Fic: How Jared Met Jensen: A Love Story in the Key of D (For Dog) - 1/7
Title: How Jared Met Jensen: A Love Story in the Key of D (For Dog)
Authors: thrdstrike and burnfor
Rating: NC-17
Word Count: 14,200+
Summary: It's been three years since Jared and Sandy got divorced, and Jared's sister and brother think that it's time he meets someone new. Nobody said that it would be easy.
Master Post
Three years earlier...
"Doctor Morgan's office, how can I help you?"
Sandy Padalecki twisted the phone cord around her finger nervously. "Hi, yes. This is Sandra Padalecki, I'm a patient of Doctor Morgan. Is he available to speak with?"
"I'm sorry," the receptionist answered politely, "Doctor Morgan is in with a patient at the moment. Would you like me to take a message?"
Sandy could feel the start of nervous tears prickle the corner of her eyes. "I - I think it might be an emergency."
There's a pause from the receptionist, and Sandy can hear the shuffling of some papers. "He's just in with an ultrasound. I'll see if he can take your call."
Sandy let out a sigh of relief, and leaned against the kitchen wall, her free hand stroked over the full roundness of her pregnant belly. Please, please, don't let me lose this baby, she whispered fervently to herself.
After several quiet, uneasy minutes, a deep, male voice asked, "Mrs. Padalecki?"
"Doctor Morgan, I think there's something wrong with the baby."
***
"Telephone call for Mr. Padalecki."
Jared looked up from his desk, eyes scanning over his classroom. "I'll be right back, okay, guys?" A sea of small heads bobbed in unison. Jared smiled, getting up and popping his head into the class next door; Miss Kruek. "Hey, Kirsten, can you keep an eye on my class for a few minutes?"
Kirsten smiled and nodded and Jared waved a hand in thanks before turning to jog down the hallway.
"Hello?" Jared asked, taking the phone from Susan, the receptionist.
"Jared?" Sandy's voice was small. "Jared, I'm at the doctor."
A shiver of fear ran down Jared's spine; The baby. "Is something wrong?" he asked. His fingers curled around the edge of the counter, knuckles white.
"Doctor Morgan is doing some tests, but -" She trailed off, and Jared knew. He could feel his heart sink right to the floor, disappointment mingled with loss.
***
"Where's Mr. Jared?" asked Julia, an adorable fair haired girl, with a smudge of green paint along her left cheek. She rubbed at it with the back of her hand, smudging it further.
Kirsten smiled and crouched down to look Julia in the face. "He just had to go and take care of something for a few minutes, okay? Why don't you continue working on your painting? You're doing such a wonderful job so far."
Julia frowned, but nodded and turned back to her desk, fingers swirling in the green paint already starting to dry.
***
In the weeks following the loss of the baby, Jared had begun sleep in the spare bedroom. Wracked with guilt, he couldn't bare to be intimate with Sandy just yet. Sandy was frustrated. She was mourning the loss of her unborn child and needing comfort from her husband; Jared too wrapped up in himself to notice.
Doctor Morgan called regularly to check in and make sure that Sandy was doing all right. "No additional pain?" he asked.
"No. Just tired. I'm worried about Jared, though," she confided. "It's been weeks, and he won't even touch me. Is that normal?"
"Miscarriages effect the father just as much as the mother," Doctor Morgan answered. "It's likely that Jared is feeling guilty over the loss of the baby. Try not to push him; Even if you think you're ready to try to conceive again."
Sandy bit her lip and tried to understand how her husband was feeling. "He doesn't even sleep in the same bed with me anymore."
"All I can advise is that you give him time, Sandy."
***
Weeks turned into months and eventually the strain on their relationship was too much. While Jared had moved back into their bedroom, he shied away from Sandy and her sexual advances. He continued to show affection in small touches, fingers across the back of her hand, neck, through her hair.
One evening, Sandy had come home late, much later than usual, rumpled and smelling like another man's cologne. Jared barely had the energy to be angry. He could understand why Sandy had decided to find a loving touch elsewhere, as Jared become incapable of offering it. But the way that Sandy was flaunting it, Jared could tell Sandy wanted him to know.
"Is it worth it?" Jared asked. His voice was tired, resigned. He'd already backed out of this marriage after the loss of the baby, even if unconsciously.
"It's more than what you can give me," is all Sandy answers.
He finds the divorce papers folded neatly on the bedside table in the morning, Sandy's neat signature already long since dried into the fibers of the pages.
***
"Jared. Jared!" Wentworth Miller waved an impatient hand in front of his client's face.
Jared shrugged apologetically. "Sorry, Wentworth."
"You're the one paying for my time, remember." He paused, tapping long fingers against the desktop. "So, you've signed the papers?"
Jared nodded, gazing blankly out the picture window framing Wentworth's desk. "It isn't like a had a whole lot of choice, is it? Sandy had already signed them. She'd already given up on our marriage before I'd even realized it."
