Kintsukuroi_ Chapter-20: Epilogue

 

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Epilogue

 Ben feared that something in Jayna had broken irreparably at Janardan’ departure... which was why he could do nothing but stare; mouth hanging open in surprise when he opened the door to find the alpha’s familiar face.

Four deep gouges scarred the man’s erstwhile unblemished countenance and Ben winced when he noticed that the man’s left eye had not gone unmarked, a milky film covering the jewel toned iris he had grown looking up at.

“Not gonna let me in?” The alpha asked hesitantly with a small, awkward smile; breaking the moment and Ben could do nothing but nod dumbly. He shuffled to the side to let Janardan in and watched the alpha pause just inside the doorway, taking in the pictures on the wall and the comfortable couch and the small, two-seater dining table separating the living room from the kitchen- space: Ben had gotten rid of the third chair when he had noticed how Jayna avoided looking at the empty spot during meal-times, obviously missing the alpha but trying to be stoic to avoid upsetting Ben. And that reminded him...

“Mama!!!” He hollered, smile widening when he heard the rapid patter of sock-covered feet approaching at his call.

Janardan’s head lifted to watch the omega when Jayna appeared and Ben stepped back as Jayna stumbled to a stop at the sight of their visitor for a second and then the two moved towards each other automatically as though in a dream. Jayna’s face was awash in tears as she stared at the warrior as though she was unable to believe her eyes.

“Janardan?” The omega whispered.

“Jayna.” The name left the alpha’s lips on a soft exhale as he lifted his hands to wipe tenderly at the omega’s moist cheeks. They stood like that for an interminable moment, Jayna curling slightly so that she could bury her face against the alpha’s chest. Janardan, for his part, rested his cheek on Jayna’s downturned head, his arms having come up to wrap loosely around Jayna’s waist.

“So,” Ben interrupted loudly, snickering when they sprang apart at his voice- looking for all the world like guilty children. He smiled softly as Janardan rubbed a calming hand over Jayna’s back absently while trying to muster up a frown at Ben for starling them.

“If you’re done being all gross and lovey-dovey, I’ve got a question for Janardan,” He announced, eyes sparkling with mischief as he regarded the two:  “You gonna make an honest ‘mega outta my Mama this time ‘round?”

“I-” Janardan hesitated, and then glanced at the omega hesitantly, “Jayna?”

Ben could only grin as his mother blushed a bright scarlet – everything from her cheeks to the tips of her ears turning a vibrant red at the question; and ducked her head before nodding.

Janardan turned swiftly on the balls of his feet to press a chaste kiss to the omega’s temple in the first impulsive action that Ben had seen from him before wrapping an arm around the slender waist and turning to face Ben, “Are you sure you’re okay with me marrying your Mama, Ben?”

The youngster alpha just whooped and grinned as he moved to join in the hug, confessing: “I’d love for you to be my Dad, Janardan.”

The alpha exhaled shakily as though he’d hadn’t allowed himself to hope for a positive response and opened his arms to let Ben slip in next to Jayna as he pulled two of the most important people in his life closer.

The embrace ended when Jayna smacked Janardan’s arm lightly.

“Ow!” The alpha grumbled in mock outrage, rubbing exaggeratedly at the sting on his arm from the hit, “is that any way to treat your fiancé?!”

Ben snickered.

“You left us for three years!”

“Two” Janardan murmured as he reached out to pull Jayna back into his arms, pressing another close-mouthed kiss to her temple, “and a half. And I’m sorry about that...”

“I thought you’d left us,” The omega confessed softly.

“Never,” The warrior promised, “Not as long as you want me around,”

Jayna nodded, not releasing the alpha from the entanglement of her arms as all three of them headed towards the couch in an unspoken agreement. The omega curled unashamedly into the alpha, revelling at the proximity and luxuriating in the presence of the strangely peaceful scent that she had unconsciously been yearning for during the time they had spent apart. “What took you so long?”

“I... I thought you guys would be better off without me,” Janardan confessed in a whisper.

“Forgive me for saying this, but in that case, you’re an idiot, Da!” Ben grumbled good-naturedly.

Jayna raised her head from where she had burrowed into the alpha’s chest to glance at Janardan, and for a moment Ben was sure that he was going to be reprimanded. But then she just tilted her head in his direction and nodded, “What he said.”

