CHAPTER 10- For the Love of Money by the O'Jays

Money money money money, money (x6)

Some people got to have it/ Some people really need it/ Listen to me y'all, do

things, do things, do bad things with it/ You wanna do things, do things, do

things, good things with it

For the love of money/ People will steal from their mother/ For the love of

money/ People will rob their own brother/ For the love of money/ People

can't even walk the street/ Because they never know who in the world they're

gonna beat/ For that lean, mean, mean green/ Almighty dollar, money

For the love of money/ People will lie, Lord, they will cheat/ For the love of

money/ People don't care who they hurt or beat/ For the love of money/ A

woman will sell her precious body/ For a small piece of paper it carries a lot

of weight/ Call it lean, mean, mean green/ Almighty dollar

I know money is the root of all evil/ Do funny things to some people/ Give me

a nickel, brother can you spare a dime/ Money can drive some people out of

their minds/ Got to have it, I really need it/ How many things have I heard

you say/ Some people really need it/ How many things have I heard you

say/ Lay down, lay down, a woman will lay down/ For the love of money

All for the love of money/ Don't let, don't let, don't let money rule you/ For

the love of money/ Money can change people sometimes/ Don't let, don't let,

don't let money fool you/ Money can fool people sometimes

People! Don't let money, don't let money change you, it will keep on changing,

changing up your mind

**Written by Kenneth Gamble, Leon Huff, Anthony Jackson • Copyright © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc, T.R.O. Inc.    

Chapter 10- For the Love of Money

Debbie 

I arrived home from work about an hour ago. While Vic and his new boyfriend Rodney are watching the television game show that I really don't want to see, I decided to fix myself a cup of tea and rest my tired feet. Resting my exhausted mind is simply not an option, in lieu of all that I found out this afternoon about my son. I'm sitting here trying to figure out how I raised... How Michael had become such an arrogant, entitled, spoiled, and selfish little shit to have stolen two-hundred thousand dollars from the one person out of the group that needed it the most?

Honestly, if it had been Brian, I probably wouldn't have felt so bad. Sure it still would have been wrong. But with the bonuses Brian receives from each account, and now his partnership with that fancy-schmancy advertising agency Vanguard, I'm sure he could make it back while fucking in the backroom, high out of his mind, or asleep after a night of the same. But to do that to Justin, and from what Emmett said, it's been happening over a period time rather than just the last five months... Well that was just something else!

"What's up, Sis?" Vic asks me. I didn't even see him get up from the couch, before he took the seat across from me.

"Nothing, Vic. Just tired, I guess."

He nods his head. "I can believe that, except that there is that little crinkle in the middle of your forehead. It tells me that you are thinking much too hard for it to be just a simple case of post-work exhaustion. Don't take this the wrong way, but you're a waitress, so whatever you're thinking so hard about regarding work can't be that bad."

I do my best to erase that particular look from my face, while staring at my near-empty tea cup. Vic's gentle smile tells me that I haven't done a very good job of it. I get a good look at my brother, a man who I sometimes consider as my only friend. His blooming relationship with Rodney has put the sparkle back in his blue eyes; the harsh lines of old age and harder medication are seeming less stressful than they were before. Instead, those effects are being replaced by laugh and smile lines, proving that Rodney has been providing Vic with the kind of TLC only significant others are capable of giving.

I've noticed a few of those in my own face after an evening with Carl, who always makes me feel like I'm in the throes of a schoolgirl crush. But, even though I'm having a hard time wrapping my brain around finding out the truth regarding Michael, I don't want to worry Vic with the latest episode of ‘Lifestyles of the Young and Ridiculous.' "I'm okay, sweetheart. It's just been a long day. Are you and Rodney finished watching Jeopardy? How did you both do tonight?"

"He beat me by one question," Vic laughed. My oh my, how I have always loved that robust sound coming from my brother! But then he grew serious again. "Come on, Deb, spill. I know that something is bothering you. I didn't just meet you yesterday, you know."

"No, I suppose you didn't, although sometimes it sure feels like it. I sure wish we could rewind back to the carefree times in our lives- the days of Jefferson Airplane and Grace Slick; the days of the Hustle and Studio 54."

"It's nice to take trips down memory lane, Deb. But something tells me it's some situations that are a little more recent bothering you. So spill already and we'll see what to make of it, okay?"

