Absolution Part 4

[candygramme]

Balance Bob’s thought for the day:

Mother Nature cares for us if we can treat her kindly
We must treat our earth with care and not go through life blindly


The day was drawing to a close, and the glows had come on down in the city, where there seemed to be a party going on in defiance of the curfew that had been in place for as long as Jensen could remember. Sounds of revelry floated up to the roof of the temple, and Jensen leaned on the balustrade, watching the exuberant displays of a people who had suddenly tasted freedom.

The rest of the group had stopped their fruitless search for Rolston and were gathered around his computer console, watching as Misha began to work through the files it contained. Finally, going back to the doorway, Jensen beckoned Jake over and held out his hand to clap him on the back.

“I know you were working on the transmitter to Earth, to make sure that nothing could get through. Do you think you could fix that up now? It would be really useful to be able to talk to the folks back home now that there’s no longer any intention of killing anyone during a live feed.”

“I don’t think it would be that difficult.” Jake frowned for a moment, obviously working through the task. “Julian and I simply replaced one chip, and I have the original one in my quarters, but you know Traci has a connection to Earth if you need it in a hurry.”

“That’s true.” Jensen nodded, “Might be a good idea to fix it up, but we do need to start transporting the people who want to go in a hurry, while Mars and Earth are still in opposition. We’ve got about a two week window, before they are too far apart for the hypergate to work, and I hate to think what would happen to someone who was being transmitted if there was nowhere for them to be received. I need to get in touch with Earth to set up a place for the refugees to be once they land until they’re ready to get out there on their own. Don’t forget, the gravity is higher, and they will need to acclimatize.”

At the thought of being transmitted into empty space, Jake had turned faintly green. “I take your point,” he said. “I’ll grab Sterling and give Adrianne a call if she’s still alive. She’s helped out in the past, and I know she wasn’t a fan of the present regime, so she probably took cover once we started to invade.”

He turned away, calling Sterling as he went. The two of them were soon in conference with Nicki, and when Jensen saw him calling someone up on his PAD, he went to find Jared.

Jared was out on the landing, happily tossing bodies down to the floor below, and he looked up with a grin as Jensen approached.

“Hey, baby. I’m just helping to tidy up. Apparently there’s a furnace over behind the sanctoriums, where they dispose of the dead, and isn’t that a chilling thought?”

Jensen mulled that thought over. It was indeed chilling. He supposed that was how Matt had been disposed of all those years ago, and he was sure that there would be nothing left of his mother to honor now. He made a sound in his throat that was almost a growl and grabbed Jared’s shoulders. “We need to get up to Traci’s. I have to make sure Jim’s prepared to receive the refugees that want to bail on Righteousness. I’m going to go now. You wanna come, or are you happy to stay here and play Guardian tossing?”

It seemed as if Jared could sense the distress in his lover’s voice, could see the tight way he held his shoulders and to Jensen’s relief nodded, straightening up and throwing an arm around him. “Let’s go.”

Rob caught their thought and a second later they were in Traci’s sitting room. Katharine came bustling in as they oriented themselves, and gave them a faintly harassed smile. “Hi, guys. Make yourselves at home. Traci’s still out cold, and we’re keeping her that way for now, because Julian’s coming up in the next hour or so. He says he’s got something that will help her.”

“I guess that means we’ve got a couple of hours of downtime then,” murmured Jared, squeezing the shoulder he still held. “Might be a good idea to catch a little rest and relaxation. Gonna need to be fresh later.”

“Good call,” said Jensen. As Katharine nodded and headed back towards Traci’s room the two men made for the one Traci had allocated to them for their stay. He felt as if he’d been awake for days, and, in fact it had been almost eighteen hours since he’d last slept. Kicking off shoes and top clothes, the two of them sank gratefully into the bed. Jensen was yawning as Jared pulled him close against his chest, and a heartbeat later the two were out for the count.

~*~


Balance Bob’s thought for the day:

Now that our water’s nice and clean
we’re going to help our earth turn green

Jared woke to the sound of soft voices elsewhere in the apartment. He slowly drifted to consciousness, feeling wonderfully well rested, Jensen a warm presence against him. He frowned, wondering what time it was, and when he checked his PAD he realized that they’d slept for far longer than the two hours they’d intended.

He turned his head to study Jensen. His lover was still apparently deep in dreamland, purple smudges below his eyes indicating the exhaustion he felt. Jared felt his chest clench momentarily as a surge of love flooded him. Jensen was still beautiful, even after the years of stress and responsibility he’d so willingly taken on. There were lines now that Jared knew were there although for the moment sleep had smoothed them - crows’ feet at the corners of his eyes that spoke of laughter shared, and deeper lines in the corners of his mouth that showed the stress of the work he did. Right now, with those lustrous eyes closed in slumber, thick lashes fanning across freckled cheeks and soft mouth relaxed, Jensen looked like a little boy.

It must have been the weight of Jared’s gaze that woke him, because Jensen made a little, snuffling sound, and his eyes flickered open. Jared couldn’t resist, bent to kiss him, first his nose, then lower, nibbling at his lips and then pressing down firmly as he claimed the luscious mouth.

He felt as if he were floating, lighter than he ought to be, even allowing for the lower Martian gravity. He slid his arms around Jensen and pressed against him, the length of him tight against Jensen’s body, feeling himself grow hard as he lost himself in emotion.

Jensen made pleased little sounds as he returned the kiss, opening for Jared and sliding arms around his neck to pull him closer. His hips rolled, sparking pleasure through Jared and calling out an answering groan from him. A moment later and Jensen had rolled him onto his back and was straddling him, fumbling to put Jared’s cock against the place they both needed it to be.

“No lube,” he whispered, voice scratchy with need.

Holding two fingers out to Jared, Jensen rasped, “Spit.”

It would have to do. Spit and precome and care, infinite care as Jensen held him captive, slowly fed him in, and then heat and sweet delirium, and almost too much after all the time they hadn’t been able to take the time to connect.

The babelfish let them converse without breaking the kisses they were sharing, and Jared could tell when Jensen began to feel it and moved beyond the burn to the tingling, piercing bliss that would rock them both.

Groping for Jensen’s cock, Jared began to jerk it, hand squeezing and twisting with each slip and slide of his hand. Jensen had arched backwards, and if Jared looked down he could almost see where they were joined.

