Raging On

Chapter 1

 

“Hey, Squirt, whatcha staring at?” Brian asked as he walked down the circular stairs from his attic office to the sun porch.  Bree was standing under the chandelier staring out the windows.  April was just a few days away, however Mother Nature had decided to take that old adage, “April showers bring May flowers,” to heart.  She’d been practicing for a week making sure her April rain drops would fall precisely where she wanted.  And what the Great Mother wants, she gets.  Even Miss Briana Victoria Kinney-Taylor could do nothing about it.

“Hey, Dada,” Bree replied meekly.

“What’s wrong?” Brian tried again as he stepped up to her side.  He gently caressed Bree’s fine strawberry blond hair then hugged her close.

“It’s so yucky outside,” Bree complained.

“You get no argument from me,” Brian agreed as he glanced at the dreary grey clouds.

The lane had experienced an exceptionally difficult winter in more ways than one.  Not only were there walls of snow piled high all throughout the lane but the war between the Bruckner – Novotny couple continued to rage on.  And due to the constant rain, the landscape of white snow mountains was slowly transforming into muddy hills.  There were some brief periods of calm and blue sky but they were few and far between.

“Unfortunately, there’s nothing we can do about it,” Brian commented as he looked down for a moment at his petite and precocious daughter. 

“What’s really wrong?  We’ve survived yucky weather before,” Brian said as he gave Bree’s shoulder a little squeeze.  He felt Bree shrug her shoulders.  “I came down for coffee.  Would you like some cocoa?” Brian offered, getting a “Yes, please,” in return.  He leaned down to peck Bree’s head then took her hand to lead her to the kitchen.

Brian was heating up the milk, carefully adding cocoa when the front door opened.  “Hello, anyone home?” Justin called out.  Justin had gone to Harrisburg for the morning to shop for supplies.  His mini canvas paintings were selling like mad, Lindsay and the other gallery owners were pushing for more.  “I can use a little help.”

“Go, Squirt, I need to watch the milk,” Brian said, adding more just in case his spouse wanted some. 

“Coming, Daddy,” Bree shouted as she ran to the door.  Within moments, Justin’s SUV was unloaded and his supplies were safely stored away.

“What are you and Dada up to?” Justin asked as he took off his coat.  Bree handed her daddy a towel; his hair was covered in a fine sheen of water.  “Thank you, Baby Girl,” Justin said as he toweled off his hair.

“Nothing.  Dada’s making cocoa,” Bree said with a weak smile.  Justin leaned down to peck her cheek. 

“That sounds wonderful,” Justin stated, giving his daughter a sunny smile.  “Do you think there’s enough for me?” Justin teased as they went to the kitchen.  The room smelled like chocolate.

“Mmmm!” both Justin and Bree hummed.

Brian smiled as he gently stirred the milk.  “Like two peas in a pod,” Brian murmured to himself as he regarded his beautiful blonds.  His blonds made themselves comfortable at the counter anticipating their chocolaty reward.  Brian didn’t disappoint as he served up two steaming mugs of rich hot cocoa then quickly adding a dollop of whipped cream to each.

“What’s up?” Justin asked, noting his very quiet Bree.

 “Your daughter has observed that Mother Nature has been a bit unmerciful of late,” Brian stated with a formal flair.

“I see,” Justin commented.

“However, methinks there’s more to it,” Brian continued, giving Bree a poignant look.  Bree gave a heavy sigh, she could never hide anything from her Dada.

“What is it, Sweetheart?  You know you can tell us anything,” Justin urged.

“I’m worried…” Bree began.  Justin gave Brian a look.  Little girls shouldn’t have to worry about anything.

“About what, Squirt?” Brian asked.

“Uncle Michael and Uncle Ben,” Bree sadly said.  “They aren’t getting any better.”

“No, I don’t think they are,” Brian honestly stated.

“Brian…” Justin glared at Brian.

“I don’t like this situation any better than you but I don’t believe in sugar coating it just because Bree isn’t an adult.  She knows what’s going on.  This affects her too,” Brian said with his usual candor.  Justin nodded in reluctant agreement.

“I wish there was something we can do,” Bree murmured.

“Me too, but we can’t.  We can only be supportive if either one comes to us,” said Brian as he poured himself another cup of coffee.

“Supportive?  Since when does Brian Kinney say words like supportive,” Justin teased a little, trying to lighten the mood.

“Since going through therapy and falling in love with you,” Brian said as he leaned over the counter to give Justin a chaste kiss.  “And you,” Brian continued as he pecked Bree’s nose.  Brian received bright sunny smiles from his blonds.

 “Have Alex and Glen mentioned anything?” Justin asked, already knowing the answer.

“Of course not, those two are beyond ethical.  They won’t break their vows of silence.  I did speak to Ben when I delivered their mail.”

“Ben, not Michael?” Justin asked.

“I’ll never get a straight answer from Michael.  At least Ben makes sense.”

“And?” Justin asked.

“And nothing.  Michael believes that their breakup is all because of Ben’s book.”

“Wait, I don’t understand.  How can a book written about our entire family be the cause of their breakup?  Besides, didn’t Ben say he’d been unhappy for months before he started the book?”

“Give the man a cigar!” Brian crowed.  “Michael is heading back to the Pitts now that it looks like the white stuff is finally finished.”

“We hope,” Bree chimed in.  Her dads agreed.

“What about Alex and Glen?”

“The therapy twins are not happy with the current state of affairs, however they are rethinking their cottage,” Brian said with a smirk.

“You’re kidding,” Justin said as he got it.

“Nope,” Brian stated, his smirk turning into a grin.

“What?” Bree asked as she looked back and forth at her dads.

“They want their own log cabin,” Justin deadpanned.

“They want their own log cabin,” Brian repeated then the boys cracked up.  Bree just shook her head.

“Men,” she grumbled.  “Focus, Dada,” Bree demanded.  Brian coughed a few times as he got himself under control while it was Justin’s turn to smirk.  Brian narrowed his eyes at his recalcitrant spouse, giving Justin the glare of death.  Justin held up his hands in surrender.

“The guys will have to go back to the city sooner rather than later since they’re not making any progress,” Brian stated sadly.  “I really hoped our intervention was going to work.  Maybe it’s time for Ben and Michael to cut their losses.”

Brian turned to face the sink; as he did he hung his head.  It saddened him that two of his closest friends were hurting and on the verge of breaking up.  Bree looked at her daddy with concerned eyes.  Justin whispered in her ear to give her Dada a moment.  Ever preceptive, Bree changed the subject.

“What are you painting now, Daddy?”

“I finished my series of winter trees,” Justin replied, giving Bree a wink.  “But I’m not sure what to paint now.  I haven’t seen any spring flowers yet, only mud.  Lots and lots of mud.”  Justin punctuated the word mud by gently tapping Bree’s nose with his spoon making Bree giggle.  Bree’s giggling cut through Brian’s melancholy, he topped off his coffee mug then turned around.

“Sunshine, you have a wonderful imagination.  And you’ve painted plenty of spring flowers.  I seem to recall a grape hyacinth with a crocus hat,” Brian teased as he reminded Justin.  “Just paint those first spring flowers breaking through the mud,” Brian suggested.

Bree and Justin gaped incredulously at Brian for several moments.

“Uh, are you finished with your cocoa?” Justin asked his daughter as he downed the last few sips in his mug.  The wheels were starting to turn in his head.

“Yes, Daddy.”

“Do you want to paint with me?”

“Sure!” Bree said with a huge smile as she jumped off her stool and ran into the sun porch to get out the art supplies.  While she set up their workspace, Justin took a minute for his spouse.

“Hey,” Justin said as he sidled up to Brian.  Brian wrapped his arms around Justin, relishing the compact strength of his lover, best friend, spouse.

They stayed locked in each other’s arms for several minutes until Brian told Justin, “Go paint.”  Kissing deeply before Brian let him go, Justin ran his fingers through Brian’s hair then caressed his cheek.

“I love you,” Justin murmured.

“I know,” Brian replied as they kissed again before Brian gently pushed Justin toward the porch. 

Brian looked at the clock on the wall.  Deciding to go back to work, he poured himself a fresh mug of coffee then headed back to his office.  Several hours later, Brian shut down his computer, happy with the work done by Kinnetik during the day.  He leaned back in his chair and listened to sounds of the creative process going on below.  As he was calling it a day, his phone rang.

“Good evening, Theodore.  To what do I owe the pleasure,” Brian snarked.

“Uh, hi, Brian,” Ted replied hesitantly.  “How are you?”

“Pretty much the same since our web conference earlier today.”

“Good, good.  Um, how’s Justin?”

“Fine.  Bree’s fine too.  Get to the point, Ted, while I’m young,” Brian growled.

“Uh, well, um…”

“NOW!”

“WegotthelistofexchangeemployeesfromKinnetikRoseandGui’sonthelist,” Ted said very fast then held his phone away from his ear and waited.

“You better warn Mel,” Brian said.

“What?” Ted shouted.  “I can’t hear you.”  Brian rolled his eyes.

“Theodore!”

“What?  Oh wait,” Ted put the phone back to his ear.  “That’s better.  Um, what did you say?”

“I said you better warn Mel,” Brian said calmly.

“Are you okay, Bri?  This is the same Gui that tried to take away your family.”

“I know but that was a long time ago and he didn’t succeed.  I’m forwarding you an email from Pierre.  Get him set up in the art department.”

“Not with the ad execs?”

“No, let him watch the artists at work then we’ll pair him up with the ad men.

“Whatever you say, boss.”

“Say good night Ted.”

“Good night Ted,” Ted repeated.  Brian sighed then hung up.  He broadly smiled as he left his office for the night.    

 

*****

 

"Hello?"

"Emmett?"

"Yes, who's this?"

"It's me, Michael," Michael said exasperated that his longtime friend didn't recognize his voice.  Some friend!

"Oh?  Michael ... I haven't heard from you in ages," Emmett responded.

"Phones work both ways.  You could have called me."

"I thought you and Ben were working things out.  I didn't want to intrude."

"Good excuse," Michael snarked.

"It's not an excuse.  Did you and Ben make any progress?"

"No."

"No?"

"That's what I said!"

"I ... I'm really sorry to hear that," Emmett said making a sad face at Drew who was listening intently.

"Ben just doesn't get it," Michael explained.

"He doesn't?"

"No, he won't accept responsibility."

"Are you sure it's Ben?" Emmett felt compelled to ask.

"What the fuck does that mean?"

Emmett drew in a breath.  He needed to be careful how he phrased this.  "I mean ... that it usually takes two to screw up a marriage."

"What have I done?" Michael demanded.

"I didn't say you had done anything," Emmett backtracked trying to get out of the hole he had dug for himself.

"That's sure what it sounded like."

"I ... um ... wish you two could find some common ground."

"I've given Ben every chance," Michael said defensively.

"Have you?" Emmett asked.

"Why are you trying to make this into my fault?" Michael demanded. 

"That's not what I'm trying to do."

"That's sure what it sounds like."

"Michael, I don't want to fight about this.  I'm just asking you to think seriously about your part in all of this."

There was a long silence on the line.

"Michael, Michael?"

Suddenly there was nothing.

"He hung up on me," Emmett said as he set down his phone.

"Are you surprised?" Drew asked.

"Well, he did call me, so, yes."

"Michael lives in his own alternate reality.  There doesn't seem to be any way to convince him that he could have some fault in this mess."

"Oh, Drewsie, I hate all this arguing and ... and ..."

"Let's forget about Michael.  Come have a glass of wine and I'll show you how much I love you."

"That sounds like the best offer I've had in decades," Emmett gushed with a big toothy grin as he moved to sit beside his husband.

 

*****

 

Michael dropped his phone onto the coffee table.  He should have known that Emmett wouldn't take his side.  Everybody took Ben's side.  Why couldn't they see that Ben was the one who was being inflexible?  He wouldn't leave the lane and come home as Michael asked.  He kept working on that stupid book about Brian.  Brian was Michael's friend, not Ben's.  Yet even Brian didn't really support him.

With a shake of his head Michael made a decision.  Since none of his old friends would come to help him, he'd try some of his new friends.  He picked up his phone and dialed the new number he had entered a couple of weeks ago.  He had met Kevin at the grocer's around the block.  They had ended up walking the aisles of the store together collecting a lot of the same items in their carts.  Kevin had said he would like to do coffee one day, so maybe it was today that Michael should make that happen.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Kevin, this is Michael, the guy you met at the grocery store a couple of weeks ago."

"Oh?  Yeah.  I remember.  I thought you had blown me off since I didn't hear from you," Kevin said.

"I, um, I was out of town for the last while.  Just got back," Michael explained, leaving out where he had been and what he had been forced to do.  "Would you like to grab that coffee we talked about?"

"Now?"

"Yeah, unless you're busy," Michael said uncertainly.  Kevin didn't sound nearly as enthusiastic about getting together as he had at the store.

"No, no, I'm not busy," Kevin said. 

"So?  Coffee?" Michael asked.

"Sure, I'll meet you at the Starbucks near the grocery store.  Say fifteen minutes?"

"Great."

Michael set his phone down again.  He could use someone to talk to - someone sympathetic to his position.  He wondered how much he should tell Kevin.  He decided he would play it by ear and see how receptive Kevin was.

Michael whistled tunelessly as he grabbed his coat and headed out the door for his rendez-vous.

 

*****

 

Michael had been sitting in Starbucks for almost fifteen minutes past the time he was supposed to meet Kevin.  His coffee was getting cold and there was no sign of the man.  He was beginning to wonder if he had been stood up.  He heaved a sigh and took the last gulp of his barely warm coffee.  He made a face and stood up to leave.  It looked like he couldn't count on anyone these days.

"Hey," a voice said.  Michael turned to see Kevin coming into the store.  "Sorry I'm late.  Joe called just as I was going to leave."

"Joe?" Michael asked with a frown.

"My partner.  He's having a rough time at work and wanted to vent."

"What does he do?"

"He works in advertising."

"Advertising?" Michael asked wondering if Brian would know this Joe.

"Let's get a coffee and find a seat," Kevin suggested.

Kevin go his latte and Michael got another coffee. 

When they were seated at the same table Michael had before, Michael had to ask.  "What firm does Joe work for?"

"It's called Adventura Advertising," Joe said.  "Not much of a company.  Joe is in the art department and he doesn't like a lot of the campaigns he has been assigned to do, but there's no talking to his boss.  His boss is a real asshole."

Michael breathed a sigh of relief.  At least Joe wasn't describing Brian.  Brian had been called an asshole many times, so Michael had begun to wonder if Joe might work for Kinnetik.  "You and Joe been together for long?" Michael asked.

"On and off for about twelve years."

"That's a good amount of time."

"How about you?"

Michael grimaced briefly.  He should have known this question would come up.  "My husband Ben and I have been together for over twenty years."  Michael frowned.  It was even longer than that.  He couldn't believe how long it had actually been.

"You said you had a comic book store.  I've been meaning to come by and check it out."

"I wouldn't have been there," Michael informed him.  "I was out of town."  'Trapped on that fucking lane,' Michael thought to himself.

"Where were you?"

"Ben and I have been having some problems," Michael blurted out. 

"Tell me about it."

"You and Joe having problems?"

"I don't know why we are together.  So often we rub each other the wrong way," Kevin said.  "Like that stupid phone call when I wanted to come talk to you."

"Oh?" Michael said.  That was unexpected.  Kevin hadn't sounded very enthusiastic about meeting up with him.

"Joe expects me to be at his beck and call all the fucking time."

"I'm sorry you're not happy."

"What's happy?" Kevin asked ruefully.

"Yeah, I wonder that quite often lately."

"So, you and Ben are having problems too?"

"Unfortunately," Michael agreed.  He wasn't sure how much to tell this new friend.  "That's where I was the last couple of weeks.  Ben and I have a place in the country and some friends trapped me there so Ben and I could supposedly work out our difficulties.  All they did was pick on me."

"Assholes," Kevin said.

 

Michael smiled for the first time in what seemed like forever.  He had finally found someone who was on his side.  "Let's get another coffee and I'll tell you all about it."

Raging On

Chapter 2

The family of the conjoined cottage was in the sun porch preparing for dinner.  There was the usual family chatter, catching up with the day’s news, discussing homework, and life in general.  Bree and Patrick were setting the table when came a gentle rapping on the front door at Brian’s end of the cottage.

