‘thoughts’

Telepathic speech

'Animal speech'

Grinning as he watched Sadie, Harley, and Bisou run through the snow, Jared trudged alongside his lovers in the snow banks towards Eden. It was a couple of days before New Year’s and they were going to visit with Evie since her family was spending time away from Eden to keep her safe, though she didn’t know it. He smirked over at his lovers, excited that they were going to see her and they grinned back. They had all gotten a text from her in thanks, but they all knew that she had more than loved their gifts to her.

The dogs’ suddenly joyful barking broke through Jared’s thoughts and he looked over along with Jensen and Jeff to see them running as fast as they could towards a cloaked figure that was strolling along the main pathway of Eden. All three of them felt their hearts leap as they saw Evie’s happy smile as she knelt to meet the dogs, hugging them as they licked and jumped at her ecstatically. She laughed and hugged them, petting them as she whispered to them and the three men picked up their pace to get to her. She smiled up at them as she pet the dogs briskly and stood up as they arrived. To their shock, she hugged them each. “Thank you,” she whispered to them and smiled sweetly at them as she stepped back. She grinned as the dogs nudged her. “Welcome back…did you have good Christmases?” she asked as she started walking with them back towards Eden.

They told her about their Christmases and she was laughing with them at the funny parts and smiling fondly at their more tender moments. They soon arrived at their home and she grinned at them. “I’ll see you guys around, I suppose. Try not to get into any trouble,” she teased them and it heartened them to see her so carefree. According to Robert’s call earlier that week, she’d been welcomed more often by their fellow Elam and she was all but glowing with the acceptance. She left them before they could invite her inside to hang out and they watched her go to her home nearby.

Jared glanced at his lovers with a wide grin. “Now I *know* why she is the Chosen One,” he declared softly and they nodded in agreement.

“C’mon…let’s get in and have some hot cocoa. I’m freezin’ my ass off here!” Jensen stated as he took the stairs two at a time and got inside as Jeff and Jared laughed at him. The dogs ran up eagerly as well and sniffed around as they put away their luggage and relaxed for a bit, watching a game of football for a while. They didn’t have to be back for any filming until mid-January, so they were going to enjoy their time off.

As it got closer to evening, Jared got up and grinned at the other two. “I’m going to take a walk,” he said as he slipped on his thick coat.

“You mean visit Evie,” Jensen retorted with a leer.

Waving his hand, Jared rolled his eyes. “You’re not *always* going to be right, ya know,” he responded and Jensen snorted in amusement as he snuggled into Jeff’s side and returned his attention to the game.

“Give her hugs from us and if she asks, we’re not going to constantly bombard her with all three of our sexy selves,” Jensen remarked lazily and Jeff and Jared laughed at that.

“Later!” Jared called out and then trotted down the steps with Harley and Sadie right alongside him. As soon as they hit the bottom, the two dogs were off like a shot, racing down the pathway towards Evie’s house before bounding back impatiently and then taking off again as Jared strolled along behind them. Jared arrived at Evie’s house and noted that the lights on the inside were off except for the Christmas lights, so he walked up and knocked. He felt a brush on his mind and grinned as the door swung open.

“S’open, Mr. Padalecki! Come on in and leave your boots at the door!” Evie’s voice floated out from the hall and Jared grinned.

“I’m going to get you to call me Jared soon enough!” Jared remarked as he toed off his boots and let the dogs sniff their way inside. She laughed at him and he could hear her greeting Sadie and Harley. She shrieked and cursed suddenly and Jared felt his heart hammer in alarm as he felt her panic, so he ran down the hall. “Evie! Wha-Whoa!” he cried and barely scrambled out of the way as three puffy furballs scrabbled out of the room and darted towards the master bedroom, followed by two excited dogs. “Sadie! Harley no!” he shouted as he ran after them, followed quickly by Evie.

“Oh please don’t fight! You can be friends!” Evie sobbed out and Jared barely had time to look at her before she was diving for Harley and Sadie with him. They grabbed the dogs and forced them back as the three terrified cats hissed and growled from their perch on top of the wardrobe. “Dusty! Jessie! Angel! Come down! It’s ok! Sadie and Harley are friends! They’re Mr. Padalecki’s dogs and won’t harm you!”

'They big! Evie, they attack!'

Jared tried to figure out which one of the puffed up cats had replied as he tried to calm down his own dogs. Evie stood up on her tiptoes as she reached for the nearest. “No, Angel…no my baby boy. Sadie and Harley want to be your friends! Come on…come on down…come on,” she pleaded and Jared noticed the blood that was trickling down her arm little by little from several scratches that looked pretty deep. Slowly, the three cats calmed down, but they still growled as they jumped down to the bed and instantly ran to the pillows, as far away from the whining, eager dogs as possible.

“Ok you two…go over there real slow and you five just…sniff or whatever. No licking and no naughty stuff, all right?” Jared told his two dogs gruffly and they whined and nodded before going over slowly to the bed and putting their heads on the pillows, watching the three very wary cats with wide innocent eyes as their tails wagged encouragingly.