It wasn’t going to last, because it had been too long, and they were so ready. Jensen was the first to lose it, movements ragged as he gazed desperately into Jared’s eyes. The need that shone from those frantic eyes spoke to Jared, expressing what could never adequately be said, even after all the years they’d spent together.

Jared gripped Jensen’s hips, thrust up hard and fast as Jensen began to falter, taking command and fucking him hard and fast. He was rewarded very swiftly by the tightening around him as Jensen lost it and began to shudder through his orgasm. He shot again and again, coating Jared’s hand and chest.

Watching Jensen, Jared drank in the way his face reflected what he was feeling and felt himself respond, coming suddenly as if he were a part of Jensen, so entangled in Jensen that he didn’t know where Jensen ended and he began. He thought at that moment that maybe he could lose himself in Jensen and become a single entity.

It was over all too soon. Aftershocks made them shudder, left them boneless, and they crashed down onto the mattress together in an untidy, sweaty, sated heap.

“I think we were floating or something. What’s up with that?” Jensen was the first to recover enough to articulate.

“I think you’re right.” Jared frowned. “Weird. Think we can harness it and generate some kind of sex energy from it?”

“I think you’ve been reading way too many comic books.” Jensen smirked. “You’re right, though. It was certainly weird.”

Jared kissed Jensen again and then got up to go find a washcloth. By the time he returned, Jensen had successfully gotten himself upright and their interlude was done.

~*~

Showered, clean and dressed, the two of them emerged from their room to find Traci and Julian sitting, talking quietly, while Lindsey and Katharine could be seen through the archway that led into the next room, playing a game of something that might have been based on table tennis, if only there could be more than one surface on which to pound the ball. As they stood watching, Katharine gave a shriek that indicated she’d won a point and Traci turned to look. Catching sight of the two of them, she rose and went to greet them.

Jared couldn’t take his eyes from her face. In place of the soft brown eyes she’d had were now two silvery disks that gave her an alien, exotic appearance. She gave him a wink.

“You’re looking at my new eyes, aren’t you?” she said. “A while back I told Julian that I was losing my sight. I just never told him how.”

Flashing a rare smile that lit his face, Julian nodded. “It works on the same principal as the babelfish. It’s a pseudo-organic, genetically manufactured organism that was designed using Traci’s DNA. It’s a technology that I can take with me as my gift to your people on Earth.”

Jared was thinking of some of the so-called ‘abominations’ who were his closest friends. He was mentally cataloguing ways in which they could be given working organs to replace the missing if they wanted to have them. He wondered if any of them would choose to do so. The thought of it caused him to smile back at Julian. Perhaps there would be a way to separate Chris and Steve and enable them to live out their lives as separate entities. He was about to say something further, when Jensen stepped up.

“I need to get the evacuation started,” he said to Traci. “Can I call Jim and Mike from here? The temple communication satellite is still out of action, or it was when I left. Jake was going to fix it, but I don’t know how long that’s going to take.”

A quick set of calculations told them that it was mid-evening down on Earth, and Traci led Jensen away to make the call. Jared followed, wanting to talk to Traci about their recent experience of floating, although a little nervous about revealing what they’d been doing when it had happened.

As luck would happen, Jensen got Mike when he finally raised someone in Tulsa. Swiftly explaining the reason for his need to contact them, he told them about the possibility that there would be refugees arriving from Mars. “We’re going to need a safe place for us to send them, and somewhere for them to stay while we process them and help them find their place on Earth. They’re going to be pretty much bewildered.”

When the call came in, Mike, who was on watch at that moment, had summoned Jim, and then gone to wake Tom up, since he’d gone to bed with a dose of the flu. The four of them had discussed a receiving center, and finally settled on Love Field as the arrival point, since the terminal would be perfect for processing the arrivals. It was decided that they would be able to get things set up to start the immigration process the following day, and that they would be able to assimilate the newcomers by taking them to the disused Guardian’s center at Amarillo to begin with. There was room for at least five hundred there, after which they would need to look further afield.

Julian suggested that he, Misha and Ty get started on repairing the Impala, so that they could fly it home, and at that point Jensen shook his head. “By all means, you guys fix her up and fly back to Earth in her, but I’m not going in her. I want me and Jay to go reclaim the JTP and take it home.”

Jared slid his arms around Jensen’s waist from behind when he heard his words. “I know why you want that,” he mumbled against Jensen’s neck. “Naughty boy!”

“You’re a mind-reader, aren’t you?” snickered Jensen as he turned his face for a kiss. “Besides, I’m sure you don’t want to abandon the JTP.”

“Hell no! JTP is my brainchild.” Jared was shocked at the very thought. “I put years of my life into that ship. I don’t want to leave her behind. I’d feel terrible if we abandoned her.” He looked at Jensen and raised his eyebrow. “Second honeymoon time, don’t you think?”

“You took the words straight out of my mouth,” replied Jensen, eyes crinkling in the smile that made Jared’s heart flip even after all these years.

There was still a lot to do before they could leave. Jensen had written a speech, which he insisted that Richard and he present together, and Sterling was summoned to set up the camera again. They had decided to set up the hypergate in the Penitent’s Hall in the temple for want of a better place, and now they were giving instructions to those who wished to travel to Earth.

Jake and Nicki were organizing the orderly evacuation, and the people of Righteousness were told that the first person would be transmitted to Earth at noon the following day. There was to be a one week window during which it would be safe to make the journey, and then it would be too late. People would need to decide very quickly if they wished to go or stay, and would need to carry with them only what would fit in a backpack. They would be provided with anything else they needed once they arrived on Earth.

Richard, cynic to the last, expressed doubt as to whether anyone would want to leave the home that they’d known all their life, and he, along with everyone else in the group, was blown away when Nicki announced that there was already a line-up several hundred strong on the temple steps, with more people joining it every moment.

The entire party left Traci’s to return to Julian’s workshop to do the necessary setting up that would enable the exodus to begin the following day, and while Julian and Rob took charge of replicating the hypergate and installing further machines in the temple, Jared took Traci to one side.

“You look so different,” he told her.

“It’s the eyes,” she said, smirking. “I look much more mysterious and inscrutable now, don’t I?”

“I don’t think it’s that,” mused Jared, considering her. “You just look...”

“Happy?” She nodded. “Yes, I am. Julian and I have waited for a very long time to be together. Can you blame me for being a little girlish about it?”

