Master Post
Part 1

The following day Sandy and Jared were having their first practice. Jared had told his parents that he would be taking dance lessons, and his mother had been very happy about that. Of course his mom and dad thought that their son would be dancing with a girl - which was not exactly a lie. He had to learn how to lead because he was taller than Jensen. The other way around would have looked awkward. That's why he'd be working with Sandy in the beginning. He was going to take normal dancing classes in the studio, and when he was able to lead he would start practicing with Jensen.

"Now, J.T., I know you can waltz and even do the basics of the mambo - even if you refused to learn something new during my dance class the day before yesterday. Yes, I remember that you've been a total jerk, don't look so surprised."

"Yeah," Jared admitted sheepishly. "That'd be me. Sorry?"

"It's okay. And I didn't just notice you then. I saw you on the dance floor with Alexis, too. Would have been difficult not to, with you being 6'5'' and everything."

"I'm actually only 6'4''."

Sandy grinned. "Quite the modest, huh? Anyway, for the competition you'll need to learn more than the basics. Jensen's not the type of guy to enter easy challenges so he can win just as easily. He likes to really compete. This time he wants to do the tango. He's combined Argentinean moves with a few of his own creations, but before you'll learn those, you'll have to know the basics. And that's what we gonna work on now."

Jared closed his eyes. Why the hell hadn't he asked about that before saying yes? He once had tried to learn the tango and had never quite been able to. Something about "not being graceful enough and lacking passion," his teacher had told him back then.

"J.T.? You okay?"

"Uhm, yeah. I'm fine. Let's do this."

Sandy shot him a searching look but didn't press the matter.

"Okay. I'll show you the first basic steps and explain them. Your left hand takes my right one, your right hand belongs on my back." She held her hands in the air, acting as if she was holding another person. "You begin with the left foot and take one small step forward. Then the right one goes one step further, slowly. Stay like that and sway forth and back."

Jared watched her while she explained the basics. He had vague memories of learning those steps some years ago. He had done them alright back then. He hadn't had problems with the basics.

"Hey, I'm not here to entertain you. You need to learn this before you can work with Jensen, so you better pay attention. If you plan on making it a habit to not listen to what I say or if you changed your mind, you better let me know right now before I waste my time."

"No, sorry. I want to do this. I just. Well, when I first learned the tango some years ago, I … I fucked up that one move and hurt my partner. I'm just worried I might repeat that performance and hurt you. Which would be even worse since you're pregnant."

"Well, I guess there's just one thing you can do about it."

Jared looked puzzled, even more so when Sandy smiled at him.

"Don't fuck up again."

Jared smiled back and nodded.

"What did I just tell you about the basic steps of the tango?"

"You showed me the first two steps and even mentioned the swaying and were about to tell me that my next move is to take a tiny step backwards with my left foot and then set my right foot one step behind the left one before finishing with turning halfway backwards starting with left again."

"Not bad, baby boy, not bad at all. Let's see if you can dance them, too."

Jared had to perform them alone a few times before Sandy put on music and made him dance with her.

Forty-five minutes later he was soaked in sweat and had stepped onto Sandy's foot four times. But now he knew how to dance the rock turn and the promenade and even knew how to combine them. Something in her eyes told him that she was pleased and Jared couldn't help but feel giddy. Aside from the stepping on her foot a few times, he hadn't hurt her, and he had been enjoying himself.

"Well, J.T., I think you're a natural. And see, you didn't hurt me. Well, maybe my right foot, but I'm used to it."

"I can give you a massage, if you want? To make up for it?"

"That's sweet, but I think I'll pass for now. I have to get back to work. As for your training: You still need some fine tuning and of course you need to learn a few more steps. We'll try to get one done per day. I expect you to practice in your free time, too. Tomorrow we'll start with the ocho. Same time, same place."

"Okay. Thanks Sandy."

"Don't thank me. Yet."

~*~

After a week of training with Sandy, Jared finally was ready to start learning the routine. He hadn't seen much of Jensen over the last few days. Sometimes he would spot Jensen at the dances after dinner but most of the time Jared was too exhausted to attend them. A few times, when Sandy was working with Jared, Jensen had been there, standing in the corner, arms folded in front of his chest with an unreadable expression on his face he had watched them. Only once had he said something.