Janardan snorted, “Yeah, well... I didn’t want to burden you. Ben was starting college; you were trying to set up a new home... begin a brand new life... caring for an invalid in the midst of all that would’ve been rough on y’all.”

Jayna jerked back, eyes wide, “Invalid?!”

Janardan ducked his head sheepishly, “Uh-... Yeah, Alpha wasn’t happy I’d gotten his daughter-in-law and heir killed...”

“What did he do, Janardan?” The omega whispered, her fear clearly visible in the tip-tilted eyes swirling with emotion.

“He... He was angry... He was so angry...”

 

He had clothes from both Jayna and Ben, and his friends from the precinct had made good use of the vials of blood the duo had left behind to furnish ‘proof’ of their demise... The bloodied clothes and financial documents and (faked) death certificates all made for a convincing story about how the three of them had gone for a celebratory dinner the day Ben graduated and a drunken driver had lost control of his vehicle and jumped a traffic light only to slam into their car. Ben, in the back and directly in the path of the impact had died instantly while Jayna had lingered for eighteen hours before succumbing to her injuries. Janardan himself was not unscathed, but he was the sole survivor of the crash. Not in his best shape after the blood loss he had suffered in the staged ‘accident’ that had ostensibly ‘killed’ Jayna and Ben; Janardan had lost consciousness after the fifth blow to the head itself, the last thing he remembered being the vicious claws scratching his face. He had lost his left eye to the claws and his face had been forever scarred from the deep gouges they had left. A bit of his upper lip had also been torn clean off and Janardan had just laughed and laughed when he’d finally gotten a look at what had remained of his face.  He’d always known he would never see Jayna or Ben again and staring at what he looked like now had made the choice seem to be the best one. He would’ve scared his gentle omega if Jayna could see him now... No, it was better that Jayna never found out what became of him.  Besides, it wasn’t like he had anything left to offer; the omega had always been so far above him, but back then at least he’d had his looks and his body. If nothing, he could’ve protected Jayna... He couldn’t do that anymore. From what they later told him, it took five alphas to pull the Pack-Alpha off him. His legs and hips had been shattered into so many pieces by then that it was a miracle that he’d survived.

 

He had panicked when he had re-gained consciousness in the chopper they had flown him out in and had to be sedated. Later, when he’d woken up in the hospital, his face and the majority of his body swathed in bandages, it had taken him a few minutes to digest the horror of his reality. When he realized that he had begun to panic, he closed his eyes for long seconds; breathing deeply and reminding himself that Jayna and Ben were safe. That he had managed to save them... that this was worth it.

Later, they had told him that after the Guard- strangely loyal to him still despite his long absence; had pulled the Alpha off him, his former team-mates had somehow managed to strike a deal with Edmund. The recently promoted Heir-apparent had pulled as many strings as he’d been able to facilitate a medevac and subsequent treatment for him. The man had visited him once and guiltily enquired if Janardan had any means of supporting his treatment: the alpha had not only exiled him for his failure, but had forbidden the Pack healer from treating him in any form. While Edmund had successfully smuggled him out, he was still going against the Pack-Alpha and each day Janardan spent there was a day the man was sticking his neck out for him. Not wanting to be in anyone’s debt, Janardan had signed himself out despite the doctor’s protests and placed a call to Jim Deer.

The police Chief had been horrified at what had been done to him and had promptly made arrangements for him to be treated at the city-hospital, the extensive charges being shouldered by his medical-insurance since he had been wounded while ‘performing his duty’.

