BRIAN

I get Justin to agree to wait for me to go see Emmett. Whatever happened last night, seems to have excited Emmett. I call to see where Emmett is, because he doesn’t normally work till closing.

“Emmett before we drive all over Pittsburgh, tell me where you are.” I tell him.

“I was trying to think of a place that we could brainstorm without people showing up. Michael and Lindsay have been all over the place today. I would say the loft but we’ll get invaded. I also need to see if we can include Ted, he might be able to help me concentrate on all the things that were going on.” Emmett tells me.

“You could have called and told us not to head to Torso.” I tell him.

“I wanted to meet there, but like I said, everyone is trying to talk to me. I finally thought about my tour last night and I need to ask Justin a lot of questions. You willing to let Ted come, and maybe Mel?” He asks me.

“Are you trying to say you blabbed and they now are worried about your sanity?” I ask him.

“Um, it wasn’t my fault. Do you know how much shit was thrown at me last night? I had to talk to someone. I just sort of mentioned to Ted that I wanted him to hear a dream I had. Then Mel showed up and we were throwing around ideas. I could have not queened out when they told me to stop worrying about a dream, but this is important.” He tells me.

“Just bring them to the loft, if anyone else tries to get in, I’ll kick them out.” I tell Emmett.

“Actually, Marilyn came by too and she said it would probably be better if we go to her house.” Emmett could have just said that.

“Where the hell does she live?” I ask him. I sometimes wonder how Emmett gets dressed in the morning.

“She said to pick us up at Woody’s and we’ll leave from there.” Emmett couldn’t have just said Woody’s.

“I’m flustered Brian, give a girl a break.” Emmett snaps at me. I hang up and turn around and head towards Woody’s.

“What’s going on?” Justin asks me.

“Emmett apparently had to tell Ted and Mel about his dream and now they seem to be worried that Emmett has lost it. Now we get to see where Marilyn lives.” I tell him.

“Don’t worry Brian, you’ll like her place. She is as much of a queen about style as you.” Justin tells me. He seems distracted.

“Want to tell me what you're thinking about?” I ask him.

“You're going to think it’s stupid.” He tells me.

“Remember who was my best friend all my life, nothing you could say could sound as stupid as he does sometimes.” I tell him to try and get a laugh.

“I have SATs on Saturday. I really want to do better than the first time.” Justin tells me.

“You do realize your scores were off the charts. Even if you scored the same, you're still a genius.” I tell him.

“It’s just that if I score the same, it’s like I never learned any more. I told you it was stupid.” Justin tells me.

“I want you to go to college and get that piece of paper. You let it go before and I know it bothered you.” I tell him.

“It was just hard to go and listen to people tell me how to improve my craft. They never went further than teaching. Makes listening to them seem redundant.” He tells me.

“Justin, you're going to show them how it’s done. It’s probably going to be hard on them to see a student who could teach them. You spent so much time trying to do what they asked, instead, show them who you are this time.” I tell him.

“I want to start a comic but not Rage. Michael spent too much time asking me to bleed my life onto a page. I did it, but I think it caused a lot of our problems. It kept me angry about what happened to me. You have to wonder why he wanted me to be bashed in a comic.” Justin tells me.

“I never thought of it like that. Michael came up with it?” I ask him. I never asked him why he wanted to draw that shit.

“We were in the shop and he acted like he didn’t want to do it. He even asked if I could handle my personal life being out for everyone to see. At the time, we were both trying to pretend I was okay, so I thought being able to draw it would be cathartic.” Justin tells me.

“I always thought you suggested it.” I tell him.

“I wasn’t telling him no, but afterwards it made me feel worse. Instead of rescuing myself, you and Michael did.” Justin tells me.

We pull up and I have to wonder how they are all going to fit in my Jeep. I roll down my window.

“Unless people are going to sit on each other’s laps we are going to need another car.” I tell them.

“Ted and Mel are going to follow us, we are going past your loft, two buildings down.” Emmett tells us. He and Marilyn crawl in and I watch a worried Ted and Mel head to Ted’s car.