You know the moves, but you lack the passion.

Well, at least Jensen hadn't called him ungraceful, and Jared was making progress with the tango after all. If nothing else, Sandy's feet were proof of that. Jared hadn't stepped on them once in a few days.

Now he was supposed to have his first practice with Jensen, and he didn't know if he rather should fear for his life or sanity. Jensen still made him nervous - and not just because he was smoking hot. The fact that the he so obviously didn't like Jared while being dependent on him to win the competition - it just didn't bode well for Jared.

He was sitting on the couch in the shack while Jensen was making space in the middle of the room so they could work on the routine.

"So far it's been a cake walk for you, baby boy. You'll have to work more and harder from now on. The competition is in three weeks. We'll have to go to the next town for it so start thinking about an excuse to be away for a couple hours. I can't have your family or Mr. Manners know that you're out with staff members. We're not allowed to spend unpaid time with guests. And of course you only know a few basics and need to learn much more in a very short time. You sure you can handle the pressure?"

"Why don't you cut the sweet talk and start teaching me the steps?"

Jared usually didn't like to mock but he wouldn't tolerate the way Jensen talked to him either. Even though he may look like one, he wasn't a spoilt, rich kid that didn't know how to work and he definitely was not stupid.

Jensen raised an eyebrow and sneered. "Okay, baby boy, if you think you're up to it."

"I am. And stop calling me baby boy. I have a name."

"Alright, ba- J.T."

Jared stopped himself from smirking. He'd be damned if he didn't get Jensen to treat him decently.

Jensen continued. "It's important for you to understand what a tango is. Every dance has a meaning. The tango is all about passion and fighting for dominance. The one we'll be performing tells the story of two people, forced together and fighting to win the upper hand."

"That sounds familiar," Jared commented dryly.

Jensen looked puzzled but caught on quickly.

"Yeah well, I choreographed it before Sandy got pregnant." For a moment Jensen glared at Jared before speaking again. "So, they hate each other. But then hate turns to passion and soon enough they have to defend themselves because their love isn't accepted. The whole thing ends tragically with one of them dying in the arms of the other one."

The surprise was obvious on Jared's face. He hadn't expected Jensen to be so … well … romantic? He was about to say something but Jensen beat him to it.

"Don't get any ideas. Sandy made it up. I just provided the choreography."

"Uh huh, sure."

Jared grinned, and now Jensen looked uncomfortable. He cleared his throat and went to stand In the middle of the dance floor.

"You gonna sit there all day long or are we going to dance?"

Jared considered for a moment to ask Jensen what his problem was but then thought better of it and stood up.

Jensen put on the music and held his right out to Jared. "Show me what you can do."

After going through the basics a few times, Jensen said it was enough for today and that they would meet tomorrow, same time, to start the real practice.

"Oh and before I forget, you might want to wear different clothes."

"What's wrong with what I'm wearing?" Jared looked down his body. He was used to wearing dress pants and a button down shirt. Sure, he had to roll the sleeves of his shirt up but other than that he didn't see a reason not to wear them.

"You look like a geek. And a rich kid."

"That's 'cause I am."

"Well, you might wanna choose something different for the future practices. We'll be working long hours and you'll ruin your fancy clothes in no time."

For a moment it looked like Jared would pout but instead he raised his head and nodded.

"Okay, if you think that would be better."

He turned around and left the shack, leaving a confused looking Jensen behind.

~*~

Jensen was facing the stereo unit and had his back turned to the door when he heard someone enter.

"You're late."

"I'm sorry. My parents took my sister and me on a cruise and we didn't come back until half an hour ago. Of course then they started arguing that we're not spending enough time to-"

"I don't care," Jensen interrupted. He still wasn't looking at the boy but kept on grumbling. "I don't have time for your rich people problems. We need to work on the-"

Jensen had finally turned around to tell baby boy right in his face exactly what a rich and spoilt kid he was when Jensen saw what J.T. was wearing.

The boy definitely had taken his advice seriously and not shown up in suit pants and a button down. Jensen kind of wished he had.