“Hell, no. I know Jen and I have been together for a few years now, but I still get all shuddery when he gives me that smile of his.” Jared chuckled. “Which brings me to what I wanted to talk to you about. This morning when we... When we...” He blushed and she elbowed him in the side and laughed out loud.

“Go on! You don’t have to say it; we all heard you.”

“Oh, Light!” Jared’s face was glowing like a beacon as he heard what she’d said.

“It’s all right. You deserved it. You and Jensen have been working hard lately.” She paused and then said delicately, “So what was it you wanted to ask me about this morning, when you were relieving a little stress?”

Laughing, Jared clapped his hands over his eyes, “I can’t see you! You’re not there!”

“For goodness’ sake, child, spit it out.” She was still smirking when Jared peeked at her through his fingers. “I know all about sex, even though there are no birds or bees in this Light forsaken place.”

“I’m not asking for tips on sex, dammit!” Jared rolled his eyes. “It’s just that somehow Jen and I were floating, and I wondered if it was something Julian installed in that bed that made it happen.”

“My dear Jared, haven’t you realized yet the things you can do?” Traci put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed it comfortingly. “You’re a telekinetic. Haven’t you noticed that, with your ability to move entire space crafts? Once this is all over and we have some time, I want to train you. There’s only one other ‘kinetic that I know of, since for many years the Fellowship took it on themselves to declare any psionic abilities abomination and ship them down to Lone Star.”

It took a few moments for her words to sink in before Jared understood. “You mean I can just pick things up with my brain? That’s wild.” He thought for a few minutes and then said slowly. “I always thought I was unnaturally strong. I could always carry double what anyone else was capable of.” He grinned. “Cool. So who else is like me?

“You haven’t met her yet, but she’ll be coming to Earth with us. Her name’s Loretta and she’ll help get you trained.” Traci smirked and then pursed her lips as she studied him, her silvery eyes giving her an alien and quite menacing air. “It’s a shame we can’t save your genes. I think both you and Jensen need to leave descendants. We must organize that.”

Clapping his hands over his ears, Jared gave a shout. “Oh, that does it! Going now...” and then he fled!

~*~


Balance Bob’s thought for the day:

To keep the balance we must learn to work with one another.
Abominations can’t exist when everyone’s your brother

The week passed by. Almost everyone had been transported to Earth, and Righteousness was close to deserted. It wasn’t a moment too soon. The dome had begun to make alarming sounds, creaks and groans that heralded imminent problems. As the final refugee passed through the hypergate, only the small party who would fly home were left. Jensen and Jared had retrieved the JTP from Deimos, thanks to the ubiquitous hypergate, and Jared had set about giving it a good cleaning. Its exterior shone softly in the faint sunlight, and it was ready to go. Richard, Misha, Julian, Traci and Ty would take the Impala back to Earth, and Julian’s workshop had been dismantled, its many treasures carefully packed and stowed in the two spaceships, ready for conveyance to Earth.

The party was getting their belongings together for the journey, and all the calculations had been done. Between them, Misha, Ty and Julian had made a number of repairs to the Impala, and Julian was bursting with excitement at the thought of taking his sweetheart into space.

Julian and Traci were spending long periods of time behind closed doors, emerging flushed and giggling at jokes only they knew, and Richard had christened them the Honeymooners. Now that the time to leave was upon them, Traci stood gazing down at the city she’d helped destroy, part pride and part sadness in her heart.

Misha came to stand with her, admiring the view of marble streets and houses all leading to the imposing temple in the center, the prismatic lights still beaming out from the central spire. The sanctoriums had all been dismantled and broken, and the temple remained a bare building inhabited by those few Guardians who had survived the night of the revolution and refused to take the offer of amnesty and safe transportation to Earth. Of Rolston there had not been a single sign.

“Lift off in twenty minutes,” Misha said. “I’ve got to say I’m looking forward to getting home and sinking my fangs into some bunny stew. All this synthesized protein is boring after the first bite or so.”

“Meat really isn’t good for you, you know,” said Traci, prodding him in his belly. “Slows you down and makes you sluggish.”

“It feeds my brain and helps me think,” protested Misha.

“Each to his own, I suppose,” she said, laughing. “But I’m guessing that we should go and get strapped in ready for launch.” Turning away, she went over to the door.

Misha turned his head to watch her go. “Be there in a minute,” he said as she opened the door that led down the passageway to the garage where the Impala lay awaiting them, and so he did not see the approach of the runabout that had been Traci’s until it was almost upon him.

At the last minute, something alerted him, and he turned back to the window, but by then it was too late. He gave a yell as the little convertible crashed through the window, destroying the room and taking Misha with it. At the controls, Rolston, torn and bloodied, shrieked obscenities as the jetcar disintegrated, and he was flung into one of the stone pillars to be smashed to pulp against it.

There was nothing to be done. Traci’s home, built into the fabric of the dome as it was, had suffered enough of a shock that it began to crumble, chunks of the heavy masonry and plasteel falling to crash down on the roofs of the city far below.

Traci had taken one look at the damage and now began to run. Scrambling through into the Impala she screamed, “Shut the door! Go! Go!”

“But Misha...?” Richard frowned.

“Too late! Go now!”

Ty, who could feel the floor shuddering, calmly set the anti-gravity onto full and tilted the nose of the Impala as he waited for the roof doors to open to the remote control in Julian’s hand. The much smaller JTP, which had been sitting beside her, bobbed up through the space in the opening doors, a soap bubble released from a child’s wand, and moments later Ty sent the Impala sliding out after it.

It wasn’t a moment too soon. With a sound like a groan, Traci’s house cracked, slid free of the dome and crashed down to the ground beneath it, opening up a vast wound in the dome through which the atmosphere escaped with force enough to cause the Impala to bounce upwards. Clever steering by Ty was the only thing that saved them from crashing into the JTP. As they soared upwards towards space and their journey home, Traci shed a tear for the life she had known. A new life was waiting, but there would be no going home ever again.

~*~


Balance Bob’s thought for the day:

There was a young fellow named Jensen
Whose crimes were too heinous to mention
So they shipped him to Earth
Gave the Lone Star new birth
Though I don’t think that was their intention

Jared loved the silence of space. He loved the weightlessness and the forced leisure, but most of all he loved that he had Jensen with him at last, and that they would be alone with no distractions for almost a week. Jensen had been as excited as a kid getting out of school at the prospect of spending five days in isolation with Jared, and as they took off, zipping up through the opening doors in the roof of Traci’s garage, he let out a whoop of glee.

