Michael finished his shower and dressed in sweats and a Rage T-shirt. He often dressed in Rage related paraphernalia, promoting his connection with the well best selling comic. Ben wasn't particularly fond of Michael wearing the clothing as he found it unappealing; a grown man should not always dress in clothing that touted super-heroes. He felt there was a time and a place for the clothing, but Michael seemed to wear it everywhere. He knew that wearing it at the comic store was acceptable due to the clientele, but he really disliked that Michael rarely wore other clothing outside of the store. He also had a problem with the way Michael insisted that Rage mirror Brian and Justin's life. He was somewhat surprised that they agreed to the parallel storylines, but since they decided to have a baby, Michael had chosen to diverge their story. Michael had said more than once that it just would not be appropriate for Rage to have a baby. Regardless of Michael's obsession with comics or Rage, tonight Michael was wearing his Rage shirt. Maybe he could channel Rage's strength and save himself from whatever possessed Ben to bring home J.R. He walked into the kitchen and grabbed a Coke from the fridge. He didn't bother asking Ben if he needed anything as he figured that the man was capable of getting whatever he wanted.

Michael went into the living room where Ben was taking a drink from his beer. Michael was somewhat surprised as he rarely saw his husband drink at home. Ben occasionally had a beer at Woody's, but it was unusual for him to drink at home, especially alone. Ben was seated on the leather couch, but Michael chose to sit on the overstuffed rust colored chair. He turned on the lamp that sat on the table as Ben was sitting in almost total darkness. The only light in the room was from a small light that was used for guidance in the dark. It was plugged into the outlet and it gave off a light in the dark, but nothing when the room was lit. It was meant to provide safety lighting.

"Why is J.R. here? We aren't supposed to have her till tomorrow night. I thought you had to teach?" Michael took several drinks from the can of soda and looked at his husband, his words projecting the undisguised anger in his voice.

"She called me and asked me to pick her up. The class was canceled today due to a water main break so I went to get her."

"You could have come to Woody's. You didn't need to go get her. Mel and Linds should be taking care of her. She's their daughter." Michael moved into his whining mode, the one he used when he thought things should have gone differently than they did.

Those words hit Ben in the chest like a large brick had been thrown at him. He wasn't even sure he wanted to answer Michael but decided to move slowly.

"Michael, remember the discussion we had the other day about J.R.?" Ben hoped that Michael would at least remember some of his fire regarding the situation, even if he didn't think the man had the right feelings behind his words.

"We were talking about Gus living with Brian and Justin. I said I wondered if I should push for more involvement with J.R. That conversation?" Michael answered, confused as to what that had to do with the present situation.

Ben nodded his head in agreement. At least the discussion hadn't totally fallen on deaf ears. He really had a larger appreciation of that saying now than ever before. "I said we should go slowly, see how J.R. is before we say anything. Well, I think we need to do something."

"Something?" Michael looked at Ben with a quizzical expression in his eyes. "What the hell are you talking about?"

Ben took a deep breath, finished his beer and placed it on the table, before talking. "I went over there, to the girl's house, because J.R. called me and asked me to come."

"I still don't understand what that has to do with why she is here. She talks to you all the time." Michael was getting frustrated at the slow pace the conversation was progressing He still didn't have any idea why J.R. was here and all he knew was that his husband was talking about conversations that happened last week. In his mind, conversations that happened last week were old news and the only thing that mattered was what happened now.

"Seems that Mel came home tonight and Lindsay was just sitting at the table with dirty dishes surrounding her. She had not started dinner and was insisting that J.R. clean up the kitchen while she went to get dinner and Melanie worked."

"Ok. So she didn't have dinner ready. That's not a big deal." Michael took another drink of his soda, realized it was empty and got up to get another one from the fridge. He left the can on the table, rather than toss it in the recycling bin as Ben always asked him to do. He returned to the living room, popped the top on the can and took several drinks. He continued to sit in his big chair, but he could feel the effect of the two beers he had at Woody's. He was getting tired and wanted this discussion to be over so they could go to bed.

