Justin laughed nervously, more than a little uncertain of the harsh lines around Brian's mouth. He had seen Brian lose his temper only a few times. Brian was a man that generally handled a problem with the most minor of implosions. The Brian of today didn't seem that even-tempered. Quickly, he reminded himself that three years stood between them now. Brian could have changed during that time.

"I, ahh, don't know where to begin..." Justin stammered, reluctantly pulling free from the comforting, and familiar arms, knowing a bit of distance would be required for the seriousness of the discussion they were about to have.

Brian tilted his head to the side as he affected his most thoughtful pose. "Let's see, Sunshine. How about you start with telling me how the fuck you ended up on this island..."

"That's a long story, Brian." Justin looked around them apprehensively, oblivious to how Brian's eyes narrowed on the fear that defined Justin's expression. "I- I'm not sure we should stay here. It might not be safe."

"Not be safe?" Brian echoed. He shook his head, confusion evident in his voice and his face. "Justin, what the hell has happened to you? I don't even recognize this scared little boy. Who are you afraid of?"

Justin swallowed with difficulty, knowing this answer would be the start of a long story... and one that would be as hard for him to tell as it would be for Brian to hear. "So much has happened in the past three years. I never thought I'd see you again, Brian." Unshed tears began to sparkle in his eyes. "I- I hoped... but I..."

"Stop it, Justin." Brian moved closer, his eyes softening as he took in his blond's distress. Whatever had kept Justin from him was bad. He could see that clearly now. Justin Taylor never backed down from a fight. That he was behaving in such a panic now told him one thing. Something had broken Justin's fighting spirit. He would fix that if it was the last thing he ever did.

"I'm sorry..." Justin croaked, sobs beginning to overwhelm him. He didn't know what caused his tears now. It could have been the sheer relief of finally being reunited with the man that should be his husband now, it could be the trauma both their lives had suffered, or it could be fear that Gary would find them. He wasn't sure what it was... but he did know he owed Brian an explanation. It had never occurred to him that it would be so difficult.

"Just relax. We'll do this one step at a time." Brian spoke in a low, soothing tone, innately sensing that Justin not only needed a voice of reason right now, but one that was calm and at peace. Inwardly he might not feel that; in fact, he felt himself raging that some unknown circumstances had kept Justin away from him for three long years. Right now, one thing was for certain - Justin had suffered the most. He didn't know how yet, but he would know. And once he did... he would find a way to fix it.

Nodding, Justin looked toward the door, at the moment feeling caged inside this small bungalow. "Can we do this outside? I feel confined in here. And I'd like to see if anyone is coming; before they bust in on us."

"What kind of trouble are you in, Justin? Exactly who do you think is looking for you?" Brian thought about his request for a moment and decided he didn't like taking Justin outside if danger was present. "Does it have anything to do with the men that have been following me?"

"Yeah, probably. I mean... they work for h-him." Moving to the window, looking anxiously outside, Justin turned to face a clearly confused Brian that was becoming more impatient. "Can we go outside?"

"I'm not sure that's a good idea, Justin... at least, not right now. If you're worried about being followed or watched, someone could see you from a distance. Inside would be safer."

"I suppose you're right." Looking in the direction of the small couch, Justin moved toward it, hoping he wasn't making the worst possible mistake in staying inside. "Let's sit... and I'll tell you all about it."

Following closely behind, Brian didn't say a word. His entire focus became about being what Justin needed him to be - here and now. More than anything, he wanted to pull his precious blond into his arms and tell him everything would be fine now... and then, so much more to follow afterward. Once Justin finished his explanation, he would do precisely that. After three long, agonizing years, he could wait a few minutes longer. At the moment, all that mattered was Justin's comfort. Sitting next to him on the couch, Brian reached for Justin's hand, gently squeezing it when he asked, "Let's start with Barbados... although, I'm sure your story starts before then. How did you end up here?"

"You're right. It started long before Barbados; in fact, it started in New York... right before I was coming home for our wedding." A reminiscent smile briefly touched his lips. "I was talked into a boating trip with the gallery owner. He was so insistent. I couldn't have cared less. All I cared about was being with you... of realizing my dream of marrying you."

Brian watched what was a myriad of emotions playing over Justin's face. He had viewed pain, despair, love... and even acceptance. As much as he was beginning to fear what came next, he also had to hear it. Not only that, but he also knew he needed to hear it. "Then what happened? And I don't mean the boating accident that I was led to believe killed you. Obviously, that didn't happen."

