Witness

Part 12 Finle

Brian and Justin had been back in Pittsburgh for a week. Their first night back, they immediately fetched Gus to bring him home. Gus was thrilled to have his fathers back with him. Brian sensed a distance in his lover, but he wasn't sure what it was.

Justin tried everything in his power to not let Brian know his turmoil. Having his father behind bars was just a formality. Men like his father were not put out of commission just because they were in jail. Justin hoped that his fears would be unfounded, but unfortunately, his worst fears were becoming a reality.

Justin was waiting to pick up Gus from school one afternoon about a month after his father had been sentenced. He was waiting for Gus to come out when he noticed a man watching him from across the street. He recognized the man as one of his father's employees. The man stared directly at him and made a slight gesture to his throat, in a slicing motion. Justin knew that time had run out and he had to play his final card.

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Brian came home from work to an empty loft. Gus was with Lindsey's parents for the weekend and Brian was looking forward to the time alone with Justin. Ever since they had returned to Pittsburgh, the blonde had been distant. Brian had been hoping to finally establish a commitment to their relationship, but Justin didn't seem interested. Brian began to wonder if now that the trial was over, Justin was beginning to question their relationship. The worst of Brian's fears were confirmed when he came home to an empty loft.

"Justin!" Brian called out to his lover as he entered the loft. There was no answer.

"Justin!" He saw a piece of paper on the bar. Brian immediately began to panic as he recognized his lover's familiar script. He poured a glass of Beam before he read his lover's note.

Brian,

I need to go away for a little while. There are some things that I need to take care of, and I need to do this alone. I am not sure when I will be back, but I promise you that I will be back.

When all of this began, I asked you to trust me, I am asking again now.

I love you.

Justin

Brian threw the glass against the wall.

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Justin hated leaving Brian the way that he did, but he knew that if he told his lover about what he needed to do, the older man would have gone into protector mode and made the situation worse.

Justin flew to Phoenix and headed up to Sedona. He needed to pack up the home he had known for the last five years. He also had some things he needed to pick up in Phoenix.

Justin looked around what was quickly becoming his former home. He realized that the place he called home didn't belong to him; it belonged to Nathan DuPres, the man he had been pretending to be. There were only a few possessions that he wanted, the rest he quickly donated to charity. He was able to sell his house quickly because Sedona was prime real estate. Justin walked away with a hefty profit for his home.

The next stop was to a bank in Phoenix. Justin had opened a safety deposit box there years ago. Once he came out of the coma, Justin became obsessed with the man he thought was his father. Years of research had amassed quite a dossier on his father and his illegal activities.

Justin had a very hard time aligning the man he called daddy with the evil criminal his research had unveiled. He always knew the time would come when his diligent research would be necessary.

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Justin travelled from Phoenix to New York with his research in hand. Before he left Arizona, Justin made arrangements to meet his father at Attica. It was time to show his cards.

Justin sat in the visitors room waiting for his father. When Craig Taylor was led in, Justin viewed him as a stranger.

"Hello son."

"I'm not your son. You killed your son ten years ago."

"Justin …"

"I've seen your goons following me around, staking out my son's school."

"He's not your son. He's the son of that faggot …"

"That 'faggot' is my partner, and his son is my son."

"Don't be ridiculous."

"I'm not here to argue with you, I'm here to negotiate a cease fire."

"What are you talking about?"

Justin threw a stack of folders on the table. "Dad, I'm not stupid. As soon as I recovered, I began doing my research. I've put together quite a portfolio about you, including hits that you ordered against rival families. Families who have people inside. And Craig, it's not death that you should fear; it's what you can live through."

"What is it you want?"

"I will destroy all this evidence and in return you will leave me and my family alone."

Craig's face hardened into an unreadable mask, "That's all that you want."

"I don't care what business you conduct within these walls, I don't care about anything that you do, just leave me alone, and I promise that I will forget anything that I know about your criminal organization. I will never testify again against you. I will forget I know you, you just leave my family alone."

Craig slumped into his chair, "Ok."

"I have your word."

Craig looked up and for a brief moment Justin caught a glimpse of the man he once called father, "You have my word."

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Justin stood outside the loft door. He was unsure about what awaited him on the otherside. It had been over a month since he left Brian to finish up the business of his past.

He placed his key in the lock and was thankful to find that it still worked. Justin slid the door back and walked inside. He found Brian and Gus engrossed in a movie. Gus was the first to notice his presence.

"Daddy J!" Justin caught Gus in his arms.

"Hey buddy! I missed you."

"Daddy said you weren't coming back, but I knew you would."

Justin looked over Gus' shoulder to catch Brian's eye. He saw a coldness there, it was expected but chilling nonetheless.

"Gus, go to your room."

"But daddy …"

"Go to your room."

Gus reluctantly headed downstairs. Brian stared Justin down. "What are you doing here?"

"I was under the impression that I lived here."

"You left."

"Not forever."

"Fuck that! How could you leave like that … just a fucking note …?"

Justin flinched at the anger in Brian's words, but he remained calm, "I asked you to trust me."

Brian was getting angrier by the second, "So you just fucking walk out?"

"I had to finish this."

Brian paused for a second, "What do you mean?"

Justin sighed, "Since we got back to Pittsburgh, I've seen men who work for my father watching us."

"What the fuck?"

"I was prepared for this. I went to Arizona to sell my house and clear out my life there."

Brian began to soften, "I could have gone with you."

Justin caressed Brian's cheek, "No, you couldn't. I had to let go of my past … alone … in order to face my future."

Brian sucked in his lips, his tell of vulnerability, "Am I your future?"

"You shouldn't even have to ask." Brian claimed Justin's lips in a searing kiss. "I had to see him."

"What!?!?!"

"I had to finish this. He was having us watched, so I had to play my trump card."

"What the fuck are you talking about?"

"Do you remember when I told you everything would be alright?" Brian nodded. "Do you remember when I asked you if you trusted me?" Brian nodded again. "This was it. I had to make him leave us alone."

"What did you do?"

"Let's just say I made it clear that if he fucked with us, he would be given a crash course in the old saying 'you'd be surprised at what you can live through.'"

"You blackmailed him?"

"Yeah."

"Are you fucking insane?"

"Probably, but I had amassed enough evidence over the last decade to scare him pretty good."

Brian looked into Justin's eyes, and read the truth there. "He's out of our lives?"

Justin nodded with tears in his eyes. Brian pressed their foreheads together. "I love you Justin."

"I love you too." Justin fell to his knees and pulled a box from his pocket.

Brian felt the oxygen leave his body as he saw Justin kneeling before him with a ring box in his hand.

Justin opened the box. Brian saw two of the most exquisite rings nestled in the velvet. Justin met his questioning gaze, "I designed the rings when we were in New York and sent them to a friend of mine in Sedona. I picked them up while I was there."

Brian fell to his knees in front of Justin. He placed his hands on the blonde's cheeks. Brian nodded his acceptance to the silent proposal. Justin's sunshine smile lit up the room. They quickly placed the rings on each others fingers.

"I love you Detective."

"I love you too Sunshine."

Their kiss sealed the deal.

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