Coming Home, Part 2

[timehasa_way]

Title: Coming Home
Fandom: RPS
Characters: Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki
Prompt: 022. Enemies
fanfic100 table: here
Word Count: 29,073
Rating: NC-17 to start, but mostly R.
Warnings: Violence, angst, character death, and the one hardcore smex scene that I just had to throw in at the beginning.
Summary: The best way for me to summarize this is to just say that it's a J2 version of All Dogs Go To Heaven, but with humans instead of dogs, gay sex, less singing, some cursing, and just a tad more violence, considering the movie is pretty damn dark for an animated kids' movie.
Disclaimer: This is a shameless ripoff of an animated kids' movie made in 1989 with a squeeing fangirl's perfect cast. In other words, I am a loser. :P
Author's Notes: This idea randomly came to me one night, so I took it and ran with it. It made me ridiculously happy, even though it's sad (like the movie), and this is the end result. I don't usually write AU's, or anything like this, but I had so much fun with this Jensen, it was ridiculous. As if I didn't love the man enough already.

Part 1

Jared had searched for Jensen all night, but the Mardi Gras crowd was too thick. He kept calling Jensen’s name, praying he’d get a response, but he didn’t. He’d only spotted Jensen when it was once again too late, watch around his neck, Kane and Steve tossing him into the back of a car, blindfolded. He didn’t have time to call out, to get Jensen’s attention, even though that wouldn’t have done him any good. He ran when the car pulled away, frantically chasing after it. He ran until his legs felt like rubber, his stomach lurched, and his chest burned. He ran until he was almost to the pier, just rounding the corner of an old abandoned building.

“‘Maybe it’s time we got back to the basics of love…’”

He could hear Jensen singing, but the sound was still too far away, only carrying over to him on the wind. And yet, when he rounded the corner, he saw it happen. He could just make out the figures on the pier, Jensen’s singing, flailing form at the end of it and Kane and Steve revving up the car’s engine.

“JENSEN!” he screamed, but wasn’t heard, the car’s wheels tearing over the boards of the old pier loud enough for him to hear where he was standing, frozen in shock.

Jensen’s voice was suddenly silenced, jovial singing cut off abruptly as the car slammed into his body and rocketed off the pier. Jared watched, unable to do anything else as Jensen and the car fell lifelessly into the water, the dark night too quiet after the violent splash. He stood, mouth hanging open, not yet comprehending what he’d just witnessed. And then there was sound again. It was laughter. Kane was laughing, Steve eventually joining in. They were celebrating. They were celebrating, and Jensen was dead.

Jensen was dead. Jared immediately felt tears spring to his eyes, unable to swallow or breathe around the lump in his throat. He found himself choking on nothing but oxygen, and he dropped to his knees on the cold concrete, hugging his body, nails digging into his arms. A single sob burst from his chest, shaking his entire body, and he started trembling uncontrollably, falling back against the crumbling brick of the building beside him. He’d just gotten Jensen back, only to have him taken away again. And there was no fixing it this time, no busting him out, and no foolproof plan. Jensen was gone forever. He sobbed violently again, cheeks wet with tears, and then froze.

He could hear Kane and Steve more clearly now. They were leaving the pier, and it sounded like they were heading right for him. He tried to quiet himself, but it was too hard, and his chest hurt with the effort. Seconds passed, and Jared knew that if they found him, they’d kill him. They’d only merely tolerated him when Jensen was around, and once they realized he’d seen what they’d done, they’d tear him apart. And while a large part of him didn’t think life was worth living without Jensen anyway, his flight response still kicked in. Suddenly, he was up and running again, some part of him working on autopilot. He ran for his own life this time, running back to his old, rundown garage, which was the only place he could truly call home now.

****

Jensen didn’t know what was happening, suddenly finding himself flying through a dark tunnel with a strange blue light at the end. He was disoriented and confused, the switch from singing blindfolded to this more than he could handle at so quick a pace. When he landed, he expected to land with a thud, a crash. But even with the speed that he’d been traveling, he landed so softly, feeling as though he were lying on a cloud.

“Welcome to the Hall of Judgment.”

“Judgment?!” Jensen jerked in surprise at the sudden sound of the deep voice, and he jolted upright, finding himself staring into calming blue eyes. Those eyes weren’t something he associated with the word “judgment.” He’d heard that word all too often in his life.

“Relax.” The man chuckled, stepping aside and gesturing to their surroundings, which Jensen hadn’t even taken in yet. He saw golden gates and…clouds? “You’ll get into Heaven.”

“Yeah? Great.” Jensen smirked. Wherever Kane had taken him, they really took their job seriously. He had to admit, this place had class. He could take a few pointers from here for when he started up his own business.

“My name’s Misha,” the man said, smiling. “And you are Jensen Ackles.”

“Guilty,” Jensen responded, flashing a grin at Misha, who eyed him curiously.

