A Sketch in Time 1/3
Title: A Sketch in Time - Part One
Fandom: CW RPS
Authors: Surevesta
Beta: Anyothergirl415
Pairing: Jared/Jensen, Chad/Sophia
Rating: PG13
Warning: Time travel, language, frank discussion of sexuality
Summary: Based on the movie ‘Kate and Leopold.’ Written for Whenboymeetsboy. “Time travel isn’t logical, it’s just possible” is a phrase that is about to embody the lives of Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki. A young aristocrat from New York in 1852 finds himself in the year 2005 where the world has changed drastically. He finds himself on a journey of self discovery as he discoveries just how much the world has changed in the past 150 years.
Word Count: approx 27,100 words - 9,675 this part
Disclaimer: I’ve never been to New York, the Met, or been involved with advertising. I don’t own Jensen, Jared, Chad, Mike, or anyone else depicted in this story… even Otis belongs to himself.
Part One - Part Two - Part Three
Part One
*****
New York - Tuesday, November 29, 2005
“Jen-Jensen what are you doing?” A perplexed worried voice came from across the room. Jensen glanced up and glared at his friend and roommate. The bald man moved to follow him as he walked around the room, throwing various items into a cardboard box in his hands. His friend had taken off his hat, but a coat and scarf remained on his person attesting to the cool weather outside.
Twenty-six year old Jensen Ackles wasn’t sure what he was doing, to be quite honest. His life had been turned upside down in a matter of hours and there was really only one thing he could do. Jensen ignored Mike for the moment as he continued to locate his personal belongings.
“Are you leaving? You can’t move out,” Mike placed his hand on Jensen’s shoulder forcing the other man to stop his near frantic perusal of the room.
“I can and I am,” narrowed green eyes stared at Mike for a moment before Jensen shrugged Mike’s hand off forcefully.
“The lease! You’re on this lease!” Mike stammered as he tried to get in front of Jensen who was heading toward the long window that led to the fire escape.
“Maybe you should have thought about that before you decided that my boyfriend would make a good fuck toy!” Jensen dropped the cardboard box onto the floor. Mike winced at both Jensen’s words and the sound of something fragile breaking.
“I’ll admit that wasn’t my greatest decision… but I was drunk and high and so was he,” Mike was desperately attempting to come up with some excuse to stop Jensen from leaving. Jensen just unlocked the window and forced it as wide as it would go. “It was completely unplanned! We were talking about my research and he was interested in it and-“
“Please just stop!” Jensen turned from where he had been forcing the nearly too large box through the window. “I don’t want to know what happened. All I need to know is my friend slept with my boyfriend. That’s it. You need to grow up Mike.” The box slammed onto the fire escape, metal rattling with the impact. Jensen climbed out the tall window and turned in a half kneel to look at Mike. “This lifestyle! The drugs, drinking, and- god- your insane theories? You’re going to ruin your life.”
Mike stared at Jensen before making one last appeal, “I can’t afford to live here alone Jensen!”
Green eyes closed for a moment and Jensen ran his right hand over his face, “Look. I’m going to be staying with Chad downstairs for a few months. He’s off at some acting gig right now and told me I could house sit- he has that extra room anyway since Justin got the job in LA. I just can’t live with you right now.”
Jensen hefted his stuff up, “I’ll be back in a bit for more of my shit. Do me a favor and hook up with Tom elsewhere till I’m done.”
Mike flinched slightly at Jensen’s comments. He knew that what had happened between him and Tom was wrong. He wouldn’t argue with Jensen on that. Jensen had been his friend since college and he was pissed off at himself for getting drunk and high with Tom around. Mike had always had a bit of a thing for Jensen’s boyfriend, but he had never planned on making a move. Not while Tom was still dating Jensen anyway... the last thing he had wanted to do was hurt the other man.
****
New York - November 29, 1852
Dark lines glided smoothly onto off white paper, long fingers attached to large hands brushed away excess charcoal and blended too thick lines. A sigh broke the quietness of the room; the artist looked away from his work and through the window. Hazel eyes watched as horse drawn carts and people went about their daily lives. The sound of people, horses, and clattering wheels made its way through the thick glass paned window.
Jared Padalecki was of noble birth, born into money and a life of prestige. At the age of twenty-two he was well educated and known within his social circle for his quick mind. He was the middle child, though, making it ever important that he be worth something to the family. Jared’s schooling had focused on preparing him for joining the family business- to help his brother manage all of the Padalecki Family investments.
Jared sighed and dropped his sketch pad onto a chair. Dark lines formed the outline of the street, people and horse drawn carts traversed rough brick walkways and roads. He gently placed the charcoal piece away and removed the gloves he wore. Drawing up plans for his inventions was one thing, they could quite possibly bring the family wealth, but drawing for the sake of art was greatly discouraged by his father. The only thing his father seemed to be concerned about lately was finding Jared a bride.
A knock at the door startled Jared and he quickly closed his sketch pad, “Yes?”
The door was opening before he had a chance to acknowledge whoever was on the other side. Brown curls and swaths of pale pink cloth ran through the door and slammed into him. A pale pretty face with a bright smile grinned up at him.
“Megan!” His mother admonished his younger sister from the doorway, a small smile on her lips belying her disapproving tone.
“It is fine Mother,” Jared smiled down at his sister as he drew her away from him to get a better look. It had been almost two years since he had last seen her. Jared had only recently returned to the United States from studying in England. “It has been too long Meggie. I have a feeling Jeff and I will be needing to protect your honor quite soon.”
Her grin widened and she giggled, “I am too young to think about marriage!”
“Good,” Jared leaned down and kissed the top of her head. “I would hate to have to challenge someone to a duel.”
“Jared,” Sharon Padalecki drew the attention of her youngest son as she walked into the room, stopping behind Megan. “Your father would like to speak with you.” Sharon’s pale hands settled on her daughters shoulders, Megan glanced up at her with a slight pout. “Come along Megan, we have an appointment to keep with the Cassidy’s.”
Megan glanced over her shoulder as she followed her mother out and made a distasteful face.
Jared winced internally; he knew what his father wanted. The same thing Gerald Padalecki had been pestering him about for nearly two years now. In letters the topic was easily worked around or ignored. Now that he was once again in the same home as his father there would be little chance of Jared avoiding the topic.
Gerald Padalecki had already found a bride for his eldest and his only daughter was too young to marry off. Jared, on the other hand, was not even courting anyone yet. He was of suitable age for marriage and Gerald was looking to make an addition to his family’s assets. Finding a wealthy bride from a good family was expected of Jared. The sooner the better.
He ran a hand through his hair and glanced down at his clothes. Jared adjusted his sleeves of his jacket and smoothed his hands over his top to remove invisible wrinkles. There wasn’t a speck of charcoal dust on him. He nodded to himself and stood tall before walking out the door to meet with his father.
***
“A month?” Jared stared at his father incredulously. “You expect me to fall in love in a month?”
“No I do not,” Gerald stood behind the dark oak desk in his study. He was watching the people meandering on the street below his window. “I do not expect that you will fall in love. I expect that in one month’s time you will announce a suitable bride.”
“I know most everyone in our social circle, father. There is not a single woman that I can imagine spending the rest of my life with,” Jared glared at his father’s back, hands clenched at his side.
“You had best begin imagining, Jared, or I will make the decision for you.”
Gerald turned and surveyed his youngest son. Jared forced his hands open and watched his father’s face. “I heard that you have been working on a machine of some sort. That you are planning to apply for a patent.”
The change of subject was welcomed gladly and Jared nodded slightly, “I am.”
“I do hope that it is worthy of the Padalecki name.”
“It is.”
Gerald nodded and turned back to the window. Jared took this as an acceptable dismal and left his father’s study.
*****
New York - Wednesday, December 21, 2005
Jensen groaned as his alarm clock sounded, the beeping noise entirely too loud for the time. Bleary green eyes blinked over the pillow to read the glowing digits. Six thirty in the morning. He shoved his face into the soft cotton fabric, arms moving beneath the pillow as he groaned.
After thirty more seconds of beeping noise a loud thump resounded against the wall across from him. He could barely make out the shouting voice of the woman next door. Jensen shoved his arms out from under the pillow and forced himself into a sitting position.
Bare feet landed on chilly wood floors as his right hand found the correct button on the clock. From there he picked up his silver framed glasses and slid them over the bridge of his nose.
He stared blankly at the clock for a moment before a noise from down the short hall caught his attention. Right, the timed coffee maker. Time to get up, get caffeinated, and head to work.
Two cups of coffee and a shower later Jensen began to sort through the items that he’d need for work today. He shoved a plain bagel into his mouth and double checked his planner with a frown. The Johnson account representatives were coming in on Thursday to discuss a magazine spread for their new line of skin care products. Jensen had gotten this account ready over a month ago in anticipation as the season was always busy due to the holidays.
He shifted through the folders he had placed on his desk and grimaced. He hadn’t left it at the office and everything had been completed to his boss’s satisfaction a month ago. That meant he had left it in his desk upstairs. Mike’s apartment. He checked his watch and sighed, there wasn’t enough time to go sort through the ever growing chaos that Mike lived in without Jensen’s presence. He’d have to stop by after work and hope the folder was semi-visible.
Jensen really did not want to end up cleaning Mike’s shit. He had enough problems with Chad’s apartment. There was a reason why he kept the actor’s door firmly shut, with a towel in front of it to keep the smell in. He had a feeling Chad had left at least half a pizza in there to mold.
He made sure the window next to the fire escape was firmly shut and locked before grabbing his brief case and heading out the door.
***
Jensen adjusted his dress shirt as he stared at the blinking display that told what floor the elevator was on. He grimaced as he checked the knot of his tie; it slipped up tightly before he loosened it again. Samantha Ferris, who worked down the hall from him, glanced over. He smiled slightly and dropped his hand to his side with a glance at the floor, then rolled his shoulders and lifted his gaze as the doors opened.
Jensen waited till Ms. Ferris had moved past him before exiting; he had to lift his right arm to stop the doors from sliding closed. Adjusting his glasses he cleared his throat before walking down the short hall to his office.
As Jensen reached his office door, the brunette at the nearest cubicle shot out of her chair. She slid a shiny magazine beneath a couple of folders and smiled brightly. He nodded and let her follow him into the room, watching as he set his brief case on the desk and hit the power button for the computer.
“Good morning Mr. Ackles,” Danneel purred with a wide grin.
Jensen glanced up at his secretary warily. She shoved a stack of papers in front of him and tilted her head to the side.
“Good morning Danneel,” he said as looked over the header. It was a memo from his boss.
“Guess who is here to oversee the Johnson account?” She rocked on her heal slightly, grin turning sly.
“They aren’t involving another lawyer are they?” Jensen frowned as he took the papers from her hand. He straightened them with a tap on the desk before beginning to peruse them.
“Jensen! Milo Ventimigilia’s here, he wants to make sure everything goes smoothly.”
“Milo Venti- Milo is here?” Jensen met her gaze, his eyes widened slightly. “You’re kidding me.”
“Nope,” She shook her head and pursed her lips. Her eyes glittered brightly, “I’m so not kidding you.”
Jensen glanced around her at the open door and flexed his hands. He wasn’t used to his boss standing over his shoulder; the man was usually at the London branch of the office. Jensen certainly wasn’t prepared for the pressure of his boss presiding over his work to this magnitude. His fingers ached to sort out the files that had damn well better be easy to locate in Mike’s apartment.
