Justin stretched as he felt himself waking up. He looked over at his clock, and saw that it was 4:00 in the afternoon. He had practically slept the whole day away. Why was he so tired? He looked over at the empty side of the bed, and let out a sad sigh. It had been a dream! It wasn't a question, it was a fact. He had imagined himself leaving New York last night, and flying back home to get Brian. He chuckled at how pathetic he was and laid his head back down on his pillow. "I'm an idiot." he said quietly to himself. He scrubbed his face with his hands. No way would he have gone all the way home, and been back by the morning with Brian! Brian never would take him back. He had let his guard down way too many times when it came to Justin. It would kill him to say yes to Justin, only to get hurt again. He shook his head. He was an idiot. He was an idiot that was going to Italy. Get used to it. This is your life. You sacrificed Brian for your art. He sacrificed Brian. He made a mistake, and sacrificed his happiness. He got up and used the bathroom, and then went into the kitchen.

"Good morning, Sunshine!" Brian said.

Justin screamed and jumped backwards, holding his hand over his chest. Brian laughed from his spot in the kitchen behind the counter. "What the hell is wrong with you?" he asked, still laughing.

"What are you doing here?" Justin asked. Brian gave him the craziest look.

"Seriously?  You're asking me what I'm doing here? You came home last night, and brought me back here," he said. Justin looked around his loft. Brian already had a few of his boxes packed. "Are you having second thoughts?" Brian asked quietly.

Justin looked up at him.  "I thought it was a dream." he said, staring at Brian. "I woke up and you weren't there...I thought I made it all up in my head. But yesterday really happened?" Justin asked.

Brian let out the breath he was holding. "Technically it was all today. You came by the loft early this morning, and here we are now," Brian said softly. He walked around the counter to where Justin was standing. Justin looked around. "Are you ok?" he asked.

Justin looked back at him and nodded, and then slowly smiled. "I thought it was a dream. I thought I was going to Italy, and I was so sad...I am so happy that it wasn't a dream, and that you're here," he whispered. Brian leaned down and kissed him softly on the lips. They leaned their foreheads against each other. "I'm so happy to be coming home." he whispered.

Brian laughed softly. "You scared me for a minute there," he joked.

Justin pulled back and looked at him.  "You don't have to be scared this time. I know I've walked away a few times. But I promise you, Brian. I'm not leaving. Nothing could drag me away from you," he said and kissed him. He pulled back and smiled, and looked around. "You already started packing?" Justin asked.

Brian looked around.  "Yeah. All the little things just lying around I packed up already. I wrote on the boxes of what's in there, in case you go looking for something. And I'm almost done with the kitchen. I figured I'd stay clear of your art studio. I know how anal you artists get about your stuff," Brian joked, making Justin laugh.

"I am not anal," Justin said.

Brian's eyes narrowed at him.  "Please. We both know how anal you are. My dick, fingers, and tongue would say otherwise," Brian said as he pulled Justin closer and gripped Justin's perfect bubble butt in his hands. Justin felt himself getting hard. He hadn't been this hard in so long.

"Only for you." he whispered. They were about to kiss when Justin's phone rang. Brian rolled his eyes. "Your cell phone has been blowing up all fucking day. Answer the fucking thing, will you?" he said, and turned around. Justin laughed and grabbed his phone. It was his mother.  "What should I say?" Justin asked.

Brian shrugged. "Just tell her that you're going to discuss with them later, and sign for the tour," Brian said. He nodded and answered his phone and sat down on the couch. "Hi, mom," Justin said.

"Justin, I've been calling you all day!  Where have you been?" his mom asked.

Justin laughed. "I got in so late this morning. I was out celebrating with Josh and Sam. I just woke up a few minutes ago."

"Then it went well last night?" she asked.

Justin looked over at Brian as he was wrapping up dishes and packing them.  "Yeah, it was amazing. They offered me the tour of Italy."

"Oh, honey, that's wonderful! When do you leave?"

"I'm not sure. We have to sit down and have a meeting and get everything settled. I haven't signed with them yet. But that's what the meeting will be for."

"Oh, honey, I'm so proud of you!  Everyone's so excited for you...have you told Brian?" she asked.

He sighed.  "Yeah, I called him last night."

"Well, that explains Debbie calling me today, then. Everyone was wondering if you told him. Have you heard from him since then?" his mom asked.

Justin looked over and smiled at Brian.  "Not since I told him last night. Why, what's wrong?" Justin said, faking innocence.

