Disclaimer: I don't own Brokeback mountain

To all who have left me reviews, I thank you so so much! I was so nervous about starting this one and worried that no one would like it at all. But I thank you tremendously!

a kiss or two in here, but not much more. this is more just about the trip back to Texas.

For Jack and Ennis, the week seemed to fly by. They spent their days talking, laughing, drinking, planning, packing, and having sex just about every night. Jack decided that he needed to leave for Texas on Friday so he could get everything done. Of everything, the conversation he was going to have with his son was the one thing that bothered him the most. How was he going to tell his little boy that Daddy was leaving and not coming back? Granted, if Bobby had been given a choice between his father and his grandfather, Jack was pretty certain that he would be left in the dust for his father-in-law.

Thursday Jack made himself a small list of everything that he had to get done by Sunday when he intended to leave Texas again and come back to Wyoming. At the prospect of being away from Ennis for more than a few hours, he began to wish that he could just forget everything that he had in Texas and run off with Ennis. He pulled out his bottle of bourbon and began sipping on it while chain smoking. Maybe this was the one bad thing that was supposed to happen. He would have to leave Ennis for a couple of days in order to be with him forever. He lost track of the time and didn't even notice that Ennis had gotten home until Ennis was standing in the doorway.

"What are you getting drunk for rodeo?" Ennis asked calmly.

"Yeah," said Jack slowly, "I just now realized that I'm leaving here tomorrow morning... and I won't be back here until late Sunday night most likely." Ennis nodded slowly. "I don't know... when I left Texas I thought that I would be able to leave there and never have to go back again... somehow." Ennis sat next to Jack on the couch. Jack at first tried to keep from touching Ennis. He feared that being so close to the one he loved just before he had to leave him would hurt worse than he could imagine. Ennis took the bottle from Jack's hand and took a long sip.

"You have to leave early in the morning you know. Can't have you driving back hung over." Ennis took another sip before screwing the top back on the bottle.

"Would come with me? You could take off and we can stay in a hotel."

"Jack... I have work tomorrow. And you know that if I come with you... things could get messed up real bad."

"I don't care. I just want you to come with me."

"I'll call you tomorrow night to make sure you got there all right. You'll be back here before you know it."

"I..."

"I know, Jack. I know." Jack closed his eyes and wished that Ennis would change his mind. He felt Ennis's gentle hand on his back and he prayed that he didn't have to leave the next morning. "C'mon rodeo, let me get you to bed. It's nine and you have to be up at five. You still have time to get enough sleep." Jack felt Ennis stand and he knew that Ennis was holding out his hand to him to help him stand. Jack reached out blindly for the hand and quickly found it. Ennis pulled him to his feet and he stumbled into Ennis. "Easy friend, easy," said gentle words in his ear. Leaning on Ennis's strong frame he felt himself being led into the bed room. He undressed himself and crawled into bed with a sigh. It was when Ennis got into bed next to him and held him that he finally felt a calm fall over him. It was just three days. He could live through three days as long as he kept this one feeling in his head. The feeling of Ennis holding onto him.

The next morning Ennis woke Jack up while it was still dark.

"C'mon Jack, it's time to get up," said Ennis's soft voice.

"Wha...?" said Jack sleepily rubbing his eyes. Ennis was all ready dressed and Jack could smell coffee.

"It's time to get up. You have enough time to get dressed and have some breakfast before you go." Jack nodded and Ennis returned to the kitchen. Jack stared at the suitcase sitting on the floor for a few seconds before he got dressed and walked into the kitchen. Ennis had all ready put a cup of coffee and a plate of eggs and bacon at Jack's place at the table. Jack sat down and quickly ate and drank the coffee. After his second cup he started feeling a bit more human. He put his dishes in the sink and went into the bed room. He picked up his suitcase and walked back into the living room. Ennis was waiting for him there next to the coat rack.

"Put down the suitcase Jack," he said quietly. Jack did it. Ennis slowly took a step forward so that the two were a hair's bredth apart. He gently touched Jack's cheek and kissed him gently. Jack closed his eyes and wished that he could remain forever in that kiss. The kiss ended far too quickly for either of them and they stood silent with their foreheads touching for a moment. "You'll be back soon," said Ennis quietly. Jack nodded gently. With one last kiss Jack put on his coat and black hat and walked out the door. Ennis watched him get into the truck and drive away from the window. Ennis took into a deep breath and let it out just as slowly.

Jack drove away and would glance back at Ennis's house in his rear view mirror every few seconds until he couldn't distinguish the house from all the others he had passed. He drove until ten in the morning when he called Lureen and let her know that he would be there that afternoon. She told him that he lawyer all ready had the divorce papers ready and that he would be back in time for everything to be finalized. She said everything so calmly and automatic like a machine. Jack was wondering to himself if it was just as much of a relief to her to be done with this mairrage as it was to him.

When he got to Texas it was the early afternoon. He drove to their house first where Lurren, Bobby, and his father-in-law were all waiting for him.

"Hey there Jack," said Lureen calmly as he walked through the door. The smile on her face seemed genuine enough. But it was the look of triumph on his father-in-law's face that made him resent everything the most.

