The Excursion
Epilogue
Language: English
Rating: R
Disclaimer: The Brokeback Mountain Characters belong to Annie Proulx
Summary: This is an au! au story and there are no warnings (No one dies)
Ennis accompanies his Professor on a journey to a faraway country. But when he returns, he is not the same …
Feedback: Yes please, it keeps my friends and me motivated!
Author's Note:
Here comes the epilogue - finally.Thanks a lot to my readers, I hope that some of the remainig questions
will be answered.
I also want to thank Debra and Torry torry28 for their great translation work and being friends in
the Jack and Ennis cosmos. Debra is a great writer and I want to recommend her
journal: forever9218
I’m feeling that this something like a good bye, because, honestly spoken, I'm not very
much into Jack and Ennis and ff any more. No idea if that will change some day.
But I have to say that the two guys changed my life in some aspect - and they
always will have a little corner of my heart.
The Excursion
- Epilogue
Ennis slowed down his pace and stopped to completely absorb
the scenery spread out before him.
An hour ago he set out on foot to find his way to the castle.
Jack would have gladly picked him up at the railway station, but he preferred to
travel on the same path he and the Professor had taken almost two years ago.
The sun slowly descended across the horizon while the sky
turned a vibrant blood red. The walls of the castle towered in the distance,
forbidden and majestic, perched on top of a hill. Ennis inhaled some fresh air
and recalled how he had shuddered the first time he laid eyes upon the eerie
scene.
This time, however, everything seemed different simply
because of the man who would be waiting for him at the other end of the trek.
In less than an hour, he would be at the castle and able to see Jack again.
Suddenly, one more moment apart seemed unbearable; he smiled and quickly picked
up his speed to reach where he needed to be.
After the stress of exams, Ennis looked forward to the upcoming
holiday that he and Jack would be spending together. Three whole weeks without
academic demands or extracurricular activities like football. For once, Ennis’
slate was entirely clean and he had absolutely no fear of boredom taking hold.
In addition, Professor Grey had agreed to visit, if only for
a few days. The invitation was heartfelt because both men knew that if he had
not taken an interest in Ennis and included him on that Excursion two years
ago, he and Jack might never have found each other. In a way, they owed the gentleman more than
they could ever repay, albeit indirectly, for giving them the sweet life they
now enjoyed.
On the other hand, the professor was indebted to Jack and
Ennis for giving him his new life in Vancouver.
When Jack had learned about the love the professor had missed out on in his youth,
he was immediately consumed with the idea of rectifying the unsatisfactory
situation. His enthusiasm persuaded Ennis that they should look for the mysterious
man. The plan may have been simply conceived but a stealth strategy had to be
discreetly executed to ensure that Grey would not notice the plot they were
hatching behind his back. He and Jack visited with the professor often, each
time trying to find out as much as possible about the young friend he had lost
touch with long ago. After much detective work, they were overjoyed when they
eventually traced the man to Vancouver.
The professor, however, was anything but enthusiastic about
their discovery. Harsh words were flung between them, the old man furious that
they had dared to snoop into his past. Jack pouted and told Ennis that Grey was
a bullheaded, ungrateful fool and that he should get out of his ivory tower and
begin to experience the real world. After the heated outburst, a long period of
silence existed between the professor and the two men. Until the smoke finally
cleared and Ennis and Jack realized they had probably ripped open an old wound.
The pain apparently was still deep, even after thirty years.
Ennis and Jack were surprised when one day the phone rang
and Gray was on the other end, informing them how he had recently made contact
with his long lost friend. The call was a pleasant surprise, demonstrating a small
victory of curiosity winning out over stubborn pride. Ennis had to admit he was
excited to now hear what the professor had to say about the long overdue encounter
that he and Jack had played such an instrumental role in bringing about.
