Michael knocked on the door one more time before he used his keys.  He found Emmett coming half way through the living room in his pink pajamas.

“Michael, what’s going on?”  Emmett asked rubbing his face.

“Where is Justin?”  Michael asked agitated.

“In his room, I imagine.  What’s going on?”  Emmett asked wondering what had Michael so worried.

Michael moved towards Justin’s room and opened the door.

“Justin!”  Michael yelled.

Justin sat up in the bed startled.  Brian sat up after him but much slower and alert of who was in the room.

“What is he doing here?”  Michael asked.

“He is my boyfriend, Michael.”  Justin told him.  

“When did you come in?”  Emmett asked.  “You weren’t here last night.”

“I have my ways.”  Brian said.

“Did you give him a key?”  Michael asked.

“Yeah.”  Justin hissed.  “It’s my fucking apartment too for fucks sake.”

“I think I’m going to go.”  Brian told Justin.

“What’s going on?”  Justin asked rubbing his eyes.  “Why did you wake me up so early?”

“We need to talk now.  I’m fucking serious.”  Michael told him.

Justin got up and put on his jeans.

“Wow,” Emmett commented when Brian stood up naked.  “I…I…am going to go make some coffee with some cum…cream…yeah cream.”

Michael and Justin looked at each other and laughed.  Brian smirked and shook his head.

“What’s going on, Michael?”  Justin asked him.

“I received this.”  Michael said handing it over to Justin.

Justin took the piece of paper Michael was giving him and opened.

“Ask your best friend why you are going to hurt?”  Justin read out loud.

“Let me see that?”  Brian asked grabbing the paper.

“What does that mean?”  Michael asked.  “I received a box with a picture of a tombstone and worms inside.  It was fucking disgusting.”

Brian picked his bag and moved to the bathroom.  Justin went after him while Michael went to the kitchen and started telling Emmett what had happened.

“Do you think it’s him?”  Justin asked.

“It’s his hand writing.”  Brian pointed out.

“Where are you going?”  Justin asked as he saw Brian putting on his holster.

Brian kept silent.

“Brian, where are you going?”  Justin asked raising his voice but not so much that the others could hear him.

“I’m going to find him.”  Brian told him.

“No.  I don’t want anything happening to you.”  Justin told him his voice full of panic.

“I’ll be okay baby.”  Brian told him kissing him.

“No, Brian please, don’t go.”  Justin begged.

“I know what I am doing.”  Brian told him.

Justin glared.

“If you get killed I’m kicking your ass.”  Justin said.

Brian smiled.

“Wouldn’t that be kind of pointless?”  Brian asked.

“Be careful.”  Justin said as he caressed Brian’s face.  “I kind of need you.”

"I will be back, baby."  Brian assured him.

Justin nodded while a tear escaped him.  Brian cleaned it and hugged Justin.

“We will be okay.”  Brian assured his blond.

Brian left quickly after that.  After a while Justin came out of the bathroom and into the kitchen where the guys where having breakfast and talking about Michael’s problem.

“Where did Brian go?” Emmett asked.

“He had to go do something.”  Justin explained as he got a bowl and the box of cereal.

“So what do you think about the note, Justin?”  Michael asked.  “Emmett says is someone trying to fuck up my day.”

Justin looked at Michael and rolled his lips inside his mouth not sure what to say.

“You must have pissed the wrong person.”  Emmett informed him.  “I’m sure it’s nothing.  Forget about it and enjoy your day.”

“Yeah.” Justin told him.

“This is some way to start this day.  Well, happy fucking birthday to me.”  Michael hissed.  

Justin just sat down and hoped Brian would be okay.

***

Justin was working on his art project when the phone rang.  He got up and picked the phone but no one talked.

“Hello?”  Justin asked.

“I…”  Michael chocked out.

“Michael?”  Justin asked.

“I can’t…”  Michael told him.

Justin’s heart started to beat really fast thinking something had happened to Michael.

“Where are you?”  Justin asked.

“I’m in the hospital.”  Michael told him.

“Are you okay?”  Justin asked pacing from one corner of the apartment to the other while he grabbed his things.

“I…can you come…I need you here.”  Michael pleaded.

“I’m on my way.  Don’t hang up.”  Justin instructed him.

He got ready as quickly as he could and left as fast as he could.  He asked Michael what hospital he was in and then took a cab there.  When Justin rushed through the white hospital walls he was thinking a million and one scenarios and none of them ended well.  He found Michael sitting on a chair looking lost.  He sat next to him and put his hand on Michael’s shoulder.

“What happened?”  Justin asked.

“Daphne called and said…they were at their prom and someone attacked him.”  Michael told him dryly.

“My god.”  Justin said covering his mouth.

He started to rub Michael’s neck.  He knew that his friend loved the kid when Michael started crying.  There weren’t many things that could make Michael cry.  

“It’s he going to be okay?”  Justin asked.  “Have you talked to the doctors?”

Michael nodded and looked at Justin.

“They hit him with a baseball bat in the fucking head.  He is not dead by a miracle.”  Michael hissed.

“Shit.” Justin whispered under his breath.

