2/3/07 – A sad ending

A couple of months later Brian went to the Diner and found Daphne and Emmett sitting and talking quietly. Daphne had obviously been crying and Emmett wasn't looking too great, either. Brian felt his stomach drop, worried that something had happened to Justin.

"What's wrong with you two?"

"It's Stuart, Justin's partner." Daphne sniffed.

"Well?" Brian asked.

Emmett said, "He died yesterday. Justin just called. Poor baby." He and Daphne began crying again.

Brian's heart went out to Justin. The kid had enough to deal with in his life. Recently, it seemed like he was finally finding what he wanted and then it was taken away from him. Brian had only met Stuart the one time and, although he was jealous that Justin was with him, he could see that Stuart was a good guy. Nobody deserves to die that young.

Brian sat in the booth opposite the crying pair. "What in the hell happened to Stuart?"

"They don't know. He just dropped dead at work. I guess there's some history of heart disease in his family. Maybe it was a heart attack. They haven't determined it yet." Daphne reported.

"Are you going to go see Justin in New York?" Brian asked, thinking maybe I should go with.

Daphne shook her head. "He's flying here today to be with us. He'll stay at his mom's. He might eventually move back. He doesn't know. He's kind of lost right now."

Brian could imagine that Justin would come back to Pittsburgh and was excited at the prospect of seeing him again. Even if the young man is just home to hang with his friends, Brian would be glad to have him around again. But, he still hated the fact that the fates took Stuart away from Justin.

Brian held Daphne's hand. "Tell him I'm sorry. If he needs to talk…"

"Thanks. I'll tell him."

Brian picked up a sandwich for lunch to go and went back to work. He couldn't get Justin off of his mind the rest of the day.

2/4/07 – That's what friends are for

The next day Justin flew into town and was staying with his mom. He phoned Daphne and she came over to be with her friend. They sat in his room and talked and cried a little.

She asked, "Are you going to get together with the old gang here? Michael, Emmett … Brian?"

"I've talked to Emmett and I'll meet up with him soon. He talks to Michael all of the time, so I'm sure he knows. Brian? I don't know about him."

"I'm sure they'll all help to comfort you." She hugged him. "When was the last time you saw Brian?"

"It was Christmas last year. We hugged and talked a little, but he was a little distant and didn't want to stay. He did meet Stuart, though."

"It's good that you talked. I hate it when exes are bitter and nasty."

"No, nothing like that. He's a good guy. When I was first in New York I missed him so much. But, after I hooked up with Stuart, and he was so great to me, I realized what I'd been missing all of those years. Brian is, well, Brian, and I don't know that he'll ever find someone that will stick with him."

"I'm amazed that you lasted as long as you did with him. I like him, but he was such a jerk to you."

"My mistake was thinking that he could change. He never made any promises. I'm not mad at him anymore. That's all ancient history now."

"You'll find someone that will take care of you. You have so much to offer and so many reasons to push forward and go on."

"Thanks, Daphne."

They spent the rest of the evening talking. They talked about everything: life, love, friendship, loss, pain. They had both lost people they were close to. Daphne had never lost anyone she wanted to spend her life with. However, she did know what the possibility felt like. After Justin's bashing she had had to deal with the thought of losing him. She was so glad that she didn't lose her best friend. She couldn't begin to imagine the pain that Justin was feeling. She had a funny feeling that no matter what happened with Brian and Justin - something inside her said those two weren't through. When Justin was first with Brian she thought her friend could do better, but then the dance at prom was so romantic and she saw something real there.

Daphne really did like Stuart, and Justin was actually happy with him. She hoped that Justin could find someone now that Stuart was gone. He deserved someone who could give him the world, and she didn't like that Brian seemed to be unwilling to fight for what she knew they could have together.

2/7/07 - Reconnecting

Brian was at Woody's to meet up with Michael for a drink. They chatted for a while and Brian took a break and went to the bathroom. As he returned he could see Michael hugging someone. Christ, it's Justin. Brian froze in his tracks and stared at the two.

Michael looked over and saw Brian just standing there. "Come on, Brian. It's Justin. Come here."

Brian really didn't know what to do. He didn't want to deal with a grief-stricken Justin, but it seemed he had no choice. He approached and saw Justin's blue eyes edged with red and slightly damp. Justin had been telling Michael about Stuart and had cried a little at their meeting.

