Midnight Whispers
QAF Brian and Justin Fanfiction
Author's Chapter Notes:

Justin and his parents encounter an unexpected visitor at the farmhouse; will it lead to finding out what really happened to him - and to Dale as well? 

 

 

 

The Next Morning...9:00 a.m. - Windswept Farm

 

The conversation filtering through his partly-opened bedroom window roused Justin from a fitful sleep; the mixture of stiffness from his fall off the sulky, along with all the worries swirling through his head, resulting in an intermittent sleep at best, so it wasn't hard for something - or someone - to disrupt his slumber.  He lay there half-asleep, half-awake, his eyes still closed, as he found himself an unintentional eavesdropper to the voices interacting below:

 

"And I'm telling you that you shouldn't be here."

 

"But I needed to know how he is!  You honestly don't think I care?"

 

"I don't know WHAT to think, Jared."

 

Justin's eyes flew open and his heart pounded in anxiety; Jared was here?  On the farm?  He quickly flung the sheet back from his body, Checkers tumbling onto the floor from his place on the extra pillow, before Justin gently retrieved him and returned him to his normal spot.  Clad only in a best-loved pair of athletic pants that he preferred to sleep in, he hurried over to the window and looked down below.  Sure enough, he observed his brother and father standing there by the back gate, facing each other.  Jared's back was to him, but he could clearly make out his father's face - and he could tell that he was not happy.  His face was drawn into a tight expression, and his lips were pursed firmly together in irritation.  He noticed the sheriff's car parked a few feet away, but no sign of Billy Renfro.  Had the sheriff brought him here, then?  If so, why?  Did he confess something about his part in causing his injury?  Had he admitted that he had known all along what Doug Kesterson was planning on doing?  He frowned; that didn't seem right to him.  Of course, it didn't make much sense for his brother to come out here at all.  Was it possible he really was concerned about him?  Whatever the reason, he knew he had to find out for himself.

 

Quickly yanking open his top dresser drawer, he hurried to shrug into a long-sleeved, navy-colored tee-shirt and slip into his sneakers before he shuffled quickly to his bedroom door and down the hallway to the steps.  He winced at the stiffness in his back, a tendril of pain briefly flaring up, as he walked down the staircase as fast as he dared, turning at the bottom to head toward the kitchen.  He didn't hear anything in the house, and briefly wondered where his mother was. That is, until he opened the back screen door and noticed her sitting in the porch swing, her arms folded over her chest and her face clouded in distress; the sheriff was standing on the other side of the porch opposite her, his back leaning up against the wooden railing.  She and Renfro looked over at Justin with surprise as he walked outside; the same, exact moment that Jared and his father noticed his unexpected appearance as well.

 

"Justin!" Jennifer exclaimed with a little alarm.  "What are you doing here?"

 

"I live here, Mom," he answered her a little curtly, knowing what she was really trying to say. He chose to ignore her for now as he headed over to the back steps.  Jared's eyes locked with his, and at that moment he could have sworn he saw...what? Regret?  Relief?  Or maybe guilt? He wasn't quite sure. But he did not see any sign of his brother's normal bluster or bravado.  There was no smirk or superior sneer on his face for a change.

 

"Justin," his father warned him sternly.  "You need to go back in the house, and let me handle this."

 

His son's eyes flashed as he glared over at his older brother.  "The hell I will!" he growled.  "I above everyone else have a right to know what's going on!"

 

"Justin, maybe your father is right," Jennifer spoke up then as she rose from her place on the swing.  "You're still recov..."

 

"Stop it, Mom!  I'm not some damn child!" Justin retorted, not really meaning to take his anger out on his mother, but unable to help himself.

 

"Justin, watch your language when you talk to your mother," Craig admonished him curtly.

 

Justin took a deep breath and let it out to release some of the tension.  "I'm sorry, Mom," he apologized quietly as she nodded with a half-smile in understanding.  He turned back to peer down at his brother who appeared oddly uncomfortable.  "Well?" he prompted, his voice rising.  "Go on, Jared! I'm all ears!  What the hell are you doing here? Come back to gloat?  Or are you trying to finish the job somehow?"

 

The sheriff held up his hand before Jared or anyone else could respond.  "Listen first to what he has to say, son," he urged him quietly.  "I think he's wanting to help you."

 

Justin barked out a laugh.  "Help me?  That's a new way of describing it!  Well, guess what, big brother!  I don't need your kind of help!"

 

"Don't you?" Jared finally found his voice at last.  "You want to take the chance that Doug will get bail and come after you again?"

 

Justin swallowed hard. That was precisely what he - and Brian - were afraid of.  "What do you want, Jared?" he asked him point blank.

 

Jared glanced up at the sheriff, who seemed to nod in encouragement.  "Like the sheriff said - I want to help you put Doug behind bars for a long time."

 

Justin walked stiffly over to the top of the steps to stare down at the older boy he used to idolize.  "How can I believe that after what you've done to me?  Do you know he's accusing YOU of being in on it?  And what's worse - I can't help believing he may be right!"  He refused to acknowledge the prickle of tears threatening to emerge over the thought that his own brother would want to harm him.

 

"No, Justin!" Jared exclaimed as he took a few steps toward him, watching in dismay as Justin backed away in perfect synchrony with his advance.

 

"That's far enough, Jared," Craig warned him, not sure WHAT - or whom - to believe, either.

 

"I don't believe this!" Jared declared.  "Do you really think I had something to do with it?" he asked his brother.

 

"Well, you didn't exactly come running to see how I was after I fell, did you?" Justin challenged.

