MARILYN

This is not how I wanted to spend my day. Brian is just trying to screw up, I'm convinced. I was sitting around checking up on all the people I monitor, when Justin went bright red. I hurried to Big Q. Justin and Brian have to meet on Liberty Avenue at the same time. As Dr Who would say, “It's a fixed point in their timeline”.  

Justin was coming out of Big Q smiling, I bump him and snatched the card. He didn't even know, thank the gods. Part of me wants to let Kinney stew, but the man is just unable to think beyond the upcoming first night. So I head to Woody's to wait.

BRIAN

Hopefully Marilyn will be easy to find, she needs to explain to me why Michael is suddenly acting crazy, and what is with Justin always getting hurt. I walk into Woody’s and she has a glass of Beam waiting for me.

“Do you think I want to have to chase down people all day?” She asks me.

“Do you think I want to have to ask you questions?” I ask her.

“I just saved your ass today, say thank you or I’m leaving.” She tells me.

“How did you save my ass today? Fine, Thank you. Now can you tell me?” I tell her.

“Justin is suppose to meet you at the street corner, not tonight so you can fuck till dawn.” She tells me. Okay, I’ll listen. “Good because, I didn’t want to have to ruin these pumps, to keep averting disaster.” She tells me.

“Do you even need me in this conversation?” She seems to be answering without me.

“I need you to listen. If Justin called you tonight, he would have shown up at your loft and you two would be fucking like rabbits. In the morning he would have been late for school and died in an accident. There are reasons why you two meet the way you do.” She tells me.

“You could have mentioned that before I tried to meet him.” I tell her. I mean seriously, this is important shit.

“I didn’t stop the first meeting because it was harmless. Justin was there the first time, it’s when he finally admitted to Daphne he was gay. Why do you think she drove him to Liberty Avenue? She wanted Justin to find out for himself.” She tells me.

“Why am I bothering if nothing is going to change? I don’t fucking care what happens, I won’t let Hobbs try to kill him.” I tell her.

“You know there is always information you think we should keep from them, but I’m going to have to explain it to him.” Who the hell is she talking to? “The man upstairs, I think it’s time you understand why certain things are going to happen. You also need to know Justin knew about it, and allowed it.” Marilyn tells me. 

“Justin wouldn’t have volunteered to be put in a coma, you're not going to convince me of that.” I tell her.

“Yes, he did. Brian I want to make this easier on you, because you're going to try to change a fixed point, you can’t, they have to happen. Justin was never just some kid you met, he’s the person you relive your life with, always. Normally you’re reborn and you two find each other. This time you are being given a chance to live the life you should have, if your friend Lindsay wasn’t trying to live through Justin. Justin was given the choice to be bashed or to have walked away that night. He choose to be bashed, to save Daphne.” She tells me.

“Daphne was with us, at the prom and then at the hospital.” I tell him.

“If Justin had gone back and taken her home, the boy she was dating before the prom would have shown up at her house and raped her Brian. She would never have become a doctor. If Chris hadn’t been in the garage to attack Justin, he would have driven home drunk and killed Mel and Lindsay. You would have been raising Gus, and broken up with Justin. It’s just how it works, we can’t change it.” She tells me.

“You're telling me that Justin knew all this?” I can’t fucking believe this.

“He was given the information before he was born, he choose to save all the people he would love, by his own sacrifice. Brian you didn’t just fall in love with Justin, you fell in love with someone who puts others ahead of himself. He saved your ass.” She tells me.

“I didn’t molest my nephew, he shouldn’t have had to save me from that shit.” I tell her.

“Since we aren’t going to be reliving the Kip incident this time, I’ll tell you, he didn’t drop the lawsuit because he saw the error of his ways. Justin blackmailed him into it.” she tells me.

“Justin didn’t even know the guy.” She isn’t going to get me to believe this.

“Justin was stalking you, of course he knew who the asshole was.” I see her point.

“I’m not going to allow him to be hurt, I can’t. I don’t care if Justin agreed to it.” I tell her.

“You don’t have to, Chris just needs to be in that garage. Daphne needs to stay with Justin. Justin doesn’t have to get injured. Brian, Justin didn’t tell you he could come back to you with his memories because he isn’t allowed to. I’m even risking the big guy taking my powers by tell you all this.” She tells me.

“Why are you telling me?” I ask her.

“Justin was never supposed to get on that plane, you two were supposed to go together, a year later, when he got his first show. That article was just supposed to get his name out there. Somehow, instead of Justin getting discovered at a small show in Chicago, Lindsay changed it. It’s the only mystery I haven’t been able to figure out. Just wait one more week and he is going to show up under the lamp post where he’s supposed to. By the way, here’s your card, don’t do that again. I actually had to run in these heels.” She tells me. Fuck, seven more days without sex.

