Telepathic speech

“Good fucking lord, I forgot how much conventions take it out of me,” Steve groaned as he sprawled out on the bed in Jensen, Jared, and Jeff’s room. It was actually ‘Jared’s Room’ and part of a multi-room suite that they’d decided to share with Steve to keep up appearances that they as a trio were just ‘friends’. In public, that’s all they were. It was in private that things became a lot more ‘friendly’.

Jared smirked as he grabbed a beer from the mini-fridge that was sitting in the corner and popped the top off. “And that was just checking in! Wait until we get to your performance and our question panels!” he retorted and Steve groaned even louder as he turned onto his side and curled up into a fetal position.

“Gaia help me…” Steve cursed softly and looked over as a snort answered him.

“Dude, you’re so helpless. And don’t be blasphemous,” Jensen chided as he put his clothes that he’d been wearing into his suitcase after having showered and changed from their trip. He’d changed quite a bit since being inducted into the Elam. His training as both a member of the Elam and as a Finder had made him more confident in himself and in the world around him. His work had gone to a whole new level and Jared had even remarked that he’d had a bit of trouble keeping up. But he was adjusting to his new level of energy and confidence and they’d gotten their rhythm back easily.

“This coming from the noob…” Steve groused good-naturedly before pushing himself up to a sitting position. “I can’t believe how much you’ve changed, man. I told Chris and he still doesn’t believe me. Told him he should’ve accepted coming to this con just to see you,” he added with a grin.

Jensen grinned at the mention of his other good friend while he buttoned his shirt. He still couldn’t believe that Chris was able to walk through walls. “Yea well, we’ll surprise him for his birthday,” he replied and Steve laughed.

“Better get a move on, Jared…we’ve got only forty five minutes until we have to go for the panel,” Jeff suggested as he came back into the room in just a towel as his hair dripped wetly down his shoulders and chest.

“I think I’d rather just lick you clean,” Jared growled appreciatively as he wrapped an arm around Jeff’s chest and nibbled at his neck to prove his words.

“And hurt the fans? Jared…” Jeff teased his lover and grinned before leaning his head back for the kiss that Jared leaned in for. Reaching back, Jeff thwapped Jared on the ass, earning a yelp. “Git!”

“That any way to talk to your superior?” Jared retorted with a pout, but he grabbed his own clothes and scooted into the bathroom quickly as Jensen laughed.

“Swear that boy gets cockier every day,” Jeff grumbled, but his grin was affectionate as it creased his face.

“All ready to face the masses of teenage and middle age hormonal women, Papa Winchester?” Steve taunted Jeff as he stretched back out onto the bed and casually crossed his legs while watching John drop his towel and pull on his clothes.

“Always,” Jeff rumbled and grinned over at Steve before buttoning his own shirt. He chuckled as Jensen flopped onto the bed next to Steve and stretched out. “Don’t you be gettin’ comfortable with that lay about,” he warned his other lover and Jensen laughed.

“Nothing to worry about here…Steve’s been dealing for the opposite team for a while now,” Jensen replied and Steve spluttered and sat up.

“You readin’ me again, boy!?” Steve demanded in embarrassment and Jensen laughed as he slapped his leg. One of the things they’d had to train Jensen in was not to invade people’s thoughts so randomly and carelessly.

But that didn’t mean he couldn’t have *some* fun. “Dude, she’s on your mind all the time! I’m surprised you didn’t call her already to bemoan her lack of presence!” he retorted and snorted with laughter as Steve fidgeted.

“He called her earlier, though I’m not sure who ‘she’ is,” Jeff reported and Jensen roared with laughter as Steve blushed to the tips of his ears.

“It’s Eliza,” Jared stated as he returned to the room and Jensen choked on his laughter as Jeff looked impressed.

“How the hell did you know, Padalecki?!” Steve demanded as he stared at Jared in shock, not even acknowledging his best friend who was cracking up on the bed.

Smiling back serenely as he ran his towel through his hair, Jared winked. “Eliza told me…actually, she asked me for ‘tips’,” he explained and all three men were coughing in shock and laughing as they stared at Jared.

“I’m gonna have to have a talk with that girl,” Steve muttered as he fidgeted.

“Yea, to get her to get more tips from the gay man!” Jensen remarked and rolled off of the bed as he laughed to avoid Steve’s hit. He ran from the room with Steve chasing him as he heard the knock on the door. He ‘pushed’ Steve onto a couch as he went to the door and grinned as Steve cursed at him mentally in retaliation. He turned back to the door and smiled at the obviously nervous young lady that was at the door. “Yes?” he asked politely and noted the nametag that clearly had her as one of the ‘help’.

“M-Mr. Ackles, sir…they’re ready for you and Mr. Padalecki and Mr. Morgan,” she replied and seemed to relax when Jensen threaded a light thought in her mind that she was fine and everything was going to be good.

“That’s great. We’re almost ready here…right boys?” Jensen turned to call into the suite and grinned as a couple of calls floated out before he turned back to the nervous aide. “Just give us a minute, all right?” he suggested and she grinned in relief and nodded before coming in at his invitation.