"Well, Debbie called me, asking if I had heard from you yet. I guess he went on an unplanned trip. He got Ted all frazzled and called Michael.  Michael and Emmett went and chased him down. He went to the airport, but wouldn't stop to talk to Emmett. They're all worried. Ted didn't see in his account that he even bought a plane ticket...they were all worried that he was flying to New York to ask you not to go, but to come home," she said.

Justin sat silent for a moment, and just looked at Brian.  "Mom...Brian is the one who wanted me to do this. He would never ask me to sacrifice myself to be with him. He wants me to stay because I want to," he said.

Brian looked up at him, hearing the conversation.

"He wouldn't ever do that to me. He loves me too much," Justin told her.

"I know that, honey...it's just...everyone's been pretty worried about him. He's been nonstop since you left. He works all the time. And when he's not working, he goes to Canada to see Gus. They've all noticed how sad he is. He's been lonely without you and Gus here. He misses you terribly," she told him honestly.

"How come no one's told me this before?"

"Because no one wants you to feel guilty. I believe with my whole heart that Brian loves you. I also know how desperately he misses you. You changed him," she said. He felt tears fill his eyes, and Brian tilted his head at him. He sniffed and wiped his eyes.

"Well, Brian's not here, Mom. Brian is happy for me, and he won't ask me to stay. That's just not his style. He's always wanted me to be the best person I can be."

"No, I said best homosexual you can be," Brian whispered. Justin tried not to laugh.

"I know that, sweetie...I just want you to be happy," she said.

Justin smiled. "I am happy, Mom. Listen I have a million missed calls. And if everyone is as worried about Brian as you say, then they'll all want to know if he's here or not. I'll give Brian a call and see if I can get any information out of him, okay?" he said.

"Alright, honey. Call me later and let me know what's going on, won't you?" she asked.

"Yes, Mom, I promise. I love you," he said and hung up. He laughed as he looked at Brian. "You know I have to lie to everyone that you're not here?  Have they been calling you?" he asked.

Brian nodded.  "I've just ignored them." he said, smiling.

Justin laughed and shook his head and called Debbie.

"SUNSHINE!" she yelled into the receiver. Brian laughed as Justin pulled it away from his ear.

"Hey, Debbie," he said. He watched as Brian started making something to eat, and walked over and handed Justin a sandwich. He leaned down and kissed Justin on the lips. God, Brian made him so happy. Just a little thing as Brian making him a sandwich made him insanely happy.

"How did last night go? Tell me everything, and don't leave out any details. WAIT, EMMETT! SUNSHINE IS ON THE PHONE!" She yelled, making Justin pull the phone away again. "How do you put this fucking thing on speaker phone, Emmett?" she asked.

Justin laughed, and put his hand over the phone. "I'm gonna be on the phone with these two for a while. I'll go start on my studio. Thank you for the sandwich," he said and kissed Brian again, taking his plate with him. He attached his blue-tooth to his ear and grabbed a couple of boxes. He sat in the middle of the floor and started reaching under his bench to begin packing items into a box.

"HEY, BABY!" Emmett yelled.

Justin laughed.  "Hey!  Can you both hear me?" he asked.

"YES!" they both replied.

"Good. How are you guys?"

"Don't bother with us. How did last night go? Are you going to Italy?" Debbie demanded.

"Were going to have a meeting to get everything finalized. But it looks like I'll be going to Italy for a year," he said, faking his excitement. He didn't have one regret about not going. It felt good. It didn't make him sad. Italy didn't have Brian. Debbie and Emmett screamed and cheered for him. He almost felt bad for lying to them. But he knew they wouldn't be mad. They would cheer louder for him, knowing he was home, and he was happy.

"Oh, that's fantastic! We are so happy for you! I am so proud of you, Sunshine," Debbie said.

"Me, too!  God, I can't wait to visit you in Italy!  You go, baby!" Emmett said.

"Thank you. I'm sorry I missed all your calls. But I was celebrating all night." he said, which wasn't a lie. He was celebrating with Brian, but it was celebrating them being back together, not going to Italy. "I just woke up and talked to my mom," he said.

"Did she tell you Debbie called her all frantic?" Emmett asked. He heard Debbie shush him and whisper something to him.

"Yes, actually she did. And I called Brian. He's not here. He said he was heading to Cancun for little bit. Just made the decision this morning on a spur of the moment kind of thing. It will be good for him to get away from Pittsburgh for a bit. I w,ouldn't be too worried about him." he said.

