Title: I'll Be There - Chapter 3
Rating: PG-13 for language
Pairing: Ennis/Jack
Summary: This is not an AU exactly in that it takes place after the end of the original story. In this, everything that happened in the M/SS did happen, and Jack did die… but… he is being given a chance to let Ennis know how he feels and ease his overwhelming grief.
Disclaimer: Although they are not mine... they will live in my heart forever...
Feedback: Yes, please... let me know whatcha think.
Author's Note: This story is inspired by the song 'I'll Be There' by 'The Escape Club." Because of this, I am taking a verse from the song as a header for each chapter. However, due to the way the story will be played out, the verses may not be in the order they appear in the original song. Thanks for reading!

Chapter 3

Don't be afraid, oh my love,
I'll be watching you from above,
And I'd give all the world tonight,
To be with you.
Cause I'm on your side,
And I still care.
I may have died,
But I've gone no where
Just think of me,
And I'll be there

"Jack…?" Ennis whispered his voice nearly lost to his loud breathing.

"Yeah, Cowboy… it's me…" Jack replied, his voice slightly choked and hoarse.

"But… but I thought… you said I couldn't…" Ennis stuttered.

"I know, Ennis… I know what I said. I don't know why or how… but I'm here…"

Ennis took a step forward and then hesitated. It had been so long, a whole year, since he had seen Jack, and seven long, agonizing months since he had even had the hope of ever seeing Jack again, and now that he was right there in front of him, he was scared.

Jack smiled but made no attempt to move closer.

"Jack…" Ennis whispered one more time before he crossed the space between them in four long strides and reached for him.

Jack cringed inwardly, knowing that Ennis would recoil at that odd feeling that had replaced the heated connection they had always felt when they touched.

He jumped when Ennis' arms grabbed him, and he was immediately filled with that familiar hot rush of excitement. Gasping, he closed his eyes and brought his arms up, crushing Ennis to him in a hard desperate embrace.

"Damn…" Jack sighed into Ennis shoulder.

"Oh, God… Jack… I miss'd you… missed ya so much… thought I'd nev'r see ya again!" Ennis words came out choked and stilted, his arms clutched so tightly around him that Jack was sure he would leave bruises, and Jack could feel the shoulder of his shirt getting damp.

"I missed you, too Ennis…" Jack whispered, and then pulled back so he could catch Ennis' eyes, "but what's this 'bout not seein' me again?"

"Jack… ya… well…" Ennis' voice cracked and his jaw worked for a minute with no sound coming out. Finally he choked out, "yer dead Jack! I don' know how or why yer here now… but… I jus' never thought…"

"Ennis Del Mar!" Jack said, his voice soft but his manner firm. "Look at me!"

Ennis slowly raised his eyes to Jack's, and Jack fought back the urge to rage, yell and stomp his feet at the agony painted across his cowboy's face. He hated that there was little he could do to take that pain away even though there was nothing he wouldn't give if he could erase every trace of it.

"Oh, Ennis… how… how is it possible, after 20 years of knowin' me… knowin' me better then probably anyone in this world… how is it possible that ya don' know that I won' nev'r leave ya?" He had to stop and swallow hard, choke back the pain and tears that threatened to tear themselves free from his chest.

When he finally had control of himself again, he continued, "I love you, Ennis Del Mer! I know I ain' nev'r said that ta ya… of all the thin's I've regret'd 'bout bein'… gone…. that's the thin' I've regret'd the most… nev'r tellin' ya! I shoulda told ya years ago even if'in ya didn' wanna hear it! I shoulda yelled it ta the sky… shouted it out to the world, and made ya listen whether ya wanted ta or not! I've loved ya since the first time I laid eyes on ya, and I will love ya forev'r. Nothin' … not even bein' dead is gonna take that away…!"

"Jack…" Ennis choked, looking away and fighting to catch his breath before he continued in a low gravelly voice that gave away every bit of the pain he was feeling, "Jack… I…" he swallowed hard, and buried his face in Jack's shoulder, pulling him close again and clutching at him fierce and desperate.

