Chapter 2: In Sickness and in Health

The following morning, Stewie was woken up by Lois like he normally was. On any such day, he'd slander the wretched woman; how dare she wake him from such a blissful slumber, but this morning, the atmosphere was vastly different. Stewie woke up happy, he woke up smiling, he woke up feeling comfortable. He let Lois tend to him, without saying a word to her. Even in such a romanticized mindset, he didn't provide conversation to his mother; there was little reason to do so. When he was lifted from his crib, he noticed Brian was no longer there which was to be expected. The dog probably didn't want Lois to think something had happened between the two. Oh...but something did. Oh ho ho, something sure as hell did .

Now, though, Stewie was in the kitchen, head and stomach filled with butterflies and the intensity of love and adoration. He took notice of Peter reading the newspaper idly, but the fat man's eyes always wandered to his wife cooking like she did every morning. Perhaps he was checking out her flaunting her figure a little harder than usual. Even Stewie noticed how the woman was carrying herself this morning. Yet all he could focus on was Brian. He wanted to see him, he wanted to hug him, he wanted to be near him at all times until the end of bloody time!

"You look good today, Lois. Whatcha got goin' on? Lookin' nice for me?" Peter snickered and Lois rolled her eyes as she set a plate of food before her husband, hoping that would distract him long enough so she could get Stewie's breakfast prepared.

Stewie ignored them both.

Even when Lois did begin to talk to Peter, he still ignored them. While they both conversed, Stewie took liberty to check the kitchen entryway, waiting almost impatiently for Brian to come into the kitchen like he always did. It wasn't until Lois put a bowl of oatmeal before Stewie that the dog did come into the kitchen. Despite looking rather terrible, he was smiling which made Stewie smile even more.

Is he thinking about me?

Stewie silently giggled, legs kicking a bit in his high chair. Yet he didn't take notice to the dog on his cell phone, texting furiously. At least, that's what he assumed he was doing.

Brian took a seat in the same chair he always sat in, eyes still focused on his phone while Lois placed a cup of coffee in front of him. He thanked her softly and took a sip. That was when the boy beside him happily reached to take the dog's paw into his hand, squeezing it tightly. "Good morning, Bri!"

The boy's face beamed in such excitement, he practically glowed. Everything just felt perfect to the kid, the feeling of euphoria, the feeling of pure, intensifying, and agonizing love that took Stewie's heart to flight. He felt so wonderful being there with Brian. In fact, he completely forgot Lois and Peter were even in the same room.

Brian finally turned his glance to Stewie, the first eye contact between the boy and the dog that morning. He smiled a little nervously and gently withdrew his hand from Stewie's tight grip. "Hey, kid."

Stewie just smiled a little more, thinking perhaps the dog didn't want to appear overly affectionate with the boy's parents right there in clear view where they could watch and assess the situation. Still, it wouldn't have mattered. Stewie had always been more affectionate and loving to Brian; it was already well known the two were inseparable. So why would the boy holding the dog's paw be a sign of...well, 'more than meets the eye?' Still, the infant didn't make a comment and he took his focus from Brian and redirected it to his breakfast.

"Alright! I better get going for work. You know, Lois...if ya wanna come over, just make sure you bring your sexy friend with ya." Peter wiggled his eyebrows, clearly trying to be cute by insinuating Lois' change was because of a newly adopted persona. She just waved nonchalantly and gave Peter a kiss and shushed him away. Before long, Peter was gone and Lois began to grab her hamper.

"I'll be downstairs washing the clothes. Brian, can you watch Stewie for me?" She didn't bother sticking around since Brian was always willing to keep an eye on the boy. He could be trusted with him.

Though Brian mustn't have heard her request. Instead, he was back on his phone again, texting like he was when he first came in. Now it was just Stewie and Brian in the kitchen. The boy wiggled a little in his high chair, fiddling with his fingers while he glanced at Brian before looking away...he did this several times. Reverting his sight from the dog to his bowl in front of him. "A-Ah...well, Brian…" he began, beginning to blush furiously.

The dog didn't acknowledge him.

"..." Stewie began to feel a little out of sorts. Here he was trying to get the dog's attention and all he was doing was texting on that damn phone of his. Suddenly, the boy's feelings of bliss were slowly being replaced with frustration, and he cleared his throat. He even crossed his arms to get his point across, something Lois always did whenever Peter was being a nuisance.

"Brian."

