ALEX

I called Nancy, asking if we could talk. She tried to tell me she was busy and didn’t have the time. I let her know it was about Gus, and she cleared her schedule and asked to meet in my office, alone. I’ve never known what to make of Lindsay’s mother. Nancy, to me, seemed disinterested in the whole thing with Brian and Gus. And now I know there was some reason she showed up and made sure Gus was where he needed to be. From the outside it would seem like she didn’t want a reminder of Lindsay’s indiscretions. It could still be that, if she walks out not caring what Lindsay could do to Gus by continuing to screw with Brian.

She came in with the air of not appreciating my interruption to her day. It’s just, I’ve dealt with Brian, and know it’s all for show.

“Why did you call me?” She asks.

“I wanted to let you know Lindsay thinks you and Ron are going to finance a trip to New York for her,” I tell her, and for a second she looked upset, but covered it.

“I’m sure Lindsay would think we’d finance a world tour, it doesn’t mean we will,” She tells me.

“Don’t you mean you won’t, but how sure are you that Ron won’t?” I ask her.

“I’ll speak to Ron, if that’s all you need,” She tells me, getting up.

“I want to know why you did the things you did. Brian told me that I wouldn’t get an answer unless it’s what you want me to believe,” I tell her.

“He’s a smart young man,” She tells me.

“He is, but it worries me that you were there to smooth the way. You never seemed interested in Gus before,” I tell her.

“Why do you want to know?” She asks.

“Because it will be more than Gus getting hurt if Lindsay goes there, Brian has another child now,” I tell her.

“I helped him because Gus needed Brian,” She tells me.

“But not you, or anyone related to you?” I ask.

“Not me, or anyone I raised, or anyone they married,” She corrects.

“I had a theory, you could tell me if it’s wrong,” I tell her.

“Sure, I have no problem telling people they're wrong,” She smiles.

“If Brian had been straight and married Lindsay, you still wouldn’t have approved,” I tell her.

“No. But not for the reason you think. It’s the same with Mel. I don’t approve, but not because she’s a lesbian,” She tells me.

“What other reason would there be?” I ask.

“Mel no longer stood by her beliefs, because she wanted Lindsay. She went from a tough as nails advocate for families who suffered because of making the wrong choices in the people they married or had children with, to become like the people she was fighting, all for the love of Lindsay. In truth, anyone who chose to be with my daughter wouldn’t get my approval,” She tells me.

“You didn’t tell me if you would have approved of Brian,” I tell her.

“Why bother with a scenario that wouldn’t have happened. Lindsay never loved Brian, all she saw was someone who would be successful one day. Someone who could give her what Ron gave us in life. She brought him around to get us to react to him. I wonder what she would have thought of my real reaction to Brian Kinney,” She tells me.

“Which was?” I ask her.

“He was the only friend she had that I liked,” She tells me.

“Liked enough to help him get full custody of Gus?” I asked.

“I really did that for the child, he didn’t deserve what I raised. Maybe it’s my theory that one day Gus will show us what Lindsay could have been like, if she had parents who loved her the way Brian loves him. It’s more likely I didn’t want to see the Peterson name on the front pages that the country club loves to read and gossip about. I’ll talk to Ron, tell Brian to do what he needs to,” She tells me, leaving.

Brian was wrong, she will tell you why, just offer alternatives that would be more believable.

BRIAN

We got the kids to bed after we all played tourist with my family. Peter and John spent the day asking CJ about being in the Air Force. He answered without making them feel like they were bothering him. Shelly, Mom, and Carl were busy with Gus and Lily. Justin had an appointment with a gallery, and met us at lunch, excited because they wanted to do a show with him and two other artists. Diana and Vicky let him know they wanted invites to come. Justin was at a loss, and told them he would make sure to send them one, then went to get Lily. I waited to see if he would tell me why he reacted as if they wouldn’t be interested. He was sketching when I came out of the shower. I looked over his shoulder, and it was Carl and my mother, walking with all the kids around the park today.

“You keep drawing things I want,” I tell him, sitting next to him.

“Seeing this makes you want to immortalize it,” He tells me.

“My sisters will most likely fight over who wants it,” I tell him.

“Which is sweet of them,” He tells me.

“I think it’s more liking what you do,” I tell him.

“I haven’t had anyone interested in my life other than Daphne. When they asked to come support me, it caught me off guard. I want to steal your sisters,” He tells me.

“I’ll share, but then you have to share Daphne too,” I joke.

“Daphne, Vicky, and Diana, sounds likes a scary combination. You think Vicky is wild, Daph could probably teach her things Vicky hasn’t done yet, and vise versa,” He tells me.

“Justin, if Lindsay comes here, I need you to keep Lily and Gus away. It’s easier on me when I know Gus is safe with you,” I tell him.

“Why would she want to come here? You said to Emmett that you two knew why,” He asks.

“She was always able to get me to do what she wanted. When we fought with each other, eventually I let it go, and Lindsay doesn’t see what happened with Gus any differently. She’d come and put on a show of apologizing, while thinking of a way for me to make it up to her,” I tell him.