He settled for shooing Danneel back to her desk and triple checking the information he did have.
*****
New York - December 29, 1852
Jared adjusted his shirt as he stared at himself in the small mirror above his bureau. He really was not looking forward to the party his father had planned. The party in itself was not the problem, the fact that he was going to announce his future wife on the other hand… that was the problem.
He ran a hand through his hair and grit his teeth. Jared had absolutely no clue as to who he was going to marry. Absolutely none. It was not as if he hadn’t met many wonderful women over the last month. On the contrary, Jared had attended every social event and several personal calls over the past month. It seemed as if every single eligible lady was being shoved toward him.
Gerald was particularly fond of coercing him into uncomfortable situations where he would be forced to interact with Sandra McCoy. Her family was quite wealthy and the dowry that she would bring was quite handsome. Jared just could not see himself spending the rest of eternity with the petite woman. She was sweet and dainty and he felt as if he might accidently break her with one misplaced step.
Jared had never wanted to marry for his father. He had hoped that he would be able to make his own decision as to whom he would exchange vows with. Love was something he wanted to have in his life, marrying for anything but was just unsettling.
His parents had been forced into their marriage and it had taken them years to come to what might be called love. They were partners that shared a home and a family first and foremost. Their marriage had been based on bringing her family a higher status and the Padalecki’s more wealth.
Jared was dreading the outcome of the evenings’ announcement. He could not imagine how he was going to live with himself past tonight. It felt as if the entire world was closing in around him.
***
Jared stood before the shop window and glowered at the contents. His father had insisted that he locate a gift to present to his future wife tonight. Something simple and elegant he had said. Jared knew what he should purchase, either jewelry or a finely crafted trinket of some sort.
So far he had seen nothing that caught his eye. The stores that he was perusing were filled with many wonderful objects, dozens of which the young women that Jared was supposed to be courting would positively adore. He just couldn’t find it within himself to buy a gift for a wife he had yet to even choose.
Jared sighed and titled his head, he could barely make out a small collection of art supplies at the back of the store he stood in front of. While attempting to get a better look his arm caught the raised arm of another man. A clatter snapped his eyes to his feet. Next to his right foot on the brick sidewalk a strange silver rectangular object was now submerged in the thin layer of mud and slush.
“Fuck,” the man mumbled causing Jared to turn his head sharply. The man eyed him warily as he snatched up the object. He was well dressed in clothes that were almost like those Jared wore but the design was slightly off. The fabric itself was unlike any Jared had ever seen before.
Barely audible apologies were mumbled and the shorter man took off, nearly losing his hat. Jared caught a glance of a hairless head in the afternoon sun.
“That was rather interesting,” Jared stared after the stranger an odd unsettling feeling in his stomach. It felt as if something important was about to happen. Jared couldn’t imagine what that could possibly be.
“Jared Padalecki!” A small squeal of delight broke him from his thoughts. Jared snapped his head to the left eyeing the woman who had spoken.
He straightened and reached out to take her hand. Jared brushed a light kiss to the back of her knuckles and smiled at the young woman, “Sandra McCoy. This is quite a pleasant surprise to see you.”
She lifted her hand to hide a smile and blushed prettily, just the way that a young woman was supposed to. Jared cringed internally and added a greeting for the two women that came up beside Sandra whispering and giggling slightly. He felt uneasy under their gaze.
“I am looking forward to the party tonight,” Sandra stated pleasantly. She blinked up at him, gloved hands folded around the end of a long scarf. “I heard that you are going to be making an announcement of some sort?”
Her questioning gaze wasn’t helping his awful mood at all. Jared nodded looking down at her, his smile wide and bright. “That I will and I can assure you it will be quite a surprise.”
She grinned back up at him her dark eyes bright and smile brilliant. He wondered if she knew just how much his father was pushing for him to marry her. She probably knows that he is quite well, Jared thought nearly letting his internal grimace shine through his mask.
***
Jared adjusted the collar of his dress suit and shrugged his shoulders. Only a couple more hours and his fate would be sealed. A rustling of paper brought his attention to his bed. His younger sister was lying across it looking through his sketchbook. She smiled at him, meeting his gaze.
“This are very good Jared!” He smiled and crossed the room to stand beside her. “You should display these somewhere.”
“Being an artist is not for me,” Jared slipped the book out of her fingers. She pouted up at him through her dark curls. “Drawing is a hobby, nothing more.”
Megan’s pout turned to a light scowl, “I think you could make a living with your art. I have seen art Jared. My friend Katherine’s parents have a large collection. They have works from all the greatest artists in the world. These sketches are just as good if not more so.”
“Flattery will get you nowhere, my dear little sister,” Jared tapped her nose. “They are a hobby, I am to join Jeffery in the family business and marry a beautiful woman.”
“Father should not be able to force you into a life you want no part of.”
“Megan,” Jared settled his hand down on her shoulder. “This is our life, my life. I will do what is expected of me.”
“Jeff is the oldest and he is already married with a child on the way,” She pushed herself into a sitting position and adjusted her skirts. “You and I are not important. I will be wed and will join another family. That is all that is expected of me, but you… you are the second born son. Jared, you should be able to choose your life.”
“Wise words, if only that were the way the world worked,” Jared smiled sadly down at her. “You should go get ready for the party. I must go find father to discuss tonight’s events.”
“You do not have any idea who you will propose marriage to, do you?”
Jared chuckled slightly, “No, I do not.”
***
Jared smiled weakly at a couple of young ladies who stood near the bottom of the stairs. They giggled softly to each other as they shot glances at him. Jared unconsciously straightened his back and widened his grin.
“There you are, sir,” a middle aged man appeared at his side. “I have your dance card ready.”
“Thank you Otis,” Jared inclined his head. “Though I doubt I will manage even half before Father insists I make the announcement.”
“Marriage is not the end of the world, Jared.”
He turned his face to the side and met Otis’ gaze. The elder man nodded and pointed Jared toward his first dance partner.
Jared relaxed slowly as he moved through the repetitive motions ingrained into him as a child. Dancing had been something he had excelled at before his unwieldy teenage years. Now that he had grown into his remarkable height and long limbs, Jared was once again quite graceful. His dance partners were just as graceful in their movements. Skirts twirled around ankles, fair skin bright in the soft electric lighting. Their dainty hands seemed extra small when they met his large paws.
Going through the motions was the only thing Jared could do. If he didn’t he would not… a familiar figure caught his eye as the dance steps brought him near the entryway.
The man from the store front held his silver rectangle over another guests shoulder before turning around. He looked nervous and very out of place. The man was not a guest of the party and certainly did not belong in the Padalecki family home.
“Wha-“The petite blonde Jared was currently partnered with exclaimed her eyes wide. Jared ignored her as he pulled them into the crowd at the edge of the dance floor. He dropped her gloved fingers and headed into the throng of people, hazel eyes searching.
***
If Jared had known at the time what following the odd man would lead to, he would never have believed it. As it was he could hardly hold in his anger at the man he was currently trying to keep a hold on. One large hand was clenched in the soft sleeve of the man’s coat and his other holding onto the scaffolding against the new bridge.
“Just let go! Its fine I promise! I’m not trying to kill myself- I’ll be just fine!” Jared clenched his teeth and glared as the man’s free hand attempted to remove Jared’s fingers.
“If you think I am going to let you fall you are an idiot,” Jared fingers were turning white with strain. “You clearly must be inebriated to think that jumping off a bridge is a good idea!”
“Just let me go! Seriously, it’s better than both of-” He was cut off as the strain of two adult men hanging off the scaffolding edge was more than it had been built to support.
The hand railing Jared was grasping broke and he lost his balance. Both his hands were suddenly aching in release as they opened to the cool night air. Moments later, Jared found himself tumbling head over heels towards the cold water below.
***
Wednesday, December 21, 2005
Jensen crashed face first onto the worn couch in Chad’s apartment with a loud groan. His boss had dropped by just before it was time for him to get off work. Milo Ventimigilia was an efficient boss and tended to come down hard on his employees regarding important clientele. The Johnson account was extremely important to Milo and the company; he had made that very clear to Jensen.
His keys dropped from his loose fingers and crashed against the floor. Jensen lifted his face from the cushion and wrinkled his nose at an unidentifiable scent.
Lifting himself up Jensen cracked his back in an attempt to ease his growing head ache. After staying late at the office- an extra three hours- Milo had insisted on buying him dinner for keeping him late. It had been a good meal and he had learned a bit about his boss’s hobbies and investments. Jensen figured it meant that he wasn’t in trouble of losing his job anytime soon if he was making friends with his boss.
He had been too late to catch Mike before he headed out for the night. Jensen really needed to get the file from upstairs but he felt awkward just waltzing in, even though he was still paying a portion of the rent.
A large thump against the ceiling shifted his attention to the present and Jensen frowned. Mike’s recently acquired stray dog, Harley, hadn’t started barking so it had to be someone he knew. That pretty much left Jensen, Mike, and unfortunately Tom.
Jensen pushed himself off the couch and headed to the fire escape. He really hoped it was Mike. There was a bit of snow on the railing but almost none on the stairway so Jensen didn’t bother with anything more than a hooded sweatshirt before he went out the window and headed upstairs.
He couldn’t really see much through the blinds that covered the large pane of glass. Tilting his head Jensen was barely able to make out Mike half dragging a very large- probably drunk- body into Jensen’s old room. They didn’t have very many friends that tall and didn’t take much thought to deduce who it probably was.
To say he was upset would probably be an understatement. It was one thing to have Tom over, but it was an entirely different thing to let him sleep off a night of binge drinking in Jensen’s room.
He barely stopped himself from forcing the window open and dragged his cell phone out of his pocket.
Jensen ignored the sounds of Mike’s cursing and Harley’s bark as he heard the faint sound of Mike’s obnoxious ring tone. He leaned against the rough brick of the building and glared at the apartment across the alley.
“J-Jensen?” Mike’s voice hissed softly into the phone.
“What do you think you’re doing?” Jensen’s breath was visible in the clear night air.
“Uh,” A few beats of silence and a thump later Jensen heard a door close. “I just got home… so I’m cleaning up?”
“Dragging Tom here after a night out partying and letting him sleep in my bed is cleaning up?”
“Wha- are you watching me?” Mike exclaimed and moments later the window opened. Jensen glared at him, snapping the cell shut.
“I need to grab a folder that I apparently left here,” Jensen shoved past Mike into the warm apartment. “Tom better not wake up or there’ll be hell to pay.”
“Tom? He’s not here-“
“I’m not an idiot Mike,” Jensen announced as he shifted through the large pile of papers on his old desk. He was glad that it was situated in the living room but annoyed that Mike hadn’t wasted time in covering the entire surface with his ‘work’- babblings and insane equations that lead nowhere. “I saw you dragging his sorry ass in there. It’s bad enough you brought him here, but my room?”
“Him? You mean- oh!” Mike looked around a nervously. “You mean that guy?” A laugh that was more like a bark filled the air. “That’s not Tom! That’s just this guy I met. No-no not for sex or anything!” He exclaimed at Jensen’s startled look. “I met him at a convention. A group of us hung out after and he was too drunk to remember the way to the hotel-“
“And you’re playing Good Samaritan?” Jensen raised an eyebrow as he sifted through the bottom drawer of the desk.
