Chapter 13: Serpents in the Garden

Ennis sat in the living room of Alma and Monroe's house. The silence in the room was deafening, and he couldn't stop himself from raising a hand to his mouth, absently chewing on his thumbnail.

Looking up, he took in the pale stunned faces of his girls. His baby girls, who he had left behind so many times to spend time with the only person, other then them, that gave his life any meaning. Now, even though they were all grown and Junior was getting ready to marry and start her own life, Ennis felt that once again he was leaving them for Jack.

Slowly, tears running down her face, Junior turned and looked at her sister. The girls locked eyes, their expressions identical and then together they turned to look at their father.

"Oh my, God…" Junior choked suddenly, "how could I have not known? It all makes so much sense now! Cassie… I a'ways wonder'd why ya didn' marry her…and all them fishin' trips… all them years! God, Daddy… all them years… you was in love with Jack all them years! That's why you and Momma got divorced… ain' it?"

Ennis nodded slowly, not able to speak through the lump in his throat.

For over a year he had put off telling his girls the truth about he and Jack. Whenever they had pushed to come and see his new home, he had found countless reasons… all good and valid, but nothing so compelling that they couldn't be worked around… why they couldn't come at that time. Now however, with Junior getting married, and Jenny moving out on her own, Ennis had realized that he had to tell his girls the truth about their Daddy.

He was scared, no question about it, but he knew he needed to acknowledge that his girls were adults, and no longer children who need to be protected from the truth.

He watched as Junior glanced at Jenny again, and Ennis saw the look of agreement pass between them. Ennis braced himself, waiting for the recriminations and disownment that was sure to come… the declarations of hate and never wanting to see or speak to him again.

His stomach rolled when he thought of Junior getting married without him there to walk her down the aisle to her new husband, his heart hurt at the thought of the babies that his little girls would have and that he might never see… he brain spasmed with raw pain at the thought of the harsh words "queer" or "faggot" coming from the lips of his beloved little girls.

His eyes clenched tightly shut in preparation… not wanting to see the venom in his little girl's eyes, Ennis jumped a mile when he suddenly felt a set of arms wrap around him from either side.

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Jack had come up with a somewhat feasible story to explain the fact that he and Ennis lived together on the ranch with no women present. Of course, they had told everyone that asked… which in truth wasn't very many people, most people didn't care… that they were both divorced and had decided to go in together to run the ranch. However, there had been a few who looked at them oddly and wondered about their connection and how they had gotten together. To appease these people, Ennis had added that they were related by marriage, that Jack's ex-wife was his cousin.

Though he was sure that some of them didn't buy this, there was no way it could be proven to be untrue so, somewhat begrudgingly, the story had appeared to still the gossip's tongues, and they hadn't had any real troubles. Even so, Ennis and Jack were very careful when in town. No use taking unnecessary chances.

With their employees, Ennis had insisted that they be extra careful. These men were to be working closely with them on a daily basis, and Ennis wanted to be sure that there would be no problems. Jack had interviewed each man carefully, asking questions that brought out each mans character and thoughts on certain topics and then Ennis had spent a great deal of time asking questions about ranch experience and knowledge.

They had gone through nearly two dozen candidates before finally settling on eight men that seemed to know a great deal about ranching, and seemed unlikely to make problems in regards to Jack and Ennis sharing residence. Most of the men that worked for them were either aware of or suspected the truth about the real relationship between Ennis and Jack, not because they were obvious or demonstrative, but more because of the way they conducted themselves and the things they didn't do.

There was no camaraderie, no banter or jostling and joking the way friends, buddies and families do. Ennis was very stiff and businesslike with Jack refusing to touch him in any way, not even a handshake. The one time Jack had touched Ennis in front of the men, a simple clap on the back when their first foal had been born, had been met with a fierce glare and Ennis stepping away, putting several feet between them. This seemed odd for cousins and friends that liked each other enough to live and go into business together.

The deciding factor had been the day last year when Jack was thrown from his horse. Ennis' reaction… yelling Jack's name, almost in tears and then refusing to leave Jack's side even when the doctor arrived, not even being willing to let go of Jack's hand, and his explosive anger when they decided to take Jack to the hospital and wouldn't allow him to ride with them. All these things seemed so odd compared to Ennis' normal aloofness that the men had pretty much all reached the same conclusion; there was something more here then simple friends and distant relatives. However, for the most part they had worked for the men long enough and come to like them enough that they were willing to accept it and not allow it to be an issue. One of the men had quit, although he did it quietly and never let on why it was that he was quitting. Fortunately, one of the other men had a brother that was looking for work and they had not needed to look around.

