Your Strength

Jared could see the slow leak of grief, anger, astonishment, and many other emotions wash across Jensen’s face as Chris spoke, and Jared’s heart hammered. Charlie was dead. Jared couldn’t say he wasn’t happy—or, rather, relieved. However, how in the world Danny was being tried for murder was beyond him.

“Jensen, I think you need to come home,” Chris said across the telephone line and Jared could see the gears turning in Jensen’s head, the far-off look in his eyes that signaled he was hardly listening.

“Yeah, Chris, we’ll jump on the earliest flight out,” Jared jumped in, which made Jensen startle from his reverie.

“Jared, I hate to take you away from seeing your family,” Jensen told him softly.

“I saw them just a couple of months ago, they’ll be fine,” Jared shrugged honestly. “It’s fine. I’m not going to leave you alone to deal with this.”

“Thanks, Jay,” Chris grumbled.

“Okay, you’d be in good hands with Chris, of course,” Jared amended. “But Danny’s my friend too. I want to be there for all of you.”

“Okay,” Jensen finally agreed. “We’ll catch a red eye out of here tonight. Does Danny’s bail need to be posted? I can wire you some cash?”

“No, we’re good,” Chris shook his head. “Luckily, Chad, weirdly enough, has some legal connections and we got a quickie trial for bail.”

“Yeah, Chad’s father’s side of the family are all lawyers,” Jared nodded. “But I’m surprised even they could get a judge to try someone on Christmas Eve.”

“Yeah, it’s kind of scary to think of Chad with that kind of leverage,” Chris agreed. “Anyway, they’re releasing her now. Luckily, she only spent a few hours there, we’re driving to pick her up now.”

“Good,” Jensen said quietly, the far off look in his eyes again. Jared couldn’t quite place the look, but it was worrisome.

“We’ll call you when we get a flight and give you the information, Chris,” Jared chimed in.

“Alright, good,” Chris said. “This is all so crazy. Shit hit the fan real quick.”

“Yeah, no kidding,” Jared nodded. “Talk to you later.”

“Talk to you later,” Chris agreed, hanging up.

“Alright, let’s pack our stuff,” Jared prompted Jensen who seemingly startled again and jumped from the bed.

“Do you mind packing for me? I have to go tell my parents what’s going on,” Jensen frowned deeply.

“Yeah, no problem,” Jared agreed instantly.

Jensen left and Jared starting quickly folding and stuffing their clothes into their bags. He was about finished when Jensen returned, his mother trailing him with tears in her eyes.

“Poor Danny, sitting in a cold cell all alone,” she lamented, a sob clearly caught in her throat. “That awful man! How is he still hurting you?”

“Enough, mom,” Jensen sighed.

“We’re all packed,” Jared told them and Jensen took his bags and headed out the door, Jared following. Donna followed them into the hallway where they were met with Alan, Mac, and Josh all standing in their pajamas with wide eyes and deep frowns.

“You’re flying out, like, right now?” Mac asked, dismayed.

“Yeah,” Jensen confirmed. “I have to be there, Mac.”

Mac still frowned but nodded. Jensen’s family followed them to the door and they all exchanged individual hugs.

“Call us when you land safe,” Donna told him.

“And keep us updated,” Alan added and Jensen rolled his eyes a little before nodding. “Promise?” Alan pursued.

“Yes, dad,” Jensen nodded tersely. “I will call, I will keep you all updated. I promise.”

“Well, if there’s a silver lining in this, it’s that the bastard is finally dead,” Alan murmured and Jared noticed that Jensen stepped back a half step, an almost stricken look flashing across his face before he closed his eyes and sighed.

“We should never be glad when someone’s dead,” Jensen murmured quietly and Alan looked baffled.

“Are you defending him?”

“No,” Jensen snapped.

“Jensen—“ Alan began but Mac interrupted.

“Dad!” she stopped him. “Chapter 48.”

Alan stopped and contemplated for a moment before nodding and stopping his argument.

Jensen, however, looked slightly irritated.

“I’m not a book, Mac,” he snapped before turning and opening the front door, exiting with a huff. Jared followed, glancing back and offering an apologetic smile at her as he walked through the door. He could see the emotions changing on her face before she joined them outside, closing the front door behind her. She ran by Jared, making him pause on the walkway, and jerked Jensen’s shoulder when she reached him.

“Oh, hell no, Jen,” she admonished. “I am on your side, and I know that you’re not a book. You don’t get to be angry at me. I get that this is a stressful time and everything, what with your abusive ex-boyfriend dead and your best friend charged with his murder—I get that. But I am helping, and you don’t get to walk away, possibly for months before I see you again, and be that rude.”

Jared raised his eyebrows, impressed but not surprised, smiling briefly at Mac when she glanced back at him. Jensen took in a long breathe and blew it out in her face.

“God, I can’t say one mean thing to you, can I? I’m telling you, that takes half the fun out of being a big brother,” he commented, leaning in and kissing her forehead.

“Nope, Josh gets to be mean,” Mac shook her head at him. “We’re each other’s favorites.”

“You know, sometimes I feel bad for Josh,” Jared commented, walking up to join them.

“Yeah, we do too,” Mac agreed with a small smile. “But it’s okay, because he’s dad’s favorite.”

“Mac, we need to leave now,” Jensen told her. “Do I have permission?”

“Yes you do,” Mac nodded, giving him a quick hug before heading to the door. At the door, with her hand on the handle, she called back, “Love you, Jenny Benny!”

“You too, Mac and Cheese,” he called back without turning. Jared smiled a little, but when he glanced at Jensen’s face, he saw a deep set frown gave him a dark, brooding look and Jared felt as though he needed to help, but didn’t know how.

“Jen…” he began, unsuccessfully hiding the worry in his tone. Jensen glanced at him. “Are you okay?”

“No,” Jensen replied, shaking his head. “It’s just…new. I’m not done processing.”

“Understandable,” Jared nodded. “It’s a lot to take in. How do you feel about…”

“Charlie being dead?” Jensen finished for Jared, looking at him for a long moment as they reached the back of their rental car and popped the trunk.

“Yeah,” Jared replied.

Jensen threw their suitcases into the trunk and slammed it with a little too much force, then leaned against his hands for a moment, hanging his head down and not looking at Jared.

“I don’t know,” came Jensen’s eventual reply.

“That’s okay,” Jared told him, turning Jensen by the shoulder and enveloping him in a hug. “It’s okay.”

“It’s far from okay, Jared,” Jensen replied, but put his head down in the crook of Jared’s neck.

“Okay, well, it will be okay, then,” Jared amended.

“They’ll want me to testify,” Jensen said after a long moment, so quietly that Jared almost didn’t hear him.

“Testify? Why?” Jared frowned into Jensen’s hair.

“At the very least, about the day Danny came and saved me,” Jensen told him. “I’m the only witness. But beyond that, they’ll probably ask me about before, confirm that the day with Danny was likely behavior. They’ll call on Chris to testify, too, probably, to confirm that he witnessed me hurt.”

