The Banker and the Hooligan, Part Two

[silverraven]

"What are you doing here, dear?" his grandmother asked as soon as Jensen came home. "You’re supposed to be at the fair!"

"How did you…?" He narrowed his eyes and then sighed as he accepted the inevitable. "You’ve been talking with Alona again."

She nodded. "Yes, and she told me what a brute you’ve been the whole day," she said, tone disapproving, as if she expected better from Jensen and making him feel all of ten again, small and ashamed. "But we can talk about that later. Let’s get you changed and ready for your date." She smiled liked the cheshire cat she was.

"It’s not a date, and I’m not going anyway," Jensen replied, setting down his briefcase heavily on the table.

His grandma gasped. "What do you mean you’re not going? Of course you’re going."

"I’m tired, Gramms, I’ve had a long day at work and I just want to eat dinner and go to bed early," he said, moving toward the stairs.

"The long day is your own fault and you can eat at the fair," she said pertly, "and you can have some of that cotton candy you love so much."

Jensen stopped mid-step, turning around to look at his grandma at the base of the stairs. "Cotton candy? I’ve never even had any cotton candy."

She waved him off. "Don’t be silly, Jensen, when I took you to Disneyworld you couldn’t put the stuff down, insisted on having every color until your tongue was a rainbow. Oh," she said once she took in his expression. "You don’t remember, do you?"

Jensen shook his head.

"You were about five. It was the only summer I ever had you." She looked away, eyes gazing into the distance. "Your parents wanted to take you on another European trip but I begged to have you. Small boys should spend their summers in watering holes and playgrounds, not stuffy hotels and hoity-toity restaurants."

"I wish I could remember it better," Jensen said, coming closer to her and softly touching her arm, bringing her back to the present.

She smiled at him, putting her hand over his. "We had so much fun. Your granddaddy went with your parents and brother, Mac was still in your mama’s belly. You loved the beach, you spent hours building sandcastles. And how you loved going to the park! Most of the other kids stuck to the slides and swings but not you! You loved running around the trees, trying to climb them and giving your poor grandma a heart attack."

"Sorry," he said, chuckling, remembering bits and pieces. Why he ever stopped trying to climb trees?

She patted his arm, looking up at him. "You were so happy then, grinning every time I looked at you, eyes shining. I haven’t seen it much since, until this week. I can’t help thinking it’s because of this Jay fellow."

Jensen pulled away. "I don’t know what you’re talking about. Jay is just a customer. Tom makes me happy."

His grandmother scrunched her face in disgust. "Tom is boring and predictable and…" Jensen stopped listening. Gramms never liked Tommy and took every opportunity to let her displeasure about him be known.

"He’s my boyfriend and I love him," he grated out, hoping it would put an end to this discussion. Of course it didn’t work with Gramms, she just kept on going.

"Don’t be ridiculous, of course you don’t love him," Gramms said with a dismissive tone. "You two don’t really know each other at all."

"We’ve been together for two years." His relationship with Tom was the longest he'd ever had. Tom was successful, handsome, and dependable - perfect for Jensen. Why couldn’t she see that?

"And there’s been no talk of long-term commitment," she was quick to say, nearly screeching, fists clenched. "Or children or -"

"This isn’t forties, Gramms, people don’t get married after only a couple months anymore," he said, wishing she would let things be, tired and annoyed at always having the same argument with her. "These things take time."

She poked his chest with a finger. "Love doesn’t need that much time. You’ll know when you meet your soulmate, trust me."

Jensen rolled his eyes, his grandma always had a thing for fairytales, filling all three of her grandchildren’s heads with tales of princes and princesses and true love. "Life isn’t a story book."

"I know that," she said, a sadness growing in her eyes and Jensen wondered if she was remembering Grandpa, but she didn’t dwell on it, and a moment later it was gone. "But I also know that Tom isn’t right for you. He doesn’t see you for who you truly are. He doesn’t make you laugh. I just want my grandbaby to be happy."

"You think Jay does?" he asked. "You don’t know him."

"I know enough. Alona told me he’s been to see you every day, and now it’s your turn. What time did he say you should come by? It’s already five past seven and you can’t go in your work clothes."

He frowned. "I told you I’m not going. Danneel’s wedding is this weekend and I have to finish up this proposal for JP Inc. to give the VP on Monday. I don’t have time to goof around."

"Fine, I’ll go meet him myself. Just have to grab my jacket and purse, my bus pass should be in there." She turned, reaching for the banister.

Damn it, she knew Jensen didn’t like her taking the bus alone, especially at night and outside the city. He reached out a hand to stop her. "I’m not going to let you go alone."

"Then you have two choices, Jensen, you can either go by yourself or have your grandmother following you and Jay around the fair."

He didn’t say anything for a minute. Then it clicked. "You had this planned all along, didn’t you?" he asked, giving up and smiling despite himself.

"From the moment Alona told me," she confirmed, smiling innocently in a way that only she could pull off, blue eyes twinkling. "Now go get changed, dear. Oh, and wear a sweater. It’s supposed to get chilly tonight."



Jensen muttered under his breath as he waited at the ticket booth, late enough that at least the line was small. The entrance was overrun with gaggles of teenagers, standing around and not doing much of anything besides loitering.

He had no idea where Jay was or where they were supposed to meet, but as soon as he made it through the turnstile, he heard Jay calling him. Jensen turned toward the direction of Jay’s voice and saw him walking over, dimples carving dents into his face.

Jensen wondered if Jay had really spent over an hour and a half waiting by the entrance for him or if it was just good timing.

"You made it," Jay said, expression bright, running his eyes up and down Jensen’s body and then stifling a grin poorly.

"What?" he asked, hands on his hips.

"Nothing just…" Jay shrugged, mischief in his eyes and he tugged at Jensen’s sweater. "Not sure I’ve ever seen a man under the age of forty wearing a sweater vest."

