Lane stared, entranced, at the object of all his fantasies from the past year; he had thought and dreamed of nothing else but holding the man who was standing, apparently stunned, in front of him. He slowly moved closer to Justin as he spoke soothingly to him, afraid to speak any louder for fear of spooking him. "Justin…..Angel," he began, smiling in captivation. "I can't believe you're here," he said, softly, totally mesmerized by the vision in front of him. "I've waited so long for this," he said breathlessly, as he reached out both arms toward the other man; he wanted nothing more than to wrap his arms around the slender body and never let him go again.
To his astonishment, Justin suddenly shrunk back from him, actually cowering as he shouted, "Don't call me that! Stay AWAY from me! Don't you fucking come near me, Lane!"
"Angel…." As the other man glowered at him, he continued, "Justin, please, I just want to talk to you. It's been so long. Please," Lane implored, practically begging now as he continued to walk closer to Justin, the blond still moving backward to get as far away from him as possible. Unfortunately, Justin did not realize that instead of moving toward the exit, he was instead slowly being cornered up against the back wall. As his back hit the wall abruptly, he realized his mistake. There was nowhere to go, nowhere to escape. "Lane," he began, his voice now shouting in a mixture of fear and hatred, "I'm warning you. STAY AWAY FROM ME! I HATE you! What is WRONG with you?! I don't want anything to DO with you! Leave me alone!"
"Justin, please," Lane continued to beseech the other man as he continued his slow march toward him. Somehow he had to make Justin understand that everything he had done was simply to be closer to him, to get to know him, to love him. Why couldn't he understand that?
Justin realized the other man was NOT going to be deterred; he looked around desperately for something, anything, to help defend himself with. Realizing there WAS nothing, he covered his eyes in fear, slowing sliding to the floor on his knees as he waited for the other man to do whatever he intended to do. All the previous nightmares he had had at this other man's expense after the kidnapping and drugging was nothing compared to the panic and terror he was experiencing at this moment.
Oh, God! He shuddered and trembled as the other man's hands started to grasp his shoulders, just before he heard a voice of wrath that must have been sent from heaven: "What the HELL do you think you're doing? You're a DEAD man!" As Justin uncovered his eyes and opened them, he saw his partner violently grab the other man and spin him around, just long enough to let fly a punch square to Prescott's jaw, sending the man sprawling to the hard, tiled floor. "I'm going to fucking KILL you, do you hear me?" The brunet shouted at the top of his lungs. "I should have done this a LONG time ago!" he screamed in rage, reaching down to yank the other man up by his collar, preparing to strangle the living daylights out of him with his bare hands.
"Brian, NO!" Justin shouted at him, now scared out of his mind, not because of Prescott, but out of concern for his partner. "Brian!" he repeated, trying desperately to get his attention, "No! Don't!" he screamed, attempting to pull his partner away from Prescott. Brian, however, roughly shrugged Justin off him. "Leave me ALONE!" he growled at Justin. "I should have taken care of this fucker a LONG time ago!" he repeated, as he tightly placed both of his long hands around the incapacitated man's neck, squeezing violently to try and crush Prescott's windpipe. He had decided long ago that no amount of possible punishment was going to prevent him from taking care of this man if he came anywhere near Justin again.
As much as in that moment Justin would have preferred Prescott dead as well, he was more worried about what would happen to his partner; somehow, he had to convince Brian to stop. He knew Brian wouldn't stop until the other man was dead, no matter the consequences. But he wasn't going to let Prescott take the man he loved more than life itself away from him. "HELP ME!" he screamed at the top of his lungs, begging someone, ANYONE, to come to his aid.
As he hurried toward the entrance to the men's room, he was relieved but also a little scared to see the sheriff's deputy who had been out in the hall rush in, gun drawn. "That's enough!" the man sternly warned at Brian, "Back away from him," he instructed the brunet. "NOW!" he commanded, his gun now pointed directly at Brian, who continued to hold the other man's neck in a death grip.
