fic - How I Met Your Father

[mizbhaven13.livejournal.com]

Title: How I Met Your Father
Author: Gypsy
Actors/Musician: Christian Kane, Jensen Ackles, Steve Carlson, Jared Padalecki
Pairing: Chris/Jared
Content: M/M Relationship, Mild Violence, Bullying, Homophobia...and Schmoopiness
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Chris tells his children their favorite bedtime story.
A/N: for the wonderful kliqzangel, the best friend a girl could ask for!


( hope you enjoy! )

I could hear the bouncing of the bedsprings as I walked up the stairs and I knew it could only mean one thing. As I opened the door, my suspicions were confirmed - two adorable brown haired monkeys were jumping on the bed. They stopped as soon as they saw me. I gave them a stern look and they lay down, pulling the covers to their chins.

“Who wants a bedtime story?”, I asked, surveying the books on the shelf in the corner. “WE DO!”, they chimed in unison. “Okay, what’s it gonna be tonight?” I pulled a book from the shelf. “Dr. Seuss? Disney?” They both shook their heads. I pulled out a book of fairy tales and held it up. Again, they shook their heads.

“Tell us the story bout how you met Daddy!”, they said in their singsong voices. I settled down in the chair next to their beds, smiling. “Which time?”, I asked teasingly. “The first time or the last one?” They giggled. “All of it!”, they said together. “The whole thing!” I smoothed their curls and began to speak, my mind going back to the day that changed my life forever.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was hot. Then again, it WAS the middle of summer in Texas. Not that the time of year made much of a difference - it was always hot. I’d just graduated from high school, turned 18, and applied to college. Mama didn’t want me just laying around the house being lazy all summer, so she decided I should visit my Uncle Jonah and help him work his farm for the summer.

Luckily for me, Uncle Jonah was, to put it mildly, a ladies’ man. He spent more time chasing the local widows than he did working his farm, so I had more than enough time to do what I wanted. The local community center had a pretty decent gym so I spent most of my time there, working out and getting in some ring time.

I’d spend my mornings feeding the animals on the farm then head into town and hit the boxing ring. The director was cool. He let me fight anybody I wanted and when he found out I had wrestled in high school, he asked me to help coach the younger kids. It was a great gig, building muscle and staring at girls in tight workout clothes all day long. Every 18 year old guy’s dream come true.

The community center was putting on some kind of play in July so it was pretty crowded. I was leaving the gym one Friday night when I heard a fight going on. I went around the corner of the building between the gym and auditorium and saw a few of the kids that I coached. As I got closer to them, they stopped and looked up at me, a little scared.

On the ground was a skinny kid. His clothes were torn and his nose was bleeding pretty bad. I helped him up off the ground and looked at the boys. “What do you guys think you’re doin’? I asked through gritted teeth. “You’re all about twice his size.” They shrugged and muttered something. I stepped closer to the biggest boy, Brent, narrowing my eyes.

“What did you just say?” I asked. Brent stood up and looked me right in the eye. “I said he ain’t nothin’ but a faggot. It don’t matter anyhow.” The kid’s face fell and he looked like he was about to start crying. I told Brent I was going to call his parents and banned him from the gym for a week. He and the other boys took off running.

I turned back to the kid and smiled at him. “I don’t think your nose is broken,” I said, “But you’re gonna have a hell of a black eye tomorrow. Let’s get you some ice and a wet rag to clean yourself up.” I turned and the kid followed me back to the gym silently.

I grabbed a towel and wrapped some ice in it and told him to sit. As I cleaned his face and put the ice to his nose, he spoke softly. “Thanks for savin’ me, mister.” I chuckled. “I ain’t a Mister,” I said to him, “Name’s Chris.” He stuck his hand out and I took it, surprised by his firm grip. “I’m Jared,” he said. “Jared Padalecki.”

“Nice to meet ya, Jared Padalecki”, I responded. He smiled up at me and I asked, “What were you doing out there anyway? You’re a little young to be runnin’ around town this late.” He sat up straight. “I’m gonna be 10 in two days. That isn’t so young.” I nodded. “Well, excuse me, sir,” I said. “What were you doing out there on this fine evening?”

He giggled. “I’m in the play,” he answered. “I was waiting for my mom so we could go get ice cream!” Yeah, he was a real grown up, alright. “Let’s see if we can find your mama,” I said and he stood up. “We don’t want her worryin’ about ya.” I led him to the doorway and we stepped outside.

There was a lady in front of the community center auditorium looking around frantically. Jared pointed at her and said, “That’s my mom!” He ran to her and I followed him. She took one look at his face and gasped. “What in the world happened to you, Jared?” He blushed, staring at the ground.

