That's a very good point that pain can make you do foolish things. Justin also brought it on himself, unfortunately, with his stubbornness about go-go dancing so he can pay Brian back. "Stupid little twat," as Brian might say, if not as affectionately as usual at the moment. Could it be any more obvious how much Brian cares about him? :)

Do we foresee a sermon coming up for Justin from both Carl and Wen? Along, of course, with more from Brian and Ted... plus Deb, Vic, Daph, Syd, Em, etc. Jsutin's gonna get an earful, again and again. :D

Oh and then there’s our favorite detectives… they may also have a thing or two to say to Justin. :D You're not the only one who wants Carl - and Wen - to fix the Hobbs problem. If only the administrators at St. James didn't encourage that kind of bullying. :/

Everyone is on tenterhooks, waiting to see whether Justin will be okay. We didn't mean to leave you - and all our other lovely readers - hanging from a cliff for so long. Unfortunately, real life has sucked in the worst way for Karynn (eureka1) of late, which means we haven't been able to work much on the next chapter. We will update as soon as possible, but it may be a month or more. :/ There is, however, a teaser available in the FanDoc if you haven't already peeked at it - and we will write the rest of the chapter to go with it. :)

Thanks so much for leaving a comment, Marie-France. :) We adore our loyal readers!

~ KaBrynn

Thanks for the lovely comments, Pushpanjali. :) We always look forward to hearing from you.

Well, Justin has almost been taken care of. Right now he's freaking out, wondering whether his bad decision to take drugs will have drastic consequences. He's lucky to have Brian and Ted looking out for him. Protective Brian is always popular (as is protective Justin). And now we have protective Ted! It doesn't get much better than that.

You're right - Ted is a true friend - better than a certain so-called best friend. ;) Although, to give that unnamed person some credit, he probably would be there for Brian, if not for Justin, if he actually knew what was going on. Do we hear a high-pitched whine? :P

Based on your comments about Deb, you might enjoy the one-shot I'm (Karynn, aka eureka1) currently writing. It's not at all anti - you-know-who is still the best friend - but it addresses some of those same concerns from Brian's perspective. Look for the fic in roughly the next two weeks. It was supposed to be out for my third anniversary as a writer, but real life has sucked, and interfered majorly, so it’ll be late.

We're made up by how much you liked this chapter. Our apologies for leaving Justin - and you - on a cliff for so long. :/ Keep holding on with your fingertips! - it'll be a while before we get out the next chapter. There is a teaser in the FanDoc, though; take a peek if you haven't yet.

Hugs back atcha. :)

~ KaBrynn

Who are you, and what have you done with Glo? :D :D You loved the chapter without any S - E - X ! :D

Justin is giving himself and everyone major anxiety, especially Brian and Ted and soon, no doubt, Carl. And he's bound to get (more of) an earful from them and everyone else - can you hear Deb?! - once they find out. Justin's not thinking about that right now, however, since he's freaking out about what the doctor will have to say and whether he'll be okay. Poor kid. :(

Deb and Vic probably put Justin's lack of appetite, and also the way he moved so gingerly, to a mild case of food poisoning (that stuff is nasty, even when it's not severe), the flu, or both. 

You're right. There are lessons for Brian here, too. Not only did he get drunk and high and break his promise to be at Babylon for Justin on Friday night, he was so stoned that he couldn't have helped regardless. If Justin had called him on the landline, he probably wouldn't have heard the phone ring or wouldn’t have paid attention if he did. And the way he regularly pops drugs hardly sets a good example for his young lover.

Isn't the friendship between Brian and Ted wonderful? We're really enjoying our Ted, who matures - well, except for a touch of foot in mouth disease :D - much earlier than in canon and is well on his way to replacing someone else as Brian's best friend. Other than Justin, of course. :)

Both Debbie and Vic have probably wanted to buy Justin a new coat - that thing's so threadbare that if one pulled on a hanging thread, it would probably disintegrate - ever since he moved in with them, but they know how stubborn and proud Justin is about caring for himself. Stubborn blond. *sigh*

Real life has sucked big time for Karynn of late, so we're not sure when we'll get the next chapter out - probably at least a month (or more) from now. :/ We're always planning future chapters, though. :)

Thanks for the wonderful review, Glo. Sex aside, hahaha - you know we can't resist teasing you. :P

~ KaBrynn

Thanks so much for the lovely compliments. :) This chapter seems to have really resonated with our readers. :)

Thank goodness, huh, that Justin is finally going to see a doctor? If only a positive outcome were certain... :( We're all on tenterhooks, waiting to hear what the doctor will say. Brian and Ted are almost as freaked out as Justin. Carl, like Brian, may do his best not to show it, but he's also bound to be really concerned about the kid who's becoming a son to him. Our favorite detective has sure come a long way from when gays weirded him out.

