Disclaimer:I do not own Queer as Folk Any characters and situations and anything else pertaining to real life is referred here for non-profit purposes only No copyright infringement is intended. Although everyone here is now so Out of character, I hardly think this matters. Sorry folks. These things happen.

Interlude

In the Midnight Hour

Brian ran up the spiral staircase to the second floor where his chambers were. He had just reached the top and was about to head down the hallway, when he heard a noise far below. A crashing and clanging, as if something huge had fallen over. Or knocked over! Oh shit! What if Sunshine had fainted again!? What if he was somehow having a relapse!?

Brian turned and raced back down the way he had come, two stairs at a time. He was just above on the last curve of the stairs when he heard: "MASTER! This is for you!!!" He looked down upon a nightmare.

Justin's valet had Justin pinned by the ankles with one ham-like fist. In the other, he held a huge wooden club. The valet's face was dripping with blood.

With lethal force, the valet swung the club downward at Justin's head. However, Justin was ready. At the last second, he twisted himself violently to the side. The club buried itself in the floor with a sickening crunch. It left a dent in the floor.

"JUSTIN! JUSTIN! NO!" Brian dashed down the rest of the stairs and threw himself at Hobbs. He was filled with an insane need to rip the young man from limb from limb. Instead, he punched him in his already disfigured face and grabbed the club away from him and used it to strike a sweeping blow to the man's beefy chest. He was ferally satisfied to hear a satisfying crunch. Hobbs was spun around and Brian hit him again in the back. Hobbs was propelled forward toward the staircase.

"You wanna bat some defenceless mute guy around that's half your size!?"Brian screamed insanely, "Well let's see how you like a little taste!" He swung again.

However, before he could connect, Hobbs tripped over the suit of armor's helmet. He lost his footing, stumbled clumsily around and pitched over the side of the banister!

Brian and Justin looked on in horror and then rushed over to survey the damage.

However, Hobbs was down but not out. He had managed to grab onto the railing and was hanging high over the Great Hall`s stone floor.

"Help me! Help me! Please! Help me, my Lord!" Hobbs gurgled, his mouth full of blood.

"Who is the Master you were yelling about?" yelled Brian. He grabbed Hobbs' wrist. Tell me, and I'll pull you up! Refuse, and I swear to God, I'll let you drop!"

"If I tell you, I'm a dead man! Please...please help me!"

"The floor down below is solid stone. If you fall, I figure you're dead anyway," Brian said pitilessly, "Tell me! TELL ME! Who is this "Master" who put you up to this?"

Down below, a small crowd of horrified spectators was gathering.

"OK! OK! I'll tell you!" said Hobbs thickly, spraying blood and spittle everywhere. "Master! My master hired me to spy on you! My Master is...M-AAAAHHHHHH!!!"

And like magic, there was a strange dart in his neck. To Brian, it was if it was not there and then POOF, just there. But he knew it had to be shot from some sort of blowgun. Still holding onto Hobbs' wrist, he looked around wildly. But he saw nothing in the confusion.

Hobbs' eyes widened, his body spasmed and twitched in the throes of death. His mouth filled and foamed horribly. And then he went limp and heavy. His grip on the banister tightened and then relaxed and fell away. He was dead.

Brian let go of his wrist and turned away and held Justin to him and shut his eyes tight. There was the sickening crunch. There was a silence and then the shocked buzzing and murmuring of the crowd.

Brian steeled himself and looked over. Hobbs lay on his back, an arm and leg bent at an unnatural angle. His neck was obviously broken. It was a good thing he had already been dead.

BJMBJMBJMBJMBJM

Meanwhile, from behind a partially closed door a thin reed of bamboo, no bigger than a drinking straw was lowered and then replaced into an inside jacket pocket.

Michael turned on his heel and quickly went out a second door into another room, went out the right door from there, down a hall, chose a door 4 down and to the right, went through 3 interconnecting galleries, up some stairs, down another hallway, down some stairs...

Within 5 minutes he had completely escaped within the maze that was the castle.