“They say he is not going to make it.”  Michael sobbed.

Michael started crying and Justin hugged him.  After a while Justin called everyone else and waited with Michael.  When everyone had arrived Justin got up and went to the bathroom.  He dialed Brian’s number and started to freak out when his boyfriend wouldn’t pick it up.

“Pick it up, come on Brian.  Just pick the damn phone!”  Justin shouted in the empty bathroom.

“Hello.”  Brian said.

“Brian!  Brain, where are you?”  Justin asked, his voice full of panic.

“What’s wrong?”  Brian asked alarmed at Justin’s tone of voice.

“I’m at the hospital.  Someone attacked Ben.  Michael’s…boyfriend.”  Justin said.  “He is a fucking mess.  Brian someone attacked him with a baseball bath, out of nowhere.”

Justin closed his eyes and told Brian to come pick him up.  An hour later when Justin was hitting a coffee machine Brian stood behind him.

“Justin.”  Brian said.

“Fuck you scared me.”  Justin hissed.  “Stop doing that.”

“I’m sorry.”  Brian told him.

Justin nodded.

“Where is everyone else?”  Brian asked.

“They moved them to an empty room because we were so many people.  My mom came with Molly and Debbie brought two of the guys from the diner that worked with Ben plus Vic.  Emmett and Ted came too and Daphne and some kids from their high school.  Linday and Mel came too. Ben’s mom came and started blaming Michael for everything.  Michael is a fucking mess.  I…I don’t know what to do to help him.”  Justin talked as fast as he could.

“Justin.”  Brian said as he tried to touch Justin.

“No!”  Justin hissed and backed into the wall.  “Don’t.  I can’t do this Brian.”

Brian took a step back and turned very pale.  Justin put his hands on his face and started whimpering.

“I can’t put my friends in danger because I am in love with you.  I just can’t.  I have to have that on my conscience and I can’t do it.  This was a big mistake.”  Justin said.

“I’m sorry, Justin.  But…”  Brian protested but Justin didn't let him finish.

“No, Brian.  You know how to defend yourself but what about my family.  What if he comes after my mom or my sister?”  Justin asked.

Brian opened his mouth trying to say something but nothing was coming out.

“What the fuck is going on?”  Michael asked.

Justin and Brian jumped at the same time to look at Michael.

“What do you have to do with this?”  Michael asked looking at Justin.

“It’s not his fault.”  Brian told him.  “It’s me he wants.”

Justin started sobbing more frantically.

“Get the fuck out.”  Michael yelled turning to look at Brian.  “Get the fuck out and never come back.”

Brian looked at Justin and his heart broke.  He would do anything as long as Justin wouldn’t leave him but he couldn’t think of what to do to keep Justin by his side.

***

Brian bent down and opened one of the cabinets that where right below the sink.  He took out a bottle of Jack Daniels and opened it.  He drank a sip of it and let the liquid burn his throat.  Brian looked at his gun just resting on the island and thought of how easy it all could be.  He could take the gun and find Chris and kill him and he could be happy with Justin.

“You know this is really pathetic of you?”  Chris told him.

Brian looked up and frowned.  He picked the gun and pointed at Chris.

“Oh, are you going to shoot me?  Go ahead.  Try it.”  Chris said.  “How are your friends Brian?”

“Fuck you.”  Brian yelled.

“No, fuck you.”  Chris roared.  “You took him away from me!”

“He was sick, Chris.  Jesus Christ!”  Brian shouted still pointing the gun at Chris.

“I could have helped him.  I could…”

“He tried how many times?”  Brian asked mad.  “He didn’t want to change, Chris.  He refused to stay away from kids.  He refused to go to treatment.  He would escape from the clinic every time he had an opportunity.”  

Chris shook his head. 

“He was making progress when we came here, Brian.  He was.”  Chris said his voice getting desperate.  “You were just pissed because of what happen with Cameron.”

Brian closed his eyes and shook his.  His gun slowly went down to rest back where it had been.

“Maybe you are right.  Maybe I did kill him because he killed my boyfriend or maybe it was because suddenly the same thing that happened to those kids in New York, in New Jersey, in Colorado, in Virginia started happening here.”

“That’s bullshit!”  Chris yelled.

“No!”  Brian told him furious.  “You know it’s not.  You were just too fucking blind to see it.”

“I could have changed him.”  Chris told him one last time but not as convincing as before.

"I highly doubt it."  Brian said.

Brian picked his gun and the bottle of JD.

“And get the fuck out of my house.”  Brian hissed.  “I don’t want you here anymore.”

“What makes you think I’m done?”  Chris asked.  “I’m going to make you hurt like…”

“You succeeded!”  Brian shouted.  “He left me.  He doesn’t want to see me ever again.  I been trying for weeks to talk to Justin but he won’t, so fucking congratulations!”

Brian walked passed Chris towards one of the bedrooms on the top floors.

“Get the fuck out.” Brian hissed.

Chris watched Brian going up the stairs and frowned.  He wanted to just leave and forget everything but he couldn’t.  Brian had to pay.  He had to and Chris knew just how to.