Brian didn't know if he should be pissed off or relieved. Vance had finally sacked him, now he would be able to start his own agency. There was only one problem with that idea; he had no clients. Ever since he was given his walking papers two days ago he had called all his former clients. They all loved his work but didn't want to leave a reputable agency for a startup. All that meant was that he really did have to start from scratch. He had even had offered the leather store on Liberty Avenue a discount.

There was only one thing that he had, the name. Kinnetik. Justin had come up with the name and helped with the design of the logo. It was the last time he had seen him.

Everything with Briana being hospitalized had finally calmed down. The fallout from her illness though was still pretty bad. Debbie and most of gang were still upset with Lindsay and Mel. They finally realized what they had done when Briana got out of the hospital. She had to have breathing treatments ever four hours. There was also the machine that had to stay where she slept. It had sensors that would tell Justin if she started having serious trouble breathing or stopped breathing.

Since he was trying to start up Kinnetik he hadn't spent any time with Justin in a week. It was a little lonely for him but he need to use all his energy on the agency. His first responsibility was to himself, always had been. He would take care of Gus, Michael and the gang but he couldn't do that if he was jobless and destitute.

Sitting at his computer he worked on a pitch that Cynthia gave him a tip-off about. He also heard rumors that the CFO of Remson Pharmaceuticals was history, he was still waiting to hear from Cynthia about that.

He was jerked out of his work by someone banging on his door.

"Mikey, I swear to god if you are whining again about Ben and that damn book I'm going to –

What he was going to say was cut off by sliding opening the door and seeing Justin instead of Michael.

Justin looked rougher than he had when Briana was in the hospital. His hair was disheveled, bags under his eyes and his clothes were filthy.

"Damn, Sunshine, what the hell happened to you?"

"Brian, I need to run to the store. I wouldn't ask if it wasn't an emergency. I ran out of Briana's medicine. I called in her prescription."

"You look like hell, I can go get her medicine," he volunteered.

"Oh, that's very kind of you." Justin's face didn't match his words, he looked disappointed.

"What's wrong now?"

"Nothing. I just… It's nothing."

It hit Brian then that he had seen someone who looked very similar to Justin almost two years ago. When Gus was a newborn and Mel was working all the time, before they split. Lindsay got so bad that she even asked him to take care of Gus so she could go shop. She had just wanted to spend a few minutes to herself.

"I forgot I have to wait for a call. You go and get the medicine. We'll be fine." He grabbed Briana from Justin and looked at her. "Won't we, Twinkie?"

"Twinkie. Really, Brian?"

"What her daddy is a twink. That makes her a twinkie, doesn't it?" He grinned when Justin chuckled. It was the first time he had seen Justin laugh since Briana got sick.

"Just don't let my dad hear you call her that, or me a twink for that matter. She just ate and had her breathing treatment. She should be fine until I get back. If she starts having troubled breathing call me then take her back to my place and start an emergency treatment. You remember how to do it right? There should be enough for one more."

"Yes, I remember. She'll be fine. Go and get her medicine, maybe some shampoo and soap for yourself." He couldn't help but add.

Justin drove to the pharmacy, it was the first time he had been alone in what felt like forever. He loved Briana, he really did but sometimes he wished he was a carefree teenager again.

Parking in front of the pharmacy he got out. He was lucky it was a twenty-four hour one. It was already near eleven at night, and Briana really needed her medicine.

"Justin," a deep voice called out to him.

He turned around and saw someone he hoped he wouldn't run into again.

"Hi. What are you doing out here?"

"Working, this pharmacy was hit a week ago. Chief Shockwell set up hourly check over the pharmacies."

"That makes sense."

"What are you doing here?"

"I have to get my daughter's medicine."

Vas's face clouded with worry. "Is she okay?"

"She is now, before it was scary. She just has to have breathing medicine for her machine."

"That's good. Look, Justin, I've been waiting for you to get your memory back but…"

"I got my memory back. I've had it back for a while."

Vas paled. "What do you remember?"

Justin really didn't want to talk about this. But he knew this day was coming.

"I remember my boyfriend letting me walk into an ambush." He remember his attacker bragging before hitting him.

"I had no idea he was going to hurt you. He was only supposed to scare you." Tears were running freely down Vas's face. Justin watched feeling detached from the whole thing. He had no anger, sadness or really any feelings left for someone who planned what could have been his murder.

"Can you at least tell me why?" It was the only thing he wanted to know.

"Stockwell is a tool. Trevor told me he could get me into his department in New Castle. All he was supposed to do was scare you. You were already on edge about the guy trashing your old place. I thought if you thought Pittsburgh was too dangerous to live, it would be easier to talk you into moving with me. I never wanted you hurt that was never the plan."

"Well, dear old Trevor went rogue, because his intentions were clear. He was waiting for me when I came in. He shut Leroy in the bedroom. I'm pretty sure he left out of our bedroom, using the fire escape. That's why the neighbor and Brian didn't see him. It's also why there wasn't a break-in, he had a key to your apartment. But you could have still made it up to me. You didn't though, when they asked you if you knew anything you lied. You stood there and kept your mouth shut."

"He's my best friend."

"There, right there is why we would never work. I want someone who doesn't still consider the man who tried to kill his boyfriend his best friend. But that's not the only reason and you know it. That relationship was unhealthy almost from the start. You said who I could and couldn't see. Then the last month you started getting rougher with me, a couple time I was scared of you. I'm not supposed to be scared of someone I love."

"I can change, I promise," Vas begged.

"We're over. But you should change, for yourself. First, get the hell away from Trevor; he's not the boy who saved you anymore. Something is wrong with him, you need to cut his poison out of your life. I won't go to the police because I don't want to relive it. But I will if I see him again. Then see a therapist because you have a lot of rage and trust issues. Maybe, just maybe you'll find the perfect guy for you. Please, take my advice and get the transfer but not to New Castle, somewhere far away. Somewhere out of Trevor's clutches, it's time for you to made decisions on your own. Time to have your own life." Justin didn't miss the irony of him telling Vas what to do then telling him to make his own decisions.

Vas choked out a sob. "I'm really sorry, I never wanted any of this to happen."

"I know." Justin stood up on his tiptoes and kissed Vas on the cheek. "I really do hope you get your happy ever after." He truly did, Vas was a good person just deeply flawed and still a scared fourteen year old inside.

"I wish the same for you." He stood straighter and looked around. "Maybe a change of scenery is what I need. I've always heard Washington State is nice."

They said their final goodbyes and Justin went in the pharmacy to get Briana's medicine. He felt lighter than he had in a long time. He had been dreading seeing Vas again but now it felt like a weight had been lifted off of him. He was happy now, and excited to get over that chapter in his life.

Next chapter is five months later.