Once Brian paid the bill at the Liberty Diner he set off for Debbie's house. She had informed him, during a quick break, that Emmett and her brother, Vic, were working on their newest gig as party planners. Brian decided that an intro to Emmett would be just the splash of cold water that a repressed young man needed. In a matter of minutes he was pulling up in front of Deb's house.

Justin was impressed by the homey atmosphere of Debbie Novotny's street. It wasn't as fancy as his own upbringing not so far from here, but it looked like a friendly comfortable place to grow up. It seemed to suit the motherly woman he had met this morning.

Once the tall middle-aged man with the tired lined face and kind smile opened the door, Justin could smell some wonderful odors wafting in the air.

"Brian, what brings you to our humble abode in the middle of the day? And who is this delicious morsel?" asked Vic.

Justin blushed as Brian answered, "This is my new protege', Justin Taylor. Actually he's the actor chosen to play Mikey's JT in the movie, and I'm supposed to instruct him in how to play gay. I thought I'd give him a taste of what being gay is..."

"And you thought of Emmett and me. How thoughtful," he laughed pleasantly. "Em's in the kitchen, as usual."

Vic turned and led the pair into the large old-fashioned kitchen in the back of the house. It was immediately obvious that this was a kitchen where TV dinners were unwelcome and plenty of real home cooking occurred. There were cabinets everywhere, with pots and pans laid out in every available space. The dining table could seat a small army. Steam was rising from pots on the large stove, and a tall slender man with a wild pink panther shirt and low riding lavender jeans, with an apron tied around his middle, stood at them with ladle in hand. He turned when Vic called his name.

Justin was surprised at how attractive the cook was, but he didn't look feminine at all (which Justin was expecting for some reason). When he flipped around, Justin could see that his apron had "Kiss my Grits" stitched on the front. The minute he spotted Justin, a big smile lit up his face. Justin liked him immediately.

"Brian, what, or should I say who, did you bring for us...and aren't you just the cutest thing?", he said, openly flirting with Justin.

Justin blushed for the second time.

"Deb told me to introduce him to you two. Justin, this is Vic, Michael's uncle and Emmett, one of...of, ummm..."

"Just call me Auntie Em, sweetie. Everyone does. And you are...?"

"Uhh, I'm Justin," he answered hesitantly.

Brian came to the rescue, "This is Justin Taylor, Michael's new JT for the movie."

"Ohh, sweetie, you are soooo right for the part! Just look at you! It's as if Lindsay took a photo of you when drawing the character," Emmett gushed. "Turn around. Let's see the rest of you."

Justin felt compelled to turn and could hear the low whistle coming from the men behind him. Maybe he should have been insulted, but he felt a little happy to know they approved.

"Child, you have one perfect little bubble butt there. Anyone told you that before?"

"Ummm, no. Not to my face, at least."

Brian stepped in. He decided the poor kid had had enough for this round.

"Look guys, I just thought he should meet some of the folks that inhabit the world that Mikey created with the comic. I'll be bringing him to Woody's and Babylon later. You can admire his ass there. We've got more stops."

With that he turned for the front door, followed closely by Justin, who turned around at the last minute and bid the men goodbye.

"Nice to meet you, Vic...Emmett. I hope I'll see you again."

"You too, Justin. And watch out for big, bad Brian. He'll warp you, if you let him."

Brian either didn't hear, or chose to ignore, that last comment as he led Justin out the front door. Justin smiled back at the two men grinning at him and quickly followed Brian back to the jeep.

Once they were settled in the vehicle, Justin spoke up.

"So where to now, Mr. Kinney."

"Brian, remember."

"Yes sir...Brian."

"Now I'll take you to visit the artist who drew you for the comic...or should I say JT? By the way, I should warn you, she's the female side of being gay. So, have you known many lezzies in you life?"

Justin was taken aback, just a little. This Brian character was certainly bold and had no fear of asking direct questions.

"No, not really. At least not to my knowledge," he answered cautiously.

"Well, they're harmless, although I'm not too sure about Lindsay's wife, Melanie. She takes a little patience. She's small but has more balls than a lot of men I know."

