EMMETT

Can you say speechless? I can and we know that is a condition that I have never met. I officially give up. I look at Michael and the only thing that comes out is “Michael what are you burning?”

Michael looks at me about to answer when he sees Justin, “Good Justin you’re here. I’ve packed your stuff and left all of it over by the sofa.” both Justin and I look at a pile of garbage bags, and then Justin just stares at Michael. I have to wonder how Michael is still standing there. Justin starts towards Michael and I figure that with everything else, bailing Justin out of jail really isn’t on my to-do list today.

“Justin, why don’t you go into the bathroom while I handle Michael.” I say, as I steer Justin away from the mad man in the kitchen and close him up in the bathroom. I start towards Michael when I hear the bathroom door open so I run to stop Justin. “Please, for me Baby. I will get him out of here, then we will work on your face so Deb can live to send Michael to the nearest hospital.” Pushing Justin back into the bathroom and closing the door again, I run to the kitchen.

“Michael you need to leave. Now. And what the hell are you cooking?” Because the burning smell is getting worse.

“Jambalaya. Remember when Brian mentioned that he liked it?” Michael is smiling.  I walk to the stove and try to figure out why it’s burning.  

“Michael did you put water in there?” At this point I just decide to stop the crazy train. I took the pan off the stove and threw in the sink with water.  

Michael is shouting at me to stop because he has a dinner party planned to announce to Mel and Lindsay that he and Brian are a couple and are going to want to see the kids more. Now, as much as I am enjoying this conversation, it's time to send Michael packing before God Kinney gets here.

“Michael, it’s time for you to go. I have to save your mother’s life and yours. And I can’t do that with you and Justin in the same room.” I tell him, as I push him out of the loft.  

“Yeah, and I need to go get new ingredients, since you ruined my food.” With that Michael is off, and so am I.

I walk to the freezer to get ice and turn to go the bathroom. I am just about to the bathroom door when the loft door slides open.  

Okay, kill me now.  

“Hey Em what are you doing here?” Brian asks, confused as to why I’d be at the loft, alone, in the middle of the day.

BRIAN

I have Ted drive me home so that everyone will think I’m still at work. Just as we pull up to the loft I see Michael leaving and tell Ted just to keep going so that I don’t have to deal with that right now. He pulls around to the back and I make my way in while Ted parks.  

Entering the loft, I see Em going towards the bathroom and ask what he’s doing here. Em starts to flutter one hand then looks around.  

“I was going to cook for you two tonight?” He says, phrasing it like a question. I notice the smell of something burnt. Walking into the kitchen I look in the sink to see something black in a pan I don’t own.

“I was distracted so, well... Oh hell Brian, Michael was here but I got him to leave. Can you give me a minute?” Emmett says, as he turns and runs into the bathroom.

Ted comes in and looks for whatever was burning.  

“Emmett was apparently cooking something.” I tell Ted.  

I look in the living room and see garbage bags. Opening the first one I see Justin’s stuff in it. Opening the others tells me what Michael was doing here. That still doesn’t explain Emmett.  

“Ted can you go check on Emmett? I need to make a phone call” I ask.

Ted nods and walks to the bathroom and knocks. Emmett sticks his head out then pulls Ted in. I shake my head. I don’t even want to know. Walking over to the phone I dial the number for a locksmith.  

Suddenly I hear Ted yell, and realize that something is going on.

TED

I walk over to the bathroom, knock on the door and tell Emmett it’s me. He opens the door and pulls me in. Emmett is fluttering all over, saying, “Kinney is going to murder people.” I look around Emmett and there is Justin, sitting on the toilet seat with a towel up to his face. I walk up to him and pull off the towel and see the start of a large bruise on his cheek.  

“WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED?” I yell. Emmett starts fluttering his hands and looks like he would like to be anywhere but here. And right now so would I.  

“Deb slapped him Teddy. And now I have to figure out how to keep Brian from finding out.” Em tells me.  

The bang of the bathroom door opening and Brian standing there announce the arrival of Kinney.

Em and I are trying to hide Justin. Brian is looking at us and tries to walk around us, but we block him.  

“You to need to move.” he tells us, then pushes us out of his way. Justin is holding both hands on the sides of his face like a baby doing ‘fishy face’, and smiling like everything isn’t about to go up in flames.

