Leadership & Love

ThisBrokeback Mountain story is based on characters and situations created and owned by Annie Proulx. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

This fanfiction takes place in 2007. The characters are not exactly Jack and Ennis of the movie but they have similar personalities. Everything else may be completely different! This is the sequel toLaw & Love, the first part of the Magnet Firm series.

Warning: Graphic sex. Adult situations discussed in adult language.

Summary: Ennis x Jack

After Enrique Twist's funeral, Jack is a different man. So different that he even gave up the only thing he wanted most in life -- his relationship with Ennis Del Mar. Ennis is determined to win his boyfriend back and return Jack to the life they once had together. But for that to happen, they have to face the new challenges that the firm has to offer together …

Author's Note: Thank you so very much for my friend Kathy (kittie8571) who is the Beta of this story!


Chapter One: Where are you, Jack Twist?

Jack walked around the grass in silence. There were birds singing on the branches in the trees and the sky was a soft blue. Small clouds floated in the sky and the sun warmed his skin. It was, after all, a beautiful, early summer day. Unfortunately, Jack had different plans than most New Yorkers that morning. His plans carried no happiness or satisfaction and he felt that the day was definitely grayer for him.

He looked to the other side of the small path that he was walking on. An old woman carrying a big bouquet of white roses nodded at him. He wasn't sure if it was a personal greeting or her just being polite. He was having a difficult time focusing on anything these days. In any event, he decided to nod back and continue with his walk. He was not that far anymore.

Jack had walked this same route every day for the last month. Sometimes, almost unconsciously, his feet had moved in this direction and Jack would be surprised to find himself at his destination. Other times, Jack would force his tired feet to bring him to the place, in silent torture he couldn't seem to escape. It was as if invisible ties bound him to these grounds, which was perfectly understandable, or so Dr. Whistle kept telling him during his appointments.

Jack didn't like it, but he had no say in the matter. His body and mind were no longer under his control. Jack Twist was lost in the middle of something that he clearly couldn't understand. He forced himself to wake up every morning, only to see the result of the nightmare that was now his life disappearing a bit more every day.

All things considered, what he was now losing was his old life. Jack Twist, the young lawyer, son of Enrique Twist, was gone. He'd started fading away the day of his father's funeral. And if a parent's death always changes a person's life, in Jack's case, that was an understatement. Now that his father was gone, he was a different person, not to mention an orphan.

The members of the board wouldn't stop calling him, reminding him that he needed to face the new responsibilities his father had left him. But he just couldn't find the strength to do it. He wasn't ready yet and Dr. Whistle kept telling him that he needed another month of therapy before he could return to his job.

During this last month, Jack had avoided everything and everyone. He needed time for himself, time to think about what had happened and heal. It had been a dangerous mistake to isolate himself from the world. Solitude had almost driven him crazy. If it hadn't been for Uncle Daniel and Robert, he would probably still be locked up in his room.

He had, however, done some serious reflecting about his life and what he was supposed to do from now on. And in one of those days, or nights – his memory was tricky about most things – he remembered when he was young. He never needed anyone back in those days. Young Jack had convinced himself that his needs could, sooner or later, be suppressed by himself and no one else. He had been in his twenties by then. The world was his stage. How could he have thought otherwise?

But now, all these years later, how could he have made such a basic mistake again? How could he have fallen in the path of self destruction that only serves those who were too weak or too young to see the truth? But most of all, how could he have sent away the one man who had been by his side since the very beginning?

Lately he couldn't think about Ennis without crying. The shock of what he had done had only started sinking in a few days ago, when reality settled again in the small parts of his conscious life. Jack was as sorry as any human being could be, but he also felt completely hopeless. What he had done had been the result of the insane conviction that Ennis would never understand him again, that he was destined to lose him anyway. It had made perfect sense to him at the time but now seemed like the reaction of a mad man.

Their relationship had always been fragile and jack felt sure that after all this, nothing could be salvaged between them. Of course, he still loved Ennis. If anything, he loved him more, but Jack Twist, the guy Ennis used to date, was gone. And even if Ennis still had feelings for him, even if he was willing to try again, he probably wouldn't want to have anything to do with the new "disturbed"Jack.

