morrobay1990

Title: All Things Considered, 39
Author:

morrobay1990
Genre: mo!ennis
Word count: 700
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.

Previously, on All Things Considered...

What had she just seen? Had she just seen Travis standing between Ennis’s legs, with Ennis’s arms around him, kissing him? Is that what she’d seen?

They were lying on the bed on their backs, not touching, same thought galloping through their minds: what had Deborah seen?

“I’m sorry.”
“You should be. And you’ll be more sorry than you know.”

He didn’t hear the truck pull up, but heard the door slam as he came down the stairs, and thought, ’bout time he got back...his mind already going over all the things he wanted to talk to Travis about...the wealthy new boarder, who could turn into a gold mine if she brought all her friends to board here with her, the repairs needed on the horse trailers, and, his favorite, and which he would hold until last, maybe when they were in bed, the letter they’d received today from the county commissioner notifying them that the ranch had been chosen to host a rodeo next summer, their first.

He started to go back to the kitchen when he heard the doorbell...so it wasn’t Travis. He opened the door.

“Hello, Ennis.”

He was unprepared for this. He and Deborah had been polite to each other, and he didn’t know about her, but he could live just fine without ever seeing her again...and now here she was. He was immediately suspicious and assumed it had something to do with that night.

“He ain’t here.”

“I came to see you, I’ve already talked to him.”

She pushed past him and walked in, infuriating Ennis...if she were a man...

“I got nothin to say to you.”

“Well, I have some things to say to you, and if you’re smart...”

“You threatenin me?” The anger he’d felt towards her for so long was making its way to the surface. “Maybe you better leave before I forget you’re a woman.”

“Yeah, I hear you’re better with men.” She hadn’t meant to say anything like that...or maybe she wanted to say something hurtful to him…wanted someone else to hurt like she was hurting.

Ennis felt as though she’d struck him, but his life-long stoic façade stood him in good stead as he swallowed his anger and decided the best thing was just to get her out of there.

“Might be best if you went on home. If you have anything to say, do it during business hours, I’ll be at the barn tomorra morning at six.”

Deborah was too far gone to think about leaving...too hurt by what she saw as Travis’s betrayal to think rationally. She started pacing in the entryway, her mind a blur of memories...Travis kissing her, whispering her name as he pushed up against her. Travis...kissing the man in front of her. Did he whisper his name as he kissed him...and after the kissing...then what? What did they do?

She shuddered at the thought, repulsed.

“No. Goddamm it, we are gonna have it out right now. What did you do to him? He was with me. Why did you....”

Deep down, she still didn’t think there was a chance in a million that Travis could ever possibly in a thousand years, want a man, or even another woman for that matter, instead of her.

She spun around to face him, her eyes narrowed, venom in her voice.

“What did you do to him? He was happy with me, we were happy. You know he’s not gonna stay interested in you...he’s just curious...wants to see what it’s like, maybe. But he was happy with me.” Suddenly, even to her, it sounded like she was grasping at straws.

“I said I ain't talkin to you. Nothin about me is any a your business, and I ain’t gonna stand here in my own house and listen to you.“ He turned and put his hand on the door. ”Like I said, you better go.”

Ennis’s calm demeanor was making Deborah angrier, but as quickly as it flared, it died back a little as she looked at him, really looked at him, suddenly seeing him in a different light. Was Travis really in love with him? What was it about this quiet country cowboy that had attracted a man like Travis? How had she not seen the signs? Or maybe there were no signs to see.

She felt the fight ebbing as she realized she was standing in the house they shared, upstairs was the room they shared, the bed...all around her were signs of the life they shared.

It was as if she just realized where she was, what she was doing...and how nothing she could do or say would change the reality of what she now saw in front of her. She had never felt unsure of herself or her choices or decisions...until now.