Forever Mine Chapter 3.
Nov. 1st, 2010 01:10 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sasha_dragonTitle: Forever Mine.
Word Count: 7291
Rating: NC-17
Summary: Jared meets the man of his dreams while helping out his best friend Chad. Unfortunately for him, Jensen is being haunted by his past in more ways than one. Can Jared convince the spirit of Jensen’s not so dearly departed boyfriend to move on, or will make good on his promise to make Jensen his forever.
Pairing: Jared/Jensen, Jensen/OMC
Warnings: Mentions of domestic abuse, and non-con that happens off camera.
Jared was drinking a beer and enjoying a re-run of Smallville. Ok, so Tom Welling’s hot, sue him, when his door knocked. To be more precise it sounded like it was being kicked down. Jared stood up and ran down the stairs, “Alright, alright, I’m coming. Leave the damn door on its hinges.”
Without thinking, Jared flung the door open and felt his heart stutter. There stood Kane, Aldis and Misha. He considered slamming the door and hiding under the bed, but instead in a moment of insanity...
“Good evening, gentlemen. I hope you realize you’re too late for Trick or Treat and I can’t imagine you three singing carols.” Kane shot him a look to freeze the blood but Jared just smiled sweetly, while considering how fast he could reach his fire escape.
“Listen, we just want to talk to you, Jared. Can we come in?” Kane seemed uncomfortable at the prospect.
Jared tilted his head to one side and appraised the three men, “Ok then, but I must warn you I have two guard dogs upstairs who are prepared to rip anyone limb from limb if they touch me.”
Kane pushed past him and walked upstairs, “Jared, I’ve met your mutts. I’m in more danger of being licked to death than torn to pieces.” Aldis walked past, grinning at him and he was followed by Misha who shrugged his shoulders as he went by.
Jared sighed and closed the door, he had a feeling it was going to be a long night. He closed the door then quickly joined the three men; they were sitting together on his couch. Jared studied their expressions; they were all serious and, if possible, Kane looked even more homicidal than normal.
Jared leant against his door and said “By the looks of your faces I’d say somebody died. Who was it? He asked laconically.
Kane looked down at the floor, pinched his nose and gritted out, “It was damn near Jensen. We just spent the last two hours in the E.R. getting him checked out after he fell down the stairs.” Kane’s weary voice held no malice as he spoke.
Jared stood up straight and walked into the room, a look of horror on his face, “How did it happen? Was he alone? Did he trip?” Jared spoke at high speed, pacing back and forth.
“Whoa there, ya making me dizzy. Slow down, Jared. Yes, he was alone. Well, he was on the phone to me at the time and I don’t think he tripped.” Kane stopped and looked down at the floor again.
Jared stared at Kane, puzzled by his words, and then he looked at Aldis and Misha. They also seemed to be at a loss. Finally Misha spoke,” I don’t know how to put this, but it seems our usually level-headed friend, Kane is convinced that Jensen was pushed down the stairs by his dead boyfriend and that’s why he dragged us here.”
Kane lifted his head and gave Misha a pained look “Nicely done, dude. Thanks for that.” Kane sighed and looked up at Jared, “Ok, you can get the I told you so out of your system and just tell me how I get rid of the fucker.”
Jared dragged his fingers through his hair and walked towards the kitchen. He caught Aldis’ bemused expression, “I don’t know about you guys but I need a beer, probably a couple of beers, and then we’ll talk.”
He returned with several bottles and handed them round, then dragged the armchair from the corner and sat in front of the men. He took a drink and started to talk; “Now I don’t know what the fuck you think I do, Kane. What I can tell you is, I can’t wave a magic wand or chant in some dead language and make Matt disappear. I have to convince him to move on.”
Kane just rolled his eyes, “Great! We got a fucking Ghost Whisperer. Well, that’s no goddamn use. We need Matt gone.” He went to stand up but Jared waved him down.
“Like I said, I have to convince him to move on and if you do walk out of here I wish you the best of luck in finding someone else who can deal with him. I get the feeling that Matt is getting worse and time is not on Jensen’s side. You’re convinced he pushed Jensen downstairs, and when I saw him earlier, I’m pretty sure he was hurt then. The way Matt’s accelerating, do you think he’s got months to wait for a priest to get permission from his parish for an exorcism? Or try to find ghost hunters to help? Right about now I’m your best bet and you know it.” Jared watched as Kane sank back down and took a long drink.
“What made you change your mind about this, Kane? I don’t think it was just Jensen falling down the stairs. When I mentioned encountering Jensen’s ghost earlier you reacted. Have you met Matt before?” Kane’s discomfort grew at Jared’s words.
“You were right, Jared. I saw something in Jensen’s apartment, but I swear it never occurred to me it was Matt. It wasn’t long after Jensen moved in. He was still unpacking, putting everything in its place. He’s got this photo of me and him from when we were kids, he’d he put it on his book case right on show. Top shelf in the middle, ya couldn’t miss it. I was alone in the room and one second the photo was there. I changed the TV channel so we could watch the game and then the next moment it had vanished. I found it tucked behind his DVDs on the bottom shelf.
It freaked me out, but hell, it was nothing sinister. Then every time I visited Jensen I got the feeling I was being watched. Then today, just before he fell I heard him say ‘Oh God! No, Matt, not now. And while I was waiting for the dynamic duo here to arrive, I knew I was being watched and by whom.” Kane slumped back against the couch and stared at the ceiling.
Jared looked at Misha and Aldis; they seemed to be having a hard time accepting what they heard. He didn’t blame them; there were times he wished he couldn’t do what he did. “Come on then, guys. Ask your questions, and then we can start to figure out how to help Jensen.”
Aldis stared at his beer bottle and then he spoke, “Now, I ain’t saying you can’t see ghosts, Jared. But how do you know who is haunting Jensen’s apartment? For all we know it’s a little old lady.”
“Ok, then, let’s clear one thing up straight away. It’s Jensen who is being haunted, not his apartment. He could move to Alaska and he would still be haunted. As for my gift - I’ve been able to see ghosts since I was a kid, and like Kane said, it’s very Ghost Whisperer. Only I manage to despatch the spirits into the light without the dewy looks and tears. Although Chad says that it’s a shame I don’t look like Jennifer Love Hewitt, he’d be able to put up with me better.
Spirits usually find me, not the other way round, and last night when you guys came for the reading, Jensen’s ‘friend’ came as a surprise and an unpleasant one at that. If it helps, Matt is about six foot tall, a snappy dresser, he had dark wavy hair, gorgeous blue eyes and I admit, I would happily let the guy buy me a drink. But when I saw him last night he was very possessive of Jensen, he told me Jensen was his. And today at the coffee shop he was very proud of the way he had trained Jensen to behave. He said it took a long time to get there, and I got the impression he views Jensen as some sort of trophy to be put on display to make him look good. Plus, he poured coffee all over him just so I could see how Jensen reacted, and he was pleased with the reaction.”
As Jared spoke Aldis looked heavenwards as if in search of divine help. Kane closed his eyes and Misha looked at him sorrowfully, “Congratulations Jared, you met Matt Bomer, Jensen’s ex-boyfriend and the man we’ve all wanted to kill at some point or other.” Misha sounded defeated as he spoke.
“So you believe me, then? Good, it will save me time. Now I’m going to ask you guys to do something very difficult. I need to know as much as possible about Matt and Jensen, especially their relationship.” Jared waited to hear the response.
Kane sat forward again, the anger clear in his eyes. “You don’t need to know shit, Padalecki! Just tell the bastard to fuck the hell off.”
Jared sighed. This was going to be difficult, “Kane, I’m not doing this for fun. I have to convince Matt to let go. From what I’ve already seen of the guy it’s going to be difficult. The alternative is I go to Jensen and ask him about it, and maybe he’ll tell me why Matt’s hanging around.” Kane gave him a murderous look; Misha just rested his hand on his arm.
“Come on, Kane, did you think you were the only who bumped into Matt at Jensen’s? I’ll tell Jared anything he needs to know if it helps Jensen be free of Matt, and if it offends your sense of protection then so be it.” Kane gave him look of shock, and then he turned to Aldis who looked down and nodded his head.
“Well, it looks like we’ve all encountered our old friend. Well, I ain’t exactly surprised. Matt never liked us; he called us the Three Musketeers, and said we led Jensen astray.” Kane went quiet and he seemed to be lost in the past.
It was left for Misha to start talking, “What do you need to help you, Jared? Like I said, I’m willing to share what I know, if you think it will help.”