 

"I didn't exactly think the welcome mat would be rolled out, either," Jared spat before sighing in disgust.  "Look, I'm willing to prove I didn't have anything to do with it - and hopefully catch Doug in the act at the same time."

 

Jennifer walked up to place a calming hand on her youngest son's shoulder as Justin replied, "What do you mean? What are you talking about?"

 

"Can we take this in the house?" the sheriff suggested as he noticed Vic and Emmett emerging from the stables, no doubt after overhearing part of the commotion near the house.  "I think the fewer people that know about this right now, the better."  Everyone stood stock still for a few moments before he added, "Please?  I think you'll want to hear what he has to say."

 

"Very well," Craig replied at last as he turned to head up the steps.  "You've got fifteen minutes," he told Jared.  Nodding at his younger son as he reached the top of the porch, he commanded softly, "Come on, Justin; in the house," before he placed a hand on his son's shoulder and gently nudged him back toward the screen door.  Justin glared down at his brother for a moment before he nodded back at Craig, letting his father lead him back inside; they were followed shortly by his mother and then the sheriff, keeping himself within arm's reach of the other boy as Jared entered last.

 


 

Jared felt a distinctive sense of déjà vu as he stood in the living room a few minutes later while everyone took their places:  his father and mother facing him warily as they sat side by side on the couch, and Justin sitting across from them near the window in the recliner, eyeing him suspiciously.  The sheriff stood next to him near the open doorway, acting like a sentinel that would pounce at any second if he did anything wrong.  It felt way too much like the day not too long ago when he had been thrown out of the house, and it made him feel both edgy and ostracized.

 

"All right, Jared; we're listening," Craig told him at last, breaking the silence.  "You've got fifteen minutes to tell your side of the story. And it'd better be the truth."  Craig couldn't help the hurt bubbling inside him; after everything he and his oldest son had done together - after all the bonding they had done over the years - to be sitting across from his boy and feeling like he couldn't trust him now tied his stomach up in one, big knot of anxiety.  He glanced over at Justin, whose lips were pressed tightly together.  He suspected his younger son was going to need a great deal of convincing, also, and he couldn't blame him.  "Well?" he pressed as Jared sighed in irritation.

 

"Okay, okay.  I did go to the track with Doug that day, and we did hang out together. And I did find him back in the stables when he said he needed to go to the restroom and never came back.    At the time he didn't explain why he was back there, but now..."  His voice trailed off as he glanced over at his brother.  "Now I realize that he was up to no good.  He admitted it to me afterward when he started acting suspiciously."

 

"What do you mean...suspiciously?" Justin spoke up then.

 

Jared appeared uncomfortable as he looked over at his brother.  "Well...he kept telling me to bet all the money I had left on Robbie Andrews. He kept saying it was a sure thing.  And then later he said something like, ‘he should have won.'  I finally called him out on it, and that's when he admitted that he had laced your drink with the ketamine."  He shook his head as he snorted in derision, "He never dreamed you would actually be able to finish the race, so he lost all his money anyway.  It was all for nothing."

 

"Are you disappointed by that, Jared?" Justin asked him quietly, unable to keep the hurt out of his voice.

 

Jared's eyes grew wide.  "Of course not!" he snapped.  "Look, you and I have had our share of arguments," Justin huffed in disbelief over that euphemism, "But I would never do something like that, Justin, whether you believe it or not!  I was just as surprised by what he did as all of you were!  And I did go find the sheriff's deputy," he pointed out.  "Would I have done that if I had had something to hide?"

 

"Maybe if you were trying to deflect suspicion away from you," Justin pointed out.

 

"Come on...Think about it!" Jared retorted as his parents remained stonily silent.  He shook his head in disgust.  "Well, I'm going to prove to you once and for all that I had nothing to do with it."  He looked over at Renfro meaningfully as the sheriff cleared his throat.

 

"Your son has agreed to be a witness against the Kesterson boy - and he's going to see if he can get him to confess to what he did - and to why he did it."

 

"Why do we need a confession?" Jennifer asked.   "You've already got the boy's fingerprints on Justin's water bottle."

 

"True," Billy conceded.  "But that's mainly circumstantial evidence. We didn't see him place the chemical in the bottle.  Besides, your son wants his name cleared, and right now it's his word against the other boy's.  Personally, I don't think there's any way that the Doc's son can squirm his way out of being convicted of drugging Justin and helping to cause his injury, but that doesn't mean he couldn't have had accomplices.  The only way to totally exonerate Jared, then, and to make sure no one else is involved is to get Doug to confess that he acted alone toward your son."

 

"And how do you propose to do that?" Craig asked.  "He's not going to volunteer that information; he's already said my son was involved."

 

Jared opened his mouth to protest his innocence again, only to have the sheriff hold up his hand to interrupt him.  "I'll tell you how," he replied.  "When the Kesterson boy is freed on bail day after tomorrow - and I fully expect that will happen, taking into account his father's stature in the community and his lack of any major criminal record - your son will contact him and arrange to meet him somewhere. And we'll be listening in on the whole thing."

 

The trio gaped over at the sheriff in shock.  "Listening in?" Justin repeated.

 

Billy nodded as he glanced over at Jared.  "Your brother's agreed to wear a wire so he can try to get more information out of him."

 

"...And prove that I had nothing to do with it," Jared told them quietly as he looked over at Justin.  "And I didn't, Justin; I swear I didn't."