“He seemed like a nice guy and I couldn’t just leave him-“
“I really don’t want to know Mike,” Jensen held up the thick folder. “I’ll leave you to it… as long as he’s not Tom.”
“He’s not.” Mike let out a large sigh as he watched Jensen maneuver out onto the fire escape. He ran his hand over his face and sighed. An impatient whine from the kitchen brought him back to reality.
Mike glared at the upset dog tiredly. Harley just laid his head on the top of the plastic gate and lolled his tongue out the side of his mouth. Another whine and dark brown eyes stared at him beseechingly.
“Fine, I’ll take you out.”
***
Thursday, December 22, 2005
Normally Jared is a morning person. He usually is wide awake and clear headed only minutes after sun rise, sketchbook out and lost in his art long before someone is sent after him. Today is not like a regular day, his head is thick and off, his mind groggy with sleep. The bed he was on was also quite comfortable.
When Jared finally managed to open his eyes nothing he sees is familiar. He was lying on a bed, the blankets are strange, not in a bad way, the fabric was just off. The room was devoid of light and it took a moment for Jared’s eyes to adjust. That moment is when the memories of the previous night’s events come back to him.
Jared pushed himself upright and blinked as he surveyed the room. Like the bedspread beneath him the curtains were a dark blue color. A wooden dresser sat off to the left of the bed near two doors. He ran a hand over his face and tried to orientate himself. Obviously the strange man, or someone else, had taken him to their home after the fall.
A groan escaped his lips as he levered himself up off the bed. The abnormally comfortable bed. Jared was not looking forward to facing his father. Not only had he left and not come home, he had run out of the party he was to announce his engagement during.
He ran his hands across his chest, adjusting his rumpled clothing. All of Jared’s clothes were still on his person, none of his personal affects seemed to have been purloined either. His boots lay on the floor a few feet from the bed, Jared noticed before pushing his feet into them haphazardly.
His jaw felt stiff as a yawn escaped his lips. Jared slipped his fingers through his hair and stumbled making his way to the window. The drapes were dark enough to block out the sun, a thick likely expensive material.
Jared was thankful for his height as there was no way to pull the drapes open other than to carefully slide them across the dowel. He blinked owlishly as his eyes adjusted to the bright sunlight.
***
Mike was staring at the coffee maker, willing it to hurry up and finish already. Beside him Harley was pacing and hopping slightly. He had only been up for a short period of time and had barely gotten any sleep the night before. There was just too much on his mind.
After some careful calculations Mike had figured out exactly what to do regarding his current predicament. At least, he had come to conclusions on how to solve it eventually. Mike hadn’t really thought about what would happen till that time came to be.
Which was why the startled ‘yelp’ and large thud from Jensen’s old room caused Mike to jump backwards and nearly fall over Harley. Mike scrambled out of the kitchen, knocking over the plastic kiddy gate, and down the hall. Harley whined low in his throat and bounded after, clicking nails skidding on hard wood floors.
The sight that greeted the odd pair was a wide eyed giant of a man laying sprawled back with his shoulders on the bed, the rest of him in an ungainly sprawl against it. Mike should have thought about how the man would react upon seeing a world vastly different from his own.
Mike was at a loss for words as he stared at the younger man, who was clearly in a state of shock and confusion. Harley, however, only saw a potential playmate. With a short bark he made his way into the room to sniff this new human.
A pink tongue and a dark brown nose pushed itself into Jared’s face and startled him. Jared drew back sharply causing Harley to take a step back and pause in his affections. Moments later his enthusiasm at meeting Jared returned three fold as he squirmed into the man’s space. Large paws settled onto Jared’s chest, tongue lapping at his face.
The movement of the rambunctious dog broke Mike from his stupor. “Bad dog! Get over here- Harley, get off him!”
Mike snagged the dog by his collar and bodily dragged the large puppy away from the other man. “Sorry about him, I usually keep him penned up when people are over.”
Jared lifted wide hazel eyes from the enthusiastic dog and stared at Mike for a long moment.
“Where…who…what,” he took a shuddering breath as he attempted to pull himself upright. The bed next to him had been knocked slightly askew. “Where am I?”
***
“The future.”
Mike nodded fervently from his seat across from Jared at the kitchen table, two mugs of coffee sat between them. “December 22, 2005, to be exact. Oh and it’s Thursday.”
Jared stared at Mike, his hand wrapped around the mug in front of him. “You are out of your mind.” His voice was calm and dazed, Mike blinked at him.
“No, I’m not. Look, I know that this seems impossible but I’m telling you the truth. It’s something that I’ve been working on. A theory about time travel,” Mike shuffled a large pile of paper next to him on the table. He pulled out a few that were covered in untidy scrawl and illegible diagrams.
“Time travel…” Jared dropped a hand off the table. He batted at Harley’s nose where it rested against his thigh. The dog shoved his muzzle beneath Jared’s long fingers.
“You see there are all these portals… holes in time that open periodically. They’re like doors to another period of time. All you have to do is find them, which isn’t easy. I figured it out though- how to tell when and where one of these portals is going to open!”
Jared lifted his eyes from the papers and stared at Mike, “You are insane.”
“No, no, no! I’m not insane,” Mike slammed his hands down on the table. Harley skidded back a pace as the table rocked, cool coffee splashing out of the mugs. “I found a portal that took me back to December 29, 1852. While there I did a bit of sightseeing, took some pictures and you saw me.”
“You had something,” Jared frowned. “In your hand, you dropped it on the street.”
“My camera, digital camera, I can hook it up to the-” Mike paused and cleared his throat. “We made huge advancements in the technology since your time. I was just gathering proof of my visit.”
“Why am I here?”
“You followed me, I didn’t plan on taking you back here with me,” Mike scratched behind his ear and rubbed the back of his neck. “You sort of just fell through the portal with me. Don’t worry though! I can get you back to your own time.”
“My own time,” Jared slid his chair back and moved to stand. “I really should get going. My father will be very upset with me as it is for-“
“Aren’t you listening to me?” Mike practically flew across the table and grabbed Jared’s arms. Jared drew back at the sharp movement startled and stared down at the other man. “You are in another time. You can’t go home yet. There is no home for you to go to in this time!”
***
The next half hour or so was filled with Mike showing Jared every amenity from the toilet to the television and the microwave to the air conditioner unit with Harley trailing behind them. Everything went by so fast that Jared could barely make heads or tails of it all. Eventually the two made it to the living room where Mike pushed Jared down onto the couch.
The young man was in a state of shock, but the shock was slowly turning into acceptance. There really wasn’t any way that Jared could deny the fact that this world was nothing like the one he lived in. There were so many details that were wrong and so many things that Jared had never heard of- he had to accept that this was the future. That Mike wasn’t lying.
Around this time Harley started to jump around impatiently and whine. He danced around the living room nosing the two men.
“Alright, alright,” Mike snagged the leash from the coffee table and snapped it onto the dog’s collar. “I need to take this guy for a walk. I won’t be long though… you can watch some TV or something while I’m gone-“
“Is there anything I could borrow to draw with?” Jared lifted his eyes from the box like contraption with the moving pictures in it- Mike called it a television.
Mike blinked and nodded, he rummaged through a desk drawer for a moment before producing a partially used drawing pad and a few pencils and pens. “Will these work?”
Jared nodded and took them. He ran his fingers over the smooth paper and lifted one of the pens up to inspect.
“Uh, I’ll only be gone like half an hour max. So, uh, don’t leave the apartment or anything- alright?”
Jared nodded absently as Mike made his way out the door. Drawing would help him center his mind and figure out this new twist in his life. Drawing would help him keep his sanity.
To Mike’s credit he really did plan on just being gone less than half an hour. He really couldn’t have known, or planned, for the mass elevator failure that seemed to be plaguing the world this morning. Although he really should have paid a bit more attention because stepping into an empty elevator shaft was a really idiotic move.
It really wasn’t Mike’s fault that he was gone from the apartment for over an hour or that Harley was left alone to wander the halls till Jensen stumbled upon him on his way down the stairs to work.
***
Two large paws planted on Jensen’s stomach as Harley greeted him on the stairway landing to the floor below his. Jensen dropped his briefcase and braced himself as best that he could. The excited puppy pushed and jumped as far as he could up to lick at Jensen.
“What are you doing out here by yourself?” Jensen snagged Harley’s collar with one hand and his leash with the other. He gained control over the ungainly pup and forced him down. Harley’s tail swiped at light speed across the dusty floor, his tongue lolling out excitedly as he stared up at Jensen.
“Where the hell is Mike?”
Groaning inwardly about being late Jensen was nearly dragged down the hallway to his old apartment. He eyed a suspicious wet streak and a small puddle by the door of a nearby apartment- a widower with a miniature poodle.
When he reached the door to Mike’s apartment Jensen realized he had two choices. He could open the door with his key or knock first. Knowing that he was short on time as it was Jensen opted for the second option.
“Mike! What the fuck man?” Jensen pushed the door open and let Harley bounce through. He slammed it shut and stalked into the apartment. “What were you thinking leaving Harley…”
When he reached the living room at the other side of the apartment Jensen realized two things. The first was that Mike was nowhere to be seen and second was that there was a very tall and very handsome stranger in period clothing was standing in front of the couch.
***
The lines on the paper were thin and precise. The pencils Mike had given him before leaving were very thin and very sharp. The quality wasn’t quite as good as what Jared was used to, but he didn’t care. The shapes appearing on the paper were playing out a scene: the bedroom Jared had woken up in this morning with the man, Mike, and his dog in the entry.
The dog’s, Harley’s, form was just beginning to take shape. Excitement and happiness covering the stilled movement of limbs were appearing on the page when the door to the apartment opened sharply. Jared stood slowly expecting Mike when an unfamiliar voice met his ears.
”Mike! What the fuck man? What were you thinking leaving Harley…”
Jared had dropped the pad of paper to the table in front of the couch; the pencil still gripped between the fingers of his right hand. The man walking down the short hall towards him was most certainly not Mike. Harley bounded in and nudged his hand with a short whine before dancing back to the stranger.
The man before him was tall, taller than Mike. His clothes were neat and unwrinkled, a pressed white shirt under a long leather coat over grey dress pants, a black leather piece of luggage at his side. A scarf wrapped around his neck and gloves peered out of a pocket. His skin was clean, face shaved, and dirty blonde, almost brown, hair cut short and styled. Lightly colored freckles danced across the pale skin of his cheeks and nose.
“Where’s Mike?” Green eyes looked at him expectantly, breaking Jared out of his stare.
“Mike went out with Harley,” Jared glanced down at the young dog. Brown eyes looked up at him pleading. “He said he would be about half an hour. That was about an hour ago.”
“Well Mike isn’t around and someone needs to take Harley out.”
Jared glanced back up at the man and frowned. “Mike told me I should not leave the apartment.”
“Yeah, well Mike is an irresponsible asshole,” a hand held the leash out to Jared urging him to take it. “I have to go to work and Harley is Mike’s dog not mine. Since Mike is nowhere to be found and you’re crashing here you can take the dog for a walk.”
Jared took the leash and eyed him skeptically, “Who are you?”
A careless roll of brilliant green eyes was the response as the man turned around and headed back to the door, “I’m Mike’s ex-roommate, Jensen Ackles. You slept in my old room last night… technically still mine though. I’m still paying part of the rent.”
