Broken Angel 14/14

[moviegeek03]

Title: Broken Angel 14/14
Pairing: Jared/Jensen
Word Count: ~7100
Rating/Warnings: NC-17 for violence, sexual situations, and references to non-con(but nothing graphic)
A/N: This story is based off a prompt by the amazing imogen_lily . Thank you so much for the gorgeous banner and for letting me play with this idea! I appreciate all the help sweetie!!!
Summary: Senator Fred Lehne has been brutally attacking, raping, and murdering young men for over a decade, but always evades arrest thanks to his money and power. He has everyone fooled, except one team of detectives headed by Captain Jeffrey Dean Morgan and his protege Jensen Ackles. When things become worse, Morgan goes to FBI agents Misha Collins and Jim Beaver for help. They offer it in the form of Jared Padalecki, hotshot profiler who also happens to be Jensen's boyfriend. But there is more to Jared...he also happens to be the only surviving victim of Lehne's...

Judge Levine took her place at the head of the court, casting a glance at both Lehne and Jared. Her gaze lingered momentarily on Jared, as if already showing her sympathy for what was about to come. She then looked towards the two lawyers. Sebastian was fidgety, nervous for what was to come. Fuller wasn’t fairing much better. No one in the courtroom really was. Everyone was waiting for the twelve people who would essentially decide the fate of two men.

The jury slowly filtered in and took their seats. The head of the jury, a slightly balding middle aged man, stood off to the side.

“Does the jury have a verdict?” Loretta addressed him.

“Yes, your honor,” he replied.

“Please read it for the court.”

The man looked towards Lehne and then back down at the sheet of paper in his hand. “We the jury find Frederic Lehne,” he paused for a moment, “not guilty on all accounts of…”

Jared couldn’t hear anything after that. All he heard was a ringing in his ears as panic coursed through his body. He thought he had prepared for this. He knew there was always the possibility that Lehne would be back on the streets. Hell, a part of him had expected it. But another part of him had been hopeful…that maybe he would never have to look over his shoulder for the bastard again.

“Senator,” Loretta broke the stunned silence, “you will be guided back to your cell to collect anything there and released within the next day. Court dismissed.” She slammed her gavel onto the desktop.

Jared clambered out of his chair before anyone could say anything or stop him. He vaguely heard Jensen call after him as he made his escape out of the courthouse. He felt too closed in as reporters tried to head him off. He finally made his way outside into the fresh air. His lungs burned and his body ached. But he paid it no mind. All he could think about was the all-consuming fear of Lehne being allowed out of prison.

A hand suddenly squeezed his shoulder. He assumed it would be Jensen, and he turned to face his boyfriend.

“Hello, Jared…”

Except it wasn’t Jensen. When he turned, he came face to face with Lehne.

“No,” Jared gasped. He started to back up, but Lehne’s hand was too tight on his shoulder. He couldn’t get away.

“No you don’t! You are all mine now! Mine!” Lehne pulled a knife out of his jacket with his free hand. “No one is going to ever find you Jared. You’ll be mine forever.” His grip became painful and he jabbed the weapon into Jared side, just as he had done before. “Forever Jared.”

“No!”

“No!”

Jared gasped awake, knocking over his cup of coffee onto the newspaper in front of him. The cooling liquid marred the pictures of Jared and Lehne the front page had posted side by side. It blurred some of the letters of the headline as well, making it hard to read.

“Shit,” he sighed. He stood up and slowly collected the paper and the mug. The paper was discarded in the trash bin and before he went about cleaning up the spilled coffee. About half way through, he noticed his hands were still shaking from the dream. He tried to calm himself, but nothing seemed to work.

He had to figure out a way to get this all to stop! The trial had been over for a week now but the nightmares and the panic attacks were still coming. Sam had tried just about everything she knew. Some of it had helped, and he could pretty much head off any panic attack that threatened to take over. Yet he couldn’t stop the endless stream of nightmares.

He tossed the dishtowel into the sink before leaning onto the counter. He turned the cold-water faucet on and cupped the water into his palm so that he could splash it on his face. He needed to stay awake. Coffee wasn’t working, so hopefully this would do the trick. His body was tired but he just couldn’t sleep! He had woken up early from another nightmare. Surprisingly, he had managed to not wake Jensen as well. His boyfriend hadn’t had much sleep himself. Everything was supposed to be getting better, yet he couldn’t shake them.

With a sigh, Jared headed back upstairs toward the bedroom. Jensen was still sprawled across the bed, practically dead to the world. Harley was curled up against his side. Jared smiled at the scene. He crept into the room as quickly as possible so that he could grab some clothes to change into.

