"And that’s all it would ever be."

This line ... gah ... i love it! i dont know quite how to say it, but it kind of sums up everything, it's so superb. thankies for such a great fic.

that ws really good, amazing job!

This is lovely, so lyrical, your words wonderfully descriptive! Your last three paragraphs deliver such a touching punch. Superb!

I need to stop reading your fics right now. I'm going to die. Ugh, heartache.

The descriptions in this are absolutely fantastic. The popcorn on a christmas tree line, all the sensory images about the mountain and Wyoming and slkdgj. So good.

great. just great. i wish that movie had a different ending but your story fits in with the movie pefectly...now im making myself depressed.

This has to be said, you are a wonderful author. The begining of the fic was just wonderful, the imagery was so well writen I could see everything at the back of my mind. This is definetly going in my favourites. The ending was so heartbreaking!

"He thought he felt Jack drape his arms around his neck, but it was just a breath of wind.

And that’s all it would ever be."

Sometimes it's better to remain dreaming, cause when relaity hits hard it can be shattering. Beautiful fic! The portrayal of the loss was just wonderful. I think, I've babbled enough. Great job!

I loved the story, but it's so sad. You've caught Ennis's character, it's too bad it took Jack's death for Ennis to realise that Jack loved him and now has lost it all, except his memory. Hope you expand on what you've written, keep up the good work. Thanks...Mike

thank you. very sad but beautiful.

This is going to sound like the worst review ever, but please take this as I intended it, as a compliment: this is what I tried to write, and failed.

I know what you mean about Jack's death haunting you, because it does me, too. Annie Proulx said that she couldn't get the two of them out of her head until she killed off Jack (she said it in a much gentler way, but I can't remember her exact words), and I understand how she feels because I think a lot of people have a strong connection to her characters (they're so real!), and felt grief as strong as Ennis's when Jack died.

So, this is beautiful. I loved this: "He liked to think that...someone, somewhere, had understood Ennis Del Mar like the back of their hand." I think that most people want this, even if they don't realize it. "Ennis would relent, for the privilege of a boyish grin." Jack had a beautiful smile. :) "When Jack laughed, he was consumed with lightless and felt as heavy as an anchor." He had a beautiful laugh, too. I loved that paradox of emotions. Very well realized.

"He ached for something intangible, that kind of raw, biting hunger that scarred the lining of his heart and left him bleeding..." That whole paragraph...God, it makes my heart hurt. And then the end. "He thought he felt Jack drape his arms around his neck, but it was just a breath of wind. And that’s all it would ever be." Yeah, that felt like a kick in the gut. Let be, let be, eh?

Anyway, I loved the story, mostly because you let Ennis think back on what he'd lost and grieve. I loved that the "mouth of hell", while frightening, meant very little in light of his pain and regret. Beautiful descriptions, too. There was a great flow to the story, and I could see everything so clearly. Wonderful job.

This is absolutely stunning! So packed with emotions and so beautifully written.