Update ... because five days is too long without one! It's because I'm in turmoil (or I can't make up my mind) about the ending. But I think I've decided now! WOO HOO!

Hope you enjoy….

Justin felt like he'd hardly slept last night. It was one of those nights where you toss and turn for hours and, when you finally manage to get to sleep, your alarm clock immediately wakes you up. He'd pulled on his suit in autopilot mode. He'd shovelled a spoonful or two of cereal into his mouth but food was making his already delicate stomach even more nauseous. He pulled on his shoes and straightened his hair trying hard to ignore the concerned expressions the other kept shooting at him.

He didn't want to have to deal with their sympathy again. He'd had enough of it over the last few weeks. He just wanted to get this day over with so he could put this part of his life behind him and get on with the rest of his life. Debbie was right, maybe when this was all over he could go back and live with his mom or perhaps he could sell the Corvette and put a down payment on a place of his own. There was a future after this trial for him, it just probably wouldn't involve Emmett, Ted or Debbie and it certainly wouldn't involve Brian. His stomach twisted painfully and he wasn't sure if it was nerves or because he missed Brian so much it physically pained him when he thought about it for too long.

::

The car pulled up outside the courthouse causing a huge amount of excitement in the media. Emmett got out first, followed by Debbie and then it was Justin's turn. The camera flashes went crazy and shouts of; "is that him?" "But it can't be." "Did he have a twin?" And frantic phone calls were being made to research teams as the reporters tried to work out how in the hell Justin Taylor could be at the courthouse after having died months ago.

Suddenly a red microphone was shoved under Justin's nose.

"Julie Carple, channel 6 news." the woman holding the mic introduced herself. "Are you Justin Taylor?" Justin just stared at the microphone not sure how exactly to respond. Of course he was Justin Taylor but did he really have to tell some woman with a microphone, who was only after a story. Another mic quickly joined the first one and a man asked the same question.

Justin closed his eyes, wishing everyone would just leave him alone. Luckily, at that moment, he felt a pair of hands on his shoulders and he heard Emmett's voice say, "no comment," before whisking him through other microphones, journalists and cameras and inside the building.

"Vultures," growled Debbie as they stepped inside the sanctity of the building. "That's what they are."

But Justin wasn't really listening, it was all he could do to stop himself from vomiting. It had been so stupid. So unrealistic but for a second, when Emmett had first put his hands on Justin's shoulders, he'd actually believed it had been Brian coming in to save him. He hated himself for still holding on to that hope when he knew there was no way. It had been a week. By now, Brian was probably sunning himself on a deckchair on his personal beach and Justin wondered if he'd even thought about him once.

"I need the restroom," he said to Emmett before disappearing into the nearby bathroom. He just needed a moment to calm down and gather his thoughts. He splashed some water on his face and took lots of deep breaths. He'd thought he'd be okay. He'd thought he'd be able to keep the sick feeling in his stomach in check for long enough to stand up in the stand and be asked if he was dead but now he wasn't sure.

He looked up and found his own reflection staring back at him. He looked pale and shaken but he also had a hidden strength about him. Justin just looked at the man ahead of him and couldn't believe how old and mature he was now. How much he'd aged in these last few months. He wasn't the same person he'd been when he first met Brian. He was stronger now, strong enough to survive without him. He looked at himself in the mirror and began to give himself a little internal pep-talk.

"You can do this," he whispered out loud, psyching himself up with determined glares into his own reflection's eyes. "Come on. You can do this."

It wasn't long before Emmett came to get him and told him they were about to begin. Justin nodded his head and followed his friend into the courtroom. It was much bigger than he'd expected and it was exactly like the ones he'd seen on TV. They had to walk past the nosey public and press who erupted with excited chatter when it was revealed that the rumours Justin Taylor was alive were proved to be true.

"Come on," Emmett encouraged, guiding Justin gently to the front bench on the right, next to Debbie and Ted and behind Ms Marcus and Horvath. There was a group of twelve members of the jury on the right, the witness stand was almost directly ahead of him and to his left was another lawyer in a cheap suit and next to him a somewhat unattractive bald man with a permanent sneer; that could only be Rikert.

