Justin was stunned to say the least. When he called Brian it was just to warn him about Michael being near Tommy. He really didn’t expect Brian and Tommy to come and get him. But that was what was happening. He could hear Brian arguing with his doctor. Hell, he barely knew the man and he seemed to be taking over everything in the few minutes he had been there. It didn’t bother Justin; Maxwell was controlling but it didn’t feel this way. Brian seemed to be doing this to help not hurt. They were out in the hallway, apparently so Brian could raise his voice and demand things.

Inside the room, Tommy was glued to his still tender side. The boy first told him how upset he was when Justin didn’t come to see him. How much it hurt that he didn’t come with him to his daddy’s house. He didn’t regret getting Tommy out of there, but he did regret not running with him. If he were a stronger person, he would have run far away as possible with Tommy. Maybe Alaska. Because now he didn’t even know where his baby was, and had no claim to Tommy anymore.

“We have a train,” Tommy said for the tenth time in just as many minutes. He gave Justin a run through of everything he got for Christmas. Justin wished he could have seen him open his presents on Christmas morning. His first Christmas where he was treated well.

“Did you get your daddy anything?” he asked softly, his voice still a little rough.

“Uh huh. I draw’d him a picture of me and him. He said it was his favorite.”

“It was, buddy,” a cool voice said from the doorway.

After five years the man still sent a delicious shiver down Justin’s spine. It had only been one night but it was one night that decided his future.

“Daddy, can we take Pa home now?” Tommy asked, sitting up a little more.

“Yes, sir. The doctor is filling out the discharge papers night right now.” The man seemed just a little too smug for Justin’s taste at that moment.

“What about Maxwell?” His husband had dumped his unconscious body in the Alleghany River. The man wanted him dead so much that he just dumped him like garbage.

“I have a friend in the police department. He’s going to make a report. Maxwell won’t get his hands on you again.”

The man walked back out of the room signaling the end to the conversation. Well, that was enlightening. Just when he thought he was done with controlling men. But like earlier, it didn’t bother him as much as when Maxwell did it. Mostly because Brian didn’t scare him like Maxwell did, that’s not saying that Brian didn’t scare him. He did, there was something very dangerous about the tall, brunet man.

Within two hours of finding Justin and getting him out of the hospital they were on their way home. Brian chose not to go to a hotel for the night. He wanted to be home, he felt safe there and wanted Justin and Tommy there.

The drive so far had been suspiciously quiet. At first he thought that was because Tommy had fallen asleep. That didn’t happen though because Tommy had insisted that Justin ride in the back with him. When they left the hospital Tommy talked quietly to Justin but soon it tapered off to silence. Every time Brian looked back into the backseat he saw the happy smile on Tommy’s face, clutching to Justin’s hand.

An hour outside Pittsburgh they were stuck in a late night traffic jam. Brian assumed there was a wreak further up. Cars were at a complete stop all around him.

“Fuck,” he cursed.

“What do you think is wrong?” Justin asked.

“Do I look like a traffic reporter?” he snapped. Taking a deep breath, he calmed himself. It wasn’t Justin’s fault he chose to drive straight home and not to a hotel. It wasn’t his fault that it seemed like it had been days since he last slept. So close to New Year’s Eve he should have expected a lot of people on the road.

“It’s absoltuty diebobal.”

Brian smiled at his son’s almost complete gibberish. It would be to anyone else, he on the other hand along with his family knew about Tommy’s favorite phrase.

“What did he just say?” Justin asked.

“It’s absolutely diabolical.”

“What? Where did he learn that?” Justin asked, a chuckle escaping him.

“As a joke I got my friend Emmett a word of the day calendar. I thought it would be funny, all he usually says is some variation of ‘fabulous’. Well, anyway he started using to the words to get back at me and be a pain in my ass. One time that word was diabolical. He latched on to that like it was going out of style. Mik-“he stopped mid-sentence. Not wanting to talk about his supposed best-friend until he could talk to him face to face. “Someone put ‘absolutely’ in front and that was that.

“That has to be the cutest thing I’ve ever heard,” Justin said.

Just as Brian was going to say something else the cars in front of him started moving. The car grew silent again. One thought kept assaulting him. Was Justin telling the truth about Michael? Did Justin really come to tell him about Tommy when he was pregnant? What would have happened if he had known? Tommy wouldn’t have been a stranger to him until seven months ago, that’s for sure.

