, though, so you can vent it or something so the painting will dry?"
"The inside will be slotted to keep the air flowing through it, but this is just going to be for storage, and I want the outside framework to be finished looking. I was thinking I could maybe make a small room in the solarium that I could put my racks in. That way, it wouldn't make the room look trashy. I don't want to bring my stuff in here and make part of your house look junky."
"To start with it's our house now, and I told you the solarium was never used anyway, but if you want to make it attractive because *you* want *to* then I'll call Erin. She's the one who did the bookcases in the study. I need to call her anyway about redoing one of the rooms into a library. Oh, and I was thinking we might want to do something different in the living room to house all the extra CD's and DVD's and still have room for adding more," Jared said around a forkfull of pancake.
"How did she move those things?" Jensen asked, referring to the massive bookcases that had been built on site.
"It's actually Erin and her brother Preston. They went into business together right after Erin got out of high school. They went to college at night and over the internet for business, but the woodworking they already knew, learned it from their grandfather. They usually work separate jobs because they're in demand, but if there's something the other needs help with then they just work together until they don't need help anymore. Did you find something that you think will work?"
"Yeah, but it's not exactly what I want," Jensen said, pushing the laptop aside to focus all his attention on his breakfast.
Jared was pleased to see Jensen eat a decent amount of food. He just hoped it stayed down.
"Why don't you just draw what kind of storage unit you want?" Jared blurted out. It had dawned on him they had both overlooked the most obvious solution to the problem.
Jensen sat blinking at him for a few seconds, his fork halfway to his mouth, before he lowered it and leaned back in his chair, a look of disbelief crossing his face.
"I never even thought about it and, usually, I‘d have just picked up whatever was lying around and started sketching. I swear, my brain has turned to mush and leaked out my ears," Jensen stated grimly.
"Your brain hasn't leaked out anywhere," Jared said, frowning at Jensen for putting himself down. "I think it's overloaded. I mean, hell, look at everything that's been going on in the last two months. It's a wonder you haven't forgotten how to draw. Do you have a calendar or something where you write down all the appointments you have?"
The blank look Jensen was leveling at him was all the answer Jared needed. It also explained why he hadn't been able to accidentally discover the date and time of Jensen's doctor's appointment or his art showing.
"Well, I can't remember anything if I don't have it written down on the calendar in the office so if you want to add yours to mine, then I'll be able to remind you if you've got something coming up, and you'll be able to do the same for me. Chad will think I don't need him anymore and be nicer to me." Jared grinned at the idea of messing with Chad.
"You know, one day he's going to quit and then where will you be?" Jensen asked, shaking his head.
"Nah, nobody else could put up with him."
"He would probably say the same about you," Jensen snarked, ducking his head to avoid the paper towel Jared threw his way.
They finished breakfast and both went upstairs to change before meeting back in the office. Jensen had taken a quick shower when he'd seen his hair poking out all over his head like a porcupine. Jared was on the phone when he walked in so he sat down in one of the over stuffed chairs by the window and opened the sketch pad he'd grabbed, his hand flying over the page, bits of Jared's conversation flittering past his concentration.
"No, he's going to draw it....."
"Yes, it will be more than a box......"
Jensen looked up at Jared, arching an eyebrow, but Jared just shook his head, so he went back to drawing out what he needed. When he finished, Jared was still going over plans for the new library, so he decided to go in search of a tape measure. He finally found the toolbox in the garage ten minutes later. Luckily, Jared was pretty anal about his tools and the tape measure was easy to locate. He had the measurements for everything by the time Jared found him half an hour later.
"I was wondering where you'd disappeared to."
"Figured I'd get this done while you were on the phone. One less thing to take care of later."
"Did you already finish drawing it out?"
"Yeah, I left it upstairs though," Jensen answered, reeling in the tape measure. "I can show it to you when I give you the dates to go on the calendar."
Jared trailed behind Jensen as he climbed the stairs. He almost tripped when he missed the top step, too busy watching Jensen clip the tape measure on the back of his jeans.