"That's what he told Teddy," Emmett said.

"That he was going to fucking Cancun? I don't believe that," Debbie said. Justin smiled.

"Well, she said everyone thought he was coming here. He honestly isn't here. He wouldn't lie to me about that. I think you guys shouldn't worry so much. He seemed more irritated then anything that it had gotten back to me, and that everyone was making such a big deal out of it. Like someone chasing him around the airport shouting at him," Justin said.

"Well, I had to do something! I thought he was going to New York to stop you from going to Italy," Emmett said. He heard Debbie hit him, and they started their whispered conversation again.

"Why do you think he would do that? He hasn't once come to see me. He cancels every time," he said.

They were both silent. They weren't going to tell him that Brian hadn't been himself since Justin left for New York.

He decided to change the subject. "Hey, I have an incoming call from my boss. Let me talk to him, and then I'm gonna call Michael, and Mel and Linds to let them know the news. And I'll call Ted and let him know that Brian's not here," Justin said.

"Alright, baby.  We love you," Debbie said.

"LOVE YOU!" Emmett shouted.

He called Melanie and Lindsay next, trying to not alarm him that they were worried about where Brian was. They tried to play it off like maybe Brian was coming to surprise them. Maybe helping them with the move that week. He called Michael next, who he could tell was very worried about Brian. He didn't know whether to worry if he was going to try to stop Justin, or maybe he was sick again. That bothered Justin. He didn't want anyone to think that. He quickly threw that down, telling them that that had been his fear, too, when he talked to Brian a little while ago, and Brian promised he wasn't sick again. It made him feel better. But still, it sucked for Michael to be worried.

Then Daphne, who had only just heard all the drama when she called his mom, asking if she had heard from Justin, because Daphne had called him and got no answer. She didn't dwell on it too much, but was just excited for him.

He called Ted last. He was out of his mind crazy. It did make him laugh. But he assured him that Brian was just doing this for shock value. He realized that he had been in his studio for a while, and already had seven boxes packed and sealed. After he was done on the phone, he went out into the living room.

"Hey, where are you?" Justin called out. There were boxes everywhere.

Brian came around the corner, out of his bedroom.

"Where'd you get all the extra boxes?" Justin asked.

"While you were in there chatting away, Sam and Josh dropped by with more boxes. I've finished your living room, kitchen, and just now finished your bathroom and bedroom," Brian said.

Justin's mouth dropped.  "My God, how long was I in my studio talking?" Justin asked.

"Almost three hours. They're all talkers. Lindsay and Michael got ahold of me. Had to calm them down, promise I was not going to stop you from leaving, promise that I wasn't sick, and swear I was going to Cancun," Brian joked.

Justin ran over and jumped into his arms and kissed him. "I can't wait to go home." he said.

Brian let his hands drop down to Justin's ass again. He realized he had been packing in just his underwear. He picked Justin up by his butt and wrapped his legs around his waist.  "Why don't you show me how excited you are to be going home with me?" Brian said as he walked into Justin's bedroom and laid him down on the bed. Brian made quick work to take his shirt and jeans off, and Justin ripped his underwear down his legs, and Brian laid back down on top of him and started kissing him.

"I've missed you so much," Justin whispered as Brian kissed his neck.

"I've missed being inside you." Brian whispered into his ear.

Justin groaned and shivered.  "I want to fall asleep with you still inside me." he said.

Brian chuckled and leaned back. He started playing with Justin's hair. "Well, condoms do make that a little bit hard. But I think that can be arranged in a few months," he said, smiling down at Justin. He knew that he was negative, and had been for a while. He hadn't been with anyone in eight months. He was good to go. But he knew that he couldn't have asked Justin to not fool around with anyone. He didn't want to know how many guys Justin had fucked while he was here in New York. So, they'd wait six  months before they went bareback. It wasn't a big deal. They had been fucking for five years with a condom, what's six more months?

Justin wrapped his legs around Brian's waist, and Brian slipped the condom on his dick. He licked his fingers and rubbed at Justin's hole, making him moan. "You ready, Sunshine?" Brian whispered.

"Please, Brian. I need you," he whispered. Brian slipped past his fingers and thrust inside of Justin. "Oh, God, Brian." Justin moaned out. He leaned down and kissed him as he thrust in and out of Justin.

"You like that," Brian moaned out as he sped up.

