Work Text:
Title: Convincing the Consort
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Jared gratefully turned the last flight of stairs to his apartment, eager to bring the (rather long) day to a close and eager to find solace in his bed again despite the fact that the King-size structure had felt empty and cold (read: lonely) for the past month and a half.
Forcing himself to ignore the sharp sadness the thought produced, he wearily made his way to his door; juggling with the bags in his hand to fish out the key.
Except the door opened before he could locate the damn thing; an unnaturally pale bleached-blond girl smiling at him as he reached for the bags, “Mr. Padalecki? Please, allow me to help you with that.”
Growling low in his throat because he knew exactly who the person responsible was for the ... for the army in his house; he acquiesced quietly: no use screaming at the messenger when the woman was just doing what she’d been ordered to.
Still furious at the displayed brazenness, he walked into his bedroom to find most of his stuff already boxed and the man responsible for the whole mess in conversation with what looked like the head of the moving team.
“Jensen.” It was with an effort that he kept his voice level, forgetting for a moment that he wasn’t supposed to call the Crown Prince by his given name in front of other people.
The older man just stared at him quietly for a moment before giving a brief off-hand nod to the man he had been speaking to, “Leave us,”
No one protested, not even the poor guy who had to climb down a ladder to follow the command. He waited till the door closed behind the last man with a soft snick to resume glaring at the Prince.
“Would you like to sit?” Jensen enquired blandly.
“I don’t need your fricckin’ permission to sit in my own house, Jensen!” He shouted; only realising a second too late that it was prudent to keep his voice down.
“I got your letter,” The Prince said after a beat, voice still infuriatingly controlled.
“I can see that. And what was your reaction- throwing me out of my own house? Exiling me? What?” He remembered to keep his voice within acceptable decibels this time but it was still as loud as he dared to go.
Green eyes narrowed, “I’m not walking away from my child, Jared. And you are being moved to a better apartment- one where you won’t have to climb five flights of stairs to reach.”
“So I’m your prisoner?”
“Of course not! You’re still free to move about as you please... All I’m doing is ensuring that the little one would be safe-”
Jared knew his face fell at the words, “This is about your child, then? Did you read the part in the letter where I said I didn’t expect anything from you? You would still have every right to meet the kid. If you want I’ll tell him that you’re the Dad...” He trailed off uncertainly; watching the glowering expression that darkened the man’s eyes, “Or not; as the case may be. I won’t try to keep you apart, Jen. You don’t need to do this.”
Jensen’s gaze focussed on him the way it had so many times in the past, “I know, but you’re mistaken if you think I’m going to allow my child to grow up in questionable neighbourhoods and without basic creature comforts.”
“Fine!” He threw up his hands in exasperation, “Do what you will; I’ll be in here.”
“It would be better for you to sit in the car, Jared; the men will be packing this room...”
“Ugh!” He growled, “Whatever, I’ll be spending the night with Cha-”
“No.”
Jared raised his brows- taken aback by the low tone.
“You’re carrying my son, Jared; hell if I’m going to let some other guy get his paws all over you!”
“Possessive much?” He shot back, freezing when Jensen grabbed him only to gently push him up against the wall and claim his lips fiercely.
“You’re mine!”
“Way to make me feel like chattel.” Jared grumbled but relaxed; after all it wasn’t news to him that the Prince was pure alpha-male.
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“And then?”
Jared glared at his colleague, “What do you mean ‘and then’?”
Chad just grinned back unrepentantly, “You were the one describing your game of tonsil hockey with the prince.”
“Dude!” Jared whined.
His friend shook his head, changing the topic much to his relief, “So is today the big day when you find out whether that little one is a little Knight or a Princess?”
He nodded, ducking his head to hide the blush painting his cheeks- it was a reprieve to have at least one person who didn’t think him to be a freak or worse for being a pregnant carrier without a mate on the horizon.
“Yeah, the appointment’s for this afternoon.”
“Perfect; you want me to be there?”
Jared very much wanted to answer with an affirmative, after all he owed his friend a lot for being there through the last few trying weeks; but in the end Chad was not the man he wanted to share the moment with and if he couldn’t share it with... him, he wanted to be alone.
“I’ll be fine.”
