This is one of those stories where one small detail changes and this changes everything else, something as small as Jack catching his hand on a fish hook during a trip with Ennis, to the mountains.

Jack Twist stood on the edge of a lake looking out towards the mountains, and thought how much he liked being in Wyoming. This was the last day he'd spend here. Tomorrow he would be back in Lightening flat, if things didn't change and Jack was always hoping they would. It wasn't that Jack was not looking forward to going home. He missed his mamma knew that she loved him and cared about him no matter what he was or what he had done. He liked giving his dad a hand round the ranch, although nothing he did ever seemed to please the old man. He'd like to bring his son up here one day, if he could ever get him away from the clutches of grandparents. But his enjoyment of his surroundings was overshadowed with sadness. He turned and looked toward the man sitting on a fishing box that he'd never used, shaving, unsure of the next time was he would see him again.

"So when do you think you can get away next time, Bud?"

"I just started this new job. I don't want Alma getting suspicious. And I got to put food on the table. Probably not till September," The man said shaking his head regretfully and looking down added, "You know I wish it could be sooner, but that's the way things are."

Damn you Ennis De Mar. Not for another six months. Jack turned away hiding his disappointment. He tried to tell himself he should learn to accept the way things were and be grateful for what he had. He picked up stone and hurled in across the lake, disturbing the mirror stillness. The stone ricocheted off the water five, six, seven times. Not bad. Hadn't tried this since he was a boy. He looked back to see if Ennis had noticed. He had stood up and was wiping his face on a towel and said to Jack, , "You ready to ride out or do you want a stay here playing kid games?"

Ennis went to untether the horses. Jack picked up the fishing box that Ennis had been sitting on. As he slung it in the cab of his truck, the catch on the lid pulled apart and contents spilt of to the floor of the truck. Jack saw a piece of paper tied to a line. As he reached to pick it up his hand got caught on a hook. Deep, scarlet blood dripped down his hand.

"Fuck."

"What's up?"

"You left your goddamn tackle box open. I got a hook in my hand."

"I don't know how that happened. I ain't never opened that tackle box. You don't leave me no time for fishing."

Jack ripped the paper on the line and saw that a note was written on it in small neatly formed writing, "Hello, Ennis, bring some fish home. Love, Alma." His blood stained the paper.

Jack heard Ennis call out, "Is it bad? You want me to tie something round it for you?"

Jack sat staring at the note until he heard Ennis call out again, "What's the matter?"

"No, nothing." His mood darkened further. Even out here she couldn't leave them alone. She had him all the time. Jack only got to spend a few weeks of the year with him.

He heard Ennis approach and quickly took the note off the line and shoved it in his pocket. "Here, let me have a look," Ennis said. "Don't know how that case got undone. I swear, I never used it." He tended to his hand gently, stemming the flow the dripping blood with a clean t-shirt.

They rode side by side up the mountain with a somber, unspoken closeness. The sunlight flickered on the mountain stream, tall pines guarded their ascent. The horse's hooves crushed the mountain tussock and white flowers. They reached a clearing and dismounted. Jack stood by a rock pissing while Ennis lit up a cigarette squinting against the hot noonday sun.

Jack was aware that Ennis was watching him, and from the corner of his eye he could see his hand had moved to the front of his jeans. He covered the distance between them, sliding his hands under Jack's jeans and pulling them down, kissing the back of his neck, rubbing his hands over his back and around his chest. Jack leaned forward slightly, submitting himself to his lover. "What you waiting for?" he whispered.

"Why the goddamn hurry?" Ennis said softly. He knelt down and kissed Jack's back, following the line of his spine.

Jack turned round and facing Ennis and wound his fingers through his light brown curls. He leaned back and began stroking himself, dragging the tip across Ennis's slightly parted lips. Ennis caressed the delicate skin with his tongue . Gripping Ennis's hair he pushed his mouth onto him and Ennis began sliding his mouth up and down. He saw Ennis had unzipped his jeans and massaging himself, was already dark and engorged with need. Ennis reached a hand round Jack's calf and pulled him down on the ground. Jack slithered away from him laughing. He was in no hurry either. Their earlier encounters had been urgent, and he wanted to make this one last. Ennis lunged at him, and the two rolled over and over in the thick lush mountain grass, pulling off clothing as they tussled until they were facing each other and both hard, they rubbed against each other. Jack stopped resisting and hugged Ennis close. Ennis smoothed back Jack's hair and wrapped his hand round his jaw, covering his mouth with hard, probing kisses. They rolled over again, and Ennis lay on his back with Jack kneeling over him. He kissed the hollow under Ennis's shoulder, his mouth trailed gently down his chest and belly until his reached his crotch area he ran his tongue up and down the length. Ennis slid his hand over Jack's back and between his cheeks, finding the opening. Jack sighed with pleasure, he placed his leg over Ennis's hips. straddling him.

