Something Only We Know

By Babbleon_a

Summary: This story takes place 10 years after Justin leaves the Rage party with Ethan. Ethan is a world famous
violinist who is worth millions and is still living his life in the closet. Over the years he has become paranoid about
his true sexuality being revealed and goes to extreme measures to protect his true identity. Due to his insecurities he
has kept Justin prisoner in their penthouse apartment for the last 5 years. The bashing at the prom never happened; it
was the best night of Justin's life, even if it was ridiculously romantic!

Chapter 1

Justin sat on the window seat staring out at the New York City skyline and sketched away frantically, not wanting to
lose the inspiration he suddenly felt. Its beauty never failed to capture his imagination each time he looked at it. He
had completely lost all track of time when suddenly he heard the all too familiar sound of the apartment elevator.
Panic filled his body as he grabbed his sketch pad and raced to the bedroom.

"Shit," he shouted as he began to change his clothes.

He quickly pulled his long sleeved tee over his head and stepped out of his cargo pants. Shedding the clothes was
always easy as he never wore socks and shoes in the apartment, just like Brian ... Suddenly he stopped at the thought
of Brian. After all the years that had passed he still constantly thought of the man he once loved, still loved, and as
always regret filled his mind about the decision he made to leave Brian all those years ago and what his life had
become as a result of that decision.

His mind snapped back to the present and he continued to change his clothes. He opened his closet door, selected a
pair of red silk lounging pyjamas and slipped them on. As he turned to close the closet door he stopped, his mind
racing. Every item of clothing in there had been chosen by Ethan and not one shade of blue was present. Ethan never
bought any clothing in blue for Justin as he hated the fact that Brian always loved to see him in blue. A wave of
sadness suddenly came over Justin as yet again he was reminded that every aspect of his life was controlled by
Ethan. Then suddenly a small smile appeared on his lips as he thought to himself: not every aspect.

He moved the bed and lifted up two floor boards, quickly placing his tee and cargos in his hiding place to join the
other few personal possessions he still had that connected him with his past and Brian. He looked into the secret
place and stared at the few items in there: a few more pieces of clothing along with a lot of sketches of Brian, his
friends and family — items which he had kept hidden since he became trapped in this hell. The old clothing he
managed to retrieve out of the laundry basket years ago, the sketches he already had safely hidden away. Quickly he
replaced the floorboards and pushed the bed back into place, smiling at his actions, happy with the knowledge that
he still had a small amount of control.

He placed the sketch pad on the bed and raced over to the elevator door just in time for it to open and for Ethan to
step out and into the apartment. Numbness filled Justin's mind as he came face to face with the man who was
supposed to love him, the man who was full of hollow words and empty promises, the man who now possessed him.

A smug smile crept over Ethan's lips as he pulled Justin in for a long passionate kiss. Again Justin felt nothing but
numbness and went through the motions, as he did on every occasion, playing the role expected of him. Life was
just easier that way and he did not want to be on the receiving end of Ethan's temper if he could possibly help it.
When Ethan released him Justin started to take off the white silk scarf from Ethan's neck, along with his jacket. He
turned and walked towards the cloak room to hang up the items. As he did so he lightly fingered the scarf,
remembering the night of the prom when Brian had given it to him. Justin smiled. Ethan had no idea that the scarf
had been given to Justin by Brian and it gave Justin great pleasure to see Ethan wear it every day without knowing
its connection to Justin's previous life.

"How was your day?" Ethan asked as Justin handed him a brandy.

"Same old routine, locked in here with no-one to talk to." Justin froze. He could not believe the words that had just
left his mouth. He slowly turned to look at Ethan, trying to figure out his reaction by his eyes.

"Now, now, Justin, do I sense my muse is upset?" Ethan slowly placed his drink on the side table and made his way
over to Justin. Justin reacted quickly and started to make up for the loose words that had escaped from his lips. He
walked slowly towards Ethan.

"I'm not upset Ethan, I've just missed you today. I was lonely without you." Justin looked into Ethan's eyes, praying
the man believed him.

Ethan grabbed the blond by the hair and pulled his head back, licking and biting his neck while pulling his body
hard against his own. Justin immediately felt the hardness of Ethan's cock against his thigh, through the thin material
of the pyjamas. He allowed his body to relax, knowing he had managed to avoid getting Ethan angry.

"You look fucking sexy in red." Ethan said as he pushed Justin down on to his knees.

Justin complied. He knew this role so well. After all these years he knew what was expected of him and he got to
work.

He unbuckled Ethan's belt, unfastened the button on his trousers, slowly slid down the zip while all the time staring
into Ethan's eyes. He slowly pulled Ethan's trousers down; as usual he was not wearing any underwear. His cock
immediately jumped out, demanding Justin's attention. Justin started slowly by placing soft kisses along the inside of

Ethan's thighs, then moved slowly to his balls, gently sucking them while kneading Ethan's ass. Then taking the tip
of his tongue he lightly licked the underside of Ethan's cock before taking it all into his mouth. Ethan moaned as
Justin finished him off, swallowing every last drop of cum.

Strange thoughts passed through Justin's mind, as they always did during these sessions. The first was always that he
was glad he had no gag reflex because doing this made him want to vomit! Another thought entered his head—Brian
— and he suddenly began to feel ashamed. If Brian could see him now what would he think? Would he be disgusted
with him or sympathise, knowing that he was doing this to survive, that he had no other option. He wanted to laugh
out loud at the thought of Brian sympathising. Fuck, he thought, Brian Kinney did not do sympathy. Ethan's words
in the distance brought him out of his thoughts.

"Not bad Justin, I'd give it 7 out of 10. Still room for improvement," he said, laughing as he made his way to the
bedroom. Still on his knees, Justin started chanting in his head his favourite words "I fucking hate you Ethan". He
repeated these words over and over as he slowly got off the floor and followed Ethan into the bedroom for the next
degrading round. As he walked into the bedroom he knew what awaited him; it was the same every time; pain.

Later that evening, while lying in bed, Justin started to remember the events that had brought him to this point in his
life. It had all started with the night he left the Rage party.

Chapter 2

It had been the final straw when Justin saw Brian in the backroom of Babylon fucking Rage. The hurt ripped
through him to his core. He knew Brian still tricked, but on this night he thought Brian would be by his side to
support him. As he was leaving in disgust he saw Ethan and that was when he made his choice.

Ethan took Justin back to his apartment and they spent the rest of the evening and the following day making plans
for their future together. Ethan had been given a great opportunity to move to New York to play in a small touring
company. They were being promoted as the next big thing. They were young, good looking and talented. Justin
quickly said goodbye to his family and friends, relieved to be given this escape from Pittsburgh and Brian.

Justin made arrangements to meet Brian at the loft so that he could collect his things. When he arrived at the loft he
knocked at the door rather than use his key. There was no answer so eventually he let himself in. He looked around
slowly then realised that Brian wasn't there. His heart was pounding in his chest. Where was Brian? Justin leant
against the door with his empty bag in his hand. He had built himself up for this final meeting and prepared himself
mentally for how difficult it would be. However, he had not prepared himself for Brian not being there. Slowly he
pushed himself off the door and made his way to the bedroom. As he opened the closet door he realised that his
whole body was trembling, tears were rolling down his face and his hands were shaking. Did he really mean so little
to Brian? Justin started to become angry with himself. Why had he expected anything else? After all, Brian Kinney
did not do love or relationships and this was his final hurtful lesson. He collected what he needed and made his way
towards the door. Once there he paused, took one last look around and then placed his key on the kitchen counter,
set the alarm and left.

Justin loved New York. He and Ethan rented a small one bedroom apartment. Ethan performed with his touring
company and Justin enrolled in art school. He also had a part-time job in a restaurant. He was happy as he enjoyed
being in a relationship with someone who loved him and said so on a daily basis. The only downside was the
agreement Ethan had entered into with his manager. Ethan had agreed to pretend to be straight to help his career. He
accepted this as something he needed to do, but Justin hated this arrangement. He was not allowed to go to Ethan's
concerts and when they were together he was introduced as Ethan's cousin.

Ethan's career began to flourish and he began to spend more time away from home touring and promoting his first
solo album. They had been together in New York for 18 months and had fallen into a familiar pattern. While Ethan
was away Justin concentrated on his art and worked part time at the restaurant, as well as a few hours a week at a
local art gallery. He had been placed there for work experience and had built up a good working relationship with
the owner, Josh. The work experience had been for one term, and when it was finished Josh had offered him some
paid work for a few hours a week. Justin loved his work at the gallery.

After graduating Justin began to work full time at the gallery. All of his time was now consumed by art and he loved
it. Josh became a good friend. He allowed Justin to use an empty room above the gallery as a studio. He was actually
the only friend Justin had, but even Josh did not know about Ethan. Ethan had persuaded Justin that it would be best
for his career if Justin had little contact with other people.

Justin bit down on his bottom lip as remembered how he had readily agreed to this. He had also cut all ties with his
friends in Pittsburgh. Ethan had pointed out that they were really Brian's friends and had only become friends with
Justin because of his association with Brian. Also over time he had lost contact with Daphne. Ethan was always
angry when Justin contacted his best friend. This had caused many arguments between the pair and finally Ethan had

told Justin to choose Daphne or him. Remembering the last onversation with Daphne was always painful. Both of
them had been in tears as Justin explained the choice he had to make. Daphne's words replayed in his mind.

"Justin you can't do this. I am the only friend you have left," she said softly. She was very worried about her best
friend, who sounded tired.

"Daph I'm so sorry. I'll always love you but it's just too difficult for us to be in contact right now. You and Ethan
don't like each other and I'm stuck in the middle." Justin replied wearily.

"Justin, all I want is for you to be happy. Someone who makes you choose between your best friend and your
partner doesn't want you to be happy. He can't control your life. Please don't let him." Justin could hear the sadness
in her voice and the quiet tears.

"Daphne this is really hard for me. Ethan is my partner and he loves me."

" I don't think that's love. Brian loved you and never demanded anything from you." There was a long silence at the
other end of the phone. "Justin, are you still there?"

"Yes I'm here." Justin croaked, trying to hold back his emotions. Trying to compose himself, he replied, "Brian is in
the past. Ethan is my future." He let out a long sigh.

"Do you love Ethan? Like you loved Brian?" she whispered. There was no reply. "You've just answered my question
without saying anything at all. Please don't do this to yourself. You're making a mistake."

"Daphne, Ethan loves me so much and I really care for him," he eventually replied.

"That's not enough," she cried. She now knew that she was going to lose her best friend and could no longer hold
back the tears. He seemed so distant and distracted.

"Daphne I have to go," he sobbed. "Remember I love you." With that the phone went dead.

"Justin, Justin! " Daphne cried but there was no-one there.

The only person that Justin still had some contact with was his mother. They spoke every few weeks but only when
Ethan was present. Justin always kept the conversation light and prepared funny stories about the gallery as well as
all the latest news on Ethan's career. His mother loved to hear how happy Justin sounded and was pleased that he
and his partner were making a good life for themselves together.

At the time cutting all ties with his friends in Pittsburgh seemed a small sacrifice to make for someone who really
loved him. However, now he was all too aware that this isolation was the beginning of his problems. A shudder went
through Justin's body as a more painful memory entered his mind.

Ethan was on a tour and Justin had been working long hours in the studio creating a piece for a small showing. Josh
had suggested that he should show five pieces in an exhibition to be held next month. Justin was ecstatic and was
working on the project every opportunity he had. It was 4.00 a.m. when Justin arrived home and he was exhausted.
He dropped his messenger bag on the floor and toed off his shoes. He made his way into the kitchen and opened the
fridge. That's when he heard Ethan's voice.

"Where the fuck have you been?"

Justin jumped. "Shit Ethan, you nearly gave me a heart attack," he shouted.

Within seconds Ethan had crossed the room and was in his face. "I said where the fuck have you been?" he
demanded again.

Justin felt nervous. He looked into Ethan's eyes, which were dark and angry. Justin took a step back.

"I've just come from the gallery," he said quietly, looking at the paint still on his hands.

Ethan moved closer, and Justin smelt booze on him. They both stood staring at each other — the silence made Justin
more nervous. The only noise Justin could hear was Ethan's heavy breathing and the sound of his own heart
pounding in his chest. He decided to speak.

"So how was the tour?" he asked while trying to walk past Ethan.

"I was brilliant as usual" Ethan laughed as he grabbed hold of Justin's arm to stop him getting past.

"You should have been there; the after party was most memorable," he paused then whispered in Justin's ear "...and
the blond guy I fucked afterwards reminded me of you!"

Justin angrily pushed Ethan's hand off his arm. "What the fuck did you say?" he shouted.

"You heard me Justin, the blond guy I fucked reminded me of you," he shouted back.

Justin was shaking with anger. He rubbed his hands over his face while trying to process what Ethan had just said.
He looked at him in disbelief, watching as the man stood there smirking.

"Why?" Justin shouted.

"Justin, you have to keep your fans happy," he replied. Justin felt like he was going to throw up. How many times
had this happened he thought? Tears of frustration started to roll down his face. He hated himself for crying.

"You said you loved me, wanted to be with me and nobody else," he screamed.

Ethan smirked "I do love you Justin, but monogamy is highly overrated."

Justin felt a dull pain in his chest. "I'm out of here!" he shouted, and started to make his way across the room. Ethan
jumped in front of him.

"Come on Justin, stop being a fucking drama princess, " he laughed.

"How is this any different from what you used to put up with from Brian?" he asked, almost too calmly.

Justin froze and then quietly said "Brian never made me any promises about monogamy and love, but you did."

He moved to walk past Ethan. He managed maybe one or two steps when Ethan grabbed him by the hair and threw
him to the ground. Shocked, Justin stared up into the eyes of the man who now straddled his body. Ethan pinned
both of Justin's hands above his head and started to take off Justin's pants. It took a few moments for Justin to realise
what was actually happening and then he started to struggle. He managed to flip Ethan off and started to get up.
That's when he felt Ethan grab his hair again and his head was jerked back hard. Justin reached up with both of his
hands to try and break the hold. To his surprise, Ethan let go. The relief was short lived as Ethan again took hold of
Justin's hands and pinned him to the wall. He attacked Justin's mouth with hard wet kisses, engulfing his mouth.
Justin tried desperately to struggle free. He was also struggling for air. Ethan stopped. He was panting in Justin's
face and smiling.

"Is this how you liked it with Brian, hard and rough?" Justin was stunned. Who the hell was this person in front of
him?

"Fuck you Ethan!" he shouted. That was the last thing Justin remembered until waking up in bed later that morning,
naked, with Ethan placing a breakfast tray beside him with a single red rose on it. Justin lay there stunned. What the
hell happened, he thought to himself. He tried to sit up but the sharp, piercing pain in his ribs made him stop.

'Morning Sunshine," Ethan smiled, tenderly stroking the side of Justin's face.

Stunned, Justin lay there listening to Ethan's apology. He was confused and exhausted. He glanced at the clock to
check the time— 7.00 a.m. Over the next hour Ethan explained that the trick was a one off and it would never
happen again. He loved Justin more than life itself and could not live without him. Tears slowly slid down Ethan's
face as he tenderly stroked Justin's hair and promised he would never behave that way again. Tenderly he kissed

Justin and begged for his forgiveness. Justin slowly kissed him back. He knew Ethan only wanted what was best for
both of them. As he entered the shower Justin noticed a bruise appearing on his left side. Despite his feelings for
Ethan, he promised himself that if this happened again he would leave.

Over the next few weeks Ethan was more attentive than ever. Justin realised that his decision to stay with his lover
had been the correct one and forgive him his indiscretion. After all, Ethan loved him dearly and was prepared to
commit his feelings into words.

Chapter 3

A year later and Ethan was now the most successful selling artist in both the classical and pop charts. He was
earning more money than he had ever dreamed possible and his recording company had given him a penthouse
apartment to use for as long as he wanted. When Justin and Ethan viewed the apartment for the first time they were
amazed. It covered the top floor of the apartment building and was beyond their wildest dreams. They moved in
immediately. They adapted one room into an art studio for Justin and another one into a music studio for Ethan.
They both continued with their routines. Ethan toured and Justin continued to work at the gallery and on his art. The
pieces he had shown previously were very well received and he now also worked on private commissions. He was
slowly establishing a name for himself and was happy to be earning more money.

During this time Ethan became more possessive of Justin and wanted to know where he was at all times. Justin had a
pager as well as his mobile phone and was constantly checking in with Ethan. On one occasion he left his phone at
home and Ethan was furious. The result of his actions earned him another beating, as well as an attack on his studio.
It was a mistake he never repeated. Over the years Justin realised he was trapped in an abusive relationship but for
some reason he could not leave. Life was a constant challenge, walking on eggshells trying to keep Ethan happy
while trying to concentrate on his art.

Five years after arriving in New York Justin received his big break. Josh had agreed to promote a full gallery
showing of his work. He worked on the pieces in both of his studios, at home and at the gallery. Opening night was
a huge success and Justin was on a high. Towards the end of the night however, Ethan arrived in the company of his
manager and a younger man. Justin was surprised to see him. Delighted, he walked over to greet them. Ethan made
the introductions.

"Justin Taylor is my cousin. " he explained to the younger man while grinning at Justin.

No explanation was necessary for his manager. Justin held out his hand and the younger man shook it.

"Hi, I'm Sean, a huge fan of Ethan's," he smiled.

Justin paused and looked at Ethan, who was smirking. He felt a tight knot in the pit of his stomach. For fuck's sake!
Ethan had brought a trick to his opening night. The colour drained from Justin's face, which delighted Ethan.
Bringing the trick had produced the exact effect he had wanted. Justin made his excuses and left to get a drink. Once
he had calmed down slightly he continued to mingle with his guests. He noticed his hand trembled every time he
was introduced to someone.

Towards the end of the evening he managed to slip away to the studio above the gallery to consider his next move.
When he opened the door the sight before him both surprised and disgusted him. Ethan was fucking Sean on his
desk. Justin was speechless. He could not take his eyes off the scene in front of him. Sean was lost in the heat of the
moment but Ethan just kept his eyes fixed on Justin. Justin eventually stumbled out of the room. He made his way
out of the gallery and went home. An hour later he was on the phone to his mother.

'Hi mom, it's me." he said, trying to keep his voice from breaking.

"Justin, I want to know all the details about the opening night. How did it go?"

"It was great, but that's not why I'm calling," he paused, taking a deep breath. "I'm leaving Ethan." There was silence
on the other end of the phone. "Mom, I said I'm leaving Ethan."

"Why?" she asked, puzzled.

"It's complicated. I'll explain later. But for now just know that he is a cheat and a liar. And I'm tired of being a
secret."

"Don't make any rash decisions." she said, immediately assuming that this was probably a minor lover's spat.

"You have no idea how long I've been thinking about this!" he shouted. His mother was quiet. He continued in a
calmer voice.

"Look, I'm not going to change my mind. I've decided to travel for a while to get myself together. I'll contact you
when I settle. Don't worry about my decision, but believe me when I say it's the right one."

Then he heard the elevator on its way up to the apartment. "Mom, I've got to go." he said and hung up. The elevator
door opened. Ethan stood there with an open bottle of champagne.

"To the toast of the art world." he laughed. He moved over to the bar and collected two champagne flutes. He slowly
poured two glasses and handed one of them to Justin.

"To you, Sunshine." Justin closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He knew what was about to happen.

"Take the drink and join me in a toast, Sunshine." Justin did not take the glass.

"I said take the fucking drink and join me in a toast, Justin!" he shouted. Again Justin did not reciprocate.

Ethan put the glasses down and made his way over to Justin. He took hold of Justin's arm and sat him on the sofa.
He then collected one of the glasses and held it to Justin's lips while straddling Justin's lap and facing him.

"Drink." he said.

Justin didn't respond. He kept his eyes down, too scared to look at Ethan. For a few moments nothing happened, and
then slowly Ethan took a mouth full of the champagne. He put the glass down, gripped Justin's jaw and then pulled
his mouth down onto his own. Slowly he released the bubbly liquid into the blond's mouth. Justin started to cough
and tried to push Ethan's hands off his face. Ethan pushed him down onto the sofa. He took hold of the bottle and
started to pour the contents into Justin's mouth. Gasping, Justin tried to swallow the liquid in between coughs. It was
running all over his face and into his eyes. He couldn't see. Eventually the bottle was empty and Ethan then
proceeded to lick the liquid off his face.

"To the toast of the art world." he whispered into the blond's ear.

He moved his hand to the front of Justin's trousers and began to pull down the zip. Justin's trousers and underwear
were pushed down to his knees. Then Ethan turned him face down into the sofa while pulling the garments off
completely. Justin fought to remove his face from the sofa, his lungs fighting for air. That's when he felt Ethan enter
him without any preparation. He screamed in pain, the sofa muffling the sound of his cries. When Ethan was
finished he threw the condom on the floor and sat on the end of the sofa, content with knowing that he had
humiliated Justin.

"We need to talk, Justin." he said casually. He walked over to the bar and poured himself a brandy.

Justin slowly pushed himself onto his knees and gathered his trousers off the floor. He sat on the sofa and placed the
trousers over his lap. Ethan continued.

"I think you need to leave. This relationship is over."

Justin slowly raised his head to look at Ethan, his heart pounding in his chest upon hearing the words. He slowly
digested what he had just heard. After a few moments he realised that this declaration by Ethan was his escape.

"I’m touring the rest of the week so by the time I return I want you gone."

Justin nodded his head and slowly made his way to the shower. He stayed under the water, feeling the heat burn his
skin as he tried to scrub away the events of the evening. The water eventually ran cold and he stepped out of the
shower. He took a bath towel and started to dry himself when he caught sight of his reflection in the mirror. He
hardly recognised the face staring back at him. His eyes were dull with large black circles under them and looked
thin; too thin. If he had had any energy left he might have cried, but there were no tears left in him. He had lost all
track of time but when he entered the bedroom he was relieved to find that Ethan had packed a bag and gone.
Climbing in between the cool sheets, he stared at the ceiling; unable to sleep, he started to make plans for his
departure.

Chapter 4

Justin got up early the next morning after a sleepless night. He knew that Ethan was away for five days, but he
would be gone in two.

First he made his way to the gallery, which would not be open for another hour. He let himself in and slowly walked
around. He had loved working here; it was probably the only thing that had kept him sane. As he looked at his
pictures on the wall he noticed that each one had a red dot on it. Then he heard the front door open as Josh came in.
Josh rushed over to him and pulled him into a huge embrace. Justin did not return the gesture.

"I can see you're in shock." Josh laughed. Justin looked at him with a puzzled expression.

"You, my friend, were a huge hit." Josh continued as he relaxed his hold on his friend.

"Every single piece sold." Josh shouted. Justin once again looked at the red dots on all his pieces, which confirmed
what Josh was saying.

"I can't believe it." Justin stammered. Again his friend grabbed hold of him and this time spun him around.

"This is just the start." Josh smiled. A smile crept over Justin's lips. Josh was right—this was just the start, the start
of the rest of his life.

