An hour later, Remus was back in his room and he was unhinged.  Not being able to sit down, he had started pacing around in his room, always ending up in the same place – in front of the bathroom mirror. 

He had picked up the phone a dozen times to call the Gray Man but each time, he put it back down because he was afraid he still didn’t have enough proof to stop his mother. 

Remus would wait until he knew where the auction was being held…and then call him.

The boy stared at himself until his eyes watered as he tried to remember something…but no matter how hard he tried, there were no signs of light anywhere in the blackened room that was his mind.  He had done so much thinking and analyzing of the few flashes that he had, that they were starting to get distorted.

…walking with other little children in the snow began to fade until it seemed more a memory of walking with other little children on a beach….A dark haired handsome boy waking him up was distorted into a wake up call from Pharaoh.

But that part still didn’t make any sense because Pharaoh seldom came in to wake him up, and he certainly never used any terms of endearment like “Baby brother.” 

The closest thing that Pharaoh had done to show even the remotest interest in Remus was to call him “Stupid-ass,” and try as he might, Remus refused to believe that that pet name was anywhere near endearing….

Finally, frustrated, he flopped down on his bed and tried to refocus his thoughts.  He started to think about the blond prisoner. 

Joe, he called himself.  No, wait, what did he say?? I knew you couldn’t be dead - Joe Hardy is too much a survivor!

Who was he talking about…me?  No, he said his name was Joe so he must be Joe Hardy.  But that doesn’t make sense, he was talking to me!  But I’m Remus Plyth…

As a knock came on his door, Remus had come to the conclusion that he needed to talk to that boy again.

“Come in!” he hollered, not bothering to get up.  The door opened and Pharaoh Plyth strode into the room. 

In many ways, Pharaoh looked a lot like his brother – people never had a problem telling they were related – but he had the same color brown eyes as his mother and he was about 30 pounds heavier than Remus. 

His brown eyes quickly glanced around the room before they came to rest on his brother.  If he noticed the distressed look on Remus’ face or the unmasked worry in his eyes, Pharaoh didn’t mention it.

“Mother wants to see you…in her room,” he said coldly before turning to leave.

Remus sat up quickly.  “Pharaoh, wait!  Can I talk to you for a moment… please?” he pleaded. 

The older boy paused for a moment before shaking his head firmly. “No I don’t think so.” 

In a flash, Remus had crossed the room and grabbed his brother’s arm to stop him.  “Why not?!”  he demanded, all worry and anxiousness being replaced by anger.  He was pissed off at his lack of knowledge about everything, but he wasn’t going to let this continue. 

Ever since he came home from the hospital, Pharaoh had treated him coldly, as if he had done something that he shouldn’t have.  Remus was tired of it – he wanted to know what was wrong.  “You know I can’t remember a damn thing before the a-accident…” the word stuck in his throat for a moment, “…if I pissed you off somehow, tell me about it!” 

His anger drained, he continued softly, “Please Pharaoh, I need my brother back – I’m slowly drowning here…”

Pharaoh had continued to glare at him all through his tirade, but then he let out a long, heartfelt sigh and moved away from Remus, away but not out of the room.  He took a seat on the end of Remus’s bed.

“Remus, I trusted you….” He looked up with sad brown eyes into his brother’s vivid blue ones.  “You knew how I felt about her and yet you still…you…” 

He broke off for a moment while Remus’s mind raced – did I mess around with my brother’s girlfriend?  Who am I?  he once again thought. 

Somewhere in the back of his mind, he never would have taken himself for such a lowlife.  You don’t mess around with the girl your brother cares for – those are the rules…no wonder he hates me – hell, I’m beginning to hate myself…

“You let yourself become me.”

“What?” Remus was starting to feel another bad headache coming on, as he was even more confused than before – why did everything have to be a riddle?

Pharaoh looked at him, anguished.  “You knew what I did to try and protect you from her, and yet you still…you still…you still slept with her! You went to her and you slept with her.”

His brother was not making much sense and Remus wished he could just shake it out of him, but right now his head was pounding so badly that he just wanted everything to go away.

“Who?”  he asked as he massaged his temples.

“Mom.” The word was barely out of his mouth when they heard her voice. 

“Remus…” She paused when she saw the tormented look on Pharaoh’s face and the look of horror on Remus’s white face. “Did I interrupt something?”

* * *

After Joe had left, Biff kept waiting for the rescue.  After an hour, he began to get worried – what were they waiting for?  The two men had gone back to playing cards and he could hear them talking.

“Hey Jeff – your kid looked like he didn’t even know you.” commented the other man. 

The short man, Jeff, Biff assumed, just grunted and took a cigar out of his pocket and lit it. “Your turn,” he said as he put down a card and waited for his companion to make a move.  “He has amnesia,” he confessed, although he didn’t sound convinced. 

So that’s how Joe is pulling it off, Biff thought to himself, he must look like the real Remus character and he’s pretending to have amnesia to make up for any surprises along the way…. Cool.  Still, I wish I knew when he was coming back… my arms are so numb….

* * *

Remus’s whole body had gone numb.  His brother had quickly left the room without so much as a glance at their mother, who now turned her attention back to him. “Well, what were you talking about?” she demanded.

Saying the first thing that came to his mind, “Old times?” He was not convincing, as his mother just scowled at him.

“I told him to send you to my room – not to fraternize about things that once were!  You can only concern yourself with the now – never about the then,” she said as she started to come closer to her son. 

He backed away nervously from her until his back was against the wall, and this seemed to amuse her. “Well Remus – are you acting shy?  That’s so cute…” she said, using a small-girl voice.  “You were never shy before…. I think I am going to enjoy my new little Remus.  This will be like starting all over again.”