During one of their sessions, Jack told Dr. Whistle that he would probably never love anyone as much as he had loved Ennis. Correction -- as much as he still loved Ennis. The bright and professional doctor had told him not to lose all hope in the people who loved him since he hadn't yet given them a chance to return to his life. But Jack had just smiled at her; the smile of those defeated by circumstances.

He had been the one pushing Ennis away. He had been the one who avoided phone messages, notes, flowers… He had been the one remaining silent for an entire month. He couldn't expect Ennis to ever come back again, especially if he was returning to a psycho.

Jack told Dr. Whistle that, perhaps in a few years, when all was back to normal in his heart and in his head, he would pursue Ennis's affections. That is, if he wasn't married with kids by then. Dr. Whistle had only smiled.

"You're only denying the truth, Jack. You'll be back soon and your heart and mind can heal in time. You can't keep these people away much longer. You will be back soon, Jack."

The phrase had sounded ridiculous to him at the time. He still felt so lost, so out of control. But lately he could see that perhaps those feelings were only the result of his long time denial of being "back." His mind was still confused and his concentration was weak, but he wasn't forcing it by finding answers either. And that had to have its own result. As disconcerting as it sounded, a part of him didn't want to move on and he had to learn to live with that.

Jack suddenly stopped, his mind focusing a little more on reality. He took the black iron key from his pocket and looked at the family crypt. As a kid he always hated this place. Jack and Enrique would visit the family crypt on Christmas and on his late mother's birthday. It had always been a place full with painful emotions and memories that Jack would always avoid remembering. And now it was only worse.

He sighed and unlocked the door. He'd promised Dr. Whistle that he wouldn't come here every day from now on. This was supposed to be a turning point. He wondered if he would ever look back on this day and remember his feelings with a sad smile, like a moment we cherish for all the wrong reasons.

His gaze turned to the small photograph of his mother and his father on their wedding day. His dad had placed it there when his mother had died. It had been too painful for him to look at it every day, sitting on the table of his bedroom. Jack knew that many other things would probably end up here now that he had decided to take control of his life back.

His thoughts moved on to someone else. Elizabeth Noris. His best friend had been a wonderful source of silent strength, as was usual of her during difficult times. Elizabeth had had very few serious conversations with him during his time of grieving, but she had taken control of everything that Jack hadn't been able to deal with. She'd been the one coving the financial aspect of the firm, with the help of Uncle Daniel. Elizabeth had convinced Jack to sign the papers so that she could keep the firm afloat temporarily until he could come back. She told the important clients and other attorneys that he had taken a long vacation in Hawaii, resting before he assumed his new position as head of the firm.

Uncle Daniel recently told Jack that she hadn't requested any financial compensation for her added duties, and that she even continued to work with all her clients while doing them. It had been a good decision, since the competition between the other board members for the position would have done nothing but damage the firm's reputation. Jack even suspected that she'd been reporting his progress to Ennis. Or at least, he held that secret hope.

Uncle Daniel took care of the other business obligations and had kept an eye on the lawyers working for the family. Jack knew he owed both of them more than he could ever repay.

Closing the door of the crypt, Jack wondered if he was going to be able to survive this come back. Surely the firm and the family's financial portfolio needed his attention, but there were serious mental challenges in front of him. He was convinced that he had become stronger this last month. But was it enough? Especially considering how fragile and confused he still felt in many different ways.

He wasn't sure of the answer. But he knew that the old Jack twist wouldn't survive one day of this life. But then, the old Jack was dead and gone.


Ennis Del Mar had always considered himself a mature man. His experiences in life had convinced him that there was little about human beings he didn't know or didn't understand. He could be useless sometimes when it came down to actually dealing with people, but he could easily understand them --even the ones that couldn't understand him.

Ennis knew that the main reason why he was such a loner was because he wasn't comfortable expressing how he felt. This was probably a result of his childhood. With the shock of Uncle Jeremiah and his quiet mother who would whisper in his ear when he was young that the best of him should always be hidden.

Yes, Ennis Del Mar knew why he was a quiet, lonely man. But he had always taken secret pride in his knowledge about sociology and philosophy. He was a man who knew about people. He just wasn't a "people person."

So he had been well and truly shocked when the man he loved surprised him with a not so typical reaction that he clearly hadn't expected. It was completely different when it came to using his skills in his personal life.

