Make the Wrong Things Right

Chapter 1

1 Hour after the Rage Party

After Brain danced with the blonde trick he made his escape to the jeep unnoticed. He really wasn't up for the next rendition of "what did he do to Justin now." He'd heard that number one to many times already. Driving back to the loft he was numb inside.

When he pulled back the heavy loft door all the night's emotion's hit him at once. He really pushed Justin over the edge this time and there was no turning back. Brian shut the door and set the alarm locking the door and with it his heart.

He ran his fingers through his hair and headed for the kitchen. He needed his long time friend Jim Beam. He drank the amber liquid and relished the way it made his throat burn.

He hated Ethan and appropriately felt rage towards the violin player, but he did what he had to do. It was obvious Justin wasn't happy. He had to cut him loose, didn't want to be responsible for making his baby's life miserable. If he hadn't done something drastic Justin would have never been able to leave on his own. It was better this way, now he was all alone again. No excuses, no apologies, no regrets, right? Without his boy there the loft suddenly felt cold, barren and bleak.

In a fit of rage he threw his glass at the wall shattering it and stomped off to the bedroom stripping as he went. For once he didn't care where his clothes landed Brian crawled in bed and buried himself in the blue duvet. As he lay there silent tears of endless pain streamed down his face.

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Across town Justin huddled in a corner of Ethan's ugly and uncomfortable couch. His arms were wrapped around his legs and he was rocking back and forth. Justin's blue eyes were red rimmed and yet the tears still flowed freely. He suppressed the need to sob out loud. Only an occasional whimper could be heard. His silence screamed of endless pain.

Ethan was mildly concerned for Justin. On the walk back to his apartment Justin hadn't said a word except when asked a direct question and then all he got was monosyllabic answers. He figured that asshole Kinney was responsible. As long as Justin was here with him he really didn't care.

He squatted down in front of Justin so they were on the same level. "Justin, why don't you come to bed? I'll make you feel so good, baby. I love you, Justin."

Justin wiped at his eyes with the back of his hand. "You go to bed. I'll be there in a minute. Thank you for letting me stay here. I just don't know what I'm going to do now. The last two years I've been bounced around from one place to another." He let out a bitter laugh. "You'd think I'd be use to it by now."

"You can stay with me and Wolfram for as long as you want."

Just then the white and gray cat leapt up on the couch and curled up beside Justin. A small smile crossed Justin's lips as he pulled the bundle of fur onto his lap and began to stroke the purring pussy.

Ethan smiled, "See Wolfram wants you to live here too, he likes you. Either that or he's getting sick of me." Justin cuddled with the cat while Ethan went to bed alone, hard and aching, also slightly pissed.

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1 Week after the Rage Party

Brian thought that this day would never end. This last week had been hell for him. Vance had been riding his ass all week and not in a nice fun way either. Nothing he did pleased the man for long. He worked harder than anyone there. This week alone he somehow managed to bring in two new clients. His Kinney charm was still in rare form.

He roughly yanked off his tie and threw his suit jacket on the back of the couch. He stabbed the answering machine button and listened to his messages. Three were from Mikey whining that he never saw him and wanting him to come to Woody's that night. One was from Deb bitching him out about hurting Sunshine and what she would do to him when she saw him next. There was one hang up call. Brian had hoped that Justin would call him just to let him know he was ok. Maybe it was for the best if they didn't see or talk to each other. Someone would let him know if Justin was in trouble and needed help.

Brian looked around the loft and that's when he noticed some of Justin's stuff was missing. He went over to the chest of drawers to confirm what he already knew; most of Justin's clothes were gone. There was a forgotten red sweater in the bottom of the drawer. Brian picked it up and lovingly held it to his face, breathing in his lover's scent. One lonely tear traveled down his cheek. He took the sweater and tucked it under the pillow on Justin's side of the bed. He would always think of that side as Justin's.

Since the Rage party he hadn't been back to Babylon or his usual haunts. Right now he wanted to be alone with his misery. Since there was no one to look after him he had been eating less and had dropped five pounds. His face was beginning to look gaunt and if he kept this up he'd have to go to the tailor's and have some of his suits altered.

Brian was always prone to insomnia but it was worse now with Justin gone. He actually missed the warmth of the boy who in his sleep would wrap his body around him. Now the king size bed seemed too big and desolate.