In another 5 minutes he reached a wing and a large sitting room that Brian didn't know about, much less know how to get to. It was here that he had been hiding out since Brian had dumped him, trying to figure out a way to win his way back into Brian's good graces. But when Hobbs had told him how he was going to eliminate Justin, he had emerged to watch and...take care of things...if things went wrong.

And they had! Everything had gone so very, very wrong. Now he had no servant, no spy, no lover, no Prince, no Kingdom, no prestige, no...no nothing! And it was all that little blond say nothing's fault! He had stolen everything from him!

Michael sat in an easy chair in front of the fire and looked out a window at the dark sea and sky and his dark rage matched them perfectly. What was he going to do now? What? Short of killing Justin himself and ending up like Hobbs (or worse) there was nothing he could do.

His mind spun with ideas and plans, all worse than the one before and each one ended up the same way...with nothing...nothing...nothing...

He slept.

The clock struck midnight.

"It would appear....you need...my help," came an echoing voice.

Michael's eyes popped open. "Wha - Who's there?" he said thickly.

An evil, cruel laugh. "Look out your window."

Michael did so and saw at the water's edge a little ways away, a mermaid with a black tail lying on a flat rock.

"Come to me, Man with a black heart!" she called.

"How? It will take a long while to get to you!" He was on the second floor and at least 10 minutes walk to an outside door.

"This is a dream. You can do anything in a dream," said the mermaid.

Michael turned from the window and saw with a shock, his own self still asleep in the armchair.

The mermaid gave a musical laugh. You see? Now, Come....To...ME!"

Without really thinking about it, Michael took a step and...just like that he was at the flat rock. He was there.

"Who are you? And how can you help me?"

"I am the Sea Witch. I am the one who made the bargain with the blond Prince that has taken your place."

"WHAT!? YOU sent him here! Do you have ANY idea what that little runt has put me...!"

"You know, I do know of a spell to turn a man to plankton. So watch your TONE!" she said a little less musically.

Michael perceived the threat and swallowed his rage. "Why?" he ground out.

"He made the bargain and paid the price. What he has done since then is out of my control."

"What bargain? What are you talking about?"

He gave his voice and a power that heals the body and soul that he calls his sunshine...oh don't worry yourself trying to figure it out you'll only hurt yourself..." she interjected, seeing his frown of confusion, "All you need to know is that he gave his voice and this power of "sunshine" to me in exchange for three weeks to run around on those...those sticks you run around on. But he is coming altogether too close to fulfilling his contract and that is not supposed to be! I keep what I take and what I have taken from him, I like! I'd hoped you'd be man enough to stop him but as I look into the future as it stands, he will be marrying the Prince by the end of the week for sure!"

"Stop him! Don`t you think I've tried! Don`t you think..."

"No! You didn't think at all! You antagonized him at every turn, which just heightened Brian's protective instincts and drove them tighter into each other's arms! And those contests!" She snorted. "Next time, pick something that you are good at!"

"Hey! I was good!"

"Please! The catfish that yowl outside in my anemone garden were better than you!" he said contemptuously.

Michael frowned. She was the second person to tell him he was bad. Could it be he wasn't as fabulous as he thought? He shook his head slightly. Nahhhhhh!

"Look, I don't understand. Did you say you could help me?"

"Yes. But beware! You may not want my help. Are you willing to pay the price?"

"What do you mean?"

"Take this," She dipped her hand into the sea and brought out a tiny crystal vial full of a sickly green potion, glowing like neon puke. "Pour it into the Prince's juice in the morning. It will cause him to pass out temporarily. The next person he sees upon awaking will hold his affections captive. Make sure it is you, and it will be as if the Prince of the Sea had never existed in his heart. Fail, and it will only strengthen his love for the young merman to the extent that it will be irreversible."

"I will not fail," Michael said evilly.

"However...!" the Sea Witch continued and paused dramatically.

"However? What, however?"

"However, because you are regaining the Prince's love and not receiving a double dose like your rival would, the potion will work differently for you. He will love you obsessively. He will pursue you relentlessly. However, once he loves you mind, soul, and body...that is the physical act, his great love will become a great hate. He will remember his former, realize what you have done and despise you forever. However, he will insist on possessing you and allow you no others. It will be the last time you ever experience physical love in your lifetime."