"I love it. I love you," Justin moaned. Brian leaned his face down by Justin's ear.  "I love you more, Justin," Brian admitted. They made love for a few hours, before they emerged so they could eat. Sitting in just their underwear on the couch, surrounded by boxes, Justin couldn't have been happier.

"The movers will be here Monday morning," Brian said. It was Saturday night. They only had one day to get everything packed.

"You'll have to help me with my studio. I didn't get very far. And you have practically everything else packed. You're like a speed demon," Justin joked, shoving some Cheerios in his mouth.

Brian chuckled.  "Well. I wanna go the fuck home before you have a chance to change your mind," Brian joked.

Justin finished crunching on his cereal, and then put his feet in Brian's lap.  "I'm sorry if you think I will. But I won't this time. I never made that promise before. I didn't think I had to. But I'm making it to you now. There's nothing holding me back. There's not something that's going to come along that's going to take me away again. I want a future with you. And I want it to start now. Not put it on hold again," Justin said.

Brian looked up and smiled.  "You don't have anything to be sorry for. I wanted you to go. And if you really wanted to go to Italy, I wouldn't stop you," Brian said.

Justin scooted himself closer to him, and wrapped his arm around Brian's shoulder. "Thank you. For always supporting me, and pushing me to be an artist," Justin said.

Brian smiled. "All I ever tried to make you be is the best homosexual you can be. Artist just comes along with it," Brian joked.

Justin leaned in closer to him.  "Thank you for always pushing me to be better," he said. Brian smiled at him. They didn't do any more packing that night, but finished packing everything on Sunday. Monday morning the movers came, and Justin and Brian watched them take everything away. When it was all empty, Justin stood in the middle of his loft and just looked around.

Brian came up behind him and wrapped his arms around his shoulders.  "What's going on in that head of yours, Sunshine?" Brian whispered.

Justin reached up and held his arms. "I was thinking of how sad I was in this loft for six months...I was just sad. That's no way to live. And I did that here for six months...and I'm glad that I'm going home, because I can smile again. I can be happy," Justin whispered. Brian hugged him tighter to him. "I don't want to be that sad again. Everyone here just thought that's who I was. Only Sam was the one to see through it. But I couldn't even let her in the way I wanted to, because I couldn't talk about what made me sad," Justin said.

"Why didn't you tell me how sad you were? You never let me know. You always made it seem like you were happy," Brian asked.

"I never wanted to admit that I made the wrong choice by moving out here. I couldn't even admit that to myself, how could I admit it to you?" Justin asked.

Brian kissed his cheek. "Well. We don't have to worry about that anymore, Sunshine. We're going home tomorrow," Brian said.

Justin turned around in his arms, and it was then that Brian saw tears in Justin's eyes. He wiped them away with his thumbs.

"You're my home, Brian. Wherever you are, that's my home." Justin said.

It was one of the sweetest things someone had ever said to him. It still amazed him how Justin had changed his life the way that he did. He got under Brian's skin. He wasn't just some trick that never went away. He was the love of Brian's life. They checked into a hotel for the night, and Justin convinced Brian to do a little sightseeing. Justin was just looking at the city for the first time since being here. It was like he had blinders on before. Now he could see how exciting New York was. He could see all the joys it had to offer. But he knew why he was enjoying it now. It was because Brian was with him.

Sam called them and planned to go out for a farewell dinner. They met her and Josh at some ridiculously expensive restaurant, where he knew Brian would love to go. Josh pulled out some papers and handed them to Justin.   "Okay, so tell me why I had to bring these papers for you to sign if you're not really going to Italy?" Josh asked.

Justin laughed as he signed the papers that would have sent him to Italy with his work, and took a picture of it. Then he looked over at Brian, leaned in and kissed him, and then dramatically ripped them in half, laughing.

"Oh, please, drama queen," Sam joked.

"All our family has been going crazy wondering where Brian really is. They think he's here trying to stop me from going to Italy. They're not too convinced. But I'm going to send this picture out Wednesday, letting them all know I've signed the papers, it's a done deal, and I'm going to Italy for a year. Just to really throw them off when I pop up Friday night at dinner," Justin joked. He saw Brian's smile, and couldn't help smiling back.

"It's good to see you so happy. I always knew you had some intense story back home in Pittsburgh. I could see it in your work. I just couldn't understand what the fuck it was," Sam joked, making them laugh.

"Debbie would love you. I swear your like her long-lost daughter," Justin joked. Brian nodded his head.