“You can refuse to testify,” Jared offered futilely.

“No, I can’t,” Jensen shook his head against Jared’s shoulder. “Not if it will help Danny. I owe her one.”

“You don’t owe her anything, Jensen,” Jared told him, pulling away a little to look Jensen in the face. “Danny went to help you because she’s your friend and she loves you, because it was the right thing to do—not so you could owe her.”

“I know,” Jensen shrugged. “Just because it wasn’t her intention, doesn’t mean it still isn’t true. I think, overall, she kind of saved my life. I have no doubt Charlie would’ve eventually killed me…or led to my death, in some way or another. Therefore, I owe Danny my life. Helping to vindicate her doesn’t even come close to what she did for me.”

“I love you,” Jared told Jensen, kissing him softly. After a moment, Jared pulled away and offered Jensen a miniscule smile. “Alright, we got to go. You want to drive?”

“No, you drive,” Jensen retorted, walking to the passenger side. They drove to the airport in relative silence, hitting no traffic, as it was almost three in the morning. When they arrived at the airport, they booked tickets on a red-eye flight that was to leave at 4:10 am, and were to land in L.A., after one short layover, around 8:00 am. They settled themselves in the waiting area, after ordering two trays of coffee (almost all for Jensen) and a few donuts (almost all for Jared). Jensen called Chris and gave him the information. Chris was going to pick them up at the airport and take them all to Danny’s house, where she would be waiting with her lawyer, who Chris told them was Chad’s uncle, which Jared was happy to know as Uncle Patrick was an exceptionally good lawyer. While Jensen talked on the phone with Chris, Jared called his parents and left a message on their machine vaguely describing the situation and why he and Jensen wouldn’t make it for Christmas. He sent a similar text to Megan as well. Jensen and Jared set alarms on their phones and lightly dozed in the near-empty airport. When they went off, it was just as their flight was announced to now be boarding. They got on the plane and were in L.A. in no time, or so it seemed for Jared. However, he reflected that it probably felt like an eternity for Jensen.

As they waited out on the curb in the pick-up area for Chris, Jared wrapped his arm around Jensen’s shoulder.

“How you doing?” he asked softly and Jensen shrugged.

“Jared…why do I feel sad?” he finally asked, voice and face showing both grief and frustration. “Why do I feel sad he’s dead? He was a sadistic bastard that has only hurt me and the ones I love. Why do I feel sad?”

“He wasn’t always like that,” Jared turned and pulled Jensen into a real hug. “He didn’t always hurt you. You loved him.”

“Whatever,” Jensen shrugged. “I’ll get over it. He doesn’t deserve my grief.”

Jared agreed, but didn’t say so. Instead, he simply said, “I love you.”

“I know,” Jensen pulled back and kissed Jared quickly. “Which is why I’ll be able to get through this unscathed.”

“That you will,” Jared confirmed and they both jumped when Chris pulled up and honked unnecessarily. Jensen got into the passenger seat while Jared threw their bags into the bed of Chris’s pickup and slid into the back seat, knees clunking.

“Hey,” Chris greeted. “Shit hit the fan real quick, huh?”

“No kidding,” Jensen huffed. “It’s just fucking like Charlie to die over Christmas.”

“Yeah, and leave us a huge fucking mess to deal with,” Chris agreed. “Should I stop off at your guys’ house before we head over to Danny’s?”

Jensen glanced back at Jared who shook his head. “I don’t need anything,” Jared supplied.

“Me neither,” Jensen agreed. “Straight to Danny’s.”

“How is she?” Jared asked.

“About as good as she can be expected to be,” Chris frowned. “She didn’t like spending twelve hours in jail.”

“Twelve hours?” Jensen gasped. “How are we just hearing about it?”

“Well, let me give you the whole story before you go getting hot and bothered,” Chris snapped. “Apparently, Charlie died in the morning on the 23rd, and almost immediately, his mother sought to press charges against Danny. So she went and ranted at the police station until she forced someone into going to Danny’s house and asking her to go the police station with them. When they questioned her, she admitted that she did hit Charlie, which resulted in his coma and eventually his death. Since she confessed, they had to charge her with…I think they said assault with a deadly weapon and accidental homicide.”

“Involuntary manslaughter,” Jared quickly corrected.

“Yeah, that,” Chris confirmed. “Anyway, so she called me from the station, I told Chad, and he set his family on it. They got her released and a judge presided over a quick informal trial—that, to be honest, I’m not sure was one hundred percent legal, what with it happening so quick and everything—and the judge set the bail at ten thousand dollars. He claimed that was low, given the accusation, but I don’t see how 10k can be low.”

“Usually it runs closer to one million and above,” Jared offered.

“Alright, so 10k isn’t so bad,” Chris immediately replied. “Anyway, I posted her bail and she immediately asked for you. That’s when we called you. We wanted to make sure she was good before we got you all worried.”

“Chris, you’ve got to let me pay you the ten grand,” Jensen started immediately.

“No, it’s alright,” Chris shook his head. “I’ve got it covered.”

“Chris, it’s my fault she’s in this mess,” Jensen argued, frowning. “I should pay.”

“Pay?” Chris glanced over at Jensen severely. “You think you should pay?”

“I didn’t mean it like that, Chris,” Jensen retracted.

“This isn’t your fault, Jensen,” Chris told him tersely. “You don’t have to pay for anything.”

“God, that’s not what I meant,” Jensen snapped. “I want to pay for her bail because you’re a business man and I don’t want this thing to be a financial imposition.”

“My business is quite successful, thank you very much, and I can afford to bail my girlfriend out of jail,” Chris replied sharply.

“Maybe I should offer up my money,” Jared chimed in from the back. “As an unbiased third party.”

“Shut up, Jared,” Chris huffed.

“You’re mean when you’re stressed,” Jensen told him.

“You infantile when you’re upset,” Chris replied. “What grown ass adult man uses the word ‘mean’?”

“This is such a weird argument,” Jared observed and Jensen let out a small huff of a laugh.

“Fine, whatever, don’t let me pay,” Jensen finally sighed. “I just…I feel like I need to do something.”

“You’ll have to testify,” Chris said, softly now. “I think that will be enough.”

“I don’t want to,” Jensen muttered.

“You have to,” Chris said gently.

“I know.”

They reached the house then and when they opened the door, they were met with Sadie and Harley, who Danny was watching while they were away for Christmas. Jensen and Jared both greeted them briefly before walking to the living room where they heard voices. The moment Jensen stepped into the room, Danny was out of her seat and embracing him. They hugged for a long moment, Danny with misty eyes. Eventually, they pulled apart and Danny looked at Jensen worriedly.

“Are you okay?” she asked him.

“I’m not the one who was arrested,” Jensen shook his head, cupping her face between his hands. “I am so sorry, Danneel.”

“Don’t start with the whole full name crap to convey extra sentiment,” Danny scoffed. “And you have nothing to be sorry about. This isn’t your fault.”