She held up the potion. "Are you willing to pay the price?!" she cried.

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The events of the next hour or so are too boring to print.

But at last, the body was carried away, Brian told his story one last time to one last authority, and the last looky-loo guest had been kindly but firmly shown the door.

Finally, Brian and Justin were left alone which was the only thing they wanted in the world anyway. Justin had been bone-weary to begin with and now he was just dead on his feet. And Brian wanted nothing more than to be with Justin. Well, truth be told, he wanted a little more than that, but at this junction he could see he was going to have to settle for a good night's sleep wrapped up in the arms of a cute blond package.

Said blond package was swaying on his feet and his eyes were half shut and closing, half shut and closing, as if they weighed a thousand pounds. Brian put an arm around his shoulder and guided him toward the stairs. Justin's arm automatically went around his waist and slowly, so slowly they made their way to the stairs.

Justin looked up and sighed. They looked a mile high. But he smiled gamely at Brian and started up. He climbed putting both feet on a riser before climbing to the next one. The pain was terrible.

Brian watched him in amusement and let him get 3 steps up before muttering "Twat!" and bumping him, causing Justin to fall into Brian's arms and be cradled against his s'pec'tacular chest. (Well, in Justin's eyes anyway.) Then just like on his first day, and a few more like it, Brian swept him up the stairs defiantly, proudly, and masterfully. However, at the first landing, where Justin's room was, Brian purposefully turned his back on it and continued upward to the second landing.

When Justin's blue, blue eyes looked up at him in askance, Brian said, "What? You didn't think I was letting you out of my sight again after that, do you? You'll sleep with me, tonight." A deep kiss sealed the deal.

Justin just rested his head on Brian's shoulder and enjoyed the ride. He now knew that he would go willingly, wherever Brian wanted to take him, even to the ends of the earth.

Brian's room was halfway down the hall on the second floor. Brian stopped in front of a huge brown door that Justin could see was on a track and slid open instead of pulling or pushing. Brian put Justin down and took out a large silver key and opened the door. He slid it open and drew Justin inside. Justin gasped and looked around in amazement. Charmed and engaged in looking that he barely heard Brian slide the door shut behind them.

It was huge, not just a room but a kind of rooms within one room, an apartment. On the right there was a huge living room, all in hardwood, tastefully decorated in leather couches and a glass coffee table. There was a bookshelf, just crammed with books. There was a simply HUGE fireplace and a bearskin rug in front of it. To the left and right of the fireplace were huge windows. To the left and along the wall was a kitchen area. Near the kitchen was a small but expensive looking dining table. Beyond that was a door that led to a bathroom. And straight on, the first thing you saw as you came into the room was the bed. It was huge. It sat on a kind of dais that elevated it higher than everything else in the room. There were small stairways on the left and right that led up to it. They were 5 stairs high; that's how high this bed was! The topsheets were black silk and there were pillows galore. There were heavy bed curtains on all sides. They were a rich purple. Right now they were open but they could be closed with the touch of a hand. The bed itself was huge. Justin was unaware there was a size of bed bigger than king size but Brian had found it. It was just simply an island of a bed.

The entire thing was very imposing and intimidating and you could see at once this was the focal point of the room and indeed of Brian's priorities and life. Justin gulped.

Brian came up behind him and grabbed his around the waist and started nuzzling his neck. "See something you like?" he quipped, and nipped his ear, causing shocks of pleasure to shoot through Justin's body. He pulled Justin flush against his own body pressing his stiffie against Justin's backside.

Somewhere a clock struck the midnight hour.

Justin arched back, pressed back and gave Brian a lingering but tired kiss. He moved his hands wide apart, gesturing, Big! So Big!

Brian chuckled and said, "Yeah, I know. I had it custom made. You are looking at the biggest bed in Liberty Kingdom. He leaned in close and whispered in Justin's ear, "The biggest bed for the best lover in all the Kingdom!" And he nipped his lobe again.