"Sounds interesting." Justin was beginning to feel a little intimidated by this new world he was entering. But he had a job to do, and anything that would help him understand his character was important. He sat back for the rest of the ride to his next destination.

*************************************

Justin was immediately charmed by the lovely old two-story brownstone that Brian parked in front of. As he sat looking through the picket fence he could see the well kept garden surrounding the front porch. Just then, the door opened and a small bundle of energy came rushing out, closely followed by a short haired woman desperately trying to catch the little boy.

Justin could hear the petite woman shouting for 'Gus' to come back, but he was running for the gate shouting, "Daddy"

That was when Justin realized the little boy was referring to Brian, who stepped around the Jeep quickly and threw his arms open wide, waiting for the youngster to rush into them. As the boy, who looked unmistakably like his father, pushed through the opened gate, he launched himself into his dad's embrace.

"Hey Sonnyboy, how's it hanging? Have you been giving your mommies Hell lately?"

Gus started giggling while his mommy scowled at Brian, trying to catch her breath.

"I wish you'd try to control your language around Gus. He's not a baby anymore."

Brian looked down at his son and made a face, sticking his tongue into his cheek. "Oh oh! Daddy's been a bad boy again. Tell Mommy Mel that Daddy is sorry."

Gus giggled even harder, declaring he was a big boy now. Brian let him down gently to the ground.

"You sure are Gus...Daddy's big boy."

Justin had joined the trio by now. Gus finally noticed his Dad's companion.

"Who dat, Daddy?" he chirped happily.

Justin was impressed. For some reason he had seen Brian Kinney as a cold hearted son of a bitch, for the most part, but never as a loving family man. He remembered back to how he knew there was more to Mr. Kinney than what was on the surface when he first met him. This man was definitely not one dimensional. The thought occurred to him that he really did want to get to know this man better. Then he heard Brian answer his son.

"This is Daddy's new friend, Sonnyboy. Say hi to the nice man. His name is Justin."

Gus approached Justin carefully and shyly stuck out his hand. Justin grabbed it with his own and gave it a hearty shake.

"Hello, Justee," he quietly greeted the stranger.

"Well hello to you, Gus. Right?"

Gus giggled and buried his face in his dad's long legs.

Brian turned to Mel who had been standing by taking in the fascinating tableau. Now she could see why Linds had been so enthusiastic about the young man who was going to play JT. The kid was the epitome of what Linds had envisioned when drawing the character for Michael's comic book. On top of that, there was something sweet and innocent about the kid. She immediately hoped that Brian wouldn't warp the poor man. She wasn't so sure he should be the one to give the actor pointers in how to play gay. She knew what kind of pointers Brian was interested in. She was even shocked that Brian would spend his time helping the young man out anyway. She had been surprised when Linds told her that Brian had actually volunteered for the task. It was so unlike him. There had to be something in it for him. Justin didn't really look like his type and the fella was supposedly straight, not that that had ever stopped Brian before. Her thoughts were interrupted by Brian's voice.

"Earth to Mel. I said, where's Linds?"

"Oh, sorry. She's in the kitchen finishing up a batch of cookies."

"Chocolate chip, Daddy. My favorite," enthused Gus, as he grabbed Brian's hand on one side and Justin's on the other and began pulling them towards the front door.

Mel couldn't help smiling as her small son dragged the two big men along as quickly as he could to get to his cookies. Mama Linds had told him that he could have one as soon as Daddy and the visitor got there.

A minute later, Brian was standing in the warm, inviting, and delicious smelling kitchen of his son's home and introducing the girls to Justin. Justin took as much of a liking to the mothers as he did to the son. They retired to the living room with the beautiful bay window overlooking some of their lovely garden full of vibrant colors. The room felt lived in, the way Justin thought a home should look. He had grown up in a much more controlled environment, where his Dad liked everything to look showplace perfect. His Mom had seen to it that her husband left Justin alone when it came to his own room, but she had little say over the other parts of the house. This house was the kind of place a kid should grow up in.

