After Justin left his mom, he drove to Daphne's office hoping she'd be available.  It was Wednesday afternoon and she often had a lighter schedule on that day.  He greeted her assistant, Sheila.  She was a stunning woman and was dressed in a white blouse and flowing pants that accented her mocha skin. Looking up from her paperwork, she greeted Justin with a smile.

"Daphne just finished meeting with her 1:00 patient and her 2:00 cancelled.  You can go in for a bit, but knock first, she may be dictating," Sheila said as she picked up the papers on the desk to get them ready to file.

Justin knocked and heard the familiar ‘come in" from the other side of the door.

Daphne looked up from her notes and waved Justin toward the couch.  He stopped at the fridge and grabbed a bottle of water from the shelf.  Motioning toward Daphne with the bottle, she nodded that she would like one as well.

Daphne clicked off her recorder and put away her notes, turning toward Justin and grabbing the water he offered.  "What brings you by in the middle of the afternoon?  I'd think you have a super busy schedule with your upcoming show."

"I had lunch with my mom and was in the area.  I have a few errands to run this afternoon but wanted to stop by and tell you the news."  Justin took a swallow of the water and played with the bottle, twirling it around.

"News?  Did you get offered a great commission?  Are you going to exhibit at MOMA?  Brian's already married you, so it can't be that.  Do Tell!"

"Remember a few months back when you and I had lunch at the mall.  You know, before the whole stalker shit?"

"We had a lot of lunches back then.  You were still recovering from your car accident and not a 100% yet.  Why don't you refresh my memory?"  Daphne said, even though she was fairly certain that she remembered the luncheon in question.

"We were talking about me being a father.  Remember I told you that Brian would never go for the idea so it was a moot point?"

"Yeah I remember.  I told you that you'd make a great parent."  She remembered the conversation vividly and had planned on bringing the subject up again but then the whole fiasco with the stalker had happened and she put it on hold.  She was pleased to see that Justin remembered the conversation.

Justin took another drink of the water and crossed and uncrossed his legs several times.  He wondered why he was nervous since Daphne had been supportive of the idea.

"Brian and I have been talking and we've decided to have a baby."  He looked at her as he made the statement, watching for signs of excitement or disapproval.  The stalker had changed him and he wondered if he really was ready for this next step.  He pulled in his lip, tugging at the pink flesh, unconsciously worrying it as he pushed the uncertainty from his mind.

Daphne stood up from her chair and went over to Justin, giving him a huge hug and kissing his face.  "That is so exciting.   Who is going to be the mom?  Lindsay?  Mel? Someone else?  I'd offer, but I don't think that would be a good idea.  I'd rather be Aunty Daphne."

Justin hugged her back and he could feel a sigh of relief coming out of his mouth.  "I'm so glad you think this is a good thing.  I just talked to my mom and she wouldn't really give me an opinion but I think she was pretty supportive.  It's damn scary to think of being totally responsible for a little person's well-being."

"You and Brian are very happy together and while he's loved you for a long time, he's finally at a place where he can admit it freely.  Raising a child together is the next step and I know you will both grow even closer when it's born. I think this is so exciting and I still think you will make a great parent."  Daphne returned to her seat behind her desk and swallowed some of her water.

"As for the mother, we aren't sure yet.  We don't want anyone in the family.  There is too much game playing with Lindsay when it comes to Gus and we both agreed that she would not be a good choice.  Mel just had a baby with Michael and I really don't want our child to have any connections to the Novotny's.  Deb has been great to me; she's a second mom, but Michael is a different story.  He's sometimes pretty good, but other times, I think he still believes he should be the one in Brian's bed, not me.  Well, that may be a little off, but I still believe he thinks of Brian as a player and keeps waiting for us to break up."

"Well, I agree there are some unusual dynamics in that group.  I know you'll find the right person.  I'm so excited for you.  I can't wait to hold the littlest Kinney -Taylor or Taylor - Kinney.  Have you thought about last names yet?"

"Geez, Daph.  We don't even have a woman to carry the child yet, let's get it made before we start worrying about how to address it."  Justin laughed at Daphne's banter, loving that his best friend was so supportive of this important life choice.  He should have known that Daphne would support him; she'd always believed in Brian and him as a couple. 

Daphne's phone buzzed.  "Sorry Jus, but that is my alarm telling me I have 5 minutes until the next appointment.  Call me in a few days and we'll go out to celebrate in style."  She got up from her chair and hugged him again, and then opened the door to let him out. 

He left the office and went to run his errands for the afternoon.  He decided to stay in town, knowing that Brian was supposed to meet with Lindsay for a late lunch to share their news with her.  He wasn't sure how that would go but he feared it might not go as well as his visits with his mom and Daphne.  He thought a night in town might do them both some good.

 Brian walked into Red Cape comics a few minutes to closing time.  There were a few customers in the shop and Michael was standing at the counter watching the young man with the Spider man shirt look at the latest Batman comic. Michael looked toward the door when the chime rang announcing a customer.  Smiling when he saw Brian, he came out from behind the counter to greet his friend with a hug. 

"What brings you here; you don't usually come this way?"

"Can't a guy visit his friend without the second degree?"

"Sure, but..."

"Okay.  You're right.  I wanted to talk to you."  Brian looked at the two customers in the shop, wishing they would make their purchases and leave so he could talk to Michael.

"Everything okay?  You're not sick? Justin's okay?"  Michael said quickly, running through all the scenarios that could mean trouble.  While he and Brian were not joined at the hip like they were in high school and their early twenties, they were still close and Michael still felt that he was Brian's best friend.  It wasn't typical that Brian stopped at the store.  While it was on Liberty Avenue, Brian seemed to be very busy with Kinnetik and didn't just pop in unless there was a reason.