The sun had now disappeared behind the hills at the same
time that he became aware of an uncomfortable feeling settling over him, like
he was being watched. He turned and
stared into the dusk, but nothing moved. Shaking his head, from side to side,
he murmured under his breath, “Guess I’m seeing ghosts,” just as a shadowy creature
hovered at eye level, causing him to blanch backward. The stunned reaction
subsiding once he realized that the unexpected movement was just a hungry bat
searching for food. He laughed to himself about how a tiny animal could instill
such an anxious response. He had nearly forgotten how these winged mammals had
been the sole reason he and the professor had traveled to this far off land in
the first place. Thinking about the secluded location he found himself in now
he had to admit there was something fascinating about the exotic location that
inspired the imagination.
On an impulse, he pulled the cell phone from his pocket, but
noticed there was no reception. The disappointment quickened his pace, helping
to propel him forward, eager to meet up with Jack and avoid the possibility of
succumbing to those strange stories told by the villagers. Still, no matter how
fast he walked or tried to divert his thoughts to more productive topics, he
could not keep from thinking about him. Over the past few months, he had
kept such disquieting thoughts at bay. In fact, neither man had spoken about Jonathan since the
honest conversation they had engaged in after the football game, and once more while
they were making preliminary plans to come visit the castle during the summer.
Jack had been the one to actually bring up the subject and Ennis could tell by
the hesitant way in which he spoke that his man still harbored some real concerns,
though he did not openly address what was gnawing inside him. Was Jonathan, for
instance, still in the area? How was he doing? Since his disappearance, they
had heard he had not returned to the castle again. And, that absence was
probably for the best.
Ennis glanced over and realized that he had finally entered
the courtyard, which was only slightly illuminated by a lamp at the front door.
He remembered their favorite place and circled the building until he stood in
front of the terrace. There was Jack sitting there quietly, a single candle on
the table. His head suddenly turned in Ennis’ direction, apparently having
heard him approach.
"Ennis?" he asked softly and then stood up.
Ennis cried out into the darkness, "Jack," and
with one leap he was on the terrace. They embraced fiercely, his backpack sliding
to the ground as they greeted each other with passionate kisses until they were
literally left breathless.
“You’re finally here." Jack said still gasping for air.
"Why didn’t you want me to pick you up? You could have been here at least
an hour ago," a silent reproach swayed in his voice.
Ennis only growled and announced, “I'm starving. Could
devour a whole sheep right now."
Without a further word, they both walked into the dining
room where the table already had been set. Despite the elaborate spread, which Jack
made sure the hired help made especially to celebrate Ennis' homecoming, they
were finished with dining in record time. Of course, good food was only one
appetite that needed to be satisfied. So, as soon as the last delicious crumb
of cake had been swallowed, they both rose up and headed toward Jack’s tower
apartment as fast as their feet could carry them.
A déjà vu moment hit Ennis once he entered the tower,
associating the familiar living quarters as Jonathan's own personal kingdom.
But, once Jack's lips pressed against his, all thoughts of
the other man vanished into thin air. Jack stepped back and slowly opened the
buttons of Ennis’ shirt, stroking the exposed chest and abdomen, and immediately
kindling a fire deep inside. The desire rose so quickly between them that they
didn’t even get to Jack’s bedroom, but made love on the same couch he had sat
in one year before. The makeshift bed added a new memory, much more lasting and
powerful.
Ennis saw the loving glow that came from Jack's eyes at the
moment of penetration, making sure to move slowly, and not remove his gaze for
an instance. He held back, wanting Jack to come before him, until he too was
carried off by a wave of ecstasy. Afterwards, they leaned on each other as they
quietly walked upstairs and slipped under the cool sheets while Jack was pulled
back snuggly against Ennis' torso, both falling asleep, contented.
The next few days past along quickly, without anything
unusual happening, a companionable routine allowed to emerge between them. By
the evening, when the heat of the day had somewhat abated, they put on their
workout clothes and went jogging to keep from getting completely out of shape.
They were now both on the same football team, since Jack had subsequently enrolled
at the same university as Ennis.
When their privacy was finally invaded by the anticipated
ring of the phone, Jack answered and happily drove into the village to bring
the professor back to the castle for a visit. By this time, both men seemed
ready to burst with curiosity, but they held back from bombarding the man with personal
questions when he walked through the castle door.