“I’ll be out of your hair as soon as possible,” Justin said out of nowhere.

“You can’t take Tommy,” he snapped. Tommy whimpered in the backseat.

“Shh…I know that, I gave him up but that doesn’t mean I don’t love him. As soon as I figure out what to do about Maxwell I would like to have visitation, if you’ll allow it.”

“Don’t worry about that man. Since your kidnapping took place in Pittsburgh, that’s where you’ll report the crime.

Carl met them at the police station. Justin told them everything. About the abuse of him and Tommy. Then about Maxwell beating him and throwing him in the river. Since he was taken from Pittsburgh they held lead over the case. Funnily, enough it seemed dear ol’ Maxwell had lost three spouses to suspicious deaths. His first wife died when she was pregnant- suicide. Second wife- car accident. Third spouse was a husband- he fell down some stairs when he was six months pregnant. Brian started getting a sneaky suspicion that Maxwell didn’t want children. Justin had run away just in time though.

In the early morning hours, they finally pulled up to the loft. He had been considering expanding it, not it would look like he’d have to do it. He owned the building, the loft under his was vacant. Maybe he’d put Justin down there so Tommy would be happy.

“It’s time for all of us to get some sleep,” Brian said, yawning.

“Pa, sleep in my bed.”

Justin smiled down at Tommy. He had missed his son terribly after saving him from Maxwell. But there was still an emptiness inside of him.

“I need to talk to your daddy for a minute.” Tommy nodded and told him he would get the bed ready, whatever that meant from a four-year old.

“Where’s my daughter?”

Brian sighed. “She’s with Erik.”

“Erik? My Erik?”

“Well until a few days ago everyone thought of him as Ted’s Erik,” Brian snapped.

“I didn’t mean it that way. Just…never mind. When can I see her?”

“I guess when we find Erik, he ran off when we found out who he was.”

“Who is he?”

“Supposedly, Mikey’s cousin.”

“Wow, good for Erik,” Justin said with a small smile.

“Why?”

“The whole time I’ve known him he wanted a real family. Now he has Michael and his mother, that’s great.”

“Great,” Brian muttered to himself.

“I’ll get ahold of Erik tomorrow,” Justin said.

“Ted has been unsuccessful in finding him.”

“Oh, I’m sure, but I know where Erik will go if he’s upset.”

“Where?”

“His best friend’s place.”

“I didn’t know he had a best friend.”

“Doesn’t everyone?”

“Do you?”

“I used to before my father gave me to Maxwell. She was smart, funny and protective. I haven’t seen her in a long while. I miss her.”

“Maybe you could invite her over, I’m sure she’d like to meet Tommy and Marissa when we find her.”

“Marissa? That’s her name? It’s beautiful.”

“Is she really Erik’s?”

“She could be, but she could be Maxwell’s too.”

“Well after finding out what we did at the police station let’s hope not.”

The sound of keys in the door woke him up. For the past few days not only had he been missing Erik but he had also been feeling sick. He hoped it wasn’t catching because he would have to stay home. Work was all he really had now that Erik had run off.

“Ted?” a familiar voice called out. It was Erik.

The door to the bedroom opened and Erik stepped in, Marissa strapped to his chest.

“You’re back,” he said happily. He had been gone for four days. Justin had been back for one, he was supposed to be looking for the man later today.

“I had to come back, a friend at the facility told me Justin woke up. I can’t keep her from him, it isn’t right.”

“Where have you been?”

“My friend, Jules. He has been my friend for years. I just needed to get my head on straight. This is going to be my last night with her, isn’t it?”

“I’m sorry, but I think so. If you are her father Justin won’t keep her from you.”

“She’s not mine.” Tears were brimming Erik’s eyes.

“Why do you say that?”

“You know the birthmark that’s on her back, the strawberry one?”

“Yes.”

“Maxwell has the same one.”

“That doesn’t mean anything,” he lied.

“It’s okay, I’ve make peace with it. I’m just not meant to be a father, I guess.”

“You knew the day we brought her home?” It wasn’t really a question.

“Yeah.”

“But at Deb’s you said she might be yours. Why?”

“Denial. I just couldn’t bring it to myself to think of her as not mine. I had been waiting for her for months. Getting everything ready, then that damn birthmark. I wanted her to be mine so much. I’ve always wanted children. Why couldn’t this one thing go my way?” He seemed to fold into himself.  

