Brian watched the boy, his eyes searching for any sign of subterfuge. He could tolerate many things; however, a liar wasn't one of them. When he looked into the blond's beautiful blue eyes, all he could see was sincerity and pain. Looking intently, he thought that he was viewing a great deal of pain. Far more than a young man of such tender years should possess. "Tell me about it, Justin. Why are you forced to run?"

"Pick up the morning paper. I'll probably be front-page news... even so far from home." Justin knew he was stalling. For some reason, he dreaded seeing either censure or disbelief in this man's eyes.

Rolling his lips under, Brian told him, "Play your cards right, kid, and we can read it together over morning coffee." Moving closer, Brian cupped the chin of the softest skin he had ever touched in the palm of his hand, reminding himself that this boy was obviously underage... and that other issues still remained. "Now, tell me what troubles those beautiful blue eyes. You'd be amazed how helpful the right person can be."

Justin looked down, nibbling at his bottom lip, only looking up when the beautiful brunet let go of his chin. Tingles had moved up and down his spine when the stranger had touched him. His awareness of this God-like creature was immense. If not for his pressing problems, there wasn't a doubt in his mind that he'd be making himself more than available to him. "It's a long story."

"They usually are." Brian took a few steps back, crossing his arms as he patiently waited for the boy to make his revelations. As innocent as the boy appeared to be, there was also terror in his eyes. Something horrifying had happened to this boy. He couldn't imagine him being the cause of it; however, he knew the look of innocence was often deceptive. For some reason, he didn't think that would be the case with the hot little blond. "Try starting with what made you strike out on your own. Tell me about that."

"Well, it's an odd story." Justin took in a deep breath, quickly realizing his host wasn't about to relent. He figured he wouldn't either if he had this uninvited stranger in his own home. "I went to confront the homophobic asshole that took a bat to my mom's car... just to relay to him I expected restitution to be made."

Brian arched his brow. Somehow he thought it to be much more involved than a little chat. "And he didn't agree..."

Justin grimaced. "Not even close." Recalling his moment with Chris by the pool, it still remained difficult to believe it had actually happened. "Turns out the prick is a closet case. He wanted me to suck his dick. If I did that, he would pay for the repairs." Shaking his head in grim acceptance, Justin added, "Of course, I knew he was full of shit. He wouldn't have given me a fucking dime."

"They usually don't." He looked at the young man that tried to appear so strong on the surface, yet seemed to be breaking underneath. He didn't know why he cared, but homophobic assholes pissed the hell out of him. He wanted to know everything. "What happened next?"

"That's when it really got ugly." Justin shivered in remembrance of the violence Chris' father had perpetrated on his own son. "I was playing along with Chris' little scene. The fucker was salivating at the thought of me sucking him off."

Unable to resist, Brian interrupted, "I can understand that..."

Flushing at what the hot brunet was implying, Justin continued on, "His father found us, and all hell really broke loose."

"Let me guess this part." Brian rolled his lips together, a thoughtful expression on his face. "Daddy is an even bigger dick than his son."

"Yeah, but how he responded was even more shocking." Justin's face paled as he thought of the continuous blows Chris Hobbs, Sr. inflicted on his son. "It's my fault. I shouldn't have brought the bat with me. If I hadn't - things might be so different."

Frowning at the mention of the bat, Brian eyed the blond suspiciously. "Why would you bring the bat if you didn't intend on using it?"

Moving away from his stationary position, Justin began to pace, a combination of fatigue and stress making him all the more restless and edgy. "I wasn't thinking at all! I wanted Chris to see the bat that destroyed everything for my mom. You see, I don't come from what is referred to as a well-to-do family. We're poor, my mom lives paycheck to paycheck. Having her car demolished was devastating. I had to try..."

Nodding, Brian filed that away as useful information, before further prompting, "Back to the bat. What happened to it?"

"Chris' father went crazy. I've never seen anything like it. He started beating his son with it, insisting that he was teaching him how to be a man, and not be lured into a depraved life such as mine. It was sick..." Justin barely croaked out the words. As much as he hated Chris Hobbs, he hated what his father had done to him even more. "Chris was barely conscious when he stopped. Then, he calmly called 9-1-1 stating that he had witnessed me beating his son."

