Brian Kinney can come and go as he pleases, do what he wants, when he wants with who he wants. And now he's about to enter fatherhood with his best friend Lindsay and her wife Mel, who despite their earlier rocky start, are close. However, a few spanners are thrown into his world. Lindsay's grasping friend Dusty is turning her head. Michael's callousness towards Ben is turning his stomach and Claire's cruelty towards his nephews, especially Peter, is bringing back bad memories. When all three situations start to implode, Justin Taylor’s return further messes with his equilibrium. The question Brian has to honestly answer is he the last or the best thing he needs?

Seasons 1& 2 Hybrid with emphasis on the bashing and the recovery from it as I think it could have/ should have happened. 

Initial Plot Bunny from Deb Tanner: What if Michael had tried to stop Brian from going into the prom and had witnessed the attack?

Justin's morbid curiosity about what happened in underground parking when he was bashed, leads him to Carl Horvath, asking for the footage. Set in season 4 after Justin pays Hobbs a visit with Cody.

Sometimes forgiveness comes at a high price. 

Molly Taylor doesn't expect to fall into bed with Hunter Novotny-Bruckner, but when it does happen, she expects it to be a one time thing. With 2,500 miles between them and completely separate lives, the odds are stacked against them. Yet here they are, still talking and trying to make this work. They should have tied this up on New Year's Eve, at the absolute latest, even though it makes Molly's chest hurt to even think that. It would have been better for both of them. They could have avoided all of this pining.

Everything was perfect.

Brian and I were finally together in New York, making both of our dreams come true. I was working from a spacious, comfortable studio in SoHo, and the first show of my return to the city was scheduled for the following weekend. Brian was out with a real estate broker, looking at potential office spaces for the soon-to-be New York expansion of Kinnetik. We had wedding rings on our fingers, having finally tied the knot a few years before, in front of all of our family and friends in Pittsburgh.

Our lives were full of new and exciting opportunities, both professionally and personally. I felt like everything was falling into place in a nice, neat, orderly fashion, one piece after another.

Then, I had the misfortune of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. And the puzzle that was my life -- so carefully and painstakingly assembled over the years -- was picked up and thrown to the ground, scattering the pieces everywhere.

And everything wasn’t so perfect anymore.

Brian asked Justin a very important question when the "Changed" series concluded. What will his answer be? Where will they go from here?

One of our readers made a request for stories that involved the immediate aftermath of that tragic bashing of our beloved Justin and how Brian responded to it.  I believe it inspired a lot of our writers, including myself.  I do hope you will find this story interesting, although I can't say it will be a lot of fun, considering the subject matter.  Please keep in mind how things did turn out for the couple later on as you reach the end of this story and don't be too sad.  

I want to thank Gloria Hernon for her brilliant suggestion.  I also wish to thank my beloved Judy for her beta skills and my beloved granddaughter, Marika, for her amazing banner.

Daphne catches Brian on one of his nights playing vigil at Justin's hospital door. Feelings are revealed.

I see him in red, clouded in thick liquid like I'm watching him through water.  

When Brian hears over the radio that Babylon was subjected to a bombing, all he can concentrate on is racing to his club to make sure the people he loves are alive and safe. He doesn't expect to be irreversibly injured himself. As Brian faces a slow recovery and a permanent disability, he must learn to accept the support of his friends and the love of his partner.

Brian and Justin’s journey of love…