Suddenly Melanie turned around to him.

"No luck finding Hunter?" she asked hopefully. Justin just shook his hand solemnly.

"Okay," she sighed. "I'm going to get you up first then. You ready?"

Justin nodded but he couldn't speak. His mouth was dry and the nervous clenching

around his gut was squeezing so tight he thought he'd vomit. His legs shook and he could sense the sneaky photos being taken of him and people whispering about him. He was grateful when the bailiff called order.

"Everyone please stand for the Honourable Judge Fyres."

They all got to their feet and a miserable looking woman with greying hair appeared from her chambers. She sat down and everyone else followed suit. She made a little speech about how she was disappointed to see an officer of the law appearing before her and then called on Ms Marcus to begin.

Ms Marcus made a speech the jury explaining all about how Rikert and Stockwell covered up the murder of Jason Kemp by deliberately misidentifying the boy's body as Justin Taylor and pinning the blame on known criminal Brian Kinney.

Justin gasped a little when he heard Brian's name but Emmett reached across and squeezed his hand tight.

Ms Marcus continued that she would prove the murder was covered up because Rikert himself was involved in the death of Jason Kemp. The defending lawyer, Mr Dawes, made his opening statement and made his point of view very clear. Although it appeared that, yes, Rikert and Stockwell did make a mistake in wrongly naming Justin Taylor as the boy in the dumpster, it was a genuine mistake and certainly not to cover up anything. And then the real shock came when he suggested that it was Brian who was responsible for Jason Kemp's death.

"How the hell did he come up with that?" Emmett muttered under his breath.

"They're clutching at straws," Ted whispered back. "They can't possibly have any evidence, they're just picking on an easy target."

"Brian?"

"They'll have had to change their tactics after Justin walked in alive and well."

"But they told Brian that they were doing him a deal," Justin whispered.

"They're corrupt," Ted shrugged. "They're not going to worry about honouring their word if it could land them in prison. Brian would have known that. I guess it's one of the reasons he skipped the country."

"That and he's a goddamn coward," Debbie scowled. "But," she sighed. "I guess it doesn't matter if they do charge him now. They're never gonna find him in Mada-fucking-gascar."

Justin just nodded. He supposed Brian being the other side of the flaming world was a good thing really, even if it felt permanently like the worst thing in his life.

Then it was time to call the first witness and Justin was surprised when Melanie said his mother's name. He watched in stunned amazement as the woman walked past him. Their eyes locked on each other. She was pale as snow and looked as though she'd just seen a ghost, which in a way, he supposed, she had. It didn't take long for Jen's bit to be over, she said the oath, told the court her name and then Melanie asked her to point out her son. Jennifer just looked at Justin and raised a shaky finger and pointed it straight at him, before collapsing into floods of tears.

"My son," she sobbed. "My son." She looked right at him. "You're alive." Justin wanted to run to her but Emmett held him firm.

"You can't," he whispered as Jen walked past back to her seat, dabbing her eyes on a handkerchief. "You're up now." Justin watched her walk back to her seat and couldn't help notice that she was alone. It seemed his dad still hadn't forgiven him for being queer.

Then Melanie called his name and Justin found himself walking very nervously towards the witness stand. He could feel the jury watching him very carefully, they were studying his every move. They expected him to be lying and that made him feel like a criminal. He put his hand on the bible, he repeated after the bailiff and then he sat down heavily in the chair, his fingers fiddling furiously in his lap.

"Try not to be too nervous," Melanie smiled warmly at him. "We'll start with the easy questions. What's your name?"

"Justin Taylor."

"Date of birth?"

"3rd February 1981."

"Tell me Justin, in your own words, what happened to you on the night of the 12th of September last year."

"Er, that was the day my dad came home and er," Justin blushed. He really didn't want to have to tell the whole world this and his goddamn mother was right there watching him, drinking in every word.

