Chapter Text
Jensen looked across the deserted parking lot. It had stopped raining, and the wet asphalt shimmered in the light of the lantern. The typical desert smell of rain was in the air. Jensen was almost certain that Fuller wasn't lurking out here. He turned on the radio.
"Do you see Fuller anywhere?" he asked Chris.
"No, no sign of life. Either the guy disappeared earlier, or..."
"I don't like it. I'll ping Steve."
Jensen dialed Steve's code and waited. When nothing happened, he felt an ice-cold clamp wrap around his heart. He dialed the number again. Nothing. He quickly entered Chris' code. "Steve's not answering."
"Maybe he's..."
"We're going in."
"How are you going to do that? Jensen, you know how strong I am, but even I can't break down one of those oak doors, and neither can you."
"I'll get the truck." And off Jensen ran.
The sidewalk was soaked from the rain and Jensen slipped twice, but he managed to catch himself before he fell into the mud. Seconds later he reached the truck and pulled open the door, jumping in, and starting the car.
Jensen put the car in gear and sped down the road. He thought about how many times he had opened the doors to the Rowdy Ranch. They were solid oak. Steering with one hand, he fastened his seat belt with the other.
***
"Drop the bottle, Omega."
Jared was rigid with horror as the knife moved slowly toward his throat.
"Drop it!" Kurt's grip around his wrist tightened. Jared cried out in pain, and the bottle slipped from his grasp.
"Good Omega. I don't want you to cut yourself. You're much more fun alive."
Kurt's words snapped Jared out of his trance. Fun? This man, Kurt Fuller, was going to rape him.
With all his might, Jared rammed his knee between Kurt's thighs.
Cursing, Kurt let go of him and doubled over. Jared knew his parlor was closer than the back door. He could lock himself in there, and if Kurt did manage to get in, Jared would have enough scissors and chemicals to defend himself with.
Jared ran across the dance floor and almost reaching the other side of the hall when a sharp pain pierced his shoulder. He fell down, pain coursing through his entire arm, and realized that Kurt's knife was now stuck in his shoulder.
"That wasn't nice of you, Jared. Nobody runs away from me." Gasping from chasing Jared, Fuller bent over and yanked the knife from Jared’s arm. Jared cried out in pain, noticing that his shirt was getting wet… his blood.
Kurt’s eyes looked insane. This is the Kurt Fuller that Mackenzie saw, Jared thought. I’m so sorry I didn’t believe her.
"You're only making things worse for yourself, Omega." said Kurt hoarsely.
Despite the pain and blood loss, Jared fought back as best he could. With his fingernails, he scratched Kurt's cheek as he tore off Jared's shirt. Kurt's breath smelled of beer, and his gaze was nauseatingly lustful. But the harder Jared struggled, the more excited Kurt seemed to get.
Jared tried to kick him hard between the thighs again. "You can’t be able to get it up if we don't fight back, canyou?"
"Shut your mouth," Kurt hissed, pressing his hand over Jared's shoulde, fingers digging into the open wound. Jared bit his lips and fought against screaming, because he felt that was what Kurt wanted. He wanted Jared to fight back and scream in pain, because that's what turned on this rotten Alpha. Jared would not give him that satisfaction. If Jared's fear gave Kurt a sense of strength, Jared had to show himself as stronger, at least mentally.
"I bet if an Omega fucked you willingly, you’d be impotent, wouldn’tyou?"
"Shut up, bitch," Kurt yelled, pressing his index finger deeper into Jared's wound.
The pain overwhelmed Jared, so he couldn't get a word out and tears welled up in his eyes.
"That's much better, whore," Kurt whispered in victory and bent down to kiss Jared.
Jared spat in his face. Kurt looked at him with a look of contempt that Jared had never seen on a human being. It was pure insanity.
Kurt wrapped his fingers around Jared's neck and squeezed slowly. Jared tried to break free, but the hall started to spin. The music roared in his ears, and the wound pulsated while more blood leaked out. Somewhere in the distance there was a crash, as if a wall was falling down, and then everything went black around him.
