DAHLIA = MINE, EVERYTHING ELSE = NOT MINE

CHAPTER 2

Dahlia's POV

Paul, John, George, Ringo, and I had decided that somebody had to talk to Brian and try to get him to go get help. Heh, heh, "Help!" that's funny….oh so NOT the time, Dahlia. I had volunteered and they agreed that I should be the one to go and talk to him.

We all knew that Brian could get violent when he got angry and Paul said that he wanted to go with me for protection, but I said, "Paul, its Brian. I'll be fine. I promise." We were hanging out at Abbey Road and I stood up.

I kissed Paul goodbye and said, "Wish me luck, boys."

"Good Luck!" John replied, ever the joker.

"That was rhetorical, John," I called as I started out the door.

"I know!" John yelled back. I rolled my eyes and walked to my black 1966 Ford Mustang Fastback. Paul and I bought it not long ago and I loved it. Of course, Paul usually drove his own car, which I could never remember the name of, but that didn't bother me. That meant that I got the Ford more often. I climbed into it and drove to Brian's flat. I knocked on the door and Brian yelled, "GO AWAY!"

I rolled my eyes and said, "Brian, it's me. It's Dahlia."

"I don't care…GO AWAY!" came Brian's response. I closed my eyes for a moment and said, "Brian, stop being an infant and open the damn door."

"No!"

"Brian, I'm coming in whether you like it or not."

"No!"

"Damn it Brian. OPEN. THE. DOOR."

"N-O. Noooooo-ah."

Brian was seriously starting to piss me off and I tried the door and found that it was unlocked. I opened it and found a very irritable looking Brian sitting on his couch. His eyes were red and his hair was all a mess. This is not the Brian I know. He needs help. Now.

"Hey, Brian, how are you?" I figured I might as well be polite and conversational.

He looked at me and smiled sarcastically, "Oh, I'm just peachy. And you?"

Okay, conversation: not gonna work.

I sat down next to Brian and said, "Brian Epstein, look at me right now. Look at me in the eyes."

He did and I said, "You need to stop this, Brian. You need to get help."

He giggled and said, "Silly Dahlia. I don't need help. I need death!"

"What?"

"You heard me."

My heart broke for Brian and I felt tears well up in my eyes and I said, "Why? Why would you want to die?"

Brian's eyes darkened and he shouted, "WHY? YOU'RE ASKING ME WHY?"

I nodded and he said, "I'LL TELL YOU WHY! I'M TIRED OF HAVING TO HIDE WHO I AM BECAUSE IT ISN'T SOCIALLY ACCEPTABLE! It is killing me Dahlia! I just cannot do it anymore!" He broke down into tears and shouted, "I WISH I COULD SHOUT IT FROM THE ROOFTOPS! I'M GAY! I FANCY BLOKES! I WISH LIKE HELL I COULD, BUT I CAN'T! And it hurts. Dahlia, I don't wanna hurt anymore. I just want it to be over. Is that so wrong?"

I wrapped my arms around Brian and held him tight. He let the tears flow freely and he clung to me like I was his lifeline. I felt his tears soaking my shirt but I didn't care. There was no sound from his sobbing, that's how deep the pain he was feeling went; there was no sound that he was able to make that would show how badly he was hurting, but he was shaking.

"Shhh, it's okay. It's okay. Shhh, Brian, shhh," I kept whispering words of comfort to him as he cried on my shoulder and I said, "You can't leave us, okay? You can't. We all love you, including John, even if he doesn't wanna admit it. You're like a father to us, Bri."

Brian didn't say anything; he just kept shaking and crying. I didn't mind; I knew that he had to get it out. He was still holding on to me like I would disappear if he didn't, and I continued, but my voice was breaking a little because I was crying too.

"I've lost my biological father; I REFUSE to lose you, e-especially when I could do something about it. E-especially when I can help you. You need to get help and all of us will be right there beside you, through it all. I swear to you Brian, we will. This will kill you Brian."

Brian raised his head and looked at me. His eyes were red and puffy from crying and he looked absolutely pitiful. "I know I need help, Dahlia. I know I do. I don't really wanna die, but I'm sick and tired of the pain. I can't do it anymore. You have no idea how bad it hurts having to hide who you are every single damn day of your life."

"No, you're right. I don't know what it's like, Bri. But I need you to listen to me, okay? We don't care that you're gay. We love you just the same. Please get help, Brian. Please."

"Give me one good reason why I should stick around," Brian said, his eyes begging for that one good reason.

I knew just the thing he needed and wanted to hear. "You need to stick around because I want my children to know just how amazing their Uncle Brian is."

"Wait, what?"

"You heard me. I'm pregnant, Brian. Paul and I are going to be parents. We were hoping that you might consider being the godfather."

"You really want me to be the godfather of your child?"

I nodded and Brian said, "You really want me to be the godfather of your baby? Wouldn't you rather have John be the godfather?"

"Well, he's going to be the godfather, too."

"How do you figure that one out?"

I held up two fingers and waited for Brian to figure it out. It took him a minute and he looked at me strangely but when he did realize what I was trying to tell him, his eyes went so wide I thought that they might fall out of his head.

"TWINS? You're having twins?" Brian shrieked happily.

I nodded and said, "Yup. We haven't told anyone else but I can't imagine John refusing to be the godfather of one of Paul's children, y' know?"

Brian nodded and said, "You're right, I don't think John will say no either. But yes, I would be honored to be the godfather of one of your babies."

"Ooh, good Paul will be thrilled. He's been practically bursting with anticipation at telling the boys but I told him that we should wait a little before announcing it to the world."

Brian stood up and said, "You were right to do so, quite honestly. I want you to enroll me in rehab as soon as you can. I am going to get clean. For you, for the boys, and for those babies!"

Oh my god, he just sounded like Captain America or something. I beamed at him and got up. Luckily I wasn't showing too much yet, but I knew that I would be, and with twins, I would like I was carrying a watermelon in my shirt. Oh great, there'll be plenty of jokes from John. Oh, well, I'll probably be making them too.

"Brian, I am so glad that you want to get clean. I will be there every step of the way and so will Paul, George, and Ringo, and John, too. I promise you, if he starts to complain or says that he won't be there, I will kick his ass for you."

"Thank you, Dahlia. Thank you for saving me," Brian said, hugging me. I embraced him tightly and said, "Brian, it was my pleasure."