"No, there was no real accident. The boat was smashed against the rocks, with all the evidence pointing to my demise. I didn't know that at the time; I discovered that after I arrived here. It was all an elaborate, well thought out plan." Justin shuddered as he thought of Gary Sapperstein and his realization of what he had done to acquire him. Even though he hadn't surrendered to him in those days, it had all been inevitable. The dreaded day of his capitulation had arrived. It was easily one of the darkest moments of his life.

"Are you saying that your death was falsified and that you were brought here against your will?" Brian asked, a burning rage quickly boiling to the surface. "Who took you, Justin?"

Justin's eyes closed for a long moment, when he opened them, he looked into Brian's eyes... hoping Brian would be understanding of what he had surrendered to during his captivity. "Gary Sapperstein had me taken and brought to his estate. I've been there the entire time."

"The Sap?" Brian's tone was incredulous. Out of all the possible answers he could have received... Sapperstein hadn't been one of them. "I don't get it, Justin. The Sap is a small-time drug dealer. He couldn't pull off something of this magnitude all on his own."

"Oh no, Brian. You are so mistaken. Gary's power has progressed far beyond anything you could imagine. He's an international drug lord now. He owns half of the people on this island... and those that aren't under his control, are afraid of him. Trust me, Brian. You don't know this Gary Sapperstein..."

"I see..." Brian coldly replied. His eyes drilled into Justin's, his next question was one he already knew the answer to... but one that he had to hear all the same. "Why did he bring you here, Justin?"

Justin shuddered under the intensity of Brian's gaze. Brian was so incredibly intuitive. He read people so well. That... and the fact he had prior experience with Gary Sapperstein, Brian would know what Gary had wanted. Now he had to tell the man he loved how successful the odious man had been. "You know how he was back when I danced on the bar at Babylon. I- I doubt you could forget that."

"No, I haven't..." Brian spat out. "I warned you then, but you wouldn't listen. You had to be Mr. Independent. You were so young the night of the Sap's private party. He could have killed you that night with the drugs he slipped into your drinks."

"I- I know that, Brian. We've been over that. I made a bad choice... and it cost me three years of my life." Tears began to slide down his face. "You have no idea what I've suffered. No idea at all!"

Taking in a deep breath, more as a calming effect, knowing what Justin had to tell him would be devastating to him in multiple ways, Brian released his hand, running it awkwardly through his own hair. He wasn't sure how he would handle the truth of what Gary Sapperstein may have done to Justin. Right now, not knowing was driving him crazy. He had to know everything. "I'm not going to punish you with ‘I told you so'; it's clear that you've been tormented at that man's hands. Realistically speaking, you would have fallen under Sapperstein's radar whether you had worked for him or not. He noticed us together at Babylon on countless occasions."

"I hadn't thought about it like that. You're right, though. Gary would have seen us together." Justin thought back on some of those moments, a reflective smile on his lips. "We had some intense times under the lights of Babylon."

"That we did. Alright, Sunshine. You've dodged around this for long enough. Tell me what that bastard did to you. It doesn't matter what happened - nothing will ever change how I feel about you..." Brian felt compelled to make that more than clear. Sure, he might be pissed beyond belief, but it didn't change the fact that he loved Justin more than anything. That hadn't changed. Whatever he had endured, they would get through it together. All that mattered was that they were together.

Justin nodded, hoping Brian could stand by that avowal. "Okay. Gary plotted this out to the finest of details. He had been watching me. He knew when I was to leave for Pittsburgh. The gallery owner was working for him. They set up my accident and brought me here to him. Gary was determined to have me. In fact, he became obsessed with me. That hasn't lessened at all. It's only grown stronger."

A muscle jerked in Brian's cheek. "Did Sapperstein rape you?"

An ironic laugh followed Brian's question. "If only it could be so easily classified. No, he didn't physically rape me. However, he did use his power over me, and his vicious threats to get what he wanted." Justin watched as Brian's face twisted in anger as the words began to sink in. "I had no choice, Brian. He wasn't threatening my life... but he was yours. I had to make a deal."

"A deal?" Brian questioned in a hollow voice.

"He was watching you constantly. His thugs were reporting to him on a regular basis. I survived the first year without him touching me. But as the months went by, Gary became more obsessed. First, he merely kept me locked in my room with no contact with anyone. Then, he began to insinuate my cooperation would keep you alive. I was hopeless and desperate when he used Ramone's mistake to close the deal."

