Author's Note: Thank you so very much for my friend Kathy (kittie8571) who is the Beta of this story!
Thank you everybody for the reviews! Especially to joetheone, ramona4jake, bbmjack324, ihatemonday, torry28, fl1789, sweetje, bbmlover, coffee83, gres1, ifyoucantfixit2, jenwcugirl, Sytle and haljbg.
Chapter Twelve: Boys will be boys
"Remind me again exactly why we are sneaking inside of your own house at one in the morning?" Ennis whispered, irritated to his boyfriend.
The air around them was cold. In the hurry to leave after dinner, he had completely forgotten how cold it was at this hour of the night and had left wearing nothing but a t-shirt and a pair of jeans. He wished he could rub his arms to get some warmth, but he was carrying two pairs of bags. At least Jack didn't make him carry all of the stuff they'd brought for Robert's surprise party. But that probably would have taken all night, anyway.
"We've decided to sleep here tonight, but it's fairly late and we're not expected. So let's make this as silent as possible." Jack whispered back.
"And why are you taking so long to open the damn door?" Ennis whispered frustrated.
"I'm trying to remember how to make the stupid keys work!" Jack said facing the door.
They had decided to enter from the back door, in hopes of not waking anyone. The plan was to leave a note for Edward and Matilda informing them about their visit and telling them about the numerous things Jack had left in the trunk of the car. Matilda was only expecting them for lunch, but Jack had a last minute freak out about what little time he still had and they both decided it was best to sleep at the mansion and then start to work on the party first thing the next day.
"Are you sure they didn't change the locks?"
"Sure I'm sure. I know the current code for the alarm and all, I just can't remember the trick to make the key work." Jack said frustrated.
"We're going to die of hyperthermia before you figure it out."
"Just be quiet. The maids' rooms are on the first floor. If they hear us, they'll probably call the police."
"Great. Just great! To think that all I wanted was to go to bed and sleep… But no! Let's pretend we're teenagers again." Ennis said more annoyed than he had intended to sound.
"You always get sleepy after dinner and sex…" Jack murmured under his breath.
"Well, at least I don't…" He was interrupted by the triumphant sound of the door opening.
Jack quickly moved inside to work on the alarm and Ennis pushed their bags inside the kitchen. He ran to get Neve, who was still in the car and then let the cat walk around the kitchen. The pillow and the cat food were placed near the door, because Ennis couldn't see much of the rest of the kitchen. It was completely dark and Ennis had no idea where the light switch was, but Jack didn't seem to need light. He was walking around quickly, obviously at home.
"Look, I found Matilda's list of cakes for tomorrow." Jack said, finally turning the lights on.
Ennis was suddenly blind, but smiled at Jack anyway. He was too tired to be excited about cakes or fight with Jack about the precious sleep time they were wasting because of it.
"We better take one of the spare bedrooms. The bed in my bedroom isn't big enough for the both of us." Jack moved quickly, searching for something in the drawers around the kitchen. "I'll write a note to Matilda…"
Ennis leaned against the wall and was glad that at least the air was much warmer in the kitchen. Two minutes later, he grabbed an apple from the enormous grey fridge and waited for Jack to finish his note. His eyes could barely stay open. Neve on the other side of the kitchen was already sleeping on his pillow, not really impressed with the change of scene.
"Come on, sleepy head. There's a perfectly good bed waiting for you upstairs. Just be careful not to wake anyone and follow my lead."
Ennis was more than happy to follow him around the mansion. He picked up the bags carefully and started to climb the stairs, all the while fighting the urge to yawn loudly. Jack stopped suddenly and Ennis almost hit the floor along with the bags. He grabbed the closest thing he could found and regained his balance, but the result was the crashing sound of porcelain and glass. He had definitely broken something.
"I should have suspected that two perfectly normal thieves wouldn't just walk around the house making all this noise." Ennis finally noticed that Jack was facing a sleepy Edward, who was staring at the damage Ennis had just done.
"Sorry, Edward. We were trying not to wake anyone…" Jack said looking worriedly at the lamp Ennis had just broke into pieces.
"Mr. Del Mar, good night, sir." Edward said finally looking at him. "I see you've acquainted yourself with some of our furniture."
"That's one way to put it." Ennis said sighing.
