Chapter 36

In the coming days and weeks life finally returned to what could be considered normal for the Kinney-Taylor family.

They all celebrated New Year's Eve with their respective group of friends – Brian and Justin with the Liberty Avenue gang at their house, Gus with some of his friends in town, Luke with his friends in the gaming room at home – then enjoyed some last peaceful days together before the holidays were over.

Gus returned to New York to work on some projects for his classes, Brian went back to work at Kinnetik, Luke and Vicky went back to school and Justin went to put the finishing touches on the paintings that he wanted to use for his next show which would take place in a couple of weeks.

Jenny went back to school in town and started the piano lessons that Brian had got her for Christmas.

Much to Brian's and Justin's relief, Luke hadn't spoken about returning to Emmett's house once the holidays were over and had stayed at Britin with them. Their relationship had mostly returned to normal by now, though they still had the occasional hiccups that all parents raising a teenage boy had.

Sooner than everyone would have liked, the next hearing in Jenny's custody case approached. The judge's decision had been for 30 days and then he wanted to meet everyone again to hear how the situation had developed.

Their lawyer told them that they didn't have anything to worry about. Melanie hadn't been in contact at all in the last four weeks which would definitely work in their favour. Jenny still wanted to stay with her grandparents and her new family in Pittsburgh and the progress reports from her school had been good so far.

Her grades were good, she hadn't missed any classes and had joined several after school activities. She had made some first friends in her new school and really enjoyed her new life in Pittsburgh.

No one expected the judge to take her out of this new life now, not when she had just settled into it.

For that reason and because of his workload, Gus decided to stay in New York and not to fly in for this hearing. His fathers promised him to keep him up to date and to let him know the decision immediately, once the judge had made it.

Unlike the last hearing, this one only had Jenny, Debbie and Carl, Brian and Justin and their lawyer present. The rest of the family was at work and they had all decided to get together in the evening for a celebration, everyone expecting a positive outcome.

The family had settled and everyone had waited for Melanie to show up which she hadn't. When the judge opened the hearing, he asked if there had been any message from Melanie indicating that she would not be present for the hearing, but there hadn't been.

The judge decided to continue with the hearing and listened to statements from Jenny, her grandparents and her school.

As Melanie wasn't present, there was no one to plead her side of the case.

“This is an unusual course of events, I have to admit,” the judge said as he looked around at the people in the room.

“I have to admit that it is rather disappointing not to have heard from Mrs Marcus at all concerning this hearing and that it is even more disappointing that as Jenny's mother she hasn't been in contact once since our last hearing.

In the end, that will only make my decision easier. As there is no contest to my previous decision and statements from Jenny and everyone else have been very clear, I decide that my custody decision from the last hearing will be extended until Jenny reaches her 18th birthday and can decide for herself who she wants to stay with.”

The judge banged his gavel, got up and left the room.

There was obvious relief on their side after the judge had announced his decision and everyone hugged and congratulated Jenny. She was now officially allowed to stay with them for as long as she wanted and there was nothing Melanie could do about it. Not that it seemed like she had any interest in changing anything about the current situation.

“I can't believe that she wouldn't even show up for the hearing,” Gus said angrily when he was on the phone with his fathers who had called to give him the good news.

“She probably considers Jenny a traitor now,” Brian said, his own anger easy to hear in his voice. “Jenny made a decision and in Melanie's mind that was a decision for us and against her. So now Jenny isn't being considered as someone worth her time any longer.”

“It's not like she gave Jenny much of a choice with how she treated her,” Gus muttered. “How can you not even care if your own child is doing okay? She didn't call once since the last hearing, did she?”

“No, she didn't,” Justin replied. “She hasn't been in contact with Jenny and obviously didn't reach out to anyone else either. She didn't even inform the judge that she wouldn't attend this hearing.”

“How is Jenny taking all of this? I know she was acting like she didn't care much, but I think it still hurt her anyway.”

Justin nodded. “Yeah, she was hurt by the obvious disinterest that Melanie has been showing, but... she's also very happy and relieved that everything is now official and she can officially stay here in Pittsburgh with the family. I think she might be a bit emotional over the next couple of days, but in the long run, she'll be fine.”

“I think I'll give her a call, just to see how she's doing,” Gus announced then.

Both Brian and Justin agreed that that was probably a good idea and then ended their call.

Later that same day the family met for a dinner at Debbie's and Carl's house to celebrate the judge's decision. Everyone had been very happy about the outcome, though there had been more than just a few angry mutterings where Melanie was concerned and in the end it had been a really nice day and everyone had been really happy for Jenny.

The next Sunday the whole family met for their usual Sunday dinner at Britin.

“Can I ask you something?” Jenny said, looking at Brian with what seemed to be a rather nervous expression.

“Of course,” Brian said, not quite sure what would have Jenny this nervous.

“Alone? Without anyone else around?” The young girl said, looking at the other members of the family that were gathered around the large dining room table.

