Paint a Pretty Rainbow Part 7b/8

[calysta18]

Paint a Pretty Rainbow
by Calysta

Previous chapter

"You still angry at me?"

"A little bit," Jared admitted with a small smile.

"You're soaking wet."

Jared stroked a hand down Jensen's damp face. Jensen was as soaked as he was, but he didn’t care. He looked skyward briefly. "It's a shower, and looks to me like it's passing over."

"Stubborn bastard."
"Takes one to know one. So come on Ackles, quit stalling and spill."

Jensen frowned. "Spill?"

Jared squeezed Jensen's hand again. He was a little bit afraid, but he wanted to know everything about Jensen and his town. It was important to him. "Tell me everything."

Jensen worried at his bottom lip, clinging onto Jared's hand. "Promise you won't run away however strange the story seems to you? Or get mad at me again?"

"I promise." Jared made a cross sign over his heart with a finger. "I may ask a few of those questions though."

Jensen nodded, and took a deep breath. He wanted Jared to know everything, it was important to him. This was his moment of truth. "Way before Caleb and I were born, my Pa and Ma came out here just after they were married with a few other people. They all came from the East, and wanted something different so they settled here. They had nothing, but determination and a few bags of crop seed. They built their homes and farms, even the township, and started their new lives."

"Must have been hard work to start from nothing."

"Yeah it was, but they chose this valley because of its high sides and the mountains over there, all offering natural protection for the crops, and township itself. My Pa was a good man, and he loved this place and all the people who lived here. His parents had died when he was young so he'd never really had a proper home or family. The people of Winchester were like his own family, and it was the home he had always dreamed about." Jensen licked at his lips, taking a deep breath. "Caleb and I were born in the house I live in now, and we had a happy childhood. Life was hard, and we helped Pa and Ma on the farm. I was eight when I first learned to drive a team. I was so proud of myself. I loved the land just like my Pa. And as children, Caleb and I got to run free, play in the meadows, swim in the stream."

It was so different from Jared's lonely childhood that he felt a momentary stab of jealousy. "It sounds wonderful."

"Yeah it was," Jensen nodded, staring out into the distance lost in his memories for a moment.

Jared brushed his wet hair out of his eyes, and squeezed Jensen's hand. "Go on."

"The country was wild … and new. New townships sprung up all over, the railroad was cutting across the country, churning up the farmland and joining up the townships. But we were luckier than most. No-one really wanted our land. A couple of ranchers showed some interest, but when they worked out they couldn't easily graze their beef they lost interest, and looked northward instead. Our little township was in the middle of no-where and kinda inaccessible in the bottom of the valley, so no-one really gave us a second look."

Jared chuckled. "Yeah I know."

Jensen tilted his head to one side, confused.

"Never mind, it's not important," Jared shook his head. "Your Pa and his friends chose well."

"I think they just wanted the best for their families, and the valley offered all the protection they needed."

"Seems very sensible."

Jensen smiled. "No-one gave us a second look really. For a few months though, we did have some trouble with marauders, but Pa and some of us drove them away. They went when they found there was nothing really here for them to steal or take control off. Just hard work and the land we lived on and off. But I could see that Pa was worried. I suppose he figured that others would follow."

"What about the First Nation? Didn't they bother you?"

Jensen frowned. "First Nation?"

"Indians," Jared explained.

Jensen gave a small laugh. "Out of all the people that lived around here, they didn't bother us. The Shoshone weren’t really interested in us, and the Arapaho were curious but mainly left us in peace. We did the same for them. We respected each other's ways and beliefs, and it kinda worked for us both."

"The Arapaho still live in the area."

"Yeah?"

Jared smiled. "I met some of the current Arapaho. One of them is even the sheriff of the local town."

"Things have sure changed in two hundred years." Jensen nodded. "I'm glad."

Jared's stomach churned at the mention of the time that separated them, but he managed to give Jensen a small smile. "Go on," he encouraged.

Jensen took a calming breath. "My Pa even made a friend of one of the Arapaho. He'd saved him from a group of men beating him up when he was on a supply run into a township just west of here. Dancing Waters was his name, and he lived in the shelter of the mountains with his family and a small tribe. He and Pa spent hours talking, learning from each other. I think they really liked and respected each other. Dancing Waters and his people were welcome in our township, and we were welcome in their encampment."