Jensen crossed his arms. "It’s supposed to get cold tonight, and I like sweater vests, they’re warm without being too hot. Perfect for weather like this. Besides, you’re one to talk," Jensen said, eyeing Jay’s outfit with his mouth turned down.

"What’s wrong with my clothes? I’m wearing jeans just like you."

"It’s your shirt."

"What about it?" Jay looked down at himself, rubbing a hand down the item in question. "It’s clean."

"It has pineapples on it."

"Yeah, and? What’s wrong with pineapples? They’re delicious."

Jensen snorted. "You’re something else, Jay."

Jay smiled, all perfect white teeth. "I like when you call me Jay. And I wasn’t making fun of your sweater vest. I like it - it makes you look all cuddly," he said, petting Jensen’s chest until Jensen had no choice but to knock his hand away.

"Not cuddly, practical. And stop feeling me up."

Jay laughed loudly, throwing his head back and exposing the long column of his throat. Not that Jensen noticed or cared. Or wanted to lick it.

"If you didn’t want people touching then you shouldn’t have worn such a soft and snuggly sweater vest. Now, c’mon," Jay said, grasping Jensen’s elbow lightly. "No trip to a fair is complete without a turkey leg and funnel cake."

Jensen only shook his head, letting Jay lead him to a food stand. They each ate a leg in record time, the hunger from skipping lunch finally abating in Jensen’s stomach.

He didn’t know what to make of the funnel cake, it didn’t look like much besides fried batter with powdered sugar sprinkled on top. He cautiously ripped a small portion off the paper plate and then moaned at the first bite. It tasted kind of like a doughnut, only better. Soft and starchy and sweet and Jensen was reaching for another bite before he could stop himself.

He was about halfway through the delicious confection, licking the powdered sugar from his fingertips with small swipes of his tongue when he remembered that Jay was sitting right next to him.

"Don’t you want some?" Jensen asked, feeling his neck flush when he saw Jay staring at his mouth and realized that Jay must have heard all the happy sounds he’d just made.

"Nah, I’m good," Jay choked out, voice hoarse. "You finish it."

Never one to look a gift horse in the mouth, Jensen pulled the plate closer to him, devouring the remaining funnel cake while trying to keep his moans to a minimum.

When he finished, Jay bought a bag of Twizzlers, offering some to Jensen. He declined, figuring he’d already be spending double the time on the treadmill tomorrow. Worth it though.

They went to the arcade next and Jensen learned just how awesome skeeball and air hockey were before they made their way to the gaming stalls.

Turned out that while Jay easily hit the bell on top of the tower in the strongman game he sucked at anything requiring good hand-eye coordination. He only popped one balloon with six darts and didn’t hit any bottles with five small rings. Jensen on the other hand, kicked ass. He won a giant stuffed hippo that he gave to a little girl and a giant red hammer-shaped balloon that he kept for himself.

"You cheated," Jay complained, lower lip protruding in a way that really shouldn’t have been so adorable. "That last ring didn’t go all the way down but you were too busy flashing your pretty eyes at the girl running the stall for her to notice."

"I won fair and square. You’re just jealous because you don’t have an awesome three-foot balloon hammer."

"And just what are you going to do with a three-foot balloon hammer?"

"This," Jensen said, face as grave as he could make it before he bopped Jay on the head with it, grinning at the surprised expression on Jay’s face.

Jay snorted, snatching the toy away and giving it to a passing child. "You are a menace."

"Jealous," Jensen song-singed. He was still grinning but Jay was no longer paying attention to him.

"Oh, look! A fried candy stand! I’ve always wanted to try a fried Twinkie." Jay’s eyes were huge, zoning in on the stand and Jensen could practically hear Jay’s mouth watering.

"You’re one of these people that think everything tastes better fried, aren’t you?"

"Because it does. Let’s go get one." Jay was already moving when Jensen reached out a hand to stop him.

"Frying is for dough and chicken, not candy. Besides man, you already had Twizzlers and Dippin Dots, how are you even hungry?" Jensen asked but missed Jay’s answer when a kid bumped into him hard enough to hurt.

The snotty pre-teen didn’t even apologize, acting like it was Jensen’s fault for having the nerve to stand there, and by the time he ran off, Jensen had lost sight of Jay.

He didn’t have to look far to find him though, of course the hooligan was busy paying for his fried Twinkie.

"You are a child," Jensen said once he made his way over.

Jay only stuck his tongue out and then took a big bite of his freshly made dessert, looking quite pleased with himself.

It was only a second or two later when Jay’s eyes suddenly grew twice as big and he promptly spit out the food, flailing, "Ohmygod, hothothot!" He dropped the rest of the Twinkie on the ground in his haste to grab Jensen’s water bottle and swallowed half of it in one go.

"Better now?" Jensen asked when Jay returned the empty bottle.

Jay nodded, then seemed to notice the remains of his food and slumped his shoulders. "Aww, man."

At Jay’s dejected look, Jensen couldn’t hide it in anymore, he burst out laughing, chortling loudly until his face and stomach hurt. "You… really are… a child," he wheezed out between peals of laughter.

Wiping at the wetness in his eyes, he was taken aback at the way Jay was looking at him.

"What?" he asked.

"You should laugh more. It looks great on you."

"Whatever," Jensen said, releasing a nervous giggle that he would deny to his dying day and rubbing the back of his neck. "You just want to butter me up so I’ll buy you another fried Twinkie."

"I’m being serious." Jay lightly touched Jensen’s chin, lifting it up until Jensen was looking at him. "You have the most adorable eye crinkles and-"

"Okay, enough." Jensen pulled away, embarrassed. "Where to next?"

Jay thought on it a moment, then smirked. "Funhouse. Definitely."