“Who could that be?” Justin casually asked as he was plating up the steamed vegetables.

“Can’t be Debbie,” Brian called out.  “She’d barge right in.”

“Not Carl either,” Bobby mentioned.  “He knocks twice, opens the door then announces himself.”

“Must be the cop in him,” John commented.

“Definitely not Emmett,” Brian growled.  “We’d hear him “you hooing” from down the lane.”

When the knocking became louder, Bree looked around at the supposed grown-ups.  She shook her head at their lack of action.  “Men,” she grumped then made a beeline for the door.  “Hi, Uncle Alex, Uncle Glen; come in.”  Fortunately there had been a break in the weather so the men weren’t soaked.

“Hiya, Sweetpea,” Glen greeted Bree as he wheeled himself inside.  Alex closely followed.

“We’re in the porch,” Bree stated as she showed them in.

“I told you we were going to interrupt dinner,” Alex griped with a pop to Glen’s arm.  Glen just waved him off as he rolled toward the porch.

“Mmm, something smells good,” Glen said with no hesitation.

“Join us,” Justin invited.  “We have plenty.”

“We always cook large,” Bobby said as he brought two more place settings.

“Don’t mind if we do,” Glen said boldly as he positioned himself at the table.

“Glen!” Alex admonished his partner.  “Please forgive him, sometimes he’s ruled by the id.”

“Sit, Uncle Alex,” Bree urged.  Alex sat opposite his partner.

“Yeah, Alex, sit,” Glen demanded.

“Sometimes you have no manners,” Alex hissed.

“I’m tired of eating tofu shit in that mausoleum,” Glen growled back.  Alex realized Glen, his fun loving, forever jovial partner, was serious.

“Good God, Glen,” Alex exclaimed with exasperation.

“Sometimes I think you have no faith in me,” Glen murmured.

“Enough!” Brian commanded in a low tone that would have had ad execs quaking in their loafers.  “This is our home, not a battleground.  Dinnertime is the one time we put aside all the fucking shit of the day and enjoy each other’s company.  If you two can do that then you’re more than welcome to stay.  If not then don’t let the door hit you in the ass on your way out,” Brian put his foot down as he placed a large roast on the table.  The glare he broadcasted clearly punctuated his point.

“Brian…”  Alex was cut off by Glen.

“I apologize, Brian, to you and your family,” Glen began as he slightly pushed himself back from the table in order to face Brian. 

“You know we can’t go into detail but what we can say is that for all your good intentions, we failed, for lack of a better term.  Alex and I both have had clients where the outcome wasn’t as satisfying as we hoped.  But this is personal.  We consider Ben and Michael family and that could be part of the problem.  We’ve recommended to both of them to seek other therapists,” Glen went on to say.

“And?” Brian asked.

“And we can’t say much more than that,” Alex interjected.  “We’ll understand if you kick us to the curb.”  Alex stood, waiting for Brian’s reaction knowing the family would follow Brian’s lead.

Brian waved Alex down and indicated to Glen he should get closer to the table.  Then Brian left the porch to bring out the potatoes.

“Can you tell us if they’re all right?” John gently asked as he placed a large bowl of salad on the table then told the guys to help themselves.

“All right is a relative term.  Michael left as soon as he could.  Ben appeared to look forward to the quiet and getting on with his book.  Speaking about the book,” Alex began.

“That fucking book,” Brian sneered as the platter holding the potatoes hit the table with a dull thud.  “I wish I never agreed to that fucking thing.”

“You do know the book has nothing to do with their problems,” Glen stated.  “Their breakup was inevitable,” Glen said flatly as he piled the salad high on his plate.

“Unfortunately we know,” Justin admitted.  He received a queer look from Alex and Glen.  Everyone took their place around the table and began passing around the dishes.  Brian was carving up the roast; he put a thick slice on Glen’s plate.

“We’re aware of Michael’s misconception that the book is about Brian and not the whole family,” John explained.  “His jealousy regarding all things Brian is well known, but it seems to have gotten worse since the book.  What I don’t get is why Ben hasn’t let him read it?  It would have solved everything.”

“Uncle Ben did give Uncle Michael a copy,” Bree told them.  The room became very quiet.

“Why didn’t you say anything?” Justin asked.

“No one asked me, besides I thought Uncle Ben told you.”

“Wait a minute, if Michael knew all along then why is he insisting that the book is only about Brian?” Bobby asked.   

“Because…” Glen began then he caught himself.

“Because he would’ve finally had to admit to himself that he’s partially responsible for the breakup of their marriage,” Brian said reasonably and with sadness.  “Excuse me,” Brian said as he stood and went to his bedroom.  Justin excused himself as he quickly followed.

Alex stood.

“No, let Justin do his magic.  He’ll come and get us if he needs help.  Let’s dig in before dinner gets cold,” John wisely advised.

 

*****

 

“Hey,” Justin said as he entered their room.  Brian was sitting in a chair.   “Are you all right?”

“All right is a relative term,” Brian parroted back.  Regretting his snarky attitude, Brian opened his arms as he stood.  Justin moved quickly into them.  Brian heaved a heavy sigh.  “For most of my life I’ve loved Michael as a brother.  I’ve tried not to encourage his fantasies about me.  I hate feeling so helpless.”

“I know you do but this is something they have to do on their own.  They have to want to fix their marriage.”

“Like we did?”

“Our marriage wasn’t broken.  You wanted a wedding that would be recognized by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and I wasn’t convinced it was necessary,” Justin frankly stated.  “We were on different paths until I caught a clue and I’ve never been happier.  You were right all along,” Justin said with a gleam in his eyes.

“I’m always right,” Brian said smugly.  He leaned back to look in Justin’s eyes.

“But I’m right about this.  We’ve done all we can to help, now it’s up to them,” Justin said wisely.  “I’m hungry, let’s go eat dinner before it’s ruined.”

“You’re right,” Brian teased.  The lovers hugged, kissed, then left their room hand in hand.

“We good?” John asked when they entered the porch.  Brian nodded.  Bobby brought in their plates that had been kept warm.

“We’re good,” Brian acknowledged.  He was about to apologize to the room at large when Alex stopped him.

“No, Brian, we insinuated ourselves here tonight.  No apologies required.”

Glen wheeled himself over to Brian.  He reached out to give Brian a hug which was graciously accepted.

Dinner proceeded without further ado.

 

*****

 

Brian was swirling a small amount of brandy around in a snifter.  He had offered their guests an after dinner drink which they declined.

“We’re driving back tonight,” Alex said. 

“We packed the van before we stormed your parapets,” Glen teased.

“We’re going to miss you,” said Justin.

“Don’t worry, we’ll be back for the summer,” Glen said.  “Just promise me that Brian will be tending his garden in those sexy overalls when we do.”  Glen gave Brian an appreciative leer.  Brian raised his glass, throwing Glen a smoky hot look.

Alex shook his head as Justin rolled his eyes.  The conversation went downhill from there.  About an hour later Alex announced it was time to go.

“We’ll stay in touch.  Brian, we can’t force our help onto anyone but I promise when we get back to the city, I’ll let Michael know we’re available to him.”  It was the best they could do.

 

*****

 

The Anderson-Morrison family retired to their side the house, the dishes washed, Bree in her room, and the cottage was once again quiet.  Brian was enjoying his brandy in front of a fire.  Justin snuggled up close, then appropriated Brian’s snifter to take a small sip.

“You enjoyed that, didn’t you?”

“Enjoyed what, Sunshine?”

“Flirting with Glen.”

“Was I flirting?”

“You most certainly were.”

“It was harmless, you know that.”

“Of course I know it, I know everything,” Justin boasted as he took another sip.

“Besides, I have to keep up my skills.”

“Your skills.”

“My flirting skills.  You never know when they might come in handy.”

“You are so full of shit, Kinney,” Justin exclaimed then burst out laughing.  “Come on, old man, time to go to bed.”  Justin stood and held out his hand.

“Bossy bottom,” Brian grumbled as he obeyed.

“Bossy top,” Justin said with a wink.  He then swished his way toward their room.

Knowing he had met his match, Brian secured the fireplace, washed his glass then scurried to their bedroom to his bossy ….

 

*****

 

Michael undressed and slipped under the covers of his bed.  His hand swept out to the side where Ben used to be.  He sighed heavily.  As much as he had wanted to escape from the lane, and the fucking interference of Alex and Glen, he missed his husband.  Why couldn't Ben give just a little bit and come back to Pittsburgh?  But Ben was so inflexible these days.  They couldn't seem to find any common ground.

Pulling what had been Ben's pillow against him, Michael curled himself around it.  He sniffed the faint odor of Ben on the pillow.  Life was so shitty these days.

He rolled onto his back clutching the pillow to his chest.  He wanted to stop these thoughts that dragged him down.  He had felt pretty good after his talk with Kevin.  Too bad he couldn't do that again.  Then again, why couldn't he?  He reached for his phone on the nightstand.  It was almost midnight.  He better not call now.  If Joe was home that could cause major problems for both of them.

Michael rolled back onto his side and hugged the pillow.  He'd call Kevin tomorrow.  He wanted to see him again.

 

*****

 

"Hey, Dad," JR said as she walked into the comic book store sipping her coffee.

Michael frowned.  "Is that from the diner?" he asked.

"Yes," JR said with a sigh.  She really didn't want a fight with her father.

"I thought you were never going back there."

"It's you who is never going back there," JR reminded him.  "I do what I want."

"Hmpff," Michael reacted.

"I thought you were okay with the latest version of Rage that Candy and Lacy came up with?  It does feature Zephyr and Professor Ken."

"I thought I was okay with it too, until I saw the finished product."  Michael waved a copy of the new Rage at his daughter.  "Have you seen this?"

"Of course I have."

"And you think it's okay?" Michael asked glaring at his daughter and daring her to say that it was.

"I do."

"Figures!" Michael spat out.

"You got an issue about Zephyr and Professor Ken.  Isn't that what you wanted?"

"That was what I wanted.  But that's not what I got," Michael almost yelled.  "I got a story where these stupid counselors and Rage have to save Ken and Zephyr.  Ken and Zephyr were supposed to be the stars, but they're the victims."

"They're not victims," JR objected.  "They were just having some problems and they needed a little help to fix things."

"Why couldn't they have fixed it themselves?" Michael demanded.  "Zephyr is just as capable as Rage."

"Is he?" JR asked.  She had had enough.  "Were you and Ben able to fix things by yourselves?"

"We're still ... working on it," Michael said softly hoping that was actually true.

"Are you kidding?  Nothing has changed and you're no closer to a solution than you were weeks ago," JR felt compelled to say.

Michael crossed his arms on his chest and glared at his daughter.  "How do you know?  You know nothing!"

"I know what I see, Dad, and things are a fucking mess with no visible signs of improvement."

"How could I have such a disrespectful and, and, and, just plain mean daughter?" Michael practically screamed before he grabbed his jacket and stomped out of the store.

JR's mouth dropped open.  She had never had her father speak to her like that.  She wasn't being disrespectful; she was telling him the truth.  And she certainly wasn't mean.  Someone had to lay out the facts to her father.  She heaved a weary sigh and went to call Jacqueline.

 

*****

 

"Kevin," Michael said into his phone when his new friend answered.

"Yes?"

"Can you talk?"

"I guess so."

"If this is a bad time, just tell me," Michael said getting the feeling that Kevin didn't really want to talk to him.  He wondered what had happened.

"Joe and I had a ... a bit of an altercation this morning," Kevin said hesitantly.

"Altercation?"

"He wants me to have his breakfast ready when he gets up."

"Like a good little wife?"

"Exactly."

"And you didn't have it ready this morning?"

"I slept in a little longer than I intended.  He was pretty furious with me," Kevin explained.

"What did he do?"

"For a couple of minutes I thought he was going to beat the shit out of me, but then he turned and walked out, slamming the door so hard that the dishes on the table rattled."

"Has he hit you before?"

"I ... I don't think we should be discussing this," Kevin said.

"Let's meet and you can tell me all about it," Michael suggested.

"That's probably not a good idea.  Someone could see us and tell Joe."

"Then we need to meet in private.  Why don't you come to my house," Michael said.  "I'm on my way home right now."

"I don't know," Kevin said uncertainly.

"I think you need to talk, and so do I."

"Okay, text me your address and I'll be there as soon as I can," Joe conceded.

Michael smiled as he texted his address.  He wanted to help Kevin, and maybe Kevin could help him.  They needed each other.

Some time later Michael sat on his couch staring at the clock on the wall.  It was almost an hour since he had talked to Kevin.  He had expected Kevin to arrive long ago.  Maybe the man had changed his mind.  He had sounded unsure about their meeting when they talked on the phone.

Michael picked up his phone willing it to ring with a call from Kevin, but there was nothing.  He debated calling Kevin, but that didn't seem like such a good idea.  If Kevin was rejecting their meeting, Michael would rather not be told so in no uncertain terms.  Maybe he'd wait just a little longer, and hope...

About ten minutes later the front doorbell rang.  Michael stood up hoping it was Kevin and not somebody selling something.  When he opened the door he found a grinning Kevin staring back at him.

"Hey," Michael said with a warm smile.  He was really glad to see Kevin.

"Hey," Kevin responded before pushing past Michael and flopping down on the couch in the living room.

Michael frowned.  This didn't seem like the Kevin he had talked to an hour ago.  "Are you feeling okay?" he asked.

"Never better."

"You sounded upset when I talked to you on the phone."

"I was upset.  Sometimes Joe is a complete asshole."

"I got that impression," Michael agreed sitting down in the chair opposite Kevin.  "Did you two make up?"

"Nah, but we probably will.  We always do," Kevin said with a sigh.

"Sounds like you have kind of a rocky relationship."

"You could say that."

"So why do you stay with him?"

"What the fuck else am I going to do?"

"Get a job and a place of your own," Michael suggested.

Kevin snorted.  "Tried that, didn't like it."

"Oh?"

"You see, life is always easier after I do a line or two."  Kevin pulled out a small plastic bag and waved it in front of Michael's face.  "I think another line would make things seem so much better."

"I ... I'd prefer if you didn't do that in my home," Michael said with a frown.  This was totally not what he had expected.

"Oh, come on.  Don't be such a prude.  I'll share," Kevin said with that grin he had when Michael opened the door.

"I'm not a prude, but I don't want you doing coke in my house."

"Fine, then I'll go elsewhere.  I don't need you and your fucking problems.  I've got enough of my own."  Kevin stood and began to leave the room.  "Oh, and by the way, don't fucking bother calling me again.  I don't want any more of your pathetic calls."

Michael's mouth dropped open.  "How dare you!  This is my house and you're no longer welcome here."  Michael stood and stepped ahead of Kevin to the front door.  He pulled it open and indicated that Kevin should leave.

"I'll go, and gladly," Kevin said.  "Asshole!" he added before Michael slammed the door behind him and quickly locked it.

Michael leaned against the door with tears forming in his eyes.  How could he have made such a mistake with Kevin?  He had thought he had found a new friend who was a good guy, a sympathetic listener, someone he could confide in.  He had been so fucking wrong!

 

"I want Ben," Michael whimpered as he slid down the door and sat dejectedly on the floor with his back against the door.

Raging On

Chapter 3

Brian decided he was long overdue for a visit to his flagship agency.  He gave Cynthia the heads up but no one else.  Cynthia understood and gave him her blessings.  Brian walked into Kinnetik like he owned the place then began to inspect every nook and cranny.

“You look like you were about to review the troops,” Cynthia commented as Brian entered her office and took a seat.

“Yeah, well, they’ve become too complacent.”

“That’s not true.  They’ve all done great work; the first quarter numbers prove it,” Cynthia countered.

“Of course they have, but we can’t let it go to their heads.  Advertising has made dramatic changes in the past ten years, we have to keep up.  No, that’s wrong, we should be paving the road.”

“Whoa, I get it.  Just don’t leave here today letting them think they’ve done a lousy job,” Cynthia cautioned.

“I won’t; promise,” Brian said as he held up his hand.  “How is Gui doing?”

“He was pissed at first being with the artists but I think his attitude has changed,” Cynthia replied.

“Good.  From what Shane told me, Gui was due for an attitude adjustment.  I’m glad it’s happening.  Let’s hope it’s changing in the right direction,” said Brian, pleased that he made the right decision.  “I’m planning to stay in the Pitts for a few days so get used to my face.”