He then headed into the bathroom to shower. He stripped down to his boxers before turning towards the full-length mirror against the door. He had lost some weight in the last couple of months. He knew he would need to start packing it back on and getting into shape again. Along the side of his abdomen he could see the scar from where Lehne had stabbed him. His chest fully displayed the lily in the glow of the bathroom’s lighting. He ran his fingers along the jagged skin. It was healing; touching it no longer brought the same agony. Looking at it like this didn’t either. He had finally come to terms with the physical scars…now if his brain would let him move on from the mental…

Jared pulled himself away from the mirror and finished stripping out of his sweats and boxers. He turned on the shower and stepped into the steaming water. He did his best to wash quickly and with as little noise as possible. He really didn’t want to wake Jensen.

A few minutes later, he was toweling his hair dry and stepping into a pair of jeans and his undershirt. He knew he would have to layer his clothes today, and not because of his insecurities. He was starting to get past some of that. But the air had turned much colder than normal for Texas.

He went back into the bedroom, pleased to note that Jensen was still fast asleep. He slid into the closet to grab a thicker hooded sweater and his boots. He tugged both on quickly and snagged his cane before heading off downstairs. He filled up the dogs’ bowls before leaving Jensen a quick note that he would be back later. He didn’t say where he was going. He knew it probably wouldn’t go over too well.

After that, he snatched his keys off the table, pulled on his coat, and headed out. The cool air bit at his face as he hurried to his car. He climbed inside and cranked up the heater before pulling out into the road. It didn’t take long for him to reach his destination and park off to the side of the building. A light rain had started to fall during the drive over, making it feel even colder.

He bounded up the front steps as fast as his leg would allow him. The lady at the front desk recognized him and waved him on back. He knew where he was going and navigated the hallways easily until he came upon the door he was looking for. He knocked against the wood and waited for a few seconds for it to open, revealing the man he was looking for.

“Hey Mike,” he said, trying to offer up a smile.

“Jared! Hey, man, come on in.” Mike ushered Jared into his office and guided him towards a chair. “How are you…I haven’t seen you since the trial…”

“I’m doing alright,” Jared replied. “Adjusting to everything, you know…”

“Yeah…it’s been a hectic couple months.”

“Pretty much. How have you and Tom been?”

“Better,” Mike smiled.

Jared nodded, happy to hear that. He hadn’t been able to stay mad at Tom for what he’d done. Lehne knew how to manipulate the best of them, including Tom. Besides, he’d done the right thing in the end. Jared was glad that Mike was realizing that too. The couple had been on the rocks leading up to the trial.

“He says he’s giving it up,” Mike continued. “But I can’t see him completely getting out of the PI business. He loves it, ya know?” Mike shifted in his chair. “I think he’ll go back…but he will just end up being choosy with clients. No more politicians…”

“Probably smart,” Jared huffed. “He still at the center?”

“Yep…he loves it.” A larger grin broke out across Mike’s face. Following everything with Lehne, his children’s center had broken away from his name and money. None of the parents wanted to have much to do with him, especially as more of the children started to voice some odd occurrences between them and the man. It was never anything as bad as what Jared had gone through, but there was still the worry that it could have easily led to that at some point in the future. Tom had decided to try and take up some of the work that was needed. “I’m pretty sure he’s going to be able to get some funding from an old friend of his…some businessman his dad used to work with.”

“Good, I would’ve hated to see it go under. Was a good place. Tom’s a good guy for it.”

“Yeah…so,” Mike paused to give Jared a once over, “not that I mind you stopping by but what’s going on? I’m pretty sure you didn’t come over here to just shoot the shit, Jay.”

Jared gazed down towards his lap and bit at his lip. “Guess that’s why you’re the reporter, huh?”

“Jared-“

“No, I didn’t come just to catch up.” Jared finally lifted his gaze back up to meet Mike’s. “I came by to make you an offer…to properly thank you for what you did back when Lehne kidnapped me.”

“Jared, you don’t have anything to thank me for. Hell if it hadn’t been for what Tom-“

“Tom didn’t know what would happen, Mike. You and I both know that. He did the right thing in the end and probably saved my life by doing so. I’m not mad.”

Mike nodded.

“Like I said, I’m here to make you an offer.”

“Alright…”

“What would you say to an all inclusive interview with Lehne’s only surviving victim?”

“Jared…I-“

“Mike, I’m offering.”

“Yeah but Jared-“

“I’ve thought about it. I know what I’m getting into. I want to do this.”

