The Secret Life of Brian

by LDEJRuff

Chapter 15 - Second Chances and a Miracle

One hour later, still at the Hospital, while Dylan was still in the waiting area, he saw both his parents exit out of the room. He was overjoyed when he saw his mother awake.

"Mom!" he whispered. "It's so good to see that you're on your feet again."

With that, he gave his mother a hug.

"It's good to see you, too, Dylan," she replied, hugging him back. "I hope your father took great care of you."

"He did, Mom," Dylan replied back. "He did."

Brian sighed, smiling when he saw both mother and son together once again.

The next day at the Flannigan house, it was right after breakfast when Dylan made an announcement.

"Dad," he began, "now that Mom and I are back together under the same household, I...I think it's about time you returned home to your family."

"But Dylan," Brian replied, "most of the city of Quahog still thinks I'm dead, and I would rather keep it that way, and..."

"Brain," Tracy halted, "I think Dylan's right. You took care of my son while I wasn't around, and I think what he said is for the best."

"If it hadn't been for you, Dad," Dylan added, "I would've missed so many school days, and Disney Channel fans would've been disappointed to see that I was missing on the set of Parent Boppers."

"Besides," Tracy added, "I bet that returning to the Griffins would be a miracle to them if they saw you alive."

What Tracy said reminded Brian of the phone conversation he had with Vinny and Jasper a few months ago. He sighed then.

"I guess you're right," he said. "Miracles do bound to happen. All right," he whispered. "I'm gonna let the Rite Aid know that I quit."

"I'll tell them," Dylan replied. "And, by the way, Dad, I have something for you."

With that, he gave his father a small gift box.

"What's that?" Brian asked.

"It's my Christmas present to you," Dylan answered. "Do not open until Christmas."

Brian shed tears of joy. "Thanks, Dylan. If only I'd gotten a present for you..."

"That's okay, Dad," Dylan replied, eyeing his mother then. "I've already gotten one."

"Oh, Tracy, Dylan, this has been the most wonderful Christmas I've spent with you. I love you both."

"I love you, too, Brian," Tracy replied.

"Me, too, Dad," Dylan added. "Thanks for taking such good care of me. Goodbye, Dad," he continued, giving his father a hug, "and Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas to you, Dylan," Brian replied.

Both Tracy and Dylan watched as Brian drove off in his Prius, on his way back to Quahog...and to the Griffins.

Later that day, Brian pulled into the Griffins' driveway. He was back home where he belonged. He got out of the car and knocked on the door. Lois opened it from the inside, and gasped in surprise.

"Oh, my God," she whispered, smiling.

"What's going on, Lois?" Peter asked, coming to her with Meg and Chris. "What the hell happened?"

Lois turned to her husband and two older children, still wearing her overjoyed smile.

"It's Brian," she said, shedding tears of joy. "He's alive!"

With that, Brian walked inside the door, happy to see his then-confused family.

"Brian?" Meg repeated.

"Alive?" Chris repeated.

"But how in the hell could this happen?" Peter shrugged. "We all saw him die at the vet several months ago."

"Yes, it's true," Brian replied. "But I figured that a miracle was bound to happen, you know, like in One Magic Christmas."

Cutaway: We see the film's main character, Ginny Grainger, overjoyed one night on the sidewalk to see her husband, Jack, alive and well.

"Oh, Jack," she said, hugging him. "It's so good to see that you're okay."

"What are you talking about, Ginny?" Jack asked, confused. "I haven't gone anywhere. I just went out for a walk."

"It doesn't matter, Jack," Ginny replied. "All that matters is that I'm in the spirit of Christmas."

Back to the living room.

"Anyway," Brian began, "where's Stewie? Isn't he with you guys?"

"Oh," Lois replied, not knowing what to say at first, "we've got something to tell you, Brian. One month, after you died, we went ahead and..."

"Found another dog named Vinny," Brian interrupted. "Yeah, I knew what you were going to say, Lois."

"Wait, how'd you know about Vinny?" Peter shrugged again.

"Because...Vinny...is my brother."

