**Shire thank you so much for that amazing wedding fic, now this is especially for you..**


The wind blew outside the window, that freezing winter breeze. Brian was up uncharacteristically early this particular morning. He just couldn’t think straight, there were too many things running through his mind. 

The cold wooden floor stung his feet as he paced up and down the living room. How was he going to ask the one question he never thought he’d ever ask to the one person he loved the most in the world? 

He looked down at the little square box in his hand then into the bedroom at the sleeping blond, just looking at him make his heart race. 

He looked down at the 24 quart gold ring. It would appear to be a normal ring to anyone, but what Brian was proudest of was the inscription; 
‘Justin you are my sunshine and I will always love you.’ 

Then it hit him, it was super corny, yet it was that certain type of corniness that Justin always yearned to hear.

This was it, it was now or never. He sucked in some of the cool air around him and then gave out a loud sigh. How was he going to say everything he wanted to say? He was just too damn nervous. 

Brian silently walked up the stairs to the bedroom with the box in hand and stood at the end of the bed for a minute and took part in his guiltiest pleasure, watching Justin sleep. 

After a moment he slowly and carefully laid down beside his beautiful sleeping lover, trying his hardest not to wake him. Brian placed one hand on Justin’s hair and began to stroke it softly. This truly was the man he wanted to spend the rest of his life with.
He crept in close to Justin’s face and planted a soft kiss on his lips.

Just then Justin began to stir and woke up. Brian moved back slowly and asked “Did I wake you?” Justin just shook his head to both answer the question and shake off his sleep, then gave Brian a little smile. 

“Justin?” Brian asked, his voice breaking. 

“Yes?” Justin asked back trying to look Brian in the eye, but Brian wouldn’t have it. He was just too bloody nervous. 

“I have something I want to ask you.” he said finding the courage to finally look Justin in the eye. 

“Yes?” Justin repeated himself propping himself up on his elbow.

“It’s something serious and I want you to take me seriously.” Brian stated, he was so nervous. Half of him wanted to just forget the whole idea, and the other half just wanted to wrap the little blond boy in his arms and ask the dangerous question. 

“I promise Brian, just tell me.” Justin asked concerned trying to read the vacant expression on Brian’s face.

Brian closed his eyes and presented Justin with the small box , “Justin, will you marry me?” He held his breath, afraid of Justin’s reaction. If he said ‘no’ the he would be hurt however, if he laughed he would be crushed.

Justin’s jaw dropped. He took the box from Brian’s hands and sat up. Carefully, he took the ring out of the box and examined it, speechless. 
Then he froze as he noticed the inscription and began to read out loud softly, “Justin, you are my sunshine and I will always love you.” Tears began to run down his face and he looked at Brian. “Oh my God, yes!” he cried wrapping his arms around Brian.

Relieved, Brian whispered, “I love you.” into Justin’s ear and gave him a passionate kiss. 

“I love you too,” Justin cried into Brian’s ear, “more than anything I ever had before.” Brian felt the tears against his chest and that feeling of nervousness returned again. He broke the embrace and took the box from Justin’s hand and snatched the ring from the other. He took Justin’s right hand in his own and slid the ring onto his finger.

“It’s time for school.” Brian laughed placing his forehead against Justin’s. Justin pushed away shocked, his eyes wide.

“You can’t possibly expect me to go to classes today.” he said stocking Brian’s neck. “Please, just one day?” he begged.

“Sorry Sunshine, but you have to today.” he closed his eyes and just focussed on the hand stroking his neck.

“But you don’t even work today.” Justin continued to beg, he wasn’t going to drop the subject, he wanted nothing more than to just lay in bed all day with Brian. 