“Why?” Mike all but pleaded. “Why do you want to do this to yourself?”

“Because…the case files are sealed, and for good reason. The trial was kept as closed off as possibly from the public, and again for good reason. But I want the public to know. I want people to know what a sadistic bastard he is. I don’t want that to get lost in a sea of paper work and files locked in a damn cabinet somewhere.”

Mike leaned forward. “You sure about this?”

“Positive,” Jared said with determination.

“Ok…when do you want to start?”

“You got the time now?”

Mike shook his head in fondness at his friend before grabbing the recorder off the shelf behind his desk. “Where do you want to start from, Jared?”

“The beginning…from when I was seventeen.”

“How much to do you plan on talking about?”

Jared’s throat worked through the emotions clogging it. “Everything…”

*********

About two hours later, Jared found himself back in his Escape and headed off to his second destination…the one he planned on never telling Jensen about if he could help it. He parked in the visitors lot and headed towards the main gate. He paused for security to check him for any concealed weapons. Jared had left his cane in the car, knowing it would probably make things easier.

He was waved on into the next room, where he was greeted by Jake Abel, a rookie he had met on the job a couple of years ago. “Hey, Jake.”

“Jared.” Jake pulled him in for a quick hug. “Are you sure this is a good idea? Wouldn’t it be better to wait until Jen-“

“I need to do this, Jake.” The determination and pleading in his eyes must have been enough to convince Jake.

“Fine…I don’t like it though.”

“I know,” Jared replied with a sad smile. “But it’s my choice.”

“And you are too stubborn to change it.”

“Pretty much,” Jared huffed. “You gonna let me through?”

Jake nodded and guided Jared into the next room. He pushed him towards a chair. The room was empty. “He’ll be brought in on the other side in a minute. I’m staying in here though. You can bitch about it as much as you want but I’m not budging.”

“I figured,” Jared sighed. He was about to argue that he would be fine when a beeping sound echoed through the cement room. A door opened on the other side and the shuffling of feet could be heard. A second later, the man who’d been haunting Jared’s dreams for nearly a decade came into view. He was clad in the standard orange jumpsuit and had an angry looking bruise to the side of his cheek.

Jared could feel Jake tense behind him as the other officer brought Lehne into the room. It didn’t matter that a thick plate of bulletproof glass would separate Jared from the bastard. Jake and the other officer were on full alert, not wanting anything to happen.

Lehne looked Jared up and down, eyes lingering too long for comfort. But Jared tried not to cringe. He had to do this. He had to face this. Jared closed his eyes to collect himself before opening them. He fixed Lehne with a determined look before he picked up the phone connected to the wall. Lehne tried to smirk as he picked up his own phone, but it didn’t quite have the desired effect.

“Well, well, well…look who showed up,” Lehne said into the phone. “What are you doing in a place like this? Figured a hotshot like you wouldn’t be seen around here, especially with all the scum you’ve put in here.”

Jared didn’t let the jab get to him, and managed to keep his voice steadier than he had expected. “Just…thought I’d see how you were fairing against them. Doesn’t look like it’s going too well though.” Jared pointed towards the bruises. “I take it your money isn’t very useful in here?”

Lehne sent him a glare.

“I know you used your money to get your employees to do what you wanted. Oh, but don’t worry…looks like you’ll have Fuller joining you soon. Pellegrino’s already serving his time. Not sure if they’re going after Lauren or not…I know the DA is still looking into her.”

Lehne laughed a humorless laugh. “So I guess you won didn’t you? The great Padalecki puts more behind bars, huh?”

Jared glanced down at his hands for a moment. “I wouldn’t call what I went through winning.” For a moment Jared looked stricken. It only lasted a few seconds, but Lehne noticed, for when Jared glanced up he saw Lehne smiling.

“I guess there are still some things I won in…”

The words renewed Jared’s determination and his anger at the other man. He was so sick of being afraid…of letting himself feel that way any time he thought about Lehne.

“I mean, you’ll always have those marks for the rest of your life to remember me by.”

This had to stop. Jared couldn’t run from…it just wasn’t an option anymore.

“I’ll be amazed if that boy of yours…that detective…will ever be able to look at you again. Bet you haven’t been with him since me, huh? You’re ruined for him. You’ll always be mine.”

“I don’t belong to anyone you son of a bitch!” Jared snapped, surprising everyone in the room, including himself. Lehne’s eyes widened. “Least of all you,” he added more quietly, shifting slightly.

“Your chest says different,” Lehne smirked, pointing to where Jared shirt had fallen just enough to reveal the edges of the scar.

