CHAPTER ONE

HOW DID YOU GET HERE?

Michael's POV

Shit! What a night already... and it's not even near over. I called David and told him what happened. He was sympathetic to Justin, which I loved but critical of Brian- a fact that I hate. I'll admit that I tried to stop him from going into that fucking toddler and twink fest but he wouldn't listen.

"Are you fucking crazy, Brian?"

"I must be, Mikey, because I'm going in there if for no other reason than to make a bunch of heteros piss their pants at watching two fabulous fags dance."

"What kind of guilt trip did that fucking kid lay on you? You know there's going to be trouble, Brian."

"I swear, Michael, sometimes talking to you is like having a conversation with Ted...or fucking David for that matter- all prudish and etiquette bullshit. What kind of trouble could he and I get into? It's not like this is Babylon so we'll keep it clean."

He left me standing there in front of the entrance. I debated with myself, whether to stay or leave. I mean, I had done what I'd gone there to do which was talk some sense into Brian. But my curiosity got the best of me. Justin was about to receive a gift, one Brian and I never even dared go after for ourselves.

He was about to dance with the person he'd wanted to dance with at one of the most important events of his life. The fact that it was Brian Kinney- well that would just be the icing on his cake. I'll admit that I was jealous watching them glide and turn over the ballroom floor as if they owned it. And in a way, they did. No one else danced as they did, no one moved as they did. I glimpsed several faces as Brian and Justin took to the floor.

Most were smiling and mesmerized like Justin's fag hag Daphne, some were envious and even jealous while looking on but there was one filled with... hate and jealousy. I wondered what that was about at the time and God how I wish I didn't know what it was about now. After the dance ended and Brian kissed Justin in front of the entire senior class of Saint James Academy, I followed them out to the parking garage. They were laughing and smiling; goofing around and dancing. I had never seen Brian act like that and it was all due to that kid. He never smiled at me like that.

He actually looked genuinely...happy. The hazel eyes I'd loved for more than half my life sparkled as did the blue ones of Justin. They practically glowed and Justin looked to be vibrating with excitement. I know the kid had a tough year so to see him like that and to know Brian was the cause of it gave me a look into their relationship that no one had ever seen- that no one could see. It was brief and short-lived but it was there.

When they disappeared on the driver's side of the jeep, I turned to go back to my own car. I had a plane to catch; David was waiting for me. And that's when it happened... when I heard the crash of what I now know to be a wooden bat hit the concrete floor- the thump of the crumbling and unconscious twink; the voice of my best friend pleading and praying for Justin to wake up. I ran back as fast as I could and the scene that greeted me... Oh God, there was so much blood, the white silk scarf Brian had given Justin was covered in it. I watched as Brian gently took it from around the boy's neck and apply it to the head wound as he stretched his legs underneath Justin's head.

Fumbling with my phone, I dialed 911 hoping just like Brian that help would be forthcoming. Honestly from what I knew about bashings and crimes against gays in the past, I was doubtful but ultimately relieved when I saw the ambulance pulling into the parking garage moments later. I guess being from the Country Club set has its priviledges. I told Brian that I would see Daphne home and call everyone, which I did after getting over my own shock. Daphne wanted to come to the hospital but her parents wanted her home first.

I guess they needed to hear the first hand account of what had happened- well as much as she could give anyway. By the time I arrived at the hospital, Justin was already in surgery and Brian was sitting outside the doors... alone. I'd very rarely ever seen Brian cry and never over a trick. I guess that was the moment I realized that Justin Taylor was more than we all thought, more than the trick who wouldn't go home and certainly more to Brian than we ever thought he could or should be. If the situation wasn't so serious, I would probably laugh and tease him about the fact that the man who doesn't- or didn't rather- believe in love or relationships was well and truly caught in the twink's snare.

As for me, I still can't believe what's happened, that just a bit ago I saw Brian and Justin happy and smiling... that now I'm sitting here consoling Brian as best I could which really isn't much. He hasn't spoken yet and I'm worried about what it could mean. Usually if Brian is blowing up at you, all is right in Brian's world but he's quiet. Too quiet. I wish I could have talked him out of going in there; that he would have listened to me but I know now it was something he needed to do for himself.

Something he needed to do for Justin.

Part of me really wants to blame Justin for what happened to him but I know I can't. He was no more responsible than Brian was for Chris Hobbs grabbing a bat and fucking bashing his brains in. And yet all I can do is be outraged on Brian's behalf. I know he's going to catch shit for this and that he'll self-medicate as he always does. If Justin dies... NO! I won't think of that because Brian definitely won't survive that outcome.

~BJBJBJBJBJBJBJBJBJBJBJBJBJBJBJBJBJBJBJ~

Emmett's POV

I can't fucking sit still; I don't know how Brian is managing to do so. He's as still as a fucking statue and as white as a ghost yet all I can do is pray right now. I can only go by what Michael told me which was brief and short- which when you think of it was a miracle because Michael usually rambles about the serious or upsetting things in life and this falls into both of those categories. But I'm worried about Justin AND Brian. He hasn't said a word, just keeps watching the door. I've never seen him look so forlorn or full of despair. He's usually so larger than life and take charge that it's disconcerting to see him so out of his depth like this. Except for the tear tracks leaving salt marks on his handsome visage, he's stoic and resolute as if he's expecting the worse possible outcome to be announced at any moment. For a man who is used to living in the solution and not the problem, his innate stillness is causing me great concern.

Not many know it but Justin and I have grown pretty close over the last few months he's become one of us. He and I have a lot in common between daddies who abandoned us and being bullied for who we are. It gave me a sense of pride that when Justin couldn't talk to Brian, he could talk to me. I understood him in so many more ways than the rest ever could. What's funny is that he is a mixture of both Brian and I in terms of personality. He can be sympathetic but he can also be ruthless. I think I'm the only one of the entire group who knows how and why Brian was able to retain his job at Ryder. Justin told me what he did regarding Kip Thomas and made me promise not to tell a soul. I in turn told him that I would keep his secret and it's a vow I will never betray. It proved two things I have suspected since the night he stood up to his father: Justin Taylor is a survivor and he loves Brian Kinney with all his sweet heart. What is most surprising is that based on Brian's actions over these past nine months and even now as we sit and wait, is that the feeling is mutual. Yeah, Brian might fight like hell to keep it under wraps but I know that he loves Justin in a way he has never loved Michael or Lindsey and never will.

God, hey it's me Emmett Maurice Honeycutt. I know I haven't talked to You everyday or as much as I should have and I may not have any right to do so now. But please let Baby make it out of this. He deserves a life, a chance to live his life. He's suffered so much more than anyone knows except You and me. Make this alright for him... and for Brian. Amen.

~BJBJBJBJBJBJBJBJBJBJBJBJBJBJBJBJBJBJBJBJBJ~

Ted's POV

Okay. So I admit it. I wasn't a Brian and Justin fan in the beginning. I thought Brian was playing with fire; that he was twisting the innocence of the young twink and using him as a back-up plan and the kid was too dumb and desperate to see or know that. I'm not too big or too blind to admit that I was wrong. Over the last months I've seen the tenacious twink take down Brian's walls little by little and bit by bit; he made the most unfeeling man I've ever met care. I would never have believed it except that I'm sitting here witnessing the evidence of that caring. I mean, Brian Kinney went to the boy's prom for God's sake. He took him in, gave him a place to stay and to watch their interaction when they think no one's looking, there's no way this has just been about sex. I don't think I've ever witnessed Brian so protective as I did that night outside Woody's when Justin outed the football jock who is the cause of all this. Or as jealous as when Justin won the ‘King of Babylon' contest a few weeks ago. Or as possessive as when someone other than him, touches Justin even for an innocent hug. It's like Justin calls up every instinct Brian has managed to keep hidden from the rest of us mere mortals- even Michael and Lindsey.

I keep hoping for all our sakes, but especially Brian and Justin's, that this is some collective nightmare which we'll all wake up from soon. First Blake's defection and now Justin's bashing, there just seems to be no shortage of bad news tonight. I know that as soon as word comes, Brian will be back to his old pain management techniques and that is most certainly not good. If Justin doesn't pull through this, there will be no saving him. I remember what it was like when I woke up from my coma. After I'd gotten out of the hospital, Brian had asked why I made him my power of attorney and medical proxy. I told him because he was a heartless shit and that he could pull the plug and wouldn't cry; that he would know when it was time to go. What will happen to him if he has to make those same decisions regarding Justin? I shudder to think what it will do to him.

He hasn't taken his eyes off that door, refusing food and drink as he sits and waits. I wonder if he's praying or compartmentalizing what may be expected of him. I wonder if he's bargaining with a God he doesn't wholeheartedly believe in for his lover's life. Yeah...Justin is his lover no matter how much Brian tries to deny to the contrary. Sometimes, I think Justin is the only one who does or could love Brian Kinney. Is that harsh to say in a moment like this? Probably but it doesn't make it any less true. Brian is a hard man and it takes an equally driven man to get through to him. Justin Taylor has been that man since night one. Emmett and I have talked about it. Michael and Lindsey refuse to see or acknowledge it. Deb and Vic, I believe, sees it and Melanie abhors the idea of it but it's obvious to those of us on the outside looking in- or those of us without scales on our eyes anyway. I know that Brian didn't approve of me and Blake but he was willing to keep his opinions to himself and allow me to live my own life as I saw fit. He didn't verbally judge my choice or chasten me as Michael and Emmett did regardless of their intentions. In this moment, I may not have agreed with Brian going into Justin's prom and may not have agreed with the relationship as a whole, but I'm proud to say I gave him the same courtesy especially now. And no matter the outcome of this, I'm relieved to know that he knew love in its purest form because whether I like Brian most days or not, he deserved it.

~BJBJBJBJBJBJBJBJBJBJBJBJBJBJBJBJBJBJBJBJBJ~

How did you get here?

Nobody's supposed to be here

I've tried that love thing for the last time

My heart said No no nobody's supposed to be here

But you came along and changed my mind*

Brian's POV

There's quite a lot to be said right now but I... I just can't. Everyone keeps asking me what happened but I can't bring myself to speak of it. If I do, it will make this seem all too real. Which it is. But I don't want it to be. I never should have left him; never should have been there. I...I...I... I keep wondering how I came to care so much, how I came to want to make him happy, why I had to see that smile tonight that has brightened my days even when I didn't want it to- the smile that bathed my usually dark world in its brightness, the one that I've seen in the best of my dreams and now will be ingrained in my nightmares. Fuck! Why did I just have to see it?

When he first asked if I would go to this stupid prom with him, my answer was quick, efficient and a resounding ‘no.' I thought his brand of insanity was somehow hereditary and he was only just now showing signs of being crazy. But that's Justin- daring. Bold. Courageous to the point of being reckless; me in little blond boy twink form. Last night while we laid in bed, he told me all about his and Daphne's plans for tonight. He was so animated and vibrant with the biggest smile on his face and high on life. He said again that he wished he could take me but that he understood why I said no even if it hurt; that he loved that I was trying to protect him. Hmpf... some fucking job I did of that. It's because of me that he's in there fighting for his life and I'm sitting here covered in his blood. That asshole, Chris, who Justin always thought of as a closet case bashed him with a baseball bat as I ran to try to stop the madness from happening but I was too fucking late. Luckily, Mikey hadn't gone far after I went inside to dance with Justin, otherwise I don't know what I would have done. I'm already a bowl of jello inside waiting and willing him to wake the fuck up. The doctors haven't come out to speak to me yet. I'm not even sure they will although I'm down on record as his partner, a fact that none of the family knows other than Ted and Jennifer. It was the only way I could add him to my insurance until Jennifer was able to get her own separate from Craig and reclaim him as a dependent. Once he turned eighteen, Craig decided that if Justin wanted to live as a man, a gay man, then he should do so without his help or acknowledgment at all. So he got Melanie to file emancipation documents for him since he was still in school. Those papers freed his parents of any obligation towards him. The fact that Justin decided he was not going to Dartmouth made the transition easier to sever all ties with Craig.

I keep trying to figure out how I got to this point. I want to say that there is no exact time and space when I started to care but the truth is I think it started the night after we fucked for the first time. He had come to the Loft just wanting to ‘talk.' I was trying to kick get his little tenacious ass to leave before my trick arrived. Mr. Good Fuck arrived while we were arguing and I finally made him leave. But then the strangest thing happened... the older trick was sticking up for the younger trick. Go fucking figure that one but anyway I told Justin that I didn't believe in love, I believed in fucking and gave him the whole speech then told him that if a relationship was what he wanted then to find a nice girl and to get married. He said he wanted me and I'll be damned because I wanted him too but I wasn't going to fucking admit it. He was too young for me- well at least that's the reason I gave. The truth of it is something I would never admit to anyone aloud... not even Justin. I tried to stay away from him, I really did but that first night at Babylon when he took my tricks and I took him home again, I knew I was fucked. I had broken my own rule: Never the same trick more than once. That was technically the third time, if one was inclined to count the best shower fuck I'd had in more than a decade. While I'm sitting here waiting for fucking news that I want but don't really want at the same time, I want nothing more than to be able to tell him that; want nothing more than for him to hear it and nothing more than to see the look in those blue, blue eyes looking at me again. Fuck! I hate waiting but that's all that's left to do right now.

So I placed my heart under lock and key

To take some time, and take care of me

But I turn around and you're standing here*

All the fucking memories keep assailing me. The night we met and Gus' birth; our first shower fuck; the night after we met; him stealing my two tricks and then making me want him the first night he stepped foot into Babylon; the first of many times at Deb's; our hotel room fuck in New York; the conversations we've had that had nothing to do with sex; his reaction to me possibly leaving- all these fucking representations and more keep replaying in my mind giving me the clearest pictures of what he's added to my life thus far. It can't be over... it just can't fucking be over. Our story isn't finished; we aren't done.

Fuck! Wake up, Sunshine. Please, please, PLEASE wake up!

CHAPTER TWO

WHAT DREAMS MAY COME

The Longest Night

Late at night when all the world is sleeping

I stay up and think of you

And I wish on a star

That somewhere you are thinking of me too*

Justin's POV

I feel so fucking strange. Like I'm here but not here. I'm not sure what the fuck is going on. I remember everything but feel like something is missing. Maybe that missing something explains the pain in my head...I don't know.

What I do know is that I asked Brian to my prom and he said no. I'm not sure how I feel about that. I'm not sure how he feels in general. He acts like he loves me one minute; the next second like I'm the biggest nuisance on the planet. He gets pissed when someone's touching me but gets off when I'm fucking someone else.

I mean like what the fuck?!

As soon as I get out of my own head, I'm going to ask him. If I get out of my own head. And what the fuck am I doing wherever the fuck I am? What the hell is that beeping noise and why are people touching me? Where the hell is Brian?

Brian?

BRIAN!!!!!!

Help...

Cause I'm dreaming of you tonight

Til tomorrow I'll be holding you tight

And there's no place in the world I'd rather be

Then here in my room dreaming about you and me*

Brian's POV

Michael, Emmett, Ted, Debbie and Vic...they're all here. Daphne came in just a little while ago. And Jennifer. She's the only one other than the doctor I've spoken directly to. Craig was here but he left.

Instead of worrying for his only son, he was hellbent on berating me. If I wasn't so tired or if I didn't feel that he was right to a degree, I would have punched his fucking lights out! I know that would've made Justin happy to an extent. As for Jennifer, she's quiet, same as me and sticking close. I guess I have a little comfort in that...at least for now.

The trouble is I don't know what she's thinking other than the panic we all feel right now. I've asked her if she needed anything and her response was just for me to sit with her. It would be funny if the situation wasn't so serious. During our ice cream kisses, when Mikey and I were on the outs, Justin had told me that she didn't totally hate me and that I was too skinny. I wonder if that's true now since I'm the reason Justin got bashed.

If I could have just stayed away... 

But I couldn't, could I?

They wheeled him in about two hours ago. According to the doctor they won't know the extent of Justin's Traumatic Brain Injury until he wakes up. Dr. Mueller said that it could be that all of his memory has been affected or none at all. The mind is a tricky thing, he said. Fuck! I just want him to wake the hell up!

As I'm watching him crash through the windows again for the third time since they brought him back, I can't help but to feel sorry and fucking helpless- like I should have told him instead of just showing him how much he means to me. The little fucker grew on me in a matter of nine months. No matter how much distance I pushed him away, he always came back; turning up like a Canadian penny not accepted in the U.S. He just kept trying and I kept fighting. Push, pull.

It was like a game...

Then it stopped being one. I began to crave him but I wouldn't tell him that. I would seek out reasons to see him instead of the other way around then treat him as my backup plan. He called me on that a few weeks ago at Babylon. I didn't think he would or could do it but he did by taking that twink away from me.

I find Justin calls me on my shit a lot. The stuff I would rather keep hidden, he digs it up with the precision of an archaeologist digging for lost treasure. Since coming back from New York, we've been talking and I find I laugh with him more than anyone else. Perhaps it's because he's young and has a goofy sense of humor that rubs off on me. But it feels good.

And I don't want to let that go; don't want it taken away from me because of the end of a homophobe's bat.

I remember him telling me that in comparison to everyone else I know, he was the most mature. He is. Justin is like an wise old man trapped in a twinkie physique full of PSAs and sage advice which I didn't ask for but he gives anyway. Because he knows I'll listen even if I pretend otherwise or come up with some sarcastic quip to deflate his ever-present ego. I've found myself asking him how he would handle different situations just as he does me.

He and I, we're give and take which is amusing while being scary as shit. I don't have that kind of connections with anyone else. Sure he could manipulate a situation as well as I could but he doesn't employ that method as often as I have. He doesn't ask anything of me that I'm not willing to give except maybe love?...which is as fucked up an emotion as anyone can get if it leaves me feeling like this. I don't know if I love him but I do care about him more than I ready, willing or able to admit.

He jokes about that and I just tell him to shut the fuck up about it. He doesn't let me be Bad Boy Kinney because to him, I'm just Brian. I may preach about acceptance of other people's choices but Justin... Well he's that theory personified. Even when I know I've hurt him or wounded him, he still accepts me.

It's kinda ironic that the one person I actually feel closest to is twelve years my junior. That used to bother me. That used to bother me, sometimes it still does but it doesn't change the facts. But so long as I don't have to say any of this, I'll think whatever the fuck I want to.

Wonder if you ever see me

And I wonder if you know I'm there

If you looked in my eyes would you see what's inside

Would you even care

I just want to hold you close

But so far all I have are dreams of you

So wait for the day and the courage to say how much I love you*

General POV

Dr. Mueller, the Supervising Physician, had to be recalled to take care of Justin. The one thing that was in the young man's favor was that he was a fighter. He knew the family's worry. He had once been in their place, waiting for his daughter who had brain surgery to wake up. He wondered not for the first time why someone would want to hit such an angelic looking man with a baseball bat.

He knew from Justin's partner that he was subjected to bullying throughout the school year, but for someone to take it this far? Well Dr. Mueller couldn't understand the rationale in that. After making sure his patient was resting comfortably, he headed to the door to speak with those waiting.

"It appears that we have to add one more medication to the list for Justin's allergies. I'll give you the name of it so we won't have this problem again. In the meantime, I've ordered an IV to flush the drug out of his system."

"Why didn't we know about this the first time he needed the crash cart?" Brian couldn't keep his voice level. "He could have been killed."

"I'm aware of that, Mr. Kinney, and you have my apologies."

"Apologies? Apologies! What the fuck good would that have done any of us if he died?"

Dr. Mueller took a deep breath, understanding where the irate man was coming from. Unfortunately there was no way to prevent what happened and he told him so. "When he crashed the first time, we naturally believed it was from the affects of just coming out of surgery. Releasing the blood from a brain is a very slow process and usually it takes its toll on the heart as well. I had them take Justin's blood following the second crash. This time we knew what to expect because the blood work came back not ten minutes before it happened. Nothing, especially medicine, is infallible, Mr. Kinney."

Before Brian could issue a retort, Jennifer spoke up. She shared Brian's reaction but both of them couldn't afford to flip out. Justin needed them to keep a level head. Since under the circumstances, it was impossible for Brian to do so, it was up to Jennifer. "When can we see him?"

He looked at the expectant faces of the group assembled. Technically none of them should be there this time of night, but he had to admire the amount of love displayed among them. Justin Taylor was a very lucky young man, even in the most dire of circumstances. "I'll allow two people in at a time, Mrs. Taylor but only for a few minutes."

"Thank you, Doctor. I promise we won't touch anything or stay long," Debbie said.

The doctor nodded in return before heading over to leave his final instructions with the nurses' station, and writing up his report.

With Jennifer and Brian's permission, each member of the family present when in to sit with Justin for a few. Debbie and Emmett came out of the room with wet eyes as did Daphne. Ted opted not to go in. Brian figured it was still hard for him since he was in Justin's place not too long ago. Vic and Michael went in.

Although Mikey had been there, seeing Justin lying so still in the bed brought it all home for him in a way that was both shocking and disturbing. It wasn't a secret among them that Michael and Justin didn't exactly get along, until Brian was thinking of moving to New York. But Michael would have never wished the injuries on the younger man. For some reason still puzzling to Vic and the rest, Michael had his own guilt regarding Justin to deal with. When he emerged from the room and sat down, Michael rocked back and forth whispering and chanting to himself, "I didn't mean it. I didn't mean it. I didn't mean it."

Debbie and Vic promised Brian that they were going to take Michael home and sit with him.

"Jennifer, you go on in. Stay as long as you need to. I'll be here," Brian said so softly, she had to bend slightly to hear him.

"Why don't you come with me, Brian?"

He nodded a little with his eyes downcast. For a man notorious for keeping his emotions locked away, she felt a little relief that he wasn't able to just then. When she gripped his hand, he flinched but she didn't let go. Instead she held him tighter and could feel the slight tremble beneath the surface of the larger palm. It was then she realized that as much as this situation had scared her, it was close to destroying the big man walking beside her.

She had to admire his strength. She didn't know if she would still have her sanity if she had witnessed what Brian had. They entered the room silently. Brian went to stand on the far side of the room, nearest the windows while Jennifer remained near the door. Looking down on her son, Jenn's mind began to relive so many precious moments leading up to his coming out.

His first steps. His first words. His first day of Kindergarten when he came home talking about his best friend Daphne. His very first drawing of a flower and his family. And then there was Justin's first love.

His first real love.

She looked at Brian who looked down on her beloved son stoically, but with shining eyes. Her own thoughts were jumbled watching as he slowly traced a single finger down Justin's face. The gesture was so intimate that in a small way she felt as if she were intruding on a private conversation. And yet, Brian didn't exclude her from anything. He shared what he was feeling with her whether he admitted it aloud or not.

She raised Justin's hand to her lips, kissing his knuckles gently. In that single gesture she hoped he understood all she was asking for- all she was praying for- and that he would continue to fight to come back to those who loved him.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Day 2

"Where's Brian?" Michael hurried back into the ICU section of the hospital.

Because of the severity of Justin's injuries, the staff didn't give the family members a hard time about sticking around. As long as they were quiet and respectful of the patients all trying to recover in their own way, the doctor was willing to let them flow in and out of the ward at will instead of having them adhere to the usually strict visiting policy.

"He's in with Justin sleeping. I thought to go in and wake him but I know he could use the rest," Jennifer said quietly.

She too was exhausted worrying for Justin who had yet to wake up. Dr. Barrow, the surgeon on call last night, had explained that upon arrival, they had to drill a hole into Justin's skull to release the blood pinned in the spot where he'd been hit. She was angry that this happened to her golden boy but was also relieved that Brian had been here instead of at his usual haunts. Outside of a few words to her and Daphne when they first arrived, he hadn't spoken. She wondered if he was praying as she was or if he was still in shock at the turn of events.

Her heart reluctantly went out to him when he broke down while apologizing to her for not seeing it coming; for not getting to Justin fast enough to prevent the attack. Craig had been there briefly spouting his nonsense of how Justin brought this on himself and that it was that ‘Child Molester's fault.' She could see when each of Craig's words penetrated Brian's consciousness, stabbing him angry words he'd obviously thought of himself. She finally told Craig to get the fuck out, stating that she would call him when there was a change but until then she would be asking the doctors to ban him from the hospital unless he was a patient himself and that if he didn't go right then she would make sure he was. After his usual curses and threats, Craig had finally left leaving her to deal with the aftermath and the well-meaning family she and Justin had acquired since he came out.

Brian had escaped into Justin's room, sitting stoically by his bedside at first with his fingers entwined in her son's, then later asleep with his hand still holding Justin's. If she wasn't sure before, she was now about how much he cared about her son.

Michael nodded. "I brought him a change of clothes; Ma has yours. The nurse said that you all could use the showers in the empty wing down the hall and to rest if you have to."

Jennifer smiled slightly at him. She knew of his difficulties with Justin, although she wasn't always clear of the reason. Thankfully he seemed willing to put that to the side, at least for now. "Thank you, Michael. I'll do that."

Daphne entered the wing at that moment bearing two cups. "I know you've given up coffee, Mrs. Taylor, but I thought just this one time wouldn't hurt." She handed Jennifer the cup, her eyes shifting briefly to the window where her best friend and his boyfriend lay. "Still no change?"

"Not yet but I'm hopeful," Jennifer answered, taking a sip of the brew. Had the situation not been so dire, she would have complimented and been surprised at the fact Daphne had made it just the way she liked it. But she couldn't think about that now.

"I checked on Molly. My mom dropped her off at school and my dad will pick her up. They said she could stay as long as you needed her to." Daphne smiled a little trying to lighten the oppressive mood. "I think they enjoy having a little girl around the house again."

"Will you be giving the speech at the graduation?" Debbie who had come up behind the group, asked.

Daphne dropped her eyes, her smile dimming down to a wistful one. "Yeah, I'll be giving both mine and Justin's speeches. He beat me for Valedictorian by eight points so I got the Salutatorian spot. I guess it seems fitting."

Debbie and Jenn each wrapped an arm around her hugging her close. They knew it was just as hard on her as it was apparently on them and Brian. Daphne and Justin were practically in the crib together, forming a solid and irreplaceable friendship since Kindergarten. If they were hurting, she was equally hurting if not more so watching her best friend fight for his life.

Vic who had come in with Debbie spoke up. "You'll do fine, Daphne. And he'll be fine- both of them will." He indicated both Brian and Justin, noting how Brian's hand tightened on the smaller hand.

"Thanks Vic. I just want to make him proud," she said, her eyes tearing as she followed the direction of his gaze.

"He's already proud, Honey," Jennifer added. "I heard you two screaming on the phone when you both found out. I hadn't heard Justin that happy in a long time."

"You should have heard him when he got his acceptance letter to PIFA." Vic smiled in remembrance.

"And the smile. Oh it was so bright- a real Sunshine smile as only Justin could give. He'll give it again, Jen. You listen to Vic. He's been where Justin is before; he knows what he's talking about."

Jennifer nodded, never more grateful in this moment for her extended family. If someone had told her months before that by losing her son, then Craig, only to gain her son back that she would become close with this group of what the WASP set would call misfits, she would have laughed. But they have proven to her just how much they love Justin. Debbie had become a second mom to him and Vic like a dad and favored uncle all rolled into one. They even welcomed Molly among them, sneaking her cookies when Jenn wasn't looking and helping her to rebuild Justin and the little girl's relationship.

Jennifer hadn't yet told Molly why Justin was in the hospital, only that she had to be there and that she would be hanging out over at Daphne's until she could return from the hospital. Although Molly wasn't happy about not being allowed to go to the hospital to see her brother, she was happy that she would get to go to Daphne's house which had a pool and a lot of neat things she could get into.

"Sorry we're just getting here. We left Gus with Dusty and Marie for awhile," Lindsey said as she and Melanie bustled through the double doors closing off Intensive Care.

"It's okay so long as you're here now," Debbie answered for all of them.

"Where's Brian?" Lindsey looked around.

"Probably getting his dick sucked," Melanie muttered.

"For your information, he's not, Melanie," Vic confirmed. "If you'd take your head out of your ass and look closely at the reason we're all here, you'll see where Brian is."

He was getting more than a little tired of her disparaging comments about Brian when he wasn't where the rest of them thought he should be. He understood more than anyone there, except perhaps Debbie and certainly more than Michael, what this was doing to Brian. Although Vic spent a good portion of Brian's teenage and young adult years bouncing between New York and Chicago, he and Brian had always kept in touch. He knew things about the younger man that no one, not even his closest friends, knew including how Brian really felt about Justin.

"How long has he been here?" Lindsey asked. "We'd gone by the loft before we came but he wasn't at home."

"Of course, he wasn't. He's been with his partner all night," Vic said more than a little annoyed with Lindsey as well. "Where would you be if Melanie was lying in that hospital bed?"

"That's different, Vic, and you know it."

"Is it? What's different about it? Brian and Justin are just as involved as any of you are."

"Oh come on, Vic. You expect us to believe that Brian could care about that kid anymore than his next trick? They are twelve years apart for God's sake," Melanie defended her partner.

"Not only do I expect you to believe it, I expect you to honor it," Vic responded firmly. "I find it funny that after all the two of you have been through within the last year alone, that you could stand there and cast judgment on the two young men in that room. If not for either of them, Lindsey would be married to that French guy- Gui, was that his name?- and you would still be bitter and crying to Brian about how you fucked a broad who wasn't your partner and you'd lost Lindsey. At least Brian and Justin's relationship or whatever it is, is more honest and open than those of you who supposedly have marriages."

Vic left them to ponder his words, moving toward the doorway of the room. He took a deep breath before entering, praying that he would have the right words to say to Brian. There wasn't a doubt in his mind nor heart that Justin would be okay, but convincing Brian of that would be the hardest conversation he would have today. He knew he had to wake him and that Brian had to take care of himself with a shower and food. Looking down on the two men he was loath to interrupt the moment.

Justin for all the pain he must be experiencing, looked to be peacefully sleeping. Brian actually looked innocent in sleep. He chuckled to himself thinking of what Brian would say to that thought. Reaching out a hand, Vic stroked the auburn waves, softly at first, while calling his name. He nearly laughed aloud watching as the relaxed lids squeezed tightly and struggled to remain closed as he repeated his actions.

Finally losing their struggle, Brian's eyelids snapped open. His eyes took in everything before he registered where he was and who was speaking. Vic helped him to sit up knowing instinctively that the younger man's back must have been hurting a bit from the bent position in the chair. He rubbed smaller circles on Brian's lower back while speaking softly to him.

"Get up, Son. Michael brought you a change of clothes. The nurses said you can go take a shower in the empty wing at the end of the hall."

Brian stretched but other than that didn't move. He looked over to the still unconscious younger man in the bed, willing him to wake up. Running a hand over his face, he said, "I'm not leaving him."

Vic knew this would be the argument he had to contend with. "I know, Brian. But while Justin is sleeping, you have to take care of yourself too."

"Sleeping? Vic, he isn't sleeping. He's in a fucking coma... and it's my fault. So no, I won't leave him."

"It isn't your fault, Brian, but the work of a lunatic," Vic tried to reason with the man.

"If I hadn't gone to that fucking prom; if I hadn't given into his wishes, he wouldn't be laid out in this damn bed fighting for his life."

"If you hadn't gone, hadn't given into him, we would be planning his funeral instead of sitting here waiting for him to wake up. Now I'm telling you- not asking- to get the hell out of that chair so I can sit down. Go take a shower and have something to eat before I bodily remove you myself."

Brian looked at Vic, smirk in place. It was always that way with them- tit for tat. He knew deep down Vic was right but he really didn't want to leave Justin. If he opened his eyes and Brian wasn't there or if something happened while he was gone... He shook himself free of the thoughts of which began to crowd his mind.

"You'll stay with him?"

"I won't move an inch," Vic assured him.

"And you'll call me immediately if something happens?"

"I have your number on speed dial, although I'm pretty sure the others will beat me to it," he said while directing Brian to look outside of the window. Everyone was there except Ted and Emmett, who he knew would be back after work since they had already called several times that morning.

"Okay, Vic but don't move. And hold his hand for me."

"Yeah, Brian. I'll do that. You just take care of yourself for right now, okay? I have this. I have him."

Brian nodded and rose from the chair, stretching again. He was so fucking stiff but he wouldn't have traded it for anything with the exception of blue eyes blinking at him in laughter, plush lips kissing him and a deep tenor voice saying his name. He bent over at the waist, placing his forehead against Justin's trying to convey every thought in his mind and his willpower into the still form lying there. Then he placed a kiss on his lips and detached his hand.

"I'll be back in less than an hour, Vic."

The older man who had been watching, nodded. "Take your time, Brian. He'll be fine." Vic settled into the currently unoccupied chair and made good on his promises to Brian.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Three's Company

The moment he stepped out of the room, Brian was bombarded with questions which he promptly ignored. He walked over to Jennifer and Daphne, embracing each of them in a short but much-needed hug. They returned the gesture, holding the slightly trembling taller man.

"Brian, you have to eat," Daphne whispered to him.

"I know," he said, his voice equally quiet. "Jennifer, have you been taken care of. Do you have a change of clothes or do you need anything?"

"Other than Justin to wake up, I'm fine, Brian. Debbie grabbed me something to wear with Daphne's help and brought me some coffee. I didn't want them to wake you but Vic said it had to be done."

"He promised to sit there until we get back." He plucked the now-empty cup in here hand. "Justin would be happy."

"Why?" she asked puzzled.

"In a roundabout way, he's got you drinking coffee again. He hated tea."

Jennifer couldn't help the small chuckle which escaped her. Justin had thrown a fit when she threw out all the coffee to be replaced with much healthier Earl Grey and Lemon Zinger herbal teas. "Yeah that was always a sore spot with him."

The three of them stood in silence for a few moments, each lost in their own thoughts before Brian broke it. "Come on. Let's get that shower- separately of course- and I'll buy you something to eat. Daphne you're coming too. I'll have the food delivered; I don't think I can take what passes for hospital fare these days."

He collected his clothes from Michael who was still trying to talk to him. He didn't really feel much like conversation outside of Vic, Jennifer, Daphne and maybe at some points, Debbie. It wasn't that he was trying to be mean or stubborn. He just couldn't take all the questions and innuendos since he already felt he was almost at the end of his mental rope. He hurried along the corridor, stopping only long enough to inform the nurses that he and Jennifer would be using the facilities.

He handed Daphne his keys and cell phone, advising that Vic said he would call if there was a change or problems with Justin and that the delivery people would call when they arrived. "If Cynthia calls, tell her what happened. I don't know if Ted was able to reach her. Ask her to tell my boss that I will work from home over the next few days."

"You can do that?" Daphne asked amazed.

Brian shook his head. "Not ordinarily without having to go through Human Resources, but Cynthia will explain everything to Ryder. Since I'm his top Ad Exec, it would be an asset to him to have me work this way since my clients won't accept another person at this stage in their campaigns."

"Shit Brian, can you lose your job?" Daphne asked.

"You know, Brian, if you have to go to work, I'll still be here," Jennifer offered concerned at what Brian was risking to be here for Justin.

"If there's something immediate, Jennifer, I'll go in but other than that, I'm not leaving. Not until he wakes up."

After Brian and Jennifer took care of their ablutions, the three of them had lunch on the veranda just outside of the ICU wing. Normally the walled area was reserved for staff only but because of the media circus inhabiting the visitors' outdoor area, the nurses offered it to anyone in the vast Taylor family. They were silent except for the occasional comments or memories about Justin and what this could all mean. The police had yet to come by to check on the patient or gather an account from Michael, Daphne and Brian. So although they were waiting patiently for something- anything- to happen, that thought was the most troubling to each of them.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Day 3

Daphne pulled up to St. James Academy on the morning of what was supposed to be one of the happiest days of her and Justin's lives. The original plan was that she would pick him up from Debbie's and they would ride in together. That's how they started; that's how they were supposed to end it. Instead she'd just come back from paying an early morning visit to the hospital. There still hadn't been any change but in a way, that was to the good.

It meant that Justin wasn't any better, but he wasn't worst either.

Daphne took several deep breaths to calm herself, before alighting from her little Blue car. If she had her way, she would never see any of these fucking hypocrites again. Even feeling that way, she vowed to do Justin proud and to not let them get the best of her. He'd always told her how strong and magnificent she was. She wouldn't give them the satisfaction of saying Justin's faith in her was displaced.

Upon entering the large gymnasium where the students were gathered, she nearly lost it seeing the object of her hate kowtowing, and laughing it up with his cronies. As far as she was concerned Chris Hobbs should be locked under the fucking jail, never to see daylight again instead of being given the pleasure of walking down the aisle to receive his diploma.

"Hey Daph, how's Justin doing?" September asked her. "We haven't seen you all weekend. You missed the barbecue over at Cindy Davidson's house yesterday. Where were you?"

Daphne nearly blew a brain cell. September had been one of the few people she and Justin had considered a true friend throughout the years. My how times change. "Where do you think I was, September? I was at the hospital where you should have been."

September sighed, rolling her eyes upward. "They're just so depressing though. Justin wouldn't have wanted you to hang around the hospital you know. He just wasn't that type of guy."

"ISN'T! You're standing there speaking of Justin like he isn't still alive. He is! And he will remain so despite what your friend tried to do to him. You know what, you should probably go join them," Daphne said, her anger evident in every syllable she uttered. It was bad enough that life was moving on without Justin, but for someone she thought was a friend to spout such bullshit was just too much to deal with right then.

"I'm... I'm... Oh Daph, you know I didn't mean it like that," September stuttered, not sure why Daphne was angry with her.

"Oh? Just how did you mean it, September? You know what, I don't even want to know. I'm going to get my cap and gown and then I'm going for a cigarette."

"Great! I'll come with you."

"No need. I only smoke with my friends. You're no longer one of them." And with that last comment, Daphne rushed off to the other end of the room where she was waylaid by more sycophantic assholes wanting the latest gossip on Justin's condition.

"Hey Daphne," a voice sneered directly behind her. Daphne couldn't resist the urge to stiffen her body as the unwanted voice of Chris Hobbs assaulted her ears. "Has Taylor woken up yet?" His comment garnered snickers from various onlookers standing off to the side.

"No but then you would know that wouldn't you, Chris," Daphne answered in the same tone as Chris had addressed her. "In fact, I'm sure when he does wake up, you will have some serious charges to answer to. You should hire yourself a good lawyer."

She made to turn back around putting him behind her but his words stopped her. "IF he wakes up, I'm sure I'll get off anyway. After all, I was protecting my Christian right not to have to see queers making out on the dancefloor."

Daphne smirked as she recalled one particular conversation with Justin. "Is that right, Chris? Or was it that you were JEALOUS because someone else was bold enough to declare his love for Justin?" She took great satisfaction watching as his face fell and his eyes clouded with fear. She lowered her voice although it was still considered a stage whisper. "Yeah... I know all about that hand job he gave you in the sports equipment room; how you came all over his hand. He said that it wasn't love for him and didn't mean anything but that wasn't the same for you, was it Chris? He also told me that Brian's son who is just a toddler has a bigger dick than you."

Everyone within earshot of Daphne's last sentence laughed loudly much to Hobbs' chagrin.

"You take that back or I'll..."

"What, Chris? You'll hit me with a fucking baseball bat in the head too? I fucking dare you to because unlike Justin who only had two witnesses who just happen to be gay, there are a whole LOT of straight people here. What would be your defense this time?" She watched as her words registered in the other boy's eyes and she smirked in response. "Yeah... that's what I thought."

Daphne grabbed her cap and gown and headed back out the door while listening to Chris yelling at his friends of how much she was a liar. One of them even said that he remembered Justin saying the same thing the night they all visited Liberty Avenue. Chris continued to deny the truth but that was fine by Daphne. She had sown the seed of discord and mistrust among those Chris considered friends. It was enough for her for now.

She sat and looked over her speech while all the preliminaries were going forth. As she flipped slowly through the index cards, she noted how much her life had changed from the time she wrote the words three days before the prom and now three days after it. All of the optimism and idealism she and Justin had shared seemed a lifetime ago in comparison to what they still had yet to face once he woke up. She looked out into the audience seeing her parents and Molly Taylor wearing the same For Justin t-shirts she wore up under her graduation gown. Her dad had ordered them from a mall vendor specifically for the graduation he couldn't attend.

Next to them were Debbie, Vic, Emmett and Ted. Michael had to get catch a plane to Portland that morning, but said he would be in touch and be back as soon as he was able to. However, other than Justin, the two people she was missing the most in that moment were still holding a vigil at the bedside of her best friend. Daphne closed her eyes wishing she was there with them, surreptitiously wiping a tear when it treaded silently down her cheek. The sound of the announcer calling her name brought her back to the task at hand.

Rising from her seat on the stage, she looked one more time at the index cards in her hand. The words on them no longer colored her reality so placing them down, she moved toward the podium. In this instant, Daphne vowed that she would be the person who Justin always thought her to be. It was time to deliver a healthy dosage of the truth that these puffed-up and pompous people continued to deny existed in their lily-white, heteronormative self-made prisons disguised as the Country Club set. Clearing her throat she began:

"To my Fellow Students, Illustrious Faculty and the Families who are out Honored Guests,

"Today I stand before you as both Salutatorian which I earned and the Valedictorian of our class, who is not present. For those interested, the person who that honor belongs to is currently in the hospital fighting for his life because of ONE word. Gay... A word that by way of Merriam Websters Dictionary means happy. And two nights ago, Justin Taylor was. He attended prom the gayest of us all- celebrating our rite of passage from grade school to our post-secondary education or employment opportunities awaiting us; celebrating our transition from childhood to adulthood.

"I won't go into all of the details except to say that we, the graduates of Saint James Academy Class of 2001, have a real chance to change our legacy from being a group of intolerant entitled brats to one of enlightenment, acceptance and tolerance of people who are different than we ourselves; to respect their life choices and recognize both our differences and similarities. Justin and I tried to do that with the Gay-Straight Student Alliance and found that although he was the only one called a Fag and a Fudge Packer, all of us within that room were told at one point or another that we were going to Hell by some adult in our lives and simply because our choices- our freedom- was not their idea or ideal. And don't fool yourselves into believing that it was easy for me just because I'm a straight female. Being the spot of pepper amongst the salt and Justin as the rainbow against the gray is what drew he and I together, what made us best friends- what made us family regardless of a blood tie. It was a common bond shared and steeped in discrimination and for what?

"Because we're different? News flash people: No one bleeds blue blood- it's ALL red. Justin was trying to make a difference, to not let bullies or injustice change his opinion of people in general. Hell, if truth be told my people are still waiting for their 40 acres and a mule while the Gay Revolution is still in its infancy to some degree. Slavery and Stonewall has too many similarities to just be a coincidence.

"Something has to change people, something has to CHANGE! The U.S. Constitution guarantees us the right to the pursuit of Happiness regardless of our nationality, race, or creed. I'd like to believe that even extends to our sexual orientation since it's our right as human beings and citizens of this great country. Justin was trying to be the change he wanted to see in this world. I beseech you, my fellow graduates, to do the same.

"As my closing thought, I'd like to leave with this: It would do well for each one of us to remember that the very person you think you're better than might be the one to save your life in the next second and it won't matter who they are or who they love just as long as their there to help; to do their civic duty as a fellow human being. If you could just get that revelation into your thick skulls, perhaps then you too can make a difference. Thank you and happy Graduation Day."

Although most of the assembly sat stunned at her outburst, Daphne was happy to have said what needed to be said. She could hear the hoots and hollers from her own personal cheering section and in her reality, that was all that mattered to her. After she collected both her and Justin's diplomas, Daphne left the stage without looking back. Her time- their time- at St. James Academy had officially ended... And what an ending it WAS.

*Dreaming of You- (Sung by Selena ) Shuman, Earl/ Snow, Tom/ Garson, Mort/ Golde, Frannie/ Golde, Francine Vicki

CHAPTER THREE

SQUARE ONE

Un-welcomed News

Michael was troubled by yet another nightmare. Tossing and turning since his return, he often relived what he had seen in the parking garage over twenty-five hundred miles away. He couldn't get over the sight of the blood gushing from Justin's head as his best friend tried to stem the flow with the white silk scarf; couldn't stop recalling the last time he and Justin had spoken when he'd asked the younger man to take care of his mom while he was beginning his new life with David. He couldn't cease seeing the cerulean blue eyes so full of life, which had not opened since that fateful night three weeks ago.

From the minute he'd touched down in Portland, it had been a nonstop whirlwind of activity within the Novotny-Cameron household. David had arrived with Hank in tow to greet Michael at the airport. They spoke about Justin's condition and the operations the young man had to endure. When Hank asked why someone would do that to the young and likable (in Hank's twelve year old opinion) blond he'd briefly met during lunch at the Liberty Diner, Michael didn't shield the truth from him even though David would have liked him to. When Michael had finished his explanation, David had promptly and firmly advised that they should all put the events of the weekend behind them and begin to live their lives without another thought.

Michael had agreed for the sake of peace, but he was still bothered by the entire situation and David's lack of empathy for his and the gang's feelings about Justin. But he said nothing. Instead, he listened as David outlined the dinner parties and their schedule for the next few weeks which surprisingly included Michael and Hank's field trip to the Comic Book Convention held one town over the following week. It was as if Justin Taylor and his problems no longer rated as important on David's cognitive and social scale; as if all was as it should be now that Michael was where he belonged.

Every time Michael had awakened in the middle of the night screaming and covered in sweat from the first night back in his new home, David would either throw his arm around the short brunet possessively and tell him to forget about it or he would do as he'd done just a few hours ago, or advise Michael that he had early appointments in the morning and that he needed to get some uninterrupted sleep. As a result, Michael jarred himself out of his current nightmare while finding himself alone in the guest room. Fortunately, his ringing cell phone didn't give him as much time as he usually had to think about his own discontentment.

"Hello," Michael answered, his voice still laden with sleep and a little nervous over the reason someone would be calling him at three o'clock in the morning. He smiled briefly as he recognized the caller's calm, but marginally excited voice.

"Mikey...Mikey, are you listening?"

"Yeah Brian, I'm listening."

"Good. I need you to get your ass to the airport. There will be a ticket waiting for you upon arrival so make sure you have your ID."

"Brian, what the fuck are you talking about? I can't get there now. David and I have plans tomorrow night."

"Justin is waking up." The smile in Brian's voice was evident and caused Michael's own eyes to widen in disbelief, seeking reassurance the only way available right now.

"What? Are you sure? I mean... I... I..."

"Jesus, Mikey, I haven't heard you stutter this much since the first time I took you to the Baths to get laid. Yes I'm fucking sure since I've seen him wake up a hundred times since the night he and I met. Now get your ass to the airport. I'll see you soon."

The dial tone sung in his ear as he sat stunned by what he'd just heard. After three weeks in limbo and all of them on the brink of emotional hell, Justin was finally finding his way out of the coma which was first medically induced and then had continued naturally since the night of the prom. Oh fuck! He couldn't help smiling down at the phone even as he heard the throat clearing from the doorway.

"Who was that?" David asked with his arms folded across his bare chest.

It was obvious to Michael from David's stance that he'd heard the whole conversation, but it didn't matter in the least. Michael was going home to be with his family. "That was Brian. Justin is waking up and I have to get to the airport. There's a ticket waiting for me for the first available flight out." Michael threw his legs over the side of the bed, heading toward the private bathroom in the corner.

"I don't see why you're needed there," David sneered. He didn't appreciate being woken up by Michael's screams, and then subsequently hearing Michael's excitement over returning to Pittsburgh. His home was HERE now, not there.

Michael froze in the doorway of the large restroom. "I'm needed there because, if it's true that Justin is FINALLY waking up, then the cops will need my statement. In case you've forgotten I was there."

"Oh... How could I forget Michael? Perhaps it's your constant distance and lack of focus during our nights out with our friends or maybe it's the fact that I can't get any fucking sleep around here because of all your whimpers and screams. No, no, it MUST have been the fact that I came down here to wake you up again only to find that you're on the phone with the man responsible for getting the kid bashed in the first place."

"You don't know what the fuck you are talking about and I can't believe that you have the NERVE to stand there and blame Brian for the actions of Chris fucking Hobbs."

"If he wasn't there in the first place that young man wouldn't have felt compelled to hit Justin." David's matter of fact tone set Michael off.

"What kind of fucking moron are you? The question isn't why Brian was there, it's why Chris Hobbs- who is a fucking football player by the way- had a fucking baseball bat in his car in the first place?" Michael huffed, never angrier in his life. "But you know what... I don't have time to deal with this or YOU right now. I have an hour to get to the airport and since I'm sure I can't count on you to give me a ride without you being an ASSHOLE, I'll call a cab just before I jump in the shower."

Michael turned into the room and slammed the door cutting off any further communication with David. An hour later, he was being led into the first class lounge, waiting for his plane to board and not bothering to answer the many missed calls from David.   

~BJBJBJBJBJBJBJBJBJBJBJBJBJBJBJBJBJBJBJBJBJBJBJBJ~

Filling in the Blanks

Brian hung up from Michael, continuing his vigil beside Justin's bedside. He always loved watching Justin wake up (an entirely lesbianic activity he would have cut his tongue out before admitting) but it had never meant more to him than it did now.

The first calls he made were to Jennifer who was sleeping right down the hall in the vacant wing, to Deb and Vic who were barely sleeping at all and to Michael who even now was heading to the airport in Portland. He would have called Daphne and the rest of the gang but he figured between Jennifer and Debbie the rest would be notified. He went ahead and advised the nursing staff of Justin's impending advent from coma-land, explaining that he just knew and that they had about fifteen minutes to get ready and notify the doctor on call. Although they had looked at him skeptically at first, they went about doing what Brian said. His certainty in his own words was what sold them.

Brian also called Cynthia to tell her of the change in Justin and to advise Ryder, if she felt it was necessary. He trusted his assistant enough to use her own discretion where their boss was concerned since, she was better at manipulating him and oft times less abrasive. So he sat there, resisting the urge to shake Justin awake. Dr. Marrow had reminded him and Jennifer during his earlier rounds that if Justin were to wake up, it had to be on his own. However, now that Brian knew it was only a matter of time, he wanted to speed the process along.

The constant fluttering of Justin's eyelashes and subtle squeezes to Brian's fingertips only served to push his impatience in further increments instead of having the calming effect it should.

"Come on, Sunshine. You're not going to leave me here in suspense, are you?" Brian asked almost desperate for Justin to wake up if only to tell him to shut up and let him sleep. Brian smiled at the thought. Justin had often said those exact words even while trying to reach for the alarm clock to throw it.

Jennifer had entered at that moment, rushing over to the bed. She smiled down as she caressed Justin's hair, obviously noticing the same cues Brian did. The past three weeks had been hell for them both. Even as they sat there knowing Justin was about to wake up, they each felt relieved and anxious at the outcome.

How much would he remember?

Would he be able to speak?

Those were only some of the questions in their minds, since Justin had been hit in the his frontal lobe and just off to the side on his temporal lobe. The frontal cortex controlled memory, language and so much more while the temporal controlled speech and hearing. Either of those injuries could result in horrendous consequences for the young artist. But just how badly Justin had been affected couldn't even be assessed until he woke up. Which meant that Justin's waking up was only just the start of the road to recovery.

"Brian, as much as I am anxious for Justin to wake up, I'm also anxious about the fact that he could wake up a totally different person. I mean he might not even remember any of us. What will we do then?" Jennifer's voice was calm but the emotions were only just barely kept in check.

"That won't happen. It can't. I just . . . it can't," Brian replied, his gaze never leaving Justin's face, refusing to even contemplate any alternative to his Sunshine coming back to him the way he should be.

With Jennifer on one side of Justin's bed and Brian on the other, they just sat there and waited together quietly - there was no need for any conversation. They'd already said everything that could be said. There was no need to repeat themselves. And, besides, all their attention was too closely focused on Justin and the tiny indications that he was moving toward consciousness - there was no room in their awareness for anything else right then.

The minutes ticked away and the darkness outside the window of the hospital gradually turned from black to gray without much noticeable change until, just when Brian had started to doubt his own interpretation of the signs, Justin's long dark gold lashes fluttered once again and then actually fluttered open all the way. Then Brian knew he was right. It would be today.

Finally!

About two hours later, Justin's eyes opened fully after blinking a few times in order to focus his blurred vision. He looked around disoriented and confused as to where he was until he caught Brian's gaze.

"Hey," the softly spoken word was said with a sense of familiarity accompanied by a tentative smile.

"It's about time you woke up," Brian said his voice full of emotions he refused to name.

Jennifer watched the exchange lovingly but couldn't contain herself any longer. "Sweetheart! I'm just... oh... I am just so happy you are awake."

"Mom? What are you doing here?" He looked around again, this time taking note of his surroundings. "And where exactly is ‘here' anyway? Why aren't we at the loft?" Justin's eyes shifted between Brian and his mother as they engaged in some sort of silent communication. "And my fucking head hurts. Why?"

Brian cleared his throat before answering. "Jennifer, why don't you go check on what's keeping the nurses. I'll talk to him." She nodded her assent. He could see that she was becoming overwhelmed with Justin's rapid fire questions and wasn't sure if she wanted to answer them. "Tell me, Sunshine, what's the last thing you remember?"

Justin wrinkled his forehead a bit, the action causing a sharp stab of pain. Brian noticed but waited patiently, watching as Justin cataloged whatever thoughts he was having. Dr. Marrow had warned of the confusion especially given the length of time Justin was in the coma.

"I remember asking you to my prom and you turned me down," Justin's said, his eyes downcast.

Brian closed his eyes at Justin's quiet revelation equal parts relieved and angry that Justin's memory stopped a week leading up to the prom. He didn't want to relive the hell they had all endured but most of all, he didn't want to put Justin through it. This talk was what Brian dreaded the most. Sighing, he began to fill in Justin on the events of the past almost four weeks watching carefully for any signs of distress. Now, if he could only control his own...

Jennifer had quickly taken the out that Brian had given her and sped out into the corridor. It was still so early in the morning that the hospital halls were almost empty except for the usual bustling staff. She turned towards the nurses' station at the end of the hall trying to maintain whatever composure she had left. It felt like one of the longest walks she'd ever taken in her life. Quiet...too quiet and filled so filled with trepidation her shoulders felt weighed down with it.

The double doors stood looming in front of her even while her thoughts remained in the room she'd just left only moments ago. Pushing through she stood still in shock at the vision before her. In direct opposition to the silent halls from which she emerged, the area where she stood now was the exception to the overall quiet of the rest of the facility. There appeared to be a fairly large contingent of early morning visitors standing around the high-countered desk that was currently manned by head charge nurse. The central figure in the melee was a well-dressed woman of average height with short, carefully styled hair and a smart-looking pantsuit.

The woman looked vaguely familiar to Jennifer, but she was still too focused on the drama she surmised was going on back in Justin's room to bother trying to remember the name that went with that particular face. Ignoring whatever the prevailing conversation was, Jennifer elbowed her way to the front of the group so she could command the nurse's attention. The charge nurse looked like she was glad for the distraction herself. She redirected all her attention to the mother of her patient and happily ignored the rest of the unwanted intruders who were still babbling at her. Keeping her voice low in an attempt to preserve some semblance of privacy, Jennifer informed the nurse that Justin was fully awake.

They'd been waiting on the doctor for hours now, and Jennifer expected him to get his ass in gear and make an appearance NOW. And if not, she wanted to know why. The nurse said she'd page the doctor yet again, but reminded the frantic mother that she didn't have any control over the schedule of the doctors. Jennifer hadn't quite escaped after issuing her warning when yet another disturbance descended upon the usually quiet floor. This disturbance Jennifer knew though.

It came with a loud voice, tacky costume jewelry and a huge curly bright red wig. And, it was named Debbie Novotny.

"Careful with that bag, Vic. I don't want you spilling Sunshine's breakfast. No doubt he's going to be starving and you know how bad hospital food is! If whatever sent you to the hospital doesn't kill you, the food will," Debbie was insisting vociferously as she and her brother bustled towards the rest of the crowd around the nurses' station. "Diane? Is that you, Honey? It is! Oh, Diane, it's just so nice of you to come by and visit our Justin!" Debbie greeted the woman who'd been waiting when Jennifer first came out, reminding her of where exactly she'd known the woman from. "I'm sure Sunshine will be thrilled to see you."

Diane embraced Debbie back. She had enjoyed her time with the matriarch of the make-shift family very much the last time she was in town. It had grieved her once word finally reached her about the charismatic young man who was standing up to the local bullies-- both insufferable teenagers and supposed educated, enlightened adults-- within the vaunted halls of St. James Academy. Somehow, Justin Taylor had impressed her with his intelligence and passion for equality. Coupled along with his rapid-fire and somewhat-innocent wit she couldn't resist using her connections and precious free time to address his issues publicly. He displayed more courage than anyone she had ever encountered despite his age but never in her wildest imagination did she ever think that the bullies would so far as to gravely injure him. Even now the thought left her shaken.

"I came as soon as I heard. How is he?"

"First, let me officially introduce you to his mother. The last time you were with us she wasn't able to be present. Jennifer, this is Senator Diane Baxter."

The gray-haired lady took a page out of Debbie's book and hugged the younger blond woman. It was times like this she was grateful for her connection to Debbie Novotny. The one thing she had learned was that in spite of her office, she was still human and sometimes words just wasn't enough. This was one of those times.

She disengaged from Jennifer but didn't let go of her hands. "Mrs. Taylor, I'm so sorry about Justin. He is such a special young man. How is he?"

"Please call me Jennifer. And thank you for coming to see Justin. He's finally opened his eyes just a little bit ago. Brian is in with him."

"Brian?" Diane asked. The only ‘Brian' she remembered with Justin was...

"Brian Kinney, my son's partner although he would probably faint if we used that word," Jennifer said with a small smile.

"HA! He'd shit a fucking brick," Debbie interjected causing Jennifer, Diane and Vic to laugh in response. "Well what are we waiting for? I wanna see my Sunshine."

The party made their way down the long corridor leading to Justin's room followed closely by Diane's entourage. Although they all couldn't go in just yet, they were content to watch Brian and Justin. Jennifer entered the room, moving silently to take her son's other hand as Brian continued to explain the details of the last couple of weeks to him.

Just outside of the room a much different conversation was going on...

"Tell me, Debbie, Vic has the police been by to take everyone's statements yet?"

Vic just snickered while Debbie rolled her eyes and sucked her teeth. "Not a fucking one, Di. Justin's been laid up for three weeks and no one other than family has been here nor called. Stockwell hasn't sent anyone."

"And honestly, I wouldn't expect them anytime soon, Diane. It's a widely-known secret that our illustrious police chief hates gays and people of color. If you have one of those strikes it's bad enough but BOTH, forget about it," Vic added to highlight the issues within the Pittsburgh Police Department. "There have been several murders in the last year which have gone unsolved and without a full investigation being launched. Justin, unfortunately, is about to become one of the number even though they have the culprit."

Diane couldn't stop the anger from curling within her at the statements of Deb and Vic. As Vic had pointed out, it was no secret that James Stockwell was a homophobe but this bordered on gross misconduct and dereliction of duty. If she had her way, he would have never risen to the office as he had but nepotism is a powerful thing especially when his father and uncle also served as Chief of Pittsburgh P.D. That legacy was going to be the undoing of many citizens under Stockwell's jurisdiction.

She looked once more at the young man in the bed. She could clearly see the distress the other occupants were causing him how ever unintentional but it was necessary. Making a quick decision, Diane motioned over to her assistant.

"Adele, get me James Stockwell on the phone immediately...not his secretary...HIM. Got it?"

The young woman nodded her agreement and began making the necessary call, while Diane motioned for her Adviser. "Thomas, I want Mayor Deekins on the phone. Marvin will take my call personally. He owes me a favor and I'm collecting."

The first call to be completed was the one with Marvin Deekins in which Diane laid out everything which had been told to her by Debbie. He agreed that this is a matter which should have been in process even if the victim was in a coma and assured her that it would be rectified the minute he reached his office. When she told him to consider his debt repaid to her, Marvin advised that this was NOT payment nor a favor since he himself was pissed at the lack of disregard shown the family in this delicate matter. Nevertheless she thanked him for his support in this.

The phone call with James Stockwell went less smoothly and required Diane to step outside onto the patio. Anyone listening would have heard a calm, self-assured woman... except for the amount of cuss words and references to various parts of his anatomy being cut off if he didn't do his fucking job. She knew how Stockwell felt about women in politics and the fact that she was a dyke with much more rank than he had was a sore point for the man. She demanded his promise to have someone there within the next hour. Just as he was about to hang up, she heard his secretary in the background advising that the Mayor was on the other line. Diane laughed to herself. Stockwell was having a helluva morning.

She walked back into the ICU waiting area where more of the family was starting to arrive. Debbie took it upon herself to reacquaint Diane with everyone, especially Melanie Marcus and the attorney accompanying her.

Debbie asked. "Mel, where are Lindsey and Gus?"

Mel smiled, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. "Lindz said that she and Gus would be along after their ‘Mommy and me' class. Apparently they had some seminar today, which would help Gus to sleep better at night and Lindsey didn't want to get the information secondhand."

"So she would rather get THIS information secondhand, Mel? Lindsey doesn't..."

"Not now, Debbie."

"Well fucking tell me WHEN then, Melanie. She's been shitty for weeks now! Whatever her hangup is, she needs to get the fuck over it and you can tell her I said so."

"Believe me, Deb, I'm trying but of course the blame could be put on Brian and his lack of focus lately. Personally after the confrontation with Vic the other week, I was pissed off but I know that he was right in what he said. And so does Lindsey but... well we know how she can be."

"Yeah we do, but Brian is where he was supposed to be and if I ever hear her say otherwise, I will explode," Debbie warned, not batting an eyelash. She and Vic had talked about this very thing since the first day after the bashing. Even though she wanted to deny everything Vic had brought up, like the misplaced anger and jealousy Mel and Lindsey exuded, it was more than apparent in their lack of communication with the family or their lack of attendance at the hospital. Debbie knew she couldn't solely blame Melanie for it. Changing the subject before she went off on another tirade, Debbie directed her attention to the young man beside Mel. "Who the fuck's he?"

Melanie smiled, this time genuinely. She knew that the matter about Lindsey was dropped for the moment, and redirected where it should be. "This is Charles Sands. He's going to be Justin's personal attorney."

"Why aren't you taking Justin's case?" Debbie asked. Melanie usually acted as the attorney for all of the family's legal issues.

"This is a bit different, Deb. First, there is the fact that I have a personal stake in this case because I love Justin, the same as you all. Secondly, if this doesn't go the way we hope, we will have to file a civil suit. As a Civil Rights Attorney, I can do more for Justin on that end where my hands would be tied right now. For this case, I'm simply acting as a consultant since I also know the history of what Justin has endured at the hands of Chris Hobbs. Charles here is also a Civil Rights Attorney but also used to work for the DA's office."

Diane interrupted then. She had stood off to the side as Debbie spoke with Melanie but now there was a need to intervene. "Out of curiosity, Mr. Sands, what has the DA been planning? I know that up until half hour ago, Stockwell hadn't even planned to send a cop to investigate."

The medium height brown-skinned man answered, "That's correct, Senator and that is one of the basis for the civil suit should the need arise, which I suspect it might. They are charging Christopher Marc Hobbs with Simple Assault instead of the hate crime this so obviously was."

"Simple Assault? What exactly will that do?" Debbie asked feeling that there was something she was definitely missing.

Melanie answered instead of Charles. "It means that Chris has made a plea deal with the DA's office. He pled guilty to the charge of Simple Assault and he'll either get minimum jail time which is no more than a year but he'll only serve eight months of it because he doesn't have any priors. Or he will pay a fine and have community service. It's up to the judge to decide punishment since he also waived his right to a jury ruling.

"Un-fucking-believable! So either way this asshole gets a slap on the wrist when in fact he could have killed Sunshine," Debbie's voice rose as she finished her statement.

"Which is another reason why Charles and I are here. Is Michael coming back anytime soon? We really would like his statement about what he saw. If we file the civil suit, we're going to need his testimony as well as the others so we can put together a case to be presented to the judge."

"I sent for him this morning," Brian said as he and Jennifer emerged from Justin's hospital room. He looked back briefly to make sure he was still asleep as he moved around to face Melanie. He reached out to shake Diane's hand. "I thought I was hallucinating when I looked up and saw you. Thanks for coming, Senator."

"Brian, you know better... I'm still Diane and you don't have to thank me. I would have been here sooner had I known. Justin is still very special to me, you know."

Brian nodded before uttering anything lesbianic. "Yeah well the little twat has always been a fighter. I'd expect no less from him." He smiled softly in remembrance of all the times he'd tried to push Justin away without any luck. Shifting his eyes a bit to the left, he acknowledged Melanie. "Smelly Melly, to what do I owe the displeasure."

"Can it, asshole," she said but she had a slight smile on her face. "We figured the police should be showing up soon now that Justin is awake."

*Hmmpf* "Don't count on it. They haven't been here since this shit started. I doubt they'll roll out and do justice by the fags now that Sunshine is awake."

"I wouldn't be so skeptical, Brian," Diane said. "They should be showing up very soon. Both me and Mayor Deekins put in the call to Stockwell personally."

Brian couldn't keep the momentary surprise from his hazel eyes but he regained control of himself quickly. "Well that's a plus then. Hopefully they'll fry the fucker who did this."

"Although I share the sentiment, Brian and you know I do, they're not going to," Mel said. Before he could go off on his tirade, she went on to explain everything that was discussed before he entered the conversation.

"It's bullshit, Mel. All bullshit," he protested.

"I know, Brian but right now, the civil suit is the best chance at retribution we have."

Turning his attention to Charles Sands, Brian moved closer invading the shorter man's space. For his part, Charles didn't step back or flinch. Mel had already warned him about Brian's innate intensity. "Make sure this shit goes according to plan, Sands. Am I fucking clear."

Charles smirked. "Crystal, Kinney."

Brian chuckled. "Well you must at least be somewhat good if you're hanging out with this pitbull bull dyke lawyer. For all our differences I will say that she's good at what she does."

"Be still my fucking heart. A compliment? Brian did you contract encephalitis while you were in there with Justin?"

"No. Why?"

"Because I think you may have momentarily forgotten that I hate your fucking guts and the feeling is mutual."

"No, Mel. I didn't forget that but I'm in a fairly decent mood right now. Don't spoil it."

Down the hall, a sudden commotion ruined the relaxed mood of the moment. A short recognizable brunet was arguing rather loudly with a tall, skinny man with fading brown hair.

"Look, pal, I don't give a fuck what you or that child molester says, I'm going to see my son."

"Oh, now you want to claim him," Michael said. "Look why don't you just get the fuck out of here. No one wants you here. Not Brian. Not Jennifer and certainly NOT Justin. You're a poor excuse for a man let alone a father!"

Craig grabbed the shorter man by the collar as the other man began to claw at his wrists. "Why you little faggot, I'll..." Craig began, but never got to finish as a fist connected with his jaw.

"Brian!" Jennifer screamed.

"Brian... no... don't..." Vic moved to get the irate tall man who was about to hit the man lying on the ground writhing.

"Let me go, Vic. I'm fucking tired of Craig and his shit."

"I know, Son, but this isn't the time or the place for it. What do you think will happen to Justin if you're banned from the hospital over this piece of shit?"

The mention of Justin's name had the desired effect on Brian, and he immediately calmed enough to stand straight up. However, his stance remained belligerent and alert in case Craig tried something else.

"Thank you, Vic," Jennifer said, before rounding on her ex-husband. "What the hell are you doing here, Craig? I thought I told you that you're not welcome here."

Craig rubbed his jaw as he spat angrily. "I don't give a shit, Jennifer. You have no right to keep me from my son, and neither does the son of a bitch who hit me!"

Brian smiled wide at the reference to Craig and his ‘rights.' "Actually I DO have that right. I'm Justin's power of attorney so yeah, Craig," Brian sneered his name, "I do have the right since Justin has been emancipated since three days before he turned eighteen." He watched with satisfaction as the color drained out of the older man's face.

"And you let this happen, Jennifer? What kind of mother are you? You just willingly hand over our son to this monster."

Jennifer narrowed her eyes and putting on the most haughty tone she could muster, she answered him. "I am a damn good mother, Craig. You see, although I had my problems with Justin's sexuality initially, I have continued to try to grow with him and understand him; to let him CHOOSE who HE wants to be not who I think he should be. Perhaps if you tried to know our son as the MAN he is instead of trying to impose your will on him, then maybe you would be allowed to see him now." She took a deep breath before continuing. "I warned you not to come back, didn't I? So now you have left me absolutely no choice in the matter. Melanie, would you mind representing me in divorce court? I was willing to settle with him out of court, although I had let the matter rest for obvious reasons during the past few weeks. But since Craig doesn't seem to understand boundaries, I have to teach him."

"What the fuck do you think you're going to do, Jennifer? You can't keep me from Molly, you know."

Jennifer laughed. "Craig, the one thing you've never learned about the women of the WASP nest, is that we're also excellent strategists. Don't worry about what I'm going to do; that isn't your business. Instead, worry about how what I will do will affect you and the mistress, whom you're currently holed up with." His eyes got wide at the mention of the other woman. Jennifer smiled seeing the small look of fear in his eyes. "Now I suggest you leave, Craig, before I allow Brian to finish what he started."

She turned her back making her way back down the hall to Justin's room, grabbing Brian's hand along the way. Once they were out of earshot of everyone else, Brian said, "I couldn't help myself. I'm not going to apologize for it either."

"I wouldn't dream of having you apologize, Brian. Craig has deserved that as far back as I can remember. In fact, thank you. And I don't blame you in the least. I only wish I could've done it. "

Brian threw back his head and laughed. The more time he spent with Jennifer Taylor, the more surprised he was by her. But then again, Sunshine had to get his gutsy ways from someone and it obviously wasn't Craig Taylor. "I owed him anyway from ramming my car twice at a light which caused me concussion."

"Wait, Brian. What did you just say?" Brian repeated the situation without hesitation. "So you're the asshole that backed his jeep into the car?"

Brian smirked before answering. "Trust me the last dick on earth I would willingly back into is Craig Taylor."

Jennifer blushed and snickered at Brian's response. She remembered Debbie telling her that the only thing she would have in common with Justin ever again was that they both liked dick. It appeared that the same commonality was going to be shared with Brian. But if it kept her laughing and him emotionally accessible for the moment, she'd take it.

"How did you find out about it? Craig said the road was dark with barely a streetlight."

"He's right that it wasn't well lit. But it was Justin who told me about it the next day. He had called to tell me he was on his way over. At first I told him that he should stay home but well... the little twat convinced me; said he didn't want to be home after the fight with Chris the day before. We were sitting around when Melanie asked what happened and that's when he told us."

"And you didn't press charges. Why?"

"It was dark and I thought it was just some random trick who was sore that there wasn't going to be a repeat performance. With the exception of my head hurting and a few body aches, I honestly didn't think in that direction. The attack outside Babylon, I left alone for a different reason." Brian stopped, peering into the glass at the sleeping young man in the bed. He smiled slightly thinking back to the rabid pitbull who defended him that night which seemed a lifetime ago now. "Justin had already suffered enough; paid a cost that I'm not sure any of us could have just to make his own decisions and choose where he wanted to be. I couldn't let the way he stood up for himself and for ME, go in vain."

"If I tell you something, do you promise not to run out of here screaming like your hair's on fire?" Brian's sardonic little smirk graced his lips and once again Jennifer could see how the man's natural beauty had hypnotized her son and from all she had witnessed, the feeling was mutual. So when Brian nodded his assent. she forged ahead. "I have heard you called a lot of things, some affectionate, most not but I think there is a ‘you' which only Justin sees. He's like that you know? I think Debbie and you calling him Sunshine is the most accurate moniker he could have because he is my child of love and light. And somehow he has managed to shine both on a person who won't admit that he needs it but DOES need it all the same." Jennifer took a deep breath before continuing. "What I'm trying to say is... well... my soon-to-be ex-husband's mother taught me this one valuable lesson and I want you to carry it with you even if we don't speak on it again: It's not about what you are CALLED but what you ANSWER to that defines who you are. You're not an asshole, Brian; that title is reserved for men like Craig. Your actions tell a whole different story."

Brian was silent as he absorbed her words. Deep down he didn't believe her but what she said made a lot of sense so he filed it away for later. He couldn't help the sudden need for a cigarette or to move as restlessly as a shark swims the ocean. It was funny that her words soaked into him the same way Justin's did. It must be a little blond Taylor thing and he didn't mind the small dose of warmth penetrating the usual coldness which encased his heart.

Finally trusting himself to speak levelly again, he said, "Anything you need to fight him in court, Jennifer, let me know. I meant what I said when I told Charles that Melanie Marcus is a damn good attorney. She'll make sure you get what you deserve and she's definitely not fond of straight men. I think she hates them even more than she hates me."

Jennifer laughed at that. "Well that's saying a whole lot, Brian. Why does she hate you so much anyway?"

"That's a long story for another time. I used to think it was just because she was a bitter butch bitch but I think there's more to it. Either way, I don't care. I just like to piss her off. It adds to the entertainment value of my life."

"I can see that," Jennifer responded chuckling as they entered Justin's room again to sit and wait for him to wake up.

Thankfully, it wouldn't be as long as it had been in the last three weeks.

~BJBJBJBJBJBJBJBJBJBJBJBJBJBJBJBJBJBJBJBJBJBJBJBJBJ~

The Bare Minimum

Chief James Henry Stockwell approached the huge bay windows at the back of his office located in heart of the City with trepidation for the first time since taking this position. The news he'd just received was not good by any means. It appeared that young Justin Taylor had finally come out of the coma. But that wasn't the problem. The issue at hand was that Senator Diane Baxter was asking why none of the Pittsburgh Police Department had been to see Justin nor his family members.

His initial response was that the officers were tied up, and couldn't afford the manpower to address a case where the victim was indisposed. The fucking woman called him on it, and then immediately called the Mayor. If there was one thing Stockwell couldn't stand, it was being told HOW to do his job, especially by a woman or a Democrat.

"Chief, you wanted to see me?" came the expected voice. He had sent for the man over an hour ago but was told that he wasn't due in the office until just after nine.

"Come in, Horvath and shut the door." Chief Stockwell turned away from the entrancing view of the Pittsburgh skyline.

He surveyed Detective Carl Horvath as he dutifully followed orders. Carl usually worked homicide but due to a shortage and some budget cuts beyond Stockwell's control, the man was required to also fill-in with the Special Victims Unit as required. Currently the officers of that unit were on special assignment regarding an underage porn ring so Detective Horvath was it.

"What can I do for you, Chief?" the gruff-voiced officer asked.

"I'll make this short and to the point, Horvath. I need you to get down to Allegheny General and interview Justin Taylor. The case is already marked as a simple assault but since there is a Senator involved, we are duty-bound to find out what the victim has to say. I'm not interested in what the ‘supposed' eyewitnesses have to say in this matter. Are we clear?"