Justin groaned silently at the intense pleasure shooting through him. Behind him, Brian smiled in satisfaction. He could feel the blond spasming in his arms, betraying his desire and pent up passion. The blond was primed and ripe for the plucking.

Justin turned in Brian's arms and kissed him long and hard. Brian's ministrations were increasing his desire for more, superceding his need for sleep. Again, he tasted that sweet taste of his Sunshine on Brian's tongue. Brian smiled and kissed him back hotly.

The two men grappled with each other, pulling at buttons and ties and zippers. Justin undid one button at a time and laved his way down Brian's neck and down his chest to his stomach and then to his waist. By that time, Brian had undone his belt and snaps on his pants. He dropped them in one move and stepped out of them and suddenly Justin was faced with his large and erect cock. He looked up at Brian as if to say, "Very nice." But then he kissed his stomach and even the cock a bit before looking up again to ask, "What now?"

"It's yours tonight," Brian said huskily, "Touch it. Pull it. Put it in your mouth. Suck it."

Justin scrunched up his face as if to say: Ewwww! But he gamely decided to start out my jerking Brian off. He grabbed Brian`s cock and pulled as hard as he could and twisted it sideways like a corkscrew.

"OOOOWWWWWW!" howled Brian, jumping back. Justin jumped up in alarm and reached out in consolation and apology. Brian was going to back up again but next moment his breath was stolen from him.

Somehow, he had undone enough of Justin's button's and zippers and things so that when he stood up, his clothes just seemed to...melt off of him and within a few seconds he was naked as a body could possibly be.

It was the second time Brian has seen him naked and the way his creamy white skin glowed in the light took his breath away just like the first time. Also at that time, Brian had to restrain himself as he was with Michael at the time.

No more. This time he allowed the hitch in his breath to show and shrugged off the last of his clothing.

Tall and dark, small and white came together with the intensity of a tsunami wave. Then Brian grabbed him again and threw him over his shoulder and carried him to the bed, up the steps, and threw him onto the mattress.

"It seems..." he growled, "That, I am going to have to teach you the fine art of lovemaking by example. Quite from scratch."

And so he started. He grabbed Justin`s stiffie and lightly began to stroke it. Justin felt the beginning of a pleasure he never knew existed. His cock began to leak precum and Brian used it to rub a thumb all over the head of it. Justin arched and grabbed the sheets. He moaned but of course no sound came out. He wondered what he would have sounded like here on land. But then there was no time for thinking because Brian`s next move was to open wide and bend down and...

"What on earth is he playing at?" Justin thought.

...engulfed Justin's cock, deep throating it in one bite. He began a slow, torturous blow job and that had Justin writhing and bucking in pleasure the likes of which he had never experienced before. Oh! Now he saw what he was driving at!

Slowly, Brian began pumping faster and faster, sucking harder and harder. Justin was in seventh heaven. Now at last, he understood. Now he understood what it was he was here for. What he had been wanting and seeking and waiting and reaching for all this time. And he was still reaching. Still reaching. Brian sucked faster and faster and Justin writhed and reached and reached and reached and...

A sort of flash, a rending, ripped through Justin in a final ultimate pleasure, no an ecstasy, through his entire being that had his mouth open in a silent scream. Brian pumped a few more times, swallowed, and then brought his face close to Justin's.

"Your seed, your essence is delicious, Sunshine! But don't take my word for it. Taste for yourself!" And he kissed Justin witless.

Justin tasted something salty and strange on Brian's tongue and he still didn't really understand what Brian meant. And then he just felt as if it didn't really matter as all of a sudden a tremendous heaviness and weariness began to overcome him.

Brian was revved and ready to go. He pulled Justin flush up against him, thinking that Justin would return all his favors. But he grew heavier and heavier in his arms and...Blow it!...if Justin didn't fall right to sleep! Brian tried poking and prodding him but all to no avail. The young, blond tempter was asleep...deep asleep.

Stealthily, Brian attempted to pull away so he could take care of his own needs without bothering the blond. But Justin would have none of it. As soon as he would pull away, Justin, even in his deep sleep would sense it somehow and anticipate each movement. Every time, Brian moved, Justin moved with him snuggling even closer into Brian's hard abdomen. Justin gave a deep sigh of happiness and contentment. He smiled in his sleep for he dreamed that he was holding onto a leather-clad Prince wearing large and deep goggles; they were chest to chest on a motor bike that was speeding faster and faster. And then they took off and were flying over the sea.

