The day melted laboriously into late afternoon as the sun crawled along its eternal arc. The heat was broken apart by the occasional cooling breeze that blew across the dusty land but the final hours of the day were as hot as ever, even in the shadow of the old farm house that stood solitary in the dry southern land. Ennis del Mar sat alone, his legs beginning to ache and the knot that had formed in his back protested to every sigh that his subconscious drew from him. Time had passed but Ennis had been all but oblivious to its presence, his mind was his sanctuary and his prison as he waited for Jack Twist to return.

A thought had danced across his mind that perhaps leaving Jack alone to remember wasn't the greatest way to handle the situation, however, he was unable to think of a better idea alone. Still lost in some place between wanting to give Jack the privacy he deserved and wanting to be there for the man he had lost once before, Ennis began to rise from the upturned box upon which he sat. His groan sounded strange to his ears as it broke the birdsong that had been tunefully calling for a while now. It couldn't have been that long since he had let Jack into the house, Ennis thought, but it felt like a lifetime waiting for him to return. Now on his feet once again, Ennis walked with attentive steps toward the door. His hand rested on the wood, oddly cold to the touch. Taking a deep breath, Ennis carefully turned the handle and step across the threshold.

Inside was even cooler than the shade had been and for that, Ennis was thankful. What he didn't give thanks for, however, was what he found in shade of the kitchen.

At the table, Jack sat, an arm resting on the old wood and the other on his lap, his head was bowed. The remnants of where tears had fallen could be seen on his cheeks below red eyes. The part that struck Ennis like ice to the core was the stillness of it: it seemed the world itself had paused in mourning for all that Jack had lost. There was no sobbing on Jack's part, no heavy breathing and no angry shaking. He just sat there, as though defeated by the weight of it all. Ennis cleared his throat, the need for hydration of little import in comparison to the need to get to Jack.

"...Jack?" His voice was audible but rough. The struggle to speak was greater than ever before. "Ja-"

"I remember..." It was barely a murmur but it was enough to catch Ennis's attention.

"Huh?" He moved closer, his head bowing a little more despite the protest of his joints.

"I remember...everything." He looked up, eyes watering and lip quivering. "Ennis-"

"It's okay." Without thinking, Ennis stepped forward, his knees cracking and he squatted on the floor. He placed his hand on Jack's forearm, holding with a grip he hoped was reassuring. Words failed him, so he let the silence take hold as he looked into Jack's eyes and searched for the man he knew.

"What do you remember?" The question came moments later and was met with a furrowed brow.

Jack pulled back his arm a little, shifting slightly where he sat. "I remember-" He sighed, his hand moving to rub his closed eyes before he continued. "I remember my son. My wife. My family." His eyes had been darting around the room but they came to rest on Ennis's. "I remember you."

Ennis took a moment's pause before stepping back to pull up another chair. The scraping of the wood against the floor gave some sound to fill the void the absence of voices left. The man lowered himself slowly onto the seat, a sigh escaping him as he settled himself for the inevitable pain that was sure to follow.

"So what now?" Ennis tried his best to regulate his breathing but he could feel the erratic beating of his heart in the back of his throat.

Jack frowned as his eyes danced upon the table's surface. "I loved my wife, and my son. But you-" He looked up through lashes as he continued to speak. "What happened to my parents?"

Ennis sat back slightly, swallowing to clear his throat. "Your old man got sick not long after you-" There was a pause but Ennis was quick to continue. "He didn't suffer for long… I looked after your ma' for a while. I even moved in, sleeping in the spare room. But she got sick too. Real sick." He swallowed. "It wasn't painful for her towards the end..." Ennis let his voice trail into the stillness of silence that followed.

Jack's eyes seemed to look everywhere but Ennis's face which was turned away as though in shame. He didn't want this for Jack: those tears in his eyes and the pain in his heart. A lump formed in Ennis's throat at the thought of Jack's pain. The poor man had found all that he had lost just to have it all turn to ash before his eyes. He had nothing. He had no one. Except for Ennis.

"She left me this place. She said something about wanting to keep the house in the family." The corner of Ennis's mouth twitched in what could have been a smile as he thought about the conversation he had had with Jack's mother. He had tried to convince her otherwise but she had been adamant about it. The house had been in the Twist family for generations and despite Jack's father's reservations about their relationship, Jack's mother thought of Ennis as family. Ennis had known that she wasn't telling him the truth. At least not the whole truth. Ennis knew that he was the only person she could leave the house to who appreciated the family who had lived there before. "I couldn't live here," he glanced around the room, thankful for somewhere to look that wasn't Jack's desperate eyes. "It was too painful for me…"

"That place," Jack's voice was without expression but his face displayed all the emotion that he felt within. "You lived there instead?"

"Yeah." Ennis flashed a slight smile, trying to lighten the atmosphere little by little, before continuing. "This guy who owns it got a job up north, asked if I'd look after the place for a while until he comes back. All the money I get goes on buying food, paying the bills and keeping this place."

That's when the silence fell once more. There was a more comfortable air to it this time though.