“You’re not guilty here.” Jensen shrugged and followed Misha to a podium set amongst the clouds, where Misha pulled a large book out of nowhere. Misha carefully scanned the pages, frowning for only a split second before smiling up at Jensen again. “Well, I see you haven’t led a very pure life, but that doesn’t matter anymore. After all, nothing is black and white. We always take our souls’ circumstances into account when reviewing their actions. You were homeless; an orphan and a victim, growing up in a way that no child should have to. You also managed to take someone else under your wing. You are welcome here.”

“Okay…” Jensen said slowly, beginning to feel as though something was off, here. “I’m not sure I’m following you.”

“You’ll get used to it here,” Misha said, taking the book and turning away, beckoning Jensen to follow him. “You can do whatever you wish in this place; eat whatever you please.” Jensen followed Misha dumbly, unsure of what to say, and Misha smiled back at him as they walked. “We keep the temperature at seventy-three degrees. You’ll have no more worries and no reason to fight. There is just order and calm here.” Misha turned around to face him again, holding the opened book up for Jensen to see. “This is what your afterlife will be, now that you’re dead.”

“What?!” Jensen stared at Misha, all calm smiles, then looked at the book, looked around. He opened his mouth again, poised to tell this Misha guy that he was insane, that none of this was real. But the book had information, pictures, and it was his life. He stood, shaking his head silently, his mind racing to figure out what was really going on here. That was when he realized that he couldn’t feel his heart beating rapidly in his chest. He was panicked, but not breathing heavily, because there was no breath to breathe. “I don’t wanna die,” he said weakly.

“It’s alright,” Misha soothed. “You are safe here…forever.”

“You got the wrong guy,” Jensen said, his eyes focusing on the book in front of him. His death was there, in fine detail, and he was surprised that he could still feel rage in a place like this; in Heaven. “I was double-crossed,” he fumed. “I was betrayed. I just got out of jail, I just got back. I’m not supposed to be here. My time’s not up yet.”

“Oh, but it is,” Misha insisted, pulling a gold watch out of thin air, this one with a blue ribbon attached to it. He opened that up as well, holding it up. “You see, this watch is your life. And it’s stopped.”

“Well…can’t you just…wind it back up again?” Jensen asked, fingering the watch already around his neck with one hand and reaching for the one Misha held with the other. Misha pulled it out of his reach, shaking his head rapidly.

“Oh, no, no!” he exclaimed, blue eyes wide. “No one’s ever allowed to go back!” Jensen eyed the watch that Misha left floating in the air, flinching in surprise when Misha grabbed his wrist and pressed his palm to the opened page of the book. “Place your hand right here. We’ll need this for our records.” Jensen pulled his hand away when a blue imprint showed up on the page.

“So…” he started, eyes still focused on the watch floating in the air beside him. “Everything stays the same here, huh?”

“Mmhmm.” Misha nodded and closed the book, somehow making it vanish into nothingness. He grabbed the watch and once again started walking, and Jensen followed behind him. “We know everything that’s going to happen here.”

“Does that mean no surprises?” Jensen asked conversationally, catching up with Misha, his fingers itching to reach for the watch. Instead, he reached for the watch Kane had given him, pulling it off and tossing it away, not even looking to see where it went. “What fun is that?”

“There is peace here,” Misha explained. “This is where your soul can finally rest.” He let the watch float in the air again and motioned to the clouds.

Jensen pried his eyes away from the watch and followed Misha’s gaze. He had to admit, this place was beautiful. The sky was a soft blue, the clouds reflecting hues of every color imaginable. There were other souls on those clouds, and their happiness was evident in every move they made. But, though they looked young, most of them were old, at peace and reunited with loved ones after living out very full lives. Jensen didn’t belong there. He was young, in his prime. Sure, Heaven might be…well, Heaven, for those who’d lived well into their eighties. But he wasn’t ready for this. Besides, Kane was still alive and well, and just the thought of that had Jensen seeing red. Kane was still alive, getting away with murder. Where was the justice in that?

“Tell me,” Jensen said, stepping between Misha and the watch, assuming a relaxed position with his hands held behind his back, “How long have you been here?” He smiled, turning on the charm, not surprised when Misha responded to it, smiling shyly and ducking his head.

“Oh, I’ve been here for a very long time. Much longer than you have. But I was alive once.”

“Oh?” Jensen feigned interest, blatantly flirting while subtly grabbing for the watch behind him. He cheered silently when he felt the cool metal in his grasp. This Misha guy may have known everything that was going to happen, but that didn’t mean it was any harder to distract him from that fact. “So don’t you miss it? Don’t you miss the unexpected things in life? I’m sure a guy like you did some pretty interesting things in his time, right?”

“Oh…well…” Misha caught his bottom lip between his teeth, and Jensen swore he saw the man blush. It wasn’t until Jensen’s fingers were already winding the watch back up behind his back that he saw realization begin to dawn in Misha’s eyes. “What are you doing?” Jensen just smiled and stepped back, and Misha stared at him in horror. “Jensen, don’t wind that watch!”