"The point is that the place was a mess and they were expecting J.R., a kid, to clean up their mess. There was no dinner for her and she hadn't even had time to do her homework. It appears that since Gus is gone, all the chores are falling on her head and the girls are barely interacting with her, not even making sure dinner is ready when she comes home."

"Oh", Michael said. "Ma didn't cook dinner every night and there were many times the place wasn't so clean because she pulled a double to pay the bills. I don't get your point."

"Michael. Your mom was a single mom and she had no one else at home to do the chores. Still, she didn't make you responsible for keeping the place clean and she's talked a lot about how she used to bring home food from the diner for dinner. The point is that your mom was there for you. You went to the diner to do your homework and she made sure you were safe and had food to eat. According to J.R., Mel begrudgingly picks her up, interrupting her work time so much that she has to work when she gets home. Mel lets her know in clear detail how J.R.'s need to be picked up from after-school care interrupts her work day. Linds appears to be absent in the evening. J.R. told me that she eats dinner and then goes into her room and dresses really nice and then goes out. My point, Michael, is that J.R. is not being provided with the parenting that she deserves. She has one parent who tells her that she is an interruption to her life and the other one that can't seem to be bothered to spend time with her. Both seem to expect her to be a sort of Cinderella, doing a lot of the household chores and neither seem to be interested in her life." Ben finished his bottle of beer. He really wondered how Michael could be so dense that he had to have it explained why this was not acceptable, but then he thought about Michael and his upbringing. Debbie had her faults, but underparenting was not one of them. If anything, she smothered Michael. She was always at his beck and call and even to this day, she inserted herself into his life way more than appropriate. But she had a good heart and only wanted what was best for him. Ben wondered if he really didn't see the issues here or if he was just not interested in J.R. He feared that the latter was the case.

"So are we going to keep her all the time? That will give me a great excuse to spend time with Brian. We could do Dad things together. Justin could stay home with their kid and we could hang out with J.R. and Gus. It'd be like we were their parents."

Ben took several more deep breaths, wanting to go over to the chair and shake his husband. His greatest fear was real. Michael only saw J.R. as a way for Michael to have an excuse to hang out with Brian and be a part of his life. He knew Brian didn't want to hang out with Michael just because they could be fathers together. He thought for a few moments and wondered if Michael were given custody of J.R. and he and Michael separated, would he have a better chance of raising the little girl. That line of reasoning had never really been given conscious thought, but it might work. He just wondered if it could happen and whether Michael would protest that plan. He would have to hear what Brian's lawyer said, but that would not happen until at least tomorrow and he needed to get through tonight. He was tired, mentally and physically and he really wanted to go to bed, but he knew this had to be settled at least partially before he could sleep in good conscience.

"Michael, stop thinking about Brian for a minute. Can you even try to take him out of the picture?"

"Why? He's my best friend and if I had J.R. full time, we would have so much in common again."

Ben patted the place next to him on the couch, motioning for Michael to move there next to him. Michael stood up and moved, setting his soda on the coffee table in front of the couch. Ben turned toward Michael and spoke very slowly and clearly, trying to keep his words clear. "This isn't about Brian. It isn't about Melanie or Lindsay. It's about that little girl in the other room. J.R. She deserves parents who want to spend time with her. She doesn't need to have parents that see her as a glorified house cleaner or someone they have to interrupt their day to care for. True, all parents want to teach their children responsibility, but expecting them to clean the majority of the house as their main interaction with the child is not parenting." Ben reached out to Michael and clasped his hands in his own. "Do you want to be parents to J.R.? Parenting is a 24/7 commitment. It means putting her first. She needs to feel loved and cared for. We would have to make changes to our lives if she was to come live with us. Are you wanting to do this?"

Michael listened to Ben. He was tired and wanted to go to bed. He knew this was important to Ben, but his only thought was about Brian. If Brian could be a full-time parent, then he could be too. "Sure. Now can we go to bed?" Michael reached for his husband, but Ben shook his head.