The bounce that sent the Impala careening upwards made both he and Jared curse in shock, but as the Impala soared past them Jared merely muttered, “Show off!” and continued to plot his course. Neither of them looked back to observe the end of the city of Righteousness.

Much later, well past Deimos and into the empty space between planets, Jared ran a scan for anything that might screw up their course. “I’m not taking any chances this time,” he told Jensen. “Don’t want to be blindsided by comets, meteorites, Santa Claus or the Ghost of Heyerdahl. One way or another we’re going to have a smooth flight without any panics.”

“I’m glad to hear it,” said Jensen, smirking. “Let me know when you’re sure that we aren’t going to crash into the wicked witch of the west or something.” He was still grinning naughtily as he began to shed his clothes.

Jared pursed his lips in an approving whistle as Jensen fumbled his discarded garments into a locker. “If anyone were to ask me what the closest heavenly body is to me, I’d have to tell them...”

Jensen groaned. “Cheesy! Does that line ever work for you?”

“Why?” Jared grinned, unrepentant dimples flashing. “Do you have a better one?”

“Oh, yeah,” Jensen snickered. “It never fails. I use, ‘excuse me, does this rag smell like chloroform to you?’ and they melt into my arms.”

For a moment, Jared gazed at him, looking somewhat dumbfounded, and then he smacked Jensen’s arm, sending him spinning into the wall as he flailed and tried to halt himself. Jared snaked his arms around Jensen, pulling him up close and winding up against the bulkhead alongside his lover.

“Dumbass!” Jensen laughed up at him as Jared bent to kiss him, sinking into his lush mouth and tightening his hold until it made Jensen gasp.

“But you love me anyway.” Jared felt his heart give a little hiccup as he gazed down into eyes that shone with love for him. “And I quite like you too, so that makes things tidy.”

“Shut up. You adore me,” said Jensen, sinking his teeth into the tendon in Jared’s neck, the sharp pain exciting Jared even as it made him whimper. “And you’re wearing way too many clothes.”

“I’m sorry.” Jared began to wriggle out of the coveralls that were his only garment, snagging them as they hung in the space beside them and tucking them into one of the pigeonholes that dotted the bulkhead for specifically that purpose. “I hope this is better.” He gazed into Jensen’s eyes, following them down as they checked him out, his glance coming to rest on his cock, full and fat and ready.

“For me? You shouldn’t have.” Jensen reached out to touch, fingers sliding through the moisture oozing from the tip to spread it along the surface of it. “But I’m kinda glad you did.”

There was a moment when Jensen did something skillful to the head of his cock that made Jared gasp in his turn, and then his love was folding himself in the middle so he could take the tip of it into his mouth to suckle.

Jared watched, and Jensen gazed up at him, smiling around his cock as he tickled it with the tip of his tongue.

“Tease!” Jared’s belly felt as though there were warm little creatures slithering within it, and he shivered.

“Too right,” murmured Jensen, voice promising dark delights. His head dipped back down and that succulent mouth sucked and nipped at the sensitive skin on Jared's inner thigh, leaving wet trails in its wake.

It was quiet there, no sound from anything but his pounding heart, and the blood that was rushing through his body. Jensen’s teeth were a threat hidden in velvet that nipped as often as he kissed. He laid soft, sucking kisses that moved so close, so impossibly close to Jared’s straining cock and swollen aching balls, then suddenly stopped. Jensen’s strong hands held his hips firmly in place. Jared moaned and bit down on his lip so hard that he nearly drew blood. That mouth felt so good, so good and he wanted more of its teasing, silken heat. He whispered a plea, and Jensen snickered. He tried again, shameless with his begging, no longer caring what he had to say or do to get what he wanted.

Jensen’s eyes were closed now as he worked, and he began to hum softly, head bobbing as he sank down on Jared, pulling heat, pulling tingles through him, saturating his body with little shocks of pleasure.

He watched as Jensen turned his head, his mouth caught Jared's heavy balls and gently sucked and licked them, feeling them tighten and draw close to his body.

“Oh no, not yet you don't, I'm not finished with you yet!” Jensen’s words made him jump, tore him free from his trance-like enjoyment of Jensen’s mouth, and then Jensen circled his balls with his finger and thumb to hold them down in place,

“Fuck!” The word burst from Jared, and elicited another snicker from his beloved. His body was arched, bathed in sweat. He could feel the tendons in his neck and arms standing out as every part of him tensed, and all he could do was whisper, “Please,” over and over again.

Jared had closed his eyes, and didn’t realize when Jensen moved up until he felt Jensen pressing against him, body writhing and mouth sucking greedily at his neck. He wrapped his arms around the lithe body and claimed the tender mouth, nipping at Jensen’s lips as he kissed and kissed.

“Don’t you want to put that somewhere?” asked Jensen, between kisses. “It feels like it’s a little lost.”

“Nah! It knows exactly where it wants to go,” gritted Jared, and Jensen laughed, low and dirty, then wrapped his legs around Jared’s waist.

“Have at it, baby!” he said. “It’s all prepped and ready for you.” He gave a little wriggle and squirm, and reached down behind himself to get Jared in position. Jared caught his breath as he felt Jensen push back, and found himself suddenly surrounded by tight, silken heat.

Jensen controlled their movements, working his body to drive Jared in deep and hard. All Jared could do was hang on for the ride, clinging tightly to his man and allowing the sweet sensations to wash through him. It wasn’t long before they reached their crescendo, sending waves of pleasure crashing through him. As Jared came, Jensen chuckled.

“You’re mine,” he murmured and bit down on Jared’s shoulder as he followed him into orgasm.

~*~


Balance Bob’s thought for the day:

We must take people as they are
Instead of trying to change them
The art of love is not control
Don't try to rearrange them


The rest of the journey was uneventful. There were no uninvited comets to disturb the flight path, and both Jared and Jensen made the most of their trip, turning their enforced solitude into a time for reconnection and strengthening of their bond.

The Impala had arrived on Earth bearing Ty, Richard, Julian and Traci, and all of the gadgetry from Julian’s workshop beneath the sands of Mars. The others had all opted to be transported by the hypergate. Jared and Jensen would be the last to return, having deliberately chosen to make the journey in the JTP so they could spend some quality time together. It was only as they passed within the broken moon’s orbit and dropped into an orbit of their own, starting to circle the world that spread out below them like a promise of home, that they heard the first communication from Tulsa. It was Richard, who called them to break the news to them that Misha had been killed.

