I Dream of Jensen (Part Ten, first half)

Feb 02, 2011 22:46

Title: I Dream of Jensen
Author: queeberquabbler
Fic Prompt: Disney's Aladdin
Pairing: J2
Rating/Warnings: PG-13 for swearing. No warnings otherwise--it's your standard J2 :)
Disclaimer: See Master Post.







Jensen is cold, nervous, and downright scared. For hours now, he’s been dreading the talk they’re about to have, and though his magic is fully recharged, his body is physically suffering the onslaught of negative emotions pummeling through him. He can’t warm up no matter how many layers he puts on. He’s had two pots worth of Mermaid’s Song tea, guaranteed to calm the spirit, and his heart is still racing. And now that he’s had to resort to locking Jared in his room, his fear is paramount. It’s only his sheer determination that keeps the genie from freaking out right in front of his master. He has to keep Jared safe. HAS to.

Even if it means making him hate me, Jensen thinks sadly. Jared is still glaring at him, but Jensen stands stoic-at least, as stoic as a trembling-with-cold-dread man can.

“You can’t keep me in here,” Jared says.

“Maybe not.” Jensen calmly points to the bars on the windows. “But I’m pretty sure they can."

Jared rolls his eyes as he sighs, “Jensen, this is ridiculous. You’re gonna make me late.”

“No, I’m gonna keep you SAFE. That means no date, no risk, and especially, no David.”

Folding his arms, Jared studies Jensen a moment before he asks, “Why do you suddenly hate David so much?”

“I don’t HATE-him hate him,” Jensen corrects, “but I damn well don’t trust him. And I’m not the only one. All day yesterday, people kept warning me to watch out for you when you’re around the guy. They said he’s a spotlight whore, so if he’s being nice to you, it’s all an act.”

Jared frowns. “Who said that?”

“Well, Chad, for one.”

Jared’s eyes roll again. “Wow. I’m shocked.”

“And Sandy,” Jensen continues. “And Misha and Alona. And half the rest of the fucking crew. They can’t ALL be wrong, Jared.”

“Well they are!” Jared huffs. Now Jensen rolls his eyes, and Jared walks around the room a bit, trying to keep his temper in check. “I mean, fine…I’ll admit David isn’t the nicest guy to most people. He’s got a short temper and he can be a little demanding sometimes.”

Jensen raises an eyebrow. “SOMEtimes?”

Jared throws him a look for that. “Just because a person has a rough side doesn’t mean he’s a complete dick, y’know? He’s a brilliant actor and has come up with some of the best ideas for the show. He’s a good guy, Jen, I know it! Give him a chance.”

Jensen nods. “Sure, Jared. I’ll give him a chance. Just explain one thing to me: Why does he have a blood magic stone in his trailer?”

Jared is confused, but then he thinks back to his little visit to David’s trailer and remembers where they sat. “You mean that antique table?”

“It’s not some heirloom from his granny’s attic, Jared, it’s ancient! Older than Stonehenge! He’s mixing in the dark arts, and that’s ALWAYS a bad thing.”

Jared snorts. “So, what…you’re saying he’s practicing real sorcery?”

“Basically, yeah.”

Jared shakes his head and laughs bitterly, but Jensen doesn’t back down. “You don’t believe me?”

“Of course I don’t believe you, and you know why? Cause magic isn’t real!”

“Oh really? And I suppose genies don’t exist, either.” Jensen folds his arms, and Jared is forced to concede that point.

“Okay, fine. So he has a…what did you call it?”

“A blood magic stone. You activate it by cutting yourself and offering it a few drops of blood. Then you smear the blood over the runes as you recite them, and they activate and grant you their power for a short time.”

Jared still isn’t convinced. “Uh-huh. And why would an actor need to do that?”

“That’s what I asked YOU!” Jensen shouts. “It isn’t normal, Jared! And worse, it’s DANGEROUS. He’s literally playing with fire here.”

“It’s probably just for research or something,” Jared dismisses. “You know, to help him get into character before he shoots a scene.”

“Then WHY was there fresh blood on the stone? And WHY does he also have the altar and the ritual knife? And what about the fact that he knows about Jack Senelens?!”

“Who the hell is Jack Senelens?”

“ME,” Jensen says, pointing his thumb at his chest. “That’s my real name. When I became a genie, I worked out an anagram so I’d never have to hear my old name again. That’s how I became Jensen Ackles.” He watches Jared think over the information, but he can tell that it isn’t fully sinking in. “Jay, you’re the first person I’ve ever told about my real name. Even Jim doesn’t know it! So how did David find out? And why’d he write it down in a book and circle it?”