For the rest of the morning Justin explained to Josh why he was leaving. He wanted to concentrate on his art full
time, and thanked Josh for being a good friend, as well as for his support at the gallery. He promised Josh that he
would stay in touch and send him his address when he settled somewhere else. As for the money for Justin's
paintings, Josh said he would deposit it in Justin's account once all the money was in. After one last lunch together
Justin left his friend and made his way back to the apartment.

Justin arrived at the apartment around 3.00 p.m. There was not a lot left to do. There were no bank accounts to close
as he and Ethan had kept separate accounts, so the only task left was to pack. He took out a large bag and began to
pack a few necessary items. He had decided to take very little as he wanted a fresh start. Once packed, he checked
the closet one last time when he saw it. Pushed at the very back was the white silk scarf Brian had given him at the
prom. He took it out and placed it around his neck. The feel of it against his skin was fabulous and memories of that
night and Brian came flooding back. He smiled, maybe there was still a chance, maybe... He placed the scarf on the
bed. He would pack it last so that it didn't get crushed. Then as he was about to move the bed to retrieve his sketch
pads from their secret place he heard the elevator doors open and watched in horror as Ethan stepped out.

"Afternoon, Sunshine." he said

"No, no, no ..." Justin shouted as Ethan set the security code.

Justin shook his head at the memory, remembering how he fell into Ethan's trap. Ethan had waited until Justin went
to the gallery to inform Josh of his departure. He had apparently followed Justin's every move. While Justin was
having lunch with Josh, Ethan had arranged for a job to be carried out in a small room in the apartment. Two poles
had been fitted in a room; one was connected between the floor and the ceiling, and a second was suspended
horizontally at a height that was perfect for handcuffing Justin to while he was standing with his hands above his
head. "Happy times" Justin thought sarcastically to himself.

Ethan walked across to Justin and noticed the bag on the bed.

"Going somewhere?" he asked.

"I thought you said I should leave." Justin stuttered as he pulled his legs into his chest.

"You're going nowhere." Ethan whispered into the blond's ear. Justin went cold.

"Really Justin, just how stupid are you? You know I love you and I own you. You aren't going anywhere, ever," he
growled.

Justin sat on the bed, playing with his fingers. He had no energy left to fight.

Over the next hour Ethan collected all of Justin's personal possessions, including his clothes, into a large pile in the
bedroom while Justin watched in silence. He felt nothing except numbness. Ethan then bagged all the items and
informed Justin that he no longer needed them. The only item Ethan did not throw away was the silk scarf. He
decided to keep it for himself. That was when the prison sentence started: no contact with the outside world and
trapped in a nightmare with Ethan.

Justin heard Ethan stir in his sleep next to him and forgot about the memories for now. He had to get some sleep, as
it was only two hours until the beginning of another day.

Chapter 5

On arrival in New York Brian realised he was looking forward to this trip, which was both business and pleasure.
Kinnetik was a very successful advertising agency and had branches across America. In the limousine on the way to
his hotel he relaxed, planning what he would do while in New York. The business part of his trip shouldn't take too
long. There were some technical difficulties with a campaign for an art gallery they were working with but he
thought he should be able to straighten them out in a day. He could have delegated the job to someone else but he
liked to keep his hands dirty and thought that this would be an ideal opportunity to revisit New York. He closed his
eyes and remembered a fond memory of when he was last in New York with Justin. Justin had run off to New York,
taking Brian's credit card, and he and the guys had gone after him. A smile appeared on his lips as he thought of the
time spent with Justin in the hotel room. Then he laughed when he remembered that he, Brian, had then paid for it.
The smile slowly disappeared as another memory entered his mind—Justin leaving the Rage party with Ethan. That
was the last time he had seen Justin, the only love of his life.

Brian knew it was over when he saw Justin leave with Ethan. He felt as if every set of eyes in Babylon were on him,
waiting to see what his next move would be. He slowly lifted the mask over his eyes and began to sway to the
music. Looking around, he took hold of the first available trick and pulled him in close. He began to rub his hands
over the trick's ass. He put on the performance of his life. He fought with his emotions to stop the tears from falling
and to stop himself from running after Justin. The rest of the night was filled with drugs, booze and tricks.

When he awoke in bed the next morning he felt for the familiar figure of Justin lying next to him. He took hold of
the warm body and pulled him in close. As he kissed the back of his neck he realised it wasn't Justin. Opening his
eyes, he saw the familiar figure of Mikey.

"What the fuck!" he said as he sat up quickly. Michael stirred.

"Morning, Brian." Mikey said.

Brian's head was pounding and he felt like shit. Immediately his mind went back to the party, to Justin leaving with
Ethan. He rushed out of bed and into the bathroom and threw up. His body trembled as he continued to vomit. Tears
were streaming down his face by the time he realised he was sobbing. "Shit! What have I done?" he thought. He
realised he had lost the only person he would ever love, and the only person who truly loved him.

"Are you okay in there?" Mikey shouted. When there was no answer he entered the bathroom.

"Brian, I asked if everything is okay." Brian nodded, not turning round.

"How much did you take last night?" Mikey laughed as he walked over to the kitchen to start the coffee.

Brian slumped to the floor. He needed to gather his thoughts but the results of last night's activities had left him with
a head that felt like it would explode. Slowly he made his way into the shower, allowing the water to cascade over
his body as he planned his next move. Once showered, he made his way to the kitchen and poured some coffee. He
was sipping his coffee when Mikey started his usual verbal assault on Justin.

"That stupid twink," he stated indignantly, "you are so lucky to be rid of him. Who does he think he is trying to
make an exhibition of you by leaving Babylon with the fiddler? After all you've done for his stupid blond ass!"
Mikey stared at his best friend, but there was no response.

"Now you can continue with your life, without him stalking you. Our lives can return to normal," he said with a grin.
He was very satisfied with the outcome of the Rage party.

Brian put down his coffee cup, picked up his jacket and keys and left. Michael was stunned.

"What about breakfast at the diner," he said to himself.

The next few days were a blur until Brian received a phone call from Justin, arranging to meet Brian at the loft to
collect his belongings. Brian played it cool. However, the dull ache in his chest and the emptiness he felt were
tearing him apart. The day finally arrived. Brian was in a work meeting that ran late, but he was confident that he
would still be able to catch Justin. When the meeting was over Brian raced out to the jeep and immediately set off
for the loft. While sitting at yet another red light he checked his watch. "Shit!" he shouted; he was already 40
minutes late. By the time he arrived home and entered the loft he realised Justin had already left. He walked over to
the open closet and stared at the empty hangers. He loosened his tie, walked over to the kitchen and grabbed a bottle
of Jim Beam. He sat on the floor, his back against the door, and started drinking. His life from that day on became a
haze of booze, drugs and tricks.

Brian's friends were becoming increasingly concerned about his out-of-control behaviour. All except Michael, who
was happy to have his friend back.

Brian's life spiralled out of control fast. He woke up in bed one morning with two blond-haired tricks, and studied
their features as they slept. He laughed as he thought to himself that he had probably slept with every blue-eyed
blond in Pittsburgh. Running his fingers through his hair, he tried to remember what he had done last night. Nothing
memorable came to mind. The sex had been mechanical, and although he had been high as usual he had imagined he
was with Justin. He lit a cigarette and staggered to the bathroom; he looked in the mirror and was shocked by his
appearance. He looked like hell. He laughed. This method of pain management was going to kill him. He stepped
into the bedroom and looked at last night's tricks and felt disgusted.

"Get the fuck out!" he shouted. The two men looked at him, confused. He picked up their clothes and threw them on
the bed.

"Leave." The two tricks dressed quickly and left the loft, confused and more than a little pissed off.

The following evening at Babylon Brian stumbled out of the backroom and headed towards the bar. To keep himself
upright he leant against Michael, draping his arm over his friend's shoulder. He picked up Michael's drink and
finished it.

"Another," he slurred at the bartender.

"You've had enough tonight, Brian. I'm cutting you off." he replied and walked away.

"Give me another fucking drink!" Brian shouted. Michael turned to face him.

"You've had enough tonight, Brian, now let's go."

"I want another drink Mikey," he slurred while kissing his friend.

"Let me take you home and you can have something there." Mikey said, stalling for time. Even he was now
becoming concerned about Brian's behaviour.

"Fuck you Mikey." Brian whispered into Mikey's ear.

"I don't need your fucking help, so go home to the professor." With that Brian left the club. When the cold air hit
him he almost lost his balance; he leant against the wall to steady himself. As he was trying to find his lighter he
noticed a couple of guys watching him from across the street. He smiled to himself; the night was not over yet.
Making his way across the road, he dropped his lighter and bent down to pick it up. The last thing he remembered
was the screeching of car breaks and being blinded by headlights.

Brian woke up in hospital the following day. Michael was sitting in a chair next to his bed.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Like I've been hit by a fucking car." Brian answered.

"You could have been killed."

"Yeah well, I wasn't." Brian replied quietly.

Michael sighed. "I'll call everyone and let them know you're okay."

Brian nodded and looked out the window. He heard the door close. Silently he let the tears roll down his face. He
had alienated his friends and family over the last few months and behaved like a complete asshole. As he lay in the
hospital room he realised for the first time in his life that he did not want to be alone. For the past year he had lived
every day trying to block out the pain of losing Justin, punishing himself for not fighting for Justin and admitting
that he loved him. He could not forgive himself for throwing it all away. However, all that was about to change. He
may have screwed up that relationship but this was the turning point. His life was going to change—he had no
choice.

Over the next few months Brian started to turn his life around. He spent more time with Gus, including having his
son sleep over on a Saturday night for some father and son bonding. He never missed the family weekly dinner at
Deb's place and actually began to enjoy it. It took a while for everyone to accept that he was trying to change, but
once he proved to them that he was serious about it they all welcomed the new and improved Brian. He still went to
Babylon three times a week and that was the only time he used drugs. He still tricked but he never let it interfere
with his new priorities.

A year later he decided to set up his own agency with the help of Cynthia. He poured all his spare time into the
project and Kinnetik was born. Sitting in his office one day he reflected on the past four years of his life since the
car accident. His life was full now. He had a successful business, family and friends. The only void was a partner,
someone to share his life with. A smile appeared on his lips: Who would ever have thought I wanted that. He was
still smiling when he left the office to go home.

The next five years were filled with Kinnetik expanding to various locations across the country. Brian even found
time for a couple of short-term relationships. He had surprised himself, as well as his friends, when he started to
date. He still disliked that term; however, he actually enjoyed it. Both of the men had been successful business men
and they had a lot in common with Brian. Ultimately both relationships failed because neither man could get past the
memory of Justin. As always, his name was in the forefront of Brian's mind.

Chapter 6

Although it was ten years since Justin had left with Ethan, Brian still regretted the biggest mistake of his life. He had
done nothing to try to stop Justin from leaving and had lived with that knowledge for all these years. The knowledge
that he let the only man he had ever loved walk out of his life without any protest still paralysed him with regret. For
a man who lived life with a "never die wondering" attitude, this "what if" scenario refused to leave his brain.

After checking into the hotel Brian headed straight to the art gallery. Alison greeted him as he walked through the
door. She ran the New York office and had worked for Brian for five years.

"Hi Brian, how was your flight?" she asked.

"Fan-fucking-tastic. The flight was delayed, not enough leg room and a screaming baby the entire flight!" Brian
replied.

"Now show me around the gallery so I can get a feel for the place." he said with a smile.

A little later, as he was being given the tour by Alison and the gallery owner Josh, a couple of paintings caught his
eye. Brian stopped. He would recognise that artist anywhere; it was Justin's work. Both Alison and Josh looked at
Brian, intrigued as to why he had stopped.

"Is there a problem?" Josh asked.

"These two paintings, where did you get them?" Brian quizzed them, his eyes still fixed on the art work by his
former lover.

"They are the last two out of a collection we showed about five years ago. The show was a huge success. Every
piece sold. The gallery bought these two, to keep on display. The artist is a guy called Justin Taylor. Unfortunately
after the show he left New York and no-one has heard from him since. It's such a shame; he was going to be a huge
talent. He was a close friend of mine. After the show he told me that he was leaving New York and would contact
me when he was settled somewhere else, but he never did. Sometimes artists lose their inspiration and stop working.
Maybe that's what happened with Justin. But it was so unlike him not to keep in touch." Josh said, sadly.

Brian listened to the story, feeling very confused.

"So you know Justin?" he asked.

"Yes, we were friends for a few years. He came to work for me on a work experience programme from art school.
Then after he graduated he worked here full time. I still believe he'll be in touch some day." Josh replied.

Brian was silent. This was a twist of fate; he was in New York and a customer of Kinnetik had been a good friend of
Justin's.

"So did he live near here?" Brian asked.

"Yes, it was in walking distance. He used to walk to work every day." Josh said. "Why are you so interested in
Justin?"

Brian paused before answering. "He was a close friend of mine and we lost touch some years ago," he said sadly.
"Do you have his address?" Brian continued after a moment of reflection.

"I have an address but I don't think it will be any good to you. It's where he was living before he left New York. I've
been there to see if he left a forwarding address but there was nothing." Josh replied.

"Can you give me a copy anyway?" Brian asked. He had to check it out for himself.

Brian left the gallery and caught a cab to Justin's old apartment. When he arrived he had a chat to the super. The
address was really a dead end. It was worse than he expected. Apparently Justin had lived there, but not for the past
five years. Working through the information the super gave him, Brian realised that Justin had obviously lived there
when he first moved to New York. The situation was becoming very odd. Why did Justin's employer and friend not
have his last address? Brian headed back to the hotel. He lay on his bed, lit a cigarette and pondered the day's events.
Josh obviously knew nothing about Justin's relationship with Ethan. Justin had not given his friend, Josh, his last
address. Justin had held a successful showing of his work and then decided to leave New York, and had not been in
contact with his friend since then. Brian slowly blew the cigarette smoke out of his mouth. Something was wrong.
Where was Justin?

Brian decided to call Daphne. He had not spoken to her for a number of years. The last time had been when she had
come to the loft to persuade Brian to go after Justin. She had made it perfectly clear how much she disliked Justin's
new boyfriend and had begged Brian to tell Justin how he felt and to bring him home. At the time Brian had been
stoned and had behaved like a complete asshole. He cringed now, remembering the hurt in Daphne's eyes as he told
her that he didn't do love and that he was happy to finally be free of Justin. Brian dialled the number.

"Hi Daphne, its Brian Kinney." he said. There was a long pause.

"Daphne?" Brian repeated.

"Yes?" came the reply, followed again by silence.

Well, I deserve this kind of response, Brian thought to himself.

"Daphne, I know we haven't spoken for a long time, but I was hoping you could tell me where to find Justin?"

There was an audible sigh on the other end of the phone. "Brian, I haven't had any contact with Justin for years."
Brian was shocked.

"If you're trying to protect him from me that's fine. I just want to make sure he's okay." Brian continued.

"Really Brian, I haven't heard from or seen Justin in a very long time," she paused before continuing.

"Our relationship became difficult when he moved to New York with Ethan. As you know, I didn't support their
relationship and Ethan knew how I felt. Eventually Justin chose Ethan over our friendship. I know it wasn't a choice
he made easily. Ethan made him choose me or him." There was silence on the other end of the phone.

Daphne continued, "I tried to contact him over the past few years but all my letters were returned marked 'not at this
address'" she finished.

Brian let out a long sigh while pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Shit! What the hell is going on? " he said quietly, more to himself than to Daphne.

"What do you mean Brian?" Daphne asked, now concerned.

"Look, he just seems to have disappeared. From what I can gather no-one has seen or heard from him for about five
years."

"Oh my God." Daphne replied and began to cry.

Brian said quietly, "Don't cry. I'm going to find him."

"Please Brian, you have to. Do you think he's okay?" she sobbed.

"He'll be fine, Daph. He's strong, you know that." Brian said, hoping to comfort her as well as himself.

Brian hung up the phone and paced around the room. He needed to clear his head. He decided to call Jennifer
Taylor. It had been a long time since he had spoken to Justin's mother. He knew the call would be difficult as she
had never been a fan of Brian. Jennifer filled in some blanks; she had not seen or heard from Justin for five years.

The last time they spoke, Justin had informed her he was going to leave Ethan. It was the night of his first full
showing at the gallery. Jennifer had suggested that Justin should reconsider his decision and stay with Ethan. Justin
said he was tired of living a lie—he did not love Ethan and never had. He was tired of Ethan pretending to be
straight and that they were not in a relationship. He said he knew that Ethan was constantly cheating on him and he
couldn't take it anymore. The call had ended abruptly and Jennifer had not heard from Justin since. She had tried to
find him on several occasions, with no results. She had even spoken to Ethan, who told her that, the last he heard
Justin had gone to Europe to paint.

After the call ended a single tear rolled down Brian's face. Why had Jennifer not contacted him? He could have
helped. Then he felt physically sick. This was his fault. If he had asked Justin to stay this would never have
happened. Why could he not then have been the man he now was, a man ready and willing to love.

Brian decided to place one last call.

"Richards," a voice answered on the other end.

"Kinney here."

"Brian, it's been a long time." the man replied.

"Look, I've got a problem. A friend of mine has disappeared and I need you to help me find him."

"What do you need Brian?"

"I need you to find out everything you can about my friend. His name is Justin Taylor. He moved to New York 10
years ago with his boyfriend, enrolled in art school and worked at the Josh Mathews Art Gallery after that. He hasn't
been seen for the last five years. His boyfriend was Ethan Gold. You know who he is right?" Brian asked.

"Sure do, Brian. Anything else?"

"Yes, I want a detailed history on Ethan Gold's life." Brian hung up the phone. The whole situation was becoming
disturbing.

Chapter 7

Five days later Brian met with Richards in his hotel room. He wanted the matter to remain confidential and had
decided not to meet Richards in public. Brian was impressed. Richards had a detailed history on both Justin and
Ethan. Most of the details about Justin, Brian had already pieced together. Basically, there was not that much to
know. Justin had moved to New York, enrolled in art school and worked in a restaurant. He and Ethan had shared a
one-bedroom apartment for a while before moving to a luxurious penthouse apartment. Justin worked at the gallery
and had his first art show there. The penthouse was news to Brian, but it was two other pieces of information that
caused his concern. Apparently Justin was known as a loner at school and the restaurant and seemed to have no
friends. But the last finding was most disturbing of all. It was a detailed hospital report of various injuries Justin had
been treated for after arriving in New York.

Brian read the report carefully: concussion, broken ribs, dislocated shoulder, severe bruising, and some other minor
injuries. Brian knew exactly what these injuries meant. After living with an abusive father he knew all the signs. He
rushed to the bathroom and vomited. Justin had been isolated from his friends and family and left to live in an
abusive relationship with Ethan. At least Brian had been able to turn to Michael and Debbie. Justin had had no—one
to turn to. Brian punched the wall. He spent a few minutes in the bathroom composing himself. When he returned,
Richards graciously acted as if nothing had happened. Brian was relieved at not having to explain his reaction.
That's why he had always worked well with Richards; the man was always perceptive.

Next came the file on Ethan. Apparently Mr Gold led a very interesting life. He was worth a fortune but apparently
was still living in the closet. According to the file the guy tricked at every opportunity. However, his public relations
team had always managed to cover up any incidents that threatened to make it into the press. Richards had also
given a detailed account of the type of tricks Ethan went after—blond hair, blue eyes and young. Brian read those
last words again, and a chill ran down his spine. Richards gave him a detailed itinerary of Gold's plans for the next
week and asked Brian what his next move would be.

Brian asked Richards to tail Gold and report back with any relevant information that could lead them to Justin. Once
on his own, Brian studied the itinerary and planned his next move. The following day Ethan was due to meet some
friends at a pricey and exclusive local restaurant for lunch and Brian intended to be there.

Arriving at the restaurant thirty minutes before Ethan's party was due to arrive; Brian was shown to a table. A little
money shared with the right people at the restaurant meant that Brian was seated strategically at a table with a
distant but adequate view of Ethan's allocated table. When Ethan's party arrived an hour later Brian observed them
closely. Ethan was accompanied by two other men and one woman. Looking at the two men, Brian recognised
Ethan's manager from a picture Richards had shown him. The other man was obviously the trick of the day — blond
hair, blue eyes and young. The young man kept whispering in Ethan's ear and Ethan had his hand on his thigh under
the table. Halfway through lunch Ethan got up to go to the bathroom. Brian followed. As the door opened Brian saw
Ethan washing his hands. Ethan turned around and took two steps back at the shock of seeing Brian standing there.
Then he recovered quickly and smiled.

"Well, well, if it isn't the Stud of Liberty Avenue," Ethan laughed.

Brian looked Ethan up and down, slowly taking in his appearance. The guy looked pretty much the same as he
remembered apart from some weight gain, probably from too much good living. Then he noticed the white silk scarf
loosely hung over Ethan's shoulders. He immediately felt sick to the stomach. It was the scarf Brian had given to
Justin on the night of the Prom. Brian felt hurt. Justin had said it was the best night of his life. Surely Justin would
not have given that to the fiddler! It made no sense. Why would Justin have given it to Ethan? Then Brian realised
that Ethan could not know about the prom and the scarf. Surely if he did he would not be wearing it!

Brian composed himself and tried to find out more information.

"So Ian, how's life treating you?" Brian asked casually, as if he really gave a shit.

"It's Ethan as you well know, and I'm sure you're aware that my life is fantastic." Ethan replied with a smirk.

"Really?" Brian replied.

"So you're no longer in the closet?"

"Fucking shut up, Kinney." Ethan hissed.

Brian laughed. "So not THAT fantastic," he replied.

The two glared at each other.

"How's Justin?" Brian asked. The fiddler's face changed immediately and his fingers started playing nervously with
the scarf.

"Justin and I broke up. I haven't seen him for about five years." Ethan said with little emotion.

Brian started to feel nervous. Where the fuck was Justin and was he safe?

"Really, that's such a shame Ian," he said sarcastically, placing his tongue in his cheek.

"I got tired of him, needed a younger model for inspiration. I'm sure you can relate to that." Ethan laughed.

Brian wanted to deck him there and then but knew he had to keep his cool. Both men stood in silence. Eventually
Brian broke the stand off.

"Nice scarf!" Brian said with as much sarcasm as possible.

"It's new." Ethan replied, his fingers still playing with the scarf.

Yes! Brian thought as a rush of adrenalin sparked through his body. That was all the information he needed. Now he
knew something was wrong. Brian knew that the scarf was not new and that Ethan was obviously unaware of its
history. Brian figured that if Justin had left Ethan he would have taken the scarf with him. Knowing Justin the way
he did, and therefore knowing how much that night had meant to him, Brian was convinced that he would never
have left the scarf behind voluntarily. Brian stood still as he watched the fiddler walk away, and began planing his
next move.

