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Chapter 26 - The Assembled Crew.

The younger members of the household were waiting in the living room for the adults to finally get their butts downstairs. They’d been waiting for well over a quarter of an hour. Finally, Brian had stomped off up the stairs to see what, exactly, was keeping Justin, so they could finally get going to Deb’s dinner. Another five minutes passed before the two men eventually made it down to the front room.

“Buck up there, Sunshine. It’s only dinner at Deb’s. The way you’re acting, you’d think it was dental surgery or something equally painful,” Brian was kidding him as they came into the room.

“I’d rather have the root canal, please,” Justin replied, not even breaking into a smile as he said it.

“Come on, Dad. How bad can it be?” the twin sitting nearest the door asked him, trying her best to be supportive.

“Have you met Debbie?” Justin argued, plopping down on the couch next to the other twin, looking utterly dejected and not at all prepared to leave despite the fact that they were now probably going to be late. “And it’s not just Deb. They will ALL be there and they will ALL be asking me why I left . . . Can’t we just go back to California and hide for another decade?” he asked the girl beside him.

“Well, you can go back to California, but I don’t think Pops would like it much if you took me with you,” the girl he’d been addressing responded, pulling off the beanie hat she’d been wearing to reveal that it was actually Quinne that Justin had been talking to.

“Sweet! We totally got him!” Qianna crowed from her own seat across the way, pulling off her hat too. “I wonder how many people we’ll get at the dinner?”

“Don’t tease the old people, Sis. It just makes them all crotchety,” Gus warned, getting up from his chair and starting for the door. “Okay, anyone riding with me, get your asses in gear.”

Both girls stood up and started to follow their brother towards the door leading off to the garage.

“Wait. I thought we were all going together,” Justin questioned, looking a little panicky at the thought of the kids leaving him behind.

“Sorry, Dad, but if the choice is riding with Gus, who’ll let us listen to real music, or being subjected to Pops’ ‘Greatest Hits of the 70s’ playlist, we’ll take Gus,” Qianna asserted with a smirk that was so Kinney-esque it was hard to believe there wasn’t any biological relationship there.

“Looks like I get you all to myself, Sunshine,” Brian stated, sounding pleased with the circumstances.

“Don’t think I don’t know what you’re doing,” Justin yelled after the retreating kids, getting only a chorus of giggles in return. “And it’s not going to work.”

When Brian and Justin finally did show up to Deb’s, arriving at least fifteen minutes behind Gus and his crew, who’d been ten minutes late to start with, they got the expected round of complaints and teasing.

“It’s about time you two got here,” Deb nagged. “Don’t tell me, ‘something came up’, right? That’s the standard line with you boys, isn't it? Well, it’s good to see that some things never change.”

Brian chuckled and shook his head but didn’t say anything to dissuade the crowd from what they were very obviously thinking. Justin grumpily backhanded Brian’s biceps, his face all screwed up in a disapproving scowl. He obediently let Deb hug him in greeting, though, and then moved further into the house where he was swarmed by welcomers.

“Hey, Boy Wonder. Long time no see,” Michael said, pushing his way to the front of the throng.

“How’s it going, Michael?”

“Not bad. Not bad. Comic book business is going as strong as ever - thanks in part to you California animation guys - so I can’t complain too much.”

“Good to hear. And Gus has been showing me some of the stuff you and he have been doing for your own graphic novel. It’s not bad. Glad to see that you’re still at it even after Rage died out,” Justin offered, smiling over Michael’s shoulder to where Gus was lounging in the living room area.

“Our old Rage stuff has become sort of a classic, you know,” Michael gushed. “I still get inquiries about it and the prices for copies being traded online has skyrocketed - I check it every so often, you know - so if you were ever inclined to do another volume or two . . .”

“Sorry, Michael, but I’m a little busy on other projects these days,” Justin turned him down as gently as he could.

“I figured. Just thought I’d throw the possibility out there.”

“Enough talk about comic books,” Emmett insisted, shouldering Michael aside so he could link his arm through Justin’s and lead the newcomer further inside. “I’m sure Baby doesn’t want to talk shop while he’s on vacation. Besides, I want to hear all about living in Cali and any movie stars you’ve met out there. QiQi has been telling me about these movie premieres you get to go to - so dish, Baby - who have you met? Anyone seriously fuck-worthy?”

“Em, I don’t think . . .” Justin began, seeming like he was going to shut down that topic of discussion before it got any further.

