Brokeback Mountain: Father of Mine, 03: Prompts 21-30 (AU | J/E | R | 1,000)
Date written: January 31, February 05, 2007
Word count: 1,000 (10 100-word drabbles)
Rating/Warnings: R. Mention of character death (John Twist).
Characters/Pairing: Jack Twist/Ennis del Mar, Evelyn del Mar, Alma Beers, K.E. del Mar, Kathy del Mar.
Genres/Plot summary: AU/Slash/Angst/Romance. In the overall plot arc, Ennis goes back to Lightning Flat with Jack after Brokeback to help out after John Twist’s unexpected death. In this chapter, Ennis has an important discussion with Alma, and he and Jack discuss the future.
Author’s Note: This is written for my claim for at drabbles100. All chapters are indexed at The Little Damn Table. And, melissasjack, you are not allowed to nag me for at least another week! :)
Father of Mine, 03
Prompts 21-30
021. Friends
Whiskey at the fireplace was just the beginning; Jack got out some hanks of meat and they roasted them wild-style over the flames, lights flickering over their faces as the fat sizzled on the coals.
There wasn’t laughter, but they managed smiles, mountain air still fresh on their tongues and the smell of wild columbine lingering in their nostrils.
Tearing the meat, they remembered Elk, better times. Remembered what life was like before death.
“Thanks,” Ennis said. Nothing more was needed.
Dawn and a mother’s kind eye found them shivering in each other’s arms in front of the dying coals.
022. Enemies
“Might be another few months,” he said, squinting even though the sun was dim.
“Months?” Alma’s voice crackled over the line not just with static, but suppressed fury. “You said a couple a days, last time, weeks most. What’s goin on, Ennis?”
“Ain’t nothin for you to worry about, Alma.”
“Ennis.” He could picture her clutching the collar of her dress. “We was supposed to get married last week. You tellin me this Jack Twist’s more important than that?”
He clutched the phone so tightly that his knuckles whitened.
“Goodbye, Alma,” he said, meaning it down to the last syllable.
023. Lovers
Jack’s face was impossible to read in the graying twilight.
“You really think goin back there’s goin a make it easier for her?”
Ennis shrugged. “Don’t know what else to do.” He shoved a twig into the dirt, breaking off splinters under his thumb. “You even want me here?”
Jack turned to him, eyes lit up like stars. “You kiddin me?” He took Ennis’s hand. “Nothin I want more.”
Ennis, digging the splinters in deeper, leaned forward and gave Jack a kiss that sang from neck to belly, all those fuckin words he couldn’t say.
Mostly one word in particular.
024. Family
“Stay with you for a night?” He asked, and K.E. knew from the bag over his shoulder that if he refused Ennis, the boy’d just find some hayloft to camp out in.
“Get in,” he said, gesturing to the couch. “You goin a work things out with that Alma girl?”
“I guess.”
“Nothin to guess about. You do it or you don’t. But if you ain’t, best not be wastin your time here.”
Ennis straightened, years older in just a few vertebrae, jaw set grim.
“Be settled afore I leave.”
K.E. clapped a hand on his shoulder. “That’s my boy.”
025. Strangers
She on the other side of the door; the screen held what felt like years of separation between them.
“Reckon you just came here to tell me in person.”
He curled his twitching thumb underneath his fingers. No chewing on it, no hiding now.
“Reckon you’re right.”
“You just expected me to wait around ’till you was in the mood to get married?”
“Weren’t it.”
“Then what was, Ennis?” She settled her hands on her hips, trying to muster up feeling.
“Made a promise, Alma. Can’t break it.”
“What about your promise to me?”
That, he had no answer for.
026. Teammates
“And the stock?”
“Ain’t lost any of em, Ennis. Don’t got a worry.”
“Sorry. Habit.”
“So.” Ennis could practically hear Jack smacking his lips the way he did whenever he was nervous. “You comin back, then?”
“Said I would.”
A slow warmth grew in the silence over the line. “So you did.”
“Be back in a few days. Stop by my sister’s.”
“We’ll be here.”
“I should get back.” But he just stubbed his foot into the dirt, holding onto the phone, onto Jack.
“Be real good to have you back.” Jack whispered.
“Yeah,” Ennis managed, breathless smiling. “Real good.”
027. Parents
“Real nice ’uns you got here,” Ennis said, watching the boys tear through the driveway.
