Detective Carl Horvath let his mind wander while he drove. His wife Tori, had been gone for almost a decade. When she passed she left him with his two children, Carl Jr. and Vicky. They were only twelve and thirteen at the time.

It wasn't long after he started having an affair with a young woman. He had by chance met her after her car broke down. For some strange reason she had grown some attachment to him. She kept showing up where he was. Not long after that the affair began, it wasn't until much later he learned she was married.

Four years after the start of the affair she told him she was pregnant. For a moment he was thrilled until she told him it was her husband's. Carl didn't know how she could be so sure but they were always safe.

Nine months later she had a little boy she named Justin. The affair didn't end; it just became once a month instead of once a week.

Then two years ago, she told him she was pregnant again by her husband. It hurt too much and he ended the relationship. He had no idea if the new baby was a boy or girl. One thing for sure was he was done with relationships. It was just his job and kids, even though they had their own lives now.

Justin held his baby sister's hand while his dad drove away. He liked the park but didn't like to be there alone. His dad said he would be back to get them soon. The park wasn't the one they usually go to. This one was dirty and didn't even have a slide. He loved the slide, but he had Molly so he couldn't do that anyway. Molly was just a baby.

Molly started to pull on his hand. She was trying to go to the swing. There was a baby swing but he's not big enough to put her in it. Molly is only one, she only started walking last month. It was scary at the park by themselves. Even if his dad wasn't always nice he would protect them. He wished he would come back soon.

Craig Taylor was in deep trouble. It all started when his wife died shortly after her daughter's birth, leaving him with two kids that weren't even his. He knew about his wife's affair but didn't call her out on it; it would be very hypocritical.

After a year of marriage and Jen wasn't pregnant they both were tested. Jen was fine but he was shooting blanks. He decided to keep it to himself. It wasn't a big deal until one day she announced she was pregnant. Big red flag for him. He kept his mouth shut though. He never wanted to marry Jennifer in the first place; that was all his father's plan. All he wanted was to get the hell out of Pittsburg and stay gone. His dad threatened to take away everything he gave him if he didn't settle down and get married. He met Jennifer their senior year of college.

They were married within the year, but that didn't mean he was faithful. He didn't care who Jen slept with either just as long as she was discreet and the old man didn't hear.

When Justin was born his dad was over the moon about his 'grandson'. The old man doted on Justin, and when Molly was born he did the same with her.

After Jen died he told his father the truth; he was tired of raising someone else's kids. His father was less than pleased but the real shocker was the man didn't care, he still loved his 'grandchildren'.

Then to make matters worse his father changed his will. He made it clear that no matter whose blood they had, the kids would split his entire fortune, not one penny for Craig.

Abandoning the children at the park was sort of spur of the moment. Starting when his father died yesterday, he flipped out. Not because he would miss the son of a bitch but because he really needed that money.

So he set everything up with an old friend. Craig would drop the kids off at the park, then Pauley would get rid of them. Craig had no feelings for the kids, putting up with them for a year was pushing it and he only did that because of his father.

He couldn't let them be killed, even he couldn't stomach that. But Pauley knew someone that did black market adoptions. He said Molly was almost guaranteed to get adopted. Justin on the other hand was a little old at four. Pauley said not the worry that he would find someone to take him. In the matter of hours his problems would be over.

Oh sure, in a couple hours he would have to call the cops and report them missing. He would tell them about dropping the kids off at the park and doing business down the street. He would get in trouble for leaving them, maybe even do jail time. He didn't care, he would be rid of those brats once and for all.

That was all before Pauley called him and told him that cops were swarming the park. He just hoped the kids weren't there.

Detective Horvath drove up to the small, grimy park. No kids ever play in it anymore, no parent would let them. They had received a call earlier from a concerned citizen. The woman said she was driving by and saw two small children.

She comforted the children then called the police. This was a job for uniforms but he was on his way home when the call came in. He would be driving past the park anyway.

When he arrived he was the first to arrive. There was a well-dressed black woman holding the baby. She was swaying side to side; he could hear her singing. There was a little blonde boy in overalls and a red long-sleeved shirt. The baby at least had a coat but the boy didn't.

Once most of the trio noticed him approach the boy grabbed the woman's legs.

"It's okay, baby," the woman said softly to the child. She gently stroked the child's blonde little head as he held onto her for dear life.

"I'm Detective Horvath, a uniformed officer will be here shortly. I radioed in that I was on location." He flashed the woman his badge.

"I was driving by and saw these two. The boy is ice cold but he wouldn't leave the park, he kept saying his father was coming back," she said.

Carl knelt down so he would be eye level with the child. The little boy peeked out from behind the woman's legs.

"Hello, my name is Carl Horvath. Can you tell me your name?" he asked gently.

"Justin," Justin whispered.

"Can you tell me what your sister's name is?" He was going on it being a girl from the pink coat.

"Molly," Justin said a bit louder.

"Those are real nice names. Can you tell me your parents' names?"

"Mommy's in heaven," Justin said, eyes filling with tears.

Carl wasn't really good with things like this. It was probably one of the reasons his kids were so far away. The woman seemed better equipped, she handed the baby off to Carl and picked the small boy up. He cried softly into her shoulder. By the time he was drying his eyes, two uniformed officers were walking up to them.

"Detective," Officer Palmer said, nodding her head. "What do we have here?"

"Looks like the dad dropped the kids off, don't know if he's coming back or not," he told the officers.

That seemed to be the worst thing he could have said. The little boy's head shot up and angry tears started to roll down his face.

"My daddy is coming back. He promised," the boy said forcefully.

"Can you tell me what your daddy's name is?" Officer Harris asked.

Officer Harris had just comeback from maternity leave. She was the best chance they had at getting answers, her and the Good Samaritan.

"Craig Taylor," Justin said glaring at Carl.

Where had he heard that name before? Craig Taylor. Even Justin Taylor sounded familiar. He only had known a few Taylors. Jennifer had been a Taylor.

It hit him like a ton of bricks. Craig Taylor was the name of Jennifer's husband. She had said she named her little boy Justin.

Carl looked closer at the little boy; he could see Jennifer in this child. Funnily enough, besides the blonde hair, he also looked a little like Carl Jr. did when he was small. The boy's face was softer that C.J.'s was but there was just something about the child that reminded him of his son. He didn't even have to wonder if he got it right, he knew these were Jennifer's children.

That asshole of a husband of hers left their children in a drug-filled park. He would have to…

Mommy's in heaven.

That meant Jennifer was really gone now. If he was pressed he would admit he loved her. She was too scared of her husband to leave; no matter how much he promised to protect her.

Carl was determined to at least now put his suspicions away. Once they took the kids to the hospital to make sure they were okay, he would have a DNA test run.

"Evelyn Chanders," he heard the Good Samaritan reply to a question.

If the woman hadn't seen the children and stopped the outcome could have been very different.

The children had been in custody of social services for two weeks. Craig Taylor had been found and said it was all a misunderstanding. Carl was expecting the DNA test any day now. His lawyer had promised him that if he was the father, he would have his children. He didn't trust Craig Taylor one little bit. The man hadn't even asked if his children were okay, he didn't even ask to see them.

There was something very wrong with the situation. Mrs. Travers, the children's social worker, had said the boy had been asking when his father was coming to get them. It broke Carl's heart to hear about it.

Carl's phone rang just as he was headed out the door.

"Horvath," he answered.

"Detective Horvath, we have your DNA tests back about the minor children Justin and Molly Taylor," a soft female voice said.

"And?" He hoped they could just tell him. He went through the hospital instead a facility specializing in DNA testing.

"I have faxed copies to your lawyer like you have requested."

"Are they mine?" he asked gruffly.

"Carl, I can't tell you on the phone. But I will tell you to contact your lawyer immediately to get a jump on things."

That was all he needed to hear, they were his. Jennifer had lied or at least convinced herself they weren't his.

Justin didn't like it at Mrs. Dana's. She was nice and all and was good to Molly but he wanted to go home. He missed his bear Gus, he missed his dad. He just wanted to go home and sleep in his own bed.

Mrs. Dana said she wasn't mad at him when he wet the bed. His daddy would have been mad, he always was. Then he would get a spanking, he hated getting spankings. It hurt to sit down and his back always hurt. If his daddy lost his temper then he would have to wear long sleeves so his babysitter wouldn't know.

"Justin?" Mrs. Dana called.

He picked up the stuffed dog that he got from the nice man. The nice man had come over almost every day. He would play with Molly and Justin, he was really funny too.

Mrs. Dana said the nice man was coming and they would talk. She said that he had something really important to talk to him about.

Justin went down the stairs carrying his dog. It looked like the nice man was already here. He was holding Molly and tickling her belly. Daddy never did anything like that. He wouldn't play with either of them.

"Kiddo," the nice man said when he saw him.

Justin ran to him and gave him a big hug. The man handed Molly to Mrs. Dana and scooped Justin up. He giggled when the man started to tickle him too.

"Oh, someone's ticklish," the man said.

"Stop," Justin begged in between giggles.

Carl put his son down in front of him. The paperwork was all done and the judge finally signed off on it. He was able to take his children home. Social Services would still check on them until the case was closed. Craig Taylor admitted to knowing the children weren't his. He said he wouldn't give up his rights but he didn't have a leg to stand on. After some investigating, Carl found out about the kids inheritance.

The kids were lucky, Craig's father was a whole lot smarter than his son. The money was locked up tight until they each were twenty-five, except for a trust for college. Craig had filed to get it thrown out but Mr. Jamison, his father's lawyer, said Mr. Taylor knew the kids weren't his biological grandchildren but he didn't care.

Now all was left was for Carl to get his children. Molly was still young but he had to tell Justin the truth. He wouldn't go in to detail, just the facts.

He pulled out a chair and pulled Justin onto his lap.

"I need to tell you something very important." Deep breath. "I used to know your mommy, did you know that?" Justin shook his head, eyes wide. "I was in love with her, and we had two babies together."

Really, he had no idea how to tell the boy. So he went the blunt way. His big point was he didn't want the child to think that asshole was his father.

"Where are they? Do they live with you?" the boy asked, tears springing from his eyes.

Shit.

"You're my son, Justin. Your mommy was mistaken when she thought Craig Taylor was your father."

"Daddy's not my daddy?" Justin asked. He didn't understand what was going on. The nice man said that he was his real daddy. That was what Justin really wanted but thought it was a silly dream.

"No, he's not. I am."

"Molly?"

"She's mine too. We can all live together if you want." Carl's heart was beating out of control.

"Can I call you Daddy?" Justin asked timidly. His first dad didn't like him calling him daddy sometimes.

"I would be honored." Carl hugged the boy tightly.

Justin threw his arms around his new daddy's neck and hugged him really big. He still missed his old dad but maybe his new one wouldn't be so scary. Maybe Molly would never have to go hungry for days because she was bad. Maybe she would never have to tell someone she fell down.

Molly was on his shoulders giggling at the parade. Justin was on C.J. shoulders pointing at the marching band. Carl could see C.J. having difficulty keeping an excited Justin on his shoulders.

It had been a little over a year since he met his youngest two children. Molly was now close to being potty trained, well a guy could hope. Justin was doing extremely well.

Slowly over the first months more of his prior life was revealed. They couldn't prove the abuse and Carl didn't want Justin to ever see Craig Taylor again. They were able to prove the abandonment. They also were able to find a man that was supposed to sell the children. His blood pressure sky-rocketed when he found that out.

If it wouldn't have been for Evelyn Chanders his children would be gone. There was no telling what kind of people the creep was doing business with. Because he thought of her as their guardian angel he tried to keep in touch. It was of little use though, the first time Justin met her daughter Daphne it was over; they were inseparable.

Evelyn, Kyle and Daphne were supposed to be on their way. Justin had only just stopped asking when they were arriving when the band started up.

Carl had tried to take the kids to the Thanksgiving parade last year, but the crowd scared them. This year they were more comfortable in the world. They were ecstatic when they found out C.J. was visiting.

C.J. and his fiancée, Catherine, were in town because they wanted to have the wedding in Pittsburgh. Molly was going to be the flower girl and Justin the ring bearer. Vicky had arrived with her latest boyfriend, nice guy but a little plain for her. The kids didn't care for him so that was a factor against him.

When he had told C.J. and Vicky about their brother and sister, they were livid. It took them both a while to calm down. It wasn't until they realized how young the kids were, then they forgave him. Apparently having an affair with a married woman was okay. He would have never cheated on his wife, but he could see why his older kids were worried.

All of his children adored each other. Justin looks at C.J. like he's the second coming. C.J. adored Justin too, always asking to talk to him when he calls. Molly still small, forgets her brother and sister until they visit again.

Justin was having a small problem with sharing C.J. with Catherine though. For the last week every time C.J. and Catherine tried to do anything together, Justin would get in between, sometimes literally. They would be cuddling on the couch and Justin would either squeeze between them or climb on C.J.'s lap. Catherine was a keeper, she didn't get mad. All she would do was laugh and tell Justin he would have to share C.J. Justin still has yet to agree to that.

Molly on the other hand was a daddy's girl. Every time he picked her up from daycare she would run right to him. His cooking skills were better now than they had been when his wife passed.

Vicky loved her little brother and little sister. The only problem there was her telling him once he was too old to raise the kids. She told him it would be easier to give them to his own little sister. He told her that would never happen and not to speak of it again; she hadn't.

"Justin, look who's coming," Catherine said from beside C.J. She was pointing into the crowd.

It took a moment before Carl saw who she was pointing at. Almost pushing through the crowd was little Daphne, followed by her parents. Daphne looked adorable with her hair in pigtails, she was also wearing a red, white and green dress. It matched the outfit Justin was wearing. He would have to keep a close eye on them in their teenage years.

"Let me down," Justin told C.J.

C.J. sighed and pretended to pout. "I see now that your best friend is here you don't need your boring old brother."

Justin giggled, C.J. put him on the ground and he was gone. The boy ran full speed to his little friend.

The wedding went off without a hitch. C.J. and Catherine were now on their way to Honolulu. No matter how many times they went over it, Justin was still upset. He cried himself to sleep, Carl made the choice not to call C.J. He didn't want this to ruin his first night. Justin was upset now but he would cheer up. He always cried when C.J. or Vicky had to leave. Carl was sure it was his abandonment issues. He had problems with those when he was called in. Justin would cry and beg for him to stay, the babysitter was amazing but wasn't him.

He went to a child psychologist for the first year. Finally, Justin said he didn't want to go back. Dr. Martin told Carl just to make sure life was as consistent as possible; which was hard for a police detective.

"I hate you!" was screamed from the room upstairs.

Carl closed his eyes, this was the part he hated the worst. He slowly climbed the stairs. Right before he reached Justin's door the baby started crying. It was a time like this he wished Vicky would have been staying at the house.

Molly was sitting on her toddler bed crying. Once he was in the room he knew why. Justin and Molly shared a wall, and at the moment it was being kicked with little feet.

"Justin Taylor Horvath, you stop that right now," he said loudly without shouting.

Justin said he wanted to keep the name Taylor. Carl guessed it was because of his grandfather not his father. Papaw Taylor as he called him. They agreed to make it his middle name.

"I hate you!" Justin yelled through the wall.

"Shh, Molly, lay down and I'll go calm Jussy down."

Molly laid down but she didn't close her eyes. She wouldn't until the house was quiet again. She didn't like her beauty rest disturbed. Luckily Justin only had meltdowns once or twice a month. He would have been worried by this if it was his first time being a parent. Vicky was the queen of throwing fits.

It was almost eight months before Justin's first meltdown. Immediately after it he begged Carl not to make him go away. That was the first time that he knew what he was doing. True, he had to be more sensitive but the intent was the same.

He closed Molly's door behind him and walked to Justin's room. He tapped on the door.

"Justin, I'm coming in," he warned him.

When he opened the door and stepped in, he froze. Justin was sitting on his bed with a black permanent marker. He was drawing a horse. Unlike when C.J. and Vicky drew a horse at his age, his looked like a horse. It actually was a very good likeness. He wouldn't have guessed a five year old of doing it.

Carl had to stop himself from telling Justin how good it was.

"What are you doing?" he asked instead.

"Drawing. I like drawing," Justin said like he drew with a permanent marker on his wall every day.

"I know you like drawing." And he did, Carl was always buying sketch pads for Justin. Justin just usually only showed him pictures he did at school.

"I'm good at it, teacher says." Justin didn't even turn around, just kept on drawing the horse's leg.

"Justin, stop that. You can't draw on the wall." He hated being firm with him but Justin couldn't make his own rules.

"Is it a rule?" Justin asked, it was like he could read Carl's mind.

"Yes, it's a rule."

"I didn't know it was a rule. You never said before."

Carl guessed that was true.

"Okay, now it's a rule. No drawing on the wall."

"Okay," Justin said quietly. He capped the marker and slid off the bed.

Justin knew he shouldn't draw on the wall. He just wanted to be bad. Sometimes his daddy didn't pay much attention to him. All this week was about C.J. and Catherine. Then everyone was fawned all over how cute Molly was. No one really talked to him. C.J. didn't even read to him before he left. He promised. Catherine ruined everything, he didn't like her. He didn't like Vicky's boyfriend either but he wasn't coming back anyway.

"Are you feeling sad?" his daddy asked.

Justin nodded his head.

"Because C.J. left?"

Justin shrugged. He was kind of glad C.J. was gone, he wasn't spending time with him. He knew he was being a brat like Vicky had said before she left, but he couldn't stop feeling mad.

"I love you," his daddy said.

Justin felt bad about screaming that he hated him. He didn't hate him, he loved him. He loved him so much he got worried if he was late from work. He knew his daddy's job was very dangerous, he saw TV shows about police detectives. His daddy said TV wasn't like real life but Justin had his doubts.

He jumped into his daddy's arms. "I'm sorry, I don't hate you. Don't be mad at me," he cried.

"I know you don't hate me. But it hurts my feelings when you say things like that." Justin knew that, he would try really hard not to say it anymore. His old daddy said he hated him a lot after his mommy went to heaven. It wasn't a good feeling.

"Am I in trouble?" he asked his dad.

"A little. What do you think you should do to make it better?"

"Help Molly get back to sleep." He knew he woke her up.

"That would be a great help. You might be a little naughty but you're my good boy, you know that?"

He giggled. "I know. I love you. I'm going to go get Molly to sleep now." He gave his daddy a big hug and kiss on his cheek.

"I don't make that kind of money, Evelyn."

They had been over this time and time again. Evelyn was a doctor and Kyle a CEO. They had the money to send Daphne to a private school, he didn't make anywhere close enough for that.

"But I told you, Justin is smart enough to get one of their scholarships. Lexington Academy goes up to 7th grade. Then we're putting Daphne in St. James until she graduates. Justin's less than favorable background will actually be to his benefit this time," she rambled on.

"So they can treat him like some kind of charity case, no thanks. He's only five years old, is their finger painting all that much better?"

He knew it was wrong to take that tone with her. She was only trying to help. It still didn't help that he felt like he couldn't take care of his family. He would love to be able to afford the best for all of his kids.

"I know, I'm sorry. It's me, it's all me. Daphne is not making friends, she cries when she comes home. She begs and begs to go to school with Justin. Even if she was in public school, she and Justin are in different zones. But if its private school it's something altogether different."

He knew this, he was running into the same problem with Justin. It was like after meeting each other they decided they didn't need any other friends. They even tried to keep them apart but that made them both inconsolable.

He knew in the end he would do it. There was one thing for sure they, it wouldn't be charity. He would find a way to pay for the school himself.

"Don't look at him," Justin said, snapping his fingers in front of Daphne.

They were eating breakfast at a small diner just over the Tennessee line. He still couldn't believe that their parents let them go. They left Friday right after school, it was now Saturday morning. Before the end of the day they would be in sunny Florida. Panama City Beach, Florida to be specific.

They pulled over and stopped at more rest stops than they planned. Their plans for one to drive and the other sleep and vice versa didn't work. Turns out they both can only stay awake with someone to talk with.

"How can I not look at him? He's rubbing himself through the glass, where am I supposed to look?" She broke in to a fit of giggles.

"If you keep looking he'll continue doing it," Justin told her. Too bad he didn't listen to his own advice.

He looked up out the window. Instead of just rubbing his crotch and leering at them he was—

"Sick," he said, grimacing.

"What?"

"Do not turn around," he told her. He shouldn't have really bothered.

Daphne looked over her shoulder. "Oh my god. He's waving his thing at us."

"Where is the staff?" It seemed like after they got their food the waitress disappeared.

"She's going to hate herself for missing the show," Daphne said before shuddering and turning back around.

"Just ignore him."

"But a woman or kid could come by," Daphne said worriedly.

"You are a woman," he reminded her.

"Well, I'm pretty worldly. There could be someone that had never seen the male form." She giggled nervously.

"Oh yeah, you're so worldly. The only male form that you have seen is me, well that you're not related to."

Daphne threw a ketchup covered home fry at him. He slapped to away before it could hit his face.

Soon a waitress was running through the dining area yelling.

"I'm calling the police!" she yelled out the door to the fleeing exhibitionist. "Don't you ever come back here."

She wasn't the waitress that had taken their orders. That one had been young, brunette and perky. This one looked like she could be the first one's grandmother.

"I'm so sorry about that, we've had problems before. He scares Angie, it took me a minute to calm her down. The meal is on the house," the flustered looking waitress said warmly.

"No, it's okay. We're okay with paying our own bill. We're both in the service industry," Daphne said.

It was true, he worked at a bowling alley and Daphne worked as clerk at a hotel. Looking around the place he could tell they needed every paying customer. It wasn't dirty but it was outdated and at the moment they were the only customers. It was a little after eight in the morning, being the only customers was not a good thing.

Justin threw the jack and four-way back into the trunk. Daphne lifted up the tire that looked like the road chewed.

"I can't believe we had a tire blow out. Whatever you do you can't tell your parents," he told her.

"No duh, we had to beg all of them for this trip. Telling them about almost slamming into a semi and skidding off the road doesn't so smart."

He just wanted to get to the hotel shower then sleep… for a week. The idea to drive seemed like so much fun at the time. Their parents tried to talk them into flying. But Daphne had her heart set on an epic road trip.

It had been that, so far they had seen a pervert's junk. Then they had some creep offer to pay them for a threesome at a gas station. Finally, they almost died in a fiery crash when their tire blew out on the interstate.

Once they were both in the car Justin drove; Daphne was still shaken up.

"Are you going to bring any guys back to the room?" Daphne suddenly asked.

"Um. I don't know, I guess if I meet someone but I don't really want to lose my virginity in a dodgy hotel room." They couldn't afford the real nice places.

"You're not a virgin," Daphne countered.

He rolled his eyes. "You know what I mean."

"Just because I'm a girl doesn't mean it doesn't count," she said sadly.

Looking over at her, he realized he hurt her. When they had sex, everything was messed up for a while. When the pregnancy test came back positive, they both were devastated. Telling their parents was bad. Her parents were pissed off, his dad was disappointed. Daphne was seven weeks along when she miscarried. He held her in bed for days afterward.

That was when he decided just to be honest. Secrets were hurting all of them. He told his family and Daphne's that he was gay. Daphne had known since they were twelve.

"I'm sorry, Daph."

"I know, let's talk about something happier." She tapped her finger on her chin. "So you think your dad went to the PFLAG meeting last night?"

"I don't know he said he was going. He's trying, that has to mean something right?" He knew the question sounded childish.

"Right, it'll be good for him. Meeting other parents and families. All he has now are his bigoted friends on the force," she said voice darkening.

"I know, can you believe that dickhead is running for mayor. Stockwell's an asshole, I met his old partner once. Trust me it was one time too many." He shuttered at the memory.

"I'm your best friend, you already told me when it happened. Really what kind of guy offers a co-workers sixteen year old son money to blow him?" She was chewing on her nail, a dead giveaway of her being pissed.

"He was a creep, I'm just glad dad didn't make me go back to those cookouts." He smiled as he looked at the sign. "We're almost there, this week we have no problems."

That seemed to brighten Daphne up. She looked like she was going to start bouncing in her seat any moment.

"Welcome to Florida," Daphne screeched.

It was going to be an unforgettable week, he could just feel it.

"Fucking asshole," Michael muttered under his breath but Brian still caught it.

"Who's a fucking asshole?" He was sure he didn't do anything… yet.

"That's who," Michael said pointing at a polar bear talking to Debbie.

"Have problems with bears now?" he questioned.

"He's a fucking cop. He works for that homophobic prick running for mayor. He's the one that was called when Ma found the kid in the dumpster. Ma said she met him again last night at the PFLAG meeting."

Brian could tell what was really bothering Mikey, and it wasn't that the cop was homophobic. It was the doe eyes his mother was making at the man.

Brian kept his mouth shut, telling Mikey that he now worked for said prick would only cause more of a headache.

Michael went back to picking at his food. "Are you coming to Woody's tomorrow night?"

"I've got to go to Pensacola, Florida tomorrow. Bowers has a sick wife and doesn't want to leave her. But the control freak also wants the pitch made to him personally. Because I'm trying to make partner, I get to be the lucky one to go," Brian said in annoyance.

Tonight he would go to Babylon and get a trick or two. His flight was for noon the next day. His wasn't meeting Bowers until Monday morning. He usually liked traveling but he had just gotten back from Chicago a few days ago.

"How's the professor?" he asked to get Mikey to stop scowling.

"Fine," he said not looking at Brian, his eyes still glued to the couple at the counter.

"It's not like they're fucking on the counter." He smirked at Michael when he looked at him. "Yet."

"Shut up, asshole." Mikey was really in a snit.

He didn't really want to deal with Mikey right then. Deciding it was better to leave while Michael seethed. Maybe he would go to the Baths, it was a slow day.

It turned out that he didn't need to go to the Baths. As soon as he left the diner he found a hot muscular guy he hadn't had before. He took the guy back to his loft.

"I'm Victor," the stud introduced himself.

"Good for you, I'm horny."

He quickly discarded his clothes, the trick following suit. The guy was awful at giving head, he was sure he had the teeth marks to prove it. After the asshole then told him he only topped, he told him to get the fuck out. He just felt sorry for anyone how bottomed for the inept man.

Maybe he would find someone who actually knows what they're doing. He worked more on his presentation and when Michael called about Babylon he dressed.

"Where the fuck have you been?" Michael asked when he met him in front of Babylon.

"Working Mikey, not all of us have our own business."

"Whatever," Michael bitched.

After over fifteen years of friendship he was used to Michael. He was lucky, because really in the best friend lottery Michael was most certainly the loser. Brian called him at any hour to come pick his drunk ass up. He would also drag Michael along while he did his debauchery. So when it was Michael's time of the month, and was a raging bitch; he would put up with him.

"He asked her on a date?" Michael said as they stood in line. He wouldn't be there long, he never was.

Brian looked up and saw the bouncer wave them in. Of course. Grabbing Michael's hand they walked into the sounds of music and loud talking.

"Who are you yammering about?" he asked walking to the bar.

"My mom, that asshole cop asked her out."

"Good for her, she just like every other gay man. She likes a good cock, can't really blame her for that."

He spotted his next target; tall, dark and an ass to die for.

"Jesus, Brian, could you not talk about my mom's sex life."

"Fine, Mikey, I'll go work on mine instead."

He pulled the trick into the backroom with him. This one had much better oral skills than the last. The only problem was he was growing bored. It was all so mundane, he felt like he needed a change in his life.

"Can you believe it's only Monday?" Daphne giggled.

They seemed like the only sober people there. Everyone else seemed to start drinking as soon as they woke up. He knew drunk people were stupid but he didn't know how annoying they would be. It was like most of the kids were trying to destroy their liver over one week.

Daphne and he both made each other promises not to get completely hammered. They had to look after each other. Daphne did spend the night with some loser the night before. He thought Daphne would have better taste. The guy had been hanging around ever since. At least he wasn't some creepy guy, just a dork, much like Daphne. Hell, maybe they were made for each other.

He had been hit on but nothing about fall-down-drunk college guys sounded appealing to him. He wanted someone sexy, older and maybe a little dangerous. It had been his dream to lose his virginity to someone special. Someone that he could look back on and remember magic. God, he sounded like such a child. Even Daphne wasn't that picky, she just picked him because they would be together until death anyway. They may have boyfriends or husbands but they were always first to each other.

They told each other everything. Daphne told him when she got her first period, she was way too excited about it. He told her what about what happened with C.J., she was held him when he cried. It was the last time he cried. He hadn't even cried when she lost the baby. It was better not to feel anything. He could only trust Daphne; his dad was trying but he wouldn't understand the deep secrets. He had a hard enough time with having a gay son. If Justin were to tell him what happened when he visited C.J., he would just blame him. Probably think he wanted it or deserved it. He couldn't risk having his father think that of him.

"What should we do tonight?" Daphne asked. She was sitting in the new guy's lap in their hotel room.

Brad was sitting on the couch with his hand on her inner thigh. He really didn't want to spend another night with Romeo and Juliet. He really didn't want to hear them have sex again. They should have given him a warning and he would have made himself scarce. The rules of watching out for each other drew the line when one wanted to have sex.

Brad apparently was sharing a room with half a dozen other guys. It was just floor room there. It seems Daphne didn't think that was as romantic as having sex five feet from her supposedly sleeping best friend.

"How about Daze?" He had read about it, it sounded like fun. He would be able to go to a gay club without worrying about his dad finding out.

"Cool, what it that?" Brad asked.

"It's a gay club, it's more into the city but not that far," Justin answered.

The guy made a face. "A gay club?" he asked. He didn't sound disgusted, more worried.

As if catching on to his discomfort. "Don't worry, I'll put my claim on you when we're there."

He had to stop himself from rolling his eyes. Straight guys always thinking gay guys were after them. Maybe there was some guy that wanted him, but it wasn't Justin.

"It's a plan," Daphne said excitedly.

Brian was driving back to Pensacola from Hiland Park. Bowers wanted him to go and met the other partner of Vivu Company. That man lived out in Hiland Park. So he had to drive the two and a half hours just for the man to say whatever Bowers wanted was good with him.

He had to cancel his flight but everything was worked out. Bowers had signed and now his partner Duluth had. So he could go back to Pittsburgh with what he came for, a brand new million dollar client.

There was no hurry to get back to Pensacola since he had already checked out of his hotel. He decided to stop in Panama City for the night. It would be easiest just to fly out of there in the morning instead of driving back to Pensacola.

Somehow he was able to get a hotel room. Probably because the room he got was in the city. And also too high class to have a bunch of drunk college kids running through it. They were a bit more selective in their clientele.

It wasn't that late when he checked in so he decided to go clubbing. Maybe he would get out of the funk he had been in lately.

He pulled his rental car into a parking spot in front of Daze, he had been there a couple times before.

He regretted letting Daphne and Brad go back to the hotel. He had told them that he would get a cab. What he didn't plan on was getting his money stolen. It was a good thing he only brought his fake I.D. and forty dollars. Should have known the guy was too hot to really want him. He just wanted to pick his pockets, and like a dummy he fell for it. His dad would be so disappointed.

Not bringing his phone was also a stupid mistake. He didn't want to have the unsightly bulge in his pants, at least not on his hip that is.

Once he was outside of the club he felt like he could breathe again. Inside was full of noise, heat and just too many people. Daphne left when the thief turned his charm on him. He really didn't want to call a cab and have Daphne know what happened; it was too embarrassing. First he would have to ask someone to use their phone. Then he would have to probably interrupt Daphne and Brad having sex, hopefully not on his bed.

The air was warm, the wind was blowing scents from the Chinese restaurant across the way. It was making him wish he still had some money. He hadn't even eaten before going to the club, he was too nervous.

He could hear his father's words in his ears. "Don't stay in dark areas, stay in well-lit places." He decided to listen to his dad while he thought of his next move. He found a street light and leaned against it.

Brian didn't even know why he had bothered with going out. He could have gotten better head from Melanie. This whole thing had been a monumental waste of time.

He exited the overrated club heading for his rental car. Just as he rounded the corner he saw something that stopped him in his tracks. Or should he say someone.

The street light seemed like it was shining down just for the blonde twink. The twink had his eyes closed, head tilted back on the pole. The night seemed to be turning around for him already.

Crossing the over the front parking lot he closed in on the trick. The boy seemed to be too wrapped up in his own thoughts, because he appeared not the hear Brian coming.

"Hey," he said seductively.

The twink's eyes shot open and his body tensed. That wasn't the reaction he was going for. Instead of letting it bother him, he looked the twink over. Eyes not missing a part of the blonde treat.

"Hi," the boy said in a tentative voice.

The kid was cute, he could be hot if he didn't look like a schoolboy. The kid was not his usual trick. He liked them bigger, older and more experienced. This kid looked like it was the first time he had been up close with someone wanting to fuck him.

"How old are you?" He needed verification first.

"Twenty-one," the blonde answered but wouldn't make eye contact.

"Not how old your fake I.D. says, how old the real one says." He wasn't up for playing games.

"Eighteen," the kid said, lowing his head.

"Where are you headed tonight?" he questioned.

"Nowhere special."

"I can change that."

Justin couldn't believe how his night had changed. He went from getting his money stolen to being picked up by the most gorgeous man he had even seen. Brian. That's what the man said his name was. When they gotten to the man's hotel he was greeted as Mr. Kinney. The hotel was old but well maintained with new fixtures. It had a classical feel to it. Like it was from an old movie.

His face blushed as Brian groped him in the elevator, mostly because they were not alone. But he didn't try and stop the man. He was afraid he would do the wrong thing and the man would kick him to the curb. No one wanted someone so inexperienced.

Brian quickly pulled him into the luxury hotel room. Looking around he knew the man had money, and liked the best. Feeling a little out of his depth, he squirmed around. His need was quickly overtaking his nervousness.

As soon as the door was closed Brian started to undress. It was apparent the man had no issues with body image. Not that he had any reason to, the man was mouthwatering. The whole package, and he just now saw the package.

"Are you going to stay there all night?" Brian asked. Justin was still standing by the door, ready to run at any moment.

"Um…"

"If you don't want this then leave. I don't beg or coddle anyone. I plan to fuck you into the mattress, then I'm going to…fuck," he yelled.

Justin could hear the music from Brian's phone. Brian groaned when he read the I.D., pacing he accepted the call.

"What?" he said gruffly.

Pause.

"That sounds like a personal problem."

Pause.

"It was your great idea to marry the frog. Why the fuck should I care what happens now."

Pause.

"No, I don't care what that asshole says, I'm not giving up my rights to Gus. I wouldn't when Mel asked and I'm not with the Frog. I told you from the very beginning this marriage was a mistake. Everyone did."

Pause.

"I promised to take care of Gus. I have done that, I didn't agree for your French Fuck to leech off of me. And before you start whining about Mel, you ended it. She moved on, and that was after begging you to take her back. Instead you get married, to a man."

Pause.

"Whatever. I'll take care of it when I get home, okay. Bye."

Justin watched as the man threw the phone on the sofa. Not knowing what to say or do he just blurted out the first thing to come to mind.

"Who's Gus?"

"None of your fucking business," Brian snarled.

"Sorry," Justin mumbled. When he had heard the name Gus it made him remember his old bear. Craig had thrown him away, just to make Justin cry. It was right before he dropped them off at the park.

Brian poured himself a drink, he drank it down quickly.

"What's your name again?" Brian questioned.

"Justin. Justin Taylor." He wasn't about to give a stranger his full name. His dad would kill him for being so stupid. Of course he would kill him if he knew he went to some stranger's hotel room.

"That's right Justin. Well, Justin this party has a dress code, and you're overdressed," Brian purred.

Justin felt his jeans get a little tighter. There wasn't any way to misread the signals Brian was giving him. Now all he had to do was decide if he wanted this. In short, hell yeah.

Brian stalked towards the boy, he was waiting for the boy to bolt. The kid couldn't look more innocent if he had a halo. He was so not his type, but there was something about him that made Brian want him.

Talking to Lindsey almost ruined his night. He had told her when she come up with the idea to marry the frog that it was a terrible idea. Now she was stuck in a marriage that she didn't want. The fuck was now trying to convince Lindsey to get Brian to give up his rights to Gus. That was never going to happen.

The kid surprised him, instead of running away, he started to undress. Brian watched lustily as more skin appeared. The twink had a nice body… for a twink. There was no hint of a six pack, just a flat, smooth stomach. His body was still pale, it didn't look like he had been on the beach at all.

Putting his hand on the back of the kid's neck he pulled him into a kiss. The blonde returned the kiss with vigor. Letting go when breathing seemed important, he walked over to the bed.

He watched the blonde hesitate then climb onto the bed. Brian pulled his supplies out of his bag. He then placed the bag on the floor by the bed. Then he climbed on the bed with the twink.

"Have you done this before?" He didn't even know why he was asking; he never had before.

"Sure, lots of times." Brian tried very hard not to laugh, but it was hard. The boy was obviously lying, not even attempting to make eye contact with him.

Brian decided he wouldn't call him out on it. He would just make sure it would be a night the twink would remember for the rest of his life.

When Justin woke up the next morning, the memories of the night before came rushing back. He could hear the shower running. The spot Brian had been in empty. A little smile appeared on his face.

Pushing the cover off of him, he stood and walked to the bathroom. The door was cracked open, he pushed it open. The bathroom looked like it belonged in a magazine. There was a huge walk in shower with black and silver tiles. The rest of it was white walls with black tiles. The shower door was clear glass, he could see every inch of Brian's gorgeous ass. He was washing his hair, not hearing Justin open the door. Justin slipped in behind Brian and ran his hands up the man's back. Either Brian was used to being touched in the shower or he had heard him.

"What are you still doing here?" Brian asked as he caught Justin's hand.

"I thought-

"Well you thought wrong. Tricks don't stay over even if it's a hotel room. It was just a fuck, kid. Better to learn now, guys only want to fuck and suck. We're not fucking breeders. Get used to it, guys will say anything to fuck a hot twink like you. At least I didn't feed you a bunch of bullshit lies."

Justin took a step back at the harshness of Brian's voice and words. He had thought they had something special, the way Brian had touched him. The tender way he made love to him, even holding him afterwards. It all felt so right, like it was the only place he meant to be. He thought Brian had felt the same way he had. Brian hadn't told him where he lived yet but they could have a long-distance relationship. Maybe he was as naïve and childish as his sister Vicky said he was.

Refusing to let the man see how his words hurt, Justin retreated out of the shower and bathroom. He refused to let Brian see his tears.

Brian watched the kid run out of the bathroom. He told himself it was for the best. Better now the kid learns how the world works than later. But still there was a part deep down that felt bad for what he had done. The kid was sweet and innocent still, even after last night. But he would be eaten alive in a club, if Brian didn't tell him what the score was. No this was better, no regrets.

Once he had dried himself off and walked back into the room the kid was gone. He most likely was running home to mommy to kiss his booboo and make him hot chocolate. Picking his watch up off the bedside table he started to get ready to leave. His plane home was a couple hours away, he would have to leave now to get through security.

Justin waited for Daphne on the corner. He had used a barista's cell phone to call her. When she answered he could tell she had been crying. He was sure she could hear it in his voice too. She promised to be right over to get him.

When she pulled up, he threw himself into the passenger side.

"What happened?" she asked sadly.

"You know the old story. Boy meets boy. Boy has sex with boy. Boy has his heart ripped in to shreds and has them stomped on. You?" Brian was no boy but he didn't want to tell her how stupid he was. If it was another dumb college kid it was different. His voice was still rough from crying. He didn't even want to know how blotchy and red his face was.

"Girl meets boy. Boy woos girl. Girl sleeps with boy. Boy says he loves girl. Girl starts talking about visiting boy over summer. Boy says it's been swell and takes the fuck off." Tears start streaming down her face.

"I'm sorry, Daph." It was only Tuesday and their week was fucked. He didn't even want to be in the place anymore. The whole thing was fucked.

"I'm sorry too, Jus. I fucking hate it here. But we can't go back home. We paid until Saturday. If we go home we'll be out the money. And I just know our parents would find out." She huffed out a breath.

They pulled up to the hotel but stayed in the car. He was thinking it over. They could get some money back by giving the room to someone else. They wouldn't see the staff until Saturday anyway.

"Daph, remember that girl that wanted to share the room? She and her roommate were in a suite with like twelve other people. She said that they would even give us money."

"Yeah. Sandy. I have her number, she wanted me to have it in case we changed our minds. Why?" Her face was scrunched, like always when she didn't understand where he was going with something.

"Why don't we rent the room to them? We can't get a refund but we can get money from them," he said, his spirits lifting up. He didn't know when Brian was leaving, but he didn't want to be in the same state as the man.

"I don't want to go home yet," she cried.

"We won't," he told her.

"Where will we go?" She looked suspicious but a little hopeful.

"Anywhere but here. We both have our emergency money our parents gave us."

"But that's for emergencies," she said voice rising.

"What's a bigger one that two broken hearts. We'll pay back what we spend. I promise, I get a second job. I just can't be here anymore."

"I agree. But how will we pick where to go?"

Justin looked around the parking lot. He saw a license plate on a VW bug. He pointed at the bug and said, "There."

"Huh?"

"Look at the license plate." She leaned over him to get a better view.

"Perfect. I'll call Sandy, hopefully she will give us enough for cheap motels on the way." She pulled out her phone and made the call. His dad had given him a thousand dollars that he put in his bank. It was only for emergencies, but he would pay the money back.

His eyes went back to the license plate. It was a license plate for Louisiana, there were also stickers for New Orleans all over the back. It felt a little wild just thinking about going. No one would know where they were, it would be something out of character for them both. It was exactly what they needed, but this time there would be a no guys rule. And they would stick to it.

When they picked New Orleans to run off to, it seemed like a great idea.

Unfortunately, they never even made it to Louisiana. The car broke down in Alabama. The little town that their car had been towed to was Hickville, USA. The tow driver was racist and a homophobe. Every muttered comment hurt. He didn't really care about himself. He had heard worse but Daphne didn't deserve those comments.

She was in tears by the time they got to their hotel room. The town only had one; it was like something out of a horror movie. The rooms were cheap enough they could get separate ones but there was no way possible they were splitting up. That's how people wind up on the ten o'clock news.

"This place is creepy as hell," he said trying to cheer her up.

She sniffled and angrily wiped tears from her eyes. "I know it shouldn't bother me what some fucking inbred redneck says."

He wrapped her up in his arms and hugged her. They weren't usually the touchy feely kind of best friends. They were more like the bitch and moan kind of friends. But that all changed when she had the miscarriage.

Everyone thought the reason she took the miscarriage so hard was because she wanted the baby. Justin was the only one to know the truth. She had decided to have an abortion. He was supposed to take her to her appointment that Friday. But she miscarried on the prior Tuesday.

When they all seat down to talk with their parents it was a disaster. Her parents said she should have an abortion. His dad was for adoption. Both were sure Justin and Daphne couldn't raise a baby.

The fight was epic. They told them they were going to raise the baby and didn't care what their parents said. After the dust settled Daphne told him what she wanted. She wasn't ready to be a parent, neither was he.

When she had the miscarriage she got depressed, saying that she didn't know how to feel. In the end she said it was for the best but it still upset her.

"Don't listen to that idiot," he said.

Justin didn't say anything but the guy gave him the creeps with the way he looked at Daphne. It reminded him of every time Chris Hobbs bullied him just to later pull him into the supply closet. There was no way he was going to leave Daphne alone near that guy.

He was glad that guy was just the tow guy. They talked to the guy working on her car. He was a gruff older man but seemed to hate everyone equally.

The mechanic said the car should be ready by Friday. That meant they would have to go home right after. Not only that, the fix was going to cost almost six hundred dollars.

If they told their parents they spent that much money on an auto shop repair, they would demand to see the paperwork. Not because they didn't trust them but to make sure they didn't get taken advantage of. They would have to find temporary jobs to add the income to pay their parents back.

"I don't want to think about it anymore. We're stuck here for almost three days. Something fun has to happen in this God forsaken town." She pulled out of his embrace.

"Well, we have no car at the moment. It doesn't look like this place has public transportation." He walked over to the window and looked out. All he could see was the parking lot and a gas station on the corner.

They had been lucky the mechanic had another take them to the hotel.

"Do you still have the tequila in your bag?" he suddenly asked.

Daphne grinned before grabbing her bag. It had been a gift from Brian on Justin's way out. He hoped the bill pissed him off.

Inside her bag was all the liquor shot bottles Justin could grab. It wasn't even a conscious decision. He didn't remember doing it until Daphne had asked him what was holding. He had also taken a gift bag. Okay, it was Brian's shirt wrapped around all the bottles.

There were ten in all, Daphne put five in front of him and five in front of her.

"So we're just going to down them?" he asked.

"That does sound kind of boring. How about Truth or Dare. Instead of taking a dare you take a shot."

"So Truth or Drink?"

"Yep. I'll go first."

Justin smiled. "Truth or Drink?"

"Truth."

He had to think because he knew almost everything about her, just like she did him.

"So who was better? Me or the douchebag."

Her eyes got comically large, then she laughed. "You my darling." He had no doubt. The first night he was in the same room. Daphne was no Oscar winning actress.

"Okay, Truth or Drink?" She giggled.

"Drink."" He grabbed the tequila shot, opened it and threw it back, burning on the way down.

"Truth or Drink?" he choked out.

"Drink." She did the same as his had but did it a lot smoother than he had.

"Truth or Drink?" she asked, voice huskier than usual.

"Truth."

"Was the fuckhead worth it?" She didn't need to elaborate.

He thought for a moment. Would he sleep with Brian again given the chance, knowing what he knew now?

He answered honestly, "Yes."

Her face was of understanding, he guessed she would pick the same too.

"Truth or Drink?" he asked.

"Drink." She drank down the shot.

"Truth or Drink?" Her voice another notch huskier.

"Drink." This one went down smoother.

"Truth or Drink?" he asked.

"Truth."

"Would you have picked an out of state school if it wasn't for me?"

"You know the answer. Yes. We're connected at the hip remember." She giggled lightly.

"Truth or Drink?"

"Truth."

"Have you spoken to C.J.?"

"Drink," he said coolly.

"That's not how it's played," she admonished.

"I don't care. I don't want to talk about my brother," he growled.

"It's been years, Justin. Maybe he knows how much he messed up."

"No Daphne. His was my older brother. He was supposed to protect me. I would do anything to protect Molly. If it would have been Molly he would have killed the guy. I don't want to talk about this anymore." He was getting upset. "Truth or Drink?"