Jensen had never been inside one before but fast got into the spirit of things, making funny faces in the hall of mirrors, hitting Jay with balls from the ball pit when his back was turned and laughing his ass off at Jay trying to navigate through the barrel-shaped spinning walkway (not that Jensen fared much better).

They went on a ride called Ghost Train afterwards, clutching each other in mock horror, screaming and snickering. Thrill rides were next, where Jensen was spun around and turned upside-down so many times, he nearly up-chucked the funnel cake. Jay obviously had an iron-clad stomach or something because the bastard wasn’t even a little bit dizzy.

It was while they were on the lone small rollercoaster the funfair had to offer that Jensen realized what a great idea this was. He couldn’t remember the last time he had this much fun or laughed so hard. Maybe Jay really did have a point about fairs.

The next time the coaster reached the top of a steep drop, Jensen raised his hands off the metal bar, hollering and hooting all the way down, feeling more alive than he could remember. He never did this sort of thing - he’d lived his whole life trying to maintain a dignified and professional manner.

But not tonight.

It was awesome.

When Jensen looked at his watch and saw the fair would be closing in half an hour, disappointment hit. He might have not wanted to come but now he didn’t want to leave.

"Come on," Jay said, once again grabbing Jensen’s elbow and leading him around the grounds. "We have just enough time for one more ride and it’s the best one."

"Oh no," Jensen said, when it became clear Jay was leading him to the ferris wheel. "Absolutely not. That thing looks a hundred years old. And neither one of us is exactly light."

"It’ll be fine," Jay assured, refusing to let go of Jensen and flat-out pushing Jensen into the chair.

"It’s too small, we’ll never-oof," Jensen yelped when Jay squished in, cramming Jensen against the side of the car. Jay lifted one hand to rest along Jensen’s shoulders, tugging Jensen into his side as the bar came down.

As they rode higher the air grew chilly but Jensen was far from cold. It just figured that the sasquatch radiated heat like a furnace. They went round again and again and with each pass, Jensen settled more into the bench and the warmth of Jay. It was kind of nice.

When the ride was over, Jensen reluctantly agreed that it wasn’t half bad and let Jay lead him toward the turnstiles and away from the fair.

"Where are we going?" he asked.

"For a small hike," Jay said, bringing them to the base of a hill that the fair was next to. "I’ve been climbing it all week. Come on, it won’t take long."

Jensen shrugged and followed easily, not wanting this night to end just yet.

Soon enough, they reached the top and Jay patted the ground beside him, inviting Jensen to sit down next to him.

"I had no idea there were so many lights," Jensen said, gesturing down at the fair. There must be hundreds, some blinking and others not, in every color of the spectrum.

"Yeah, it’s not the best part though." Jay laid down, folding one long arm so his hand was beneath his head. "Come and look at the stars, they’re gorgeous tonight."

Hesitantly, Jensen did, feeling Jay’s body like steel beside his. The sky was clear, not a cloud in sight.

"It’s beautiful, isn’t it?" Jay asked, voice sounding close, his warm breath like a caress across Jensen’s cheek.

"You’re not looking at them," Jensen said, never taking his eyes off the white lights above.

"My view is just fine," Jay answered, his gaze not moving either. "When was the last time you looked up at the stars?"

Jensen settled himself more comfortably on the cold ground. "I used to all the time. I remember learning about them in middle school, the different constellations and just how vast the universe was. I was so sure I was going to be an astronaut."

"Why didn’t you?"

He chuckled. "I was twelve years old, it was nothing but a silly fantasy."

"I don’t think it sounds silly at all."

Jensen shrugged as best he could in his current position, still looking at the cosmos, eyes searching until- "There he is."

"Who?"

"Up there," Jensen pointed, a little to the left. "Draco the Dragon. He was my favorite constellation. For the few months I was obsessed with space, I wouldn’t go to bed until I found him."

He felt Jay’s cheek pressing against his own, face side by side with Jensen’s as he tried to see what Jensen was pointing at.

Jensen raised his index finger higher, tracing the shape as he said, "There’s the head, then his long, curving body, like he’s snaking his way around the heavens."

When a long moment passed and Jay hadn’t replied, Jensen tilted his head. Jay was looking at him, expression unreadable. "What?"

"You’re just…"

"What?" he asked again, watching Jay roll to his side, leaning up on one arm.

"You’re full of surprises," Jay finally said. "The best kind of surprises." He placed his free hand under Jensen’s chin, gently bringing it forward as he lowered his head, touching their lips together as if unable to resist.

The press of his lips was feather-light but it made Jensen’s eyes fall closed and bright sparks of light ignite all through his body.

A moment later it was like the prickly grass beneath him vanished, the only things he felt were Jay’s lips on his, Jay’s tongue in his mouth, twisting with his. He was no longer lying on the hard ground, instead he was flying, floating across the stars and watching as they all exploded into vibrant colors.

He wrapped his arms around Jay’s shoulders, not caring that he was clinging, diving in again and again for more kisses. Jay’s lips were softer than they looked, warm, teasing and enticing his but not demanding. Much like the man himself.

But there was something else there, just beneath the surface, something that spoke of possessiveness and determination. That he wasn’t scared to go after what he wanted.

Jensen moaned, Jay’s embrace tightening, mouth moving more urgently against Jensen’s as if he wanted to eat Jensen whole.

Jensen had never been kissed like this before.

He never wanted to stop.

Whatever magic Jay had spoken of the other day, it was nothing compared to the wonder to be found here, the way every cell in Jensen’s body was coming alive.

He couldn’t stop the small whine of disappointment when Jay pulled away.

"It’s getting late," Jay said quietly. "The fair’s already closed."

"What…?" he asked, looking down. All the fair lights were dark.

"You didn’t notice the lights go out?"

At the shake of Jensen’s head, Jay grinned. "I am an awesome kisser."

