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Author's Chapter Notes:

I was hoping to get this up earlier; unfortunately, my first chemo teatment is tomorrow (or really later today Monday]) and I've been busy cleaning the house and preparing for the visit just in case I end up feeling ill afterr it. Nonetheless, here it is and hopefully you'll enjoy it despite the long hiatus.


Daphne swiftly walked through Justin and Brian's loft, wanting to get back to Kian and Justin in the playroom as soon as possible, but couldn't help pausing as she hit the main room and smiling as she did every time she visited. This room was so Brian. The clean modern lines, the muted color palette, the wide open spaces with no walls…that was all Brian. But it did have hints of Justin as well – the small pops of color, the little knickknacks and the personal touches here and there that softened the harsh edges and brought life to what would be an elegant, but otherwise austere room.

Sort of like when Justin bulldozed his way into Brian's carefully structured life and blew it to smithereens.

Her grin deepened as she walked toward the small end table by the couch and picked up their wedding photo, the one personal photo that Brian allowed in the space. She remembered this moment all too well – Justin staring up into Brian's eyes, his signature sunshine grin on his face as they bantered their way through their vows. Because, of course, neither of them could stick with the traditional vows like everyone else; nor did either of them feel comfortable with being sappy until the very end.

 

Daphne grinned as the minister stepped back after having announced that Brian and Justin had written their own vows and would exchange them now. She had been the one that helped Justin with his, and thus knew that their friends and family were in for a treat; because, of course, her favorite boys couldn't pass up the opportunity to intersperse a little levity in what is traditionally a solemn moment.

She looked out on the guests, and had to bite back a laugh at the surprise on many of their faces. Not that she blamed them; when they had the rehearsal dinner, the boys had pretended that they were just going to use the traditional vows as Brian was never comfortable with sharing personal feelings in front of others. She rolled her eyes and turned back to the snickering grooms; as if they'd ever go that route.

It would be far too boring and predictable for them.

Clearing her throat, Daphne glanced up; and then wished she hadn't as she met Brian's gaze. One that sparkled with mischief, as he was well aware that she knew what was to come. She quickly glanced away, but not before a small giggle escaped her throat; bringing forth an answering giggle from Justin and a chuckle from Brian before he cleared his throat and looked down at Justin.

"Justin, it is at this moment, when I look deep into your eyes, that I can't help thinking…" Brian intoned solemnly, making Daphne snort at the soppy wording. Justin coughed to cover his own snort, but then couldn't quite quell his mirth when Brian continued in a pained tone. "Is it too late to elope? Because really, do we need to do this whole vow thing in front of everyone?"

The audience took a moment, all of them a bit surprised by the change in tone; and then as one they laughed, hooting their mirth as Deb yelled, "Don't even think of it, Asshole!"

"I think we missed that opportunity like five months ago," Justin chuckled, even if he was fully aware that they'd intended to start their vows off with this opening. It was the rest of the vows that they kept secret from each other. "And since it was your idea; yes, we have to do it in front of everyone. Can we get on with it?"

"If I must," Brian grumbled good-naturedly, his eyes dancing with laughter; he made a low mocking bow. "After you, Sunshine."

Justin huffed and mock glared; but then stated in a solemn tone, "I…I promise to love you and to honor you." He paused thoughtfully and then grimaced. "But not obey; I could never promise to obey you because that's a little creepy; and frankly, we know that I'll never be able to live up to that vow."

Brian snorted and covered his mouth to contain his laughter, while the audience roared with their own. Daphne giggled, because wasn't that the truth; an opinion that Brian apparently shared given his next statement.

"Well, there was never any doubt of that," Brian said, his tone dry as the Sahara. "You haven't listened to or obeyed one damn directive of mine since the day we met; which is how we ended up here in the first place."

"I know." Justin gave him a smug grin. "I always win in the end."

Brian rolled his lips under and just shook his head; but didn't dispute the claim. And well he couldn't since everyone in the audience knew it was true. And then he smirked. "I promise… to never steal the covers; unless you're hogging them. Again."

Justin huffed his indignation. "One time!" He held up a single finger to make his point. "It was one time and I was sick and you still have never let me live that down."

Daphne snorted at that comment, knowing it to be a blatant untruth. She had spent many years sleeping in the same bed as Justin when they had their sleepovers and she very well knew his propensity for wrapping himself up like a burrito at night. Brian grinned and they shared a commiserating look as he continued.

"One time my ass, Sunshine," Brian groused. "Try every time you're sick and that statement would be a little more accurate. And then if you added in when you're cold, which is all the fucking time, and when you're just being a brat and can, you'd have it right."

Justin huffed again as his mother and sister agreed wholeheartedly and the audience laughed again, making Daphne bury her face into her bouquet to hide her mirth. It of course didn't disguise the shaking of her shoulders, but she could at least pretend it wasn't as obvious to the audience that she was losing it.