"Crystal but if there was an eyewitness, wouldn't it help the State with their case?" Horvath was genuinely confused at the Chief's request. He knew a few details about the case as it was a hot topic within the office and the subject of some not-so-nice comments and innuendos. Carl didn't defend the young man figuring it wasn't his place or his business what other people thought about the young men involved but now his name was to be associated with it. In the twenty years Carl Horvath had been a cop, he was never one NOT to do his job efficiently.

"Whether it ‘helps the State's case' or not, is not this department's concern, Horvath. If it were up to me, I would have left this case alone since the DA's office has already decided what to charge Chris Hobbs with. But the mayor is now involved thanks to Senator Baxter who has a personal stake in this case. The only interest I have in this case is to fulfill their wishes right now. After that, we can get back to real police work."

Horvath nodded his assent but kept his own reservations to himself. He couldn't tell what about the entire situation disturbed him more at the moment- Chief Stockwell's apparent lack of empathy for the young victim, or the fact that if there wasn't a political figure involved, the case would be marked closed. "If there's nothing further, Chief, I better get going." The air within the spacious office had just become stifling.

"No nothing further, Horvath. I'll expect a full account on your conversation with Taylor when you return."

Again, Carl nodded before taking his leave. He would give the Chief what he asked for but he would also do his job properly.

Jim waited until he noticed Detective Horvath board the elevator before picking up his cell phone and placing the call he'd dreaded for the last three weeks. It wasn't that he didn't like talking to his friend of more than twenty-five years; it was the circumstances. Samuel Hobbs, father of Chris, was one of his biggest supporters in his future bid for Mayor of Pittsburgh. With that on the line, Jim really couldn't afford for Chris to be convicted based on the evidence against him. Jim had a long talk with District Attorney, Paul Atwater, who was also up for re-election.

As a result, they decided to book Chris Hobbs on the Simple Assault charge, and give him community service in exchange for the guilty plea. Judge Harold Roy Russo was all for it as long as Samuel threw his support behind him for re-election as well. And all of it was based on the Taylor boy not waking up or being a veritable vegetable unable to speak. Based on the amount of blood the boy lost, it was almost a sure thing... Almost.

Jim didn't wait to exchange the usual pleasantries with Samuel. There wasn't time for any of that so he got right to the point after the man answered. "Baxter and Deekins have been on my ass all morning. Justin Taylor is awake so I sent one of my officers to interview him. Based on what he says, the trial should be commencing by the middle of next week, Samuel."

"Fucking assholes," the man muttered. "One's a dyke and the other might as well be a faggot with the way he kisses ass."

Jim laughed but it lacked humor. "You're just mad because he wouldn't kiss YOURS, Sam. But don't worry, your agenda and mine are the same so when I'm elected, we'll right the wrongs committed by this current mayor. In any event, I figured I should call and warn you that this case is being scrutinized carefully."

"Does that really matter now since the plea deal is all but assured?"

"As long as my officer follows my dictates, there shouldn't be a problem," Stockwell assured him.

There was a small silence before the man asked, "Out of curiosity, who did you send?"

"Carl Horvath."

"I thought he worked Homicide. If Taylor's awake, he can't be dead." He laughed at his own attempt at levity.

"With the current budget cuts, Carl's duties have been added to. This technically falls under Special Victims so that's why I sent him."

"Any concerns with this cop? I mean if Reichart were still around..."

"Leave Kenneth and his stupid ass out of this. Besides, he's still around, just taking some much needed time off. I felt I owed it to him considering the last case he worked. Anyway, I don't worry about Carl Horvath. He's a good cop; follows direct orders to the letter."

"Oh so he's brainless is what you're saying?"

"No such thing but if I tell him to concentrate solely on the victim in the case and disregard any others present, he will do just that."

"Having a good puppet ain't half bad, Jim. I'll get Chris ready and tell him what he needs to know to look suitably contrite."

"You do that. In the meantime, I'll keep you informed if there are any changes in plans." Jim hung up the phone, feeling like he was well on his way to achieving everything he'd ever wanted.

He would clean up the streets of Pittsburgh beginning with that homo-infested gayborhood of Liberty Avenue... But first things first, it was time to issue a direct blow to a member of the gay community, one that would teach them all about the wheels of justice where they're sinful, butt-plugging, carpet-munching selves are concerned. Jim smiled as he sat at his desk, planning his the first set of new laws he'd put into action once HE became Mayor.

CHAPTER FOUR

EYES WIDE OPEN

Emmett was over the moon at the latest developments regarding Justin. He had finally woken up! There were many times over the past three weeks that he and Ted feared the worst. The duo had discussed it many times, often trying to figure out a gameplan to help Brian overcome his grief if their worst fear was realized. Thankfully that was no longer the greatest concern and Emmett being Em was on the brink of tears.

Ted noticed his mood right away and didn't hesitate to ask, "What is it?"

Emmett grabbed Ted's hand over the table at the Diner where they usually met at the start of everyday. But today was even more special. "That was Debbie, Teddy. Justin woke up; he finally opened his beautiful blue eyes! Oh my God, I can't imagine being happier. I was so worried about Baby."

Ted patted his best friend's hand in return. "We all were, Em. That little boy grew on us all."

"But no more than Brian. I'm honestly amazed at how he's been."

Ted chuckled. "I know what you mean but then again, I could see why he was." Ted grew silent remembering his own time in a coma not too long ago. He'd heard Brian's words of equal parts condemnation and pleas for him to wake up so he wouldn't have to pull the plug. He imagined that it was even worse in this scenario for the man who claimed to have no feelings. "I'm glad Brian didn't have to make any decisions that he would have regretted."

Before Em had a chance to answer, the bell over the door rang out signaling Lindsey's arrival. As always Gus was adorable and a mini-Brian even as he slept in his stroller. There really wasn't anything announcing Lindsey as the mother which in a lot of ways he guessed was Mel's problem. But he kept such observations to himself. He'd already grown used to Lindsey's pinched-lipped face which she tried to hide but couldn't quite manage it whenever Brian and Justin were mentioned in the same sentence; he wouldn't add to the problem now.

"Good morning, Sweetie," he greeted her with his usually bright mood.

"Good morning, Emmett and Ted. I'm surprised to see you two here this late." She took her seat next to Em, moving the stroller a little closer out of the walkway. After the waitress came over to take her order she casually asked, "Where's everyone? Deb? Brian? I'd even expected to see Melanie here since she left while I was in the shower."

"Oh. Well I guess she must be down at the hospital," Ted said. He had not seen Emmett drop his eyes to signal that this conversation was about to take a wrong turn but Ted noticed the sudden tensing of Lindsey's shoulders. He knew he'd somehow struck a nerve with his comment. Here we go...

"Why would they be down there? Has something happened that I'm not aware of? Has Justin succumbed to his injuries?" Lindsey's rapid-fire questions brought both men up short.

Emmett took a moment before answering trying to gauge the level of her concern. She'd been most vocal in the past weeks about the amount of time Brian had been spending at the hospital, even so far as implying he's been neglecting his fatherly duties to Gus. He'd known it was a crock of shit but again he kept silent. Ted had confided to him that although Brian's been at Justin's side day and night, Lindsey still received her support checks of three thousand dollars a month-- or in Lindsey's case fifteen-hundred per two weeks-- without fail since Ted authorized the checks as Brian's personal and business financial advisor. Both Emmett and Ted knew that talking with Lindsey was a verbal landmine and they were trying their collective best to keep the woman from blowing up.

"I'm surprised Mel didn't tell you, Sweetie. But then again, she was probably getting to work by the time the call came in. In fact, Debbie just called me to let us know that Justin had woken up. Isn't that great?!"

Ted had been watching Lindsey closely, taking note of every reaction of the woman to Emmett's declaration. He'd seen the surprise, the momentary confusion at why she was the last to know and was that...a flash of anger? Ted couldn't be sure since it disappeared as quickly as he thought it but if he were a betting man, he would have won some money.

"Yes," Lindsey's voice oozed like honey. "It's great that he's finally emerged from his deep sleep. Perhaps now things can get back to normal for us ALL."

Ted cleared his throat. "Granted when one of the family is in a coma, it does tend to disrupt life a bit. But I wouldn't say there was any abnormality to our everyday routines, just that the conversations are going to change for the better now."

"Well, Ted dear, you can say that because Brian would have only seen you guys at breakfast or at Woody's later at night. Did you know that he's missed five scheduled visits with Gus in the last three weeks? I wonder if Gus will even remember his touch. Kids this age are so vulnerable and need constant reassurance from the adults around them. It makes them prone to easily forget those that matter."

Ted could see the storm clouds rising in Emmett's eyes and decided to stem the tide before the tall queen got a roll going on. "Honestly, Lindz, I don't think Gus will have as big a problem as you think. Brian will be able to resume his ‘scheduled' visits as soon as things with Justin are taken care of. Since he's technically Justin's partner and power of attorney as well as his medical proxy, he has to make sure all these things are set up before Justin can be released from the hospital. There will be therapies involved and let's not forget, Brian still has a job he must attend to as well."

"Why? You didn't need all of those things when you came out of your coma, Ted. Why would Justin? I'm sure he'll be fine and if not, he has his mother to take care of things for him."

Emmett couldn't keep silent any longer. After he requested to be let out of the booth, which Lindsey didn't hesitate to do, he rounded on her. "First of all Lindsey, Ted wasn't hit in the head by a lunatic. Justin WAS. Secondly, it's apparent that you didn't hear what Ted said or you might have but just picked and chosen what you WANTED to hear. So let me be clear... Brian IS Justin's partner. I believe Vic confirmed this for you weeks ago but I guess you've accidently-on- purpose forgotten. Third, Gus is NOT without parents or support from the family as a whole whether Brian is available or NOT. Both you AND Melanie made sure of that, didn't you? You guilted and tricked Brian into signing over his parental rights even while laughing your way to the bank to cash the child support checks. Frankly, I find your attitude in all this disgusting and I would have expected better from YOU who has been considered one of Brian's oldest and dearest friends. The least you can do is be empathetic to his feelings and get over your own, whatever they may be. Now, Teddy and I are on our way to see Justin. Have a good breakfast. Come along, Teddy." Emmett reached over and grabbed the man's hand even while making his way over to the counter to pay for their meal.

"You could have handled that better, Em," Ted said trying to reason with the irate man. He couldn't remember ever seeing Emmett Honeycutt so pissed off.

"It needed to be said, Teddy. She was really out of line and is... well she's acting like a high siditty bitch and I for one couldn't take nor tolerate her snobbishness for one more millisecond."

"I know, Em. Maybe someday she'll get it or maybe not. Either way Brian Kinney is going to do what HE wants no matter how much she tries to guilt him into doing otherwise."

~BJBJBJBJBJBJBJBJBJBJBJBJBJBJBJBJBJBJBJBJBJBJ~

Inquiring Minds Want to Know

The sight which greeted Carl Horvath as he stepped off the elevator in Allegheny General Hospital would have been funny if it wasn't supposed to be a quiet floor. The first thing he registered was a sandy brown haired man looking like he was being harassed by a loud, red-haired dervish who was jabbing her finger in his face and launching all manner of obscenities at the harried man. The man looked as if he was going to cry as he cradled his jaw. He looked to be over six-feet tall while the heavy-set woman only stood about five-foot-five. However,her voice and belligerent posture made her seem much taller.

"How dare you even fucking show your face here? You aren't fit to call yourself a man much less Sunshine's father. If it were up to me, I would have knocked YOU over the head and you'd be lying in that bed instead of Justin. Maybe it would have given you some goddamn sense!"

Carl's ears perked up over the name of the boy he was there to see. Making his way over to the melee, he stepped in between the angry woman and the man she was using for verbal target practice. Jesus, she's vicious. He thought that even as she stepped around him to try to complete her oral assault on the man happily cowering behind him, separating him from the near mob led by this short, stout and stalwart woman. He'd heard enough to gather who the man was by now so he decided to end the showdown.

"Excuse me, Ma'am but I think you've made your point," Carl said softly and calmly so as not to inflame the woman directly in front of him. He found himself mesmerized by the bluest eyes he'd ever seen up close and personal. He shook himself mentally, remembering his duty when she asked who he was. "Detective Carl Horvath, Pittsburgh P.D."

"It's about time you fucking guys got down here. Although we could thank your boss for that bit of negligence, can't we?" Debbie said without a hint of remorse, her stance just as confrontational as moments ago.

"Whether that's true or not Mrs..."

"Novotny. Debbie Novotny, Detective Horvath and it IS true. Chief Stockwell practically had to be threatened to send you here."

He had to curb the smile which almost graced his lips. This woman was all fire and Carl couldn't deny he was attracted, but now wasn't the time for that. He had a job to do and he would. "Mrs. Novotny, I can understand your anger but this really isn't the time to address that issue. I understand the victim is awake."

Melanie answered in place of Debbie. "Yes, Detective. He just awakened a little bit ago. His partner and mother are with him now." She was understandably pissed off, as they all were but it was time to get this case underway.

He nodded to the short-haired brunette who was standing with a tall black man and a shorter gray-haired lady whom he recognized immediately. So this is the reason Stockwell told me to get here fast. Nice connections this family has. "Senator Baxter, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Ma'am."

"Likewise, Detective." Diane reached up to shake the officer's hand. "I suppose we should head down to Justin's room now."

"No one is going to talk to my son without MY permission, damn it," Craig said through gritted teeth. He was still pissed that according to Jennifer and that son-of-a-bitch Kinney, he had no power regarding anything about Justin-- not his care, where he lived, how he lived-- NOTHING.

Melanie spoke up then. "According to the law, Mr. Taylor, Justin doesn't need your permission or anything else. He has been an emancipated minor since before he turned eighteen. Now that he has fully graduated high school, he is considered a full-fledge adult."

"My money paid for St. James Academy so he was STILL my responsibility regardless of what a damn court said."

"That's true and since the tuition was paid BEFORE you kicked him out of YOUR house, you were still financially responsible for his education," Melanie argued, smirk firmly in place at the older man's tactics. "Feel free to argue all of this in court, Mr. Taylor but the fact remains that your soon-to-be ex-wife and your son's partner asked you to leave. I would suggest you do so before we have you escorted out. And if you're thinking of returning when Justin is alone, please for your own sake, rethink that again. Mr. Sands and I will be requesting a restraining order on our clients' --Brian, Jennifer and Justin's-- behalf."

"You can't do that, who-ever-the-fuck-you-are. I know my rights," Craig yelled.

Melanie laughed. "Then you should also know that you have NONE here. Good day, Mr. Taylor."

Melanie turned to walk down the hall when Craig spoke again. This time to Horvath. "You're a cop, right?" When Horvath nodded, the evil gleam in Craig's eye was unmistakeable. "I want to press charges against the asshole Kinney and I want him arrested for hitting me."

Horvath hadn't missed the malevolent look. "Is this true? Did Kinney hit him?"

Diane answered. "It's true that Brian hit him. However, he was sorely provoked when he did. You see, from what I understand, Mr. Taylor was asked NOT to come back here several times by both Jennifer and Brian. When Michael told him to leave, Mr. Taylor got physical. As you can plainly see, the height difference alone puts Michael here at a disadvantage. Brian saw his friend being harassed and man-handled and planted a facer on the man. Based on all I've heard and seen from Mr. Taylor, I would have done the EXACT same thing if I didn't have my office to think about. Now I believe Detective that you have a young man to interview. Shall we?" She crossed over to him and gently took his arm, leaving Craig standing there fuming as the rest of the party followed.

Craig stood there watching all of them walk away, leaving him shut out of his family's business. He never thought once that he was to blame but he vowed that he would make those responsible pay...beginning with Jennifer and Brian fucking Kinney.

By the time the party arrived at Justin's room, the young man was sitting up in bed flanked on either side by Jennifer and Brian, each holding a hand. It was how Detective Horvath found them as he entered the room. He stood for a few moments just watching the interaction between the three occupants. The love between them was palpable although a little reserved from the auburn-haired man on the far side of the bed. The two blond Taylor's smiled brightly at each other. Before he could clear his throat to interrupt, the young man in the bed did.

"May we help you?" The bright smile he'd just had on his face disappeared and strangely Horvath found he missed its warmth. The young man looking at him now was full of angst and suspicion.

"Yes, Son. I'm Detective Carl Horvath from the Pittsburgh P.D. I was wondering if I could speak with you alone for a few minutes."

"No, you may not," Brian answered.

"Mr. Kinney, I presume," Carl said already hardening himself. He was warned that the taller man had not left Taylor's bedside but for a few moments a day and that he was protective.

"You presume right, Detective. I'm not leaving."

"Brian, maybe we should..." Jennifer began but Brian silenced her with a simple look. It wasn't that she was afraid of him; she just knew how to pick and choose her battles. Over the past few weeks she learned this was one she couldn't win. Turning to Justin, she said, "Sweetheart, I'll be right outside the door. I'm sure that while Detective Horvath is here, he'll also take Brian's statement since he was there."

Carl nodded his assent. "Might as well kill two birds with one stone." All three of them looked at him as if he'd lost his mind. He winced at the realization of what he'd said. "Sorry...I didn't mean to... Let's just get down to business, shall we?"

Jennifer rose and placed a gentle kiss on Justin's cheek for reassurance as Brian settled himself beside Justin. He still held his hand, primarily as a steadying influence on his own frayed nerves and also as a way to calm Justin. Skin-to-skin contact was always their favorite form of nonverbal communication and it would certainly work while being questioned by the police.  

"Before we begin answering your questions, Detective Horvath, would you answer one of mine?" Brian asked. Carl nodded already knowing what was coming but agreed anyway. Brian exploded. "What the fuck took you so long to get down here? Justin has been in a coma  for the last three weeks. Surely in all that time some of our tax dollars provided the pay for someone to come down here and do their fucking jobs."

"Brian, please..."

"No, Sunshine. I really would like an answer because no one has been down here since the night you were admitted. Daphne said Hobbs was allowed to attend his graduation ceremony while you laid here unconscious. The fucker should have been locked under a fucking jail or buried six feet under as far as I'm concerned."

Carl was stunned by the vitriolic outburst but not really surprised. From all he'd learned from Debbie's son Michael and Melanie Marcus, he really couldn't blame the man. "I'm sorry, Mr. Kinney, but with the department cuts, many of us are doing double duty. As far as why no one was here prior to me, I haven't the faintest idea but let's take advantage of the fact that I'm here now. Okay, Son?"

Brian looked over to the man occupying the other seat. He considered himself a pretty good judge of character. It was how he'd become so good at his job. All of his instincts were telling him that he should trust the man sitting in front of him but there was another part of him which argued that the man was a cop and not to be trusted. Brian decided that he would answer the man's questions but that was all. He would wait for all the pieces of the puzzle to fall into place before he took any further actions.

"Okay. What do you want to know?" Brian asked once again calm, cool, and collected.

Horvath covered the smirk forming. He instinctively liked Brian Kinney. Melanie had said that the guy was an asshole but an unfailingly honest one. He couldn't understand how the young man in the bed had inspired such loyalty in the older man. It was a mystery that he also wouldn't mind uncovering...but later. First, he had to do what he'd come to do. "Do you mind if I tape your responses? It will help me with my report later on during the write up." When both men shook their heads that they didn't mind, Horvath cleared his throat. "Justin, what is the last thing you remember?"

Justin didn't hesitate. "I remember asking Brian to my prom and he turned me down." He smiled wistfully, clearly remembering that moment in his life.

"How long have you known Chris Hobbs?"

Justin sighed. "I've known Chris since the fifth grade. He was an alright person until this past school year."

"What changed this year?"

"Detective, you are aware that I'm gay, right?"

Horvath smiled. "Yeah, Justin, I am."

"Then you know what changed. Everyone else knew that I'd come out but with Chris it was...a little different."

"He said that you made a pass at him."

"That wasn't the way it went. He and I were cleaning up the equipment room one day when he got detention. We were talking about his past conquests and I gave him a handjob. He liked it and he hated the fact that he liked it, so I became his target for his self-loathing."

"Are you saying that straight football jock, Chris Hobbs, let you..." Carl blushed unable to finish.

"That's exactly what I'm saying and he came." Justin said shrugging lightly as if what he said was no big deal.

Brian winced even while gauging the obviously hetero cop's reaction. To his credit, Horvath didn't look like he was about to run screaming to the altar of the nearest church or like he was about to vomit. In fact, beyond looking a bit stunned at Justin's revelation, he was still very composed. Brian took a moment to address Detective Horvath himself.

"You have to forgive my partner for his bluntness -- not that he said anything wrong. Dr. Marrow did warn us that Justin would have a bit of a filter problem since his frontal lobe was affected from the hit to his head. If it enters his mind, he can't control saying it right now." Brian held onto Justin's hand a bit tighter.

"I understand, Mr. Kinney. What I don't understand is where you fit into all of this."

"First, I prefer to be called Brian. As far as where I fit into all this, what exactly would you like to know?"

"Will you answer if I ask?"

"I'll decide when you ask your question if I want to answer it. Unlike Justin, I do have a filter and am not afraid to clam up if I have to." Brian shrugged, his gesture identical to Justin's prior one.

"I appreciate your honesty, Brian. Now may I be just as blunt?" The auburn haired man nodded so Carl continued. "The more answers you provide me, the better off this case goes. I already spoke to Ms. Marcus and Mr. Sands and I understand what they are trying to do on your behalf should Hobbs not be held fully responsible. I have my own set of orders to follow in this regard which is why I'm taping this conversation. I want justice in this case just as you do."

"Are you sure? Because my idea of justice right now goes in direct opposition to your definition of it."

Carl smiled wide then. "We all have our own definitions of fair and equal when it comes to the law young man, but we still live under the same set of rules. Now will you tell me what I want to know? How did you meet Justin?"

"I met the troublesome twink outside of Babylon one evening last September. It was only supposed to be a one-night thing, but the little shit grew on me."

Justin chuckled at Brian's matter-of-fact answer. "You mean I harassed you and made myself adorable and irresistable."

Brian smiled a little. "Yeah, that too, twat. Now let the good detective here ask his questions. It's almost time for your next dose."

Justin nodded. His eyes were beginning to feel heavy so he laid back and closed them. Brian and Carl looked at the young man each lost in their own thoughts for a moment before Carl continued.

"Why did you show up at the prom, Brian? From all accounts, you are not known for altruism."

"I'm not...except maybe where Justin is concerned. The kid's had a hard year. Being bullied in school and then at home by his homophobic asshole of a father resulting in him being kicked out because of his ‘disgusting lifestyle.' That was how Craig put it you know? Justin had to deny who he was and what he thought in order to stay there. Justin made the decision to leave the place where he should have had unconditional love. Jennifer came around but Craig... even now he's still making trouble for Justin. Then there were my own problems with him but also..." A deep sigh escaped him but rallied to continue with his explanation. "Justin and I, we're different but we've had the same issues, you know. Originally I just wanted to help the kid become a man, to learn to navigate life as an unapologetic gay man who wouldn't feel bad for the problems other people had with him because he likes cock. But then... well I found out just how much courage the kid has and I admire that in him. He's a reckless and tenacious twink but he oozes intelligence and has some unnamable quality about him. Justin hadn't asked me for anything except to go to the prom with him. For what he's endured over the last nine months, I figured that I could at least give him the thing he most wanted in that moment. Now I wish I hadn't." Brian looked over to the bed, noting the rise and fall of Sunshine's chest. He bent over to place a kiss on his brow, then holding his fingers to his lips motioned the detective to follow him out of Justin's hospital room. "He'll be up again in about fifteen minutes if you have more questions for him."

Carl shook his head. "No, we'll let him sleep but I need you to tell me everything you remember from that night."

Brian closed his eyes. It was the moment he'd been dreading, having to relive the horror and nightmare of watching his lover take a bat to his head. He turned to Jennifer who was watching them closely. Daphne had arrived and while standing with Emmett, she handed Brian one of the coffees in her hand. He smiled down at her in gratitude. It had become a running habit between the three of them over the past weeks. Although Brian didn't leave, whenever Jennifer spent some nights with Molly and Daphne would arrive back to the hospital, he would have their breakfast waiting on them. In return, they brought him a triple non-fat latte every time they came back.

"Stay with him. If he wakes...

Daph leaned up and whispered in his ear. "Don't worry. I'll come get you if he wakes up and you're not back."

"Don't go far. I'm sure you're up next on the Detective's list."

"I won't," she answered with a smile that reminded him of Justin's youth.

He bumped her shoulder and headed down to the staff patio area just behind the ICU ward with Carl in tow. After several cigarettes and an hour later, Brian was finally done telling Horvath all he needed to know about Justin Taylor and as much as he'd known about Chris Hobbs. He made sure to tell the cop about Chris threatening Justin in the middle of Liberty Avenue outside Woody's. The jock decided to pick a fight with Justin and the twink responded in the only way he knew how...exposure of the handjob. Although Justin shouldn't have done that, Chris provoked the situation by bullying Justin where he basically lived his life openly in front of ALL of Liberty Avenue. When Daphne came out, Brian went back inside the building. Justin was still asleep although his IV had been changed. Then the older man resumed his post as protector and keeper of the blond twink, watching the rise and fall of Justin's chest to reassure himself that Sunshine was still alive and kicking life in the ass.

Daphne's interview with Horvath went much in the same vein as Brian's. Horvath asked her very specific questions pertaining to the history between Justin and Chris Hobbs. He learned from Daphne that Chris' obsession with Justin didn't just start in their senior year the way Justin had believed.

"I've caught him watching Justin many times over the years but he would turn when he noticed me watching. Anyone could tell that he was interested in Justin more than Justin was interested in him."

"What kind of look was it?" Horvath was genuinely fascinated by Daphne's description of the events leading up to the bashing. He didn't feel her opinion was in the least bit biased even though Justin was her best friend. After Kinney's standoffish interview in which Carl had to basically pull the information out of him, interviewing Daphne Chanders was like a much needed coffee break.

"It was the kind you would give if you noticed a big glass of water after being in the dry desert for more than an hour. But then it would change to a look of disgust."

"For Justin?"

She shook her head. "No. I think it was for himself. You have to understand the environment we grew up in, Detective Horvath. Chris' family is what they call ‘Old Money' which means high-society, well-bred, dowry-exchanging ideals. Chris couldn't be ‘gay' if he wanted to...and he definitely WANTED to, but only with Justin. His father has been in talks with Allison McAvoy's family about a possible marriage between the two. It's our society's not-so-well kept secret. Now with the bashing conviction looming and Chris' football career tanked thanks to Brian's well-placed hit to the knee, the McAvoys are rethinking the alliance with the Hobbs Construction empire."

Carl was amazed at this information. He could well understand what it would do to a man like Samuel Hobbs if it was discovered that his boy liked boys. He also began to understand the Chief's reluctance to get involved with this case but that was a thought he would keep to himself. There was a lot riding on this conviction from all sides. In Carl's eyes, it was a fucking mess.

 *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Seeing the Light... AGAIN

Emmett and Ted walked into the hospital, still speaking-- or more like half-arguing-- about  what transpired at the Diner with Lindsey. Emmett was yet defending himself from Ted's condemnation yet again. "I know, Teddy. I KNOW. I shouldn't have mentioned about her coercing Brian into having Gus. I get it; I really do but she was so irritating and needed to be taken down off that soapbox she puts herself on. Lindz isn't as clean as she wants the world to believe."

"Either way, Em, I wouldn't be a friend if I didn't warn you of the potential fall out. You know she's going to complain to Brian."

"And it will go one of two ways. He'll either tell me to mind my fucking business or he'll thank me first and then tell me to mind my fucking business."

They both laughed at Emmett's accurate depiction of Kinneyisms. Brian always had difficulty expressing gratitude or accepting help, especially when it came to Michael or Lindsey's criticisms. He often acted like their opinion didn't matter or that their low-balling insults didn't hurt, but there were times that Ted and Emmett stood by appalled at the verbal daggers hurled at Brian. Those hurt worse than anything Melanie, who hated Brian, could have said or done. Today was the day, Emmett was going to stand up for Brian because he firmly believed Brian was exactly where he should have been. And he was rather proud of himself for doing it even though Ted was still scolding him in that mundane-voiced, passive-aggressive way he often did.  

They continued on their way to the ICU where Justin was. Noticing the crowd, they made their way directly to it and were greeted by Debbie and Vic. Michael was watching the proceedings inside the room intently as if he could discern what was being discussed through lip reading.

Emmett asked what they missed and told Deb and Vic of the run-in with Lindsey at the Diner. Her question as to whether Justin had ‘succumbed to his injuries' still disturbed him in ways he'd rather not examine just now. Emmett walked over to his favorite young sprite to ask her all of everything that went down. Debbie had said some things but Emmett could tell she was just as invested with finding out what was being said with the Detective in that room as Michael was. But he suspected Michael's focus had less to do with the conversation and more with who was doing the talking; more with the actions accompanying the speaker...Brian.

"Hey Sweetie, so how has everything been this morning since Justin woke up?"

Daphne answered as best she could. "From what I know, he's fairly lucid which is good but..."

"But?" Emmett asked immediately concerned at her hesitation. He'd gotten to know the young girl as he'd gotten to know Justin. It wasn't like her to be so cautious in her speech.

"Well-- the doctor says that it could all change any minute. Justin is having a good moment NOW but... Well I've noticed that he is afraid to be near anyone but Brian. I tried to chalk it up to the fact that he loves Brian but honestly, Em, it's more than that. Mrs. Taylor said that when he woke up, there were parts of his memory missing; parts he may not get back."

"Oh my God, what parts?" Emmett's heart was breaking for Justin in that moment. To want to forget is one thing but to not be able to remember because someone took that away from you is something else entirely.

"The last thing he remembers is asking Brian to the prom and him saying no."

"Damn. How awful for him...for them both."

Daphne nodded. "Yeah. I wish you could have seen them, Emmett. They danced as if no one else existed but them; like there was nothing in the world that could keep them apart. Justin had worked so hard to get Brian to admit that he felt something-- anything-- for him and the one time Brian's actions spoke the loudest, Justin can't remember it. It's so fucking unfair."

Emmett embraced her and let her cry it out. He felt the same sense of anger on Justin's behalf and an enormous amount of sympathy for Brian who was steadfast in his care of Justin. The road to healing would not be easy for either one, which made his actions regarding Lindsey all the more necessary. Emmett pulled back from her just as Brian and someone he could only think was the long-awaited detective emerged from Justin's room. He'd fallen asleep during the interview. Brian gave a quick nod to Emmett as he asked Daphne to come get him if Justin wakes up when she handed him a cup of coffee. She assured him that she would. Ted had come up beside Emmett just as he turned toward Daphne again.

"Ted and I are going down to the cafeteria to grab another coffee. Do you want us to bring you anything back?"

"No, Emmett but thanks for offering. I know that once Brian finishes with Detective Horvath, it will be my turn to tell him what I know. I'm not looking forward to it but I'm the only one who can paint the complete picture as to why Chris would hurt Justin like this." Daphne sighed. "It's not like it will do a world of good anyway and yet Horvath seems like he really wants to know."

"Honey, all we have are hope and faith to go on. Things will work out someway," Emmett tried to reassure the young girl but he felt much the same way she did.

"I know, Em. I just wish we didn't have to rely on such elusive emotions for this situation. I'll fill you in on everything else when you and Ted come back." She stood on the tips of her toes and kissed the tall man's cheek.

Ted waved as he and Em moved down the hall. When they were a bit closer to the ICU entrance, Ted told Emmett of the family's run-in with Craig this morning and the fact that he was trying to have Brian arrested.

"What the hell is wrong with people, Teddy? Was it a full moon last night or something and now everyone has lost their fucking minds?" Emmett began to get angry all over again. "The man really has NO conscience. His son is lying in a hospital bed with only God knows how much damage on the inside of his head, and all Craig Taylor can think about is what HE wants and how this is all Brian's fault? Well if you ask me, it's HIS. Had Craig not abandoned his own son the way he did, then Chris Hobbs wouldn't have dared to cosh Justin upside the head. Publicly disowning Justin did nothing but leave the boy to the wolves in the lily white football uniform. What a way to blame the victim."

Ted patted Em's shoulder as they entered the cafeteria. He'd felt the exact same way Emmett did and for the first time in a very long time, Ted actually felt like seeking the man out and finishing what Brian started. Craig Taylor was a first rate asshole- the biggest one Ted had ever seen in his thirty...ah...thirty-two years.

As they waited in line to get their coffees, Emmett noticed a very familiar face leaving the coffee machine. There was no way to describe seeing Heather nearly seven months after their defection-- or make that enforced exit-- from the See the Light group. He still couldn't believe HE was trying to go straight, nor she. If there were two gayer people in the Christendom, Emmett really wanted to meet them. Heather was as butch a female as he'd ever encountered, even more than Melanie. She'd nearly crushed his fingers the first time she'd shaken his hand. And contrary to popular belief or opinion of the nelly queen, Emmett had a very strong grip himself but it was nothing compared to Heather's. He remembered their ‘pillow talk' after their hetero experimentation. She'd come clean and described the broad she was thinking about the whole time they were making out and having sex. Emmett damn near threw-up in his own mouth but when he described the man he was thinking of, so did she. It made them even in the abject disgust department and they shared a good laugh behind their antics. Based on that alone, he could never pretend like he didn't know her.

He stepped in front of her to block her path. At first she was about to apologize before she realized who it was. Then Heather's face registered her surprise and then elation with an undertone of sadness. Emmett couldn't figure it out. She looked the same but...different somehow. She regarded him with the same level of intensity. Finally Emmett had had enough of the silence.

Deepening his voice to what she and he would refer to as a ‘Hollywood leading man' tone when they watched movies together, he said, "You don't call, you don't write." He quirked an eyebrow and suddenly they both dissolved into giggles. He had to admit, even though joining "See the Light" was wrong for them, he still had a great time with her.

"Neither do you," Heather answered. "How have you been, Emmett?"

"I've been okay. We're here visiting a friend. You remember Ted?" Emmett pulled his companion closer.

They exchanged greetings, Ted rewarded her with one of his rare smiles before she spoke again. "I'm glad you're doing okay. Do you want to sit with me?"

"Sure although we can't stay too long. Our friend is in the ICU. He just woke up this morning. Just let us grab our coffees and we'll be right over."

She nodded as Ted and Em moved up in the line. As soon as they were done they found Heather sitting at one of the tables by the window. Em noticed the contents of her cup and scrunched his forehead.

"I don't remember you being much of a tea drinker. You were a bear until you got your official six cups a day and it's only noon now."

Heather nodded while looking delighted that he would remember something so trivial as her coffee habit. "I gave it up about a month ago. The caffeine no longer agreed with me. So you said that your friend woke up this morning?"

"Yeah. Justin's a really sweet guy and we were all so worried about him."

"I'm familiar with his case. I usually had the night shifts in the ICU until I had to switch to the evenings."

"Why? Are you okay?" Emmett asked genuinely concerned.

"I'm fine. It's just... Well you see...It's..."

"What? You aren't sick are you?"

"I wouldn't call it sick, although it was pretty hard to keep anything down for the first four months."

"Was it the flu?" Ted asked. "I remember I was like that too, but it didn't last as long."

Heather smiled. "No, Ted. It isn't the flu. Look, I might as well come out and say what it is."

"Okay, we're listening." Emmett reached for her hand to reassure her.  "No judgment, just friends."

"I'm pregnant and you're the father. Surprise!" Heather said, emitting a small nervous chuckle at the tail end of her big revelation.

"Pardon me, what did you just... did you just... Ted, she didn't just.... wait what did you say again, Heather?" Emmett's thoughts as well as his rambling questions were racing through his brain and out of his mouth faster than a runaway train.

Heather reached over, massaging his hand gently before repeating, "I'm pregnant, Emmett. It's a girl. I just found out the sex of the baby today during my break. You're going to be a father."

"That's impossible. We used.... oh my GOD!!! The condom..."

"Broke as you were pulling out. Apparently, she's quite the little swimmer. I wasn't even supposed to have an egg that day. Anyway the way I even found out was as big a shock as you're having."

"What happened?" asked Ted who had finally recovered his voice. Of all the things he could have thought wrong with Heather, pregnancy was the last and scariest thing he would have thought.

"I collapsed while turning one of the patients."

"As in hit the floor collapsed or..."

"As in passed out and hit my head on the bed frame. One of the other nurses found me and had the resident on call take a look at me. They rushed my blood work, found it mixed with the pregnancy hormone called Hcg and they did an ultrasound to confirm. So yep, Em I'm having your baby, Papa. But there is one problem."

"What is that?" Emmett and Ted asked at the same time, still reeling from the news that Emmett Honeycutt of the Hazelhurst Honeycutts was about to be a fucking Dad. What in blazing blue was he supposed to do with a baby? What the hell was he supposed to do with himself let alone a baby? The panic was setting in rapidly and her next words did not help.

"I finally got the job opportunity I've been waiting for Emmett."

"What? The job in Abu Dhabi came through? I know you applied for that almost a year ago before we even met."

"Yep. That's the one Emmett, and before I found out about the baby, I had already committed myself to go. I know what you must think of me right now but I have to go."

"And leave the kid? NO. Take her with you."

"I can't Emmett. It's the teaching position I've been waiting for forever. I don't want to give her up for adoption which is probably what would have happened if I hadn't run into you or found the courage to tell you before the baby was born. I couldn't have left her in the nursery like she didn't matter. At least with you, I'll know she's safe."

"You're talking like you're never coming back, Heather," Emmett said. He wasn't exactly sure what to feel at all she was telling him. Part of him was angry as hell at her for so many reasons, not the least of which was her choosing her career over her child. But is that really what she's doing?

"Emmett, I know that no matter what, I would NOT be the type of mother this little girl needs. There are certain women who are nurturers by nature. I am, but not where a baby is concerned. My job IS my life and I can't give it up. The research they're doing over there is something I've been assisting and working with my entire career. I don't want to give it up."

"You sound selfish as hell," Ted said indignantly." What kind of woman are you that you would put your career before your child?"

Emmett stopped Ted before his tirade could reach epic proportions. "She's an honest one, Teddy. Look at the difference between Melanie and Lindsey. Melanie is completely career-driven, whereas Lindz is content for the moment to stay home with Gus. Heather is a career dyke like Mel and I can't fault her for that. It's who she is. Some women, as are some men, are just hard-wired that way. It isn't their fault, anymore than it's the three of ours that we're gay." Turning back to Heather, Emmett spoke. "I know how important this is to you but I want you to be very, VERY sure that this is what you want, Heather. I refuse to end up in a situation like one of my friends is in, where the baby is used a pawn and a club to beat over his head. I don't want to deny you visits and such, but if we do this, I need your rights. I don't ever want there to be a question if you regret your decision later down the line and having to fight you in court. I don't want any of that; just a peaceful transition and an agreement that I will tell her about you when she asks and you may visit when you feel the need but it will NEVER come down to you petitioning to take her from me. If that's something we can agree on right now, I'll have the papers drawn up and delivered to you by the end of the week."

"Have the papers drawn up, Em. This is what I want. She would be much better off with you and the people you consider family, like Ted here, than being with a shell of a mother. I already love her too much to allow my distance to affect her that way. My mother was like that-- distant and cold because she felt that she lived an unfulfilled life because of me." Heather dropped her eyes, lost in her memories before she spoke again. "No child deserves that."

"Well now that that's settled....I'm gonna be a DAD!" In that moment, Emmett felt nervous and scared but most of all, he felt like he was QUEEN of the world.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The Mother of All Arguments

After the interview with Detective Horvath and seeing to Justin once more, Brian needed to take a break from the oppressive atmosphere of the hospital. He just needed to breathe the fresh air and have a small taste of normalcy for as long as it would take him to shower and change, maybe grab a beer while checking his email...something just to take his mind off of how worried he'd been and how concerned he still is.

He instinctively knew that he couldn't tell Justin he was leaving the hospital for a little while. So he sat there holding his hand, watching the vacantness flow in and out of his blue eyes, There were times when Justin was lucid-- his speech clear and his mind working sharply. But it was the other times, the times when he grew distant, when Brian had to ask him the same questions five times and only after he reworded the question, did Justin manage to respond. Those were the times when Brian's insides shook hard in panic. Then there was his reaction to the family. Justin recoiled several times when Debbie,Jennifer, Vic and Michael reached for him. A naturally affectionate person like Justin should never have had that reaction. When Brian, Daphne and Em touched him however brief, he flinched but he was still able to bear it.

Then there was the panic attack he'd walked in on. Justin had dozed off to sleep again when he'd suddenly began emitting ear-piercing shrieks and crying in his sleep. When he opened his tear-filled eyes, they were once again different-- like he was seeing objects and or people who were not there. Even when Brian had touched him and talked to him, it took quite awhile for Justin to recognize Brian in the midst of his terror. During those moments Justin also discovered that his right hand was not functioning which caused not only panic but anger. He'd flung the bedside table with his left hand so hard, it crashed with a loud BANG into the radiators which lined the walls by the windows where Brian was sitting. After a sufficient amount of time, Dr. Marrow administered a sedative to help Justin sleep so his mind would have a rest and time to process all the changes within his body. Still in spite of all of that, Brian felt enormous anxiety leaving the hospital. Daphne assured Brian that she would stay there until he got back which was the only way to get him to actually leave the hospital instead of it just being an unfulfilled desire. He made her promise to call the minute he woke up if it happened before he got back.

So with all of that happening, one would think that Brian deserved a few worry-free moments to himself. And everyone did...except Lindsey. Brian had been ignoring her calls and voicemails for the better part of two weeks. Every time he would listen to her messages, there were the endless complaints about how he's never home when she comes by to visit or the coaxing messages about how Gus is missing his ‘father.' Then there were the outright rude messages reminding him that he was powerless to help Justin and that he was wasting his precious time; that Justin would wake up when he was good and goddamn ready and that he was blowing her-- oops Gus-- off in favor of a boy who was not biologically related to him. All this was going through Brian's head as he pulled open the door to the loft.

"Hey, you okay?" Michael asked interrupting Brian's thoughts.

"Yeah, Mikey. I'm fine. I think I'll be even better after I have a shower and grab a beer. Maybe even get the final draft off my hard drive and sent to Cynthia." He closed the door, moving further into the loft even as he realized how empty it was without all of Justin's stuff lying around.

Even though Justin had been living with Deb, there were many days and nights that Brian would arrive home to find him lounging on the couch naked with a lusty look, cooking dinner for the two of them or sprawling haphazardly on the floor with his homework and art stuff scattered everywhere. Some nights it really pissed him off that he felt compelled to give Justin a key but then there were the times when he was glad to just sit and watch Sunshine teeter on the cusp between being an eighteen year old boy and a brave man wise beyond his years. Brian would have given anything right then to be watching Justin be who he was inside the loft, just the two of them, hidden away from the prying eyes of the ‘family'; would have given anything for Justin to be there in their bed, instead of a bed in the ICU, hurt and broken.

"That's not what I'm talking about and you know it."

Brian let the silence stretch for a few moments before answering him. "I'm...okay. It's just that... well... I... yeah, I'm fine."

Michael nodded even though he'd known differently. But that was classic Brian. A lot of time one had to read between the lines with Brian; always guessing what he was thinking or making assumptions. He was probably the hardest man on the planet to read...well at least the hardest man to read that Michael knew.

"How about you go on and shower while I call David and then we'll have that beer." Michael said pasting on a small smile as he began to usher Brian toward his bedroom.

They were just about there when the loft door opened with what sounded like a crash as it stopped. Lindsey stormed in, looking around until she noticed the other occupants. Her eyes took in Brian's disheveled appearance even as she narrowed her eyes at Michael.

"So, you've finally decided to leave the hospital. I take it Justin is doing well," Lindsey began.

Brian swallowed hard. "He's resting now. I thought I'd come home take a shower and take care of the emails I need to send to Cynthia."

"Not come by the house and see YOUR son?" Her tone was accusatory, the frost in each syllable evident.

Michael winced at it already knowing where this conversation was headed but this was not the time and he told her so. "Lindsey, Brian needs some time. I don't know what bug crawled up your ass but this-- what you're trying to start-- it needs to wait. I'm not going to --"

He didn't get a chance to finish before she cut him off. "Not going to let me? Really, Michael? You have no control over me and even less over Brian so since this doesn't concern YOU, it concerns Gus' PARENTS, I would appreciate it if you mind your own business."

He bristled both at her tone and her words. "Brian IS my business and has been since he was fourteen. Instead of acting like a bitch, since you claim to be his friend, you should be acting supportive. Instead you come in here and start trouble."

She disregarded every sentence uttered as she looked contemptuously at the man she'd come to see. The open collar on Brian's shirt made her eyes open a little wider as she noticed the Hermes scarf she'd gone with him to buy; the same one which was stained with Justin's blood. Brian noticed where her eyes drifted to and hurried to button the top of his shirt while glaring at her.

"You need to call off your attack puppy, Brian. This is about you not following through on your promises regarding Gus."

Brian folded his lips before answering, gathering his thoughts before he said something hurtful and angry. Although he was beginning to think she deserved it, he was mentally exhausted and really didn't need to deal with Lindsey's accusations. But he couldn't stop himself from asking,

"Exactly what are you talking about, Lindz? It can't be about money, because my accountant, meaning Ted, tells me that you've had no problem cashing my child support checks for a child who I'm not technically the father of."

"Oh Brian please. I thought we've been through all that; thought we'd gotten past it. But you're still a part of Gus' life. He misses you."

Again Brian looked at her. It was as if he was seeing something he had never noticed about her before and he called her on her bullshit. "If Gus misses ME so badly, then where is he Lindz? Shouldn't he be attached to your hip instead of your coming in here alone to play avenging mother or concerned friend? Why are you here at the loft when everyone KNEW I was at the hospital with my PARTNER?"

Lindsey deliberately ignored Brian's last question, merely disregarding it as an unimportant one. "Gus is at home with Melanie. I thought we should have this talk without him present."

"And yet you are concerned that I'm not spending enough time with him." Brian shook his head. "I call bullshit, Lindsey. And I really don't have time for your brand of it right now." He turned his back on her, making his way up the stairs to his bathroom when her next words stopped his progress.

"I can't believe you can make time to see your boy toy everyday but not your son." Lindsey's voice oozed disappointment and hurt, but Brian could tell what was really underneath.

Any other day, Brian might have let it slide, may have felt that she was justified in her thinking a little; maybe even rationalized her hurling guilt at him. But this was NOT the day. He schooled his features, making them read as impassive, as she continued her diatribe of how long he stays at the hospital and how much no one sees him any other place but by Justin's bedside and how she can't bring Gus there. She continued to say that he wasn't being fair to anyone else who was affected by Justin's attack by ignoring the countless phone calls and invites to dinner that everyone had been issuing to him. When Brian couldn't remain silent anymore, he said very firmly yet quietly, "Get the fuck out, Lindsey."

"What?" she said not sure she heard him correctly after all she'd just said. Her tone changed from whining and complaining to the ice maiden she was born to be. "I can't believe you have nothing to say for yourself."

Brian scoffed. "Oh I have plenty to say for myself. Would you like to hear it?"

"Well first I'd like to hear an apology for the way you've been neglecting all of us- all of your more meaningful relationships- in favor of Justin."

Brian's huff of laughter was without any trace of humor. He'd couldn't deny that he was a little surprised by this from Lindsey. He'd actually expected it more from Michael but not Lindz. She was one of Justin's biggest supporters-- or at least that's what he'd always thought. And maybe she still was, but right then he couldn't see that. All he could hear were her accusations and complaints.

"Fuck you, Lindsey."

Lindsey sneered, "And isn't that just like you, Brian? You don't want to deal with the real situation so you close yourself off to the truth."

"The truth? What is the fucking truth? Is it the one according to Saint Lindsey that I'm supposed to take as gospel? Well again I say, FUCK YOU! You of all people, have the nerve to come into MY house and start this shit,  on today of ALL days and... you know what...." Brian pulled back from what he'd almost said. He didn't owe her a fucking thing. Not an explanation. Not an apology and he'd be damned if she could take charge of even ONE regret he may have been indulging. In that moment, he felt his temper slipping even further away from him. If she stayed any longer, he would couldn't be held responsible for what he said or did. "LEAVE! Vic told me that you were acting like a jealous housewife and I didn't want to believe him. The things he told me sounded more like Melanie but not you. And now you're here in MY house sounding like your bitchy butch of a wife? Strange but you haven't been to the hospital ONCE since the first day and yet Melanie has been there EVERY single day."

"Well SOMEONE needed to take care of Gus, Brian. Remember him? Your son? You promised him you'd be there for him. Don't fucking promise that if you didn't mean it!"

"When have I EVER promised that or anything else? When you choose Melanie, do I complain to you? NO. For the record, Lindsey, he's only MY son when you want MY money. Otherwise it's all about you and your pussy-wielding husband."

"That's bullshit and you know it, Brian."

"Is it? When you were about to marry Gui, Gary, whatever-the-fuck-his-name-was, was it bullshit that I wrote you a ten-thousand dollar check to take care of MY son? I was about to face a bogus sexual harassment charge and yet you came here needing ME; needing MY MONEY. You know what, in all his youth, Justin was right about one thing... but you know what, that's between me and him and not any of your fucking business. Now GET THE FUCK OUT!" And Brian left an open-mouthed Lindsey at the bottom of the steps leading into his bedroom. All he knew then was rage, and the fact that she'd better NOT still be there when he came out of the shower. As he stripped down, he thought over the whole day and realized that where Justin was concerned, he was exactly where he needed to be. And all who didn't like it could go fuck themselves.

For Michael's part, he'd watched Lindsey flounce out of the loft in a WASPy huff. As he set the alarm and grabbed a beer from the fridge and planted himself on the sofa to wait for Brian, he thought back over the argument he'd been witness to. He couldn't deny that Brian was right. THIS was about Justin and NOT he nor Lindsey; Michael had gotten that revelation early on. He guessed having been a witness to the attack put things into a different perspective. But he couldn't believe that Brian and Lindsey were on the outs. They had been tighter than ten toes in a sock prior to the advent of Justin in all of their lives. Maybe they still were, but right now, Lindsey was proving that this was more about something else other than friendship. He knew that Brian and Lindsey's friendship wasn't over. Not by a long shot--it was just on hold-- but... Did he really wish for it to be over? Granted Michael and Lindsey were like two sides of the same coin. He would have jumped at the chance to be with Brian the way Justin was, but Lindsey was a lesbian, wasn't she? Well if there were ever a man to make her go straight, Brian would be it. It was a fucked up situation for both of them. One thing was for certain and two things for sure, Brian was going to do what he felt was the right thing to do regardless of what anyone had to say and Boy Wonder wasn't going ANYWHERE.  

Chapter 5: RESEARCH and RECOVERY

One Week Later...

Blaming the Victim

The Court Reporter typed in stunned disbelief, her mirroring the family of Justin Taylor even as she recorded the words flowing effortlessly from Judge Roy Russo's mouth. For the past two weeks she had heard the young man's character assassinated by those who were supposed to be unbiased in relating events leading up to the defendant's trial.

Dr. Mitchell Perkins: "I have known both Chris Hobbs and Justin Taylor for a little more than six years, since I took over as Headmaster of St. James Academy at that time. Both young men were considered leaders of the class-- Chris as an outstanding athlete and Justin Taylor as a star student. He was supposed to be the Valedictorian of this year's graduating class.

Mr. Palmer, Chris Hobbs' defense attorney: "When did that change, Dr. Perkins?"

Dr. Perkins: "I'm not exactly sure but suddenly Justin Taylor was gay and things kind of went from there. All of a sudden, he became unruly, cursing within the classroom at Mr. Kevin Dixon-- one of our most successful teachers-- and causing disturbances within the locker room with the defendant. He had to be reprimanded for his behavior several times this past school year which often resulted in suspension."

Mr. Palmer: "Were you aware of the incident in the equipment room with young Mr. Hobbs?"

Dr. Perkins: "No I wasn't. Had I been aware the crime Christopher is accused of would never had taken place."

Mr. Palmer: "And why is that?"

Dr. Perkins cleared his throat before answering. "Essentially what Mr. Taylor is being accused of constitutes rape which is not only punishable by law but would have resulted in Justin's expulsion."

Next she recalled the abject bigotry spewing forth from the victim's own father. A more disgusting account of ‘blaming the victim,' she'd never heard.

Craig Taylor: "My son deserved everything that befell him. He was defiant and a deviant."

Mr. Palmer: "So you are saying that Justin got what he deserved."

Craig: "In my opinion, Justin deserved MORE. But I don't blame him. I blame the man who corrupted my son and seduced him into his disgusting lifestyle."

Palmer: "And who is that man, Mr. Taylor?"

Craig: "That child molester, Brian Kinney-- the man who danced with Justin at the prom."

Mr. Palmer: "Those are pretty serious allegations, Mr. Taylor. Can you prove that Justin and Mr. Kinney was involved in a sexual relationship prior to his turning 17 years of age?"

Craig straightened himself on the stand. "No I can't, other than what Justin has bragged to me and the fact that the asshole walked into my house demanding that Justin either choose him or family loyalty. The bottom line is that we-- Jennifer and I-- are Justin's parents and should have been obeyed. So he brought Christopher's actions upon himself by hanging out with faggots. Birds of a feather and all that," Craig waved his hand to punctuate his words.

"So really Justin isn't to blame but the influence of an older, more experienced man. Is that what you are saying?"

Craig: "I already told you, Justin deserved what he got, Mr. Palmer. He's a fucking faggot and they deserve whatever punishment is meted out because of it. Unless Justin will change his wicked and disgusting ways, I no longer have a son. He can and will burn in hell all for the sake of having his ass rammed. And honestly, good riddance. If he can't obey the rules of MY house, then he has NO PLACE in MY family."

She could tell from the different gasps and looks of disgust from Mr. Palmer himself as well as others during and after that particular testimony, that Craig Taylor was possibly the most hateful and hate-filled man anyone in the courtroom had ever encountered. When she snuck a look to Judge Russo and to Samuel Hobbs, she also noticed some kind of silent communication and looks of satisfaction upon their faces. She knew then that there was something incredibly fishy going on but she still held out hope that a terrible wrong would be righted.

When ‘Regular Roy' adjourned the court for ten minutes before rendering his verdict, she resumed her musings hoping to make sense of that which she had recorded thus far in the trial.

District Attorney Peters: "Mrs. Taylor, do you agree with your husband's sentiments regarding Justin?"

Jennifer Taylor: "First, please call me Jennifer. The further I can distance myself from my soon-to-be ex-husband, the better I will feel. As to whether I agree with him, that would be a huge NO. Yes, my son is gay. At first it took me awhile to put that into perspective. However, Justin is still my son-- still the intelligent, strong, brave and compassionate young man he's grown to be. If I am ashamed of anything at all, it is that I married Craig Taylor who is the most hateful kind of bigot-- the kind whose brand of love is in reality a complete web of lies. As long as you do what he wants and hold to HIS ideals, he ‘loves' you; it's completely sacrificial on YOUR part. Unfortunately my son learned that lesson the hard way. The fact that he is even here justifying the amoral behavior of Chris Hobbs is appalling in the extreme."

DA Peters: "Do you, like Mr. Taylor, hold Justin responsible for Christopher Hobbs' actions?"

Jennifer Taylor: "Not at all. Regardless of the character assignations and smoke screens the defense is trying to put up, Justin couldn't have gotten into Christopher's pants without his permission. My son is several pounds lighter and at least five inches shorter than the defendant. He's a football player for godsake; it did NOT require a bat to the head. And another thing, Dr. Perkins was full-on AWARE that Chris Hobbs and his cronies had been harassing Justin throughout the school year. We'd even had a meeting in his office after the contents of Justin's locker was burned to a crisp with the words ‘FAGS DIE' written in red letters. It's not rocket science to figure out who was responsible for that, now is it?" She looked directly at Chris Hobbs who had a terrible time keeping his face devoid of glee and his eyes from sparkling in remembrance.

DA Peters nodded. "What would you like to see happen to Christopher Hobbs, Jennifer?"

Palmer: "Objection. Calls for speculation."

Judge Russo: "Sustained. The Reporter will strike that last question from the record."

She had done what was expected of her although she wished like hell she hadn't. It was obvious to her that the defense was railroading the victim and deflecting culpability from the defendant. And the fucking judge was letting them get away with it. She went onto reflect over the testimony given by the doctors attending Justin Taylor.

DA Peters: "Dr. Mueller, you're the Chief of Neurosurgery at Allegheny General Hospital and was the surgeon who operated on the victim in this case. What was the condition of Justin Taylor when he was brought into the Emergency Room on June 12th?"

Dr. Harris Mueller: "Unconscious, bleeding profusely from the head."

DA Peters: "Was it an uncommon amount of blood loss?"

Mueller: "Head wounds generally bleed more than- let's say- an arm wound. However, in Justin Taylor's case, it was a lot more severe than average."

Peters: "How so?

Mueller: "In Justin's case, the blood flow was blocked by a crushed frontal lobe."

Peters: "What does that mean in terms of velocity and speed of the bat connecting with his skull?"

Dr. Mueller smirked at the question. He knew what the defense was trying to do and had not liked the allegations and implications that were flying back and forth from the defendant, courtesy of Mr. Palmer. As far as he was concerned, and he'd be willing to bet that any other reasonable, law-abiding heterosexual men would agree, there was no justification for this kind of crime. So he decided to answer the District Attorney's question as candidly as he dared. "If Justin Taylor had died, it would have been ruled a homicide by blunt force trauma. The action was deliberate and methodical, no matter that by witness accounts Justin turned around suddenly after hearing his name being yelled by Mr. Kinney. Had he been hit in the back of the head, his death would have been imminent. Then the necessity of determining ‘Simple Assault' and the accountability of who was at fault wouldn't have become an issue."

Peters: "I understand you had to tend Justin several times during the night. Can you give us an account of the surrounding circumstances?"

Mueller: "Without going into too much detail to protect my patient's privacy, I can tell you that the initial procedure of draining the blocked blood took about six hours to do without damaging the brain further. There were also several instances where Justin required the defibrillator during the night-- three in total. Although he remained unconscious, we also had to put him in a medically induced coma to allow his body to heal and recover. Surgery in any form is hard on the body but brain surgery is especially hard since it is essentially the control center."

She moved mentally to further testimony given by Dr. Vance Marrow, who was Justin's acting neurologist.

DA Peters: "Dr. Marrow, when were you given Justin Taylor's case and under what circumstances?"

Dr. Marrow: "The morning after the incident Dr. Mueller approached me personally about attending Justin since I have an extensive background in frontal lobe injuries."

Peters: "And how have you obtained such experience?"

Marrow: "I have been the consulting physician on 264 cases, including Justin's. I have also been working with other neurologists throughout the country on researching why some portions of the frontal lobe are affected but not others especially in terms of Justin's injuries."

Peters: "Does that mean he is a case study?"

Marrow: "I would be lying if I said that I didn't have a vested interest in this case. This is one of the most difficult cases I have encountered in a long time but Justin is far from a ‘case study' to my mind. He is an unfortunate young man with a long, difficult road to recovery ahead of him."

Peters: "By your observation, how has the actions of Christopher Hobbs affected Justin?"

Marrow: "Prior to Justin waking up fully, once we removed him from the medically induced coma, he still stayed in a natural one for several more weeks. When he awoke, he was confused, disoriented and fearful. As of yet, he cannot remember the more recent events. He can only remember up until three weeks before the incident with Mr. Hobbs. He also suffers from a significant form of PTSD which includes night terrors and the fear of people, even those he has been in close relationship with for most of his life especially Jennifer Taylor and his sister. There are only three people he will let near him. The only way I am able to examine him is if one of those three people remains in the room. He is abnormally angry due to the damage of his motor skills-- specifically his right hand. By all accounts Justin is an artist who was to scheduled to attend the Pittsburgh Institute of Fine Arts in September. Although he is ambidextrous, he predominantly uses his right hand for writing, drawing and other common motor skills. It's automatic since he grew up in a house full of right-handed people. Ideally he is used to having things placed within reach of that extremity. According to his Occupational Therapist, Miguel Rodriguez, it will take extensive and intensive therapy to regain the strength required to pursue his chosen field of study. His emotional well-being and ability to make decisions could possibly be impaired permanently. Since the mind is a tricky instrument, it is hard to tell. No matter what happens, the young man has a hard and long road ahead of him."

She had fought back tears as she listened to both the Neurosurgeon and the Neurologist's testimonies but nothing could have prepared her for the Chief of Psychiatry's account and insight into Justin Taylor.

Bethany Colbert had taken the stand, barely able to keep her emotions in check as DA Peters began his questioning. It was evident that she was more than angry; she was saddened that the ‘God-fearing People' had basically put her patient on trial simply for being gay.

DA Peters: "Dr. Colbert, how long have you been treating the victim in this case?"

Colbert: "For the last week... more accurately since he awoke from his coma."

Peters: "And what was your impression of Justin Taylor?"

Colbert: "I'm not sure what you mean."

Peters: "I mean what was his disposition like. Did you find him threatening? Belligerent? Unruly? Non-compliant? Unmanageable? In short, any of the descriptions the defense has used to describe Justin Taylor thus far."

Palmer: "Objection, your Honor. Calls for speculation."

Peters: "I beg to differ, Judge Russo. Who is there better qualified to answer this particular question than the medical professional responsible and to give an update on patient's overall disposition since he emerged from his deep sleep? The others gave reactionary explanations for Justin Taylor's behaviors in finding out that his right hand does not function as it ought. However, Dr. Colbert will have more insight into what he's thinking, feeling and experiencing as a result of this heinous and egregious crime."   

She along with everyone else in the courtroom was appalled that he had actually seemed to be thinking about it instead of just overruling the objection. The meaning of the secret looks became all too clear to her in that moment. She could only hope that someone else had noticed. So she was surprised when Russo had done what he ought to have done in the first place. Had he known the damning outcome of the testimony about to be given, he might have ‘sustained' the objection after all.

Once the decision had been made, DA Peters continued. "Do you need me to repeat the question, Dr. Colbert?"

Colbert: "No need and I'll be more than happy to answer this question. When Justin is in a calm state, he is a bright, intelligent and engaging young man. He displays a wisdom and a truth about himself rarely found in most of my adult patients. His smile is able to light up a room-- when he does smile that is."

Peters: "When is that exactly?"

Colbert: "When talking about his family with the exception of his father. His mother, surrogate mother, sister, two best friends and his partner are the main sources of his innate happiness right now."

Peters: "You excluded his father, why?"

She scoffed at that question. "I think we all know the reason ‘why,' Mr. Peters but let me put this all in perspective for you. Using Craig Taylor's very blatant stipulation in regards to Justin living within his home as a basis, Justin was kicked out of his childhood habitat. Mr. Taylor wanted Justin to deny what he thinks, who he is and how he feels in order to remain a part of HIS family. How could anyone be expected to live under such stringent conditions?"

Palmer: "Objection, Your Honor. Move to strike the last portion of the witness' statement since it calls for speculation.

Russo: "Sustained. Please just answer the question given, Dr. Colbert without the commentary."

DA Peters cleared his throat before asking his next question. Although once again the court reporter was ordered to remove key testimony from the record, she did not.

Peters: "Has Justin mentioned the bashing at all?"

Colbert: "He does not remember the incident, only a series of events leading up to it."

Peters: "Such as?"

Colbert took her time in answering. "There were several incidents of harassment on Mr. Hobbs' part beginning the day after the handjob. Without disclosing too much and only revealing what is relevant about the event itself, I can honestly say that Chris Hobbs was a willing participant in the actions which resulted in his ejaculation into Justin's palm. It was an experiment on the part of both young men, however, it is apparent that Mr. Hobbs has some deep-seated issues of his own as well as some preconceived notions which he acted on repeatedly throughout the school year."

Peters: "Is it true that Justin revealed the handjob in the middle of Liberty Avenue in front of his fellow classmates?"

Colbert nodded. "That is correct but there were extenuating circumstances involved."

Peters: "Can you elaborate on those for the court?"

Colbert: "According to Justin, the day began with him being suspended. Kevin Dixon, a teacher at St. James Academy, did nothing while he was taking attendance and Chris Hobbs yelled out an offensive term in reference to homosexuality when Justin's name was called. Prior to that, Mr. Dixon walked in on a slight altercation involving Chris Hobbs and Justin because of yet another student Mr. Hobbs was harassing about being ‘queer.' When Justin demanded that Chris leave the other student alone, Chris' words were, ‘What is this? A faggot convention?' Needless to say that Justin defended both himself and the student who sat in silence as he was shoved and bullied. For a school with a ‘No Bullying' policy, there seemed to be a lot of it from the authoritative figures and spread copiously throughout the student body. The ‘outing' came about as a result of Justin being suspended from speaking his mind to Mr. Dixon and Chris Hobbs-- by Justin's account and my professional opinion, a closet case of the worse kind-- being on Liberty Avenue with his entourage. Chris committed an assault by shoving Justin that night as well, which was stopped by Brian Kinney who is Justin's life partner."

Peters: "He remembered all of that?"

Colbert laughed but there was no humor in it. "Since it happened three weeks before Justin was attacked at the prom, his memory of the incidents are as clear as if it happened just now. There were other situations regarding Chris Hobbs and Mr. Kevin Dixon but I assure you, Justin was NOT the aggressor during those events, including the harassment which again resulted in Justin being suspended-- not Chris Hobbs. Justin's nipple piercing was only visible due to changing his clothes from gym and NOT that of ‘flaunting himself' the way Craig Taylor surmised before threatening to withdraw him from St. James Academy and send him to military school. Justin was slapped in the face by his father- and I use the term ‘father' loosely- for his trouble when trying to explain the situation to the overbearing man. Yet he isn't the one standing trial. Apparently, Justin is."

Peters: "Why would you say that, Dr. Colbert? Chris Hobbs is the one on trial."

Colbert: "Not from my perspective or that of his family, Mr. Peters. All I have heard and seen is how it is Justin Taylor's ‘fault' that Chris Hobbs hit him in the head with a baseball bat and that he deserved it for dancing with his PARTNER at what is considered a rite of passage for EVERY high school student. Why would a FOOTBALL player have a baseball bat at the prom which was held at the Fairmont Hotel? That question has yet to be asked or answered."

Palmer: "Objection. Move to strike Dr. Colbert's last comments from the record. Again with the commentary, Your Honor?"

Russo: "Sustained. The court reporter will in fact disregard the question and resulting comment from the record."

The court reporter decided once again that due to the nature of the case, she would leave that information there in the record in case there was a need for it later which she secretly hoped there was. She made all of the necessary movements to look as if she was in fact following instructions but she wasn't. The case and all of the information given by the psychiatrist was far too important to ‘disregard' and she had a feeling that everyone in the courtroom during Dr. Colbert's testimony knew that, especially the defense counsel.

Amazingly at the time, she had still felt that the verdict would render justice on behalf of Justin Taylor to Christopher Mark Hobbs since he was definitely responsible for the hospitalization of the young man regardless of the antagonistic relationship between the young people. She herself had a gay son-- one the judge in this case never failed to ask about-- so she thought that in spite of all the evidence to the contrary, Judge Russo would still be fair and impartial in his ruling. When the verdict of 500 hours community service was rendered she felt every bit of the family's anguish at having been denied justice for their loved one. Listening to Judge Russo's reasoning in favor of his ruling made her sick to her stomach causing her to fight the rising bile burning her throat even while she typed. Statements like ‘It is understandable that Chris Hobbs, with his fine moral upbringing blah, blah, blah' made her glad that for once she followed her conscious about Dr. Colbert's long ago forgotten and disregarded testimony in light of Judge Russo's verdict that ANY parent with child who was attacked would find appalling and disheartening in the extreme. She was absolutely appalled and ashamed that she worked for such a bias system, where someone could honestly be guilty but it was all the victims fault for almost being killed. The verdict made it seem that such violence was okay as long as the homosexual victim hadn't died and that defendants such as Chris Hobbs could be absolved and exonerated of any wrongdoing, or at the most slapped on the wrist as a gesture of justice served, based on a bigoted heterosexual's ideal.

As the tears rolled down her face, she resolved that as soon as she returned home, she would hug her sixteen year old tight and thank every god known to man that her boy was safe and sound and to withdraw him from St. fucking James Academy immediately regardless of his father's opinions. The bigoted hate spewed venomously from Craig Taylor alone had made THAT decision. She would find a way to help the Taylors-- Justin and Jennifer-- and his partner Brian Kinney make the powers that be pay for the slight and denying that young man justice.

The man in question, Craig Taylor, was smiling victoriously as he shook hands with Samuel and Chris Hobbs as well as their defense attorney stating that it had been a job well done.

"Let this be a lesson to those fucking faggots that they cannot expect to have the right to protection under the law. God has clearly smiled on us today," Samuel remarked, trying to appear pious in front of the deviants situated across the courtroom.

Craig nodded in agreement. "I'm sorry for the trauma Justin caused you and your family. Had I known that he would try young Chris here, I would have shipped his ass off to military school long since."

"Oh I understand, Craig. There's a saying: Happy wife, happy life. I imagine that Jennifer wouldn't have been exempt from that adage. But you should definitely remind that boy who's in charge at your first opportunity."

"I have to wait until he's released from the hospital to do so but I certainly intend to. Justin got what he deserved...actually much less, truth be told. It's time he be reminded that actions have consequences."

"Why wait, Craig? Someone has to tell him that his attempt on a fine, upstanding young man like my Christopher, would not be tolerated and that the next time, he may not be so fortunate. People like him and those godless bastards over there should die," Samuel was adamant.

"Jennifer had me banned from seeing Justin." He would not tell him that Justin's ‘molester' was the one really in charge. That was still a sore point with Craig. It was already bad enough that Jennifer was embarrassing him by publicly divorcing him. He did not need to be made to look like an even bigger fool in the Hobbs' eyes.

"How is that even possible? You are his parent just as much as that woman is. Maybe you should speak to our attorney. I heard she is hellbent on divorce. If he could get Christopher here a reduced sentence, then perhaps he can help you when it comes to your wayward wife," Samuel said.

"I have retained an attorney already but thank you for the offer," Craig said noncommittally. Although he and Samuel had been friends since college, he wasn't comfortable talking with him about his marriage to Jennifer. Whatever happened between he and his wife was already common enough knowledge but with Samuel's access to his business through his attorney, there wouldn't be any secrets left within his personal life.

Craig looked at his watch, inwardly smiling at the time. Jennifer should be at work since she wasn't present inside the courtroom. Also notably missing was Justin's ever-present watchdog. Although Brian Kinney had been there for the proceedings, he was now nowhere in sight. Craig had noticed the expensive suit the man had on when he walked confidently into the courtroom earlier. It made him sick to think that the biggest gay whore in all of Pittsburgh could afford an Armani suit while he was stuck wearing threads of a lesser quality. He vowed that he would get even with Brian Kinney, but first... it was time to visit HIS son and no one would be there to stop him this time.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Therapy

Bethany Colbert looked in on her patient as he attended his third Cognitive Therapy session with one of the best on her staff. Dr. Nicole Banks was usually dedicated to seeing results with her patients but as with everyone else on this case, her work with Justin Taylor was more than that. The ordinarily stoic countenance smiled at the blond as he finally remembered a sequence of events displayed on the custom made set of flashcards. It warmed Bethany's heart to see Justin focusing and displaying a determination which had seemed to disappear under the weight of Judge Russo's biased verdict.

She would have liked to think that she and her staff were so amazing that Justin couldn't help but respond to their tried and true methods-- something that may have been true to a small degree. But if she were totally honest, it was because of his relationship with his partner. Brian Kinney was nothing like what she had heard from various members of the hospital staff. ‘An Alpha gay male without a heart who will say anything, do anything and fuck anything,' was how she had heard him described. In retrospect, she believed that there was some jealousy embedded within those disparaging comments. For her part, all she saw was a man wholeheartedly dedicated to the care of Justin Taylor.

After she'd arrived back at the hospital last week from hearing the verdict, she had expected Justin to be in such an unmanageable state that she was tempted to request the sedative even before speaking with him. Based on the whirlwind his hospital room was, Hurricane Justin had hit and nearly demolished everything in its path. But when she fully walked into the room, she was deeply moved by the scene which greeted her. On the bed, cuddled next to a whimpering but sleeping Justin, was Brian Kinney. His Armani suit was rumpled and his closed eyes were leaking silent tears as he stroked the overlong blond strands of Justin's hair. She couldn't imagine what the whole situation was doing to him; she already knew what Justin was feeling because of their many conversations so far into his therapy sessions. But Brian was the one who had to pick up the pieces of Justin's former life and rebuild it, even as she was the one to pick it apart. No, she couldn't reconcile what people-- even sometimes those he considered family-- said about Brian Kinney to the man she was coming to know through his actions.

Shifting her attention back to the semi-joyous scene before her, she smiled at Justin's bent head. The slight wrinkle of his brow showed that he was really making an effort and concentrating on the task before him. Nicole had set out a series of puzzles for Justin to put into order. Bethany knew the exercise well as she had used them herself on patients with Justin Taylor's level of intelligence many times. The pieces were jumbled but when put in their correct order they would make 3D pictures of famous monuments. After consulting with Miguel, the Occupational Therapist, it was decided that this was an excellent way for Justin to work his fine motor skills, recover his artistic ability without being able to draw and exercise his brain function at the same time. As a result, Nicole and Miguel alternated their days or held sessions together. The major surprise was that Justin loved Scrabble and Taboo. Brian had divulged that information when she was trying to coordinate his services to include the things Justin loved doing, not just the standard textbook methods. Brian had also brought in their friend Theodore Schmidt who was quite the word smith in his own right. Playing the games seemed to help Justin not only calm down but focus especially during Taboo since word association was a big part of Cognitive Therapy. They tied a bell around Justin's left hand and advised that he'd lose points for every time he used his left hand to pick up the small tiles used in Scrabble therefore it made Justin focus and exercise his right hand. Three things she had learned about Justin Taylor was that he was a determined young man, he hated to lose by his own merit and that he was a tough-as-nails opponent.  

As she watched, she saw the bright smile grace his beautiful face. He often reminded her of the cherubs she'd seen gracing the ceiling of the local catholic church of which she used to be a member. His blue eyes shone brightly at whatever was being said within the confines of the room. His bangs covered his forehead which made him look more mature than his eighteen years but didn't take away from his look of innocence. In fact it enhanced his natural beauty. His resilient nature was once again evident as he bent his head again, working extra hard at picking up the next piece of the puzzle. She decided to see firsthand how he was doing. He was fast becoming her most favorite patient...ever.

"Good Afternoon, Justin. How are you doing today?" She absorbed the smile which was like the sun-- warm and bright.

"I think I'm doing okay today. Nicole? Am I doing alright?"

Dr. Banks smiled back at the young man. "You are doing excellent today, Justin. I am proud of you."

"Well I'm proud of you too," he answered still smiling. "You haven't kicked me out for making dirty jokes yet."