“How can I forget it,” Cynthia snarked then became serious.  “Ben and Michael aren’t getting any closer, are they?” she asked, accurately translating the Brian speak.

“No, they’re not,” Brian stated with a heavy sigh.  “I don’t think there’s anything we can do but I don’t want Michael to feel alone.”  He stood to go to his own office.

“You’re a good man, Brian Kinney,” Cynthia called out as he was leaving.

“Shhh, don’t let anyone know,” he replied.  He heard her chuckling as he walked out, nearly running into Teddy.

“Boss, why didn’t you tell me you were coming into town?” Ted said as he trailed after Brian.

“And have you warn the troops, it would’ve defeated the purpose,” Brian growled as he looked around his office.  Without thinking he ran a finger across his desk and then across the sideboard in search of dust.  He snorted, hung up his overcoat then booted up his computer.

An eyebrow arched.

“We recently upgraded,” Ted explained.  “The old computers were wiped then donated,” Ted continued.  Satisfied, Brian nodded then sat at his desk to get acquainted with his new machine.

“I’ll leave you to your work unless you need me for something,” Ted said before he left the office.  Brian was about to wave him off then looked up.

“The bonuses look good, Bri.  Do you want to tell them or should I?”

“Let’s do it together this afternoon around three.  Let Cynthia know.”

“Sure thing, Bri,” Teddy said as he stepped out of Brian’s office.

“And Ted,” Brian began.  Ted popped his head back in.  “Thank you.”

Ted beamed a smile as he said, “You’re most welcome.”  Brian waved him off then got back to playing with his new computer.

 

*****

 

“Yo, shopkeep!” Brian called out as he smacked the counter.  He winked at JR.

“Brian!” Michael called out as he ran into the main store.  Michael had been taking inventory.  He gave Brian a strong hug.  “What brings you here?”

“Can’t a guy say hello to his oldest friend?  And I have Kinnetik business to attend to.  Besides, you left the lane without saying goodbye.”

“I was…in a hurry to get home,” Michael said without more explanation.

“Are you free for lunch?” Brian asked.

“Sure!  But I don’t want to go to the diner,” Michael insisted.

“Okay,” Brian agreed knowing there was some sort of story behind Michael’s request.  “How about Emm’s place?”

“Not there either,” Michael said with a scowl.

“All right.”  Brian flicked his eyes toward JR; she just sadly shrugged her shoulders.  “Uh, the Village diner?” Brian suggested in hopes that it too wasn’t off limits.

“That sounds great!” Michael crowed.  “I’ll go get my coat,” Michael said as he ran to the back.

“What’s going on?” Brian whispered to JR.

“I’ll call you later,” she replied.

“Do you mind driving?” Michael asked his old friend as he stepped out from the back.

“Nope.  It’ll be like old times,” Brian said as he draped his arm across Michael’s shoulders.

“Yeah, just minus the word, Faggots, spray painted on the side of the Jeep,” Michael deadpanned.

“Oh, I don’t know, Mikey, I’ve always embraced truth in advertising,” Brian said as they left the store.

 

*****

 

When they got to the diner, Brian and Michael were quickly shown to a sunny table and handed menus.  Brian ordered his turkey sandwich on whole wheat, hold the mayo, with a side salad and a coffee while Michael ordered a cheeseburger with all the trimmings.  Brian stared for a moment but said nothing.

“So, Mikey, how’s it hanging?”

“A little to the left.  If you mean the comic book store, I’m surprised your spy hasn’t updated you.”

“She doesn’t tell me everything.”

“Well, we’re doing just fine.  The holiday season was a good one even though the weather was for shit.  We’re okay.”

“It’s good to hear, Mikey,” Brian sincerely stated as he patted Michael’s hand.  They sat in an awkward silence for a while.  Brian recognized a few patrons and several of the wait staff.  He nodded at a few.

“You never change,” Michael snarked.

“What the fuck are you talking about?”

“Does Justin know you’re up to your old tricks?”

“Michael, make sense before I leave.”

“The waiter, did you do him?” Michael asked with a nasty grin.

“Get a grip, Mikey, half the people in this place are Hunter’s graduates.  You remember Hunter, your son, the master of social work.  They either work here or in the Village shops.”  Brian was tempted to tell Michael that if he got his ass more involved with Hunter, he might have recognized some of them as well. 

The silence became deafening.

“Uh, how’s Ma?  I didn’t get a chance to say goodbye to her either.”

“She and Carl are all right.  We have the three of them over for dinner about once a week.”

“Three of them?” Michael asked, conveniently forgetting about Peter.  Brian rolled his eyes and glared.

Lunch was delivered which saved them from further awkward moments.

“Michael, I have to ask.  You read Ben’s book, didn’t you?”

“Yeah, so?”

“So, you know it’s not just about me.  It’s about all of us.”

“Yeah, so what?”

“So why do you still blame the book for breaking up your marriage?”

“Because if Ben just stuck to teaching then none of this would have happened.”

“Michael, do you know how stupid that sounds.”  Michael threw his napkin on the table about to run out of the diner.  Brian stopped him.  “Sit.” 

Michael sat; he was exhausted.  “I’m tired of everyone being against me,” he admitted.

“Who’s against you?”

“You are.  So is Ma, and JR.  Emmett thinks I’m wrong about everything.  I don’t have anyone who’s on my side.”

“No one’s taking sides,” Brian insisted.  Michael snorted.  “Look, I won’t lie to you.  Do I think you’ve handled this whole thing with Ben well?  No, I don’t.  You told everyone that you were seeing a counselor and you didn’t.  You insisted that the book was written only about me and we know that’s not true.  It’s not about taking sides, it’s about pointing out the facts.  The fact is that Ben tried but you haven’t, and now it may be too late.”

“What do you mean, too late?  Has he met someone?”

“No, he hasn’t.  What I mean is that he still loves you but he’s not in love with you.  And if you want him back you’re going to have to work very hard to get him to fall in love with you again.”

“And what if I still think he’s wrong?” Michael asked with defiance.

“Then I’d say get used to living on your own,” Brian said while signaling for the check.  He paid the bill then drove Michael back to the comic book store.

“Michael, I’m going to stay in the Pitts for a couple of days on business.  Call me if you want to do dinner,” Brian said as Michael climbed out of the Jeep.  Michael nodded as Brian drove away.

“Schmidt!” Brian bellowed as he barged his way through the main doors.  Everyone cringed.

“You bellowed, Boss.”  Teddy hurried over as Brian peeled off his coat.  Ted grabbed it before it hit the floor as he followed Brian to his office.

“Shut the door,” Brian commanded.  “Sit.”  Ted obliged.  “I had lunch with Michael.”

“I gather it didn’t go well,” Teddy surmised. 

Brian shook his head.  “Nothing’s changed.  Matter of fact, I think they’ve gotten worse.  If I didn’t know any better, I’d be thinking that Michael is severely paranoid.”

“Not paranoid, just egotistical,” Ted offered.  Brian nodded in agreement.

“What can we do?  He’s so alone.  He feels everyone is against him.”

“I’ll invite him over for dinner more often.  I’ll even pick him up so he won’t have any excuses.  Let me get with Emm.  Most of the important people in his life live at Tremont.  If you don’t mind us using your loft, we can do a nice dinner there.”

Brian didn’t have to think long about Ted’s suggestion; he thought it was a good one.

“You and Emm have my keys, go and make magic,” Brian instructed. 

Ted smiled.  “I’ll let you know the arrangements,” Ted said as he was about to leave Brian’s office.

“Ted.”

“Hmm?”

“My coat.”  Ted looked down and realized his was still holding Brian’s coat.  He gave Brian a thin lipped smile as he hung up the coat then scurried out the door.

 

*****

 

Bree wandered into the sun porch and looked out.  The sun was shining and the mucky snow piles were almost gone.  A couple of warm days and spring seemed to be here.  Bree wanted to go out and feel the sun on her face, but she wanted someone to go with.

"Patrick?" Bree called as she headed to the Anderson-Morrison side of the conjoined cottages.

"In here," Patrick called from his bedroom.

"Want to come to the Thinking Rock with me?" Bree asked batting her eyelashes.

Patrick didn't even look up from his desk where he was writing frantically.  "Can't," was the only reply Bree got.

"Why not?"

Patrick drew in a long breath and looked up.  Bree stood in the doorway of his room.  He could tell she really wanted him to go with her, but he couldn't.  "I'm doing my homework," Patrick explained.  "If I get it finished in the next ... ten minutes," he said looking at the clock on his desk, "Dad will take me driving."

"Couldn't you do that tomorrow?" Bree said with a pout.

"I only have two weeks left before I take my driving test.  I passed everything in Drivers' Ed, but I really need more practice in the car."

"Oh," Bree said.  This wasn't the first time that Patrick had chosen the car over her since he got his learner's permit.

"Sorry, but maybe another time," Patrick said as he turned back to what he had been writing.

Bree shook her head and left the Anderson-Morrison cottage.  She went back into the sun porch and looked out again.  She would go by herself, she decided.  She grabbed her coat, and her gloves just in case it was nippy.  She was about to go out when she remembered that her Uncle John was in charge.  Her Dada was in Pittsburgh and her Daddy had gone to the grocery store for some things he needed for dinner.

"Uncle John," Bree called.

"Up here," John replied from his office.  He came out and stood at the top of the spiral stairs.  "And where might you be off to, young lady?" he asked noting the coat and gloves.

"I want to go to the Thinking Rock for a while," Bree explained.  "Patrick said he can't come with me, so I'm going to go by myself," she said definitively.  "But I thought I better tell you since you're in charge."

"That was a good thought," John agreed.  "I'm going to take Patrick out driving in a few minutes.  There won't be anyone here."

"I could leave a note for Daddy when he comes back.  I won't be too long."

"Okay, write Justin a note and don't stay at the rock for too long.  It's still chilly out there."

"'Kay."

"Oh, and take Beau with you."

"Okay."

Bree quickly wrote a note telling her father where she was.  She propped it up against a mug on the counter.

As she went out the door of the sun porch, she saw Beau lying in a pool of sunlight on the little porch of the Wendy house.

"Beau, you're supposed to come with me," she informed the big dog.

Beau lumbered to his feet.  Bree watched realizing what Uncle John had meant when he was talking to her Dada about Beau's arthritis.  The big dog wasn't getting any younger.  Bree frowned as she started down the path to the Thinking Rock.  Beau walked beside her and she sunk her fingers into the ruff around his neck.  Beau gave a little growl of satisfaction.

Bree smiled at the reaction of the dog.  It was so easy to be kind and make people feel good.  She wondered why her Uncle Michael and Uncle Ben couldn't do that for each other.  That was one of the things she wanted to think about at her favorite thinking spot.

She also thought about people getting older, just like Beau.  She didn't see her Grandma Claire nearly as much.  According to Uncle John she had had a hard winter, colds and flu, and maybe some other stuff.  Her Grandma Debbie was also getting old.  She never made as much food as she used to, but that was okay because they never ate all she brought anyway.  Grandpa Carl was slowing down too.  And then there was Mr. Riley's partner, Mr. Danny.  She knew Danny was Uncle Michael's real father, but they never seemed to get together.  Bree always asked Riley about Danny when he came to give her piano lessons.  Apparently it had been a hard winter for Danny too.

That made her think about her Gamma Joan.  She still missed her ... a lot.  She heaved a sigh as she came to the clearing where the Thinking Rock was located.

"Oh no," she said out loud.  The rock was occupied.

"I heard that," the person on the rock said.

"I can leave," Bree stated, "if you want your privacy."

"I think I've had more than enough privacy lately," Ben said as he turned to her and smiled.  "Come join me ... if you don't mind having company."

"I don't mind at all," Bree said with one of her sunny smiles.  "I wanted Patrick to come with me, but he just wants to go out driving with his dad."

"Imagine that!  Choosing a car over a beautiful young lady."

Bree giggled as she climbed up on the rock beside Ben.  Beau laid down at the base of the rock.

"So," Ben said, "you needed some thinking time?"

"Yeah."

"What do you need to think about?"

"I mostly wanted some fresh air.  I'm really sick of winter."

"I concur."

"But Uncle John told me to take Beau with me.  I realized Beau has arthritis.  He has trouble standing up sometimes.  It got me thinking about getting older."

"You're not planning on getting arthritis, are you?" Ben joked.

"No, silly," Bree laughed then her face clouded over.  "At least not any time soon.  But we can't stop getting older and sometimes illness and weakness comes with that."

"Wow, you weren't kidding; you have been thinking about what getting older means."

"I realized how little we saw of Grandma Claire this winter.  She was sick quite a bit.  It was a hard winter for her and Mr. Danny, and even Grandma Debbie and Grandpa Carl."

"You know, you're right.  I should try to help some of those people more, not be so wrapped up in myself," Ben admitted.

"Uncle Michael should do that too."  Bree saw Ben wince at her words.  She should be careful what she said to him.

"Yes, I wish Michael would.  You know Debbie always said what a big heart her son had, and I thought so too."

"But not so much anymore?" Bree asked softly.

Ben nodded his head reluctantly.  That was a big part of what was wrong with their relationship.  Michael seemed to have little time for JR, except at the store, or for Hunter.  He had little time for anyone except himself.

"Is there anything we can do to make him see that people need him and want him to be part of their lives?"

"I don't think Michael believes that the family really wants him to be part of their lives anymore," Ben said sadly.

"Why is everybody sad and worried then?" Bree asked.

"Michael doesn't see that."

"He should," Bree declared.

Ben gave her a wry smile.  "Listen, I wish you wouldn't worry.  This is up to Michael and me to fix."

"But can you?"

"Honestly, I don't know."

"I was afraid you were going to say that.  I want everyone to be happy."

"That's a lovely thought, but no one is happy all the time," Ben reminded her.

"They should be."

Ben chuckled.  "If only..."

Bree leaned back on the rock and looked up at the sky.  "I guess I should go back," she said after a minute.  "My Daddy should be back with his groceries."

"I should probably go home too ... to the log cabin, I mean."

"I got that," Bree said as she slid off the rock.  "You ready Beau?"

The big dog got slowly to his feet and stood beside her as they waited for Ben to get off the rock.

"I just thought of something," Bree said as they entered the path leading back to the lane.

"And what might that be?"

"Mr. Danny is Uncle Michael's father, right?"

"Yes, he is.  Why?"

"Could he talk to Uncle Michael?"

"Hm," Ben responded.  "That is a thought, but I'm not hopeful that anyone can get through to Michael at this point."

"But it might be worth a try?" Bree asked hopefully.

"It might.  Maybe I should talk to Debbie about it."

 

"That sounds good," Bree said burying her hand in Beau's ruff and eliciting the same happy growl she had garnered before.  She smiled to herself, feeling that she might have helped in some small way.

Raging On

Chapter 4

 

“That went well,” Mel snarked as she washed the last of the glasses.  Brian quietly took each glass, inspected it before drying then returned it to the appropriate cupboard.

“Not,” they both murmured at the same time.

“He spent half the night glaring at everyone,” Mel stated.

“And the other half grumbling that no one’s on his side and we couldn’t possibly understand what he’s going through,” Brian completed her thought.

“How many times did Lindsay and I break up?”

“How many times did I push Justin away?”

“But it worked out for you.”

“And it didn’t for you?” Brian asked.

“Of course not, we got divorced.”

“Yes, but if you really think about it, it did work out for both of you.”

“How can you say that?  We, I, broke up my family!”

“Mel…”

“No!  What the fuck is up with you, Kinney?  You make assumptions and manipulate everyone around you.  You don’t give a fuck how it turns out, do you?”

“Mel…”

“Me and Lindsay loved each other.”

“Mel…”

“We had everything; the kids were happy!  You ruined everything!”

“Melanie!” Brian roared.  “What fucking planet do you live on?!  You and Lindsay were miserable.  JR was falling apart and Gus couldn’t wait to get the hell out.  Think, Mel.  Put that brain of yours to work and remember what it was really like.  You and Lindsay were not happy.  The only things I manipulated were your fucking wedding, encouraging Riley to buy the toll house, and asking Bobby to handle Lindsay’s end of the divorce.

“Mel, listen to me.  You know better than most that it takes two people to make a marriage work and those same two people to fuck it up.”