Evie went to Jared and plopped down next to him as she sighed. “Oh man, I forgot how they get with dogs…” she muttered as she looked at her injuries.

Jared took her hand into his and examined the wounds. “Man, that’s deep…want me to get Jeff?” he asked lowly as she reached for a Kleenex while they kept an eye on the cautious pets.

“Nah…I’ve got some cream that I can put on it. We don’t have to trouble Mr. Morgan,” she answered as she pressed the Kleenex on the cuts and wiped away the blood before sucking on the scratch near the joint of her thumb. She looked over again and smiled as she saw that Sadie was being cleaned along her head by Dusty and looked very sleepy and happy. “All right you guys…we’re going into the living room. Coming?” she said as she stood up and offered a hand to Jared. The dogs barked and ran off towards the room around them and the cats jumped down and sauntered out.

Grinning, Jared took her hand and stood up with her help and ended up wrapping his arm around her waist as she wobbled a bit unsteadily. “Hey…you sure you’re ok?” he asked softly as he held her hand close to his chest.

“I’m fine…it’s called ‘compensation for a big guy using me as a pulley system’,” Evie retorted with a wide grin and Jared laughed before letting her lead him out to the living room. “I’m got some chai going…want some?” she asked as she went into the kitchen to get the cream she had talked about and to turn off the whistling teapot.

“Sure, thanks!” Jared replied as he sat down in the plush sofa near the fire. He sighed dreamily as he watched the animals stretch out in front of the fireplace to soak up the heat that was radiating from the stones. He looked up when a mug was put in front of his face and grinned at Evie as he took the mug. “Thanks.”

“No prob,” she answered as she sat with one leg curled under her and her body facing him while she sipped on her chai. Her hands glistened with the cream she’d put on the scratches and he could see that they were clotting already. She looked at him and grinned as she held up her hand. “See? It’s oooook, Mr. Padalecki,” she stated teasingly and he laughed as he took her hand.

“Amazing stuff you’ve got…what is it?” he asked as he examined her wounds.

“Neosporen,” she answered and he laughed again as she grinned at him and took another careful sip of her hot drink. She nudged him with her foot and he turned more towards her. “So care to tell me why you’re visiting?” she asked with a smirk and he grinned self-consciously.

“Just…wanted to see you. That’s all,” he replied and peeked up at her through his hair.

“Duty?” she retorted and he rolled his eyes as he smirked.

“I know Phil told you that we are your Guardians and such, but we also have minds,” he responded sarcastically and she grinned into her cup.

“Really now? Up or down?” she inquired lightly and he snorted as he shook his head. She shrugged and smiled somewhat. “Eh, doesn’t matter. Packers aren’t playing today, so I’m kinda bored,” she added and winked at him. “I got all of my other stuff done, so I was just reading online.”

“Reading what?” Jared asked automatically and then blinked as she grinned wickedly. He felt warmth curl in his belly at the look and had a serious desire to see that look in a more sensual setting. He flushed and took a hasty drink of his chai, then spluttered as he burned his tongue.

“Oh you dork! What’d you do that for?!” Evie cried as she put her mug aside and grabbed his before he spilled on himself, then raced to the kitchen. She returned with a rag that was holding some ice. “Here…oh are you ok?” she asked as she sat down near him and gave him the rag.

“S’fine,” Jared managed before putting the ice on his tongue. He felt like such an idiot for doing that! He closed his eyes then opened them as a light hand cupped his cheek. His eyes met hers and she smiled at him.

“M’sorry…this was my fault somehow, wasn’t it?” she whispered and let her hand drop.

“No!” Jared retorted almost immediately and grabbed her hand, making her look up at him. “No…I wasn’t paying attention to what I was doing,” he explained quietly and squeezed her hand reassuringly. He didn’t mention that it had been his naughty turn of thoughts that had made him so distracted. He was humiliated enough, thanks.

“You sure you’re going to be ok?” Evie asked softly as she took the rag that he handed back to her after sucking the ice into his mouth.

“You know burned tongues…they take forever to heal,” Jared answered self-deprecatingly.

She grinned naughtily at him and he almost choked at the arousal that shot through him. “You could always have Mr. Morgan heal it...thoroughly,” she commented and he nearly gagged on his ice as she giggled and ran to the kitchen.

“You little snot!” he managed and chased after her. She shrieked and laughed as she dodged away from him, but he wrapped a long arm around her waist and lifted her up, making her shriek again and giggle as she wriggled, trying to get free. She batted at him and kicked the air helplessly, but they were both laughing so hard that they didn’t go very far.

“Let me down, you Sasquatch!” she cried as she giggled and he laughed as he spun her a bit. Finally she managed to wriggle free and dashed back to the living room as he chased her. She cried out as he grabbed her and they fell to the ground when he tripped as she spun to face him. He landed on top of her and they both grunted. “Oooh that didn’t feel good…”

“You ok?” Jared asked gruffly as he pushed himself up a bit and stared down at her in concern and tried not to note how close they were. Their faces were inches apart and they were flushed, sweaty, and panting with their recent play.