“Of course you will!” Chad agreed, “Go on then; don’t be late.”
Jared shot his friend a grateful smile before pulling his coat on and heading out into the cold. By the time he reached the doctor’s office, his cheeks were a ruddy red and he was very much regretting not having taken a taxi.
“Ah Mr. Padalecki; and how has the munchkin been treating you?” The receptionist greeted.
“Good,” He smiled, grateful for a friendly face what with all the turmoil in his life and waiting for her nod before heading in to meet his doctor.
“Huh, so you’re on time.” The doctor greeted and Jared felt himself blush. Ever since his morning sickness had delayed him for his second appointment, the doctor had taken these little potshots about his punctuality. He wished he could afford a different doctor, but reality was that wasn’t an option and so he sucked it up.
“I trust you know how to position yourself?” The doctor asked and Jared nodded, quickly changing into the too-short hospital gown and climbing up into the gynaecologist’s chair, cheeks staining crimson when his legs were manoeuvred none-too-gently into the stirrups and forced apart.
His humiliation only compounded when the man went to answer the sharp knocking on the door, leaving him spread out like that.
He closed his eyes to hide his tears when the door opened wider to allow the person in; only opening it when he recognized the familiar low baritone conversing with the doctor. “Jensen?”
Green eyes crinkled in a smile as the Crown Prince made his way to his pregnant ex-boyfriend; the doctor looking between them in confusion. When the doctor continued to gape, it was Jensen who spoke up; “Is there a problem, doctor?”
“Oh, no no... I was just... surprised, you know? May I assume you’re the father of the child?”
Jensen acknowledged the question with a nod, hand finding and squeezing Jared’s as he spoke. “Yes, and if I find this little nugget turning into public knowledge, you know who is going to find themselves abruptly unemployed; right?”
“Y-ye-yes, Sir.” The doctor stammered, “My lips are sealed, Sir.”
“Good,” Jensen smiled blandly, “Now how about we get this show on the road?”
“Of course!” The doctor agreed, launching into action; moving the stirrups to spread Jared wider till he winced. In his haste, the doctor forgot to warm the speculum making the young carrier jerk from the cold metal.
“Are you alright?” Jensen questioned in an undertone, noticing his bitten lips.
Jared nodded, struggling not to shift away from the invasive check up.
“Would you like a look?” The doctor offered Jensen graciously, ignoring Jared completely.
The Prince’s brow rose in surprise, “Do you offer all you patients’ partners this chance?”
“Of course not!” The doctor answered.
Jensen nodded, “Then why am I the exception?”
“You’re the Prince, Sire; I thought you might appreciate checking things for yourself...”
Jensen’s lips thinned but he shook his head, still courteous, “I am not well versed in gynaecology enough to understand anything, so thank-you; but no.”
“I- I could explain-?”
The Crown Prince exchanged an incredulous glance with Jared, “Do you want me to-?”
Jared emphatically shook his head, eyes widening when the doctor’s hand clamped in a bruising grip on his knee.
“Who do you think you are to refuse the Prin-”
“He’s my friend and you’d do well to treat him with the respect he deserves!” Jensen snapped.
The doctor paused, “I apologise, my Lord.”
“Just get on with it, will you?” The Prince growled, clearly at the end of his patience.
The doctor nodded, pushing up Jared’s shirt without ceremony and squirting the ultra-sonography gel. The probe was applied with the same over-zealous efficiency and the room was soon filled with the hummingbird- fast thrumming of a baby’s heartbeat.
“It’s a boy?” Jared asked, squinting at the screen.
The doctor didn’t respond.
“Doctor?” Jensen repeated.
“Sire?”
Jensen’s lips thinned, “He asked you something.”
The man nodded, “Yes. Just give me a moment... it’s a girl. You’re having a daughter, Sire.”
Jared glanced at Jensen then, not sure if his ex would consider that to be a slight to his masculinity or not; but Jensen was beaming- green eyes catching his before he was dipping to plant a chaste kiss to his forehead, “You hear that, Jay? We’re having a baby girl!”
Jared relaxed, “Yeah, yeah I heard.”
They smiled at each other for a moment before Jared remembered that he was no longer with Jensen even if the Prince had deigned to accompany(read: drop in unannounced) on his check-up and sobered.
