Michael glanced furtively around Liberty Ave., hoping none of his friends were close by, or anyone else that might recognize him. He didn't recognize anyone, but nearly everyone, even people he didn't know, knew that he was Brian Kinney's best friend. However, it was late, so most of the people that might recognize him were already in the clubs or at Woody's.

He wasn't completely sure he wanted to be here, but he had been struggling with this decision for several days; ever since he had watched that psychic on late night TV over a week ago. The show had stirred a memory from a few years ago and it had been bothering him more and more as each day passed.

Looking back to the door in front of him, Michael hesitated for only a second before he grabbed the handle firmly and pushed inside.

The interior was dark and cool; full of varying scents that he was unable to name, but recognized all the same. Closing the door carefully behind him, Michael ventured further inside.

"Hello?" he called out.

There was a long moment of silence. Just as he was about to call out again, a deep, disembodied voice caught him off guard.

"I've been expecting you."

"Shit!" Michael muttered under his breath, his hand pressed to his chest. He felt his heart beating rapidly and drew a deep breath to calm it.

There was a movement to his left, drawing his attention. A boney, long fingered hand with long red nails appeared through the beads hanging in the doorway, beckoning him to enter the darkened room beyond.

"Uhm…"

"Do you finally want the name of your one-true love?" the deep voice asked.

Unable to speak, Michael swallowed hard and nodded.

"Then come this way."

Cautiously Michael moved forward, passing through the beads to join Mysterious Marilyn in the darkened recess of the shop.

The only light in the room came from a multitude of candles of varying shapes and sizes. In the center of the room was a table with two chairs. And in the center of the table sat a Ouija board.

Sitting in her high-backed elaborately carved wooden chair, Mysterious Marilyn motioned for Michael to take the chair across the table.

Michael slowly sat in the chair and waited for instructions.

Mysterious Marilyn looked closely at Michael. She saw the fear in his eyes.

"Don't you worry, sweetie. Everything will be just fine."

After adjusting her shawl, Mysterious Marilyn placed her hands over the board and said, "Now, place your fingertips on the planchette."

"The what?" Michael asked with a frown, showing his confusion regarding the unfamiliar word.

"The indicator, honey. Like this," she said and placed her fingertips on the planchette that was resting on the board.

"Oh," Michael whispered and did as instructed.

"Are you ready?"

Michael nodded. "Yes."

After a brief moment the planchette began to move.

"B-R-I…"

~*~*~*~

Michael burst through the front door of his house, startling Ben who was working at the dining room table.

"Michael! What's wrong?" Ben stood up to catch his husband as Michael nearly threw himself at Ben.

"I need to see your passport! Where's your passport?" Michael shouted breathlessly.

Confused by his husband's actions, Ben replied, "It's in the small lockbox in the den with all the other important papers. Why?"

Michael ran to the den, grabbed the lockbox from the top shelf and ran back to the dining room.

"Where's the key?! Where's the key?!" he demanded.

"It's where it always is, Michael. In the kitchen drawer next to the fridge," Ben answered, worry beginning to seep into his tone.

Retrieving the key from the drawer, Michael rushed back to the table and quickly opened the lockbox. Searching through the stack of papers, he finally found their passports. Throwing his back into the box, Michael clutched tightly to Ben's.

"Michael?" Ben said cautiously, watching as Michael's knuckles began to turn white. "Tell me what's going on. Please!"

Slowly Michael opened the passport book. He gazed at the name printed on the page next to Ben's picture. His shoulders dropped as he slumped heavily into the chair next to him.

"Michael?" Ben tried once more to get his partner's attention.

"I went to see Mysterious Marilyn," Michael began.

"Mysterious Marilyn? Why?" Ben asked quietly.

Michael looked down at the passport he still held. "I just… I wanted to know the name of my one-true love."

Ben's eyes opened wide, and he started to smile, but quickly stopped when he saw how devastated Michael seemed to be.

"What did she tell you?"

"It's not you."

"What?!" Ben nearly shouted, startling Michael slightly. "Sorry."

Michael nodded and tossed the passport on the table.

"I saw this TV show the other night, and it reminded me of something that happened a few years ago and it's been bugging me ever since, so I went to see Mysterious Marilyn to get the answer I needed, but she didn't give me the answer I wanted." Michael looked up at Ben.

"So, if I'm not your one-true love, then who is?" Ben asked.

Michael frowned and looked away.

"Don't tell me! It's not Brian, is it?" Ben looked closely at Michael and was surprised when the man actually chuckled.

"No, no. It's not Brian." Michael shook his head and smiled.

"Well, who is this mysterious person? Anyone you know?" Ben asked. He didn't truly believe in psychics but he had seen a lot of strange things through his travels.

"It's some guy named Brighton. Can you believe it? Who names their kid Brighton?" Michael picked up Ben's passport again and was turning it over and over in his hands.

"Actually, my parents," Ben said softly.

Michael jerked his head up to look at Ben. The other man had a look of utter shock on his face. "What?!"

"Yeah." Ben said, his eyes were still wide and his face had an ashen color to it.

"But your passport says your name is Benjamin. If your parents named you Brighton, why does your passport say Benjamin? And why does everyone call you Ben?"

Ben swallowed then cleared his throat. "That's because it matches my birth certificate."

"Huh?" Michael said. "I don't understand."

"When I was born, the clerk at the hospital filled out the birth certificate wrong. My full name is actually Brighton Benjamin Bruckner. But she switched my first and middle name and no one noticed it until I started school. By then it was just too much of a hassle to change it since I went by Ben anyway."

"Why did everyone call you Ben if your name was Brighton?" Michael asked.

"They never intended to call me Brighton. My parents gave it to me to satisfy my maternal grandfather, Brighton Sedwick."

They sat quietly contemplating the evening's events for a few minutes.

Suddenly Michael jumped up, knocking his chair over in the process.

"Holy shit!" he shouted.

"Michael?" Ben watched his partner as he began to bounce excitedly.

"Ben! Don't you see what this means?" he demanded with joy.

"What?!"

"You're my one-true love!!!" Michael grabbed Ben by the biceps and literally pulled the bigger man from his chair.

Ben wrapped his arms tightly around Michael, lifting him off the floor and spinning him around as both men laughed.

Once they had both calmed down, they moved into the living area and cuddled on the couch.

"I've got to call Emmett and Ted; tell them the good news," Michael said, still giddy with happiness.

"Not Brian?" Ben asked with a smirk.

"Hell no." Michael shook his head. "He'd just laugh at me and tell me how pathetic I am for going to Mysterious Marilyn in the first place."

"That reminds me," Ben said thoughtfully.

"What?" Michael asked as he watched Ben's expression change.

"What was it that happened a few years ago that made you want to find out your one-true love's name?" Ben asked with genuine curiosity.

Michael laughed. "Well, it all started when a twink ran away to New York…"

The End.