Brian sighed. "Sunshine, you're killing me here," he murmured. He still had a raging hard on against that tight, cute butt and his balls were about as blue as ripe plums. (And roughly the same size as well)

Finally, he gave up and pulled them up toward the pillows, got up briefly and turned out the lights. He pulled the curtains, pulled Justin against him again and snuggled in. Within a few minutes he had joined Justin in a deep slumber.

BJMBJMBJMBJMBJMBJM

Michael stared at the Sea Witch. He realized he was faced with a terrible choice.

"Never experience physical....you mean sex? Never have sex again?" he asked in horror.

"You got it, Starshine," said the Witch.

"But that's...to never...never feel pleasure again like that...that's like a fate worse than death!"

"Oh, I don't know...what about....Death?" the Witch asked caustically.

"Well, yes, Michael conceded, "but still...'

The Witch was growing bored. "OK, look...I know it's a lot to give up but think about what you are gaining. Brian...the Kingdom...the chance to send that little Merman packing...at least out of Brian's affections...once and for all!!! Not to mention...a Kingdom!' she reiterated, "And let's be honest, sweetcheeks! Out of all those on that list, that's what you're really after, isn't it?"

"Yes," Michael was forced to admit.

"So...pay the price and seal the deal! Just make your wedding night...memorable."

Michael thought about it. Could he do it? Could he live the rest of his long, young life without sex, joined to Brian and yet hated by him forever? Would the crown of Liberty Kingdom be enough of a consolation for a lifetime without pleasure? Oh, God! What if he started eating as a comfort and got fat? A thousand other dreadful images popped up in his mind. If he did take the deal and got the crown what would he do with it? Bulldoze the Diner...was the first thing that came to his mind. Some mother she turned out to be! Calling that muted freak Sunshine and treating him better than her own son! That would serve her right!...he thought evilly. And then all he could think of was Justin, Justin`s cherubic face, his golden goodness, the magical ways he had thwarted his contests, Justin hugging Brian, Justin kissing Brian, Justin on the throne, wearing the crown, his crown, his throne! Justin walking the beach with Brian, hunting crabs and clams the way they used to. More and more, a thousand more images each one more erotic than the last, erotic images that should have had him in them! And the more he thought, the more a fierce, wild, jealous rage began to build within his chest, as fierce and wild as a tempest tossed sea during a vicious monsoon.

"Come now! My time grows short! Will you pay the price!?" the Witch shrieked, jerking him out of his thoughts.

"YES!! I WILL PAY IT!" yelled Michael. He snatched the green potion from the Witch and held it aloft reverently.

There was a huge flash and crash of thunder and lightning..

"THE DEAL IS SEALED!!" the Witch screamed, and there was another volley of thunder and lightning, this one louder than the one before. "Now! Wake up!"

"Huh?" said Michael stupidly.

"I sssaaaid.... WAKE...UP!!!" the Witch's face transformed into a hideous snake creature with almond eyes and stretched lips and fangs. A forked tongue darted out and she bared her fearsome teeth. She struck, moving forward whip-snapping fast. There was a deafening crash of thunder and a flash that turned everything blindingly white.

Michael's eyes flew open and he jerked upward violently. He sucked in a huge, terrified breath.

Oh!! He was back in the sitting room again. The fire was much lower. The clock struck three.

He might have written the whole thing off as a dream and a delusion if it were not for the tiny crystal vial sitting in his lap.

He snatched it up and stared at the bilious liquid. He got up and went to the window where it was starting to rain. The thunder and lightning had been real enough. And yet, as Michael stared out the window, he saw that the water's edge was completely different than his dream. It was rough and filled with boulders, impassable. There was no flat rock. It had been a dream as well.

No matter. Michael smiled widely and it was a hideous stretched mask of evil. He held up the vial and began to laugh loud and long, maniacally, in triumph.

TBC