Jared leant forward, considering how to proceed. Usually he went straight to those who were being haunted. Something told him that Jensen wouldn’t be forthcoming about his life with Matt. Jared had dealt with victims of abuse before, as ghosts wanting their abuser to understand what they had done to them. He’d even seen it from the other side when the abuser had been unable to move on until their victim had forgiven them, and from what he’d seen, Jensen fitted the pattern of a victim of domestic abuse.
“Alright, I’ll admit that after mine and Kane’s little chat I did some research, so at the moment I don’t need to know about the accident, we’ll come back to that. I’m interested in how Jensen changed from when he met Matt. In the newspaper pictures I saw he seemed really happy in the beginning, laid-back like you guys. Then as time progressed he became more like a mini me for Matt. Shit! He wouldn’t have looked out of place in a GQ shoot. Why don’t we start there?”
Kane drained his beer and nodded slowly,” Alright, you win, but we’re gonna need more beer. Where do I start? First of all, the man you met last night and this morning ain’t the Jensen I knew growing up. Three years of being with Matt has turned him into what you’ve seen. Don’t get me wrong there are still flashes of the old Jensen, but at the moment he’s fighting with the new and improved version Matt created.” Kane paused, struggling with what to say next.
Aldis jumped in at this point, “Ok, we still don’t know all the gory details of what happened behind closed doors and we’ll probably never know. Jensen has slowly been opening up to Kane about some of it. So then, are you sitting comfortably, Jared? Then we’ll begin. Matt and Jensen had a fairy-tale relationship - you know...the kind that missed the Disney treatment and had been told by Stephen King. To the outside world they were the perfect couple - loving, romantic, the kind that makes the rest of us guys feel like we’re falling down on the job.
When those two walked into a room they could stop it dead. Hell, you’ve seen Jensen, put him next to Matt and it was lethal. They were one hell of a power couple, him an upcoming hot-shot lawyer, fast tracked for a partnership at his law firm. Then there was Jensen, he was working at a Beverley Hills practice run by a friend of the Bomer family, all very high profile. Add to the mix, Jensen was involved with several animal charities, and was popular, an easy guy to get on with. That just added to Matt’s already shiny image.”
What no one knew was Matt spent his spare time controlling Jensen, making sure he was the perfect Stepford boyfriend. You know they say - hindsight is a great thing. Well, it is. None of us, and I mean not even the great Kane spotted what was going on until it was way too late. Then all we could do was try to put Jensen back together.”
“Why do you think he stayed with him? From what you’ve said Jensen seemed quite strong willed before. Or maybe that was part of the appeal; he said that Jensen took a long time to train.” Jared prompted Kane.
“Matt was a master of manipulation, he had everyone convinced that he was the perfect gentleman. Smart, witty, personable, that is, until he and Jensen were behind closed doors. The three of us saw Matt in action, in the early days when we were still welcome; he always made sure that Jensen knew his place at parties or with friends. If he felt Jensen was attracting too much attention, he would swing by with a little snide comment or putdown that shut Jensen up. Matt very slowly eroded Jensen’s confidence, telling him he wasn’t smart enough or he was clumsy, until Jensen became very good at being seen and not heard.
Also the change of image - he convinced Jensen that with him dating a lawyer a more professional look was better. Jensen is all jeans and T-shirts; I mean, the guy works with animals so Armani or Prada ain’t all that practical. But Jensen was fine with that and I hate to say it but he looked good; he’s an easygoing guy so he didn’t mind some of his rough edges being smoothed out.”
Jared got to his feet and fetched more beer, “So Matt was controlling from the start of their relationship? Oh and there was something Jensen said about him being no good with money. Is that true?” Jared was startled when Kane snorted in disgust.
“Hang on, I’ll get to that. To be honest we all just thought that Matt was an asshole and a control freak, we never dreamed of what he was really like. He slowly isolated Jensen from his friends and family. He didn’t have to work too hard at the family part. Jensen’s relationship with his family had been strained since he came out. He wasn’t disowned but put it like this; his college fund mysteriously vanished after he told his dad he was gay. Jensen put himself through Veterinarian College by working all the hours God sent. He is damn good with money. Hell, he helped me set up, and he did my books for me.
No, Matt suggested that he should let him have access to Jensen’s bank account; the bastard kept him virtually penniless.” Kane took another drink.
“I can understand that, keep him broke and it’s harder for him to run, but you said he isolated him from his friends. How the hell did he keep you three away?” Jared looked from one man to the other.
Aldis looked guiltily at Jared, “Matt started to intercept our texts and phone messages to Jen. He would delete them so he missed calls from us. Then if we went round to see them, he made it so damn uncomfortable. Matt would just sit there and look utterly bored when we talked; he’d sigh and look at his watch. In the end me and Misha kind of just gave up. Fuck it! I wish we had just hung on there, we could’ve saved Jensen a shitload of pain.”
Misha shook his head in disagreement and the normally quiet man spoke, “I hate to say this, Aldis but I doubt it. By the time Matt turned violent, there was only Kane he couldn’t break away from Jensen and God knows, he tried. Kane’s a stubborn bastard, he just wouldn’t go. Besides, Jensen was ashamed of what was happening to him. As Kane said, Matt was very good at manipulating everyone round him. If he ever got carried away with his little punishments he’d tell people Jensen had a sports injury. He even suggested that Jensen’s mental state was fragile, that he was prone to depression.
He gradually cut off all of Jensen’s escape routes and became even more controlling. Matt even monitored what Jensen ate so he could keep him looking good. According to Matt, Jensen was prone to carrying weight. Actually, it ensured Jensen wouldn’t be strong enough to fight back. If it had come to an honest fight, Jensen would’ve have killed him, but Matt made sure that never happened.
I wanted to understand why he stayed. So, after what happened with Jensen I started helping out at a shelter for victims of domestic abuse. Like I said, shame plays a great part in it. For a woman who is a victim of domestic violence, there is still a stigma like you said. Why stay? But at least there is help if she looks for it.
Now for a man, the counsellor I spoke to....there is sympathy for men who have violent women partners but when I mentioned Jensen’s situation. The impression I got was the general attitude that a gay man in an abusive relationship is on his own; there is no help at all.”
“What the fuck, Misha? You’ve been talking about Jensen to outsiders?” Kane shouted at his friend, angry Jensen had been betrayed.
“I mentioned no names; I needed to understand why someone as intelligent and strong as Jensen would put up with what Matt did to him. Matt systematically destroyed every connection with those who could help him. Constantly telling him he was nothing without him, I don’t think even you could’ve withstood it forever.” Kane looked down at the floor and muttered an apology.
Finally Kane looked up at Jared and said with a smile, “You know what I said about Jensen not being the guy you’ve met? I hate to say it but he’s a lot like you, Jared. He’s a geek.”
Jared’s face lit up with a smile, “So that’s why he said I was the man of his dreams when I told him I owned a comic shop.”
Kane gave a soft smile on hearing that and nodded, “Jensen is a Grade A geek. If you want to know the biggest change Matt made to him it was that. Not only is he a geek, but before Matt came along the guy was a goof. He was funny, pulled stupid faces, did silly voices. He was never one for being the centre of attention, but when you got to know him he had a great sense of humour.
Matt always had a problem with that side of Jensen’s personality; it didn’t fit in with his idea of the perfect partner for a professional man like himself. Every time we appeared we just brought out that side of him. Matt wanted us gone from Jensen’s life and he hated it when Jensen would speak geek.”
Misha interrupted here, “I remember one night they threw a party and Jensen managed to sneak us onto the guest list. Well, the party was in full genteel swing when me and Jensen started talking. We were having a debate on Stargate, and whether the original or Stargate Atlantis was better. It became very involved, as I recall.”
Aldis laughed and joined in, “Involved! Man, by the time you two were finished half the damn room was listening to your debate on the mythology of the show. Misha is very Stargate and Jensen was all for Atlantis. Oh God! Who was it Jensen had the hots for?”
“Oh, that’s easy. It was probably John Shepherd.” Jared said, without thinking, fascinated by this side of Jensen. He didn’t see Kane’s grin.
“Yeah, that’s the dude! Well, like Misha said, they were deep in geek communion when Matt appeared. Jensen didn’t see him arrive. Matt stood, waiting just in his eye line, and everyone was joining in, having a great time. Then Jensen spotted Matt, and it was like someone switched him off, all the light and enthusiasm just died in his eyes. He continued to talk for a little while but it was if a barrier slid down, he managed to get out of the conversation. Then he became the perfect little host after that.
