AN: Sorry I haven't written in a while. What with all the assignments teachers invariably pile on at the end of the semester and final exams, I haven't had any free time. But I'm on break now, so I hope to get at least one chapter after this one finished. Also, I forgot to put this on the first chapter, but…

DICLAIMER: I don't own it. Sadly.

Ennis looked up, shock and disbelief evident on his face. There, leaning casually against his door frame, was Jack Twist. He couldn't speak, so afraid to break this moment, to shatter it into millions of pieces like the fragile thing it was. He couldn't breathe, either, so afraid this was another dream - a good one, this time - and he'd awake more cold and lonely than before. Lousy tradeoff for a few stolen moments that weren't even real, but he'd take what he could get.

He blinked several times, trying to clear away the image. Surely it was an illusion, a false reality his mind had come up with, a brief reprieve for his grief-stricken heart. But every time he opened his eyes, Jack was still there, the image unchanging save for the slowly growing smile. Finally accepting that, if a dream, this was gonna be a long one, Ennis sat up slowly and took in the figure before him. Jack was wearing his usual uniform of jeans and a blue shirt, but had removed his boots and hat. His face, clear of blood and bruises, was clean-shaven, taking years off his appearance. He finally got rid of that damn moustache, Ennis thought to himself, smiling at the welcome change.

"How ya feelin', cowboy?"

"Jack- What- How-…?"

"Shhh… Just rest. We'll talk later."

"Work-"

"Called ya in sick."

"Why-"

"Cuz yer sick."

"Jesus, Jack, let me say somethin'!"

Jack smiled sheepishly. "Sorry."

Ennis's heart warmed at the welcome sight of that smile, missed so badly for so long. "It's a'right, just wanted ta get a word in edgewise."

"M'kay."

Ennis paused for a moment, not really having had anything to say - it was just the principle of not having room to talk that irked him. Finally, he settled on, "It's good ta see ya an' all, but how are ya here at all? I'm hopin' and prayin' this ain't no dream, but it sure as hell feels like one."

Jack's smile broadened. "This ain't no dream, cowboy."

"Then-"

"Yep. I'm still alive after all."

Suddenly, a thought occurred to Ennis. "Yer wife know?"

Jack's smile turned secretive. "Maybe she does, maybe she don't."

"Jack…"

The warning tone was evident, and Jack smiled again. It seemed he just couldn't stop doing that now that he was with Ennis again, now that Ennis knew he was alive. "Okay, okay. She does."

"Then why the hell ain't you down in Texas?"

"Maybe a'cause she's the only one that knows. Ever'one else down there thinks I'm dead. Cain't never go back."

"If she knows, then how come she ain't come and dragged yer ass back to Texas… or," he added, seeing that Jack was about to interrupt, "off to some other place where the people don't think yer dead?"

"Ennis…" Jack took a deep breath. This wouldn't go over too well, he just knew it. "She found out about us."

Ennis quickly stood, dizziness forgotten as he began pacing. "How'd she find out? How?!" Not really expecting an answer, he continued pacing. "An' more important, what're we gonna do?"

"Ennis… Ennis, calm down. Yer gonna wear a damn hole in them floorboards if'n you don' sit down!" Ennis returned to the bed he'd so recently vacated, once more taking a seat on the rumpled covers. "Now let me talk, and don' go interruptin'. She found out because I told her." He held up a hand as Ennis once more started to speak. "No, it was 'bout time she knew, anyhow. I figgered she deserved the truth 'bout why our marriage wasn't workin' out too well."

"How'd it go?"

"Well, she wasn't angry, if that's what yer worried 'bout. She said she'd suspected I'd been seein' someone else fer a few years now, just didn't know it was you. She was real understandin' 'bout it all, said if I was happy, then it was good, 'specially since she been seein' some guy over in Plainview. We talked fer awhile, decided her daddy would likely try somethin' if'n we got a divorce - my fault, or somethin' like that - so she came up with this."

"So, if she knew it was me, why'd she tell me you was dead when I called?"

"Yeah, she felt awful bad 'bout that. Came to see me that very afternoon, said she'd had to tell ya that a'cause L.D. was in the room at the time. So I redlined it up here ta let ya know I was a'right, an' here I am."

"So she's… okay with this? With us?"

Jack nodded, understanding his disbelief and shock. Hell, he'd reacted much the same. "Seems so."

"And now yer here."

The statement was simple, yet profound. Jack had chosen to give up his life and any connection to Texas to come here, to Ennis. And it wasn't as if he could just go back if he changed his mind, which implied that his mind wouldn't change. It implied something far deeper than Ennis was willing to acknowledge at this point, something that frightened him beyond measure.

But Jack's hopeful look, his warm smile, so dearly missed as of late, were enough to put any misgivings he had on hold for the sheer joy of this moment. He stood and crossed the room in a few strides and embraced Jack, wondering silently how long this - they - would last before everything fell apart. He hoped to God it wasn't long.