“Brian, Justin liked the tricking. It was only when you left him by himself that he didn’t like it.” She tells me.

“So I wait and we get it right?” I ask her.

“No, but I’ll help as much as I can.” She tells me. 

“What about Michael, he wasn’t this bad. I know I wasn’t much better, but it’s like he’s lost his mind. Michael doesn’t seem to care about anything, including his job.” I tell her.

“Brian, one day we are going to talk about how you managed a friendship with someone like Michael, but not today. Michael needs to have someone to have an identity. He lives in his dream world, where he is popular in your group because you're his friend. Think about what you have done in the last month. You and he went from hanging out and being best friends, which you encouraged, to suddenly avoiding him and treating him like he doesn’t matter. We are talking about Michael Novotny, he can’t change gears like that, without a meltdown. I hate to give you this advice because that means we have to listen to the whiner, but let go slowly. David is going to be here soon and you’ll get a break.” She tells me.

“Fuck, guess I should show up for dinner tonight.” I was going to bail on it.

“If you want to, it’s not really that important. Personally, I’d tell you to go get laid or Justin might not be able to walk the next morning.” She tells me. Yeah, this celibacy really sucks. “For all of Gay PA too.” She smirks at me.

I get up to go to Deb’s house, for the carb fest. “Brian, just because you are going to make up with Michael, doesn’t mean taking Deb’s abuse.” Marilyn tells me.

On the way to Deb’s, I realize Marilyn is right. If Deb wants to play the blame game, I don’t have to let her use me. I get to the house and go in as usual.

“Brian, you need to apologize to Michael. I can’t believe you yelled at him.” Deb in full mother mode.

“Did your son tell you he left a spill on the floor and someone almost busted their head open.” I tell her. I’m not going to let Michael twist this shit to his advantage.

“He told me you were to busy trying to trick at the Big Q.” She defends Michael.

“I looked at a guy, then said guy, who was walking fifty feet away slipped and fell on the spill your son left on the floor.” Maybe if I keep repeating myself she’ll listen.

“In other words Deb, Michael was throwing a tantrum at work. Instead of doing his job, he pouted and someone almost got hurt.” Vic tells her.

“He didn’t tell me that, he just said that Brian was upset because his trick left, and left Michael behind.” Deb tells us.

“Before you start in on Brian, get the facts Sis.” Vic tells her. Shit I missed him, Deb isn’t capable of seeing her son as other than perfect.

“I’ll take Mikey out tonight, by tomorrow he’ll be back to normal.” I tell Deb. 

“See Vic, Brian knows he should have stood by Michael.” Deb tells him. I shake my head, we both know it’s a lost cause. Deb walks back in the kitchen, and Vic waits for me to explain.

“I’m not going to roll over and let Deb blame me, but like Michael, little steps work better with her. I think I leaped when I should have just stepped.” I tell him.

“Just don’t let Michael get away with making himself look innocent. I want Deb to get a life, so maybe I can get one too.” Vic tells me. The door opens and everyone starts to arrive. 

“Well if it isn’t Brian Kinney, are we still friends or am I still the villain?” Michael asks me.

“Michael, I was worried you were going to lose your job. You got written up already, did you really want your boss to find out you were careless.” I want to hurl, but I persevere. 

“I know you're right, I was just having a shitty day. You didn’t show up like you were supposed to, and Andrew was on my ass. Friends?” Michael walks over to hug me. He grabs my face and tries to lay one on me. I turn my head, no one kisses my lips, that is not going to change.

“How about after dinner we go to Babylon? I think I need to remind everyone who the ultimate top is.” I tell a smiling Michael. 

“Thank God, my best friend is still in there.” Michael announces.

“Like Brian could go five minutes without fucking someone.” Mel sneers at me.

“Mel, if you were a man, I’d have to worry about the competition.” I tell her. I watch her trying to find the insult in that statement.

“Mel wouldn’t whore around, Brian.” Lindsay tells me. I found the insult in that statement pretty fast.

“I’m not saying that liking sex makes you a whore, just that Mel could probably pick up as many women as I do men.” I tell Lindsay.

“Brian, stop trying to defend me, it feels wrong somehow.” Mel tells me.

Just laying the groundwork, I want us to be able to parent Gus together.

“Mel, you should be nice to Brian, he was being sweet.” Lindsay tells her. Lindsay tries to peck me on the lips, Mel glares. This is why Mel and I fight, well Lindsay asked for it.

I walk over to Mel and kiss her cheek. “You know you're hot, Lindsay should be kissing your feet.” I tease her. I watch Lindsay frown, guess we aren’t giving her a daily dose of Mel’s jealousy.

I let poor confused Mel off the hook. Michael shovels his food down and tells me we need to go. I grab Ted and Emmett by the ears and tell them they get to help me entertain our child.