Gary Sapperstein eyed the middle-aged drug dealer with barely contained menace. He nodded to his men, instantly having them in place doing what he wanted without being given the directive. They knew him well in these situations. This man was about to die, and they knew he didn't care about bloodshed or the mess he would leave behind. His cleaners would take care of that. All that mattered was the terror he instilled in the defenseless victim.

"Please... boss, don't do this. I fucked up; I know that. I won't do it again." Eyes moving back and forth in his head, he cringed in horror at the death he could see in Sapperstein's eyes... knowing without a doubt it would be his own.

Watching as his men pulled the pathetic man deeper into the garage, Gary followed at a slow, unhurried pace, his fingers toying with the hammer of his gun. "What kind of fool do you take me for, Claude? One, you can never trust the word of a drug dealer... especially one who enjoys partaking of them as much as you do. And two... nobody lives after they have stolen from me." Moving closer, Gary raised the gun, scratching the top of his head deliberately. "So... that makes the ending of this meeting very simple."

Sobbing now, knowing death wouldn't be immediate, but torturous at the hands of this madman, Claude pleaded, "Stop! Don't do this! I'll push your drugs for free. Fuck! Just let me live!"

Gary laughed coldly. "Whereas that is a kind offer, I'm afraid I can't take you up on it. You see, we both know you would still steal from me when you ingested half of my shipment. You still think I'm a fool, and that really makes me angry, Claude. So very angry..."

Knowing there was no hope for him, Claude began screaming at the top of his lungs, his only hope being that Sapperstein wouldn't be comfortable enough in their seclusion. It was his only hope, and a slim one at that.

"Gag the fucker!" Gary hissed. "I don't need the locals wandering in here and having more to clean up afterward!"

Waiting as his men quickly complied, his back tensed when he heard his driver shouting on the other side of the garage door. "Sir! Sir! Let me in! We have an emergency at the house!"

Cursing as he moved hurriedly to the door, Gary unlocked it, before pulling him inside. "Well! What happened?" His first thought was - this was all about Brian Kinney. Somehow he had found out about Justin and had taken him away. He would find them, and remove Kinney from his life once and for all!

"Justin has escaped..."

"What do you mean escaped?" Gary exploded, his face instantly becoming red with rage. "Who helped him? Is he still on the grounds?"

Shaking his head woefully, he told him what little he had learned so far. "Apparently, Justin somehow isolated Marie on the balcony, and then, he made a run for it. The staff was sparse in the house today with you having them gathering up the rest of Justin's paintings and delivering them to the gallery."

"Fuck! This is all Kinney's fault! He hasn't even found Justin, and he's disrupted everything!" He should have never agreed to keep Brian Kinney alive. That would be rectified soon.

"Sir, it appears he could have escaped in the back of the kitchen delivery van. No other vehicles have gone through the gates today. I guess, if we find their next stop, then, we might find Justin."

Gary waved his words off as unimportant. "No. They supply us for a month at a time. After that delivery, they go directly back to their store - which is right in the middle of town. I can't grab Justin there!" Realizing he didn't have the time to deal with this drug dealer turned thief any longer, he turned around and spat out, "Finish him now and clean up the mess. I'll have another car sent back for you."

"Yes, Sir..." each thug answered in unison, their voices immediately drowned out by the sobbing man that knew his life was about to come to an end.

Walking out of the garage, Gary left his men to perform their task, never doubting the job would be done. As he moved toward the car with his driver, he asked, "What about Stefan and Seth? Has there been any contact from them?"

Frowning in confusion, he urgently asked, "Sir... wouldn't they have contacted you directly?"

"Well, they haven't! I demanded regular reports, and I haven't had any all day. What the fuck is going on?" Gary reached into his pocket, suddenly making another displeasing discovery. "I don't have my fucking phone! It must still be at the house." He rushed to the back of the car, and reached for a different phone device, thankful that he always had the foresight to have a backup.

As he dialed the number that would connect him with the men that followed Kinney, he found himself thinking this day couldn't get much worse.

Soon, he would realize how wrong that thinking could be.

Brian watched for the two men to reappear, more than a bit surprised when they appeared to be completely gone. As he sat here waiting for the skittish Ramone to get off duty, he continued to have momentary flashbacks of the two of them following him in both New York, and here in Barbados. For some reason, they seemed interested in him. And he doubted it was in any sort of life-affirming way.

When a hand lightly came down on his shoulder, Brian found himself tensing. He looked to his side, finding it to be Ramone looking down at him anxiously. "Sir, you should get out of here now. Those men that are following you are very dangerous."

