BRIAN

Daphne called me and told me I needed to get Justin out of the house, because she had someone who needed to talk to me. At first I wasn’t going to say yes, because she told me it was Molly, who in the last week hadn’t done anything I could see to help Justin. At this point it felt like everything we said to Molly fell on deaf ears, except that the media was quiet in the last few days. I agreed, only because it was Daphne who asked, and she wouldn’t do something if she thought Molly was still trying to hurt Justin’s life. I figured using Lindsay was the easiest answer to getting Justin out of the house, since Justin wasn’t opposed to spending time with her. They had a lot in common and Lindsay understood the crap that Justin’s family did, she lived it too. She didn’t ask why, just agreed to keep him busy when I asked her.

Molly came. For once not dressed to the hilt, and smiled at Gus who was playing a game on the TV. For once she looked like the teenager she was and not the adult she was pretending to be.

“No one would listen to me, I talked to the reporter who did the article but the guy said he required proof that I wasn’t lying again. I couldn’t get Paula to tell the truth either. She thinks my Dad can somehow make it so the results will show Justin is the father. I just don’t get how she thinks my Dad could do it. So I went to Daphne, since she normally plotted with Justin when they were planning things,” She told me.

“I’ll let her explain what she did, but I’ll tell you my favorite part; Craig is trying to have the test done by a doctor not connected to any of you. Lawrence looked into the guy and guess who he went to school with, Craig. Only he wasn’t part of the group Craig hung out with, so I guess Craig thought no one would think there was a connection to him. Lawrence found it only because he wanted to know why it mattered who performed the DNA test. Apparently the guy did this for a couple of friends of Craig’s when they found themselves in similar situations after screwing around with the wrong girls. Craig just opened all his friends up to having to deal with the kids they managed to screw over by getting the guy to change the results. Realistically, the story that’s about to come out is going to make half the families duck for cover and Craig person non grata after this,” Daphne told me.

“Sounds like fun, but why is Molly here?” I asked.

“I told her she needed to clean up Justin’s mess before it dribbled out into the hall. So off you go Molly, while I talk to Brian,” Daphne said, shooing her away. 

Molly actually looked like she wanted to clean it up. Not that I was sure what it would accomplish. Daphne waited until she was up the stairs, opening the door I told her was Justin’s studio, only stopping to wave at Gus, who waved back, blushing at her.

“I know Justin’s acting like he’s okay with not having Molly around, but he sees her like his child, and I want him to have more than me and his grandparents at the wedding. I just didn’t know if Molly could do anything to make it possible until she called to talk to not only me but Lawrence about what she wanted to do. She did one thing, but I think she should tell you, because she deserves all the credit for it,” Daphne told me.

“I’ll listen, but why would it change the way she’s acted about me being in Justin’s life?” I asked.

“Because she is just as jealous of me as she is of you. She wanted Justin to be the same brother who only thought of her. And when I came into his life she was okay with me until we wanted to do things without her around. With you it was more about Justin changing his plans with her to spend time with you. She admitted that she hit on you because she could tell Justin wasn’t just hooking up with you. She didn’t like that Justin was choosing to spend time with you and not her. I think she got woken up when Justin wouldn’t keep putting up with her tantrums. After finding out Craig and his parents used her to try and get money out of Marshall, she knows it was what Justin was blocking her from seeing with Craig and the rest of the Taylors. I told her it was time for her to help Justin or live outside of his life. I think she should tell you what she did after our conversation. So after she cleans up, go talk to her,” Daphne told me.

“Why not let her tell Justin?” I asked.

“I think she needs to prove to you that she did what you asked her to in order for you to be willing to have her not only in Justin’s life, but yours and the kids as well. You want Justin and her to make up, even though you don’t get why they should. Which I got from what she told me you said to her. But even if they do, it would still be hard on Justin that you and she don’t get along. She also has a unique talent that you don’t know about. She’s the reason you never saw the mess that was Justin; she cleaned up his shit when they hung out together, and unlike when I do it, she knows how to do it in a way that Justin will keep it that way for longer. Plus, no matter how shitty she could be, I still loved her too, I just wasn’t willing to put up with her crap, and she knew that when she called me. I guess I’m hoping to find the Molly that Craig changed when he saw her as a way to get to Justin,” Daphne told me.

We stayed downstairs as Molly did what I wanted to Justin’s studio. She spent over an hour in there before I finally went to check while Daphne stayed with Gus. I walked in to see her sitting on the clean floor, looking at three painting she propped up in front of her. She didn’t say anything when I sat next to her, just let tears slide down her cheeks as she stared at them.