"Brian, PLEASE!" Justin was now begging him, pleading with him to stop. "Brian," he repeated. "He's not worth it. He's not worth destroying everything we have. Please – don't let him do this to us. I love you. PLEASE, Brian," he implored tearfully, his voice shaking and choked with emotion. "Please," he repeated, eyes now spilling tears of fear – fear that this man who had haunted his dreams would now take Brian away from him. Was there no end to this torment? Justin held out his hands toward Brian, silently imploring him to listen to him, to not destroy everything they had built over the past year. They had been so happy, so in love. Brian, please don't let this man destroy that.
The tension was palpable as the sheriff's deputy continued to aim his gun directly at Brian, ready at a moment's notice to take drastic action if the brunet did not follow his demands. Justin continued to hold out his hands in a desperate invitation for his partner to make the right decision and let Prescott go.
As Prescott hung limply in the other man's hands, Brian tried to control his rapid, heavy breathing and calm his rage somehow at the man who had once again threatened the man he loved. He stood there, hands still wrapped tightly on the other man's neck, torn between finishing him off or giving into Justin's plea to stop. He looked at the pain clearly written on his partner's face, as well as the obvious love shining from him, before he finally, reluctantly, released his hold on Prescott's neck and let him slump to the ground. As the deputy thankfully lowered his gun and holstered it, Justin rushed to his partner, grabbing him in a tight embrace and wrapping his arms around Brian's back.
"Brian," he whispered, his voice still shaky and full of emotion. "Oh, Brian…." The tears continued to flow, but this time they were now from relief, not fear. He rubbed his hands all over the other man's back soothingly.
"Justin," the brunet answered, his voice quivering as he placed both hands on Justin's face and turned the blond's upward to look at him. "Are you all right?" he asked urgently, reaching with his thumbs to gently brush the tears away from the pale face. "He was going to hurt you," he explained, voice choked with emotion. "I couldn't let him do that," he added, his voice shaking with intensity.
"I'm okay, Brian," Justin assured him, trying to smile but not quite being successful; he hiccupped a little, a result of his emotional outburst. He wanted to reassure Brian, but his emotions were so much in turmoil over what had just happened he couldn't quite bring himself to succeed. He trembled as Brian wrapped his long arms around him, holding the blond tightly against him. "I'm okay," he repeated softly, sniffling. That was too close. If I had lost you, I would have been lost, too.
The sheriff's deputy crouched down near the two men to examine Prescott. Feeling a fairly strong pulse, he radioed for medical help, as well as police backup. "You two stay here," he warned them. "You will have to come down to the police station for questioning," he advised.
All three heads turned just then as they heard a new voice asking, "What the HELL happened here?" Matthews asked, as he and Sinclair rushed into the restroom.
Glaring at Sinclair, Brian kept his arm possessively around Justin's waist as he snarled, "Your CLIENT tried to attack Justin – AGAIN! How the FUCK was he allowed in here unattended?" he demanded, as he noticed two paramedics placing a stretcher besides the injured man.
Sinclair refused to supply an answer as he glared at Brian and said, "I want to know how my client wound up unconscious on the floor. What the hell did you DO to him?!"
"I tried to KILL him, that's what the hell I did to him!" he replied. "And if Justin hadn't stopped me, that's exactly what I WOULD have done! That's what the fucker deserved!" he said adamantly as he stared daggers at the defense attorney.
The sheriff's deputy turned toward the two attorneys, advising them, "These two need to come down to the police station with me for questioning. I need to get the full story of what happened here."
Matthews advised both men, "Don't say anything until I get down there. I'm coming with you," he assured them. Turning toward Sinclair, he said, "I don't know exactly what happened here, but I'm sure YOUR client is NOT the innocent party you're making him out to be, Sinclair."
"Well, we'll see about that. It certainly seems like he got the short end of the stick, though, doesn't it?" he stated, glaring at the three men standing together. "Don't worry – I'll be down there, too. I have my client to protect," he explained, as he walked out of the restroom, just behind the two paramedics now carrying Prescott out on a stretcher.
Turning toward the deputy, who was well-known to him, Matthews asked, "If you're not formally charging either of these two men with a crime, I assume it would be all right for me to drive them down to the station to make their statements regarding this incident?"
The deputy thought for a few seconds before nodding. "I'll expect them down there shortly," he warned the attorney, as he exited the restroom.