"It's okay," Melanie soothed, "take your time and tell me what happened."

"I was with this guy, in my room. We were f-fooling around, doing stuff" he stammered.

"Define fooling around, doing stuff" Melanie said sternly.

"He was sucking me off," Justin blushed, and could feel his mother stare more than he could hear the gasp from the rest of the courtroom. Eventually, he heard the judge ask for silence before Melanie continued.

"So, this 'guy' was performing the act of fellatio on you…"

"Christ," Emmett groaned, "lawyers even make blowjobs sound boring." And Ted hushed him quickly.

"… what happened next?" Melanie asked.

"My dad walked in," Justin explained. "He was really angry and he dragged me downstairs by my hair. My mom was there," he immediately looked at his mother, "with my little sister, Molly, but she took Molly next door to the neighbours house so that she wouldn't be around when my dad lost it completely."

"And is that what happened? Did your dad lose it?"

"He started screaming and yelling," Justin nodded. "And then he pulled a gun on me." There were tears in his eyes. "He said he was going to kill me and he cocked the gun, my mom was trying to stop him but I don't think she'd have managed it."

"What happened next?"

"Erm, Brian came in."

"Mr Kinney?"

Justin nodded.

"And what did he do?"

"He shot my dad in the hand so that he dropped the gun and then he saved me from the house and let me go with him."

"Were there other people involved?"

He nodded. "Michael,"

"Novotny?"

"Yeah," he confirmed, "Emmett Honeycutt and Theodore Schmitt."

"And where did these four men take you?"

"The hideout in West Virginia."

Melanie picked up a picture of the house that had been the location of Justin's happiest memories and showed it to Justin. "Is this the place?"

"Yeah, that's it."

She showed the picture to the jury before leaving it on the judge's bench. "So, Justin, what happened when you were at the house?"

"We just … lived," Justin smiled happily as he remembered his time at the house. "It was the best time of my life," he said honestly.

"And these men didn't make you do anything you didn't want to do?"

"Only the dishes," Justin smiled. Then seriously, he said, "they'd never make me do anything. "They're my friends." He sighed heavily, "more than friends." He caught Emmett's watery smile and Ted's encouraging nod. "They're family."

There was another gasp from the public and press and Emmett turned around to glare at them.

"Do they have to keep doing that? It's not that shocking. We have feelings too, you know" he frowned, only to be shushed by Ted.

As Melanie pointed out that Justin's 'family' was; "A family of criminals."

"I didn't care," Justin answered firmly. "They made me feel more welcome than my own father ever did." He winced as he caught the sorry expression on his mom's face.

Melanie just nodded sternly. "So you're at this house a while and then you find out according to the news that you're dead?"

Justin nodded.

"I'm assuming then you didn't write this suicide note either?" Showing him the note that was supposedly found at the house. Seeing a suicide note in writing that looked very similar to his own made him feel a little sick. It was actually worse than seeing images of his own funeral because this looked so real. If he didn't know any better he'd swear he'd have written himself but he managed not to let his emotions get the best of him. He swallowed carefully, pushed back his tears and said,

"No."

"Of course not," Melanie agreed, pausing for a second before placing the note on the judge's bench. "There's also a statement from a writing expert who states that this note is faked by a professional, probably by using a piece of writing by Justin," she told the judge and the court. "Now," she turned back to Justin. "Did Mr Kinney ever leave the house?"

"Not until we escaped to the restaurant."

"So there's no way he could have killed Jason Kemp?"

"No," Justin said frowning a little in confusion. Why would she ask that? And then he remembered Mr Dawes opening statement. "He was never alone." Then he smiled a little. "In fact, he used to moan that either me or Michael were constantly bothering him."

Melanie smiled at him and whispered, "you did good kid." Then to the judge, she said "no further questions Your Honour."

Mr Dawes stood up with all the grace of a constipated elephant but he was looking at Justin with a strange expression; half like he wanted to rip him to pieces metaphorically and literally and half like Justin was piece of gum that was clinging to the bottom of his shoe that he couldn't quite scrape off.

