why don't you do right {part three, nc-17, jared/jensen}

[strippedpink]

Act III.
Jensen.
Hollywood Town, 1947.

Jensen met Sandy’s concerned gaze as he draped Jared’s unconscious figure carefully across the backseat of his car. “Stay here and keep quiet. If he wakes up, just…knock him back out,” he said, low, determined, and she nodded back with wide eyes. Her slim fingers clutched tight around the handle of a frying pan.

He lingered behind for just a minute more, thumbnail tracing the curve of Jared’s soft mouth. “Whatever happens tonight,” he murmured, taking in the peaceful glow that ironically seemed to radiate from his husband’s prone figure,“at least you won’t have been a part of it.”

The gun felt too heavy in his hand when he pulled away. With a last look at Sandy’s washed-pale face, he took off in the direction he’d seen Jeff Morgan disappear to. Morgan was about to get royally screwed, and Jensen would be damned before he saw his carefully laid plans destroyed by some two-bit investigator.

He heard the low rumble of arguing before he turned the corner toward Singer’s office, the trail still hot, and easily picked out Morgan’s abrasive tone; he swallowed hard, cocked the pistol and pressed up against the wall. Waited.

But Morgan didn’t come storming back out, and neither did Singer. A gunshot, sharp and muffled, deadly, pierced the sudden quiet and he stiffened in his shoes as the heavy clomp of something large and human hit the floor.

Jensen had heard that sound too many times before in the alleys and backstreets to mistake it as anything other than what it was. He kept to the shadows and made it back out of the building, eyes peeled and heart in his throat as he headed over to where he’d stowed his car. Sandy took one look at his face and knew something was terribly wrong; without a word she cranked the ignition as Jensen threw himself in the back, one arm wrapped protectively around Jared as he issued a terse, “Drive” and glanced over his shoulder just in time to see J.D. Morgan bearing down on them.

There wasn’t a chance in hell he hadn’t made Jensen’s presence, and they were so very much in trouble. His grip on Jared tightened; he bent down and pressed his mouth against Jared’s forehead. “Gonna make this better,” he whispered, promised, throat and eyes full. “Promise. I promise.”

“Jensen,” Sandy’s nervous voice called from the front seat. Jensen glanced up and met her eyes in the rearview. “We’re being followed.”

Fuck. He looked back and, sure enough, it was Morgan’s ancient Buick that was burning rubber to catch up with them. Jensen could practically imagine the man’s determined expression behind the windshielf, roughened hands gripping the wheel tight. Any other time and he might’ve even appreciated the thought, the implication it meant toward Jared’s safety, but right now…

“Left,” he said as they came upon an intersection. Sandy’s gaze flicked to his again in the mirror, wary and uncertain. “Take a left.”

“Are you…” She nibbled her lip, squeezed the wheel. “Jensen, that leads right back into the city-”

“Take the goddamn left, McCoy,” he snapped out, nerves strung too-tight, and he took Jared’s big hand and cupped it against his face. Closed his eyes, breathed deep. “Find a dark alley and drop me off. Then take Jared back to the-”

They turned the corner and came license plate to bumper with a blood-red Chevy. Jensen’s heart lept into his throat as the car crashed into them, Sandy’s shriek lost in the cacaphony of breaking glass and sparking metal.

“Down, down, get down!” Jensen shouted, throwing himself toward the front of the car and shoving Sandy’s head down between her legs. A split-second later, a gunshot exploded in what was left of the windshield. Sandy screamed again, and Jensen covered her mouth with his hand.

He tossed a quick look in the back and found Jared still blissfully unaware of the situation, and then suffered a brief curiosity as to how the hell he was going to get both Sandy and his husband safely the hell out of the way.

Another gunshot embedded itself in the seat just over Jensen’s head, and he cursed and looked up and into the shadowy reflection of cold blue eyes. He froze as the driver backed up, surely preparing to ram them again, or maybe take another shot, but they only turned around and took off the opposite direction with tires squealing.