Finally, at dinner, the professor broached the subject
himself by saying that Vancouver
was a beautiful place and how they had drove around, sightseeing everywhere,
volunteering that the time had gone by far too quickly. The professor then changed
the subject abruptly by voicing his regrets that Count Orloff and his son had
not returned to the castle. That’s all we would need, Ennis thought.
Besides his reticence to talk about his Vancouver trip, Grey appeared to be more withdrawn
than Ennis had remembered. When the day eventually arrived for him to take his
leave, they resigned themselves to the fact they would learn nothing more about
the reunion of the two old friends. This time they both decided to drive Professor
Grey back to the train station to bid him farewell. Jack carried Grey’s
suitcase to the station and when the train arrived the old man embraced the two
young men with an affection he had never exhibited in the past.
"I must apologize to you both and to thank you…for
everything," he said. Ennis saw a tell tale glint in the older man’s eyes.
"The fact that you cared enough to find my friend, for
me, was the best gift I have ever received.”
Before either of them could react, Grey had grabbed his bag in
haste and disappeared inside the compartment of the train.
Jack swallowed hard at the heartfelt appreciation that had
just been extended. When the train slowly began to leave the station, both men anxiously
searched the faces of the parting passengers, but Grey, unfortunately, did not
appear at any of the windows.
"Maybe he’ll tell us, at some point, what
happened," Ennis said.
"Oh, I think we could make a good guess about what
happened.” Jack nudged Ennis with his elbow, “What do you think, should I offer
the two of them a few weeks at the castle?" Jack grinned.
Ennis poked him in the side and laughed. "You can’t
leave well enough alone, can you?"
Toward the end of their three week stay, Jack had to travel into
Bucharest to deal with something regarding his inheritance. Driving off early one morning,
Ennis did not expect him back until late because of the long distance to the
capital city from the castle. Ennis spent the rest of the day reading and in
the evening, he went jogging alone since he was familiar with most of the
nearby trails by now. Not paying attention, however, he misjudged the running distance
and ran farther than usual, causing him to return to the castle just before
dark.
As he came closer, he saw a man sitting on the terrace and
knew immediately that the sedentary figure was not Jack. He cautiously
approached and watched as the other man lifted up his head in silent greeting.
"Jonathan!" Ennis said. Still sweating from his
recent jog, he slumped down into a nearby chair.
"Why did you come?" Ennis said, sounding more
hostile than he wanted.
"You're still angry with me for leaving without a word.
Am I right?" Jonathan said softly.
Ennis did not respond.
"I ..." Jonathan began to explain.
"I know you had to leave because of Jack. But later,
you could have gotten in touch with me," Ennis interrupted.
"And would you have wanted me too?"
Touché
Ennis stood up and turned on the patio light.
"We're related," Jonathan said, without describing
in detail the relationship.
"Yes, you and Jack do resemble each other. I mean…on
the outside anyway." Ennis looked away.
"I'm sorry, Ennis."
"What are you sorry about? You got to play your little
game with me." Ennis replied coldly.
"It wasn’t a game, Ennis. Not for me. It’s important
that you know that. I was unable to follow my heart. I’m not free. I pulled the
brakes before there was no going back, for the two of us. But, mostly for you.”
Ennis saw the seriousness in Jonathan's eyes.
"I only came to say goodbye, this time for always.
You’ll never see me again." The dark-haired man stood up, leaned over and
kissed Ennis on the mouth. Before he could think about what had just happened,
Jonathan had disappeared into the darkness. Ennis sat down heavily, the tender
gesture stilling him into silence. Unfocused and confused about what had just
taken place, he ran slightly hesitant fingers across two parted lips as if trying
to confirm that the tender kiss had not been an illusion.
He didn’t know how long he had remained seated outside on
the patio when the sound of a car driving into the courtyard stirred him back
into awareness.
Jack.
He shot up and quickly ran toward the approaching vehicle
leaping into the other man’s arms the moment the car door slammed shut. A
familiar surge of relief and clarity flowed through him the moment Jack kissed him
easily and soundly.
Placing the flat of his hand against a now flushed cheek, Jack
brought him back to reality in an instant, "How was your day, friend?"
Ennis smiled. "You’ll never believe what happened."
T H E E N D