“I hate that you all keep telling me that,” Jensen frowned at her.

“Yeah, well, we really have to pound the truth into you sometimes,” Danny said, and then quickly grimaced and corrected, “Sorry, that was a poor metaphors.”

“Yeah, well, no one can be as good as me with metaphors,” Jensen shrugged and when no one even cracked a smile, he added, “It’s funny…it’s funny because I’m a professional writer…like, metaphors are my job? Really…not even a pity chuckle. That’s cool, it’s not like I need you people to laugh at my jokes for validation or anything…”

Everyone was stifling smiles at that point, and Jensen threw up his hands, “God, I’m funny! Where are my dogs? They’ll laugh at me!”

“Your dogs?” Chris raised his eyebrows. “I thought they were Jared’s.”

“They may have first been Jared’s, but they like me better,” Jensen admitted.

“Hey! We don’t talk about that!” Jared objected. “We just silently both think it.”

Everyone was smiling at least a little bit now, and Danny kissed Jensen on the cheek before returning to her seat. “Sorry, I’m being rude. Guys, this is Patrick Murray, my lawyer and Chad’s uncle.”

“Hello,” Uncle Patrick stood with a smile, and went to Jared first. “Jared! Long time no see! It’s been a while. It’s funny we all ended up in California.”

“Yeah, that is funny,” Jared agreed. “How’s the practice?”

“Great! Speaking of, I suppose all of you are someway involved in the case? How are you involved, Jared?”

“Jensen’s my boyfriend,” Jared provided.

“Alright, well, so long as it’s alright with my client, I won’t have to ask you to leave while I talk about the case.” Uncle Patrick looked back at Danny, who gave thumbs up. “Great. Everyone, take a
seat. I have mostly good news. Danny has given me all the details from the case from her side of the story, and I’ve already had the hospital fax his patient records to me. It’s a bogus charge from a grieving woman, which is both good and bad. If Mrs. Belmonte plays the grief card well enough, she could sway the jury. However, as all of the evidence is on our side, and we have firsthand accounts, I say that it is very unlikely. Currently, the trial date is set for the seventh of January.”

“Wow,” Jensen exclaimed. “That’s…quick, isn’t it? I mean, Jared and I, we have the Golden Globes on the 10th.”

“Usually, yes, but my firm has friends in very high places, and the trial is being expedited,” Uncle Patrick responded. “Chad’s father plays golf with the district attorney, and I have a judge that owes me a favor, so we’re throwing together a jury. As for your awards ceremony, you should be able to get out on time, if the trial runs into the 10th, which I say is probably unlikely. Now, Mr. Ackles, if I could talk to you in private?”

“It’s okay,” Jensen shook his head. “Everyone in this room knows most of the details anyway.”

“If you prefer,” Uncle Patrick allowed. “I want you to testify, as I’m sure you assumed. Mr. Kane as well, and Ms. Harris will give her statement before the court, of course. But I was wondering the extent to which you feel comfortable testifying?”

“How much would you want from me?” Jensen replied cautiously.

“Well, ideally, I’d like to get your account of what happened on the day in question, with further details about living with Mr. Belmonte. For instance, I would want as much detail as you feel comfortable providing. With my clients, usually we rehearse what they plan on saying on the stand, but in your case, if you’d prefer to simply answer the questions truthfully on the stand, I can just send you my basic outlines, so you’re not completely blindsided.”

“That sounds preferable, thank you,” Jensen nodded and Jared grabbed his hand, which Jensen squeezed gratefully. Jared’s cell began to ring, however, and he was required to let go of Jensen’s hand.

“It’s probably my family,” Jared explained, while fishing it from his pocket. “We left before we got to see them.” He checked the caller ID and saw it was Steve. He flashed a look at Jensen to convey his slight worried astonishment and stood, walking to the doorway to answer. “Merry Christmas, Steve.”

“Merry fucking Christmas to you too, Padalecki. Now that we’ve gotten that shit out of the way, what the fee fie fuck, Padalecki? Do I really need to tell you that when one of your fucking friends gets arrested in a murder case that you need to get your fucking agent/publicist on the phone so we can shoot this fucking horse in the face?” Steve’s tone far breeched livid.

“Steve, look, everything’s happened so fast,” Jared tried, but Steve wasn’t allowing it.

“Yeah, well, this is all fucking great, because guess fucking what, Padelecki! Someone leaked the story,” Steve told him and Jared spun, returning to the couch.

“Hold on, Steve, I’m putting you on speaker,” Jared told him. “We’re at Danny’s house with her lawyer.”

“That’s fucking great,” Steve replied and Jared put it on speaker and put his phone on the coffee table. “Put me on fucking speaker, I want everyone to know just how fucking bad this shit got. Well, some bitch leaked the story to the press, probably whatever motherfucker is trying Danny in the first place, that fucking cocksucker. But it doesn’t matter what asshat leaked the fucking story, what fucking matters is that fucking Jared is connected to it. Someone got a picture you the two of you fucking making cute at the airport, and boy do neither of you look happy. The story goes that well-fucking-known Hollywood screenwriter Jensen Fucking Ackles got his best gal pal (whatever the fucking homophobic piece of shit term means) to murder his ex-boyfriend. Right now, only Perez has a hold of it, since none of the actual news entities wanted to take on such a story that seemed like such fucking bullshit before they got good, hard facts, thank fucking baby Jesus, but we need to get this shit under our fucking control. So guess what, Ackles? You’re now hiring me as your new fucking agent and publicist like I am for this fucking dilweed you’re dating, understand?”

Jensen opened his mouth, and as if Steve could see it, he jumped back into his rant.

“That was rhetorical, you dumbfuck, you don’t actually get a say and you can fucking thank me later,” Steve went on. “Now all you cunt bagels stay at Danny’s house or so fucking help me St. Joseph, I will kick all of your asses. You too, Mr. Lawyer Man. I need to talk to you.”

“Patrick Murray,” Uncle Patrick chimed in with a grin.

“Oh thank the Lord our savior that it’s fucking you, Patrick. That makes this shit just to the left of fucking hell fire, I’m glad you’re there. I was gonna call you anyway. I don’t suppose that dipshit nephew of yours is involved in this?”

“Not this time, no,” Uncle Patrick laughed. “That new boyfriend of his is keeping him on the up and up.”

“Glad to fucking hear it, it’s about fucking time that motherfucker got his shit together,” Steve laughed harshly. “Anyway, as I was saying, you fucking asswipes stay there, and I’ll be there in twenty. And I’m bringing coffee because I’m just a great fucking stand-up guy you fucking dumb fucking cunts.”

Without any further farewell, Steve hung up, and everyone sat in silence for a moment before simultaneously bursting into fits of laughter. After a few moments, Danny choked out, “God, I know this shit just got worse, but God, that was fucking hilarious.”

“That’s Steve,” Jared nodded. “Literally always.”