“Surprise,” Jensen said, stepping back further when Misha lunged for him. He felt the watch begin to shake in his hands and was suddenly flung backwards into a tunnel just like the one he’d been in before, this time traveling away from the blue light, Misha screaming his name as he hurtled back to Earth.

He was thrown back deep beneath the surface of the water by the pier, the car sinking down further beside him. The watch was still in his hand, and he swam frantically to the surface, his lungs burning as the watch became saturated with water. He broke the surface near land, gasping for air, just barely pulling himself out of the water and onto dirt and grass, lifting the watch out with him. He tried to breathe but couldn’t, and he couldn’t hear the ticking of the watch, afraid now that he’d wasted his second chance at life, and that the watch was ruined. He still felt like he was drowning, darkness claiming him as his eyes fell closed.

Seconds later, he sprang to life again, eyes opening wide as he took in his first real breaths of fresh air, filling his lungs with oxygen. He looked over at the watch in his hand, struggling to open it up, and he saw the hands moving, heard the sound of it ticking away. He flopped back on the shore in relief, waiting for his heart to stop trying to pound its way out of his chest.

“Jensen…” Jensen jolted and stared at the watch, sure that the voice had come from there. The watch glowed with a pulsating light with each word that Misha spoke through it. “You can never come back. You can never come back. You can…”

Jensen snapped the watch closed, silencing the voice inside of it, and glared up at the sky. He felt a deep pang of regret in his chest, and tried his best to ignore it, wiping angrily at the tears that suddenly coursed down his face. He’d given up Heaven. When he finally did live out his full life, he’d never have the peace that all those old souls had had up on those soft clouds. He got to his feet, slipping the watch around his neck. He couldn’t think about what he’d lost now. He had to focus on his revenge. Kane was still out there, and Jensen was going to kill him.

****

Jared had collapsed on his mattress as soon as he got back to the garage. The place had been abandoned long ago, and he’d somehow managed to make it his own, though he was sure his connection to Jensen had had something to do with that. It was a bit of a mess, but then he’d never been much of an organized kind of guy. His collection of tools was strewn all about the place, the only spaces they didn’t cover taken up by old lamps and a bed. He buried his face in his pillow, still breathless, and cried himself to sleep. When he slept, he dreamed of unpleasant things. He dreamed that Jensen was dead, and that Kane was coming to kill him.

****

Jensen quietly let himself into Jared’s garage. It was the only place he could think of going at the moment, and he had to make sure Jared was okay. If Kane had done anything to Jared while he was gone, Jensen would somehow find a way to make him suffer two deaths. He could hear soft whimpers and cries as he entered the dimly lit room and rushed towards the noise, fearing the worst. Jared was asleep on the bed, having one hell of a nightmare. He was twitching and jerking, sniffling and crying, even as he slept, repeating Jensen’s name over and over again.

“Aw, Jared,” Jensen whispered, hating to see him in so much pain. He reached for Jared, gently grabbing him by the shoulders and shaking. “Hey, wake up.” Jared flinched and whimpered, a barely audible “no” falling from lips. “Jared, come on, wake up.” He shook a little harder, thrown off when Jared’s “no” became more of a tortured scream. “JARED!” Jared jolted awake, fear in his eyes, until he saw Jensen.

“Oh, thank God,” Jared sighed, starting up a harried ramble, “I was having this nightmare, and I dreamt that Kane was here, and he was choking me, and he was scraping my neck, and I thought I was gonna die, and…” He paused for a second, really focusing this time, and his cheeks flushed a little in embarrassment. “Oh…hi, Jensen.”

“Hi,” Jensen replied, smiling down at him. He didn’t notice the realization dawn in Jared’s eyes until it was too late, and he was suddenly flung backwards, Jared screaming at the top of his lungs. He shook himself off and looked up just in time to dodge the tools that Jared began throwing in his direction.

“Don’t hurt me!” Jared shouted, tossing a wrench at Jensen and frantically grabbing for other tools when Jensen dodged it. “Get the hell away from me! You’re a ghost!”

“JARED!” Jensen shouted, lunging for him between bouts of Jared trying to kill him. “Jared…” Jensen grabbed him, dragging him down to the floor and pinning him there. “Dammit, Jared! I’m not a ghost!” Jared squirmed in his grasp, shouting for help. “Son of a bitch…” Jensen looked around, reaching for the bit of scrap metal that lay nearby and grunting in pain as he dragged the jagged edge across the skin of his arm, making a shallow cut there. “Look…Jared, look! Do ghosts bleed?”

“No,” Jared said, flinching away. “Ghosts don’t bleed.” Jared’s breath slowly stopped hitching, his body stilling under Jensen’s. He looked up at Jensen, eyes wide, tears already beginning to fill them. “Jensen?”

“Yeah,” Jensen soothed, moving off of Jared’s body and gently brushing the hair out of his eyes. “Yeah, it’s me.”