Ted wrapped his arms around Erik’s waist from the back. “I love you.”

“I love you too, Ted. Never doubt that.” He leaned down and kissed the top of Marissa’s head, as she slept in the chest carrier.

Brian had just gotten a call from Ted. Erik was back and they were bringing Marissa over. This was what he had promised Justin would happen. Now he needed to put Justin and Marissa in the downstairs loft. There was no way he’d be able to get used to a crying baby again, once was enough with Gus.

He knew Tommy would want to have his own bed down there. When they woke up after getting home the day prior they started getting the loft downstairs ready for them. Justin had protested but stopped when he realized he really did need the protection of Brian’s building.

Already they had a bed, kitchen supplies and living room seating down there. Brian had it furnished for the last tenant. So really all that needed to be moved in was the kids’ stuff. While Brian had full custody of Tommy, he didn’t want to be a dick about it. He understood why Justin did what he did, he just didn’t have to like it.

Then there was the whole situation with Mikey. He wasn’t sure what he was going to do about it. He couldn’t really do anything until he talked to him. He had been his best friend for over fifteen years. If you couldn’t trust your best friend who could you trust?

Michael was going to meet him at Woody’s later. Only Ted, Cynthia and the receptionist at work knew he had Justin back. Brian needed to see Michael’s face when he told him about what Justin had said. He would be able to see the truth then. They were not only talking about Michael knowing about Tommy and not telling him then sending Justin away. But also about telling Maxwell where Justin was. Justin could have been killed, that had been Maxwell’s plan.

“I think I know why Max was trying to kill me, also why all of his previous spouses died while pregnant,” Justin said, bringing Brian out of his thoughts.

“Why?” Brian asked.

“Something my dad said before I married Max. He said that it didn’t even matter if I stayed married to him after we had a child together. He said that in Maxwell’s father’s Will that ‘all’ legitimate children by his two children would get a part of his company. Maxwell’s sister’s stake is split up between her and her three kids, which makes Max have the majority. I think he’s trying to keep it that way. If he doesn’t have any children, then he doesn’t have to share his company.”

“That doesn’t make sense. Why not just have illegitimate children?”

“I don’t think he really likes children. Sure he had toys and stuff for his sister’s kids but I don’t remember him ever even talking to them unless it was to make Tommy cry.”

“I fucking hate that guy. Why get married in the first place?”

“I think that’s just good business. People want to trust a family man. Less likely to steal all your money and disappear into some other country.”

“Please, most married men are just waiting for their chance to escape.”

That saddened Justin to hear, but proved that there would be no happily ever after with him and Brian. He decided to change the subject. “When are Ted and Erik going to be here? I can’t wait to see her.”

“I know. Soon, I think. Hey, that doesn’t make sense though. Why try and kill you if the baby was already born?”

“Oh, that’s because of what my dad did.”

“What does that mean?”

“My dad put in the pre-nup that if I ever gave birth to a child by Maxwell that I would get a million dollars if we ever divorced.”

“Really?”

“Yep.”

“Who knew the idiot had it in him.”

“Oh, it wasn’t for me. Not really. He just didn’t want to support me again if the marriage didn’t work out. And since Maxwell planned to kill any pregnant spouse, he thought he didn’t have to worry about it.” Justin’s face went completely pale then.

“What?”

“I was pregnant before. I lost the baby soon after telling him I was pregnant. He beat me until I miscarried, then he acted like it was my fault. It wasn’t though, it was him. He made me believe that it was my fault the baby died.”

Brian had never been good at feelings, he was stunned. Not knowing what to do, he did nothing. Thankfully, he was saved by Tommy who had heard his father’s cries and ran over.

“It’s okay, Pa. I draw’d a picture of you too.”

Justin laughed and pulled Tommy onto his lap, wiping away his tears. “You did, did you? And where is this masterpiece?”

“Up there,” he said pointing to Brian’s bedroom.

“Go on and bring it down here so I can see it.”

“I can’t bring you the wall silly.”

That couldn’t mean what Brian thought it did. He took off up the steps and sure enough. Right on the wall over his bed was a blue crayon scene with Justin, Brian and Tommy. All little stick figures but he guessed them by their height. He had to bite down the scream he was feeling.

“I’m going to the office for a few hours,” he said, he needed to get out of there before ghosts of Jack Kinney resurfaced.