Two weeks....two fucking weeks, and Chris knew more about Justin's hidden life than he cared to know. The bastard was more of a pervert than he had ever imagined during their school days. Two weeks of shadowing Justin hadn't given Chris the opening he was praying for but it certainly had enlightened him on what a sick lifestyle Justin participated in. That first day, right after Billy's bashing, had only been the start of Chris' obsession with knowing everything he could about Justin and how to finally reach out and 'touch' him the way he deserved. Chris had waited outside the cop's apartment house for what seemed hours until he finally caught a break. The cop and his boyfriend drove out of the parking area behind the building and Chris was right on their tail. 

Chris was really grateful his mother didn't give him a hard time about taking her car whenever he wanted. It didn't happen that often since he certainly preferred his own souped-up vehicle to the dowdy functional car his mom drove, but she never questioned her son as to why he sometimes took hers. She never questioned Chris about anything. Chris had a temper and Mrs. Hobbs preferred not to irritate her only child. She knew that Chris would grow up to be just like his father....overbearing and controlling. She had learned to live with his father and simply carried the same submissive attitude over into her dealings with the younger Hobbs. It made for a less stressful life for the poor woman.

Having his mother's generic-looking car made Chris almost invisible to the cop and Justin. Chris always made sure he wore a hoodie that kept his face shadowed even with the warm Summer days and nights they were having. He quickly learned the couple's routine destinations so he wasn't forced to follow so closely that it would be obvious the two were being tailed. He had come to think of the older man and Justin as a couple because they certainly acted like one. It seemed to Chris that they were always holding hands or touching one another no matter where they were, especially around Liberty Avenue. What was even more disgusting to the stalker was the fact that he often saw them kissing each other right out in public. That too always seemed to happen when they were on Liberty Avenue. 

Chris certainly had heard about the notorious street that boasted so many gay-friendly establishments, but Chris had always avoided it before. Now he was spending a great deal of time there since it seemed to be a favorite haunt of the cop and Justin. There were three places they had visited several times in the last couple of weeks. One was a diner...far too small a place for Chris to dare enter, knowing he would be spotted. Another was some kind of bar. Chris had slipped in once but almost got caught when Justin turned around unexpectedly and looked in Chris' direction. Chris never entered that place again. The last was a huge cavernous dance club. Chris had slipped in there too but never came close to being spotted. The place was always jammed with men, some half naked, making it easy for Chris to stay out of view. 

The things Chris saw in the club turned his stomach. It was all he could do not to throw up every time he left the place. Chris would have cut his own balls off rather than admit that he often left the place with a slight hard-on sprouting from his nest of curly hairs. He ignored the itch in his pants by concentrating on his hatred. It was enough to cure the unwanted feelings very quickly. Every time he saw Justin draped over or on the tall body of his boyfriend during some sickeningly sexy song, Chris would stoke the flames of his hatred a little bit higher. However, all this shadowing of the couple and being forced to spend time in their kind of places didn't earn Chris the one thing he wanted most. He still hadn't found a way to get Justin alone. The cop was with him every night and Justin never went anywhere by himself during the day. Chris' frustration grew but he wasn't going to give up. That cop couldn't protect the son of a bitch forever.

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This night had turned out to be so special. It was two whole weeks now since Brian had invited Justin to stay with him and the young man was as happy as he had ever been in his life. It wasn't the first time Justin had stayed with Brian so he settled in quickly, adjusting his own habits to fit in with Brian's. He was hoping not to be a nuisance to the man who had lived alone for so many years up until now. He needn't have worried.

Brian surprised even himself with the ease with which he had settled into life with a roommate. Of course, it was only because the roomie was Justin. Brian knew that to be the truth. He had finally admitted to himself that he had fallen hard for the young man. It was certainly nothing he had expected to happen to him. It wasn't even anything he had wanted to happen to him. Brian had convinced himself long ago that love was for fools who had to convince themselves they were in love in order to avoid guilt for their lustful longings. Brian had no such guilt, thus he didn't need love to justify anything he did sexually. Of course, that was before Justin. Now he knew that love was more than just a roll in the sack. Love was deeper and stronger than that, although the sex certainly enhanced the connection one felt with someone they loved. 

