Normal Doesn't Always Mean Rational

"Michael, are you sure you're up to this? You've only been out of the hospital for a few days."

Ben asks his husband, annoyed that Deb ‘commanded' that they all come to a ‘welcome home dinner' tonight. In light of the shock he'd gotten when he opened the mail two days prior, which he hadn't yet told Michael about, he really didn't want to be around the rest of the family. He would rather put off his husband finding out for a few more days.

"I'm fine Ben. Besides, if we don't show up she will just drag everyone here. At least doing it this way, we don't have to clean up the mess. Brian better fucking be there, and not have some stupid excuse about how ‘something came up'."

Ben just grunted in response, knowing that neither Brian nor Justin would be in attendance. So far he had managed to hide the wedding invitation from his husband. He was trying to wait for the right time to show it to Michael. Hopefully, no one would bring it up at dinner tonight. The reason Ben knew they wouldn't be there was the handwritten note from Brian enclosed with the invitation that read: "Don't look for us this weekend. Sunshine and I will be away, celebrating our engagement. We are not at the loft. In fact, we are not even in Pittsburgh."

The reason the note was handwritten was because Brian had slipped it in with the invitations without Justin knowing. He wanted to surprise his betrothed. He had borrowed Tucker's cabin, after having been assured that the cabin would rate at least four stars on the Brian Kinney scale of accommodations. He had even managed to get Justin to wear a blindfold on the trip, after promising the blond certain ‘pleasures' he would get when they arrived at their destination.

When Ben and Michael arrived at Deb's, the door flew open and the red-haired woman stood on the porch, waiting for her ‘baby'. After crushing him with a hug and pulling him into the house she sat him in the recliner so he could be comfortable while she finished cooking. Everyone who was there came over to ask Michael how he was feeling. After Deb called everyone to the table, Michael looked around and asked, "Where's Brian?" They all just looked at Ben, who was standing behind Michael, gesturing wildly for them to stay quiet.

Emmett, who had been in the kitchen with his back to the table blurts out, "Didn't you see the note Brian added to the invitations? He has taken Baby away for the weekend to celebrate."

"What the fuck are you talking about, Emmett? What invitation? And just what the fuck are they celebrating? He should be here with me, his best friend! After all, I was the one that got hurt and had surgery, not Justin." Michael whines, spitting Justin's name out like it was a curse.

Emmett, realizing that there is total silence, turns around. "The wedding invitation, Michael. They were all sent out. You must have gotten one."

Michael turns to Ben and asks, "Well, Ben? Did we get an invitation you neglected to mention?"

"Michael, I was waiting until you felt better. I didn't want you to get upset."

"Upset? Upset?! No!" He shakes his head violently. "NO! THIS IS FUCKING BULLSHIT! HOW DID THAT LITTLE SHIT FORCE HIM TO DO THIS?!"

"Perhaps Justin almost being killed for the second time might have something to do with it," Emmett mumbles. But while the rest of them heard him, apparently Michael hasn't, as he continues to vent his no-longer-existent spleen.

"BRIAN WOULDN'T HAVE DONE THIS WITHOUT TALKING TO ME FIRST! HE WOULDN'T DO THIS TO ME!"

"Well, it's not as if you and he have had any conversations of late, Michael. Unless it was about the use of the club, that is," Ted interjects, hoping to get the irate brunet to think about just why he wouldn't have been told. Thinking to himself, he wonders, Just what makes Michael believe he should have been consulted about something that clearly didn't concern him in the first place is anyone's guess. He shakes his head as Michael continues on as if he hadn't just heard another piece of the unvarnished truth.

"HE CAN'T DO THIS! HE JUST FUCKING CAN'T! HE CAN'T JUST ACT AS IF... YOU'RE ALL LYING! THIS ISN'T TRUE! I WISH THAT LITTLE FUCKING..." Michael rants, looking around the room.

Emmett had heard enough. "Just what the fuck is it you wish, Michael?! That Brian never met Justin, or that he would FINALLY want you?" he asks, the venom in the question reaching everyone's ears. "What exactly is wrong with Brian finally admitting to himself and everyone else that Justin is the man he loves and has been in love with for a very long time?" Michael cringes at that comment, which gives Emmett at least a little satisfaction, knowing that the truth of all of Michael's mean-spirited antics over the years was finally being called out.

Ordinarily, he didn't like to hurt people's feelings, but he was tired of Michael's sneaky bullshit, which had become sanctimonious and unduly judgmental in recent times. He acted as if his word was now the gospel truth; as if because he was in a faux-marriage by American standards to Ben, that it negated all of the life he led prior to meeting the hunky professor, and in some ways, even after it. Whereas the others might not know what Michael said all those years ago when Brian hit him, Emmett did. And he had kept quiet only because he didn't want to hurt Deb, not out of some sense of misguided loyalty, the way Michael would automatically interpret it if he knew. But he was getting damn tired of Michael's tantrums whenever Brian did something without his holier-than-thou permission!