“But we were happy.”

“Were being the operative word.  People change, Mel.  Shit happens.  You either ignore it, fix it, or realize it’s time to cut your losses.  You and Lindsay may have ignored your problems for a short time but you did try to fix things, then when you both realized nothing good was coming out of it, you did the next best thing for everyone concerned.  You split up and got your lives in order.  And look at the results.”

“Kinney, what are you talking about?”

“Putting it simply, Lindsay took over The Bloom Gallery and has art contacts all over the world.  You took up my offer…”

“More fucking manipulations.”

“And have become ten times more successful than you ever were just being a lawyer.  You have a career that allows you to grow, practice law, and spread your wings in the business.  Mel, a day doesn’t go by when a client doesn’t call to renew a contract and wants to deal exclusively with you.  You’re good at what you do.  And your children are fabulous.”

“I don’t know what to say.”

“Say nothing.  Most people change, evolve, as they grow up, hopefully into something better than what they were before.”

“You never changed, neither has Michael.”

“Of course I changed.  Coffee?” Brian offered as he flipped on the coffeemaker.  Mel was about to object when he said, “Decaf.”   Mel agreed.

“How?”

“How, what?”

“How did you change?” 

Brian contemplated for a minute before answering.  He poured out their coffee then sat at the counter.  “I think I got better as a father and as a partner too.”

“Yeah, I guess so,” Mel said, seemingly not impressed.

“You forget, officially I stopped tricking the day of John and Bobby’s wedding.  Unofficially, a couple of years before, but I made a vow that day to Justin that I haven’t broken,” Brian stated with a proud smirk.

“That’s over twenty years ago.” 

“Yeah,” he said, extremely pleased with himself.

“How?”

“How, what?”

“Oh for fuck’s sake,” Melanie said with frustration, making Brian laugh.

“I’m just messing with you.  And to answer your unspecified question, I love him too much to jeopardize our life together.  I’m far from perfect.”  Mel rolled her eyes.  “But I’m smart enough to know not to fuck up a winning formula.  And what Justin and I have…”

“Is a winning formula that can’t be duplicated.”

“Ergo?”

“The Stud of Liberty Avenue gave up tricking for the man he loves.”

“And therefore?”

“Therefore, oh fuck therefore!” 

Brian cracked up.  “You know, it takes a lot of compromising in a good relationship,” Brian said when he got himself in control.  “Some big compromises.”

“Like no tricking?”

“Some little, like who’s cooking tonight or whose turn is it to pick up the kids from school.  Or do I let him wear those fucking cargo pants to an opening or convince him to wear a suit.”

“Preferably one with a well known label.  What’s the point of all this?”

“The point is that a relationship can go south when the compromising stops.”

“Lindsay and I stopped compromising.”

“Probably, but I’m talking about Ben and Michael, apparently they stopped compromising years ago.”

“How did you come to that conclusion?”

“Just observations, that and they haven’t been on the same page for a very long time.  Ben enjoys simple things; a nice meal with his husband, quiet nights reading.  Michael still thinks he has to prove to the world that he’s married, and the only way he thinks he can do that is by 'doing dinner' with his yuppie neighbors.”

“Yuppie neighbors?  What century are you living in?”  Brian glared.  “But I know what you’re saying.  I tried to get Michael to talk about what he and Ben like to do together with JR and Hunter.”

“Wait, let me guess, he just rattled on about his dinners with Biff and Boff and other assorted domesticated fags.” 

Mel nodded.  “You’re a domesticated fag.”

“True, but I excel in my form of domestication,” Brian smugly declared.  Mel shook her head.

“So what can we do to help them?” Mel asked in all seriousness.

“I honestly don’t know.  Maybe it’s all for the best.  It’s not like Hunter and JR are little kids.  They won’t be happy about their parents breaking up but they won’t be surprised by it.  Who knows, maybe Michael will reconnect with Dr. Dave.  And I happen to know that there’s a certain Frenchman pining away for our musclebound friend.”

“You’re such an asshole,” Mel declared as she prepared to leave.

“That goes without saying but you love me anyway,” Brian snarked.

“True,” Mel admitted with a gentle kiss to his cheek.  She chuckled as she left a stunned Brian Kinney standing at his door.

Brian shook his head to clear away stray thoughts as he stepped back into the loft.  He decided to call Justin, update him about the dinner and the lack of any positive results.

“Maybe you should call him,” Justin suggested over the phone.

“Not sure what good it would do, it's only been a couple of hours since he went home.”

“You know him so well, Bri, I bet he’d appreciate knowing that you’re thinking of him.”

“That’s just it, Sunshine,” Brian began sadly.  “I don’t think I know him at all anymore.  The Mikey I grew up with was one stubborn son of a bitch, but eventually he saw reason.  Now, I’m not so sure.  He’s built up this wall that no one can break.”

“Brian, you were the king of walls when we first met and they’ve all crumbled.”

“That’s because you carry one helluva big sledgehammer, Sunshine; you tore down each one of them.”

“You give me too much credit.  You broke most of them yourself.”

“And you were my reward for each one that came down,” Brian lovingly said.

“I love you.”  Justin sniffled.

“Love you too, Sunshine.”

“I miss you.  When are you coming home?”

“A few more days.  There’s more Kinnetik shit I need to take care of.”

“Something wrong?”

“No, but Gui’s got a chip on his shoulder that needs crushing to say nothing of the stick up his ass.”

“Be nice,” Justin admonished.

“I’m always nice.”

“Sure you are,” Justin hissed.

“Have you no faith in me?”

“I have a lot of faith in you, faith that you’ll torture the man to the point that he’ll go running back home.  And how would that look to Pierre.”

“I promise to give him a chance to prove himself before I kick him in the ass,” Brian said with a sigh.

“That’s all I ask.  You know, if he had married Lindsay, things may have turned out a whole lot differently.”

“Yeah, Gus would have grown up speaking French and JR would have never been born,” Brian grumbled.

“Point taken,” Justin admitted. 

For the next thirty minutes the boys spoke nonsense, making sappy kissy noises at each other until they giggled at their own silliness.

“I’ll be home soon,” Brian promised before they cut their connection.  Brian checked the time and decided to give Michael a call.

“What do you want?”

“I can’t call to talk to my oldest friend?”

“You could have talked to me a couple of hours ago.”

“I would have if you had talked back instead of growling or ignoring me.”  Brian heard Michael snort.  “We can talk now.”

“Why does everyone want me to talk?  I’m sick of talking; no one ever listens to me.”

“I’m listening now,” Brian gently said as he sat on the sofa.

“It doesn’t help.  Talking does shit.”

“What do you think will help?”

“Someone has to do something.”

“Like what, Mikey.”

“Like make Ben see reason!”

“And what should he see?”

“That we’re married and we should do things together,” Michael said with a huff.  Brian could almost see the arms crossing.

“What kinds of things?”

“Same things you do.”

“Such as?”

“Going out.  Having dinner parties.”

“Mikey, let’s put aside the fact that for most of the last six months has been non-stop work for me and Justin.  And that the weather has been for shit.  Any 'going out' as you put it, has been mainly for Kinnetik business and shoveling fucking snow.  And I can’t remember the last real dinner party we’ve had.  Mostly it’s just the family coming over.”

“That can’t be true.”

“Why?”

“Because you’re Brian fucking Kinney, that’s why.  You make your life sound so dull.”

“Gee thanks, Mikey.  But what if my life doesn’t live up to your standards, what if I like dull.  Why do you care?”

“Be…because, I just do.  You should be out partying every night.”

“Michael, in case you don’t remember, I live out in the sticks.  Besides, you want me to be an over the hill club boy?”

“No.”

“I work hard, Michael.”

“And I don’t?”

“That’s not what I’m saying.”

“Then what are you saying?”

‘If you’d shut the fuck up, I’d tell you,’ Brian wanted to say but he didn’t.  “At the end of the day, I look forward to spending time with Bree and Justin.  And with that big brother of mine and his clan.  A wild night for us is putting together a large jigsaw puzzle.”

“You’re shitting me.”

“No, Michael, I’m not.  I wouldn’t lie to you.  Whether I’m working in the Pitts or up in my attic office, at the end of the day all I want to do is spend time with my family.  I missed some important years with Gus and I swore that wasn’t going to happen with Bree.  So until my daughter gets sick and tired of her Dada, I’m spending as much time with her as I can.

“Michael, some things are way more important than dinner parties.  You have two wonderful children that miss their dad.  As for Ben, I’m not really sure how to help either of you.  He’s happy being a homebody but he’d be a whole lot happier if you were the body he was home with.  Think about it.

“I gotta go, I have an early meeting.  I love you, Mikey, always have, always will.  I’ll be in the Pitts for a few more days if you want to do lunch or dinner.  Okay?”

“Yeah, okay,” Michael softly said.

“I’m serious, Mikey.  No matter what happens, I’ll always love you,” Brian assured Michael before he hung up.

“I love you too,” Michael said before he heard Brian cut the connection.

Michael felt the sting of unshed tears in his eyes.  He scrubbed at them for a moment then made sure his house was locked up before going to bed.

 

*****

 

"Hello?" Brian said into his phone as he lay on his bed in the loft.

"Hi, Dada," Bree responded.

"Shouldn't you be asleep?"

"I'm not a baby, Dada, and it's only a little after eleven."

Brian frowned realizing once again that his daughter was getting older every day.  He didn't like it one bit.  "That's late ... for someone who has school tomorrow."

Bree sighed heavily to make sure her father got the point that she was annoyed.  When was he going to realize she was almost grown up?  "Dada, when are you coming home?" Bree asked into her phone.  She decided there was no point in arguing about bedtime, so she'd get to the point of her call.

"Just a few days more," Brian responded.  "You sound like you miss me," he teased.

"I do."

Brian couldn't help but smile.  "Your Daddy won't be happy to hear that."

"Why?  He misses you too."

"Does he now?"  Brian's smile broadened.

"He always misses you when you're not here, and so do I."

"I thought your Daddy would be happy painting and cooking and looking after you without me stumbling around in the background."

"You don't stumble, Dada," Bree informed him.

Brian chuckled.  "Well, thanks for that vote of confidence anyway."

"Dada, I know you're teasing, but it's lonely here."

"Lonely?"

"Yes, lonely."

"Care to elaborate?" Brian asked with a frown.

Bree sighed into the phone once again.  "Patrick is busy trying to get his driver's license.  All he wants to do is drive a car."

"What about Peter?"

"Peter's ... Peter.  He's never all that friendly."

"Maybe you could make more of an effort with him," Brian suggested hopefully.

"I've tried, Dada."

"I know you have, Squirt.  But maybe, you could try again."

"Yeah, maybe," she agreed reluctantly.  Her many charms never seemed to make much difference with Peter.

"How's Ashley?" Brian asked.

"She's fine, but she doesn't live real close.  We have to make special arrangements to get together after school.  It's not like I can go next door and she's there."

"Yeah," Brian agreed.  "I'm fresh out of suggestions to help you."  Brian hated to admit he couldn't solve Bree's problem, but there was nothing much he could do.

"I didn't expect you to fix everything, Dada.  I just wanted to talk to you about it."

"Did talking help?"

"A little bit."

"I love you, Squirt, and I'll be home soon."

"Good," Bree said emphatically.  "I love you too.  Bye, Dada."

Brian dropped his phone onto the bed in the loft where he was lying.  He missed his family too.  He would gladly have moved heaven and earth to help his daughter, but he couldn't think of any way to make things better for her.  He wondered if this might be the new normal as his daughter grew up.

 

*****

 

Bree set the phone down on her nightstand.  She stared up at the ceiling.  It wasn't her usual thing to be melancholy, but it really bothered her when the people she depended on for company and fun and discussion weren't around.  She wondered what she could possibly do to make things better.

"Bree?" a voice said from outside her door.

"Yes?" she said with a frown.

"Are you still awake?"

"Yes, Daddy."

"I heard you talking to someone.  Who was it?"

"Come on in," Bree said softly.  She waited till her father had opened the door and taken a seat on the side of her bed.  "I called Dada."

"Oh, what did he have to say?"

"You weren't listening?" Bree asked suspiciously.

"I wouldn't do that," Justin said, a little taken aback.  "I never listen in on private conversations."

"Never?" Bree asked with a little giggle.

"Well, never, except when it's really necessary to find out something extremely important."  Justin couldn't help but grin at his daughter.

"I understand, Daddy.  So, did you listen?" she asked with a twinkle in her eye.

Justin shook his head as he smiled at her.  "I did not."

"That's good."

"So, what did Dada have to say for himself."

"Not much."

"You know, I may have to start listening at your door if you don't supply me with more information."

They looked at each other, smiled and then hugged.

"I'm sorry, Daddy.  I called because I miss Dada and I wanted to tell him that I was lonely because he was gone, and Patrick doesn't want to do anything with me, and I don't like it."

"Hm," Justin replied.

"Is that the best you got?" Bree asked with another giggle.

"'Fraid so.  Did Dada have any answers?"

"Nope."

"What are you going to do?"

"I was just thinking about that when you came to my door.  Dada said I should be friendlier with Peter, but I don't think that will work.  Peter isn't interested in me or anything I do."

"I know you've tried with him."

"I have.  Soooo, I was thinking maybe I need to find some more things to do on my own."

"Oh, like what?"

"Maybe I should go riding again.  Do you think they would let me do that at the Farm."

"I imagine they would."

"Or I could take more piano lessons.  Mr. Riley would like that."

"I bet he would."

"Or I could find something totally new to do."

"And what might that be?" Justin asked.

"I haven't figured that out yet," Bree said with a big sigh.

 

Father and daughter said goodnight, and Justin headed for his own bedroom.  They both had things to think about.

Raging On

Chapter 5

 

As Spring turned into Summer, Brian turned into super gardener.  He was working up a decent sweat as he was doing some much needed weeding when Ben rounded the corner of the cottage.  Ben grinned appreciatively at one forever fit and trim Brian Kinney.

“Like what you see, Professor,” Brian purred as he stood up to face Ben.

“You’re one good looking man.”

“Tell me something I don’t know,” Brian said with a smirk.

“I’m going home.”

“Home, as in…”

“Back to Pittsburgh.  Not back to the house.  I’ll pick up a few things then look for a hotel.”

“Why?”

“Because I’m not ready to face him.”

“No, why a hotel?  Stay at the loft.”

“I couldn’t ask you to give up your loft.  What if Gus needs it?  What if you need it?”

“We’ll work it out.  What about Michael?”  Ben shrugged his shoulders.  “Why now?”

“It’s time.  My editing went well.  The first printing should hit the shelves in time for the holidays.  And I think I’m ready to go back to work.”

“Please, not the “H” word.  It feels like they were just yesterday,” Brian complained.  Ben nodded in agreement.

“Is Bree around?  I wanted to thank her again.”

“She and Justin are spending the day with Ashley and Susanna.”

“Then please tell her again how grateful I am for letting me use her rainbow.”

“She’ll get a kick out of it when she sees it in print.  You still have your spare key and password?”  Ben nodded.  “I’ll let Ted know.”

“Brian, I don’t need the loft.  If that small apartment on the first floor is available, that’s all I’ll need.”

“Sorry Professor, you’re outta luck, I may have a temporary tenant for it.”

“Who?”

“Gui,” Brian hissed.

“Gui?”

“Yes, he’s been grumbling about the Plaza.”

“Excuse me?  That place is beautiful.”

“Be that as it may, he’s been letting it be known around the office that he’s tired of his roomies.”

“What does that mean?”

“Gui came over with several Kinnetik Rose exchange ad execs and artists.  We put them up in the large suite we have on retainer.  They’ve been using it as home base at they rotate through each branch.  Pierre especially wants Gui to learn all he can from Kinnetik before moving on.  But apparently he doesn’t play well with others.”

“Just an observation, but I met a few of Kinnetik Rose’s employees while I was holidaying in Paris.”

“And?”

“Most of them were young, younger than Gui.  Perhaps he has little in common with them.”

“More like he’s ostracized himself by his attitude,” Brian snorted.  “Whatever his problem is, Ted suggested that we let him use the small apartment in Tremont for the duration of his stay.  Maybe he’ll calm his ass down enough to actually learn something useful.”  Brian looked down, noticed a weed then pulled it out with vengeance.