Jared looks back at him and confesses, “I don’t know.” Then his forehead creases up as he realizes something. “Wait a minute…how do you know all of this?” He walks toward the genie with suspicion on his face. “Were you snooping around in David’s trailer?” Jensen turns away instead of answering, and Jared puffs out a short laugh. “Unbelievable. Here you’re accusing David of being some devious bastard, but it’s perfectly okay for YOU to break into his trailer!”

“I didn’t break in,” Jensen snaps. “But yeah, I did look around. I had to find out more about the guy!”

“WHY?”

“Because I DON’T want you to get HURT like I DID!”

Jared is silenced by Jensen’s outburst-not just the volume, but the hurt in his voice. Jensen in turn is stunned that he admitted he got hurt. The two stare at each other for a moment, trying and failing to read what the other is thinking. Then the jail bars recede into the walls, and the safe door disappears. Jensen turns toward the lamp as his feet transform into smoke.

“Fine, don’t believe me. Go on your stupid date. Just be careful, dammit.”

“Jen, wait!”

Jensen stops but doesn’t turn around. He hears Jared take a deep breath.

“Tell me what you saw.”

The genie peers over his shoulder and finds Jared wearing a new take on the puppy dog look: the kicked-puppy look, and it's so sad that Jensen would normally want to hug and kiss him all better. But right now, all he feels is frustration and rejection, so he just waits for Jared to speak again. “I know you wouldn’t lie to me,” Jared continues, “so if you really think I’m in danger…” He licks his lips and nods, gaze dropping to the floor. “Tell me what you saw in his trailer. I’m listening.”

Jared sits down on the sofa to prove it. He looks up at the genie, who sits down as well-on a floating cushion of blue smoke. Jensen readies himself and begins his tale.

“Right after I fucked up and you told me to leave you alone, I floated out of the room…”

FLASHBACK

Jensen has been passing through rooms and offices as a ghost, not really caring where he ends up or who he flies through. Not that anyone can see or feel him anyway, so he just drifts, letting Jared’s blustering provide all the momentum he needs to separate him from his awful mistake.

You’ve done enough for one morning, don’t you think?
Just stay out of the way and be quiet.
Just my handler.
Just my employee.

Jensen feels stupid and hurt and stupidly hurt, but he lets the words lash out at him on constant replay; it’s nothing less than he deserves, after all.

His body floats through another wall and emerges outside, where the wind takes over. To his chagrin, it drops him at David’s trailer. Yeah, right. Like I’m gonna go in there so I can feel even worse. But then someone runs out of the trailer and whooshes right through Jensen’s ghostly body. It’s David’s assistant, and he looks scared. Curious, Jensen floats through the trailer’s door to see what’s going on. The moment he passes into the room, he reappears, normal genie costume and all.

Except he didn’t TELL himself to reappear.

“Oh shit.”

He hears footsteps on the trailer's steps, and he tries to vanish again, but he remains completely visible. “Shit shit SHIT!” Now he hears the tinkle of keys and fumbling fingers, and he tries anything-disappearing, flying, turning into air, blending into the wallpaper, teleporting-but nothing works. It’s like his magic is suddenly tapped out-and it’s NEVER tapped out. The lock clicks, the door starts to open, and Jensen’s heart becomes a wrecking ball in his chest, knocking hard against his ribcage. Somehow, that gives his magic the jolt it needed, and he finds himself five inches tall.

That’ll work, he thinks, and then he dives behind the leg of a small table. He peers out at a pair of Chucks that scurry over the carpeting. A long roll of paper towel billows behind him, nearly touching the floor. Jensen rushes over to the opposite side of the table so he can keep watching whatever is going on. David’s assistant is grabbing a bunch of items and setting them aside on the huge leather chair in the corner.

“Gotta hurry, aw fuck, he’s gonna KILL ME!” the young man whimpers, and he spreads the paper towel across the top of the high…well, Jensen isn’t sure what it’s supposed to be. The bottom half looks like a hardwood pub-style bar, but the top is made of marble, and hanging off of one side is a black velvet cloth that bears battered skulls as embroidery.

And Jensen knows he shouldn’t risk a look-he really, REALLY should stay right where he is, but he can’t help it. His gut instinct is telling him he has to go, so, with a sigh, he runs over to the side of the bar opposite the assistant and starts to climb. The aroma of coffee laced with cinnamon gets stronger the higher he gets, and when he finally hauls his body over the ledge and onto the top, he finds a small puddle of the stuff on the other end of the marble top, slowly soaking into the paper towel. The velvet runner and all sorts of objects have all been pushed to Jensen’s side to keep them from being stained. The assistant grabs a leather-bound book, and the gust of wind from the motion is enough to knock Jensen on his back. He looks up and into David’s face, which is smiling at him from a framed publicity shot.

