AN: Please check out the new chapter 29 of unrequited666 Against My Nature here…

This is an awesome story, so please go and read.

Enigma

Part 1

Jared was shaking. This was insane. He was no fighter. He might finally admit that he was no coward but it also wasn’t him to jump head first into a fight with guns and a knife.

He was supposed to be sleeping, but how could he sleep when he was in the middle of some forest in the middle of nowhere, sleeping on rocks, in a tent, while constant drizzle made everything wet and just miserable.

Tom had told him to sleep but Jared didn’t see how any one could sleep under these conditions.

Jensen had gone missing three weeks ago and his life since then had been turned up side down.

Tom had picked him up from his brother’s house and after an argument, Mike had come with them. Tom had fumed but in the end, Mike had proven that he could be very stubborn and the other man had relented.

Jared had to admit that there was something going on between Tom and Mike because even he saw that they were sneaking glances at each other, that there were awkward silences and stolen moments.

Since apparently neither Tom nor Mike were actually acting on their mutual attraction, Jared had decided that it was also not his place to try and play matchmaker. At least Mike was no longer making eyes at him, now he had assumed a more protective role and Jared wondered again how he always managed to get people to try to protect him.

Did he look that fragile? That innocent that he needed protecting?

And what was it about that him that made people fall into two categories: protecting him or hurting him.

Jared shook his head, now so wasn’t the time for thoughts like this. He needed to get some rest, to relax and conserve his strength, otherwise come early morning he would be useless and then Tom would insist that he stayed behind. And he wasn’t going to stay behind.

Jensen had lied to him. Again…well, he hadn’t really lied, more like omitted certain things and Jared had to admit that he could understand that because if Jensen had told him, he probably would not have believed him and called him a nut job. Jensen was still a nut but not that kind of a nut.

And now Jared was slightly hungry, roasted nuts were after all one of his favourite things…

Jensen had told Jared that he was in the business of acquiring things, whether it was an item or information and that this was sort of the ‘family business’ he had been referring to earlier on.

Jensen didn’t have to elaborate for Jared to understand that some jobs weren’t even close to legal but apparently as long as the money was worth it, so was the job and Jared secretly had also thought that Jensen probably also loved the thrill of the danger a little bit, otherwise he wouldn’t have embraced this life so whole heartedly.

Jensen had never really explained to Jared why John (Jensen’s father) had taken it so badly that he wanted to leave the family business. Jared had wanted to ask Jensen about that when he got back after spending one week with his newly found family but he had never gotten the chance because Jensen had disappeared.

The drive back to the mansion that day was nothing but a blur to Jared. Tom had more or less filled him in and after eying Mike up and down, seizing him up, he had apparently also decided that Mike could be trusted or he had at least understood that Mike wasn’t going to go anywhere.

Apparently there was more to the ‘family business’ than Jensen had let on. The family business wasn’t just acquiring anything for a price; it was also loosely linked to a branch of the government that Tom wasn’t naming. Apparently on any job they did, they also gathered information and passed it on, and if Jared hadn’t been so worried, he would have actually started laughing at the fact that Jensen was a spy. Well, in a way at least because he wasn’t employed by anyone but what else could he call acquiring information and passing it on to a branch of the government?

This was how Jensen had learned that someone was planning to kidnap his boyfriend and hold him for ransom.

This was how Jensen had him found the second time he had been kidnapped.

And apparently this was why Jensen had gone missing now.

And no one knew why.

It had taken Tom almost a full day to realize that Jensen had disappeared and from his tone of voice Jared could tell that Tom blamed himself for it. Jared knew that any comment to make his friend feel better wouldn’t be appreciated so he had just kept his mouth shut.

Tom had decided to call in help, two friends of Jensen were in the area and he had also decided that John Ackles couldn’t be trusted. Jared thought that this was maybe a little bit extreme. Sure he had no love for Jensen’s father but he was Jensen’s father so surely he would be there for his son when he needed him. Then again the same father had practically threatened Jared to have Jensen imprisoned if he didn’t whore himself out so maybe he should reconsider that and just go with what Tom had said.

Jared had no idea what Tom was doing and the next three weeks were the weeks from hell for him. He had no idea if Jensen was still alive but since Tom was still working very hard on finding Jensen, Jared had gathered that at least there was still someone out there to be saved. However with each passing day Jared was convinced more and more that he would never see his lover again.

