JUSTIN

Brian didn’t want to come and watch what Michael was about to do. I really didn’t care, as long as it was over. But I wanted to do one thing after hearing Michael said, no one bothered to come to Ben’s grave. Which, if Michael had bothered to visit, he would have seen that people still came to remember Ben. Hunter made a weekly trek to clean up and put flowers out for the father he loved. There were also others who stopped by, like students who remembered him. Ben wasn’t forgotten the way Michael thought, except by the man who was his husband. I came with Hunter when he didn’t want to come alone, but it wasn’t the only time. I used to come, and try to figure out why he did some of the things he did, when he could have walked away and found happiness in the dreams he gave up. It was how I sometimes felt during the last year. I wanted Michael to see the cards and flowers for a man he shit on in life. He needed to see that Ben actually had people who cared that he existed. Granted, none of them had anything to do with my little show, but there were people who did come to honor Ben.

The delivery van showed up with the flowers that I ordered, and put them where I wanted them. I needed to get out of here before Nick killed Al for letting me come here. When they were finished I took pictures that I planned to use in a show. I wanted to show that even when someone was gone, they still were there with us. Hunter came along, smiling as he cleared the weeds. He ignored me, just did what he’d been doing every week. 

“You never say anything to tarnish Ben’s memory. It sounded like a lot of the problems started with Ben’s will.” Al tells me.

“Ben didn’t force Brian to oversee it, just did what he thought Michael wanted. What happened wasn’t because of Ben, but a combination of problems that we never talked to each other about. Michael couldn’t have done anything if we hadn’t both taken the easy way out by not talking about it. We both know it, and blaming everyone else doesn’t change that there were problems.” I tell him.

“He doesn’t want me to have bad memories of my father.” Hunter tells him.

“Ben loved you, he might not have been perfect, but for you he was the father you cherished.” I tell him.

“We need to go, Nick is about to be here to set up.” Al tells me.

“Nick IS here, and going to kick your ass for letting Justin come here.” Nick tells us, walking up with the guys.

“We’ve all fallen for Justin’s ‘it’s just a few pictures’.” Mark says, trying to excuse Al.

“Time to go, we have to set up everything else, but with the flower parade it makes it easier.” Nick tells them.

“Which is the reason I thought it would be a good idea.” I lied.

“He really thinks we believe that?” Rick asks, laughing.

MICHAEL

I got to the cemetery and it took me a couple minutes to remember where Ben was. There were people at other graves talking, as if the dead person was still there. I didn’t really see the point, but used to have to come with Ma so she could sit next to Vic’s grave. She didn’t bother to try to make up with him when he was alive, but acted like it made a difference now that he was dead. I only came with her because Ben thought we should. 

When I got to Ben’s grave, I wasn’t sure I was in the right place. The only time anyone had this many flowers were at the funeral. I read some of the cards that were on the flowers, wondering who these people were, since Ben didn’t have many friends the whole time we were together, at least none he ever introduced me to.

I saw Kip walking towards me with someone who looked like a kid. As they got closer I started to worry about what we were going to do. I didn’t need to have anyone think I was involved. It was the one thing I knew would lose me any chance of getting Brian back in my life. I only needed time to show Brian he’d made a mistake committing himself to the asshole. It wasn’t just about Brian, but Ted too. I was being investigated, and from what I read online, if they proved I caused the fire then I’d end up in prison. I had nothing to lose anymore, but I didn’t need any more reasons for someone to cart my ass off to jail.

“We’re here. This is Michael. He’s the one who wants you to do what I asked.” Kip tells him, pissing me off by saying it was all me.

“What Kip means is that we wanted you to help us out.” I tell the guy.

“It really doesn’t matter to me why you want me to hurt the faggot. I just came to get the payment and deal with it.” The guy tells me.

“I wanted to see if you would be willing to help me out with another person after you prove you can do what Kip says you can.” I tell him, being careful not to say I wanted them hurt; or killed, in the whore’s case.

“You seem to have lots of people you would like to see next to your husband. That is what you want isn’t it, them no longer above ground?” He asks.

“Only one of them. The other just needs to know he shouldn’t cross me.” I tell him.

“Killing someone isn’t cheap, are you sure you can afford that?” The guy asks.

“I have a thousand as down payment and if you do what you say, then I’ll make sure you get what you ask for.” I tell him, pulling out the money.

“I’ll definitely make sure you get what you deserve.” He tells me, taking the envelope. 

“What?” I ask, since it didn’t make sense, ‘what I deserved’.

“Was it what you needed?” The guy asks, looking behind me.

“Yes. Thank you.” Carl says, looking at me like I was a criminal.

“What’s going on? I was here to see Ben.” I ask, trying to look confused. Carl rolled his eyes waving an officer over.

“Well Michael, now you have the right to remain silent, which I know you have a problem with. Officer Kent, make sure he’s read his rights, we don’t want any reason for him to get out of the charges.” Carl says, as the officer handcuffs me.

“I was only here because Kip was blackmailing me. He told me he wanted to get rid of anyone who got in the way of making Brian his. I was trying to protect Brian!” I yelled as they started dragging me to the car. “You bastard. You set me up!” I yelled at Kip.