The next few hours were spent by Brian playing with his son, who had enough energy for six toddlers, and by Justin in a lively discussion about the arts and trying to raise a family in today's society with Mel and Lindsay. By the time that Brian's restlessness to get going had become evident, the girls were already very fond of the young actor. They made it clear that he was welcome in their home any time. After a few pecks good bye and a huge hug for Gus, the ad man and the actor were back on the road.

"I really like your friends," Justin told Brian. "So, where to now?"

Brian couldn't help smiling at the young man. Why the hell did he feel so good around this kid? Well, enough of the hearts and flowers and visiting friends, he decided. It was time to show Justin the business side of Brian Kinney.

"One more stop before dinner."

Brian turned the vehicle back towards Liberty Avenue. Shortly after, he was parking the jeep in a lot across from a building with a huge sign declaring it to be the home of Kinnetik Advertising.

"This is where you work?" asked Justin.

"This is my company, yes. Let me give you a tour."

The minute the men walked through the glass bricked front door, Brian was greeted by a half dozen 'hey bosses'. Brian led Justin to the back where a glass door revealed the foyer of a large office space. Everything about the office was unique, just like the man who occupied it. It was airy and very modern in feel, with a rich texture to the furnishings. Brian Kinney obviously didn't go in for tacky or cheap. Justin was impressed. He also liked the way that Brian's employees seemed to respect the man. They were casual, yet clearly busy with their boss around. Justin could see the hustle and bustle going on outside the door. A few minutes later, a petite blonde walked in and began to berate her boss with a half scowl on her face.

"Hey boss. So where have you been? I know it's Saturday, but you called us all in here to work on the new project and then no one can find you. I tried your cell, but no response."

"Cool your jets, Cynthia. I turned the cell off so I wouldn't be disturbed, and I trust my crew. I was pretty sure you'd keep everyone in line till I got back," he told the young lady to placate her, which obviously worked.

"Okay. Anyway, we have several new ideas in the early stages for your approval on how to promote the 'Rage' movie. Do you want to set up a meeting for today or wait until Monday."

Cynthia kept glancing over at the attractive blond who sat quietly in one of Brian's comfortable chairs while she and Brian exchanged words. Brian finally got the hint.

"We'll wait till Monday. I have a lot more to get done today for this young man," he said, pointing at Justin. "Let me introduce you. Justin, this is Cynthia, my personal assistant and right hand man...woman...whatever. Cynthia, this is Justin Taylor, the actor who is taking on the role of JT in the new movie."

"Oh yes," she responded. "I can definitely see JT in him."

She gave Justin a wide smile that brought another hint of a blush to his cheeks. Why did everyone that had anything to do with Brian Kinney make him feel so shy? It didn't bother him in the same way the behavior towards him in Hollywood did, but it was still an odd feeling.

Justin rose and stuck out his hand. "Nice to meet you, Cynthia."

"Likewise, Justin. Brian, you didn't tell me he was so adorable."

"Hands off, young lady. He has a job to do and I'm just here to see to it that he does the best job he can. So where's your other half, Theodore?"

"He had to meet a client at their office. He said to tell you, if I saw you first, that he'd meet you at the club tonight for the big initiation of the new boy."

"Thanks, Cynthia. We'll talk more later."

Cynthia knew a dismissal when she heard one and bid the two men good bye. Once she left, Justin had to ask, "What initiation?"

"Teddy was just being cute. You'll meet the rest of the gang after dinner. I'm going to take you to Babylon. It's a dance club. JT gets introduced to dance clubs thanks to Rage so I think you should experience it first hand. You game?"

Justin was a little hesitant. He had always loved dancing, but only in private...never publicly. But it was for the job, so it had to be done.

"Whatever you say, Mr.... Brian."

"Good boy." Brian was liking this kid more and more. He could tell Justin was nervous, but he was willing to learn and that went a long way in Brian's estimation. Brian had the feeling that tonight was going to be a real learning experience for the shy blond, and he was looking forward to being his teacher.

To be continued......