Chapter 35 - Long Ago and Far Away.

Brian survived the Boys’ Night sleepover in the blanket fort - but only just. His back was so stiff and sore the next day he felt like he was fifty three not thirty three. It had been worth it though to wake up with a happy, excited Gus on one side of him and a happy, not-excited-to-be-up-that-early, Justin on the other. Of course, Gus’ internal time clock was so off because of the jet lag that he was wide awake at four am, which meant Brian was up then too. They left Justin in the nest of pillows and blankets and the two of them went out to do some ‘secret night exploring’ which ended with the two of them watching the sunrise over the Thames and then indulging in a horribly fattening breakfast at a little diner they found which was open early. By the time they got back to the hotel, Justin was finally up and hungry so they all had to go for a second breakfast in the hotel’s restaurant. Brian was happy to let Justin take over from then on, sitting back and sipping his coffee while the boys talked and laughed.

“Hey, Jussin? Wanna hear a dirty joke?” Gus spoke up halfway through his stack of pancakes, catching both Brian and Justin by surprise.

“Uh . . .” Justin looked nervously across the table at Brian, silently asking for help on how to answer the kid.

“Let’s hear this joke of yours then, Sonny Boy,” Brian answered, curious to discover what a not-quite-four year old thought constituted a ‘dirty’ joke.

“What’s under there?” Gus asked, already laughing hysterically at his own joke before anyone had even heard the punchline.

Justin raised his eyebrows. “Under where?”

“Hahahahaha! You said ‘Underwear’! Hahahahaha!” Gus pointed at Justin and crowed with laughter.

The kid’s giggle was infectious and it wasn’t long before Brian was laughing at the confused look on Justin’s face.

“Daddy, Jussin said underwear!” Gus repeated, his little hand covering his mouth as he continued to laugh at his own joke. “You get it?”

“You’re a real joker, Sonny Boy,” Brian acknowledged and shot his kid an approving smile, which eventually included Justin as well, once the blond finally got the joke and started laughing along.

And that moment set the tone for the whole rest of the day. They were all in a jovial mood when they finally finished second breakfast and headed off to Lindsey’s hotel to wake her up. Lindsey wasn’t feeling quite as jolly as the three men, but seeing how excited Gus was to be spending the day with both his mommy and daddy, ‘and Jussin of course’, she could hardly be too upset.

“What fun things do you have planned for us today, Brian?” Lindsey asked.

“I was thinking that because the weather is so nice out, we could maybe jump on one of those open top buses that take us around London. That way you guys get to see a bunch of the fun touristy things all in one go. And then, if you want, we can go ride the London Eye?”

“I love busses, Daddy. Especially biiiiig ones,” the little boy emphasised with his hands. “Will it be a big bus?”

Brian crouched down to Gus’s level and held his hands out wide. “It’s a HUGE red bus. With two levels even. You’ll love it.”

“That sounds wonderful, Brian,” Lindsey voiced her approval before turning to Brian’s ‘special’ friend. “Will you be joining us, Justin?”

“Of course he’s joining us, Lindsey. I want Justin to see the city too,” Brian insisted, noting the woman’s priggish attitude and making a mental note to talk to her about it later when Gus wasn’t around.

“I thought you said you were stationed here with RAF, Justin? Haven’t you already seen London on your own?” Lindsey questioned.

Justin looked momentarily panicked, but Brian stepped in again and saved him. “Justin’s been too busy with his work to do anything touristy yet. He has to fly almost every night, and sleeps until noon most days, so, since he actually had last night off for once, this is as good an opportunity as any for him to do some sightseeing.”

“Oh, well, it’s just . . .” Lindsey turned her back to Justin and smiled patronisingly at Brian. “I assumed we’d be spending some family time together, is all. I mean, you haven’t seen Gus, or me for that matter, for weeks. So, I thought we could catch up and just have some private fun, you know?”

“I can go, if you like, Brian.” Justin said, his voice hushed and a little defeated.

