Thanks to: dreamcatcher33, Pip3, kipperoo453, Valandil Eluch, and bansheetao for all of the fabulous reviews. I hope you guys enjoy this long chapter! (At least long for me :P)

Title: Perfect
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: See chapters 1, 10 and/or 20

Flowers splashed orange and yellow on the blue wood, swaying a little in the light morning breeze. Ennis had hoped not to come to this house for a long time, but he guessed he was to blame, taking Jack to town and flaunting him like he did. But he just couldn't help it; Jack was just so...perfect. Sure, he had flaws, but everyone did. What made him perfect was the fact that he loved Ennis for his flaws.

Ennis pulled onto the smooth cement driveway, ignored the anger caused by the fact that that damn grocer could provide for Alma better than Ennis ever could. Junior ran outside, light brown hair flapping side to side in a ponytail. She grasped her father in a fierce hug, he was only halfway out of the truck.

"I'm so sorry Daddy! Fer everythin'!"

Ennis pet her frizzy hair down, smudged a tear off her face. "It's ok." He knew why she felt guilty. She had always been the closest to him and had been the first to push him away.

She put her palms flat against his chest, pushed him away a little. "Momma's still in a rage over it all."

"I figured..." He rubbed the bridge of his nose with his forefinger and thumb. "You grab yer bag 'n' I'll bring Francine's in. Where is she, anyway?"

"She's sleepin' over at her friend's house. Didn't know yeh would be here taday, otherwise, I'm shore she woulda stayed home. Ta see yeh..."

Ennis nodded, slung the light purple bag over his shoulder, knew he must look like a queer with it on. Didn't really mind.

-----

Jack was getting tired of hospitals, tired of people he didn't know seeing him in his underwear. He had an undershirt on and his boxers, he was waiting for the doctor to come in and tell him the procedure. He lifted up his shirt, winced at the bruises on his side Ennis had left the other night, probably from this morning too. Some were purple, some were bright red, some were turning yellow. He looked like a dying man.

"Mr. Twist?"

He looked up, still holding his shirt at an awkward angle.

"What's all that from?" The doctor walked over, grasped the thing material in one hand and tugged it up further. Jack shivered, too much of him exposed to the cold hospital air for his liking.

"Nothin'. Just fallin' 'n' shit."

"No, I don't think so...has Ennis been hurting you?"

"What?"

"Ennis, the man who brought you in to get that," the doctor tapped Jack's broken arm, "cast on."

"No...Ennis would never..." Jack almost said "hurt me," but that would have implied that there was something beyond a platonic relationship between him and Ennis, he wasn't sure if Ennis was ready for anyone to know that. So, instead, he sighed, and said "Ennis would never touch me."

For he was sure that would be what Ennis wanted people to think. He would want people to think he was the exact opposite of queer, homophobic. Which, in fact, he was. He could be found sometimes crying over the fact that he loved a man, praying to God for redemption. He still had trouble dealing with the fact.

Jack forgave Ennis. It wasn't his fault. He was raised with certain beliefs that he couldn't just forget. But that didn't make it hurt any less.

--------

Ennis trudged up the wooden stairs, scrubbed down to be stained soon, just had to wait to let the wood dry. "So, what're yeh girls up ta this summer?"

"Monroe took us to the fair, they jus' lef' town the other day."

Ennis smiled miserably. Monroe gave everyone what Ennis wanted to but could not. A happy life, a safe home, food on the table every night. Hell, Ennis couldn't even do that for himself. He nodded at her when she looked at him enquiringly, as if saying "Wan' me ta open the door, Daddy?"

She creaked it open slowly, flinching at the high pitchedsqueak the door made. Her voice dropped a few decibles, and she increased her motions with her hands. "Francine's room is jus' over there. See the door? It's all pink..." Ennis smiled and nodded, let Junior go upstairs to her room to put her stuff away. He set his daughter's bag on her bed, took in a room he had never seen.

The walls were almost white, a creamy color. Her bed was in the middle of the room, under a picture of a scantily clad cowboy on the ceiling. The walls had posters of horses and different musical groups on them, and pair of chaps were neatly folded on her desk next to a pile of journals. Her window was open and the lime green curtains waved at him, telling him it was time to go.

He walked out of the room, closed the door quietly and went into the kitchen where he was almost sure his ex-wife would be. "Alma?"

"Ennis, I'm glad you're here, we got some talkin' ta do."

------------

The doctor sat Jack up against the pillows, stared at him with scrutinizing eyes. "You're sure he isn't hurting you?"

"Ain't it hard to be confused about somethin' like that? Look, I promise, he ain't doin' this ta me."

The older man finally nodded, smiled sheepishly at Jack and took out a clip board. "According to your records, your knee was severly injured after the...attack. We'll remove both casts and then x-ray your right knee. If it's still injured we'll have to put a degree cast on it, which I'll explain more about later."

Jack frowned, bit his lip.

"What's wrong?"

"Well, I kind of wasn't thinking about it."

"About what?"

"My knee. It hurt, but all a me did, yeh know?"

The doctor nodded, urging Jack on silently.

"Well, I moved around on 'em a lot."

The doctor's face took on a look of shock, but he quickly recovered. "That may be a problem."