"We're redecorating soon, anyway." Jack said dismissively. "I'm really sorry, Edward. I left a note in the kitchen with instructions for tomorrow morning. We're really tired…"
"I see, Master Jack. Do you need help with the bags?" He asked looking at Ennis.
"I thing we can manage to the room now. Thanks, Edward." Jack said with a apologetic smile.
"It's always a pleasure to have you home, Master Jack. Now if you could please excuse me? I have a group of young women worrying about the possibility of thieves and ghosts."
"Ghosts?" Ennis asked, curious.
"Trust me, Mr. Del Mar, you don't want to know." Edward said moving away from them.
"I guess he wasn't too happy to see me." Ennis said still looking at the pieces of broken glass on the floor.
"Don't be like that because of a stupid lamp. Edward was annoyed at me for not warning him that we were coming." Jack rubbed his arm. "Come on, let's go to bed."
Ennis only nodded, feeling a bit better about the broken lamp. They entered the room in silence and Ennis stripped his clothes while Jack moved to the bathroom. When Jack got into bed, Ennis was almost asleep.
"You didn't even brush your teeth. Don't you want to pee?" Jack asked spooning against him.
All Ennis did was murmur something unrecognizable in return and Jack smiled, kissing his boyfriend's neck. Sleep came to him a few minutes later.
Recollection is a tricky thing. If you don't keep using the information you have in your mind, there's a high possibility that you will eventually forget it. Memories are just the same. You would swear you could remember your sixth birthday when your dad gave you a bicycle… Perhaps you should think again. When we forget what others remember, there's the immediate propensity to fill the gaps of the mind with imagination and details of what we heard about. Memory is indeed a very tricky thing…
And perhaps Jack's memory was playing with him, but he didn't seem to mind. He stayed looking at his mum's photo -- the only one in the whole house -- resting perfectly on top of Enrique's old writing cabinet, illuminated by the soft morning light. A piece of paper, protected by a thin layer of glass and polished pieces of wood. Nothing more, nothing less. But Jack would swear it was one of the most precious things this house had ever possessed.
His mum… The soft, delicate pale features, the light brown hair, the perfectly pointed nose… All mere details in comparison with the stunning blue eyes she had possessed. They were not like his, or like his father's. Catherine Twist's eyes were blue in the periphery and slightly green near the pupil. One would only notice if he looked her right in the eyes for a while. Jack could only imagine how much more beautiful they would look like in the sun light. How it would have been to look at them live and in person.
He would swear he could recall the sound of her voice and the smell of her hands. If someone would ask him, he would say that in some subconscious part of his brain, there was a memory of the woman who had brought him life. But no one had ever asked.
They say that to remember is to live again. But can you remember what you had never lived? Should you trust in your own memory for such things? Wasn't it all but pure illusions of someone who never really knew his mother?
If Jack had ever asked those questions of himself, he surely wasn't asking them now. Seated in his father wooden chair, he let his finger caress the polished wood around the photograph and sighed sadly. He missed her. His memory of her, what she represented to him, the life he never had… He missed Catherine Twist.
"I finally found you, my dear." The warm voice of Matilda seemed to fill his heart with the "mother" love needed.
"Hi, Matilda." He said fondly.
"I heard you last night." She said kissing his forehead. "Quite noisy you two."
"Ennis was exhausted, so I had to carry his body all the way around the house." Jack said putting her hand on his, the obvious contrast always made him smile. "He's obviously still sleeping."
"Poor man. Obviously it can only be your fault." She said with a smile and her hand came to touch his hair.
"He has been working a lot. Entirely not my fault. But I'm still more worried about his apartment."
"Still? Didn't you fight because of it?" She said looking at Catherine's photograph, but not saying another word.
"Yeah, but he hasn't found a better place yet."
"It will probably take him some time. It's complicated in this city." She said smiling again. "Is everything else alright between you two?"
"Yes. I…" He struggled with the words. "I know he's the one."
"I'm sure he is. Who else have you brought to this house before? Who else would make you spend so much time away from home?" She caressed his hair again.
"I just don't want to mess things up." Jack sighed and his eyes moved to his mother's face again. "I still don't feel like my old self and sometimes I still don't control my fears."
"You don't want to lose him." Matilda stated. "I'm sure he knows and understands. Ennis is a patient man with a good heart. He'll help you heal."
