Mornin'.
Great update. Sigh of relief; didn't know I was holding my breath for so long.
One of my favorite passages in this chapter: "He was goddamned bedrock, and everything rolled right off without leaving any trace. But Jack fucking Twist was like a million years of rain, wearing channels and caverns all through him, sinkholes down into the dark depths that he never thought would see the light of day again. Right now he felt about as rock-solid as Swiss cheese." The imagery is beautiful.
Jack has that way with Ennis...reaching through the hard exterior to find the real person underneath. And, glad to have you use Ennis' real name...it shows how much he has changed. And his hesitance at touching Jack, but finally breaking through doubts and fears to reach out for what he really wants... more wonderful writing.
Was wondering how Ennis would rescue Jack...always nice to have the right friends to help! And, speaking of them, you raised a lot of questions about X and Ennis' relationship with X.
Their almost idyllic "Brokeback Mountain" days in Tahoe are over. Now, how do they cope with the emotions and dangers off that mountain and back in the "real" world? Redding probably isn't so safe for them...if the bad guys could find them in Tahoe, why not in Redding in his brother's house? Better high-tail it to some location not connected with either of them.
Looking forward to more chapters. I'll wait patiently and hold my horses... even though the horses sometimes get restless waiting in the same spot for too long. Got to feed and water them on a regular basis, you know.
[Also posted at BrokebackSlash...]