“But,” Jared swallowed roughly, “I saw Kane and Steve, and I saw the car, and…and your body just…flying through the air…”

“Hey, hey…” Jensen lifted Jared up off the floor as he started crying and held him close, Jared’s arms wrapping tightly around him. He hadn’t known that Jared had been there to witness his death, and wished that he could erase those terrible memories for him. “It’s alright. It’s alright now. I’m okay.” He kissed the top of Jared’s head, Jared burying his face in Jensen’s chest. “I’m sorry you had to see that.”

“How?” Jared asked quietly, sniffling against the material of Jensen’s shirt, and Jensen knew what he was asking.

“I don’t know what to tell you,” Jensen said lightly, shrugging. “It just wasn’t my time.” He smiled, pulling back and lifting Jared’s head up to look at him, wiping his tears away. “Come on. You know you can’t get rid of me that easily.”

Jared leaned forward, pressing his lips to Jensen’s, and Jensen opened up, licking at Jared’s lips, pulling Jared’s tongue into his mouth and sucking lightly, gently cradling the back of his head. He could taste the salt of Jared’s tears, and with it, everything he was hiding; everything he could never tell him, and everything he’d given up. He pulled away, resting his forehead against Jared’s and collecting himself. He felt the weight of the watch around his neck, and immediately thought of Kane and his revenge.

“I know what I have to do now,” he said, standing up and turning away, staring out the windows and searching the shadows for any signs of danger. He heard Jared get to his feet behind him and continued speaking, thinking out loud. “If you thought I was dead, so will Kane. I can get him back for this.”

“Get him back?” Jared asked, stepping towards him. “Jensen…no.”

“I was always the brains of the outfit, wasn’t I?” Jensen asked, turning back around and continuing on without hearing Jared’s words. “I was the one with the ideas. I got us up and running. Hell, the business should’ve gone under while I was in prison.” He started pacing the room, brow furrowed in concentration, slowly realizing what had happened with his former partner. “But it didn’t. It grew. It grew, and now Kane doesn’t wanna share.”

“We can share,” Jared said, finally catching Jensen’s attention and staring at him with pleading eyes. “We can get outta here and leave all of this behind. We can do exactly what Kane suggested in the first place and go somewhere where they don’t know us. It’ll be perfect! We’ll go somewhere nice and warm and temperate, where we can just relax and have our own place and just not have to worry about it anymore.”

“No,” Jensen said, nostrils flaring. He felt a sudden spike of anger and fought to quench it as quickly as possible. Jared’s words had sounded entirely too much like Misha’s. “No, I’m gonna stay here, and I’m gonna finish this. Maybe I’ll start with the business. I’ll make him suffer. I’ll ruin him.”

“No.” Jared shook his head frantically, actually holding his hands up in a pleading gesture that looked too much like prayer to Jensen, and Jensen felt the anger surge inside of him again. “No, Jensen, please. Please, I’m begging you, let’s just leave. We can leave the goddamn country if we want to. We just have to get the hell outta here. I mean, you want revenge on Kane?” he asked, looking at Jensen like he was nuts. “Kane has thugs. He has thugs with muscles, and knives, and he’s got a fucking monster in the basement!”

****

In hindsight, mentioning the whole “monster” thing was a bad idea. Jared wished he’d never opened his mouth. Jensen was looking for an in, a way to screw Kane over, and the idea of Kane hiding something in his basement was too much for Jensen to pass up. Jared begged him to leave it alone, but there was no stopping him. And while Jared was scared beyond belief by the idea of sneaking into Kane’s place, he couldn’t let Jensen do it alone; not after coming so close to losing him. If Jensen was going to get himself killed, then Jared was going down with him. But that didn’t keep him from complaining about it.

“I just know we’re both gonna die,” he said, voice trembling, as Jensen led him through the ducts of Kane’s.

“Quiet,” Jensen replied dismissively, crawling on ahead. Jared followed behind as best he could, pausing every so often to scratch at his skin. He followed Jensen to the vent that led into Kane’s basement, peering through the slats with him. The place looked deserted and dirty, clothes and blankets haphazardly thrown about the cold, concrete room. Jared gasped when a large bundle of blankets started moving and scratched furiously at his chest, breathing heavily and turning away, back where they came from.

“Okay, now let’s go,” he whispered, feeling a bit shaky. “Who knows what it eats?” He started crawling away, only to feel something clamp down on his leg, holding him place, and he cried out, flailing around in the duct. “JENSEN, SOMEONE’S GOT ME BY THE…”

“I got you by the leg!” Jensen hissed, turning Jared around in the cramped space and cupping his face. He shook his head and smiled slightly. “It’s not worth it being with you. It’s not.” He let Jared go, and Jared slumped against the side of the duct, reaching up to his cheek and rubbing some warmth into it, frowning at Jensen.

“Your hands are cold, too!” he shot back, painfully aware of how weak a comeback it was.

“Jared,” Jensen spoke quickly, motioning to Jared as he stared out of the vent, and Jared moved to his side, staring out of the slats again. “Look.” The lump of blankets inside the room moved again, and this time a little girl pushed them back, her head peeking out of them, blonde hair falling past her shoulders.

“I’ll be damned,” Jared breathed, shutting up quickly at the sound of a door being opened, Kane and Steve venturing down the stairs into the basement, leading a skinny greyhound into the room with them on a leash.