"I know." He whispered.
"Are you still worried about your father's will?" Matilda said squeezing his hand.
"I don't know…" Jack said honestly, shaking his head. "Do you think he would hide such a big secret from me?"
"No. He loved you unconditionally. You were his life. And yes, he was a little distant sometimes and other times he wanted you to be just like him a little too much. But he did love you."
"I want to believe in that too… but…" His eyes were blinking with the upcoming tears.
"But you're a lawyer." She said with a small smile. "For the best and the worst, your father taught you that."
"I guess…" Jack tried to smile back. "I wish he had left me his talent for riddles too."
"Yes, how's that going?"
"It's going no where. There's something wrong with it. Uncle Daniel and I both agree that it is too simple. It's not really like a riddle, it's more like instructions."
"Instructions?" She asked puzzled.
"Yeah, I keep thinking perhaps I'll find more clues once I open whatever it is that I have to open with the keys."
"I did as you told me and had the maids search all the rooms looking for cabinets and doors that did not have a key, but the house is big and some furniture is quite old. Your parents loved antiques. They bought a majority of the furniture from antique shops."
"So a missing key means absolutely nothing at all?" He said defeated.
"There are cabinets and drawers no one had ever opened." She said honestly. "I'm sorry."
"It's ok. We'll find a way, I'm sure I'll remember something." She kissed his forehead again.
"Come on, I've made you cookies." She said pushing him out of the room.
"I'm thirty! I don't see the appeal in cookies anymore." Jack said but he quickened his pace to the kitchen.
"I'm sure you don't, my dear." Matilda said smiling, trying to force her bad leg to follow him.
Ennis woke up feeling a bit lost. He had a huge head ache from sleeping more than eight hours and almost hit the floor when he moved. He had fallen asleep on the wrong side of the bed. He looked at the ceiling, surprised at not finding the white modern set of lamps he woke up to every day. Instead there was a brown and gold abat-jour on a soft pastel ceiling. He wasn't in his bedroom and Jack was no where to be found either.
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath while his body and mind tried to acclimate themselves to their surroundings. Another two minutes and he was back to his old self. Ennis sat on the bed and checked his work cell phone for any unexpected news. It was 10 am and there were no changes, so he decided to move downstairs for breakfast. He was opening the door when he realized there was no way he was going to have breakfast in boxers, as was his usual at his apartment. He cursed loudly, but moved to the indoor bathroom with the intention of taking a long morning shower and changing into more appropriate attire.
His personal phone rang and he sighed in frustration; with his luck something had happened and he would then be unavailable to enjoy the nice weekend at the Twist Mansion. He looked at the display. It was Elizabeth, which left him a little less worried.
"Elizabeth?"
"Hi, kid." She sounded relaxed.
"Hi. What's up?"
"Were you sleeping? Sorry, I figured you were up by now."
"I've just woken up. No worries…"
"Sorry. I needed to talk to you, because Jack's phone is dead for some reason."
"He's probably using it for some last minute detail for the party." Ennis said sitting on the edge of the bed.
"So he's not with you right now?"
"Sorry, no. He left me for Robert's party. He's still convinced it's going to be a surprise party."
"Don't worry, if I know Robert he's going to pretend he didn't know for Jack's sake."
"I'll be eternally grateful to Robert, then."
"Anyway, I call because we're probably going to be late for the party. Monique ate something wrong for dinner last night and we need to take her to the hospital. I don't think it's something serious, but we'll probably take some time there. I want to make sure she'll stay fine after we left."
"Ok, I'll tell Jack. But make sure you appear for at least a few minutes. Jack would be highly disappointed otherwise." Ennis said worried.
"Don't worry, if things get worse, I'll send Mary. You know she hates hospitals even more than she hates Jack's parties."
"You're leaving me alone with Robert, Mary and Jack?" Ennis asked with humor.
"Actually, I need a favor. Can you swing by my house and bring Sophie with you? I'm going to leave her with her usual babysitter. I don't want her in the hospital."
"Ok. I'll bring her here."
"Thanks kid." Elizabeth said fondly.
"Anything for my Godmother." Ennis said and ended the call.