“You’re not going anywhere, Blue Eyes,” Brian asserted strongly before turning to face his pissy friend. “I’d already invited Justin along for the day, Lindsey, so he WILL be joining us. Besides, ‘Jussin’ and Gus get along just fine, don’t you sport?” Brian asked his son, who nodded and beamed a huge smile towards his new friend.

“Yep. Me and Jussin both likes to draw and color and he letted me eat some of his purple M&M’s, Mommy. Can’t he please come wiv us on the big red busses? Please?”

Lindsey looked a little disconcerted to have been ganged up on like that by all three of them, but there was nothing she could do to get out of it. So, with whatever grace she could summon, she nodded her conciliation and then went over to gather her things together. Brian sent Gus off to do the same, reminding him to use the toilet before they left and to pack a few toys in his backpack for the day.

“Sorry about that,” Brian commented to his companion, pulling the younger man up close to him as soon as they were alone. “Lindsey means well, she’s just not used to me bringing guys around, since I’ve never done this before. And she’s always been a little protective of me and Gus.”

“Protective? Is that what they call it these days?” Justin mumbled unhappily.

Brian pulled Justin’s chin up so he could look into those gorgeous blues. “Hey, listen to me. I want you here, Blue Eyes. And, more importantly, Gus wants you here. So don’t let Lindsey ruin things just because she’s being a bitch, okay?” Justin sighed but eventually nodded. “Good. Because I’ve been wanting to do all this stuff I’ve got planned with Gus - AND you - for weeks now and I’m not letting you get out of it that easy.” That got a smile out of Justin. Brian then leaned down so he could add in a whisper, “I’ll talk to Lindsey later - when Gus isn’t around - and explain things to her. I promise.”

They weren’t able to say more because Gus and Lindsey were already back, jackets on and ready to go. Brian made a point of giving Justin one last, passionate kiss, just to make his point to Lindsey before he let the young man go. Then Brian rounded them all up and they headed out for a day of playing tourist.

Gus was absolutely thrilled with the big, double-decker British busses. The first stop for the tour route was just around the corner from the Palace, on Waterloo Road, so they all walked over that way and arranged for their tickets. When the bus rolled up, Brian thought Gus was going to pass out from all the jumping, yelling and clapping he did. Justin seemed almost as amazed, claiming that he’d heard about buses like that but had never ridden in one. Needless to say the bus tour idea was a big hit - which reminded him, he’d have to thank Cynthia for the idea.

The bus took them around the city and was a great way to fit in all the fun touristy things Brian had been looking forward to doing with his boys all in one go. So far they’d been to the Horse Guard Parade, Marble Arch, Trafalgar Square - where poor Justin got set upon by a frenzy of pigeons - and were just approaching Buckingham Palace. And according to Lindsey, this is what Gus had been the most excited about visiting.

“Daddy! Daddy,” Gus shouted out, his face was pressed firmly against the window on the upper level of the bus as he looked out. “Look at it, it’s SO BIG. Does the Queen really live there? Can I meet her? Wow, she has so many horses. Do you know all their names, Daddy? Can I touch them? Why are those men wearing those funny hats?”

Brian wasn’t sure if Gus even took a breath in between all those questions, but one thing he knew for sure was that he couldn’t wait to get off the damn bus and get his kid closer to the palace for a better look. Unfortunately, they couldn’t get inside the gates or close enough for Gus to pet any of the horses, but he seemed to be okay with that for the time being. Brian reminded himself to research where to get horse pictures later. But they did manage to get the obligatory picture of little Gus standing next to one of guards dressed in his shiny red coat and huge, furry, black hat. Gus looked completely awestruck by the soldier standing beside him in the picture, and Brian knew it would end up being one of his favorites.

The next stop on the bus tour after Buckingham Palace was Westminster Abbey, which probably wasn’t as exciting for a three year old, but seemed to thrill Gus’ mother. As Lindsey towed her son around the historic building, reciting a condensed version of the place’s history, Brian and Justin hung back. Justin was particularly quiet, though, enough so that Brian finally had to ask him what was wrong.