“I am Jared Padalecki, it is pleasure to make your acquaintance,” Jared followed and stopped at the door as the man, Jensen, paused raising an eyebrow at him.
“Nice to meet you too, Jared. It’s pretty chilly outside, aren’t you going to grab a jacket?”
Jared glanced down at his clothes and frowned. “I am not quite sure where Mike put my Jacket… to be honest I do not remember taking it off.”
“Right,” Jensen snorted. “He was probably all too happy to see you without it.” He pushed past Jared into his old room and opened the closet door. “This probably won’t fit you really well, and it isn’t very fashionable either,” He eyed Jared for a moment. “Not that you probably care…”
“Why would Mike be happy to see me without a coat?”
Jensen blinked and looked up at Jared as he held out a thick wool jacket and a brightly colored scarf. “You, well, you’re kind of his type. Well anything that breathes with a dick is his type.” A light blush spread over freckled cheeks.
“I am his type?” Jared donned the coat and scarf, pulling at the too short cuffs.
“Yeah, his type of guy. Just like my ex-boyfriend was Mike’s type of guy,” Jared glanced up sharply at Jensen.
“Boyfriend, he courted your… fiancé?” Jared asked awkwardly. The whole concept was a new one to him.
“Who? Uh, Tom was not my fiancé. Sure we dated for about three years, and I might have been a bit in love with him, but it isn’t like we were going to get married,” Jensen started out of the apartment quickly. Jared followed pausing at the door. “Apparently we weren’t as serious as I thought if Tom was willing to cheat on me with my best friend.”
Jensen paused and frowned a bit before digging his keys out of his pocket, “I guess you don’t have any way back in, Mike trusted you enough to leave you alone in the apartment, so I think I can trust you with a key. ‘Side’s I can always blame it on Mike if you do steal anything.”
“You were in a long term relationship with another man.”
Jensen looked up at Jared through narrowed eyes, the hand that held the key drew back slightly, “Yes, I’m gay… homosexual. That’s not a problem is it?”
“No! No that is not a problem,” Jared shook his head and took the key. “I just have not met anyone… open about such topics before. It was a bit startling.”
“You met Mike,” Jensen pointed out as they entered the lobby. “He pretty much fucks anything that moves.”
Harley pulled on the leash, straining against Jared as they got closer to the front doors. Jared’s mind was spinning at the odd twists the world had taken over the years. His fingers itched for something to draw with to help make sense of all the new.
“You alright?” Jensen asked as they paused on the sidewalk out front. Harley sniffed at a strangers pant leg as they passed.
Jared glanced over at him and nodded. He straightened his back and watched Jensen as he flipped open a small black object. “I am fine, thank you.”
“Look- Jared- I’ve got to get to work. There’s a small park about two blocks down across from an electronics store. You can take Harley there,” Jensen turned to walk down the street and Harley pulled Jared after him.
“The other way,” Jensen nodded over his shoulder. “Better be quick or he might go here.”
***
Jensen was late to work on one of the most important days of his employment. Striding past Danneel into his office he placed his briefcase on his desk with a ‘thud’. A sigh escaped his lips as his secretary practically skipped into the room.
“You’re late,” She sang with a smirk. “Big night with the boss?”
“What? No.” Jensen frowned sorting through the folders for the correct one. “Milo and I had dinner- that’s all.”
“Oh, then why are you all flustered?”
He held the file out for her to take. “Make the pertinent copies. I need them for the meeting in an hour.”
Danneel raised a perfectly manicured eyebrow at him and made no move to take the folder.
Jensen sighed, “Mike let his dog roam around the building alone. I had to show his friend where to take Harley because Mike did a disappearing act.”
“Friend?” Danneel snatched the folder and grinned at him. “Cute friend?”
Jensen ignored her and turned on his computer.
“Oh come on, throw me some gossip here,” Danneel pouted. “I’m utterly bored in this office without the gossip.”
He rolled his eyes and nodded slightly, “Cute but straight. He was shocked when I mentioned I was gay.”
“Shocked bad?”
“More like he had never even considered the concept before,” Jensen shrugged. “He’s Mike’s friend and there is no way I am even considering it. Not after Tom. I’m just fine being a single man.”
“You totally think this guy is hot,” Danneel stated with a wide grin before leaving.
Jensen ran a hand over his face and sighed. He needed a cup of coffee, badly.
***
The park that Jensen had been speaking of had been nothing more than a small patch of grass and a few trees. Jared had barely managed to avoid a ticket from a police officer that had insisted he pick up Harley’s excrement. She had let him off with a warning after producing a suitable bag, after he explained that the dog’s owner had not given him anything to use- nor had they even mentioned the necessity of it.
Her face had turned bright red when he spoke to her though Jared had done his best to be polite and courteous during their interaction. It was odd seeing the roles that women had taken in society. Their manner of dress and attitudes were vastly different from those of the women he knew. Sandra McCoy would never have even considered donning any sort of pant let alone work a full day’s work.
It had taken a bit to get used to, he still was getting awed by all the differences of time period. In addition to the mannerisms and dress of the people around him, the beat of the world was different. Fast paced transportation- mechanical wagons of some type- moved to a rhythm of stops and starts through the streets. People walked on the sidewalk talking into small objects- phones- while others rode bikes or used shoes with wheels attached. It took Jared over an hour to reach the park and then return to the building where Mike and Jensen lived.
Jensen had really startled Jared with nearly every word that had exited the man’s mouth. It was a bit shocking to hear someone speak so plainly about their sexual proclivities. The fact that Jensen and Mike both seemed to be open about their preference for relations with other men boggled Jared’s mind. The concept was just never one that he had ever considered. It just was not done.
When Jared arrived back at the tall brick building there were several brightly colored and large vehicles out front. The writing on the long red one declared it as belonging to the fire brigade.
Harley woofed slightly and pulled Jared towards the door as several men exited the building with a stretcher between them. He pulled on the leash to restrain the dog and recognized the injured man.
“Mike? What happened?”
“Jared what are you doing outside?” Mike blinked owlishly his pupils dilated. Jared followed him to one of the emergency vehicles. “You need to wait in my apartment. You can’t be outside! This won’t take long I promise. Just go back inside and stay put. I’ll be back in time to get you home!”
“Will he be alright?”
One of the men turned to him as Mike was loaded into the ambulance, “He broke a leg and at the very least fractured his collar bone. We’re taking him to Bellevue Hospital for treatment. Are you family or a friend?”
“A friend of sort, I was going to be staying with him for a week.”
“Well, you’ll have to contact the hospital for visiting hours then.”
“What exactly happened to cause his injuries?” Jared asked before the EMT could jump in behind Mike.
“He fell down the elevator shaft,” the man shrugged. “I guess the door malfunctioned and he wasn’t paying attention. He just walked right out into open space. To be honest he was pretty lucky the elevator was only two floors down, any farther and he might not be alive.”
***
The meeting was going well; Jensen’s proposal seemed to be exactly what the Johnson Corporation was looking for. The advertisement had taken five straight months of research and brainstorming. He had finished in time for the original deadline over a month ago only to have it pushed back due to financial deliberations. Now that he was finally able to present the story board, budget, and a hurried time table Jensen was a nervous wreck. He hid it well.
Everything was going smoothly until he got to the most important section of the proposal: the models. Jensen had spent weeks going over the correct look and attitude to portray the product. The problem? Mr. Morgan, the representative from the Johnson Corporation, didn’t like the proposed (and panel accepted) male model.
“No. He looks like he’s about to crush her,” Morgan leaned back in his chair tapping his fingers along the glass table. “It’s too… rough. That isn’t our product.”
“Mr. Morgan, your product is a line of lotions and creams. Studies show that sexy sells,” Milo tilted his head and motioned to the board where various photos were adhered. “That’s sexy.”
“It isn’t the sort of sexy that will be advertising this product line.”
Jensen frowned inwardly and surveyed the older man, listening to the discussion.
“It’s a skin care line, our product is calming, meant to soothe and replenish-“
“Gentle, gentle sexy,” Jensen spoke up. “I’m sorry for interrupting, but I have a few ideas…”
***
“Very nice Jensen,” Milo grinned. Mr. Morgan and the others in his party had just left, agreeing to return on the twenty-sixth to look over a revised set of models. “You have a very keen eye.”
“I’m only doing what I was trained to do,” Jensen smiled slightly as he gathered his papers together.
“Not everyone in this field has your talent with advertising and ability in business. I’m surprised you aren’t running your own company.”
Jensen paused as he shut his briefcase and looked up at Milo. The man was watching him with intent dark brown eyes, a relaxed expression on his face. He shrugged, “I wanted to own my own business once that was a long time ago though.”
“Anything in particular? You seem to be a bit… artistic.”
Jensen laughed, “I can advertise and arrange things. Put me behind anything other than a computer program where I can manipulate existing art and all you get are doodles.” A grin spread across his face as he followed Milo into the hall. “I’m no Picasso either.”
Milo laughed back and rested his hand between Jensen’s shoulders as he grinned, “With your ability, you could be just as famous in the advertising world.”
Jensen glanced at Milo as his boss dropped his hand and walked off.
“He so wants you,” Danneel said matter of fact rocking on her heels.
Jensen turned sharply to glare at her, “He does not.”
“It’s your river,” she shrugged and shoved a piece of paper under his nose. “Your extremely annoying and perverted ex-roommate just called. He said something about a motorcycle, time travel, breaking his leg, and a giant. I think he might have been high.”
***
Mike stared at the television and fumed. The nurse was insane. He had been unable to get access to a phone but once and the only person he could get a hold of was Jensen’s secretary of all people.
Jensen’s very obnoxious secretary who hated his guts. Not that he didn’t deserve the hate, Mike slept with Jensen’s boyfriend after all. Mike could only hope that Danneel actually took his note down word for word.
Jensen
Watch Jared for me. He was with the Harley outside. I broke my leg and the giant is alone. The Time traveler is due Thursday. Keep Jared out of trouble.
Bald Bastard
Jensen raised an eyebrow and looked up at Danneel, “Did he say how he broke his leg- or where he was at?”
She shrugged, “The nurse that interrupted him didn’t seem too thrilled that he was on the phone to begin with.” Danneel grinned at him. “So, who’s Jared?”
“Mike’s friend, he seemed more than capable of looking out for himself this morning,” Jensen shoved the note in his pocket and shrugged on his coat. “I’ll check on him, but I’m sure Mike is over reacting about the situation.”
***
The cursory and much abbreviated tour of the apartment Mike had given did nothing to alleviate the alien quality of practically everything. Fumbling around the kitchen Jared eventually had some toast and eggs via trial and error. It took a while for him to figure out the stove and Harley was very happy to eat the burnt bread as Jared had yet to find the dog food.
The television was one device that Jared found fascinating. The moving pictures told numerous stories and even gave a direct connection to events happening all over the world. It was just astounding and slightly shocking due to the wide variety of subjects displayed on the screen.
Jared sat awkwardly on the couch in front of the TV, fingers stroking Harley’s ears as he had been unable to keep the dog off the couch. The entire world seemed to be at his finger tips through the television, it made everything seem smaller in an odd way.
The sketchpad sat across his lap almost awkwardly as his fingers fumbled trying to capture everything that was going on in his mind. Slowly, sharp lines formed delicate sketches across the crisp white paper. It would be hours before Jared would stumble into the room he had woken up in and collapse onto the very comfortable bed.