What a douchebag, Jensen thinks as he rights himself. Another David looks at him from across the room. A third and a fourth are situated over the TV. He’s everywhere, and it makes Jensen shudder. Sheesh, you don’t just buy your own hype-you’re a damn stockholder! Then the scream of a hairdryer assaults his ears, as the assistant holds the book open and works to dry two pages stained with coffee.

“He’s gonna kill me,” he says again. “STUPID, Gabe, why the hell did you drink coffee by the altar?!”

Jensen feels for the guy and would gladly help him if his magic felt like working. Wait…did he say altar? He turns around and looks at the items that have been pushed away from the coffee spill. The biggest item is a pewter chalice, and next to it, a knife with a hilt of genuine bone. They are both clean, but Jensen, being a genie, is able to see the dark energy radiating off both. There are small idols as well, but it’s the most ordinary item that makes Jensen quake with fear. It’s a river stone, blinding white and speckled with periwinkle. Only one riverbed is home to such a stone: that of the river Styx.

And how David ever ended up with it, much less what he’s DOING with it, Jensen does not want to know. He’s about to turn around to start climbing down when a shadow falls over him. It’s the assistant’s hand, blindly reaching for the edge of the velvet runner so he can pull it back. But his fingers wander toward the dangerous stone instead. It starts to glow as his thumb draws near…

“No, DON’T!” Jensen yells, diving to push the hand out of the way. Gabe turns toward the voice, but his thumb still brushes the stone. The entire room goes white as the trailer jumps off its base, rocked by the tremendous release of energy. Gabe shrieks as the stone melts and begins to cover his hand, burning his flesh away as his bones freeze to their new ceramic skin. Then he feels something bite into the pad of his thumb just before the stone gets there, and all of a sudden, the stone recedes and the light dies out. Gabe flexes his reformed fingers as the stone drops back onto the table, harmless again.

“How the…WHAT the…?!” The assistant finds blood on his thumb, and as he smears it, he hears that same voice that warned him now apologizing for biting him. His eyes fall on a very small man, only inches high, wearing no clothing save for some puffy blue pants.

“You have to give it a small blood sacrifice before you touch it,” the tiny man explains. “Otherwise it consumes you. It’s cause it’s soaked in the waters from the river Styx. Dead people can take it. Alive people? Not so much.”

“Thank you,” Gabe breathes. “Fuck that hurt….” He flexes his hand again and manages a wobbly smile-he’s still pretty confused, after all, what with the nearly dying and now the tiny man. The tiny man is pretty confused too, what with the assistant not freaking out at the fact that a tiny man is right in front of him. But Jensen decides to just go with it.

“You’re welcome. Now how about you pay me back by letting me out of here?”

Gabe frowns a little and looks around. “Why don’t you just leave the same way you got in?” Then something occurs to the assistant, and he answers his own question. “It’s because you’re magic, right?” The tiny man nods, and Gabe does, too. “David put a binding spell on this place. Whatever happens in the trailer, STAYS in the trailer. And believe me, everyone in this studio should be really thankful for that.”

He juts his chin out to his right, and the little man follows his gaze. The small table next to them is topped by a stone tablet, and its surface is etched in carvings. Carvings that do not belong on ANY table. Carvings that are stained a tell-tale shade of russet brown: dried blood.

“Not good,” Jensen mutters, and his wide eyes drift back to the publicity photograph. “You sure know how to pick ‘em, Jare.”

“Wait a second…”

Jensen looks back up at the assistant just as he’s grabbed by the same hand he bit only moments before. Gabe holds him securely, but not tight, and his eyes grow wide with wonder. “You’re him, aren’t you! The one he’s been looking for.”

Jensen feels incredibly vulnerable and trapped, and he looks away as he stammers, “I, um…eh-heh. I don’t know what you’re-”

“Jack Senelens,” Gabe whispers.

All the color drains from the tiny man’s body at the name. His equally tiny mouth quivers as he tries to speak, but no sound comes out. “How do I know that name?” Gabe guesses, and the man nods. Gabe takes him into the back room of the trailer, where another leather-bound book rests on a desk next to a bed. Gabe flips through its parchment pages until he finds what he’s looking for, and then he holds the genie above it so he can see for himself. It’s a long list of names, all written in the same sloppy handwriting that makes chicken-scratch look neat. Some names are circled, others crossed out, but the ones that are legible enough to read fill Jensen with dread. He knows those names. All of them. And the fact that they are in a book in David’s trailer can’t be anything good.