Jared felt his face redden and his body started to tremble. He hated that Lehne had that effect on him, that Lehne had that power. He didn’t deserve it. Not after everything. He couldn’t let it continue. This stopped now. “No…it just says that some sadistic bastard carved into it. It says I survived you; that I lived,” Jared spat. “It is just something I have to wear…just like that orange jumpsuit you’ll be sporting for the rest of your life. Only it says that you are a criminal and don’t deserve the respect you worked hard to get. It signifies your whole life coming to an end, while mine is starting again. How does that feel?” Jared nearly choked on his emotions as he went. “How does it feel to know you won’t get to do this to someone else? To know that everyone else knows what you are? Who you really are?”

Lehne was quiet for a moment then leaned forward in his plastic chair. “No they don’t. You’re records are sealed. All they know is I was convicted of attempted murder. That’s all. I didn’t get to do anything else this time so-“

“They’ll know,” Jared replied, keeping his face as calm as possible.

“You’re not going to release that evidence so-“

“No, I’m not releasing pictures of me from all that or my medical record. But I did give an exclusive interview to the biggest newspaper in the region with all the details.”

“You wouldn’t!”

“Check tomorrow’s newspaper,” Jared replied softly before standing.

“You little bitch!” Lehne stood up and slammed his arms down onto the table in front of him. “I will kill you! How dare you!” The guard grabbed Lehne by his shoulders and pulled him away from the glass. “You’ll ruin me!”

Jared paused and turned. “You did that to yourself the moment you started your games.” Jared looked into Lehne’s stony eyes, holding the gaze. Jared then turned and walked out of the room. Lehne continued to yell and call him names behind him, but he paid it no mind. In fact, he didn’t pay much attention to anyone else. He walked out of the prison and didn’t stop until he reached his car. He slid into the driver’s seat and rested his head on the steering wheel.

The tears came, just as he had expected them to. But their weren’t of grief or pain…not this time. Now, he they were of relief…relief he hadn’t felt in ages. Lehne was in jail, and things were getting better. Jared stayed that way, with his head on the steering wheel, for what felt like forever before someone tapped on his window.

Jared jumped before looking up to see Jake at his door, completely drenched from the rain. Jared rubbed his hand over his face then rolled down his window.

“Are you alright?” Jake asked, wiping the rain from his eyes.

Jared nodded. “Y-yeah.”

“Are you sure? I mean…”

“I’m ok, Jake.” And Jared meant it. “I’m going to be ok.”

*********

“Mmmm,” Jensen moaned as the light poured through the curtains. He rolled over, wanting nothing more than to curl around Jared more. He wrapped his arm around the warm body next to him and moved closer. He went to snuggle into it, but was met with something very cold and wet.

Jensen jumped and his hand met fur instead of smooth skin. “Harley,” Jensen grumbled as he wiped the doggy drool from his cheeks. “Thanks for that…”

Harley replied by licking Jensen’s cheek again. Jensen just sighed and scratched him behind the ears.

“Any idea where your other daddy is buddy?” Harley whined in reply and just laid his head back down on Jensen’s chest. “Alright, Harley…let me up so I can find him so you and I can both stop pouting.” He shoved the big dog off of himself and climbed out of the bed. He shivered as his bare feet touched the cool floor. The weather really was starting to turn cold for Texas. He ignored it though in favor of seeking out Jared.

Jensen padded down the stairs with Harley at his heels. They found Sadie lying on her dog bed in the den. Jensen had expected Jared to be in there as well, but he wasn’t. Jensen left Harley with Sadie and headed into the kitchen. There he found Jared’s note. It was pretty vague, but at least he knew Jared had gone out on his own and not something else. As much as Jensen tried not to think about it, he still worried over his boyfriend. He would always trust Jared, but he couldn’t always trust the rest of the world. Lehne had proven that…

Jensen ran a hand over his face, trying to block out that thought process. He then busied himself with making some coffee and fixing a light breakfast. He had no clue how long Jared would be after all. So he didn’t bother cooking; he simply settled for a bowl of cereal. The dogs came in after awhile and started looking longingly towards the door. It was still raining, but not too hard. He let them out, knowing he would just have to clean them up. He couldn’t stand the look on their faces.

It left him alone and his thoughts once again traveled to Jared. He really wished he knew where the man had gone. It wasn’t like him to just take off like this. There were many times Jared would go out in the mornings on his own, but normally with the dogs. Sometimes he’d even go by the coffee shop for Jensen and have it waiting on him. But this morning, Jared was still gone by the time Jensen woke up…and that was what was worrying him.