Bethany couldn't help but laugh at that. "Oh? Are you indulging inappropriate thoughts when you should be concentrating?"

Justin looked a little shamefaced before he registered Bethany's smile. "Have you seen Brian? I kinda can't help but think those thoughts."

"Where is Brian today?"

Justin answered without thought which surprised both Bethany and Nicole. "He's at work. Chances are there's another big campaign that requires his attention."

"Did Brian tell you that he was going to work?" Bethany asked.

Justin scrunched his nose in thought, trying to remember if Brian had in fact told him that. "I can't remember if he told me, but usually when he isn't with me, either he is at work or I am. Or I am at school or we are at Babylon or Woody's."

"Brian lets you go to those places? Aren't you a little young for the local gay bar?"

"Age is relative." Justin laughed. "I'm probably the most mature person he knows."

"Has he told you that?" Nicole asked.

"No. I remember telling him that, but I can't remember why right now."

Bethany nodded. She was happy with Justin's progress thus far, and he was beginning to remember important conversations. It was a major step in his recovery-- although still small. The mind is funny that way though. She checked her watch before saying, "Hey Justin, it's almost dinner time. Are you ready to go back to your room?"

"I kinda wanted to finish this today but I suppose I should," Justin sighed.

Nicole put an arm around the young blond. "Don't worry, Sweetheart. I'll see you in a couple of days and we'll work on it some more. In the meantime, why don't we put what you've done so far over on the shelves so that it's ready for your next visit. Would you like some help today?" Nicole had learned during the first session what an independent creature Justin was. He wasn't keen on asking for nor accepting help but he was making progress.

It took a few moments for Justin to process what he was asked but eventually nodded. "Yes please. My hand is a little tired and I don't think I want to drop all the pieces. That's an awful lot to have to pick up."

"Okay Darling. Let's get to it and then we can feed you."

"A bacon cheeseburger?"

Both Nicole and Bethany laughed but it was Bethany who answered. "Well we know what you will be eating the minute you're able to blow this popstand. I'll tell you what... you continue to make progress and we'll evaluate you next week for release and see if we can set you up with some home services. Sound okay?"

"Does that mean I would have to get used to new people?" Justin's voice had suddenly become small and he tried to hide himself.

"Does the thought of new people frighten you, Justin?"

The young man couldn't seem to answer verbally but was able to nod his head in response. Both of the women held back the tears that were forming. One minute Justin was outgoing and confident; the next second he so fearful that the tremors he tried to still within his slight form became visible.  

Bethany stood next to him, careful not to touch him at the start of his sudden panic attack. They were still working on ways that would help him learn to control them but they hadn't gotten there yet. "I don't want you to worry about anything right now, Justin. We'll work everything out when the time comes okay, but right now I want you to empty your mind like we've been practicing. Inhale and hold for five seconds and exhale for five," she said soothingly, praising him as he followed her directions. She watched as Justin's trembling form began to regain its control. She once again cursed everything and everyone that had hurt the precious young man, even as she continued to calm him down. When the tremors had finally subsided sometime later, she smiled at him. "See Justin, you've done so well. I knew you could do it you know. Now, how about we get you a quiet stomach to go to along with your newly quiet spirit."

Justin's stomached growled loudly causing the young man to laugh out loud. "Just like a german train."

"What do you mean?" Nicole asked.

"All of my appetites always come in on time." He wickedly wiggled his eyebrows causing the ladies to laugh. The innuendos were not lost on either of them. Still conversing, although a little more tame, the three of them left Nicole's office in search of some edible nourishment for the hungry teen.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Across town Michael and Debbie were gearing up for their own therapy session. The Gay and Lesbian Center was packed, it had taken them forever to find a park. Debbie was practically running toward the building.

"Michael, hurry up. I don't want to be late."

"Really? Since when?" Michael answered her, not at all sure that it was a good idea for them to be going to the fucking GLC for counseling.

Debbie stopped short and turned to look at him. "What exactly is your problem, Michael? You need it! You witnessed a traumatic event and that is not to be taken lightly. David said that you've been having nightmares every night."

"When the hell did you speak to David?" Michael asked unable to keep the petulance from his voice. Michael had barely spoken to David himself since he had returned to Portland from visiting Pittsburgh two weeks ago. And he had no intention of doing so now that he was back in Pittsburgh again.

Honestly, when Michael was there, he couldn't wait to get away from his partner again. David was always hovering and demanding to know what Michael was thinking about. If it didn't match what David thought should be in Michael's head, there was always a fucking argument. As with many aspects of David and Michael's relationship, everything had to be done on David's time and there was no room in Michael's heart and mind for anything that interfered with David's agenda... or at least that was the way David demanded that it be. So when his mother suggested they attend therapy together, Michael literally jumped at the chance, barely bidding David goodbye. The man was becoming such an asshole, and nothing like the man Michael had fallen in love with enough to consider moving away from Pittsburgh in the first place. It was time for Michael to seriously reconsider what HE wanted. Of course, he could really use Brian's advice on the matter but his best friend was currently dealing with a ‘twink crisis' of his own.

"I spoke to him this afternoon, Michael. By the way, what's going on with you two? He said you haven't called him since you came back here."

"Ma, leave it alone."

"You're gonna fuck it up, Michael. A doctor doesn't come around everyday."

"I get that Ma and I don't need you to tell me that, or should I say remind me of it. You've told me that so many times already that I've lost count. I also don't need you blaming shit on me. Doctor David Cameron is FAR from perfect despite what you think." Michael folded his arms as he moved passed Debbie into the building, grumbling about nosy mothers and idiotic partners; about what a fucking mistake it was to leave in the first place.

Although Debbie pretended not to hear, she heard every word, and wondered, not for the first time, why Michael seemed so fucking unhappy. She knew the situation with Justin had gotten to him. Hell it had gotten to EVERYBODY but there were moments when Michael would just stare off into space or look at her like he wanted to tell her something important. The last time he was in town she could have sworn David had called the house phone to ‘check up' on Michael and confirm his whereabouts. The comments and conversation between the two men seemed so stilted that even Vic had asked her later if she had any idea what was going on. Yes Michael could be sneaky and secretive, but never when it came to her. She could read him like an open book and he was clearly NOT happy. The only question was WHY.    

Catching up to her son, Debbie moved in place beside him as he continued to walk to the appointed office. "Michael, honey, I only want what's best for you."

"Well then you have to let me decide that, Ma. David is already doing that very thing... deciding FOR me. I swear sometimes I think he just has me there as his fucking trophy, especially since Hank is there now. He wants the model of the perfect fucking family. Meanwhile, I can't find a job and I don't have any friends. They're ALL David's. We had decided that I would go to school to further my education only the courses that I wanted to take don't fit in with HIS standards and he wouldn't pay for it." Michael blew out an exasperated breath. "You know what... this isn't your problem and I'm tired of talking about this shit so let's just forget it, okay?"

Debbie was speechless for a moment. Could it really be that bad? Could Michael really be that miserable? Or is it simply because Brian isn't around? She glanced over at Michael as they headed down yet another corridor leading to the offices for counselors. She had never seen Michael so low, not even when Justin entered their lives. Up until now, Michael's sniping and griping with the youngest member of their family could have been written off as simple jealousy-- the unrequited love of Brian Kinney that would never be returned in a million fucking years. But looking at Michael now, she knew that the circumstances had less to do with Brian and more to do with Michael's own expectations. She recalled Brian telling her before that Michael lived in a world full of ‘superheroes' and that when one of them failed to meet his expectations, Michael became angry at everything that entered his path. At first, she downplayed the moment to them being high on his good weed, having a beer and an overload of tuna noodle casserole but now looking at her son, she had to admit that there may have been some truth to what Brian had said.

"Michael, my advice-- and I know you didn't ask for it but listen anyway-- my advice would be to take advantage of this free counseling."

"Ma, I don't--"

Debbie held up her hand. "Baby, I think you do and not just because of the situation with Justin but for yourself. I know that you are not happy with David but you have some major decisions to make regarding that. Perhaps the counselor can help you put everything-- not just your relationship with David-- but EVERYTHING into perspective. Sometimes it just takes an unbiased listening ear and a talk, for one to put things in their proper order of importance. I want you to promise me that you will give it some serious thought."

Michael looked at Debbie, blankly at first but then registering what she was really trying to tell him without ordering him to do it. He smiled a little at the thought that for the first time his thoughts were heard and understood by his mother and that she was allowing him to come to his own conclusion instead of what she thought it should be. All of a sudden a grip of nervousness assailed Michael as he realized what it could mean if he made the wrong choice for himself. He wasn't used to having to weigh his options-- none this big at any rate. But it was his life and pass or fail, he had to make the decision of whether he thought his partnership with David was worth saving. He looked her in the eye, immediately assured by the steadiness he saw there. "I promise to give it a shot, Ma," said Michael, holding her hand.

"Good baby," Debbie said smiling. She leaned over a smooched his cheek and then carefully wiping the red lipstick stain away.

"Well let's get to it then, Ma. Now that I've made up my mind, I'm kinda anxious to talk all this stuff out.

As they opened the door, both stopped dead in their tracks, and their mouths dropped open, looking at the veritable god before them. He was about 6'2", muscular build and reminded Michael immediately of Superman. The gorgeous healthy-looking brown hair and glasses added to his sexiness in a naughty librarian sort of way and Michael was awestruck. Debbie recovered first when the man spoke to her in a low tenor.

"Hello, I'm Ben Bruckner. Are you the Novotnys?"

Debbie blinked twice as Michael still just stood there, apparently struck dumb by the man who was moving toward them. She gave herself a little shake before extending her hand in greeting. "Hi, Mr. Bruckner. I'm Debbie and this is my son Michael." She looked over to her usually over-talkative son and almost snickered aloud. "Forgive him. Usually it takes a mouthful of food to shut him up and even that doesn't always work. You apparently are already a miracle worker."

"Ma!!"

"He speaks so I guess I can take the title of ‘miracle worker' to heart then. And please Debbie and Michael, just call me Ben. I run my sessions pretty informally so there is no reason to stand on ceremony." He shook Debbie's hand first before taking Michael's sweaty palm into his own. The shock was almost immediate causing Ben to almost jerk his hand away. Instead he smiled at them and almost laughed aloud to hear the slight gasp emit from the brunet. Ben's gaydar was pinging in ways it hadn't for a long time but he wouldn't act on it...not now. These people were putting their trust and faith in him so he wouldn't sacrifice that just to have the tasty-looking brunet beneath him.

Debbie broke the silence as she took one of the empty seats in front of the desk. "So Ben, do you know why we're here?"

He seated himself behind the massive oak desk dominating the office. "I've read the initial report but I would like to hear the summary in your own words."  

"My son witnessed something horrific, but the act has affected our whole family. I'm not sure if you watch the news but a very close friend-- a member of our little makeshift family-- was brutally attacked with a baseball bat a few weeks ago."

Ben nodded. "I was so sorry to hear about Justin Taylor. How is he doing?"

"Wait...you... you know Justin?" Michael asked beating down a momentary feeling of jealousy although he didn't understand why.

"Yes I know him. We met here a little over eleven months ago at the fundraiser. Since then I've gotten to know the young man pretty well since he's been teaching art to the preschoolers of gay parents. He's a remarkable young man, patient and kind even with the most unruly of the bunch. Several of the parents are getting together to do something nice for him."

"Well that's just great," Debbie said. "Our Sunshine is a special one, he is."

"Yeah...great," Michael echoed although his tone and posture displayed anything but.

It didn't escape Ben's notice. "Do you have a problem with Justin, Michael?"

Michael fidgeted in his seat under the watchful eyes of both Ben and Debbie. He cleared his throat, which had become tight all of a sudden, before answering. "I wouldn't say that I have a problem with him per se."

"Well what is it then?" Debbie demanded.

"Jesus Christ, Ma! Okay so I didn't like him. I wasn't hanging off his balls since the first time I met him like everyone else, including Brian. He's opportunistic and a pain in the ass in a variety of ways-- none of them good," Michael exploded but then tempered his voice and sighed. "But he didn't deserve what happened to him; nobody deserves that. Chris Hobbs should be rotting in jail for what he did but like all gay bashers he's free with nothing more than a slap on the fucking wrist. Meanwhile Justin.... Justin has had to fight for his life even before fucking Hobbs. First Craig puts him out, then he's bullied at school and now this. At least when I was bullied, I had Brian to protect me. Justin had Brian in a different way but it still didn't protect him."

"There but for the grace of God go any of us, Michael," Ben said sanguinely. "So where does all of this leave you and your feelings for Justin?"

"First, let me say, I have feelings ABOUT Justin, not for him. There's a big difference and I just wanted to point that out. As for if he and I can ever be friends, who the fuck knows? I've said some pretty mean shit and he's no fucking angel either, as much as he looks like one. But I do feel sorry for the kid, the way I would feel for anyone in this situation. Does that make me a bad person?"

"I don't know since I'm just meeting you, Michael. That is a question you would have to answer for yourself. But answer this for me: is it that Brian is with Justin that bothers you or that Brian is not with you that makes you feel apathetic toward Justin before and beyond the bashing?"

"I don't follow. Justin is just the trick who stayed too long; the one that wouldn't go home."

"Michael! That is NOT true and you know it," Debbie interrupted what was sure to result in a long diatribe about how Justin is only there for Brian's money and how Brian will never change. She's heard it a million and five times all with the same response from her, ‘It's none of your fucking business; Brian is a big boy and can handle Justin.' From what she had seen between Brian and Justin, the feeling was certainly mutual. Sunshine could give as good as he got when he chose to trade insults with Michael but she kept that to herself and would continue to do so until asked.

"No we all know that it's true, Ma. You only see what you want to see regarding Justin."

"The same could be said about you, Michael."

"But it isn't. Ted and Emmett see it too."

"Who are Ted and Emmett?" Ben asked wanting to get a clearer picture of Michael's gripe with the young blond. So far, Ben couldn't reconcile Michael's opinion of Justin Taylor and Brian Kinney's relationship within his own mind. He'd seen the two together on more than one occasion especially when they thought they weren't being observed. Ben had never seen a hotter pair of queers, equal in every way except age. Their interactions spoke of something more than the common lust Brian Kinney was known for on Liberty Avenue.

"Ted and Emmett are my other two good friends... well mine and Brian's. They were there the night Brian met Justin too. And they agree with me that Justin should have been sent back to his playpen a long fucking time ago."

"That isn't true and you know it, Michael," Debbie said again. "If there is one thing that you and I seem to have in common, it's that we BOTH see what we want to see regarding Justin. The only difference is that my vision of him is clear whereas yours is clouded by jealousy."

"What the hell...Ma, why would I need to be jealous of Justin Taylor?" Michael huffed, folding his arms petulantly, as he usually did when he felt he was being misunderstood.

"Would you like me to write a fucking list or just mention ONE thing?" Debbie asked her son. When he continued to be silent, Debbie shook her head and then addressed Ben. "You see, my son and Brian have been ‘best friends' since they were fourteen. Michael has always wanted...more than what Brian was willing to give. Brian loves Michael as a kid brother or as a best friend-- which they are. Michael, however, still holds out a little hope that they could be more someday. Unfortunately, I'm afraid that spark will never completely diminish no matter how old either of them get. In the meantime, Brian is Justin's partner."

"He is NOT Justin's partner," Michael spat out.

"Yes he IS," Debbie answered through clenched teeth. "The sooner you accept that, the better off you will be. Brian and Justin are together and they will remain so until such a time that their relationship-- and don't give me any fucking Kinneyisms about the ‘r' word-- now again Brian and Justin are partners until their relationship no longer serves them. In the meantime, I think it's time you address your concerns about your OWN relationship."

Ben winced a bit. He couldn't deny that he'd entertained the thought momentarily of having a situationship with Michael Novotny. But in the few brief seconds of Debbie's revelation, Ben's fantasy was rendered impossible to fulfill. Schooling his features from disappointed to impassive yet interested, Ben asked, "So Michael, what's going on in your relationship that bears scrutiny according to Debbie?"

"I don't think this is the time and place for this discussion," Michael tried to curb the whine in his voice but with the added stress of the session it was more pronounced.

Debbie sucked her teeth in response to Michael's behavior. Grown man indeed. Well she wasn't letting him leave here without at least agreeing to voice some his own unhappiness regarding David. The conversation about superheros she'd had with Brian rose in her mind again. "Nonsense, Michael. This is the perfect time and place for the discussion. You promised me you would try. Remember?"

"Of course I remember, Ma. It's just...it's just that...well it's just you probably shouldn't hear a lot of what I have to say. You're my mother for fuck's sake."

"Yeah. I remember that I am your mother. I was there." Debbie rolled her eyes but agreed, "Okay, I'll let you have your private moments with Ben after our own therapy sessions. When are you due back in Portland?"

"A week from today," Michael said in a voice so low, both Ben and Debbie had to lean forward to hear him.

"Michael, if you're free, I could see you tomorrow at around twelve. I have a two-hour break between classes tomorrow."

"Classes? What do you teach?"

"I teach Gay Studies and also Literature at Carnegie Mellon. Tomorrow is one of my lighter days during the week. So if the time works well with you..."

"The time is fine, Ben. Would we be meeting here?"

"Closer to the campus would be more convenient for me, if that's not too much trouble for you," Ben said. From a clinical standpoint, he was very interested in Michael Novotny's problems. The human psyche and disposition continued to be a fascinating topic for him to explore. From a personal standpoint, he was also interested, but that didn't matter much since the man was in a relationship. Ben didn't foresee a problem keeping things professional.

"That would be okay. I could meet you in front of the English Lit building if you want."

"That would be perfect. Are you familiar with the campus? Did you graduate from there?"

"No but I've been there a couple of times. Brian did his undergrad there when we graduated high school. He was on Soccer scholarship."

"Oh I see. And where did you go to college?"

Michael blushed. "I only did three semesters at Allegheny Community College. I've been thinking about going back."

Ben smiled serenely before saying, "Well it's never too late to go back and start again, Michael."

Debbie watched the dialogue between the two men. In that moment, she wished like hell that she had never endorsed David Cameron for her son. Brian had told her it was a mistake but she didn't want to believe him; thought it was just some ploy to keep Michael under his thumb. In hindsight, she realized that keeping Michael from growing up was never Brian's goal but seeing Michael happy was. She owed Brian a big fucking apology but she wouldn't tell him that. Brian never said ‘I told you so' but his smug looks sure as hell did. As she watched Ben speak softly to her son, she could tell that the Professor was more than interested. But she could also see that he was a man of integrity who already respected Michael. It was very different than the way things were with David. She saw that now but in any event, she would warn Michael about letting the metaphorical heat out of the house, meaning keep his ass hole reserved for David until he officially made a decision regarding their relationship. There was nothing worse than letting a fire burn out of control, and she could tell that if Ben and Michael were allowed to burn before Michael and David were officially extinguished, there was bound to be an explosion-- one Michael couldn't handle or get out of. Better to curb the problem NOW than have to clean up the mess in the very-near future. As Michael led her out of the office with a smile on his face, she wondered how much time she actually had before the shit hit the proverbial fan. God, is there any wonder why I gave up the idea of marriage? Geez what a fucking mess!

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Options- the Aftermath of the Hobbs Trial Part 1

It was a busy time within the office of Kurtzman, Vasquez, Kushira and Marcus as they dealt with fallout from the Chris Hobbs' sentencing of 500 hours community service. To say that Melanie Marcus, a partner within the law firm, was pissed off would be an understatement to how she really felt. Not only was she angry as Justin's friend, she was a lesbian lawyer making a name for herself in what was already considered an old boys club, an enviable position among women but not without its own brand of pitfalls and bullshit. All of the legal briefs and the accompanying police reports that Carl Horvath had forwarded to them upon hearing the verdict, littered the conference room table as she and Charles went painstakingly went over every single detail of the Hobbs trial trying to find a common thread. After speaking with Justin, Brian and Jennifer, they decided to file several civil suits against Christopher and Samuel Hobbs, Craig Taylor and the State.

"Melanie, I hate to be the bearer of bad news here, but it seems like even with all this, we can't fight the Hobbs Machine," Charles said in a matter-of-fact tone.

"I'm not accepting that Charles. The bottom line is that Justin Taylor's civil rights were violated. They were royally fucked by the same system that was supposed to protect him and give him justice. For all that poor kid has gone through, it is the least I can do to see he comes out on top of all this. No matter how much fucking money a person has, no one should be ABOVE the law. Samuel Hobbs and his cronies seem to have forgotten that. It's time we make them fucking remember," Melanie said as she combed through the documents on her desk again. She was struck by an idea which for some reason hadn't occurred to her before, but now it was plain as day. "Charles, I need you to pull up Judge Roy Russo's resume. It should be within the public file since he is a judge with the county."

Charles smiled catching what Melanie was going for but not saying. "I love it when you go all bull dyke on me, no matter that you're wearing $400 Manolos."

Mel laughed. "If I didn't know better I would swear you were gay for knowing that."

"Not a fucking chance, but my wife would probably be best friends with Brian Kinney if he ever needed a shopping buddy. By all accounts, his wardrobe and hers could feed a small country in the most obscure part of the world for over half a century."

Melanie laughed again even as she was calling for the person knocking on the door to enter. At the entrance to the elegantly decorated space stood a short-statured woman with fiery red hair. The green of her wide eyes looked kind of shell-shocked but upon further scrutiny, Melanie could see they were also intelligent. The smattering of freckles across her nose and cheekbones was even more pronounced against the peaches and cream complexion of her face. She reminded Melanie of the pictures of Pixie dolls she'd seen as a child.

"I'm....I'm sorry to interrupt but I.... I thought I could help you. That is, if you're planning on still helping Justin Taylor," the woman stated in a soft-spoken voice.

Charles sat up straight in his chair, his eyes studying the petite woman who continued to stand in the doorway. Her big tote bag literally looked as if she herself could fit inside it. Charles grinned crookedly at the woman before darting his eyes to Melanie. "I KNOW she can help us, Mel. This lady is the court reporter who was on duty during the Hobbs trial." He rose from his chair upon hearing the woman's sigh of relief for being recognized. He crossed over to her, extending his hand. "I'm Charles Sands, attorney for Mr. Taylor and his partner, Mr. Kinney. This is Melanie Marcus, a partner in the firm and also a close friend of Brian and Justin. Please come in and have a seat."

"I can't stay long. I have to be back in court this afternoon but I bought you something." She lifted the tote bag as high as she could which wasn't very much. Charles happily relieved her of it and placed it onto one of the chairs around the long white table. "I really hope that helps. It's all of the notes from the trial including some testimony that was ordered to be removed from the record. The notations of which comments Judge Russo wanted removed are there. I transcribed all of the notes myself; I didn't trust anyone else to do it correctly or to keep the secret." She bowed her head, looking at the floor partially in shame at her actions.

"What's your name?" Melanie asked.

"Claudia...Claudia Jefferies, Ma'am."

"Well Claudia, regardless of what is in those documents, I'm sure Brian and Justin thank you. Charles and I were just trying to figure out how to tie all of this in together. We will definitely be filing a few civil suits due to the biased ruling."

Claudia nodded. "I have a gay son myself so please, if you can use any of it, do it. There hasn't been a precedent set yet for this type of case and personally I am tired of gay bashers getting off with community service due to some homophobic prick. No queer with good taste would want any one of their asses." Realizing what she just said, Claudia clammed up and dropped her head again.

Melanie and Charles laughed but Melanie spoke to the woman. "Hell the way I see it, their wives must have been desperate to accept them. That or forced, either way, these men won't get away with what they've done to Justin. You have my word."

For the first time, Claudia stepped further into the room, gripping Melanie's hand even as silent tears ran down her face. "Thank you, Ms. Marcus. I can't tell you what this means to me. Sitting there day-after-day listening to them justify Christopher Hobbs' actions made me clearly sick to my gut. Just so you know, there are other connections here that may benefit your case."

"There are?" Charles asked. "I was just looking for one but if you can give me a clue as to what I am looking for, I would greatly appreciate it."

Claudia took a deep breath, knowing what she was about to impart was risky but it was also the truth. "The funny thing about being considered ‘mousey' is that I am rarely noticed. As a result, I can tell you that if you pull up the resumes of Samuel Hobbs, Dr. Mitchell Perkins, Chief James Stockwell, Craig Taylor, Judge Roy Russo, Mr. Palmer and DA Peters, you will find that they ALL attended Dartmouth College at the same time perhaps a year or two once removed. Judge Russo, DA Peters, and Mr. Palmer all attended Harvard Law School together-- again a year or two removed. They play golf at the country club at least twice a week and have been doing so for many years. Jennifer Taylor, Kevin Dixon, my ex-husband Gregory and I all graduated from Dartmouth in the same class which was a year behind Craig Taylor."

"Holy shit! Holy fucking SHIT!" Melanie exclaimed as she took the nearest chair and flopped down in it. "You just busted this case wide open, Claudia."

The court reporter smiled brightly for the first time, transforming her features attractively. "I am happy to do it. One more thing and then I have to go before I am late. Get the depositions to Judge Lisa P. Lano. It is the only way you'll be guaranteed fairness in this. She's not part of, related to or married to anyone in the WASP nest."

Charles shook Claudia's hand. "Thank you so much, Claudia. I can't tell you what you've done."

"It was my pleasure to do it. My ex-husband is also a part of that club. This is my way of not only sticking it to the bigots that were in that courtroom, but to him as well. Good luck." And with that she was gone as quietly as she'd come in.

"Charles, it looks like it's going to be a late night. After we accumulate everything and put it into order, we have to head over to the hospital to meet with the family. We have to get a sworn affidavits from Daphne, Vic and Debbie to attest to the constant harassment from Hobbs toward Justin, as well as Daphne's witness account of the prom incident. Brian and Justin want to sue Craig Taylor for defamation of character which they are sure to win. In addition to that, until the divorce is finalized, Craig still has control over Justin's college fund left by his grandfather so there are two options there. Justin can either wait for the divorce proceedings to be final or he can sue Craig for every red cent now. I opt for the latter because any man that would betray his son like that asshole did, wouldn't hesitate to spend or withdraw every fucking penny rightfully belonging to his gay son. And there's no guarantee anything would happen to him at all considering who his ‘friends' are. You'd better call the wife."

"You'd should do the same, Mel. I think Lindsey will be a helluva lot more to deal with than Dawn."

Melanie sighed knowing Charles was right. "Then it would be best if I got the bullshit out of the way so I can concentrate on this. But first I need to call Jennifer Taylor to freeze Craig's access to Justin's college fund immediately. Whatever Lindsey's issue with this whole thing, she's got a lot of self-inventory to take."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Magic Moments/ Options Part 2

After Brian left the office, he went home, changed and headed straight for the hospital to see his favorite blond. He couldn't be sure why he was doing so much for Justin-- whether it was that he felt responsible, or if there was more-- but he wouldn't change any of it. That, in and of itself was telling. Lindsey constantly reminded him that he couldn't change what happened; that there was nothing he could do. He supposed she was right, but it was reassuring to Justin when he awoke from one of the night terrors to find that Brian was right there, holding him and guiding him through it. That had to count for something.

As for Michael's behavior, he supported Brian but there were definite conditions to that ‘support.' When Hobbs first bashed Justin, Michael was either there with Brian in person or he was on the phone constantly. Since Justin had emerged from his deep sleep he was lucky if he'd gotten two phone calls a week. He supposed that was David's influence; Mikey always did follow the lead of his lovers, but it still rankled a bit. The unwavering presence of Deb, Vic, Emmett, Daphne, and Ted had gotten Brian through many moments of blaming himself, although he hadn't said anything aloud. And Jennifer Taylor... that was another strange thing for the man who was not used to having back-up, so to speak. She had been there, and although Justin was her son and it was expected of her, Jennifer never failed to check on Brian, to keep him encouraged and sane throughout the whole process. She had advised him to speak to someone to process all of what had happened, before he internalized something that really wasn't his fault. As he waited at a traffic light in route to see Justin, he remembered how that conversation had gone the day after the farce of a verdict had been rendered.

"Mother Taylor, how are you?" Brian asked politely as she handed him a cup of coffee.

She rolled her eyes before she could catch herself which caused Brian to laugh. "That's a nice sound." When he looked at her puzzled, she continued. "Your laugh. It's nice to hear, Brian. You should do it more often."

"Yeah well, I haven't had very much to laugh at lately."

"Don't I know it. How is he today?"

"Existing, breathing... alive, so I guess he's doing okay," Brian answered.

They lapsed into a brief silence; a show of solidarity in remembrance of past weeks when they were on pins and needles, praying that Justin would pull through. Jennifer grabbed Brian's hand, causing him to look at the dainty extremity before meeting her eyes.

"Brian, I know how you feel about therapy, but I think you should speak to someone. You're internalizing something that clearly wasn't your fault and it hurts to watch."

At first he just stared at her. She and Justin shared so many features: both natural blonds with an aura of innocence. With that in mind, he chose his words with care when addressing her concerns. "Jennifer, all therapy is bullshit. The question they always ask is ‘and how does that make you feel?' How the hell do they think I feel? Justin laid in a coma for weeks; one he should have never been in, just because I did what I shouldn't have done."

"What? Made him happy?"

"Yeah well, making other people happy can be hazardous to both of you."

"You can't possibly believe that, Brian."

Brian shook his head before answering her. Nodding toward the window of the room housing a slumbering Justin he said, "Jennifer, look at him, so small and still. From the moment I met him the only time I'd ever seen him still was when he was sleeping-- and not even then. Did you know he's a bed hog? I have to sleep on a corner of the bed unless I hold him. I can't tell you how many times I almost ended up on the floor. He shouldn't be in that bed, Jennifer. He should be in mine...OURS. I never thought I would ever say that. I tried to keep him out of it so many fucking times, but that little tenacious twink always had his way in the end."

Jennifer smiled softly in response. "He always does, Brian. I remember when he was learning to ride his bike. He kept falling, over and over again. Even broke his left arm but cast and all he was determined to master it. It's a different context but he'll overcome it."

"How can you be so sure, Jennifer? This is so much more than a bike ride," Brian said as he pushed himself from the window facing into Justin's room.

Jennifer chuckled softly. "Hello, have you met Justin Taylor?" she shook her head. "I didn't just meet him yesterday and whether you admit it to yourself or not, neither did you. He sees something he wants and fearlessly drives himself to achieve it."

"But this--"

"He got you didn't he?" She crossed back over where he had once again seated himself. "Brian, you have to believe in him. Regardless of what I think or feel about it, your opinion matters to him. You drive him to want to be better."

"We drive each other," Brian said, his voice soft and reflective. He remembered the many conversations he and Justin had when it was just the two of them. Either in bed or out of it, he finally admitted to himself what those talks meant to him. No one ‘got him' or could read him like Justin and vice versa.

Jennifer watched the emotional play on Brian's face in one of the few unguarded moments she'd ever seen the older man have. She decided to give him another little push not only for Justin... but for himself. "Brian, talk to someone, please. If not for me or for yourself, do it for Justin. He's going to need you whole and focused when he gets out of here. Once he and I reconnected, he told me how strong you are and he wasn't talking about physically. If I have learned one thing about my son, it's that no matter how good you look physically, if he isn't attracted to your mind and heart, he would have left you after that first night of fucking and never looked back. You would have told him to leave and he would have; he was never one to stay where he wasn't wanted. But you, he chased after no matter how many times you turned him away. He's like a sponge when it comes to you, soaking up information about you, your courage and your wisdom about life.That has to mean something."

He looked at her full-on, not batting an eyelash when he spoke. "I care about him, you know."

She smiled and it reminded him so much of Justin in that moment. "I know you do, Brian, which is why I know you'll do the right thing by yourself. By doing right by you, you'll also do right by him. That's what partnership really means. You take care of each other indeed, but it also means taking care of yourself so that you can take care of him. Promise me you'll do that?"

Brian folded his lips in, thinking about it. Did he really want to make a promise to this woman-- one that he wasn't entirely sure he wanted to keep let alone could? "I promise."

"Good, that's settled. Also settled is that you are going to return to work effective Monday morning," Jennifer said sternly.

"But--"

"No buts, Brian. You have been at this hospital and working from home long enough during this process. Who knows how many days you'll have to take off to take care of Justin when he's released? It's better to be safe than sorry in this respect and I for one would like to visit with you someplace other than here."

"I can't leave him too long, Jennifer."

"Yes you can-- at least during work hours. We could have lunch sometime. Justin will be alright. You'll see. And he has to get used to other people again."

"Okay," Brian surprised himself by saying. He was never one for letting other people tell him what to do.

Jennifer noticed and laughed. "You have two mothers now between Debbie and me. Get used to it."

Brian couldn't help the snicker which escaped him. He never thought in a million years that he would like Jennifer Taylor, but the more he got to know her, the more he did. He couldn't help but admit that Debbie was a great influence on the WASP. She was no longer afraid to speak her mind and stand up for herself. He could almost feel sorry for Craig Taylor by the time Jennifer got through with him...almost. They had talked a few more moments before she went in to see Justin who was awaking from his nap.

Moving his mind back to the matter at hand, Brian took a peek into Justin's room then looked at his watch. He figured the missing patient was with his Cognitive Therapist although if it were Brian, he probably would have left the hospital altogether. He would have to ask Justin's doctors about that--whether it was a natural occurrence or a side effect of the PTSD Justin still frequently experienced. He turned to take a seat and was surprised to see Emmett there. He flopped into the chair next to him, bumping his shoulder and bringing Emmett out of his daydream.

"Emmy-Lou, what's up?"

"Hey Brian," Emmett responded distractedly which puzzled Brian.

"Okay who is he and how big was his dick?"

That made Emmett laugh. "No one and no dick, thank you very much. Not everything is about sex, Brian."

"Then why is the most Ho-Ho-Homo I know sitting here in the doldrums? Where's that fabulous flame I associate with you Honeycutt?"

"It's still here just tempered a little. And DON'T call me Honeycutt."

"Nice to see that you're normal," Brian said nonchalantly. "Seriously, what's eating you since it's not a ‘who?'"

Emmett took a deep breath and sighed behind it. "I'm going to be a father."

"No fucking way. I knew they were making strides in science but this..." Brian shook his head in disbelief. "So what guy did you knock up? Or did you jack off in a cup?"

"Neither you idiot." Emmett laughed. "My daughter was begotten the old fashioned way."

"You? Knee deep in pussy? I guess Joan was right and hell DOES exist," Brian snarked. When Em looked at him puzzled he said, "The visual of you fucking a man is bad enough but visualizing you with a woman is a fucking nightmare." Brian shivered for effect.

Emmett laughed. "Fuck you, Brian."

"Not while you're awake or sleeping. So who is this broad."

"Well remember when I was trying to go ‘straight?'"

Brian thought back for several moments before realization dawned clear in his hazel eyes. "That bull dyke? The one with the strong features but not as strong as Dusty's. Jesus Emmett!"

Em nodded. "Heather told me a few weeks ago. Ted was there and now I'm telling you."

"Well congratu-fucking-lations, Emmy-Lou. You'll make an alright dad."

"Thanks Brian for saying so." Emmett smiled. "I'm nervous as fuck."

"Why? She'll be doing the raising." At Emmett's silence, Brian questioned, "Right?"

"Wrong. Heather is leaving for Abu Dhabi the week after the baby is born. She's already signed over her parental rights."

"What the fuck?"

"The teaching position she applied for a year ago came through a few weeks ago. The day Horvath came to question you about the attack on Justin, Ted and I had gone down to the cafeteria to get some coffee and ran into her. We talked and I told her that I didn't want to deal with the bullshit of her coming back and reclaiming the baby. So I asked her to sign over her rights which she readily agreed to."

"Well good for you, Em. I'm proud of you for sticking to your guns on that matter. And she won't be hounding you constantly and..."

Emmett knew he was talking about Lindsey and Melanie. He'd never agreed with Brian signing over his rights to the Munchers but there wasn't much he could say or do to stop it. Brian had done it so that Mel and Lindz could get back together and raise Gus as originally planned. But Brian was a great father even though Em would never tell him that or he'd run screaming. Anything Mel and Lindz said they needed Brian was always available with a check, or parenting Gus when they needed a sitter. Emmett remembered the weekend of the Leather Ball when Brian had agreed to take Gus so that Melanie could visit her mother and Lindz could attend a teacher's conference before returning to work. He left Gus with Justin for a few hours to clear his head about Jack Kinney's impending death. But after those hours were up Brian hurried home to be with his son. No matter what anyone thought of Brian as a person, Emmett could see how much he loved his son.

"What's it like to be a dad, Brian?"

"How the fuck should I know?"

"Because you ARE a dad, Brian, no matter what anyone else thinks, including you."

"Uncredited guest appearances don't count."

"It's more than that and you know it, Brian. I've seen you with Gus; seen how fast you react when he cries or how your eyes light up when he does something new. Now you may talk yourself into believing that it doesn't matter but if I were to ask Gus I'd bet he would say it means the world."

"Well it's a good thing he can't talk then." Both Brian and Emmett laughed. Then Brian grew serious. "You're going to do fine, Em. You'll learn on the job just like everyone else."

"Like you did?"

Brian smiled one of the rare genuine smiles only few have seen. "Exactly. Had it not been for Justin... well let's just say that Gus and I have been lucky."

"Jesus, being a full-time dad is going to fuck up my social life."

"No more than being a part-time dad has bitten into mine, Emmett. You'll have plenty of help from Debbie and the munchers. Quit worrying so much. Your fretting for no reason is making my dick soft."

Emmett laughed. "Well we can't have King Stud put out to pasture no can we?"

"It wouldn't be good for mankind", Brian snarked.

"Hey," Justin said coming upon Brian and Emmett. Brian couldn't help but smile looking at the blond.

"Nice scrubs. Sunshine," he said. It was nice to see Justin in something other than than the gowns he'd had to wear for the many weeks he's been in the hospital. The constant click-clack of high heels on the hospital floors caught his, Emmett and Justin's attention. Melanie and Jennifer came rushing up to them followed by a very winded Charles Sands bringing up the rear. Justin had instinctively moved closer to Brian as the brunet nearly growled at the newcomers, "What the fuck is wrong? You three are about to scare Justin to death."

"Sorry Brian," Jennifer said feeling bad for not realizing how their approach must have looked to Justin. "It's just..."

Melanie cut in directing her words to the blond. "I don't know if you can do this Justin, but I need your signature on a few documents." Addressing the group as a whole she said, "Charles and I received a visit from the court reporter who worked the trial. Now what she told us is privileged information so I need you all to keep your mouths shut if asked."

Brian held up his hand to stall the rest. "Justin, you've been up a long time. Come on, I'll tuck you in and then you can sign whatever Mel needs you to, okay?"

Justin knew why Brian was suggesting that Justin not stand there and hear what the court reporter said. His cognitive filter was still messed up. Knowing what to say and what not to had been a problem for Justin since he'd woken up. Although he was angry at the situation, he was grateful that Brian had cared enough about him to not put him in a position that could ultimately be harmful. "Thanks Brian. Mel, whenever you're ready okay?"

The brunette smiled softly at him. "Okay Justin. Just give us a moment and then I'll send Brian back in with the documents after he gets you settled and I've filled him in on some stuff."

Justin nodded and allowed Brian to lead him to the bed. "I know that I can't know everything Brian but will you at least tell me what I'll be signing."

"Of course Sunshine. But that's it okay? Can you live with that?" The hazel eyes searched the lucid blue ones. He almost breathed a sigh of relief aloud. Usually after Justin's therapy sessions the blond is completely wiped out and would either fall asleep immediately after returning to his room or he would retreat into himself, staring blankly at nothing. Justin wasn't doing any of those things so it was a rare moment of relaxation for Brian.

"I can live with that for now, Brian. But please tell Mel to hurry up. I feel tired but I want this done."

Brian reentered the hallway. "We have to make this fast. Sunshine will probably drop any moment and then whatever this emergency is will have to wait again."

Melanie wasted no time getting to the business at hand. "Charles and I had a visit from the court reporter present during the Hobbs trial. She brought the official transcripts to Charles and I but what's amazing about the documents themselves is that although ordered to strike a comment from the record, she only did that with two sections of testimony."

"So what does that mean exactly?" Brian asked.

Melanie smirked. "It means that we need you and Justin to sign this paperwork so that I can get them into Judge Lano's office tonight. With those transcripts, we can hold everyone involved with the trial accountable for the fucked up verdict. It shows that Judge Russo allowed key testimony to be suppressed when the defense raised objection after objection; the prosecution only disputed one of them just to save face but it was the wrong one. It came from Bethany Colbert and detailed the events leading up to the bashing as told in Justin's own words. A lot of alliances were made and palms greased during this case. All the major players, including the witnesses Dr. Perkins and Kevin Dixon, all graduated Dartmouth within years of each other and remained friends. Not just friends but golf buddies, country club cronies and the like. Brian we have a fucking case and will sue every-fucking-body connected with this shit beginning with Craig Taylor and Samuel Hobbs. Craig is sitting on Justin's trust fund that was left to him by his grandfather. We have to stop him from withdrawing the rest of it especially since we all suspect he's been siphoning off the top for years. There's no telling what's left. First we need to formally request that the account be frozen-- Jennifer has already signed the request for Molly's money-- and then Justin is going to file a suit for the balance of the money that has already been used. That coupled with the defamation of character suit and the divorce proceedings which are already underway would be more than enough to teach him about siding with the men who would have murdered his son if they could have."

"Which bank is the account with Jennifer?"

"Pittsburgh Fidelity Bank and Trust."

Brian pulled out his cell phone. Mindful that he wasn't supposed to use it inside the building, he moved over by the sliding doors directly across from Justin's room which led to the enclosed patio area. "Ted, it's Brian. Listen who do we have at the bank PFBT that we can trust?"

"I only deal with Alfred Schultz, Brian. Why?" Ted asked.

"Do you think he could freeze an account for us. The paperwork is on its way but it's kind of an emergency. Craig may try to steal the rest of Justin's inheritance especially since we're going forward with the civil lawsuits."

"I'll call him right now and make him aware of everything."

"Let me know how much it's going to cost and get back to me fast, Schimdt."

"Will do Brian."

Brian moved over to Melanie even while checking on Justin through the window of his hospital room. "Let me have the papers so I can get them signed. Hopefully by the time Justin's able to finish these, Ted will have called me back." He handed his phone to Emmett. "You already know who to answer for and not to. Add Michael to that list for at least tonight, okay?"

Once Brian entered the room with the documents, Melanie turned to Emmett. "What did he mean? Who is he avoiding?"

Emmett shook his head before clearing his throat to answer. "Your wife."

Instead of the explosion Emmett was expecting, a look of understanding and sympathy passed over her face as she watched Brian talking to Justin. It was then and there that she decided it was time to have a very long-overdue talk with Lindsay.

CHAPTER SIX- THOUGHT-PROVOKING CONVERSATIONS

"I understand that but..." 

When Melanie arrived home there was no question that she was exhausted. The smell from the dinner of the evening assaulted her nose-- garlic chicken usually made on a bed of vegetables and rice-- but she found that she had no appetite. Thankfully the house was dark and she had assumed that Lindsay had been in bed long since. So she let out a little scream when the lights in the living room suddenly flicked on and she was confronted by a controlled but angered Lindsay.

"Where the fuck have you been? Did you forget that we were having guests this evening?" Lindsay demanded but then let out a sarcastic huff and slapped her hands against her thighs. But of course you did. What was I thinking?"

"Look, Lindz, I can explain..."

"Save your fucking explanations Melanie. I've heard every one that I can stomach in the past few weeks. Do you know how embarrassed I was? Can you imagine having to field questions having to do with my partner's whereabouts because she didn't have the fucking decency to call and say she was going to be late? To have to sit there and endure looks of pity because of my partner's thoughtlessness. Just what was so fucking important that you couldn't honor your commitment to me this time?!"

Melanie was taken aback by the venom spewed within Lindsay's tirade but she couldn't say that she was surprised. For the past few weeks, Lindsay had taken every opportunity to make herself into the wronged party instead of Justin. Consequently, Melanie had been working day and night trying to find resolve for a case that was rigged from the word ‘go.' And she wouldn't stop until Justin's justice was finally obtained. It was something Lindsay would just have to live with whether she liked it or not. "Lindz look, I'm sorry about dinner but since the verdict this afternoon, there have been important developments in the case that couldn't wait..."

Lindsay huffed. "Of course they couldn't. I'm so sick and tired of being on the backburner because of Justin's problems. You, Brian, Deb.... fuck! I'm just sick of it. Well the case is OVER now so I expect things to return to normal around here beginning with you remembering that you are a fucking wife and mother."

Melanie couldn't help but bristle at Lindsay's authoritative tone and haughty manner. "Well that's too fucking bad, Lindsay because they won't. Not until everyone pays for that rigged verdict that was handed down this afternoon. That judge was a homophobic asshole and in the pocket of the Hobbs. I wouldn't want to leave this alone if it were you and Gus who suffered so how dare you expect me to leave it alone when Justin is helpless and barely able to fight for himself?"

"Justin...Justin...I'm so SICK of hearing his fucking name! I understand your need to right the world's wrongs but you have a family that needs your attention too. If you don't leave this alone..."

Melanie's eyes grew wide at Lindsay's implication but she had to hear it anyway. "Or what Lindz?"

She watched as Lindsay drew herself up to her full height and cloaked herself in her WASP persona. For a time, Melanie had admired that ability about her partner. Lindsay's ability to bring her emotions under subjection had served them both well throughout the years but right now, it grated on Melanie's nerves.

"All I'm saying is that if you don't start taking Gus and I into consideration, Mel, that things will continue to fall apart between us. We've just begun to get our footing back after the whole Guy situation. You and I have fought long and hard to be together again. Now you wouldn't want all our hard work to go for nothing would you?" Lindsay asked softly, her tone non-threatening in spite of the words.

"Lindsay, the only way that will happen is if you continue to discount the severity of what has happened. I don't want Gus- whose sexuality has yet to be determined- to have to grow in a world where this can happen; where people can harm him and go unpunished because he likes boys instead of girls. As a mother, you should understand why I'm doing this. If you can't then that's your problem and you need to check your attitude. In meantime, I'm exhausted. I'll check on Gus and have a shower before going to bed."

"But aren't you going to eat?" Lindsay asked, still pouting that her tactics of persuasion had not gotten Melanie to see all that she would be losing if she continued neglecting her family in favor of Justin's problems.

"I lost my appetite," Melanie said as she turned and headed up the stairs without looking at the woman she considered the love of her life.

She really couldn't understand Lindsay's problem. The usually caring woman Melanie had known would ordinarily be encouraging her to fight this case. Except that Melanie also knew her wife could sometimes be an attention whore and as egocentric as Brian. Hell as far as she was concerned, Brian was synonymous with the words narcissism, attention whore and a host of other adjectives she was beginning to associate with Lindsay's behavior. And that worried her. But no matter how much Lindsay complained or had verbal tantrums cloaked in emotional breakdowns or tried to manipulate situations to become conducive to her way of thinking, Melanie was more determined than ever to fight this case. Justin deserved to be fought for; they all did.

She reached the nursery, watching Gus sleep. He looked so peaceful with his thumb in his mouth, a little puddle of drool gracing his pillow. Melanie had to admit that Brian and Lindsay had made one beautiful baby. Turning from the room she made her way to the bedroom she shared with Lindsay. As she began to divest herself of her suit, she thought about all the events that Emmett had filled her in on that had been occurring between her wife and her best friend.

Emmett had told her of his confrontation with Lindsay this morning at the diner. He said that Lindsay was making a big stink about Brian spending so much time at the hospital with Justin and not enough with her and Gus. Oh she knew that Lindsay liked to play in her fantasy world of Heteroville every once in awhile. Although Mel was a bonafide lesbian, she couldn't deny that years of conditioning from her parents had worked its way into her brain too on occasion but with Lindsay it was more like an obsession. It was like having Gus had reaffirmed her value as a woman in her parents eyes. But that wasn't true in the least. Lindsay's parents still treated her as an outsider because of her relationship with Melanie. They wouldn't even acknowledge that they had a grandchild. Deep down, Melanie knew what Lindsay's problem was but she wouldn't voice it to Lindsay. It wasn't so much that Justin was in the hospital or that Brian was with him. It was that Brian's actions and his taking responsibility for Justin as a partner would was killing the fantasy that Lindsay would allow herself to have on occasion. Her mind continued to work her theory about Lindsay even as she washed away the sweat and dirt of the day.

Alighting from the shower, Melanie looked over at her briefcase. She hadn't meant to bring it upstairs with her but she couldn't say she was sorry that she had. Lindsay hadn't come up and although Melanie was tired, she was also restless. They had managed to freeze Molly and Justin's trust fund accounts in the nick of time. It was discovered that Craig Taylor had just made a request to have $110,000 drawn out of Justin's and to be transferred to the account of Judge Roy Russo. He had made the request through another of the Country Club set who would be fired upon his arrival by the bank's President in the morning on the grounds of unethical behavior. They had looked into his record and saw that not only had Craig Taylor been able to move vast amounts of money from the trust funds without giving a reasonable explanation, but that the bank officer was also being paid to do so. Upon further research, they now had a figure of restitution that Craig Taylor had to repay to Justin and Molly's accounts. She wished that she could see his face when he received the summons the next afternoon.  

Swallow This...

Around noon the next day, Michael was getting ready to meet with his therapist, Professor Ben Bruckner. They had made arrangements to meet a the Starry Night Cafe near campus since Ben had a two-hour recess between classes. Michael couldn't help but feel the attraction between the two of them although he was forbidden to act on it. During the drive home, his mother had wheedled him into sharing his thoughts on Professor Bruckner and then lectured him to keep his ass hole to himself until he had made a decision about David.

He couldn't deny that she was right but God he wished that she would learn to mind her own business sometimes. It was bad enough that she knew that he and David were having problems because of his constant trips to Pittsburgh. But she had also picked up that it was more than that. She knew that Michael thought that he had made one of the biggest mistakes of his life in moving to Portland. Originally, Michael had made the decision based on the fact that he was so sure that Brian was going to get the job in New York, effectively leaving the Pitts behind. So when the job fell through, Michael was incredibly disappointed and felt betrayed because the only one who knew that Brian wasn't leaving was Justin. When Michael had found out he was hurt and he'd asked Brian why he didn't tell him. Brian had replied that it shouldn't have made any difference; that Michael had a life to live and he should still make the move with David. Michael had listened and he had regretted ever saying ‘yes.' David was nothing like the man he thought him to be and his controlling and overbearing tactics were even more evident since Michael had no friends or family to escape to.

Putting the finishing touches on his outfit of a Captain Astro t-shirt, black jeans and lightweight jacket, Michael applied a little product to his hair as Emmett had taught him to and was out the door. He entered the rental car, making sure that his Led Zepplin CD was on the right track and then he was off to lunch. On the way there his cellphone rang. Looking at the caller ID he noticed that it was yet another missed call from David. Michael was determined that he wouldn't ruin his mood with another argument so he ignored the call. The next call five minutes later, was from the diner so he knew Deb was calling. Although he didn't want to answer, he went ahead and picked it up anyway.

"Hey Mom, what's up?" he answered the phone cheerily although he felt anything but.

"Michael, I happen to have a tall dark stranger asking for you. Where are you?"

Michael laughed. "Tell Brian I'll be around to see him later."

"Not that one asshole. David is here asking where you are."

Michael almost ran into the car in front of him having to apply the brakes quickly when the light changed abruptly. He could smell the burning rubber and see the resulting smoke from the action but that wasn't the cause of his shock. "What...what did you just say?"

"I said that your husband is here asking where YOU are. He said that he's been trying to get ahold of you all morning. He said that he's come to take you home since you can't seem to find your way there on your own. Why haven't you answered your phone or the door at the house?"

Michael swallowed hard before answering. "I stayed at Em's last night, remember? And the reason I haven't been answering my phone is because I didn't want to argue. I have no intention of going back with him....uh, not until I'm ready to leave anyway. I'll call him after my meeting." Michael resisted the urge to pout and fold his arms to make his point. He was driving after all.

"Oh that's right. You're having another therapy session with Professor Bruckner." Deb knew that something was off so she decided that the more official she made it sound to David, the more that Michael would be reminded of his husband and to keep things professional between himself and the hunky professor. She had told Michael that in so many words yesterday but she wasn't sure if they sunk in. Michael lived in a perpetual state of ID; always wanting what he shouldn't or couldn't have and then reaching out to take it without thought of the consequences. She was afraid that Michael wouldn't be able to handle the fallout if he did the same thing this time.

"Yeah Ma, I have another session with Ben. Can you tell David that I will call him after I'm done?"

"Why don't you tell him yourself, Baby?" Deb tried her best to wheedle Michael into speaking with his husband instead of having to act as the go-between.

"I can't. I just got here, Ma. I'll talk to you later." Michael hung up the phone before she could make another suggestion to him about speaking with David.

Michael was greeted as soon as he walked in the door by the hostess minding the front desk. He couldn't help being impressed with the service understanding that although it was a popular cafe for the students of Carnegie Mellon University, it was pretty upscale in the way they divided the guests frequenting the establishment. On one side, he could see students milling about, gathering food and laughing loudly with their friends. It sort of reminded him of the atmosphere at the Liberty Diner. They made their way through the throng of the vast student body to the other side of the cafe. The area was separated by a brick wall and a wooden door. Entering the space, Michael was instantly assailed by a scent reminiscent of Brian's apartment. The Italian roast of the coffee made his mouth water as the hostess showed him the table where Ben was sitting.

"Michael, I'm glad you could make it," Ben said nodding to the hostess his thanks for bringing his guest to him.

"Yeah, thanks for inviting me. I never knew this place was back here."

Ben smiled. "It's a part of the cafe reserved for business meetings and faculty. Being around the students can get a bit unruly. Many of us prefer it to staying on campus."

It was then that Michael noticed that nearly every table was filled with men and women. Some were just enjoying the peace of the moment while others were engaged in quiet conversation. "It's definitely different than what I'm used to when mentioning a cafe."

They settled into a conversation about various interests while awaiting their orders to arrive. Michael had ordered a grilled cheese sandwich and a Pepsi to begin while Ben had ordered a salad and lemon water. It felt a little like a date to Michael and he couldn't have been more pleased about that. Well until Ben had started in on the questions that Michael was trying to avoid thinking about.

"Why did you move to Portland?" Ben asked, remembering Michael's reaction when the subject of Oregon was touched on briefly.

Michael sighed. "In the beginning, I thought that it was the right thing to do. You have to understand, I thought my best friend, Brian, was moving on with his life and here I had this amazing opportunity to move on with mine. When David had asked me, at first I had said that I would think about it. But then we were all sitting around at dinner and David had gotten a call from his ex-wife saying that his son had run away again. David had made the spur of the moment decision to move there without even discussing it with me or giving it a thought. I could understand that, I mean his son was having some trouble. His mom was divorcing her second husband which had made it two dads that Hank had lost."

"That's all well and good, Michael. But I asked why you moved. It sounds like you were basing your decisions on other people and not on what you wanted."

"I guess that's true, Ben. As I look back on it, I think I was. I didn't want to disappoint or lose David. He's a good man and my mom kept saying that "A doctor doesn't come around everyday." I kind of felt pressured into making the right decision for him and her. But I really didn't want to go."

"Is that because your best friend has remained in Pittsburgh?"

"Michael's forehead frowned as he gave the question some thought. "Partially. You have to understand. Brian and I have been best friends since we were fourteen. Even when he went to college we were never really separated before. He would always make time for me or to handle my problems. In Portland, that would have fell to David. But then this thing with Justin happened and..."

"And now you're regretting your decision to move in with David so far away," Ben finished for him, nodding his head at the picture Michael was giving."How old are you?"

"Michael snickered. "What?"

"How old are you, Michael?"

"Thirty. Why?"

"Because the way it sounds is that you're still seeking out either approval of your decisions or rather that you want them to be made for you so that when life doesn't go as you plan, you have someone other than yourself to look to for guidance."

"That's not true," Michael said defensively.

"It sounds like it," Ben countered. "How come you didn't speak up or said that you needed to give a big change in your life more thought instead of jumping on the ‘Move to Oregon' trail? If it wasn't what you wanted, why do it?"

"I don't know," Michael sighed. "Maybe because it was expected of me?"

"Are you asking me or telling me that?" Ben asked, taking another bite of his salad and cocking his head to the side.

Michael was silent as he stared off into space replaying the events that led to his decision to move to Portland in the first place. Ben let the silence continue as he surreptitiously watched Michael Novotny process the questions he'd asked. He had to admit that he was wondering what conclusions Michael was drawing but he would let the man think about it all for now. When lunch was over, Michael was still thinking even as the two men said goodbye and went their separate ways.

Lindsey goes to see Justin... but it doesn't go as planned

Lindsay awoke to a house devoid of her partner and a crying baby. She couldn't believe the things that Melanie had said to her last night. Admittedly Melanie had brought up a good point about not wanting a world where Gus' sexuality would allow him to be abused the way Justin had. But Justin had brought these issues on himself. No one told him to come on to a fellow student who was straight. Okay, so Hobbs didn't stop him but what the fuck was wrong with Justin's gaydar? Hanging out with Brian must have rubbed off on him. Sure, Brian could've gotten away with jerking off a high school jock. Brian was beautiful and everyone wanted him be it male, female, gay, straight or undecided. But Justin Taylor was no Brian Kinney. No he wasn't ugly- not by any means- but he didn't exude sex either.

She showered, dressed and fed Gus as she continued to think about the conversation between her and Mel. She still couldn't believe that Melanie had decided that with or without her support she was going to fight this case on Justin's behalf. The more Lindsay thought about it, the more angrier she became. It seemed that everyone was neglecting their responsibilities to her baby in favor of a kid that had just shown up on a street corner one night; someone they all barely even knew. It was time for them to honor their words and promises to always take care of her and Gus and she knew how to make them do it.

She arranged for Dusty to keep Gus while she ran errands so that she wouldn't have to drag her baby from pillar-to-post trying to keep their household running smoothly. One of those stops was to Allegheny General Hospital. Lindsay arrived at the outside of Justin's room, peeking in to see if Justin was in there. She noticed him sitting up in bed  staring out of the window. His hair had grown so much that he reminded her of a shaggy dog but it was still complimentary to him. She pushed into the room and made a beeline for his bed.

"Justin. It's so good to see you looking so well." She hadn't noticed anyone else in the room until she heard a throat clearing from the other side. "Oh Daphne, it's good to see you too. And Deb what are you doing here?"

Debbie answered, raising an eyebrow at the woman who had not been to see Justin in a number of weeks. "I could ask the same thing of you Lindsay. What are YOU doing here?"

Lindsay chuckled. "Oh I was just in the neighborhood and thought that I would stop by and have a conversation with him. Mel told me what happened at the trial."

"Yes. And I'm glad they decided to take it further than that homophobic asshole's ruling. I mean the nerve of them trying to blame Justin for being hit in the head with a baseball bat. That fucker only got a slap on the fucking wrist for nearly trying to kill someone."

"Debbie please..." Lindsay and Daphne said at the same time but for different reasons.

"Debbie, Justin..." Daphne couldn't help the tears that were forming before she turned to Lindsay. "Debbie's right. What exactly are you doing here Lindsay?"

Lindsay cleared her throat. "I was hoping to have a private conversation with Justin."

Daphne rolled her eyes. Drawing herself up and turning on her most haughtiest tone Daphne said, "I could just about imagine what you would want to say. But as you can see, this isn't a good time."

The frown formed between Lindsay's eyes before she had a chance to smooth her features. She was not used to being told what to do by anyone but her parents and that hadn't been for a long time. Besides she would be damned if she would let some slip of a girl tell her that she was not welcomed. "What are you going to do Daphne? Have me thrown out? I'm just as much of Justin's friend as you are."

"I seriously doubt that since I've been hearing of your rantings and ravings. But that's beside the point. Justin is having a hard day so if you've come to stress him out further, think again."

Trying for patience, Lindsay said, "I just want to spend some time with him. To talk with him and try to get him to understand that now that the trial is over, he needs to move forward with his life."

"Be that as it may, Lindsay, we're not leaving him alone. If you have a problem with that you can talk to Brian about it. Although I don't think you're going to make of a difference with him."

"Where is Brian anyway? I expected him to be here playing guard dog as he has been for weeks."

"Listen Lindsay," Deb said having heard enough. "Where Brian is doesn't matter. All that does is that we are NOT leaving Justin alone. Now if you want to pull up a chair and keep us company while we care for Sunshine, you are more than welcome. But if it's as Daphne said and that you are here to bring more stress, then you need to leave. Now."

Lindsay looked between the woman and the girl. Why couldn't they understand that she just wanted everything back to normal now that the case was over? What was so wrong with that? Justin needed to move on with his life; Brian needed to move on as well. No good would come from dwelling in the past and fighting the things that one cannot change. Technically, Chris Hobbs had been sentenced and since it was a punishment- no matter how minimal it was- there wouldn't be an appeal going forward. She wanted Brian back where he belonged and that was by her side being a Dad to Gus.

Debbie watched the emotions play over Lindsay's face and knew that she and Daphne were doing the right thing. She had known Lindsay a long time and knew within her heart that this visit wasn't about Justin in the least. This was about Justin's hold over Brian and the fact that Lindsay was no longer in the number one spot as the most important blond. Michael was having the same difficulty for an altogether different reason. Michael couldn't see that this situation only brought Brian's true feelings to the surface. If Michael had his way, Justin would have disappeared that first night after Brian had fucked him. But to know that Lindsay was having the same reaction to a different degree was just too fucking much.

Her eyes shifted over to Sunshine laying on the bed, tears flowing from his eyes. The young man didn't even have the strength to wipe them because of the news he'd just received. They were all hoping that Justin would go on from this to lead a full life as an artist. But he had overheard the occupational therapist say that the chances of that were minimal at best. Art wasn't something that Justin did, like Lindsay; it was who he was. The fact that Justin had been working so hard on regaining his hand's mobility was a given but then to be told that all of his hard work may be for naught...well that was something that would break even the hardest of hearts.

"Lindsay, I think it's time for you to leave," Daphne said quietly as she massaged Justin's right hand. Since overhearing Miguel, Justin's hand had refused to stretch leaving the young man with cramped fingers. She could feel the pain throbbing through the joints even though Justin hadn't said a word. He'd just sat there and took all the pain as if it were his due without complaint. She couldn't imagine what her best friend was going through physically but if she could lessen his pain emotionally she would do that. "And please, don't return until you have had a change of attitude. No one needs to endure your bullshit."

"Well I never..." Lindsay sputtered.

"And you NEVER will," Daphne said, the venom dripping from her voice.

"Go Lindsay," Deb said. "If there are any changes, I'm sure Mel will update you. If Justin decides that he wants to see you, I'm sure he'll let Brian know."

Lindsay soon found herself pushed unceremoniously out of Justin's room, not sure what the hell had happened. They wouldn't even let her speak to him alone. She couldn't understand why they were protecting him. He no longer needed it. But Brian had some explaining to do. She wanted her life returned to normal. And she wanted all of this nonsense about filing lawsuits to be quashed immediately. None of it made any sense to her and no one was telling her anything of import that would. The verdict was given; it was time to move on. And she would make sure that everyone knew that.  

Pulling out her cellphone she called the one person she was sure that could get her what she wanted. "Hi Daddy..."

Frozen Ass-ets

Craig Taylor was fuming as he left the bank. His face was mottled and lips tight as he made his way to his car. He had been trying his best to reach Joseph Allred all morning only to get to the bank and be told by the President of Pittsburgh Fidelity Bank and Trust that Joseph was terminated this morning. Then Craig had proceeded to ask why he was unable to move his money between his accounts. Byron Marsden answered that Craig's accounts had been frozen pending an investigation. Craig was at first in shock and then angered when the Marsden told him that he also did not have access to his son and daughter's trust funds due to the primary beneficiary on the accounts revoking his privileges. Any further questions would need to be taken up with her. Craig had stormed off knowing that arguing or threatening the man would do little good. Since the no-contest divorce papers he had signed weeks ago were expedited and they now had a court date to divide his assets, there was no way that he could Jennifer to reconsider.

Craig's bad mood was furthered when he was accosted by a tall man as he was unlocking his car. He had been preoccupied and wasn't paying much attention to his surroundings. So when the man forced three envelopes in his hand and uttered the words "You've been served," Craig had been surprised. But as he entered his car and looked at the first of the court summons, he became even angrier. Brian Kinney was suing him for Defamation of Character. Really? What a fucking joke. Everything Craig had said about that sack of shit was true as far as he was concerned. It didn't matter that some fucking law stated that Justin was technically an adult and able to have sexual relations at sixteen. What mattered was that Craig's word was LAW within the Taylor household and Justin with the help of that child molester had flouted it. Brian Kinney needed to pay for that. He had already made Justin pay. A few placed words and threats had Justin cowering the fucking corner where his faggot ass should have been in the first place. If only he could turn Brian Kinney into a scared little sissy boy then all would have been right in his world.

He replayed how his conversation with the younger man had gone:

Craig had waited until the rookie cops had left Justin's room- one had for coffee while the other had gone into the restroom across the hall. He knew that he had to make what he had to say to Justin quick since the police had been instructed that he was not allowed in to see his own son. But he was willing to risk it for no other reason than to gloat and scare Justin. He hated what the young man had become and Justin needed to know that.

Justin was sitting up in bed by the window, staring out into the landscape. He jumped  when he saw his father. Craig had wasted no time in slapping Justin and then cornering him in chair, effectively caging him in.

"Don't say a fucking word you wimp. You thought you were so fucking smart, didn't you Justin? You thought that having police camped outside your door would keep me from getting in here to see you, didn't you? Well here I am big and bold as shit, staring you in your watery eyes. I remember you challenging me in front of our house about hitting you before. You were so bold telling me that if I hit you it wouldn't matter because you would still me my gay son. You still want to be my ‘son' now while the tears roll down your cheeks. If I had my way, Chris Hobbs would have killed your pansy ass and then went after your fucking perverted lover. But don't worry... I have a plan for Brian Kinney but first I'm going to take care of you. You see there is a doctor here who owes me several favors. I've asked him to make sure that you don't make it out of this hospital alive. Better a dead son than a gay one. How can you even stand to look at yourself, to hold your head high in the face of God-fearing and decent people? By this time tomorrow, I hope that your mother calls me and tells me that you are finally dead since Hobbs couldn't get the job done. And be warned that if anyone should hear about my being here, I'll come back and do the job personally. You belong in hell."

He watched as Justin gathered the spittle in his cheeks determined not to show his fear or weakness although his trembling body gave him away. Justin spit in his face and said, "I'll see you there."

Craig was about to hit him again when he'd heard the whistling from one of the officers returning to their post. "You'll pay for that," he said as he made his way to the door. He had barely managed to escape the officers after having run down the hall. When he reached the first floor, there was another set of policemen on their way to the elevator. Craig had violated the restraining order but he was sure that he had scared Justin enough that he wouldn't tell anyone.

Craig looked at the summons in his hand again. Apparently Justin had told someone and his name was Brian Kinney. The letter reeked of revenge. But Craig knew that there was little he could do about the matter except appear in court.

The second summons was from Jennifer on behalf of Justin. Again, there was nothing he could do except accept that this is what his ‘family' had come down to and all because of Brian Fucking Kinney. Prior to the advent of the fag, Jennifer and Justin would have never gone against Craig. Justin might have eventually in his quest to assert his manhood but Craig would have beat that thought out of him, given the chance. As for Jennifer, he would have made her suffer too. But it was too late. This was further compounded by the fact that Craig had stupidly put Taylor Electronics in Justin's name to ward off any creditors he might have incurred. He had never thought that she would find out about it but that bull-dyke lawyer of hers....something Marcus...had found out the information and prevented Craig from being able to change it back. The $110,000 that he was supposed to give to Judge Russo was a supposed to help him with that little issue as well as having Chris Hobbs practically acquitted for bashing Justin.Now that he couldn't hold up his end of the bargain, he could kiss his electronic store chain goodbye.

The third summons was the most shocking one of all and the one he dreaded. It ordered Craig Taylor to refund $640,000 dollars to Justin and Molly Taylor's trust fund accounts or face jail time plus the fines. Either way, Craig will have to pay back the money to his daughter and the faggot. He thought about making another trip to the hospital but immediately decided against it. His source had called that morning and told him that Brian had requested double the detail to watch over his lover. Craig had to wonder just how much money and clout Brian Kinney had to be able to commandeer people to move like that. Not for the first time had Craig found himself jealous and envious of the man. It was a fucking shame that while Craig shopped for his suits at named brand stores, Brian Kinney was able to afford Armani and Prada. It wasn't that Craig wasn't well off...well with the help of Molly and Justin's college funds he was, it was that he couldn't afford to flaunt it. Jennifer would have known that something was up immediately and would have questioned his sudden change in wardrobe. Outside of business purposes, Craig had two mistresses to keep in the manner of which he was accustomed to. He had paid for everything from their condos to their wardrobes and vacations when Jennifer had thought that he was at one convention or another. Now Craig's lies and thievery were all crashing down around him...and there was nothing he could do to stop it.    

Defamation of Character and Willful Negligence 

Craig Taylor wasn't the only one feeling like their lives were crashing in on them. Both Kevin Dixon  and Dr. Perkins had been called before the Disciplinary Board of St. James Academy to be thoroughly questioned about their involvement in the Hobbs case. Earlier that morning the Board had been told of the verdict and received several summonses naming St. James Academy as a whole as well as Dr. Perkins who was the Headmaster and the teacher Kevin Dixon. Justin Taylor was suing the school for not providing a safe learning environment for ALL its paying students, covering up Discriminatory Acts and sanctioning a Hate Crime since Christopher Hobbs was able to attend his high school graduation while being accused of attempted murder.

The Board had listened as Perkins and Dixon stammered their way through the reasoning of allowing  the reprehensible behavior of Chris Hobbs to go unpunished, citing the contributions that the Hobbs family had given to the school over the years, that Samuel Hobbs and his sons were alumi as well as founding members and that Justin Taylor was often disruptive bringing about the wrath of Chris Hobbs. The Board had brought in several of the faculty members who had both Chris Hobbs and Justin Taylor within their classes at the same time. Each and every teacher contradicted the claims the two men made stating that it wasn't Justin who would start the contretemps but Chris. However, Justin wasn't the type to take the bullying lying down and fought back with words that Hobbs likely had to look up in the dictionary.

One teacher had also mentioned that it was Kevin Dixon who had made it possible for Justin Taylor's locker and the contents within to be set on fire. The educator had spoken in detail of the morning she had seen Dixon wheedle the key out of the janitor while one of the boys Chris usually hung out with caused one of the toilets in the boys bathroom to overflow. In his rush, the janitor handed over the keys to the locker after garnering Dixon's promise to return them later. Mr Dixon had given it and proceeded to lead the other boys down the hall to enact their revenge.After lighting the fire which would destroy all of Justin Taylor's personal belongings and the textbooks which belonged to the school, Hobbs friend Antonio Gibbs- who would be entering his senior year when school resumed- had spraypainted the word ‘FAGGOT' across the locker in black. She remembered Justin walking into the school in a panic when he saw the smoke. She saw the moment he realized that it was coming from his locker and that when he went to open it, he pulled back his right hand and cradled it. She rushed him off to the nurse to take care of his singed palm.

Mr. Perkins had been surprised when his newly-retired secretary, Bernice, had also shown up. When he'd asked her what she was doing there, she stated.

"Doing what you should have done a LONG time ago. I'm defending Justin Taylor." And she proceeded to tell them all she knew about the incidences regarding Chris Hobbs, Dr. Perkins lack of action even when the student's mother came to the school and his closed-door meetings with Hobbs father and Kevin Dixon. "Craig Taylor would show up on occasion to the school and receive a full report on the ‘heterosexual reformation' of Justin. A more ill-educated bastard I have never seen in my life."

The Board unanimously voted to fire both Perkins and Dixon. They were allowed to clear out their offices and desks of any personal belongings under the watchful eyes of security and escorted off the premises after handing in their keys. They also decided to award Justin Taylor the money requested in the lawsuit damages against the school deciding that it was worth it to them all to keep away the bad press. For an Episcopalian school, the motto of all press being good press was bullshit. The Willful Negligence lawsuits filed against Perkins and Dixon they would each have to handle on their own. After hearing the disregard that Justin had endured the entire nine months of his senior year at the vaunted private school, each board and faculty member went home and hugged their children a little tighter, especially their teenagers.

Fight or Flight

Brian arrived at the hospital about the same time that Jennifer did. They had ran into each other on the elevator. Each had received a frantic call from Debbie asking them to come as soon as they could. Justin wasn't talking and had done nothing but stared out of the window since the end of his OT appointment. Daphne had added the reason of Justin overhearing Miguel talking to Bethany and Nicole. But what really worried Daphne was the fact that Justin seemed to be grieving instead of fighting to prove the preliminary diagnosis wrong. He had refused to go to his psych appointment, opting to just stay in bed silent and staring into the landscape outside. He didn't even put up a fight when she began to massage his right hand knowing that it was paining him. Brian was also informed that Lindsay had stopped by and that little tidbit of information was what had Brian speeding down the highway two exits after cutting a presentation short. Marty was pissed but there was nothing he could do since Brian was protected under the Family Medical Leave Act, something that Justin had insisted that Brian apply for when Gus was born. He had to admit that the fucking kid was smart and his advice had paid off in more ways than Brian could thank him for.

"There's something that I need to speak with you and Justin about," Jennifer stated as they rode the elevator. She could still barely believe that she and Brian had grown so close over the past few weeks.

"Is it our sex life?" Brian asked, eyebrow raised with a smirk ghosting on his lips.

Jennifer snickered, having grown used to Brian's sense of humor. She could tell that he was as tense as she was but he having him dispel it with his usual sarcasm was a relief. "No, not that that. Although I suspect both of you would get more pleasure out of fucking Craig than telling me about that." At Brian's look of abject disgust and horror she continued. "It turns out that Craig had put Taylor Electronics in Justin's name over two years ago. The business is barely making ends meet and Craig had been siphoning Molly and Justin's trust fund for even more years than I dare to count. Anyway, Justin has to decide what he wants to do with it."

"How much does he owe Justin?" Brian asked genuinely curious.

"Roughly about $500 thousand including interest."

Brian whistled. "You've got to be shitting me. Five-hundred thousand dollars?"

"That's right. Don't act so surprised Brian. I come from a wealthy family. Craig does as well but my family was far more rich. My father didn't trust Craig further than he could throw him so he divided his will between me, Justin and Molly. Craig got the access to Molly and Justin's funds because I was stupid enough to trust him."

Brian pulled her close to him. "Don't beat yourself up, Mother Taylor. You wouldn't be the first woman to think that ‘forever' came with the guarantee of honesty. The question is what has he ‘done with all that money and how are we going to recoup it? I suspect the money is long gone."