Five minutes later Brian left the restaurant in a taxi on his way to Ethan Gold's apartment. Richards had told him that
Gold lived in a penthouse apartment that covered the entire floor of one of the most expensive apartment buildings
on Madison Avenue in New York. Richards also informed him that Gold had the latest security system and that the
apartment was accessible only by an elevator that went directly to the apartment without stopping at any other
floors. The only person with access was Gold and anyone who went to the apartment was always accompanied by
him. This rule applied to everyone, with no exceptions. That knowledge made Brian uncomfortable. What was
Ethan Gold hiding? He suddenly felt cold and his hands began to shake. Could it be Justin?

Brian stood across the street from Ethan's apartment and waited for him to return. When Brian noticed Ethan enter
the apartment building he crossed the road to follow him. The traffic was bad and by the time he made it to the front
of the building Ethan was nowhere in sight.

Chapter 8

Justin was resting on the bed; Ethan was not due back so he was relaxing and enjoying his quiet time. He allowed
his mind to wonder, reliving the times he had tried to escape. Escape had proved impossible so far but he would
never give up. The only access to the apartment was the elevator and the only person with the access code and key
card was Ethan. On a couple of occasions he had tried to escape when Ethan was asleep. The first time he had found
out the access code and had managed to get the key card while Ethan slept. He had typed in the code and was
waiting for the elevator doors to open when he had felt Ethan's breath on his neck and heard him whisper very
quietly into his ear,

"Where are you going Sunshine?" then Ethan jerked Justin's head backwards as he grabbed hold of his hair.

Justin had frozen with fear. He knew it would be bad, as the only time Ethan ever called him Sunshine was when he
was in serious trouble. After the beating, Justin was bed-ridden for three days, wondering if his body would ever be
free of pain again.

The second attempt happened a few months later. After the first escape attempt Ethan frequently changed the access
code and always made sure that Justin did not see. However, one day Justin was about to get into the shower but
instead went back into the bedroom to get his hairbrush. Ethan did not hear him because the shower was running, so
Justin was able to watch him change the code. It was pure luck the way it happened. Justin wanted to scream with
joy, he was so excited. He could not believe he had been given another opportunity so soon. He remembered the
adrenalin rush he felt as he made his way back into the shower. That night he would try to escape again.

Another failed attempt and Justin felt defeated. Bedridden, after receiving yet another vicious beating from Ethan.
Even going to the bathroom took all his energy. Ethan developed a new routine; every night he shackled Justin to the
bed by his right ankle.

In the early days Justin thought he could escape when the cleaner or a visitor appeared but Ethan was always one
step ahead. When he brought anyone to the apartment, Justin was locked away in the special room at the back of the
building. Ethan referred to it as "his special place". When Ethan had visitors he secured Justin to the vertical pole
with handcuffs and gagged him. It actually was the lesser of two evils. The second pole was worse. It was suspended
from the ceiling at a height that forced Justin to remain standing while secured to it. Sometimes Ethan left him
cuffed to the suspended pole for hours. When Ethan released him he could hardly stand and the cuffs left bleeding
marks on his wrists if he had been unable to support his body weight. He was always gagged and handcuffed when

he was in "his special place" and most of the time he was naked. It all added to his humiliation, which delighted
Ethan. He was often placed in there for time out, as Ethan called it, when he had misbehaved or when Ethan simply
wanted the place to himself or to entertain guests, business associates or tricks. When Ethan had tricks over was the
worst. Justin knew he would spend hours in the room and never knew how drunk or high Ethan would be when he
let him out.

Justin started to laugh. I am truly pathetic, he thought. Who else would have gotten themselves into this situation?
While he was laughing he became aware of someone speaking to him.

"Fuck!" he shouted and sat up with a start when he saw Ethan staring down at him. Fear filled his entire body. He
was wearing his old clothes and there was that word again "Sunshine." The sound of it made his body tremble. How
he hated that name now.

"Fuck, is that what you just said Sunshine? Do you want me to fuck you?"

Justin shot off the bed as Ethan moved towards him slowly.

"My, don't we look different today!" Ethan said calmly, looking at Justin dressed in a short-sleeved tee and jeans.

"It's strange but I don't remember buying those clothes for you, Sunshine, blue jeans and a blue tee. In fact I
absolutely know you have nothing blue in your closet as I pick out all your clothes." Ethan continued to walk slowly
towards Justin.

"Now let me see if I can guess what happened here," Ethan paused and then laughed.

"You've been keeping secrets Sunshine!"

Justin tried to run past Ethan but he was too quick and grabbed his arm. He pushed Justin hard against the wall, the
impact causing him to fall on the floor. Ethan was on top of him immediately. Justin continued to struggle but Ethan
was much stronger than him. The last thing Justin remembered was his head being banged on the floor, then
everything went black and Justin passed out. When he came to he was on the bed, his clothes had been removed and
Ethan was standing beside him getting undressed. He could barely think. His head hurt so much and his body ached
all over. That's when Ethan made his first mistake.

"So Sunshine, guess who I saw today?"

Justin just stared at Ethan, barely able to focus through his swollen eyes.

"The stud Of Liberty Avenue himself, Brian Kinney!"

Justin could not believe what he was hearing; Brian was here in New York. His train of thought was interrupted by a
now naked Ethan.

"Don't worry your pretty little head about it Sunshine, I told him we broke up five years ago, that I got rid of you for
a younger model. So you see, still nobody knows you're here!"

Justin felt the tears well up in his eyes, making the pain in them even more intense. Ethan bent down to turn Justin
over and Justin let out a huge scream. The noise was so loud and strong that Ethan stopped; Justin used every last

piece of strength he had left to throw Ethan on the bed. As he fell Ethan hit his head on the bedside table and was
knocked unconscious. Justin quickly grabbed Ethan's ankle and put the shackle on it.

He scrambled to the floor to find his jeans and quickly pulled them on, then retrieved the key card from Ethan's
trousers. On the floor he also saw the scarf. He instinctively picked it up and ran to the elevator. Once there he
realised he did not have the access code.

"Fuck. No!" he screamed.

Then he noticed that Ethan had made his second mistake of the day. He had obviously been so angry at seeing Brian
that he hadn't locked the elevator door using the code. Justin rushed into the elevator, slipped the key into the slot
and stood silently as the elevator started its downward movement. The journey seemed to take forever. When the
elevator reached the bottom and opened into the foyer Justin stumbled out, fell onto his knees and started to sob. The
relief he felt was overwhelming. He could not believe he had made it out of the apartment after so long. Then he
heard someone calling his name. He tried to get up but his legs buckled beneath him and he fell back down. He
started to crawl. He had to get away. He then heard the voice again, only it was much closer this time.

"Justin!" the voice shouted.

"No no noooooooo!" he screamed. He could not come this far and have Ethan claw him back.

He felt someone's arms pick him up and a head nuzzle into his neck. He tried to open his eyes but he couldn't see
clearly through the swelling. Then he heard a familiar voice.

"Its ok baby, I've got you, you're safe now Justin."

"B.. Bri.." he started to say, then passed out.

Chapter 9

Brian sat in a chair beside the large bed on which Justin was resting. He hadn't left Justin's side since he saw him
stumble out of the elevator at the apartment building. He had rushed over to Justin, picked him up and carried him
out to Richards' car, which was parked outside as he was doing surveillance work for Brian. The pair had then taken
Justin back to Brian's hotel room and called a doctor.

While the doctor examined Justin, Brian studied his appearance. Justin was no longer the boy who had left for New
York; he was now a man. As well as the bruises and abrasions that covered Justin's body, Brian could see that he
was also very thin. Running his hand through his hair, he couldn't imagine what Justin had been through. The doctor
started to speak.

"There were no serious injuries and no internal bleeding. However, Justin will be very sore due to the nature of the
beating he's taken and will need to take pain medication."

"Doctor, I need you take photographs of his injuries so that we have a record," Brian said quietly.

When the doctor finished she placed her hand on Brian's shoulder.

"I'll write a full report and send it to you with the photos. Please call me if there's anything else you need." Then she
quietly left the room.

Justin woke up in an unfamiliar bed. He jumped out quickly, moving as fast as his aching body would allow, only to
feel someone catch hold of his arm.

"No!" he shouted. Then he heard Brian speak

"It's ok Justin, you're safe now."

Justin turned to see Brian standing there in only his jeans with the top button undone. He let his body relax into that
of the older man and sobbed. Brian held onto Justin tight as silent tears spilled from his own eyes. He lifted Justin
and placed him on the bed to rest, then crawled in behind him, gently taking Justin in his arms. Justin relaxed into
the embrace and allowed himself to sleep. After a couple of hours Justin woke up to find Brian watching him. He
tried to speak but the words would not come. Brian started to stroke Justin's hair, while gently rubbing the small of
his back. Justin remained silent, his eyes fixed on Brian's. Brian explained to Justin that the police had questioned
Ethan on suspicion of assault and tomorrow Justin could go to the police station to fill them in on the other details.
Justin nodded, closed his eyes and drifted to sleep again.

The following day Brian took Justin to the police station, where he recounted the story that was the last five years of
his life. Brian sat horrified as Justin relived the tale with little emotion. The police doctor examined Justin and took
photos of his injuries.

Brian arranged extended leave from work, happy to leave the running of the business in Theodore's capable hands.
He had given no explanation for the extended vacation as he wanted to protect Justin as long as possible. Brian knew
that once the media found out about Ethan Gold's secret life Justin's story would be everywhere. He had arranged for
he and Justin to spend a month on a small private island so that Justin could relax and recover from his injuries.

They had been on holiday for over three weeks and Justin had hardly spoken. Brian was becoming more concerned
about him as he could only remember those times when Justin had never stopped talking. Looking over and seeing
the concern in Brian's eyes, Justin spoke.

"I'll be alright," he said and smiled at Brian.

Brian noticed that the smile did not resemble the smile he once knew. He walked over to Justin, who sat on a day
bed under the shade of a canopy, took hold of his hands and looked into his eyes. Before he could speak Justin said,
"How did you know I was in trouble?"

"It was the scarf," Brian answered.

Justin looked puzzled so Brian explained.

"When I saw Ethan he was wearing the scarf I gave you the night of the prom. I asked him about it and he said it
was new." Justin continued to look into Brian's eyes; his body began to stir. Brian continued.

"I knew what that scarf meant to you, to both of us. I always remembered you saying it was the best night of your
life and I knew the story behind it was something only we know."

Justin smiled and a familiar spark flickered in his blue eyes, then he spoke: "I'll always remember that night, even if
it was ridiculously romantic!" They both laughed.

Brian reached forward and gently kissed Justin on the lips, then slowly pulled back. They stared into each other's
eyes momentarily, before Justin moved towards Brian. He slipped Brian's shirt over his head, and as he stood up he
pulled Brian's linen pants down to his ankles. Brian, now fully naked, stepped out of the pants and crawled onto the

day bed. He gently pulled Justin's tee over his head and slipped off his cargo pants as Justin lay back. Both men
stared at each other, enjoying the sight of each other's bodies, which had been denied them for too long. Brian
started to slowly cover Justin's body with light gentle kisses, stroking and caressing every inch of his pale skin. He
gently sucked and nibbled at Justin's nipples, causing him to moan softly. Brian welcomed the familiar sound. He
continued kissing down Justin's body, needing to touch the him everywhere. Justin's moans became stronger and
more intense. He began to run his hands through Brain's hair, then slowly guided Brian's head into position over his
pulsating cock. Brian smiled as he began to gently lick the sensitive tip, savouring the sweet taste of Justin. Justin's
body started to spasm at the intense pleasure he was feeling. God he'd missed this. Then Brian took his cock in his
mouth, working slowly and gently up and down the shaft. Justin moaned out loud—he knew this was it.

"Briannn....," he moaned as his orgasm erupted.

Brian moved up to Justin's mouth and kissed him gently. A smile appeared on Justin's lips as he pulled Brian in for a
long passionate kiss. Brian moaned into Justin's mouth. No-one had ever been able to make him feel the way Justin
could with a kiss. Then Justin stopped. He looked deep into Brian's eyes and said,

"I want you inside me."

Brian held Justin's gaze, "Are you sure?"

"Yes," came the whispered reply.

Brian stood up and gently carried Justin into the villa. By the time they reached the bedroom Justin was hard again.
Brian placed him in the centre of the bed and knelt between his legs. He leant down and kissed Justin's lips softly
over and over. The kisses became more intense until they both broke free and gasping for air. Brian leaned over to
the bedside cabinet and took out a tube of lube and a condom. He squirted a generous amount onto his fingers and
began to warm it up. He kissed Justin's neck and chest while he slowly inserted one finger inside him. Justin gasped
at the intrusion. When Justin relaxed Brian inserted another. Justin grabbed Brian's hair as Brian continued to
prepare him.

"Now Brian please!" Justin pleaded.

Brian removed his fingers and Justin moaned at the loss. He ripped open the condom and placed it over his
throbbing erection, then squirted some lube into Justin.

"It's cold," Justin laughed.

"Don't worry, it'll warm up," Brian replied and they both smiled at each other. Then Brian slowly lifted Justin's legs
over his shoulders.

Brian placed his cock at Justin's entrance and slowly pushed in through the first ring of muscle. Justin moaned and
gripped the sheets. Brian stopped until he relaxed, then he slowly entered him until he was completely buried within
him. He moved very slowly back and forth—he wanted the experience to be all about Justin. He took hold of Justin's
shaft and began to gently stroke it, matching each stroke to the rhythm of each thrust. Justin moaned louder; he
wanted this to last forever.

"Briannnn," he moaned as his orgasm hit again. Both men came at the same time. Brian collapsed on top of Justin,
making sure his arms supported his weight. He went to pull out of him.

"No, stay," Justin whispered.

Brian stayed but rolled them onto their side. He nuzzled his head behind Justin's ear and whispered,

"I love you Justin, always have, always will."

"I love you too, Brian," Justin smiled.

Epilogue

As they packed to leave the island Brian pulled Justin into his arms. "Are you sure you're ready for this?"

"I need to do it, Brian," Justin replied.

Brian kissed him. "Okay, but only if you're sure." They left the island and boarded the plane for Pittsburgh!

THE END.

http://midnight-whispers.com/efic/viewstory.php?sid=1737

http://bjfic.net/viewstory.php?sid=9199

Picking Up The Pieces

Summary: This is the sequel to Something Only We Know. Brian and Justin have returned to

Pittsburgh.

~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~

Chapter 1

Justin checked his watch again; as usual Dr. Powell was running late. He picked up a magazine off the table and
glanced at the date, 29th May 2012. Was it really six months since his return to Pittsburgh? He placed the magazine
back on the table, sat back in his chair, placing his head against the wall, and thought back to the day he had
returned home with Brian.

Justin stepped off the plane into the cold Pittsburgh air. He stopped as a chill ran through his body, and he wrapped
his winter coat tighter around himself, trying to keep the cold at bay. He was thankful that Brian had arranged for
some winter clothes to be delivered to the island before they left. A reassuring hand softly stroked the small of his
back; Justin turned around to see Brian encouraging him to walk on. As they made their way into the terminal
building Brian draped his arm around Justin' s shoulder and pulled him close into his body as they walked to the
baggage carousel to claim their luggage. One by one more passengers joined them at the collection point, waiting
patiently to collect their belongings. Justin studied the small room and wondered how so many people could fit into
it. All he could see was a mass of faces, and the noise was becoming unbearable. A dull throbbing started in his head
and his heart began to beat erratically in his chest. As he turned to face Brian the room began to spin. He lifted his
hand to wipe the sweat off his forehead and noticed how it had begun to tremble uncontrollably. His eyes locked
with Brian's as he started to fall.

Brian caught Justin just before he hit the ground. His bag fell off his shoulder and propelled him forward, causing
him to stagger as he held on tightly to Justin who was now in his arms. He picked up Justin lovingly with one hand
supporting his legs at the point where they bent at the knees while the other cradled his back in support and carried
him to a vacant chair.

"Justin!" he shouted in feint desperation. There was no reply.

"Justin, can you hear me? Justin,” Brian’s panicked voice continued.

A crowd gathered around them as Brian tried to wake Justin. Frustrated, Brian shouted.

"For fuck sake, someone get some help!"

Time stood still as Brian loosened the scarf around Justin’s neck and unfastened his coat. Brian noted his pale skin
was flushed and sweating, yet Justin's body trembled as if he were cold. A security guard and a nurse appeared by
Brian's side. The nurse knelt down beside them.

"What happened?" she asked, as she felt Justin's forehead then took his pulse.

“We were waiting for our luggage and he fainted,” Brian replied.

"What's your friend's name?" she enquired, while taking off his scarf and coat.

"Justin," Brian replied while pinching the bridge of his nose.

"... and yours?"

"Brian."

"Justin, Justin!" the nurse continued.

"Justin, my name is Veronica. Can you hear me?" Brian stood and watched, feeling helpless as the nurse continued
to take charge. She opened her bag, took out some smelling salts and waved the bottle under Justin's nose. His eyes
flickered open.

"What happened?" he asked, his eyes darting around as he frantically tried to remember where he was and to gain
some bearings on the situation.

"Its okay, baby, you fainted. We're at the airport,” Brian answered as he stroked Justin's hand.

"How do you feel?" the nurse asked.

"Dizzy."

"Can you remember what happened?"

"My head started to hurt and I felt as if my heart was beating too fast. I started to feel really hot and there was lots of
noise, too much noise. I felt as if I couldn't breath."

Justin took the glass of water the nurse offered him and sipped a small amount; he watched the glass tremble in his
hand. Looking around the building, he noticed that the majority of his fellow passengers had now left to complete
their journey home. Only a few stragglers remained, waiting forlornly for their bags to arrive by the slowly moving
and now almost empty carousel. He let out a sigh as he finished the last mouthful of water. Suddenly he became
aware that the nurse was talking to him again.

"I think it sounds like a panic attack. How are you feeling now?"

"Shaky, but not like I'm going to pass out,” he replied.

"Well let's see if you can stand?” Veronica and Brian slowly helped Justin to his feet.

"How does that feel?" she asked.

"Okay," he replied unconvincingly.

"Do you think you can walk?"

“Yes, I’d like to leave now, I feel much better." In all honesty he did not feel better, but he was desperate to leave
the cold, harsh environment of the airport and be allowed some dignity to recover at Brian’s home.

Veronica helped Justin back to the chair as Brian collected their luggage, their bags being the only items left on the
carousel. The security guard carried their bags while Brian and Veronica steadied Justin as they made their way to
the exit.

Cynthia was becoming concerned that there was no sign of Brian and Justin as the final trickle of passengers began
to leave the terminal. First class passengers were always out first and the delay was becoming alarming. She took
out her cell phone to call Brian. As she began to dial his number the doors opened again, revealing Brian and Justin.
Justin was flanked by Brian and a nurse, each of whom provided him with support as he walked gingerly through the
open automatic doors. Cynthia closed the phone and put it in her bag as she rushed over to Brian.

"Is everything okay?" she asked.

"Yeah, Cyn, don't worry, just bring the car to the front please," Brian replied.

Cynthia looked at Brian and then at Justin, who smiled weakly at her.

"The car's already out front Brian,” she replied.

Brian, with the help of the nurse, helped Justin back into his coat and the group then made their way to the waiting
car. The guard put the bags in the boot as Justin was helped into the back seat. Cynthia slid into the driver’s seat as
Brian finished talking to the nurse.

"Just make sure he takes it easy for the rest of the day. These things happen, it's normally nothing to worry about,"
Veronica said.

"Thank you,” Brian replied before he slid into the car next to Justin. Cynthia drove off immediately.

Brian sat with his arm protectively around his partner, worry filling his mind. He hoped the panic attack was a one
off, but after the way Justin had lived for the last few years Brian wondered if this was the start of something more.

"How do you feel now, Justin?" Brian asked.

"Much better. There were just so many people, I felt as if there wasn’t enough space or air for everyone." Justin
smiled. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath and wished he could be home without the bother of the car
journey through town.

Cynthia kept checking in the mirror to see if Justin was okay. She had no idea what had happened but recognised
that Brian looked worried. She also understood that this was not the time to delve for further details and instead
concentrated on the road as she attempted to deliver her passengers to their destination as quickly and comfortably
as possible. Soon the car gently rolled to a stop outside Brian’s loft apartment.

"Wake up Jus," Brian said as leant into the car and kissed Justin softly on the lips.

Justin opened his eyes; he had slept the entire journey in the car and felt much better. Unbuckling his seatbelt he
took Brian's hand and stepped out onto the pavement. Together they made their way over to the front door of the
building, where Justin stopped.

"What about the bags?" he queried.

"I've already taken them up," Brian replied and kissed him again.

As the elevator made its slow climb up to the loft Justin smiled — it felt so good, so right, to be home. The loft door
was already open; he stepped inside and took a deep breath. Slowly he made his way into the centre of the room.
The loft looked magnificent; Brian had made a number of changes over the years. There was a huge modern
sectional sofa in brown leather. The fabric looked so inviting and luxurious that he had to touch it. Slowly he ran his
hands across the top of the sofa, enjoying the warmth and softness of the material — the leather felt incredibly soft.
In front of it was a large leather ottoman which was as long as the sofa and obviously could be used as extra seating
or a coffee table. On either side of the sofa and facing the loft windows were two large chofa chairs; each dressed
with silk throws in autumn colours and matching cushions.

Justin turned towards the bedroom and made his way up the stairs. His jaw dropped as he realised that the platform
bed was gone. In its place was a large sleigh design bed, the headboard of which was made out of the same soft
leather as the sofa, with the bedding in co-ordinating autumn colours to compliment the throws on the chairs. The
wall lights above the bed had also been replaced with a fabulous piece of abstract art in tones of red, gold and green.

Turning back towards the lounge, Justin noticed that Brian still stood at the loft doorway, smiling.

"What?" Justin asked.

Brian moved towards him and took him in his arms.

"It's great to have you home," he said, then kissed Justin passionately. Justin moaned softly, exploring Brian's mouth
with his tongue, they eventually pulled apart panting. Brian pressed his forehead against Justin's as they stared into
each other's eyes.

"It's great to be home," Justin whispered as a single tear rolled down his left cheek.

Brian took Justin by the hand and led him to the spiral staircase opposite the kitchen island.

"Oh my god, that looks magnificent,” he said, as he turned to look at Brian.

"Where does it lead to?"

"Come with me," Brian grinned, as they both descended the staircase to the loft below.

The second loft was styled with the same colours and textures as Brian’s, but the open plan living area was much
smaller as the space had been subdivided to include four separate rooms, centred on a small entertainment area.

Eagerly taking Justin by the hand again, Brian opened the first door, which led into Brian's home office. Before
Justin could comment, Brian guided him to a second door which opened to reveal a gym, a third door opened into
Gus’s room and ensuite bathroom. Then Brian stopped, smiling proudly before he walked Justin to the fourth and
final door.

"Open it Justin."

