Brian sat on the wall outside the crematorium. He couldn't go in. He felt too guilty, too responsible. He'd caused his friends death and he refused to go in a room and sing songs and set fire to the fucking body. It was all too fucking ironic and tragic. It was sunny when it should have rained, the birds were singing when they should be crying. People were just living their lives when his life was over. Brian kicked a bit of the stone slab that had broken away from the rest of the path. It made a slight scrapping noise as it skimmed across the floor and landed safely in the pretty little garden of fucking paradise that the crematorium had planted next door. The perfect place to be scattered, that's what they said. Well no friend of Brian's was going to be laid to rest in a garden of paradise along with every other fucker in Pittsburgh.

"Brian." Justin's voice broke through his internal thoughts of doom but it wasn't enough to make him turn around.

"Brian." Justin was closer this time and the word was accompanied by a tentative touch to the shoulder. "The ceremonies about to start. You should come inside, say goodbye."

"Why?" Brian asked numbly. "Nothing I can say will make him realise how sorry I am for getting him killed."

"You didn't get him killed, Brian," Justin said firmly. "He knew the risks he was taking. And you gave him ten years with Ignacio that he never would have had without you. I'm sure Marv wouldn't have given that up for anything." He sighed and sat next to the older man. "We haven't even been together two years yet and I don't regret anything that's brought us that. Not my dad, not my mom … not even the fact that, after this funeral, we have to leave the country forever … again. I'm sure if Marv was here, he'd thank you. Not hate you."

Brian felt Justin take his hand gently in both of his and squeeze it tightly.

"Come on," he whispered. "Come inside."

Brian sat silently. He didn't speak. He didn't move. So Justin just sighed, got to his feet and with a bit of a smirk, he said:

"I didn't wanna have to bring threats into this but Emmett said if you don't get your ass inside, he's going to run over your feet with his wheels."

Brian chuckled a little. He couldn't help was pretty sure that, "no one's ever enjoyed a wheelchair as much as Honeycutt."

"I think he thinks it makes him some kind of transformer-like robot."

Brian smiled again and this time he didn't stop Justin from taking his hand and pulling him gently inside the building.

::

The service had been quite nice in the end. Ignacio had made a speech, so had Ted and they'd all sung a hymn that Ignacio had picked out and even though, Brian thought singing and hymns were bullshit, he still sang and held Ignacio's hand giving him all the strength he had left. On his other side, he was taking his strength from Justin and Brian had no idea where Justin was getting it from. He wished he knew. He wished he could have Justin's phenomenal strength of mind at his disposal and when Justin smiled encouragingly at him, Brian knew, he didn't need Justin's strength as long as he had Justin.

The plan was that everyone should go to Debbie's afterwards but Ignacio said he had something to do first so Brian drove with him. Ignacio didn't even have to tell him where to go, he just drove to the street he knew so well until he was parked outside the old Mexican restaurant. It was all boarded up and the painted sign above the door was peeling off.

"I still own it," Ignacio said, looking up at the building. He had Marv's ashes clutched to his chest. "No one would buy it because it belonged to people who had protected you."

"What are you going to do with those?" Brian asked, indicating the ashes."I think I will put them in a nice urn and then put them somewhere." He was still staring up at the restaurant.

"In there?" Brian asked.

Ignacio just nodded. "It is still the same inside," he explained, opening the car door. "Come."

Brian got out too and watched as Ignacio found a loose board. He pulled it off the window and they peered in. Ignacio was right. It was exactly as it had been left, if a little dustier and brown from the erosion of time.

"I want a complete renovación," Ignacio said quietly. And as an after thought, "he left me a lot of money."

"Marv?" Brian asked, though he could imagine Marv would have the capacity to leave Ignacio much money. They shared everything as far as he knew. Ignacio shook his head and Brian realised it was, "Alfredo."

Ignacio just nodded and replaced the bored as best he could. "I tried to not accept it but Horvath told me I deserved it. I have taken some," he admitted. "Enough to do up the restaurant. The rest I have given to a charity that support people who have lost a family member to murder." He smiled a little. "It was my final 'fuck you' to him. I know he would have hated his money to be used like this."

"Couldn't agree more," Brian smiled.

Then Ignacio turned to him and he looked very serious, more serious than Brian had ever seen him.

"I showed you this," he said slowly, "so that you can see I have my plan."

Brian frowned a little.

"I need you to know, I am fine. You do not need to stay around to see that I am okay. This is me, this is my restaurant. And you are with Justin, in your big, beautiful house in Madagascar. You go and live that happily ever after that you deserve and I will search for the next chapter of my story."

::

Debbie's house didn't really feel like a funeral. It felt like a celebration. There was food and drinks and a buzz about the place that felt positive and excitable and by the time Brian and Ignacio arrived, the music was playing and Emmett, in his huge fucking electric wheelchair, was trying to get Ted to dance with him.

"No," Ted was saying angrily. "What pain killers have they got you on? I think they've made you insane."

He had a point. Emmett did look a bit insane. His wheelchair was humongous and was powered by a little joystick on the right arm of the chair, as that was the arm he was able to move his fingers. The doctors had said his arms would set relatively well, though his left arm was mainly pins and titanium. It had amused him no end when Ted had bought a magnet and just stuck it to Emmett's arm. And despite the doctor's warnings, Emmett still used it as his party trick, just like spinning fast in a circle on his chair.

"Oh, he would hate that," Brian heard Ignacio chuckle and he followed the smaller man's gaze to the television. The news was on and a female reporter was stood outside the warehouse.

"Translators on the scene say that all Alfredo Jimenez wanted on his death bed was a chance to tell the world how sorry he was. After the break, we talk to some of the families of Alfredo's victims."