"I'll meet you two out by the side entrance," Matthews advised Brian and Justin. Brian nodded his head slightly in agreement, continuing to hold onto Justin's waist firmly as they were finally left alone. It seemed like it had been forever since they had come out of the courtroom after Justin's testimony today, instead of less than an hour. As he felt Justin continuing to breathe erratically and tremble at his side, he gave the slender blond a squeeze, causing his partner's teary blue eyes to look up at him through damp eyelashes. "Are you all right, Sunshine?" Brian asked him tenderly, the concern clearly written on his own line-etched face. Justin's only response was to turn to face the other man and again wrap both of his arms around the other man's in a tight embrace as if he never wanted to ever let him go.
Finally, as Justin pressed the side of his face against his chest, Brian heard him admit softly, "I was so frightened, Brian. Frightened by Lane, and then frightened that you wouldn't let him go."
Brian held the other man firmly as he murmured, "I know you were." Caressing the other's man back, he admitted, "I would have, you know. I would have fucking killed him if you hadn't stopped me. I would have done whatever it took to keep you safe," he vowed, his voice again choking up with emotion. Emotion over how close the man he loved had come to being harmed once again by this asshole that didn't deserve to live. And emotion over how Justin had acted to prevent the two of them from being torn apart because of this, this MONSTER.
"I know," Justin whispered softly. "But we can't let him win. He's NOT going to win, Brian," he vowed, his voice now becoming stronger with conviction as he slightly loosened his hold on the older man and looked up intently at him.
Brian gently smiled down at him, arms now grasping the slender, pale shoulders. "No, he's not," he agreed, shaking his head slightly. Taking a deep breath before letting it out, he asked, "Are you ready to go with Matthews now?"
Justin sniffled a little before releasing a soft breath escape his lips. "As ready as I'll ever be," he verified.
Brian reached down to kiss his partner's lips gently before whispering, "Let's go and get this over with, then." As Justin nodded, the two walked hand in hand out of the restroom and headed toward the courthouse exit.
Justin and Brian looked up from their chairs at the police interrogation room as Matthews walked in. "Well, I just got off the phone with Allegheny General, where they took Prescott. I spoke to one of the sheriff's deputies there, and he informed me he has several bruises and contusions, but overall he's only got minor injuries. He's going to be fine," he assured both men, as he took a seat at their table.
Justin let out a soft sigh of relief; NOT relief, per se, over Prescott's condition but relief that Brian hadn't done any permanent harm. The last thing he wanted to see right now was Brian being jailed or worse for doing severe damage to the other man. He knew they weren't quite out of the woods yet, however, as he asked Matthews, "What's going to happen now? We told them what happened, that Prescott approached me and wouldn't leave. None of this would have happened if he had left me alone when I told him to," he insisted.
"I know, Justin," Matthews assured him. "But unfortunately the fact is, Prescott didn't do any physical harm to you, while Brian DID inflict physical injury on Prescott. Depending upon what the chief prosecutor decides, I'm afraid Brian could be looking at assault charges. I'm sorry," he added, looking at both men. "I know this is the LAST thing you want to hear right now, especially when the end of the trial is so close."
"I don't BELIEVE this!" Justin protested. "Brian was just trying to protect me! If he hadn't come in when he did, there is no telling what Lane would have done to me! They SAW what he did before. I mean, the man DRUGGED me and KIDNAPPED me! What more proof do they want that he meant to HURT me?" he cried.
"Shh," Brian soothed, reaching to grasp Justin's hand as he tried to calm his partner. "It's okay, Justin. I'm sure they're going to reach the same conclusion. What's done is done – I'm NOT sorry for what I did, though, no matter what happens," he told him stubbornly.
But Justin couldn't help being worried about what was going to happen to Brian. He couldn't believe they had come this far only to have their world turned upside down once again. When would all of this end?
The three men looked up as the door opened and Matthews recognized one of his colleagues from the prosecutor's office, Roger Dinsmore, approach. "Greg," he greeted the other man, shaking his hand.
"Roger, this is Justin Taylor and Brian Kinney," he said, nodding to the two men sitting at his side.