 

Justin had to admit as he thought about it that he couldn't determine any other reason why his brother would agree to do something like that unless he knew he wouldn't be incriminated over his part in his injury; was it just possible that Jared was telling the truth, then, and really didn't have anything to do with it?  He finally responded with, "I guess we'll find out, won't we?"

 

"Yeah, you will," Jared promised him.  "I'll get him to admit to what he did - and that I had nothing to do with it - if it's the last thing I do."

 

Justin scrutinized him thoughtfully.  "I just wish I knew you were doing it to help ME, Jared, and not because you're afraid of rotting in jail along with your friend."

 

"I can't force you to believe me," Jared replied stiffly.  "And yeah, I don't want to wind up in jail!  But...That's not the entire reason."

 

Justin eyed him skeptically.  "Maybe."  He paused.  "Well, for whatever reason, for your sake as well as mine I hope it works."

 

"So do I," Jennifer spoke up from her place on the couch, her hands clasped tightly together.  "I'm worried about both of you.  Until that Kesterson boy is locked away for good - and we know there aren't any more accomplices running around - I won't get a good night's rest."  Despite her disappointment over her older boy's behavior lately, she still loved Jared and didn't want harm to come to either boy.

 

Jared nodded, silently relieved that his mother hadn't completely written him off as the family pariah.  He let out a deep breath.  "Well, that's all I wanted to tell you," he softly told his family, signaling to the sheriff that he was ready to go. He didn't ask to stay; his father had made it abundantly clear that he was forbidden to do that.

 

"Where will you go?" his mother asked as the sheriff held his hand out to indicate he was ready to leave as well.

 

Jared huffed at the irony.  "I still have a spare key to Doug's apartment. I figured I would crash there until he's released from jail."

 

"That will give us time to set your son up with the proper surveillance equipment so we can monitor their conversations," Billy supplied in explanation.

 

Jennifer glanced over at her husband, who remained stony-faced.  She knew this situation with their eldest boy was eating him up; neither of them was condoning what Jared had done to both Justin and the Walker's nephew, but she knew Craig missed the closeness he had once had with him.

 

Rising to her feet, Jennifer walked over to the coffee table and dug into her purse to produce a twenty-dollar bill.  Approaching her son, she reached over and pushed the bill into her son's hand.  "Here, at least take this so I know you'll have something to eat there," she murmured.

 

Jared wanted to refuse, but truthfully he had squandered his last twenty at the track and knew that Doug had next to nothing stocked at his apartment; at least food wise.  So finally he simply whispered gratefully, "Thanks, Mom," as she nodded back at him.

 

"Ready to go?" Renfro asked him as Jared nodded.  He began to follow the sheriff out of the room, only to stop in mid-stride as he walked over to his brother.  "Justin...I'm telling the truth. I really didn't have anything to do with you getting hurt.  I wouldn't do that to you."

 

Justin stared into his face for a few moments before he replied quietly, "Maybe not, at least not physically, anyway."  Jared seemed to flinch slightly over his statement before, with a nod, he turned and silently headed out of the room.

 

Craig peered over at his youngest son worriedly.  "Justin?  You okay?"

 

Justin swallowed hard before nodding.  "Yeah.  No.  Hell, I don't know!" he admitted as he rubbed his face wearily with his right hand.  He sighed heavily as he looked over at both parents.  "I don't know what to believe anymore, Dad."

 

Craig nodded grimly.  "That makes two of us," he murmured as he and Justin's mom exchanged a look between them.  He shook his head sadly.  How did this ever get to this point between his two sons?  Was Jared capable of inflicting such pain on his only brother?  And was he sincere now about wanting to prove his innocence?

 

"I...have to head out to the barn," he told Jennifer.  Truthfully, he really didn't have anything specific in mind; he just needed to clear his head from the jumble of emotions coursing through him at the moment.  He peered over at his youngest son thoughtfully, noticing the look of sadness on his face.  "Justin, maybe you had best go back upstairs and rest."

 

"Dad, I just got up," Justin reminded him quietly.  "And do you really think I could go back to sleep after this?"

 

"I guess not," Craig admitted.  "Then have your mom fix you something to eat; I'm heading outside for a while."

 

"Come on, Honey," Jennifer urged him as she placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.  "I'll go fix you some of your favorite blueberry pancakes, okay?"

 

Justin nodded with a sigh as he followed his parents down the short hallway to the kitchen, hearing the sound of Renfro's car driving away as his father left through the back screen door a few seconds later.

 


 

Same Time...Stables

 

"Brian.  This is a surprise."

 

"Hey, Vic."  Brian nodded at the older man as he paused near the paddock fence to observe True Blue grazing nearby; he watched as the imposing animal whinnied before he threw his head back, his nostrils flaring briefly as he took off in a restless gallop around the pasture.

 

"What's the matter, boy?" he called out to him softly as the animal trotted up to him and stopped within a few feet of him a couple of minutes later.  For such a large animal, surprisingly he didn't scare him.

 

"Things don't seem quite right lately, do they?" he murmured to him.  "Don't know what to do with yourself, either, huh?"  True Blue cocked his head as if he were listening intently to him as Brian wistfully smiled up at him.  He paused for a moment to admire the sleek, strong lines of the horse before he turned to walk over to Vic, who was standing quietly nearby, observing him.

 

The older man shook his head in amazement.  "You seem to have a way with him, Brian.  Up until now, I've been about the only one who could come anywhere near him without spooking him. And most people are just plain intimidated by him.  You don't seem that way, though. And if I didn't know better, I'd say that horse actually likes you."  He stood silently next to him for a few seconds before he added softly, "The only other person who ever had that effect on him was Dale."