Catching the change in his expression, Jensen turned to glance at the doctor, “Are we done here?”
The man nodded, hesitating “Would you like a picture?”
“Yes, please.”
“No!”
The answers were simultaneous and Jared closed his eyes in despair, only opening when Jensen brushed a tender finger over his cheeks, “Is it considered bad-luck or something, sweetheart?”
He shook his head in humiliation, whispering “Can’t afford it.”
“Oh Jay, we can; alright? Don’t worry ‘bout it. We can afford whatever you want.”
“I’m not you’re charity-”
“No,” Jensen cut him off, “but you are the guy who’s giving me this wonderful gift. Think of it as a peace offering, okay?”
Tears burned his eyes at the words- damn Jensen for knowing the best way to make him cave.
“So... do we get a picture?”
“Yes... yes, please.”
“You heard the man, Doc.”
The doctor smiled, “Coming right up, Sir.” Printing the image and offering it to Jensen.
“Ah, yes; we’re going to need a copy of this.” Jensen told him, passing on the image to Jared.
The man hesitated briefly; but was smart enough not to voice his objections. Jared clutched the grainy image tightly and shuffled to his feet; watching Jensen put the picture in his handcrafted- leather wallet. He bit his lips, but accepted the help when Jensen extended his hand.
“Your next appointment is in a month. Don’t be late.” The doctor informed Jared as they left.
“Late?” Jensen asked softly enough that the words were for Jared’s ears alone.
He blushed, “Got delayed for my second appointment thanks to my morning sickness.”
“So it was a joke?”
Cheeks burned with embarrassment but he couldn’t lie, “Doc didn’t appreciate re-scheduling.”
“Huh,” Jensen acknowledged, “Why don’t you go to some other doc?”
Jared looked away, trying to move away but held in place by the firm hand on his wrist.
“Jay?”
“What do you want me to say, Jen?” He sighed, “Doctor Anderson is the only legitimate ob/gyn for carriers within my budget unless I want to resort to quacks.”
“Well, your budget just expanded considerably...” He held up a hand to ward off protests, “And I know this isn’t about money, okay? I should have been there for you from the start. But what’s happened can’t be undone and... Just let me do this for you. Please, alright? Let me get you a doctor who’s not a total douche.”
“Jensen I-”
“Don’t.”
He hung his head in defeat, looking up only when Jensen’s trademark Alpha-Romeo paused in front of them.
“Where do I drop you?”
“I can take the bus.”
“Of course you can... but you don’t need to. So what’ll it be, Jared?”
“Home,” He sighed, giving in; his back was aching and the check-up had taken all of his reserves.
Jensen smiled, helping him in before sliding in next to him and barking out Jared’s new address to the chauffeur.
The drive was silent, but not as uncomfortable as he’d feared and when they pulled to a stop in front of his apartment he turned to thank the Prince.
“Hey, Jay?”
“Yeah?”
“There’s a ball this weekend. My family’d appreciate it if you could come.”
He stared at the gold trimmed white envelope being held out to him but eventually nodded, “I’ll try.”
Jensen smiled, green eyes crinkling at the corners with the action. “Thanks.”
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“What do you mean you’re not going?” Chad asked, following after him through the narrow aisles of the momentarily empty store where they worked.
“It’s the palace, Chad! What on earth am I going to do there? And... and like this?”
His friend’s expression softened, “Have you considered that maybe the Prince wants you there?”
“He cannot order me!”
“He can, actually.” Chad corrected, “It’s a different matter that he doesn’t. Not you.”
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The royal guards looked at his invite suspiciously; confirming his belief that he wasn’t a part of this world: it had been one of his major issues with Jensen in the first place- the Prince too entrenched in him.
Eventually they let him pass and Jared found himself escorted to a wide ball-room with high ceilings and heavy drapes and exquisitely dressed people milling about in small groups. He wedged himself into a relatively dark corner to keep from people staring at him (his attire) and gradually worked out that the majority of the population was formed of bejewelled women. And the remaining was composed of... (unless he was mistaken and he was willing to bet that he wasn’t)carriers.
He swallowed; unsure what it all meant and was considering leaving when Jensen appeared at the far corner of the room with his family- the King and Queen herself.