J.T. wore black sweat pants a matching wife beater. To keep his hair out of his face, he wore a bandana like a sweatband. It made him look almost like Rambo - if he hadn't been carrying a towel and bottle of water in his hands. To top it off, he was smiling brightly at Jensen - who was gaping.

"Jensen?"

Answering him wasn't possible and the kid's smile just grew wider.

He took a few steps toward Jensen, and that seemed to break the moment. Jensen cleared his throat, avoiding looking J.T. in the eyes. At least he was able to pick up his sentence.

"Uhm, we need to … work on the routine. It's important that we don't lose time."

"Yeah, I got that. I'm sorry I'm late but my parents wanted us to spend this vacation together and now I'm running off every day to practice a few hours. I'm surprised they didn't start with the nagging earlier. But I told them that I just needed some more training than everyone else 'cause I'm so clumsy."

"That's probably not even a lie," Jensen muttered. He didn't know if the boy had heard him, at least he didn't say anything. Instead he put away his towel and water bottle, before walking over to Jensen who had already taken his position on the dance floor.

Over an hour after Jensen had shown him various moves and figures that they had repeated again and again and again, J.T. gave up.

"Stop - I - Need - A - Break!"

He was breathing heavily and bent his upper body down to rest his hands on his thighs.

"Yeah, okay."

Jensen didn't argue. Instead he held J.T.'s bottle of water in front of him. Jensen tried his best not to smile but he was sure that he probably managed was a not-scowl.

"Thanks."

J.T. straightened and gulped down half the bottle. He didn't put it away then but emptied the rest of it over his head. The water ran down his cheeks and throat, pooling in the dip between his collarbones. The way a few drops clung to the boy's lashes and lips distracted Jensen, and he didn't even realize that J.T. had moved to stand right in front of him. He was sure J.T. would touch him but he just reached behind Jensen to grab his towel in order to dry himself off.

Jensen took a few deep breaths to calm down while J.T. went back to the middle of the dance floor and then reached with his left hand out toward Jensen and spoke with the same voice Jensen had used yesterday.

"You ready for another round?"

0-1, baby boy. And if the kid kept it up like that, Jensen would have a problem.

~*~

During the next days Jared practiced whenever possible. Even when he wasn't working with Jensen, Jared rehearsed: on his way to training and back to the bungalow he shared with Megan, even in the bathroom and the woods when he pretended to go for a walk.

He couldn't stop moving his feet under the table during the meals while his whole family was present. It had caused his mother a few times to ask since when he had become so shifty again - Jared had been hyper-active as a child.

"You don't get any more sugar, you're way too bouncy as it is already."

Jared didn't even notice the dessert withdrawal, too busy with counting steps in his head.

He did it, too, when he was supposed to spend quality time with his family outside the dining hall.

The routine, or at least the bits and pieces Jensen had shown him so far, were always on his mind. Well, those and Jensen himself.

His aversion toward Jared had faded slightly, and Jensen was almost civil during training. Only a few times had he snapped and called Jared baby boy instead of J.T.

Still, Jensen wouldn't open up. His expression was always closed except for a few rare moments when he talked about his choreography or showed Jared a new move. Then Jared could see a spark in Jensen's eyes and how his face lit up.

Those moments never lasted long. Soon, Jensen's expression was as closed as before, the intimacy gone once again.

But not only did Jensen treat Jared like an intruder, he also blocked all of Jared's attempts to talk about something else than the tango or competition.

After the third time Jared had asked something that wasn't related to their training, Jensen had shot him a mean look and told him that Jared wasn't here to talk or chit-chat but to learn the dance, compete and win.

Jared had been close to yelling himself, asking what the fuck Jensen's problem was and that without him there wouldn't be any dancing or winning. Instead he had nodded and shut up for the remaining session.

He didn't like how Jensen was treating him but he stayed anyway. He wanted to help after all, and even though Jared had no idea why Jensen was so annoyed by him, he was willing to live with it for the sake of helping. Maybe after winning the challenge Jensen would open up …

~*~

"No, no, NO! You don't get it right, J.T.! You need to feel it. Those two guys hate each other. I don't feel your hate."

Probably 'cause I'm way more horny than hateful, dumbass.

