Title: Liberation
Chapter: 3
Author: Mel
Pairing: Jack & Ennis AU/AU 1945

Synopsis: Jack Twist is an 18-year old American who moved to Amsterdam with his parents when he was 8 years old. It is May 1945 and Amsterdam is being liberated by Canadian allied soldiers. One of these soldiers is Ennis del Mar and after a chance meeting, the two become friends. As the friendship intensifies, they start questioning everything they've always believed in.

Author's note: The characters from the OS are not mine, they belong to Annie Proulx. All OC's are mine. I don't earn any money from writing this, it just gives me some peace of mind. A big thanks to Marie for being a great and funny beta! :-)

Feedback: Yes, please let me know what you think, it keeps me writing at the pace I am writing now! :)

Chapter 3

Amsterdam, Friday 11th May, 1945

Ennis took off his beret and ran his hand through his hair. It was a gesture that Jack had already noticed was something Ennis did a lot.

"Wow, you really were right about the number of kids in this neighbourhood."

Jack nodded, then smiled. "People sure found a way to make the time pass during the war."

The fair* consisted of merry-go-rounds, bumper cars and a flying carousel. The children were running around like they were possessed, trying to get on all the rides at once, pushing each other away in the lines. They were all chewing on sweets that the soldiers had given them at the entrance. The effect of the sugar was extreme seeing that they had had to mostly go without sugar for the past half year. Jack had tried one toffee and had spit it out immediately, the sweetness proving too much for his taste buds.

They walked side by side throughout the fair. Children ranging from two to about fourteen kept bumping into them and apologizing. Jack took in the children's exuberance, and breathed in their energy and liveliness. He tried to imagine what this day must be like for them; without the worries that came with adulthood and without having been through so much that you were not yet able to forget, or at least let go of, the memories.

It had rained that morning. Jack looked at his old, worn shoes that had become dirty from the mud on the fairground, even the hems of his trousers were covered in dirt.

Jack looked up, but not at Ennis. "My best friend was killed during a raid," he said quietly. He wasn't sure why he brought it up so suddenly, why his mind had come up with the saddest memory of the war on a day like this, and to Ennis, whom he had only known for two days. But he felt safe enough to share this piece of information. Ennis seemed to bring it out in him.

Ennis looked at him. "What happened?"

Jack let his head hang and jammed his hands in his pockets. He waited until they were a bit further away from the screaming and hollering kids and they had sat down on a bench. He pressed his lips together and tried to gather his thoughts.

He took a deep breath. "It was two years ago, on a Sunday. I was going to meet Tim, we were going to go to the park to play soccer with some guys. When I got to his house there were all these people gathered on the street.” He shifted on the bench. “I walked up to one of his neighbours and asked what was going on. She turned around to me and her face was white as a sheet, and she threw her arms around my neck and started sobbing and murmuring. I couldn't understand what she was saying. Then her husband came up to me and told me that they had killed Tim. German SS'ers had raided their house and found a Jewish couple and their baby hiding in their attic. Tim had resisted arrest and they shot him once in the chest. They took his parents away and we haven't heard from them since." Jack rubbed his eyes. "I think they must've died in one of those camps."

In his mind it was like that, an emotionless summary of events, but his heart was heavy and lined with a thick layer of anger, frustration and sadness. He just hadn't let himself feel it yet.

"Shit." Ennis sighed as he drew his palm over his forehead.

Jack shrugged and he felt every muscle in his shoulder protest. "Well, it encouraged me to start doing more for the resistance movement**, rather than just some passive resistance like sending a German the wrong way when he asks for directions or puncturing a tire here and there." He almost smiled. "I started writing articles for one of the resistance papers, Het Parool. I'm thinking about applying for a job there. Haven't told my dad yet, though." He was glad to change the subject to something he could actually talk about without feeling so much of the anger that had built up inside of him. This was proof that he had been able to turn something so tragic and traumatic into something positive.

"Is he expecting you to keep working for him?"