It had taken over six-months for the shattered bones to set properly, and by then his muscles had wasted away considerably. Pain was a chronic companion for him and he had developed a pronounced limp due to his shattered hip. Despite everyone’s repeated requests that he call Jayna- no one doubted that the omega would come when Janardan was so extensively injured, the alpha refused to burden them with his troubles. He gritted his teeth through the physical therapy and despite healing, it soon became clear that he would never be able to get back to his earlier form. Unable to go out into the field because of his injuries, he reluctantly agreed to the detested desk-job that saddled him with preparing reports for every case. Jayna’s house, after their ‘demise’ was still his to use and though Janardan had given the Alpha all of Jayna’s financial documents to support her ‘death’, the man had thrown them back in his face and now the money they hadn’t been able to ferret out without rousing suspicions was spent in buying the pain pills he needed to make it through the day. It had taken a year and a half for him to heal enough to return to regular duty, but he had never gotten his old timings back. He went out every day and did his job, but the job had lost its charm. He got reports on how Jayna and Ben were doing from Deer, but refused to allow the other man to tell them about his fate. Eventually, his hip stiffened at the wrong moment and it was only his partner’s efficiency that saved them from serious injury. He had known he was putting everyone at risk with going out on field duty despite the chronic pain; but it had taken the near miss to make him realize that it wasn’t just himself that he was endangering. Admitting as much to his Chief had been hard, but he had been surprised when the man had promptly offered him an alternative: Janardan didn’t have to be restricted to the desk if he could not be out in the field- he could train the new recruits wanting to be field agents. No one had managed to break his times on the track or his endurance scores and despite his injuries, Janardan found that he still managed to surpass the new trainees with enough ease that he could comfortably guide them to better performance. What Deer had neglected to tell Janardan was that the State Police Training Academy was in the same town that Jayna and Ben were in. He wasn’t sure if the older alpha had planned it as such because he had not known and the man had never breathed a word about the ‘coincidence’ till Janardan had seen Jayna in the produce section one day. Taken aback by the sighting, he had retreated so as not to be spotted and then questioned his former boss.

After that first sighting, it was like Jayna was everywhere he looked- once he had been sure that he’d been spotted, but fortunately the sun was in the omega’s face and she didn’t notice the familiar face across the road. The omega looked impossibly sad to the warrior and unable to accept the forlorn expression on the omega’s face, he made his own discrete enquiries to find out if there was anyone new in the professor’s life. Once he had been assured that the omega wasn’t seeing anyone, he had decided to try his luck- never believing that he would be welcomed with open arms and well, here they were.

“Well, like I said; you’re an idiot, Da.” Ben told the alpha with a smile, “How could you not know that we want you around?”

The alpha flushed at the sentiment but opened his arm easily when Ben rose to head to his room, pausing to give him a hug as he gathered the pizza containers. The youngster glanced once at the couch before cleaning up the kitchen so that Jayna would not have to and could spend some much needed time with the older man.

Janardan moved in with them soon after- both Jayna and Ben having been appalled by the impersonal single room (with its attached, but miniscule bathroom) that he had been living in. The room was clean and the bed done with military corners; but it was cold and character-less. There were no windows to brighten it, but Janardan hadn’t even invested in some photo-frames or wall decor to brighten the dull white walls; the only personal item being the single framed picture of Jayna and Ben by the bedside table. 

Their house, in contrast; was painted in a muted, but still vibrant shade of yellow and every available surface was covered with framed pictures of all three of them. There were a few recent ones of Ben and Jayna; but the majority had Janardan in them as well (and obviously, a couple of them included Adam). Moving Janardan back in was easier than they had thought or hoped, the man slipping back so easily into their lives, it was like he’d never been away. ... Therefore, all three of them were taken aback when news of their wedding in contrast - well, officially it was a renewal of their vows because Jayna was now ‘legally’ already an Agashe; created something of a stir in their little neighbourhood: no one had seen Janardan before this (obviously) and everyone was surprised to hear that the shy, quiet omega was suddenly getting ‘married’ and that too to a scarred and disfigured alpha.

The extent of the shock only became evident when both Jayna and Ben were approached (separately on two occasions and once when they were at the grocer’s together) with offers to step in if Janardan was forcing Jayna to accept his proposal in any way. Both explained how Janardan had been presumed dead for the past years and how they were already a ‘family’, but were unsure if they had been believed given the open hostility that the alpha encountered. Janardan, for his part; accepted the hostility in his stride... and often ended up being the one to calm Jayna and Ben when they were offended on his behalf.

“How are you not offended?” Jayna asked late one night as she sat with her head on the alpha’s shoulder in front of the television. Ben working on a report for one of his college classes in his room and the two were utilising the few moments of peace after their day to simply unwind and enjoy each other’s company. “I mean, I use your surname and everything... and still these guys think you’re trapping me into marriage?!”

