Disclaimer: I don't own Brokeback Mountain...

So, this is a much quicker chapter than the last one. Just getting Alma Jr. moved out of her momma's house.

The next morning, Jack woke up early and fed the horses. He started breakfast before waking up both Ennis and Alma. All three gathered in the kitchen and ate breakfast. It was a quiet affair, mostly because any loud noise would cause Ennis to curse and then curse again. Alma was all ready used to the pattern of her father's hangovers and Jack was quickly adapting her ways of dealing with it. The basic idea was be as quiet as possible and if you needed to make a noise, you gently warned him about it so that he could put his fingers in his ears until it was over. It was going to be interesting turning on the truck Jack thought to himself. After a couple of aspirin and a few cups of coffee, Ennis was feeling good enough that when they got in the truck and turned it on he wasn't cursing about the noise. Ennis drove all three of them to the house where his ex-wife's new husband had moved them. The three of them looked at each other as they pulled up and put the truck in park.

"So, who's going to knock on the door?" asked Alma in a quiet and nervous voice. Ennis took a deep breath and shrugged.

"I guess I should," said Ennis quietly. "I'm going to have to face this sooner or-" But then they saw Francine walking out of the front door. For a moment all four of them stared at each other uncertain what to do. Ennis opened the door and stepped out of the truck first.

"Hey Daddy," said Francine quietly.

"Hey Francine," he replied just as quietly. "Is your momma home?"

"Yeah, she's home. I don't know if you want to come in." Francine didn't say any of this with malice or anger. She said it like a person just trying to keep the peace in the family that was tearing its self apart at the seams.

"We're here to get Junior's stuff. I'm guessing you know why." Francine nodded and fresh tears appeared in her all ready red eyes. Francine gently shut the front door and slowly walked out to her father. By the time her slow shuffle had gotten her from the porch to Ennis, she was starting to shake with fresh sobs. Ennis held her tightly and whispered to her,

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry little darlin'. I didn't mean for this to get so bad. I'm sorry."

"I know," she muttered into his chest. "I know. Momma's just so angry. She yelled at me so long last night. I didn't know what to say."

"It's all right. I understand. We're only here to get Junior's stuff and then we're leavin'. I don't want to fight. I just want to get this over as fast as possible." Francine nodded and both turned to the front door when it opened. Her step father was standing in the doorway. He didn't speak. His mouth twisted in a grimace for a moment and he called back into the house,

"Alma, its Ennis, Junior, and another man." They both heard yelling from inside that neither could understand a word of. "Alma, calm down. We don't need to start a fight."

"I'm not here to start a fight," said Ennis in a calm tone. "I'm just here to get Junior's stuff. Since her momma's kicked her out of the house, she's going to be living with me." He nodded slowly and turned back into the house.

"They're just here to get Junior's stuff and then go. They aren't here to fight, so please don't start one."

"I don't want to see her!" her voice said as she got closer. "I don't want to see any of them!"

"Alma, calm down. This can be done in a very civilized and calm manner. We can get this done with quickly."

"I don't want to see them!" They all heard a door slam in the house. The step father stepped out onto the front porch and left the front door open.

"Look, she's gone into our room and locked the door. I'll help you move everything." Alma and Jack had both gotten out of the truck and were now standing next to Francine. "I'm really sorry this all happened Alma. I really am sorry." Alma nodded slowly and gave him a sad smile.

The next few hours passed quickly for all five. Ennis, Jack, Francine, Alma Junior, and their step father descended upon her room and packed up everything as fast as possible in the boxes that they had brought with them. Their mother didn't come out of her room the entire time they were there and silently all five were thankful.

Once they had gathered up everything of hers, they all packed it into the truck. Junior said tearful good byes to both her sister and step father. She did ask Francine if she would come with her, but Francine felt that at least one of them needed to stay. She promised to write when she could. Alma gave her the address and they hugged each other one more time before getting back into the truck between her father and Jack.

As Ennis drove away, Jack comforted Alma so that Ennis could keep his eyes on the road. After a few hours of driving, Ennis pulled into a restaurant so that they could eat lunch. Alma went into the restroom to wash her face while Ennis and Jack got a table.

"This is getting more interesting than I bargained for," said Ennis as they sat down. Jack gave him a smile and said,

"Well, we'll deal. We haven't been living together for that long, but I knew there would be challenges."

"I don't think you were expecting this."

"Very true, I wasn't. But we'll deal. We'll get through. And sooner or later, things will work out."

"How can you be so confident?"

"You."

"Me?"

"You once held me and told me, 'Once we get up to Brokeback, we start work on the ranch, wake up in the morning and watch the sun shine hit the side of the mountain, and then everything will look better. It will all look easier from up there.' I believed you then, and I still believe you now." Jack fiddled with Ennis's wedding ring on his finger. He wanted to kiss or hold Ennis, but he couldn't where they were. Ennis smiled to himself and did the same thing with Jack's wedding ring on his finger. Alma came back and sat down next to Ennis. They ordered their lunch and then started talking about the plans for the ranch. It was odd. Their lives had managed to change so drastically in just a couple of weeks and yet they didn't seem that worried. They were a family now; Ennis, Jack, and Alma. And for now at least they seemed determined to stick together. Once they got home, all three moved Alma's things into her room and she started to unpack everything.

Jack and Ennis retreated downstairs while Alma arranged everything in her room the way she wanted it. They both opened up beers and sat down next to each other on the couch. They weren't as close as they would normally be, but neither felt that comfortable with Alma in the house; at least for now. Jack took Ennis's hand and their fingers interlaced. They both looked at each other and smiled. Jack tilted his head and heard faint music coming from Alma's room and Alma singing along. He leaned across the space they had made and gave Ennis a quick and tender kiss on the lips. Both smiled again. They would get through it. They would deal.