~

For the second time in two days, Allison Starr was standing outside Brian Bentley’s room, her heart pounding as she prepared to talk to him. What once felt like second nature had become a monumental undertaking, and Allison was determined to restore their relationship to what it used to be: loving partners. However, she knew that Brian was under no obligation to forgive her. She had broken his heart, then avoided him for a month. When they did finally have a proper conversation about what happened, Brian shouted and poured his heart out, and Allison was too stunned to respond. She knew there was a chance that he had been pushed too far, but she was still determined to try. Taking a moment to recommit herself to that goal, Allison then took a breath and knocked on the door, letting the inhabitant know that someone was about to come in.

“Brian?” she softly called out, scanning the room for his location. After a moment, she spotted him in the same chair he had been sitting in the previous day, once again watching something on his phone- a phone that was twice as tall as him, by the way. Brian flinched at the sound of his unexpected visitor, and turned to face her with slightly wide eyes. When she caught his gaze, Allison noticed that his eyes were slightly red, and his face glistened with the faintest trace of wetness. Immediately, her alarm bells began to ring as her heart quickened in concern. Her previous anxiety was replaced with a new anxiety for his well-being, and she quickly began making her way towards him on the table.

Once Brian realized who was visiting him, as well as what he had been caught doing, he let out a frustrated sigh as he looked away in embarrassment. Getting caught crying by Elizabeth was one thing, as it had already happened a couple times, but Allison was another story. He wasn’t exactly excited to see her, as he was still pretty raw from their encounter the day before. As such, being caught in a vulnerable moment stung a little harder.

“Brian?” W-What’s wrong?” Allison hurriedly asked, kneeling down by the table so her face was roughly at his level. Brian debated telling her to go away, but he knew that doing so would only elicit a similarly panicked visit from Elizabeth moments later, so he decided to just tell her the truth.

“I-I’m fine,” he muttered, a declaration that was slightly undercut by a sniffle.

“They just, um… on the news, they… they showed the b-bodycam footage…” he continued, still unable to turn back towards the extremely concerned woman before him. Allison’s heart dropped off a cliff as she realized what had happened.

“I wasn’t able to get up and turn it off in time, and… once it started, I… I c-couldn’t stop watching…” he whispered. This admission brought on a new wave of sadness, and he cursed himself for being so stupid.

“Oh, no, Brian…” Allison whispered, her voice breaking in pure concern. At the sound of her voice, Brian couldn’t help but be reminded of the time she had comforted him during his breakdown.

“Why didn’t you message Elizabeth? You shouldn’t go through these things alone,” she asked concernedly. Brian lightly shook his head in response.

“It’s stupid, and embarassing. I cry too much,” he answered softly, causing Allison to frown.

“There’s nothing wrong with crying, especially with how much you’ve been through,” she chided. “Shit, I cried when I watched that footage. How could you be expected not to?”

For some reason, this admission caught Brian by surprise, and he finally turned back towards Allison.

“You did?” he asked quietly, unable to prevent another sniffle.

“Of course I did,” she replied. “A person I care about was… well, you know. And there was so much bloo- well, you know. I seriously regretted watching it, and I was really happy that you decided not to. It breaks my heart that you just saw it accidentally.”

“I see,” Brian whispered, turning his eyes downwards. “Thanks.”

Allison smiled a bit at his genuine gratitude, relieved that their conversation was off to a non-confrontational start. Still, she was extremely unhappy that it came at the cost of Brian being exposed to one of his worst memories. She wanted to reach out and comfort him, but she wasn’t sure how he would react to being touched. As such, she simply let Brian rest for a moment as he calmed himself down.

“I really tried to save him, you know…” he whispered, barely audibly. Allison’s heart fractured. 

“I know you did,” she replied, matching his whisper. “There was nothing you could have done.”

Brian nodded, his eyes darkening even more. At that, Allison decided to try changing the subject.

“Um… have there been any public statements from your family yet?” she asked, before immediately cursing her stupidity.

Change the subject to something lighter, you fucking idiot!