"Drink." She drank her third, leaving them both with two.

"Truth or drink"

Instead of answering he grabbed his forth. "Truth or Drink?" He could feel the alcohol doing its job.

"Truth."

"Are you in love with me?"

It had been a taboo subject since they had sex. He knew the answer but at the moment he wanted to bring up something painful to her, like she had done with him.

"Drink." She grabbed her forth and gulped it down. She glared at him, now they both were angry.

"Truth or Drink?"

"Truth," he dared her.

"You've been saving yourself. Now that you've been used like yesterday's garbage. So are you now going to turn into a huge slut?"

"Maybe," he ground out. "Truth or drink?"

He knew they should stop, nothing good could come from this. But it was like his brain and mouth were no longer on speaking terms.

"Truth," she almost growled.

"Are you going to fuck every guy that smiles at you?" He wished it was just the alcohol talking but her bringing that jerk to their hotel room pissed him off, it was really tacky.

"Maybe," she echoed his answer.

"Drink," he yelled before she even asked and drank his last. She followed suit.

What happened next should never had happened. They started screaming at each other until someone knocked on their door and told them to shut up.

What followed was the loss of clothing and the tangle of bodies. The only other time they had sex it was gentle, loving and sober. This was filled with anger, heat and booze. His last thought as he moved off of her was hazy confusion.

"My head hurts," Daphne whined.

Justin's head ached but it wasn't too bad. That was until he remembered the night before.

"Shit", he cursed. "Daph, I'm so fucking sorry."

"Justin, I wasn't some blushing virgin bride. I was there, hell I'm the one who started it."

"Please, tell me you're on the pill," he begged. He hadn't remembered using a condom.

"Don't get your panties in a twist, of course I am. But we both need to go get tested when we get home."

He knew she was right. They both were with strange men then had unprotected sex with each other.

"I'm sorry about bringing up C.J. and that scumbag friend of his. You were just a kid. I know how much what C.J. did hurt you. I still think you should tell your dad. He has to know something is up that you come to my house every time C.J. comes to visit."

Justin closed his eyes; he knew she was right. The hurt was still too raw. He had only been twelve when he begged his dad to let him visit his brother in Hawaii.

He was only there for a week. When he got off the plane he was so excited. That changed when his brother picked him up at the airport. He didn't understand at the time why C.J. seemed mad after greeting him.

Everything sucked from day one. C.J. didn't do any of the stuff he promised they would do. It all came to a head the last night he was there. His sister-in-law was pregnant with their second child. She was taking Tabby, their oldest, to a friends for the night.

Justin thought he and C.J. were finally going to hang out. Instead C.J. invited over his friends. They drank and played poker. C.J. passed out on his chair and almost everyone else left. There was only one guy left, C.J.'s friend who went by Caveman.

Justin didn't like how the man watched him. Once C.J. was passed out he went to the room he was staying in. The room didn't have a lock on it. The man came in when he was almost asleep. Justin jumped up out of bed. His plan was to wake C.J., Caveman was faster though. He grabbed him and covered his mouth with is gross, giant hand.

Justin tried to block out the rest of the night. It was luckily ended before it was taken as far as the man wanted. C.J. had stomped down the hallway. Caveman had just grabbed his pants to pull them up when C.J. opened the door. Justin was so glad he was there he could have cried.

When C.J. started yelling, Justin was shocked that it was him that he was yelling at. He could remember it like it was yesterday. His brother calling him a faggot and trying to infect his friends with his faggot way. Justin didn't know what that word meant at the time, but he know it must be bad. That he had done something terrible for C.J. to be so angry with him.

He cried when he told Daphne about the night. She held him and told him it wasn't his fault. She was always more mature than he was. The first couple of years he hid at Daphne's when C.J. and his family was in town. But then it was because of his hatred of him. It took a lot of time to realize that it wasn't his fault. He never wanted to see C.J. again. His hero worship of his big brother died the same night his naïve world came crashing down.

Justin couldn't wait to tell Daphne about the job he got. He took a shot and went to the club, Babylon. A guy from his history of modern art class set him up with an interview.

Gary Sapperstein was a creep, but the job would pay well. Josh, his friend from class, had said not to get offended about anything the man said or did. The man hadn't done anything but he still gave Justin the creeps. But it was going to be a club filled with people, it wasn't like anything could ever happen to him there.

At first the man hadn't wanted to hire him. He didn't have the same build as most of his dancers, but he gave in. The man had admitted not all of his clientele went for the big buff guys, some liked young, thin guys. Not to mention he had a great ass, Brian talked about it at length on their night together.

He was going to be able to make up all the money they had lost. He might even keep the job if he liked it, maybe he would meet the man of his dreams. Well, he already had, but maybe there was someone better than Brian Kinney. There had to be, right? At least in the personality department.

He decided to grow up and live his life a little. That meant being okay with being seen on Liberty Avenue. His father would have to get used to this part of his life anyway. His dad already made a big step and went to a PFLAG meeting. They really hadn't talked since he had gotten back; it was because he made an excuse every time his dad called. He was worried his dad would ask for the money back.

He knew his dad would understand about spending the money, but it was the principle of the matter. They didn't want their parents to always think they needed them to bail them out.

It had been eight years since he could really talk to his father. Several times he had found himself wanting to talk about what was really bothering him. He wasn't the broken little kid that he was once upon a time anymore. That was a long time ago but nothing could change the past anyway. It was a part of him, it always would be.

His phone rang, bringing him out of his depressing thoughts.

Pulling his phone from his pocket he answered. "Hello?"

"I just got fired," Daphne cried into the phone.

"What? Wait. What happened?" He was trying not to panic.

"They said I was stealing. They told me I was lucky they were just firing me and not calling the police." She was breathing heavy.

"That's bullshit, you haven't ever stolen anything. You're their scapegoat, it's as simple as that. Listen I just got a second part-time job. I get to keep any tips I make, we'll be okay." He hoped he was telling the truth.

He was technically a millionaire, except he wasn't. The man he once thought was his grandfather left him and Molly his entire estate. He was supposed to get money for school but Craig Taylor had contested the inheritance, all the money was still tied up. Luckily, his father didn't want him depending on the money and encouraged him to go for a scholarship. It covered his tuition, everything else was his responsibility.

Daphne's parents were big on her paying her own way. They would help if it was dire but she really hated to ask. His dad was still paying off his private school loans. Molly had decided at eight she wanted to go to public school, so most of the debt was because of Justin. Just the thought of that much of a burden on his father had guilt filling him. Maybe if the job at Babylon worked out he could start giving his dad money to help the debt.

"How is a part-time job going to make up for my part of the expenses?" She sounded a little more like herself.

"I'm going to be a dancer at Babylon. You'll get a new job, I know it. Just let me take over for a while," he pleaded with her. She always had so much on her shoulders. Being pre-med was starting to wear her down.

"A dancer?" she asked, he could tell she was trying not to giggle now. At least she wasn't crying anymore.

"What you don't think I'll be any good?" He knew he was a great dancer, even his new boss said so.

"I'm sure you're going to be great. Who knows maybe you'll meet Mr. Right. Like Richard Gere when he met Julia Roberts," she said, giggling.

"I'm not a hooker, I'm a dancer," he told her. He was not Pretty Woman-ing with anyone.

"When do you start?"

"Tonight, I don't get off until two though."

"Okay. Oh yeah, your dad called me earlier. He wants us to meet his new lady friend. We are to meet him at 7pm at Ruby's tomorrow night."

The idea of his dad dating again didn't bother him as much as he thought it would. When he was younger his dad had a girlfriend. Justin didn't get along with her. He hoped this one was a nicer.

"Sounds good, I'll call if I'm going to be longer than 2:30," he told her.

"Fine, but if you don't call I'm going to call your dad." He knew she meant business.

The diner was filled with the regular Saturday lunch crowd. Sitting down in his regular booth, he ordered a coffee from Debbie who was with someone else.

"Just hold on," Debbie bitched. Michael and Ted came in at that moment, sitting opposite of him.

"I tried to call you last night, you weren't answering," Michael said, looking over the menu he knew by heart.

"I was busy." Since he got back from Florida a week earlier, he had been on edge. That meant he was tricking even more than usual.

"Are you going to Babylon tonight?" Michael asked.

"Is there anything else to do on Saturday night in this Burg?"

Michael gave him one of his goofy smiles and he couldn't stop from smiling back. Since they were fourteen, Michael had always been there for him, along with Michael's mother, Debbie. When things got too much at home, he would camp out at their house.

Brian didn't even want to think about where he would be without them. Mikey kept him grounded when he needed it, and Debbie gave him the ass-kicking only a mother could do.

When Michael started dating Doctor Dick, he didn't want to admit he was jealous. For the longest time he was the most important person in Michael's life, he didn't like giving up that title. But then it became obvious that he still was, David had only been a passing fancy.

But then Ben came into the picture, it was different. Michael was head-over-heels for Zen Ben. Ben was everything Michael needed in his life. Where Michael had a flair for the dramatic, Ben was calm, cool and collected. He was there to pull Michael back from the ledge anytime he got too close. That only made Brian realize he didn't have that person for him, it wasn't right for that person to be Michael anymore.

"Ben's feeling better now, Ma even seems to be accepting him." Debbie had not been very happy with her son dating a HIV positive man. She had been taking care of her brother Vic for years after he was diagnosed, she didn't want the same to happen to her son. Brian was also worried but he couldn't remember Michael ever being happier.

"So does that mean you're staying home and playing nursemaid?" he asked trying not to sound put out.

"Nope, Ben said he wanted me to go out and have fun. Hanging out in a hospital for almost a week was emotionally exhausting. Ma's going to check in on him, even if he doesn't want it." Michael laughed and it sounded good. The past week Michael had been upset about Ben's condition in the hospital, but now Ben was recovering and Mikey could take a night to relax.

Debbie came over and took their orders. She had been quieter than usual today, he was suspicious. Once she was putting their orders in he decided to do something he hated…make small talk.

"What's up with your mother?" he asked Michael. The man scowled in return.

"She's seeing that cop again. Apparently they are going to dinner tomorrow and she is going to meet two of his kids."

"Why aren't you going?"

"I passed on the festivities. I don't see any reason to make nice with the homophobe. If she wants meet his kids and have a grand ol' time, that's her problem."

Brian let it go, he wasn't going to point out that Michael wanted Debbie to accept Ben but he was refusing the cop at every turn. That was something he would have to work out himself.

"How's the business, Theodore?" Not that he really cared, he just wanted Michael to stop pouting.

"Good, I'm thinking about expanding the site. Since Emmett left for George, I need another draw," Ted said blandly.

Ted could even make porn sound depressing, it was his gift. He had almost lost his business before it started but Emmett had saved him. Then Emmett met George and retired. It was really sickening to watch, Emmett fawning all over the crypt keeper. He just hoped to be long gone before he could get that old.

Brian turned the trick so he was facing the wall. Babylon was packed as usual though the backroom seemed to have less regulars in it. The trick moaned as Brian pushed the man's tight jeans down. He quickly put the condom on, the guy's moans started to annoy him. He took the guy quick and fast, he wanted to get back out on the floor. He needed to be seen, it was all about show. If there were fewer people in the backroom there were fewer watching him. On the dance floor he'd be worshipped, he loved the feeling of that kind of admiration. If he saw a shrink they would say it was because he felt like his parents never validated or loved him. Since he already knew that he saved the money and spent it on clothes.

He went to the bar to get another drink. Michael, Ted and Emmett were leaning against it. Emmett seemed to making the best of his last few nights before leaving on his trip with George.

"He doesn't even look legal to be here," Ted said.

"That's the way of twinks, they look young but he's probably old enough. Maybe," Emmett added.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Brian asked.

"The new go-go dancer," Michael said, pointing to one of the raised platforms.

All Brian could see was the dancers bubble butt in tight white shorts. The guy had a headful of shaggy blonde hair. For a moment he thought the guy looked familiar. But all he saw was the back of him, but what he did see was gorgeous. He could tell the guy was short and thin, with pale skin shining from the lights. He wasn't muscular or built but compact, he almost reminded Brian of someone.

All the air rushed out of his lungs with the kid turned around. He was met by the familiar angelic face of a kid he left behind in Florida. He didn't know how or why the kid was here. One thing he was sure of, he might break his no-repeats rule to have him again.

He watched the kid sway and dance while guys watched him. There wasn't a lot of guys watching him because he was on a platform and not the bar. But he had garnered some because of his youthful, innocent face while dancing like he was made for it. His body moved with ease and style. Brian's eyes locked with the kid's when the kid looked down into the crowd. For a second Brian felt his heart sped up, then the kid's face went blank and he turned around again. Well, that was that.

Ruby's was a small Italian restaurant near his childhood home. Justin had been there a lot for special occasions. He was nervous about meeting his dad's girlfriend or whatever she was. His dad deserved to be happy. The man worked overtime and second jobs just to put him through school.

Daphne was dressed in a simple blue dress. It wasn't her usual way of dressing. She was more a jeans and blouse kind of girl. She had told him they were going to wear their best clothes. So he was in a light blue button up shirt with black dress pants. When Daphne saw him she had rolled her eyes. He wasn't the most fashion forward person but he wasn't a complete hopeless case.

"Justin," Elaina, the hostess, gushed when she saw him.

"Hey, Elaina. Is my dad here yet," he said as he gave her a hug.

Elaina was the owner's mother, she always had a ready smile for everyone. Her son Daniel had bought the restaurant from his father. Justin never cared for the senior Turano. They got divorced about the same time as Justin started driving.

Elaina led them to a table where his father and sister were already seated. His sister was in jeans and a green and silver top. He started to feel overdressed, and for that he sent a glare at Daphne.

"You're on time," Molly, his sister said.

"Your faith in me is astounding," he said playfully.

"So where is the mystery woman?" Daphne asked.

"She just called me, she is running a little late. I want all three of you to be on your best behavior," his dad said sternly.

All three of them burst out laughing. If anyone was going to stick his foot in his mouth it would be his dad. The man had a knack for it.

"So tell us about her," Justin prompted.

"Well, I met her at the PFLAG meeting. She is the chapter chairperson. She has a grown son, her brother lives with her." His dad paused and looked like he was debating something.

Whatever it was they didn't get to hear because they were interrupted by a flash of color. Justin froze looking at the colorful woman beaming down at them. Not only was her dress loud so was her hair. It was red, curly and big. He never pictured his dad with someone so…busy.

Daphne and Molly seemed to be just as stunned as he was. His dad on the other hand looked at her like she was his dream come true.

"Kids this is Debbie Novotny. Debbie, the strawberry blond is my daughter Molly, and the blond is my son Justin. The one that looks like she is biting her tongue is Daphne, she was over my house so much growing up she is an honorary family member."

Debbie laughed. "I got one of those too."

She took the seat to the right of his dad and the left of Molly.

"So your dad tells me you run track," Debbie said to Molly.

Molly had always been into sports. She had many medals and trophies, they joined C.J.'s and Vicky's. C.J. was a cornerback and his team to state his senior year. Vicky's team went to state with softball, all three years she participated. Justin was the only one without sports trophies. But he did have many awards from his art work.

"Yeah, my best in the 440 in 61 seconds but I hope to break a minute soon," Molly boosted.

Justin rolled his eyes, jocks always were a little full of themselves.

He tuned them out and starting thinking about a piece he was working on. The work was still in his studio at school. He was brought out of his thoughts by Daphne snapping her fingers in his face.

"He does that sometimes when he doesn't have interest in the conversation," Daphne said.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly, feeling guilty about being caught zoning out.

"Justin, your dad tells me you're going to Pittsburgh Institute of Fine Arts. That's amazing you must be really talented," she gushed. It made him feel a little uncomfortable. He was good at what he did but no one talked about it so highly, especially someone who hadn't even seen his work.

"What does your son do?" he asked to get attention off of him.

"Michael owns his own comic book store. His boyfriend is a professor at Carnegie Mellon," Debbie bragged.

"Really? What does he teach?" Daphne asked enthusiastically.

"I'm not really sure, hon. His name is Ben Bruckner."

"Oh, I don't know him," Daphne said dejectedly.

"Aww, poor Daph, thought she had an in with a professor." His best friend was the perpetual teacher's pet.

"So did I pass the test?" Debbie asked near the end of dinner.

"Anyone would be better than your predecessor," Justin muttered.

He felt the air grow tense in the room. He had never made it a secret that he didn't like his dad' ex.

The woman also didn't make it a secret she didn't like him. It wasn't until an argument that led to her smacking him, hard, on the face. His dad had come in just at the right moment. Now he wasn't a saint so he didn't tell his dad he called the woman a pathetic piece of trash who would open her legs for anyone. In truth, he was trying to provoke her to act out. He didn't have a good feeling about her and wanted her gone. Once his dad saw the hit, she was gone. Justin didn't in the least feel bad or guilty that she was gone.

"Justin," his dad said warningly.

"Sorry," he said quickly apologizing.

"Shit, kiddo you don't need to keep apologizing," Debbie said loudly.

Justin gaped at her. He looked at his dad, who never allowed foul language, but his dad was smiling at her.

When he recovered he laughed for the first time that night. He had to admit he liked the woman's brusque way about her.

"Holy shit, Sunshine," she said suddenly.

He looked at her a little confused, unsure what she was talking about.

"What?"

She just laughed and started talking about the diner she worked at. The rest of the dinner went well. Debbie kept calling him Sunshine, which soon he got used to. When he started to try and pay for his and Daphne's meal his father waved him off. When he tried to insist Debbie told him to put his fucking wallet back in his fucking pants; it cut off any argument he had.

He left feeling better than he thought about his dad's new relationship. The woman was brash but truly a sweet and kind person. He hoped things worked out for his dad this time, the man deserved his happily ever after.

Justin didn't know Babylon would be so busy during a weekday. It was Tuesday night and the crowd was almost as big as it had been Saturday. It was his third day of his new job. He felt empowered for the first time, it was strange to think that. But it was true, for once in his life he felt in control; he chose who got his attention, and he chose who didn't.

That that led to him purposefully ignoring a certain tall brunet with hazel eyes. The man hadn't come up to him and to try and talk yet. But there were times he could feel someone staring at him, more than usual. That's when he would lock eyes with Brian before the older man took another trick into the backroom. It was almost like a game to the man, or at least a fuck you to Justin.

The first time he saw Brian he thought he was imagining the man. It was the second time he saw him, he knew then he wasn't a figment of his imagination. Brian seemed to be in his element at the club. He had guys all over him, most he turned down. He only went with the hottest, brawniest guys Justin had ever seen. That meant the night he was with Justin he must have been really slumming it.

He groaned when he saw Gary waiting for him in the dressing room. Justin still thought the man was a perv, he just didn't have any proof. The only good thing was that he didn't really seem to care one way or the other about Justin. But he did see how the man treated his other dancers, it was vile. When he talked to another dancer about it the guy said it was just business. That was never the kind of business Justin wanted.

"Taylor," Gary called to him.

At work he went by Taylor, he didn't want his last name to get around. The only one who knew his real name was Gary because of his paperwork. Gary was okay with calling him Taylor though.

"Hey, Gary," he said giving his best fake smile.

"I need you to work tomorrow night. I know it's your day off but Kyle quit today. I need you to cover."

"I get to dance on the bar?" he asked excitedly. Dancing on the bar was the best place to dance. You could make hundreds in one night.

"Don't be stupid. I'm moving Lee from a platform to the bar. It's still the same job just more hours, which means you'll get more pay." Justin couldn't argue with that.

"Sure, I'll work." Daphne wasn't going to like it. They had barely spent any time together in the last week.

"Great, kiddo," Gary said as he ran a hand through Justin's hair. Justin did everything in his power not to grimace at the gesture.

As he left Babylon he could hear footsteps behind him. He sped up his pace but the footsteps sped up too. Before he knew what happened a jeep pulled up beside the sidewalk; it came to a screeching halt.

"Wanna ride?" a familiar voice asked. It was a voice that haunted his fantasies.

Stepping to the passenger's side window he leaned down. "What are you doing here Brian?"

"Driving home," Brian answered with a devilish smirk.

"I mean here in Pittsburgh," he clarified.

"I live here, you?"

"Same. What are the odds?" Justin said more to himself.

"You need a ride home?" Brian asked. Justin was about to tell him to fuck off until he remembered the footsteps.

"That would be really nice of you," he said, trying to be polite even though he wasn't feeling it.

Justin opened the car door and slid in. After telling Brian where to drive they settled into awkward silence. He really didn't know what to say to the man who not only broke his heart but eviscerated it. It was only one night but it had been the best night of his life. He knew he sounded juvenile whining about one lost night.

Once they had reached his apartment, Brian shocked him by following him up without an invitation. As soon as the door was open Brian pushed him up against the door before moving him inside and shutting it.

Justin didn't fight it, didn't even consider pushing the man away. What he did was wrap his legs around Brian's waist. Brian devoured his mouth, rutting against him, pushing him hard back into the door.

Brian pulled his mouth away and started to kiss down Justin's jaw. He was slowly lowered to the floor and his clothes taken off by the older man. Justin was moved to the couch where he was soon bent over it. Brian was still wearing his clothes but Justin could hear a packet being opened.

Justin was quickly prepared with the lube from the small packet. It was nothing like the time prior where Brian took his time doing everything. He turned his head to see Brian undoing his pants. It took everything in him not to groan in ecstasy at the sight. Another packet was opened, this time it was the condom.

They weren't even close to quiet in this coupling. They weren't as loud as Justin had heard some of the guys in the dressing room at Babylon. But they weren't church mice either.

They had just found their releases when a gasp from the hallway caught his attention. Daphne was standing in the hallway with wide eyes. His face reddened at being caught in the act by his best friend.

Justin didn't know what to think. A half hour ago he was having the time of his life with Brian. Brian had quickly taken off after Daphne ran out. Now he was waiting for Daphne to come back home or at least call. Then it dawned on him that she didn't take her phone. She had just run out in her pajamas after grabbing her car keys, she didn't even have shoes on.

He knew it was rude to have sex in the living room, but really she had sex with him five feet away. Too worried to even sketch he just sat and waited. The sun was peeking through the blinds when the keys finally jingled in the lock.

Jumping up he met Daphne coming through the door.

"Where were you?" he demanded.

"We need to talk." Her voice was calm and steady.

Panic and fear started to build in his chest. He wasn't ashamed to admit he was afraid of what she was going to say. He knew all of her faces and the emotions that match. Whatever she was going to say was going to hurt, and nothing he could say was going to change it.

She walked over to the couch, looked down at it and scowled. Then she walked to the other side of the room and sat at their small kitchen table. Following her, he sat in the other chair.

"I want the truth, the complete truth. Why did you have sex with me in Alabama?"

The question shocked him, he wasn't expecting to talk about it. The whole thing was over and done with, at least he thought it was.

"We were drunk," he said slowly.

"No, that's not why. What did you feel when I brought Brad to the hotel room?" Her voice was solid.

"Nothing, I thought it was a little rude." He knew now he was being a hypocrite.

"Did it make you jealous?"

He thought about it. Did Daphne having sex with Brad make him jealous? That was easy. No. Her being connected at the hip with the guy for two days was another thing.

"No."

"Did you sleep with me just to keep me trailing behind you?" Her face was a mask of anger.

"What? Of course not," he answered hastily.

"I'm going to talk and you're going to listen. Okay?" He nodded his head, he knew better than to argue with her. "This is what I think happened. I think a year ago, I asked my best friend to have sex with me. I wanted to my first time to be with someone who mattered, someone who would always be in my life. After that things got a little confused in my head. I saw you being able to perform as a sign that maybe you weren't as gay as you thought. You know like maybe you were bi or something.

"But then I found out I was pregnant. You were there for me and even said you would go with whatever I decided. When I had the miscarriage you were there for me again. It took months for our relationship to get back to normal. To where I wasn't waiting for you to love me like I wanted."

Justin started to feel uncomfortable about the direction this was going. He didn't want to talk about it. It all was over and done with.

"Then we go on spring break. I met someone who likes me, wants me. At least he did for a while. I'll admit that I was with Brad in the room with you to see if you would get jealous. You didn't and you did, I know that. You don't care who I sleep with. It was the fear that I would have someone special in my life, someone more important than you. You were scared I would leave you. Weren't you?" she demanded.

He glared at her, he wasn't going to confirm or deny. If she wanted to have a rant-feast that was up to her. He didn't have to add into it.

"You can't even admit it can you? Did you or did you not sleep with me to keep me hanging onto you?" Her voice had lost its calmness.

There was no way he was going to admit anything to her. If she wanted to think that, it was her problem.

"Are you attracted to me?" she asked in a quieter voice, almost a whisper.

He wanted to lie, he wanted to make everything right again. To have her there for him. It was wrong and he knew it but he was so scared of losing her.

"No," he answered honestly.

"Are you attracted to any women?" she asked making a grab for his hands that were resting on the table.

He shook his head. He wasn't attracted to women. There were women he knew were pretty or beautiful, Daphne being the best but he didn't have those feelings for any woman. Men were attractive to him, Brian at the top of that list. Sex with Daphne had been just sex, and the whole time it felt so wrong, both times.

"You are terrified of being abandoned again. It didn't start with Craig Taylor. First it was your mother dying, following by the only other loving presence in your life, your grandfather. Then Craig abandoned you at a park with an order to take care of your baby sister. You were only four years old and abandoned by everyone you ever known, even if most was from death. Then C.J. turned his back on you when you needed him the most. His abandonment probably was the most damaging.

"You are so scared that I'm going to abandon you too, that you betrayed both of us in the process."

He couldn't keep his mouth shut anymore. She was bringing up things better left alone. "You initiated sex both times, not me. In the hotel room you jumped me. Instead of pushing you away I gave in. We had both been hurt. I'm so fucking sorry that I thought it would make you feel better," he shouted.

"Feel better?" she screeched. "You think that having my mind played with by my best friend made me feel better? You are delusional, you know that right?"

Daphne was standing now, he was too. They were facing off against each other. Both breathing heavily, the anger in the room was palpable.

"You felt me slipping away. You knew it might not have worked out with Brad but it may with the next guy. Hell, I may move in with the next guy. You can't handle not being my one and only. There is only one problem, you don't want me like that. I can't handle this anymore; I thought I could. But then I walked in on you and some random guy."

"We're not a couple," he said in his defense.

"I know that, and I accepted that. But you can't keep playing this game when you feel like you're losing me." Her voice was quieter now, tears running freely down her face.

"But I am, aren't I? That's what this talk is about, you're leaving me?" He wasn't in love with her like she needed someone to be, but he did love her. She was his best friend, confidant and biggest supporter. He had held on to her too tight, betrayed both of them in the process. He knew it was his fault, he knew at the time he was crossing a line. He wanted to blame it on the alcohol but he knew it wasn't. It was his need not to be abandoned again.

"This isn't a healthy situation for either of us. You have to see that. You're gay and I'm straight. That wouldn't matter except we've been playing with the line here. I'm transferring to Brown, I got accepted but chose to stay with you. I think we need this separation for us both to grow. We are too dependent on each other. I'm not abandoning you, I promise, I'll be back."

He stiffened when she threw her arms around his neck. Everything he was afraid would happen, was happening.

"School year's not over yet? So you'll stay here until end of the school year?" he asked, clinging to the glimmer of hope.

She shook her head. "I think it's best if I stay with my parents until summer," she said sadly.

"How will I afford the apartment?" he asked, hoping get her to see leaving would be a mistake.

"You're making enough now to cover both our halves, remember? You can always get another roommate. Please, fourteen years is long enough. It's time for us to grow up."

"You mean grow apart," he said.

"Maybe that's for the best, you'll always be my best friend," she whispered into his ear.

The next day he watched as her dad and brother came over to move her stuff. He didn't say anything to them, and they didn't try and talk to him. Whatever she had told them it was obvious she was taking the blame. Even now after what he had done, she was still protecting him.

He knew he really would need a roommate to make it work. He quickly wrote roommate ad and posted it on the board at school.

Hopefully she would find what she was looking for, and still want to be his friend when she found it.

Brian didn't know why he picked up the kid. When he saw the kid walking home alone it made his skin crawl. The kid kept looking over his shoulder and walking at a fast pace. It didn't take a genius that the kid was freaked out, with good reason with some of the scum trolling Liberty Avenue at two in the morning.

Fucking the kid again wasn't in his plan, but he wasn't upset it happened. Justin had got freaked out when his friend caught them. That was when Brian decided to take his leave. Not one to be ever ashamed of what he was doing, he didn't know what the big deal was.

"Well that's everything, thank you for helping me," Ethan, Justin's new roommate said.

Ethan was two years older than Justin. He was also an excellent violinist, or so he said. Justin didn't really know much about classical music, so he had to believe the guy.

Justin was glad they got to leave most of Ethan's "furniture" at his old apartment. It looked like he collected it from the garbage. Daphne and Justin had been lucky. When they moved in their parents had furnished the whole apartment. When Daph left she only took her bedroom set and some odds and ends. That left just the bedroom for Ethan to furnish.

Ethan had to pay a pet fee to the landlord because he had a cat. The cat spent most of his time hiding under the couch.

He enjoyed the easy tête-à-tête he had with Ethan. They had a lot in common, their drive to be noticed for their accomplishments.

When Justin told Ethan about his job at Babylon the man seemed shocked. At first he said that it wasn't the type of job an aspiring artist should have. Then when it was clear he wasn't winning Justin over he said that he worried for Justin.

"No problem," Justin told him.

He was late for work, so he quickly dressed and left for work.

Brian was at the diner with Mikey and Emmett. It was Friday morning, he had a big presentation with a potential new client.

"All she talks about now is the detective and his kids. She went to the girl's track practice. Apparently both younger kids are brilliant and talented while the older ones have great lives. It's sickening to hear her gush about them," Mikey whined.

Brian was getting sick of the new topic. Ever since Deb started dating her new guy and met his kids she was enthralled. Brian was happy for her but anytime he tried to tell Michael that his mother deserved some happiness in her life he was screeched at. So now all he did was keep his mouth shut.

"Brian," a feminine voice called out to him.

He looked up and saw Lindsay quickly rushing towards him. She held Gus in her arms. Sonny boy was a little over a year now. It had been a week since Brian saw him last. The boy looked like he had grown quite a bit since then.

"Sonny boy," he said sliding out of the booth. He plucked Gus out of Lindsay's arms and tickled Gus, who giggled.

"Brian," Lindsay said again.

"What?" he asked, not taking his eyes off of his son.

"I'm getting divorced." Her voice was a little shaky.

"What?" Emmett yelled from the table.

"I came home last night to find him-" Her voice broke and Brian became extremely worried. He knew the man watched Gus while she was at work.

"What Lindsay? What was he doing?"

"He was having sex with a woman. Some cheap bottle blonde," she sobbed.

Brian looked at her agitatedly. "And?" Surely there had to be more than the Frenchman fucking some bimbo.

"He's supposed to be gay. Why would he be having sex with a woman?"

As much as Brian cared for Lindsay, sometimes she exasperated him. There was somethings that she did that he didn't understand. Number one was getting together with Melanie. Then it was marrying the Frenchman after Mel cheated.

Mel was now with a tall, leggy blonde named Katrina. The woman didn't seem to really think she was a replacement for Lindsay, but everyone else did, including Brian.

"I thought you couldn't get divorced because it was a fake marriage?" Michael asked.

"That's why I'm here." She looked back at Brian. "Can't you do anything?" she begged.

"I'm not a lawyer, Linz. What do you want me to do? Why don't you call your ex? Because she might actually know how to get you out of it."

"I can't call her, she would just throw it all in my face." Gus started to fuss in his arms, looking at the clock on the wall he saw it was time to go.

"Call her, if she won't help I'll pay for a lawyer. You first have to suck up your pride and talk to Mel." He handed Gus back to Lindsay, giving them both a peck on their cheeks before he made his way out.

They were meeting at Woody's before going to Babylon. Brian passed the annoying violist on his way to the bar. He never liked violin music, it sounded too much like someone torturing cats to him.

Once he stepped inside Woody's he looked around for his friends. It looked like he was the first one there, which could mean he could find a trick to busy his time with. Looking around he spotted a tall, muscled black Adonis.

Just as he was going in for the kill, he saw the guy wrap his arms around a small twink. He couldn't see the face of the twink but saw he was a blond. Looking around he settled on a tall, lean dirty blond.

"Hey," he said to the dirty blond.

"Hi." The guy was his height with a nice body, he also looked a little familiar but that wasn't unusual. "So do you want to get out of here?" Everyone who knew Brian's reputation, knew what to expect from him.

"How about the restroom," he said instead.

"Danny, come on." A hand appeared on the trick's shoulder. Brian saw it was the Adonis.

"Yeah, come on Danny," a familiar voice called.

Brian looked over and saw Justin and he was hanging onto the back of the Adonis. Justin's head was resting on the Adonis's shoulder. The man was holding Justin in piggyback style.

The dirty blonde potential trick laughed. "Taylor get the fuck down. How fucking high are you right now?"

"Mmm-not," Justin giggled, an honest to god giggle.

"What is he on?" Brian asked a little angrily.

"Lee?" the dirty blonde tricke asked the Adonis.

The Justin he had talked with over the past month. The same one he had sex with a month ago then again two weeks ago didn't act like this. But yesterday Justin had said something that worried Brian.

"Hey Brian," Justin said as Brian was taking a trick to the backroom of Babylon.

He nodded at Justin before continuing on his way.

"Brian," Justin called to him.

"What?" he asked, annoyed.

"Can we talk after you're done? I just need some advice." Justin looked at him pleadingly.

"Do I look like fucking Ann Landers to you?"

"Who?" Brian felt more annoyed with their age difference at that moment.

"Go ask someone else," he told Justin. He could tell his trick was getting restless.

"Please."

"Fine, meet me at the Liberty Diner in thirty minutes."

"No, please, somewhere else," the boy said in an almost panic.

"Fine, meet me at my jeep in twenty." With that he took the trick to the backroom.

Brian ended up taking Justin to his loft. Justin went on and on about missing his friend, Daphne. She had moved out after seeing Brian fucking Justin. Brian couldn't care less but Justin seemed to be upset by it. He would feel abandoned too if it were Mikey, so he could see where the kid was coming from.

"So you just wanted to whine?" he asked Justin. He could have brought a trick home if he known he would be listening to whining, or at least stay and listen to Mikey whine.

"No, I need money," Justin said bluntly.

"Umm… I don't need to pay for it," Brian joked.

"My boss offered me a lot of money, but I don't know if I should go through with it."

Brian had heard things about Gary Sapperstein, he had a bad feeling about what the man asked of Justin.

"What does he want?"

The bad feeling just got worse the more Justin hesitated to answer the question.

"I'll get to work on the bar, special parties, and the VIP room."

"That's great, but what is his price." Brian wasn't stupid, The Sap must want something in return.

"Just every once and awhile he wants me to go on vacation," Justin mumbled.

"Okay, now tell me the truth."

"He wants me to pick up some stuff for him-out of the county stuff."

"He wants you to smuggle drugs for him?" Brian asked indignantly.

"No, I told him I wouldn't do that. I don't want to wind up in some Malaysian jail."

"Don't worry about that, you'd be put to death before you have to think about it."

Justin's face paled, showing that he wasn't being completely honest about what this deal was about. That wasn't the only thing that worried Brian. Justin had a youthful, innocent face. Who knows what the man wanted from Justin.

"Tell him no," Brian said firmly.

"But I need the money. My new roommate barely covers his own half of the rent. I work almost every night and still barely get by. I had to quit my job at the bowling alley. There was no way I could keep up with my school work and two jobs."

Brian knew there was something the boy wasn't telling him. Justin was at the school on scholarship. While he wouldn't be living in the lap of luxury he could make it. Brian had done it himself, he worked hard through college.

"Justin, listen to me. Are you listening?" Justin nodded his head. "I don't know what Sapperstein is up to but it has to be illegal. There is no other reason for wanting an eighteen year old travel for him. Do not do this." He knew he was begging but nothing good could come from the kid accepting this deal.

Brian closed his eyes and calmed his breathing. He wanted to shout about how stupid Justin was being. Even in his dumbest days he had never done something as foolhardy as Justin was talking about.

"Promise, you won't do this. I'll find you a decent paying job. One that you can go to school and still have a life outside of work."

"I don't know."

"Promise me," he demanded.

"I promise," Justin whispered.

They hadn't had sex since the night two weeks ago. Brian pulled Justin to him and kissed him hard. He wasn't surprised that Justin didn't push him away. It didn't go as far as Brian had wanted because Justin said that he needed to get home or his roommate would worry. It wasn't easy to let him go but he didn't have a reason to stop him.

Justin and the big guy started making out. Brian could tell it wasn't the first time they had been together.

"He's just had some shots. He's going to be dancing on the bar tonight. We were celebrating," Lee said, breaking the kiss with Justin.

"I let him blow me," Justin said, a little too loudly.

"You let who blow you?" Brian asked, even though he had his suspicions.

"Gary," Justin said, now with a loud whisper.

Brian went to grab him but Lee beat him to it. The man pulled Justin into a tight hold.

It was time for Brian to get the fuck out of there. There was no reason for him to stay. Whatever Justin was doing was his choice, the guy was an adult. He even looked to have his own bodyguard.

"Oh Brian, you didn't meet Lee and Danny did you? Lee is my VIP partner. Danny is the best dancer at Babylon."

"What is a VIP partner?" Brian asked. He wasn't one of the people on the inside with Sap, and he didn't want to be.

"In the VIP room we give them a little show. After the show they are allowed to have some liberties with the dancers," Lee said with a shrug.

The whole thing turned Brian's stomach sour. Lee was a big guy, able to protect himself if needed. He looked at Justin to see what he was thinking, usually his face was very expressive. Now it was closed off and blank, like he switched himself off.

"Justin do you really want to do this?" he asked. For a moment he wondered why he cared at all but he pushed it away, he would dwell on that later.

"Doesn't matter, I need the money," Justin said vacantly.

What possibly could the kid need money so bad for? From the few talks he had with Justin he knew the boy was close to his father. He knew that his dad lived close enough that he could move in with him if things got bad.

"We need to go or we'll be late," Lee said, looking uncomfortable.

Brian watched as the two men led Justin out. The twink went from happy and buzzed to blank in the course of a minute.

"Brian, how long have you been here?" Mikey asked as he grabbed Brian and kissed him on the lips.

The rest of the night passed in a blur. He drank but not as he usually would. He spent most of his time in the backroom, it was better than worrying about some clueless kid.

He was headed back to his Jeep when he saw a familiar figure leaning against his Jeep.

The boy's face was red and Brian could tell he had been crying. Instead of finding out what happened he just unlocked the passenger's door and opened it for him. Justin instantly climbed into the seat.

They were silent as he drove back to his loft. He didn't want to look into the reasons he didn't take the kid back to his own apartment.

Justin let him led him up to the loft. He still had yet to say anything, it was a bit troubling.

Once the door was slid closed he rounded on the kid.

"Do you want to tell me what the fuck happened?"

A hint of a smile appeared. "I think I'm fired," Justin said.

"What happened?" he asked again.

"Let's just say Gary might not walk right for a couple days."

That was all Brian needed to know the slime ball had tried something with Justin. But it turned out the little twink was a lot tougher than the man thought. Brian couldn't keep the smile off his face.

"Where did you learn to fight?" he asked.

"I visited my brother in Hawaii when I was twelve. When I got back I asked my dad to teach me to fight. He said no, he's kind of a pacifist at heart. Any way that summer my sister brought her latest boyfriend home, nothing new, until she met her husband she dated a lot.

"Well, this guy was short and rail-thin. Hell, I was only twelve and he was only a few inches taller than me. At first he kind of creeped me out by watching me. Turns out he knew something was off with me. Even though he didn't know me from Adam, he saw something my family hadn't.

"He taught me how to take care of myself. He told me to never go looking for trouble because I was still smaller than most. He showed me how to use my size to my favor. And most importantly, if it was between my life, my physical safety not to hesitate and knee the person in the groin. And as soon as I lowered my knee, run like hell. Which is what I did tonight. If I ever see him again, I need to thank him."

Brian tried to digest all that he had just heard. He wondered why the kid needed to feel that he had to learn to fight at twelve. He mentioned something about visiting his brother. His brother might have been a big bully.

"Your sister didn't marry the guy?" If he had helped out the baby brother it should have earned him points with Big Sis.

Justin shook his head. "No. About two years ago she met a lawyer named Lewis, nice guy. She told me later Jake, the guy who helped me, was bi and moved to Philly with his new boyfriend. When she married Lewis she moved across country, Salt Lake City."

"Lucky, I would pay for my sister to move to Salt Lake City."

"Hey, I happen to like both of my sisters," Justin said, laughing.

"What about your brother?"

And just like that the easy smile slid off Justin's face.

"My brother is a prick. He's stationed in German and that is too close if you ask me.

"What happened?" Brian asked.

"What happened with your sister?" Justin challenged instead.

"Easy, she's a bitch."

"Well my brother is a backstabber, that's all I want to say on the subject."

"Do you want to stay the night?" Brain asked. The very thought wasn't as off putting as he would have thought.

"Nah, I got to get home. My roommate gets a little paranoid if I'm late."

"Just your roommate?" It sounded like a pretty possessive move to Brian

"Ethan is a nice guy, he just gets worried about me. Sometimes he comes to the club before I get off to walk me home. He should be happy now that I don't work there anymore."

"Does he carry your books too?" Brain grumbled, not liking the jealousy that was bubbling up in him.

Justin let himself into his dad's house, holding his laundry bag over his shoulder. He usually washed his clothes in the laundry room at the apartment. But they only had a few machines and they all seemed to be broken. When he told his landlord the man said he couldn't get someone until tomorrow. It was bull, he just didn't want to deal with it today. But Justin needed clean clothes and didn't want to spend more and use the laundromat, which was why he was at his dad's.

Once he was in through the door he could smell food. Nothing his dad had ever made smelled as good as what he was smelling. Letting his nose and stomach lead him he followed the smell into the kitchen.

"What are you doing here?" Molly said, glaring at him. She looked like her day had been hell.

"I need to wash my clothes."

Molly was standing in front of a pan of boiling water. She looked anxious about whatever was happening to it. It was almost comical how tense she was about it. He walked over to the stove.

"You're cooking?" he asked raising an eyebrow.

He cooked. His dad cooked. Vicky cooked. Hell, even C.J. cooked. Molly did not cook, she burned. One time she set macaroni on fire. That was the last time their dad let her near the stove.

"Deb's helping me, she went out back to make a call. I think she didn't want me to hear her tell Dad how hopeless I am. She said she could teach anyone how to cook." Molly sighed.

"What did you do?" Knowing it was going to be funny and humiliating for his sister. She was smart, funny, talented and athletic. She didn't need to be good at everything. He might be a little jealous of all her achievements. He was proud of her and wanted her to do well, so he just put it off on sibling rivalry.

"She said I should be arrested for cruelty to animals," she grumbled.

"Why?" he asked, while trying not the laugh.

"She told me to hit the chicken with a mallet. All I did was do what she told me. She never said how hard. She told me I wasn't trying out for the strongest woman contest."

"Molly, I just talked to your fath- oh hello sweety," Debbie said as she came back into the kitchen.

"Hi, Molly said you are helping her learn to cook. Good luck with that. Say hi to Mr. Gene when you see him," he said carrying his bag to the laundry room right off the kitchen. He heard Molly growl at him, he tried to hide his smirk.

"Who's Mr. Gene?" Debbie asked curiously.

"He's the Fire Chief," Molly bit out.

Justin couldn't stop laughing as he loaded the washer. He had two loads to do, he hoped whatever smelled good that Debbie would let him have some.

Walking back into the kitchen he saw Debbie taking a pan out of the oven.

"So what are you making?" he asked.

"Chicken Parmesan," Debbie answered.

He looked around but didn't see Molly any longer. "Where's Mol?"

"She went upstairs, in tears. I think you have some apologizing to do young man," she said sternly, maybe she was perfect for his dad.

Properly chastised, he headed upstairs to tell her he was sorry. He really didn't mean to hurt her feelings. It was just how they were with each other. When he failed his driver's test, the first time, she told everyone on her social media friends list. He was a laughing shock with her friends.

He knocked on her door. "Molly, can I come in?"

"Go away," she yelled through the door.

Opening the door and walking in any way he found her sitting at her desk. Her computer was on but she wasn't working on it.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you," he said, sitting down on the end of her bed.

"You didn't, not really. I know I can't cook but she seemed to really want to teach me. At first when she tried to spend time with me, I thought she was a complete freak, but she's not. She's really nice, I just wanted her to like me. That sounds stupid doesn't it?" Molly was looking at him, he could see tears welling in her eyes.

"No that's not stupid, but I'm sure she already likes you. You don't have to do anything to make her like you. What's not to like, you're brilliant just like your dear ol' brother."

"Do you really think I'm as brilliant as C.J.?" she asked with a giggle.

Justin tried to school his features but he must have been unsuccessful because Molly caught it. While his dad seemed oblivious to his problems with C.J. Molly wasn't. She had asked him countless times what his issue with their older brother was. He had never told her because he didn't want to hurt her. When she wanted to visit C.J. the year after Justin did, he begged her not to go. He almost went to his dad to tell him what happened. But then before any plans were made their Aunt Sadie invited all three of them to her summer house.

They spent his dad's two week vacation in his aunt and uncle's place in Lake Tahoe. They had so much fun, Justin liked that it was just the five of them. No outsiders, no strange friends coming over and drinking. The best thing was they had locks on the doors.

A year later his brother moved to Germany. Then going to visit required a passport

"Justin, tell me what happened between you and C.J."

"I don't know what you're talking about," he said, going for causal.

"I'm not Dad, I know something is up. You're never around when he comes to visit. I asked him, he said you two had a difference of opinion."

Difference of opinion?

"I guess that's one way of putting it," he told her.

"Now I want to hear the truth. I'm not a child anymore, I'm fifteen now. That's three years older than you were when all this started."

She did have a point there. He didn't want to tell her though, it was shameful. He had come through a lot in the past six years since it happened, but there was the part of him that still felt trapped in that room.

"Mol, I really don't want to talk about it?"

"Don't you trust me?" she asked. Her face showed that his hesitancy to talk hurt.

After the colossal betrayal of trust by his so called brother, trust was hard to come by. He was torn about telling her the truth or letting her stay in glorious ignorance.

"Of course I trust you. But if I tell you this, your opinion of C.J. might change. I don't want to be the reason for any stress for you."