Jensen scrambled off of Sandy and out of the car, breath coming heavy and fast as he turned a quick circle. Jensen recognized the area well, flashed back to the memory of sharp hunger and desperation. He wiped his hands down the front of his slacks and muffled a curse as the wind carried the sound of another approaching automobile.

He ran back to the car, opened the back door. To his amazement the gun was where he’d left it and he grabbed it up and cast a cursory glance over Sandy’s bleeding forehead before grunting out, “Whatever happens…”

“I know,” she said in a voice still shocky and thick, pressing two fingers to the shallow wound at her temple. “I’ll keep him safe. I swear.”

Jensen ground his teeth together and nodded. If there was anyone besides himself he could trust with his husband’s life…he threw a look over his shoulder and saw Sandy already climbing into the backseat. Open love and devotion written across her face as she traced Jared’s cheek, tucked his hair behind his ear.

Once that connection between them had nearly driven him insane with jealousy. It still did, if he was honest, but Jared had never known to what ends he’d gone to make it stop. Or what depths he’d sunk to. That was between him and Sandy, and why the guilt would never really wear away.

He ducked into and through the network of alleys, following the fresh skids and tire treads, and came upon a familiar figure at the dark end of an abandoned intersection.

“Morgan,” he called in a low voice, aiming his pistol when J.D.’s head snapped in his direction.

The look on J.D. Morgan’s face was frothing with rage. “I always knew you were involved,” he spit out, lifting his own weapon even as Jensen cocked the hammer and let his finger press the trigger.

“Behind you!” he shouted, eyes going wide as the shadow he thought he’d seen lurched with the force of impact from Jensen’s gunshot. He couldn’t tell if he’d hit them or not, was set to take off after them and find out once and for all when Jeff, obviously thinking Jensen had mistakenly missed his target, shoved his barrel right under Jensen’s nose.

“Drop it, Ackles, and put both hands where I can see ‘em.”

Jensen laughed, on the edge of hysteria as he held his hands up high. “I just saved your pathetic life and you still don’t trust me?”

Jeff cocked the hammer, a sickening echo in Jensen’s ears as the cold press of gunmetal ate at his jaw. “I don’t trust anyone, least of all a two-bit street hustler with a penchant for murder,” Morgan said, low and deadly, and Jensen swallowed against the plethora of curses wanting to stain the tip of his tongue.

“Not even your own eyes?” he ground out, and at J.D.’s frown, he tilted his gaze as far down as he could manage. Onto the slim, silver revolver still smoking at their feet. Jensen pointedly dangled his own weapon from the tips of his fingers. “Because that’s the gun that killed Bob Singer.”

xxx

Morgan stared from Jensen’s hand, to the ground, and back. When he met Jensen’s gaze again, it was wide with shock.

“Ostroff pulled the trigger,” Jensen continued quietly, and watched as the information sank in. “I followed her to Singer Corp.…I figured it out after she left the Terminal Bar this morning.”

Morgan’s eyes sharpened. “You did tell her we had Jared.”

Jensen licked his lips, nodded slowly. “I had to get them all away from the house, just long enough to put a few details together. I knew the only way they’d leave was if they truly believed I’d sell him out, and I couldn’t risk you not believing it, too.”

“So, you just put Jared at risk instead,” Morgan said, getting fired up again, and Jensen finally reached out and grabbed him by the collar. Shoved him up against rough brick.

“I did what I had to do, for Jared,” he hissed, glad when the first glimmer of true fear lit Morgan’s eyes. As soon as it came, it was gone again, and the detective seemed all the more angry for it. “If it’d come to it, I’d’ve gotten him out, safe and sound. But I trusted you to handle it. Let’s get that clear here and now, Detective. Everything’s for Jared.”

“Right, taking a shot in the mouth from ol’ man Kripke was part of the master plan, I remember,” Morgan said dryly. “Know what, Ackles? I think you’ve got a few screws loose.”

“And I think you’re a sad drunk who, whether he likes it or not, needs my goddamn help to crack this case.” Jensen smiled meanly, let him go and brushed down his lapels. “Assuming you still want your precious hundred dollars.”