At the beginning of the week Brian tried to get back to normal, pretending he didn't care. He cruised some different clubs, got his dick sucked but he didn't enjoy it. He couldn't even get into it. He found himself comparing them all to Justin and found them all lacking. No one could give blow jobs like his baby. Brian had taught him well but Justin had raw talent. Some things just couldn't be taught; they had to be experienced.

There was a knock on Brian's door just as he finished putting on his jeans. As usual he left the top button undone. When he opened the door he saw Lindsay with his son. Gus immediately reached out to his Daddy. Brian reached out and took him. "Hey, Sonny boy." He turned his back on Lindsay leaving her to shut the door.

"We were in the neighborhood and Gus missed his Daddy so we thought we'd come see you."

Brian looked into his son's eyes that were identical to his own. "Gus, your Mommy needs to work on her lying cuz she's not very good." Brian slowly brought his eyes up to rest on Lindsay. "I know why you're here. I don't want to talk about it."

Brian sat on the couch and cuddled his son close to him. At least he still had one of his boy's left.

"Bri, I'm worried about you. You're miserable without him. Why couldn't you admit that you care about him? You love him and don't tell me you don't."

Brian tried to keep his voice calm and even. "Not that it's any of your fucking business but Justin wasn't happy with me. That's why he cheated on me. I don't even blame him for that. He's young, shit happens I expected it. He should be with someone that makes him happy."

"Bri he's not happy, he's miserable. When he came over to sit with Gus you could see it in his eyes. He tries to pretend everything's all right and maybe it wouldn't be so obvious if I didn't know him. He's just going through the motions."

"Justin made his choice so just stay the fuck out of it."

"He didn't really have a choice. You pushed him away like you always do. Only this time I don't think he'll come back unless you start acting like a human being."

Brian was getting pissed. "Ok, let me explain it in terms you might understand. We're not lesbians. We had no locks on our doors. He expected too much, he wanted romance and flowers and that's not me. I can't change. I won't change, not for anyone."

Lindsay grabbed up her son in a huff. "Well Brian, you're going to have to grow up some time. I won't let you treat Gus the way you did Justin. Gus deserves his father's love and I hope some day you're man enough to give it to him." With that she stormed out of the loft.

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Justin had rearranged his work schedule at the diner. So far he hadn't seen Brian or the guys. He hoped his luck would hold out because he didn't think he could bear it. They probably all hated him and blamed him for cheating on Brian. Hell he blamed himself and felt bad about the whole thing. Working at the diner was harder now. It was an effort to smile at the customers and chat with them. Something he usually had no problem doing. Deb kept giving him pitying looks and he tried not to let her corner him. He really didn't think he could handle one of her mothering lectures.

When he was at Ethan's place, and he referred to it as Ethan's place because he felt he really didn't belong there either. It was worse than working at the diner. The living conditions were shitty. Ethan forced him to be quiet when he rehearsed, which was all the time. He usually sat far away from Ethan and either drew in his sketch book or studied for class.

When he was living at the loft Brian never minded when he played loud music, even when he was hard at work on a deadline. Brian never forced him to be quiet. Brian never forced him to do anything but be himself.

Almost as soon as he moved in with Ethan his nightmares were back. He thought he was long over them. They weren't about the attack. When he woke up from one they weren't enough to make him scream out loud, but he usually cried out upon awakening. Ethan was a light sleeper and no matter how hard he tried he always woke him up. Justin missed how Brian would hold him close in his arms and caress his back with slow soothing circles. Ethan just made him feel guilty that he woke him up.

The sex with Ethan started out ok. It wasn't like the mind blowing orgasms Brian could give him, where he'd be literally vibrating for hours after. One night while Ethan was fucking him, he made a big mistake. Justin didn't know how it happened. He'd gotten home from a double shift at the diner and he was tired but Ethan was in the mood. Justin was never one to turn down sex. Being young he was always ready, willing and able. When he came, he called out Brian's name. Ethan smacked him so hard across the face his lip split and instantly began to swell. He just sat there bleeding and stunned. He should have left then but he didn't. Right after Ethan became sickeningly sweet to make up for what he'd done.

After Ethan had struck Justin, sex became mechanical. There was never any feeling or emotion into it. He'd make himself cum quick so it would be over as fast as possible. Then he'd roll over to a corner of the mattress away from Ethan and pretend he was asleep.

