Brian woke up as quietly as he did any other day. Lois had gone to Vegas with her girlfriends, Peter was at the Calm, something that had become the normal for him during the day after Chris and Meg left for college and Stewie, well Brian had no idea where Stewie was, so it was safe to say that he was alone at the house.
Nearing the end of the middle of his life, Brian never really thought about what he would do with himself if he found the ever elusive One. He had given up on love a long time ago so much so that he even came close to the point of being sober, until Chris and Meg left that is. Now he was taking extra shots of everything he could find.
But Brian wasn't hopeless. He had recently accepted the fact that no matter how hard he tried, he just had too many faults to be a success at anything. He was a complete failure at writing, producing, acting, college, teacher, garbage man, and perhaps worst of- dog. Nothing fit, literally. He was failure at being what he was, simply because he lived with the Griffins.
Brian technically didn't consider himself a real member of the family. He knew that Peter and Lois loved him, each in their own way, Chris and Meg didn't pay much attention to him but there was something there, the only one he really had a connection to was Stewie and he growing up faster than any human being on the face of the Earth, taking high school classes at age 6.
He got out of bed and headed towards the bathroom. Brain looked in the mirror, his fur was grey around the edges and some of it had begun to fall off but to be honest he didn't really care. Brian was thinking that homelessness would probably be the next stage in his life anyway, so everything he did to keep up appearances would be a step in the right direction.
Brian picked up the shaving cream and razor. He hadn't shaved in years, he didn't need to, but for some reason it felt right. He started with his face until it was as smooth as the coke he used to smoke before switching over to pot. Then he decided that he might as well shave everything. So he did.
Brian walked out of the bathroom and managed to drag himself to the stairs, only to fall face down them and land on his face. Brian stood up, bruised and suffering from a massive headache and walked over to the couch. It was then that Brian heard a car pulling up and loud banging. Part of him wanted to see what was going on and the other part wanted to sit there, he listened to the latter.
Peter stumbled through the door, obviously drunk, and landed on the floor on his stomach. Brian did nothing for he was used to Peter's drinking parties and had frequently participated in enough to know that he would only go so far and would never be in any life threatening danger. So Peter continued to lay on the floor, only exhibiting a small grunt or moan to let everyone know that he was alive.
Stewie was sitting in his chair, not really knowing how he got in the kitchen to begin with. He looked down and saw a small pool of drool so he assumed that he had slept there. Several open books on theology, astronomy, mathematics and psychology confirmed that he had been studying for the better part of the night. "What the devil am I doing here?" he said to himself, not noticing that Brian was in the living room or that Peter had come home. "Am I talking to an empty room? Where the hell is everybody?" He stood up on the chair and was half tempted to get up on the table and look around when he saw Brian.
"Brian, there you are" Stewie said as he got down from the chair and walked into the living room, ignoring his poor excuse for a father who lay still in front of the open doorway. "How's my favorite-?" Stewie looked at Brian; he had never seen him this clam in his entire life. For a moment he thought that he was dead, his eyes were glazed over but there was no sign of any pot, so Brian wasn't high.
Stewie got on the couch and snapped his fingers trying to wake his dog up "Brian, wake up" he started calmly, and then frantically. Stewie began throwing chairs, banging pots, singing random songs, anything to try and get Brian to respond. Nothing worked.
Brian looked at him and couldn't help but laugh to himself. He was quite fond of the kid and watching him try and get his attention was hilarious. It was at the point when Stewie was balancing chairs with his legs and spinning plates on his hands that Brian decided to stop him, "What do you want?" he replied. Stewie looked at him, wanting to scream and laugh at the same time, "What the hell!" Stewie replied "I've been trying like crazy to get you to do anything for the past ten minutes!" Stewie then lost his balance, at the same time dropping the plates and shattering them into a million pieces. Those were the good plates, Lois would not be happy.
"Lois is going to kill you when she sees this" Brian said laughing as he did so, "Oh you think you're so funny?" Stewie answered, "I'll have you know that she put you in charge here. So she's going to kill you when she sees this." Brian huffed, he didn't care if Stewie told her that he broke the plates, he had enough money to buy a set that was just as good if not better.
Brian stood up from the couch and headed towards the door making sure to step over Peter and grab his car keys. Stewie looked at him with surprise, "You can't just leave me alone. Lois will be-" before he could finish his sentence Brian was already out of the door and in the car. Stewie flipped the finger and smiled as he closed the door, "I love that dog" he thought to himself as he began searching for a stick to poke Peter with and markers to draw on his face.
Brian passed Joe's house as quickly as possible. Ever since Joe pulled a gun and almost killed him, thinking that he was deranged wolf, Brian had been terrified of the place. Brian stared at Cleveland's old house, remembering how he would have to get a new tub every two weeks, each time hoping that this one would last longer. Brian drove past town hall, where Mayor West would most likely be giving a speech or some randomness about how pot should be legalized. Brian had tried that once before and knew that pot was best left alone, after all things became too crazy when he did it and he preferred some order in the world. Brian was eventually out of Quahog completely, not really going anywhere or doing anything of particular interest. There were times when the dog just felt like driving and every time he did he always went to the same place.
Ten miles outside of Quahog there is a large cliff overlooking the sea. It is perhaps the most perfect view in all of Rhode Island and it was here that Brian stopped the car and looked out at the scenery, dreaming of better days that were behind him and the few years that were in front.
Brian had only been there for a few minutes when he got out of the car. Brian thought about what the world would be like if he wasn't in it. He thought about how cold the water would be, how long the fall would last and if he would die before impact. All of these things had crossed his mind before and each time they did, Brian would take out a cigarette and throw it in the water. It was the last pack he would ever buy and so far he hadn't smoked a single one. Brian gave up putting tar in his lungs after Chris had gotten a hold of the seven packs Brian had hidden under the bed and decided rather stupidly to light and them smoke them all at once
But despite this sacrifice, there was a consequence, a very sad and tragic consequence. Brian had a rare case of heart disease that resulted from his years of alcoholism, smoking and the unfortunate family history of heart disease and lung cancer. It would be a one in a million chance if he ever found a donor, and if the heart was from a younger person, he refused to take it. Out of all things he respected, Brian thought that the value of life was the most important of all. He couldn't ask anyone to give up anything for him, so it would have to be from someone who was already dead and significantly old enough to give him at least seven more years.
Brian's current heart would only give him three. In his mind that was plenty, but he wanted to live long enough to see Stewie into the teenage years, but at the rate things were progressing was going he wouldn't live that long. At best all he could hope for was to see Stewie get to age 8 that would have to do.
Tears began to form as Brian thought about Stewie, he was the last person that he wanted to lose, his only friend. It was times like this that he really did want to jump off that cliff, but then Stewie would be alone, because no one else understood him like he did. He couldn't do that to him, he was too important.
Brian took out the pack of cigarettes and threw it into the sea, watching as it made its final descent, giving Brian several new perspectives on life and what it meant to be alive. It was that moment that he resolved to live every day he had left to the fullest, and he would start with doing the one thing that he swore he would never do.