"I have to meet this Debbie. I'd love to meet all your family. I've heard a lot about them. It was you that was the real mystery," Sam said, pointing to Brian.

"Is your father a Drag Queen, too?" Brian asked. Josh laughed and Justin hit his arm.

"Don't talk about that in front of Debbie!  She'll die that we know about Michael's dad really being a Drag Queen," Justin said.

Josh raised his glass.  "How about a toast?" he asked, as the other three raised their glasses. "To Justin. We were very lucky the day you walked into my gallery and asked if you could display your work here. You not only became my top artist, but you became a friend. And I wish you all the happiness in the world," Josh said.

"To Justin. May you go home, have a lot of make-up sex, and give your whole family the shock of a lifetime that you lied and came home," Sam said, making them laugh. Josh shook his head in embarrassment.  "But on a serious note. I'm glad you came into our lives and brought a little sunshine. And I'm glad you're getting your happy ending. And I'm so glad that you're leaving, because ever since you came around I've had to go to art show after fucking art show, because you're too damn popular," she said.

Justin and Brian laughed as Josh glared at her. "What?"

"You said on a serious note. You went right back into craziness. You don't know how to give a speech at all," he told her.

"I was serious through my wedding vows."

"Barely," he said.

Sam whipped around to look at the boys. "We're invited to your wedding, right?" she asked.

Justin just laughed.  "Of course. Who else are we gonna get to say the speeches, and be the

D.J.?" Brian joked.

"To the both of you," Justin said to Josh and Sam. "For being such amazing friends. For changing my career. For making me realize what I truly wanted. I look forward to what the future has in store for the both of you," Justin said.

Brian cleared his throat. "To both Josh and his lovely wife Samantha. Truly one of the very, very few hetero couples that I can stomach being around...for being genuinely good to Justin these past seven months. For taking care of him. And to Mrs. Samantha...you changed my life, and you didn't even know it...so thank you," Brian said to her.

Sam put her hand over her mouth. "He's going to make me cry," Sam said. Josh shook his head and wrapped his arm around her.

Brian looked over at Justin. "And for you. For being the best homosexual you could be out here...and to finally coming home," he said. Justin smiled.

"Alright, let's cheers already, so I can drink," Sam said. They laughed and clinked their glasses together. They had a nice dinner, and went back to the hotel. They spent the night making love again. It was what they had been missing for seven months. They couldn't get enough of each other. They managed to get in a few hours of sleep before they had to leave for the airport.

Once they got back to Pittsburgh, a car took them to their home. Took them to Britin. Justin just stood there staring.

"You coming in, Sunshine?" Brian asked as he unlocked the door. Justin followed him in, and Brian went into the house to see how the cleaning went. Justin just stared around the house. How had he left this? Brian bought this house for him. He bought this so they could create a home together. And he left. He threw it away. He threw Brian away. He was so lucky that Brian never sold this house. That he took him back.

"Cynthia wasn't kidding when she said they cleaned this place up nicely. They took out all the furniture that was left here. Cleaned it up and donated to some shelters around here," Brian said as he came back into the main hallway. He was looking all around when he noticed that Justin was just standing there, staring. "You okay there, Sunshine?" Brian asked. When Justin turned around, he realized he was crying. "What's wrong? Why are you so upset?" Brian asked. He couldn't help but worry that this was going too fast for Justin, and that he would suddenly change his mind and want to go back.

"Thank you," Justin said. He just stood there and wiped his face. "My God, I can't believe how much crying I've done in the past few days," he said, scrubbing his face. "You've given me everything I've wanted. You gave me the house of my dreams," Justin said. He walked forward and wrapped his arms around his neck. "I can't wait to start our lives in this house together. I can't wait to start making memories. I can't wait to grow older with you in this house, Brian Kinney," Justin said.

Brian smiled and leaned down to kiss him, when someone opened the front door.

"JUSTIN!" Cynthia yelled. Justin laughed and went over and hugged her. "Oh, sweetie, it's so good to see you. I'm so glad you're home," Cynthia said.

Justin pulled back and smiled. "I am, too."

"Now maybe Brian won't be so cranky all the time. His boy is back," she said.

"Do you like your job?" Brian asked sternly, Cynthia instantly knowing to shut up.

She smiled. "Alright. Your Vette is already in the garage, along with the rental car for Justin in case he needs to go anywhere," Cynthia said. Brian nodded his head. "And the movers are a few hours away. They should be here by 3:00. They've already been instructed to put everything upstairs. And the couch will come into this room. Do you like the tables and chairs where they are? I set up a table over there to put the buffet on. And I already stocked the bar and put some drinks and food in the fridge in the kitchen already," Cynthia said.

