mander3_swish (mander3_swish) wrote in qaf_giftxchnge, @ 2012-12-31 15:21:00 |
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Entry tags: | 2012 gift exchange |
Gift # 32b of 36
TO: gaeln
FROM: cheburashka_2
BETA: Predec2 & mom
TITLE: Exile
GIFT REQUEST: Fic S5, 'What if' fic of the author's choice. Brian/ Justin, psychologically driven, characters thought processes (a little porn is fine, but not as main focus).
Chapter 4
"What?" Justin exclaimed in surprise.
"Witness protection. Your name will be among the dead. You will disappear - new place, new name, new identity and no contact with anyone in Pittsburgh until it's all over."
"How long?"
"It could take a while.”
“Why? You have the names of the perpetrators, their faces. You know where they parked the getaway car.”
“First names. As for the vehicle, we’ll locate it only if the 7-11 has a functioning security camera that has it on tape. We’ll talk to everyone who works there, of course, but in my experience people rarely notice a car parked at a convenience store for a couple of hours. But besides all that, you’ll have to stay ‘dead’ until the investigation into this bombing is complete, which includes finding these guys, which aren’t the professionals that Schneider usually hires. We'll need to gather all the physical evidence possible that connects this bombing to the organization and to Schneider. We'll need to re-build the case and make it airtight, then indict the perpetrators and connected individuals. So, yes, it may take a while. The thing is that your testimony as an eyewitness will be crucial. It'll save lives, Justin."
"I know. You still haven't given me a time frame."
"I can't give you a definite one. It all depends on how long the investigation will take and then the courts. It could take months, a year... I don't know."
"A year? Shit. My mother will have a fit, but she's reasonable enough. She'll understand. Debbie on the other hand... Brian would probably have to restrain her... Shit! Brian..."
"Debbie? Brian? Who are they?"
"Debbie's like a second mother to me..."
"Like a second mother - she's not a relative?"
"No. We aren't related at all. She’s Carl’s girlfriend, actually. She took care of me... I lived with her for a while my senior year in high school. It's a long story. And Brian is my ex, though as far as he is concerned we were never in a relationship."
"They can't know. None of them, Justin. Especially not an ex-boyfriend. He could be bought off..."
Justin laughed. "Bought off? Brian Kinney? No fucking way! He may not love me, he may not want to be with me, but he cares enough about me not to sell me out. You can take that to the bank. Besides, as the owner of Babylon he’s a victim too."
"It doesn't matter - no one can know. You are our best chance of finally bringing these jackals to justice. Your safety is paramount and the fewer people know that you are breathing the better. Right now there are two of us who know you are alive. My boss will obviously know and the person in the witness protection program processing your new identity documents will know. That's four people. I'd like to keep it that way for as long as humanly possible, hopefully until the day you testify in court."
"My mother has to know. If she thinks that I died in that explosion, it'll kill her. I won't do that to her; she has my sister to think of. She has to know. Period."
"Is she a good enough actress to look like she lost a son at the funeral?"
"Funeral?"
"Of course there'll be a funeral. We want this to be as authentic as possible."
"Yeah, she can handle it. God knows how long she faked it with my father."
"What about your father?"
"Oh, I've been dead to him for a while. Pretty much since I told him I was gay. If anyone will sell me out, it's him. He can't know."
"He won't."
"Listen, about Brian..."
"No, Justin. I'll allow your mother to know, but no one else. No contact - at all, with anyone. No calls, letters, emails, texts, chats, nothing. They have to genuinely believe that you are dead for your safety, as well as for theirs, not to mention the integrity of our case."
"I know, I know. I meant that Brian won't believe that I am dead unless he sees a body. How are you going to get around that, if you don't want him to know?"
“Well,” Carl, who until that moment remained silent, finally said. “I have an idea.”
Chapter 5
Brian felt his knees going weak, but he willed himself to stay upright and get to the bottom of this nonsense, because he just couldn’t believe that Justin was gone and none of the explanations so far made any sense.
“How was he identified?” he demanded.
“A part of his driver’s license survived. When they plugged the partial information into the database, his electronic record came up. Also, this was found on his body.” Carl produced a sealed plastic evidence bag with a tarnished, silver bracelet in it. Brian instantly recognized it – the only thing of Ethan’s that Justin had kept and the only thing of Ethan’s that Brian tolerated – a medical alert bracelet listing Justin’s allergies. The fiddler apparently gave it to Justin for his birthday. Although many of such bracelets existed, this one was unique – its elongated hexagonal shape was inscribed with a tiny treble clef in one corner and a tiny paint brush in another, making it utterly unmistakable.
“There was also this,” Carl continued, producing another evidence bag containing a watch – the only thing of his father’s that Justin had ever kept.
“I gave him that watch on his 16th birthday,” Craig whispered. It seemed that Craig had finally understood the difference between someone being dead in empty, shallow words that one screams in anger, and in cruel, merciless reality.
“There’s no mistake?” Tucker asked.
“None. The blood sample also matched what Justin had on record at the hospital from the time of the bashing.” Carl concluded quietly.
“Do we have to go to the morgue to identify the body?” Craig asked.
“You don’t have to do shit, asshole! He’s been dead to you since he was 17, why bother now?” Brian said, barely containing a sudden fury. “I’ll go. Take me to him!”
“I’m sorry, son,” Carl said apologetically, “but only the next of kin, a blood relative, can identify the remains if there’s no spouse.”
“I don’t care, I want to see him.” Brian demanded. “I won’t believe that he’s dead until I see the b…until I see him.”
“I’m sorry, but who are you exactly?” Agent Modig asked.
“Brian Kinney. I’m his…”
“Ex-boyfriend, of sorts,” Carl explained before Brian could finish his thought. “They’ve been on and off for a couple of years. It’s been ‘off’ for the last few weeks, sadly.”
“Fuck you, Carl!” Brian exploded.
“Is it true, Mr. Kinney? You weren’t involved with Justin Taylor at the time of his death?”
“No,” Brian reluctantly admitted.
“Then, I’m sorry, but Carl’s right. You shouldn’t have even been here for this. I thought you were a relative. If the next of kin, his parents, give their permission…”
“Brian has my permission,” Jennifer whispered raggedly. “Whatever their relationship was like, however they ended things, Justin loved Brian…unreservedly. He’d want… he’d…” then she dissolved into tears anew.
“Mr. Taylor?” Agent Modig asked.
“I haven’t been involved in…in my son’s life in a few years now, so whatever Jennifer says is fine with me.”
Brian certainly didn’t expect that from Craig Taylor.
“Jennifer, Brian...” Carl said, hesitating slightly, “you’ve already identified his belongings. Things found on his body. The blood matched. There’s no need for you to go to the morgue. You don’t want to see him that way. You don’t want to remember him that way. Trust me.”