"I take it the symbols around your township and on your amulet came from this Dancing Waters?"

Jensen nodded, touching his amulet. "It's an exact copy of the one he wore around his neck, passed down through the generations. He helped my Pa fashion the amulets from natural minerals and stones from the land around here." Jensen fiddled with the grass, tugging at it with his fingers, distractedly.

Jared tapped Jensen's knee. "I'm guessing this is where it gets strange?"

"Yeah, kinda."

"Okay, still listening."

Jensen gave Jared a small smile. "Some marauders came back, and this time they killed my Pa's best friend, Isaac, because he stood up to them, and wouldn't give them one of his horses." Jensen swallowed hard. "They just shot him where he stood, and then demanded something from each of us, said they would be back to collect." Jensen clung onto Jared's hand, squeezing hard. "My Pa was a good man, kind and gentle. He wouldn't harm anybody. Never really raised a hand to Caleb or me, and we sure did test his patience."

"What happened?"

Jensen took a deep breath. "This place is easy to defend. We hid the children and the woman in a cave in the mountains Dancing Waters showed us. Pa insisted that his family and tribe hide out with our families just in case, and he stayed with them, promising to protect our families as well as his own in case the marauders got through our defences."

"He sounds like a good man, a good friend."

Jensen nodded. "He was. And I think my Pa was afraid that if we didn’t stop the marauders, Dancing Waters and his people would be their next victims, and knew they would probably be murdered."

"That's horrible."

Jensen sighed. "I suppose things are different in your time."

Jared shook his head. "No, not really. I guess it doesn't matter what time you come from, there will always be the cruel people who want to hurt or take from others." He squeezed Jensen's hand again. "So what happened when the raiders came back?"

Jensen swallowed hard. "We were waiting for them. They didn't really expect a bunch of farmers to stand up to them, and there was a fight. In all the confusion and gunfire, my Pa killed their leader. I don't think he meant to - it just happened. But with their leader dead, it was easy to run the other men off. They were just cowards, and without their leader, they were nothing."

"Oh Jensen."

Jensen put his hand up. "We were fine, we survived, and our homes and families were safe. A couple of the men were hurt, not badly. A couple of barns had been burned to the ground, nothing that couldn't be rebuilt. But my Pa was distraught. I've never seen him so troubled. He'd never killed a man before, and I think he decided there and then, that he had to protect us all. Everything and everyone he loved, most in the world."

"And this is where the amulets come in?"

"All of us in Winchester have one. It's part of the," Jensen shrugged looking directly at Jared. "Enchantment. It binds us to this place, the valley, to Winchester itself."

"Enchantment? How?"

"I'm not sure exactly, but Dancing Waters said that because we cherished the land around us, only took what we needed, that we could bind ourselves to the land itself. We had to believe, had to want the connection, but he said he had the magic to allow us to stay in each century for a short while. Said we couldn't be touched, and would be protected from evil and the people who would do us harm. It was his gift to us."

"And he believed all this? This magic?"

"He was the holy man of his tribe, and he believed that everything around us is connected somehow, and his magic was powerful. Learned from his ancestors, and passed down through the generations to him. The amulets are forged from the minerals and stones founds in the mountains, giving them a strong connection to the land. The township itself was also built from stone from the area, again forging a bond. Carving the symbols around the township strengthened the bond. The people of Winchester all love this place, and he said he felt our connection to the land was strong. He believed it would work. So did my Pa."

"What about the rest of you?"

"We trusted my Pa. Knew he wouldn't do anything to hurt us."

"It sounds so crazy."

"You're living proof it worked."

"Yeah, I guess."

"And after what had happened with Isaac, we all wanted to believe. Just wanted to be left alone to live the life we had chosen, in peace. So we had a town meeting, and Pa told everybody what we had to do. Most of the folk decided to stay."

"Most?"

