Later that night a subtle barrage of tears could be heard throughout the house. Lois didn't have to guess to know who it was. Grabbing a flashlight from her bedside dresser, Lois made her way downstairs to the living room, where she found Brian, sitting on the floor crying his eyes out and singing the saddest song he could think of at the moment- Billy Joel's And So It Goes. The song didn't fit the situation, Brian knew, but he didn't really care, he just needed to cry and he needed something to disguise it so he sang.

Lois moved over to Brian, who only continued to sing and cry. The living room window blind were open, letting in the light of low moon, for the night was young and still. For the first time in a long time Lois noticed Brian's voice and how reminiscent it was, both in style and in the fact it sounded, or at least sort of sounded, like Frank Sinatra. She personally didn't like that kind of music, her tastes were more modern; she understood why Brian did, for in many ways the past were better days gone by.

Brian stopped singing as if he knew Lois was in the room. He could smell her lack of perfume, her sweat because she hadn't bothered to take a shower that day. It was so vivid that for a moment he thought about opening his eyes, for they were closed, and he thought about seeing what she would look like. He often fantasized about Lois in many different situations but this was one that he liked best, when she was in her nightgown getting ready to go to bed. It was not sexual in nature, at least not overtly. In Brian's mind this was the real Lois, the one that no one got to see- when her hair was frizzled from a long day of working; her makeup, what little she wore, off, face fully exposed; her figure not as young as it used to be but still bearing the youthfulness of twenty something despite nearing her forties, the beginning of an in between phase of life. All of this Brian thought about before even thinking of carnal, sensuous things, although to deny that he thought them would be denying what humanity he allowed himself to have.

"What are you doing up?" Brian said, his voice soft and hurt, "Shouldn't you be in bed? It's what…10:30?"

Lois shrugged for she didn't know the time and she didn't care. Right now, she was thinking about sleep. Lois sat down on the floor, in front of the dog, at the same time allowing him to take in all the scents that allowed him to see the real Lois.

"You were crying" Lois answered, "What's wrong?"

Brian huffed as if the answer was obvious and it was. Perhaps Lois needed to hear it from Brian's point of view, when he was most vulnerable. Brian ignored the question for the time being, the only thing he did was casually place his paw, for now he considered himself a dog, on Lois' knee.

"I'm going to ask you something" Brian replied, "It's wrong and I already know the answer, but sometimes I need to hear it again."

Lois shook her head and leaned in, kissing Brian as passionately as she could where such forms of affection are supposed to be given. When she broke away he didn't even have to ask the question, for he knew the answer. Joy and pain went through his body all at once, joy for himself and the love he knew was finally requited and pain for Peter, who didn't do anything to deserve what he was about to receive.

"What does this mean?" Brian asked, hoping for a reply, an overwhelming concern laden in his voice.

"I don't know" Lois continued, "Maybe nothing. But maybe something."

The only thing they allowed themselves to do was embrace, their hearts however, wanted so much more. Both of them cried, for they knew, down in their cores, that what they were doing was against all morals, if they had any to begin with, and against everything that they knew themselves to be. Lois thought that she would be faithful to her husband until the day she died and forever after. But she never really was, even in the best of times when she had every reason to be she was everything but faithful. Brian believed that his life had two outcomes, overwhelming happiness or crushing sadness; overwhelming happiness in the event that he found someone, crushing sadness if he ended up alone. Day by day he saw crushing sadness beating overwhelming happiness by leaps and bounds. Tonight, for the first time in a long time, overwhelming happiness seemed to have a chance, his only regret was that Peter had to suffer for it.

They broke away, Brian wiping his eyes and smiling at the same time. His ears raised a bit like they did that morning, when nothing mattered and everything was okay. Now, everything mattered and despite what they wanted to believe, for the moment at least, nothing was okay, it seemed that it never would be.

"Pray for me" Brian said softly, not really sure what he was saying.

Lois raised her eyebrows, confused by the request.

"I thought that you didn't believe?" Lois exclaimed.

"I don't" Brian explained, "Sometimes I think it's nice to pretend…that someone else who is said to have created everything takes a little time to care about someone like me."

Brian stopped, he couldn't but laugh the more he thought about it.

"I don't know what's out there" Brian continued, "I don't want to know and I don't care. But I've seen things. I've seen what that kind of faith does to people and I think it's a beautiful thing."

Lois wanted to say something but didn't, for she knew that getting into such a conversation would ruin whatever moment existed. It was best to simply let Brian have the floor, to take what he would out of this conversation. To Lois Brian wasn't talking to her, he was talking to the One Who Cannot Be Seen, the Playwright of the Universe.

"I have said things I do not believe in for the sake of other people." Brian continued, "I cannot tell you how many times I have said Amen, how many times I have said Hallelujah not for my sake but for the father and husband waiting for news of his wife who asked it of me. That and it gives me a boost in the comforting department something that I'm not really good at. Isn't that the saddest thing you ever heard? A dog who can't so much as be comforting. It's pathetic and it only shows how much of a failure I really am."