“That’s one of our racing dogs,” Jensen whispered, barely audible. Jared frowned when he noticed the dog had a limp.

“Mister Kane!” The little girl spoke up, voice soft and innocent, eyes shining with hope. “Can I go outside today?”

“Sure you can, little girl,” Kane promised without much enthusiasm, leading the dog over to her, Steve standing just behind him. “I just need you to talk to the dog for me.”

“Okay,” the girl said quietly, obviously intimidated. She leaned towards the dog, a sweet smile lighting up her face. “Hi, Harley! How are you today?” There was a bit of silence before she spoke again, and the dog sat down in front of her, lifting its paw into her lap. “Oh no! A sore paw? That’s awful! And Sadie has the flu? Well, I’m sure you’ll both get better soon…”

“Hurry it up,” Kane rasped, gritting his teeth and going tense, repeating his order, “Hurry it up.” The girl shrunk back into the blankets a bit, fearful eyes on Kane and Steve, and then turned back to Harley.

“So, who do you think will win the race?” she asked the dog, the expected bit of silence following her question. “Icarus?”

“There you go,” Kane said, immediately turning to Steve. “Set the odds against Icarus. Let’s go.” He moved without another word, leading Steve and the dog back up the stairs.

“But, Mister Kane!” the girl called after him, quickly shucking her blankets and running towards the stairs in her dirty and torn clothing, grasping the railing. “You said I could go outside today!” The door at the top of the stairs slammed before she’d even finished her sentence, and she lowered her head, looking lost and dejected.

“A little girl who talks to animals,” Jensen muttered to himself, eyes still fixed on her, and Jared turned to look at him, swearing he could see the dollar signs flashing in his eyes.

“Jensen,” Jared whispered, tugging at Jensen’s sleeve, his fear ratcheting up a notch when Jensen started fiddling with the latch on the vent, beginning to open it up. “What are we doing here?”

“We’re gonna kidnap…ah,” Jensen chuckled, glancing back at Jared for a moment before swinging the vent open, “Rescue her.” Before Jared could stop him, Jensen was already wriggling through the opened vent, catching the girl’s attention. “Little girl?” The girl turned and looked up at him in shock, gasping and recoiling in fear, returning to her pile of blankets. “Hi!” Jensen said, charming her with his bright smile. Jared reluctantly followed him into the room, fighting the urge to start scratching over his entire body. “My name is Jensen,” Jensen continued, turning to gesture to Jared, “And this is Jared.” Jared grunted his hello, not particularly happy to be there. “What’s your name?”

“Mackenzie.” The girl warmed up to Jensen quick, already standing again, far from the comfort of her blankets and offering him a smile. Jensen had always had a talent for putting others at ease.

“Mackenzie?” Jensen asked, confirming. The girl nodded, and Jensen flashed a quick grin back at Jared. “Such a pretty name!” The grin faded, and Jensen put his sympathetic face on. “Jared and I couldn’t help but overhear the way Mister Kane was treating you. I’m guessing you don’t really want to be here. Am I right?”

“Well…” Mackenzie hesitated, her eyes betraying the fact that even now, alone with them in the room, she was too afraid of Kane to admit the truth.

“We can help you,” Jensen said, the words rushing out of his mouth. “We can get you out of here and take you away from all this. Where are your parents?” She shook her head sadly.

“I don’t have any parents. I’m an orphan.”

“She’s an orphan.” Jensen turned to Jared, saying it as if it was the worst thing in the world. But Jared knew that Jensen was just making sure that they’d have complete control over the situation. The girl was now a veritable goldmine. “That settles it, then,” Jensen said, holding a hand out to the girl. “You’ll come live with me.”

“Jensen, where…” Jared started, but Jensen cut him off, still speaking to Mackenzie.

“We’ll probably have to sleep out in a car,” Jensen admitted, and Jared realized that Jensen was going to take her to the local junkyard, away from any buildings where they might be caught. “But you’ll get some fresh air. You’ll get to see the stars. What do you say?” The girl’s eyes shone with gratitude, and she grabbed a small stuffed animal bunny out from under her blankets before practically leaping into Jensen’s arms. “You should come with us,” Jensen said, eyeing Jared as he helped Mackenzie up through the vent and into the duct. “You’ll be safer away from the garage.”

Jared nodded. He knew that Jensen was right. But he also knew that harboring this Mackenzie girl was like holding a ticking time bomb. He twitched, feeling another itch coming on, and followed Mackenzie and Jensen out of the basement and into the air duct, closing the vent back up.

****

Jensen led Mackenzie and Jared to the junkyard, careful to take the alleys and back roads. He couldn’t afford to be seen alive, and none of them could afford to be caught. He didn’t miss Jared’s scratching, heavy breathing, and aggravated body language. Part of him felt bad for dragging Jared through this. He couldn’t blame the man for having reservations about this plan. But this would work. They would all be fine, and when all was said and done, they’d bury Kane so far under and make such a name for themselves that even Jared would look back at this and laugh. Jensen was sure of that. He was too smooth to be caught. Sure, Kane had gotten the jump on him once. That fact scared Jensen more than he cared to admit. But he’d always been one to learn from his mistakes. He knew now that he couldn’t trust anyone but Jared. Looking back, he realized he should’ve figured that out a long time ago.

