All Things Considered, 36
Apr. 11th, 2012 06:25 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
morrobay1990Title: All Things Considered, 36
Author:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
morrobay1990
Genre: mo!ennis
Word count: 1600
Disclaimer: Jack & Ennis are AP's.
♥ Jack
This is about Ennis moving on. Ennis with a man other than Jack. Ennis in a loving relationship, but not with Jack…with someone else. He's learning to live with his past...and he loves another man. Now he’s accepting that he can be happy with Travis, and still honor Jack’s memory.
Previously, on All Things Considered...
"Just wait a minute and let me explain."
"Yeah, that should be good. Why don't you try to explain sneakin around and hirin your ex-girlfriend to run a training program we don't even have."
Ennis knew what it was like to fuck up, he'd done it with Travis enough times - maybe this was just Travis making one big, fucking, honest mistake.
“Jesus, who the hell is that?” Travis was furious at the interruption...He went to the door and yanked it open, ready to send whoever it was back where they came from.
Deborah was on the porch, “I saw your lights on, I hope you don't mind that I stopped in.”
All Things Considered, 36
“Deborah, it's almost nine o'clock, what are you doing here?”
“I'm sorry, I know it's late...but would it be ok if I came in? Just for a
Minute? I had a couple questions.”
“I was just going to bed, I'm beat. Can it wait til tomorrow? Come by the
office.”
“I'll only stay a minute,” and she put a hand on his arm.
“Deborah.” He raised his arm and ran his hand through his hair, and as he did,
her hand fell away. “I don't like the staff to come to my house after work
hours unless it's an emergency. If you have any questions for me, come by the
office tomorrow any time and we'll go over anything that's not clear, ok?”
She looked at him, understanding now that he was brushing her off, he only saw
her as one of the trainers. Thoroughly embarrassed, her face flushing red, she
backed up a step. “Right. I'll come by tomorrow. Sorry to bother you.” And
she was gone.
Travis shut the door and saw Ennis in the hallway leaning against the wall.
“I had no idea she was coming here...I haven't talked to her since I went to see
her.”
Ennis didn't move or speak, he just stood there, so Travis went on, “Ennis, I swear, I didn't know...” Goddamn Deborah Strait, he wished he'd never met her.
Ennis walked to him, “I know, I heard.” He pulled Travis to him and they
kissed. Then he leaned back a little, their lips not quite touching, “You know, I think
she is gonna be one big pain in the ass.”
Travis smiled with relief, “I think you're right. And since it's my fault she
works here now, let's go to bed,” he kissed Ennis again, “and I'll see if I can
make it up to you.”
“I don't know...” said Ennis, pulling Travis’s shirt out of his jeans and running his hands slowly up and down Travis's body, “it was a pretty big mistake.”
Travis reached between them and slipped his hand inside Ennis's jeans. “Might
take me all night, but I'll give it my best shot.”
“Jenn, it's Deborah...can you come over tomorrow night, I need somebody to talk to.”
“Yeah, I can come. What happened?”
“Oh, it's about Travis...” She sounded impatient with herself. “Just come over
about seven, and bring food...I have liquor.”
Deborah was devastated at the way Travis had treated her on the porch of his
house. Maybe she was still being too pushy. Never in her life had she needed
advice about men, but she was going to talk to Jennifer about it, get her opinion.
Jennifer got there at seven and they sat outside on the patio eating pizza and
drinking beer. Deborah told her what happened and Jennifer was surprised –
shocked, really. More times than she could count she had seen Deborah set her
mind on someone and – snap – they were hers...but not this time.
“Maybe he's seeing someone,” she said. “Let's see...who would be a likely
candidate for Travis?”
Deborah tilted a can of beer to her lips and drank. “Haven't a clue, I don't
keep up with the women around here, only the men.”
“Maybe he really is gay.” She held up a hand at the shock on Deborah's
face. “Well, you're the one who brought it up! Last year, remember? You said
with your luck...”
“Yeah, yeah, I remember...I was kidding.”
“Well, it's not outside the realm of possibility,” Jennifer cocked her head and
gave Deborah a questioning look. “OK, ok, let's assume he's not...are you gonna
keep trying to rope him in?”