“You try and be ok when a six foot four inch gigantor hunk lands on you,” Evie retorted and grinned as he huffed a laugh and shook his head. She pushed at his broad shoulders. “C’mon…get up. You’re heavy,” she growled and he grinned as he settled himself closer to her.

“Not till you say my name,” he murmured and felt triumph as she flushed a deep red.

“M-Mr. P-Padalecki-” she started but he stopped her with a finger on her lips.

“It’s…Jared,” he whispered as he stared at her intently and she swallowed hard. He watched the movement, intense longing shooting through him as her pale skin flushed. His eyes returned to her gaze and he grinned as he removed his finger.

“J-Jared…please…get off of me,” Evie requested shakily as she pushed at his chest feebly. She bit her lip as he shifted to rest an arm above her head, placing their faces just mere inches apart. “J-Jared?”

“What is it about you that makes me just want to worship you?” Jared whispered suddenly as their breaths matched in speed while he studied her face. “You’re so sweet and funny and have the most beautiful smile I’ve ever seen. From the moment I saw you, I wanted you and it hurts so much being away from you.” He ran his fingers through her bangs slowly, intimately as he brought his gaze to hers.

“Don’t say stuff you don’t mean,” she whispered weakly and he flashed a grin as he looked down at her mouth.

“I never do,” he responded and felt her shiver as his lips brushed over hers. She didn’t respond as he tested the waters, brushing his lips ever more boldly over hers as she stayed still under him. He deepened it just a bit as she sighed and suddenly he was kissing her hungrily as she responded finally. She pressed up into him and moaned as their mouths molded together and parted, sharing their breaths as well as their touches as they kissed. He flicked his tongue out and groaned as she answered eagerly with a surge of her tongue against his. He ran his other hand down her side as he shifted his body up to deepen their kiss and cupped the back of her head. He felt his heart flutter to a stop at her moan.

But it didn’t last as she broke the kiss and pushed at him, whimpering. “Off...off!” she cried with a sob and he leaned back in shock and could only watch as she scrambled free from him. She stood up shakily and took a few frantic breaths. “I-I think you should go,” she finally said as she kept her back to him.

“What?” Jared asked in surprise as he stood up. He reached for her, but she twisted from him and looked up at him tearfully. “Evie...what is it?” he insisted as he moved closer to her.

“We can’t do this, Jared! You’re with Jensen and Jeff and...how can you even *think* of doing this when you’re with them!?” Evie demanded with a sob before ducking under and around him as she went to the kitchen.

Stunned, Jared looked after her, and then followed her quickly. “It isn’t what you think! Evie, don’t you feel something with us? With me?” he asked as he went into the kitchen as she filled a glass with water. He watched her sip shakily from the glass and reached for her again.

“What is it then, Mr. Padalecki?” Evie asked flatly before looking up at him as she wrapped an arm around her waist. When he didn’t answer, she bit her lip. “I promised myself a long time ago that no matter how desperate I might get, I’d never *ever* help someone to cheat on their significant other.”

Shocked, Jared stared at her. Cheat? Did she think...no! He wasn’t cheating on them! He had just wanted to show her a good time! As the thought passed through his mind, he watched in confusion, then dawning horror as her face paled and the glass dropped from her hand to shatter at their feet. He wasn’t sure how, but she’d heard his thoughts even with the shield he, like all the Elam, kept around his thoughts. He reached for her, but she slapped his hand away as a stony mask fell over her face so fast he almost didn’t see it.

“Get...out,” she gritted out as she trembled and pointed a shaking finger at the door. “Get out...now.”

“Evie wait...you’ve got it-”

“I don’t *care*!” she shrieked at him and Jared almost rocked back at the maelstrom of emotions that suddenly flooded over him. “Get out now!” she cried and the door slammed open. Jared found himself propelled back and over the balcony edge only to land softly on the snowy ground. His coat and boots landed next to him and the dogs yelped as they ran down the stairs, eyes wide with shock and hurt confusion as the door slammed shut.

Looking up in a daze, Jared could only stare as all of the emotion that had been overwhelming him suddenly cut off as a wall so thick fell between her and him. It felt like a part of him had been ripped out and he knew then that he had hurt her worse than any of the others there in Eden could possibly have. He put on his boots shakily and stood up, but wavered as a hurt sounding noise left him. He sank to his knees and curled up in the snow as he cried, heart aching with remorse and horror for what he had done so unintentionally.  He didn’t react when Sadie and Harley nudged him and whined, but the gentle hand on his face got through to him. He looked up into Jensen’s pale face and felt even more horrid for being the cause of it. He knew that his lovers would also feel the break between Evie and them and it was his fault.

He let Jeff wrap his coat around him and stood up with their help, but even still, he leaned into their holds as they went back to their home. It was not a minute later when there was a knock on the door and a very grim looking Robert came into their house. He gazed at Jared steadily before finally saying the words that Jared didn’t want to hear ever.

TBC