Brian woke up to his cell phone ringing, grabbing it from beside his bed, he answered. “Who the fuck is calling this early?”

“Brian, it’s Emmett. I need you to come get the kids. Justin hasn’t come back to pick them up and I’m going to miss my flight. There won’t be another flight that I’ll be able to get until after Christmas if I miss this one.”

“Alright, I’m on my way, if you need to leave now just leave them at the diner. I know Debbie always works a double on Christmas eve. I’ll call her and let her know.”

“Thanks, Brian. I could kill Justin; he hasn’t even called.”

“Wait…what?”

“He hasn’t called. He didn’t even call me to tell me that he was staying out all night.”

“Have you talked to Jennifer?”

“Yeah, she said she hasn’t seen him. She had to cancel on him because Tucker got sick. Last she heard from Justin he was headed for the date.”

“I’ve got to go but leave the kids at the diner.”

After he hung up with Emmett he called Deb to let her know about the kids coming, she was excited and planning their huge breakfast already. Then he called Jennifer.

“Brian?” she answered curiously.

“I need you to have Tucker call his friend and make sure that Justin is with him or at least spent the night with him.”

“Why? It’s really none of my business.”

“Justin didn’t call Emmett to let him know that he wasn’t coming home. I’ve watched those kids, Justin checks on them every hour on the hour.”

“I’ll call you right back.”

He got in his car and headed towards Pittsburgh, he couldn’t explain it, but he had a horrible feeling in his gut. Justin adored those kids; he would never just not call. The only time he didn’t was when he was high out of his mind and Brian kept him company. But even then Jennifer knew she would probably be keeping them overnight. He was halfway to the city when his phone rang again.

“Yes?” he answered.

“Niles, Tucker’s friend said Justin never showed up last night.”

“Call Eric, I’ll be there soon.”

It had been hours since they realized Justin was missing. He had been missing since the night before and it was noon now. Emmett had wanted to cancel his trip, but Brian knew Justin would feel guilty, so he told him to just go. Eric had done a missing persons report but said since he was an adult, and it was this early there really wasn’t much they could do.

Ted, Hunter, Lily, and Blake were hitting all the places around Pittsburgh that Justin could be at. Debbie was beside herself with worry. Jennifer had the kids and was instructed by Brian not to tell them Justin was missing. It was Christmas Eve; they didn’t need to be worried if there was no reason. Ben was calling all the local hospitals and the ones further out. Adam was also with Jennifer because Brian was just one more piece of bad news away from losing it, so he needed Michael.

Because of Adam, Brian had Eric check to see if Chris could have gotten Justin. Their past was public knowledge, and he worried the social worker might have told Hobbs about him trying to foster Adam. Hobbs was arrested the day before on a DUI charge, he was in lock up when Justin disappeared. That only really left one suspect in Brian’s book…Jake.

According to Eric, Jake was still in Nantucket, with a rock-solid alibi, he was in the police station being questioned for something. They wouldn’t tell Eric what.

“Maybe it just got too much for Justin, the kids, Jake and everything else and he just took off,” Eric said.

“He wouldn’t just leave.”

“He has form,” Ted said, he just got back from the museums, the few that were open today.

“He was seventeen and didn’t have kids. Justin wouldn’t leave those kids, something is wrong,” Brian snapped. Why wasn’t anyone listening to him?

“I just got off the phone with Nantucket PD,” Eric said, looking angry.

“What?”

“Jake was arrested after attacking a man that lived near him. Allegedly, Jake broke into the man’s house knowing his wife was out of town and brutally raped him.”

“Oh god,” he heard Debbie say. They were all at the diner using it like a sort of headquarters.

“How did he get caught?”

“Jake knew the wife was out of town but apparently forgot the man has a kid. The boy woke up hearing screaming from his dad’s room and called the police. Jake was caught in action, seemed he was too invested in what he was doing to hear the cops come in…allegedly.”

“Hey, when they do the rape kit on the man, can you have the results sent to New York. I talked to a detective that said that if I was able to find a viable suspect they would run the DNA test. Maybe when Justin get’s back he will have one less nightmare haunting him.”