“I’m... I’m rather flattered, to be honest.” Janardan murmured, the coarse stubble of his cheek brushing lightly against the top of Jayna’s head as he spoke, “People are only asking these questions because it’s as obvious to them as to me how perfect you are... and to think that I- who had never hoped to find a mate, no matter an omega- managed to win the affection of someone like you...” He trailed off, shaking his head. He was silent for so long that Jayna startled when Janardan started speaking again, “Sometimes... sometimes this all feels like a dream, Jayna. Can’t imagine how I ever got this lucky.”

The omega smiled softly at the confession, “You’re a good man, Janardan. I’m glad I found you.”

Janardan glanced down to where the omega was resting her head against his shoulder before tightening an arm around the lithe waist and tugging so that they were facing each other. “You mean that?”

Jayna’s brows furrowed, “Why wouldn’t I?”

“You’d have never met- much less needed my help- if Alpha Adam hadn’t passed...”

“Did I love him?” Jayna shrugged, “Yeah, of course I did... but we were both so young, Janardan. There was so much about him that I didn’t know... and then you...” Jayna shook her head, chuckling softly, “I was so terrified of you...  terrified that you would try to take Ben away from me, terrified that you would be like the alphas I had encountered...”

“I knew you were scared,” the alpha admitted softly. “And I’m sorry that I didn’t do anything to allay your fea-”

“But you did, remember?” Jayna interrupted. “When you walked in, you uh... you gave me quite an eyeful-”

Janardan’s bark of laughter had the omega swatting playfully at his arm and the alpha tugged the omega closer, still smiling, “Yeah... I only realized how rude I must’ve seemed to you once I got here.”

Jayna leaned contentedly against the warm body, shaking her head. “Even if you didn’t know why your nudity was bothering me, you did try to shield yourself from my gaze... ‘twas more consideration than I had received from anyone in the pack.”

“I’m glad,”

“You were so kind to me... so courteous-”

“Seriously?!” The alpha snorted.

“Yeah, I mean... you were so careful to ensure that I wasn’t discomfited by your presence. And well, your eyes never strayed from my face... not- not like theirs did.” Jayna admitted in a small voice.

Janardan tensed, “Nobody would’ve touched you, Jayna. I wouldn’t have let them.”

“No, I know that.” The omega assured quickly. “And I know that they wouldn’t have tried anything with me... but they didn’t see the harm in looking, you know? In- in objectifying me...”

“Oh Sweetheart...” Janardan breathed.

Jayna pulled herself together, “Anyway, my point is you didn’t do that. And you were completely besotted by Ben-”

“That obvious, huh?”

Jayna smiled, “Yeah. It was charming... and-and-and. Yeah, I mean. ... I never expected to fall asleep that first night with a strange alpha in my room but I did...because even if I hadn’t decided to trust you consciously at that point, my instincts clearly did.”

Janardan just smiled.

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The day of the ‘wedding’ dawned bright and clear. Miles and Candice and Janardan’s ex-colleagues from the precinct were all there to wish the happy couple (everyone had been told to keep the fact that this was in fact a real ‘wedding’ and not just a renewal of vows under wraps). Everyone from the little neighbourhood had gathered in the small backyard where the ceremony was being held and appeared to be pleased for Jayna as well. They were not exactly eager to have Janardan joining their ranks yet, but no one could deny how happy the omega looked- losing her gaunt appearance and with her dimples peeking with every smile; ever since the scarred warrior had appeared.

Ben walked his mother down the aisle and joined the gathering with moist eyes to watch as the two people who’d raised him finally said the words to turn them into an official family.

Janardan visibly held his breath when the ceremony officiator asked if anyone objected to the re-union, uncertain and disbelieving that he would be allowed to have this; but then no one spoke up and when the next question came up asking if he would love, honour and cherish the omega, he could feel his eyes moisten as he answered with a heartfelt, “Yes.”

 The question was placed to Jayna next and the alpha found himself surprised as always when the omega answered in the affirmative, still unable to believe that Jayna actually returned his feelings. He tried to keep the kiss short and chaste, wary of taking advantage of his new mate and it was Jayna who deepened it, placing teasing nips on his chastely closed lips till he opened and granted access.

Ben snapped a Polaroid of the moment and added it to the collage he’s put up by the porch showing Jayna and Janardan and him through the years. Some of their neighbours stepped up to look and then did a double take as they saw what Janardan had looked like before the scars for the first time. ... The pictures literally told the story of how the duo had fallen in love and many of the gathered omegas discretely dabbed at their eyes as they finally understood the depth of love and devotion that the couple had for each other.