"Geez, how'd you get all this done so fast?" Justin asked.

"Money talks. And it has been fun sneaking around behind Ted's back. He hasn't found out that I had the house cleaned. And everything else I've used in cash. Except for the rental car, which I put on my own credit card so Ted won't find out," Cynthia joked.

"This is why I keep you around," Brian said, wrapping his arm around Justin's shoulder.

"And I already spoke to Lindsay and Melanie's movers. They're running on time, also. They should be here by Thursday. And I spoke with Lindsay. They're ready to get on their plane tomorrow and come home. And their condo is all set for them to stay in for a few days until they've unpacked. And I think that's everything," Cynthia said.

Brian and Justin smiled. "Thank you, Cynthia. How's Theodore doing?" Brian asked.

"Thank God nothing important is going on. He's been going crazy trying to figure out where you are.  Actually, he, Michael and Emmett have been in his office. They're really worried about you. They wanna stage an intervention once Lindsay and Melanie are back," she said. Brian rolled his eyes.

"Oh that's awful." Justin said.

"I'll be back to work shortly. Just to show His Craziness that I haven't gone off the deep end," Brian said.

Cynthia smiled and left right after that. Brian followed Justin around as he reacquainted himself with their house.

"I can't wait to start really living here. I can't wait to start decorating it all," Justin said.

Brian followed him into the master bedroom. "I figured we could have the bathroom redone. Get a shower put in like the one at the loft," Brian said, wiggling his eyebrows at Justin, making him laugh.

"Well, I want a big tub in there, too."

"A tub? So you can take baths like a girl?" Brian asked.

Justin nodded and wrapped his arms around Brian's neck and kissed his cheek. "Yes. After a long, hard day. You can come home, take off all your clothes, and I'll be in a nice, hot, bubble bath," Justin said and started kissing his neck. "Naked." Kiss. "And you can sit down and lay against my chest," he said and started sucking on the spot below Brian's ear that he knew he liked. "And I'll rub your shoulders. And wrap my legs around your waist," he said and licked his neck. "And I can whisper something hot in your ear, and start licking...and kissing...and sucking on your neck," he whispered. Brian sighed. "How does all that sound?" he asked.

"Whatever my prince wants, my prince gets. Pick out the most beautiful, expensive bath tub. You convinced me," he said. Justin chuckled and pulled away. Brian picked up his hands and put them on Justin's face, looking down at him. "I'll do anything to make you happy." he whispered.

"Just being with you again, Brian. That's what will make me happy," Justin said.

Brian smiled and leaned in to kiss him. "I have to get back to the office," he said, pulling back. "I have to calm that imbecile down from the cliff. Show him I'm still here and alive," Brian grumbled, making Justin laugh. "You gonna be okay here for a few hours?" he asked.

"Yeah, I will. I'd like some time to just hang out in here by myself. And the movers will be here with all my stuff in a few hours. I'll set up the bed, so we at least have something to sleep on," Just said.

Brian wiggled his eyebrows again. "Well, if you need anything, there's a rental car in the garage. The keys are on the kitchen counter. I didn't want to leave you stranded here," he said. They walked down the stairs and down to the front door. "I won't be gone too long. I'm gonna go back to the loft and grab some stuff. And I'll bring home something to eat for dinner," he said.

Justin smiled at him.

"What?" he asked.

"You're different," Justin said.

Brian tilted his head to the side. "Different how? Different bad?" he asked, somewhat nervous.

"Different nice," he said.

Brian let out a long sigh, and rubbed the back of his head.

"You want the truth?" he asked.

Justin nodded his head.

"I missed you.  These past seven months have been really rough. And I'm just glad you're back again. I'm relieved. And I meant what I said when I proposed to you. I would give you anything, do anything, be anything, just to make you happy," he said.

"I always want you to just be yourself. I don't ever want to you to be someone you're not, just because you think it makes me happy. I never want you to sacrifice who you are," Justin said.

Brian leaned back against the door, and crossed his arms. He smiled at Justin. "I found out...that I like doing things to make you happy. That I like surprising you. It's nice to see a genuine, sunshiny smile on your face. And it feels good knowing that I put it there. And it doesn't feel like I had to sacrifice anything to do it. It's just easy...so I'm not sacrificing myself. I think those days of us sacrificing to be with the other are over. Don't you agree?" he asked.