The door on the other side of the suite opened and Jared came out rolling up his sleeves as Jeff exited from their room. Jensen grinned at the obvious ploy used by Jared using his speed to make it look like that was where he was going to be staying to keep the public from knowing. Jeff smiled warmly at the aide and shook her hand and was followed by Jared before they left the room and headed for the large conference room that was going to be their ‘interrogation room’ for the next two hours.

They met up with Eric, Bob Singer, Kim Manners, and Bob Edlund on the way down to the panel and chatted a bit about what might be asked. Their journey was, thankfully, uneventful and fangirl-mobbing free, though all of them chuckled a bit when Jensen kept looking around warily. Jared even leaned over and whispered, “Ninja Fangirl,” which got them laughing again as Jensen glared at his lover before they were led into the side office to the main conference room. Samantha Ferris and Jim Beaver greeted them along with Fredric Lehne and the discussion resumed as they waited for the MC to go out and introduce them.

Jared moved closer to the door to peek out as he was wont to do when they heard the noise level increase as the audience was admitted. He grinned as he heard a couple of shrieks and laughs before stiffening. He wasn’t the only one as Jeff and Jensen both looked over like they were scenting something, much like animals on their guard. All three of them could sense the presence of a powerful uninitiated Elam out in the audience. A hand on his arm startled Jared out of his focus and he looked over his shoulder and into Eric’s eyes. “Someone shouting?” Eric asked cryptically, but it was a clear message to any of the Elam, which Eric was.

Nodding once, Jared relaxed a bit. If they could, the three Finders would search out and approach the person that radiated such strength. By the look in their boss’ eyes, all three knew that even Eric could feel the power of this one. Jared felt his heart leap in hope. This might be it…they might have finally found the Chosen One!

But before they could even try to discern what to do without letting the ordinary people among them know, it was show time. The MC greeted the crowd, who cheered ecstatically as he announced the beginning of the panel and began introducing the guests. First out was Kim, then Bob Edlund, followed by Bob Singer and Eric. Then, it was time for the stars, so Samantha was called out first, followed quickly by Jim, and Fredric.

Finally, it was their turn. Jared caught the eye of his two lovers as the MC revved the crowd up. Look for the person, but remember…we’re heard, not seen. The other two nodded and Jared grinned proudly at his lovers before he was called out. He went onstage and his eyes swept the crowd as he waved and beamed at his fans. He really did love his fans. Their enthusiasm and complete adoration had led to their show being renewed another season. That, and the gifts they sent were absolutely *awesome*!

He felt a bit of disappointment that he hadn’t found the source as he sat down next to Fredric, but he knew that Jensen and Jeff would keep an eye out as well. If they were lucky, which they tended to be, the person would stand up to ask a question or they would meet them at the autograph signing later in the day. He grinned at Jensen as he sat down next to him, though Jensen’s eyes showed that he’d been unsuccessful as well. However, Jeff’s eyes were filled with excitement and a picture of a young somewhat overweight woman that was about Jensen’s age at the front and to the right of their position flashed through their minds. She was laughing and looked absolutely ecstatic at being able to see them and it touched their hearts in more ways than one.

Finally, as Jeff got settled and miked, the MC started the panel with some questions about the rest of season three and how the odds looked for a season four. Eric answered a lot with some add-ins by Bob Singer and cheers from the crowd, but Jared didn’t pay as much attention as he knew he should as he kept trying to see out into the crowd for the girl. Just as he’d finally got a glimpse of her talking to what looked like one of her friends, the panel was opened up for questions from the audience. The girl’s hand went up along with several others and Jared was half tempted to get Jensen to ‘suggest’ to the MC to call on her, but he got a look from Jeff in warning, so he kept his mouth shut as the first questions were asked.

Luck was with them as she was called on later into the questioning and she stood up with a happy smile. Jared couldn’t help the smile that came over him and he noticed that Jeff, Jensen, and Eric were the same as the girl’s warmth and happiness seemed to radiate towards them. She took the mic and giggled at the comment from one of her friends before refocusing. “Hey! I’m from Wisconsin and-” She stopped as a bunch of cheers went up and she giggled again before continuing. “I have a question for Mr. Kripke.”

“Shoot! I’m all ears!” Eric answered with a grin and they all laughed lightly as she grinned.

“What do you have against Wisconsin!” she asked and giggled as they all laughed and Jared clapped his hands in amusement. “I mean, so many monsters in Wisconsin…are you trying to tell us something?” she added with a waggle of her eyebrows.

“Well, yes…there are lots of supernatural things there. Nah, just kidding!” Eric replied as everyone laughed. He cleared his throat as Jeff muttered something about it being strange with the hicks, which she giggled to. “No, actually, I don’t know why exactly. I think it’s because, if you think in spiritual ley lines and environmental set-ups, Wisconsin is rather ideal. Lots of forests and lakes as well as an unusually high energy level. I mean…you guys are so nice! There’s got to be something supernatural about people being so nice at their football games!” he finally said and the crowd erupted with laughter and she snickered.