Brian felt that connection every time he touched Justin, and he sensed that his young lover felt it too. It was a flow of energy that re-energized them every time they made love. That flow carried over to the times when they did nothing more than sit on the sofa together and watch a movie, or sit across from the breakfast table and share a cup of coffee and omelet before Brian headed off for work. That flow was so strong it could be felt between them when they were simply on the phone during one of Brian's breaks, chatting about mundane things. Brian saw their connection in all the stunning portraits of him that Justin's magic fingers created on those evenings when the artist sat cross-legged on the sofa, floor, or bed with pencil and pad in hand. Brian would often look up from whatever he was doing and catch Justin staring at him for a moment, only to look down at his pad and sketch some more. The look in Justin's eyes was pure love and affection. The finished portraits were the proof of those feelings. 

Tonight Brian asked Justin if he would like to live at the loft while attending PIFA. Justin had been surprised, but delighted beyond words. He wasn't fazed by Brian's excuse that it was simply an economical way for the young artist to survive the costs of his schooling. Brian joked that there would be no rent to pay. However, Justin could earn his keep with his cooking skills and helping with housework, a chore that Brian never enjoyed even though Justin knew his place was always as neat as a pin. For Justin, Brian's casual way of asking didn't detract from the fact that he felt as though he had just won a million dollar lottery. Besides, Brian could pretend it was just a friendly gesture but Justin knew it was more....much more. He knew that the feelings he had for Brian were not one-sided.

The lovers had planned on going out dancing right after dinner but ended up celebrating Justin's eager acceptance of Brian's offer with an hour-long lovemaking session that left them drenched in sweat but completely invigorated. They enjoyed a hot shower, quickly changed clothes, and made a beeline for the Liberty Diner. They ran into their favorite cohorts there and grabbed a quick bite before heading off for Babylon. They were once again so absorbed in each other that they never spotted the lurking form of Chris Hobbs watching from across the room as they gyrated on the dance floor, sharing a number of hot kisses when the music inflamed their senses. 

Chris was off to the side of the stairs leading to a balcony overlooking the dance floor when he saw several men walking slowly towards the stairs. He recognized them as a group he often spotted the cop and Justin with in the streets. He pulled back even further into the shadow of the stairs. It just so happened that the group of men stopped behind some other men who were paused on the stairs and continued talking about the subject they were involved in as they approached the stairs. From his vantage point, Chris could hear everything that was being said. 

"Can you believe it?" the tall flamboyantly-dressed one asked the others. "You could have knocked me over with a feather when he said that Justin was moving in with him for a short time, but now they're talking more long-term? Do you think aliens came down and switched bodies with Brian? I mean, this is soooo not our Brian."

"I don't know what's happened to him," added the short dark-haired man with a slight scowl on his face. "I know he was just trying to protect the kid from some kind of imagined danger, but now he's acting like they are a couple. He's always been protective, but this is ridiculous."

The tall muscular guy next to him spoke up.

"You're sounding a tad jealous there, Michael. I know he's been your best friend forever, but he does have a life of his own you know."

The short, geeky-looking man spoke up suddenly.

"Michael's just jealous because Brian was always his personal protector too but he never gave him a tumble like he has this kid. He'll get over it as soon as Brian gets tired of his new toy and goes back to being just his protector once again."

The one named Michael bristled. "I'm not fucking jealous and I don't need Brian to protect me. I have Ben now," he said wrapping his arm around the muscular guy's waist. "That's all I need. Brian can do what he wants. I don't care."

Chris could see the smirks that passed between the tall guy and the short guy. He couldn't see the faces of the other two men since they were too busy kissing each other. When Michael and Ben parted lips they noticed that the stairway was now clear and the group moved on up the stairs and out of earshot of Chris. He filed away what he had just heard and decided he had had enough for one night. He quickly left the club and returned to his mother's car. He couldn't be sure that he had learned anything useful tonight but at least he had some new information. So Justin was going to live with the cop full-time. That might or might not be to Chris' advantage. He'd have to think it over in the morning after he had gotten some sleep. 

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Another few weeks went by. The case of the bashing of Billy Simpson continued to go nowhere. The only good thing was that Billy finally came out of the coma he had been in for almost three weeks. The bad news was that he couldn't help the investigation one iota. He could only remember seeing a shadowy figure coming after him in the dark. Something about the figure nagged at him but he couldn't place what it was no matter how hard he tried. There had been no witnesses and no clues left behind...no DNA or scrap of evidence. The case was far from closed but it had hit a brick wall. The cops desperately needed a break. 