"Where were they-"

"Out back." Ennis had been waiting for Jack to ask about his parents' final resting place but he didn't want to force more on jack than he was ready for. "You wanna go see them?"

Jack nodded, eyes low, and Ennis stood. Only Jack's head moved as if to follow as Ennis walked by him to the cupboard. Taking one of the few glasses that had been left here, Ennis filled it with water. He took a gulp before returning to Jack. He placed a hand on his shoulder and handed him the glass.

"Drink this." It was more a request than a demand but Jack obeyed wordlessly regardless. Ennis squeezed Jack's shoulder in comfort before leaving the house. Jack followed only moments later.

The world was just a blur at the back of Ennis's mind as he walked across the dusty land and onto the pale grass that blanketed the earth beneath which the twist family were laid to rest. Ennis knew where to walk, he had visited the stones that marked the graves of the two who had shown a tired man a great kindness many times before. It was just muscle memory by now.

He slowed his pace as he drew closer the cold grey stones, engraved simply with names and dates. When his pace has slowed to a stop, Ennis turned to see Jack, eyes on the ground as he wrung his hands. His steps were unsure and slightly off balance. He stopped a pace away from where Ennis stood, his body physically shaking as he forced his eyes to move from the patch of earth where grass had barely grown. Ennis kept his head bowed but his eyes on Jack, watching every move, his heart thundering in his chest as he resisted the urge to pull the man close. He needed this, he needed the closure. He needed to remember.

There was a silence that seemed to have followed them. Even the birds with their songs were absent. They were alone here; completely alone. There was little comfort to be found in their solitude however. There was nowhere for Jack to turn but to Ennis and Ennis didn't know how strong he could be. But he had to try, he had to give everything he could to this moment, to this man. What else did he have?

Jack's eyes scanned the names as though is disbelief or lack of recognition. An eternal moment passed before the building tension was let loose and tears began to fall from his eyes. The slow stream ran down his cheeks and fell from his chin. Ennis moved forward wordlessly and placed a light hand upon Jack's shoulder in comfort. As if in reaction to the touch, Jack let loose a sob, a mix of tears and spittle flew forward with the force of it. Jack lurched forward with another sob. His balance was weaker than it had been a few moments ago and he looked as though he were about to fall any moment, as though the weight of this life, these memories, were too much for him to bear.

But he didn't have to bear it alone; Ennis moved into the path of Jack's fall and caught him, bracing the weight with his arms around him. Jack found balance against Ennis's chest, his hands were balled into white-knuckled fists as he clung to Ennis's shirt. The shaking sobs were too much for Ennis to handle with a brave façade any longer. His tears fell fast and silent as he held with all his strength.

"Ennis-" Jack gasped, the pain audible above all else.

"I know…" There was a hint of pain in Ennis's words too, though he didn't intend there to be. He would give anything to make this okay. To give him the peace he deserves, to give him a world beyond pain and suffering. But that wasn't possible. The world was a cruel place and within it was suffering for all. Enduring was the only thing they could do.

The sobs died down before long and the two remained in the silent embrace for a short while. Jack began to shake more as the air grew colder but Ennis hadn't wanted to break the contemplative silence. It was Jack who spoke first. "I want a moment alone with them…"

"Are you sure." Ennis's hands were running over Jack's arms in an effort to keep him warm. Jack had been resting his head against Ennis's chest and Ennis lent on him gently.

"Yeah…I just need some time to think."

"Sure." Ennis lent back, his grip on the Jack only slightly looser. He search the blue eyes for something, he didn't know what. Jack only nodded. Ennis stepped past him and moved with quick steps to where the truck had been parked. He reached in to behind the driver's seat where his spare coat had been stashed. As he walked back around the house to return to Jack, Ennis shook the coat lightly to free it of the dust and dirt that it had collected while tucked away.

Ennis slowed his steps as he walked up behind Jack. He lightly placed the coat over Jack's shoulders and left his hands there for a moment. "I'll be in the house if you need me."

"Thanks." The word was barely audible but it was enough. Ennis stepped back as Jack pulled the coat tighter around himself.

The day was ending and the sky's pale blue began to fade to darker shades as the night drew closer, bringing with it colder air. Ennis thought to himself that they would need to return home soon, where there was food and warmth.

Home. The thought of it almost made him smile. He didn't, of course, even inside the house his thoughts were sombre. Ennis rubbed his hands over his face in exasperation as he thought on the philosophy that got him through all that time without Jack: Planning for the future is a luxury for those who have something to live for. Taking it a day at a time is how he would survive.

But perhaps he, too, could afford to have such luxury. After all, he had found his reason to be happy again.


Author's note:

Hey guys, I finally made it! Chapter 8!

Not long until the end of our journey and boy has it been fun writing this. But however much I love to write, real life always finds a way to soak up all of my time. I don't want to make any promises about writing more and uploading regularly but I will promise that this fic will, one day, be complete!

I would like to thank you, sincerely, for your patience during my extensive and multiple hiatuses and I hope that you enjoy reading this work as much as I enjoy writing it.

And for those of you just tuning in: welcome! I hope that you've liked the story so far!

Don't forget to review, share and more importantly: enjoy!

See you in chapter 9,

Mason