Tom more or less forced him to attend art school, saying that he needed some distraction and that they also needed to keep up appearances. Jared reluctantly agreed because on some level he did understand where Tom was coming from, but he hated every second of it. He couldn’t focus, he constantly kept playing horrible scenarios in head alternating from Jensen being dead to Jensen being severely hurt and sometimes Jared had to bite his tongue to stop himself from screaming out loud.

For three weeks Jared went through hell, worrying constantly while trying to keep up appearances. Instead however of being able to chill at home, for three weeks he had received an intensive crash course by Chris, one of Jensen’s friend’s, on how to shoot, throw a knife and just basic self defence.

Jared still hated guns with a passion but apparently he was a pretty good shot once he got over his fear of holding one. If it were up to him however he really preferred the knife. There was just something about its shiny blade that really spoke to Jared and he really didn’t want to dwell on any reason why that could be.

He didn’t complain about the gruelling training because he knew that Tom was only doing this for him, realizing that once they located Jensen that Jared wasn’t going to stay behind and wait.

Jared had no idea what Mike had said to Tom but whatever it was it must have worked because Mike was there constantly with him, being put through the same training. In a way it was a relief to have Mike with him but then again, it was also another reminder how his life had been turned up side down.

Anyway, after three weeks of hell Jared was now in the middle of nowhere, mere hours away from their rescue mission and while Jared wouldn’t want to be anywhere else, he had wanted, no needed to be there when they finally took Jensen home; he also desperately wanted it all not to be real.

In the early hours of the following morning, it was still dark outside but sunrise was only about an hour way, Jared finally got out of the tent. He pulled on his jacket, secured his gun and made sure that he had his knife on him.

It was surreal to be here, dressed like this but regardless of how many times Jared blinked, his life, this reality wasn’t going to change. He took a few deep breaths to steady himself.

The others went through some sort of debriefing, hatching out the last kinks in their plan but Jared wasn’t a part of that. He was going to go with Chris and he had been told, ordered actually, to just follow him do as he was told.

Jared was biting his lip nervously, just wanting to get on with it. This waiting was worse than anything else.

Mike was staying behind with one of the choppers, minding their communication.

Jared only knew three men here, Mike, Tom and Chris but it didn’t really matter. There were going to be two teams, entering the house from each side at the same time and each team got their separate meeting points. Jared had no idea where Tom had gotten two choppers from, or where all the guns had suddenly appeared from but he really wasn’t going to ask. He was sort of beyond asking at this point.

Chris seemed to be an easy going guy but Jared didn’t trust that. He had watched Chris play with his knife and the way the other man had been handling it, almost caressing it, told him that Chris was a killer so Jared always made sure to walk on egg shells around him, never forgetting that he was a friend of Jensen’s and not of him.

When Jared found himself finally following Chris through the forest, he could barely suppress his fear. He wasn’t brave, he really wasn’t and he knew that he was totally out of his league here but he also knew that he could have never stayed home, stayed where it was safe while someone else was risking his life to save Jensen.

This whole scenario was just so surreal, so something out of a movie that Jared had to constantly remind himself that he wasn’t dreaming that this was really happening.

Of course Jared had had a choice, he could have told Tom at any time that he wasn’t going to come along, that he was going to stay at the mansion and just wait for them to bring Jensen home. And Jared had been tempted, really tempted because he really wasn’t the type for violence and there was no doubt on his mind that he was going to have to resort to some sort of violence before this day was over.

He and Jensen still had many problems to hash out, they still had to talk about many things but in the end the decision had been rather simple: Jared loved Jensen and Jensen needed his help and he couldn’t let anyone else risk their lives for his lover. He just couldn’t.

So that was why he was running through the forest in a drizzling rain, carrying a gun and a knife, heading for who knew what.

Life was grand wasn’t it?

Chris was amazing, he moved with so much stealth, barely concealed strength that Jared couldn’t help but be in awe and wonder how sexy Jensen would look like that. He smacked himself mentally because now so wasn’t the time to fantasize about Jensen.

Jared had no idea why Jensen had been brought to this place, he knew that Tom knew the reason for it but he hadn’t told him and honestly Jared hadn’t asked because finding Jensen had been much more important to him than getting answers.

The house was in the middle of nowhere, with no real roads leading to it and the only way to really get to it without hiking was by plane. There was a small air strip close by and Jared really had to wonder who would build a house like that in the first place. The reason couldn’t be good.

Jared again had no idea how Tom had managed to get the layout of the house but Jared was thankful that the place wasn’t too big.

Chris and he weren’t a part of the team that was responsible for taking out the security and Jared couldn’t help it, he flinched when he heard the first gun shots, knowing that they were all shooting to kill and that every single shot meant someone was either dead or hurt pretty badly.