Twenty minutes later, Steve came barging in without knocking or even a simple greeting. Instead, to Harley and Sadie who were happy to see their friend, he said, “Hey there you fucking cute ass pieces of shit, I can’t pet you right now because your owners suck. So blame them.” When entering the living room he threw down the coffee and donuts on the coffee table and sat with huff and demanded, “Tell me every fucking detail, you dumb ass motherfuckers.”

So Danny proceeded to tell Steve all about Charlie and Jensen, with Jensen jumping in every now and again to offer details, and with Chris offering his point of view. At the end, Steve leaned forward and said, “Wow, that fucking sucks, Ackles. Glad that fucking piece of fucking shit is rotting in hell, I hope his fucking head is roasting up the devil’s fucking ass.”

Jensen actually managed to laugh a little, but Steve continued without pause.

“Alright, well, stop me if I’m making plans that are against the case, or what the fuck ever, Murray—and by the way, also fucking rhetorical, you work around what I fucking put down, remember?” Steve paused to see Murray nod in agreement while chuckling. “Damn fucking straight, you beautiful fucking leech. Anyway, we’re going to have to release a goddamn fucking press release giving at least some of the details about the case before a fucking journalist who wants to make a fucking name for himself decides to stick his snotty little yellow nose wherever the fuck he wants. So, Ackles, here’s what it will say: You were in a fucking abusive relationship, your best friend—and none of the gal pal shit—came to your rescue and stopped that fucking asshole from fucking murdering you. Then the fucking dick face slipped into a fucking coma and was fucking comatose for the past few years before dying, and therefore this entire fucking murder charge is a piece of shit and everyone knows it. We’re not going to mention Jared, because people are already associating you two together, but overall he doesn’t have a part in this fucking murder case other than being the fucking brilliant doting fucking too-cute-makes-me-vomit-in-my-mouth boyfriend that you fucking want, I’m sure. Sound good?”

“Yes, I like the wording,” Jensen commented and everyone laughed, Steve grinning at him.

“I forgot you thought you were funny,” he says.

“I forgot my keen wit was lost on you,” Jensen retorted and Steve barked out a laugh, slapping his knee.

“Glad you fucking hired me, Ackles,” Steve clapped him on the back. “Best fucking decision of your entire fucking life, my man. Glad we got this all squared away, and now I’m going to go type up this piece of shit and release it to the dumbfucks that give a shit for whatever stupid reason. Enjoy my fucking coffee and donuts, you freeloaders, and merry fucking Christmas!”

And with that, he left the house just as he’d come in, patting each dog quickly on his to the door. Jared grinned a little after him, and when he turned back to his group of friends, he was relieved to see small smiles on their faces.

“I know this is still a super shitty situation,” Danny commented. “But it’s looking better already.”

They spent Christmas at Danny’s house; Jensen ran back to their house to grab their friends’ presents, which they were supposed to give out once Jensen and Jared got back from Texas. Uncle Patrick left shortly after Chad showed up, briefly coercing Chad into confirming he was coming to the family dinner, and bringing his cute little boyfriend with him. Harley and Sadie were petted without stop, which they appreciated greatly, and Jared felt vaguely bad that he hadn’t bought them presents. Danny, however, was way ahead of them, and brought out two huge rawhide bones for them to gnaw on. They had Chinese food for dinner and all slept on Danny’s couches after demolishing a few bottles of Christmas wine. They all returned to their separate houses and slept off their hangovers. New Years came shortly after, and they spent it at Chris’s bar, as always. The days after New Years were simply a countdown to the trial, though, and all celebration was tainted ever so slightly by the dark cloud of the accusation against Danny.

After Steve released the official statement on Jensen’s behalf, the press hunting both and he and Jared everywhere: Jensen at the grocery store, Jared out on a run, Jensen at the gym, Jared at the bank—it was incessant. They all asked for Jensen’s personal story, they all asked for Jared’s thoughts on Jensen’s situation. It was annoying, but overall, pretty easy to ignore. They were oddly respectful when Jared was with Jensen, however, not getting in their personal space or asking too many questions, which surprised Jared.

The seven days after New Year’s passed like the blink of an eye and before Jared knew it, he was straightening Jensen’s tie before they drove down to the courthouse. Uncle Patrick warned that today would be both good in bad: good because the prosecution had so little that it would be a pretty short proceeding, and call of witnesses (ie: Mrs. Belmonte). All the prosecution had to go on was Danny’s confession, which the defense was not refuting. The bad, however, was that the defense wouldn’t get to speak until the following day.

When they arrived, the press was thick on the ground already. Jared glimpsed, very briefly, a older woman dramatically sobbing, surrounded by cameras and microphones, and he assumed that was Mrs. Belmonte. Reporters, cameras, recorders, and microphones followed them all the way up until the doors to the courtroom, where they were not permitted to go. The judge had only allowed the first three reporters admittance before shutting it off for anyone who worked for the press. Jensen and Jared sat with Chris and Chad, who had already arrived. When Mrs. Belmonte walked in the door, all three reporters pulled out recorders in tandem. As she walked up the aisle, escorted by her lawyers, she gave Jensen a withering look that he did not return, nor deserve, Jared thought. They were called to attention, and they all stood as the judge walked in. When they sat, the judge began the trial by swearing in the jury. A lot of technical jargon was thrown around immediately, especially when the prosecution starting their opening statement. Jared and Jensen started playing thumb wars while the prosecution’s opening statement became more and more drawn out. Finally, when Uncle Patrick stood to offer the defense’s opening statement, they both perked up to listen.

“Your Honor, and ladies and gentlemen of the jury: Jensen Ross Ackles was a victim of domestic abuse from his late boyfriend, Charles Belmonte. Charles, better known as Charlie, regularly beat Jensen Ackles while they were together. The violence started to grow at a startling rate just past their nine month anniversary. So much was the abuse that it came to the attention of his closest friends, closest of which is my client, Danneel Harris. Ms. Harris has been close friends with Mr. Ackles since college and was able to watch Mr. Ackles’ relationship with Mr. Belmonte since the very beginning. When the abuse became evident to her, she rushed to Mr. Ackles’ aide, where Mr. Belmonte not only became violent against Mr. Ackles, but also Ms. Harris. While Mr. Belmonte was strangling Mr. Ackles—which is attempted murder—Ms. Harris managed to find a way to save her best friend. Ms. Harris does not deny that she hit Mr. Belmonte over the head with a cast iron frying pan, nor does she deny that the blow to the head which she administered resulted in Mr. Belmonte falling into a comatose state. However, what is an utterly absurd charge is the one she faces: involuntary manslaughter, paired with assault with a deadly weapon. Now, as that is a paradox in and of itself as involuntary manslaughter requires accident, while assault requires forethought, and it is also completely untrue. Not only was Mr. Belmonte in a comatose state for years—years—prior to the date in which he died, and therefore the date which Ms. Harris is being accused of murder, but the altercation was that of self defense by Ms. Harris. I will present evidence and testimony that solidifies beyond a reasonable doubt that Ms. Harris acted out of self defense and in defense of another human being, both admissible by law in the great state of California. Therefore, my client is not guilty.”

