Final chapter and epilogue.

Brian squinted at the sun bouncing off the water as waves lapped at the beach. Back and forth, stealing away one grain at a time, introducing a new one in its place. A quiet breeze ruffled through dark saffron hair, brushed against sun mocha skin as Taylor scooped and crafted a structure near her mother's feet.

"What are you making?"

"A cassel," she said.

"Ah, looks like we have an architect in the family." At Taylor's quizzical look, she explained. "Someone who designs buildings."

Taylor shook her curls. "No. I'm gonna be an ardist. Like my Tin."

Brian kissed the top of her curly head and, with a giggle and a gleaming smile, the child went back to her endless task. He closed his eyes and bit down on his lips, raised his face to the sun and thought of Taylor's Tin. Arms slipped around his waist from behind and Daphne rested her head between his shoulders.

"He never really died, did he," a soft voice questioned.

Brian tucked his fingers tightly between Daphne's and gave a squeeze. She might take that as confirmation of her words, but that was okay. He knew they were only symbolic anyway. Because he did die. He died. Whether they were vacationing on a Florida beach or shocked into numbness in a Pittsburgh hospital hallway, the truth was still the truth. He had died. Not even five years could change that fact.

Brian knew it would never completely stop hurting, even with Teo in his life. There would always be that longing for things that could have been, for a young life ended so needlessly. But he also knew that Taylor was the one who would forever keep Justin's memory alive. She was, without a doubt, the best thing that had ever happened to any of them - Justin, Brian, Daphne, Teo... and now maybe Charles Jonah, as well.

Yeah, Daphne was still seeing him, and it looked like it may be more than serious. He was a good man and old enough to, perhaps, handle the firecracker that Daphne could sometimes be. And most importantly, Taylor liked him.

They'd broken their rule this year and had brought their significant others - god how Brian hated that term - with them on their trip to Clearwater. But this day, this particular few hours, it was just the three of them. Teo and Charles were dogsitting at the condo. Brian chuckled to himself about that, since Charles was a bit leery of the clumsy beast. Cookie was, in his words, a behemoth. Leave it to Daphne to pair up with someone else who scored perfectly on his verbals.

"So, my little firefly, where did you ever learn to build a castle like that?" It was an impressive sand castle for a three and a half year-old. She'd been building for a little more than an hour and had scooped and scraped the original mound of sand into a fairly square building with towers and turrets. It looked like the palace in one of her princess books. All it needed was a prince.

"My Tin told me how to do it. He said I just have to see it in my head and then do it."

Brian sat down on the damp sand next to the budding palace. He and Daphne had decided this year to give Taylor a bit more information on why they came here every year and released a single balloon. "You love Tin a lot, don't you?"

"Course. He's my best friend."

"Yeah, that he is." Brian helped Daphne as she sat on the other side of their daughter. "Do you know what else Tin is?"

"My daddy," Taylor said matter-of-factly. Brian looked at Daphne, puzzled, and she shook her head. Neither one of them had told Taylor about Justin being her father. "But you're my daddy, too."

"Tin tell you all this?"

"Yep. Tin tells me all kinds of stuff, daddy. Like he loves pizza a lot." Taylor laughed.

"Yeah, he loves pizza." Daphne wiped her face and ruffled her daughter's hair. God, she wanted to hug Justin so badly.

"Your mommy and I knew your daddy, before you were born. We both love him a lot."

"He knows that, daddy. But he doesn't like it when you're sad about him dying."

"Oh, god... Brian, I..." Daphne hid her face in her hands for a moment, sobs shaking her shoulders. Brian blinked away tears of his own, a lump growing in his throat.

"Mommy, don't cry." Taylor turned and crawled into her mother's lap. "Tin says you're being a dramatic princess."

"Justin, I have at least graduated to queen status by now, you jerk!" Daphne hugged Taylor and let the moment turn to laughter.

Brian sat stunned. He didn't know whether to laugh, cry or go crazy. Maybe a little of all of it. Jesus, they were talking to a dead man...

