Justin walked in to see Brian and Gus with their heads together. The look on Brian’s face was one Justin knew his face showed every time he looked at Gus. For a moment he was jealous because Gus had already found a place for Brian in his life. Something Gus never shied away from the way Justin did. It was also something Justin was proud of; he didn’t raise his son to be as closed off as he was before Gus came into his life.

“How did it go?” Daphne asked, pulling him to the kitchen.

“I'd likely lose if she ever showed up, but if Brian has custody she'd have to fight to take Gus. It's biology, it likely wouldn't matter that I'm the only parent Gus knows.” Justin told her. 

“What are you going to do?” She asked. 

“Take a leap of faith. Something I need to talk to Brian about after we go do what we need to do so Lynn can't just show up and take Gus, not giving a shit if it hurts him. Something she did when she left him on his first birthday.” Justin told her. 

“Do you want me to come with you?” She asked. 

“Yes. But I need to work this out with Brian, and I hope he's really the man Ted told me about. I need to call and see if we can get an appointment to do what we have to do.” He told her, picking up the phone.

Brian kept Gus’s attention on him, willing to wait until Justin was ready to tell him what Mel told him. Gus was explaining to Brian what he and Justin do when they're home and not traveling around.

“Wee’s goes to the park a lot cause my friends miss me. I gets to tell them about all the places Dada takes me. I tries not to make them jealous since they don't gets to do what I do. Dada lets me bring them things so they knows I missed them too. But now I can brings you to play with them, like we did at the park here.” Gus said, excited.

“We can still get them something too.” He told Gus.

“Okay, but Dada says nothing that they couldn't get me.” Gus nodded, leaping off the couch when he saw Justin coming out of the kitchen.

Justin held Gus, letting himself soak in the love he never doubted. It gave him the strength to go forward into the unknown with Brian for Gus.

“Gus we need to go see a doctor today,” Justin told him. 

“Why?” Gus asked since he only went when they were home.

Justin smiled down into Gus’s eyes, knowing he needed Gus to understand as much as he could about who Brian could be to him.

“Remember when I told you I was your Dada out of love?” He asked. 

“Cause Lynn gave me to you, cause you loved me.” Gus nodded, repeating the story Justin told him.

“Yep, buddy. Like I told you, it wasn’t me who put you in Lynn’s stomach. We think maybe your Brian did.” He told Gus.

“But you’re my Dada.” Gus pointed out.

“I know, but Brian would like the chance to be your father too. Only we need to prove he is just in case anything happens.” Justin told him. 

“Okay,” Gus said as if he really didn't understand the need when he had already claimed Brian as his.

“Can you play with Aunt Daph until we need to go, while I talk to Brian?” Justin asked, letting Gus go when he nodded.

Brian was surprised that Gus knew what Justin told him. He actually thought Justin kept it from Gus, but then remembered what Justin told him, that he would lie for Gus, but not to him.

“You told him the truth?” Brian asked.

“As much as he could understand. It made it easier for him when he asked why we didn’t look alike the way some of his friends did with their parents.” Justin told him.

“We don’t have to rush to prove I’m Gus’s father, even though I want to know,” Brian told him.

“I need to know if you aren’t that you won’t just walk away from Gus,” Justin told him.

“I’m not just here because of Gus,” Brian answered.

“If we’d known each other longer then it would be easier for me to understand why you think we could work towards a relationship. Ted told me relationships weren’t really what you did.” Justin told him.

“I never have. I also never would have called again or gotten to know you. I trick, not go to the park and play with the tricks kid, or want to spend time with them any way they’ll allow. Gus had nothing to do with why interrupted your lunch with Jen. I didn’t have any idea that he could be mine. I won’t lie to you and say I fell in love with you. I’ll just tell you that one night wasn’t enough. But I will tell you that I have a feeling that with you nothing will ever be enough. This is a new experience for me. To assure you though, even if he isn’t mine, it won’t change that I want to see where this could go between us.” Brian told him.

“We both know he is since Lynn is Lindsay and I got to watch as he came out of her.” Justin shuddered, still never being able to unsee that event.

“What did Mel tell you?” Brian asked.

“Once we have the proof, which will be in three days, then I need to sign over custody to you. Because if Lindsay shows up, she could get custody, because, in reality, I’m no one to Gus.” Justin said, trying to not react to how saying that felt to him. Failing when the tears started to fall.

Brian pulled Justin’s head to his chest, hating to see how this hurt him. “You’re everything to him, something that should matter because you’re his father in a way no biological parent could be. He is your son because you loved him, not caring how he became yours. I spent nights drinking away thoughts of what could have become of the baby I couldn’t protect, and you took those nightmares from me. To me, that puts you in a place that not many people get to be in my life; someone who I will do everything I can so I’m never the reason your life is anything but what you want.” Brian told him.

“She said you could let me adopt Gus,” Justin told Brian.

“Then that’s what we do, for OUR son,” Brian told him, not caring what the test would prove.

“How would that work? I might be getting ahead of things, but you live here, we don’t. You can’t just stay with us, you have your work here. And being here makes me worry that eventually if someone is telling Lindsay, they’ll just end up causing us to face the problems sooner.” Justin told him.

“I have Ted looking into setting up a satellite office in Chicago, and possibly if it works, an office. I want to be there to see what I missed with Gus. It also gives us time to do what it will take to ensure Lindsay has to work to get answers.” Brian tells him, thinking about where, if Mikey found out anything, he was getting the information. “The more I think about it, I think Mikey would have had a hard time getting any information. I keep the file in my briefcase, which was always with me, normally locked in my car, which no one has the key for. I left it on my desk the night of the dinner because I was working when Jen called and invited me. Until then, Mikey wouldn’t have had any access to the file of information I collected.” 

