Club Babylon - Mykonos – Late Evening

As he looked over at Justin, Brian had decided it was a good thing he had reminded the blond of his "window shopping, hands off" policy, because prejudiced or not, the slender man currently bouncing lightly on his toes was hot. His milky white skin and golden hair almost glowed under the neon, multi-colored strobe lights that flashed above them as they mingled among the various nationalities of men that were ensconced in the crowded nightclub.

"Why do I feel like I'm still in the Pitts?" Brian growled. "Same old sweaty bodies, same old flashing lights, same old songs, even the same come-on lines."

Justin smiled as he wrapped his hands tighter around the other man's neck and rubbed the brunet's nose briefly before playfully nipping at it. "And how would you know that? They're speaking Greek, remember?"

"Yeah, well, when it comes to men leering at you and ogling you, it's a universal language," he retorted, as his hands possessively crept around the blond's waist.

Justin grinned now; it was nice to know he still had it even in another country. "I'm not the only one they're speaking a universal language to," he commented, glancing around at the other men who were openly admiring the toned and tanned man in his arms.

Brian smirked. "We're both fabulous," he decided, when he suddenly spun the blond around and dipped him. As he heard Justin's cry of delight, he once again thought for a brief moment about another time several years ago when they had danced like this but Justin couldn't remember it; he was heartened, however, by knowing that they had had several other incredible moments since then. And he was intent on making sure they had several more for years to come.

When he pulled the lithe body back up, he couldn't help taking advantage of their positions by kissing his husband firmly. After all, he figured it couldn't hurt to make sure everyone else in the room knew who the other man belonged to, and who HE belonged to, for that matter. He was rewarded by a bright smile that left no mistake of the love Justin felt for him.

He leaned in to make sure he could be heard above the loud din of the room. "What do you say we go get a drink?" he asked the other man. Justin nodded in agreement as they slowly threaded their way through the noisy crowd toward the long, curving bar at the back of the room.

"Two Beams," Brian advised the white t-shirted bartender; the man nodded as they turned around to survey the room.

"You know you're right?" Justin decided. "Except for a little bit different music, and hearing a foreign language, it IS the same old sweaty bodies, music, and lights. Only the physical layout is a little different."

"Yeah, instead of one back room, they've got TWO," Brian observed. "Guess you have to account for the tourists," he smirked, as the bartender handed them their drinks. "Same old Beam, though. Ah," he said, as he gulped back the shot.

Justin joined him in finishing off the scotch before placing his glass back down on the bar. A typical, but unfamiliar song was just finishing and a new one was beginning. "Come on," Justin encouraged the brunet impatiently. Let's go back out to dance." He gently tugged on Brian's arm as his husband smiled in agreement. Swinging their hands together as they started to walk, Brian noticed an abrupt change in Justin's demeanor as the new song continued to play. In a manner of seconds, the blond went from carefree, happy, and playful to tense, rigid, and something else he couldn't quite figure out….fear, perhaps?

"Justin?" he asked, frowning. "What is it?"

Brian's concern grew even more when the blond grabbed his arm in an almost death-like grip. "Let's get out of here, Brian," he said fiercely. "Now!"

"What the fuck? Justin, what IS it?" All the while Brian was trying to speak to him, however, Justin was trying frantically to tug the man toward the exit door. "Justin! Talk to me! What is WRONG? You're starting to freak me out."

"Brian, please – Let's go! Please! Now!" he beseeched the other man, his eyes closing almost as if he were in pain.

"Okay, okay," Brian reassured him. He had no idea what was going on, but it didn't really matter. If Justin wanted to leave this place so badly, he would go. "Let's go," he agreed, as Justin practically yanked him rapidly out the door.

The blond didn't slow down until they were at least fifty feet away. Finally, he stopped to catch his breath and lean against a wall of a nearby building. Brian continued to study him worriedly as he waited for Justin to calm down. As he reached out to wrap his arms around Justin's waist, the slender, trembling body immediately melted against him, the pale arms wrapping themselves tightly against his back.