"I can handle it, I promise."

Closing his eyes, he tried to find a way out of telling her. The truth wasn't going to hurt him as much to tell, as it was to see how she reacts. He couldn't handle another sibling turning their back on him.

"Remember when I went to visit C.J.?" he asked.

She nodded, rolling her chair to the bed. Their knees where touching now.

"When I got there it was like C.J. had changed. All the stuff he said we would do on the phone changed. I got to his place and he ignored me. Catherine would ask him what we were doing and he would say he was too busy. The last night I was there Catherine took Tabby to a friends for the night. C.J. invited a bunch of his Air Force buddies. They all got hammered and C.J. passed out in the living room. All his friends left except one of them. He was a big guy - scary too.

"I went to the bedroom I was staying in just to get away from him looking at me. That was a mistake but I didn't know it at the time. I was there for maybe thirty minutes, almost asleep when the door opened. I tried to get out of the room but he trapped me," he said, voice breaking.

He looked up at Molly to see tears running down her face. "What did he do to you?" Her voice was hoarse.

"He pinned me down and threated to hurt Tabby. He said C.J. would never believe me. I couldn't risk him being right and hurt Tabby, she was only three. So I-I did what he said," he stuttered, the night was rushing back to him. The fear, the shame and the hope that C.J. would rescue him.

"What did he want?" she whispered.

"He wanted me to use my hand on him. After a while of that he tried to put himself in my mouth but I kept on gagging and I threw up. He hit me in the head and made me clean up the mess, but he kept blocking the door. When I cleaned up the sick he pushed his pants all the way down. I don't know what was supposed to happen next but I can guess. But luckily I think when he pushed me into the dresser and told me to clean the mess, I think the noise woke C.J.

"C.J. came in but instead of being mad at his friend and protecting me, he called me a faggot and said I was trying to make his friend a faggot too. He didn't even seem upset with his friend. I was only twelve, it wasn't my fault."

"Of course it wasn't," she cried, jumping out of her chair and climbing on the bed with him to wrap her arms around him.

"He didn't even make his friend leave, he let the guy sleep on the couch. I snuck out the window and stayed in a neighbor's gazebo. I couldn't sleep until I got back home and into my own bed, where I could lock my door."

It wasn't until he pulled out of Molly's hold that he noticed they weren't alone. In the doorway with mascara tears running down her face was Debbie. He didn't need to ask if she heard – it was clear she had.

Brian was at Debbie's for Sunday night dinner. The whole gang was there. Debbie mentioned that her new boyfriend and his younger children would be coming. They hadn't arrived yet, which was a good thing because Mikey was having a hissy fit.

Mel and Lindsay were on the couch chatting about something lesbionic. It looked like they were on the way back together. Most noticeably because Mel's girlfriend had been history as soon as Lindsay picked up the phone. Mel seemed quite confident that she should be able to get Linz out of the marriage without any lasting problems. Brian would rather Gus be raised by Mel than the Frenchman. Like they say "better the devil you know."

Ted and Emmett were in the corner whispering back and forth, probably gossiping. It was the first time in weeks that Emmett seemed like himself after George's death. His proverbial light was still on dim but it was there.

Debbie and Vic were still getting the dinner ready. Brian could tell that Vic was upping his game to help his sister woo the detective. Deb was crazy about the man and his kids, at least the two younger ones that she met. She talked about them non-stop. Brian couldn't even remember the kids names, he usually tuned out before it got to that point.

Ben was trying to get Michael to stop whining, he wasn't succeeding.

Brian had Gus on the floor playing blocks with him. It was times like this he liked the most. Gus was still little enough he had yet to be disappointed with him. Brian seemed to always piss people off, and he only meant it half the time.

The knock on the door startling Gus, who almost fell backwards.

"They're here," Debbie said loudly, hurrying to the front door.

She opened the door to let in the older detective and a young strawberry blonde teenage girl. Debbie gave the man a peck on the lips and gave the girl a big hug.

"Where's Sunshine?" Debbie asked.

"He couldn't make it. He sends his apologies though," the man said.

"Oh, that's too bad. Okay, come meet everyone." She grabbed the man's hand and led him into the living room. "Everyone this is Carl Horvath and his daughter Molly. And this group of animals is my family." She let go of Carl's hand and started walking around the room, grabbing onto people to introduce. "This is my brother Vic." Walk. "My son Michael and his boyfriend Ben." Walk. "Emmett and Ted." Walk. "Melanie and Lindsay." Then she stood in front of Brian, who was still on the floor. "And this asshole is Brian." Gus took the moment to babble something. "Oh and last but not least, Gus, Lindsay and Mel's son."

"Hey, I helped," Brian pointed out, picking up his son and placing him in his lap. It irritated him that he had seen Gus more than Mel in the past year but Mel still got top billing over him.

The girl squealed when she saw Gus and got down on the floor.

"He's so cute. I have a niece and nephew but I never get to see them. They are older than him though." She looked up at Lindsay. "If you ever need a babysitter I can watch him."

"Don't tempt me," Lindsay said good-naturedly.

"I love babies, I can't wait 'til I have my own," Molly gushed.

"Oh yes you can," Carl said angrily.

"Dad, you are such an ogre sometimes. I didn't mean that I would be having one now. I have plans, big plans. Stanford, then a multi-country communications program. The one I found, I'll see the workings in communications in eight cities. It would be hard to do all that with a baby on my hip."

Brian had to like a girl with her mind made up and goals. His goals started out simple, first get the hell away from his parents. Then go to college, both he accomplished. His goals got more complicated the older he got. Now he wanted to start his own ad agency. He wanted to be the big boss not just junior partner.

"Can I hold him?" Molly pleaded with Brian. For some strange reason her face reminded him of someone else. He picked Gus up off of his lap and handed him over to the girl, then he stood up to social with the adults.

"Can you believe how she gushes over them?" Mikey bitched.

"Come on Mikey, let your mother have a life. Really what were the chances of finding a man over fifty that didn't have a kid or two?"

"What the hell are you talking about? I have the right to be pissed off. Did you know that Vic says she spends most nights at Carl's house?"

"I try and not to think about what unspeakable things happen in straight people's homes." He gave a mostly mock shutter.

Ben called Mikey away and soon he found himself cornered by the girl.

"Hi," she said cheerily.

"Hello," he said stiffly.

"You look smart, are you?"

Brian raised an eyebrow. Was this girl really questioning his intelligence?

"I tend to think so."

"Do you know if there's a statute of limitations on child sexual assault?"

Her question was so calmly asked that he almost thought he misunderstood. He turned and looked at the girl, really for the first time. She was tall for her age, he was guessing she was around sixteen. Red flags appeared out of nowhere. He wasn't made for this type of conversation. But he couldn't turn an abused girl away.

"I'm not really sure, but I'd assume that it's either none or a long time."

"Wait. Aren't you the lawyer? My dad said one of Debbie's friends was a lawyer. I just thought it would be you."

Red flags still properly in place. "No, I'm an ad exec. Mel's the lawyer," he said pointing to where now Mel was standing with Gus in her arms.

"Shit," the girl cursed. "Forget I said anything okay."

"I can't, not if you were hurt or are being hurt." Child abuse was a hot button for him, he couldn't walk away and let it happen.

"It's not me, I promise. It happened eight years ago. The person just told me the other day. My dad was telling me about some of Debbie's friends. I just got mixed up who the lawyer was. Please don't say anything. I couldn't look online because my dad monitors my computer access."

"Why don't you want your dad to know? Wouldn't he know what the law was?" He had uneasy feeling about Deb's new man now.

"He can't find out; he'll want to know who it is. I promised I wouldn't tell, Deb promised too."

Deb knew? They didn't want the detective to find out who it was. It had to be someone both Deb and the girl knew. They could know many people but only one person came to mind.

"It's your brother isn't it?" The boy's absence made sense now if his secrets were found out.

Her face paled. "You can't tell. I was just trying to find out some information. There's no way my brother would file a report."

"What happened to him should be investigated. Don't you think he deserves justice?" He didn't know why he was browbeating the girl to get her to tell her dad. Maybe it was the father in him that would want to know if it was Gus, so he could kill the person.

"It wasn't even in Pennsylvania, I'm pretty sure that if something happens on an Air Force base, it's not for regular police."

Another piece of the puzzle snapped into place. Deb had talked about Carl's oldest son who lives in Germany and in the Air Force.

"Did your oldest brother hurt your other brother?" he asked. The thought of that kind of betrayal was even shocking to him. Claire was a bitch but that was really were it started and ended.

"No, but he knew when it happened. He stopped it but blamed my other brother for making his friend do those things to him. My brother was only twelve, he never asked for any of that. I never want to see my oldest brother, C.J., again." The girl was shaking she was so livid, he didn't blame her.

"Molly-

"You can't tell anyone," she said before running back to where everyone else was.

Brian bit his tongue all through dinner and even tried for polite conversation. He didn't know Molly's brother but the whole thing made him feel sick.

"I have great news," Carl said near the end of the meal.

"What is it Carl?" Debbie asked as she added more to his plate.

"After over twenty years in the Air Force my son Carl Jr. is eligible for retirement. He and his wife have decided that they want the kids to be raised in the states, here in Pittsburgh to be specific. Now if only Vicky and Lewis would move here I would have my whole family together." The man was practically beaming. His daughter on the other hand looked sick. Debbie looked like she was ready to breathe fire. He didn't think it was going to be a happy reunion for everyone.

Justin left the apartment earlier in the day when Ethan started practicing. Ethan had promised to only practice certain times of the day. It still grated on Justin's nerves, especially because Ethan would complain about the mess if he tried to paint.

He was supposed to be eating dinner with his father, Molly, Debbie and her family. After she had heard his confession to Molly he couldn't face her. He told her that he was fine and that she couldn't tell anyone. She had begrudgingly agreed, he was unsure if she was telling the truth. He didn't want to risk it happening at the dinner table.

He thrust his fists into his jeans as he made his way down the street. It was already dark and past the time the dinner should be over. He just couldn't go back home yet. When Ethan wasn't practicing he was saying things to Justin that made him feel uncomfortable. While he was used to men lusting after him, Ethan's interest seemed a little bit controlling.

Every time Justin did anything Ethan would have an opinion on it. When he told Ethan he worked at Babylon the man said it was no better than selling himself on the streets. Being called a rentboy really didn't bother Justin as much as Ethan thought it would. He didn't realized that Justin had been called worse by people he loved and trusted. In a different life maybe he would have to be a rentboy, he didn't look down on them.

Justin jumped when he heard a car honk. He looked up to see a dark jeep. He thought about just walking by but he was intrigued by Brian Kinney. The man seemed to want nothing to do with him one minute, but still looked at Justin like he was something special at others.

He walked over to the jeep and got in. Brian looked over at him and gave him the devilish smirk. Justin found himself smiling at the attention that man was giving him.

"What are you doing out here this late?" Brian asked him.

"My roommate was practicing his violin. I decided to go for a walk and have been wandering around since. I drew some sketches at the park but it got too dark. What are you up to?" He had his sketch pad in his jacket pocket.

"Just had a family dinner then went to Woody's."

"Anyone interesting at Woody's?" he asked, not really wanting to know who Brian fucked.

"Much of the same. I can take you back to your apartment if you want," Brian offered. Brian's usual cockiness was dulled. It was like something was bothering him, Justin just didn't know what it was.

"I'd rather go to your place," Justin suggested. He didn't know why he couldn't get the guy out of his system but he was starting to not want to try.

Brian groaned and groped for the phone. He had to move, which cause Justin to move off him.

Without looking at the caller I.D. he answered, "What?"

"Brian, you need to get to the hospital as soon as you can," Mel's panicked voice said.

Fully awake now. "What the hell is going on, Mel?" he almost screamed into the phone.

"That psycho attacked Lindsay when she told him she wanted a divorce. We're at Allegheny General. She is in surgery now, it's bad."

Fear filled Brian at the thought of Lindsay being attacked. Lindsay was the gentlest person he had ever met. Yes, she made mistakes, she was human after all. But it now looked like one of her biggest mistakes had almost killed her.

"Where's Gus?" he asked as he jumped out of bed.

"He's here with me. They are talking about having a social worker come and get him. Legally only you and Lindsay have rights to him. Get here as soon as you can."

"I'm own my way," he barked out and disconnected.

He was already halfway dressed when he saw Justin getting dressed also.

"What's going on?" Justin asked as he slid his shirt on.

"I need to get to the hospital."

Brian grabbed his keys and wallet then headed for the door. He didn't have time to argue with Justin, who was following him. If he wanted to follow along, he wouldn't stop him. He had too many other things to worry about.

Brian unlocked the jeep and they both got in. He drove like a maniac to the hospital; Justin apparently knowing what was good for him kept his mouth shut. After parking, he hurried for the emergency room. There was only Ted in the waiting room.

"Where are they?" he demanded.

Ted shot Justin a confused look before leading them threw the double doors. They were led to another waiting room. This one Mel was waiting in with Gus on her hip as she paced. Emmett was there trying to calm her down.

"Mel," Brian said.

Melanie, who Brian had never seen even cry, broke down at that moment. Emmett took Gus out of her arms as she latched on to Brian. His first instinct was to push her off, but it turned out he was feeling a little lost at that moment too.

Justin watched the scene in front of him. He had no idea what was going on. He could piece somethings together. Something had happened to either a friend or a family member of Brian's. The short brunet woman had seen Brian and practically ran for him. There were two other people obviously with the group, not including the baby. One was a tall dirty blonde man with colorful clothes. The other guy reminded him of his old economics teacher.

Before Brian and the woman broke apart two other men entered the small waiting room. Justin had noticed on his way in, it was just for people waiting to hear about people in surgery.

The two new men were very different. One was tall and built with short hair. The other one was just a hair taller than himself, he had short dark hair and dark eyes.

"Brian, what's going on?" the smaller guy asked.

Justin recognized him as one of the guys at Babylon that Brian was friends with. He vaguely remembered seeing the other three, but only because they were with Brian.

Brian pulled himself away from the woman and turned towards the new people.

"I just got here," he said before walking over to the tall guy with the baby. Brian took the baby out of the man's arms. "Sonny Boy, don't you worry you mom is going to be just fine."

Justin watched in awe as the indestructible Brian Kinney cried while clutching a baby to him.

"Brian, let me hold Gus," the tall, dirty blonde said.

Justin remembered the night he met Brian that he talked about someone named Gus. To learn Gus was a baby was a little shocking. He wondered what relationship Brian had with the baby.

"He's my son, I'm not handing him over," Brian snapped.

Now that he knew, he could see the resemblance in father and son.

"Maybe it would be better for Emmett to hold Gus."

"Michael, just fucking drop it okay."

Brian sat down in one of the chairs, Justin quietly sat beside him.

"What the fuck is a go-go boy doing here?" the man, Michael, yelled.

"Shut up. He came with me, so just fucking be quiet for a while," Brian said rubbing the baby's back.

Justin didn't know what to do to help, so he was there for Brian. They weren't friends, in truth they were just barely better than strangers that had sex more than once. He wasn't a part of Brian's life. Hell, his dad would kill him if he knew he had been with someone like Brian. Brian was everything he had warned him about when Justin told him he was gay.

The woman sat on the other side of Brian and kept kissing the baby's hand.

Justin didn't miss the glare the one man kept sending him. Everyone else seemed to be lost in their own little world.

After a few more minutes, Brian calmed down enough that Justin felt okay to go to the restroom. He quickly did his business; while he washed his hands he heard the door open. He looked in the mirror to see Michael standing behind him.

"You can go back to where you came from now."

"I want to stay here for Brian."

"Brian doesn't need some one night stand to follow him around," Michael sneered.

"We've been together more than once. He helped me out a time or two, I just wanted to be there for him. This really is none of your business."

"Everything that involves Brian concerns me. I'm his best friend, I look out for him. And on the not so rare occasion when a trick thinks he's more than he is, I kick him to the curb." With that Michael turned and stomped out of the restroom.

Justin considered going back in the waiting room for Brian. But then he remembered that Michael was right. He was nothing to Brian, Brian needed his friends with him. He didn't know Brian's relationship with whoever was in surgery. Not wanting to be the reason for any bad feelings he decided to go back in and just say goodbye to Brian.

The waiting room that had been almost empty when he arrived, it was now fuller. There were two uniformed cops, he also saw Detective Marquez. Detective Marquez had been his father's partner for a few years.

"We have him in custody, sir," Detective Marquez said to an agitated Brian.

Not knowing what to do, he walked up behind Brian, placing his hand on Brian's shoulder. The touch made Brian flinch and looked at him. That was when Marquez saw him. Any plans to keep that his father was a police detective quiet was quickly bashed.

"Justin what the hell are you doing here?" Marquez asked.

Brian looked between Justin and the detective that he was arguing with. Right after Justin went to the restroom the police had come. They kept asking questions about arguments he had with Lindsay. Mel had told him to keep his mouth shut, she then told the cops she had witnessed the Frenchman attacking Lindsay.

When she had arrived at the house for a scheduled meeting about Lindsay's divorce she found the man choking Lindsay. That was after he got done beating the hell out of Lindsay. When he saw Mel, he ran out the back door.

The cops had caught the man close to the house. But now it was all about collecting evidence. Brian knew this but they were starting to piss him off, Linz was still in surgery with a collapsed lung and her spline needed to be removed. She still wasn't out of the woods because of blood loss.

When Justin came back in Brian felt glad the younger man hadn't just left. But then he heard the detective's question. He was trying to figure out in what context Justin and the cop know each other.

Before Justin could answer any questions Debbie and Carl came through the door. Debbie looked frantic and Carl had his game face on. That was until his eyes locked on Brian's little blonde friend.

"Justin?"

"Dad."

"Dad?" Brian and Mikey said simultaneously.

"Brian?" Debbie asked noticing where Justin's hand that was still resting on his shoulder.

"How's your friend?" Justin said quietly. He was trying to divert attention off of him, it worked for Brian.

"She's still in surgery," Melanie answered. She was holding a sleeping Gus now.

"I guess I should be going home. Oh," Justin said pulling keys from his pocket. "You left these in your jeep." He handed them to Brian. He must have been in too big of a hurry to notice.

"What were you doing in his jeep?" Carl asked coolly.

Justin looked like he debated something before answering. "I was with him… in bed when he got the call."

Brian could see the challenge in the boy's posture and hear it in his voice. His dad may have known he was gay before, but now was the time to see it and accept it.

Carl's angry eyes latched onto Brian. He didn't care what Debbie's man thought. He didn't ever apologize for fucking who he wanted. They both were legal and willing participants.

Something nudged at the back of his mind at that thought. He couldn't really think why though. It just seemed to him he was forgetting something, but it couldn't be that important or he would have remembered.

"Justin get your ass home, and I mean my house. I want to talk to you," Carl said, barely holding onto his temper. Debbie watched the interaction with wide eyes.

"Sorry Dad, I can't. I have to spend the rest of the day looking for a new job. I'm lucky I don't have any classes on Monday."

"What happened to the great job you told me about. You even quit working at the bowling alley to work there. Why would you quit working his new job so soon after starting it? I didn't teach you to be a quitter?"

Brian could feel the explosion coming. Ever since he had met Justin he could tell the kid repressed everything. You can only do that so much until it overflows, which was just about to happen.

"I'm so fucking sorry. I guess I'll go back to Gary and beg him to take me back. This time I won't fight back when he and his two slimy friends try to force me to have sex with them." Brian watched as Justin's whole demeanor changed. "I didn't fight back when I was twelve but I'm not twelve anymore. I won't let anyone take my choice away from me again," Justin was screaming at the end.

Justin's face went from red to white in the matter of seconds. He must have realized what he had said. Brian remembered what he had so stupidly forgot. He forgot what Molly had told him. If this was Carl's youngest son, he was the boy she had talked about. The same kid that he had sex with in Florida and kicked out so heartlessly.

Before Carl regained his speech Justin took off. Brian watched helplessly as the blonde ran off. If it wasn't for Gus and Lindsay he would have followed him to make sure he didn't do anything stupid. But he had other responsibilities at the moment.

Lindsay smiled at him when he walked into her room. She had been in the hospital for almost a week. She was getting better every day.

"So when are we springing you?" he asked her.

"The doctor says only a few more days," she said excitedly.

He grabbed a chair and pulled it closer. Ever since Lindsay was put in the hospital they had split up taking care of Gus. After work he would pick him up from Mel to give her a break. She was able to take leave because she had the time. It was crazy how well they had gotten along while Lindsay was in the hospital. He hoped that ended soon, it made him feel dirty.

"Has anyone heard from Justin yet?" she asked softly.

It was still a sore subject to him. After Lindsay was out of surgery they said she should make a full recovery. For one glorious second he was happy until Carl started in on him. He badgered him until he told the man how they met. He was as honest as Justin was. He told him he met Justin and took him back to his hotel room and fucked him the same night. Carl was less than impressed. Brian had been forbidden to have anything more do to with the blonde.

But that wouldn't be such a problem because Justin had disappeared. It was like he had fallen off the face of the Earth. There was nothing really Carl or anyone could do. Justin was an adult and had left on his own. The only one he told was his roommate. The kid said Justin packed a bag and was out the door within ten minutes. All Justin told the kid was he needed time to think.

Brian was sure the running away was because he let his secret out. The blonde had held onto it for almost seven years. Then he goes and screams it out in a full waiting room. Carl questioned Brian about what Justin was talking about. Brian didn't say anything, it wasn't his secret to share the details. Molly and Debbie both seemed to stay true to Justin and didn't say anything either.

"Don't worry, he'll come back," Linz said, her tone understanding.

"Who says I care," he retorted but it felt hollow, he knew he was full of shit. He just wanted to see the blonde with his own eyes to make sure he was okay.

Justin was so excited he could barely sit still. He still couldn't believe his dad agreed to let him go. Molly had wanted to come too but she was still too little. He didn't want to tell his dad but he was happy about that. He liked the thought of having C.J. all to himself this week. He was excited to see his niece for the first time too. His dad had went to visit for a week when Tabby was born. But he and Molly stayed at Daphne's house that week.

C.J. had told him on the phone all about what they would be doing. He had a friend that was going to teach Justin how to surf. The thought of surfing was a little scary but also exciting. They were also going to go snorkeling and to a real luau.

Once the plane landed the flight attendant had to go with him to the designated area where he was to meet C.J. His dad had him flying as an unaccompanied minor. His dad said that way was the safest. His father thought there were bad guys around every corner. That made Justin laugh, nothing was going to happen to him except having the best week of his life. But he hated that they were treating him like a child. He could walk from the plane to meet C.J. alone. No one was going to jump out of a dark corner and attack him.

He pushed a strand of hair behind his ear. His hair was longer than it had ever been. His blonde hair reached his shoulder blades now. His dad had been after him forever to cut it. That wasn't going to happen because he liked having long hair. At the moment his hair was longer than Molly's. She had hers cut short for soccer camp. It was a day camp but she was excited about it. The one time he went to camp, he refused to go back after the first day. He would never go to a sleepaway camp, he didn't do well in strange places. The only reason he could handle this trip was because he had C.J. there for him. C.J. was the greatest big brother that ever was.

When he rounded the corner to the area he was supposed to meet C.J. he saw them. It was C.J. he recognized but from the laughing he guessed the two guys with him were his friends. Justin felt nervous, he wanted C.J.'s friends to like him.

"C.J., I'm finally here," he squealed in delight, stamping his feet a little with excitement.

C.J. looked up to see him, Justin saw as his brother's smile faded.

"I thought your brother was coming not your sister," a huge guy said. The guy was bald with a menacing presence.

"Caveman, shut the hell up," the other guy said. He was shorter and lean. His hair was blonde, cut in military style, like C.J.'s.

C.J. showed the airline worker his identification but hadn't said anything to Justin yet, he then signed a piece of paper. C.J. started to walk towards the exit of the area, Justin quickly followed. They went to the baggage claim.

"There it is," he yelled pointing at his bag. His bag was bright orange, he was quite proud of his pick. His dad had laughed but couldn't argue with Justin's line of thinking. Justin had told his father that with all the luggage around a bright orange bag would be noticed. He was right he saw it as soon as they neared.

"Fuck!" C.J. said angrily. Justin was taken aback but his brother's reaction to just a bag.

Justin went to grab his bag. C.J.'s friend beat him to it, not the mean one. "Thank you," he said to the man.

The man smiled kindly at him. Justin thought he was really cute, Daphne was just die if she saw him.

C.J. yanked his bag away from his friend and started to carry it away.

"I guess that's our cue to leave," the blonde friend said.

"I guess," Justin said.

They quickly followed C.J. and the big guy. It was hard to keep up because they had long legs. Once they were outside, a van stopped a little in front of them.

C.J. walked to the van and opened the back; he threw in Justin's bag, not too lightly either. The big guy who apparently was called Caveman got into the passenger's seat. The other friend slid the door open, he waved Justin in. Justin climbed in the very back row. He sat and buckled up. C.J. and his blonde friend sat in the middle.

"So how was your flight?" the blonde friend asked…after five minutes of silence.

"Oh, it was really nice. I sketched most of the trip." His sketch pad was in his backpack. He drew a picture for C.J. but he would give it to him later.

"C.J. said you're an artist."

Justin preened at his brother calling him an artist.

"He just doodles," C.J. said snidely.

It was like being stabbed in the heart. C.J. knew how much drawing meant to Justin. Then just to put it down to just doodling. It hurt more than words could say.

"Fairies usually do something faggoty like that," Caveman said.

Justin waited for his brother to tell the man to shut up. But he didn't say anything, just ignored that Justin was in the van at all. It wasn't the first time Justin had heard things like that. His father's friends were like that, but lately his father had yelled at them when they talked that way. Justin thought maybe his dad might know that he liked guys instead of girls.

"Shut the fuck up, would you," the blonde friend said. He then turned and looked at Justin. "I'm Kurt, Ravi is driving, that's Caveman in the passenger's seat. My kids are excited to meet you. Owen is thirteen and Kimmy is eleven. I'm the one that's going to be teaching you to surf. I grew up in Santa Cruz, I've been surfing since I could walk."

Justin really liked Kurt, he couldn't wait to meet his kids.

"Change of plans, I don't want Justin to learn how to surf. He's too delicate for it," C.J. snapped.

"I'm not, I can do it. I promise," he said, feeling the chance of doing something cool slipping away.

"Shut up, Justin." C.J. said. It was the first thing he said directly to him.

Justin watched as his fun trip started to go up in smoke. His only hope was that it would get better when they got to C.J.'s house.

"You're going to have to go back sometime," Daphne said as she lifted her head off of his chest. He had been thinking of when it all had started. He knew as soon as he got off the plane that something was wrong with C.J., but he never would have believed in a million years that he would turn his back on him.

The week he had spent at Daphne's parents was coming to an end. They told him that after today that they would tell anyone who called that he was there. It had been a short reprieve but one he needed.

He had gone to class but didn't see any of his family. Term was going to be over in a few weeks. Daphne had already found a new roommate in Providence.

Daphne shot up and ran to the bathroom. She had been sick a lot during the week. She also looked more tired than he ever remembered her being.

"I think you should go to the doctor," he said when she came back into the bedroom.

"I'm fine," she snapped.

"What's going on Daph? You know everything about me. You never used to keep secrets from me."

She popped a piece of gum in her mouth, "I think I'm pregnant."

Silence filled the room while he processed what she had said.

"That's not possible. You're on the pill," he pointed out.

"Yeah, about that. I forgot a couple of days, I took them… but at different times. That decreases the efficiency. I need to find Brad if I am, he has to know that he is going to be a father," she said quietly.

That brought Justin up short. "Umm… Brad wasn't the only one you had sex with," he reminded her.

"But he is most likely. I would have been more fertile those days and we were together twice. You and I were only together once."

"That's all it took last time," he reminded her.

"And that's another thing. The chances that the only two times we have sex we get pregnant is improbable. That's not how the reproductive system works."

"Were you at all fertile during the time we were together?"

"It's not as simple as that," she said.

"What does that mean?"

She didn't say anything else. Looking at her, he tried to figure out what was going on. Daphne had never been a good liar, she wasn't telling the whole truth at the moment.

"Okay, say we find Brad. What happens next?"

"Well, he was a senior, so he could get a job in Providence, and we'll live together and raise the baby. We might even get married."

He stared dumbly at his best friend. She couldn't possibly be as delusional as this.

"He left when you asked to just visit him during the summer." Tears started to brim in her eyes. He sighed. "Okay, I'll help you find him. But please don't get your hopes up. This guy just used you and ran off, you are better than this"

"Like you're so fucking better," she said, seething now. "You spend all week here to get away from your dad but all you talk about is Brian. The man fucks anything that moves… your words. Let's not even go into your work at Babylon. You were willing to have sex with a near stranger for a paycheck. Why the hell would I want you to be the father of my baby? You're just going to end up some old man's kept boy. That is until you're too old for that. Then who the fuck knows what you're going to do."

Justin stared at her as she screamed and ranted at him. Many would think he would be hurt by her words. But he had knew her too well and too long to be hurt by this. When she had the miscarriage she told him she wished she never met him. Then she called him every name in the book. If anyone else talked to him like Daphne did he would have been hurt. But that's what best friends were for, to rant and rail against and still be there. She had been on the wrong end of his angry words too. After calling her a fucking spoiled princess once she spent the night trying to cheer him up. Friends fight and make up, that's them except they never stopped being friends so they didn't need to make up.

He sat quietly at her desk, and logged into her computer.

"Okay, did he say what school he went to?" he asked her.

She sniffled some then composed herself. "UT Knoxville. What are you going to look for?"

Truthfully, he had no idea. It wasn't like typing guy who got my friend pregnant in Panama Beach would get the results he would need. He searched around for a Brad who was senior and graduating from UT Knoxville. He wasn't having any luck.

"Do you know his last name?"

"Of course I do, it's Levine."

They looked for two hours before they had a break. They were looking at a social media site and saw a familiar face. But they were puzzled about what they found. They were on Brad Levine's page but the profile picture was not of Daphne's Brad. This guy was some musclebound black guy. He was a senior at UT and going into the engineering field. Daphne's Brad was a tall, white guy that was thin with wire glasses.

They were about to start over when something caught his eye. It was a party picture that had a group of friends smiling at the camera.

"Daph, does this guy look familiar?" he asked pointing to a thin, nerdy looking guy in the picture.

"That's Brad," she said, excitedly.

He could tell what kind of picture it was without making it larger, Daphne hadn't yet. He clicked on it and prepared for the fallout. It was the first of a set of pictures, the first one a party in a club, clearly a bachelor party. The next was a smiling older woman with one arm around Daphne's Brad and the other around real Brad. It went on and on until the picture that Daphne couldn't deny.

Standing in middle of a beautiful church was Daphne's Brad, clearly marrying a beautiful raven haired woman with bright green eyes. The real Brad was standing to the side as the best man.

"He's married?" Daphne said brokenly. The date the wedding picture was added was a year ago.

Playing devil's advocate Justin said, "Maybe they're divorced now, it was a year ago."

"Click on that name… Logan Jennings."

He did, seemed Daphne's Brad was really Logan. Lots of stupid posts about comic books. But the latest one was a post and picture. It was the same raven haired woman in a hospital bed, holding a little chubby faced baby. Logan was leaning over kissing the woman's hair and smiling down at the baby. The picture was posted several days ago.

The meltdown wasn't long in coming. He held her and did everything he could think to calm her down. "This isn't good for the baby," he said brushing her hair out of her face.

"I hope I'm not pregnant," she cried.

"I thought you knew," he said quickly.

"No, I just said I think I am. I'm late, like really late. Like a month late."

"Has that ever happened before, without being pregnant?" Please say yes.

"Yes, once before I think something was off with my cycle and I didn't ovulate."

"Okay, this is what's going to happen. I'm going to go get a test. We'll straighten this out right now," he told her.

She grabbed her car keys. "Take my car, it will take less time. My parents are both working late and Rick is at a friend's tonight." Rick was Daphne's twelve year old little brother.

"Okay, you lay down and get some rest. I'll be back as soon as possible."

A/N Please forgive my Daphne, she is flawed too.

She watched Justin get into his dad's car after calling him. She had just told Justin the pregnancy test results. There were many things Daphne had regretted in her life. The biggest was not being able to prevent her best friend from pain. Justin in pain from anything hurt her, but pain was a part of life. What wasn't ever supposed to be a part of life was what happened to him when he visited his brother.

She also regretted that it had taken her this long to be able to seek justice for him. Her plan started out as an immature thirteen year old's petty excuse of justice. She wasn't just taking on this man because of Justin. But because of something she was too scared to ever mention to Justin. But she knew, she knew if this man had attacked one twelve year old, he had or would again. This wasn't something that a person tried out just once and stopped, this man was a predator.

Four years ago she had finally found out the man's name. She asked Justin if he would ever want to know the man's name. Justin completely freaked out and stopped talking to her for a month. She never brought up anything of her plan again. She had one person working on her side; that person just didn't know it.

Justin's sister-in-law, Cathy, had been a great source of information. It turned out right after Justin came back from Hawaii, Truman Bach AKA Caveman, was dishonorably discharged. Cathy didn't know any of the details but knew that C.J. and Caveman had a huge blowout just before his discharge. That was just days after Justin had boarded his plane home.

She also found out that C.J. had always kept tabs on the man, but he was never allowed back at his house. At first Daphne hoped that C.J. would come and apologize to Justin. But that day never came. Every time his family visited, Justin would come over her house. The man knew where she lived but he never turned up on her doorstep.

Now at nineteen she knew what she had to do. Years ago, she made first contact with Truman in a chatroom. She had cyberstalked the man for a few months before contact. She debated pretending to be a boy, since that was apparently was his type. But she wanted to be able to see his face when she brought him down.

Everything started to fall in to place right before their spring break. It was only after they had gotten back that things got tricky. Unlike what she told Justin, it had nothing to do with falling in love with him. She did love him, as her best friend. He was not her type… at all. She had gotten the call she had been waiting for the day before she moved. Truman had called to invite her to visit him. The thought turned her stomach but all she had to do was remember the plan. Knowing that Justin could see through most of her lies, she knew she needed to get out.

Justin and the guy that who turned out to be the infamous Brian, screwing in the living room turned into a blessing. She hated telling Justin all the lies she had to, but it was a necessity. The only thing she hadn't planned on was for the bout of morning sickness to hit. She had lied to Justin many times in the last three years. For a moment she felt like telling him about the baby. But after she told him she just might be pregnant he looked sick. She couldn't do that to him again. So she took the test and told him it was negative, knowing it was a lie.

She spent four years planning this, she wasn't about to let it slip though her fingers now. She wasn't going to stop until she held Truman Bach's head in her hand – figuratively…maybe.

The reason she moved out until the end of term was because she didn't want Justin to figure her out. Justin was a tenderhearted soul, he would never let her continue on her plan if he found out. He would see the danger in the chase. He would tell her that it wasn't her job to seek vengeance for him. But that was where he was wrong. A month after her thirteenth birthday she said goodbye to her best friend before he went to visit his brother; there was a part of him that never came home. She wanted to hurt the man who killed that part of Justin; she wanted to see him bleed.

The guilt she felt about yelling and screaming at Justin was getting to her. She hadn't known at the time that it was Brian that he was with. It wouldn't have stopped her though, she needed this to work. But she had to make him want to stay away from her, she hadn't expected the pregnancy though. It had been a complete shock. It could be either the cheating liar or Justin's. She was rooting for the cheating liar herself. It was her mistake but one she was willing to accept on her own. Justin didn't need anything more on his plate.

Her classes were up two weeks before Justin's. She was now free to catch her plane to Denver. Hopefully, everything she planned would go according to plan. She grabbed her already packed bags from her closet and looked around her room, not knowing when the next time she'd be back in Pittsburgh.

Justin quickly got into his dad's car. He didn't like to admit it but at the moment he really needed to be away from Daphne.

"Justin," his dad said gently.

"Can we talk about it at home?" he asked.

His dad nodded his head and pulled out of the drive. Once they were at home he took his usual spot on the couch. His dad instead of sitting in his recliner, sat beside him. It was a very odd feeling.

"Did Molly or Debbie tell you anything?" He needed to know how much his dad knew.

"No, they both said it wasn't their story to tell."

Justin nodded his head, he expected it from Molly but was surprised with Debbie. He should have trusted her but his trust was hard to come by. He only trusted one person without exception. Daphne was the only one on that list. She would never lie to him about something big. She might about something little like about if she didn't like one of his paintings but never something big.

"Okay, I'm going to tell you what happened. I would prefer if you didn't talk until I finished." He looked down at his hands, he couldn't look at his dad as he told his story. "When you sent me to Hawaii, remember I told you about all the cool stuff I did?" His dad nodded. "Well that wasn't entirely the truth. In fact, it wasn't the truth at all. As soon as I got there C.J. started to ignore me, if he wasn't then he was putting me down, and letting his friends call me names.

"He cancelled all the things we planned. I wasn't even allowed to go to the beach with the one nice friend he had. I sat at his house and watched T.V. until the last night. That night Cathy took Tabby's to a friend's. C.J. invited over his friends and they drank most of the night. Everyone left except one of C.J.'s friends. C.J. was passed out in the living room. I didn't feel comfortable so I went to bed. The only thing is… the room I was in didn't have a lock on it.

"The man came into the room. I couldn't get away, I tried. I swear, I did try. I told him I wouldn't do what he wanted but then he said that he would hurt Tabby. He said C.J. wouldn't believe me, and after how he had acted… I knew he was right. I couldn't take the chance that the guy would hurt her. He made me use my hand on him, then my mouth but I got sick. He hit me, knocking me into the dresser then he made me clean up the mess.

"But then he started pull his pants off. That's when C.J. came in. I was so happy to see him, but then he started calling me names. He said I was trying to make his friend a faggot like me. I wasn't Dad, I promise. I didn't want any of it." Justin was now sobbing hard.

Suddenly he was engulfed in his father's arms. For the first time ever he could hear his father crying. Justin wrapped his arms around his father and held on tight.

"I'm so sorry, I knew I should have never let you go," his father said, voice gruff.

"You believe me?" Justin asked, hopefully.

"Yes, of course I do," his father choked out.

Justin stayed in his father's arms until his breathing calmed down. It was then that Molly came home. He started to feel overwhelmed then. It felt like the room was closing in one him, he was outnumbered.

"I need to get home," he told his dad.

"Stay for dinner," his dad said quietly. There was something in his father's eyes that scared him. He knew the lethal hatred he saw in his father's blue eyes wasn't for him but it was still frightening to see.

"No, I got to get home."

"Take my car, I'll have Jeff drop me off to get it tomorrow. I don't want you taking public transportation today."

"I can take care of myself, Dad. I'll be fine, I promise." He gave his dad a last hug then Molly before leaving.

He didn't head home though, he caught the bus to Brian's loft. He didn't know if the man would want to see him but Justin really wanted to see him. He couldn't explain it but he seemed to calm the war inside of Justin, just by being near him.

It then occurred to Justin that Brian was at work. It was still early in the day on a Friday. The man did have a very demanding job. Justin realized he should have thought things through better.

"What are you doing here?" a shocked voice asked.

Justin looked over to see the guy that had been referred to as Michael. He was wearing some superhero shirt and jeans.

"I uh-

"Brian's at work."

Justin didn't know much about the man. He knew Michael was Debbie's son. He hoped the man was like his mother. There needed to be more people in the world like Debbie Novotny. But with his previous experience with him, he wasn't hopeful.

"I got here before I realized that," he said, embarrassed.

"I'm headed up to put some stuff in his fridge, come on," the man said, holding up some bags before going towards the building.

Justin followed Michael up to Brian's loft. The man looked comfortable there. It was clear he was there quite a lot. Justin watched as Michael set the two bags down on the counter. He pulled out a casserole dish and put it in the fridge. The other bag contained a big salad in a covered bowl. It too went into the fridge.

"So what are you doing here?" Michael asked. Unlike before he didn't sound angry, just tired.

"I'm not really sure. I just needed someone to talk to about everything. I can't with my dad, I don't want to hurt him anymore than I have."

"Why do you think you've hurt your dad? I don't know what happened, I'm not trying to be nosy either. But from what I heard it was not your fault. No twelve year old should have to fight a grown man off."

Justin expected to see pity or disgust in Michael's eyes. He didn't though, all he saw was genuine concern.

"What did your mom tell you?" Justin couldn't help but cringe when his voice broke.

"Nothing, and I didn't ask. It it's my place, but just know you can talk to me any time you need."

"Why are you being so nice? Before you couldn't get rid of me fast enough."

Michael sighed. "That's when I thought you were just a trick. Like it or not our parents are dating. I don't like fighting with Ma, she's been there for me from day one. Ben says I need to grow up, I think maybe he's right. I'll tell you this though, get rid of the stars in your eyes. Brian will never settle down, he will always fuck around and be a complete dick about it."

Justin heard what the man said, he just wished it was that simple. Just to not think about Brian at all. He knew he sounded like a love-struck kid but he just wanted Brian. Any way he could get the man. If it was just a night or every day.

"Oh, how is your friend? Is she okay?" He felt awful for going on about his problems when someone had been hurt so much.

"She's getting better, they even said out of the hospital soon. Brian is supposed to head over there after work. So it might take a while for him to get back."

The settled into silence as he watched Michael make sure everything was as they had come in. He followed Michael out and was surprised when the man invited him out to lunch with him. Justin was even more surprised when he accepted.

"What the hell is that?" Brian asked.

Justin looked up from where he was sitting. He had been hanging out at Michael's comic book store for the last couple of days. Ethan had met the love of his life and they had been going at it in the apartment, loudly. His beautiful couch, where he had sex with Brian, now made him sick when he saw it. Ethan fucking his boyfriend Tevye on it wasn't a pleasant sight.

Tevye was as pompous as Ethan, maybe even more so. He had shoulder-length red hair and flawless skin. Weren't redheads supposed to be covered with freckles? He also six foot tall with toned abs. But as gorgeous as he was, he was still an egotistical asshole. He was a cellist and went to their school. Justin was sure Ethan couldn't be with another violinist, too much competition.

Every time Justin came home and Tevye was there he would make a comment about him. At first it was small jabs, but then they became hostile comments.

There was also the problems with his dad. It had been a week since he had seen his father. They had talked on the phone a couple of times. Each time it was the conversation was stilted and awkward. A couple times, therapy was brought up but Justin shot it down. He wasn't going to go and spill his guts to someone he has to pay to care.

"I repeat. What the fuck is that?" This time Brian sounded a little freaked out.

"It's a frog," Justin answered.

He couldn't wait until 4pm; that was when the people bringing the tank and setting it up.

"I can see that, genius. What is it doing here?" Brian looked to his left, then right. Probably looking for Michael.

"He's keeping me company while we work." His frog was in a small clear amphibian carrier. Soon he would have a nice big tank to lounge in.

"Where's Mikey? Does he know you have a toad in his fine business?" Brian looked like just the sight of the frog was making him ill.

"He's a bullfrog, not a toad. And of course Michael knows about him. He was the one who gave him to me."

Justin picked up the carrier and cooed at the frog. He had been so surprised when Michael gave him to him. Michael's boyfriend Ben had been given the frog by some student. It turned out the kid had gotten the frog but was not a good pet parent. She thought Ben would be better at it but he had no interest in taking care of a frog. When Justin listened in and he almost asked if he could take care of him. But he was worried that they would say no, so he just kept his mouth shut.

It was yesterday that Michael surprised him. He was so happy he hugged both Michael and Ben. Michael didn't really like Justin hugging Ben, he noticed. It was obvious the man was a catch. Ben was smart, built and incredibly sweet. It had shocked him when Ben confided in him about his positive status. It wasn't a secret from his friends but Justin still felt honored that he trusted him with a part of his life.

"That thing can't be sanitary," Brian griped.

"You want to hold him?" Justin asked. He sat the carrier down and opened the top. The bullfrog didn't seem all the cooperative but he settled in Justin's hands anyway. "I just love him so much already." He held him tightly in his hands.

"Easy there, Lennie. Squeeze him anymore and all he'll be good for is frog legs."

Justin looked down at the bullfrog, horrified that he might have hurt it. He quickly put him back in his carrier and cooed to him some more.

"Okay, two weeks ago you were a perfectly fine eighteen year old. But now it seems you have taken over by the mind of an overzealous five year old."

Justin blushed a little at that. He knew he was acting kind of childish but he never had a pet. His dad didn't think he or Molly were responsible enough for a pet. When Ethan moved in he hoped that he could play with Wolfram, but when Ethan wasn't at home he kept him shut up in his room.

Michael thankfully picked that time to come bustling back into the shop. He had to run an errand and left Justin in charge of the shop.

"You're back. I was getting worried because I need to get back before the aquarium guys get there," Justin said to Michael.

Michael rolled his eye but then grinned at him. "I told you I would be back on time. Go on now, I hope the guys are at least hot."

Justin laughed at Brian's scowl. If he didn't know better he would think Brian was jealous.

"Bye, Michael. See ya, Brian," he said before grabbing his messenger bag and the frog carrier. With a last wave, he headed out the door.

Walking through the door, he was assaulted with the sounded of moaning. It didn't take a genius to realize that Ethan and Tevye were going at it in the living room again.

"You have a bed room…. please use it," he snapped.

This time Tevye was kneeling on the floor with Ethan's dick in his mouth. He knew he was being a hypocrite because of his night with Brian. But really this was getting out of hand. Justin couldn't remember them ever staying in Ethan's room for their activities.

"I'm having company in a few minutes. So unless you want to give them a show you might want to take it to your bedroom," Justin said, trying his best not to sound bitchy.

"This is my apartment, too. I can do whatever the fuck I want," Ethan snapped.

Justin didn't know how he had missed that Ethan was a complete jerk when he agreed to let him move in. Because of the rules with his landlord, Ethan had to be on the lease. Now Justin was stuck with the guy until the lease was up. Thank goodness it was up in two months.

"Fine, fuck your brains out. But I'm still going to let the guys up to install Jerry's aquarium."

Ethan pushed Tevye away and shoved himself back in his pants. "Who the hell is Jerry?" Ethan bit out.

"My frog," Justin said, holding up the carrier.

He had fed him at Michael's, Jerry's favorite were crickets. He had pellets for him but Justin thought he deserved a little treat for being such a good boy.

"Who said you could have that thing here?" Ethan said, glaring at Jerry.

"I did. It's my apartment too."

"I had to pay a pet fee, did you?"