Jack was aware of the men's knowledge, but Ennis was oblivious, and after a great deal of thought, Jack had decided that it might be better to leave it that way. Because nothing had ever been said and attitudes had never wavered, Ennis had relaxed with the men and was happy with the group that worked helped work he and Jack's spread.

Then, three months ago, Brent Harding, one of their best hands, had left to get married leaving them short handed. Much to Ennis' discomfort they had been forced to hire a new hand. Gary seemed to be working out alright thus far, but even though Ennis was becoming more comfortable with him, he felt the need to keep a close eye on him at all times.

Ennis was now riding the fence with Gary. Short and wiry with blond hair and a quick laugh, Gary was pleasant enough to talk to, and Ennis found that, for a young man, he was surprisingly well informed when it came to the topic of breeding horses.

It had been a dry spring thus far, and snakes were posing a real problem. The drier it got, the more often the snakes ventured into the ranch grounds, looking for water. One hand, Hal Mason, had been bitten already, although thankfully Jack had been present, and acted swiftly enough that Hal, though he would be ill for several weeks, would be fine and able to come back to work when he was ready.

The stream banks, once a nice place to sit and relax during lunch, had been declared off limits until the dry, hot spell ended. More often then not, one could spot dozens of rattlers and Water Moccasin's lining the banks, sunning themselves and skimming about the surface of the water. The combination of the two species was even more dangerous as they were natural enemies, which led to them being even more unpredictable and volatile.

All of this was making things very difficult in regards to the herd. Normally, the horses were set free during the day and allowed free rein of the main pasture. However, because the stream ran through the grounds, and there were places of dense bushes here and there, the horses were in danger of being bitten when in the pasture.

They had already lost one prize stallion to a Water Moccasin bite. Ennis had been livid, alternating between wanting to fire and wanting to beat the shit out of the hand that had been patrolling the fields. From that point on, the rule had been made that as long as the snake problems remained, all hands would travel in pairs, each armed with pistols as well as their usual rifles, all hands were to carry snake bite kits, and no less then four hands were to be present in the field while the horses were there.

Thus far, this strategy seemed to be working, and no further losses or injures had been sustained.
As he and Gary rode the perimeter of the fence, they discussed ways to keep snakes from getting into the stables. That morning when Ennis went in to check on Salamar, his favorite mare, and her new foal he had been confronted with two angry rattlers just inside the door.
Ennis steered his horse carefully through the underbrush, ever mindful for the telltale rattling that signaled a bush being occupied.

When they were within sight of the barn, Ennis heard a shout, and turned in the direction from which it had come.

He spotted Jack standing near the stable, waving his arms and whistling loudly to get his attention.

Signaling to Gary to follow him, Ennis clicked his tongue and touched his heels to his horse's sides. Steering around the brush and onto open ground, they galloping up to the stable, and Ennis pulled the horse to a stop next to Jack.

"Ennis…" Jack said, his voice slightly strained, "Sandy's here… says he needs to talk to us."

Searching Jack's face and seeing a tiny sliver of fear in his eyes, Ennis immediately turned to Gary and said, "tell Pete I said fer him ta ride the rest'a the fence with ya till I get back."

"Sure 'nough." Gary replied and slid down from his horses back and went into the stable to get Pete Summers, a tall skinny fella who had more muscles then brains, but who knew enough to do what he was told, and as thick as he was about some things, was one of the best wranglers Ennis had ever worked with.

Ennis slid off his horse's back and led her over to the water trough. Checking carefully to make sure no snakes were hiding under or around the trough, he turned on the hose and filled it. The horse snorted and lowered her head to drink.

While he worked he asked, "What's goin' on, Jack? Sandy tell ya anythin'?"

"Nope…" Jack replied, "jus' said it was important and need'd ta talk to us now."

Turning off the water and wiping his hands on the seat of his pants, Ennis tipped his hat back and scratched his head. He felt his gut tightening and a splinter of worry worked its way up his spine.
Walking up to the house, he said, "Well… guess we'll find out huh."

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Sandy shook hands with both men.

Jesus… hate to tell these men this… know it's gonna freak 'em out somethin' fierce... all this time with no trouble...

