LINDSAY

I waited all day for the asshole next door to go into his house. He needs to get a fucking life. How am I supposed to do what I came here to do with the watchdog all over the damn place. I had to go buy a flashlight, because it was dark as hell after I unscrewed the light that kept turning on. Then the damn neighbor came out, as if he was hoping Justin was home.

Miles is a chicken shit, who's too scared to do what it takes to get what he wants. I tried convincing him the way I do with Michael, that helping me would get him what he wants, but he kept saying he would lose everything if he helped me. Although he helped when he told me that Justin’s house didn’t have an alarm system in it. I didn’t need the police showing up when I just wanted to laugh at Justin for thinking he could still be an artist. The gallery owner didn’t get it, there was no way for Justin to do anything of merit when he had a kid attached to his hip.

I found a window that I could get open on the side of the house, and climbed in. I looked around at the room and hated that he couldn’t see that his daughter represented all the things he did wrong in the world. It was full of all the events my detective couldn’t get. I got lost looking at pictures of him looking as if he could be happy in this life, and needed to move on. I opened the door and went into the next room. I guess it was Justin’s room, I went looking through the dresser and closet for my box. I almost screamed when I saw Brian’s clothes in the closet, and started tearing apart anything that showed Brian had been in this house. I ripped the pillow off the bed and smelled my Brian betraying me again. He can’t do this to me, I’ve been waiting all my life for him to finally see that I am everything he could want.

I threw everything on the bed and wanted to scream, because Justin kept managing to have my life. After making sure his life looked like mine by destroying everything in the room, I went to find the one thing that would prove he didn’t managed to have it all. I ended up having to break into the room because it was locked, and knew this was what I was looking for. I opened it, and smelled the world I wanted all my life. I could see he still didn’t understand how to keep a studio, the place was a mess. Brushes laying everywhere, paint laying out on the desk. I started cleaning it, the way it should be, then stopped when I looked at the walls. I hated him in this moment more than I have ever hated anyone. Until I really looked at the paintings, and saw he recognized he’d never been more than someone Brian let sleep in his bed. Sitting in front of the one where two people stood looking away from each other, with a divide between them that couldn’t be crossed told me he saw what I’d been telling him. Brian never wanted more from him. Why is he letting Brian stay, when he knew in this painting there was nothing he could do to cross into Brian’s world. I looked at the others and didn’t like seeing that he still held out hope. I was about to tear it out of the frame when I saw lights flashing. I couldn’t figure it out at first, but realized that Miles was wrong, there was a system, only it was just in this room. Someone put motion detectors in here. I ran to the window when I heard fucking Cynthia, telling them the room was the one that would set off the alarm. I got out and ran to the house next door, Miles was standing with the door open, looking at Justin’s house. I shoved him in and shut the door.

“What the hell were you doing over there?” He asks.

“None of your fucking business. Keep your mouth shut or I’ll make sure your daughter only has one parent left.” I tell him.

“I’m not losing my job…” I didn’t have time to listen to this bullshit, so I hit him with a pan.

“Daddy?” I hear from upstairs.

“It’s okay sweetie, he went to check next door. Go back to bed. I’ll be here until he gets back.” I tell her, smiling and trying to keep her up there.

“Who are you?” She asks.

“I’m a new friend, remember, I came over earlier.” I tell her, hoping she’ll just get in fucking bed.

She stood there for a second, then went back to bed. I left out the front door, locking it before heading away from any chance of being stopped from bringing Brian back to where he should have been if Justin hadn’t come along.

BRIAN

I woke up when my phone went off. Seeing it was Cynthia I slipped out from under Justin and left the bed. We stayed at the loft when Emmett said he was still paying off his bet to Gus and Hannah. I didn’t mind, I wanted Justin and I to have any time we could alone. I answered when Cynthia sent a text saying to call her.

“I know I asked a lot of you by asking you to stay in Chicago, but you can sleep.” I joke, knowing we probably needed a laugh before what she needed to tell me.

“Lindsay broke into Justin’s house. They didn’t catch her. You should have put an alarm at the door, not just Justin’s studio.” She tells me.

“How did they not catch her?” I ask, angry that she tarnished a part of Justin’s life.

“She must have waited to break open the door to his studio. What she did to the bedroom is bad, just be thankful she didn’t touch your daughter’s room, it’s the window she managed to get in. Justin’s room looks like someone tossed it. I’d get it cleaned, but the police need to process it. It’s weird, but it looks like she was trying to straighten up Justin’s studio before she ran.” She tells me.