Uncle Patrick sat and the judge concluded that day, recessing for the following day at 9:00 am to begin with the calling of witnesses, which the prosecution would begin. The next day, the judge allowed the prosecution to call their first witness which was, of course, Mrs. Belmonte. After that, it was, to Jared, a completely obtuse display of lack of evidence. What little Jared knew of the law system he knew from Chad’s family, but he knew enough that there was no way, the prosecution could win. Though Mrs. Belmonte’s tears were almost convincing, nothing else they said was even half as much so. By the time the judge adjourned the court, recessing until 9:00 am again the following morning, Jared’s faith in their case was tenfold.

“That went well.” Uncle Patrick came to them after the majority had cleared out of the room, and they were waiting for Danny to be cleared. Mrs. Belmonte had long since left, offering Jensen another furious look that he ignored. “The prosecution is a pair of state lawyers that really don’t have their heart in this at all. Even if they were able to come up with a good defense, ours would be better.”

“That’s good,” Danny said as she came in through a side good. “That’s great to hear. But man! That was boring.”

“Yeah, court can be,” Uncle Patrick nodded, then looked at Jensen. “You ready for tomorrow, Mr. Ackles?”

“Mr. Murray, you can call me Jensen,” Jensen told him for the millionth time.

“Professionalism, my dear boy,” Uncle Patrick grinned. “Now, are you going to answer my question?”

Jensen sighed heavily. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”

They headed out and Jared grabbed Jensen’s hand as they started wading through the mass of press waiting on the sidewalk. When they finally got into Jared’s truck, he looked over at Jensen, who was frowning deeply.

“Are you alright?” Jared asked, reaching over and running his hand through Jensen’s hair, and then cupping his cheek when Jensen turned to him.

Jensen shrugged, turning his head into Jared’s hand to kiss his palm. “I don’t know,” he replied after a moment. “It’s been such a long time since I’ve seen Mrs. Belmonte. The last time I saw her, we were having dinner at her house. It was before everything got bad.”

“So, does she not know that Charlie was abusive?” Jared asked.

“What mother really knows that?” Jensen quipped. “Anyway, I kind of think she’s where he got it from. She used to pinch his cheeks so hard, they’d be slightly bruised the next day. He was a grown man, and she would still pinch his cheeks.”

“That’s kind of scary,” Jared grimaced.

“That’s what I said,” Jensen agreed. “He was so confused why I thought it was weird.”

“That’s messed up,” Jared shook his head. “I’m not making excuses for the guy, obviously, but that must have been rough.”

“Yeah,” Jensen nodded. “But whatever,” he shrugged again. “Let’s go home.”

They drove home, had some wine with their dinner, and went to bed. Jared noticed a fair amount of tension that stayed in Jensen’s shoulder even after they got home, where Jensen usually allowed himself to relax fully. He felt an odd sense of helplessness, knowing why Jensen was tense and not being able to help it. Jared gave him a back massage before they fell asleep to at least aid the physical side of the tension, but Jensen’s sleep was fitful. In the morning, Jared woke to find Jensen already awake and staring at him.

“I don’t want to,” Jensen muttered with an almost-pout.

“I know, Love,” Jared nodded, rolling over and wrapping his long arms around Jensen.

“You’ll…I mean, you…you won’t look at me different, right? After I’ve talked?” Jensen’s head was resting against Jared’s collarbone and his voice was soft, trembling slightly. Jared pulled back and rested his forehead against Jensen’s.

“No,” Jared told him sincerely. “I may be angrier with the bastard that tortured you, but you will always be the same to me. You’re Jensen, you’re strong, you’re kind, you’re intelligent, you’re fucking gorgeous. Really, you’re kind of perfect.”

“Shut up, there’s no such thing as perfect,” Jensen replied, but he smiled at Jared a little, giving him a small kiss on the nose.

“Whoever said there’s no such thing as perfect clearly never met you, or they’d seriously question their statement,” Jared argued and Jensen snorted.

“Alright, come on,” Jensen heaved out a great sigh. “We have to get up and get ready.”

They got ready quickly and drove down to the courthouse fairly early. They were not the first in the audience to arrive and somehow, Chris and Chad still beat them. When Jensen and Jared took their seats, Jensen raised his eyebrows at them.

“What, did you two sleep here?” he asked and Jared chuckled.

“No, you two are just slow,” Chad retorted. “Which one of you drove?”

“Jared,” Jensen provided.

“Oh, that’s surprising,” Chad laughed. “I’m surprised you got here this early, Jared drives like a freaking grandma.”

“I do not,” Jared argued. “I don’t drive like a grandma, right Jensen?”

Jensen bit his lip a little and then offered Jared a tentative smile. “It’s cute.”

“What?” Jared exclaimed. “You think I drive like a grandma?”

“No, I just think you’re very cautious,” Jensen amended and both Chris and Chad chuckled.

“Smooth,” Chris commented.

“Nice save,” Chad agreed.

“You really think I drive slow?” Jared was astonished. “Actually, come to think of it, you kind of drive like a maniac, so it makes sense that my going the speed limit seems slow.”

“That could be it,” Jensen admitted.

“It’s not,” Chris chimed in.

“Shut up,” Jared flipped him off.

“Wow, the hostility,” Chris laughed, raising his hands up in surrender.

“You Dallas drivers are just insane,” Jared tried and Chad shook his head.

“Nope,” Chad told him.

“Why are we all gaining up on me?” Jared pouted.

“I don’t think all of us agreeing necessarily means we’re gaining up on you,” Chris pointed out.

“And for the record, I didn’t actually agree per se,” Jensen pointed out. “I completely admit that it could be because I drive so fast that your driving normally seems slow in comparison.”

“Granted, he’s just saying that to spare your feelings,” Chad pointed out.

“Doesn’t make it untrue,” Jensen retorted.

“Hey,” Steve greeted them as he slid into the row behind them.

“Steve, what are you doing here?” Jared greeted, as they all shook hands.

“Well, I didn’t really care too much about coming yesterday, but today, my client is going to be on the stand, so I thought it necessary I be here,” Steve explained.

“Right,” Jensen said. “I keep forgetting I’m your client now. Am I going to regret that, in the long run?”

“The only thing you’re going to regret is not hiring me fucking sooner,” Steve told him. “Now, you’re welcome in advance, because I just bribed all of the fucking vulture press to wait outside so we
can control what parts of your story is released to the public. I want you to be able to fucking choose what part of this seriously personal shit everyone hears.”

“Wow,” Jensen looked a little floored. “Thank you.”

“I fucking told you that you wouldn’t regret hiring me,” Steve shrugged at him with a grin. “I’m fucking amazing at my job.”

“Let me guess,” Chad chimed in with a grin. “Jensen has to pay for the bribes, though.”