“Speaking about ostracizing oneself.  It appears that Michael has stopped speaking to most of the family,” Brian commented.

“Why?”

“He believes they’re on your side.”

“No one is taking sides.”

“Not according to your estranged spouse.  He’s even having difficulty with Biff and Boff.”

“Biff and Boff?”

“Your neighbors.”

“Ah.  What’s up with them?”

“Michael has come to the revelation that your neighbors aren’t interested in the latest comic craze.  Plus they’ve caught wind of your wittle book.”

“My book,” Ben deadpanned.

“Yeah, Boff has a friend, who has a friend in the publishing business.  They tried grilling Mikey for some tidbits but he began spouting the same rhetoric about the book’s all about me.  Then they wanted the inside scoop about the ‘stud.’  Mikey wasn’t having it.  He bailed on the dinner party and wants no part of them.”

“Shit.  Do you think I should reach out to him?” 

Brian shook his head.  “Mikey made his bed, let him stew in it in a while.  Maybe he’ll wake up and smell the coffee.”   

Ben shrugged, shook hands then took his leave.

During Ben’s editing phase, he did a little more soul searching.  He realized that maybe part of his and Michael’s problem was the book.  At least the proposed title; Ben changed it to “The Rainbow Family” which he felt was more appropriate.  Each color of a rainbow is distinct, apart, and yet blending to create something unified.  Hence, asking Bree for permission to use her copyrighted rainbow.  Bree was delighted to say yes.

“Schmidt!” Brian bellowed into his cell during a break in his weed pulling.

“Yes, Boss.”

“Ben’s going to use my loft for the foreseeable future and offer Gui that small apartment on the first floor.  Let everyone in the building know.”

“Right away, Brian.”

“Thank you, Ted.”

“Any time, Bri.  When’s the next family barbecue?”

“The fourth, but I have to consult the blond.”

“Message received.”

Satisfied, Brian disconnected then returned to his garden.

 

*****

 

Emmett sauntered into Brian's garden and stood watching a kneeling Brian Kinney pulling weeds from his garden.  The rear view of the former Stud of Liberty Avenue was almost as good as the frontal view.  Emmett watched for a couple of minutes before clearing his throat loudly enough to get Brian's attention.

"What do you want, Honeycutt?" Brian grumbled as he looked up.

"At the moment I was just enjoying the view."

Brian snorted.  "You never give up, do you?"

"Au contraire, I gave up years ago, but that doesn't mean I can't enjoy the scenery."  Emmett's toothy grin was as bright as the afternoon sun.

Brian smiled in spite of himself.  "As I said, what do you want?"

Emmett frowned and stared at Brian for a minute.  "How about a break?" he asked.  "Got any lemonade?"

"I think there's some in the fridge," Brian said as he got up and shook off some loose soil and bits of plants.  "Have a seat under the tree and I'll see what I can find."  Brian sensed that something was troubling his friend.  He was prepared to listen.

"Thanks," Emmett said as he walked towards the small table and chairs under the big tree.

Brian returned in a few minutes all washed and carrying a tray with a pitcher of lemonade and two glasses.

"Done in style, Mr. Kinney," Emmett remarked with approval.

"Glad you approve, Mr. Honeycutt."  Brian poured two glasses of lemonade and handed one to Emmett.  They each took a sip.  "Want to tell me why you're really here, and I know it isn't for the lemonade."

"The lemonade is very good, but..."

"Go on.  Spill."

"I'm really worried about Michael," Emmett blurted out.

"We all are," Brian said with a frown.

"I know that, but Michael has called me a few times because I'm in Pittsburgh a lot more than you guys.  Every time he has hung up on me.  When I try to call back, he won't answer.  It goes to voicemail and he never returns any of my calls.  I think he's cut himself off from everyone, even JR most of the time."

Brian's frown was deep as he pondered what Emmett had told him.  "I knew he had turned away from some of his so called 'new' friends, but I didn't realize he had stopped talking to you.  I wonder if he ever calls Ted."

"Doubt it," Emmett said with a shake of his head.

"I hate to admit it, but I don't know what else we can do," Brian said with a sigh.  He thought back to all the attempts to help his oldest friend - the intervention, the dinner, the attempted counseling with Glen and Alex.  "I've tried everything I can think of."

"Michael's a social creature," Emmett said softly.  "He doesn't do well on his own.  If he has no one to talk to, I don't like to think what he might do."

Brian's eyes widened.  He had never thought it would go that far.  "I wonder if you should talk to Ben," he asked.  "Ben's thinking of moving back to Pittsburgh."

"He is?  That would be great," Emmett reacted, getting his hopes up.

"But not back to the house with Michael.  He'll be staying at the loft."

Emmett's face fell.  "Oh?  That doesn't help."

"Why not?" Brian asked.

"Ben being so near but yet so far might push Michael over the edge."

"I don't like where you're going with this, Emmett," Brian said softly.

"I don't like it either, but it doesn't stop me from worrying."

"Any suggestions about what we might do?"

"That's why I came to see you.  I thought you might have some ideas."

"I've already tried just about everything I can think of," Brian admitted, sounding defeated.

"I was afraid you'd say that.  Well, we can't give up on him.  I'll keep trying to communicate with him.  Even if he won't answer he'll know I'm trying, and that I care," Emmett stated.

"That's good.  I'll see if I can come up with something.  If I do, I'll be in touch," Brian said as they stood up.  They shared a hug to show their support for each other with this impossible task.

 

*****

 

Later that evening Bree sat at her desk in her room.  She stared at the blank piece of paper in front of her.  She'd had this assignment for several days, but she had no idea how to complete it.  There were only a few days left in the school year, and this was the final assignment.  She knew the teacher meant it to be fun and not too hard.  Basically it was busy work to fill up the last days without it being too difficult.

Bree sighed heavily.  Usually schoolwork was very easy for her, but she had been in a funk for weeks.  Patrick had got his license and all he wanted to do was drive the stupid car.  She couldn't go with him though, because he wasn't allowed to take other children with him in the vehicle - not yet anyway.  And like she was a child!  Bree snorted just like her Dada.  She was more mature than a lot of the people around her, but she was still considered a child.  It ticked her off no end.

Bree picked up a pencil and started to write her name at the top of the blank page.  She formed the "B" and then drew the pencil all the way down the page and scribbled furiously until the pencil point started to shred  the paper.  Then she continued to destroy the paper with all the frustration she was feeling inside.  Finally she picked up the tattered paper, balled it up and heaved it with all her might toward the wastebasket.  She missed it by a country mile.

"Good job your game is soccer and not basketball," a voice said from the doorway.

Bree jumped and gasped.  "Dada!" she scolded.  "You scared me."

"Did I now?"

"Yes, you did."  Bree scowled at her father.

"What's up?" Brian asked as he watched his precocious daughter. 

"Nuffin," Bree responded in her baby voice.

"Bree?" Brian said in warning.  It wasn't like Bree to destroy anything, even a piece of paper.  "Tell me what's wrong."

"We have one last assignment for school.  It's stupid and I don't want to do it," Bree complained.

"Stupid, huh?"

"Yeah, stupid."

"Tell me what the assignment is."

"I'll do the assignment, Dada ... eventually.  I just don't know what to write."

"I know you'll do it, Squirt.  You always do your schoolwork.  Tell me about the assignment.  Maybe discussing it will help you figure out what to do."

Bree sighed knowing she wasn't going to get rid of her father easily.  "Okay," she agreed.

Brian walked into the bedroom and sat on the edge of Bree's bed.  He patted the space beside him and Bree moved over to the bed, sitting down in the space he had indicated.  Brian looked at his daughter and waited for her to start talking.  It took a couple of minutes, but Bree finally began.

"We're supposed to pick a fictional character."  Bree stopped for a moment.

"That covers a lot of territory.  Are there any other parameters?"

Bree smiled slightly.  That was one of the things she loved about her Dada.  He never talked down to her.  He could use big words, and he often did.  He always assumed she would know what he was talking about, and she usually did.  "It can be any character from a book, from a TV show, from a movie, almost from anywhere as long as it's fictional."

"And once you pick this character, what do you do with him or her?" Brian asked.

"We're supposed to write about what we have in common with this character.  We can make it an essay or a story or whatever we want, as long as it's about a character that we identify with."

"That doesn't sound so hard," Brian observed.

"Well, it is," Bree declared.  "Who would you pick, Dada?"

"I'd pick Rage, of course."

"That's not fair.  You are Rage."

"Yeah, I guess I am."

"So, pick someone else."

"Hm," Brian mused thinking hard.  "I guess it would be Bobby Dupea from Five Easy Pieces."

"What is that?  I don't know who Bobby Dupea is, and what is five easy pieces?" Bree said with a frown.

"It's an old movie and Bobby is someone dissatisfied with his life.  He's a rebel and runs away from his family and his classical piano training."

"Piano?" Bree asked with a smile.

"Yeah, piano," Brian chuckled.  "But it's the rebel part I liked."

"Were you a rebel when you were young?"

"Are you implying that I'm no longer a rebel?"

Bree giggled.  "Oh no, Dada, you're a rebel when you want to be."  She batted her eyes at him.

Brian laughed in reply.  "Glad you realize that, Squirt.  And I was quite a rebel in my younger days."

"But I'm not really a rebel," Bree said.

"I wasn't implying that Bobby should be your choice to write about.  You asked me for my choice."

"Yeah, so who am I going to pick?"

"You've been a little grumpy lately.  What's that about?"

"Patrick!" came the quick reply.

"What has Patrick done?"

"He loves cars more than me.  I'm always the second choice when he's going to do something."

"Oh," Brian said.  The germ of an idea started to form in the back of Brian's brain.  He didn't have it yet, but something was there.

"I used to feel that I was important to Patrick.  Now he doesn't seem to care about me at all."

"I'm sure his fascination with cars will wear off soon.  He's just sucked in by the novelty of being able to drive.  He'll outgrow that ... eventually."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I am.  But let's get back to your assignment.  What if you could write about someone being relegated to second fiddle in a relationship and how that makes them feel?"

"I don't know any fictional character that fits that description," Bree said.

"I do."

"Who?"

"Zephyr."

"From Rage?" Bree asked.  "He's Rage's sidekick."

"Correct, but sometimes he'd like to be the star, like you want to be Patrick's first pick over a car."

"Isn't Zephyr based on Uncle Michael?" Bree said.

"Yes, he is.  And I think Michael is feeling very much the second fiddle at the moment.  He's had to take a back seat to Ben writing his novel.  I know he wanted Candy to write a special Rage edition featuring Zephyr.  It didn't turn out quite the way he wanted."  Brian's idea was starting to take clearer shape.

"Why not?"

"Candy wrote an edition of Rage about Zephyr and Professor Ken, but she had Rage save the day."

"And Uncle Michael didn't like that."

"No, he wanted to be in the forefront, the one who fixed everything, not the one who had to be helped."

"So I could write about being second choice to Patrick and relate that to Zephyr being second to Rage?"

"There's my brilliant daughter."

Bree smiled and hugged her father.  "Thanks, Dada.  I think I can do that."

"Might it help if you talked to Uncle Michael, since he created Zephyr?"

"It might," Bree said looking strangely at her father.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Brian asked trying to appear innocent.

"I think you want me to talk to Uncle Michael, make him feel important, and that will make him feel better," Bree stated knowing that everyone had been trying to help her uncles, Michael and Ben.  However, nothing had helped much.

"Brilliant beyond your years," Brian crowed.

"Do you think it could really help?"

"I don't know for sure, but it certainly wouldn't hurt.  It might boost Michael's self esteem.  He could use a boost right now."

"I've only got a few days left to hand this in," Bree said with a grimace.  "When am I going to talk to Uncle Michael?"

"Let's go to Pittsburgh tomorrow."

"But I have school."

"No you don't.  We're going on an ... excursion, a fact finding trip."

"Oooh, I like that idea."

"I thought you might," Brian chuckled.  "I'll clear it with the school in the morning."

"Thanks, Dada," Bree said.

"I hope I'll be able to thank you if Michael learns something about himself from this exercise."

"I'll do my best."

"I know you will, sweetheart."  Brian kissed the top of her head.  "Bedtime soon."

"Okay, Dada.  Good night."

Brian left the room closing Bree's door behind him.  When he went into the living room, he was half humming to himself.  Things looked a little brighter for his old friend than they had in a long time.  This might be just the boost Michael's self esteem needed.  Then maybe he could make some changes to his life without feeling threatened by doing so.

"What are you grinning about?" Justin asked as he looked up from his sketchbook.

"Was I grinning?"

"Yes."

"Come to bed and I'll tell you all about it ... later."

"Okay," Justin agreed laying down his pad and pencil.  He took Brian's hand with his own lovely grin.

Raging On

Chapter 6

 

Brian rang the doorbell.  He waited for a minute hearing nothing from within.

"I told you we should have called," Bree said to her father.

"He probably wouldn't let us in if he knew we were coming."

"Looks like he won't let us in anyway," Bree said with a shrug.

Brian rang the bell again.  When nothing happened, he leaned on the bell making it ring continuously.

"Maybe he isn't even home," Bree said.

"He's not at the store.  JR says he hasn't been there for days."  Brian continued to lean on the bell.

"We should go," Bree informed her father.  "He obviously doesn't want to talk to anybody."

"When have you ever known me to give up?"

Bree giggled.  "Never," she said.

Brian continued to press on the bell.  Suddenly he drew his hand away and the ringing stopped.

Bree looked up at her father.  "What's wrong?"

Brian felt the first grains of worry forming in his head.  "Um, nothing.  Maybe we should go." 

"That's what I've been saying."

Brian hesitated.  He remembered what Emmett had told him.  What if Michael was lying dead on the floor or hanging from a rafter or...  He didn't want to contemplate anything else about what they might find if they did get into the house.  And he certainly didn't want Bree to be exposed to any of those things.  He turned around taking Bree's hand and stepping down off the porch.

"What the fuck do you want?" Michael asked as he pulled open the door to his house.

Brian let out a hitching breath.  Michael was alive.  "We came to see you," Brian said.

"And to break my fucking doorbell."

"Could you watch the language in front of my daughter."

"Look who's talking about language," Michael scoffed.

"Okay, okay, I get that you're ticked.  Can we come in?" Brian asked.

"Why?"

"To fu... to talk to you."

"I told you I'm done with talking."

Brian opened his mouth to contradict his old friend, but Bree got in first.

"Uncle Michael," she said.  "I need to interview you for a school project."

"What?  Me?  Why?  Isn't school finished already?"

"How many days have you been stuck in there?" Brian asked with a frown.  "There's several days left of Bree's school year."

"Who asked you?" Michael demanded.

"Dada, maybe you could go to Kinnetik while I talk with Uncle Michael," Bree suggested giving her father a warning look.  "Would that be okay, Uncle Michael?"

Michael looked like he was going to refuse, but then he said, "Yeah, I guess so."

Brian wondered at how easily he had been cut out of this scenario, but he believed he could trust his wonderful daughter.  "Okay, call when you're done," he said before heading back to his car.

"Can we go inside?" Bree asked.

"Um," Michael said hesitantly.  "It's a bit of a mess."

"I'm sure it will be okay," Bree tried to reassure him.

"Okay, come in, I guess."

Bree was shocked at the state of her Uncle Michael's home.  It looked like he hadn't cleaned or dusted in weeks.  Empty or partially empty dishes of food littered the living room.  Rumpled clothes were draped everywhere.

"I haven't felt much like cleaning," Michael admitted sheepishly.

"Want me to help you clean up?" Bree asked.

"I'm sure that's not what you intended to do when you came here."

"I wanted to talk to you, but we can talk and clean at the same time.  Dada and I do it all the time," Bree said with a smile.

Michael looked around his home, ashamed at what he had let it become.  "Okay, let's start with the dirty dishes."

"I think a load of laundry should be started first," Bree informed him.  "We can do dishes while the washing machine is on."

"Good idea," Michael agreed.  He actually felt a little smile start to crease his face.

They began gathering up clothes from around the room. 

"Do you do this at home?" Michael asked.

Bree nodded.  "It's usually Dada and me.  My Daddy isn't the neatest person."

"And your Dada is a neat freak."

"Little bit," Bree said with a giggle.