Jared sighed heavily. Of course he couldn't say that out loud or Jensen would throw him out or - even worse - laugh at him.

"Sorry. I'll try harder."

"NO!" Jensen shouted. "You shouldn't try harder, you shouldn't try at all. You need to feel the hate."

He looked at Jared skeptically. Jared could see that Jensen was trying to figure out if the rich boy was able to hate or if he was too wrapped up in his safe world of money to experience that emotion.

"Stop looking at me like that."

"Why? Does it make you mad?" Jensen asked hopefully.

"No, it's annoying. And stop debating if I know how to hate or not."

"I wasn't -"

"'Course you were. It's written all over your face that you think I'm a well protected boy from a rich family who never gets into trouble and has no enemies."

"Aren't you?"

"Geez, no! Just because I'm from a wealthier background than you doesn't mean I like everyone - or am loved by everyone. I had to deal with enough skeezbags during high school and college."

Now that he started thinking about it, there were a lot of people he didn't like. For instance that asshole Misha Collins from high school who had treated him like scum because Jared had been a clumsy teenager and accidentally spilled pasta sauce on Misha's new jeans. Or that asshole Tom Welling who'd pranked J.T. every chance he got during their first year of college.

Suddenly there was music and Jensen stood right in front of him. His eyes were gleaming and his mouth was curved into a wicked smile.

"There, that's what I'm talking about." He touched Jared's hands. They were balled into fists. "Now you're angry. Keep it in mind while we dance the first part."

And then they began again.

The music in the background was calm while they walked toward each other. The moment it picked up speed and intensity, Jensen and Jared met in the middle of the dance floor, breathing out forcefully. They almost clashed, then gripped each other - both with hateful looks in their eyes.
They walked and turned, and Jared strutted around Jensen in a tight circle. Every time they danced face to face, both men bent their upped bodies backwards. Their jaws were clenched - they made the dislike evident in every move.

At the end Jensen was supposed to attempt slapping Jared in the face and Jared had to stop him. His hand was curled around Jensen's wrist whose fingers still spread wide, only inches away from the side of Jared's face.

They stopped after that. Jensen hadn't shown Jared the second part, yet, even though they've been practicing for over a week already.

For a moment Jared thought Jensen would break the silence of heavy breathing, smile at him or even reach out. Instead he turned around to fetch the two bottles from near the stereo unit. When he tossed one over to Jared, his expression was closed again.

"Good job. Keep that up, remember whatever you've been thinking about to get you this angry in the future and we won't have a problem with the first part again."

Jared nodded.

"Now my only hope is that we'll find something for you to think about for the second part, baby boy."

Jared decided not to correct Jensen about the nickname.

~*~

"How's he doing?"

"Okay, I think."

"And how's Jen treating him?"

"Okay. Ish."

"Sandy, if Jen doesn't stop the 'mean monster' act, the whole thing will not work out."

"I know, Steve. But I don't know what to say anymore. Maybe you could talk to him, Chris."

"Why me?"

"Jen won't talk to me 'cause we're family."

Chris looked confused, and Steve elaborated further.

"Don't ask. There's a whole paragraph about what and what not to tell family members in the book of 'Jensen's weird guidelines.'" Steve shrugged. Sometimes his cousin was strange and he was not going to question Jensen's motives. It had gotten him nothing but a black eye years ago.

"Why doesn't he listen to you then?" Chris looked at Sandy. "I thought you guys were close."

"He doesn't want me to feel bad for bowing out of the competition so he just says that they're doing okay whenever I ask about the training or how J.T.'s progressing."

"What we need is a close friend of Jensen who doesn't know J.T., yet and has nothing to do with the competition," Steve explained.

"And that's me, I guess," Chris stated.

"Exactly!"

Steve was excited and Sandy had the nerve to grin at him. Great. Just great.

"Okay, I'll talk to him but only 'cause you two asked so nicely." Thank God for sarcasm.

"Thanks Chris." Steve smiled at him. And that? Yeah, that maybe was worth the effort.

~*~

He didn't know how long the boy had been there but when Jensen entered the shack, J.T. was curled up on the couch as much as his height would allow, and he - was sobbing?