"No one is sick or dying."  Brian picked up the latest issue of "Rage" and flipped through the pages.  It was hard to believe that it was still going strong 7 years later.  Who would have thought a gay superhero would be so popular.  He wasn't very fond of some of the storylines, especially those that mirrored his and Justin's life, but since art imitates life, he accepted their ideas. 

The two patrons purchased their comic books and Michael looked at his watch.  It was 5:50, just 10 minutes shy of normal closing time.  He walked to the door and flipped the open sign to the closed side and locked the door.

"You say no one is sick and no one is dying, so what brings you here on a weekday?"  Michael sat on the wooden stool behind the cash register as he looked at Brian. 

"Justin and I are having a baby.  Just thought you should know." Brian smiled a slight grin as he shared the news.

Michael looked at Brian trying to see if he was serious. 

"A baby?  What the hell for?"

"Justin wants a child." Brian bristled as he didn't want to have to defend their decision.

"What about you?  I can't believe you would want a child.  You have Gus and you barely see him.  Why would you want a baby?"  Michael was mentally listing all the reasons why this was a bad idea.  He knew he had to convince Brian that he really didn't need to go this far to make Justin happy.  Michael opened the cash drawer to count the money but decided that he needed to put all his mental effort into the conversation.

"Brian, this is just another ploy of Justin's to tie you to him.  A baby is a huge commitment.  Whatever happened to being just the sperm donor?  It was a great idea with Gus.  You get to be a part time dad and you choose when you want to be with him.  Don't you realize that fatherhood is a huge job?  I just can't see you doing this."  Michael closed the cash drawer and looked at Brian, trying to judge if his words were making any impact.

Brian took several deep breaths before answering. He didn't want to regret anything he said but he wasn't sure that was possible.  He touched his forefinger and said, "First, I love Justin and this is a decision we have made together.  He didn't blackmail me or promise me a 100 blow jobs to trick me."  The thought of Justin giving him a 100 blow jobs took his mind off the conversation for just a moment.

"Second," he said as he touched his middle finger.  "Why is fatherhood okay for you and not for me?  Sure the munchers asked you to be the donor for JR but you are very active in her life." 

"Third," and he touched his ring finger.  "I would be more active in Gus' life if Lindsay would let me.  I love him more than I ever expected."  Brian looked around the comic shop, seeing the old racks and the generally run down nature of the business.  The front glass case had a large crack in the far right corner. The floors were in need of a good stripping and cleaning and the windows definitely needed washing.  He wondered if Michael's shop was a mirror of his life; tired and worn out. 

"This is a decision that Justin and I have made together, regardless of your acceptance of it.  We are happy with the idea of expanding our family.  I just thought you would like to hear it from me and not from the gay grape vine."  Brian picked up his briefcase that he had placed on the floor.  "I hope you have enough sense not to share your thoughts with Justin.  He is my partner and if you push this issue, you will lose.  I will choose him over you.  Don't make me choose, Michael."  Brian gave one final glance to the shop and walked out the door.

After he left the building, he walked a few blocks to his car.  Opening the back door, he placed his briefcase on the seat and closed the door.  Leaning against the door he took a big sigh and closed his eyes to gather his thoughts.  He replayed his conversation with Lindsay and with Michael.  They were so caught up in their visions of Brian as he was years ago.  He wondered why he never realized their desire to keep him as the club boy he used to be.  His desire to be a father and to parent a child with his partner seemed anathema to both of them.  They couldn't imagine him wanting to be anything but a party boy with a different trick every night. Yet, when he looked at Justin and watched him with Gus as well as other children, his heart burst with pride.  He didn't want to deny Justin that opportunity of being a father and since he was Justin's partner, he would join him in that role. 

Jennifer had been very supportive of their decision to have a child; although she said it was their decision.  Lindsay and Michael had obviously been against the idea, questioning Brian's desire in that role and wondering if Justin manipulated him to agree.  He wondered how the rest of the family would react.  After a few minutes, he realized he really didn't care.  He and Justin had decided this was what they wanted and they were going to do it.  He knew it would be hard, but also very rewarding. 

Pulling out his phone, he called Justin.

"Hey," he said, a smile immediately filling his face as he heard the familiar voice.

"Hey," Justin heard Brian's voice and recognized the angst.  "What's up?  Something happen at Kinnetik?'

"You are amazing, you know that?"

"So I've been told.  But what's going on?"

"I just left Michael's shop and his reaction was even worse than Lindsay's.  I thought he would be happy.  He's been going on about marriage and family like he was the one who invented the concept.  Now that I want to have a family, it's like that is the worst idea of the century."

"I'm sorry.  I know you wanted a different response."

"Sorry's bullshit."

"I know, but I still am sorry.  Hopefully when the baby comes, he'll see that you're serious and will change his tune."

"Fuck it.  I don't care what Michael or Lindsay or anyone thinks.  I was just being courteous by telling them.  This is our decision." Brian opened the car door and closed it with a little more force than necessary.

"Your car didn't do anything," Justin said as he heard the slamming door.  "Why don't you meet me at that little Thai place right off Liberty and we can have dinner.  Afterwards, I'll think of something to keep your mind off Lindsay and Michael.

"Sounds like a plan.  I'll meet you there in a few minutes."  Brian started to end the call, but then realized he didn't know where Justin was and how long it might take him.  "Where are you?"

"I'm at the diner."

"Is Debbie working?  I can just see it now, our news will have traveled throughout Liberty Avenue and we aren't even pregnant yet."

"Debbie's not here, but Emmett and Ted just walked in.  I better get off before they catch a few key phrases."

"Later."

"Later."

TBC