“Are we there yet?” Mackenzie asked for what seemed to be the millionth time, and Jensen tensed at the same exact time that Jared rolled his eyes and grumbled under his breath.

“Not yet,” Jensen said, through gritted teeth. “But almost, okay?”

“My feet hurt.”

“It’s just a little further,” Jared spat, glaring at Jensen. Jensen sighed, rubbing a hand over his face and slowing to a standstill. Maybe having a kid around wasn’t going to be so easy. He looked down at the little girl, taking in her drooping form and wide, sad eyes.

“Okay,” Jensen said, taking a deep breath and crouching down, offering her a smile. “You wanna piggyback?” She brightened immediately, damn near vibrating with happiness.

“Can I?” she asked hopefully, bouncing slightly on the balls of her feet. Jensen laughed a little in spite of himself, and nodded, motioning for her to climb up onto his back.

“Sure you can, kid.” He waited patiently for her to climb on, small arms and legs wrapping loosely around him and holding on, her bunny resting against his chest, just over his watch. He stood up, ignoring Jared’s questioning gaze. “Come on. Let’s get you somewhere where you can get some rest.”

They didn’t have to travel much longer to get to their destination, but Jensen hadn’t realized just how much of a toll carrying a kid on his back for even that long would take on him. He crouched down when they got to the middle of the junkyard, nearly falling all the way down to the ground when Mackenzie finally jumped off. He wiped his brow, all too aware of the ache in his shoulders, panting heavily. The cars there were old and beaten, but some were still in good enough condition to crash in. They would be safe enough and deal with all their aches and pains in the morning. It wasn’t perfect, but their lives never had been.

“Alright, kid,” Jensen said, straightening up again with some effort and opening the passenger side door of a nearby cab. “Hop in. We gotta get some rest and get an early start tomorrow.”

“For what?” Mackenzie asked, already yawning and climbing up into the cab.

“Well,” he started, looking to Jared for a reaction, “Jared and I might take you to see some horsies tomorrow.” Jared raised an eyebrow but nodded, and Jensen smirked.

“Horsies?!” Mackenzie exclaimed excitedly, looking up at Jensen through the slightly opened window of the cab after he closed the door behind her.

“Yeah,” he said, smiling back at her. “So you better get some sleep, okay?” She laid down across the seats, and Jensen stepped away, beckoning Jared over. “Look, I know this isn’t the best situation…”

“Yeah, understatement,” Jared scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest. “Shit, Jensen, do you know how much trouble we’re in right now?”

“Relax,” Jensen replied, wrapping his arms around Jared and pressing a quick kiss to his lips. “We’re not in trouble. Kane thinks I’m dead, remember? He sure as hell isn’t looking for me, he’s got no reason to suspect you, and she’s small enough to hide between the two of us. Besides, she’s a fucking golden ticket! This’ll work out. You’ll see.”

“Maybe,” Jared agreed reluctantly, resting his forehead against Jensen’s.

“There’s no ‘maybe’ about it,” Jensen said, reassuring him. “We’ll be fine. Although it does kinda suck that we both can’t fit so well in the backseat.” He frowned over at the cab, and Jared kissed his cheek and pulled away.

“It’s okay. I’ll just grab the car in front of you guys.” He managed a smile, though Jensen could see it was difficult for him. “Goodnight.”

“Night.” Jensen walked back over to the cab, opening the back door and climbing in, pushing debris off the seat, closing the door, and lying down on his back, closing his eyes.

“Jensen?” The tiny voice drifted back to him from the front seat of the car, and he opened his eyes to see Mackenzie peering over the seat at him. She held the end of an old, ratty blanket in her hand, and Jensen knew it had probably been left behind by some other poor wanderer. “Would you please tuck me in?”

“Uh…” Jensen stared dumbly at her for a moment. He hadn’t been around kids too much, and hadn’t really had parents of his own. He wasn’t sure if this was something that parents usually did, but assumed it to be true, hauling himself up and leaning over the seat. “Sure, kid.” He grabbed the blanket, draping it over her body after she curled up in the front of the cab, tucking it up under her chin. She kept her arms out over the blanket, the bunny she’d brought with her held right over her heart. Jensen couldn’t help but think that this sweet little kid was exactly the polar opposite of himself.

“Thank you,” she said quietly, staring up at him.

“Yeah,” he said awkwardly, flopping back into his own seat. “Yeah, don’t mention it.”

“…Jensen?” Jensen tensed a bit, the hesitant voice coming only seconds later. He took a deep breath and once again leaned over the seat in front of him.

“Yeah, kid?”

“Could you…kiss me goodnight?” she asked, eyes wide in the dim moonlight. He stared at her for a moment, incredulous, and then collected himself, quickly leaning down and kissing her forehead.