"I asked Mr. Callaway about that. He said as long as the frog had a decent sized tank, and was in it most of the time I didn't need to pay one."

Justin didn't know exactly what had happened. Two weeks ago he had asked Ethan to tell everyone who came to the apartment that he needed time. Ethan was a kind of a jerk sometimes but sometimes he was really nice. Then during Justin's week away, he had started dating Tevye.

It was then that Ethan started being outwardly nasty to him. He suspected that he was trying to impress Tevye, who always seemed to be rotten. The environment was getting more and more hostile lately. It was one of the reasons he was so happy to get Jerry.

"So, you're what? Blowing the landlord now?" Tevye sneered.

"No, he's just a nice man." And an old friend of his father's but he wasn't about to say that.

Justin's phone when off, stopping anymore argument from the two.

"Hello," he answered.

"Mr. Horvath?" a smooth voice asked.

"Yes."

"I'm Cal Ingram. I'm here to deliver and install your tank. A Mrs. Elgin paid and set up the time. Is this the right number?"

"Yes," he said excitedly. "Are you here yet?"

"Yes, sir. We're outside of the building. Just calling to make sure you were there before we start to unload."

"I'll be right down to let you in."

There wasn't a need, the outside doors didn't lock until ten at night but he wanted to get away from Ethan and Tevye.

"Thank you," the man said before disconnected.

Taking Jerry with him in his carrier he went back down stairs. His apartment was only on the second story so hopefully the movers wouldn't mind.

Once outside he spotted the van. Two men were pulling things out of the back. Justin made his way over to them.

"Hi," he said cheerily.

"Mr. Horvath?" asked the first man. Justin recognized his voice from the phone. He was a tall man with wide shoulders. Just looking at him Justin could see his Italian heritage.

"Just call me Justin."

"Sure. I'm Cal and this is Vinny." He pointed to another man who was clearly the man's twin.

"Nice to meet both you. Jerry's excited about his new home." He held up the Jerry, who was looking less impressed still inside the small carrier.

"Well, let's get this show on the road. It looks like Jerry is going to start planning your murder if he's in there any longer," Vinny said.

Justin led them to the elevator. They were first moving in the base. It was a large cherry wood base. It was bigger than he thought it would be but his sister was the one to buy it. He called her last night after finally getting the courage up. His dad had told her what happened. She cried on the phone with him until he begged her to stop. She blamed herself for not seeing his pain. She had come to visit weeks after he came home. He told her about her old boyfriend. She sobbed some more and told him that she was glad he could help some.

He wanted to cheer her up so he told her about Jerry. When she asked where Jerry was going to stay he was at a loss. It hadn't even occurred to him at the time that Jerry would need an aquarium. He told her that he would look on a yard sale site. She told him no, that she would buy one and have it delivered in the morning. After twenty minutes of arguing he conceded. Jerry really did need a good home. Vicky didn't tell him how much she paid when she told him the time of the installation.

But now just looking at the base he could tell she spent a lot.

"How much did all of this cost?" he asked them.

"Sorry, the lady who bought it said not to tell you. Something about you would refuse it if you knew."

Justin rolled his eyes. Vicky was trying to buy his forgiveness. She didn't need to, she had done nothing that needed forgiveness for. Maybe it was that she felt responsible for how C.J. acted. He didn't know but he hated that she felt guilty. They didn't always get along but she had never turned her back on him. And when he told his family he was gay she never even blinked an eye. She was always treated him the same, like an annoying little brother that she loved.

"Please tell me she didn't go broke buying me this thing," he said, more to himself than anyone else.

"She said to make sure you didn't worry. And to remind you she was married to a very well-off lawyer." Cal wiggled his eyebrows at him. Justin couldn't help but laugh at the man.

He opened the door for the men and hoped that Ethan was now in his room.

"Where are you going to put that?" No such luck.

"I'm going to move my drawing table into my room. Then move the book case over. With that done there will be enough room for the tank."

Justin started grabbing things off of his table. He was interrupted by Cal and Vinny.

"Need some help?" Vinny asked with a grin.

"You don't need to, that's not your job," he told them.

"Non-sense. Where are we taking it?" They asked as both grabbed a side and lifted it.

Justin led them to his room and directed them to an empty corner. He had cleared the spot the previous night after talking to Vicky.

Back in the living room the men moved the bookshelf over. The placed the base in the spot by the kitchen and went back out to get the tank.

"That thing is a monstrosity," Tevye said loudly.

"If you think this is bad then be lucky you never saw Ethan's old apartment."

Justin saw Ethan's cheeks reddened with embarrassment but it quickly changed to anger. "Shut up Justin. My place may have been older than this one but at least I earned it. This place was given to you from your dad and your friend's parents."

"They co-signed the lease but they haven't paid one cent in rent," Justin growled.

He worked hard not to have to ask his dad for a dime after getting out of St. James.

The men were back with the tank. The door hadn't been closed so they just came back in.

Justin's jaw dropped at the sheer size of the thing. It was huge, his sister was out of her damned mind.

"How big is that thing?" he asked.

"One-hundred gallons. Jerry should be quite comfy in here," Vinney said, smiling.

The only way he could tell them apart was because of their hair. Vinny's black hair was shoulder length, while Cal had short spikey hair.

"I bet. Hell, I could be comfy in there," Justin said in awe of the tank.

"How the hell did you afford that?" Ethan asked. "Oh, wait. No, who did you blow to get that."

"No blow job is that good. He must have been bent over all night to get it," Tevye said.

Temper rising Justin stiffened. "My sister bought it for me, because she loves me."

After that he ignored Ethan and his boyfriend. He talked to Vinny and Cal as they set everything up. They had a box with things for the habitat. They set up the water and had it flowing down a small stream. The whole thing was amazing. On one side was a large rock. It sat in water so Jerry could sit on it. The left half of the tank was a few inches of water. The other half had plants and soil with small rocks. The stream ran through it to the water.

When Justin put Jerry in he could tell the frog was happy. He jumped around, looking at everything.

"Thank you so much. Jerry looks very happy in there," he told the men.

He thanked them and tipped them. They tried to deny the tip but Justin assisted. After they left Ethan and Tevye started in on him again. Deciding that they were there for the night, he left instead.

He had dressed up for Babylon. He hadn't been there since his fight with Gary. He didn't really have to worry about it though. He had gotten a membership before he started working there.

"Hey, Justin, right?" a tall, flashy man asked.

"Yeah."

"I'm Emmett, a friend of Brian's. Michael said you've been hanging out with him lately."

"Yeah, Michael's been really nice. He gave me a frog," Justin said, smiling at him.

"Just don't tell Ben," Emmett guffawed.

He chuckled along with the flamboyant man. Once inside he walked to the bar with him. There he was introduced to Ted. Michael showed up later with a sexy as hell Brian.

Brian made eye contact with him but didn't say anything. Justin watched as the man hit the dancefloor and then go to the backroom. After Brian was out of sight, Justin accepted a dance from a man who used to tip him well. The man was sweet, not someone Brian would waste his time with. Justin liked him because he sort of reminded him of his dad. That wasn't as creepy as it sounded. The man was around mid-thirties with a small potbelly. His hair was greying in the temples.

Justin closed his eyes and danced seductively with the man. Song after song came and went. He kept dancing with the same man. It wasn't until he felt a hand on his shoulder that he turned around. Brian was standing behind him.

"Wanna dance?" the man asked, smirking.

"I already am." Justin turned back around only to see his dance partner was no longer there. "He left because of you."

"I did you a favor. If you're seen dancing with trolls no one will touch you."

The statement annoyed Justin, he pushed away from Brian.

"I don't care what you think. Or anyone else. I'll dance with whoever I want to dance with."

Brian snaked his arm around Justin and whispered in his ear, "Stop being such a princess. Come on, let's get out of here."

Justin hated that there was a part of him that wanted to go. Unfortunately, it was the part making decisions that night. He promised himself this would be the last time he would follow behind Brian Kinney. There was something about the man that called to him. Justin was sure there was more than the Stud of Liberty Avenue. Brian kept seeking him out not the other way around. That had to mean something. It just had to, maybe Brian was ready to move on to a different part of his life. The only way Justin would find out, is if he let his guard down. He just hoped it didn't come to bite him in the ass.

Brian collapsed on the bed beside Justin. They had been going at it for a while. After leaving Babylon they had gone back to the loft. Justin didn't seem to like going back to his place, unless he was taking care of his frog. Brian was finding it hard to be annoyed that Justin seemed to always be around now. Now that his dad was dating Debbie, he was a part of the group. Even his little sister Molly was. She had gotten summertime job at the diner, one that didn't affect her track schedule.

Justin had still not gotten another job. He said he was good for another month. He wanted to wait until finals were over before looking. It was going to be a busy week for him. All of his final exams, along with his final projects were due.

"That was amazing," Justin said breathlessly.

"It was alright."

Justin just rolled his eyes, obviously he was getting used to Brian.

"Ready to go out?" Justin asked as he jumped up from the bed. Brian on the other hand, could barely move.

"Go where?" It was 2am on a Monday morning. They had been at Babylon until midnight then came back to the loft together.

"I don't know… lets go to the diner and get some ice cream." Justin was shoving his legs into his pants. Commando style.

"Are you high?" Brian hadn't watched him all night, he wasn't his keeper.

"Maybe. A little. Cleo gave me a couple hits off her joint." That would explain why he had been so chatty.

"Who the fuck is Cleo?" He didn't remember running into any Cleo but unless Cleo was in the backroom he wouldn't have.

"Cleo is Gary's little sister. But she is nothing like him. You've seen her, she is the bar manager."

"You took something offered to you from the Sap's sister?" He propped himself up with his elbows so he could see Justin better.

"I told you, Cleo is nothing like Gary. She's one of the nicest people you will ever meet. It's because of her I'm still allowed in the club. She told Gary that she would go with me to the police if he had a problem with it. She's called the cops on him a couple times but he never gets caught. Don't tell him though, it's supposed to be a secret. If he found out she was collecting evidence on him…" Justin let the sentence trail off before shivering.

"Trust me, I don't see myself chatting up the Sap any time soon. And take that off."

Justin was now wearing his cargo pants, small mid-drift Tee and Brian's leather jacket that was more than a few months of Justin's rent.

"But I want to go out," Justin pouted.

Brian was rethinking this whole…whatever it was that he had going with Justin. He wasn't just a trick anymore but he could never be much more than that. Brian didn't do relationships, he had been very forthcoming with Justin.

"Too bad. Take your clothes off and come back to bed," he growled. He had to be up early for a meeting. Justin didn't have any classes on Monday but he did need to put some finishing touches once of his final projects.

"Why Mr. Kinney, are you being fresh with me?" Justin asked, giggling.

Annoyed he laid back down and turned over. Telling Justin he could either get back in bed or go back to his own apartment. Brian wasn't playing games with him tonight.

When he heard the door slide open and close, he knew Justin had made his decision. For a moment he felt sad that Justin hadn't chosen to stay. But he quickly pushed that thought away and closed his eyes.

The ringing of his phone woke him up. Brian grabbed blindly at it on his bedside table. Finally finding it, he answered the call.

"What?" he snapped. His eyes locked onto his alarm clock. It was only four in the morning. Who the hell was calling this time in the morning?

"Mr. Kinney?" a deep male voice asked.

"Speaking," he said, annoyed.

"I'm calling on behalf of Justin Taylor."

"Is he alright?" Brian asked, his mind running wild with the thoughts of what could have happened to him.

"Oh, yeah, he's fine. But could you come and get him?"

"Where the hell is he?"

"Liberty Diner."

"He actually went there?" The kid was out of his mind.

"Oh, yeah. He was eating a bunch of ice cream. Now he is just staring at the empty bowl. Kiki said to either call you or Debbie, and Debbie had just gotten off of a twelve hour shift at ten. I didn't want to bother her."

"I'll be there in ten."

Brian was going to murder the little twink. He was going to look like shit for his meeting with Vanguard. He started to really think about leaving and starting his own agency, but he wasn't at that point in his life yet.

The drive to the diner didn't take long. Trying to get a morose Justin into the jeep and back to the loft was the problem. Justin just sighed heavily every time Brian asked him to do something. It wasn't like he was asking him to skydive, no he just asked him to get in the jeep or walk to the lift.

Brian stripped Justin of his clothes and put him back in bed. Looking at the alarm clock he groaned. He only had two hours now to get some sleep. If he weren't so tired he would have taken the brat back to his apartment. Getting rid of his own clothes he climbed in bed. When Justin curled into his side he almost pushed him away, but instead held him close.

When Justin woke up he noticed Brian wasn't in bed. He heard the shower and went join him.

"Well, if it isn't Mary fucking Sunshine," Brian bit out. Justin knew he was a little bit of a hassle the night before. He had hoped that Brian wouldn't really care, obviously he was wrong.

Brian shoved Justin into the shower wall. Expecting anger he was shocked by the sensual lips descending on his. Justin's back was pressed hard into the wall. Brian's lips moved away from Justin's, he started kissing a trail from Justin's ear down his jaw. Brian wasted no time in having his way with Justin in the shower. Not that Justin didn't want Brian, he did…badly.

When Justin got home Ethan and Tevye were in their usual spot. On the couch, naked. Tevye had Ethan straddling his lap, fucking him in earnest. Quickly, he all but ran to his room. This sight was all too familiar. It made him regret his indiscretion the night Daphne caught him. It was rude and just plain tacky. He had been trying to call her almost daily to apologize but she didn't answer the phone.

It was Monday and didn't have any classes but he was finish his sculpture for Calvin's class. He didn't care for sculptures as much as drawing and painting but it was a required class. Surprisingly, his professor said that he had talent for the craft but he didn't feel the same passion with it he did the others.

He put on his clothes he used for painting and grabbed his bag. Running back through the apartment and out the door.

After he left he felt bad for not talking to Jerry like he usually did. But just the thought of being in the room with them twisted his stomach. Jerry must be so traumatized.

His phone started going off in his pocket. Sticking his hand into the loose jeans, he grabbed his phone.

"Hello."

"…"

"Hello?" he said again when no one answered.

The phone was still silent. He pulled it away from his ear and looked at the face of it. No name just a number.

"I'm going to hang up," he tried to threaten them into answering.

"Jus," a quiet baritone voice said.

Even after seven years he knew his brother's voice. He didn't realize he stopped suddenly until someone plowed into the back of him. The man grumbled at him but stepped around him and went on his way.

"Jus," his brother said again.

"W-why are you calling?" Justin whispered.

If anyone would have asked, he would say he didn't care about C.J. anymore. But that was a complete and utter lie. He still loved his big brother and wanted him in his life, he just couldn't take the betrayal. C.J. was the most important person in his life at one time. His hero, his brother and the person he wanted to be proud of him. Even though in his head he knew C.J. was the one in the wrong, he still felt like he was a big disappointment to him.

"I talked to Dad a couple of days ago. He told me not to call you but I had to."

"Why now? You haven't needed to talk to me in seven years."

"I need to talk to you in person. I'm in Pittsburgh now. Can you meet me?" He wanted to say no. He wanted to say that he didn't give a damn about what C.J. had to say. But there was still a part of him that wanted C.J. to make it better. To tell him that it was all a big misunderstanding; even though he knew that wasn't true.

Could he see his brother? He didn't know but he was willing to give it a try. The anger and shame dueling it out in him was exhausting.

"Please, Jus," C.J. said pleadingly, when Justin hadn't answered.

"Liberty Diner in thirty minutes," he blurted out before disconnecting.

He had just enough time to make it there. He looked like a mess, he knew it. He was wearing his work clothes. A tattered t-shirt and painted stained jeans. It was too late to worry about it anyway. Besides, he didn't care what he looked like when he saw his brother.

"Just keep telling yourself that, Sunshine," his inner voice said, it sounded suspiciously like Brian.

"Hey, sweetie," Emmett called from his usual booth.

"Hi, Em," Justin replied. Passing Emmett who had moved over to allow him to sit, instead he walked to the back of the diner. Sliding into the booth where his back was to the wall and eyes to the door. He didn't want C.J. to sneak up on him. He was glad that Emmett didn't come and join him. The man just went back to his breakfast, but kept looking over his shoulder at Justin ever once and a while.

Justin was in luck that Debbie didn't seem to be working today or at least not yet. He remembered being here earlier in the morning eating ice cream. The joint didn't mess him up as much as he let Brian to believe. He just wanted to be a little out of character for the night. Then Cleo gave him the perfect excuse. So what if he just wanted to be silly for a night. The stories the Emmett and Ted told him about Brian, the man had no room to judge anyone's antics.

The door chimed, bringing him out of his thoughts. He looked up to see someone he had never wanted to see again. C.J.'s looked around the diner until his eyes locked on Justin's.

C.J. looked very different from how he used to look. His hair was now longer, enough that he would need a brush. He had also put on some weight in the middle, not overly so but enough to have a pudge. But the biggest thing that was different about him was the destroyed aura he was giving off.

Walking slowly to the back of the diner, he slid into the booth opposite Justin. For a while no one said anything. Justin could see Emmett's curious look but didn't pay him any attention.

"What did you want?" Justin broke the silence.

"If I could go back in time, I would."

"Why? Because Dad knows what you did now."

"No, because I know I was a shit to you. But more than that, I didn't protect you the way I should have."

Justin stared at the man who used to be his idol. "You didn't protect me? You didn't even believe me. It was me that you called names. It was me that you said was sick."

"I understand you are upset-

"You don't have any idea how I feel," Justin cut him off.

"I deserve that, and much more."

"Why? Can you at least tell me way?"

"It's a long story."

"I've got time."

The new waitress took C.J.'s order of coffee and returned quickly to fill up the cup. Once they were alone again Justin looked at C.J. expectantly.

"You've always been sensitive and talented. I would show the guys the pictures you drew and sent me. Some of them started in about how only fa- gay guys are artists. I was stupid, so incredibly stupid. I thought at the time the worst thing in the world was to have someone gay in my family.

"When you got off that plane, almost skipping. Well, I knew. I knew they knew too. It was embarrassing. But not for the reasons you think. I was angry but at the time I was telling myself it was at you. But it wasn't, the anger was at me. I was the asshole that threw paper wads and food at the little gay boy. I saw you and I knew what your life would be like, the heartache and bullying in store for you."

"So you decided to get a head start on it?"

"No, I just didn't understand then."

"But now you do?"

"I'm trying."

"What about that man?" He didn't need to be more specific.

"Truman is a registered sex offender now. I'm sorry for blaming you. I knew it was all wrong when I was saying it. But I just couldn't make myself stop."

"You let him stay the night after he did that."

"I wanted to keep an eye on him. I regret not calling the M.P.'s but hindsight is 20/20."

"Anybody else would have. You did wrong that night and every day since."

"I know you have no idea how much I realize that now. I let him hurt you and other children because I was too damn ignorant to see it."

Hearing him say other children made Justin freeze. He always worried about the man hurting others but had convinced himself, that the man wouldn't have the same opportunity he had with Justin. A chilling thought flooded into his mind at the words.

"Please, not Tabby," he choked out.

C.J. looked surprised at this. "No, not Tabby. It was another airman's son. He was just a little older than you when it happened. In fact, it happened just days after you left. Why did you think it was Tabby?"

"He threatened her. He said if I didn't do what he said he would hurt her. He said that you wouldn't believe me. After the way you treated me that week, I knew he was right."

Justin watched with a sick sense of delight watching C.J.'s face get deathly pale.

"Jus, my god, you're never going to forgive me, are you?"

It wasn't really a question, they both knew. Their once strong relationship was now in ashes. It was long gone.

"Dad says you're moving back to Pittsburgh," Justin said instead. Every call with his dad was hard to get through. His dad was trying though, but his own guilt was eating him alive.

"Yeah, at the end of summer. Is that okay?" C.J. asked, almost timidly.

"Free country."

"Is there a chance for us to ever be okay again?" C.J. blurted out.

Justin stared at him for a few long moments before answering. "Maybe. Where is he?" Justin was still terrified of the man.

"Denver, last I heard. He was caught attacking the boy on the base. When I told Kurt that it had happened before his busted my nose."

"Kurt?" The name was familiar.

"Yeah, he was the one that was going to teach you how to surf. He's got two kids, boy and a girl. The boy, Levi, is just a year older than you. Truman attacked him but the boy got away, not before being hurt."

"But you believed him?"

C.J. looked guiltily down to his untouched coffee cup.

"Okay, here is how it's going to be. You move back to town. I want you to because it's what Dad wants. He wants to get to know his grandchildren. It would be better if you were here so he is close. I want my family together because they deserve that. I want this for Dad, Mol, Vicky, Cathy and the kids. But you and I are done, do you understand. I don't need a big brother anymore. So I'll stay around on the Christmas and Thanksgiving, but only for Cathy and the kids. Got it?"

"I understand. But it won't stop me from spending the rest of my life trying to make it up to you." C.J. looked down at his watch and sighed. "Look, I got catch my flight. I was only in for the day. I needed to talk to you." Standing up he threw some bills on the table. "I love you, Jus. I just hope one day I can prove it to you." With that he turned and left the diner.

Leaving the diner himself, Justin decided not to tell anyone about his visitor. He wasn't going to forgive and forget, he didn't have that in him. But at least now he had a real name for Caveman. He just didn't know if Truman was a first or last name.

God, where's Daphne when I need her?

"Jerry, I'm home," Justin said, laughing at his goofiness.

He had spent the night at Brian's, again. He stopped even trying to tell himself that it was 'just this one more time'. Now he had finished his last exam, he was ready to leave.

His money had finally been released to him for his first year of school. Because he had gotten a scholarship, Mr. Jamison, his late grandfather's executor, said that the money could be used anyway he wanted. That's why he told Ethan last night that he would be moving out. He paid his last month's rent but told the landlord also that he wouldn't be staying. The whole place now reeked of Ethan and Tevye.

Most of the stuff he told Ethan he could have. He didn't want it after all the unimaginable things they had done on it. He was taking his bedroom set, the flatscreen television that had taken him and Daphne months to save up for. Also most of his kitchen things, he didn't want to leave anything his dad or sister had gotten him. That also meant moving Jerry and his huge tank.

"Did you miss me, Jerry?" he called out.

He pulled out the fresh cricket in a bag he had gotten Jerry. The poor thing was probably traumatized after watching Ethan and Tevye getting it on. Justin made sure he spent most of his time at the apartment to keep Jerry company, but he refused to stay nights. That was when they seemed to be trying to make him vomit the most.

Walking over to the tank he looked for Jerry. Usually the frog was on one of his rocks. Justin looked over every part of the tank but couldn't find him. The top of the tank was off, which was unusual. Starting to panic, he called out to the frog.

Idiot, like he's going to answer you or run to you like a dog.

"Jerry!" he called again after telling the voice to shut up.

For the next hour Justin tore the apartment up. He left no box unturned or closet alone. But he still couldn't find Jerry. The only place he hadn't looked was Ethan's room but it stayed locked when he wasn't there.

Looking at the clock he saw that Ethan's next class wasn't for another hour. Grabbing his phone he quickly dialed, hoping that he knew where Jerry was.

"What?" Ethan sounded pissed off.

"Do you know where Jerry is?"

"Why would I know where your fucking frog is?"

"Can I check your room? He may have gotten into there."

"He can't get out of that damned tank. He is not in my room." Now Ethan was sounding downright hostile.

"The tank was left uncovered, he's a bullfrog. Bullfrogs have amazing jumping abilities. Please just let me check your room."

"NO! Fuck off." Ethan had then ended the call. Justin didn't understand the anger Ethan had adopted in the last month but he didn't like it. He thought about looking in Ethan's room anyway, but that would be a breach in privacy. He just hoped later Ethan would let him look, at least to ease his curiosity.

Brian groaned as he watched the twink walk into the diner. He was doing so well not thinking about him. Justin had left this morning going on and on about his last exam. He was excited to spend the summer working on paintings that he wanted to do, not ones forced on him.

"Great," Michael muttered.

Brian's eyes left Justin, who was now talking to Debbie at the counter, and he looked at Michael.

"I thought the two of you were best buddies now?" Brian asked, adding his trademark smirk.

"He's fucking everywhere. I go to Ma's, he's there stuffing his face. I go to Babylon, he's there dancing with any guy who asks him. I go to the shop and he comes by and pesters me. I've just have had enough of the kid."

Brian didn't know what was going on. Last he heard Justin and Michael were getting close. But he had a suspicion, and it all had to do with the green-eyed monster.

"Aww, is wittle Mikey jealous? Does mommy have a new baby to smother? I'm sorry, she's got two new babies to love and kiss and mother."

"Shut up," Michael hissed as Justin approached them.

"Hey," Justin said but his usual smile was gone. Debbie called him Sunshine because of that smile.

"Hi," Michael grunted.

"What are you doing here?" Brian asked curiously.

"I'm trying to find my dad. He's not answering his phone. I need him to get Ethan to let me look in his room. Jerry's missing."

"The frog?" Brian asked. He thought the idea of that thing missing was a blessing.

"Yeah, I'm sure he's really scared by now. I don't know how he got out of the tank. I guess, I must have accidently left the top off." Brian could see the shame on the kid's face.

"When is Ian supposed to be home?" Brian asked. He couldn't believe he was really considering helping him out. He hated the damn thing.

"Now, I think. I usually stay and watch TV with Jerry before going out," Justin said as it was the most natural thing in the world.

"You watch TV with your frog?"

"Of course I do. He likes the wildlife shows the best."

"Have you lost your ever lovin' mind? Your frog doesn't care about what you're watching on TV."

Brian was getting a little tired of Justin's obsession with his damn frog. He turned and glared at Mikey, who looked just as shocked as Brian that Justin was gaga over the damn thing.

"Frogs are near-sighted," Ted said as he slid into the other side of the booth. "So unless you have him right up there, he can't see it. But their hearing is phenomenal."

Justin actually looked crushed for a minute that the frog wasn't watching the shows with him.

"Seriously, what is the deal with you and this frog?" he finally asked.

"He needs me," Justin whispered. "Ever since I was a kid people have been taking care of me. My dad took care of me and Molly. Then it was Daphne always looking out for me. I only got to return the favor with they would allow it. But Jerry really needs me, and if I don't find him he'll go hungry."

"Jerry's a bullfrog right?" Ted asked.

"Yeah."

"Listen kid, if Jerry is alive and you fed him last night, he'll be fine for a while. Also bullfrogs will eat anything, it'll be a while before he would starve. Why don't I come over to your place and help look for him," Ted volunteered.

"Ohh, what are we looking for?" Emmett said as he sat beside Ted.

"Justin's frog Jerry has escaped. I just told him that I would come and help."

"I'll come too. Frog legs are a delicacy in Mississippi," Emmett said. But on Justin's horrified face he added, "Just kidding, baby."

"I'll help too," Michael volunteered. Wasn't he just saying that he spent too much time with the kid?

All eyes seemed to land on him. "Sorry, got places to see, people to do."

Justin nodded his head. "It's okay, Brian. Thank you guys for helping me. Maybe without you there Ethan and Tevye might leave me alone."

That simple sentence had Brian wondering what it meant. He knew from just talking to Justin that he didn't like his roommate. He also had told Brian that his roommate's new boyfriend was a little skeevy. He said once that Ethan was late coming home and Tevye had arrived. After leaving the man in the living room to wait for Ethan, Justin went to finish a project in his bedroom. A few minutes later Tevye was sneaking into his room.

Justin told the fucker to get out. When the guy only palmed his crotch and told Justin they had time before Ethan arrived. Justin's only answer had been to throw the complete works of Oscar Wilde at him. It had been the only thing close to him at the time.

When Justin attempted to tell Ethan what his boyfriend had said and done, the asshole called Justin a liar and slut. That was three days ago and Justin had spent that night and every night since at Brian's.

Brian couldn't believe he was doing this. "I'll go too." Mostly he wanted to see the two slime balls. After knowing what Justin had gone through before he didn't want some overrated, big-headed fiddle player hurting him again.

Justin felt nervous bringing not only Brian but his whole gang back to the apartment. He didn't want to deal with Ethan and Tevye alone though. Tevye was starting to weird him out and Ethan was growing more hostile by the day. Right now all he wanted was Jerry and to get out of there.

He had more money now than his father made in a year and a half. He would have given every penny to his dad if he wanted but he wouldn't take it. Now the plan was for him pack and move out. After he left Brian's this morning he stopped by his lawyers. He had gotten the call as soon as he stepped out of the loft. Seventy thousand dollars was at this moment being transferred to his bank account. Apparently, his late grandfather didn't think him or Molly should ever do without, even in college.

The only person he had told was his dad. He guessed Molly would know since she was a part of the case. Now that Craig Taylor had lost his last appeal, he was officially out of their lives.

Justin always took the stairs because he was only on the second floor. He could hear Emmett and Ted complaining about that choice.

"If I wanted exercise I would have gone to the gym," Ted grumbled.

"It's only one flight up," he told the man.

The others laughed as they walked down the hallway. He pulled out his key to unlocked the door but when he touched the doorknob it slowly opened. What he saw the inside made him freeze.

"What the fuck, move," Brian bitched.

Numbly, he moved from the door into the apartment.

"What. The. Fuck?" Brian bellowed.

Everyone was standing just inside the door looking at the same disaster he was. Everything was turned over and/or broken. His flat screen had a hammer through it. The walls where covered in paint, with the words Ugly Whore on them. His clothes were all over the floor, cut to shreds. There was also broken plates and glasses all around the living room. Paint was also covering the hardwood floor. Jerry's tank was shattered, with water dripping from it, ruining the hardwood floor beneath it.

"What the hell happened here?" Emmett said. He was the first one of them to come out of their shocked state.

Before anyone could say anything else there was a pained gasp from behind them. Justin turned to see Ethan's bloodied face. He had his right hand curled into his body. His left hand he was clutching his broken violin.

"What happened?" he asked as he ran to Ethan. He didn't like the guy but he was clear the man had been attacked.

"Tevye has lost his mind," Ethan croaked out. "I came home earlier and he was trashing the place. I grabbed my phone to call the police then he attacked me. Fucker beat me with my own violin." Ethan slid down to the floor and leaned against the wall.

"Why?" Ted asked.

"Because I'm stupid and didn't see what was in front of my face."

Justin crouched down in front of Ethan. "What do you mean?" He could hear Michael talking quietly on the phone.

"It was all a lie. He didn't like me. Apparently he's been obsessed with you since he first saw you at freshman orientation. He by chance saw you dancing at Babylon and started following you. When we moved in I thought maybe there was something between us. But it was clear you didn't like me that way.

"It was like a sign from the gods that I met Tevye. I didn't think someone like him would ever look at me. But he always wanted to come over here, never his own place. Then he said that he liked the danger of being caught in the living room. I was dumb enough to believe him. It was all just a lie, he just wanted you to see him. I told him last night about you moving out. I thought he would be happy, he could move in. He broke up with me last night. This is how happy he was about it. When I came home and he was here, he keep yelling at me, telling me that I was useless." He was silent for a minute. "Oh, and I found Jerry."

"Where is he?" Justin said looking around for any signs of the frog.

Ethan pointed at the only thing still right side up. A big pot sat on the stove burner.

Brian got a very bad feeling when the fiddler pointed to the pot. When Justin went to stand up Brian waved him off. "I'll go look."

Dread filled him the closer and closer he got to the pot. When he reached it his hand rested on the lid. He could feel every eye in the room on him. Slowly he lifted the thing up and peered inside. Not surprising Jerry was inside. His legs were severed from the rest of his body. Brian wished he'd had just stayed at the diner.

Justin watched while his father argued with Debbie. She was insisting he come to her house and stay, while his dad wanted him to go home with him. No one seemed to ask him where he wanted to go. Not that he knew where he wanted to go. His apartment was tainted by Tevye's wrath. What kind of person kills an innocent pet frog?

He was sitting in middle of Debbie's living room. It had only been a few hours since his life was turned upside down. All of his clothes were ripped up to shreds, along with all of his art in the apartment. Everything from sketches to a painting he had been working on. Every single thing he owned was trashed, all he had was the clothes on his back.

Ethan had clammed up as soon as the cops had gotten there. He wasn't going to press charges against Tevye for his attack. He was also saying now that he didn't remember who was in the apartment. Justin didn't know why Ethan was acting that way now, but he never understood the guy.

His dad told him that they didn't have enough on Tevye. The only one who saw him was Ethan, who changed his story. They would bring him in for questioning but didn't sound very optimistic. He also said that Tevye was the nephew of Police Chief Stockwell. The man was a Grade A homophobe but he was ferociously protective of his friends and family.

Brian and his friends had left after his dad and Debbie descended on him. He wished they had stayed a little longer. It felt like he was being tugged two different ways. He was still in shellshock when they arrived; so he let him take him away. At the time he just wanted to get away from the place, it felt tainted in more ways than one.

"He'll be perfectly safe here, he has Vic and me to look after him," Debbie yelled at his dad.

"He's my son, he needs to be at home. I can protect him better there."

Justin quietly stood up and slipped out the door, they were still too busy arguing to notice him. He lucked out and the bus was coming down the street. It was a short trip to his destination. A few months ago, his go to person was Daphne. That wasn't an option anymore, she had abandoned him. She wanted no part of him anymore; it was clear when she didn't return his call. Now he found himself standing on the sidewalk outside of Brian's loft, again.

When things get too intense Brian always made himself scarce. After the frog incident he took off, but only after the kid was safely in the hands of Mr. and Mrs. Parental Unit. The first thing he did was find a trick. He tried hard to get the blonde with sad blue eyes out of his head.

Returning to his loft he knew that was easier said than done. Sitting in front of his door was said blonde. Justin saw him and scrambled to his feet.

"Hi, I hope I'm not bothering you," Justin said sheepishly.

Instead of answering Brian unlocked the door and let Justin in. Following Justin inside, he headed to the fridge. He grabbed a bottle of water and offered one to Justin.

"Thanks."

"So, what's up?" he asked casually.

"I just got tired of my dad and Debbie fighting over me. Deb wants me to stay with her and Vic and my dad wants me to stay with him and Molly."

"What do you want?"

"I don't know. I wanted to get my own place before this. But now I have to start all over again. I don't have anything. But more than that, I don't want to be alone."

"Well, you have two people wanting you to stay with them."

"But I don't want to be treated like a child," Justin whined.

"Then don't pout like one." Brian could see the storm in Justin's eyes. The kid had a shit day, he didn't need to be adding towards it. "You can stay here tonight," he volunteered.

"Thanks."

Arms wrapped around Justin's waist. He knew it wasn't Brian because he was leaning against the bar watching Justin intently. Brian had surprised him all night. Usually, Brian would be spending most of his time in the backroom.

This was the first time that Justin had joined Brian and the gang out. It was the first time he felt like going out, and the first time Brian felt comfortable with taking him out. It seemed Brian was a tad worried that Tevye was lying in wait for Justin. The concern that Brian had shown him made his heart soar. Brian would never admit to caring about him but Justin knew, and that was enough for him.

Justin's eyes widened as Brian made a beeline for Justin and his dance partner.

"Fuck off," Brian growled at the stud, pulling Justin out of the guys embrace.

Justin inwardly grinned when Brian possessively wrapped his arms around him.

Justin had been staying at Brian's loft for two weeks. He had replaced his clothes with his new bank account. He had enough money to get a really great place but he didn't want to be alone. Daphne was still ignoring his calls. He really missed her and kept apologizing to her voicemail; that was until last time when the robotic voice said the voicemail was full.

Staying with Brian was a mixed bag. Sometimes the man was really sweet and considerate but others, it was like someone flipped a switch and he was angry, bordering on violent. It was times like that that scared Justin the most. He had never been violent with Justin but he was scared that would change.

Brian hated messes, Justin could admit he was a little bit of a slob. Then there was the night before. It was after Emmett had made a comment about Brian becoming domesticated. It was almost as Brian was punishing Justin for the comment.

He had come home to Brian fucking some trick in the same bed Brian held and made love to him. The guy was Justin's complete opposite: big, buff and dark. After Brian and the trick both left, Justin curled up on the couch and cried. He no longer wanted to stay at Brian's. Was is so much to ask for someone that only wanted him? For two weeks he thought that was Brian. Sure he knew Brian still tricked but never in front of him, not until that night

When his dad called him and invited him out for lunch, he leapt at the offer. He really hadn't seen his dad much in the last two weeks. Tevye had gotten off completely with the destruction and murder of Jerry. Ethan refused to make a statement to the police. He had gone home to Delaware for the summer, well hopefully just the summer. His hand was messed up pretty bad, his mother had set up for a specialist to look at it.

Justin sat sketching Kiki while waiting for his dad. "Oh sugar, if you were a couple inches taller, we would have some fun," Kiki joked as she poured some more coffee. Justin had gotten used to Kiki's backhanded comments. He really liked her so he put up with them, but Kiki always found flaws with people. Justin suspected it was her way to deal with not accepting herself for so long.

The door chimed and he saw his dad's big form walking towards him. He stood up and gave his dad a big hug which his dad returned.

"It's great to see you kid," his dad said, before sliding into the booth.

"You too, I've been kind of busy lately. Sorry about that." Getting in the booth opposite of his dad.

"Ahh, yes, busy with That Brian."

"It's not That Brian, Dad. It's just Brian." Justin withheld the eye roll. His father had not been happy with his decision to stay at Brian's.

"Sorry," his father said, but Justin knew he wasn't. "So, you guys are a couple now?"

"No, Dad. Brian doesn't do relationships. He's just letting me stay at his loft for a while. I've been thinking of getting another place though."

"That's good. Debbie's told me all about Brian, I just don't want you to be hurt by him." His dad started drinking the coffee Kiki sat down for him, the one he didn't even have to order. He had been there enough visiting Debbie that everyone knew his order. Coffee and whatever was the pink plate special.

"Nothing is going on between me and Brian. He's just letting me stay at his place."

"That makes me feel better. I was worried you were still—you know—with the man."

Justin did know what his dad was talking about, his cheeks tented at the thought of his dad talking about his sex life. He decided to let it go, his dad didn't need to know he had sex with Brian multiple times a day.

"How is Molly?" Justin asked, changing the subject.

His dad transformed his worried face to a happy one. "She just left for camp. She'll be home in six weeks. Are you still looking for a job? What's your plans?"

"I don't know. With everything going on I don't want to set a routine for Tevye to follow. I don't trust him."

Justin saw his father's face darken at the mention of Tevye.

"Neither do I. Jus, I have something to talk to you about. I want you to know it was Debbie's idea, but I did agree to it."

A bad feeling settled in his gut. "What?"

"I – uh – well, there's this guy at work. He's your sort."

Justin looked at his dad incredulously. Was his dad really trying to say what he thought he was?

"Are you trying to set me up on a blind date?"

"He's closer to your age. Nice kid. Twenty-four, been on the job for a few months. Good looking kid too, you know if that's your sort of thing."

This time he didn't stop the eye roll. "Yes, Dad being attractive is a plus. I don't really want-" his words were cut off by the door chime. In walked Brian Fucking Kinney, with that stupid smirk of his. The same one he gave Justin as he fucked the trick all the while looking at Justin.

"Sure, Dad. Set it up." Hell, maybe the guy would be perfect for him.

Brian smirked at Justin while the twink had lunch with his dad. The kid scowled at him and turned back to his father, it only made him grin more.

He had to admit he might have gone a little overboard with the trick from the other night. When Emmett had talked about Brian settling down, it bothered him. Maybe more than it should have, but that's neither here nor there. Justin needed to realize he was just staying at the loft for a little while.

"Babylon tonight?" Ted asked sliding into the booth opposite him.

"Maybe," Brian replied vaguely, he didn't want to admit that he liked going better when Justin went with him. But Justin hadn't wanted to be in the same room with him in the last twenty-four hours.

Brian looked back at Justin, who was doing everything to ignore him. Ted followed his eyes and understanding seemed to dawn on him. But he also knew better than to mention it.

"How's Lindsay?" Ted asked instead.

"Better. Mel's moved back into the house, and the bastard is in jail now. Mel had Lindsay file for divorce already, it should go through without any problem. The guy did try and kill her, there's no better way of saying you want out of a marriage."

The man was lucky he was locked up. If Brian ever saw him again, he'd kill him. Lindsay was better but was still scared of her shadow. Mel worked from home as much as she could now. Brian had told them that he would cover any extras, so Mel wouldn't have to take on new clients.

"I'm glad she's doing better," Ted said quietly.

The rest of lunch was quiet with the only talking done around them. Brian noticed Justin and Horvath leave not long before he did. The kid didn't meet his eyes before he walked out.

"Sunshine," Brian called when he walked into the loft.

Noise from the bedroom had him checking it out. Justin was standing in front of the full length mirror holding a shirt up in front of him. It was a nice shirt but not Justin's color at all, brown didn't do anything for him.

"What do you think?" Justin asked, not looking at him.

"Not your color." He walked over to the closet and pulled out another one of Justin's new shirts. This one was black, red and tight as hell. "Here."

Justin looked at the shirt and shook his head. "No, that's a club shirt. I need something for a first date."

Brian frowned. "I'm sorry, I must have misheard you. I thought you said you needed a shirt for a date."

"Yes, I've got a date tomorrow night." Justin threw the brown shirt onto the bed, it joining several other shirts.

"With who?" Brian asked, trying not to sound as aggravated as he felt.

"A cop that works with my dad."

"Seriously, a fucking cop. You want to go out with some fat, donut eating closet case."

"Vas isn't a closet case. My dad said that everyone in the department knows he's gay."

"Vas? What kind of name is that?"

"It's short for Vasili, it's Russian."

"Why are you pretending to be some hetero, going out on a date with this guy?" Brian felt the bitterness and jealousy building up.

"What, I don't deserve to have someone want me? Just me. Am I not good enough? Well, fuck you, Brian. I want someone who fucking wants me! Not someone who acts like they care one minute then fucks someone else just to hurt me."

"I didn't-

"The fuck you didn't. I saw your face, the whole thing was designed to hurt me. I get it, I'm nothing to you." Justin's voice was cracking and angry tears were escaping his eyes.

Brian stared at Justin in shock; he had never heard him curse so much before, not even when his frog was killed. He also had never seen him so close to looking like he would hyperventilate and pass out. Feelings weren't Brian's forte but he knew he couldn't leave Justin like this. So he did the only thing he could, he grabbed him and hugged him. For a moment Justin fought him by beating on his chest, but then he wrapped his arms around Brian and held on tight.

"I'm worth it," Justin sobbed into Brian's shoulder.

Brian let out a pained sigh. "I know you are, Sunshine."

That night the electricity between them was different. Instead of hot, fast and hard it was still sizzling but quieter, more caring. As Brian's hand ghosted over Justin's naked chest, and down his stomach he knew this was their last night together. He couldn't explain how he knew, he just did.

"Brian, please," Justin rasped.

Brian smiled sadly although Justin couldn't see him. He kissed Justin's taut stomach and licked his way down. Justin about came on the spot when Brian took him into his mouth. He closed his eyes and lost himself in that night together; knowing the memory would have to last.

Justin woke up, he reached for Brian but his hand just hit the empty side of the bed. Brian's side was cool, it was clear he had gotten up much earlier than Justin. There was no noise in the loft, none at all.

He stretched his legs out and then got out of bed. Going to the bathroom he quickly took care of business and showered. After toweling off, he dressed in some of his more comfortable clothes, a blue t-shirt and camo pants.

There wasn't a lot that he needed to do. He had his date at six. Until then he was free as a bird. He wished Brian had stayed, maybe they could have showered together. His mind drifted back to last night and he groaned. He couldn't believe he had yelled at Brian and confessed how much the man hurt him. More so, he couldn't believe after that he still went to bed with Brian. It had been different though, it felt like for the first time that Brian needed him, not his body or the release he gave him but just Justin. Only Justin.

The thought about canceling his date for tonight ran through his head. But it quickly fled, really it was just one date. It was something that he could say he got out of his system. Vas sounded really nice from what his dad had told him.

Deciding to make the best of the day, he set up his easel, it was a replacement for his old one. He grabbed his canvas and set it up. He sat up the paint colors on his palette. While working in his studio at school he had gotten used to being messy with his paint. Brian on the other hand couldn't stand for a drop of paint to touch anything he owned. It made Justin think more and more about getting a studio apartment. A place where he could just paint and not worry about messing anything up.

The phone ringing brought him out of his painting. It wasn't until then he realized most of the day was gone. The clock on the entertainment system read 5:15.

"Shit," he cursed. He ran to the phone that was still ringing.

"Hello," he answered breathlessly.

"Is this Justin?" a deep southern voice asked.

"Yes, who is this?"

"I'm Vas, your father gave me your number. I hope you're not upset about me calling you."

"No, no of course not. Are you calling to cancel?" He wouldn't have to get cleaned up and change then.

"No, I'm a little early; I'm sitting outside the diner, I just wanted to tell you whenever you're ready you can come over."

Justin inwardly groaned, now he didn't have any time. "Um, why don't you just come over here and get me. I need to clean up my paints and run through the shower. I should be ready by the time you get here."

He heard noise in the background. "Sure, no problem. Where am I headed?"

"6 Fuller, corner of Tremont."

"Great, I'll be there shortly."

"K, just call or ring the buzzer for Kinney."

Justin went to clean up the paints. Paint was layering his skin after painting all day. He really needed the shower.

He was quicker in the shower than he thought. He grabbed the clothes he had decided on last night. A fit navy blue dress shirt with black jeans. He had liked the outfit when he bought it, now he just hoped he looked decent.

Just as he was brushing his hair the door slid open and Brian came in. He looked mouthwatering in his business suit and slicked back hair. Before he could say anything the buzzer sound off.

"That's Vas."

"He's picking you up here?"

"He called and said he was running early. I just told him to come over. That's okay isn't it?"

Brian's eyes were hard. "Sure, invite the man up."

Justin could think of a million things he would rather do than invite Vas into the loft. But the challenge he saw in Brian's eyes had him doing just that.

After an agonizing minute someone knocked on the door. His worries about a blind date was all but gone now. They were replaced by worries that Brian would do something embarrassing to him.

Brian beat him to the door and slid it open.

Justin got his first look at Vas Ozerov, he was huge. His height was even with Brian but where Brian's muscles were sinewy, Vas's were bulky. His bulging muscled body was shoved into skin tight blue jeans and a white t-shirt that looked like it was painted on. Justin could see the edges of a tattoo peeking out from under the t-shirt on his left bicep. His black hair was cut short, he also had that sexy twelve o'clock shadow on his face. He was a very handsome man. He didn't make Justin's heart jump like Brian but when he saw Justin, his smile was very endearing. Maybe the date wouldn't be so bad.