“Mr Novotny, do yourself a favor and shut up.” Officer Kent tells me.

“I’m trying to tell you that I wasn’t the one who planned this, it was Kip and Lindsay. They were blackmailing me.” I tell him.

“What were they blackmailing you for?” Nick the fucker asks.

“To make Brian think it was me, when it was them.” I tell him, not being able to think of a reason.

“Yeah, that really sounds like a problem, since they are telling everyone it’s you. Not that it’s going to help any of you.” Carl tells me.

“I’m being railroaded.” I said, pointing to Nick. “HE would do anything to make me look like shit.”

“You do that without my help.” Nick tells me, walking away.

BRIAN

I sat in Alex’s office while everything was going on. It wasn’t that I didn’t think Michael deserved everything coming to him. It was that I stayed friends with him, even when I was hurting Justin.

“You wanted to see the good in Michael, nothing more. I doubt you wanted to hurt Justin, even if it did.” Alex tells me.

“He never let it show until this last year, that what I was doing was hurting us.” I tell him.

“Michael looks for weakness, something Justin knew.” He tells me.

“I wanted to believe he wasn’t like this.” I tell him.

“Do you now?” He asks.

“I see it all now. And know I’m one lucky son of a bitch that Justin stayed and was willing to work it out with me. As for Michael, he’s on his own. I don’t need him or Deb anymore, because my family won’t leave me.” I tell him.

“Just remember it. How about a drink?” He tells me.

“During therapy?” I ask.

“No, I just want to drink. After this, I’m going over to assess Michael. Carl wants to make sure this is locked up tight.” He tells me.

“Good luck. Deb, even knowing what Michael did, will want to find a reason for it.” I tell him.

“Does that bother you?” He asks as we walk out.

“For her, it does. She’ll drain her savings to save Michael. I can’t and won’t do anything about it, because it’s her choice.” I tell him.

GUS

The guys were packing up to leave. I overheard Nick telling Aunt Daphne that he’d be gone, but promised he’d be home as soon as possible. She nodded a lot, trying not to cry. But I could tell she wanted to. It wasn’t like I expected Al to stay after they finished, but I didn’t expect them to have to leave this soon. He’d been busy and I’d stayed out of the way, not wanting him to think I expected attention.

I went outside to watch Cameron play on his swing set, not ready to say goodbye. It wasn’t like I wouldn’t see Al again, or that he promised me anything. I needed time to deal with my feelings about what my mother did, and be there to help Jenny when she found out what Michael did. Al didn’t need my problems, not with him having to leave for something more important. 

“Cameron, Aunt Daphne’s making cookies.” Nick tells him, which was the magic word to Cameron. “We’ll watch him.” He tells me, as if he thought I needed time for myself.

I went upstairs to my room, a little bummed when I didn’t see Al anywhere. He probably had things that he needed to get done. When I opened my door, he was sitting there with a bag at his feet.

“I wanted to tell you goodbye without everyone around.” He tells me.

“Be safe, okay.” I tell him, staying at the door.

“As safe as I can be. You need to know the guys I work with are good, and our goal is coming home, no matter what it takes to do it.” He tells me.

“Is there some reason you think you need to tell me that?” I ask.

“So you don’t sit up at night worrying, the way Justin never wanted you to do for him.” He tells me.

“It won’t stop me from worrying about you… and Nick.” I tell him.

“I’ll be worried about you too.” He tells me, coming to me and pulling me into his arms. “I hate leaving you, but I don’t have a choice. I want to be here while you deal with what’s going on. Your mom’s being taken in, and from what I heard, she isn’t in as much trouble as Michael but she isn’t going to walk away either.” He tells me.

“What about the baby?” I ask.

“Emmett and Drew are working on that now. You need to concentrate on you.” He tells me, pulling back and putting his hands on my face.

“I wish I was ready.” I tell him.

“We’ll get there, we have time.” He tells me, kissing me. “Gus, I’ll be what you need, and when you’re ready, then I want to be what you want.” 

“Then do what you have to do, and I’ll do what I have to, so when it’s time, we’ll both be ready.” I tell him, picking up his bag and grabbing his hand to follow him to the car.

Aunt Daphne was downstairs with Cameron, hugging Nick, promising him she’d stay out of trouble. Justin and Dad came in, saying goodbye to everyone. Al and I waited for everyone to walk out, and I hugged him hard, wanting to remember his smell.

“I’ll be back. If you need me, tell Daphne. I want to be the one you talk to.” He tells me, grabbing his things and going out to get in the car.

Aunt Daphne came over and put her arm around me. “I trust them with Nick.” 

“How do you deal with him being gone?” I ask.

“It’s what I agreed to when I married him. If you want Al, you’ll have to deal with it too.” She tells me.

“They’re the best at what they do. No matter what I was doing, I knew they would come and do what they could to get me out.” Jus tells me.

“I owe them everything for that.” Dad tells him.

They were pulling out, and I stayed until the car was no longer in sight. I went in to find Cameron covered in flour, and for a minute my life was back to normal. I had so many things to worry about, but for right now they could wait, while my family was no longer being torn apart. Even though I knew my dad would be there, I didn’t want this moment ruined by things that would be there tomorrow. Plus, I wanted to be ready for Al when he came home.