And that’s when it all came crashing down around Jensen. Jay acting like the kiss was no big deal when it had pretty much rocked Jensen’s world in a way Tom’s kisses never-

Oh god, Tom. Jensen had completely forgotten about him. Jensen had never cheated, never even dated more than one person at a time. What in the world had he been thinking, kissing another man?

Jensen shot up. "I need to go," he said, stumbling away quickly, not waiting to see if Jay followed.

He did follow. "What’s going on, Jensen?"

"Nothing, thank you for inviting me but I need to go now. I never meant to stay so late anyway. Goodbye."

"Wait, Jensen," he grasped Jensen’s elbow. "Please!"

"I’m sorry, I need to go," he said hurriedly, wrenching his arm out of Jay’s hold and the moment he was free, he fled.

Jensen wasn’t an idiot, he knew he was running, running away from Jay and everything the night, especially the kiss, had meant. Running back to his ordered life, back to Tom, and ignoring Jay’s voice frantically calling after him.

He should have never come tonight.



The Sunday after the funfair and Jensen was still trying not to think about returning to work and whether or not Jay would show, the same thing he'd been turning over and over in his mind since the kiss on the hill.

Today wasn’t the day to be worrying about his own problems, though. This was Danneel’s day. His best friend was getting married today.

They'd first met in college up in Austin, ended up rooming together senior year. To this day, Danni was the only woman he’d ever thought about sleeping with.

There was just something undeniably sexy about watching football with her, Danni clad only in a Dallas Cowboys jersey and cursing up a storm during a bad play and then doing her calculus homework during commercial breaks.

After graduation, she’d decided to stay in Austin to get her teaching license and Jensen headed back to Dallas to work as a teller while getting his MBA.

Years passed and eventually Danneel accepted a position teaching high school math in West Dallas. She'd tried, in the beginning, inviting Jensen to go somewhere almost every other weekend. He refused more times than not, citing work. Eighty hour work weeks didn’t leave much time for socializing but Jensen had always done what needed to be done. He wanted to make something of himself - and he still did.

Jensen wasn’t even sure if he should have come today but one look at the bright smile on Danni’s face and his worry vanished.

"Jensen, hi! I’m so glad you could make it. Can you believe it? I’m getting married in an hour!" she said, giggling delightedly and hugging him tight as if the past five years hadn’t happened.

"You look gorgeous," he whispered in her ear.

Danneel hugged him tighter before letting go. "You don’t look so bad yourself there, Ackles."

They didn’t get a chance to say much more before Danni’s mother whisked her away to finish getting ready.

The wedding was at a posh hotel, so Jensen took the opportunity to walk the grounds, circling the lake and pool area before coming back and feeling the ground fall away from under him at seeing Jay standing near the altar, talking with the groom.

Jay had his camera in hand but before Jensen could do anything, everyone was being asked to take their seats.

It was a beautiful ceremony. Jensen hadn’t been to many weddings but something about seeing Danneel standing up there, long strands of auburn hair waving gently in the breeze, brown eyes shining as she vowed to love only one man for the rest of her life, had Jensen realizing just how much he wanted someone like that for himself.

Someone to look at him like that, like there was nothing he wanted more than to grow old with him, spend his life with him.

He bit his lip, wishing Tom was here. He couldn’t help sneaking a peek at Jay, surprised when he found Jay staring back at him. He yanked his eyes back to the happy couple, mentally scolding himself for not paying attention.

He did his best to keep his distance from Jay afterwards, staying out of the other man’s line of sight. But Jay kept popping up in his, his booming laugh making its way around the banquet hall. Jensen couldn’t help noticing as Jay flirted and danced the minutes away.

Eventually Jensen was sitting alone at his table, the others gone off somewhere and by the time he saw Jay walking over to him, it was too late to get away.

"Where’s Tommy?" Jay asked, taking a seat beside Jensen. He was the least dressed up of anyone here, black jeans and a white buttoned up shirt, no jacket, but somehow he didn’t look out of place at all.

"On a business trip."

"On the weekend? And leaving his boyfriend to go to a wedding alone?" Jay shook his head. "If I had a boyfriend, nothing would be more important to me than him."

"Yes, well, unlike you, doing a good job is important to both me and Tom," he retorted, not willing to work out why Jay’s statement hurt.

Jay frowned. "What’s that supposed to mean?"

"It means," Jensen said, turning to stare coldly at Jay, "that Danneel is paying you to take pictures, not to chat up the guests or dance with everyone here. She paid for a full six hours of your time, didn’t she? And by my count, you’ve spent the last hour screwing around."

Hurt flashed in Jay’s eyes for a moment. "Then I won’t take up another minute of your friend’s precious time," Jay said quietly, standing up stiffly and picking up his camera. "Enjoy the rest of the reception."

And okay, now Jensen officially felt like a heel. He thought about going over to apologize multiple times as the night wore on but he never did. Instead he danced with Danni and made idle chit-chat with the few people he knew.

He'd only met Zach Levi a couple of times before, but he seemed like a decent guy, and it was pretty clear he thought that Danneel hung the moon, so he was all right in Jensen’s book.

When he looked over at Jay and saw him packing up, he know he couldn’t put off the inevitable any longer and made his way over to apologize.

"Look man, I was out of line earlier and I’m sorry."

"It’s fine," Jay said. He nodded his head once as if he had come to a decision. "Come on, I want to show you something." He took Jensen’s elbow and just like Friday night, Jensen followed.

Jay led him out to the parking lot, passing row after row of cars until they reached the far corner and an unbelievably rundown motorhome.

"This is your Winnebago?" He hadn’t really been expecting much from Jay’s RV, but this? This was a piece of shit. Small and worn down, grill rusted, paint chipping off, scratches and dents all over.

"Home sweet home." Jay grinned as he unlocked it and gestured for Jensen to walk in first.