"So you are Justin Taylor, son of Jennifer and Craig Taylor. The boy who was kidnapped by Brian Kinney and the other men you mentioned earlier," he said, his smarmy, sneering voice grating at Justin's ears.

"He didn't kidnap me," Justin replied calmly. "I asked him to take me with him. I was eighteen. I was allowed to leave home if I wanted to."

"Why did you want to leave home?"

"My dad threatened to kill me," Justin said, he was already bored of repeating himself.

"Mmm," the man seemed to think for a second. "You say that Kinney and the others didn't make you do anything you didn't want to. You didn't have to stay with them, so why did you?"

"They were my friends," Justin replied honestly.

"Not because of your little romance with Mr Kinney?" The lawyer smirked, "I have a letter here written in your handwriting to Mr Kinney whilst he was in prison. It was left in his cell after he was granted bail." He showed it quickly to Justin and he recognized the long jagged lines of pen from where his hand had become a claw mid-word. Well, that was where they'd copied his handwriting from, Justin thought, frowning as he watched Dawes placing the letter on the Judge's Bench.

"It makes interesting reading," he sneered. "Especially the part where you say that you love him."

Justin clenched his jaw. That was his private letter. This prick had no right to read it. But Justin didn't let anything affect him. He just concentrated on breathing and keeping himself calm … and quiet. He knew an outburst of swearing would ruin everything.

"Now, Mr Taylor" Dawes said smugly, "remembering than you are under oath, do you love Mr Kinney?"

Justin stared at the other man, not really sure where he was going with this but Melanie had told him to be honest no matter what, so he stared right into the ugly lawyer's black eyes and nodded solemnly.

"Sorry," Dawes said, looking even more smug, if that were possible. "Answer 'yes' or 'no'? Do you love Mr Kinney?"

"Yes," Justin whispered.

"So much, you'd do anything for him?" Dawes suggested.

"Yes," he repeated quietly.

"Louder."

"Yes," Justin almost shouted and he caught Mel's glare telling him to hold it together.

"Anything," Dawes smirked, "perhaps lie for him in court?"

"He'd never ask me to do that!" Justin cried indignantly.

"But if he did," Dawes said firmly, "you would do it, wouldn't you Mr Taylor?"

"Objection!" Melanie cried from her table. "The question is hypothetical, misleading and has nothing to do with this case."

"Overruled," Judge Fyres said, then she fixed her beady, wrinkly eyes on the young man in the witness stand. "Answer the question, Justin."

Justin looked up at the judge and then at the lawyer. He saw the expression of utter despair on Melanie's face as she sank back to her seat. He was fucked. He either lied and they'd know he was lying or he told the truth and they'd say he was just covering for Brian. He closed his eyes and whispered.

"Yes."

The gasp from the courtroom deafened Justin.

"I swear to god," Emmett muttered. "They're going to get over-gasped if they carry on."

"Shush!" Ted hissed.

"No further questions Your Honour," Dawes beamed and Justin slumped dejectedly in his seat. He'd fucked up everything. Now they were going to claim Brian had killed Jason Kemp anyway and they'd probably arrest Justin for helping to cover it up. They'd arrest Ted and Emmett for conspiracy to murder and who knew what the fuck they'd do with Michael. What did it matter anyway? It was all over. Brian was right. He'd fled at the right time and left them to fight a battle that couldn't be won alone. Justin wished that Brian would break through the courtroom door and save him, just like he had that night his father had threatened to kill him but he knew that would never happen. It was all over. Brian had given him the chance to run away, he'd tried to save him but Justin's stupid pride and his sense of a justice he wasn't even sure he believed in anymore had stood in his way.

::

Melanie called Michael to the stand next. He was brought out from some backroom where he was being held in custody. He was handcuffed and looking at the floor, shuffling slowly. She got him to explain how the police had left Justin for dead after he'd hit the kid with a baseball bat. He explained how they'd told him they needed Justin to 'disappear' but wouldn't tell him why.