Brian gently rubbed his hands around the slender back in soothing motions for several seconds before he noticed to his relief that Justin's breathing was returning somewhat back to normal. Hearing his husband take one final, deep, shaky breath, Brian pulled back just enough to take a look at the blond's face, which was flushed and wet with tears. "What is it?" he asked tenderly. "Justin? Tell me," he insisted softly. "What has gotten you so upset all of a sudden? Huh?" He continued to caress Justin's back with one hand at his waist as he reached over with the other to gently turn his face up to meet his.

Justin bit his lower lip a little self-consciously and briefly closed his eyes before long lashes fluttered back open and sapphire eyes awash in unshed tears shone back at him. "It was the song they were playing at the club," he finally breathed out softly.

Brian frowned, puzzled. "The song, Sunshine?" he pressed gently. "You mean a song they were playing tonight at Babylon?" As Justin nodded, he asked, "What about it? Were they playing one you didn't like?" he kidded, trying to lighten the other man's mood.

Justin shook his head, not cracking a hoped-for smile, however. "No, Brian," he said, a little more firmly now. "It was the song they were playing when we were leaving," he further explained.

Brian was totally confused. How could someone get so upset over a song? Now that he had Justin's attention, he placed both hands on either side of the blond head and gently wiped away some of the tears from his cheeks. "What about the song, Justin?"

The younger man took another calming breath before he divulged, "It was the same song, Brian." As Brian shook his head to indicate he still didn't understand, Justin added, "The same song at our Babylon …………during the benefit."

Finally, Brian thought he understood. It was a Cyndy Lauper song playing tonight. Cyndy Lauper was performing that night, too. "The same song when the bomb went off?" he inquired softly.

Relieved to finally be understood, Justin merely nodded mutely. "Oh, fuck, Sunshine," Brian murmured as he pulled the slender body into a tight embrace. "Shit." At the time of the bombing, Brian had been amazed at how resilient Justin had been after the terrible events of that night; he seemed to have bounced back practically overnight. Upon reflection, however, he should have known that no one could have come through those events without any battle scars; Justin must have just been better at hiding them.

The two men stood there in a fierce embrace for several minutes, until Brian felt Justin begin to pull back slightly and take another calming breath. He pressed his face against Brian's chest as Brian reached around to place one hand on the blond hand and tenderly tousle the soft hair. "Feeling better now?" he whispered as his lips placed a soft kiss on the other man's forehead.

Justin sighed, nodding his head slightly. "Yeah," he murmured. "I'm sorry, Brian."

Brian pulled back to look at the soft blue eyes. "What the fuck are you apologizing for, Sunshine?" he chided the other man gently. "You went through a bombing! You have nothing to apologize FOR, Justin," he assured the other man strongly.

The other man explained. "I shouldn't let it get to me after all this time. It's just…..that's the first time I've heard that song again since it happened. And for us to hear it here……Shit! It just brought it all back again, that's all." He shook his head, trying to somehow clear the images from his mind: the flash of light, the screaming in panic and pain, the emergency sirens. He tried, instead, to focus on what he had also heard that night – Brian's welcoming voice, frantically calling out his name. The same voice that had later told him that he loved him. The same welcoming voice he was hearing right now, as his husband continued to try and soothe him and once more take away his pain.

For the first time since they had danced earlier that evening, Justin looked up at Brian and smiled; smiled in love for this man who had seen him through so many trials and tribulations, smiled in gratitude for this wonderfully complex person who was always by his side, smiled in triumph that the two of them had faced so many challenges, yet had somehow persevered through all of them. Damn it – they had fucking beat the odds, and they would continue to do so.

He squared his shoulders and now returned his husband's gaze firmly now. "I'm okay," he replied confidently. "Really. And I always will be……As long as you're by my side."

Just before their lips met for a heartfelt kiss, Brian whispered, "Always, Sunshine. Always."