Chapter 29

The next morning Brian, Justin and Daphne had breakfast in their suite. They would stay in Washington until early afternoon and would then fly back to Pittsburgh.

Daphne was glad to see that Justin seemed okay and didn't seem too bothered by how the meeting with his mother had gone. She had never thought too highly of Justin's parents and had always thought that they were ridiculously conservative and stuck in a life that might have been okay 200 years ago, but not in the new millennium.

She was just pouring herself a second cup of coffee, when Brian asked her a question that she knew she should have been expecting.

“So where did you head off to yesterday? You were gone all afternoon and most of the evening.”

Daphne eyed him for a few seconds, then turned to look at Justin who looked equally curious.

“I met with a friend,” she said, then drank some of her coffee.

“So that's why she really wanted to come to Washington with us,” Justin joked, winking at Brian. “She didn't care about me, she just wanted to meet a friend.”

“Daphne, Daphne,” Brian mock-sighed. “I really thought better of you.”

“Fuck off, you two,” Daphne rolled her eyes, then gave them both the finger. “If you must know, I met with that friend because of you,” she said, as she directed her gaze towards Justin.

“Because of me?” Justin now frowned, clearly confused.

“Yes, to help you.”

“Help me? Help me with what?” Justin still seemed confused as he tried to make sense of what Daphne was saying.

“When did you last speak to Molly?” She asked next, not even answering Justin's questions.

“You know that it was before that video was released. Why?” Justin said, not quite sure why Daphne was asking something she knew the answer to.

“Why didn't you reach out to her afterwards?”

“Because...,” Justin started, then stopped. “Does it matter? It's not like we were ever close.”

“Well, it matters to her,” Daphne said, watching Justin closely for his reaction.

“What do you mean it matters to her?”

“Just what I said. She cares about why you haven't contacted her in almost two years.”

Before Justin could respond, Brian interjected. “It's not like she reached out to him either.”

“And she feels bad about that. She knows that she should have.”

“And how do you know so much about how Molly feels?” Justin asked, raising an eyebrow as he looked at her.

“Because I met with her yesterday,” Daphne replied as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“You met with Molly? Why?” His eyes had widened and he looked at her as if she had just grown a second head.

“Why not? She asked me if I would be in Washington as well and when I said yes, she asked if we could meet,” Daphne shrugged.

“So wait, she reached out to you, but not to Sunshine?” Brian frowned.

“She's here in Washington?” Justin asked at the same time.

“Yes she is,” Daphne replied to Justin, then turned to Brian. “Yes, she did.”

“Why?” Both men asked then.

Daphne shook her head and rolled her eyes. “Because your mother asked to see her as well and mentioned that she would also request to see you, so she took a chance and assumed that I might be there as well and reached out and asked if we could meet.”

“But... she knows that you're not married anymore, doesn't she?” Brian wondered.

“Of course she does. She's not stupid. She has access to the internet, so she knows that we're still friends and live together even after the divorce.”

“Why did she want to meet with you?” Justin asked once more, still not understanding why Molly would have reached out to Daphne and not to him.

“To see how you were feeling about her. She was worried that you would hang up if she reached out to you directly,” Daphne explained calmly.

“Hang up? Why?” Justin still sounded more than confused.

Daphne shrugged. “Because you were angry with her for not reaching out earlier, because you were angry with her for taking your place in the royal succession and becoming crown princess and being next in line for the throne instead of you being the next king, because you thought she might feel the same about you as your mother does.”

“Does she?” Justin asked next, not able to help himself.

“You would know if you spoke to her,” Daphne pointed out, but stopped when Brian gave her a warning look and shook his head. She then sighed. “No, she doesn't. She feels horrible about the way your mother is treating you.”

Justin looked down at his plate, not looking at either Brian or Daphne. His voice was very quiet when he spoke next. “Is she angry with me because the throne has now passed to her?”

“No,” Daphne replied. “She isn't exactly happy about it either, but she doesn't blame you.”

Silence settled over the room and all three of them hung on to their own thoughts. It was Daphne who was the first to break the silence. “You should talk to her. Get all of these feelings and issues out in the open and resolve them between the two of you. You might be surprised.”