Justin opened the door and gasped. The room was completely empty, except for an easel placed in front of a large
row of windows that ran the length of the wall. The light filtering into the room was amazing. Justin walked over to
the easel, allowing his hands to gently caress its sides. Overcome with emotion Justin took a long deep breath to
calm himself, he knew what this room meant. When Brian had converted this loft he had created a studio for Justin.
Tears ran down his face as he felt Brian's arms encircle his waist and Brian's lips kissing the top of his head.

"I always hoped I would get a second chance," he whispered into Justin's hair. Justin turned around and looked into
his eyes.

"Me too Brian. I never stopped loving you, never stopped dreaming of you," Justin whispered.

"Me too, Justin”

"... and I'll never make the same mistake again. I want you around forever. I've always loved you and always will,"
Brian replied softly.

Justin pulled Brian's lips down onto his and gently kissed the man he had always loved. They stood holding each
other, enjoying the feeling of being in each other's arms. Eventually Brian spoke.

"The tour is not over,” he grinned, then walked them both to the end of the studio and opened one of two connecting
doors, Justin followed. Inside the adjoining room was a bathroom, the centre piece being a large cast-iron bathtub.

"I've always wanted a bathtub,” Justin beamed.

"The fun we’ll have in here, Brian ...” he said laughing, as he spun around with his arms out.

"One last room,” Brian smiled, as he guided Justin through the final door, which like the bathroom, was only
accessible through the studio.

"This is your own private room for an office, lounge or whatever you want it to be."

Justin was overwhelmed. The thought and effort Brian had put into the design of the rooms took Justin’s' breath
away. Brian had carried out all of this in the hope that they would get back together some day. Justin realised that he
was loved by Brian Kinney and had been for a long time. Momentarily he cringed; why had he not realised this
before he made his decision to leave with Ethan. Brian's voice interrupted his thoughts.

"I didn't decorate; I thought you would like to do that yourself."

Justin rushed over to him, throwing his arms around his neck.

"I love what you've done, Brian, thank you."

Brian held on to him tightly; he never wanted to let go.

Chapter 2

The following morning the loud shrill of the telephone woke them. Brian moaned into Justin's hair.

"Fuck, who’s calling at this time?"

"Bri, its 10.40 a.m." Justin laughed, after glancing at the clock. They both listened to the message.

"Brian, its Debbie. Just letting you know that Thanksgiving dinner is at 5.00 p.m., so if you're back from your trip
then you’re welcome to come over."

Justin felt his body tense. He had enjoyed the time he and Brian had been able to spend on their own and was
reluctant to meet any family or friends yet. There would be endless questions, and explanations expected. He would
have to explain the nightmare he had lived for the last five years, and be judged by everyone and, even worse, pitied.
Brian began to rub small circles on Justin's stomach, trying to help him relax; he knew the enormous task Justin had
ahead of him. It was a task Brian himself was not looking forward to, so he could only guess how Justin must be
feeing about the situation.

"Justin, relax. No one knows we're back. As for Thanksgiving dinner, I had Cynthia organise everything we need.
We have a lot to be thankful for and we’re spending it together. Just the two of us."

"Thanks Brian," Justin smiled, as he lay his head on Brian's chest.

“Let’s take a shower," Brian said as he ran his fingers through the soft blond hair.

Justin sat quietly on the vanity counter and watched as Brian adjusted the shower temperature, then they stepped into
the shower together. Brian washed Justin's hair, gently massaging his scalp with his long slim fingers; he loved the
sensation of the silky blond strands against his skin. Justin closed his eyes and relaxed into the touch. The loving
massage soothed both his body and his mind. Carefully Brian rinsed out the shampoo, making sure to keep the
creamy cleanser away from the beautiful blue eyes. He continued to bathe Justin, gently soaping his porcelain skin.
His hands followed the contours of his lover’s lithe body, both men connected once again by the feathery touch.

Soaping both hands, Justin caressed Brian's body, his fingers leaving a trail of intricate patterns in the white soapy
lather. Brian’s smooth golden skin became Justin’s perfect canvass, the most beautiful he had ever created.
Mesmerised by this piece of living art, Justin was surprised to feel Brian’s hands still his movements. He looked into
his lovers eyes.

“You’re shivering Justin, the water’s run cold.” Brian smiled.

“I got carried away.” Justin replied shyly.

Slowly, he took hold of the shower head and rinsed the soap from Brian’s body. Silently he watched the intricate
designs slip away.

As Thanksgiving drew to a close both men sat at the table surveying what was left of their dinner. Brian finished his
coffee, while Justin took a final spoonful of chocolate fudge cake. Thanksgiving had been perfect; Cynthia had
thought of everything, including candles and flowers. Justin felt relaxed and happy; this was the best Thanksgiving
he'd had in years. He looked over at Brian and smiled contentedly.

"More champagne?" Brian asked.

"Mmm, love some,” he smiled.

His eyes followed Brian as he made his way to the kitchen, his smile never wavering. Brian still looked amazing, his
lean body was perfectly toned, and his skin lightly bronzed. Justin felt a desperate need to sketch his lover and
commit his image to paper. Brian opened the refrigerator door and took out a bottle of Moet Chandon. He turned to
face Justin as he peeled the foil off the bottle and popped the cork. The fizzy liquid burst free and flowed onto the
floor. Justin picked up a champagne flute and rushed over to collect the overflow. They both laughed as bubbly
liquid washed over their hands and pooled at their feet. Brian proceeded to fill the glass, then placed the bottle on the
kitchen counter. Justin smiled teasingly at his lover, then took hold of Brian’s hand and softly licked the liquid off
his fingers. Brian grinned as he pulled Justin in his arms, causing some of the champagne to spill out of the glass.
Pressing his lips hard against Justin’s, he kissed him passionately — tongues explored mouths, lips crashed together
and two bodies became one.

"Happy Thanksgiving,” they both said, when the kiss ended.

Brian woke first the following morning. Justin was still fast asleep, his legs entwined with Brian’s, his head on his
chest. He ran his fingers through the soft blond hair and sighed contentedly. He felt complete.

"Thank god I made the trip to New York," he thought.

How different both their lives would have turned out if he had not gone there. Justin would still have been trapped in
hell with that madman, being used and abused, and Brian would be without the love of his life. Brian shuddered at
the thought, he pulled Justin closer and pressed a kiss onto the top of his head. He never wanted to let him go again.
He looked lovingly at the slender body next to him and sighed. The next few months would be difficult, as Justin
had to rebuild his life as well as move forward with a prosecution against Ethan. No doubt the story would make the
news and be splashed over the tabloids because of Ethan’s celebrity status. Both of their lives would be exposed to
the public and Brian hoped Justin would be able to cope.

Justin began to stir. "Morning," he mumbled from a sleepy haze.

"Morning sleepyhead," Brian replied.

Justin kissed Brian on the lips.

"What time is it?" he asked.

"8.10 a.m., and it's time to get up. We've got lots to do today." Justin looked puzzled at Brian's reply.

"What do we have to do?"

"Well, first we need to contact your Mom and Daphne. We did tell them we'd see them as soon as we returned. Then
I think we should contact Debbie and the gang to let them know we're here." Brian paused.

"I know it's hard Justin, but we need to fill them in on some of the details before they find out from another source.
Plus they'll be really happy to see you again."

Justin's body tensed as Brian mentioned meeting the gang; he gave Brian a doubtful look.

"They all know how I feel about you. They are well aware of how long I've regretted the decision, well, no, the
mistake I made in letting you go." He could see the worry in Justin's face.

"Plus you'll love seeing Gus, he's ..."

"...11 now,” Justin finished.

"Yeah.” Brian smiled.

There was a long silence. Brian lovingly rubbed his finger across his lover's cheek, trying to reassure him. His body
still felt tense and Brian was concerned.

Many thoughts ran through Justin's mind. He was not ready to meet everyone again — not yet. It wasn't that he did
not want to explain that leaving for New York with Ethan was the biggest mistake of his life, and he certainly
looked forward to the warm, friendly and family like atmosphere they created, but for some strange reason it
bothered him to be around that many people again. It actually made him panic. He'd had no contact with anyone
other than Ethan for such a long time that he now found it difficult, almost painful, to contemplate being around lots
of people again. He had realised this after the incident at the airport. When the nurse said he had experienced a panic
attack he had given that comment a lot of thought; it made perfect sense that the large number of people at the
airport was the trigger of the panic attack.

"Justin, Justin," he heard Brian's voice in the distance.

"Sorry. What did you say?" Justin replied.

"Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, sorry, I was just thinking."

"Well, how about we go around to Deb's today and arrange to meet the gang there, but we'll see your mom and
Daphne first?"

"No,” he quickly replied.

"What's wrong?"

"Bri, you know the panic attack I had at the airport?" Brian nodded and pulled him closer.

“I think it was because I am not used to being around lots of people. I think taking it slowly would be a good idea.
So let's not see everyone at once," he looked into Brian’s brown eyes as he spoke.

"Sounds like a good idea. So how do you want to do this?"

"I think after breakfast we can arrange for my mom and Daph to come over. Then late afternoon Deb and Emmett.
That's enough for today. What do you think?"

"Okay, I'll call Deb and explain to her not to tell anyone else yet, and then she can call Emmett. You call your mom
and Daph."

Chapter 3

The buzzer to the apartment building rang.

"Come on up," Brian said via the intercom. As he went to open the door Justin appeared by his side and took hold of
his hand.

"Ready?" he asked.

"Yeah,” Justin whispered.

As Brian opened the door they both saw Jennifer Taylor come running up the stairs.

"Oh my god, Justin. I can't believe you're here! I've missed you so much." Jennifer hugged her son tightly, not quite
believing he was actually home. Justin returned the embrace just as strongly. Both of them started crying.

"I've missed you so much, mom."

"Me too, sweetheart, me too," came the whimpered reply. They held each other for a long time, both of them
thinking the tears would never stop.

"Is this a private party or can anyone join in?" Justin turned around to see Daphne standing at the door.

"Daph!" he managed to choke out through the tears.

"Justin," Daphne said softly as she ran over to her friend.

"I can't believe it, Jus, I never thought I'd see you again," she said as the friends embraced.

"I know, Daph, me too..." he paused.

"I'm so sorry, Daph," he said between sobs.

“I don't know what to say. I was such a fool to end our friendship the way I did. I've regretted it every minute of
every day since. I missed you so much."

"Don't apologise, Jus, you’re my best friend and you always will be. Nothing will ever change that, nothing," she
replied, while holding him tightly as Justin's body began to shake.

"Justin, are you listening to me?”

"Yes," he whispered.

"I'll always love you no matter what. Nothing you can do or say will ever change that."

“I love you too,” he sighed.

Jennifer and Daphne spent the morning swapping stories, bringing Justin up-to-date with the latest news in their
lives. Daphne was married and had twin boys who were two years old. As planned, Daph had become a doctor but
was taking extended leave to raise the twins. She had met her husband at college and it had been love at first site,
she told her best friend dreamily. This comment had caused Justin, his mom and Daph to laugh and stare at Brian,
who shook his head and smirked. Daph was so excited she barely took a breath and insisted that Justin meet her
husband and children soon.

His mom’s big news came as a surprise: she was engaged to an old family friend and the two were living together.
They had met at a golf club dinner over four years ago and had been engaged for two years. Jennifer now owned a
small real estate agency and business was good. Molly lived in England where she worked as a teacher and came
back to Pittsburgh during the school holidays.

Justin was amazed at how both of their lives had changed so much while his had stood sill. Occasionally his smile
faltered as his mind wondered to his previous life with Ethan. His chest tightened; sadly, he had no happy tales to
tell his mom or Daph. His only stories were of pain and misery and there was no place for those today. During these
moments he would feel a reassuring hand on his shoulder or a kiss on the top of his head from Brian, giving him the
strength he needed to carry on.

During the reunion both his mom and Daph held on to his hands tightly and occasionally kissed his cheeks. Justin
felt great comfort in their touch; he had missed this connection with them so much. Eventually Justin felt his guilt
over abandoning his loved ones ease, as their love for him shone through; he welcomed their forgiveness.

When his mom and Daph left, Justin felt exhausted.

"Why don't you rest before Deb and Emmett arrive," Brian suggested.

"I think I will. Care to join me?"

'You need to ask?" Brian replied with a smirk. Brian lay down first and Justin spooned in front of him.

"How did it go?" Brian asked.

"Good. It was much easier than I expected. I think seeing everyone in small groups is a good idea," Justin yawned.

Moments later they were both asleep.

A loud buzzing noise disturbed them.

"Shit, Justin, we've slept in. That must be Deb and Emmett."

"I'm so tired, Bri, I'm not sure I want to do this now," Justin groaned.

"Too late Mister! There's no going back now," Brian laughed, and slapped Justin's butt playfully.

"Go and freshen up, I'll get the door," he added.

Justin padded off to the bathroom.

"Hey guys," Brian said, as he kissed both Deb and Emmett on the cheek.

"Where is he?" they both said together.

Brian laughed; he didn't know who was crying the most—Deb or Emmett.

"He'll be out soon. Just try not to crowd him, he's been through a lot, but he wants to tell you about that himself."

They both nodded. The group continued to chat as Brian fixed drinks.

'Hey," they heard Justin's soft voice say.

The trio turned around to see Justin walking barefoot down the bedroom steps. He had just reached the bottom when
Deb shouted,

"Sunshine!"

Justin froze.

"Shit," he mumbled as he staggered backwards, his body trembling. He'd forgotten how close he was to the stairs,
until he fell backwards on to them. His back broke the fall, as he fell hard against the corners of the steps.

"Ouch!" he cried out in pain, but still continued to his retreat. He needed to get away. Feeling trapped, his eyes
darted around the room, his only escape being the bathroom.

"Fuck," Brian shouted as he saw the panicked behaviour and the desperate look in Justin's eyes. He raced across the
loft, but by now Justin was on his feet and running to the bathroom door. As Justin went to close it Brian caught
hold of his hand.

"No, no, no..."Justin cried.

"Justin, Justin, its okay. You're safe here," Brian said lovingly.

Brian took hold of him and cradled his shaking body tightly against his own. Whispering words of comfort to soothe
his partner, he slowly closed the bathroom door behind them to give Justin some privacy. Emotionally drained, both
men emerged from the bathroom, unaware of how much time had passed. Brian guided Justin’s weary body towards
the bed. He kept a steadying hand on his lover’s back as he crawled clumsily over the soft spongy folds of the duvet.
The journey was short and painstaking. Once he reached the centre of the bed, Justin collapsed onto its inviting
surface. The soft, luxurious material and familiar scent of Brian calmed him. His body relaxed and his eyes slowly
closed as his mind unlocked its door and allowed sleep to enter.

Brian went over to the sofa where Deb and Emmett were sitting, both of them looking worried. Brian looked at them
both and spoke.

"Justin's been in an abusive relationship with that bastard Ethan for the past few years. Ethan called him Sunshine
whenever he was in trouble, so now when he hears that word he panics."

“Oh Brian, I'm so sorry. Shit, trust me and my big mouth! Is he okay?" Deb replied.

"He's resting. I'll fill you in on the details another time, but right now I need to be with Justin. I know that you’ll
understand."

"Okay sweetie, remember, we're here if you need us," Deb replied, pulling him into a hug.

"Give us a call when you're ready."

"Thanks Deb."

Emmett said nothing; he was too upset to speak. Seeing Justin so panicked and desperate to escape had shocked him.
Hugging Brian, he followed Deb out of the loft. Locking the door behind them and setting the alarm, Brian returned
to the bedroom and to Justin. They both needed to rest.

Justin checked the clock; it was 5.17 a.m. He couldn’t believe how long he had slept. He rubbed his hands over his
face and shook his head. He still felt exhausted. Quietly he made his way to the bathroom and stepped into the
shower. Closing his eyes, he allowed the warm water to fall over his body as he replayed the previous day's events.
Tears started to fall slowly; he tried to control them but it was a battle he could not win. All too soon he was sobbing
uncontrollably.

"Fuck," he whispered to himself.

"What the hell is happening to me? Is this the way my life will be from now on—out of control?"

“Shit!” he cried, as his legs buckled beneath him and his hands clawed desperately at the smooth tiled wall, as he
tried to prevent his collapse. Moments later his body lay crumpled on the hard, wet floor.

"I fucking hate you, Ethan, I fucking hate you..." he shouted into his hands, trying to muffle the sound so that Brian
did not hear.

Brian stood outside of the bathroom door, listening to Justin's pain. Quietly he walked into the bathroom and into the
shower. He sat on the floor behind Justin, pulling him into his body as the water washed over them both.

"Let it out, Jus," he said, as he held him tightly.

Chapter 4

Justin woke to the smell of coffee, and went into the kitchen where Brian was cooking breakfast.

"Morning," Justin croaked.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" Brian replied as he kissed Justin softly on the lips.

“Better. In fact I was thinking that we could invite everyone over here today. I think I can handle it."

Brian looked deep into his eyes.

"I'm not sure, Jus." he paused, trying to find the right words.

"It was difficult for you yesterday seeing Deb and Emmett. The whole gang may be overwhelming."

"I can do it today, please, Brian," he smiled.

Brian wasn’t sure what to do for the best, but he knew that it had to be Justin's decision.

"Okay, if you're sure. But what if I bring everyone up-to-date before they arrive? It will take some of the pressure of
you."

"Deal, but only if you stop worrying so much. I'm going to be fine," he replied as he headed off to the shower,
relieved at Brian's suggestion. Facing the group of friends and family was hard enough without explaining his
mistakes to them.

Later that day almost everyone had arrived. Justin’s mom and Daph had been first, followed by Deb and her
husband, Carl. Justin liked Carl immediately. A little later Ted, Emmett, Michael and his husband, Ben, had rounded
out the gathering.

Seeing Michael again had worried Justin the most. Michael had never really accepted Justin and after everything
that had happened he believed their relationship would be worse than ever. But to his surprise Michael had been
genuinely happy to see him. Marriage obviously suited him.

Brian had been by Justin’s side the entire time, answering any questions that Justin found too difficult. This helped
him enormously.

Now they were only waiting for Linds, Mel and Gus. The loft door slid open and the final three guests walked in.

"Justin, it's great to see you," Linds said, fidgeting nervously, not sure if she should hug him or not.

"Geez, Linds, just do it already," Mel laughed as she took Justin in her arms and gently hugged him.

"Great to have you back Justin," she said quietly into his ear. He returned the embrace, which was full of warmth.
When he was released Linds took over.

"Welcome back, Justin. Brian has missed you so much. We've all missed you."

"Thanks Linds," he replied.

'Come on guys, give him some room," Brian laughed, saving his partner from another hug.

"He's going to be all hugged out," he said, pulling Justin into his embrace. They all laughed as Justin blushed. Brian
turned to Gus who was standing quietly at the door.

"Justin, this is Gus," Brian said proudly.

Justin studied the tall boy who was looking nervously at his feet. It was obvious that he was Brian's son; same colour
hair, eyes and build. However, Gus seemed very quiet and shy. This whole time he had not looked at Justin and
continued to stare at the floor.

"Hey Gus,” Justin said as he moved closer to the boy.

'Hi," Gus replied, making only fleeting eye contact.

"It's great to see you again, Gus. Last time I saw you, you were only a baby. In fact I was there the night you were
born," Justin continued.

Gus smiled shyly and looked up at Justin. He knew all about Justin from the stories his family, particularly his dad,
told. He looked into Justin's eyes, happy that he and his dad were back together. His dad had wanted this for so long.
He liked Justin immediately as he seemed kind and Gus knew he would make his dad happy.

The reunion was in full swing and was very noisy, probably helped by all the wine and champagne that was being
consumed. Deb was louder than Justin had remembered and was serving one of the many dishes she had brought
with her, helped by his mom. They both seemed to have drunk a lot of wine, Justin thought, as he watched them
giggling at some pasta that had fallen onto the floor.

He found that he was on his own for the first time that afternoon. Taking advantage of this, he took his wine and
went to his studio to escape. He sat on the floor with his back against the wall, his legs stretched out in front of him,
facing the windows, enjoying the quiet.

"So, are you an artist?" he heard Gus say as he stood in the doorway.

"Yeah, your dad built this studio for me," Justin replied.

Gus sat down next to him.

"I like art too," he paused, "I want to be an artist as well."

"Well Gus, if you like you can help me design the studio, and then you can use it too,” Justin replied.

"Really," Gus said excitedly as he jumped to his feet.

"Really." Justin laughed.

"We artists need to stick together, Gus," Justin smiled at the enthusiasm that Gus was now showing.

"Thanks Justin,” he beamed.

"When do we start?" he asked as he ran back to sit in front of Justin.

"Soon," Justin smiled. "Very soon."

The pair continued to sit in a comfortable silence, enjoying each other's company.

Brian had been listening outside the studio. He smiled to himself, happy with the latest development. Gus was a shy
boy who kept to himself and seeing his son's instant connection with Justin was magnificent. Leaving the two alone,
he returned to the party.

Closing the loft door, Brian breathed a sigh of relief. Justin laughed.

"Shouldn’t I be the one doing that?" he smirked.

"Twat," Brian grinned.

"Asshole,” Justin replied and ran towards the bedroom, laughing as Brian gave chase.

Justin jumped onto the centre of the bed and turned around just in time to see Brian lunge at him. They both fell in a
heap with Brian on top. Still laughing, Brian brushed the blond hair from Justin's eyes.

"I'm so proud of you," he said, kissing the soft lips.

"I love you, Justin."

Justin closed his eyes as Brian softly kissed him again. Trailing his fingers under Brian's shirt he slipped it over his
head and rolled Brian onto his back then pulled off his 501s. They were now kissing each other with more urgency
as Justin plunged his tongue into his lover’s mouth. Both men moaned into the sensation. Pulling apart, Brian sat up
and stripped Justin of his clothing, letting out a groan as he stroked his hands over the pale alabaster skin. Justin
straddled Brian's lap, their hard cocks rubbing against each other. Brian lowered his head and sucked on the soft
delicate skin below Justin’s ear, gradually increasing the pressure and marking sensitive area. His hand took hold of
Justin's hard member and pumped it slowly. Justin moaned and threw his head back. Brian ran his thumb over the
tip, causing Justin to thrust his hips and encouraging Brian to stroke faster. Moving his hand down to Brian's
throbbing erection, Justin mirrored Brian's movements as he sucked and kissed Brian's bronzed body.

"I want to ride you," Justin growled in a low raspy voice.

Brian kissed Justin hard, devouring his mouth, forcing his tongue between the swollen cherry lips, plunging deep
into the moist warm cavity. Pulling apart, Brian slipped a finger into Justin's mouth, which he sucked on eagerly.
Brian added a second finger and then a third.

"Make them really wet, Jus.”

Justin moaned and sucked harder. Brian licked his lips as he watched Justin sucking on his fingers; his eyes were
closed and he continued to thrust his hips forward as Brian pumped his dick.

"God, Jus, you’re so fucking hot," he said as he bit down on Justin’s collarbone and eased his wet fingers out of
Justin's mouth.

"Now, Bri, now," Justin moaned.