He sat at the table for nearly half an hour trying to figure out where Jared would have gone. He had tried texting and calling, but he never received any replies. His cereal had gone soggy and the milk was warm. His coffee was cooling and all he could do was stare at his phone.

He shouldn’t have been this panicked! It wasn’t like Jared couldn’t take care of himself or go out by himself. He just couldn’t get over the feeling that this wasn’t right. That something was going on…

Jensen was about to just get up and grab his keys to go looking for Jared when the door finally opened. Jensen jumped to his feet and hurried to the front door. He all but barreled into Jared, knocking them against the wall.

“Hello to you to,” Jared grunted. He barely pushed Jensen off of him, but his boyfriend wouldn’t have it. Jensen leaned in and gave Jared a passionate kiss. “Mmm,” Jared moaned into the kiss. “Was I gone that long?” Jared laughed, gasping for breath when they finally pulled away.

“I…I just was worried,” Jensen replied sheepishly. “I didn’t know where you’d gone to and I just…”

“Sorry, I didn’t expect to be gone that long. Figured I’d be home before you got up.” Jared picked up a bag that he had dropped when Jensen had grabbed him. “I brought donuts…and I promise…no cop jokes this time.”

Jensen smiled at that, but still felt as if there was something else going on. It shouldn’t have taken that long for donuts. He chose not to comment, knowing Jared would say something if he needed to. “Go ahead and take them into the kitchen. The dogs are outside. I’ll put your coat up while you get them?”

“Thanks,” Jared answered, shrugging out of the coat. He handed it to Jensen before taking off towards the kitchen.

Jensen went to put the coat back in the closet, but something fell out of the pocket. He reached down to pick it up and put it back in the coat. The yellow print on the paper caught his eyes…it was a visitor’s pass for the prison. He un-crumbled it and today’s date came into view. “Jay,” Jensen whispered sadly to himself.

The phone rang, startling Jensen out of his thoughts. “Can you get it?!?” Jared called from the other room over the dogs’ happy barks.

Jensen grabbed the nearby cordless phone. “Hello?”

“Jen! Hey!”

“Jeff…hey man. What’s going on?”

“I’m headed to the hospital. Lisa just went into labor. I wanted to let you two know so you could swing by. Meg is going to stay with Tessa for a few hours before she brings her down. We didn’t think it would be good to have her there the whole time.”

“Of course! I’ll get Jay…we’ll be there soon.”

“Thanks!”

The call cut out as Jeff no doubt continued to drive down the road at break neck speed. It sounded as if he was just as excited and nervous as he had been when Tessa had been born.

“Jay!” Jensen rounded the corner, grabbing a donut in the process. “Jeff just called…Lisa’s in labor. You wanna head on over?”

“Oh my God,” Jared smiled. “Yeah…um…just let me change. I’m pretty much soaked now.” He glanced down at his muddy and wet sweater then at the dogs. They looked happy at the fact that they had managed to get Jared in such a state so quickly. Jensen couldn’t help but laugh. “You’re cleaning them up next time,” Jared grumbled as he went to go change.

For the moment, Jensen decided to forget about the visitor’s pass. They had other things to deal with.

*********

“Uncle Jen…how is the baby going to come out of Mommy’s tummy?” Tessa asked with wide eyes. She was sitting in Jensen’s lap, playing happily with the drawstrings of his sweatshirt.

“Um…well…you see…”

Jared decided to save his boyfriend. He pulled his niece onto his own lap. “Well, Tes, you see your mommy is working really hard to get him out to us. The doctor’s are helping her, and they are the best of the best here.” Tessa continued to watch with wide eyes and an intense gaze as Jared explained. “With a little help from them, your brother is going to find his own way out.”

“Oh…” She didn’t look completely convinced, but her attention became focused on Jared’s mom as Sherry appeared with a stuffed animal for her. Tessa jumped down from Jared’s lap and ran towards her.

Jensen wrapped an arm around Jared and pulled him closer. “You doin’ ok?”

“Yeah,” Jared sighed. “Just was hoping I wouldn’t have to deal with those questions.”

“Me neither,” Jensen said with a cringe. “But…are you ok…being here? You know…in the hospital again?”

Jared was quiet for a moment then leaned into Jensen some more and turned towards him. “Honestly? Not loving it. But…I want to see my nephew more than I want to be a coward running with my tale between my legs.”

Jensen hugged Jared against his side. “You wouldn’t be a coward Jay. You never could be, babe.”

Jared blushed and leaned up to give Jensen a kiss on his cheek.

Jeff suddenly appeared, smiling brightly. “Hey,” he breathed out. “We’ve got a boy!”