 

Brian gazed over at the majestic animal, who slowly walked away to begin grazing nonchalantly nearby.  "Maybe we just understand each other," he told the other man.  "In a way, I think we have some things in common."

 

Vic started over that statement; that was the same thing that Dale used to say about his horse.  He was about to quiz Brian on that further when both of them heard a car door being slammed near the Taylor farmhouse and turned their heads just in time to see Jared entering a sheriff's car from the passenger seat. A few seconds later, the car began to pick up speed as it disappeared down the narrow dirt road, taking it out to the main highway.

 

"What the fuck?" Brian asked, mouth agape.  "What was HE doing here?"  Before Vic had a chance to answer him, however, Brian was rushing up toward the back of the farmhouse in a dead run.

 

"Brian!"  Vic shouted as Emmett emerged from inside the stables, feed bucket in hand.  He stared at Brian's quickly retreating form as he asked his uncle, "What's going on?"

 

"Good question," Vic responded grimly.  "Billy Renfro's car just left Craig and Jennifer's house - and Jared was with him."

 

Emmett's eyes widened in shock.  "No shit! What do you think it means?"

 

Vic shrugged.  "Don't know," he replied.  "But something tells me Brian's about to find out."

 


 

Justin jumped from his place at the kitchen table as he heard someone banging on their back screen door.

 

"What in the...?" Jennifer called out from her place at the kitchen stove. She turned around to spy Brian standing there at her back door, clearly agitated about something as he jiggled himself back and forth on both feet.  "Brian?"

 

The sound of the other boy's name was all it took for Justin to rise from his place at the table and walk over to find Brian standing there, peering in through the back door.  "Brian, what's going on?"  He asked curiously.  He was barely able to turn the handle and open the door before Brian burst inside.

 

"That's what I was going to ask YOU!  Are you okay?" he responded as he hurriedly examined Justin, relieved to see him apparently looking unaffected.  "I just saw Jared leaving with the sheriff! What was HE doing here?"

 

Justin sighed as he led Brian over to the kitchen table and plopped back down in his chair.  "That's a really good question," he said as Brian sat down next to him.  "I'm still trying to figure out how much I believed what he was telling me."

 

"You talked to him?"

 

Justin nodded.  "Yeah.  He wanted to talk to me and my mom and dad.  He claims he didn't have any idea what Doug was going to do to me, and that he wasn't involved with it."

 

Brian couldn't help snorting in derision.  "Justin, surely you don't believe that!  He would say anything to save his skin!"  He shook his head ‘no' as Jennifer walked over and held out a plate of blueberry pancakes in front of him before she slid a couple of them onto Justin's plate and placed the warmed, maple syrup container down next to it, along with a butter dish.  Wiping her hands on her half-apron, she sat down at the end of the table and took a sip from her coffee mug as she studied the worried look on Brian's face.

 

Justin let out a tense breath as he replied, "I don't know what to believe.  He sounded sincere..."

 

"Justin, come on!"

 

"Brian, he's my brother.  I told you before.  I never thought he was capable of doing something like this to me.  No, listen," he added urgently as Brian opened his mouth to protest.  "The sheriff said he's offered to wear a listening device once Doug gets out on bail to try and get him to confess to acting alone.  He really sounded sincere, Brian, but I admit I'm not totally convinced.  I want to believe him, though."

 

Unconcerned that Jennifer was silently observing them, Brian instinctively reached over and grasped Justin's hand supportively on top of the table as he murmured, "I know you do.  I just hope your faith in him winds up being justified.  Until you know for sure, though, you need to watch yourself.  Don't be alone with him, Justin. And don't go anywhere by yourself, even around here."

 

Touched by Brian's concern, Justin nonetheless pressed his lips together in irritation.  "Brian, I'm not going to be held prisoner inside this house. And it's not like the mafia is after me or something."

 

"Justin, you don't know who's involved with this," Jennifer spoke up quietly then.  "Perhaps Brian's right.  Until we know exactly what's going on, I think you need to be a little careful."

 

Justin bristled.  "Mom, I repeat:  I refuse to stay cooped up inside this house!  If I do, I'll go crazy!"

 

"I'll stay with you," Brian instantly offered.  "You can walk out to the stables with me, in fact, when you get done eating. I was going to help Vic and Emmett anyway."  At least he knew for now Jared was with the sheriff and Kesterson was still in jail.  Were there others involved, however?

 

Justin sighed wearily as two determined and concerned pairs of eyes peered back at him; he knew it would be fruitless to resist.  "Okay, okay," he grumbled, secretly not too unhappy about having Brian around more, despite his insistence on playing bodyguard.  "Is it all right if I eat without any assistance, though?"

 

Brian grinned; the idea of hand feeding Justin - and feeling those lips suckling on his fingers as he fed him some of the syrupy food - did have its appeal. But he knew for now that would only be a fantasy, especially with his mother sitting there besides them. He reluctantly let go of his hand as he nodded.  "I guess that will be okay," he told him solemnly as Justin rolled his eyes in response.

 

Jennifer couldn't help smiling slightly as she took another sip of her coffee.  She could no longer avoid admitting to herself that there really was something there between her son and this other boy.  She wasn't quite sure what to call it yet; but she knew it was something special.  She didn't know, either, what the future would hold for their relationship - there was too much in limbo - but she knew it wasn't something she could easily dismiss or ignore.