"Let me guess this part..." Brian hissed. "Ramone made the mistake of hitting on you, and the dear demented Sap began to torture him until you complied."

"Yeah, that's it exactly. Gary's threats toward you had been steadily progressing... and then I had to watch as Gary violently attacked Ramone. My choice was simple - either submit to Gary or watch Ramone be brutally killed. You've met Ramone... so you obviously know what I chose."

"He fucked you..." Brian crudely observed, barely able to get the words out of his mouth. "Not only did he fuck you, but he used his power to mercilessly break your spirit." His insides were churning with a murderous rage, and hate more intense than any he had ever known eating away at him. As he looked at Justin's frightened expression, he realized something else. Justin wasn't afraid of the Sap, at least not right now; he was fearful of how he would react to this news. "Justin, none of this is your fault. If you had continued to fight this monster, you'd probably be dead right now. From where I sit... that is, and has always been the worst possible ending."

Justin's lower lip trembled as he met the understanding in Brian's eyes. Brian was clearly disappointed and pissed, but he didn't blame him for his actions. Perhaps hope still remained. "So... you aren't disgusted by me now?"

"Disgusted? By you?" Brian laughed. "You are joking, right?" Brian smiled at the only man he had ever loved... the one he still loved. "Silly little twat." When Justin released a sigh of relief at the insulting phrase that he knew to be an endearment coming from him, Brian placed his hands on each side of Justin's face, gently cradling his cheeks in his grasp. "You did what you did to save lives. I can't say that I'm not disappointed that you didn't find a way to reach out to me, but I would never think less of you for what you did to survive."

"I love you, Brian. My entire time here I've lost myself in the memories I had of you. That's how I got through it." Unable to resist, Justin leaned forward and placed his lips against the perfect ones he never thought to feel again. A deep sigh of rightness assailed him. "I can't begin to tell you how much I've missed you..."

Brian smiled at Justin lovingly. "I love you, Taylor. I know I've never said that very much in the past, but we have a chance to start over. I plan on doing a lot of things differently..."

"Well... I hope, not quite everything..." Justin teased, his hand moving to slide down Brian's chest, his insinuation more than clear.

"As much as I hate to say this - now isn't the time for your teasing overtures..." Brian stood to his feet, pulling Justin with him. "We have to get you safely home... and I have a score to settle here."

"Brian! No! We just need to leave together. I even have my passport - there's nothing to stop us from flying out of here. We have to go when he isn't watching. Gary has guns and men that will jump to do whatever he wants. I've seen him kill men with his own bare hands. You can't go near him." Fear immediately spread into Justin's eyes. "I just got you back. You have to promise me you won't endanger yourself now."

"I think what I hate most of all is how that sick son of a bitch has altered your fighting spirit. I get it, though. You've been through hell at his hands. That's over now, Justin." Brian stepped to the window, his eyes peering out cautiously, relieved and surprised that Sapperstein hadn't discovered Ramone's assistance to them. "Ramone must have covered his tracks well. I used to know someone at the American Embassy. I'm hoping he is still there. We'll relay your story... and then, safely on a plane home."

"How can you possibly know someone here in Barbados?" Justin shook his head in disbelief. Why hadn't he ever thought of contacting them? More and more, he realized how foolish he had been. Gary had played on his fear, and he had fallen for every manipulative word that came out of his mouth.

Brian winked suggestively. "This isn't my first time to Barbados, Sunshine. I've more than spread my brand of welcome all around the globe." His breath caught in his throat when Justin smiled that beaming smile that had always taken his breath away. "I can't wait to be alone with you, Mr. Taylor. Three lost years is going to require a lot of fucking to make up for."

"I've been dreaming of that for so long."

Wrapping his arm around Justin's waist, Brian pulled him toward the door, his mouth sliding along Justin's cheek, and slowly down his neck. Knowing he couldn't linger here, realizing his most important task now was in assuring Justin's safety, he pulled his lips free and led them out the door. "Once we get home to Britin, I'm going to keep you in my bed for at least a week." He cast another longing look at his beautiful blond miracle. "Perhaps even longer..."

Justin's steps stilled, tears of joy sliding down his face. "You didn't sell it?"

Brian rolled his lips under, his eyes moving over Justin's expressive and almost haunted face. "I couldn't let it go. Now, I'm glad I didn't."

Nervously, yet filled with hope, Justin walked through the door with his hero and the man he adored. It was strange how much could change in a day. Yesterday, his life had been doomed and hopeless. Today, hope had been renewed.

TBC