Yes, he had been shocked and totally devastated on that morning; so much so that he had driven home in silence, only to eventually take out his anger on the kitchen plates and cups, scaring the poor cat and even himself with his reaction. After a few hours of jogging, he had returned to his apartment physically drained and mentally exhausted. He'd entered the shower, still dressed in his gym clothes, and cried like a baby under the hot spread of water.

At that moment, all he could feel after the anger had gone was the pain of rejection. But now the feelings were different. Ennis had since had time to think about it, even researching what Jack might be going through. He bought a couple of books about death and grief. He wanted to understand exactly what Jack was feeling, to understand why Jack felt the need to push him away and be alone. And he had learned a number of things in the process. One of those things had particularly caught his attention. It was called the grief cycle.

Thegrief cycle was mentioned in many chapters but Ennis had read one specific part numerous times. It had helped him to understand the rest. It had helped him to wait and hope.

"Dr. Elisabeth Ross was one of the first researchers to believe in the commonly known, «grief cycle».The grief cycle is a sequence of different emotional stages, normally connected to the following reactions:

Denial

Anger

Bargaining

Depression

Anger (again)

Acceptance

The second anger reaction is, in most of the cases, not common. Although the reaction is fairly accepted by most sociology researchers.

Grief is naturally, a multi-faceted response to loss. While many who grieve are able to work through their loss independently, accessing additional support from a bereavement professional may promote the process of healing."

Ennis had read and understood. He could remember those reactions in Jack's recent situation, or at least some of them. When Jack had first noticed the early signs of his father's illness, he had unconsciously denied their existence. He was even surprised when Uncle Daniel had pointed them out. According to the books he'd read, this was a very common reaction. Some people even deny the most visible signs of disease in their loved one.

When the truth had finally sunk into his mind, Jack had exploded in a fight against his own father with anger that would usually only have him irritated from time to time. When his anger wasn't focused on his father, Jack would focus it on his work. Some of that anger was obviously kept bottled up inside of him, which only fueled the dramatic end of things.

Not long after, Jack started with the bargaining. He and Enrique would spend hours with Dr. Whistle, discussing the issues related to what could be done and what should be done. Ennis had watched this reaction closely, but had no idea of the dimension of the possible consequences.

Depression had only reached its worst levels after the funeral. Jack had even come to the extreme decision to isolate himself from the world. It had been hard for everyone around him. Elizabeth and Uncle Daniel were the only ones allowed to enter the Twist mansion and many times their visits would not include seeing Jack personally. Jack would then stay in his room and deny attending to his guests. Matilda and Edward would apology for him, but everyone knew that Jack simply wanted to be alone.

A number of times Ennis wondered what would have happened if he had been able to see the signs. But the truth was that he had seen them, but just hadn't given them any great importance. It had all looked natural and normal, considering the situation. And now he was facing the possibility that he may lose the love of his life. The thought alone was enough to make Ennis tremble.

It's of the human condition to fear, just as much as it is to love, and the mixture of both feelings seemed enough to inebriate the mind. Ennis wanted to fight for Jack. He wanted to something. Anything. He just didn't know what. This was a battle Jack seemed destined to fight alone and Ennis was forced to imagine him struggling with his own fears. Jack needed to do this on his own. It was an uphill battle, and would remain so for as long as Jack decided to remain isolated from world. And even when Jack decided to return to the land of the living (if that ever happened) Ennis wondered if he would ever return to him. To what they used to have.

Ennis's life at the moment was the epitome of the word frustration. He felt like Sleeping Beauty waiting for the day the prince would find her. Or perhaps he was the prince, waiting for the day marked in destiny when he would rescue his Sleeping Beauty from eternal sleep. It was a stupid fairy tale analogy that showed just how much he had thought about his feelings.

Ennis had no doubts. He knew that there was no one else for him; no one else but Jack. He'd spent 30 years of his life living by half, avoiding any serious attachments to anyone. He made up shameless excuses to himself and for years found fault with every single woman he met or dated. Truth be told, he'd succeeded because none of those women was Jack Twist. He was almost positive that it probably would have taken him another 30 years to realize that his life was lacking if it hadn't been for Jack. He was a lonely man, focused only on his job, and he would have taken his time in realizing that he preferred a tall, handsome man instead of a woman wearing make up. Yes, he never would have noticed it so soon.

