Bittersweet Promise by charming1, Lorie
Past Featured StorySummary:

Present day, post-episode 5.13. Justin has returned to Pittsburgh to build a life and future with Brian. When Daphne asks Justin for a favor, he agrees without realizing the effect it will later have on him, Brian, and their entire family’s lives.


Categories: QAF US, Reader's Choice Award Characters: Blake Wyzecki, Brian Kinney, Daphne Chanders, Debbie Novotny, Emmett Honeycutt, Gus Marcus-Peterson, Jennifer Taylor, Jenny Rebecca Marcus-Peterson, Justin Taylor, Lindsay Peterson, Melanie Marcus, Michael Novotny, Original Character, Original Female Character, Original Male Character, Ted Schmidt
Tags: 10k+ Word Count, Anal Sex (Lots of it!), Anniversary, Anti-Lindsay, Anti-Michael, Birthday, Bottom Brian, Death, Established Relationship, Family, Friendship, Hatred, Homophobia, Language, M/M, Masturbation , Minor Character Death, Oral Sex, Post-series, Raw Sex, Real Life Issues, Responsible Justin, Rimming, Sex Toys, Toppy Justin, Vacation, Wedding
Genres: Angst, Angst w/ Happy Ending, Drama, Hurt/Comfort, Porny, Romance, Tragedy
Pairings: Brian/Justin
Challenges: None
Series: Bittersweet Universe
Chapters: 32 Completed: Yes Word count: 98688 Read: 208727 Published: May 04, 2016 Updated: Oct 01, 2017
Family Portrait by charming1

Lindsay was announced as Turner’s next witness. She walked into the courtroom looking like a soccer mom dressed for church, swore to tell the truth, and took a seat. She immediately locked eyes with Justin and curled her upper lip slightly.

Turner asked Lindsay to tell the judge how she knew Justin Taylor. She explained that she met Justin the night her son with Brian was born on September 15, 2000 and claimed that she didn’t like him from the very start.

“He just didn’t seem very trustworthy,” Lindsay said as she stared daggers into Justin. “He was so young, and I knew he had ulterior motives for being with Brian rather than just the sex.”

Justin knew that was total bullshit. Lindsay once adored him and had been the head cheerleader for his and Brian’s relationship for years.

Turner next asked Lindsay about her relationship with Brian, and Lindsay proceeded to tell a tale of romance and heartbreak. She started to cry as she told the judge how she had fallen in love with Brian in college, although she had thought since she was a young teenager that she was a lesbian. They had a few fun nights together, but Brian had only seemed to use her to quash any curiosity he may have had about his own sexuality. She and Brian maintained a friendship after they had both declared themselves gay and she later asked him to be the father of the child she planned on raising with Melanie, whom she referred to as her “current wife” and barely even glanced at.

Lindsay then described how things had soured between herself and Brian once Justin came along and proceeded to insinuate himself more and more into Brian’s life. Although Brian had promised her that he would be there for Gus, Lindsay claimed that Justin monopolized all of Brian’s time and money.

“Justin tore my family apart,” Lindsay said as she dabbed her eyes with a tissue. “Brian rarely ever came over to visit Gus, and when he did, he would often bring Justin with him. Justin would be hanging all over Brian the entire time, and it made me uncomfortable to see. They would sit on my couch and make out, and Justin would practically sit in Brian’s lap even when he was trying to hold Gus.”

She recalled the rough patch she had with Melanie that eventually resulted in Melanie cheating on her, followed by Lindsay allowing a man seeking his Green Card to move into her home. She then claimed that she had hoped Brian would get so jealous of another man assuming the role of Lindsay’s husband and the father of her child that he would dump Justin and beg her to marry him. Ultimately, her plan did not work out as she hoped, but it did result in Brian signing his rights away and allowing Melanie to adopt Gus.

Turner asked Lindsay about the relationship between Gus and Brian after he had signed his rights away. Lindsay said that Brian became even more of a ghost in his son’s life, which was very confusing to the young Gus, who would often ask where his Dada was.