"Gentlemen," Roger acknowledged them, before turning to other attorney. "I'll get right to the point, Greg," he advised. "I just spoke to the chief prosecutor, and after weighing all the statements, he has decided that Mr. Kinney was acting in self defense when he assaulted Prescott, so he will not be filing any charges." A loud sigh of relief escaped Justin's lips as he heard the good news, before Dinsmore added, "Of course, Sinclair isn't happy about that turn of events, but he's powerless to do anything about it. It's our call ultimately whether we want to press charges, and the chief prosecutor just doesn't feel that it's warranted in this case. I'd thought you'd want to know the outcome as soon as possible, so I told him I'd drop by to let you know."
"Yeah, thanks, Roger, that's good news. But I expected it after hearing the whole story. Prescott is big trouble. I appreciate you letting me know right away," he told his colleague gratefully. "I assume my client and Mr. Kinney are free to go, then?" he asked the other man.
"Yes," Roger verified. "Nice meeting you both," he said, as he nodded to Brian and Justin. "Oh, and best of luck in your case, Mr. Taylor. I hope you nail the bastard," he advised him, before exiting the room.
As Brian and Justin stood up to go, exhaustion clearing showing on both their faces, Matthews informed them, "By the way, first thing tomorrow I'm going up against Judge Mason and insist he issue a protective order against Prescott to make sure he stays as far away as possible from Justin until the outcome of this trial. Since he's the defendant, I can't force him to stay out of the courtroom," he told them regretfully. "But I sure as hell can make sure he doesn't come anywhere near Justin when the trial is not in session. I wish I could do more, but that's the best I can do, I'm afraid. And he still has the option to testify, that is, if Sinclair thinks that would be a good idea, especially after the stunt he pulled earlier today. If you ask me, that just makes him look all the more calculating. But who knows? Sinclair might feel that he appears even more temporarily insane after what he did. It will be his call – and Prescott's," he advised them gravely.
"I can't believe anyone could feel that fucker didn't know exactly what he was doing when he drugged and kidnapped Justin," Brian growled, his utter contempt for the other man growing by leaps and bounds each day. "And that he didn't know exactly what he was doing today. He's NOT insane, he's OBSESSED," he stated flatly, as Justin leaned heavily against him, seeking physical as well as emotional support from his partner.
"I totally agree," Matthews intoned. "And I intend to prove that before this is over with, you can bet on that," he assured them. "Now you both need to go home and get some rest. This isn't over yet by a long shot," he countered. "Come on – I'll drive you back to your car," he advised them, as they both followed him out.
The interior of the 'Vette was totally quiet, except for the regular breathing by both men as they sat in companionable silence, trying to calm themselves after the tumultuous events of the past several hours.
Finally, Justin broke the silence, asking in a plaintive voice, "Brian? Do you really think Prescott will be found guilty?" Before Brian could protest, he explained, "I mean, I know in my heart the man knew exactly what he was doing, but could he be just calculating and evil enough, as well as intelligent enough, to actually convince a jury that he didn't know his actions were right from wrong at the time he committed them?"
Brian briefly closed his eyes; if he were totally honest with himself and Justin, he, too, had some of the same concerns. This was a very intelligent and devious man, who had a top, crack attorney representing him. Could Prescott actually pull this off? And worse yet, was he willing to voice that same concern to his partner, especially after what he had just been through today? He thought carefully before considering the answer he would give his partner who was looking at him now with great trepidation. No, he wouldn't do that to him – he COULDN'T. He refused to think that that would ever happen – they deserved to be happy, damn it.
Turning to the man he loved deeply, he replied aloud with as much conviction as he could muster, "No, Sunshine, that's NOT going to happen. You hear me? He is NOT going to get away with this. Greg is going to lay out all the evidence in his closing arguments and the jury is going to see right through this fraud. Now we are going back to the loft and YOU are going to get some much-needed rest, okay?" He peered intently at him, waiting for an affirmative response.
Justin reached over and grasped the long fingers, receiving a squeeze in return. "Yes, sir," he said somewhat solemnly. "But only if YOU get some much-needed rest, too," he warned.
"Okay," Brian conceded. "I'll only fuck you into the mattress once tonight," he smirked, succeeding in receiving a small smile from the blond.
"Sounds like a plan to me, Mr. Kinney," Justin agreed, just before Brian started up the car and turned to exit the courthouse parking lot.