The alphas were more tight-lipped as compared to their gushing mates when they came up to take a look at the pictures themselves, dragging Janardan with them to provide them with anecdotes about the snaps and nudging each other conspiratorially when they noticed that Janardan’s eyes kept straying to trail after his mate even as he struggled to keep abreast of their conversation. The man of the hour was dragged away for the traditional dance and everyone cheered as the couple swayed gently to music- fast movements having become difficult for Janardan after his hip injury. Soon others joined them on the dance floor and the party was in full swing.

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Jim Deer’s eyes were soft as he watched the man he’d come to love almost like a son finally at peace. He blamed himself for the scars that Janardan bore, wishing for the thousandth time that he had insisted more firmly that the boy stay away and allow him to convey news of the ‘tragedy’ to his alpha... Say that all three had lost their lives.  ... Still, he couldn’t believe that the man Janardan spoke about with such reverence had hurt him so cruelly.

“What’re you thinking about?”

He blinked, smiling when he noticed Janardan next to him.

“Nothing... just wondering how your Alpha could hurt you so badly...” He shook his head to clear the pensive thoughts, “Never mind, let’s talk about happier thi-.”

“Actually, I think I might have the answer to that,” Ben interrupted.

Both older Weres turned to the boy with furrowed brows, “What?”

“Thakurda and the rest were always cruel to you, Da. Not to anyone else... and I never figured out why... until I stumbled upon something in my Pack history books.”

“Benny, I don’t think-” Jayna spoke up as she joined them, sliding in next to Janardan automatically.

The warrior wrapped an arm around the omega’s waist instinctively. “It’s fine. I want to know.”

The youngster cleared his throat uncomfortably, “Well, the Fahlmer  Pack wasn’t always the ‘Fahlmer ’ pack, you know? Thakurda’s great grandfather staged a coup and overthrew the well-loved but aging pack-alpha...”

“O-kay? What does that have to do with me?”

“The alpha he overthrew was Theodore Agashe, your great- great- great- great” he counted off the ‘great’ on his fingers to ensure it was correct, “- grandfather, I believe.”

Janardan’s eyes were wide.

Ben looked supremely uncomfortable a he continued, “His son was killed off to prevent opposition and uh... strangely every Agashe alpha since met with a surprisingly early death in the Fahlmer  pack. Now, I cannot prove anything, but it’s all... well, it’s strange. I think that was part of the reason Thakurda took you in and-”

“-they tried to ensure that you wouldn’t stumble upon your ancestry, Janardan.” Jayna added, “And they tried to train you to be blindly obedient to them... I didn’t know, Adam-”

“-didn’t know either.” Janardan interrupted firmly. “Or at least, if he did, he must’ve stumbled upon it later, he wasn’t party to it. He couldn’t have been. I mean, sure; we weren’t exactly what you call friends, but he was the one who figured out that the Guard was the only place where I would be viewed as an equal...  And I don’t know how he managed to convince Alpha, but he did and he gave me an out-”

Jayna raised wide eyes at her new mate and Janardan smiled gently at him. “Your husband was a good man, Jayna. Sure, he made mistakes, but he was a kid himself and the minute he knew better he did everything he could to change things. You loved a good man. Don’t feel guilty.”

“Right,” Jim Deer cut in, “We should probably move to happier topics- especially today of all days, but what happens now? Are you going to go back there and demand your due?”

But Janardan was already shaking his head before the older man had even finished, “What I have here is far more valuable... I don’t need anything else; I’m already where I belong.”

Jayna just grinned and leaned in to steal a quick kiss at the declaration: Yeah, they were going to be okay... There would be ups and downs, no doubt about it, but they would face it as they had everything so far-Together.

 

Samapt

[Samapt= The End.]

 

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MasterPost

Earlier Parts:  Prologue- Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter-3- Chapter 4- Chapter 5 - Chapter 6-

Chapter 7- Chapter 8- Chapter 9 - Chapter-10 - Chapter-11- Chapter-12- Chapter-13- Chapter-14 - Chapter-15 - Chapter- 16- Chapter-17 - Chapter-18- Chapter-19

Stay tuned for another brand new story- to be posted shortly ! And do let me know your thoughts on 'Kintsukuroi'.