Thanks again to all of my reviewers: Frek, MikiNare, Heroin Girl, Meg-Of-The-Moon, Faith, Pyxelle, awesomepossum, Phoenix Queens, ix-tab, amber24-03, SilverBlood666, TearsOfEcstasy, Enchanted Princess Gal, and CatsonMars!
Sorry for the long update time, but this time of year is always crazy for me. I will try to keep these coming.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Their last night together was wordless.
Usually Jack found Ennis's silence endearing, despite it being slightly irritating at times. Now, it was driving him to the edges of sanity. He would have paid anything to learn Ennis's thoughts at this juncture.
He shouldn't be one to speak, he knew. He could not think of anything appropriate to say, and he was just as silent tonight.
Nevertheless, Jack did not see this as the ultimate end. He couldn't. Living the rest of his life without Ennis was inconceivable to him. And yet, he couldn't escape the feeling that they were standing on a precipice and preparing to jump. Where they would land was anybody's guess and, thought they might try to stumble blindly back to each other at the bottom, there were no guarantees.
A vague ache settled over Jack's entire being at this image. He strongly did not want the memories of his last night to be marred by this melancholy, but it seemed unavoidable. He forced a smile as he turned back towards the tent, but let it fade when he saw that Ennis was still inside and could not see him.
Jack had gone for a brief walk, purportedly to get some air. In reality, he just needed to clear his mind and decide on what he wanted to say.
Unfortunately, this had been to no avail.
So he was silent as he reentered the tent and lay down next to Ennis. He wondered for a moment if he was asleep, but then Ennis turned over and was looking into his eyes.
They stayed like this for a good while, savoring the connection that had grown between them. If their time on the mountain had taught them anything, it was to hold on to these little moments of happiness, regardless of the future.
When great things come to an end, Jack realized, you were powerless. You could spend all your time pondering, searching, grasping for some kind of closure. But in the end, you would be no nearer to an answer. There was none.
If there was a plunge, you just had to take it without looking back, or you could never bring yourself to jump. If part of you was going to die tomorrow, you had to appreciate that part today. Go out with a bang, so to speak. At least then your memories would be of happier times, not of your fruitless struggles to find a nonexistent closure.
Looking back, he couldn't recall if it was he or Ennis who made the first move towards the other. But somehow they ended up clutching each other, moving together in a tangle of clothes and limbs and blankets.
Later, they just lay and held each other, embarking on their last night of peaceful, contented sleep on the mountain that had become their own private world.
Sometimes, there is no need for words.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Please continue to review, I love getting feedback!