He fetched drinks, barely looked at anyone, kept his conversation to subjects Matt preferred. At the end of the night everyone told Matt they had enjoyed the debate. Hell, it carried onto which were better - the original Star Wars Trilogy or its prequel. Jensen would’ve been brilliant at that, with his passion for all things geek. Damn! I miss that, you know.” When Aldis finished talking, he sounded down.
“Did anything happen to Jensen that night after you guys left?” Jared asked, not really wanting to hear the answer.
Kane looked evasive, Aldis looked at him, “Dude, come on, what happened? Is there something you ain’t told us?”
Kane looked uncomfortable, “I never said anything but that was the night I found out that Matt had gone from just being an asshole to a violent asshole. I noticed the change in Jensen and I wanted to know what the hell was going on. So on one of his drink runs I followed him into the kitchen. Matt was in there with him, and he’d gotten Jensen pressed against the fridge with a death grip on his arms. From the look in Jensen’s eyes I could see it was hurting and Matt was giving him a lecture on his behaviour.
I made a noise and Matt spun away from him as if I’d just tazered the bastard, I just wish I had. Jensen left the kitchen, leaving me and Matt alone. I was very polite to Matt, especially when I smacked him in the gut. Before you all scream at me, I thought it did the trick and for a while Matt left him alone.
Unfortunately, after I punched Matt, I just made him all the more determined to get rid of me. I was just too fucking dumb to realize what I’d done. I thought I’d put an end to Jensen’s problems by stopping Matt that night, and showing him there was someone there for Jensen.” Kane gave a bitter smile as he spoke.
Jared watched the interaction between the three friends; there was more to what happened, he was sure of it. Kane was the key to it. He was the last one to break away from Jensen, and it explained why he was so protective now. He felt guilty but what could’ve made Kane turn his back on his best friend?
Finally, Kane raised his eyes to Jared and gave him a strained smile, his guilt wrapped round him like a cloak, “Ok, Jared. I know it’s killing ya. You want to know how the hell I just upped and left Jensen at the mercy of that bastard. You have to understand a few things first; Matt’s family is very rich and powerful with a hell of a lot of influence. They have a very long reach.
The last time the three of us saw Jensen, I walked right into trap designed to keep him under Matt’s thumb. The bastard played me like a goddamn guitar.” Kane rubbed his hand down his face.
“How the fuck did he manage that?” Jared was alarmed by Kane’s manner; the usually bullish man seemed smaller, tired and defeated. He waited to see if one of the others would take up the story. In the end Kane picked up where he had left off.
“After Matt succeeded in isolating Jensen I was the only one he couldn’t shake. His friendship with me gave Jensen the will to stand up and fight back occasionally. He would do anything to protect me and that was what Matt used against him. Dude, have you got any whisky? Because this ain’t exactly my finest hour I’m about to tell you about.” Kane slumped forward again and Jared moved swiftly in search of more alcohol.
One bottle of Jack and four glasses later, Jared settled down to hear what Kane had to say. It was then he felt a presence by him and sat perched on the arm of his chair was Matt. Jared froze. Damn! This guy’s timing was just fucking perfect; he knew that Kane and Co wouldn’t be intimidated by him like Jensen was. But if he even gave the slightest inkling that Matt was here he would never hear what Kane had to say.
Matt leant towards him, “Oh, I know the story Kane is going to tell. Looks like I arrived just in time. I love this, it may not have been Kane’s finest hour, but it was probably mine with Jensen. It was when I finally broke him. It’s such a shame I’m dead. I would just love some popcorn right about now. Oh, don’t worry about Jensen. By the way, I left him resting on the couch. It’s only a sprained ankle and some heavy bruising. He’s had to function with worse. As I said, he was always such a clumsy boy.” Jared threw back the glass and downed his drink in one go in an attempt not to react to Matt’s taunts.
The men looked surprised as Jared reached for the bottle, “Sorry, but I have a feeling I might need that before you’re done. Go on, Chris, please.” Jared tried not to acknowledge the grinning ghost beside him.
“One night a few months after the party where I exercised Matt’s gut muscles, Jensen calls me out of the blue. Matt, in a moment of benevolence had decided to let Jensen invite the three of us over for a poker night. When we arrived three of Matt’s buddies are there as well. You know the type - all Harvard and Yale. The night is going ok. No one has tried to kill anybody else, when Matt starts bragging about how smart he and his friends are.
We let this go on for a little while and then Aldis suggests a game of skill and intellect. He goes and suggests a game of Trivial Pursuit; yeah, I know, all very nineties. But there was a reason; Jensen is fucking brilliant at it. It got to the point where the three of us would team up against him and still fucking lose. Matt’s friends laugh ‘em selves stupid and agree to it. And what do you know? Matt just happens to have a board, and why the fuck that didn’t set alarm bells off I’ll never know.
Matt suggests we play in teams and he’ll even let Jensen play with us. Like the damn fool I was, I never kept watch over Matt. His friends were assholes and they made the mistake of letting me roll the dice. Or should I say twist the dice. Jensen took off on one his runs, answering something like fifteen questions on the bounce. We just kept on rolling. He was wiping the floor with ‘em, and we, being great friends, kept him distracted so he wasn’t watching Matt as closely as he should. Jensen could read Matt like a book, the slightest change in his expression and Jensen would respond. Like Matt said, very well trained.
We even got Jensen to have a couple of beers. Matt was always very keen Jensen shouldn’t drink too much. Long story short, we won. We’re all celebrating beating the Harvard grads and then I caught Matt’s expression. I thought he’d be angry but he just stood there with this damn self-satisfied smirk on his face. My blood ran cold; there was just something about him. So, while Jensen, Aldis and Misha were doing a victory dance I ‘accidentally’ left my glasses case down the side of the couch. We said our good nights, and went home. At the ass crack of dawn the next day I went back to retrieve my glasses. I even rang ahead to ask permission, but all I got was the answering machine. You know, Jared, how they say- be careful what you wish for? Well, I got what I wished for. I found out what Matt did to Jensen when he got really pissed off........
Kane knocked at the front door, hoping that Jensen and not Matt would answer. He got the surprise of his life when a small Hispanic lady answered the door, “Can I help you?” she asked, looking at him suspiciously.
“Hi there. My name is Christian Kane. I’m a friend of Jensen’s. I was here last night and I left my glasses behind. Would it be alright to come in and get them?” Kane gave the woman his most innocent smile.
“Please come in. I hope you don’t mind searching on your own. I’m just going.” The woman let him into the apartment. Kane searched aimlessly, knowing exactly where his glasses were. He saw the woman leave and with that he went in search of Jensen.
He moved quickly through the apartment and went straight to the master bedroom. Matt had shown him and the guys around not long after Jensen moved in. Matt loved showing off his prized possessions and that included his friend.
There was no sign of Jensen in the master bedroom, and it looked as though the bed hadn’t been slept in. Kane moved quietly down the hallway, opening doors. He stopped outside one where the last time he’d seen it, the room and been bare, apart from storage boxes. He opened the door, not expecting to find anything.
As the door swung open he heard breathing, and the breathing was laboured as if someone was in pain. Kane looked into the room and it felt as if his world had come crashing down. Lying, curled up into a ball was Jensen. He was naked and shivering, covered in bruises and blood. Kane ran into the room without a second thought.
He fell to his knees by Jensen. His hands outstretched above him, not sure where to touch him or even if he should touch him. In the end he placed a gentle hand on Jensen’s shoulder and he cringed away from him, “No...Matt... Please. I’m sorry. I won’t embarrass you again.”
Kane felt rage boiling up inside of him when he heard Jensen’s soft plea for mercy. He gently turned his friend over to look at his face. Kane carefully touched the bruised cheek, and Jensen turned away, his eyes screwed tight, a soft whimper escaping.
Kane couldn’t stand it, “What the fuck did he do to you? That’s it. I’m getting you out of here.” He looked over Jensen’s body and felt sick at the story of violence it told. The bruises where he had been kicked and punched were bad enough, but what were worse were the hand prints, stark and unforgiving in the morning light.
Kane could see his wrists had been gripped tightly enough to see finger marks. That was then he saw the same kind of bruises on Jensen’s hips. It was only when a tear drop splashed down onto Jensen that he even realized he was crying. Jensen moved away, weakly turning over as if he was going to try to stand.
Then Kane finally understood the full horror of what had happened. As he moved, Jensen’s legs parted and Kane saw blood smeared down his thighs. He couldn’t take any more. He gently stroked Jensen’s arm, whispering that everything would be fine - he was here. Then he carefully picked him up, his heart breaking a little more at the sounds of pain Jensen was trying to keep inside.