He looked at me, his eyes pleading to help me through what has me so troubled. I could never resist that look from Victor Grassi and he knew it! It's still amazing to me how well he and I have gotten on all these years after being tossed out by Mom- me for being pregnant with Michael; Vic for being gay. We've made it thus far just fine through the tears, heartaches, and pains, both growing and medical. Vic and I always remained close and honest, so I guess there's no reason to keep this from him either, no matter how much I want to.

Hell, I'm still wishing it was all kept from ME! 

"Michael is in deep shit, Vic."

"Again?" I frowned at him when he said that. "Don't give me that Mom look, Deb. You and I both know that Michael gets into situations that are bigger than himself all the time. So which one of the guys did he piss off this time?"

I should have known that Vic would, at least, draw part of the right conclusion based on what little info I had given. It's more than I can say for myself and my shameful behavior earlier today, standing inside Michael's shop. Inhaling deeply, I exhaled before I breathed the name. "Justin."

"Justin? I thought things were going well between Michael and Justin... or as well as could be now that Sunshine hasn't been around much lately. As far as I know, the ‘Rage' business is booming, which should have kept them both happy. So what is the problem?"

"Money."

"Money?"

"Two-hundred thousand dollars of it, to be exact," I say, shock and disbelief still evident in my voice. Just saying it aloud makes me feel hot and cold at the same time. 

"You've gotta be shitting me? I think Emmett and I are in the wrong business. Comics seem to be much more lucrative than cooking!"

"That's the thing. I found out today that there is so much more to Rage than most of us knew. Michael and Justin of course, but also Brian, Ted, and Mel knew how much the business had grown. Well anyway, it seems that Michael in some fit of pique- I don't know- has been withholding Justin's share of the enormous profits made before and after the break-up. Now Justin is suing him, and he could take the store away from Michael. He already had Melanie obtain a cease and desist order, which prevents Michael from selling anything Rage-related, both physically and online. I have a feeling that Sunshine is not making idle threats against Michael. If he doesn't return or come up with the money in a week, I really believe that Justin will take everything away from Michael."

"I don't blame Justin, and you shouldn't either." I started to protest, but Vic held up his hand to stay the argument. "Before you fly off the deep end, Deb, let me explain something to you... I know you. Anything that has ever threatened Michael; past, present, or future, is going to meet with an angry, opinionated, outspoken Deborah Jane Grassi. Forget the Novotny darling, because you and I both know it doesn't count. So I know that as soon as you received this news before finding out the rest of the facts, you had your say at Brian and Justin's expense. Am I right?"

I narrowed my eyes at him. I always hated when he was right, and the smug looks he often threw my way because of it. I know he needed the words so I said, "Yes, Vic. You're right, but.."

"Uh-huh, Deb. Don't try to justify it, because then that makes you sound just like Michael. I love my nephew- truly, I do- but he is just... Deb, I swear his inner five-year-old has been appearing more and more ever since Brian met Justin. Now, I'm just as guilty, although maybe not to the degree that you are, for ignoring Michael's tantrums. We just considered them a part of his charm. But now it isn't so charming, since instead it has now become criminal."

"What are you saying, Vic? Do you think Sunshine will really file charges against Michael?"

"Take the fact that it's Michael out of the equation, and answer this honestly, Deb... Wouldn't you?"

He got up from the table and headed back over to the couch. I watched as Vic rubbed a gentle hand over Rodney's bent head. He had fallen asleep while Vic and I had our talk. The action of Vic covering the slumbering man gave me a bit of a memory from months ago, so much so that seeing it I had to catch my breath. I remembered going over to the loft one day, not too long after Justin had finally regained some of his memory back.

The entire ordeal had been exhausting for both Brian and Justin. I didn't want Brian worrying about feeding Justin, who although he would leave the loft to go for the occasional walk, it wasn't often that he did during that time. So I had whipped up a batch of Chicken Parmigiana, which Justin had always said he loved. I just wanted them to know that although Michael was mired in his own self pity because Brian didn't have time for him upon my son's return to Pittsburgh, I had not forgotten what they were going through. So I took them some food, intent on seeing how Justin was faring and how Brian was holding up under the weight of work and Sunshine. 

