Runaway Chapter 13

Brian wasn't happy about Tyler having to answer police questions. But if that was the only way he could see him, he had to agree. Brian nodded and followed their lawyer up the stairs.

Marcus was still stationed outside the interrogation room and Brian smiled slightly knowing Tyler had been protected. Marcus grinned and nodded. Taking a deep breath, Brian walked into the room and saw Tyler sitting at a table with his head resting on the top.

Brian blinked back his tears. "Ty?" he whispered.

Tyler raised his head at the familiar voice and turned his tear-streaked face towards the door. He blinked rapidly, unsure about what he was seeing.

"Brian?" he murmured hesitantly.

Brian nodded and walked quickly to the table. Tyler pushed himself to his feet and turned in time to find himself engulfed in Brian's embrace. Tyler felt those comforting arms around him and let his body relax against Brian. He held on to the older man as though his life depended on it.

Neither man spoke immediately. Brian gently rubbed Tyler's back as he squeezed him. He could feel Tyler trembling and again wished he could take all the fear and pain away. He silently promised himself that he would do everything he could to make sure Tyler found happiness.

Tyler finally pulled back and looked into Brian's eyes. "When will this ever end?" he asked sadly.

Brian shook his head slightly and grasped Tyler's face with his fingers. "I don't know Ty. But he is not going to win this. We are going to work all of this out and you will never have to see him again." Brian gazed intently at Tyler. "Trust me!" he pleaded softly.

Tyler closed his eyes for a moment and inhaled deeply. "I do trust you Brian," he said softly as he opened his eyes. "I trust you more than I've ever trusted anyone else in my life."

Brian gently ran a finger over Tyler's lips before lowering his mouth to taste those lips. Tyler responded passionately to Brian's kiss, trying to pull the singer closer to his body. He kissed Brian desperately, wanting to memorize everything about his lips, his taste, the feel of his arms around Tyler.

A knock at the door forced the two to separate. Brian cupped Tyler's face in his hands. "Remember, Ty, I love you. Hold on to that, okay?" Tyler bit his lower lip and nodded.

Brian walked over and opened the door to admit their lawyer and a police detective. Brian glared at the detective, glanced back at Tyler with a smile then left to rejoin his friends downstairs.

Tyler listened to the detective and answered the questions Paul said he could. As he had for the arresting officers, Tyler lifted his shirt and showed the man the scars on his back. The detective wrote notes as Tyler spoke. The questioning went longer than fifteen minutes, but Paul could see that the detective was getting a clearer picture of the truth so he allowed it.

Finally the detective closed his notepad and looked at Tyler. "Tyler, I can't make promises, but once the prosecution hears what I have to say, I'd be surprised if the charges aren't thrown out."

Tyler's eyes widened, but he refused to get his hopes up. "Thank you," he said softly.

The detective smiled and patted Tyler's arm. "You should be out of here soon. Don't worry."

After leaving Tyler, Brian walked downstairs, but instead of finding the others, he pulled out his own cell phone and found a quiet spot. He dialed and waited for someone to pick up.

"Hello?"

"Hi Mom," Brian said quietly.

"Brian, honey! Are you okay?" Jackie Littrell asked.

Brian sighed. "I don't know Mom. Tyler was arrested last night," he told her.

"What?" Jackie exclaimed. Brian had told his Mom about Tyler, everything from how they met to how Brian felt about the younger man. "What happened?"

Brian blinked back tears of anger and frustration. "His father happened. He trumped up fake charges claiming Tyler stole money from him. Mom, I don't know how much more of this Tyler can take," he whispered.

"Or you?" she asked softly.

"Yeah." The word was barely audible.

"Do you want me to come there?" Jackie asked.

"I…" Brian sighed again and wiped an errant tear from his face. "I don't know Mom. Paul is pretty hopeful the whole thing will be thrown out. They will be in court later this morning. Why don't I call you after? I'll have a better idea of how things are."

"Okay honey. But you know to call if you need anything," Jackie said. "I love you, Brian."

"Love you too, Mom. I'm going to go find the others. I'll talk to you later," Brian said. Jackie said goodbye and Brian closed the phone.

He rejoined the others as they continued to wait. Brian wasn't sure who had brought him the muffin and coffee in his hands, but he consumed them gratefully. Finally, Paul McQuarrie came back downstairs.

The singers rose to meet him.

"Well, it went well with the detective," Paul told them. "He believed everything Tyler said, and was pretty sure once the prosecution heard Tyler's story, the charges would be dropped." Everyone sighed in relief. Paul continued. "They will be taking him to the courthouse in about thirty minutes. He's scheduled for 9:30, so as long as there are no delays, everything should be taken care of this morning."

"Will I be able to see him at the courthouse?" Brian asked.

Paul shook his head. "No. Sorry Brian. He'll be in a holding cell until his case is called. But it should only be a couple more hours," Paul added, trying to comfort Brian. Brian just nodded his head and slumped down on the bench beside Kevin. "I'm assuming you want to be there, so why don't you take the car to the courthouse now? There is nothing you can do here," Paul suggested.

The guys agreed and pulled a reluctant Brian with them as they left the police station. All were exhausted, but each of them wanted to be there to show their support for Tyler and for Brian. They tried to relax in the limo for the short drive to the court building. The media hadn't tracked them down at the station, but each knew press would be in attendance at the courthouse and it would quickly turn into a media circus once they were recognized.

