BRIAN 

Justin grumbled about getting out of bed before the sun rose. I ignored him, and got him in the car I had arranged to take us around. The driver told me about a private cove, and had a picnic made for us, letting me know he could pick us up when I called. I'd made the arrangements while Justin was sleeping, wanting us to be alone.

I honestly don't know how he'll feel about Michael coming here. I wasn't very happy when Wes told me about the change of plans, until he told me about this guy Eric. I figured if Michael didn't behave, then he would find his ass back on a plane, very quickly. 

Justin looked around, not really interested in the scenery. When we were dropped off, he grabbed the basket, saying it was about time we ate. We were sitting on the blanket, eating and enjoying the sun coming up.

“I need to tell you something. Michael is bringing Gus here tomorrow.” I tell him. 

“Is there some reason Wes isn’t?” He asks, not upset.

“He met someone and wants to get to know him.” I tell him. 

“It's about time, he needs someone to share his life with. Do you know who it is?” He asks. 

“I've never met the guy, but you have. His name is Eric.” I tell him, 

“Why do you think I know the guy?” He asks, as he seems to be trying to figure out who I was talking about.

I remember worrying about Justin after the Eric night, but it was obvious I shouldn't have. Since he didn't remember the guy. “He was the guy from the party you went to with Daphne.” I tell him. 

“His name was Eric?” He asks. 

“Yes, and apparently you left him a bit gun shy.” I tell him. 

“Not one of my best moments. It was also hard to do, because in a way, I saw me in him.” He tells me. 

“It wasn’t easy for me either. You kissed the guy.” I tell him. 

“I wasn’t going to, but I wanted him to have the same first time you gave me. You made sure my first time was something worth remembering.” He tells me. 

“Which didn’t make it any easier for me not to worry that one day you'd want someone younger.” I tell him. 

“You know Ethan’s age had nothing to do with it. It was just me wanting someone who could say they loved me. There were times when you'd look at me, and I knew you did, but hearing it would have made a difference. It's just, even hearing Ethan say it wasn't enough, because it wasn’t you.” He tells me. 

“I cared, no matter how I acted. When I told you there weren’t locks on our doors, it wasn’t to make you leave, but hoping you'd stay.” I tell him. 

“I wish I had, but I needed the time to see if I could take care of myself.” He tells me. 

“Which you did.” I tell him, proud of him for not caving, but doing what he needed to do.

“I wanted to come back all the time. Only I didn’t want you to still see me as a kid. Our relationship is different now. I know the things I want and don't feel like you will ignore it. I see your friendships differently than I did then. It wasn’t that Michael was more important than me, but that you like people needing you, it's something you and Wes have in common. You both protect the people you love.” He tells me.

“It comes from no one protecting me. Deb helped, but there was only so much I would let her do.” I tell him. 

“Rage was my way of trying to understand you. I let Rage be all the things you weren’t ready to be. I still regret handing it over to Michael, and seeing what he did to it.” He tells me.

“Why did you give it up?” I ask. 

“I thought Michael would give me clues about you in the comic. That way I could at least know something about your life.” He tells me. 

“It was based on us, you left and so did anything Michael could think up. Why not just let Ted tell you?” I ask. 

“My reason was selfish. When Ted and I became friends, I never wanted him to think it was just so I could hear about you. I wanted Ted to know that he and I were friends because he is this really great person. When he told me you hired him, I was proud of you for seeing Ted for the guy he is.” He tells me, making me feel ten feet tall.

“He lacked confidence in his abilities, it wasn’t easy to get him to see that being an accountant wasn't the end of the world.” I tell him. 

“I wasn’t happy when I heard how he financed his trip to Palm Springs. It's why Wes and I found a lockdown rehab. He wasn’t going to get an easy way out when he had hurt Gus. I was surprised you didn't kick his ass for that.” He tells me. 

“I might have, but I thought the girls were smarter than to give money to a drug addict. They were just as much to blame for trusting him. You were right, we weren’t blind to what he was doing, but we also didn’t really help him when we should have.” I tell him. 

“At least when he got back, everyone was willing to give him a chance. It made it easier for me to decide to come back. I want you to know I really didn't expect you to forgive me as easily as you did.” He tells me. 

“I realized I didn’t want to spend the rest of my life without you, so there was no point in making it harder to be together.” I tell him, as the sun rose over us.

WES

I swear to God, Michael has turned into mother hen. He kept pestering me to call Eric all the way to the airport. Gus didn’t care that it was Michael taking him, just got impatient when Michael wouldn’t quit trying to give me dating tips.

“Uncle Mikey, you aren't exactly the one anyone needs to listen to about dating.” Gus tells him,  grabbing his arm and pulling him through the security gate.

“It's why he should listen, so he knows what not to do.” Michael tells Gus.

“My Dad didn’t listen to you and guess what, he's married to the person that you didn’t want to share him with.” He tells Michael, smirking.

“I'm happy about it, I really am. Wes do what Brian did, get the twink.” Michael yells, loud enough for the whole airport to hear.

“For once Michael’s advice makes sense.” Ted whispers.

“I didn’t need it, when I want something, I get it.” I tell him, as we wave them off.

“Hopefully you won't get pissed but Deb invited Eric to Sunday dinner.” Ted tells me. 

“Why would that piss me off?” I ask. 

“Because like Michael, it's Deb’s way of interfering. She really likes Eric and thinks you're perfect for him.” He tells me, as we get to the car.

“I've never felt like this about someone. It doesn't make sense, because I don't even know him.” I tell him. 

“You could find out he's not what you want, but sometimes you find the person for you without even realizing it because it happens when you’re not looking. I know the night Brian meet Justin under the streetlight, he didn’t expect to find the person he wanted for life.” He tells me. 

“I don’t want him to be uncomfortable around me. It bothers me that he let what Justin did affect him like this.” I tell him. 

“Are you worried that it's the part of you that wants to charge in and save him?” He asks. 

“I'd only be worried about that if I hadn’t reacted as strongly as I did just touching him. I don't want to save him. If that was all it was, I'd be on the plane with Gus.” I tell him. 

“Then do him a favor and don't make your first date Deb's house. It takes time for anyone to be ready for Deb's dinner table.” He tells me.

I dropped Ted off at Kinnetik and sat in my car, wondering why I hadn't called Eric yet. I dialed the number I stored in my phone and he answered.

“How about lunch, anywhere you want.” I tell him. 

“Wes? Aren't you supposed to be on a trip?” He asks.

“Why go to Australia when I'd rather get to know you?” I ask him. 

“It doesn’t bother you that I was sort of hung up on your cousin at one time?” He asks. 

“Are you still?” I ask. 

“I'm not that pathetic. It's just, after him I figured out he was right, life doesn't always go the way you expected it to.” He tells me. 

“He wasn’t your only bad experience?” I ask. 

“No. Just first in a long line of them. I didn’t pine away for him, but it seems like every guy I date doesn’t want what I do.” He tells me. 

“What do you want?” I ask. 

“Just for once, I want to be enough for someone.” He tells me. 

“I can't promise more than that we're on the same page. If you give me a chance, we’ll see if this is more than me thinking you're gorgeous.” I tell him. 

“I think you've got that backwards, you're the one that had half the guys at the diner eyeing you.” He tells me. 

“You're the only one I wanted to eye me.” I tell him. 

“I like Sushi.” He tells me. 

“Tell me where and I'll be there.” I tell him, ready to do anything he wants.