That asshole is going to regret putting his hands on me. FUCK! I was invited there by his best friend for God's sake. I didn't just show up. If it wasn't for Michael I wouldn't have even known about it. How dare Brian, treat me, Ethan Fucking Gold, like that. He will pay. HE WILL FUCKING PAY!!!

As Ethan picked him and Mischa up off the ground in front of the closed door, he began to formulate a plan. With the snow beginning to fall he knew he would not make it back to Pittsburgh before the roads became impassible before being cleared in the morning. The first thing he realized was that he was not in Allegheny County. Judging by the size of the house, Justin had certainly found a gold mine in Brian Kinney. Sure, Ethan had hopes of one day owning a place like the house he was currently and firmly kicked out of for himself and Justin but his career had not exactly gone as planned. But with Mr. Brian Kinney in hot water, he may just be willing to pay Ethan and then he would work on winning back Justin- his muse since they met, his reason for playing- the one who got away. Also the one who was successful enough to take care of him until he could reignite his music career. Also he couldn't deny that he hadn't been satisfied sexually since Justin walked out all those years ago. He had never been much of a butt-slut until Justin topped him. He would never bottom for Ethan which he sometimes found a little strange since he had to have bottomed for Brian. But that didn't matter. No one had held him down and fucked him right since Justin walked out of his life seemingly for good. That was the first thing that needed to change immediately. Of course he would play hard to get at first. Justin was nothing if not insatiable and persistent when he wanted something. From the well-fucked look of him, Ethan could tell that he was made love to regularly. He had aged well, still youthful despite the thirteen years he had seen him last.

Getting into his car, Ethan keyed in Washington County General Hospital, into the GPS. Noting that it was about twenty minutes away from Brian and Justin's house, he began his slow progress there. The snow was picking up and frankly he had to be alive if his plan was going to work, not lying in a ditch somewhere due to icy conditions. His ribs were sore as hell but ever so often he would pick the sorest spot on them at that moment and give himself a quick jab, figuring the more pain he was in, the sooner they would take him and the faster he would be able to lodge a complaint with the local police department. If Ethan had cracked ribs or ribs bruised enough to be wrapped, then they would charge Brian Kinney with assault or battery. Ethan smiled wickedly, as he looked into the rear view mirror. He was pretty much alone on the road which was a good thing. What he couldn't figure was why Justin wanted to live close to Yuckville, West Virginia anyway. He shook his head. It was just another example of Justin letting Brian call the shots. He punched himself hard in the stomach where Brian had kicked him. The action caused him to veer sharply on the road from the pain of it. His face was already bruised under his chin from Brian's first blows to it. Motherfucker!

Ethan calmed himself as he began looking for the sharp left turn he would need to find to get into the emergency parking lot. Finding it, he parked in one of the spots reserved for people who had brought themselves to emergency. Inflicting enough blows where it looked like the incident with Brian had just happened as opposed to almost forty-five minutes ago, Ethan struggled to get out of the car. The pain was real even if the cause wasn't. Limping into the entrance he was relieved to see that there was only five people. All but two people looked like they were waiting on someone rather than to be seen. He hobbed over to the the admissions desk, waiting slightly impatiently as the attending nurse finished documenting the notes from an open record into the computer. He started to clear his throat loudly but she chose that moment to speak.

"Good evening, Sir. What brings you in tonight," she asked, chewing gum and popping it ever so often.

He did his best to tamp down his annoyance at the woman. The sound of gum chewing and the idea of watching people make bubbles with their grated on his nerves to know end. Weren't people cultured anymore? He mentally shook himself out of his revere and slipped back into character. "I would like to see a doctor."

"Well who wouldn't, Suga. Everyone in here is waiting for one of those to appear, so the question is why do you need one?"

An incredulous look crossed his face as his eyes widen marginally. Did she not see that he was in pain. "I have been assaulted. My ribs hurt unbearably. I am also a famous violinist so I would like to have my hand checked out to be sure nothing is broken." He finished through gritted teeth.

"Have you been here before, Sir?"

"Of course not," he snapped then immediately brought his tone down at her raised eyebrow. Before she spoke again, she regarded him all the while cracking her gum between her teeth.

"Well I hate to disappoint you Jean Luc Ponte but before you can get treated you have to fill out the paper work.

At her reference to the famous classically trained jazz violinist, Ethan figured he would try his luck. He glanced at her name tag and looked at her intently, smiling widely while doing so. "Since you've heard of Jean Luc, Nurse Tuttle, perhaps you've heard of me as well and maybe could save all the formality for after I see the doctor. I'm in a lot of pain. My name is Ethan Gold."

He didn't know what he expected of her reaction but it certainly wasn't the one she gave.

"Uh-huh. Well, Mr. Gold?- is it? I'm sorry we can't even waive protocol for pseudo-celebrities that I've never heard of. If you require assistance with any of the forms, please feel free to come back and ask me."

Ethan slinked off to one of the nearby chairs so that if he really did need help, he wouldn't have to go very far. Finishing the forms relatively quickly he was back at the front desk in a relatively short time.

"All set, Mr. Gold?"