The news stunned them. Misha’s loss to The Balance would be immeasurable. Julian would be an asset, but he didn’t have Misha’s strength. He was frail, and time would tell if he would be able to flourish under Earth’s heavier gravity. Hopefully he could train Jake, Sterling and Rob so that they would be able to step up and fill in the gap that Misha’s passing had left. AJ, Travis, Chad and Gabe would also be able to help, but even so it was a terrible loss.

Sighing, Jensen realized that he’d already automatically slipped back into his role as organizer, and he could already see how it would part him from Jared all over again. Their contented journey was over. The problems of the real world would be upon them very shortly, and Jensen made a frustrated sound. There were twenty five hundred newcomers to Earth to settle, and no doubt that in itself would provide enough work to keep him busy for the rest of his life if he let it happen. He turned to Jared.

“Do you think it would be cowardly of me to step down from government?” He searched Jared’s face, looking for his response. “I’m tired. I just want to settle down and be with you. I don’t want to lose any more time doing stuff for other people if I can’t be with you. There’s a whole raft of new blood now, and I’m sure that there will be some who want to manage the joint. If this whole trip has taught me anything, it’s how we can’t depend on being around for forever. If a bomb drops on me tomorrow, I want to have made the most of our time together.”

“You’ve given a lot, love,” said Jared, after a few minutes of thought. “I can see where you’re coming from. You might want to take a break for a while, and I’m on board with that. What do you say about taking a trip and exploring some? We could head west and see if there’s any sign of life toward the ocean, or we could go on a road trip to the north and see what’s there. Chad found a bunch of old maps in the temple library, and I wonder just how much the End Times affected things there.”

Jensen let out a breath he’d been holding for far too long and snuggled back against Jared. They would be home within the next couple of hours, and they would tell their friends the news, but until the time came, they would make the most of their final hours of freedom. The future could take care of itself.

~*~


Epilogue

There'll be no more from Balance Bob.
You have my leave to cry and sob.
But even though our Bob is gone
We've learned from him, and we'll go on.

Some you win; some you lose.

It was midsummer’s day, and six weeks after the evacuation of Righteousness. Richard woke early knowing that there were a whole bunch of things he needed to achieve before the sun went down again and even though it was the longest day of the year he would be hard pressed to fit them all in. He mentally reviewed the list of tasks. Jensen had indicated that he would be stepping down from his role in government after today, and he needed to talk to Jim about succeeding him. Jim wasn’t as charismatic as Jensen, but then Richard knew that he would have to go a very long way to find someone who was, and at least Jim understood the issues and the work that the role entailed.

The fact that Jensen was still around made the second task somewhat of a nail-biter. A week ago, a man had come forward to offer his services. He’d brought with him a daughter, and as Richard had listened to what the man had to say he hoped against hope that Jensen could find it in his heart to at least listen to his message. The man was Alan Ackles, Jensen’s father, and Richard was torn. On the one hand, it was evident that Alan had repented of the acts that had ensured Jensen’s sentencing to the Lone Star Colony, and that he was sincerely grieving for the loss of his wife. His daughter, Mackenzie, had been with him when he’d finally managed to gain an audience with Richard. Richard’s first thought had been to dismiss Alan to obscurity for the way he’d treated his own son, but on the other hand, Alan’s skills were desperately needed by their fledgling State. Alan had been the Guardian in charge of the manufactories where the junk and scrap Jared scavenged had been turned into useful materials to feed into the replicators. The current Balance had none of the knowledge Alan could impart. Today Richard would be breaking it to Jensen that his father and sister had made it to Earth and wanted to be a part of their future. He was getting ulcers just thinking about the ways that this could go sour.

‘God, Misha, I’ve got the sword of your fucking ancestors, but I don’t have your warped brain. I really miss you and your weird insights. Wish you were here.’

The integration of the newcomers from Righteousness had presented its own set of problems. Around a third of the immigrants had experienced negative effects from their arrival on earth. The gravity was higher and that was a challenge. The fact that the population of Mars had been locked into their worship of The Light meant that a good percentage of them felt disillusioned that there was no longer an outlet for them to practice the only religion they had ever known, and were setting up their own little temples to the Light with all the attendant restrictions and exclusions that entailed. Richard sighed. He didn’t want to crack down on anyone, but the law of the Balance stressed inclusion, and he was very much afraid that anyone that couldn’t accept that would need to leave. So far he hadn’t managed to devise a plan that would help the dissidents to integrate. He only hoped that someone would come up with a plan, preferably one that didn’t include mind wiping and re-education. He’d been up since long before the dawn trying to prioritize the tasks he had to accomplish that day, and his mind was rapidly approaching meltdown. He needed a stimulant, preferably coffee, if he was to get through the rest of the day.

The afternoon would bring him some relaxation, since it was to be the wedding of Traci and Julian, the heroes of Righteousness. Richard had arranged for Alona to do the catering and Traci had sent in a list of things which Julian wasn’t able to eat without getting sick. It had been touch and go for Julian when he’d first arrived on Earth. The gravity pulled at him and exhausted his slender frame, while the air of earth, laden with dust and pollens, particles of all descriptions, had affected his lungs, compromising his body’s attempts at exercise and making every breath painful for him. They had all feared for him, but with Traci’s help he’d rallied, and his health was improving every day. Oddly enough, the very light which Julian had rebelled against had proven to hold the cure to the man’s health problems, and he now seemed to be regaining his former healthy constitution. Julian had established himself in the Temple School at Old Dallas, and had assembled a class of students to whom he was teaching his knowledge and methodology. The inventions that were resulting from the initiative were already helping to move their society to a better place. Richard reflected that Julian and Traci well deserved to have their day in the sun.

The intention was to broadcast the wedding to everyone as a symbol of joy and inclusivity. Richard hoped that it would go well. He was looking forward to it, and to the celebration that would be held following their handfasting, but before that could happen, he had a task to perform that he couldn’t help thinking was going to be unpleasant. He checked his PAD, and noted that it was almost time. Heaving a sigh, he set aside the documents he’d been compiling and rose to his feet to go in search of Jensen.