“Dad and I did get to meet Ryan Reynolds two years ago when he was doing the animation for this movie that Reynolds was the voice talent for,” Qianna interrupted. “He was super nice and even shook my hand. I was so blown away I forgot to ask for a selfie, though, and none of my friends in school would believe me later when I told them.”

“Ooooo! Ryan is sooooo dreamy,” Em whimpered at the very thought of meeting such a hottie.

“Yeah, and I love the whole bi-curious air you get from him. It’s a refreshing take from a Hollywood type,” Ted commented.

“Hey, Ted. Nice to see you. Where’s Blake?” Justin responded with a smile for the laconic older man. “Wait, you two are still together right? I didn’t just stick my foot in it, did I?”

“Good to see you too, Justin. And, yes, Blake and I are still together,” Ted hurried to reassure the man who’d been gone for so long. “He’s just on call tonight at the Counselling Center and had to take off to help with a crisis call. He said he’d pop in later if he could. He also said to tell you ‘welcome back’ and that if you needed a sympathetic ear to deal with the mess of all the rest of us, he’s available for coffee anytime.”

“Why would he need a sympathetic ear,” Lindsey spoke up from where she’d been waiting, with relative patience, to greet the new return. “It’s not like we’re going to pounce on him or anything. We’re family, after all.” The tall, elegant, blonde woman then turned to face Justin with a tight little smile. “Welcome home, Justin. We’re so glad to have you back.”

“Hey, Lindz,” Justin responded guardedly.

“Oh, enough with the polite shit. Get over here already and take your hugs like a man,” Mel urged, brushing past her wife to grapple Justin into a bear hug with such vigor that it caused the man to grunt. “We missed you, kiddo. Glad you’re back.”

“Thanks, Mel,” Justin replied when he’d finally got his breath back.

“Enough with the hellos already,” Debbie ordered. “Thanks to the Perpetually Tardy One,” she shot a glare in Brian’s direction, causing the big stud to wave unrepentantly at her, “my dinner’s already late, so everybody get their asses to the kitchen and start eating already before it’s ruined.”

The assembled crew immediately hopped into action, lining up at the kitchen table so that Deb could dish out lasagne to them. They then helped themselves to salad, garlic bread and a few other random side dishes before finding their way back to the living room to find seats. The extended Novotny Family had long since outgrown the modest little dining table and had to make do with whatever seat they could find, including several folding chairs that had been put out between the other furniture. The kids - including both twins, Gus, and Jenny Rebecca - rushed to the head of the line and were already chowing down long before the adults were served. Brian managed to guide Justin into line just behind their offspring and then established his charge in the place of honor on the center seat of the couch so that everyone could see and talk with Justin as they ate. The rest of the group - Emmett, Drew, Ted, Michael, Ben, Hunter, Carl, and, bringing up the rear when all the others were fed, Debbie - eventually filtered in and found perches with their plates. And then the real conversation began.

“Since everyone else is acting like a pussy, I guess I’ll ask the question,” Hunter spoke up, raising his voice enough to be heard over the smattering of casual conversation that had sprung up. “So, where the fuck have you been for the last ten years, Blondie, and why’d you just up and disappear without a word?”

Justin looked up at his interlocutor, offering a weak smile for the boy who’d grown into quite an attractive young man in the decade he’d been gone. In the years since Justin had left Pittsburgh, Hunter had really come into his own. He’d pulled his life together, finished high school with better than average grades despite all the hardships he’d suffered before he’d met Ben and Michael, got accepted to the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Social Work, finished his Masters Degree, and was now the Deputy Director of a local non-profit that provided advocacy services for LGBTQ youth statewide. He’d never lost his blunt, in-your-face, approach to life, though, so it was probably not a surprise that he was the only one willing to voice the question that everyone else had been too afraid to ask.

Justin sighed and set his plate down on the coffee table. For a second or two, it looked like he wasn’t going to answer. Brian even seemed about to intervene, but then Justin reached out, patted his Ex on the arm to signal that Brian should relax, and started to talk.

“It’s complicated, Hunter,” Justin began and added another sigh. “I suppose you wouldn’t just accept me saying that I was upset after we thought our surrogate had backed out on us and that, on top of the other personal issues I was dealing with at the time, led me to think I needed to get some distance.”

Hunter shook his head with a scrunched up face, dismissing this simplistic explanation. “Sorry, Blondie. Not good enough. Try again.”