"You knew they were following me?" Brian asked, unable to understand why he wouldn't have warned him.

"As soon as I saw them, and realized who you are... yes." Ramone bit at his lip, realizing once again he was saying too much to this very astute man.

Eyes narrowing on yet another slip from Ramone's tongue, Brian prompted, "And who am I, Ramone?"

"I am very familiar with your identity, Mr. Kinney..." Ramone told him, a smile on his face as he fully recognized revealing the full name of a man he wasn't supposed to know. "Perhaps now would be an excellent time for that talk..."

"Well... I have been waiting..." Brian drawled sarcastically.

Not at all put off by the gorgeous brunet's tone, Ramone looked over his shoulder amazed to still find Sapperstein's goons missing. "I requested an early leave, so if you could come with me... I have something to show you that just might be of interest."

"Is that so?" Brian purred, uncertain if he was about to get his answers, or if the hot waiter had decided to distract him by flirting with him again. In other circumstances, that might work - briefly - but not regarding Justin. He needed answers... and he needed them now. Searching the man's eyes, and seeing both sincerity and excitement within them, he decided to trust him, knowing he really had no reason to do so. Perhaps it was the island heat, but he was going to walk out of here with this stranger... and get his much-needed answers. He wouldn't settle for anything else.

Watching as Justin's beloved tossed some cash down on the table to more than cover his bill, he followed him out, a sigh of admiration slipping out as he enjoyed his first full sight of the beautiful Brian Kinney. Justin was incredibly fortunate to have the heart of this man; in fact, he found them both to be extremely blessed. As much as he had been yearning for his chance with Justin, and then this man until knowing who he was, he was now more about reuniting these star-crossed lovers.

Walking silently with him, Brian only paused to ask, "So... where are we heading?"

"My bungalow. It's just off of the main beach. We'll be there in just a few minutes."

Brian arched his brow. "Your bungalow? Is such privacy really necessary for our talk?"

Ramone grinned mischievously. He was a man that had a secret and couldn't wait to divulge it. "I have the power to give you what you most desire. Yes, that privacy is much needed."

Brian snorted in disbelief. "Trust me, Ramone... you don't have the power to give me that. However, I am curious. I will see your little surprise. And then... I expect all of my questions answered."

"Don't worry, Mr. Kinney. They will be. Very soon now, so much will be clear to you."

Justin paced back and forth inside the tiny bungalow, his heart pounding at every unknown sound. He couldn't believe his good fortune in where the delivery van had made its next stop. He had expected them to stop in the main sector, realizing they would need to go back to their own location, but not so conveniently located near where a very familiar face was working. Within moments, he had captured Ramone's attention within the bar and grill. He was reeling in shock and excitement when Ramone revealed Brian was right outside. It was torture knowing he couldn't rush immediately to his side, but at the time, Brian was being heavily guarded. There hadn't been a doubt that their reunion would be tragic had it happened then.

Ramone. Thank God for him. If Ramone could live up to his promise, what he had sacrificed to save Ramone's life would be well worth it. What were the odds that Brian would be at the bar where Ramone worked? It was fate - pure and simple. No one would ever convince him of anything else. In these past three years, he may have made some poor decisions, but it seemed like fate was playing a hand in setting things right. Nothing could hinder that now.

If all went well, Brian would be here soon. Ramone had told him that Brian was being watched. That hadn't come as any surprise to him. He'd known that Gary had been having Brian watched over the years. At times, he wondered if Gary did so merely to torture him... making him hear of how Brian was moving on, and then, that torturous video he had watched on his phone. Gary was a monster. He would be naive to think that Gary would simply give up now, though. He knew him too well. If they made it to the airport, they would probably be fine... it was just a matter of reaching there undeterred.

Remaining as out of sight as possible, Justin looked out the window, careful to keep his body from view. It was unlikely that Gary would track him here, but knowing the sources the murderous drug dealer possessed, he wasn't taking anything for granted. If nothing had gone wrong, it shouldn't be long now.

How would he react once Brian was in front of him? It had been three, long agonizing years without him. He would be a fool to believe Brian still loved him as much as he did then. If nothing else, his situation had taught him the harsh lesson of realism. Life goes on. Despite the fact he knew that Brian had mourned him, he still doubted he was the center of his universe.

He found himself jumping as he heard voices before seeing anything through the window. They must be coming in from an angle he hadn't expected. Panic initially overtook him, until he focused on the voices in question. The first one he heard was the accented tone of Ramone's... and then, he heard the voice of the man he loved above all things. He smiled as he heard the impatience in his tone.

