TED

When I woke up there was a note from Blake saying that he was getting breakfast and to stay in bed. I hadn’t slept much after last night. I looked at my arm and covered up the bruise, trying to convince myself it was just a dream. Blake walked in with a tray and sat it between us.

“We need to talk about last night.” Blake tells me.

“I know we agreed to get to know each other…” I start.

“Ted, it wasn’t a dream, and it’s time for me to explain to you, everything you don’t know.” He tells me.

“What are you talking about?” I ask, not wanting to talk about it.

“Did you find Marilyn?” He asks.

“Do you know how crazy this sounds?” I asked him.

“Crazy or not, I need to know what she told you.” He tells me.

“It was a list of names she told me to remember. She said that they were stupid enough to think if they succeeded, that it didn’t matter if they followed the rules.” I tell him.

“What were the names?” He asks.

“Only one name was someone I knew, and another one seemed familiar, Tad, but at first I thought she said my name. The rest were Craig, Gardner, Sierra, Rita, and Kenneth. She said they were all the people who didn’t like the life we all got.” I tell him.

“Shit. We need to tell the guys, because they’ve been worried about Michael remembering.” He tells me.

“Michael?” I ask.

“Ted, there were other lives we lived before this one. In the last one I left you because I was worried about you. I was mad at you because you were still working yourself to death and wouldn’t retire. I only meant to go home, but I got in an accident and died, then decided you would be happier without me. Someone showed me the life that Brian and Justin changed and I hated that at one time you almost died and I had left you on the floor, not even knowing if you were going to survive. I tried to come back without you and give you a chance at a life without me. Only I didn’t know we were always supposed to be together.” He tells me.

“You do understand this sounds hard to believe.” I tell him.

“I got in the car and you told me I looked high on more than the drugs I was on.” He tells me.

“Why do you remember and I don’t?” I ask.

“We’re not sure why some of us came back with our memories intact but others didn’t. Everyone’s worried about Michael remembering, because Lindsay told him a way to change the past. Which doesn’t make a lot of sense, because it also included that you would have to have a good reason to be able to go back and change it. Only, the names you just said wouldn’t have one.” I tell him.

“Lindsay was the blonde who had a baby with Mel?” I ask.

“Yes. She was part of that past, but can’t come back to this one. It didn’t make sense to me why she would tell Michael something that wouldn’t help her.” He tells me.

“Marilyn said something about Lindsay but I was coming back so it got lost. I know it had something to do with Michael, but I don’t remember.” I tell him.

“Let’s go talk to Brian and see if we can make any sense out of this. Wait, you said one of the names was someone you knew, who?” He asks me.

“Ethan.” I tell him.

“That one isn’t a surprise, just that he and Michael were together.” He tells me.

“Why?” I ask.

“In the past, Ethan wanted Justin, but couldn’t hold on to him.” He tells me.

“Brian is going to love that.” I tell him.

“He didn’t, but that’s a long story we don’t have time to get into right now. Why Ethan is risking everything for something he’ll never get from Justin just shows how delusional he and his band of idiots are.” He tells me, dragging me out of bed.

BRIAN

Emmett and Justin were trying to figure out if anything told them who would do what they were doing. The people in Justin’s dream basically getting what they wanted made Craig and Gardner likely, but in the end what the person tried to avoid - Justin and I meeting - didn’t get them what they wanted. We still met, no matter how many years it took.

“How did you end up meeting Drew?” I ask Emmett.

“I was throwing a party for the Mayor. Drew and his team were there.” He tells me.

“Who was the mayor?” I ask.

“Richards… Rightchard… something like that. It wasn’t even the mayor that threw the party, but his wife. I really can’t remember, it’s like every time the name came up, I couldn’t get it right.” He tells me.

“Rickert?” I ask.

“I think that’s it, why?” He asks.

“It’s the cop that killed himself when Hunter got the evidence we needed to prove he killed Jason Kemp. Which wouldn’t have happened if the past changed, but why him and not Stockwell?” I tell him.

“If he killed himself wouldn’t he be with Lindsay? Lindsay was there too, though. How if she was no longer allowed?” Emmett asks.

“It’s before we changed everything. Maybe when you and Justin came back that time line froze. Only restarting to what would happen if they were able to change events.” I tell him.

“Can we come in?” Blake asks, with Ted behind him. “You can keep talking, Ted already thinks he’s crazy, since he visited the past last night.” He tells us, when we all got quiet.

“Welcome to the life none of us want to remember.” I tell Ted.

“He talked to Marilyn and got you boys the suspects.” Blake tells us.

“Who are they?” I ask.

“Ethan, which Blake said wasn’t a surprise, but the rest are people he didn’t really know.  Craig, Gardner, Sierra, Rita, Rickert, and someone named Tad.” He tells us.

“The who’s who of people who think we screwed up their lives.” Emmett tells us.

“Who was Tad? That one felt like someone I know.” Ted asks.

“He was a guy you dated that sort of got crazy because he didn’t like you having anyone in your life but him.” Emmett tells him.

“What about the other people?” Ted asks.