“Oh, fucking naturally,” Steve admitted. “That a problem?”

“No,” Jensen immediately replied.

“And Murray, don’t you start with me, you son of a bitch,” Steve turned to Chad. “I’ve gotten your ass out of too many situations at the request of my favorite giant over there for you to be giving me any of your fucking sass.”

“Alright, alright,” Chad laughed. “I do appreciate your help, Steve.”

“You’re fucking welcome,” Steve barked. “Now shut the fuck up, it’s about to start.”

They all turned around to see that Danny was being led in with Uncle Patrick in through one door and Mrs. Belmonte was walking up the aisle. She shot Jensen another mean look, which Jensen didn’t even notice because he was staring at his hand as it rubbed Jared’s knee. Jared slid his just above Jensen’s knee and gave it a reassuring squeeze. Jensen glanced up at him, and Jared offered a comforting smile which Jensen returned softly. The judge came in and everyone stood, and then the courtroom was called to order. The judge invited the defense to call their first witness, which was Danny. Danny relayed her story to the court, and Uncle Patrick asked some illuminating questions regarding Danny’s view of Jensen leading up to the altercation.

“He wasn’t himself, to say the least,” Danny detailed, finding Jensen’s eyes in the audience. “He was hurting, but he’s always been the type of person to hide his pain. So we would be together and he’d have a bruise across his jaw, or he’d be walking with a limp, and we’d ask him what happened, and he’d just laugh, usually saying something to the effect of ‘you know me’. It was heartbreaking.”

Jared looked over to see Jensen drop his gaze from Danny’s honest eyes. Jared squeezed his leg again from where his hand still rested, and Jensen flashed him a half smile before starting to rub Jared’s knee again.

Shortly after that, the prosecution was invited to ask Danny a few questions, which got them nowhere. Danny was released from the stand and Jared watched Jensen as he took in a huge breath, holding it for a moment until Uncle Patrick said,

“Defense calls Jensen Ross Ackles to the stand.”

Jensen let his breath out with a whoosh and gave Jared one last half-hearted smile before going up to the seat next to the judge. He stood as the bailiff swore him in, then took a seat. Uncle Patrick’s met eyes with Jared for a brief second, and Jared saw that Uncle Patrick didn’t want to question Jensen just as much as Jensen didn’t want to be questioned.

“Mr. Ackles,” Uncle Patrick began. “How long were you and Mr. Belmonte in a relationship?”

“Two years,” Jensen answered.

“And how much of that two years was Mr. Belmonte abusive?” Uncle Patrick asked.

“Objection: leading the witness!” the prosecution exclaimed.

“Sustained,” the judge replied.

“Sorry, Your Honor,” Uncle Patrick amended. “Let me rephrase. Mr. Ackles, was Mr. Belmonte abusive?”

“Objection: assumes facts not in evidence!” the prosecution exclaimed again.

“There is testimonial evidential support,” Uncle Patrick told the judge, who nodded.

“Overruled, I will allow it,” the judge turned to Jensen.

“Yes,” Jensen answered.

“Can you give us an approximation in months of how long Mr. Belmonte was abusive towards you?”

“Approximately a year and a half so…eighteen months,” Jensen replied and Jared noticed that Chris, Chad, and Danny looked a little astonished.

“Eighteen months? But Ms. Harris claims knowledge of only approximately fifteen months of abuse,” Uncle Patrick pointed out. “Are you claiming that you were abused for three more months than to anyone’s knowledge?”

“Objection: leading the witness.”

“Sustained.”

“My apologies,” Uncle Patrick flashed a look at the prosecution. “I thought the prosecution would think that the witness had function of simple mathematics, my mistake.”

“Counselors will be civil in my courtroom,” the judge warned.

“Sorry, Your Honor,” Uncle Patrick took a deep breath. “Allow me to continue. Mr. Ackles, can you recall for the court this first act of abusive behavior on Mr. Belmonte’s part?”

“Objection: narrative.”

“I’ll allow it,” the judge told the prosecution. “And, for the record, assume that all narrative objections are from this point overruled. Please continue, Mr. Ackles.”

“Uh, well, I think the first time was when, um…Charlie wanted to…uh, be, uh, intimate, but I said I wasn’t…uh, in the mood,” Jensen frowned and stared at his hands where they twitched on the surface of the table in front of him nervously. “But he…he, uh, went ahead…took a couple neck ties and tied my hands to the bed posts…”

When Jensen’s voice dropped off, Jared could hear the tremor in his voice.

“Mr. Ackles, I need you to explicitly state what you mean for the record,” Uncle Patrick prodded and Jared felt a flash of angry spike through him that was mirrored in Jensen who furiously glanced up, tears in his eyes and spit out,

“And proceeded to have sex with me.”

“And are you aware, Mr. Ackles, that what you described is rape?”

Jensen flinched at the word, and Jared wanted him off the stand, off from anything that would ever make him flinch again, but the prosecution didn’t care.

“Objection: leading the witness.”

“Sustained.”

“Apologies. Mr. Ackles, why didn’t you object to Mr. Belmonte raping you?”

“Objection!”

“Sustained,” the judge gave Uncle Patrick a warning look. “Counselor, tread lightly.”

“Sorry, Your Honor,” Uncle Patrick nearly groaned. “Allow me to rephrase: Mr. Ackles, why didn’t you object to Mr. Belmonte’s treatment?”

“I tried,” Jensen admitted. “But every time I would say something, Charlie would shove his fist in my mouth, so I stopped objecting.”

“Why didn’t you leave him after this occurrence?”

“Because afterwards he convinced me that it was just a kink, that he just got carried away, that I was just so pretty…”

Jensen choked a little on the last word, but continued, this time without prompting.

“He got mad at me for making him feel ashamed of what he was into, sexually. He told me that a relationship was supposed to be open and supportive. He manipulated me into believing I was wrong to feel…to feel violated.”

“And how far into your relationship with Mr. Belmonte was this?”

“About six months,” Jensen replied, glancing up and meeting Uncle Patrick’s eyes for a moment as he added darkly, “I had bruises around my wrists for weeks afterwards.”

“Mr. Ackles, would you describe sex with Charlie past that point as largely consensual?”

“Objection: does the defense have a point by going into such explicit detail of the couple’s sex life?”

“I’m simply displaying for judge and jury the extent of the abuse,” Uncle Patrick argued, looking at the judge with both pleading and furious eyes. The judge deliberated for a moment before letting out a low sigh, stating,

“Overruled. Testimonial evidence.”

“Mr. Ackles?” Uncle Patrick prompted.

Jensen bit his lip a little, pausing a moment before replying, “No, I would not describe sex with Charlie as largely consensual.”

“Thank you, Mr. Ackles. I just have a few more questions,” Uncle Patrick stated. “What was the worst injury Mr. Belmonte inflicted upon you?”

Jensen thought for a moment before responding. “I don’t know if this is the worst, but it’s the first one that comes to mind. Once, Charlie dislocated my shoulder during…uh, particularly rough…uh, intimacies…and did not relocate it until the next morning.”