Ennis's his face was tense with desire. Tomorrow, Jack would be watching him drive back to his life in Riverton, but at that moment he knew he belonged only to him. Jack eased himself onto Ennis, slowly moving up and down, adjusting to the fullness inside him. They began to move their hips together faster, Jack's member was bouncing in front of him, the course hair on Ennis's belly tickling the sensitive skin. Ennis pulled him forward and kissed him hungrily. Ennis turned Jack into a kneeling position and pushing his shoulder against ground, penetrated him again, this time driving deeper, pushing all of his length in him. With each quick hard thrust, Jack gasped until Ennis let out a long, low moan, Jack could felt him contract and knew that he had climaxed. They collapsed on the ground and, Ennis still dripping and hard, pushed himself back in Jack and thrust gently, pinching his nipple as he watched Jack stroke himself to completion. Ennis licked a little of the splatter off Jack's chest and kissed his ear lobe. They lay in the slippery heat facing one another, still breathing hard. Jack smiled and stroked Ennis's face. Ennis grinned back clasping his wrist. Not wanting to go back to the camp, Jack jumped up and ran towards the stream. Ennis followed him, hooping around, pushing each other over in the flowing water. The cold water coursed around them. They laughed, trying not to lose their step against the tide.

Ennis stopped and stood stony still, "Shut up Did you hear that?" He ran to where the horses were tethered, got his rifle and snapped it up to his eye listening hard.

Jack followed him out of the stream. Clouds veiled the sun and still naked, they both shivered in the darkened, chilly air.

"It sounded like footsteps to me. Sure I heard someone running off. Maybe someone was watching us. The things you make me do," Ennis said.

The things you want to do, Jack thought ,not knowing whether to laugh or get mad but settling for neither. Ennis brought his rifle down slowly. He threw his arm round Jack and pulled him tight against him, continuing to look round warily. Seeing how spooked Ennis was, Jack said, "Its alright. It ain't nothing. Probably an elk, may be a bear."

The got dressed without speaking and rode back silence down the opposite side of the mountain they had come.

Half way down they heard the sound of a thumping drum beat and wailing guitars. They saw a van across the other side of the stream, vibrantly colored flowers were painted on the side. Two girls with long flowing hair, were gyrating to the music. A man with his hair in a pony tail sat on the ground smoking and watching the girls.

"What the hell is that?" Ennis said.

"Look like hippies. Seen some in Denver. Ain't seen none out here before."

One of the young women yelled out across the water, "Hey man, you don't have a repair kit? Guy that sold me the van didn't tell me it had a bum tire"

"What the fucks the matter with them? Coming all the way out here without a fucking repair kit," Ennis said under his breath

Jack called out, "I'll come back with one. I'll be about an hour."

As they rode by Ennis said, "You sure you'll be alright going back there by yourself."

"They're different but they seem harmless."

"You don't think it was them that seen us?"

"No. Forget about that. Like I said it was just some animal."

Even if they had seen, Jack was not going to tell him that. Someone finding out was Ennis's biggest fear. For all Jack knew they may have done, but he knew they weren't going to do anything about it. Hippies were meant to believe in peace. He'd seen them on the Viet Nam protests on television. And if they had, they weren't the only one's who'd seen. Jack had gone back the to try to get work on Brokeback Mountain for a third summer, and Aguirre that old son of a bitch, must have spied through those binoculars hanging on his wall. He had a look of disgust when he told him that he'd seen them stemming the rose while they were meant to be watching the sheep; wouldn't give him another job. Jack had experienced the same disgust and snide remarks when he had tried to pick up a guy he rodeo'd with. He knew other people didn't accept what he was, but people had found out and he had survived them finding out. Nothing as bad happened to him as what Ennis imagined might happen.

And as for Alma? Jack pretty sure she knew more than Ennis thought she did. He remembered the look on her face when Ennis had introduced her. He was still trembling from the embrace Ennis had given him after they saw one another for the first time in four years. He was sure she had seen something, her face was ashen, and her eyes were big as always thought that if it weren't for Alma that he and Ennis could have some chance of a life together, but she had always stood in the way. The last thing Ennis said when they parted after Brokeback was that he was going back to marry her, and now she was still holding on to him.

Ennis had said once, "It ain't Alma's fault", and Jack had to admit to himself that maybe it wasn't. That maybe what was holding him back from being with Ennis was far bigger and less tangible than Alma, maybe even bigger than Ennis himself. Jack sat in the cab of the truck, pulled the note out of his pocket and looked at it again. She seemed alright, probably wondering what the fuck was going on but seemed polite enough. All three of them were suffering, trapped by Ennis's refusal to see the truth. Ennis couldn't give her a proper marriage but wouldn't begin a life with him neither. Jack began scrawling a note of his own.

I read somewhere there was a hippy scene in the movie that was cut. I don't what happened in it, but I decided to include my own hippy scene. I find the combination of J & E and and hippies weird but irresistible