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Brian tried to touch Justin as he rocked back and forth. Justin jerked away. Michael shook his head at Brian.

"He won't let anyone touch him."

Brian sighed. It reminded him of the time when Justin had been bashed. Justin didn't allow anyone to touch him. It didn't mean that it didn't hurt. He placed his hand to his mouth.

"Who else knows?"

"Just...my mom," Michael said. "She walked in on us when I discovered Justin's bruises."

Brian slowly nodded, trying to put a lid on his anger. It didn't Justin was clearly on the verge of losing it.

"None of you were supposed to know," he gasped. "Especailly you, Brian..." It wasn't suppsoed to be like this.

"So what?" Michael challeneged, heated anger in him. "You were just going to hide and pretend that everything was fine? Or worse, disappear?"

Justin swallowed.

"It's my problem," he began but Brian interrupted him.

"Bullshit, you're a part of our lives now. You can't just pretend you aren't important to us. You don't think we'd notice if you just left?"

Justin trembled as Brian's voice had risen. Michael gave him a look that told him to lower it. Justin closed his eyes.

"If Ethan hurt any of you because of me...I'd never be able to forgive myself," he whispered. Brian sighed as he tried to imagine what Justin was going through. Barely recovered from the bashing he had now been subjected to an extremly abusive and poisness relationship. Brian was sure there was more to it than what Justin was telling him. He had a sickening idea on what Ethan might be capable of.

"We can take care of ourselves, Justin," Brian said quietly. "You shouldn't have to worry about that on top of everything else."

Justin swallowed and lowered his eyes to the floor, unsure of what to say. He still didn't want anyone to know. He wanted to carry his burden in silence, as punishment for hurting Brian.

"You're moving back in with me,"Brian decided. They all looked at each other and Justin's eyes shot up. Fear filled him. If he lived with Brian he knew Brian would slowly find out everything.

"No.."Justin's voice trailed off.

"Brian, are you sure? We have no problem taking him in," Michael said. Brian had already taken care of Justin once after the bashing. Michael wasn't sure if Brian would be able to do it a second time. To see Justin in constant emotional pain.

"Yes, I'm sure." Brian was angry at himself. He had let Justin go and because of that Justin had gotten hurt again. He wanted to protect Justin. Make sure no one touched a hair on the young blond's head again.

"You're going with me," Brian told Justin firmly and Justin knew better than to argue. He sagged his shoulders and nodded. Brian didn't like the look on defeat that Justin constantly wore. Didn't like that at all.

Justin finally stood up. Tears had continued to fall on his face but he remained quiet. Emmett and Mchael glanced at each other, unsure of what to say.

"You do know," Emmett said finally. "Lindsay, Melanie, Teddie and Vic will have to know now."

Justin just nodded. The poor kid looked utterly exhausted. Worse than exhausted. He looked lifeless. Like a walking corpse. Brian still couldn't get over how dead his eyes looked.

"Come on," Brian said suddenly. "And let's go. You need to get some sleep."

Another nod.

Justin turned to Michael, surprising them all.

"Thank you," he whispered. "For...helping me, even though you are pissed at me."

Michael closed his eyes.

"I'm not pissed at you Justin."How could he be with what Justin was going through.

Brian wanted nothing more then to put a protective arm around Justin but he knew it would end in protest.

He waited for Justin to be ready. Justin stood there, almost as if he was lost, for a few more minuets and finally turned.

When the door closed Emmett sank down on a chair.

"Wow..." he mumbled. "I didn't expect Brian to find out like that."

Michael folded his arms.

"Me neither.. I just hope he can help Justin."

Emmett nodded.

"So do I."

Brian and Justin walked in silence. Brian noticed that Justin tried to keep as close to Brian without getting touched. Their arms almost brushed each other. Brian hated how timid Justin was and how he kept his head down. Each time he opened his mouth he couldn't find the right words.

There were no right words for something like this. And each time he thought of it he wanted to kill Ethan. To feel the life drain from Ethan's body. To make sure Ethan felt pain and fear. But each time he thought of that he remembered Justin's meltdown about it.

Justin needed him there, and not in jail. That would just mess Justin up more. But still, the thought of that piece of slime...that sonofabitch getting off for free, it made Brian sick to his stomach.

Brian opened the door for Justin to enter.

"You can sleep with me, if you want," Brian said softly. "You don't need to sleep on the couch."

Brian saw how Justin tensed at the thought of sleeping next to a person.

"We're broken up," Justin mumbled.