For once in his life Brian felt like what it was to be Ted. The stud barely looked at him before his eyes locked on Justin. It was then he was all but forgotten about.

"Hey," the idiot said to Justin.

"Hi, are you ready to go?" Justin said shyly.

Brian bit his tongue so hard that he tasted blood. This wasn't supposed to happen. Some troll that Carl set up for his progeny was supposed to be the date, not some gorgeous stud that had a sexy ass accent.

"Yeah, your dad didn't do you justice. You beautiful," Dudley Do-Right said.

"He didn't tell me much about you either." Justin turned towards Brian. "I hope you and the guys have a great night tonight. Maybe if there's time we might go and dance the night away too." Justin smiled the hundred watt smile that he was famous for.

"Sure," he ground out, trying not to sound as pissed off as he felt. His feelings the night before that he had pushed away all day were back, Justin was leaving. Fuck, he'd only known the kid a couple months. How could he have gotten under his skin so fast?

He watched Justin and Dudley leave. After that he got into his club clothes. He was going to drink and fuck the night away; he didn't need some fucking blonde twink ruining his night. Fuck them both.

"So, tell me about yourself," Vas said after they gave their order to the waiter. Vas had taken him to a nice, but not very fancy, Indian restaurant.

"Well, there's not much to tell. In the fall I start my second year at Pittsburgh Institute of Fine Art. I was raised by a single father; I've got a little sister and an older brother and sister." Justin didn't really know what to talk about. Some things were taboo on a first date, right? Such as, no talking about crazy ex-roommate's boyfriends.

"You?"

Vas smiled. "I'm twenty-four years old. As you know, I've been a police officer for the past four months. Before that, I was in the Navy. I was raised by my mom and step-dad until I was fourteen, then my grandparents took me in. Oh, and I have a black lab named Leroy."

Justin couldn't help but ask. "Why did you move in with your grandparents?"

Vas grimaced and Justin felt bad for asking.

"When I was thirteen I realized I wasn't like all the other boys. Then an amazing thing happened; the neighbor boy moved in. Two years older than me he was beautiful, but also tragically straight. That didn't stop my fantasies though. I would even mow the lawn the same time he did so he would notice me. Never happened."

Vas's eyes took on a haunted look. "You don't have to continue."

"Nah, it's okay. It was a little after my fourteenth birthday that everything went to hell. I don't know how my stepfather figured it out but he did. I was in my room when he came in. Before I knew what was happening he was beating me. First just with his fists, then he grabbed my baseball bat. It would have been worse than it was except for the neighbor boy.

"He had heard me screaming and my stepfather yelling about me being a fag. He called the police then ran over with his own baseball bat. Thankfully, the backdoor was unlocked. He hit Keith just as he was about to bash me in the head."

"Oh my god, that's horrible." Justin was shocked that someone could do that to a child, even with his own history. It was even worse when the betrayal was by family; he knew from experience.

"It's over with now. My mom sided with the asshole and my grandparents drove from Pittsburgh to Louisiana. They went to court and got custody of me, not like my mom fought them on it. She didn't want a queer son in her house anyway. It wasn't the first time the man had beat me, but it was the first time he lost control."

The food arrived then but Justin didn't have much of an appetite anymore. He looked down at his food and picked it over. Not really knowing what to say, so he just stayed quiet.

"Oh now, none of that. When I got to my grandparents I had a wonderful life. My grandparents were born in Russia, my father was first-generation born in America. He died when I was a baby, drunk driving. He was no prize either, I've heard. My babushka is a hard woman but never ever turned her back on me. Deda, on the other hand, is a pushover. I love them more than anything."

"Babushka, that's Russian for grandmother right?"

"Yep."

The conversation started to loosen up and get a more casual feeling to it. They talked about Justin's art and Vas's work.

"So why did you decide to become a cop?" Justin asked.

"When I got out of the service I didn't know what to do. My best friend, Trevor told me to give this a try. I'd been listening to him for over a decade, so here I am." He opened his arms, grinning at Justin.

"That's a lot of faith you have in your best friend."

"Well, yeah. If it wasn't for him I would have died at fourteen." He must have noticed Justin's confused look. "Trevor, a.k.a Neighbor boy."

"No shit?!"

"No shit. I sent him a thank you letter once I got settled in Pittsburgh. He wrote back, that's where it started. He visited for two weeks every summer. Then he joined the Navy when I was sixteen, I followed two years later."

"And nothing ever happened between you?" Not wanting to get involved with another Brian/Michael relationship.

"Oh, god no. Still straight as an arrow, I was best man at his wedding. I'm also godfather to his two sons."

"That's incredible. Does he still live in Louisiana?"

"Nah, he lives in New Castle. I try and visit as much as possible. So, tell me more about yourself. You know all my skeletons. All I really know about you is you're an artist and have a father, two sisters, and a brother."

Justin pushed away what was left of his food. "What do you want to know?"

Vas seemed to fidget a little, which was a little funny given his size. "You don't have to tell me but who was that guy?"

Justin inwardly groaned, he was hoping to avoid all mention of Brian fucking Kinney. It wasn't like he wanted to hide his life from Vas but this was his first date. Vas was a very open person, it was refreshing. Brian kept everything to himself.

"That's Brian, he's a…friend." Sort of.

"Cut the shit. That guy was pissed off when I came to get you. I really like you but I don't like being used in some game." The hurt in the man's eyes said it all, he had been in that game before and lost, badly.

"It's only sex, Brian won't let it be anything more. But I need more, even if it isn't with Brian. I'm staying at Brian's until I get a new place. My old one was violated by my roommate's ex-boyfriend. The guy seems to have some sort of obsession with me. Why? I have no idea. I'm nothing special."

"On that I have to disagree, I find you utterly fascinating." Justin blushed, the man really was a sweet talker when he wanted to be. It surprised him how gentle and kind the man was after all that happened to him. It gave him hope that one day he would be just as together as Vas.

The rest of dinner passed quickly. After Justin had told him the truth about Brian, the man turned on his charms. He was really something…. Sexy, and sweet at the same time. Justin was sad when the date started to come to an end.

"It's been a great night," he told Vas. They were in Vas's car leaving the restaurant.

"It has been; I was worried when your dad and his girlfriend starting asking me questions. At first I thought you were going to be some serial killer or something. I wasn't scared of course." He flexed his arm for a second before grabbing the wheel again. Justin laughed at the man's goofiness.

"I know this is a little fast, but would you like to come back to my place? We don't have to do anything. I just don't want to end the night yet," Vas asked.

Justin thought about it. Did he want to go back to Brian's or Vas's? The truth was surprising to him. Vas' was where he wanted to go. Brian didn't think he was worth love and devotion but maybe Vas would. It was way too early to know that but he was willing to try.

Brian stumbled into the loft a little after four in the morning. He didn't want to admit it but he hoped that Justin would be there. He wasn't. The loft was as empty and as untouched as when he left it. Justin had gone home with the man that was clear. Jealousy ate at his gut but he refused to do anything about it. He couldn't be what the kid wanted, better the kid learn it now and go look somewhere else than later. He barely made it to the bed before he crashed. Grabbing the pillow that Justin had used the night before he brought it to his nose and inhaled the blonde's scent.

The next day he blearily walked into the diner. It was loud for a Sunday, or it could be he was hungover. Ted, Michael, Ben and Emmett were seated at their usual booth. He slid into the one next to them. Michael got up and slid in across from him.

"Jesus Christ, Brian, you look like hell."

"Thank you so much for that observation. What do you want?" He wasn't in the mood for whining.

"Why do you always think I want something? I'm just worried about you. Emmett said you didn't leave any booze at Babylon last night. What are you trying to do? Destroy your liver?"

His head was pounding and eyes unfocused. He didn't want to deal with anything at the moment. The noise in the diner seemed to grow by the second.

"Sunshine!" Debbie yelled.

Brian looked up to see Justin and Dudley Do-Right sit down at the counter. Justin was in clothes way too big for him. Obviously, the cop let him borrow some. He was swimming in the jogging pants and t-shirt. The pants were rolled up and shoved into his shoes.

Brian got up from the booth and walked towards the happy couple.

"Well, I don't have you ask where you were last night," he said, standing right behind Justin.

Justin turned around, eyes wide. "Brian, I didn't know you would be here."

"Where else would I be, Sunshine?" he asked, annoyed; not at the question but at the hand that the cop had resting on Justin's inner thigh.

"Sorry, I just wasn't thinking. Did you meet Vas last night?"

"No, can't say I did." He turned towards the man. "I see you took good care of our Sunshine last night."

"I don't see how that is any of your business." The words were harsh but the man was smiling, and it wasn't fake. Who the fuck was this guy?

"Well, kiddos, I've got to be off. Lots of things to get done today. Are you coming back to the loft tonight?" he asked Justin.

"About that, I talked to my dad this morning. He's been staying at Debbie's while Molly is at camp. I'm going to stay at home for a while, I'll have the place to myself. But it's got a top notch security system, so no problem there."

"And you have your own on call cop too. Good for you." Brian gave what he hoped was his best "who the fuck cares" smirk and left. He hoped he could work off some of his anger in the gym. He had to or it was going to be a very long day.

The days ran together so much that she didn't know what day it was. Or even what month. She had been in the little room almost since she stepped off the airplane. It was a terrible mistake that she and her baby were paying for. On the plane she had decided it was a foolhardy mission and to give it up.

When she got off the plane, her plan was to get the next one home. She should have stayed in the terminal but she didn't. The next flight wasn't until the next morning. She had left to stay at the airport motel. That was when he saw her. He wasn't supposed to be there. They were supposed to meet the next day.

He didn't even leave her with the chance to call him. Grabbing her as she walked across the dark motel parking lot. It was quick and before she really knew what was happening her arms and legs were tied up and her mouth gagged. Her phone and all of her things were taken that first night.

She had worn the same clothes for the first week or so. Then he threw in a nightshirt and pajama pants. She refused to put them on for another few days. She felt filthier than she ever had in her life. He gives her food and water once a day. And surprisingly enough he lets her have her prenatal vitamins.

Never had he touched her that wasn't to move her around. She was thankful about that but his silence was troublesome. He had barely spoken any words to her. She knew who he was because of her research. This was the man who attacked Justin. But she couldn't figure out want he wanted with her. If he knew who she was why not just let it go and take off? Why not beat her? Why not gloat and terrorize? He did none of that. It was like he was keeping an unwanted pet. Keeping her in a room, feeding her when he remembered.

There was a bathroom joined to the room. It didn't have a shower or tub, just a toilet and sink. It was one reason he didn't worry about giving her drinks all that much. The room and bathroom have no windows.

Every so often he will take her to the main bathroom and she can shower. The windows there are barred. He's still always so silent. She's begged him to tell her what she's doing there.

She's about seven months pregnant, she guesses, when he finally starts to talk. It's then she wishes he hadn't.

"I think I'll miss you a little bit. I've grown used to you being here," he says one day when he brings the food. It is cold potato soup, but she's starving so she doesn't mind. She's much too thin to be this far along, she's worried about the baby's health but the man doesn't care.

"Where am I going?" she asks, her voice rough from non-usage.

"Well, I can't keep you around after the baby is born." A chill ran up her spine at those words.

"Why not?"

"Too many questions. It's better if I just tell them the truth. That the baby's mother died shortly after birth." He sets the food down on the bed.

"Why did you take me?" she asked for what felt like the millionth time. This time she was surprised when she is answered.

"It's a funny story really. At one time I had friends and family who loved me. Then one day a little blonde ruined everything. I had to start my life all over again. This time with sex offender tacked on to it. It was a load of bull that kid was asking for it."

Daphne barely kept quiet, she wanted to scream and yell that Justin didn't want it and he was just a child. But she wasn't sure he would keep to his non-violence with her then.

"Years later I get this email, you gave too much of yourself away with the first one. It was easy to track and find you. I knew what school you went to and where you lived. I decided to see who I was really talking to, so it was by great surprised I see you walking home with a certain blonde.

"I wanted to grab him and kill him at that moment, but I restrained. I flew back home and tried to forget about you both, I really did. But you just wouldn't let up. Finally, you started to talk about your little friend. It didn't take a genius to figure that one out. My plan was to kill you last year, sent him your head. But you never came, shame really." He started pacing the floor like a caged animal.

"When you got off the plane this year I wasn't taking any chances. The plan was to still kill you but play with the blonde a little before that. But I was shocked when I went through your bag and found prenatal vitamins. So my plans changed yet again. I couldn't find a wife with the title sexual predator over my head. And I always wanted to be a father, now in two months or so, I will be."

The food she just ate rose back up. What had she done? She had cursed her baby to a life with a predator. She had to get out of there or die trying, because dying was already on the schedule apparently.

Brian didn't want to admit the real reason he came to the party. He tried to tell himself it was because Deb wouldn't let up, but that wasn't it. The truth was he wanted to see Justin. He also wanted to see the bastard who failed at protecting his own little brother. See the man that all but handed his baby brother over to a pedophile with a red bow tied around his neck.

When he walked into the house it was full of people. It was C.J. and his family's homecoming. In the living room Emmett, Ted, Lindsay and Mel were talking to a tall blonde woman. He assumed that was Cathy, C.J.'s wife. Ben and Michael were talking with Vic on the couch.

There were two kids running up and down the stairs. He assumed they were Justin's niece and nephew. When he walked into the kitchen he saw an attractive interracial couple sitting at the kitchen table. Brian knew from what Justin had told him that the leggy brunette was his sister, Vicky. Brian couldn't remember her husband's name but he was a good looking black man with a trim beard. Deb was chatting loudly with the woman about trying to talk Carl into something. Brian didn't care enough to pay attention.

Walking to the backdoor, he was stopped by an odd sight. Just outside the door was an anxious looking Carl and Vas. Brian did his best not to glare at Justin's boyfriend.

Ever since he started dating the cop, he stopped hanging out at Babylon or even Woody's. Justin had said Vas was worried because Tevye was still out there. Brian thought it was bullshit, Justin wouldn't be out of their sight at all times. But he didn't say that out loud, he wouldn't go around sounding like a jilted ex. He was glad the kid was out of his loft, he just hadn't expected the kid would be out of his life too.

Brian looked to see what the two were looking at. It didn't take long, on the far side of the yard, which wasn't very far with Deb's backyard being small. Justin was standing, holding onto Gus like he was a lifeline. He was looking at a taller man with brown hair. They didn't seem to be fighting but Justin still looked very uncomfortable.

He started to walk towards them when a hand on his arm stopped him. He looked over at the owner of said hand. Dudley Do-Right.

"Leave them be," Vas said darkly.

"Take your hand off me. I'm going to get my kid, he's not going to be in between - whatever the hell that is." He jerked his arm away from the man and headed over to Justin.

"Thanks, I don't deserve this second chance but I'll gladly take it," the older man said.

Justin looked like he was about to respond when he saw Brian.

"Brian," he said softly.

"I just came to get Gus," he said, opening his arms for the baby. Gus went instantly to his arms, probably feeling the tension in the two other men.

"Of course, sorry. I was playing with him when C.J. came in."

Settling Gus on his hip, he then really looked at C.J. for the first time.

"So this is the infamous Brian," C.J. said with a smirk. Who does this asshole think he is?

"So this is the man who handed his baby brother to a sexual predator," Brian responded.

How dare this man judge anything he did? Brian couldn't stand his sister but he would never do anything like that to her. Hell, when she called about her husband hitting her, he had moved them out himself. He also paid for her lawyer.

"Brian," Justin said sharply.

"Listen here. I don't give a fuck who you are. This is between me and my little brother," C.J. growled.

"Because you were too much of a bastard to tell his father you neglected him and then let him be abused right under you roof. You made sure he never got the help he needed. Too much of a fucking bigot that you gave him to your friend."

"You don't know what the hell you're talking about. Those are mighty big words from a man hiding behind a baby."

"I don't have to hide behind anyone. That seems to be better your style."

"Fuck, would you two stop your pissing contest," Vas roared. Brian saw him grab Justin and lead him inside. Brian felt like shit, he had seen the tears in Justin eyes as Vas pulled him away. He didn't want to make it any worse on the kid. There was just something about C.J. that pissed him off, probably his complete failure in protecting his brother.

Justin was shaking as Vas led him upstairs. He opened Michael's old bedroom and pushed him inside, closing it behind him. Vas didn't deal with crying very well. Molly jumped up from the bed, she was holding a book to her chest.

"Fuck, you scared me." Noticing something was wrong with him she rushed over. "What's wrong?" Her eyes took a dangerous look.

"It's okay, Mol. I just need some time to compose myself. Vas is outside the door guarding it. C.J. and Brian looked like they were going to start fighting." He brushed the tears out of his eyes and started to calm down, his sister had that effect on him.

"You would think Brian was your boyfriend because of the way he acts." Molly walked back to the bed and flopped down.

"What do you mean?"

"Come on, Justin. You have to see the way he still looks at you, even though you're not around much. Every time I see him he always asks about you, though he tries to sound nonchalant about it."

Justin looked at her for a moment. "When did you become an expert on Brian Kinney?"

"Just because you're not allowed to spend time with anyone doesn't mean I am. I work at the diner. Emmett and I have a standing appointment at Milena's for our manicures. Ted helps me with my math homework when I'm on break. I help Michael with inventory when he needs it. Ben is helping me prepare what I'll need to get into a good school. He said that I need to act now and work on my extracurricular activities, and not just track. I've also baby sat Gus a few times. Brian and I talk about a lot of things but most of the time it circles back to you."

Justin looked at Molly, shocked that she had such a great relationship with everyone. He knew her and Debbie were getting close.

It had been two months a since he started dating Vas. In that time he felt further away from his family than he ever had. He had only talked to Vicky once since moving in with Vas. The way she had told him not to rush into things. If that wasn't the pot calling the kettle black. Vicky always rushed into relationships, she had no room to talk.

Then there was his dad, he had agreed that Justin was rushing into things. Justin had only stayed at his dad's house a few days until Vas talked him into moving in. There wasn't a lot keeping him anywhere else, and Vas really liked him. It was still too early for him to say he loved Vas. Love at first sight or touch didn't happen in the real world, at least not usually. Brian had been the exception to the rule. But he hadn't wanted the same things as Justin did. There was no way he could stand by and watch Brian with others. It just wasn't in him to be that sharing. Vas on the other hand was very committed and didn't need anyone else.

Really, it had been great from the start. The only thing Justin would change if he could was Vas's jealousy. When he told everyone the reason for not hanging out anymore, he had to lie. Vas didn't like for him to go out to Babylon or Woody's. Vas said he would prefer if Justin didn't go to the diner either. Being friends with the gang wasn't very important to Vas. When Justin told him that he wanted to ask Ted to be his accountant, he lost it.

It was going to help both Ted and Justin out. Ted needed something to do since being arrested and losing his porn website. Justin needed someone to help him keep his money and not waste it.

When Justin heard about Brian getting Ted off by using his relationship with Police Chief Stockwell, he was relieved. Vas was still pissing and moaning saying that Brian was a traitor; not only for working for a homophobe, but because the man helped Tevye get away with what he had done. He didn't point out that Vas worked for the same homophobe. Justin hadn't seen it that way, he knew Brian didn't want to support the man but it was his job. Just like it was Vas's job to patrol Liberty Avenue.

For the most part Justin and Vas got along, it was just when it came to other people there were problems. Now, it seemed that he was the only one of his family that wasn't a part of the gang. He knew his brother and his family would become part of the group. He had promised to forgive C.J. and give him a second chance. The anger had left him, now he was just sad. Hopefully this was a new start for that relationship. Vas was always telling him that forgiveness was for the best. Knowing that Vas had forgiven the man who tried to kill him was eye opening. The man had a huge heart, most of the time.

"Earth to Justin," Molly said loudly, snapping her fingers in his face.

"What?"

"You like zoned out. Is everything okay?" She had a worried look, he hated to see her like that.

"Nah, I'm great now." He smiled at her. "Let's go downstairs and get something to eat."

"You're going to have lots to eat. Since you haven't been to a family dinner in forever Deb has gone overboard. Not to mention with C.J. and Vicky along with everyone else. It's going to be so fun." She jump up and grabbed her backpack. "Did I show you what Vicky and I got today?" She was almost bouncing.

He walked over to where she was knelt on the floor. "No, what?"

He was stunned when she pulled out a very expensive looking camera. It was black and sleek, he didn't even want to know how much it cost. It looked like it was more than someone would give a sixteen year old.

"Wow."

"I know, I just mentioned to her that I was joining the Photography club. Then we went out and she bought it for me. Can you believe it?" she squealed.

Justin could, when Vicky had gotten him the aquarium it was because she felt guilty for not seeing signs of abuse. This was only a guess, but he would think this was because she's not been around when Molly wanted a woman in her life most. But now Molly had Debbie and Vicky was feeling left out.

"That's amazing, Mol. Maybe we should go to the park soon. You take pictures and I'll sketch."

Molly gave him a sad little smile. "Maybe, if Vas lets you." She quickly left before Justin could even process what she had said.

Brian was trying to ignore the glare he was getting from Vas. There was something off about the man. He could feel it. Not one to be fooled very often, he read people very well. Everything he read from Vas made him uneasy. Not seeing Justin very much was troublesome also. Hearing from Carl and Debbie, he knew that Justin hadn't been around them as of late either. No one besides him seemed to think Vas was the cause. It was the reason every time he did get a glimpse of the twink, he paid attention to everything. He was going to figure out what was wrong.

"Ben, Vas would you two please set up the tables and chairs outside."

The cop seemed to hesitate before he followed Ben to the backyard. Molly came downstairs and headed right out the front door. While he was thinking about going to see what was wrong, Justin came downstairs. The kid's face was paler than usual and he was looking around the room, probably for his boyfriend.

"What's up, Sunshine?" he said when Justin hit the bottom step.

"Have you seen Molly?"

"She just went out the front door."

Justin headed to the front door and Brian followed him. When they got outside Molly was nowhere to be seen.

"Fuck," Justin cursed.

"What's your problem?" Maybe he could have sounded a little less harsh.

Justin turned abruptly and looked at Brian. "Do you think Vas tells me what to do?"

"I ah-

"Well, he doesn't. I'm the one who chooses what I do and don't do. Just because my life doesn't revolve around my family or you guys all the time doesn't mean I'm some programed little twink. I'm perfectly capable to running my own life."

Nothing turned Brian on more than this defiant, mouthy Justin. It was incredibly hot. He grabbed Justin and pulled him into his arms. Justin just melted into his him, like he knew he would. It felt amazing to have him back in his arms. He lowered his mouth and captured Justin's lips in a passionate kiss.

"What the fuck!" an angry voice yelled.

Justin almost leapt out of his arms at the yell. Brian looked over to see Vas, the look in the man's eyes screamed danger. Vas made a grab for Justin but Brian knocked his hand away.

"Justin, get in the car," Vas said, seething.

"He's an adult, he can choose what he does. His whole family is inside that house, you can't just take him away."

"Justin," Vas said, darkly.

"It's fine, Brian. I need to get home anyway. We couldn't stay for the whole party anyway, Vas has to be at work soon." Justin's eyes kept darting between Brian and Vas, worry evident.

"I'll give you a ride home. Just because he's leaving doesn't mean you have to go."

"I want to go home with him. Don't you understand? I want to be with him; get that through your head." With that, Justin took off for Vas's car. Brian may have believed him, if he hadn't seen the scared look in Justin's eyes.

"Stay away, if you know what's good for you, Kinney." Vas turned on his heel and marched to his car. A moment later they were gone.

"That's not right, is it?" a soft voice said.

Brian saw Molly coming out from beside the porch. She must have saw and heard the whole thing.

"No, that's very wrong."

Michael yelped as Brian grabbed him, pulling him out of the party. He had been talking to Vic and C.J. about the rent boy problem he and Ben had been having outside their house. It was then that Brian blazed into the living room, grabbing him and dragging him out of the house.

"Brian what's your problem?"

They were already to Brian jeep by the time he was able to shake Brian off of him. Michael had been the man's friend for over fifteen years. That being the case when Brian looked at him he knew he needed to get in the vehicle with him.

Once they both were in the jeep Brian sped off. Brian was only ever serious when it came his work. He didn't know what was going on with his best friend but it was freaking him out.

"Where does Justin and the cop live?"

Michael gapped at his best friend. This was about Justin? Michael had hoped Brian gotten over whatever the hell it was he had for the kid.

"Brian, leave Vas and Justin alone."

"Don't you ever get the feeling something is off in that relationship?"

"Jesus, Brian, you sound like Ma and Ben."

Brian turned towards him for a moment before looking back at the road.

"What have they been saying?"

Michael huffed. "Just that they thought Vas was a little controlling. Ma said she regretted setting the two of them up. Justin's never around anymore, you would think she had known him for more than six months."

"Where do they live?" Brian demanded.

Michael relented and told him the address. Vas's treatment of Justin never really bothered him. It reminded him too much of how David was. David was very controlling but not in a violent way. He just had to control the house, their friends, and generally everything Michael did. Maybe that was why he never really thought anything of it, he was used to that kind of relationship. Ben was David's complete opposite so he had tried to push all those thoughts away. Now he was feeling guilty for missing something that everyone else had apparently seen.

Brian pulled up in front of the three story apartment complex. It wasn't as nice as the one he had lived in with Emmett but it wasn't as bad as he'd seen before. Brian parked and jumped out of the jeep, Michael had never seen him so distressed. He quickly got out and followed his best friend.

The building's door wasn't locked, they made their way up to the second floor. Vas's apartment was 2B, they were standing in front of the shut door in less than a minute.

Brian pounded on the door. "Justin!" he yelled.

There was no answer, it was eerily quiet for an apartment with people in it. He started to suspect they hadn't gotten home yet. Brian kept beating on the door with no answer. Michael reached out for the door knob and turned it, he was shocked when it opened. Sometimes, it did help to not be as smart as Brian, because he would have over thought it; the man would have kicked the door down before thinking a cop would leave the door unlocked.

The door swung open with a little help from Justin. After a few steps in the apartment Michael stopped. "What's that smell?" Michael asked, he couldn't say it was a smell he was familiar with. He felt Brian stiffen beside him before a sob escaped him. Michael's brain finally caught up with his eyes and recognized what he was seeing.

Brian ran towards the blonde on the floor. Michael knew the young man had blonde hair but all he could see was red coloring it usual hair color. Justin lay motionless on the floor. He was lying next to a bloody bat.

Brian knelt down beside Justin, looking like he didn't know where to touch him.

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no," he sobbed. "God."

Michael called 911 in a daze. He wasn't sure he was all that coherent. It was like he was watching everything as an outsider. That this couldn't possibly be real, these things happened on TV. Justin was just at his mother's house, healthy and whole. Now he looked like a little boy dying on the ugly linoleum flooring.

Carl was sitting at one of the tables with three of his children. He wished Justin was still there. When he had set Justin up with Vas, he only thought about the man being gay. They were both gay and Vas was a fellow cop. He wanted his son away from Kinney, hearing way too much about the man. He didn't want Justin to be another notch in Kinney's headboard.

"So, how's it going with Debbie?" Vicky asked. They had just finished eating and everyone seemed to be leaving the reunited family alone. They were the only ones still outside. Vicky was across from him, Molly to his left and C.J. beside Vicky. He still had anger towards C.J. but Justin had asked him to work on their relationship.

"Good, real good. Debbie is a good woman. I owe that to Justin, I would have never met her if I didn't go to PFLAG."

"I'm glad you met someone. I know how lonely you've been without Mom," C.J. said.

Carl knew that wasn't going to sit well with his youngest, and he was right.

"He hasn't been lonely. He's had us, we've been there for him," Molly said defiantly.

Seeming to know when to pick his battles C.J. relented. "I know I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that."

"I wish Justin would have stayed," Vicky said.

"Justin wanted to stay but Vas made him leave," Molly said, looking more upset now.

"What do you mean?" he asked but before he got an answer the backdoor opened.

Stepping out into the backyard wasn't anyone from Debbie's menagerie of lost boys, no, it was someone he wasn't expecting.

"Matteo? What are you doing here?" Detective Matteo Marquez, friend for over twenty years. In all that time he had never seen the man cry. But now he was standing in Debbie's backyard with tears running freely down his face. "What's wrong? Is it Alicia or the boys?" Had something happened to his friend's family? Matteo's boys were only a little older than Justin.

"Carl," Matteo said, his voice broken. Carl felt dread in the pit of his stomach.

"What's going on?" he demanded.

Looking around the people from that house had filled the backyard. They looked just as confused as he was, but no fear. They didn't know Matteo like he did, this man never cried.

"I'm sorry, Carl. I told them to let me tell you. I didn't want them to call you."

There were only a handful of people in this world that he loved. Most of them was in this yard. There was one noticeably absent though. Matteo wouldn't be crying if he had to deliver news that Carl's younger sister on the other side of the U.S. died, he didn't know her. But he did know the little blonde boy who dressed up as Detective Marquez at the age of seven, and trick or treated at his house. The same little boy who at fourteen beat Matteo in bowling, and instead of gloating just smiled and thanked the older man for going easy on him. Even though Carl had known the boy was better than the older man.

"You're wrong," he said, pleading that what the man was going to say didn't have anything to do with his little boy.

"I'm sorry, Carl. Justin's been hurt. He's at the hospital and I think you need to get there right away. They didn't have time to ask for your permission, he was rushed into surgery. Carl, I heard the doctor, they don't think he'll make it."

For the first time in his life, the world around Carl darkened and faded away.

Brian sat in the same hospital chair he had months ago when Lindsay was in surgery. Maybe it was him, maybe he was a curse on people in his life; his parents seemed to think so.

Michael sat soundlessly beside him, the only thing keeping him from breaking completely down. When he had seen Justin on the ground covered in blood, he felt his world stop. He never liked to admit it that the beautiful blonde had a hold over him. Now, he didn't care, he would scream it from the roof if they would come back and said he was okay. While Brian was being interview by the detective he heard a doctor say he didn't expect Justin to come out of surgery. He would have been mad but he just felt numb.

Brian had told them that Vas had left with Justin and the older man was very angry. When they asked if anyone else saw, he pointed out that Justin's baby sister saw. It occurred to him then that no one called Carl. When he told that to the detective, one that he recognized from Lindsay's case, the man had said he would take care of it. He remembered that Justin had known the man.

He didn't know how long, but sometime later everyone arrived. When they started to question Brian, Michael told them to leave him along. Michael answered all the other questions, Brian was thankful. Blood still covered his clothes and face. He had put pressure on Justin's head wound while waiting for the ambulance.

"I want him to talk to me," Carl roared.

Brian looked up at the man, he still felt numb. There was just no feelings left in him. Carl was standing in front of him shaking with rage.

"What do you want to know?" he asked emotionlessly.

"What the hell were you doing at his apartment?"

Debbie gasped. "You don't think Brian did this do you? For one he would never hurt Sunshine. For another Michael was with him, unless you're calling one of my son's an attempted murderer and my other one a liar."

"He makes a good point, what were they doing there?" C.J. piped in.

He was so done with this, Justin was dying in there and they just wanted to fight. He couldn't even work himself up to fight with them.

"Stop it!" Molly screamed. "Just stop it. This is all your fault." She was facing her father. "You wanted Justin away from Brian so you set him up with Vas. You didn't care what Justin wanted. Justin wanted Brian, but Brian wanted everyone else, Justin understood that. Instead of letting them work it out between themselves you set him up. What you did was give Justin to a scary, controlling man. What's worse was a month and a half ago when Justin brought up Vas not wanting him to go to the club with his friends, you agreed. You refused to see any of the signs. It's only been lately that you realized Justin wasn't coming near us either." She was breathing hard.

"I didn't," a new voice said.

All eyes shot towards the voice. The feelings that had escaped Brian, came back full force. He jumped out of the seat and leapt at the man. He got one good hit before Justin's brother-in-law and brother pulled him off.

"You son of a bitch! You have a hundred pounds and half a foot on him. Were you so scared of him that you had to hit him with a baseball bat?"

The man's face paled. "Baseball bat?"

"Yes," he growled.

"I don't own a baseball bat, I haven't touched one since I was fourteen and was almost killed by my stepfather with one."

The waiting room got real quiet with that admission.

"If you didn't do it than who would want to hurt Justin that bad?"

"Trevye," Michael said.

"Michael, we were only minutes behind them. There was no time for someone else to hurt Justin. It had to be him," Brian said looking at Vas, he was still being held back by C.J. and Lewis.

"I just dropped him off. He told me that he was scared of the way I was acting. Ever since my attack, I have anger issues. I told Justin I would never hurt him but I also told him that if he ever got scared of me to tell me to leave. I may have anger problems and be a jealous boyfriend but I would never hit someone else. I dropped Justin off at the apartment and told him I would call when I calmed down. I would never hurt him, I love him."

Brian didn't want to believe him but he could see the truth in the man's eyes. Vas was a jealous, possessive, controlling man but he hadn't attacked Justin. He wasn't ready to say he never laid an unkind hand on Justin but it wasn't this time.

"Who did it?" Debbie asked.

"Family of Justin Horvath," a tall doctor called.

They all turned around as one, Carl, Debbie and Brian were the firsts to reach the man.

"Yes, I'm his father," Carl said, voice suddenly very shaky.

"I'm Dr. Dillard, your son was brought in with severe trauma to the head. They lost his heartbeat in the ambulance but were able to get him back. We had to go in and fix the brain bleed. He's in a medically induced coma right now. He did great in surgery, he's a strong young man it will work in his favor. I'll have to be honest, we won't know where we stand until he wakes up."

"Can we see him?" Debbie asked.

"Only one person for today, tomorrow he'll be allowed more but only one at a time." He looked around at the room full of people. "If they're not immediate family make sure you give written permission to the staff," the doctor said looking at Carl. "He got here just in time, any longer and we wouldn't have gotten him back."

"I want to see my son," Carl said, voice almost gone.

"Of course, Ann will take you back to the recovery room." He motioned over to a grandmotherly looking nurse.

C.J. snuck out of the waiting room. He didn't know who this Trevye was but he didn't know where the man would be. He only knew where one person that had hurt Justin was at. That man was in Denver last time he checked. Over the years he had kept up with the man. Making sure he stayed far away from his brother.

Truman wasn't convicted of Justin's assault. He never had to pay for what he had done to his brother. Now that he was no longer in the Air Force, he could act on his own accord. His anger was overflowing, he couldn't make Justin better but he could take care of Truman.

He was moving on adrenalin. Trevye probably was the attacker but now it was time to put some of his own demons to rest, and finally get vengeance for his brother, Justin had been living with this shadow over his life for too long.

I promise it gets happier after this.

The bulb in the small lamp she was allowed flickered. It seemed to her like a bad omen, like it was her life that was flickering. The only thing that kept her holding on was the baby. She knew she needed to stay alive for him. She didn't know if it was a boy or girl but had started calling it J.J.

When she had found out she was pregnant, she hoped it wasn't Justin's. Even after finding out the truth about Brad or whatever his name was. It had hurt but it was only a spring break fling. She did feel bad for the slimeball's wife. But now, she wished with everything in her that the baby was Justin's. If they ever got out he needed a father with a gentle soul, there was not a gentler soul than her best friend.

There was a lot of time to just think. After the first month she had given up on anyone finding her. She had been too good at covering her tracks. She even had a friend from school covering for her any time her parents called. Justin would never believe it but she had made sure he wouldn't come looking for her.

It was all for naught, there would be no justice for Justin. There would be none for her or the baby either. They were all doomed and it was all her fault. She had walked right into the man's hands. Truman had always known who she was, the game was already won before she even picked up the dice.

The light continued to flicker, then just like that. It went out. The baby must have felt her giving up.

Rubbing her swollen stomach. "I'm sorry I did this to you," she said quietly into the dark room.

The first look C.J. had of the house fit how he thought it would look. It was in a secluded area south of Denver. The house wasn't only secluded from other houses but from traffic. He had to drive up road that turned into a gravel road half a mile before he reached the house.

It wasn't fancy, it was small and quite shabby looking. Laughing bitterly, he thought it was still too good for the man. This was the man who had abused his baby brother. The guilt had eaten away at him for seven years. He had known his own part in what happened to Justin. If he could go back in time he would. He would have gotten rid of Truman, and he would have done all he promised with Justin. Surfing, scuba diving, real luau experience, he would have done it all. But most of all he would have just been kind and loving to the kid.

There was no excuse for the way he acted. He was surprised his father was giving him a second chance. If someone had done what he had to his children, he would have ripped their throats out. Justin was only a few years older than Tabby was now. Bile rose in his throat when he remembered what Justin had told him. His baby brother took the abuse because he was scared of what the man would do to Tabby. Justin had protected her, while C.J. had given him to a monster.

Now his brother was in a coma. Like the kid hadn't been through enough in his life already. His mother died before he even really knew her. Then he was left in the care of a man that just wanted money. They had found out later that Craig had hit Justin quite a few times. After that he was abandoned by the fucker. It was then his life was supposed to get better. A family that loved him and would be there for him. Well, that was mostly what had happened. His dad, Molly and Vicky had been there for him - through it all. They just didn't know all the demons the kid was fighting. He just hoped Justin would one day feel like he was a brother again, that he would have the chance.

He had called Cathy as soon as he got off the plane. She had been worried he would do something drastic. He had told her a partial truth. Telling her that he was going to see if Truman had anything to do with the attack. Before coming back to the states he had confessed it all to her. He thought she was going to leave him for a while. There was screaming, tears and deep sadness. She ranted and railed at him for turning his back on his biggest fan. That Justin had worshipped the ground he had walked on. There was no need for her to tell him, he already knew what kind of person he was, no person that anyone should look up to, he was no one's hero.

No way was he ever going to be able to make it up to him. He didn't even know if Justin would ever wake up from the coma. If he did the rest of his life would be better, C.J. promised himself that. It would start by making sure Truman wouldn't ever hurt anyone again. It was going to be a task, and he wasn't sure what exactly he was going to do. But he knew the man had to be breaking the law somehow and he was going to prove it.

The dilapidated steps creaked as he walked up them. The windows were darkened by some kind of spray.

Wasn't he supposed to be checked on? This whole place screams of creepy pedophile.

He shook his head, he used to think of this man like he was a brother. God, he had been so stupid.

The door shook when he knocked on it. After knocking for five minutes and no answer he had to make a choice. He could go back to the hotel room and try later, or break into the house and see for himself what the man was hiding out here in the middle of nowhere.

Walking around the back of the house he looked for a weak spot. He found it behind a tree, a small window that was cracked open. He pushed it up to open enough for it to fit his larger than usual body through. He had to jump a little to be able to get to the window.

A piece of the windowsill stuck him, he felt it rip through his shirt as he forced his way in. The window groaned under his weight but he was able to get through. Toppling over to the floor, his head connecting with something hard.

After a few tries to stand up he was finally able to. His head hurt and his could feel sweat or blood dripping from it. Whipping his brow he looked down at his hand. Blood. Oh well, he'd live. The pain in his side was a little worse. It had been cut by the windowsill.

Looking around the room he noticed it was a bedroom. Not much of one. There was just a bed with a cover and one pillow. In the corner was a shabby dresser with an old television on top. The smell in the room was musky and putrid. No one had cleaned the room in quite a while.

Opening the dresser drawers he looked for something that would break Truman parole. All that was in there was old clothes and a broken watch.

He looked through the rest of the house, finding nothing that screamed out at him. There was barely any food in the cabinets and refrigerator. The rest of the house was furnished very sparsely. The thing that pissed him off the most was there was no incriminating evidence. Not that he wanted Truman to hurt people but he knew the man was, there just wasn't anything to prove it.

Leaving the house was harder than he thought it would be. He decided to comeback when Truman was there so he could confront the man. He wasn't here to hide from Truman, he wanted the man to be worried. Because of that he left through the front door. As he was walking back to his rental car something caught his attention. It was an abandoned looking garage. It wasn't very close to the house.

Curiosity won out and he made his way for the garage. The door to the garage was actually unlocked. He slowly opened it, expecting something to jump out at him. Nothing did. Just inside the door was a solid looking wall with a door. It was strange to say the least. The door had a huge padlock on it, he looked around for the key. No key was found.

He really wanted to see what was in the room. He started to look around for something to get the lock off with.

Daphne had given up, it had been days since Truman had brought her anything to eat. She drank very little water because it hurt her stomach every time she did.

When the doorknob shook she sat up. She rushed to the bathroom and turned on that light so the rest of the room had a little light. She didn't like the idea of not being able to see Truman. She wanted to see whatever he tried to do.

The doorknob stopped shaking, she looked at it oddly. Truman always just came right in. Maybe he was messing with her. What new kind of game was he playing with her?

There was a scraping sound coming from the other side of the door. It was starting to get very peculiar now. Then a thought hit her, what if… No. But – what if it was someone that wasn't Truman? She tried to stop the hope that grew in her chest, the baby kicking wildly too. Nothing was like it usually was when Truman came in.

Slowly she made her way to the door. The scraping was getting louder. She heard something drop and a curse. The voice didn't sound like Truman but she couldn't be sure. Getting up her courage she decided to take a chance.

"IS ANYONE OUT THERE?" she yelled.

"HELLO?" a muffled voice answered. "SOMEONE IN THERE?"

"YES!" she screamed. She knew the voice now wasn't Truman. "PLEASE, GET ME OUT OF HERE!"

The man didn't answer her, as she started to think he had left he yelled again. "GET AWAY FROM THE DOOR!"

She back away, the back of her knees hitting the bed. She sat down when the feeling of relief hit her. Someone was going to save her. The baby was going to be okay. She was going to be okay, she could go home. See her family and Justin, apologize to Justin for all she had done.

Something hit the door, and again, and again. Finally something broke through, she squinted to see it was the tip of an ax. Her savior was tearing down the door. The baby must be feeling her excitement because he was doing cartwheels.

Finally, after what felt like eternity the door gave way. The silhouette of a man was in the doorway. He was shorter than Truman and less bulky. Her eyes stayed on him and he came into the dimly lit room.

"Are you okay?" her savior asked. There was something familiar about his voice.

"Yes," she rasped, it had been too long since she really talked.

"My name is Carl Horvath, I'm here to help you."

Daphne gasped. She knew now where she knew the voice. It didn't matter that she hadn't seen him since she was ten. It didn't matter that she hated him for what he done to Justin. It didn't matter if he had no idea who she was. She jumped up and ran to him, throwing her arms around him.

"C.J.," she sobbed.

The man stiffened when she grabbed him but loosened up. He tensed again when she called him by his nickname.

After a while her sobs died down. She collected herself and stepped away from him. It was then she saw him looking at her. He was trying to figure out why she was familiar she was sure. His eyes widened when he saw her stomach.

"Can we get out of here?" she asked.

"We have to call the police and you have to see a doctor." C.J. pulled out his cell phone. "How long have you been here?"

She decided not to argue because she did need to see a doctor. The baby hadn't had proper care or nutrition. In fact she wouldn't mind to be seen by the doctor either, she wasn't feeling too well.

"What day is it?"

"September, 28th."

"I've been here since June, 7th."

Daphne watched as he called the police and gave them the address. He also asked for an ambulance.

He put the phone back in his pocket. "Why do you look familiar?" he asked.

"I spilled grape juice all over your tuxedo at your wedding reception," she said, remembering him telling her it was okay when she broke into tears.

"Daphne?" he asked.

She nodded her head, a pain shot through her temple. She started to feel shaky, she started to fall but strong arms grabbed her.

"Daphne, stay with me," C.J. said, he sounded like he was panicking.

Her body started to feel too heavy to move. She could hear him yelling to stay with him while she was taken into darkness.

C.J. followed the ambulance, he couldn't believe little Daphne had been in that place. That monster had her for months, no telling what he had done to her. He thought about calling his dad but he already had too much to worry about. He just hoped that she would be okay, and the baby. His stomach turned at the thought that the baby could be Truman's.

When he got to the hospital the police were already there. He gave them his statement. Telling them the complete truth that he broke in to the man's house. He didn't care if he was in trouble. He would take it, Truman was the criminal here. It was time for the world to know. They didn't seem to want to arrest him but who knew. It turned out Truman was already in their custody. He had attacked a co-worker who called him a child molester.

"Mr. Horvath?" a petite raven-haired nurse asked him.

"Yes." He stood up quickly.

"Ms. Chanders would like to see you now."

He followed the woman to a private room in the ER. Daphne was sitting up eating something that looked like a science experiment.

"Hey," he said, knocking gently on the door.

"Hey, C.J., come sit down." She pointed at an uncomfortable looking chair beside the bed.

She looked incredibly pale, but happier than he expected. He thought she would have a broken look to her, like Justin did after his attack.

As if answering his silent question she said, "He didn't hurt me like that. He starved me and messed with my head. Keeping me locked up in that place saying he was going to kill me and take my baby. But he didn't hurt me like he did Justin. First, I think I'm too old and the wrong gender. He might have done it to prove dominance over me but I hadn't caused him any problems yet. But if he tried to take the baby I would have." A small smile graced her lips.

"Do you want me to call your parents?"

"No, I don't want them to know what happened. They're already going to freak out when I show up pregnant. I might tell them after the baby's born. I don't expect the trial to be for a while, right?"

"It'll probably be early next year. It depends on how much his lawyer delays it."

She sighed. "Can I use your phone? I want to call Justin. He probably thinks I hate him."

She must have notice him flinch.

"Daphne, we can talk about that later."

"What's wrong with Justin?" she demanded, she was pulling on her IV.

"Calm down, it isn't good for the baby."

"You don't get to tell me what to do. Don't you think for a second I forgot what you did to Justin. Now tell me what's going on."

"Justin was hit in the head with a baseball bat. They don't know who did it. It was either some guy that was stalking him or his boyfriend."

"Justin has a boyfriend? Is it Brian?"

"No, the guy's name is Vas, he's a cop. I don't know him, I just met both of them. I can't say I like either of them. Vas seems a little too controlling and Brian seems like an asshole."

She mumbled something that sounded suspiciously like "You would know."

"Is he okay?" she asked.

"I don't know. When I talked to Cathy earlier he was still in a coma."

Daphne started pressing on the call button over and over. A frantic looking nurse came in then. "Is everything alright?" she asked.

"No, I need to be released. I need to get back to Pittsburgh. I promise to get medical attention there."