“Is everything okay, Jenny?” Brian asked, not quite sure he understood what was going on.

“Yeah... It's just... I'd rather not ask this in front of everyone.”

“Okay,” Brian agreed, none the wiser. He led Jenny to his office and settled down in his desk chair, Jenny settling down across from the desk in one of the chairs there. “So what's all this secrecy about?”

“I have made a decision in recent days and... I am not sure how Grandma Debbie in particular will take it and... I wanted to ask you for advice, if that's alright,” the girl started, clearly nervous.

Brian eyed her and nodded. “What decision?”

“I think I... I think I'd like to meet my father,” Jenny said quietly, looking up at Brian from big eyes.

For a second Brian wasn't quite sure if he had heard right. He looked at her, but her face told him that she had said what he had thought she had said and that he had heard correctly.

“Why?” Was all he could ask as he looked at her, his expression not showing much of how he was feeling about her decision.

Jenny shrugged. “He's my father and... with everything that's happened over the last couple of weeks... I think I'd like to get to know him... Now that my mom is out of the picture, I want to see if there might be a chance for a relationship with him.”

“Jenny,” Brian started, but didn't get much further as she interrupted him right away.

“I know that things happened between him and the rest of the family. I know what you told me about his involvement in Luke's kidnapping and... I don't expect that anyone will really be happy about this, but... he's my father and...,” she stopped then, averting her gaze to look at the hands in her lap.

“You want to get to know him,” Brian ended quietly, not surprised when Jenny nodded.

He secretly wondered where this sudden interest in long lost family members was coming from, still able to clearly remember Luke's attempt to get to know his grandparents and how that had ended.

“Jenny, I really don't want you to get your hopes up,” Brian started, only to once again be interrupted by her.

“I am not... I have heard all the stories, I know what he did... it's just that... this feels like something I need to do. And I don't think anyone will understand why I need to do this.”

“Why come and talk to me about this? You know that my relationship with your father didn't end well,” Brian said, knowing that that was putting things very mildly in light of what had happened between him and Michael.

“I know,” Jenny said quietly. “But...when Gus and Luke went to see your mother and Justin's father... you could have gotten really angry with them, but you didn't. I thought that... you might understand why I need to do this, just like Luke needed to see his grandparents then.”

“I thought you were against him seeking out our parents and thought it was a bad idea,” Brian pointed out, being pretty sure that both Gus and Luke had said so at the time.

“I did, but... this is my father. This concerns me and ... I don't know. It just feels different now. Like something I need to do,” she said quietly.

“Debbie will not like this, hell I am not liking this,” Brian said, looking at the girl across from the desk.

“I understand if this is not something you want to help me with... I guess in that case, I'll just have to wait until I turn 18 and can go and find him on my own.”

“Jenny,” Brian sighed, taking a deep breath. “Michael... he's not the caring father type. All he ever cared about was himself and his vision for everyone's life. He hasn't been a part of your life in 17 years... Why do you think that would change now?”

“I just feel like I should at least meet with him and... get to know him, you know? Yes, I've heard all these stories about the kind of person that he is, but... I don't have any memories of him at all. And he's my father... I feel like I should at least meet him once and see for myself what he's like.”

“You won't find many people supporting this idea,” Brian said honestly. “Michael burned a lot of bridges with the Pittsburgh family.”

Jenny sighed, then looked at Brian from troubled eyes. “I know, but... he's still my father...”

Brian nodded slowly. “What do you want me to do about this?”

“Can you talk to Grandma Debbie, please? I know that if I bring it up, she's just gonna say no, but... if you talk to her, explain to her... she might say yes.”

Brian couldn't help but laugh. “You clearly overestimate my powers of persuasion here, young lady.”

“Please, can you just talk to her? This is really important to me and I know that some people won't understand, but... it just feels like something I need to do.”

Brian met her gaze and held it. “I am not promising anything. Give me a couple of days to think about it, okay?”

It was obvious that Jenny wasn't really happy, but in the end she nodded. “Okay.”

***

“Is everything okay? You look troubled,” Justin said as Brian came into their bedroom after he had told Vicky her bedtime story.

“Hm? No, I am fine,” Brian just muttered as he made his way over to the bed where Justin was sitting under the covers, reading a magazine, clearly waiting for Brian to join him.

“Your face says differently, your eyes say differently and your behaviour says differently. You've been really quiet all evening,” Justin tried once again, looking at Brian from worried eyes. “More quiet than usual.”

Brian sighed and flopped down on the bed. He looked up at Justin who was looking down on him from where he was resting against the headboard.

“Aren't you ever getting tired of knowing me so well?”

“No,” Justin just replied, meeting Brian's gaze with his concerned one. “What's going on?”

“Jenny wants to meet Michael,” Brian just said, not surprised when Justin's face showed the same surprise and shock he had felt earlier.

“She... what?”

“She wants to get to know her father... apparently, Melanie's latest show of maternal affection and our sons' visits to their grandparents got her thinking that meeting her Dad would be a good thing to do...”

