Justin couldn't help himself. He tried valiantly not to sniffle out loud but he just couldn't hold it in. The sight of JR walking across the stage to accept her diploma with her flowing black gown and the cap perched jauntily on her thick dark hair was just too much for him. He only prayed that the more noticeable weeping coming from Debbie and Daddy Michael, not to mention Uncle Emmett, would drown out his quieter noises. Of course it didn't escape Brian's eagle eye. He gave Justin a wide grin, as if to say...'caught ya'...but then Justin noticed the tiny little glistening in the corner of Brian's eye. Justin grinned back and mouthed...'allergies'. Brian leaned over and gave Justin a little kiss. They smiled at one another and looked back at the stage. 

JR had never looked more beautiful. She sported such a wonderful smile of pride and satisfaction as they handed her the diploma. She had already given the most heartfelt speech as the Valedictorian of her class and received thunderous applause. JR had proven to be both smart and athletic and her grades had been exemplary. She had considered law school and following in her Mama Mel's footsteps, but eventually decided to study Political Science instead. Both her and Gidge dreamed of getting into politics in one form or another someday. The consensus of JR's family was that she would be the second female President of the United States eventually.

The last graduate crossed the stage and the students were finally all gathered down front. They turned to the large audience of family and friends, let out a thunderous whoop, and tossed their caps into the air. The young adults disappeared momentarily from view under a cloud of black caps and tassels. Once the caps were caught, everyone broke free and grabbed for each other. Hugs and laughter filled the auditorium. The dozen or so family members and friends of the Marcus/Peterson and Tyler girls rose up clapping. Now that the ceremony was officially over, everyone began gathering up their belongings and programs and heading outside.

Ted and Emmett, with their significant others, along with Michael and Ben, stepped to one side and began walking down memory lane again. They couldn't believe that the baby they had all loved from the day she was born was now a young woman about to attend college. They reflected back on the stories that they had heard of how Mel and Linds had gotten around to choosing Michael as the baby's father. They knew that the girls had even considered asking Ted and Emmett, or even Justin or Brian to be the father but opted out for various reasons. Mel even let it slip once that she would have chosen Ben in a heartbeat if he hadn't been HIV positive. Looking at the young woman that JR had become, they all agreed that Mel made the right choice with Michael. They even agreed that Brian and Justin had done a much better job as surrogate parents for the girl than they had expected. 

Oh, they had never doubted that Justin would make good parenting material, but they had to admit that Brian had surprised them. Justin was the one person who knew that Brian would make a great Dad, and he was so proud of his husband. He told him so too, as they stepped out into the late afternoon air. Justin hugged Brian with all his might and gave his man a tender kiss.

"We did it, Brian," he declared. "We managed to get both our kids to adulthood without ruining them. I think that calls for a pat on the back, don't you?"

"I will save that pat for later, young man," Brian replied with that cocked eyebrow he still used to perfection. 

Justin laughed. "Are you ever going to stop thinking of me as a kid, Brian Kinney?"

Brian just grinned and shook his head no. Brian still saw the gorgeous young blond standing under the street lamp whenever he looked at Justin. He suspected that Justin would still be young and beautiful in his eyes when he was in his 80's and Justin, his 70's. He could now understand what Justin meant so many years ago when he told Brian that he would always be 'young and beautiful, for fucks sake'. Brian had been too scared of growing older and alone then to see what Justin saw so clearly but he saw it so well now. But now it was the young folks turn to learn all of these lessons of life. He just prayed it would go easier for them than it did for him...and for Justin, thanks to him.

It took almost an hour because of the ton of friends that both Gidge and JR had to get through in order to gather with their family, but finally everyone was together again. The girls had shed their gowns and stood in their beautiful dresses. JR looked like an angel in the plain silk sheath that hugged every curve of her gorgeous body. The shimmering green and gold of the dress complimented her wavy dark hair and the single heart shaped diamond, a gift from Brian and Justin, that lay between her ample breasts. She wore a lovely gold charm bracelet on her wrist that Daddy Michael and Ben had given her. The first charm was in the shape of a diploma and had tiny diamonds in place of words on the scroll. She wore the same earrings that her Mama Mel had worn at her graduation from Law School... each a simple diamond stud. 

Danny Pinter, JR's last boyfriend, stood a few yards away next to the girl he had cheated on JR with. He looked pitifully sad as he stared at the best thing he had ever had and knew she was not the type to forgive betrayal easily. She was breathtaking, but he had lost his chance. He turned back to his small circle of friends and family and sighed deeply. JR didn't even notice him. JR never looked backward. She was a forward looking gal, and she had too much in front of her to miss anything that hadn't appreciated her enough in the first place. She gave all four of her Dads a big hug and kiss and joined her big brother.

Gus, Jason, and Gidge were all standing together and talking about the future. JR joined right in. The talk centered on what college life would be like for the girls. They were both grateful for having big brothers who had already been there, done that. They listened eagerly as the boys regaled them with stories of the fun times and hard work they had to look forward to in the next few years. They reminded them of what they should be wary of and who they could trust. They reminded them that no matter what, they could always turn to their big brothers for help if it was needed. Eventually the talk rolled around to the Summer. The boys brought up all the fun they had experienced that last free Summer they had after high school. They warned them to relax and enjoy every minute of their Summer, because once school started they would enter a whole new world...one that consisted of more work than play. The girls listened raptly. 