Justin grimaced and looked like he was about to offer a more fulsome explanation when Brian slammed his own plate down next to his Ex’s and glared menacingly around at the room. “Why don’t all of you just back the fuck off already,” Brian growled protectively. “Whatever caused Justin and I to break up, it’s nobody’s business but our own. Why do you all act like Justin owes each of you some personal apology? If anything, all of you owe HIM an apology. The phone lines do go two ways, you know, and it’s not like all of you didn’t know where he was.”

“Some of us did try to contact him, Brian,” Emmett spoke up. “I left a bunch of messages for you, Baby.”

“I know you did, Em. I’m sorry I didn’t call you back, but I just . . . I was in a really bad place when I first left and I didn’t have the strength to explain. And then, after enough time had passed, it seemed . . . too awkward . . . to call again out of the blue. So, I just . . .” His words tapered off leaving everyone hanging.

Before the silence had a chance to settle, though, another voice ripped through it. “I not only tried to call,” Lindsey insisted, “I also emailed. And when those came back saying that you’d closed your account, I even attempted to reach you through your agent. That’s when Elliott told me you’d fired him, completely out of the blue, and cancelled the outstanding commissions that he’d already taken payment for. I can assure you, Justin, he wasn’t the least bit amused. It’s a good thing you found work in the animation field, because I don’t think any agent on the East Coast would touch you after that.”

“Our publisher wasn’t exactly thrilled when I had to tell him you weren’t going to do Rage anymore, either,” Michael added. “He was so pissed at me that he refused to take on the comic Gus & I started. I ended up having to go through a different publisher, and they’re not really as good . . .”

Amid this repetition of all Justin’s failures, the man in question seemed to be slowly crumpling in on himself. Qianna and Quinne shared a worried look, but neither knew what they could do to help. It didn’t seem right to let all these supposed ‘friends’ harp on the man like that, but if they spoke up, they’d be revealing confidences that weren’t theirs to share. Hell, they weren’t even supposed to know the real reason behind why Justin had left.

“Shit! Enough already!” Brian exploded, standing up and moving in front of the spot where Justin was sitting as if to provide a physical shield for the target of the family’s attacks. “Do you hear yourselves? Why the fuck would he WANT to talk to you if all you’re gonna do is gripe? If you were really his friends, you’d accept whatever explanation he felt comfortable offering, welcome him back, and then just drop it. Instead you’re making it all about YOU. No wonder Sunshine didn’t want to come back to Pittsburgh. After seeing the way you guys are acting, I’m ready to leave too.” With that Brian tossed the paper napkin he’d been crumpling up in his fist while he spoke onto his plate and held out a hand to help Justin up. “You wanna get the fuck out of here, Sunshine?”

Justin accepted the offered assistance, getting to his feet without another word and allowing Brian to guide him out through the jumble of furniture and people towards the door. The rest of the people sitting in the living room were still stunned and silent - even Debbie, which was probably a minor miracle. Just before Brian reached for the door handle, he turned and looked back to where the kids were sitting.

“You coming with, girls?” He asked, prompting the twins to leap to their feet and trot after their fathers.

As soon as they were all back in Brian’s car, he gave them a tired smile and asked, “so, who’s up for pizza instead?”

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After a successful pizza feed, the two men and their two daughters loaded back into the car for the trek home to Britin. For the most part, the unpleasantness at the family dinner had been forgotten. Gus had texted Quinne to let her know that there’d been a big brouhaha after they’d stormed out, but the bottom line was that pretty much everyone admitted they’d been too hard on Justin and agreed to give him the time he needed to adjust to being back. That’s assuming he stayed, of course, but Gus hadn’t thought it necessary to mention that point. The boy promised to stay and spy for them until the group broke up for the night.

Meanwhile, for the four in the car, Justin had offered up his phone’s music list as a compromise between the parties and it was hooked into the car’s bluetooth system, belting out an eclectic mix of stuff that seemed to please everyone. But they hadn’t driven very far before the music was interrupted by an incoming phone call. Since the phone was already hooked to the car’s speaker system, the call came through on the speakers as well, meaning that everyone heard the woman’s voice echoing a cheery ‘hello’.

“Hey, Sweetie. Just got your messages. Sorry I didn’t call back sooner. I was away - Clint took me to Rehoboth Beach for a long weekend get-away - and I just now got home,” Jennifer explained. “So, your message said the wedding is off? I’m so sorry, Honey. What happened? Is there any way I can help?”

“Hey, Mom. Yeah, it looks like Alex is history. He ended up being a total jerk to Qianna, so I cut him loose,” Justin told his mother.