"I'm sorry, you have to stay overnight. Didn't the doctor talk to you about this? You are extremely dehydrated, anemic and you need food. The doctor would feel better if you were observed for the next couple of days but tonight is required."

Daphne looked like she was about to argue but that was the moment the police came to get her statement. He had a feeling they both would be on a plane tomorrow, no matter what the doctor said.

The waiting room had thinned out a lot since Justin had been rushed in and the influx of family and friends had come. Now there was only Debbie, Molly and himself waiting. Brian couldn't make himself leave, no matter what anyone told him. Carl had glared at him before he stalked off to the police station.

Carl had been strictly forbidden to work on his son's case. So of course the man left to make sure the 'right' people were put on it. He said he didn't want Justin's attack to be swept under the carpet like the destroying of his apartment was.

Brian couldn't really tell anyone why he stayed, he wasn't sure himself. All he really knew was that he couldn't leave Justin alone. After some of their rare talks it had been something Justin had admitted to him. His fear of being left alone again, betrayed and fending for himself. Brian didn't trust Justin's family, they had already proven once that Justin couldn't depend on them. Deb was great but she would quickly overwhelm the kid, she had that effect on people.

Carl wasn't going to allow Brian entrance to Justin's room but Molly put a stop to that.

There was no place more depressing than the waiting room in the critical care unit. He watched as families waited to see their loved ones. Most had stoic expressions and calm demeanors but there were a few people that screamed and cried. Those people grated on his nerves, mostly because he had been one of the crying ones. Michael had been the only one to see that. His best friend had went with him to an empty hallway. He had stayed with him while Brian cried silently.

If he had only been quicker Justin wouldn't have been injured.

The door to the waiting room opened and Justin's older sister walked in. She had a death grip on her husband. Her eyes were red and puffy, clear sign she had been crying recently. She was the only one of Justin's siblings that he hadn't said a word to. He really liked Molly, she reminded him of a mix between Debbie and Lindsay. C.J. was an asshole, and that was being kind. Justin always spoke well about his older sister.

"You can go back now," she spoke quietly to Molly and Debbie.

"I think Brian should go back. He's the only one of us that hasn't seen him," Molly said. Deb surprisingly nodded her head in agreement. He was sure she would want to go back to her as good as stepson.

Vicky's eyes filled with anger. "No, I will not allow it."

"V, please," Molly tried to reason with her.

"No, I know men like him," she said, pointing her finger accusingly. "I will not let Justin be jerked around. At least with Vas he knew where he stood."

"Yeah, in an emergency room." He knew it was a low blow but he didn't care.

He didn't know who had attacked Justin. He had his suspicions, just like everyone else. He thought it was Tevye. While he never met the guy he had saw his handy work. The man destroyed everything Justin owned. He also attacked his own boyfriend. That was a man capable of anything.

But Vas was a different animal completely. Justin cared about him, maybe even loved him. That was more dangerous than all the crazy stalkers.

Brian had been glad that Vas wasn't allowed entry to the room. He had been taken in for questioning at the beginning of the ordeal. The ambulance had arrived before any of the police. Brian rode with Justin while Michael followed in his jeep. The cop who had taken his and Mikey's statement said that the man's dog was trapped in his bedroom. The dog must have heard the attack because the bedroom door was all scratched up, like he was trying to get out urgently. It was funny because Brian didn't remember hearing a dog barking when he was there.

"Justin would want to see him. More importantly, Brian saved his life, if it wasn't for him Justin wouldn't be here to have this argument about," Molly said, glaring at her sister. Brian knew there was something he liked about her, she was a total little badass even at sixteen.

He watched as the woman's husband whispered something in her ear. Her shoulders slumped and looked back at Brian.

"Fine go ahead. It will be the last time you ever see him anyway." With that she stalked off leaving a dumbfounded husband, a pissed off sister, and a 'couldn't fucking care less' Brian. All he knew know was that he would be able to see Justin.

Brian passed a tall, blonde nurse. The guy's toned body could be seen even with the ugly scrubs he wore. The guy flashed Brian his do-me eyes. Some other time he would have accepted but at the moment he had another blonde on his mind.

The rooms were clear glass, with curtains just on the inside of the sliding glass door. The unit was shaped in a giant U. He followed the red line, glancing up at the room numbers.

When he came to Justin's room he froze. The image of Justin lying on the floor surrounded by his own blood was engraved in his mind. The memory sent a shiver down his spine. He couldn't remember ever being so scared in his life. Not when his father would get drunk and beat him. Not when he was waiting for the results of his first HIV test. Not even when Lindsay was in this very hospital months ago. There was something about the kid that drew him.

The door was opened just a crack. He slid it open, walking inside he shut it completely. The curtain was drew closed but he walked around it.

Once he was inside the curtain he saw Justin. He looked paler than he usually did. His head had a clean bandage on it. The kid looked incredibly young lying there.

Slowly, he walked to the chair beside the bed. Grabbing Justin's free hand he settled down; he ran his thumb over the boy's delicate hand. It was smaller than his own but he knew how strong it was. He had watched Justin draw for hours, it surprised him how natural it was.

Looking over Justin he's eyes narrowed at the cords and wires attached to the slender young man.

"You stupid fucking twat. What the hell were you thinking? Leaving with someone as pissed off as that asshole. Even if it wasn't him, you should have just stayed at Deb's. Then right now we would be making fun of Ted's lack of sex life, like the good lord intended."

Justin didn't reply. He just laid there in his new comatose state. Stupid little twat.

"God, Sunshine, can't you stay out of trouble for one day. Always have to be the drama princess don't you?"

Brian gripped Justin's hand tightly. He wanted to yell and scream at him. But that seemed a little extreme even for him. He rose the hand up to his lips and pressed a kiss to him. If the boy was awake he wouldn't dare do anything as sickeningly sweet as that. No, if Justin was awake and whole, he would be screaming at the kid for being an idiot. First for being with Vas in the first place. The kid was too young to settle down. He needed to sow some wild oats. At least when he was with Brian he was having fun, it was clear in the last couple of months - fun was nowhere to be found for the kid.

He stayed there until Deb and Molly walked in, he didn't really feel like their company anymore for the night.

Saying a quick goodnight, he headed home. His plan was pretty clear. Drink all the alcohol he had in the loft. He didn't feel like dealing with his feelings at the moment. He must not be so much different from the old man as he thought. He just hoped that was where the similarities between him and his father started and ended. He knew he could never treat Justin the way his dad treated his mother.

Justin? Where the fuck did that thought come from.

The twink was just almost family now, it wasn't like he wanted a relationship with him. Maybe he would go to Woody's and get the alcohol he sought and some hot stud to help get his mind off Justin.

Daphne looked around the hospital room. She had gotten back to town the day before. Her parents still thought she was in Road Island. That was all because of her bogus story to them before she left. They had never been the most observant parents. She was sometimes amazed that her mother noticed two little children in a drug-filled playground enough to save them. That had brought Justin into her life.

When she had come in with C.J. all but kicked the man out of the room. She knew it wasn't nice but she wanted time alone with her best friend. It didn't matter that he was in a coma, she knew that he would want her there. Her hand trembled some when she rubbed his arm.

The fatigue was getting to her, she hadn't been able to sleep since she was recused. Every time she closed her eyes she was back in that room. Her chest got tight and it felt like she couldn't breathe. The police in Denver had suggested getting help, but she wasn't ready. She didn't want to talk about being in that room. The hunger that racked her body, every single day. The feeling of loss of the baby, she hadn't started to think of the baby as hers again. She had already started to grieve a baby that was still alive and kicking inside her.

She in fact had an appointment later in the day with a gynecologist. Just the thought of actually seeing the baby in the ultrasound was overwhelming. She wondered who the baby would take after when it was born. Would it have her hair? Or Justin's eyes? Or would it have Brad/Logan's curved nose? She really hoped the baby wasn't that asshole Brad's or whatever the hell his name is.

"What happened to you Jus?" she whispered to him. He lay there, still lost to the world.

"His head met the business end of a baseball bat," a cool voice said. She jumped at the sudden noise.

She looked behind her to see the man who had sex with Justin on their couch. Brian.

As she quickly stood up she couldn't help but almost laugh at the man's face. His eyes got comically large when he saw his swollen stomach.

"Holy shit," he rasped.

"I know. Brian isn't it?" she asked as if she really wasn't sure.

"Yep, and you must be Daphne. The one who ran off as soon as he needed you. But looking at you I can see you had other things to worry about."

The man pulled another chair and sat on the other side of the bed. She thought about talking to him, defending herself but really it was none of his business. She would tell Justin when he would wake up. And he would wake up; she just had to wait for it.

They sat in comfortable silence until Brian got up and left after an hour. "Geez, Jus, that man is crazy about you," she said softly. The guy came and spend time with Justin who couldn't even talk back. In the time she was there not even his family had come yet.

Carl Horvath couldn't believe his eyes. He had been waiting for the detectives working on his son's case to get back to him. Now that they had he was more pissed off than before. They said they couldn't find any evidence that Tevye Raymond was guilty of anything.

The final nail in the coffin was Tevye's alibi; he was on a whole different continent. The proof was staring him in the face now. A video of Tevye in a restaurant in Spain the day of Justin's attack, it was gotten by his own attorney to prove his innocence. It was his parents and uncle's way of getting him out of the way. The boy was spending a year in Spain while his uncle ran for Mayor. Money really could by you anything. But as much as he wanted to blame it on the spoiled brat, it was clear he didn't do it. But he had wrecked Justin's apartment, so he wasn't all the way innocent.

They had also crossed Truman Bach off the list. Apparently, he had been too busy kidnapping and imprisoning Daphne.

A lump in his throat formed at the thought. She had been in a madman's hands for months and no one was the wiser. Her parents were overcome with guilt upon finding out; much like he had been when he found out what happened to Justin. Parents were supposed to protect their children. They all had no clue anything was wrong.

As it stood they only had two weak suspects. Vasili Ozerov and Brian Kinney. He regretted ever introducing his son to Ozerov. He had only known the kid for a couple months. Debbie had met him and just drooled over him. When she found out he was gay, she made it her mission to set him up with one of her boys. Michael was out because he was with Ben. Ted wasn't too fond of cops since his arrest. Then there was the tall one, Emmett. She thought about Emmett for a while but dismissed him because he had just lost his boyfriend. She never even considered Kinney. That just left his little boy for her to play matchmaker with. It was taking everything in him not to blame her for her part in it. Really, he was to blame as much as Deb. He liked the idea because he wanted his son away from the "Stud of Liberty Avenue".

He had nightmares of his son in one of those backrooms. There was no way he could have let his little boy be in that environment. That was his only excuse for throwing his son from someone who was going to break his heart to one that seems to have at least been mentally abusive to him. They wouldn't know if it was physical until Justin woke up.

Justin hadn't woken up yet. It had been two weeks since his attack. The doctors said the swelling was gone and he should be waking up, he just wasn't. They didn't seem to be very worried about it but why should they he wasn't their son. They had nothing to lose if he stayed forever asleep.

Kinney was still able to see Justin, it was only because he trusted Debbie. If Debbie said there was no way Brian could hurt Justin he believed her. There was also the fact that Michael was with him the whole time. When they questioned Michael they said there was no way he was lying. The man was too piss-in-his-pants scared. He would lie to protect Kinney but he wouldn't be that good at concealing it.

Then there was Vasili, he was also just a borderline suspect. No one believed it was him. They also had a neighbor saying they saw Vas drop Justin off in front of the apartment building and squeal his tires pulling out. It was only five minutes later or so the same neighbor, who was working on getting his own car to start, saw Brian and Michael pull up. Then the ambulance a few minutes later. The neighbor said he didn't see anyone leaving the building between Justin going in and Kinney arriving.

That meant even though they had two suspects they weren't really. They just couldn't be crossed off officially yet. So that left them with no real suspects or motive. Chief Stockwell had made it clear in no uncertain terms that he was to stay out of the investigation. For the most part he did, but that didn't stop some of his longtime friends telling him what was going on in the investigation.

Shaking his head he closed his laptop. It was late at night and his house was quiet. Molly had gone over to a friend's for the night. He would usually go over to Debbie's but it didn't feel right while Justin was in the hospital. He had to wait until visiting hours to go and see Justin. Now that he was out of danger he was moved to a regular room, he was moved after a week. In that bed he reminded him so much of when he was a little boy. He would lay in bed and beg for another story. It was always 'another', and being his two youngest children he couldn't say no. He usually read until Justin fell asleep. Molly was different, she liked two stories, just two. She would then tell him that she was done with them.

Out of all of his children he always felt closer to Justin. He didn't know why it was but he suspected it was because Justin was the one who needed him the most. C.J. and Vicky were raised by their mother for the most part, he had been at work a lot. They were young teens when she died, by that time they were fairly independent already. Molly was a lot like her oldest brother and sister, she didn't have the abandonment issues Justin did. She had been abandoned just like he was but she didn't remember it.

He was shaken out of his thoughts when his cell phone started ringing.

"Horvath," he answered briskly.

"Hey," a soft, young female voice said.

"Daph?" He looked at the clock, it was well after midnight.

"I hoped you were still awake. I need to talk to you." Her voice sounded a little shaky, his chest tightened.

"Is everything okay?" he asked, panicking.

"I'm outside your house, can I come in?"

"Of course," he said, rushing to the door.

As he opened the door his eyes widened at her pregnant stomach. He had seen her when she was rescued, she had been smaller than she should have been. It looked like her doctors and parents had been making sure she was a healthy weight. He ushered her in and made sure she was comfortable on the couch. He would offer his recliner but worried about her getting out of it.

All the sudden she started to cry, and he saw the little girl she had been once. Never one to be overly emotional she almost never cried. The last time she had in his presence was when she was eleven and broke her leg. Justin and she were playing in the pool at her house. They had been alone, when she fell and hurt herself Justin had called him. She was crying and Justin was beside himself with worry.

"Can you tell me what's wrong?" he asked her.

She wiped her eyes and sniffled some before calming herself.

"I'm going to give the baby up for adoption," she said quietly.

He wasn't expecting that, he also wasn't expecting her to tell him. He cared about her like a part of his family but she had never confided in him.

"If you wanted to keep it I'm sure your parents would help." He didn't have that much in common with her parents. They loved her and would do what was needed to make her life easier after her traumatic experience though.

"I can't be what this baby needs. I'm not sure I can ever be a mother - a real mother. Being in that place for all that time I had a lot of time to think. The baby needs someone who can take care of him. Someone who's together and can give him the love and support that he needs. That's not me, I can't sleep through the night without a nightmare."

Carl had seen some horrible things in his life. What the girl had gone through was horrible. She hadn't told anyone who the father was, she just made sure everyone knew that Truman Bach never touched her like that. Her one true confidant was in a coma. That would explain why she was here pouring her heart out.

"You can see a special doctor that might help. My only advice would be to think on this carefully. Because if you start this and change your mind after the baby is born there will be others hurt deeply by it."

He knew that from experience, his baby sister had been told she couldn't have her own children. They went through the whole process of adoption. Then at the hospital the woman changed her mind. It was her right and it was best for her but it devastated his sister. After that they gave up on the whole thing.

It was just after Justin's fifteenth birthday when he got a call from her. She was crying on the phone. He had thought something terrible had happened. She had gone to the doctor because she believed she was going through the change of life. She had waited longer than her husband thought she should because she was so moody. When she got the doctor and she ran all of her tests they found a late in life surprise. They told her she was around five months pregnant.

When she gave birth to a healthy baby girl he had cried tears of joy for her. It was something she had wanted forever. Every time she called now about the energy of a four-year old he laughed. She always sounded so exhausted but he could tell she was happy. But he also still remembered her tears of agony at losing the baby when the mother changed her mind. He didn't want that to happen to another family if Daphne changed her mind.

"I have thought about it. My reasons are my own. This is how it has to be." She had steel in her voice now.

Walking over to the fireplace he leaned on the mantle. "Why are you here?" It had been worrying him, her turning up at his place late at night, in tears."

"I- uh, the father of the baby. Its- uh," she stammered. "The doctor said that Justin might not be the same when he wakes up. If he wakes up."

The change of subject threw him. "Yes, the doctor doesn't know the extent of the damage until Justin wakes up. There's a chance he might never draw again. The doctor isn't sure if his motor skills were effected. He doesn't believe they were but it's a very close call, he won't know until Justin wakes up. And he will wake up." There were no other options, he couldn't lose his son.

"Justin is the baby's father," she blurted out.

He looked at her, mouth agape. It couldn't be true, no again. They had promised it was never going to happen again. When Justin finally told everyone he was gay he thought it was the last of this. He still had worries about Justin catching something and getting sick, but had thought the days of worrying about teenage pregnancy was over. At least for his son, he still had that worry for his daughter.

"How can that be?"

She looked at him like he was an idiot; he guessed it was a stupid question.

"Why are you really here?" He was very suspicious now.

"I want your blessing."

"I can't give you that, not until I know how Justin feels."

"I understand that, but in the end it's my decision."

"Unless he wants to keep the baby," he pointed out.

She actually smiled at that. "If he does, he does. But it has to be his choice, I don't want anyone making feel guilty, and making him into doing what they think is right. He needs his own life, he deserves that chance, just like I do. Just like this baby does, he'll be someone's whole world."

There was some true in that. Newborn babies were sought after, white, blonde haired, blue eyed babies more, it was the sad truth. But this baby was bi-racial. Instead of bringing that up he kept quiet. He didn't want to be accused of trying to talk her out of it.

After a few more uncomfortable minutes of talk she got up to leave. He didn't tell her that he hoped Justin also wanted to give the baby up. She had been right, Justin needed his own life and raising a baby would take up that, even though fatherhood was the best thing that ever happened to Carl.

The noises started first, sometimes it was people talking, even though what they said made no sense to him. Then it was the beeping or a humming sound. He tried like hell to open his eyes but just didn't have the energy to do it.

The next time he woke he heard his sister, Molly talking to him. Really, it was more like her reading something to him. He tried to listen to her but fell back asleep before he could let her know he was awake.

"So, what are you going to tell him?" he heard Brian ask the next time he woke.

"I'm going to give him the option to keep it," Daphne said, coolly.

"What if it's the other guy's?" He heard Daphne gasp, he had no idea what they were talking about but it seemed important. He tried to open his eyes again but failed.

"How do you know there was someone else?" Daphne asked.

"Justin is a regular Chatty Cathy when he's drinking. He told me all your spring break love story, then about his and your drunken fuck."

"Do you have to be so vulgar?

"It wasn't me who fucked some other guy and my best friend, and now trying to pass of a kid on the only one around. Who cares if he just had his skull bashed in? Right. Why should it matter to you that he'll throw away the rest of his life taking care of a kid that might not be his." Justin could hear the anger in Brian's voice.

"I'm not. It would be best for both of us if we put the baby up for adoption. I have to let Justin have the choice of keeping it though. Laura, his nurse, said that she has been noticing signs of him waking up. I'm almost eight months now. He should know about the baby."

Baby? There was a baby? Justin's brain started to hurt when he tried to think about why a baby would be involved in his life. Nothing they were saying was making any sense.

"What about the other guy? Did you give him the same chance?" Brian's voice was bitter sounding.

"That man lied about everything. The chances that he is the father is really low. Both times with him we used protection, with Justin we didn't use anything." Daphne sounded close to tears, Justin tried to open his mouth to tell her he was there. He didn't like Brian being so mean to her, even though he didn't understand what was happening. He and Daphne had only had sex once, and that was in high school. She had gotten pregnant and then had a miscarriage, it was cold of Brian to be talking about a baby that never was going to be born.

"So the guy doesn't deserve to know his kid because he's a jerk?"

"Why are you saying all these things? I've been living in hell for months and you just want to hurt me."

"Get off the cross. It sucks that you were kept in that room by that psycho but that doesn't give you the right to ruin Justin's life."

"I would ruin it if I didn't give him the choice to raise his son," Daphne said so quietly Justin had trouble hearing her.

Nothing they said was making any sense to him. Every time he tried to think about why he was in the bed, he could only guess was in a hospital, he came up blank. The last thing he remembered was Brian and him fucking in the shower at Brian's loft. He had been staying with Brian since he moved out of his apartment, he didn't know why he moved out. It was probably because Brian offered him a place. He would much rather be with Brian than in empty apartment, he couldn't remember why it was empty though. Everything was so fuzzy, and he couldn't really put what they were saying together enough to make sense.

When Justin was finally able to open his eyes, the room was dim. He was able to move his head to the side a little. It was when he saw him asleep in the chair beside the bed. It couldn't be comfortable sleeping in the thing. Smiling a little he lifted his hand, trying to reach for him. It was no luck, he was too far away.

"Dad," he said, it come out hoarsely. "Dad." This time it was stronger.

He watched as his dad shook himself awake. His eyes widened as he looked at Justin.

"Hey, buddy, they said you were trying to wake up. I missed you. I'm so sorry for setting you up with Vas, I didn't know you felt so strongly towards Kinney."

"Who's Vas?" Justin asked, confused.

His dad blanched. "Hold on, let me get the nurse." Justin nodded but after his dad left he fell back asleep.

Brian got the call when he was at work. Justin had woken up. He thought about going over there but it wasn't like he could help the kid. It was best for him to be around his family. It would be for his own selfish reasons for going, not for the good of Justin.

Continuing to work he lost himself in his job. It wasn't until days later and an irate Debbie arriving that he had to face the music.

"You little asshole, all he's been asking for is you. Ever since he woke up, and I know Michael called you."

"Deb, it's not like he needs me there. I wouldn't be able to help him, I'm not a doctor."

Debbie puffed out her chest and looked like she was about to breath fire. He steeled himself for whatever she was going to yell but then she stopped. Her eyes bore into him and he thought she could see what he was thinking.

"Brian, I know you're scared to see him. I also know you'd rather cut off your right hand than admit it. This kid means something to you. I don't know how but Justin has some way wiggled into your stone-cold heart. But Brian, he didn't wake up the way they hoped."

Brian raised an eyebrow. "What the hell does that mean?" Worry filling his mind.

"They were worried about his motor function before he woke up. Surprisingly, everything they thought would happen didn't. He has no trouble using his hands, legs or anything. But something happened they weren't expecting. His has memory loss."

"You're kidding me?" What was this? Some kind of soap opera?

"No, he woke up and his memory is scattered. He remembers you, me and the rest of us. But then there are people like Vas, he has no idea who the man is."

Brian didn't blame the kid for putting that asshole out of his head. "So he wants to forget about his ex, so what. Unless Justin doesn't consider Vas he ex."

"You don't understand, Justin doesn't remember him. Carl even brought Vas into the hospital room hoping it would jog his memory. Nothing happened. Then there is Daphne and the baby, he doesn't remember having sex with her over spring break. Do you think she is lying about sleeping with Justin?" Deb twisted her hands together in agitation.

As much as Brian thought Daphne was hiding from reality herself, he didn't want people to think badly of her, Justin wouldn't want that. "No, Justin told me he had sex with her."

Deb nodded. "That's not the only thing he has forgotten." This time her eyes showed anger not concern.

"What? Fuck, Deb just tell me," he said when she hesitated.

"The whole thing with Truman Bach isn't there. He also doesn't remember C.J. being an asshole to him in Hawaii, in fact he doesn't remember going to Hawaii."

Brian stood there stunned, he had never heard of someone's memory being that select. It seemed like Justin's brain was suppressing every bad thing that ever happened to him.

"Does he remember what happened when he was little?" Justin's abandonment played a big part in how he acted as an adult, so did the attack.

"No, Carl and the doctor were very gentle when asking him questions. The doctor doesn't want anyone to fill those holes in. If Justin remembers them than that's one thing but he thinks it'll be a mistake to tell him. He did say if Justin figured out that we are hiding something and demanded answers we could tell him about the repressed memories just not what they were of."

Yeah, that's going to go over swell for Sunshine. "Hey, we know stuff that happened to you but you don't get to know, bye."

"Thanks for the update Deb but now I want to go even less." Liar

"Just go and settle him down. He's getting very aggravated there and wants to see you. Don't stay if you don't want to but at least let him see you with his own eyes. No matter what we say he thinks we are keeping you from him. Be prepared though, he's a little different now. More – I guess the only way to explain it is – suspicious."

After all that Justin had been through how could he not be suspicious. There was someone out there that had tried to kill him, one in jail for kidnapping his best friend – the same one who had attacked him at the age of twelve. He had his hero older brother turn his back on him, but now he seemed not to remember that either. Brian suspected it was all bull, Justin was pulling one over on them all. That was the only reason he was going, to prove the little twink was fine.

A/N I know this is very farfetched but I couldn't stop. I hope everyone is still okay with it. I don't have anyone to run the story by in case it's too out there. Oh I know almost nothing about the medical field and I'm making all this up as I go.

When Brian arrived at the hospital he was informed that Justin had been discharged. Cursing quietly to himself for not coming straight over after talking to Deb. Stopping at the Baths' could have waited. He had just wanted to relieve some unwanted tension.

Asking the nurses who picked him up had been a waste of time. His guess was the good detective had his lost little sheep already under lock and key.

He thought about going back to work but decided against it, not really feeling up to dealing with incompetent coworkers. So he went to get a drink instead, it was proof enough about his own parentage.

Arriving back at the loft after having a couple drinks at Woody's. None of his friends had joined him. It was only a little after three in the afternoon, they had other things to do apparently.

Unlocking his door he slid it open. As he went to disable the alarm he noticed it already was.

What the hell?

He knew for a fact he set the alarm before he left, like he did every time he left. With as many men he had going in and out, it was a necessity. It was then a noise caught his attention.

"I loved you, and this is how you treat me. You slept with my sister," a high pitched voice shrieked.

"Baby, I slept with her yeah, but that kid ain't mine," a raspy male voice said.

Brian's eyes found the source of the love triangle. On his TV was a junk daytime program. On his couch was Justin, his eyes closed with the remote laying on his stomach.

"Turn that shit off," he growled.

It was funny to see the boy jump up. He still had no idea why he was there, not that he was complaining, at least inwardly.

Justin smiled shyly at him as he turned off the drivel he had been watching before he fell asleep.

"Don't you already have enough 'baby mama' drama?"

He was sure Daphne had told him about the baby. She had been very adamant about it, he didn't think she would change her mind.

"No drama, when the baby is born, I'm going to raise him."

Even though he knew that's what Justin would choose he still felt it was wrong. He was a fucking kid himself.

"It might not be your baby."

He didn't know if Daphne had been completely honest about the baby's paternity. He knew Deb said Justin didn't remember sleeping with her.

"She told me all about the other guy. The chances the baby is mine are much higher. We didn't use any protection, she did with him. She was more fertile during our time." Brian cringed. "I know it's more than I wanted to know about a woman's reproductive system too."

Brian thought he was done with all that when Gus was conceived.

"How did you get here?" Brian asked, deciding to bring the baby up later.

"Michael brought me. He helped me get settled then left to go back to the store, Emmett was taking care of it for him."

"Why here? Why not your old man's house?" He hated the feeling of pleasure that filled him knowing Justin came to the loft instead.

"I don't need my dad to treat me like a child. I wanted to go home but it appears I don't have my apartment anymore. I need to work on getting a two bedroom." Justin sat up and Brian sat beside him. "I was able to check my bank account, I'm not sure how I got that money but I need it. I'm sure I'll remember it soon enough, I have faith I'll get all my memories back."

"Doesn't it scare you that you have these blank spots in your memory?" He couldn't imagine having parts of his life he couldn't remember, and worse that others seemed to have the answers to that he desperately wanted.

"It kind of did in the beginning. But I trust my family completely. I'm not too sure about Deb, Michael, Emmett and the rest but as long as I have my dad, brother and sisters I'll be fine. They have never let me down before." His smile was so bright and trusting - it was something Brian had never seen before, and it killed him that it wasn't because of him.

When Deb had said he was more suspicious, Brian was actually proud of the kid. But that wasn't it, Justin was just suspicious of the new people in his life, his family and Daphne were approve reproach. Brian couldn't even tell Justin the truth because the doctor advised against it.

"So if you don't trust me why are you here?" he asked, sounding more pissed off than he planned.

Justin blinked up at him. "I didn't say I didn't trust you. I trust you almost as much as my dad." That made him feel a little better, that Justin trusted him.

Brian was lost in his head when he was jolted out of it. A hand making its way to his crotch. He looked at Justin's face and saw the leer he was looking at him with.

"What are you doing?" Brian asked, raising his eyebrow.

"What does it look like?" Justin removed his hand and quickly straddled Brian's lap.

"Don't you have a boyfriend?" Brian knew he didn't remember Vas but he thought someone had told Justin about him.

"If I don't remember him, it doesn't count. Anyway, Molly didn't like him, she said he gave her a bad feeling. You on the other hand she talks highly about. Now less talk." He started kissing down Brian chin and rubbing his hands over his chest.

"I'm not going to take advantage of you," he said, but was unsure if Justin heard him because he didn't let up on his wandering hands.

"You're not taking advantage of me. I might have some trouble remembering things but sex with you wasn't one, or even the want to have sex with you. I remember our first night, I hoped it would last forever. Why didn't it?" Justin's paused and looked at Brian.

"What do you mean?" Brian asked in a tortured voice.

"I don't remember the next morning. What happened, why aren't we together if you had sex and fell in love?"

For the first time since meeting the kid, Brian saw how young he really was. Maybe it was because he broke his heart so early, and now Justin had forgotten that Brian had kicked him to the curb after giving himself freely to the older man.

Try as he might he couldn't make the same mistake again. For the first time in his life he decided the truth wouldn't be for the best. After losing Justin to Vas he knew he had made a mistake, no matter how much in denial he was in at the time. That was not going to happen again. He wasn't talking about monogamy or the dreaded relationship shit people talked about. No this would be something that would work for both of them.

Justin left him for Vas because Brian didn't give him what he thought he wanted. Now all Brian had to do was find a happy medium for them both. He felt a pang of guilt about not being completely truthful…until Justin slid off of him and started to undress.

This wasn't the same kid from before, this one didn't have nightmares of his past threatening him. This one was fearless and so much more uninhabited that it made him rock hard. He just hoped when Justin got his memory back this fireball didn't go away. Timid, sweet Justin was far away replaced by this sexy, unashamed, blonde stud-in-the-making. If there was a way to mix the two together, he would be unstoppable.

Coming up in the next chapter- Justin and Daphne's child is born.

Brian was jolted out of sleep by the incessant ringing of Justin's phone. He knew it was Justin's because everyone on his contact list had a corresponding song for their ringtones. The song filling the loft now was ABBA's Mamma Mia. The song was one he had gotten used to in the past weeks, he heard it day and night. Justin thought it would be perfect for Daphne's ringtone.

He grunted when Justin's elbow connected with his rib; the kid was leaning over him reaching for his phone.

"Get the fuck off me," he grumbled.

"Oh, sorry," Justin giggled before crawling the rest of the way over him and grabbed the phone. The phone stopped playing the blasted song before Justin could answer it.

"How hard would it be to walk around the damn bed?"

"Not as hard as it is now," Justin said, seductively rubbing his hands over Brian's hard length.

The phone started back up again and they both groaned. No fun would be had at the moment. Since he was up and running with nowhere to go, he jumped up to go shower. Maybe he would head out for an early morning at the gym. He left Justin answering the phone to talk to his neurotic baby mama.

The water had just began to get hot when Justin barged in.

"I need to borrow your jeep," he said, almost shouting. He had his shirt halfway on and he had paint stained cargo shorts on. He was also wearing his tennis shoes without socks.

"What the hell, Sunshine? Did you just get a callback for Rent?"

"Daphne's in labor!" he shouted excitedly. "I'm going to be a father." His face paling at the declaration. "I'm going to be a father."

"Calm down. It's not too late, you can still find someone else who wants it. Someone who will appreciate having a kid and wants to take care of it." He was raised by a man who never wanted him, it wasn't fair to do that to a child.

The argument for keeping the baby was that he had to keep the baby, no other reason - he just had to. He wouldn't tell Brian why but it was the only time they ever fought. He really didn't know where Justin's head was anymore. The new Justin was stubborn and secretive, and really good at it at it. Besides being pigheaded about the baby, Brian really liked the kid. Maybe more than he should, he already knew the kid was his undoing but what could he do, this was his life.

Brian sighed. "Justin, what if you get your wish and she doesn't sign over her rights? Let's say you raise the kid for three years. Feed, love and clean the snot off his face then she shows up and wants him back. You said yourself that you don't want a partinety test, what if ones done then and he's not yours. You won't have any legal action to keep him."

"Daphne would do that," Justin argued.

"Get real Justin, she's a straight woman. She'll find a nice cock and settle down. When she does that she'll want her kid back. Hell, she might even get the kid calling him daddy. You'll be history and never heard from again. If you are so dead set on this, have the paternity test done."

"I don't want to talk about it anymore. This is my baby, I don't care who the sperm donor was. I need to do this."

"That's it, that's it right there. You don't say you want this - you say you need to do this. It's clear you don't want this baby."

"Never mind, I'll get a ride somewhere else."

"Stop being such a drama princess, I'll take you."

They didn't say anything else as Brian quickly showered and headed to the jeep. The drive was icily quiet, he could feel Justin stewing over their argument.

"I know you think I don't want this but I do. I want to see my son every day, hold him whenever I want. It's a miracle, I haven't been taking this as lightly as people think. My family thinks that it's because of my injury but it's not. It's just something that I have to do."

Brian thought about it for a minute, from Justin's point of view. Only being able to see Gus again just in pictures, and if he was lucky annual visits for a few minutes… it wouldn't ever be enough. He could not blame the kid for wanting a connection to his child- if it was his child.

They were met by an older couple in the waiting room of the maternity ward. The man seemed to be holding himself back from whatever he was feeling. But the woman had tears running freely down her face.

"What's wrong?" Justin asked, voice panicked.

"Daphne didn't want us in the room with her. She said when you got here to let you in," the woman said, she wasn't looking at Justin.

"Thanks for the ride Brian," Justin said before going back to the nurses' station.

Justin couldn't believe it, after all the screaming and cussing the baby was finally here. Daphne had held her for only a few minutes. She tearfully told him that she couldn't do it again. Her heart was breaking and she couldn't let her go again. Justin told her she didn't have to, the papers giving up her rights were to only be filled out after the baby was born. He told her he would help out if she wanted to keep the baby, they could even raise her together. But Daphne said it was for the best, things had to be this way. She said that Justin was going to be a great father to their daughter.

That was another surprise, Daphne was so sure the baby was a boy when the doctor asked if she wanted to know she said she already did. So Lucas Rea turned out to be Briana Rea, and he could just see Brian when he found out about his namesake. When Daphne asked what her name was she laughed when he told her, until he told her the middle name, then she cried. Rea was a family name from Daphne's father's side. When they were little every time she would give her future kids names they always had the name, Rea, in it.

Before he left the hospital with Briana he tried to convince Daphne not to sign the paperwork. She was clear she was signing and not going to change her mind. Her parents had already packed her stuff to send to Providence, Road Island. They had gotten her an apartment and wanted her far away from Justin and the baby they thought would ruin her life.

He tried not to blame them, they were thinking of their child. Just like he was thinking of his. But he also remembered the people that were like his extended family who looked at him with disgust now. He had his daughter though, he would be there for her. It still felt weird to think she was here, living breathing proof of that angels existed.

He hadn't called Brian or even his dad. He didn't call anyone, he didn't want anymore drama. Unluckily, he hadn't found a place that he like enough to move. Truth be told he liked living with Brian, he knew Brian would want him out now because of the baby. He just needed a couple more days, Brian's loft was the securest place he knew. They still hadn't caught the man who attacked him, and that was more terrifying with a innocent baby involved.

Then there was the secret he had been keeping from everyone. His memory had slowly been coming back over the past week. At first they were just fragmented pieces but soon he was able to put them together. They still didn't feel real to him, he didn't feel like the person those things happened to. Maybe that was the reason he hadn't told anyone, they didn't happen to him. He knew they happened but it was like they happened to someone on a TV show. It filled the blanks in his life but they felt false, and he wasn't about to make them feel real. It was better this way, he told himself. This was his rebirth along with his daughter's birth.

Brian was ready to pull his hair out. Gardner Vance had him over a barrel and he knew it. Brian's contract wasn't up for another year and Vance owned him until it was up. If Brian did quit he wouldn't be able to write for another agency or his own until the non-compete agreement was up. He knew for a fact as soon as it was up he was gone. He had already started putting money away for his own start-up reserve.

But because that was at least a year away he now had to put up with Vance. Which left him stuck in Chicago for the next two weeks. He had gotten the call right after dropping Justin off. Vance told him to get with Remson Pharmaceuticals, Vance had been trying to land them for years. The only problem was that Remson was in the middle of house cleaning. It was a good way to get in but it also meant Vanguard wasn't the only vultures swooping in for the pickings.

Remson's main office was based in Chicago and Vance wanted Brian there. When he had gotten there it was easy to meet with some of the lower management staff but the higher ups were being bombarded with agencies. Not only was there ad agencies but accounting companies and even cleaning services were making new bids.

He stopped by a local diner to get coffee and breakfast before heading over. It was going to be a long two weeks if the day before was anything to go by. He wasn't looking forward to trying to get the account. If he got it then it was another win for Vanguard, if he didn't it was another strike against him for Vance. He was sure Vance was getting a little suspicious and maybe a little worried that he was ready to walk. There was no other reason for the shit he was putting him through now.

Then there was the whole thing with Justin, he hadn't talked to him since he dropped him off at the hospital. He expected to hear from him; Brian didn't even know if that baby had been born yet. Gus's birth was faster than normal for a first time mother. He heard that most are in labor for a while.

The only person he told about his spur of the moment business trip was Michael. He wasn't about to call Justin, that was way too much like what someone in a relationship would do, and that wasn't him. No, if Justin wanted to talk to him, he'd have to make the call.

It had been a week since Justin had brought Briana home. He had carried the complimentary bag the staff gave him. It had formula, newborn diapers and a few bottles. He hadn't known where to go, it all had seemed to go by in a blur. So he got on the bus and headed to Brian's. He was sure Brian would be there but he hadn't been – that was a week ago. Brian hadn't come back to the loft in that whole time. At first Justin thought that Brian was on a bender, but he would have been back by now. Brian hadn't called but he hadn't called Brian either. That wasn't really fair to say because after two days he turned his phone off. Everyone but Brian had been calling him.

He didn't know if they knew about the baby but he couldn't take the risk. After everything that had happened he wanted to bond with Briana without anyone else interfering. It had been a good thing because he had a lot to learn. The nurses showed him how to feed and change her but everything else was trial and error – mostly error.

In the short time he had been a father he had learned his daughter didn't like the same music he did. He learned she belched like a trucker, and he wasn't even going to get into what else came out of her.

Every day he looked to see if there was any resemblance between her and his family. He found none. She definitely didn't look like he thought she'd look like. He thought she would be as dark as Daphne. She wasn't though, she had light skin just a tad darker than his. Her hair was light brown, the same color as Brad/Logan's. It didn't mean anything, his dad had light brown hair, well before it all went gray and fell out.

The color of her hair didn't mean that guy was her father. But her skin and hair was another strike against her according to Daphne's parents. He loved her parents but they were far from perfect. They were very in touch with their roots; they also were against mixing of races. It was a joke Daphne was always made that they would rather her become a nun than marry a white guy.

They were good people but very set in their ways. They had been relieved when she had the miscarriage but had not said anything. He knew this time around she wouldn't be so lucky. For most of the last two months of her pregnancy they were so happy she was okay they didn't push her. But as soon as she was close they started in on her. She didn't even have to tell him, he knew them like he did his own dad. It was one of the reasons he didn't want to file the paperwork. This wasn't her choice, but she still wanted to be the apple of her parents' eye.

There was going to be a time where she realized her mistake. Although Brian was right what if that time is years down the line after him and Briana bonded. What if he wasn't the biological father? What if she did get married and take Briana away from him? He hadn't known as soon as he saw her and held her, he would fall in love with her.

The phone in the loft started ringing, bringing him out of his thoughts. Unfortunately, it also brought Briana out of her slumber. He looked between the baby swing he had ordered last week and the phone. Briana's wails grew and her whole face reddened, she wasn't going to be second to a phone.

He picked her up out of the swing and lightly started to sing to her. The answering machine picked up the call.

"Brian? Hello? I guess you're not going to pick up. I really had fun last night, I wasn't sure which number was you're cell phone or house. If this is your house I apologize, obviously you're not home, and you just left my apartment. Call me when you get this, I can't wait to have a repeat of last night's festivities. Bye."

Justin stood frozen in front of the sink where he was starting to make a bottle. He couldn't make sense of the call. Brian never stayed over guy's places during a hookup. He had to be in control, he almost never went to the other guy's place, and if he did he left right after. This was made clear to Justin early on in their non-relationship.

But this guy had Brian's number, it was unlisted. He would have to give it to him. Justin started thinking about the last week, he had assumed Brian was gone for work. He had told him that his boss had been screwing with him. Now, he knew he had been wrong.

He hadn't been the one for Brian like he started to believe. No, he was a stepping stone. He was the guy that Brian got used to sleeping in the same bed with, now this guy was the one who Brianwanted to spend the nights with.

Justin quickly started to pack his and Briana's things after he got Briana calmed down and back in her swing. It had been a mistake to stay at the loft. In his stupid head he thought Brian would see them and want to be a family. It was a childish thought, he knew now. He also knew it was time to stop thinking like a child, he had one that counted on him. That had truthfully been why he had waited so long to look for a place, he was hoping it won't be necessary. God, he was sounding like Michael. It was time for him to move on with his life. Briana needed a father, not a love sick twink.

He only had a week left before winter break. It had been lucky that his teachers understood that he needed to finish classes and Briana was too little for daycare. It probably would have been better to let his family help take care of her but he worried she would bond more with them. So he was able to work from the loft and turned them in. He only had to be there for the exams, that he would need his family's help.

It was too cold to say out for very long with Briana, he still didn't have a car. That would be his next move. He would call his dad to see if he would take him to a used car dealership. Justin had ordered everything he needed and had it delivered. So far he had a swing, carseat, and bassinet, along with quite a few sleepers and diapers. Brian's loft was climate controlled so he didn't have to worry about her being cold.

The more he packed the more he thought about that call. He had thought he was waiting for Brian, but the more he thought about it the more he felt bad. He hadn't been a guy waiting for his boyfriend, no he had been a squatter. Brian didn't know he was there, and he hadn't given his permission. The whole thing was feeling wrong suddenly. How could he have been so stupid?

Once he got everything that was easy to pack up and the big stuff near the door he called his dad.

The call was picked up after one ring. "Justin?" His dad sounded anxious.

"Yeah, hey, Dad. Or I guess I should call you Grandpa so Briana learns it."

"Briana?" his dad said quietly.

"Yep, the baby wasn't a boy, it's a girl. Her name is Briana Rea Horvath."

He heard a small sob come from his normally stoic father. "I've got another granddaughter?"

"Yep, she's gorgeous, Dad. She has Daphne's nose and cheeks."

"I'm on my way to the hospital now."

"Don't."

"Why not? Don't you want me there?" His father sounded so sad about what he assumed Justin meant. It made him feel worse. While he was bonding with Briana he had shut everyone out. He had a lot of amends to make. His family hadn't even got to see her when she was just newly born. He was the worst son and brother ever.

"No, Dad, it's not that. I was stupid, I'm sorry. She was born last Tuesday. I've been so blinded with trying to make some sort of bond with her that I've neglected my family. I took away something you'll never get back. I'm so sorry." He was a world class asshole. He had been playing everything so close to the vest, he had closed himself off.

It was like those lost memories when they came back changed him. Like they took away all the trust and closeness he once had with his family. Everything in his life was turning out wrong. Not to mention there was someone out there that had tried to kill him. The cops seemed to have stopped trying to find the guy. It didn't matter who his father was, it only mattered that the police chief wanted it buried. Who cares about a queer kid anyways, right?

"Where have you been?" his dad asked, this time he sounded angry – not that he blamed him.

"Brian's, but before you say anything, I haven't see Brian in a week. I just realized I was pushing myself on someone who really doesn't want me. I'm pathetic. Can you come and get us? I want to go get a car, I have enough left from Grandpa Taylor's first trust to get a nice used car and first couple months on an apartment. I've just had a dose of reality, and I want to get out of here before Brian gets home and humiliate myself more."

Justin held his breath while he waited for his dad's answer. He didn't think he would tell him no, but he had never messed up so royally before.

"I'll do this, but you will live at the house until after the first of the year. It'll be a bitch to get an apartment before then anyway." Justin had to withhold the giggle at his father cursing.

It was an easy thing to agree to, "Done."

"She's so little," Molly gushed as she sat on his bed holding Briana.

"I know, I still can't believe she's here."

He was still setting up his childhood bedroom. It wasn't that he planned on staying that long but it was better to be organized with a newborn, he had learned that at Brian's.

"I can't believe I'm an aunt," she cooed at the baby.

"You've been an aunt since you were six years old," he pointed out.

"I know but I've only seen them much. I'm not going to let Briana out of my sight. You're going to miss a lot of school," he teased.

"I'll be out for winter break in a week anyway."

Briana started to whimper, she was working herself up to a good cry.

"Okay, time for you to go back to your daddy," she said, handing Briana over like she was a bomb.

"She just probably needs her diaper changed. Don't you want to try that out?" He laughed out loud as Molly ran out the door.

"Aww, Briana, don't cry. Let's get you changed, maybe see what the chef has for dinner. I bet formula for you and cold pizza for me."

After moving back into the house the first thing he did was piss off his father and Debbie. When he walked into the house Debbie tried to take Briana out of his arms. He might have yelled and scared them. It was just that he didn't want her to be taken from him as soon as he walked in. It had been a fear when he agreed to move back in until after the first of the year.

His dad bitched him out and then went to Debbie's house with her. Apparently, he was supposed to be meek and stupid. But he hadn't been that since he woke up, even with his regained memory. He refused to be that sad sack again, if there was anything he learned from Brian it was to be his own man. There was an innocent baby that depended on him, he wouldn't fail her. He knew he overrated with Debbie but he was going on almost no sleep. He thought they would come back but it had been almost a week.

So now it was just him, Briana and Molly at the house; not that he was complaining. It was quite harmonious in the house with just them. Molly left him alone for the most part, just when she would want to get baby cuddles she would come in.

As he was considering calling Debbie and his dad to apologize his phone went off.