"Your brother?" Peter, Lois, Meg and Chris repeated.

"Oh, that reminds me," Brian continued. "I've got to let him know I'm back."

With that, he got his phone out and started to call Vinny.

"Anyway," Lois began, "it's so good to have you back, Brian."

"Welcome home, buddy," Peter added.

Peter, Lois, Meg and Chris gave their dog a welcome-home hug. Brian couldn't help but feel happy for them.

"Thank you, guys," he said, shedding tears of joy. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to let my brother know."

Around the same time at the mall, in the "Employees Only" section of the toy store, Stewie gave Vinny a pat on the head, with his retrieved time machine return pad in the other hand.

"Good dog, Vinny," he said. "Good dog."

Vinny turned his attention up above.

"Georgette," he began, walking out of the section then, "I'm coming home!"

As he went on walking, his phone vibrated. It was Brian.

"Brian?"

The screen split to show Brian in the living room on the right side of the screen.

"Hey, Vin," he answered. "I got some good news. I came back to the Griffins as a miracle."

"That ain't good news at all," Vinny feared.

"What do you mean?"

"Well," Vinny began, "I just helped Stewie sorta 'borrow' the time machine return pad from his past self so that he could prevent you from faking your own death."

"Uh-oh," Brian feared. "If he succeeds, then scientifically, this timeline will cease to exist, and us with it!"

Then, there was a flash of light. When the light subsided, both dogs found themselves sitting down in seemingly-identical rooms, and Brian's phone was no longer in his paw.

"My phone!" he shouted.

"Brian?" Vinny asked, getting his attention.

"Vinny?" Brian asked. The split bar rose to show that they were in the front seats of Justin's Benz, sitting next to each other.

"What are you doing here?" they asked each other.

"Okay, Brian," Stewie's voice said from Brian's phone, which was back next to the steering wheel, as it got both dogs' attentions. "I'm just putting this out there, but I'm a baby, and only dicks don't let babies win."

"Wait a minute," Brian realized, "this is the day that I faked my death. And I'm back inside Justin Bieber's Benz."

"Justin Bieber?" Vinny repeated. "That Canadian pop star?"

"Yeah."

"Brian," Vinny began, "you don't think that we were sent back in time somehow, do you?"

"If that's the case, and I'm back in the driver's seat of the Benz, then I feel like I'm going through this phase all over again."

"You mean...?"

"Yeah, that."

"Oh, wait," Stewie realized. "I got to go grab my knee pads. I was using them for...for...for this other thing. Anyway, I'll be right back."

"Well," Brian sighed, "here we go again."

Brian started the Benz, which caressed toward his unsuspecting clone, who was wearing his hockey helmet. As before, he had a sad look on his face. However, Vinny noticed something.

"Uh, Brian?"

"Brian, look out!" Stewie's voice shouted, as the camera feed had shown Cleveland's old house getting closer.

Suddenly, there was a thud as if it came from something plastic. Throughout this, Brian's sad expression gave way to one of confusion. The screen then split to show Brian's now-saved clone on the right side of the screen.

"What the hell?" both Brians said, surprised and confused.

"You're alive, my friend!" Stewie exclaimed, overjoyed. Brian saw that he was suddenly wearing a blue coat over his yellow shirt and red overalls. Stewie then gave the clone a hug.

"What?" Clone Brian began, as the feed now showed the Benz driving far off and turning again. "Of course I'm alive. What the hell's going on here?"

"Yeah," Brian agreed to Vinny. "What the hell's going on here?"

"It's okay, Brian," Vinny assured. "That Stewie's from the same timeline we were. He just saved that other you's life."

"Yes, that's true," Brian nodded, "but he also ruined my fake death. Now I'll have to start all over again."

"Actually," New Brian said, suddenly appearing behind the two dogs, "you don't have to."

"New Brian?" Brian replied. "What are you doing here?"

"Yeah," Vinny added. "Ain't you supposed to be dead? It was implied, when I saw your episode on that DVD, that Stewie killed you after you humped Rupert."

"That's true, Vinny," New Brian nodded. "But Death sent me here to give both of you guys a second chance."