“Welcome; honoured guests,” the queen began in the mellifluous tones Jared was familiar with from TV news and other broadcasts, “We welcomed you here to announce that our son, your Crown Prince; has finally decided on his mate.”
Jared’s eyes flew to Jensen’s- was this the Prince’s way of telling him to give up hopes of any reconciliation between them; child or no?
Trapped in his fears, he nearly missed the Queen’s next words, “And we would like to welcome into our fold, Jared of Padalecki.”
He choked. Surely he hadn’t heard right?
The Prince’s familiar- oh, SO familiar- emerald eyes caught his then; the surprise and apology all too plain for Jared who’d always been able to read Jensen like a book. He shook his head minutely; nothing that would be noticed by the assembled dignitaries.
Jared swallowed; recognising Jensen’s gesture to be the warning it was. He could refuse, of course; protest the match the way every instinct in him was screaming to; but it would create an international incident and he didn’t exactly want to humiliate either his country or the Prince. Swallowing, he nodded his assent- a barely perceptible incline of his head, watching as the tightness eased from around Jensen’s eyes.
Things kind of blurred after that, security appearing from wherever they had been to flank them and escort Jared to the private chambers inside. Meeting the King and Queen formally and answering questions he barely heard. He must not have made too many goof-ups however because nobody was surprised by his answers. And then Jensen was driving him home again.
“Are you alright?” The Prince enquired softly.
He nodded, at a loss for an appropriate reply.
“I- I didn’t mean for things to go the way they did.” Jensen continued after a moment. “I told Mother that you had come; I didn’t know she was going to announce our engagement.”
“We can always break-up later.”
“Do-” Green eyes glanced at him briefly before returning to the road, “Is that what you want?”
“You don’t have to bind yourself to me for the sake of the baby, Jen; I told you- I have no intentions of cutting you off her life unless you demand it.”
“She can’t have my name unless I marry you.”
Jared bit his lip; refusing to answer.
“And I don’t want her to grow up thinking she was a mistake.” Jensen finished quietly, “Because she wasn’t- isn’t. You have to know that, Jared... I don’t regret this.”
“So... you’re planning to divorce me after she’s born?” He couldn’t help but ask. “Who gets custody?”
“I do.”
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Jensen had managed to reduce press, which Jared was thankful for as it allowed him to continue work without people coming in to ‘see’ who the Crown Prince’s intended was. It also meant that his Boss remained unaware of his new status and continued to make advances.
His growing belly didn’t deter the man, instead strengthening his belief that Jared was ‘available’. Chad, as sympathetic as his friend was couldn’t help him either- not without risking his own job.
Things finally came to a head when Garret managed to corner him in the stock room and sneak a kiss before Jared could push him off and escape.
“Dude, what happened?” Chad questioned, not having missed him running out of the room like the devil himself was after him; but before he could answer, the metal detector at the shop’s entrance started wailing and they both looked up to see six men barge in.
“Shit!” Chad whispered, “Do you think we can alert the cops before the goons realize?”
“I – I don’t think it’s necessary.” Jared answered; watching as Jensen stepped in after his men, and sharp eyes scanned the interiors till they landed on him. The Prince strode towards them.
“Jensen,” He whispered, relaxing unconsciously in the man’s presence.
“You okay, Jay?”
He smile disappeared; frowning a little at the question because somehow, it didn’t seem coincidental that his- his fiancé was here minutes after he’d been accosted.
“Sire!” Garret approached, bowing unctuously as the beady eyes that Jared hated nearly glimmered with delight at the sight of the Crown Prince
gracing his little garments shop.
Jensen ignored the shop-owner resolutely; eyes focussed on Jared. “Jay?”
“I’m good.”
“That’s not what my guy told me.”
“Not what your guy told-... did you have me followed?!” He wondered how he had missed someone tailing him.
The Prince shrugged unapologetically, “You are royalty now.”
Garret, having understood the gist of the conversation stepped in to add, “He’s perfectly alright, my Lord.”
Jared’s gaze swung to the smaller man in surprise, breathe escaping at the bald faced lie and it appeared that Jensen hadn’t forgotten how to read him because he turned to face the shop owner; crowding the man against a display with his bigger physique mercilessly- green eyes narrowed into dangerous slits.