When I arrived at the door, before I even had a chance to knock, Brian was standing there with a single finger pressed against his lips. He nodded his head briefly, indicating the area where his sofa was. In the alcove of the window seat, in front of the huge bay window that I always admired, lay Justin. He was curled into himself like a ball and from my vantage point, I could see that he was cradling his right hand. As I busied myself in the kitchen, gathering other supplies so that my boys could eat, I saw Brian cross the expanse of space, lifting the throw blanket he always kept on the sofa along the way.

Maybe it was the way Brian ruffled Justin's hair as he lay there sleeping, or maybe it was the way Brian had put a pillow under Justin's affected hand, before covering him with the blanket- I don't know. But whatever it was, was the single most important glimpse I had ever received into the quandary that made up Brian Kinney and Justin Taylor as a couple, no matter how unconventional they were. I saw Brian, wearing his heart on his sleeve for the first time in many, many years. It made me both happy and sad that day. Happy because Sunshine, that little persistent kid, had reached a place that none of us were sure existed within Brian; sad, because Sunshine would never know it.

That memory of Brian and Justin, when they didn't know they were being observed, makes this situation with Michael all the more difficult for me to understand. How could he not want to see Brian happy? Wasn't he happy with Ben; why shouldn't Brian have the same? The answer, when it hit me, made me angrier than I think I have ever been with Michael before, even when he basically called me a desperate whore for wanting to spend some time with Carl. That hurt, but I forgave him.

This is a situation that I'm not so sure I can forgive him for... and that realization is hurting worse.

Justin 

Brian and I decided that I would hide out in the bathroom. He said that he would get rid of Michael so that I could go, now that we were finished for the evening. I wasn't so sure how to take that comment, but I know that my choice had brought it on. I could live with that. Thankfully, I had put my phone on vibrate as I was coming up the stairs earlier.

Like it or not, any of my time spent with Brian are moments that I still consider precious. So I didn't want any undue interruptions. And by that I mean, Ethan's constant calls. As desperate as I was for Brian's attention, I cannot remember ever being that clingy. Ethan reminds me of the way Michael is so territorial of Brian's time.

It's unsettling, it's unnerving, and it's a definite PAIN in my ass!

My separate conversation with Daphne after we parted ways with Phoebe is suddenly making more and more sense. I should never have moved in with Ethan, especially when I had just recently been living with Brian. At the time, I didn't see any other viable options. Emmett is looking for a house with Ted and Daph has four other roommates. It's one thing for me to stay there occasionally, if I need a mental break.

But to live there full-time? Ummm... NO!

As I'm checking my text messages- most which are from Ethan, Daph, and Emmett- I hear Michael being his normally whiny, pissant self.

"Oh, Brian, come on already. That's it! You're going out with me tonight," Michael demands, and I can just see his stance of folded arms and pouted lips. God, Gus has more maturity and he's still a few months shy of being two!

"I already told you, Mikey. I'm not going out. I have a major account I'm handling and I need to work." Brian answers in that laconic voice he always uses when he's short on patience.

Indeed, he was working alright, I think to myself while going through the other messages. It was hard to contain my snicker.

"Look, if this is about earlier, I already said that I forgive you for not sticking by me in this whole Justin mess," Michael tells Brian.

I couldn't stop myself from rolling my eyes, even though neither of them could see me.

"There is nothing to forgive, Michael. It's between you and Justin. What I find amazing though is that whereas Justin hasn't called me to talk about this, you have been calling me nonstop to beg, plead, cry, and yell about a situation of your own making. Fix it yourself the way Justin is doing, and leave me alone!"

"Why are you being like this, Brian? I said I that I forgave you. Now can we please forget about Boy Wonder and go out? I need my best friend!"

Again, I can see Michael's scrunched up face, reminiscent of the wrinkled entrance to any anonymous rectum. I mean, he IS a walking, talking, and breathing asshole after all. But now I'm sure that  there are even tears in his eyes, designed to make Brian soften his stance. I can't help but be proud of Brian for not giving into Michael, for once. I would like to think that the argument last night and the almost-civil, post-sex talk we had a few moments before Michael came banging on the door, may have had some sort of impact.

"And I need peace and quiet!" Brian sighs. "Go round up the Professor, or drag Emmett and Ted out of their lovenest to go with you, Mikey. I'm not in the mood." 