"A second chance?" Brian and Vinny repeated, confused.

Both Stewie and the clone were near the open front door of the house. Clone Brian was relieved then. Stewie was still unaware that the Brian he was talking to, and that he just saved, was just a clone.

"Wow, Stewie," Clone Brian whispered. "Thank you for saving my life. You know, a lot of other families would've just gotten a different dog and moved on."

"Oh," Stewie began, rather guilty, "oh, we could...we could never do something like that, Brian."

Just then, Stewie started to fade away.

"Stewie," Clone Brian began, noticing, "wh...what's happening to you?"

Stewie began to notice, and suddenly realized.

"I think," he began, "my timeline is being erased. The timeline where you died no longer exists. Exists. Exists." He fake echoed those last two "exists" after he was completely out of sight.

"Stewie!" Clone Brian called.

The baby suddenly then reappeared, but still transparent.

"I just did that for effect," he joked. "There's no science reason for the echo. I...I just wanted to go out on a joke." He accepted his fate then. "Merry Christmas, Brian." With that, he faded out of existence.

Before the other Stewie, which would be the main Stewie this story's talking about later, would go outside, time had suddenly stopped, except Clone Brian's sense of time did not.

"Wh...what?" Clone Brian noticed.

"Hey there, clone me," Brian greeted, coming in with New Brian and Vinny, and getting the clone's attention. New Brian had carried Death's scythe.

"Brian?" Clone Brian said, puzzled. "What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be with Dylan?"

"I was with Dylan," Brian answered. "I had to go through several months taking care of him. Tracy was in a coma as a result of a car accident that claimed Vinny's owner's life."

"Vinny?" Clone Brian repeated. "Is that why he and New Brian are with you?"

"Yeah," Vinny answered.

"Wait, what's New Brian doing here? Isn't he supposed to be dead?"

"I am dead, Clone Brian," New Brian answered. "But Death has let me live for a few minutes to give you all a second chance. And yours, Clone Brian, is to prevent that accident so Vinny won't have to lose Leo again."

"You mean," Vinny began, "I can get to spend all those months again to be with my previous owner?"

"And I can get to spend all those months again to be with the Griffins?" Brian added.

"Yup," New Brian answered.

"Well," Clone Brian sighed, smiling sadly, "if that's going to be my destiny, then so be it. Here," he continued, handing his original counterpart the hockey helmet. "I think you're going to need this more than I do, original me."

Brian chuckled. "Thanks." With that, he put the helmet on.

"Well, time's a wasting," New Brian said. "Don't you want to say goodbye to Vinny, Brian?"

"Yeah," Brian replied. Turning to his little brother, he continued, "Vinny, I don't know how to tell you this, but thank you for taking good care of the Griffins for me."

"And thank you for giving me a home when I had no home to go to, Brian," Vinny replied.

Both brothers gave each other a hug.

"You take good care of yourself, Vin," Brian whispered. "I hope we can see each other again sometime. Merry Christmas, little brother."

"Merry Christmas to you, B," Vinny replied. "Goodbye, big brother. Welcome home."

With that, both Brian and Vinny then let go of each other. New Brian tapped the scythe to the ground, and in a flash, he, Clone Brian and Vinny vanished, leaving a small bug-sized camera, which was left on Clone Brian's nose, behind. Time then went on again, and Stewie saw Brian on the walkway, carrying another hockey stick and unaware of what was going on.

"Hey, who were you talking to out here?" Stewie asked.

Brian had a little time to think. A second later, he answered, with a smile on his face, "A pretty awesome guy."

"Oh, 'pretty awesome guy,'" Stewie repeated, walking to his canine friend. "Why don't you marry him, huh?" Stewie then placed an end of the stick under Brian. "All right, game on!"

With that, Stewie raised the end up and rammed it into Brian's groin. The dog then writhed in pain. Stewie then emulated a cheering crowd and ran around Brian.

"Stew-S-A! Stew-S-A! Stew-S-A!"

Rather smiling, Brian thought to himself, despite the pain, "Oh, it's good to be home."