“So, to clarify, you slept with a dislocated shoulder for an entire night?”

“Objection: leading the witness.”

“Clarification is not leading,” Uncle Patrick defended.

“Overruled,” the judge agreed. “Please continue, Mr. Ackles.”

“Well, I didn’t sleep, no,” Jensen corrected. “Charlie had a very specific way in which we slept, where I would lay on my left side and he on his left against me. It was my left shoulder that was dislocated, so I had to lay all night on my dislocated shoulder. So no, I didn’t sleep.”

“Thank you, Mr. Ackles,” Uncle Patrick grimaced. “Now, in regards to the incidence of Ms. Harris’ intervention: can you describe the events as you remember them?”

Jensen retold the events, adding in little details that Danny had not. Jared hated listening to it, hated listening to all of it, and felt glad that the horrible man that had tormented the love of his life was dead. Jared hated thinking joyfully of anyone who was dead, but he couldn’t help it.

After Jensen’s retelling was done, Uncle Patrick asked, “And had Mr. Belmonte ever strangled you before?”

“Yes.”

“Did you believe that his attempt at strangling you on the day that Ms. Harris came to your apartment was more severe than the times before?”

“Yes.”

“Thank you, Mr. Ackles. No further questions,” Uncle Patrick concluded.

“The witness is yours, prosecution,” the judge stated.

“Prosecution has no questions for Mr. Ackles,” one of the lawyers declined.

“Alright, then Mr. Ackles, please step down,” the judge concluded. “Defense may now call their next witness.”

Jensen walked from the stand and took a seat back next to Jared. When Jensen got closer, Jared saw that his eyes were misty, but they also looked resolutely angry instead of sad or hurt. When he sat down next to Jared, he took Jared’s hand immediately and Jared noticed that Jensen’s was trembling. Jared raised the back of Jensen’s hand to his lips and kissed it lightly. The judge looked over just then and made quick eye contact with Jared. As the judge focused back on Uncle Patrick, Jared could’ve sworn the judge was fighting a small smile.

Uncle Patrick called a academically acclaimed psychologist to the stand next, asking all sorts of questions about the psychological effects abuse had on the victims, and why a victim would stay with their abuser, which the psychologist answered quite clinically. Jared didn’t quite pay attention to most of it, instead looking over the jury to see if he could read their faces: most were quite expressive with their deep frowns that nearly matched Jensen’s, but others were harder to read.

Jared tuned back in as the psychologist was allowed off the stand and Uncle Patrick called his last witness. “Defense calls Matt Cohen to the stand.”

“Who?” Jared whispered to Jensen, who frowned and shrugged.

A man with dark shaggy hair, five o’clock stubble, and piercingly green eyes stood from the row behind Jared and Jensen, and walked to the witness stand where he was sworn in. After he took a seat, Uncle Patrick began.

“Mr. Cohen was the only other past relation of Mr. Belmonte that agreed to testify,” Uncle Patrick explained to the jury, then turned to Mr. Cohen. “Mr. Cohen, how long ago were you and Mr. Belmonte in a relationship?”

“We dated about five years ago,” Matt provided.

“And how long were you and Mr. Belmonte together?”

“About nine months.”

“In your relationship, was Mr. Belmonte ever violent towards you?”

“Yes.”

“How so?”

“Well, he hit me a couple of times, and sex was always too rough,” Matt explained with a grimace. “I’d ask him to be gentler and he’d refuse.”

“And did you cease relations with Mr. Belmonte after he physically hurt you?”

“No,” Matt shook his head, glancing at Jensen, his eyes flitting over Jared’s briefly on their way back to Uncle Patrick’s. “He was very good at making me think I was the problem. A lot of what he said to me was similar to what Mr. Ackles described: he’d argue that the relationship was supposed to be open, he used to tell me I was too pretty, that he couldn’t control himself. I’d get angry about a bruise on my face, specifically because I thought it would effect a director hiring me—I’m an actor—and he would say that he was doing me a favor, that a little extra black and blue made my eyes look more green.”

“How did the relationship end between the two of you?” Uncle Patrick glanced at the jury meaningfully.

“He broke up with me because I volunteered to go on a mission to China with my church,” Matt explained.

“Did you go to China explicitly to get away from Mr. Belmonte?”

“Objection: leading the witness.”

“Overruled.”

“I went to China to teach children English,” Matt stated. “But getting away from Charlie was an added bonus.”

“Thank you, Mr. Cohen,” Uncle Patrick nodded. “The defense rests.”

The prosecution didn’t cross examine and Matt was released from the stand. On his way back to his seat, he offered a small somewhat awkward smile to Jared and Jensen which they both returned. However, almost immediately after, Jensen pulled out his phone stealthily and texted a quick message before returning it to his pocket. Jared gave him a questioning look but Jensen gave him an odd little smile before returning his eyes to the judge, who was addressing the court.

“—recessed until tomorrow at 9:00 am for closing remarks and verdicts.”

The judged slammed the gavel and everyone stood. Jensen turned to Matt immediately.

“Hello, I’m Jensen Ackles,” he proffered his hand which Matt shook, chuckling.

“Matt Cohen,” he replied.

“This is my boyfriend, Jared,” Jensen motioned to Jared, and Matt and Jared shook hands. “Listen, I have to go talk with my friend—she’s the pretty one on trial—but I was wondering if we could talk in a minute?”

“Yeah, definitely,” Matt nodded. “I’ll wait for you outside the courtroom.”

“Sounds great,” Jensen agreed, then walked over to Danny, who wrapped him in a bear hug. Jared went with, but glanced back to see Matt slip out of the door and sit across the way on a bench.

“That was illuminating,” Danny told him and Jensen rolled his eyes.

“Shut up,” he replied.

“You’ve sort of been through hell, haven’t you,” Danny murmured, her eyes filling with tears.

“Oh, please don’t cry,” Jensen pleaded. “Seriously. It’s my own fault for wanting to be a tortured artist, anyway.”

All three of Jensen’s eyes flashed at this, and they opened their mouths in tandem to correct him, making sure he knew that none of this was his fault. He let out a huge groan before they could, though, lamenting, “Oh my God! It’s a joke. I’m not serious. Jeez, a man can’t make light of his past anymore, can he?”

Danny narrowed her eyes at him before commenting, “I don’t like your self-deprecating jokes.”

“You used to love them in college,” Jensen retorted. “Before Charlie.”

“Different times,” Danny defended.

“Apparently,” Jensen agreed, and he fished his cell phone from his pocket as it buzzed. “Sorry, hold on, we can continue this wonderful conversation in a minute.” Jensen answered his phone without prelude: “Felicia, I’ve found the perfect Daniel.”

Jared gave Jensen a curious look that matched their friends’ and he gave them a smile, but didn’t explain, still talking to Felicia. “Yeah, it’s completely inappropriate, but are you here? I asked you
to get her quick. Five minutes? Good. I can’t tell him about the part until you get here to okay him. Alright…Yeah, see you soon.”