Wentworth's mouth tightens into a frown and he watched Jared carefully. "Alright. Well, you've signed the papers, and now we're going to start into the proceedings to divide the assets. So, if there's anything that you want to keep, or are refusing to give up, this is the time to tell me, so we can lay it all out on the table when we meet with Sandy and her attorney tomorrow."
Jared sighed, rubbing a hand across his face. "Sandy can have whatever she wants. The house, the car. I don't care. I just want this over as quick as possible."
Wentworth frowned again. "Are you sure?"
"Yeah. Yeah, I'm sure."
***
"Here," Wentworth said and waved several sheets of paper in front of Jared's face. "Tal, Sandy's attorney, noted that this is an incomplete list of what she wants for now. Apparently there are some items she's still considering."
Jared nodded and waved a hand. "Just- Whatever. Okay it all."
"Sorry, man. Rules are you gotta know what exactly what she wants." There's an apologetic grin on his attorney's face.
"Fine." Jared settled into his seat and took a quick glance at his watch. Noon. Maybe if Wentworth got through the list quick enough, he'd be in time for a late lunch.
"She wants uh, well. A lot of things. The African vase in the living room from when you visited a few years back. The set of porcelain dishes from your wedding, the handmixer from your wedding.. Er. She pretty much wants all the wedding presents you guys got. Sit tight. It's a long list ahead of you."
Wentworth continued reading the list and Jared eventually tuned him out. It wasn't until the mention of the dogs that Jared's attention snapped back to the here and now. "What did you just say?" he asked, sitting up in his seat.
Wentworth paused. "Uh. I said Sandy wants one of the dogs." He peered down at the list and frowned. "Sadie."
Jared's hands balled themselves into fists; it was time for him to draw a line. "No." His voice was firm, on the verge of shouting. "No. She can't have Sadie. And she can't have Harley, either. She doesn't even like the dogs! And I've had them since before we got married!"
Carefully Wentworth set the list down on the table and slid it across towards Jared. "Maybe you should look over the list now that you're really aware of what she wants."
With furiously shaking hands, Jared pulled the paper closer and began to read, jaw clenched as he began to read.
***
By the end of it, Sandy gets everything that she wanted; including Sadie. "I'm really sorry, Jared," she said on their way out of the courtroom. "I hope that we can still be friends in the future." Jared offered her a tight smile in response and kept walking. Friendship wasn't anywhere in the future for them, as far as he could see, and that suited him just fine.
Part Two
Authors: thrdstrike and burnfor
Rating: NC-17
Word Count: 14,200+
Summary: It's been three years since Jared and Sandy got divorced, and Jared's sister and brother think that it's time he meets someone new. Nobody said that it would be easy.
Master Post
Three years earlier...
"Doctor Morgan's office, how can I help you?"
Sandy Padalecki twisted the phone cord around her finger nervously. "Hi, yes. This is Sandra Padalecki, I'm a patient of Doctor Morgan. Is he available to speak with?"
"I'm sorry," the receptionist answered politely, "Doctor Morgan is in with a patient at the moment. Would you like me to take a message?"
Sandy could feel the start of nervous tears prickle the corner of her eyes. "I - I think it might be an emergency."
There's a pause from the receptionist, and Sandy can hear the shuffling of some papers. "He's just in with an ultrasound. I'll see if he can take your call."
Sandy let out a sigh of relief, and leaned against the kitchen wall, her free hand stroked over the full roundness of her pregnant belly. Please, please, don't let me lose this baby, she whispered fervently to herself.
After several quiet, uneasy minutes, a deep, male voice asked, "Mrs. Padalecki?"
"Doctor Morgan, I think there's something wrong with the baby."
***
"Telephone call for Mr. Padalecki."
Jared looked up from his desk, eyes scanning over his classroom. "I'll be right back, okay, guys?" A sea of small heads bobbed in unison. Jared smiled, getting up and popping his head into the class next door; Miss Kruek. "Hey, Kirsten, can you keep an eye on my class for a few minutes?"
Kirsten smiled and nodded and Jared waved a hand in thanks before turning to jog down the hallway.
"Hello?" Jared asked, taking the phone from Susan, the receptionist.
"Jared?" Sandy's voice was small. "Jared, I'm at the doctor."
A shiver of fear ran down Jared's spine; The baby. "Is something wrong?" he asked. His fingers curled around the edge of the counter, knuckles white.
"Doctor Morgan is doing some tests, but -" She trailed off, and Jared knew. He could feel his heart sink right to the floor, disappointment mingled with loss.
***
"Where's Mr. Jared?" asked Julia, an adorable fair haired girl, with a smudge of green paint along her left cheek. She rubbed at it with the back of her hand, smudging it further.