"I'll be there in a little bit. I have some papers to finish grading."

Michael wasn't happy about going to bed alone, but he nodded his head and went to the bedroom. After pulling back the blankets, he lay down and closed his eyes. His thoughts turned to Brian and the fun they would have with the kids. His last thought before falling asleep was that he and Brian would be closer than ever, now that they both had full-time kids.

Ben sat in their living room and allowed his thoughts to wander. He really didn't believe that Michael wanted to be a full-time parent. Michael was very transparent when it came to be just like Brian, "his best friend" and having full custody of J.R. would give him that ability. He would be a full-time father and it occurred to Ben that maybe seeking custody in this situation wasn't the best option. But then his thoughts turned to J.R. He wanted her to have the best childhood she could have, despite her parents. If her current parents were too busy with their careers and lives to give her the childhood she deserved, then he would do everything in his power to provide her with the childhood she should have.

He understood what sacrifice meant, having parents who were involved in his childhood. He ran cross country and was involved in school government when he was in high school. His dad came to most of the meets, leaving early from work and bringing work home to make up the time. His dad never made him feel that it wasn't worth the extra effort. His mom helped design posters for his campaigns and she helped him write his speeches. He remembered Saturday mornings when they would all go to the farmer's market together. He and his dad would look for old books and interesting pens and his mom would look for fresh fruits and vegetables for their home. They went on family outings and vacations and he remembered sitting on the front porch talking to them about his goals and friends. They were so involved in his life. When he came out to them, they accepted him and didn't question his choices. He still talked to them every week and saw them a few times a year. They lived in Wisconsin and it was difficult for them to travel. They had met Michael and seemed to like him, but Michael never showed any interest in visiting them. He was excited to think about taking J.R. there to meet them. He'd spoken of her many times but they didn't have any relationship with her since he didn't really have custody of her. Michael had rarely wanted to keep her more than one night, so there was never any ability to have her meet his parents. Skype was great but it had its limitations. He quickly got caught up in daydreaming about the daily life he would hopefully have once J.R. came to live with them.

He yawned and looked at his watch. Shaking his head, he realized he needed to get to sleep. He would have a big day tomorrow. Correcting himself, mentally, he realized it was already tomorrow as it was after midnight. He better get some sleep. Daydreams were great, but life and reality were going to hit him up very soon.

He went to the bathroom, getting ready for bed quickly and quietly. He didn't want to disturb J.R. or Michael. He wasn't ready to deal with his husband at this point. Hoping that this next step in his life would be a great one, he stepped into his bedroom and quietly got into bed. Michael was sleeping soundly and he closed his eyes, willing his mind to stop thinking and allowing him to sleep.

The next day came way too early for Ben as he had set his alarm for 6:30. Normally he got up at 7:30, but he needed the extra time to get everything done. He liked to meditate for at least half an hour before starting his official day and then went for a run, and showered before leaving for work. Since Jenny was there, he either needed to cut something out of his morning routine or start it earlier if she were to get to school on time. He didn't want to count on Michael for assistance with J.R. He was somewhat reluctant to be in his face about the reality of his decision to have her full time. He knew it was somewhat dishonest to not include him in the daily routine, but he felt vindicated knowing Michael would balk at the details.

Deciding that he and Michael could discuss parenting responsibilities when they had time to sit down and iron out all the details, not during the chaos of getting out the door in the morning was a better idea in Ben's book. He was fairly certain the ins and outs of caring for a 7, almost 8-year-old little girl, were not something he even thought about. They rarely had her overnight and when they did Michael usually enlisted Debbie to help. J.R. was correct when she said all he ever talked to her about was comics. He probably had no real idea what little girls did or thought about. That would need to change, but that change wasn't going to be overnight. Today J.R. needed to get up, get fed and brought to school on time. He had a class to teach and office hours to hold and Michael had a business to run. He could head over to Red Cape on his lunch hour and discuss some of the logistics with him. Maybe if he started a list of all the things they needed to figure out, it wouldn't overwhelm Michael. Instant parenthood wasn't going to be easy.