Mel glances at Lindsay, wanting to see her reaction to Michael's rant. Happily, all she sees is Lindsay smirking at the way Emmett had asked the same thing she was thinking. Mel was relieved. It seemed that Lindsay had finally gotten over her schoolgirl crush on Brian. It was a long time in coming, that's for sure! A couple of years ago, it wouldn't have been far-fetched to see Lindsay acting exactly as Michael was, but the bombing at Babylon changed everything. It wasn't that they were even still together prior to the bombing, but that fateful night shifted their priorities to each other instead of to a set of circumstances and mistakes that were long-since over. No one knew of the talks she'd had with Ted nor Emmett, both of whom helped her get over the stumbling block of her own wounded pride.

She remembers asking Emmett, "What makes Brian and Justin work, even when there were other men?" He simply told her that when he asked Justin the same, he discovered that Brian and Justin's problems were never about the tricking, but the voids in their lives, and the things they couldn't say to each other at the time.

"It was ultimately why Justin made his mistake with Ethan. Physical need wasn't the problem, but when it crossed the boundary into the emotional, then it was time to reevaluate the relationship as a whole. Would Justin have tried to make it work with Ethan after his realization if Ethan hadn't cheated? We'll never know."

"But why would the fact that Ethan cheated have mattered, since he and Brian were basically doing the same thing?"

He smiled at her then and explained it the way Justin did to him. "It's not cheating if the other person knows beforehand, which he always did. So the question is: why did you and Lindsay cheat? Why did you go off and munch another carpet, while she went off half-cocked? And why were you so pissed about it, really? The way I see it, while you were pregnant, she went off and did what you did right after she had little Gus. So that can't be the sole reason for your pissiness, can it? If you can have an honest conversation, first with yourself, and then with her as your partner, you might find that the answer was a lot more similar to Brian and Justin's open relationship than you ever thought it could be," he had told her.

She took his advice when they had put the kids to bed between them on the night of the bombing. She was nervous about the answers she would get, but with determination, she had that completely honest conversation with Lindsay in hushed tones. It was not only enlightening, but life-affirming for both of them, and they had made the decision to start afresh from that point on. So by her calculations, it was time for Ben to have one of those epiphany moments with the man who continued to throw his verbal tantrum about the young man who changed his best friend's world for the better. She didn't envy Ben!

Michael continued to gesture and rant wildly about how Justin had somehow tricked Brian into asking for marriage, while vehemently denying that it was his own fervent wish of those things for himself with Brian. On the third stomp past the coffee table, not watching what he was doing or more importantly where he was going, Michael tripped and hit his head on the corner of the table, knocking himself out. Sadly to say that it happened much to the relief of some... but regardless, all present were more than a little concerned. Knowing what effects head injuries could really have after watching Justin, they all spurred into action. Debbie, after checking that Michael was breathing and not bleeding, asked Emmett and Ben to carry him up to his old room to lie down while she got a cloth with some ice for his head. Ted, already anticipating the request, met her at the bottom of the stairs with one while both Mel and Lindsay gathered up all of the throw pillows in Deb's living room that they could find. Although Michael had been knocked out by his fall, they were more concerned that he may have jarred his still-recovering body in a way that would cause even more discomfort.

As they passed Deb on the way upstairs, her only comments were, "He has to get over this obsession sometime. So maybe the coffee table will have done what none of us could ever seem to do over the years, and that is knock some fucking sense into him. After we get him settled, we can eat." She was well past the point of indulging in Michael's childhood fantasies. It almost stunned everyone else how relaxed Deb was about this latest incident in the "Woe is Michael Show", but if they'd known just how rude, obnoxious, and mean he'd been to her while she was at the hospital taking care of him when Ben had to work, and Brian wasn't at his beck and call, they would never have given her the side-eye the way they did.

Meanwhile, two hours outside of Pittsburgh, Brian was pulling up in front of the cabin that would be their hideaway for the next three days. Reaching over he pulled the blindfold off his blond. Justin blinked a few times to get his eyes to adjust to the light. Looking around, he smiled, then he looked at Brian,

"Where are we, and...?"

"This is Tucker's cabin, and yes I packed your allergy meds. The reason you are not sneezing now is that you took a pill this morning."

"No, I didn't."

"Yes, you did. It was in your applesauce."

"You snuck me a pill? What am I, five?"

"I certainly hope not, considering what I plan to do with you this weekend."

"I hope you packed enough warm clothes for me."

"Let me explain something to you, Sunshine. We are up here to celebrate our engagement and practice for the honeymoon, not to become mountain men. We don't need clothes for that; if we do, then I'm doing my job wrong since it's my plan to keep you naked and begging to be so. But yes, I did pack some warm clothes in case we get bored and need to leave the cabin. Although I was hoping we wouldn't need to. I need to get in shape for the honeymoon." Brian bit his lips and tilted his head down when he said the last sentence, looking up at Justin through his thick eyelashes, causing Justin to moan and pop open the trunk, wanting to get inside and naked as quickly as possible. They grabbed their bags and headed to the door.