Justin looked up at his tall friend. "Hi, Brian." He approached and put his hands on the brunet's upper arms.

Brian reflexively put his hands around Justin's back. "I'm sorry to hear about Stuart." He pulled him in for a hug.

"Thanks. It was very sudden."

"What the fuck happened?"

"I was just telling Michael. There is a history of heart disease in his family. It seems, in his case, it was a faulty heart valve that gave out. He was working and just passed out. They called an ambulance, but he was dead almost right away."

Michael was stroking Justin's back. "If there's anything we can do..."

"Nah. I just have to deal with it and move on. He would have wanted it that way."

"Are you living with your mom?" Brian inquired.

"Yeah, for now. I'm going to try to find a place of my own, though. Maybe near my mom. It is tough being back home with Mom after being so independent. Besides, I need more room for other reasons … which I won't go into now. Anyway, Mom's is working out for me right now."

"Did you and Stuart have a place in New York?" Michael asked.

"He and I bought a condo a few months ago. It's mine now, of course. I'm putting it on the market. When it sells I should be able to find a pretty decent house in Pittsburgh."

"Have you given up on New York, then? What about your art?" Brian asked.

"I can't stand being in the empty condo. As for the city, I've made a lot of connections within the art community. I have an agent who sells my paintings with regularity. I've spoken to her and we decided that I can create my paintings here in Pittsburgh and have them shipped to New York or wherever she makes the sale. I don't have to be in New York anymore. I want to be home with my family." He looked up at the two men hopefully. "And my friends."

"We're happy that you're back. Aren't we Brian?" Michael looked at Brian to encourage him to respond similarly.

"Uh, yeah. Can I buy you a drink?" Brian knew that his best way of making problems go away was alcohol, so he figured it was the best way for Justin to start to bury the pain.

"Yeah. Thanks. Just a beer."

Brian waved over the bartender. "Three beers."

Justin went to the washroom to wash his face and then returned to the table with his old friends.

Michael asked, "Are you going to have enough to live on? I don't want to get too personal, but how are you doing financially?"

"It's not a problem. We set up Taylor-Weaver Inc. and I'll get all of the assets now."

Brian said, "If you need a job for money or just to keep yourself busy you can always come back to Kinnetik."

"Thanks, Brian. I appreciate that, but I'll be fine. I'll have enough to keep me busy. I'll probably look for studio space around here, or find a home big enough for me to do my paintings, too."

The three men sat and drank while Justin told them about New York and Stuart. Brian could tell there was more going on with Justin that he wasn't divulging, but couldn't put his finger on what.

Emmett, Ted and Blake joined them and the fellows offered condolences. Eventually, they were telling old stories, like the judge whose ass got glued to a toilet seat, and they shared some laughs. Brian was glad to see Justin feeling better.

Over the next few months Justin would occasionally see his friends at the Diner or Woody's. He was gradually working his way through the pain of losing Stuart. He spent most of his time with Daphne and Emmett, although he occasionally saw Ted and Brian, too. Brian was glad to have Justin around, but gave him his space to deal with his loss.

6/5/07 – New beginnings

Michael got together with Justin at the comic book store and they started working on ideas for another issue of Rage. Brian phoned Michael to see what he was doing and if he wanted to meet up for lunch. Michael told Brian that he was with Justin, so Brian told him to bring him over, too. The Rage creators then went to the loft to pick up Brian.

He buzzed them up and opened the door. "Hey guys."

"Hi, Brian." Michael said.

Justin smiled, "Hey."

Brian approached Michael and gave him a quick hug. He turned to Justin and did the same. "How are you holding up, Sunshine?"

"I'm better, thanks. I got an offer on the condo in New York."

"That's good. So, are you going to accept it?" Brian asked.

"I think so. My mom and I are going over it. At this point the place holds nothing for me, so I'd just as soon get rid of it and get the money for my new life here." Justin seemed cheerier than the last time Brian had seen him and he was glad for that. He hated seeing his young friend in pain.

Justin's cell phone rang, "Hello? What! Now? Where are you? OK, I'll be right there. Just take it easy and I'll be there as soon as I can." He closed the phone. "Can you guys give me a ride to the hospital?"

Michael got a worried look on his face. "Sure, what's up?"

Justin got a big grin on his face, "Everything!" He turned to Brian. "You have to come too. It's only fair. I'll explain on the way."