"Yeah, it was only fair we gave people a choice of staying or leaving. A few chose to leave, but most folk chose to stay. Those that stayed each got an amulet to wear. We spent a month preparing things, carving the symbols, fashioning the amulets. Everybody helped. Caleb was given the responsibility of keeping the amulet template so we could fashion more when we needed them. We collected the stones from the mountains with Dancing Waters' help. Caleb is looking after them at his house. And I was given the task of keeping my Pa's journal, recording Winchester's history, and the important dates for the people. We even have an artist, like you, who spent the month sketching the people of Winchester, those who stayed, and those who left so we would have a complete history, and so we would never forget."

"So the dates I saw in the journal were what exactly?"

"Dates of birth, marriages, even deaths, the dates some of the folk left Winchester. My Pa kept good records. He wrote everything down. Everything he learned from Dancing Waters. There's even a map of the township, marking the boundaries of our lives. No-one can leave or step over the boundaries. We all know them by heart, Caleb even teaches the children at school. Dancing Waters was very clear on the matter, said that anyone from Winchester who stepped over the invisible lines would destroy the magic, and result in Winchester and its people sleeping forever."

"Sounds kinda harsh."

Jensen shook his head. "It was part of the sacrifice we were all prepared to make to protect our families, our homes. We have a happy life here. The land is good to us. If I had to make the choice all over again, I would make the same one. To stay here."

"What about your father?"

Tears welled in Jensen's eyes, and he sniffed. "He had his own sacrifice to make. Dancing Waters said that out of us all, my Pa was the one who loved us the most so in order to protect Winchester, he had to leave. Leave the place and the people he loved."

"Oh Jensen, I'm so sorry."

Jensen shook his head. "Don't be. It was his choice. He told me that it was the easiest one he had ever made. He had to leave to complete the magic, allowing us to visit each century for two days, therefore protecting us from the outside world forever. Allowing us to go about our lives in peace."

"How?"

"Again, I don't really know. But Dancing Waters said my Pa had to be outside Winchester, and circle around the valley, placing and burying markers on our boundaries. Dancing Waters even gave him a horse born and bred in the shadow of the mountains. I saw the horse, and it had the symbols painted on its flank. While my Pa circled the township and the valley, Dancing Waters would conjure the final part of the magic. My Pa told me that Dancing Waters was gonna summon his ancestors to help protect us."

"Wow," Jared said.

"We settled on a date. We had a big celebration, dancing and food and stuff. Giving us all time to say our goodbyes. It was a happy and sad day all at the same time." Jensen swiped at his threatened tears. "When midnight approached, Caleb and I walked my Pa and Ma to the bridge for a final goodbye."
"Your Ma?"

Jensen nodded. "Pa wanted her to stay, but she wouldn't. They argued for days, but in the end she won. Just like I knew she would." Jensen gave a small smile. "She was kinda stubborn."

"Now I know where you get your stubbornness from," Jared teased before squeezing Jensen's hand again. "It must have been hard watching both your parents leave."

"Yeah it was, but they were together so I knew they'd be fine. Have a good life, even though they weren't with us."

"And Dancing Waters?"

"We asked him and his family and tribe to stay, but he refused. Said their path was a different one from ours. Told us that that he and his family would be safe, that he and his descendants would watch over the land for us."

"And then you just disappeared?"

Jensen nodded, and swiped at his eyes again. "We said our goodbyes, and watched our Pa and Ma walk across the bridge toward the waiting wagons with some of the other folk who had decided to leave. We saw him mount the painted horse, and then nothing. He just disappeared. Or we did, I'm not really sure. Caleb said he thought he could hear voices chanting, and hooves pounding the ground, but we couldn't see anything. We stayed there for hours, but nothing happened, no-one came back. So we went back to our homes and waited for morning."

"How did you know it worked?"

"We didn't really. We couldn't go outside the valley, and no-one visited. The valley looked the same as it always had - our farms, homes, everything all looked the same. We decided that it had probably worked because I think the folk who chose to leave - my Pa and Ma - would have come back." Jensen shrugged. "We know now though. You're the living proof it worked. So whatever my Pa and Dancing Waters did that night, it worked. Winchester and its people are protected, free to live in peace, safe from the outside world."

"But trapped forever?"

Jensen shook his head. "We don't see it that way. We're happy here. We have a good life."

"Just strange?"