“Right now, you couldn’t afford me, pal.” But Morgan looked about ready to believe him, and didn’t reach for his handgun again when Jensen took a few careful steps away. Then, “The kid bugged out on me back at the studio.”

“No, he didn’t,” Jensen reassured him, leading the way through the catacombs of street filth with ease. “I knocked him out and stuffed him in my car before I came to rescue your stupid, sorry ass.”

“Like I extended a friggin’ invitation,” Morgan mumbled from behind him. Jensen ignored that, eyes sharp on their surroundings. It wasn’t likely after that shot he’d taken, but it was possible the Judge was still lurking nearby. Or maybe even worse, Mike, Tom, or Kristen.

They made it back to the alley in record time, but drew up short at the sight that greeted them. Bile rose in Jensen’s throat; he covered his mouth with his hand and fought off the urge to gag as Sandy’s lifeless eyes stared up at the night sky. Nothing but another broken, gorgeous doll on the dirty streets of Hollywood. The car was gone, and Jared with it.

“Jesus,” Morgan said, coming up behind him and seeing the destruction. Something in his voice caught Jensen’s attention, even through the haze of pain and terror and horrible, wrenching guilt, and he glanced over to find the detective’s face gone white as he stared down at the bloodied corpse of Jared’s ex-girlfriend and, probably, Jensen’s only true friend.

“You knew her?” he asked, sounding more harsh than he’d intended.

“Yeah, she was…” Morgan swallowed hard, and Jensen flinched away from the sympathy that darkened his gaze. “One of a kind.”

Jared had once thought so, too, and for so long Jensen had hated her for that. And now, he thought with that guilty shame, he’d well and truly punished her for it. “Fuck,” he whispered, bending down and sweeping her hair back from her face. It was then that he saw the bullet, straight to the back of the head.

Sandy had never even had a chance.

He stood up again on shaky legs and met Morgan’s grim stare. “We find Jared before we find the bitch,” he swore in a hard voice.

“Unless the bitch finds us first,” came Morgan’s reply, and Jensen followed his gaze over the shoulder to find bright lights and sirens in the distance. Jensen’s eyes widened and he grabbed Morgan’s arm and dragged him back across the street.

“We’re taking your car,” he yelled as the blaring grew louder. Morgan didn’t seem inclined to argue.

“So, how exactly did you know it was the Judge?” he asked minutes later, hunched over the wheel as the speedometer rose higher and higher. Jensen kept an uneasy eye on the whole thing, half-posed to jump out the window at the first chance. Some old habits died hard.

“Before he was killed, Eric confided in me that Ostroff wanted to get her hands on Supernatural,” Jensen admitted, fingers clenched and white-knuckled in the seat beneath him while the sirens continued to wail somewhere behind them. “Apparently, she was rather…persistent.”

Morgan’s dark brows drew together, and then realization dawned bright across his features. He slanted Jensen a look that was almost edged with admiration. “You’ve had it the entire time, haven’t you? That damn script. He gave it to you, for safe-keeping.”

“That’s what he told me.” Jensen licked his lips, shrugged his shoulders as they took a hair-raising turn back toward the edge of the city. “But when I opened it, it was just the same unfinished copy. There was no ending.”

“Well, maybe there never was an ending,” Morgan suggested, “maybe he never had time to before, you know…”

Jensen shook his head. “I was there when he finished it, Detective. I’ve seen it, I’ve touched it. It just wasn’t what he gave me.”

“All this over some words scrawled out on a few pieces of paper.” Morgan snorted with derision and shook his head. “Pardon my French, but you Hollywood-types are fucking crazy.”

Jensen sent him a tight-lipped smile. “I’m not a Hollywood-type yet, Detective Morgan. Just married to one.”

“The most naïve, annoying one of the bunch,” Morgan grumbled, taking a right turn. “Christ, if the kid’s still alive, I’m gonna kill him myself for giving me a goddamn heart attack.”

“He’s alive,” Jensen snapped, pulse pounding in his ears. Was it just him or were the sirens getting louder?