Once inside the spacious cabin, Justin automatically headed for the kitchen to check it out, hoping that Brian had thought to have someone stock the fridge. He wasn't going to go without food. As much as he loved Brian, and sex with Brian, he also loved to eat, and so did Brian even though he acted like it was a chore. Opening the fridge, Justin was pleasantly surprised; there was plenty of food. Enough that even if there was a freak summer snowstorm and they were trapped here for a long while, he wouldn't go hungry. Having quickly checked the kitchen, he next headed off to find the bedroom, wondering where Brian had disappeared to and ready to start practicing for the honeymoon.

He heard soft jazz playing through a door and opened it. What he saw took his breath away. Brian was laying naked on the bed, slowly stroking his very hard cock. Next to him, was a full tube of their favorite lube and a strip of condoms. Not wanting to waste time, Justin started pulling off his clothes and dropping them on the floor as he headed for the huge bed. Climbing in between Brian's legs, Justin settled himself on top of the man he loved and started softly kissing the raspberry lips that he loved to suck on. Both men were moaning, their desire for each other palpable. Justin reached for a condom. Opening it, he started to put it on Brian. Shaking his head, Brian took Justin's hand and directed it toward his own straining cock.

"I told you I need to get in shape for the honeymoon. I'm going to need a lot of practice. I hope you're up for the job." Brian told him with a smirk.

"Brian... are you sure?"

"Justin, I love you. I want everything to be equal for us from now on. I've done a lot of thinking lately and realized that you are an amazing top. I really should take more advantage of that, although I will need some time to become the consummate power bottom you are. You are definitely more versatile than I am."

"Well then, we should probably get started," Justin smirked, reaching for the lube.

He knew he needed to go slowly since it had been quite a while since Brian had bottomed. It wasn't even something he had to ask. He just knew that Brian only bottomed for him, just as he only bottomed for his bronze god. Warming the lube on his fingers, he kissed and sucked on Brian's lips while reaching down to stretch him open. He loved being able to make love to Brian and didn't want to take a chance on hurting him. Once Brian was fucking himself on his fingers and moaning loudly, Justin pulled his hand away and positioned himself between the bronze thighs. Pulling the older man's hips forward while teasing his hole with his covered and well-lubed cock, Justin looked into the beautiful hazel eyes of the man he had loved from the day they met. As Justin slipped his cock slowly into the tight heat, Brian wrapped his legs around the blond's waist and put his hands around his shoulders, pulling him forward so he could kiss the puffy pink lips of his lover.

Justin rocked his hips, slowly pushing into the hot channel, loving how Brian tried to pull him in faster, wanting to feel him deep inside. Once Justin was fully seated, Brian used his muscles to milk the hot cock moving slowly inside of him. Soon both men were moaning deeply, loving the feeling of being joined. All too quickly, both felt the telltale signs that this first round would be coming to an end very soon. Brian moved his feet lower, crossing them behind Justin's ass to pull him in harder. They gripped each other's hair and joined their lips, moaning into each other's mouths as they came together.

Justin reached down and held onto the end of the condom, pulling out slowly, knowing Brian hated the sudden, empty feeling as much as he did. Slipping the condom off and tying it before tossing it in the garbage, Justin rested his head over Brian's rapidly beating heart. No words were spoken as Brian pulled up the sheet and they dozed in each other's arms.

**************************************************************

You Might Get What You Wished For, But Not Like How You Got It

Lindsay's baby is due any day, something that is leaving Brian feeling very unsettled in his life. So, being Brian, he goes out and drinks himself into a stupor, egged on by Michael. Michael knows that Brian is careful enough about his possessions that if he drinks enough, he will let his ‘best friend' drive him home. Something that will fit in perfectly with Michael's plans. He has already managed to get ahold of Brian's phone and shut it off. He had heard from his mother earlier that Lindsay might be in labor. A couple of hours later, as expected, Brian hands Michael the keys to his precious jeep and tells him it's time to go.

Arriving at the loft, Michael half drags, half carries Brian into the loft and gets him into the bedroom.

"Can't sleep with all these clothes," Brian complains, attempting to pull off the offending garments while trying not to fall on his face; something Michael happily helps him with. Finally naked, Brian pulls the sheet over himself and starts snoring immediately.

He awakens several hours later to the feeling of something apparently trying to chew off his cock. Confused and slightly terrified, he throws back the sheet to see Michael hovering over his cock doing what Brian assumes is his attempt at a blow job. Immediately going totally soft, he grabs his cock away from Michael and rolls away, shouting for him to get out. As Michael looks offendedly at Brian and starts for the door Brian, adds,

"By the way, Peter Rabbit, you need to work on your technique. Nibbling isn't nice, it's annoyingly unattractive!" Brian says, before rolling over and going back to sleep.

When Brian wakes up in the morning, he sees the answering machine blinking. Pushing play, he hears Lindsay's very tired sounding voice. "Brian, Mel and I wanted to let you know that I had the baby a couple of hours ago. We tried to call your cell but it was turned off. We named him Abraham. I'll be out of the hospital tomorrow afternoon if you want to stop by and see him."

"Oh fuck. How did my cell get turned off? I must have been drunker than I thought. Whatever. I'll go see the baby after she gets home. What the fuck kind of name is Abraham?" Brian said into the empty loft.