“Do we tell them?” Emmett asks Marilyn.

“What’s left to tell? You practically shouted at them that it was real. By the way Justin, 1560.” Marilyn tells Emmett and a smirking Justin.

“I didn’t mean to, they just kept acting like I needed to stop pretending like it was important.” Emmett tells us.

“Or you could have shut up.” Marilyn tells him.

“Let’s not talk about someone blabbing, when up till last night you were on the dark side.” Emmett tells him.

“I say we tell them. If they don’t believe us, who the fuck cares.” I tell them.

“Brian, we have to be careful.” Marilyn tells us.

“Yeah, because by playing it by everyone’s rules, I only had to die.” Justin glares at Marilyn.

“Just pull into the garage of the building, I don’t need the besties showing up at my apartment.” Marilyn tells me as we get to his building.

“So this is why you could show up at a moment's notice.” I tell her. We are neighbors.

“I just like the floor plan of my apartment, I wasn’t trying to chase the Stud and the Dud.” She tells me.

“Are you calling me a Dud?” Justin looks offended.

“Hello, who was he around till just recently?” Marilyn points out to Justin. Justin nods and smiles.

We get out and wait for Ted and Mel to park. I could almost feel bad for Emmett, but you know he could have just waited and talked to us. Marilyn leads us to the elevator and we file in. I pull Justin to me, because Ted is staring at his ass. I get him to stop with a glare. We file out on the third floor and enter the apartment, it wasn’t what I expected.

“I might be a drag queen but I have taste.” Marilyn tells me.

Yes he does, the whole apartment is done in gray and white. I walk over and inspect the furniture, I have to say, it gives me ideas for a new loft design. The sofas are dark gray but Justin would love it because they are comfortable but still modern in design. I could bend Justin over the back of the sofa, it’s the perfect height for us.

“That is exactly why I bought it Brian, we can look at the granite counter tops and the lighting later. Emmett can you tell me why you're convinced something is wrong?” Marilyn asks him.

“I really think we need to talk to Emmett about the difference between dreams and reality.” Ted tells us. Mel puts her arms around Emmett, like you would your senile grandmother.

“Ted, Blake is still on Crystal, the vial you found isn’t from a long time ago. Blake is going to run away from the rehab you put him in and you won’t see him again for years.” Justin tells him.

“Mel, fucking Mary Ann isn’t going to change the fact that you and Lindsay have problems. It only gives you a way out from Lindsay treating you like you weren’t more important than me.” I tell her.

“I just found the vial. How did you know?” Ted tells us.

“I was supposed to meet Mary Ann for a drink tonight. I wasn’t going to do anything.” Mel tells us.

“Emmett isn’t crazy, he is telling you the truth, just like Brian and Justin just did.” Marilyn tells them.

“We are supposed to believe that God wants gay men together and raising a kid?” Mel asks us.

“He let you and the she bitch have a kid.” Emmett tells her. 

“Can you just let Emmett talk and I promise to let you kids commit him, if you don’t believe him.” I tell the two.

“Justin, if someone was in purgatory, could they hide it from you?” Emmett asks Justin.

“No, it’s like the land of eternal whine, they all spend their time telling everyone they deserve to go to Heaven, but the catch is they have to tell the truth about why they believe it. Like I told Brian, it’s like a train that just keeps heading nowhere.” Justin tells him.

“Vic couldn’t make you think Deb was just visiting?” Emmett asks.

“No, because you can stand at the edge and watch, but if you go in it’s like ‘The Hotel California’, you don’t get to leave, because you were stupid enough to go there.” Justin tells us.

“Deb talking to Lindsay, was that something she could do, from where the edge was?” Emmett asks him.

“You could do that, but you would hear the truth and their excuses. Unless you go in they are like broken records.” Justin tells him.

“Do you think Deb would have entered there?” What is with all of these questions.