 


 

A few minutes later she watched from the back window as her son and Brian headed out toward the stables, where she observed Vic and Emmett tending to the horses in the pasture.  She couldn't help noticing the hand that Brian kept lightly braced against her son's back as they walked side by side.  It was a barely discernible gesture, but to her it spoke volumes about the other boy's feelings for her son.  Finally, satisfied that Justin was not in any apparent discomfort or imminent danger, she turned and began to gather up the breakfast dishes.

 

"You okay?" Vic asked Justin as the two approached, squinting against the quickly rising sun staring him in the face.

 

"I'm fine, Vic," Justin reassured him as he and Brian strode up to join him and Emmett.  "I'm glad to be freed from my captivity," he quipped.  "How's Headstrong doing?" he asked as he gazed over at his horse.  At the mention of his name, the animal lifted his head and whinnied softly at him, slowly walking over to greet him.

 

"Hey, Boy," Justin murmured as he reached up to stroke the horse's head.  "I'm fine, see?  Nothing to worry about."  He continued to soothe the animal with his touch as well as his voice as he added, "I'll be back in the driver's seat in no time, you'll see."

 

"Not until tomorrow at the earliest," was Brian's stern reply as Justin sighed in exasperation.  "And no arguments.  That's the only way your mom allowed you to come out here, and I'm trying to stay on your parents' good side, remember?"

 

"Brian..."

 

"You heard me, Justin.  Now go be a good little patient and sit down for a while.  I'll help with the horses today.  You just concentrate on getting well."

 

"Aaargh!  You're are bad as my mother!" Justin complained as he folded his arms across his chest in indignation.  "How many times do I have to say I am NOT an invalid?"

 

Brian walked the few steps over to the other boy until they were almost nose to nose.  "It's only one more day, Hot Shot," he reminded him as he grasped Justin by his upper arms and stared into his irritated, blue eyes.  "If you behave yourself," he whispered as he lowered his voice so Vic and Emmett couldn't overhear him, "I'll come back over tonight after my aunt and uncle go to bed, and we can celebrate your ongoing recovery properly."

 

Justin couldn't help smiling at that thought.  "Oh, really?" He replied with a sly grin, his voice taking on a sultry tone that even he didn't realize was happening.  "Why do I suspect that your version of a celebration would only set my recovery back even further...Doctor?"

 

"And that's a bad thing?" Brian asked as he waggled his eyebrows and grinned back at him.  His smile faded a little into more of a concerned look as he added softly, "Now go do what I say, okay?"  Please was silently spoken between them before Justin finally nodded in grudging agreement.  "Okay.  But don't forget my reward later for listening to reason," Justin answered as he leaned into Brian even further, their breaths mingling.

 

Brian nodded back at him, feeling the heated stares of the other two men upon them as he cleared his throat.  "Well I'm glad you've decided for once to listen to reason, Mr. Taylor," he told the other boy a little more loudly as he stole a quick kiss from him before pulling back.  "Now go sit down and behave yourself so we can get some work done. And stay somewhere where I can keep an eye on you."

 

"Oh, for..." Justin huffed in exasperation as he rolled his eyes.  "Okay, okay.  I'll sit over there and supervise, then."

 

"Why does that sound worse that you actually helping us?" Brian replied as Justin smirked.

 


 

A few hours later...

 

"How long has Brian been out there?" Craig asked as he stood next to his wife at the back porch railing. From their perspective, they could see the bare-shirted brunet hard at work on grooming one of the horses in the paddock as Vic and Emmett exercised a couple of their other horses.  Justin could be seen sitting rather glumly on a large, overturned wooden crate nearby, clearly not happy about being relegated to a bystander position.  When he had gone out to the barn a couple of hours ago, Craig had found that he wandered around the interior rather aimlessly for a short while, before deciding to work on Jared's current restoration project.  He wasn't sure if that was the best use of his time - or how he felt yet about the veracity of his older son's claims - but it had provided him with a way to occupy his time, which he was grateful for.

 

"He's been here at least since the sheriff and Jared left," she explained. "I'm not sure when he got here exactly, but I do know he tore up here in a sprint when he heard them leaving." She smiled.  "He wanted to make sure Justin was okay."  She paused.  "They really are very sweet together, Craig. And he's very protective of Justin."

 

Craig had to silently admit that Brian had become a hard worker; he could see the sweat pouring off him as he lifted a metal bucket of water to carry it over to a nearby trough for the horses, before stabbing into some hay with his father-in-law's old, metal pitchfork and hefting it into another nearby container.  He noticed the boy glancing over at Justin, a soft smile appearing on his face, before he resumed his duties.

 

"I guess so," he admitted at last.  "But you remember what I said before."

 

Jen nodded.  "I know," she replied quietly.  "But let's not dwell on that right now.  Let them have some time together for now.  We can certainly use the help until our son is fully healed, and he seems more than willing to do that.  Justin may still be young, Craig but he's very strong in a lot of ways.  He will be able to handle whatever happens if and when Brian has to leave."

 

"When?" Craig queried.  "I didn't think that was ever in doubt.  He doesn't belong here, Jen. He was raised in an entirely different environment from a farm. What makes you think he would ever be happy here?"

 

Jennifer shrugged as she gazed out at small group near the stables.  "I don't know," she admitted truthfully as her attention was drawn to the taller, dark-haired boy.  "I never thought he would fit in here either; not after what I initially heard about him." She stopped for a moment to observe him lifting another large mound of hay onto the pitchfork's tine and deftly tossing it into a large pile, almost as if he had been doing this sort of thing all his life.  "But now...Now I'm not so sure.  And I'm beginning to think he fits in here more than anyone ever thought he would."  She inhaled a breath and let it out as she turned to refocus her attention on her husband.  "Besides, Craig, it won't be up to us what happens anyway. It would be up to him and his family."