Suddenly, Ennis pulled away, and looked at his feet, "Jack… I got somethin' I wanna say ta ya, but… umm… well… can we go in the tent?"

"Ok…" Jack replied, a crease of confusion between his eyebrows.

Quickly, Ennis grabbed Jack's arm and walked to the tent hauling Jack along behind him. Once they were inside, Ennis began removing his clothes. Jack stood looking at him, desire and disappointment racing through him.

"Umm… Ennis… I don' think I can… well see… I don' think that it's allowed fer me ta…"

"No Jack… ain' like that… I just wanna hold ya… that's all…" Ennis said, his voice pleading and desperate.

Nodding slowly, Jack began removing his own clothes. When they were both naked, Ennis climbed into the bedroll and held a hand out to Jack.

Taking Ennis' hand, Jack climbed into the bedroll and instinctively they came together, arms wrapped around each other tight, bodies pressed against each other, lips pressed together in a chaste kiss, legs tangled together until they could not possibly be closer together. They lay there for some time, kissing slowly, and holding each other tightly, both men simply rejoicing in the fact that they were together again.

After several minutes, Ennis pulled back from the kiss, and moved back enough so that he could look into Jack's eyes.

There they were… those blue eyes that always made his heart beat a little faster when Jack looked at him… those blue eyes that had filled his dreams and haunted him with their owner's unspoken love for nearly all of his life.

Raising a hand to Jack's face, Ennis ran the back of his hand softly over Jack's cheek, and traced his lips with his fingers.

Jack opened his mouth to speak, and Ennis hushed him by pressing a finger to his lips and shaking his head. Closing his eyes for a moment, he argued with himself briefly pushing down his old fears and shyness before he made himself open his eyes.

Looking deep into those eyes, his heart and chest filling with that familiar feeling that had filled his dreams for the past months, Ennis smiled and cupped Jack's jaw with his hand, stroking his cheek with his thumb.

"Jack…there's somethin' I been wantin' ta tell ya fer a long time… never did quite know how ta say it… always thought ya probably knew anyways…" his voice faded out, and his eyes skated away.

"What, Ennis…?" Jack asked, placing a hand gently on Ennis' face.

Dragging his eyes back to meet Jack's again, he drew a deep breath and forced the words to finally leave his mouth, "well… I love you, Darlin'"

Jack grinned, swallowed a lump in his throat and ran a hand across Ennis' flaming red face.

They lay like that for a long time, looking at each other, touching, caressing, sometimes kissing until at last Jack sighed and spoke in a voice full of resignation.

"I can't stay, cowboy… I ain' got much time and there's still somethin' we need to talk 'bout."

Ennis winced, and nodded. He tightened his arms around Jack's back and said in a low voice, "Let's stay like this while we talk… ok?"

"Fine with me," Jack smiled before he spoke again, his voice turning serious and somewhat stern.

"There's a reason why I'm here, Ennis. You ain' been doin' so good lately have ya?"

Ennis shook his head but said nothing.

"When ya first saw me out there, ya said ya didn' think ya would ever see me again. That jus' ain' true. Can't maybe see or hear me, but all ya gotta do is think of me, and I'll be there with ya! An I'll be waitin' fer ya when the time comes... fer us to be together again."Ennis pressed his face into Jack's shoulder, and mumbled something into the space between Jack's shoulder and neck.

"Whasthat, cowboy…?" Jack asked gently, feeling wetness on this shoulder and realizing that Ennis was crying once again.

"Take me with ya…" Ennis repeated, a little louder but still choked and barely audible, "I don' wanna be here without ya no more… my girls… they're all grow'd up now… don' need me… nothin' ta stay here for now."

"God… Ennis… ya have no idea how much I wanna take ya with me… can't hardly stand the thought a leavin' ya again… but… I don' rightly know how thin's work with this… but I got a feelin' it don' work that way." Jack said sadly.

Ennis sighed, and nodded, "Yeah… already know'd that I guess. Goin' be awful hard livin' without ya, bud. Hurt's somethin' fierce when I think on it."