“No,” Brian answered softly. “No public appearances, either. My guess is that they’re hiding out somewhere. They’re probably getting a lot of hate from the people who believe in my innocence.”

“Do you think it’s deserved?” Allison asked hesitantly, to which Brian let out a big sigh. To her relief, the change of subject seemed to energize him a bit.

“I don’t know,” he admitted. “It’s not like I have any desire for my mom’s life to be ruined, even though she’s awful. Honestly, I just think the public needs to stop harassing people.”

“Agreed,” Allison muttered.

“I’ll tell you this, though,” Brian said firmly, turning his eyes back towards Allison. “My sister is completely blameless. She’s a victim just as much as me, and anybody throwing hate her way is a total fucking scumbag.”

Allison couldn’t help but smile appreciatively at his fervent declaration.

“You’re really protective of her, aren’t you?” she asked, to which Brian shrugged.

“She’s just a kid…” he replied.

“You’re not that much older, you know,” Allison said, raising an eyebrow.

“Look, that whole amnesia thing brought back some memories of her,” Brian continued, ignoring Allison’s comment. “Like, I had completely forgotten that I promised to read to her before I left for that walk. So, I guess… she’s been on my mind this last month. I miss her.”

Allison’s eyes softened at his soft admission, and the urge to physically comfort him returned in earnest. Just as she started to draw her hand upwards, though, Brian’s expression hardened as he came to a realization.

“Anyway, did you need something?” he quickly asked. His memory of the previous day came flooding back, and he remembered that he was mad at her. Allison noticed his change in attitude, and she internally sighed.

“Not exactly,” she answered. “I was just hoping we could talk a bit.”

Brian broke his gaze away as he let out a small sigh.

“I’d rather not…” he muttered. Allison was slightly discouraged by this, but she suddenly came up with an idea to break the ice.

“Aw, come on,” she replied teasingly. “Pretty peas?”

Brian’s eyes shot back towards her, and he narrowed them in suspicion.

“Was that a Dragon Ball…?”

“Yup,” Allison answered smugly.  Brian couldn’t help but smile a bit at this unexpected reference, but he quickly returned to his standard neutral expression. 

“Fine,” he grumbled. “About what?”

Allison smiled victoriously, before her expression softened.

“I wanted to apologize for yesterday,” she said quietly.

“Oh?” Brian replied, in mild shock. Allison nodded.

“Yeah. You were telling me how you felt, and you at least deserved a response. I’m sorry that I didn’t say anything. I guess… I was just surprised,” she continued.

“Well, what were you expecting?” Brian asked, trying not to get emotional again.

“I don’t know,” Allison admitted, with a small smile. “For some reason… I didn’t expect that you would still feel so hurt. I thought that maybe you had moved on from your anger.”

Brian scowled a bit, but he was cut off before he could respond.

“Which was completely stupid,” Allison hurriedly continued. “Of course you would still be upset. Especially after I avoided you for a month, which I’m also really sorry for.”

Brian’s expression softened a bit at her heartfelt admission of guilt.

“You know, it’s funny. After everything we’ve been through- after our first argument, after I told you why I was a Chev, after your breakdown… we decided that, no matter what, we just had to talk to each other. To just be honest, and work it out like two people who care about each other. Despite all this, I still chose to avoid you. And you know why?” she asked, to which Brian shook his head.

“Because I was only thinking about my own feelings. I was scared, and that’s all I cared about. I didn’t think about your feelings, and I made things even harder for you. I was selfish, and I truly, truly apologize,” she said, before closing her eyes and slightly lowering her head. In the face of such a sincere apology, even Brian was stunned speechless for a moment. He could feel a growing heaviness behind his eyes, but he worked hard to push it down.

“What… w-where is this coming from?” he choked out incredulously. Allison raised her head and flashed him a warm smile.