The small waiting room was soon filled with cheers and happy chatter as the family congratulated Jeff and threw questions at him like crazy.

“Slow down,” he chuckled. “You’ll all get to see him in time.” He turned towards his little brother. “But Jay gets to go in first.”

“What?” Jared gasped.

“Lisa and I decided we want Jared to come in first. We’ll explain everything later, but we’ve made up our minds.”

“You sure, Jeff? Mom and Dad should-“

“Just come meet your nephew and shut up,” Jeff laughed.

Jared nodded and followed his brother along the halls back to Lisa’s room. His sister-in-law was leaning up in bed with a little bundle held tight in her arms. “Hey,” she greeted tiredly, but with a smile.

Jared stood in the doorway while Jeff walked over to the bed. “Come on bub…you can come closer you know…”

Jared blushed but walked towards the bed. Lisa moved the blanket just enough so that he could see the baby better. He smiled at the newborn and pressed his finger into the little hand. His nephew wrapped his own fingers around it, making Jared smile even wider.

“Bub,” Jeff started, “I want you to meet your new nephew, Jay.”

Jared’s head shot up at the name. “Wh-what?”

“Well, Jayden is his full name,” Lisa replied. “But Jay for short, like you.”

“I don’t…but…”

“Jared, Jayden means thankful,” Lisa continued, her voice catching on the emotions. “We didn’t…I…” A few tears streamed down her face, surprising Jared.

“Jare, we didn’t know if you were going to be here to see him. A couple months ago…with everything…we were so scared you wouldn’t get to.” A few tears slipped from Jeff’s eyes as well. “We are just so damn happy and grateful to have you here with…with him.” Jeff put his hand protectively on his new son. “We wanted to celebrate that…to celebrate the both of you.”

“Jeff,” Jared choked out.

“He’ll grow up knowing he was named after the bravest person we know,” Lisa added. “It’s settled…so, you want to hold Jayden?” Before Jared could answer she pushed the baby into Jared’s arms. He quickly remembered how to hold the newborn and relaxed under the light weight. Jayden yawned and stretched his hand out towards Jared. He caught the little hand in his own and brought it up for a kiss. Jayden blinked up at his uncle before nestling deeper towards Jared’s chest. Jared just held him close.

*********

“Hey,” Jensen said, coming up behind Jared and wrapping his arms around his boyfriend’s waist. He pulled Jared against his chest. The younger man went willingly, but kept his eyes glued to the window in front of him. Jensen smiled. “Pretty cute kid, huh?”

“Yeah,” Jared replied, still looking through the nursery’s window at his nephew and the other babies sleeping peacefully inside.

“You alright?” Jensen asked, twisting the two of them so that he faced Jared. “You sound distracted.”

“Was just thinking…”

“You tend to do that a lot…”

Jared tried to smile at the teasing, but it didn’t quite work. “I went and saw Lehne today.” He blurted the confession out, not really meaning to.

Jensen nodded, keeping his hands on Jared. “I know, babe.”

“Y-you do?” Jared looked worried and a little frightened.

“Your visitor’s pass fell out of your pocket. I wasn’t snooping or anything.”

“Why d-didn’t you say anything?”

Jensen shrugged. “I knew you’d tell me when you needed to.” Jared still looked unsure. “Jay, I trust you. I know you’ve kept stuff from me in the past, but I understand why. I may not like it, but I understand it. You don’t have to always tell me everything at first. I trust you. And I’m here if you do need to talk about it…or anything.”

Jared looked like he was thinking everything over then leaned up to kiss Jensen. “I didn’t want to tell you at first…I knew you wouldn’t want me to go alone…and I needed to. I wanted to tell you. Just didn’t want to beforehand.”

“Can’t promise that I wouldn’t have freaked.” Jensen ran a hand over his hair. “How was it?”

“It…it was what I needed to do. I had to confront him.”

“Jare-“

“I know I confronted him in the courtroom, but that was different. It wasn’t on my terms and in my way. It was in front of a lot of people and there was a lot riding on it. I needed one on my terms.”

“Did it help?”

“It did,” Jared sighed. “It really did.”

“I’m glad.” Jensen ran his fingers through Jared’s hair, brushing the errand strands back from his face. “What do you say we get outta here? Head back home and relax?”

“Sounds good.” Jared turned to the window again. “Bye buddy,” he said to the window; the action caused Jensen to smile. The lil guy already had both his uncles wrapped around his finger.

