BRIAN 

Justin and I had the boys with us when we arrived at Deb’s house. Deb told me that her Sunshine better be with me when I came over. We decided to surprise her with Jacob. 

“SUNSHINE GET YOUR ASS OVER HERE!” Deb yelled as soon as we were in the door. 

“Hey Deb, I want you to meet Jacob.” He tells her, holding Jacob in front of him.

“Who do we have here?” She smiles down at Jacob.

“I’m Jacob Kinney Taylor, ma'am.” Jacob tells Deb. 

“Kinney?” I ask Justin. 

“I wanted him to have your name too. Kinney is his middle name.” Justin tells me. 

“Sunshine, we are going to talk later. Right now I need hugs from my boys.” Deb tells him.

Gus runs to Deb and hugs her. Jacob looked to me to see if he should. I nod and he walks over and hugs her.

“Why are we here?” I ask her. 

“I wanted to see Justin, and I need you to listen to Lindsay.” She tells me. 

“So Lindsay came over giving you a sob story and you think I should listen to her?” I ask her. 

“Brian give her a chance.” Deb tells me. 

“I'm supposed to stand here and listen to someone who kept my son from me?” I ask her. 

“Brian, I'm asking you to do it for Gus.” Lindsay tells me from the stairs. 

“I'm not going back with you.” Gus tells her.

“Gus, I'm not taking you back. I'm here to help your father keep you.” She tells him. 

“How can I believe a word that comes out of your mouth?” I ask her. 

“I'm hoping when your attorney gets here and I tell all of you why I'm here, you will believe me.” She tells me. 

“Brad is coming here?” I ask her. 

“You need to call him and ask him to come.” Carl tells me.   

“Why?” I ask him. 

“Because I need to figure out how we are going to deal with the tape Lindsay brought here today.” He tells me. 

“What's on it?” Justin asks him. 

“A conversation with Russo, Mel, the DA, and Chris Hobbs’s parents. Which wouldn’t matter except that it explains how they got Chris off with simple assault.” Carl tells me. 

I call Brad and Jen because she needs to know too. They both agree to come over to Deb's house. I still don’t trust Lindsay. Gus stayed by Justin and away from Lindsay, he wouldn’t talk to her again, no matter what she tried. I was just glad when Jen, Tucker, and Brad got here, it allowed Gus to take Jacob and Jenny out of the room.

“Why are you helping now Lindsay?” Jen asks her.

“I wanted to do the right thing.” She tells Jen. I couldn’t help but roll my eyes at her.

“Let me hear what you brought us here to listen to, then maybe I’ll believe you.” I tell her.

We listen as Mel is told to help the defense get Chris off. The fucking DA is telling Russo that Justin being in a coma can only help the case. Mel starts telling the history of Justin and me. When Mel gets done betraying Justin, Russo tells her unless Chris get’s off, her favor isn’t over. Mel asks why he’s helping Chris. Russo tells her that he owed Chris’s father a favor and he was repaying it. Mel, like the good attorney she is, recites the date and time and names all the people in the room as she leaves the office.

“I can’t believe she sat next to us and made us believe she was upset at the verdict.” Deb tells us.

“Brian, you know I can’t, not do something with this.” Brad tells me.

“Do whatever it takes to fry their asses.” I tell him.

“Lindsay, I need you to write a statement on where this came from.” Brad tells her.

“I’m here to tell the truth.” She tells him.

“I still don’t understand your sudden change of heart.” I sneer at her.

“Mel crossed the line when she told me about Russo. I would have probably stayed with her and left you out of Gus’s life, but I can’t stand by someone who betrays people she claims to love.” She tells me.

“So she’s cheating on you again?” I ask her.

“Yes, but this isn’t about her cheating. This is about Gus being made to feel he had to look for someone to care about him.” She tells me.

“Which he wouldn’t have had to do if you and the she bitch didn’t take him out of my life.” I tell her.

“Brian, we were wrong. I know that doesn’t change anything, but in the end he found the one person who would have brought him to you.” She tells me.

“What do you expect now?” I ask her.

“I’m hoping Carl and Deb can protect Jenny from Mel and Michael. I plan to sign my rights over to you and hope that one day Gus will want to see me again.” She tells me.

“If he does, then he will, I would never refuse to let my son see one of his parents. You better be mother of the fucking year when that day comes. It's the only way I can forgive you for what you did.” I tell her.

“I understand. I just want Gus to be happy.” She tells me.

“Both my sons are going to be happy Lindsay. At least Justin had a reason for why he kept Jacob from me, you didn’t.” I tell her.

“None of us were right, don’t give me too much credit. If Gus hadn’t showed up, I can’t say I would have contacted you either.” Justin tells me.

“You would have if Jacob wanted you too, and that’s where what you did was different to me.” I tell him.

I pull Justin in my arms and try to take away the guilt he feels. “You would do anything to make Jacob happy, it makes what happened between us different.” I tell him.

“Why the hell is he here?” Michael scowls from the door and points at Justin.

“Because I invited him to MY HOUSE.” Deb tells him, 

“I hope Lindsay was explaining how I made her and Mel see that Brian deserves to see Gus.” He tells us. 

“Actually Michael, your daughter explained how you threatened Lindsay and Mel.” Deb tells him. 