Ennis felt his spine stiffen at this. "What's all this 'bout?" He said briskly, interrupting Jack's line of nervous banter and cutting to the chase.

Sandy sighed deeply and motioned for Jack and Ennis to sit.

"Ok… there ain' no easy way ta say this so I'm jus' gonna com'on out with it."

Looking at Ennis closely, knowing that he was the one that he had to worry about reacting badly, Sandy drew himself up and started, "Goddard Stubbs is the leader of that group of punks I was tellin' ya 'bout the other day. Either of ya know 'em?"

Ennis and Jack looked at each other and then turned back to Sandy, shaking their heads no.
"Well, he knows you… knows ya ain' cousins too!"

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Ennis sucked in his breath… his worst fear realized… how or why he didn't know, but somehow someone had found them out… someone with the drive and desire to do them harm.

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Fuck!! How… we been so damn careful!!

For the most part, they kept a low profile around town. Fortunately, Fort Collins was big, so it was easy to simply blend in and not draw attention to themselves. They had made some friends, mostly venders with whom they did business, and advertisers that ran ads and printed flyers for them. No one asked questions anymore… few ever had really, and Jack had settled into his life with Ennis with a quiet certainty that Ennis' fears had been unfounded.

The thought that everything they had worked so hard for might be in jeopardy of falling down around their ears was almost more then Jack could take. The thought that Ennis had been right all along shot through him like a bolt of lightening, and he thought of nothing but holding on to Ennis as tight as he could.

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Jack took a step closer to Ennis, and reaching out he took his hand. Ennis looked over at Jack, about to jerk his hand away and scowl at him, but one look at Jack's face… pale, almost gray, lips tight and drawn, blue eyes wide and drained of color… and his anger immediately gave way to concern. Instead of pulling away, he squeezed Jack's hand in slight reassurance, for himself as well as Jack and kept Jack's hand tight in his.

"What exactly do ya mean?" Ennis asked his voice tight and strained… fear controlled but visible in his dilated eyes.

"It seems," Sandy said, all business now as he began pacing in front of them, "that Stubbs has himself rich uncle… ranch'r from up in Wyoming. This uncle's been talkin' to 'em, and told him a funny lil' tale bout a couple'a cowboys that worked fer him one summer… herdin' sheep is what I believe he said."

"Aguirre…" Ennis breathed, suddenly very glad that he was sitting down… knowing that if he had been standing he would have fallen flat on his face as he felt all of the blood in his body drain quickly into his suddenly leaden feet.

"Oh God…" Jack gasped his hand contracting and squeezing Ennis' so hard that Ennis winced.

Why can't that fucker jus' leave us alone… wha'd we ev'r do ta him… can't help it if'in we fell in love on his fuckin' time… why's it such a fuckin' thin' fer him anyways…

Sandy searched both men's faces and knew immediately that they knew exactly who he was talking about. "That's right, Joe Aguirre. Man owns one of the biggest ranches in the Southwest, a ranch that's losin' money an clients at'a pretty steady rate from what I hear, and apparently, he ain' none to happy that them two cowboys he told his nephew about are doin' quite well fer themselves while his spread is goin' down hill."

"Don' make sense though… Aguirre ain' a horse breeder… his herd is sheep! What's our business got to do with him?" Ennis' voice was incredulous and angry. Try as he might, he just couldn't imagine why Aguirre would give two shits about him and Jack after all these years.

"According to Stubbs, Aguirre is pissed as hell that a couple'a …. um… well… a couple'a 'cocksuckin queers' are doin' so well while his business is on it's way out." Sandy said, stumbling over the words and feeling like a shit for saying them. Jack winced and Ennis squeezed his eyes shut.

Shit

"Damn! Jack… Ennis… I'm sorry 'bout that… ya both know I don' feel that way… got no issue with yer private life… think of both'a ya like brothers!" Sandy said quickly, his distress obvious.

Ennis stood on shaky legs and clapped Sandy on the shoulder squeezing lightly, "Don' worry 'bout it, Sandy… yer a good friend… we know yer jus' doin' yer job."

Sandy couldn't help but grin, and Ennis looked at him strangely, "Somethin' funny?" He asked, his eyebrows coming together.

"Nope… not a thin'… but do ya realize that's the first time ya ever called me Sandy?"