He hung up and met Jared’s curious eyes before everyone else’s. “So…on a scale from one to poorly timed holocaust jokes, how inappropriate would it be to offer that Matt guy a job?”

They all deliberated before Chris replied, “Getting a little too friendly with a distant family member at a Christmas party.”

“But not quite to poorly time holocaust jokes?” Jensen clarified.

“No, not quite that inappropriate,” Chad agreed.

“You’re not going to, are you?” Danny asked.

“Uh, yeah,” Jensen nodded. “He’s the perfect fit for this character. It’s the only freaking character that needs green eyes. Do you know how hard it is to find a good actor with green eyes?”

“You have green eyes,” Danny pointed out.

“I’m already playing another character,” Jensen quickly brushed that away and Jared’s eyebrows shot up. His expression was mirrored by the other three, but Jensen was glancing behind him towards Matt and didn’t notice any of it as he continued. “Anyway, I’m only asking him to read for the part when we’re auditioning here in a couple of weeks.”

He looked back around to see their frozen surprised expressions and his brow furrowed. “What?” he asked before his brain seemed to catch up with his mouth, and he took a step back. “Alright, well, I’m going to go talk to him. See you guys later.”

And before they could question him, Jensen grabbed Jared’s hand and hauled him towards Matt.

“So…” Jared began as they maneuvered their way through people.

“I hadn’t decided anything until apparently right now,” Jensen shrugged, looking at Jared with wide eyes. “I really hadn’t. That just slipped out. But I mean, I had been leaning towards yes. Felicia is
very convincing, after all.”

“That’s great,” Jared grinned. “I’m so happy for you. I’m glad you’re choosing to act.”

“I knew you would be,” Jensen smiled at him.

They reached Matt, who stood upon their approach. Jensen smiled at him a little hesitantly, and started immediately. “Are you still an actor?”

Matt, taken off guard, nodded. “Yeah,” he confirmed. “I haven’t had a job in a while, but yes.”

“Great. Uh, I don’t know if you know this, but I’m a screenwriter,” Jensen began.

“I did,” Matt confirmed again.

“Well, I’m working on this project with Felicia Day and I think you’d be perfect for a part in it,” Jensen shrugged. “I know this is weird, so I apologize. And I don’t even know if you’re interested.”

Matt looked a little stunned. “I…I mean, yeah, of course I’m interested! But you don’t even know if I’m good.”

“Well, you’d have to read for the part,” Jensen laughed. “If you’re bad, then we’ll ‘go another way’, or something. Are you bad?”

“Well, I don’t think so,” Matt shrugged.

“Promising,” Jensen nodded. “Felicia wanted to meet you, she should be around here soon, if you don’t mind.”

“Felicia? Like the aforementioned Felicia Day? The director?” Matt’s eyes widened and Jared laughed.

“If you could just keep that expression, she’ll really appreciate it,” he told him and Matt laughed.

“I’m…wow! I’m just such a huge fan,” Matt said. “Wow. This is not what I was expecting this to go like.”

“This?” Jensen asked.

“Well, you know, talking with you,” Matt shrugged again. “I thought it would be…more about shared experiences with Charlie. Feelings. Something like that.”

“Oh, yeah, no,” Jensen shook his head. “I don’t do feelings. I do, however, offer jobs to random actors, though.”

“Which, hey! Even better,” Matt laughed.

Jensen laughed too, but just as he was about to reply, Felicia popped up behind him, diverting her attention immediately to Matt and exclaiming, “Oh my God, you were right, Jensen. Spooky accurate.”

“Right?” Jensen agreed.

“Hi,” Felicia offered her hand. “I’m Felicia Day.”

“I know,” Matt grinned, shaking it enthusiastically. “I’m a huge fan.”

“Oh, that’s nice of you to say,” Felicia laughed. “Has Jensen already asked you to read for the part?”

“Yeah,” Matt confirmed and Felicia shot him a glare to which he smiled and shrugged.

“Sorry, what was I supposed to do? Stand around and wait for you in awkward silence?” Jensen asked.

“Yes, because that’s the only possible outcome of waiting for me,” Felicia rolled her eyes. “Well, anyway, I’m glad you’re in. I think you’ll be perfect. Hopefully you’re good at acting.”

She gave him a huge smile before giving her farewell. “Anyway, I left Gen and Chameleon in the middle of story time, so I better get back.” With that, she flounced away.

“Chameleon?” Matt asked.

“Their daughter, Camille,” Jared provided.

“Ah, that’s cute,” Matt laughed. “Alright, well, thank you so much, Mr. Ackles.”

“Oh, please call me Jensen,” Jensen corrected. “And thanks for not thinking this too weird.”

“This is a freaking amazing opportunity for me, weird or not,” Matt laughed. “I guess thank God for that asshole Charlie.”

Jared was startled for a moment, but Jensen immediately laughed darkly. “Bet that’s the first time you’ve said that.”

“And the last,” Matt agreed.

“Alright, well, give Felicia a call, probably tomorrow, and she’ll give you all the details,” Jensen replied, shaking his hand again.

“Thanks so much,” Matt grinned. “And it was great to meet you.”

They parted ways, Jared and Jensen to their car. When in the car, Jared smiled at Jensen.

“Who would’ve thought you were going to get an actor out of the trial,” Jared laughed.

“Yeah, and if Danny is found not guilty, it will have been worth it,” Jensen nodded and Jared could see the tension that had been present since the beginning of the trial slowly ebb away as Jensen leaned against the seat.

“There’s no way she’s charged,” Jared reassured. “No way.”

And it turned out, he was right. Then next day, the prosecution delivered a piss-poor closing statement while Uncle Patrick’s brought many to the point of tears. After, the jury was released into another room to deliberate and had barely been gone ten minutes when they were back. The head juror stood at the prompting of the judge, and declared, “The jury find Danneel Harris not guilty on all charges.”

And just like that, it was over. Jared watched as tension and stress faded from Jensen’s eyes as he looked at Danny, who flipped around in her seat immediately to grin at her friends. The judge released the court and they ran to Danny, each enveloping her in a hug, Chris added a long kiss to his.

“Can I try that?” Chad joked as he went to hug Danny, and they all laughed.

“Boy, was that a stressful few weeks,” Danny sighed. “I would not have done well in jail.”

“Agreed,” Chris laughed.

Jensen checked his watch and ruefully looked at Danny. “We have to go, but how about we skip our party tonight and meet you guys at the bar for celebratory drinks? Sound good to you, Jared?”

“How about we just skip the Globes entirely?” Jared suggested with a laugh and Jensen gave him a hopeful look before he shook his head. “Just kidding,” he clarified. “We have to go.”

“Fine,” Jensen sighed. Jensen kissed Danny on the cheek and Jared followed suit.

“We’ll see you tonight,” they promised before hurrying out to go get ready for the Golden Globes award ceremony.