Brian pushed a single finger straight in Justin's quivering entrance; Justin gasped at the intrusion. Brian then added a
second, then a third, preparing Justin, stretching him as he moved his fingers in and out of his hot ass. He watched
Justin and moaned softly, as Justin threw his head back, panting in ecstasy. Abruptly Brian stopped, withdrew his
fingers and released Justin’s cock. Justin eyes flew open.

"Fuck me Brian!" he demanded.

Brian lay on his back bringing his knees up and planting his feet firmly on the bed. He quickly sheathed his cock and
held it straight as Justin positioned himself above it. The head brushed against Justin's entrance as he looked into
Brian's eyes; Justin paused momentarily then impaled himself in one swift movement.

"Fuck,” they both gasped.

"Shit, Justin, you're going to hurt yourself," Brian warned, as he tried to steady Justin’s movements by holding onto
his slim hips.

"Do it Brian,” he groaned as he started to wildly ride Brian.

Justin placed his hands on Brian’s chest to keep his balance as he continued to increase his speed.

"Shit, Jus," Brian moaned as he felt his orgasm begin to build.

"Oh my god, close Bri, so close," he cried.

Brian took hold of Justin's cock and pumped hard. Justin’s body fell forward, sweat dropping off his face onto
Brian's chest. He changed his grip and grabbed hold of Brian's shoulders to steady himself as both of them thrust
wildly.

"B..B..Brrriiaannn," he shouted as his orgasm hit. His whole body filled with pleasure.

"Juuss!" Brian cried moments later.

Justin collapsed onto Brian's chest, breathing heavily. Both of the men were drained of energy; neither was able to
move. When their breathing returned to normal Brian slowly raised Justin off him and removed the condom. He
pulled Justin into his arms, wiping the blond wet hair off his forehead.

"That was fucking..."

"...amazing," Justin finished. They both grinned.

Chapter 5

"Brian, go to work!" Justin laughed as his lover continued to kiss him at the door. Brian was finding it hard to leave
for his first day back at Kinnetik.

"Maybe I should go tomorrow?" he questioned.

"That's what you said yesterday! BRIAN, GO!" he grinned as he slowly pushed Brian towards the elevator.

He watched as Brian left, then closed the loft door. Justin walked over to the kitchen and refilled his coffee, then
made his way down to the studio. Justin studied the space and started to make plans. Wanting to keep the studio as
spacious as possible, he decided that hiring a consultant to advise on how best to utilise the space would be the best
idea. He made a list of what he wanted: storage for his supplies, work surface for stretching canvases/framing, desk,
work table, storage, lighting ... The ringing phone interrupted his thoughts. He sprinted upstairs to answer it just as
the answer machine cut in. There was a long silence on the other end of the phone. Justin paused, wondering who it
was; he started to become nervous the longer the silence went on.

"Mm, Hi, Justin its m, me, Gus."

Justin smiled and picked up the phone.

"Hey, Gus, how are you?"

"Good," he paused. "I was wondering if you were busy today. School is finishing at lunch time and I thought I could
come and see you."

"I'd love that, Gus. Actually I was going to an art shop for some supplies so maybe I could pick you up and we could
go together and then get something to eat. Then we can come back here and make plans for the studio."

"Cool, Justin. I'll be finished at noon."

"Okay, I'll wait outside the main entrance. Later, Gus."

"Later, Justin."

Gus smiled and ran into school, wishing it was lunch time already.

Justin called Brian.

"Hey, Cynthia, is Brian free"?

"Sorry, Justin, he's out with a client. Can I take a message?"

"Yeah, tell him I'm picking Gus up from school at lunch time. We'll get something to eat then head back to the loft."

"Okay, Justin. I'll let him know."

"Thanks, Cynthia."

Justin set the alarm and left the loft. The cab he had ordered pulled up as he was leaving the building.

"St.James Academy please."

He arrived at his old school with 10 minutes to spare. Sitting under a tree, he waited for Gus. At noon the school
doors opened and the first of the pupils came rushing out. Justin started to walk to the front entrance. He was almost
at the steps when he felt the panic attack starting.

"God, no, not now," he said to himself.

Carefully, he started to make his way back to the tree, trying to loosen his scarf as he went. His vision was becoming
blurred and he stumbled, but rather than fall he felt someone grab hold of him. He looked up to see Gus.

"Justin, what's wrong?" the boy asked, concerned.

Thankful of the support, Justin placed his arm over Gus' shoulder. He needed to stay calm and not panic the
youngster, so he spoke as calmly as he could to Gus.

"Gus, can you take me over to the tree? I need to sit down. Feeling dizzy," he managed to say.

Keeping a firm hold, Gus helped Justin the remainder of the way to the tree and sat him down under it. Once there,
he rang his dad.

"Dad, Justin's feeing ill." The words rushed out of his mouth as soon as Brian answered the phone.

"Where are you, Gus?" Brian asked calmly as he ran out of the office, not wanting to distress him.

"We're outside the main entrance of school, dad. Justin says he feels dizzy and we're sitting under a tree."

"Has he fainted, Gus?"

"No, dad, he's just sitting with his head between his legs."

"Okay, Gus, loosen his jacket and scarf so he doesn’t get too hot?"

"Okay, dad."

"I'll be their soon, son."

As he waited for his dad Gus took off Justin's scarf and undid the buttons on his jacket.

"Hey, Justin, how are you feeling?" he asked.

"I'm okay, just a little dizzy," Justin replied without lifting his head.

"Well, dad is on his way and then we can all go home," he said, trying to sound cheerful.

"Do you want me to get a teacher?" Gus asked.

"No thanks, let's wait for Brian."

Gus sat down next to Justin and began to rub his back. He thought it might help as his dad did that to him when he
wasn't well. He kept checking for his dad's car as he continued talking.

"Dad won't be long, Justin," he continued.

A few moments later Brian brought his car to a stop in front of them. Quickly he exited the car and rushed over to
them.

"Hey Jus, another panic attack?" he asked quietly as he gently lifted Justin's head.

"Yeah, too many people again," he replied trying to smile.

"Do you think you can make it to the car or do you want to wait a little longer?" Brian asked.

"Car please," came the muted reply.

Brian helped him to his feet. Justin was having a great deal of trouble keeping his balance. Brian placed his arm
around Justin's shoulder for support. Gus rushed to Justin’s other side and did the same. Slowly the three men made
their way to the car. Brian slid Justin into the passenger seat and fastened his seat belt, Gus hopped in the back, and
they left for the loft.

"How are you feeling now, Jus?" Brian asked as he placed a reassuring hand on Justin's thigh.

"Better, not as dizzy."

"Do you want some water, Justin?" Gus asked.

"That would be great, Gus," Justin replied.

Gus reached into his backpack and took out a bottle. He unscrewed the top and handed it to Justin, who slowly took
a small drink.

"Thanks, Gus, I needed that."

Gus smiled. Brian looked in the mirror and watched his son with pride. Gus had really handled the situation well.

"Thanks for looking after Justin. You did a great job,” he complimented his son.

Gus blushed.

"I'll always be there for Justin, dad."

Both Brian and Justin smiled. Throughout the journey home Brian kept checking in the rear mirror to see that Gus
was okay. This had to have been a shock for him. As he made these checks he also noted that their journey home
was being mirrored by a red Toyota.

"Okay, we're home," Brian said as he parked the car near the loft.

Justin opened his eyes as Brian unfastened his seatbelt and gave him a kiss on the forehead. Gus jumped out of the
car and opened Justin's door while Brian walked around to join him. Brian took Justin's hand and helped him out.
Placing an arm around his partner's shoulder, they started to walk to the loft.

"Justin, Justin!" a woman shouted.

The three men stopped and looked behind them. A man and a woman were getting out of the red Toyota and were
rushing towards them. Brian noticed the woman was carrying a microphone.

"Shit," Brian mumbled.

"Inside quickly!" he said to Justin and Gus.

As they turned a group of about five reporters were making their way towards them from the front of the building.

"Justin, Justin, is it true that you were kept a prisoner by Ethan Gold for five years in New York?" one of the
reporters quizzed.

"Justin, were you and Ethan Gold lovers?" came another question.

"Is it true he beat you, Justin?”

"Were you a sex slave, Justin?"

Questions were being shouted from all angles and a number of photographers were taking pictures. Brian pulled
Justin into his body as he grabbed hold of Gus's collar pulling him in front of him. Before Gus knew what was
happening, Brian pulled his coat over his head to hide his face from the cameras, and quickly marched the group to
the front door.

"Keep your head down, Justin, and nobody say anything," he growled.

The reporters were relentless. The barrage was having an effect on the party. Justin was trembling and Gus was
crying as Brian fumbled trying to get the door key in the lock. Once inside, Brian slammed the door behind them.

"Upstairs," Brian snapped as he pushed Justin and Gus ahead of him.

The three men walked upstairs in silence. Brian opened the loft door and ushered them in; he locked the door and set
the alarm. No-one spoke or moved.

Brian looked over at Gus. His coat was still over his head and his body was shaking. He pulled the boy into his arms
and hugged him tightly. Gus began to sob loudly into Brian's chest.

"Its okay, Gus, try and relax," he spoke soothingly, as he ran his fingers through his son's hair.

"Try and calm down, Gus, you're safe now."

Brian closed his eyes, trying to keep his anger at bay. He needed to be calm for his son. He felt an arm go around his
waist and soft kiss on his cheek. He opened his eyes to see Justin rubbing Gus's back and whispering in his ear. The
words were so quiet he could barely hear them.

"Gus, I'm so sorry. Those reporters were here because of me. I promise I'll do what I can to make sure you never
have to go through that again. I love you Gus and will always try and protect you."

Gus turned his head to face Justin. He saw the pain on Justin’s' face as tears rolled down his cheeks. Gus pulled
slightly away from his dad and pulled Justin into the embrace. The three of them held each other for a long time,
finding comfort in each other's arms.

Eventually Brian spoke.

"Justin, I think we should call Mel, we need to get you a lawyer."

Justin nodded and pulled away from the group.

"I'll do it,” he replied as he made his way over to the phone. He picked up the phone and made his way to the studio,
leaving Brian and Gus alone.

"Hey, sonny boy, how are you doing?" Brian asked

"I'm okay, dad. I know you told me that this might happen, but it was still a shock."

He looked up into Brian's eyes.

"Will this happen a lot?" he asked.

"I think they will follow Justin until the story becomes old and something more interesting comes along. It's going to
be a difficult time for all of us, but particularly Justin. His story will be in the papers and magazines. He’s going to
need a lot of support," Brian explained.

"Will Justin be okay, dad?" Gus asked with concern in his eyes.

"Yeah he will, he's very strong and we’ll help him get through this. But, Gus, if you think this will be too difficult
for you to handle I want you to tell me. Maybe you shouldn’t visit the loft or be seen with Justin as there could be
reporters following him until this dies down."

"No, dad," Gus stated firmly.

"Justin will need both of us," he continued.

Brian smiled down at his son and kissed him on the head.

"I love you, Gus," he said as he pulled him in for another hug.

"Love you too, dad."

"Hey, do you want to watch TV so I can talk to Justin?"

"Sure,” Gus hugged Brian again and went to switch the TV on.

As Brian walked into the studio he saw Justin leaning against one of the windows with his forehead pressed against
the glass. He still held the phone in his hand.

"Hey," Brian whispered into his ear as he wrapped his arms around Justin’s thin frame.

"Hey," Justin whispered.

"What did Mel say?" Brian asked.

"Long story short, she will be my lawyer and will arrange for the paperwork for the case to be sent to her office.
Also she’ll contact New York to confirm that the trial can be held here.” Justin sighed and turned to face Brian.

"Shit Brian, I’m so sorry Gus got dragged into this. Is he okay?"

"He's fine. I gave him the choice of not coming to the loft or seeing you until this is over but he insisted you would
need him," Brian smiled.

"He loves you, Justin, and wants to be there for you."

"I love him too. I thought about him so much over the years and seeing him again is wonderful. He's a great kid,” he
paused, “but maybe it would be best if I moved out of the loft so his life is not disrupted more than it has to be. How
can he visit you here if I have reporters following me? It's not fair on him, Brian," Justin finished before he looked
away.

"You're not leaving, Justin. I have waited too long to get you back. Reporters are not going to come between us. No-
one will, ever again. Are you listening to me?"

Justin did not reply.

"Justin, you are not moving out. We're in this together."

"Fuck, Brian, how did I manage to screw up so badly?" Justin cried as he pulled away from Brian's arms.

"I mean, really, could it have turned out any worse?" he shouted as he threw his arms out and knocked the easel
over.

Brian took him in his arms.

"Yeah, Justin, it could have turned out worse. We might never have found each other again,” he spoke the words
softly into Justin's hair, as he held his shaking body tight to his own.

Justin squeezed Brian tightly. He felt as if this nightmare would never end, but he also felt that he had never been
loved by anyone so much in his life.

"I love you, Brian," he managed to say.

"I love you too, Jus.”

Chapter 6

Brian checked his watch. It was 11.10 a.m. and Justin was still asleep. He wasn't surprised that Justin had not woken
yet; he had spent most of the night distressed and had slept fitfully. Brian added the newspaper he was reading to the
large pile on the floor and made his way to the bedroom. Quietly he climbed the stairs to check that Justin was okay.

"Hey," Justin smiled as Brian moved to the side of the bed.

"Morning, beautiful," Brian replied as he kissed his partner on the lips.

"How are you feeling?"

"Okay," Justin answered in a hoarse voice.

"Where's Gus?" Justin asked.

"Mel collected him earlier when she dropped off some paperwork for you to read," Brian paused.

"... she also dropped off the newspapers."

Justin groaned as he rubbed his hands over his face.

"How bad is it?" he asked.

"It's pretty bad. Some of the pictures the police took of your injuries have been published."

"Oh god,” Justin groaned.

"There's more,” Brian added quietly as he lay down next to Justin.

“One of the tabloids seems to have snagged the whole story from somewhere or someone. It's pretty much what you
told the police as well as a story about you leaving the Rage party with Ethan."

"Fuck, Brian, how is that possible? Who the hell knows all the details apart from me, you, Ethan and the police?
Shit, even the family doesn’t know ALL the details, but they will when they read this.”

“Shit! Shit! Shit!" he shouted as he jumped out of bed and stormed into the bathroom.

Brian followed but kept quiet, he knew Justin needed to vent.

"Fuck Ethan and fuck all of this shit. I've had enough Brian. I just want to be fucking left alone. It never fucking
ends. For years I was trapped with that bastard controlling my life and all I dreamed of was getting away from him.
When it eventually happened I hoped to start over but when is THAT going to fucking happen!" Justin screamed,
then slammed his fists onto the vanity.

"When Brian, when?" he continued to yell.

"Shit! Isn't it bad enough that I lost five years of my life because of that bastard and his sick, twisted mind. NO, now
the whole country can enjoy the whole sordid tale and gossip about him and me! How the hell am I supposed to pick
up the pieces of my life and move on? Fuck, I haven't even gone to court yet. And I'm sure that is going to be a ball.
Sitting opposite him as we play your word against mine! It's such a ridiculous tale. What jury is going to believe
me? Some stupid little blond fag. They'll probably think I made the whole thing up and believe the world famous
MR GOLD!"

"I FUCKING HATE HIM ...!" he screamed at the top of his voice.

Justin picked up the bathroom scales and threw them at the shower. Quickly Brian jumped in front of him, shielding
Justin's naked body, enveloping the smaller man as the glass screen shattered and fell to the floor. Justin stopped; his
heart was pounding and felt as if it was going to burst out of his chest. Slowly Brian straightened up and carried the
barefooted Justin into the bedroom and sat him on the bed. Brian leant his forehead against Justin's as they stared
into each other's eyes.

"Feeling better?" Brian smirked.

Justin chewed on his bottom lip.

"Kind of," he replied nervously.

"Well, as long as it helped, twat," Brian laughed.

"Asshole!" Justin grinned and swatted Brian's stomach, as they both fell back on the bed in fits of laughter.

Later that day Justin was lying on the sofa resting his head on Brian's lap.

"What are you thinking?" he asked the older man.

"I was thinking that you should consider seeing a doctor about the panic attacks," Brian replied as he played with
Justin's hair.

"Not just the attacks, Jus, but also to discuss the past few years. Talking to a professional will help,” Brian continued
as he ran his hand through the soft blond strands.

Justin slowly nodded.

"I was thinking the same thing," he replied quietly.

"I'll come with you if you want me to, you don't have to do this on your own. Even if you just want me to wait in the
waiting room, that’s fine too," Brian added.

Justin sat up and straddled Brian's lap so they were face to face.

"I'm so lucky to have you in my life," he whispered against Brian's lips as he softly kissed him, gently trailing the tip
of his tongue against the soft pink skin.

Brian smiled and closed his eyes.

"Thanks," Justin whispered as he laid his head on Brian’s chest. He sighed contentedly as he felt the strong arms of
his lover wrap around his body to protect him.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Justin was painting in the studio. It was 10 days before Christmas and there was a lot to organise. He put down his
brush and looked out the window. There were only a couple of reporters outside. The numbers were slowly
dwindling. The media interest seemed to be waning, probably due to the low profile he had been keeping and his
refusal to comment. The story and updates still ran in the press but it was no longer on the front pages.

"Yesterday's news," he thought sarcastically to himself. Well, for them maybe but not for me.

The family had also closed ranks and had not co-operated with the press, so new angles for the story were few and
far between. Justin and Brian followed every article that was written, trying to work out where the leaks for the story
could be coming from. The papers had been full of stories about Ethan and his numerous tricks, many of whom were
happy to sell their side of the story. Justin found reading these stories particularly difficult to stomach as he had
never realised just how much tricking Ethan had done while he was held prisoner. He was also horrified by the types
of trick that Ethan chose; namely, blond hair, blue eyed and young. Like Justin, Ethan kept quiet; no comments or
interviews were ever published. Justin's thoughts now focused on the most recent events.

Brian had been recommended a therapist for Justin and both of them attended sessions three times a week. Justin
was relieved to have a third party to confide in as he didn't want to burden Brian with all of his problems.

A trial date had also been set for mid January. The sooner the better as far as Justin and Brian were concerned.
However, there were some major issues. According to Mel, the case would be very difficult to prove. Justin’s worst
fears had been confirmed. It would come down to his word against Ethan's; and as no-one had ever seen Justin at the
apartment or any sign of him living there no-one could verify his side of the story. The only part of the case Mel
thought they could definitely win was the assault, as the police had photos and forensic evidence to back this up.

The sound of the telephone interrupted his thoughts. He waited before answering, screening all calls as usual.

"Hey, Jus," Brian said.

"Hey, how's it going?" Justin replied.

"Good. I'm on my way over to see Gus. I was wondering what you would think of him spending Christmas day with
us, as long as Mel and Linds agree."

"I would love that,” Justin smiled.

"Okay, I'll ask them tonight. Later."

"Later, Bri.”

Still smiling, Justin hung up the phone, It would be wonderful having Gus over at Christmas. He just hoped that Mel
and Linds would agree.

The buzzer on the intercom went.

"Hello, Mr. Taylor, it's Steve Baxter."

"Hey Steve, come on up." Justin pressed the buzzer to allow Steve access. Hurriedly he grabbed a cloth and began to
wipe the paint off his hands in preparation for his first self-defence lesson.

Chapter 7

Brian quickly made his way to the loft taking the stairs two at a time; he had left work early to spend Christmas eve
with Justin. He slid open the door and was instantly greeted with a delicious smell coming from the kitchen. Closing
the door he placed his briefcase on the floor, and while loosening his tie made his way over to the stove. He lifted
the lid off the saucepan, taking in the full aroma of the warm mulled wine. Brian smiled to himself; Christmas was
going to be special this year. Making his way into the lounge he stopped, the loft had been transformed. Slowly he
looked around him taking in every detail.

A large green fir tree stood at the far wall of the loft taking pride of place in the centre of the windows. It had to be
over 6ft tall, as it was taller than Brian. It was decorated simply and tastefully with tiny white lights and a large gold
star on the top. His eyes roamed over the tree as he took in all of its simple elegance and beauty. When his gaze
reached the bottom he was amazed to see the amount of presents sitting below it. He walked over and picked up one
of the brightly wrapped packages, smiling as he read the label,

'To the best dad in the world

Luv Gus xxx".

Brian gently shook the box which was wrapped in snowman Christmas paper. He placed the present back under the
tree and walked towards the coffee table that was adorned with a long centre piece made from holly, berries, fir
cones and twigs. In the centre of the arrangement was a wide round white candle, with two smaller candles either
side. The flames of the candles danced as he walked by. On his way towards the kitchen island he admired the many
red poinsettias, as well as the mixed baskets of holy and fir cones which were placed in groups throughout the loft.
On the top of the kitchen counter there were two large Christmas platters, one full of chocolates and candies, the
second full of fruit and mixed nuts. Both Justin and Gus loved chocolates, Brian thought to himself as he popped a
champagne truffle into his mouth. The rest of the counter was decorated with red and white candles, in a variety of
shapes. Brian laughed as his eyes were drawn to three very large Christmas stockings hanging from the counter. The
first one had a snowman on it as well as Gus's name, the second an Angel with Justin's name and the third had a very
round Santa with Brian's name. Brian picked up the soft velvet stocking and grinned Justin had thought of
everything.

Quietly he approached Justin's studio and where his eyes were drawn to the large sprig of mistletoe hanging from
the door frame. He crept towards the door and peeked in. Justin was engrossed in his work. Brian's breath caught as
he took in the sight before him. Justin's jeans hung low on his hips, he was barefoot and topless. Brian noticed his
blue tee on the floor next to him. Reaching up he took the mistletoe in his hand and walked into the studio. Justin
smiled to himself as he heard Brian's footsteps approach then sighed as he felt Brian’s arms go around his waist.

"Merry Christmas, Jus," he said as he held the mistletoe above Justin's head. Justin looked up and laughed as Brian
gave him a big loud kiss on the lips. Justin turned to face his partner.

"Merry Christmas," he smiled as he softly ran his tongue across Brian’s lips, before slowly pushing it inside.

Brian dropped the mistletoe and pulled Justin into his body. The kiss started soft and sensual but soon became
heated and hungry. Brian picked Justin up and carried him over to the artist’s desk. Lowering him onto his feet, he
quickly spun him around and bent Justin over the flat hard surface. Justin grabbed the edge to steady himself as
Brian swiftly pulled down his jeans, revealing Justin's perfect ass. Brian dropped his trousers and prepared Justin
quickly then sheathed his own erection. Then halting the fevered pace he pushed into his lover slowly. Justin

moaned and pushed back, as Brian set a slow sensual rhythm. The pair’s love making continued unabated, oblivious
to a pair of prying eyes watching their every move from an apartment across the street.

----------------------------

Brian entered the kitchen his hair still damp from the shower, where Justin was preparing dinner. He kissed Justin on
the cheek, as he continued towards the door where he put his coat on.

"Ok, so I should be back with Gus in about an hour. Will that be ok for dinner?”