He decided to simply enjoy it.

"Justin, if you tell our daughter about... certain things... I'll be the one haunting you. Are you listening, you twat?"

"Tin says you're funny and he's on to you, daddy." Taylor touched her father's nose as he gave a wide smile, then asked, "Daddy? What's cap ree?"

Brian thought for a moment. Cap ree? Capri?

"Capri? Why?"

"Tin says he likes this beach, but next year he'd like to see cap ree." She shrugged.

Brian let himself fall back on the sand, pulled his arms around himself and laughed. "Jesus, I love you, Sunshine."

EPILOGUE:

Taylor Chanders Kinney was trying so hard not to scuff the toes of her new shoes. Mom and Dad had paid a fortune for them, as well as the rest of her outfit, and she felt like one of her princess dolls right now. It was hard, though, to keep still enough to not wrinkle, stretch, scuff or muss because she was so nervous! She had to walk out on that stage in a few minutes and talk into that microphone in front of all those people!

She wanted to throw up and she needed to pee. She sighed and read her notes instead.

Growing up with Brian Kinney and Daphne Chanders-Jonah, it was inevitable that Taylor would be a force to be reckoned with. But at the tender age of ten, she was surprising even her own father, who had always been convinced she could do anything she set her mind to. She honestly didn't think there was another kid in the history of the world who was as lucky as she was. And now, she needed to convince this audience to help other people find a little bit of luck for themselves.

"You doing okay, Miss T?" Teo squeezed her hand. She looked like she could use a little pep talk.

"Yeah. Just nervous," Taylor reassured him. "Do I still look okay? Not stapled, folded or spindled anywhere?"

"There's never been a more put-together, or beautiful, young lady in the world." And he had never meant anything more. Having this one child come into his life, complete with her handsome father, was miraculous. "Just speak from your heart, Taylor. And if you get too nervous, just remember that Tin and Cookie are always right there to help. Okay?"

"Mom and dad and Charles are out there, too, right? Front and center so I can see them?"

"Yep, and I'll be here on the side if you need me. I can be right there in less than two seconds." They'd had a scare a time or two when Taylor had serious seizures brought on by stress. Cookie had become adept at predicting a seizure before it really started, but they still worried. Today everyone thought it better if Teo stayed in the wings, close enough in case Taylor needed medical help.

"Okay," she said and blew her bangs away from her face.

She'd grown into a lovely girl, a blend of all her parents. She was petite, like her mother, intelligent and stubborn like her dad and Tin. They'd all given so much so that she could be her best, and she really didn't want to disappoint them today. Especially today.

Today was a special day for more reasons than one. An essay she had written for her political science instructor had won her a trip to address the legislature in Harrisburg. It was also the memorial date of her Tin's murder. For the first time in her life she wasn't on a beach on May 6. She'd almost turned down the opportunity because of that. But she knew she had to speak, had to try to make a difference. Tin said he'd wait for his balloon until tomorrow.

Her Uncle Michael and Uncle Ben were having a party at their house with mom and the dads' families and Grandma and Molly. She knew there would be a houseful watching her speak over the web. No pressure here, Taylor, she thought.

One last glance at her notes then...

From the podium she looked out and saw her family, sitting right where she'd hoped they'd be. Dad... so straight in his seat. She could tell he was nervous for her, but mom had his hand. She also had Charles' hand. Okay... deep breath.

::

Hi. My name is Taylor Chanders Kinney, and I'm ten years old. Maybe you think that's kind of young to be speaking to all of you. I hope you'll listen to what I have to say anyway because it's important to me and to a lot of other people.

I never got to meet my biological father in person. He was murdered before I was born and his boyfriend became my legal father. It's complicated, I know, but it works for us.

I've been very lucky because I have a mom and four dads. My father, Brian Kinney and his partner, Teo Marten; my stepfather, Charles Jonah, who's married to my mom; and my biological father, Justin Taylor. I call him my Tin. That's his picture there on the screen behind me.