“Is that the truth?”
“Of course, my- my Lord!”
“Because that’s not what I’d heard.” Jensen continued in the same low menacing tones, “What I heard was that you’d been giving him a hard time. Isn’t that right; Murrey?”
“Yes, Sir.” Chad responded crisply, straightening to stand at attention now that his cover had been blown.
Jared turned wide eyes at his friend, noticing and understanding the change in posture immediately, “Chad?”
The blonde’s eyes softened as they landed on him. “I’m part of the Prince’s security team, Jaybird.”
“You work for him?!”
He glanced at the Prince before nodding, “Always have... didn’t actually expect to befriend you when I accepted the job.”
“Was any of what you said real?”
“All of it was. You...” He shot another cautious glance towards Jensen who was watching the interaction, “You are a friend, Jared.”
He nodded, accepting the words for what they were, “So were- are you, Chad.”
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“You wouldn’t have told me, would you-” Jensen asked as he went to prepare coffee for himself and a milkshake for Jared, “about what happened today?”
Jared leaned back against the headboard, watching the man move around his home with the familiarity of one who knows the place. It made him wonder if Jensen had installed hidden cameras all over in his house to keep an eye on him. It wouldn’t surprise him if he did.
He accepted the creamy, cool liquid without protest; taking a sip and smiling as he realised that despite the intervening months, his ex- nay, his fiancé; had not forgotten the exact way he liked his milkshakes: pulpy with fruit and only a single sugar-cube to sweeten it so that the fruity flavour dominated the taste.
Jensen smiled as he watched him relishing the drink, glancing away as shook his head to himself, “Why do you deny me the chance to protect you?”
“But I was ne’er unprotected, was I? Chad was there.”
A bark of laughter accompanied the response, “You know; I’ll never get used to thinking of Murrey as Chad.”
“You didn’t know his name?”
“I did, I’d just forgotten.” The Prince shook his head, “We go by our ranks and Surnames in the military. He was always Lieutenant Murrey to me.”
“He knew you.” Jared refuted.
“Only because he came to work for me... I- I still remembered him from when we served together.”
“He was your superior?”
Jensen shook his head, “I was the CO#.”
“Because of your title?”
“Because I earned it,” Jensen shot back heatedly, “remember I told you how I’d joined the military early? Well, that was the reason. Till I turned twenty-one, my face was kept away from the media...barring a handful of my baby-pictures, that is. And the media isn’t allowed to publish military personnel pictures unless they’re deceased and even then, only by permission. So I figured out early on that if I ever wanted a chance to become some one of my own right- without depending on the family name; the military was the only option for me. It was pure luck that I turned out to be actually good at it.”
“What was their reaction on discovering who you really were?”
“My family’s?”
“Your colleagues.”
Jensen blushed, the pinkening cheeks a stark contrast to the man’s usual reserve, “uh- some teasing, I guess.”
“You let them?”
“When you’ve spent time together in trenches together; you learn never to take them seriously.”
Jared laughed, forgetting for the moment the day’s earlier upheaval.
Jensen’s expression softened, “I’d missed your laughter.”
And just like that the mood soured, “You should have stuck around then.”
“By the Gods, Jared; you think I didn’t want to?!”
Hazel eyes peered into turbulent greens as he quietly whispered, “Did you?”
[#=Commanding Officer]
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The next day found Jared in a foul mood: his nausea seemed worse and his entire body ached from the restless night he’d had- damn Jensen for arousing doubts in him again!
So it was with ill humour that he answered the phone, “What?”
If the person on the other end was surprised or taken aback, there was no evidence of it in the voice, “Mr. Padalecki?”
“Yes!” He grumbled irritably- he didn’t owe this person to be polite.
“The Queen Mother would like to request an audience with you.”
That gave him pause, “The Queen Mother?”
“Yes.”
“When does she want to see me?” he asked with some trepidation; despite her age, the royal matriarch was someone to be reckoned with.
“Would it be convenient for you to come by the palace in an hour or so?”
“I- yes, yes... I’ll be there.”
“Thank you.”
The phone cut off with a sharp click and he hurried to make himself presentable. Jared reached the palace on the hour.
“I was told the Queen Mother wanted to see me?” He asked the aide who saw him in.