The dog once more didn't say anything, but he did look up from his phone, now noticing the boy's hard stare. He chuckled nervously like he did before and looked back to his phone. Then...it happened, a smile. A big smile grew on his face and he began to text like mad. "So, hey...there's a really cool girl I've been talking to all morning. She seems like the real deal, too."

Wait. What? Girl…? Stewie could feel a deep pit of...whatever it was, something awful boil in the lowest parts of his stomach. He felt nauseous. "...Huh?"

"Do you think she likes me?"

Brian stood up from his seat so he could show Stewie the texts between him and this mysterious woman. Stewie gulped as he read, feeling like a part of himself that he just discovered was already dying. He looked at the contents of Brian's conversation incredulously. His heart was pounding, his head was beginning to hurt, and he felt his world come crashing before him. After awhile, he couldn't keep looking at the texts; he had to look away. Sadness began to take hold, a stinging sensation deep in his throat gripping him tightly and depriving him of air.

He gulped again, trying to appear as normal as he could despite being so sad and...confused...

"...Yeah, she...seems to like you…"

Brian laughed a little before taking his seat back. "Yeah, I think so, too! She's really funny and smart. All the things that I look for in a woman. Plus she's really into writing which is great! We could be an inspiration to each other, ya know? What do you think?"

Stewie swallowed a sob back and he went to grip his fingers tightly, nails digging deep to keep his mind focused on the pain he was inflicting on himself rather than the pain being mercilessly given to him by the very person...he felt would never do this.

"Yeah...sounds like...it could really be something, Brian…"

Neither of them communicated for a while. All that could be heard was Brian's fingers texting back and forth. It dawned on Stewie suddenly why the dog was doing this...in front of him. If he had meant to hurt the kid, then this was how to do it and if he hadn't meant to hurt him, why was he in the kitchen...texting someone when he was right there to watch? What had last night even been to him…?

It was like that for a few more moments until Stewie saw Brian get up from his chair. The boy watched him, taking notice of how the dog looked so much more lively than he had when he first came to the kitchen. "Okay! Well, I gotta go. I have a date with her now. Wish me luck!" Then Brian was gone in a matter of seconds and Stewie was left alone.

In that very moment, Stewie couldn't help but smile, but the genuine sadness written on his face and his eyes was so prominent. How could Brian not notice? "Go...go get her, Brian…" was all he could think of. He went to rub his eyes furiously, shaking and trembling.

"No...please…don't let anyone see you cry. It's silly, Stewie. Stop feeling this way…"

The boy curled against his high chair and he went to cover his face into the palms of his hands. He scolded himself strictly...he kept repeating to himself not to cry, to not cry, to not cry. He knew that if he allowed himself such luxury, there would no telling when he'd stop. Perhaps he'd cry forever. It was a melodramatic, though, but he honestly wasn't sure if he wouldn't.

Every wonderful emotion he had felt that morning was robbed from him in an instant and all he could think about now was the persistent pain. Brian had given him something so wonderful last night and he snatched it just as quickly. It was all coming back to haunt the boy's thoughts. The repeating and anxiety driven thoughts that he was used and manipulated by Brian because the dog wanted something he knew the boy would give him.

And Stewie did give it to him...gladly. He gave that dog his selfish desires because he loved him. He loved him and for a moment, he thought Brian loved him, too. After all, that was what you were supposed to do. When you have sex with another, you're supposed to love them.

Stewie didn't know what to think except the harsh reality that Brian had no intention of reciprocating those lovely feelings. No, he had hunted the kid down, he had a goal in mind. He went for Stewie because he knew the boy would never refuse him. He knew that and he took advantage of it.

He...took advantage...of me.

As these thoughts consumed the boy, again...something else died in him. All he could do was sit there in his high chair and battle for rational thought. He tried to tell himself over and over that he would be okay, it would be okay.

No, it wouldn't be okay.

Brian...hurt him. Brian committed a terrible act against him, and he did it without thinking. He did it without taking into account what his actions would mean to Stewie; the boy would take the act as a way of saying the dog loved him in return. God forbid that someone loved Stewie.

God forbid that Brian loved him the way the boy loved him...

He felt lonely and nauseous. He almost threw up right then and there, but he stopped himself. He gripped his throat, tears tracing down his cheeks without him even realizing. The pain was excruciating, it was the worst feeling the boy ever felt. He was so distraught, so distraught over how Brian could make him feel so loved one moment and then make him feel like discarded trash the next.