*****
Part Two
(Comments disabled in this part)
Fandom: CW RPS
Authors: Surevesta
Beta: Anyothergirl415
Pairing: Jared/Jensen, Chad/Sophia
Rating: PG13
Warning: Time travel, language, frank discussion of sexuality
Summary: Based on the movie ‘Kate and Leopold.’ Written for Whenboymeetsboy. “Time travel isn’t logical, it’s just possible” is a phrase that is about to embody the lives of Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki. A young aristocrat from New York in 1852 finds himself in the year 2005 where the world has changed drastically. He finds himself on a journey of self discovery as he discoveries just how much the world has changed in the past 150 years.
Word Count: approx 27,100 words - 9,675 this part
Disclaimer: I’ve never been to New York, the Met, or been involved with advertising. I don’t own Jensen, Jared, Chad, Mike, or anyone else depicted in this story… even Otis belongs to himself.
Part One - Part Two - Part Three
Part One
*****
New York - Tuesday, November 29, 2005
“Jen-Jensen what are you doing?” A perplexed worried voice came from across the room. Jensen glanced up and glared at his friend and roommate. The bald man moved to follow him as he walked around the room, throwing various items into a cardboard box in his hands. His friend had taken off his hat, but a coat and scarf remained on his person attesting to the cool weather outside.
Twenty-six year old Jensen Ackles wasn’t sure what he was doing, to be quite honest. His life had been turned upside down in a matter of hours and there was really only one thing he could do. Jensen ignored Mike for the moment as he continued to locate his personal belongings.
“Are you leaving? You can’t move out,” Mike placed his hand on Jensen’s shoulder forcing the other man to stop his near frantic perusal of the room.
“I can and I am,” narrowed green eyes stared at Mike for a moment before Jensen shrugged Mike’s hand off forcefully.
“The lease! You’re on this lease!” Mike stammered as he tried to get in front of Jensen who was heading toward the long window that led to the fire escape.
“Maybe you should have thought about that before you decided that my boyfriend would make a good fuck toy!” Jensen dropped the cardboard box onto the floor. Mike winced at both Jensen’s words and the sound of something fragile breaking.
“I’ll admit that wasn’t my greatest decision… but I was drunk and high and so was he,” Mike was desperately attempting to come up with some excuse to stop Jensen from leaving. Jensen just unlocked the window and forced it as wide as it would go. “It was completely unplanned! We were talking about my research and he was interested in it and-“
“Please just stop!” Jensen turned from where he had been forcing the nearly too large box through the window. “I don’t want to know what happened. All I need to know is my friend slept with my boyfriend. That’s it. You need to grow up Mike.” The box slammed onto the fire escape, metal rattling with the impact. Jensen climbed out the tall window and turned in a half kneel to look at Mike. “This lifestyle! The drugs, drinking, and- god- your insane theories? You’re going to ruin your life.”
Mike stared at Jensen before making one last appeal, “I can’t afford to live here alone Jensen!”
Green eyes closed for a moment and Jensen ran his right hand over his face, “Look. I’m going to be staying with Chad downstairs for a few months. He’s off at some acting gig right now and told me I could house sit- he has that extra room anyway since Justin got the job in LA. I just can’t live with you right now.”
Jensen hefted his stuff up, “I’ll be back in a bit for more of my shit. Do me a favor and hook up with Tom elsewhere till I’m done.”
Mike flinched slightly at Jensen’s comments. He knew that what had happened between him and Tom was wrong. He wouldn’t argue with Jensen on that. Jensen had been his friend since college and he was pissed off at himself for getting drunk and high with Tom around. Mike had always had a bit of a thing for Jensen’s boyfriend, but he had never planned on making a move. Not while Tom was still dating Jensen anyway... the last thing he had wanted to do was hurt the other man.
****
New York - November 29, 1852
Dark lines glided smoothly onto off white paper, long fingers attached to large hands brushed away excess charcoal and blended too thick lines. A sigh broke the quietness of the room; the artist looked away from his work and through the window. Hazel eyes watched as horse drawn carts and people went about their daily lives. The sound of people, horses, and clattering wheels made its way through the thick glass paned window.
Jared Padalecki was of noble birth, born into money and a life of prestige. At the age of twenty-two he was well educated and known within his social circle for his quick mind. He was the middle child, though, making it ever important that he be worth something to the family. Jared’s schooling had focused on preparing him for joining the family business- to help his brother manage all of the Padalecki Family investments.
Jared sighed and dropped his sketch pad onto a chair. Dark lines formed the outline of the street, people and horse drawn carts traversed rough brick walkways and roads. He gently placed the charcoal piece away and removed the gloves he wore. Drawing up plans for his inventions was one thing, they could quite possibly bring the family wealth, but drawing for the sake of art was greatly discouraged by his father. The only thing his father seemed to be concerned about lately was finding Jared a bride.
A knock at the door startled Jared and he quickly closed his sketch pad, “Yes?”
The door was opening before he had a chance to acknowledge whoever was on the other side. Brown curls and swaths of pale pink cloth ran through the door and slammed into him. A pale pretty face with a bright smile grinned up at him.
“Megan!” His mother admonished his younger sister from the doorway, a small smile on her lips belying her disapproving tone.
“It is fine Mother,” Jared smiled down at his sister as he drew her away from him to get a better look. It had been almost two years since he had last seen her. Jared had only recently returned to the United States from studying in England. “It has been too long Meggie. I have a feeling Jeff and I will be needing to protect your honor quite soon.”
Her grin widened and she giggled, “I am too young to think about marriage!”
“Good,” Jared leaned down and kissed the top of her head. “I would hate to have to challenge someone to a duel.”
“Jared,” Sharon Padalecki drew the attention of her youngest son as she walked into the room, stopping behind Megan. “Your father would like to speak with you.” Sharon’s pale hands settled on her daughters shoulders, Megan glanced up at her with a slight pout. “Come along Megan, we have an appointment to keep with the Cassidy’s.”
Megan glanced over her shoulder as she followed her mother out and made a distasteful face.
Jared winced internally; he knew what his father wanted. The same thing Gerald Padalecki had been pestering him about for nearly two years now. In letters the topic was easily worked around or ignored. Now that he was once again in the same home as his father there would be little chance of Jared avoiding the topic.
Gerald Padalecki had already found a bride for his eldest and his only daughter was too young to marry off. Jared, on the other hand, was not even courting anyone yet. He was of suitable age for marriage and Gerald was looking to make an addition to his family’s assets. Finding a wealthy bride from a good family was expected of Jared. The sooner the better.
He ran a hand through his hair and glanced down at his clothes. Jared adjusted his sleeves of his jacket and smoothed his hands over his top to remove invisible wrinkles. There wasn’t a speck of charcoal dust on him. He nodded to himself and stood tall before walking out the door to meet with his father.
***
“A month?” Jared stared at his father incredulously. “You expect me to fall in love in a month?”
“No I do not,” Gerald stood behind the dark oak desk in his study. He was watching the people meandering on the street below his window. “I do not expect that you will fall in love. I expect that in one month’s time you will announce a suitable bride.”
“I know most everyone in our social circle, father. There is not a single woman that I can imagine spending the rest of my life with,” Jared glared at his father’s back, hands clenched at his side.
“You had best begin imagining, Jared, or I will make the decision for you.”
Gerald turned and surveyed his youngest son. Jared forced his hands open and watched his father’s face. “I heard that you have been working on a machine of some sort. That you are planning to apply for a patent.”
The change of subject was welcomed gladly and Jared nodded slightly, “I am.”
“I do hope that it is worthy of the Padalecki name.”
“It is.”
Gerald nodded and turned back to the window. Jared took this as an acceptable dismal and left his father’s study.
*****
New York - Wednesday, December 21, 2005
Jensen groaned as his alarm clock sounded, the beeping noise entirely too loud for the time. Bleary green eyes blinked over the pillow to read the glowing digits. Six thirty in the morning. He shoved his face into the soft cotton fabric, arms moving beneath the pillow as he groaned.
After thirty more seconds of beeping noise a loud thump resounded against the wall across from him. He could barely make out the shouting voice of the woman next door. Jensen shoved his arms out from under the pillow and forced himself into a sitting position.
Bare feet landed on chilly wood floors as his right hand found the correct button on the clock. From there he picked up his silver framed glasses and slid them over the bridge of his nose.
He stared blankly at the clock for a moment before a noise from down the short hall caught his attention. Right, the timed coffee maker. Time to get up, get caffeinated, and head to work.
Two cups of coffee and a shower later Jensen began to sort through the items that he’d need for work today. He shoved a plain bagel into his mouth and double checked his planner with a frown. The Johnson account representatives were coming in on Thursday to discuss a magazine spread for their new line of skin care products. Jensen had gotten this account ready over a month ago in anticipation as the season was always busy due to the holidays.
He shifted through the folders he had placed on his desk and grimaced. He hadn’t left it at the office and everything had been completed to his boss’s satisfaction a month ago. That meant he had left it in his desk upstairs. Mike’s apartment. He checked his watch and sighed, there wasn’t enough time to go sort through the ever growing chaos that Mike lived in without Jensen’s presence. He’d have to stop by after work and hope the folder was semi-visible.
Jensen really did not want to end up cleaning Mike’s shit. He had enough problems with Chad’s apartment. There was a reason why he kept the actor’s door firmly shut, with a towel in front of it to keep the smell in. He had a feeling Chad had left at least half a pizza in there to mold.
He made sure the window next to the fire escape was firmly shut and locked before grabbing his brief case and heading out the door.
***
Jensen adjusted his dress shirt as he stared at the blinking display that told what floor the elevator was on. He grimaced as he checked the knot of his tie; it slipped up tightly before he loosened it again. Samantha Ferris, who worked down the hall from him, glanced over. He smiled slightly and dropped his hand to his side with a glance at the floor, then rolled his shoulders and lifted his gaze as the doors opened.
Jensen waited till Ms. Ferris had moved past him before exiting; he had to lift his right arm to stop the doors from sliding closed. Adjusting his glasses he cleared his throat before walking down the short hall to his office.
As Jensen reached his office door, the brunette at the nearest cubicle shot out of her chair. She slid a shiny magazine beneath a couple of folders and smiled brightly. He nodded and let her follow him into the room, watching as he set his brief case on the desk and hit the power button for the computer.
“Good morning Mr. Ackles,” Danneel purred with a wide grin.
Jensen glanced up at his secretary warily. She shoved a stack of papers in front of him and tilted her head to the side.
“Good morning Danneel,” he said as looked over the header. It was a memo from his boss.
“Guess who is here to oversee the Johnson account?” She rocked on her heal slightly, grin turning sly.
“They aren’t involving another lawyer are they?” Jensen frowned as he took the papers from her hand. He straightened them with a tap on the desk before beginning to peruse them.
“Jensen! Milo Ventimigilia’s here, he wants to make sure everything goes smoothly.”
“Milo Venti- Milo is here?” Jensen met her gaze, his eyes widened slightly. “You’re kidding me.”
“Nope,” She shook her head and pursed her lips. Her eyes glittered brightly, “I’m so not kidding you.”
Jensen glanced around her at the open door and flexed his hands. He wasn’t used to his boss standing over his shoulder; the man was usually at the London branch of the office. Jensen certainly wasn’t prepared for the pressure of his boss presiding over his work to this magnitude. His fingers ached to sort out the files that had damn well better be easy to locate in Mike’s apartment.