“Keep telling yourself that, princess.” But Morgan’s heavy drawl was weighed down with his own obvious worry over Jared’s well-being. They both knew that the longer they looked, the colder the trail got. “This ain’t no script, and the hero don’t always get the guy. It’s not always happily ever after.”

Don’t I know it. But Jensen stayed silent.

“There’s a utility warehouse near here, used to be a part of an old movie set,” Morgan was explaining as he started them down a long, winding dirt-road apparently heading out to the middle of nowhere. “It’s shut down now, obviously, and empty. I told Jared before we left tonight that if we got separated, to try and make it out here.”

“Amazing powers of foresight, Detective,” Jensen said, unable to bite back the nervous sarcasm as he stared out the front window. Hoping against hope that his stupid car would be there waiting for them at the end of the line.

“What can I say, I’m brill-” Morgan was cut off by the sudden gasping and choking of the engine, and turned horrified eyes on the dashboard. “Uh-oh.”

“Uh-oh?” Jensen echoed, nearly grinding his teeth to powder. “The fuck do you mean, uh-oh?”

“I mean we’re about to have a helluva problem,” J.D. answered shortly, right before the car came to a crawling stop. “Goddamn piece of worthless junk!”

Jensen was out in a flash; the wailing air horns were picking up speed, apparently having followed their trail, and he just couldn’t really see any way out of this one. He tried anyway, half-limping along after Jeff as they scrambled to find somewhere to hide in the open California desert. “C’mon, damn it, how much further?”

“Half a mile, maybe more,” Morgan said. “And I’m gettin’ too old for this shit.”

“Won’t have a chance to get much older if they catch us,” Jensen answered, panting heavily. He tossed a look over his shoulder, and really wished he hadn’t. His face hit the ground with a painful smack; the lithe figure rolled on top of him and held him down. Grinned at him through maniacal eyes.

He heard Jeff wrestling with one of the others nearby, but eventually he must’ve lost because Kristen’s satisfaction grew tenfold as she clucked her tongue and straddled his thighs.

“Now keep really, really still and I won’t slit that pretty throat,” she cooed, running her treasured blade across Jensen’s skin just lightly enough that he could feel the deep-rooted promise of pain. Then, on a girlish giggle, “At least for a few minutes longer.”

“Thought you could outrun us?” came Tom’s deep voice, and Jensen winced at the muffled thud of boot hitting stomach. Jeff barely let out a sound, though, and Jensen’s respect for the detective rose several more notches.

“How’d you get here so quickly?” Jensen managed through his teeth, very aware the blade pressed against his Adam’s apple. “You…should’ve been at least two more minutes out.”

It was Kristen who answered brightly: “We’ve been waiting for your boy, of course!”

“All night,” Tom added, and Jensen didn’t have to see the slick smile to know it was plastered across the handsome psychopath’s face. “You weren’t the only one stalking your husband tonight. The detective should really keep his voice down. Who knows what sensitive information might fall into the wrong hands.”

Before anyone else could respond, not that Jensen really knew what else to say that didn’t involve several choice oaths, they were bathed in a wash of blue and red, and the sirens screeched to a halt as a familiar red Chevy parked in front of them.

“Hello, boys.” Judge Dawn Ostroff climbed out of the car, white teeth gleaming in a pretty face as she stared down at their prone figures lying trussed up in the dirt. Her gaze flittered toward Jeff’s car, and then back. “Why, what an unfortunate accident.”

The bald freak, Rosenbaum, got out of the passenger seat and all but bounced on his toes as he took in the scene with relish. “What now, boss?”

“Take them to their chosen destination,” the judge intoned, a hint of steel. “I’d hate for Mr Padalecki to be deprived the pleasure of their company once he arrives.”

Jensen nearly sobbed with relief at the confirmation that Jared was alive, well, and still out harm’s way. For the time being, anyway, but he could work with that. A quick glance at Jeff, and the palpable relief shining in his eyes, as well, had Jensen adjusting his prior thought: maybe they could both work with that.