“Oh, and one more question for the actors. What was the best gift from your fans that you got?” she asked and bit her lip, which Jared found himself focusing on almost instantly. It was the most adorable thing he’d ever seen and he glanced over to see a fond grin on Jensen and Jeff’s faces as well.

He glanced over as Samantha spoke up, mentioning a candy gram that someone had sent her one year when she’d first come on as Ellen. Jim then remarked about the set of different baseball caps from a fan that he’d gotten just recently and a group of girls cheered in the back, indicating that they were the ones who’d given him such a gift. Fredric was a bit more demure and mentioned that he couldn’t pick any one gift and that he liked them all.

Then, it was Jared’s turn. He fingered his lip as his eyes flicked to the girl as he thought over his gifts and suddenly it was so easy. “These awesome meditation balls that I got just at the end of second season from a girl that is a massage therapist. I absolutely love them!” he declared and she laughed and jumped up and down as she pointed at herself. “You sent them!? Oh that’s awesome!!” he cried in excitement. Not only did they have a name now, but an even bigger connection to her!

Jensen grinned as Jeff turned towards him and Jared. “You got that? Man, I’m jealous!” he growled and the audience laughed.

Leaning forward a bit, Jensen winked at the girl. “I agree with my co-star on his choice. Those massage balls have kept me from killing Jared multiple times,” he stated and grinned as Jared gaped and huffed at him and the crowd laughed.

Jeff chuckled as he shook his head, and then held a hand up as if to block them. “My favorite gift was an art set about two years ago. To this day, I still use them,” he offered and the audience ‘aww’ed and applauded as he grinned.

Satisfied, the girl sat down, not even seeming to notice the focus of four of the guests as she giggled with her friends and hi-fived them. The panel seemed to fly by and yet crept by at the same time for Jared and he knew that his lovers were just as anxious for things to be done so that they could go to the girl and talk to her. Jared racked his brain as he tried to remember if he still had her business card, but was afraid that he’d lost it or even, unthinkably, tossed it away. He nudged Jensen at one point on it and was dismayed to find the same fear in his lover. Well, he hoped that she would be able to come and get an autograph, for then he’d be sure to get her name and address. And to touch her…he had this almost overwhelming need to touch her.

It was odd though. He would never in his life have gone for a girl like her. He could tell vaguely that she was pretty, but she wasn’t slender and drop dead gorgeous like the other girls he’d once dated. He could tell his lovers felt the same way and was perplexed by it. Still, he didn’t question it. For their people, size and beauty didn’t matter when they could control that on their own. But it still surprised him somewhat with how carefree she seemed to be. It was like she truly didn’t know how special she really was.

Finally, the panel ended and they were escorted off of the stage as the fans were let out. They were shown back to their rooms since there was going to be another hour before they had to go sign autographs, for which Jared was grateful. Once in their room, Jared let out a whoop of excitement, startling Steve, who was looking out the window.

“What is it?! What happened?!” Steve demanded as he whirled around and glared at them as he got only large grins as an answer. “What is it?” he repeated and Jensen laughed before flopping onto one of the couches.

“We found her! We found the Chosen One!” Jared declared with a laugh of delight and gave a thumbs-up as Steve’s jaw dropped.

“She?! And you…you’re sure!? You found her?!” Steve asked excitedly as he went over, eyes wide with hope.

“Definitely a she and almost positively the One,” Jeff confirmed as he sank into his chair and watched Jared pace with barely contained energy.

“How?! Who?! Where?! Dude, give me fuckin’ details!” Steve ordered as he sat down and slapped at Jensen’s boot.

“Not sure on the ‘who’, but she’s a fan and she was at the panel! She’s from Wisconsin, that’s as far as we know…oh wait. She sent us those really cool massage balls last season,” Jensen answered dutifully before grinning widely. “She’s got the most amazing smile and the cutest giggle and I swear her eyes were so warm and kind…” he added dreamily and Steve laughed as he shook his head.

“What, are you mooning over her?” he asked teasingly, and then stopped as he saw the completely star struck looks that were on their faces. “All three of you!? Jesus, what the hell!”

“Dude, you would feel the same way…actually, I *know* you will when you see her. I bet she’ll be at the concert,” Jared replied urgently as he finally sat down, though he immediately started tapping his knee.

Smirking, Steve slapped Jensen’s boot again. “So, more reason for you to come and perform with me!” he stated and Jensen groaned.

“Yea come on, Jen! I mean…you’ve got an awesome voice and the fans adore it!” Jared wheedled and grinned as Jensen glared at him.

“Dude, I don’t like doing it in public,” Jensen retorted as he covered his face with his arm.

“But if you’re up there, you’ll prolly be able to get a good view of her and maybe even have a reason to talk to her,” Jeff pointed out before Jared could and grinned as Jared smirked.

With a heavy sigh, Jensen pouted before nodding. “Fine, fine…I’ll do it. But you guys owe me!” he said as he glared at them.