Kirsten smiled and crouched down to look Julia in the face. "He just had to go and take care of something for a few minutes, okay? Why don't you continue working on your painting? You're doing such a wonderful job so far."
Julia frowned, but nodded and turned back to her desk, fingers swirling in the green paint already starting to dry.
***
In the weeks following the loss of the baby, Jared had begun sleep in the spare bedroom. Wracked with guilt, he couldn't bare to be intimate with Sandy just yet. Sandy was frustrated. She was mourning the loss of her unborn child and needing comfort from her husband; Jared too wrapped up in himself to notice.
Doctor Morgan called regularly to check in and make sure that Sandy was doing all right. "No additional pain?" he asked.
"No. Just tired. I'm worried about Jared, though," she confided. "It's been weeks, and he won't even touch me. Is that normal?"
"Miscarriages effect the father just as much as the mother," Doctor Morgan answered. "It's likely that Jared is feeling guilty over the loss of the baby. Try not to push him; Even if you think you're ready to try to conceive again."
Sandy bit her lip and tried to understand how her husband was feeling. "He doesn't even sleep in the same bed with me anymore."
"All I can advise is that you give him time, Sandy."
***
Weeks turned into months and eventually the strain on their relationship was too much. While Jared had moved back into their bedroom, he shied away from Sandy and her sexual advances. He continued to show affection in small touches, fingers across the back of her hand, neck, through her hair.
One evening, Sandy had come home late, much later than usual, rumpled and smelling like another man's cologne. Jared barely had the energy to be angry. He could understand why Sandy had decided to find a loving touch elsewhere, as Jared become incapable of offering it. But the way that Sandy was flaunting it, Jared could tell Sandy wanted him to know.
"Is it worth it?" Jared asked. His voice was tired, resigned. He'd already backed out of this marriage after the loss of the baby, even if unconsciously.
"It's more than what you can give me," is all Sandy answers.
He finds the divorce papers folded neatly on the bedside table in the morning, Sandy's neat signature already long since dried into the fibers of the pages.
***
"Jared. Jared!" Wentworth Miller waved an impatient hand in front of his client's face.
Jared shrugged apologetically. "Sorry, Wentworth."
"You're the one paying for my time, remember." He paused, tapping long fingers against the desktop. "So, you've signed the papers?"
Jared nodded, gazing blankly out the picture window framing Wentworth's desk. "It isn't like a had a whole lot of choice, is it? Sandy had already signed them. She'd already given up on our marriage before I'd even realized it."
Wentworth's mouth tightens into a frown and he watched Jared carefully. "Alright. Well, you've signed the papers, and now we're going to start into the proceedings to divide the assets. So, if there's anything that you want to keep, or are refusing to give up, this is the time to tell me, so we can lay it all out on the table when we meet with Sandy and her attorney tomorrow."
Jared sighed, rubbing a hand across his face. "Sandy can have whatever she wants. The house, the car. I don't care. I just want this over as quick as possible."
Wentworth frowned again. "Are you sure?"
"Yeah. Yeah, I'm sure."
***
"Here," Wentworth said and waved several sheets of paper in front of Jared's face. "Tal, Sandy's attorney, noted that this is an incomplete list of what she wants for now. Apparently there are some items she's still considering."
Jared nodded and waved a hand. "Just- Whatever. Okay it all."
"Sorry, man. Rules are you gotta know what exactly what she wants." There's an apologetic grin on his attorney's face.
"Fine." Jared settled into his seat and took a quick glance at his watch. Noon. Maybe if Wentworth got through the list quick enough, he'd be in time for a late lunch.
"She wants uh, well. A lot of things. The African vase in the living room from when you visited a few years back. The set of porcelain dishes from your wedding, the handmixer from your wedding.. Er. She pretty much wants all the wedding presents you guys got. Sit tight. It's a long list ahead of you."
Wentworth continued reading the list and Jared eventually tuned him out. It wasn't until the mention of the dogs that Jared's attention snapped back to the here and now. "What did you just say?" he asked, sitting up in his seat.
Wentworth paused. "Uh. I said Sandy wants one of the dogs." He peered down at the list and frowned. "Sadie."
Jared's hands balled themselves into fists; it was time for him to draw a line. "No." His voice was firm, on the verge of shouting. "No. She can't have Sadie. And she can't have Harley, either. She doesn't even like the dogs! And I've had them since before we got married!"
Carefully Wentworth set the list down on the table and slid it across towards Jared. "Maybe you should look over the list now that you're really aware of what she wants."
With furiously shaking hands, Jared pulled the paper closer and began to read, jaw clenched as he began to read.
***
By the end of it, Sandy gets everything that she wanted; including Sadie. "I'm really sorry, Jared," she said on their way out of the courtroom. "I hope that we can still be friends in the future." Jared offered her a tight smile in response and kept walking. Friendship wasn't anywhere in the future for them, as far as he could see, and that suited him just fine.
Part Two