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1 Month after the Rage Party

Pittsburgh's annual festival was going to commence the next day. The big trailer trucks were already setting up for the next day. The band of brightly colored gypsy wagons always parked near Liberty Avenue. The gay community was always accepting of the gypsies. Bella, the youngest of the clan at 24, could hardly wait. Out of all the places she had been this was one of her favorite spots. She loved Liberty Avenue. The bright colors and the wildly dressed people were a sight to see. What she liked the most was she could walk down the street and be accepted. A lot of people did not like or trust the gypsies.

Bella was well named because she was beautiful. Her dark hair fell in soft curls around her pale shoulders. Her eyes were a mysterious green-gold. For several years she had been studying spell casting from the elders. Bella's special gift was prophecy dreams. Sometimes she dreamt of events that had already happened other times she dreamt of things that were yet to come.

For the past several weeks Bella had been sleeping poorly. She kept dreaming of two men who desperately needed her help. In her dreams she cold feel their pain. It literally cried out to her across the miles.

When they had arrived Bella had been sleeping and this dream was by far one of the worst. She tossed and turned in her sleep. She moaned and cried out. Tears streamed down her lovely face. She was in a deep sleep and only concentrated on the images before her. When she woke up she was panting and wiping at her face. She knew exactly where she was needed.

Bella rushed around the wagon selecting a few things she might need and put them in a small bag fastened to her waist. She threw on her maroon shawl and rushed off into the night.

Justin took his time climbing the stairs to Ethan's apartment. For the past several weeks Ethan had been getting more violent. Justin was having a hard time making sure no one saw all the bruises especially at work. Every day was like walking on egg shells waiting for Ethan to explode. Sometimes it was just the little things that set him off. Now it didn't seem to matter what Justin did it always ended the same way, him bleeding on the floor.

When Justin walked into the rat infested apartment the tension in the room was unbearable. Ethan glared at him from the corner of the room. Justin felt dread rush through his body.

"You didn't get groceries like I asked you to. The fridge is bare and it's your fucking fault. I let you live here with me rent free, you can at least do your fair share around here. I have to practice. I don't have time to do the shopping too."

"Sorry I forgot," Justin stammered.

Ethan stormed across the room and grabbed Justin's face roughly. "Sorry doesn't feed us." Justin's blue eyes were wide with fear. Ethan pushed up the sleeves of his sweater. "I don't know how Kinney put up with your crap all the time."

Ethan punched Justin in the face. He stumbled back and his foot caught on something and he fell to the floor with a painful thud. Justin tried scooting away but he wasn't fast enough. Ethan kicked him in the ribs and the breath was knocked out of him. Ethan grabbed him by his shirt and hauled him to his feet. Justin was unsteady in his arms. Justin knew he had to get out of there. He was getting the crap beat out of him.

Instead of pulling away from Ethan he moved closer. He grabbed Ethan's long black hair and pulled as hard as he could jerking his head back while bringing his knee sharply up. Ethan fell to his knees and cupped his crotch while Justin dashed for the door. Ethan was screaming curses at him but by then he was too far away to hear.

When Justin made it out of Ethan's building he stumbled into someone's arms. He was so disoriented and the arms felt so comforting and safe he let himself be held. When he looked to see who was holding him he was surprised to see a girl in a brightly colored dress.

"Come with me, we have to get you out of here. I'll take you someplace safe." Justin felt himself wrapped up in her shawl and led away from Ethan's abuse. After a block he had to lean heavily on her. When he fell he had sprained his ankle.

"I'm Bella."

"Justin Taylor."

She smiled "I know." He frowned at that trying to figure her out. She tried to put him at ease. "You're going to be fine. Every thing will be made right again, you'll see. This wasn't supposed to happen, you know."

"What wasn't supposed to happen?" "You and Ethan were not supposed to be together. Somehow you lost your way."

"How do you know all this?"

Mischief flashed in her eyes. "It's a mystery."

Justin let himself be led back to the gypsy camp. She led him to a beautifully painted wagon. It was a deep rich blue with a moon and tiny white stars all over it. Bella tended to his wounds. Suddenly she stiffened and her eyes had a faraway look to them.

"What's wrong?" Justin asked with concern.

"I want you to stay here and rest. You need your sleep. I have to go now! I'm needed." As Justin's head met the pillow Bella was already running out the door skirts whirling around her ankles.

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It had been one month since Justin had left him and he was tired of this crap. He fucking hated self pity, it made his dick soft and nothing was worse than that. He had a legend to uphold. So he got dressed and headed to Babylon where he hoped to get high and have his dick sucked a couple hundred times.

