As much as Stewie hated to admit it, he missed home. He wished that Lois had been a bit more sentimental to his wants rather than thinking Brian was a molester. Still with that in mind, he was glad she had thrown him out and that he had gone with him, because if he hadn't he wouldn't be living in a new house with the man he loved.
The move had been difficult, with Stewie having to make up lies to cover up the fact that he wouldn't be the only one living there and that the other half was the last man Braden would want with Stewie. He wasn't stupid, he knew why Braden wanted other men out of the way, and for all the Braden knew, other men did not go out with his employee. Stewie was worried though, because he knew Braden had spies. His closest girls were the only way Braden could learn information on those he wanted information on, so Brian was almost always in the house, and Stewie left him most nights to pay for the very place he was trying to keep his man hid. Yes as much as Stewie hated to admit it, he missed home, but leaving Quahog would mean no money, and it was really the only place he knew best.
Lois waited for the oven to finish cooking her pie, watching the TV in the meantime before her husband came home from 'The Drunken Clam.' Stewie and Brian hadn't been in the house for at least month, and the place seemed empty without Brian watching shows or reading the paper, complimenting her on the food, or Stewie fussing around looking for his belongings complaining that Meg had been in his room and taken make-up that would certainly never look as good on her as it did on him. She wondered whether they were Ok, if they were safe, and when they were due to come home.
The night that they had left she had assumed that Stewie would come back, but when it came round to the third day, she began to believe what her son had said. Maybe he really did love Brian, and maybe Brian loved him back. She had tried his mobile, but found that he had left it on his dresser, presumably on purpose. Lois reflected back to when Stewie had bought home his first boyfriend, and how supportive she was towards them both. She hadn't realised before, but now that she thought about it, Brian had asked some awkward questions towards Stewie, which resulted in an argument between the two. The boyfriend, Rupert she remembered his name, the poor boy moved out of state. She remembered Stewie wouldn't come out of his room for two days, saying that his parents never did approve of them together. Lois had had a conversation with them about the boys, where Rupert's parents said that he was going to marry a woman, and that Stewie was a bad influence with his feminine appearance and personality. Stewie was different from that day, he didn't get attached to anyone, and there were no more boyfriends, which is why it came as a shock to her when she found him on top of Brian the night she threw him out.
The oven let out a pleasant 'ding' alerting Lois to know that the pie had been cooked. She rose from her seat and walked over to the kitchen placing the oven gloves on her hands and opening the door, picking up the pie and setting it on the surface to cool. Peter would be home soon for his dinner and then they'd settle in for the night and watch TV. No sooner had she taken off her oven gloves that a knock came at the front door. "That'll be Peter." Lois walked swiftly towards the door and opened it for find Joe Swanson from next door carrying Peter over his shoulder, supposedly drunk.
"Joe? What's going on? What happened to Peter?" Stupid question she thought inwardly, but decided to ask him anyway to make it appear as though this situation hardly ever happens.
"Hey Lois, Peter made a bet with this new guy at the Clam and had one too many…"
"HEEEeeey LoIIIIS!" Joe unhooked him from his shoulder and Peter stumbled towards the door, but fell face down just inside the front room.
"Ah, won't you come in Joe?"
"Just for a minute though, Bonnie's cooking my favourite tonight."
Joe wheeled himself in and Lois left Peter where he was and closed the door. She sat on the end of the sofa near to Joe.
"Has there been any news on Stewie?"
"We think we may have found something"
"Oh God, is he alright?"
"We haven't exactly found him, but we found a link to where he may have been heading"
Lois prepared herself for the worst, what if he had gone out of State, or out of the country itself?
"We searched around for the longest time until we came across this diner on the edge of town. The guy who ran it said that he had met a young man with light brown hair and a taller man with white hair…"
"And he knows where they are?"
"No but he said he knew what the young brown haired man was…"
"What do you mean 'what he was?'"
"Well it turns out that the money they had didn't cover the cost of the breakfasts, so the young brown haired man…paid through other means…"
"I…ah…I don't understand what you're saying"
"Lois your son's a prostitute."
"…WHAT?"
"The guy said that he had come across people like him before, and so it came as no shock when the offer was put out to him"
"The offer put out to him? You mean to say that my son, my little Stewie, offered to do things with this stranger to pay off their breakfast debt?"