“Tell the police to catch her ass. She finally did something that we can do something about.” I tell her.

“Brian they can’t take my word for it. They’re having someone come to fingerprint everything. I need you to have anyone who came to the house recently, fingerprinted, so they could rule out people.” She tells me.

“Go to the neighbor behind Justin’s house, he shows up all the time, thinking Justin will eventually love him. His daughter comes over a lot, so they can start there.” I tell her.

Cynthia told me to hold on while she let the officer know. I grabbed Justin’s phone and called Mel to let her know to keep Gus away from Lindsay. Cynthia came back on and said the police were going over there. We were talking about random things while she waited.

“Brian, I think something happened over there.” She tells me.

“Check on Trina.” I tell her.

“Brian, why are you telling someone to check on Trina?” Justin asks, staring at me, worried.

I held out my arm to him and waited until he sat down before telling him. I could feel Justin’s anger in the way he shook. He grabbed his phone and called Emmett and quietly told him what was going on.

“Emmett I don’t care about the wedding, she fucking broke into my house… What if she hurt Trina, I might not like Miles, but Trina doesn’t need someone scaring her in her own home… We’ll just have to wait.” He tells Emmett.

“No, we get married the easiest way we can, without all the things that we can do again later.” I tell him, because no one is taking this away from us.

“Emmett, call Trina’s other father, because I’m sure Miles won’t. He needs to get Trina.” Justin tells him before hanging up.

“Where is the other father?” I ask Justin.

“He got remarried and Miles was giving him shit about it. Travis loves Trina, but couldn’t deal with Miles anymore, so he left. Miles used it to keep him from Trina. It’s why I never really got to know Miles. You don’t screw up your kid’s life because you're bitter.” He tells me.

“At least we know she’s okay. Cynthia said they had to wake her up, she did let the police know that Lindsay was in the house. Lindsay screwed up by getting to know Miles, because Trina met her and could tell them who she was.” I tell him. “This will make getting custody of Gus easier, even though I don’t like how I’m going to win.” I tell him.

“I’m never going to want to go back to that house.” Justin tells me.

“We can find a temporary place until we find what we want.” I tell him.

“I’m just glad Hannah’s room was left alone. I would have hunted her down if she touched that.” He tells me.

“The minute she went to Chicago was enough for me.” I tell him, not hiding how I feel about any of my life hurting his, or our daughter.

MICHAEL

I went to Babylon to blow off steam, and found Kevin standing at the bar. I started bitching about Brian and my Ma to him. I asked if Brandon was around.

“He’s with Ted, something about having to move for his job.” Kevin said, eyeing the guys around us.

“Once again I’ll have to pick up the pieces, when Ted figures out Brandon was only using him for fun. I’m always having to deal with them when they should have just known that I was right. No guy wants someone like Ted when they could score with hot men, not a boring ass opera loving old man.” I tell Kevin, smirking that once again I’m right.

“I thought you were friends with Ted?” Kevin says, looking at me confused.

“I am, but I won’t pretend he’s some catch when he isn’t. My friends might not like the truth, but it doesn’t change the fact that their lives would be better if they listened to me.” I tell him.

“Well, that made my decision easier, would you like to dance.” A really hot guy asks Kevin.

“Sure, my name’s Kevin.” He tells the hunk.

“Ben. You really need to make better friends than that.” He tells Kevin, taking him to the dance floor.

Whatever, he might be hot but he wouldn’t be worth my time. I left, went to my apartment and grabbed a comic, falling asleep before finishing. I woke up to banging on my door. When I opened it Lindsay rushed in, looking like hell.

“If anyone asks, I was here all night. Do you understand, I’ve been here.” She practically orders, while shaking me.

“Why would anyone ask?” I ask her, and watch as she grabs a drink from the bottle of Beam she left on her last visit.

“I think Justin and Cynthia are going to try and say I did something. I just need to be here for a couple of days without anyone knowing. I also wanted to help you with Brian. He’s going to be devastated when he figures out Cynthia is helping Justin trick him.” She tells me.

“At least it will get that bitch out of his life too. She never seemed to like me.” I tell her.

“She wanted Brian for herself, you and I were in her way.” Lindsay tells me.

Now that I think about it, that makes sense. Cynthia and Justin were trying to take what Lindsay and I had.