“It’s just . . . I was here only the other day - in my time - and all this,” he gestured around him at the beautiful architecture, “it’s all just a pile of rubble after the last raid. And it’s hard to reconcile the two, you know?” Justin tried to explain. “It was sorta the same earlier, back at Marble Arch and Trafalgar Square - those were both hit pretty hard in the Blitz too, but not as bad as the Abbey. I don’t know . . . Stuff like this just makes me feel like I don’t belong here - now - either.”

Brian didn’t know what to say to that. He’d been hoping that, maybe, Justin had started to feel more comfortable in this future. He’d been getting along so well with Gus and all. Perhaps this tour thing hadn’t been such a good idea after all?

“Jussin! Daddy! Come see! Come see!” Gus interrupted before Brian could address Justin’s insecurities. “They gots this huge-mongous chair where the kings and queens get crowned. Innat cool? On’y Mommy said they don’t let ya sit in it. But it’s still neat. Come see, Jussin!”

Justin smiled down at the child tugging on his hand trying to get him to move, and then looked back up at Brian. He could see the gleam of affection in the blue eyes and knew Gus had already claimed a place in Justin’s heart. And it really was hard to be all melancholy and self-absorbed in the face of that much enthusiasm. Brian just hoped that the ties he saw developing between his son and his - whatever - were enough . . .

The last stop on the tour - thank fuck, because Brian was starting to feel his super early morning by that point - was the London Eye.

As soon as the wheel came into sight, Gus couldn’t stop pointing at it. “Wow! It’s a really, really big Ferris Wheel,” he gasped excitedly.

“It sure looks like one, doesn’t it, Sonny Boy?”

The excitement lasted until they were about to board one of the slowly moving, large glass pods and Gus freaked out, climbing up Brian’s body until he was safely in his Daddy’s arms, his face hidden in the folds of his shirt.

“It’s scawy, Daddy.”

“Oh, come on, Sonny Boy. A big boy like you isn’t scared of a big Ferris Wheel, are you?” Brian tried to cajole the boy into enjoying the ride, not wanting a crying three year old in his arms for the entire thirty minute circuit. Gus didn’t seem to completely buy it though. “Look. It’s not moving very fast, and I’m here with you, so you’ll be safe. Okay?”

Gus looked down, still seemingly uncertain, and Brian noted that he was eyeing the small but noticeable gap between the slow moving pod and the landing, through which you could see the river drifting along far below. He supposed that might be scary for a child, but he knew that once Gus was securely inside the car, he’d love it. He just had to get him in there.

“Okay, Gus. Here’s the plan,” Brian offered. “You can just hold onto me and close your eyes tight until we’re safe inside the car. I’ll carry you until we get in and once the door is all closed up, we’ll be safe. Does that sound good?”

Gus still looked unsure as he sniffed loudly, wiping his runny nose on his coat sleeve. Lindsey was just standing there looking on like an indulgent and over-protective mother; Brian suspected she was only seconds away from giving in to Gus and saying they should just go. Brian looked over at Justin for some support but found his blond so rapt in staring with gap-jawed wonder at the Eye, that he was no help at all.

Gus must have picked up on Justin’s lack of focus as well, as he finally spoke up again. “I think Jussin is scawed too, Daddy. Kin you carry him in too?”

“I think Justin is a little big to be carried, Sonny Boy,” Brian answered with a grin.

“You could hold his hand,” Gus suggested. “Then he won’t be scawed.”

Brian turned around and smiled at Justin, who’d finally looked around when he heard his name. “Is that right, Sonny Boy?”

“Uh huh,” the little boy nodded.

“That’s a good idea, Gus,” Brian replied craftily. “If I hold Justin’s hand and carry you, we can all keep each other safe. That way nothing can stop us, right?”

Justin immediately stepped closer and held his hand out towards Brian, who clasped it and raised their joined hands up high so Gus could see. Gus gave a teary smile and then nodded before closing his eyes and burying his head in the crook of Brian’s neck. But, finally, it seemed they were all ready to board the approaching pod.