The inside was cleaner than Jensen would have thought. Messy but not dirty. Jay asked Jensen to wait while he went toward the back of the RV, to what Jensen assumed was the bedroom area. Jay blocked the area off and with nothing to do but wait, Jensen poked around.

The kitchen area and dinette were tiny, the toilet and shower even more so. He pulled back the curtain on the compartment over the driver and passenger seats to find that it was an overhead bed.

Having completed the tour, Jensen stared at one wall, then the other and finally down at the shaggy carpet. Bored out of his mind, he slid into one side of the dinette. On the table rested a laptop, several small stacks of photographs and the portfolio Jensen had looked at in his office.

He cocked an ear toward the back of the RV, and the sounds of Jay puttering around were loud and clear. It was probably safe to look, so Jensen opened the album until he found what he was looking for. His fingers traced along the many twisting roots of the big tree. He wanted to stand on them, climb the tree until he was high enough to touch the top, to look out into the forest high above the ground.

Huffing at how ridiculous he was being, Jensen closed the binder with impeccably good timing - and a bit of good luck. A moment later, Jay came out of the secret back room.

"C’mon," Jay said, beckoning Jensen to the back of the RV. "I want to show you something."

When Jensen walked in, he blinked at the dim light, waiting for his eyes to adjust. "You made the bedroom into a darkroom?"

"Have to do my work somewhere," Jay answered, rubbing the back of his neck.

"I didn’t think that darkrooms existed anymore," Jensen said, looking around. "I thought everything was moving to digital." There was barely enough room for him and Jay in the space. There were countertops and cabinets running around the entire length of the tiny room that packed them in like a couple of sardines.

"I love darkrooms. I mean, I do sometimes use my digital camera and some of the photo-editing software out there is pretty sweet, but nothing beats film photography."

There must have been a dozen pictures on a small white string that crossed the tiny area but Jensen was more interested in watching Jay than looking at them. "I’m surprised you got Danneel to go for this. She’s a picaholic, always snapping at something with her iPhone."

Jay laughed, bumping his shoulder against Jensen’s. "Don’t worry, I got about seven hundred shots with my digital camera and I’ll make her an awesome wedding CD but this…" Jay gestured with his chin to the hanging photos, his body seeming to shrink and his eyes looking everywhere but at Jensen. "It’s why I asked you to come. What, uh, what do you think of them?"

Jensen didn’t immediately look at the pictures, keeping his eyes on Jay, it was hard to see much of anything with only the light from the partly open doorway coming in. The more Jensen saw the unease on Jay, the more clear the situation became.

"How many weddings have you done?"

"This’ll be my third. Only got it because of a mutual friend with Zach, he showed Danneel the pictures I took at another wedding and… well, she’s a great girl and-"

"You don’t want to disappoint either of them," Jensen finished and Jay only nodded shyly in return.

He turned his attention to the drying photographs. The first few were standard wedding photos: the wedding party in various poses and locations, a couple shots of the ceremony, one of Danni and Zach dancing - their first dance as husband and wife, looking gorgeous together.

The photographs got more personal after that, showing little moments that Jensen had missed. The watering in Danni’s father eyes that he was trying to hide, the flower girl twirling around in her bright pink sundress with a smile as wide as Texas, the soft look on Zach’s face as he tenderly tucked a strand of hair behind his bride’s ear.

The last picture in the row was something special, though. Jensen had no idea how Jay had managed to capture so much in a single snap. Danneel was sitting, oblivious to the camera on her, tucked away in some corner - maybe wanting a break from all the festivities and revelry... Jensen wasn’t sure.

She looked tired, the light hitting in such a way that make-up couldn’t hide the bags under her eyes or the worn-out look on her face. It made him realize just how much preparation and planning she did for this day, and how she mentioned during their dancing that she hadn’t slept a wink last night.

While Danni looked weary, there was no denying that Jensen had never seen her look more content. Her eyes were shining with satisfaction, the sides of her lips curving up in a small, pleased smile. She was breathtaking. A combination of feminine strength and fragility.

"You’ve got a hell of a way with a camera." He'd said it quietly, reverently, but it seemed to roar across the silent room.

"Thank you," Jay said, his voice directly behind Jensen and when the hell did that happen? "Think they’ll like it?"

"They’ll love it," Jensen answered easily, not moving for fear it’d press him and Jay even closer. Not knowing where else to look, he glanced down and blinked in surprise.

There was a black and white picture of him in the tray.

It was a profile shot and he must have been smiling at something because the crow's feet around his eyes were out full force. The picture was close up enough that every freckle on his ears and the bridge of his nose were clearly visible. He’d always hated the darn things.

He wanted to ask why Jay had taken that picture of him but that wasn’t what came out. "Why does it smell like vinegar?"

Jensen heard the creak of the floorboard as Jay took a step forward, bringing them close enough that they were a hairsbreadth away from touching, Jay looking over Jensen’s shoulder down at the washing paper.

"It’s the acetic acid that I used in the stop bath."

"Stop bath?" he asked, wishing that Jay would take a step back as much as he wished Jay would close the remaining distance.

"It’s like a chemical bath. I pour the acetic acid in and it stops the films development so it comes out black and white instead of color."

"Oh." Jensen bit his lip, still glancing down and realizing how good he looked, blurting out, "You really have a gift for this stuff."

"Nah, the camera loves you, man," Jay whispered into Jensen’s ear. "Every picture I clicked of you looks just this perfect. I’ve never seen someone as photogenic as you are."

Jensen swallowed thickly, unable to stop his gaze from turning to Jay, latching onto his mouth. He needed to leave. Now. Before he did something foolish, like kissing Jay again.

"I should go," he said, feeling Jay stiffen behind him but not caring, using his shoulder to push Jay aside. "I have to get up early tomorrow, back to work and all that…"

"Wait, what?"

Jensen didn’t answer or slow down, hurrying across the RV towards the door. "The photos are really great, I’m sure Danni and Zach will love them."