"Hello," he said without looking at who was calling.

"Can't you tell me why there are diaper wipes and two baby sleepers in my loft?" Brian asked.

Justin closed his eyes as he heard the man speak. He had no idea why the man had such an effect on him.

"I'm sorry, I was really stupid. I went back to your loft after the baby was born. She and I stayed there for a week."

"Where the hell are you then?"

It almost sounded like Brian wanted him there. Almost.

"My dad's, I realized I didn't have your permission to stay there with her."

"Her?"

"Yep, it wasn't a boy. She is gorgeous, Brian."

"So who does she looks like?" There was the Brian he knew and loved.

"She looks like a baby," he bit out.

"Whatever, so you coming to Babylon tonight?"

Justin pulled the phone away from his ear and blinked at it. Was Brian really serious?

"Brian I can't, I have a baby to take care of."

"So what that means you can't have a life anymore?" Brian sounded pissed, why Justin know.

"She's only a little over two weeks old," he tried to explain.

"I thought you would have people bending over backwards to watch the baby. Debbie told me herself how excited she was to have a grandchild."

If that didn't make Justin feel more like a heel. He really would have to apologize for being so over-emotional.

"I kind of pissed my dad and Debbie off. She wanted to take the baby as soon as I walked through the door, I sort of blew up at her," he admitted guiltily.

"Sunshine, Sunshine, Sunshine what I'm I going to do with you. You should have expected her to want to steal the kid." He didn't miss the disappointment in Brian's voice.

"Okay, you can't go out but why don't you just bring the rug rat here for the night."

"Brian, you don't have anything for her there."

"Just pack the stuff you'll need tonight, I get Gus's crib from storage."

"You have a crib for Gus?" That surprised him.

"Of course I do, but I'm not going to leave it up when he's not here." The duh was a given.

Another thought occurred to him. "What about your boyfriend?"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Brian asked darkly.

"You have a message from him on your phone."

Justin listened as Brian went to his machine and pushed the play. He heard the message that tore him up inside again.

"What. The. Fuck."

"Brian?" Something hit the floor with a loud crash.

"MOTHERFUCKER!"

Justin kept quiet while Brian ranted and raved for a good five minutes. Soon everything went deadly quiet.

"Brian?" he said again when he heard Brian's breathing on the other end again.

"Listen carefully, are you listening?"

"Yes."

"I fucked up and fucked the son of the CFO. I didn't get the account and now this fucker is calling me constantly. I don't know how he got my home number because I never gave him a card. I'm probably going to lose my job. So want to come over?"

Justin knew Brian needed someone, why he didn't call Michael he didn't know. He worried about bringing Briana over, but maybe baby cuddles would be good for Brian too.

"I'm packing an overnight bag for us. I'll be over in an hour."

"Do you need me to pick you up?"

"No, I bought my own car. I needed one now I have the baby."

"Okay, see you in an hour."

Brian disconnected with Justin, cursing himself he started cleaning up the mess he made. That asshole Fallon was ruining his life. One stupid fucking mistake, letting his dick make decisions for him. He had already heard from Gardner, he was as a good as fired.

Why did he invite Justin and the brat over? Well he knew why he wanted Justin. There he went again thinking with his dick. He should call Justin back and tell him not to bother. Instead he grabbed his keys and headed for his storage unit.

Justin was just finishing up packing a bag for him and Briana when his dad came home. He was so shocked to see him he forgot to apologize right away. It was the look his dad gave that reminded him of his need to say he was sorry.

"Look, Dad, I'm really sorry about how I acted. I hadn't sleep well the whole week. I overacted, I'm sorry."

"It's alright, kid. Both Deb and I have had newborns. You can't really been held accounted about snippy attitudes until they are at least six months old."

Justin sighed in relief. "If you didn't hate me why have you stayed gone?" He tried not to be hurt by their abandonment.

"You're a new father, a new father that seems to want to do it all himself. We didn't want to be in your way. I feel better with you here, so I tried to make it as welcoming as possible. That seemed to mean that we shouldn't be here. If that was the wrong conclusion than I'm sorry."

He knew that everyone was walking on eggshells around him. They did that before he took a bat to the head and they still did. The only person who never treated him with kid gloves was Brian. Maybe that was why he was so drawn to the man.

"Where are you going?" his dad asked when he noticed the bag.

"Brian invited us over to spend the night. I think he really needs me tonight."

"Justin, you're a father. You can't just run off to your boyfriend's house on a whim."

"You ran off to Debbie's for a whole week. Molly is still a minor."

"Molly is sixteen and had her older brother here. Briana is a baby, a newborn at that. She doesn't need to be dragged around."

"I'm not dragging her around. I'm spending the night with a friend. I'm an adult now." He knew it was juvenile to say as soon as it came out of his mouth.

"You will follow the rules as long as you live under my roof."

"Well, I guess that's all there is to say," Justin said calmly. The Justin before the head injury would be crushed at his father's words. "I'll be back tomorrow for the rest of our things."

"Now, what a minute Justin. Don't act in the heat of the moment. Go to Brian's tonight, calm down and we'll talk when you aren't so emotional."

He looked at his father with shock. He had calmly told his father that he would leave. His dad was the one yelling and carrying on like a maniac.

Instead of continuing the fight he just felt done. "Bye Dad."

With one hand he picked up the bag he packed and with the other he picked up Briana who was in her carrier. He was out the door and driving towards Brian's loft before he realized he forgot his phone. But he'd be damned if he turned and went back now.

Brian had just put the crib back up when he heard the lift. He had gotten good at taking the thing apart and putting it back together. He wondered who the baby did take after, but Justin had been too pissed to tell him. That probably meant she was the spitting image of the other guy.

He walked to the door to let Justin in; it wasn't easy to maneuver a baby and an overnight bag. Justin put the carrier and bag down as soon as he was through the door.

"I have to piss, can you get her out of there? She is working herself up to a good cry."

The kid didn't wait for a reply he shot off to the bathroom. Brian looked down at the whimpering baby in the carrier. She was just a tad lighter skinned than Daphne. She had blue eyes but so did Gus when he was a baby, he had hazel now. She was a cute thing, just like her father. He had a knack for seeing through the bullshit to the truth. In that moment he knew who the child's father was. He just didn't have it in him to tell Justin.

"Sorry about that, I was going to use the restroom before I left. That was thrown out the window when my dad came home."

"What happened with the good detective?" Brian asked, the baby was sniffling into his shoulder. He was glad he changed into a t-shirt and jeans when he came in.

"She seems to like you," Justin said smiling.

"Everyone likes me, I'm likable."

"Sure, that's what everyone says. Brian Kinney the most likable guy in Pittsburgh."

Brian smirked at the blonde. "Take your brat back."

Justin playfully scowled at Brian before holding Briana close. "I fed her before I packed. She should be good for another hour or so."

"God, she's got your appetite already. So what did you name the thing?" Brian grabbed a water bottle out of the fridge.

"Oh, where are my manners. Brian Kinney, I'd like to you met Briana Rea Horvath."

Brian spit the water he just had in his mouth out. "You've got to be fucking kidding me?"

"Nope, met your namesake."

Brian just stared at the blonde like he was crazy, naming his kid after Brian maybe he was.

Justin walked around his loft apartment trying to get Briana asleep. He had looked at many apartments. The only problem was that his dad and Brian had a problem with each of the apartments. It was mostly security with both of them. They lucked out and found out the man who lived in the loft just under Brian's was moving to Alabama. What a drag queen was going to do in Alabama he had no clue.

Justin had sublet the loft from the man, he was lucky the man was leaving most of his furniture. All Justin needed to buy was a bed and some kitchen supplies. He had even sort of made up with his dad. They talked but he could tell he was still disappointed in him.

Briana was growing every day; she had also become his whole world. When he told Daphne he wanted the baby it was because he thought she would change her mind. He didn't want her to lose the chance of ever being a mother to their daughter. There was no way to know that he would fall so hard for her. He knew now that if Daphne came back asking for Briana he wouldn't give her up. Not that he wanted to keep Daphne from her. No, they would just have to work out joint custody.

It was almost time for Briana to wake up and eat. Justin had worked out a nice schedule for feedings, and then Briana made him throw it out. It surprised him that Brian would visit him between work and going out. Sometimes they had sex but most of the time Brian would hold her while Justin took a nap.

The knock on his door startled him. It was too late to be his dad and Brian usually was too busy with his latest trick this time of night.

"Open the damn door, Sunshine."

Justin let out the breath he had been holding. He hated being scared of who was behind the door every time someone knocked. Ever since he got his memory back he had been waiting for his attacker to come back and finish the job. He knew who it was, but had decided not to go to the police. There was no reason anymore. That part of his life was over, he wasn't planning on opening it back up again.

He walked to the door and unlocked it. Brian slid it open and stepped inside.

"What are you doing here this time of night?"

"I need my cock sucked."

"Brian, the baby can hear you," he chided.

"She doesn't understand, anyway she's asleep." Looking into Brian's eyes Justin could see how unfocused he was.

"Are you drunk?"

"Nope."

"High?"

"Ding-ding-ding. Come upstairs, your bed is too uncomfortable."

Justin rolled his eyes. "You don't have a crib set up."

"Yes I do, I didn't take Gus's down. I have some of her diapers, formula and clothes. Now you don't have any reason not to come."

He could have just told Brian to go to hell but he really did want to sleep with him. Not only was the sex amazing but he loved being held in those strong arms.

"Fine, lead the way."

He didn't miss Brian's triumphant smirk as he turned to leave the loft.

Brian had been working almost non-stop to save his job. Vance had him working on the Stockwell campaign. He was sure that the man was just biding his time before firing him. Brian had almost quit when Vance told him to work with Stockwell. But that would let the little worm win. So he gritted his teeth and went on.

Because of that sleep was getting a little hard to come by. And now Justin's hellion was crying again. He pulled the pillow off his head and leaned over the bed.

"Shut your damn kid up, Sunshine!" he yelled at the floor.

It wasn't uncommon for the baby to wake up and cry for a few minutes. Usually Justin was able to get her back to sleep though. Tonight she had been crying on and off for an hour.

A few minutes the noise stopped, and he was able to fall back asleep.

Justin buckled Briana into her carrier in his car. There was something seriously wrong with her. She would cry and then try and catch her breath. Her breathing was more wheeze now.

As soon he was through the door at the emergency room he made a beeline for the intake nurse.

"My daughter is having trouble breathing."

The nurse looked at him disapprovingly, not that he cared. The nurse turned to the intake receptionist and grabbed a clip board the woman was handing out.

"Put her name on this." Then he handed him a different clipboard. "Then fill these papers out and give them back. We will get to you as soon as possible."

Justin wanted to argue because he knew that trouble breathing was supposed to be seen right away. But he also had learned a while ago that arguing with the ones in charge never helps. So he grabbed the clipboard and carrier then took her to an uncomfortable chair. Briana was still crying but now it was more weakened, more gasping.

He quickly filled out the papers but Briana's name was called before he was done. Grabbing her carrier he took her to the nurse calling his name. He was led through a double door to a room with three beds with curtains separating them.

"Okay, what's wrong with Briana?" the new nurse asked. She didn't look as judging as the intake nurse but she didn't seem very nice.

"She's sick. Her nose runs and she's been coughing. Today it got worse because she can't seem to catch her breath."

She wrote down something on the pad she was holding. Then she took Briana's temperature. "Okay, sir, wait here and the doctor will be in."

He stared down at Briana as the woman left the curtained off area. Her breathing was getting worse by the moment. Tears started to run down his face. He was screwing up this whole parenting thing.

Brian knew Justin had a bad night with Briana last night. He was happy when the guy got her back to sleep. It wasn't a pretty sight for him to go without sleep for a while. So he decided to be nice and take Justin and the kid to the Diner. Justin hadn't really been out since he finished his classes. He had told Brian that he was taking next semester off.

Going down the stairs he stopped at Justin's door. Knocking on it he waited for a response. He could hear Justin's phone ringing inside the loft. There still wasn't an answer after a couple minutes. Brian Kinney did not wait at a door like a sad sack. He wasn't Ted.

The diner was filled with the Saturday morning crowd. Emmett, Michael and Ted were in there usual spot.

"Where's the Professor?" Brian asked as he slid into the booth.

"Working on his next book. It seems like that's all he's doing lately," Michael gripped.

"Aww, poor Mikey. Didn't you know what you were getting into when you started dating a writer?" Brian grinned when Michael scowled at him.

"So, how's everything with Vance?" Ted asked.

"He needs just to pull the trigger and fire me. I have a clause in my contract that if I get fired the non-compete is null and void. But he won't do that, he wants to make me suffer for the rest of the contract."

Brian was still pissed the little daddy's boy went whining to his father because someone had the audacity to tell him to get lost. He had treated Justin way worse when after he had sex with him. Add that to the fact that Justin was an eighteen year old virgin and the boss's son was thirty-two. It was clear who the whiny, clingy one was, and it wasn't the eighteen year old.

"Does he still have you working for Stockwell?" Michael asked as he dug into his eggs.

Brian just gave him a look, he didn't want to talk about working for the homophobe.

"Where's my grandbaby?" Debbie asked. "You said you were going to try and get Justin and Briana out of the house."

"I knocked on his door, no answer. I heard the baby up until about one, he's probably still sleeping."

"I've been calling him all morning. Vic and I went to a couple consignment stores. We found some beautiful little outfits for my baby."

Brian rolled his eyes. He was glad Gus was a boy, not that many people wanted to play dress up with him. Poor Justin had everyone and their brother wanting to doll his child up. He cringed at the thought.

After Brian ordered his breakfast he just listened as his friends talked about their lives. Ted was still a loser. Emmett was still flashy and in your face. Michael was still playing the doting boyfriend to the good professor. Just when he was debating heading out his favorite person came through the door. Nudging Michael to move out of the way he got up.

"Sonny boy, come to daddy," he said outstretching his arms. Gus wiggling in Mel's arms until she handed him over.

"Really Brian, can't you come over to the house. Do you really have to wait until you see us in public," Mel bitched.

Paying no attention to the woman he tickled Gus's belly, making the baby giggle. She really had no room to speak anyway. Every time he went over to their home he was asked for more money. He didn't mind giving them money, he wanted the best for Gus, but Mel could at least act like he wasn't gum on the bottom of her shoe.

"Mel, please," Lindsay said quietly, "don't start."

This had all the makings of a good day. Not. At least he got to spend some time with Gus. The boy was getting big enough to do more than just drool and sleep, he was almost two after all.

His phone started ringing before he could retake his seat. Shifting Gus to his other arm he dug in his pocket to retrieve his cell. The number wasn't unfamiliar.

"Kinney," he answered.

"Brian, I'm sorry to be calling this early but I was wondering if you could do me a favor," Justin's tired voice asked.

"Sure, I could do you for a favor."

"Brian, I'm serious."

"Fine, what do you need today, your majesty?"

"Do you still have the key I gave you for emergencies?"

"Yes."

"Can you get some jeans and shirts for me, and a couple sleepers and blankets for Briana?"

"Why, where are you?"

"The hospital, last night Briana was having trouble breathing. She has RSV, they have her in an oxygen tank right now. Her case is more serious than most. She's so small in the tent."

(Just want to put this out. My nephew had to have hospitalization because of RSV. He was a month old and our friend whose daughter was sick too was diagnosed with it also. Since we were friends they put them in the same room. What I'm describing is how it worked in 1996, it could be totally different now. So just take it as is. Thanks.)

Brian held Gus closer to him. "RSV is that contagious? What is it?"

"It's a respiratory infection. It's very contagious so make sure you wash your hands really well before you touch Gus."

"Shit."

"What?"

"I'm holding him right now."

"Did you shower this morning? Are you coughing?"

"No."

"Then you really shouldn't have that much to worry about. Gus is almost two, right?"

"Yeah."

"Well, the smaller the worse. If he does get it he'll just have cold symptoms. The doctor said with older babies and kids it harder to diagnose it's little more than a cold to them unless they are already sick and have a compromised system."

"I'll get your stuff for you. Did you forget your phone?"

"Yeah, I was in such a rush to get her help I was still in my pajamas. One of the nurses gave me some scrubs."

"Are you at Allegany?"

"Yeah, room 404 in the peds unit."

Brian disconnected and headed over to the munchers. He handed Gus back to Lindsay.

"I have to go."

"Can't even be in the same room with your child for more than a minute?" Mel gripped.

"I need to go get Justin and Briana some clothes and take them to the hospital," he bit out.

"What's wrong?" Lindsay asked worriedly.

"Briana has RSV, she's been put in the hospital in an oxygen tent."

Mel gasped, Brian looked both of them and saw a look between them.

"What?" he asked coolly.

"Gus had a touch of RSV. We had to have a couple breathing treatments and hasn't had a problem since then."

"When was this?" he asked suspiciously.

"A week ago. We haven't seen you since you took Gus for the weekend."

"I had Gus around her, did it not occur to you that she is a newborn. I'm the reason she is sick. And instead of warning me or having Justin take her straight to the hospital you just keep it to yourselves. She couldn't breathe last night, that's why he rushed her to the emergency room."

Brian couldn't even talk to them at the moment. They were all about protecting Gus but didn't give a rat's ass about a baby that wasn't theirs. They would have had a conniption if it was the other way around.

He left, ignoring the shocked glances at his outburst he rushed out the door. It wasn't until he was halfway home until he realized he left his breakfast there and the bill unpaid. He would have to give Debbie the money next time he saw her.

Justin's loft looked the same as it did the night prior before he went back to his. It was bit messier than it had been last night. In truth it always was messy, Justin was a messy person. The baby being there and him sleep deprived didn't help matters in the cleaning department.

Opening the top dresser door he looked for clothes. There was none in it; all it had was paperwork. Jesus, Sunshine, get a lockbox for important paperwork.

The second drawer had baby bibs and blankets. He grabbed two of the more fluffy ones. Third drawer held sleepers and dresses for Briana. He grabbed four sleepers. The last drawer had Justin's underwear and socks. He grabbed some before something else caught his eye. It was a sketchbook but not one that he was used to seeing. After a short debate he grabbed it and looked inside it. It was drawings Justin had drawn of him. All of them had him in it. There were drawings of him naked, erotic drawings of him and Justin together. Further back was drawings of Brian holding Gus, or hugging Michael. The very last drawing was the most detailed and the one that he could tell the artist loved the most. It was of Brian holding Briana. It looked like the artist put all his love and devotion in this piece of work. It was an amazing drawing, and Brian didn't feel worthy of the sentiment.

Brian didn't know if he should be pissed off or relieved. Vance had finally sacked him, now he would be able to start his own agency. There was only one problem with that idea; he had no clients. Ever since he was given his walking papers two days ago he had called all his former clients. They all loved his work but didn't want to leave a reputable agency for a startup. All that meant was that he really did have to start from scratch. He had even had offered the leather store on Liberty Avenue a discount.

There was only one thing that he had, the name. Kinnetik. Justin had come up with the name and helped with the design of the logo. It was the last time he had seen him.

Everything with Briana being hospitalized had finally calmed down. The fallout from her illness though was still pretty bad. Debbie and most of gang were still upset with Lindsay and Mel. They finally realized what they had done when Briana got out of the hospital. She had to have breathing treatments ever four hours. There was also the machine that had to stay where she slept. It had sensors that would tell Justin if she started having serious trouble breathing or stopped breathing.

Since he was trying to start up Kinnetik he hadn't spent any time with Justin in a week. It was a little lonely for him but he need to use all his energy on the agency. His first responsibility was to himself, always had been. He would take care of Gus, Michael and the gang but he couldn't do that if he was jobless and destitute.

Sitting at his computer he worked on a pitch that Cynthia gave him a tip-off about. He also heard rumors that the CFO of Remson Pharmaceuticals was history, he was still waiting to hear from Cynthia about that.

He was jerked out of his work by someone banging on his door.

"Mikey, I swear to god if you are whining again about Ben and that damn book I'm going to –

What he was going to say was cut off by sliding opening the door and seeing Justin instead of Michael.

Justin looked rougher than he had when Briana was in the hospital. His hair was disheveled, bags under his eyes and his clothes were filthy.

"Damn, Sunshine, what the hell happened to you?"

"Brian, I need to run to the store. I wouldn't ask if it wasn't an emergency. I ran out of Briana's medicine. I called in her prescription."

"You look like hell, I can go get her medicine," he volunteered.

"Oh, that's very kind of you." Justin's face didn't match his words, he looked disappointed.

"What's wrong now?"

"Nothing. I just… It's nothing."

It hit Brian then that he had seen someone who looked very similar to Justin almost two years ago. When Gus was a newborn and Mel was working all the time, before they split. Lindsay got so bad that she even asked him to take care of Gus so she could go shop. She had just wanted to spend a few minutes to herself.

"I forgot I have to wait for a call. You go and get the medicine. We'll be fine." He grabbed Briana from Justin and looked at her. "Won't we, Twinkie?"

"Twinkie. Really, Brian?"

"What her daddy is a twink. That makes her a twinkie, doesn't it?" He grinned when Justin chuckled. It was the first time he had seen Justin laugh since Briana got sick.

"Just don't let my dad hear you call her that, or me a twink for that matter. She just ate and had her breathing treatment. She should be fine until I get back. If she starts having troubled breathing call me then take her back to my place and start an emergency treatment. You remember how to do it right? There should be enough for one more."

"Yes, I remember. She'll be fine. Go and get her medicine, maybe some shampoo and soap for yourself." He couldn't help but add.

Justin drove to the pharmacy, it was the first time he had been alone in what felt like forever. He loved Briana, he really did but sometimes he wished he was a carefree teenager again.

Parking in front of the pharmacy he got out. He was lucky it was a twenty-four hour one. It was already near eleven at night, and Briana really needed her medicine.

"Justin," a deep voice called out to him.

He turned around and saw someone he hoped he wouldn't run into again.

"Hi. What are you doing out here?"

"Working, this pharmacy was hit a week ago. Chief Shockwell set up hourly check over the pharmacies."

"That makes sense."

"What are you doing here?"

"I have to get my daughter's medicine."

Vas's face clouded with worry. "Is she okay?"

"She is now, before it was scary. She just has to have breathing medicine for her machine."

"That's good. Look, Justin, I've been waiting for you to get your memory back but…"

"I got my memory back. I've had it back for a while."

Vas paled. "What do you remember?"

Justin really didn't want to talk about this. But he knew this day was coming.

"I remember my boyfriend letting me walk into an ambush." He remember his attacker bragging before hitting him.

"I had no idea he was going to hurt you. He was only supposed to scare you." Tears were running freely down Vas's face. Justin watched feeling detached from the whole thing. He had no anger, sadness or really any feelings left for someone who planned what could have been his murder.

"Can you at least tell me why?" It was the only thing he wanted to know.

"Stockwell is a tool. Trevor told me he could get me into his department in New Castle. All he was supposed to do was scare you. You were already on edge about the guy trashing your old place. I thought if you thought Pittsburgh was too dangerous to live, it would be easier to talk you into moving with me. I never wanted you hurt that was never the plan."

"Well, dear old Trevor went rogue, because his intentions were clear. He was waiting for me when I came in. He shut Leroy in the bedroom. I'm pretty sure he left out of our bedroom, using the fire escape. That's why the neighbor and Brian didn't see him. It's also why there wasn't a break-in, he had a key to your apartment. But you could have still made it up to me. You didn't though, when they asked you if you knew anything you lied. You stood there and kept your mouth shut."

"He's my best friend."

"There, right there is why we would never work. I want someone who doesn't still consider the man who tried to kill his boyfriend his best friend. But that's not the only reason and you know it. That relationship was unhealthy almost from the start. You said who I could and couldn't see. Then the last month you started getting rougher with me, a couple time I was scared of you. I'm not supposed to be scared of someone I love."

"I can change, I promise," Vas begged.

"We're over. But you should change, for yourself. First, get the hell away from Trevor; he's not the boy who saved you anymore. Something is wrong with him, you need to cut his poison out of your life. I won't go to the police because I don't want to relive it. But I will if I see him again. Then see a therapist because you have a lot of rage and trust issues. Maybe, just maybe you'll find the perfect guy for you. Please, take my advice and get the transfer but not to New Castle, somewhere far away. Somewhere out of Trevor's clutches, it's time for you to made decisions on your own. Time to have your own life." Justin didn't miss the irony of him telling Vas what to do then telling him to make his own decisions.

Vas choked out a sob. "I'm really sorry, I never wanted any of this to happen."

"I know." Justin stood up on his tiptoes and kissed Vas on the cheek. "I really do hope you get your happy ever after." He truly did, Vas was a good person just deeply flawed and still a scared fourteen year old inside.

"I wish the same for you." He stood straighter and looked around. "Maybe a change of scenery is what I need. I've always heard Washington State is nice."

They said their final goodbyes and Justin went in the pharmacy to get Briana's medicine. He felt lighter than he had in a long time. He had been dreading seeing Vas again but now it felt like a weight had been lifted off of him. He was happy now, and excited to get over that chapter in his life.

Next chapter is five months later.

Brian moved his hand down the tricks toned abs. The music from dance floor muffled by groans and moaning around him. The backroom was packed with the regular Sunday crowd.

The trick lowered himself to his knees and undid Brian's jeans. Brian let his head fall back hitting the wall while the man's mouth closed around him.

"Watch the teeth," he growled when the tricks teeth grazed his cock.

"Stop bitching, Princess," a gym junkie snapped at him from wall in front of him, as his own trick went down on him.

Brian ignored the asshole and leaned back again. His trick gave a mediocre blowjob and was on his way. Brian glared at the asshole one more time before he headed back to the bar where Mikey, Emmett and Ted were waiting for him.

"That was quick?" Emmett said, taking a sip of his pink colored drink.

"Is that a dig, Honeycutt?" he asked, smirking. It was his third time back there, he had nothing to prove.

Emmett glared at him before turning his attention back to the dance floor.

"Justin, get your ass over here. Now!" a bear yelled into his phone. The name had Brian looking over at the guy. Of course he wasn't talking about his Justin but it made him think of the twink.

He had given up on asking Justin if he wanted to go out with him. Briana was six months old and Justin had yet to go out and interact with adults. Brian would watch her for him while he went shopping or when Justin needed sleep after a bad couple days.

There was also times when he had Gus over. Gus loved her and called her his baby. Everyone thought it was adorable except Lindsay and Mel who were talking about having another baby. When they asked him to donate again he told them he would for Lindsay but not Mel. He wanted to like his kid, he didn't think it was possible with Mel's genes.

Brian didn't like to admit it but he liked when Justin and Briana stayed the night in his loft. He liked it more when he had Gus for the weekend too. Gus would trail behind anyone holding Briana commenting about what she liked or didn't like. 'My baba don't ik nanas.' That was after the first time they tried baby food with her, two weeks ago. "My baba ik huggies." Justin thought it was adorable, Brian wouldn't admit it out loud but he did too.

"I'm gonna head out," he said to no one in particular.

"Brian, you've barely been out with us in forever. Can't you just stay for a little longer," Michael whined.

"Go home to the professor, Mikey. Go back to your little domesticated house and dream of knocking up Mel." He still couldn't believe Michael agreed to be the donor for Mel. The last time he saw Ben, the man had seemed a little tense. All was not well at home for Mikey and the Professor.

His loft was empty when he slid open the door. That wasn't a surprise since he had told Justin he wasn't coming back until he was good and ready. Tears had filled Justin's eyes and Brian tried to tell himself he didn't care. It was a lie though, he did care.

Toeing off his shoes he then walked across the floor to the bathroom. He usually showered in the mornings but for some strange reason he felt dirtier than usual. It was funny because at night he liked feeling dirty, the sweat, grim and other fluids just made him feel more alive. When he started his life of debauchery, it was like a silent fuck you to his old man and shrew of a mother. But now it was just his life, and sometimes it was exhausting still being Brian fucking Kinney.

As he washed the night off of him he let his mind wonder to what Justin was doing downstairs. He regretted being a jerk to him before he left, but he was worried Justin was starting to dream of wedding bells. He had needed to stop that dream quick.

Grabbing the towel from the hook he started to dry himself off. He opened the bathroom door and threw the towel into the hamper.

"There is a child in the room."

Brian's eyes shot up to see Justin swaying holding Briana against his shoulder. The twink had a smirk on his face.

"Maybe you shouldn't be wandering around without an invitation," he grumbled, secretly happy Justin was here.

"Daddy shouldn't be so mean to us should he?" Justin cooed at the baby.

"Gus isn't here, so cut that shit out."

That was another thing Mel and Linz were upset about. When Gus started visiting him with Justin and Briana over he got confused. Because every time Justin talked to Briana he referred to himself as daddy. That turned into Gus calling both of them daddy just like he called Linz and Mel mama. Lindsay made a big stink over the whole thing. So Brian being who he was switched things up a little. Since Briana was so much smaller than Gus they changed what Justin called himself for her. So now Justin was papa and Brian was daddy. But when Gus wasn't around he was still supposed Brian.

"Daddy's a big old grouch," Justin sing-songed.

"I'll show you old," Brian said as he slid on his silk pajama pants. Justin had bought them for him to wear, something about propriety, Brian stopped listening but caved because he really did like having Justin and Briana over. "So what are you and her highness doing here so late?"

"We were up watching reruns when we heard you come in." Justin's pale cheeks pinked, meaning he had been waiting for Brian to come home.

"She having a bad night?" Briana still had her breathing machine but used it rarely now. The doctor had said by a year old she should be completely better.

"Yeah."

"Give her to me." Justin handed her over. "Is Papa being a twat? Get used to it kid."

"Hey," Justin said, pouting.

Brian ignored him and started to sway. Not five minutes later her eyes started to droop.

"That's not fair," Justin said after Brian laid Briana down in her crib.

"What can I say, she doesn't like being so close to the ground."

"I'm normal height."

"You can't help it your dad is short too."

"My dad is only an inch shorter than you."

"Still shorter."

Justin huffed as he stripped down and crawled into bed. Brian slid his pants that he had just put on off and got into bed with him.

"I don't understand why I have to dress for like two seconds."

"She's getting bigger now and notices things."

"You've been like this since she was a month old. How long before you decide we can't fuck because she is sleeping in her crib."

"Why are you trying to start a fight with me?"

"I'm not, I'm tired." Brian pulled the covers over his naked body and turned over.

"Brian, please," Justin said, pleadingly. He was running his hand over Brian's back and shoulders. "I'm sorry."

"Silly twat," Brian said turning back over.

He pushed Justin onto his back and rolled over top him. Justin's eyes stared at him with so much feeling it hurt to look at him. He brushed Justin's hair back before lowering down to kiss him.

"I love you," Justin said as they broke apart.

"For Christ's sake, Sunshine."

"I'm sorry but it's true." Justin's eyes were so honest and pure.

So Brian did the only thing he could think of the stop the words between them. He covered Justin's mouth with his and kissed him hungrily. This he could do, sex was easy. It always had been, emotions were not something he wanted to mess with. Soon he had Justin writhing under him. Once again he had stopped Justin from talking more about his feelings.

Justin woke up when Briana started crying. He opened his bleary eyes and looked over to her crib. He got up and slid on his sleep pants that he was wearing last night.

"Hey, baby girl, what's the matter?" When he picked her up he immediately knew why. "Oh, diaper change." He carried her over the cabinet where Brian kept her and Gus's things. "Damn." She was out of diapers.

He looked around for Brian but it was clear he had already left. Justin shouldn't have been surprised not after last night. He had been so stupid to tell Brian how he felt. Grabbing his keys off the counter he took Briana back to his own loft.

When he got to his door he found a man banging on it.

"Can I help you?" he asked politely.

The man looked at him in his sleep pants and Briana with her polka-dot jammies.

"Are you Justin Taylor Horvath?"

"Yes," he answered, confused by the man using his full name.

"You have been served," the man said before handing Justin a large manila envelope and heading back down the stairs.

In a daze he juggled Briana, his keys and the envelope until he was able to get his door open. He threw the envelope and keys down on his kitchen table and headed to the changing table with Briana. Justin's loft was nothing like Brian's. Brian's was all expensive furniture and fixtures. The man that Justin subleased from had money but didn't put a lot of it into the loft, like Brian did. It was just a place to sleep and eat to him, not an extension of him like it was Brian.

After he changed Briana he made her a bottle. She usually didn't have baby cereal until later. After she finished her bottle he burped her and laid her down in her crib. He stared at the envelope like it was going to jump up and bite him. He thought about calling Brian but he had just gotten a new account. Everything had been going great for Brian lately. Kinnetik was thriving, he had gotten Remson Pharmaceuticals, stolen him right from Vanguard's clutching. Remson had tossed their CFO after they found out he had been embezzling. The guy and his stalker son were both gone. It turned out the guy was a bit homophobic too and didn't tell anyone why he sent Brian packing, all because he didn't want people to know his son was gay.

When Brian got Remson, his agency had its first big client. Slowly, his old clients started to come back to him. Now he had a nice office building; it used to be the old Bathes. But now it was shiny, new and way busier than Brian said he'd ever seen it. That was why he couldn't bother Brian. It was just an envelope, it was probably something to do with Craig Taylor again. The man never gave up, it would be the first time he heard anything from him in a while but not unheard of.

He sat down at his table, grabbed the envelope and opened it.

"I need those layouts for the Greenwald account," he yelled into the phone. The art department was slow as molasses today. He was on edge, Ted was running some numbers for him on one of his new accounts. It was going to be more of a donation of time and work if Ted couldn't make it more feasible. Ted had just started working for him, and would continue to just as long as he was crystal free, Brian didn't fuck around when it came to money.

His phone rang as soon as he slammed the receiver down.

"Kinney," he growled into the phone. Cynthia wouldn't let anyone important through without telling him.

"Brian," a choked sob came through the phone.

"Justin?" he asked, heart stopping. Fear that something had happened to Briana shot threw him.

"Brian…Briana…"

"What about Briana? Justin, what the fuck is going on?"

"I got papers today. Logan Jennings is suing me for a paternity test and custody."

"Who the fuck is Logan Jennings?"

"The other possible father. How did he even know she existed?"

Brian could only think of one way. Daphne. He didn't say it out loud though, Justin would get there himself soon enough.

"Did you send in the paperwork with Daphne signing away her rights?"

"Yeah, she had to go to court and tell the judge, don't you remember." Yeah he remembered, Daphne had not wanted to see the baby, it broke Justin's heart.

"I'm guessing you never got the paternity test done?" He already knew the answer because Justin would have told him.

"No, I didn't think I had to anymore." Brian could hear Briana start to cry in the background.

"I'm leaving now, just hold on till I get there."

"You're at work, I shouldn't be bothering you."

"Just pick her up and rock her, I'll be there soon."

After hanging up he told Cynthia he needed to leave for the day. He should have known something like this would happen, besides Justin's declarations of love everything had been going great. They were asking for something like this to happen, they had been too content. Fuck.

"Justin, answer your fucking phone," Brian growled into his cellphone.

It had been two days since the papers arrived. The first day, Brian went with Justin to the DNA facility to get the paternity test. Briana was none the wiser to what was going on but seemed to be feeding off Justin's anxiety. She wouldn't calm down unless Brian was holding her, she usually loved Justin holding her but something about his demeanor made her balk.

Justin had gotten so upset the night before that he had just disappeared. It wasn't like Justin not to call and check on Briana. The whole thing made Brian worry. The last words Justin said were "I can't deal with this, take care of Briana for me."

He thought at most Justin would go out drinking and come back smashed. But he hadn't come back at all. He hadn't left a message and his phone was turned off. Brian had left several messages but stopped expecting Justin to call.

Brian had to leave Briana with Michael while he went to work. He was worried if he left her with anyone else he wouldn't get her back. He knew as soon as Justin's dad and Deb learned that Justin was MIA and Brian had the baby they would take her from him. Six months ago he wouldn't have minded, in fact he would have insisted, because he hadn't fallen in love with the little girl then. She had her father's smile though, an easy smile to fall in love with. He had never needed the paternity test, she was a darker girl version of Justin, and she even had little blonde ringlets.

He'd never admit to anyone, especially Justin himself but when the twink wormed his way into his life worming his way into his heart wasn't far behind. Now he had Gus, Justin and Briana in his life he couldn't imagine losing any one of them. He would be damned If he would let some asshole who apparently was married come and take his family away from him.

He found a parking spot close to Michael's comic book store. Michael was able to keep Briana at work with him. It was one of the perks of having his own business. Brian would have been able to do that but he was way too busy. Michael did okay business but it really didn't pick up until after school was out.

Brian walked into the store and heard the chime. Looking around he tried to find any sign of Mikey or Briana but didn't see them.

"Mikey," he called out. "Where the hell are you?"

He heard some noise from the storage room and then Michael's head popped out.

"Hey, Brian, what are you doing here?"

Brian scowled at his best friend. "What do you think I'm doing here? Where's Briana?" he asked looking around again for the baby.

"What do you mean?"

A pit settled into his stomach at Michael's words. He had given Michael specific instructions on how to care for her. If he had called Deb to come and get her he was going to kill him.

"Her mother came to get her. She said you two worked it out. I called your cell but didn't get an answer. Then I called Justin but he wasn't answering either. I didn't have any right not to let her take her."

"She doesn't have any rights to take her. She gave them up. Why didn't you just call the office and have Cynthia get me? Daphne didn't want Briana six months ago and hasn't even seen her since then. Why the hell would you just give Briana to her? You knew this," he snarled.

There was no way he could stay there a second longer without tearing Michael apart. He stormed out of the store ignoring Michael's pleading. Briana had been taken by Daphne and she could be anywhere by now. He tried Justin's phone one more time but it went to voicemail again. For the first time in a long time he felt like he was going to cry.

He threw his phone onto the seat beside him and tore out of his parking spot. The need to burn the city down to find her was riding him hard. The first place he had to go was to Justin's father. He could make the missing person report for Justin and the kidnapping report for Briana.

"I'm here to see Detective Horvath," Brian said to the desk sergeant.

"Kinney?"

Brian looked up to see Justin's ex, the one he thought was transferring out. Justin didn't tell him much but he did say that he had resolved his problems with the man.

"Where's Carl?" he demanded, not in the mood for chatting.

Before Vas could say anything more the man in question arrived.

"What are you doing here, Kinney?" Carl asked.

"Daphne kidnapped Briana, and I can't get a hold of Justin."

"What do you mean Daphne kidnapped Briana. She gave up her rights. She hasn't even seen her since she was born."

"I know that, now do what you need to do."

"What's that?"

Brian was about to lose his fucking temper. "Find her, you are the police right? You are her grandfather right?"

"It's a sticky situation, Brian."

"No, it's really not. Let me explain this to you since you seem to be having trouble understanding. Daphne gave up all parental rights to Briana. She went in front of a judge and declared that. Justin has had Briana for six months. Six months of sleepless nights, hospitalization, doctor appointments, teething, and every other thing that happened in those six months. Daphne wasn't there to take care of Briana when Justin needed a break - I was. I was the one to rock Briana to sleep when Justin was too exhausted to move. I was the one who bought that breathing machine because the crap medical insurance Justin had for her wouldn't cover it." He was ranting now and he knew it but he didn't have many options.

"I'll contact Daphne's parents," Carl said, his tone was way too calm for the situation.

"Aren't you going to go out and find her?" he demanded.

"Brian, she's Briana's mother."

"No, she gave up that right," he snarled back. Daphne had been a scared teenage girl who made the only decision she could think of. She could see Briana anytime she wanted. But her showing up days after the paternity papers arrived was very suspicious. He didn't like not knowing what was going on. He also wanted his little girl in his arms, where she was meant to be.

Once he found Justin he was going to kill him. Why out of all the time in the world did he pick now to take off for a few days? Justin knew that Brian had the baby so he wouldn't have been worried about her wellbeing. That was a fucking laugh. He was never going to trust anyone again, be it Michael or Justin. This was done, he was done; as soon as he got Briana back where she belonged he was ending things for good with Justin, there was too much emotions involved.

Justin groaned and fought the need to vomit. He had really fucked up this time. Brian and he weren't exclusive – far from it really, but this was bad even for him. He had gone out to Babylon last night and let lose - for the first time since Briana was born.

Memories flooded back to him of the prior night. Drinking his weight in alcohol and leaving Babylon when he could barely stand. His plan had been simple, go back home and apologize to Brian for running out on him like a kid. He had started to pass a bunch of guys when he realized he was in trouble. The taunts and the hate-filled words started to be yelled at him. Even as tanked-up as he was he knew he was in trouble?

It took him a moment to realize the ring leader was none other than his one-time tormenter, Chris Hobbs. He had given Chris the occasional hand job at school but he did that mostly to keep the guy from being even more of an asshole to him.

There was no one around when Chris and his posse pushed him to the ground. Three kicks in and he sobered enough to try and figure a way out. Another kick and he started to feel the kicks the alcohol had covered in the beginning.

It was then he heard someone running towards them. Chris and his goons took off, his rescuer helped him up. The guy invited him back to his place, and because he didn't want Brian to see him hurt, he had agreed.

There had been many mistakes in his life he wished he could change. But this one took the cake, it really did. He tried to pull his hands down from the bed post. He still had no luck though, he was still handcuffed to the bed. Just like he had been when he woke up that morning. The drugs the man had forced down his throat had kept him calm. He knew he should be freaking out. After all he was being held captive. He was scared of what was going to happen to him. Of what was going to happen to Brian and Briana. But whatever the man gave him made all his problems seem so very far away.

The man hadn't done anything to him that Justin didn't allow… so far. Justin had consented to the kinky sex the man had insisted on. But after it was over he expected the handcuffs to be removed, they weren't. When he started yelling and calling the guy a freak and weirdo, which was when the guy forced some pill down his throat. For a minute he thought he would throw it up but that didn't happen. A little while later everything seemed to get very unimportant.

"You're awake." The man hadn't slept in the bed with him, it probably would have been difficult with Justin handcuffed to the brass bars of the bed.

Justin snorted. "And you're a genius." Really what the hell was he supposed to do? Justin before the bash to the head would have been pissing his pants. But he just couldn't seem to find that Justin anymore.

Why hadn't he just stayed at home? He closed his eyes as the man back towards him. He was still wearing the ugly mask he had been during sex. He hadn't been able to see his rescuer/kidnapper since the man helped him the night before. Justin didn't know why the guy was hiding his face. It had to be good news thought. If he was hiding his face that meant he wasn't going to kill him. Right?

Okay, don't kill me, this is a very DARK chapter. I'm sorry about that. The story is wrapping up. A few more chapters and it should be done. Be warned that this chapter has infant death in it. Again, I'm sorry.

It wouldn't stop crying; Daphne was sure that all It needed was to get used to her. After all she carried It for almost ten months. She thought she would feel for It but she was wrong.

"Will you shut that fucking kid up?" Logan yelled. That only caused It to cry louder.

"Maybe It is sick," she reasoned.

"You said It was mine, that thing is not mine," Logan pointed at the screaming creature and sneered.

Justin had sent her a picture of the It at a few weeks old. At that time the Its hair was dark and looked like a combination of her and Logan; at least she thought so. But now It was clearly not Logan's. It had Justin's nose and his blonde hair; It didn't even look anything like her.

"Maybe this one isn't ours," she said looking at It again. "Maybe Justin switched It with our real baby. Maybe ours is being hidden by him."

She left It on the bed and walked back to Logan. She couldn't believe how lucky she had gotten with him. It had been months since she started chatting with him online. He had told her about his wife leaving him and taking their daughter. The woman had filed a restraining order against him, and it had stuck. So now he wasn't allowed near his own kid.

It was another month before they met in person again. He had taken her back to his hotel room and they had made love all night long. In the early hours of the morning she had told him about It. He had been ecstatic until she told him about giving It up.

For the next few weeks they talked about Justin and thing she had given birth to. She had told Logan everything about Justin. Then a week ago, Logan called with the plan to get It back. He said he was suing for custody, and Justin had to submit to a DNA test; and then everyone would find out he wasn't the father.

But then Logan got anxious and made a change of plans. He told her not to ask too many questions, which she was okay with. She didn't want to anger Logan, yet.

Logan told her that Justin was staying in Brian's loft. He had seen Justin leaving but never got a good look. She was supposed to follow It, then when the opportunity arose she would take It. It had been easier than she thought.

Once Brian dropped It off at his friend's comic book store she set her plan into action. Michael had bought the story about her having Brian's permission completely. She had been extra lucky when Brian didn't answer his phone when Michael called. Remembering Justin telling her that Michael was raised by a single mother, she played up the mother card. It had been almost too easy. Men - straight or gay, were easily manipulated.

When she had asked Logan what they were going to do with Justin, he brushed her off. Too bad she knew more than Logan did on that subject.

There was a time when Justin had been the most important person in her life. She had thought she would love the thing when it was born but she didn't. It started after she was recused. Nothing felt right… nothing was right. Her parents looked at her disgusted when they found out she was pregnant.

Then there was Justin, he had been the whole reason she was taken. It had all been his fault. She thought he deserved to have the sniveling little brat. But he couldn't even do that right. No, he had to start a happy little family with Brian. Brian, the man who had broken his heart. The one who had used Justin and threw him away like yesterday's garbage, much like Logan had done to her. Brian and Justin had both gotten what was coming to them, and soon Logan was going to get just what was coming to him. She just needed to figure out what to do with It after they all got what they deserved.

Brian paced the floor in Debbie's living room. He was doing his best to ignore all the arguing going on in it. No one had the slighted idea where Justin or Briana was. Carl had called Daphne's family only to find out they had tried to get her institutionalized a few months ago.

She had been under a seventy-two hour hold when she started talking odd. Her mother went to visit her and Daphne talked about how Justin had planned the whole thing out. It was her theory that Justin purposely slept with her so soon after the guy in Florida because he knew she had conceived. Mrs. Chanders said it became clear something was very off with Daphne.

The doctors in the psych unit said that they believed Daphne had a psychotic break. It probably happened while she was still being held captive but she was able to hide it well. Her parents didn't put one and one together until they visited her at school and she kept calling Briana It. She hadn't been a danger to herself or others so they couldn't hold her any longer, or so they said.

After they had gotten over the shock and disappointment they really did want to know their granddaughter. As they asked Daphne to contact Justin about the baby, she started to flip out.

That made him more worried about Briana's wellbeing. If Daphne didn't see her as her own daughter, then what did that mean for the baby.

Then there was the whole thing about Justin missing, it felt too coincidental. He paused when he saw Carl come into the living room. His heart stopped at the look on Carl's face. He was deathly pale and looked like he was going to be sick.