“Gus adored his father, but Brian was too busy with Justin to spend any time with our son,” Lindsay blubbered. “They broke up a couple of times, but then Brian would be too depressed to spend any quality time with Gus. He would either be out prowling around for sex or too high or drunk, so I certainly couldn’t allow him around Gus then.”

Lindsay then talked about the Babylon bombing in 2005 and how it had made herself and Melanie want to move to Canada, which was much more gay-friendly than America at the time.

“I don’t even know why I asked for Brian’s blessing for us to take Gus, since he didn’t have any legal say in the matter, but I didn’t want to just steal his son away,” Lindsay explained. “Brian told me that he didn’t want us to go, that he didn’t want to lose me or Gus. His friend Michael, who is the father of Melanie’s biological daughter and had already given us his blessing, had to talk him into it.”

Lindsay then concluded her story by saying that Brian has remained a drop-in dad to Gus over the past eleven years, only checking in or visiting when it was convenient for him.

“Gus looks up to Brian so much, although he really shouldn’t. Yeah, Brian is a brilliant businessman and is very financially successful, but he’s otherwise not a good role model. He always breaks promises and changes plans at the last minute. He’s always been very irresponsible and immature with his personal life. Still, Gus wants to be with Brian and have a relationship with him so much that he ran away shortly after Melanie moved here from Toronto to work on this lawsuit. Brian refused to send Gus back to me, and he and Justin have somehow convinced Gus that he’d rather live with them than with me. Yeah, Melanie lives with them too, but from what I understand she’s in a guest house on the property with JR. Gus has a room in the main house.”

Turner asked her why she hadn’t gone through any legal channels to get Gus back in her care, and she said it was because she was unable to provide for herself since Melanie had left her and was no longer providing for her financially.

“Brian, Justin, and Melanie have all the power and money,” she said tearfully. “Melanie has as much legal claim over Gus as I do, so it’s not like she’s kidnapped him. He’s fifteen, so he’s going to do what he wants. I called the police and talked to a lawyer who gave me a free consultation, and they all said that as long as Gus isn’t in any danger, I can’t get him back since he’s old enough to decide which parent he wants to live with.”

Turner moved on to the topic of Keegan and why she thinks Brian wants to raise the baby with Justin.

“Brian would have never decided on his own that he wanted to raise a baby, especially one that’s not even his,” Lindsay insisted. “I don’t know what Justin has told him or done to influence him, but this whole thing stinks to high heaven. Brian has always felt sorry for Justin since he was abandoned by his father when he came out and started dating Brian, and Brian basically stepped in as a father figure to him as well as his lover. Brian must feel like he owes the same kind of charity to Justin’s kid, since his mother is dead. He’s never been able to say no when someone is in need, but he’s not even helping me right now. I’m the one who needs help; Justin is more than capable of taking care of himself and his kid. Brian can give Justin a brand new car every couple of years, but he can’t give me-”

“Objection,” Al said, getting sick of hearing Lindsay’s woeful rambling. “Her continued narrative is irrelevant to the original question.”

The judge sustained the objection and told Turner to keep his witness on topic.

“Can you tell the court about the relationship Mr. Taylor has with your son Gus?” Turner asked Lindsay. “Is it a healthy or positive relationship?”

“Well, if Brian is a bad influence on Gus, then Justin is even worse,” Lindsay claimed, her previously sad tone now shifting to angry. “Justin is only seventeen years older than Gus, and I think Gus has always looked up to Justin as more of an older brother than any type of father figure, though Gus does call Justin ‘Papa,’ which I find disturbing. Justin has always been very immature, always unsure of what he wants in his life. He always claimed that he wanted Brian, but he never hesitated to drop him in a heartbeat for something better. First, it was a violin player who was much more open about his feelings than Brian was. Next, it was a movie out in Hollywood based on a comic book that he drew, which ultimately wasn’t even made. After that, it was because Brian didn’t want to marry him. Then, after Brian had proposed after the bombing and they had a wedding all planned out, it was a career in New York as an artist after only one positive review in a magazine.”

Justin balled his fists under the table and forced himself to take deep, steady breaths. Everyone knew he only went to New York because she had talked him into it and also pushed Brian into encouraging him to go.