Jensen could feel his heart miss a beat. How was he supposed to remain calm when the kid was crying? He had gotten so good at ignoring the guy's good behavior and strong will to learn and help Jensen. He was also in denial about how much he liked it when the kid smiled or just looked at him. So maybe Jensen was attracted to J.T. but he had good reasons not to get too close, either.

"Why are you being an asshole toward that J.T. kid? He's just trying to help."

"Yeah, that's what he says but I can't trust him. Chris, he's a rich kid, one of those people who evicted my parents from their home so a mall could be built."

"What makes you think he's like that?"

"He may not be. But it also doesn't mean I start trusting rich people."

"From all I've heard he's a good guy. He didn't tell on Sandy and she said that he's doing his best to protect his sister from Chad."

"That douchebag's after his sister?"

"Yep."

"Does baby boy know Chad got Sandy pregnant?"

"No, Sandy didn't tell him. And Steve hasn't either. He just heard how J.T. tried to stop his sis to go on a date with the guy."

Jensen didn't say anything. He didn't want to think about the kid too much - especially not positive things.

"He constantly practices. Sometimes Steve and I see him in the woods. Think about that before you give him crap next time."

And now the kid was crying. Jensen wasn't sure how to approach him. For a second or two he considered acting as if he hadn't noticed anything. He even thought about leaving but in the end Jensen gave in.

When he sat down next to J.T., the boy was startled and wiped his eyes.

"I-I'm sorry. I'll be ready in a moment."

Jensen remained silent while J.T. got up and tried to calm himself down by pacing the room. Minutes later he stopped in the middle of the dance floor, taking his starting position for the tango.

"What happened?"

J.T. clearly hadn't expected the question and needed a moment to form an answer.

"Why do you care?"

"I don't. But I need you to get it out of your system of it'll fuck up your dancing."

He tried to stay cool - something he usually was good at. Somehow though that kid brought up Jensen's defenses faster than he could say, "Antonio Banderas is hot."

J.T. had mumbled something that Jensen didn't catch. From the look of the boy's face he could see that it hadn't been a nice something.

"What did you say?"

"I said, of course you care more about the dance than me. I didn't expect anything else from you."

"Listen, baby boy-"

"DON'T CALL ME THAT!"

Jensen blinked. It would be so easy to just shout right back and maybe start a fight but something - and Jensen had no idea where that little voice in his head came from - made him suggest going out instead.

"What?"

Now J.T. was the one blinking, and Jensen almost laughed at the stupid look.

"We should get out of here for a while. Will take your mind off whatever got your panties in a twist. You hungry?"

J.T. was still dumbstruck but followed Jensen to his truck nevertheless.

~*~

Jared didn't know the diner Jensen took him to, but if he were to be honest he had never really paid attention to the immediate surroundings of the Manners'.

The big letters above the entrance of the dingy place told him that this was JDM's place.

"What does JDM stand for?" Jared asked while they walked into the restaurant.

"That'd be my initials, boy. Nice to meet you, I'm Jeffrey Dean Morgan."

"That's J.T.," Jensen said. "Jeff, would you get us two cups of coffee and a plate of fries?"

"Sure thing, Jen."

Jared was led to a booth in the back of the room and they sat down opposite each other.

With a glance at Jeffrey, Jared smiled and told Jensen that he liked the guy.

"'Course you do. Everyone likes Jeff."

"That's right. Everyone loves me! I'm a joy to be around." Jeff had appeared at their table, two large cups filled up to the rim with coffee.

"It doesn't hurt either that your coffee's the best within a hundred miles."

Jared almost couldn't believe his eyes. Opposite him sat Jensen - but not the one he knew from practice. It was the guy who had danced the mambo with Sandy or occasionally surfaced while explaining a part of the choreography. And here he was, joking around and smiling in all honesty. Jared noticed how the skin around Jensen's eyes wrinkled when he wholeheartedly smiled.

"'Ey, Jen, you better pay some attention to your date. He's gawking." Jeff nodded toward Jared and grinned wide.

"'S not my date. J.T.'s helping me with the competition. Sandy can't participate."

"Oh so you're a dancer, too?" Jeff inquired and Jared managed to look away from Jensen.