“Why didn’t you include him?” Justin asked.

“I didn’t want to hear his opinion, either of Lindsay or my inability to be a father. He went from zero interest in Lindsay to what could be called a betrayed spouse, trying to get rid of anything that didn’t fit into what Mikey dreamed we could be to each other. Something I tried to discourage him from continuing to believe, but likely confused him by always protecting him for his mother.” Brian told Justin.

“He just assumed you wanted him?” Justin asked.

“I never had a relationship, and when Mikey told the guys to leave me alone, it was what I wanted. As I said, he confused why I did things. It’s like the signing, he arranged it, not bothering to confirm there would be one. He thinks I’ll come through for him like I usually did.” Brian told him.

“Did, not will?” Justin asked.

“I can’t put him first, Gus has that position, and as we get to know each other Mikey’s stock is falling fast,” Brian answered, kissing him.

“We have to be at the clinic I called soon,” Justin told him.

“After that, we are going to see Mel and get the paperwork started, and anything else we need to do,” Brian stated.

“You don’t sound happy about using her. We can go to someone else.” Justin commented.

“In this situation, I want the best, and that’s what she is. She’ll just have to swallow her hatred of me and do her job. Which will be to finally listen with her ears about exactly what Lindsay did to destroy their relationship.” Brian told him.

“Plus, Attorney-client privilege will bind her hands if she’s the one who contacted Lindsay. She seemed a lot different than I expected.” Justin told him.

“In her job, she isn’t as willing to blindly believe what she wants. With Lindsay, Mel let her emotions cloud anything that pointed to Lindsay doing something that she couldn’t blame me for.” Brian told him.

“This is why I avoided people for years,” Justin told him.

Gus wasn’t thrilled, thinking tests weren’t fun, but the tech made it into a game and Gus willingly let her swab him, and then laughed when Brian pretended he didn’t want to, but opened wide, closing his eyes like he expected it to hurt. 

“You were right Gus, it didn’t hurt.” Brian teased when it was done.

“I tolded you,” Gus said like he didn’t get Brian’s doubt.

“Where would you like us to send the information?” The tech asked.

Justin had Brian give her Kinnetik's address, with Brian adding he wanted it certified and only deliverable to him. Brian and Justin agreed to let Jen come with them to Mel’s office. They explained to Jen everything concerning Gus and how they figured out Brian was likely Gus’s real father. Jen agreed to hold her questions until after they were finished seeing Mel. Jen asked why Brian would want to use Mel when it sounded like her feelings for Brian tended towards jealousy over a wife who treated her badly. Brian’s answer was that ‘she’s the best at this, and it’s what we need to insure everything would hold up against anyone Lindsay could hire.’

 Justin called Mel to tell her he wanted to hire her to help with what he told her. Mel was able to fit them in, and Justin got to see exactly how she felt about Brian but watched as her expression changed to sadness when she looked at Gus.

“She left him like another casualty in her wake,” Mel told them.

“We all were, but this one is one where nothing she could say or do would ever get me to see her as anything but the selfish person she was,” Brian told her.

“Something you and Lindsay shared in common,” Mel said, still bitter.

“Your opinion of Brian isn’t anything my grandson needs to hear. You just need to understand your job is to help the clients who just pay the fees. I think Gus and I will go get a treat while you talk to the attorney who you said was the best at her job.” Jen said in a calm but stern voice, smiling as she took Gus with her.

“Which means she’ll also listen to what really happened, or she can tell her partners why we decided not to work with her and pay the fees they love making. Before you think Ted tricked you into helping me, understand that we both needed to make sure you weren’t the one helping her run from the shit she did.” Brian commented to Mel.

“Why do you think she stole from Lynnette? It was because I cut her off in every way. I still ignore her calls here, since she can’t get through to my new number. I would honestly like to tell you to go somewhere else, but I can do my job regardless of how I feel about you.” Mel told him.

“Brian and I are asking you to do your job so Gus is protected from the woman who abandoned him with me, a relative stranger to her. She barely bothered to find out anything about me, just left Gus with me as if what she wanted to do was more important. I understand what it’s like to get involved with someone who is only with you for reasons only they get, not because they love you. Brian is willing to put aside how he feels about you, because like he said, you were the person he knew could do the job.” Justin told her.

“To clear the air... Lindsay didn’t get pregnant the way she told you. She hired someone who helped her get what she needed. Which the guy admitted to when he thought it would get him another night with me. She left when she could no longer get anyone to help her.” Brian told her.

“Have you decided to sign over your custody to Brian?” Mel asked, not responding to what Brian told her.

“Yes. And we want to go ahead with the adoption process for Justin. Is there any way to seal the papers?” Brian asked.

“Why, if you two intend to share custody?” Mel asked.

“Because Lindsay had no idea Justin wasn’t some starving student when she left Gus with him,” Brian told her.

“Is there a reason she wouldn’t know?” Mel asked.

“We were neighbors who never spoke to each other. Nothing about where we lived said anything but that to her. She didn’t bother to get to know anyone in the building. The few people who interacted with her before she had Gus said she was nice to them but could tell she looked down on them. After Gus was born, that’s exactly how I would describe my relationship with her. I’d dealt with someone before who formed a relationship with me only for what he could get out of me.” Justin told her.

“This process is going to take months after Brian gains custody. I will tell you this though, Brian was always good about doing anything he agreed to do.” Mel told Justin, willing to concede the truth she refused to say out loud before.

“A new experience. I can actually thank you.” Brian told her.

“Where will you be? I have to be in contact with both of you.” Mel told them.

“Here and there, just call my cell and I’ll answer you,” Brian told her, holding out his hand to Justin.

Mel watched them leave, wondering if she and Lindsay ever were like that at the beginning. She would never have thought Brian had it in him to love anyone.