"Bitch, bitch, bitch…" Justin pouted. And then he looked Brian in the eye and smirked. "I promise…I promise that I'll love you more than Nutella. Maybe. Okay, maybe not, but it will be a close second."

"Like I ever thought I could compete with your love of food," Brian snorted before continuing their one-upmanship. "I promise… to tell you what is working for you clothing-wise; and to be brutally honest when it's just not. Like the cargo pants; must you?"

"I'll have you know that my ass looks fantastic in those cargos," Justin countered, his hands on his hips. "Something you can't refute by the way you stare at it every time I wear them." Brian leered, letting the entire world know that he did indeed enjoy said view. Justin rolled his eyes and sighed. "I promise to love you at all times – even during the World Cup – and to support you in all things – including cheering for whatever team you're supporting that year, even if I couldn't care less who won the damned thing."

Brian barked out a surprised laugh. Daphne giggled too as she'd heard Justin's numerous complaints about Brian's soccer obsession over the years; as well as Brian's utter exasperation that Justin still didn't understand the rules. Of course, she knew that Justin had a full working understanding of the game, and had for years; he just liked getting Brian all riled up because it led to him, and she quoted, 'being pinned to their nearest flat surface and being fucked within an inch of his life.'

Something that Brian was well aware of and used to his advantage.

"You know, it would help if you actually knew which team had the ball when rooting for them, however," Brian huffed indignantly.

"I did mention the part where I couldn't care less who won, right?" Justin cocked a brow.

"Twat," Brian muttered just loud enough for the wedding party to hear. "I promise not to take any of your more…annoyingly quirky habits personally; although, is it really that difficult to put the damned keys in the bowl when you get home? It would save so much time in the morning; time that could be well spent doing other much more fun things if we didn't have to spend twenty minutes searching for the damned things."

Brian waggled his brows, making it obvious just what fun things they could be doing. Most of the audience snickered, quite used to the banter; the exception being an outraged squawk from Lindsay as she held her hands over Gus' ears. And really? She objected to that, but not the cargos exchange, which was much more blatant?

Daphne met Brian's exasperated gaze and rolled her eyes.

"You'd get bored if I were ever that predictable," Justin sniffed, dismissing the complaint with a negligent wave of his hand. "Let's see - I promise to be your co-pilot, your navigator and to bring snacks on our road-trip through life. Especially the navigator part, because is it really that difficult to stop and ask for directions once in awhile?"

"Road-trips are meant to be an adventure; which means not knowing where you are going half the time," Brian said with a snicker. And really, wasn't that the truth? In both real life and on actual road trips. "And don't think I missed that snacks bit; you and your food." He paused with a sly grin. "I promise to love you no matter how many times you tell the same story…except for the time when you, Emmett and Blake did that one thing to Mikey…because really, it gets old after the thousandth telling."

"Hey!" Michael complained loudly. Daphne guffawed because she recalled all too well the night they had left Michael stranded on Liberty Avenue's YMCA sign after some other drunken shenanigans. "You promised never mention that again!"

"No I didn't," Brian stated mildly. "That was Blake. Like I would ever promise that; now, can we get on with this without commentary from the peanut gallery? Where were we?"

Justin took a deep breath; and Daphne knew this was the moment he got serious by the way he looked up at Brian with so much love in his eyes that it made her heart ache with it and made her eyes tear up. Because really, this was the moment that Justin had been waiting for since he had been a brash, impulsive, stubborn seventeen-year-old, who demanded the world accept him for whom he was and then, in one night, fell head over heels in love with an equally stubborn, brash man.

"I promise…" Justin said, his voice shaking with emotion as he stared up into misty hazel eyes. Not that Brian would ever admit to it. "I promise to be your everything, and make sure that you always know that you're mine."

"And I promise to cherish you and our life together, every day; and make sure that you never have reason to doubt my love for you." Brian said, his own voice shaking with emotion as he tightened his grip on Justin's hands. He raised one hand and tenderly pushed Justin's hair behind his ear before rubbing his thumb across his cheek

And Daphne had to look away, tears pricking at her eyes, as she felt she was witnessing something far too intimate for her eyes and didn't want to interrupt.

 

That moment was forever immortalized in this photo – Justin, staring up at Brian, his eyes bright with unshed tears, a beautiful sunshine smile on his face; and Brian's hand on his cheek, tracing a small path down it with his thumb as he stared tenderly back. If anyone ever doubted their love for each other, all they had to do was look at this photo and there was no denying it.

Sighing, Daphne set the photo down, and swiped her fingers under her eyes to wipe away the happy tears that had gathered there. God, the hormones were already kicking in. This was going to be one long pregnancy. Rubbing her hand over her belly, she continued walking through the loft to the playroom.