Justin smiled and nodded.

"Good," he said. He leaned forward and kissed Justin sweetly on the lips. "Now you better let me go and keep up with this mystery charade, so you can pop up at everyone Friday night," he said.

Justin pushed him away. "Just hurry up, so you can come back home already." Justin said.

Brian laughed. He couldn't help but love the sound of Justin saying home. This was their home. He turned around and walked out to the garage to get in his car, and drove back to his office.

When he walked into Ted's office, he was shocked to see Brian.

"Brian! You're back! Where have you been?" he asked excitedly as he got up and walked around to his desk. "I didn't know when you'd be back. I didn't know if I should cancel the meeting for this afternoon or not. And Cynthia's been totally M.I.A.," Ted blathered.

"Theodore, shut up," Brian said. Ted stopped and stared at him. "I'm back now. The meeting will continue as planned. Now you can stop acting like a fucking little pansy and my damn babysitter, and do what I pay you to do. Now leave me the fuck alone," Brian commanded. He wanted to laugh at Ted's ashen white face. He started walking towards his office, but then turned around. "And why the hell did you call Michael and Emmett?" Brian asked.

"Well...we really didn't know what was wrong. You're either sick again, or this has something to do with Justin," Ted said.

Brian looked away. Ted wasn't going to let this go. Which meant the rest of these damn people, meaning his family, weren't going to let this go. "Alright then. I'll let you in. Just a small bit, Theodore. And then you're going to drop it, alright? You're not going to question me any further, and you WILL tell everyone to back the hell off me and never question me about where I went again. Do I make myself clear?" he demanded.

Ted nodded.

He turned around and walked into his own office, with Ted following him. He went over and sat on top of his desk. He had to make this convincing. "I am not sick. I promised you all I wouldn't keep that secret from you all, and I never break my promises. So, are we clear that I'm not sick?" Brian asked.

Ted nodded his head, not daring to speak.

"Where I went did have something to do with Justin," he said. He noticed the sympathy on Ted's face. "But! And here's the really big ‘but' of all. I DID NOT! Let me repeat, I DID NOT go to New York to ask Justin to stay. I didn't go anywhere to change Justin's mind. I wouldn't ever ask Justin to do something he didn't want to. I don't want him with me because I made him feel obligated to. I would never ask Justin to sacrifice who he is. So, Theodore. I will not tell you this again. I went somewhere by myself. I don't want to tell you where I went. I went somewhere to make some decisions on my life. They don't concern you, just me. But yes, it was because of Justin that I left on the spur of the moment. But that's all you get. Now. Do you believe me or not?" he asked.

Ted nodded his head. "I'm sorry, Brian. We're all just worried about you. We know how much Justin means to you. And we know you've been depressed since Justin left, and Lindsay left with Gus...we just care about you. And Justin," Ted said.

Brian decided to go a little easier on Ted. He let out a deep breath and scrubbed his face. "I know that. And like I said. Thank you. For being such a good friend. But Lindsay and Gus are coming home. They'll be here tomorrow, in fact. And I couldn't be happier. So, now if that's done and over with, you can call everyone and let them know I'm back, I'm safe and sound, and Justin is NOT in Pittsburgh!" Brian said. That part was the truth. He wasn't in Pittsburgh. He was in West Virginia at Britin. Their home.

Justin was enjoying just walking around Britin. He had only been here once. When Brian had proposed. They had made love downstairs. And Brian had given him the tour. But God! It was different now. He was walking around, looking at everything with brand new eyes. He had almost lost this. This meant even more to him. Was even more precious to him. When the movers arrived, Cynthia was right that they had been instructed to bring everything upstairs. Except for the couches. They stayed down in the only room where they had made love all those months ago. They weren't there long, and he was by himself again.

He couldn't stop grinning. He couldn't stop wandering around the house. His beautiful home. They would make this house a home. He and Brian. He ended up setting the bed up. They would need something to sleep on to hide out for a few days. Then he grabbed his sketchbook, and went out onto the back porch. The view from his porch. There was so much to draw, he didn't know where to start. He drew one of the stables first. There were two of them! He couldn't wait to get settled into this house, and start making it their home. And he couldn't wait to get some horses. Maybe even a pony just for Gus and J.R to ride.

