JOAN

Brian called to tell me he wanted me to consider moving closer to him. When he decided to leave with Gus, I stayed here because I wanted to give him space. I also wanted to see what his real father would think about having a son. It took a while for me to get up the courage to talk to Brian’s father, but I decided today was the day. I went to the station where he worked, asking if I could see him. I saw Deb there and decided I could wait to talk to the man. I couldn’t be around Deb without wanting to tell her how I really felt about her. I was almost to the door when Brian’s father came out and was talking to Deb about meeting for dinner. I decided that Brian didn’t need to meet his father, if he was stupid enough to be involved with her. I stayed with a man who abused my family, so I really had no room to judge anyone else’s stupidity. Of course Deb wouldn’t leave it alone when she saw me.

“Joan, are you here to visit with your family? All of them have been here or are headed here,” She tells Carl and most of the police station.

“Joan. It’s been a while,” Carl tells me, leaving Deb standing there glaring at us.

“I made a mistake coming here,” I tell him, heading out the door.

He followed me, ignoring Deb telling him to put my drunk ass in a cab. “Sorry about Deb. Did you need something?” He asks.

“No. I wasn’t really thinking. I learned to ignore anything that comes out of Deb’s mouth,” I tell him.

“She means well… Sorry, she’s upset because Vic took off on her, and is apparently taking it out on you. Okay, she’s a pain in the ass,” He tells me, when he can see I’m not buying any of it.

“Yet, you're dating her. Not that it’s my business,” I tell him, walking again.

“I was trying to find a nice way to break it to her that I didn’t see us working out,” He tells me.

“Good luck with that, she only hears herself and what she wants,” I tell him.

“Joan, why are you here?” He asks me.

“I wasn’t thinking, and I really should talk to Brian about it first,” I tell him, hailing a cab.

“Is that your son?” He asks me, before I could get in.

I could have just said yes and let him live in ignorance, but Deb chose that moment to walk over. I really wanted to piss her off, and I figured, what better way to tell everyone the truth for once.

“He's not just my son. Brian is OUR son,” I tell him, getting in and closing the door.

I realized it might be a good idea to visit Brian before it all hit the fan. Hopefully Carl will give Brian a chance if Brian wants it.

BRIAN

Justin told me he wanted to tell Daphne alone. I wanted him and I to tell Gus together. Emmett looked at both of us trying to figure out what was going on. Daphne managed to distract Emmett while Justin and I took Gus to my office.

“Can I spin?” Gus asks, hopping in my chair.

“Justin and I need to talk to you first,” I tell him.

“Why?” He asks.

“We need to tell you about Lily,” Justin tells him.

“Why?” He asks turning the chair.

“She is going to be a part of our family,” I tell him.

“I know,” He tells me, moving in a circle.

“Remember how I got you?” I ask him.

“The judge said yes,” He tells me.

“That’s part of it, but I mean the part where I gave Lindsay a way to have you. I did the same for Justin,” I hurry to get him past Lindsay.

“I don’t understand,” He tells me.

“I’m Lily’s other father, which means Lily is really your sister,” I tell him.

He spins a few more times before stopping and kissing Lily. “Does that mean she gets ta stay wiff us?” He asks.

“When she isn’t with Justin,” I tell him.

“Jussin can stay wiff us too,” He declares.

“I have my own house, but you’ll see Lily all the time,” Justin tells him.

My phone beeped and I ignored it until it went off again. “I need to see what Grandma wants,” I tell Gus.

“I wanna talk,” Gus tells me.

“Hey Mom,” I manage to get out, before she starts telling me about her day.

“Brian, I need to tell you about your father, the real one. I was angry and didn’t think that you should really be the one who makes the choice. I know it was only because I wanted to see Deb squirm, that I told your father in front of her. I only went to talk to him, not tell him,” She tells me.

“Why was Deb around… him?” I ask, not ready to call anyone my father.

“It looked like they were seeing each other, he said he was planning on telling her they aren’t going to work out. I can’t help but question the kind of man who would date that woman,” She tells me.

“What’s his name?” I ask.

“Carl Horvath. He was one of the cops that came around when people would call about what was going on in our house,” She tells me.

“That’s how you met him?” I ask.