“Yeah, but it’s going to be a few days, the labs run at a snail’s pace on a good day and it’s Christmas Eve.”

“Just try and get it done as fast as you can. If they need money to run the test, I’ll pay it. This man attacked Justin in New York and then married him in some sick act of control. I want him locked away from Justin and his kids for life.”

It had been a week since Justin disappeared. Christmas came and went. Only Ben and Michael celebrated it because they were the only ones with a little one in the house, Adam. Jenny Rebecca and Gus were old enough to know what was going on. Emma and Mark told Brian they weren’t celebrating until their dad was home, they only knew he was missing because that’s all that was for sure.

Emma’s social worker was sniffing around too. She was convinced Justin abandoned the kids. Jennifer being Justin’s mother was able to keep her from taking Emma.

Seven days since Justin left for a date he never arrived at. Eric was able to trace his movements all the way to Liberty Avenue when he left Emmett’s place. Then he turned a right instead of a left which was the way to get to the restaurant that was only four blocks away. No cameras picked him up after that and his car was left parked a block from the restaurant. Brian had just saved it in time from being towed, the rental place wouldn’t have liked that.

A block between where he parked and the restaurant. It was just like he disappeared into thin air. Eric even looked into it might being the date lying. But the CCTV in the restaurant showed the pathetic date waiting way longer than Brian thought anyone should be for the chance to get laid.

“The results on the DNA test came back, comparing Justin’s attacker with Jake.”

“And?”

“It’s not a match.”

“You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy when skies are blue.”

“It’s when skies are gray, dumbass” Justin snarled.

“Oh, well, who cares. You don’t look too much like their little Sunshine anymore, do you?”

Justin didn’t look down at his chest. He knew it was a mess, it’s a miracle it hadn’t gotten infected yet. His chest, stomach, arms, and legs were all cut up. Not deep ones that bled a lot, but they would make scars. He was going to be covered in them. That was if he lived, and he suspected that wasn’t going to happen.

“You really have all of them fooled don’t you?”

“I’ve been waiting since I was eighteen for this.”

“Because I told you to fuck off. I did you a favor, I bet you didn’t make the same mistake again.”

“If you could only see how upset Brian is. Don’t worry though, when we fish your body out of the Allegheny I’ll be there to comfort him. He’s a bit old for me but I can make it work.”

“Let me out of here. I won’t tell anyone it was you. I’ll move away, far, far away. You won’t ever have to see me again.”

“What did you call me that day? A lovesick fairy. Well, I’m not in love anymore and when they see what I’ve done to your body they won’t be able to get it out of there minds. I’m going to make your outside as ugly as your inside.”

“Eric, you don’t have to do this.”

“Are you going to say your sorry and think it’s all forgiven?” Justin knew it was a losing battle then, so he decided he wouldn’t die begging.

“No. You’re still the pathetic boy you were back then.” Eric pointed his gun at Justin’s head. “Except you think you’re such a big man with that gun. Still a little boy who can’t own up to the truth.”

“And what do you think is the truth?”

“You weren’t a victim that day. I fucked you, that was it.”

“What if I fuck you now?”

“You probably can’t even get it up.” Justin knew he was pissing Eric off but if he was going to die, he was going to die fighting.

“You sure? I didn’t have any problem before,” Eric said with a smirk.

“You were eighteen, and I’m damn good I what I do.”

“I didn’t mean then. I meant the night that I found my true self.”

“What?”

“I was in New York with friends. They went to a strip joint, straight. I decided just to go to a bar near it and drink. What were the chances of seeing the boy who took my virginity tending bar. It was late, the bar’s hours posted said it was closing soon. So, I walked back out. The best thing is though, you saw me before I walked out, you didn’t even recognize me. That’s when I decided to make sure you never forgot me again.”

Justin felt bile rising in his throat. “No,” he choked out.

“I followed you as you walked home without a care in the world. While you were painting pretty pictures I was working out and putting on a lot of muscle. You were easy to pin down and even easier to fuck. Now, I’m always in your head. You are always wondering if I’m just around the corner. I live in here,” Eric said, tapping the gun into Justin’s forehead. “Actually, I think I’ll give you a reminder. This time I can take my time.”