He threw the cell phone to the bed and moved to the bathroom. It was mostly black and gold, which seemed to distract Ennis for another minute or so. They had never slept in this bedroom before. He had been so tired last night that he didn't even look at the bathroom or even the decoration of the main room. He rubbed his eyes again and let the hot water star to run. It was an old habit he had picked from the time he lived on the ranch -- let the water run until it turned hot enough for his taste.
He was about to take off his clothes, when his eyes saw a piece of paper lying next to the mirror. It had Jack's handwriting on it.
Honey,
I wake up early after all! I let you sleep a bit more, you've been working to hard. Search for me in the garden, after breakfast.
Love you,
Jack
Ennis smiled at the small note. He folded it carefully and moved to place it inside of his bag, right between the two t-shirts he had brought and would likely not use.
Jack was unsure about the choice of chairs and flowers. He didn't have that much time to plan this and he was having second thoughts about everything. He looked at the red tulips in his hand and shook his head. This was not the time to freak out about the decorations. Robert surely wasn't going to notice anyway! This surely wouldn't have happened if he had finally decided on a new personal assistant.
Maybe he should have took more time in the interviews with the candidates for personal assistants last week, perhaps that way he would have made a decision already. The choice of secretary had been easy. He'd looked at the curriculums and noticed that one in particular was quite interesting. A woman in her forties, who had an extensive experience with working with lawyers. He scheduled an interview and after ten minutes of conversation, he had been sure that she was right for the position. She was going to start on Monday.
Unfortunately, choosing a personal assistant hadn't been so easy. Jack had been really unsure about whom to chose, even after the interviews with his two last choices. They were both really experienced, with similar backgrounds, the main difference being that one was a man of Jack's age with a nice sense of humor and the other was a woman in her twenties, young but extremely professional. Ennis had read their resumes and listened to Jack's opinion and didn't know who to choose either. He needed to make that decision as soon as possible, but he wanted to be sure he had given the job to the best applicant.
Jack looked at the red tulips again. This had been definitely a bad choice… what was he thinking?
"Hi." Ennis's voice sounded from behind him.
"Hi, honey." Jack said turning around to kiss him.
"You look sad." Ennis said worried.
"I think I chose the wrong type of flowers." Jack said, showing them to Ennis.
"They're beautiful, don't worry." Ennis offered him a smile. "Do you know why your staff keeps staring at me every time they think I'm not looking?"
"They've just read about our incredible love story in the magazines." Jack looked at a couple of maids on the other side of the garden and they both quickly returned to their tasks.
"I've been here before, why are they staring now?"
"Don't know. Maybe it's because of all the noise we' made last night, or maybe they've just realized how good looking you are." Jack said flirting.
"Hmm." Ennis murmured not really convinced. "I almost forgot! I have news for you. Elizabeth called me, and she's probably going to be late. Monique is sick because of something she ate and they must keep an eye on her. And I have to leave soon to pick up Sophie. She's staying with us until they arrive."
"Great. This is definitely going to be a disaster." Jack said still looking at the red tulips. "At least we're going to have my goddaughter to keep us company."
"Don't be like that. It's going to be great and Robert won't even notice what kind of flowers you picked for the tables."
"I even invited Cecilia to meet him tonight." Jack said sadly. "What she's going to say when she looks at the flowers?"
"Cecilia? You got him a blind date for his birthday?" Ennis asked amused.
"He needs all the help he can get, believe me." Jack said without malice.
"Who is she?" Ennis asked curious.
"She works as correspondent at Vogue magazine. I thought she would be perfect for him. We met at a party a couple of years ago. She's friends with Elizabeth too. Sometimes she comes with us shopping."
"Don't worry. Everything will be alright." Ennis said with a smile. "But do explain to me, how a woman who works in fashion is going to connect with Robert. He's quite sloppy."
"You don't know Cecilia. She likes relaxed guys! She keeps saying fashion is for women and gay men only! She's really crazy!" Jack said with a laugh.
"You're going to set her up with your best friend? I'm not so sure about your good intentions anymore." Ennis said shaking his head.
"You'll see, Ennis Del Mar." Jack said kissing him on the lips, before screaming to his staff that the flowers needed to go.
