Brian had no idea what he was going to say to Justin. They walked into the loft, and Justin sat on the couch while Brian grabbed a couple of waters. Suddenly, a breeze blew through the loft, though no windows were open. Brian looked around the room uneasily, but saw nothing out of the ordinary. Then, he heard the ghost's voice whisper, "Ask Justin about Jacob Taylor." He was actually a little relieved that the ghost had not abandoned him, but, still, he retorted snidely, "So you can become invisible, too. Good for you."

Justin had been watching Brian curiously. Finally, he approached and asked anxiously, "Are you okay, Brian? Have you taken something out of the ordinary?"

Brian chuckled. He replied, "No Sunshine, I'm fine. I was just messing around."

Justin smiled in relief. He said, "That's good. I was really starting to worry."

They went back to the living room. Justin sat on the couch, and Brian sat on the floor facing Justin, a few feet away. Justin was a little disappointed by this seating arrangement, but he said nothing.

Out of the blue, Brian asked, "Justin, have you ever heard of a Jacob Taylor?"

Justin looked at Brian quizzically. He inquired, "Where did you hear that name?"

Brian answered quickly, "Story first, questions later."

Justin said, "Okay. Uh…yeah. My grandmother told me about him when she heard that I'd come out. Apparently, he was gay, too. He's my great-great-great uncle."

Brian asked, trying to appear nonchalant, "Did he have a boyfriend?"

Justin nodded. "Yeah. According to my grandmother, their relationship was turbulent."

Brian was growing increasingly worried...worried that the ghost might be what he seemed…worried that he might know what he was talking about. He inquired a little peevishly, "How the hell does she know?"

Justin was taken aback, but answered, "She found his diary some time ago in an old house that'd been in the family forever."

"So did she tell you about their relationship?"

Justin laughed. "Since when is Brian Kinney interested in the details of anyone's relationship, let alone that of a person who died hundreds of years ago?"

Brian smirked and answered, "Story first, questions later."

Justin laughed and shook his head. "You never cease to amaze me, Brian. Well…back then, there were serious consequences when a man was found to be gay. At the very least, he'd lose the respect of everyone he knew, perhaps even being shunned, but he might be burned or tarred and feathered. My great-great-great uncle was a ship's captain, so he was very worried about being discovered, so much so that he would actually sleep with women to prevent rumors. In fact, he did so with such regularity that he had a reputation as a ladies' man. Unfortunately, this was quite upsetting to Jacob's partner, William. He very often became jealous. (with emotion evident in his voice) He wanted Jacob to tell him that he loved him, but Jacob would say that they weren't women and didn't need such emotional declarations."

Brian stiffened.

Justin continued, "When William became jealous, Jacob would tell him that he was acting ridiculous, reminding him that he wasn't even attracted to women. William would often say that Jacob didn't need to bed so many women to throw off suspicion, but Jacob continued to do so. One night, William saw Jacob at a tavern with a woman, flirting quite a bit, so he started talking to a man that Jacob suspected was gay. In retaliation, Jacob brought the woman to their place and fucked her in their bed. That was the limit for William. After the woman departed, William asked Jacob whether he loved him, to tell him so if he did. Jacob said nothing and then watched as William packed and left."

Brian had been feeling greater and greater agitation as the parallels between he and Justin's relationship and Jacob and William's relationship increased. He interrupted Justin and asked anxiously, so anxiously that Justin was taken aback, "But they got back together, didn't they?"

After his shock diminished, Justin replied slowly, "Yes…but before they reunited, William took up with that man from the tavern. They were together a few months. Jacob didn't do anything to win William back. He just watched as William and the other man lived quite happily together (or so Jacob thought). He suffered but never let on, then or after it was over. When William realized he'd made a mistake, that he didn't love that other man, he just moved back in with Jacob. They never really talked about it, and I guess their relationship was never as good as before. They fought more regularly, and William left Jacob a few times after the first."

Brian was afraid to ask, but he had to know. "How did it end?"

Justin looked down, a tear rolling down his cheek, and replied a little huskily, "William died of tuberculosis. Jacob took great care of him, but, without antibiotics, which wouldn't be discovered in the West until the 20th century, there was no way he could have survived. Jacob watched him waste away and die, regretting that he'd been ruled by fear and stubborn pride, regretting that it took a life-threatening illness for him to tell William how he felt."

Brian blinked a few times, cleared his throat, and then asked, his own voice husky with emotion, "What happened to Jacob after?"

Justin sniffled and replied, "Well, his diary ends with William's death, but a family member added another entry some time after Jacob's. According to that family member, the Revolutionary War was in full swing by the time William died, so Jacob went on every suicide mission he was qualified for, until, mercifully, some British soldier killed him."

Brian's eyes lost focus. He nodded slowly and said, "Of course."