"What's wrong?"

"They found a baby, she was dead."

Brian thought he was going to pass out at those words.

"Briana?" he whispered.

"I don't know, the baby fits Briana's description. I'm going down to the morgue where she has been taken. They need me to identify her."

"I'm going too," Brian said, sounding stronger than he felt.

"No, I'm her grandfather, it needs to be me."

"AND I'M HER FATHER!" he screamed.

The house became deathly silent after that. "She's mine, everyone in this house knows she's mine as much as she is Justin's." Carl thankfully didn't argue and just nodded his head.

They had to pull over twice on the drive for Brian to be sick. His baby girl was in a morgue waiting for him to identify her.

Justin was really getting tired of his new friend, well old friend. Okay, not friend at all. The Masked Man had left earlier, now he had a new warden. This one didn't use a mask, he didn't need to. Justin would be able to identify him easily.

"Why are you doing this?" he asked.

"You know why. This is all your fault. I'll never be able to play the same way again. I touch a violin and my hand starts to hurt. You just had to flaunt yourself in front of Tevye and act surprised when he wants you. You couldn't just let me have him, could you? You had to have all the guys drooling over you."

"That's not true, Ethan. I only wanted Brian, it's always been Brian."

"Even when it was Vas?"

"That was a mistake – wait. How did you know about Vas?" He had gotten with Vas after Ethan's attack and the man moving back in with his mother.

"Are you really that stupid? How did I ever think you were worth it to even fantasize about? I'll explain it in simple words for you. You screwed your best friend for the last time. She was sick and tired about everyone and everything just falling to your feet. Now she's with her child's father and has her child back. We just needed to take care of you until she is out of the country."

Bile rose in his throat, Daphne took Briana. "We?"

"Oh, haven't you figured out who you let fuck you? Not that that is such a big deal for you, who haven't you let fuck you?" Ethan sneered.

"You," Justin said smugly. His arms were really starting to hurt from being in the same position for almost a full day.

"I'm the only one," the asshole said.

"And your little boyfriend who busted up your hand," he taunted.

"Aww, honey, have you forgot last night already? Maybe I should give you a reminder."

Justin's eyes shot over to the door where Tevye was standing. It was then he realized why he didn't recognize him last night. It was in a dark alley and Tevye had gained at least ten pounds of muscles in a year. He also had dyed his hair black.

"Oh god," he whispered. "I'm going to be sick."

He barely got the words out before he vomited all over himself. Maybe they would let him go to the restroom now. He had been made to use a gross bedpan since he was handcuffed.

"Dammit," Ethan shouted.

"Gross," Tevye bitched.

"Un-cuff me and I'll shower and even wash the sheets," he tried to bargain with them.

"Not so fast, sweet pea. We're waiting for one more. Ethan, clean him the fuck up."

"Who else is coming?" For the first time since the whole ordeal started he felt real, true panic. He had been too stoned earlier but now the happy drugs were long gone.

They didn't answer him, just smiled and went about their business. Ethan cleaned him and was able to strip the bed by having Justin arch his back. When he was cleaned and new bedding shoved under him he settled back down. He wasn't scared of Ethan or his psycho boyfriend, but the unknown third party was terrifying. Oh, he knew Ethan and Tevye could kill him, but he had decided a while back not to give then that power anymore. It was something he was going to stick to, until his last breath if need be.

Brian walked into the cold, sterile hospital. The morgue was on the first floor; his steps were stilted. It wasn't too late to back out yet. He could still turn around and not go into the room where his daughter was. He wasn't ashamed to say it anymore, at first he had felt stupid with Justin's cracks about her calling him Daddy. She was too small to say anything but gibberish. Now all he wanted in the world for her to be able to do just that. But that would never happen now, she was in a hospital's morgue waiting for him to come and get her. Had she been scared when the end came? How was she killed? Who could hurt an innocent little baby?

He didn't care how sick Daphne was, if he found her before the police he would make her wish for death.

"You don't have to do this, Brian?" Carl said hoarsely. His eyes had tears in them; Brian knew how hard it was on him…on all of them. They had left Debbie and Molly crying at home, C.J. and his wife were with them trying their best to stay composed.

As much as he wanted to find Justin right now his priority was Briana, Justin would understand. Hell, Justin would cut off his balls if she wasn't his priority.

"You can go in now," a somber looking woman in scrubs said to them. He really was going to be sick again.

"What'd you do with It?" Daphne asked as she lounged on the hotel bed.

"I dumped it like you told me. I can't believe you thought that thing was mine," Logan said with a shudder.

"How was I to know, I hadn't seen It in months."

"Maybe we should make one now," he said leering at her spread out on the bed.

"Maybe we should, but first a game."

"What kind of game?"

"How much will you bleed?"

Faster than he thought she had in her she lunged at him. He felt the knife pierce his skin but then he felt no more.

Daphne watched the man gargle on his blood. Her revenge was almost complete. Now she only had one more person to see, and it was going to be glorious. She would take time in killing him. Soon he would find out that It was dead. She would get to be the one to tell him, and bathe in his misery before his blood.

Brian followed Carl into the morgue. He saw the table right away. There was a tiny body under a white sheet. His heart was beating like a drum in his chest.

He couldn't do this, he couldn't.

Turning he ran out of the room, he just made it to the bathroom before he started dry-heaving. There was nothing left to throw up though. He slid down to the floor and started to cry. He hadn't cried since Justin's attack. Mikey had been there for him then, this time he had no one.

"Brian," a hoarse voice said.

He didn't answer… he couldn't.

"Brian, it's not her."

Peter Linde hid behind the dumpster just as his brother and his friends ran by. He really hated John and his loser friends. They thought it was funny to pick on those who were smaller than them. Peter being two years younger fit that description.

He had broken his arm a couple months ago playing soccer and got a small reprieve. His mother had actually seemed to care about him for once. He loved his mother but she was stretched too thin. After she left his dad, she had gotten a full-time job. Then Grandpa Jack got sick and she started to take care of him, and Grandmother Joan started drinking more. When Grandpa Jack died his grandmother started drinking even more.

His mom told him that his grandmother wasn't feeling well. He knew the truth though; his Uncle Brian had told him so. Uncle Brian had also told him that if Grandpa Jack or his dad hit him to call him. Grandpa Jack hit John once. It was only once because it was in front of Uncle Brian. John was eight and he was six at the time. They were playing in the house, he accidently spilled Grandpa Jack's beer.

John took the blame and the punishment, it was the last time they seemed to get along. Uncle Brian had just walked in the door, bringing Grandpa money when he saw the hit. John fell to the ground and Uncle Brian lost it. He told Grandpa Jack that if he ever hit them again he would be eating through a straw. It was after that Uncle Brian told him to call if it happened again.

After that their grandfather did his best to ignore them, which was a lot better than him yelling at them. But it seemed like after that John wanted to take out his anger on Peter. John had been their father's target too. It didn't matter how much John seemed to hate him, he always took the hit from their dad for him. He thought John was a lot like Uncle Brian. Uncle Brian didn't seem to like them and called them names but he always was there if they needed him.

He was about to run home when he heard something. It sounded like a whimpering dog. Looking around he spotted a box with a closed lid. He thought maybe a puppy was in there. Maybe his mom would let him keep it. He always wanted a dog, his dad didn't like them.

He opened the top of the box and his eyes widened. What he thought was a puppy was a baby. It wasn't very big but it wasn't small either. It looked familiar too, she was in a small pink dress. The dress looked familiar too.

"Oh my god," he whispered. He knew who the baby was. His mom had taken him to Uncle Brian's two weeks ago. She had found a pretty pink dress at a thrift store and wanted to give it to his uncle. She had told him that Brian's boyfriend had a little baby girl. His mom told him never to tell Grandma Joan about Uncle Brian being with a man.

His mom met Brian's boyfriend when he broke his arm. She dropped John off with Brian and Justin. John said that he kept making mean remarks to see what Uncle Brian would do. John said Brian got real mad but Justin, Brian's boyfriend sent him away. After that John got to help take care of the baby. Peter being jealous asked his mother to let him see the baby.

He had to wait until his cast was off though. So he finally got to see her two weeks ago. Justin let him hold her and he walked around their place with her. She liked him a lot. She giggled when he tickled her feet. He was smaller than most of his friends but was still able to pick her up with no trouble.

She was wearing the same dress his mother had gotten her, but it was dirty now. When he picked her up he could smell she needed a diaper change. He didn't know how she got out here all by herself but he knew his uncle must be beside himself. He was closer to his uncle's place than to any other place he could think that was safe. He started walking towards Tremont.

When his mother was at work they were supposed to stay at home. He never did because that was John's time to beat him up. He really hated his brother, but he knew that John would protect him from others like he did with Grandpa and his dad.

He softly talked to the Briana while he walked. She seemed upset when he first picked her up but then she calmed down.

Maybe she remembers me.

Carl had dropped him off at the loft and told him to rest. Brian curled up on the bed hugging Briana's stuffed alligator to him. She loved the damn thing, he was surprised the toy was still at Michael's after he let her go. It seemed all he had left of his family now. Justin was still missing and Briana was kidnapped.

He heard the intercom buzzing. Almost everyone he cared about had a key to the building. They didn't have one to the loft but they could get into the building with their key. He thought about ignoring it but became worried that it was Justin, running away from whoever took him.

Instead of asking who it was he just pushed the button for the lobby door release. Walking over to his fridge he pulled out a water bottle and drank half in one gulp. He knew he was dehydrated from all the vomiting. He waited and waited for the knock on the door. It didn't come, that made him wary.

Opening the door to his loft he looked out. The lift wasn't in use; it was still on his floor. Since Justin wasn't here it would stay there until someone visited him.

Just as he was about to shut the door, he heard footsteps on the stairs. He waited for the person to appear, he knew it wasn't Justin now because the man hated taking the stairs from the first floor.

The first thing he saw was a coat with thin arms wrapped around it. He blinked a couple times when his youngest nephew came into view.

"Peter?"

What the hell was Peter doing there?

The boy's face was red, and he looked tired and out of breath. Whatever he was carrying was too heavy for him to carry up all those stairs.

"Uncle Brian," the boy said, panting.

"What the hell are you doing here?" he questioned.

"I. Found. Briana," he panted.

"What?" he yelled. His yell startled the thing under Peter's coat. Then he heard something he thought he'd never hear again. Briana's wail.

He rushed to his nephew and practically ripped the crying bundle from his arms. Quickly, he removed the coat from her, needing to see her face. As soon as he saw bright blue eyes blinking up at him he thought he could breathe a little better. He wouldn't be able to fully breathe again until Justin was home with them.

Hugging her to him, he started to cry. An hour ago he was in the morgue getting ready to see her body. Now he had her in his arms, alive and well.

"Where did you find her?" he asked hoarsely.

"I was hiding from John behind the dumpster behind Morgan's Hardware. She was hidden in a box; it was beside the dumpster. I almost didn't recognize her but I remembered the dress."

Brian looked down at the dress and barely contained a laugh. The dress was hideous but Justin thought Claire had been very nice to get it for her. Justin had picked out the dress for her to wear yesterday but it was too cold. This morning Brian put it on her to make Justin happy when he came home, then everything went to hell.

The sound of her wheezing brought him out of his thoughts. It hadn't been as cool today as it was yesterday but the later it got the cooler it was. Deciding that she needed one of her breathing treatments he took her into his loft. He heard Peter follow him and try shut the door. It looked like the boy carrying the baby had sapped all his strength. Walking back over by the door he slid it closed.

He set up the breathing machine and put her medicine in.

"I think she needs to be changed first," Peter said. He was standing behind Brian looking at the machine.

"Right." Brian took her to her changing table and laid her down. He stripped her out of the ugly, filthy dress and took her diaper off. It was waterlogged and dirty. It looked like they hadn't changed her all day. Once her bottom was clean he noticed a rash. The diaper rash cream was almost out; he would have to get some from Justin's loft later.

After she was changed and her breathing medicine given to her, he fed her. She ate with gusto showing that she hadn't been fed either. It was then he noticed the time, almost eight at night.

"Where does your mother think you are?" he asked his nephew, who was lying down on the couch.

"She works until eleven, John won't dare call her. He'll be too scared to get into trouble for inviting his buddies over while she's at work. They're not very nice so I left for a while. I'm glad I did now," Peter said, smiling at Briana as she started to fall asleep. "I did good didn't I, Uncle Brian?"

Brian looked at the hopeful face of his nephew. The boy's face showed his want for approval.

"Yes, you did really good. I need to make some calls then I'll drive you home."

"I can walk."

"It's eight at night, your mother will castrate me if I let you walk home."

"She doesn't have to know."

"Ahh… and here I thought you weren't as much the devil spawn I thought you were." Brian sighed when the boy's face fell. "It was a joke, Peter. We both know it's John that is the devil spawn."

His nephew giggled and that strangely made him happy. He had never been close to Claire's kids. It was mostly because Claire wanted to keep in contact with their parents. He had walked in once to see his old man hit John when he was eight with a closed-fist. It took everything in him not the kill the man. He would be damned if his father's abuse went to another generation. After he had threatened his father, he told Claire that if he found out about that again he would call the cops.

His phone started ringing just as Briana started to nod off. Grumbling he got up and grabbed his phone off his bedside table. Taking Briana and laying her in the crib while he answered.

"What?" he said, annoyed someone was calling.

"Brian, I was calling to see how you are doing," Carl said.

"Okay."

"Okay?"

"I'd be better if Justin was here but at the moment I'm okay."

"Brian, we'll find both Justin and Briana," Carl said like he was talking to someone who had lost their damn mind.

"I know we'll find Justin. As for Briana, I'm holding her in my arms right now."

"What!" the shout came.

"Someone found Briana and knew who she was, so they brought her back."

"Are you sure this person isn't working for Daphne?"

"I'm positive, it's my ten-year old nephew."

"I'm eleven," Peter said from the couch.

"Excuse me, eleven-year old," he said rolling his eyes.

"I'm on my way to see her now. I'll need to question him."

Great. There was no way Saint Joan wasn't going to hear about this now.

"Fine," he snapped.

"Looks like you're stuck here for a little while more."

Peter smiled to himself, he liked it at Uncle Brian's. When he grew up he was going to be just like him. He was going to be rich, that way he could help out his mom. He was going to have a big place just like this and someone to love him and babies of his own. Really, he was going to have such a good life. All he had to do was get big enough to be able to fight John so he would stop beating him up.

Justin looked up when someone knocked on the door. Ethan and Tevye had left a little while ago. His heart was hammering in his chest when the door opened.

"Son-of-a-bitch," he growled.

"Now, Justin, is that anyway to talk about your dead mother," Craig Taylor sneered.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

"We're going to make a little arrangement, you give me my money, and I let you out of here…alive." The man he once thought was his father stalked closer to him. The man was much older than he remembered and not as intimidating. At one time in his life he would be cowering but that was the old Justin.

"I'm not making any kind deal with you. Fuck off."

"You fail to see the big picture here. You don't have a choice."

"That's where your wrong. I do have a choice. I'm not going to give you a dime. For one, I don't have the money and I won't for years. For another, I fucking hate you."

"Hate is such a strong word. I haven't even seen you in person since you were four."

"When you left me and my baby sister in a park known for drugs users and criminals."

"Stop being so dramatic. I just want my money."

"FUCK YOU!" Justin screamed. Every emotion he had kept bottled up for sixteen years was spilling out of him. Hate. Fear. Anger. Sadness.

He couldn't figure out what Ethan and Tevye were doing working with him. How they even got involved with him was a wonder. It all seemed so crazy. He pulled on the handcuffs again, wishing not for the first time that he wasn't naked.

"Well, I hoped I wouldn't have to do it this way. Getting my hands dirty really isn't my style. I asked dumb and dumber to bring you here after I found out you had been given money already from father's estate."

"It was money for school. It's nowhere enough that you will be happy to get. I don't get that money for years, just like I told you."

"Then you leave me no choice. I'll have to kill you. I'll get what's rightly mine then."

He wouldn't, it would go to Molly; he wasn't going to say that though. He wasn't going to have this crazed man go after his sister.

"Oh, and don't worry about your brat of a sister. Our friends Ethan and Tevye are taking care of her as we speak. You're old enough to sign your money over, she's not. It's easier just killing her."

"You touch her, and I'll kill you," he screamed, renewing his efforts to get out of the handcuffs.

"I'm shaking in my boots," Craig mocked.

Justin was about to start screaming again when he saw something being lifted over Craig's head. It crashed down, dropping the man to the ground. Justin couldn't see him but he suspected he was out cold.

His eyes locked on his savior. "How did you know I was here?" he asked.

"I've done something terrible," Daphne whispered.

"Get me out of these, we have to get Molly," he yelled.

"It's too late. It's all too late." Her look on her face was vacant of all expression.

"Daphne, get me out of here. I need to find Molly and Briana. Ethan… he and that psycho did something to Briana and are planning to kill Molly. I need to get out of here," he begged.

Daphne walked over to him, she looked like she was in a trance. She leaned down and pulled a key from Craig's hand and uncuffed him.

Searching the room, he finally found his clothes shoved into the closet. He was unable to find his shoes but that wasn't going to stop him. He needed to find his sister and daughter.

"Come on, Daph. We got to get out of here."

"I can't go."

Swinging around to look at her he noticed she hadn't moved. "Daphne?"

"I messed up."

"We can talk about that later; we need to go."

"I kill her, Justin."

"WHAT?"

"I killed Briana," she whispered, tears streaming down her face.

He couldn't believe what he was hearing. There was no way this could be true. No. Briana wasn't dead. She was just a baby. Who would kill a baby? Especially her own mother.

"No, you couldn't."

"I did. She didn't seem real. I couldn't think of her as a she or a baby. She was just this thing. This thing that I had to get rid of. I also killed Logan Jennings but I don't feel that bad about that. He was the one that actually broke her neck and got rid of her body."

Bile rose in Justin throat as he listened to her. He shook his head begging her to say that she was lying but one look at her he knew it was the truth.

"Why? Do you hate me this much?" he sobbed.

"Nothing makes sense anymore. I thought what I was doing was revenge. I thought you had left me there in that hell for over six months because you didn't care."

"I didn't know you were missing. You told me you needed time. I loved you and trusted you…more than anyone else in this world. How could you kill our daughter?"

"I just wanted to hurt you," she said brokenly.

"You succeeded. I would let you kill me now but I have to save Molly. Come back later and I'll let you, or just save you the trouble and do it myself." He felt numb.

"You can't," she sobbed. "You can't kill yourself."

"You've already killed me; you just don't know it. She was my world; I don't want to live in a place she's not."

"I'm sorry, she didn't seem real," she said again.

It was then Justin realized how truly sick she was. Her illness was so bad she saw Briana as a thing. Something that could be thrown away and that would be it. She was Daphne but she wasn't, her sickness had taken over.

"Let's go," he said, grabbing her arm. "Do you have your car?"

She nodded and handed him the keys. A groan from the floor made him remember Craig. Grabbing the handcuffs, he grabbed Craig's arms, and handcuffed him so he would have to lift up the leg of the bed to get away.

As he was picking up the phone he started to hear sirens. He didn't realize until they were right outside the door that they were coming to him. He had no idea how they knew he was there.

He opened the door just as the police started to get out of their car. He saw his father leading the pack.

As soon as his father was within reach he threw himself at him. He cried. Cried like he never had before. His daughter was gone. His life was over; he didn't want to live anymore. It was only his worry for Molly that calmed him.

Sniffling he tore away from his dad. "Molly's in trouble. Ethan and Tevye are going to kill her. They were working with Craig. It was all a set up. I don't know who all is involved but there must be a website or something because they were all working together."

"Molly's fine. Ethan and Tevye won't be a problem anymore," his father cooed.

"What? How?"

"Michael left Molly in charge of the comic book shop. They waited until they thought she was alone before they attacked. What they didn't realize is Michael got worried that he left her alone at the shop while everything was going on. He came back to see her fighting them off. She just got Ethan down when Tevye got the upper hand. The self-defense classes her and Debbie took paid off. Michael jumped over the counter and put the man in a headlock. He saved Molly. She returned the favor a minute later when Tevye got out of the headlock and tried to smash Michael's face in. She hit him in the head with the register. After a quick check at the hospital they were sent to the precinct."

Justin nodded his head, he was glad that Molly was safe. He felt better that his father would have Molly after he was gone.

Everything started to happen fast after that. Craig came around and started talking. Especially, when they started talking about the dead body of Logan Jennings. His dad was so busy he didn't notice Justin slipping out of the crowded hotel room.

Carl decided not to tell Justin about Briana at the moment. It would be better to tell him while he was holding his baby girl that she had been kidnapped. Looking around he saw that Justin wasn't there. Not that he blamed him. He was surprised when Daphne confessed to killing Logan. It wasn't until after Justin was gone that she started to confess to the murder of Briana. That was when Carl found out that Justin knew about her kidnapping and now was walking the streets thinking his child was dead.

Fuck.

Hours earlier

Logan walked out of the hotel room with the brat. She had told him to break her neck and dump her body…close so someone would find it soon. As he made his way from the hotel his conscious started to eat away at him. There was a lot of things he had done in his life that he regretted. Smacking Rachel around when she got mouthy. Letting her take away Samantha. He knew he wasn't a good person… but killing a baby. That he couldn't do, he had known that when she told him to kill it. That was why he said he was going to kill her where he dumped her. He had to get the baby away from Daphne.

When she first found him he thought it was a perfect solution. They had fun for the few days they were together in Florida. With Rachel gone he needed something busy to do. He was shocked when she told him about the baby. Allowing himself to hope he filed for a paternity test. But as the days went by he started to worry Justin would run with her.

The kidnapping went off without a hitch, but she wasn't his. It was clear when he looked at her. He remembered Justin from meeting him in Florida. That was when everything started to fall apart. Daphne didn't want to hold the baby; she didn't even acknowledge it was a baby. That was his first hint something about her wasn't right. Then she started going on about getting rid of the baby…as in killing it. So he played along, maybe after he dumped the baby he could get her into bed again. After that he was gone though, she was too crazy for him.

"Hey, loser!" someone shouted.

He looked up to see a bunch of kids taunting a smaller boy. He walked away towards the back of the building where the dumpster was. Just as he was contemplating what to do next he heard running coming at him. He quickly put the baby in a box by the dumpster and ran in the opposite direction than the footsteps. He just hoped going back to Daphne didn't bite him in the ass.

Brian was officially going out of his mind. First, he had been so relieved after Peter brought Briana back to him. Then he was able to worry about Justin. Not long after Carl came over to question Peter he got a call about a lead on Daphne and her car. He wanted to follow but he wasn't letting Briana out of his arms.

Claire left work early to come and get Peter. She was seething that Peter was out that late but actually happy that he was able to save Briana. Maybe she wasn't as bad as he thought. He gave Peter all the cash in his wallet and told the kid to hide it away for a rainy day. It was only four hundred dollars but to an eleven-year-old it was a fortune. If he was smart, he would make sure his brother never laid hands on it. John was king of the troublemakers.

He had been lucky when Claire needed someone to watch him that Justin had been there. Brian took off until the kid was gone, apparently John was okay with Justin as long as he could watch TV and drink soda. Justin did say that he helped out with Briana some, so maybe he wasn't all bad. He knew a lot of John's problems came from having an abusive father and grandfather. John had made it his responsibility to take the hits for his little brother.

It was something Brian knew a lot about. Any time he could he would be able to spare Claire a slap or punch. He wasn't always successful and that was where some of his guilt came from.

The worst punishment dear ol' Jack handed out wasn't to him. It wasn't to his mother either, and it had all been Brian's fault. It was one of the reasons he didn't get along with Claire anymore. Guilt. Every time he looked at her he saw what their father had done to her.

Brian was thirteen and Claire was fourteen. Joan had been out with her church group and Jack was off at the bar. They thought they were clear of both of the parents for most of the night. They were still at their old house; it was a two bedroom so they still had to share a room. Because they had the night free they decided to watch a movie together.

He had let Claire pick, and pretended to be mad at her choice. That was a total lie though because he liked some of the teen girl movies she picked out. He had never saw Blue Lagoon before, Joan didn't approve of that movie. Claire had borrowed the rented movie from her friend though. He was in his jogging shorts and t-shirt. Claire in her plain baby blue pajamas.

The movie started and he quickly started drooling over Christopher Atkins. He barely paid attention to Brooke Shields' almost nude body, it wasn't his thing. They munched on popcorn and enjoyed the movie. Unfortunately, halfway through he started to enjoy the movie a little too much.

Before he could cover his crotch with a pillow Claire saw. Being the older sister she was she started teasing him.

"Gross, Brian," Claire said giggling.

"I wasn't looking at him," Brian denied, praying that the floor would swallow him up. "I wasn't."

Claire looked at him funny before her face turned somber. "You can't tell Dad," she warned.

"I wasn't looking at him. I'm not a faggot," he said, repeating the word their father said with such hate.

"Brian, it's okay. You just can't tell Mom and Dad. Soon we'll both be out of here and then they can't hurt us."

"I wasn't looking at him. Shut your lying fucking mouth!"

She reached for his arm but he jumped up. In his haste he fell into the wall, knocking down Grandpa Kinney's Purple Heart and the case it was in off the shelf. The glass case shattered and the medal spilled out.

"Oh fuck," they both said in unison.

"I'm dead. He's going to kill me. He really will this time, Claire," he said trying not to panic.

"We'll clean it up. Maybe he'll be too drunk tonight and we can talk Mom into getting a new case tomorrow," Claire said, her face pale.

Just then they heard a car pull into the driveway. They knew it wasn't their mother's car, it was Jack.

"Go to our room and get in the closet. Don't come out," Claire ordered him.

He was torn, he didn't want Claire to get into trouble but he was scared his dad was going to kill him. He never hit Claire as hard as he hit him.

"I'll be okay, I promise." They heard keys in the door. "Go now," she hissed.

He did it, he ran like a coward and hid in the closet. It was a small house so he heard Claire take the blame. Then he heard as he beat the living hell out of her for disrespecting her dead grandfather. He silently cried in the closet long after the screaming and shouting stopped.

Once he heard his father's car start back up and drive away he left the tiny closet. He found Claire on the kitchen floor. Her entire face was bloody; her pajamas were covered with blood also. There wasn't a part of her that didn't get hit. What scared him the most was she wasn't even crying. She was just lying on the ugly linoleum, staring into space. He didn't touch her because he was scared he would hurt her worse.

When their mother got home she looked at Claire and demanded she clean herself up. Later his parents pulled them out of school and they moved. He found out later it was because her teachers started asking too many questions. Claire was never the same after that but he supposed he wasn't either. He never wanted that to happen to his nephews, no matter how much he disliked the older one.

He was dragged out of his head by the sound of the loft door opening. Daring not to hope he looked up. There stood Justin, he looked like death warmed over and didn't have shoes but there he was alive. He had been worried he would take drastic lengths because he thought Briana was dead.

"Justin," he said as he rushed over to the blonde.

"I only came here to tell you goodbye, you deserve that much," Justin said, brokenly.

"Where are you going, Sunshine?" he asked quietly. Afraid that Justin would disappear right in front of him.

"She's gone. I can't go on living without her."

"Justin…" he started to say before a loud baby's wail sounded through the loft.

Justin seemed to snap out of his daze and ran to Briana crib where she had been sleeping.

"What? I don't understand," he said as he scooped her up and covered her in kisses.

"You left before Daphne made her confession. It seems Logan had a little bit of a soul because he couldn't kill a baby. He left her outside behind a building but she was luckily found by a kid."

"I thought you were gone," Justin whispered to his daughter, they both were crying. Him out of joy and her because of the heaviness of her diaper.

"When you're ready I would like to hear about all what happened to you." He had heard a lot from Carl but wanted to hear it from Justin.

After Justin changed and fed the baby all three of them laid down on their bed.

"I never want to leave here," Justin said.

Brian knew he was talking about the bed and because of his exhaustion but he said what he had been thinking for a while. "Then don't. Move in."

Justin looked at Brian and saw the sincerity in his eyes. He knew his answer but he was unable to keep his eyes open any longer. He would just have to tell Brian yes tomorrow.

Epilogue

Brian wondered how he got himself talked into this mess. But he didn't have to wonder too much because he knew the answer. Briana. All his daughter had to do was look at him with those big blue eyes that are so much like her father's. She hadn't played fair either because she teamed up with her big brother and his other little sister.

Those three together were a troublesome trio. Gus was now six, Briana almost four and a half, and Jenny Rebecca just a month behind her. It was the beginning of summer and he had the great idea to plan a family vacation. The kids were officially big enough to really have a good time.

Unfortunately for him Briana had just watched a commercial for Disney World. It had been a losing fight after that. Gus quickly jumped on board and so did Jenny Rebecca.

So now they all were on a plane headed for Florida. Justin had bitched at him for wanting to fly first class. With as many people that were going with them, all flying first class was impossible. Brian really didn't want to get all the people first class tickets either. The whole point in flying first class was to get away from the riffraff's. He tried to talk Justin into flying with him but the twat wanted to be with his family, he was glad for that now. Like he wouldn't see them after a few hours of flying.

So now he was on his own in first class with every loud annoying person in economy. He wished he could enjoy it but he had too many things weighing down on him.

He was going to kill his husband. Really, the man was going to die a horrible death. Justin knew he shouldn't be that pissed off about Brian just wanting a quiet flight. The man worked hard so Justin could be a stay at home parent and paint.

After all the trouble he had with Craig Taylor he had decided when the money is released to him on his twenty-fifth birthday he was going to sign it all over to Molly. He didn't want anything to do with that money and she would need it. She planned to travel for the next several years. The girl had no want to settle down anytime soon. He didn't blame her; she was a free spirit.

A lot had happened in the four years since Briana's kidnapping. There had been good times and bad. The worst thing was when Brian and he split up for a time. It was only two months but the longest two months of his life. It had been coming for a while, surprisingly to everyone it was him that ended the relationship.

There was a lot of bad feelings Justin had after the kidnapping. It took a year for it all to explode. It was Brian who took the brunt of his anger. It was just after Daphne's trial ended. She was found innocent by reason of insanity. She was then placed in The Davidson Ingles Home. It was an institution but the best that money could buy. She was just now started to get better, though she doesn't remember almost the full year in question.

So for two months when Briana was a year old they lived separate. Briana cried wanting Brian to rock her to sleep. Justin was miserable and so was Brian. Justin had to suck up his pride and apologize. Brian took him back without one mean-spirited comment. He just took him back like they hadn't been apart.

After that they got a house together and moved in. It was huge. It was beautiful and everything Justin had ever wanted. Brian then surprised him with a marriage proposal. They got married two years ago. If someone had asked either of them five years ago if they would be happily married with kids, they would have laughed in their face.

"I don't understand why I can't share a room with Steven," Peter bitched, bringing Justin out of his thoughts.

Brian's nephew was now fifteen and very out and proud. He had convinced his mother and his boyfriend's mother to let his boyfriend, Steven, to come with them. Steven's parents shelled out so the boy could have his own hotel room. They were crazy if they thought Peter wasn't going to sneak into the room as soon as everyone went to bed.

Justin turned and looked at the sullen boy with his boyfriend trying to cheer him up. Then his eyes looked at everyone else on the plane. It was filled with family and friends. There was Michael and Ben who had J.R. sitting in between them. Hunter, their adopted son was behind them with his girlfriend. The boy had just turned eighteen, and was started college in the fall.

His eyes then went to his brother and his family. When they heard about the plan to go to Disney World they asked to go with them. They were paying their own way, they just thought it would be a fun family thing. Brian wasn't happy but said it was fine. Brian still had yet to forgive C.J. for how he had treated Justin when he was a child.

His sister and her husband were supposed to meet them there. They were flying in from Salt Lake City. Justin didn't think she'd have that much fun because she was five months pregnant and had a one-year old to carry around. She had been so excited to tell him about her son; this new pregnancy had been a surprise though.

He didn't realize how sad it made him until she told him about the new pregnancy. He didn't know how much he wanted another child until then.

"You know why," Claire said to her pouting son then rolled her eyes.

Claire had been the biggest surprise of all. After Peter had found and saved Briana, Brian had wanted to help the boy out more. He asked Claire if it was okay if Justin watched Peter after school because he didn't get along with John. She actually seemed grateful and Peter spent a lot of time with them.

Everyone was surprised when a few months later she asked Brian and him to go out to dinner with her and meet her new guy. She confessed to Brian that he was great at reading people and she wasn't. She didn't want to get into another abusive relationship. She also wanted someone who would be good to her kids. Because Brian didn't want the kids hurt he agreed.

That was when they met Chris Moffatt. He was a few years older than Claire and had two children also. Justin liked him, there was something different about him that he couldn't figure out. It wasn't until later that night Brian pointed out that Chris didn't have an Adam's apple. Brian confronted the man before they left. He didn't want the guy to lie to Claire. He was secretly a big protective softy.

Chris admitted to Brian that he was born a female. In fact, he had married and birthed his two children. After his divorce he finally got the guts up to make the change. His last surgery had been four years before Claire met him. Then he shocked the hell out of Brian and told him that he had told Claire.

Claire and Chris married six months after they started dating. Then they decided they wanted to have a baby. In the dysfunctional family hat trick Chris' ex-husband donated the sperm. Chris wanted his children related by blood. They got pregnant the first try. Claire gave birth to a little girl. Simone Lily was now sitting on his mother's lap jabbering about the flight. She was two now and a handful.

Debbie and his dad also wanted to come. They were going to use it as their honeymoon, even though they had yet to get married. Really the only people not on this plane were Emmett and Ted. Not having children or grandchildren, apparently made Disney World seem like hell on earth. Justin was sure Brian would agree.

"Papa, why is Daddy not riding with us?" Briana asked from beside him.

"Daddy works really hard all year long. He wanted to be able to relax on the flight."

"Then why aren't we riding up there with him. Daddy says he is happiest with us," she said with a sad pout.

"We could have but I wanted to be with the rest of our family. That's why we're back here."

"I just don't understand why he wouldn't want to be back here with us."

Briana was a daddy's girl. Everyone knew that Brian was her favorite person in the world. When she was a baby it made Justin a little jealous. As the years went by he started to see the humor in it. Like when she wanted Brian to sit and have a tea party with her. Justin was even able to sneak a picture of Brian in a red floppy hat. Brian threatened him with divorce if any other person saw the picture.

"I want Daddy to ride with us," Gus added.

"Daddy will be with us the entire time that we are in Disney World. I promise."

Once they all got to the hotel everyone went their own way. They were going to meet up for dinner but until then they were able to relax. Michael and Ben took J.R. with them and Gus went with Justin. Brian had told them he needed to make some business calls before he was able to relax with them. The truth was he needed a harder drink than he got on the flight. He knew he would have to be truthful and tell Justin what was going on sooner or later. But he was still adjusting to the thought.

A year ago, he had been diagnosed with testicular cancer. He had gone against his better judgement and told Justin then. After treatment and surgery, he finally went into remission. Six months. That's what he had, six months of happiness. Why couldn't it have lasted?

After he adopted Briana at the age of two everything had gone well. Justin had a small hiccup but they had worked through it. When Justin had asked Brian to take Briana to her doctor's appointment last week he growled about it. Justin had flown to New York to talk to a fellow artist. This one had seen Justin's work and wanted to book him in his showing. The artist thought they would both profit off the collaboration.

So he only worked half a day and picked Briana up at preschool. They were decorating the room for her graduation. He had been through the absurdity of preschool graduation when Gus had his own.

It was just a stupid physical that was needed before they signed her up for kindergarten. How the hell did he know the scariest thing in his life wouldn't be hearing he had cancer? No, it had been when the doctor told him that she was worried about Briana's low white blood count. He hadn't called Justin; he hadn't called anyone. He took her home and let her have ice cream for dinner. The next day he took her in for more in-depth testing. The doctor said he was almost positive it wasn't anything to worry about. He was only doing the test because her count was so low.

Brian wanted to cancel the trip to Disney World but knew Justin would question it. So he did what he did best, drank. The doctor was supposed to call with the results by four pm. That was four more hours of waiting for the damn phone to ring. He couldn't tell Justin the truth but knew he couldn't look at him and lie. So he kept quiet and stayed away from him as much as possible.

He couldn't even stand to look at his little girl at the moment. The thought of her going through all that pain, sickness and just horrible days. He was an adult and could barely handle it. She was a small child. He couldn't even think about his baby girl sick. Why wouldn't the damn doctor call already? The waiting was making him go insane. Hadn't she been through enough in her young life? It really was perfect for a whole day; he had just agreed to finding a surrogate because Justin wanted one more child. There would be no other child if she was sick. He couldn't do that; he didn't think he could do it if she was okay. Bringing another child into the world for him to worry about.

"I thought Daddy was going to spend time with us?" Briana whined. She had been like this for a few weeks. He suspected she was a little under the weather. She usually wasn't so whiny.

"Daddy had to do some work. That doesn't mean you, me and Gus can't do anything fun. How about we go to the pool?"

Both kids shouted and started jumping up and down. He had Gus' bag because he needed his clothes for dinner that night. He quickly changed himself and both kids into their swimsuits.

The kids danced, hopped and skipped along the way to the pool. He wasn't surprised in the least to see Michael and his family, C.J. and his family and his dad and Deb at the pool. His dad and Deb weren't in the water; they were in beach chairs watching the kids play. Ben had J.R. in the pool tossing her between him and Hunter while she giggled wildly. Michael was sitting on the edge of the pool with just his legs in the water, talking to Cathy, who was sitting beside him doing the same. C.J. and his kids were splashing each other ignoring Cathy's glare every time some water splashed on her.

It was a large hotel so there were other guests but surprisingly not as many as he imagined there would be. He didn't worry too much about the kids getting in the pool. He would watch them of course but they both could swim well. Hunter had taught all three of the kids, and he was a drill sergeant about it. Brian had laughed at all the rules he had put on two three year olds and one five-year-old at the time. But they all had to hand it to the kid, he knew how to teach them. All three were confident swimmers.

Both Gus and Briana swam over to Hunter and Ben, wanting in on the game they were playing. Just as he was about to sit his phone down and jump in with them, it rang.

"Hello."

"Justin, I need to talk to you." It was Brian and he sounded like he was crying.

"Of course, let me see if Michael or Cathy could watch the kids. Where are you?"

"In the hotel bar." Why the hell was he there? They had just gotten here for their vacation. He shouldn't need to get hammered.

"I'll be there soon," he said before disconnecting.

He walked over to where Michael and Cathy were sitting. "What's up?" Michael asked smiling at him.

It was his friendship with Michael that surprised him the most. When he and Brian got together Michael had been less than pleased. He kept his mouth shut for the most part because he was scared of his mother. Over the years though Michael became a real friend and even better brother. It all had started with his saving Molly, and her saving him. They had a special relationship that Justin was sometimes jealous of, but he knew Michael was still sometime jealous of his with Brian. Jealousy was just a part of life; it was what you did with it that really mattered.

"Can you guys watch the kids for me? I need to talk to Brian."

"Is everything alright?" Michael asked.

"I'm not sure, but that's what I'm going to find out."

"Sure, we'll watch them," Cathy added.

Justin left the pool area and went back to his room. There was no way he was walking into the hotel bar in his swim trunks. Brian was funnily enough very jealous of guys seeing a lot of Justin's body. And drunk Brian was downright a caveman. He had learned that on their honeymoon.

His dad and Deb kept Briana for the week while there were in Crete, Greece. They stayed at the best bed and breakfast and planned to spend lots of time on the nude beach. That all went to hell when the first guy hit on Justin. Brian practically dragged him back to the B&B and wouldn't let him leave, not that Justin was complaining. Five days of sex with Brian just coming out for food was amazing.

Justin saw Brian as soon as he walked in the bar. He was leaning over the bar saying something to the bartender who was shaking his head. As Justin got closer he could hear the conversation.

"Buddy, I'm sorry but I have to cut you off. Either head to your room or I'll have to call hotel security."

"It's not like I'm driving anywhere," Brian snapped.

"It's okay, I've got him now," Justin said to the bartender when it looked like he was reaching for his phone. "Come on, Brian. Let's go sit down over there." He pointed to a quiet corner. "Can you make us some coffee?" he asked hopefully.

"Sure, just get him to settle down."

"I will, thank you."

Justin led Brian over to the corner and sat him down on the chair. That was when Brian broke down crying. No matter what Justin did he couldn't calm Brian down. He took a to-go cup of coffee and took the sobbing mess back to their suite. That was the hardest part because it was on the tenth floor but they made it.

As soon as he got Brian on the bed the man passed out. Justin sent a quick text to Michael to have Lindsay and Mel get the kids. They loved Briana so he knew they wouldn't mind.

Justin sat down on the bed and waited for Brian to wake back up. The girls came to get Gus' bag and he sent Briana's with them. He told them he would come get her before bed but didn't think they would make it for dinner. He guessed they saw how frazzled he was so they told him to just get her in the morning, the kids would love the sleepover anyway. He wasn't so sure because it was a strange place but he really needed to find out what was wrong with Brian.

Two hours after Brian passed out his phone started ringing. Justin knew he shouldn't answer but was worried it was work. Brian was in no condition to deal with them at the moment.

"Hello, Mr. Kinney?" a professional female voice asked.

"This is his husband Justin Kinney," he told the person.

"Oh Mr. Kinney, I'm glad to get to talk to you. This is Dr. Stevens. When I talked to your husband about the need to retest Briana he seemed to start jumping to conclusions. I tried to get him to understand it's just standard procedure when we get abnormalities in blood work."

Justin tried to follow what was being said but he was lost. "What are you talking about, Dr. Stevens?"

"When Mr. Kinney brought Briana in for her physical her white blood cells were low. Really low, it was so low that she should have been very sick. Since she wasn't, I thought there must have been a mix up in the lab. I had Mr. Kinney bring her back in to retest. I had to tell him why but he seemed to think it couldn't be a mix up. He was convinced Briana was going to die. I told him that wasn't true, even if she was sick we would have options. But I don't think he was listening to me."

"Briana's sick?" Justin asked. No, she couldn't be, she was fine. She might have a little summer cold but that was it.

"That's why I'm calling. I had her blood ran twice. Not only are white cell count fine but she is fine. There is nothing wrong with her. I knew how upset Mr. Kinney had been so I put a rush on it."

His heart slowed down to a normal speed again. "Thank you, Dr. Stevens, I'll let him know." After I kill him.

How dare he keep this a secret from him. They were in a this together. Briana was their daughter. Brian was going to get it just as soon as he convinced the stupid man that their daughter was perfectly fine. It didn't stop him from wanting to run to Lindsay and Mel's room to hug his little girl to him though. But that would have to wait until after he talked to his pig-headed husband.

The room was dark when Brian opened his eyes. He looked over to the window with a view he paid a mint to have. It was also dark outside. It took him a minute to recognize the pounding in his head. He had hadn't drank so much in years, and was now paying for it.

"Look who's awake."

Brian sat up too quickly and instantly regretted it. "What the hell, Sunshine?" he grumbled.

"What?

"What happened?"

"Oh let's see. First, my husband kept a huge secret from me about our daughter's health." Brian cringed. "Then instead of coming clean he drank himself into a stupor rather than tell the truth. I had to find out about all of this from the doctor."

"Doctor? The doctor called? What did she say?" Brian felt like throwing up, and it had nothing to do with the alcohol.

"She's fine asshole. There was a mix up in the lab the first time. She ran her second labs twice."

Tears prickled Brian's eyes. He remembered the doctor telling him something like that must have happened. But he had been too upset to listen, he just jumped to the worst case scenario.

"Where is she?"

"Well seeing it's six in the evening, I think she is at dinner with the family."

"Shit."

"Can you at least tell me why you kept it a secret?"

Brian didn't know how much he should tell Justin. Finally, he decided the man needed the truth. "I thought we were going to lose her. I thought if I told you it would be real. I just couldn't face up to it yet. Please, don't leave me."

"Leave you. Why would I leave you?"

"Because, I lied."

"Yes, and I'm pissed as hell. But I love you more than I am mad. This can't happen again, Brian. From now on I want the full truth okay."

"I understand. I need to tell you something now though."

"What?"

"I don't want another kid."

Justin felt like someone punched him in the chest. He couldn't believe after the emotional roller-coaster today had been that Brian was now taking away his dream for another child.

"Why?"

"Because, I don't want another kid. Is that so hard to understand." Brian sounded angry now so Justin decided to drop it.

Brian showered and quickly left the hotel room. Justin couldn't describe it but he knew there was no going back now. Things had been forever changed between them.

His cell phone started to ring. When he saw who it was he thought about not answering. But he was foolish and weak.

"Hello."

"Justin, I didn't know if you'd answer. I miss you."

"You need to stop calling. I told you to never call me again. It was just sex. Brian and I have rules and I'm on the border of breaking them. I've already betrayed my family. You're married, I'm married; it was a mistake. It should have never happened in the first place."

"We're in the same hotel. We're in the same family, we have to see each other sometime."

"What do you mean?"

"Your wonderful sister invited me and Keona to come with them. I didn't want to hurt my dear brother's wife's feelings."

Justin hadn't known that one of his tricks had been his brother-in-law's brother. In truth Justin didn't really want to trick but it was something Brian hadn't given up completely. Justin hated the way family looked at him. He started to trick again last year just so people wouldn't pity him. They had rules though. No names. No numbers. No kissing. He hadn't broken any of those rules but Calvin brought his new wife to meet his brother and his brother's family. That had been two months ago and Calvin had yet to stop calling Justin.

He knew he should be truthful with Brian after their no more lies. He couldn't find himself to do it though. Brian had just broken his heart.

"So what are you doing tonight?" Calvin purred.

"Nothing." Sulking.

"Come to my hotel room then. It'll be fun, Keona is eating dinner with everyone."

"I can't."

"You sound down. Why don't you come over and we'll just talk? You sound like you need a friend."

Justin's only excuse was his shattered heart. He knew he should stay in his own hotel room or go to dinner with his family. Instead he found himself going down to Calvin's room. Halfway there he realized what he was doing. He was going to throw his marriage away if he did this. Right now he still had yet to break their rules, if he walked into that room that would be trashed. Instead of hitting the fifth floor button where Calvin was he hit ground floor where the restaurant and his family were.

"Sunshine, about time you got here," Brian said wrapping his arms around Justin's waist.

"Sorry, I got a little lost. But I found my way here."

The End.