As Brian had suspected, once they were in the large glass-walled car and Gus was safely seated on the large bench, everything was perfectly fine. To be honest, the damn thing moved pretty fucking slowly. A ninety year old grandmother in a walker probably moved faster. But the thrill of this ride didn’t come from its speed, rather the spectacular views it provided. Before they were even halfway to the top, you could see over all the nearby buildings and way down the river in both directions. And since it was a sunny day, the vistas were simply beautiful. Even Brian was a little awed. Before long, all four of them were up and walking around the pod - even Gus - so they could see things from all the different perspectives.

However, it quickly became apparent that the most amazed of the group was the young pilot from the past. Justin couldn’t seem to tear himself away from the view for even a second. He stood there completely mesmerized while the rest of the passengers wandered around chatting and laughing. He was so quiet that Brian got worried again and, when he saw Lindsey and Gus move off for a moment, Brian went over to his Blue Eyes, wrapped his arms around the slighter frame from behind, and bent his head so he could whisper in the shell-like ear.

“What’s up? You don’t like the ride?” Brian asked.

“No. I mean, yes, I like the ride,” Justin spluttered. “I’m just . . . speechless. I mean look at it all.” Justin waved at the expansive vista. “I’ve flown over this city a couple hundred times - back in my time, that is - and I thought it was big then, but this? Applesauce, Brian! This is huge! No, it’s bigger than huge. I can’t believe it’s grown so much! And it looks so different . . . So clean, I guess you’d say. Maybe I’m just used to seeing the torn up, half bombed London, and that’s why this looks so different, but wow!”

“It is big,” Brian agreed. “The stats I looked at a few weeks ago when I was prepping for the Britcom pitch said London’s the largest city in Western Europe judging by both metropolitan area and population. It even edged out New York City last year, population-wise. So, yeah, a lot has changed since 1941. But it’s still the same city at its heart; the bones are still there. All the damage from your war has been repaired and then some, but you can still see YOUR London when you look around. London doesn’t change the way other places in the new world do.”

“Maybe, But . . . Wow!”

“Innit pretty, Jussin?” Gus exclaimed as he bounced over towards them again. “I can see all the tall buildings and the trees and the cars look tiny like my toy cars and the people look like little itty-bitty bugs way down there. I wish I cud fly like a birdie ‘cos I like bein’ way up high above everything, don’t you, Jussin?”

“Yep. I do, Gus. That’s one of the reasons I like being a pilot,” the avid flyer explained. “I get to zoom my plane way up high over everything - higher than this goes, even - and it makes me feel like I’m bigger than everything below me.”

“Really?” Gus looked up through the glass of the pod’s ceiling, apparently trying to imagine being higher. “That would be sooooo neat. Can I go in your plane with you sometime? Please, Jussin. Please.”

“Sorry, Buddy, but Justin’s plane only seats one person,” Brian intervened with a story that he hoped would satisfy the child. “But, if you’re good, I’ve got a surprise for both of you for tomorrow along those lines which you’ll probably like.”

“A s’prise? What is it? Tell me, Daddy. Tell me . . .” Gus demanded, tugging on Brian’s arm and jumping up and down some more.

“Nice save, Daddy,” Justin muttered as he watched the child and his father.

True to his word, for the next day’s adventure, Brian surprised his two boys - minus Lindsey who decided she wasn’t up for another day of being a tourist and would rather spend the day in the hotel spa on Brian’s dollar - with a visit to the Imperial War Museum. Which was pretty much every little boy’s dream come true. There were planes and tanks and guns and even a couple of rockets. And visitors were even allowed to sit in some of the vehicles on display. Gus was in seventh heaven, running from one display to the next, so hyped up he couldn’t stand still long enough to look at anything for more than a couple of seconds. So, in other words, he was having the best time ever.

Justin seemed even more interested in the museum’s exhibits than Gus, with the big difference being that Brian’s RAF Pilot knew a lot more about the mechanics of the various machines they were looking at. While Brian was following around behind Gus, flitting from one cool thing to the next, Justin would read every single display plaque carefully, scanning all the design specifications, looking over blueprints for the various planes and basically soaking it all in as much as possible. He seemed especially intrigued by the newer planes and the rockets. Brian could almost see the thoughts and ideas pouring into the intelligent blond brain. It was difficult to tell, what with the man’s level of deep concentration, but Brian thought Justin was really enjoying this outing.