"Brian…"

Suffering alone was never ideal, but Stewie always felt he was best dealing with his emotional turmoil by himself. Yet this time, he would have given anything to have someone there. He didn't care who it was, just someone who understood him; that was very few, unfortunately.

He couldn't have felt more alone.

He had...no one.

Rachel

It was quite the pretty name Brian thought as he sat there waiting in the cafe. He wasn't sure if he had ever dated a Rachel. Kind of an odd thing considering it wasn't exactly an uncommon name or anything, and it wasn't like the dog had only dated a few women in his time. Oh, no, no, no. Far from it. He'd dated Beckys and Sarahs and Rhondas, but had there ever been a single Rachel? He honestly couldn't remember…

He liked the name, though, thought it paired well with his. Brian and Rachel. Rachel and Brian. Brian and Rachel Griffin? Yeah. That could work.

He chuckled to himself.

Getting a little ahead of yourself there, Brian?

What else was new, though?

"Brian? Is that you?"

The canine did a half turn in his chair, looking for the person that had just called his name. His eyes eventually landed on a pretty brunette standing in the doorway. His jaw dropped slightly, the pictures on Match had done this beauty no justice. Brian couldn't help but look her over as he finally responded.

"Rachel? Yeah. It's me. I got us a table already."

He waved her over with a smile.

"Have a seat."

The woman smiled and offered up a curt nod before proceeding.

As she walked the dog continued to look her up and down. She really was quite the looker, big green eyes, thin, really thin, and her face was practically glowing, giving off plenty of sweet, calm vibes that Brian just wanted to soak in. Oh,yeah. There was definitely something special about this girl…

He was so caught up in the wonderful sight that he almost forgot to get up and pull back her chair, something he always tried to make sure and do for his dates. He was a gentleman, after all.

With a shake of his head, he was up on his feet and at her chair in an instant, pulling it away from the table as he gave her a big, warm smile.

The woman smiled back as she took her seat.

"Thank you very much."

The dog returned to his own seat. He went to speak, but he was cut off by his date.

"Ok, so first of all, I am so sorry. I swear I left my place in plenty of time to get here when you said, but…"

She chuckled a tad nervously.

"I'm still kind of learning my way around this town, you know?"

Brian nodded and went to try and speak again before being promptly interrupted once more.

"I hope you weren't waiting too long, Brian. I know it was about only ten minutes, but even that short amount of time can seem like an eternity when you're waiting on something. I'm usually very punctual. It's just, like I said…"

Another chuckle, a little more relaxed this time as she raised her hand up above her head.

"New girl in town! Can't really do much about that, now, can I?"

Brian just laughed as he shook his head.

"I guess not. It's fine, though. Really. You know, I actually didn't even realize you were late."

Rachel made a show of wiping her forehead as she released an exaggerated sigh of relief.

"Well, that makes me feel a little better."

She moved a bit, getting a little more settled into her seat before going to address the dog again.

"Alright then, it seems we're both pretty comfortable, now. Tell me about yourself, Brian. You said you're a writer?"

Never one to miss an opportunity to talk about his passion, Brian responded to the question with great enthusiasm.

"Yeah! I told you about my book, right? Faster Than the Speed of Love?"

Rachel tapped her chin in thought.

"I actually don't believe that you mentioned your book. So, you're actually published, then?"

The canine nodded.

"I mean, it's not exactly a popular book or anything, but yeah, it got published and I wrote it."

The woman let out a little hum as she listened.

"Well, look at you! Mr. Big Time Writer! That's no small accomplishment. I bet you're pretty proud of it."

The dog laughed as he went to scratch an itch on his neck.

"Oh, I am…"

...kinda.

He shook his head, not wanting to dwell on the fact that his book had actually been a huge flop. He cleared his throat.

"But I think I've already told you plenty about me."

He smiled at her.

"Wanna tell me something about you? You said you just recently moved here?"

The woman nodded.

"Mmhmm. I was in Ohio before I moved here, lived there all my life."

She sighed.

"Not really too much to say about that. I just needed a place where I could get a fresh start. My last relationship didn't exactly go...smoothly."

The dog's eyebrow arched at this.

"Oh? Why is that?"

Brian mentally kicked himself for prying, especially so soon into their conversation, but he was genuinely curious, at least.

Rachel didn't hesitate before continuing. She batted her hand at the animal.

"Like I said, there's really not much to tell. I was in a relationship with my high school sweetheart for years before finally accepting the fact that we just weren't all that compatible."

She sighed again.

"I do miss Brody, though…"

At hearing that name, Brian went still.

Brody?