Kane carried him out of the bedroom and walked towards the door. He wondered if he should just carry him out of there naked, but he couldn’t do that to Jensen, he had been through enough without him adding to the humiliation. Kane took a detour to the master bedroom; he was looking for something to wrap or dress Jensen in.
He gently placed Jensen on the bed and began to wrap him in the comforter to keep him warm when he heard slow hand clapping from the door. He spun round and saw Matt clapping as he leant against the door frame. “Well, well, Christian Kane. I would say, Jensen’s knight in shining armour, but you’re more a different kind of knight, aren’t you? I can’t imagine jeans and leather jackets at Camelot. Now, just what are you doing with my boyfriend, Kane? I told him to stay put in that room until I fetched him.”
Kane stood and looked at Matt; the man was freshly showered and was just wearing a pair of silk pyjama bottoms. He wore the same self-satisfied smirk from the night before. Matt’s smile grew even wider, “I had so much fun last night after you three left. I have to admire how much fight Jensen still has left in him, even after all this time. Well, the fight seemed to drain away after the third time we had sex, but he put up a good struggle the first couple of times. He does like to play rough.”
Kane saw red! His breath hitched and, without warning, he charged at Matt, his fist connecting with his cheek, then came two heavy blows to the ribs. Matt fell to the floor and Kane hauled him to his feet, his hand clamped round his throat. He squeezed slowly; he knew he was leaving marks to match the ones around Jensen’s neck.
Shit! Jensen! He’d forgotten about him. Kane loosened his grip and looked over his shoulder. Jensen’s eyes were flickering. He was coming round; he needed to get him out of there, now. He let go of Matt and as he fell to the floor, Kane walked towards the bed.
He heard laughter from the floor, the bastard was fucking laughing! He looked back and Matt lay on the floor, breathing heavily. “Oh, thank you so much, Kane. I’ve been wondering just how to get rid of you for a long time now, and you’ve just walked right into this.”
“What the fuck are you on about, Matt?” Kane was perplexed as he watched Matt get back to his feet.
Matt grinned and then he raised his hands to show Kane. His knuckles were unmarked even though Jensen was black and blue. He pulled open a drawer and fetched out a pair of leather driving gloves. “You know, Kane, in the next five minutes or so the private security firm that looks after these Condos will arrive, and they will find out that I have been attacked by you. You and Jensen were going to blackmail me by saying I’d attacked him when, in fact, it was you, his lover. You convinced our housekeeper to let you in this morning with a fake story of lost glasses and then attacked me. You then beat and had violent and consensual sex with Jensen to support your story. Haven’t you noticed, Kane? Look at your hands.”
Kane looked down to see his knuckles were split and swollen from hitting Matt, and then he realized he was covered in both Jensen’s and Matt’s blood. Matt was clean, apart from his injuries and because he had worn gloves his hands were unmarked.
“No fucking way! It will never stand up in a court of law. Jensen will testify it was you who did it.” Kane felt terror rising in his gut as Matt walked slowly towards him.
“Oh, don’t be too sure about that. You know how influential my family is. They have lawyers and private eyes who will take your life apart. By the time they are finished with you, not only will you be broke, but I’ll make damn sure you do time. And it will be somewhere where a pretty guy like you will be appreciated.”
Kane reeled back. He couldn’t do that, surely? Matt’s next words were soft, “But I’ll tell you what. If you walk away from Jensen now, never contact him again, you have my word all of this will be forgotten.”
Kane was about to tell him to go fuck himself when a pained voice stopped him, “Kane, just go, man. I don’t want to see you again, just get out of here. This is all your fault.” Kane dropped to his knees when he heard Jensen say that.
“No, Jensen. You don’t mean that. You can’t. Please?” Jensen just shook his head, his eyes filling with tears. Kane took hold of his hand.
“Now come along, you heard my boyfriend. He wants you to leave. If you listen carefully you can hear the sirens approaching.” Matt clapped him on the shoulder in a friendly manner. Kane flinched at the contact. Just as he stood up he felt Jensen’s hand squeeze his. He looked down and he saw the silent apology in green eyes.
Kane let go of his hand and walked to the door. He looked back to see that Matt had knelt by Jensen and watched him tenderly stroke his cheek, “Come along, sweetheart. I’ve run you a bath, let’s get you cleaned up.”
“I watched Matt pick Jensen up and carry him to the bathroom. I ran out of the apartment and I hate to say it but I didn’t contact Jensen again. It damn near killed me to do it, but that look in Jensen’s eyes...I knew he was sending me away to protect me. How the fuck could I make his life worse by getting sent to jail? All I could do was hope he was gonna be alright. Some friend I am, right?
I found out about the accident from the papers, and I had to sit in a fucking waiting room for nearly two weeks before Jensen came out of a coma. You know what the first thing he to me said to was? I’m sorry. The guy puts himself through hell for me, and he says sorry, fucking sorry because he thought he was weak! Can you believe the guy?” Kane stopped talking and looked at the floor, trying to pull himself together
Jared stared at Kane, trying to process what he’d just heard, but instead all he could hear was Matt’s soft voice. “Oh, come on, you have to admit it was brilliant. Kane, the only person Jensen would fight for! I had him as long as I held that over Kane. Jensen did exactly as he was told. And you know what, Jared? He makes the sweetest sounds, you really should hear them. ” Matt stretched back over the armchair, humming happily.
Over on the couch an argument had broken out. It seemed that Misha and Aldis had been unaware of what had happened at the apartment that day. All they knew was that Kane had been told to stay away by Jensen, and now his revelations had started a war. Both men were shouting at Kane, telling him he should’ve told them. He responded by saying “Where the fuck were you two when he needed you?” and the whole atmosphere was becoming tense.
Jared was having his own quiet discussion with Matt, “You bastard! You keep on saying you loved him, but you controlled, beat and then raped him. What kind of love is that? Jared hissed.
“We all love in our different ways, Jared. I just believed in tough love. Jensen knew how he was expected to behave. I never hid that from him. He had to be taught lessons from time to time. I’d say he was a quick study but he had such a stubborn streak. I have to admit I did relish the challenge he presented me. But like I said in the end, he came to my way of thinking. I just had to apply the right leverage, and Kane was that leverage. It’s so wonderful to have such good friends.”
As Matt spoke, Jared saw red. He was unaware that the argument between the three friends was coming to its own conclusion. Kane was getting angrier and angrier trying to explain exactly what Jensen had done.
At the same time both men surged to their feet. Jared glared down at Matt, and Kane glared at his friends.
“Now, come on, Jared. Don’t be like that. Jensen never said no to me so how could it be rape?” Matt’s silky tones chided.
“Oh, let me see. When you take away the option of saying no, that’s just the same as holding him down, you sick fuck.” As Jared was standing, yelling down at Matt, Kane was doing his own shouting.
“You still don’t understand, do you? After what Matt did to him that night he made the decision to send me away for my own protection. He couldn’t stand the thought of me being hurt while I was protecting him. He’s also told me that was when he knew enough was enough. Oh, he became the perfect Stepford boyfriend, alright, but he was planning his escape. He was diverting money and doing everything he could to get ready to run.”
At that, both men stopped shouting. They turned and looked at one another and in unison said “What did you just say?”
Kane was looking at Jared with shock. He managed to recover quickly, “Is he here? Come out where I can see you, you bastard! You leave Jensen afuckinglone! Do you hear me?”
As Kane ranted, Jared turned back to where Matt was sitting, and Jared felt sick to his stomach when he saw a self-satisfied smirk grace his face, “Well, Jared. I have to say I have enjoyed our time together, but I feel I must go and pay Jensen a visit. It seems he has been guilty of deceiving me, and that kind of behaviour must be dealt with. I’ll let myself out.” With that, Matt vanished.
Jared found himself being spun round and he came face to face with Kane, “Why the hell didn’t you tell us he was here! He never knew about Jensen planning to get away. Shit! I only found out after he got out of hospital. I ought to kill you, Padalecki.” Kane shook him and let go.
“Kane, you can kick my ass later. We’ve got to go now.” Jared was heading out of his apartment, and downstairs.
As he ran down the stairs Aldis called out after him, “Dude, what’s the rush?”
Jared opened the front door and looked over his shoulder, “Matt’s going after Jensen."