Everybody seemed to be having a great time. Even after dinner, the night was still warm and with the exception of the usual summer bugs, everything was under control. And even for that Jack lit up some weird yellow perfumed candles to solve the problem. Ennis had yet to know how the candles worked, but the small flies and other insects decreased in number. So, by the end of the night, Ennis found himself engaged in conversation with the Thomas's couple while Jack leaned happily against him drinking Port.
"You definitely look different since last time we talked." Dean Thomas said to Ennis, observing him closely.
"I cut my hair short." Ennis said with a smile, although he knew Dean was talking about his attitude.
He liked the Thomas's. They were Jack's friends and the only male gay couple with whom Ennis spoke openly. But they tended to be invasive in their comments and Dean was always suspicious about Ennis's intentions about Jack. Perhaps suspicious wasn't the right word, but he certainly hadn't yet gained the approval of Dean Thomas. William was another story. He was far more kind but, Ennis must admit, he was far less attractive. Dean made the decisions and William followed. It seemed to work for them, but Ennis was sure it wouldn't have worked for him. William was too kind for his own good and Dean was too bossy, and together they made one good team of inquisitors.
"No. I wasn't talking about that, Ennis. You look way more relaxed now. Finally completely out of the closet, I guess?" Dean asked with a small smile.
"Don't be so harsh, D." William said next to Dean. "Ennis, don't take him seriously. He had far too many martinis in one night. But I must confess that you do look more comfortable in your own skin…"
"Thanks." Ennis said observing the difference one could achieve with a more careful choice of words. The meaning, the implicit question, was still the same. "These things take time."
"Relationships always need time." Jack said, coming to rescue his boyfriend. "Ours is no different. I wouldn't trade it for the world."
Ennis smiled at him. His knight in shining armor. A knight with shiny wet lips. Lips that probably would taste like the expensive sweet wine that Jack had been carefully drinking for the past five minutes. Encouraged by the comments of the Thomas's, Ennis leaned down and slowly kissed his boyfriend, letting his tongue purposely lick the trace of wine from Jack's lips. A kiss a bit too provocative for polite company, but even more pleasurable for the same reasons.
"You definitely look different." Dean said when Ennis looked at him again.
"It's the hair." Ennis said with a wink and a smile that would match the one Dean had on his face a couple of minutes ago.
"We're going to search for some more appetizers. I'm starving." William said leading Dean to a table far away. "See you in a bit."
"Thank God! I thought they were going to ask us what sexual positions we have yet to try." Ennis murmured when they walked away.
"Don't be like that." Jack said seriously. "The truth is, they're afraid you're going to dump me for a blond female version of me."
"Blond?" Ennis asked puzzled.
"I mean, they don't know what we've been through these last few months. They still feel like you have something to prove."
"Seriously, blond? I don't like blond hair, not even in men." Ennis pretended to be outraged.
"They have no idea you're a George Clooney fan. Perhaps if you would like to share that bit of information, the questioning to your sexual preferences would stop." Jack finished with what suspiciously sounded like a suppressed laugh.
"Are you advising me as my attorney?" Ennis said, amused with the tone Jack had used in order to keep himself from laughing.
"Do I have the honor of being your attorney?" Jack said pleased.
"You're mine and you obviously have the qualifications." Ennis murmured in his ear and then looked at him mischievously.
"Yes, that's my advice as your attorney." Jack's smile made Ennis shiver.
Ennis was already thinking about proposing to Jack about a discreet withdrawal to their bedroom, when Mary's voice calling their names ended his intentions. Some people just have the worst timing.
"Mary." Jack said when she finally approached them. "Sophie is already asleep, I'm afraid."
"Ennis, Jack, good to see you. I went to see her, she's fine. Thanks again." She said already holding a port in her right hand and Jack decided to stare disapprovingly, directly at it.
"Please, Jack. I spent my entire day in a hospital! I think I definitely deserve it." Ennis only laughed. "By the way, Eliza may come after all. She was waiting for Monique to fall asleep."
"So how's Monique?" Jack asked concerned.
"A sick stomach does nothing to change her strictness. She's correcting every sentence of nurses and doctors. What shameful grammar they all possess! Better not to mention the bad taste in uniforms and color schemes for a hospital." Mary said using Monique's tone.
"I want to know if she's any better, Mary." Jack said rolling his eyes.