Debbie probably put Justin's lack of appetite down to a mild case of food poisoning or the flu. We'll doubtless hear more of her opinion on the matter. :D

Thanks for sharing your favorite quote from the chapter. :D That was a combined brainstorm. :P

Real life has once again delayed us - it has been especially sucky for eureka1 :( - but we will get a new chapter out as soon as possible, likely another month or more, unfortunately. If you haven't read the teaser for the new chapter yet, it is available in the FanDoc.

Thanks for being such a faithful reader - and reviewer - Claire! :)

~ KaBrynn

That Michael robbed the loft is a popular theory. The police won't confirm or deny, though; their investigation is still in progress.

Thanks for commenting. :)

~ KaBrynn

You're absolutely correct. Justin in pain does not think well at all. That led to the extremely bad decision to take drugs at Babylon. :(

The drunk and high advertising team had a lot of fun. :D Even if they were barely coherent at times. :D Brian keeps trying to tell us that he was barely affected by all the alcohol and pot, but we're not buying it...

The final scene was a Beam and weed-induced hallucination. Brian certainly enjoyed himself. :D

Thanks for commenting, Marie-france. :) Real life reared its ugly head and interfered with our progress on the next chapter, but we should have a teaser up soon - we're working on the chapter now.

~ KaBrynn

That's certainly a unique theory. :D You'll just have to keep reading to find out what happens. :D

Thanks so much for leaving a review. :) We're made up that you're enjoying our story. Real life has delayed us - again, dammit! - but we should have a teaser for the next chapter up soon.

~ KaBrynn

Yeah, poor Justin. :( And now he's made a bad decision with the drugs. We'll have to see what happens next.

Brian? He's feeling no pain... not yet, anyway. :D

Thanks for commenting, Phyllis. :) After another of those annoying real life delays, we're working on the next chapter.

~ KaBrynn

You beat out Phyllis with the first review! :D That's not an easy feat. :D

We can't imagine how Justin could hide his injuries from Brian. He's bound to get plenty more 'encouragement' to go to a doctor, from all sides. He's being such a stubborn, foolish, little twat - to borrow one of Brian's 'endearments'. :P Can you hear us now, Sunshine?

"At least 'someone' recognizes that my tolerance is much greater than Abbott and Costello's." Brian nods in approval before wincing and massaging his aching head.

We had a blast writing the 'drunk talk' together. Did you guess what Cynthia meant with 'clench your plate'? Hmm, we should probably add an end note to clarify that.

Do Ms Gallagher's snide comments mostly go right over Hobbs' head? He’s not the brightest bulb and is way too used to coasting on his jock status...

We followed the current British method for taking tests. To reduce cheating, all final answers have to be rendered in ink. It wasn't like that for Karynn long, long ago, either... as best she can remember anyway. :D

Yes, Hobbs needs to get his just deserts. That has to happen sooner or later, right?

Thanks for the wonderful review, Cathy! :) We hope to have a teaser for the next chapter up soon. We were delayed... again. :/

~ KaBrynn (Karynn & Brynn)

You enjoyed that NSFW opening scene, huh? Karynn may have gotten a trifle 'hot' writing it. :P

Chris Hobbs is such a coward. There's no way, if he can help it, that he'll give Justin a fair chance to fight back.

Sherry voiced the same concern about Justin taking on too much. He's bound to realize that soon and find a better balance - right? Do you hear us, Sunshine?

Greedy Glo... what else is there for us to say? :D Even a steamy sex scene isn't enough for you. :D Hmm, maybe at some point in the future we can lock the boys in the loft for twenty-four hours... how does that sound?

Our intrepid detectives are being incredibly close-mouthed about the burglary. They've assured us, though, that they are still investigating.

Thanks for the fun review! We'd mention the teaser in the FanDoc, but you doubtless read it immediately after digesting this latest chapter. We are working on the next installment – now RL needs to stop being a total PITA…

~ KaBrynn

We're glad you enjoyed the first scene. :D Brian certainly relished his visit from the blond blowjob fairy. :D

Yeah, we want someone to take care of Hobbs too. Such a cowardly, closeted wanker. :/

Thanks for reviewing, Claire. We have posted a teaser for the next chapter in the FanDoc, although we are, unfortunately, nowhere near finished with the next chapter. We'll keep working on it, though!

~ KaBrynn

Thanks for again being the first to review, Phyllis. :)

Siccing all the women on Hobbs - Daphne, Sydney, Origami Girl, Detective Wen, Debbie, even Cynthia - isn't a bad idea. Hobbs would never survive! We'll have to whisper a suggestion in their ears.

A teaser for the next chapter in available in the FanDoc, and we're working, albeit slowly, on the next chapter. RL - nasty infections on one side and a thesis on the other - should be banished!

~ KaBrynn