“I wasn’t threatening them, I just felt Brian shouldn't be left out of his son’s life. I wanted to help Brian.” He tells us. 

“No, according to your daughter, you thought Brian would be grateful for your help. You were a little late with your help, Gus beat you to it.” Deb tells him. 

“No, I'm the one who convinced the girls to bring him.” He tells us. 

“It would have been hard for them to bring Gus, since he's been here for almost a week.” I tell him. 

“What are you talking about?” He asks us. 

“Gus ran away to find Justin the day you came to visit. He’s been with Justin this whole time.” Lindsay tells him.

“You should charge Justin with kidnapping. He probably took Gus when he came to see Mel and is lying to you about Gus running away.” Michael tells us. 

“Why would Sunshine lie?” Deb asks him. 

“Because he is still trying to win Brian. He couldn’t stand the fact that Brian wanted me. He did us a favor by getting out of our lives, can't you see that?” He tells us. 

“What do you mean Brian wanted you?” Deb asks him. 

“Brian proved it at my shop. What do you think you were seeing that night, Justin.” He tells Justin.

“From what I've been told, Brian tricking.” Justin tells him. 

“You're mistaking you with me. He would have left you if he hadn’t felt guilty about you getting yourself hurt. Even your mother made him feel like he had to take care of you. You wouldn’t believe how glad I was that you saw Brian proving who he loved, in front of you. “ Michael tells Justin.

“Jen allow me, he’s my son.” Deb tells an angry Jen.

“You know it's the truth Ma.” Michael tells her.

Deb grabs Michael’s face and turns it my direction. “You want to see the truth, Michael. The truth is that while you ruined your relationship with Ben, Brian was falling in love with Justin. He might have fought loving him, but unless you're blind, it was there to see. Nothing you do will make Brian love you the way YOU WANT HIM TO. He couldn’t, because he loves Justin. Even after all these years, who is Brian holding, because it's not you? What you and Brian did was the most selfish thing you two have ever done, and you both paid for it by losing the people who loved you. Brian got lucky because through all the shit he did, he managed to keep Justin’s love. You've lost not only Ben but your best friend, because you think you can make Brian love you. He is never going to return your feelings, get that through your head, or you're going to keep being the loser. ” Deb tells him. 

“If Justin had left Brian alone he would have come to me. Jen should have been a better mother and taken care of her son. Instead she dumped him off on Brian. It wasn’t Brian’s responsibility to take care of Justin. Everyone knew how little Brian cared, I mean where was he when Justin was in the hospital? I'll tell you, he was tricking every night. To me that proves how little he gave a shit about his broken boy toy. I even...  ” Deb slaps Michael so hard the hits the ground. 

“Brian was hurting and you fucking turn it into him not caring about Justin.” Deb yells. 

“Brian was there every night.” Jen tells him. 

“WHAT?” Both Justin and Michael ask.

“Justin please understand, I never told you because I blamed him for what happened to you. I couldn’t see past you being hurt, to know that Brian didn’t cause it. I wanted you to get away from him, so when the nurses told me Brian was there every night, I kept it from you. I was wrong to do that, but I won't sit here and have him accuse Brian of not giving a shit about you.” Jen tells Justin. 

“You were there?” Justin asks me. 

“I had to keep you safe.” I tell him. 

“I love you.” He tells me. 

“Not as much as I have always loved you.” I finally tell him.

“Brian you can’t love him, it was supposed to be me. Remember, we were going to be two old queens together. I waited all my life for us to be together, don’t let him come between us.” Michael begs.

“I thought I'd never love anyone, so us growing old together was my way of saying we'd be friends growing old together. I never meant you and I were going to be a couple.” I tell him. 

“You promised me.” He tells me. 

“It's not going to happen Michael. I have Justin back and our son. Justin and my sons are my happiness and my life, nothing is going to change that.” I tell him. 

“I could have made you happy. I tried after Justin left but you wouldn’t let me.” He tells me. 

“Michael if I could take back that night in the shop, I would. Instead of showing you the only way you and I could be together was as you being a trick, I should have just let you ruin your relationship with Ben the way you already were. Then I would have been there to see my son being born. Instead, I lost Justin because you couldn't be happy with Ben. I can’t give you what you want because I never loved you as anything other than a friend.” I tell him. 

“When Justin takes off again, you'll understand I'm the one for you.” He tells me. 

“I won't let him leave me again, so you’re never going to get what you want.” I tell him. 

“Michael it's time for you to go. There are more important things going on.” Deb tells him. 

“You're asking me to leave?” He asks her.

“No, I'm telling you to leave. You're not listening to anyone. Like I said there are more important things going on than listening to you.” Deb tells him. 

“I'm your son, why aren’t you siding with me?” He asks her.

“Just because you're my son doesn't mean I'm going to keep listening to you lie to yourself.” She tells him. 

Michael crosses his arms but before he can start pouting, Deb grabs him and shoves him out the door.

“Brad do you need anything else, because I want that judge and Mel to pay for what happened at that trial?” Deb asks him.

“I need someone outside of Pittsburgh to handle this, because it involves the DA.” Brad tells Carl.

“It's time Deekins repays a favor.” I tell Carl.

“Well it started with favors. At least Deekins favor is legal.” Carl tells me.