When they’d made it through the more elaborate displays in the museum’s main hall, the three of them wandered back to the hanger behind the museum where there were even more planes and things. It was far more than Gus, or even Brian could take in, but Justin was able to point out and identify quite a few of them - at least the ones from 1941 or earlier. Gus seemed more interested in the little stories Justin was telling about the planes than looking at the machines themselves.

And, about halfway through the hanger, they finally came across the plane that Brian was excited to show both his boys; a beautifully restored 1940’s era, Hawker Hurricane.

“Applesauce! What a beauty. It looks just like mine, only without all the patched up bullet holes,” Justin exclaimed, running his hand over the smooth metal of the plane’s wing.

“This is your plane, Jussin?” Gus asked, looking up at his new friend with awe.

“Well, not this one, exactly, Gus. But I do fly one just like this,” Justin answered, before catching himself and amending his statement. “I mean, I USED to fly one like this, back before . . . um . . .”

Luckily Gus hadn’t really caught Justin’s gaff and was already crawling around under the fuselage and looking up into the holes from which the landing gear emerged. Brian came up next to Justin and wrapped an arm around the shorter man’s shoulders, giving him a reassuring squeeze. Which seemed to be all Justin needed to resume his good mood. Then he moved over to where Gus was and started to point out interesting things about how this particular plane worked.

While they were there, one of the museum’s staff came over, standing nearby and listening to all of Justin’s stories. He seemed just as fascinated as Gus was. Especially when Justin started explaining how this plane’s characteristics made it such a great fighter plane. Justin started telling stories about battles he’d been in with his Hurricane - couching them in terms like, ‘he’d heard’ and ‘one time’ etc - thrilling his audience with tales of crazy barrel rolls and aileron rolls and near escapes as he zoomed through the skies.

“You sound like you know something about planes, young man,” the docent commented at the end of another of Justin’s stories.

“My Jussin is a pilot wiv the REF. He flies planes just like this one,” Gus announced proudly.

“That’s R-*A*-F, buddy - which stands for Her Majesty’s Royal Air Force,” Justin gently corrected the boy. Then he held his hand out to the museum guide and introduced himself. “Justin Taylor, nice to meet you. I love your museum.”

“Nice to meet you, too, Mr. Taylor. Flight Lieutenant Geoffrey Smythe, at your service, Sir,” the man shook Justin’s hand and then stepped back and saluted him. “I’m RAF Volunteer Reserves meself. I flew out of RAF Scampton back in the day. ‘Course ‘at was a few years back now.”

Justin saluted the man back before relaxing into a more casual demeanor. And ten seconds later the two of them were immersed even deeper in a discussion of the relative merits of the Hurricane versus the Spitfire in combat, and all sorts of other things that Brian had no interest in whatsoever. Before long, though, the docent had brought over a small stepladder and the two of them were climbing up on the wing of the plane, with Gus begging to be hefted up too.

“I don’t usually do this with most visitors, but since you’re a pilot an’ all,” Smythe said as he unlocked the canopy and began opening it. “Maybe you and your nipper would like to climb in and get a feel for it from the flight seat?”

With repeated thanks, Justin climbed inside the plane, and then Gus was lowered in to sit on the pilot’s lap. Brian smiled on, leaning over the side to look in and smiling at the pair as Justin pointed out all of the cockpit instruments and explained to the child what they did. He even pointed out to Smythe a couple of things that were off about the restoration of the plane, including a tachometer that wasn’t standard in the original model and probably wasn’t even invented until after WWII. Gus meanwhile was holding onto the yoke, pretending to fly the plane himself and making pretend gunning noises as he shot down imaginary enemies.

Tilting his head back so it was resting comfortably on Justin’s shoulder, Gus looked up at the blond with a look of wonder on his face. “I wanna fly planes when I’m big just like you, Jussin.”

“That would be great, Gus.”

“My Jussin knows EVERTYHING about planes,” Gus announced to Brian and Smythe with an authoritative air that made him seem even more like Brian’s son and caused all the adults to laugh. “He’s a EXPERT!”

“That he is, little lad. That he is,” Smythe agreed with the boy.

