BRIAN

Carl went to get everyone from the airport, while Emmett went crazy with lunch. I asked Justin to keep Gus away until everyone met, because it could overwhelm him. My mom tried to say she could go find something to do, but I wanted her to get over being scared of what my other family might think of her. Peter and John were watching TV, probably thinking they were in the way too. They didn't get that if we were going to all be a family, it was important to me that they felt welcome too.

“Are you dating Lily’s dad?” Peter asks.

“We’re getting to know each other,” I tell him.

“Is that why you're staying with him, instead of here?” John asks.

“It will be easier for Justin if I help with Lily,” I tell him, as Emmett rolls his eyes.

“Brian, just admit you're into him,” Emmett tells me.

“We like him,” Peter tells me.

“You've barely said two words to him,” John tells him.

“Uncle Brian smiles more when he comes home after seeing him,” Peter tells us.

“You do, but he does the same for me,” Ted tells me.

“Did you just growl?” John asks.

I didn’t have to answer when my sister came flying through the door. Carl shook his head but let her go.

“Dad actually said I should have left it alone. Like they didn’t deserve to be shown what happens when you treat anyone badly,” She tells me.

“I draw the line when my precinct ends up involved,” Carl tells us.

“We were leaving, it was Blondie who thought CJ would even look twice at someone like her,” Diana huffs.

“Hello, I'm Edward, the man crazy enough to marry Vicky,”

“Hello, I'm not the bag carrier,” Comes a gruff voice when two boys run past Carl.

“Dad, we wanted to meet the kids. Hi, you kinda look like my dad,”

“Gil, why not at least introduce yourself,” Carl tell him.

“Sorry, I was just excited, that's Jason,” Gil tells me.

“I'm still waiting, never mind. At least someone cares about me,” CJ yells from outside.

Gus came in, holding my brother's hand, with Justin and Lily behind them. “Gus said he wanted to come,” Justin tells me, staring at CJ.

“We came to meet this special boy in our life,” CJ tells Gus, who smiled up at him.

“Yes we did, your cousins were as thrilled as I was,” Vicky tells Gus, getting on her knees to look at him.

“What about Lily?” He asks them.

“Can you introduce me?” Vicky asks.

“Daddy, they want to see Lily,” Gus tells Justin.

“Oh God. CJ, I want one,” Diana tells him, rubbing Lily’s head. “She’s beautiful,” She tells Justin.

“I named her,” Gus tells Diana.

“Gus thought Lily was as pretty as the flower. Hi, I’m Justin,”

“You picked a good name,” Vicky tells him.

“How about we eat and talk, I made a little of everything, I’m Emmett, that’s Ted, Peter, John, and our adopted mom Joan, Shelly will be back in a sec, I ran out of sour cream for the dip,” Emmett tells them.

CJ and I sized each other up at first, he let Gus go sit with the boys, coming towards me. I didn’t know what to think when he wrapped his arms around me.”Welcome home, Brian,” He tells me.

Everyone else went to the kitchen, while I let my brother look at me. We followed, not saying much. I walked up behind Justin and watched Lily drinking her bottle until I got my emotions under control. Justin turned to me and kissed me, handing me Lily as if knowing I needed to have my attention on her for a couple of minutes.

Everyone started making plates, just getting to know each other. They all were giving me time before we talked. Justin started to walk over to where Gus was, but I wanted him to stay and meet the people who would be part of Lily’s life, and his.

“Justin, how did you meet Brian? Dad made it sound like you met and Lily appeared,” CJ asked him.

“That’s really what happened. I wanted a hot dog, ended up in labor, with three men and Gus there to help me get to the hospital,” Justin tells him.

“Then how did you know Brian was the father?” Vicky asks, confused, as we laugh.

“I found out that he got the donation I made when I needed books for college,” I tell her.

“I thought they kept that confidential?” Edward asks.

“They do, but Brian managed to get them to put his file under the numbers he wanted,” Emmett tells him.