But it’s the name at the very top of the list that frightens Jensen the most. It’s written in blood-red ink, and a note above it reads, “It all started with him.”

Jack Senelens.

His real name.

“You have to get out of here,” Gabe tells him. That takes Jensen by complete surprise, and he looks up at his captor-turned-benefactor. “He can’t ever find you, all right? He’s dangerous. Just look!” Gabe holds Jensen up to see the large portrait over the bed. In it, David is depicted as a god, complete with rippling muscles straining against the toga that binds them. Worshippers surround him to his right, while underneath him and to the left are monsters. They look like animals with human faces, and they’re all in pain. Under David’s foot is a donkey with Eric’s head, and David is crushing him.

“Wow. Subtle,” Jensen remarks.

They hear a knock at the door, and both of them jump. “Mr. Boreanaz?” a gruff voice asks. “You in there?”

“Shit, it’s security!” Gabe hisses. “We must’ve tripped the silent alarm when the stone went berserk.”

Then they hear another voice-this one much more frightening. “What the hell is going on?” David barks.

“FUCK!” Gabe and Jensen chorus in a whisper. Gabe tiptoes over to the window and peeks through the blinds.

“Your silent alarm was tripped, sir. I was just about to check around inside, but my key doesn’t work. Did you change your locks?”

“NO, why would I do that?” David fishes his own keys out and tries them, but the door won’t work for him, either. He and the guard take turns grumbling and trying to make their keys work, and the two men trapped inside breathe in relief.

“We’ve got time,” Jensen announces. “Here’s what you’re gonna do. You got a phone on you?” Gabe nods and pulls his cell out of his pocket. “Great. Call Jim Beaver.”

“The warehouse security guy? Why?”

“One, because he’s a pro at picking locks, and two, because he knows me. Call him, tell him that Jensen needs his help, and if he asks you something about cake, tell him yellow. Then tell him the gist of our problem here and he’ll come over.”

Gabe does as he’s told, and after he answers ‘yellow’ to what kind of cake Jensen always made him eat on Valentine’s Day (“long story” both Jim and genie tell the assistant), he says he’ll be there in a jiff. Gabe thanks him and pockets the phone. Then he looks down at Jensen.

“Okay, now what?”

“Now you crawl into the next room and act like you’re just waking up. Make yourself known, then say that you came to the trailer and found some stranger inside, taking David’s stuff. You tried to stop him and he knocked you on the head with something. Emphasize somehow that it was something magical, so David gets where you’re coming from. Then say you called Jim because you heard he knows how to pick locks.”

“And what about you?”

“Just put me near the door. I’ll run out…once it’s open.” The genie looks and sounds tired now, like he’s about to faint. Gabe puts his thumb up to steady the tiny guy.

“You okay little dude?”

“No…really weak…think that dark shit on the table is…leeching my magic. Just get me…outta here…” The small form falls quiet from exhaustion, and Gabe cups both hands around him as he puts the plan into motion. He ducks into the next room, keeping extra low so they don’t see him through the window, and then deposits the genie on the floor directly next to the door frame. Then Gabe notices that the door knob’s lock is partially melted on this side-no doubt thanks to the stone. He decides to add that bit of information to his story, so he sits down, slides over to just beneath the window, and groans loudly as he sits up into view.

“Gabe?” David pounds on the window. “What the hell are you doing in there? Let us in!”

And Gabe acts out the genie’s plan to the letter, emphasizing that the burglar “touched something he shouldn’t have,” which definitely gets David’s attention. By the time Jim gets there and starts to pick the lock, Gabe scoops the little man up again, holds him close to his chest, and gets ready. It takes a combination of Jim’s lock picking and slamming his shoulder against the door to finally get it open, and as the warehouse security guard plows into the room, Gabe swiftly drops the genie in the man’s pocket. They share a quick but knowing look before David storms into the room, followed by the security guard that had originally shown up on the scene.

“What happened, Gabe?” David asks-no, assaults his assistant, grabbing him by the shoulders and shaking him. “Did you see who it was? Did they take anything? Answer me!”

‘Hey, Gabe, I’m a dickweed and I care more about my stuff than you,’ Jensen’s weak voice pops up in Jim’s mind, and the guard has to hide a smile. He takes his leave as Gabe starts telling his story. Jim makes a beeline for Jared’s trailer and lets himself in; Jared didn’t bother locking it because there’s still nothing inside to steal. Only then does Jim carefully scoop Jensen out of his front pocket. The genie groans as he rolls in his friend’s palm.