Jay rushed to follow, yelling out, "Jensen, wait!"

Only Jensen didn’t.



That night was restless, between what happened with Jay and the nasty fall his grandmother took, Jensen was unable to sleep. He tossed and turned, trying to figure out what to make of Jay. He had a real gift for photography, that much was for sure.

It was shortly past midnight when he finally came to a decision.

The next day Jensen returned to the fair, silently cursing that Jay didn’t have a cell phone or any way for Jensen to reach him. Now he had to shell out the ten bucks for a ticket.

He made his way over to the photo-booth, and then cursed out loud when the attendant informed him that Jay’s shift ended thirty minutes ago. By now Jay could be just about anywhere in the city. Jensen had wasted his time and his money. Just great.

Stomping back to his car, he saw the telltale figure of a Winnebago at the far end of the parking lot and crossed his fingers. Maybe all was not lost, he thought, as the familiar shape of the rustbucket came into view. He hurried over and knocked on the door.

"Jay? It’s Jensen," he called out, sighing in relief when he heard the door unlocking.

"Hey, man!" Jay greeted as soon as the door was open. "It’s good to see you. Is everything okay? I stopped by the bank this morning but you weren’t there. Alona told me you called in." He looked Jensen up and down, brow wrinkled as if he was trying to spot what was ailing Jensen.

Jensen had to look away, not wanting Jay to see how much pleasure the knowledge that he had gone to the bank gave Jensen. "I’m fine. It’s my grandma, she fell yesterday and bruised her hip pretty bad. It's hard for her to move around, so I stayed with her today."

Jay did that thing again, when he just stared at Jensen with something unreadable in his eyes. "That was really sweet of you."

"Yeah, yeah. Can I come in or not?"

"Oh, yes. Of course!" Jay moved to the side, letting Jensen pass until they stood facing each other. "Is your grandma okay now?"

"She’s doing better, yeah." Jensen was surprised at the question, wondering why Jay, a man he barely knew, seemed to care more about a woman he didn’t really know than Tom, who had met Gramms several times but hadn't done anything but complained to Jensen about canceling their dinner plans.

He knew that Tom had really wanted to see him today after being gone nearly a week (Jensen had wanted to see him too) but Gramms' health took precedence over getting laid.

"I just left to grab dinner for us and to give you this," Jensen said, pulling out the check he'd written this morning.

"Huh?" Jay asked. "What’s this?"

"I’m giving you a loan," he explained with a small smile, shuffling his feet. "Three thousand dollars like you wanted."

"Yes, but-" He stared at the small piece of paper Jensen had thrust into his hand, eyebrows furrowed. "This is a personal check, you can’t-"

"I can and I have. There was no way Edlund bank will give you the loan, Jay, I’m sorry. But I can lend you the money myself."

Jay shook his head, still looking a little shell shocked. "I can’t let you do this, it’s too risky."

Now Jensen was puzzled. He had expected Jay to be, well maybe not quite ecstatic, but pleased. "You said last week you were good for it."

"Last week I was talking to a bank manager, now I… you’re…" he fumbled for words, hands gesturing towards Jensen as if he wasn’t sure exactly what Jensen was to him.

"Yes?" Jensen tried to tell his stupid heart to stop beating so wildly.

"You’re... a friend," Jay said finally. "I can’t take money from a friend." Jay held out the check, waving it at Jensen.

He shook his head. "You’re not taking it. It’s a loan. And don’t think I’m not getting anything out of it - I’m going to charge you the full interest rate."

Jay grinned. "I would expect nothing less, Mr. Ackles."

"Good," he said, happy that the matter was settled. He’d made the right decision, Jay deserved this chance. "I’ll have the paperwork ready in a couple days, will you still be here?"

"Yeah, Wednesday is my last day with the fair. Shift ends at closing, seven pm." Jay folded the check, sliding it into his back pocket. "I swear I’ll pay you back."

"Never had any doubt." An image of a smirking Alona popped into his head then. "Just, um, don’t cash it at Edlund, okay? I may never be able to look my staff in the eye again, especially Alona."

Jay laughed, dimples and perfect teeth and really, how was that even fair? "I won’t. Promise."

Jensen ducked his head, pushing up his glasses. "Well, guess I better be going now. See you Wednesday."

"Wait," Jay said and for once, Jensen did.

"What?"

"This."

Jay wrapped his arms around Jensen and it took a few pitifully long seconds for Jensen to realize that Jay was hugging him. "Thank you, Jensen. I can’t tell you what your faith in me means."

"Yeah, uh, sure. No problem." He couldn’t remember the last time someone had just hugged him and finally - after thinking why the hell not? - he hugged back.

"So," Jay replied when they pulled apart. "You mentioned you were getting dinner?"

"Yup, probably just pick up a pizza or something on my way back."

"Let me cook for you guys instead," Jay said - in a rush, as if it was a split second decision and if the words weren’t spoken quickly, they never would have been uttered at all.

Jensen raised an eyebrow. "You want to cook for me and my grandma?"

"I do," Jay answered, setting his shoulders. "I kick ass in a kitchen."

He looked at Jay doubtfully. "Really?"

"Uh-huh. So, what do you say?"

He wasn’t sure. Jay meeting Gramms didn’t sound like - wait, a minute, that actually sounded perfect. Jay’s hair was oily, making Jensen think he hadn’t showered today and he smelled a little ripe too. If there was one thing she hated, it was poor hygiene.

It was foolproof; she would take one look at Jay with his board shorts and black wife-beater with skulls on it, and realize just how ill-suited he was for Jensen. Maybe then she would stop pushing them together and bad-mouthing Tom.

Well, probably not, but showing her what a ruffian Jay really was would work perfectly.

"Okay, sure," Jensen finally said, grinning wickedly.