"Well, I'm trying my best." He blushed slightly.

"He's doing good."

Jared blinked. Had Jensen just complimented him? Who the hell was this guy and why wasn't he around when Jared was practicing with Jensen's evil twin?

Jeff's grin only grew wider.

"Alright boys, I'll leave you two to your exciting conversation. Your fries will be right out and if you need anything, shout."

With Jeff gone, Jared and Jensen fell silent again. The minutes went by, and after Jared had sipped on his coffee for what felt like the hundredth time, Jensen made an annoyed sound.

"Are you going to keep on hypnotizing your coffee or will you tell me what happened? 'Cause if you just gonna mope around some more, I'll go to the back room and watch the game with Jeff. But honestly, I really don't wanna do that. He has a habit of yelling at whoever's losing and throwing things around the room in an attempt to hit the TV but usually just hitting the one who happens to be closest to him."

Jared lifted his head to peek at Jensen who, surprisingly, didn't look as annoyed as he had sounded.
Instead there was something else in his eyes. Could it be … concern?

"You really wanna hear about it?"

"Rather than putting up with the kicked puppy look you've been showing off? Hell yeah."

Jared smiled at that. It wasn't the first time someone had called him a puppy, but coming from Jensen … well, it was different. Especially since Jensen smiled faintly back.

With a deep, huffed out breath, Jared explained.

"When I was younger, I always loved writing. Essays in school, poems, short stories - anything. I was good at it, too. My English teacher praised me and I went home with good grades. When I was fourteen, I told my parents that I want to become a writer. My father got mad. He shouted and said that only fags became authors.

"Are you a fag, son? He had asked and since I was scared shitless, I said no. He told me to forget about the stupid idea of writing for a living.

"I didn't forget, but I didn't talk about it either. My father is … well, he's very Texan and I haven't told him, yet, that I'm gay and a writer."

Jared emptied his mug, and Jensen went to the counter to get the pot and pour them both another cup of coffee.

"Now, that's all very tragic but from what I heard you're making daddy proud nowadays and are about to become a lawyer."

Jensen had sat down again and was back to his composed act, the Jensen from moments ago gone. Only his evil, annoyed and bored twin left to listen to what Jared had to say now that he had started.

"I'm not."

Jensen shot him a confused look.

"Becoming a lawyer, I mean. My parents think that I'll go to law school but the truth is that I plan on going to a college close to a law school. I'll be taking courses in creative writing and a bit of journalism."

"And you were in the shack because-"

"-my father found out, yes. He discovered my notebook with most of my short stories and poems. There are also notes about future plots and of course the acceptance letter of the University of San Francisco. He yelled at me and if my mom hadn't come in, he would have hit me, too. I didn't know where else to go, that's why I came to the shack."

Jared stopped talking then, sipping only at his coffee every now and then. He didn't dare looking at Jensen again. He probably thought Jared was pathetic.

"I'm sorry that happened to you." The low murmur of Jensen's voice interrupted Jared's self-pity.

"You don't think I'm silly?"

"Well, the crying and the hiding are childish but I get that you wanted to get away for some time. And that you're scared.

"Did something like that ever happen to you?"

"No, my parents stood by me in everything I did."

"Then you're lucky."

Jared had meant to say something nice, to keep the conversation going, but instead he had angered Jensen.

"Lucky? You don't know a fucking thing. So my parents didn't bail on me or my dreams but I never was and never will be lucky. You got everything laid out in front of you. I had to work hard for what I wanted. All my damn life. You don't call me lucky."

Jensen stood abruptly, his hands almost knocking over his coffee mug.

"Let's go. You have to be back for dinner. I could get into trouble as it is anyway. No need to add to it. Jeff?" he shouted toward the backroom. "We're leaving. Money's on the table." Jensen threw down a few bills on the table to pay for their coffee and the fries that never arrived.

Jensen walked toward the door, and Jared just stared after him. He had no idea what had just happened.

"You coming or what?"

"On my way."

And just like that, they were back to the way they had been before Jared had his emotional breakdown.

~*~

Dinner was dreadful. His father wouldn't look at Jared, let alone talk to him. His mother was close to crying the whole time, and Megan, who totally ignored the tension between Jared and their father, talked about the show at the end of the season at the Manners'.