 

Craig nodded in taciturn agreement.  "I suppose."  He turned once more to observe the boy who had managed to fascinate his youngest son, watching as the two of them shared another intimate look between them.  He sighed.  "Well, I'd best get into town.  I have to pick up some supplies."  Jen nodded at him in understanding as he turned to her to add, "And make sure Justin stays where someone can keep an eye on him."  He crooked one side of his mouth up wryly as he told her, "Just don't let HIM know someone's babysitting him, though, or we'll never hear the end of it."

 

She smiled as he unexpectedly reached over to lightly grasp one of her shoulders and give her a peck on the cheek.  "I'll be back in amount an hour or so."  She nodded as he turned and headed back outside.

 


 

An Hour Later...

 

Brian rolled his eyes as he heard a loud, melodramatic type of sigh sound nearby.  Emmett and Vic had gone back into the stables several minutes ago to work inside, leaving him and his not-so-compliant observer alone for a while.  He turned around to peer over at Justin, who had risen from his makeshift seat on top of the wooden crate and was now standing a few feet away.  "Something got your goat?" he asked dryly.  "Too strenuous an activity, sitting for that long?"

 

Justin huffed.  "Very funny.  It wasn't MY idea, remember?"

 

Brian nodded as he pulled off a pair of heavy work gloves and threw them down onto the ground nearby.  He wiped his brow to remove some of the sweat that had accumulated there before he studied the younger boy thoughtfully, his eyes sweeping over his frame in a cursory examination.  "How ARE you feeling?" he asked softly as he walked closer to him, relishing the breeze that swept over him; it felt quite welcome on his perspiring skin.  The day, which had started out relatively cool, was quickly heating up under the sun's bright rays.

 

"Physically or mentally?" Justin asked.

 

"Both," Brian decided as he sat down next to him.

 

"Frustrated, confused, sore; sick of sitting around feeling like part of the scenery," was the honest response.

 

Brian nodded as he reached over to clasp his hand.  "I know," he told him softly.  "But if you're up to it tomorrow, you should be able to resume your training and your chores.  That is, if that's what you want."

 

Justin squinted over at him, the sun to Brian's back, as he asked, "Why wouldn't I?"

 

Brian shrugged.  "No reason, I guess," he told him.  "I know you are more than capable of taking care of yourself."  He curled his lips under and paused for a second before he added, "But I'd be lying if I didn't say I'll still be worrying about you...so don't intend on getting rid of my anytime soon, okay?"

 

Justin's heart skittered at Brian's heartfelt words as he nodded with a smile.  "I know better than that," he murmured.  Almost of one accord, their bodies edged closer until their lips were inches apart.

 

"Good," Brian replied, returning his smile before he leaned in further and pressed his lips against Justin's for a tender kiss.  Pulling back a few seconds later, they heard the distinctive rumble of Craig's pickup truck traveling up the dirt road in front of the farmhouse.  Shortly afterward, the door slammed and Craig walked around to lift a white sack from the back of the truck bed.

 

Brian sighed.  "I'd best get back to my chores," he told Justin as he briefly squeezed Justin's hand before letting it go.  Justin nodded, his gaze watching Brian's retreating back for a few moments, until he slid off the crate and decided to seek out his father, his mind never far from his conversation with Jared earlier.

 


 

Craig looked up from his place at his weather-beaten tractor as Justin's shadow brushed across the dirt floor of the barn.  "Justin? Something wrong?" he asked as Justin shuffled inside.

 

He shook his head.  "No, I'm feeling better," he assured him as Craig nodded in satisfaction.  "I should be ready to resume my training schedule with Headstrong tomorrow morning."

 

Craig could tell, however, that there was definitely something on his youngest boy's mind.  "You want to talk to me about something, though," he surmised as Justin walked over and sat down on a wooden milking stool.  They had long ago given up on raising any dairy cattle on their property, but the sturdy stool with the peeling paint on it had belonged to Justin's grandfather, and his mother could never part with it.  It occasionally came in handy, even now, for a place to perch when the traditional bale of straw wasn't an option.

 

Justin nodded his head as Craig cocked his head at him silently.  "Dad, I want to ask you a favor.

 

Craig wiped his grease-laden hands on a nearby rag before turning to peer over at his son.  "What sort of favor, Justin?"

 

"When...When Doug is released from jail - and when Jared gets ready to talk to him - I want to be there. I want to hear everything's that being said."

 

"Justin..."

 

"Dad, please!  Don't patronize me!  I need to know the truth!  Isn't that what you want, too?"

 

Craig pressed his lips together firmly before replying, "Of course I do!  I just don't see why you feel the need to be there, Justin!  That won't change anything. And I'm not even sure Billy will agree to it, anyway."

 

"No, it won't," Justin admitted.  "But it will prove to me once and for all whether Jared's telling the truth or not. And I feel I, above everyone else, has right to know that, don't you?"

 

"That's not in question," Craig told him quietly. He feathered his callused hand through his hair as he sighed in resignation.  "All right, Son.  I'll talk to Billy and relay your request to him.  But don't get your hopes up," he quickly warned him, noticing the spark of interest in his son's eyes.  "It's got to be against protocol, and he may very well say no."

 

Justin nodded, his heart thudding in his chest over the thought of finally getting some truth about what had happened.  "I understand," he told him father.  "Thank you."

 

Craig nodded back at him, watching as Justin turned and shuffled back outside.  He stared after him, his thoughts in turmoil, before he reached to pick up a nearby wrench and resumed his work on the tractor.

