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AU 1970 Lightning Flat, Wyoming

The funeral was held at the Madison Brothers Funeral Home in Lightning Flat. The Madison brothers were identical twins, Barry and Larry. Both of them were bachelors and had never been married. They lived in an apartment above the funeral home. No one was sure how old they were, the current consensus was that they were somewhere in their 70's. But, they had the only funeral home in Lightning Flat, so that was where everyone went. They had a couple people who worked for them. One was their sister's oldest son, Curt Fergusson. The other was Mable Nash, a kindly lady who was so very good at comforting people. She played the organ that sat in the front corner opposite the double doors that everyone filed in and out of.

It went about as most funerals go. Seemed like just about the entire county came by to pay their respects. That comforted Jack a bit. His momma was well loved in the community and everyone wanted him to know it.

"Such a nice lady. So sorry to see her go," a little old lady in a navy dress with a matching hat said to Jack as she gripped his hand in both of her own. She was barely as tall as Jack's shoulder.

"Thanks, ma'am. 'S'nice a ya ta say so." Jack said with a sad smile. And so it went for the rest of the afternoon. People coming in at a steady rate. All of them shaking hands with Jack and Ennis, telling them how well liked she was and how sorry everyone was that she was gone.

Jack was a bit surprised Ennis stayed by his side. He didn't think Ennis would actually leave. But, he hadn't really known what to expect, seein' how Ennis hated talkin' to people and bein' in a crowd. But, it meant the world to Jack to have him there, standin' next to him. Even if most people thought he was just a close friend of the family. Jack and Ennis knew the truth. His momma knew the truth.

Ennis, for his own part, was intensely nervous at first. He kept wondering if a look or a touch would give them away. But, he wanted to be here for Jack, for his man, his partner. It wasn't easy for Ennis to admit these things. But, losing Jack's momma had made him think about a lot of things that he had been avoiding. Like how much he loved Jack and how much he did not want to lose him. He was still scared, scared silly, truth be told. But, he was willing to work on that. For Jack's sake and his own. For the sake of "them".

So here he was, standing next to Jack, shaking the hands of the many people who came to pay their respects. And... it felt right. No one was staring or whispering, that he could see. No one seemed to be put off by the fact that he was there with Jack. Everything was going as it should. Except for one little incident. But, then, nothing can go perfectly.

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After the service, Jack excused himself to get a glass of water from the small kitchenette in the back of the funeral home. It was there for families to use since they spent so much time there during the visitation and funeral services. It wasn't anything more than a sink, a microwave on the counter, and a refrigerator. But, it was enough.

Barry Madison quietly took Ennis aside and told him it would be a good idea if he got himself some water in the kitchenette where Jack was. The look on his face told Ennis it was really more than just a suggestion. When he got there, he understood why.

Jack was sitting on the carpeted floor in front of the sink cabinet. His knees were drawn up to his chest and his forehead was resting on his bent knees. And, he was sobbing so hard he could barely catch his breath. Mable was crouched in front of him gently patting his arm and murmuring comforting words. But, she was having no effect on Jack's intense emotions. She looked up when Ennis entered and stood up to face him.

"I'm not the one he needs comforting from. Maybe, you can help, Ennis," she said quietly. She took his hand and patted it gently, smiling sadly up into his face.

"Yes, ma'am," he said. "Thank ya fer tryin'." Ennis squeezed her hand and then turned to Jack in the small space. He got down on one knee and put his hand on Jack's shoulder.

"What's goin' on, rodeo?" Ennis asked as he sat on the floor in front of him. "What s'happen'd ta get ya in this shape?"

"Uh.. Ennis? My momma jus' died!" Jack's voice was muffled against his hands.

"Dammit, Jack, tha's not how I mean' it, an' you know it," Ennis snapped. But, his annoyed expression quickly changed to one of guilt and concern. "Up til now you were han'lin' it better. Wha's changed?"

"Don' know, really. Jus' seein' the lid close on her." He gestured feebly with one hand towards the room where the service had taken place. "Knowin' I won' never see her again or hear her voice. Jus' all piled up at once and knocked me over." Jack looked up at Ennis, his face filled with extreme sadness.

"I know s'hard, darlin', but we'll get through it, t'gether." Ennis put his hands on Jack's arms and squeezed as he looked deep into those blue eyes. It was a bit awkward with both of them on the floor between the counter and the refrigerator. But, he hoped it told Jack what he meant for him to know. He reached up onto the counter of the kitchenette and grabbed a box of tissues. He pulled one out and gently wiped some of the tears from Jack's face.

Jack couldn't believe Ennis had called him darlin' in public. And, he was bein' so sweet and loving. Sure, there wasn't anyone close by at the moment, but still. He had never done that, ever, other than at home, in private. Never. And, Jack appreciated the courage it took. He knew how frightened Ennis was of others finding out about them and having a negative reaction.

"Ok, cowboy," Jack tried to smile, but sadness still filled his face. "Le's get outta this floor. We need ta get going."

Ennis stood up and offered Jack a hand to pull up with. Jack took the offered hand and stood up, pulling heavily on Ennis. Jack drew him into his arms, burying his face in Ennis' shoulder. Ennis barely hesitated before wrapping his arms around Jack and holding him tight.

"Well, well. Ain't that sweet? The two queer boys makin' out in the back room. And, yer momma ain't even in the ground yet!"

Ennis let go of Jack and took a slow, deep breath, closing his eyes and trying to calm his anger. He recognized that voice. It was Lucas Benton, son of the owner of the feed store here in town. And, one of the biggest jackass's around. Ennis had no idea how Lucas had turned out to be such a jerk. His dad, Frank, was one of the friendliest people you could ever find. Even his own father thought Lucas was an ass.