He twitched slightly. Why did that name sound so familiar, and...why was the first person that popped into his head after hearing it...Stewie? He just could not recall the connection, but that didn't stop suspicion from starting to take hold of him. He looked Rachel up and down again.

Could this be…?

He stopped himself before his mind continued down that track.

What are you doing, Brian?

He did a mental facepalm, laughing at himself and the nonsensical conclusion he was about to jump to. As if this woman could have been Stewie…

As he came back to reality, he realized that Rachel was looking at him curiously.

"Everything ok…?"

He laughed aloud and shook his head.

"Yeah. Yeah, everything is fine. I just kind of zoned out for a second, sorry!"

Rachel softly grinned and cordially folded her hands upon her lap. She suddenly looked bashful, hiding a tint of red on her cheeks that one could easily say was from her blush. "You're a really nice guy, Brian." She couldn't help but say. Her voice smooth and soft.

Upon hearing her voice again, Brian breathed a sigh of relief. It wasn't similar to Stewie's at all, a good sign. Though, as much as he didn't want to think about it, there was something about this woman that he found...comforting in almost the same way he did with Stewie. He just couldn't put his finger on it. Maybe it was her energy…? The canine shook his head again. Why did it even matter? He was here with her , not Stewie!

"You seem pretty nice yourself!"

He laughed again, shaking off the strange mood he was sinking into so he could enjoy his date and properly explore this obvious connection he and Rachel had.

"Soooooo, this guy's name was Brody. You said you were with him for a while?"

Rachel nodded, her grin slightly faltering as she recalled her relationship with Brody. "It wasn't bad or anything. He was a decent guy, it just wouldn't have worked in the long run. He wanted something completely different than I did. He wanted to stay in Ohio and I wanted to leave so I could visit bigger and better places. Ohio was nice, though...growing up there...kind of quaint and homey. You know? It was home, but since I moved here, I really believe I've found my bearings. I have a decent job and I've already made friends."

Rachel shifted in her seat, beginning to fiddle with her fingers while they toyed with her scarf fringe; a terrible habit, but one too tough to kick. "Anyway, long story short, he ended up meeting another girl before I moved here, so it was almost meant to be. For me to come here, anyway. Have you lived here all your life?"

The canine began to nod but stopped.

"Well...not all my life, but it certainly feels like it. I did my fair share of traveling from place to place before I ended up here and found a nice family to live with. Feels like I've lived with them longer than I actually have, funny enough, so in a way, I've been here for the entire portion of my life that might actually matter."

He chuckled, hoping that Rachel would take that last sentence as a complete joke instead of the half-joke it actually was.

"Oh? Goodness...forgive me for assuming. I thought you've lived here all your life. Haha! Where were you born, then? If...you don't mind me asking."

The dog leaned back a bit as he began to recall his early memories.

"I was born in Texas. Austin, actually. I was adopted as a pup and lived with a different family for a little while before striking it out on my own."

He reached up to scratch his head.

"You know, I don't even really remember them that well, probably because I was just a pup. The main thing I remember from back then is…"

He frowned at the memory of his mother giving him up, an event that still stung slightly even if he had come to terms with it, for the most part.

There was a brief pause before he waved the thought away with his hand.

"Well, that isn't all that important. Anyway, after that, like I said, I just sort of wandered. I eventually ended up attending Brown. That's how I got here."

Rachel nodded, understanding where Brian was coming from. "I understand. I'm sorry if I made you remember something traumatic. Curiosity, what can I say? I can't pick up on the atmosphere very well...as you can see, I'm not very good at dating. Heh! It's never been a strong suit of mine."

Brian's eyes went a little wide.

"What are you talking about? I'm having a great time."

He gave her a wide smile.

"I already feel more comfortable with you than a lot of women I've dated. I don't really...talk about that stuff, especially so early."

He chuckled.

"I'm sorry if I brought the mood down some. That wasn't my intention. Anyway, when we get done here, you should let me show you around town. You know, get you better acquainted with your new surroundings?"

The woman shook her head rapidly as she replied.

"Oh...oh no! You didn't bring the mood down at all. I just felt bad for asking you such a personal question. It is early, as you said. Though I do feel very comfortable with you which isn't something I've felt in a while. As for your proposal, I would love for you to show me around. It would be...really nice to see Quahog with you." Rachel smiled genuinely as her hand moved slightly as if it wanted to take Brian's paw. The air between them was simply electric. One look into that beauty's eyes and Brian knew that there was an attraction there. She was totally into him.