************************************************************

A few days later Michael walks into Brian's office, intent on having Brian accompany him to the diner for lunch.

"Hey Brian, let's go! I want to get to the diner before it gets crowded."

"I'm busy, Michael. Besides, I have a lot on my mind, so go ahead without me."

"But Briiii-aaan, I don't want to eat alone, and you don't look busy. Whatever is on your mind, you can talk to me about it. I am your best friend, we should share everything."

Deciding he won't get rid of Michael without talking to him, Brian decides to share what is on his mind.

"Fine. I promised to sign over my rights to the baby as soon as it was born, but I'm having second thoughts. I don't want him to think he means nothing to me."

"Brian, listen to me. You did it as a favor to the girls. You are the Stud of Liberty Avenue. You're not some guy that needs to have a kid to take care of; paying support, taking a kid to the park, and giving up the lifestyle you have so carefully cultivated for yourself. Do you want to be stuck babysitting if they decide to go out and leave the kid with you? Trust me, if you want to be a ‘daddy' to this kid they will make sure they bleed you dry of your money and any free time you have. Sign the papers and let them deal with the kid they wanted so badly." Michael said. He wanted to make sure that Brian didn't lose any of the money or freedom that Michael wanted for himself. He wasn't giving up on his plans to make Brian his own- bank account and all.

"You're right, Mikey. That was the plan so I should just stick to it. Abraham is their son. I'll call Lindsay, then we can go to lunch."

While Brian made the call to Lindsay, letting her know that he would be at her house after work to sign the papers, Michael tried to school his features. Inside he was more than overjoyed, having convinced Brian to sign away his rights, and any obligation he had to support or in any other way take care of some brat. Brian doing any of that would just get in his way. To Michael's mind, it put him one step closer to achieving his ultimate goal of making Brian his husband, and of course, his bankroll. Michael had big dreams, and for that, he needed a benefactor. Since a bank wouldn't fund them due to his bad credit, the Bank of Brian would do just as well. It always had before and he certainly didn't want that to change. That particular branch was open all night and three times on Sundays- twice for breakfast and lunch, then again for Woody's and Babylon, for post-Dinner with Ma drinks. It was always the end of a perfect weekend and the beginning of a new workweek.

Feeling even more hopeful at the look on Brian's face, Michael asked, "Are you ready to go? In fact, why not just take the rest of the day off and spend it with me? With all of the hours you work, you must have some time available on the books, right? I mean, what you will be doing later is a heavy decision and all. So why not start as you mean to go on now, before doing the right thing for yourself at the girls' house later?"

"Yeah, maybe I will, Mikey. Let's go have lunch first and I'll decide afterward."

"But Brian, if you decide now then you won't have to come back and get your stuff. Doing it now saves the possibility of having our plans ruined later." He could see Brian's indecision, but it was enough that he was at least thinking about it... for now.

Brian sighed. "No, Michael. I would rather do it the way I just said. There are several important accounts I'm working on and if one of them calls while I'm out..."

"But Brian, we need our best friend time," he whined, which he knew always got on Brian's nerves. It also made Brian do whatever he wanted just so he could stop the grating noise Michael knew he produced.

"We'll see, Michael," Brian said and headed out of the door. Michael followed him out, smiling to himself. We'll see usually means we'll do.

****************************************************************

That evening at the girls' house Brian reads over the Termination of Parental Rights papers that Mel hands him.

"Just so we're clear here, signing these papers absolves me of any financial responsibilities for Abraham, right?" Brian asks Mel.

"Yes. You will have no responsibilities for him at all." She answers.

"But I'll still be able to see him, right? And what about when he asks, will you tell him that I'm his father?"

Before Mel could open her mouth, Lindsay answers, "Of course you'll be able to see him. And when he is older and asks, we will tell him who you are." she reassures him while glaring at her partner, warning her to be silent. They were so close to achieving this one dream of theirs as a couple. She wasn't going to let Melanie blow it all to hell for anything, especially not her misdirected sense of pride!

"Fine," Brian answers, signing the papers and handing them back to Mel.

Heading to the door Brian turns and says, "I'll stop by this weekend to see him."

"Just call first." Lindsay answers, adding "in case we're out."

After Brian leaves, Mel snaps at Lindsay, "What the fuck, Linz?! I don't want him here! Why did you tell him that?"

"You wanted the papers signed, didn't you? Well, I know Brian. If we told him that we weren't going to let him see Abraham, ever, and that we are planning on moving away, he wouldn't have signed the papers. I was just making sure we got what we wanted."

Melanie sighs. "Look Lindz, I know you're right, but he just frustrates me! His unmitigated arrogance and gall..."

"Pot calling kettle, Mel. I think so since you exhibit the same traits in a lot of ways. It's why I chose you. But at least try to be a little more sympathetic. The man just willingly gave up his son to us. If it were your seed we were talking about, could you have done the same?"

"No, but I'm not a heartless shit like Kinney is."