"How many names did you give the police?" Brian asked as the TV began playing clips of the emotionally charged interviews with victims' loved ones.

"Eighteen," Ignacio replied quietly. "You know I used to write them down in my diario, when I was at Alfredo's house. He used to tell me all about every single boy but sometimes I forgot the names before I wrote them. I gave the book to the police. I think that part of my life is at its end."

Brian nodded slightly and was struggling to think of something comforting to say when the conversation was interrupted by Michael.

"Can I talk to you?" He asked quietly.

"You gonna try and bash my head in?"

"Are you ever forgive me for that?"

"No," Brian replied immediately. It was a stupid fucking question with a simple fucking answer and he could only imagine any conversation with Michael would go in a similar way but he still went outside with him.

There was just silence in the garden. There was no party out here, no celebrations or commiserations, no grumpy Ted, no excitable Emmett, no Justin.

"Just us two," Michael summed up. "Just like it used to be before … we grew up."

"It'll never be just like it used to be," Brian replied coldly.

"I know," Michael whispered and Brian couldn't help notice how choked he sounded. "I wish…." He stopped and picked at a leaf on one of the trees, pulling at it mindlessly. There were so many things he wished and then honestly he said, "I wish I'd never met you."

Brian's eyebrows shot up in surprise, whatever he'd been expecting, it wasn't that and when he looked at the other man, he saw there were tears falling slowly down his cheeks.

"I loved you so much," he whispered. "I'd have done anything for you and you…." He sobbed a little. "You used that against me … for years. You let me tag along, you let me believe that maybe one day you and I could be together but it was never going to happen. You dragged me into that world even though you knew I couldn't cope in it and then, when push finally came to shove, when it came to the point that we were gonna be caught or dead." Michael stopped, dropping the leaf onto the floor and pulling at another one. "You abandoned me."

Brian couldn't look at the other man. He knew all this already. He'd known it from the moment he'd chosen Justin in that garage back at the house in West Virginia but to hear it aloud made him really realise how he'd destroyed Michael.

"I snapped," Michael whispered, his voice sounded like it was coming through a bubble of tears. "I wasn't in my right mind when I…. I know I shouldn't have said anything. I know you wouldn't have told them where I was but I got suckered in, Brian. Stockwell promised me a new life away from you and everything that I hated." He was crying properly. "It's not an excuse," he wept. "It'll never be an excuse. I'm so sorry."

Brian walked over to him and put his arms around his old friend and they clung on to each other and for a second, they were fourteen again and they were best friends with the whole world ahead of them. And then they pulled apart and they were strangers once again, going in two very different directions.

"Be happy with Ben," Brian whispered, kissing Michael on the forehead before joining the party again.

Once inside, he sent Ben outside.

"Your future husband needs you," was all he said and then he went to find Justin because all he wanted to do was get on a seventeen hour flight back to their home in Madagascar. When he found him, he was in the middle of dancing with Emmett and Brian just stood watching. Let the kid have his fun, he deserved it.

Brian was aware of a presence at his shoulder but he didn't have to turn around to know it was Ted.

"So, Theodore, are you coming back to Madagascar with us?"

"No," he answered quietly. It was the response Brian was expecting ever since Horvath told them they could stay in the country if they wanted. Then with a smirk, Ted added, "Emmett and I have got ourselves in on a little bankjob."

"Emmett?" Brian scorned, turning to look at his friend as though he'd suddenly spouted an extra eye. "He's fucking crippled."

"Exactly," Ted grinned. "No one's gonna suspect him."

"Nice," Brian nodded and it was.

"So … what do you say? One more spin around the block … one more job for old times sake."

Brian wouldn't lie. The temptation was there but when he looked at Justin the temptation just melted away. He promised never to put his lover in danger again and he would stand by it for the rest of his life.

"No, thanks."

"I thought you'd say that," Ted smiled. "But I guess you've been searching all your life for this happy ending right? Why throw it away now?"

"Is this gonna be one of your moments of psycho-analytical bullshit?" Brian asked, flicking Ted in forehead for no real reason other than he wanted to.

"You had a terrible childhood."

"I'll take that as a yes."

"You claimed you were never loved," Ted continued. "And ever since you've been fucking every gay man you see, trying to find love in one of them and now," he patted Brian on the back, "you've found him. And this is how your Hollywood movie ends. On an island in Madagascar."

"Oh god that's so sentimental," Brian scorned. "I'm gonna puke."

"Whereas me and Emmett," Ted laughed, "our Hollywood ending is destined to be us driving off a cliff."

"Did you just compare yourselves to Thelma and Louise?" Brian asked incredulously. Ted just shrugged and Brian rolled his eyes but he still slung an arm around Ted's shoulders and said: "If it's what you and Miss Muffet want … go for it." And barely taking a breath, he shouted, "Sunshine. We've gotta go. There's an island on the other side of the world with our names on it."

Of course Justin insisted on hugging every mother fucker in the place, especially Emmett. Brian was getting completely sick of it so when he left the room he just called,

"Later twots." Which Justin followed up with, "be sure to come an visit."

"Don't tell them that," Brian groaned as he unlocked the car. "They might take you up on the offer."

"That's what I'm hoping." And then he added, "how are things with Michael?"

"Finished," Brian said simply because that was true. It had been a long and complicated story between them and now it was over. They were both free to live how they wanted and love how they wanted. Ted and Emmett could keep chasing their blaze of glory and Ignacio could open his restaurant.

Everything felt finished or perhaps it felt like the beginning of a happy epilogue … so long as no more monsters from Brian's past decided to rear their ugly heads.