“This one?” Tommy asked pointing at another present under the tree, this one with superhero wrapping paper.

“That’s Uncle Mikey’s.”

“This one?” He pointed to another one, plain blue covering it.

“Gus.”

“Hmm…this one?” Now pointing to a red one, the same shape and size as the blue one.

“Oh, I don’t remember,” he said, smirking.

The lip came out in a pout. Brian was unable to keep the game up.

“I remember now, that’s Tommy’s.”

“Mine?” he asked, megawatt smile on his face. Brian loved that smile, it reminded him of Justin on the night Gus was born - well before the drugs really hit him. The memory gets a little hazy after that.

“You are Tommy, right?” The boy nodded his head rapidly. “Then I guess that one is yours.”

There was one present under the tree for everyone. He had fought hard against the idea of getting a tree. But it all had been for naught when he was forced to take Tommy and Gus to see Satan umm…Santa at the mall.

The boys loved seeing him so he couldn’t really complain, at least not that much. Tommy would only sit on Santa’s lap if Gus was with him. The man thought they were twins, even though Tommy was a bit smaller than Gus.

Tonight they were all going over Debbie’s for Christmas Eve dinner. Deb had given Tommy an awful looking sweater to wear for the night, but Brian nixed that idea. He wouldn’t have any child of his looking like they were attacked by an argyle sweater monster.

“This one?”

Tommy now pointed to a midnight blue present. It was small, only holding a picture frame with Tommy’s Christmas picture in it. It was for Justin, but he didn’t want to cause Tommy any pain at the moment. It had been about six months since anyone had seen the man. He wasn’t coming back. An ache hit him in the chest, one day he would have to tell Tommy that his father was probably dead. One way or another Maxwell was going to pay for his crimes.

“Hey buddy boy, why don’t we go get ready.”

“YAY!” the boy yelled before running over to his dresser.

Brian found out early on his children didn’t like the same nickname. So Gus was Sonny Boy and Tommy was Buddy Boy. The boys didn’t have too much sibling rivalry but when it did rear its ugly head, it was bad.

“Are you sure this dress looks good on her?” Erik asked as he held up a sleeping Marissa.

Ted looked at the sleeping week-old baby, she was in a tiny red Christmas dress.

“She looks fine, honey.”

After Erik brought her home Ted knew he was screwed. Erik had a serious attachment to the baby. There were rumors that he heard that they thought that Mr. Degas might be waking up from his coma soon. If that was true, once he was well enough he would take his baby back. Then Ted would be stuck with Erik, who would be broken-hearted.

“I don’t think I should take her. She’s still too small, there will be other children there - carrying germs.”

Instead of fighting Ted said, “If that’s what you think. You are the professional.”

After talking himself into it and out of it four more times, finally Erik decided to take Marissa to the party.

As they were leaving, Ted’s phone went off. It was the private investigator saying he hadn’t found anything.

“I’m going to go to the office for a minute,” he told Erik as he buckled Marissa in her carrier.

“I thought we were going together,” Erik said a little bitterly.

“I will be, I promise. There is just something I need to check on before I get to Deb’s. I’ll meet you there.”

“Promise?”

“I do.”

As much as Ted loved Erik, he just felt the man wasn’t being completely truthful. So he had to tell a little white lie himself. It felt wrong that Mr. Degas was in that long-term care facility all by himself on Christmas Eve. There was a kinship between them, coma Sufferers-R-US. He didn’t even know that his daughter was taken from him C-Section a week ago. As soon as they stitched him up they sent him away. It just felt so wrong to Ted. He just wanted to tell Mr. Degas how well his daughter was doing.

For a while the voices sounded closer and closer, now they sounded right there. Earlier he moved his hand, he knew he did. Now all he had to do was open his eyes.

“She’s doing really great,” the voice said.

Justin didn’t know who the man was but he had come in a while ago. At least he thought it was a while ago, everything was still pretty fuzzy.

“Erik put a little, red Christmas dress on her.”

Erik? Why was this guy talking about Erik? He was long gone, ran away when Maxwell found out that he was coming to the house when he wasn’t there. He still didn’t know Erik and Justin had sex. That was just something they knew. It wasn’t like Justin was in love with Erik but it was nice to be treated nicely. Erik only came over after Tommy was asleep.

Justin wasn’t supposed to know that Erik was Maxwell’s piece on the side. It wasn’t like Erik wanted to be, he was young and stupid when he got involved with Maxwell. They had both been trapped. But Erik was finally able to get away from Maxwell for good, he had gotten a job. He was finally able to put his nursing degree to good use.

“I hope you like the name Marissa, I think it would kill Erik if you changed it.”

Who the hell was Marissa? And why would he change some woman’s name?