Jack was everything he never knew he'd always wanted. It was lame and a cliché, but it was the truth. Once in your life time you find someone who can make all your desires and dreams came true and you're forced to forget you'd ever thought about them as clichés. Some dreams are common to every man, but it was surprising how perfectly Jack and Ennis matched. Their personalities were similar, yet different in the right amount of aspects. The attraction was impossible to resist. He was over the moon in love, before he had even realized. This had all come to him the moment he'd spoken with Enrique Twist during the Magnet Spring Party.

The last month had been emotionally difficult for Ennis. It was extremely hard to keep hoping they would make it through, especially when he was completely alone. Elizabeth (and even Mary) had came to visit multiple times with what little news they had from Jack. Many times he'd wished he could just go and visit Jack at the Twist Mansion. Many times he'd opened his apartment's door or entered his car with that intention; but he knew it would only make things worse in the end. Jack needed to be alone and confronting him too soon would only delay his recuperation.

He had even avoided any visit to the Del Mar ranch. He didn't know how to explain the situation to David and he was afraid he would just keep remembering the last time they visited the place together. And that was another thing about missing Jack. Everywhere he went, everything he looked at, kept reminding him of Jack. Like a sweet perfume on a banal place, it was intoxicating.

If his personal life hadn't been full of roses, his professional life had been another month full of successes. Without anything else to do and with the need to keep Jack out of his mind, Ennis had thrown himself into his work. He had worked with Helen, Elizabeth and even Dave Spade, who had felt a little lost in the middle of the seniors of the firm. In Dave's first days, Ennis had taken pity on him, which was understandable since he was quite fond of his young colleague. Dave was a young man with enormous potential and a moral spirit full of principles. That was, actually, one of his main problems these days. No one seemed to take him seriously and everyone knew he disliked confrontation. The Magnet firm was a savage and poor Dave was in need of a helping hand.

Also, Ennis had taken his time with Mr. Hoz, almost working as his personal assistant. The man made him work more than 10 hours a day on his countless lawsuits and breached contracts for days. And after a few weeks of this, Ennis forced Mr. Hoz to sign a new deal, paying him as if Ennis worked 24 hours a day for him. Since Ennis was always available for Mr. Hoz's requests, it was only fair. Mr. Hoz didn't waste any time and eagerly signed the contract. He was impressed with Ennis's work and already saw him as an essential part of his life. He kept telling all his friends that Ennis was the best lawyer he had ever worked with. This turned out to be very good publicity, considering that Mr. Hoz had worked with numerous lawyers before Ennis. Still, Ennis worried about how long it would be until Mr. Hoz would find fault in his work, maybe during the very next suit. So far, Ennis had saved the basketball player's neck a few times and some by pure luck alone. He'd even been secretly disappointed slightly when Mr. Hoz accepted the contract. He had hoped to escape the nightmare by asking the basketball player for more money. He had failed.

In the days that followed the funeral of Enrique Twist, rumors about the end of Ennis and Jack's relationship were all over the firm. Frederic had come to demand an explanation from Ennis, but had received no more than a few nasty remarks. As a consequence, by the end of the day, every member of the firm knew that his relationship with Jack was over.

And in the middle of all this, he missed Jack desperately. He missed the love and companionship they had shared. He was no fool. He knew why Jack had sent him away. He knew that their connection was still strong. Even after being apart for so long, it was still there. They were only pretending not to see it, not to feel it. And if only for that, he was glad that he hadn't seen Jack since the day of the funeral. It had been probably for the best. He wasn't sure how he would act around Jack, and Jack would probably avoid him at any cost.

Ennis opened his eyes and looked at the pink and gold envelope in his right hand. He didn't know what to think of it. Surely he should go, and probably he would be forced to. The problem was that Jack was in the same situation as Ennis. If he decided to go, they would certainly cross paths at the wedding. And he wanted that just as much as he feared it. He wanted that badly. He wanted to hold Jack against him to never let him leave again. He just wasn't sure if Elizabeth's wedding was the best place to do that. And even if it all worked out for the best, was Jack ready to let him back into his life?

