Chapter Text
The cool fall evening air nipped against his cheeks; hunching his shoulders he hitched his jacket collar up to block the wind from his neck. He legs ached but he kept walking, stopping meant his back would spasm and there would be no sleeping tonight. If he didn’t walk until he was exhausted he wouldn’t be able to sleep without taking a sleeping pill along with his pain medication. Jared hated the way taking the medication made him the next morning. Like his brain was swimming through pea soup.
He made his way down main street toward Singer’s the one all night diner in Winchester County. It was a fairly busy place located on the edge of town just off the interstate. Pushing the door open he walked in, his limp more pronounced then when he started to walk. Taking a seat in a far booth he waited for Sam to bring him his usual.
“Here yah go handsome. Still have a slice of apple left if you’re interested.” Sam was always trying to feed him. “Big strapping young man like you needs a good meal Jared Padalecki.” Sam would said putting her hands on her curvy hips.
Usually Jared would give in and have a sandwich but tonight he just wanted coffee to fight off the chill before heading back to his room. “Not tonight Sam.” Sam reached out stroking his face.
“Not a good night?” Jared gave her a weak smile. “Not so bad, not so good yah know.” Sam brushed a lock of dark brown hair from his forehead pressing a motherly kiss there. “That I do baby. That I do.” Sam walked back behind the counter.
Jared Padalecki had once been an undercover agent for the ATF. He had a wife, Sandy and two small children, Thomas age four and Aimee age two. He had everything he ever dreamed of. It was all taken away from him in a car bomb blast. The bomb was retribution for the sting that put a radical Aryan Nation leader in prison for 150 years.
Jared and his family were getting ready to go to Sunday brunch at his mothers. Sandy and the kids were in the truck Jared had put the key in the ignition when he remembered his Dad wanted to borrow his electric sander. He hopped out and was about ten feet from the truck when Sandy turned the truck on, so Aimee could hear the music. The blast threw Jared 20 feet into his neighbor’s yard. Jared woke up three weeks later in the hospital’s Intensive Care Burn Unit to find out his wife and children were dead.
It took a year and a half of rehab for Jared to be able to walk without crutches or a cane. He had a steel plate in his left leg, a rod in his spine, burn scars mapping his back and his legs. His mother and father had wanted him to come home to San Antonio, live with family. Jared couldn’t, he wasn’t the son they raised anymore, the smiling kid brother, the teasing older brother. He was damaged in a way that could never be repaired. Damaged in a way they could never understand no matter how much they loved him.
Winchester County sheriff Jensen Ackles pulled his SUV into the parking lot of Singer’s. He was heading home for the night when he remembered the only thing he had to eat in his refrigerator was leftover Chinese from the weekend before and a bottle of tomato juice. His mama would be appalled but Jensen hated grocery shopping and his deputy Christian Kane and his lover Steve Carlson were out of town so he couldn’t go mooch food off them.
Jensen walked in the diner. “Hey Sammy how is the sexiest girl in Winchester doing this evening.” Jensen smiled his emerald gold eyes twinkling.
“Steve and Chris must still be in Oklahoma if you’re here this late flirting Jensen Ross Ackles. You know Bakers grocery will deliver if you call them with an order.” Sam scolded with a smirk.
Jared watched with a little awe as the sheriff blushed. He had only met the man in passing a few times since moving to Winchester. Jensen Ackles was a very unique man to say the least. Ackles wasn’t just a handsome man he was beautiful like Michelangelo’s David with emerald green eyes and freckles. He had served in the Iraq war as a long range sniper in the Marines. He was the youngest sheriff ever elected in the county and the only openly homosexual one ever elected in the state.
Winchester County had a rampant Meth problem when Ackles was elected. In his first year he closed down every lab in the county. By the end of his first term no one in the county cared that he was gay or that his one of his deputies was gay and half Cherokee. The people of Winchester County cared that the crime that had been moving in had stopped. There was still the occasional bar fight at Black Rock Bar, truckers mixing it up with some locals. High school kids underage drinking. But for the most part Winchester was quiet again thanks to Sheriff Ackles.
“Yeah I know Sammy. But I’d still have to cook what they delivered. A pot of black coffee is about all I can handle without burning the house down.”
Jared rubbed his throbbing thigh that was telling him it was about time to get heading back to his room. Taking the last few sips of his coffee Jared threw a couple dollars on the table and slowly slid out of the booth. He was almost to the door when a big burly trucker came charging in plowing into him. Jared unable to move out of the way was sent falling into an empty table. He caught himself causing his back to spasm sending pain like shards of broken glass splintering through his body.