When they’d exhausted all the stories Justin and Geoffrey had about Hurricanes, they all climbed back out and moved down the line of other planes. Between Justin and the docent, they had stories about pretty much all the planes there. Brian was amazed by the amount of knowledge his personal pilot had at the tender age of only twenty. Although, some of the stories gave him the willies, since they routinely involved Justin almost being killed. Nobody other than Brian seemed to care about that, though, and the stories went on.

Until they had walked a little further through the hanger and came to a display made up of a severely damaged old plane bearing the ominous Nazi swastika symbol on its tailfin.

“This bad boy here has quite the story to it,” Smythe related as he patted the torn up plane with a familiar hand. “This baby was shot down in a night raid over London at the height of the Blitz in 1941. May 11th, to be exact.” The docent pointed to a small plaque on a nearby stand, reading it over to refresh his recollection about the details of his story. “It was the pilot’s fourth confirmed kill. Plane landed on a warehouse in Ebury Street.” Then the man got a funny expression on his face and looked up at the younger RAF pilot, who had a similar confused look on his own face. “Says here the officer that shot it down was . . . Flying Officer Justin Taylor?” Justin’s face had gone even paler than usual. “Now ain’t that a coincidence? You must’ve ‘ad some long lost relative who was in the war or somethin’.”

“Yep. Pretty amazing coincidence, huh?” Brian cut into the conversation, offering up a quick, fairly plausible explanation with his usual glibness. “Justin’s named after a great uncle who was in the Eagle Squadron back in 1941. We didn’t know you had this plane here though. That’s definitely a surprise, isn’t it, Blue Eyes?”

“Uh . . . yeah. It sure is . . .” Justin looked over the wreckage of the old Messerschmidt one last time, then shook his head and started to walk away.

“Thanks for showing us around and for letting us inside the Hurricane, Mr. Smythe,” Brian said to their host as he rounded up Gus from under the old German plane. “I think we’d better get this guy out of here so we don’t miss naptime. I appreciate all the extra time you gave us though. Gus has had a ball.”

“Wait, before you leave, I have something for the little ‘un,” Geoffrey smiled warmly as he walked over to a table in the corner and pulled something out of drawer. He walked back towards Gus with his hands behind his back and then, as he crouched down, he pulled a remarkably lifelike toy plane out, surprising the little boy.

“WOW!” Gus said looking on the little toy with obvious joy.

“This is for you, it’s just like the plane your friend’s uncle once flew.”

“Thank you, Geoffrey. That’s very kind of you,” Brian nodded to Gus to let the boy know it was okay to take the toy.

“Ah, it’s nothin’. Just a trinket. Glad to see a lad like this getting interested in our old planes and such.” They all moved along towards the exit that Justin had already disappeared through. “Nice to talk to someun’ who knows his aircraft like your fella there too. Sorry if I spooked ‘im with that Gerry plane and all. It really is a bit of a twist, isn’t it?”

“Quite. Thanks again,” Brian replied and then hurried off to find his missing, time-befuddled, pilot.

They eventually found Justin smoking a cigarette - something he rarely did in Brian’s experience - outside the front entrance to the museum.

“You okay, Blue Eyes?” Brian asked, leaning in to kiss the distressed man’s cheek.

“Yeah . . . just having a hard time dealing with my two worlds clashing like this all the time. I . . .” He looked up at Brian with a sigh. “How do YOU handle this?”

“I try not to think about it,” Brian assured him with an unamused chuckle before he grabbed both Justin and Gus’ hands and started to lead them down the walk away from the museum. “Come on, let’s go get some lunch and then take Gus back to his mother for the rest of the afternoon.” Gus, who was busy playing with his new toy plane, didn’t even object to Brian’s plan. Then, leaning in closer to Justin so the little ears wouldn’t overhear, he added, “And then you and I can go back to our room and I’ll make sure you don’t have time to think about anything other than my cock for at least a couple of hours.”

Justin rewarded that idea with a smile as he crushed his cigarette under his heel. “I certainly can’t find fault in your distraction techniques, Mr. Kinney. Lead on.”