“Sure, she would think she could just walk in anywhere, like the orgy I had. I was fucking this guy and I have Deb standing there watching. Instead of, I don’t know, waiting outside, she almost took a seat on the bed. It took me a hour to get hard again.” I tell Emmett.

“We can get back to that later, and we will. I just need to understand the whole thing that went on. I was at Babylon but with people from Purgatory.” Emmett tells us.

“That isn’t possible, you wouldn’t have been allowed to leave Emmett. Unless an Archangel let you.” Justin tells him.

“I think your daughter got me out of there.” Emmett tells us.

“How is Kira? I miss her so much.” Justin asks Emmett.

“I will say she is definitely Brian’s kid, that girl didn’t give Vic any sympathy at all.” Emmett seems proud of my daughter.

“She doesn’t pull punches, but she’s becomes someone we all are proud of.” Justin tells us. I want to hear about her.

“Marilyn you're up now, we'll talk more later Justin. When you went to talk to Vic, did you listen to the conversation that continued in the room with Lindsay and him?” Emmett asks her.

“It was like Vic was trying to make himself innocent and Lindsay the one who fooled them. It was almost bleeding heart.” Marilyn tells him.

“You said you checked on his thoughts?” Emmett asks her.

“It’s hard to get beyond a ghost’s barrier. They aren’t really here anymore. I just listened in to the thoughts behind the words.” She tells him.

“Anything strange about the conversation?” Emmett really needs to get to the point.

“He called me Marty, but he usually did if I was dressed like that. It just bothered me that Vic would do any of this.” Marilyn tells him.

“Marilyn, Kira told me to look at Vic hard. What does that mean?” He asks her.

“Tell me what else she said.” Marilyn tells him.

“She was really harsh with him. She called him Vic but it sounded like she was playing him. It’s what you do Brian, when you try to convince someone to listen to you.” Emmett tells me.

“I don’t get what you mean.” I ask him.

“You normally only do it when your pissed, but you talk to someone like they’re a child. Then you hit them with the truth, but you leave it up to them to figure it out. She was saying all sorts of strange things. First she walks up as this totally hot chick and then she turns into a child to talk to me. You two need to keep that girl from saying things only a grown woman should know.” Emmett tells us.

“Emmett, let's focus, what else was she saying to you.” I tell him. We’ll be here all night if we don’t get Emmett to focus.

“Okay, she said something about in Heaven age is just a number and everyone is an adult but they can play. She looked at Vic and said something about fun and games. I swear that girl is all Kinney, she even said Vic’s name like a joke.” Emmett tells us.

“I’m going to butt in because, well, I just decided to join the crazy. Emmett was it like she was changing forms to show you something?” Ted asks him. Welcome to the nut house Ted.

“Other than the fact that Brian and Justin’s gene pool is amazing, I don’t know.” Emmett explains.

“What else happened?” Marilyn asks Emmett.

“She forced me to leave, I just walked into the dream but it’s like she threw me out. It was like falling from the sky. She told me to let Justin wake me up. Oh and then she was so you Brian, when Vic tries to tell her she could still be born, she went all badass on him. Telling him she would wave as the family and Lindsay tipped into hell. She told him she’d be the bitch waving as he fell. You do realize that if she’s born we are going to have try to weed some of the Kinney out. I mean your kid is like seeing you all over again.” Emmett tells me.

“Emmett, tell them about the whole seeing Brian and Deb interact.” Mel tells him. 

“Oh yeah, wait who is Ben? I know you mentioned the guy before, but I wasn’t paying attention.” Emmett asks us.

“He’s the future husband of Michael.” I tell him.

“Are you serious, how does Michael get that guy?” Emmett is incredulous.

“He’s HIV positive, you are still phobic about that.” I tell him.

“I could get over it. He’s fucking hot, scorching. I was feeling him…” Emmett gets cut off by Marilyn.

“What did Ben say to you? You can drool later.” Marilyn asks him.