Jensen and Jared had flown in to Tulsa the previous night to be present for the wedding, and when Richard entered the refectory he instantly spotted both men eating breakfast. It was a given that the two of them would be together, still wrapped up in each other even after all these years. He almost didn’t want to go and disturb them, knowing how the news he brought would affect them, but he’d promised, and, besides, it was way too late to call things off now.

He was crossing the room to where Jensen was busily trying to stop Jared filching his last piece of bacon. Alona was watching from the hatch between the dining area and the kitchen. Richard met her eyes as he approached the two, and she winked and held out a plate with several more strips of bacon on it. He changed course, grabbing it from her with a murmur of thanks. As he made his way back to where they were sitting, Jensen looked up to greet him and Jared chose that moment to pounce. The bacon rose from the plate without any apparent outside agency and disappeared into his mouth, and he gave an evil cackle when Jensen realized he had lost his fight.

“I see you’re using your powers for evil. Not to worry. I come with reinforcements,” smirked Richard, holding the plate Alona had given him out to Jensen.

“You can stay,” said Jensen, grinning. “He can leave any time, but you can stay!”

“You love me,” Jared said, chewing messily.

“Not any more, you bacon thief! I was saving that ‘til last because I was going to specially enjoy it, and you stole it from me.” Jensen turned his shoulder to Jared, more to protect the new supply of bacon than anything, and Jared put his hand up to his mouth, making as if to spit.

“You can have it back if you like,” he said, and at that both Richard and Jensen made disgusted sounds as they scrambled away from him.

“Don’t be revolting!” Jensen swatted his shoulder. “Haven’t I taught you any manners?”

Jared’s face assumed a spuriously contrite expression that obviously didn’t fool Jensen at all from the eyeroll he gave it. “You’re saved, but only because I have more bacon that looks even more delicious,” said Jensen, hastily cramming several pieces into his mouth at once. “In fact, because I am magnanimous, I will give you one more piece.” He laid the plate on the table in front of Jared and sat smirking.

Richard coughed. Alan and Mackenzie were due to arrive within the next few minutes. “Guys? Uh, Jensen?”

Jensen must have heard something in Richard’s tone, because he looked up, cheeks bulging like a hamster. He raised his eyebrows in inquiry.

“I’ve got something to discuss with you. It’s kind of urgent.” Richard paused, not totally sure how to tell Jensen his news.

“Better spit it out, Richard,” said Jared. “His mouth is too full to interrupt. You’ll never have a better chance... ow!”

It seemed that Jensen had aimed a kick at Jared’s shins, because Jared fell silent and there was a tiny smirk on Jensen’s face even as he chewed. Richard took a deep breath and then threw caution to the winds.

“Jensen, I need you to listen before you yell at me, okay?” He didn’t wait for the explosion he was sure would come. “I was approached by someone who has a huge skillset that would benefit the Balance, and I need you to at least meet with him and hear him out.”

By this time, Jensen was chewing madly, trying to clear his mouth enough to express his opinion of what Richard was telling him. Richard tried not to laugh at the facial gymnastics that Jensen was achieving, because that would be bad.

“Three days ago, when you were up at Love Field, Alan Ackles came to see me. He brought your sister with him, and he is heartbroken. He blames himself for Donna’s death and for you being sent to Lone Star. I wouldn’t ask it of you, but he has all the information for setting up manu...”

“Save it!” It wasn’t Jensen who spoke; it was Jared, and he looked angry. “I’m forever grateful that Jensen was exiled down here, but that doesn’t excuse the things that were done to Jen in the name of the fucking Light!”

“How can he benefit us?” Jensen had made headway at last with his mouthful, and while his speech was a little indistinct it was easy enough to understand. His face was set, and Richard shuddered as he looked between the two of them and saw a uniformly cold expression on each face.

“He can set up manufactories to replace the ones on Mars,” said Richard, his voice almost a whisper. “I’m sorry...”

“Of course I’ll talk to him.” Jensen sounded remote, and Richard sighed inwardly. This was messing with his karma, big-time. Maybe it was time that he and Alona quit politics too and went to set up a smallholding somewhere out in the unclaimed lands. He hardly ever saw his kids these days, and enough was enough. He took a deep breath but didn’t get a chance to say what he needed to, because one of the guys from the front desk - Richard thought his name might be Osric - came up to him to whisper that Alan and Mackenzie were at reception. Shrugging, he let the cards fall as they may.

“Bring ‘em in,” he said to Osric, and with that, the two appeared in the doorway.

Richard hadn’t thought that Jensen’s face could have been any colder, but as he took a seat at their table he watched Jensen’s face harden into a mask he had never seen before. He gave himself a shake, recalling his duties as host and rose to his feet. From the corner of his eye he saw Jensen reach for Jared’s hand and clasp it, raising his chin defiantly as he too stood up.

It could have been an unpleasant meeting. The amount of testosterone in the air was at an all-time high, but there was a sudden squeal of, “Jensen!” and a small blonde whirlwind suddenly charged across the room and hurled herself into her big brother’s arms. Mackenzie had been twelve years old when Jensen was arrested, and they hadn’t seen each other since. It seemed as if he had been missed. Wide eyed at the unexpected onslaught, Jensen staggered as she wrapped herself around him. Jared started to laugh as he surveyed the scene, and reached to ruffle his partner’s hair.

“Looks like you’ve grown another head,” he said as Jensen flapped his hands, dubiously patting his sister’s back as she burrowed against him. Alan was for the moment forgotten as Jensen concentrated on wrangling his sister into a position where he could look at her.

“We wanted to come see you so much,” she said, once he’d pried her off his neck and coaxed her into a chair beside him. “But we could never find you, and Richard said that you’re going away again after today, so here we are. I missed you, and Daddy said that...”

Her voice trailed away as Jensen turned back to where his father was standing, and they all followed suit, taking in Alan Ackles as he stood humbly waiting to be noticed. Richard had only ever seen Alan in the white uniform that the council of the Divine wore. It was a shock to see him now wearing serviceable denim. Alan’s hair was white now, and that seemed to be a shock to Jensen also, from the expression on his face.

Jensen reached for Jared’s hand again, and Richard saw him swallow repeatedly before he finally managed to speak.

“What happened, Dad? Did you finally decide to join the winning side?”

