Brian watched as Justin put down Gus and went upstairs.  He knew he had fucked up the other night, but it was too late to change it; besides, he knew Justin would understand.  He would come back to him... he always did.  Sure, he's hurt right now but it wasn’t his fault. Justin knew from the very beginning that he doesn't do love.

Yes, he wanted Justin around, but that didn’t mean he needed a reminder during every conversation that he was changing; when you think about he had changed a lot for Justin.  Didn’t he deserve some credit for that? Yes, he does, he decided silently.  Justin knows that… He'll be back… he always comes back.  That was the last thought that went through his mind as Justin reappeared in the living room with a strange look on his face, determination mixed with something else that he just couldn't quite put his finger on.

As Justin walked back into the living room he saw Brian looking at him; now, however, he couldn't care less, he was himself again… cold blooded killer.

It was done; he was going back to work in a few hours.  But not before he tells Brian just what he thinks of him… and of course do something he wished he have done for a whole fucking year…. Kick Michael's ass!  He started to make his way to Brian slowly but surely… not breaking eye contact for a second.

Brian just stood there and watched Justin walking toward him.  The almost feral, wild look in his eyes started to really freak him out, but frankly it also turned him on a little.  He just waited; he knew when Justin got to him that it was going to be a new experience.

Justin was just about to reach him, however, when Jennifer unexpectedly pulled Justin's arm and dragged him outside.  When they were on the porch Justin swiftly surprised her by quickly pinning her body to the wall of the house with his hand tightly wrapped around her throat.

“Justin!” she gasped out in alarm, shaking as she tried to get his hand off her throat.  “Please calm down! I'm begging you!”

Justin leaned in close to her and whispered, “What the hell do you want, bitch? Can't you see I'm in the middle of something?”

Jennifer scrambled frantically to reply, “I saw you!  Justin, please let me go!  I just wanted you to think about what you’re about to do.  Please, Justin, calm down! Do you really want to hurt them?”  As she spoke, she felt Justin’s grip loosen a little.  “Debbie is like a mother to you; if you hurt anyone in there your unit will kill everyone!”

Justin continued to hold onto her throat for a few moments longer, until he freed her from his grip, stood there and just blinked; he couldn't believe what he had been about to do.

"I'm sorry,” he mumbled with atypical softness, trying to calm down his rapidly beating heart.

Jennifer let out a shaky breath of relief before replying, “Just don't hurt anyone.  If you choose to go back to your life, your unit will probably fake your death and no one in that house will be hurt.”

Justin frowned at her words.  He had never been told that. “Fake my death? How do you know that?”

“It's in the contract Craig and I signed... if you choose your real life, we need to act like our son died,” she explained.  “They prepared us for that option before they let us be your cover.”

All Justin could do was breathe deeply… he never thought that his family would have to deal with the grief of losing him; it was just too much for him.

He sat on the porch as Jennifer rushed inside, his mind whirling.  Now his choice was even harder.  Could he bring so much pain and suffering to these people?

 He was thinking so hard he never heard the door opening and someone sitting beside him…

 “You know, for a birthday boy you don't seem all that happy,” was the soft drawl.

“Wh…what? Brian? What the fuck? How long have you been sitting there?”

 “Long enough,” was the enigmatic reply. 

“What do you want?”  Justin had meant for the words to come out much more harshly than they did, but right now he was feeling simply exhausted; instead, his words emerged tinged with frustration as he averted his gaze downward toward the ground.

Brian struggled to explain.  “You were looking kind of angry before, Sunshine, and I just…”

“And why would I be angry at you, huh?” Justin pressed as he looked over at him, both knowing the reason why already.

Brian almost looked uncomfortable as he replied, “Listen… I know I've been an ass.  But I, well…”

Justin had had enough.  “Just stop it, ok? You never promised me anything, Brian. It was all in my head.”  His voice rose as he almost screamed out the last part.  “It's my fault I fell in love with a PRICK!!!!”  He couldn't deal with him anymore.  He was about to stand up when Brian stopped him.

Justin eyed him expectantly as Brian met his gaze evenly.  “Justin… I told you; I want you around.”

Despite what he had just said, Justin's heart was melting.  It was a relatively small declaration, but Justin couldn't deny it anymore; he loved this man more then he would ever know…He opened his mouth and was just about to answer when he heard…

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BLUE!”