Disclaimer: This is fanfiction only. No money is being made whatsoever, I just love Queer as Folk. Characters are out of character and Brian is a little younger.

Chapter 3

THE DEAL

Brian rose back up slowly. He thought the frog was making fun of him. His face was a mask of rage and hate and grief and loss. It wasn't a good combo.

"NO! That wasn't part of a trick! It's lost! It fell in and it's lost!" He stomped around and breathed like a bull and basically tried not to lose it and come up with a plan. He stomped back over and began to unbutton his shirt.

"Maybe I can get it! How deep is the well!!?" yelled Brian.

Justin large eyes were fixed onto Brian's smooth and defined chest and 8 pack abs. He didn't answer.

"How deep is it?" Brian yelled.

Justin shook himself a little. "I'm sorry did you say something? I was a little....distracted..." He stared at Brian's exquisite musculature.

"How....DEEP is it!? I want to try and dive for it!"

"Oh! It's about 20 feet. You'd never make it."

"D'OOOOOOHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!"

Well, actually what he said was a great deal ruder and foul with words starting with the letter F and all. But this is a Springtime happy fun time story and even though I'd LOVE to tell you what he said, I'm afraid I can't. It's against the rules. So you'll just have to imagine it.

So after the Prince had yelled and screamed a great deal more of....those words....and eventually started to hyperventilate, the frog said:

"My goodness, is it really worth all that to you?"

"More! It was my most precious thing! I can't stand that it's been lost forever! Especially in the cold and the deep and the dark like that!"

"Well...if it means that much to you...I suppose....I could get it for you!"

"What!!!? You could?? Of course you could!!! Oh, Froggy!! Oh Justin! Would you!? Could you get me my golden ball!?"

"I could. But we're not exactly friends yet at the moment....are we Prince Brian? I'll do it...for a price!"

"Well, I thought we were getting to be friends...but if not well...what would you want? I'll give you all the gold I have in my purse right now and send ten men here tomorrow with ten more purses!"

"No Brian." Justin patiently explained, "I'm a frog. I don't have any use for human money or other metal."

"Food! I'll send over the most choicest meats! The juiciest, most succulent pears you've ever tasted! The sweetest chocolate! I'll..."

The frog zipped out is long tongue and easily grabbed himself a huge horsefly.

"No Brian, I don't need food. I catch anything I need on my own."

Brian was getting desperate and more than a little frustrated. It wasn't a good combo.

"Then what!!? What do you want!?"

"Well, as I said we are not friends...yet. But I think I know of a way for us to become friends. Plus, you've been to my home. And I would very much like to see your home and see royalty before I die."

Brian narrowed his eyes. "Yeeeeeeaaaaaahhhhh?????????"

The frog dropped the other shoe. "So....if you invite me to the castle....let me meet the King and Queen and your family...stay for dinner..."

"I thought you didn't eat human food," Brian gritted out.

"I can catch my own....or just sit there on a soft pillow next to you.....and then spend the night next to you on a silken pillow....for this....for this I would happily get your golden ball."

Brian was speechless and red-faced with rage and disgust. He took several long calming , deep breaths and closed his eyes He took a few more. He realized the frog had him over a barrel. He had no choice if he wanted his golden ball back, which he did, more than anything.

So he plastered on a wide smile and said: "Well OK! That sounds like something we can do! You got it....buddy." He hated the way the last bit came out so fake but fortunately the frog didn't seem to notice.

"Huh!? Really!?"

"Sure!! I mean, I'm sure my parents would love to meet the guy who helped the Royal Prince out of a jam and I've always wondered a...little...what I'd be like to sleep....next to....a frog." Brian took deep breaths and managed not to throw up in his mouth a little. Well....mostly.

"So....a deal then?" the frog asked carefully.

"Sure....It's a deal," Brian confirmed.

The frog nodded and jumped into the well. Brian waited for many minutes on tiptoes and bated breath.

Finally, the frog broke the surface. He was paddling extra hard to keep on top of the water but he had succeeded. He had Brian's ball in his mouth.

"Gimmegimmegimmegimme!!!!" Brian levered himself down into the well again and grabbed, grabbed, grabbed at his ball. But it was no use. The water level was just inches too low for him to get it.

"Oooo ohhhhhh!! Ett uhh-et!" the frog garbled, his mouth too full of Brian's ball to make sense.

"Huh??" asked Brian, who couldn't make sense of Justin's gobbledegook.

"Ett- uhh-ett! Ett - uhh-ett!"

Brian shook his head and shrugged his shoulders.

Justin sighed and rolled his eyes. He spit the ball out into the water and it sank out of sight again.

"Get bucket!" the frog barked out and then quickly dived and swam down before the ball could sink all the way down to the bottom again.

Oh, of course! Brian scrabbled and his questing fingers actually knocked it away a bit but in the end, he managed to get it and have it ready for Justin when he broke the surface of the water again. The frog was kicking very hard this time and he looked very tired from carrying the heavy piece of gold up out of the water two times.

This time Brian was ready. He lowered the bucket and the frog swam in and then spit out the ball into the bottom. He sat there heaving and exhausted.

With great joy, Brian hauled up the bucket and snatched up his treasure. He washed it off a bit in the water in the bucket and then held it aloft and enclosed it in his palm where it belonged. He ran his thumb over the cool smoothness and felt peace and tranquillity return to his soul.

"You're back," he whispered rapturously, "And I'm never letting you out of my sight again! My sweet Sunshine!"

"Uhhh...Brian? Are you there? Did you say something, buddy?"

"Not a thing!" And Brian bumped the bucket, dumping it, frog, and all back into the well. Before it even hit the water, he was off at a run. When it did splash, he was away from the tree and by the time the frog had figured out which way was up he was gone.

"Brian!! Brian, buddy!!? You still there?" came a croaky and echoing voice out of the well to an empty hideaway. "So.....what time too-morrrr-ow!!?"