“He moved back here impulsively too, dropping everything to come back to Brian after he called and begged him to come home. I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone else as impulsive as Justin,” Lindsay continued.

“Do you think Mr. Taylor’s impulsive tendencies could be detrimental to his son?” Turner asked.

“Oh, definitely. Justin decided to take Keegan on impulse. Before Daphne died, Justin never even thought about raising him. I fear for the day when… not if, but when Justin decides to leave Brian again. What if he just up and decides that he doesn’t want to be a father anymore? What if he meets someone who doesn’t want kids? Brian is almost twelve years older than Justin, and he might wake up one day and find that Brian is an old man while he’s still relatively young and able to find someone even younger than himself.”

Justin rolled his eyes, thinking that Lindsay must have been tired of waking up in a tiny apartment with Michael every morning. Brian had told him how unattractive and old Michael looked the day he showed up at Britin, and Justin had seen with his own eyes earlier during Michael’s testimony that he had not been exaggerating. Brian himself was probably the youngest-looking forty-four year old Justin had ever seen, and Brian only got more handsome as he aged.

“Do you worry that Mr. Taylor might abandon his son one day, leaving him with Mr. Kinney to raise?”

“Yes, I do,” Lindsay said, her tone shifting now to concerned. “That would not only be unfair to Brian, but it would be unfair to that baby, too. Brian has a very important job running his advertising agency, which I hope he leaves for our son to take over someday. He shouldn’t have to take care of a baby all by himself that isn’t even his. Justin used to say that Brian was the most important person in his life and loves him with all his heart, but I just told you how many times he’s left Brian before… why wouldn’t he walk out on his son, too? Justin knows how it feels for your father to abandon you.”

Justin didn’t realize how angry he was becoming until Melanie slid her legal pad over to him, which had Don’t let her get to you - that’s what she wants written on it.

“Why do you think Mr. Taylor wants to take care of this baby?” Turner asked.

Al could have objected to that question as well as the last few, due to them calling for Lindsay to conclude her answer based on her opinion rather than facts, but he wanted to hear what she had to say.

Lindsay licked her lips and looked at Justin in disdain. “I think that Justin wants to make this little family with Brian because he’s jealous of me.”

Justin had to roll in his lips to keep from bursting out laughing.

“How so?” Turner asked.

“Well, I was able to give birth to Brian’s child and of course, since he’s a man, Justin can’t do that. Now he has this kid who is biologically his, so maybe Justin thinks this is the next best thing. Justin knows that Brian and I have always had a special connection, apart from the one we have because of our son, a connection that Brian has never had with any other woman in his life. See, Justin has always been the ‘bottom,’ as it’s called, in their relationship. He basically assumes the role of the woman, due to him being smaller, weaker, and more submissive, while Brian is very much the alpha male - big, strong, protective, and dominant.”

Again, Justin had to hold back his laughter. If only she could see him assert his dominance over Brian in bed, making the big, strong man beg to be his bottom boy and enjoy every second that Justin’s cock was in his ass.

“Plus, I think he’s jealous of Curtis, too,” Lindsay added. “Daphne used to be in love with Justin, but they couldn’t be together because Justin is gay. You see, your honor, there are some gay people who actually wish they could be straight, either because it would make their life easier or because they hate themselves for being gay and wish they could just be normal.”

Justin and Melanie both wanted to introduce Lindsay to the kettle she was calling black.

“Justin even took Daphne’s virginity in their senior year of high school and turned her down when she wanted more, because having sex with her only confirmed to himself that he was indeed gay. Then Daphne met Curtis in college, who looks a lot like Justin… I think that’s probably what attracted her to Curtis in the first place. Now Justin has a chance to raise Daphne’s child without having any other strings attached to her. This’ll probably be Justin’s only chance to ever have a child of his own. It’s not enough that he’s appropriated my son, he had to take Curtis’s away, too.”

Justin could hardly believe the degree of Lindsay’s delusions.

“Thank you, Ms. Peterson,” Turner said. “I have no more questions for the witness, your honor.”

This story archived at http://www.kinnetikdreams.com/viewstory.php?sid=44