Alan drew in a sharp breath, but didn’t respond, merely bowing his head as he stood waiting. It was Mack who jabbed a fist into her brother’s ribs. “Don’t be so pissy,” she said. “He and Mom did so much to fight against Rolston after you were taken away. They wouldn’t let me help, but I know how hard they worked. You don’t know how bad it was in the last couple of years. They were going to re-educate me and Dad after Mom was killed, but you guys saved us.”

Nodding, Jensen stared at Alan, almost as if he was trying to see inside him. Finally he gave a sigh. “This is Jared. He and I are partners, lovers.” The challenge was unmistakable, and Richard held his breath as he waited to see what the reaction would be. Alan smiled and held out his hand to Jared.

“Glad to finally meet you. I was hoping to pick your brains sometime about that anti-grav mechanism in your ship.” Jared shook his hand, somewhat doubtfully, but listened as Alan continued. “I’ve been trying to get one to work like that for months. I had to leave my prototype on Mars, but I’ve started to build another one and I’d value your input.”

The conversation drifted off into techno-babble and Richard mentally patted himself on the back as Jensen turned back to his sister and started to hurl insults in true sibling fashion as he rubbed his sore ribs, “That could have gone far worse,” he muttered to himself as he turned to go and sort out his next chore.

Stepping through the newly installed hypergate, Richard took himself to the park where the afternoon’s festivities would take place. He saluted the statue that had been raised in honor of his friend Matt Cohen and took in the hive of activity going on around the area. Bleachers had been set up, and tables were arranged ready for the food that people would bring to share following the ceremony. To the side of Matt’s statue, workmen were busily putting the finishing touches to another memorial, one that contained three figures rather than the single sculpture that depicted Matt. Richard nodded to himself in approval. The design had been his own, and he’d managed to keep it a secret from everyone except Traci, who had sworn herself to secrecy.

He’d sketched it out, but it had been Alona, working with Rob, who had succeeded in crafting the new statue. It showed Sebastian and Misha standing together, supporting Donna, who was standing on their shoulders, reaching upwards towards the globe of the Earth, which balanced in her upheld right hand. Rob was perched on top of the crane that had lifted the new statue into place, and he waved at Richard before dropping the cover down over the statue to hide it until its unveiling later that day.

Scrambling down from his lofty position, Rob came to join Richard, his face glowing with pleasure as he stood surveying his handiwork. Rob had rapidly settled in and become a firm friend of the crew at Balance HQ, and Richard gave him a high five.

“If you’d asked me a week ago, I’d have laid odds on this not being ready on time,” he said to Rob. “Good work, man. I don’t know how you managed it.”

Laughing, Rob ducked his head at the praise. “I didn’t do too much. It was mostly ‘Lona who got it done. I just held the scalpel and mopped her brow.”

“You got it done between you, didn’t you? Thank you.” Richard breathed a sigh of relief. It looked like it was going to be a great day after all. “Now all I have to do is make sure Julian doesn’t forget it’s his wedding day, because he’s in the middle of building some new and awesome gadget, and we’ll call it a win. Speaking of which, I’d better go and find him or that’s likely to come to pass.”

Another trip through the hypergate found him at the reception hall in the Old Dallas College. There were only a few students around, since it was a holiday, and most of them would already be getting ready to converge on Tulsa for the afternoon’s festivities. He sent out a thought to Jake. “Is he anywhere near ready?”

“What do you think?” Jake sounded quietly amused. “He’s tinkering with something at the cellular level, and told me to come back in an hour when I last poked my head around the door. He did seem to be aware that today was the day, though. He said Traci would like this, whatever it is.”

Richard checked his PAD and nodded, then sent a thought to Julian. “Hey, Brains! In precisely 25 minutes Jake and I are coming in to get you, and we’ll use force if we have to. You’re getting married in an hour and a half, and Traci will kill me if I don’t deliver you on time.”

There was a snort from Julian. “Kill you? You underestimate her wrath,” he replied. “Fear not. I shall appear, washed, dressed and in my right mind, as the hour approaches.”

Sometime later, Richard turned as he saw Jake appear to lead him up to Julian’s new and splendid laboratory. After a brief greeting they made their way up the staircase that had once led them to Sheppard’s domain. Julian met them as they reached the top, “I do believe that you two are far more nervous about today than I am.”

“Traci loves you!” Richard snickered. “She’s not going to do anything permanent to you. She doesn’t love me or Jake here.”

“Nonsense! She’s a gentle soul.” Julian began to descend the stairs. “Are you coming? We don’t want to be late.”

~*~

The afternoon sun beamed down on the mass of people gathered in Woodward Park to celebrate the summer solstice. Richard had watched proudly as people gathered in happily gossiping bunches. They had all brought food to share, and Jim and his crew were standing by to fire up the barbecues for those who would like meat. As the time drew closer to 3pm, the crowd began to collect around the stage that had been erected earlier.

Richard made his way onto the podium amidst cheers and friendly catcalls from the crowd. Stepping up to the microphone, he surveyed the sea of faces.

“Some of you are used to reciting a prayer at this time, and if you want to, please go ahead. We of the Balance believe that we are all equal and that we are free to worship as we wish, harming none. I treasure the light as we all do, but I also treasure the darkness, the earth and the world of growing things we are building, May the light shine within us, and may we all learn to become accepting rather than acceptable beneath it.” He paused and took a sip of water as the crowd burst into applause.

“Many of you know Traci, the Seeress of Righteousness. Very few of you know her chosen partner, Julian, because he elected to remain outside of society in order to work for freedom. Today’s ceremony marks the end of his self-imposed exile and a new era of freedom for him as a fully-fledged member of our society. Those of you who came here today through the hypergates have already benefitted from Julian’s fertile brain, and he is teaching his skills to the attendees at the college in Old Dallas. Our society has risen from the poisons and toxins of the End Times. We’ve been given a new beginning thanks to heroes like Julian and we are learning that peace and cooperation are better than blind prejudice.”

Julian’s eyes were a little wild as he listened to Richard’s words, and as the crowd began to clap and cheer for him he looked as if he was about to turn tail. Jake, Nicki and Alona moved to gently guide him up onto the stage, where he stood looking dejected.

Surreptitiously beckoning Traci to come and join them, Richard took each of them by the hand. Julian had straightened up and now he gazed at his bride, and it was evident that he saw nobody else. He was saturnine in black, but his beloved had put on a dress that was every color of the rainbow, and which billowed and floated around her like multi-hued clouds. Her hair curled around her face, held back from her forehead by a garland of flowers, and her silver eyes were fixed on Julian. Richard cleared his throat.