She had already been gone for far too long, and although Justin would never complain about spending time with his godson, she didn't want to leave them on their own for too long given how far along he was now. She couldn't imagine that he'd be able to put up with an active three-year-old for too long.

Walking down the hall, Daphne grinned when she heard a burst of childish laughter, followed by a low masculine chuckle through the playroom door. Leaning against the door jamb, she watched as two of her favorite boys snuggled up together in a bean bag in what Justin considered Kian's corner of the room. Although, she supposed any one of the kids could use it if they wanted; the shelves were filled with toys and games meant for a younger child and somehow it became known as Kian's Corner.

Justin looked up and grinned, before looking back down at the book the two of them were reading – the newest Curious George book that Jenny had sent with them. She sighed happily – he was glowingly happy and far too beautiful for words. And even though she loved her husband with all her heart and soul, it was in times like this that she couldn't help but feel a twinge that they would never have that fantasy love that she'd built up in her head at the age of seventeen.

Oh, it never lasted long; and Justin would inevitably do or say something that reminded her that she was glad they never became a couple as she'd likely kill him. But once in awhile, she did remember that school girl crush with fondness and wish that things had been different. Maybe in a different world, in another life; but she doubted it.

Justin had taken one look at Brian Kinney and that had been it for him; and, had she been one to believe in reincarnation, she wouldn't be surprised to find that they were linked to each other in life, after life, after life.

Shoving off the door as they finished their story, Daphne was nearly blinded as the light caught Justin's ring and shot out a prism of rainbows. She smiled and shook her head; only Brian would think of such a perfect way to celebrate their love for each other. He was, after all, the best ad man on the East Coast, and as much as a 'sentimental twat' as he often accused Justin of being.

Not that she'd ever say that out loud; she'd allow him to keep that very poorly kept secret if it made him feel better.

No; she was just glad that whatever he had done and said this weekend had put that sunshine smile back on her friend's face. It had been missing for far too long of late.

"So let me see it," she demanded as Kian popped off Justin's lap with his book and scampered over to put it on the bookshelf before heading for his toys. Justin grinned and held out his hand for her inspection. "Oh, I love it."

"Did you know?" he asked, his eyes brighter than they've been in weeks and a curious smile on his face.

"Nope," she said, popping the 'P' at the end. And she hadn't. All Brian had said was he had a surprise for Justin and then refused to say another word no matter how much she badgered him for more information. He was annoying like that. "He kept this completely under wraps; but he must have been thinking about it for a while."

"Why do you say that?" Justin asked with a small frown.

"This is obviously custom-made to match your current rings," Daphne shrugged. "Something like that would take a while to create."

"Point." Justin conceded with a shrug of his own, smiling when Kian ran up and handed him a stuffed turtle before dashing away once again. "I'm surprised he didn't wait for our actual anniversary."

"Well, he probably will want to renew the vows on your anniversary knowing Brian," Daphne said; and she really could see that happening. While it would be only a couple months after Sunbeam was born, Brian would like the continuity. "It would make sense that he would ask you sooner if that was his plan."

"Well, we hadn't really gotten that far," Justin hedged, but looked thoughtful. "But it does make sense; and since it's in August, and far enough away from wedding season, not to mention about two months or so after Sunbeam's birth, it would be a good date to have it. And it won't conflict with Deb's and Carl's in October."

"Oh, I can't wait!" Daphne exclaimed, clapping her hands in excitement. "It's going to be so much fun."

"And of course, you'll be my Best Woman, won't you?" Justin asked, although it was more of a statement than a genuine question. Because as if she'd refuse!

"Damned tooting," she scoffed, giving him an 'are-you-serious' look. "Even if I'm in labor, and have to crawl up the aisle, I will be there by your side."

"Please don't do that," Justin begged with a grimace. "I really don't want to deal the mess if your water breaks…"

"Asshole," Daphne huffed under her breath; and then glanced quickly over at her son to make sure he hadn't heard her. But luckily, he was far too entranced with Dora the Explorer to care about them. She gave Justin a light swat on the arm when he continued to gag. "You know it isn't like that."

"It could be," he teased, laughing as he dodged another swat.

"So, do you have any ideas of what you're planning?" she asked. "What are you wearing? What kind of flowers are you going to have? Are you going to have those golden gardenias again? Are you going to get a cake? Is it going to be a day or night event? Will there be a sit down meal or will it be all hors d' oeuvres?"

"Chill out…" Justin huffed, holding his hands out in front of as if to physically ward her off. "He just asked me yesterday; and then we promptly went back to the loft to celebrate. We haven't had the chance to discuss what we want to do yet. Although, with Brian; even if is only a blessing, I can't see him doing it up any less than he would our actual wedding. And people think I'm the queen in the family."