The car stopped and the five men quickly stepped out and entered the large government building. As they stood uncertain in the foyer, Kevin noticed one of their assistants walking towards them.

"Hey, Ben. What are you doing here?" Kevin asked.

"Jeff called and said you guys would be coming here shortly, so I was sent to help out," Ben explained as the others gathered around him. "I've arranged a small room for you to wait in, so the media won't be hassling you. You can relax until Tyler's case. I'm just on my way to pick up some coffee and food for you, but I'll take you to the room first," he said. He began to walk down a hall, while the five singers followed him.

He stopped in front of an open door and allowed the five men to walk past him. "There are a couple of couches and some chairs. You can lock the door from inside. I'll knock when I get back, okay?" The guys quickly flopped down on the uncomfortable furniture exhausted from not sleeping the night before.

"Thanks, Ben," Brian said quietly as he leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes.

"No problem, Brian. I'll be back shortly." Ben closed the door behind him and AJ managed to remember to lock it.

"Brian?"

Brian opened his eyes when he felt the hand on his arm gently shake him. He looked up at Nick. "Ben's back, Brian. Do you want some coffee and something to eat?" he asked kindly.

Brian wiped his eyes and sat up, looking around. He could see the others gathered around the table and could smell fresh coffee.

"Thanks Nick," he said to his friend. Brian pushed himself to his feet, and walked over to join the others. Kevin handed him a cup of coffee, and he reached into the box to grab a chocolate chip muffin.

He wandered to the window to look outside as he sipped the hot liquid. He could see the front of the courthouse and immediately noticed a number of media vans and trucks parked outside. "Damn!" he swore softly.

"Someone told them you guys were here," Ben said quietly beside Brian. Brian nodded.

"What time is it?" he asked suddenly, hoping it was close to 9:30.

Ben glanced at his watch. "Its actually 9:45, Brian." He grabbed Brian before Brian could start to yell. "But, his case has been pushed back," Ben quickly explained.

Brian looked at Ben intently. "What? Why?"

Ben shook his head. "Not sure. The case before his ran into complications and is going to take longer than expected. They think probably most of the morning," Ben explained quietly.

"Fuck!" Brian shouted in frustration. He inhaled deeply, trying to calm himself. He looked back to Ben. "Ben, can you find Paul McQuarrie? Ty hasn't had any sleep and probably no food. See if Paul is allowed to take him some food, okay?" Brian implored. Ben nodded and put some muffins into a small bag before leaving.

Brian returned to his seat and put his head down in his hands, resting his elbows on his knees. He sensed someone sit down beside him and felt a comforting hand on his back. Everyone was silent, lost in thought.

He must have dozed off again because, the next thing Brian knew, someone was shaking him awake.

"Come on Brian, its almost time," Kevin said softly.

Brian stretched and sat up, feeling the stiffness in his back from the awkward position he had slept in. He looked up at his cousin. "What time is it Kev?" he asked sleepily.

"Its 1:30 Bri. Tyler's case is going to start at 1:45," Kevin said.

Brian was surprised how long he'd slept. He felt guilty that he was resting while Tyler was still behind bars. "Okay. Thanks Kev." He looked around for Ben, but didn't see him. "Has Ben been back? Did Tyler get some food?" Brian asked anxiously.

Kevin nodded. "Yeah. Ben was talking to Paul and the court was required to feed Tyler because of the length of the delay. Paul said he was holding up okay," Kevin added.

Brian stood and stretched again, feeling the muscles and joints pop in his back. He looked around at his band mates. "Okay. Let's do this!" he said confidently, although inside he was terrified.

The others smiled and they walked to the door. In the hallway, they were immediately surrounded by a number of photographers and reporters. Brian just wanted to scream at the leeches, but managed to hold his frustration in. They ignored the media and walked along the hall to the courtroom. Ben was waiting with a court constable and once the singers were in the courtroom, the constable stopped the reporters, citing some law about protecting the identity of a minor, which Tyler was, at least for another two days.

The five singers sat behind the table for the defense. That was as close to Tyler as Brian could get. A few minutes later a side door opened and a handcuffed Tyler was brought into the room and led to the table. Brian never took his eyes from the teenager. Tyler looked scared and tired. Brian just wanted to wrap his arms around him and forget about the rest of the world. He tried to give Tyler a supportive smile, and Tyler tried to return the smile. Both failed.

Tyler was relieved to see Brian and the others sitting in the courtroom. The time locked alone in a holding cell had allowed him to think and allow his fears to surface. He had almost convinced himself that the men from Backstreet would be long gone, abandoning him to his father. He was thankful he'd been wrong.

Paul arrived and the prosecuting attorney walked to his table. As the judge entered, everyone rose until he was behind the bench.

Brian didn't pay too much attention to what was being said; his concentration was on Tyler, trying to determine how he was really doing. He vaguely heard Paul mention a report from Dr Young. Paul handed the document to the attendant.

The judge asked if there was any further evidence supporting Tyler's claim of abuse. Before Paul could answer, a new voice spoke up from the back of the courtroom.

"I can give evidence against William Johnson," a female voice said.

To be continued...