“We were never really close. You know that,” Justin said quietly, still not looking up.

“Because you didn't really have a choice, Jus. Your parents shipped both of you off to boarding schools and then you hardly saw each other. You're both adults now, having your own lives and can make your own decisions now. You might not have been close before, but I have a feeling you can be now... if you want, that is. Molly seemed nice enough. Not at all like the little brat I remember from the annual Christmas photo shoot.”

Justin looked up and met Daphne's gaze. “You only met her like five times, if at all.”

“And I had a completely wrong impression of her. The woman I met yesterday is a smart, friendly woman, who now finds herself in a situation that is not of her choosing. Jus,” Daphne eyed him closely and her voice now sounded more gentle than before, “I think she can really do with a big brother on her side now.”

“My mother wouldn't approve,” was all Justin said, before he got up from the table and headed towards his and Brian's bedroom. He closed the door behind himself and left Brian and Daphne on their own.

“Molly really wants them to try and have a relationship,” Daphne said, now looking at Brian. “She isn't like her mother at all and I think she really wants to try and have a relationship with Justin. She sounds like she wants to change things once she becomes queen and... I think she can do with some support on her side. Her mother won't make it easy for her.”

“Justin is not part of the royal family any longer,” Brian said seriously. “His mother made that very clear. That's not his life any longer.”

“But he is still Molly's big brother, no matter what his mother thinks about him. And Molly can really do with someone on her side. She will have her mother against her, she will have those so called advisors against her... She didn't ask for any of this, but she has now made her peace with it and wants to become a modern queen. She wants to make Darumor a more open and modern country. And I think she can really do with some moral support from Justin. Just knowing that he will be on her side will help her.”

Brian eyed Daphne, then shook his head. “Justin has closed that door. That's not his life anymore.”

Daphne eyed Brian closely. “No, it's not. But she's still his sister. And she wants a relationship with him.”

“Why now?”

“Because the royal duty of becoming queen has now been passed to her and she's up against a whole army of people that will not like what she wants to do and she hopes that she can at least count on her brother to support her.”

“I don't know... I don't like this,” Brian said. “It seems like an attempt to pull him back into a life that he doesn't want to go back to. It sounds like a lot of potential for more problems with his mother and I know he has closed that door for good.”

Daphne nodded. “I know and I understand. Believe me, I do. I just feel like Molly was sincere and really wants to have a relationship with him. He should at least meet with her and talk to her, see if he gets the same feeling from her.”

Brian stayed quiet for the longest time. “I won't pressure him either way. Even though he acts like he's fine, we both know he's not... It will have to be his decision.”

Daphne nodded in agreement. “I know.”

She then watched as Brian stood up as well and followed Justin into their bedroom.

***

“Sunshine, you okay?”

“Huh? Yeah...”

Brian saw Justin sitting on the edge of the bed, looking out the window of their room and onto the busy streets of Washington.

“You don't seem okay to me,” Brian pointed out and sat down next to Justin. He wrapped his arms around the younger man and was glad when Justin leaned into the embrace.

“No, I am fine, really. Just a bit surprised, is all.”

Brian nodded, but chose not to comment.

“I didn't expect to ever hear from my family again and now... not even 24 hours later, Daphne wants me to meet with my sister. A sister I have never been close with... I hardly know her...”

“According to Daphne, she seems to be nice,” Brian said, not sure what else to add.

“What if she hates me?” Justin asked quietly, burying his head in Brian's shoulder.

“Doesn't sound like it from what Daphne has said.”

“It's my fault the crown will now come to her. It's my fault that she will now have to become queen one day. It was never supposed to be her. It was always supposed to be me and now I am getting out of it and the whole responsibility is pushed into her lap. This was never supposed to be her life,” Justin said, sounding more and more agitated. “You heard Daphne... she's not happy about it...”

“Hey, calm down,” Brian said, then turned slightly, so he could look at Justin. “Remember what we talked about a long time ago? You are responsible for your own happiness. You can choose what you want your life to be like. It's your life, your choices. And the same goes for Molly. It's her life and if she's not happy about this, she can make the appropriate decisions for her life.”