Eventually the elders reminded everyone that they had reservations for dinner at Luigi's, a favorite of the girls. Dinner would be followed by the big party that the two families had set up for the girls on graduation night. Soon all the cars were filled with family and friends and everyone was off to the restaurant. A good meal, a trip back home to dress for the party, and the night of revelry would begin.

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Gasps of delight could be heard from nearly everyone as they entered the large banquet room at the hotel. The whole room had been transformed into a fairyland of color and sparkle. All the tables had been removed from the room or lined up along the sides of the parquet floor. This left plenty of room for dancing. A band was just setting up on the dais at the end of the room next to the open floor as the girls arrived with most of their families. Drinks, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic, were being set up at a bar across from the band. Two long tables were being arranged by hotel staff with a plethora of hors d'oeuvres to suit everyones tastes. School colors could be seen hanging from the high wooden beams throughout the ceiling. Flower arrangements at tables matched the colors. The place looked every inch the high price ticket it was. 

Nothing, however, could match the beauty of the young ladies that the party was dedicated to. The girls had chosen wisely in their attire. They each wore the popular style of the day, which was simple and elegant. Gidge wore a gown of soft lavender that flowed effortlessly around her body as she moved. She was lovely, but JR literally took one's breath away. Her floor length gown was of a material that seemed to have a life of its own as it shimmered in every color of the rainbow. The predominant color always depended on how she moved and how the light captured her. She wore the same jewelry as before and it complimented her simple design that cinched in at the waist, dramatically emphasizing the young ladies hourglass figure. Even her short bob sparkled from the spray she had used earlier. She simply looked like she had been sprinkled by fairy dust from head to foot. One wouldn't have been surprised to see glass slippers on her feet. 

Brian, Justin, and the girl's brothers stood in awe of the transformation from tomboy to woman that the girls had accomplished on this night. The four gay men probably appreciated the beauty of the girls even more than all the drooling young admirers that would no doubt be hanging around them this night. The wolf whistles they gave the girls when they saw them coming down the stairs at the house earlier that night had been heartfelt and genuine. 

JR and Gidge looked around the room and admired the handiwork of their beloved families. Gidge hugged her parents tightly and thanked them profusely for all they had done. JR did the same. That was just about the last time that they had the girls to themselves for the rest of the evening. The moment guests started arriving, the girls were off and running. It didn't take a genius to see that the young ladies were having the time of their lives. Their dance cards were full all evening. They mixed and mingled like the pros they would no doubt be in the political arena some day. The young men who attended buzzed around them like bees around the sweetest flowers. 

Gus and Jason joined in the dancing, kicking up their heels even more than they had at their own Prom four years earlier. Even the older couples had a few dances that brought back memories of their own youth. The three sets of parents of the girls discussed what they wanted to do to help the girls have the best blowout Summer of their lives. They knew that the girls had chosen a really tough curriculum for the coming school year and they wanted them to have the memories of a Summer to end all Summers to help get through the sleepless nights and hard work they were going to be facing. No one at the table worried about whether they could handle all that work. If anyone could succeed, it would be JR and Gidge. 

They were equally proud of their young men. Gus and Jason would be leaving for Hawaii the day after tomorrow to enjoy the graduation trip that the family was providing for them. Two weeks later they would return to start their new life as working men. Life was good for both families. 

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It had been a night that no one would forget. One young man, in particular, had caught JR's eye. She had walked over to the banquet table and spotted some bacon wrapped scallops that looked delicious. She was about to grab one when a hand reached out and whisked the tray away.

"Hey!" she exclaimed. "Where are you going with that?"

JR looked up and met the most captivating steel gray eyes she'd ever seen. Surprisingly, the color of the young man's eyes appeared warm and inviting and there was a gentleness in them that appealed to her immediately. He had a short haircut that framed his face nicely. The color of his hair was a warm brown with a slight reddish tinge to it. He was just plain handsome. The harsh words she was about to use died in her throat.

"I'm sorry," the young man apologized. "These were getting cold. I have some fresh ones right here."

He pulled a second tray from a pulley cart that she could see was standing next to the young man. He reached across the table to offer her the tray. JR smiled sheepishly and reached for the nearest scallop. She picked up its toothpick and plopped the morsel into her mouth. She noticed that the young man was wearing a staff jacket. She quickly swallowed her bite, barely tasting it, so that she could talk.

"No, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to sound rude. You were just doing your job."

"Thank you. I appreciate that."

"You're welcome," JR returned. 

Things went silent. JR, who was never at a loss for words, suddenly felt tongue tied. For the life of her, she couldn't think of a thing to say. She couldn't take her eyes off the young man's face, but her brain had ceased to function. She was content just in looking at the stranger, who seemed to be experiencing the same problem. Who knew how long the stand off would have lasted if Gidge and several of their friends hadn't come up behind JR and begun talking to her. She turned to respond to the group. A minute later she turned back around and the spot where the stranger had stood was empty and so was the cart. While the gang continued talking at her, JR searched the area for signs of the grey eyed stranger. She couldn't see him anywhere. 

It took several more minutes before the friends could shake JR out of her state and were finally able to get her full attention...or almost full attention. For the rest of the evening, JR was on the look out for the young man in the staff uniform. She never saw him again that night. For some reason she felt like she'd lost something important. The rest of the evening went wonderfully well for everyone and no one left the party dissatisfied, but only Gus noticed that his baby sister seemed a little distracted. He made a mental note to ask JR if there was a problem before he left with Jason for their trip to Hawaii.

To be continued.............................