Ben completed all his morning routines and was getting out of the shower when he heard a knock on the bathroom door.

"Daddy Ben, I'm hungry," said the female voice.

"Ok, sweetheart. Let me get dressed and I'll get you some breakfast. Have you brushed your teeth and gotten dressed?"

"Yep. Mama always said the first thing to do in the morning is going to the bathroom and clean up and then we should get out of our P.J.'s."

"I'll be in the kitchen in a few minutes. Why don't you go grab your book bag and bring it in the living room."

J.R. did as Ben directed and was waiting at the kitchen table when he arrived a few minutes later. Ben quickly looked at the clock and calculated how long they had before they needed to leave in order for her to get to school on time. He decided she had enough time to eat her bagel at the kitchen table rather than in the car. Mentally, he calculated the extra time he would need in the mornings, understanding that today was a good day, but there were bound to be days where people overslept, book bags were lost or breakfast was delayed.

He popped the bagel in the toaster and got out the ingredients for his protein shake breakfast. "How did you sleep?" he asked her.

"Good. I'm glad I brought my bunny. I always sleep with her. When I stay with Grandma Debbie, she throws him in the wash."

Ben looked at the little girl and admired her fortitude. Here she was sitting at her father's table, chatting away as if this was the norm for her, rather than being whisked away from her moms yesterday. In his heart, he hoped that things would go smoothly, but he really wondered if having her here was really in her best interest. Her world would be so different. Shaking himself mentally he reminded himself that the reason she was here was a result of her asking to be brought here. She was unhappy and feeling neglected at her home. She knew she wanted more and it was his duty as an adult to see that she got more.

Placing the bagel smeared with peanut butter in front of her, he said, " Here you go. Do you want milk or orange juice to go with that?"

"Milk. Orange juice would taste funny, Daddy, Ben," she said as she giggled softly.

He poured her a glass of milk and finished making his shake. Pouring it in a to-go cup in case he didn't have time to finish it. He didn't want her to feel that he was rushing her to get out of the house, and realized that if he poured it in a to-go cup and needed to leave it would appear a little less obvious. He sat down at the table and took several drinks, enjoying the breakfast drink.

"Where is Daddy Michael?" J.R. asked as she looked around for her other father.

"Sleeping. He usually doesn't get up until later. His store doesn't open till 10:00 so he doesn't get up until about 8:30 or 9:00."

Ben had tried to get Michael to get up earlier so they could meditate together, but Michael had declared meditation was mumbo jumbo and refused to participate. He thought ahead to the discussion he was planning on having with him at Red Cape this afternoon and acknowledged that he would have breakfast duty for J.R. and by default, Michael would have bedtime duty a few nights a week when Ben had commitments at the college. Things were already falling into place without a discussion. Ben stopped his mental gymnastics when he realized he was getting way ahead of himself. He was just assuming J.R. would be living with them. This was not a foregone conclusion as the topic had not been broached with either of her parents and he really didn't think that it would be that easy. Maybe he should rethink having the conversation with Michael until after he talked to Brian and Justin and their lawyer. He could dream and plan all he wanted, but if Mel and Linds didn't go for it, nothing would change.

"I like eating breakfast with you, Daddy Ben," J.R. said between bites of her bagel. "Momma and Mom are always running around trying to get everything ready to walk out the door. They are usually grabbing toast or something to eat in the car. I guess that is why we usually eat Pop Tarts."

"Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. You can't expect to concentrate on your learning if you are hungry."

"That's what our teachers tell us in school. But you know that since you are a teacher."

Looking at the clock, Ben saw the time. "Time to go. Finish that last drink of milk and place your dishes in the dishwasher. Grab your stuff, honey. I'll grab my book bag and we need to take you to school."

J.R. did as Ben directed and was ready at the front door in less than 2 minutes. Ben joined her, opened the door for her and then walked out himself. He locked the door behind him and they went to the car.