"I guess so, but he knows this isn't something I want to do forever. There's also my nephew Frank, he's two years younger than I am. He might be able to help out." Jack paused. "What about you, what do you want to do when you get back?"

Ennis leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. "I'm set to take over my dad's ranch in Pincher Creek."

Jack couldn't have been more surprised. "So you're a cowboy in real life?"

Ennis smirked, pointing to his head. "Cowboy hat and all," he admitted.

Jack had no trouble picturing Ennis in full cowboy attire, and he smiled at the pictures in his head.

"What?" Ennis said, cocking his head and smiling.

"I'm picturing you on horseback, cowboy hat on, spurs on your boots, lasso in hand, rifle in your saddle bag." He smiled inwardly at the look on Ennis's face. "I'm just imagining you in all the cowboy movies I've seen."

"Hey, I am not a gun-wielding cowboy, Jack. I don't hang around in saloons and shoot people. I just wrangle cows, shoot coyotes and mend fences. Nothing exciting, really."

Jack held up his hand. "Don't burst my bubble, Ennis." he said. He smiled and closed his eyes, leaning back on the bench.

Ennis smiled too, and they were silent for a little while as Jack gazed at the sky that had cleared completely now. The intense blue of it was hurting his eyes.

"So your dad's going to retire?" Jack asked, sitting back up.

Ennis shook his head. "He's got cancer and the doctors don't know how long he's got. My uncle is helping him out now until I get back."

"Shit, that's hard." Jack felt tongue-tied. He didn't know what to say, but looking at Ennis, he reckoned he wasn't expecting him to say something wise. It was one of Jack's worst fears, losing a parent, nightmares about it had been haunting him since he was a little kid. "What about your mom?"

"She died more than five years ago. We buried her on Christmas day of '39."

"What happened?"

"She was thrown off a horse." He shook his head. "She never had any trouble with any of our horses. It got spooked by a coyote and it threw her off, and she broke her neck."

Jack leaned forward and looked at Ennis. He didn't look sad, his face was without emotion, his mouth a thin line and his eyes squeezed almost shut. "I'm so sorry," was all he could say. He sat back up. After a while he looked at Ennis and said "You know what, my mom asked me to bring you over for a cup of tea. She wanted to thank you in person."

Ennis drew his eyebrows together. "For what?"

"For single-handedly liberating our city, of course." Jack grinned.

Ennis smiled back shyly.

"So, you want to come?"

He nodded. "Sure, that would be nice."

***

Ellen Twist was using her precious leafs to make tea for her son and his new Canadian friend. Jack was watching her back and noticed, not for the first time, that she was a lot more slumped over than a few years ago. War had taken a toll on her, not only mentally, but also physically.

Ennis had brought half a kilo of sugar, a small package of real coffee*** and some chocolate. She had held the gifts in her hand like they were diamonds and she had been unable to stop thanking Ennis.

Ennis and Jack were sitting side by side at the small kitchen table and Jack was scratching at a knot in the wood. In the middle of the table was a small saucer with biscuits on it. Jack couldn't wait to dip one of them in the sweet tea that his mother was making. He had simply forgotten to eat and his stomach was rumbling.

His mother turned around and put the tea pot next to the biscuits, then reached for the glasses.

"So glad you took the time to have a cup of tea with us, Ennis," she said as she sat down opposite them.

"No problem, Mrs. Twist, I'm happy to be here."

"So the fair was a success?"

Ennis nodded. "The kids were trampling over each other, but I think they were all able to get on most of the rides."

Ellen poured the tea into the glasses and slid one of them towards Ennis and one to Jack. Jack immediately wrapped his hands around it, burning the sensitive skin on his hands. He grabbed a biscuit and dipped it into the hot liquid, then munched down on it.

"Ennis is a cowboy," Jack blurted out, his mouth still full. He quickly glanced at Ennis for his reaction. He saw him smile and glance back at him.

"Are you really, Ennis?"

"Yes, ma'am. Grew up on a ranch in Pincher's Creek, Alberta."