“He came to see me a few times after. I told him he needed to leave me alone when I found out I was pregnant. He wanted me to leave Jack but I refused. I didn’t trust that I would be any better off with Carl than in a situation I already knew,” She tells me.

“Mom, it’s the past,” I tell her when she starts crying.

“I know, but now he knows, and I didn’t even think about if you wanted him to,” She tells me.

“I don’t know yet. Why not go see Alex, you said he’s helping you,” I tell her.

“I was going to see if you would mind Peter, John, and I visiting,” She asks me.

“I already asked if you would come, but now I have someone for you to meet. Your granddaughter,” I tell her.

“What... When? Good Lord you always have to shock me,” She laughs.

I hung up after Gus talked to her, explaining about his sister to my mom. When we entered the living room and Ted was back with Shelly, I really didn’t want to keep going through this, so I made it simple.

“Nine Inches was the number I got someone to put on my donation,” I tell them.

My mother was right, I was always good at shocking people.

“I wasn’t planning on giving Daphne a heart attack,” Justin tells me, pushing Lily into my arms and dragging a fishmouth Daphne to the office.

“Some people just can’t appreciate Daddy’s way of cutting through the bull, princess,” I tell her, as she coos.

CARL

It was hard to think with Deb screeching that all the Kinney’s are liars and users. How she got that it was their fault that Vic moved out, her son’s boyfriend left him, and the girls lost their son, was a bit unbalanced. Then I told her that I needed to cancel dinner, and that was also the Kinney’s fault. It was time to just tell her that I didn’t see a future with her. We’d only been dating a few weeks, but she seemed to spend every date bitching about people I’ve never met.

“I was planning on telling you at dinner that I don’t really see any reason to keep dating. You have a lot of problems in your life and I’m not looking for a relationship that involves your son and the girls that seem to always show up at your house,” I tell her.

“Carl, she’s a drunk who got her husband thrown in jail. She’s probably hoping you’ll take care of her now that she no longer has Jack to,” She tells me.

“It’s not about Joan. I already planned to tell you this before she told me I had a son,” I tell her.

“Do yourself a favor and don’t get involved with her or that asshole,” She tells me.

“How do you know my son?” I ask.

“He stayed at my house when Joan and Jack beat his ass. I took care of your son while Joan stayed drunk and didn’t care. My son and I were the only people who gave a shit about Brian. The woman you plan to break up with is the only mother he knew,” She tells me.

“When Brian came to you after being beaten, why didn’t you call the cops?” I ask, dying that Jack went on to hurt a child, my child.

“I patched him up and told him to stop provoking Jack,” She says, as if blaming Brian was the right thing to do.

“What kind of mother do you think that makes you?” I ask, appalled.

“Better than the drunk bitch he had,” She tells me.

“Not in my eyes. All I see was that Brian didn’t seem to have anyone, if you were the best of the three,” I tell her.

“I'm telling you right now, you bother with that asshole and we're through,” She warns me.

“Since I already decided we were through, it's not a hard decision for me,” I tell her, leaving her standing on the sidewalk.

I should have listened when the guys told me about Deb. I met her when I stopped in for coffee at the diner, not knowing what I found out after she showed up at the station last week. When the desk sergeant saw her, he asked if I knew who I was seeing. I ended up with my partner explaining how my… son was having to call on Deb’s son when he was harassing... Brian Kinney. I remember some of it, but with all the people being brought in and out, unless it was my case I didn't pay attention to it. I just didn’t need someone who caused problems with my precinct, being someone I dated. She didn’t help herself when I was already tired of hearing her complain on every date.

I needed to find out if Joan was telling me the truth. I looked up her address, sad to see it was the same one I visited the first time we met. I heard Jack finally made it to prison, but never asked about it. It still hurt after all these years that she wouldn't leave that bastard, when I tried to convince her. It makes me angry that my child lived in a house with a man who had no problem punching his wife because dinner wasn’t perfect. Walking away was the only way I didn't show up and end Jack Kinney’s miserable life, but it turns out that I walked away from my child too.

I did something I'd sworn I'd never do, I pulled up Brian’s name. If Jack was true to form, Brian was in here somewhere. On hour later, I found it hard to not want to march over and ask Deb if a good mother lies. Even if Joan was wrong and Brian wasn’t mine, no child deserved what I read happened to Brian.