 


 

Later that Evening...

 

Justin grinned as he heard the familiar tap, tap, tap against the top pane of the glass.  Flinging his sheet aside, he walked the few steps over to his window and pulled it open.

 

"Ow!" he cried out as a pebble hit him square on the forehead.  "Brian!"

 

Brian shrugged in the moonlight, rolling his tongue in his cheek as Justin rolled his eyes at him.

 

"Sorry!  Saddle up your horse, pardner, and come on down," Brian urged him in a stage whisper as Justin nodded.

 

Barefoot and clad in a pair of lightweight sleep pants and no shirt, Justin crept quietly down the hallway and descended the steps, carefully avoiding all the well-known creaky spots and arriving a few minutes later at the back door.  Wincing as it squeaked slightly as he opened it, Brian held the door for him as he slipped outside.

 

"Hey," Brian greeted him as he pulled Justin into his arms.  "I missed you," he murmured as he plastered their upper bodies together before they kissed passionately.  They only broke apart to get some much-needed air several seconds later, both boys' arms around each other.  "How are you feeling?" he asked softly, the sounds of tree frogs and crickets resounding loudly around them in the still, night air.

 

Justin smiled, his heart thumping in response.  "Better - now that you're here," he replied with a smile, his hands slowly roaming over Brian's back.  His lover's hands felt so hot against his bare skin, even though the night air had cooled down considerably now that it was approaching midnight.

 

"Well, you were an obedient, little boy today," Brian praised him, chuckling as Justin snorted over the description.  "And you definitely deserve a reward for good behavior."

 

Justin waggled his eyebrows.  "Yes, I do," he agreed solemnly, causing Brian to laugh softly.  "So what do I get for my reward?"  He slowly slid his hands up and down Brian's back suggestively and pressed in closer, leaving no possibility of him being misunderstood.

 

Brian grinned.  "You really ARE feeling better," he murmured as he pulled Justin even closer.  He looked around the porch, a little disappointed he didn't see a good spot for what they both had in mind.  "Not here," he told the other boy as he tugged on his wrist and urged Justin toward the steps.

 

"Careful!" he warned as Justin almost tripped on the last step, wrapping his arm around the slender waist and deciding to keep it there, even after they were striding down the steps toward the back gate.

 

"Where are we going?" Justin asked curiously as Brian grinned.

 

"Impatient, are we?"

 

Justin slid his arm around Brian's waist as he replied, "Yes, WE are."

 

Brian laughed softly as he steered Justin toward the stables.  "Damn straight," he huskily responded.  "Come on," he urged him impatiently, marveling at how this boy could continue to enthrall him.

 


 

A few minutes later...

 

Despite his earlier wish to be alone with Justin, Brian lowered the boy gently onto the dirt, straw-covered floor of the stables, not realizing the significance of the covering beneath him being the same one they had used the first time they had been together.  It had only been a short time ago back at the pond, but to Brian with everything that had happened lately it seemed like almost an eternity.

 

The warm light from the oil lantern sitting nearby on the stall's wooden railing cast Justin in an enchanting, golden hue, and his lighter skin seemed to glow as Brian lay beside him, lying on his side as he braced himself with one elbow while one hand lightly trailed across Justin's shoulder.  He smiled as Justin shivered under his ticklish touch, both of them having discarded their clothing earlier with hasty dispatch.

 

"Brian..."

 

Brian grinned as he suddenly skimmed his fingers across Justin's tummy, making the other boy giggle in reaction.  "You are so ticklish," he murmured in amusement as Justin grabbed his hand to stop his torment.

 

"Stop that," he chided him with a stern look, his twinkling eyes belying his true feelings.  His smile slowly faded into something more intense as Brian stared into his eyes for a moment, their hands twined together, before he twisted his body to mold his torso against the other boy, lying now half-on, half off the blond.  Brian stared into his eyes, totally enchanted by how the flame from the oil lantern danced patterns of light against Justin's eyes.

 

Oh, my God, he couldn't help thinking as he gazed down at the other boy.  I am falling so damn hard for you...

 

"What?" Justin asked softly as he reached up to brush the pads of his fingers across Brian's full, lower lip.

 

Brian shook his head reassuringly.  "Nothing," he murmured.  He didn't have the nerve to tell Justin what was in his heart at that moment, so he did the only thing he could:  he showed him through the touch of his lips on his, with the loving stroke of his hands on his body, and with the nonsensical murmurs that escaped his mouth as he slowly made love to the other boy.

 

"Brian..."

 

Brian lifted his head to peer into the flushed face of his lover several minutes later, Justin's lips now stung-kissed and his face a healthy, pink tint with the obvious signs of arousal and desire for him.  "What?" he whispered as he brushed some hair back from Justin's forehead.  "Tell me..."

 

"I want you inside me, Brian."

 

Brian nodded, his heart thumping in his chest at the thought.  "Are you sure...I mean, do you feel up to it?"

 

Justin grinned shyly as he took hold of Brian's left hand and moved it downward between them to cup his burgeoning cock.  "Oh, yeah.  I'm definitely up to the challenge," he reassured him as he squeezed Brian's fingers.  "I can always tell my parents I'm still sore from my injury if they ask."

 

Brian laughed softly.  "Very innovative," he told him as he reached for his pants to retrieve a small tube of lube and a condom from his jeans pocket.  He raised himself up onto his knees between Justin's legs temporarily to slide the condom over his own cock before applying some lube.  Seeing a pair of luminous, blue eyes staring up at him, he brushed the back of his hand across Justin's cheek.  It would kill him to stop now, but for Justin he would do anything if he asked.  "Justin, we don't have to do this," he murmured.  "We can just suck each other off - or just lie here and talk for a while.  And maybe do a LOT of kissing," he added with a smirk.