"Oh, Mel. Brian is not heartless, but he does lack the confidence to be a father to Abraham in the way every child deserves. Look, just think of this as a gift. Without his contribution to our cause, we wouldn't have our baby."

"We would if we had gone to a sperm bank as I'd first suggested," Melanie remarks, but Lindsay shakes her head.

"Yes, but we could have also ended up with the sperm of a serial killer. Would that have been better just to soothe your ego? At least this way, we know what's in Abraham's gene pool."

"Great! Now we'll be raising the next drunk whore of Babylon. Yip-fucking-yee!"

"Better to be alive to see it, than dead from him lopping off our heads."

Mel snickers. "Morbid imagery, but you do have a point, Lindz. Just remind me to keep the liquor cabinet locked when he starts walking. And we're keeping him locked away until he's forty. I'll be damned if I'm going to raise a kid who's had more sex at fourteen than I've had in my entire life!"

Lindsay checks on Abraham, who is asleep in his bassinet, before turning back to Mel. She unbuttons her blouse and pushes her skirt up, exposing a pair of filmy underwear to her lover. Purring from where she's standing, she caresses her breasts, calling forth two little pearly drops of milk, whispering, "Then I guess it's time you get a headstart. Don't you?"

With a treat like Lolita Lindz for the evening, perhaps Mel did gain at least a modicum of sympathy for Brian Kinney. While she had Lindsay and was going to raise his son, he was going to be left with nothing but his other whiny best friend. Yeah, at that moment, she could feel sorry for her worst enemy. Hell, she wouldn't even wish that the devil would be cursed with Michael Novotny. Talk about a remake of "Rosemary's Baby"! Yeah, she could afford to feel a little bit sorry for the man, who would never really know his son or the joy of a healthy, long-term relationship at all.

************************************************************************

Brian walked up to the bar and ordered a double shot of Beam. Handing Brian the glass the bartender says to him, "I hear congratulations are in order."

Confused Brian answers, "For what, the highest number of trips to the backroom? I think I had that record long ago."

"No. Novotny told us you two were finally an item. Actually, he's been going around announcing it like he won the lottery. Hell, he's moving in with you tomorrow."

"Oh. He told you that, did he?" Brian answers, schooling his features, even though he is ready to blow his top. What the fuck is going on in Michael's head, is all he can think. Placing the empty glass back on the bar, he heads out of the club. Driving back to the loft, he tries to come up with a way to show Michael once and for all that they will NEVER be anything but friends. Although if Michael won't let go of his rampant obsession with becoming more, even being friends may have to change. Sitting in the loft and nursing a beer, Brian decides on a way to show his ‘best friend' the error of his thinking.

The next morning he calls Kip Thomas to his office. Kip is one of the junior ad execs. Some of his ideas are good but he is a long, long way from being anywhere near Brian's position in the company. Brian knows that Kip is gay, and the junior exec has been hinting about them hooking up. Normally Brian wouldn't even consider fucking someone that works with him, but desperate times and all that. Brian tells Kip that they need to work on a couple of accounts that he has at home and asks if he'd be willing to come to his loft later to work on them for a couple of hours. Kip quickly agrees, hoping that work is not all they will be doing. Brian heard through the grapevine that Michael plans on bringing his things over to Brian's when he gets off work at the Big Q that evening. He tells Kip to be at the loft at six. Brian knows that Michael gets off at five and will need time in-between to pack up his car. So he should be arriving at the loft between six-thirty and seven.

Kip gets to Brian's right on time. Brian really does have work laid out for them to do. He doesn't plan on spending any more time in bed with Kip than is necessary for his plan to show Michael the error of his thinking. As Brian is showing Kip the mock-ups for one of the ads, the younger man is making sure to brush up against him as much as possible. At six-twenty, Brian turns to Kip,

"Fine, I get it. You want me to fuck you. Let's do it and then maybe you'll be able to concentrate on what I asked you here to do."

Leading Kip to the bedroom, Brian starts undressing. Kip follows suit and soon they are on the bed. Brian reaches for a condom and lube and starts preparing Kip. As he is pushing in, he hears the elevator start to ascend. He starts pumping into the too loose hole, just wanting Michael to hurry up and open the door so he can get this over with. As he continues to fuck a moaning Kip, he hears Michael pull back the heavy door and head for the bedroom, grunting at whatever he is carrying.

"BRIAN!!! WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING??" Michael screams as Brian continues to fuck Kip, without missing a beat.

"I'm fucking, Mikey. I'm sure you've heard of it. What the fuck does it look like I'm doing?" Brian says, jerking Kip to get him off as he finishes in the condom.

"But... But... I want to move in with you. I don't want to live with Ma anymore. I want to live with you! It's time for us to be together, like a real couple!" Michael whines, reminding Brian of fingernails on a blackboard.

"Not going to happen, Mikey. I am not now, nor will I ever be, a couple with anyone. I am single, free, and intend to stay that way forever. Now, I have work to do, so if you and your luggage will please head back to where you came from, I can get on with my life."

"But Brian..." Michael whines, turning on the tears and quivering lips this time, hoping that Brian would give in.