He settled for shooing Danneel back to her desk and triple checking the information he did have.
*****
New York - December 29, 1852
Jared adjusted his shirt as he stared at himself in the small mirror above his bureau. He really was not looking forward to the party his father had planned. The party in itself was not the problem, the fact that he was going to announce his future wife on the other hand… that was the problem.
He ran a hand through his hair and grit his teeth. Jared had absolutely no clue as to who he was going to marry. Absolutely none. It was not as if he hadn’t met many wonderful women over the last month. On the contrary, Jared had attended every social event and several personal calls over the past month. It seemed as if every single eligible lady was being shoved toward him.
Gerald was particularly fond of coercing him into uncomfortable situations where he would be forced to interact with Sandra McCoy. Her family was quite wealthy and the dowry that she would bring was quite handsome. Jared just could not see himself spending the rest of eternity with the petite woman. She was sweet and dainty and he felt as if he might accidently break her with one misplaced step.
Jared had never wanted to marry for his father. He had hoped that he would be able to make his own decision as to whom he would exchange vows with. Love was something he wanted to have in his life, marrying for anything but was just unsettling.
His parents had been forced into their marriage and it had taken them years to come to what might be called love. They were partners that shared a home and a family first and foremost. Their marriage had been based on bringing her family a higher status and the Padalecki’s more wealth.
Jared was dreading the outcome of the evenings’ announcement. He could not imagine how he was going to live with himself past tonight. It felt as if the entire world was closing in around him.
***
Jared stood before the shop window and glowered at the contents. His father had insisted that he locate a gift to present to his future wife tonight. Something simple and elegant he had said. Jared knew what he should purchase, either jewelry or a finely crafted trinket of some sort.
So far he had seen nothing that caught his eye. The stores that he was perusing were filled with many wonderful objects, dozens of which the young women that Jared was supposed to be courting would positively adore. He just couldn’t find it within himself to buy a gift for a wife he had yet to even choose.
Jared sighed and titled his head, he could barely make out a small collection of art supplies at the back of the store he stood in front of. While attempting to get a better look his arm caught the raised arm of another man. A clatter snapped his eyes to his feet. Next to his right foot on the brick sidewalk a strange silver rectangular object was now submerged in the thin layer of mud and slush.
“Fuck,” the man mumbled causing Jared to turn his head sharply. The man eyed him warily as he snatched up the object. He was well dressed in clothes that were almost like those Jared wore but the design was slightly off. The fabric itself was unlike any Jared had ever seen before.
Barely audible apologies were mumbled and the shorter man took off, nearly losing his hat. Jared caught a glance of a hairless head in the afternoon sun.
“That was rather interesting,” Jared stared after the stranger an odd unsettling feeling in his stomach. It felt as if something important was about to happen. Jared couldn’t imagine what that could possibly be.
“Jared Padalecki!” A small squeal of delight broke him from his thoughts. Jared snapped his head to the left eyeing the woman who had spoken.
He straightened and reached out to take her hand. Jared brushed a light kiss to the back of her knuckles and smiled at the young woman, “Sandra McCoy. This is quite a pleasant surprise to see you.”
She lifted her hand to hide a smile and blushed prettily, just the way that a young woman was supposed to. Jared cringed internally and added a greeting for the two women that came up beside Sandra whispering and giggling slightly. He felt uneasy under their gaze.
“I am looking forward to the party tonight,” Sandra stated pleasantly. She blinked up at him, gloved hands folded around the end of a long scarf. “I heard that you are going to be making an announcement of some sort?”
Her questioning gaze wasn’t helping his awful mood at all. Jared nodded looking down at her, his smile wide and bright. “That I will and I can assure you it will be quite a surprise.”
She grinned back up at him her dark eyes bright and smile brilliant. He wondered if she knew just how much his father was pushing for him to marry her. She probably knows that he is quite well, Jared thought nearly letting his internal grimace shine through his mask.
***
Jared adjusted the collar of his dress suit and shrugged his shoulders. Only a couple more hours and his fate would be sealed. A rustling of paper brought his attention to his bed. His younger sister was lying across it looking through his sketchbook. She smiled at him, meeting his gaze.
“This are very good Jared!” He smiled and crossed the room to stand beside her. “You should display these somewhere.”
“Being an artist is not for me,” Jared slipped the book out of her fingers. She pouted up at him through her dark curls. “Drawing is a hobby, nothing more.”
Megan’s pout turned to a light scowl, “I think you could make a living with your art. I have seen art Jared. My friend Katherine’s parents have a large collection. They have works from all the greatest artists in the world. These sketches are just as good if not more so.”
“Flattery will get you nowhere, my dear little sister,” Jared tapped her nose. “They are a hobby, I am to join Jeffery in the family business and marry a beautiful woman.”
“Father should not be able to force you into a life you want no part of.”
“Megan,” Jared settled his hand down on her shoulder. “This is our life, my life. I will do what is expected of me.”
“Jeff is the oldest and he is already married with a child on the way,” She pushed herself into a sitting position and adjusted her skirts. “You and I are not important. I will be wed and will join another family. That is all that is expected of me, but you… you are the second born son. Jared, you should be able to choose your life.”
“Wise words, if only that were the way the world worked,” Jared smiled sadly down at her. “You should go get ready for the party. I must go find father to discuss tonight’s events.”
“You do not have any idea who you will propose marriage to, do you?”
Jared chuckled slightly, “No, I do not.”
***
Jared smiled weakly at a couple of young ladies who stood near the bottom of the stairs. They giggled softly to each other as they shot glances at him. Jared unconsciously straightened his back and widened his grin.
“There you are, sir,” a middle aged man appeared at his side. “I have your dance card ready.”
“Thank you Otis,” Jared inclined his head. “Though I doubt I will manage even half before Father insists I make the announcement.”
“Marriage is not the end of the world, Jared.”
He turned his face to the side and met Otis’ gaze. The elder man nodded and pointed Jared toward his first dance partner.
Jared relaxed slowly as he moved through the repetitive motions ingrained into him as a child. Dancing had been something he had excelled at before his unwieldy teenage years. Now that he had grown into his remarkable height and long limbs, Jared was once again quite graceful. His dance partners were just as graceful in their movements. Skirts twirled around ankles, fair skin bright in the soft electric lighting. Their dainty hands seemed extra small when they met his large paws.
Going through the motions was the only thing Jared could do. If he didn’t he would not… a familiar figure caught his eye as the dance steps brought him near the entryway.
The man from the store front held his silver rectangle over another guests shoulder before turning around. He looked nervous and very out of place. The man was not a guest of the party and certainly did not belong in the Padalecki family home.
“Wha-“The petite blonde Jared was currently partnered with exclaimed her eyes wide. Jared ignored her as he pulled them into the crowd at the edge of the dance floor. He dropped her gloved fingers and headed into the throng of people, hazel eyes searching.
***
If Jared had known at the time what following the odd man would lead to, he would never have believed it. As it was he could hardly hold in his anger at the man he was currently trying to keep a hold on. One large hand was clenched in the soft sleeve of the man’s coat and his other holding onto the scaffolding against the new bridge.
“Just let go! Its fine I promise! I’m not trying to kill myself- I’ll be just fine!” Jared clenched his teeth and glared as the man’s free hand attempted to remove Jared’s fingers.
“If you think I am going to let you fall you are an idiot,” Jared fingers were turning white with strain. “You clearly must be inebriated to think that jumping off a bridge is a good idea!”
“Just let me go! Seriously, it’s better than both of-” He was cut off as the strain of two adult men hanging off the scaffolding edge was more than it had been built to support.
The hand railing Jared was grasping broke and he lost his balance. Both his hands were suddenly aching in release as they opened to the cool night air. Moments later, Jared found himself tumbling head over heels towards the cold water below.
***
Wednesday, December 21, 2005
Jensen crashed face first onto the worn couch in Chad’s apartment with a loud groan. His boss had dropped by just before it was time for him to get off work. Milo Ventimigilia was an efficient boss and tended to come down hard on his employees regarding important clientele. The Johnson account was extremely important to Milo and the company; he had made that very clear to Jensen.
His keys dropped from his loose fingers and crashed against the floor. Jensen lifted his face from the cushion and wrinkled his nose at an unidentifiable scent.
Lifting himself up Jensen cracked his back in an attempt to ease his growing head ache. After staying late at the office- an extra three hours- Milo had insisted on buying him dinner for keeping him late. It had been a good meal and he had learned a bit about his boss’s hobbies and investments. Jensen figured it meant that he wasn’t in trouble of losing his job anytime soon if he was making friends with his boss.
He had been too late to catch Mike before he headed out for the night. Jensen really needed to get the file from upstairs but he felt awkward just waltzing in, even though he was still paying a portion of the rent.
A large thump against the ceiling shifted his attention to the present and Jensen frowned. Mike’s recently acquired stray dog, Harley, hadn’t started barking so it had to be someone he knew. That pretty much left Jensen, Mike, and unfortunately Tom.
Jensen pushed himself off the couch and headed to the fire escape. He really hoped it was Mike. There was a bit of snow on the railing but almost none on the stairway so Jensen didn’t bother with anything more than a hooded sweatshirt before he went out the window and headed upstairs.
He couldn’t really see much through the blinds that covered the large pane of glass. Tilting his head Jensen was barely able to make out Mike half dragging a very large- probably drunk- body into Jensen’s old room. They didn’t have very many friends that tall and didn’t take much thought to deduce who it probably was.
To say he was upset would probably be an understatement. It was one thing to have Tom over, but it was an entirely different thing to let him sleep off a night of binge drinking in Jensen’s room.
He barely stopped himself from forcing the window open and dragged his cell phone out of his pocket.
Jensen ignored the sounds of Mike’s cursing and Harley’s bark as he heard the faint sound of Mike’s obnoxious ring tone. He leaned against the rough brick of the building and glared at the apartment across the alley.
“J-Jensen?” Mike’s voice hissed softly into the phone.
“What do you think you’re doing?” Jensen’s breath was visible in the clear night air.
“Uh,” A few beats of silence and a thump later Jensen heard a door close. “I just got home… so I’m cleaning up?”
“Dragging Tom here after a night out partying and letting him sleep in my bed is cleaning up?”
“Wha- are you watching me?” Mike exclaimed and moments later the window opened. Jensen glared at him, snapping the cell shut.
“I need to grab a folder that I apparently left here,” Jensen shoved past Mike into the warm apartment. “Tom better not wake up or there’ll be hell to pay.”
“Tom? He’s not here-“
“I’m not an idiot Mike,” Jensen announced as he shifted through the large pile of papers on his old desk. He was glad that it was situated in the living room but annoyed that Mike hadn’t wasted time in covering the entire surface with his ‘work’- babblings and insane equations that lead nowhere. “I saw you dragging his sorry ass in there. It’s bad enough you brought him here, but my room?”
“Him? You mean- oh!” Mike looked around a nervously. “You mean that guy?” A laugh that was more like a bark filled the air. “That’s not Tom! That’s just this guy I met. No-no not for sex or anything!” He exclaimed at Jensen’s startled look. “I met him at a convention. A group of us hung out after and he was too drunk to remember the way to the hotel-“
“And you’re playing Good Samaritan?” Jensen raised an eyebrow as he sifted through the bottom drawer of the desk.
