Timestamp: Constituents #5
Um, I think I have a problem because I keep writing fucking Constituent Timestamps! Dammit!
This is one I've been thinking about writing for awhile and then liked the idea of writing from a different POV. This takes place during the 2nd half of the fic from Joanna's POV, about 1000 words long.
One day I'll be able to actually work on something else. I hope.
Joanna’s pretty sure she’s the expert on Jensen Ackles being a dick of epic proportions.
She knows that campaign schedules are hectic and crazy, always changing and never goes according to plan, but it’s just her fucking luck that Jared’s the one who shows up for the Governor’s endorsement and not Jensen.
Awesome. Fucking stellar.
She deserves a gold medal for getting through the last year and a half. She knew for a long time that there was something going on with Jensen long before he actually...Christ, before he came out to her. She’d been expecting a lot of things but not that. Not Jensen fooling around with the same guy he used to spend hours deciding how best to destroy the guy’s soul. She had to spend six more months in D.C. after Jensen left, seeing Jared in meetings and listening to Chris talk about what fucking bastards the pair of them were and it took getting out of the city to clear her head.
She grew up in Texas politics, knew the Ackles name almost from birth and it almost blew her mind when she ran into Jensen at college. They were best friends for years before they started dating and she had everything planned out. Jensen was going somewhere and he just threw it all away.
Joanna goes back to see him for a lot of reasons, but the biggest is because he’s Jensen. He’s wasting his life back in Dallas, punishing himself while Jared paraded around D.C. like he was the victim.
She could forgive Jensen. At least Jensen seemed to regret the whole thing; whether he regretted the cheating or Jared, she doesn’t know till later, but at least he knew he fucked up. Jared though, just walked around like he was the only one who got hurt.
It figures that Jared’s the one who shows up before the primary for the endorsement. It fucking figures. Jensen is gonna owe her big time if she gets through this day without hitting Jared. Jensen hadn’t asked her for it, but Joanna had been pushing for her boss to endorse Governor Chandler for ages. There’s no way a Democrat wins Texas but she knows numbers and the guy has a decent chance of polling within ten points, a miracle of epic proportions. The campaign practically trips over its own feet to get to Texas as soon as she tells Jensen they’ve got the endorsement. She was hoping Jensen would show up.
Instead she’s stuck with Jared.
He brings a small staff with him, since it’s such a day trip. She doesn’t really know Misha Collins at all. He didn’t work out of D.C. but Chicago and he’s one of those granola liberals, so she doesn’t really give him much thought. Sophia shows up too and Sophia’s the one person she hates more than Jared.
Joanna mostly stays out of the way. She sets up meetings through Misha, because he’s neutral territory even though he’s kind of weird. When the campaign rolls into town, just the three of them and the Governor, Joanna stays scarce. The last thing she wants is to be in the same room as Jared.
She has no fucking luck. She’s reading the last draft of her boss’s speech when there’s a knock on the door.
“It’s open,” she hollers and folds over the page she’s reading.
Jared steps into the room.
She swallows and looks back down at the papers in her hand. She twirls the pencil in her hand just to stop herself from jumping out of her chair and punching the fucker in the face.
“Um, I just...Jensen says hi, by the way.”
Jared sounds nervous and Joanna feels a little smug. Serves him right.
“I know, I just talked to him like an hour ago,” she says and turns another page.
It’s quiet for another minute before she can’t take it anymore. She glances up and Jared’s still standing by the door, looking a little embarrassed.
“What do you want?”
“I just, I wanted to say I’m sorry. For what happened.”
Joanna opens and closes her mouth a few times. “What?”
Jared runs a hand through his hair and smiles a little. “It was fucked up. I shouldn’t have, you know. I’m sorry. I knew you guys were together and I did it anyway. I’m sorry.”
It’s pretty much the last thing she expected to hear from Jared.
“Okay,” she says simply. “Was that it?”
Jared nods and steps backwards towards the door. “Yeah, I didn’t mean to bother you. Sorry.”
He’s almost out the door when Joanna sighs and calls out to him.
“Hey Jared?”
He pokes his head back into the room. “Yeah?”
“Tell Jensen. Tell him not to let the Governor go too far to the right.”
Jared looks surprised. He smiles softly. “You know that’s a losing battle with Jensen, right?”
Joanna laughs. “I’m pretty sure you’ll win that one.” She sobers. “Look, just let the Governor be himself. That’s why people like him. He’s got balls. Don’t let him get too soft.”
Jared nods and smiles at her. “Thanks Joanna. For all this,” he says, waving his hand over his head. “It means a lot to us.”
Joanna shrugs. “Just don’t fuck it up.”
Jared laughs again, leaning against the doorframe. “We’re tryin’.”
Joanna can hear someone calling for Jared down the hall. He smiles at her one last time and waves a little, before pulling the door closed behind him as he walks into the hallway.
Maybe she kind of sees what Jensen sees in him after that. Maybe she hates Jared a little less.
“I’m sorry, I couldn’t get out of Denver. It was supposed to be me,” Jensen says on the phone later that night. Or morning, cause it’s close to 2 A.M.
“It’s okay. I didn’t kick Sophia’s ass, so it worked out,” Joanna jokes.
Jensen laughs. He sounds tired. “That’s not what I meant.”