"Perfect," Justin replied. "Now go, you're already late!" he smiled as he swatted Brian's butt.

"Well, if you hadn't joined me in the shower I would have been on time," Brian smirked.

"Didn't hear you complain at the time Mr. Kinney,” Justin grinned. “Anyway I thought you would like your first
Christmas present early," Justin added, wiggling his ass."

"Now leave," he said laughing.

Brian grabbed his keys and walked towards the door, then quickly returned to Justin. He gathered Justin in his arms
and spun him around, planting a quick succession of small kisses on his face.

"Brian," Justin laughed as his lover sat him on the counter then rushed out of the loft.

An hour and a half later Brian and Gus walked through the loft door.

"Sorry we're late," Brian said as he kissed Justin’s cheek.

"No problem, I allowed two hours for dinner, I knew you wouldn’t be back in one," he smirked as he blew Brian a
kiss.

Justin walked over to Gus.

"Merry Christmas, Gus,” he smiled as he helped the boy out of his coat.

"Merry Christmas, Justin, I'm happy you're here with us this year. Dad won't be sad anymore." Gus leant forward
and quickly kissed Justin's cheek while his face flushed pink. "I'll take the coats," he said as he scurried out of the
room.

Brian and Justin stared at each other completely surprised by Gus's words and display of affection. Justin wrapped
his arms around Brian's waist and looked into his eyes. He wiped away the tear which rolled down Brian's cheek.
Justin pulled him closer.

"He's right you know. I'm not sad anymore, now that I have you back in my life," Brian said softly.

"Me too Bri, me too," Justin whispered into Brian's chest.

Brian tilted Justin's head and grinned at his partner. "Tell me Justin Taylor. What is it about you that make the
Kinney men love you so much?" Justin laughed and squeezed Brian tighter. "I’ve never seen Gus so open with
anyone or be so protective towards someone. The connection was obvious from the first time he met you at the
family get together. My son loves you."

"I felt it too, Brian. I love him with all of my heart,” Justin pulled Brian's mouth to his and gently kissed him.

"Gee, dad, do you think you could stop kissing Justin for a while?” Brian turned around to see his son smirking at
him from the kitchen.

"Gus! Justin was kissing me!" Brian replied.

"Sure dad, whatever you say!" the boy grinned, before biting into a large white chocolate.

Justin looked over at Gus, giving him a knowing wink, Gus laughed.

After eating too much dinner, the small family relaxed and chatted. Brian and Justin entertained Gus with stories
from their past. Brian smiled as he listened to Justin tell Gus how it was love at first sight, and how he had known

they would be together. Brian then told about the night Gus was born and how Justin had helped to pick Gus’s name.
Gus loved this story and told Justin how relieved he was that Gus had been chosen. Brian laughed as he explained to
Justin that Gus had stated this many times over the years.

As they talked they had opened the presents from under the tree. Now there were only four gifts left: two for Brian
and two for Justin, Gus had opened his all at once.

"These are from me," Gus said, as he handed his dad and Justin a gift. "Open yours first, dad."

Brian unwrapped the present and took out a small jewellers box. He opened the lid to reveal a pair of round, silver
cufflinks. Taking them out of the box he looked closely at the design. Engraved into the centre of one was the letter
‘B’ and into the other the letter ‘J’.

"I thought you could wear them at work, dad."

"I'll wear them everyday, Gus," Brian replied as he pulled his son onto a hug. "Thank you," he said as he kissed him
on top of his head.

"You next, Justin," Gus said excitedly.

Justin quickly unwrapped the paper from his present and again it revealed a small jewellers box. Justin opened the
box and lifted out a silver chain with a round pendent on it. The shape was an exact match to Brian's cufflinks.
Smiling he checked out the engraving which read ‘B&J’.

"I love it," Justin beamed, as he embraced Gus.

"I knew you don't wear business shirts like dad, so I thought of the pendent," Gus said with pride.

"Brian, can you fasten it for me?'

"There how does that look?" Justin asked Gus.

"Great Justin," Gus replied proudly.

Justin smiled at Gus then walked over to the tree and picked up his present for Brian.

"Merry Christmas, Brian,” Justin said, as he placed a soft kiss on Brian’s lips.

Brian lifted the lid of the embossed silver box and pushed back the many layers of tissue paper. Inside was an oil
painting. It was in an elegant silver frame and was about 8 inches by 10 inches. The painting was a portrait of Brian
and Gus.

"Justin, it’s amazing. I've never seen anything as beautiful in my life,” Brian said as he lightly ran his fingers over
the textured surface. "Thank you," he said softly not trusting himself to speak.

"Dad, what about Justin's present from you?" Gus asked.

Brian collected the last present from under the tree.

"Merry Christmas, Jus," Brian smiled as he handed the present to Justin.

Justin took the box and shook it trying to guess what was inside.

"Justin, hurry up," Gus sighed, already knowing what was inside the box.

Justin laughed and ripped off the paper. Inside were two small boxes, both from Tiffany's. Puzzled he held them up.

"Ok, which one do I open first?" he asked Brian.

"The smaller one," Brian replied.

Justin took the lid off the smaller box to reveal a silver key ring.

"Now the other one,” Gus shouted excitedly.

Justin laughed and opened the second box. Inside there was a large key. (While Justin was engrossed in opening the
second box, Brian and Gus stood and moved behind him.) Justin felt Brian's hand on his shoulder.

"Now close your eyes Justin, I'm going to put a blind fold on you so no peeking!" Brian said.

"Okay," Justin replied, slightly confused.

"Now put on your coat," Gus said as he helped Justin maneuver his arms into the sleeves.

"Why do I need my coat on?" Justin asked, as he buttoned up his Jacket.

"Too many questions, Jus," Brian laughed as he and Gus guided Justin out of the loft, into the elevator and to the
underground garage.

"Not much further," Gus said as the three men reached their destination.

"Now keep your eyes closed, I'm taking off the blindfold. No looking until we say so," Brian stated.

Justin nodded his head as the blindfold was removed. Brian nodded towards Gus ready for the reveal that they had
rehearsed.

"3, 2, 1 OPEN YOU EYES!" they shouted together.

Justin quickly opened his eyes. There in front of him was a blue BMW sports car wrapped in a giant blue ribbon.

"Oh my god," he gasped, as he ran his hand along the side of the car.

"OH MY GOD!" he shouted, as he jumped into Brian's arms wrapping his legs around his waist. He showered Brian
with dozens of small kisses. Brian staggered as his arms were suddenly full of a very excited Justin.

"I love it, love it," Justin smiled. "Thank you, thank you, thank you, .......," he repeated kissing Brian after every
word.

"Get inside, Justin," Gus said excitedly.

Justin pressed the button on the key to open the doors, ripped off the ribbon and jumped into the driver’s seat. At the
same time Gus hopped into the passenger seat. Brian stood back and smiled contentedly, enjoying the scene as his
family enjoyed their first Christmas together.

Chapter 8

Justin quickly downed another shot of vodka, then wiped his hand across his mouth. He looked at the empty glass in
his left hand, then at the half empty bottle in his right. He paused momentarily before he poured another refill. The
contents spilled over the side of the glass, as he raised it to his lips and swallowed.

"Shit," he muttered to himself as the clear liquid ran down his hand.

He sat on the stairs which led to the bedroom and watched the family as they enjoyed the New Year’s Eve party that
he and Brian had organised. He closed his eyes and grimaced as dizziness took over.

"Why did I think this was a good idea?" he thought to himself.

Loud cheering caused his eyes to open. He glanced towards the tree to see Debbie holding mistletoe and kissing
Carl. The detective looked highly embarrassed as the family cheered. Justin smiled, the same fake smile he had
plastered on his face all evening.

"I need to get out of here," he thought.

He stood up slowly and staggered over to the spiral staircase. Still clutching the bottle of vodka and the shot glass.
He leant on the rail and carefully placed one foot on the first stair, then gradually began his clumsy descent. Half
way down he stumbled and grabbed hold of the hand rail, dropping the glass. Justin grinned, as he watched the small
glass tumble in slow motion down the remainder of the stairs, then smash as it hit the floor.

"Who needs a glass?" he muttered, as he raised the bottle to his lips and drank.

He continued to drink as he slowly made his way down the stairs, unaware he had reached the bottom until he heard
the crunch of broken glass under foot. He shrugged off the sound and walked to his studio, oblivious to the noise his
glass encrusted shoe made as it scraped against the wood floor. The street lamps outside cast a soft glow across the
studio, as Justin continued his journey through the shadowy room and into the ensuite. He sighed when he reached
the large bath tub and sat on its cold, smooth edge.

"Peace and quiet," he whispered to no one in particular and took another swig from the now almost empty bottle.

Justin’s eyelids began to feel heavy; he felt exhausted. Being with the whole family was just so tiring; he felt
drained. He just needed to rest for a few minutes. Turning around clumsily he threw one leg over the side of the tub,
then the other. Once both feet were on the bottom of the tub, he allowed his body to slide down its side until his butt
hit the bottom with a thud. Still holding the bottle he crawled up to end of the bath and rested his back against its
hard surface, stretching his legs out in front of him. Gradually, his head fell back as he closed his eyes and fell
asleep. His fingers twitched, as his body relaxed and the Vodka bottle slowly slipped out of his hand. The clear
liquid spilled on to his shirt, causing the thin fabric to cling to his chest.

Brian stood in the kitchen, leaning against the counter as Mikey chatted excitedly about something or other. Brian
hoped he was nodding and smiling in the right places. He was not paying attention to his friend, as he was too
concerned about Justin and the amount of vodka he was consuming. He had watched Justin drink more than half of
the bottle so far, as he sat by himself on the stairs at the foot of the bedroom.

"This party was not a good idea," Brian thought, as he watched Justin yet again overfill his glass; some of the
contents spilled onto his hand as he shakily raised the glass to his mouth.

He had watched Justin all evening, as Justin mingled with their guests. Refilling glasses, laughing at jokes and trying
to play the part of the perfect host. But Brian could see through the facade and the fake smile on Justin’s face, even
if no one else could.

"Brian, Brian...," Mikey stated.

"Sorry, Mikey, what were you saying?"

"Geez, Brian, you were miles away. I was saying do you and Justin want to come over for dinner tomorrow?"

"We were planning a relaxing day at home Mikey. I think we'll be tired after the party,” Brian replied.

"Brian its only dinner and Ben and I would......"

"No, Justin will need to rest tomorrow," Brian replied quietly.

"Sorry, I never thought," Michael replied. "I keep forgetting, he seems ok.....," Mikey’s words trailed off as he
struggled to find the right ones.

"He's doing really well and he will be ok, but there's a lot to work through," Brian replied to his friend, not wanting
him to feel uncomfortable.

Michael smiled and changed the subject. Brian continued to watch Justin who was now staggering down to the
staircase.

"Shit,” Brian thought.

He really wanted to go over to Justin and take the vodka away from him, but didn't want to embarrass him in front of
the family. None of them had noticed Justin slowly drinking himself into oblivion. Brian was torn; he needed to stop
Justin drinking, but was not sure how to do it quietly. He watched as Justin edge his way down the stairs and cringed
as he heard the sound of breaking glass.

"Fuck, that's it," he mumbled to himself. He needed to do something now. He turned to Michael.

"Hey, Mikey, can you check everyone is okay for drinks? I just need to check that Gus is asleep."

"Sure," Michael replied and made his way into the lounge.

Brian walked quietly over to the stairs, following Justin's earlier route. He avoided the broken glass at the bottom
and made his way into the darkness of the studio. Confused at not finding Justin there, he walked over to the ensuite,
noticing that the door was partially open. He walked inside to find Justin asleep in the bathtub, fully clothed with his
shoes on and the empty vodka bottle lying on his chest. As he leaned over the sleeping figure, he was relieved to see
Justin's shirt wet from the remainder of the booze.

"At least you didn’t drink it all Justin!" he whispered into the darkness.

Brian reached into the tub and picked up the bottle, placing it on the floor. He stood behind Justin at the end of the
tub and grabbed him under the arms. Justin moaned as he was lifted out of the bath.

"What are you doing?" he slurred.

Brian groaned. "Shit, Justin, you're a dead weight when you're drunk."

Justin began to wave his arms around. "What are you doing?" he repeated.

"Taking you to the shower," Brian replied as he lifted Justin over his shoulder. “You stink!”

Chapter 9

Justin took another sip of water as he hurried towards his car. The trial was now only ten days away and he and
Brian had an appointment with Mel to discuss a new development in the case. As he reached the car, he noticed a
single red rose on the windscreen. Justin smiled and picked it up. He jumped into the car and called Brian.

"Hey, gorgeous," Brian said, as he answered the phone.

"Brian, thank you it's beautiful," Justin smiled.

Brian hesitated. "What's beautiful, Justin?"

"The rose you left on my car,"

"Jus. I didn't leave a rose on your car.”

The smile faded from Justin’s lips as he absorbed Brian’s words. “Ethan,” he whispered. Justin sighed and closed his
eyes, as an unwelcomed memory of Ethan invaded his thoughts. Ethan was placing a breakfast tray in front of him
and on it was a single red rose. The musician was smiling and apologising. Justin shivered and opened his eyes.
Ethan had always given Justin a single red rose as an apology.

“Where are you?" Brian asked calmly, trying to hide the fear he felt inside.

Justin didn't answer.

"Justin, Justin," he repeated trying to take control of this situation.

"Yeah, I'm here," Justin whispered.

"Listen to me, where are you?"

"I'm in the car park at home."

"Okay, are you in the car?

"Yes," Justin answered.

"Good. Lock the doors and drive to Kinnetik. Come straight here Justin. I'll wait at the front entrance for you.
Okay?"

The Silence on the other end of the phone was deafening. Brian paced around his office preying for a reply.

"Justin," Brian shouted sharply.

The sharp tone gained Justin’s attention.

"I'll come straight over," Justin replied as he locked the car doors.

Justin opened the car window and disposed of the rose. He trembled, as he watched the flower fall to the ground.
Shakily, he fumbled in his jacket pocket and pulled out the medication prescribed by Dr Samuels. He twisted and
pulled at the cap until eventually the top flew off, spilling most of the contents onto his lap. He dropped the bottle
and retrieved two of the pills, then placed them on his dry tongue. Quickly he washed them down with the remainder
of his water; not caring as the liquid ran down his chin and onto his jacket. When he'd finished, he let the bottle fall
from his hand and leant forward resting his head on the steering wheel. Slowly he counted backwards from ten and
began the deep breathing exercises he had been shown. He squeezed his eyes shut and hoped he had caught the
panic attack in time. Still concentrating on his breathing, he blocked out all other thoughts as each breath helped to
calm his body. Eventually the trembling began to subside and a relative calm swept over him. He started the car and
he sped out of the car park.

As the automatic door began to close, a figure emerged out of the shadows. Slowly a man walked over to the rose
and picked it up. He held it under his nose and inhaled its sweet scent, then crushed the single bloom in his hands.
The thorns penetrated the surface of his skin, releasing small bubbles of blood. The garage door banged shut as he
walked towards the exit.

Justin arrived at Kinnetik to see Brian waiting at the entrance. He stopped the car and released the locks, to allow
Brian access. Relieved, Brian opened Justin’s door and pulled him out. The swift action caused the empty water
bottle, medication container and loose tablets to fall to the ground. Brian pulled Justin tight into his body as both
men found comfort in each others arms.

"I think it was Ethan," Justin whispered into Brian's chest.

"Me too,” Brian answered as he walked them into Kinnetik.

------------------------------

There was a knock on Brian’s office door and the noise caused Justin to jump.

"Come in," Brian called.

"Mel's here Brian," Cynthia said, as she popped her head around the door.

"Okay, give us a minute," he replied.

Cynthia quietly exited the room. Brian looked back down at Justin and brushed the blond hair back from his eyes,
Justin looked up and sighed. He didn't want to move from the sofa, where he felt safe, lying with his head on Brian's
lap.

"Are you ready to see Mel?" Brian asked.

"Yeah, let’s get started,” Justin replied, as he sat up, ready for the meeting.

Mel entered the room and Brian motioned for her to sit at the desk.

"Thanks for coming, Mel. I know it was short notice to change the location".

"It’s not a problem Brian, believe me," she replied and smiled at Justin.

"Do you really think Ethan may have left the rose on the car?" she continued.

Justin nodded, biting his lower lip.

"Okay, why?" she asked.

"If it wasn't Brian, it had to be Ethan. Ethan always gave me a single red rose when he was apologising. Who else
would leave me a rose on my car?" Justin explained.

"It sounds plausible,” Mel replied. “Unfortunately we have no proof. We still have the restraining order against him
and that's all we can do for now. I suggest we check to see if he is still living in New York, or if he has relocated
here to prepare for the trial."

Brian and Justin nodded.

“If you’re both okay then I think we need to talk about the trial. I really hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I'm
afraid that we have a major problem.” Mel paused and took a deep breath.

“We have no witnesses to verify your story Justin. No-one saw you at the apartment or any sign that anyone else
lived there. We’ve interviewed his manager, friends, tricks, maintenance engineers, business associates and they all
tell the same story. They all corroborate the fact that Ethan lived alone. Justin, this guy was good. There was no
evidence of you in that apartment whenever anyone visited." Mel shook her head regretfully when she finished.

Justin laid his head back against the sofa and closed his eyes.

Mel continued. "As for your family and friends not seeing you for the last five years. That does not prove that you
were being held against your will by Ethan. Your mom thought you were in Europe painting and you told her and
Josh Michaels that you were going away and would contact them later. Plus, you voluntarily cut all ties with your
friends from Pittsburgh.”

Brian watched as the colour drained from Justin's face. Justin nodded in reply to Mel, but remained silent and kept
his eyes closed as he absorbed the information.

Brian looked back at the lawyer. "So what are our options Mel?" he asked on behalf of Justin.

Mel took a deep breath.

"Two options. One we take the case to trial as planned and it will end up being Justin's word against Ethan’s. The
trial will be very messy, and both of your private lives will be dragged through the courts and into the public
spotlight. Justin, his legal team will set out to destroy your reputation and your relationship with Brian will be
exposed."

"What does that have to do with the case?" Brian shouted causing Justin to open his eyes.

Brian, the case will be won and lost based on who the jury believes is the more credible. Ethan and his legal team
will want to discredit both of you in front of the jury.

"What’s the second option?" Brian asked.

"We drop the trial on condition that Ethan agrees to a plea bargain for the assault." Mel replied. Both Mel and Brian
looked to Justin. "Do you have any questions, Justin?" she asked.

"I just need some time to think Mel, it's a lot to take in," Justin replied as he walked over to the window. The room
fell silent as Mel and Brian waited for Justin to speak.

"What do you advise Mel?" he asked quietly.

Mel hesitated as both men looked at her. Brian had a bad feeing about her answer; he walked over to Justin and
pulled him into his arms as they waited for her reply.

"My advice, Justin, is to not take the case to trial."

"No!" Brian exclaimed. Justin made no comment.

"Without evidence, Justin, I don't think the jury will convict Ethan." she continued. "If we do not go to trial, I will
make it conditional on Ethan pleading guilty to assault and then at least it will be marked on his permanent record.
I'm sorry, Justin I know this is not what you wanted to hear. If you still want to take it to trial, I will pull out all of
the stops to win. But I stand by the advice I have given you, as your lawyer and as your friend."

Justin returned to the sofa and sat down. He placed his head in his hands.

"Thanks, Mel, I'll let you know my decision tomorrow."

"If you need to discuss anything else about the case, night or day, don’t hesitate to call me, Justin,” she replied as
she walked towards the door. As she left she looked back at her friends. At times like this she hated her job. She left
without another word.

Brian joined Justin on the sofa and took hold of his hand, they sat in silence. What was there to say?

----------------------------

Brian awoke first the next morning. The office was in darkness. They had fallen asleep on the sofa. Brian had spent
hours comforting Justin, as the reality of Mel's words slowly sunk in. Brian had been relieved when Justin
eventually cried himself to sleep.

Reluctantly, he now began to wake Justin. "Wake up Jus, we need to go home."

Justin stirred, and his eyes locked with Brian's. Brian studied the tired face before him: Justin's eyes were red and
puffy, his cheeks stained with tears, and his lips were cracked and dry. Brian tried to smooth down Justin's
dishevelled hair and then kissed him on the lips.

"Come on, beautiful, time to go" Brian smiled.

Exiting the building, they stopped in front of Justin's car.

"We’ll take your car," Brian said.

Justin silently handed him the keys and headed to the passengers side.

"Shit,” Brian exclaimed.

"What's wrong?" Justin asked.

"You’ve got a flat tyre,” Brian replied.

"We can’t catch a break today." Brian said to himself. "We'll take my car Jus." Brian added, as he draped his arm
over Justin’s shoulder.

As they drove off a man approached Justin's car and smirked. He kicked the flat tyre and laughed, appreciating his
handy work. He turned the collar up on his jacket and pulled a black beanie over his short blond hair as he walked
away from Kinnetik. He paused briefly outside of Brian’s office and grinned, as he launched a brick through the
window. Satisfied with his work, he continued on his way, as the building alarm sounded.

------------------------------

Justin entered the loft and walked into the kitchen. He opened a bottle of Jim Beam and threw the cap onto the floor.
Taking a long drink from the bottle he lowered himself on to the floor and sat with his back pressed against the
refrigerator. Brian joined him, his presence ignored by Justin, who continued to seek comfort from the bottle.

"Can I have a drink?" Brian asked as he reached for the bottle.

Justin shook his head and pulled the bottle out of Brian's reach. Brian pinched the bridge of his nose, unsure about
his next move.

"Justin we need to talk about this."

"What the fuck for Brian?" he asked coldly, taking another drink.

"What the fuck for!" Brian repeated. "Fuck, Justin, we need to decide what to do."

Justin huffed out a small laugh. "WE Brian? WE! " he shouted. "I need to decide what to do!"

"Justin, we’re in this together. I want to help. Don’t shut me out," Brian said as he reached for Justin's hand.

Justin recoiled from Brian's touch. He jumped to his feet, looking down at the man next to him.

"Thanks Bri! I'm so pleased we are in this together!" he sneered. "Pity we weren’t IN IT TOGETHER when I was
trapped in hell for five years," he spat.

"Hey, maybe the beatings and sex would have been so much more bearable if we had been IN IT TOGETHER!" He
turned and walked away, continuing to drink.

"Fuck! Justin," Brian shouted as he quickly moved across the loft and grabbed Justin's arm, turning the angry man
around to face him. "This whole situation sucks, but don't for one fucking minute try to push me away,”

"I AM GOING NO WHERE!” he shouted as he grabbed the bottle out of Justin's hand and threw it against the wall.
The bottle shattered and spilled its contents onto the floor.

"And drinking yourself into oblivion won't help, believe me, I know!" he finished.

Neither man moved as they continued to lock eyes, both furious at the hand they had been dealt. Brian spoke first.

"Listen to me, we will get through this. And whatever you decide I will support you 100%."