“Well, I’ve got to go to my friend Debbie’s house. I told you about her.” He did? “Debbie and her boyfriend Carl are going to be there, of course. Her son Michael and his boyfriend, Ben. They are also bringing their adopted son Hunter. Mel and Lindsay are going to be there with their children Gus and Jenny Rebecca.” Why did those names seem familiar? “Emmett is bringing his new guy; I don’t know the guy’s name yet. I guess it’s a surprise. Then of course Brian is coming and bringing his son Tommy.”

Through the fog and haze the picture got clearer in his head. Tommy, his Tommy. This man knew his Tommy, it had to be. Michael and his mother, Debbie, the waitress at Liberty Diner. Michael, the one he told he was pregnant.

Justin tried with all his might to open his eyes. But unfortunately that feat was too great and he sank back into oblivion

Ted headed to Debbie’s, he had everyone’s presents in his trunk. Being agnostic himself he just celebrated being with his family of friends. His father died years ago and his mother hadn’t looked at him the same since his overdose. It only got worse after he told her about his meth addition. Her heart had been broken and she had been disappointed in him. He didn’t like that feeling.

Tomorrow they were spending Christmas day with her. When he told her about Marissa, she squealed. It was going to be bad when Mr. Degas woke up, he just knew it.

Once he parked he pulled the bags with the presents out of his trunk.

The house was extremely loud when he entered. Gus and Tommy ran over to him when they saw the present bags.

“You gots something for us in there?” Gus asked.

“You two go on now,” Debbie chided, appearing out of the kitchen. “Presents after dinner.”

“I was just askin,” Gus mumbled.

“I left your presents in the car,” he teased. Walking over to the big, loud-looking tree. He sat the bag down against the wall beside it.

“Hey, stranger, glad you finally made it,” Erik said, his tone a bit biting.

“Sorry, just something I needed to do.”

“Sure,” he said, tone easing.

“Where’s the baby?”

“Both babies are sleeping upstairs. J.R. in her crib and Marissa in a cradle. Don’t worry, I have the baby monitor.

“There’s a cradle here?”

“Yes, Philip made it for Michael when he was born.”

“Who’s Philip?” Michael asked, eyes narrowing at his mother. The whole house seemed to quieten and wait in baited breath to find out about this Philip. Ted knew he had never heard the name before.

“Well, now Vic’s gone I don’t see why it has to be such a secret anymore. Philip was the love of your Uncle Vic’s life. When I found out I was pregnant the only two I told was Philip and Vic. I went to stay with them while I was pregnant. I waited tables at this dive bar. Not making anything. I was so worried where I would put Michael when he was born. Philip being the darling he was, built Michael’s cradle. It was beautiful, you can go see it after the babies wake. I just pulled it out of storage, I didn’t when Gus was born, I thought it would be too hard on Vic.

“What happened to them?” Emmett asked, tears streaming down his face. Em was always a sucker for a love story.

“Oh, it was very Romeo and Juliet or in this case Romeo and Romeo.”

“Romeo and Tybalt,” Ted corrected.

Debbie looked at him, raising an eyebrow.

“Well, it wouldn’t be Romeo and Romeo, they would still be Montagues, right? Or rather the same person just cloned. You would need someone from the Capulet family. The closest to fit would be Juliet’s cousin Tybalt. He’s not a Capulet but he is Lady Capulet’s nephew.  So it would be Romeo and Tybalt…”

He let the subject die when everyone starting looking at him like he had two heads. But he was right.

“Can I fucking finish my story?” Debbie asked. Ted nodded.

Well, like I was saying Vic and Phillip were meant for each other. Vic was nineteen but Philip was my age, seventeen. They ran away together and I followed when I got pregnant. After Michael was born Philip told me he was a carrier and pregnant. At the time it was much scarier than now. He had to go all the way to Albany from New York City to see the specialist. Hell those doctors were bombed more than abortion clinics.

“Anyway, when he was six months along he came to get me at that dive I was working at. Vic was at work and Mikey was with this woman who watched him for me. Philip had a large trench coat on so you couldn’t see the baby bump.

“This creep wouldn’t leave me alone. Philip confronted him, then they started yelling at each other. All the sudden the guy picks up a bar stool and hits Philip in the head with it.

“Once we got to the hospital I didn’t see Philip again. I thought he was going to be okay. I called the restaurant Vic was a dishwasher at and he came right away. I went back and got Michael. We stayed there for the better part of three days trying to see Philip. That was when they told us Philip was brain dead. His parents were pulling the plug. Vic begged them not to, the baby was too small. We were escorted out and banned. We never heard from them again. Vic tried to find out where they were buried but never could. Every year on that day we would drink a drink to Philip and the baby. It was the only way Vic could handle it. He never could talk about Philip or the baby.”

By the end of the story Debbie was quietly crying but Emmett was not as quiet, he was openly squalling. Everyone else seemed to be just as sad to hear this about a man they all loved. He was surprised though to see that Erik was crying: great, big ugly tears.