***
The force of the truck’s impact against the oak doors distorted itshood, but the seat belt had served Jensen well. His arms felt as if he had been working with a jackhammer all day, his shoulder hurt where the belt cut into the flesh, and his neck was tense. Through the steam shooting out of the radiator, Jensen could see the doors of the Rowdy Ranch had cracked open. They looked like a bomb had hit them. He grabbed his gun from the floor of the passenger seat, which had fallen forward on impact, and tucked it into the back of his waistband.
He tried to get out, but the door was stuck. Only when Jensen threw himself against it with all his body weight did it give way. Chris was already standing next to the car and helped him get out.
"Come on, we have to get in there," he said to Chris.
Splinters of wood tore at Jensen’sclothes and scraped across his skin as he squeezed through the gaping hole in the oak door. But he felt no pain–his thoughts were focused only on what was happening to Jared. It took a few seconds for his eyes to adjust to the dim light. Then he saw Jared lying on the floor at the edge of the dance floor and Kurt on top of him.
Jensen felt dizzy, like his heart was about tostop.
"There he is," called Chris, who had followed him, pointing to Kurt, who was looking in their direction.
"You're checking on Steve, Kurt's mine!" Jensen yelled as he drew his gun.
Kurt jumped up, dropped the knife and tried to run away. Jensen sprinted toward Jared, pointed his gun at Kurt and flicked off the safety. "Stop right there, you son of a bitch."
Jensen registered the blood oozing from under Jared. "Jared? Please don't be dead, oh my God." Jensen knelt down to the motionless Omega. He had to force himself to put his fingers to Jared's pulse. When Jensen felt Jared’s heartbeat, he breathed a sigh of relief. Tenderly, he stroked Jared's cheek, but always had an eye on Kurt.
Slowly, Jared came to. "Jensen?" he whispered weakly.
Jensen could not speak at that moment. With trembling hands, he brushed Jared's hair from his face.
"Steve ... he's in the bathroom."
"Chris is checking on him." Typical Jared, always thinking of others first. Only now did he notice the strangulation marks on Jared's throat. Cold rage rose up inside Jensen.
He fixed Kurt with a stare, and steadied the arm that held the gun.
"You're not going to do anything stupid, are you, cowboy?"
Kurt grinned, but it was more of a grimace as he stared at the barrel of the gun. "Come on, nothing happened."
"Nothing happened?" Jensen's Alpha could no longer contain himself. He jumped up and his lips quivered with anger. "Give me a reason not to kill you here and now. You fucking asshole! You raped my sister, and you were going to rape Jared. What's going on in that sick brain of yours? Tell me why I should let scum like you live?"
"Jensen, please don't do this." Jared's voice was rough. With surprising strength, he tried to sit up.
"Jared, I can't let him get away with this." Jensen's worried eyes looked down. He saw Jared's corpse-pale face, then looked at Kurt again. He had to make sure that motherfucker never hurt anyone again.
"I know how you feel." Jared pleaded with Jensen.“But if you kill him now, it's you who's going to jail."
"I don't care what happens to me," Jensen howled.
"But I do." Jared reached for Jensen's leg. "Jensen, I need you."
Jensen's arm began to shake. "Jared, I..."
"Do it for me, Jensen. Don't let Kurt get away that easily. He'll be convicted, for good this time. And he'll serve his sentence."
Chris appeared on the dance floor. He raised his arms to placate Jensen as well. "Steve's okay. Jensen?"
Jensen glanced at Jared. The Omega's eyes were pained, and blood clung to his ripped shirt. But Jared held Jensen's gaze, hazel eyes pleading with him, and Jensen realized that not only did Jared need him, he needed Jared as well.
"Get him out of my sight, Chris," hissed Jensen between clenched teeth, lowering the gun.
"Nothing better than that, buddy." Chris twisted Kurt's arms behind his back. "Go on, and watch your feet. Would be a shame if you tripped accidently on the way out, wouldn't it ? Oh and Jensen, I notified the police, and also asked for an ambulance. They'll be here any minute."