"Yeah it is. But I have the President of the Bank looking into the matter."

"Have you gotten the business appraised yet?"

"No," Jennifer said. There was so much to do, she wasn't even sure to begin.

Brian pulled out his cellphone as they stepped off the elevator. He knew exactly who to call.

"Ted Schmidt." the nerdy upbeat voice answered the phone.

"Yeah, Ted. It's Brian.

"Brian who?"

"Don't be an idiot although I'm not sure you can help it"

"Oh it's you. Well what do you want?"

"I need you to get over to Taylor Electronics immediately. I need everything appraised."

"I'm working. Can't it wait?"

Brian rolled his eyes. "No it really can't. It seems that little Justin owns it although no one knew that until Jennifer's lawyer, ie. Melanie did some digging and found out. They've stopped Craig from changing the business back into his name."

"You're fucking shitting me," Ted exclaimed.

"Never and I mean NEVER mention me and your shit in the same sentence again Schmidt. Now get your ass over there. I'll call and have Isaiah and Josh meet you over there in case you encounter any resistance. Do you need anything else?"

Ted nodded although Brian couldn't see him. Isaiah and Josh Mckenzie had been friends with Brian since college and owned their own security firm. Ted had dealt with them on Brian's behalf numerous times regarding the security of his loft. "Mind if I bring Emmett along? He usually has a pretty good idea of the costs of high-end furnishings."

"Well he is a retail queen after all so yeah, nab Honeycutt and call me back. I expect a full accounting this evening."

"Well Jesus Brian, I guess my need to work for a living hasn't been factored in."

"Use your sick time that I know you have on the books. We'll talk money compensation later." Brian hung up the phone and called the McKenzies giving them a brief description of what he needed.

Jennifer was amazed at the way Brian had taken charge and gotten things done. "You really don't waste time do you?"

"Never that especially when it involves money, Mother Taylor. And if my hunch is correct, you husband..."

"EX-husband," Jennifer corrected.

Brian nodded. "Ex-husband is currently at the store trying to offload as much as he can, not expecting Justin to take immediate possession of it. It's exactly what I would do if I was in hock to the tune of how much?"

"Six-hundred and Forty thousand dollars to be exact. He also owes Molly a hundred and forty thousand in addition to Justin's five hundred." Jennifer shook her head still unable to believe that Craig could do such a thing as stealing from the children. " What do you think Justin will want to do?"

"I wish I knew but from what Daphne tells me, it may be awhile before we can get any type of reaction from him. He's having a rough day."

Jennifer's heart went out to him and her son. She could hear the despair clearly in Brian's voice. "Well you do have his power of attorney in all of his matters both medical and financial Brian."

"I know but I don't want to use that unless I have to. Everything is being put in trust for him."

Jennifer stood on her tiptoes and pulled the tall man's head down. She whispered in his ear, "You're a good man Brian Kinney," and placed a gentle kiss on his cheek. She almost laughed seeing his blush as she let go of him knowing that he was unused to being called anything but ‘Asshole.'

They walked into Justin's room, both making their way immediately to Justin's side. Brian had taken up his stance on the side of the bed near the window. He watched as Justin struggled within himself not to look up at him, opting to keep his head in the same position as if looking through Brian.

"So you've decided that you aren't going to look at me, huh?" Brian asked knowing that Justin could be the most stubborn man on the planet when he chose to be. When he didn't get any response from his blond he continued, "Well I guess that you should just give up now then. Lie down and die just like Craig told you to. What are you waiting for huh, Justin? Why am I even wasting my time with you if you're just going to give up?" He watched Justin's nostrils flare and he knew that he had struck a nerve with that last question.

"Brian, why are you being so damn harsh with him?" Debbie demanded.

Brian looked over at her and narrowed his eyes. "Because he would be with me." Brian grabbed a chair and seated himself down so that Justin could no longer avoid him. "I'm not leaving this fight and neither are you. Do you hear me Justin? Neither are you! Now you have two options. You can let what they say eat you alive or you can get your fucking ass in gear and prove them wrong. The choice is yours. The Justin Taylor that I fucked and who chased me around for months would never give into what other people said about him. That who I.... that's not who you are. So stop being a fucking twat now and don't let everyone's efforts on your behalf be for nothing."

Justin's eyes sparkled as the tears filled them. "Brian do you even know what they said? Miguel said that I would never draw again."

"No he didn't. He said that the chance that you do is minimal. To me that sounds like something worth fighting for. You and I operate best in small chances. There was a small chance that I would build a career. There was a small chance that I would see you as the exception to a few of my rules. There was a small chance that I might like you enough to keep you around. And you see what's happened, Justin, when there are small chances? I'm sitting in this fucking  chair talking to someone who I decided to take a small chance on. Don't fucking prove me wrong. Now get the fuck up."

Daphne, Debbie and Jennifer watched as Justin processed all of what Brian had said. Watched him struggle against his need to be left alone and the need to prove Brian right. Then they watched in amazement as the words had penetrated Justin's psyche. Justin tried to stretch out his hand so that he could grip the side rail of the bed but after so many hours of laying still, it had stiffened up. Jennifer moved into position to help him but Brian shook his head no.

"But Brian," she began to complain only to be cut off by the man.

"No Mother Taylor. He either has to do it himself or ask for help. Doing it for him will only make Justin angry and make him withdraw. And right now you and I need him to be fully cognizant."

Jennifer hated it but she couldn't dispute his reasoning. They had to move on Taylor Electronics and Brian wanted Justin to have every opportunity to make his own decision about it. Yeah he has some damage to his brain but Brian wouldn't let him use it as an excuse not to be the best he could be in that moment. How could she not support a man like that? "Sweetie, Brian's right. You need to either do it on your own or ask for the help. There's no shame in it."

Justin laid there for awhile trying to decide what he wanted to do. There was no question that he wanted to be left alone but by the conversation that Brian and Jennifer just had, he knew that something big was going on. He remembered signing a stack of papers the night before which had taken forever to do. Brian had helped him to steady his trembling hand, allowing for several breaks in between each set of them. Justin knew that part of the problems he was experiencing was because of the stiffness of yesterday. Daphne had tried to get him to help her exercise his hand but he couldn't bring himself to. He'd felt so fucking hopeless after hearing Miguel's prognosis. He had been working so hard and couldn't understand why his hand wouldn't obey the commands of his brain. It seemed that although his mind and spirit were willing, his body was just too weak.

Then Brian had come in not even saying hello first but badgering him. Part of him wanted Brian to get the fuck out and realize that he was better off. Justin wasn't perfect before but he was surely too damaged to be the arm candy of Brian Kinney. But Brian hadn't mentioned his hand directly. It seemed like he wasn't really talking about it at all. He was talking about Justin as a person, about his never-say-die attitude when someone told him that he couldn't do or have whatever he wanted. That was what Brian had saw in him although until this moment Justin wasn't really sure how Brian saw him. According to Michael, Justin was nothing more to Brian than a convenient piece of tight ass and a stalker. But Brian hadn't said that. Sometimes he would treat Justin like he was a pain in the ass but Brian never discounted him as a mere inconvenience. There was more but what? Making the decision, Justin knew that he had to get out of the dark place in his mind where he had fallen if he wanted to know the answer to ‘what.' He sighed deeply before looking to Brian. "Will you help me up? Please."

Brian wasted no time in fulfilling Justin's request. He was proud of the younger man and told him so. The smile that Justin gave him caused his heart to skip a beat as it always did. But Justin didn't need to know that. "So are you ready to talk business, Mr. Taylor."

Justin crinkled his forehead in concentration, processing Brian's question. "As long as I don't have to sign anything right now, we can go ahead."

"You need to listen to your mom carefully Justin. And if you need a break to process, then tell her. She'll wait for you to catch up okay?" The need to small chunk information was a huge side effect from the  bashing. Although Justin was still sharp and intelligent, he still needed to be given new information in small doses to keep his migraines down. His cognitive therapist, Nicole, was still working on that with him. Since the brain is a tricky instrument, it could take awhile to get Justin back to where he was prior to this episode in his life.

Justin nodded, giving Jennifer the okay to begin. Debbie and Daphne had opted to leave the room. Debbie said that she needed to get back to the diner before World War III broke out especially since David had arrived in town unexpectedly. Brian was surprised by the news that the Doctor had basically come to collect his wayward husband. He still couldn't understand what Michael had seen in the idiot but he kept that thought to himself. As for Daphne, she and Jennifer had agreed that she would pick Molly up from school and take her back to Daphne's. Jennifer didn't want Craig near either of her children for the foreseeable future after the shit he'd pulled with Justin yesterday. If she could have taken out a restraining order on Molly's behalf, she would have but since it was Justin who Craig threatened and not Molly, Jennifer's hands were tied.

Over the next hour, Jennifer went on to explain the situation with Craig and how Justin had come to own it. To say that the young blond was shocked would be an understatement. He couldn't believe the lengths that Craig Taylor had gone in his deception. In the process Justin had remembered two of his dad's mistresses names. Madison and Cindy. When Jennifer had asked who they were, Justin told her honestly. He had seen them several times out to lunch with his father when the older man was supposed to be at work. Craig would wheedle him into not telling Jennifer through hush money or just the idea that they were sharing a secret but Justin wasn't a fool. Prior to coming out, Justin had decided to wait until he was off to college to tell his mom to give her someplace that she could move to after the divorce was final. But then the bashing happened.

"So we need to know what you want to do with the business, Justin," Jennifer finished.

"What do you mean?"

"You have two options," Brian said. "You could keep the existing chain of stores open or you could sell the business and after paying the taxes and store's debts, we put the money in trust for you. The choice is yours.

"Well if the choice is mine, sell it," Justin said decisively.

"Are you sure?" Jennifer couldn't help but ask.

Justin thought about it for a moment. "Yeah. I'm sure. I don't want that fucker making another penny off my name."

"Okay, Justin," Brian said happy that Justin had come to the same decision he would have made himself. "How do you want to do it?"

Again Justin processed the question. "Brian can you handle the advertising?"

"I could but because I work for Ryder you would technically be giving him your business."

Justin looked a little dejected at that statement. "I don't want to do that. But could you help me with it?"

Brian smiled. "I could do that but when would you want to start? I have Ted working on the books now. I also think you should hire a lawyer to deal with this."

"What about Mel? She and Lindsay could always use the extra money for Gus."

"You're right, they could." Brian closed his eyes dreading what he was about to say but Justin deserved to know. "But with the way that Lindsay's been acting lately, I don't trust her not to wheedle information about your finances out of Mel."

"But..."

"No buts Justin. You forget that I know Lindz better than most including her wife. I don't want her coming up with extra things that Gus would ‘need' on your dime simply because you are my partner. Lindsay was raised in the same manner you were and used to the finer things. It has been rankling her for years that Melanie doesn't make as much money as I do or that you will have when all of this is over. I want your business to remain just that YOUR business."

"But it's yours too Brian."

"I know and I will deal with it when the time comes. In the meantime, I think that we should keep this all between ourselves and hope that Melanie has a good lock on her briefcase. You and Jennifer are protected under the attorney/client privilege even though Mel will probably know that you own Taylor Electronics and that Jenn won her case against Craig. Even though she shouldn't know even that, it's all going to be a matter of public record by the weekend. Everything else we do beyond that shouldn't be."

"Okay, I trust you Brian. When do you expect to hear back from Ted?"

"No later than this evening."

"And the complaints I signed yesterday?"

"Being handed out as we speak. I can just about imagine their faces as they get them."

Justin snickered at the conspiratorial tone Brian used as he, Jennifer and Brian continued to discuss them.

Jennifer's cellphone rang while they were rehashing all the details regarding Taylor Electronics. She noticed it was Craig and decided that they should all hear what he had to say.

"Hello Craig. I didn't expect to hear from you so soon," she practically purred into the phone.

"Why the fuck not since you're trying to rob me blind?" Craig's surly voice came through the speaker causing Justin to shiver a bit.

Jennifer watched as Brian pulled her son close to him before answering Craig. "Actually I should have called to thank you."

"For what? You're stealing my fucking business from me. Or should I say your pansy-assed son is stealing it. Tell Justin that I want my fucking business back."

"Fat fucking chance Craig," Jennifer had given up all pretense of being polite. "You're the worst sort of lowlife to steal from your kids and then use their money to fund your whores."

"What the fuck are you talking about Jennifer?"

"Who are Madison and Cindy?" Jenn countered not giving Craig an inch.

"H--How did you..."

"It doesn't matter how I found out Craig only that I know that $640,000 dollars was used to maintain those bitches. Well here's some news for you, Darling," she said sardonically. "Justin is going to sell Taylor Electronics and you won't see a fucking penny of it. Not only that but you STILL owe him and Molly their inheritance. I don't trust you enough to make a fucking payment plan so you'd better work fast in coming up with the money. I know that Brian is also suing you. See what happens when you make the wrong enemies, Craig?"

"I don't give a fuck about Kinney's suit. I'll get it thrown out."

"How? The same way you were planning on paying off Judge Russo for that bullshit verdict and regarding the business? Well think again Craig because for the foreseeable future, Russo is OFF of Samuel Hobbs' payroll. I don't give a fuck how you do it but I would suggest you begin by selling off your whores' condos and try to recoup my childrens money that way."

"Or what Jenn?" Craig asked scared but not willing to lose any of his bravado.

"Don't drop the soap Craig." And with that Jennifer disconnected the call. Looking over at her companions she nearly burst out laughing. "What?"

Brian spoke for both he and Justin when he said, "Remind me never to piss you off. You're pretty scary when you're protecting your kids."

Jennifer chuckled. "Keep that in mind Brian and you'll be fine." She smiled brightly reminding Brian of where Sunshine got his smile.

"I will. By the way...have either of you heard about what happened to Russo this morning?"

Jennifer started laughing immediately knowing what Brian was talking about. "I should have known that it had the hand of the master. But don't worry, your secret is safe with me."

 Not a happy WASP...

Lindsay had hung up the phone with her father. She had called him hours ago asking that he look into the matter of Justin's trial and to see who would be looking at the case. When she was informed that the complaints were already being delivered and that Judge Lano would be looking over the case, Lindsay was pissed. That was the ONE judge in the entire state that couldn't be bribed and went straight by the book. Her father informed her that as much as he would have liked to help her out, he wasn't risking federal prison for trying to bribe the judge. She was on her own. Whether she liked it or not, Mel was once again going to be mixed up in Justin's case. "FUCK!"

Operation: Justin's justice was reaching epic proportions as the Hobbs' family, Judge Russo, the Pittsburgh Police Department and the District Attorney's office all received their summonses as well.  The summons for Samuel Hobbs was pretty cut and dry citing Defamation of Character and Personal Injury. As far as he was concerned there was no case and he would have it thrown out. He immediately called Judge Russo's office only to be informed that he was not the one hearing the case and also had been put on Administrative leave after receiving his own summons. It didn't help that just a few hours prior, Judge Russo had to be rescued from a toilet bowl that he had been glued to. He would have loved to have blamed this on one of the homos that were supposedly wronged in yesterday's ruling but Taylor was still in the hospital and as far as he knew, his butt-fucking pal hadn't left his side.

As usual, Samuel had made his way down to the pool house where his son Christopher was staying. The scene that greeted him left him not only in shock but angry and disgusted. He roared his displeasure as he watched Chris getting a blowjob from the pool boy. The first thing he asked was if this was another Taylor incident. The pool boy only grinned and said that he was just experimenting. Samuel rounded then on his son yelling that no one is to ever know about this. He then paid the pool boy five grand for his silence and told him that he was no longer welcome. Then he proceeded to tell Christopher the latest incident in the Taylor case and that he had to keep his activities heterosexual related otherwise he would kill him himself with a fucking baseball bat. Chris had swallowed hard at his father's implication and uttered a small ‘yes sir' to let the older Hobbs know that he understood what was being said.

He couldn't believe that Chris was that fucking stupid as to get caught with his pants down again. He was beginning to think that there may have been some truth to what Taylor's doctor had said on the stand. But that didn't matter right now since Justin Taylor was seeking a million dollar settlement. Yes he had it but he didn't want to give that faggot thing, especially not his money. Provided that Christopher could keep himself on the up and up, there might be a way to win the case. At least he thought so until he found out who the judge was which would render a verdict in the civil lawsuit. Samuel knew that unless there was some loophole, he would be paying for Christopher's sins with a price tag of one fucking million dollars.

CHAPTER EIGHT: LOCKED UP

(One Month Later)

Desperate Times

Both Brian and Justin were experiencing another round of inner turmoil. It had been a month since Justin had returned home. Although Brian was inwardly ecstatic that he had adjusted to being in the Loft again without issue, he was equally angry at the fact that Justin lived in such a state of fear that he wouldn't leave the loft for any reason.

At first, Justin would resort to volatile tantrums which would result in him curling in on himself and retreating to any corner of the enormous space where he felt that he could hide himself away. It would take Brian hours to coax him out of the mental state where Justin would often lose touch with reality and live within a panic-induced stupor. Then there were the times when Justin would become so angry with himself and frustrated with Brian, that he would break things. Many days Brian would return back to the loft to find his loft as badly damaged as it had the time he'd been robbed. Expensive furnishings were turned over, glasses broken- even the Philippe Starck juicer that he had recently replaced had been broken. Brian would be on the verge of yelling at Justin until he would find the young man asleep in the corner he had retreated to, the salt of his tear tracks marring the almost peaceful face.

The nights were the worse though.  Although the doctors have said that there is little chance of Justin regaining most or all of his memories from the attack, Justin's mind seemed to relive the event in the parking garage repeatedly. He would mumble the entire dialogue while in a dream state, culminating in the event that changed both his and Brian's reality- quite possibly for the worse. Justin would awake screaming, shivering and grabbing his head as if in pain. Brian would do his best to reassure the younger man, cradling him in his arms as Justin would at first fight the contact and soon after have yet another emotional meltdown. When asked what his dream was about, the result was always the same: Justin would say that he couldn't remember and apologize profusely to the point of another breakdown for having disturbed Brian. Brian would brush it off as if it didn't happen until the next time it did. There seemed to be no hope for either of them to escape the nightmares- both waking and sleeping.

Brian had arranged for all of his therapy appointments to occur within the loft. Miguel, Nicole and Bethany had been more than accommodating to both men. Sometimes they would hold all of the therapies together so that Justin wouldn't be overwhelmed more than once in a day. At other times, they held individual sessions two to three times a week, even if Justin didn't feel like participating that day. Brian was amazed and grateful for their patience with Justin. The blond wasn't an easy patient by any means, often wanting to give up or demanding that he'd be left alone. Justin could rant, rail and rave but whereas they would give him space and let him come around on his own, they wouldn't let Justin check out of the reality of his situation and creatively worked toward a solution.

Unfortunately, there weren't easy solutions to the way this all was affecting Brian. Bethany had suggested numerous times that he talk to someone about his own memories. Whereas Justin couldn't remember all of the events that fateful night unless he was sleeping, Brian had lived it. And he continued to relive it through every nightmare of Justin's and currently at his job. The situation sucked all the way around and now it was fucking with Brian's business dealings and not in a positive life-affirming way.

Two weeks ago Marty Ryder, the primary owner and one of the three partners in the firm, began urging Brian to reconsider his position as the partner of Justin Taylor. Not only did ‘they' think that Justin was too young to be involved with a man of Brian's caliber and age but it turned out that wasn't the real reason. When Brian had requested a face-to-face meeting with the partner, who was issuing veiled threats and overt orders, to tell him unquestionably to go fuck himself, Marty had to come clean. Justin, and therefore Brian, had filed a civil suit against his nephew-by-marriage,  Kevin Dixon, and it was making the Ryder household a living hell. Marty's wife was demanding that Brian distance himself from Justin or be fired. In addition to everything else going on, this was probably the beginning of Brian's breaking point.

Melanie had been working overtime trying to get the all of the witnesses and affidavits signed before the Depositional testimonies would begin. Of course because of the amount of time the pitbull lawyer spent working on the case, Brian would have to endure just as many threats and opposition from Lindsay. He often wondered if he'd done the right thing in acting in the role of sperm bank, especially when the mother of his child used Gus as a metaphorical club to beat Brian over the head with constant accusations and misplaced responsibility. Since Justin had been released from the hospital, instead of things getting better they had become worse and Lindsay was even more of a harridan than she had been in previous weeks. She even resorted to barring his access to their son which Melanie had surprisingly put a stop to.

"You can be pissed off all you want Lindsay but I am still going to fight for Justin. This is wrong on every possible level of decency. I'm working my ass off now so that Gus won't have to go through this should he prove the theory that gay parents breed gay children. As much as I would love to go against the asshole in this, how fucking dare you do that to Brian? You of all people should understand what he is feeling but you can't, can you? You're being a selfish BITCH and it makes me wonder if this was our situation instead of Brian and Justin's, how willing would you be to stand by my side?" She was not fooled by Lindsay's crocodile tears and shrewish behavior. This was jealousy, plain and simple, and it was time for Lindsay to stop being a fucking child and acknowledge the strain she was putting on both her relationship with Melanie and her friendship with Brian.

Melanie's little tirade had achieved the desired results, at least partially. Lindsay acquiesced to let Brian keep the schedule they had now with the promise that he wouldn't cancel for any reason. Her tone and posture during her pronouncement couldn't have made her definition of any more clear so Melanie and Brian had made a separate agreement of their own. As long as Brian gave her a call ahead of time, Mel would intercede for him. She may not have liked Brian but it was clear that he and Melanie were developing a mutual respect for one another during this legal battle and emotional crisis in their lives.

Originally Lindsay had intended to invite herself along for a little ‘family' time but Brian was on to her from the minute the agreement left her lips. He immediately grabbed his cellphone, dialing his assistant. After hearing what Brian needed, she happily built a time slot three days a week into his schedule which they termed the ‘sanity break.' For the past two weeks his new attempt at time management had been working out well. The Sanity Break was the time reserved for only him and Gus which was as closely guarded as the Crown Jewels. Fortunately it also coincided with Justin's therapy schedule and Brian decided that when Justin was better, he would keep it going so that they would each have some time with the toddler without Lindsay's ongoing interference.

But to top off the melee that had become Brian's life, he was being ordered to ‘do something ‘ to save Michael's relationship with the good Doctor. What could Debbie and Michael have expected him to do? Beat some fucking sense into Michael who was acting more and more like a spoiled brat who kept running away from home instead of a grown man who was supposed to be able to make decisions for himself? When Michael had cornered him as he was coming out of the Ryder building seeking advice on what he should do about David and lauding loudly over the psyche-probing Professor that he had been flying back and forth from Portland to see and get to know, all Brian told him was to do whatever made him happy. Which was apparently the wrong thing to say because as soon as he answered the door this morning, after calming Justin down from yet another panic attack, he was greeted by an angry red-head and a resounding slap to the face. What the fuck?! Vic had also come with Debbie, but in an effort to tranquilize the hot-headed avenging mother of Michael and for once get all the facts before she went off half-cocked, which she usually did thanks to Michael. Brian could tell by the look on Vic's face that he had never wished more than to have an anesthetized dart hanging off the tip of a harpoon handy to put the raging woman out of her misery... and theirs.

Of course instead of talking to Michael about his issues, she had come to Brian again to resolve them. Vic had tried over and over to tell Debbie that it wasn't fair to anyone involved to keep holding Brian responsible for the mess Michael was making of his life but she wouldn't hear any of it.

"Michael is fucking up his life. The least this asshole can do is help. He owes my kid something! He owes him, Vic and goddamn it, he's going to fix this shit or so help me God..."

"What? You're going to disown him? You gonna tell him he isn't welcome in your house for something that is clearly NOT his fault? Deb, I don't know how many times I have to tell you that you can't keep fixing Michael's shit. He has to live his life just like everybody else. And you being here is paralyzing his ability to act and think like a man," Vic tried to reason with the distraught woman again.

She was about to retort when she heard the most god-awful scream coming from the direction of Brian's bedroom. Leaving them standing in the doorway, both brother and sister watched in awe and horror as Brian tried to stop the piercing screams and pitying whimpers erupting continuously from their Sunshine. Debbie started towards the stairs as Brian emerged, his arms securely bearing Justin's weight, until he managed to seat them on the couch. He threw a blanket over Justin's bare legs, offering as much privacy as he could while trying to provide comfort to the insensate young man mumbling incoherently about the never-ending nightmare which he would never remember while conscious.

"Jesus....what the fuck's wrong with him?" Debbie shrieked, shocked and scared by the scene playing out before her eyes.

Brian stopped crooning long enough to sneer at her. "What the fuck do you think? Tell Michael to fix his own fucking problems for once; I have my own." And he went back to rocking the precious cargo wrapped around his body as if he was the only thing holding Justin to the world beyond the mind-numbing darkness he was still trapped in.

"Sis, I think it's time that we leave," Vic said quietly, tears in his eyes at the terrible pain he saw in Brian's. "I will tell Michael what you said Brian."

A look of shared understanding passed between the two men just as the loft door closed behind exiting duo.  

He tightened his hold on Justin, realizing that until they were over his hurdle in their lives, neither one of them would be whole again.

Desperate Measures

Moments later, Debbie stormed into the diner still arguing with Vic who was hot on her heels. She could tell that he was determined to make his point regardless if Debbie actually heeded his words or not. Watching Brian taking care of Justin had moved both of them in different ways. While Vic was completely understanding, Debbie could only see that Brian was abandoning his best friend.

"Of course I understand that Sunshine needs Brian but Michael needs him too," Debbie said, her tone low-pitched as if trying to protect their privacy but the vehemence of the siblings' argument had already drawn the attention of every patron in the diner. As far as she was concerned, nothing and no one took precedence over her son, not even Sunshine.

"Sis, do you know what today is?"

"It's fucking Tuesday, so what of it?"

Vic rolled his eyes at the sheer denseness of his sister at the moment. Usually Debbie was protective of everyone and everything regarding Liberty Avenue. She was the president of PFLAG- an organization for the parents and friends of those in the gay community. Yet she had forgotten all of that when her fantasy marriage for her son was being threatened...not by outsiders but by Michael himself.

"You really are thick when it comes to Michael, Sis. Today starts the civil depositions against Hobbs and several others connected with Justin's bashing." He watched her eyes widen in surprise and then narrow in sadness.

"Fuck Vic. How could I have forgotten? Poor Sunshine. I really don't know how Brian is coping with all of this."

"He isn't," Vic stated softly. "He's just trying to be there for his partner. The way Michael should be with his OWN partner. And if Michael decides that Portland isn't where he wants to be, then that is his decision. It's his life to fuck up, Deb. Let him do it."

She threw herself into his arms, feeling Vic's arms tighten around her. She may have always been the oldest but Vic was always the wisest between the two of them. "How did you get so fucking smart?"

Vic laughed in her ear. "I had a pretty good teacher called life. And then there was you, too." He pulled back to look into her shining blue eyes. "Look Deb, I know it will be tough to do but you have to. Otherwise Michael will always be crippled by looking for someone else to tell him what to do. You've done your job in raising him, now let him learn to employ the lessons."

They were interrupted by the last man they would have ever expected to see in the Liberty Diner.

"Detective Horvath, isn't it?" Vic reached out his hand to the gentleman who had diligently worked Justin's case. He was gratified when the offer for a handshake was returned. "What brings you here?"

The stout detective swallowed hard and then smiled, his eyes riveted on the red-head but he answered Vic's question. "I'm on my way to the courthouse to give my statement. But I heard about the pink plate special in this place and thought I might give it a try."

Vic almost laughed aloud at the flustered look on his sister's face. He'd known that they had chemistry since their meeting and subsequent run-ins since Justin's stay in the hospital. "Well come on, Detective. I was just about to grab a bite to eat myself so you can sit with me. Sis, I'll have my usual." He nudged her gently bringing her back to focus.

"Oh yeah... I'll have that out for you right away. I know that you have to be there at a certain time, Detective Horvath."

"Carl," the detective uttered.

Debbie smiled slightly. "Carl," she said in return and moved off to get their orders in before the next influx of the breakfast rush invaded. She came back only to bring them a cup of coffee before rushing off to do her job.

It was times like these she sure missed having Sunshine around. He was fast and efficient, always serving with a smile and adding a little hustle to Debbie's step. She really wished that she could be there during the proceedings but due to the nature of them and the earlier very-public trial, for Justin's safety and privacy they had elected to have closed-door proceedings this time around. As she moved around to take other orders while waiting for Carl and Vic's, she sent up a silent prayer for strength and courage on Brian and Justin's behalf. They were sure going to need it.

A few minutes later, she was on the way back to the table as she caught the tail-end of Vic's interrogation.

"So why don't you ask her out?"

Carl nearly choked on his coffee. "What makes you think I want to do that?"

"Vic laughed softly. "Oh I don't know. Perhaps it's that deer-in-headlights look you get when you look at her? Or the way your eyes soften when she turns those blues on you? No, that couldn't be it so it must be the way you haven't stopped watching the whirling dervish as she flitted from table to table taking care of everyone. I would bet my last dollar that your palms are sweaty right now and it isn't because of the heat from the kitchen."

Carl laughed a big robust laugh at Vic's assessment but he didn't deny it. If there was one thing Carl had never expected, it was to meet another gay man as raw and brutally honest as one Brian Kinney. But he found himself liking this unassuming man sitting before him with his unfiltered questions and uncensored answers to his own. "Do you think I should?"

"Well I personally have always loved a man in uniform, especially if there are handcuffs involved. I have no idea if my sister has the same affection but there is only one way for you to find out."

Before Carl could respond, Debbie was delivering their plates of food. He actually felt transfixed by the doting smile she bestowed on her brother as she served him his plate, reminding him to take his medicine as soon as he finished filling his stomach. He had seen Debbie as fiercely protective, loud and belligerent at times and had been attracted to her. But this softer and tender side to her personality was making every fiber of his being sing a different tune altogether. He decided then and there that there was nothing more he would like than to get to know the outspoken woman in all her many facets.

Gathering every ounce of his courage, the words slipped between his lips before he had a chance to think of retracting them. "Debbie Novotny, I would be honored if you would join me for dinner tonight." There he'd said it. The question that he had been wanting to ask her for weeks was finally out of his mouth and hanging in the air waiting for the answer. He glanced over at Vic who was wearing a self-satisfied smirk but strangely he didn't mind. In truth if it wasn't for Vic's honesty, he wasn't sure that he still wouldn't be in a state of limbo.

"Not tonight," Debbie answered. At his crestfallen look, she touched his arm gently. "It's only because I have to work. We're short-staffed since Justin... but Thursday night, I'm free,"

Carl smiled. "I'm working on Thursday but let me ask you this, when is your next early shift?"

Debbie thought a moment, working out the schedule in her head. "I'm doing the early shift on Sunday 5am til noon."

"That's perfect. How about dinner Sunday evening?"

"We usually have dinner at my house on Sundays."

Before Debbie could offer up another protest, Vic intervened, "Sis, I think we can make it through one Sunday without you slaving away in the kitchen. So tell the man ‘yes' already and for once let everyone else fend for themselves. Remember our conversation from a little while ago? Well it sure as hell applies here too."

Debbie narrowed her blue eyes at Vic, shaking her head at the knowledge that he was right again. She hadn't been on a date in over twenty years, always fearing how it would affect Michael. Vic had always encouraged her to go out when asked but Michael would whine and pout, giving her the silent treatment until she would call and cancel her date. Then he would leave her home to watch whatever movie was on TV while he ditched her for Brian. It was in that moment that she began to realize just how much of an enabler she had become... and how selfish Michael had been with her attention.

Taking a deep breath, Debbie whispered the word before allowing herself to repeat it again more strongly. "Yes Carl. I'll have dinner with you on Sunday evening."

Carl's bright smile was everything she could have hoped for. "Great. We're going to go to one of my favorite restaurants."

"But Carl, I could just as easily whip something up..."

He placed a single finger on her red lipstick coated lips before dipping his head briefly to press his own to them. Pulling his head back before her taste became too addictive, he said, "You take care of everyone else, Deb. Let someone else wait on you for a change," And with that the Detective left the soft-gazed woman behind with a decided pep in her step.

Shaking her head to clear it, she turned to Vic. "Holy shit, what the fuck just happened?"

Vic laughed softly. "You just got yourself a date."

"Ma, has a date? With whom?" Brother and sister turned toward the belligerent whiny voice to face Michael with his arms folded and his lips pursed into a pout.

Vic took the liberty of answering for Debbie, Whether Michael liked it or not, it was time to let Debbie have her own life and he was going to make sure she did. "Not that it's any of your business but your mother is going out with Detective Horvath."

"That homophobic cop? No, I absolutely forbid it."

"You forbid it? Really Michael?" Vic asked, condescension dripping from his voice.

"Yes, I FORBID IT! She's MY mother for fuck's sake; she doesn't have any business dating anybody."

Vic actually laughed at his nephew and his narrow-minded views. "Nice to meet you Jesus."

Michael narrowed his eyes. "Jesus? Uncle Vic what the fuck are you talking about?"

"Well Michael you must be Jesus since you think that your mother was a virgin when your big head was conceived. I assure you that she was not the Virgin Mary and you sure as hell aren't anyone's savior. So get off the cross because someone else needs the wood, grow up and accept that Debbie has her own life and you will NOT stop her from living it any longer."

"But Uncle Vic..." Michael whined but was cut off immediately.

"No buts Michael. You will not do ANYTHING to fuck this up for your mother. And what the hell are you doing here anyway?"

Michael swallowed hard at the determined look in Vic's eyes. He had never seen that much anger directed at him from his uncle. He would deal with getting his mother to see reason later when his uncle wasn't around but he had more important matters to attend to first. "Have you seen Brian? I called the loft and his cell phone but he isn't answering. I tried to get in but my key nor my code for the front door is working."

Debbie finally broke her silence. She had correctly discerned every thought and emotion written across her son's face during and after his conversation with Vic. She knew that the act of Michael voicing his opinion was far from over but she would be ready to confront him the way Vic had, The more she listened to Michael, the more she realized that her brother was right. "Michael, Brian is busy with Sunshine. Today starts the depositions in case you've forgotten and Justin is understandably having a hard time and requires his partner's attention. Thanks to yours and Lindsay's last escapade of cornering Justin at the loft, Brian had the locks and security codes changed."

"Oh please, Justin made a bigger deal out of it than what it really was. We just went by there to see how he was really doing."

Debbie shook her head in the negative. "No, you both went by there to bully Justin into leaving Brian. What you didn't expect was that he was in the middle of one of his many panic attacks and you both scared that poor boy out of his wits. Any progress he might have made to resuming his life, you and fucking Lindsay has set it back in ways you both cannot imagine. We were there this morning during one of his episodes and let me tell you, regardless of what you may think that level of terror cannot be faked."

"And speaking of partners Michael, why aren't you with yours?" Vic asked.

Michael once again crossed his arms, sticking out his chin. He looked like a grown man imitating a child who couldn't have his own way. "I've decided to return to Pittsburgh."

Vic rolled his eyes. Well now the question of why Michael was looking so hard for Brian was answered but... "Does David know?"

Michael's eyes bulged out of his head at the question. "He's on a camping trip with Hank."

"Stop stalling and answer the question Michael" Debbie interjected, recognizing Michael's attempt at avoidance.

Michael lowered his eyes before answering. "Not yet. But it won't matter to him when he figures it out. We had a huge fight and he told me to go home so I did."

"Uh huh. And just where was this fight when it happened Michael." At the look of confusion on his nephew's face, Vic decided to give some examples. "Was it in the car? David's office or the club that you two belong to?"

Realization dawned in what Vic was really asking, "It happened as I was dropping David and Hank off at the airport."

"And it never occurred to you that he meant to go to your house in Portland?" Vic couldn't believe what he was hearing,

Michael continued to defend himself, "I've never felt at home there, You know it; I know it and after the way he treated me at the Housewarming party, all of David's friends know it too, I never felt included in any of the conversations. He ignored me except when he was treating me more like the hired help instead of his partner. He made me feel like the ex-hustler turned actor who was draped on the arm of one of his doctor friends had more value than I did. I didn't have anything in common with those people and David and then Hank lorded it over me. But that isn't even the worse part. When his ex-wife Laurie showed up, she pet me on the head and I ceased to exist entirely. They were all his and her friends and it was more than obvious that I had no place in their circle. Ma, you have to let me come home," Michael cried.

Debbie went to hug her baby but Vic stopped her. "Michael, it's not about us telling you whether you can come home or not. You've made your decision and you have to stick to it. Beginning Monday, you can stay in your old room but after that you have two weeks to find your own place and a job to support yourself. It's one thing to make your own decisions, it's another thing to live with the consequences of them."

Michael's eyes widened at Vic's pronouncement. "Ma, you're going to let him do that to me?"

At first Debbie stood there, chewing on her lower lip. This was her son whom she'd carried and cared for all his life. Even now she felt that pill of maternal instinct and love that knew no bounds. But Vic was right. Michael had always been impulsive and this was no different. "Yes Michael, I am."

"But...but you're my mother for fuck's sake," Michael sputtered,

"Yes I am but you are also a thirty year old man, Michael. It's time that you start learning to reap what you sow. It's not that I don't love you. It's because I love you that I agree with Vic's plan to get you back on track. Now I have to get back to work. By the looks of it, you haven't eaten at all this morning in your haste to escape Oregon, Sit down."

Vic informed Debbie as she made her way to the kitchen that he was going to head over to meet Emmett at the site for their new business venture, He and Emmett had been in talks about starting  their own catering business, Thanks to some careful planning by Emmett, some sound financial advice by Ted and some well-placed advertisements as well as a loan for the start-up from Brian, Emmett and Vic had their first meeting with a prominent client later today. He and Emmett had decided on a sampler menu for the well-respected businessman to try before nabbing the client. The affair was to cater a multi-million dollar wedding and they wanted to make sure that all was in readiness, It would have helped if both Brian and Ted could be there to soothe their nervousness but between the solid business plan and he and Emmett working the kitchen together, HoneyGrass Catering was sure to be a success. Vic bent over and bussed his sister's cheek reminding her to stay strong in the face of Michael's inevitable temper tantrums and then he was gone,

As for Michael, once realizing that nothing he had planned was working out as he'd hoped, he flounced himself down in his favorite booth which was devoid of the gang. He had hoped that he could entice Brian away from Justin for a few hours to invite him to the Comic-Con happening this coming Saturday night but it was evident that it wouldn't happen. He felt bad for the situation Justin found himself in but the twink's continued presence was really fucking up his life as he'd known it, This was certainly not the homecoming he had been expecting.

CHAPTER NINE: CARVING A NEW PATH

Emmett was still reeling from the news that he was going to be a father. When he and Vic had a heart-to-heart much as he had with Brian, Vic had shared with Emmett how his life changed with the diagnosis of HIV. At first Emmett had a little trouble understanding the similarities between a potentially deadly disease and fatherhood but he continued to listen as Vic described his fretting about things that he couldn't change and the turning point that went from denial to quiet acceptance. It was that way of thinking which Vic used to convince Debbie to tour Italy with him as the ‘Last Hurrah' on his Bucket List. Vic thought that if he died while away, the trip would have been well worth it. But he didn't die. Instead after visiting Italy and even though he and Deb were in debt up to their ears, he vowed to live every single day as if it were his last- medication be damned. It was then that the two men got to talking about one of Vic's passions...Food.

Over the course of that single afternoon, what was just a fantasy had become a solid reality. Vic, who had lived in New York and worked as a chef in a five-star restaurant for many years prior to his illness, had been on the brink of branching out and starting his own business. Consequently the diagnosis derailed his plans. As they continued to talk, Emmett thought again about the big dreams he had for his own life. He regaled Vic with tales of him and his favorite aunt Lula holed up in the kitchen for hours on end laughing, talking and cooking up a storm. She had made the tall queen feel safe in a town where being gay was paid in bruises both from family members and strangers. By the time they each had finished dreaming aloud for the other to hear, HoneyGrass Elegant Creations was born.

Vic invited Brian over to the house, making sure that it was after work. Brian's boss had been giving the brunet a lot of shit, primarily due to his care of Justin. Although Vic didn't have the full story as of yet, he was sure that everything in Brian's life was taking an enormous toll on the younger man. It didn't help that Brian was also receiving flack from both Lindsay and Michael about the extensive amount of time he was spending with the young blond. Brian may have seemed to ignore most of it but Vic knew that Brian was nearing a boiling point and needed a distraction.

Emmett called Ted, who was a whiz at anything dealing with finances. Although Emmett didn't have much money, working with Ted had improved his investment portfolio from the time he had befriended the accountant. After talking it over with Vic, they decided to ask Ted to be their business financial advisor as well. If there was one thing that helped their cause it was that both knew that Brian used Ted in that capacity as well. The two brunets may have had their share of problems, but they were both brilliant in their fields.

Once Brian and Ted arrived and Brian answered all of the obvious questions about Justin, the four men got down to business. Vic and Em had presented the bare bones of their business plan. As a refined Advertising Executive, Brian refined the core of their business while Ted ran the numbers. After much discussion and working out a loan repayment schedule with Brian and Ted of five percent of every fee collected, because Brian had a vested interest in seeing that HoneyGrass took off, he agreed to do the advertisement for free. When Vic and Em expressed a need to pay him for his services, Brian waved it away saying "Just make a success out of this fucking thing and call it even. The last thing I want to hear is your high-pitched whining because you fucked up." For Emmett that translated to, ‘I believe in you guys. Don't let me down.' Yes, he was learning to understand Kinney-speak just as well as Vic and Justin.

Emmett's thoughts turned to his young friend as he continued to set up for their first official presentation for their high-powered client. The depositions were starting and Em couldn't help but wonder how Brian and Justin were managing it all. He had been present for a few of Justin's ‘episodes' and felt lucky enough that, in those instances, his mere presence helped to calm him down. It broke Emmett's heart to see the once-trusting young blond, fear almost everything and everyone around him. His mind flitted back to the last one that he was present for.

Emmett had gone to the bathroom when Michael had used his key for him and Lindsay to barge their way into the loft. Both knew that Brian was at work but that was what they wanted, since their goal was to corner Justin. Lindsay in her passive-aggressive way had begun to badger Justin about returning home to Jennifer; trying to evoke guilt by mentioning that Brian's life had been put on hold while playing nursemaid to Justin.

"Brian is a father," she said. "He has responsibilities, and Gus needs him, Justin. Surely you see that he can't take care of them if he's taking care of you right?"

Emmett couldn't believe what he was hearing from the tall blonde but what really surprised and angered him was that upon his emergence from the bathroom, he saw Michael forcefully going through Justin's things and packing his belongings as if what Lindsay said was a done deal. When Emmett made to stop them and began arguing with Lindsay, Michael thought to bodily remove Justin from the loft. Michael had turned the young blond in the direction of the door and began to shove Justin towards the portal, yelling and cursing at him to get the fuck out and go home. Emmett had tried to get to Justin but everywhere he moved, Lindsay blocked his way. He'd never wished so badly to be able to hit a woman in all his life as he did in that moment. As Justin began screaming, Emmett continued to try to get to him. Lindsay was yelling in his face that Michael was doing the right thing and to just let him do what he ought to do as Brian's ‘best friend.' She kept saying that Justin was taking undue advantage of Brian's kindness and it was time for him to go back where he belonged.

At Justin's final scream, Emmett had finally been able to dodge Lindsay and jump down the three steps which took him straight into the kitchen in time to see Justin lash out physically at the right side of Michael's face. Although Emmett would never condone violence, he damn near applauded as the loud WHACK echoed through the air. The stunned silence from Michael's screeching and Lindsay's bitching which followed was just as satisfying. The only thing that brought Emmett back into focus was the terrified screams emitting from Justin and the roar of King Kinney as he stepped into the chaos that his home had become.

As Emmett had tried his best to calm Justin down, he listened with half an ear as Brian berated both Michael and Lindsay. Their behavior had indeed been appalling but more than that, it was selfish and self-serving. Emmett had never heard Lindsay be so manipulative before and while he knew that Michael Novotny could be vindictive, he never expected someone that he had always thought of as a mild-mannered friend to behave like a fucking caveman. Once Lindsay and Michael had been ousted from the loft, Brian had gone over to the corner where Justin had escaped to after hitting Michael and coaxed Justin from his hiding place. Justin's pleas and cries of apology brought tears to Emmett's eyes as he watched Brian reassure Justin that he wasn't angry with him. To go through the trauma at the hands of an enemy, Emmett could well understand, but he couldn't imagine Justin's- nor Brian's for that matter- feelings when it was from people who were supposed to be your friends.

After they had finally gotten Justin calmed and settled, Brian called the security company and requested that the locks and security codes be changed. He also requested that cameras be placed both outside and inside the loft which surprised Emmett. The cameras inside the loft could be accessed on line at anytime of the day or night and strangely Emmett was relieved by that.

"All set Emmett?" Vic asked, startling the tall queen.

"Yeah. I think Mr. Schickle will be impressed by what we came up with."

Vic nodded. "I hope so. Goodness knows where this account could take us if we succeed at it. I mean it's his only daughter's wedding."

Emmett laughed. "I know. I don't know how Brian managed to pull this off. Goodness me! Our first major client is the Pickle King for crying out loud."

Vic joined in the laughter. "Well people can say whatever the fuck they want about Brian Kinney. But one thing is for sure, that boy knows is his business."

Emmett grew serious moments after basking in the glow of a potential lucrative clients. "Have you seen them today?" he asked with a soft voice.

Vic didn't need to be told who Emmett was asking about. "Yeah. Deb and I stopped over there this morning. As always, she went barging in there demanding for Brian to fix Michael's life. Justin woke up with an episode while we were there."

"Poor Babies. I don't know how much more each of them can endure."

"I know Em. Brian is really trying, but between having to take care of Justin, Lindsay and Michael's carping and Deb's demands, I'm afraid of what he might do."

Emmett nodded. "Brian has always said that Justin was the strongest person he knew. But what happens when the strongest one now is the weakest? Honestly, I'm concerned about what will happen when Michael, Lindsay and Deb keep pushing Brian. I mean we all know about his brand of pain management."

"Yeah we do," Vic confirmed, "and honestly I can't say that I would blame him if he needed to indulge in them. Lord knows that Michael and Deb alone make me wish I was still getting high sometimes."

Emmett chuckled. "What's the problem this time?" Vic began to explain to Emmett all of the events of the morning culminating in Debbie accepting a date and Michael being none too happy about that. Emmett shook his head as Vic finished the tale. "Hopefully someday Debbie will open her eyes and make Michael grow up. After what I saw a few weeks ago at the loft, there is no way that Debbie could continue to make excuses for Michael's bad behavior."

" I told her as much this morning. Hopefully she will take my advice and guidance to heart, otherwise she is going to lose that darling Detective before she even has a chance at having her own life. Michael is just going to have to learn to live with HIS choices from now on. And I'll see that he does."

When all was in readiness to receive the King of Schickle's Pickles, Em and Vic sat down with a cup of coffee, all thoughts and conversation divided between a courthouse Downtown and the occupants of a luxurious loft on the other side of Liberty.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Justin's POV

I can't help but be scared to death right now. I have never felt so impotent in my own life nor in the choices I make. The fear constantly gripping me won't let me go. I'm afraid to go to sleep, afraid to be awake and most of all afraid to be left on my own. I know that I have to get over it but how? Everywhere I turn, I see Chris. Whenever I even think that I want to leave the loft, I am paralyzed at the thought of running into him. What if Brian isn't there to call the ambulance next time? What if he can't get to me? It's what keeps me within this place that I used to call my safety net and my home but right now it is my gilded prison.

I know that Brian understands, but honestly, he shouldn't have to. Maybe Lindsay was right that I should just disappear from his life. I remember asking him just after the ‘incident' with his two best friends if that was what he wanted. He said that it wasn't but I don't know. I just feel like a burden to him. I heard him on the phone with Melanie when he thought I was asleep. He is having trouble at work because of me. I may have set out to seduce Brian and to love him but I never wanted to cause him any problems. NEVER!

I can't imagine what he is going through. He was always a private person but now there are constantly people traipsing through his loft to see me. ME, the trick that wouldn't go home- well at least according to Michael. I'm still surprised that Brian didn't toss my ass out for clocking him, even if I was being physically assaulted and defending myself. If there has been one lesson I've learned over and over again, it's that no one goes against Michael for anything or any reason. I'm almost afraid what Debbie will say to me when she hears of it, if she hasn't already. But in my defense, he kept grabbing at me and yelling at me no matter how much I begged and pleaded for him to stop. Michael just kept manhandling me and pushing me and I couldn't stop the feelings of fear and rage which always seem to be just beneath the surface these days.

And Lindsay wasn't any better. I think that hurt me worse than anything. I thought she was my friend. Daphne and Emmett had been trying to keep the things that she'd been saying about me and doing behind my back from me, but I hear it anyway. I hear it when she calls screeching like a banshee over the voicemail of the loft's phone. Or when Brian goes into the bathroom to yell at her when she calls his cell phone. I know that I'm not supposed to hear these things or feel bad about them, since Brian, Daph and Em have told me not to, but I can't help it. Brian is suffering because of me. He's enduring the constant harassment and hellacious comments simply because he won't leave me while I'm like this. It pisses me off and on one hand I feel that Michael and Lindsay are right while on the other hand I'm scared to death to be without Brian- my protector, and I hope to God my friend. I want to scream again but I won't. Instead I'm taking deep breaths to stem the rage like Bethany has been teaching me to do. I fucking wish that I could draw my feelings so that I could be rid of them but that's another problem.

Miguel and Nicole have been working with me to hold a pencil in a tripod grip again. The biggest obstacle to that is that yeah, I can grip the pencil but then my hand spasms up and I'm unable to let go of it. As anyone can imagine, I'm unable to write with my right hand. Sure I can do things with my left hand but it was my right hand that I trained to write and draw on command. The muscles in that hand are the strongest for what I want to do. Or at least they were until that fucking Hobbs hit me.

Although I will never say this to anyone, at least while I'm not high on my pain meds, but sometimes I really wish Hobbs had killed me. I feel like such a fucking useless idiot. I can barely remember one minute to the next but I can remember the three weeks leading up to asking Brian to my prom. How fucking defective is that? Daphne says that he showed up and that we danced. I can't understand where she is getting these fantasies from. The only dancing that I remember ever doing with Brian was either in here at the loft or in the middle of the dance floor at Babylon as prelude to a fuck.

And that's another thing. I'm fucking horny but I can't bring myself to let Brian touch me in THAT way. Another reason Hobbs should have just fucking killed me. To be so close to Brian, to inhale his scent and exhale the same air that he breathes and not be able to be with him, is a never-ending fucking nightmare. I've told Bethany about it. In fact she's the only one I've told although I think Brian suspects it. She said that I have to give myself time. Time? Time for what? To be able to get fucked again? To stop feeling like an asexual human being? At this point I have about as much use as a torn rubber as I do as Brian's bedmate. And yet he's here with me every night. Why? I've literally yelled at him to go fuck and get sucked but he stays with me instead. That's probably the most confusing thing of all. Brian and I are not a couple. Sure we signed papers- I remember that- but I also know that we aren't like others who call themselves a ‘couple.' We're not like Mel and Lindz or stupid Mikey and his Doctor Dickhead. We're just not, but at the very least, I think that Brian is my friend. I would like him to be more than that, but at the very least I would like to be the man he fucks more than once again.

He keeps looking at me from over the top of his computer. I don't know what he is thinking or what he wants me to say. He told me not to apologize anymore, but I really am sorry about all of this. If I had known that a handjob would end Brian's life as he's known it, I wouldn't have ever done it. In fact, I'm not even sure why I did, except that Brian and I had had another one of those ‘I'm not your partner, I'm not your boyfriend, I'm not anything to you conversations,' in the middle of the breakfast crowd while I was picking up an extra shift before class. It didn't help that Michael had stuck his mouth in our argument as he was wont to do on any number of occasions. So I guess I just needed to feel- I don't know- wanted or valuable to someone since Brian definitely and most obviously didn't want me. I wasn't looking for a relationship since I was holding out for the elusive Mr. Kinney but I couldn't deny being a little curious about Hobbs. Well it was that curiosity that almost killed this cat and I really almost wish it had.

I know that the civil depositions start today. I also know that Mel said that if I am going to testify, that I would have to be able to leave the loft to do so. I want to. I wonder if Brian knows just how much I want to get out of this fucking place but can't bring myself to. He's tried a couple of times but then the panic sets in and we're back to square one with me apologizing and crying and with him reassuring me that it's okay while the tightening of his jaw says differently. I can't tell if he's mad at me or the situation but... well something has to give. I'm tired of staring at life through the bay windows. And I don't know if I just said that aloud because he's now coming towards me.

I watch his steady progress towards me with a slight smirk on his face. He sits down next to me and takes my hand.

"I know that you can't go out right now but how about we go up?"

Okay... so now Yoda has made an appearance and we're talking in circles. So I decide to state the obvious or what is obvious to me. "Brian we're already on the top floor."

"Not exactly but I want a promise from you."

"A promise? You don't believe in promises Brian." My memory might be faulty but I do remember that.

"It's not that I don't believe in making promises Justin. It's that I don't like to make them when they may be impossible to follow through on. But this is different. I know that once you give me your word, you won't go back on it."

"You trust me that much?" I couldn't keep the amazement and underlying joy from my voice. I mean, I knew that he trusted me to an extent when he let me watch Gus. But this is an entirely different situation. This level of trust is between just the two of us. It makes it more intimate, more special, just...more.

Some of my thoughts must have shown on my face because he says, "Don't get moist. I've trusted you far more than most other people. But I have something that I want to show you but I need to be sure that you can handle it."

"Yes."

"Yes?"

"Yes, you can trust me Brian."

He smiles at me and I feel like there is a wealth of understanding in that singular action.

"Okay. The first is that you don't do or think to do anything stupid."

"Like?"

He shakes his head as if to ward off any other questions. "You'll understand when you see it. The second thing I need you to do is to keep it to yourself. You can't tell anyone about it. Not Daphne or even Emmett; no one."

I had to think about that for a few moments. There wasn't any part of my life that I hadn't shared with Daphne. Even she got to relive my first time with Brian vicariously as we walked across the football field during lunch the next day. We had been each other's human diary since we were five years old. And Emmett was becoming the same way only in an adult gay man form. But if I wanted what Brian wanted to show me, then my answer was obvious. "Okay. You have my word that this- whatever it is- stays between us."

Brian looked deeply into my eyes. I don't know what he was looking for but I was relieved when he'd found it. "Okay," he said simply and pulled me up from the window seat. Leading me behind him, he began to speak again. "I had been wracking my brain on how to use this space or better yet when. While you were in the hospital and when Michael or Lindsay weren't dogging my every move, I had it redecorated and then I would come out here at sunset when I'd knew that you were asleep.

He led me over to a door that I hadn't even realized was behind the naked man painting. After advising me to watch both my head and my step, he disappeared into the portal even as he kept the semi-tight grip on my left hand. Although the flight of steps was relatively short, they were steep and I understood why he'd told me to watch myself. I was amazed that I could stand straight up in the darkened stairwell while Brian had to bend his head a little to avoid the ceiling. When we reached the top, he unlatched the lock and pushed the heavy metal door, identical to the loft's, aside. I felt my breath catch at the sight of the clear, windowless blue sky before me and the feeling of a tantalizing summer breeze caress my nose. Brian pulled me the rest of the way onto the rooftop terrace that had been his sanctuary and was about to become my own refuge.

The view which welcomed me was amazing. I thought being able to see the river from Brian's loft was amazing but it was even more so up here. Even though there are buildings which stand between Fuller and the river bank, Brian's building was tall enough that it afforded an unobstructed view of the sparkling water as far as my eyes could see. Bringing my sight back to the rooftop, I could see all the work Brian had done up here. I knew that he had bought the airspace above the loft but it had never occurred to me why he would do such a thing.  The triple-paned glass enclosure spanned the entire length of the outdoor space. Brian told me that he had arranged it to be done like that so that it could be used no matter the weather and that included the winter. The sliding doors were electronic and could be closed up during inclement weather or pulled open as they were now. The entire space was designed with comfort in mind. There was cozy outdoor furniture that could have easily been the feature in someone's living room. A table and chair set for two. A fancy, fully-equipped outdoor kitchen and bar area and a brick fireplace. He had the decorators add an indoor outdoor carpet to not only ward off any possible chill from the concrete, but so that he could walk around barefoot. It was like having a home away from home.

I startled a bit when I felt his arms wrap around me from behind. "You like it?"

I turned into his arms, allowing my own arms to embrace him. "Thank you Brian. For everything." I didn't need to tell him what everything entailed; I knew that he knew.

Tilting my face upward, I allowed myself to do something that I haven't been able to do in weeks. I pressed my lips against his soft ones. At first it felt foreign to me but he held still letting me decide how I wanted my bold act to play out. I could tell from the slight tremble beneath his skin that he was almost to the point of begging me to let him take things further. I rewarded his restraint by opening my mouth and letting his tongue slide inside. At the first touch against my own, my pulse lept. Brian had been so fucking patient with me and it had been too fucking long. Prior to that idiot Hobbs, I could count on one hand the number of times that Brian and i didn't have sex at least twice a day. But since then our routine has been severely curtailed. The kiss was taking on an intense life of its own and all I wanted to do was enjoy the journey. I knew that if I asked Brian to stop, he would without question. So I can't exactly pinpoint when, why, or how the question slipped between our joined lips. Nor can I hide the shock, terror or arousal that the thought has brought on.

"Brian," I gasped through the kiss, "I want to fuck you."

Brian tore his lips away from mine in response. His hazel eyes blazed with lust, need and some other indefinable emotion. Clearing his throat, he asked "What brought this on? How long have you been thinking about this?"

To give the man credit, Brian was calm or at least his voice was. He didn't look angry or upset but genuinely puzzled. "I've been thinking about it for awhile now Brian. My body craves yours and responding was never the issue."

"Then what is?"

I took a deep breath. Brian is well aware of the fact that I have become frigid since the incident but neither one of us have been able to figure out why. It's not a matter of trust but more of a matter of psychosis or some other deep-rooted shit. I know in theory that Brian would never hurt me. But for reasons unknown, I can't give myself to him freely just yet, I know that Bethany thinks that it has something to do with my missing memories. Ironically, Brian said that Alex Wilder, who is a friend of his and also just happens to be a shrink, said something similar, so there must be some truth to it. But questioning it and picking it apart isn't helping my problem now.

"I don't know exactly Brian. Alex and Bethany are both telling us the same thing. But I do know that I want to resume my sex life even if that means I can't bottom right now. I need to top, but you're the only one I trust to let near me this way. I'm not saying that me topping you would be forever because it won't. I love the feel of your cock in me too much to give that up permanently but I do need and want it this way now. I can't explain it any other way than that. Is it that you don't think I'll be good at it?" I hate the desperation in my voice but honestly that's exactly how I feel right now.

Instead of answering, Brian walked over to the sound system that I hadn't known was there. He reached out and turned it on before picking up the discs neatly placed on the side of it. Head bent, he finally answered me. "I know that you would be good at it Justin. I watched how you handled that trick the night of the King of Babylon contest."

"You watched?" That was definitely news to me. I remember taking the trick...Sean, I think his name was, down to the lower level of the backroom. I hadn't lied at breakfast the next morning when I said that i fucked him all night. Since I knew that Deb had the late shift and Vic was out for the evening, I took advantage of the empty house. The guy was a total bottom and my dick really was sore the next day.

"Yeah, I did. I even saw when the two of you left the club. I won't stand here and lie to you and say that the thought hadn't crossed my mind even as we sat there with the guys in the diner. And I know that the trick had a good time because I did when I was teaching you myself. You were a quick study."

"Then what is it Brian? Are you afraid I'm going to tell someone?" Fuck this desperation in my voice. I want him so fucking much but... "Is it that you don't want me anymore? I know I'm not... I'm not perfect now. I have a gimp hand that I can't seem to get working and this fucked up scar and I'm..."

"Stop it," Brian said to me softly, his hazel eyes glittering at me. "You were never perfect; no one is Sunshine."

"But.."

"No buts," Brian commanded in a tone that always made my body sing. He turned back to the stereo and placed the chosen disc in the chamber. As the music began, he walked toward me, holding my eyes captive as he approached. Gripping me by the shoulders, he brought my body flush against his. I couldn't stop the shiver at the contact which I had been desiring for so long. For the first time in a long while, it wasn't brought on by a panic attack but just because he wanted to hold me. He tilted my chin up a little higher before saying, "Dance with me."

It was then that I really heard the words to the song playing:

And if you have a minute why don't we go

Talk about it Somewhere Only We Know

This could be the end of everything

So why don't we go

Somewhere Only We Know*

How appropriate for this rooftop hideaway that Brian had created for himself but shares willingly with me. I don't think that I could have made it through these past few weeks without him. I can't tell anymore if he feels the same and it's scaring me shitless. I used to be able to tell what he was thinking with just a look, a soft touch or even a hard one of each but this... I know that something is wrong with me and that he might be here more out of duty than genuinely caring for me. I wish that I could know for sure. I wish that I knew if he loved me but he's never said it and I won't ask because I'm afraid of the answer. Having insecurities of this magnitude is new for me and I absolutely hate it. That's the only thing I'm sure of right now while I'm moving against him to the haunting melody hanging in the air. I can't help mourning the person I was before Chris Hobbs tried to kill me. I'm no longer the bold abrasive kid I was and I can't help but wonder if I ever will be again.

Brian leads me over to the sofa which has a lounge chair attached to it. Lying me down, he stretches out beside me while the music still echoes through the air. He put "Somewhere Only We Know" on repeat and I can't say that I'm sorry he did. Brian knows pretty much everything about me and I'm amazed that he paid attention enough to know that it's my favorite song to draw to, even if I listen to others as well. Keane, Queen and Prince seem to be the artists that I have been relating to the most since meeting Brian and apparently he has taken notice.

"Well this is your show Sunshine. Seduce me," Brian says with a little devilish grin.

I know that I should be worried about what's going on down at the courthouse; that I should be in a state of panic, but right now I accept that I can't do anything about it. Melanie assured me that she and Charles have it all under control and that she'll update me when they have adjourned for the day. So keeping that in mind, I stretch up to kiss Brian, softly at first and then more fully. I poured every ounce of gratitude that I felt into it, hoping that he knows just how much I appreciate his unwavering support throughout all of this. I softly kiss his face, when I get to the lips that I love, I nip softly at them before sucking lightly on the bottom lip and then run my tongue over it. Brian puts his hand on the back of my head, wanting to deepen the kiss and I thrust my tongue into his mouth. Our tongues tangle together sensually and I hear Brian moan. I know he wants me to take the lead but I'm not sure of how far he will let me go, I really wish that I could read him the way I did before. Well I guess I'll keep going and see what happens.  

I break off the kiss and lick my way down his long neck, God he tastes so good and I really have missed this part of our relationship. I let my lips travel down to his chest and bite softly at his nipples, when I do he arches his back and groans so I keep going. I just love how responsive he is being. Brian is always responsive, but not like this and it is very encouraging. I let my hands travel the length and width of his torso, finding hidden erogenous zones along the way. I can't help but chuckle a little as I hear another tell-tale gasp come from up above me as I find another hot spot on him that he didn't even know existed. That small bit of reassurance relaxes me just a tiny bit further.

As I journey lower I nip and lick my way down to his treasure trail. When I get down to his cock I bury my nose in his pubes and inhale deeply. He smells so clean with that special Brian scent that drives me crazy. He puts his hand on my head trying to guide me to his very swollen cock and I lick off the beads of cum that are leaking out. Then I notice that he is planting his feet next to his ass and lifting up slightly. Hopefully I'm reading him right. I scoot down a little and push his knees toward his chest. As I do he grabs them then pulls them back further, helping me along. I put my hands on his ass and part his cheeks, breathing in the pheromones that are all Brian and softly blow on the tight knot of his hole. To me, there isn't a more potent aphrodisiac on Earth than Brian Kinney. I slowly start to lick a stripe from his hole to the base of his balls and I hear him make the most delicious sound in the back of his throat. Encouraged, I stiffen my tongue and slowly thrust it into his ass.

"Oh God Sunshine... more, deeper... so good." Brian moaned.

I was practically in tears I was so happy that I could make him feel like this. Suddenly he grabbed my hand and put the lube in it and tossed a condom next to me. I looked up at him and his eyes were glazed over and I froze.

"Come on Sunshine, you know what to do, you've seen me do it enough times."

I don't think I have ever smiled that hard before in my life. I warmed the lube in my fingers and carefully lubed Brian's ass, stretching him so that he could accept my wide cock without too much discomfort.

"Now Sunshine... please." When Brian said this I almost came, but I thought of Michael and that fixed the problem quickly.

I moved forward and placed Brian's legs around my waist and lined myself up with the ass that I had only dreamed of fucking. I entered his ass slowly, giving him time to adjust. Once I was all the way inside the ass of the man that I loved, I waited so that he could adjust to my size. He reached up and pulled me down so that our lips could do what they do best when we are near each other. Then he lifted his ass and dug his heels into my ass, telling me without words that he needed me to move.

I started out slowly and we just fell into the rhythm that seemed to be ours alone. I had never known Brian to be so loud in bed, I guess I must be doing something right. We had been making love (Brian would have called it fucking) for a while when we both needed to speed up, I reached for his cock and he pushed my hand away.

"I don't need it, I can come just from you fucking me." (I knew he would call it that, but whatever).

After about another minute I felt his ass clamp down on my cock and we were both screaming out our release. As I felt the rush of endorphins ushering me into post-coital bliss, I felt the tension that I had been feeling all day drain from me. But that's what Brian does for me. On the one hand he upsets my atmosphere by destroying my idealism one preconceived notion at a time. But then it is moments like this- when no one is around to bear witness to this Brian- that he rebuilds and reshapes me as he holds me close. Some would call this cuddling but we don't. It's just simply the act of restoring our own sense of well-being and if I happen to throw a leg over him or his fingers find their way into my hair to tug gently, then so be it. It's just one more facet of the Brian and Justin show that only WE know. And I like it that way.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Michael had sat in the diner long after his mother punched in and began working. She wouldn't even look his way while she waited on customers. He wasn't exactly sure what she was pissed about. Was it because he didn't want her dating that cop? Or was it because he'd left David? He had hoped his constant attempts to flag her down or his deep sighs and looking pitiful would garner her attention as they always had. If there was ever a time he could have used one of her infamous hugs and extra attention, it was now. But Debbie was hellbent on not giving him what he needed and he was too tired to stay in a place where he wasn't number one on the agenda.

Brian's place was no longer available to him either. The little twink had seen to that. It wasn't that he was unsympathetic- no one could or should have to endure the kind of trauma the kid had without any legal satisfaction. But it shouldn't be an excuse to take over Brian's life. He and Lindsay may not have always seen eye-to-eye but they agreed in that. Justin was taking up ALL of Brian's valuable time. If the tall brunet wasn't at work, he was with the blond. Lindsay said that Gus was suffering because of it and he believed her. He had been there discussing plans to remove Justin from the loft when Gus began to cry uncontrollably. Lindsay had done everything she could to shut the kid up but it didn't work. Gus just kept hollering while make ‘Da' sounds which could be interpreted as him asking for Brian, although Michael wasn't sure. He knew absolutely nothing about babies so he had no choice but to take Lindsay's word for it.

When they had gone over to the loft, neither one thought that things would escalate the way they had. Or that Emmett, of all people, would be there. They had thought to do Brian a good turn and toss Justin out before he got home; had expected gratitude for taking an initiative Brian himself may not have known how to take. He still couldn't believe the episode or the horrifying screams that came from Justin, nor Emmett's or Brian's reaction to them. Instead of what he and Lindsay thought would happen, they had been the ones shut out. And not only shut out emotionally but locked out physically.

Brian hadn't even called them to let them know that he was changing the locks and security codes to access the building. They had arrived together the following day only for their keys and codes not to work. When Michael had used his phone to call Brian about it so that he could have the security company fix it, Michael was promptly told that he and Lindsay had five seconds to leave before the police were called. Michael had tried to argue even as Lindsay told Brian that what he was doing was way ‘beyond the pale' in her ‘stern mom' voice she had taken on since her uterus upchucked Gus. All of his calls had been left unanswered; he didn't know about Lindsay's. For someone who didn't want responsibility as a father or a relationship of any kind, Brian was sure acting out of character where Justin was concerned and Michael was smarting because of it.

Removing his cell phone from his pocket, he called the one person he knew would be willing to hear HIS side of things without the bias of knowing the whole story to date. Ben Bruckner had become his friend over the times they had met. They had even kept in touch while Michael was in Portland. Ben never put Michael's needs to the backburner the way his friends and family had been doing lately. Michael seemed important to Ben somehow. When Ben picked up, Michael immediately told Ben that he was back in town for good and asked if they could meet. When Ben agreed, Michael headed back to his childhood home, thinking of all the ways he and Ben should get reacquainted. There was no longer a reason to deny the attraction they had felt for one another. And in Michael's mind, that was the way to move forward with his life. Everything else, including how to rein Brian back in and how to get his mother to remember that his needs came before hers, could be worked out later... or at least after Ben fucked him. And that was the way things should be.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

David stepped inside the atrium of the large home he shared with his partner. He immediately noticed how empty it felt and wasn't sure what the reason was. Moving through the house nothing looked out of place. He had gotten used to Michael not being there on the nights he arrived home but was sure that he would see him later. David saw the light on the answering machine blinking furiously, indicating that the memory was full and it needed to be checked but figured he would do it later especially since most of it was probably calls from Debbie. David had thought moving to Portland and including Michael in his parenting duties with Hank would make his partner's mother cut the apron strings- a sad miscalculation on his part. It seemed that Debbie called more now than she ever did when they lived in Pittsburgh. He had talked to Michael about it but the younger man had just become petulant in the process. Michael had told him that with all that was going on in Pittsburgh, he couldn't expect Michael not to speak to Debbie more than he had in the past. David had sighed and left it alone until the next time the subject needed to be broached, which was the very next night after another twelve calls came through the house phone looking for Michael.

The housewarming party was little better and it was then that David really noticed the difference between his friends and Michael's. Whereas David's friends were sophisticated and cultured, Michael stuck out like a sore thumb with his childish table manners and inept conversation about his life in Pittsburgh. Of course the main topic of conversation was about the bashing and the reduced sentence that Chris Hobbs was given. At the mention of Brian Kinney's name, his friends began to thirstily seek inside information about the incident, the major players such as Justin and any other insight that Michael could give into the history between the defendant and the victim. Michael couldn't resist the opportunity to publicly air his dirty laundry and voice his inherent dislike of the young man who was warming his best friends bed. Several times David had tried to shut him up knowing that one of his guest was a reporter for the Portland Gazette and that every disparaging comment or intimate look into the life of Brian Kinney and Justin Taylor would appear in print the next day. David had been relieved when his ex-wife had shown up to the party. When he filled her in, the two of them set about working to do damage control so that Michael would not be sued for slander should it reach Brian and Justin's ears. Due to the nature of Brian's business and his penchant for reading the business sections of newspapers from all over the United States and abroad, it was more than likely to do that in a matter of days. The more David and Laurie worked, the more Michael undid the good they tried to do. Finally David decided to ignore him completely and encouraged his houseguests to do the same.

Sadly, the very next morning, there was a picture of Michael Novotny in the societal column smiling with the caption "The Bashing That Rocked the World- From an Insider's Point of View." David called his lawyers immediately to see if he could get a retraction printed and the paper pulled. After doing some digging, the reporter produced a signed release form with Michael's chicken-scratch signature on it. And from there matters of Michael's pseudo-celebrity status skyrocketed while the relationship David so desperately wanted with the younger man plummeted. The icing on the cake was when the "Gay Voice of the Nation" called and had a phone interview with Michael. Howard Bellweather had asked specifically if he could use quotes from Michael's newspaper interview. For the cost of one-thousand dollars, Michael had sold his best friend's story, even if he didn't know it yet. Although David Cameron and Brian Kinney would never be friends, the chiropractor couldn't help but feel a little sorry for Brian, but most of all Justin whose only crime was to fall in love with Michael Novotny's ‘best friend.'

With all these thoughts in mind, David had arranged for a camping trip for Michael, Hank and himself to keep Michael away from all media forms since he couldn't seem to help his verbal diarrhea. He booked rooms in a five-star lodge thinking that he and Michael could rekindle their relationship while they each spent some quality time with Hank. Laurie and Sam were getting a divorce and the kid not only felt that he was put in the middle but that he was the one losing his entire foundation. David had loaded both Michael and Hank in the car, enduring the child-like wonder of answering if they were there yet. He had enjoyed the enthusiasm each of them were displaying for his brilliant idea even though they didn't know where they were going. Whereas Hank maintained his excitement at seeing the resort, Michael did not. With arms folded and pouted lips, Michael told David that he didn't want to go camping; that he wasn't a nature lover. David slyly reminded Michael of their weekend trip to the country some months prior hoping that it would get Michael in an agreeable mood. It didn't. Instead Michael dug in his heels saying that he was not going to enjoy it and that he wanted to return home immediately. After much argument, even after they had checked into the lodge-like hotel, David had finally had enough and told Michael to go home. He handed the keys to his car over to the brunet and left Michael to throw his tantrum all by himself. When David and Hank returned to the log cabin sometime later, Michael was nowhere to be found. His suitcase was gone and so was his car. Hank looked a bit relieved at that and David couldn't help the mixture of relief and sadness which flooded him. But he and Hank had a great time, even if his thoughts were centered on the missing piece Michael had left with his departure.

David had tried to call several times to make sure that Michael had arrived safely but to no avail. Five days later and Michael still wasn't taking any of his calls. After showering and noticing that Michael still wasn't home, David decided that the little flashing light was getting on his last nerve. Pressing the answering machine, he listened to each of the messages. The ones where Debbie left messages, he'd skipped assuming that they were the standard "Hi Michael, this is your mother. Pick up your fucking phone" messages. But it was the one from Vic which gave him pause. It was specifically for him advising that Michael had indeed gone home...to Pittsburgh and that his immediate attendance and attention was requested. By the tone of Vic's voice, Michael was up to no good and it was time that he made a decision. David was tired of being the last to know anything happening in Michael's life. Looking over his calendar, he called his Medical Assistant to cancel his appointments and then his partner in his practice to ask him to cover David if there were any emergencies that couldn't wait until he returned. With his business taken care of as much as he was able, David booked a flight to Pittsburgh for the next morning. It was time he found out what the fuck was really going through Michael's head.    