“But... it's Michael,” Justin just said.

“I know... hell, I think she knows. She says it's something she needs to do. That she's heard all the stories about him but feels like she needs to meet him in person.”

“And then what? He'll become a loving father and can become a part of our family as well?”

Brian could see what Justin really thought of that idea and could easily hear the anger in his voice.

“Hey... hey...., we both know that's never gonna happen.”

“Why now? I thought she liked being here in Pittsburgh, that she liked staying with Debbie and Carl, with us...that she liked the family she has here,” Justin muttered.

“I don't think one has much to do with the other,” Brian admitted. “And... he is her father, she's right about that one.”

“So what, you support her idea?” Justin's eyes had widened and he stared at Brian showing a complete lack of understanding.

“I don't know what I am thinking about this,” Brian sighed. “It's Michael and... we all know what he's like. What he's always been like, but... I guess I can also understand her point... maybe it's because of what Luke and Gus did... I don't know, but can you really blame her for wanting to get to know her biological parent? A parent she didn't even know existed until a few weeks ago because her mother lied to her all her life?”

“But... it's Michael! She must understand that he will never be the kind of father she is probably looking for,” Justin said weakly. “She will only get disappointed.”

“I know,” Brian agreed. “And I told her that I don't think she should be getting her hopes up where he is concerned, but.... can you really blame her for wanting to find out more about her biological father?”

“I don't like this,” Justin stated emphatically. “This will only end badly.”

“I know,” Brian agreed once more. “But isn't it better if she meets him with the family behind her, supporting her, instead of doing it on her own when she's 18? Instead of facing him on her own like Luke and Gus went to face our parents? Isn't it better that she came and talked to someone, told us of her plans and consulted an adult?”

It was clear that Justin wasn't convinced by that line of argument. “What does she want you to do about this?”

“She wants me to talk to Debbie,” Brian replied truthfully. “She doesn't think that Debbie will support her, but she thinks that I could convince her otherwise.”

“And will you?” Justin asked, slowly sinking down on the bed and lying next to Brian.

“I honestly don't know,” Brian sighed, moving over, so his head was touching Justin's. “I told her I had to think about it first before I got involved in any of this.”

“And what are you thinking?” Justin asked, his voice quiet, though it was clear that he felt anything but.

“My first thought was: hell no,” Brian admitted.

“But?” Justin prompted, knowing that there was a but.

“I guess I can see where she is coming from. He is her father. We might not like it, but it's a fact and if she wants to meet him... there isn't much we can do to stop her, is there? And should we? Just because we don't think he's worth her time... isn't that a decision she should make on her own? And isn't it better to be by her side for this meeting than having her wait until she's 18 and have her do it on her own? God knows, we both would have prefered if Gus and Luke had told us in advance that they were gonna go and see our parents.”

“You have thought about this a lot already,” Justin stated, moving his head to rest on Brian's chest, laying his arm over Brian's stomach. He sighed happily when he felt Brian's arm wrap around him and hold him closer.

“I couldn't stop thinking about this ever since she asked me to speak to Debbie,” Brian said truthfully.

Justin nodded. He stayed quiet for a while, then lifted his head to meet Brian's gaze. “Whatever you decide to do, I'll be here to support you.”

“Even if you won't like my decision?” Brian asked with a raised eyebrow.

“I am pretty sure I won't like your decision,” Justin sighed. “It seems like there are no good outcomes, no matter how you look at it. Either we support her in doing this which means that there is a chance of Michael becoming a part of our lives again or we leave her to do this on her own which means that she can get hurt very badly and won't have her family behind her to support her... and what are we really showing her if we don't support her? That she's all alone even though she has a family now? That she can call us family, but when push comes to shove we won't be there for her because we don't like who her parents are? No, I am pretty sure I won't like either outcome because both seem like really bad outcomes.”

“Well, if you aren't a little ray of sunshine,” Brian muttered, pulling Justin close and kissing his forehead. “Now you understand why I feel so troubled...”

Justin nodded, indeed understanding why Brian had been so quiet earlier on and understanding why he had seemed so troubled. There didn't seem to be a good outcome no matter how you looked at it and no matter what Brian would decide to do.

“And here I thought things would finally quiet down and we could go back to normal,” Justin sighed before he left a short kiss on his husband's lips. “When did our lives become so complicated?”

“I think you and I have complicated down to a tee,” Brian chuckled.

“I wouldn't mind a bit of normal,” Justin said, meeting Brian's amused gaze. “Normal is good, too.”

“Hopefully this will be the last bump in the road before we can go back to normal,” Brian said, before he pulled Justin down for another kiss. “I prefer normal as well.”

He then kissed his husband deeply, turning towards their normal evening entertainment. Yes, normal was good. There was nothing wrong with normal, Brian thought to himself as he climaxed 20 minutes later, buried deep inside his husband. Normal was damn fucking good! He loved normal as long as it was with Justin and their family.