Chapter Two Brian woke up early with his alarm the next morning. He rolled over and shut it off before sitting up and stretching. He glanced around his room and sighed. "I wonder how long it'll be before I get to sleep in here again," he thought out loud as he got out of bed and headed into his bathroom to take a shower and get ready for the day, which included the meeting with this Justin Taylor. ------ After picking up Michael and stopping by the diner to get something to eat, Brian was on his way to the cottage where Justin Taylor was staying. Michael was going on and on about how he was so excited to be working for some big shot actor, and how he was so glad that Brian picked him to be his partner. Brian's headache escalated and escalated until he couldn't take it anymore. "Michael. Please. Just, shut the fuck up for ten minutes," Brian said, his gaze tearing away from the road to glance at Michael, then returned to the road. Michael's brows furrowed. "What the fuck is up your ass?" Michael asked. Brian sighed. Michael was his best friend since he was 14 years old. His own parents treated him like shit, so he found a second home in the Novotny household. Brian was used to Michael's constant whining and the times when he wouldn't shut up. But today, he wasn't in the mood for it. He wasn't particularly happy about taking on this job, but he knew there was nothing he could do about it. So he wanted to spend the drive to the cottage in peace. "Nothing the fuck's up my ass. I just have a headache, and I'd like to spend this drive in peace," he said. Michael crossed his arms across his chest and 'humph'ed, glancing out his window. Brian concentrated on the road, enjoying the new found silence of the jeep. ------ An hour later, Brian pulled the jeep up to a rather large cabin, right in the outskirts of Pittsburgh. "Jesus. What the fuck is he doing all the way out here?" he asked himself. Michael looked up, shrugging. He hadn't spoken one word since Brian told him to shut up. "Listen, Mikey, I'm sorry. I just had a huge headache, and you were talking non-fucking-stop. I really appreciate that you were quiet in the jeep, but my headache's gone now," Brian apologized to his friend. He'd have to keep on good terms if he'd be living with Mikey for who knows how long. "I know, Brian. I try not to talk too much, it just happens," Mikey said. Brian gave him a quick friendly kiss before he got out of the van, a sign that all was forgiven. Justin heard a car come up the driveway, and he peeked out the windows. Seeing the flashing lights that weren't currently in use on top of the jeep, he figured that this must be his bodyguards. Standing up, he went over to the door and opened it up, moving to stand on the porch. He saw the driver get out of the car and his breath caught in his throat. This had to be the most gorgeous man he'd ever seen. Quickly regaining his composure, he spoke. "You must be Brian Kinney," he crossed his arms across his chest as the man he addressed looked up and nodded. "I am, and you, I take it, are Justin Taylor," Brian said. He let his eyes quickly sweep over the younger blonde's body. The boy was cute. Not his type, but cute nonetheless. "Yes, I'm Justin Taylor. Would you like some help with your bags?" Justin asked, descending the stairs. "No, thanks, Mr. Taylor. I think we'll be fine. This is my partner, Michael Novotny. We'll be taking shifts," Brian informed the blonde. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Taylor," Michael said, extending his hand. Justin smiled and shook it. He then turned to Brian and shook his outstretched hand as well. "Please, call me Justin. We'll be in pretty close quarters for the next few weeks, months. Hell, I don't know," he said, a small chuckle escaping his lips. Brian felt a smile grace his lips as he opened the back of his jeep, taking the bags out. The next hour or so was filled with Brian and Michael moving their luggage into the rooms that they would occupy, and unpacking their stuff. Once they were both all settled in, the three men met in the living room of the cottage. "So, Justin, why don't you tell us a little bit about this stalker," Brian suggested. Justin nodded. "Sure, are you guys hungry? We could order in some food, and talk while we're waiting for it to be delivered," he suggested. Brian and Michael agreed, and soon they were all seated in the living room. Justin pulled out the binder, and he sat down on the floor at the coffee table. Without thinking, Brian moved to sit next to him, while Michael opted for sitting across from him on the floor. Justin took a deep breath, and then started talking. "I've been getting letters from this person for a long time. They were never scary or threatening. They used to be kind of nice. The person, who named himself 'The Fan', started with letters, telling me that they thought I was a great actor, they enjoyed my work. It always puzzled me how they got my home address, but I just figured they must have seen me come home or something, and was too shy to talk in person. Gradually, the letters started getting creepier. It'd say something like 'I like that outfit you wore yesterday' or something like that. Then I started getting these," Justin opened his binder and showed the two men the letters that he started keeping once they started getting creepy. Brian looked over the letters as Justin flipped through the binder. There had to be at least 300 letters there. He realized that they were dated, and there was one every day. "This has been going on for a year?" he asked, directing his attention back to Justin. "Almost. I've been getting letters from The Fan for more than a year, but they've only been creepy for about a year. I mean, I'd move, and I'd still get letters from them. This is the most recent. It came to this cottage this morning. Underneath my door," he said as he flipped to the last page. "Underneath your door? Why haven't you contacted police sooner, if this has been going on for over a year?" Michael asked. Justin shrugged. "I just started getting the threatening ones recently, and then I called," he said. Brian shut the binder, now determined. "Well, Justin, you have nothing to worry about. Novotny, er, I mean, Michael and I are on the case now," he said. Justin smiled at him and he couldn't help but notice what a gorgeous smile the kid had. He smiled back. Just then, the food arrived, and the three men sat around the kitchen table, Brian and Michael entertaining Justin with stories of the police force, and past cases they've been on. After dinner, Michael spoke up. "Brian. Why don't you and I check the perimeter of the house? Make sure everything's secure?" he asked. Brian nodded, standing up and stretching. He and Michael checked the outside of the house, making sure that no windows were unlocked or able to get into. They also checked all the doors and the door to the cellar. Everything was fine. That night, when everyone was in bed, Brian sat awake, looking out the window. He wasn't sure what it was, but he felt an overwhelming urge to protect this young blonde. And protect him was what he'd do. End Chapter Two 06/30/05