"You are," Daphne snorted, swatting at his hand when he flipped her off. Like she needed Kian to see that and imitate his favorite uncle.

Justin glanced over at Kian, and seeing that he was still watching the TV, stuck his tongue out her like the mature thirty-year-old that he was.

"Of course, you two would have to do it when I'm just entering my eighth month," Daphne huffed, although she really wasn't all that put out by it. As she'd told him, she would be there even if she had to crawl down the aisle. "I'm going to be huge by then."

"You will look as beautiful as always," Justin said with a sincere smile. And fuck, he was going to make her cry; the asshole. "I've seen some cute maternity dresses; plus, I really don't want this to be as formal clothing wise if I can at all help it. We did that already, and I think that semi-formal would be enough for a renewal."

"Good luck with that." Daphne laughed at her friend's naiveté. No way in hell would Brian let this event pass by with anything less than the best of everything. "With Brian 'Label Queen' Taylor-Kinney as your husband? How much you want to bet that he's down at Armani right now, looking at suits."

"Sucker bet," Justin snorted; knowing his husband, and hers, all too well. "He does that every time we come up here. I swear, I think most of the closet is taken up by his clothing."

"That's because it is," Daphne smirked, watching with a smile as her son danced along with the characters on the TV. "Not all of us wear our clothing down to rags."

"Yes, but then again," Justin sighed with exasperation. "You certainly aren't Brian Taylor-Kinney, who owns enough suits to go about three weeks before he would have to repeat wearing one."

"Point." Daphne conceded as she'd been privy to the state of Brian's side of the closet for many years; and he truly was a clothes horse. And then she sighed appreciatively because Brian in a suit…well, it was a glorious thing. "But he does wear them so well…"

"Amen, sister," Justin agreed fervently, a little leer on his face. "Why do you think I refrain from complaining about the closet slowly being taken over by his clothing? He was born to wear bespoke suits; most definitely sigh worthy."

"I can't decide whether I like Liam better in a suit or in jeans." She cocked her head thoughtfully, picturing her husband in both. Hmmmm…jeans…suit…jeans…suit. Maybe the jeans…but, then again the suit was just so yummy. Perhaps both.

"Jeans," Justin stated decisively. Daphne arched a brow at his answer; and then nodded because yes, Liam did look hot in jeans. "Definitely the jeans. He fills those out so well."

"Stop drooling over my husband," Daphne said without heat.

"I will the day you stop drooling over mine," Justin countered, one brow arched. And well, she couldn't argue with that as she'd even had the opportunity to see Brian full monty. And hadn't that been worthy of a teenage fantasy or two?

Right, time to change the subject.

"So, are you going to have Emmett plan the blessing?" she asked, leaning back into the bean bag across from Justin.

"Probably," Justin said with a shrug. "Although, I might do some of it myself as I really don't have a lot to do right now; just a couple of commissions that Sidney took at the show. And since they are pastels, Brian won't have a shit fit over me doing them; I don't have to worry about fumes and stuff. Anything else will have to wait until after Sunbeam is born, and we're settled in, since they are oils and I don't want to mess with paint at this point in my pregnancy."

"A wise decision," Daphne nodded; plus, she was certain Justin just didn't want to listen to Brian bitch about him being shut in the studio for hours on end. Their 'discussions' over the mural for Sunbeam's room had been bad enough. "I'm really not looking forward to all those limits once my pregnancy starts advancing."

"I'm surprised you told us so early," Justin said, arching his brows in question.

"I just had a feeling," Daphne grinned, hugging her stomach. "We had been trying; and when I skipped my period – which never happens – I just knew that my little girl was finally here."

"It could be a boy, you know," Justin cautioned; which she didn't blame him as he was right. But…something inside her just told her this was a girl. She couldn't say what or why she knew. She just did. "It's too early to tell."

"It's a girl," she said with all the confidence in the world. "I can feel it. And I can't wait! Just think of all those cute little dresses and stuff that we can buy!"

"I'd definitely have to spoil her when it comes to dresses," Justin smirked; and then huffed and rolled his eyes. "Brian said from the very beginning that if Sunbeam was a girl, there would be no frilly sh…tuff in his house."

Daphne glared at his near slip; and then looked over her shoulder to make sure that Kian was still watching his show. And he was thankfully. She turned back to a sheepish Justin and shook her head at him.

"That sounds like Brian," she snickered. "Feel free to spoil your Godchildren all you like."

"Really?" Justin looked surprised. "You really want us to be godparents again?"

"Well, of course," Daphne said, her brow pinching with confusion. "Why wouldn't I?"

"I just figured that you'd want to name your sister," Justin said a bit hesitantly. "Or even Yasmeen this time. A lot of people have different godparents for each child."