Deborah frowned, and said sarcastically, “Christ, I love the way you put
that!” Then she sighed, “I don't know...he was interested once, maybe
he thinks I'm too pushy, maybe I'm trying too hard. I guess I could back off,
give him the I'm-not-really-interested-but-look-what-you're-missing treatment.
I never had to do anything like this before...maybe it's just not meant to be.”
“Maybe not. There are other guys around, you know. How 'bout his buddy?
He's not bad...little old, maybe.”
“Ennis Del Mar.” Deborah laughed. “Can't stand him, and the feeling's
mutual – I think he's jealous.” Her eyes widened. “Holy shit! You don't think
he's got a crush on Travis, too, do you?”
“Deborah! You can be so mean...but I'm sure you'll keep your eyes open and if
there's anything to know, you'll be the one to find out.”
“Oh, gimme a break, I'm not being mean. He's the one that was rude to
me...well, maybe I could have been a little nicer...but I suspect we'll spend
our time trying to avoid each other once I'm working there.”
And avoid each other they did. Deborah's transition to Crazy J was relatively
smooth and uneventful. When Travis introduced them on her first day, Ennis had
nodded and walked away. She insisted on calling him MISTER Del Mar, in a
sarcastic “so-you-own-the-ranch-big-deal” kind of way.
But they taught different disciplines, used different arenas, even their lesson horses were
stabled on different aisles in the barn, they shared only the tack room.
Travis, for his part, made damn sure he was never alone with her, and after the
disaster on his front porch, she did not seek him out while she planned her next
strategy.
Spring of 2000 passed cold and wet, making everyone – human and equine –
miserable. The outside arenas were lakes of mud, forcing Ennis and Deborah to
communicate and compromise as they scheduled their training sessions using only
the indoor arena.
Once, out of curiosity, she had stayed to watch him teach and
realized that he really knew his stuff, and he was good with the kids.
They responded to him and he was patient with them, didn't talk down to them and
at the same time expected a lot from them – but not more than they could give.
She found herself having a sort of grudging respect for the guy.
As she had promised Travis, a dozen of her students came with her to Crazy J,
boosting their number of boarders and adding to their training schedule...and
the ranch's bottom line. Going over the numbers one Friday, both Travis and
Ennis had to agree that she was an asset, she was bringing in money. Travis was
glad to see that, it made his decision to bring her on board easier to live with.
Things between Ennis and Deborah seemed to have leveled out; Travis had seen
them talking together as they set up their training schedules, and he relaxed
considerably after that.
Travis couldn't remember a time in his life when he had been happier. He and
Ennis settled into a comfortable, if hectic, routine. They put in long hours
and worked hard, which made their time alone all the more prized. Early on,
they had rarely had time to go to the cabin, but as things progressed, they both
agreed that the ranch could now be left in the capable hands of the staff they
had carefully chosen, so they went once a month.
Ennis was a changed man. He would never let the memory of Jack go, but he was
able now to remember him and their time together in a way that didn't cripple
him as it once had.
To be sure, he still felt an enormous amount of guilt, but
when it got bad he was able to talk about it with Travis...something he'd never
been able to do before. It wasn't trapped inside him any more, and he found himself
so comfortable with Travis that he could talk to him about almost anything. And
this freedom, this ability to communicate in a way he had never known,
went far towards allowing him to actually enjoy life for the first time since
Jack. Even the nightmares had become less frequent, and when he dreamed, he
could usually remember them without pain.
They were sitting outside one evening late in June, listening to the twilight
sounds and talking about the work to be done at the cabin next weekend. Ennis
was sitting on the railing that surrounded the patio, and he nodded his head at
Travis, who left his chair to stand in front of him. They kissed long and
lingering, and when they broke apart, Travis nuzzled his neck and Ennis closed
his eyes, enjoying thoughts of the night to come.
Suddenly he pushed Travis away from him and got off the railing, Travis looked
at him and frowned, "Ennis...what...?"
He followed Ennis's gaze and saw Deborah standing there. She had come around the side of the house and she was breathless, as though she had been running.
"Deborah! What are you doing here? You know the..."
But she cut him off, "Ennis, Mariah's down, John already called the vet.”