JUSTIN

When I saw my stuff packed in garbage bags, my first thought was how to kill Michael and hide the body. The second was, would Emmett help? Em stops my forward momentum and sends me to the bathroom. I stayed there for a second then decide that Mikey was going down. Em is waiting for this and got me back in the bathroom, so I just closed the door.  

When I hear Michael leave I relax for a minute and look in the mirror. I need to figure out how to not get Deb in trouble for hitting me. I know it seems like I am crazy to protect her, but she is my other mom and has been there for me. I could say that I ran into a door but explaining the handprint on my cheek could be a problem. The other is that Deb will keep trying to apologize and I know that she’ll be dumb enough to say it to Brian.  

I hear Emmett talking again and hope it isn’t Michael again. Em rushes in like he’s hopped up on E. “Brian is here. What the hell are we going to do?” he is whispering and screeching at the same time.

Ted knocks and comes in and then screams “WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED?” Well if we were trying to keep it from Brian, that's over.  

Brian walks in and Em and Ted are trying to keep him from me. I put both hands over my face to try and cover up the mark. Then I just smile to keep him guessing. Brian is far from stupid, but I live in hope. He crouches down in front of me and pulls my hands down. Emmett and Ted slowly back away because a smart person would get out while they still can.

“Justin I am trying to ask you this without screaming but, WHAT THE FUCK HAPPENED TO YOUR FACE” he ends screaming. I figured I could just pretend that I don’t understand but it’s kind of hard since I have a rag with ice and the fact that he saw me trying to hide it.

“I ran into a door?” I say sort of like a question, which earns me a Kinney glare. Now that look was not necessary. I know I sounded like a kid trying to pretend that nothing happened.

“Emmett answer me” he turned to the escapees. Emmett is looking at the wall, not sure how to stop this from going where it will next. “Well you see the door or um well...” Emmett is no help but at least he finally figured out to run. Brian turns to go after him.  

I yell at Brian that I need him and that stops him for less than a second. I look at Ted, who I think has gotten over this morning cause all he says is,

“Did you really think that would work? If you want to save Emmett we have to figure a way to spin this.” He’s right and we both know that. So we sit in the bathroom trying to figure out how to stop a nuclear Brian.

EMMETT

Damn it, I need to get to the gym more. He caught me at the stairs and dragged me back in. “Start talking Em, when I left him he was free of bruises.” Brian is very calm now, but I know when he finds out it might take all three of us to stop him. I realize I need to distract him so I start with Michael in the kitchen.

“Brian did you know Michael can’t cook? I mean he didn’t even put water in that pot before he tried to cook rice. I know that his mother did all the cooking but even on the box, the instructions tell you to put water in there. He said he was cooking for you and the girls tonight. But since you didn’t mention that, I think maybe you need to call them and tell them dinner’s off.”

At this point I am just rambling to keep him from asking, cause I know I will tell before Justin and Ted come up with something. “You know, I think Teddy is finally over everything, cause he was able to look Justin in the eye again and that's good. I don’t think he would have survived much longer if he keep picturing Justin naked, you know. How about we order in and relax for the evening?”

Brian isn’t falling for this and I can see that my time is about up, and my first thought is someone stop me because I can't keep it in any longer. I wish that I hadn’t thought that, because here’s Mama Bear and she looks ready to kill.

JENNIFER

When the phone rang I expected it to be a client I was waiting on for the house he wants. What I got is Debbie crying and telling me that she hit Justin. I hang up the phone and call Tucker and tell him to come get me before I commit murder.

When I get to the loft I hear Emmett rambling away about a dinner party and Justin naked. Emmett sees me and just groans and hides his face.  

Brian looks at me and I ask “Where is my son?” Brian points to the bathroom. I start walking to the bathroom, Brian behind me and Emmett following. Justin walks out of the bathroom and Deb is dead. “Oh baby, come here.” Justin, smart boy he is, walks straight to me and I look at the purple hand print. He whispers to me, “She didn’t mean to, please help me calm Brian down.”

If Justin really thinks that I am going to stop Brian, he has lost his mind. Brian looks at me and I just tell him, “Deb hit him.”

BRIAN

I just stare at Jen and know that we have officially bonded in a cause. I turn to walk out of the loft, Jen right beside me. Justin is running behind us, “Please. She didn’t even realize she did it, ask Em.” Justin is shouting. I turn to him and look into his eyes. “It doesn’t matter, no one hit’s you. Period.” I tell him and I turn again.

Deb better have back-up.