Daphne threw herself down on Brian's designer couch and crossed her arms in a huff. Brian rolled his lips into his mouth and asked, "Something troubling you, princess?"

"Hah! You wouldn't be so calm if you knew!"

"Knew what?"

"Justin's mom can be such a c-word!"

Brian couldn't help but laugh. "Such a c-word, huh?"

"Yes! A c-word with a capital C! She packed every reminder of last year into boxes and put them in the attic. She also told Deb and Vic and everyone else to stay the hell away…that Justin didn't remember them and that she didn't want him to! She's probably hoping that 'he forgot' he's gay, but that ain't gonna happen!"

She looked at Brian sadly. "Now what? You have to 'meet' him somehow and soon! But how? He won't be at the diner working or at Deb's…"

Then her eyes widened. "Wait! Oh my God, it's perfect!"

Brian imitated her excited hand gestures and wide eyes and asked "What?!"

Daphne just rolled her eyes and answered, "I'll bring him to Liberty again. This time, I'll drop him off right outside Babylon, and you can meet the way you met the first time! What do you think? Perfect, right?"

Brian wasn't sure. In fact, this is what he feared the most. Reliving memories only to discover that something was missing. Some essential something. What if Justin went home with someone else? What if he went home with Brian but didn't end up falling for him again? Should they simply make new memories? Brian wanted Justin to fall for him again, but he didn't exactly want to repeat their history. Brian was different now, whatever that meant. The boy had irrevocably changed him. So much so that he hadn't been able to trick since the bashing. He'd tried a few times, but had ended up shoving tricks away roughly the moment he'd realized that their mouths and their asses weren't going to satisfy him in the slightest, and even made him a little ill (as though the world were mocking him by forcing him to remember and to want what he couldn't have, what he may never have again). It was that last part, the possibility that Justin would reject him or be oblivious to him, that made him ill. Brian despised weakness, especially his own, but he just couldn't force himself to walk away or even pretend he didn't care what happened one way or the other.

The little fucker had broken him, and he had no clue how this new Brian Kinney should act or whether Justin would even want him. He sighed. He couldn't be that pathetic. He just couldn't. It shouldn't matter where or how they met. Justin's body would certainly respond to his in any situation. But without his confidence…his carefree attitude…would Justin's heart respond? Fucking Christ! He felt like a kid again. And not in a positive, life-affirming way! He felt like that scared, insecure, self-loathing kid his parents had made, through cold hatred, endless beatings, and neglect. Fine! Fucking fine! He'd managed to pull himself out of that black hole before. He could do it again. His old mantra came back to haunt him, "Pretend until you believe."

Brian turned to Daphne and stated firmly, "Okay. Let's do this thing. Bring him to Liberty tonight, say, midnight."

Daphne giggled. "Cool!"