"I would love to see you again, Brian."

Brian's tail began wagging. "Great!"

He reached out and took Rachel's hand into his paw before giving it an affectionate squeeze.

"Just let me hit the restroom real quick and we can get out of here. Ok?"

The woman nodded and Brian gave one more squeeze before hopping up out of his chair and practically skipping to the restroom in the back of the cafe.

Once he was there, he took his phone and began scrolling through his contacts, searching for Stewie's number. His heart was beating rapidly, an overwhelming happiness consuming him and he just had to let his little buddy know how well this date was going.

...For real this time.

He found the number and pressed the button to call, leg practically shaking from the excitement as he listened to the ringing tones. Stewie operated like clockwork, always picking up on that fourth ring.

There was one.

Two.

The third.

Four…

"Hey, Stewie!"

Another ring was his only response. Then another. Then another.

The canine frowned.

Odd. He always answers my calls…

The phone just continued to ring before finally going to the infant's voicemail.

He hung up, and redialed the number. Surely, he had at least gotten Stewie's attention. He'd answer this call for sure.

One. Two. Three. Four… ...Five. Six.

He groaned.

Oh, come on, kid! Answer the damn phone!

Once again, it rang until going to voicemail.

Brian sighed and hung up again, the joy he had been feeling only moments ago fading a bit as he found himself disappointed by Stewie not answering his call. He tried to shake it off, though. After all, it wasn't that big of a deal. He needed to hurry back to Rachel.

With a shrug, Brian exited the restroom and began making his way back to the table. As he passed the front counter, though, he caught a whiff of someone baking in the back, causing him to stop. The canine turned on his heel toward the scent as an idea formed in his head.

I bet Rachel would enjoy a pastry. They've got some pretty tasty baked goods here.

He walked up to the counter and spoke to the employee behind it.

"Excuse me, my good man. I'd like to purchase one of those de-licious strawberry scones for my lady over there."

He threw his thumb back towards the woman who was still waiting on him, smiling proudly as he did so.

The employee nodded and began ringing him up.

"Ok. I got one scone. Will that be all."

Brian nodded his head to indicate that it would be.

The employee nodded in return as he finished placing the order.

"Alright. That will be $3.87, please."

The dog winced a bit as he retrieved the cash.

Yeesh… Kind of high for one scone, isn't it?

He didn't protest, though, continuing to wear his smile as he handed the employee his money.

The employee left to retrieve his treat, and as he stood there waiting, Brian couldn't help but let his mind wander back to Stewie. It really was incredibly odd for the boy to ignore his calls, and he knew the boy always had his phone on him. Was he ignoring him? The dog shook his head.

No! Why would he ignore me? That kid is crazy about me!

The smile returned to his face as he resolved to simply try calling again later. The child must have just left his phone somewhere while he went to work on a project. Odd, yes, but not entirely impossible.

"Here you go, sir."

His thoughts were interrupted as the employee returned with his purchase.

The dog forced his mind back to the present as he reached up to take it.

"Thank you."

He shot the man a wink.

"You have a good day, now."

And, with scone in hand, he finally returned to Rachel, her eyes glowing as she caught sight of him approaching the table.

"Oh, what do we have here?"

She giggled and pointed at the scone.

"Now, is that supposed to be for me?"

Brian nodded his head emphatically as he handed her the scone.

"It sure is."

He watched as she grabbed it and quickly took her first bit, humming happily as she did and prompting another joyous chuckle from the dog as he motioned towards the door.

"Soooooo, you ready to get out of here?"

Rachel nodded, laughing a bit as she caught a few crumbs with her hand before she was finally able to swallow her bite.

"That sounds lovely, Brian."

Taking that as his cue, Brian took Rachel by the hand and promptly led her out of the cafe to begin her guided tour of the great city of Quahog, Rhode Island.

Everything was at a standstill, it seemed. All Stewie could do ever since coming up to his room was stare at the wall before him. No sound, not even breathing. It was all just quiet.

Stewie wasn't even sure if he was feeling anything. There was nothing there except an emptiness that plunged deep, gripped him tight, and refused to let go. He just stared on, eyes void of anything; there was no life there anymore. It dawned on him while he sat there on his floor...how easy it had been for Brian to snatch those wonderful sensations he felt this morning. The reality of knowing the dog would never hold him to the same value the boy felt for him was so surreal.

And he then recalled another thought before he came to his bedroom.

Will it always be like this?