"Fine!" Michael yelled. "See if I'll be available for you the next time you need a favor from me!"

"That's okay, Michael, since I don't foresee that happening in the future. I'm amazingly busy at work, which hasn't left me much room for outside entertainment so..."

"Oh, I see. Are you finally replacing that blond boy ass piece of trash who used to live here with a mature man?"

"Michael... Justin was far more mature than any of us, especially you."

"Yeah right," Michael huffs.

"Yes, I am. Which is why when he needed to go, he didn't need to ask my permission or have me hold his hand. He made decisions for himself- the right kind of decisions, I might add- and he's learning to live with them. Perhaps it's time for you to do the same."

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?!"

"Take it however you want to, Michael. In the meantime, I need to get to sleep. Bye-bye."

I hear the loft door slam, but I don't come out of the bathroom. I figured that Brian would need a bit of time to himself to absorb his responses to Michael. I don't think I have ever heard Brian brush Michael off so harshly before, but I can't deny the perverse pleasure I take in it. It kinda makes me hot. My phone vibrates again, taking me out of my reverie.

Emmett: Hey, Baby. I hope all is well. Listen, Daphne told me that you are considering getting your own place.

I text him back. Yeah, I think I need some space from Ethan.

Emmett: What? Trouble in Paradise?

Me: Not so much that as me feeling that I need to be in my own space. Ethan is okay; we're still together. But I'm at a point where I just need a bit of stability for myself.

Emmett: Oh okay... Well if you're interested, I think my new client mentioned something about one of those tiny houses on his vast estate. I think most of them have no more than five-hundred square feet, but the decor is often more elegant than what you see in larger homes.

Me: It sounds like something I would really be interested in. Can you send me his contact info?

Emmett: I'll do you one better, Sweetie. I have to go out there for another meeting tomorrow. You can meet Georgie for yourself and while I'm working, maybe he'll let you tour the grounds. You can also ask questions based on what you see.

Me: Sounds good, Em. What time should I meet you there? I have the evening shift tomorrow, so I have to be to work by five.

Emmett: Perfect. My meeting with him is at one-thirty, so that should give you plenty of time to get back and make your money, honey. I'll text you the address.

I laughed at the last line. It was classic Emmett, and instantly made me feel better about my plan to move out. Hopefully, Ethan will get the prize that the Heifetz Competition is offering so he won't feel so down about things. Don't get me wrong... Although I don't love Ethan and never will be in love with him, I don't wish him any ill will.

We just aren't as compatible as I originally thought. But then, I'd only had one major experience to compare my time with Ethan to. When Ethan and I are officially over, I'll figure out what to do then. But in the meantime, it's just better that I have my own space. Honestly though, it's time.

Me: Okay, I'll see you tomorrow, Em.

Emmett: Toodles, Sweet thang!

"Sunshine, are you going to stay in there all night? I thought the purpose of getting rid of Mikey was so that you could leave," Brian calls through the door.

I pick up my belongings, trying desperately not to let his last sentence affect me. Once again, this is what I wanted and asked for. Sex, without strings or sentiment, is exactly what I need right now. I guess that I am still a little raw from the questions he asked me, but he doesn't need to know that. It wouldn't do either of us any good, except to maybe boost his ego and make me feel insignificant within my own life again.

Fuck that! I have other things to feel messed up about; my new situation with Brian shouldn't be one of them. "Are you sure he's gone? I wouldn't be surprised to find him downstairs, sitting on the stoop, while pouting and hoping that you'll change your mind."

"Ha..ha..." Brian laughed, sardonically. "No Justin, he's gone. I saw him walking in the direction of Woody's. I guess he walked here so that he wouldn't lose his parking spot down by the bar."

I shrug because really, what was I going to say at this point about Michael's logic? Woody's was close, but not that close. It was eight city blocks away and enough to end up soaked by the rain, which is now beginning to tap against the window pane. "Well I guess this is it, until next time. Take care of yourself, Brian."

"I will. I'll call you."

And here we are again, not saying the things that should come out of our mouths, but instead are just living inside our heads. No matter how much either of us want me to stay, it wasn't the agreement. And this is the one time, I need a set of rules to keep me from getting hurt again. It sucks that this is what we have become, but until I regain my equilibrium, this is all we can ever be. I turn and leave, using the staircase before I make a decision that would be detrimental to me right now...