When he entered Babylon the blaring of the techno music made him feel instantly better. He bypassed Emmett and Ted; he just didn't feel like being his witty sarcastic self. He made a stop to get some more E from his disco pharmacologist, and then he hit the dance floor. Brian popped the white pill in his mouth and gyrated with the rest of the half naked crowd. It wasn't long before two men were grinding up against him. He threw his head back and gave them free reign over his body.

After a while the noise of the club and the flashing lights were doing a number on his head and stomach. He knew what was wrong. Yet again he took some bad E but this time he felt it was even worse than usual. Why did he do this to himself? Every time, it never failed. Some trick was grabbing his ass and he growled out a "fuck off."

The night got unbelievably worse when he heard the song begin to play. "Let's Hear It for The Boy" Man did that song bring back memories. Justin wanted to dance with him so badly that he got in over his head by stealing his two tricks away from him. Of course that just turned him on even more. In that moment he was so happy and content with his boy in his arms. He remembered lifting him up in the air like he was the best prize ever and slowly dragging him across his body. They both had a raging hard on so they left for the loft after that dance and fucked like rabbits all night long.

Brian couldn't take the assault of memories that tortured his mind so he left. That night he wasn't so lucky getting a close parking spot so he had quite a hike to where he had left his jeep. Brian really wasn't paying attention when he started to cross the street.

Bella was racing through the streets. She hoped she would not be too late or all would be lost. Then she saw him up ahead crossing the street, grief etched on his face. He didn't see the bus coming. Bella made a mad dash for him and grabbed the back of his leather jacket. She spun him around toward the curb. They lost their balance and fell to the sidewalk. As the bus went by they could feel the wind of its passing. Scared and relieved Bella held Brian in her arms.

Brian looked into eyes so much like his own. A girl had saved him. By the way she was dressed she looked to be one of those gypsy street performers. They got up off the cold cement. "You should have just let me get hit; maybe I'd be better off."

"Brian, this must stop. You can't go on like this."

He tilted his head to the side. "How did you know my name?"

"I know a lot of things. There isn't much time but I'll tell you what you need to know. It wasn't supposed to work out this way. You and Justin were supposed to be together. You were meant to be together, it's your destiny and destiny will not be trifled with."

Brian was confused and pissed. "Did Justin send you?"

"No, higher powers sent me. Are you willing to sacrifice one trick after another? Look into your heart and tell me you're willing to make the change. Do you love him?"

"I don't believe in love."

"Brian, how did you get so cold?"

He huffed a laugh, "Easy, years of practice."

"Don't trade a treasure for an empty box. Justin is very precious. You won't get another chance such as this. I can send you back to the point in time where things started going wrong, but you alone must change the outcome. If you don't learn from your mistakes you'll just be repeating what already happened. You could have Justin but you have to make it work this time. You have to treat him how he wants to be treated, how he deserves to be treated. Can you do that?"

"Look I think you're nuts; I can't change the past."

Bella was getting frustrated. "For argument's sake if you could would you?"

Brian sighed "Justin is with Ethan. He's better off with someone his own age. I'm just damaged goods."

Bella shook her head. "Let me tell you about Ethan. Over the past month Ethan has been hurting Justin, hitting him and abusing him."

Brian grabbed her by the upper arms "What! Why didn't Justin come to me for help? I'll kill that little banjo player."

Bella put a hand to his chest. "Ethan will be dealt with and Justin is now safe from harm. What will it be, Brian, a life of love and happiness with Justin or miserable for the rest of your life? Just remember whatever you choose affects Justin too."

"I miss Justin; I want to be with him."

Bella smiled. "Then so you shall."

She pulled out an old book from a deep pocket in her skirt and recited an old spell passed down by her people throughout the ages. She reached into her bag and threw an herb mixture into the wind. Next Bella took off one of her rings that was swirled with rainbow colors and placed it on Brian's pinky finger. "It is done."

Brian looked around skeptically. "Yeah right you gypsy types sure know how to put on a show." She let that remark slide. "Go home to the loft and all will be made clear. Just try to remember you're supposed to make the wrong things right, or this will be all for naught. This is your only chance." She grabbed him by the collar and looked deep into his eyes. "So don't fuck it up."

Bella figured she'd have to sink to his level of thinking to get his attention. She watched him from afar while he found his jeep and drove off. She did all she could possibly do for him. He was on his own now. God help the poor bastard if he didn't get it right this time.