"That is what I'm saying yes…"
"I can't believe I'm hearing this, Stewie isn't a prostitute! I'd have known! I mean I know he's gay, but those are two different concepts!"
"Listen Lois, it's not about what your son does or has done, it's about where this source leads us, and the guy who owns the diner on the outskirts of town said that they headed West."
Her Stewie, her son, was sleeping with strangers for money right under her nose. If she has known she'd had put a stop to it from the word go. But now Stewie was somewhere Westwards of Quahog doing what he does best to get away from her…had she somehow provoked Stewie to do the things he does? Is she really that bad a mother to drive her own son away from home and allow him to sell himself out on a street corner to gain money to get even further away from her? She had to find him, had to make him see that she had been wrong and that they would make it right. Prostitution isn't the question or the answer, it's not a solution to problems, it only fuels trouble, and right now Stewie could be in serious trouble without even realising it.
"We have to go looking for him!"
"Lois it's almost 8 o'clock, don't you think it ought to wait until tomorrow"
"I'm not going to wait one more day when we could be out there looking for him! We know where he is—"
"But we don't know where he is…he could be anywhere Lois, all the Police know is that he headed West from the diner…and the owner said that was weeks ago"
Joe was right, they knew which direction he had gone from the diner, but he may have doubled back on himself and gone East, or South or North.
"…Oh Stewie!"
"We will keep looking Lois, we will find him and bring him home…"
Brian lay in bed watching Stewie fuss around looking for his watch.
"I'm sure you left it in the kitchen"
"I've checked the kitchen, and it's not there!"
"Are you sure it didn't come off at work?"
"I don't know Brian, but I'm sure I had it on when I came back last night…"
"Have you checked the bathroom?"
"Have you checked the bathroom? You're not exactly Mr. Helpful are you. Anyway I've got to go"
"Where are you going?"
"I told you that I was meeting my boss and landlord today about my work"
"Ah yeah, sorry I forgot"
"Hmm…anyway I'll see you later" A quick peck on the lips "Keep looking for my watch!" Out the door.
Brian climbed out of bed and began searching for the missing watch. He checked the bathroom. No sign of it. The kitchen (again). No. The front room. No…wait a minute! Brian got down on his hands and knees and looked underneath the sofa to see something shiny. There! Brian shifted the sofa and picked up the watch. Now he remembered. It was last night when they had undecidedly felt like having sex on the second hand sofa, and in all the confusion of limbs and shirt ripping, the watch had come off onto the floor, and the sofa had shifted on top of it through the movements of their actions. He put the watch in plain view on top of the kitchen worktop so that Stewie would see it when he came back.
He hoped that Stewie wasn't gone for long, because he had to stay at home and wait. He couldn't go outside in case one of Stewie's bosses' henchwomen caught him living here, landing Stewie into trouble. In the first week of their living together as a couple, Brian had suggested he get a job too to take the strain off Stewie's workload, but in response, he had said that Stewie's boss slash landlord would rather see Brian shot than know that he was helping to pay the rent. He didn't question why the boss was against Stewie having a boyfriend, because for all he knew, the boss didn't care for anyone else who wasn't giving him something in return…
Braden stared out of his office window to see Stewie walking towards the building. Braden had asked Stewie to come today, not just to talk about work, but about how things were in his new house, how he was getting on, and most importantly, if he was obeying the rules. He had made sure from day one that his closest girls kept an eye on the nineteen year old, to make a note of the everyday life of the house's new occupant…or occupants. Braden's eyes narrowed at the thought. Braden didn't like to think that things weren't the way they should be, and he would put a stop to them if they were. He swirled his glass of brandy and took a swig before setting it down on a placemat on his desk and taking his seat behind his desk. A few minutes past before a knock came at the door.
"Come in"
In came Stewie looking rather flustered as though he had power walked his way here.
"Ah Stewie, it's been a while hasn't it?"
"I wouldn't know"
"…Lost your watch have you? Must be why you couldn't tell how long it's been since we last met"
Stewie hated to know that Braden had a sharp eye, which is why he had been so careful to not let Brian make himself known around here.
"Please…sit" Braden gestured to the chair on the other side of his desk, and Stewie hesitantly sat in it.