SIDEBAR CHAPTER ONE- Preparing for Battle

Justin Taylor versus District Attorney Clarence Peters

Melanie stood inside of the Allegheny Court House Conference room mentally playing out the monumental task before her. It wasn't that she didn't have faith in Justin's case- the evidence was overwhelming. But it was that her faith in the justice system was shaken. For Melanie, the principles of truth and justice had been instilled in her from a little girl while listening to tales of the Holocaust at her grandfather's knee. He had moved his family to this country to have a better life. And for a while, she had believed that they did. Although the political climate in reference to gay rights was still a hotbed of controversy, they were making small strides every single day- at least she wanted to believe so. But then the criminal case of Christopher Mark Hobbs began and ended, announcing to all who would listen that gays still had no value as people.

Mel bent her head and remembered standing in that hospital room as Brian delivered the news that Hobbs had only received a sentence of 500 hours community service instead of a prison sentence for attempted murder. Justin, who was ordinarily mild-mannered and peaceful, had been full of rage. She watched helplessly, with tears streaming down her face as the young blond literally tore his room to shreds. She was amazed that with his non dominant hand and arm, Justin had lifted and pushed tables and chairs as if he was Hercules while screaming and cursing and crying. By the time Brian was able to get close to Justin, the staff had arrived to sedate the young man she had come to love as a brother. Melanie's heart had gone out to Brian, whose eyes shone brightly with tears of his own as he held Justin across his lap in the hospital bed, rocking him and offering what little reassurance he could in the face of such tragedy. To say that the whole episode was disheartening would be an understatement, but it had become downright dismal with the gloating and loathsome arrival of Craig Taylor.

Although Craig was informed of the restraining order against him both from the hospital and from Justin himself, the older man had waited until Brian needed to make a few calls and the guards needed a restroom break themselves. It still amazed her that the older Taylor could be so fucking cruel to his own child. Melanie had been coming up the hall of the hospital, intent on re-entering Justin's room when she heard the slap Craig had issued along with his hateful and hate-filled litany. Mel called Jennifer immediately to tell her what happened and Jennifer asked if the case could not only be moved up, but now she was through playing nice with the vicious bastard. Jennifer wanted to be free and clear of Craig Taylor but wanted her children away from him even more, especially Justin. Melanie had assured her that she would do her best to make that happen.

In the meantime, Brian had entered the fray and it took all of her strength and fast spoken words to keep the tall brunet from incurring several lawsuits including destruction of property, as well as Brian being arrested for attempted murder himself. She had told him that unlike Chris Hobbs- a closeted homo who got off for attempted murder, an out and proud gay man like Brian would be a prime candidate to throw the book at for beating a homophobic straight man to within an inch of his life. At first she had feared that her plea wouldn't work, but then Justin had grabbed his arm. Melanie watched in amazement as the fight left Brian at the mere touch and whispered words of his lover. Then watched as Brian tenderly deposited Justin back into bed while settling himself next to him. It was a Brian Kinney that she had never thought to see; never thought he even existed but she was glad that he trusted her enough to let her. Because of that kind of devotion, because of that steadfast and unwavering support from Brian to Justin, Melanie believed that they would be alright. But she knew she needed to do her part to make that happen as well.

The first step in making a wrong right had come two weeks ago while she was sitting within her home office trying her best to avoid another fight with Lindsay. She couldn't stand to listen to the litany of grievances committed upon poor little Lindsay simply because the blonde wasn't getting her way.  Her partner was truly surprising her with her pettiness and vindictiveness towards the innocent party in all of this. The thing that was most troubling was that Lindsay somehow felt that SHE was being slighted. Her behavior was reminiscent of how Michael would act when he was thwarted, and it was hard to remember that she had always thought Lindsay the adult out of the trio that had been friends long before she arrived in their lives. Melanie was still sulking about it when her cell phone rung.

Without looking at the really offending object she was surprised to hear the excited voice of Charles detailing the events of the afternoon. The school board had met and it appeared that with all the testimony the faculty of St. James Academy had been given, the Board decided that Mr. Dixon and Dr. Perkins were made fully aware of the ongoing problems between Christopher Hobbs, Justin Taylor and another as yet unidentified student. Charles was going to ask Daphne about him and see if the young man would be willing to give an account of the harassment he'd been subjected to in front of Mr. Dixon on numerous occasions.

After reviewing testimony and other evidence submitted by Brian Kinney, such as the journal Justin kept for four years prior to the incident, the school board decided to reward Justin for the requested amount in damages. Although Melanie was looking forward to publicly holding the elite private school accountable for their continued negligence of Justin and other students, it was enough for her that they had wised up. Besides, Dixon and Perkins still had to answer questions regarding their own personal civil cases for Willful Blindness. Both were aware that what Chris Hobbs was doing was against not only school policy, but criminal law in Pennsylvania and that made them both just as- if not more so- guilty as the Hobbs boy himself. The monetary damages awarded would go a long way towards Justin's care and financial independence from his asshole father. Or at least it would if Justin could bring himself to leave the loft.

Brian assured her that he was working on it and she believed him. Which was ironic considering their almost-like-hate relationship. They may never be bosom buddies but Mel could honestly say- if only to herself- that Brian Kinney was the most truthful son-of-a-bitch she had ever known. Melanie herself had been to the loft a few times in the weeks since Justin had been released from the in-patient therapy unit of the hospital. Although Justin still didn't let anyone close to him with the exception of Brian, Daphne and Emmett, she could tell that he was making incremental progress. She had made it a point to be there during his sessions with the psychiatrist as well as his joint appointments with Nicole and Miguel. She needed a first hand account of what Justin's life had become since the bashing, but mostly, she needed to see for herself that he would be okay. Mel loved that boy. In the short time since Justin had entered their lives, things had changed for the better. He made them think with his wit and intelligence; spoke positivity into their individual situations and was always there to lend a hand when they needed a sitter of Gus or just moral support that they were doing a good job. It may not have seemed much to Lindsay but to Melanie it was priceless. As a result, sometimes she lived in hope that Justin would make a full recovery, but other days she lived in abject fear that he wouldn't.

Although the judge would not be in the conference room with them, this part of the Depositional phase was no less important. The written statements from each of the participants- willing or not- had been filled out and filed as a written account of what they say happened during the case of Christopher Mark Hobbs which resulted in that unjustified sentence. Today was the day that the District Attorney had to answer for the part he played in the trial.  

Charles had arrived with the paperwork and Melanie smiled as she looked over the additional evidence against Clarence Peters. As an attorney, she had advised the arrogant prick to obtain one of his own. Of course since she was a civil rights attorney and he was a state-paid officer of the court, Clarence had advised her that he would be representing himself. More the fool him, but she figured he would find out soon enough.

Since there wasn't a jury at this stage of the civil trial, Melanie didn't have to worry about proving her case too much. Her star witness would be the videotaped testimony during this phase. There were only so many ways to lie especially under oath. But like it or not, and without a doubt, she expected Clarence Peters to lie worse than a threadbare rug in a gay porno.

Melanie took a fortifying sip of her coffee, watching as District Attorney Peters did the same. Since it was the DA and he was as well-versed in this phase of the trial as she was, Mel decided to treat it as a standard conversation at first before cutting to the meat of the matter.

"Good morning, Mr. Peters. I trust that you're well prepared for the questions that I'm going to ask you about the Taylor case."

"Yes. I am although I'm not sure why he is suing me or the better yet the District Attorney office. I did my job and got the Hobbs boy sentenced. I'm not responsible for that phase as you well know, Counselor."

Melanie nodded amiably. "Well I can answer your question about why he is suing the DA office but I would like to hold off on that and ask you some questions of my own. Is that okay?"

Clarence sat up straighter in his chair before answering. "Sure. I want this case well behind me and I have nothing to hide."

"I'm glad you feel that way, Mr. Peters." Melanie smiled to herself as she thought , I can't wait for this arrogant asshole to shit bricks.

Beginning with standard questions, Melanie asked him to state his full name, age and occupation for the record. Clarence answered the questions rotely as if he'd done it a hundred times. Charles Sands for his part, sat to her left checking his answers against the written account that the DA had submitted. It was time to get to the heart of the matter.

Melanie: Mr. Peters, when were you given the Hobbs case?

Clarence: I was given it after Senator Baxter pushed for the case to be resolved. There was a hold-up in the Pittsburgh P.D. due to ill-staffing and budget cuts. If she hadn't pushed, it would have been close to a year before the case was heard.

Melanie: And how did you feel about that?

Clarence: I was fine with waiting as long as the evidence brought to me was correct and in order. Surely you know how the prosecution loves to take winnable cases.

He chuckled. Melanie was hard-pressed not to yell at him. But instead said, "Yes I do. And do you feel that the prosecution succeeded in winning this case?"

Clarence took another sip of his coffee. "We got a conviction; that's all that matters. No the sentence didn't exactly fit the crime but Chris Hobbs was indeed sentenced for simple assault."

That was the door she was waiting for him to open. As a rule of thumb, she couldn't ask him questions about the downgrade from attempted murder to simple assault unless he brought it up. A baseball bat used in the manner Chris Hobbs had was definitely considered a deadly weapon. Maintaining a conversational tone Melanie asked, "I wanted to ask you how you all arrived at a simple assault charge when there was clearly blunt force trauma to Justin Taylor's skull?"

Clarence fidgeted in his seat before deciding to answer the question. "Since there was no prior criminal history, the prosecutor's office decided that with the right rehabilitation, Chris Hobbs could be redeemed and live a normal fruitful life. It didn't hurt that the young defendant's family was well-connected in the community."

"About that," Melanie jumped right in. "How long have you known the Hobbs family?"

"Pardon me?"

"I asked, how long have you known the Hobbs family, in particular Samuel Hobbs, Senior?"

"Awhile but I don't see what has that got to do with anything."

"Doesn't it though, District Attorney Peters? I'm submitting for your perusal, Counselor, two very distinct documents and a photograph, Can you tell us what they are?"

Melanie watched with satisfaction as Clarence looked upon the documents with abject horror. This was what they needed him to admit that would ensure Justin's win against the state of Pennsylvania. Judge Russo would be more difficult but this was their very first public march toward victory.

"Where did you get these?" Clarence whispered.

Melanie chuckled. "What are they?"

Clarence sighed. "They are the rosters from Dartmouth College and Harvard Law School circa 1988 and the photograph was taken at the Country Club I frequent on my days off."

"And who are the three men in the picture with you?"

Again he swallowed hard under the watchful eyes of Melanie Marcus and Charles Sands. He knew that there was no help for him not to answer this question. Suddenly representing himself didn't seem like the wisest of ideas. "Judge Russo, Mr. Palmer and Samuel Hobbs."

"Thank you for that confirmation, Mr. Peters. Why didn't you recuse yourself from the case of the People versus Christopher Hobbs? You could have done so and still retained not only your friendship with these men but you integrity as an officer of the court as well. So why not do so?" When no answer was forthcoming, Melanie took it a step further. "What were you offered in exchange for taking this case?"

Clarence closed his eyes. "I was offered an appointment to the vacant County Judge's seat."

"Is that all? To become a judge in this state, it not only takes an appointment from another judge, you also have to have the financial backing to buy the election. How much money were you offered? And before you answer that, understand that I've looked over the transcripts of the court case in addition to being present during most of it. There were 132 incidences in which you could have objected during the defense testimony should you have chosen to. Your association with both Judge Russo and Samuel Hobbs would have played a part in why you didn't, am I right?"

Eyes downcast, Clarence answered. "I was paid two million dollars. Samuel thought that I should have some money left over to upgrade my membership to the club and residence. As you know, judges have to maintain a certain image in the community to be taken seriously especially in WASP Pennsylvania."

Melanie snorted in disgust. She had had enough dealings with the WASP nest to last her a lifetime. It didn't help that she lived with one and had seen firsthand just how important image was to those people. "So let me get this straight... YOU an OFFICER of the Court, deliberately allowed your CLIENT to be defamed in exchange for money and social standing?"

"Yes."

"And do you feel any remorse about doing a disservice to the victim in this case?"

"Of course I feel remorse. What kind of person do you take me for?" Clarence exploded then.

"A selfish, greedy, narcissistic opportunist who used a young man's plight for financial gain," Melanie answered, venom dripping from her voice. "Well Mr, Peters, I hope that two million keeps you warm at night because I WILL be forwarding a copy of your testimony to your superiors. Unlike you, I take my career seriously and I would be remissed if I saw the crime of dereliction of duty happening and said nothing. You are dismissed."

The bailiff assigned to the conference room ushered Clarence Peters from it posthaste. He had also had a look of horror and anger hearing the District Attorney's callousness in reference to Justin Taylor. Although he was not gay, he sympathized with the young man. As a black man, there were many instances where he was harassed over something he had no control over. And like gays, he was persecuted simply for being who he was. He secretly wished that the bull dyke lawyer would be able to throw the book at everyone involved in obstructing justice for Justin Taylor.

Since there was a gag order placed on all the participants of the civil trial both before and after the depositional phase, Melanie had no worries that Clarence Peters would talk. But thanks to the interests of Diane Baxter, the FBI was now monitoring the phones of each defendant since this was being proven as a hate crime. Melanie sat back to finish her coffee and got ready to call her next witness. It was going to be a long day.  

Chapter 10: The Return...

Miguel had been wracking his brain for the past few weeks trying to figure out how to get Justin to engage in art. From all accounts, he knew that Justin was a gifted artist and he wanted Justin's life to return to as normal as possible. When he broached the subject with Brian, the tall brunet agreed with Miguel that there had to be some way for Justin to re-engage and return to the challenging young man that Brian knew prior to the incident. Miguel knew that if he felt helpless watching Justin deteriorate, he could only imagine what Brian and Jennifer felt.

Which was why he was surprised when Jennifer suggested that he get a pottery wheel. Talking with her further he discovered that Justin's grandmother used to make pottery and that Justin would paint it after it had come out of the kiln. It was Jennifer's hope that Justin would remember where it all had began for him, would bring about a sense of familiarity so that Justin could learn to move forward. For Brian it meant changing the way Justin now thought about himself so that Justin could redefine who he is as an artist. It was amazing to Miguel to meet someone who had such a clear definition of who they were on the inside even after a severe TBI, but it saddened him that Justin couldn't yet see that he was so much more.

Taking Jennifer's advice to heart, Miguel had ventured into his and Justin's favorite art store. Although Miguel would never become the artist Justin was on a fast track to being, he never stopped drawing even when his career choices took him to school to become an occupational therapist. He used art as an outlet for when he felt frustrated with a patient's prognosis or when the hospital administration put limitations on a person's health care because of insurance mandates. Watching people fight their way to a new life took its toll on the therapist in more ways than he would ever admit aloud. And that was why he could relate to Justin on so many more deeper levels than anyone suspected.

He approached his favorite shopgirl, Tammy, asking her about the different equipment. He explained to her that the device would be used for a patient who had some minor experience in pottery making from a young boy. She suggested the appropriate items including high quality clay, saying that the cheaper kind tended to dry out faster and crumble apart easily before even making it to the kiln. The higher quality felt more silky and even when moderately dry was still more malleable than the least expensive brand. He bought 10 pounds in each color they had and two wheels, thinking this was something that not only Justin and he could do together, but as a way to include Brian and Jennifer too. He was taking a big chance but if it got Justin back on the road to recovery, it was worth this and so much more.  

An hour later, Miguel had arrived at the loft, wagon in tow. Coming in, he knew that Nicole would be there as well as Bethany. Brian was at work, but surprisingly Justin's attorney was there briefing everyone on the court proceedings thus far. Melanie looked at him questioningly as moved over to the kitchen counter. He made sure to place a drop cloth over the smooth surface, learning the first day how meticulous Brian was about the elegant space and all its surfaces. Finally setting up his project for the day, he moved into the living room area to be brought up to speed on what's been happening with Justin's case. He, like everyone else in the room, had a vested interest in the outcome.

"The DA's office has been given a copy of Clarence Peter's testimony, Justin. Between that and your father's settlement, you will be very well off. St. James has already settled but we still have to get through the testimony of Chris the cunt, Dixon the dick and Perkins the pussy," Melanie finished, smiling at Justin's snicker from her references. "I think the preliminaries will be finished up within the next week or two."

"And Stockwell? What will happen to him and Judge Russo?" Justin asked. That was one of his biggest concerns. The two men along with Chris Hobbs featured heavily in his nightmares night after night.

"Those are going to take longer because they have to go before a Federal grand jury. But don't worry Justin, they won't get off. Not if I have anything to say about it. In fact I have to be getting to court. I have Daphne's testimony today and another unpleasant one to deal with. Have you decided what you want to do with Taylor Electronics?"

"Not yet but I'll let you know. The thing is that I've known most of the people who work there all my life. I would hate to toss them out with nothing."

Melanie nodded. "I'm sure that between Brian and I, we'll ask Teddy to go over the books and see what we can do by way of severance packages, that is if you want to close the store."

"He said that he will be over later tonight." Melanie's eyes widened at Justin's admission.

"Ted's been here? What for?"

Justin smiled the first genuine smile he has in a long time by each of their estimation. "He plays Scrabble with me and Brian. He said that it's hard to find good opponents shy of going to a senior citizens home."

"Well Ted sure is old enough to be in one, he should feel right at home." Brian said coming through the door. Dropping his briefcase onto his desk, he loosened his tie and shed his suit jacket in record time. He made his way over to Justin, positioning himself on the couch next to the stunned but happy young man. Justin immediately plastered himself against Brian's side and both exhaled a slight sigh of relief. Things had gotten better between them but Brian still looked for Justin to withdraw into himself at any time. The fact that he didn't was progress in Brian's book.

"You're just mad because he beat you last time with the word ‘woodpussy.'

Everyone laughed when Brian huffed and then griped. "Leave it to Theodore to know any variation on the word pussy. Since he has one."

Justin laughed, causing everyone else in the room to smile benevolently. "It's a skunk or by its scientific classification a musteline mammal."

"Duh, I know that Mr. 700 verbal. Still a smart twat," Brian joked. Turning towards Melanie, he asked about the court case. When she explained all that was going on, he responded, "Good. Justin will be starting classes soon and we need this all to be taken care of as quickly as possible."

"You'll let me know when he can testify, right?"

He looked down into Justin's upturned face. Brian knew that the prospect of leaving the security of the loft still scared the blond. It was evident in the liquid pools of fear staring back at him and the slight tremor that raced through Justin's body even though he tried to hide it. Brian made a split second decision before responding to Mel. "Give Justin a court date; he'll be ready." Justin gasped and was on the verge of protesting when Brian asked him, "You still trust me?"

Justin answered without hesitation or thought. "With my life Brian."

The eyes that looked at him then still had the fear but also held conviction and Brian knew that Justin spoke the truth. Keeping his eyes locked to the blue ones he knew so well, he spoke again to Melanie. "He'll be ready."

The attorney watched the silent communication going on between Brian and Justin. She still marveled that even after a short time of knowing each other, they could still do that. She remembered the one time not too long after Justin had come home to the loft that she had asked him, why Brian. Why, out of everyone he could have gone with to have them take care of him, why he chose the person who would want the responsibility the least. Justin had told her that she nor the others really knew Brian beyond what they see. At first, she was skeptical about what Justin thought he knew that those of them who had known Brian Kinney for years didn't. But as she had watched them over the weeks, she began to understand what Justin meant, and what Vic had told her and Lindsay the first morning after Chris Hobbs assaulted Justin. There were things that none of them would ever know about Brian and Justin's dynamic, and when she thought about it- really thought about it- that's the way it should be. Would that Lindsay had learned that lesson long ago, she thought.

"I'll talk to Charles to see what's on the schedule." And with that she left the loft, headed to the courthouse to take on another of Justin's enemies.

Brian and Justin stayed that way for a few more moments before Brian broke the contact. Brian smoothed his hand up and down Justin's back continuing to calming the boy's frayed nerves as he turned his attention to the others. "Miguel, you wanna tell me why my marble countertop is covered with that hideous cloth and why there are items on it that neither scream Prada or Gucci?

Miguel couldn't help but laugh. They all knew by now that Brian was a label queen. Sometimes Miguel thought he was in the wrong business, like the first time he had arrived to the modern-decorated oasis that Brian and Justin called home. "A little birdie named Jennifer told me that another little birdie used to enjoy using a pottery wheel. So Justin, how about it? You wanna give it a whirl for old times sake?"

Justin looked at Miguel and then looked at Brian again. He couldn't help but feel torn between elation and fear. He remembered spending countless hours as a kid with his grandmother, Genevieve. Some of the best times he'd had in his life was hearing her stories of the prohibition era and her protesting days of the 60s and 70s. She was a WASP, but one of those few with a genuine love for people no matter who they were. She was the first one who Justin had come out to and she had kept his secret. Thinking of all of that is what made him say to Miguel, "Yeah, I'll try it. I don't know how good I'll be but..."

Miguel knew what Justin was getting at. "There is four requirements really."

Justin sighed, knowing that he wouldn't just be able to have fun with it. So much for dreaming of yesteryears gone by, he thought. "What are they?"

"Rule number one: remember that this is supposed to be fun but it is also work. You are to use your affected hand as much as possible but not to the point where it becomes overworked and tired. If it starts cramping, stop immediately and let one of us know. This will help you to regain the strength in your hand."

"So does jerking off," Brian interjected, causing Justin to blush and laugh. He also laughed when Justin struck him in the stomach, moving his affected hand without realizing it. The other three sets of eyes noticed it as well, but respected the slight shake of Brian's head not to comment on it.

"Rule number two: You try your best. Remember that no one is judging you. Whereas this is going to work your hand, think of it also as a stress reliever. That said, stay OUT of your head! Just go with it. Got it?"

"Yeah, I got it," Justin confirmed, biting his lip.  

"Rule three: Remember that this is another form of art so become one with your creation. Again, it's not about how it looks now or months from now. It's so that you can be a part of the creative process again. Let whatever you feel in the moment that you are making flow through you. If it's anger or fear, re-channel it into creating something beautiful. That's always the key you know...we artists take the pain we feel and see around us and within us, twist it, shape and then mold it into something else, something magnificent. Art isn't just something we do; it's who we are!"

Justin nodded in understanding, taking in everything Miguel had been trying to get through to him these last few weeks. That's what was missing from him. Not only had Hobbs taken away his self-worth as he's always seen it, but also his self-image because of his gimp hand. It was like Chris had not only destroyed Justin's sense of security, but everything within himself that made him Justin Cole Taylor...his fearlessness...his bravery...but most of all his talent. Miguel was trying to help him restore a piece of himself, so why was he fighting against it so hard?

"The fourth rule is to remember that this is your rebirth, Justin. Everything that you put into this part of your therapy is what you make it. If you want to succeed, you will. But don't ever give up on yourself. If it's not the way you want it, step away from it for a little while- go do something else. And then when you're ready, come back to it and start from the beginning. Wedge the clay to make it pliable, then mold it as if your life depended on it. Put it on the wheel and begin to reshape your destiny of the moment. It doesn't matter how many times you have to do that, only that you comeback and do it again. Got it?"

Justin smiled, gratitude in his eyes. "Yeah I do."

For the next two hours, through frustration, pain, tears of both joy and sadness, Justin's newfound determination began to manifest itself in small ways. And Brian was never so proud of the return of Justin Taylor.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Cynthia looked at her watch again for probably the fourth time as many minutes. It was unusual for her cousin to be late. His motto of life is just too damn short to waste time being late had always made her laugh when they were teens but with his recent diagnosis, it seemed to have far more meaning.

She flagged down the waiter on the outdoor patio of the Italian restaurant and ordered another white wine spritzer to pass the time while she waited. It amazed her that she was actually able to sit still for more than five minutes. Working for and with Brian Kinney always called for her to be moving in some way, shape or form. It wasn't a bad way to be and as a result, when he climbed the ranks to Senior Advertising Executive, he brought her along as his personal assistant. Between the two of them, they pushed each other to be the best in their respective fields. His ‘no bullshit' approach extended to everything and that included his job. As a result, it rubbed off on her and she wouldn't have it any other way. Which is what made the news of Ryder selling the company out from under them that much harder to bear.

She and Brian had worked hard through the years, building and maintaining a level of excellence within the company, all for the sake of making partner. Many of the executives had already been let go in favor of keeping Brian and that was the key of it all. Like a pimp, Marty Ryder had basically whored Brian out, packaging him in with the sale of the multi-million dollar advertising company to Gardner Vance. Vanguard Advertising had reached its zenith about five years prior to Ryder reaching theirs. The only thing that kept Ryder relevant was the young, hip, ahead-of-the-trend campaigns dreamed up by visionary Brian Kinney. But Gardner had money and Marty needed it, since he was unable to fire Brian without a huge lawsuit from the tough brunet coming into play. Marty couldn't find a way to tell his overbearing, interfering bitch of a third wife that Brian's personal life was his own business, so the ball-less rat did the only thing he could; he sold the company without so much as a discussion with the other partners...or Brian Kinney. And if Brian and she wanted to keep their jobs- at least for the interim- they had no choice but to work and impress Gardner Vance. Fucker!

Cynthia noticed the sandy-haired man talking to a shorter one coming up the street and smiled. She'd been telling him that lately he looked more like a skater boy than a professor at a prestigious college. She watched avidly as she saw her cousin bend at the waist to place a kiss on the shorter man's cheek before they parted ways. It was kind of funny to watch as he stood looking after the retreating form of the shorter brunet. As Ben walked towards her, she couldn't help but wonder what he was doing with Michael Novotny.

Ben placed a kiss of greeting on her cheek and then slid into the seat across from her, signaling the waiter as he settled himself. She couldn't help but smirk at the flustered look on his face. She hadn't seen that particular look in many years and although she really couldn't stand the idea that it was Michael who put it there, she couldn't help but be happy for her cousin. After the waiter came and took Ben's order and she had given her own, Cynthia decided to find out just what was going on with her cousin... and how was Michael Novotny involved.

"So, Professor Bruckner, have you taken to dating your students now?" Cynthia knew that nothing could be further from the truth but it was as good a place as any to start her quiz.  Ben laughed as she expected that he would.

"Michael is far from being my student. Don't you have some business of your own to mind?"

"Not really since my cousin has basically been seen smooching on the street corner with Brian Kinney's best friend."

"I wasn't.... We weren't smooching. Michael is just a friend," Ben answered, a wistful breathlessness evident in his voice.

Cynthia narrowed her eyes a bit at that tone and figured that it was time to inform her cousin of some things. "When is Michael going back to Portland? I'm pretty sure that David misses him since he's been here in Pittsburgh so much."

"According to Michael, they've broken up."

Cynthia harrumphed. "I doubt that."

"Why?"

"I would have probably been the second person to know other than Brian."

"Michael doesn't tell Brian everything. Besides it's not like he's been around lately."

Cynthia cocked her well-trimmed eyebrow at the man sitting across from her. There seemed to be more to Ben's defensive tone than what laid on the surface. "Just how much do you know about Michael and Brian's friendship? I'm almost certain that there were some key factors left out."

"Like what?" Ben was genuinely puzzled by Cynthia's comment. Seeing Michael as his client had given him some insight into Michael's thoughts and feelings regarding everyone who touched his life. Although the relationship remained professional to a degree, he preferred to think that he and Michael were also becoming friends. But it was evident that Cynthia knew more about the estrangement between Michael and Brian than what had been told to him. At her continued silence, he urged her to go on. "Cyn, if you think that there is something more you can add to my budding friendship with Michael, just tell me already."

"I asked you first," Cynthia said and took a bite of the celery stick that was just placed in front of her.

Ben rolled his eyes and huffed a laugh at his favorite cousin's antics. She had always been an imp, especially when she thought she knew something that he didn't. "Well okay, Michael and Brian had a falling out recently. Apparently it was over that boy Brian has been seeing."

It was Cynthia's turn to roll her eyes. Leave it to Michael Novotny to be vague about a subject that he didn't like. And he definitely did not like Justin Taylor. "Justin is hardly a boy. He wasn't even a boy when he was seventeen. The night he met Brian kinda changed everything between Michael and Brian, although both men fought to acknowledge it. And the day Michael met David, they began really growing apart."

"So you're saying that Brian and Justin are more than just fuckbuddies?"

Cynthia nearly choked on her wine as she hurriedly placed the glass back on the table. "Who told you that's all they were...are? You know what, never mind. Michael apparently is letting his jealousy cloud your opinion from the truth."

"Well then enlighten me then, since you know so much," Ben challenged.

"It's not that I know so much but I do acknowledge what I see in the Justin- Brian- Michael dynamic. At first when Brian and Justin started... dating, for lack of a better term, Michael was everywhere. He was already calling Brian on a regular basis about four times per day beginning when my boss would first come into the office. But after Brian and Justin settled into a bit of a routine of hanging out, it increased to six times- twice before lunch and four times after. It had gotten to the point where I began to wonder if Michael had lost his job since he seemed to have so much damn free time to stalk Brian's phones."

"Come on, it couldn't have been that bad," Ben said, disbelief clear in his voice.

"You're right, it wasn't that bad. It was the worse. Then there were the times when Michael would just show up at the office within three minutes of me telling him that Brian was in a meeting. Sometimes Brian was either just finishing up a meeting or Brian just wanted a break. At those times, Michael would tell Brian that I needed to be fired because either I was lying to him or I wasn't giving him his messages. Of course Brian defended me and told Michael that I was simply following his orders. Unfortunately, a few times that happened, Justin had called the office around the same time that Michael was on his tirade or ‘Let's go out,' bent. Needless to say that Mr. Novotny was none too happy that Justin had access to Brian outside of the Diner, Woody's or Babylon.

"I was so fucking happy and relieved when Michael started seeing David. The calls were less, as were the pop-ups at the office. We were actually able to get back to work without undue interruptions from the territorial man. I remembered asking Brian once if Michael was on vacation or something because he hadn't called or shown up. Not that I wasn't grateful, but I just thought it strange. Well anyway, during that time Brian and Justin began to get closer, even though Brian wouldn't ever admit it and Michael... well he became a bit of a snot to all of their friends. David and Michael were giving a party for some Senator, and all the ‘family,' which is how Brian refers to them, were slighted. It was as if Michael was embarrassed by them but that was only partially correct. Michael excluded Debbie, his mother, because she tends to say whatever she thinks without filter..."

"Sort of like Michael," Ben added, causing Cynthia to laugh aloud.

"Exactly like him! And he excluded Brian primarily because Brian lives his life like a stereotypical gay man- or what is perceived by society as all gay men being- and he does it without excuse, apology or regret. David doesn't like him so therefore Michael wasn't supposed to like him either. The kicker of it all is that between Brian and David, Brian is the one more wealthy and everything else. David is handsome sure, but not able to turn a head- man or woman- gay, straight, indifferent, or undecided, like my boss. I think that is part of the reason why Michael latched on to David as quick as he did."

"What do you mean? I would think attraction would have played a big part in that," Ben said. He couldn't help be be absolutely fascinated by his cousin's account of the issues that Michael only skimmed over when speaking about them.

"It did... or at least that's what I would like to believe. Michael has this boy-next-door charm about him and as a result, when men look at him, they tend to see only the innocent, doe-eyed look. To the world, Michael is sweet and caring and a host of other adjectives. But I also know that there is a mean and spiteful person behind the facade."

"But isn't that the case with all of us humans though?"

"Fine Ben, I will give you that point. But that isn't the issue where Michael is concerned. In fact, Michael's whole problem with Brian right now is that Michael is feeling neglected in favor of the ‘trick that wouldn't go home.' Those are Michael's words regarding Justin, not mine."

Ben nodded. He had heard Michael allude to that same statement on numerous occasions, and even verbatim of what Cynthia had said. He knew that although Cyn knew Michael on the outskirts of Brian's life, she still couldn't have picked up that exact phrasing without hearing it from Michael himself. "I see your point but maybe Michael has one, too?"

"Are you asking me or telling me that he does?" Cynthia asked in return before continuing. "Here is the thing about Brian and Justin that only an outside observer is likely to see, know, or understand. Brian truly does care for the young man probably more than anyone else, except for his son Gus. Is that a crime? NO except when it comes to a certain few people with the last name Novotny. Debbie's main goal has always been to make sure that her ‘baby' is always happy and she doesn't give a fuck how that is accomplished as long as it is. Due to the long history of Brian with the Novotnys, the job always seems to fall to Brian to make it happen. For Michael's part, Brian has always taken care of him so now when Brian's attention is directed elsewhere- where it should be, if I'm being honest here- Michael will feel left behind. Consequently, that manifests itself in many ways. Either he become petulant, or mean and insulting, or he gives the silent treatment until he gets his way... his way meaning that all the focus is on him and his problems. If it doesn't affect Michael directly, it generally doesn't matter to him."

"So are you saying that you wouldn't want me to date him?"

"Ben, I can't tell you what to do. It's your life and you're a grown man. But I will say to make sure that you pay attention to the ‘family' dynamic if you're going to be part of the Novotnys. Call it a crash course in survival 101. Who knows? You two could make a real go of it and succeed where David is obviously failing. But if you do, make sure that you're making an informed decision, and not just thinking with your dick."

Ben laughed and decided to change the subject as they continued with lunch. But he would not deny that his most favorite woman in the world had given him a lot to think about.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

David had waited a few days after arriving in Pittsburgh, hoping to spot Michael without involving everyone else. It was their problem and it should have been possible for it- whatever it was- to stay between them. He had staked out the Diner, watching the comings and goings. It shocked him that although he had seen the rest of the gang, the noticeably absent ones outside of Michael were Brian and Justin. He supposed that it made sense if Justin Taylor was in as bad shape as he had heard it whispered by other patrons on Liberty Avenue. And even though he still blamed Brian for the entire incident surrounding Justin's bashing, it was eye-opening to see that he was taking on the responsibility of Justin's care. Perhaps he wasn't as much of a heartless shit as David had previously thought. But whatever, that wasn't his purpose for being in Pittsburgh.

David still hadn't heard from Michael since their argument on that fateful first morning of what was supposed to be a family vacation. David couldn't believe the petulant pout Michael donned as David pulled into the parking lot. The trip was so that he, Michael and Hank could spend time together, getting to know each other beyond the surface. True, Hank was depressed and at times acted like a know-it-all little shit, but David was trying to change the way both his lover and his son perceived each other. Admittedly, he should not have sprung the trip on Michael the way he did, but considering that the last time, their trip ended abruptly with Michael feeling compelled to be by Brian's side after a car accident, David had actually thought to also rekindle the dying flame that their relationship was fast becoming.

David shook his head. He remembered telling Brian that he wanted Michael and that Brian should let Michael be happy. It was obvious that in his own way, Brian Kinney was trying to do that, but it was Michael that wouldn't let himself be happy. He wondered why that was. And there was only one person that could help him discover a few of the missing pieces while at the same time helping him to add up what he already knew. So taking a much needed deep breath for courage and releasing it, David resolved himself  to getting this particular conversation over with.

As always when he entered the diner, he saw various types of people therein. Part of him envied their carefree ways and the joy for life that each man and woman within the establishment possessed. In his world, there was a certain standard that he had to live up to. He couldn't be too flamboyant or obvious about his sexuality in a professional capacity. It's not only that it wasn't in his nature due to years of suppression but because it meant his livelihood. People always had preconceived notions about the gay community- gay men in particular- and never allowed for them just to be as human as heteros. It was beyond frustrating in many instances. It was one of the reasons why he also envied Brian Kinney so much.

Brian was the type of gay man who refused to hide or apologize for another person's problem with him being attracted to men. He wouldn't judge himself for that particular facet of his character. If David really thought about it or was being honest with himself, he could admit that he respected Brian for making his choices and being able to face the consequences of them head on. That type of attitude was to be admired; it was to be emulated but to date it had gotten on David's last nerve because it was what attracted Michael to Brian Kinney. Okay so granted that over time, David had come to realize that it wasn't Brian who was holding onto Michael but the other way around. And no matter how many steps David had taken to ensure that Michael would have the chance to grow up without the safety net of Brian to fall back on, the shorter brunet would find excuses to do just that. It now put David in the unenviable position of having to seek help.  

Debbie's POV

I was just finishing up with another customer when I heard a throat clear behind me. It wasn't the God-awful sound of someone being sick but it was annoying just the same. There was only one man who I knew did that with such a pompous air about him.

"Hello Debbie," David said to me, with a smile plastered on his face.

I could tell that this was going to be one of those moments where some misconceptions would be cleared up for him. But that wasn't my problem and I decided right then to hear him out. "I would crush you but as you can see my hands are full. How is my favorite doctor?" I turn and walk towards the counter, knowing instinctively that he was following right behind me.

"I'm okay Debbie," he answers me, but I can tell that he isn't finished. I don't have to wait long before he speaks again. "I've come to bring my wayward partner back home."

I made sure to put the dishes on the back counter before turning to him again. "You make Michael sound like a child instead of a grown man."

"Well that's debatable since he is currently acting like a child, playing a cross-country game hide-and-seek with me."

"Michael isn't hiding; he just isn't around right now. Look, David, I'm sure that if you and Michael talk reasonably that you both can come to some sort of understanding and compromise."

"You don't think that I've tried that?"

I took a deep breath, taking issue with the way he is speaking to me. If this is the tone that Michael has had to deal with, then I am getting a better understanding of what the problem between them really is. "I think I know the answer to my next question but I want to hear it from you. Did you ask my son for what you want or did you order him to do what you want? There is a big difference David and I wonder if you know what it is."

"What are you talking about? I treat Michael with the respect befitting a partner, unlike Brian."

So now we're getting to more of the real issue, aren't we? The issue is that once again my son is running behind Brian. And somehow David is willing to put the blame on him to cover for his own inconsiderate behavior, in reference to my Michael's feelings. I inhale and exhale again, hoping that my hackles go down a little before I respond to David. As much as I wanted to have a doctor in the family, I certainly could have done without this pompous stuffed-shirt!

In retrospect, maybe that was what Brian was trying to get me to see in his own way, without coming right out and saying it. He knew that I would have argued with him til the cows came home and we would still have gotten nowhere. I still would have held him completely responsible for the horrible state Michael and David's relationship is currently in. But that's how Brian Kinney is... He'll tell you what you need to know only once, and then leave you to learn the rest for yourself. Fucking asshole!  

"David, perhaps the words coming out of your mouth aren't nearly as important as the tone in which you speak them. Ever heard of the old adage that you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar? The way you just spoke to me was like acid to my sensitive eardrums and I expect an apology."

He looked at me as if I was crazy at first. I folded my arms, returning his look just as boldly and not giving an inch. The problem with a man like David is that they always think that they are right, even when they are dead wrong. I didn't agree with Michael moving to Oregon but I understood why he had to go. I also understood why Brian withheld that he was staying in Pittsburgh from Michael.

Watching the way Brian is with Justin, I can even understand what Vic was trying to tell me earlier in the week. Michael needed to make up his own mind where he wanted to be without any outside influence. It is obvious that Michael has finally made up his mind.

"I apologize Debbie," David said through gritted teeth. "I'm just so frustrated."

I had to soften my stance then, because I honestly do understand. "So you haven't talked to Michael at all?"

"Not  a word. And it isn't like I haven't been trying. I've been calling his cell phone and I know that he has been getting the messages."

"Oh?"

David looked at me, sadness etched in his eyes. "This morning I called and his voicemail was full. When I called again before coming in here to see you, I was able to leave another message. It's obvious that he is emptying his messages or simply just deleting them."

As much as he is pissing me off, I can't help but feel a little sorry for David. He's a good man, even if he is way too controlling. "So what are you going to do?" I ask because I really need to prepare myself for the fallout from all this.

"I'm going to do what I should have done a long time ago..."

"You're letting him go." It was a statement of fact and I couldn't help but be angry at Michael just then.

"I should have taken heed that this wasn't going to work way back when he was taking extra long to move in with me. And then again when he said that he wanted to be boyfriends, but still live with Emmett so that he would still be able to run after Brian at will."

"Let's get this straight, David. Brian is not the cause of this situation; Michael is. And if you take some time to rethink your entire relationship with my idiot son, you will see that to be the truth. It took me awhile to see it myself and if it wasn't for Vic, I might still be blaming Brian for this."

"What did Vic say?"

"He told me that Michael needed to learn to stand on his own two feet as a man, that he has problems that I shouldn't have to fix since he is thirty. Ironically one of the problems I wanted to fix was you."

"And the other?" He looks at me, smirking.

"Was Brian," I admit. "Justin is in really bad shape and Michael isn't helping the situation at all."

"I figured that. The housewarming party was evident of that."

"I heard that you treated him like shit and that your ex-wife was making him look bad."

David protested and then proceeded to tell me what really happened at the party. He told me how Michael was giving his ‘opinion' about Brian and Justin's relationship and misrepresenting the facts. One of the local reporters had printed all of what Michael said, and he took a meeting with that hypocritical gay voice of Pittsburgh. I really couldn't believe what I was hearing. I mean, Michael? My sweet little innocent Michael being that vindictive was... Well David just had to be lying...or so I thought until he placed the newspaper from two days ago in front of me. Two days since the civil depositions for Justin's case began. Two days since Michael told me this elaborate tale of how he was once again the wronged party.

As I read, word-for-word every single glorifying statement regarding Brian and every disparaging and derogatory remark about Justin as well as their relationship, I can honestly see why David needed to shut the little asshole up. If it were up to me, I probably would have hit the little shithead with a goddamn brick since that would have been the most effective way to still his lying tongue. I still can't believe that Michael could be so malicious to Brian and Justin. I mean, sure there has never been any love lost between Sunshine and my son, but I didn't think that Michael could be so fucking cruel. Calling Brian a ‘misguided thirty year old boy trapped in the body of a God' and then once again calling Justin ‘the trick that wouldn't go home' and saying that ‘this was Justin's punishment for not knowing when he'd overstayed his welcome and for constantly chasing Brian- the price of being openly gay in Pittsburgh. Well he was warned that he didn't belong with Brian or on Liberty Avenue.' was just too fucking much for me to continue reading.

I looked up at David's face reading all the emotions on his face- disappointment, disillusionment, betrayal. It's kind of hard not to see that when I am feeling the exact same things. My natural inclination is to protect Michael, to shield him from the wrath that I know is going to come at him from all angles behind this piece of filth. But I can't. Outside of my conversation with Vic a few days ago, I don't know how to defend him this time.

"You know, Howard Bellweather's latest book signing is this afternoon," David said.

"Ted's supposed to go to it," I answer. "It's all he's been talking about for the last week or so."

"I think you might want to tell him not to buy the book. All of the details from this article are in it, including some information about Ted and Emmett's personal lives and their history with the Stud of Liberty Avenue."

I'm still in shock, even as I move over toward the Diner phone to make the call. Even as my eyes meet the liquid pools of light brown eyes from Ted and the widened, stunned eyes of my son.

"No need to make that call after all, Deb. I think Ted knows that the book signing is off limits now," David calls out, never taking his eyes off of Michael.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Vic and Em were going over a few of the final plans they had discussed with George Schickle about his daughter's wedding. Today he was supposed to have the official head count for them. There had been some confusion about the bride's guest list but George had said that he would find out the information needed and get back to them.

Admittedly, the Schickle account made them a little nervous. This was the event that would either make or break HoneyGrass. So far Vic and Emmett had been doing really well. So well in fact, that they had been using Brian's personal assistant, Cynthia, to help set up their appointments. She suggested that after Frankie Schickle's wedding that Vic and Em consider hiring someone full time. Em told her to just let them make it through the biggest event of their lives to date and he and Vic would discuss it.

George arrived at the building a little winded and thankful that he didn't have any stairs to climb. His meeting with his niece had run a bit long and if not for her reminder, he may have forgotten all about the meeting with the caterers for Frankie's wedding. He shook his head to clear his thoughts of the disturbing news Jennifer had imparted to him this morning.

"Good morning, George," Vic said cheerfully, coming out behind the kitchen counter. The interior of HoneyGrass Elegant Creations was set up much like Brian's loft which seemed appropriate for the location they were in. Vic sat that winded man down in front of one of the domed windows with a clear view of the river. "Are you alright? Do you need some coffee?"

George looked at the man, forcing a polite smile. "I'm okay, Vic. I just... yeah, coffee sounds great."

Vic nodded and poured both of them a cup. Joining the middle-aged man in the alcove, Vic took the seat opposite the gentleman, watching as he blew first and then took his first sip of a new concoction Vic had brewed. He was gratified when George's eyes lit up in acknowledgement of bold yet smooth flavor and hurried to take another sip as if he couldn't believe his tastebuds. When George complimented the flavor Vic thanked him then chuckled. "Caramel, Hazelnut and a hint of Vanilla goes a long way in soothing ruffled feathers mid-morning. So if I might be so bold to ask, what exactly ruffled yours?"

George placed the cup down, contemplating how much he could trust the kind-faced man across from him. In the last few weeks, Vic Grassi and his business partner Emmett had shown themselves to be not only professionals, but also a lot of fun to work with. He couldn't help but wonder if he could trust them to keep this particular confidence since he really needed to talk to someone. Virginia was not an option. Since he'd come out to her three years before, she and he rarely spoke unless it involved their children Francesca and Hammond.

It was a wonder that Frankie was still cordial to him, after all the horrendous things her mother had said to her regarding her father. George, Junior- or Hammond as he's called- refused to even acknowledge his existence if he wasn't forced to. But that didn't bother George too much, since he had always been a mama's boy. In fact, it made it easier to basically disown him from the Schickle fortune, since he would have Virginia's when the bitch finally keeled over.

As for Frankie, she wasn't so petty as to think that her father was going to leave his empire to her. In their world, it just wasn't done. But he would leave her controlling interests in his company, only second to whomever he decided to make his heir. The problem was the young man he wanted to leave his fortune to had a host of his own problems, according to his mother.

George cleared his throat. "I had a meeting with my niece this morning. I hadn't seen her, or my great-niece and nephew in a long time. For me, family is everything even though my own is pretty estranged. Anyway, I just found out that the boy is in recovery right now."

Vic nodded his head. He could only imagine what George was feeling in reference to his family. If it wasn't for Deb and the others, Vic would have had to face his illness alone. But thanks to their love and support and Brian taking on most of the bills for his medication and medical care, he was doing a lot better than what he initially expected. So when Vic asked the question, "What from? Drugs?" he got the last answer he expected to receive.

"No. Some closet case bashed my nephew in his head. Jennifer told me the entire story and her fucked-up husband chose to stand by a bunch of ignorant men that I had once considered my friends, instead of Justin."

"Wait....Justin Taylor is your grand-nephew?"

George nodded. "Yes. And according to Jenn, he's not up to seeing anyone. I just want to hold him. Although I love all of my nieces and nephews, Justin is my favorite. Even as a kid, he was always asking questions and drawing; just a remarkable young man. I fucking can't believe that idiot Craig can't see what an amazing son he has!"

Vic reached out to him, feeling every centimeter of the pain George Schickle was feeling in that moment. Vic couldn't understand it either. Although he never had children of his own, if he did, Justin would have been the kind of son he wanted. "You know...Justin is a lucky guy. He has people who love him much more and better than Craig ever could. I'm one of them."

George looked at him, puzzlement etched on his face. So Vic decided to share some confidences of his own. He told George the story of how and why he'd met the determined little blond. Vic regaled him of all Justin's exploits leading up to the bashing. When Emmett came into the area from the office, he also joined in the retelling of the Justin Taylor Saga, causing George to laugh and cry by turns. They both could tell that this was a side of Justin that George never would have suspected.

"Baby is one of the most loving, patient and resilient human beings I know. He would have to be in order to survive Brian Kinney," Emmett said, laughing with tears in his eyes. "He'll bounce back from all of this. I just know it."

"What makes you so sure, Emmett? I mean, I don't know all of what he's going through right now. But from what Jennifer tells me about his injuries and subsequent issues, it's not going to be an easy process. Frankie was looking forward to him being at her wedding. They always used to play pranks together during family functions even though Virginia was always a sour bitch and couldn't see the humor. She would always try to scold Jennifer about the way she was raising Justin, and warned her that if she didn't keep a tight leash on him he would run all over her when he was a man. Jennifer wouldn't have any of it, but unfortunately Craig constantly listened to Virginia's venom."

"Well, now we see what that has gotten him, don't we?" Emmett said sagely. "Not only has he lost his store and access to the kids' fortunes as well as Jennifer's, he will actually have to pay all of what he stole back. Karma is a bitch, and it has come for Craig Taylor. I'm sure Virginia is next in line."

George smiled at that. He really did like Emmett. The man was as carefree and as unapologetic about who he is as Brian Kinney, which is why George chose to do business with both of them. "Karma is coming for Virginia sooner than she expects. But first I really want to see Justin. I miss him and I just want him to know that he is loved."

Both men nodded, but it was Vic who spoke. "You have to ask Brian about it. Deb and I were there a few mornings ago and Justin wasn't in such a good place emotionally. I still don't know how Brian is managing. But I have to say, if anyone can get through to Justin, Brian can. Emmett and I have a little pull but Brian is the miracle worker, even if he never admits it."

"You make him sound like the second coming of Christ," George said, jokingly.

But Emmett answered seriously. "The only man who is capable of walking on water for Justin right now is Brian. His trust in people and most importantly, his own judgement has been all but demolished with that bat. We're all doing our parts to reassure him. Well those of us he'll let near him are..." he paused briefly, thinking of Michael and Lindsay. Snapping out of his hateful memories of their idiocy, Emmett continued. "Talk to Brian. He's the only one Justin trusts completely."

"I'll do that. It's that important to me. Now about Frankie's wedding..." For the next hour, George went over the guest lists with the two men. And although it was a long shot, he had Brian and Justin's names put on the VIP list.    

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Jennifer, I'm surprised to see you here."

The startled woman looked up from her place on the bench, just to the left of the main entrance for Allegheny Court House. "Good afternoon, Lindsay. I'm meeting Melanie here. She should be out momentarily." Jen pasted a smile on her face for appearances sake when in reality, she wanted nothing more than to get up and walk away. "How's Gus?"

"Just perfect," Lindsay gushed. "He gets more and more amazing everyday. Speaking of sons, how's Justin?"

"Justin is doing okay."

"That's good news. So that means that he'll be returning home soon."

The frown formed in Jennifer's eye, but she quickly recovered herself. If there was one thing that Lindsay Peterson would NEVER be able to do, it's out-Wasp her. Transforming her features to deliver a Sunshine smile of her own, Jennifer said, "Lindsay dear, in case you haven't noticed, Justin IS at home. He and Brian have been making tremendous strides both with Justin's recovery, and their relationship. You should really see them together. Brian keeps Justin centered in a way that no one else can. But Brian does have that comforting way about him, doesn't he? I'm really glad that I've gotten to know him, even if I'm not happy for the reason."

"Well that's good, Jennifer. But don't you think that the child- Justin, I mean- belongs with you? Brian has his own child to tend to, and quite frankly I think that it's a bit neglectful of you to leave the care and well-being of YOUR son to a man who has no blood ties to him."

Jennifer smiled evilly at the younger woman before her. She would not let Lindsay Peterson, of all people, think that she could place demands on her in terms of her decisions regarding Justin. Part of the current issues with Craig is that Jennifer had finally stood up for her child, even if it was a little too late. The point was that she would never let someone disrespect, or discount him again. And it started with this...woman.

"Let me tell you a little something about motherhood, Lindsay. Since I've been one twice over and a lot longer than you, you may want to heed my advice. Unlike your own mother, I stayed home and took care of my children myself. Perhaps Nancy and Ron's neglect in your upbringing has caused you to think that Mel and Brian must take care of you, since you've managed to do what mostly every other woman on the planet has been able to do, except those less fortunate. You had a baby. Get over it, sweetheart. You aren't special or one-of-a-kind. Now as far as loving a child... apparently, you have never been selfless enough to want to do what's BEST for your child, as opposed to doing what you want to do. Simply put, I love Justin enough to let him be with the man he loves when he needs him, and to let the man WHO LOVES HIM take care of him."

Lindsay's face had tightened with every single word of Jennifer's speech. "Brian doesn't love Justin. To believe so is just to delude yourself, and cause more harm to Justin." Instead of the desired effect, Lindsay frowned when she heard the older woman laugh.

"Lindsay...Dear...if anyone is living in delusions, you should take a look in the mirror. Brian may not say the words- his reasons are his own for not doing so- but I do know that he loves my son. Brian's actions have said so much during these past weeks. What amazed me is that most everyone can see it, except you and a certain few. You spout words and empty promises to your own partner everyday."

"What the hell are you talking about, Jennifer?"

Jen chuckled again. "Careful, Lindsay. Your WASP mask is slipping, and I know that Nancy taught you better than that. But then she wasn't around much when you were growing up, was she? Always traveling with Ron; making sure that he wasn't taking his mistress somewhere where she would never be allowed to go otherwise. Too bad that she took Lynette for company since she was older, and you were still in school. Perhaps the travel would have given her the opportunity to set a good example for you of how to be a mother. Well, if she was so inclined.  

"Now, as I was saying, you tell Mel and Gus everyday that you love them and yet, instead of spending your time with them, you are spending more and more of your time trying to separate Brian and Justin. Your actions are very telling, and perhaps it's time you clean up your act before you lose your cash cow. And don't give me that look about terming Melanie a cash cow, since that is the way you treat her. You are also acting as if Brian is some prized bull. But here's another warning you might pay especial careful attention to: push him too far and be prepared to get the horns, Darling."

Lindsay jumped up from her seat. "I don't know what, or who has been feeding you such garbage, though I suspect your precious son and his bitchy best friend have said their piece! But Justin should be with you! He's YOUR child and your responsibility! Brian can't take care of Gus properly while that child of yours demands that he take up your slack."

"Don't you mean that Brian can't take care of you?" Jennifer asked seemingly innocent, but she knew that her verbal dagger had hit its mark.

Lindsay's eyes narrowed at Jennifer Taylor, her nostrils quivering as she took several calming breaths to slow her heart rate down. She was determined that by the time this conversation was over, Jennifer would take her son home with her where he belonged, and free Brian up to take care of his own. But before she could deliver the scathing retort dangling on her lips, a new voice entered the fray.

"Lindsay, that is enough. What is going on with Brian and Justin is not your business. And anything regarding this case isn't your business either, so I'm not quite sure why you are standing here instead of being at home with Gus. Isn't that why I'm working all of these extra hours? Not that I mind working Justin's case at all mind you. I would willingly do that, but I certainly could have done without many of the others. But no, you wanted to stay home with Gus for the first couple of years. So why aren't you there or why isn't he with you?" Melanie asked scathingly. "In fact, just where is our son?"

All of a sudden, it didn't seem like such a good idea to confront Jennifer Taylor in a public venue, especially not with the irate look etched across Melanie's face. Lindsay stuttered out her answer. "Gus is spending the afternoon with Dusty and Marie. I thought that you and I could have lunch."

"Well as you can plainly see, Lindz, I already have a lunch date. So I guess I'll see you at home. Are you ready, Jennifer?"

Jennifer rose from her seat as graceful as ever. With her head held high and her back ramrod straight in her Donna Karan pantsuit, Lindsay would have called the woman's appearance Regal. It was then she really understood the world where Justin came from. There were tiers within the WASP nest, and although the Petersons were high up the ladder, it was obvious that Jennifer Taylor had married down when she aligned herself with Craig. Knowing that, Lindsay knew Justin was cut from the same cloth as his mother.

Perhaps she was going about separating Brian and Justin the wrong way. She would have to think on it. Shaking herself out of her reverie, Lindsay refocused on Melanie. "Any idea what you want for dinner?"

Melanie shook her head. "I'll probably pick something up while I'm at the office. I have to work late to prepare another brief for tomorrow."

"Can't you do that at home?"

"No. I need the law library in the office. If I could afford it, I would get a set for the house. But they're really expensive, and it's all I can do to keep on top of things because you wanted to stay home with Gus....which at the present time, you aren't. Explain that to me again?"

Lindsay shifted from foot-to-foot, deciding that it was time to end the contretemps. "Jennifer, it was good to see you again. Mel, I'll see you at home whenever you see fit to get there."

"Always a pleasure, Lindsay," Jennifer answered, chuckling as she watched the tall blonde beat a hasty retreat down the courthouse steps. Turning to her companion, she asked, "Is she always like that?"  

"No. Just since Brian has been spending time out of her orbit. Lindz is the type of WASP that must have what she deems as order. In the world according to Lindsay, if anyone or anything within her realm steps out of her control, she can't function. To restore order, she must put everyone and everything in their proper places, and in the process make our lives so hellish that we never step outside of Lindsay's boundaries again."

"Sounds like my marriage to Craig."

"It's close, but hopefully Lindsay will straighten up soon."

Jennifer latched onto Mel's arm then. "Let's go get some lunch and talk about who else's ass we have to kick."

Mel laughed. "That sounds so funny coming from you."

"Why? Have you heard Justin's mouth? Now the words that come out of his mouth even make me blush. He gets that from his grandmother."

"Why do I think he may have picked up a little of his gumption from you too?"

Jennifer smiled wide at the brunette. "Let's hope he does."

They waved at Ted standing at the end of a long line, heading directly into the bookstore. Melanie knew that Ted wanted to get Howard Bellweather's latest book, although she would never really understand what her friend saw in the pretentious author. Little did she know or understand that she would soon find out exactly why Ted was rocking from foot-to-foot, waiting for his chance to see the author.

SIDEBAR CHAPTER TWO: NEW FRIENDS AND OLD FOES

Three days after the soon-to-be former DA Clarence Peters testimony, Melanie walked into the conference room serving as the Depositions chamber. She was literally exhausted. Between compiling copies of the evidence which was express mailed to the District Attorney's Office, dealing with Gus teething and Lindsay's ever-present seething, Melanie felt that in that moment she couldn't take one more gripe, snipe or comment without losing her shit. Placing her briefcase down on the long wooden table, she sat down in one of the padded chairs to review her notes while nursing her third cup of coffee since arising this morning.

She was well into reviewing the written accounts from Detective Horvath, who had testified just after Melanie had finished with Peters, and the formal written account that she would have to address today with Daphne Chanders when she was interrupted by a gentle throat clearing and the subtle hint of a scent that she never thought to smell again within close proximity. Melanie raised her head to see the very first woman whom she had ever had sex with...an old friend and a bitter foe.

"Sorry if I'm interrupting,"  Shavonne Fuller said.

The husky purr of her voice still reminded Melanie of late nights studying, grilled cheese sandwiches made by their iron and shots of bourbon- good times before it all turned south. "What are you doing here, Shavonne? I would have thought that you would be buried tits deep in paperwork."

"Not exactly, but close," Shavonne laughed. "As to why I'm here, you could say that this case has caught the attention of some very influential people in D.C."

"Really? Other than Senator Baxter I would think this kind of Civil case would have flown under the radar since gay rights are still being denied."

Shavonne nodded. "It's true that our kind are still seeing a hard time throughout this country. But rest assured Melanie, I am not here to rain on your parade regarding winning this case. If anything, I want to see justice done for Justin Taylor. However, I still have to be privy to any and all evidence presented."

"What sparked this particular interests?" Melanie was genuinely curious why all of a sudden the Attorney General's Office was sending one of their vaunted Civil Rights attorneys out into the field. These people no longer argued cases. Instead they wrote policies to be presented to the Supreme Court for review. So why was Shavonne really here?

"Okay look... I'll level with you, but it stays between us, meaning that you can't disclose any of this during your arguments or interrogations of the witnesses in this case."

"You have my word."

"Do I?" Shavonne asked quickly, remembering another time that Melanie had uttered the same sentence, and things had not gone quite as planned.

Melanie knew where Shavonne's mind had gone in those brief seconds after the question had been asked. Years ago, after a particularly difficult final, Shavonne and Melanie decided to live it up. Getting dressed in their most provocative outfits, they hit the town, going into every bar they could find- gay or straight- taking shots. The last bar they had entered was the reason why they were now estranged. Shavonne was a granddaughter of one of the first black billionaires from Georgia, the Fullers. As such, Shavonne had to keep her sexuality a secret in order to marry and combine the fortunes of the neighboring Prince family. Melanie knew this and would have kept it a secret if they weren't so fucking drunk. They entered the bar, danced and took in more liquor than either of them could handle. They ended up making out on the crowded dance floor only to literally bump into Shavonne's fiance, Gregory Prince. When asked what they were doing there, instead of keeping quiet Melanie answered ‘Dancing now and fucking later.' Her answer had caused all types of problems for Shavonne, including being married immediately to a man she hated. Although Melanie had tried to apologize when she realized the consequences of her loose tongue, it was all to no avail. The damage to their relationship- their friendship- was done and they hadn't spoken until this moment regardless of keeping up with each other's careers.  

Melanie cleared her throat and answered Shavonne. "Regardless of what you think or feel about me, I would never betray Justin. If this affects the outcomes of any civil suit he's involved in, I will do what I have to do until it's time for the evidence to speak for itself."

The vehemence in Melanie's voice gave Shavonne pause. "He must be a special young man to incur such loyalty from you."

"You did too, Shavonne. You just didn't accept it. Instead you preferred to inherit your riches and ditch me; then wouldn't accept my apology for outing you. I never meant to you know? Anyway, we are well passed that aren't we?"

"Yeah we are. So let's get down to what you need to know regarding my arrival. Thanks to the evidence you sent regarding the gross misconduct of Clarence Peters during the Hobbs trial. I have not only been sent to gather the evidence from start to finish but to try him myself, as well as Chief Stockwell, and Judge Russo. I was asked to take this case specifically because our kind keeps getting the shaft- and not in a good way- when it comes to getting justice. Another teenager was bashed in a backwater hick town in Mississippi just last week and like it or not, we all are still feeling the affects of the Matthew Shepard case in our own ways. If there is a way to prevent this from escalating where the only justice to be had will become ‘Street Justice' then I think it behooves us all now to make this the priority."

"You keep saying ‘our kind,' Shavonne. What exactly are you saying?" Melanie couldn't help but ask the question. As far as she knew, Shavonne's skeletons were buried so deep in the closet that it might as well have been named a graveyard. Some of what she was thinking must have shown on her face because Shavonne began laughing.

"Yeah...OUR kind. Gregory and I are divorced."

"Sorry," Mel said as a courtesy although she was anything but. She had been ditched for the man and that was something that she couldn't quite get over. "So you went back to sucking snatch and got busted? Is that it?"

Shavonne shook her head in the negative. "Believe it or not, I wasn't ‘sucking' anything; Gregory was."

"You caught him with another woman?"

"You could say that, but it would be wrong. He was dating a drag queen name Laverne. In the end I kind of felt bad for both of them but then Greg messed with my money so the feeling didn't last very long. Lawrence- otherwise known as Laverne- was in the dark about the whole arrangement until..."

"The night that I blurted out everything," Melanie dropped her eyes.

Shavonne chuckled. "Yeah until you pretty much told Greg that I was a carpet muncher. But what I didn't know was that Lawrence was there, standing behind him. So imagine my surprise when my private investigator's report came back telling me that Gregory was sexually involved with Lawrence, especially since his throat nearly exploded while yelling at me for fucking with you. I had all the pictures, including the ones where Gregory told me that he was going to Europe on business but he was really in San Francisco where Ms. Laverne and about 15 other Queens were competing in the Pride Drag Pageant. Although the winning model would get a contract to work as one of RuPaul's backup entourage members, most of the proceeds would go to hospice care and AIDS research. The other portion would be used locally to fund several educational programs for gay teens so that they would have a safe haven to call their own."

"Well that's a noble cause, but why the secrecy and anger if he was basically doing the same thing that you and I were doing?"

"Gregory is a bigot in his own right. It wasn't that we were fucking that was the problem so much as that you were a white Jew. Had you been a Black Jew like Sammy Davis Jr. he wouldn't have had a problem with it."

Melanie was literally stunned silent for more than a few moments. Of all the reasons Gregory could have picked to be angry, that was the one? She was fucking his woman and WELL, getting Shavonne off at least six times a night while she had admittedly faked orgasms to get him the hell off of her, but he chose the color of her skin to take issue with? If anything, Mel would have thought the insult to his dick would have been sufficient reason to hate her fucking guts, but not because of something as trivial as skin tone. "Well unless my name is Michael Jackson, that was something I just couldn't change to suit the fucker. And even Michael didn't do it on purpose- at least I don't believe so, but that is another discussion for a later time. So when did you guys divorce?"

"After we both inherited about three years ago. His grandparents died first. His grandmother had been admitted to the hospital with a weak heart. While they were prepping her to run tests, she slipped away. They couldn't perform CPR because of the Do Not Resuscitate order on her chart. Upon hearing the news, his grandfather had gone over to stand with his wife. I think he just knew and refused to live this life without her. He kissed her a final time, laid his head on her chest over her heart and quietly followed her into death."

"Oh my God, that's terrible!"

"Not really. They had been married 55 years. They were married longer than they had been single people. I can understand why they would have wanted to be together even in the afterlife."

Melanie nodded. "So what happened to get you your inheritance?"

"Greg gave me a nasty but uncontested divorce in exchange for my continued silence in reference to his ‘real' relationship with Lawrence/Laverne. He is still firmly entrenched in the closet while I am enjoying the life that I was meant to lead. My family and I still speak although few and far between. At least the questions of when I'm getting remarried and having some babies have officially stopped. I think I've scared them sufficiently that they no longer want me to reproduce."

"So basically a career dyke?"

Shavonne nodded in the affirmative. "Yep. And proud to be one."

Melanie sighed a long-suffering sound that was not lost on Shavonne. "Involved for nine years and a second mom. Sometimes I miss being completely unencumbered to further my career as fast as I can, but Gus kinda changed a lot of that."

"Not your partner?"

"Lindsay too," Melanie corrected. She didn't want Shavonne getting the wrong idea about her relationship with Lindsay but sometimes... "Lindsay is in a weird place emotionally right now. You know how that can be."

"Yeah I do. I would imagine this case is taking up a lot of your time."

"That's only a small part of it..." Melanie began but didn't get a chance to explain further since Daphne and Charles had come into the conference room.

"I'm not late, am I? It's been such a fucked up morning that I thought I wouldn't get here on time," Daphne griped.

Melanie laughed. She really couldn't help but like Daphne Chanders. Her no bullshit approach to life reminded her a lot of Brian, but her willingness to fight for whatever cause she believed in showed why she and Justin were so close. "That's alright Daphne. It sounds like we had very similar mornings."

"Was it the silent treatment this time? Or the ‘you don't understand' speeches? I know she's your partner but if..."

Melanie placed a stern hand on the young woman's shoulder, effectively cutting off the tirade she knew was coming. She knew that she wasn't the only one to get an earful from Lindsay as the blonde had been picking her time wisely to corner Daphne and anyone else who didn't agree with Lindsay's way of thinking at the moment. "Daphne, I'd like to introduce you to the new Interim DA, Shavonne Fuller, this is Justin's best friend since preschool. She'll be giving testimony today that you will definitely want to pay close attention to since she was there for just about every single incident between my client and Chris Hobbs, which also extended to certain members of the faculty at St. James Academy.'

"It's a pleasure to meet you Daphne. Anything that you would be able to add to this case will definitely be a big help," Shavonne said, gripping her hand and shaking it.

"Are you going to be asking me questions too?"

"If you don't mind," Shavonne confirmed. "I should tell you first and foremost that the main reason I'm here is to build the cases against the higher ups involved, whereas Melanie is taking a more personal approach. My portion of getting justice for Justin will mostly be on the federal level."

"Then it's fine if you have some questions of your own for me. While I am best friends with Justin, I still have the unique perspective of being on the outside looking in. The way the entire case was handled was fucked in the extreme. Just promise me that whatever happens you will nail the bastards without lube."

Melanie laughed. "Daphne you've been spending entirely too much time with Brian, I see."

Daphne dropped her eyes then, shielding the tears that were threatening to fall. "Not enough," she said.

"What's happened? I was over there this morning and everything was fine...well as fine as it could possibly for Justin and Brian at this time. What changed?"

"It isn't so much about what changed since this morning as much as it is what changed over the last few weeks. Ever since Michael and Lindsay pulled that stunt at the loft, Brian is even more guarded and protective. You would think that he would know by now that I'm not anything like them."

"I know he knows that, Daph honey. I think it's more about how he's handling the constant stream of visitors to the loft. I've known Brian a lot longer than both you and Justin and although there used to be a revolving door of tricks at the loft, they never stayed longer than the time it took for him to get off once or twice. With Justin being there, there's a lot more people in and out and we all know how Brian likes to control things. It doesn't help that Justin still won't go outside and resume his normal life. I think that's probably the biggest glaring obstacle Brian has to face right now." Melanie really felt bad for Brian, which always managed to shock her.

"You're right. I was just in my own feelings about having limited access to Justin. I'm sorry."

"No need to be, sweetheart. We're all trying to hang in there until Justin can make it through this. But we can't forget how Brian is holding up. With everything else going on in his life at the moment..."

"What else is going on?" At Melanie's closed countenance, Daphne pushed a little. "Come on, Mel. I think you've gotten to know me pretty well over these last few weeks. I won't say anything to worry or betray Brian or Justin."

"Ryder sold the company to Gardner Vance," Melanie rushed through the statement, having made the decision to level with the young woman.

"That rat fucking bastard," Daph exploded. She knew all about Ryder trying to railroad Brian into giving Justin up. The idiot had threatened Brian that if he didn't talk his ‘boyfriend' out of suing Dixon, that he would be out of a job which Brian promptly dismissed out of hand. "So because Brian didn't do what he wanted, he sold the company out from under him? What is Brian going to do?"

"I don't know but we're working on it. There has to be something. I have Charles checking into some things as well as backing me up on this case, which we should really get started."

Daphne nodded, understanding so many of Brian's actions since the Dumb Patrol had invaded the loft. Brian not only wanted Justin to resume his normal daily functions, he needed him to. She was familiar with Gardner Vance and his prejudices. Having grown up in the country club set, Daphne and Justin were privy to all the gossip about businessmen both local and abroad. Although they often looked like they weren't paying attention, she and Justin had amassed quite a different perspective about the world according to WASP. Gardner was going to really force Brian's hand regarding Justin while Ryder escaped any liability for terminating Brian. With her and all the others constantly visiting Justin at the loft, he had no reason to ever leave it. Brian's motives became so clear with that small tidbit of information. She would help him- both of them- but first she needed a solid plan to do so.

Once she settled herself into the chair opposite Melanie, Charles and Shavonne, the proceedings began.

"Daphne, you said in your written account that you were present for most all the confrontations between Chris Hobbs and Justin Taylor. Can you explain the last one leading up to the prom?" Melanie asked her.

"In order to do that Ms. Marcus, I would have to fill you in on what our senior year at St. James Academy was like in general so that you can get a whole picture and not just a snapshot of the last straw. Am I allowed to do that?"

"Sure as long as the focus is on Chris and Justin."

Daphne took a sip of her latte, thinking of the specific events she would point out. Finding the perfect place to begin, she cleared her throat delicately and began to speak. "The day after Justin Taylor met Brian Kinney, Justin and I decided to take a walk across the football field after school. It was a walk he and I took quite often since I wanted to watch the football players and Justin wanted to sketch them. On this particular day, Justin and I were talking about how he had met ‘The Face of God' Brian Kinney..."

"Wait he actually said that?" Melanie couldn't help but snicker.

Daphne blushed and snickered as well. "Well you know us teenagers Ms. Marcus- all angst and misusing famous quotes to suit our own prose and purpose. I thought Justin was exaggerating until I met Brian myself but that's a different story. Anyway, that was how Justin described him. We talked about his first sexual experience- or more accurately Justin gloated about it, since I was still a virgin at the time. The thing that struck me most was that Brian took care of him even then. I've heard horror stories from other girls and knew that most guys wouldn't have. I remember asking Justin if Brian was his boyfriend and he was unsure saying that he didn't know, he guessed so and then dismissing the notion saying that it was only one time. I asked him if he loved Brian and got pretty much the same responses. When I asked Justin if Brian loved him, he said that Brian said he did."

Melanie gulped. "He did?"

Daphne nodded. "Yeah. I kinda understand why Justin would have placed an emphasis on that turn of phrase even in the throes of passion. You see, up until that point, Justin was unsure of his place in the world. Sure he knew that he was gay and although he hadn't told me up until that point, somewhere in within myself I knew it too. You can't be around someone almost everyday since you are four years old and not know when they are not attracted to the opposite sex. Justin knew that coming out would open up a can of worms both at home and at school. So he kept himself in the closet until that morning. Sure there was always speculation and innuendo but with Brian driving Justin to school that morning, the word ‘Faggot' in huge pink letters on his jeep, that kinda outed Justin."

"So where does Hobbs fit into all of this?"

"We were sitting on the low wall as we always did during practice. Everyone else always sat on the bleachers and since we were two misfits, we tended to steer clear of the ‘cool' kids. Although my attention was on Justin for most of the question and answer period of our conversation, out of the corner of my eye I could see Chris and a few others standing in a huddle talking while looking directly at Justin and me. I don't know what was said but I could see Chris eyes change from masked longing briefly to anger and then to mischief. Next thing I know, Justin was sitting there with an arm full of football even though he dared not drop his sketch pad."

"So you think it was done deliberately?" Shavonne asked, fascinated by this young woman's tale. She had never seen a young lady testifying with such poise and grace as Daphne Chanders was doing. Although she was definitely on Justin's side about this, she was also delivering the facts objectively.

"Oh I know it was. You see, that is not the first time over the years that I had seen Chris watching Justin from a distance. Most of the time, it was done when no one else was looking or so he thought. He would tease Justin on occasion but it was always good natured and borderline friendly. But that took a decided turn once he learned how Justin had arrived at school that morning."

"Did anyone else notice how Justin arrived?"

"The entire student body that was still outside and key members of the faculty were entering the building behind me as well. I know for a fact that the former Headmaster Dr. Perkins had noticed. His comment of ‘Goddamn reckless ass kids' was heard by quite a few of us standing on the top step. One kid even had the audacity to tell him that he shouldn't take God's name in vain since it WAS an Episcopalian school after all. Dixon sneered ‘Taylor' as the jeep came to a stop and Justin scrunched down in the seat for a few brief moments before alighting from the vehicle and moving close to Brian. When Brian reached out to fix Justin's collar, Dixon said ‘Another faggot...I knew it," and moved off into the building with Dr. Perkins in tow. The rest of us that remained on the steps stood there in confusion and intrigue until Justin came up the steps. I handed him his uniform and asked him who that was and that was when he uttered that infamous line while watching Brian tear down the street, terrorizing the other high school kids. Chris wasn't out there then, having arrived late to homeroom but by football practice, the entire school had heard about Justin's arrival at school."

"So you're saying that Dr. Perkins and Mr. Dixon had stated some derogatory remarks in Justin's direction?"

"Dr. Perkins' initial comment was mostly generalized while Mr. Dick....Dixon's was a direct declaration of bigotry. If Dixon was going to be reprimanded at all by Perkins, that would have been the first opportunity to do so."

Melanie picked up her line of questioning again. "How much do you know about the scene in the equipment room?"

"Not much outside of what Justin told me. But I do know that it meant nothing to Justin. Making Chris cum in his hand was an experiment. Justin watches a lot of porn- more than any man, gay or straight. The afternoon before it happened, Justin and I were flipping through the channels and stopped at an afternoon movie on Playboy. We were in his room and it had kinda caught us both off guard. The cable boxes were supposed to be locked that time of day."