Then she turned and ran back to the barn.
Author:
morrobay1990Genre: mo!ennis
Word count: 1600
Disclaimer: Jack & Ennis are AP's.
♥ Jack
This is about Ennis moving on. Ennis with a man other than Jack. Ennis in a loving relationship, but not with Jack…with someone else. He's learning to live with his past...and he loves another man. Now he’s accepting that he can be happy with Travis, and still honor Jack’s memory.
Previously, on All Things Considered...
"Just wait a minute and let me explain."
"Yeah, that should be good. Why don't you try to explain sneakin around and hirin your ex-girlfriend to run a training program we don't even have."
Ennis knew what it was like to fuck up, he'd done it with Travis enough times - maybe this was just Travis making one big, fucking, honest mistake.
“Jesus, who the hell is that?” Travis was furious at the interruption...He went to the door and yanked it open, ready to send whoever it was back where they came from.
Deborah was on the porch, “I saw your lights on, I hope you don't mind that I stopped in.”
All Things Considered, 36
“Deborah, it's almost nine o'clock, what are you doing here?”
“I'm sorry, I know it's late...but would it be ok if I came in? Just for a
Minute? I had a couple questions.”
“I was just going to bed, I'm beat. Can it wait til tomorrow? Come by the
office.”
“I'll only stay a minute,” and she put a hand on his arm.
“Deborah.” He raised his arm and ran his hand through his hair, and as he did,
her hand fell away. “I don't like the staff to come to my house after work
hours unless it's an emergency. If you have any questions for me, come by the
office tomorrow any time and we'll go over anything that's not clear, ok?”
She looked at him, understanding now that he was brushing her off, he only saw
her as one of the trainers. Thoroughly embarrassed, her face flushing red, she
backed up a step. “Right. I'll come by tomorrow. Sorry to bother you.” And
she was gone.
Travis shut the door and saw Ennis in the hallway leaning against the wall.
“I had no idea she was coming here...I haven't talked to her since I went to see
her.”
Ennis didn't move or speak, he just stood there, so Travis went on, “Ennis, I swear, I didn't know...” Goddamn Deborah Strait, he wished he'd never met her.
Ennis walked to him, “I know, I heard.” He pulled Travis to him and they
kissed. Then he leaned back a little, their lips not quite touching, “You know, I think
she is gonna be one big pain in the ass.”
Travis smiled with relief, “I think you're right. And since it's my fault she
works here now, let's go to bed,” he kissed Ennis again, “and I'll see if I can
make it up to you.”
“I don't know...” said Ennis, pulling Travis’s shirt out of his jeans and running his hands slowly up and down Travis's body, “it was a pretty big mistake.”
Travis reached between them and slipped his hand inside Ennis's jeans. “Might
take me all night, but I'll give it my best shot.”
“Jenn, it's Deborah...can you come over tomorrow night, I need somebody to talk to.”
“Yeah, I can come. What happened?”
“Oh, it's about Travis...” She sounded impatient with herself. “Just come over
about seven, and bring food...I have liquor.”
Deborah was devastated at the way Travis had treated her on the porch of his
house. Maybe she was still being too pushy. Never in her life had she needed
advice about men, but she was going to talk to Jennifer about it, get her opinion.
Jennifer got there at seven and they sat outside on the patio eating pizza and
drinking beer. Deborah told her what happened and Jennifer was surprised –
shocked, really. More times than she could count she had seen Deborah set her
mind on someone and – snap – they were hers...but not this time.
“Maybe he's seeing someone,” she said. “Let's see...who would be a likely
candidate for Travis?”
Deborah tilted a can of beer to her lips and drank. “Haven't a clue, I don't
keep up with the women around here, only the men.”
“Maybe he really is gay.” She held up a hand at the shock on Deborah's
face. “Well, you're the one who brought it up! Last year, remember? You said
with your luck...”
“Yeah, yeah, I remember...I was kidding.”
“Well, it's not outside the realm of possibility,” Jennifer cocked her head and
gave Deborah a questioning look. “OK, ok, let's assume he's not...are you gonna
keep trying to rope him in?”