A pained cry escaped from Justin’s lips, as his limp body fell against Brian’s chest. Thankful, Brian held on tight,
relieved at breaking through the barriers his lover was trying to erect.

Chapter 10

Hey," Justin said as he answered the phone.

"Hey, beautiful. I just wanted to ask one more time. Do you want to go out tonight and celebrate Valentine’s Day?”

"Let's just order in, Brian. I'm not in the mood."

"Okay, we’ll order in. But can you collect me from work, my car won't start," Brian sighed.

"No problem, I'll leave now." Justin grabbed his car keys and left the loft.

When he arrived at Kinnetik, Justin was surprised that Brian was not waiting outside. He entered the building and
walked down the dimly lit hallway to Brian's office.

“Brian?” Justin called, as he entered the room.

The office was bathed in a soft light courtesy of two desk lamps. An ornate gold candle stood in the middle of the
desk, illuminating a long white box tied with gold ribbons. Justin approached the desk slowly and opened the box.
Carefully he pushed aside the layers of tissue paper to reveal a dozen long stemmed white roses. Attached was a
gold coloured card. He picked it up and read the words carefully.

"Be my Valentine. B."

The office door closed behind him and Justin turned to find Brian standing there. He rushed across the room and
jumped into Brian's arms.

"Will you?" Brian asked.

"Yes, always," Justin whispered. "Let’s go home. I want to thank you properly," Justin added.

------------------------------

Justin entered the loft first.

"Oh my god," he whispered.

The loft had been transformed in his absence. Dozens of candles illuminated the large room; their fames flickered
and danced, casting shadows on the walls and ceiling. Their rhythmic movement supported by the soft background
music. Justin smiled widely as his gaze fell upon the floor picnic. Excitedly, he approached the rug and sat on a
large blue floor cushion, delighted at the scene before him. The rug was sprinkled with white rose petals and two
candle sticks stood elegantly in the centre. A large silver ice bucket held two bottles of champagne, the ice crackling
around the bottles as it melted. A tantalizing array of food caused his mouth to water. There was cold chicken,
salads, oysters, caviar, dips and vegetables, chocolate dipped strawberries with cream and a pizza. He grinned as his
eyes fell upon the cheesy topped master piece. Brian had thought of everything. Justin picked up a small cracker and
carefully spooned on some caviar.

"Come here,” he said softly to Brian

Brian sat opposite Justin, his legs astride his partner’s hips. Seductively he opened his mouth to allow the delicacy
entry; the tip of his tongue brushing lightly against Justin's fingers, as they pulled away from his lips.

"Thank you," he breathed against Brian’s lips, as his tongue gently licked the corner of Brian’s mouth, tasting a
small piece of caviar there.

Brian smiled, as he slowly pulled away and poured two glasses of champagne.

"A toast," he said, as he handed a glass to Justin.

"Justin, I know making the decision to drop the case has been playing on your mind, but I really believe you made
the right choice. Ethan’s plea bargain for assault is of little consolation; you and I know he deserved to go to prison.
A fine and community service for the assault charge is a joke," Brian said as he leant forward and kissed Justin
tenderly on the lips.

"But, now I hope we can move forward and put this behind us. We're so fortunate Jus. We have been given this
second chance to be together. Now that you're back in my life, I feel complete and I hope you feel the same. I have
always loved you and I always will Justin." Brian paused and took a deep breath.

"Justin Taylor, will you marry me?" Brian pulled a small ring box from his pocket and placed it in Justin’s hand.

Shakily, Justin opened the box to reveal two platinum rings.

"Yes," Justin smiled.

Brian reached into the box and took out both of the rings. He took the smaller band and placed it on the third finger
of Justin’s right hand.

"Wear it on this finger until we marry,” Brian said, as he softly brushed his lips against the cold metal band on
Justin's finger.

“I'll never take it off," Justin replied. Smiling, he placed the matching ring on Brian’s long slim finger and sealed it
with a kiss.

Justin closed the small distance between them and sat on Brian's lap and softly kissed him.

"You've made me so happy Brian, I never expected this." Justin turned his body so that he was straddling his lover’s
legs and kissed him passionately.

With great difficulty, Brian pulled away. "Follow me," he panted, as he pulled Justin off the floor.

Quickly, the pair raced across the loft and down to Justin’s studio. Justin paused at the doorway. Brian hurried
through the studio and opened the door to the ensuite. He motioned for Justin to follow, then guided Justin through
the doors. Lovingly, he wrapped his arms around Justin’s slim waist as Justin tried to absorb the beautiful scene. The
bath tub was full of water and the surface was sprinkled with white rose petals. Candles adorned every surface and at

the side of the tub were a chilled bottle of champagne and two flutes. A lush green garland of white orchids and
white roses had been draped around the large window frame and the air was heavy with the intoxicating smell of
ylang ylang.

"This is the best day of my life,” Justin said, as he turned to face Brian.

Slowly they undressed each other, kissing and caressing each new area of exposed skin. When they were both
naked, Brian leisurely lowered himself into the warm inviting water of the bath tub. Smiling, he held out his hand
for Justin. Slowly, Justin lowered himself into the fragranced liquid, fascinated by the rippled water which created
abstract patterns amongst the rose petals. Gently, he positioned his body between Brian's long legs, leaning his back
against Brian's smooth chest. Relaxed and happy he closed his eyes as his lover’s hands crept over his shoulders and
began to gently massage his body. Brian lips caressed the sensitive skin on Justin’s neck, eliciting a soft moan from
his lover. Justin moaned louder as Brian’s hand moved under the water and began to slowly stroke his erection. He
gasped as the two sensations flooded his body. Brian began to stroke faster as Justin's moaning increased.

Momentarily Brian stopped and pushed Justin forward, Justin groaned at the loss of contact. The new angle allowed
Brian access to sheath his own erection. Gently he maneuvered Justin into position above the round blunt head of his
member. Brian gripped Justin’s hips applying a small amount of pressure to his lithe frame; initiating a downward
movement he eased Justin onto his hard throbbing shaft.

"Oh, God!” Justin gasped as Brian entered him slowly, filling him completely.

Brian paused, allowing Justin’s body to adjust. Justin pushed back as Brian began to move slowly in and out. The
slow, loving rhythm continued as Brian softly bit and sucked the pale skin on Justin's shoulders. Frequently he
brushed his fingers teasingly over Justin's cock. Justin gripped the sides of the tub, his moans becoming louder as his
orgasm approached. Brian took hold of Justin's thick shaft, matching each stroke with each thrust; Justin increased
the speed of his movements, riding Brian harder and faster, both men oblivious to the water splashing onto the floor.

"OH FUCK ...B.R.I.A.N," Justin cried, as his orgasm hit.

"Justin!" Brian gasped.

Justin collapsed against Brian's chest; both men breathing heavily. Brian slipped his arm over Justin's shoulder,
joining their two right hands and resting them on Justin's taught stomach. The candle light reflected in the two metal
bands.

Chapter 11

Justin switched on his computer to read his email. He smiled as he brushed his fingers across the smooth metal band
on his right hand. Last night had been a complete surprise, but he had never felt so happy. He opened the first email
and began to read:

“Good morning Sunshine,

I suppose I should congratulate you on your engagement, but I won't. Now, regarding the ring I think yellow gold
would be more suitable for your colouring; Brian really has no taste when it comes to you. Did you enjoy the rose
petals in the bath? I thought the whole scene very tacky, and I mean the WHOLE SCENE. What is it with you and
sex in your studio? You disappoint me Sunshine; you're behaving like a whore. I am becoming very frustrated with
you but because I love you I will find it in my heart to forgive you, as I always do. But you will have to be punished.
Otherwise how will you learn to change your DISGUSTING behaviour!

See you soon Sunshine.

P.S. Were you disappointed with the white roses? I know red was always your favourite. Like I said earlier THAT
man has no taste when it comes to you! Please find enclosed a selection of photos from my private Sunshine
collection.”

Justin sat dazed as he read and re-read the email, his finger hovering over the mouse as he hesitated to open the
attached file. Nervously, he pressed the button and the file opened. His eyes quickly scanned the pictures before
him. There was a picture of him getting into his car in the garage; drunk in the bathtub at the New Year’s Eve party;
painting in the studio; sex with Brian on Justin's desk, and then a number of photos depicting events from the
previous night. These latter photos included Justin stepping into the bath to join Brian; Justin having sex in the bath
his hands gripping onto the sides of the tub; the final one was of Justin resting in Brian’s arms, their hands entwined,
resting on Justin’s stomach. The last picture had been altered and Brian's face had been scratched out of the photo.

Acid began to fill Justin’s mouth. He quickly pushed back his chair and ran to the bathroom, where he emptied the
contents of his stomach.

------------------------------

Brian took off his jacket and sat at his desk. Cynthia followed him in with the post and a coffee. She saw the ring on
his finger as soon as he reached for his cup.

"Oh, my god! Is that what I think it is?" she asked excitedly.

"Yes. I asked Justin to marry me last night and he said yes," Brian answered proudly.

"Congratulations!" she screeched, wrapping Brian in a tight embrace. "I’m so happy for you both."

"Thanks, Cynthia," he replied. "Now leave, so I can get on with my work," he grinned.

Brian took a sip from his coffee and opened his first email:

“To The Stud Of Liberty Ave,

I'll keep it brief. He belongs to me. I own him. Enjoy the enclosed photos, as very soon they will be all you will have
as a reminder.”

Brian opened the attachment and disgust filled his body. There were over twenty photos of Justin naked, before,
during and after sex.

Brian slammed his fists on the desk.

"That little fuck! I'll fucking kill him!" he shouted as he left the office.

"Brian?" Cynthia questioned, as her boss left the building without a backward glance.

Brian jumped into his car and sped off, dialling the loft as he drove. After three rings the answer phone kicked in.

"Justin, answer the phone," he shouted. "Justin, pick up the god damn phone!" he screamed impatiently.

"Fuck, Brian! I'm here, calm down!" Justin replied.

"Justin, listen to me. Ethan is back. He sent me an email. Don't answer the door to anyone, NO ONE! Justin," he
stated,"and make sure the alarm is on!"

“Brian, relax. The alarm is on and I won't answer the door."

"I'll be home in ten minutes. We need to sort this out: once and for all!" Brian replied.

-----------------------------

Brian entered the loft to find Justin sitting on the sofa. Two glasses and a bottle of Jim Beam sat on the coffee table
in front of him. Justin filled the glasses and handed one to Brian. They both swallowed the drinks in one go.

"I got an email too," Justin said.

"Show me," said Brian.

As they sat in the studio at Justin’s computer, Brian spoke.

"We need to take these to Carl. I'm not sure how, but the little fuck is following you. I'll also contact Richards to
track the bastard’s movements. Plus, I think we need to get you a body guard."

"I'm scared, Brian. I can't believe he's been this close to me on all of these occasions and god knows, on how many
others." Justin replied as he threw the pile of printed photos on to the floor.

"You can't let him take me back, Brian, You can't,” he whispered into Brian’s' chest.

"You're not going anywhere, Jus." Brian replied as he pulled Justin tightly into his arms.

Justin laid his head against Brian's chest as the computer pinged to announce another email. Justin sighed as he
pulled away from the comfort of the embrace and opened the new arrival.

“SUNSHINE,

WHAT A TOUCHING SCENE.

SEE YOU SOON.”

"Fuck!" Justin shouted, as he ran his fingers nervously through his hair. Quickly he ran out of the studio taking the
stairs to the next level two at a time, stumbling as he reached the top. He scrambled to his feet and stopped in the
centre of the living room. Frantically he checked for any signs to indicate Ethan's presence. Brian arrived at his side,
and touched Justin's arm gently.

"Where the fuck is he, where?" Justin shouted, his face full of anger.

"Justin, he's not here," Brian replied calmly. He needed his partner to listen

"Trust me, there is no one here but us."

"Well, how the fuck did he just see us in the studio,” Justin continued to shout.

Brian shook his head. "Justin listen there could be a number of reasons how he knew, but he is not in the loft.
You've got to believe that. Now grab your coat we need to report this. We'll go and see Carl"

Justin nodded and they left for the precinct.

------------------------------

“So what do you think Carl?” Brian asked after, after they had described the incidents to Carl. The detective placed
the photos on his desk.

“First of all, we need to find out if Ethan is still in New York and is still attending his community service. Then, I
will send a team back to the loft with you today and carry out a full sweep for any bugging or camera devices as
well as a computer expert to try and trace the source of the emails. We will need to check both of your computers,

that means yours at Kinnetik as well, Brian. If the loft is clean we can try the rooftops from the building opposite,”
he paused and looked directly at Justin.

“Of course, he could have used a telescopic lens camera which would give him a big advantage. That way he could
have shot the photos from a greater distance.”

“If it’s okay with you, Justin I’ll keep these photos with the report you have both filed.”

“Carl, do I really have to leave these photos here? I’m naked in most of them. What happens if they are leaked to the
press like the others were?” Justin asked, exasperated.

“Justin, you have my word I will be the only person with access to them. No one will see them unless it is absolutely
necessary.”

“Okay,” Justin sighed, as he slumped further down into the chair.

“And I agree with Brian, a body guard would be a good idea. I can give you a list of names if you like,” Carl added.

“No thanks, Carl I already have someone in mind,” Brian replied.

“Right, if you are both ready to go, I’ll arrange for my men to meet you at the loft.

Chapter 12

Brian smiled to himself, relieved to see Justin happy and enthusiastic again. It had been almost five weeks since the
last email from Ethan and there had been no other incidents. After they made the report at the precinct, Carl had
been working on the case at work as well as in his spare time. Between Carl and Richards, a private detective friend
of Brian’s they had discovered that Ethan was still officially registered at his New York address but they had been
unable to find any trace of him. Ethan had gone underground. As well as breaking his restraining order by contacting
Justin he had also failed to turn up for his community service. The only assumption they could make was that Ethan
was in Pittsburgh somewhere, and all they could do was wait patiently for another lead.

Gradually, Justin resumed his daily routine with the help of Glenn his bodyguard. Glenn had proved to be a great
choice, as being a martial arts teacher he was also able to help continue Justin’s self defence classes. This gave
Justin an extra boost to his confidence.

Brian was proud of Justin’s strength and determination to carry on, it amazed Brian how time and again his partner
would over come whatever set back was thrown at him and move forward.

As well as coping with the latest developments Justin was doing a fantastic job of organising the Kinnetik Ball, an
annual event held by Brian for his clients; past, present and future, his employees, family and friends and
furthermore Justin was doing a fantastic job.

"Brian, Brian, you're not listening," Justin said, rolling his eyes.

"Sorry, Jus, what did you say?"

"What do you think of the invitations?"

Brian looked down at the large box on his desk and picked up a card off the top of the pile. The invitation was a
single sheet of A5 white card with gold edging. The wording on the invitation was embossed and also in gold. The
invitation was simple and elegant. It read:

“It is with great pleasure that Brian Kinney invites you and your partner to our annual celebration on,

Saturday 15th April at 7.30 pm

The Regency Ballroom,

Regency Hotel

Pittsburgh.

Dress code will be black tie.

Italian masks will be the theme of the party.

All masks will be provided by Kinnetik and delivered one week prior to the party.

RSVP by 31st March.”

"They’re perfect, Justin," Brian smiled

Justin grinned at the compliment.

"If you're happy with them, Glenn and I will post them today."

"I’m happy, post them." Brian laughed.

"I've also left a full copy of the arrangements with Cynthia, for your approval."

"Great, do you want to meet for lunch today?" Brian asked.

"Sorry, I can't" Justin replied, wrinkling his nose as he sat on Brian's lap. "I have a meeting with the caterer to select
the menu for the party." He placed his arms around Brian's shoulders and leant forward, to whisper in his ear. "But
I'll make it up to you after dinner, I promise" he grinned.

"I’ll hold you to that," Brian smiled. Justin jumped of his lap and picked up the box purposefully wiggling his butt as
he walked away.

"Later," Justin grinned as he left the office.

-----------------------------

On his return from work, Brian slid the door open and walked into the loft to find Justin surrounded by boxes.

"Having fun?" he asked.

"Hey, perfect timing, the masks have just been delivered, and they look fantastic. Look at this one," Justin smiled, as
he handed Brian an exquisitely designed Italian hand-held stick mask.

Brian examined the mask closely. The detail was amazing. He knew from having reviewed Justin's designs that this
was one of the masks designed specifically for the women to wear. The intricate design consisted of two colours, red
and gold. The mask was adorned with an abstract design of crystals and beads, with a headdress of feathers attached
around the top. Justin had purposely chosen hand-held stick masks for the women guests, so that the mask would not
interfere with their hair and makeup.

"This is amazing, Jus. Have the men's masks arrived as well?"

"Yes, two designs as agreed. We have the half mask or the full mask, both tie-ons."

Brian walked over to the open boxes, amazed at the array of designs and colours. He had approved Justin’s sketches
of the masks but seeing the completed project was breath taking. The designs ranged from the richly ornate to
elegant. Trimmings included crystals, beads, bells, feathers, paper scrolls and ribbons. The popular harlequin and
musical designs were also included, as well as richly embossed gold and silver leaf patterns. Brian looked at the
designs in awe. Justin had created a spectacular theme for this year's celebration.

"Jus, these are incredible, thank you," Brian smiled.

"I'm glad you like them, Brian. I really want this years celebration to be outstanding. You and Kinnetik deserve a
party which will be the talk of the business community," Justin replied.

"With you organising it, I’m sure that it will be," he smiled, hugging Justin tightly.

The buzzer rang and both men sighed. Justin kissed Brian one last time.

"That'll be the tailor. Do you want to change while I let him in?" Justin asked.

"No, I'll just get a drink, then we can get started."

"Okay." Justin smiled.

As Brian came out of the kitchen, Justin was closing the door behind Tony and his brother Giorgio. Tony, the elder
of the two brothers, was carrying Brian's Armani suit as well as Justin's Dolce and Gabbana. Giorgio carried a large
case containing the supplies they would need if they had to perform any final alterations. The final fitting took over
an hour and a half. Justin was amazed it took so long as neither of their suits needed any further alterations. The
previous measurements taken by the tailors had been exact and precise, and the results perfect. Justin sat on the sofa
smiling, as he watched the three men chatting enthusiastically about fashion. Brian was still passionate about
clothes, so when he was with his tailors, it was very entertaining. After consuming too much red wine, Tony and
Giorgio finally left. Justin tried to stifle a yawn as he started to reseal the boxes of masks.

"Why don't you leave that until tomorrow?" Brian said.

"No, I'd rather do it now; I have a busy day tomorrow." Justin yawned.

Brian snaked his arms around Justin's lithe frame and kissed his neck.

"Sure I can't persuade you change your mind?" Brian whispered.

"I suppose I could leave it until tomorrow..." Justin smiled.

Chapter 13

"How are you feeling, Brian?" Justin quizzed.

"Not too bad, considering I just spent four days in bed with gastro. I tell you, this is not what I had planned for the
week of the party!" he moaned.

"Here, try and eat some soup. You need something in your stomach."

"I'm not sure, Jus. Maybe it was your cooking which gave me gastro in the first place," he smirked,

"Very funny, Mr Kinney, now eat some fucking soup," Justin laughed as he kissed the top of Brian’s head.

"Yes, mom!” he replied sarcastically.

"So, what time do we need to be at the party?" Brian asked, as he placed the now empty bowl on the bedside
cabinet.

"6.00pm. The guests are expected from 7-7.30pm. So we need to be there about an hour before. If you don't feel up
to it, I can go and you can follow later," Justin suggested.

"That would be great. I'll rest a little longer, then meet you there at around 7.30pm." Brian yawned and lay back onto
the bed.

"Are you sure you should go?" Justin asked, concern colouring his face as he ran his fingers through Brian's hair.

"Yes, stop worrying. If I can get some more sleep I'll be fine."

"Okay, but if you feel ill at the party we're coming home. Cynthia and Ted will be happy to host it," Justin stated
firmly, allowing no room for argument.

------------------------------

Justin slipped on his jacket and placed a note next to the alarm clock which was due to go off in an hour. He smiled
down at Brian as he did so. Brian was still in a deep sleep. He collected his shoes and carried them to the loft door
where he slipped them on. Next, he grabbed two masks and deactivated the alarm. As he slid the door open he was
greeted by Glenn.

"Hey, Glenn, you look great,” Justin smiled.

"Thanks, Justin, so do you," Glenn replied.

"Here's your mask, and as agreed, yours, Brian's and mine are one off designs."

"Great, Justin. Can I see yours and Brian's now?" Glenn asked.

Justin lifted his mask to his face. He had chosen a half tied mask in shades of blue and gold.

"Hold on, I'll just go back for Brian's," he said, as he stepped back into the living area. He returned quickly, handing
Glenn a very dramatic half tied mask in black and silver leaf.

"Okay?" he asked his bodyguard.

"Yes, great," Glenn replied, returning the mask to Justin who placed it on the island in the kitchen.

"Great, let's go," Justin said as he set the alarm.

------------------------------

Justin checked his watch then took a glass of champagne and a glass of sparkling mineral water from a tray offered
to him by a drinks waiter. He smiled as he handed the water to Glenn.

"Everything looks fantastic, Justin," Glenn stated. He had been with Justin every step of the way while Justin had
organised the Ball and had seen how hard Justin had worked on even the smallest of details.

"Thanks, Glenn," Justin smiled, as a slight flush of pink coloured his cheeks.

Justin’s eyes roamed around the ballroom for one last check. Elaborate floral arrangements were scattered
throughout the large room, displaying exotic flowers which had been specially imported for the occasion. The
flowers were in shades of red and white complemented by exotic greenery that provided an impressive backdrop.
Large buffet tables on either side of the ballroom offered hot and cold food, each had a large ice sculpture in the
form of an Italian Mask as its centre piece. The tables themselves were dressed in crisp white linen table cloths; the
only splash of colour was the gold trim of the dinner service and gold coloured napkins. The bar at the far end of the
room was lined with champagne buckets, filled with chilling bottles of champagne, and large platters of caviar.
Suspended from the ceiling and adorning the walls were an array of masks in various designs and sizes continuing
the theme of the ball. The atmospheric lighting was created by flickering candles in elaborate candelabras positioned
strategically through out the room. Additional lighting was provided by low lighting and wall sconces; the combined
effect of which cast a soft warm glow over the large room. Then, finally, was the String Quartet which was playing
soft music. It was positioned at the top of the grand winding staircase which led into the ballroom. The musicians
wore sliver and white masks, the waiters, gold and white.

"To a great night," Justin said, as he lifted his glass to Glenn.

"To a great night Justin, best of luck," Glenn replied.

------------------------------

Meanwhile, the sound of the alarm jolted Brian from his sleep.

"Shit," he groaned, as he fumbled to turn off the offensive noise.

Slowly, he swung his legs over the side of the bed and gingerly stood up, pausing to regain his balance, he noticed a
note from Justin.

Bri.

Love you always.