"Goodbye, Michael," Brian says, before turning his attention to Kip and ignoring the distraught man. "Now let's get dressed and finish up what we were working on."

As they get dressed, they hear Michael sniffling as he finally gets the hint and leaves, dragging his luggage back into the elevator.

After Brian and Kip finish the work that needs to be done, Kip asks Brian if they can head back to bed and if he can stay the night.

"Only one time to a customer, sorry. I don't do anyone twice, and I don't do sleepovers."

Brian heads out to Babylon after getting rid of Kip, hoping to find a decent fuck. A paper towel tube would have been tighter than that overused ass! He finds a decent fuck and a decent blowjob before heading back to his, thankfully empty, loft.

He manages to avoid Kip for the next couple of days, wishing that he had found some other way to show Michael that what he wanted was never going to happen. But, on his way out to lunch the next day, he runs into the junior exec in the hallway. Looking around and seeing that they are alone, Kip again tries to get Brian to give him another chance in bed.

"Kip, I told you how it is, so please just drop it. I do not want this mentioned again." Brian says, forcefully.

"Well, then how about putting in a good word for me with the boss? I heard Roberts is retiring at the end of the month. I want his job." Kip says with a smirk.

"Hell no. You are nowhere near ready to head a team. Maybe in a year or two, but not now." Brian answers.

"That's not fair! We're both gay. We have to stick together," Kip answers.

"What the fuck does sexuality have to do with anything? You are not qualified to be a senior ad exec. It wouldn't matter if you were gay or straight, You. Are. Not. Ready. This conversation is over." Brian finishes, shaking his head as he headed for the elevator.

When Brian returns from lunch and walks into his office, Marty Ryder is waiting for him and looking very annoyed.

"What's up, Marty? You look pissed as hell." Brian asks, not liking the knot that was forming in his stomach.

"I had a visitor while you were at lunch. What the fuck were you thinking, Brian?" Marty asks.

"Maybe if you tell me what you are talking about I can answer your question, Marty."

"Kip Thomas. He came in to tell me that you promised him Roberts' job when he retires if he would sleep with you. He said that you fucked him and then today you told him that he can't have the job. Now he is threatening the company with a lawsuit."

"That's bullshit, Marty. I don't have to promise anyone anything to get laid. He pursued me, I fucked him, end of story. Then, and only then, did he tell me that he wanted Roberts' job when he retires. I told Kip that he wasn't ready to head a team. That's exactly what happened."

"Well, you better hope you can find a way to prove it. I'm sorry Brian, but until this is settled, you are suspended. I'm not putting my company in jeopardy; even for you."

Annoyed, and pissed as hell, Brian grabs his laptop and a few of his personal things and heads out of the building. He heads to the loft to try and think of what he can do to prove that his version of events is the honest one. Pacing around, he realizes that he should probably talk to a lawyer and see what his options are. Changing into jeans and a sweater, he heads to Lindsay and Melanie's. It was Friday and Mel usually took off early so she could spend some time with Lindsay and the baby before the weekend when it seemed everyone wanted to drag them everywhere so they could see the baby.

Pulling up to the familiar house, he saw a ‘For Sale' sign on the lawn. Going up to the front door, he rang the bell and got no answer. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the woman next door come out to get her mail.

"Excuse me. Do you know where Lindsay and Melanie are?" He asks, trying to be charming, although he was seething inside.

"I'm sorry. I thought they would have told you." she says, recognizing Brian from seeing him there many times, "They moved a couple of days ago."

"Do you know where they moved?" he asks.

"No idea. They were real quiet about it. But the moving company they used was a long-distance company." she tells him.

"Okay. Thank you for your time." Brian tells her, heading back to his car. Sitting in the car, he calls Lindsay's cell, only to hear a recorded voice say that the number is no longer in service. Calling Mel's cell, he gets the same message.

He heads to the diner, hoping that Debbie has some answers. Debbie sees him walk in and looks at the way he is dressed.

"Finally taking a day off, Brian?"

Ignoring her question, he asks, "Have you heard from the girls?"

"No. Why, is something wrong?" She asks, getting worried.

Then Brian sees Dusty and Marie, sitting quietly in a booth. Walking over to them, he stops at the end of the table. "Where the fuck are they?" He asks, knowing by the looks on their faces that they know something.

"All we know is that they were heading to Canada. We tried to get them to tell you that they were leaving. We wouldn't even have known but we happened to stop by the house just as they were getting ready to pull out of the driveway. The moving truck had just left. They wouldn't tell us anything else." Dusty answers. She wasn't a fan of Brian, but she felt bad that the girls had just left with the baby he helped them have without even letting him say goodbye.

Debbie and Brian just stand there in shock, not understanding what the hell had happened to make the girls just pick up and leave without a word to anyone. Brian just shakes his head and walks out the door. Sitting in his loft later, he drinks until he passes out.

Two weeks later, since he had no proof that he was telling the truth about what had happened with Kip, he was fired from Ryder. Figuring that since his son, his only reason for wanting to stay in Pittsburgh, was gone, he applied for jobs in New York. He had once dreamed of moving there, so he decided that he should try and start fresh. Change his whole life.