“It still doesn’t explain how you figured it out,” Diana tells us.

“I got bored reading the stats, and was messing around with the numbers, his stood out because of what they spelled,” Justin tells her, handing her the phone with the numbers in the window.

“Oh!” Diana laughs.

“What?” Vicky ask her. Diana whispered to her and Vicky made the boys jump across the room when she exploded into laughter.

“I’m proud, and sort of weirded out by that,” She tells me.

CJ and Edward grab the phone and Diana waits to see if they figure it out. “Seriously?” CJ asks.

“I don’t want to know, do I?” Mom asks.

“No mother wants to know,” Diana tells her, still giggling.

Shelly came through the door, then stopped, looking at CJ and then me.”You must have been a regular Romeo in your day,” She tells Carl.

“He turned heads everywhere,” Mom said casually.

“Did I?” Carl ask her.

“You knew you did, women constantly watched you,” Mom tells him.

“CJ gets that a lot,” Edward tells us, when Carl and Mom went quiet.

“Brian turned everyone’s head,” Ted tells them.

“CJ used to ask me all the time why girls were so clumsy,” Vicky giggles. “I really think it was why I was so popular in school, all the girls wanted to watch ‘The God’, slumming it on the couch,”

“Right, and I had to threaten my friends when they looked at you,” CJ tells her, getting up and getting the boys drinks when they asked for them.

It came so naturally to all of them, it wasn’t easy to watch what I missed by not knowing my family. I felt a hand reach for mine, Justin just answered my question, not looking at me, just letting me know he was there.

JUSTIN

CJ followed us to my house, so he could find his way when he wanted to come over. Brian took Gus and Lily to bed, while I got the bottle ready for him. CJ sat on the stool.

“You paint, Diana would probably love to see it,” He tells me.

“Brian likes it,” I tell him.

“I don’t think that’s all he likes,” He tells me.

“Does it bother you?” I ask.

“Only if you hurt him. I don’t like that we weren’t there for him,” He tells me.

“He’s going to be a part of my life, and I want it so that Gus and Lily never see us as anything but the parents who love them. To me that means that we don’t hurt each other, because it just hurts the kids,” I tell him.

“Sounds like you have experience with that,” He tells me.

“Your father understands something a lot of parents of gay children don’t. Mine hated it so much that there isn’t anything left for me to see him as but the guy who donated to my creation. Your brother was taking care of Lily before he even knew she was his. He might not have been raised by Carl, but somehow they love the same way,” I tell him.

“I noticed he got quiet a few times,” He tells me.

“If Brian wants to tell you, it’s up to him to do it,” I tell him.

“I plan for him to know, that unlike the bunch Diana and Vicky decided to take on, this family doesn’t stand back and let people fuck with us,” He tells me, as Brian comes in with Lily to get the bottle.

“I don’t let anyone screw with my family either,” I tell him.

“Good, then we all understand each other,” He tells me.

“I didn’t back away from the fight. I chose not to do something they could use as me being a violent asshole who wouldn’t take care of Ted or Gus. I had to sit back and let them say bullshit about me, because Gus being with me was all that mattered,” Brian tells him.

“I didn’t mean for you to think I saw what you did as weak. It was probably stronger than I’ve ever been, by not giving them a way to use your anger against you. It couldn’t have been easy to do when they were likely lying through their teeth about you,” He tells Brian.

“I hit Michael, which was brought up as my potential to be an abusive father to Gus,” Brian tells him.

“Vicky didn’t think you hit him in the right place, so she tried to relocate his balls to his throat. I really have to ask Edward why he taught her that one,” He tells us, so we all know not to piss off Vicky.

“We’ll teach you too, so no one will ever hurt you,” Brian tells Lily, losing interest in anything but our daughter.

“I’m going to give in, I need a Lily,” CJ melts at the idea.

“When you do I have all the diapers you could use,” I tell him.

He looked at the wall. “Doubtful, you’ll probably need more,” CJ tells me, as Brian smirks at me.