“You can’t,” Brian insisted, “I have some work to do today, that I need to do alone.” Justin’s face dropped and a hurt expression was painted across his face. Brain saw this and tried to help the situation. “ But, I promise when you get home I’ll be here.” he kissed Justin on the forehead and stood up from the bed. Justin soon followed. Half of him wanted to cry, he couldn’t understand why Brian didn’t want to spend time with him after all of that, but the other half knew Brian was up to something. Maybe he thought that Justin would be too excited to remember that Brian was still on vacation. He wouldn’t have to worry about work or another client until late February. 

But Justin obeyed and got ready for his first class, and before Brian realized it he was gone. 


***********


Brian paced up and down the loft, “I wonder if I was too hard on him.” Brian thought out loud as he fiddled with his cowry shell bracelet. He truly felt awful about just kicking Justin out of it. But after tonight, nothing else would matter, stupid mistakes of the past would be forgotten in the improvements that lay ahead for both of them.
He paced over to the kitchen table where the cook book that he had borrowed from Debbie was. She couldn’t believe it when he came over and asked for one, but he didn’t tell her the REAL reason he needed it, but even though she knew he was spitting her lies she gave it to him anyway.

He flipped through the pages until he reached the one he had marked. “Seafood Linguine” it read across the top of the page. Brian snickered and placed the book on the kitchen counter top. Oh yes, tonight is all that matters. 


***********


“He proposed to me Daph!” Justin squealed to Daphne as he stuck out his right hand so she could examine in band of gold on his finger.

“Oh. My. God Justin!” she took his hand and examined the ring, “It’s so pretty.. And shiney!”

A huge smile went across Justin’s face, “And that’s not even the half of it!” he reclaimed his hand and removed the ring from his finger, “he even had it inscribed.” he offered Daphne the ring and she started to read aloud.

“Justin, you are my sunshine,” she paused to look up at Justin with a smile, “and I will always love you?” her voice rose at the word ‘love’. Suddenly she wrapped her arms around Justin and cried “Oh my God! I am so happy for you sweetie!” she released him, returned his ring, and began to continue walking.

Daphne was just full of questions.

“So when and where is it going to be?” she asked.

Justin looked at her, “What?”

She returned the look at laughed, “The wedding, dummy!”

“Oh, that.” Justin laughed, “Well, we never really talked about it.. We didn’t really talk about anything. I was in too much shock. 

Disappointed, Daphne moved onto the next question. “I am invited, right?”. 
Justin stopped dead in his tracks.
“What? Of course!” he screamed.

“Just checking” she winked. “And I do get to have a dance with the married man, don’t I?”

“Oh Daph..” Justin sighed and gave her a friendly push.


***********


“Serves six? My ass!” Brian exclaimed as he stirred the pasta in the pot, “More like one and a cat!” He placed the lid on the pot and walked over to the table to light the candles and get a bottle of wine from the rack.
‘Music!’ he reminded himself, ‘What kind of romantic evening is complete with music?’ he quickly dashed over to the stereo and flipped through the loads of CDs in his collection until he reached the most loathed one of all. “Ethan Gold.” he read aloud, picking the CD out of its resting place. He removed the CD from its jewl case and snapped it in two. He was no longer a part of Justin’s life. A part of their lives. He remembered all those nights wondering where Justin was, if he was even ok, not knowing if he’d even ever see him again. And because of what? All because of that monster, Ethan Gold.
He should be forgotten, like a bad dream, no more like a nightmare. He tossed the broken disk and its Jewl case into the trash where it belonged and went back to his search of finding that perfect CD.

He kneeled down and flipped through the cases again until he reached a CD he purchased as a gag gift for Michael’s thirtieth birthday, he thought it fit him and the doc perfectly, unfortunately, Mikey realized the angle of the gift and tossed it back in Brian’s face. “Ah, ‘The collection of romantic piano classics’. Perfect.” Brian said to himself as he placed the CD into the disk tray of the CD player.

The sound of a piano filled the room instantly. Oh the piano, such a lovely instrument, not even remotely like a violin.

Brian returned to stirring his pasta, its was almost seven o’clock. Justin would be home soon.