"Oh, well; I suppose that's true," Daphne nodded, but then waved the thought off with a dismissive flick of her hand. "But no; first of all, Yasmeen and Emily are each others godparents and said that was plenty for them. Plus, if anything were to ever happen to us, I want all my children's guardians to be the same. I wouldn't want to split them up. So, it makes sense that the godparents and the guardians be one and the same."

"That makes a lot of sense," Justin said with a tilt of his head; and then he grinned. "I have dibs on your shower then."

"I was planning to ask Emmett to plan it," Daphne said, snickering when Justin pulled a 'well duh' expression.

"Well, of course," he huffed, rolling his eyes. "He's the only one I would trust with it; plus, once Sunbeam is here, I'll be too tired to do much of anything other than approve or disapprove his selections. I just meant that I'm paying for it, of course."

"But…" she protested, and then snapped her mouth shut when he sent her a stubborn look; one that she knew all too well and said he wasn't taking no for answer.

"No arguments." Justin narrowed his eyes when she tried to protest once more.

"You paid for your own," she said with ill grace; this despite knowing she was already defeated. Because Justin was a sneaky little shit that would make Emmett well aware that all bills came to him; and Em would do as he asked because he was terrified of Pregnant Justin. And justifiably too after the Twinkie incident.

"Technically, I didn't," Justin pointed out with a smug grin. "Brian played host; and the only reason I allowed that, rather than letting mom host it, is I knew he would want over-the-top everything and it was going to cost much more than I wanted mom to pay. But in this case, I'm hosting. Deal with it."

"Fine; I want a ducky theme," Daphne huffed and threw her hands in the air. And then she dropped them to point at him. "And there better be rubber duckies everywhere."

"Shocking," Justin deadpanned.

"Bite me," Daphne groused.

"No can do," Justin smirked and gave a mock shudder. "Brian is the only one who gets that privilege these days; besides, girl parts….ick!"

"Jerk," Daphne huffed, and then cringed when it echoed back in a sweet, piping voice.

"Jerk!" Kian burbled, laughing along with Justin as he pointed at her.

"Oh, you're in trouble now…" he sing-songed, clutching at his stomach as he continued to laugh at her expense.

"Jerk!" Kian chirped as he ran around the room, flapping his arms as if he were trying to fly. Daphne cringed and slapped a hand over her face; if she was lucky, the novelty would wear off and he'd forget it when Dora came back on. "Jerk! Jerk! Jerk!"

"No, Kian," Daphne said, trying to be heard over her son's enthusiastic chirping. "We don't say that; it's not a nice word. Stop laughing, Justin! You're not helping!"

"Jerk!" Kian chortled and hopped on the tips of his toes.

"I'm so never going to hear the end of this from Liam," Daphne muttered; and then sighed with relief when a new episode of Dora came on, catching Kian's attention.

"Well, look at it this way," Justin sniggered. "It could've been a lot worse; Brian could have been around and his first bad word could have been…mmph…"

"You shut up, Justin Taylor-Kinney," Daphne huffed as she clamped her hand over her best friend's far too helpful mouth. "I am well aware of what Gus' first swear word was and it does not bear repeating. Understood?"

Justin nodded solemnly, trying to make his eyes wide and innocent; an effort utterly belied by the laughter in them. Huffing again, she removed her hand and slumped back into the bean bag as she eyed her precocious toddler. Thankfully his newly acquired word seemed to be forgotten in the wake of a new adventure with Dora.

Hopefully.

"So, have you given any more thought to moving back to Pittsburgh?" Justin asked, sensing a change in subject was needed. "I know that you two were planning to do it within the next year or so, but with the baby…"

"We're actually looking to relocate before the baby is born," Daphne said, happy to get away from her minor blunder. "Once we found out, Liam started looking at listings for local architecture firms; he's even interviewed with a couple and is waiting to hear back from them. I've also looked into local hospitals to see if they need a pediatrician; but it's not as big of a deal as Liam as I'm considering taking a year off to stay home with the kids until they feel comfortable and settled in the new house. We want to be closer to everyone now that we will have two kids to worry about."

"That's awesome!" Justin grinned. "When are you thinking of moving back? Have you found a place? Do you need any help with the relocation?"

"We've been looking at houses near Mom and Dad," she said with a wide smile of her own; she couldn't wait to be closer to all her loved ones. As much as she enjoyed living in New York, she hated being so far away from everyone and missing out on their daily lives. "Since Mom has retired, she's been bored out of her mind and has offered to watch Kian and the new baby when I go back to work."

"That should take a load off your mind," Justin murmured, rubbing his hand over his stomach with a soft smile.

"I am glad that they'll have family bonding time and more personalized attention," Daphne agreed, watching her friend with a smile. "I've always hated leaving Kian at the daycare; even if Denise is a dream. Are you going to do it all yourself; because I have to tell you honey, you're going to go stir crazy in the matter of weeks if you try it."