Ennis heard a sound behind him, something that sounded like a cross between a choke and a sob. Turning he took in Jack's pale face, eyes wide and watery, and felt real fear at the horrible sounds Jack was making. His fear increased when he suddenly realized that Jack was laughing. Hysterical laughter that shook Ennis to his core.

Sandy stood looking at Jack, his face a mask of surprise and concern, "Jesus… you ok, Jack?" He said quietly when the horrible laughter had finally stopped.

Shaking himself, Jack nodded, gulping in deep breaths. To Ennis and Sandy's relief the color was returning to Jack's face and lips.

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Shitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshit

The word rolled over and over through his mind, a constant mantra. The laughter had hit him from the side, and he hadn't seen it coming. He didn't know what brought it on, the fact that Aguirre had such a reach and had held such weight over their lives all these years… first driving he and Ennis apart before they truly had a chance to be together, reinforcing the fear in Ennis enough so that he couldn't possibly ask Jack to stay with him, trying to hurt them last year, and now this, exposing them to his nephew and risking everything they had worked so hard for because he was jealous of their success… or was it the fact that Ennis chose now, of all times, to finally call their friend by the name he had been asking him to use for the last 15 months! He didn't know what had started it, but now as he caught his breath, he realized that the frozen feeling that had come over him was lifting and he could think again.

Fuckin' Aguirre… man damn near ruined my life 21 years ago when he took Ennis from me… tried again last year at that damn bar… fuckin' asshole… shoulda beat the fucker then when I had a chance, fer he had a chance ta hurt us again…

Suddenly, standing there in the kitchen, with the Fort Collins Sheriff, their good friend Eddie Sanborn looking on, Ennis stepped over and wrapped his arms around Jack and held him tight. That was all, just simply stood there and held him, but somehow, the fact that Ennis did that… willingly showed that he cared that much in front of another human being… filled Jack with relief and let him believe that everything was going to be ok.

Instinctively, Jack brought his arms up around Ennis' back and held on to him just as tight.
"Don' nev'r do that again, darlin'… scared me somethin' awful…" Ennis whispered in his ear, his breath hot against Jack's neck.

"I'm sorry, babe," Jack whispered in return, tightening his arms around Ennis, "didn' mean ta scare ya."

Sandy cleared his throat, and Jack felt Ennis jump and stiffen, but incredibly he did not remove his arms from Jack's waist, though his face reddened and he looked down briefly before raising his eyes, proud and steady, back to meet Sandy's.

"Sorry, Sandy…" Ennis began in a voice that said he was anything but. Sandy put up a hand and stopped him.

"None'a that…" his voice was gruff and he cleared his throat before he continued, "I'm gonna leave you fellas be now… 'magine you have a lot to discuss. Just remember, I know what's goin' on, and my deputies are goin' be keepin' an eye on this place fer awhile. Don't see no need'a worrin' jus' yet, but thought ya should know so's ya can keep an eye out."

"We 'prciate it, Sandy." Jack said, and reached a hand out to shake hands with him, though he kept the other firmly planted on Ennis' back and couldn't help but be thrilled when Ennis made no move to remove his hands from Jack' waist.

"Probably should let ya know, we're gonna be oughta town fer a few days. Leavin' Friday, won' be back til the followin' Sunday." Jack added, and turned to smile at Ennis, "we got a weddin' to attend, right, Cowboy?"

"Yup," Ennis agreed and smiled back.

"Well then… you fellas have a good trip, and don' worry 'bout nothin' 'round here… I'll have a man watching the place regular while yer gone."

Shifting from one foot to the other, Sandy stood there for a moment, watching as Ennis, who had apparently forgotten that Sandy was even there, stood looking at Jack as though he had never seen him before.

Sandy realized, uncomfortably, that his presence was no longer needed and most definitely not desired, and he quietly left the house, closing and locking the kitchen door behind him thinking, Sure hope nothin' happens ta hurt these guys… the'r good men and don' deserve none'a this shit!

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Jack drove the five and half hours it took them to reach Riverton. Ennis sat in the passenger seat, chewing his nails, and fighting to keep his leg from jumping.

Happy as he was to have Jack with him and as relieved as he was that they were away from town and out of range of Goddard Stubbs and his friends, Ennis couldn't help but worry a bit what kind of reception they would receive.