“Out of the way gimp.” The trucker growl stomping passed Jared toward the restrooms.
Sam rushed around the counter to help Jared right himself. “Didn’t your mama teach you any manners?” Sam snapped at the trucker who scowled. “He should watch where he’s walking. I have to piss.” The truck stomped toward the restroom.
Jensen got up standing in the man’s way. “You do your business, apologize to the lady and then you leave.” The man glared at him when he tried to push passed him, Jensen stood his ground pushing the man back. “That wasn’t a request.” With a nod Jensen let the man pass then moved to help Sam with Jared.
Sam got Jared into a chair. His face was pale as a sheet, sweat broke out running down his neck. He looked about one minute from his eyes rolling in the back of his head and passing out. Jensen squatted down so he could look at Jared. “You need me to take you to Doc Morgan?”
“NO! Jesus. Just give me a minute.” Jared growled through clenched teeth.
Jensen could see the raw pain in Jared’s fox like hazel eyes. He knew the only thing keeping the younger man from passing out from the pain was stubbornness. Foolish male pig headedness as his grandma called it. Jensen put his hand on Jared’s clenched fist. “Take all the time you need. Sam can I get my order to go? When the big guy here is ready to go I’ll run him home.”
Jared glared “I can walk home myself sheriff. I may be a gimp, but I am not an invalid.”
“Never said you were handsome.” Jensen said turning to the trucker who had emerged from the bathroom. “Forgetting something?”
“Sorry.” Trucker snapped stomping out.
Sam handed Jensen his order. “That hot tub of yours up and running Jensen? I’m sure that would be great after a long day.” Sam said her meaning clear. Jensen had a hot tub and Jared’s battered body could use a good soak.
“Yes it is.” Jensen looked at Jared. “It fits 8. I’d say me and one grumpy Sasquatch should fit nicely.” He gave Jared a teasing wink.
“Not going.” Jared started but was distracted by Sam sticking her hands into his jacket pockets, then his shirt pocket. “Sam! Stop feeling me up!” Sam fished for his room keys and his bottle of Demerol handing both to the Sheriff. “Hey! Give those back. I have a prescription for that.”
Jensen eyed the label and the date it was last filled noting that the bottle was still pretty full. “I can see that Jared Pada?” “It’s Padalecki.” Jared said with a glare. “Jared Padalecki. Give me my stuff so I can start home Sheriff.”
Jensen stood up tucking Jared’s key and medicine in his shirt pocket putting his hand out for Jared to take. “See you didn’t say please so I am not too inclined to comply with your demand. Now how about we get out of here. There’s a hot tub with our names on it.”
Giving the cocky, handsome sheriff his best ‘don’t fuck with me’ glare Jared took Jensen’s offered hand. Once he was on his feet Jared dropped Jensen’s hand like it burned him. Moving slowly he stepped around the sheriff toward the door. He had no intention of going anywhere but back to his room. He could get a spare key from the old lady he was renting from and Jared had more pain killers in his room. He had enough feel good pills to make the everyone from Dallas to San Antonio feel no pain and in enough varieties to make Jared every junkies best buddy.
Following the limping giant out of the diner Jensen tried not to stare at the fit of Jared’s jeans over his compact ass. Shaking his head Jensen almost laughed as Jared marched passed his SUV. The man was stubborn, he would give him that. But Jensen had spent most of his life dealing with the most stubborn pig headed man walking the planet his best friend and deputy Christian Kane. Jensen could handle one cranky Sasquatch. “Padalecki! Don’t make me arrest you.”
Jared stopped turning around. “For what? I learned a long time ago not to get into cars with strange men and I am not gay. I am not looking to experiment with being gay, no matter how pretty you are sheriff.”
A big grin split Jensen’s face. “Well damn. There goes my plans for the night. Seducing you to the dark side using the lure of my hot tub and curly eyelashes. Now I guess we will have to soak in the hot tub and talk about manly things like football and shit. Seriously I have a huge log house with 5 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms and a hot tub that sits 8. All I am offering is just a soak and a empty guestroom with a king size bed in it.”
A king size bed, a chance to sleep in a bed big enough for his 6’6” frame sounded good to Jared. “Yeah ok. Just for the night. I don’t need charity.”
“Wow suspicious much. Just so we are clear. I don’t do charity. We have the good sisters of Christ Out Reach for that. Believe it or not I am just offering a friendship of the platonic nature.”
TBC