Lois knew that Brian, for in those situations she knew that he was the best person to talk to, for he had experienced pain in almost all degrees. But despite this, even if he didn't suffer as he did, Lois knew that Brian mattered a great deal, for he always seemed to be there, even for people he didn't necessarily know or had little in common with. As for the failure of being a dog, Lois had a stake against that too, for she saw how Brian took care of Stewie and to a lesser extent Chris and Meg. She knew how much he loved them and she knew that if it ever came down to it, his bullet taking promise from earlier would ring true every time. There wasn't a doubt in her mind that Brian was a success, whoever he ended up with would the luckiest person in the world.

All of these thoughts culminated to Lois' next response, subtly thrown out the window in favor of directness and honesty.

"Kiss me" Lois said, her voice shaking at the thought. Even if she were denied it would calm the fire that had slowly been burning in her heart since morning. It would be an official release, one that was mutual and different from the kiss minutes before. It would not be based on passion alone, but love.

"I can't" Brian said, going against every urge he had to comply, "You know what it would do to Peter. To Chris and Meg and Stewie. It would crush them Lois, I can't do that. No matter how much I love you, they come first, they always have, they always will."

Five seconds later Brian broke his promise, heading down a road he knew he would never be able to go back on. Lois thought nothing of it when she found herself undoing her nightgown. All of their fears from earlier came back stronger than before causing them to stop. No thing had been done. The moment came and went like a flash of lightning, coincidentally outside it had begun to rain as clouds slowly formed overhead, masking the radiant moonlight.

"What are we doing Brian?" Lois asked helplessly, more confused than ever before.

"Do you remember when Peter was lost at sea?" Brian answered, asking a question of his own, "Do you remember what we felt? How sad everyone was. How lost we were."

Lois nodded, for she did remember, she remembered everything about the incident including a few things she wanted to forget.

"I do" Lois replied, her voice soft and calming, the dog was beginning to tear up, "I remember it like it was yesterday."

Brian nodded and wiped his eyes, secretly damning himself, wanting nothing more than to take his useless eyes out of his head. It would be painful, but like the smiles of those he had prayed for, it would worth it if it meant getting rid of the memory and the false hope.

"It was out of pity and security that you did what you did" Brian exclaimed, redirecting his feelings to the past in hope that it would make him better. It wasn't working.

"For nine months I called you my wife" Brian continued, "You never called me your husband. It wasn't for love. It was security. The minute Peter came back you crawled right back in his arms and I didn't blame you for it. Because it wasn't for love. This, this thing right here, is not love. It is desire. Unfulfilled and constantly yearning for things that it wasn't meant to have."

Lois shook her head, not wanting to believe Brian's words despite what truth they had.

"How can you say that?" Lois asked, emotional hurt beyond recognition, "How can you say that I can't have what I deserve."

"Because it doesn't happen to people like us Lois" Brian explained, his voice harsher than it should have been, "People who seek things they already have. But the things they have aren't the things they want. People like us don't seek intimacy. We don't make memories, for we live always in the present. The past is the past and the future can wait."

Brian stopped, the last thing he wanted to do was hurt Lois. In an attempt to lighten up the mood, if it could still be saved, Brian went back to being a dog.

Lois watched as Brian preformed the Art of Begging.

The Art of Begging is a routine that is known throughout all canine kind. It is a combination of rolls, yapping and annoying cuteness depending on the breed. It works best with small to medium sized dogs, fortunately in Brian's case he was of the medium size and as a result, did not have to compensate and pretend to be smaller.

It begins with the dog circling around as if it were chasing its own tail. After two revolutions the dog gets on its hind legs and barks or yaps depending on the situation. Due to the fact that it was nighttime Brian went with the higher and quieter yap. This is usually the time when the targets, for it is always done in the presence of humans, throw out food. If this fails, the dog continues by flopping its ears side to side, twice for each ear. When this is done, it gets on its back and rolls, making sure to land stomach up after each stop to maximize the chance of tummy rubbing. On occasion, depending on how desperate the animal was, the dog would raise its head, looking at the target with the biggest eyes it could possibly make, sometimes to the point where one would think that they were going to pop out of the head. Brian skipped this part of the routine, unable to stand the pain that would follow if he failed to look directly at Lois.

The routine finished, Brian rolled himself over, immediately finding himself in Lois' arms, Lois having reached out and grabbed him as soon as he righted himself.

"Thank you" Lois whispered as she kissed Brian's forehead

"Don't thank me" Brian answered nonchalantly, "It's in the job description."

Lois didn't need to ask what job it was that Brian held, for she already knew the answer. Brian was thankful that he didn't need to explain, for it only made his heart warmer, his laugh that he kept inside lighter, happier.

"Promise me one thing Lois" Brian said after a few minutes of silence, "If it ever gets to a point where I can't-"

Brian stopped, after a few seconds to recollect his thoughts he spoke again.

"I don't want anyone to suffer because of me. When that day comes, and it will come, it would mean so much to me if you were to push down on the syringe. I want all of you to be there, even Stewie. Especially Stewie…"

Lois stood up bringing Brian with her, he was heavy, granted he wasn't as young he used to be but it was still heavy enough to where it was noticeable.

"That's a long ways away Brian" Lois continued as she made her way upstairs, "The future can wait."