“You gave me a lot to think about yesterday, Brian. I also talked a bit with my therapist today, and she helped me realize some things about the way I’ve been acting. Lastly, I just had a long chat with Elizabeth. Your talk with her caused her to realize some stuff as well. Look, at a certain point I just have to take the hint!” she explained, chuckling lightly at the end. Despite himself, Brian smiled. This was everything he had wanted to hear, and his heart slightly sped up with excitement as he came to a decision.

“So, anyway. I’ve said my piece,” she said with a huff. “What do you think-”

“I forgive you.”

~

Back in the living room, Elizabeth was reclined into the couch. She was deep in thought, wondering how Brian and Allison’s talk was going. She truly wanted them to be happy, but she couldn’t help but feel a little nervous. Truthfully, she was still concerned about their relationship. She worried that Brian would be too dependent on her, and she worried that Allison wasn’t ready to navigate their complicated dynamic just yet. Still, she meant what she had said earlier about not letting fear stop the pursuit of happiness. She knew that they truly loved each other, and she wasn’t about to get in the way of that. With that being said, she couldn’t stop herself from letting out a small sigh.

“Can’t he just… not date, for a while?” she muttered exasperatedly. “I certainly didn’t miss this part of being a mother…”

Closing her eyes and groaning, she decided to distract herself with the news. Now that the bodycam footage was no longer being replayed, she felt safe in switching the channel back and turning up the volume. This particular media group was the one they had initially given the footage to, and Elizabeth cherished the memory of when she had gone in to meet with the editor. The look on his face when he realized the broader implications of that footage, as well as his excitement at the fact that they would be the ones to break the story, was truly something to behold.

What she found when she changed the channel was a press conference held by Cassandra Day, the senator who was spearheading the campaign to investigate Brian Bentley’s trial. After an extensive research campaign by the man himself, in which he carefully and thoroughly examined every senator’s history, policy standpoints, and political aspirations, he had settled on her as the one most likely to assist them. He was right, and she had instantly jumped on the opportunity to strike at the criminal justice system. Although she was not yet privy to the fact that Brian was actually alive, she was no less determined to discover the truth behind the murder of Timmy Osment. In their private correspondence, she had even admitted to Elizabeth that she was convinced of his innocence. She was undoubtedly their most important ally. Without her, there was no way that Brian’s case would have ever been reopened. As such, the trio had agreed that she would be the first one to know about Brian, should his innocence be revealed to the world. Excluding Allison’s therapist, of course.

“Look, it doesn’t matter how much time or money this investigation takes,” came her voice from the television. Her short-cut brown hair perfectly accentuated her no-nonsense features, which meshed with her age of 56 to create the visage of a driven woman who would do anything in the pursuit of justice, and perhaps advance her political career in the process. Still, she continued.

“If there’s even a chance, a teeny-tiny chance, that Brian Bentley was actually innocent… well, we owe it to his memory - his shrunken, tortured memory, might I add - to do everything in our power to discover the truth. There is absolutely no legal reason as to why that bodycam footage shouldn’t have been revealed to the American people, and that should be more than enough to inspire serious doubt in any rational person.”

“Absolutely,” Elizabeth muttered, nodding in affirmation.

“That footage did not show a robot child murderer. That footage showed a young man sobbing hysterically at the fact that a child just died in his arms. That footage showed a young man being viciously beaten by a police officer, as he screamed and begged for the officer to go look for the real killer. That footage showed a young man covered in blood, despite the fact that absolutely no weapons could be seen. To every skeptic, to every doubter, I say this: if you’re a parent, imagine that it was your child in that footage. Imagine that such a horrible thing was covered up, and your child was sentenced to death with absolutely zero transparency regarding why. Would you seriously, honestly, in the eyes of God, still say that an investigation into their case would be a waste of time and money?”

“Damn, she’s good!” Elizabeth exclaimed appreciatively, feeling the slightest twinge of jealousy at her rhetorical skills.

“Lastly, I’ll just say that, despite the fact that this investigation is only two days old, I can tell you that it has not been a waste of time. When we’re ready, which could even be today for all I know, the American people will understand why. Thank you for your time.”