The two silently headed out of the hospital and to the Impala. Jensen climbed in and started off down the road. His mind kept replaying the events of the day, and for once none of his thoughts involved Lehne. Instead, he kept focusing on Jared with Jayden and how happy he had seemed today.

“Hey Jare?”

“Yeah?”

“You ever think of us…having kids?”

Jared was silent for a few moments and Jensen started to worry he’d said something wrong. “You’d make a good dad,” Jared finally replied.

A smile spread across Jensen’s face. “You would too. I mean, look at how good you are with Tessa.”

“You think so?”

“I know it!”

Jared blushed. “So are you asking me if I want to adopt a baby with you?”

Jensen laughed. “I’m just asking that we maybe start thinking about it…whenever you are ready to.” Jensen turned into the driveway and cut the engine. They climbed out of the car and headed towards the front door. “I don’t want to rush you or anything.”

Jared nodded and stepped inside, keeping his gaze to the floor. “I think it’s time to stop living in the past and start being happy again.” His eyes flickered up to Jensen. “I think it’s time we started living our lives again…don’t you?”

Jensen felt pride and love swell in his chest. He wrapped his arms around Jared and pulled him in for a kiss. Their mouths locked for a few moments. “I think,” Jensen gasped once they broke apart, “that is a great idea. I always knew you were smart.”

Jared smiled and leaned in for another kiss. He let his hands settle at Jensen’s waist and held him close. Jensen leaned into the warmth of Jared body, pressing him into the hallway’s wall. “Think we should maybe take this upstairs?” Jensen asked.

Jared pushed back against Jensen’s body, aligning them even more. “Think that would be good,” he replied breathlessly.

They fumbled towards the stairs, receiving curious looks from the dogs on their way. They didn’t pay it any mind. Their sole focus was on each other and making upstairs. They nearly tripped a few times, but it didn’t deter them. After a few moments, they stumbled into the bedroom and practically fell onto the bed together. Their lips stayed locked and their hands roamed over their clothed bodies. Their skin became overheated and the soft cotton of their shirts became restricting.

Jensen was the first to break down and rid himself of the offending article. He looked at Jared for permission before tugging off his boyfriend’s shirt as well. Their warm chests collided as the continued to explore each other’s muscled bodies with their hands.

“Too much…clothes…Jen,” Jared panted.

Jensen chuckled and easily agreed. He reached down and pulled Jared’s jeans down and then his own. They could feel their want for the other through the soft material of their boxers. He made their moves clumsy and more needy. They pushed into each other, seeking out the heat of the other’s body. Jensen finally couldn’t take it any longer and pulled down Jared’s boxers.

Jensen grabbed the supplies from the nightstand and began prepping his boyfriend. He took his time, paying attention to every part of Jared until he was about to lose it.

“God…come on Jen! Please…” Jared pulled him in for a kiss and rutted up against Jensen. It was enough to make Jensen give in. He shucked off his own boxers then slowly pushed into Jared.

“You o-ok?”

“Y-yeah,” Jared muttered as his body adjusted. “I’m good. Please, Jen. Need…just…”

“Shh…I know…same here.” Jensen started moving, slow and steady. He could feel pressure building with each thrust, but he tried to keep it at an even pace, drawing it out. They needed this. As much as his body would love to do it quick and dirty, he knew it wasn’t what they needed right now. They needed this…they need to just relax and show their love for the other.

Jared’s fingers gripped at Jensen’s hips, pulling him deeper with each movement. He craved the touch and the feel of Jensen. It overwhelmed everything else and filled him like nothing ever could. He started to buck up a little into the heat of Jensen’s body. His own was going wild over the pace and needed more.

Jensen couldn’t help but react. His pace stuttered and started becoming faster with each snap forward. He became lost in the sensation of Jared pulling him and moaning under him. “So…perfect…Jay,” he managed to stutter out. He could feel his orgasm build with each second. The steadiness from earlier had been shattered, leaving them both moving erratically and passionately.

“Jen,” Jared moaned as Jensen grabbed onto him. Jensen rubbed and tugged until Jared couldn’t take it any more. “Oh God…Jen…can’t…mmm…”

They two climaxed together, holding onto the other through the bliss. They rode out the waves of pleasure until it finally started to ebb away. Jensen collapsed next to Jared and pulled him close. “I love you,” he whispered breathlessly against his ear.

“Mmm…love you too.” Jared twisted so that he was face to face with Jensen. He pressed a kiss to his mouth then laid his head against Jensen’s chest. They were both asleep within minutes.

*********

Cheesy Christmas music blared from the speakers off to the side. Bright strands of lights lit up the house and the giant tree filled the rooms with the soft pine scent. Food was spread out on the tables with just about every type of dessert on another counter.