Ennis and Ellen talked about ranch life for a bit and Jack just listened to them, focusing on Ennis's low voice and how soothing it sounded. He sipped his tea and closed his eyes for a bit, just content with having his new friend beside him and with the fact that Ennis felt comfortable enough to come home with him and talk to his mother.

"Jack?" He was shaken out of his reverie by his mother's voice.

"What?"

"Hanna came by to ask you about tomorrow night, if you were still planning on taking her to the dance."

Jack moaned and put his head in his hands. "I completely forgot about that." He pressed his lips together. 'I really don't feel like going." He looked at Ennis through his fingers without realising he was doing just that. Ennis had a confused look on his face.

"I'll walk by her house later." He turned to Ennis. "Can't you come too?"

"What, me?"

"Who else?" He grinned. "You're allowed to go to dances, right? And you're on leave this weekend?"

Ennis nodded slowly, hesitantly.

"Great, that's settled then, I'll tell Hanna."

Ennis looked like he had no idea what he was being pulled into, but stayed quiet, obviously having already figured out that protesting against one of Jack's plans was a hopeless task.

***

"I think you've had more than enough."

Ennis put the whiskey back in his coat pocket. It was dark outside and they were almost at Jack's street. It was quiet here compared to the streets where people were celebrating, dancing and playing games. They had been sharing the small bottle of whiskey that Ennis had kept in his duffel bag until it was officially the end of the war. Jack had only had a few sips and was already drunk.

"Whhuutt.... no! I want one more sip!" Jack yelled. He clasped his hand over his mouth. "Ooh shit, that was realllllly loud," he slurred, then he started giggling.

Ennis just smiled, a little drunk himself, but nowhere near Jack's level.

Jack felt the first drop of rain fall on his hand, the second one on his forehead and the third and the fourth and the fifth... When the clouds burst open and it started raining hard, they looked at each other and burst out laughing.

Ennis looked around him for shelter, then quickly grabbed Jack's arm and pulled him into a narrow vestibule, using his other hand to pull Jack in by the waist, out of the rain. Jack slammed into Ennis's chest and their faces were close as they breathed in each other's alcohol breaths. Through his drunkenness, Jack knew he had never smelled anything this good. He closed his eyes as he felt Ennis draw back and put his fingers on his forehead, brushing away a strand of wet hair.

"You really are a lightweight, you know that?" Ennis said quietly.

Jack laid a trembling hand on Ennis's hip, so lightly that Ennis probably didn't even feel it. Jack thought he could hear Ennis's heart beating as fast as his own. He swallowed hard, willing his drunken head to come back to its senses, and right when he felt Ennis draw back ever so slightly, Jack pushed himself off Ennis slowly, immediately regretting it, already missing the close feel of Ennis, but going through with it anyway. He pushed his back against the other side of the vestibule, trying not to look at Ennis who was leaning the back of his head against the cold stone.

"I... I should be heading back," Ennis whispered, rolling his eyes toward the rain streaming down on the streets.

"Yeah." Jack nodded. "See you at my house tomorrow night?" He drew his eyebrows up in a

questioning, hopeful gaze. "Around 8:00 ?"

Jack watched Ennis nod, then pull his coat over his head and run away from him through the downpour.

Footnotes:

* This really happened in the days after the liberation in Amsterdam, as written down by a man who was about eight when the war ended.

** Called Het Verzet in the Netherlands. Resistance in Holland engaged in independent activities. These were small groups and some had no link to others. Among the activities of the Resistance in Holland was producing fake ration cards (bonnenboekjes), publishing resistance newspapers (Parool, Trouw, Vrij Nederland) and distributing food. Of course, an act of resistance was also hiding Jewish families in your home (onderduikers). Needless to say, these were all very risky activities.

*** During the war, real coffee wasn't available, so people used 'surrogaatkoffie', made from dried and ground chicory root and produced by among other companies, Niemeijer and de Gruyter. Tea wasn't available either, so people used 'theesurrogaat', which only tasted a little bit like tea and was sold in tablets. Sugar was replaced by 'sukrettenpoeder'.