“You heard her, precious,” Kristen sang, dancing to her feet and dragging Jensen to his own. Christ, the girl was stronger than she looked. “Let’s play follow the leader.”

“Did anyone give her her medication?” Rosenbaum complained as he tagged along behind Tom, and Jensen snorted despite himself. “I swear, man, she gives me the creeps.”

“Shut up, Mike.” Tom shook his head and kicked at Jeff’s feet. “And hurry up, old man.”

The warehouse was nestled at the bottom of a small hill, and Jensen dug his heels in as Kristen tried to pull him in through the open door. He was taking a huge risk that she wouldn’t flip and gut him then and there, on the off-chance that Ostroff really seemed to be waiting for…something. And she wanted them both alive to witness it first.

Sure enough, Kristen didn’t try anything funny. Just motioned for Mike, who came over and helped to forcibly drag Jensen inside. Jeff was already there, tied to a cement pole in the center of the barren room and glaring at all of them.

“When we get out of this, remind me to kick your ass,” he said in a falsely cheery tone as Kristen shoved Jensen up against his back and began humming as she tied their bonds together.

“Your optimism is absolutely awe-inspiring,” Jensen said, leveling a wide, insincere grin at Kristen that seemed to unsettle the woman for all of a second before she smirked and batted her lashes. He flexed his fingers, fantasized wrapping them around that fragile neck.

“Gentlemen, if I may have your attention for a moment?” Ostroff rapped the floor with her shoe. “There’s something I’ve just been dying to show you.”

“Your legs, I hope.” Jeff cracked a smile that would’ve sent some of the worldliest barmaids Jensen knew into a blushing fit. “I mean, there’s gotta be a decent pair under all that scary looking material, right?”

Ostroff tilted her head, considering. “What an impressive show of bravado. You’ll willingly die first, is that it?”

Jensen caught his breath, tried to turn his head and catch Jeff’s expression. But the damn ropes were too tight and all he could see was the trio of smirks written across Ostroff’s loony morons. “Jeff,” he said in a low voice, “don’t you fucking dare-”

“If that’s the way it has to be,” Jeff said without giving Jensen the time of day. “Judge. I never did do well coming in second place.”

Dawn just continued to smile, watching them with calculating eyes as Jensen’s blood began to boil.

“Look, bitch,” he said, having had about enough. “Jared’s not gonna fall for this…you’re never gonna get your hands on Eric’s script. He doesn’t have it. So, what the hell are you waiting for? Just fucking kill us, don’t keep us in suspense.”

It gave Dawn enough pause, her attention fully trained on Jensen, that she didn’t notice the shadow moving in the corner. Jensen’s heart lodged in his throat and he hoped to hell the others wouldn’t notice his sudden distress. Goddamn it, Jared…

“You think I want Supernatural?” Dawn sneered, coming close enough that she had to bend over to breathe in Jensen’s face. “I don’t want your stupid, silly script, boy. I just want your husband.”

Jeff muttered a curse as Jensen’s vision swam red. He jerked toward her, pulled up short by the rope tied across his chest, and settled for growling a particularly uncheerful obscenity right in her face.

“You see,” Dawn continued, as if their reaction had never happened, or just didn’t matter much, “Bob was the one who gave a damn about your precious movie. Those Winchester boys, if I’m recalling correctly, were all he thought about those last few weeks leading up to the merger. Seems he was worried Eric Kripke might pull out if we went through with it, and he’d wind up losing his cash-cow to whatever piddling studio Kripke decided to go to in retaliation. He was desperate to keep Supernatural in-house, and I was desperate get Eric Kripke’s influence - as well as yours - away from young Mr Padalecki.”

“You say you’re uninterested,” Jensen said through his teeth, struggling to keep his temper at bay. “Well, I’m not convinced.”

“And just what would I do with some melodramatic ghost story?” Dawn spread her hands out, encompassing. “I have a vision, Mr Ackles! I’m taking what’s left of the old WB and moving it in an exciting new direction…with your husband center-stage. Jared will be the face of our new network. Perhaps you should let go of your anger and feel honored instead.”