“He seemed like a nice guy and I couldn’t just leave him-“
“I really don’t want to know Mike,” Jensen held up the thick folder. “I’ll leave you to it… as long as he’s not Tom.”
“He’s not.” Mike let out a large sigh as he watched Jensen maneuver out onto the fire escape. He ran his hand over his face and sighed. An impatient whine from the kitchen brought him back to reality.
Mike glared at the upset dog tiredly. Harley just laid his head on the top of the plastic gate and lolled his tongue out the side of his mouth. Another whine and dark brown eyes stared at him beseechingly.
“Fine, I’ll take you out.”
***
Thursday, December 22, 2005
Normally Jared is a morning person. He usually is wide awake and clear headed only minutes after sun rise, sketchbook out and lost in his art long before someone is sent after him. Today is not like a regular day, his head is thick and off, his mind groggy with sleep. The bed he was on was also quite comfortable.
When Jared finally managed to open his eyes nothing he sees is familiar. He was lying on a bed, the blankets are strange, not in a bad way, the fabric was just off. The room was devoid of light and it took a moment for Jared’s eyes to adjust. That moment is when the memories of the previous night’s events come back to him.
Jared pushed himself upright and blinked as he surveyed the room. Like the bedspread beneath him the curtains were a dark blue color. A wooden dresser sat off to the left of the bed near two doors. He ran a hand over his face and tried to orientate himself. Obviously the strange man, or someone else, had taken him to their home after the fall.
A groan escaped his lips as he levered himself up off the bed. The abnormally comfortable bed. Jared was not looking forward to facing his father. Not only had he left and not come home, he had run out of the party he was to announce his engagement during.
He ran his hands across his chest, adjusting his rumpled clothing. All of Jared’s clothes were still on his person, none of his personal affects seemed to have been purloined either. His boots lay on the floor a few feet from the bed, Jared noticed before pushing his feet into them haphazardly.
His jaw felt stiff as a yawn escaped his lips. Jared slipped his fingers through his hair and stumbled making his way to the window. The drapes were dark enough to block out the sun, a thick likely expensive material.
Jared was thankful for his height as there was no way to pull the drapes open other than to carefully slide them across the dowel. He blinked owlishly as his eyes adjusted to the bright sunlight.
***
Mike was staring at the coffee maker, willing it to hurry up and finish already. Beside him Harley was pacing and hopping slightly. He had only been up for a short period of time and had barely gotten any sleep the night before. There was just too much on his mind.
After some careful calculations Mike had figured out exactly what to do regarding his current predicament. At least, he had come to conclusions on how to solve it eventually. Mike hadn’t really thought about what would happen till that time came to be.
Which was why the startled ‘yelp’ and large thud from Jensen’s old room caused Mike to jump backwards and nearly fall over Harley. Mike scrambled out of the kitchen, knocking over the plastic kiddy gate, and down the hall. Harley whined low in his throat and bounded after, clicking nails skidding on hard wood floors.
The sight that greeted the odd pair was a wide eyed giant of a man laying sprawled back with his shoulders on the bed, the rest of him in an ungainly sprawl against it. Mike should have thought about how the man would react upon seeing a world vastly different from his own.
Mike was at a loss for words as he stared at the younger man, who was clearly in a state of shock and confusion. Harley, however, only saw a potential playmate. With a short bark he made his way into the room to sniff this new human.
A pink tongue and a dark brown nose pushed itself into Jared’s face and startled him. Jared drew back sharply causing Harley to take a step back and pause in his affections. Moments later his enthusiasm at meeting Jared returned three fold as he squirmed into the man’s space. Large paws settled onto Jared’s chest, tongue lapping at his face.
The movement of the rambunctious dog broke Mike from his stupor. “Bad dog! Get over here- Harley, get off him!”
Mike snagged the dog by his collar and bodily dragged the large puppy away from the other man. “Sorry about him, I usually keep him penned up when people are over.”
Jared lifted wide hazel eyes from the enthusiastic dog and stared at Mike for a long moment.
“Where…who…what,” he took a shuddering breath as he attempted to pull himself upright. The bed next to him had been knocked slightly askew. “Where am I?”
***
“The future.”
Mike nodded fervently from his seat across from Jared at the kitchen table, two mugs of coffee sat between them. “December 22, 2005, to be exact. Oh and it’s Thursday.”
Jared stared at Mike, his hand wrapped around the mug in front of him. “You are out of your mind.” His voice was calm and dazed, Mike blinked at him.
“No, I’m not. Look, I know that this seems impossible but I’m telling you the truth. It’s something that I’ve been working on. A theory about time travel,” Mike shuffled a large pile of paper next to him on the table. He pulled out a few that were covered in untidy scrawl and illegible diagrams.
“Time travel…” Jared dropped a hand off the table. He batted at Harley’s nose where it rested against his thigh. The dog shoved his muzzle beneath Jared’s long fingers.
“You see there are all these portals… holes in time that open periodically. They’re like doors to another period of time. All you have to do is find them, which isn’t easy. I figured it out though- how to tell when and where one of these portals is going to open!”
Jared lifted his eyes from the papers and stared at Mike, “You are insane.”
“No, no, no! I’m not insane,” Mike slammed his hands down on the table. Harley skidded back a pace as the table rocked, cool coffee splashing out of the mugs. “I found a portal that took me back to December 29, 1852. While there I did a bit of sightseeing, took some pictures and you saw me.”
“You had something,” Jared frowned. “In your hand, you dropped it on the street.”
“My camera, digital camera, I can hook it up to the-” Mike paused and cleared his throat. “We made huge advancements in the technology since your time. I was just gathering proof of my visit.”
“Why am I here?”
“You followed me, I didn’t plan on taking you back here with me,” Mike scratched behind his ear and rubbed the back of his neck. “You sort of just fell through the portal with me. Don’t worry though! I can get you back to your own time.”
“My own time,” Jared slid his chair back and moved to stand. “I really should get going. My father will be very upset with me as it is for-“
“Aren’t you listening to me?” Mike practically flew across the table and grabbed Jared’s arms. Jared drew back at the sharp movement startled and stared down at the other man. “You are in another time. You can’t go home yet. There is no home for you to go to in this time!”
***
The next half hour or so was filled with Mike showing Jared every amenity from the toilet to the television and the microwave to the air conditioner unit with Harley trailing behind them. Everything went by so fast that Jared could barely make heads or tails of it all. Eventually the two made it to the living room where Mike pushed Jared down onto the couch.
The young man was in a state of shock, but the shock was slowly turning into acceptance. There really wasn’t any way that Jared could deny the fact that this world was nothing like the one he lived in. There were so many details that were wrong and so many things that Jared had never heard of- he had to accept that this was the future. That Mike wasn’t lying.
Around this time Harley started to jump around impatiently and whine. He danced around the living room nosing the two men.
“Alright, alright,” Mike snagged the leash from the coffee table and snapped it onto the dog’s collar. “I need to take this guy for a walk. I won’t be long though… you can watch some TV or something while I’m gone-“
“Is there anything I could borrow to draw with?” Jared lifted his eyes from the box like contraption with the moving pictures in it- Mike called it a television.
Mike blinked and nodded, he rummaged through a desk drawer for a moment before producing a partially used drawing pad and a few pencils and pens. “Will these work?”
Jared nodded and took them. He ran his fingers over the smooth paper and lifted one of the pens up to inspect.
“Uh, I’ll only be gone like half an hour max. So, uh, don’t leave the apartment or anything- alright?”
Jared nodded absently as Mike made his way out the door. Drawing would help him center his mind and figure out this new twist in his life. Drawing would help him keep his sanity.
To Mike’s credit he really did plan on just being gone less than half an hour. He really couldn’t have known, or planned, for the mass elevator failure that seemed to be plaguing the world this morning. Although he really should have paid a bit more attention because stepping into an empty elevator shaft was a really idiotic move.
It really wasn’t Mike’s fault that he was gone from the apartment for over an hour or that Harley was left alone to wander the halls till Jensen stumbled upon him on his way down the stairs to work.
***
Two large paws planted on Jensen’s stomach as Harley greeted him on the stairway landing to the floor below his. Jensen dropped his briefcase and braced himself as best that he could. The excited puppy pushed and jumped as far as he could up to lick at Jensen.
“What are you doing out here by yourself?” Jensen snagged Harley’s collar with one hand and his leash with the other. He gained control over the ungainly pup and forced him down. Harley’s tail swiped at light speed across the dusty floor, his tongue lolling out excitedly as he stared up at Jensen.
“Where the hell is Mike?”
Groaning inwardly about being late Jensen was nearly dragged down the hallway to his old apartment. He eyed a suspicious wet streak and a small puddle by the door of a nearby apartment- a widower with a miniature poodle.
When he reached the door to Mike’s apartment Jensen realized he had two choices. He could open the door with his key or knock first. Knowing that he was short on time as it was Jensen opted for the second option.
“Mike! What the fuck man?” Jensen pushed the door open and let Harley bounce through. He slammed it shut and stalked into the apartment. “What were you thinking leaving Harley…”
When he reached the living room at the other side of the apartment Jensen realized two things. The first was that Mike was nowhere to be seen and second was that there was a very tall and very handsome stranger in period clothing was standing in front of the couch.
***
The lines on the paper were thin and precise. The pencils Mike had given him before leaving were very thin and very sharp. The quality wasn’t quite as good as what Jared was used to, but he didn’t care. The shapes appearing on the paper were playing out a scene: the bedroom Jared had woken up in this morning with the man, Mike, and his dog in the entry.
The dog’s, Harley’s, form was just beginning to take shape. Excitement and happiness covering the stilled movement of limbs were appearing on the page when the door to the apartment opened sharply. Jared stood slowly expecting Mike when an unfamiliar voice met his ears.
”Mike! What the fuck man? What were you thinking leaving Harley…”
Jared had dropped the pad of paper to the table in front of the couch; the pencil still gripped between the fingers of his right hand. The man walking down the short hall towards him was most certainly not Mike. Harley bounded in and nudged his hand with a short whine before dancing back to the stranger.
The man before him was tall, taller than Mike. His clothes were neat and unwrinkled, a pressed white shirt under a long leather coat over grey dress pants, a black leather piece of luggage at his side. A scarf wrapped around his neck and gloves peered out of a pocket. His skin was clean, face shaved, and dirty blonde, almost brown, hair cut short and styled. Lightly colored freckles danced across the pale skin of his cheeks and nose.
“Where’s Mike?” Green eyes looked at him expectantly, breaking Jared out of his stare.
“Mike went out with Harley,” Jared glanced down at the young dog. Brown eyes looked up at him pleading. “He said he would be about half an hour. That was about an hour ago.”
“Well Mike isn’t around and someone needs to take Harley out.”
Jared glanced back up at the man and frowned. “Mike told me I should not leave the apartment.”
“Yeah, well Mike is an irresponsible asshole,” a hand held the leash out to Jared urging him to take it. “I have to go to work and Harley is Mike’s dog not mine. Since Mike is nowhere to be found and you’re crashing here you can take the dog for a walk.”
Jared took the leash and eyed him skeptically, “Who are you?”
A careless roll of brilliant green eyes was the response as the man turned around and headed back to the door, “I’m Mike’s ex-roommate, Jensen Ackles. You slept in my old room last night… technically still mine though. I’m still paying part of the rent.”