"You're looking well, not been over doing it have you?"
"Apart from the extra work you've given me, no I haven't"
"Eating well? Exercising?"
"If you brought me over here to talk about my health you needn't have wasted your time"
"I worry about you Stewie, it seems to me that the only things you do with yourself are work, shop for food and then go home. I worry because I see how much you buy each week and wonder whether you're putting on a little…"
'What the? Had he been spying on me?'
"I just have a big appetite"
"I'm sure you have…"
Stewie looked around nervously, had Braden possibly known about him keeping Brian in the house? And if he did, how long has he known?
"Stewie, I don't want you to feel as though you can't come to me for anything, if you ever need comfort, or…companionship…"
"I know"
"I know it sounds silly, but I do worry, because right now, you're all alone in that house…by yourself…with, no one."
He knew.
"Talk to me Stewie…tell me what it is you want…I can make it happen…"
"There is nothing I want from you. Work does it for me, I simply want time away from my family and in time I will go back to Quahog"
"So there isn't anything bugging you, or dragging you down?"
"No"
"Don't lie to me Stewie"
"I'm not lying"
"Then why is it that it takes you ages to get to work on time, and then you hurry home in a heartbeat?"
"Wouldn't you if you had to put up with doing what I do everyday?"
"Then how do you explain the food?"
"Like I said, I have a big appetite"
"You're electric bill has gone up, I noticed that you leave the TV and music on when you leave for work"
"I leave it on because it falsely outwits idiots"
Braden snapped, he darted around the desk and grabbed Stewie's wrist, his face twisted into creased eyebrows and snarling teeth, the colour of his skin went from pale pink to blood red quicker than you could say "secret boyfriend".
"TELL ME WHO HE IS!"
Stewie looked as calm as the moon, not once wincing at the pain from Braden's clutching hand.
"Who?"
"THE MAN WHO IS CURRENTLY AT HOME WAITING FOR YOU TO COME BACK SO THAT HE CAN DO TO YOU ALL THE THINGS HE SOULDN'T BE DOING!" Braden bellowed so close to Stewie's ear that he could hear a small ringing from the inside.
"What man?"
"Well, if there isn't a man, you won't mind me checking on your house for a minute" Braden made to get up and out the door, when Stewie made a grab for his shirt.
"Wait— !"
"...Yes?"
Stewie didn't know what to say. He should have been more careful, should have realised that anybody in this town could have been working for Braden, and therefore knew what he did everyday, how he did it, and took note of anything out of the ordinary. He dreaded to think about what would now happen to Brian now that Braden knew.
"This man of yours, living in a house that I gave to YOU to live in, not him…is he anything important to you?"
With his face still as calm as it was, Stewie replied without showing any emotion.
"Yes…"
"So…you'd mind if something bad happened to him would you?"
"Yes…"
"I thought as much. In that case, you had best get rid of him sharpish."
"What will happen if I don't?"
"…It'll be the biggest mistake of your life."
Stewie sighed deeply and hung his head in defeat. He made to get up and leave.
"Stay where you are Stewie, I still have to put across the changes in your work shifts…"
Stewie sat back down again and stared into Braden's eyes. Why on earth would there need to be a change in shifts? Unless…
"Since this new development has put itself forward, I'll need to keep a better eye on you, which is why I'm taking you off the streets completely"
Stewies eyes widened slightly, a shiver ran down his spine, because he knew exactly what it meant. Both of them weren't idiots, which is why Stewies face shone with fear and Bradens mouth curled into a cruel smirk.
"You caught on, you're not stupid then. You'll be working for me, right here, and will attend to me whenever I need you, and this time, if I get even a whiff of disobedience…well let's just say, you won't be returning to a family any time soon…"
Stewie could have cried, his heart beat raced faster than it had ever done in his life. If he didn't do this, he'd have to watch his family, and Brian suffer at the hands of his employer. Surely if Stewie didn't have a heart or soul, he most definitely save himself and leave them to their fates, but he wasn't, not anymore. Once upon a time yes, he'd consider risking their lives to save his own, but he'd grown and fallen in love, and as much as he tried to deny he hated his family, he would never want to watch them die, or even hear that they had been disposed of…
"You'll start tomorrow, and the pest will be gone, right?"
Stewie could only nod his head in response.