"She is. Nothing serious, really. The doctor suspects the shrimp she ate last week." Mary smiled widely and looked at Ennis before she spoke again. "Now, the best part is that we found out she seems to be dating some mysterious guy. She's said nothing about who he is, but she did confess that she ate the shrimp on a date with him."
"Poor woman. She's sick, probably in pain. Confesses her small secret, probably by accident and all you're interested in is who the guy is." Jack shook his head at Mary.
"As if you're not interested in knowing who he is." Mary said dismissively. "I'm hoping he's shorter and younger than her. It would be so funny to tease her about it."
"Am I the only adult here?" Ennis asked loudly to himself when Jack and Mary decided to predict what the man should look like.
"I'm sorry Ennis, but you should be used to it by now. Didn't you spend your night with Jack and Robert?" She asked before taking another sip of her drink.
"Not really, Robert has spent the night with Cecilia." Ennis explained to Mary.
"Cecilia! It's working then?" Mary asked looking around until she found both of them talking on the other side of the garden.
"It seems to be." Jack said excited. "Match made in heaven. And you didn't want to believe me."
"Hmm." Mary said waving at Cecilia. "I wasn't so sure."
"Look, they're coming this way." Ennis said to the other two.
"Hi, Mary." Cecilia said with a smile.
"Good to see you, Cecilia." Mary said raising her glass.
"Where did you leave Elizabeth?" She asked, curious.
"You see…" Ennis attention was interrupted when he noticed that Robert was approaching Jack silently with a serious look on his face.
"Can we talk, Jack?" Robert whispered and Jack shared one last worried look with Ennis but moved away.
Ennis had no doubt that they had been caught.
"Jack, I'm sure you know why we're having this conversation." Robert said seriously. "I waited until now to bring it up because I didn't want to be mad at you at my birthday party."
"I have no idea what you're talking about." Jack said taking one last sip of his Port.
"Of course not. What was I thinking?" Robert said annoyed. "Imagine that this week I received ten students to the photograph's class and they were all very impressed with my publicity campaign in gas stations!"
"Robert…" Jack said apprehensively.
"Don't deny it! I know it was you." Roberts said glaring at him. "For God's sake, you had given me the money already, Jack!"
"I was worried with the progress of the school. I know I shouldn't but I couldn't help…" Jack said weakly.
"You really shouldn't! I want to do this on my own. You're not helping if you keep interfering every time things get difficult."
"I'm sorry. I really am, but you know me, I couldn't help it. It was just a simple thing and it did help you."
"Why didn't you speak with me?" Robert said sighing loudly.
"You wouldn't have let me help you." Jack said honestly.
"Jack…" Robert said but his tone was softer.
"Come on, forget it. It's working, so I'll give you the number of the publicity agent."
"I don't want you interfering anymore." Robert stated still mad at him.
"Ok. But please say you'll forgive me." Jack pleaded. "Wasn't the party a success? Didn't you have fun with Cecilia?"
"Yeah. And I know she's your doing too." Robert glanced at her. "I can still find my own dates, thanks."
"Don't be like that. What are friends for?" Jack said with a smile.
"You're worse than a woman." Robert said with a smile.
"I'll take that as a compliment, thank you." Jack said relieved.
"You shouldn't." Robert said with his usual tone and Jack knew that everything was forgiven.
"I guess some things never change." Jack whispered to himself as they joined Ennis, Mary and Cecilia in a pleasant conversation near the lake.
Author: Wasn't it a really great day? Jack truly is a great friend! And what about Catherine Twist? We knew she existed but now we're starting to have a whole new perspective of her, which I think is cool and mysterious (but that's me, what about you?).
I know some of you hate the stupid names I came up with for my characters, but hey this is supposed to be funny! Some names have odd references like Bingley (Austen), Robert (obviously from the bridges of Madison county), Taylor (the drummer from Queen), Noris (from Chuck Norris!), Danielle (Danielle Steel) or Santos (One of my family names)... and many other I just pick up from magazines or books! If this ever gets to be published, I'll change the names (LOL), until then please take this as a riddle! Try to find where did I come up with the names! :P
On the next chapter: Someone needs a godfather, can't you tell? But the main event is the first surprising part of Enrique's amazing riddles! What? You thought that piece of paper was the riddle? (Insert evil laugh here) The search for truth about the present, past and future beguines!