“I am Jared Padalecki, it is pleasure to make your acquaintance,” Jared followed and stopped at the door as the man, Jensen, paused raising an eyebrow at him.
“Nice to meet you too, Jared. It’s pretty chilly outside, aren’t you going to grab a jacket?”
Jared glanced down at his clothes and frowned. “I am not quite sure where Mike put my Jacket… to be honest I do not remember taking it off.”
“Right,” Jensen snorted. “He was probably all too happy to see you without it.” He pushed past Jared into his old room and opened the closet door. “This probably won’t fit you really well, and it isn’t very fashionable either,” He eyed Jared for a moment. “Not that you probably care…”
“Why would Mike be happy to see me without a coat?”
Jensen blinked and looked up at Jared as he held out a thick wool jacket and a brightly colored scarf. “You, well, you’re kind of his type. Well anything that breathes with a dick is his type.” A light blush spread over freckled cheeks.
“I am his type?” Jared donned the coat and scarf, pulling at the too short cuffs.
“Yeah, his type of guy. Just like my ex-boyfriend was Mike’s type of guy,” Jared glanced up sharply at Jensen.
“Boyfriend, he courted your… fiancé?” Jared asked awkwardly. The whole concept was a new one to him.
“Who? Uh, Tom was not my fiancé. Sure we dated for about three years, and I might have been a bit in love with him, but it isn’t like we were going to get married,” Jensen started out of the apartment quickly. Jared followed pausing at the door. “Apparently we weren’t as serious as I thought if Tom was willing to cheat on me with my best friend.”
Jensen paused and frowned a bit before digging his keys out of his pocket, “I guess you don’t have any way back in, Mike trusted you enough to leave you alone in the apartment, so I think I can trust you with a key. ‘Side’s I can always blame it on Mike if you do steal anything.”
“You were in a long term relationship with another man.”
Jensen looked up at Jared through narrowed eyes, the hand that held the key drew back slightly, “Yes, I’m gay… homosexual. That’s not a problem is it?”
“No! No that is not a problem,” Jared shook his head and took the key. “I just have not met anyone… open about such topics before. It was a bit startling.”
“You met Mike,” Jensen pointed out as they entered the lobby. “He pretty much fucks anything that moves.”
Harley pulled on the leash, straining against Jared as they got closer to the front doors. Jared’s mind was spinning at the odd twists the world had taken over the years. His fingers itched for something to draw with to help make sense of all the new.
“You alright?” Jensen asked as they paused on the sidewalk out front. Harley sniffed at a strangers pant leg as they passed.
Jared glanced over at him and nodded. He straightened his back and watched Jensen as he flipped open a small black object. “I am fine, thank you.”
“Look- Jared- I’ve got to get to work. There’s a small park about two blocks down across from an electronics store. You can take Harley there,” Jensen turned to walk down the street and Harley pulled Jared after him.
“The other way,” Jensen nodded over his shoulder. “Better be quick or he might go here.”
***
Jensen was late to work on one of the most important days of his employment. Striding past Danneel into his office he placed his briefcase on his desk with a ‘thud’. A sigh escaped his lips as his secretary practically skipped into the room.
“You’re late,” She sang with a smirk. “Big night with the boss?”
“What? No.” Jensen frowned sorting through the folders for the correct one. “Milo and I had dinner- that’s all.”
“Oh, then why are you all flustered?”
He held the file out for her to take. “Make the pertinent copies. I need them for the meeting in an hour.”
Danneel raised a perfectly manicured eyebrow at him and made no move to take the folder.
Jensen sighed, “Mike let his dog roam around the building alone. I had to show his friend where to take Harley because Mike did a disappearing act.”
“Friend?” Danneel snatched the folder and grinned at him. “Cute friend?”
Jensen ignored her and turned on his computer.
“Oh come on, throw me some gossip here,” Danneel pouted. “I’m utterly bored in this office without the gossip.”
He rolled his eyes and nodded slightly, “Cute but straight. He was shocked when I mentioned I was gay.”
“Shocked bad?”
“More like he had never even considered the concept before,” Jensen shrugged. “He’s Mike’s friend and there is no way I am even considering it. Not after Tom. I’m just fine being a single man.”
“You totally think this guy is hot,” Danneel stated with a wide grin before leaving.
Jensen ran a hand over his face and sighed. He needed a cup of coffee, badly.
***
The park that Jensen had been speaking of had been nothing more than a small patch of grass and a few trees. Jared had barely managed to avoid a ticket from a police officer that had insisted he pick up Harley’s excrement. She had let him off with a warning after producing a suitable bag, after he explained that the dog’s owner had not given him anything to use- nor had they even mentioned the necessity of it.
Her face had turned bright red when he spoke to her though Jared had done his best to be polite and courteous during their interaction. It was odd seeing the roles that women had taken in society. Their manner of dress and attitudes were vastly different from those of the women he knew. Sandra McCoy would never have even considered donning any sort of pant let alone work a full day’s work.
It had taken a bit to get used to, he still was getting awed by all the differences of time period. In addition to the mannerisms and dress of the people around him, the beat of the world was different. Fast paced transportation- mechanical wagons of some type- moved to a rhythm of stops and starts through the streets. People walked on the sidewalk talking into small objects- phones- while others rode bikes or used shoes with wheels attached. It took Jared over an hour to reach the park and then return to the building where Mike and Jensen lived.
Jensen had really startled Jared with nearly every word that had exited the man’s mouth. It was a bit shocking to hear someone speak so plainly about their sexual proclivities. The fact that Jensen and Mike both seemed to be open about their preference for relations with other men boggled Jared’s mind. The concept was just never one that he had ever considered. It just was not done.
When Jared arrived back at the tall brick building there were several brightly colored and large vehicles out front. The writing on the long red one declared it as belonging to the fire brigade.
Harley woofed slightly and pulled Jared towards the door as several men exited the building with a stretcher between them. He pulled on the leash to restrain the dog and recognized the injured man.
“Mike? What happened?”
“Jared what are you doing outside?” Mike blinked owlishly his pupils dilated. Jared followed him to one of the emergency vehicles. “You need to wait in my apartment. You can’t be outside! This won’t take long I promise. Just go back inside and stay put. I’ll be back in time to get you home!”
“Will he be alright?”
One of the men turned to him as Mike was loaded into the ambulance, “He broke a leg and at the very least fractured his collar bone. We’re taking him to Bellevue Hospital for treatment. Are you family or a friend?”
“A friend of sort, I was going to be staying with him for a week.”
“Well, you’ll have to contact the hospital for visiting hours then.”
“What exactly happened to cause his injuries?” Jared asked before the EMT could jump in behind Mike.
“He fell down the elevator shaft,” the man shrugged. “I guess the door malfunctioned and he wasn’t paying attention. He just walked right out into open space. To be honest he was pretty lucky the elevator was only two floors down, any farther and he might not be alive.”
***
The meeting was going well; Jensen’s proposal seemed to be exactly what the Johnson Corporation was looking for. The advertisement had taken five straight months of research and brainstorming. He had finished in time for the original deadline over a month ago only to have it pushed back due to financial deliberations. Now that he was finally able to present the story board, budget, and a hurried time table Jensen was a nervous wreck. He hid it well.
Everything was going smoothly until he got to the most important section of the proposal: the models. Jensen had spent weeks going over the correct look and attitude to portray the product. The problem? Mr. Morgan, the representative from the Johnson Corporation, didn’t like the proposed (and panel accepted) male model.
“No. He looks like he’s about to crush her,” Morgan leaned back in his chair tapping his fingers along the glass table. “It’s too… rough. That isn’t our product.”
“Mr. Morgan, your product is a line of lotions and creams. Studies show that sexy sells,” Milo tilted his head and motioned to the board where various photos were adhered. “That’s sexy.”
“It isn’t the sort of sexy that will be advertising this product line.”
Jensen frowned inwardly and surveyed the older man, listening to the discussion.
“It’s a skin care line, our product is calming, meant to soothe and replenish-“
“Gentle, gentle sexy,” Jensen spoke up. “I’m sorry for interrupting, but I have a few ideas…”
***
“Very nice Jensen,” Milo grinned. Mr. Morgan and the others in his party had just left, agreeing to return on the twenty-sixth to look over a revised set of models. “You have a very keen eye.”
“I’m only doing what I was trained to do,” Jensen smiled slightly as he gathered his papers together.
“Not everyone in this field has your talent with advertising and ability in business. I’m surprised you aren’t running your own company.”
Jensen paused as he shut his briefcase and looked up at Milo. The man was watching him with intent dark brown eyes, a relaxed expression on his face. He shrugged, “I wanted to own my own business once that was a long time ago though.”
“Anything in particular? You seem to be a bit… artistic.”
Jensen laughed, “I can advertise and arrange things. Put me behind anything other than a computer program where I can manipulate existing art and all you get are doodles.” A grin spread across his face as he followed Milo into the hall. “I’m no Picasso either.”
Milo laughed back and rested his hand between Jensen’s shoulders as he grinned, “With your ability, you could be just as famous in the advertising world.”
Jensen glanced at Milo as his boss dropped his hand and walked off.
“He so wants you,” Danneel said matter of fact rocking on her heels.
Jensen turned sharply to glare at her, “He does not.”
“It’s your river,” she shrugged and shoved a piece of paper under his nose. “Your extremely annoying and perverted ex-roommate just called. He said something about a motorcycle, time travel, breaking his leg, and a giant. I think he might have been high.”
***
Mike stared at the television and fumed. The nurse was insane. He had been unable to get access to a phone but once and the only person he could get a hold of was Jensen’s secretary of all people.
Jensen’s very obnoxious secretary who hated his guts. Not that he didn’t deserve the hate, Mike slept with Jensen’s boyfriend after all. Mike could only hope that Danneel actually took his note down word for word.
Jensen
Watch Jared for me. He was with the Harley outside. I broke my leg and the giant is alone. The Time traveler is due Thursday. Keep Jared out of trouble.
Bald Bastard
Jensen raised an eyebrow and looked up at Danneel, “Did he say how he broke his leg- or where he was at?”
She shrugged, “The nurse that interrupted him didn’t seem too thrilled that he was on the phone to begin with.” Danneel grinned at him. “So, who’s Jared?”
“Mike’s friend, he seemed more than capable of looking out for himself this morning,” Jensen shoved the note in his pocket and shrugged on his coat. “I’ll check on him, but I’m sure Mike is over reacting about the situation.”
***
The cursory and much abbreviated tour of the apartment Mike had given did nothing to alleviate the alien quality of practically everything. Fumbling around the kitchen Jared eventually had some toast and eggs via trial and error. It took a while for him to figure out the stove and Harley was very happy to eat the burnt bread as Jared had yet to find the dog food.
The television was one device that Jared found fascinating. The moving pictures told numerous stories and even gave a direct connection to events happening all over the world. It was just astounding and slightly shocking due to the wide variety of subjects displayed on the screen.
Jared sat awkwardly on the couch in front of the TV, fingers stroking Harley’s ears as he had been unable to keep the dog off the couch. The entire world seemed to be at his finger tips through the television, it made everything seem smaller in an odd way.
The sketchpad sat across his lap almost awkwardly as his fingers fumbled trying to capture everything that was going on in his mind. Slowly, sharp lines formed delicate sketches across the crisp white paper. It would be hours before Jared would stumble into the room he had woken up in and collapse onto the very comfortable bed.
*****
Part Two
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