"I'm so sorry Justin," he sobbed, as he retold the story of that fateful night in the attic. He fixed the kid with big, brown, apologetic eyes. "I'm so, so sorry. I know nothing I can say will ever make it right. I just … I'm sorry," he whispered the last bit. There were tears rolling down his cheeks and his voice was cracking all over the place.

Justin could see in Michael's eyes that he was telling the truth and he just gave the man a weak smile of forgiveness. After all, it didn't matter now. They were all fucked anyway.

"I'm so sorry," Michael repeated. "I'm a different man now." And Justin saw as Michael's gaze flicked to the back of the room. Justin turned around to see Professor Ben Bruckner standing at the back, smiling warmly at the man in the stand. Well, that was a surprise. Maybe Ben was serious about Michael wanting to change, maybe Michael would win Ben back, only for them to be separated by a thick cinderblock wall.

Of course, Dawes' well practiced bullshit meant he managed to turn everything around to Brian yet again. As soon as he got out of Michael that had hit Justin because he'd been consumed with jealousy because he loved Brian, that was the end of story. Rikert and Dawes looked like Christmas had come early. They clearly weren't expecting it to be this easy but it was quickly going that way. Melanie's case looked under prepared and her story seemed weak. Of course, she'd known that would happen. Her case was nothing without Hunter's testimony. She even had evidence that Horvath had given her to give Hunter's statement more clout but without him, the evidence was useless and if her all witnesses kept admitting they were in love with Brian Kinney she was going to be screwed anyway.

"You were so in love with Mr Kinney you almost killed another person," Dawes was saying in a condescending tone, leaving Michael to nod glumly. "So you definitely love him enough to lie about him always being in that house. We already know that Mr Kinney was into much younger men." He looked pointedly at Justin and then to the jury as though sharing a joke with them about Justin's tender age.

"No," Michael interrupted. "It's not like that, Justin was different." Justin couldn't help smile a little. Hearing that from Michael made it official somehow. He knew he'd been different to the others. He knew that Brian had loved him but to hear Michael, someone who knew Brian almost better than Brian knew himself, saying it out loud made him feel more like it was real.

"I'm talking now," Dawes cut in sharply. He did not need the jury getting caught up in some sickening so-called love story between two fags to the point where they didn't convict Brian. "I don't care about Mr Kinney's perverted love affair with a teenage boy."

"Objection," Melanie called, standing up angrily. "Justin Taylor is over the legal age, his and Brian Kinney's relationship is not perverted."

"Objection sustained," Judge Fyres said sternly. "Please don't allow your personal view to affect your case, Mr Dawes."

"Sorry Your Honour," Dawes apologized quickly. "All I would like to say is that it's very likely that he could have left the house and had sexual intercourse with this other boy and murdered him. Both of his witnesses have both admitted they love him and would do anything for him … even lie in court."

"Can I just say," Melanie stood up suddenly, "that at the time of Jason Kemp's murder, Brian Kinney was the most wanted man in Pittsburgh. It would be highly unlikely that he'd manage to pick up anybody, especially as everyone was under the impression he'd kidnapped Mr Taylor at the time."

"Unlikely, perhaps," Judge Fyres agreed. "But certainly not impossible," she added coldly, "especially for a career criminal with the caliber of Mr Kinney. Now please do not interrupt my courtroom again Ms Marcus."

And Melanie just sat down again, frustrated and annoyed that nothing she was saying seemed to be getting through to anybody but what did she really expect? She was arguing the word of a bunch of criminals against the word of two well respected, upstanding officers. It was always going to be tough.

Melanie sighed when she was forced to tell the judge she had no more witnesses and then watched as Rikert took the stand. He swore to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth and promptly began to lie.

"Where were you the night of Jason Kemp's murder?" Dawes asked.

"Playing a weekly poker tournament at Jim's house."