“Well you look like shit warmed over,” Jim comments.

“And you smell like it,” Jensen quips back, still sounding weak. “Can you take me over to my lamp? Batteries need recharging.”

“Sure. Where is it?”

Jensen groans again as he tries to get his mushy brain to think. “In Jared’s bag…think he left it in the make-up room.”

“No problem.” Jim pulls his hands up to set Jensen back in his front pocket, but the genie tells him to wait.

“Leave me here…just get the lamp.”

“Huh? Why? Don’t you think Jared would want to know you’re sick?”

The tiny green eyes look up at him. “He’s mad at me,” Jensen mumbles, fading fast. “An’ don’t ask why…too damn tired t’ tell you right now. Let’s jus’ say I fucked up big time.” Jim sighs heavily, not happy with any of this, and Jensen gives a sleepy smirk. “Not…askin’ you to like it, Jim. Just help me out here…and DON’T tell Jared. He’s got more important things to worry about. Like lines. And a career.” Jensen yawns and shuts his eyes. “And everything…else…”

The genie gently passes out, so Jim lays him down on the carpet behind the sofa, which is still the only piece of furniture in the new trailer. “Be back soon,” he promises Jensen, and then he’s out the door.

Back in the here and now, Jensen’s lower half forms out of the smoke, and he stands up. “So Jim brought the lamp back, I went inside, and a few hours later, you came along. The end.”

Jared’s eyes are on the lamp, and Jensen waits for him to say something, but Jared seems lost in thought. “So?” Jensen asks. “What do you think?”

Jared opens his mouth to speak, but he swallows instead, letting his head shake slowly from side to side. “I don’t know…WHAT to think,” he admits at length.

“Seems pretty cut and dry to me.”

Hazel eyes finally drift up to the genie’s face. “I’m not so sure about that.”

“What?! Jared…”

As Jared gets up from the couch and starts to walk, Jensen follows him. “Everything I told you is TRUE, Jay. You said yourself that I’d never lie to you, and you’re right. So why don’t you believe me?”

“That’s just it,” Jared admits, turning to face him. “I DO believe you.”

Relief pours onto Jensen’s face. “You do?”

“Yeah.” Jared blinks and looks away again. “I just don’t think we know the whole story yet.”

“So?”

“SO, maybe David has a legitimate reason for all that blood magic stuff.” From the corner of his eye, Jared sees Jensen throw his arms in the air-nothing less than Jared expected. But he keeps calm. “I just think David deserves the chance to tell his side of the story. Is that so bad?”

“YES!” Jensen fires back. He moves up to Jared and pleads at him with his green eyes. “What if you stick your neck out for him and he chops your head off?”

“It’s just a date, Jen. We’ll be in a restaurant. I’m sure the guillotine won’t come out until after dessert.” Jared’s jokes fizzle; if anything, Jensen looks even MORE worried now.

“I don’t want you to get hurt,” Jensen says again. “I’ve been where you are, all right? You’re about to make the same mistake I did, and I can’t…” He tilts his head to the right, fighting to keep his emotions in check. “I WON’T let you go through that. Please, Jared, stay away from him until we can figure out what to do. That’s all I’m asking.”

Jared’s eyes break from Jensen’s and look at his shoulder, and Jensen turns away with a little cry of exasperation. Jared stands his ground and works out what he wants to say; he knows he has to be very careful about this. “Jensen…look,” he begins softly. “Jim said…well, he didn’t give any specifics, but he told me that you’ve been hurt badly. Especially by someone named James.” He waits for a reaction from Jensen, but gets none. “And I really, really appreciate that you’re trying to look out for me, okay? I do. But David…he isn’t James, all right? I’m sorry, Jen, but it’s nothing like what you went through.”

Jensen, still with his back to Jared, asks, “Do you love him?”

“Excuse me?”

Jensen whips around to face him. “Do you LOVE him? Simple question, Jare, yes or no.”

Jared’s mouth gapes at first before he stammers out, “I…well…no. I don’t know! I haven’t even gone out on one date with him yet!”

“But you’ve daydreamed about having a happily ever after with him, right?”

“Well, sure. What’s wrong with a little crush?”

Jensen nods as he walks closer. “And you think he’s just amazing, even though other people have warned you about him. But you don’t care, ‘cause you know the REAL him.” He stops directly in front of his master. “Right?” Jared nods, appearing uncomfortable-maybe even a touch afraid. Jensen nods back. “Then it’s exactly what I went through.”

On to the second half of Part Ten

Master Post

i dream of jensen fic

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