"I won't try and have sex with you, I promise," Brian tried to tease. The mention of sex brought flashes of Ethan raping him to Justin's mind. Justin shuddered. Brian felt like he had hit Justin with the expression Sunshine wore on his face. "I was just joking...I didn't mean-"

"I know," Justin said softly. He cleared his throat. "I'd rather sleep on the couch."

Brian nodded.

"Let me get you some blankets."

Justin sank onto the couch. Exhaustion filled him. He was exhausted from trying to hide, from trying to fight. Most of all he was exhausted from trying to survive.A part of him was begining to wonder if it was all worth it. It would be so much easier if he was...dead. For everyone. Then they could go on living their lives and not have to worry about him. That awful thought was starting to fill his head like poison. He pushed it away. It scared him to feel those feelings. To have that type of side to him.

Brian handed him the blankets. He took it slowly.

"Thank you," he mumbled.

"Don't worry about it, I didn't want you to get cold."

"No...I mean thank you...for everything...for this."

Brian nodded.

"You're welcome."

Justin felt Brian still standing there. He tensed when Brian sank down next to him. Was he going to touch him? Thankfully Brian didn't.

"Justin...what happened to you...it's not your fault, you know that right?"

Justin was stunned.

How did Brian know? No one was supposed to know that.

"You didn't ask for it Justin...No matter what Ethan might have told you know one deserves to get hit."

"How...did you know that was what I was thinking?" Justin managed to slowly ask.

He heard Brian give a soft laugh.

"Because I know you very well."

Justin couldn't respond.

"It's not your fault-"

"I pushed him, aggrevated him. I mentioned you too much-"

Anger filled Brian at the thought of Justin defending that fucking sonfoabitch and he interrupted Justin quickly.

"It's not your fault."

"You don't know what the FUCK you're talking about so just back the fuck off, okay?"

"It's not your fault," Brian repeated firmly. "Not your fault."

"YES it fucking is! Don't you get it!" Justin suddenly shouted. He was so sick of pretending. Of trying to hide it. "I cheated on you! After everything you did for me I cheated on you and broke up with you! I fucking deserved everything I got!"

Brian was stunned and angry when he heard this. Justin thought he deserved it? Because of what he did to Brian? Brian felt sick. he wanted to throw up. He also felt like shaking Justin. He had to calm down. Slowly he took deep breaths. He hated all of this. He wasn't sure what he was doing. He felt like the blind leading the blind, but he had to do something and the not your fault line was getting to Justin. Good. That's what Brian wanted, to got to bed knowing for a fact Justin didn't blame himself. He had heard it wasn't unsual for victims to blame themselves for the attack.

"Justin I never want to hear that again. And I never want you to thinnk that...EVER again. Ethan is a fucking monster. He's evil...NO one asks for this and you DIDN'T deserve it. I understood why you went with Ethan. You don't OWE me anything. I want you to understand that." Brian stood up and looked down at Justin's scared and timid face. "This is NOT your fault, do you hear me? NOT your fault."

Justin swallowed. He heard him but he didn't believe him.

"NOT your fault."

Christ will Brian quit fucking saying that?

"It's not your fualt."

Doesn't matter what Brian says it fucking IS his fault and he fucking knows it. He deserved every slap, and every rape... He deserved to be punished for hurting Brian. But Brian wouldn't fucking leave it alone.

"NOT your fault."

Brian wasn't going stop it was he?

His shoulders shook as sobs errupted.

"STOP it!" He suddenly screamed. "STOP saying that!"

"Not until you say it yourself!" Brian shot back. "Not until you say it."

"No," Justin mumbled. "No fucking way."

"It's NOT your fault," Brian said sternly. This time he did place his hand on Justin's shoulder. "It's not your fault." The words were simple and Brian said it in a simple factual tone. But why did it hurt so much to hear them? "Say it," Brian begged. "Say it for me, please...say it."

Exhaustion swept in. He was tired of fighting it. He wasn't sure if he fully believed it but he was tired of it. Tired of everything.

Finally he caved.

"It's..."He stopped. It took him a long time to finish the sentence. A sentence that still confused him. "It's not my fault," he finally whispered. It amazed him how spell breaking those words were. It was like some of the darkness had been lifted from him. A part of him felt relief for finally being able to say it out loud. "It's not my fault," he repeated and finally broke down into sobs. Brian gathered him into a tight hug and kissed him on the lips. He didn't jerk away. He continued to sob onto Brian's shoulder and Brian slowly held him until the sun rose and a new day began.