"Highly respected, Police Chief Jim Stockwell?" Dawes clarified.

"Yes sir," Rikert said politely. "We go there every week, me, him and two other cops."

"So were you there when you first heard about the murder victim?"

"No, I didn't hear that there had been a murder until the next day when I was called in to investigate it."

"What were the injuries to the victim?" Dawes asked casually, pulling at his jacket confident that this was just easy and routine until the jury sided with them.

"Um, well, his face had been badly misshapen so it was impossible to identify him." Rikert explained casually. "But the victim actually suffocated after something restricted the airflow through his oesophagus."

"In layman's terms please, Mr Rikert," the judge said.

"Sorry, Your Honour," he apologised quickly. Then he looked back to Dawes, "he was strangled."

"I see," Dawes hummed. Then he went to his table and picked up a picture of Jason Kemp which was taken on the discovery of the body. He showed it to the jury and Justin gasped and turned away. It was horrible. The face was completely mangled and unrecognizable but that wasn't the bit that was interesting the courtroom. The bit they were interested in was the red marks on the kid's neck almost perfectly in the shape of hands.

"Have you seen injuries like this before, Mr Rikert?"

"Yes sir. It is common to see these kind of markings after erotic asphyxiation." Then noticing the Judge's angry expression he explained, "a sex act that involves restriction of breathing."

"That could be dangerous, couldn't it Mr Rikert?"

"Sometimes fatal," Rikert answered steadily.

Dawes just nodded and returned to his table to pick up an official looking document. "I have here," he held up the paper before giving it to the judge. "A hospital record from when Brian Kinney was nineteen years old. He spent two days recovering in hospital after an erotic asphyxiation act known as scarfing went wrong. Proving that Mr Kinney was indeed a participator of this kind of sexual act."

It was hopeless. The police looked squeaky clean and the crooks looked like … well, crooks.

Melanie's cross examination didn't do much good either. She pointed out that Stockwell was a good friend of Rikert's and could easily be lying for him. She also accused him of frequenting hustler bars on a regular basis but with no substantial evidence, Judge Fyres quickly told her to get some evidence or sit down and Melanie could do nothing but take the second option.

Stockwell was called next and took his opportunity at the stand to personally apologize to Justin and Jennifer for any emotional distress caused when they had mistakenly identified the 'John Doe' in the dumpster for Justin Taylor. It was such a well delivered piece of bullshit that Justin felt sure a few of the people in the courtroom almost clapped. Once again, Melanie's defence was weak and full of unsubstantiated accusations and Justin wanted to break things in frustration.

It was useless. Justin had even begun to wonder what the prison sentences for 'perversion of the law and conspiracy to murder' were. Maybe he'd get away with a few years, especially as he was young. Perhaps they'd even feel sorry for him and let him off with community service. Or at the very least, they could put him in a cell with someone who wouldn't try to rape the shit out of him. He shuddered and clung to Emmett.

"You okay, baby?" The older man whispered.

Justin nodded but he wasn't convincing anyone.

"It'll be okay," the queen reassured him but he wasn't convincing anyone either. At least if Brian was here he'd set the record straight and say what everyone else was thinking … they were fucked.

Judge Fyres asked the Dawes if he had any other witnesses. He shook his head gleefully and sat back down quickly. He looked so elated, Justin thought he might just break into song and dance any second.

"Ms Marcus," Judge Fyres turned to the other lawyer. "Would you like to call any other witnesses to the stand?"

Melanie looked pleadingly behind her to Emmett, Justin, Ted and Debbie but they all shook their heads. They had nothing left to say.

"I'm sorry," she mouthed as she stood up and turned back to face the judge. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She was about to admit the biggest defeat ever, she was about to land three semi-innocent men in prison and let two completely corrupt cops continue to walk free and there was absolutely nothing she could do about it….

xx

The End! No … I'm joking!

Two more chapters to go guys! Hope you'll stick with me til' the end! Thanks for reading and, if you want to leave a little review, well, you won't hear me complaining! =D