He shook his head. There was so much to think about. So much to do. And where had his mind gone to? He never liked to just spend Brian's money like this. He hated having Brian support him. But Justin actually had some money of his own in his bank account. Not a million. But about $30,000. That's why he didn't even bat an eyelash when he bought plane tickets back and forth. He could afford that. And he knew he would still be making money by sending his work to Josh in New York. He smiled.  There was so much to think about. Like how to turn this country manor into Britin. The home of their dreams. And then they were still getting married. And then he had to figure out exactly what he was going to do with his life. It should make a person crazy, but he just smiled. There were a million thoughts running through his head, and they all made him happy.

"We'll have to frame that one," Brian said from above him, making Justin jump. Brian laughed. He sat down next to Justin on the steps leading out to the grass. "I didn't mean to scare you. I've been calling your name for the past ten minutes looking for you," he said.

Justin laughed. "I'm sorry; I was just thinking," he said happily.

"That's never a good sign," Brian joked, leaning back on his hands.

Justin punched him in the arm. "They were all good things. My mind can't stay focused on one thing. I keep thinking about what to do with the house. I keep thinking about when we get married. I keep thinking about painting. On what I'm going to do. There's just so much to think about. My mind keeps running around like the Energizer Bunny," he joked.

"Well, what are some things you've been thinking?" Brian asked.

Justin laughed again. "God, Brian, I have no idea! It's just all jumbled. I'm just excited. I'm so happy that Sam beat my head in and made me wake up and realize what I wanted. I'm so happy. And I just can't wait for our lives to start. Together," Justin said.

Brian smiled. "You're going to kill me with all this romantic shit, you know that, right?" he joked, making Justin chuckle. "Well. We can talk about the wedding. A date, at least...it wouldn't be for a few more months...if you like my idea." Brian said.

Justin turned sideways and crossed his legs, to face him. He sat up and leaned more on his legs. "Mayor Deekins is running for Mayor again. The other two guys against him don't stand a chance. He's already made such amazing progress. Everyone loves him," Brian said.

Justin eyed him. "What does that have to do with us getting married?" Justin laughed.

"Well unbeknownst to all of Pennsylvania, he's working on getting a new proposition on the ballet in a few months." he said.

"And what would that one be? Sending all the fags to the death chamber?" Justin joked.

"Legalizing gay marriages," he said. Justin's mouth fell open and Brian laughed. "I've been having regular meetings with him these past seven months. He was very discouraged when the bombing happened at Babylon. And as you know, everyone in the gay community has been selling off their property. And I've been buying them. They've arrested a few guys who have been causing trouble around Liberty Ave. Some of them purposely doing hate crimes on some of the gay guys down there. A part in thanks to me, with my extra security, we've been making the streets of Gayopolis much safer. And people are loving Deekins for it," he said, lighting up a cigarette and taking a drag.

"Why didn't you tell me all this?" Justin asked.

Brian shrugged. "Just in case you ever wanted to come home...it would be better for you. And maybe get Lindsay and Melanie back," he said, taking another drag. "And all these properties I've been buying have been making me a lot of money. I'm in the process of buying out all those little businesses that share the building in my office and expanding my office to take up the whole building," Brian said.

Justin's eyes widened and he hit Brian's arm. "You ass! You haven't told me any of this. I knew that you bought these places, but I didn't know why. My God, Brian! You're trying to make this town safer for gay people," Justin said and started laughing. He leaned in and kissed Brian. "You always manage to shock the freaken hell out of me." he said.

Brian shrugged and smiled. "Well, he did some poll. Seeing what people would think about legalizing gay marriages. If that was the vote, we would have won. But not by much. So I'm backing Deekins up. Giving him practically anything he needs to push this forward and win. And that way Mikey and the Professor, and the munchers can go to the courthouse and make their marriages legal," he said, puffing on his cigarette

"So what does that mean for us?" Justin asked softly.

Brian turned and looked at him. "Well, we can set the date. If it goes through, we'll already have someone lined up to do the wedding. If this goes off, every gay and lesbian couple are going to be flooding the courthouse. We'll already have someone booked...and if it doesn't go through, we'll still get married...it just won't be legal. But we were going to do it this way anyways, so either way, we'll pick out a date, and get married that day," he said.

Justin shook his head and laughed.

"What?"

"You are so fucking unbelievable. You keep on surprising me. And you keep saying all those words that used to make you vomit. Talking about us getting married. I'm just over the moon, Brian. I don't think I can stop smiling," he said.

"Well, thank God for once I'm doing something right when it comes to you," Brian joked.

"Debbie will be proud."

"Yeah, she won't have to kick my ass."