"Fuck!" Brian swore. "Homophobic mother fuckers!" Running a hand through his hair, he looked intently at Justin. "So, you ran. Did you even have a plan on what to do next... where to go?"

Justin shook his head, his eyes open and vulnerable, hoping in this instant for compassion and understanding from this stranger. He knew he didn't deserve it. This man didn't know him... had even less reason to believe him, but he really hoped he did. "It all happened so fast. I- I just know I can't go back. Everything is stacked against me... or it will be. You see, Chris' father practically owns the town. No one will doubt his word. My only hope would be Chris waking up and telling the truth."

"Close-minded little towns. I know them well." Brian snorted. "That's not likely to happen, Justin. He's going to wake up and say exactly what Daddy wants him to say. You need to accept that now. Never lose sight of it. Straight assholes like your Chris' father live to persecute us. I'll need to look into this further, but at this point, I'd say you are right. Going back isn't an option. At least, not right now."

Had he heard correctly? He could have sworn he'd heard him say something about looking into it. "Uhhh, what are you saying?"

"I believe I just told you." Brian smiled at the beautiful blond, for the first time a glimmer of trust showing in his eyes. "I like to think of myself as a good judge of character... most especially if someone is trying to deceive me. I believe you. What I'm saying is very simple, Goldilocks. You can stay here for now. During that time, I will see what I can uncover."

"Thank you, Brian. I- I have no words to tell you what this means to me..." Justin stammered, uncertain of what he should say. There wasn't an adequate term to convey his gratitude.

Brian smiled. "I think I have an idea."

"I'm not sure you do. These are desperate times for me. I'm not sure if hiding out will even be enough."

"It will do for now. This won't be all fun, Justin. If you are about to be front-page news, you'll have to lay low. That means inside the house during the day. Even though I have private access around my house, tourists do slip past. We wouldn't want you to be recognized." Brian's eyes narrowed on the heaviness of the young boy's eyes. He was beyond exhausted; he hadn't noticed it before, but he did now. Brian wondered how much rest Justin had attained before he had abruptly awakened him. However much, it hadn't been enough. "Go back to bed, Justin. We'll talk more in the morning."

Justin glanced almost yearningly at the way back to the bedroom, knowing he needed that sleep more than anything right now, but afraid to trust what seemed to be far too good to be true. Why was this stranger being so kind to him? He had been truthful with him, but how could he know that? And why would he even care? "Why are you helping me?"

Brian shrugged his shoulders. "Because I seem to be the only one that can."

Smiling at him, Justin whispered, "My hero."

Shuddering, Brian answered back, "Hell no. I'm not a hero; although I hate injustices such as you suffered tonight. If I can help you make it right, that's one more win for our team." Brian gave Justin a smile of his own, one that hoped to be reassuring, and one that the obviously suspicious boy could trust. "Get some rest. I promise we'll figure something out tomorrow."

"Okay," Justin agreed, more than aware of being too tired to do anything else. "I'll be quiet. You won't even know I'm here."

Following at a slow distance as Justin exited the kitchen, and moving off toward the staircase leading to the bedrooms, Brian shook his head in definite disagreement with those words. No matter how quiet little Goldilocks could be, there wasn't a doubt he could forget someone as hot as Justin was under his roof... in one of his beds. For now, he had to forget about that. First and foremost, the boy needed help... and guidance even more.

Making certain the house was locked up tight for what remained of the night, Brian made his way back to his own bed, his thoughts jumbling around in his head. Justin had called him a hero. That was anything but the case; however, he thought it might be so with the young blond. After what he must have endured tonight seeing his mother so savagely victimized, and how he had bravely sought to make it right, Justin was the hero.

Brian couldn't help but feel amazed at his strong belief in Justin's innocence. He didn't find himself trusting in many things, life had made that so, but for some strange reason, he believed in this boy.

TBC