“Think we got it right by the third time around,” she said, hiking the small bundle that was her daughter higher onto her chest.
Ennis touched a gentle hand to his niece’s face, captivated for a moment by her large and perfect eyes. “Looks like mama.”
She smiled sadly. “Like to think mama can see her. See us all.”
“She’d be proud of you, sis.”
Kathy put his niece in his arms. “You, too, Ennis.” She looked at her daughter, voice faraway. “Maybe ’specially you.”
028. Children
“You didn’t never think about em?” Ennis asked, running the glove over his forehead.
“Ain’t much use for kids in rodeoin.” He stuck the fork in the hay, propping his foot up on it. “’Sides. That would mean settlin down.”
Ennis rested his elbow on the nearest stack of bales, taking a breather. “Ain’t never goin a settle?”
Jack looked out of the barn doors, his jaw tight. “Weren’t goin a make it here, that’s for sure.”
He rubbed his hand on his chin. “Didn’t think about it much, otherwise.” Glancing sidelong at Ennis, he was quiet. “Not ’till Brokeback.”
029. Birth
He found Jack in the barn, legs planted wide as he wavered on his feet, a discarded bottle leaking amber fluid into the hay.
“Bet my mama didn’t tell you, did she?” He slurred, not taking his eyes from the spot directly in front of him.
“Tell me what?” Ennis asked gently, trying to walk closer in case Jack fell.
“Right here. Right fuckin here.”
Ennis lifted up a hand under Jack’s elbow, ghost-touching his support.
“What happened here, Jack?”
“Where he was born.” He swiveled his head towards the doors, voice dripping disgust. “And died not fifty feet away.”
030. Death
Ennis felt the air still around them, sounds muffled except for their breathing.
“How’d he die, Jack?” He intoned the words like ceremony.
Jack’s hand founded Ennis’s, fingers clutching.
“Shotgun to his head. Quick and fast, they said.”
“He…” Ennis swept his parched tongue over his unwilling lips, seeing that Jack needed it, that he was bleeding up and over. “He done it to hisself?”
“Mama found him. Out there… fuckin brains blown out…”
Jack’s knees gave, and he didn’t so much fall as fall apart in Ennis’s arms.
“How could he?” he whispered over and over, a forsaken mantra.
Word count: 1,000 (10 100-word drabbles)
Rating/Warnings: R. Mention of character death (John Twist).
Characters/Pairing: Jack Twist/Ennis del Mar, Evelyn del Mar, Alma Beers, K.E. del Mar, Kathy del Mar.
Genres/Plot summary: AU/Slash/Angst/Romance. In the overall plot arc, Ennis goes back to Lightning Flat with Jack after Brokeback to help out after John Twist’s unexpected death. In this chapter, Ennis has an important discussion with Alma, and he and Jack discuss the future.
Author’s Note: This is written for my claim for at drabbles100. All chapters are indexed at The Little Damn Table. And, melissasjack, you are not allowed to nag me for at least another week! :)
Father of Mine, 03
Prompts 21-30
021. Friends
Whiskey at the fireplace was just the beginning; Jack got out some hanks of meat and they roasted them wild-style over the flames, lights flickering over their faces as the fat sizzled on the coals.
There wasn’t laughter, but they managed smiles, mountain air still fresh on their tongues and the smell of wild columbine lingering in their nostrils.
Tearing the meat, they remembered Elk, better times. Remembered what life was like before death.
“Thanks,” Ennis said. Nothing more was needed.
Dawn and a mother’s kind eye found them shivering in each other’s arms in front of the dying coals.
022. Enemies
“Might be another few months,” he said, squinting even though the sun was dim.
“Months?” Alma’s voice crackled over the line not just with static, but suppressed fury. “You said a couple a days, last time, weeks most. What’s goin on, Ennis?”
“Ain’t nothin for you to worry about, Alma.”
“Ennis.” He could picture her clutching the collar of her dress. “We was supposed to get married last week. You tellin me this Jack Twist’s more important than that?”
He clutched the phone so tightly that his knuckles whitened.
“Goodbye, Alma,” he said, meaning it down to the last syllable.
023. Lovers
Jack’s face was impossible to read in the graying twilight.
“You really think goin back there’s goin a make it easier for her?”
Ennis shrugged. “Don’t know what else to do.” He shoved a twig into the dirt, breaking off splinters under his thumb. “You even want me here?”