"Locked?"

"Yeah," Daphne confirmed and then explained. "With our cable company, there is  one box that controls all access to all adult channels. At that time of day, Justin's mom was out with Molly and his father was supposed to be at work which means that all the premium channels should have only been able to be accessed with a code. We found out the reason it wasn't later which is part of the reason Justin's parents are divorced. Anyway, we sat and watched that cheesy movie, laughing at the horrible dialogue while paying close attention to the techniques of the sex. It was all very clinical."

"I'll bet," Shavonne snickered, earning answering chuckles from all the occupants of the conference room.

Regaining her composure, Melanie continued. "So Justin wanted to try out a new technique you said. On who?"

"That wasn't decided until Hobbs landed himself in detention. By that time, Brian and Justin were fu...having sex regularly, and although Brian was teaching Justin, he wanted to be able to surprise the older man too. Justin had decided that Hobbs would make an excellent guinea pig, but he was supposedly straight."

"What do you mean by ‘supposedly?'"

"I mean up until Justin's ‘outing,' Chris used to look at Justin as if he was a dessert being denied- all longing looks and licked lips. It was both disgusting and intriguing for me to watch. Yes Justin is HOT but he is also way out of Chris' league. Besides Chris had a girlfriend who was hand-picked by his parents for her looks and money. Even if Chris wanted to be who I think he is- which is gay- he couldn't be. His parents would cut him off."

"So you're saying that Justin came on to Chris?"

"I'm not saying that at all but if it was the case and Chris was 100% straight, he could have stopped Justin, and my best friend would have stopped. Justin doesn't have to resort to rape for any reason. As I said, he's hot and he has the hottest Stud in his bed. Why would he blow all that for some know-nothing kid and especially one who is sexually confused?"

Melanie questioned Daphne about several more instances of bullying including the scene in their AP Calculus class where Justin stopped Hobbs from harassing another student- one who called her two days ago and said that he would like to testify on Justin's behalf. Now that he is eighteen and doesn't need his parents permission anymore, he feels that he owes it to Justin for standing up to Hobbs. His parents had forbidden him to testify at the trial, not wanting to upset the Hobbs family and several of their supporters but he couldn't keep silent in good conscience anymore. Melanie had a feeling that between Daphne's testimony and the forthcoming one from Bryce Whittingham, justice for Justin was closer than anyone- even herself- thought.     

SIDEBAR CHAPTER THREE- THE PINCH HITTER

After lunch with Jennifer to gather a little WASP intel on her next witness, Melanie returned to the court’s conference room where the depositional proceedings were being held. She walked in to find Charles and Shavonne with their heads bent, going over the testimony from Daphne earlier that morning.

“She certainly didn’t hold back, did she?” Shavonne said.

“No she didn’t,” Charles answered. “But then, holding back isn’t Daphne Chander’s style at all. She reminds me of her mom.”

“Wait, you know her mom? How?” Melanie interrupted, a bit surprised at this turn of events.

“She was my doctor a while back. Talk about a no-holds-barred kind of lady! She was the one who outright ordered me to take some time off because of the Mixed Migraine Headache Disorder, even threatened to call you and Donaldson if I didn’t. I have to admit that she was right. If I didn’t, I could have had a stroke. Her daughter is exactly like her and I hear her father is a lot like them too.”

“I wish she would have called me. It would have given me great pleasure to kick your overworked ass out of the office, but then where would I be without all your dedication right now?”

“Up shit’s creek and stuck working at home with Lindsay?”

“Ha-ha very funny.”

“But also very true.”

“This is the second time I’m hearing about your wife having a problem with your job Mel. What’s her deal?” Shavonne asked, genuinely curious. The ‘Marcus’ was always a shrewd, driven woman, even back in law school. There is no way that someone she’d been involved with for nine years couldn’t know that.

“It’s not so much that she has a problem with my career per se…” Mel began, only to have Charles cut her off.

“It’s that Melanie is working this case. You tend to forget Mel, that I was born and raised WASP too, although like Daphne, we’re known as the Hornet’s nest- a prominent family of mixed race which flows in and out among the WASP at will.”

“So what about this case has her so troubled?” Shavonne asked again.

“If this were anyone else except the lover of her baby daddy, Lindsay would be the first one to protest the injustice of it all. But because not only is Mel working the case but it involves the key to her heteronormative fantasy, the Queen Bee is not a happy woman right now.”

“Enough Charles,” Melanie warned, even though on some deep subconscious level, he was stating all of her own thoughts regarding Lindsay’s behavior.

“Why? What about what I just said is an untruth or misconception of Lindsay’s core issues? I’ve also known the Petersons a long time, and a more selfish, egotistical-for-no-good-reason lot I’ve never met. Well, that’s all I'll say about that, since you already know that I think you should ditch the bitch.”

“I can’t, plus we have a child.”

“And who pushed for that child? And I’m not talking literally either. Between you and Brian, Ms. Lindsay has it made. Although I think he’s starting to finally wake up. The question is, will you?”

Melanie was relieved when a new person entered the room just then. “Excuse me, I hope I’m in the right place.”

“Which room are you looking for?” the bailiff nearest the door asked.

“I’m… I’m Bryce Whittingham. I’m he-hear to testify on behalf of Justin Taylor. If you could just direct me to where I’m supposed to go, I’ll gladly get there so that I don’t hold up anyone.”

“It’s okay Kenneth, he’s here to see us,” Melanie advised as she walked toward the curly-haired young man. Extending her hand, she introduced him to her colleagues before thanking him, first for calling her, and secondly, for agreeing to come in. “I was surprised to receive your call about this case. You do understand the sensitive nature of the questions you’ll be asked, don’t you?”

“Yes Ms. Marcus,” Bryce answered. “Whatever I can do to help Justin will be worth it. He didn’t deserve any of this, regardless of what people think. And with the way Chris is, honestly, it could’ve been any of us.”

“Us? What do you mean? You know what...let’s get you sworn in and then you can explain, is that okay?”

“I’d be happy to, Ms. Marcus. Chris should pay like anyone else but…”

They took the time to get the nervous young man settled, offering him a beverage to calm his already-frayed nerves which he readily accepted. Smiling gratefully at Melanie and company as he was being sworn in, they were ready to begin proceedings.

“Would you state your full name and address for the record please?” Charles asked.

“Bryce William Whittingham, 77 Sycamore Lane, Sewickley PA.”

“Thank you Bryce. I may call you by your first name, correct?” Melanie asked.

“Sure. In fact I prefer it, especially at the moment.”

“Why at the moment?”

“My father stated that if I chose to do this, then I could consider myself an orphan.”

Melanie dropped her eyes and gritted her teeth for a moment. The nerve of these fucking people to just disown their children like this out of some misguided notion of power. “Yet you’re here to testify on Justin’s behalf. Why?”

“I have a very concrete sense of right and wrong. What happened to Justin Taylor and all subsequent events are an injustice and a blight on humanity as a whole. I may not like that Justin is gay, but he has a right to live his life as he sees fit. Since no one sat me down and told me that I must like women but I do, I don’t think being a homosexual works that way either. Besides the sum of a person is not based on their sexuality and anyone who thinks it is, is a fool and doesn’t deserve to call themselves a human being.”

“Quite the impassioned speech Bryce. So, based on what you know of Chris Hobbs and Justin Taylor’s tumultuous history during your senior year of high school, what do you think was the root cause for of the events leading up to the violent act committed?”

Bryce worried his upper lip with his teeth for a moment before answering. “On the one hand I think Chris is confused about his own sexuality. Humans fear what they don’t understand and they hate what they fear. In Chris’ case, although he is straight to the world at large, I think there is something about Justin that makes him question that, and I’m pretty sure it didn’t start and end with the equipment room incident.”

“What makes you so sure?”

“I noticed, long before the situation was getting out of hand, the looks Chris gave Justin when he thought no one was looking. In fact, my… lover and I noticed.”

“Lover? I thought you said you aren’t gay.”

“I’m not, but she is several years older than me and thinks the term ‘girlfriend’ antiquated, especially in terms of our twelve year age difference. Besides, Ms. Marcus, gays don’t corner the market on the term ‘lover,’ now do they?” He smirked at her, causing a loud guffaw to erupt before anyone had a chance to catch themselves.

“Touche Bryce and well played. How was she able to observe the same situation as you if she wasn’t a student at the high school?”

He fidgeted a little at what he was about to reveal, but he’d already obtained her permission to do so as they laid abed the previous night. “She was faculty. I say was because she quit St. James the moment the verdict was handed down without true justice for Justin Taylor. Amanda and I were beside ourselves with grief and worry for him. We still are.” He bowed his head in solemnity sending up a silent prayer for Justin as he had everyday since word of the incident reached him. He had decided not to go to the prom in favor of staying the night with the woman who has his heart.

“Tell me about your own run-ins with the defendant in this case.” Melanie couldn’t help but be moved by this young man, who had laid everything on the line to defend the one person in the entire school that defended him. Looking at Bryce, she never would have guessed just how much he had in common with Justin, but there was no doubt that the young man, like Justin, was wise beyond his years. Whomever ‘Amanda’ was, was indeed lucky to have such a stand-up guy.

“My instances of bullying with Christopher Hobbs spans many years, many more than Justin’s, but a lot less traumatic. I mean, look at me… I’m a geek. I was born a geek, will probably die a geek and am completely unashamed to be one. Although I am not gay, I can and will readily admit that Justin Taylor is a beautiful human being- both inside and out, unlike me. Oh I know that I’m not ugly per se, but nor am I beautiful and I am at peace with that. I value my mind much more than my body and it shows with this little bit of baby fat that I’ve been trying to get rid of since I was thirteen. It’s evident that it is not going anywhere until it is good and ready and neither am I. Consequently, the first situation between Hobbs and I started about the time he made it to the Junior Varsity football team but couldn’t keep his grades up. He and several others demanded that I take their tests for them.”

“And did you?”

“Not at all! I would have been expelled, if caught. I did offer to tutor them but that wasn’t what they wanted, and they had the coach’s blessing to torture me until I gave in.”

“Who was their coach?”

“Mr. Kevin Dixon, of course.”

“Of course. So what happened at your continued refusal?”

“At first it was the run-of-the-mill, same-old-same-old kind of things. Head in the toilet; locked within my own locker; firecrackers thrown at my feet which sounded like gunshots- those kind of things. But it was when my locker was set on fire that things began to get serious.”

“And did you do what they asked then?”

“No, but Amanda began keeping a record of everything.”

“Did you and she start dating back then?”

"No. That wasn’t until the middle of my junior year, but she did threaten Dixon and made a report to the school board on my behalf. My parents dismissed it as unimportant, but because it was filed they couldn’t deny it happened. So then the bullying became limited to the gym and to Dixon’s Advanced Calculus class which I attended with Justin. Our senior year, we both talked about how strange it was to have the jock squad in class with us along with their groupies- or cheerleaders if you want to be technical. Daphne Chanders was the only one in there like Justin and I and worked her ass off in that class to make sure Dixon didn’t have a reason to fail her. He would have, if given the opportunity, you know? He is a true bigot in every sense of the word and that includes racial profiling. There were many instances where he alluded to her being able to be in Advanced Placement classes because she had lain on her back and screwed whatever teacher would give her an ‘A’. But she shut him up with a 1490 on the Scholastic Aptitude Test her first time taking it while the football team which he coached, received no higher than 790 on theirs.”

“What did you receive on yours, if you don’t mind me asking.”

Bryce smiled then. “1600. A perfect score. Justin and Daphne were jealous but were also very happy for me, as I was for them. We’d all worked hard to obtain those scores and it showed.”

“I’ll say it did. So the day that Justin was suspended, what happened?”

“Chris was up to his usual mess when Justin and Daphne walked in. Justin told him to leave me alone and told him not to pull ‘it’ out on me. When Hobbs asked what, Justin said, ‘your dick.’ Chris asked the class at large if this was a ‘faggot convention’ which was met with laughter from the other students. Then Dixon walked in telling everyone to take their seats. When attendance was being called and he got to Justin’s name, Hobbs yelled out ‘queer’ in place of ‘here’ which everyone but Daphne and I found funny. When Justin stood up and requested an apology from Hobbs, Dixon told him that he didn’t hear anything and that if he didn’t sit down, he would be sent to Dr. Perkins office. Justin, who was absolutely fed up at that point with Hobbs and his cronies getting away with every wrongdoing within that classroom, told Dixon not to bother and began gathering his belongings. ‘The queer is getting his things; the queer is leaving the room, he said as Daphne tried to stop him. Mr. Dixon told him that it was enough and Justin commented on how Mr. Dixon’s hearing had returned. He said, ‘This queer says fuck you’ and Dixon yelled that Justin was suspended. He had called down to Perkins office before Justin made it down there to sign himself out of school for the day. As he was leaving, he made a call to Brian and asked him to come get him when he finished his meeting.”

“You remember all that?” Melanie asked in astonishment.

“I could never forget it. It was the first time that someone had shown me to do more than keep my head down and just get through life, instead of being in charge of my own destiny and the way people treat me. What happened to Justin could have happened to any of us if we had the balls to really start pushing back against the bullies instead of becoming willing victims to people like Dixon and Hobbs. This is my way of standing up against the folks who feel they have the right to demand of and demean other people simply because they were born different, or have different ideals or find the one thing they can’t seem to, which is unconditional love. No, Justin didn’t deserve what happened to him but Christopher Hobbs certainly deserves jail time. But since that’s no longer an option, his family deserves to pay for fixing a case to get him off. Any other person- especially if this had been done by a gay person to a heterosexual- would have received the maximum penalty under the law. It begs the one question that really needs to be answered in order to restore order and faith in the justice system. Why didn’t he?”

Charles switched off the tape, marking it so that it could be forwarded to the judge’s chambers as soon as they cleared out of the conference room for the day. He, like everyone else, was stunned by the testimonies of Daphne Chanders during the morning and Bryce Whittingham during the afternoon. Now all they needed was Justin’s testimony along with Brian’s, Hobbs, Dixon, and Perkins, to complete the depositional phase before Judge Plano could make her decision. He caught the eye of the bailiff standing by the door. Although seeming stoic, he detected the a bit of moisture at the  corner of the man’s eyes. No, no one within hearing distance of Justin Taylor’s plight could be left unaffected, even those who had become cynical of humanity having worked in all facets of law enforcement.  

“That wraps up your testimony Bryce. Thank you for doing this, even in light of what it costs you to be here. Will you be okay?” Melanie asked.

Bryce smiled in return. “Surely, thank you. My parents may not want me around anymore because of their fear of Samuel Hobbs and his ilk, but that’s okay. I made sure that my parents released all three of my trust funds yesterday. They tried to fight it but the threat of scandal outweighed any apprehensions they had and since I have a full-ride scholarship to Penn State, that money will be a nice nest egg for Amanda and I to get started.”

Shavonne nodded. “Any idea what you’ll be studying? Personally, I think you’d make one hell of an attorney.”

Bryce laughed. “Pre-med. I’ve been on the fast track to medical school since I entered the ninth grade. I was going to study general medicine but after Justin… I’ve decided to become a neurosurgeon specializing in Traumatic Brain Injury. If I can just help one person not to go through what my friend is going through right now, it will be enough. Be sure to tell Justin he is in my thoughts and prayers, will you?”

“You bet I will Bryce and thank you,” Melanie hugged the young man. She knew what a toll it was taking on her, who had only known Justin the better part of a year, so she could only imagine what it was doing to someone who had grown up with the young blond.

Melanie’s musings were cut short by the vibration of her cell phone. She didn’t recognize the number and although a little leery, she picked it up anyway.

“Melanie Marcus.”

“Oh great! Thank God. Listen Mel, I’m in a bit of a bind and I need your help.”

“Ted? Ted, what’s wrong? And why are you calling me from an unknown number?”

“Oh, that’s the easiest of questions to answer. I’m in jail.”

‘WHAT???!!!”

Chapter 11- RECOGNITION, Tantrums and Trouble with a Capital ‘T’

Cynthia arrived back at the office just in time to see the B twins- Bob and Brad- being ushered out by security. True, the takeover of Vanguard was supposed to start by week’s end, but she didn’t think it was supposed to happen immediately. She made her way over to Marcie, Ryder’s former assistant, to confirm her suspicions.

“Hey Marcie, this is all kind of sudden, isn’t it? I mean I just saw Bob and Brad with their personal effects, leaving the building. Is there some reason for the rush?”

Marcie took a surreptitious look around her to see who was observing. From her many years as Marty’s assistant, she knew that everyone who looked busy often had wide open ears, which always heard what they shouldn’t. “Give me five minutes, then meet me in the janitor’s closet on the first floor. I’ll fill you in.”

Before Cynthia had a chance to respond, Gardner’s grating voice came through the office door. As soon as he noticed whom Marcie was speaking to, he directed his attention to her. “Where is your soon-to-be-ex-boss?”

Gardner’s harsh tone aggravated her, but his gaze as it traveled the length of her body, angered Cynthia. Already she could see that he and Marty Rider were cut from the same cloth. But whereas Marty was too chicken-shit because of his overbearing third wife, she wasn’t so sure about the bald asshole currently standing there undressing her with his beady eyes. “Since Brian Kinney is my boss and I don’t foresee that changing, I think we can lower the intimidation tactics, Mr. Vance. You will find that Brian doesn’t scare easily, and neither do I.

"As for where Brian is, he is at a client meeting, which was postponed due to a personal issue and had been rescheduled before Marty decided to turn tail and run, while bringing your behind in here, Sir.” She added the last remembering that her uncle used to tell her that in the military, it didn’t matter what you said as long as you added Ma’am or Sir at the end. If she was bold enough to tell him to kiss her ass, she would put ‘sir’ on the end of it to not make it sound entirely insubordinate. As he narrowed his eyes at her, she realized that he was going to test her theory sooner rather than later.

“Well that’s where he’d better be, instead of playing nursemaid to that little blond pansy he’s playing house with. This is a business! And until Brian owns his own, he’ll do things my way or he’s fired. You may tell him that!” He turned his back to return to his office, but she wasn’t about to let him get away with that shit.

“And you would do well to remember that Brian brought in more that three-quarters of the accounts under Ryder. Plus there really isn’t much you can do to fire him for taking care of his domestic partner, unless you are prepared to get sued into bankruptcy and pay several fines issued by the government.”

“I don’t know what the hell you think you know but…”

“Mr. Vance,” Cynthia sneered, “Again, you would do well to remember whom you took Ryder over from, and the man you think that you are intent on putting in his place. Currently Brian and Justin have several civil suits going on against some people, who also thought they were untouchable. Fuck with Brian, and I’m sure he will be all too HAPPY to add your name to the list, especially knowing why Marty decided to sell the company to you after years of turning you down. Oh and by the way, Brian’s job is protected under the Family Medical Leave Act or FMLA for short, which is a government funded program. Although very few states are allowing the civil union of marriage at this time, Domestic Partnerships work very much like your own fourth marriage, or is it about to be the fifth one now? A word of advice Vance, leave Brian Kinney alone. As long as he’s working, his personal life is NONE of your business. Ryder and his bitch should have understood that, but instead they get you to do their dirty work. However, it's more than apparently they didn’t give you all the information- more fool YOU.”

“You know I could fire you, too?” Vance threatened.

“Do and watch your company sink to the ground. Marcie here can tell you, that Brian Kinney will not stick around to break in a new assistant; he’d just leave with me. Hell, he went through fifteen assistants before he found me, and that was ten years ago. So no Mr. Vance, if I’m kicked out Brian walks. And if he is, I go with him since I refuse to be held to your tender mercies alone.” She could tell by the flaring of his nostrils that she knew exactly what he had been thinking would happen once Brian wasn’t there to protect her. Vance was an amateur compared to the creeps she’d had to deal with over the years. He wasn’t even in their leagues. “Well if that’s all, I’ll return to my office now. See you in a bit, Marcie, for our usual afternoon coffee break.”

Cynthia exited the office, hearing the massive oak door to Ryder’s former office slam shut behind her. She couldn’t believe how she’d just stood up to him. Her heart was still racing so fast that she felt it would burst from the exertion. But while she was in shock, Cynthia was also damned proud of herself. She was fucking tired of the Ryders and Vances of the world forgetting that there were people with families and lives outside of the damn slave ship, which made the two bastards rich. And none had worked harder for Ryder… and ultimately himself, than Brian Kinney. She wouldn’t let these snakes railroad Brian if she could help it.

Locking down Brian’s office first, she hurried to her desk to do the same. Opening the drawer to grab her keys, she noticed the set of two flash drives she’d been holding since Gus was born. At first they just housed an idea, but after the Kip Thomas bullshit, Cynthia had begun compiling the files and all of Brian’s newly acquired accounts as well. If Gardner even thought to hack their computers while either of them were out of the office, he wouldn’t find anything other than the mediocre work of the art department. However the flash drives contained all of Brian’s work with Justin, including the final markup of the Liberty Air campaign, whose contract was the one Kip had almost screwed. That campaign was already being considered for a CLIO Award for next year, and it only began being aired five months prior to the bashing.

Yes, it was time to talk to Brian in earnest now about getting them both the hell out of there…Marcy and Murph too. The only problem was going to be Brian. Honestly, she couldn’t blame him right now. Justin was in bad shape and needed the support. But there was more at stake here than just Justin. Cynthia noticed the avaricious gleam in Gardner’s eyes and it didn’t just extend to her work as Brian’s assistant. He wanted her physically and mentally; she would even hazard a guess that he wanted to crush her spirit both professionally and personally. NO, it was time to get them all out of there before they all just became shells of themselves at the hands of Gardner Vance. Whatever it took, she wouldn’t let that happen.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Ted stepped out of line after deciding to have an up close and personal chat with Howard Bellweather. While waiting, Ted decided to thumb through the book, looking for the exact section of the book called ‘To Boldly Go Where No Gay Man Has Gone Before.’ It begins:

‘I met my source who asked to remain anonymous when speaking about his life as a gay man in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. When asked what name he would rather be known as within the context of his tale, he told me to call him ‘Galaxy Lad.’ At first, I thought that was rather strange but as I began to listen to him speak, more and more I then understood. The young man was rather flighty and his tales- reminiscent at times- were that of a teenager looking to captivate his adult audience. I would ask that you keep an open mind when reading this section because even though he seemed kind of spacy, he was extremely well informed about a certain topic within this book, and about the men within the gay community who consistently give the heterosexuals fodder for their spite and innuendos aimed at their homosexual counterparts.’

Ted settled even deeper into one of the comfortable chairs as the line ahead of him continued to move forward. He looked briefly back at the Table of Contents to predetermine how much time he had before he was officially ready to go and confront ‘The Gay Conscience of Pittsburgh.’ As Ted began again to read the interview with that fucking Galaxy Lad, known to all of the Liberty section of Gay P.A. as Michael Novotny, the more pissed off he became at what he read. Not only had Michael detailed Ted’s short-lived relationship with Blake, but waxed poetic about how Ted- also known as Rocket Man- was a nice guy who went for twinks with drug problems and ended up in a coma because of his own.

‘I mean, don’t get me wrong. Rocket is a really nice guy and very smart. But being smart will only take him so far if he doesn’t leave the twink population to their drugs and partying. I’ve often told him that maybe he should look for men at the opera, or at church or a library- you know, find someone with common interests. But no….Rocket Man doesn’t want to date another accountant or someone equally as boring- I mean professional- as he is. He would rather have a meth addict put him in the hospital than stay safely with the other men his age. In fact Howard, you and my friend Rocket should hook up. You guys would have a whole lot in common: you’re both educated professionals and could talk about your younger days at college. I know you don’t frequent Babylon, so perhaps you could talk him out of going there too. It’s not a place for old men. I fear that the next time he goes for another Twink, he may not be so fortunate to have a friend like me around who will tell him that he should be with men his own age. He can’t trust twinks. They will just drug him and take his money while he’s high and too stupid to realize it. He’s a smart guy but he’s deaf, dumb, and blind when it comes to blond hair, crystal blue eyes, and a tight behind. If he doesn’t stop going after them, then he deserves whatever he gets.’

He could just imagine Michael’s shrug, as if he had a right to say that to anyone, let alone about Ted. And if that wasn’t bad enough, what the little loud-mouthed imp said about Emmett just took the fucking cake.

‘I have this one friend. We’ll just call him Flash for now. Anyway he really embodies what everyone thinks gay men really are: effeminate, flamboyant, and sissified. He also changes men like most people should change their underwear. When I met Dr. Dreamboat- which is what he calls my partner- I tried to give him advice on how to attract men like mine. He scoffed and laughed, but while I have a solid and steady relationship, he’s still flitting from man-to-man; from bed-to-bed. I’m really shocked that he hasn’t contracted an STD...although I would probably never know if he did. But then again, I remember when he was trying to go straight by joining a group called ‘See the Light.’ I have to admit, it was refreshing not to see him as a walking disco ball coming down the street, but wearing regular clothes. After that whole episode was done, I couldn’t help but wish that he kept to that wardrobe instead of the shiny, sparkling sequins he’s taken to wearing again. I fear that Flash will always be alone because of his penchant to dress like the women that not one gay man wants. I mean, perhaps the only man who would want him would be a future drag queen, since they could share clothes, makeup, nail polish, and such. But to my mind, if we wanted men who acted like women then we would all be into pussy. Now my friend Captain Astro….well he’s different. Everyone wants him and everyone wants to be him. He can fuck anyone he wants, but instead he’s dealing with that gold-digging, golden-haired Boy Wonder right now.”

Ted read on as he sat there silently fuming. Michael had some fucking nerve to put all of their lives and life choices up for public scrutiny while making himself look squeaky clean. No, he didn’t agree with all of Brian’s past choices, but they were his choices, and regardless of any thoughts Ted might have had, he admired Brian for staying true to himself in spite of what others thought. Michael had no right to sit in judgement of their lives like that. It made him furious, not only for himself but for Brian, Emmett, and most of all, for Justin! And then for that half-bald candidate for the Hair Club for Men franchise, with the smug smile and know-it-all attitude, signing books for men like himself, but he’s really the biggest hypocrite of all. To literally egg Michael on into disclosing personal facts about his friends’- well in Ted’s case, his former friend- lives was just…. It was just....

Ted could feel the fire within himself as he stood behind the five guys still waiting in line to get their book signed by the braying jackass Bellweather. Ted literally felt consumed by the flames of both injustice and hate as he heard the man’s condescending tone to the man in line before him, saying that he should really read the ‘Galaxy Lad interview,’ advising that although the names were changed to protect his good name and reputation from being sued, it would be obvious who the main character Captain Astro is. And that is what did it for Ted… So pushing the remaining four men out of the way in an effort to get to the grinning gorilla sitting behind the table surreptitiously checking out the departing man’s ass, Ted finally arrived at the head of the line.

He took another look at the hypocrite seated before him, trying to find any redeeming quality in the man at all. From his less than appealing countenance, including: a set of cold calculating ice blue eyes, to the thin lips which seemed overly-fond of botox which no longer helped, to the blue veins running to close to the surface of Bellweather’s nose, which told Ted that he wasn’t the only one who was an addict- to the unattractive physique of the man which donned a paunch belly situated behind a plaid shirt that even Ted would never have bought, it was clear what Howard Bellweather’s real problem with the men of Liberty Avenue- specifically Brian Kinney and Justin Taylor- really was.

Clearing his throat of the bile which had risen up during is perusal of the vermin still seated smugly before him, Ted said, “You need to print a retraction to that bullshit you printed.”

“What bullshit would that be? I only print the truth. It’s why the Gay Gauntlet is such an important guide for gay men; a standard by which we all should live our lives.”

“It’s fucking bullshit and you and I both know that! I can admit that I used to think that perhaps you had a point, but now I see you for what you really are.”

“And what exactly is it that you think you see Mr…”

Ted stood taller, his own tone growing even colder at the condescending voice of the idiot. “Ted Schmidt, Mr. Bitch! But I believe you and ‘Galaxy Liar’ know me as Rocket Man.”

“Oh… so you’re the one he thinks I would have lots in common with? Tell you what, I’m having a little soiree at my house this evening with some prominent people in the gay community to celebrate the release of my book, and the final public fall of Brian Kinney and Justin Taylor. You should come. From everything Michael has told me about you, you and I should become better acquainted."

Ted shook his head, incredulous at the gall of the man. Michael had nerve, but this fucker was a new brand of fool if he thought that Ted would be caught anywhere near him after what he was trying to do to his friends. As far as he was concerned, Howard Bellweather could shove Michael's recommendation up his ass and spin slowly and painfully on it as if it were a twenty inch dildo. But there was just something that had him a bit curious about his willingness to slander Brian and Justin on behalf of an obviously vindictive, attention-seeker like Michael Novotny.

“Why are you so hellbent on destroying Brian and Justin? As far as I know, neither of them have done anything to you. Hell, they don’t even know you!”

“Kinney definitely does know me, and as for that little blond, he doesn’t know me but he knows my nephew.”

“What does that have to do with anything?”

“Kinney rejected me several times, but fucked my nephew twice. When my nephew had him over a barrel with a false lawsuit, it was that little blond snipe who put a stop to it. So the fact that little Justin was bashed, well it gave me the perfect opportunity to avenge myself and Kip. Michael Novotny’s thirst for vengeance just provided the tool.”

The gasps emitting from Ted and the men behind him, reminded Howard that the two men weren’t alone. In fact, a whole line of potential buyers, which had increased from four to well over thirty people- both men and women- heard Howard Bellweather’s admission loud and clear, but that was the least of Ted’s concern. He was more focused on Howard’s admission about his nephew.

“Kip Thomas is your nephew?”

“Yes. And his job was to ruin Brian’s reputation within Ryder Advertising, which would have worked had that fucking kid stayed out of it! Instead, he threatened Kip with exposure and jail time if he didn’t drop the sexual harassment suit and leave town before the close of business the next day. Personally, I’m glad that Hobbs almost took Justin’s life. That blond little fuck is a danger to anyone who has a gripe against Brian Kinney. Well, now we’ll see how well he fares as Brian's ever-present boy toy since he will never be so perfect again!”

Before Ted had a chance to register what he was doing, he picked up two of the hard-covered books and began flailing his arms in the direction of the offensive man. Several people tried to pull Ted off of the author but using the books, Ted kept attacking, breaking Bellweather’s nose and blackening his eyes; hitting the man about the head and anywhere else the books were able to reach. By the time Ted was stopped, all he could see was the destruction he’d left in his wake, and the asshole of all his anger laid out semi-conscious, but unmoving. Although several of the eyewitnesses protested the police’s handling of Ted, even going so far as to tell them what Bellweather had spouted, they arrested Ted and took him into the precinct on Liberty Avenue. Which is where Emmett, Debbie, and Mel found Ted after he was read his Miranda rights and made his phone call to Mel.

Ordinarily, there would have been a hold on getting Ted released except that one of the patrons within the bookstore was none other than Judge Lisa Lano, who was very interested in what Bellweather had to say regarding Justin Taylor. Although technically she could not approach either man, she could make sure that Ted Schmidt, aka Rocket Man, would not have to languish away in jail at the hands of a truly vindictive, hypocritical piece of shit such as Bellweather and his high-powered cronies were continually proving themselves to be. Once Ted was released into Mel’s custody after the fine was paid to the police and for the damages to the bookstore, Ted, Deb, Mel, and Em left the precinct.

“Teddy, what was that all about? It’s not like you to incite a riot or lose your temper without reason.” Emmett asked him.

“Oh there was a reason, Em. In fact, Debbie, I’m surprised to see you here. I thought you would have been home coddling your boy because of his revelations this afternoon at the diner.”

“Now you listen to me, Theodore Schmidt, I don’t deserve that tone from you! Now I will deal with my boy as you call him, later. But right now, dealing with you is more important. Now have you eaten since this morning?” Debbie folded her arms across her ample bosom as she twisted in the front seat to eye the man behind her.

Ted dropped his eyes under her intense glare. “No Mom, I haven’t. I was too damned angry to eat.”

“Well then, first thing is that we get you fed and then you can tell me and Vic all about the Adventure of the Blood-thirsty Bookworm, starring our favorite accountant Ted Schmidt. I think it will be a fun tale, don’t you?” She cackled at his look of surprise. “Hey I’m fucking a cop, remember?”

“DEBBIE!!! UGH!! T-M-I!!!” The shouting and cringing of all the other occupants in the car caused her to laugh even harder. It was definitely going to be an interesting evening.         

CHAPTER 12: DISCLOSURE

When they arrived at the loft a short while later, they were surprised that Brian and Justin already had company. Vic and an older man, as well as Cynthia and a younger woman were there. Justin wasn’t anywhere to be seen. Ted was the first to notice.

“Where is he?”

Brian sighed. “He’s resting right now. He had a motherfucker of a headache and it wasn’t until he had a meltdown that he told me.”

“Any idea what brought it on this time?”

“Frustration, I suspect. Miguel suggested using a pottery wheel for his therapy…”

“That was excellent thinking. I heard they can do wonders for fine motor skills.”

“That’s what he said. How did you know that?”

Ted looked sheepishly at Brian, before standing tall and looking at the intimidating brunet dead-on. “I’ve been trying to think of ways to help him, Brian. I know I sit and talk with Justin and play Scrabble with him but I feel… well I feel like I need to do more. I want to do more for him, especially after today.”

“Today? What about today?” At the continued silence and even some guilty looks, Brian crossed his arms over his chest. “Alright, spill it.”

“Brian, maybe we should talk about this another time, like when you’re not… here,” Debbie said. Her misplaced guilt evident on her face.

“No. I want to know what the fuck is going on. And I want to know about it now!”

“Brian…”

“Brian… I…” Ted stammered.

“Alright Rosencrantz and Guildenstern what the fuck happened? At no time ever, were you two able to keep your mouths shut, whether anything was in them or not. Don’t start now. What has Michael done?”

Emmett gasped and asked, “Who said Michael did anything? I didn’t. Did you Teddy? I know Debbie and Mel didn’t say Michael did anything.”

“Which tells me he did,” Brian said sternly. “So what the fuck do I have to fix this time?”

Ted stepped directly in front of Brian, raising his eyes again to meet the angry hazel ones. “Nothing Brian. You have absolutely nothing to fix for Michael. He does.”

Brian regarded the shorter man, reading his eyes. He was surprised to hear the scathing sternness of Ted’s statement. Brian was actually taken aback by the annoyance looking back at him, but it wasn’t directed at him. “What did he do Ted?”

He sighed before answering. “Howard Bellweather’s book came out today.”

“So? I can’t believe that you actually read his drivel, but that’s you. What does that have to do with Mikey?”

“I’m getting to that. Anyway, I went to the signing...” Brian shuffled his feet and Ted knew that he had a limited amount of time before Brian yelled at him. He decided to get it over with. “Michael gave the asshole an interview about us and the fucker printed it in his book.”

“That’s still not telling me very much Ted. So Michael gave an interview. He probably feels like some  big shot now that he’s met someone famous.”

“That’s true Brian but it’s what he said in the interview…”

Melanie cleared her throat. “Oh for crying out loud Ted! Look Brian, here’s what we know. The reason that Michael came back here is because his and David’s relationship is on the rocks. The reason that is, happens to be because Michael ran his big fat mouth about you and Justin to a reporter who was doing a piece on the bashing. If that wasn’t bad enough, he spoke to Howard Bellweather about all of you, including Justin, who he was his usual surly and derogatory self about. Needless to say that Ted took offense when he read it. We just came from bailing him out.”

“Who?” Brian asked.

“Ted.”

“Ted?”

“Yeah Brian, Ted! He went ballistic on Howard Bellweather for printing the bullshit Michael spouted about all of you.”

“Mikey wouldn’t…”

“Brian, he did,” Debbie confirmed. “Even before Ted read it, I found out about it this morning. David is in Pittsburgh. He came looking for Michael and he brought the Portland Times with him to show me the article. That is the real reason he and David are- were- having problems. David may not like you, but he does believe in fairness to a degree. My idiot son had no business speaking about the relationship between you and Justin as he sees it to a fucking soul. But he did. I’m so sorry kiddo.”

Brian stood there listening to Debbie in shock, feeling as if a knife was stuck in his gut and twisted. Against anyone else, Brian could have argued that they got Michael’s motivations and actions wrong, but Debbie… No, Debbie was always defending Michael for something he did or placing blame on Michael’s environment or on him. But this time she wasn’t. “I want to see them.”

“Brian I don’t think…”

“No Emmett… you all are telling me this but… I want to see it.”

Melanie went over to the dining table, reluctantly opening her briefcase. Admittedly, any other time she would have taken joy in causing Brian Kinney pain. He had been the bane of her existence for so many years where Lindsay was concerned. Anytime she was able to metaphorically spit in his face was okay with her. But this was different. Not only because she was handling the civil cases for Justin, but because she could see the changes Brian was making for Justin; could see him struggling and rising to the occasion for Justin’s sake, where he may not have done it for anyone else. The man was a fucking hero in her eyes for so many reasons, especially in how he was putting Justin’s needs before his own. This was a side of Brian Kinney that she never knew existed. No one knew… but Justin.

She passed him the newspaper Deb had given her earlier, and a copy of the novel she was intending to read later, motioning for him to sit in the chair at the table. Then she ushered everyone else into the living room area to await the explosion. She practically had to drag Cynthia away from her boss and close friend.

“How bad is it?” Cynthia whispered to her, once Mel finally convinced her to leave the area.

“Trust me. You don’t want to be anywhere near him when he reads Michael’s words, Cynthia. What are you doing here anyway?”

“Gardner is threatening Brian’s job. I told the fucker he was covered under FMLA and that if Brian walked, so did I.”

“I bet that went over well,” Mel said. She knew all about Vance, and she didn’t like the fact that the man was going to now be Brian’s boss. The idiot was a first rate bigot who divorced his first wife because she refused to disown her lesbian sister, who had worked with Mel at the time. It was a well-kept secret that the way Vance found out about the sister was because he had attempted to climb into her bed in the middle of the night and found Cassandra Martin with her long-time lover, Evelyn. Melanie hated the man.

“It didn’t but I found out something from his assistant Marcie, who used to be the executive assistant to Ryder.” Cynthia went on to explain the deal between Ryder and Vance in order to force Brian out of the company. “I’ve been accumulating the client list for Brian for a few years now- those he brought in and those we were going to go after. I just finished telling him that I think it’s time to start our own company. He’s fighting me on it.”

“Why? Even though I can’t stand him on most days, I have to admit that Brian is damn good at what he does. When the law firm went with Ryder under Brian, our clientele grew to include some of the elite. As a result, we had to move into another building and hire more staff to accommodate the masses. After the whole Kip Thomas debacle, I tried to urge him to sue for lost wages based on a false report, but he said he just wanted to get back to work. I suspect it had more to do with the fact that Justin was living with him at the time and he was taking care of things financially for him.”

“Not only him,” Cynthia said, then closed her eyes. She tried to cover but Mel saw it.

“What do you mean?” Cynthia shook her head but Mel wasn’t having any of that. “Don’t give me that Cynthia. You and I have always been straight with one another, even if our dealings have been minimal. So if you know something…”

“Fuck! Okay… Okay, Lindsay has been hitting Brian up for extra cash before and after your temporary split. The five grand she got from him during the whole Kip episode was just the beginning of the new wave of cries and pleas.”

“But that doesn’t make sense. All of our expenses are paid up. Gus is well taken care of, especially since she went back to work teaching part-time. We trade babysitting with our neighbors Dusty and Marie instead of paying in cash. I changed my health plan to include both her and Gus listing them as dependents; Ted helped me do that. So what could she possibly need extra cash beyond the five grand for?”

“That’s for her to know and for you and Brian to find out.”

Cynthia’s caustic tone told Mel that Cynthia knew more of the situation regarding Gus than Mel would have liked. But she said nothing as the other woman brushed past her and took a seat, looking over at the table for any sign of what Brian was finding in that cursed reading material. Mel took the other seat in the living area, wondering if she was going to have to put on her attorney hat again tonight.  

“So George, were you able to speak with Brian?” Emmett asked the older man.

“Yeah, but not completely, Em. He doesn’t quite know my connection yet. Vic was about to explain it all when you walked in.”

“What? What was he about to explain?” Deb asked.

“Deb, keep your voice down,” Vic admonished. “As for what I was about to explain to Brian, George is one of my and Em’s clients. We’re doing his daughter’s wedding at Brian’s recommendation. This visit though is more personal than that. You see…”

“Uncle George?” Justin stood at the top of the steps leading to the bedroom, dressed in a pair of sweats and oversized shirt that were obviously Brian’s.

Brian set aside the papers at once and went to stand by Justin’s side. “Sunshine, I thought I told you to rest.”

“I- I was, but I heard voices and woke up. I thought… I started dreaming and the voices woke me up. I- I…”

“It’s okay Justin. Are you hungry?”

Justin shook his head no, looking impossibly young. The action still hurt him; Brian could tell. “Can I have a cup of coffee?”

Brian looked at the clock, noting that it was too soon to take another pain killer. In fact, it was really too soon for Justin to be awake at all. He cleared his throat. “Do you want to join everyone?”

“Will you… will you come with me?”

“Sunshine, you’re safe. Your uncle’s here. I have to finish something over at the table and I’ll join you shortly but let me get your coffee first, okay?” He held Justin’s eyes with his own, reading the fear in them but not a trace of doubt that Brian would do what he said. That was an improvement over the skepticism he’d been seeing at various points through this whole healing process. He hoped that Justin was learning to trust him and himself by now, but Bethany had told him it was going to be a slower process due to the nature of Justin’s injury. The memory loss was causing Justin to question everything he once believed, and believed in. Brian was one of those things right now. “Come on Sunshine. No one is going to hurt you here.”

Brian gently led him over to the group, watching as the trepidation mixed with the side effects of the medication made Justin’s footsteps a little unstable. Once he settled Justin into the Barcelona chair and handed him a throw blanket, Brian strode over to the kitchen to get Justin’s coffee. He knew the jolt of caffeine would keep Justin awake but also take the edge off of the current headache. As far as Brian was concerned, it was an easy payoff if it got Justin out of pain.

“Uncle George, what are you doing here?” Justin asked the older man.

“I came to see my favorite nephew Justin. I had lunch with Jennifer and she told me what happened, son. Imagine my surprise to find out that the man who introduced me to Vic and Emmett was the man who you were…”

“Fucking. You can say it Uncle George. It isn’t like anyone here doesn’t already know that. Brian is…”

“It’s okay Justin. Brian is just Brian. And he’s the man who’s helping you to get better. That’s all that matters to me; is that you get better, okay?”

Justin smiled a small smile. “Thank you.” He saw Brian’s approach out of the corner of his eye with his coffee. As Brian placed the hot beverage into his left hand, he also pulled the blanket up over Justin’s right.

“Keep it warm, okay?”

“Okay.”

“I’ll be right over at the table.”

“I know. I’m safe here.”

“You remember that, okay Twat?” Brian smirked at him and in return received one of Justin’s real smiles since earlier in the day.

“Yes Brian. I- I’ll be okay.”

Brian looked deeply into Justin’s eyes for confirmation of that statement. He would have stayed there with Justin but he really wanted to get back to reading the bullshit Michael had spouted. He was angry and hurt that the man would put his business out there like that and at all of the disparaging comments he’d made about Justin. He would have thought that David had made all of the remarks since they were so sanctimonious and judgmental, except that there were things written that only Michael- not even David- could have known, such as details about the night Brian met Justin, and a host of other instances that occurred before Doctor David Cameron had even become part of their vocabulary.

With a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach, Brian opened “The Gay Gauntlet.” After looking in the Table of Contents, Brian turned to Michael’s interview with the supposed Gay Conscience of Pittsburgh. Brian sat there, reading each account of how Michael saw himself, his friends, but most of all, Justin. The more he read Michael’s words, the more he began to replay times in his mind when Michael had voiced the fucked up thoughts aloud. It incensed Brian, but it also made him feel guilty for not defending Justin. Sure, Justin could’ve taken care of himself, but the point was that he shouldn’t have had to, especially when dealing with a supposed adult as Michael. Calling Justin a gold-digger was especially wrong because Justin never once asked Brian to pay for anything. In fact, he was still working at the Diner to pay off Brian’s credit card, handing Brian every red cent outside of twenty dollars to put towards his debt. Michael owed Brian money from ten years ago, and Brian hadn’t seen a fucking cent of that money. Nevermind that Brian had lent the asshole more since then.

Michael went on to detail Brian and Justin’s sex lives, calling it a revolving door of tricks; calling Justin a live-in trick for slow nights at Babylon. That really pissed Brian off. It made it sound like the only reason Brian kept Justin around was to fuck, when in reality he kept Justin around because he was smart, unique, and an accomplished conversationalist, beyond talking about comics and fucking. The boy- young man- was fucking brilliant, whereas Michael was an imbecile at the best of times. It was strange that reading how Michael tried to be and sound intelligent during the interview, only served to point out the differences between his best friend and a young man who worked hard, played harder, and got bashed for doing both successfully.

“I’ll fucking kill him!” Brian rose out of his chair, not realizing that his raised voice had sent Justin, who was having a pretty good time, to the corner, huddled into a tight ball. “I’m going to find that little bastard and kill him! How dare he?! HOW FUCKING DARE HE?!!!!! I’m going to find that bastard right now!” Brian’s rage at Michael’s words had him shredding the paper and book with his bare hands while the others tried to stop him. All except George and Vic, who were trying to coax a panicked and shaking Justin from the corner.

Ted, Emmett, and Melanie tried their hardest to block Brian’s path to the loft door, knowing exactly what and whom Brian was going to look for. Michael had gone too fucking far this time, and they all agreed. But Justin needed Brian, so they knew they had to stop him.

“Brian, you have to stop,” Cynthia tried. “You can’t have a felony assault on your record. Come on Brian, Justin is over there in the corner, panicked right now you pain in the ass! Get a fucking hold on yourself!” She pushed into his chest, trying to bring the mountain of angry male back to reality. She had seen Brian angry before but not like this. He usually simmered with the hostile emotion but this… this was Brian in a very dangerous mood.

“Brian! Brian, you have to fucking calm down. You’re scaring Sunshine!” Debbie screamed at him, but Brian ignored her. She understood what he was feeling since she had been feeling it herself all afternoon. She was pissed at Michael- God knew she was pissed- but he was still her son and she couldn’t let Brian kill him or hurt him in any way. “Fucking asshole, stop it! STOP IT!” Debbie slapped Brian across the face, shocking everyone, including Brian. He looked at her, tears welling in his eyes that he refused to let fall. “Brian…”

“Don’t…” he began, just as he heard the wailing coming from the far corner of the loft. Brian turned to look for the sound, knowing it all too well. “Everyone, get the fuck out. NOW!”

Brian saw where George and Vic were on the floor, trying to get through to Justin, who was rocking himself back and forth while huddled. Everyone watching Justin in that state couldn’t help but feel the fear and pain assailing that young man who was mumbling, ‘I’m sorry. Please don’t hurt me’ over and over again, tears streaking down his face. Justin buried his face in his hands, trying to block out whatever imaginary images were assaulting him. Seeing Justin in that state, Brian knew that whatever he felt towards Michael at the moment had to take a backseat; he just needed to take care of Justin.

Leaning over, he placed a hand on each of the older men’s shoulders, squeezing gently. “I have him. Thanks for… I got him.”

“Brian, if you need any help…” George began, but Brian stopped him.

“I know George, but I have him.” After helping the older gentlemen to their feet, Brian took their place on the floor next to Justin. Pulling the young man into his lap, he cradled the shaking young man. “It’s okay Justin, I’ve got you.” He couldn’t help but feel responsible even though reading that bullshit, his explosion couldn’t be helped.

“Call me tomorrow and let me know how he is. Please?” George asked as he and the others headed out of the loft door.

While holding Justin, crooning softly to him every now and again, Brian made plans. First, they had to deal with everyone legally responsible. Secondly, Brian had to deal with Vance. Then he would personally deal with Michael. He pulled Justin tighter against him.

It was going to be a long night.

CHAPTER 13: PROGRESS Part 1

Brian Withdrawal

Three weeks… Three fucking weeks! Michael hadn’t seen Brian in three weeks. He never showed up at the Diner, he hadn’t been to Woody’s or Babylon on any of the nights Michael had been there, and he wasn’t answering any of his phone calls, no matter where he’d left messages. Since he was denied access to the loft, Michael decided that the best way to have a chance to talk to Brian was to show up at Vanguard, where he couldn’t avoid him. The only thing about that was that it wasn’t so easy to bypass security anymore.

The building had a whole new staff and as Michael had found out, unless there was an appointment, he wasn’t allowed entry into any part of the building. So Michael decided to try to make one. It probably would have worked too, if it wasn’t for Brian’s bitch Cynthia, who had answered the phone when his call had been transferred to her, instead of the receptionist team where they used to go when the company was Ryder Advertising. She firmly and professionally castigated him for trying to use Brian’s business to further his own agenda. She even asked him the name of his business for her records, knowing that he didn’t have one. It was no secret that Michael had resumed his original job at the Big Q since his permanent move back to Pittsburgh. She then informed him that unless he received a new position as part of the Big Q’s Creative Marketing team, which was located in Atlanta, Georgia, he would never be put through to Brian on her watch. It wasn’t until he heard the click and dial tone that Michael had stopped screeching from her response.

To make matters worse, everyone was treating him as if he was some stranger they’d just met. Ted and Emmett would stop all meaningful conversation anytime he was near them. His mother was still cordial to him but she carried none of the warmth towards him that she was known for. His uncle Vic barely tolerated his presence at all. Melanie ignored him and Lindsay… well, Lindsay said that she valued her relationship with everyone too much to side with him.

At first, he wasn’t sure what she meant, until she reminded him that Bellweather’s book had hit the market, and stood a good chance of being pulled from the shelves thanks to his libelous comments and Michael’s monologue about the denizens of Liberty Avenue, of which Brian and Justin’s non-relationship played a big part. In his quest to get to Brian, he had totally forgotten about the book release and the exclusive he’d given to the Portland Times about Brian and Justin. He really needed his best friend to let him apologize and to tell him that everything was alright between them. As far as Michael was concerned, he’d only told the truth. Sure, the truth hurt sometimes, but it was no reason to throw away a friendship more than a decade old because of a temporary fling.

“Michael, you need to clean up the soap on aisle six. I asked you to do it over an hour ago,” Andrew, the store manager tells him. He never missed an opportunity to rub Michael’s demotion in his face. It seemed he had regressed to where he was at twenty-one, instead of the thirty year old man with a lucrative position he was before he left with David.

“I’ll call the custodial crew to do it.”

“No. They are busy. Besides, I asked you to do it.”

“It’s not my job!” Michael argued, scowl on his face and arms crossed to show he wasn’t budging on his point.

“Well, you either make it your job right now or feel free to look for a job elsewhere.” Andrew stated, enjoying every minute of Michael’s discomfort. He never could stand the obsequious little ass kisser, who, as far as he was concerned, had stolen his job before. Well it was his turn to show Michael Novotny who the real boss was! “Mop and bucket are in the closet leading to the restrooms, in case you have forgotten.”

He watched with barely contained glee as Michael glared, huffed and then, at last, shuffled toward the closet to complete Andrew’s orders. There was no doubt in his mind that Michael was cursing him out in his mind. Part of him hoped with all his heart that the fucker would say something else out of line to him. Andrew would enjoy writing him up for the third time since he’d come back to the Crap Emporium. But this was so much better. As revenge goes, Andrew was going to enjoy giving Michael several doses of his own medicine.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~SOWK

A Hard Truth Long Overdue

“Hello Craig.”

“Madison, to what do I owe this surprise?” He’d been sitting in his attorney’s office, waiting to be called. “What are you doing here? Finally having your divorce finalized?”

She smiled at him. “Not exactly, but Brent and I did reach an agreement.”

“Oh?” Craig asked. With all of the financial woes staring him in the face, it would be nice for her to take care of him for a change.

“Yes. I think it’s a lucrative deal for us, all the way around.”

“We’ll finally be able to take that vacation we’ve wanted to.” At her look of puzzlement, he reminded her, “You know… the one with you, me, and a string bikini on the beach in Tahiti?”

“Oh that… well I hate to break it to you, but that’s never going to happen.”

“Why not?”

“Well for one thing, you’re a lying sack of shit.”

Craig’s face was marked by surprise but quickly turned to anger. “What the fuck are you talking about?”

“I think I can answer that…” the new voice introduced to this untenable situation caused Craig to cringe.

“Cindy? What the… how… what’s going on?”

“As Madison stated, you’re a lying sack of shit! You’ve been playing us both for far too long and we’re tired of it.”

“Sweetheart. Baby, there were just some things that I had to untangle myself from. You know how it is with us men.”

“Sure I do. But what we really have a problem with is not that you were fucking around, and with each of us. No, our real problem with you was hearing that you left a family behind. How dare you disown your own son for not living up to your lofty expectations?!”

As Craig stood there, trying to formulate a response to Cindy’s accusations, Madison fumed. Stepping up to the red-faced man, she drew back her fist and connected with his face. “That’s what Jennifer Taylor should have done to you long since, you bigoted bitch-boy!”

“I sthink you bwoke my… argh!”

“And then she should have applied her foot just where I have Craig!” Cindy screamed at him as she placed said foot back on the ground. “I hope I’ve dislocated your balls so much that you’ll never use your dick again other than to pee, you sick fucker!”

Craig slid down to the ground, clutching his balls, allowing the blood from his nose to drip profusely onto the carpet beneath him. He couldn’t believe this shit was happening. He’d been very careful to separate both of his lives from the other. To the public, he was a wealthy family man. But in private and away from his ex-wife, he was a carefree playboy. How the fuck had his carefully crafted lines been crossed?! He got his answer in the form of a familiar tittering sound.

“Ah, Craig, I see that your mistresses have enacted a speedy revenge. I have wanted to do the same many times in the last year. But you know, they are so much better at it.” Jennifer smiled as she took in the scene before her. She was flanked by four other gentlemen, two of whom Craig knew. “Byron and Brian, you already know my ex-husband. Terrence Crowley and Brent Ross, this is the illustrious Craig Taylor, whom your wives have known intimately. Craig, meet all of the new co-owners of the business formerly known as Taylor Electronics. It turns out that Brent and Madison, Terrence and Cindy have all been in the gaming development business for years and were looking to branch out into incorporating high-end electronics into their business model. Your fuck up couldn’t have come at a better time for any of us. Cindy and Madison, I’m sure that Brian will be in touch about the transferal of ownership to the condos from Justin’s name into your own. I wish you all well in your marriages. I know they are open but well…”

“Say no more, Jennifer. I think I can safely say that Cindy and I are sorry. We had no idea that the asshole was married with a family. If we had, our first question would have been if he was in an arrangement like ours. We may have loose morals according to some women, but we still live by a code, in that we don’t like to be kept the ‘dirty little secret’ from the wives. We’re swingers but not common whores,” Madison informs her.

“Well, that puts a new light on your association with Craig, doesn’t it Jennifer?” Brian asked smirking. “They can’t be held responsible for buying into bullshit they didn’t know. Now that this portion of the business is concluded, I need to know when you are going by to do the appraisals for the condos. I would like to be there, along with my personal accountant, Theodore Schmidt. Ladies, I’m sure that he and Jennifer will give you fair market value for each of them so that we have no need to list them on the market.”

“Wsha da fsuck?!” Craig yelled from his place on the carpet. “Youz cansht do dat!”

“Actually we can, asshole. You see, when you put everything of value in Justin’s name, not only did that give him the power to do what he wants, but Brian as well. You see, Craig dear, they are partners, which means that while Justin is recuperating, he’s signed off for Brian to take care of all of his business affairs. You gambled and lost Craig, and I’m so fucking happy you did. Oh and by the way, none of the six-hundred and forty grand that you owe is being paid through any part of this sale. So you’d best get working on how you’re going to manage to pay it back.”

“Cansh she do dis?” He looked over to Byron, who was doing his best to contain himself.

“Yes, she can and is doing this, Craig. I’ve warned you many times over the years that everything you did in the dark was going to come to light. Looks like that time has come. Now, do you need me to call an ambulance or something for you? You’re bleeding on my carpet. Thankfully, I decided to take the next few days off, so I can have the carpet changed while I’m out of the office. Brian, are we still on for dinner?”

“Let me check with Justin. He’s doing really well and is able to have some people in the loft now. He’s still not ready to go out yet,” he told him, his voice trailing off.

“Gshood! Shoutnt be asround god-fearsing people anyway, goshless fag...arrrgh!”

Jennifer drew back her fist at that moment. “Say one more word about my son and I swear before all that’s Holy Craig, I’ll kill and bury you before anyone has time to figure out you’re missing!”

“And we’ll help her!” Madison said, flanked by a glaring Cindy.

“On that note, Brent and Terrence, can you remove this… man from my office. I really need to lock up and Brian has to get back to Vanguard.”

“Sure and Brian… whenever you’re ready to branch out on your own, let us know. We’d love to be your first clients. Brent and I have several businesses together, as do the girls.”

“You’re seriously thinking about it?” Jennifer gasped, looking over at Brian.

“Yeah. It’s becoming apparent that staying at Vanguard is becoming unbearable. Gardner thinks he’s hurting me by taking my most lucrative accounts because I won’t do what he wants.”

“And what’s that?” Cindy asked, genuinely as curious as the rest of those assembled.

“Drop the lawsuit against Dixon and leave Justin to his own devices. But I won’t do that… not even when he’s okay again.” Jennifer’s eyes teared up. “Don’t get moist, Jenn. I meant what I said those few weeks ago in the hospital. Justin and I work best in the small chances. I won’t leave him alone to face his.”

She nodded. “Have you picked out a name yet?”

This time, Brian did smile. “Yeah, but it wasn’t me. Justin did.”

“And?”

“It’s going to be called Kinnetik. But first, I have to get my ‘art director’ to leave the house and then we can scout locations.”

“You still believe in him, don’t you?”

“I never stopped.”

And two days later, Justin took his first steps outside the loft… but how that happened is anybody’s guess...well except for Brian’s.

SIDEBAR: CHAPTER FOUR: JUSTIN HAD IT RIGHT Part 1

Three weeks after Justin’s meltdown and Ted’s arrest, Melanie entered the conference room at the courthouse. She was tired. Between Gus’s teething and Lindsay’s bitching, Mel was ready to check herself into a psych ward just so she could get some rest. It didn’t help that the men she would be grilling today had done their absolute best to keep getting the depositional hearing postponed. Finally Judge Lano had put her foot down and told them that if they didn’t appear in court at this scheduled time, warrants would be issued for their arrest citing Intentional Delay of Civil Litigation, Aiding and Abetting, and a host of other infractions the men still may be tried for. The only good thing to come out of Dixon and Perkins idiocy was that the official transcripts from the St. James Disciplinary Meeting and Ruling arrived last week by courier. So in that, she was grateful.

Shavonne sped in, two coffees in hand and briefcase almost flying behind her. Mel would have laughed outright had she not been so damn exhausted but she did at least manage a small chuckle.

“Laugh at me wench, and this Caramel Machiatto will get withheld from your overworked ass,” Shavonne dangled the cup in front of Mel’s face, a huge grin on her face.

“I’m surprised you remembered. Did you also remember the whipped cream and two percent milk?”

“How the hell could I forget that, since you practically inhaled seven of them a day during law school. I still don’t know how you managed to sleep at all.”

“That’s easy. I had you to knock me out,” Mel said, just as the blush crept up her cheeks.

Shavonne caught Mel’s reference to days gone by. “Well, whenever you need a lullaby, I’m available.”

“Shavonne…”

“I get it… I really do. I just wanted you to know that I wouldn’t say no.” She loved it when Mel blushed. From what she’d heard of Lindsay the ice queen, she couldn’t imagine that Mel would have an opportunity to do that anymore. As far as Shavonne was concerned, any person that couldn’t make their partner blush even after being together for years, had no business still being in that relationship. But she would save those thoughts and flirting with Melanie for another time. “So, who’s on the agenda for today?”

Mel took a long draught of her coffee before answering. “Two of the most elusive men on this case. Dixon and Perkins.”

“Oh finally they deemed it okay to stick to the court date given. I guess the threat of becoming Bubba’s bitch lit a fire under their asses, huh?”

Mel laughed. “I guess so. I mean, I could see if they were attractive enough to have their assholes threatened, but one looks like a poodle with a George Jefferson haircut, and the other… well, even if he is attractive enough, once he opens his mouth it dies.”

“Hence Bubba!” Both women laughed heartily at Shavonne’s innuendo.

“Excuse me, am I in the right room?” the newcomer asked.

He was attractive enough, and Mel knew that he was neither Perkins or Dixon. “What room are you looking for?”

He checked his papers and smiled at her. “I’m actually here representing St. James Academy. I’m Lawrence Spokes.”

“Okay. I’m Melanie Marcus, attorney for Justin Taylor and this is Acting ADA Shavonne Fuller. I’m a bit confused as to why you’re here. As I understand it, Mr. Dixon and  Dr. Perkins were let go from their positions at the school.”

“That’s correct Ms. Marcus. I’m here to provide support in your case.”

“I received the transcripts from the Disciplinary Meeting last week but went over them again yesterday. Is there something further to add to them?”

“Actually there is.” He handed three signed affidavits to Mel from other students who had information on the constant harassment of Justin Taylor by Hobbs, Dixon and Perkins. “As you can see, the former students had to wait until they were of age or free of their families to come forward, much like Bryce Whittingham. I believe he testified for you about a month ago?”

“Just under a month. I recognize one of these names as the girl who was dating Hobbs at the time of his arrest.”

“Yes Allison McAvoy-Calloway. She married her choice the day after Chris Hobbs was indicted. It caused quite the scandal in the WASP nest when she refused to marry the young man her parents picked out after he was found guilty of simple assault. She and her husband had agreed to keep it secret until after the trial. Jared Calloway is a college professor at Carnegie Mellon, where Allison had been taking classes for the last two summers. Although their relationship only became sexual on Allison’s eighteenth birthday last fall, they had been meeting in secret prior to that. Needless to say, the Hobbs and McAvoy families are not pleased.”

“I imagine they aren’t. Would she be willing to testify if it comes to that?”

“She would have, but she and her husband left two days ago for a three-month vacation touring Europe as a honeymoon. Her affidavit is very detailed though and will give you an accurate account of her experience with Chris Hobbs. It also tells of his continued harassment, from start to finish, of Justin Taylor. She was also there the night Chris publicly threatened Justin on Liberty Avenue. The other two affidavits confirm the accounts of the infamous fight in the locker room resulting in Justin being suspended, as well as the incident on Liberty Avenue later that night, where Mr. Hobbs made it a point to tell Justin Taylor that he was and I quote, ‘So fucked.’ He later began lauding and postulating to the young men, in Allison’s presence, of ways they could make sure Taylor paid. The other boys had suggested small things, like setting fire to Mr. Taylor’s locker where he kept a lot of his sketchbooks.

“That was done and a very clear act of vandalism,” Shavonne stated.

“Yes and neither boy denied that. But when Hobbs detailed plan of beating the hell out of Justin came about, they listened in shock. Originally, Hobbs had planned to use a crowbar until one of the other young men, whose name is being withheld because he’s underage, suggested that it would be too easy to lift his fingerprints from it. Chris then asked when the senior baseball game was. Thinking it was an offhand question, Yuri Marlow, who submitted one of the three affidavits you’re holding, reminded Hobbs that it was the afternoon of the senior prom.”

“Holy shit! That proves the premeditation. Doctor Colbert asked the very question of why a football player would have a baseball bat readily available at the senior prom. The question was blown off by the prosecution and objected to by the defense. We already know that Chris Hobbs didn’t take his own car that night. Hobb’s family rented a stretch limo to take them around to the afterparties. So there was absolutely positively no reason for the him to have that fucking bat, since the limo originated from his home,” Mel said, in shock that they now held the evidence that cleared up some murky pieces of the puzzle. The timeline of events now made sense!

“Melanie, can you make sure I get copies of those affidavits? And call Detective Horvath while you’re at it?”

“What are you planning to do?” Mr. Stokes asked. It had been a long time since he’d participated in a case of this magnitude, no matter that he was only on the outskirts of it. He had given up Criminal Law in favor of Corporate Law as a promise to his wife when their daughter was born. The long hours preparing a case for prosecution weren’t conducive to his family life. It wasn’t all sacrifice on his part, as she had done the same. But it was times like this that he regretted it.

“I’m going hunting.”

“What do you mean?”

Melanie didn’t think she had ever seen a grin that evil from Shavonne. As for Stokes, he visibly shivered., but whether it was from anxiety or anticipation was unclear.

“This was suppressed evidence, as in this little tidbit was missing from the original police report altogether. The fact that Hobbs arrived in a limo to the prom was never mentioned. In fact, his car was in the garage, which he stated he obtained the bat from. That made the evidence circumstantial. The fact that Hobbs not only knew he would have access to a bat that fateful night, but that he had it with him when he picked up Allison McAvoy shows that he had the presence of mind beforehand of what he was doing. The report makes it seem almost like a crime of passion or even a momentary lapse of sanity. There was ample opportunity to get Hobbs car to the garage that night to give credence to his claim.”

“Tim Rollins admitted that he drove Hobbs car to the garage, even though he didn’t attend the prom. His is the other affidavit you are holding. He stated that Hobbs called him and requested that his car be brought to the garage. He had no knowledge to the purpose, except that Hobbs told him that he’d planned on having the limo drop him back off at the garage later so that he could go see someone named Marylou Caputo. Since Allison wasn’t having sexual relations with Chris Hobbs, Ms. Caputo was his go-to girl to get off,” Lawrence tells them.

“This is all well and good. But even with the affidavits, we still need solid proof,” Mel tells them. “Right now, it seems that all we have is hearsay and conjecture.”

“Oh ye of little faith in my ability to get shit done, Mel. I thought you would have learned by now…” Shavonne takes out her cellphone and dials quickly. Tapping her foot anxiously, her sigh of relief was almost palpable when the other person finally picked up. “Hey Rory, I need a favor. You know those phone records that you are holding onto for me? I need you to run them up here as soon as you can. Mel and I, thanks to the attorney from St. James, have stumbled upon a key piece of evidence regarding the Taylor case. It seems that the mystery number has been discovered. I just need to confirm it.” She hangs up, looking directly at Lawrence. “Does Tim Rollins live with both of his parents?”

“No. He lives with his mother, Rebecca Coleman. She and Mr. Rollins, Sr. divorced about six years ago. It was a nasty one; made National news since he’s one of the most sought after actors in Hollywood. Goes by the name of Tim Ray.”

“You have gotta be shitting me!” Both Mel and Shavonne exclaim while he chuckles.

“Afraid not ladies. But why is this important?”

“Because that mystery number you heard me mention belongs to none other than Rebecca Coleman. My guess is that she registered the cellphones under a shared plan. Although they each have their own individual numbers, the account holder’s name is always the one that pops up on the caller ID. Consequently, it also works that way when pulling phone records. Tim’s name wouldn’t have shown up but his mother’s would. If I can confirm the time the call was placed by Chris Hobbs, we’ll have a general ETA of when exactly his car was dropped off at the garage. Looks like that hearsay and innuendo is about to become a cold hard fact.”

They were interrupted by the advent of Mitchell Perkins. The man looked as if he had aged to about seventy-five years old instead of a man in his early fifties. The wrinkles of his forehead and around his mouth were more pronounced. The bags underneath his eyes told of nights without sleep.  Even his suit had seen better days. Gone was the arrogant and controlling headmaster of St. James Academy. In his place was a man beaten down by his own hate and bullshit lies. Mel couldn’t find one ounce of sympathy within her for the pathetic specimen before her.

Mr. Perkins, good morning.”

“That’s Dr. Perkins to you, young lady. I may not have my job title anymore but I still have my education. You can’t take that away from me.”

“So noted. But since you have been stripped of that title, as you call it, in this courtroom you will answer to Mr. Perkins. Since doctors are supposed to either heal or educate in some capacity, and you are currently doing neither, I think it’s a fitting reminder of how far you have fallen in your quest to deny others that right.”

He rolled his eyes at her. He would love nothing more than to dispute her point; to make the dyke bitch eat her venom-delivered words, but the fact was that she was right. He was still having a tough time accepting that he had been put out to pasture after so many years of service. Admittedly, he should have done more to help instead of hinder Justin Taylor, but the young man brought much of his situation on himself. He didn’t have to flaunt his disgusting lifestyle and he sure as hell shouldn’t have shown up to the prom. Everyone knows that it’s for straight kids, not the fucking misfits of school society. He got what he deserved.

After getting settled, Mitchell turned his eyes to Lawrence. “What exactly are you doing here, Stokes? I would think you would be somewhere celebrating since you’ve gotten your wish of many years.”

“Which one is that? The one for a million dollars still hasn’t come true which is all I have been wishing for lately.”

“The one to have me removed from the board and as headmaster!”

“Oh, that one. Well, can’t say I’m saddened by your departure from those vaunted halls of education. You were the last person who should ever have been given charge over other people’s children. I would have thought you would’ve learned your lesson from the last student’s family to bring you up on charges. But no, since you are obviously a hard learner. This is the fourth time in your tenure, both as a teacher and the headmaster, that the school board had to shell out money for your bigotry. The difference between that case and this one is only about sexual orientation. The other was about the chronic violation of civil rights and denying a young black man the right to obtain an education, which his parents were paying for but he earned.”

“I am not a bigot!”

“No? So can you explain why didn’t you defend Justin Taylor when he was so obviously being bullied?” Lawrence asked. “Was it some misguided attempt at reverse-educating in which you thought to give him a real life experience solely on the basis that he’s gay? Or was it jealousy because he was receiving the education that your grassroots family couldn’t afford, causing you to have to obtain your own education in increments?”

Melanie and Shavonne sat there in shock as Lawrence basically took over the interrogation of Perkins. Each sipped their coffee watching as the school’s attorney zealously fired question after question at the hapless former headmaster.

“Isn’t it true that you knew, even when Justin Taylor entered the eleventh grade that he was being targeted by Dixon and his student cronies simply because he wouldn’t go out for the football team as his father demanded? Is it a fact, that you disbanded the art club for a time so that his one passion couldn’t be indulged, so that he would do his father’s bidding? Isn’t it also a fact that you received monetary compensation to do so while you told the faculty that the Art Club had to be defunded due to budget cuts caused by low-enrollment when that was anything but the truth? In fact, St. Mary’s and St. James schools respectively had received an influx of students, many of them African-American because of your prior actions concerning Leroy Wells, correct? As I recall, there were many scholarships given to low-income and middle-class families so that their children could also receive a first-rate education. What really happened to the money allotted for Art Club the school year before last Mr. Perkins?”

“I… well you see… Oh alright?! What you are implying is true! I did accept the bribe from Craig Taylor to shut down the Art Club during the school year last term. Mr. Taylor’s wish was that Justin find something else to do other than having his head in the clouds with that damn sketchbook. I couldn’t see anything wrong with his request.”

“Except that it didn’t stop Justin’s artistic abilities, did it?”

“Obviously not. He was still drawing on whatever he could get his hands on. Printer paper, the chalkboard… instead of taking notes in class, Justin would sit there drawing. He’d ended up in detention many times because of it.”

“And just who were the teachers who assigned Justin’s detention because he was drawing instead of taking notes?” Perkins seemed to shrink before their very eyes. “Let me guess that there was only one and I’d bet my paycheck that his name is Kevin Dixon.”  

“I didn’t say that!”

“You didn’t have to. Let’s look at the facts, shall we? Who was the coach of the football team? Kevin Dixon. Who was the only faculty that seemed to have an overt problem with Justin Taylor? Kevin Dixon. Who was the only person in the entire school that had the jocks in his back pocket and could give an order and expect to be obeyed immediately? Again, the answer is Kevin Dixon. So if it looks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it must be a duck, correct? Or is it that, in your world, the duck must become a dog?”

“What the hell are you rambling about now?” Perkins scowled.

“Just the fact that you weren’t the only person to reap financial benefit from Craig Taylor. Kevin Dixon had just as much at stake to de-sissify Justin Taylor for Mr. Taylor, didn’t he?”

“I don’t know what you are talking about!”

“Sure you do. Isn’t it true that you own a percentage in Taylor Electronics, Mr. Perkins?”

“Yes. I have stocks with that company. So what of it?”

“Are you aware that the company was transferred from Craig’s name to Justin’s two- almost- three years ago? If you own even one percent stock, you would have been informed. That’s business law 101.”

“Okay, yes I was informed. I still don’t see anything wrong with a father wanting the best for his son.”

“Ordinarily, I would say you are correct. But you and I know differently, don’t we? Since Justin would have been considered a ‘legacy’ student, because Craig Taylor also graduated from St. James Academy many years ago, it wouldn’t have looked good on the school’s history if All-American athlete Craig Taylor’s son didn’t follow in his father’s footsteps. It also wouldn’t have looked favorable if Justin didn’t go to Dartmouth as his father did before him, so that he would take over the family business. All of these things make a common goal for you, Taylor, Dixon, and Hobbs to form an alliance to change Justin’s mind about what was important in his life. But you wouldn’t make that kind of move without a well-greased palm and some assurances, would you?”

“I...I…”

“You don’t have to agree since we have the evidence in our possession. But let’s get to the affidavits from various students who witnessed your disregard, while Dixon and his minions took target practice on Justin Taylor, shall we?”

Mel interrupted from there. “I think I’d better take it from here Counselor. Shavonne, can you do what we discussed with Charles quickly?”

“Yeah, I’ll take care of it. Can’t let those skills go to waste. Come along Lawrence,” she said, standing up. They had to get him on the list as official counsel, otherwise the testimony could be challenged. And no one wanted to see that happen, except maybe the idiot being questioned.

“Mr. Perkins, I just have a few further questions. If you knew this was all coming back to bite you, why did you continue to allow these actions against Justin? Why not just come clean with your part in it? You would have possibly received a slap on the wrist, compared to what’s happening now. So what made you decide that you could get away with it all?”

Perkins closed his eyes. He knew that what she was saying was the truth but… “It was the money. I got greedy and the money… well it solved a lot of problems for me last year. I didn’t want to live without it again. What Craig Taylor paid me and Samuel Hobbs offered made my salary look like pittance. Now that I’m debt free, that money would have been mine, solely to do with as I pleased.”

“You mean the gambling debts that you incurred? They were coming after you, weren’t they? It was the Wells family who you owed the money to, wasn’t it? Leroy Wells family owns several casinos throughout the United States. You had denied him admission several times before he actually got to attend St. James Academy. Was he finally admitted to cover your gambling debt?”

“Yes, he was.”

“But Leroy was also extremely intelligent, much like Justin Taylor. In fact, the two of them became good friends, correct?”

