Justin's POV

Brian was a mess. He wouldn't look at me, or anyone else, and he wouldn't move. I suppose he was planning to wait until the cops arrived and then confess to his 'crime.' That wasn't gonna happen. I wouldn't let it. Brian had gone above and beyond for me so many times, helping me through everything, my 'people problem' after the bashing, my anger and frustration over my gimp hand, my futile struggle to get my father to accept me, the aftermath of the rape...The enormity of it all hit me then. A self-proclaimed selfish asshole had somehow managed to be everything I needed when I needed it most. Because he loved me. My heart stopped beating for a moment, and I couldn't breathe. I felt this strange (not unpleasant) shiver, and my eyes were suddenly damp. There was no way I was letting anything bad happen to him. Not for this. Not for anything.

I drew in a shuddery breath and then stated, no, declared, to the friend of Chris's who had remained, "When the cops get here, you are going to say that after Chris shot at me and Brian tackled him, Chris kept wrestling Brian for the gun, that Brian hit Chris with the butt of it, but only until he lost consciousness."

He glared at me and hissed, "Why the fuck should I do that?"

I snapped, "Do you want to go to jail?"

The short burly troll didn't respond.

I continued, "In exchange, for your swearing that every blow Chris suffered was self-defense, we'll swear that Chris was the only one with a gun and that you tried to stop him from shooting." By then, Brad and Mel had come to. I looked around at everyone. They all gaped at me for a moment, well, except Ben (apparently, Brian's new best friend), Michael (Brian's old best friend), and, oddly enough, Mel and Brad. As representatives of the law, I thought that they would give me the most trouble. Mel had an even bigger reason to let Brian fry; she still despised him. Or so I had thought. But the way she was looking at him now, I wondered. Had she come to respect him?

After the shock had worn off (for Emmett, Ted, Lindsay, Daphne, and her boyfriend), everyone started murmuring their assent.

I turned back to the troll, hissing, "So do you agree?"

He was glaring at me, but he nodded.

Brian lifted his head, but still avoided everyone's gaze. His voice rough and gravely, he said, "No. Don't cover for me."

I was just barely staving off panic. I took a deep breath and leaned down so that my face was directly in front of Brian's. At first he avoided my eyes. But when I whispered, "Master, look at me," he did. There was so much self-loathing and hopelessness in his eyes that it broke my heart. I said, as evenly as I could manage, "You've done so much for me, for so many of us here. Let us at least try to help you. Could you do that for me, please? For me and for Lindsay, Michael, and Gus? I need you with me. Always. We need you."

He didn't really reply, whispering simply, and so softly I could barely hear it, "Always, Angel." But he stopped protesting.

Then, my voice firm, though my hands shook, I inquired, "Should we clean up some of this blood?"

Brad strode forward, shaking his head. "They'll know if you do that. I'll go downstairs and inform the cops guarding Tremont. They can call it in. All we need to do is provide similar accounts of what happened. Chris came in here with a gun and shot at you. We were unarmed, and this is Brian's apartment. He might have gone a bit overboard, but it was definitely self-defense. And if we say that Brian stopped when Chris stopped grabbing for the gun, they shouldn't even need to arrest him. They'll tell him not to leave the state, but that's standard operating procedure. The fact that Chris's friend's story matches ours should clinch it, no matter what Chris says after he wakes up." Brad sighed. "I'll have to get rid of two of the guns, but that shouldn't be too hard. I'm a cop, and people will be swarming in and out of here.

As I looked at him (and his eyes), I gaped. The panic returned full steam. "Oh God! Our eyes are all dilated so much, they look black. What if they…"

Brad patted me on the shoulder and looked at me, his eyes intense, though his voice sounded light, "It's just shock, Justin. Just shock."

I nodded and tried not to look as freaked out as I was. I had forgotten that Chris's friend was still there, listening. "Of course. Shock."

TBC…(later today)