The relationship between Brian and Justin evolved and deepened with every single day that passed. Justin didn't just sit around the loft waiting for Brian to come home anymore but he was careful to always be around others and never completely alone just to allay Brian's fears, if for no other reason. He visited his mom and sister a few times and passed on the news about Brian's invite to live at the loft while attending PIFA. The loft was considerably closer to the campus and Jennifer liked the fact that the cop kept such a watchful eye on her son so she didn't protest. She did warn Justin to be careful with his heart. She didn't want her son hurt, but she could tell it was already too late. She really had no doubt as to how her son felt about Brian. She just prayed that it was the real thing for Brian too.

Meanwhile Brian bounced from being totally frustrated over the lack of progress in the bashing case to being totally enthralled with his new living arrangements and the young man that shared it with him. By the time the first month of living with Justin was coming to a close, Brian was completely lost. His heart had softened unbelievably and he couldn't imagine not coming home to Justin. His old friends were still amazed at the change in the once confirmed bachelor. Every once in a while one of them would have to pay off a bet that they had made claiming the lovers would be broken up by that particular date. Debbie was the only one who had refused to bet against their relationship. She, more than any of the others, had seen the way Brian looked at Justin long before the kid was invited to move in. If anyone had bothered to ask her not long after Justin's birthday, she would have told them then that Brian had already fallen for the adorable blond. 

By this time Justin had introduced his mom and sister to his new life. Debbie was a big help to Jennifer, who quickly saw the loving mother and caretaker in the over-the-top redhead. She had Jenn signed up for PFLAG so fast that Jenn had no time to protest. There had been no further bashings for over a month so more current news was given all the attention. Most of the inhabitants of Liberty Avenue seemed unconcerned now with the threat of violence, or at least no more so than they had learned to live with in their everyday lives. The cases were not forgotten by the dedicated cops still working them. 

Brian finally had a sit-down with his partner, Carl, on the Monday after Billy's bashing. He laid all his cards on the table, admitting to being gay himself and giving Carl all the necessary facts about his relationship with the much younger Justin. Brian was relieved when Carl was clear that he could care less who Brian slept with as long as he was good at his job. He was even more relieved to hear Carl's assertions that he believed every word Brian told him about Justin. He told Brian that he knew he wasn't the kind of man that would take advantage of his authority to seduce an innocent kid. Carl's belief in the integrity of his partner endeared him to Brian and he invited Carl to the diner for dinner the following Friday. Everyone, especially Michael, was surprised by the tiny sparks they noticed between plain, simple Carl and loud, brassy Debbie at their first meeting. After that no one was surprised by how many times Carl insisted on meeting Brian at the diner before or after work. 

Unfortunately for Brian and his close circle of friends, someone else was noticing and taking notes on the behavior of the group. The more Hobbs spied on Brian and Justin, the more he was learning about what really mattered to the couple...or rather, who mattered to them. Chris was also getting a feel for the kind of hours that Brian put in for his job. He was relieved that the spotlight of suspicion had apparently dimmed on himself and his pals. There had been more questions for a week or so after Billy's bashing, but everyone's stories held up under the scrutiny. Hobbs congratulated himself on leaving no evidence behind that could tie him to the case. He did get a scare when word got out that Billy had come out of his coma, but everyone soon learned he had been no help to the police. 

Now that the fear of getting caught had subsided, Chris was free to pursue his main goal. He had to get Justin alone and completely away from the cop and all his friends. Chris had used Billy's feelings for Justin to lure him to his fate. That trick would work again. Chris was convinced of it. All he had to do was figure out how and when to strike and who to use as bait to draw the cop far away from Justin. Then he needed to trick Justin into falling into a trap set just for him....a trap he could never escape from. When Brian and Justin went out for dinner at the diner on this Saturday night, Chris didn't bother to check on them. He had begun to form an idea as to how he would carry out his plan and who he would involve. All he needed was some luck and human nature to work the way he expected it to. He expected that Justin Taylor would be nothing but a bad memory by the time the next weekend rolled around.

To be continued..........................