Ramone was stronger than he'd ever thought him to be. During the walk over, he had apparently dodged all of Brian's questions and told him nothing. Now, Mr. Kinney was displaying the greatest of irritation. At times, Brian had always been enormously patient, but other times, the opposite could be said. This was certainly one of those times.

As they moved closer, their voices louder as they approached, Justin fought the impulse to fling open the door and launch himself into Brian's arms. As satisfying and comforting that might be, it was still foolhardy. What if they were being watched from a distance? It wasn't unthinkable that Gary's thugs could be back on Brian's trail again. God, he hoped not. If so, this reunion could be very short-lived. So instead... he pulled back. He would wait until Brian was safely inside the bungalow. Only then, could the reunion commence.

Gasping as the door opened, Justin smiled when he heard the irritation in Brian's voice only growing. Yes, his Brian hadn't changed at all. He wouldn't want him to. It was a relief that he hadn't. Knowing he wouldn't be able to remain hidden for long, Justin stood still and simply listened... wanting to absorb every single moment of this dream he never thought to come true.

"Okay, Ramone. Let's have it. And it had better answer my questions and explain your strange behavior as well..." Brian said, turning to face Ramone the moment they stepped inside.

"I'll just leave you to make your own discoveries, Mr. Kinney. I'm sure you'll find that to be much more satisfying..." Ramone told him, his hand reaching for the doorknob.

"You're leaving me here? What the fuck! I want answers... and I want them now! How the fuck do you know Justin, and why did you bring me here!?"

"All in due time, Mr. Kinney. All in time..." Ramone smiled as he stepped through the door, knowing they would want privacy, and that his presence should be detected in town. Leading Sapperstein to Justin was the last thing he wanted to do. Being seen by Gary's men might protect him as well. They wouldn't have a clue that he had helped Brian find Justin. At least... that's what he most fervently hoped. Only time would tell regarding that.

Brian swore repeatedly, dumbfounded by the man's behavior. What did he do now? Follow him, or do as he suggested and have a look around. "Fuck!" Brian exclaimed, running an agitated hand through his hair. In an instant, his anger turned to total shock, when a voice permeated his senses. The result sent chills up and down his spine. His first thought - the heat had totally affected his mind. His illusions of hearing that voice had returned...

"Perhaps I can answer those questions for you..." Justin moved forward, his eyes shining with love, with tears of joy sparkling in his eyes.

His eyes widening, and jaw suddenly dropping down, Brian stuttered for the first time in his life. "N-no. It's not possible. Y-you can't be..."

Moving closer, Justin smiled brightly. "I've missed you so much, Brian. We have so much to talk about."

Unable to believe what his eyes told him to be true, Brian shook his head in denial. "No, you're not Justin. You are that look-alike I've been told about. I buried him - three fucking years ago. It isn't possible!"

"It was a tragedy that should have never happened. God, how I wish it had been different. We'd be married now if not for that fateful day." Justin's smile deepened, knowing it would be so easy to convince his former lover of the truth. There were so many intimate moments in their past that only the two of them knew about fully. His voice nearly broke when he spoke his next words, "I remember the first time you took me to Britin. It was then that I agreed to marry you."

Brian gasped. Was this miracle possible? Could this really be Justin... his Sunshine? "I remember... but only Justin would know what I said that day; whereas, others could know what we named our home."

"I remember that day so well. It was the best day of my life. First, you called me your prince. You told me why you had changed your mind about marriage... and that you were now taking a chance on love." Justin's eyes swam with tears as he watched disbelief turn into acceptance in Brian's eyes.

"J-Justin..." Brian whispered in a raw, aching voice. "It really is you." He moved closer, his eyes fully taking in all of him. This was a miracle. If he wasn't a believer in them... which he never had been, he truly was now. Almost desperately, he closed his arms around Justin, tightly pulling him against his chest. Unashamedly, he allowed the tears to flow from him... ones that he had suppressed for years.

His heart breaking at the open show of emotion Brian now displayed, Justin reached up and stroked the back of Brian's head, thinking that no other moment had ever felt more right than this. Gently, he whispered, "It's okay, Brian. I'm alive... and I love you more than ever."

Pulling back, Brian wiped the tears from his eyes, his own accusatory as he asked, "I'm very glad about that, Justin, but now why don't you tell me where you have been for the past three years... and why you have allowed us all to believe you to be dead?"

Biting at his lip, Justin conceded, "I can never atone for the pain you've endured. It's a long story, Brian. And I will explain it all to you."

TBC