"Well now," said his father-in-law, "let's get this whole thing over with. These are the divorce papers. If you can sign them, then I can get them over to the courthouse and have everything finalized for you two." The divorce papers were sitting on the table in front of Lureen. He calmly sat down next to her and read over everything.

"You get half the money and your truck like we discussed," she said calmly as he read over everything. "Anything of yours that you want to get is fine by me. Bobby can come visit you in the summers."

"Why would I be visiting Daddy?" Bobby asked.

"Because your Daddy won't be living here anymore," said his father-in-law matter of factly.

"Why?"

"It's complicated Bobby," said Jack calmly. "Basically, your Momma and I have decided to not be married anymore. We're still your mom and dad, and we still love you very much. We just think it would be best if the two of us didn't live together anymore."

"But..." Bobby's eyes started tearing up. "But I don't want you to go."

"I'm sorry, Bobby," said Jack gently. "But you can come visit me during the summer. I'm going to own a ranch up in Wyoming near Brokeback mountain. You can come ride horses, help herd the cattle, anything you want."

"I don't want you to go..." he repeated. "I don't want to visit you in Wyoming. I want you to stay here."

"I'm sorry, Bobby. It's just not going to work out between me and your mom anymore." Bobby ran up to his room and slammed the door. Jack felt a stab in his heart for hurting his only son so badly. But he knew that staying here and making Bobby's and Lureen's life a misery would probably be worse than what he was doing now. He calmly picked up the pen on the table and signed all the pages he had to sign. Once he pushed the papers away from him, his father-in-law snatched up the papers without and word and marched out the door.

"Well then," said Jack quietly, "I guess he's happy that I'm finally out of his life."

"You know my father. He never does make a secret about how he feels about anyone. One of his great flaws."

"I don't know if it's so much a flaw as just an annoying characteristic from time to time."

"Jack, are you going to be happy up there with your friend?" Jack studied the glass coffee table in front of him and considered how to answer the question.

"Yeah, I know I will be."

"Were you ever happy here?"

"I was happy here, for a while. But... I'm sorry Lureen. I tried to deny it. I tried to let it go. But it just refused to go away. Believe me Lureen, I tried. But some things I just can't deny." Lureen sighed and pulled a cigarette out of the pack on the table. Jack picked up her lighter and lit it for her out of habit. Then he lit himself a cigarette.

"Daddy's probably going to get the money for you while he's out."

"I can get my other suitcases and pack up all my clothes and such. Would it be all right with you if I stayed in the guest room?"

"It's fine by me Jack, whatever you want to do." They sat in a comfortable silence for a while and quietly smoked their cigarettes. "Bobby's probably going to be mad at you for years over this one."

"I know. But it's either this or have him watch us fight and yell and scream and then be absolutely silent with each other for the rest of his life. I call this the lesser of the two evils."

"You're probably right. I guess this is as good of a time to tell you as any. I've found someone else myself." Jack didn't feel angry. He didn't really feel anything much beyond glad that Lureen was going to be happy.

"Does your Daddy like him?"

"Hates him. But I wouldn't have it any other way." The two had a private chuckle and smiled at each other for the first time in what seemed like months.

"Well, I guess I should start getting stuff packed up." Lureen nodded and watched as Jack went up into their bedroom.

The rest of the day Jack spent packing his things. Dinner was a very civil affair. Lureen and Jack comfortably made conversation about different subjects. Now that they were back to being friends and no longer spouses they seemed to get along a lot better. Her father came by with the money for Jack in a brown paper sack which he hid away in his suitcase that he had brought with him. Bobby sulked through dinner and neither parent really tried to break him out of it. Jack especially felt bad about everything and felt he deserved every dirty look his son gave him. He hoped that over time Bobby would understand.

Some time after dinner the phone rang. Jack picked up the phone in their bedroom and said,

"Hello?"

"Hey Jack," said Ennis's familiar voice.

"Hey!" said Jack with a grin on his face. "Damn you have no idea how good it is to hear your voice."

"I have some idea. I can guarantee you of that. How are things going?"

"Alot better than expected that's for certain. About the only person taking it hard is Bobby... which hurts more than I can believe."

"The girls took it pretty hard when Alma and I split too. I keep hoping that sooner or later they will understand that it's really for the best."

"Yeah, that's what I'm hoping with Bobby."

"How's everything else?"

"Lureen has a new man, my father-in-law is happy to see me go, and I'm just packing up everything. I think the divorce is final all ready. They all ready had the papers drawn up so I just signed them and it was over. I got my half of the money today too. I guess since they've had since Monday to plan all this out I shouldn't be surprised."

"How are you?"

"I miss you." Jack heard his voice break slightly. The prospect of sleeping alone tonight was something that made him feel physically cold.

"I miss you, too," replied Ennis with a similar breaking sound in his voice.

"I'll get everything else together tomorrow and then head out Sunday morning."

"I'm going shopping for everything that we need tomorrow. I'll gather up most of what we need." There was a silence over the phone that said everything they didn't need to say.

"Well, let me get back to this packing. Would you call me tomorrow night?"

"Sure. I'll let you know what all I got."

"I'll see you Sunday."

"I'll see you then Jack." There was another pause before Ennis put down the phone. Jack put the reciever back down on the cradle and stared at it for a while. Sunday seemed so far away from where he was sitting.