Chapter4
Word Count: 7291
Rating: NC-17
Summary: Jared meets the man of his dreams while helping out his best friend Chad. Unfortunately for him, Jensen is being haunted by his past in more ways than one. Can Jared convince the spirit of Jensen’s not so dearly departed boyfriend to move on, or will make good on his promise to make Jensen his forever.
Pairing: Jared/Jensen, Jensen/OMC
Warnings: Mentions of domestic abuse, and non-con that happens off camera.
Jared was drinking a beer and enjoying a re-run of Smallville. Ok, so Tom Welling’s hot, sue him, when his door knocked. To be more precise it sounded like it was being kicked down. Jared stood up and ran down the stairs, “Alright, alright, I’m coming. Leave the damn door on its hinges.”
Without thinking, Jared flung the door open and felt his heart stutter. There stood Kane, Aldis and Misha. He considered slamming the door and hiding under the bed, but instead in a moment of insanity...
“Good evening, gentlemen. I hope you realize you’re too late for Trick or Treat and I can’t imagine you three singing carols.” Kane shot him a look to freeze the blood but Jared just smiled sweetly, while considering how fast he could reach his fire escape.
“Listen, we just want to talk to you, Jared. Can we come in?” Kane seemed uncomfortable at the prospect.
Jared tilted his head to one side and appraised the three men, “Ok then, but I must warn you I have two guard dogs upstairs who are prepared to rip anyone limb from limb if they touch me.”
Kane pushed past him and walked upstairs, “Jared, I’ve met your mutts. I’m in more danger of being licked to death than torn to pieces.” Aldis walked past, grinning at him and he was followed by Misha who shrugged his shoulders as he went by.
Jared sighed and closed the door, he had a feeling it was going to be a long night. He closed the door then quickly joined the three men; they were sitting together on his couch. Jared studied their expressions; they were all serious and, if possible, Kane looked even more homicidal than normal.
Jared leant against his door and said “By the looks of your faces I’d say somebody died. Who was it? He asked laconically.
Kane looked down at the floor, pinched his nose and gritted out, “It was damn near Jensen. We just spent the last two hours in the E.R. getting him checked out after he fell down the stairs.” Kane’s weary voice held no malice as he spoke.
Jared stood up straight and walked into the room, a look of horror on his face, “How did it happen? Was he alone? Did he trip?” Jared spoke at high speed, pacing back and forth.
“Whoa there, ya making me dizzy. Slow down, Jared. Yes, he was alone. Well, he was on the phone to me at the time and I don’t think he tripped.” Kane stopped and looked down at the floor again.
Jared stared at Kane, puzzled by his words, and then he looked at Aldis and Misha. They also seemed to be at a loss. Finally Misha spoke,” I don’t know how to put this, but it seems our usually level-headed friend, Kane is convinced that Jensen was pushed down the stairs by his dead boyfriend and that’s why he dragged us here.”
Kane lifted his head and gave Misha a pained look “Nicely done, dude. Thanks for that.” Kane sighed and looked up at Jared, “Ok, you can get the I told you so out of your system and just tell me how I get rid of the fucker.”
Jared dragged his fingers through his hair and walked towards the kitchen. He caught Aldis’ bemused expression, “I don’t know about you guys but I need a beer, probably a couple of beers, and then we’ll talk.”
He returned with several bottles and handed them round, then dragged the armchair from the corner and sat in front of the men. He took a drink and started to talk; “Now I don’t know what the fuck you think I do, Kane. What I can tell you is, I can’t wave a magic wand or chant in some dead language and make Matt disappear. I have to convince him to move on.”
Kane just rolled his eyes, “Great! We got a fucking Ghost Whisperer. Well, that’s no goddamn use. We need Matt gone.” He went to stand up but Jared waved him down.
“Like I said, I have to convince him to move on and if you do walk out of here I wish you the best of luck in finding someone else who can deal with him. I get the feeling that Matt is getting worse and time is not on Jensen’s side. You’re convinced he pushed Jensen downstairs, and when I saw him earlier, I’m pretty sure he was hurt then. The way Matt’s accelerating, do you think he’s got months to wait for a priest to get permission from his parish for an exorcism? Or try to find ghost hunters to help? Right about now I’m your best bet and you know it.” Jared watched as Kane sank back down and took a long drink.
“What made you change your mind about this, Kane? I don’t think it was just Jensen falling down the stairs. When I mentioned encountering Jensen’s ghost earlier you reacted. Have you met Matt before?” Kane’s discomfort grew at Jared’s words.
“You were right, Jared. I saw something in Jensen’s apartment, but I swear it never occurred to me it was Matt. It wasn’t long after Jensen moved in. He was still unpacking, putting everything in its place. He’s got this photo of me and him from when we were kids, he’d he put it on his book case right on show. Top shelf in the middle, ya couldn’t miss it. I was alone in the room and one second the photo was there. I changed the TV channel so we could watch the game and then the next moment it had vanished. I found it tucked behind his DVDs on the bottom shelf.
It freaked me out, but hell, it was nothing sinister. Then every time I visited Jensen I got the feeling I was being watched. Then today, just before he fell I heard him say ‘Oh God! No, Matt, not now. And while I was waiting for the dynamic duo here to arrive, I knew I was being watched and by whom.” Kane slumped back against the couch and stared at the ceiling.
Jared looked at Misha and Aldis; they seemed to be having a hard time accepting what they heard. He didn’t blame them; there were times he wished he couldn’t do what he did. “Come on then, guys. Ask your questions, and then we can start to figure out how to help Jensen.”
Aldis stared at his beer bottle and then he spoke, “Now, I ain’t saying you can’t see ghosts, Jared. But how do you know who is haunting Jensen’s apartment? For all we know it’s a little old lady.”
“Ok, then, let’s clear one thing up straight away. It’s Jensen who is being haunted, not his apartment. He could move to Alaska and he would still be haunted. As for my gift - I’ve been able to see ghosts since I was a kid, and like Kane said, it’s very Ghost Whisperer. Only I manage to despatch the spirits into the light without the dewy looks and tears. Although Chad says that it’s a shame I don’t look like Jennifer Love Hewitt, he’d be able to put up with me better.
Spirits usually find me, not the other way round, and last night when you guys came for the reading, Jensen’s ‘friend’ came as a surprise and an unpleasant one at that. If it helps, Matt is about six foot tall, a snappy dresser, he had dark wavy hair, gorgeous blue eyes and I admit, I would happily let the guy buy me a drink. But when I saw him last night he was very possessive of Jensen, he told me Jensen was his. And today at the coffee shop he was very proud of the way he had trained Jensen to behave. He said it took a long time to get there, and I got the impression he views Jensen as some sort of trophy to be put on display to make him look good. Plus, he poured coffee all over him just so I could see how Jensen reacted, and he was pleased with the reaction.”
As Jared spoke Aldis looked heavenwards as if in search of divine help. Kane closed his eyes and Misha looked at him sorrowfully, “Congratulations Jared, you met Matt Bomer, Jensen’s ex-boyfriend and the man we’ve all wanted to kill at some point or other.” Misha sounded defeated as he spoke.
“So you believe me, then? Good, it will save me time. Now I’m going to ask you guys to do something very difficult. I need to know as much as possible about Matt and Jensen, especially their relationship.” Jared waited to hear the response.
Kane sat forward again, the anger clear in his eyes. “You don’t need to know shit, Padalecki! Just tell the bastard to fuck the hell off.”
Jared sighed. This was going to be difficult, “Kane, I’m not doing this for fun. I have to convince Matt to let go. From what I’ve already seen of the guy it’s going to be difficult. The alternative is I go to Jensen and ask him about it, and maybe he’ll tell me why Matt’s hanging around.” Kane gave him a murderous look; Misha just rested his hand on his arm.
“Come on, Kane, did you think you were the only who bumped into Matt at Jensen’s? I’ll tell Jared anything he needs to know if it helps Jensen be free of Matt, and if it offends your sense of protection then so be it.” Kane gave him look of shock, and then he turned to Aldis who looked down and nodded his head.
“Well, it looks like we’ve all encountered our old friend. Well, I ain’t exactly surprised. Matt never liked us; he called us the Three Musketeers, and said we led Jensen astray.” Kane went quiet and he seemed to be lost in the past.
It was left for Misha to start talking, “What do you need to help you, Jared? Like I said, I’m willing to share what I know, if you think it will help.”