With that, she was gone. Her visage was replaced with a news anchor, ready to provide commentary on her press conference, which had occurred a few hours prior. Elizabeth adopted a self-satisfied smile, once again taking comfort in the fact that they had such an influential ally. Before she could bask in the feeling for very long, though, the news anchor was interrupted by a flashing screen.

~

“You- what- huh?” Allison stammered, completely caught off guard by Brian’s immediate forgiveness. Brian nodded in response, just a little bashfully.

“I forgive you,” he repeated. “I can tell you meant what you said, and… it’s everything I wanted to hear. I forgive you, Allie.”

Allison drew one hand to her mouth at the sound of her nickname, and a stirring of warmth in her heart caused her to get emotional.

“R-Really?” she squeaked, to which Brian nodded again.

“I was never mad at you for what happened,” he explained. “I was mad because I didn’t feel like anyone was acknowledging my feelings. I was mad because nobody was listening to me. But now… you’re listening to me. I forgive you.”

Allison tearfully nodded as she adopted a huge smile.

“I’ll listen to you,” she replied, as a tear streaked down her beautiful face. “I promise, I’ll always listen to you from now on. I’m sorry I ever didn’t. I’ll listen to you.”

Brian reciprocated her smile, and he extended one hand. Allison brought her own hand up and extended one finger. When they made contact, an electric shock surged throughout their bodies, and they somehow managed to smile even wider.

“I… I missed you,” she choked out, leaning slightly closer.

“I missed you, too,” Brian replied softly.

“I’m so sorry for breaking up with you,” she continued. “I want to be your girlfriend again. I want it so fucking bad. Will you please be my boyfriend?”

She brought her lips right up to Brian’s body, and tried to avoid showering him in her tears.

“Yes,” Brian answered. “Nothing would make me happier. I love you.”

With that, for the first time in a long time, Allison Starr and Brian Bentley shared a kiss. It was the most tender and emotional kiss either of them had ever experienced, and it caused their souls to glow with warmth and happiness.

Just like that, they were back together.

~

Neither of them wanted the moment to end, but end it eventually did. They reluctantly pulled away from each other, both blushing heavily and grinning like idiots. With a quick nonverbal confirmation of permission, Allison gently plucked him up and placed him in her warm palm. She basked in the feeling of his delicate body as it rested in her hand, and he basked in the all-encompassing warmth that was rising from her soft skin. Both of them felt like they had finally come home after a long journey into darkness, and they were about as happy as they had ever been. After a small eternity of blissful relaxation, Allison brought her hand closer to her body, squeezing it to her chest in some form of a hug. Pulling it away, she gazed at her one-inch boyfriend with all the love in the world.

“I’m so happy,” she whispered. “I love you so much.”

Brian’s eyes softened, and he opened his mouth to reply. Before he could, though, a scream cut through the silence. Allison and Brian were instantly snapped out of their love-induced haze, and their eyes darted in the direction of the noise- the living room. Suddenly, another scream caused them to flinch. They recognized the voice as belonging to Elizabeth.

“BRIAN!!! ALLISON!!!” she screamed. They shared a quick glance, before Allison carefully closed her fist around Brian and dashed out of the room. Extremely careful not to jostle him around too much, she made her way into the living room to see what was wrong. Reaching the room, she saw that Elizabeth was crying as she held both hands to her mouth. Her eyes were wider than Allison had ever seen them.

“What is it?!” she exclaimed. She uncurled her fingers, and saw that Brian looked just as scared and confused as she did. Elizabeth saw them, and frantically pointed at the television.

“T-They- They found him!!” she shouted. “They fucking found him! LOOK!!!”

The duo hurriedly turned their gaze to the television, and what they saw stopped their hearts.

On one side of the screen was a news anchor, his eyes wild as he hurriedly read from a set of papers in front of him. On the other side was a video of police escorting a large, burly man into a cop car. What concerned them the most, though, was the bottom third of the screen. There, plastered in humongous letters that would draw the attention of anybody, were four simple words. Four simple words that completely changed the world.

BRIAN BENTLEY IS INNOCENT