Ennis knew the girls would not mind so much. He remembered that they had asked when they would get to meet Jack the day he told them about he and Jack's relationship. Though he was nervous and afraid they might not like him or that it might be more uncomfortable for them then they expected, he wasn't worried about them so much. Nor was he particularly worried about the other people in town that would surely be invited and see he and Jack together in town. He knew for a fact that Alma had never spoken a word to anyone about he and Jack other then to tell them the same basic story as they had used in Fort Collins, leaving out the cousins part and just making them divorced friends joining in a business venture.

No, the person he most worried about was Alma herself. Even though they had finally seemed to reach a point where they could be civil to each other, and had actually laughed together at the introduction dinner about memories of Junior as a baby, Ennis knew that her feelings toward Jack and her resentment toward him for not staying away had not changed. He knew that as a Christian woman, she would never be openly rude enough to order him out of her house, nor would she make a scene in front of others, but he was worried about what she might say in private, and what Jack's appearance might do to the fragile peace they had begun to establish.
His hope was that if he explained the situation at home to her, and told her that Jack was only there because it might not be safe for him to be alone at the moment, then she might except his presence as unavoidable she might be more tolerant.

Having opted to drive through the night to avoid traffic, they arrived in Riverton around 6:30 am, and drove straight to the hotel where Jack had reserved them a room. They had briefly kidded about staying at the Siesta Motel and trying to get the same room as last time they stayed there, but in the end Jack had vetoed the idea stating that there were "too many painful memories" attached to that place. This time the opted for the Super 8 motel on N. Federal St..

While Ennis went and checked in, Jack set about taking their bags out of the truck. They had agreed beforehand to rent a room with two beds, Ennis wanting to avoid a repeat performance of their first night in Colorado with that squirrelly little hotel clerk. Knowing what is was taking for Ennis to even agree to openly staying in the same room with him, Jack had decided not to push his luck this time.

As soon as they got into their room, they took turns showering and collapsed on the bed closest to the window. To tired to do more then kiss, Jack curled up on his side, and Ennis snuggled up against his back, wrapping himself around him and twining their legs together. Within minutes both men were sound asleep.

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Ennis watched Jack as he mingled amongst the people in the reception hall. It never ceased to amaze him how Jack was able to charm his way into the good graces of almost everyone he met. Of course, Ennis knew very well that ninety-nine percent of these men and women would not hesitate to shun and curse Jack if they knew the truth about he and Ennis, some of them, Ennis was sure, would not even hesitate to strike them both down if they knew.

The past week had gone well. There had been a few uncomfortable moments when introducing Jack to Junior and Jenny, but Jack had flashed his dimpled smile at them, and Ennis watched as that familiar google-eyed expression… the one that crossed almost every woman's face when she encountered Jack Twist… slide onto his daughter's faces and he knew that any fear he might have had in regards to them liking Jack was completely unfounded.

This belief was solidified later in the evening when Jenny, who had never been afraid to say just what she was thinking, walked past him on the way to get more ice from the kitchen and whispered in a low voice so only he could hear, "Daddy, yer man is dreamy!"

Ennis felt his face turn flaming red at that, and he couldn't reply. Silently he thought, I couldn't agree more, and blanched when Jack chose that moment to look over at Ennis and catch him staring, his "Ennis" smile made its first appearance of the evening, though not it's last, and Ennis felt the blood rushing from his face to a much lower part of his body.

Even Alma, though it was obvious that she was determined not to like Jack, had begun to show signs of swaying from her resolve. Earlier in the evening, in what Ennis believed, at the time, to be one of the top ten stupidest things that Jack Twist had done since he had known him, Jack had walked up, flashing that same dimpled smile, and asked if he could "dance with the lovely mother of the bride."

At first Alma looked horrified, and looked at Jack's proffered arm as though it were something nasty that you would not touch without a glove. However, when Jack simply stood there, that smile on his face, and his eyes shining at her, Alma had caved and nodding stiffly she had taken Jack's arm, her fingers barely touching his jacket sleeve, and followed him on to the dance floor.
Ennis had stood transfixed, watching Jack dancing with Alma, and finding himself in awe of what a good dancer Jack was. As he watched and saw Alma begin to soften and even smile under Jack's attention, and he felt his surprise melt into pride. Pride because Jack was able to charm even Alma, whose heart could be harder the steel once she set to it, but more then that, pride that Jack was his… his man… and damned if Jenny weren't right… Jack Twist was 'bout the dreamiest thing Ennis Del Mar had ever laid eyes on… but most of all, the thing that made Ennis feel the proudest and sometimes left his head whirling with how's and whys… was that that man… that wonderful, handsome, sweet, sexy and charming man… had chosen him!

