Ben and Hunter (Remember this is fiction and even the impossible could happen)

Ben's life had been going well.  He'd been eating good and exercising and just the other day learned that he was no longer HIV positive.  It was a miracle.  You would have thought he was on top of the world, but he wasn't.

He'd fallen in love again with a small Asian man, one who didn't have a former love that haunted their lives.  He thought he was happy, until Hunter visited.  Hunter had gone on to point out that Ben's new love bore a striking resemblance to his old love, Michael.  Min Neahn was ageless.  They had met when the Saholin master had asked Neahn to supervise Ben's eating regiment.

Neahn was a very good chef and he seemed to care as much for Ben, following Ben's lead on a variety of subjects.  They soon became lovers. 

Ben didn't want to believe him, but then he really looked at the man he claimed to love.  Without Min Neahn's consent he had Hunter look into his background.  What he found was shocking.

Neahn, it turned out was not gay at all and was also married to a woman and the father of six children.  When Ben confronted him, he begged forgiveness and admitted that as much as he cared for Ben his first love was his wife.  With six children they'd been sadly in need of money and his wife, Rayma, had suggested that Ben would be much help in their support.

Ben was devastated, until he met Rayma, who spoke no English and was as different from her husband in looks as night was to day, she was a delightful little dumpling.  She happily welcomed him into their home and introduced Ben to their numerous children. 

After much meditation and discussing everything with Hunter, Ben decided it was time to go back to Pittsburgh. 

That was why Ben, wearing dark glasses and a baseball cap, stood at the door of the firehouse.  His back was to the door when it opened.

"Yes?"

He turned around quickly surprised to see Emmett.  "Emmett?"  He asked, taking off the dark glasses.

"Ben?"  Emmett was just as surprised to see Michael's ex at the door.  "What the fuck?"

"Do you live here now?"  Ben asked.

Emmett stepped out of the doorway and shut the door behind him.  "Why are you here?"

"I need to speak to Brian.  You have a problem with that?"

The door opened again and JR shouted.  "Auntie Em, Auntie Em!  Something's wrong with Justin.  Dad needs your help."

"Fuck!"  Emmett immediately rushed into the house.

The young girl crossed her arms before turning her attention on Ben.  "Do I know you?"

Ben's attention was caught by the young man who loped up behind her.  He knew that this must be Gus, but he had changed a lot in the two years Ben had been gone.  Ben felt that, considering his parents, he should have been taller.  Jenny Rebecca on the other hand had shot up and was almost as tall as her brother. 

"Bec, this must be the guy who was married to your sperm donor,"  Gus sneered.  "What brings you back to the Pitts?"

Ben was surprised by his question and wasn't sure how to answer it, when Emmett showed back up.  "Children, why don't you run along and let me take care of this?"

The kids were obedient, even as they snickered.

Emmett crossed his arms the same way Becca had and asked,  "Why are you here?"

Just then another man showed up at the door with a cardboard tube.  His hair was snow white, and he was tall and slender.  "He's here to see Mr. Kinney, obviously."  He held out his hand daintily to Emmett.  "I need to see him as well, so can we get on to it?" he said and proceeded to slip past Emmett and head directly to the stairs.

Emmett looked startled.  "Oh fuck."  He hurriedly followed the stranger with Ben following close behind.  In the living area they found Brian rocking a distressed Justin.  Justin was miserable and had been for a while.  They'd taken him to a doctor with no significant diagnoses.

"How long has this been going on?"  the stranger asked, his accent decidedly British.  He set down the tube before sitting down next to Brian and doing a critical examination of Justin, checking his lymph nodes and brushing his hair out of his eyes .

"A couple of days?  Are you a doctor?"  Brian answered hopefully.  Just then Justin began gagging again and Brian moved a trashcan over just as vomit spewed form Justin's mouth. 

"Actually I'm an architect .  Names Martin Marshall."  He held out his hand for Brian to shake.

"You probably know me better as Mysterious Marilyn."

Emmett, who had been in the kitchen, puffed up with indignation like a wet hen.  "You told me you didn't know Marty...er...you."

"Technically she doesn't,"  Marty nodded.  "You've heard of Sybil?"

"You have multiple personalities?"  Justin leaned forward with interest and asked before the nausea took over again.

"Only one.  You see my mother wanted a girl,"  Martin explained as he moved out of range. "Marilyn doesn't know that I exist.  So what she told you, Emmett, was to her, completely true. I on the other hand am fully aware of what she does."

"How do you keep it all straight?"  Emmett asked as he brought Justin a glass of water and a wet towel.

"She sleeps during the day, while I'm working.  May I ask why you took the fire pole out?"

Ben sat in a corner wondering what the hell was going on.  Gus and Becca came rushing up the stairs shouting,  "We're hungry!"

Fortunately Emmett had snacks ready and enough for everyone.  Especially Justin whose appetite when he wasn't barfing was enormous.

"Is Justin pregnant?" Gus asked laughing at Justin stealing part of Brian's snack.

Becca rolled her eyes.  "Don't be silly.  Men can't be pregnant."

"Actually that's not true.  Under certain conditions men can get pregnant,"  Ben tossed out.  After his miraculous recovery he'd looked into other things that ancients had hidden away in their writings. 

"He's pulling our leg,"  Gus whispered to Becca.

"Indeed he's not,"  Marty interrupted, as he picked up another one of Emmett's delicacies.  "These are very good, by the way."

"Thank you,"  Emmett preened.

"They're okay.  I've had better,"  Ben said, his comment reminiscent of something Brian would have said.  Everyone gave him a disgusted look, even Brian.  "Not that they're bad, in fact it's something I wanted to talk to you about."

Ben went on to explain how he had met the cook who helped him beat HIV so he was no longer positive.  He told of marrying the man only to find out his new husband was already married and had six children.  Actually seven since his wife was expecting.

"You sure do know how to pick them,"  Emmett pointed out.

Ben agreed.  But, as he pointed out the man did know how to cook healthy food and he had come to ask Brian's opinion, as a businessman,  about how to start up a restaurant and where to locate it.

Brian considered it, "Emmett would be the best to answer your questions when it comes to food.  I'll have to talk to Theodore about the viability of investing in the food business."

"I'll call him,"  Becca said excitedly.  She still had a place in her heart for her Teddy Man.

By the time Theodore got there things had turned to pandemonium Justin was once again heaving and Ben called in Rayma who showed up with all six kids.  She immediately took over the kitchen to fix Justin a drink that rivaled the one his grandmother used to make, much to Emmett's displeasure.

"What the fuck"  was the first word out of Ted's mouth.

Becca took over explaining, with the help of Ben, while Gus herding the unruly kids downstairs into the indoor park where they could run to their hearts content.

Once he got things sorted out, Ted found a quiet spot and looked at the numbers.  He was trying to wrap his mind around Justin possibly being pregnant.

Marty came and sat next to him.  "No, Justin is not pregnant."

You could hear a pin drop. 

"Then why is Justin ill? "

"That I don't know.  However according to Marilyn Brian is."

"Brian is what?"

"Pregnant.  That reminds me, these are for you,"  Marty explained as he handed over the cardboard tube to a dumbfounded Brian.  "Marilyn said you are going to need more room with the additional children." 

"Children?"  Brian asked.

"Afraid so."  Marty confirmed.  "On the bright side, I found two places that seem suitable and they have the extra benefit of being Novotny proof.  As for as you, Emmett, she suggests that you work closely with Ben and the restaurant is surely to be a success."  He stood up to leave and pulled out a business card which he handed to Ted with a wink.  "Give me a call.  Maybe we can hook up."