“Oh, I’m feeling something.” He flicked another quick glance over Dawn’s shoulder.

“So, you talked Singer into using Jensen to blackmail Kripke,” Jeff spoke up while Jensen quietly seethed. “He figured that’d be it, but you like things done all the way, right, Judge? You wanted Kripke completely out of the way. And what, Singer balked at the idea of offing such a good, old buddy at the last minute? So you had to take matters into your own hands…” He threw a look toward the trio in the background. Smirked. “In a manner of speaking. Maybe threw in a little veep action to sweeten the pot, keep Singer’s mouth shut about the whole ugly mess.”

Dawn’s eyes had narrowed during Morgan’s little rant, but finally she smiled. “So, Bob managed to deliver a few juicy details before his untimely demise,” she deduced, and Jensen twisted his neck to stare somewhere to the left of Jeff’s actual face.

“One thing I don’t entirely understand, though.” Jeff’s tone was hard, but unavoidably curious. “Why make Padalecki your patsy? Why not just pin it all on Ackles instead? Would’ve been less of a mess.”

Jensen saw the truth spelled out in her eyes, and could’ve ripped right into her chest and pulled out her heart. Stomp it to a pulp and then smear it across the dirty walls. “You said it yourself, J.D.,” he said tightly. “She wanted complete control. Once she had Jared at rock-bottom, she could get him to agree to whatever terms she wanted. Hell, he’d be fucking grateful, right?”

“Wrong,” came the soft reply, and the click of a pistol loading. Jensen couldn’t quite describe the sickly-sweet feeling that came over him at the sound of Jared’s voice. His husband stepped out of the shadows and crossed the room while keeping Dawn Ostroff in the sights of Jensen’s own Beretta, which he’d left lying lonely in the dirt outside the warehouse.

Surprise passed over Ostroff’s gaze for all of a second. Then, “You’re quite outnumbered, Mr Padalecki. Please do put down the weapon and join us for the main event.”

At her words, Mike, Tom, and Kristen all moved forward with varying degrees of anticipation. They didn’t get within ten feet of Jared before Dawn held up a hand and hissed out a warning, however, and Jared’s smile went chilly.

“You’re not going to hurt me, Judge Ostroff,” he continued in that easy tone that, quite frankly, was starting to turn Jensen on. Goddamn, but he loved Jared like this. His husband, who was always so sweet and accomodating, silly even, possessed a truly amazing temper that was always a sight to see. “So, unless you’re ready to tell one of your trained monkies to put a bullet between my eyes, you’d better tell them to put down their weapons before I do it for them.”

“Jared.” Jensen couldn’t hold it in any longer, needed to feel that solid, reassuring gaze on his own. Sure enough, Jared swept his eyes over Jensen, something flashing in hazel gold and sending Jensen’s nerves skittering. “Sandy’s dead,” he got out, accepting the bitterness of guilt that scored his tongue. “S’my fault.”

“I know,” was all Jared said, returning his eyes to Dawn as he brought his other hand up to steady the gun. “And no, it’s really not.”

“Jared, listen to your husband,” Ostroff warned in a placating tone. “You don’t know the entire story…does he, Jensen?”

“I know enough,” Jared laughed without humor. “I know you killed an innocent woman tonight, and two others I knew and respected. God knows how many more.”

“Your husband hired Miss McCoy to work at his club after you married, after you had so callously tossed her aside and left her with nothing,” Dawn continued, voice a soothing contrast to the mean curl of her smile as she twisted Jared’s past into something ugly and wrong. “Did you know how he helped cover up the child, your child, the one you didn’t want-”

“Shut up,” Jared said, his voice breaking as he tossed a wild, grieving glance Jensen’s way. “I never knew…I never…”

“Stop it.” It came out as a whisper, and Jensen struggled anew against the rope. “You fucking bitch, shut the fuck up.”