“Yes they did and Craig Taylor didn’t like it.”

“Only Craig Taylor? Or can we include you in that as well?”

“No. I didn’t like it either. I felt that my secret would no longer be safe if they maintained a friendship.”

“So you attempted to destroy Leroy Wells and in the process make it so Craig Taylor’s wish for his son would come true?”

“Yes.”

Melanie sighed. Justin was receiving shit from all sides, especially from people who were supposed to protect him, in school and at home. She felt even worse for standing idly by while Michael harassed Justin and Lindsay used him. “No further questions, Mr. Perkins but I would strongly suggest that you seek help for your gambling addiction. Not only that, but be prepared to pay out whatever is left in your account today. Not doing so will have the cops at your door. The amount of the punitive damages from you alone is fifty grand. St. James has already settled their case and won’t be coming to your aid.”

“Oh my God! That would only leave me five-hundred dollars in my account. How am I supposed to pay my mortgage next month?”

“You should have thought of that before you tried to railroad a young man on his father’s behalf! In any event, I don’t care how you do it, but pay Justin what your negligence and disinterest has cost him. Since you will no longer be able to work in any educational environment, you need to find a job. I hear the Big Q is hiring.”

Melanie laughed at the incredulity on the old man’s face as he left her presence.    

SIDEBAR CHAPTER 5: JUSTIN HAD IT RIGHT Part 2

An hour after Perkins had exited the conference room, Shavonne, Charles, and Lawrence re-entered. Melanie had the bailiff play the tail-end of Perkins’ recorded deposition so that they were on the same page when it came to their next witness.

“So the next monkey with the too long tail is up next. How should we play this?” Shavonne asks.

“The next monkey with the too long tail? What the hell does that mean?” Mel chuckled.

“My grandmother used to say that when she’d just finished whipping ass playing Spades. Their tail- meaning their egos- were too big and she always took great pride in chopping their metaphorical asses off. I think that’s an excellent description for what we’re doing here, don’t you?”

They all laughed, agreeing that Shavonne was absolutely correct. But their humor was short-lived as a Dixon sauntered confidently into the room. Taking in his appearance, Mel thought he reminded her a little bit of Brian. The tall athletic build; the perfect brunet hair; the arrogant my-shit-don’t-stink attitude, but that’s where the similarity ended for her. Whereas she knew that Brian would never admit to having remorse for anything he’d done, she also knew that Brian had his own moral code he lived by. This man had none. And it was that realization that brought extreme pleasure in tearing him apart.

“Where should I sit? I would like to get this over with as soon as possible,” his gravelly voice filled the air.

“Hot date?” Shavonne replied, just as forthright.

“Yeah, one with my attorney. I plan to not only sue St. James for Wrongful Termination, but your client and his perverse lover for Defamation of Character as well. The way I see it, they should be the ones in here and shelling out money, not me!”

“Well that’s an interesting stance you’re taking, Mr…”

“Dixon. Kevin Dwayne Dixon, Ms…”

“Fuller. Acting District Attorney, Shavonne Fuller, Mr. Dixon, and I will be handling most of your interrogation today. Beside me are Melanie Marcus and Charles Sands, attorneys for the plaintiff, Justin Taylor, and I believe you are well acquainted with Mr. Lawrence Spokes, acting attorney for St. James, as well as a per diem prosecuting attorney with the DA’s office. In this case, he’s my personal assistant.”

“A conflict of interest for you, isn’t it Spokes?” Dixon sneered.

“No. Although a bit unusual under the circumstances, Dixon. My interest in this case by way of St. James Academy has already been fulfilled, and since there is no known exclusivity clause in my contract, your innuendo doesn’t apply. St. James Academy is not on trial here, and since you are not a member of the faculty, my presence stands.”

They all could see the anger flash across Dixon’s face as Lawrence’s verbal volley hit its target. “Be that as it may, I still think it inappropriate for you to be present.”

“And I think you’re full of shit. So we’re even.”

Dixon stared for a moment before rolling his eyes. “Can we get on with this farce?”

“As you wish, Mr. Dixon. Tell us what prompted you to target Justin Taylor,” Shavonne cut right into the question to Mel and Charles’ surprise.

“I didn’t.”

“But you did target him, didn’t you? According to Dr. Perkins testimony at the trial of Christopher Hobbs, he stated that you told him you had walked into the classroom during a confrontation between Justin Taylor and Christopher Hobbs, is that correct? And when taking attendance, when you spoke Justin Taylor’s name- or should I say sneered it like your lip is curled to do now- Christopher Hobbs yelled out ‘Queer’ in place of Justin confirming his presence, is that correct? And while Justin complained to you about the inappropriateness of the remark, you denied hearing that, but ordered Justin to the principal’s office after he said, ‘The Queer is here, the Queer is gathering his things, the Queer is leaving the room.” And after a cursory ‘That’s enough’ from you, Justin Taylor called you on your selective hearing, stuck his middle fingers up at you and said to you ‘This Queer says fuck you’.” Do I have all of the events of that afternoon’s calculus class correct, Mr. Dixon?”

He looked flustered at Shavonne’s rapid fire questions. “I don’t recall…”

“Sure you do. But I asked those questions as a warm-up to get you to focus on this one. What did Chris Hobbs get for beginning the contretemps in the first place? Was he sent to principal’s office? Did he get a phone call home? Did he get detention for being a disruption even before class began? What were his grades like that he was able to remain on the football team? And before you answer that last question, know that we have pulled Chris’ academic records from the school’s database and know that he was flunking every class, except Advanced Calculus before his grades were changed in the system. Would you care to explain how and why they were changed, Mr. Dixon?”

“I don’t understand what any of these questions have to do with the civil trial, Ms. Fuller.”

“Of course you do, but evasion and deflection of the questions will not work here. The longer you take to answer these questions, the longer it will be before you can meet with your attorney. And let me assure you, that until I release you, you won’t leave. Unless it’s by you being placed in a jail cell for contempt of court. Also be advised that you can plead the fifth, but based on prior testimony and the records from the hearing of the St. James Disciplinary Board, which have been released to us, our conclusions have already been drawn. So you might as well come clean with all of it, since you already have been ordered to pay the fifty grand to Justin Taylor. Right now, it’s just a matter of if I decide there is enough evidence to charge you as an accessory to Chris Hobbs’ crime. Truthfully there is, based on hearsay alone, and I would be happy to dig into all of your past dealings with not only Justin Taylor, but Craig Taylor, and a host of other students you’ve ‘taught’ throughout your tenure at St. James; those students who were tortured upon your whims, and those of their controlling parents by your merry band of mindless muscle, otherwise known as the football team. There isn’t a statute on any murder charges- attempted or completed, so you would do well to keep me from digging, Dixon. Consider this your plea deal. Now, answer the questions.” She narrowed her eyes at him as he swallowed hard under her watchful eyes.

Mel, Charles, and Lawrence sat there in amazement as Shavonne continued to stare Dixon down. They all marveled as his look of entitled arrogance became one of fear instead. It was then that they all knew she had the right of it and that they would finally get what they needed to bring the big dogs- the Hobbs Family- in.

“Alright. You are correct in saying that while I targeted Justin Taylor, I protected Christopher Hobbs. You have to understand though, that I owe my loyalty to Hobbs and his family.”

“Why?”

“Because we’re family. In fact, Kinney’s boss, Marty Ryder’s wife, is my aunt. She’s a Hobbs by birth. So whereas I was being paid by Craig Taylor, I was also being paid by my cousin, Samuel Hobbs. Samuel bought shares into Taylor Electronics for me, and so this was my way of paying him back.”

“Were you made aware of the transfer of ownership of Taylor Electronics to Justin Taylor about two years ago?”

“If we held shares, yes we were all made aware. That was part of the reason we needed to re-educate Justin. He’s what was called a legacy student, in fact we all are, or should I say, they are. I was from the wrong side of town, much like Kinney, until I went to Dartmouth and met Craig Taylor and Samuel Hobbs, only they didn’t really know it. My own mother was estranged from her family. So imagine my surprise when I found out that my aunt- her only sister was a Hobbs by birth, the result of an affair- and married well when she aligned with Ryder and voila, there’s my family history in a nutshell.”

“So basically you’re saying that because he was a ‘Legacy’ student, your job was to de-fag Justin Taylor?”

“In a sense, yes. But the sissy brought it upon himself. If he had just stayed in the closet and respected the rules…”

“And just what are those rules, Mr. Dixon? To be mindless, unhappy, dumb down your quality of life, due to the ideals of others?”

“Yeah. In the WASP nest, you go along to get along; it’s that simple. You do what you’re told and then what you’re expected to, otherwise you reap the consequences.”

“So Chris Hobbs taking a bat to Justin Taylor’s head was completely justified in your book? The fact that he was in a coma and stopped breathing several times was okay, because he is openly gay and flouted your society’s trumped up rules? It was okay for his locker, with all of his belongings, to be set on fire because he is gay, is that what you are saying? It was okay for you to give the orders which led to the hell Justin Taylor endured his entire high school career because he’s gay and therefore needed to be taught a lesson about where his loyalty should lie?”

“YES!! To all of it, yes! And I don’t regret any of it!”

She smiled wide, resembling a shark. Mel felt the action straight down to her toes, as did the rest of them, Dixon included. “Thank you, Mr. Dixon,” she purred. “We’re through here, but I’m afraid that your portion in this drama is just beginning.”

“What are you talking about?” he asked, his voice trembling slightly.

“You admitted to hate crimes on tape, under oath, and during this deposition. Bailiff, please be so kind as to arrest this man. Don’t forget to read him his Miranda rights.”

Shavonne walked back to the table with a self-satisfied smirk on her face. “Well, I’ll say that his monkey ass has just gotten chopped off!”  

CHAPTER 14: PROGRESS Part 2

One week later…

Brian stood by the loft door, watching Justin working at the pottery wheel. Brian couldn’t remember a time when he’d felt such contentment at viewing such a simplistic scene. He had to admit that Miguel’s idea was definitely taking shape. At first, it was a bit hairy. He had arrived home from the office several times to find a disaster area, which he had left pristine, blatant evidence of Justin’s meltdowns during the course of the day. The furniture turned over; broken glass strewn everywhere; a pottery wheel in shambles; a railing and weeping Justin shaking in the corner- all served as a reminder of how fragile Justin was, especially when he couldn’t get his hand to work.

Although Brian would be beyond pissed off, he intentionally refused to make a big deal out of it. He would simply go over to comfort Justin, making sure that the young man ate and had a shower, then took his meds and put him to sleep. After making sure that Justin was reasonably comfortable, he worked diligently to putting the loft back to rights. This was the side effect of Justin’s situation that only Jennifer had any inkling of. His fits of rage were still frequent, although they were getting incrementally better.

The major turning point in all this though was to the forefront of Brian’s mind just then, as he watched Justin. It had been through the most unlikely of occurrences that Justin had taken a major step in his recovery. It was on one of the few nights when Brian had arrived home later than expected and he had asked Ted to sit with Justin for him while he was supposed to meet with Mel to work out his next steps to extricate himself from Gardner Vance’s noose around his neck. Mel, running late herself, left him to the litany of Lindsay’s lamentations.

She spent the evening, once again, berating Brian for not spending enough time with Gus, and then turning right around to ask him for money. Mel had happened up at just the exact moment the disagreement had turned into a full-blown argument, ending with Brian telling Lindsay that until she set her own priorities in order in terms of her marriage, and figured out just who her husband is, not to speak to him because he was not it. He’d left as Mel began to question Lindsay as to why she was cornering Brian for money, since all of their finances were in order, thinking that it was time to bring Ted in on this once and for all. By the time he had arrived home, he was in a foul mood, but couldn’t risk showing that to Justin.

As he’d walked into the building and approached the door, he’d heard the tell-tale sounds of giggling- a sound that had seemed to be missing from his life of late. On any other man, he would have considered the sound the most annoying thing in the world, but when it was Justin… It was hard to hold back such lesbianic sentiments such as adorable or cute. In any event, he was happy to have the thought enter his mind, considering both of them had had so little to laugh, smile, or even giggle about as of late. The scene that greeted him actually tickled him. They were- two of the nerdiest men of Brian’s acquaintance- playfully disputing over Scrabble points. Justin accused Ted of padding points while Ted laughingly told Justin that he was mistaken. Justin had lost the game by a single point, so it made the argument more funny than contentious. Watching the two of them, Brian felt his mood lighten considerably, so much so that he planted a single kiss on the smiling lips of his young lover in front of his old friend.

Ted then excused himself, reminding Brian of the meeting with Mel and Cynthia for lunch the next day and that he had new information on the start of Kinnetik, Inc. Brian wished him a good night, pulling Justin to him before closing the door. As they settled on the couch, Justin noticed that Ted had left his wallet. Without thinking Justin grabbed it and took off like a shot hoping to catch Ted before he drove off. Brian being concerned ran after him, watching in amazement as Justin ran outside and began waving his arms. By the time Brian caught up to him, Justin was in a state of shock, finally registering what he had done.

“I think you’re ready to rejoin the world, Sunshine,” Brian whispered as he hugged him close.

After finally regaining his voice, Justin simply said, “I guess I am.”

They returned upstairs that night, arm-in-arm and called Ted, who said that he would come back for it since he hadn’t gotten very far. They had resolved not to tell anyone just yet, holding their secret close until Justin was fully confident that it wasn’t a fluke. From that night, under the cover of darkness, Brian and Justin began to take walks around the block no matter the weather.

“Brian! You’re home!” Justin jumped up from his place at the pottery wheel, having looked up after finishing.

“So I am. How goes the great sculpting project today?” He leaned over to kiss Justin in greeting, staring into the sparkling pools of blue. He was gratified to see something he hadn’t seen from the younger man in such a long time. Accomplishment.

“Better today than yesterday but not as good as tomorrow,” Justin answered, in what had become their personal mantra with each other.

“So I see. What are you making?”

“A frame.”

“A frame?” Brian asked, puzzled why Justin felt it was a significant thing to do.

“I had my appointment with Miguel and Nicole today.”

“I know. How’d it go?” The apprehension of the answer suddenly assailed Brian’s body.

“Next week, we work on me holding a pencil again.” Justin’s bright smile said all that Brian was feeling at that moment. It was a major accomplishment and meant that the muscles of Justin’s hand were making a comeback.

Brian couldn’t contain the proud feelings within himself. He was so happy for Justin. The young man- through all the ups and plenty of downs- had set his mind to working hard. Sure there were many days when he was all ready to give up the fight, but Brian wouldn’t let him. And more importantly, Justin wouldn’t let himself let the naysayers be right. He’d told Brian that the person most in the forefront of his mind wasn’t Chris Hobbs, but instead it was his biggest detractor, Craig Taylor. They were already kicking his ass along with his cronies, who had set out to make Justin’s life a living hell. It was time for Justin to get back to the business of living. It helped that his Uncle George had made it his business to keep Justin informed of all the things happening within the WASP nest. This made Justin even more determined to stare down his enemies. Brian was just happy to see Justin’s fighting spirit returning.

“Are you ready for our evening walk, then?”

“Sure. Let me clean up and you change clothes. Then we can go.”

“Good, although I thought we might try a little something different tonight.”

“Oh?”

“Now hear me out before you say no, okay?”

Justin looked at him with a nervous gaze, but agreed anyway. “Okay. I trust you, Brian.”

Brian felt his heart melt just a little bit more at Justin’s pronouncement. Shaking his head and clearing his throat, he said, “Okay. So let’s get ready and when we’re on our way, I’ll tell you what I planned. Sound good?”

They set about their various ablutions and after about a half hour, walked out of the loft. They talked about inconsequential things and the one big thing of what was going on at Vanguard. Justin didn’t like what he was hearing in the least, but still listened attentively, asking questions that Brian answered or hadn’t even thought about. That was what he admired most about Justin. The young man always made Brian look at a situation from all angles both good and bad.

“So until I can work with Kinnetik, who are you going to get to run the art department?”

“I was going to bring Murphy over but…”

“You’re afraid he would bump heads with me, an unknown and someone who basically is brain-damaged.”

“You’re not brain-damaged, Justin.”

“Yes, I am. I’ve accepted it, but I’m also learning how to work around it. I don’t see life and art the same way anymore but so what, right? I’m still…”

“Better today than yesterday but not as good as tomorrow, I know. So that said, until you’re ready to draw again, how would you feel about being the Art Director but more in a consultant capacity at first? The bottom line is that you know me best when it comes to my work. You’ve walked and talked me through numerous ideas in the past and I trust your judgement to know exactly how I want things done and how they should look. I can’t say that about just anyone. Cynthia and I can set up interviews with potential artists, but you via Skype can have your say as well. Both she and I agree that this is also a step to get you moving back into the right direction of your life and will help fulfill you. That’s what we, as your family, want for you; to give you a sense of major accomplishment beyond just holding a pencil.

“Brian…”

“If you’re about to tell me that you can’t do it for some bogus reason such as self-doubt I will feel compelled to remind you of what happened last night.”

Justin didn’t need the reminder of how he had made Brian cum using just his injured hand. Brian had cuffed his left hand to the hook at the top of the bed, making it impossible to move it. Then instructing him with soft words, phrases and grunting prompts, Brian told Justin what to do to please him. Justin had struggled for a time, but at last understood what Brian was trying to teach him… to let his hand guide him until such time as his brain could take control of the extremity again. If his right hand wanted to stray left, let it. If it wanted to be heavy-handed and clumsy for a time, allow it to be. Brian’s method of hand-therapy took the pressure to always ‘get it right’ off of Justin and helped him to just go with the flow. The lesson was greatly rewarded with mutual orgasms and the culmination of Justin plowing Brian’s ass so that the older man had to sit on a cushion for the better part of the morning.

“Okay, I see your point. We’ll try it your way, but if it doesn’t work or is not up to par…”

“It will work. I refuse to accept any other outcome, Sunshine. Besides, I don’t have bad ideas.”

Justin giggled at Brian’s self-assurance. His deepest wish was that he would be able to once again match Brian in arrogance. He missed that part of himself most of all. His inherent self-confidence had made him pursue Brian without thought or reservation. He wanted to be that sure of himself again.

Arriving at the park, Justin was surprised to see a few familiar faces. Daphne squealed when she saw him, causing Emmett, Mel, Cynthia, Uncle George, Vic, Jennifer, and Ted to turn and look as well. Mel lifted Gus out of his stroller and set the near toddler on her hip.

“Dus!” he squealed, as Mel whispered in his ear.

Brian looked down at the young man beside him, who was smiling through his tears. “I thought that we could let a few people know that your were making progress, Sunshine. I hope you don’t mind.”

“No not at all. Thank you, Brian.”

“My pleasure, Sunshine.”

CHAPTER 15: WORDS VERSUS ACTIONS

Two weeks later…

Mel was in her office when she received a surprise visitor. Emmett stood in her doorway, watching the feisty attorney at work.  

“No Harrison, I’m not in the mood to deal. Craig Taylor deserves everything that he’s getting! I understand that Taylor Electronics was his livelihood, but he should have thought of that before he decided to put it in his son’s name. Well, tell me this… is he able-bodied and of sound mind? Well, then there you go. There’s plenty he’s able to do. I hear the Big Q is hiring. Tell him to seek employment there!”

Emmett stifled a chuckle as she hung up the phone. “I take the resident ‘Boys Club’ attorney felt he had to try to play on your soft-hearted, feminine sensibilities?”

“Yeah, and he just learned a valuable lesson. I don’t have any.”

“I wouldn’t say that. Only that they are aimed in a direction which is opposite of what the powers-that-be want.”

“Same goes for the powers that ain’t, although they love to believe in the opposite. But I know that you’re not here to talk about them, so what’s up, Em? How’s Justin today?”

“Definitely can’t put anything over on you, Mel. It’s not so much about how he is today, per se, but… Look, I know I’m not Big Bad and all, but I want- no I need- some assurances that he will be alright. These past few weeks, beginning with him doing what we all thought would never be possible again…”

“I know. I was so fucking proud of him for taking that step. And although I’ll never admit to him, I was proud of Brian. Getting Justin to leave the loft, even if just for a few minutes…”

“Did I hear right? Justin left the loft?” Mel and Emmett gasped as Lindsay invited herself into the office and into their conversation. “So, he’s once more joining the land of the living?”

“Lindsay…” Emmett began only to be cut off by Melanie.

“Lindsay, if this is some new bullshit that you are thinking up, I would suggests that you can it right now! Besides, once again, you are out and about without Gus. So where is he today, and why aren’t you with him?”

Lindsay frowned at Melanie’s question and the deliberate disregard of her own. It was fucking ridiculous that they all have been keeping her out of the loop where Justin’s condition was concerned. “I only asked because I was on my way to meet Adrienne Bennett. Her show is next week and I thought that I might ask you along to see her, Mel. But now that I hear Justin is out and about again, it might encourage him to see her, too.”

“I’m so sure that he was to the forefront of your mind in asking,” Emmett said, his voice laced with unhidden sarcasm. He didn’t believe her sudden altruism any more than he would believe Michael’s, only the latter would be more honest. Based on past experiences regarding her treatment of Justin, Emmett would never trust Lindsay or her motives again.

She waved her hand. “Oh Emmett, I really do care about Justin, contrary to what you think. Admittedly, I was wrong before to follow Michael’s lead…”

“Hm-mm…”

“...but I’m trying to make up for that. I know that he has to have suffered the most horrible blow to his ego and his dreams by having his hand affected. My friend Adrienne was in a similar situation not too long ago. She’s a quadriplegic but she still managed to pick herself up and paint again. I just thought that Justin would benefit from speaking with her, that’s all.”

“And just how long have you had that thought?” Mel asked her. Mel, too was skeptical of Lindsay.

“Well, just now, really. But honestly, if you had shared with me that Justin was leaving the loft daily, I would have suggested it long ago.”

Emmett narrowed his eyes. “And just how do you know that Justin has been leaving the loft daily, Lindsay? Neither Mel nor I have mentioned that fact.”

“I… well I would assume that he would have been, since he’s scheduled to appear in court tomorrow.” She refused to acknowledge that since the night Mel came home with Gus in tow, she’d been suspicious and thought that she was secretly taking her son to visit Brian and Justin and had been watching the building ever since.

When she first saw the two men leaving to walk around under the cover of darkness, she was tempted to make another appearance inside the loft. Instead, she’d gone to Brian’s office, intent on confronting him about his and Justin’s nocturnal activities. But when she entered the building and demanded to speak with Brian, she was denied access and advised to call to make an appointment with his secretary. She had not realized that the company had changed from Ryder to Vanguard and that the rules with which she’d operated all the time, were now defunct. She wondered if Michael knew.

“And just how do you know that, Lindsay? I’ve made it a point to keep you away from anything involving the case, especially after you and Michael pulled the shit at the loft where you harassed and bullied Justin to the point where Michael got smacked down. Let’s not even mention the call to good old daddy that didn’t yield the results you were hoping for,” Mel sneered.

“Wha- how… How do you know about that?! Have you been spying on me?!”

“No need for that since your father was kind enough to tell Jennifer that he wasn’t going to help you sabotage her son. Well, it was more like she threatened him and Nancy and they agreed that they wouldn’t help you fuck over Justin. It’s amazing what happens when a more powerful WASP gets an itch in her stinger and decides to jab it into a couple of wannabes, isn’t it?”

“But Mel, I promise this offer to take Justin to see Adrienne is genuine. I’ve thought about it and I don’t know what I would be like if someone took away my ability to at least see art, let alone paint it…” Emmett’s guffaw was covered immediately by a fake cough, which had Lindsay rolling her eyes before continuing. “I know that I haven’t been the most supportive lately…”

“Understated much, Lindz?” Emmett said. “You’ve been a fucking shrew! A wrong, selfish, self-absorbed shrew! Let’s just call your affliction what it really was and I believe it still is… JEALOUSY! But what are you really jealous of, Lindz? That Justin had enormous talent before this and will again? Or that Brian is taking care of Justin in the way a partner does and not just that of a guilt-ridden friend? You know what? You need to do some serious soul-searching to answer that question, but based on tomorrow if Justin agrees to go and see this friend of yours, rest assured that you won’t be left alone with him. You’ve already proven you can’t be trusted. Mel, we’ll speak later. Call me, Honey,” Emmett said as he picked up his jacket and exited the office.

“What the hell is his problem?!” Lindsay demanded with trembling lips as the tall queen sashayed away. Her eyes filled with tears, that were being so obviously ignored by her partner.

“That you even have to ask that proves everything Emmett has just said. Lindsay, give Adrienne my regards, if that’s where you’re going. I have work to do,” Mel said as she pulled the file for Jennifer Taylor from the inbox on top of her desk.

Noting that she was dismissed in favor of Mel’s work, yet again, Lindsay departed the office. Nothing was going as she planned it. Mel was supposed to think her idea ingenious and call Brian immediately to allow her to present it to him. She hadn’t been able to reach him by phone for weeks, but Mel had been speaking to him or seeing him daily. It was not a situation that she could tolerate much longer. The reintroduction of Justin into the art world, showing him that if he still wanted to be an artist he could, was supposed to be her good deed. But that bitchy queen and her butchy partner were taking it out of her hands! She needed to rethink her plan, and quickly. I guess the best thing to do will be to wait and see how tomorrow goes before formulating another plan. Fuck! I hate waiting, but in this case it’s a necessary evil.

As she passed through the lobby, Lindsay noticed a woman regarding her who looked very familiar to her. The woman was staring at her in a mixture of amusement and disgust. She was tempted to run over and ask her what her problem was but decided that it wasn’t in her best interests to piss Mel off further within the office. So pasting a smile on her face and flipping her hair, Lindsay exited the office business to the sound of chuckling behind her.

Shavonne watched Mel’s partner exit the building, shaking her head. She would never understand how her ex-girlfriend had ever found that uppity, hard-faced bitch attractive. Some things just defy all reason! Shrugging dismissively, she headed through the double doors to invite Mel to a late lunch so that they could nail down a list of questions to rattle a few cages tomorrow. Craig Taylor and Chris Hobbs were not going to find the questions easy to avoid or dismiss, if she had anything to say about it.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Emmett stormed into the Diner moments after leaving Mel’s office. He was about three seconds away from decking Lindsay. It was really the only time he wished he was a woman so he wouldn’t be seen as such a gentleman.

“My Aunt Lula would flay me alive if she knew I was thinking like that,” he muttered as he took his seat at the back booth.

“Kinky, Em,” Ted said as he watched his best friend sit down. “What crawled in your thong?”

“Fucking Lindsay! Ugh! She just gets under my skin!”

“I know, Em. How is Justin doing?”

“Oh, Teddy. I haven’t seen him yet today but I’m really worried…”

“About tomorrow, I know. It’s not that we don’t believe in him, it’s just so much is riding on his ability to…”

“What’s going on with Sunshine tomorrow?” Deb asked, bringing coffee for the two men.

“He has to appear at the Civil Depositions. He’s going to be in the same building as the assholes that caused all this,” Ted said. “We’re just hoping that Justin holds up under the pressure.”

“Well of course he will! Sunshine never runs from a fight!” Deb asserts.

There was a chorus of ‘yes’ and ‘yeahs’ in the background. Everyone who knew Justin was cheering for him to pull through, except a certain few. But then everyone knew that the naysayers were those who were still being rejected by Brian Kinney, and felt that with the twink out of the way, they stood a chance. Ironically, leading the charge of ‘Dump Justin’ was none other than Michael Novotny, a former and current unfuckable amongst the Avenue, and now not even a friendable.

“He’s making progress, Deb,” Em said, sipping his coffee and smiling. “But I have a feeling it’s Big Bad that’s pushing him. Not in words, but in actions. The one thing people never got was how Justin was able to keep Brian enthralled, not the other way around. Although that’s true, too...”

“It was that bubble ass of his. Being young and virtually untouched sure did have its advantages for Boy Wonder, didn’t it?” a new snickering voice entered the conversation… one that was particularly unwelcome.

“Deb, I have to go before I actually use my fists in a completely nonsexual way. Whereas it would bring me immense satisfaction, I doubt it would be the same for the walking asshole currently speaking,” Emmett said through gritted teeth.

“Aww, come on, Emmett. I was only playing around,” Michael whined.

“No, you weren’t! Here’s a fucking tip: if you tell a joke and you’re the only moron laughing, guess what?! IT AIN’T FUNNY! Oh my God, I’ve gotta get the hell out of here before I end up in handcuffs and not in a positive life-affirming way! Teddy, I...”

“Hold on a second, Em. I really need to ask idiot-man something… Michael, were you just playing around when you said that bullshit in Portland, or to Howard Bedwetter? Or was it when you and Lindsay decided to bully Justin into doing your bitchy bidding? Or…”

“Oh come on, Ted. Let it go already! He was fine!” Michael yelled, deliberately negating Ted’s accusations about his interviews, which ultimately resulted in his return to Pittsburgh and the current estrangement from his guys. They would put it behind them eventually and get back to normal; they had to! But it would only be after they stopped concentrating on Justin!

“Oh yeah? How’s the side of your head? Getting punched in it still didn’t give you any fucking sense, huh? You know what... don’t answer that. Maybe someday I’ll be able to forgive you, Michael, but don’t count on it happening anytime soon. Deb, Em and I will speak with you later, when it’s not so crowded around you.”

“Come on, guys! You can’t be serious!” Michael screeched.

“Fuck off, Michael!” Emmett and Ted shouted back before exiting the eatery.

“Could you believe those two, M-... OW! What the fuck was that for?!”

“For not thinking before you speak; for not knowing when to shut up or apologize; for…”

“I get the fucking point!”

“Do you? Do you really? Because I really don’t think you do, Michael!”

“What’s that supposed to mean? I’ve lost my best friends because of this bullshit!”

“No, you’ve lost your friends because of your inability to not talk shit about things you don’t know, and because you’re a selfish little asshole!” Vic said, having heard enough of Michael’s litany. Deb, nor his nephew, had seen him enter on the heels of Ted and Emmett’s departure. He had intended for it to remain that way, but with Deb finally and publicly correcting her offspring’s odious behavior, he couldn’t not chime in on behalf of all of Liberty Avenue. “Michael, it’s time that you grew up and accepted the consequences of your actions. The guys may or may not want to speak to you again, but you will give them that time to decide for themselves. What you did was more than make a few ill-placed comments; you destroyed their trusts. And you need to learn to live with it!”

Deb wanted nothing more than to coddle Michael, based on the crestfallen look on his face, but she knew if she did, Michael would take advantage of it. As much as it hurt her to admit, Vic was right. If Michael was ever going to learn and grow from this experience, it had to begin now. She would just have to continue to live her life and watch him suffer silently. Lord knows Justin had, even though she and the others were well aware of Michael’s constant pettiness towards the young blond. She sighed. Looks like I’ll be doing some fucking growing of my own… and it’s going to be a real PAIN to do so!   

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Brian walked into the loft to find it empty. He looked around the shambled place and closed his eyes, knowing exactly what happened and what had triggered Justin’s latest episode. Having the camera installed inside the common area of the loft had been a genius idea, not only because of the former intrusion of Michael and Lindsay- he could never be sure when they would show up again, even if they no longer had keys- but because he could look in on Justin whenever he was back at his desk.

After Miguel and Nicole had left, Justin had gone to take a nap. The therapy sessions had been going well. Justin was still frustrated with his hand at times, but was still making progress. Today had been no different. First, Miguel had Justin work on the pottery wheel while having his session with Nicole. Brian watched the tension enter Justin’s body whenever Nicole would ask something that Justin didn’t want to talk about but needed to anyway. It was at those moments when Justin’s hand would spasm and he’d mess up the new creation he’d been working so diligently on. It was hard for Brian to watch and not be able to do anything to protect Justin from his feelings. He understood a little of what Justin was feeling since both of them were overachievers by nature, but Brian had to acknowledge that if Justin was going to heal, this was a necessary evil.

Then, Miguel had moved into the phase where Justin would hold his fingers in the tripod formation, trying it with a pencil every fifteen minutes. Justin was making vast improvements in that area, while Nicole worked on sequencing exercises using mnemonics with him. For the most part, having both therapies at the same time was helping, since it was restoring Justin’s confidence in his ability to multitask again. There were days in the past few weeks when the sense of accomplishment was strong with Justin, but then there were days like today.

Brian hurriedly changed clothes and made his way where he knew Justin would likely be. Their rooftop oasis was definitely one of the best ideas Brian had ever had. More days than not, he found Justin up there, listening to music and daydreaming. One thing was for certain, Justin wasn’t giving up. He often just needed time to regroup and rethink a strategy; to redefine his definition of success. This was the place for him to do that, as it was for Brian.

Alighting on the landing, he spotted Justin on the chaise lounge, a blanket draped carelessly over his affected hand. He looked small in comparison to the oversized piece of furniture. Brian knew exactly what was bothering him, but decided to make Justin speak of it anyway. Crossing over to where the young blond was seated, staring out into the vastness of the river, Brian cleared his throat. “So Sunshine, want to tell me what’s turned you so stormy today?”

At first, Brian didn’t think he was going to receive an answer, as he sat down in the chaise beside him. It wasn’t an uncommon occurrence for Justin to take his time about answering Brian, clearly using the sequencing exercises Nicole taught him. But Brian could see that it wasn’t the case this time. Justin was debating with himself about whether to answer. Brian noted the sudden rigidity of the young man’s formerly relaxed posture, the sudden gripping of the blanket covering his right hand. Reaching out, Brian untangled the cloth, entwining their fingers instead. Finally after untold minutes, he could tell the second Justin came to a decision.

“To be honest, it’s about tomorrow.”

Brian nodded his head. “You’re nervous, that’s to be expected.”

“Not only nervous,” Justin said softly.

“Angry?”

“Beyond that. I couldn’t stop the fear nor the rage, Brian, when I woke up from yet another nightmare. I felt so out of control. I needed to destroy…” Justin’s words trailed off as tears formed in his eyes. “God, I hate this! I hate…”

“What? What is it that you hate, Justin?” Brian asked the question, even as he feared the answer.

“Me. I hate how I am now really the scared little faggot my d...Craig, called me. I hate that I have been reduced to a shell of who or whatever-the-fuck I was before this all happened. I don’t… I don’t like me anymore. Why couldn’t he just have killed me? Why didn’t you let him? It would have been better than living in this… this PRISON of a body; better than this PRISON of my mind that can’t remember why I was bashed in the first place! This…”

Brian held him as Justin beat against his chest, before going limp with tears. Brian couldn’t begin to understand the anguish of not knowing who he is, but he could understand wholeheartedly the feeling of being trapped. Brian had felt the feelings of powerlessness every single time Jack Kinney had raised his hand to him; every single time Joan raised her hand and preached to Brian that he wasn’t worth the air he breathed; every single time ‘the family’ denigrated him for some supposed slight or another, and every single time he couldn’t help the man he held right now. He understood, better than anyone else, the trappings of a life half-lived, a life where the real you becomes lost in a world not of your own making- one where everyone else’s thoughts, idealistic dreams and opinions consistently drown out your own.

“Listen to me, Justin. Are you listening?” At Justin’s nod of affirmation, Brian spoke again. “You are worth so much more than all the Craigs and Hobbs of this world. Do you know why? It’s because of your strength of will and character. It’s because you don’t give up the things you want or rest on your laurels before reaching your goals. You are always striving to be better, to do better, to outdo even your own expectations. And you’ll get there, Justin, I swear you will!

"Now, I want you to relax. I know that I can’t go in there with you tomorrow, but I’ll still be there with you. You will be safe there. Mel will be there and so will Emmett and Daphne. Ted has even taken off from work to be with you. You will not be alone. They can’t touch you. They can’t harm you. But Justin, you have to fight them with the only weapons left to you right now. That’s your drive for justice on your own behalf and your willingness to do whatever it takes to succeed. Don’t give them the power to make you powerless. Don’t give them the satisfaction of seeing you broken, because guess what? You’re not! You’re being reformed and remade, that’s all! You’re stronger and wiser and so much more than you give yourself credit for. You’re going to be a self-made man. They can’t say the same, now can they?”

He watched the effects of his words carefully as they entered Justin’s psyche. Yes, there was so much more to Justin Taylor than even he knew. He’d seen the glimpse of the young man he’d first met, the one who wouldn’t give up on his quest to make Brian Kinney care about him; the one who was determined that the older, more experienced brunet would remember his name whereas he’d never do that for any other trick. Justin reached up and gripped the back of Brian’s head with his left hand, bringing their lips together in a kiss. And as Brian opened his mouth to Justin’s sensual assault, he was very glad that he was able to restore Justin in this small way.

Justin broke the kiss as suddenly as it began. Staring into Brian’s eyes, Justin uttered the words Brian had longed to hear. “I want you inside me.”

Brian looked into Justin’s eyes, shock and a touch of disbelief in the hazel orbs. “Say that again.”

“You heard me right, Brian. I want you inside me. Please?” Justin said that last breathlessly, his hope that Brian wouldn’t turn him away evident with the slight exhale of breath Brian felt ripple through him.

“You’re sure?”

Justin nodded. “Yeah. I need this. I need you.”

Brian kissed Justin again, their lips meeting tentatively at first and then with more passion. “You wanna…”

“Here. Right here, Brian. Don’t give me a chance to think. I trust you.”

It was Brian’s turn to nod as he rose up from the lounge, bringing Justin with him. Still looking at the young man, he bent down, finding a button on the side of the furniture. Pressing it firmly, he watched Justin’s eyes open a little wider when the head of the lounge descended to form a full-sized bed. He noted the smile of wonder on the younger man’s face.

“How come you never showed me that before?”

“Given our height difference, and the fact that whenever you topped me face to face it was always in bed, there was never a reason to. But now just seemed like the right time.” Brian hooked his arm around Justin’s hips, looking into his eyes once more. He saw a bit of trepidation, but also hope. He just needed to be sure. “We don’t have to do this, Sunshine. Not if you aren’t ready to be mine in that way again.”

Justin licked his lips, trying to find the words to make Brian understand just what he wanted. After a slight hesitation, Justin decided to express himself in a way that would show Brian what he couldn’t find the words to say. Stepping out of Brian’s light embrace, Justin divested himself of the light tee shirt and sweatpants he was wearing. He was gratified to hear Brian’s breath catch at the sight of his nudity. It had been so long since he’d stood in front of Brian unabashed.

Sure, when Brian helped him in the shower, he was naked, but there wasn’t any prolonged time beyond that. Now, as he stood there, Justin realized how much he missed Brian’s unguarded reaction whenever he stood naked before him. Justin smiled and climbed onto the bed after Brian added more pillows, and shifted the glass partitions closed to keep the noise from outside out. That small act gave Justin a feeling of being cocooned, but in a good way. The stars were just beginning to show up above as the sky turned from dusk to darkness right before for his eyes.

Switching on a replica of the blue lights within the loft, Brian gave Justin a much needed sense of familiarity while embarking upon this new phase, and reestablishing themselves as lovers. Making himself more comfortable and willing his body to calm down its nervousness, he watched in satisfaction and anticipation as Brian shed his own clothes. Justin had always loved Brian’s body. From his auburn hair, to his slightly imperfect facial features, to the trim body with his athletic build and his sexy-as-all-hell feet, everything on Brian was just absolutely appealing to him. But it was more than that… the way Brian spoke frankly to him, the way he held him, the way he never doubted Justin’s abilities, the way he believed in Justin… it all made Justin want to explore all of his ‘new’ firsts with the most enigmatic man of his acquaintance.

It was true that Justin couldn’t remember all of who he was before the incident, but with the way Brian spoke about him, that Justin was someone he wanted to get to know again; this was the first step.

Brian situated himself next to Justin on the bed. At first, he just looked at him, taking in the beauty that he remembered from that first night with the unblemished skin with fine downy-soft hair gracing the deceptively long and muscular limbs, the clear blue eyes under the mop of shining blond hair. But it was the intelligence that Brian could sense beneath the surface that had kept him enthralled; the sense of adventure and boldness which radiated off of the younger man in waves that had kept his interests. Sure, Justin was nervous, but the young man he knew never let on just how much. It was also the gift of his blind trust which Justin had given Brian that long-ago first night. Justin trusted Brian with everything he had within him. He would not destroy that now.

With that thought in mind, Brian lowered his head and kissed the upturned lips, weighing their fullness and tasting the sweet breath beneath the hint of a recently-smoked menthol cigarette. It was funny that it was the one habit from Justin-of-old that the younger man couldn’t seem to give up. He’d never forget the day when Justin had asked him for one, citing that he didn’t know why but he needed it more than his next breath of air. Brian had obliged and was struck by the pleasure on Justin’s face. Yes, it was a bad habit, especially in one so young, but during these trying few weeks since Justin alighted from the hospital, a very necessary one.   

Brian began to kiss his way down Justin’s body, relearning what made the young man beneath him gasp and wiggle to get closer. One of the things he’d always appreciated about Justin was how responsive he was. He never had to guess what pleased him; it was never a game of push and pull, the way it was with the tricks. He was always so honest, so open in his emotions that it was a refreshing change for the jaded man. And he secretly hoped that it would never change.

Slowly going along, so as to not scare Justin, Brian shifted his weight, gently pushing Justin onto his side. He knew Justin still had problems with people, even him, being behind him. As Brian proceeded to plant soft kisses on the unblemished skin of Justin’s back, he crooned softly to him.

“Relax, Justin. It’s just us here and you know me. I’m not going to hurt you. Let me worship you.” He was gratified as his words yielded the desired results. The only sound in their sanctuary were the soft sounds of affirmation Justin began to make, letting Brian know of his enjoyment and trust.

Brian continued to take his time even as he felt the shift of need within Justin was making itself known. He didn’t want to rush. What Justin was offering him was so much more than just the reclaiming of his body. He was giving Brian the most precious part of himself; the same undefinable something that had Brian unable to stay away. That thought almost brought tears to Brian’s eyes as he continued in his quest to make Justin feel whole again. Unfurling his tongue, Brian made the first tentative touch to the quivering hole winking at him. He smiled as he felt the tremor race through Justin’s body. It had been so long since Justin would let him please him in this way that Brian craved the taste. It took all of his self-control and finesse not to dive right in and make a meal of the man in front of him. For untold minutes, Brian feasted, his sense relearning and remembering everything that would have Justin begging for release.

“Brian, please…” Justin panted out, more than a whisper, but not quite the way he used to command Brian to fuck him. He missed his bossy bottom in more ways than he cared to admit.

“A little more, Jus. I want you to need it, not just want it. I want to be the only thought in your head, not why we are finally here at this time, in this place. I want the Justin who craved my dick; the Justin, who begged to be fucked; I want the man, who always wanted me beyond reason back. Can you give that to me, Justin? This is about so much more than resurrecting your body from its long recess, it’s about restoring your mind, about remembering how resilient you are.”

Instead of waiting for Justin to answer, Brian crawled up the back of Justin’s body and buried his hand into the soft blond hair, forcing Justin to look at him. What he saw there was a mixture of understanding, a frisson of fear, and lust. He knew the fear was not necessarily directed towards him. If it was, Justin would have stopped him long since, like that long ago night before the afternoon Brian had given himself to the blond. No, the fear was directed towards Justin himself.

“What if… What…” Justin said even as Brian smiled reassuringly.

“Don’t worry about your performance, Justin. You’ve never disappointed in that arena.” Brian leaned down again to join their lips together, delighting in the easiness that had come over Justin with his words. It was a bit freeing to realize that just as Justin held power over him, he held Justin by the same invisible thrall collar.

Brian reached beneath the bed to the draw and pulled it open, never releasing Justin’s lips. Deftly pulling out the supplies, Brian opened the top on the small bottle of lube. Coating his fingers lightly, he began to apply them to Justin’s hole, stopping at the initial tensing of Justin’s spine. Brian urged him again to relax and to remember who he was with. Those words caused a small smile to appear on Justin’s lips, before resuming their place moving under Brian’s.

At the first breach of a solitary finger, Justin released a gasp and then sigh of relief. Encouraged, Brian began to move and rotate the lone digit into the depths of Justin. After a slow, but steady rhythm had been established, Brian added a second and then third finger. Brian took care to press the bundle of nerves within the young man that was sure to bring him a paroxysms of pleasure. Before long, the litany Brian longed to hear fell from his lover’s lips.

“Please, Brian. I’m… I’m ready, please… I can’t… Please, Brian…”

Brian smiled against the side of Justin’s face. Removing his questing fingers, Brian splayed the hand across Justin’s midsection, his other still cradling and protecting Justin’s head. Moving his hand along the turgid flesh of Justin’s cock, Brian gave it a slight squeeze, causing Justin to shiver. Brian took that moment to to press his lips to the throbbing pulse of Justin’s carotid artery, not for the first time happy to see the pulse so strong. He’d never forget how touch-and-go it was until Justin came out of the surgeries when the bashing first happened. To not have the blond breathing and full of life…

Determined to banish that particular image from his mind, Brian bit down softly in the throbbing vein eliciting a gasp from the squirming man in front of him. He knew just what that particular action always did to Justin.

“Stop…”

“Stop what? This?” Brian asked as his bit Justin’s neck again and then sucked hard on the supple skin.

Justin moaned. “Stop holding back and fuck me, Brian!”

And that was the permission Brian was waiting for! Not wasting another moment, Brian lifted Justin’s leg, positioning his muscled thigh beneath. Shifting his weight to rest mostly on his elbow, he rolled the condom down his length, adding a copious amount of lube. He acknowledged that it had been awhile for Justin and although the younger man knew what to expect, he still didn’t want to cause undue discomfort. Successfully stilling the trembling of his own limbs- partially from the effort of holding himself steady and the other from his skyrocketing arousal- Brian entered his own version of the paradise he had missed beyond words.

He stopped abruptly, hearing the sharp intake of Justin’s breath. It was taking every single ounce of willpower he had not to pounce. Instead, he kept himself in check, proceeding and pausing in increments to allow Justin’s body to adjust and adjoin with his own at will. If Justin had decided to stop all progress at this moment, he might die, but he would accept the decision. There was no other feeling that Brian had ever had in his vast experience that could compare to being inside of the heat of Justin Taylor. He was thankful when Justin no longer wanted to go slow, but impaled himself down fully on Brian’s dick. The whoosh of air left both of them as they laid there, absorbing the enormity of the moment.  

Justin pushed back and tapped Brian’s thigh to indicate that he was more than ready to proceed. Brian pulled back, then moved slowly back into the clenching hole. The soothing, easy motion of push and pull went on for untold minutes amid a chorus of mutual groans and sighs, until Justin rotated his hips, grinding against Brian in a way that at once was familiar and new all at the same time. Not being able to control his baser instinct, Brian met the next series of movements forcefully, pulling grunts from Justin.

“Oh my… God, how did I last from this feeling for so fucking long?!” Justin shouted.

“So good…. so go-” the rest of Brian’s sentence trailed off as Justin clenched and released him repeatedly upon his ascension and descension into his depths. “Do that again and I’m not going to last, Sunshine.”

“I- I don’t want you to last, Bri. Give me all you’ve got and then give me fucking more! Please,” he said, his breath trapping inside of his lungs on every pass of his prostate.

Brian shifted Justin’s leg higher on his hip and then redoubled his efforts to bring them both to bliss. Justin grabbed Brian's hair near the roots, using it as leverage to seal their lips together, stealing Brian’s breath and exchanging it with his own. His tongue danced inside Brian’s mouth the way Brian’s cock was dancing inside him. Finally when he could bear no more, Justin came with a loud cry, tears slipping unbidden from his eyes. His body shook and trembled with both emotion and the climax that rocked his world. Although he had loved being inside Brian, and loved Brian for letting him make love to him on numerous occasions, Justin missed the feeling of belonging to Brian in this way. He missed the feeling of Brian inside him, on top of him, surrounding him, shielding him… he missed being made love to, or of being fucked to within an inch of breath. The smile that graced his lips as he heard Brian finding his own nirvana within his body was unparalleled to any he had ever given before. And with it, any last remnant of fear Justin had felt in that moment, was burned away, never to return.

Brian withdrew from Justin, discarding of the condom, but still holding the quivering young man close. Never had Brian imagined that he would ever feel both torn apart and whole at the same time. He felt as if he and Justin had reached some sort of unspoken understanding, but wasn’t sure what it meant. However, he was certain of one thing: if he was a man who lived in regrets, he still wouldn’t regret the moment they just shared. He hated the circumstances that made it come to be, but he couldn’t find fault in any of the results. If his dick hadn’t just been inside of Justin, he might have reached down to check for it, but when he looked over and saw the tears of joy and the smile of freedom gracing Justin’s face… well, fuck his moment of lesbianic thought. He could live with it.   

SIDEBAR CHAPTER 6: PRELUDE TO A DISS

Charles Sands was stunned. “What do you mean our room was moved?” he asked over the phone. He was about to leave for the courthouse having stopped by the office to gather some necessary financial records in the case of Justin Taylor. He listened carefully to all of the information being given by the Court Clerk in charge of today’s proceedings. “Will we still be…” He breathed a sigh of relief when the affirmative answer came through the line. “Right, I’ll let the others know.” He hung up the phone and sat back in his chair, which is how Melanie, Shavonne, and Lawrence Spokes found him.

“Problem? I expected to find you beating us to the door,” Melanie asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Depends on how you define the word problem.”

“Have the idiots on the chopping block today cancelled?”

“No. They are so convinced they are right that I doubt very seriously that even when we arrive, they would have seen fit to cancel. Also since you weren’t willing to give an inch in regards to Craig Taylor, I’m sure he’ll arrive just to exact his pound of flesh from his eldest offspring yet again.”

“Okay, so then what’s the problem?” Shavonne asked just before taking a sip of her coffee.

“The courtroom assignment has been moved…”

“But there isn’t another conference room at this location which is big enough to hold all of us plus the bailiff and the defendants!”

“I know and that was my argument, but…”

“Will you just get on with it, Charles? It’s too early in the morning for angst and drama,” Lawrence said, already bored with the conversation. He was ready to confront Samuel Hobbs for so many reasons, the least of which about him paying off the former Headmaster and various members of the school board. He was never so glad in his life that he hadn’t signed a confidentiality clause with St. James Academy; which would have prevented him from working with the acting D.A. and attorneys for the plaintiff in this case. Having met Justin Taylor and Brian Kinney, he couldn’t understand why there were people who thought it their right to destroy the two men.

“Fine. Here is what I know so far. We are being moved to Courtroom A.”

“Courtroom A? But that means…” Mel began, shocked beyond finishing her statement.

“That’s right. According to Melinda, who is the Clerk in charge for today, Judge Lano is tired of waiting.”

“Not our fault,” Shavonne said.

“I know that, and apparently, so does she. I would imagine that the Millionaire Boys Club is getting on her last nerve as much as they are doing to ours.”

“Well then, I guess it’s time to go kick some ass and rename some folks,” Shavonne said, picking up her briefcase.

“Rename?”

“Yeah. You know, Craig Taylor has already been renamed Po’ Broke Joe, or maybe that should be HO, if you think about his past mistresses. Samuel Hobbs is about to be renamed Sandbag, because if I have my way, that’s all he’ll be left with for a bank account. And young Christopher shall be christened Chump Change.”

Mel laughed. “Where the hell do you come up with this stuff?”

“It pays to be a BAP with Bed-Stuy friends and- for lack of a better term- ghetto tendencies.”

“BAP?” Lawrence asked.

“Black American Princess, which means my family is more than a match for any WASP, despite my skin color. I believe you refer to them, such as Daphne Chanders and her family, as Hornets.” At his affirmative nod, she continued. “Look, we can’t send the little rat bastard to jail on this charge, but we can make damn sure they understand that it’s no longer an option for them to buy off greedy, unprincipled principals and unscrupulous politicians. Trust me when I tell you, Christopher Mark Hobbs will fuck up again. That kind of unprovoked violent tendency is deeply ingrained into a person’s DNA, and it would have only taken one minute perceived infraction before he directed that bat to someone else. I’ve seen many men and women like him. They just want to hurt someone, and now that Chris has gotten a taste of what it feels like, I doubt he will stop. He may control it for a little while, but as soon as the opportunity presents itself, he’s going to do it again. So in the meantime, putting a mighty dent in his father’s considerable coffers will ensure that he pays the full consequences the next time. For now though, let’s get Justin some monetary compensation for his traumas, even though it won’t make up for what he’s truly lost.”

All of the occupants of the room nodded at Shavonne’s assessment. They had talked many times over the past weeks of how none of them thought this was an isolated incident, the way the Hobbs family and Craig Taylor would have everyone believe. Chris was just looking for a reason to hurt someone. If not Justin, then it would have been Bryce, or even Daphne. Anyone who the young man thought of as a threat or a blight in his existence as he’d always known it, as one of the ‘entitled’ would have been a target.  

They decided to take Shavonne’s car for the relatively short drive to the courthouse. She nearly laughed her ass off when the two occupants in the backseat nearly jumped out of their skin when Sole’s “Who Dat” came blaring through the car speakers. For her part, Mel already knew what to expect, having been a regular inside of the attorney’s car during law school. She snickered and bounced her head along to the music, surprising the men in the backseat further by rapping along with Shavonne to the lyrics.

“Nice to see that MC Vanilla Such-and-Such still has it,” Shavonne said as they pulled up into the crowded parking lot. After turning down the volume and all occupants showing their respective IDs, they headed to the designated parking lot for attorneys and other court personnel. “You guys go on in, I’ll be along in a few. I’m going to make a Starbucks run and return the call to my assistant. She’s at the D.A.’s office, waiting on another fax for today’s proceedings.”

“Does Melinda know already or do I need to inform her?” Charles asked.

“I’ll have Rory call her and Judge Lano directly. She may need to forward it via fax ahead of her arrival here, since the office is located across town.”

“No problem, just hurry back. Okay?” Mel pleaded.

“Of course, but hey… stop worrying. We’ve got this. If necessary, start without me. You’re the star of this case, I’m just the back up, remember?”

“Yes. I guess I’ve just grown used to your presence by my side since we started this.”

Shavonne smiled. “I mean, how could you not? I am magnificent and all…”

“And so modest, too,” Mel responded to the familiar joke.

“Besides, you have Lawrence. He’s our secret weapon since I’m pretty sure that Hobbs’ and Taylor’s lawyers haven’t yet informed their client of the newest addition to our team. Remember, their collective arrogance is what’s going to sink their already sinking ship. That goes for attorney and client alike.”

As she drove off, Lawrence asked, “Why do I feel that she knows something we don’t?”

Mel snickered. “Because she does. But if I know Shavonne, it’s going to be worth the surprise when she finally reveals it. I would imagine it has something to do with Russo’s files though. Not the ones at the office, but the ones retrieved from his house.”

“And you think it has something to do with case?” Charles asked as they proceeded to the entrance.

“Perhaps it will further explain why the idiot risked his long-standing career for the likes of these clowns.”

Going through the requisite security checks, where they had to allow their briefcases to be cursorily searched, the three of them reached the area of Courtroom A just in time to hear Craig Taylor’s new attorney, Harrison Dunham arguing with Melinda about the abrupt change in proceedings. On his heels was the attorney representing the Hobbs family, William Palmer.

“This is ridiculous! We were not informed adequately of a change in venue nor circumstances,” Harrison raised his voice, trying to intimidate the young woman before him.

“I beg to differ, since this decision was made yesterday. If anyone has a right to complain, it is the plaintiffs in this case, as they were just informed a little more than an hour ago. As for you, Mr. Dunham and also you, Mr. Palmer, your offices received the necessary documentation by way of email three days ago, and the hard copy hand delivered by courier yesterday afternoon.” She looked down at her clipboard for the signed ‘Return Receipt Requested’ slip. “Someone by the name of Tracy Mills signed on your behalf, Mr. Palmer. As for you, Mr. Dunham, someone by the name of Lionel Kennedy signed in your stead. I believe he is a partner in your law firm. Now as stated, there will be two hearings held today. Both judges presiding over each of them will address you all at large. Please take your seats until they are ready to proceed.” She turned her back and returned to the office, slamming the door behind her.

“What is the meaning of this, Palmer? How were we not informed so that we could prepare adequately?!” Samuel blustered, his face red and mottled with anger.

“Apparently we were informed, and unfortunately my assistant was negligent in giving me the information.” He couldn’t tell them that he had fucked Tracy the minute he arrived back to the office from court, where he was in divorce proceedings of his own.

Tracy Mills had been his mistress for years before she had become his secretary and they had managed to keep it a secret. But somehow a few months ago, his wife had happened up inside of his closed and locked office at exact moment when he couldn’t come up with any other excuse for why his head was buried in her ample bared breasts as his hips pumped wildly into the woman sprawled on top of his desk. His wife, Janice, hadn’t wasted any time filing for divorce, and yesterday’s preliminary hearing had been grueling. As a result, he needed to be between Tracy’s legs to relieve his stress, immediately upon his arrival back to the office. Of course that didn’t leave her room to tell him anything, much less about a change in scheduling for today’s hearing.

“Well she needs to be fired immediately! I will wait while you do that… NOW!”

For the first time in their acquaintance, William actually bristled. “Mr. Hobbs, although I value you and your family as clients, it does not in any way give you the right to tell me how to treat my employees. That said, I think we should concentrate on the matter at hand, instead of you trying to run my business as you do Christopher’s life. We are clearly seeing how well you have done so far with that, now aren’t we?”

“You work for me, Palmer. You would do well to remember that!”

“Would you like me to quit right now and you can handle this all without legal representation? I doubt that Judge Lano would allow you to pull the same stunt of postponing the inevitable that Dixon and Perkins tried a few weeks back, which is why I suspect our appearance is happening at this juncture.”

“Are you threatening me?”

“No more than you are trying to threaten me, Samuel.” William stared at the older man until his point was received by the overbearing businessman. Under normal circumstances, he might have given into Hobbs’ demands, but in light of what he was going through in his personal life, he wasn’t willing to chance losing Tracy personally or professionally and incurring her wrath due to the enforced termination of employment.

A similar argument was happening on the other side of the vestibule, much to the amusement of the three attorneys representing Brian and Justin. Craig Taylor was spitting fury towards his attorney, making similar demands to those of Samuel Hobbs. And just as Palmer, it was obvious that Harrison wouldn’t be cowed by the idiot practically yelling in his face.

“Look, Craig, I can understand that you are upset. However, there will not be a continuation or a postponement given. You can thank your fellow cohorts in bigotry for that. Because of their antics prior to today’s hearing, Judge Lano has lost her patience. As for your own hearing regarding Kinney, I have a feeling that has more to do with your son…”

“I have no son!”

“Fine, we’ll call him the blank that you should have shot, since you really don’t deserve to have offspring at all.”

“What?! How dare you?!”

“Oh I dare very much! Would you like to see how much?” He made a move you leave the courthouse, only to be stopped by the desperate hand of his client. Craig Taylor disgusted him on so many levels, most of all in reference to how he treated his son. Harrison and his wife, Ellie, had been trying for many years to conceive and were still unable to. True, he didn’t like gays in the least and felt that they shouldn’t have any rights under the law to own anything. But that was the only ideal he shared with Craig Taylor. The man had what Harrison most wanted and had treated his son like garbage. Regardless of Justin Taylor’s sexuality, he felt that the young man was still a better human being than the man who should have never been given sperm.

“Don’t leave… Please don’t. Okay, so I may have been a little hasty in shifting blame, but this whole thing…”

“Well, there’s nothing we can do about it now, except wait. Go grab a cup of coffee from the cafeteria and be right back here. I don’t expect it will be too much longer before we find out what exactly is going on. In the meantime, I’ll call my office and find out what details were sent by email.” Without waiting for Craig’s nod in the affirmative, Harrison moved away from his client, cell phone already in hand.

“So what do you guys think?” Mel asked.

“If I were to guess, I would say that the Defamation of Character hearing for Taylor is going to be first. It’s the lesser of two evils and if the asshole remains true to form, it will hopefully get him out of Brian and Justin’s orbit a lot quicker,” Charles answered her.

Just then, Lawrence’s cell phone rung. As his co-council listened in on the conversation, he frowned. “Nevermind, I will take care of this myself!” He pressed the button to end the call violently.

“Wishing that you were at your desk where you could slam that receiver down, huh?” Charles smirked. “Well what is it this time?”

“It seems that our clients are being held up by a running mouth named Michael Novotny.”

“Fuck! They both really don’t need this today. I’ll go,” Mel said, sighing heavily.

“Ah. Mel. That’s not the only problem…” Lawrence let that sentence hang in the air.

As realization dawned, both Mel and Charles frowned, the statement, “You’ve got to be shitting me,” slipping unbidden from his lips.

Lawrence nodded. “Seems they were waiting for them in the visitor’s parking lot…”

“I’m going to fucking kill her! And then I’ll stomp him like the roach he is!” Mel growled. She’d already had enough and had now officially reached her breaking point. As she moved off to do just that, Charles grabbed her around the waist.

“No, you’re not. You can’t afford to lose your head right now, Mel. You’re their attorney!”

“So are you and Lawrence. Shavonne will be along soon. You three are more than qualified to act as lead council!”

“That’s not the point. Brian and Justin are depending on you, which is why you’re going to stand your ass here and let Lawrence go down there to handle this. Don’t give that bitch and her obnoxious chihuahua the satisfaction of causing you not to be here when you’re supposed to be. After everything is done, then you can handle them as you see fit, and I promise to act as your defense attorney. It will truly be a case of temporary insanity.” He smirked at her then, realizing that his words were penetrating her homicidal brain. “Although I wonder if you haven’t been suffering it all these years. There has to be a reason why you stayed with her for this long, don’t you think? Gives a new meaning to being crazy in love.”

Mel snickered at his reference to the popular song. “You’re an ass, Charles, but I love you for it.” Sighing deeply, she conceded. “Fine, but Lawrence, don’t give them an inch. Michael and Lindsay are opportunistic and will twist around everything you say if you let them. They are the eternal victims within their own minds, so mindfuck them in such a way that they will really know what it will feel like.”

“But Mel, she’s your wife,” he argued.

“No, she’s not. She’s a pod person using my wife’s body. My wife would never act this shamefully. Use whatever you have to, but get them away from here… and fast, before not even the reality of what we’re facing in court is enough to keep me grounded!”

Lawrence nodded, turning away to move towards the entrance. On his way, he stopped and called Shavonne to let her know what he needed to deal with outside of the building. He was relieved to hear that she was already alighting from the car and would meet him there. Stepping out of the building and turning towards the visitor’s entrance he was not surprised to hear the raised voices, two of which he knew all too well and one that reminded him of a whining mosquito. He wished in that moment that he had thought to ask the K-9 unit for a fucking muzzle!

“Brian, it isn’t right how you’re treating us! We realize how important this is. All we’re saying is that after today, Justin should return to Jennifer’s care so that you can take care of more important matters.”

Lawrence was proud of the way the young blond was comporting himself as Lindsay spoke, as if he wasn’t even standing there. He didn’t know what had happened since the last time he’d seen the couple, but they were more together now than they had ever been.

“Brian… I’m sorry,” whiny man interjected, cutting across Lindsay’s running diatribe of his supposed neglect and how it was his duty to see that she had what she needed… for Gus, of course.

“Don’t speak another fucking word to me, Michael! Your apology means as much to me as your dick does!”

“But Brian…”

Lawrence watched as if in slow motion as Brian drew his fist back only to be stopped by the slight, right hand of Justin. It was as if the movement was done reflexively, the hand trembling against the momentum of the forward-moving left hand of Brian Kinney. They both stared at each other in shock as if even they couldn’t believe what had just happened. Justin licked his lips before speaking, barely above a whisper.

“Don’t, Brian. Don’t pay attention to what either of them have to say, but most importantly, don’t give into the temptation to punch the living daylights out of Michael. We have something much more important to do than to stand here and listen to the litany of Liarsgate.”

“How dare you, Justin?” Lindsay gasped in outrage.

“I dare very much, since I know of every nasty, sneaky thing you’ve tried and are still trying to do to undermine me and Brian. You tend to forget, Lindsay, that I am from that same vaunted world you are from, only I’m higher up the food chain.”

“I don’t know what you’re…”

“How are Daddy and Judge Nathan Mathers, Lindsay? Still golfing buddies, or perhaps your father decided that he was no longer on his list of friends once he found out that his bosom buddy had his face buried in Nancy’s bosom? Or should I be asking about your lunch date with Mathilde Nordstrom and Beth Henley? You know they are also friends- well as much as WASP’s can be friends anyway- with my mother. They were all too happy to regale her with tales of Miss Lindsay’s latest rendition of ‘Woe is Me’. Then there is Michael here, who suffers from oral diarrhea in such a way that not only does his breath stink, but he does too. His bullshit comes out of his pores to infect everyone who comes in contact with him.”

“You little…” Michael began only to be cut off.

“No, walking asshole, that would be you! You're a little shit or a big steaming pile of it, depending on the day!” Taking a deep cleansing breath, Justin returned his gaze to his partner. “Brian, let’s go. We have enough to deal with today and it’s all I can handle without adding unnecessary and bold baggage to my list of dirty laundry that’s about to be aired.”

Brian led Justin off, kissing his still-balled fist around his own hand, Michael and Lindsay unloaded a string of curses and threats hurled at the young blond. As their insults and the like continued to fall on seemingly deaf ears, Lawrence moved next to the duo with Shavonne flanking his side. It took a few moments for them to realize that they were no longer alone.

“What the fuck are you two looking at?” Michael sneered.

Lawrence laughed and looked at Shavonne for confirmation that he should answer. At her slight nod, he said, “Two idiots who are about to be slapped with restraining orders if they don’t hightail their low-class asses out of here and stop harassing our clients.”

“Look, pal, I don’t know what you’re talking about. Those two- well the brunet anyway- is our friend, and as for clients… I know you’re lying since her wife is handling their case.”

“You’re right. Mel is handling their case, but you see, this lady right here is the Acting District Attorney, Shavonne Fuller, and I’m her assistant, Lawrence Spokes. So yes, Justin Taylor and therefore, Brian Kinney are our clients as well. Would you like those restraining orders now?”

“Lawrence Spokes? Lawrence Spokes? Is your wife Gloria Spokes?” Lindsay asked, eyes narrowing.

“She is indeed. And you are Lindsay Peterson, the offspring of the Country Club’s resident harlot and her chronic cuckold of a husband, so what of it?” He asked, already knowing where she was going with this deviation of conversation.

“I just think that it would be interesting for her to find out that you’re reneging on your promise not to work for the District Attorney’s office again. Also, isn’t it a conflict of interest, since you are one of the lawyers on record with St. James Academy? Talk about playing both sides of the fence! I wonder how the defense attorneys will feel about that,” she threatened, trying to look sympathetic but all she managed to look was constipated.

Both Lawrence and Shavonne laughed, but it was Lawrence who spoke. “By all means, tell her. I’m sure she will be pleased to find that you are the same tell-tales bitch that you’ve always been. It’s nice to have some constancy in this world full of so many uncertainties. By the way, where is Gus today?”

“What does he have to do with anything?” Michael asked, annoyed.

“Oh nothing much, except that Mel will be disappointed to know that once again, Lady Lindsay here, who wanted to play the doting mom of the manor, is as yet making a fool of herself by lauding loudly of all the responsibilities Brian has been neglecting while she only has ONE job, which is to take care of the child she schemed and nearly busted her ovaries open to birth. Talk about self-entitled and delusional people who continually think they are more special than they are! I mean, since you were recently let go from your teaching job for taking too much time off without true cause, there isn’t any reason why you shouldn’t be fulfilling your own duties as a stay-at-home mom, right?”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about!” Lindsay exclaimed, but Lawrence went on as if she hadn’t even spoken.

“It’s too bad that your boss saw you lurking outside of the same loft apartment building he lives in, lying in wait to once again spy on Brian and Justin’s comings and goings. It might have helped your situation had you at least had your sick child anywhere in sight, but no. No distractions for you, Lindsay. You couldn’t have something as trivial as parental responsibility reigning over your one-defective-brain-celled focus to be informed of a situation or change in circumstance that is unequivocally not your business. If you had minded said business, you might have been still gainfully employed. A nosy, entitled, and broke bitch with too much time on her hands is to be both feared and pitied.”

“Fuck you, Lawrence!” Lindsay spat.

“Wow! And this from an educated woman who is supposed to be able to tell fact from fiction. I wouldn’t fuck you with his- meaning your own personal lapdog standing here- dick, much less my own. Besides, aren’t you supposed to be into women? Last I checked, I was all man. But Shavonne, perhaps you might want a crack at Lindsay?”

“Nope, I have high standards and don’t fuck with bottom bitches. Besides, I had the best years ago. Don’t tell Mel I said that. Her ego is big enough,” Shavonne responded with a smile.

“Mel!? You’re…” Lindsay sputtered.

“Lying? Oh no, I’m not. But I am wondering why she downgraded though. I mean, Leda was first, but then me… it certainly couldn’t be for the money or connections, since both Leda and I come from wealthy families along the lines of Justin's maternal family, who have both class and elegance. But it just goes to show, that one can be a WASP and still be a basic trollop on par with a hoodrat. For the people in the cheap seats, meaning you two, that means a tramp from the ghetto. The only difference is that they are honest, whereas Lindsay is incapable of telling the truth in any form or fashion, and that includes the needs of her twat, which has probably seen more dick than the Underground Railroad has seen of people. Yeah, I know all about you too, Lindsay and I can definitely say that I am not impressed. But well that’s a conversation for another time. So it’s been real people; Lawrence and I have real full-time jobs to attend to. However, please be advised that I will put the restraining orders in front of a judge as soon as possible should I hear of you two harassing our clients again, for reasons as minute as a broken fingernail at your hands. Have a nice day!”

They walked back inside the building, stopping off at Security and picking up the coffees along the way. They were surprised to find Jennifer Taylor along with Ted Schmidt, Emmett Honeycutt, and Daphne Chanders already waiting for them along with Brian, Justin, Mel, and Charles. No sooner than Shavonne handed out the coffees, were they being called into Courtroom A.

SIDEBAR CHAPTER 7: STOMPING WITH THE BIG DOGS Part 1: WHEN A PINSCHER BECOMES A POODLE

“All rise! The Honorables Lisa Lano and Jessup Montgomery are presiding,” the bailiff calls out after everyone involved along with Jennifer, Ted, Emmett, and Daphne enter the courtroom.

Brian and Justin have been strategically placed on the far side of the courtroom nearer to the Jury box. As Mel, Shavonne, Charles, and Lawrence file in, they each see what a wise move that was, since Craig Taylor and his attorney have taken the seats at the middle table, while Hobbs, his attorney and Chris have taken the furthest table to the left for themselves. Each of Justin and Brian’s lawyers notice the malevolent looks being aimed in their direction, trying to get Justin’s attention. No doubt they expected to see him somewhere off cowering in the corner. However, his ramrod straight posture and clear focused eyes tell a very different story. The fact that Brian still held onto his right hand and was gently massaging it was the only indication of the young man’s stress at being inside the closed space with all of his physical and emotional attackers.

“Be seated,” came the gravelly voice from the raised dais in the front of the room. Jessup Montgomery took a look at the expectant faces regarding him as he took his place at the bench. “Although this is an unusual circumstance, Judge Lano and I have decided to hear all of these cases on the same day. This is done primarily in respect for the plaintiff in this matter. We understand that Mr. Taylor has ongoing appointments and therapies that could drag these proceedings on for weeks and like him, we would prefer these matters be resolved as soon as possible.”

“This is unfair!” Craig shouted.

“It’s an outrage! What about my son and I? I am a very busy man!” Samuel Hobbs spoke up, anger dripping in his voice.

“Then you should also appreciate the expediency of how we’re handling this, Mr. Hobbs. Now sit down!” Judge Montgomery ordered. When the irate man still stood there belligerently, the Judge raised his gavel. “You can either do what you are told in my courtroom or you can continue to be insubordinate and sit in a jail cell for contempt of court. The choice is yours.” When Hobbs finally sat down, he said, “And let that be the last time either Judge Lano or I have to repeat ourselves. Let’s get this straight right now. None of you run things here! You would do well to remember that this is a court of law, not you private businesses or homes. The next time any of you see fit to try our collective patience, the result will be swift. Do you all understand?”

“Yes, your honor,” all of the occupants except for a select few agreed.

“Good. So the way this is going to go is that I will hear the Defamation of Character case against Craig Taylor first, especially since he was the first to speak out of turn. Judge Lano will sit in during the proceeding because although it will be transcribed for recording purposes, we will only have an hour recess between this case and the next extensive case of which she will be presiding over. The transcript from this hearing will only apply in reference to the Defamation of Character lawsuit portion of Justin Taylor’s case against Samuel Hobbs, Sr. and Christopher Mark Hobbs. I ask now that the court be cleared of all except those involved in the case of Brian Aiden Kinney and Justin Cole Taylor, plaintiffs against Rudyard Craig Taylor, otherwise known as Craig Taylor.

Shavonne snickered. “Since I first saw that, I thought he was aptly named, His ability to make up stories is almost just as legendary as Mr. Kipling’s.”

Mel snickered as well. “No wonder he prefers Craig.” she shook her head, thinking of how he must have been bullied in school. Then she thought back to Justin on the night Gus was born. She had wanted desperately to name him Abraham, but Justin had told her that he wouldn’t survive a day on the playground. Looking over at the two men who were her clients, she could see the smirks of amusement and the ‘I told you so’ looks within their eyes. It was very hard for her not to burst out laughing.

“While you, Mr. Palmer and the Misters Hobbs leave the courtroom, I would suggest that you all do not leave the premises. Although these proceedings can be lengthy, it would behoove you both to stay close at hand. Mr. Dunham, the former conference room is empty for the day so your clients should be well in there until they are due back in Courtroom A.”

“But… your honor, I have a business to run outside of this farce!” Samuel plaintively contested. “Perhaps I can go and see to it while this matter is taken care of.”

Judge Montgomery took a deep breath and began to let it out slowly. “Mr. Hobbs, although I understand your desire to go check on your business, my order stands. If necessary, I’m sure that your secretary and cell phone work just fine so whatever immediate business matters you have to attend to can be handled from inside the Conference room. We will see you soon.” Everyone within the courtroom could tell that the judge was in a completely implacable mood, but none other than Samuel Hobbs.

Admittedly, he had planned to reach out to Roy Russo to find out what he could about this heretofore unknown judge. He had spoken to the man last night, asking if he was able to find anything on Lano, and also to find out where things stood with his and Jim Stockwell’s cases. They also had a lengthy conversation about what to do about Craig Taylor’s ever-growing mess.

It was obvious that the man had lost control of his entire family, including the daughter whom he was given court-ordered visitation with. However, the young girl had refused to have anything to do with her father, even going so far as to request that the matter be brought before the judge who made the divorce decree and subsequent visitation order to be evaluated again. By Craig’s agreement, he was supposed to pump the little girl for information on her mother and brother, therefore giving them a heads up on any further legal trouble coming from that corner. But this is the result of what happens when girls and women are not sufficiently put in their places from the onset; when the educations that their fathers paid for, comes around to bite them in the ass, hard. If he had his way, the only class any of these young girls would ever take was etiquette classes to keep their education limited to fucking home and hearth.