“Excuse me, ma’am,” I said as I got closer. She turned and looked at me. “My name’s Chris. I work at the gym,” I said, pointing behind us. “Some kids were giving your boy trouble so I…” Jared interrupted me, “He saved me, Mama.”

She surveyed the damage to his face and clothes then turned to me, sticking out her hand. “Thank you, Chris,” she said with a smile. “My name is Sherri. I really appreciate you looking after Jared like that.” She cocked her head, smiling. “You must be the new boy all the girls are talking about.”

I shrugged. “Guess so, ma’am,” I replied. “I’m just here for the summer. I’m starting college next month but I came down to help my uncle out.” That got her attention. “Where are you going to school?” she asked. “University of Oklahoma,” I said, giving her a smile. “I’m not sure what my major is yet but I’m kinda interested in…” My voice dropped to a whisper, “Art.”

She nodded in approval. “I’m an English teacher,” she said. “Education is very important. Most boys your age don’t know what they want to do, so it’s nice to see one that has some direction. You said you were staying with your uncle…what is his name?”

“Marsh, ma’am. Jonah Marsh.” She nodded again. “He has the best tomatoes at the farmers market.” Jared giggled. “Sounded like you said marshmallow!” Sherri and I laughed. I reached over and ruffled his hair. “It kinda does sound like marshmallow,” I said. It was getting dark so I said, “Well, guess I better let you folks get your ice cream. You might wanna put some ice on your nose when you get home, Jared. That’ll help with the swelling and it might not bruise up so bad.”

Sherri thanked me again and as they turned to leave, Jared waved over his shoulder. “Bye Chris! See ya later! And thanks again for savin’ me!” I watched as they got into their car and left. I went back to the gym to finish cleaning up, wondering what I was going to do for the weekend.


I managed to stick it out for a couple years in college. I played a little football, impressed the girls with my sensitive artistic side – then decided I wanted to be an actor. I thought my parents were gonna kill me when I told them I was dropping out of school but Dad just nodded, looked me in the eye and asked if that was what I really wanted to do.

“Yeah, Dad,” I said, squaring my shoulders and returning his gaze. “I think it is. I’m gonna move to Hollywood, make a few movies, maybe sing a little.” He smiled. “Just remember, son. Chasing your dreams is kinda like riding a bull. It’s a rough ride and sometimes, you wanna just let go. But, if you hang in there until the buzzer sounds, it’s the sweetest feeling in the world.”

With my father’s words of wisdom ringing in my ears, I packed up my truck and headed west. I had a little bit of money saved up and Mom had slipped me an envelope with emergency cash and instructions to call her every time I stopped. 1,400 miles is a long way to drive and it gives you way too much time to think.

But I had made up my mind and I’m a bit stubborn when it comes to things like that. Whether I made it or not was entirely up to me and I was determined to do everything i could to get me where I wanted to go.


California is beautiful – the beaches, the ocean, the scenery. But as beautiful as it was, Hollywood was brutal. I never had any delusions about being discovered at the burger joint on the corner but I never thought I’d have to wait so long to catch a break. I just kept reminding myself what my father had told me and I held on for dear life.

I did a few TV shows. Met my best friend Steve and started a band. Made a few records. Hell, I even got a passport and went to Europe. Then one night Steve called me up. “Hey man, you busy Friday night?” he asked over the sound of the stereo. I’d been working on a show but had a few days off.

“Not at all,” I said, “What’s goin’ on?” I could hear other people in the background. Party time at Steve’s house was a 24/7 thing. “It’s Jen’s birthday,” he said. Jensen and Steve had been friends for a while. He was a pretty cool guy. “And he just found out he’s filming a pilot in a couple weeks up in Canada. Thought we’d take him out to celebrate.” I agreed, wrote down the bar we were going to and went to bed.

Two days later, I made my way to the Strip and walked into the club. I saw Steve at a table with Jensen and a few other guys. Most of them I knew; others were friends of Jen’s that he had invited. We got the greetings out of the way and I tossed a package on the table.

“Happy birthday, dude,” I said to Jensen and he picked up the box, laughing. “Redneck wrapping paper, I see,” he said, pointing to the Sunday comics covering the box. “Yeah, so?” I replied. “It’s the thought that counts, remember?” He opened the package and laughed, holding up a knit cap to show the others.

I shrugged. “Heard it gets cold up in Canada,” I said as he thanked me. Steve poured me a beer from the pitcher on the table and we all sat back, laughing, talking and having a good time. A pool table opened up and one of the guys asked if I wanted to play. I was racking up the balls getting ready to break when I saw him.

Tall, skinny, dark hair. Tight jeans, denim jacket. First time I’d ever looked twice at a guy but there was something about him that I couldn’t tear my eyes away from. He looked around the bar then walked over to the table where Jensen was sitting. I played my game, glancing over at the others every chance I got.