He nodded. He didn't like the way she said his name, as if it left a bad taste in her mouth or something. If her were into women he would say that even in her nurses uniform, she was stunningly beautiful with green eyes and skin like porcelain. He was almost tempted to give voice to those thoughts but the a sharp pain gripped him from his ribs and the thought flew out of his head momentarily. It was excruciating and it literally felt like someone was sawing his lungs in half every time he inhaled.

"Also if it's not too much trouble, Nurse Tuttle, could you contact the local police department. I would like to press formal charges against the man who attacked me."

She nodded. "I'll see if they can get here relatively quickly,Mr.Gold, as the snow usually accumulates faster here than it does in Pittsburgh."

Ethan resumed his seat, replaying all the events in his mind leading up to his current situation. He still couldn't believe the looks of shocks on the other occupants faces. All laughter, which had been raucous when he walked in a was announced, ceased. It was gratifying to be the sole focus of Justin's world even for that small amount of time.It reminded him of the morning after he'd left Brian and he had stood naked serenading him awake. He'd moved a little stiffly because his ass was sore. Justin had literally fucked him to sleep. He could tell his lover hadn't slept that well but he was determined to keep at least one promise to him no matter that he broke several others along the way. He'd wanted Justin. He'd said what ever he had to to have Justin and he really did mean them when he was saying them. There was something about that vulnerable blond that reached down into a part of him that had never been touched before. Brian didn't know how to appreciate him them and he still didn't as far as Ethan was concerned. Once Justin was back with him where he belonged, Ethan would treat him the way he really deserved to be treated. He would teach him to be happy with him again. He would show him how much he'd grown and how much he'd missed his muse. They would make beautiful art and music together again.

"Mr. Gold," Nurse Tuttle called him. "Dr. Carter will see you now. Also Officers Baker and Prince is in there with him to take pictures of your injuries. Follow me."

Standing straight up was a trial just then. He'd felt like the wind had been knocked out of him just from the simple action. The amazing thing was that he couldn't say when the sharp pain was coming from but he knew it wasn't in the spots where Brian had hit and kicked him. He had added a few spots himself to increase the bruising he knew graced his fair skin. Entering the room he greeted the three men. Dr. Carter helped him on the table and began his examination while Officer Prince took pictures of his black and blue torso and Officer Baker listened to his story and asked questions.

"Did you know what was happening at the Kinney residence when you showed up, Mr. Gold?"

"Not at first. I had been told by Mr. Kinney's best friend to show up and bring Mischa."

"Mischa, Mr. Gold?"

"Oh sorry," Ethan swallowed hard and trembled a bit when Dr. Carter palpated a particularly sore spot. "Mischa is the name of my violin. It's is kind of automatic that I refer to it that way. It was the first instrument, the only instrument, my Grandfather had given me."

Officer Baker nodded. His son was a musician so he understood that they could be like family members but he wouldn't tell him that. "So Mr. Kinney and Mr. Taylor did not invite you to their home themselves but a friend of theirs did?"

"Yes," Ethan said a little more forcefully.

"Well by your own admission the relationship between the three of you is strained at best, why wouldn't you have called to verify with them first?"

"Both Brian and Justin are amazingly busy men. I didn't think they would pick up the phone. Both run businesses in their own right and have several meetings a week. Plus it was wedding week," Ethan said the last sneeringly which was not lost on Officer Baker.

"It's no secret that I would not have chosen for Justin to be with Brian Kinney. When they were together many years ago, Justin was a broken-hearted young man because of Brian."

"Who would you have preferred him be with if not for Mr. Kinney?"

"What does what I want have to do with anything past pressing charges for being beaten, with bruises covering my body? What I do want is Brian Kinney arrested for inflicting harm on me."

Again the officer nodded seemingly in agreement, but he kept his council of what he thought really happened. "We'll bring Mr.Kinney in for questioning in the morning. But how do you feel now that they are for lack of better term married?" He noted Ethan's stiff body language at the mention of their marriage, the hardening of his eyes and the twist of his lips when before he spoke.

"As long as Justin is happy then I don't have a problem."

"Officer Baker looked at the young man in front of him, able to detect the lie without Ethan ever having to speak one.

"Why aren't you bringing him for questioning tonight?"

"Have you looked outside since you got here? The Kinney residence is a good ways away and I for one have no intention of going to get him tonight. I think it's safe to say my partner feels the same way.

"So we're done here?"

"Yes, Mr. Gold, we're done. I've asked the Nurse to provide you a room for the night so that you wouldn't have to sleep in the car.

"Thank you for that," Ethan nodded at the three men and went in search of Nurse Tuttle and a bed.

"So what do you fellas think?" Officer Baker addressed the occupants after the door closed behind Ethan."

Dr. Carter said, "I will tell you both this:  there are a lot more fractured ribs than if Brian had just attacked him and many of them look self-inflicted."

Officer Prince nodded as well. "I thought so too. There were injuries that if Ethan Gold was laying in a fetal position as he said he was, Brian would have missed those spots entirely.

"Well, we'll bring Kinney in the morning to sort this shit out," Officer Baker said rolling his eyes heavenward. Is there no rest for the weary?