Jared leant forward, considering how to proceed. Usually he went straight to those who were being haunted. Something told him that Jensen wouldn’t be forthcoming about his life with Matt. Jared had dealt with victims of abuse before, as ghosts wanting their abuser to understand what they had done to them. He’d even seen it from the other side when the abuser had been unable to move on until their victim had forgiven them, and from what he’d seen, Jensen fitted the pattern of a victim of domestic abuse.
“Alright, I’ll admit that after mine and Kane’s little chat I did some research, so at the moment I don’t need to know about the accident, we’ll come back to that. I’m interested in how Jensen changed from when he met Matt. In the newspaper pictures I saw he seemed really happy in the beginning, laid-back like you guys. Then as time progressed he became more like a mini me for Matt. Shit! He wouldn’t have looked out of place in a GQ shoot. Why don’t we start there?”
Kane drained his beer and nodded slowly,” Alright, you win, but we’re gonna need more beer. Where do I start? First of all, the man you met last night and this morning ain’t the Jensen I knew growing up. Three years of being with Matt has turned him into what you’ve seen. Don’t get me wrong there are still flashes of the old Jensen, but at the moment he’s fighting with the new and improved version Matt created.” Kane paused, struggling with what to say next.
Aldis jumped in at this point, “Ok, we still don’t know all the gory details of what happened behind closed doors and we’ll probably never know. Jensen has slowly been opening up to Kane about some of it. So then, are you sitting comfortably, Jared? Then we’ll begin. Matt and Jensen had a fairy-tale relationship - you know...the kind that missed the Disney treatment and had been told by Stephen King. To the outside world they were the perfect couple - loving, romantic, the kind that makes the rest of us guys feel like we’re falling down on the job.
When those two walked into a room they could stop it dead. Hell, you’ve seen Jensen, put him next to Matt and it was lethal. They were one hell of a power couple, him an upcoming hot-shot lawyer, fast tracked for a partnership at his law firm. Then there was Jensen, he was working at a Beverley Hills practice run by a friend of the Bomer family, all very high profile. Add to the mix, Jensen was involved with several animal charities, and was popular, an easy guy to get on with. That just added to Matt’s already shiny image.”
What no one knew was Matt spent his spare time controlling Jensen, making sure he was the perfect Stepford boyfriend. You know they say - hindsight is a great thing. Well, it is. None of us, and I mean not even the great Kane spotted what was going on until it was way too late. Then all we could do was try to put Jensen back together.”
“Why do you think he stayed with him? From what you’ve said Jensen seemed quite strong willed before. Or maybe that was part of the appeal; he said that Jensen took a long time to train.” Jared prompted Kane.
“Matt was a master of manipulation, he had everyone convinced that he was the perfect gentleman. Smart, witty, personable, that is, until he and Jensen were behind closed doors. The three of us saw Matt in action, in the early days when we were still welcome; he always made sure that Jensen knew his place at parties or with friends. If he felt Jensen was attracting too much attention, he would swing by with a little snide comment or putdown that shut Jensen up. Matt very slowly eroded Jensen’s confidence, telling him he wasn’t smart enough or he was clumsy, until Jensen became very good at being seen and not heard.
Also the change of image - he convinced Jensen that with him dating a lawyer a more professional look was better. Jensen is all jeans and T-shirts; I mean, the guy works with animals so Armani or Prada ain’t all that practical. But Jensen was fine with that and I hate to say it but he looked good; he’s an easygoing guy so he didn’t mind some of his rough edges being smoothed out.”
Jared got to his feet and fetched more beer, “So Matt was controlling from the start of their relationship? Oh and there was something Jensen said about him being no good with money. Is that true?” Jared was startled when Kane snorted in disgust.
“Hang on, I’ll get to that. To be honest we all just thought that Matt was an asshole and a control freak, we never dreamed of what he was really like. He slowly isolated Jensen from his friends and family. He didn’t have to work too hard at the family part. Jensen’s relationship with his family had been strained since he came out. He wasn’t disowned but put it like this; his college fund mysteriously vanished after he told his dad he was gay. Jensen put himself through Veterinarian College by working all the hours God sent. He is damn good with money. Hell, he helped me set up, and he did my books for me.
No, Matt suggested that he should let him have access to Jensen’s bank account; the bastard kept him virtually penniless.” Kane took another drink.
“I can understand that, keep him broke and it’s harder for him to run, but you said he isolated him from his friends. How the hell did he keep you three away?” Jared looked from one man to the other.
Aldis looked guiltily at Jared, “Matt started to intercept our texts and phone messages to Jen. He would delete them so he missed calls from us. Then if we went round to see them, he made it so damn uncomfortable. Matt would just sit there and look utterly bored when we talked; he’d sigh and look at his watch. In the end me and Misha kind of just gave up. Fuck it! I wish we had just hung on there, we could’ve saved Jensen a shitload of pain.”
Misha shook his head in disagreement and the normally quiet man spoke, “I hate to say this, Aldis but I doubt it. By the time Matt turned violent, there was only Kane he couldn’t break away from Jensen and God knows, he tried. Kane’s a stubborn bastard, he just wouldn’t go. Besides, Jensen was ashamed of what was happening to him. As Kane said, Matt was very good at manipulating everyone round him. If he ever got carried away with his little punishments he’d tell people Jensen had a sports injury. He even suggested that Jensen’s mental state was fragile, that he was prone to depression.
He gradually cut off all of Jensen’s escape routes and became even more controlling. Matt even monitored what Jensen ate so he could keep him looking good. According to Matt, Jensen was prone to carrying weight. Actually, it ensured Jensen wouldn’t be strong enough to fight back. If it had come to an honest fight, Jensen would’ve have killed him, but Matt made sure that never happened.
I wanted to understand why he stayed. So, after what happened with Jensen I started helping out at a shelter for victims of domestic abuse. Like I said, shame plays a great part in it. For a woman who is a victim of domestic violence, there is still a stigma like you said. Why stay? But at least there is help if she looks for it.
Now for a man, the counsellor I spoke to....there is sympathy for men who have violent women partners but when I mentioned Jensen’s situation. The impression I got was the general attitude that a gay man in an abusive relationship is on his own; there is no help at all.”
“What the fuck, Misha? You’ve been talking about Jensen to outsiders?” Kane shouted at his friend, angry Jensen had been betrayed.
“I mentioned no names; I needed to understand why someone as intelligent and strong as Jensen would put up with what Matt did to him. Matt systematically destroyed every connection with those who could help him. Constantly telling him he was nothing without him, I don’t think even you could’ve withstood it forever.” Kane looked down at the floor and muttered an apology.
Finally Kane looked up at Jared and said with a smile, “You know what I said about Jensen not being the guy you’ve met? I hate to say it but he’s a lot like you, Jared. He’s a geek.”
Jared’s face lit up with a smile, “So that’s why he said I was the man of his dreams when I told him I owned a comic shop.”
Kane gave a soft smile on hearing that and nodded, “Jensen is a Grade A geek. If you want to know the biggest change Matt made to him it was that. Not only is he a geek, but before Matt came along the guy was a goof. He was funny, pulled stupid faces, did silly voices. He was never one for being the centre of attention, but when you got to know him he had a great sense of humour.
Matt always had a problem with that side of Jensen’s personality; it didn’t fit in with his idea of the perfect partner for a professional man like himself. Every time we appeared we just brought out that side of him. Matt wanted us gone from Jensen’s life and he hated it when Jensen would speak geek.”
Misha interrupted here, “I remember one night they threw a party and Jensen managed to sneak us onto the guest list. Well, the party was in full genteel swing when me and Jensen started talking. We were having a debate on Stargate, and whether the original or Stargate Atlantis was better. It became very involved, as I recall.”
Aldis laughed and joined in, “Involved! Man, by the time you two were finished half the damn room was listening to your debate on the mythology of the show. Misha is very Stargate and Jensen was all for Atlantis. Oh God! Who was it Jensen had the hots for?”
“Oh, that’s easy. It was probably John Shepherd.” Jared said, without thinking, fascinated by this side of Jensen. He didn’t see Kane’s grin.
“Yeah, that’s the dude! Well, like Misha said, they were deep in geek communion when Matt appeared. Jensen didn’t see him arrive. Matt stood, waiting just in his eye line, and everyone was joining in, having a great time. Then Jensen spotted Matt, and it was like someone switched him off, all the light and enthusiasm just died in his eyes. He continued to talk for a little while but it was if a barrier slid down, he managed to get out of the conversation. Then he became the perfect little host after that.