“Honey,” he said, walking over to him. Erik was about five inches taller than him but he was able to get him lay against him.

“I never knew,” he sobbed into Ted’s shoulder, it was a bit awkward position to maneuver.

“Never knew what?” He was lost. They had just been listening to Debbie’s story.

“They told me my father was raped. That was why he had tried to kill himself when he was pregnant. But it wasn’t true,” he mumbled.

“What are you talking about?”

“My grandparents’ names are Sterling and Maureen Winters.”

Debbie gasped. “How?”

“I’m sorry I really am. I didn’t know about any of you until a few months before I met Ted. I was in an unhealthy relationship. But because it was a man my grandparents kicked me out. That had been almost five years ago. Then almost a year ago, I begged for them to take me back. I had no were else to go, he had stopped paying for my apartment. One day I was looking for a hiding spot for something I didn’t want them to find. I found a hiding space but something was there already. Letters. Tons of them. I read through them all. My father was planning to run away with his childhood love. It said their parents were trying to keep them apart. They always told me he was straight and couldn’t that the memory of having a man touch him like that. But the last letter his boyfriend sent him said to meet him at the bus station at nine at night on the fourteenth of August.”

“That was the night they ran away. Last bus of the night. I kissed them each on the cheek and wished them well.”

New tears sprung from her eyes. She seemed to be looking for something in Erik’s face.

“What the hell is going on?” Michael screeched.

“Hush, Michael,” Ben said quietly, pulling his boyfriend away slightly.

“You’re Vic’s son?” Debbie asked, choking up.

Erik nodded. “I believe so.”

“Hold the fuck up. We just found out about this Philip and now we’re to believe Erik is Vic’s son. I don’t think so. We’re also supposed to believe him being in the family now is some coincidences,’ Brian snapped.

It took a minute but Ted catch on to what Brian was insinuating. Not wanting to believe it, but that little nagging feeling came back full force.

“Erik?” he asked, a tremor in his voice.

“Please, you have to let me explain.”

That was all Ted needed to hear, with his heart breaking into millions pieces, he ran out the door. He ignored the pleas for him to stay. Luckily, he hadn’t locked his car up. He started the car and gunned the gas.

“I think you should leave,” Michael snapped.

“Wait…no,” Debbie cried.

“Ma, he used Ted. He’s probably lying.”

“I’m not lying and I love Ted. When I found out about my fathers, I looked Vic up. But I was too late, I found an obituary for services the next day. It was easy to mix in with everyone, he had so many friends. But then I saw all of you. You all were so lost in your grief, no one noticed me. It was clear you all were his family. I saw Ted, and I was instantly attracted to him.”

“Have to call you on that. No one’s been instantly attracted to Ted,” Brian said, snidely.

“I’m so fucking sick of you putting him down. Ted is a better man on his worst day than you are on your best. He might not look like you but that god for that. The world can only hold one selfish, mean-spirited, horrible person like the Great Brian Fucking Kinney.”

“What’s your problem?” Michael asked, his hands on his hips.

“My problem is that without this son-of-a-bitch in the world. Justin, my best friend wouldn’t be laying in a coma.” Erik was breathing hard after his declaration.

“Justin?” Brian and Michael asked at the same time.

“I’m going to get Marissa, then I’ll be out of everyone’s hair.”

 Brian stepped in front of Erik halting his escape. His anger and confusion was warring with each other.

“What about Justin? Are you saying you know where Tommy’s father is? Have known?”

“Of course I know. Until four days ago he was at Alleghany General. Now he’s in a long-term care facility. He’s been in a coma for five months.”

“Mr. Degas,” Emmett whispered loudly. Hand flying over his month.

“Who the fuck is Mr. Degas?” Brian shouted.

“Marissa’s father,” Emmett answered.

“No, you kept him a secret just to keep the baby,” Debbie said, shaking her head, like she could believe he could do something like that.

“No, I kept quiet to keep him alive. If Max finds him before he wakes up he’ll mysteriously die. I’ve done everything to keep him safe. I switched the rooms so anyone looking for the John Doe found Blake instead. Then, I was able to change it so only hospital staff knew he was a John Doe by giving him a name.”

“What about Marissa?” Mel asked.

“She’s my daughter, I had to get her. I couldn’t let stranger take her, or the chance Max got her.”

“How do you know she’s your daughter?”

“Everything’s videotaped there. But not in the basement. Justin would sneak down there and I would sneak in through the small window near the ceiling. I don’t know for sure I’m her father but I know I have more an of a chance than Max does.

“Ted?” Emmett asked coolly.

“I wasn’t lying, I love Ted. There may be a part of me that thought it was a way to know about my dads. But that wasn’t really it, I really was very attracted to him.”

“Guys?” Lindsay said being their attention to her.

“What?” Several people shouted.

“Where are the boys?”