Jensen nodded to Chris, then dropped his gun to the ground and knelt beside Jared again.
"Is it over?" groaned Jared, the feeling of infinite relief making him tremble, tears of fear and humiliation he had suppressed for so long welling up in his eyes.
"It's over, darling," Jensen said tenderly. He was well aware that he had almost lost the most important thing in his life. But the nightmare was over and nothing would come between him and his Omega ever again.
"I love you," Jensen whispered as he gently but firmly pulled Jared to him. "I love you and I'll never let you go."
"I meant what I said," Jared smiled weakly at him through his teary wet eyes. "I love you and I need you in my life."
"Then please say yes and become my mate?" Jensen asked, tenderly stroking Jared's hair.
Jared reached for Jensen's neck to pull him closer. Just before their lips touched he whispered,
"My heart was yours from the first moment I saw you."
***
Six months later
When Jensen opened the front door, a gaggle of young dogs rushed him. Tails waggling, the pups jumped up at him, making it difficult for him to keep his balance. When he heard a happy laugh through the whines and barks, he looked up.
There, in the living room, was his mate. Jensen had been on the road for two weeks ona new bounty hunter case in Colorado, but it had seemed like an eternity. He found it harder to part with Jared each time he left.
Another puppy jumped up at him. Jensen scratched its head briefly, pushed the little one aside, and then walked toward Jared.
"I see we still have four puppies."
"Considering we once had eight, I feel that's progress."
After a heated discussion one evening, Jensen was able to convince his mate to let Sadie and Igor act out their mating urges. And Jensen was too happy to convince Jared himself afterwards how important it was for them to enjoy their own pleasures as well.
Sadie approached Jensen and greeted him with wet kisses. She snuggled up to him and then went back to her basket where the four lively puppies followed her.
Jensen closed the door, and when he turned around, Jared was standing in front of him with his arms wrapped around his neck. "I'm all sweaty..." protested Jensen weakly.
"As if that would bother me," Jared whispered against his mouth and began to kiss him passionately.
Jared's kiss made Jensen feel like he had returned to paradise, and he wondered how he would ever muster the strength to leave him for a job again.
"Damn, did I miss you," he murmured.
"Even more than last time?"
"A lot more." Gently, he placed his hands on Jared's cheeks and pulled his Omega to him to kiss him again. Then his hands wandered tenderly over Jared's neck, his right hand stroking the mark that forever bound them both together. His palms slid over Jared's collarbones, his chest, until they finally rested on the gentle rounding of his belly. "How are you two doing?"
"Wonderful." Jared smiled.
"Are you sure? If you can't work at the store anymore, we could find someone to work with Kim..."
"Jensen," Jared gave him a warning look.
Jensen sighed. "Please promise me you'll hire someone right away if the work becomes too much for you."
Jared stroked away the small crease between Jensen's brows with his index finger. "I think you and I have already discussed this. Several times, in fact. You know I can take care of myself very well when you're not here."
Jensen ran a hand through his hair. "I wish you weren't so independent, at least then I'd have an excuse to stay with you." Jensen fell silent, swallowed, and widened his eyes in amazement. "I can't believe I admitted that."
Jared chewed on his lower lip as if thinking about something. Then he whispered, "Speaking of confessions. Every time you walk away it tears my heart apart. The only reason I haven’t told you is because I know how important it is to you to be free and unbound."
Jensen groaned and pulled Jared closer to him. He buried his head in Jared's neck, pressing his nose to his bite mark. "Bind me, bind me forever, Jared. Tell me you can't live without me."
"I don't want to live without you anymore. I want you here with me, Jensen, but your work..."
"...is becoming less and less important as I grow to love you more and more. And when the baby comes... I'm going to make a change, Jared. Why shouldn't I take a job as an officer here in Tucson? I've traveled enough in my life." Jensen was amazed at how relieved he felt at the notion.
"I thought you needed the excitement and adventure like you needed the air to breathe," Jared said, his eyes moist.
"I do." Love and desire shone from Jensen's green eyes. "I hold both in my hands."