“She doesn’t understand that what she did was unforgivable?” He asks, confused.

“They told everyone that I was supposed to get Gus that night, and it was only a one time thing. The doctors Gus saw didn’t agree. Lindsay believes it’s my fault, because I wouldn’t pay for a nanny, after she told me she didn’t want one because that’s how she was raised. She and Mel came to me saying they refused help from me because Lindsay was going to stay home for the first five years. I agreed, because it kept Gus from having to be with strangers,” I tell him.

“I don’t get why they expected you to help,” He tells me.

“Lindsay knew about my childhood, and like I told you, I wanted my child to have everything I never did. We agreed to support, and I paid without asking where it was going. My only excuse was they never gave me a reason to think they weren’t going to take care of Gus,” I tell him.

“She’d come here thinking that she could convince you to support her and her wife again, that’s what you mean?” He asks me.

“No. Lindsay would kick Mel to the curb if she could get me to agree to pay her to do it. Mel doesn’t know the woman I do. Lindsay and Michael treat the people in their lives the same,” I tell him.

“Am I supposed to feel bad for Mel?” He asks.

“I don’t, because she didn’t do anything for Gus. Whatever Lindsay does to Mel, Mel brought on herself,” I tell him.

Pulling the sketchbook out of his hands and laying it aside, I leaned back and took him with me. I liked when we talked, but I liked it better when we were touching each other.

“If they come here, I promise they won’t see Gus,” He tells me, getting comfortable.

LINDSAY

Mel and I managed to have a party that wasn’t being raided again. I woke up on the floor, next to others who must have passed out after me. I went upstairs, not thrilled to see holes in the wall. I could only get Sam to pay for so much, before he got tired of it. Passing by the bed I see Tricia managed to find her way into bed with Mel again. I didn’t like that the two of them were spending every chance they got to screw each other. Mel belonged to me, not some assistant, thinking she was going to have my job one day, in every capacity.

I threw Tricia’s bargain basement clothes at her to wake her up. “Out,” I ordered her.

“Leave Tricia alone, we just got to sleep," Mel tells me.

“Sure, I’ll leave Tricia and you alone, Sam would love for me to leave you figuring out how to support yourself,” I sneer, when she didn’t kick the bitch out.

“You and all his other muses, you really aren’t that great in bed,” Tricia snickers, along with Mel.

“It takes wanting to be touched by the person who touches me, otherwise I don’t really get the point in fucking someone. Sam said fucking you made staying hard a chore,” I tell Tricia, watching Mel get upset, poor baby. “I guess Mel’s vibrator didn’t do it for you either,” I tell her, walking away.

I giggled when Mel realized her new pet wanted dick just as much as I did, but I had a father to see about a trip. Maybe Sam would like to go with me. Mel could just stay here and worry about if I was coming back or not.

I timed my arrival at my parents for when Mommy would be at the club. I didn’t have time to listen to her lecture me that they weren’t here to support a grown woman. Daddy would rather just hand over the money and skip the bonding experience. I walked in to Mother and Daddy eating lunch together.

“Lindsay, your father told me you planned a trip,” Mother says, in the tone that made it sound like it wasn’t going to happen.

“I wanted to scout out new artists for Sydney. I thought Mel and I could have a vacation too,” I tell her.

“So why isn’t Sydney paying for you to do your job?” She asks.

“He will, but I wanted Mel to come,” I tell her.

“Then Mel’s family can loan you the money, not us,” Mother tells me and Daddy.

“Nancy, Lindsay needs to get away after what happened,” Daddy tells her.

“Does she Ron, or are you once again avoiding dealing with our daughter?” Mother tells him.

“He likes to see me happy, which lately, you don’t,” I tell her.

“Ron, don’t you have a golf game with our son-in-law?” She asks him.

“I do, sorry to run out on you,” He tells me, kissing my cheek and leaving me with my mother.

“I’ll pay for a vacation for you but it will be anywhere but New York. After you come back from it, you and Mel need to figure out how to support yourselves, your father and I are done,” She tells me.

“It’s not possible for me to go somewhere else, artists are in New York,” I tell her.

“I know what’s in New York, and I also know that Sydney didn’t ask you to go there or offer to pay for it. Leave the child alone, you did enough to him and the father,” She tells me.

“He doesn’t get to screw with my life,” I tell her.

“He didn’t. You did that all on your own. Take my offer, it’s the last one you get from me or your father,” She tells me.

“Daddy will give me what I want,” I tell her.

“If he does, the house and all the money that I brought into this marriage is gone. I doubt you mean more to him than everything he married me for. Try it Lindsay, and you’ll find out Brian isn’t the only one who will walk away from you,” She tells me, picking up her tennis racket and ushering me out the door.

“Off to show everyone you’re the best at everything? Must make it hard for you to have anyone wanting to play with you,” I tell her.

“Do you want to know why you never win? It’s because you constantly pick the wrong partners. Off to win another game,” She tells me, smiling.