A week later Brian was in New York, interviewing with Black Diamond, a small but prestigious advertising agency. This had been the best agency that had offered him an interview. In keeping with his policy of complete honesty, he told Mr. Black all the reasons he was leaving Pittsburgh. Including what had happened with Kip Thomas.

"Well Mr. Kinney, that is very forthcoming of you. That's very refreshing in this business. I would be honored to offer you a job. In fact, I'd be willing to start you off at twenty-five percent more than you were making with Ryder, not including performance bonuses."

Slightly shocked, Brian answers, "Thank you, Mr. Black, that's a very generous offer, I accept. And please, call me Brian."

"Thank you, Brian. Call me Jerome. Do you want to know why I offered you the job so quickly?"

"Well, I am curious, so yes, I would like to know."

"I've followed your career. You are amazingly talented at what you do. I had also heard why you are no longer employed by Ryder. My older brother is gay and the same thing happened to him at a job. I am straight, but I can also appreciate beauty. Looking at you, I can't imagine you would ever need to use your position at a job in order to- what is it my brother says, oh yes, find a trick for the night. So I definitely think Marty Ryder was stupid to let you go. But, fortunately for me, his loss is my gain. Welcome to Black Diamond, Brian. When do you think you will be able to start?" Jerome asks, thrilled that he now has Brian Kinney on his team.

"Well, I need to pack up my loft and find a place here. So, maybe a week. Will that be acceptable?" Brian answers, very relieved at the outcome of his announcement.

"That's fine, Brian. If you have a problem finding a place here, you are more than welcome to use one of our suites at the Plaza Hotel until you do find something." Jerome offers.

"Thank you, Jerome. I will keep in touch and let you know in a few days if I will need to take you up on the suite." Brian says, feeling a lot less pressure to rush into a place just so he has somewhere to stay.

Back in Pittsburgh the next night, Brian heads to Babylon, needing to pick up a trick or two for relief before the rush to pack up and move. After leaving the backroom, he sees the gang holding up the bar. He figures he may as well get this over with all at once.

"Well boys, this may be my last night here for quite a while." He announces as he puts a twenty on the bar.  

Michael snatches the money and hands it back to Brian. "We can all chip in, Brian. You don't need to stop coming until you get another job," he tells him, figuring that money and the lack of a job are why Brian says he won't be coming to Babylon.

Handing the money to the bartender, Brian clarifies, "I won't be coming because I got a job in New York. I start in a week. I have to pack and find a place to live so I figured I'd come here one last time before I go."

Both Ted and Emmett stepped back away from the bar, knowing instinctively what was going to happen.

"BUT BRIAN, YOU CAN'T LEAVE! YOU HAVE TO STAY AND FIND A JOB HERE!!!" Michael's classic whine has now reached the ear-bleeding, blood-curdling frequency all of them have a developed a spine-chilling fear of. He is so loud that even with the music on, everyone within ten feet of the bar can hear him clearly.

"No can do, Mikey. Already signed a contract. I'm leaving. There is nothing left for me here, and no reason to stay." Brian answers.

"But what about me?" The whine continues. Ted and Emmett just roll their eyes at the most obvious question. They each can't count how many times Michael has uttered it when Brian has chosen to step down off the pedestal Michael continues to place him on. "Didn't I factor into your decision at all?!"

"You have a life here. But if you don't, then you need to make one. I no longer do, and I'm just fine with that. So I'm moving on to redesign one for myself. End of story." Brian answers, wishing he had stayed at the loft packing. It was the first time he wished he'd left the same stealth way the girls had when they took away his son.

"Well if you're leaving, then I'm coming with you. We can be great together! I know we can." Michael states, crossing his arms and stomping his foot like a child.

"No, you're not coming to New York, or anywhere else with me. I am leaving alone. Exactly the way I want to be. And don't even think of following me! I don't want you, and that is not going to change. To put it in terms you can clearly understand: the days of Batman and fucking Robin are OVER, as is the Brian and Mikey Show. There will be no perpetual reruns in syndication, no indications of comebacks or do-overs. It's finished."

"But Briiiannn, what about all the...." Michael is standing there, pleading, with tears in his eyes.

"God, you just can't give up the fucking ghost, can you?! Michael, you tried this clingy shit once, and it was more than enough and an experience to never make me want a dog in my life. At least they are loyal, and whereas they may drool, they understand time and their respective places a whole lot better than you do. That situation is something that will NEVER be repeated, Peter Rabbit. You will never get what you want from me, and once again, I'm going to advise that you definitely need to work on your technique!" Brian answers, downing the rest of his drink and waving as he leaves Babylon.

"Wow!" Emmett says, looking at Ted before turning back to the distraught man. "Care to tell us what brought his tirade on, Michael?" Both men had a pretty clear idea what had happened, based on what Brian said. Michael had been alluding that something of significance had changed between him and Brian before the whole incident which got him fired from Ryder. Of course, they had also heard rumors of Michael moving in with Brian, which neither man had believed. But what caused Michael to believe it ever would?