"Great! Just give me like ten minutes to shower and change. The AC in the photo-booth is broken, must have been a hundred degrees in there today."

Aw, hell. "Nah, man, it’s cool, you’re fine. Let’s just go. I really don’t want to leave her by herself much longer."

"Are you sure?"

"You’re fine," Jensen repeated, breathing out a quick and silent thank you to the universe when Jay locked up and followed him to his car.

He was a genius.



He was an idiot.

Gramms and Jay had taken one look at each other before their faces lit up, shouting, "Mrs. White!" and "Jay!" at the same time, Jay throwing his big arms around her, lifting her off the ground before seeming to remember her injury and setting her down gently, looking contrite.

"Oh gosh, your hip, I’m so sorry, did I hurt you?" he asked.

"I’m fine, dear. It’s really not that bad, I’ve been trying to tell that to Jensen all day but when has that foolish boy ever listened to me."

"He’s just worried about you, Mrs. White," Jay said before Jensen could open his own mouth to defend himself.

"Tsk, what did I tell you about calling me that?"

"Sorry, Betty. Oh, man." He looked at Jensen. "Why didn’t you tell me she was your grandma?"

Jensen shrugged. "It never came up."

"He’s never told anyone at the bank I’m his grandmother. He doesn’t want them to think he plays favorites," she explained. "Wants them to think he has a heart of steel but between me and you?" She paused, looking around and leaning closer to Jay as if she had some big secret to share and stage whispered, "He’s really a big softie."

Jensen rolled his eyes as Jay snickered, crossing his heart and promising he wouldn’t tell a soul.

"Yes, well," she said after a minute, eyeing Jay up and down. "Not that it isn’t lovely to see you again, but you’re all sweaty, dear, what have you been do-oh! Oh my, have you and Jensen been-"

"Gramms!" Jensen yelped, appalled at his grandmother.

"Oh stop being such a stick-in-the-mud," she said, frowning. "It’s a perfectly logical assumption."

"I have a boyfriend," he reminded her for the umpteenth time.

Gramms flicked her hand in the air as if waving off Jensen’s statement. "That yokel. He does nothing but spend his days spouting fancy words and twisting facts. Unlike like Jay here," she said, both her and Jensen turning to look at him and noticing his poor attempt at stifling a laugh.

She wrapped one hand around Jay’s bicep and continued on, "Unlike Jay here who spends his days doing honest work-oh goodness, those are quite the muscles you have there."

"Jay, stop flexing for my grandma, Grandma stop copping a feel of the company. He’s here to cook us dinner."

"You can cook too? How marvelous!" She clapped her hands together, smiling widely. "If Jensen doesn’t grab you up, I’m taking you for myself."

"I would be honored to have you, Betty," Jay replied, taking Gramms’ hand and kissing it.

A very rosy flush blossomed across his grandmother’s cheeks.

Jensen frowned. He should have known the universe hated him.

"I’ll be in my room," he muttered, grumbling his way up the stairs.

He spent the next hour hearing Jay’s snorty chuckles and his grandmother's schoolgirl-like giggles every few minutes coming up the vents before Gramms yelled, "Jensen, sweetie, dinner is ready! Come and eat!"

Jensen stumbled downstairs, watching the pair set the table, the dining room table, the one Gramms only used when she was trying to impress.

"Take a seat, Jay," she said. "I don’t know about you but I am famished and it’s been so long since I had hot dogs. I can’t wait!"

"That’s what you cooked?" Jensen asked, looking at Jay.

"Boiled some ramen too," Jay added, appearing quite pleased with himself.

"Jensen, would you please go and get the breadbasket and butter? Then we can dig in."

He did as instructed, eyes narrowing when he returned and saw that Gramms had taken the chair next to Jay, leaving Jensen to sit across.

Jay wasted no time in filling up his plate and shoveling the food in. Jensen was slower, more hesitant, but he had to admit the food was good, salty and fatty, reminding him of his college days when simple foods were all he could afford.

Gramms seemed to be having a good time, happily chatting with Jay and helping herself, and then Jay, to a second portion. "Jensen mentioned you lived in a RV. Do you really?"

"Yeah, it’s pretty cool. I can go where I want, when I want. Different places, different people, different things to do and see."

"It can’t be much of a life though," Jensen replied around a forkful of noodles. "No roots, no stability or family ties."

"They only tie you down. There’s a whole world out there, why should I settle in any one place?"

Jensen pushed up his glasses, glaring at Jay. "Yes, why have people depend on you? Why have any responsibilities at all?"

"Jensen, that wasn’t nice," Gramms scolded. "Jay was simply saying he wants to travel. There is nothing wrong with that, especially for someone so young. And so should you, dear. You should be out having fun, seeing the world instead of living at the bank."

"You know perfectly well I don’t live in the bank," he said, not realizing how hard he was buttering his biscuit until it broke in two. "I come home every night, help you get ready every morning."

"You’ve been very helpful, dear, I didn’t mean to imply you haven’t." She glanced over at Jay and explained, "Jensen moved in here shortly after my Henry passed ten months ago."

"I’m so sorry," Jay said, putting down his drink and reaching to cover Gramms' hand with his own.

"It’s alright. I was a mess at the time but Jensen, he somehow get out of his lease and came to take care of me. He was still working at the Dallas branch of Edlund Bank then, poor boy had to commute every day."

"It wasn’t a big deal. Mom and Pop have a mortgage, Mac’s in college, Josh and Karen just got married and I lived alone in an apartment. It was easiest for me to move."

"Still," Jay said, "you didn’t have to move, that was very caring of you."

"She’s my grandma, of course I had to move. I couldn’t leave her alone at a time like that," Jensen said, meeting Jay’s eyes and then looking away.

"And I’m very thankful you did," she replied with a gentle look at Jensen, "but I’m better now. I don’t need you taking care of me anymore."