"Preston is going to handle the library and Erin's going to do your units. Do you think could draw something for the living room when you get a chance?"
"Sure. Do you know what you want?"
"Nope, I want us to both plan that room together, and I want your input on the library as well...." Jared stopped short, grabbing the banister to keep from falling.
Jensen had reached the top step and had turned to look at him with a confused expression on his face. Jared had been looking down to keep himself from developing an embarrassing hard on he'd have to either explain or try to hide again if he'd continued to watch Jensen's ass sway in front of his face.
"Don't do that," Jared scolded as Jensen reached out to help steady him.
"Do what?" Jensen asked, confused again.
"Grab someone that's getting ready to fall."
"Why the hell not? Do you want to break your neck? And why aren't you watching where you're going in the first place?" Jensen's voice rose a little in frustration.
Jared finished climbing the last few steps, crowding into Jensen's personal space, liking the spark of annoyance that caused his husband's cheeks to color a pale rose and made the green of his eyes sharpen.
"If I'd been watching where I was going any closer then you'd be up against that wall right there and my hands certainly wouldn't be to myself," Jared growled.
Jared moved forward another few steps, forcing Jensen to take a few back or be crushed up against him from thigh to chest. Jared watched the blush deepen and Jensen's eyes immediately drop from his to the floor.
"Jared....."
Jared stepped back, ran his fingers through his hair and took a deep breath.
"I didn't want you grabbing me because I might have pulled you down with me, and I'd rather have risked a broken neck than you and the baby being hurt."
He waited while Jensen continued to inspect the floor for another few seconds and was almost ready to give up when Jensen finally brought his eyes back up and looked at him.
"Okay, next time I'll let you fall." Jensen gave him a small smile before leaning up and placing a soft kiss on his cheek. "Thank you for looking out for us," and with that, he turned and went into the library.
Jared stood there in shock a couple of minutes before he followed Jensen down the hall. When he rounded the corner, Jensen was leaning over the calendar, frowning at all the notes penciled in.
"Do you ever get any time off?"
"Well, half those were made last year, and the others were made before I found out about the baby, and we got married. Chad and I will be going over all these again before they are set in stone, that's why they're in pencil. The ones you see in ink are the ones I can't get out of even if I said the President wanted me over for dinner."
"Oh.. Well let's get mine, in so we can go. I called Sophia and she's going to be there until four."
Jared couldn't quite place what was different in Jensen's voice or his facial expression. He could just tell something was bothering him. He didn't think it was the confrontation on the steps otherwise Jensen would have never given him the kiss and thanked him. No, this was something that had happened between then and now. He pulled the calendar out and started with Jensen's doctor's appointment.
"What time is your appointment on the 27th?"
"It's at 4:00, because I always do my errands first. That way, if the doctor decides he's going to holler at me and send me home, I've already done everything that needs doing."
Jared looked up sharply, the pen poised over the page, "Has that ever happened?"
"No," Jensen grinned, "but I like to be prepared for it, just in case. I read with male pregnancies, blood pressure is often a problem and that bed rest may be required."
Jared shook his head and went back to writing the time and type of appointment down.
"Are all your appointments for the same day each month?"
"Nope, they change each time I go in. Why?"
"I don't know, you said you had to go every month. I didn't know if they had you on a standing appointment or something. What else do you have?"
"I have the show in February. That's on the 12th it starts at eight, but I'll be there pretty much all day," Jensen said quietly.
Jared flipped the calendar page and froze. He glanced up at Jensen, but his husband was looking out the window, studiously inspecting the tree branches. Jared looked back down at the page that had him written in to fly out on the 9th and not return until the 13th. Jensen had known he wouldn't be able to go to his show, and he'd been disappointed. That's what Jared had heard and seen but couldn't place. There was no way Jared could skip the meeting. It had taken months to get everyone's calendar coordinated so that all the actors, producers and directors could finalize the points on his next project.
"Jensen." Jared waited until Jensen turned and looked at him.
"It's okay. I know you had this planned long before I came along. It's just a show anyway, no big deal," Jensen said, shrugging.