“Goodnight, Mackenzie,” he said in a rush, lying back down in his seat.

“Thank you for rescuing me,” she called after him.

“Yeah, no problem,” Jensen said. “Now get some sleep.” He closed his eyes, just beginning to drift off when he heard Mackenzie moving around in the front of the cab, the rusted metal making high-pitched noises. He groaned inwardly, and lifted his head slightly, squinting in the dark. “Hey! Squeaker! Knock it off.”

“…Sorry.”

He laid his head back down after the apology, closing his eyes again. He breathed deeply, realizing that this would be the first real sleep he’d be getting after busting out of prison, and that he needed it badly. And yet, he couldn’t sleep. There was a nagging feeling in the back of his mind, and it made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. He was being watched. He could feel it. Someone had their eyes on him, and they were getting closer. He jolted, eyes shooting open, and looked up to see Mackenzie leaning over the back of her seat, staring down at him.

“Oh, what the hell,” Jensen grumbled, running a hand over his face.

“Jensen, the front seat hurts me,” Mackenzie explained, giving him a pleading look.

“Oh, yeah?” Jensen asked, contemplating telling her to suck it up. “Alright,” he said, pushing up off the seat instead. “Alright, come on.” He switched places with her, awkwardly maneuvering himself over the seat and into the front of the cab, groaning at just how uncomfortable it really was up there. He felt overly relieved when she didn’t ask him to repeat the process of tucking her in and kissing her goodnight, only to grit his teeth in frustration when she started speaking again.

“Dear God…” Jensen rolled his eyes, holding his head in his hands. He couldn’t help but wonder where the hell this kid had come from. As if his situation wasn’t bad enough, now she was praying. He had no idea where she would have even learned that on these streets, but he knew that it sparked an anger deep within him now, for reasons he didn’t even want to think about. “Thank you for sending someone to rescue me. Please help me find a mommy and daddy.” He hoped that that would be the end of her prayer, but of course he wasn’t that lucky. “And God bless Jensen, and God bless Jared. Amen.” He swallowed roughly, fighting the pain that he suddenly felt in his chest. She was praying for him, asking God to bless him when he was anything but blessed. Heaven was no longer an option for him, which was why his revenge on Kane was his top priority now, over everything. “Jensen?” she asked, yawning.

“What?” he replied, voice thicker than he’d expected it to be.

“Do you think you can help me find a mommy and daddy?”

“Oh, kid.” He laughed without humor, rolling his eyes. “I’ll help you find the lost city of Atlantis! Now, please, please, go to sleep!”

“…Jensen?” Mackenzie asked again, after a few moments of silence. He thunked his head back against the seat.

“WHAT?!”

“…I have to go to the bathroom.”

****

Steve once again stood in the doorway to Kane’s room, bearing the brunt of Kane’s wrath. He’d gone down to the basement just minutes earlier to find the girl gone, and cursed his luck. He’d looked around the nearly empty room in vain, searching for clues, but nothing helped to point him in the direction of where she could’ve gone. She’d just…disappeared.

“What do you mean she’s GONE?!” Kane shouted, grabbing Steve and hauling him into the room, pinning him up against the wall by his shirt collar.

“That’s just it,” Steve said, fighting to keep calm. “She’s just gone. I don’t know. I don’t know what happened, or how she could’ve gotten out.” Kane let him go, angrily pacing the room.

“Were you on duty?”

“No.”

“Son of a bitch.” Kane grabbed a cigar and lit it, finally ceasing his erratic pacing and leaning back against a windowsill. He glared at Steve. “I want her back. You do everything you can to get that girl back, you hear me?”

“Yeah,” Steve said, nodding. “Yeah, I hear you. Don’t worry. We’ll get her back.”

“Good.” Kane pushed off the windowsill and made his way over to Steve. Steve backed away. “Because if you don’t? Heads will roll. You might be my second in command, but don’t think you’re not included.”

“Understood,” Steve said shakily, backing out of the room completely and heading back downstairs. He needed to find this girl, and it had to be fast.

****

Jared sighed, arms crossed over his chest, fingernails scratching lightly. They’d snuck into the stables easily enough, but they’d be just as easily caught if Mackenzie wouldn’t just hurry up and do as Jensen asked. But the girl was indignant, giving Jensen the silent treatment. If they hadn’t kidnapped her and stuffed her in a car the night before, Jared would call her ungrateful.

“Come on, kid,” Jensen pleaded for the sixth time, trying to catch the girl’s eyes and smiling. “Just talk to the horsies, okay?” The girl turned away, remaining silent, and Jared huffed.

“Maybe she only talks to dogs,” he joked dryly, and Jensen straightened up and glared at him.

“She talks to me, doesn’t she?”

“Yeah,” Jared said, smiling slowly. “Maybe that means you’re a dog.” He laughed at his own joke, even as Jensen rolled his eyes and turned his attention back to the girl.