They spent the next couple of hours cleaning and talking.  Bree gradually brought up the topic of Zephyr and promptly heard from her uncle how mistreated he believed that Zephyr had been in the Rage comic.  Zephyr deserved better according to Michael.

Bree didn't say too much.  She didn't want to offend or get her uncle mad.  They seemed to be getting along pretty well together and she didn't want to ruin that.

As they put the load of laundry into the dryer, Michael asked Bree if she would like a sandwich.

"Do you have bread?" Bree asked.  She doubted that she would want to eat what Michael had in the house.  It looked like he hadn't shopped in ages.

"I have some bread in the freezer," Michael said.  "We can toast it, and I think there's some peanut butter in the fridge."

That didn't sound too dangerous.  "Sounds good," Bree said.  "I don't suppose you have any avocado to put on the peanut butter?"

"No I don't.  Do you really like that?"

"Yep," Bree said with a grin.

They made their sandwiches and went to sit at the kitchen table.  Bree took a bite and said the sandwich was good.  It really wasn't half bad, but it would have been better with avocado.  Michael didn't have milk, but he made tea for them and had an old lemon that didn't look too wrinkled.  They could squeeze some lemon juice into their tea.

"The house looks a lot better," Michael said as he looked around.

"It didn't take too much work, and I enjoyed doing it ... with you," Bree said with a sunny smile.

"Surprisingly I enjoyed cleaning it with you too," Michael admitted.

"Sometimes it's good to work with your hands," Bree said knowingly.

"I would never have thought that Brian and Justin's little princess would be doing any manual labor," Michael stated.  He couldn't keep the snark out of his voice.

"I have chores to do," Bree said with a frown.

"Chores?  Every day?" 

Bree nodded.  "And weekly ones too."

"Really?  Like what?"

"Setting the table for meals, making my bed, cleaning my room, helping when I'm needed."

"And Brian doesn't pay someone to do that?"

"Have you seen anyone else cleaning our house?" Bree asked pointedly.

"No, I guess I haven't."

"It can be satisfying when everything is spic and span."

Michael looked around.  "I have a ways to go before this place reaches spic and span."

"Yeah, but it's a lot better than it was."

"Yes, it is.  Thanks, Bree."

"You're welcome."

"Now what are you going to write about Zephyr?" Michael asked as he sipped his tea.

"I think Zephyr and I are kind of alike.  Zephyr gets pushed aside by Rage sometimes.  I've been pushed out of the way by cars."

"Cars?"

"Patrick and I used to do a lot of things together, and we talked all the time.  But then he got his driver's license and he hardly has any time for me at all."

"Kind of like Ben and that book," Michael sneered.

"Did you know that he's going to put my rainbow on the cover of his book?"

"He is?  Why?"

"He changed the title of the book."

"He did?"

"Yep."

"Hm," Michael said.

"Anyway, it's not fun being second best to something or someone else."

"Tell me about it."

"But then I realized that I'm the only one who can fix how that feels."

"And how did you do that?"

"It took quite a while to figure it out, but I started doing more things for myself.  I'm playing the piano more, and my teacher asked if I could help a girl in another class who was having trouble with her reading.  She's really improved over the last month.  That made me feel really good."

"It did?"

"Really, really good.  I think helping someone else makes us feel great."  Bree thought for a moment.  "Just like helping you get your house in order made me feel really good."

Michael stared at the lovely young girl sitting at his table.  What had he been doing these last weeks?  Cutting himself off from everyone and everything was really only hurting himself.  Everyone else had gone on with their lives.  Maybe he was the one who needed to make some changes.

"Thanks for coming today, Bree.  You've helped a lot," Michael said.

"That's good if I have.  I should call Dada now."

Michael handed her his phone.

 

*****

 

A couple of hours later Michael entered Hunter's office.

"Michael, what can I do for you?" Hunter asked, wondering what his father wanted or what kind of fight they might get into this time.

"It's not about what you can do for me, it's what I might be able to do for you."

"What do you mean?"

"I wondered if you might need a volunteer here at the center.  If so, I'm your man."

 

*****

 

Ted approached Emm’s apartment door with an apprehensive Gui in tow.  Ted rang the bell.  He knew someone was home, the ever efficient Ted had called ahead.  Emmett threw open the door with enthusiasm then remembered to turn down his flames just a touch.

“Hi, Teddy and guest, please come in,” Emmett greeted his guests then showed them into the kitchen.  “Please have a seat.”   Emmett indicated the chairs at the counter.  “Coffee?  Tea?” Emm asked with a toothy grin.

“No thanks, Emm.  I have to head right back to the office,” Ted explained.

“Ooo, is our lord and master being masterful?” Emm gushed.

“Actually, it’s our queen.  We’re working on a new campaign trying for a new twist on an old theme.  Cynthia’s cracking the whip.”

“Oooo!” Emm squeed.

“Down boy,” Drew gently commanded as he came in from the bedroom.  Ted made a hasty introduction since it was obvious that Drew was headed to the airport.  “It’s very nice to meet you, Mr. Cloutier.  Welcome to the building,” Drew said in his most polite drawl as he extended his hand to give Gui a firm handshake.  “Babe, I’ll call you when we land.”  He gave Emmett a chaste kiss then called out a goodbye to Richie who was also about to leave.  Richie was currently dressed in his “Nina” persona.

“Bye, Dad,” Nina replied with a smile.  “Have a good trip.”  Drew smiled fondly at his son.

“Take care of your Mom,” Drew teased then he was out the door.  Nina and Emmett laughed. 

“Mr. Cloutier, this is my son, Richie.  However, right now she’s Nina and apparently deep within the creative process?”  Nina nodded.  Emmett then extolled his son’s fashion creativity and that he and his girlfriend live on the third floor.  “I’ll see you later, sweetie.  I’ll cook dinner, all right?”

“Of course, Mom,” Nina giggled as she glided out the door.

“These kids today,” Emmett commented with a sigh.

“Focus, Emm,” Ted asked.  “I have to go back to the office.”

“No problem, Teddy, I’ll give Mr. Cloutier the fifty cent tour of the building and answer any questions or concerns,” Emmett replied succinctly.

“Thank you, Emm.  Gui, if you have any problems, please feel free to call me, and welcome to the building,” Ted said before leaving.

“I have your set of keys; if you’re anxious to see the apartment now, we can go in.  If not, we can leave your things here while I show you around.”

“There’s really no need to show me the whole building.  I’m not planning to be here long,” Gui stated blandly.

“I’ve been instructed to show you around and that’s exactly what I’m going to do,” Emmett stated with authority as he straightened to his full height.  Gui nodded as he followed Emmett out into the main hall. 

“Your new home next door has two cozy bedrooms, or one room can be used as an office.  There’s minimal furniture in there now but feel free to order whatever you need.  We can discuss furniture and things like sheets and towels later.  Across the hall is the building manager office-apartment.  Actually, Teddy is the official building manager, the doormen use the office for breaks.  We’ve hired retired policemen plus we have the latest security system, so this is a very safe building.”

They took the elevator up to the second floor and Emmett continued the tour.

“Miss Melanie Marcus lives here,” Emmett stated as he pointed to one door on the second floor.  “And our lovely girls, Lacy and Katerina live here.”  Emmett pointed to the other door.

“I was unaware that Ms. Marcus lived here,” said Gui.

“She’s very quiet, you won’t hear a peep from her.  Lacy is the proprietress of the Liberty Diner.  She tends to work all hours; the food there is excellent.  Her partner is a nurse at Allegheny General.  Katerina usually works nights and she sleeps during the day.  This floor is very quiet,” Emmett said sotto voce.

They rode in quiet to the third floor.

“Over here we have Hunter Montgomery and his partner Dr. Nick Shaw.”

“A doctor?”

“Yes, Nick does research but he also works in the Emergency Department at Allegheny.  Hunter is, well, it’s hard to pinpoint all that Hunter does.  He’s a social worker but so much more.  He created the Jason Kemp Drop In Center along with our Mr. Kinney.”  Emmett got a faraway look in his eyes for a moment then came back to the here and now.  He knocked on the other apartment door.

“Hi, Auntie Emm,” Candy greeted Emmett with a kiss to his cheek.

“Hi, Sweetie.  Candy, this is Mr. Cloutier, he’ll be staying in the little apartment on the first floor for a while.  Is that all right with you?  He’s part of the Kinnetik exchange program.”

“It’s fine, Auntie Emm,” Candy sincerely replied.  It was a little difficult at first for Candy coming back to the Tremont building but eventually she was able to get past the sadness of losing her mother and she now concentrated on her new life.

Gui was curious about the dynamics of the building but was hesitant to ask.  He really didn’t care all that much, just relieved to be out of the hotel and away from all the noise.  Emmett was right about the building being quiet.  Gui looked around the spacious apartment and noted the manikins with various fabrics draped on them and easels holding sketch pads and canvases.

“Nina is a fashion designer and Miss Candy is the latest artist behind Rage,” Emmett explained.

“With Lacy’s help,” Candy added.

“Rage, the gay superhero?  I thought Justin Taylor was the artist,” Gui questioned.

“Justin and Michael Novotny created Rage years ago, and yes, Justin is the original artist.  They both still have creative control.  Lacy took over from Justin when Justin’s career took off, and then Lacy asked me to join her when she bought the diner.”

“Interesting,” Gui commented.

“We have one more floor to go.  Toodles!” Emm called out as he ushered Gui out the door.  “Now on the top floor,” Emm began with a wink, “resides my good friend Teddy and his partner, Allen.”

As Emmett raised the gate on the elevator, the men were assaulted by the thunder of Allen’s drums.

“Oops, did I forget to mention, Allen is with the symphony.  He practices during the day.  Most of us work during the day so we never hear him.  Plus when the building was upgraded, the owner made sure there was extra insulation, if you know what I mean.”  Emmett smiled knowingly.

The loft door was open, so the full effect of the drums was evident.  Fortunately, Allen was facing the door, noticed he had visitors and interrupted his concert.

“Hi, Emmett, is this our new neighbor?”

“Yes, he is.  Allen Long, may I introduce Gui Cloutier.”

“Very nice to meet you.  And you shouldn’t be able to hear my drums on the first floor; however, I make it a rule not to practice after dinner.  Besides, I’m on the road a lot so it’s quiet,” Allen further explained.

“I generally work at Kinnetik during the day, so I don’t foresee any trouble,” Gui said bluntly.  Allen nodded.

“Um, we’ll get out of your way,” Emmett said as they left.  Allen resumed his practice session.

“This apartment belongs to Brian; he and his family use it when they have work to do in the city.  Currently our friend Ben is staying here.”  Emmett pointed to the last apartment then walked to the elevator for the short trip down to the first floor.

“Brian Kinney?”

“Yes, Brian’s owned that loft for as long as I’ve known him.  At one point, the loft had a colorful reputation, almost as colorful as Brian, but as I said, he and his family use it when they come to Pittsburgh.”

“He must have an interesting arrangement with the owner.”

“Oh, I’m sorry, I guess no one explained.  Brian is the owner.  He bought the building years ago,” Emmett said with a grin.

When they got off the elevator, Emmett quickly opened his door, retrieved Gui’s bags then quickly unlocked the door to the apartment that would be Gui’s temporary home for the next several months.  Emmett handed the keys over to Gui.

“This one is to the main door of the building and this one is to your door.  We do have an intercom-alarm system that allows you to buzz in guests.  I can set you up with a password if you’d like,” Emm offered.

“No thank you.  I have no friends here.”

“Well, just let me know if things change or if you have questions.  A doorman is always here to help if you need it.”

“Thank you, Emmett, you’ve been most helpful.  I’ll unpack my things now.  It’s still early, I may go back to the office.  I have much to learn.”

“Well, all right.  Y’all have a good day,” Emmett said with a grin as he quickly backed out of the apartment and shut the door.  He immediately called Teddy when he was safe within his own walls.

“Problems, Emm?” Ted asked.

“No, but is Gui always so cold?  Brrr, I need a sweater,” Emmett remarked.

“He is a little aloof.”

“Aloof?  That man makes Mr. Darcy look like a social butterfly!”

“Mr. Darcy?  Emmett have you been watching Pride and Prejudice again?”

“You know how I adore all those period costumes,” Emm said with a giggle.

“Yes, I know.  Has Gui settled in?”

“He said he was going to unpack then head back to the office.”

“Cynthia gave him the afternoon off.”

“Well, maybe he’ll explore Liberty Avenue on his way and get caught up in the ambiance.”

“I’m not sure there’s much ambiance on Liberty Avenure.”

“Sure there is, Teddy.  You just have to find it!  Toodles!”

“Bye, Emmett.”

Emmett was just about to fix himself a snack when his phone rang.

“Helloooo, the Honeycutt-Boyd residence, the lady of the house speaking,” Emmett gushed when he saw the caller ID.  Emmett heard a loud put upon sigh before the dulcet tones of his landlord and friend.

“What the fuck was that?  Can’t you answer the phone like a normal person?”

“And why would I do that when it’s so much more fun my way?” Emmett asked logically.  He laughed when the silence grew deafening.  “Hi, Brian, how are you?  Is that better?”

“Much.  I’m fine, thank you.  Has Gui moved in yet?”

“Yes, I just finished the tour of the building.  He’s unpacking.  Brian, pardon me for ever interfering or judging your business acumen but what’s up with this guy?  Does he always have that stick up his ass or what?”

“I honestly don’t know, Emm.  I’m hoping he’ll loosen up a little to show us what he can really do.  So far, I don’t see what he has to offer.”

“I’ll keep an eye on him.”

“Thank you.”

“Not at all.  When’s our next soiree?”

“Probably the Fourth.”

“Maybe you should invite him,” Emmett suggested.

“Maybe.”

“In any case I’ll get with Debbie and Justin to discuss the menu.”

“You do that, Honeycutt.”

 

“And don’t call me Honeycutt!”  The boys laughed as they cut the connection.

Raging On

Chapter 7

The landline rang in the conjoined cottages.  Brian picked it up and said, "Hello?"

"Could I speak to Bree please?" a male voice asked.

"Michael, is that you?" Brian asked.

"Yes, but I want to speak to Bree."

"Can't you even say hello to your friend first."

"Hello, Brian," Michael said with a sigh.

"Hello, Michael."  Brian sucked in his lips and smiled to himself.

"Are you through dicking me around?" Michael asked.  "I'd like to speak to Bree."

"Why?"

"None of your ... business."

"Michael."  There was an edge to Brian's voice.

"I'm hanging up, Brian, if you don't let me talk to Bree now."

"Okay, okay," Brian said as he frowned.  "Bree," he called.  She was probably in her room.  "Since when do you call my daughter?"

"Since I wish to speak to her."

"What is it, Dada?" Bree asked as she walked into the room.

"You have a call."

"I do?  Who is it?"

"I'll let him explain," Brian said as he handed her the phone and walked out of the room.

"Hello?" Bree said into the phone.

"Hi, Bree, it's your Uncle Michael."

"Uncle Michael, hi!"

"You sound glad to hear from me."

"I am."

Michael smiled broadly at Bree's reaction.  "I just wanted to find out how your paper about Zephyr turned out."

"I got an 'A'."

"That's terrific."

"Yeah, I was happy.  I didn't know what to write before I came to visit you, so thanks for helping me."

"You're very welcome," Michael said sincerely.  "Um, you also helped me."

"I did?"

"Yes.  After we spent that time together, I decided to go to Hunter's center and volunteer."

"That's great, Uncle Michael."  Bree was very pleased that her father's idea about her visiting Michael had apparently worked pretty well.

"I wasn't sure if I would like it, but it's kind of interesting working with young people.  I've only been there a couple of days, but some of the kids are interested in comics and I brought some issues for them."

"I bet they loved that."

"Yeah, they seemed to."

"You sound better too."

"I feel better.  You were right about helping others and not dwelling on my own problems.  Hunter and I have been having lunch together every day.  That's been ... nice."

"Looks like we helped each other," Bree observed.

"Yes, we did.  Are you finished school now?"

"Yep."

"Would you like to come into Pittsburgh soon, and I'll take you for lunch to show my appreciation?"

"You don't need to do that, Uncle Michael."

"I know I don't.  I want to."

"Thanks," Bree said with a smile.  "I'll talk to my fathers and see what day we could come.  Is that okay?"

"That would be fine.  My time is very flexible at the moment."

"Okay, see you soon."

"Yes, and thanks again."