"Benton, if y're still there when I turn around, 'm gonna knock ya inta the next room," Ennis said quietly through clenched teeth.

"Yeah, whatever. I'll leave ya alone with yer girlfriend." Lucas made a hasty retreat snickering under his breath. He wasn't stupid, just an ass.

Jack started to lunge after the boy, but Ennis grabbed hold of his arms. "Not now, Jack. Ya know this ain't the time er place fer that. Not that he don't deserve it."

Jack looked at Ennis, a shocked expression on his face. It hadn't been five seconds ago that Ennis had been threatening Lucas. Usually, it was Jack holding Ennis back, not the other way around. But, his anger quickly faded as he realized Ennis was right.

"Reckon yer right, dammit. There's gonna come a reckonin' with that boy, though. Promise ya that."

"Oh, nothin' ta worry 'bout, there, rodeo. He's got it comin'. Jus' not today."

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Ennis tried to keep everything normal at home for the next month. It just felt like there as a fog over everything. He stayed in the house with Jack. He just couldn't leave him alone and so sad. And, he couldn't stand to be in that trailer alone, either.

Losing Jack's momma had made him realize a lot of things. The biggest realization came when he figured out he didn't want to lose Jack. Not that he hadn't felt that way before. But, losing someone you love tends to make you appreciate the ones that are still with you.

And, standing up with Jack during the visitation and funeral made him realize something else. Most of the people that knew them, accepted that they were together. Most of them didn't really realize how together they were. But, they had all been polite and acted as if it was a normal thing for Ennis to be there with Jack. This gave Ennis more hope than he had had in a very long time.

Of course, there would always be someone like Lucas Benton. Ennis didn't think he even really knew any details about Jack and Ennis. He was just a jerk who enjoyed taunting anyone he thought was different in any way. It bothered them because he was hitting so close to home. Ennis knew that would not be all there was to get through in the future. There would be more people who knew a lot more than Lucas Benton and those people might choose to act on their knowledge. But, they could deal with that together. That's what families did, they stuck together and got through the difficult times. And he was determined they would be a family.

Ennis hadn't talked to Jack about any of this. He wanted to let him recover a bit after the funeral. Jack had to go to their lawyer's office Thursday morning to wrap up the loose ends of his momma's estate. Ennis decided that they needed to get away. They hadn't taken any time off since Alma had divorced him. He would surprise Jack with a camping trip up on Brokeback. Hopefully, that would be just what both of them needed to get things back to normal. Well, as normal as they would ever be.

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Jack got back home from the lawyer's office about lunch time on Thursday. When he got there, he saw that Ennis' truck was parked in front of the house with a horse trailer hitched to it. In the bed of the truck was all their camping gear and supplies for several days. He walked into the house, calling for Ennis, wondering what was going on.

"Ennis, you in here?" Jack called from just inside the front door.

Ennis came out of the kitchen with a huge grin on his face. "Right here. Got ever'thin' straightened out?"

"Well, yeah, I guess. There's some stuff we need ta talk about, though."

"Good, then, we're going camping fer the weekend. There's somethin' I been wantin' ta talk ta ya about, too. Got everythin' in the truck. Jus' waitin' fer you ta get home so we can get goin'. Move along, rodeo" Ennis grabbed Jack's arm and turned him around, smackin' him on the ass to get him going towards the door. Ennis was laughing and obviously happy to be getting out as he herded Jack out the front door onto the porch.

"Whoa, cowboy!" Jack said, laughing. "What's yer hurry?"

Ennis took hold of Jack's arm and turned him around gently. He reached up and cupped Jack's jaw in his hand, rubbing his thumb along Jack's cheek.

"We both need this, darlin'. We need some time alone, jus' the two a us. We need ta get away from this house an' this ranch an' relax. There's some stuff we need ta get straight. Stuff we need ta talk about. It'll be easier if we're alone with none a the distractions a this place."

Jack put his hands on Ennis' waist. "Thanks, cowboy. I think it's a great idea. Just a bit outta the ordinary fer ya ta be so spontaneous. Caught me off guard, tha's all."

Jack leaned in and softly kissed Ennis' mouth. Ennis growled deep in his chest, slid his hand behind Jack's neck and pulled him in for a deeper kiss. They stood there for several minutes, arms around each other, mouths devouring, hands clenching fabric then releasing to slide over hard muscle.

Ennis cleared his throat and pulled back reluctantly. "We better get goin' or it'll be dark while we're settin' up camp."

"Yeah, an' if we don' stop this, we'll end up upstairs an' this trip'll be long forgotten." Jack chuckled.

"Yer prob'ly right." Ennis ran his fingers up the back of Jack's neck and into his dark hair, looking into those blue eyes and grinning. "Not that that would be horrible, or anythin'. But, I do want the two a us ta get away, so... The faster we get goin', the faster we get there an' set up camp an' the faster I get those jeans off yer scrawny ass."

Ennis' eyes were glinting in a way that let Jack know he was in for it tonight. When Ennis got playful, their sex life got interesting, or at the very least, more energetic. And, they had been a bit subdued since his momma passed away.

"Hot damn, let's git, then!" Jack pulled away from Ennis' embrace with a quick peck on his mouth and sprinted for the truck. Looking back with a grin on his face, he yelled, "What're ya waitin' fer?"

Ennis took the hint and ran after Jack. Both of them were grinning like idiots when they got to the truck, jumped in and slammed the doors.

TBC

A/N: Ok, please let me know what you think of this chapter, and the entire story as well. I really want to know. Thanks for reading.