Michael stands there crying and shaking his head no as Ted snickers. "Okay, Peter Rabbit, just keep it to yourself."

********************************************

Six months later, Brian is fully ensconced in his life in New York. He has already made more money in salary and bonuses than he made in his last two years at Ryder. He goes out to the clubs whenever the mood strikes him, sometimes picking up a trick or two to bring back to his expensive loft apartment.

Using a private eye, he had found out where the girls had taken his son. He had set up a trust fund for the boy in case anything ever happened to him. The girls knew nothing about it as he had set it up through his lawyer. They didn't even know that he knew where they lived. Even though the child had been taken away from him, he wanted to make sure that when he was older, he would know that Brian had cared a great deal for him. He could only imagine what Mel and Lindsay would tell Abraham when he noticed that all of his other little friends had a dad, but he didn't. That way of thinking led him on many of after-hours binges where sometimes it was only the thought of his son that pulled him back from the brink of self-destruction.

After returning home from a business trip one night, he decides to get drunk and high, feeling rather maudlin about how his life is going. It wasn't about his career so much as everything else. Many times over the last few months, he'd wondered if he was missing something- or more importantly- someone. The thing that depressed Brian the most was that in all that time, he never considered Michael's many aborted attempts at seduction as something to be remembered with fondness. Michael just wasn't as inspiring as the man wanted to believe, but Brian's horny, and so his thoughts reluctantly turn to Michael's last attempt to turn their former friendship physical. Brian shivers, thinking that he really needed to find a trick asap, but he doesn't feel like going out. The trip from Denver was exhausting with all the many delays and layovers. So lying on the floor, he looks up at the wooden rafters spanning his living room and thought about the more trendy ways of pleasuring oneself. The last trick he had before he left Colorado mentioned his experience in erotic asphyxiation, telling Brian that it was one of the best orgasms he'd ever had in his life. The guy's former lover had done it to him several times, and once they'd broken up, the trick continued doing it when he was alone.

Deciding to do something new, and in a lot of ways forbidden, by vanilla standards, he tosses one of the silken ropes from the floor-to-ceiling drapes over one of the beams and secures it. He opted to use the slipknot method which would allow for easy release should he need it. After checking over his handiwork, Brian begins stripping and then moves over to the kitchen to grab a barstool from the island. Climbing atop it, and after making sure it is stable enough, he slips the noose around his neck. As he jerks his cock, he imagines himself being surrounded by a group of men, all of them just wanting a chance to be with him. He starts to lower himself to his knees, wanting to put pressure on the rope to lessen his air supply. Suddenly the stool rocks, and as Brian tries to right it with his feet, it crashes to the floor. His impending orgasm is now furthest from his mind as, stretching his legs as far as possible, he realizes he can't reach the floor. Panicked, he grabs at the rope around his neck, trying to pull it away from his throat, but to no avail. The slipknot Brian had initially made somehow twisted itself to create another- one, which could not be loosened.

His last thoughts before his world goes black are those of the son he loves, but will never know. The cleaning lady finds him the next morning. And after being questioned about the man known as Brian Kinney, the maid suggests that the police call Michael, who is still listed as his emergency contact on his phone. "I'm not sure if Mr. Kinney has any family nearby, officers, but he should be able to tell you what you want to know. I've heard him call and leave many messages while I've been cleaning. He's always begging and pleading for Mr. Kinney to come back to him."

***********************************************************

Recreating a New History

Michael wakes up with a start. His head is pounding and his heart is racing. He grabs his phone, crying, and frantically calls Brian's cell.

"This better be important, Michael. We're practicing for our honeymoon." Justin says, answering the phone.

"Please Justin, tell me that Brian is okay?! Please?" Michael begs.

Hearing the desperation in Michael's voice, Justin hands Brian the phone.

"What is it, Mikey? Like Justin said, we're practicing for the honeymoon. By the way, Sunshine here is an amazing top." Brian quips.

"Thank God you are okay, Brian. I had the most awful dream..."

"That's great, Michael, but could we talk about this later? Sunshine here is feeling frisky." Brian chuckles.

Michael laughs as well, in relief. It was nice to know that some things didn't change, and while others did, he would just have to get used to them and grow up. "Sure, Bri. By the way, congratulations on the engagement. I love you both. I'll talk to you when you get home. I want to hear all about the proposal."

"Will do, Mikey," Brian says before hanging up the phone.

Although it's with mixed emotions, Michael finally realized the truth. Justin or no Justin, Brian was never going to be his. He knew he would have to accept that Justin was the one man that Brian could love; for many reasons, not just hot sex. Brian being with Justin was infinitely better than the alternative of not having Brian in his life at all because the man died trying to find what was missing in his own. Justin had a way of reading Brian Kinney that none of them had, especially Michael. That ability came with a no-bullshit filter, and not being afraid to see the man behind the myth; something Michael was chronically unwilling to do. At that realization, Michael resolved to be better, and ultimately DO better as a friend. But first, he had some apologies to make... some fences to mend, beginning with his husband and mother. And that was just the way it should be!