Jack turned to him, eyes lit up like stars. “You kiddin me?” He took Ennis’s hand. “Nothin I want more.”
Ennis, digging the splinters in deeper, leaned forward and gave Jack a kiss that sang from neck to belly, all those fuckin words he couldn’t say.
Mostly one word in particular.
024. Family
“Stay with you for a night?” He asked, and K.E. knew from the bag over his shoulder that if he refused Ennis, the boy’d just find some hayloft to camp out in.
“Get in,” he said, gesturing to the couch. “You goin a work things out with that Alma girl?”
“I guess.”
“Nothin to guess about. You do it or you don’t. But if you ain’t, best not be wastin your time here.”
Ennis straightened, years older in just a few vertebrae, jaw set grim.
“Be settled afore I leave.”
K.E. clapped a hand on his shoulder. “That’s my boy.”
025. Strangers
She on the other side of the door; the screen held what felt like years of separation between them.
“Reckon you just came here to tell me in person.”
He curled his twitching thumb underneath his fingers. No chewing on it, no hiding now.
“Reckon you’re right.”
“You just expected me to wait around ’till you was in the mood to get married?”
“Weren’t it.”
“Then what was, Ennis?” She settled her hands on her hips, trying to muster up feeling.
“Made a promise, Alma. Can’t break it.”
“What about your promise to me?”
That, he had no answer for.
026. Teammates
“And the stock?”
“Ain’t lost any of em, Ennis. Don’t got a worry.”
“Sorry. Habit.”
“So.” Ennis could practically hear Jack smacking his lips the way he did whenever he was nervous. “You comin back, then?”
“Said I would.”
A slow warmth grew in the silence over the line. “So you did.”
“Be back in a few days. Stop by my sister’s.”
“We’ll be here.”
“I should get back.” But he just stubbed his foot into the dirt, holding onto the phone, onto Jack.
“Be real good to have you back.” Jack whispered.
“Yeah,” Ennis managed, breathless smiling. “Real good.”
027. Parents
“Real nice ’uns you got here,” Ennis said, watching the boys tear through the driveway.
“Think we got it right by the third time around,” she said, hiking the small bundle that was her daughter higher onto her chest.
Ennis touched a gentle hand to his niece’s face, captivated for a moment by her large and perfect eyes. “Looks like mama.”
She smiled sadly. “Like to think mama can see her. See us all.”
“She’d be proud of you, sis.”
Kathy put his niece in his arms. “You, too, Ennis.” She looked at her daughter, voice faraway. “Maybe ’specially you.”
028. Children
“You didn’t never think about em?” Ennis asked, running the glove over his forehead.
“Ain’t much use for kids in rodeoin.” He stuck the fork in the hay, propping his foot up on it. “’Sides. That would mean settlin down.”
Ennis rested his elbow on the nearest stack of bales, taking a breather. “Ain’t never goin a settle?”
Jack looked out of the barn doors, his jaw tight. “Weren’t goin a make it here, that’s for sure.”
He rubbed his hand on his chin. “Didn’t think about it much, otherwise.” Glancing sidelong at Ennis, he was quiet. “Not ’till Brokeback.”
029. Birth
He found Jack in the barn, legs planted wide as he wavered on his feet, a discarded bottle leaking amber fluid into the hay.
“Bet my mama didn’t tell you, did she?” He slurred, not taking his eyes from the spot directly in front of him.
“Tell me what?” Ennis asked gently, trying to walk closer in case Jack fell.
“Right here. Right fuckin here.”
Ennis lifted up a hand under Jack’s elbow, ghost-touching his support.
“What happened here, Jack?”
“Where he was born.” He swiveled his head towards the doors, voice dripping disgust. “And died not fifty feet away.”
030. Death
Ennis felt the air still around them, sounds muffled except for their breathing.
“How’d he die, Jack?” He intoned the words like ceremony.
Jack’s hand founded Ennis’s, fingers clutching.
“Shotgun to his head. Quick and fast, they said.”
“He…” Ennis swept his parched tongue over his unwilling lips, seeing that Jack needed it, that he was bleeding up and over. “He done it to hisself?”
“Mama found him. Out there… fuckin brains blown out…”
Jack’s knees gave, and he didn’t so much fall as fall apart in Ennis’s arms.
“How could he?” he whispered over and over, a forsaken mantra.