He glared in disgust at the two female attorneys defending Justin Taylor’s right to be a faggot, then to the judge who would rule over the case involving him and his son. To his mind, the people who had cheered and lauded the Women’s Liberation Movement should have been shot dead! Stomping from Courtroom A, Samuel Hobbs vowed to get even with them all in some way. He wasn’t sure how, but he would!

After a brief recess to make sure all of the paperwork was in order, Judge Montgomery retook the bench, while Judge Lano occupied the recently vacated table of the Hobbs Family. The underlying tension within the hushed courtroom was palpable, but whether it was from high emotion or just due to the reason they were all there was anyone’s guess. As he was about to begin, two well-dressed figures walked into the courtroom. Mildly annoyed at having been interrupted again, he asked, “May I help you, ladies?”

“Sorry for the tardiness your honor, but we’re here as witnesses. We weren’t aware of the change of venue until we heard Samuel Hobbs yelling about the unfairness of it,” Cynthia answered, more than a little perturbed for the second time that morning.

“Also, your honor, we had a mild situation at the office. Our boss’ chronic condition has once again flared up, almost causing us not to be here at all,” Marcie said.

“Oh? What condition would have prevented from answering the summons?” Judge Montgomery was genuinely curious of the answer. Cynthia Moore and Marcia Hammond were among the first witnesses on the call list for the plaintiff.

“Forgive me in advance your honor, but Mr. Vance’s condition is called Assholitis. It happens when an asshole gets huffed up and puffed up with his own importance and believes that he’s so omnipotent that he threatens to fire two of his employees, who were ordered to appear in court today,” Marcie griped.

Judge Montgomery, along with the occupants on the side of Brian Kinney and Judge Lano, stifled their laugher, only barely. He could already tell that this would not be another run-of-the-mill case based on the circumstances, but judging from Marcia Hammond’s uncensored account of her boss, he couldn’t help but look forward to hearing more of her brand of brutal honesty. Clearing his throat, he said, “Your collective tardiness is forgiven. If you ladies would kindly take your seats, we can begin officially.

“Everything okay?” Brian whispered as Cynthia took her seat behind him.

“It will be. We’ll talk later,” she commented just as Marcie was called to the stand.

Charles approached the stand, having agreed with Mel that he would handle all the witnesses with the exception of Brian, Justin, and Jennifer. Since she handled the divorce case, it only seemed logical.

“Can you please state your full name for the judge and how you are acquainted with the plaintiff in this case?” Charles requested of the witness.

“Marcia Louise Hammond. My official job title is the Executive Secretary of the CEO of Ryder Advertising Agency, now Vanguard Agency, where Gardner Vance is CEO. I met Mr. Kinney while working for Martin Ryder- one of the partners in the former agency.”

“And how would you say that Mr. Kinney’s work and work ethic had been during that time and now?”

“Mr. Kinney was and continues to be the best at what he does. His drive and work ethic to be so is even more substantial than it was when he first began working for Ryder Agency.  From the onset, Brian has made it a point to prove himself; to expect no less of himself than he would those around him. It made Marty Ryder uncomfortable at times, whereas the other partners were reluctantly impressed, at first.”

“Reluctantly impressed? How so, or more accurately, why?”

“They knew that Brian was ambitious, and that if he ever decided that Ryder Agency was no longer the place for him, they would be in trouble. Mr. Kinney has proven himself to be an innovator time and time again, setting the trends instead of riding the currents of the here and now. It scared them, but they admired him for it.”

Charles nodded. “So basically, there was no reason to threaten the termination of his employment with the agency?”

“No, there wasn’t. That was done purely out of spite for Mr. Kinney’s personal life.”

“Objection!” Harrison jumped up. “That question calls for speculation and has nothing to do with this case.”

Charles was quick on the uptake. “Your honor, given a little more time to question this witness, I can prove how the two situations are indeed related.”

“Overruled. Get there quickly, Mr. Sands.”

“Yes, your honor. So Ms. Hammond, can you tell us exactly when Marty Ryder began questioning Brian Kinney’s employability?”

“We, meaning Marty, myself, his wife Belinda, and the Hobbs, were attending a function at the Belle Aire Country Club. Mr. Craig Taylor was in attendance with his former wife, Jennifer Taylor. Justin Taylor, the son of Craig and Jennifer, had recently announced his homosexuality and it was no secret that Mr. Taylor wasn’t happy, to say the least. Mitchell Perkins was also in attendance, as he was representing St. James Academy’s interests in the charity being held for underprivileged youth being given scholarships to attend the school. Each person was either there as an alumni, or as the parents of students who were attending the school.”

“So which were you?”

“I graduated St. James Academy class of 1982 and still financially support the academic program. I don’t mind telling you that the cause was and is a worthy one, even if some of the more pompous alumni disagree.”

“Thank you for that information. So how did the subject of Brian Kinney come up?”

“Mitchell Perkins had been present along with a few other faculty members when Justin arrived at the school the morning of September 20th in a Jeep with the word ‘FAGGOT’ written on its side. According to Dr. Perkins- who I understand was recently stripped of the title, but I’ll call him that in this context because he was headmaster of the school at the time- Justin Taylor arrived in the presence of two men, one of whom was Brian Kinney.”

“And how can you be so sure it was Brian?”

“I saw the jeep they described and secretly put in the order for repairs to it. Had Marty found out, since it was a company car that had been vandalized, Brian would have been fired, no matter that it wasn’t his fault. Marty was already looking for a reason to get rid of Brian since he couldn’t validly withhold the partnership offer given to him through other members of the Board of Directors within Ryder Advertising hierarchy. In fact, the only reason that Ryder was able to offload the company to Gardner Vance was that he sold the company to him and then split the profit from the sale with the other two gentlemen. Anyway, it didn’t take a genius to figure out whom Mr. Taylor, Mr. Ryder, Dr. Perkins, and Mr. Hobbs were speaking of, so I listened as they planned.”

“And what was it that they planned?”

“To force Justin Taylor to tow the line by stripping Brian Kinney of everything he held dear, beginning with his job. Mr. Taylor repeatedly referred to Mr. Kinney as a child molester, even knowing that the age of consent for young men in this state is sixteen years old whereas it is eighteen for a girl. It was a major source of contention among the denizens of the WASP community as more and more of their girls were rebelling against the decisions their parents were making for them in terms of arranged marriages, and it still is. Many of them were destroying the alliances their parents arranged for them by either intentionally losing their virginity to someone their parents would never consider suitable, or dating and then marrying their choice, therefore renouncing their families blood ties altogether. So the child molester comment, in and of itself, made Mr. Taylor’s repeated and oft publicized comments a falsehood meant to destroy the stellar business-related reputation of Brian Kinney.”

“And beyond that original impromptu meeting at the ‘Deserving Youth Enrollment Initiative,’ which is what I believe that fundraiser was called, how many other conversations had taken place about Mr. Kinney’s romantic involvement with Justin Taylor.”

“Approximately ten meetings on the appointment calendar when Mr. Kinney was scheduled to be out of the office and five meetings after hours.”

“Objection! Again, this is all hearsay, your honor.” Harrison once again stood up at the urging of his client.

“Contrary to what the opposing counsel believes, your honor, it isn’t. I would like to submit evidence A-D, which is the appointment book of Martin Ryder, and the tapes from those meetings, requested done by Martin Ryder, but submitted by Marcia Hammond in order to support her testimony. Would Mr. Dunham like a few minutes to review the tapes and appointment calendar for himself? I’m sure that since he’s only been Mr. Taylor’s attorney for a week and a half, he has not been fully briefed on the entire circumstances surrounding this case, of which I’m also sure that Mr. Taylor has not given full disclosure to his attorney.”

“That’s very generous of you, Counselor, given the circumstances. Court will recess for fifteen minutes. The witness is excused but will be recalled upon our return. Both plaintiff and defense counsel will adjourn to my office immediately.” Judge Montgomery intoned.

“Lawrence, you go in with Mel and Charles while I stay here with Brian and company. I dare not go in and leave them all here alone with the bastard, currently typing away on his phone. I don’t trust Taylor as far as I can throw him,” Shavonne said, looking over to the red-faced man. Clearly, he didn’t expect things to be going the way they were right now.

“I wonder who he’s texting that his fingers are jabbing that viciously at the keys,” Lawrence whispered back.

“I’ll make the call; you just get in there.”

Lawrence got up from his seat and followed Mel and Charles into judge’s chambers while Shavonne pulled out her cell phone. “Hey Rory, it’s me. Has the trace been put into place yet?”

“Right after last night’s intel. When I spoke to Agent Marrows this morning, he said that there wasn’t need to worry and the he would take care of Taylor’s records personally,” Rory answered.

“Good. Contact Marrows and tell him to pull the records for the past five minutes immediately and get them to me. I just have a feeling…”

“Yeah, me too. In the meantime, I’ll be on my way across town in about three minutes, right after I get off the phone with him. He’s already run me the transcripts on the new intel. This should be easier, because it’s already going to be typewritten.”

Shavonne disconnected the call just as Justin rose from his seat.

“It’s fine, Brian. I’m just going to the restroom and to grab a grape juice. It’s time for the med, in case you haven’t noticed,” Justin said softly.

Brian looked down at his watch, closing his eyes at the truth of Justin’s words. He had hoped that this would all be done and dusted by now, but the best laid plans… “Alright, but I’ll come with you. I don’t…”

“I know, but you have to talk to Shavonne and Cynthia about what happened this morning. No doubt Gardner is trying some other bullshit to keep you in line, or so he thinks. I’m glad that we agreed to start Kinnetik, even if we still have to be careful about announcing it for now.”

“Me too. And with PIFA and Carnegie…”

“I know. It’s going to be a challenge, but I’m looking forward to it. I just want to get back to normal,” Justin sighed wistfully.

“Not normal. We were never normal so let’s not start being that now. Let’s just be better… now hurry back, okay?”

Justin smiled at Brian as he moved to leave the courtroom, just as Brian’s cell phone rang. “Kinney. You’re here? Great! I’m glad you guys could make it. He’s…”

Justin couldn’t hear the rest of the conversation as the door behind him. Admittedly, he was nervous about even going to the restroom by himself, but he put those feelings behind him. He was in a building full of law enforcement, after all. To continue to be as skittish as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs was just plain stupid. As he reflected on what had happened between last night and this morning, he felt like he was finally getting some of the ‘old Justin’ back. Brian had not only been gentle but passionate and when the mood escalated, hot beyond Justin’s memory. He could still feel him every time he moved, much like the morning after they met. He had no idea where they were going to go in their relationship once everything calmed down, but they could negotiate everything later. What they had was enough- more than enough- for now.

Justin was so lost in his thoughts that he hadn’t heard anyone enter the men’s room behind him. It wasn’t until he alighted from the stall and adjusted his suit that he felt the most disturbing presence behind him. Looking up into the mirror as he washed his hands, he almost screamed when he saw the malevolent glare of Chris Hobbs. Shocked into silence, and then just fucking angry at being disturbed, Justin glared back, refusing to show his fear despite the heavy tremble he could feel infusing his bones.

“I should have fucking killed you,” Chris said through gritted teeth.

“Yeah, maybe then you would actually be rotting away in a fucking jail cell right now.”

“My father would just get me off again, while yours can’t even stand you,” Chris sneered in his face. “And as for your butt-fucking boyfriend, I hope he enjoys the unemployment line. Hey, maybe you and him could start a blowjob business,” he laughed evilly.

“Yeah sure, wanna join up? We both know that mouth you have should be good for something other than talking shit.” Justin tilted his head as if surveying Chris. “But then again, your little dick couldn’t even fill my hand so I doubt it will be fulfilling to someone looking for more than a toothful.”

“You fucking faggot!” Chris yelled and started to go for Justin, who had backed his way to the door as he hurled his last insult at Chris.

The sudden banging at the door startled both of them, but for different reasons. Justin because he hadn’t known the door was locked and Chris because once again he was about to be metaphorically caught with his pants down. He made to move to the line of enclosed stalls, but he was too late, as Justin, in a panic, had unlocked the door. The sudden surging of two very angry men into the men’s room halted Chris’ attempt at escape.

“Is there a problem, Mr. Taylor?”

“John, Isaac, what are you guys doing here?” Justin asked, shaken and bewildered. He personally knew the bouncers from Babylon and it gave him immense relief to see them.

“Mr. Kinney hired us for the day. He was concerned for you being in the same space as the others, even knowing there was law enforcement around. Honestly, all of our faiths have been shaken with the justice system. I can see that his caution had merit,” John answered as his eyes narrowed on Justin’s former attacker. There wasn’t a doubt in his mind that he would have attacked Justin again had they not arrived when they did.

Isaac walked up to the young man still standing shock-still near the stalls. He took a deep breath, letting it out slowly and adopting his most menacing look, whispered “Boo!” He watched with great satisfaction as Chris Hobbs scurried past Justin and John in his haste to get out of the bathroom. He laughed loud and long as the idiot ran nose first into the closed door, before righting himself and escaping. The satisfying crack was still reverberating through the air as Isaac leaned his head out of the doorway. “Before you go home to change your drawers, make sure daddy takes you to the courthouse infirmary to see about your busted nose, you fucking wuss! And don’t let me catch you around Justin Taylor again!”

John chuckled. “Well he can’t say he wasn’t warned, now can he?”

“No he can’t. He also won’t have a ready-made excuse for how he happened up in this bathroom when there is one of the same size on the other side of the courthouse where he is supposed to be.” Isaac's mirth died down as he looked at his charge. “You okay, Kid?”

Justin took out the anxiety med that he was overdue in taking thanks to the interruption of Chris Hobbs. “No, but I will be. Can you…”

“Yeah, I’ll take you to get your juice while John goes to inform Mr. Kinney and the judge of what just happened.”

“But I…”

“No, kid. You were strong and brave in the face of the adversary. You did nothing wrong then, and you didn’t now. No one in their right mind is going to blame you for once again defending yourself. Had the justice system done its job correctly, you wouldn’t have had to. Now come on, Justin. Let’s get you calmed and confident again.”

Brian looked down at his watch, wondering what was taking Justin so long. He fought the urge to go and look for him, realizing that after last night and this morning, Justin needed to reclaim some of his independence. It didn’t stop him from worrying though and just when the fuck had that started to happen? Granted, from the first night they met, Justin seemed to have earned a place in Brian’s heart. It was strange, but even Michael and Lindsay had to go through a series of tests before Brian would trust and believe a word they would say. But with Justin, it was different.

Sure Justin was quick to tell Brian that he loved him, but Brian never once doubted Justin’s sincerity in saying it; only his worthiness of such an affection. Over time, Brian could see that there were no hidden motives behind Justin’s love, no strings attached, no ultimatums given that would make him afraid of losing it- not like it had been with Michael, Lindsay, and even at times, Debbie. It had confused Brian in so many ways, but the more he was around Justin, the more he could live in Justin’s truth. Unlike Brian, Justin had actually known love and what is was like to love unconditionally. Despite that Craig’s was conditional, Jennifer’s, Molly’s, and Daphne’s never was.

He’d witnessed it first hand when Jennifer handed over Justin’s care to him without complaint, but simply because it was best for Justin. He witnessed Daphne’s stalwart friendship given freely, even if for a time things were weird between her and Justin due to the confusion of sex with romantic love. He saw it in the few times that Molly had come to visit Justin. The way they interacted and conversed made Brian wish that he’d had a sister, not the cheap, downtrodden imitation he’d had in Claire. So he could now accept that Justin really did love him, and with all that’s happened, that he was worthy of it.

Brian saw John hurriedly enter the courtroom and again looked at his watch. Where the fuck was Justin? Bypassing Brian, but signaling for him to join the others, the bodyguard made his way over to Shavonne. After succinctly explaining what had gone on in the mensroom and Justin’s response to it, Brian couldn’t help but be panicked, relieved, and proud all at the same time. His little fireball was coming back to himself, little by little, and he was damned happy about that.

“Where is he now?” Shavonne asked.

“He and Isaac should be on the way back in. He’d taken his anxiety med dry upon our arrival so they went to the cafe to get something to drink for him.”

Brian took out his cell phone in that instant. Beyond anything, he just needed to hear for himself that Justin was okay. The phone rang and for a moment of sheer panic, Brian didn’t think that Justin would pick up. He sighed in relief when he did. “Hey…”

“Hey, old man. Isaac and I are on the way back. Th- thank you for sending them, Brian.”

“John told us what happened. You okay?”

“Now I am, but…”

“Say no more, just hurry back in here, okay?”

“Yeah.”

As Brian hung up the phone, Jennifer laid her hand upon his arm. “You okay?”

“No. I never should have left him alone.”

“Yes, you should have.” At Brian’s incredulous look, she chuckled. “Brian, we both know how independent Justin is. Remember when he was in the hospital and you reminded me in that oh-so-gentle way you have, that if Justin wanted help he had to ask for it? Well the same rule applies here, Darling. You can’t hover over him, because you know as well as I do that he will lash out. There was no way on God’s green earth that any of us would have expected Christopher Hobbs to be that stupid!”

“He had help being that fucking dumb,” a new voice entered the conversation.

Brian’s eyebrow raised at the attractive, young woman coming up their side of the aisle. “And you are?”

“Charlene Winters, but you can call me Rory. I believe this is what you are expecting, Shavonne. Marrows was all too eager to print it out for you.”

“Hmm, I wonder why that was,” the ADA directed a smug grin to her blushing assistant.

Rory cleared her throat. “Anyway, you were right. They have been going against the order while also using others as intermediaries.”

“Others?”

“Their wives, sisters, and in-laws, while trying to cover their tracks. You’ll see when you go over the transcripts.”

“As I told Mel this morning, their collective arrogance will sink their already sinking ships. I wasn’t wrong.”

“All rise, the honorable Jessup Montgomery, presiding,” the bailiff called out, bringing the court to attention again.

“Be seated. Counselors are we ready to pick up where we left off?”

“We are, your honor,” Charles answered for the plaintiff side.

“I am, your honor,” Harrison affirmed although his voice was somewhat shaky. It didn’t go unnoticed by the other occupants within the courtroom.

“In that case, will Marcia Hammond please retake the stand?”

As Marcia walked up to the witness box, Brian leaned over. “Mel, what the hell took so long?”

“You just won your case. Now sit there, be quiet and go with the flow. When you get on the stand, remain calm. That goes for both of you.”

After settling back down in to the chair, Charles approached Marcie again. “A few more questions, Ms. Hammond. Were you there for the final sale meeting between Gardner Vance and Martin Ryder?”

“Yes. I was requested to take minutes for the meeting since I was part of the merger agreement, as was Brian Kinney.”

“What do you mean?”

“A certain few colleagues of mine were to remain employed for a trial period of one month to prove our worthiness. Well that is accurate except that Gardner was given three months to terminate Brian Kinney’s employment. Each man acknowledged that with Brian’s track record in the business, they would have to make firing him airtight and irrefutable in the eyes of their clients. Again, it boils down to Brian being a precious commodity to any firm he works for. Even if Brian was going to branch out on his own- which if he does I hope he takes me with him- they understood that he would be serious competition and losing him would be a huge detriment to their bottom line. They were planning to fix it so he would never be able to obtain another job in the Advertising and Marketing fields again.”

“And what would happen if Mr. Vance succeeded in his objective to fire Brian Kinney?”

“Marty would come back in and buy the company back from Gardner, or they would keep the business merged and Marty would come back on as co-CEO.”

“Thank you, Ms. Hammond for your candid testimony. No further questions for this witness and no need to recall. Your witness,” Charles said, turning to Harrison at the other table.

“No questions,” Harrison mumbled.

“What?! What do you mean no questions?!” Craig said loudly.

“Just what it means, Mr. Taylor! That evidence she produced said it all; there’s no way to refute it. Hence, No. Further. Questions,” Harrison said through gritted teeth.

“Uh, if you have finished explaining your reasoning sufficiently to your client, Mr. Dunham, Mr. Sands you may call your next witness,” Judge Montgomery said. Frankly he almost wished that Harrison Dunham had tried to refute what they’d heard on those recordings. It would have been entertaining.

“Next I call to the stand, as a character witness, Cynthia Moore.” Cynthia took her place and after being sworn in, nodded for Charles to begin his questions.

“Please state your full name for the record and your acquaintance with Brian Kinney.”

“Cynthia Kaia Moore and I have been Mr. Kinney’s personal assistant within Ryder Advertising, now named Vanguard Advertising, for the last ten years.”

“Thank you, Ms. Moore. When was it that you first heard the name Justin Taylor?”

“Honestly, the night after Brian’s son was born. I overheard Brian’s best friend urging Brian to ditch the young man. Apparently, he had a feeling that Justin would try to make his presence known to Brian again. When I asked Brian about it, he said that it was a young man that he’d met the previous night.”

“And how did you feel about that?”

“My first thought was, well how young is young? Again, I’ve known Brian for many years and consider him a friend. So naturally I was curious. Once Brian told me the story of how they met and spent their evening, I remember feeling sorry for both Brian and Justin. Justin because he had given Brian a soul-deep part of himself, and Brian because he didn’t feel that he deserved it.”

“Why do you feel like Brian felt he didn’t deserve it?”

“Because my friend has had a tumultuous life. I won’t go into the details of it since it is his story to tell, but suffice to say that there were and are a certain few around him that would have rather seen Brian alone for the rest of his life than happy with someone other than themselves.”

“And is Brian happy, in your opinion?”

“Objection! Calls for speculation,” Harrison said.

“I’ll allow it to assuage my own curiosity from an outsider’s point of view. So overruled. You may answer the question, Ms. Moore.”

“Thank you, your honor. I can honestly say that Brian is the happiest he’s ever been since meeting Justin Taylor. Somehow, they just click, despite their twelve year age difference. Justin is probably the most mature person out of all of the adults Brian shares close acquaintances with. None of them really know him, but Justin does… or at least the parts of him that Brian rarely allows any of us to see.”

“So you consider yourself one of the people on par with Justin?”

She nodded her head. “Michael Novotny and Lindsay Peterson may believe that based on their shared history with Brian Kinney, that they are his best friends, but they aren’t. It’s those certain few of us that aren’t afraid to call him on his sh- less than exemplary behavior; those of us who work behind the scenes to make sure that Brian is okay; those of us who continue to pour positivity into him even when he refuses to let anyone see how low he’s feeling, and those of us that put his needs before our own without being asked to. It’s those of us who aren’t afraid to defend him when he’s being wrongly accused or stand and fight with him when he’s under attack. And he doesn’t have to ask us to do it or trade parts of himself in payment for our loyalty. It’s just who and what we are; what we do. So yes, just as Justin sees Brian for who he truly is, so do I.”

“You mention working behind the scenes to make sure Brian is alright. Does that include the situation with Kip Thomas?”

“Yes.”

“And what did you do?”

“I just looked into his background, which was falsified in all but where he received his Liberal Arts education, instead of the Advertising degree he claimed. I also discovered the reason why he was so determined to destroy Brian Kinney and it had nothing to do with his reputation as a businessman. The vendetta was personal.”

“How so?”

“Howard Bellweather is the uncle of Kip Thomas. Brian had rejected the man’s advances numerous times, so between the two of them, they set out to get even and print falsehoods about his character in Mr. Bellweather’s recently released book, “The Gay Gauntlet.” Kip was sent there to dig up dirt on Brian, including within his business dealings. Outside of f- having sex with the rat twice- once during office hours and once afterwards, there was nothing else that Kip could find. So the two of them decided to ask Brian for a promotion that Kip wasn’t even remotely qualified for. When he was turned down for it, they chose to file a false sexual harassment suit against him.”

“How do you know it was false?”

“Outside of the fact that Brian is a beautiful man and would never have to beg for the favor to get laid, it’s just not Brian Kinney’s style. There are too many men, and so little time for him to be bothered to chase after one, unless he wants him. He chased after Justin. And comparing Justin to Kip is like comparing a shiny red apple to a fuzzy kiwi, both in size and brain capacity.”

Charles suppressed a chuckle at the imagery she painted. It didn’t take a genius to figure out what her size comment was about. Clearing his throat, he asked, “Are you aware of how the suit got dropped?”

“Yes, I am. But I made a promise never to disclose the details of it.”

“That’s fine, but all I want is the name. The witness will tell us what he did in his own words, but I think that this will give credence to some future testimony as well as what you have already disclosed.”

Cynthia sighed and then surreptitiously looked over to the corner. At the barest of nods, she took a deep breath before speaking. “Kip Thomas dropped the suit against Brian because of Justin Taylor.”

SIDEBAR CHAPTER 8: STOMPING WITH THE BIG DOGS: WHEN A PINSCHER BECOMES A POODLE Part 2

As the courtroom fell into stunned silence, Cynthia continued. “Justin told me that he just couldn’t sit back and watch Brian lose everything on some bogus bs. Since I knew I couldn’t stop him, I supported his plan. I also made sure that I was on the phone so I could record the sound byte, and that he called me the minute he returned home. It was the least that I could do since I couldn’t betray his confidence to Brian. He was doing more than the two best friends had thought to do, and it wasn’t for glory or gratitude, but because he loved... loves Brian.”

“So in terms of Brian Kinney and Justin Taylor’s relationship, you disagree with Craig Taylor’s assessment that Brian Kinney is a child molester?”

“Unequivocally YES! The only two things that truly separate Brian and Justin from being considered equals are life experiences and money. Brian was prepared never to see Justin again after that first night, even though it would have broken something inside him. Many think that Brian Kinney doesn’t have a heart, but that is far from the truth. I’ve been witness to conversations and arguments of Brian telling Justin that he should be with guys his own age. Justin’s response was always the same: ‘What would I want with some no-nothing kid?’ And you know what? Justin was right!

"That young man wasn’t a kid even before he took to Liberty Avenue and met Brian Kinney. He had a maturity about him that was off-putting to at least one of the other adults in Brian’s life, and he was able to see through the facade straight to the motives of a person. If anything, Brian and Justin drive each other to be better and stronger. If Craig Taylor or any other person thinks that their relationship was based solely on sex, or that it is now, then they really need to have their heads examined. From what I know of Brian Aiden Kinney, sex may have gotten Justin in the door, but its his intelligence, inbred wisdom, and ambition that’s kept him within the inner-realm of Brian’s life.”

“Thank you, Ms. Moore for your candid testimony. No further questions for this witness but I reserve the right to recall. Your witness, Mr. Dunham.”

“No questions at this time for this witness, but reserve the right to cross-examine later should the need arise,” Harrison intoned much to the annoyance of Craig.

“What the hell are you doing?! No questions?! I have a ton of them!”

“Well, if you’d like to be the fool of a client who represents himself, feel free Mr. Taylor,” Harrison sneered. “Other than that, please be silent.”

Emmett and Ted’s questioning went much in the same way, as well as Daphne’s. All of them disputed Craig’s claims that Brian was a child molester or that he was the aggressor in the Justin and Brian dynamic. Again, Harrison had no questions for any of the three of them much to Craig’s displeasure.

“I call to the stand, Jennifer Taylor,” Charles intoned. Immediately after Jennifer was settled, he asked her to state her full name, including her maiden name. It was a surprise move, but Melanie knew that Charles must have had a reason for it.

“Jennifer Justine Alwin Taylor.”

The gasp from the courtroom rent the air, with the exception of two people. Craig and Justin were well-aware of Jennifer’s heritage.

“Thank you, Mrs. Taylor.” Charles said after recovering his shock. He like everyone else knew that Jennifer was true WASP stock, but he had no idea that she was ranked so high.

“I’d prefer to be called Jennifer, or Ms. Alwin please. Although I love my son, I can no longer stand to be associated with his biological father.”

“But you can stand to be associated with my money, bitch!” Craig yelled from his seat.

Jennifer laughed bitterly as the judge banged his gavel and ordered Craig to sit down and shut up. “I would like to address that enormous misconception, if I may?” At Judge Montgomery’s nod, she continued. “Rudyard, let’s look at the facts, shall we?” she enjoyed the cringe that hearing his given name made him do. “You were broke when I married you. Sure, you were from a prominent family when I did, but financing your education had drained your family coffers dry. Well, that and your whoring mother and philandering drunkard of a father. The only reason you were able to afford St. James was because of your grandfather, and Dartmouth because you received a partial scholarship while you worked at a local electronics store throughout for the rest. Your grandfather refused to further support you since you had reached your majority and thought you should be a man and do it yourself.

"When the time came, you were only able to purchase the store because of my act of rebellion and the money I brought to the marriage. I flouted the rules of our society by dating and marrying you as I truly couldn’t stand their choice for me. According to my parents, you were just a step above a lowlife, even though you had some status via your parentage. But they wouldn't see me without a home of my own, even if I was married to you. So they allowed me to fund your endeavors by releasing my trust fund. I would say that I regret the day I ever married you, but then I would have to say that I regret my children, and I love Justin and Molly much too much to ever say that. However, I do regret that I wasted so much time with you and that I trusted you not to steal from our children.”

Charles interrupted. “Steal from your children?”

“Yes. I, in my naivete, gave Rudyard charge over my children’s college funds. During the divorce decree, the judge mandated that he pay back every cent he took from them.”

“And how much was that?”

“A total of six-hundred and forty thousand dollars.” The judge couldn’t stop the low whistle which escaped at the mention of the figure. Jennifer looked over to him and smiled. “Exactly, sir.”

“Do you know what was done with the money?”

“Yes. In fact, thanks to my attorney and Brian Kinney, we were able to uncover that Mr. Taylor had put several properties into my son’s name, including the chain of stores formerly known as Taylor Electronics. The rest was spent on vacations, hotels, condos for his mistresses, and buying politicians, school board members, and a judge’s, favor.”

“Objection! That last hasn’t been proven as of yet.” Harrison spoke up.

“Judge Montgomery, I would like to submit into evidence, exhibits E and F, which are copied registers of Craig Taylor’s bank transactions- both business and personal for the past five years. The transactions pertaining to the influx of sudden cashflow into his personal account from the business account also coincide with exhibits G and H, which are the transaction registers from the trust funds of both Justin Taylor and Marlinda Taylor, also known as Molly. All transactions have been circled and highlighted for your convenience, your honor.”

“You can’t do that! Tell them they can’t do that, Dunham!” Craig shouted.

“They can and have,” Judge Montgomery answered. “Now another word from you, unless you are on the witness stand, will see you in jail for contempt of court, Mr. Taylor! I accept the evidence, Mr. Sands. Please continue.”

“Thank you, your honor. So Jennifer, let’s move onto when you discovered that Justin was gay. How did that come about?”

“On the morning of September 21st, I went into Justin’s room to wake him up. The night of the 19th he had spent the night at his best friend, Daphne’s house, or so I thought at the time. It wasn’t an unusual circumstance since they have been inseparable since they were five years old. Anyway, I went in to wake him up and he jumped from the bed after I told him he had five minutes to get ready and gulp his breakfast before we were leaving. Again, not an unusual occurrence to tell him he had less than time than he really did.” she chuckled and smiled wistfully. “My son is definitely not a morning person. Anyway, I noticed that his bookbag was unpacked and his sketchbooks strewn across the foot of the bed. It was then that I noticed the name Brian written and several sketches of the male anatomy. At first, I was puzzled but then I noticed the underwear.”

“Underwear?”

Jennifer blushed. “Yes. A pair of expensive thong underwear, definitely male and not in Justin’s size.”

“That must have come as quite a shock. What did Justin say?”

“He didn’t. He had come back into the room and asked if I had shampoo. I quickly shoved my newfound discovery into his bookbag and the questions about them to the back of my mind, then left the room to get him his new bottle of shampoo. It wasn’t until days later when we were on our way to the Nike outlet that I approached him about it while he was driving.”

“I’ll bet that went well.”

“About as well as can be expected. We were talking about life and relationships. I mean, I realized that Justin was at the age where he should have been dating around and honestly, I was curious. Outside of Daphne and a few other female classmates, I’d never seen Justin take an interests in anyone specific, especially not romantically. So I told him about the boyfriend I had before I decided to get mixed up with my one and dumb…”

“One and dumb?”

“Yes. We all have them, except maybe Justin. It’s the one who you got involved with when in reality you should have run screaming the other way.” The court chuckled at her description of first loves. “That’s why my father called it the ‘one and dumb.' Anyway, I asked Justin if he had a boyfriend. I could tell that he was shocked and scared but I… I just wanted to feel a connection to him again, you know? He and I had been so close and it felt as if I didn’t know him anymore.” She became sad at the memory.

“I know this is difficult for you to relive, Jennifer. But can you tell us why you took Justin to a psychiatrist?”

She chuckled. “Again, in my naivete, I thought Justin was too young to know what he wanted, or that he was gay. Stupid and more fool me! If I had any doubts left about Justin being gay, they left the moment of his ‘I like dick’ speech to the doctor and myself. That is something that I will never forget in all my days.”

Charles gasped and then his eyes watered in suppressed mirth. The more he got to know about Justin Taylor, the more he actually liked the young man. He sounded more like human dynamite instead of the firecracker Melanie had repeatedly called him. “So tell me how it was that you’d come to meet Brian Kinney.”

“Well that’s not as easy to narrow down. There was Justin’s art show at the Gay and Lesbian Center. I didn’t meet him there, but I found out who he was. It was hard not to go ‘rescue’ Justin when there was this grown, extraordinarily handsome man hanging over my baby. Suddenly, the story of Little Red Riding Hood popped into my head and we know who I thought of as the Big Bad Wolf. It didn’t help that when I had gone for drinks with Debbie Novotny to calm my frayed nerves, that she basically confirmed my initial assumptions about Brian.”

“And what was that assumption?”

“That he was playing around with Justin and he was going to break my son’s heart.”

“So when did your opinion of Brian change? Or at least, begin to change?”

“As Cynthia had testified earlier, Brian was prepared to ‘do the right thing’ by Justin. His father had attacked Brian outside of a club and told him that either he stopped seeing Brian, or never come home again. Justin chose Brian. In retrospect, I can’t say that I blame him. Brian Kinney is a good man for all his faults, but I couldn’t see that at the time. It wasn’t until a week later that I glimpsed that good man underneath the tough facade.

"Brian had brought Justin home- or should I say to the Taylor family house. It hadn’t been a home for many years by that point; just a gilded prison. Anyway, there we all sat in the living room as I basically pleaded with Justin to come home. I realized that I couldn’t stop him from living his life, but I wanted my son where I could still see him everyday and know that he was alright. During the first week he was gone, I’d barely slept at night wondering what he was doing, or if he was eating… if he had a warm place to sleep. I knew he was going to school, as Daphne had confirmed that for me, and she would feed me information on how he was doing. But there’s nothing like being able to see it for yourself, you understand? Anyway, I thought that I was finally getting through to Justin and I could see that he really did want to come home, but then Craig had to go and ruin all that progress with his homophobic tirade about what Justin would do, and won’t do. ‘Give up your disgusting lifestyle and you are never, ever to see that man again!’ Craig yelled, and I knew I had lost my son… again.” A small tear trickled out of the corner of her eye, which she quickly wiped away.

“How did Brian respond?”

“Well, he defended Justin’s right to be himself. I’ll never forget it. He said as calm as you please, ‘So in order to live here, Justin has to deny who he is, what he thinks, and how he feels? Well, that’s not love; that’s hate.’ Craig told him that he wanted him out of his house, which was a moot point because Brian had already stood up and was moving towards the door. Then Brian looked back and asked Justin if he was coming. Justin looked at me with an apology in his eyes, but then they hardened when he looked at Craig. He turned and left with Brian.

"The one thing I took from that experience was how controlling Craig had become of all of us and that it was time to make my own decision. So after Justin was basically kicked out for the second time, Craig went to the office at Taylor Electronics and I went to work cleaning out my own garbage. I packed everything Craig owned and called a moving company. I had everything delivered to the store with a note attached to each and every box. ‘NEVER COME HOME AGAIN!!!’ They were the same words he’d spoken to Justin and he deserved to know how they felt. I began separation proceedings that day, even though I still hoped somewhere in my heart that we could reconcile. It wasn’t until Justin was hurt by Chris Hobbs, and Craig’s response to it all, that I knew for certain we wouldn’t.”

“Thank you, Jennifer for your testimony. No further questions for this witness but reserve the right to recall,” Charles said as he sat down.

“Mr. Dunham, do you have any questions for this witness?” Judge Montgomery asked. Honestly, he hoped not. He could see how the memories were taking their toll on the delicate looking lady.

“In fact, I do have a few questions, your honor.”

“Mrs. Taylor…”

“I believe that I’ve already stated that that name is no longer acceptable to me…” Jennifer sneered.

“Yes, but your real estate license and a host of other documents are under that name, correct?”

“True, but are we really going to argue over semantics, Sir? Trust me, you do not want to make this a source of contention.”

“Mrs. Taylor, didn’t you agree with your husband that Brian Kinney was a child molester?”

Silence.

“Answer the question, Mrs. Taylor.”

Silence.

“Your Honor, please direct the witness to answer the question.”

“Mr. Dunham, it was duly noted that she would prefer to be called Jennifer, which is her given name, or Ms. Alwin which is her maiden name. Both I will point out are also on all of her legal documents, including her divorce decree and real estate license. Now if you do not respond accordingly, you and your client will be held in contempt as I’m sure he’s enjoying this contretemps right about now.”

“Fine. Ms. Alwin, please answer the question.”

“I don’t remember what the question was. My ears deliberately stopped working when you addressed me with that man’s surname. So if you’d like to repeat yourself, then I might see fit to answer you.” Jennifer smirked.

Brian chuckled loudly. “Looks like Jennifer is employing those Jedi mind-tricks again… she really needs to hold a class.”

“Silence, Mr. Kinney,” Judge Montgomery said, although there was a definite twitch of amusement to his lips.

Clearing his throat, but not the smirk, Brian uttered, “Sorry, your honor.”

“I highly doubt it, Mr. Kinney. But Mr. Dunham, please proceed.”

“Yes, your honor. Ms. Alwin, isn’t it true that you agreed that Brian Kinney is Justin Taylor’s molestor?”

“I never agreed to any such thing! True, I didn’t think that a man his age should be involved with my son, but that’s because of my own personal preference and beliefs at the time. I knew the law concerning the age of consent. Although it was written in regard to heterosexual boys, it still included ALL boys who are sixteen years old or older. Again, Mr. Dunham, semantics.”

His eyes narrowed at the woman on the witness stand, unable to dispute her words. He hated that! “Let’s say this was a situation with your daughter, would you be so liberal then?”

“Objection! Calls for speculation. Besides the law is very gender specific in terms of age of consent regarding boys versus girls. This would also be a very different conversation in terms of statutory rape if this involved Molly Taylor. Please remember the Amy Fisher fiasco. It has been made abundantly clear that Brian Kinney cannot be termed as the homosexual version of Joey Buttafuoco anymore than Justin Taylor can be put on par with Amy Fisher,” Charles said.

“Sustained. Mr. Dunham, I don’t need to tell you how inappropriate that question was. Please, let’s keep to facts relevant to this case, of which Molly Taylor is not one of them,” Judge Montgomery ordered sternly. That was a fucking genius argument! He wanted to say to Charles Sands, but couldn’t as he knew Craig Taylor would scream ‘favoritism.’ The man was a schmuck and somewhere inside of himself, Jessup Montgomery felt bad for Dunham having to put up with him.

“Yes, your honor. So, Ms. Alwin, about the bashing… why was Brian Kinney given power of attorney over your son?”

“I wasn’t aware that he was until Justin was in the hospital, but it turned out to be a blessing in disguise, as Craig was determined to cause trouble for Justin. Fortunately, with Brian having Justin’s POA, dated the day my son turned eighteen, it allowed him to take care of all facets of Justin’s care, including banning Craig from visiting the hospital. The last time he did, we had several restraining orders issued- one for Justin, one for Brian, one for myself, and at my daughter’s recent request, one for her as well.”

“Wh-Why would you do that?” Mr. Dunham stuttered.

“You see, Mr. Dunham, my ex-husband had become a violent man. He’s attacked Brian Kinney twice… once outside of the gay nightclub called Babylon, which I’d already mentioned. The other time was with his sedan. He’d rammed it into Brian Kinney’s jeep twice, which I later found out about after seeing the vehicle. Justin was also present at the time that Craig had told us that some ‘idiot backed up into him.’ The lie of it was discovered when Craig ordered me to take it to the body shop to have it fixed. The mechanic told me that if I thought that our car looked bad, he would love to see what the other car looked like, since not only was the radiator of our car damaged, but the spark plugs were also crushed. He said it was a major miracle that I’d even been able to drive it to the auto repair shop without going up into flames myself.

"Then there was the slap that Justin incurred for standing up to Craig; the violence he displayed at the hospital by attacking Brian’s friend Michael when he was being denied access to Justin, and finally when he snuck into Justin’s room after the bogus verdict was given in the Hobbs trial. Do you need any more reasons why the restraining orders were issued?”

“No further questions for this witness, your honor,” Harrison murmured as he took his seat.”

“I’ve heard enough and am ready to render my verdict. Mr. Rudyard Craig Taylor, will you please rise? You are hereby ordered to pay the requested amount of one-hundred and fifty thousand dollars to Brian Aiden Kinney for the undue Defamation of Character and Conspiracy charges. It is payable today.”

“This is an outrage! I want my say!” Craig yelled while trying to be shushed his lawyer.

“Bailiff, take Mr. Taylor into custody immediately. He’s already had his say in more ways than he bargained for! I have not only based my decision on the evidence submitted by the plaintiff’s attorneys, but also have received evidence submitted by the District Attorney’s office, Mr. Taylor. Jones, have him booked for Contempt of Court, but you can add Witness Intimidation to list as well! You see, Mr. Taylor, you were instructed long ago of the gag order in reference to the Civil case of Justin Taylor versus the Hobbs family. Your arrival with them this morning bespeaks that you’ve flouted the rules. However, it was your antics during recess that has caused you to be arrested.”

“Your honor?” William asked, puzzled.

“Do you remember the fax that came through while we were reviewing the recordings submitted by Marcia Hammond, Mr. Dunham?” At his nod, Judge Montgomery continued. “Well, your client was sending messages to Hobbs, advising that Justin’s watchdog, as he so plainly put it, had left his poor little pooch unguarded and he was headed to the restroom. Wasn’t that your exact wording, Mr. Taylor? Well apparently you screwed your own pooch, as the fax that I received was the transcripts from your cell phone. This case is dismissed and court is adjourned! Bailiff Jones, get him out of here! NOW!”

“What the hell do you mean… I have my rights! I…” The rest of Craig’s protests was drowned out while he was Mirandized and taken away. Mr. Dunham followed behind them sedately and still in shock.

“Ready to go and chop off some more monkey asses?” Shavonne asked. She couldn’t have planned the timing of Craig’s arrest better if she’d tried. She owed Rory a raise.

“Yeah. It’s time to cut them too short to shit, not enough to piss, and barely enough room for a fart,” Mel answered. “Brian and Justin, are you two ready?”

Brian looked down into the face of the blond who was coming to mean more to him than he’d ever bargained for. The sparkling blue eyes blinked back at him and then the smile he’d longed to see for so long appeared. Clearing his head of the daze he’d felt himself sliding under, he whispered the two words Mel couldn’t wait to hear. “More than…”

SIDEBAR CHAPTER 9: STOMPING WITH THE BIG DOGS: Catching Spike and Tyke 

After lunch, the group reentered Courtroom A, semi-refreshed from what was already proving to be a long day. The hour long recess gave the next presiding judge time to review all of the videos and written notes from the proceedings thus far. Judge Lano’s packet also would include the transcribed notes from the botched trial of Christopher Hobbs. If all of them had their way, there would be no need for Justin and Brian to take the stand at all, but it was necessary, especially since neither Brian nor Justin had been called as witnesses, as they ought to have been. Although Justin wouldn’t have been able to attend, Brian was at the criminal trial everyday. There was absolutely no reason why he shouldn’t have been called, since he wasn’t only a witness to the attack but also the attacker’s attacker.

As they all settled into the corner of the large courtroom where they had been stationed earlier this morning, Brian took great care in seating himself on the outside of the row. He still didn’t trust Hobbs not to make a move towards Justin, even less so since the incident in the bathroom earlier. Even though it was a fuckwit move on Hobbs’ part, it also spoke of desperation. And that, as far as Brian was concerned, made the idiot even more dangerous. In essence, Craig and Samuel may have implanted the thought, but Chris being as reckless as he’s ever been, had no qualms about carrying out their orders. It was something that they all had to consider carefully.

Brian reached over and grabbed Justin’s right hand to begin massaging it. Justin hadn’t said anything, but Brian knew from the strained look in the blue eyes that he was in pain. The one thing they had learned about Justin’s injury was that although the extremity throbbed in pain from overwork or just in general, it also spasmed when Justin endured an enormous amount of stress. Today was most certainly day of elevated emotions, so Brian knew that Justin would suffer until the entire episode was able to be put behind them.

Concentrating on flexing each finger as he’d been trained by Miguel to do, Brian worked diligently to keep Justin’s fingers from clawing up. While doing that, he let his own thoughts drift back to the previous hearing. He was a bit overwhelmed by how his friends- his true friends- saw him and defended him. Brian was oft known to suffer in silence and would take anyone’s head off if they offered him their help. But without a second thought to anything- the danger to themselves; the fear of reprisals; not even considering how Brian himself would react- they had rallied and saved him… Justin most of all. He would have to talk to the twat about that eventually, but right now all he could feel was gratitude that he and Cynthia loved him enough to not let him lose his ass based on a lie that people who had known him for years were ready, willing, and able to believe. It gave Brian a whole new perspective on what he’d always believed… that words were worthless unless they had the actions to back them up.

A prime example of that was Lindsay and Michael’s responses versus his Personal Assistant and his bo- and just what the fuck was Justin to him now? Boyfriend was too mundane no matter how young Justin was. As Cynthia had stated during her testimony, the young man had never met Brian as a boy. He thought about the difference in how he handled Michael as opposed to the way he’s always interacted with Justin. If Brian let him, Michael would allow Brian to hold his hand and lead him by the nose through his own life. He’d allow Brian to tell him what to say, what to think, and how he should feel, while Brian went off and did God knew what with God knew who.

It was pretty much the way David and Michael’s relationship was, and how it would still be if Michael hadn’t intentionally fucked it up. Brian didn’t believe for one second that Michael wasn’t looking for a way to mess things up so royally that David would send him back to Pittsburgh for good. Michael had been taking whatever opportunity he could since he left to come back here, and when that hadn’t worked- when Brian hadn’t fallen back into the old habits that Michael thought he should have indulged in- Michael’s internal bitterness leaked out of his mouth for all the world to read.

But Justin was different. There were plenty of times that he could have hurt Brian by divulging his secrets; times when Brian was at his cruelest and hurt the blond most of all when he lashed out. Yet, Justin called him on his behavior even as he allowed him to save face in front of the world at large. The worst was after the King of Babylon incident. Yeah, Justin had told his story and it made Brian seethe with jealousy all over again, but it was later that night when Justin had asked him if he’d finally learned the lesson he should have from back in the days of ‘Hotlanta.’

At first, Brian didn’t know what Justin was talking about. But as he continued to think of it, he remembered how it felt to see Justin fucking Sean, like there was nothing in the world he would rather have been doing. It suddenly dawned on Brian that he felt the way he’d made Justin feel countless times during the time they’d known each other. And then Sheba’s last words before she introduced Justin onto the stage replayed themselves in his mind. Brian had learned a hard lesson that night… not to take Justin for granted. It was a bold and hurtful move, but Justin had gotten his point across, loud and clear. It was something that Michael nor Lindsay would have ever done, no matter how much they wanted him.

Oh sure, he knew they did, even if it was for different reasons. Lindsay would want him for status, while keeping Melanie on the side. The acceptance she craved from her parents and her WASPy world was just too strong to believe otherwise. As for Michael, he wanted a protector, someone to take care of him and his needs; to be the guy everyone envied, even if he was a comic book geek. He wanted a home and hearth with romance and all the other trappings a heterosexual female would want. If ever there was a person that should have been born straight, it was Michael! For just as Lindsay had heteronormative ideals, so did her gay and whiny counterpart.

Sitting there thinking about it, he knew that he and Justin had to have a serious conversation about where they wanted to go from here. He didn’t believe that Justin would want the same things as Lindsay and Michael right now, but he also didn’t know what to expect from Justin. This whole relationship thing was new territory to him and for the first time, he really cared if he fucked up. No way was he going to be the perfect partner, but he certainly wouldn’t be the worst. Michael and Lindsay were proving that they were. But he had every intention of being, of becoming, the perfect one for Justin. It was a daunting task amid all of his scary thoughts.

“All rise!” The bailiff intoned. “The Honorable Judge Lisa Lano, presiding.”

“Be seated. This is the Civil Litigation of Justin Cole Taylor versus Samuel Aloysius Hobbs, Sr. and Christopher Mark Hobbs. Please be advised - both Plaintiff and Defense - that I will allow no sudden outbursts before, during, or after testimony is given. If you feel that you cannot control yourselves, you know where the door is. I also would like to advise that I may have a few questions of my own, so do try to be clear and concise in your answers to avoid delay. Is the plaintiff’s side ready to be heard?”

“We are, your honor,” Mel said.

“Good. Please call your first witness.”

“I call to the stand Justin Taylor.”

Giving Brian’s hand one last squeeze as he climbed over him, and taking a deep breath, with a look at Mel, Justin climbed up the steps to the witness box. After being sworn in by Bailiff Johns, testimony began.

“Just relax,” Mel whispered to her client, smiling reassuringly at him. She was just as nervous as Justin, even knowing that Judge Lano was a fair woman. “Please state your full name for the court record.”

“Justin Cole Taylor.”

“Thank you, Justin. Now, can you tell us how you are acquainted with the Hobbs family?”

“Christopher and I attended the same school from the time we were five years old. My parents attended the same country club as his parents.”

“Why the differentiation?”

“Children under thirteen years old weren’t allowed to attend Country Club functions. From the age of five until age eleven, in addition to our regular class studies, we took part in etiquette classes. At age twelve, we attend finishing school before being allowed out in polite society.”

Melanie’s eyes widened at Justin’s answer. She could somewhat understand because of her nationality and faith, but all of this just for being born WASP? Well, it certainly explained Lindsay’s obsession with the world she supposedly left behind to be with Mel. Clearing her thoughts and throat, she continued. “Thank you for that clarification. So you basically didn’t meet Samuel Hobbs until you were thirteen?”

“That’s correct.”

“And how did that first meeting go?”

“Basically I was told that I was a fine young man and should be happy that I have such upstanding parents. I was also told that I should feel honored and privledged that I was being groomed to take over my father’s business one day.”

“But you disagreed?”

“Indeed. I’ve always wanted to be an artist and geared my electives towards that end when picking my school schedule and extracurricular activities.”

“And how were your choices received?”

“Mr. Hobbs told Craig that he needed to correct my thinking.”

“Objection! We would like the record to show that Mr. Taylor is referring to his father, Rudyard Craig Taylor.”

“And this is important why, Mr. Palmer?” Mel asked, before she caught herself.

“Well I mean, if he’d be disrespectful and untruthful about this…”

“Mr. Palmer, sit down. Based on the actions of Craig Taylor this morning alone, he should have never been allowed to have an active reproductive system. Objection overruled,” Judge Lano said as she rolled her eyes. “Please continue, Ms. Marcus.”

“Thank you, your honor. So Justin, were there any other suggestions that Mr. Hobbs made regarding your future choice of career?”

“Only that they needed to speak to Perkins and Dixon about seeing if there was a place for me on the football team.”

“So Mr. Dixon was the football coach at the junior level as well?”

“Yes, Kevin Dixon coached all the football teams of St. James. Since the school is a Kindergarten through grade 12 school, football becomes an option for extracurricular activities at age 6.”

“And have you ever shown an interests in sports, Justin?”

“No. It’s not that I can’t play adequately. I just never saw the point when it wasn’t something I wanted to eventually do professionally.”

“So you were always pretty business driven?”

“Yes. I knew from the age of seven what I wanted to do with my life, despite others plans for me.”

“Which was?”

“To become a graphic artist with my own business, primarily working in animation.”

“And this was unacceptable to Mr. Taylor and Mr. Hobbs, why?”

“Objection! Calls for speculation!” Palmer jumped up.

“Overruled. No doubt that with the controlling father-figures a reason would have been given why. Please continue Justin.”

“Thank you, your honor.”

“The reason Craig gave me was because it was my duty to follow in his footsteps. There was no other purpose that a son should have than to carry on the family name and legacy. He wanted me to attend Dartmouth College for the same reason.”

“And how did you respond to that?”

“By doing exactly what I had been doing, even when they convinced Dr. Perkins to take the art club away some years later.”

“Your honor, I believe you have the written deposition and transcribed notes from the video recording of Mr. Mitchell Perkins before you. I would like to have Justin read aloud exactly what Mitchell Perkins had to say about that situation. I believe the defense already has their copy.”

“Do you, Mr. Palmer?”

The defense attorney reluctantly nodded before verbally confirming. “I do, your honor.”

“Good. Please continue Ms. Marcus.”

“Justin would you please read the words in the highlighted areas? For the record, the first part of questioning was done by my colleague, Lawrence Spokes, and the other part was done by me. Just wanted that clarified before Mr. Palmer felt a need to object.”

“Thank you for the clarification, Ms. Marcus. The record will be duly noted. Justin, if you please…”

Justin nodded and began to read the questions and answers in a clear voice:  

Spokes: Isn’t it true that you knew, even when Justin Taylor entered the eleventh grade that he was being targeted by Dixon and his student cronies simply because he wouldn’t go out for the football team as his father demanded? Is it a fact, that you disbanded the art club for a time so that his one passion couldn’t be indulged, so that he would do his father’s bidding? Isn’t it also a fact that you received monetary compensation to do so while you told the faculty that the Art Club had to be defunded due to budget cuts caused by low-enrollment when that was anything but the truth? In fact, St. Mary’s and St. James schools respectively had received an influx of students, many of them African-American because of your prior actions concerning Leroy Wells, correct? As I recall, there were many scholarships given to low-income and middle-class families so that their children could also receive a first-rate education. What really happened to the money allotted for Art Club the school year before last Mr. Perkins?

Perkins: I… well you see… Oh alright?! What you are implying is true! I did accept the bribe from Craig Taylor to shut down the Art Club during the school year last term. Mr. Taylor’s wish was that Justin find something else to do other than having his head in the clouds with that damn sketchbook. I couldn’t see anything wrong with his request.

Spokes: Except that it didn’t stop Justin’s artistic abilities, did it?

Perkins: Obviously not. He was still drawing on whatever he could get his hands on. Printer paper, the chalkboard… instead of taking notes in class, Justin would sit there drawing. He’d ended up in detention many times because of it.

Spokes: And just who were the teachers who assigned Justin’s detention because he was drawing instead of taking notes? Let me guess that there was only one and I’d bet my paycheck that his name is Kevin Dixon.  

Perkins: I didn’t say that!

Spokes: You didn’t have to. Let’s look at the facts, shall we? Who was the coach of the football team? Kevin Dixon. Who was the only faculty that seemed to have an overt problem with Justin Taylor? Kevin Dixon. Who was the only person in the entire school that had the jocks in his back pocket and could give an order and expect to be obeyed immediately? Again, the answer is Kevin Dixon.

Marcus: Mr. Perkins, I just have a few further questions. If you knew this was all coming back to bite you, why did you continue to allow these actions against Justin? Why not just come clean with your part in it? You would have possibly received a slap on the wrist, compared to what’s happening now. So what made you decide that you could get away with it all?

Perkins: It was the money. I got greedy and the money… well it solved a lot of problems for me last year. I didn’t want to live without it again. What Craig Taylor paid me and Samuel Hobbs offered made my salary look like pittance. Now that I’m debt free, that money would have been mine, solely to do with as I pleased.

“Thank you, Justin. Now, if it pleases the court, I would also like you to read the testimony of Kevin Dixon. Again, all of the areas are highlighted and the defense has also been given a copy. Your honor, your copy should also be with you. Please take note that my colleague Acting ADA Shavonne Fuller was asking the questions.”

“It is and thank you, Ms. Marcus. You may proceed, Justin.”

Justin nodded again, amazed at how well and thoroughly Lawrence and Melanie had done their jobs. He began to read again:

Fuller: As you wish, Mr. Dixon. Tell us what prompted you to target Justin Taylor?

Dixon: I didn’t.

Fuller: But you did target him, didn’t you? According to Dr. Perkins testimony at the trial of Christopher Hobbs, he stated that you told him you had walked into the classroom during a confrontation between Justin Taylor and Christopher Hobbs, is that correct? And when taking attendance, when you spoke Justin Taylor’s name- or should I say sneered it like your lip is curled to do now- Christopher Hobbs yelled out ‘Queer’ in place of Justin confirming his presence, is that correct? And while Justin complained to you about the inappropriateness of the remark, you denied hearing that, but ordered Justin to the principal’s office after he said, ‘The Queer is here, the Queer is gathering his things, the Queer is leaving the room.’ And after a cursory ‘That’s enough’ from you, Justin Taylor called you on your selective hearing, stuck his middle fingers up at you and told you ‘Well now that your hearing has returned this Queer says fuck you’. Do I have all of the events of that afternoon’s calculus class correct, Mr. Dixon?

Dixon: I don’t recall.

Fuller: Sure you do. But I asked those questions as a warm-up to get you to focus on this one. What did Chris Hobbs get for beginning the contretemps in the first place? Was he sent to principal’s office? Did he get a phone call home? Did he get detention for being a disruption even before class began? What were his grades like that he was able to remain on the football team? And before you answer that last question, know that we have pulled Chris’ academic records from the school’s database and know that he was flunking every class, except Advanced Calculus before his grades were changed in the system. Would you care to explain how and why they were changed, Mr. Dixon?

Dixon: I don’t understand what any of these questions have to do with the civil trial, Ms. Fuller.

Fuller: Of course you do, but evasion and deflection of the questions will not work here. The longer you take to answer these questions, the longer it will be before you can meet with your attorney. And let me assure you, that until I release you, you won’t leave. Unless it’s by you being placed in a jail cell for contempt of court. Also be advised that you can plead the fifth, but based on prior testimony and the records from the hearing of the St. James Disciplinary Board, which have been released to us, our conclusions have already been drawn. So you might as well come clean with all of it, since you already have been ordered to pay the fifty grand to Justin Taylor. Right now, it’s just a matter of if I decide there is enough evidence to charge you as an accessory to Chris Hobbs’ crime. Truthfully there is, based on hearsay alone, and I would be happy to dig into all of your past dealings with not only Justin Taylor, but Craig Taylor, and a host of other students you’ve ‘taught’ throughout your tenure at St. James; those students who were tortured upon your whims, and those of their controlling parents by your merry band of mindless muscle, otherwise known as the football team. There isn’t a statute on any murder charges- attempted or completed, so you would do well to keep me from digging, Dixon. Consider this your plea deal. Now, answer the questions.

Dixon: Alright. You are correct in saying that while I targeted Justin Taylor, I protected Christopher Hobbs. You have to understand though, that I owe my loyalty to Hobbs and his family.

Fuller: Why?

Justin gasped before he read the answer aloud…

Dixon: Because we’re family. In fact, Kinney’s boss, Marty Ryder’s wife, is my aunt. She’s a Hobbs by birth. So whereas I was being paid by Craig Taylor, I was also being paid by my cousin, Samuel Hobbs. Samuel bought shares in Taylor Electronics for me, and so this was my way of paying him back.

After that pronouncement, read in Justin’s voice, the entire courtroom including the defense attorney representing the Hobbs family sat in stunned silence. Apparently, not even he knew of the familial connection.

Fuller: Were you made aware of the transfer of ownership of Taylor Electronics to Justin Taylor about two years ago?

Dixon: If we held shares, yes we were all made aware. That was part of the reason we needed to re-educate Justin. He’s what was called a legacy student, in fact we all are, or should I say, they are. I was from the wrong side of town, much like Kinney, until I went to Dartmouth and met Craig Taylor and Samuel Hobbs, only they didn’t really know it. My own mother was estranged from her family. So imagine my surprise when I found out that my aunt- her only sister was a Hobbs by birth, the result of an affair- and married well when she aligned with Ryder and voila, there’s my family history in a nutshell.”

Fuller: So basically you’re saying that because he was a ‘Legacy’ student, your job was to de-fag Justin Taylor?

Dixon: In a sense, yes. But the sissy brought it upon himself. If he had just stayed in the closet and respected the rules...

Fuller: And just what are those rules, Mr. Dixon? To be mindless, unhappy, and dumb down your quality of life, due to the ideals of others?

Dixon: Yeah. In the WASP nest, you go along to get along; it’s that simple. You do what you’re told and then what you’re expected to, otherwise you reap the consequences.

Fuller: So Chris Hobbs taking a bat to Justin Taylor’s head was completely justified in your book? The fact that he was in a coma and stopped breathing several times was okay, because he is openly gay and flouted your society’s trumped up rules? It was okay for his locker, with all of his belongings, to be set on fire because he is gay, is that what you are saying? It was okay for you to give the orders which led to the hell Justin Taylor endured his entire high school career because he’s gay and therefore needed to be taught a lesson about where his loyalty should lie?

Dixon: YES!! To all of it, yes! And I don’t regret any of it!

Justin looked up at Melanie with tears in his eyes. Her heart ached for having to have him read it aloud but it couldn’t be helped. “Justin, do you need a break?”

“No, I…”

“We can call a recess if you want to.”

He glanced over to the defense table. Whereas the attorney was looking suitably horrified, he noticed the superior smirks on father and son’s faces alike. Turning his attention to his side of the courtroom, he saw looks of despair and pity, but it was Brian’s look that made the decision for him. “No, Mel. They came for me… for us, so it’s my turn. Game on!” he whispered to her vehemently.

She smiled wide at the return of Justin’s fighting spirit and she knew who to thank for that. She turned to look at the man who would be King of their world and smiled. Brian in turn offered her a raised eyebrow and a sardonic smile in response. “Okay, Justin. Now that we have heard the testimonies of two of the co-conspirators in cahoots with Hobbs family, it’s time for some really tough questions. I won’t lie to you and tell you that they won’t be invasive, but it’s important that you remember your right not to answer. Are we clear?”

“Yes.”

“When did you first know you were gay?”

“I had an inkling that I might be at eight years old. There was this girl named Marylou Caputo who kissed me on the playground and I just thought she was the grossest thing. Sure she was pretty, but that’s all. It wasn’t until age thirteen that I knew for sure since all of the girls were developing and I couldn’t see anything worth looking at close-up beyond their esthetic beauty. I was looking at them as I would anything else I had drawn.”

“No feelings for Daphne?”

“Not in the romantic sense. I love her, but not like I have always loved Brian.”

“But you slept with her shortly after you met Brian.”

“I did. She was seeing a fellow student and wanted to move beyond second base with him, but she didn’t trust him. So she asked me, as someone who had recently gone through the trauma of losing my virginity, to help her out.”

“Trauma? What an odd choice of words.”

“Not really when you think about it.” He shrugged. “As a friend once explained to me, you’re giving someone a part of you by letting someone into your body. It’s a gift, but in the wrong hands, it can become a weapon. Daphne didn’t want that to happen to her and neither did I. Trust me, if I was straight, there wouldn’t have been a question in my mind that Daphne would be who I wanted. She’s very special and a damn great friend.” He looked over at his best friend, who had tears in her eyes. They had come a long way since that fateful day, but neither would ever regret their actions.

“So who did you lose your virginity to?”

“Who else but my partner, Brian Kinney. We weren’t always partners and we still will have an open relationship, I’m sure. But Brian... I fell in love with Brian that first night. It wasn’t just because of the way he looks, even though he’s freaking gorgeous. But it was the fact that even after discovering that I had lied about my age initially, he still took the time to talk to me; to treat me as a person and not a trick. Then later, he let me name the most precious gift in this world to him, and that was before he took me back to his place to fu...deflower me. Sorry, your honor,” Justin said blushing bright red amid a giggle.

“No worries, Justin. You caught yourself in time. So let me ask this. If you were so into Brian, why the interlude with Christopher Hobbs?” Judge Lano asked.

“You have to understand that Brian and I have never been together in the conventional sense. It’s something that I struggled with early on, and still have issues with it every now and again. But on that particular day, Brian and I had a major argument in which there were harsh words said in front of a diner full of people, one of which was Brian’s best friend. Michael Novotny had always made it a point to tell me that I was not wanted, that I was worthless, that I would never be anything to Brian but a convenient body when he didn’t want to go out looking for the next hot guy to screw. Mostly it was done when no one was really around to hear it, or if they were, they just let Michael have his say.

"So imagine having his jealous, vicious words confirmed from the one person you thought would never agree with them. It cut deeply and I just needed soothing. I didn’t set out to make Chris the balm to heal me, he was just there. I had been attracted to him in an ‘is he in the closet or just curious’ sort of way. It just so happened that we’d both got detention, but then we’d started talking about girls and he started jerking off right in front of me, so I gave him a hand. He could have stopped me at anytime- I mean, look at him and look at me- but he didn’t. In fact, he enjoyed himself immensely.”

“Thank you, Justin for answering my question so thoroughly. Ms. Marcus, you may continue.”

“Thank you, your honor. So Justin, continuing on in the same vein, What happened the next day?”

“There was the fight in the locker room. I was changing back into my uniform from gym class when Chris walked in and asked if I was going to shower. Kept going on about how he would think that I would want to look at the guys in there. I told him that I had a paper to finish so I wasn’t. He noticed my nipple ring that I had gotten a week before. He asked me if I’d done it so that my butt-fucking pals- his words, not mine- would have something to pull on. I don’t remember my exact words but I know they had something to do with what happened between him and I while cleaning the equipment room during detention. By the time the other guys came in, Chris was shoving me and I threw the punch that blackened his eye. Of course, I got suspended and a phone call home with it all being labeled as my fault, while all I was doing was getting dressed to finish my paper for my next class.”

“Why not just walk away?”

“I turned my back on him, continuing to get dressed. I would have thought that would indicate the conversation would be over, so I could only come to the conclusion that Chris was either being really obtuse or my worthiness as a man was being tested because I’m gay. In either circumstance, walking away simply wasn’t an option.”

Melanie nodded. “So tell us about the argument on Liberty Avenue.”

“That happened the same night that I was suspended from school for standing up for another student when Mr. Dixon failed to, as a result of Chris’ continual bullying. I was coming out of the local hangout on Liberty Avenue in the company of Brian, Emmett, Ted, and Michael. We’d just finished talking about the latest round of Homophobic High when I spotted him. I asked him what he was doing there and he responded that he’d come to see the freaks. I told him that down on Liberty Avenue he was the freak and to go home. He made a move to hit me again and Brian stepped in between us. That was hot as hell, by the way… but ANYWAY, by that time I was tired of being harassed everywhere. I had been kicked out of my childhood home and was being persecuted at school, so I felt that I should have had at least one place where I wasn’t constantly being stalked, among other things. And when I get angry, I also get reckless, so I outed Closet Chris so that he could feel what it felt like for me to have to deal with his pettiness and bullying behavior every single day since my outing. No, Chris and I were never the best of friends, but we were at least cordial. And maybe I could have done things differently; I’m no angel and far from perfect. But the fact remains that I didn’t deserve to almost die because of something that I can’t change about myself.”

“Would you change it if you could?”

“No.” Justin answered without hesitation. “No, I wouldn’t because then I couldn’t love Brian the way I’m meant to. I couldn’t be accepting of people as they are instead of who my narrow and conditioned mind would perceive them to be. Sure things would have been easier, but I’ve never been one to take the easy road. And I won’t start simply because someone has a problem with the way I live my life.”

“No further questions. Your witness,” Melanie intoned, giving Justin one last wink. She had to admit that he did well. He didn’t lie, gloss over or sugar-coat and he certainly didn’t shift blame. He just told his story through the questions asked which is something that should have been done in the first place.

“No further questions at this time but reserve the right to call Mr. Taylor back in light of future testimony.”

“Mr. Taylor, you may step down,” Judge Lano told him. As he made his way over to his partner, she watched with her face carefully blank as the older man embraced the younger. To the outside eye, they would certainly look like they shouldn’t be together. But she wasn’t just an ordinary person looking at the couple. It wasn’t hard to discern their loyalty to each other despite the fact that their relationship is an open one. She’d seen more monogamous couples end up in court for infidelity than she had seen couples in open relationships break up. They were the type of couples who never let a little thing like physical need dictate how they felt and related to each other. Even though she was a one-man woman to her soul, she couldn’t help but admire them.

Shaking her head slightly, she advised. “We’re going to take a half hour break so that I can review Dr. Bethany Colbert’s collective report of Justin’s professional caregivers. Please be mindful of the gag order and that this is a court of law, not a wrestling or boxing arena. Just saying, people! Court is in recess!”

SIDEBAR CHAPTER TEN: STOMPING WITH THE BIG DOGS: CATCHING SPIKE and TYKE Part 2

“How are you feeling? I mean, now that this part is just about over?”

“About as pulled together as a threadbare rug.”

“An apt description, indeed.”

Brian and Justin had taken the opportunity to be by themselves for a little while during the recess. Although as inscrutable as ever to those who didn’t know them personally, Mel had noticed that they were extraordinarily reserved, even for them. It wasn’t as if either of them were obnoxiously loud or annoyingly boastful on a good day, but they were never people to give monosyllabic answers to even the most mundane questions, unless they were close to losing the last tethers on their sanities. So she advised them to go and make use of empty clerk’s office on the other side of the courtroom while the Hobbs retreated back to the conference room in the opposite direction. As a precaution, Isaac and John were stationed outside of the closed door to give Brian and Justin ample time to talk and regroup… well as much as they could before the next set of invasive questioning began anyway.

“You know they are going to try to make this all about you, don’t you Brian?”

“Yeah, I do. I have to hand it to Melanie though. The way she questioned you didn’t leave them much room for cross-examination at all. If they would have brought up any of the questions about the prom in reference to you just then, they would have looked like the bullies they are. It was a smart move on Palmer’s part.”

“I guess so. I did notice their attorney’s face though.”

“Hm, Justin, why does he seem familiar yet... not?” Brian asked him. It was something that was continually troubling him since he first laid eyes on the man this morning even before the hearing with Craig.

Justin smiled wide. “It’s his son.” At Brian’s puzzled look, Justin confirmed. “We’re dealing with William Dale Palmer, not his father William Edward Palmer. ‘Dale’ as he’s known in our circles was raised with his maternal grandparents. My guess is that he was called in because of the gag order. I just hope that he isn’t as easily manipulated as his father was.”

“Wait… why was he raised by his maternal grandparents away from the nest?”

“Oh, they are high up in their own area, but William remarried after Dale’s mother died. The woman didn’t want any reminders of her predecessor and ordered him to send Stephanie’s son to live with her parents. I’m pretty sure that William and Evelyn regret such a hasty decision now, since it became evident that she was barren. At least with Dale around she would have been pitied and applauded for raising Dale into the fine man he’s grown to be. But, since everyone knew what she had done, she was shamed and ridiculed. If you think our world is full of bitchy queens, you should hear what happens when polite society gets down and dirty.”

“If it’s anything like the verbal volley you threw at Lindsay this morning, then I think I have a lot to learn.”

Justin chuckled. “You do. Keep spending time with Mom, you’ll learn quick.”

Brian laughed. “I’ll bet! The way she took him apart from the hot seat… and then you… talk about poise under pressure! I’ll be lucky if I get through it all without finding myself in a cell next to Rudyard. Christ, what a name!”  Brian took a deep breath. “You did real good up there, Sunshine.”

“I had you to hold me together, even if I still feel like a threadbare rug. I just can’t believe all of the alliances formed because I chose my own road.”

“Any regrets?”

Justin looked at Brian, thinking of all they had been through thus far and smiled softly. “A wise man once to me that there’s no turning back. I think I’ll happily go with that. In the meantime, I think I know the perfect way to bring us both back into focus.”

“Oh yeah? How?”

“Reach into my inside jacket pocket.”

Brian did as he was told, palming the items he held there. Smiling wide, he looked into the seemingly innocent blue eyes staring back at him without a hint of remorse. “Sunshine…”

“What? I was never a boy scout, but the same wise man who told me there was no turning back also told me to always be prepared. So what’s it’s going to be, Yoda?”

“Smartass twat,” Brian murmured as he leaned down and kissed Justin.

Glancing at his watch, he knew that time was of the essence. Half the time of recess was already gone, so whatever interlude they were going to have had to happen now. Before he could even utter such a sentiment, Brian felt his slacks being loosened and slid down his long legs.

“Hurry,” Justin demanded against his lips as he palmed Brian’s cock, pumping it to full hardness while single-handedly undoing his own trousers.

Brian didn’t need to be told twice. Briefly releasing the his hold on Justin’s lips, he moved them to stand behind the empty desk in the corner. Using the armchair conveniently placed there, Brian sat down so that he was eye level with Justin’s ass. Opening the small plastic cap on the lube bottle, Brian lubed his fingers before separating the rosy globes before him. At first touch of the sensitive orifice, Brian relished the gasping sound emitting from Justin, followed by a deep groan. No matter how short on time they were, he wanted Justin to enjoy being with him this way as he always did. Circling the hole, Brian slowly inserted first one and then the second finger, acknowledging that there wasn’t time for the slow prep they were accustomed to- that would come later.

Justin in his impatience, pushed back against Brian’s marauding fingers hard, determined to have as much time with his prize as possible. He wanted it hard and fast for two reasons: to relieve Brian’s tension and his own. “Fuck! Brian, do it!”

“Hold on…” Brian eased a third finger inside of Justin causing the instinctive clenching of Justin’s inner walls. After several hard drives and easy withdrawals into Justin’s depths, Brian stood behind Justin’s panting body. “Now, Sunshine.”

Brian donned the condom, applying the rest of the lube before easing himself into Justin. Allowing minimal time for adjusting, Justin pushed back, stopping only when Brian had bottomed out. Holding Justin’s hips still with one hand, he used the other to grip the back of Justin’s hair bringing his head back and fusing their lips to together. The kiss became rough and all-consuming even as Brian began to move his hips against his lover. Justin met and matched Brian stroke for stroke as they humped and pressed against each other, trying to wring every ounce of stress out of the other and replace it with pleasure.

It was there that they communicated most effectively, in a language no one else would ever understand. Through the grunts, groans, gasps, moans, and shivers, each of them spoke of promises renewed and anewed; strengthening their resolve to see this episode of their lives through to the end and to move on together, no matter what was next. If this was the only weapon of epic 'FUCK YOU' proportions they had at their disposal at the moment, then they were going to use it in the most lethal way possible, and Hobbs of the world be damned!