But like I said, my Tin was murdered on May 6, 2001. Eleven years ago today. On the night of his prom in high school he was attacked by Christopher Hobbs, a boy from his class. Christopher Hobbs hit my Tin in the head with a baseball bat and Tin died before the ambulance could get there. My dad, Brian Kinney, was with him when he was attacked and was holding him when he died.

Christopher Hobbs made a deal with someone and was sent to jail for ten years. He is supposed to be released from jail next year. My Tin won't be alive to see that, though. He also wasn't alive to see me take my first steps or to hear my first words. He wasn't alive for birthdays or Christmases, or to help me with my homework. He won't be alive when I start high school or college or get married. Those are just a few of the things my Tin, Justin Taylor, never got to do in life.

And he didn't get to sit here tonight with my family, hearing me talk about something no kid should ever have to talk about.

Pennsylvania, where my Tin was murdered, didn't have any hate crime legislation that included sexual orientation when my Tin was killed. If they had, maybe Christopher Hobbs wouldn't be getting out of jail next year. You see, Christopher Hobbs didn't like my Tin he because was gay, because he was comfortable enough to dance with his boyfriend at his prom, because he wasn't ashamed of who he loved. If my Tin had been attacked because he was Jewish or because he was black, or even because he sometimes had seizures like me, Christopher Hobbs might be in jail a little longer.

In 2002, the year after my Tin was killed, Pennsylvania added sexual orientation to their hate crime laws. You took it out again in 2008. It's now 2012 and you still haven't put it back.

I'm scared. Next year I may have to walk down a street where the man who killed my Tin is walking. I may have to sit next to him at the movies or stand next to him at the mall. I'm ten years old and I'm afraid. I shouldn't have to be scared of that. At ten I should be scared of failing my math test or getting grounded by my dad or breaking my arm if I fall off my bike. I should not have to be afraid of running into the man who killed my Tin on the street.

There are a lot of us, kids who lost a mom or dad or brother or sister the way I lost my Tin. Last year I started looking for them on the internet, trying to find other kids who knew how I felt. I found a lot of them. We call ourselves the Fireflies for a couple of reasons. The first reason is because that's been my nickname since before I was born. And the reason it was my nickname is because my Tin was like a firefly. He shined brightly and lit up the world when he smiled, but he didn't get to live long. Just like a firefly.

As Fireflies, my friends and I aren't big or powerful and we can't do much on our own. But as a group we can shine a lot brighter and we want to use our light to let you... and you... and you see how wrong it is that men like Christopher Hobbs can get out of prison too soon and scare ten year old girls because they killed her Tin.

A few years ago my dad, Brian Kinney, had cancer. Cancer is a horrible disease and I hope, for my dad and everyone else, that they find a cure soon. One of the things used to study cancer cells is an enzyme called luciferase, one of the phosphorescent enzymes fireflies use to glow in the dark. I know that because I love to study fireflies. That's kind of what we as Fireflies want to do, to fight the cancer of prejudice in our world. We don't have an enzyme, but we have a voice. I'm using my voice today to shine a light here in this room. I hope it can help you see the cancer I'm talking about.

My Tin, Justin Taylor, should not have been killed. The man who killed him should not be getting out of prison next year. I should not be afraid because he is. But saying 'should not' doesn't keep it from happening.

I'm asking every one of you to help us put more power behind the law to protect gay men and women and help their families feel safer. I'm asking every one of you to call the people you need to call, and to vote the way you need to vote to again add sexual orientation to our state's hate crime legislation.

I'm asking every one of you to help keep another little girl from losing her Tin.

Thank you.

::

In celebration of Taylor's speech before the Pennsylvania legislature, there was a huge family picnic in Frick Park. Brian and Daphne could not have been prouder of the daughter they had raised. Neither could Justin Taylor if the posse of fireflies, shining and twinkling in the midst of the group, was any indication.

The End