“She told me everything before I left her rotting like the gutter trash she is,” Ostroff said, digging the verbal knife even deeper. Jared’s cheeks were bright red, eyes feverish as his fingers shook. “But then, maybe you were lurking the whole time. Maybe you heard everything.” She paused for effect, then went straight for the kill with a hungry gleam in her eye. “Maybe you let that poor woman die in your place, let her sacrifice herself while you hid in the dark and watched my man put a bullet in her brain.”

Jensen wasn’t surprised to hear the gunshot ring out, squeezed his eyes shut on a full-body shudder. He half-expected to see Dawn choking on her own blood when he looked again, but it was another small blonde body lying on the floor, fingers lifelessly clenching steel. Jensen’s gaze flicked from Kristen to Jared, mouth falling open at the deadly warning he read in his husband’s eyes.

“I told you,” Jared said softly, “to call off your pets.”

Silence reigned in the warehouse as Dawn’s lips pressed tightly together, her face gone pale in the wake of Jared’s wrath. Jeff muttered a curse under his breath, and Jensen simply stared.

Jared nodded toward Tom and Mike, who were both staring unblinking at their fallen comrade. “I already called the police, and they’ll be here any minute. Let them go,” he said, gesturing toward Jensen and Jeff. “And I swear to God, if one hair is out of place, I’ll start decorating the fucking room with you.”

“Jay,” Jensen finally called out, thick and raw, as Mike and Tom rushed forward to begin untying his and Jeff’s hands. He held Jared’s wild gaze those long seconds, wished desperately he could touch. Once he was free to, though, he found he was rooted in place. “I’m so, so fucking sorry.”

Jeff came to his feet next to Jensen as Jared approached, spoke to him in a low tone, and passed over the gun before heading toward Jensen. Jeff grinned big and pointed it with relish at the three cowering in the corner.

“I wish you’d stop saying that to me,” Jared said, and he bent down to cup Jensen’s face in his hands and pulled him in close. Brought their foreheads together. “Shh,” he added when Jensen tried to speak again. A quick press of lips against Jensen’s, and then, “It’s not your fault. Okay? You didn’t…I knew something was wrong, and I never tried to find out. I didn’t want to know. So, what kind of person does that make me?”

“I didn’t want you to know,” Jensen admitted, a husky confession that did nothing to settle the rough and tumble in his belly. “I never wanted you to find out. I…I paid her off, Jesus, Jay, I helped her get rid of it when she asked-”

“Stop.” Jared closed his eyes and buried his face in Jensen’s neck. Jensen forced himself to hold on despite his self-directed disgust, and pretty soon he was clinging harder than Jared. He wrapped his arms tight around those big, shaking shoulders, and sank a hand up in Jared’s hair.

“Your laugh,” Jared said against his skin, sudden in the stillness of the moment. When Jensen pulled back, there was a small, sad smile on his face. “You’ve asked me before. Why you. Why not…her.” He swallowed, looked down as he took Jensen’s hand and squeezed his fingers until they hurt. Not that Jensen was about to complain. “It was because when I looked at you, all I wanted was to make you laugh.”

Jensen’s voice broke on a disbelieving, hysterical chuckle. “The first time I looked at you, I knew you probably could. Jesus, Jared…”

Jared shut him up with lips and tongue, a desperate edge to their kiss that had Jensen feeling hard and ready and soft all at the same time.

“I hate to ruin the beautiful moment, but it sounds like the calvary’s arrived,” Jeff called out, sirens sounding in the distance, and Jared started to pull away first. Jensen bit down on his bottom lip, made the kiss last a second longer, and swallowed the husky groan Jared spilled into his throat.

He licked the tender spot on his lip, eyes trained on Jensen’s own as he laughed under his breath and squeezed the back of Jensen’s neck. “Let’s finish this conversation later, yeah?”

“Oh, yeah.” Jensen was already looking forward to it, and he held Jared’s heated gaze as the front doors were thrown open and the LAPD burst inside. Chaos broke out, with Dawn screeching at the top of her lungs, until Jeff calmly walked by and put her out of commission with a well-placed aim from the butt of his gun.

“Christ, Morgan, what in the hell have you gotten yourself into now?” asked a leggy blonde with the tag Cassidy sewn across her uniform.