He fetched drinks, barely looked at anyone, kept his conversation to subjects Matt preferred. At the end of the night everyone told Matt they had enjoyed the debate. Hell, it carried onto which were better - the original Star Wars Trilogy or its prequel. Jensen would’ve been brilliant at that, with his passion for all things geek. Damn! I miss that, you know.” When Aldis finished talking, he sounded down.
“Did anything happen to Jensen that night after you guys left?” Jared asked, not really wanting to hear the answer.
Kane looked evasive, Aldis looked at him, “Dude, come on, what happened? Is there something you ain’t told us?”
Kane looked uncomfortable, “I never said anything but that was the night I found out that Matt had gone from just being an asshole to a violent asshole. I noticed the change in Jensen and I wanted to know what the hell was going on. So on one of his drink runs I followed him into the kitchen. Matt was in there with him, and he’d gotten Jensen pressed against the fridge with a death grip on his arms. From the look in Jensen’s eyes I could see it was hurting and Matt was giving him a lecture on his behaviour.
I made a noise and Matt spun away from him as if I’d just tazered the bastard, I just wish I had. Jensen left the kitchen, leaving me and Matt alone. I was very polite to Matt, especially when I smacked him in the gut. Before you all scream at me, I thought it did the trick and for a while Matt left him alone.
Unfortunately, after I punched Matt, I just made him all the more determined to get rid of me. I was just too fucking dumb to realize what I’d done. I thought I’d put an end to Jensen’s problems by stopping Matt that night, and showing him there was someone there for Jensen.” Kane gave a bitter smile as he spoke.
Jared watched the interaction between the three friends; there was more to what happened, he was sure of it. Kane was the key to it. He was the last one to break away from Jensen, and it explained why he was so protective now. He felt guilty but what could’ve made Kane turn his back on his best friend?
Finally, Kane raised his eyes to Jared and gave him a strained smile, his guilt wrapped round him like a cloak, “Ok, Jared. I know it’s killing ya. You want to know how the hell I just upped and left Jensen at the mercy of that bastard. You have to understand a few things first; Matt’s family is very rich and powerful with a hell of a lot of influence. They have a very long reach.
The last time the three of us saw Jensen, I walked right into trap designed to keep him under Matt’s thumb. The bastard played me like a goddamn guitar.” Kane rubbed his hand down his face.
“How the fuck did he manage that?” Jared was alarmed by Kane’s manner; the usually bullish man seemed smaller, tired and defeated. He waited to see if one of the others would take up the story. In the end Kane picked up where he had left off.
“After Matt succeeded in isolating Jensen I was the only one he couldn’t shake. His friendship with me gave Jensen the will to stand up and fight back occasionally. He would do anything to protect me and that was what Matt used against him. Dude, have you got any whisky? Because this ain’t exactly my finest hour I’m about to tell you about.” Kane slumped forward again and Jared moved swiftly in search of more alcohol.
One bottle of Jack and four glasses later, Jared settled down to hear what Kane had to say. It was then he felt a presence by him and sat perched on the arm of his chair was Matt. Jared froze. Damn! This guy’s timing was just fucking perfect; he knew that Kane and Co wouldn’t be intimidated by him like Jensen was. But if he even gave the slightest inkling that Matt was here he would never hear what Kane had to say.
Matt leant towards him, “Oh, I know the story Kane is going to tell. Looks like I arrived just in time. I love this, it may not have been Kane’s finest hour, but it was probably mine with Jensen. It was when I finally broke him. It’s such a shame I’m dead. I would just love some popcorn right about now. Oh, don’t worry about Jensen. By the way, I left him resting on the couch. It’s only a sprained ankle and some heavy bruising. He’s had to function with worse. As I said, he was always such a clumsy boy.” Jared threw back the glass and downed his drink in one go in an attempt not to react to Matt’s taunts.
The men looked surprised as Jared reached for the bottle, “Sorry, but I have a feeling I might need that before you’re done. Go on, Chris, please.” Jared tried not to acknowledge the grinning ghost beside him.
“One night a few months after the party where I exercised Matt’s gut muscles, Jensen calls me out of the blue. Matt, in a moment of benevolence had decided to let Jensen invite the three of us over for a poker night. When we arrived three of Matt’s buddies are there as well. You know the type - all Harvard and Yale. The night is going ok. No one has tried to kill anybody else, when Matt starts bragging about how smart he and his friends are.
We let this go on for a little while and then Aldis suggests a game of skill and intellect. He goes and suggests a game of Trivial Pursuit; yeah, I know, all very nineties. But there was a reason; Jensen is fucking brilliant at it. It got to the point where the three of us would team up against him and still fucking lose. Matt’s friends laugh ‘em selves stupid and agree to it. And what do you know? Matt just happens to have a board, and why the fuck that didn’t set alarm bells off I’ll never know.
Matt suggests we play in teams and he’ll even let Jensen play with us. Like the damn fool I was, I never kept watch over Matt. His friends were assholes and they made the mistake of letting me roll the dice. Or should I say twist the dice. Jensen took off on one his runs, answering something like fifteen questions on the bounce. We just kept on rolling. He was wiping the floor with ‘em, and we, being great friends, kept him distracted so he wasn’t watching Matt as closely as he should. Jensen could read Matt like a book, the slightest change in his expression and Jensen would respond. Like Matt said, very well trained.
We even got Jensen to have a couple of beers. Matt was always very keen Jensen shouldn’t drink too much. Long story short, we won. We’re all celebrating beating the Harvard grads and then I caught Matt’s expression. I thought he’d be angry but he just stood there with this damn self-satisfied smirk on his face. My blood ran cold; there was just something about him. So, while Jensen, Aldis and Misha were doing a victory dance I ‘accidentally’ left my glasses case down the side of the couch. We said our good nights, and went home. At the ass crack of dawn the next day I went back to retrieve my glasses. I even rang ahead to ask permission, but all I got was the answering machine. You know, Jared, how they say- be careful what you wish for? Well, I got what I wished for. I found out what Matt did to Jensen when he got really pissed off........
Kane knocked at the front door, hoping that Jensen and not Matt would answer. He got the surprise of his life when a small Hispanic lady answered the door, “Can I help you?” she asked, looking at him suspiciously.
“Hi there. My name is Christian Kane. I’m a friend of Jensen’s. I was here last night and I left my glasses behind. Would it be alright to come in and get them?” Kane gave the woman his most innocent smile.
“Please come in. I hope you don’t mind searching on your own. I’m just going.” The woman let him into the apartment. Kane searched aimlessly, knowing exactly where his glasses were. He saw the woman leave and with that he went in search of Jensen.
He moved quickly through the apartment and went straight to the master bedroom. Matt had shown him and the guys around not long after Jensen moved in. Matt loved showing off his prized possessions and that included his friend.
There was no sign of Jensen in the master bedroom, and it looked as though the bed hadn’t been slept in. Kane moved quietly down the hallway, opening doors. He stopped outside one where the last time he’d seen it, the room and been bare, apart from storage boxes. He opened the door, not expecting to find anything.
As the door swung open he heard breathing, and the breathing was laboured as if someone was in pain. Kane looked into the room and it felt as if his world had come crashing down. Lying, curled up into a ball was Jensen. He was naked and shivering, covered in bruises and blood. Kane ran into the room without a second thought.
He fell to his knees by Jensen. His hands outstretched above him, not sure where to touch him or even if he should touch him. In the end he placed a gentle hand on Jensen’s shoulder and he cringed away from him, “No...Matt... Please. I’m sorry. I won’t embarrass you again.”
Kane felt rage boiling up inside of him when he heard Jensen’s soft plea for mercy. He gently turned his friend over to look at his face. Kane carefully touched the bruised cheek, and Jensen turned away, his eyes screwed tight, a soft whimper escaping.
Kane couldn’t stand it, “What the fuck did he do to you? That’s it. I’m getting you out of here.” He looked over Jensen’s body and felt sick at the story of violence it told. The bruises where he had been kicked and punched were bad enough, but what were worse were the hand prints, stark and unforgiving in the morning light.
Kane could see his wrists had been gripped tightly enough to see finger marks. That was then he saw the same kind of bruises on Jensen’s hips. It was only when a tear drop splashed down onto Jensen that he even realized he was crying. Jensen moved away, weakly turning over as if he was going to try to stand.
Then Kane finally understood the full horror of what had happened. As he moved, Jensen’s legs parted and Kane saw blood smeared down his thighs. He couldn’t take any more. He gently stroked Jensen’s arm, whispering that everything would be fine - he was here. Then he carefully picked him up, his heart breaking a little more at the sounds of pain Jensen was trying to keep inside.