Jus. xxx

Brian smiled and folded the note, then walked over to his closet and placed it in his jacket pocket.

Still feeling weak, he walked carefully to the bathroom and entered the shower. He turned the pressure to high and
the temperature to cold, then gasped as the cold jets flowed forcefully over his body. The sensation caused his skin
to tingle and left him feeling invigorated. Refreshed, he dressed and collected his mask, then left for the party.

------------------------------

Justin checked his watch; it was 7.45pm and the guests had been arriving since 7.00pm. Already the large room was
filled with music and laughter as the guests danced and mingled. The masks had proved to be a huge success. As he
checked his watch again he wondered if Brian was on his way. Impatient to know, he pulled out his phone to call
Brian, when Debbie pulled him into her arms.

"Justin, this is fabulous. You and Brian have created something very special," she grinned.

"Thanks, Deb," he replied.

Releasing him from the hug, she winked as she placed her hand-held stick mask in front of her face. Justin had
created this one off design with Debbie in mind. It had a rainbow of colours adorning the face and long elegant
feathers on top. It was the perfect accessory to Debbie’s elegant black evening gown.

"You look stunning, Deb," Justin beamed.

"Well, thank you kind sir," she replied, smiling as she curtseyed.

"She does," Carl agreed, holding out his arm for his wife. "Where's Brian?" he added.

"He should be here anytime now. I was just going to call him. Do you mind if I make the call now?" Justin asked.

"No, of course not. We’ll catch you both later," Carl replied.

Justin hugged Debbie one more time and then pressed number one on his phone’s speed-dial, instantly it rang
Brian's number.

"Hey, Jus," Brian answered.

"Hey, beautiful," Justin smiled.

"I’m just walking into the lobby," Brian smiled.

"Great, I'll see you in the ballroom in about 5 minutes then?" Justin asked.

"Definitely, Brian smirked, as he closed his phone.

As Brian approached the staircase a waiter wearing a gold and white mask approached him.

"Drink, Sir?" he asked.

Brian looked at the tray which had four glasses on it; orange juice, mineral water, whisky and champagne. Smiling
at the waiter he took the glass of champagne and took a sip.

"Thanks," he said, and continued towards the staircase.

"Your welcome, Brian," the waiter replied in a hushed tone, as he bowed his head.

Making his way to the ballroom was taking Brian longer than expected as he chatted to various guests on the way.
Eventually, he reached the top of the staircase and placed his now empty glass on a small table. Suddenly, he began
to feel hot and clammy. He tried to loosen his tie. Perhaps a glass of champagne when he was recovering from
gastro was a bad idea, he thought. His fingers fumbled as they pulled at the silk noose around his neck. His vision
blurred as his surroundings began to spin. Falling backwards, his back hit the wall. His legs buckled and he began to
slide to the floor. Before he hit the ground two sets of hands roughly grabbed his arms. Through his blurry eyes he
noticed the gold and white masks of the waiters. Sighing, he closed his eyes as blackness took over.

The two men propped Brian up against the wall then draped his arms over their shoulders. Quickly, they opened the
exit door and marched through it, allowing it to close quietly behind them. When they arrived at the service elevator
they took the “Out of Order” sign off the door and stepped inside, crudely dumping Brian onto the floor. Silently,
the pair removed their party masks and waiter’s jackets, and replaced them with black coats, gloves and ski masks.
The elevator ground to an abrupt halt. The taller of the two men held opened its heavy doors while the other ran to
the backdoor of the building and propped it open. As rehearsed, he ran outside and opened the doors to a black van.
The taller man then lifted Brian under the arms and dragged him towards the van, where both men lifted him up and
threw him inside. Brian’s head thudded against the hard, cold metal floor.

"Ready?" Dan asked.

"Hell yeah," Ethan replied, as he jumped into the van beside Brian, just before it sped off.

Chapter 14

Justin was talking with Ted and Cynthia while stealing occasional glances at the door.

"So, where's Brian?" Ted asked.

"He's here somewhere," Justin replied. "Probably chatting with a client," he continued.

He checked his watch again and frowned; it was 8.25pm, where the hell was Brian?

"I'll just go and find him," he smiled to Ted and Cynthia.

"Okay, tell him to save a dance for me!" Cynthia laughed.

"And me too," Ted smirked.

"I'm sure he'll mark it on his dance card, Ted!" Justin grinned.

Justin walked around the ballroom and searched the sea of masks for Brian's distinctive design. The room was now
so crowded that it was proving to be a difficult task. As more time passed he began to feel uneasy; his instincts told
him that something about this wasn't right. Frantically, he began moving among the guests with Glenn by his side.

When his phone rang, he checked the caller ID and gave Glenn a relieved smile when he saw Brian’s number. He
felt himself relax, as he realised how tense he’d been.

"It's Brian," Justin confirmed.

Glen nodded his response.

"Geez, Brian, where are you? I was worried!"

"No need to worry, Sunshine," came the reply.

Justin froze. The colour drained from his face and his breathing became laboured as Ethan's voice echoed through
the phone.

"Brian?" Justin whispered into his mobile.

"Sorry, Sunshine, Brian can't come to the phone right now," Ethan laughed manically. "And, by the way, make sure
your bodyguard doesn’t think there is a problem while we’re having this little chat!"

"Okay," Justin replied, while doing his best to raise a smile for Glenn’s benefit.

"Now listen carefully, Justin and do as I tell you, okay?"

"Yes" Justin replied quietly.

"I want you to leave the party alone. Then I want you to drive to the loft and wait in your car until I call you."

"Sure," Justin laughed and rolled his eyes at Glenn.

"Do it now, Sunshine," and with that the phone went dead.

"Brian's chatting with a new client, Glenn. He'll be a little while" Justin stated calmly. "I need to go to the bathroom.
I'll meet you back here," he added.

"No, Justin, I'll come with you and wait outside. Brian asked that I be particularly vigilant tonight and I don’t want
to let either of you down," Glenn replied.

"Glenn, it's fine really."

"No, Justin, you know the rules. I need to be with you at all times," Glenn stated filmy.

"Fine!" Justin's replied tersely.

------------------------------

Once inside the bathroom, Justin leant against the vanity to steady himself; his hands gripping the porcelain sink
tightly as he tried to control the violent tremors which assaulted his body. His mind was racing, Brian was in trouble
and it was all his fault. Ethan’s voice played over and over in his mind:

“Sunshine, Sunshine, Sunshine…” Justin’s knees buckled, his body lurched forward as he vomited into the white
porcelain bowl. Tears streamed down his face as he gasped and fought for air, his stomach and sides ached as he
continued to heave. Slowly, he gained control as the retching stopped. He turned on the cold tap and splashed his
face with water. Unsteadily, he lifted his head and stared at his reflection in the mirror; his face was red, his eyes
swollen and blood shot, his cheeks stained with tears. Closing his eyes, he counted to ten and concentrated on
steadying his breathing. Slowly, he opened his eyes as an eerie calm flowed through his body as his mind focussed
on the task in hand: saving Brian.

"Think," he told himself, "Think." He glanced around the room and then opened the first bathroom stall. No
window. Then the second and third but still no window.

"Fuck!" he muttered in frustration.

There was only one stall left. He pushed the door open to reveal a small window above the toilet. He jumped onto
the toilet, in order to reach the window. The window was small but he had to get through. He took off his tie, shoes
and jacket making sure to grab his car keys. Gripping the window, he attempted to pull himself up but his socks
caused him to lose his footing as his feet slid down the tiled wall. He jumped down and pulled off his socks and tried
again. This time he managed to pull half of his body out of the small opening before his butt became wedged in the
space.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck!”

Taking a deep breath, he forced himself through the tight space, as he did so the jagged edges of the window frame
lacerated his butt and thighs as it ripped through the thin material of his suit pants. He bit down hard on his bottom
lip to stifle the scream which threatened to escape as he dropped onto the flat wet roof below. Tears threatened as
the intense pain hit his body, he looked down at his ripped trousers which revealed the red and bloody scrapes on his
pale skin. Wiping his eyes, he ran barefoot through the puddles on the roof as the rain soaked his shirt. Once he
reached the fire escape he carefully made his decent to the underground car park, where he jumped into his car and
sped out of the hotel.

------------------------------

Many questions raced through his mind as he sped towards the loft. How the fuck did Ethan get Brian? Should he
call for help? Could he do this alone? His mind weighed up the options available to him and eventually he decided
to call Carl.

"I thought I told you to turn that thing off, Carl!" Debbie snapped as her husband's phone rang.

"I need to leave it on for emergencies. You know that Deb," he replied.

"Hovarth," he answered.

"Carl, its Justin. I need you to keep this to yourself. Brian is in danger. Ethan has kidnapped him. He said I have to
meet him and to tell no-one," Justin rushed out the words.

"Justin?” Carl asked, confused at the garbled message.

“Yes, Carl, it’s me!”

“Justin, I need you to calm down. Take a deep breath and tell me what the problem is,” Carl replied.

“Ethan has kidnapped Brian and I’m on my way to meet him. He said I had to be alone and not tell anyone what was
happening.”

“Hold on, Justin,” Carl said, then turned to face Debbie.

"Debbie, I have to go, it's an emergency. Can you get a lift home with Michael?"

"Like I have a choice," Debbie hissed and walked away.

Carl was already walking to the exit.

"Justin, tell me exactly what he asked you to do,"

"I have to drive to the loft and wait for another call for further instructions. He ss..aid t.t.to be alone Carl" Justin
stammered.

"Where are you now, Justin?"

"About 5 minutes from the loft," Justin choked.

"Okay, I’m already driving out of the hotel. I'll arrange for an unmarked police car to meet me at your place, then
we’ll take it from there."

"NO CARL!" Justin shouted,” IT HAS TO BE ME AND I HAVE TO BE ALONE!"

"Justin calm down, Ethan will not see us. Trust me." There was no reply from Justin.

"Justin, you have to trust me. You will need help to get Brian back, you can’t do this alone!"

Justin didn’t reply, he was confused and scared. He wanted help to get Brian back, but he also knew the
consequences of disobeying Ethan.

“Justin, Justin…you need to listen to me. We will get Brian back!” Carl stated firmly.

"Okay, I'll let you know what he says next." Justin replied tentatively, unsure if he was making the right choice or if
getting others involved would only serve to place Brian's life in danger.

------------------------------

Glenn entered the bathroom to check on Justin, he’d been gone too long. All of the cubicle doors were open bar one,
walking over, he knocked on the closed door.

"Justin, are you ok?" he asked.

Silence.

"Justin, Justin?" he called, still no reply. Without further hesitation, he pushed his shoulder against the door forcing
it open. Inside he saw Justin's jacket, shoes, socks, and tie on the floor. The window was open and there was blood
on the top and bottom of its ragged frame.

"Fuck!" he shouted, as he ran out of the room.

------------------------------

Justin parked his car outside of the loft, turned off the engine and waited. He sat holding his phone, willing it to ring
as he drummed his fingers on the steering wheel. When it did ring he jumped.

"Hello," he answered hurriedly.

"Sunshine, glad to see you arrive so quickly. Now listen carefully. Directly across the street from your apartment
building is a lawyer’s office. Get out of the car, walk across the street and press the buzzer at the side of the lawyer’s
office for apartment number six. The outside door will then open. Move inside and then take the elevator to the third
floor and go to apartment number six. The door will be open. Step inside the apartment and shut the door behind
you." The phone suddenly went dead.

Justin checked in his mirror but there was no sign of Carl. He opened the glove compartment and pulled out a pad
and pencil. On the pad he wrote down a summary of the details, then placed it on the passenger seat.

He then exited the car and ran across the road. The process unfolded as Ethan had explained. He was now inside the
elevator headed for the third floor. The elevator door opened and Justin stepped out, then headed towards the open
door of apartment number six. Taking a deep breath to steal his courage, he walked into the apartment and shut the
door behind him as instructed.

With the door now closed the apartment was left in total darkness. Slowly his eyes began to adjust and the outline of
the room became visible. He looked around then made his way to a row of windows and stared at the street scape
outside. He was shocked to find that from here he had an uninterrupted into his studio and ensuite.

"Oh, my, god," he whispered,” this was how Ethan had access for the photos."

"Like the view Sunshine?" Ethan laughed.

Justin spun around and was greeted with a spotlight shining into his eyes, the light was so intense he had to shield
his eyes from the glare.

"Where's Brian?" he asked firmly.

"He's right beside you, Sunshine, you just aren’t looking hard enough" Ethan laughed.

"Where?" Justin demanded.

"Okay, I’ll help you out, Sunshine. Take eight steps forward, then stop."

Justin hesitated.

"Now!" Ethan yelled.

Justin moved forward slowly.

"Count each step out loud as you walk,” Ethan demanded.

"...3, 4, 5, 6, 7 ...Shit" Justin shouted, as he tripped and fell.

A second spotlight was switched on, illuminating where Justin lay and directly in front of him the light revealed
Brian. He was handcuffed to a bar suspended from the ceiling, his arms above his head, his body stretched to its full
length.

"Brian," Justin gasped, as he pulled himself up to check that Brian was all right.

"Thank god," he mumbled, as he felt Brian's pulse.

"That's just so sweet, Sunshine!" Ethan said sarcastically, as he applauded the two men.

Another intense light was added revealing another pole, undoubtedly for him; Justin’s breath hitched as memories of
his old life in New York came flooding back.

"Bring back good memories, baby?" Ethan hissed. Justin could almost feel Ethan's breath on his skin, as if he had
moved closer. He thought if he reached out he would be able to touch the other man, but in the darkness behind the
bright lights he could see nothing.

"Remember what to do Sunshine?"

Justin slowly nodded.

"Then DO IT!" Ethan yelled.

Justin walked over to the empty pole and began to unbutton his wet shirt.

"Stop! Turn around and face Kinney. I want him to see everything when he wakes, which will be soon."

Justin followed the command and continued to unbutton his shirt and slipped it off then paused.

"Get on with it, Sunshine. It's not like I haven't seen everything before," Ethan laughed.

Justin unbuttoned his trousers and slid down the zip. He gently eased the torn fabric over his bloodied butt and
thighs, the fabric pooling at his feet. He stepped out of his trousers and now stood in his ripped black boxer trunks
feeling vulnerable and helpless; a role he knew so well with Ethan. He placed his fingers in the elastic of the boxers
and pulled them down, then kicked them defiantly across the room. Justin stood naked in the spot light, but his only
concern was for Brian. No matter what Ethan had planned for him, he had to get Brian out unhurt.

“Well done, Sunshine, I’m happy to see all the years of training didn’t go to waste!” Ethan sneered.

“Now, move over to Kinney and wake him up. I want him to watch you in action, pleasing me!”

Justin didn’t move, the last thing he wanted was Brian to see him submit to Ethan.

“Now, Justin!” Ethan shouted.

Justin jumped but remained in the same spot.

“Defiance is never rewarded, you know that Sunshine. Let’s try this one more time, wake up Kinney or I will do it
for you. And I’m sure you don’t want that, Justin!”

Justin shook his head and walked over to Brian.

“Brian, Brian. Please wake up,” Justin whispered into his partner’s ear as he tenderly stroked his face.

“JUSTIN!” Ethan warned.

With tears rolling down his cheeks, Justin shook Brian roughly by the shoulders.

“Brian, Brian. You’ve got to wake up!”

“I’m waiting, Justin!”

“BRIAN,” Justin shouted as loud as he could.

“Justin?” Brian questioned as his eyes flickered open. He shook his head, trying to clear the fog that blurred his
eyes.

“W..what’s going on?” he asked, as he struggled against his restraints.

“Bri, I love you,” Justin smiled, as he softly kissed him on the lips.

“JUSTIN, what the fuck do you think you are doing!” Ethan screamed. “Take two steps back and eyes to the floor!”

“Ethan!” Brian exclaimed, his eyes darting around the room trying to locate the threat. Failing he returned his
attention back to Justin. It was then he noticed his partner was naked. Brian’s eyes widened in shock. Justin stood
before him head down, eyes fixed on the floor and hands behind his back; presenting himself in a submissive stance.

“Fuck, No!” he shouted into the darkness.

“Fuck yes, Stud,” Ethan laughed. “Sunshine and I thought you would like to watch him in action. Maybe if you
watch closely enough you will see how he should be treated. I spent years training him. He’s an obedient little fuck.

“Leave him the fuck alone!” Brian spat.

“Why, Stud, I don’t think you understand. He belongs to me, not you!”

“He belongs to no one, Ethan! “ Brian shouted.

“Justin, Justin,” Brian said, trying to gain Justin’s attention.

Justin made no effort to move.

“Justin, look at me!” he continued.

The only response was a sarcastic laugh from Ethan.

Justin cringed at the sound. He desperately wanted to go to Brian, but knew the rules of the game. He needed to play
the part and play it well to have any chance of saving Brian. It was important for both of them that he fell back into

his submissive role and obeyed Ethan’s every command. He just hoped that Brian would understand this is what he
had to do.

“On you knees,” Ethan ordered.

Justin dropped to his knees as soon as he heard the familiar command.

“Justin, no,” Brian whispered the words choking him.

“All fours, eyes down!” Ethan continued.

Again Justin obeyed. Brian closed his eyes, unable to watch the humiliation any longer.

“Open your eyes and watch Stud, unless you want me to punish Sunshine for your actions!” Ethan laughed.

Brian opened his eyes slowly and focussed his attention on Justin.

“Well done, Stud, you learn quickly,” Ethan applauded.

“Head up, eyes front and look at Kinney!”

Immediately, Justin shifted position and stared straight into Brian’s hazel eyes, relieved to see them full of love and
not pity.

“Now tell the Stud what you want, Sunshine!”

“I want you to fuck me, Ethan,” Justin stated with no emotion while holding Brian’s gaze.

“LOUDER!” Ethan growled.

“I WANT YOU TO FUCK ME, ETHAN!” Justin shouted.

“For fucks sake, stopt this!” Brian whispered.

“Knees!” Ethan commanded.

Justin complied and kneeled.

“Legs apart!” Ethan continued.

Justin changed position.

“Nipples!” Ethan commanded.

Justin teasingly rubbed his nipples, his eyes still fixed on Brian’s, which were now filled with tears.

“Cock!” Ethan grinned.

Justin moved his left hand slowly down his body and began to stoke himself; his right hand remained on his chest,
alternating between both nipples.

Brian’s body was filled with rage. Ethan would live to regret this, this would be his final mistake.

“Stop! Put this on” Ethan shouted, as a blind fold was tossed at Justin’s knees, Justin bent forward and placed the
blindfold around his head then tied it securely with a knot at the back.

"Stand up, take four steps back then lean with your back against the pole and hold out your arms in front of you."

Justin carefully walked backwards until he felt the cold metal of the pole against his skin. He positioned his arms in
front of his body and waited, suddenly he felt Ethan’s breath on his neck, the close proximity of the man causing his
body to tremble.

"One hand above your head, Sunshine," the crazed musician demanded, as he retrieved a pair of handcuffs from his
trouser pocket.

Justin lifted his left hand above his head and felt the handcuff snap into place on his wrist, then waited for the
restraint to be attached to a small bar on the side of the pole. His head fell forward in defeat and his shoulders
slumped. Brian closed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to regain some composure to offer support to Justin.
He needed to be strong for his partner and needed to clear the image of the defeated man from his mind. Angrily he
opened them when he heard Ethan speak.

"Good boy, baby," Ethan purred, then slowly licked the side of Justin’s neck. “Mmm you still taste good. You see,
Justin, you still belong to me,” Ethan continued while stroking Justin’s hair.

“I love you and you love me. I just don’t understand why you had to cause all of this trouble for me, for us!” Ethan
paused, as he fumbled with the handcuff and tried to secure the loose end to the bar. “It's lucky for you that I love
you Sunshine....... FUCK!”

Using as much force a he could, Justin threw his head back. The loud crack of breaking bone echoed through the
empty apartment, Ethan clutched at his nose..

"FUCK, FUCK!" Ethan cried, "You broke my nose, you little fuck!" he shouted, as blood gushed down his face.

Ethan lunged forward and tackled Justin to the ground. Both of their bodies shuddered at the force of the impact.
Ethan landed on top of Justin’s chest, knocking the wind out of the blond. Gasping for air, Justin tried to crawl out
from the heavy weight on top of him, using his feet and hands to push his body along the hard wooden floors.
Failing to gain any advantage with these movements he placed his hands on the musician’s shoulders in an effort to
push him off. As he pressed forward two hands grabbed him around the throat and squeezed tightly, the pressure
causing his windpipe to close. His hands dropped from Ethan’s shoulders, pulling and scratching at the attacking
hands on his neck. The harder Justin fought, the tighter the hold became. Ethan’s nails dug into Justin’s neck and
tore at the skin, as his fingers bruised its pale surface. Justin began to feel dizzy and light headed as his need for air
became more desperate. With increased urgency he fought harder against his attacker.

“JUSTIN, JUSTIN!” Brian screamed as he watched the two men struggle before him.

Something wet dripped onto Justin’s face and into his mouth, immediately he recognised the taste of blood, blood
which was coming from Ethan. Mustering all of his strength, he lifted his head and crashed it against Ethan’s one
more time. Ethan cried out in pain as Justin’s head connected with his nose for a second time. His hands
immediately released their hold on Justin’s neck as they reached for his own battered face. Quickly, Justin pushed
the blindfold off his eyes and then swiftly brought his knee up to Ethan’s groin, connecting with its target with
agonising accuracy. Ethan’s body became limp and collapsed onto Justin, who wasted no time in taking hold of the
limp body and flipped it over his head. Ethan hit the floor with a loud thud, his head rebounding off the floorboards
knocking him out. Justin scrambled to his feet and pulled the blindfold off completely, then ran over to where Ethan
lay unconscious. He dragged Ethan over to the pole, pulled his hands behind his back and secured his wrists around
the tall metal upright with the blindfold. Then quickly, he closed the space between him and Brian and wrapped his
arms tightly around the man he loved.

“Justin, you were fucking amazing! “Brian gasped.

Justin squeezed his arms tighter around Brian’s cuffed body.

“It felt good to fight back.” Justin said softly. “I never fought back before, never…”

Brian closed his eyes and sighed, he desperately needed to hold Justin.

“Thanks to you, we’re safe now Jus, all thanks to you.” he whispered proudly into the damp blond hair.

Justin reached up and kissed Brian passionately on the lips.

“I love you, Brian,” he smiled.

“I love you too, Justin.”

Epilogue.

"So, it's finally over!" Justin said, as he watched Brian pour two glasses of champagne.

"Yes. Ethan's exactly where he belongs; in jail!" Brian replied.

Justin sighed happily, “It was a great idea to come back to the island.”

Brian smiled and handed Justin a glass of champagne.

"To us, Justin Taylor Kinney."

"To us, Brian Taylor Kinney" Justin beamed. " ...and you were right Brian, this is the perfect place for our
honeymoon."

They raised their glasses for the toast, both men smiling proudly at the platinum bands which now adorned the third
finger on their left hands.

The End.