"It is a big deal, and I will be there. I may be late, but I will be there." Jared stated, making sure Jensen maintained eye contact. He didn't know how he was going to do it, but he'd be damned if he was going to miss that show.
"Okay," he said softly and nodded.
"What else?"
"There's a grand opening I'm going to on March 3rd. It's going to be at eleven. Oh, and starting the week after that, I'll be teaching classes every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday afternoon from two until four."
Jared was a little perplexed by Jensen's sudden need to get a job since it didn't seem like he'd had one outside of painting for several years now. He didn't know how to ask without overstepping boundaries but he didn't want Jensen exhausting himself either.
"Jensen, I'm not real sure how to ask you this without upsetting you, and I don't want to do that but...."
"You're going to anyway?" Jensen finished for him, smiling.
"Pretty much, yeah. Well, actually I'm not going to ask you anything. I'm going to say something, and then you can hit me or yell if you want."
"Well, thanks for your permission, at least," Jensen snarked, leaning back. If Jared thought he was going to forbid him from doing something, he was going to be in for a rude awakening.
"I'm not sure why you think you need to get a job, and if you want one just to do something okay, but if it's because you need money, you really do not need to do that. I've already told you I make more than enough money to support us for the rest of our lives as it is......"
Jensen had been so ready for Jared to tell him he couldn't work that when Jared had tried to nicely tell him he didn't need a job if he needed money, he couldn't stop the giggle that bubbled up and broke free.
"You do realize it's really not nice to laugh when someone is talking, right?"
Of course, that had the opposite effect, and it was several minutes later and a trip to the bathroom before Jensen was able to look at Jared with a straight face.
"I'm sorry. That was honestly not what I was expecting, and it was very nice."
"Then why are you still biting a hole on the inside of your cheek trying not to laugh?" Jared grumbled.
"Because I was waiting for you to tell me I couldn't work, and I was getting ready to get all worked up, but you threw me a completely different conversation than I was ready for and all I could do was laugh at how stupid I was."
"Oh. Well, I don't think you're stupid," Jared replied softly. "So if you're not doing it for the money, why are you all of a sudden starting to teach? Is it something you've wanted to do?"
"I'd never thought about it before a year ago, but a couple of friends of mine are opening a shelter, the first of it's kind. That's what the grand opening's for, and I volunteered to do art classes."
"What kind of shelter?"
"Honestly, for anyone that needs somewhere to go, but its main purpose is a safe haven for victims of abuse. They've done an amazing job getting it ready and making sure anyone and everyone will be welcome. I'm going to do what's called art therapy. It lets people draw how they're feeling. Sometimes, if you can't talk about it, you can let it out another way and that's what I'm hoping I can help with and who knows I may find some talented people while I'm there."
"Sounds great. You'll have to show it to me while we're out today if you're feeling up to it."
Jensen grabbed his sketchbook on the way out of the library, just in case he needed it. Hell, the way his brain had been lately, he believed it might be a good idea to keep it on him all the time.
"When are they going to be here to do the work?"
"End of the week," he said as he stopped at his room and grabbed a jacket.
Jensen shook his head at Jared's refusal to dress for the weather. "So soon? I thought we'd have to wait awhile the way you made it sound."
"So did I, usually we would, but they blocked off two weeks for vacation and something fell through so they're free."
"That sucks. Seems crappy to take advantage of their misfortune, though."
Jensen looked back at Jared's silence, confused at the amused look on his face.
"What?"
"Crappy?"
"Shut up," Jensen grumbled. "I'm trying to get out of the habit of cursing, and I don't know how much babies actually understand in there," his hand resting on his still flat stomach.
A primal feeling of protective need wormed its way through Jared at the way Jensen's hand stroked across his stomach. Jared was sure he didn't realize just how frequently he did it, but the gesture never failed to evoke a very visceral response from him. When he glanced back up, Jensen was looking at him mutinously, assuming he was going to be made fun of or told he was being silly.
"I think that's a great idea, gives us longer to work on it," Jared agreed as he opened the garage door and ushered them out.
Continued Here