Out of the Shadows Book 2: From Darkness into Light - Chapter 3 The questions all started at once and Brian put his hands up to his ears. "Will everyone please … just please … shut the fuck up." The room fell silent and Brian rubbed his forehead. His head was pounding, but this time it was just an old fashioned headache. He thought this day might come; especially after what Daphne knew, but he'd been dreading it all the same and slowly, Brian sank down onto the sofa. He hadn't even stopped to think about the danger he was taking in revealing some of his powers to the gang: having to use them in broad daylight. But they were his friends and in danger and he hadn't thought twice about it. And then Daphne spoke. "Mr. Kinney … Brian … don't you think it's time … I mean … perhaps we could all help …" "Help? Help with what?" jumped in Mel and Brian looked at her and then to Daphne and he closed his eyes and sighed and Daphne took that as her cue to continue. "Brian's the gay crusader … the one who goes out every night … protecting the community against all the attacks that have been going on …" "What … is this true?" Michael could hardly believe his ears, but in his heart hadn't he always believed this person had existed? He just hadn't expected it to be Brian. And to look at Brian right now; slumped on the sofa: hunkered down and looking as if he'd give anything to be somewhere else, who would have believed it. As Brian had remained silent and hadn't objected, Daphne went on to tell what she'd seen: starting with the incident where the car had been turned upside down to what she'd witnessed with the fire-bomber. Putting this together with the way Brian had prevented Debbie from getting burned that time to what had just occurred at the diner: hard though it was to comprehend, it did all seem to make sense. "I should be pissed at you … young lady," said a rather annoyed Debbie to Daphne. "Getting a job at the diner under false pretences …" and she saw Daphne wriggle uncomfortably in her seat at getting busted. "Mom … that's hardly important now …" interrupted Michael and he turned his attention back to Brian. "But how is all this possible … and why? …" Michael continued and Brian put up his hand to stop him. "It's all so complicated …" he said quietly. "I still don't quite believe it all myself sometimes …" and Debbie: now a bit calmer, sat down beside him. "Brian … we're not going anywhere …so why don't you just take your time and tell us?" and she patted his knee and looking at him, she had to admit that even Brian looked a little confused about everything. Brian took a deep breath: in many ways it would be a tremendous relief to share this with his friends. The responsibility had been quite a burden after all and after what they'd witnessed, how the hell was he going to get away without offering any sort of explanation. He tried not to look at them as he explained; not wanting to see any disbelief showing in their faces that might question his very existence: why he of all people had been chosen for such a task. Brian told them that there was another world outside of their own; people who knew the struggles that would one day lay ahead for them and wanted to help. To do this they needed to find someone who would become a crusader for the gay community and had set out to search for the person who could do this and had eventually found who they were looking for: the child Brian. Trying to explain in such a way that he understood it all himself, Brian went on to say that he'd been passed certain powers by the people he'd known as his parents; powers he'd learned gradually and who's full potential he was sure he still didn't fully understand, but which had helped him protect the community against the vicious assaults that had been carried out: powers that meant he'd been able to prevent injuries today, at the diner. He looked up and saw the question on Daphne's face and she looked away: unsure as to whether or not to put it to him. "What is it?" Brian asked her and she looked back at him. "When I realised it was you … I started to wonder … why weren't you able to protect Justin that time?" and Brian looked around him: the group all now waiting for his answer. The guilt on Brian's face was all too apparent. "I … I … I knew something was wrong," he said and looking down at his hands. "But I didn't recognise what the signs meant … and I hadn't really learned everything I needed to know by then. But I was able to stop them hurting him more …" Brian's voice trailed off: knowing how pathetic that sounded. He should have been able to save Justin: whatever his parents had told him about not being ready and the guilt that he'd failed had never really gone away. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ It was late in the afternoon and while they were still trying to take in everything that Brian was telling them, the phone rang. It was the diner's owner, who'd been in touch with the insurance company; together with the Fire Department, they'd surveyed the building. Luckily, it was still reasonably structurally sound, but it would mean a major reconstruction job and total refurbishment and would take many weeks to complete. "What the fuck am I supposed to do while that's happening?" asked Debbie. "Take a well deserved rest," answered Ben and he gave her a peck on the cheek. Debbie looked on horrified; apart from a short break in the summer, she never had any time off and she thought she would probably go crazy with nothing to occupy her. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ With everyone having earlier telephoned their respective places of work, informing them of what had happened, no one had ventured further than Debbie's and they'd now talked well into the evening: their host keeping them supplied with coffee and producing a large home made lasagne for them all to tuck in to. Brian looked pretty beat: trying to explain to everyone everything he'd learned about his parents and their world and the gang could see how much the responsibilities he'd taken on were taking their toll. "Well I for one are very grateful to you Brian," smiled Emmett, getting up and everyone agreed. "And if no one minds, I'm going to go and have a lie down" and Emmett made his way upstairs: squeezing Brian's shoulder as he passed him. With Michael and Ben now living together in what had been the apartment he'd shared with Michael, Emmett was now living at Deb's: an arrangement that had suited them both well. Everyone now took this as their cue to leave and they all stood: including Brian. Ted shook his hand and spoke about seeing him in the office the following day and Brian had nodded and then Lindsay gave him a big hug and Mel smiled and hesitated before patting his arm: demonstrations of affection not normally known between them. Daphne smiled her thanks and the three girls left with Ted. "We'll talk more tomorrow," smiled Lindsay and she closed the door behind them. Ben reached out and took Brian's hand. "You saved our lives, Brian …" but Brian had shaken his head: displays of gratitude difficult to accept, but then Michael moved in for a big hug. "You saved us …" he repeated. "Our hero …" and Michael was only partly teasing. "Oh please …" started Brian, but he was stopped from going any further by Michael, who gave him a kiss. "And that's for saving Mom," whispered his friend and reluctantly, now accepting the thanks, Brian nodded and smiled. Michael and Ben kissed Debbie goodbye and then left and with a big sigh, Brian slumped back down on the sofa and picked up his coffee cup, but it was empty. "Want something stronger?" asked Debbie and without waiting for Brian's answer she went over to the cabinet and poured out a whiskey for Brian and a sherry for herself. She'd watched Brian's face when Daphne had asked him about not being able to save Justin and had seen how much it had pained him that he couldn't: the man looked like he needed someone to talk to. "Do you know who's behind all these attacks?" asked Debbie as she passed Brian his drink and she sat down in the chair opposite him: surprisingly enough, no one else had asked him. The man shrugged and Debbie frowned: as kids she could generally tell when the boys weren't being exactly truthful with her and this looked like one of those times and she raised an eyebrow. Brian hesitated and then took a swallow of his drink before speaking. "It's Craig Taylor … you know … Taylor Holdings …" "The hot-shot business man … the one that owns half the city and is always in the paper at those charity events?" asked Debbie in surprise. "And Justin's Father," added Brian and Debbie smiled: she was beginning to understand. "Is that why Justin left … because his Dad was giving him a hard time about being gay?" she asked him and Brian looked at her over the rim of his glass. "He doesn't know … Justin's Mother thought it was best he leave before his Father found out ..." he answered her and then he threw the rest of his drink down his throat. Debbie nodded and took a sip of her sherry. "So … to protect Justin … his Mom sent him to Switzerland. But from what I saw of the kid, he didn't seem like a quitter … more like someone who was quite capable of fighting his own corner … if you ask me …" but without answering her, Brian rose and went to pour himself another drink. "I also know how he felt about you … Christ … you only had to look at the kid when you were around … and I actually thought you had some feelings for him too …" and Debbie held out her glass, which Brian took and topped-up and he handed it back to her and returned to his seat: still without speaking. "So … I'm surprised he agreed to leave …" and Debbie paused. "But then you did your bit to encourage him to go … didn't you?" she asked and Debbie looked at Brian directly, but the man averted his eyes to avoid her gaze. "It must have been pretty tough going … having to learn all these powers and take on the responsibilities it meant … it must have taken up a lot of your time … and doing it in secret …" Debbie sighed, placed her drink on the side table and got up from her chair: crossing the living room, she sat down on the sofa next to Brian. "So … what did you do … exclude the kid … shut him out of what you were going through … make him think he wasn't an important part of your life … not important enough to know what was going on and ask him to stay?" Brian sighed. "You're good," he said at last, "but it wasn't about me … what I wanted. I couldn't protect Justin from getting bashed … some fucking hero …" and he drank his whiskey in one swallow. "So you sent him away … thinking that you didn't want him … or love him … am I right?" asked Debbie. Brian blinked, placed his empty glass on the coffee table and leaned over to Debbie and he gave her a peck on the cheek. "I better be going …" he said, getting up off the sofa and, without a further word between them, Brian left. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The next day, Brian went down to the diner to check out the damage and unsurprisingly, found Debbie there already. "Look at this fucking place" she exclaimed and Brian smiled. "Never mind Debs … think of this as an opportunity for a long overdue makeover …" "And what do you mean by that? Are you criticising the fucking décor or something …" she asked and Brian put his hands up in self-defence. "Calm down Debbie … I wasn't saying anything … except it's a good chance to update the place …" and he took one look at her expression and shut up: he was in danger of digging himself into an even bigger hole. Debbie couldn't help breaking into a smile. "Yeah … you're probably right," she admitted. "But I kinda like the place as it was," and she linked arms with him and together, they walked down the street and away from the diner. "You know, Brian … I lay awake most of last night … just thinking how lucky we all are … except for that poor guy from the road crew and his family …" and Debbie stopped and turned to face him. "If it wasn't for you … any one of us … or all of us … could be dead right now …" and Debbie's voice broke and tears filled her eyes and she patted Brian's face before pulling him in for a hug. Brian swallowed; that was something he'd been avoiding thinking about since the explosion happened; that since Justin and his parents left, the gang were all he had: they were his family now and they could all so very easily have been killed. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Knowing how much he could have lost brought Brian up short. It also made him realise just how much he missed the blond. He'd been trying not to think about him of late, but the growing ache in his heart: the ache he'd tried to ignore, confirmed it for him. The feeling of what might have been wasn't restricted to Debbie and Brian and a few weeks later, Brian received a call from Lindz, inviting him to dinner. Brian and Lindsay had maintained their friendship since college, but Lindz often had to act as peacemaker between her friend and her partner as they rarely agreed on anything, so when Mel started to be extra nice, Brian knew something was up. "Okay … what do you want?" he asked them, as he warmed the brandy glass in his hands and Lindsay looked at Mel and then back at Brian. "Well … after what happened … Mel and I have been talking and re-evaluating … and we've decided … we want a baby …" "Congratulations … but unless there's been advances in medical science I know nothing about …" "With you as the Father …" cut in Lindsay and Brian paused; his glass not yet quite at his lips and he raised an eyebrow before his drink continued its journey. He then took a large swallow of the warming liquid and grinned. "Then which one of you ladies am I gonna have to fuck?" he asked them and then Brian grinned even wider at the look of total horror on Melanie's face. "I'm going to be the birth Mother," stated Lindsay and Brian feigned a look of disappointment. "Asshole …" muttered Melanie under her breath. Unable to carry a child herself, Mel had reluctantly agreed to Lindsay's choice of Father for their child: Mel's choice would have been practically anyone but Brian. "You wanna go upstairs now?" Brian asked Lindsay and he started to get to his feet: his eyes twinkling and Lindsay felt herself blush just a little at the memory of how they'd ended up in bed together back at college and not just the once either and she shot Brian a warning glance before looking at Mel. Those were some experiences that she'd never shared with her partner and she'd hoped that Brian wasn't going to mention them either. Brian caught the look and though it was on the tip of his tongue to remind her, he decided otherwise. "Not like that …" Lindsay said quietly. "No …" stated Mel, quickly. "At the fertility clinic," and Brian nodded. "I know it's a big ask, Brian," admitted Lindsay, "But after the baby's born we don't expect you to take an active part in raising it … or even any financial commitment on your part …" Brian put down his glass and stood up. "I'm not sure Lindsay … " "I know, Brian … think about it and come back to us …" and leaving Mel in the living room, Lindsay walked him to the front door. "I know you want to think about it … but I'm hoping you'll say yes," said Lindsay and Brian nodded and then kissed her. "Are you sure you don't want to go upstairs?" he whispered and Lindsay opened the door and punched him on the arm. "Quite sure," she answered him, but the look in her eyes actually had him wondering if that was what she really meant. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A baby: with him as the Father. Christ: he'd once joked about lesbians setting up home and wanting babies, but he'd never really expected it of Lindsay and Mel and he'd never seen himself as a Father either, but he'd agreed to give it some serious thought and so he did. Brian retreated to the loft; there was a lot to think about. He'd been more shaken by the events at the diner than he'd let on. He now had a super-hero façade to maintain and he poured himself a large shot of Beam before heading for the bedroom, where he took off the cowry shell bracelet and put it beside the photograph of Justin and he sighed. It was weeks since he last meditated and he knew he'd missed it; how it calmed him and he removed his shoes and socks and settled down on the bed. Leaning back on the pillows and taking a sip of his drink, Brian had the feeling that things now would never be the same and that the incident at the diner was responsible for it. It's pretty natural to take stock after something like that he admitted and Brian hated the thought that the gang might think they had to treat him differently now and was desperate for things to stay the same. After all, wanting to stay the same also meant not having to think about the future too much and how much worse events might become, with more people than ever relying on him to protect them. And wanting to stay the same meant not having to think about how things might have been if Justin had remained in the Pitts. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Daphne couldn't wait to report back to Justin about what she now knew for certain, but at the same time trying to keep her emails low key. She'd sent him the Tribune's account of the gas explosion outside the diner, which said how lucky it was that there was only one fatality and no injuries to the people inside and she let him know how it was Brian who had "taken charge" there. Daphne immediately followed on by saying how the gay crusader was still well in evidence and what incredible powers the man must have acquired and how difficult it must be for him to prevent people finding out about him. Justin read and re-read Daph's email and the attachments a dozen times, grateful that his friend knew how much it meant to him to have at least a tenuous link with Brian. It was Daph who had emailed him to let him know that Brian had started up his own agency and that he'd called it "Kinnetik". Justin had smiled to himself when he read that, but couldn't help the sadness he felt in his heart. How he'd loved to have been there when Brian had decided on the name; the name that he'd suggested: the name that Brian thought worthy enough to adopt for use by his own company. And now, with this latest news, Justin grew more and more certain that Daphne was telling him that Brian WAS the gay crusader: without a doubt and this was confirmed by Daphne's subsequent emails. During the following months, every time there was evidence of an attack being thwarted and people and property defended, Daphne would send Justin a note, immediately followed by something about Brian. It could be anything, the fact that she'd seen him in the diner or that as an increasingly successful businessman he was beginning to do the social rounds more and had attended various charitable events. Justin couldn't fail to make the connection if Daphne had put the words "IT'S BRIAN" into a 50ft. high neon sign. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Brian was becoming more successful; his business was thriving and he now had several very large accounts; all snatched away from Ryder and whenever Brian had attended any social, business or charitable event, good old Sam, the Trib's photographer, made sure he got a few shots of him. Every time Justin opened one of Daphne's emails he held his breath to see if there might be a new photograph attached. Generally, they were of Brian in a formal tux, but Justin didn't care: just seeing a photograph that had been taken only one or two days before, made the blond still feel connected with him in some way. Justin swelled with pride at Brian's accomplishments: both with his business and as a man who put himself at risk time and time again for his community. And he made a resolution. When he returned to Pittsburgh it would be to stand at Brian's side; if the man would have him: to stand with him and help him in his fight. Justin looked at himself in the mirror; he knew he wasn't exactly built to be a super-hero and that he'd be no match for anyone taller and heavier than himself: he'd already discovered that. But maybe if he learned a few skills, then he would be of more use to Brian out on the streets. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Geneva School of Martial Arts had a good name, but Justin felt the task for which he wanted to prepare demanded more than this and he scoured the ads in the various papers and magazines in his search: eventually finding what he was looking for. Karim Jaros offered self-defence and combat training and having telephoned ahead, Justin arranged to go to the man's class: a loft space above some offices, not too far away from the institute and which served as both classroom and home. Karim turned out to be a more than able instructor: ex-special forces with a friendly foreign power, in his early thirties, a little over six feet and incredibly fit. The fact that he was extremely hot and vaguely reminded Justin of someone he'd left back in Pittsburgh didn't hurt one bit either and Justin signed up for a course of instruction and opted for personal tuition. A few sessions into the course, Justin's gaydar was confirmed correct as the man put his arm around the blond's waist to show him one particular self-defence move: a hold that lasted just a few seconds more than Justin would have expected and one he had to admit he'd rather enjoyed. Karim smiled at him: his dark eyes flashing and Justin found himself wondering what sex would be like with this man. When Justin asked about combat training as well as self-defence, Karim had raised an eyebrow: the young man standing before him not typical of the men who normally sought his instruction and as a complement to the training, Karim also suggested a fitness regime and offered to be Justin's workout buddy and he would swing by the institute dorms and collect Justin every day for their early morning run. As often as he could, Justin would either attend Karim's classes or join him at the gym and as Karim watched him on the equipment, he saw the fixed look of determination on the blond's face as he continually pushed himself further and further. It was the same look he'd noticed during the combat training; a look of purpose and total commitment and he wondered what lay behind it: or more likely, who. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ They showered and chatted comfortably; Justin telling the man about his art as they towelled themselves down and dressed in the small washrooms designed specifically for his students and, following one of the training sessions, Karim finally decided to ask him. "You always look so serious … when either you're working out or at class …" said the older man and with a hint of Eastern European accent that made the blond shiver when he spoke and he leaned closer to Justin, who was dressing just a couple of feet away: Karim opting to use the students' washroom rather than his own personal bathroom. "And those beautiful blue eyes should never look that way …" he said softly and smiled at him and Justin actually felt a little colour creep across his face at the man's obvious flattery. "So tell me," Karim continued. "Why are you interested in all of this … you hardly look the type …" "And what type is that?" asked the blond, a little curtly. "Don't get me wrong … there's nothing wrong in learning how to take care of yourself … it's my business after all …" and the older man paused. "But you just don't seem the aggressive type to me and they're the ones that usually want to learn the combat stuff …" and Karim picked up some joggers and pulled them on. Justin sighed. "I … I got bashed a few years ago … and I felt pretty useless … not being able to defend myself and I decided I never wanted to be in that position again …" Karim straightened up and looked at him and then, catching Justin completely off-balance, he reached out and brushed the younger man's cheek with the back of his hand and he frowned: his face showing obvious concern. "Beautiful Justin … how I would hate to see you hurt …" Justin went to speak, but before he could utter a word, Karim had moved closer towards him, leaned down and kissed him sweetly on the mouth. Justin's initial reaction was to put a hand up to Karim's shoulder and start to push him away, but the larger, stronger man resisted the blond's efforts to break the contact and he deepened the kiss and, before Justin knew it, he was responding. Karim now held Justin's face in both hands; the blond's skin tingling under the man's touch and Justin leaned into him; feeling the man's smooth hard body against his own and when he pulled back to look at him and search his face, he couldn't miss the desire in Karim's eyes: confirmed by the older man's direct words. "I want to fuck you …" Justin's relationship with Leon had cooled of late; both of them knowing that Justin's heart really belonged elsewhere and it wasn't as if they'd actually made any sort of firm commitment to one another. But it wasn't Justin's heart that was being enticed by Karim as the man led him through to his bedroom. It was his cock and the lure of pure sex. Karim had thought Justin beautiful the first time he'd laid eyes on him and had desperately wanted to get the younger man into bed. At first, he felt a little ashamed: wanting to take advantage of one of his students, but that feeling soon disappeared to be replaced by one of pure lust and longing and having moved into the bedroom, they quickly shed their clothing. Karim found Justin's reluctance to be pushed onto his back amusing to begin with and then the blond made it perfectly clear who was going to fuck whom. Karim blinked and bit his lip and he nodded. He didn't normally bottom, but in Justin's case, the young man was worth breaking the rules for and once warmed up, Karim was sure Justin would come around and comply. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Justin was surprised at just how much he'd needed this. Though the sex with Leon had been good, it could never have matched up to what he'd experienced with Brian, but Karim was getting close. After their initial coming together; where Karim had allowed Justin to top him and admitted afterwards that he'd never experienced such intensity before: either as a top or a bottom, it was Justin who now allowed the older man to take him. The transition had seemed totally natural and one that the blond didn't think to question or dwell on: it just seemed right. Whether it was the fact that he reminded Justin of Brian, but with dark eyes flashing now instead of hazel flecked with gold that made it feel so good; so hot and so erotic, Justin wasn't sure. But what he did know was that Karim took him to places he hadn't ventured to since his time with the man who'd convinced him to come to Geneva to pursue his art and become his own man: the man he hoped to return to. And now as the time was moving ever closer to when he would return to Pittsburgh, Justin had felt his sensuality being re-awakened as Karim now quickened his strokes: quickened them to the point that had them both panting with the exertion, blood pounding in their heads and their bodies bathed in sweat. Justin moaned; a low guttural sound that seemed to come from his very soul: rising from somewhere deep within, but quickly stifled as Karim lent forward to kiss him. Justin was on his back; the older man above him and inside him: every nerve tingling, every muscle aching with their prolonged love-making. Like Brian, Karim it would seem, could maintain an erection to the point where Justin thought he couldn't take any more as the man thrust deeper and harder: the blond crying out silently for mercy, but not wanting it to stop and he closed his eyes tightly, wishing it was the man with hazel eyes who was here now and buried deep inside him. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "That was incredible …" Justin was lying on his side and he reached out and caressed Karim's shoulder: the man now sitting on the edge of the bed and staring into the night. It was late, but there was a full moon and the light bathed Karim's bedroom through the open drapes: everything taking on a silvery hue. The man looked back at him and smiled. "I'm going to miss you," he said quietly and he took Justin's hand. "But sometimes now … it's as if you're not even here," and Justin frowned. "What do you mean?" he asked him and Karim turned so that he was sitting facing him. "When you're here … I know you're not really with me … that you're somewhere else … with someone else and that one day … you will return there. So … where is it that you go and who do you go to?" Justin bit his lip and looked down and Karim let go of Justin's hand and, reaching out, placed his fingers lightly under the blond's chin and gently pulled the younger man's head up to look at him. Karim's stomach flipped; looking into those beautiful blue eyes: two pools of liquid shining in the moonlight and his heart melted. If only Justin could be his, but it was obvious his heart and his head belonged to someone else. "Brian … his name's Brian … and he's back home in Pittsburgh …" said Justin quietly and almost apologetically, but Karim only smiled. "Don't ever be ashamed of loving someone," he told him. "This Brian … he's a very lucky man and I would trade places with him in a moment … if you'd have me …" and now Justin smiled and stroked the man's arm with the tips of his fingers. "But I know you could never love me … but does Brian love you … he probably doesn't deserve you … and why are you here … in Geneva instead of being with him … doesn't America have some of the finest art institutes?" Justin nodded. "It's complicated … my Dad doesn't approve of my doing art and wanted me to do a business degree … and then go and work with him after I graduate … but Mom thought that if I came here … then I could study art without him really bothering about what I'm doing …" and Justin paused. "He also doesn't know that I'm gay and he's gonna take it real bad when he finds out …" and Justin took a deep breath before continuing. "But Brian said that I owed it to myself to explore my full potential with my art and that I should come here and learn as much as I can … be the best that I can be and become my own man … so that my Father can't dictate to me about what I should do and who I am …" and Karim saw the tears form in Justin's eyes as he recalled his conversation with Brian. "Tell me about Brian … because the man is either very courageous … or a fool," said Karim and he saw the question on Justin's face. "To tell you to come here … so very far away … if he loves you … then he risks losing you … but from what you say … he doesn't sound like a fool to me …" Justin smiled and shook his head. "He isn't a fool … he's smart … real smart … even has his own advertising agency now … and he has a great sense of humour … in a sardonic … sarcastic sort of way …" and he chuckled and then Karim saw his face darken. "And he's beautiful … and loving … and giving … even though he would never admit to it … he's not big on sentimentality … and I know he loves me … even though he's never actually told me … like he doesn't think he could love anyone." "But I know he can and I thought we'd be together … but …" Justin's voice trailed off and Karim leaned closer to him. "You'll be going home soon … won't you?" he asked him and Justin nodded. "Then go back to him … tell him you love him and that you know he loves you … even if he does find the words hard to say … because he will say them … when the time is right … when he feels it's right …" and Karim smiled and leaned over and gave Justin a kiss: a sweet, tender, loving kiss that said everything about how he valued the time they'd spent together and always would. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Brian had eventually agreed to father the child Lindsay and Melanie wanted and he'd been given the dates of her monthly cycle to know when she was at her most fertile and they'd waited for him at the clinic, but he didn't show and he wasn't picking up his calls. But Brian did show up, however, late that night, on their doorstep, carrying the paper cup he'd so carefully filled in the back room at Babylon: not that he would tell the girls that of course and Lindsay was now in her third trimester. Since the explosion at the diner and Brian's admission, if only to himself, that he missed Justin, between work and scouring the streets keeping a watchful, protective eye on its inhabitants, Brian had virtually become addicted to sex. He couldn't get enough and went through practically every fuckable guy; well certainly every cute, blond and blue-eyed fuckable guy in Pittsburgh; using the time during fucking to zone out: his mind elsewhere and not on the blond so far away. Or so he thought, but then, having regained his senses, there was always this cute, blond and blue-eyed guy looking up at him and Justin's beautiful, smiling face would pass fleetingly before him and Brian would be right back where he started from: his heart breaking and aching for Justin to be back with him. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Justin had done extremely well: incredibly well in fact. He was accomplished in self-defence and combat training, to the point however, that Karim had become a little scared for him. But the blond would only insist it was because of the bashing he once had and to prevent ever becoming a victim again. He'd completed his four years at Geneva's Ecole Súperieure des Beaux-Arts: graduated with honours and marked down as a definite prospect to watch in the future and was now busy packing up his things before saying goodbye to Karim, Leon and his surrogate family and heading back home to Pittsburgh. Justin was even more determined than ever to let Brian know how much he loved him: to tell Brian that he should allow himself to love and that they would fight to protect the gay community together. Justin was going home. To be continued.