If he could rationalize at that moment, he'd tell himself that he would be fine; that there were plenty of people out there who would devote themselves entirely to him. Yet…

No...I want him, though. I want him...without him, I'm...nothing.

It almost came as a shock. The realization that Brian was everything to him, Brian was everything he wanted, and the dog didn't want him. Oh, how cruel did that feel and how difficult that was to understand finally. Stewie leaned his head back against the wall, eyes now staring at the ceiling.

It would be easy, he found himself thinking. It would be easy to erase every meddling feeling he had for that animal. He was smart, after all. How difficult could it be to remove these pesky emotions? The human mind was so deranged.

I hate this. I don't want to feel this. I don't want to love him.

That was when he heard his cell phone go off. He recognized that familiar ringtone. That was Brian's ringtone. Stewie went to reach into his overall pocket to pull out the phone, letting Brian's illuminated name come into full view. He stared for what seemed like hours; his heart racing and his head pounding.

Pick it up, you fool! It's Brian!

His fingers didn't obey him.

Soon Brian's call went straight to his voicemail and a small relief came over Stewie as he sighed. He knew that if he were to call again, he'd surely pick up.

And Brian did call again.

Soon after the dog hung up the first time, Brian was calling once more. Stewie looked down at his phone, this time glaring. Seeing the canine's name before him...triggered something quite ominous. He almost went to pick up the call, but instead...he felt an urge to kill this mangy mutt. How dare he call Stewie...how dare he act as though nothing had happened between them last night.

The boy didn't care how plastered the fucker had been, the boy knew good and damn well Brian remembered every...intimate...touch, every intimate...moment. Their bodies colliding together, working together as if it were meant to be; how Stewie fit so perfectly there...with Brian.

Anger. A blind rage overwhelmed him and without even thinking, Stewie threw his phone across his room. The cell phone met the wall, crushing on impact.

The ringing stopped.

Silence. A deafening silence.

Then a curdling, horrible sound sprung from inside of Stewie, the saddest...most horrendous sound the boy ever produced. He screamed.

And screamed.

And screamed.

... and screamed...

He clenched his hands against the sides of his hair, nails digging into his scalp where he clawed long, red lines there. Anything to distract him. Anything to take the mental pain away.

Why should I care about him? Why should I care if he was calling to merely complain about that stupid bitch?

Stewie could feel the deepest and darkest thoughts come flooding into his mind, overtaking him and capturing him much like when he was younger and had nothing but bloodlust. It was all coming back. He wanted to hurt Brian.

The thought alone terrified him to the point he had to get up. He began to pace his room, hyperventilating.

I hate him, I hate him, I hate him, I hate him.

Nothing could bring solace to the boy; he was beyond repair and too far gone. Even with Rupert there, watching Stewie unfold into the monster he had once been, there was nothing to be done. Nothing to be said that would bring clarity back.

All that could be done was to let Stewie feel this way so perhaps...just perhaps he could gather himself to move on.

...Move on…?

The boy stopped, eyes wide. Move on to what? What else did Stewie have?

It wasn't as though the boy went out and seeked companionship from others. There was no need to because... none of those people were Brian.

Stewie growled and slammed his hands against his wall before he went to his toybox. He pulled the bat lever and he made his way into his lab where he picked up some utensil he had carelessly left lying on the floor. He closed his lab door behind him and quickly went to his desk where he gathered his notes, different parts for a piece of machinery that he'd been slaving over.

He began to work, tears pouring from the corners of his eyes while his mind raced over and over with formulas. Again...trying to distract himself from thinking of that mutt.

Yet even the consistent workload before him couldn't keep his mind from trailing back to Brian. What was he doing right now? Was he furious that Stewie hadn't answered his calls? Was he kissing that girl? Was he fucking...that...GIRL!?

"FUCK HIM! FUCK HIM! FUCK HIM!" Stewie raised his tool, now slamming the hard metal against the machinery before him. He did this several times until the piece was battered and no longer of use. He clenched his teeth and threw the utensil elsewhere before collapsing to his knees.

Sobs overcame him. His loud sobs echoed throughout his lab and they only grew louder as time passed.

"Fuck...him! Fuck...you, Brian...fuck you…" he brought an arm up to drape over his eyes, tears dampening the fabric of his shirt sleeve. "I'll...never...forgive you…"

And as the boy fell apart, breaking more and more as each second passed...he was suddenly thankful. Thankful his walls were soundproof. At least he was able to bask in the one comfort he did have.

No one would bother him as he wept in anguish...