“Come on, Squeaker,” Jensen tried, and Jared wondered when the hell he’d given her a nickname. “Just talk to the horsies for me.” She finally looked Jensen in the eye and opened her mouth to speak, but it wasn’t the response either of them wanted to hear.

“You sound just like Mister Kane,” Mackenzie spat, hugging her bunny doll to her chest.

“What?” Jensen asked, taken aback. He recovered quickly, playing up his innocence and looking as appalled as he possibly could. “He’s a criminal! He kept you locked up in a cold basement! Did he take you outside?” Jared could see the girl already softening up as Jensen continued his tirade. “Did he let you ride piggyback? Did he tuck you in and kiss you goodnight? I mean, I…” Jensen paused and stepped closer to Jared, slinging an arm around his shoulders and gesturing to the two of them, “We rescued you!” Mackenzie was almost there, just about to break, but not quite, and Jensen sighed, returning to her side and crouching down next to her, catching her eye. “Look, if you do this…you’ll be helping people. That’s what we’re gonna use the money for.”

“Jensen,” Jared hissed, glaring at him from where he stood. He scratched his skin harder, knowing there would be red marks there later. Jensen was getting them so tangled up in this, Jared couldn’t even see straight, and lying to the kid was going to come back to bite them in the ass. Jared was sure of it. But Jensen ignored him and just plugged right along.

“We’re gonna help people,” Jensen insisted. “Little girls and boys just like you.”

“Really?” Mackenzie asked, hopeful eyes shining up at him.

“Yeah.” Jensen smiled and then leaned forward, sweetening the pot. “We’ll even use some of it to get you some new clothes and help you find a mommy and daddy.” He reached out tugged at her torn shirt sleeve. “Nobody wants a scrawny little doll in rags!”

“Oh, Jensen!” Mackenzie bounced and giggled, wrapping her arms around Jensen’s neck and holding on tight. “You promise?”

“Yeah!” Jensen said, pulling away. “Yeah, I promise.”

With that, Jared started breathing heavier, frantically scratching up and down his arms. Jensen gave him a look, but Jared couldn’t help it. He couldn’t calm down, not now. This was so much more than he’d bargained for, and Jensen was just digging the hole deeper and deeper. Beyond that, he’d never seen Jensen like this. Not that Jensen was squeaky clean. Nobody that he knew was. But Jensen, though dealing in some criminal activities, was never this devious. He’d never used a kid before, and especially not like this. Something was wrong, and Jared couldn’t figure out what it was. Something had to have happened to make Jensen act this way. He supposed that your partner and friend attempting to kill you could make you turn a bit to the dark side. But he couldn’t help the feeling that there was something more to this situation, and it scared him more than anything ever had.

“Hello!” Jared turned his attention back to the girl, who was now talking to one of the horses, the animal’s head hanging over the side of its stall. “How are you today?” The horse snorted, and the girl giggled. “I’m fine, thank you. Do you know who’s going to win the race today? We’re going to use the money to help the poor and find me parents!” The horse whinnied, and Mackenzie’s eyes widened in excitement. “Oh! It’s The Great Kripke’s birthday?”

“Squeaker?” Jensen asked, butting in. “Any chance you know who’s gonna win?”

“He is!” Mackenzie exclaimed, turning and pointing to a stall that read “The Great Kripke.” Jensen shared a doubtful look with Jared. The horse didn’t look as well kept as the others, lazily munching on some oats. “It’s his birthday! Everyone always wins on their birthday!”

“Okay,” Jensen laughed, picking Mackenzie up and patting the horse she’d been talking to on the nose. “I guess we’re betting on him, then.”

“Yeah, with what?” Jared asked, and Jensen shushed him, giving him a look that Jared knew all too well.

“We’ll find something. Come on, kid.” He adjusted Mackenzie on his hip, carrying her outside and then letting her down, Jared following. “Let’s check out the crowd.”

Jared eyed the crowd outside the track just as Jensen did. They were good at this, old pros at picking the perfect people to steal from. They could tell who had the fattest wallets and who wouldn’t carry cash. They could easily see who the frequent visitors were and who had just been brought here for a nice day out. It was a skill, a practice. Their only problem was that they stood out like sore thumbs. They were dirty and ragged, clothes old and torn, which was the exact opposite of the patrons here. Still, they’d learned that there were other ways to blend in, particularly if you simply acted as if you belonged there. If you did that, people seemed to just let you go, thinking you’d just had some sort of unfortunate accident on the way to the place. The truth was, no one really cared. Not when it came down to it. People were here to win, and win for themselves. They didn’t really care who sat around them or who else placed bets. Of course, this time, Jared realized, he and Jensen had another problem. They were saddled with a dirty and ragged kid. Jared gasped when she got caught up in the sights and sounds of the place and began to wander off, immediately moving to go after her, and was surprised when Jensen held him back.

“Let her go,” Jensen said, shaking his head and watching her. “This’ll be perfect. You’ll see.” Jared was about to question him when Mackenzie was suddenly stopped by a random couple making their way around the track; a young, perfectly cute, perfectly rich couple.


Part 3