Deborah frowned, and said sarcastically, “Christ, I love the way you put
that!” Then she sighed, “I don't know...he was interested once, maybe
he thinks I'm too pushy, maybe I'm trying too hard. I guess I could back off,
give him the I'm-not-really-interested-but-look-what-you're-missing treatment.
I never had to do anything like this before...maybe it's just not meant to be.”
“Maybe not. There are other guys around, you know. How 'bout his buddy?
He's not bad...little old, maybe.”
“Ennis Del Mar.” Deborah laughed. “Can't stand him, and the feeling's
mutual – I think he's jealous.” Her eyes widened. “Holy shit! You don't think
he's got a crush on Travis, too, do you?”
“Deborah! You can be so mean...but I'm sure you'll keep your eyes open and if
there's anything to know, you'll be the one to find out.”
“Oh, gimme a break, I'm not being mean. He's the one that was rude to
me...well, maybe I could have been a little nicer...but I suspect we'll spend
our time trying to avoid each other once I'm working there.”
And avoid each other they did. Deborah's transition to Crazy J was relatively
smooth and uneventful. When Travis introduced them on her first day, Ennis had
nodded and walked away. She insisted on calling him MISTER Del Mar, in a
sarcastic “so-you-own-the-ranch-big-deal” kind of way.
But they taught different disciplines, used different arenas, even their lesson horses were
stabled on different aisles in the barn, they shared only the tack room.
Travis, for his part, made damn sure he was never alone with her, and after the
disaster on his front porch, she did not seek him out while she planned her next
strategy.
Spring of 2000 passed cold and wet, making everyone – human and equine –
miserable. The outside arenas were lakes of mud, forcing Ennis and Deborah to
communicate and compromise as they scheduled their training sessions using only
the indoor arena.
Once, out of curiosity, she had stayed to watch him teach and
realized that he really knew his stuff, and he was good with the kids.
They responded to him and he was patient with them, didn't talk down to them and
at the same time expected a lot from them – but not more than they could give.
She found herself having a sort of grudging respect for the guy.
As she had promised Travis, a dozen of her students came with her to Crazy J,
boosting their number of boarders and adding to their training schedule...and
the ranch's bottom line. Going over the numbers one Friday, both Travis and
Ennis had to agree that she was an asset, she was bringing in money. Travis was
glad to see that, it made his decision to bring her on board easier to live with.
Things between Ennis and Deborah seemed to have leveled out; Travis had seen
them talking together as they set up their training schedules, and he relaxed
considerably after that.
Travis couldn't remember a time in his life when he had been happier. He and
Ennis settled into a comfortable, if hectic, routine. They put in long hours
and worked hard, which made their time alone all the more prized. Early on,
they had rarely had time to go to the cabin, but as things progressed, they both
agreed that the ranch could now be left in the capable hands of the staff they
had carefully chosen, so they went once a month.
Ennis was a changed man. He would never let the memory of Jack go, but he was
able now to remember him and their time together in a way that didn't cripple
him as it once had.
To be sure, he still felt an enormous amount of guilt, but
when it got bad he was able to talk about it with Travis...something he'd never
been able to do before. It wasn't trapped inside him any more, and he found himself
so comfortable with Travis that he could talk to him about almost anything. And
this freedom, this ability to communicate in a way he had never known,
went far towards allowing him to actually enjoy life for the first time since
Jack. Even the nightmares had become less frequent, and when he dreamed, he
could usually remember them without pain.
They were sitting outside one evening late in June, listening to the twilight
sounds and talking about the work to be done at the cabin next weekend. Ennis
was sitting on the railing that surrounded the patio, and he nodded his head at
Travis, who left his chair to stand in front of him. They kissed long and
lingering, and when they broke apart, Travis nuzzled his neck and Ennis closed
his eyes, enjoying thoughts of the night to come.
Suddenly he pushed Travis away from him and got off the railing, Travis looked
at him and frowned, "Ennis...what...?"
He followed Ennis's gaze and saw Deborah standing there. She had come around the side of the house and she was breathless, as though she had been running.
"Deborah! What are you doing here? You know the..."
But she cut him off, "Ennis, Mariah's down, John already called the vet.”
Then she turned and ran back to the barn.
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no subject
Date: 2012-04-18 08:14 pm (UTC)