“Everytime I see what he can do, I wonder why he does anything but this,” I said to her.

“He only paints when what he feels needs to come out. I hated every time he painted you,” She told me.

“Why?”

“Because with each one of them, it meant he loved someone else more than he loved me,” She told me.

I looked at the painting of Molly looking at something with a mischievous smile on her face. Then the one of me sleeping after we’d been up all night, and one of Gus and me sitting on the sofa in the hotel, talking about what happened with his moms and me. In every one Justin showed his love of the subjects. 

“What I see in all three of the paintings is that he could love everyone in them,” I told her.

“I know, but what does that make me, that I didn’t want him to love you or anyone else? I’m everything Daphne and you both said, and I never wanted to be like that. I used to imagine Justin and I together surrounded by our kids, and how perfect it was that our kids had us, not the life we lived with our parents,” She told me.

“Then why do everything you could to make it harder for you and Justin to have the life you imagined?” I asked.

“I guess, because except for Daphne, I never had to share him, not even with my parents. He never let Daphne be the reason we didn’t do what we planned to do. He never told me no, until you came along. I always felt like he was mine, even when other people were in his life. He still belonged to me. When you started coming around he would get pissed at me for saying anything negative about you. And so I wanted you gone. Because he’s the only person who accepted the good and bad parts of me, without making me see there are bad parts,” She told me.

“From what I saw, he ignored anything you did wrong, and you didn’t like me from the beginning,” I told her, since she and I never got along from the beginning.

“He didn’t ignore it when I made a snide comment about texting his boy toy to come to fashion week. Which was the first time I knew you existed. Then you come and he spent all his time with you, telling me to stop acting like he couldn’t have a life outside of mine. I hit on you because I thought it would give me something on you to get you out of his life. Since you didn’t love him the way I do,” She tod me.

“I can’t say I did, but at the time I wasn’t sure why I couldn’t leave him alone. I love Justin in a way you never will, because you're his sister, and it’s not the same,” I told her.

“Do you think we’ll ever be able to get past this and get along?” She asked.

“Only if you understand that for me it’s about making sure Justin doesn’t get hurt by keeping you in his life. This whole thing with Paula and your father threw him. But you being involved was what hurt him the most.” I told her.

“Justin would have at least loved a baby, any baby. If the baby was my Dad’s who do you think would give a shit about the baby? Not my Dad, or even Paula,” She said, like somehow blaming Justin was the better alternative.

“Justin can’t be the answer, the way you think he should be the answer for you,” I told her.

“I know. So I have something for you.” She said reaching for her bag, she took out a piece of paper from Justin’s doctor. “I dragged Paula to Justin’s doctor, and they performed the test on her. She admitted in front of Lawrence and the doctor that she wasn’t even sure it was my Dad’s kid, which was why she was really resisting the test. Apparently Dad wasn’t the only one she’d been screwing around with in hopes for a Sugar Daddy, and decided she needed to get out before the truth came out,” Molly told me.

“Does Craig know yet?” I asked.

“Nope. But he’ll have more things to worry about when the article Pop helped to get written with the proof of who isn’t the father comes out. It includes how the doctor at the country club changed the results of paternity tests to keep scandals at bay. Lawrence agreed to answer about how my dad wanted to use the same doctor to prove Justin was the father of Paula’s baby, and that it led him to discover how many others did the same. Pop offered to let me stay with them. So if Justin still isn’t ready, that’s where I’ll be. Just call me if his mess gets out of hand and I’ll take care of him,” She told me.

“I didn’t think it was possible, but hopefully one day I can show you what having two brothers looking out for you could be like,” I told her.

“I make a great babysitter. I’ll wait with Gus while Daphne checks that we didn’t kill each other,” She told me.

Daphne came up and sat with me. “What do you think?” She asked.

“She did something my sister never would have done,” I told her.

Daphne and I heard giggling downstairs and got up to see Molly and Gus playing together. For the first time since I’d met Molly, her smile was warm and reminded me of Justin’s.

JUSTIN 

While just leaving and going and getting married sounded like what I’d do normally, real life doesn’t work that way. Brian didn’t want us just throwing together a hasty wedding. I joked that he just wanted a new wardrobe. Brian just wanted us to get married, without looking back later and wishing we’d done it differently. Emmett cut every corner he could to make it so we could go in two weeks. Only, now I needed to get new stuff, since my clothes weren’t exactly fitting like they did before. Brian, Mr Perfect Abs, acted like my little gut was somehow cute, and he spent hours every night showing me how much he loved the fact that I was getting fat.