"I know, cowboy. Ain' nothin' ever been easy fer us," he paused for a second and then added with a chuckle, "'cept maybe fightin' and fuckin'."

Ennis laughed along with him before he said, his voice suddenly strong and clear for the first time since entering the tent, "Know one thing that was real easy," Ennis said.

"What's that, Bud?" Jack asked, planting a kiss on Ennis' ear.

"Weren' hard at all ta fall in love with ya, Darlin'… bout the easiest thing I ever did." Ennis said, and leaned in for a quick kiss.

"Only wish it could'a been easier fer us ta be in love… wish I'd a listen'd ta ya bout that dream of yer's… maybe then… well… thing's mighta work'd out different is all," he finished, voice sad and full of regret.

"I know, bud… seems though life didn' quite deal us a fair hand… but… someone once told me 'If ya can't fix it, ya gotta stand it', so I guess that's bout all we can do, huh?"

Ennis nodded again, so choked up by hearing his own words repeated to him that he couldn't find the voice to speak.

They lay there together, drinking in the sight and feel of each other until Jack felt that slight weightlessness beginning to creep back into his body, and he knew his time was short.

Something about the look on his face made Ennis sigh and say in a low voice, "You gotta go now, doncha?"

Jack nodded, his head lowered. Slowly they both stood and dressed. When Jack stepped out of the tent, he noticed that the sun was rising over the trees on the opposite side of the creek and that bright light was beginning to build up behind the tree line.

Turning to Ennis, he grabbed him up in a final embrace, both men clinging to each other.

"I love you, Ennis… go live… I'll be waiting for you…" Jack whispered, and pressed something heavy and cold into Ennis' hand.

Without waiting for a reply, he stepped back, smiled at his cowboy, who smiled back as he stood there with tears streaking down his face, and turned to walk into that bright light that picked him up and swept him away one last time.

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Ennis stood on the creek bank for several minutes, crying quietly and staring blankly at the place where Jack had disappeared. Finally he became aware of the heavy object that Jack had pressed into his hand, and curious, he lifted his hand to look at it. It was a small flat object. Made from glass, shaped like and about the size of a drink coaster, in the center was a picture of a mountain side, dotted with sheep and rolling mountains reaching off into the distance. There in the picture, standing next to an old pup tent, was Jack.

"I love you too, Darlin'." Ennis whispered as he looked at the object and ran his fingers lovingly over the man pictured there, "Guess I'll see ya around." He murmured, a smile on his lips and tears on his cheeks.

A gust of wind suddenly whistled through the clearing, and Ennis felt the sweet sensation of Jack's soft lips pressed against his ear, and the whisper of a voice achingly familiar, "Think of me, I'll be there"

Smiling widely, he tucked the glass object into his shirt pocket and patting it close to his heart, he quickly began breaking camp and headed back down the mountain, for the first time in many years, his heart felt light, and the future looked bright.

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"He'll be a'right now… won' he?" Jack asked quietly as he sat watching Ennis break camp and drive away from the place where they had spent so much time together over the years.

"Yes, John," Grammie Turner replied, her arm tightening around his shoulders, "you did real good, honey." Leaning in closer, she whispered in a conspiratorial and scolding voice, "Ya weren' supposed ta give him the viewer, John…" the grin on her face telling him that she knew all along that he would do so.

"Grammie…" Jack asked suddenly, it just occurring to him to ask, "who did all this… who are 'they' and who was it ya were talkin' ta last night?"

Smiling mysteriously, she replied, "Some things are better not answerin' John, let's us just say that all them people down there who know so much 'bout what's right an wrong… ma'be they don' always know s'much as they think they do."

Jack smiled at this and nodded, turning his eyes back to the picture in the viewer, watching the man there, his heart smiling as widely as his mouth with the knowledge that someday they would finally be together, the way they always should have been.

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Author's note: Thanks so much for reading this, and for being patient with the slow updates.

Angi Tamburo (Amtamburo)

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