They each hung up.

Bree walked into the sun porch where her older father was sitting on one of the chaises flipping through one of Justin's art magazines.

"How much did you hear?" Bree asked suspiciously.

"Nothing."

Bree stared at her father.  She believed him.  "Uncle Michael wants to treat me to lunch.  I told him I'd ask if you would take me into Pittsburgh one day soon."

"He wants to take you to lunch?" Brian asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes."

"And Justin and I aren't invited."

"'Fraid not," Bree said with a giggle.

"What did you do to Michael when you spent that time with him?"

"Helped him clean his house."

"And he's ... grateful?"

"Yep."

"And I'm not invited to lunch?"

"Nope."

Brian sighed and then looked thoughtful.  "How did he sound?" he asked seriously.

"Better.  He said he's volunteering at Hunter's center."

"Wow, you really did work your magic on him."

Bree grinned and took a little curtsey.  "I'm very good at that kind of thing."

"You certainly are, you little minx."

Bree giggled some more.  "So, can I go to lunch with Uncle Michael?"

"Of course you can.  We'll work it out."

Bree skipped out of the room.  Brian watched her go and wondered if maybe Michael had turned a corner.  He didn't sound like the angry man who wouldn't let them into his house.

"Fingers crossed," Brian said to himself.

 

*****

 

Justin walked into the house carrying his latest purchase of art supplies.  He had been painting a lot lately, working through a whole series of flowers, some fairly common and some weird and wonderful.  He was enjoying seeing what new and interesting things he could create with his flower studies.

"Anybody home?" he called out.

"I'm in my room, talking to Ashley on the phone," Bree called back.

"I'm in my office on my computer," Brian responded from above.

"Okay," Justin said with a sigh as he started putting his new supplies away.  It looked like he was on his own, nobody to help him.

"Need a hand?" Brian asked as he came down the spiral staircase.

Justin smiled.  They were still on the same wavelength after all these years.  "That would be great.  I've got some canvases in the car.  Could you bring them in?"

"Your wish is my command, sire," Brian replied with a small bow.  He headed for the front door.

Justin grinned to himself and thought, 'God, I love that man!'

Soon they had everything put away.  Brian made himself a coffee and Justin a mug of tea.  They sat down under the big tree in the backyard enjoying the cool of the shade.

"Anything happen while I was gone?" Justin asked.

"Michael called."

"He did?  That's good.  What did he say?"

"Nothing to me," Brian admitted with a wry smile.

"What does that mean?" Justin asked with a frown.

"He called to talk to Bree.  Wanted no part of me."

"Bree?  What for?"

"He wanted to talk about their visit the other day.  I don't know all the details, but it appears that Bree was able to get through to him on some level that none of us has been able to achieve."

"How does she do that?"

"She's an amazing child ... woman ... goddess," Brian said with a smirk.

"I don't know about the goddess part, but she is amazing."

"Just like you," Brian said softly.

That brought a smile to Justin's face.  "She's your daughter too.  I like to think she got the best of both of us."

"You do know that I really have no part of her genetics, don't you?"

"Of course I do, but she's the best of nature and nurture."

"Are you accusing me of nurture?" Brian demanded trying to look offended.

Justin giggled.  "Only you would take that as an insult."

"I don't take it as an insult," Brian corrected.  "It's just hard to believe that I could actually have done something right with nurturing a young life."

"Now you're just being ridiculous.  Look at all the young people you've helped through the Jason Kemp Foundation, and certainly there's Curtis, and..."

"Okay, okay, enough about me.  We were talking about Michael."

"I'm glad he seems to be doing better.  That's the main thing," Justin stated.

"Yeah, it's certainly an improvement.  He wants to take Bree to lunch to thank her.  We need to figure out a day that one of us can take her to Pittsburgh."

"Well, it should be you.  You're Michael's friend, so you can do lunch with him and Bree."

"He doesn't want me ... or you.  He just wants Bree."

"Really?"

"That's what I'm told."

"Oh, then we both should take Bree.  We can have our own lunch out somewhere else," Justin said.

"Good plan."

"And if Bree did so well with Michael, maybe we should sic her on Ben next."

"Even better plan," Brian agreed as they both cracked up.

 

*****

 

As with all parties, great and small, they do require a bit of planning.  Considering the breadth of their “widdle” family even something as ordinary as a barbeque requires the utmost planning and forethought, down to the most minute detail such as parking.  The lane can only hold a finite amount of cars so car-pooling from the city to the lane is essential.  So with less than a week until the great Fourth of July barbeque, citizens far and wide across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, New York, and Florida were abuzz with plans.

Several of those citizens were visiting the Bloom Gallery and sitting in Lindsay’s office.

“And where are we going to put all these people?” Brian growled and grouched with his usual flair that no one took seriously and mostly ignored.  Justin rolled his eyes as he winked at Lindsay.  Ben just shook his head while Emmett sported a wide toothy grin.

“With all the homes on the lane, we have plenty of room to house them all,” Justin assured his grumpy spouse.  

“And I’m sure no one will mind sharing a bed or two,” Emmett threw in for good measure.

Brian ignored Emmett’s helpful comment but reluctantly conceded with a nod.  He did some mental arithmetic and decided even if everyone showed up, they’d be able to find a roof for each one.

“We’re coming up tomorrow to start preparing.  The kids are coming with us,” Emmett stated.  “Hunter and his Dr. Nick will be driving up with Lacy and Katerina in a day or two,” he added.

“Ooo, they haven’t been able to join us for a very long time,” Lindsay commented.

“Yes, Katerina has built up some seniority now so she was able to take some time off.  She insisted that Lacy put down the dishes for the weekend,” Emmett explained.

“Good for her,” Ben crowed.

“Gus called, they’re all flying in together.  They’ll cab it over to my house, grab the Jeep then drive up.  You’ll probably see them around two,” Lindsay explained.  Gus long ago decided that having a car in New York City was idiotic especially when he and Ray lived in Manhattan.  So when Gus was away from Pittsburgh for long periods, he garaged his Jeep at Lindsay’s and hired someone to start it up every once in a while and take it to his favorite mechanic for tune ups.

“I miss Simon and Ken,” Justin murmured.  Brian agreed, sometimes real life just got in the way.

After about an hour of bickering, um, planning, phone calls and texts, everyone knew who they were going to car pool with and what they needed to bring.  The tentative sleeping arrangements were mapped out.  Anyone with an extra bed or flat surface that could accommodate a futon mattress was accounted for.

“Damn, I feel like I just gave birth,” exclaimed Emmett.  He coyly smiled and shrugged when his friends stared at him.  “Speaking about birth, where is that woman child of yours today?”

“Having lunch with her Uncle Michael,” Brian sneered.

“Really?” Ben and Emmett echoed.

“Yes, really.  She had one last assignment to do before the end of school and didn’t know what to write about,” Justin explained.

“So you suggested talking to Michael?” Ben asked incredulously.

“Not me, Brian,” Justin said with a smirk.

“I thought I felt the touch of the master,” Emmett stated.  “And did it work?”

“It seems so, Bree got an A and Michael got involved at the Jason Kemp Center,” said Justin.

“That’s good to hear,” Ben said softly. 

“Yeah, he needs to do more than hang around feeling sorry for himself and waiting for the next party with Biff and Boff,” Brian growled as he abruptly stood and stalked over to the other side of Lindsay’s office.

Emmett wanted to say something but Justin shook his head.  ‘Leave him be,’ Justin mouthed then waved them on to keep talking.

“Where are they having lunch?” Ben asked.

“I don’t know,” Brian replied as he examined one of Justin’s first miniature paintings that he had gifted to Lindsay.

“Not the Liberty Diner?” Lindsay asked.  Brian just shook his head.  “Why?”  Brian shrugged then gently placed the painting back on the shelf.

“He’s been burning bridges,” Brian went on to say.

“Maybe the princess can help him rebuild,” commented Emmett.  The friends all agreed; Brian remained stoic.  His childhood friend was in pain and Brian couldn’t help him.  Brian said a silent prayer that maybe with Bree’s gentle wisdom, Michael would start to heal.

“Are we done here?” Brian growled.  “All this talk is getting on my nerves.” 

“Don’t mind him, he didn’t have enough coffee this morning,” Justin teased.  “I’ll take him to the diner and feed him,” Justin went on. 

They all ignored the death glare thrown their way. 

“Come on, Big Guy, let’s take a walk down Liberty Avenue.  It’s a beautiful day in our neighborhood.”  Justin smiled brightly which he knew Brian couldn’t resist.  Brian’s glare instantly transformed into a beatific loving gaze directed at his partner.  They bid everyone a goodbye then left.

“Justin’s still got it,” Ben commented as he smiled.  No one could resist one of Justin’s smile.

“True love,” Emmett sniffled as he reached for a tissue.  Ben patted his friend on the back.  Lindsay giggled.

“Well, I think we’ve got it all under control,” Ben commented as he stood to leave.  “Uh, do you think we should invite Gui?”

“Gui?” Lindsay gasped.

“The whole building has been talking about the barbeque, I’d hate Gui to feel left out,” Ben stated.

“I don’t know if anyone can decipher what that man feels,” Emmett grimaced.  “He’s a cold fish.”

“Emm, he can’t be that bad.  He was always sweet to me and Gus,” Lindsay countered.

“Oh honey, that was a very long time ago.  I think he’s been badly hurt over the years,” said Emmett.

“Then let’s invite him.  He can ride up with Ted and Allen,” Lindsay suggested.  “Maybe it’ll be good to get out of the city for the weekend.”

“Then we’re agreed?” Emm asked.  He smiled when he received smiles and nods.  “Then I declare this meeting of the Edna’s Treasures Lane Fourth of July party at an end!” Emmett declared with flair.

“Oh, and you, tall, dark, and muscle bound can be the one to tell our Mr. Kinney of the additional guest.  Toodles!”  Then Emmett left the building.

 “Wonderful,” Ben whined as Lindsay laughed.  “Mind if I wander around the gallery?  I haven’t been here for a while.”

“Enjoy,” Lindsay said as her phone rang.  Ben left the office.

Ben slowly wandered the gallery, noting that it appeared to have grown bigger.  He smiled, probably more John Anderson Construction magic, he thought.  One part of the gallery was devoted to Rage.  It showed the transition from Justin to Lacy then to Candy.  Rage was the same fierce character with subtle differences that marked each artists’ own style.

Next Ben strolled over to a display of interesting and familiar paintings.  “Sam Auerbach,” Ben said out loud.  “Wow.” 

“Talking to yourself, is that not a good sign,” a familiar voice said just over Ben’s left shoulder.

“Armand?”  Ben turned then automatically extended his hand.  “What are you doing here?”

“Simone gave me a mission to complete for his gallery which brought me to Mademoiselle Lindsay.  I have completed my task but decided why not stay for a few days.  I have never been to Pittsburgh,” Armand said with a smirk. 

Ben laughed.  “Well, we’re certainly not the cultural mecca of the North East but we do pride ourselves on a few interesting tourist attractions.  I would be delighted to be your guide since you were so generous with your time in Paris.”

“Are you sure?  I don’t want to take up your time.”

“I have nothing to do that can’t wait, and it would be my pleasure.  Are you hungry, I haven’t had lunch?”

“Isn’t it too late for lunch?” Armand checked his watch.

“It’s never too late for lunch, breakfast or whatever you may want.”

“Sounds intriguing,” Armand replied.

“Then let me be your guide,” Ben said with a smile.

 

*****    

 

“I think I’ve got it,” Lacy said with a harried voice.  The lunch rush seemed to go on for a lot longer than lunch.

“What’s going on here?” Brian asked.

“You’ve been out of the city for waaay too long.  It’s Pride month,” replied Lacy.

“What happened to the good old days when Pride was over in a day and we could go back to being ashamed,” Brian grumbled.

“Don’t mind him, he’s just grumpy because we were planning the barbeque,” Justin explained.

“Yes, Emmett emailed me my assignment.  I’d love to chat with you but my help is late and….” Lacy said as she looked around the crowded diner.

“No worries,” Justin said as Lacy quickly moved away to hand in their order and help the next customer.  “Bri…”

“Go on, I know you want to,” Brian said at Justin’s unspoken plea.  Justin was up in a flash.  He grabbed an apron then started clearing tables.  Brian shook his head, got up, walked around the counter to grab the coffee.  He had a pot of regular in one hand and decaf in the other.

“Why anyone would prefer decaf is beyond me,” he growled as he slowly made his way to the tables. 

“Where’s our order?  We’ve been waiting forever,” a young man complained as Brian approached with the hot beverages.

“And you’ll keep right on waiting until your orders are done to perfection.  Coffee?” Brian asked with a scowl and an arched brow.

“Yes, please.”  Brian poured.  “Thank you,” the young man said meekly.

“Kids today,” Brian mumbled as he passed Justin who was carrying a full bus box.  Justin stopped him to give Brian a kiss which Brian accepted with pride.  When they both completed their tasks they met at the counter.

“Thank you so much,” Lacy gushed.  “I can’t believe the legendary Brian Kinney was waiting tables!” Lacy said loudly, which started the whole diner murmuring.

“I was not waiting tables.  I do, however, know a thing or two about coffee,” Brian said as he washed then dried his hands.  “You need a better soap.  This shit is killing my hands.”  Lacy handed Brian a tube of expensive lotion.  He read the label, then opened the tube to take a whiff.  The lotion appeared to pass his inspection so he applied it liberally to his hands.

Lacy gave Justin a big hug.  “Thank you for your help.  You still know your way around a bus box,” she laughed.

“Don’t worry, you can pay us back on the Fourth,” Justin said smugly as he sat at the counter.  Brian got Justin a glass of water, poured himself some coffee then sat.

“I’m sorry you lost your booth,” Lacy said.  Brian waved a royal wrist.

“No problem.  It seemed silly to have a large booth for only two people.  We’re fine here,” Justin said.

“Speaking of two people,” Brian said softly while giving Justin a nudge.  Ben and Armand entered the diner; spying a small empty table near the window they quickly sat down.

“Who is that guy with Ben?” Justin asked.

“If I’m not mistaken that’s Ben’s favorite French connection.”

“Really?  What’s he doing here?” Justin whispered.

“Don’t know but watch me find out,” Brian said as he grabbed a couple of menus and two glasses of water.

“Behave,” Justin warned.

“I always behave.”  Justin was not convinced.

Brian sauntered over, plunked down the water then handed over the menus.

“What’s up, Professor?” Brian drawled.  “And this better be good,” Brian said as Ben turned beet red.

Raging On

Chapter 8

Bree followed her Uncle Michael into the unfamiliar restaurant.  She was a little unsure about what to expect - from the restaurant, and from her uncle.  She frowned as she thought about what they could discuss and what his intentions were in having this lunch with her.  She hoped it was all good, but she wasn't sure.

"I have a reservation," Michael said to the lady who met them as they entered.  "Novotny."

"Yes, Mr. Novotny, follow me please," she said after she checked off the name.

Bree and Michael followed her to a lovely table right in front of the window.  There was a white tablecloth and napkins and fine china and silverware.  Michael held Bree's chair for her.  She was glad she had decided to wear a dress instead of jeans.  She had not expected anything so fancy.  The diner would have suited her fine.

The lady handed them menus and left. 

Bree looked around the room, noting that most tables were already occupied.  "This is a nice place," she said with a smile.

"Yeah, a cut above the diner," Michael said with a chuckle.  "I wanted to take you someplace special."

"That's really nice of you.  I wasn't sure what to expect when you invited me."

Michael frowned.  "I meant what I said on the phone, Bree.  I really appreciate that visit from you.  It helped me a lot."

"I'm glad it did.  And you helped me with my paper."

"Then it was beneficial to both of us."

Their waiter appeared and asked what they would like to drink.  "I'll have a Pepsi," Michael said.

"Hot tea for me," Bree stated.

"With milk or lemon?" the waiter enquired.

"Um, milk, please."

The waiter nodded and left.

"You didn't want iced tea?" Michael asked.  "It's a pretty hot day."

"My Daddy says that hot tea actually cools you off more in the long run," Bree informed him.

"Oh?  I didn't know that."

Bree had opened her menu and was trying to decide what to have.  "Is there anything here you'd recommend, Uncle Michael?"

"I've never been here before," Michael admitted.  "Hunter told me it was a nice place that he and Nick go to sometimes."