Tessa was running around with the dogs, clad in her little reindeer costume Jared had gotten for her as an early present. Jeff was trying to keep up with her while Lisa was on the couch holding Jayden and talking with Sherry. Jensen’s family had shown up as well, and Donna was busy fussing over her boys. They hadn’t been able to come in to town during the trial and everything, so they were happy to be spending the holiday with them.

Misha and Gen were swaying along to the music, as were JD and Sam, as well as Alona and Chris. The couples both seemed completely ignorant of the others around them. Mike and Tom were curled up near the fireplace, talking to Jim and Danneel about the progress at the children’s center. Tom was speaking quite animatedly, causing his husband to smile. Jim seemed interested in helping the younger man.

Jensen’s dad, Allen, and Gerry were standing near the food tables, trying to decide where to start. Both Megan and Mack ran over to drag them over to the makeshift dance floor Jensen had fixed earlier. They grumbled but went nonetheless to dance with their daughters.

Donna was still fussing over Jensen and catching up. Jared had escaped to some other part of the house, but Jensen couldn’t see where. “Hey, mom, if you don’t mind I’m going to go find Jay.”

“Oh! Of course dear! I’m sorry to keep you so long.” She reached up to cup his cheek. “Just missed my boys.”

“I know…let me go get Jared and you can fuss over him again,” Jensen chuckled, earning him a playful slap to his arm.

“I am not fussing…I just haven’t seen you boys. And we have been worried.”

Her words sobered Jensen. He leaned down to give her a kiss on her cheek. “We’re ok, Mom. I promise.” He squeezed her hand for emphasis then headed off to find Jared. He dodged the dogs and Tessa on his way into the kitchen. He couldn’t help but smile at the couples out on the dance floor as he passed them. His stomach grumbled at the sight and smell of all the amazing food, but he didn’t find Jared in the room.

“Where are you?” he mumbled to himself. He was about to head upstairs when he glance towards the back door. He saw it just barely cracked open, letting some of the cold air inside. The weather had turned colder than it had been in Texas for quite awhile.

Jensen walked outside and found Jared on the back deck, leaning against the railing. He was staring up at the night sky. A few grey clouds marred the view, but the stars were still shining brightly. The sight nearly took Jensen’s breath away.

“Hey,” he finally managed to stutter out. He walked up beside Jared and wrapped his arm around the younger man’s waist. “What are you doing out here? It’s freezing.”

Jared leaned into the warm touch. “Just wanted some air.”

“You ok?” Jensen asked with concern.

“Yeah…I’m great…really.” Jared turned to Jensen. “Think I’m this is the best I’ve ever been.” Jensen pulled him closer into his side. “Thank you,” Jared mumbled after a few minutes.

“For what?”

Jared twisted and gave Jensen a kiss. “For…everything. For taking care of me and putting up with everything. Not sure I would have survived everything without you.”

“You don’t have to thank me for all that. I should be thanking you.”

“I didn’t do anything…”

“Yeah you did, Jay. You survived. I don’t know what I would’ve done if…” His voice cracked with the emotions and the rest of the thought went unsaid.

Jared wrapped his arms around Jensen and pulled him in for another kiss. “Take more than that to get rid of me…not going anywhere.”

Jensen couldn’t help but smile as he stood there with his arms around his boyfriend. The noise from the party filtered through the door, but they didn’t notice. For the moment, they were the only two in the world. The cool air blew around them, ruffling Jared’s long bangs. They wrapped their arms around each other tighter.

To their surprise, the grey clouds let loose with a few snowflakes. They landed on the two of them, causing them to smile softly. It hadn’t snowed there in awhile. Jared turned towards Jensen. A few flakes were resting on his reddened cheeks. Jensen reached up and rubbed them before going in for a kiss.

Jared and Jensen stayed on the deck as the flakes fell to the ground, leaving a light dusting around their feet. Their lips remained locked and they stayed in each other’s arms. The moment was everything they could have hoped for and one they nearly never had.

For the first time in a long time, Jared felt safe. He didn’t have a care in the world. All he had was Jensen, and that was all he needed.

The End

Masterpost

A/N: Thanks you to all of you who have stuck with me on this story and have read it! You guys have been amazing from the beginning and have meant so much to me. I hate to see this fic end, but I hope you all like it. I want to also thank the incredible imogen_lily who had the confidence in me to let me take on this bunny when I didn’t even have the confidence in myself. I’ve loved working on this with you sweetie! Thanks again everyone! Will have more fics soon as well as the PDF for this ☺