“I’m sorry to hear that, Honey,” Jennifer consoled her son. “But I can’t say I’m overly surprised. I didn’t want to say anything, because it’s your life and all, but I never really liked Alex all that much. He was rather rude to me the one time I met him - bad first impressions, you know. And I’m sure you’re better off seeing him for what he really is BEFORE you married him.”

“Yeah, that’s what I’m thinking too. Not that I’m happy to have to cancel the wedding at such short notice or anything. It’s basically a nightmare.” Justin sighed, mentally preparing himself to tell the rest of the tale. “There’s more to the story, though, Mom . . . Shit, I don’t even know where to start . . .  Um . . . Remember the mess that happened with the surrogate for Qianna?” There was a small sound of assent from Jennifer. “Well . . . you see . . . Lizette wasn’t completely honest with me about the baby and . . .”

“Fuck, Sunshine, spit it out already,” Brian intervened in order to speed things along. “Brian here, Mother Taylor. What happened was that Lizette actually had twins but she deceived Justin and I, splitting up the babies so that we’d each have to pay her and she’d get double the surrogacy fees. We didn’t know we were raising twins - separately - until the girls met up by accident this summer when they were away at camp. And, to make a long story short, the girls brought us together to try and figure out what we’re going to do about this mix up. Your son and Qianna are staying with me and Quinne - your other granddaughter - out at Britin until we resolve matters.” Then he turned to a fuming Justin with a semi-apologetic shrug. “What? I was being helpful. You were making it way too complicated, Sunshine. At the rate you were going you still wouldn’t have finished explaining by the time we got home. Now it’s out there.”

Justin shot another disapproving glare at his Ex before taking over the conversation again. “That IS basically the jist of things, Mom.”

“I have another granddaughter?” was all that Jennifer seemed able to focus on.

“Hi, Grandma Jenn. I’m Quinne. Nice to officially meet you,” the girl piped up from where she was listening in on the conversation from the back seat.

“Hey, Grandma!” Qianna chimed in. “Isn’t it great? I’m not an only child anymore. You’re just gonna love Quinne too. I can’t wait for you to get to know her!”

“Why don’t you come out to the house tomorrow, Mother Taylor. We can explain everything to you in more detail and you can meet Quinne in person,” Brian offered genially.

“Brian! Do you think I could maybe talk for myself for a change? I don’t need you to plan my social calendar for me,” Justin grumbled.  

“Just trying to be helpful, Sunshine” Brian replied with a saucy little smile, not at all apologetic. Then, without any regard at all for Justin’s criticism, he continued, “how about we say 11:00-ish, Jenn? The girls and I can throw together something for lunch while you and Justin are talking and then we’ll all have a nice visit?”

“I can do that,” Jenn responded promptly. “Wow! I can’t believe I have another granddaughter. Looking forward to seeing you, girls. Justin.”

Brian hit the button on the steering wheel to terminate the call and the music came blasting back on. Which was a good thing because it offered a distraction from the series of angry glares and the disgruntled grumbling coming from the blond sitting in the front passenger seat. Brian assiduously ignored the angry looks he was getting and pretended to concentrate on the road. The girls were too excited about visiting with Jennifer to give the grown ups any attention, even if they would have been inclined to humor an irritated Justin, which they weren’t. Of course, this annoyed Justin even more because he hated to be ignored, and the grumbling grew continuously louder until it was almost impossible to ignore.

“Hey, QiQi,” Quinne eventually interrupted her alternative-father’s mumblings by speaking up loudly enough that her words carried throughout the car. “Did I ever tell you about the evil torture Pops devised as a method of discipline for me and Gus when we were little?”

“No. Do tell,” Qianna played along.

“Well, see, when we were being annoying little shits, arguing about everything and throwing temper tantrums because we weren’t getting our way, Pops would sit us down and force us to watch reruns of that old kiddie show, ‘Barney’,” Quinne explained. “The number of episodes we’d have to watch was directly tied to how bad we’d been. But I can assure you, after being lectured by an annoyingly condescending purple dinosaur for an hour or so, and being subjected to repeated choruses of everybody singing ‘I love you, you love me, we’re a happy family . . .’, we definitely learned our lesson.”

Both Brian and Qianna were chuckling at the image of a young Quinne being tortured by Barney reruns.

“I’m pretty sure Pops still has those DVDs around somewhere,” Quinne continued, looking slyly up at the rear view mirror where she could see the reflection of Justin’s eyes watching her back, “in case you think your father might need to spend a couple of hours with Barney.”

Qianna guffawed loudly at the dis, adding, “well, it couldn’t hurt. Right, Dad?”

After that, Justin was silent for the rest of the ride back to Britin.

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