“Can’t you do like a mind meld or something? It would cut out the extra Emmett likes to add.” Please tell me she can do this, at the rate we’re going we are going to be here long enough to have Kira.

“Brian, unlike you, Emmett thinks in circles. It would take me almost as much time to piece it together as it would to just let him talk.” Marilyn tells me. I can agree with her on that.

“He told me that he wasn’t going to let them fuck with you. He didn’t stay around and stop Vic, he just went poof. It wasn’t till then that I realized I wasn’t in Babylon. I was all excited cause I thought I was going to get laid, then he like… fine, focus. Vic yelled at me about being his favorite queen, which was really sweet. Then I get people trying to justify why they shouldn’t be there. One dick tried to say it was okay he was a homophobe... I know, Vic tells me he wants us to get out of there because we don’t belong there and wants me to go through a door. It was like going to the backroom and sorry Vic and I going to the backroom was... Moving on, you can stop glaring Kinney. So we go and do a whole look at what Deb has done for Brian, but in both instances it ends with Deb making Brian do something for Michael. Brian they are kind of assholes, I mean you show up the way you did and Deb asks you to do Michael’s homework? You get a promotion and she wants you to forget about that and cheer up Michael. I never paid attention to the way Deb seems to make you feel like you owe it to them.” Emmett tells us.

“There was one other thing, Kira called Vic a traitor, but I thought it was because of what they were trying to do. Vic was talking so unlike himself, he was channeling his inner Michael. Who the fuck tells a kid that it’s okay your dad won’t be with you. Then trying to make it okay by saying they could live their next life together. It was strange. OH OH OH, I just remembered this part. Kira told me to tell Marilyn to look past Brian’s death, something would make more sense. Does that make sense?” Emmett winds down. I was willing to lay one on Ted if it stopped Emmett.

“She wanted me to look at what happened after Brian died?” Marilyn asks Emmett.

“That’s what it sounded like.” Emmett tells her.

“What happened after I died?” I ask.

“I don’t know, you were brought back and I was trying to worry about now. I can try to see if I can see it, but it’s a split in time now. I have to go to another room, you guys are all thinking too loud. Mel no matter how insane it sounds, it’s true.” Marilyn tells us and walks to a door down the hall. We watch as she goes in and closes the door.

“I’m going to ask, feel free to mind fuck me Brian. You and Justin came back to relive your life?” Ted asks me.

“Yes, next.” I want to keep it simple, after Emmett’s long explanation.

“You know what happens to us?” Ted asks.

“In the time I lived, yes. You become CFO and eventually partner with me and Gus at Kinnetik. I depend on you and you proved your worth. I trusted you with everything. Oh, and the whole ‘Crystal makes me better’ thing, that was not your best idea. Emmett and you dating made me want to barf.” I tell him. 

“I date Teddy? Why the hell would we want to do that? We aren’t even each other’s types. Ted likes twinks like Baby over there. I like someone who can manhandle me.” Emmett shares with the class.

“Yeah, like I said, not something I want to see again.” I tell them.

“What happened to you and Justin?” Mel asks me.

“We go through five years of playing at a relationship. I ask him to marry me, we cancel the wedding so Justin can pursue a career in New York. Lindsay convinced me not to hold Justin back with by marrying him. His plane crashes and I spend forty years alone. You and I became friends, because you love this twat as much as I do.” I tell her.

“Any other questions get directed at the Psychic. Marilyn tends to get all doom and gloom if she thinks we are telling too much.” I tell her.

Emmett was about to say something when we hear a very unladylike Marilyn.

“Those three bitches, you just wait. I’m going to make them wish they didn’t fuck with me.” Marilyn yells at us.

“Could you say that in English for the people who can’t read minds?” I ask her.

“Vic, you know, reliable Vic. The person who would give you shirt off his back to help anyone?” She doesn’t seem to want an answer. “Change the V to M and add KEY what do you get? I’ll tell you, your best friend.” Marilyn tells me. 

“Mickey?” I ask her. 

“Fucking drop the C, if it makes it any better.” She tells me.