Kane carried him out of the bedroom and walked towards the door. He wondered if he should just carry him out of there naked, but he couldn’t do that to Jensen, he had been through enough without him adding to the humiliation. Kane took a detour to the master bedroom; he was looking for something to wrap or dress Jensen in.
He gently placed Jensen on the bed and began to wrap him in the comforter to keep him warm when he heard slow hand clapping from the door. He spun round and saw Matt clapping as he leant against the door frame. “Well, well, Christian Kane. I would say, Jensen’s knight in shining armour, but you’re more a different kind of knight, aren’t you? I can’t imagine jeans and leather jackets at Camelot. Now, just what are you doing with my boyfriend, Kane? I told him to stay put in that room until I fetched him.”
Kane stood and looked at Matt; the man was freshly showered and was just wearing a pair of silk pyjama bottoms. He wore the same self-satisfied smirk from the night before. Matt’s smile grew even wider, “I had so much fun last night after you three left. I have to admire how much fight Jensen still has left in him, even after all this time. Well, the fight seemed to drain away after the third time we had sex, but he put up a good struggle the first couple of times. He does like to play rough.”
Kane saw red! His breath hitched and, without warning, he charged at Matt, his fist connecting with his cheek, then came two heavy blows to the ribs. Matt fell to the floor and Kane hauled him to his feet, his hand clamped round his throat. He squeezed slowly; he knew he was leaving marks to match the ones around Jensen’s neck.
Shit! Jensen! He’d forgotten about him. Kane loosened his grip and looked over his shoulder. Jensen’s eyes were flickering. He was coming round; he needed to get him out of there, now. He let go of Matt and as he fell to the floor, Kane walked towards the bed.
He heard laughter from the floor, the bastard was fucking laughing! He looked back and Matt lay on the floor, breathing heavily. “Oh, thank you so much, Kane. I’ve been wondering just how to get rid of you for a long time now, and you’ve just walked right into this.”
“What the fuck are you on about, Matt?” Kane was perplexed as he watched Matt get back to his feet.
Matt grinned and then he raised his hands to show Kane. His knuckles were unmarked even though Jensen was black and blue. He pulled open a drawer and fetched out a pair of leather driving gloves. “You know, Kane, in the next five minutes or so the private security firm that looks after these Condos will arrive, and they will find out that I have been attacked by you. You and Jensen were going to blackmail me by saying I’d attacked him when, in fact, it was you, his lover. You convinced our housekeeper to let you in this morning with a fake story of lost glasses and then attacked me. You then beat and had violent and consensual sex with Jensen to support your story. Haven’t you noticed, Kane? Look at your hands.”
Kane looked down to see his knuckles were split and swollen from hitting Matt, and then he realized he was covered in both Jensen’s and Matt’s blood. Matt was clean, apart from his injuries and because he had worn gloves his hands were unmarked.
“No fucking way! It will never stand up in a court of law. Jensen will testify it was you who did it.” Kane felt terror rising in his gut as Matt walked slowly towards him.
“Oh, don’t be too sure about that. You know how influential my family is. They have lawyers and private eyes who will take your life apart. By the time they are finished with you, not only will you be broke, but I’ll make damn sure you do time. And it will be somewhere where a pretty guy like you will be appreciated.”
Kane reeled back. He couldn’t do that, surely? Matt’s next words were soft, “But I’ll tell you what. If you walk away from Jensen now, never contact him again, you have my word all of this will be forgotten.”
Kane was about to tell him to go fuck himself when a pained voice stopped him, “Kane, just go, man. I don’t want to see you again, just get out of here. This is all your fault.” Kane dropped to his knees when he heard Jensen say that.
“No, Jensen. You don’t mean that. You can’t. Please?” Jensen just shook his head, his eyes filling with tears. Kane took hold of his hand.
“Now come along, you heard my boyfriend. He wants you to leave. If you listen carefully you can hear the sirens approaching.” Matt clapped him on the shoulder in a friendly manner. Kane flinched at the contact. Just as he stood up he felt Jensen’s hand squeeze his. He looked down and he saw the silent apology in green eyes.
Kane let go of his hand and walked to the door. He looked back to see that Matt had knelt by Jensen and watched him tenderly stroke his cheek, “Come along, sweetheart. I’ve run you a bath, let’s get you cleaned up.”
“I watched Matt pick Jensen up and carry him to the bathroom. I ran out of the apartment and I hate to say it but I didn’t contact Jensen again. It damn near killed me to do it, but that look in Jensen’s eyes...I knew he was sending me away to protect me. How the fuck could I make his life worse by getting sent to jail? All I could do was hope he was gonna be alright. Some friend I am, right?
I found out about the accident from the papers, and I had to sit in a fucking waiting room for nearly two weeks before Jensen came out of a coma. You know what the first thing he to me said to was? I’m sorry. The guy puts himself through hell for me, and he says sorry, fucking sorry because he thought he was weak! Can you believe the guy?” Kane stopped talking and looked at the floor, trying to pull himself together
Jared stared at Kane, trying to process what he’d just heard, but instead all he could hear was Matt’s soft voice. “Oh, come on, you have to admit it was brilliant. Kane, the only person Jensen would fight for! I had him as long as I held that over Kane. Jensen did exactly as he was told. And you know what, Jared? He makes the sweetest sounds, you really should hear them. ” Matt stretched back over the armchair, humming happily.
Over on the couch an argument had broken out. It seemed that Misha and Aldis had been unaware of what had happened at the apartment that day. All they knew was that Kane had been told to stay away by Jensen, and now his revelations had started a war. Both men were shouting at Kane, telling him he should’ve told them. He responded by saying “Where the fuck were you two when he needed you?” and the whole atmosphere was becoming tense.
Jared was having his own quiet discussion with Matt, “You bastard! You keep on saying you loved him, but you controlled, beat and then raped him. What kind of love is that? Jared hissed.
“We all love in our different ways, Jared. I just believed in tough love. Jensen knew how he was expected to behave. I never hid that from him. He had to be taught lessons from time to time. I’d say he was a quick study but he had such a stubborn streak. I have to admit I did relish the challenge he presented me. But like I said in the end, he came to my way of thinking. I just had to apply the right leverage, and Kane was that leverage. It’s so wonderful to have such good friends.”
As Matt spoke, Jared saw red. He was unaware that the argument between the three friends was coming to its own conclusion. Kane was getting angrier and angrier trying to explain exactly what Jensen had done.
At the same time both men surged to their feet. Jared glared down at Matt, and Kane glared at his friends.
“Now, come on, Jared. Don’t be like that. Jensen never said no to me so how could it be rape?” Matt’s silky tones chided.
“Oh, let me see. When you take away the option of saying no, that’s just the same as holding him down, you sick fuck.” As Jared was standing, yelling down at Matt, Kane was doing his own shouting.
“You still don’t understand, do you? After what Matt did to him that night he made the decision to send me away for my own protection. He couldn’t stand the thought of me being hurt while I was protecting him. He’s also told me that was when he knew enough was enough. Oh, he became the perfect Stepford boyfriend, alright, but he was planning his escape. He was diverting money and doing everything he could to get ready to run.”
At that, both men stopped shouting. They turned and looked at one another and in unison said “What did you just say?”
Kane was looking at Jared with shock. He managed to recover quickly, “Is he here? Come out where I can see you, you bastard! You leave Jensen afuckinglone! Do you hear me?”
As Kane ranted, Jared turned back to where Matt was sitting, and Jared felt sick to his stomach when he saw a self-satisfied smirk grace his face, “Well, Jared. I have to say I have enjoyed our time together, but I feel I must go and pay Jensen a visit. It seems he has been guilty of deceiving me, and that kind of behaviour must be dealt with. I’ll let myself out.” With that, Matt vanished.
Jared found himself being spun round and he came face to face with Kane, “Why the hell didn’t you tell us he was here! He never knew about Jensen planning to get away. Shit! I only found out after he got out of hospital. I ought to kill you, Padalecki.” Kane shook him and let go.
“Kane, you can kick my ass later. We’ve got to go now.” Jared was heading out of his apartment, and downstairs.
As he ran down the stairs Aldis called out after him, “Dude, what’s the rush?”
Jared opened the front door and looked over his shoulder, “Matt’s going after Jensen."
Chapter4
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(no subject)
Date: 2010-11-13 04:27 am (UTC)sad as it is, you're right about abuse victims
great story!!
(no subject)
Date: 2010-11-13 08:45 pm (UTC)Yes its tragic the way abuse victims are treated, and again thank you for the comment.