“Craig is Justin’s father, who hated Brian for making Justin gay. Ethan hated Brian because Justin loves Brian. Rickert is the cop that killed a hustler; and Brian, Justin, and Hunter went out looking for proof. Hunter got it the first time, in a way none of us want to remember, and Brian found a way the second time without involving Hunter. Gardner lost everything when you and Brian created Kinnetik, an ad agency. Sierra lost Drew to me. Rita was the mother who thought selling Hunter to perverts was a way to supplement her drug habit. She likely hates Brian and Jen for getting Hunter out of this.” Emmett tells him.

“Shit, my father hates my mother for leaving him, in every life.” Justin tells us.

“Let’s not forget that Carl and Deb helped me with Richert.” I tell them.

“How did they all meet and manage to do any of this?” Emmett asks.

“Who knew all of us and would be able to find the people who might hold a grudge?” I ask.

“But where does Michael fit into her plans?” Justin asks, catching on as usual.

“What if he doesn’t, and she just used him to keep us busy?” Emmett tells us.

“Ethan played us by sticking around Michael, but what about Ben?” Justin asks.

“Who’s been noticeably absent recently.” Emmett tells us.

“Even knowing all of this, what can we do?” Blake asks.

“We don’t even know how they’re doing it. We need to figure that part out.” I tell them.

“We could try Marty, he might not be able to do the Mysterious Marilyn anymore, but he still knows about this kind of thing.” Justin tells us.

“He’s the six foot cross-dresser?” Ted asks, as if he couldn’t see it.

“He wanted to go for a more butch look this time.” Emmett tells him.

JUSTIN

I didn’t have to call or tell Marty anything, since he saw everything I did. We just waited around while filling Ted in on the past, which didn’t seem to trigger anything for him. Blake started looking up something on his phone and then played an opera for Ted, but he didn’t react and we were just happy for him to turn it off.

“Once again, you guys are telling everyone.” Marty says, coming in the door.

BRIAN

“I’d like to bring up the fact that you ran us in circles until we finally got the truth out of you the first time.” Emmett tells him.

“Ted got dragged into the past, we didn’t do it.” I tell him.

“You're going to be dragging more, because if you're right, they are coming after all of you. Which right now, Jen and Deb are in the dark about.” He tells us.

“Why can’t we get Ted to remember?” Blake asks.

“He lost someone that won’t exist in this life, because you changed your life.” He tells Blake.

“Luke?” Blake asks.

“Find Luke and Ted will remember. Like Gus and Jenny, he’s here, you just have to find him.” Marty tells us.

“What about Lulu, TJ, and Kira?” Emmett asks.

“Brian and Justin have a way to have Kira, in fact Justin has a cousin and sisters in this life. Cynthia has always been more to you both.” Marty tells us.

“How do you know?” Justin asks.

“I got a little boost, because the Big Guy isn’t thrilled right now. He told me to tell you what you need to know, but not to give any advice until I clear it with him. Kira is apparently driving everyone crazy so you get that one, to help get her here. Okay, now onto something you're going to hate. It’s time to bring Michael in.” He tells us.

“Any way to avoid that? I kind of like not having to see him fawn all over Brian.” Emmett tells him.

“Which he won’t, because Drew and Connor are about to find out they have something in common. So Michael will be meeting his destiny, and Brian won’t be stuck with his best friend thinking the world will end because Brian loves Justin.” Marty tells us, as I flip him off.

“We find Luke, and Ted remembers? What about Hunter?” I ask.

“I’m not sure what Hunter knows, but it would explain why he found me and then already knows my family. He kept trying to get me to meet Bree by getting her a job like I gave him. He didn’t seem to like Ben much either, but when you think about it, Ben never looked for Hunter.” Justin tells us.

“We’ll corner the littlest hustler later. For now, how the hell are they doing this?” I ask.

“Lindsay found them all before the end of the last life. She was able to convince them you all ruined the lives they could have had. She’s been a busy girl, trying to line up the players to make your life hell.” He tells us.

“We still don’t know how?” Justin tells him.

“They are still in the extinct timeline, not here. Well Ethan is here, but he’s only here in hopes that they succeed.” He tells us.

“If they do?” I ask.

“Then they are going to wish they hadn’t, but they don’t know where Lindsay ended up. They’re frozen in the beginning though, because you stopped that timeline. It stopped on the night Justin and Brian met. They are trying to figure out how to stop all of you from meeting each other, not just Justin and Brian. If they do succeed, you guys have to go back and straighten it all out. Only they don’t know that the playing field has changed. They can’t take you back without your memories anymore. It’s why we need to get Michael involved, because for once he has something he’ll lose if they find out he knows a way to do it without the Big Guy coming down on his head. Michael wanted redemption because hell isn’t a place he wants to visit. The only problem is, it’s up to us to get Michael back, any clue how, because that wasn’t something I was told.” He tells us.

“Brian?” Justin asks.

“I’ve been around him all my life. He hasn’t remembered anything.” I tell them.

“We were trying to get him not to remember, so possibly do something to make him remember you.” Emmett tells me.

“It was so nice not to have to hear him say, ‘But Brian is my BEST FRIEND.’” Justin tells us, making everyone laugh.