“Ah, yes. Please follow me, Sir.”
He nodded, following the man to the landscaped gardens that surrounded the palace on three sides and waited at some distance while the man went to announce his arrival, stepping forward at a nod from the aide.
“Good Morning, Ma’am.”
“Oh, please; call me Grand-mama, Jensen does.”
“Grand-mama,” He acknowledged, smiling; having lost his own grandparents before reaching his teens, it felt nice to have a grandmother again.
“So, how many months along are you?”
He stuttered, not having expected the question point-blank.
“There’re no secrets within the family, Jared.” She smiled, guessing at the reason for his hesitance. “It’s alright, go on.”
“Uh... just beginning the second trimester.”
“So, I’m guessing we need to do the wedding quick, huh?”
He looked down, not answering the question. It didn’t matter after all-did it? - Jensen was going to divorce him after anyway.
“Are you not happy about the match, Jared?” The woman asked archly.
“I-... no, Jensen is very nice and-”
“Pfft!” She waved away his polite words, “No secrets, remember?”
He paused, waiting for her to continue.
She smiled softly, “You think he doesn’t care; is that it?”
Jared looked away; it had been years since someone (other than Jensen) had been able to read him so easily.
“Got five kids of my own, remember?” The platinum haired royal whispered softly, “Moms tend to know these things.”
Jared couldn’t help but smile at that.
She reached out a gnarled but well-manicured hand to cup his cheeks gently, “Jensen nearly killed himself with his grief when he had to break-up with you.”
“Then why do it?” He couldn’t help it; his voice broke on the second word.
“Because as Crown Prince, he had- has... to ensure that the line didn’t end with him, my dear... From what I understand of the situation, you didn’t tell him you were a carrier while the two of you were seeing each other; correct?”
He nodded; waiting for her to continue.
“My grandson didn’t know that and because his position demanded him to bear heirs, he broke up with you; not because he didn’t love or care for you, but because it was what was required of him. And yet he couldn’t bring himself to see anyone else either. And frankly speaking, we were beginning to worry enough that my son and I discussed changing the rules so that the regent could adopt in case of an absence of biological heirs... just so he could get back to you. So you see; it was an answer to all our prayers when you conceived.”
It took him a minute to understand what the Queen Mother was trying to tell him. “Why... why are you telling me all of this?”
“Honestly?” She grinned, leaning forward as though confiding a secret and her smile reminded him of his fiancé, “I’m tired of seeing my grandson moping about.”
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“Is it true?” Jared demanded the moment Jensen stepped through the door of his apartment. He had cancelled all his other appointments the moment Jared had called him, demanding he come to the apartment.
The Prince looked taken aback at the abrupt question, “What?”
“That you love me?”
Jensen looked so surprised at the charge that Jared began doubting again.
“Am-am I... wrong?”
The Crown Prince shook his head mutely, reaching out to pull him into his arms, “What finally convinced you?”
“Grand-mama,” He whispered in answer, tilting his head so he could lean his forehead against Jensen’s.
Jared felt rather than saw his fiancé’s smile, repeating “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Would you have believed me if I did?” Jensen returned; voice soft as though he too was scared of breaking this fragile little bubble they had created.
Jared paused to consider: the man had tried to show through actions rather than words, and if he knew himself, Jensen was right in assuming that he wouldn’t have been believed.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Jensen twisted his words around on him, making him cringe; but there was no misunderstanding the question.
“Not everyone’s accepting of carriers.”
Jensen pulled back to peer up at him at that, “This is the twenty-first century Jared...”
“But bigots are still out there, Jensen. Hell, I face them every day.”
“I’m sorry.”
He shook his head, “Not your fault. But hey, maybe you can change things when you accede the throne.”
The first flicker of relief crossed the Prince’s eyes, “Only if I have you by my side.”
He raised a teasing eyebrow, “Why Prince, if I didn’t know better, I would have thought you were attempting to coerce me.”
Immediate worry filled those expressive emerald eyes Jared had fallen for, “I wouldn’t...”
Jared smiled, “I know.”
“But I will have you by my side, won’t I?”
And the hope in those eyes was what finally convinced him, “Yes.”
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The End
[#=Commanding Officer]