"I suppose it is to you. To me, it's just my life. I'm 29 years old, but to you, I'm over 200 years old, but I don't feel any different. Just 29 years old still." Jensen shrugged. "My day is just another day, not another century."

"I always did like an older man."

"Don't joke."

"I'm sorry, but it's a little bit hard to take it all in, it's so unbelievable," Jared admitted quietly.

"It's the truth."

"I know," Jared whispered. "I know."

Jensen pulled his hand out of Jared's grip, and jumped to his feet. He started to pace up and down. "I don't know what to do."

Jared rose to his feet, and reached out for Jensen. "Jensen."

Jensen dodged Jared's hand. "Are you still mad at me?"

"No," Jared answered.

"Well you should be," Jensen said as he started to pace again. "I hurt you, but I didn't mean to. It just happened, and I'm so sorry." Jensen turned, and stared at Jared, still pacing. "If it helps, I hurt me too."

Jared could see the pain in Jensen's expression, mirroring his own anguish at being separated from Jensen forever. He swallowed hard, his eyes stinging with threatened tears. "Come here," he offered his hand.

"No," Jensen continued to pace. "You need to go now."

"I'm not going anywhere."

"But I am," Jensen choked out.

Jared nodded, and bit back his tears. "Yeah I know, but I'm staying until you do. So suck it up and deal."

"I'm not sure I can deal with letting you go," Jensen whispered. "I figure it won't be so bad if you go now."

The words stung, but from the look on Jensen's face, Jared didn't believe him. "Really?"

Jensen sighed, and Jared could see the defeat on his face. "No, not really."

"So, don't be so stubborn, and come here," Jared managed to grab Jensen's arm, tugging him close.

Jensen struggled, trying to pull out of Jared's grip. "Jared."

"Jensen." Jared dragged Jensen closer.

"I hate you."

"No you don't," Jared manhandled Jensen into his arms.

"It's not fair."

"I know."

"Why did you have to come over the bridge with your stupid map, and your stupid grumpiness and stupid smile?"

"May be because you were on the other side."

"You couldn't know I was here."

"May be someone put a spell on me." Jared grinned. "Or may be you wished on your rainbow for me."

Jensen choked out a laugh. "Has anyone ever told you that you're kinda weird?"

Jared snorted, as he caressed his fingers over Jensen's cheek. "This from a man who lives in a magical township that appears every hundred years, as though it's just another day." He cocked his head to one side, and grinned.

Jensen pouted. "At least I'm not obsessed with maps and stuff. And spends his time drawing cities and towns and what did you call them? Oh yes malls, but not nature and all the beautiful things in this world, and is grumpy and stubborn."

"Jensen, stop talking and kiss me."

"Did I mention bossy?"

"Jensen," Jared leaned closer, holding onto Jensen's hips. "Shut up." He pulled Jensen close. Jared sucked the swell of Jensen's bottom lip into his mouth, humming at the now familiar taste. His skin prickled in the best possible way as Jensen slid a hand up to touch his face, thumb tracing the shape of his cheekbone. Jared pressed into the touch, and tugged on Jensen's lower lip. Jensen opened his mouth, welcoming Jared in with a slow, uncertain, slide of his tongue. A tingling shock wave pulsed through Jared's body, and he deepened the kiss, tightening his grasp on Jensen's hips. Jensen moaned into his mouth, and Jared answered with a moan of his own. Jensen's hands were hot on his side, fingers tickling as they caressed up and down. Jared sucked in a deep breath as Jensen finally pulled back. "I don't care how old you are, or that your town will disappear, I love you," he whispered. "I love you."

Jensen smiled softly. "I don't know why or even how. Hell, I don't even believe in love at first sight, but I love you Jared. So much, and it's not fair."

"I know," Jared silenced Jensen with a finger on his lips. "And right at this moment, I don't care."

"Stay for the rest of my day. Please," Jensen murmured, leaning up to kiss Jared again.

"Thought you'd never ask," Jared returned the kiss enjoying the sensation of Jensen snuggling against his body. He glanced up at the sky and smiled - a rainbow curved over the valley, its colours bright against the now blue sky. Jared nuzzled at Jensen's neck. "I guess wishing on a rainbow won't help?"

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