Jensen and the new guy stood up and started walking towards us. The guy was all legs and as he got closer, I could tell he was young. There was a group of bikers at the next table and the kid bumped into one, making him spill his drink. The guy turned and punched the kid in the face. Blood started pouring from his nose.

I put down my cue and walked over, grabbing the guy’s arm before he could punch the kid again. He turned and looked like he was going to take a swing at me. I just looked him in the eye and said, “Look man, it was an accident. Kid didn’t mean anything by it. You’re twice his size and that’s saying a lot. Now, how ‘bout I buy you another drink and we call it even?”

He shrugged and walked toward the bar. I followed him, bought him a drink and grabbed some napkins so the kid could clean his face. Tiny – yeah, that was the biker’s name – thanked me then headed back to the pool tables. He apologized, asked the kid if he was okay and went back to his game.

When I got there, I handed the napkins to the kid. He wiped the blood from his face and smiled. “Thanks, man,” he said, smiling. “You saved my ass there.” I nodded, said it was no big deal. Jensen rolled his eyes. “Hey Chris, I want you to meet my new little brother.”

I must have looked confused because Jensen laughed. “On the new show,” he said. “Jared’s going to play my little brother.” I nodded as the kid put out his hand. I took it, noticing the firm grip. “Christian Kane,” Jensen said, “meet Jared Padalecki.”

I froze. Jared’s eyes widened then he smiled, his hand relaxing a bit around mine. “Actually,” he said, his voice much deeper than the first time I heard it, “we’ve already met.” It was Jensen’s turn to be confused but Jared just kept talking. “This is the second time you’ve saved me from getting my ass kicked. I think I owe you a drink.”

Back at the table, Jared told everyone the story of that summer night 13 years ago. Steve started messing around, acting goofy and said, “Aww Chris! You’re such a hero! His knight in shining armor, saving him from distress!” He looked at Jared, seriously. “You know, in some cultures, if someone saves your life, you’re indebted to them forever.”

Jared smiled, looking at me with twinkling eyes. His voice was barely a whisper as he said, “I don’t mind that at all.” The room was a lot warmer than I remembered it being and I needed to get away from it for a minute, to clear my head. I got up and headed to the bathroom.

I was standing at the sink, splashing cool water on my face when the door opened. I looked in the mirror and saw Jared standing in the door. I turned to face him, not sure what to say or do. He solved that problem for me as he walked over, put his hands on his shoulders and leaned down to kiss me.

Every rational thought, every sense of who I was and what I wanted to be was gone. I stepped back and looked up at him, expecting…I don’t know what I expected but it definitely wasn’t what happened next.

“I’ve dreamed of doing that for 13 years,” he said quietly. “If you wanna beat my ass now, that’s fine. I probably deserve it. But I just had to know.” The logical part of my brain said I probably should punch him, but there was another part, a part that told me I’d finally found where I belonged.

It wasn’t easy, being in love with Jared. We both had a lot of things working against us. My father didn’t speak to me for a year after I told him. Then, one day, he called and asked me if this was what I really wanted. I laughed softly, “Yeah, Dad, it is,” I said, “For the first time in my life, it’s the only thing I’m 100% positive about.” Then I reminded him of his words on the day I left Oklahoma.

Our friends were more understanding, if a little shocked. We had our good times. We had plenty of bad times. Hell, it was always a tossup as to which of us was more stubborn. None of that mattered though, the day I came home and told him I had a surprise.

I’d gotten a call that I was starting a new show. Bad thing was, it would be a lot of hard work, doing most of my own fights and stunts. The good thing was I would be in Portland, 300 miles from Vancouver. He was excited, congratulating me and making plans on how we could spend time together more often.

Then I handed him the ring box. He looked at it for a minute before opening it. When he saw the ring inside, he smiled, nodded and kissed me. We got married on a Friday, spent the night in a fancy hotel, and flew to Portland on Sunday. It was the greatest weekend of my life.


I looked down at their sleepy faces. “Okay guys, it’s sleepy time.” They pouted as their eyes drooped. Then Molly said, “One more story, Daddy! Tell us about how we were borned!” I smiled softly, kissing her forehead. “Next time, angel,” I replied as I tucked them in. “You and Matt go to sleep now.”

I turned on the nightlight, slipped the overhead light off and closed the door. When I turned in the hallway, Jared was leaning against the wall, smiling. I walked over and wrapped my arms around him. He leaned down and kissed me, whispering in my ear, “I love that story.” I smiled up at him, the sound of the twins’ snoring and thought to myself, Dad was right – if you hang in there until the buzzer sounds, it’s the sweetest feeling in the world.