Chris didn’t say a word but he kept on eying Jared as if he was just waiting for him to make a mistake and screw this up. Jared glared defiantly at the other man and kept his cool.

On the inside however he was shaking and he promised himself that when this was over and Jensen was safe that he wouldn’t leave his bed for at least a week.

Preferably with Jensen tugged in by his side.

Chris finally moved again and Jared followed as quietly as he could. When Chris drew his gun, he did the same, disabling the safety and feeling really horribly about it.

Then he thought about Jensen and what he must have gone through the last three weeks and his eyes narrowed his fearful expression from before turning into one of steel. He could do this, he wasn’t a crappy shot and it wasn’t the gun that killed people, it was people who used it.

So he really shouldn’t tremble just because he was holding a gun, even though it symbolized violence to him and after all the violence that had been inflicted on him, it really took all his will power and his love for Jensen to stop his hands from shaking.

They ran into two men on their way deeper into the house but Chris managed to take them both out rather swiftly and elegantly.

“Jen.” Jared nearly shouted his lover’s name when they finally broke into a locked room, finding Jensen lying motionless on the floor. Jared repeated his lover’s name while he rushed forward but Chris stopped him just before he could touch him.

“Don’t.” Chris said and it was a command. Jared at first didn’t understand why Chris didn’t want him to touch Jensen but he found out rather quickly when Chris started checking Jensen for wounds.

Jared started biting his lower lip again until he tasted blood but he didn’t stop there. He wanted nothing more than to rush forward and hug Jensen but he knew that he would probably do more damaged if he did that.

Jensen was a mess, his hair was crusty with blood, his face was swollen and what was even worse, he didn’t make a sound at all when Chris checked him. The only reason why Jared wasn’t freaking out too much was because he could see Jensen’s chest heaving which meant that he was still alive. Jared just hope that whatever damaged those bastards had done wasn’t something that time couldn’t fix.

“Help me.” Chris finally looked up and directed Jared to pick up his lover. Chris was about to take the feet when there was a sound from the outside and with cat like movements Chris walked through the room and peaked around the corner.

A loud bang and bursting debris later clearly told Jared that they were cornered.

“Can you carry him?” Chris asked while firing shots into the hallway.

“Yes.”

“Good.” Chris didn’t look back; he kept his entire focus on the hallway and the shooter out there.

“I’ll cover you and you run like hell and get Jensen to the meeting point.”

Chris didn’t wait for an answer, the crazy bastard stepped into the hall way and started firing. It took Jared a few seconds to realize that this meant he should start running now and with a grunt he picked up Jensen and then he just ran.

He knew he was probably hurting Jensen but he had to fling him over his shoulder, there was no other way for him to carry him and with every step he mumbled sorry sorry over and over again but regardless he kept on running, knowing that it was up to him now to get his lover out of the house and to safety.

He had no idea if it was pure luck or divine interventions but he made it out of the house without running into any more trouble and then Tom helped him towards the chopper.

In a way Jared was glad that Jensen was unconscious because he looked a mess and if he were awake he would surely be in a lot of pain.

Seeing the chopper had Jared nearly whooping with joy but his joy didn’t last very long.

The choppers weren’t very big, and he was at the wrong meeting point. He and Chris were supposed to be on the other chopper but in his haste to get Jensen to safety, Jared had just run for the nearest meeting point, not bothering to think about anything else.

Jensen was taken from his arms and gently lifted into the chopper. It was then when it became evident that there was no more room for Jared.

“Don’t worry; I’ll catch the other one.” He said, trying to sound braver than he felt.

“No, Jay,” Tom objected, already unbuckling his seat belts, “You get in here and I…”

“No,” Jared shouted, this argument was taking way too long. Jensen needed to get to a hospital now and any delay could be dangerous for his lover. “Just go, I’ll make it.”

Jared didn’t wait for an answer; he just turned around and ran like hell.

He didn’t want to dwell on what he was doing because if he did, he would probably just curl up and shake with fear but right now, adrenalin was keeping him going and fear was probably helping him to run faster.

“Noooo.” Jared yelled, just about to reach their meeting point but he was too late. The chopper had already taken off, leaving him behind.

He didn’t have much time to dwell on his horror because suddenly he heard foot steps behind him and then bullets were coming down on him. He jumped and dived, never letting go of his own gun and then he ran again like hell, just dashing into the forest, hoping that whoever was chasing him wasn’t going to catch up with him.

He could freak out about being left behind later.