“It’s really okay.” Funny enough, it really is.
This is one I've been thinking about writing for awhile and then liked the idea of writing from a different POV. This takes place during the 2nd half of the fic from Joanna's POV, about 1000 words long.
One day I'll be able to actually work on something else. I hope.
Joanna’s pretty sure she’s the expert on Jensen Ackles being a dick of epic proportions.
She knows that campaign schedules are hectic and crazy, always changing and never goes according to plan, but it’s just her fucking luck that Jared’s the one who shows up for the Governor’s endorsement and not Jensen.
Awesome. Fucking stellar.
She deserves a gold medal for getting through the last year and a half. She knew for a long time that there was something going on with Jensen long before he actually...Christ, before he came out to her. She’d been expecting a lot of things but not that. Not Jensen fooling around with the same guy he used to spend hours deciding how best to destroy the guy’s soul. She had to spend six more months in D.C. after Jensen left, seeing Jared in meetings and listening to Chris talk about what fucking bastards the pair of them were and it took getting out of the city to clear her head.
She grew up in Texas politics, knew the Ackles name almost from birth and it almost blew her mind when she ran into Jensen at college. They were best friends for years before they started dating and she had everything planned out. Jensen was going somewhere and he just threw it all away.
Joanna goes back to see him for a lot of reasons, but the biggest is because he’s Jensen. He’s wasting his life back in Dallas, punishing himself while Jared paraded around D.C. like he was the victim.
She could forgive Jensen. At least Jensen seemed to regret the whole thing; whether he regretted the cheating or Jared, she doesn’t know till later, but at least he knew he fucked up. Jared though, just walked around like he was the only one who got hurt.
It figures that Jared’s the one who shows up before the primary for the endorsement. It fucking figures. Jensen is gonna owe her big time if she gets through this day without hitting Jared. Jensen hadn’t asked her for it, but Joanna had been pushing for her boss to endorse Governor Chandler for ages. There’s no way a Democrat wins Texas but she knows numbers and the guy has a decent chance of polling within ten points, a miracle of epic proportions. The campaign practically trips over its own feet to get to Texas as soon as she tells Jensen they’ve got the endorsement. She was hoping Jensen would show up.
Instead she’s stuck with Jared.
He brings a small staff with him, since it’s such a day trip. She doesn’t really know Misha Collins at all. He didn’t work out of D.C. but Chicago and he’s one of those granola liberals, so she doesn’t really give him much thought. Sophia shows up too and Sophia’s the one person she hates more than Jared.
Joanna mostly stays out of the way. She sets up meetings through Misha, because he’s neutral territory even though he’s kind of weird. When the campaign rolls into town, just the three of them and the Governor, Joanna stays scarce. The last thing she wants is to be in the same room as Jared.
She has no fucking luck. She’s reading the last draft of her boss’s speech when there’s a knock on the door.
“It’s open,” she hollers and folds over the page she’s reading.
Jared steps into the room.
She swallows and looks back down at the papers in her hand. She twirls the pencil in her hand just to stop herself from jumping out of her chair and punching the fucker in the face.
“Um, I just...Jensen says hi, by the way.”
Jared sounds nervous and Joanna feels a little smug. Serves him right.
“I know, I just talked to him like an hour ago,” she says and turns another page.
It’s quiet for another minute before she can’t take it anymore. She glances up and Jared’s still standing by the door, looking a little embarrassed.
“What do you want?”
“I just, I wanted to say I’m sorry. For what happened.”
Joanna opens and closes her mouth a few times. “What?”
Jared runs a hand through his hair and smiles a little. “It was fucked up. I shouldn’t have, you know. I’m sorry. I knew you guys were together and I did it anyway. I’m sorry.”
It’s pretty much the last thing she expected to hear from Jared.
“Okay,” she says simply. “Was that it?”
Jared nods and steps backwards towards the door. “Yeah, I didn’t mean to bother you. Sorry.”
He’s almost out the door when Joanna sighs and calls out to him.
“Hey Jared?”
He pokes his head back into the room. “Yeah?”
“Tell Jensen. Tell him not to let the Governor go too far to the right.”
Jared looks surprised. He smiles softly. “You know that’s a losing battle with Jensen, right?”
Joanna laughs. “I’m pretty sure you’ll win that one.” She sobers. “Look, just let the Governor be himself. That’s why people like him. He’s got balls. Don’t let him get too soft.”
Jared nods and smiles at her. “Thanks Joanna. For all this,” he says, waving his hand over his head. “It means a lot to us.”
Joanna shrugs. “Just don’t fuck it up.”
Jared laughs again, leaning against the doorframe. “We’re tryin’.”
Joanna can hear someone calling for Jared down the hall. He smiles at her one last time and waves a little, before pulling the door closed behind him as he walks into the hallway.
Maybe she kind of sees what Jensen sees in him after that. Maybe she hates Jared a little less.
“I’m sorry, I couldn’t get out of Denver. It was supposed to be me,” Jensen says on the phone later that night. Or morning, cause it’s close to 2 A.M.
“It’s okay. I didn’t kick Sophia’s ass, so it worked out,” Joanna jokes.
Jensen laughs. He sounds tired. “That’s not what I meant.”
“It’s really okay.” Funny enough, it really is.