Now as he stood watching Jack mingle, joking with the men, flattering the ladies, and quickly becoming the most popular man in the room, Ennis felt a wave of need wash over him. Not sexual, just a need to be with Jack… talk to him… touch him, even if just a friendly punch on the arm.

Thinking that all he would do was to walk over and clap him on the shoulder, join the group of men he was with, and shoot the shit a bit, Ennis walked across the room and placed his hand on Jack's shoulder.

A jolt like electricity went through him, and he felt it work its way quickly south. Jack jumped a little, and Ennis instantly knew that he had felt it as well. Clapping Jack's shoulder a bit harder then intended to cover their reactions from the other men standing around, Ennis dropped his arm to his side and asked Rob Taggart, the postmaster how things had been going.

After about ten minutes or so of talking, Ennis excused himself, and walked away, knowing that Jack was watching him go. As inconspicuously as possible, Ennis ducked into the cloak room, leaving the door ajar a little and the lights off. He stood in the little room for several minutes, waiting, hoping that Jack had seen him enter and knew that he was waiting for him to follow.
Just when Ennis was about to give up, the door swung open a bit more, and Ennis heard Jack's voice whisper, "Ennis… you in here?"

Ennis' response was to reach out and grab Jack's arm pulling him into him and closing the door behind him. Running his hands up Jack's arms and across his shoulders he dragged them up Jack's cheeks and buried them in his hair. There was almost no light in the little room, but enough came in under the door for Ennis to see Jack's face, eyes glittering slightly before he brought their mouths together in a hard kiss.

When they pulled apart several minutes later, Jack chuckled low in his throat and said, "Damn… must be somethin' in the water!"

"Huh?" Ennis asked, squeezing Jack and then sliding his hands down to cup Jack's ass, not pulling them together just resting his hands there.

"Well… seems to me somethin' 'bout Riverton makes ya wanna kiss me like there might not be 'nother chance! Makes three times now that ya 'bout kiss'd the life oughta me in this here town… fig're must be somthin' in the water!"

"Jack Fuckin' Twist!" Ennis growled in that way he had that made those words sound more like 'I Love You', and stroked his hand gently up and down across the curves of Jack's ass as they began kissing him again.

Suddenly, the sound of Alma and Jenny's voices broke through the haze of their kiss.

They were right outside the door, and Ennis heard Alma say in a strange tone, "Where's yer Daddy?"

Ennis heard something in her voice. Something that stilled his hands and made him step back from Jack, a shiver of cold replacing the fire that had been growing in his belly.
Fear… that's fear in Alma's voice!

"Jenny, go find yer sister and Kurt… now!" Alma said, her voice low and nervous.

"Yes, Momma!" Jenny breathed and they heard her heels clicking as she hurried away in search of the newlyweds. Ennis listened for a moment more and heard Alma breath something that sounded like "God save 'em… Monroe…gotta find Monroe…" and then he heard her shoes clicking away in the opposite direction so quickly that Ennis could tell she was nearly running.
Ennis felt sweat running down his face, and looked at Jack quickly, "Somethin's wrong… we gotta get outta here. Stay here… I'll go out, ya follow me inna couple'a minutes… k?"
Something about the uneasiness in Ennis' voice transferred itself to Jack, and he nodded, his eyes wide with alarm.

Ennis straightened his suit the best he could, tucked in his shirt, and ran a hand over his hair. Then smiling quickly at Jack, he pulled open the door and stepped out into the reception hall.

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Jack stood in the dark cloak room for several moments. Finally when he was tired of waiting and figured that Ennis must have had time to make it far away from the door by now, he quickly opened the door and stepped out… and ran right into Ennis who was standing stock still in front of the door!

"Ooofff…." Jack exclaimed, "Ennis… what the hell…?" then he looked at Ennis face… gray, lips in a stiff line, eyes unblinking and filled with a sick fear that Jack had never seen there before, not even when facing down Aguirre's goons.

"Ennis… what is it… what's happened?" Jack whispered and touched Ennis' arm. He followed the line of Ennis eyes, and spotted a tall blonde haired man, grey around the temples, and a somewhat familiar look about his eyes.

"Ennis… who is that man…?" Jack asked, a river of dread quickly running from his stomach to his heart

"That ain' no man…" Ennis ground out, his lips not even moving, "that's my brother!"

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