JUSTIN

My mother welcomed us into her apartment. It wasn't like her place when she left my dad last time. It sort of reminds me of the place I rented when I left Brian, only it had two rooms and a bathroom. I was curious about my sisters, in the last go, Mom had a baby later in life.

“I'm sure you have a lot of questions.” She tells me.

“Brian filled in a lot of the blanks, I really only wanted to meet you. Hunter helped because he knows Brittany.” I tell her.

“I can go get them, if you want to meet them. They know about you, I told both of them about you when I started searching for you. I want you to know I didn't give you up because I wanted to, but in hopes of giving you a better life. If I had known what your father was going to be like, I'd have given him up instead of you.” She tells me.

“It's the past, and I understand that sometimes you make decisions based on what you thought you wanted, but figured out later it wasn't.” I tell her.

“If you want to know anything about your father, it's better to ask before the girls join us. I also need to explain about Brittney before you meet her.” She tells me.

“I came because I want to see if we can build a relationship. I need to tell you that I'm gay, because if it's a problem than we might as well decide not to continue.” I tell her.

“I don’t care. All I want is a chance to know you. It will be a problem for Craig though, he’s a narrow minded bigot.” She tells me.

“Nothing new there, I mean from the way he treated you and my sisters, I didn’t have any thoughts of trying to have a relationship with him. What did you need to explain about Brittany?” I ask.

“Craig and I broke up for six months, and when we decided to try again, I'd been seeing someone. After we got back together I found out I was pregnant. I was honest with him and told him that she could be from the man I was seeing. Craig said he wouldn't care as long as we worked out our problems. Only he wasn’t happy to find out Brittany wasn’t his, and no longer tried to work on our relationship, but didn't want a divorce. I should've left, but I wanted the girls to have a normal life, with parents who were married. He always made Brittany feel as if she was an outsider in the family, going out of his way to show her that Mandy was all he cared about. It still bothers me that it took him kicking us out for me to leave, but I didn’t have a way to support us. Bree, which is what we call her, has been acting out since we left Craig. He's been paying barely enough support and is stalling the divorce so he can punish me for not looking the other way when he cheated with his newest bimbo. He pays for the girls to go to school, but only takes Mandy on his visits and sends her home with things I can't give Bree. So please be patient with Bree.” She tells me.

“Where is Bree’s father?” Brian asks.

“He left for a job in another state when I went back to Craig. I didn’t tell him about Bree, because I was still trying to work things out with Craig.” She tells him.

“He should really be given the opportunity to know he has a daughter.” I tell her.

“He didn’t leave me a way to contact him. The truth is, I didn’t want to risk Bree having another father not willing to be there for her.” She tells us.

“It wouldn’t hurt to at least talk to him without Bree around and see if what you believe is true. He left you, not her, most likely because seeing you wouldn’t help him get over you. Give me a name and I’ll see if we can find him for you.” Brian tell her.

“Why would you want to help me? I’m the woman who chose a bastard over her own baby.” She tells him.

“Did you forget about that baby? No. Because you looked and found him. It was a decision that kept Justin from living with a man who would tell him he couldn’t be anything but what Craig wanted him to be. Justin was the one who escaped that life, while you had to live with the asshole.”  Brian tells her.

“Tucker Shaw.” Jen tells us.

“I’ll see what I can find out for you. And if you want, I’ll contact him so you don’t face the possibility he isn’t happy finding out. Before you say anything, it’s something I want to do for the woman who gave me Justin. The job I offered also comes with Justin and I willing to help you with the girls. We will make sure they know we want both of them equally in our lives.” Brian tells her.

“Cynthia mentioned you two started dating.” She tells us.

“We've past dating years ago, right now we're in the process of adopting a son.” Brian tells her.

“So it’s serious between you two?” She asks.

“We wanted Justin to find his birth family before we took the next step. So you’re getting a son-in-law along with your son.” Brian tells her.

“As long as Justin’s life is what he wanted, a son-in-law and grandson are just perfect.” She tells me, smiling.

“Hey Hunter. What's with the old guys?” We hear someone ask.

“Bree be nice, my friend came to meet you.” Hunter tells her.

“The one you were going to ask?” She asks.

“Bree, can you tell Mandy to come out here, Justin wants to meet both of you.” My mom tells her.

“I'm sure he's just thrilled to meet the kids you kept after throwing him away.” She says, rolling her eyes, as she screams for Mandy.

“It's her Brian, it’s Molly.” I whispered, as she came in running.

“Jesus Bree, I thought someone was hurt the way you yelled.” Mandy says.