"Brian is trying to talk me into a nanny," Justin grimaced. "But I really hate the idea of someone else raising my child; especially in Sunbeam's formative years."

"Well, nothing says that you can't be heavily involved with Sunbeam even if you did have a nanny," she pointed out. "After all, you will be working from home." She paused as Justin hummed thoughtfully, and then continued. "What about an au pair? They usually only work about forty-five hours a week; it would give you the chance to work in the studio for several hours, yet they won't fully take over child care. And they are usually less expensive than daycare or a nanny and are qualified in CPR and First Aid. Plus there is the whole cultural exchange aspect."

"You seem to know a lot about it." Justin arched a brow.

"We looked into it for Kian," she admitted. "The problem was, our schedules are often far too unpredictable for us to go that way given that most are in school of some sort. With the daycare we currently have there is much more flexibility and we don't have to worry about someone's class schedule if we're running late."

"I don't know what I would do if I didn't work from home most of the time and couldn't be here for Sunbeam," Justin said. "I loved having Mom around when we came home from school and I really want the same environment Sunbeam and any other kids we have."

"Already planning on another?" Daphne arched her brow. "You haven't even had this one yet."

"When we were discussing kids," he said with a one-armed shrug. "We decided that we wanted to add at least two, if not three, more to our family. I'd love to have another boy and a girl if at all possible."

"Just don't try to outdo the Weasleys…" Daphne teased.

"I don't think that will happen," Justin snorted. "Brian would have an aneurism; besides, we agreed no more than three more, which would put us at five with Gus and Jenny. But since they currently aren't living with us…"

"For now…" Daphne muttered darkly; and then silently cursed her tongue when Justin caught it and his face clouded. Well in for a penny and all that. "With Lindsay being a raging bitch these days that could change. I don't see Brian putting up with it for long. Not that Mel isn't a decent mother, but Brian gets uber protective of you and his Sonny Boy. And I think Gus would prefer to live with you when it comes down to it."

"We'll see," Justin said noncommittally; although, Daphne could tell he was barely containing his wrath. "I have nothing against Mel raising Gus; and he and Jenny are very close, so I can't see him wanting to be separated from her. I just want to make it so that Lindsay has only supervised contact with him. After all that she has done to him and Brian, I don't want her within the same state as them, let alone the same room."

"And you," Daphne pointed out firmly, not about to let her friend brush what the bitch had done to him under the rug. "Don't forget what that bitch did to you; which, I have to tell you, I'm still pissed that you never said anything. Had I known what she'd done, I would have ended her. Squashed her like a bug."

"And that is exactly why I never said anything," Justin huffed, his lips thinning when Daphne just returned his gaze with a hard stare. "I can handle Lindsay; I didn't need the entire family running to my rescue. Once you become aware of what a two-faced…witch she is; she loses the power to manipulate you."

"That doesn't mean you have to go about it alone," Daphne groused, ready to smack some sense into her self-sacrificing idiot of a friend. "You know damned well that all of us would have been there for you in a heartbeat."

"I know," Justin sighed; he shot her an apologetic look. "I'm sorry okay?"

"No," Daphne stated firmly; she shook her head slowly and pressed her lips into a thin, hard line. She was going to make him understand just how not okay this was if it was the last thing she did. "Not okay, Justy; but it will do for the time being. I'm too tired to get up and kick your butt at them moment."

"As if you would in my current condition," Justin smirked knowingly; fucker. Even if he was right, that didn't mean she wouldn't find another way to get it through his thick head.

"You're right," Daphne nodded; and then sent him an evil smile when he had the nerve to look smug at that. "I'd wait until Sunbeam was born, and then I'd kick it."

She met Justin's eyes and cocked a brow, and held his gaze until he shuddered and realized that she meant business. And then she leaned back with a smirk. Yeah, he might be the most stubborn, little shit that she knew, but she was the meanest bitch when crossed and well he knew it.

"Mama," Kian piped up, breaking the tension between them as he pointed to the TV screen with a smile. "Dora."

"Yes, I see that baby," she cooed, allowing the tension to slip away for the moment. "I'm going to be so sad when this goes off the air. He loves this show."

"Buy the DVDs," Justin suggested; although, he was still watching her warily. Good. It was best to keep him on his toes. "I doubt he's seen the first ones."

"Point," Daphne conceded; and then she sighed, as she knew she had to address this next topic no matter how much she wanted to avoid it. "Speaking of Lindsay."

Justin paused and looked at her, and then he groaned.

"Oh, God," he sighed. "Why do I have a bad feeling about this?"

"Because it's Lindsay and she's like a foul smell that lingers long after you've cleared the trash away?" she asked rhetorically.

"Please, tell me what you really think," Justin said dryly.

"Oh, honey," Daphne snickered. "We don't have the time to go into what I really think; plus, little pitchers have big ears and I really don't need Kian picking up on those words."