 

Justin shook his head, touched by Brian's thoughtfulness.  "Talk," he chided him, one eyebrow arched in indignation.  "I don't think so.  I told you what I want.  And I was promised compensation earlier for being such an ‘obedient, little boy,' as you so elegantly put it, remember?  So it's time to put out, Kinney, you got it?"

 

Brian grinned.  "Well, I never go back on my promises, so if you're sure," he replied.  His face turned tenderer as he squirted some more of the clear gel onto his fingers before hovering them near Justin's lower body.  "Tell me if I hurt you," he instructed the other boy as Justin nodded, holding onto Brian's upper arms for support as well as reassurance that this was, indeed, what he wanted.

 

First one finger and then two were soon inserted as Justin hissed in reaction.  Brian instantly stopped, earning a sharp rebuke from the other boy to keep going.

 

"Okay, okay," he grumbled with a clucking sort of sound.  "Awful bossy for someone who took a tumble from his horse."

 

"Brian...!"

 

Justin quickly shut up, however, as the fingers struck his sweet spot suddenly and he moaned in reaction.  "More," he demanded.  "You.  I want you...Brian, please..."

 

Brian nodded as he slowly withdrew his fingers and lined himself up.  Eyes locking on each other and their mutual desire clearly reflecting back at them on the other's face, Brian pushed in tentatively as Justin's fingernails dug into the muscled skin of his upper arms.

 

A horse whinnied nearby then - which one, neither of them was sure, as Justin whispered back in confirmation, "Yes...More..."

 

Brian couldn't help swooping down to steal a kiss from his lover's warm mouth as he pushed in deeper, hearing Justin moan against his lips.  Soon he was thrusting smoothly in and out of the smaller but surprisingly strong, lithe body, finding that Justin had been a quick learner.  His slender hips snapped perfectly in time with his thrusts as he continued to make love to him, their bodies a singular, fluid movement of symbiosis as he drew back and then pushed in harder, stronger, deeper, angling his body slightly to provide the younger boy with the greatest pleasure, over and over again, relishing in the whimpers and murmurs of pleasure escaping the perfect lips.

 

It was hard to hold back his own desires for the other boy - his feelings were so intense they actually scared him - and up until now he had never even worried about that.  But to his surprise, he found it was important to him this time.  Justin was important to him. For once in his life, Brian Kinney was putting his sexual partner's needs before his own.

 

"Brian," was the breathless scolding as the brunet focused his attention back on his blond lover.  "I won't break," he assured him as he gazed into his darkened eyes.  "Move," he urged him, his fingers grasping the other boy's strong biceps as Brian nodded.

 

Accelerating his movements then, it didn't take long for both of them to reach their respective orgasms a couple of minutes later.  Collapsing onto Justin initially, he reluctantly twisted aside several seconds later, grabbing the condom and tying it off to toss it onto the ground nearby before gathering the other boy's sweaty body in his arms to hold him close.  "You okay?" he whispered as he held him, feeling Justin's heart beating rapidly like a caged bird.

 

"Mm, hmm," was the languid, sated reply against his chest as Brian smiled.

 

"I'll take that as a yes," he decided as he pulled him closer.

 

Justin smiled back in return as he lifted his head to peer into Brian's.  "Brian?" he murmured thoughtfully as one hand slowly caressed a bare shoulder.

 

"Hmm?"

 

"I had a talk with my dad earlier today," he revealed as Brian silently waited for him to continue.  "I told him that when Jared does talk to Doug...I want to be there to listen to what he has to say."

 

Justin shook his head.  "I don't know," he responded honestly.  "But I think I have a right to be there...don't you?"

 

Brian briefly nudged the younger boy's nose with his before pulling back and whispering, "Of course you do," he reassured him.  "But are you prepared for what you might find out?"

 

Justin frowned as one hand came up to rest against the side of Brian's neck.  "What do you mean?"

 

"You realize Jared might say anything to save his ass, don't you?  You might find out he's in deeper than anyone realizes."

 

Justin swallowed hard.  "I know," he murmured as he stared into Brian's concerned face.  "But I have to know either way, Brian."

 

Brian nodded as he pulled Justin closer, placing his chin on top of the soft, blond head.  "I know you do," he told him softly.  "I just don't want you to be hurt anymore."

 

Justin smiled then, hearing the worry in his lover's voice.  "That's what I have you for. As long as I have you, I don't have to worry."

 

Brian closed his eyes then and let out a tense breath, continuing to hold Justin close as if trying to protect him from the rest of the world.  He felt his heart skip a beat over Justin's confidence and trust in him. No one had ever bestowed that type of precious gift on him, and it threatened to overwhelm him in its significance.  And while he wasn't sure he couldn't be the sort of omnipotent protector that Justin thought he could be, he DID know one thing:  as long as he had a breath left in his body, he would do everything he could to do just that.

 

Chapter End Notes:

 

I will have another part of this up soon.  I have more written - including part of the explanation for Dale's death - but did not want to wait any longer before posting this update. My sincere apologies for the long gap between chapter updates.  My teaching year will be over soon, which will help my writing schedule.  My father passed away unexpectedly two weeks ago, also, which obviously took priority over my writing.  Thank you to those readers who are still following this story and for bearing with me.  It WILL be completed, as will my other WIP.  I deeply appreciate everyone's support.

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