"Gramms-"

"How about some dessert?" she asked. "I bought the most delightful truffles the other day."

"Oh, I love truffles!" Jay piped up.

Jensen snorted. "Is there a sweet you don’t love?"

While they ate the dense and decadent dessert, Gramms made them tell her about the fair, her eyes shining with happiness. She practically levitated out of her chair when she heard that Jensen had given Jay a personal loan.

"The timing couldn’t have been better," Jay said. "With me leaving in a few days, it gives me just enough time to buy the lenses I want before I’m off."

"Off where?" Jensen frowned.

"My bookings. Remember, I told you about them?" Jay’s voice was soft, as if he himself didn’t like the reminder.

"Oh, yeah. I guess I forgot about that."

"About what?" Gramms asked. "Where is Jay going?"

"All around Texas," Jensen answered her. "He has several engagements lined up and hopes to use the time in-between visiting the various state parks."

"Oh, how exciting! It sounds like quite the adventure. Where are you going to first?"

"Out east… let me see, I have the list somewhere." Jay began to search his pockets, finally pulling out a small piece of paper out and reading it. "Lake Tawakoni first, I think. Then Taylor State Park, Fort Boggy, Kickapoo Cavern, a bag of Twizzlers - oh, sorry, wrong list. I have some more written down somewhere."

"You don’t have a date planner?" Jensen was horrified. "Give me that," he said, snagging the list of out Jay’s hand. "These are just locations. No dates. Do you have another list for that?"

"Yep, I think I left it by my laptop. Or maybe in another pair of shorts…." Jay shrugged.

"How are you going to match it up with where your bookings are? You should have it all in one place, a clearly planned itinerary. I swear, you are so disorganized."

Gramms nodded and patted Jay’s shoulder. "It does sound like you are a wee bit disorganized, but that’s okay." A sweet smile spread across her face - the picture of all innocence - and Jensen just knew something bad was coming.

"Jensen here," she continued with a quick finger point in his direction, "loves organization, he thrives on order. It’s perfect, really. He can go with you, be your itinerary planner."

"Absolutely not!" Jensen blurted out.

"What a great idea," Jay said at the exact same moment, smiling brightly.

"And why not, dear?" Gramms asked. "You’ve barely taken any vacation in all the years you’ve been with Edlund. I’m sure you have the time. And think how fun it will be! The open road, a new place every day!"

"I’ve only been the manager for eight months, I can’t just take a few weeks off," Jensen said, but the idea (just him and Jay and nothing but the road) was already taking shape in his mind. He shook his head. "And the short notice! No, no. It wouldn’t work at all."

Maybe Jay could take him to up to Hamilton Pool Preserve for a swim. Or if they were going west enough, Jensen could see Cibolo Creek. He pictured it then: him and Jay both shirtless, spread out on the soft green moss, trading slow kiss after slow kiss with nothing but the sun on their backs and the sound of the gentle moving stream in their ears. Jensen shook his head to clear it.

"I would love to have you come with me, show you around Texas," Jay said. "Just think about it, okay?"

A beat passed, then two. "I’ll think about it."

"Great!"



On the drive back to Jay’s Winnebago, he couldn’t stop talking about Gramms. "What an amazing lady! It must be so awesome to have her as a grandma."

"She liked you too," Jensen said with a chuckle. Maybe his genius plan didn’t work out but seeing his grandmother full of smiles and livelier then she’d been since Grandpa died could only be a good thing in his book.

There was hardly any traffic and all too soon, they reached the fairgrounds. Jensen parked his car not far from Jay’s door and turned the car off, happy when Jay made no move to get out.

They sat there in silence for a few moments, Jensen staring out the window before turning his head to Jay. "You’re really leaving soon?"

"Yeah. Sometime Thursday."

"Oh." Not knowing what else to do, Jensen looked down and started drumming on the steering wheel.

"Hey, man." Jay cupped Jensen’s chin with his hand, tilting Jensen’s head up until their eyes met. "I’m coming back in a couple weeks, three tops. As soon as I can, okay?"

Jensen pulled Jay’s hand away. "Or maybe the road will call to you and you won’t come back at all." He tried to sound as casual as he could. After all, what should it matter to him if Jay came back or not? He could always mail his loan payments.

"I’ll come back," Jay said resolutely, as if there was no doubt in his mind. He reached a hand out again to Jensen, but seemed to have thought against it, and lowered it back to his lap. "I promise."



Jensen let himself back in Gramms house quietly, not wanting to wake her in case she was already sleeping. No need though, as she was sitting on the couch, waiting for him and grinning from ear to ear.

"Hello, dear! Did you have a good drive? Jay is certainly something, isn’t he? What a darling young man."

"He’s alright, I guess," Jensen conceded, closing the door and locking up.

Gramms stood up. "Oh hush, you. I’ve known you since the day you were born and there is no use pretending with me that you’re not already half in love with him. You can’t keep your eyes off him."

Half in love? Where did she get these ideas? "I was only concerned for you, that you might find the company too much. He’s not the kind of person you usually associate with."

"Such a shame that. The world needs more people like him. So full of life and virility."

Jensen blinked. "Virility?"

"Uh-huh," she said, getting a dreamy, faraway look in her eyes. "Can’t you just picture him in skin tight buckskins, with a cowboy hat and nothing else? Oooh, or maybe in just a loincloth."

"O-kay, I think you've had too many painkillers today." He took his grandmother’s elbow gently. "Let’s get you upstairs. You’ll feel better in the morning."

"You are no fun," she said with a pout. "You sound just like Henry, or worse yet, like your mama. Bless their hearts but they’d have thrown your Jay right out the house."

"He isn’t my Jay," Jensen said sternly, tugging her along with more force than he usually did.

"But Jensen-"

"Enough of this, Gramms, let’s just go to bed," he muttered, not taking no for an answer.

PART THREE