Jeff’s teeth flashed in the near-dark. “Trust me doll, you’ll be getting my statement in full.”

Jensen threw his head back and laughed.

xxx

“So, you ladies are officially free to get the hell out of my office,” J.D. announced as he walked inside and dropped a sheaf of papers on the desk in front of Jensen. “In light of the prosecuting party’s involvement in recent events, mostly those being of a certain city official who was most definitely not in sound mind or body, who’d’ve thunk it, one Mr Jared Padalecki is hereby cleared of all criminal charges in the murders of Eric Kripke, Bob Singer, Sandy McCoy, and for stealing that stick of bubblegum from the corner drugstore when he was ten years old.”

He tried for a game expression that was ruined by the triumph gleaming in his eyes, and Jensen’s lips curved at the same time Jared stood up and dragged J.D. into a bone-crushing hug.

“Jeff, I could kiss you right now,” he said in an unsteady voice, and the comically terrified look that came over Jeff’s face was nearly enough to send Jensen into hysterics.

“Uh, thanks for the offer, kid. But…better not risk it with the hubby right here,” Jeff stuttered and stammered, and Jensen swallowed his snicker and kept his own expression straight as an arrow.

“I appreciate that,” he said dryly, and picked up the papers to check them over. It was all there, clear as day in black and white, and the knot in his belly he hadn’t realized was still in existence slowly began to unwind for good. He came to his feet and held out his hand. “I don’t quite know how to thank you, Detective Morgan. Words seem so inadequate at this point.”

“Well, you’re sure as hell not kissing him,” Jared quipped, moving to wrap his arms around Jensen from behind. “I’m afraid this one’s stuck with me, and as it turns out, I don’t like to share.”

It still sent a jolt of shame through him whenever he thought of his role in it all, and he knew that despite what Jared said to the contrary, he’d never really be over the image of Jensen and Eric together. But there was nothing but open sincerity in Jared’s gaze when Jensen twisted his neck, and Jared snuck a peck against his lips before Jeff started grumbling.

“I love you,” he said, quiet and serious, and yeah. Jensen believed it. Truly. Finally.

He slid Jared a sly wink and played up the sap, well-aware of their gagging audience. “Love you, too, babe. Now give us a kiss.”

“C’mon, please, I just had it cleaned up in here.” But Jeff couldn’t quite bite back his own pleasure at how well everything had turned out, and he dropped into his chair. Kicked up his feet. “Now, be sure to drop me and Sam a line once in awhile while you’re off filming in La-La Land or I’ll never hear the end of it.”

“Are you kidding, we’ll have forgotten you both by lunchtime,” Jared scoffed, looking just the part of an all-important movie star.

“Some thanks,” Jeff said, but Jensen heard the amusement sweetening his voice. “I’ll be sure not to waste my time worrying about you while I’m lying on my ass on the beach in Rio.”

Jared opened his mouth to reply, and Jensen rolled his eyes. Slapped a hand over his mouth. “Don’t,” he said. “Or we’ll never get out of here.”

“Yeah, get the hell out.” Jeff scratched his chin and tilted his head. “Though I admit to being curious as to how you plan to put an unfinished script into production.”

“Oh, didn’t we tell you?” Jensen grinned now, catching Jared’s gaze for a split-second of shared humor before turning his attention back on a slightly befuddled Jeff. “We decided to finish it ourselves. Again. Together.”

“We’re even writing in a role for you, too. If you want it.” Jared laughed openly, dropping his chin to rest in the crook of Jensen’s shoulder. “The wisened, older, older brother.”

“Or maybe just as our grumpy old bastard of a father,” Jensen said, tongue-in-cheek, while Jared spluttered and Jeff glared back at him without heat.

“Okay. Get the fuck out of here before I arrest you both for public indecency.”

“Why, Jeff, we didn’t know you cared,” Jared cooed, and Jeff threw a newspaper weight at his head. It missed by a mile, and Jared cackled all the way to the door, dragging Jensen along with him.

The California sun was bright on their faces, and Lady Fortune was finally back on their side.

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