"Oh?  Then I guess we're flying blind," Bree said with a little giggle.

"I think everything will be delicious from what he told me."

The waiter returned with their drinks and asked if they would like to hear the lunch specials.

Bree chose the quiche special while Michael wanted to try the lasagna that was on the menu.

"Do you think their lasagna will be as good as your mother's?" Bree asked.

Michael shook his head.  "Probably not, but it's worth a try."

"She misses you a lot," Bree blurted out.

"I doubt it," Michael said flatly.  "How would you know anyway?  She never calls me and I bet she never mentions me when you all get together..."  Michael stopped himself from further whining.  That was one of the things that he and Hunter had talked about over their lunches - that things were in Michael's control.  It was up to him to do something about what bothered him, not just complain about it.

"You could call her," Bree suggested hesitantly.  "I know she would really like that."

"You think so?"

 Bree heard the touch of wistful hope in his voice.  "I'm positive."

"Maybe I will," Michael said softly.

Their lunches arrived and they enjoyed the food for a while. 

"This is a delicious quiche," Bree said after she had demolished about half of it.

"The lasagna's not bad either," Michael responded.

"As good as Grandma Debbie's?"

"Just about."

"I wouldn't tell her that, if I was you," Bree advised with a smile.

"You're probably right," Michael conceded.  "How did you get to be so smart?"

"I've always been smart," Bree stated with a coy smile.

"Yeah, I guess you have."

"I watch and listen to what people say and do.  It's easy to see what the outcome of their words and actions is likely to be."

"Easy, you say?"

"Yep.  My daddies are pretty good at it too."

"So, that's where you got it from."  Bree nodded.  "I guess I haven't been listening for quite a long time," Michael said softly.

"It's never too late to start."

"I hope you're right.  I'm trying to make some changes."

"Like working at the Jason Kemp Center."

"Yes, and other things."

"What other things?" Bree asked.

"I ... I'm trying to put other people ahead of myself."

"And how's that going?"

"Not so well.  I know I..." Michael hesitated.

"What do you know, Uncle Michael?"  Bree could sense that they were on the verge of something important.

"I know that ... I have trouble seeing things from other points of view.  I have trouble calling my mother ... because I don't want to hear her criticisms of me ... even if they are true.  I always think I'm doing the right thing, even if I'm not."

Bree looked thoughtful.  That was a big concession for her uncle to make.  She was pleased to hear it.  She knew what she wanted to say to him in response, but she wasn't sure how he would take it.

Michael had been studying her.  "Go ahead and say it," Michael told her with a chuckle.  "I know you want too."

Bree smiled at him.  "See, it's not so hard to figure out what people are thinking or feeling."

Michael laughed out loud.  "You really are a smart little madam."

"I'll take that as a compliment," Bree giggled.

"I meant it as a compliment.  So, what were you going to say?"

"I was going to say that you feel like people have hurt you, and you're having trouble forgiving them ... even when their intentions were for good.  My Dada really cares about you, and he was hurt when you wouldn't talk to him, and he couldn't come to lunch with us."

"Brian Kinney was hurt?" Michael scoffed.

"Yes, because the people we really care about are the ones who can hurt us so much."

Michael's eyes widened.  He believed her.  He had thought that Brian was taking Ben's side in everything.  Maybe Brian had been trying to help him all along.

"I guess I've been wrong about so many things," Michael admitted.

"But you can always fix them," Bree said hopefully.

"I'm not so sure."

"I believe in you, Uncle Michael."

Michael smiled.  "I'm glad you feel that way.  It's nice to know someone still has faith in me."  Michael's voice was so soft Bree could barely hear him.

"Lots of people have faith in you, if you let them."

"I'm trying."

"I know, but you need to tell ... them that you're making changes," Bree told him.  "They won't know that anything is different unless you say it is."

"But will they believe me?"

"If you really mean it, they will."

"I don't know," Michael said shaking his head.

Bree sighed, trying not to make it too obvious to her uncle.  She wanted him to realize that so much of this could be fixed, and only by him.  However, he didn't seem ready to take the bull by the horns.  She wondered if she was actually getting through to him.

Bree started talking.  "You said you are doing better with Hunter."  Michael nodded.  "You made the first step there.  That's what you need to do with everyone else too. It really is all up to you."

"I haven't been willing to accept any responsibility for all this, and now you want me to take all the responsibility?"

Bree nodded.  "In for a penny, in for a pound," she quoted an old adage.

Michael laughed again, but she could see that he was thinking about what she had said.

The waiter cleared their dishes and asked if they wanted dessert. 

"I've kind of lost my appetite," Michael said.

"Then maybe we should go," Bree said.  It looked like maybe she had failed.

"I'll get the check," Michael said as he signaled their waiter.  He pulled out his phone.  "Do you want me to drop you off somewhere, or would you like to call your fathers to pick you up?"

"I should call," Bree said.  "I'm not sure where they are."

"Okay, um, your father is #1 on the speed dial," Michael informed her as he handed her the phone.

"You could call him," Bree suggested.

Michael shook his head.  "You better do it."

Bree placed her call and informed Michael that her dads would be there in a little while.

"Would you like some more tea while we're waiting?"

"Okay, if you'll have another Pepsi."

"I could be talked into that," Michael laughed.

It was a good sign that Michael was laughing again.  Bree felt a glimmer of hope.  Michael signaled the waiter again and got their drinks.  They waited mostly in silence for Bree's fathers to pull up outside the restaurant.  It seemed like they had each said all there was to be said.

 

*****

 

As Brian and Justin pulled up in front of the restaurant, Brian casually gave it the once over then frowned.

“You are such a fucking snob sometimes,” Justin stated the obvious, getting a glare in return.  “You do know that the “glare” has never worked on me,” Justin said while making imaginary quote marks around the word, glare.

Brian closed his eyes, pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed.

“You done?” Justin asked unsympathetically regarding Brian’s queen-like posturing.  Brian huffed a bit as he tried in vain to stop the automatic glare from forming.  Justin broke out into laughs then leaned over to kiss his long suffering spouse.  “I love you, you big goof,” Justin stated in all sincerity, bestowing a loving smile on said goof.  “Now get out and go get our daughter.  We have to go home and start working out the logistics of this massive barbeque.”

“Is this why you drove?” Brian asked with narrowed eyes, sensing a conspiracy.

“Yes,” Justin announced without compunction.  “Now git!”

“Yes sir, Marshal Dillon,” Brian teased as he stepped out of the Jeep to retrieve their daughter.  Justin “yee hawed” and laughed.

“The parking lot is around the corner, I’ll meet you there,” Justin called out to Brian who waved his acknowledgement before entering the restaurant.

“Good afternoon, sir, may I seat you?” the maître d' inquired, impressed with the forever stunning Brian Kinney as he entered.

“No thank you, I’m here to pick up my daughter.  She had lunch with her uncle,” Brian felt the need to explain.  Scanning the patrons, Brian got a “very straight” establishment vibe from the place.

“Of course,” the maître d' said as he led Brian to the main dining room.  Brian spied Bree in an instant.  He thanked the maître d' then quickly walked over to their table.

“Hi, Dada!”

“Hey, Squirt,” he greeted her with warmth.  “Michael,” Brian coolly acknowledged his former best friend.  “Are you ready?”      

“Yes, Dada,” Bree replied.  Before she left the table she gave her uncle a warm hug.  “You’re coming to the barbeque,” Bree stated rather than asked.  Bree and Michael both glanced up at Brian who gave a small nod.

“Yes, I’ll be there, I promise,” Michael confirmed eliciting Bree’s very sunny smile.  “Thank you for having lunch with me and, and, everything,” Michael whispered as he drew the petite young woman back into another hug.  When they separated, Brian was sure he saw tears in his friend’s eyes.

“Time to go, Squirt.  We’ll see you on the Fourth, Mikey,” Brian said casually like the months of tension never existed.  Michael smiled brightly, and so did Brian as he sauntered out of the room with Bree’s hand in his.  

“My two favorite people,” Justin called out when he saw Bree and Brian heading his way.  He jumped out of the driver’s seat to give Bree a kiss and a hug.  “Did you have a nice lunch?”

“Yes, Daddy.  And Uncle Michael said he’s coming to the barbeque!”

“I’m so glad,” Justin said giving Bree another hug before she climbed into the back of the Jeep.  Justin searched Brian’s eyes.  Justin smiled when he saw the glimmer of hope and peace in his lover’s eyes.  He hugged Brian then handed over the keys to the Jeep for the ride home.

“Now, he wants me to drive,” Brian grumbled good-naturedly as he climbed into the driver’s seat.  “We ready to go home?” Brian called out. 

“Ready!” Bree and Justin shouted.

“All buckled?”

“Yup,” Justin and Bree called out.

“Head ’em up and move ’em out,” Brian called out as he started the engine then pulled out of the lot.

They all laughed, chatted and caught up on the latest gossip as families often do.

 

*****

 

July 4th 2026

 

It was literally the crack of dawn on July fourth morning.  The birds weren’t awake yet, when Brian’s bedroom windows began to rattle.  Brian jumped out of bed and hastily threw on his jeans.  He spared a moment to note that Justin slept soundly through the noise, checked on Bree who apparently slept like her daddy then ran barefoot out of the front door.

“What the fuck!” Brian shouted above the noise as he watched two large trucks rumble up the lane followed by an assortment of pickup trucks and large SUVs.  The first truck was carrying six huge industrial grills while the second truck appeared to be carrying a dozen tall rectangular shacks.

“Not to worry, lil’ bro,” John said as he stepped up next to Brian and patted his back.  “All is well.”

“What is this?” Brian asked as magically a bevy of large burly men jumped out of the trucks to begin unloading.

“Just a little help from our friends,” John quipped with a broad smile.  Brian rolled his eyes and prayed his brother wasn’t going to break out into song. 

“They helped to build our little corner of the world, so it’s fitting they enjoy the fruits of their labors,” John said.  Brian lost all his bluster as he nodded.  “They’ll also help with cooking.”

“It’s too early to be waxing poetic,” Brian groused.  “What’s with the little shacks?”

“Port-a-potties.”

“Excuse me?”

“Esthetically pleasing outhouses,” John enunciated clearly for his little brother.  Brian stared.  “Look, even with all the available facilities on the lane, with this many people and the potential for free flowing beer, we want all our guests to be comfortable,” John genteelly explained. 

“In other words, no one has to do a pee-pee dance while waiting for a vacant stall,” Brian stated with his usual panache.

“Exactly,” John said, shaking his head and looking skyward for guidance. 

The brothers watched the proceedings for a few minutes when Brian grabbed John’s wrist to note the time.

“If you’ll excuse me, I have time for a few more zzz’s or anything else that may come up!  Toodles,” Brian said before scampering off back to the cottage and back to bed.

“What did I ever do to deserve Brian Kinney for a brother?” John murmured to himself.

 “I heard that,” Brian called out before he entered his front door.

“What’s going on out there?” Justin asked drowsily as Brian stripped then crawled back into bed.

“John invited his construction company; they brought grills and outhouses.”

“Outhouses?”

“Esthetically pleasing outhouses according to John.  They look like little cabins, not the usual blue and white port-a-potties you see at construction sites.”

“He would know where to find fancy potties,” Justin teased.  Brian began to nibble on Justin’s ear.

“Do we really have to talk about a dozen free standing shitters?  I can think of a lot more fun things to talk about ... and do,” Brian purred as he continued to nibble down Justin’s neck.  Justin conveniently turned his head to give Brian better access.

“Mmm,” Justin purred back as Brian with the utmost skill made Justin forget just about everything, including outhouses, except for the man in his arms.

Several hours later and at a more respectable time, their first “guest” announced himself.

“Helllooo!”

Brian groaned while Justin giggled.  “Why are you always surprised when Emmett is the first one to show up?”  Justin felt Brian shrug.  “It’s sort of our own little tradition,” Justin explained as he rolled over to give Brian a loving kiss then he reached around to give Brian’s ass a playful slap. 

Brian murmured “ow” then pouted. 

“Come on, it’s time to take charge of this fiasco,” Justin commanded as he hopped out of bed and swished his way to their shower.  It took only a moment for Brian to catch on; the pout vanished as he quickly followed Justin into the shower. 

Within half an hour the boys were showered… showered again, shaved, and appropriately clothed for the day.  They joined the family already in the kitchen having a lovely breakfast.

“Good morning!” Emmett called out.  “So happy you can join us,” Emmett said while waving a spatula in their general direction.  He had fed Bree, Patrick, John, and Bobby and was now preparing something hearty for the boys.

“Honeycutt, why have you taken over my kitchen?” Brian growled as he poured himself a mug full of his favorite blend.  The kettle was rapidly boiling so Brian made Justin’s tea.

“Oh pshaw!” Emmett exclaimed as he produced two perfectly plated breakfasts then placed them in front of the boys.  Brian acknowledged Emmett’s efforts with a royal wave as he dug in with gusto.  When he had the feeling of being watched, Brian came up for air.

 “What?” he demanded.  “I worked up an appetite,” Brian said with a smirk and a twinkle in his eyes.

“It does my heart good to see you eat,” Emmett sniffled then turned to return to the stove.  “And don’t call me Honeycutt.”

“I eat!” Brian, the forever slim and trim, protested; his family laughed.

“At least this time your protein is on a plate,” Debbie cackled as she pushed her way through the boys and handed a tray of lasagna to Emm.

“Do you mind?” Brian growled, indicating the kids in the room.

“Oh please, they’ve heard much worse and know when not to listen and when to keep their mouths shut,” Debbie stated as she pointed a sharp red painted nail at said children.  The kids nodded, making a locking and throwing away a key motion.

“See, you have very well behaved children,” Debbie declared.  She topped off Brian’s mug.  “Here, that should make you feel better.  Now, is my son coming to this shindig?”

Brian carefully wiped his mouth before answering.  “He was invited and promised Bree he’ll join in all the fun.”  The family let out cheers of joy while a misty eyed Debbie gave Brian a hug, kiss and a gentle pop to his head.  “If you’re through torturing me, may I go back to finishing my breakfast before it gets cold?” Brian asked.

“And before we’re invaded,” John commented as he glanced at his watch.

“Why do we always tell the family one o’clock when we know they’ll always be early?” Bree asked the room.

“That, my dear niece, is the sixty-four thousand dollar question,” John replied.  “I guess they all want to help.”

“And we’re very grateful,” Debbie added.

“Yes, we are,” John chimed in as everyone agreed.  “My guys and their families will use the B&B as home base.  They’ve been setting up the grills.  Two will be at the end of our yard, one by the greenhouse and the others at the B&B.  The outhouses have been strategically placed,” John explained.  The family had rented more tables and chairs for the weekend.

“And everyone is bringing something, a lot of somethings, so no worries about the food,” Emmett stated.  “It’s all under control.”

“In other words, lil’ bro, you can enjoy yourself with your family.”  John gave Brian a poignant look. 

They all knew Brian’s need to take charge, to make sure his guests were well fed and having a good time.  They also knew that between all the recent work done at Kinnetik, Justin’s European openings, and the warring Bruckner-Novotney’s, Brian’s stress levels had hit an all time high.  

Brian noted the love and concern in the eyes of his immediate family.  He nodded then took a deep breath, expelling any feelings of uneasiness he may have harbored.  Brian Kinney was loved and protected and he knew it.

“Coffee, tea, or me?” Emmett offered with a wide toothy grin before the atmosphere became too serious.  It was a holiday weekend, after all.  He held up a coffee carafe and the kettle.

“Sure!”  Debbie was the first in line followed closely by John and Bobby.

“I love you,” Justin whispered then pecked Brian’s shoulder.

“I know,” Brian murmured as his hand automatically caressed Justin’s golden locks and drew him in closer for a loving kiss.

“Get a room!” a new voice commanded as its owner sauntered into the kitchen.

“Gusssss!” Bree shouted as she jumped up to start a lovefest.  Gus arrived with Ray, Simon, Kenneth, and Jeff in tow.

Brian gazed at Justin’s face.  His eyes were filled with love and he was sporting his beautiful sunshine smile.  Brian gave Justin a crushing kiss.

“Well, Sunshine, let the games begin,” Brian declared when they came up for air.  Brian stood, holding out his hand.  Justin took it and held on for dear life.

 

-TBC-