"I know I'm going to regret this," Justin sighed again. "But what about Lindsay?"

"I don't want to alarm you," Daphne said a bit hesitantly. "But I could have sworn I saw her over at that gallery that usually carries your work the other day. I was going in to visit Paul and see if he wanted to have lunch and she was talking with the c-u-n-t outside the gallery."

"Shit; so she did run sniveling to him," Justin swore virulently under his breath; Daphne glared at his choice of words and he flushed, hastily looking in Kian's direction. But luckily, once again, Kian was far too busy with Dora to care. "Sorry; I was hoping I was wrong."

"About?" Daphne asked, watching her friend suspiciously. Why did she have a bad feeling that Justin knew more than he was admitting to?

"I emailed some friends about boycotting all of Simon's sycophants in an effort to start putting the pinch on him," Justin explained with a heartfelt sigh. "And one of them, Shannon, mentioned seeing Simon arguing with a tall blonde woman, who in turn was screaming at Simon about 'being found out.' I'd hoped that it was another of Simon's victims and that Lindsay hadn't been stupid enough to go running to him after the fight; but it looks like I was wrong."

"When was this?" Daphne demanded, a hard gleam in her eye.

"A couple of days ago," Justin admitted, chewing on his bottom lip.

"Did you tell Brian?" Daphne asked, her gaze hardening further when Justin fidgeted and looked away. "Justin! Please tell me you told Brian!"

"Not yet," Justin admitted reluctantly. "But I was planning to after this weekend." Daphne just glared at him as this was the kind of shit that led to their last major blow up. He huffed. "I was trying to get confirmation before I said anything to Brian. Simon arguing with a waspish, tall blonde doesn't mean anything really without actual confirmation. It could have been any number of his former playmates."

"But you will tell him," Daphne demanded hotly. It wasn't a question by any means; because by God, he was going to tell Brian about this development if she had to grab Justin by the balls and drag him over to Brian herself.

"Of course!" Justin stated just as hotly. "I just said that I was planning to tell Brian after this weekend; whether I got confirmation or not."

"Good," Daphne state implacably. "You better; or I will kick your ass from here to Pittsburgh, pregnant or not." Justin scowled, but nodded his acquiescence. Daphne returned it, stood and then dragged him to his feet. "Now, I need to start dinner and you are going to be my kitchen slave for being an idiot. Again."

… … … … …

Daphne put the finishing touches to the roast she'd just taken out of the oven. She smiled as she ladled the roasted fingerling potatoes and onions around the perimeter of the sliced meat; and then set the platter aside to focus on the green beans, while Justin continued to work on the mixed green salad and fruit platter.

She honestly would have preferred to make her loaded mashed potatoes with this dinner: but she knew if she had, Brian would have bitched all night about all the butter, sour cream, bacon and cheese in them. This, all while stealing bites from Justin's plate when he thought that none of them were looking. And she just wasn't in the mood to listen to it tonight.

Sprinkling some sliced almonds on top of the sautéed green beans, Daphne opened her mouth to ask Justin to hand her the small bottle of almond extract next to his elbow, when the man in question huffed and then chuckled. Cocking her head, she arched a brow, wondering what her friend was snickering about now. Catching her look, Justin placed a finger over his lips and nodded his head towards the dining room, where Brian and Liam were talking as Liam set the table.

Furrowing her brow, she crept closer to the open archway that separated the kitchen from the dining room, and listened in to whatever conversation had her best friend giggling like a little girl.

"Please tell me you're going to invite Uncle Peter to your blessing," Liam all but begged, sniggering as he set another plate on the table with an audible clink.

Daphne arched a brow, and then rolled her eyes. Her husband always had to play the instigator. Glancing over at a snickering Justin, she just shook her head and wondered if she should stop this train wreck in its tracks before things got out of hand.

"I hadn't planned on it given that he and his partner live so far away; I think they're still living in Dublin? Or maybe they're in England now," Brian hummed thoughtfully. "But if they want to come, they are more than welcome. I'm certain that Justin, good little WASP that he is, will send out an announcement at the very least. Why?"

"Because I know that Aunt Joanie will just die knowing her gay big brother was in town," Liam said far too gleefully for her comfort. "And I just want to sit back and watch the fireworks. Especially when he goes to her church, sits next to her and announces to the world that she's the black sheep of the family, not him."

"That's just cold," Brian said equally as gleeful. "I love it; if he does come for the blessing, and goes to her church, please save me a seat. I will actually attend church for the first time in over twenty years just to see it."

Justin huffed a quiet laugh at that comment; Daphne rolled her eyes again knowing that he'd be no help in stopping this pending disaster. Not that she cared anything about Joan Kinney; she would get exactly what she deserved; but she really didn't want to deal with the irate phone calls and visits from Joan and her minion in misery, Claire, in the days that followed. Jail was not a place she wanted to visit; and she'd definitely end up there when she lost her temper and gave them both something to whine about.

