Untouchable ~ A Jared Leto/MARS Fanfiction

Chapter Twelve

"Really?" I smile. "I had no idea. I spent time in Guatemala doing the same thing."

"I told you we have some things in common," Constance returns my smile. "It really was a wonderful and life-changing experience. While there I met a man, Carl, who was a doctor volunteering in Port au Prince at the same clinic I was. We eventually married, and Carl adopted the boys."

I look at her in surprise. "Oh. Jared's never mentioned him."

Constance grimaces. "No, I don't suppose he has. The marriage was a disaster. Carl and I were two different people, and having a common interest in helping others wasn't enough to hold us together. Unfortunately, our marriage turned very ugly, and the divorce was very bitter. The boys, especially Jared who was closest to my husband, took it extremely hard. To this day he's resentful toward Carl."

"I'm sorry," I murmur with sympathy. "I think the same will happen with Shelby towards Todd. It probably already has. She doesn't want to discuss him much at all."

"Yes, I imagine it has, the poor thing." She runs a manicured fingernail around the brim of her cup. "You know, I'm not surprised that when Jared left, he went to Oak Creek Canyon. When Carl and I separated, that's where the boys and I ended up for a time. I didn't want to have to go back to my parents in the wake of yet another failed relationship. I wanted time for the boys and I to heal. So, Arizona it was. 

"We lived out of my truck for awhile, and spent a lot of time hiking Oak Creek Canyon before joining another commune, this one an artist's community midway between there and Sedona. It was a beautiful, peaceful place to just breathe, to just be. In the last several years, whenever Jared wants to go somewhere to unwind, regroup, or just try to find himself again, that's the first place he goes. We've always called it The Healing Place."

"The Healing Place?"

Constance arches an eyebrow. "Ironic, isn't it?"

"Uh, yeah. Very."

"You know, despite everything he went through out there, maybe it was a step in healing. You see, under the public persona, under the accolades and the success, and even when he seems to be at peace with himself, I can't say Jared's been truly happy in some time. It may or may not come as a surprise to you, Lanie, but there are two very distinct Jareds. The one the world knows, and the one very few people know at all."

I nod."Yeah. Shannon told me he got to see the real Jared when we were in Oak Creek Canyon."

"Yes. He told me the same thing. Shannon said that with you, the real Jared shines. He lets his guard down and can just be himself. I can't tell you how happy I am about that."

I shift in my chair, uncomfortable with where the direction I sense this conversation's going and what Constance is clearly implying. I'm not quite sure how to say it, so I just say it. "But Jared and I are not...we barely even know each other. He's grateful to me and Shelby, and he's asked me to work for him while he recovers. Besides, like you said"—I gesture vaguely— "there are two Jareds and someone like me would fit into that Jared's world even less."

"Why do you say that?"

"Just being here in L.A. is like taking a trip to the moon, Constance. I wouldn't know how to fit into that big celebrity kind of lifestyle. I don't know anything about being famous. And it's not only because of this situation with my ex-husband, but the idea of strangers following me around, the paparazzi, the photos and videos, the gossip online and all of that? I don't know how Jared can stand it. I couldn't. Even if I could stand it, I'd be totally crucified. I mean—" I shake my head and indicate myself—"look at me."