With only a couple days left before we were getting married, Brian suggested Lindsay and I go shopping for anything we hadn’t already gotten. It felt like he wanted me out of the house, but he said Gus didn’t have the clothes he needed for Greece. Which pretty much meant I could spoil Gus some more, so I was all in. He told me that wasn’t the reason he suggested it but that he wanted all of us to get along since we’d be raising Gus together. I agreed. Only because I wanted to get out of the funk I’d been in since dealing with my dad, and avoiding my sister and mom. Brian told me what he said to Molly and my mom, and what the whole conversation was about. Did it surprise me that my father was ripping off his parents and trying to get Molly to do it to Pop and Nana? Not really. My father knew I made it so he couldn’t get his hands on the money Molly made. He was all about himself, not caring what happens to Molly any more than me. I honestly didn’t care what Molly did with the money she earned, but I also didn’t want my father to have a way to control Molly. Even with having the bigger fashion houses close their doors, he would eventually find a way to use Molly the way he wanted to use me. That scared me more. That with everything I did for Molly, she was left thinking Dad wouldn’t use her the way he wanted to use me. I wanted my sister back, but I couldn’t pretend she wasn’t involved in the shit my Dad did. So I acted like I didn’t care about it, but deep down I did. She was my baby sister. It made me apologize to Brian about saying shit to his mother and sister, which he told me didn’t bother him. And it really didn’t bother him, and I annoyed the hell of him by asking why, over and over, just because of my problem with letting go of my family. I really think it’s why he told me to take Lindsay shopping; to shut me up.

Lindsay was excited that Brian told her they were coming with us to get married. Michael wanted to buy the stuff Jenny needed, telling Mel and Lindsay just to worry about Gus. Everyone was excited to go with us. I'd been acting like it didn’t bother me that only my grandparents would be there. My father not being there didn’t bother me, but even with Molly being a colossal bitch, I always thought we’d be together in our big moments. My mom was a bigger question; even not liking some of tells things she did, I loved her. She was trying, but for some reason I just didn’t try with her.

“Justin?” Lindsay asked, holding up a baby outfit.

“I doubt that would fit Gus,” I joked.

“Are you okay?” She asked. 

“Is it weird that even though my sister isn’t exactly the greatest person, I want her to be a part of everything?” I asked.

“I feel the same way about my sister. She tries to act like she doesn’t have a problem with Mel, but I know she does. I still invite her to things, but there’s a part of me that hopes she doesn’t show up, which makes Mel wonder why I keep inviting her. It’s just, I remember when at one time when it was Lynette and I against the crap my parents expected of us. She eventually stopped fighting and gave in. I guess I still try because I remember the person she was before my parents beat her down.,” Lindsay said, shrugging.

“What about your parents?” I asked.

“My Dad isn’t as bad as my mother, but they were both raised the same, and expectation rules their lives. I think for me it’s more that I always felt like they look at my relationship as if it’s just something I’m doing until they can find the cure to make me like Lynette. It didn’t help that I dabbled in men, but prefer women, and when I had an affair with a man, they saw it as me admitting I wasn’t really gay. To this day they don’t even mention that Mel and I are raising Gus; just that Brian and I are the parents. Lynette at least acknowledges Mel is one of Gus’s mothers,” Lindsay told me.

“In my family they tried to act like my being gay wasn’t an issue, just looking for a way to profit off it. Maybe I protected Molly too much from it all,” I said, knowing it sounded like an excuse.

“Protecting her should have made her want to protect you too. Please don’t be mad at Michael; he told us what he and Ben heard about your family situation. I guess Deb and your mom have been talking a lot. It’s just, even when Lynette acts like my parents, she still tries to mediate between us, she isn’t just jumping at what they want. She’s never purposely tried to hurt either Mel or me,” Lindsay told me.

“That’s something that’s thrown me. My mom’s not a snob, but tends to shy away from people who don’t fit into the world she came from, and well, Deb’s different. She’s out, loud, and proud of what she believes in. Brian keeps telling me not to let Deb think she can do or say anything and expect me to do it. But I like that she isn’t doing anything with the idea of hurting anybody, just helping them,” I told her, not wanting to talk about my sister and how many ways she tried to derail Brian being in my life.

“She gave us all a home when our families didn’t. It’s why we all do what we can for her. After Mel had Jenny, she stood by Mel more than the rest of us. But only because we were all acting like Jenny was some prize, not a baby who needed the parents to get along. I’m not saying everything Deb does is the right thing, but like you said, her intentions are at least to help,” She told me, before looking confused. “I just realized you changed the subject,” She said, smiling.