"Well, the bitch shouldn't have made comments about how I shouldn't bring one of 'those people' into our lily white family," Liam spat.

Daphne's brows shot into her hairline; she hadn't heard about this. Justin hissed like a scalded cat and shot an angry look towards the door. Apparently he hadn't been aware of Joanie's charming words either.

"One of those people?" Brian asked incredulously.

"Yup," Liam said, popping the 'P' at the end. "She commended me for sticking my dick in the right gender unlike her heathen son…" Liam paused when Brian snorted at that comment, and then continued. "But then had the nerve to comment that she wished that Daphne wasn't so dark; and wouldn't it be better for the both of us and our poor potential children if she stuck to her own sort."

"She didn't?" Brian asked with no little amount of awe at his mother's audacity; and then he huffed. "Not that it surprises me; she is a bigot through and through, but still. Please tell me that Daphne heard and she handed Joanie's ass to her?"

Daphne huffed angrily; no she hadn't heard about that little tidbit. And here she was considering stopping the boys from harassing her unnecessarily. But not anymore. Fuck that bitch! She could roast as far as she was concerned.

"Not at the time it was said," Liam admitted; and really, she and her husband were going to have a long talk about keeping things from her. "But I think she heard about it later; and while I have no idea what she did or said, Aunt Joanie skipped the wedding and cringes every time she hears Daphne's name apparently."

Daphne snickered at that. It actually had nothing to do with it. Although, she'd been aware that Joanie was less than thrilled with her becoming a part of the family, she'd always assumed that she disapproved because she and Justin were friends and it was a constant reminder that her son was married to a man.

What had actually happened was, Daphne, well aware of the less than stellar childhood Brian had growing up, had told Joan if she even bothered to show her face at the wedding, she'd be more than happy to visit her church and make sure that the good Christian folk knew of her penchant for drowning herself in a bottle of sherry in order to block out her son's screams of pain; with evidence to back her up. Joanie wasn't keen on being known as an accomplice for child abuse and stayed away.

She didn't want the evil bitch anywhere near her boys.

"That's my girl," Brian spouted proudly; Daphne shared a grin with Justin as he picked up the bowl of salad and fruit platter and headed for the door.

"Fuck you," Liam huffed. "That's MY girl."

"Nope," Brian snickered. "She was my girl long before you met her; and if it weren't for her, I don't think Justin and I would have made it this far if she hadn't been around to talk sense into both of us. So, she may be your woman now, but she'll always be my girl."

Daphne smirked; wasn't that the truth. She picked up the platter of roast beef and potatoes, and briefly considered trying to grab the green beans as well, but decided against it. She could send Liam back for it.

"I can live with that," Liam agreed. "Back to the topic at hand."

"Fuck, yeah," Brian said, a smirk flitting across his face as she and Justin walked in. "I will send a personally handwritten invitation myself to Uncle Peter if it means taking that sanctimonious bitch down a peg or two. No one fucks with my man or my girl that way. Remind me to tell him about her barging into my office and calling my unborn child an abomination. I'll bet he'd have a field day with that."

"What are you two plotting over there?" Daphne asked, despite knowing full well what they were talking about. Brian just smirked at her play for innocence; he knew her far too well to believe that she and Justin hadn't been listening to the whole conversation.

"Nothing, darling," Liam simpered; and she couldn't tell if he was onto her as well or not. Oh well, she supposed she'd find out later. "I was just asking Brian if they were planning to invite the entire family to the blessing or if it was going to be a small event."

"The entire fam…" Daphne asked innocently and then paused when Liam sent her a disbelieving look; fuck it. She sent her husband an evil grin. "Yes, do it. And then tell me what day he plans to show up so I can make sure that I have that day off; in fact, tell him to call me and we'll make plans."

"Told you," Liam smirked. "She is a vindictive bitch when pushed. God, I love her."

"I almost feel sorry for my mother," Brian mused as he grabbed the platter of fruit from Justin and set on the table. "Almost. But not enough to stop the train wreck we've just set into motion. This is going to be so much fun."

"I'll bring the popcorn," Liam quipped.

"I'll make sure to have a video camera on hand," Brian countered

"I'm just going to pretend that I didn't hear any of this," Justin said as he rolled his eyes and went back into the kitchen for the green beans. Wuss.

Daphne just exchanged smirks with both Brian and Liam; she couldn't wait until that bitch got her just desserts. And maybe, just maybe, she might spill some of her secrets too.

 

Joanie wouldn't know what hit her.

Chapter End Notes:

The wedding vows were taken (and modified) from this website: https://www.shutterfly.com/ideas/funny-wedding-vows/

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