Justin sighed. “Brian, it's not that easy... I dumped the burden of the crown into her lap and she has no choice but to take it. If she doesn't accept the crown... there will be no one...”

“I don't believe that,” Brian said, looking at Justin intently. “I am sure there must be some uncle, cousin or whatever who would be next in line to the throne.”

Justin rolled his eyes. “Yeah, but it wouldn't be from our family... not the direct line that my parents, my grandparents, my great-grandparents are part of...”

“Still, there would be someone else to take the crown if Molly didn't want it. She has a choice as well, Justin. Maybe she just needs to hear from you to realize it.”

“I don't know,” Justin shook his head slowly. “We were never close... I don't think she would just want to hear my opinion now, all of a sudden.”

“According to Daphne, she's smart. Maybe she realized how much your mother sucks and is now looking for a way out as well. You did it. You found your way out. Maybe she just needs some help.”

Justin shook his head and smiled at Brian. “You would love that, wouldn't you? To see the whole legacy of my family break down like that?”

“You know that Americans have never had a good relationship with royalty. We have a very troubled history with people that wear crowns.”

Justin saw that Brian was mostly joking, saw the smirk when he had spoken and couldn't help but laugh.

“I know of one American that has a very good relationship with a royal,” he said, leaning in and kissing Brian.

“Former royal,” Brian corrected, then pulled Justin closer. They kissed for a few minutes, then broke apart. Once they were both breathing normally again, Brian spoke again. “Sunshine, you know that Daphne loves you. She wouldn't have brought this up if she wasn't sure that it would be good for you. If she had any doubts about Molly's reasons for reaching out now, she would have been the first to kick your sister's ass and send her back to wherever she came from. Daphne would never risk you getting hurt. You know that.”

Justin nodded, knowing that Brian was right. “I will think about it.”

Now Brian nodded, then pulled Justin close once more and kissed him.

***

 After they had returned to Pittsburgh, Justin hadn't really spoken about his sister anymore. The first two days had been spent with Lizzie, spending time with her and making it up to her that they had gone on a trip without her and then the palace had released the statement about Justin not returning to his royal duties and no longer being a member of the royal family.

Once again their lives had become public property and the press had contacted them for statements. It had been an endless amount of calls and emails from the press and even though Justin had announced that he would not comment on  anything beyond the statement that had been released, it had taken almost a week before the press had finally gotten the hint that there would be no statement from him, Brian or Daphne.

It took a couple more days before things quieted down again and their lives slowly went back to what had become their normal.

Justin got back into his work for the GLC, got back into his campaigning and slowly, but surely Brian got his sunshine back.

It did him good to see Justin happy and relaxed again and to once more see him invested in the causes that mattered to him.

He had almost forgotten about the conversation they had had about Molly in Washington and was more than surprised when Justin mentioned her again weeks later.

“I have reached out to her earlier today.”

“You did?” Brian clearly hadn't expected to hear that.

Justin nodded. “I asked Daphne for her number and sent her a message.”

“And?”

“She replied. She sounded nice enough, asked if I was okay after the last few weeks, asked if there was anything she could do to help.”

“Okay,” Brian said, watching Justin closely.

“I have told her that we can meet, if she wants to,” Justin said next. “She said she would love to.”

“That sounds good, right?”

Justin nodded. “Her semester is almost over. She is having her finals right now, but things will be quieter in a couple of weeks. We decided to meet then.”

“That sounds good,” Brian said, pulling Justin close. “Maybe Daphne was right and she really just wants a relationship with her big brother.”

“Will you come along when I meet with her?” Justin asked next and that question really surprised Brian, if he was honest.

“Shouldn't you meet with her in private? Just the two of you? To talk things over?”

Justin sighed. “I guess yeah... but... I want to see how she reacts to you. I want to see if she means it or not, you know?”

Brian could hear the insecurity in Justin's voice and hated it being there. He wrapped his arms around Justin's midsection and held him close.

“If that's what you want, then I'll be there.”

“Thank you,” Justin whispered, then didn't speak about his sister anymore that day.