Ben drove her to school. " I don't know who will pick you up. It might be me or your Dad, but it could be Uncle Brian or Uncle Justin. I have to check my schedule, but I promise someone will be here. I'll call the school later and leave them a message. They can let you know who to look for, so you won't be scared."

"Okay. Love you, Daddy Ben. Thanks again for picking me up and taking me to see Gus. It was fun. See you later," she said as she got out of the car and walked up the steps to the school.

Ben watched as she walked up the steps and drove himself to the college. He lectured to his 9:30 Intro to Film Studies class and then returned to his office. He looked at his calendar. He had another class at 3:00 so he would have to get someone else to pick her up. 3:00 was a busy time for the shop as that was when all the after school crowds came to the shop; therefore he had to enlist some help.

Picking up the phone, he dialed 6 on his speed dial and was connected to Kinnetik.

"Kinnetik advertising. How may I direct your call?"

"Brian Kinney, please?"

"May I ask who is calling?"

"Ben Bruckner."

"Thank you Mr. Bruckner. I'll see if he is available. One moment, please."

Ben heard muzak through the line as he held and wondered if Brian knew the music his clients were subjected to. He would mention it later, give him a little ribbing.

"Hi Ben. Anxious aren't you. I don't have any answers yet, but I did put a call into my lawyer this morning."

"Thanks, Brian. That's not why I'm calling. Well, not exactly. It is about J.R. though."

"What can I do?"

"I have class at 3:00 and Michael's busy time is then. You know those geeky kids want their comic books. Anyway, I need someone to pick her up and I was wondering if you or Justin could do that? I need to tell the school who will be there. I don't want to call Mel and LInds since they already gave me permission to keep her for the weekend. I don't want them having second thoughts, you know what I mean?"

Brian thought back to just a few short months before when he was walking the same tight rope that Ben was, except with his he had legal rights to his son. His heart went out to Ben who was fighting to make his daughter's life better, but with less legal arms behind him.

Brian looked at his calendar and saw that it was his day to pick up Gus so he would be at the school anyway. They had chosen to leave Gus at the school where the munchers were living to limit the disruption to his life. They had not decided if they were going to move him to a school closer to their home since it would involve Gus losing access to lots of his friends. They still had a few months left in this school year and then they would think about it over the summer. Justin and he took turns getting Gus from school as they wanted to share that responsibility.

"You're in luck, professor. Today is my day to pick up Gus and I can just grab Jenny at the same time. We promised them they would get to spend time together this weekend. Why don't you and Michael come over after work and hopefully we will have some information from the lawyer by then."

"That would be great. I'll let the school know and we will be there tonight. I'll let Michael know. I'm sure he will be happy about coming out to the house. He always loves to spend time with you guys."

Brian said, "Okay, see you then." He picked up the phone and immediately called Justin.

"Hey," Justin said as he answered the phone, recognizing the familiar ring.

"Just to give you a heads up, I'm picking up J.R. from school when I pick up Gus and bringing her out to the house. Ben and Michael are going to join us for dinner. I called the lawyer and maybe he'll have some answers by then."

"Ok." Justin paused for a few moments before continuing. "Brian, do you really think Michael wants to be a full-time parent?"

"Honestly, no. But I don't think Mel and Linds do either. Ben does and he is fighting to do this for J.R. He doesn't have any ulterior motives either. Linds had Gus to tie me to her. Mel had J.R. to be equal to Linds in the parent department. Ben isn't doing this for anyone or to prove something to anyone either. In fact, it's likely if he succeeds it may very well break up his marriage. He's willing to do this for one reason and that is the best reason. He is doing it for J.R. He wants the best for her. He grew up in a loving family who accepted him when he came out. He wants J.R. to grow up in the same type of family."

"When did you get to be so smart?"

"I've always been smart. I just didn't always listen to what my head told me. Now let me go to work. I have to leave here in a few hours and if I don't get cracking, I won't be pounding your ass into the mattress tonight, I'll be pounding on the keyboard trying to get these reports out."

Justin laughed and said, "I love you. Later"

Brian said, "Later."

They hung up their phones and continued on with their day.

TBC