"Daddy, Mr. Manners asked if I wanted to sing. Can I, please?"

"Sure pumpkin. You'll make us proud."

Jared cringed. He knew who that was directed at.

He made it through the evening program afterwards without talking to his parents except for a short good night when Megan was sent to bed and he decided to go with her.

Back in their bungalow she babbled on about the show and her upcoming performance. Jared had zoned out minutes ago to spare his nerves.

His effort not to think about the fight with his father or the strange incident with Jensen this afternoon was interrupted by his little sister.

"- date with Chad."

"What did you just say?"

The alarm in Jared's head went off. The guy was bad news. Jared was almost certain that he had gotten Sandy pregnant even though neither Steve nor Sandy had said anything of that sort. He really didn't want the waiter anywhere near his little sister though. Why was she still seeing him?

"I have a date with him. Well, actually I already had a few dates with him but the one after the show will be special." She winked at him.

"Oh God, Megan, please tell me you're not serious about that. What do you want with the guy?"

"You're just being mean to me because you're not daddy's golden boy anymore. Don't think I haven't noticed that he's not talking to you. I don't know what you did to piss him off but for once he's paying attention to me and you can't stand that."

"That's not true, Megan. I worry about you."

"I don't believe you, J.T. And I don't want to talk about it anymore."

Jared sighed. There was no way Megan would listen to him any time soon. They still had two weeks left in the camp, one till the competition. Jared had to find a way to stop Megan from getting too involved with Chad.

When his sister was fast asleep, Jared snuck out in just his sweatpants. The night was warm and he couldn't sleep anyway so Jared decided that practicing was as good as anything else

When he was close enough to the shack he could hear soft music from inside and see that the lights were on. As silently as possible, he opened the door.

Inside was Jensen, dancing all by himself and totally unaware of his surroundings. He was just as shirt and shoeless as Jared.

Jared closed the door behind him but remained in the shadows near the wall. He was mesmerized by Jensen moving to the music - a slow melody and a soft tenor accompanied by an intense drum and violin. It spoke of passion and love and Jared watched Jensen's face as much as his movements.

He was lost in the music and absolutely relaxed. His face was open and ready to be read like a book. Jared knew he was thinking in clichés but he had never seen anything as beautiful as the man who danced in front of him.

The song ended, and Jensen came back to the present. He spotted Jared, and for a moment, Jared thought, Jensen would say something - tell him to leave.

Instead Jensen went to the stereo unit and changed the music. Their tango started, and Jensen took his position - as did Jared.

The first part went flawlessly. Jared didn't even have to think about it anymore. When he gripped Jensen's hand with his own and started turning him around, Jensen didn't stop him.

They had been working on the second part over the last week, and Jared knew the moves, had been repeating them again and again. He had been lacking the passion though - just like he hadn't been feeling the hate before. Only this time, he hadn't allowed himself to feel it. Too scared was he of the possible embarrassment that would have followed.

Tonight, though, he let go.

They walked a few steps together, back to chest, before Jared spun Jensen around again. They moved as one, clutching at each other, the concept of dancing space long forgotten. It didn't exist between the two men who had been fighting moments ago. When Jared was dancing further away from Jensen, he would go after Jared, embracing him from behind, pressing himself against the other man until Jared promised to stay. Promises made by motions and precisely planned steps.

While they danced they didn't take their eyes off each other, devouring one another with their looks.

In the end Jensen was crouching down, his left leg stretched out and the right one bent. Jared arched down to meet him halfway, his hands close to Jensen's face. If they followed the choreography, they would have to look away from each other and toward a fictional enemy.

But they didn't.

Inch by inch their faces came closer until their lips met. The kiss was slow and tentative as if both were still trying to figure out what was happening.

Jared then took Jensen's face into his hands and knelt down in front of him, deepening and never breaking the kiss. He didn't know where the boldness for this came from but he was ready to go with it.

Jensen hesitated for another moment, not sure if he should stop or give in. He decided on the latter, knelt down properly and grabbed Jared's hips, drawing their bodies closer together.

Part 3
Master Post