In the past few days, since Elizabeth had given him the official invitation, Ennis kept remembering Jack's words after the funeral. He'd said he was a different man, that this fact would eventually destroy their relationship. These words had ghosted his nights and dreams and Ennis had taken serious reflection from them only to conclude that for him, Jack would always be Jack. He knew who he really was, his essence and personality. And those things would never change. He loved everything about Jack and if there was more or something new, he would still love it. He was just ashamed that he hadn't found a way to tell Jack that during their breakup. He was terrible with words and the pain of rejection had obviously been too much for him; the fear had blocked everything out of his mind.

But now that he would have another chance to express his true feelings, he had to wonder if Jack was already ready to hear them. The time was different and Jack had spent a few months away from the world, grieving for Enrique and probably for their relationship as well. Perhaps by now, Jack was convinced that it was over for good, Ennis thought. As for Ennis, it had never stopped. Jack surely still loved him. He knew that the feelings they had shared couldn't simply vanish with the wind; but Jack may have been convinced that their relationship was dead.

Ennis's finger moved along the pink envelope, tracing the big gold letters. How had things turned out this way? he asked himself. One moment he was professing his undying love for Jack to Enrique and the next he was leaning his body against a tree, watching Jack move away from him. As usual, life was toying with him, showing him what he wanted and forcing him to fight for it. It had been like this all his life and he should have suspected his relationship with Jack would turn out to be the same, going back to that very first time that he realized he had feelings for Jack. It had been too easy. No, he had yet to prove himself worthy of Jack's love.

"Ennis?" Helen's voice waked him from his thoughts. Ennis quickly turned to see the brunette woman standing at his door.

"Sorry I didn't knock, but since your secretary is on vacation, I keep forgetting that even if the desk is empty, you're still here."

Ennis said nothing. He knew that Mrs. Campbell's situation was still unresolved. The firm kept paying her vacation time and she couldn't be fired by anyone but Jack. Ennis had hoped he could convince Jack to let him keep her as his secretary, but considering the current situation, it might not turn out that way. He could only imagine how bad Lucia would take the news. The sweet woman had made a scene when Ennis confronted her with Mrs. Campbell's betrayal. She had refused to believe that she could have done such thing to Ennis and almost called him a liar. Ennis did nothing as she stormed out of his apartment. But a few days after, she returned, almost begging him for his forgiveness. Mrs. Campbell had confessed the truth to her and she was both devastated and hurt. Ennis had easily forgiven her reaction and their relationship soon returned to normal. He had no doubt that she had not been involved in Madelyn Webber's scheme. No one could be that good of an actress.

"Are you going to the weeding?" She asked, placing some files on his desk. Ennis avoided looking at her as he didn't want to talk about it, but Helen was deliberately looking at the envelope.

"Yes." He said without taking his eyes of the screen.

Ennis felt Helen's eyes on him for a few more seconds, but she said nothing.

"I better go." She finally said and Ennis finally looked up, only slightly, to watch her leave without another word.

He didn't want any more gossip about him around the firm. At least now everybody was busy talking about Elizabeth and the upcoming wedding. The last thing he needed was everybody talking about him and Jack again. He could easily remember how it had been those first few days after the funeral. Where ever he went, everybody would stare and every time he entered a room, people got strangely silent. There was no doubt, they were all talking about him. He'd hated every second of it and had taken much pleasure the day Elizabeth decided to finally send the invitations.

Ennis trusted Helen when it came to work, but he was still wary to talk about his personal life with her. He wasn't a fool. He easily noticed the way she looked at him or the way she'd casuaully mention Jack's name once or twice when they were working together. She was curious about him, but she shared very little about herself. Maybe it was Ennis's paranoid personality, but he simply didn't trust her anymore. So he had decided that it wasn't a wise idea to share anything with her and especially not about Jack Twist.

His eyes moved back to the envelope. He couldn't help but touch it. This simple piece of paper was the reason he was going to see Jack again -- the symbol of his desperate hope, the key to his only true love.


Author: Here it is the first chapter of Leadership and Love. Don't worry not everything is as bad as it seems. That's all I'm going to say. This sequel will also have more action and, hopefully, more slash.

On the next chapter: Elizabeth's weeding is the stage to two very diferent unions of love.