Or before Brian does.

Michael

I can't believe Brian! Fuck! That little shit still has him all fucked up in the head! But I need to get him to talk Justin into dropping this fucking lawsuit thing. I know he told me he was staying out of it, but he needs to change his mind and talk to the little bastard on my behalf.

I really do have to applaud the little fucker for not putting Brian in the middle of this, though. It seems that little Justin has finally realized that Brian belongs on MY side in ALL the ways that matter, and NOT his! But now that Brian has decided not to get involved, perhaps I should to talk to Lindsay about all of this. She may have some ideas on the subject, especially where I'm going to recoup Justin's money from. I just paid the last installment of twenty-five thousand to Taryn, since she just entered her last trimester.

Yes, ladies and gentlemen. That's RIGHT! Brian and I are going to be parents!

Now I know what you're thinking... and yes, I- well Lindz- stole Brian's sperm from the loft, and also had Taryn inseminated with my sperm as well. But although Taryn is the oven the babies are baking in, Lindsay donated the eggs. We agreed that I would pay cash for the procedure so that the medical bills would come to the shop, instead of to Mel at home. It's why she couldn't carry the babies herself. Mel would have had a fit, plus if I'm being honest, after the the way the two of them treat Brian over Gus, I want Lindsay to be involved as little as possible.

But I won't tell her that for obvious reasons. She would just get all pissy, and blow my secret out of spite. I know, because I would do the same thing to her if it was my uterus that coughed up the eggs. So in the meantime, as allies, she and I have been extra careful that no one finds out until after the babies are born, especially Brian and Ben. Lindsay and I figured that now that Justin is out of the picture, it would be a good time for Brian to gear his thoughts more toward building our relationship and keeping our children close, since they will all be related now.

I really can't wait to see the look on Brian's face when we present him with the new children, alongside Gus. The only one I really worry about in all of this is Mel. She's the wildcard, and a lawyer; not a good combination! But after Brian gets Justin to drop the suit, or better yet after Justin decides that it's not worth the trouble after having to face Ma and the gang, I'm sure that Mel will be easier to handle. If she isn't...

Well then I'm sure that Lindsay has some ideas of how to get rid of her.

I walk into Woody's, a little wet but nothing like I would have been if I was five minutes later. "Where have you been, Michael?" Ben asks, as he puts his arms around my shoulder and hands me a brandy.

"Just walking around, Ben. I thought you were working."

"I finished up with my student earlier than I thought I would. She's trying to get all of her assignments done in advance, since she'll have to take some time off after the next six weeks. That should put her departure around right after mid-terms."

"Really? Why? The semester just started. Isn't it a little early for her to be cutting out of classes already?"

"It is, but it can't be helped. She's pregnant. So when nature calls, she has to answer."

I laughed. "Yeah, I remembered that from when Lindsay was pregnant. I think she must have gone into false labor every day for a solid two weeks, before Gus was finally born. By the time Gus actually made an appearance, Brian had decided that until they produced the baby, he wasn't going to the hospital again."

"Wasn't that the same night he met Justin?" Ben asks me.

I want to tell him that it was the worst night of Brian's life to date, but I don't. So I just answer, "Yes. Who knew that Gus would be almost two years old so soon? It's definitely weird."

Ben had turned and answered a question that one of his friends had asked him. As for me, I let myself get carried away in the prospect of babies and Brian. Don't get me wrong: I care for Ben. I care for him a great deal, but I will never be in love with him. That position has been filled many years ago in a hallway full of bullies, ready to kick my little nerdy ass.

My hero, my savior, my best friend Brian was always there to protect me, and in return, I gave him my heart. So just as Ben is a blip on my radar, Justin is the former blip on Brian's. As soon as the babies are born though, it should be smooth sailing for both of us. It's why always have, always will continues to be my reality, despite what the naysayers have thought all these years. It's only a matter of time now.  

So fuck Justin, and his threats of a lawsuit! The money has already been well and truly spent on securing mine and Brian's future together at long last. We'll be parents, and loving every moment of it! And that little piece of blond boy trash will just have to deal with it. Oh, I just can't wait!