“Mom wants to introduce us to the kid she loves most.” Bree says sarcastically.

“Bree stop, he's really cool.” Hunter tells her.

“Of course you'd think so, he’s the father you dream about.” She tells him.

“I'm hoping you'll give Brian and me the chance to show you we can be the brothers you and Mol.. Mandy could want.” I tell her.

“I don’t have any illusions about anything, people disappoint you when you want something.” Bree tells me.

BRIAN

I always believed Craig couldn’t sink any lower in my eyes, but witnessing what Justin’s life would have been if he stayed with Craig, said ‘Yes Craig could’. This was what I knew Justin staying with Craig would have been like.

“Honey, it was my fault, not yours that he acts the way he does.” Jen tells her.

“Put the blame on the people who act like assholes. It's something Justin taught me. My parents had me to get more money to buy the things they loved more. It wasn’t me, it was them.” Hunter tells her.

“Hunter curb the language.” Justin tells him.

“Sure thing, DAD.” Hunter smirks.

“At least he's dressed better.” Justin snickers.

“We are going to learn fashion if it kills this family.” I tell Justin.

“See, Brian gets cranky if you don’t let him dress you out, so unless you hate shopping you won't be disappointed.” Justin tells Bree.

“I only agreed to make this a relationship work because you discovered Versace. Before, it was all cargos and clothes that could best be described as paint rags. I pray that you’ll help me make Justin see that carbs are not required for all seven meals he thinks he needs everyday.” I tell them.

Bree tried not to laugh, wanting to play the sulky teen. So I made sure she would, because my namesake was never meant to be this unhappy in life, I wanted my Bree to be the happy child we all spoiled last time.

“I really need someone to keep our son Gus from the evil your brother teaches him.” I beg the girls and there was the smile that Jen passed down to all her children on the girls.

“We have to go, I need to get Hunter a tutor and work tomorrow. Would you guys like to come to my house for dinner tomorrow?” Justin asks.

“I think it might be better to have it at my parents house. Mom and Kitty are going to want to meet your family too.” I tell him.

“We wouldn’t want to impose.” Jen tells me, proving she was still the woman who worried about being socially correct.

“You’ll save us from my mother when she finds out Justin and I are also getting married. She’s thrilled to have a grandson, but would love to have girls to spoil too. It might save us from her, because she’ll be busy quizzing you.” I tell them.

“We want to start out our lives surrounded by all the people who are important to us.” Justin tells Jen, Mandy, Bree, and Hunter.

BLAKE

When Ted dropped me off, you could say I wanted to speak to Ben. I listened to what Justin and Emmett said, and there were enough clues to tell me they could be right. My problem was that he dared to use Ted in what he was doing. I was happy to see Ted didn’t really seem all that upset that it didn’t work out with Ben, but didn’t get why he thought he could use Ted. In the lives before, Ted did become one of Brian’s closest friends, but that wouldn’t have gotten Ben any closer to Brian.

Justin doesn’t see why Ben would go after him, but I wonder if Ben saw how little Michael did to get him to the goal of what he wanted from Brian. I went to the diner, because if Ben was still following Michael around it’s the only place they ever really went. I got lucky, because he was sitting alone. I sat right across from him and watched as he acted like he didn’t know who I was.

Looking at Ben, you never see a guy who was anything like the man he married. I always liked Ben because he was the level headed one in the group. I used to think Justin was like Ben, but willing to fight for what he wanted. Now I think Ben really married the right person in that they both only cared that they got what they wanted, and damn anyone who got in their way.

“Are you jealous that he broke every rule for a kid?” I ask.

“What?” He asks.

“It's strange what I remember beyond what you wanted me to remember. One thing was how you and I met quite a few times before Ted. Even before Michael. What were you hoping for, that Brian would see you and it would change your position from trick to Justin’s place in his life?” I ask.

“It's not about Brian, it's about not wanting him to always get everything, while my life turns to shit.” He tells me.

“Our lives are only how we make them, so anything you didn’t get, was your lack of doing anything to get it. Trying to fuck with Justin because he’s in the dark, is something Michael would have done, but then maybe you would too, since you used Ted. Understand something, I don’t play games when it comes to Ted. As Emmett once told me, I’ll break your face if you hurt not only Ted, but Brian and Justin.” I tell him.

“I guess you’ll just have to try.” He laughs.

“I learned something from Brian and Justin, I don’t try, I promise and deliver on it.” I tell him, getting up to leave. “One constant in these lives are Justin and Brian.” I tell him.

“Only the lives you know about. There were a lot that were never lived.” He tells me.