“I’m going to bind your hands together,” he said, joining their hands before him. Nicki passed him a length of fabric that was evidently cut from the same bolt of cloth as Traci’s dress and he began to wind it around their clasped hands. “This is a symbol of your life henceforth. You are partners now and will face your future together. It’s time now to make your vows to each other. Traci?”

As Traci stepped forward, she reached to lay her other hand over where the two of them were tied together. Her voice was steady although Richard noticed that she was trembling.

“Julian,” she said softly. “I breathe in the twin energy-spirits of love that we call courage and compassion. I breathe out their dance into the future. This is our Oneness.”

There was a pause and then Julian laid his own hand on top of Traci’s. “I’m not a poet, and I don’t have pretty words to give you, only my heart, which you have always owned.”

There was a shout of, “Kiss her and let’s get to the good stuff,” from someone in the audience who sounded suspiciously like Jared, and then laughter and applause took over, deafening them as they complied.

As the happy couple were handed the large, two handled goblet filled with wine that they would drink to cement their bond, Richard stepped forward again. “I have one more duty to perform before I turn things over to the entertainers and let you all stuff your faces.” He gestured over to where the statue stood, shrouded in a thick, black veil. “Ten years ago I stood before some of you here and told you the story of Matt, the man who made our society possible. A lot has happened since that day, and I am sure that you know much of it. However, there are three to whom we owe our present celebration, and without whom this day would not have come. I’ve asked for this monument to be made to remind us of the ones who gave their lives to make our world the amazing place it is. So that we may preserve their memory forever, I dedicate this statue to Donna Ackles, who worked tirelessly to bring the people of Righteousness home; to Sebastian Roche, who fought alongside us and died saving Julian’s life because he believed that Julian’s life was worth more to our future than his own; and to Misha Collins, whose life was lost when the insane Rolston destroyed Righteousness.

There was silence then as the veil was pulled away from the statue. Richard saw tears spring to Julian’s eyes, and then watched Jared put his arms around Jensen and pull him close. The crowd was silent for a beat longer, and then applause began, growing louder and louder until it was like thunder.

The schedule of events was complete save for the party. A band came up onto the stage to play and the barbecues were all fired up ready for food to be cooked.

As the party began to go with a swing, Richard made his way over to where Jensen and Jared were slowly making their way over to the hypergate. “Not so fast, Buckos!” he called.

Turning back towards him, he saw that the two men both wore guilty expressions on their faces. “Richard, hi! What’s up?” Jensen gave him his best innocent look.

“You running out on me?” Richard reached them and put his arms around the pair of them. “I’m hurt that you didn’t say goodbye.”

“Thought you’d be busy with all of this going on,” said Jared. “Didn’t want to interrupt you when you were wearing your leader’s hat.”

“Yeah? About that.” Richard bit his lip and met Jensen’s gaze. “You absolutely sure that you don’t want to stay in government for a little while longer?”

“Richard, ten years is long enough for anyone. I may come back, but for now I need a rest and a break from stress. I need to reconnect with this guy here and not be wondering if he’s forgotten what I look like.” Jensen smiled a little sadly. “So we’re going to travel a little. Julian reckons that the fish will reach here for a long time, and we need to do some testing on that. It certainly worked when we were in our approach orbit, but we don’t know the range of it at all. We’re going to find out if there are any communities to the west. We wanted to see what the ocean looks like, how badly it was affected by the End Times. Do you realize that most of the people in our community don’t even know that such a thing exists? Once we reach it, we’re going to head north and check out the lights that we saw when we were in orbit. They must be man-made. We’re taking Jared’s truck, and a replicator that’s been specifically set up to create a hypergate, and whenever we find a community that we should establish communications with, we’ll set one up.”

“I’ll bring him home safely,” murmured Jared. “We’ll be back in a year or so.”

Richard nodded sadly. ”Well, okay, guys. I’ll miss you.” He hugged each of them in turn before stepping away. “Catch you on the flip side then, yeah?”

Jensen and Jared nodded and turned away. Richard stood and watched them go, hand in hand, and stood for a long moment after they had passed from his view. Then he heaved a heavy sigh and turned back to rejoin the celebrations.

~The End~



Master Post | Absolution Part 1 | Absolution Part 2 | Absolution Part 3 | Fanlay's Art| Author's Notes

AO3 | PDF

Comments

[masja-17.livejournal.com]

Awesome!!! Loved this second part as much as the first! Will we see the J's roadtrip too?

♡

[candygramme.livejournal.com]

Thank you for the love. We hadn't thought beyond this part, because we've killed off most of the good villains, but you might see one or two time stamps come your way, dealing with the J's adventures as they boldly go where no man... ahem! As they explore their world.

[deanshot1]

I adored this fic, I loved the one before it and I love this one just as much.

Seeing Righeousness fall was so well worth the wait but I was gutted when Misha got killed in the aftermath, damn Rolston, he's an assbut.

I was so happy that Traci and Julian got to be together in person at the end, they deserved to be happy.

Jensen retiring from the government was very understandable, he misses Jared like breathing and he needed to be with him so the ending was lovely with them jetting off into the unknown vastness of space.

Thank you both for sharing another incredible story about the boys in space.

*hugs*

[candygramme.livejournal.com]

I know it sounds mean, but I am delighted that you were affected by the way Misha met his end. We wanted it to be sudden and tragic. We felt very whedonesque about it. Oddly enough, the death that caused me the most pain was Sebastian's. I'm not a huge Sebastian fan, but I really liked his character and I shed tears for him! Silly really.

I am so happy that you liked this part as much as its predecessor. It's really hard to gauge how successful a story is when you've lived and breathed it for months, as I'm sure you know. Thank you for your feedback. It's made my day. <3 <3

[spoonless1]

Thank you for such thoughtful comments. I'm so pleased you enjoyed the stories. I'm glad you felt the same satisfaction with seeing Righteousness fall and that Misha's end moved you so much. That's what we were going for, and it was painful for us as well.

We knew early on that the story would end with the wedding. I'm glad you felt the satisfaction that we did with Traci and Julian together at last.

Jensen and Jared retiring came about rather organically as the story developed. I think it's a well-deserved end for them. I'm glad it worked for you.

Thank you so much for reading and letting us know how the story affected you.