After a month of rehab in the hospital Justin is given to his mother to take home. Brian visits Justin every night in the hospital but will not let the nurse tell Justin he was there. Lindsay, Melanie, Ted and Emmett go to Lindsay's sister's wedding and while giving the toast Lindsay ask Melanie to marry her. Justin goes in search of Brian and finds him at Woody's with Michael. Justin and Brian go back to his place where Brian talks about what happened to Justin on that night. Justin tells Brian it was not his fault and the two embrace. Justin then returns to home to a angry mother. The next day Daphne, Brian, and Justin are outside throwing a ball to help Justin get use of his hand when Justin's mom shows up and tells Justin she wants to talk to Brian alone. She then tells Brian to return her son back to him and to never see Justin again. Brian hands her the tennis ball and gets in his jeep and pulls away.

The boys are stuck. Ted's stuck in a career he no longer wants. Michael's stuck with the prospect of returning to his dead-end career at the Big Q. Emmett's decided he's stuck with an ass that needs surgical enhancement. Justin's stuck in the worst situation of all. Since the attack, he has nightmares about Chris Hobbs, and he recoils from physical contact.

Ted's favorite author is in town, while Michael tries to reconnect with Brian.

Brian, Michael, Justin, Emmett, Ted, Lindsay, Melanie, and Debbie overcome obstacles to show their PRIDE.

Still afflicted with tremors in his right hand as a result of his assault, Justin struggles in his art classes and soon drops out of college. Despite Brian's attempt to rekindle Justin's interest in drawing, a depressed, angry Justin turns to alcohol and sex to soothe his pain. Finally, Lindsay takes Justin to an art gallery where the paintings on exhibition have been created by a wheelchair-bound woman with limited use of her hands.

Ben Bruckner, a customer at Michael's comic book store, teaches a gay studies course at Pittsburgh's Carnegie Mellon University. Invited by Ben to give a lecture on homoeroticism in superhero comics, Michael doubts his own intellectual abilities and fails to appear. Later, Ben reassures Michael, who, speaking from his heart, charms the students. Attracted to each other, Ben and Michael kiss as a prelude to sex, but Ben stops to warn Michael that he is HIV positive.

Debbie abandons her usual liberal rhetoric when she learns that Michael's new boyfriend, Ben, has HIV. She tells Michael to stop dating Ben, and her harsh attitude causes a rift between Debbie and Uncle Vic (recurring guest star JACK WETHERALL). Michael continues his relationship with Ben despite the pleas of his mother and friends. But when the moment arrives for Ben and Michael to consummate their relationship, Michael has a change of heart after seeing the multitude of prescription bottles in Ben's medicine cabinet.

Justin's Mother tries to talk to Justin into going to a party, with people his own age. He brushes her off at first, but decides to go to the party. He gets bored, and cruises people. But when a girl cruises him, he hides. He finds a guy who he know is gay and they later go upstairs, and start to have sex. The guy then starts to develop a crush on Justin (sound familiar?) and with his evil Brian Kinney ways, Justin gives the guy an intimate kiss.

Michael fights to get Ben back into his life - he has to prove he can handle the HIV-positive situation. Brian is introduced to his mother's minister - but they've already met (not in church). Ted has a really hard time dealing with some performance enhancing drugs.

Michael is distraught over the comic book passing of his hero (Captain Astro) and sets out on a holy quest (petition) to bring him back to life. Debbie is shocked to discover the body of a boy Justin's age in a dumpster behind the diner. She is even more shocked however when she sees how little regard the others are all paying the situation. Michael soon begins to realize how shallow they are all being and begins to mourn the passing of the nameless boy.

It's days before Lindsay and Melanie's wedding. At a pre-wedding celebration, their friend Leda offers them a tarot reading from Marilyn. Marilyn warns them that they cannot get married on their wedding day because astrological reasons will cause certain disasters to occur. Unwilling to listen to Marilyn, Lindsay and Melanie continue with their wedding plans. However, everything goes wrong: wedding cake is delayed, Lindsay's wedding dress is ruined by the drycleaners, the wedding rings are missing, and the hall that they rented has shut down for salmonella poisoning. Lindsay also has a few panic attacks, and later concludes that these disasters were happening because the world was trying to tell them that they should not get married because they are gay.

Still upset about finding the body in the dumpster, and outraged by the aparent lack of progress Debbie sets out to do some detective work on her own. Her quest eventually pays off and she is able to notify the police of her findings. Meanwhile, Michael is distraught to learn that Ben has slept with Brian two years back.

Michael wonders what his connection is to a celebrated Drag Queen who shares a past with Debbie; Justin decides to become a go-go dancer to pay his tuition.

Justin is rolling in money, but his schoolwork suffers; Carl asks Debbie out; George asks Emmett to accompany him on a world tour.

Brian is jealous when Michael and Justin decide to start a comic book; Leda offers to renovate Mel and Lindsay's attic; Emmett is barred from George's funeral.

For his birthday, Melanie and Lindsay take Justin to a violin recital, where he meets a sexy new guy.

Brian tries to impress his new boss; Emmett inherits a large gift from George.

Michael faces a nightmare after Ben is taken to hospital; Justin thinks Brian isn't as romantic as Ethan; Emmett receives a tempting offer to not reveal his relationship with George.

Michael debates whether to tell Brian about Justin's unfaithfulness; Melanie and Lindsay decide that they've had enough of Leda.

Justin must decide who he should be with, Brian or Ethan; Ben tells Michael he is going away for six months; Ted reveals his true feelings to Emmett.