“Which is why I still want my sister and mom to be there when I get married,” I told her.

“I wanted my sister and parents to be a part of my commitment ceremony with Mel. For once I wanted them to be happy for me, so I get why you do,” She told me.

“I’ll have my grandparents there, and there isn’t any reason not to invite my mom,” I told her, deciding it would be enough.

Lindsay and I finished shopping and I drove to the house. Brian and Gus were watching TV together. Daphne had been hanging out with Lawrence since they met, but Brian mentioned she stopped by. I went upstairs to my studio, planning to dump more shit on the already messy floor. Only to see someone had cleaned it up. I know I might have screamed in horror that I could see the counters and the floor, but well, elves really don’t exist. Which means someone was cleaning up in here. I glared at the Anal Avenger when he walked in, but he shook his head, not taking the blame for this atrocity.

“I wanted it clean, but I really didn’t know what to do with your mess,” Brian told me.

“So what? You let some minion come in here and deal with it, or did you find elves?” I asked.

“Elves?” Brian looked at me like I’d lost my mind. “I don’t think Daphne and your sister would like being called Elves. Well, unless Orlando Bloom played their master while they cleaned away,” Brian joked, pretending it wasn’t a big deal that Molly was here.

For a second I sort of got lost in a fantasy of what Brian and I could do with Orlando Bloom’s blond sexy elf ears. But let it go for the important, well, sort of important part. Okay, the part that had my sister and Brian in the same house. Which might have topped the fantasy, but really didn’t since all I could think about was showing Brian that he and I could do a little elf play. Mind out of the gutter was a must, so I could get to my sister and her being here in my house without Brian killing her.

“Why was Molly here?” I asked, not wanting to believe my sister actually did something for me.

“She tried to find a way to undo the mess she helped to create with your father and Paula. Only once a story like that takes off, no one wants to admit they might have been duped into printing the wrong story, without any proof Paula is lying, and your Dad’s family backing it up. She couldn’t get anyone to listen to her when what she was saying contradicted what she’d already said. She went to Daphne and Lawrence to see if she could help and Daphne dragged her here to talk to me. Apparently your sister couldn’t take the mess you made and started cleaning it up,” Brian told me.

“She’s a neat freak like you,” I mumbled.

“She also thinks like you and decided how to go about proving the truth,” Brian told me.

“Something she could have done sooner,” I told him, playing the devil’s advocate.

“At least she’s trying to do it. Justin, she’s seeing what she did, give her a chance to show you,” Brian told me, pulling me down to sit on my clean sofa.

“You never liked her, but now you're willing to give her a chance?” I asked.

“For you, yes I would. My family never even tried, but even if they did, it wouldn’t matter to me. I found a family that gave me the things I needed and could let go of the idea of wanting the things they couldn’t be for me. It’s why I can walk away from them without feeling anything about it. You only had Molly and your grandparents. And while Molly did things I didn’t like, you still love her. Only now you know how to put limits on the relationship she walked all over, and she knows she can’t keep doing it if she expects to have not only you, but our children in her life. She and Gus got along while you were out, apparently kids are her weakness,” Brian told me.

“She always wanted a house full of kids. I just don’t know if I can forgive her for the way she reacted to you,” I told him.

“Jealousy isn’t easy on anyone. One thing I get is that your sister didn’t want to share you, something I don’t like the idea of either,” He told me.

“But if Orlando Bloom ever agreed to play elf for us, that should be the exception,” I joked.

“She also got Paula to take the test, and admit she really didn’t know who the father was,” Brian said, ignoring my attempts to change the subject.

“How?”

“Sounds like she dragged her in by the hair, but it's likely Paula sees her cash cow, Craig, isn’t going to deliver, and is getting out before everyone turns on him. Molly also got out of Paula that she isn’t even sure if your dad is the baby’s father. It’s going to come out that there are possibly a few kids who’s paternity results were changed to avoid the mess that comes with screwing around, which your dad helped Lawrence to find out by trying to suggest they use the same doctor for DNA testing. Which isn’t our problem. How do you feel about what Molly did?” He asked me.

“I want to find a way to have her in our lives, my mom too, if I can,” I tol him.

“Then I’ll do what I can for the guy who admitted he loved me before his little sister met me,” He told me, making me groan that he found out about it.

“She’s so dead for telling you,” I told him.

“I might not have agreed that I loved you then, but I can say I love you now,” Brian said, kissing me.