Chapter One

Deep down, he’d known they’d never last.  He’d always known that Justin was meant for better things.  How many times had he told Justin that over the years?  That first year “I’m not your lover, I’m not your boyfriend, I’m not even your friend.”    How many times would Justin leave him before he knew it was true. That final night, after Justin had left his bed, Brian laid on top of the rumpled sheets, his soul empty.  Later in the darkened room, he pulled on a pair of jeans, sat at the end of his bed, took a drag on a cigarette and wondered how he was going to go on.

Everyone knows Brian Kinney does not do pity.  It makes his dick soft.  He would manage to get on with his life.  He had Kinnetik to keep him occupied, and then there was Mikey, always telling him he would be forever young, forever beautiful.  Talking him into redoing Babylon, recapturing their youth.

But as the days, weeks, months past a little part of him died.   The only thing that kept him sane was Kinnetik and even lately what with his clients wanting more traditional advertisements over his own sexational ones life was proving downright irritating.    There were days when he wondered if any of it was worth it.

QAF

Cynthia’s cry of “Brian, you need to see this.”  broke through Brian's concentration.  He was looking over two mockups, one displayed what the client wanted, the other what the client needed and he did not appreciate being distracted.

Cynthia stood in the doorway, a look of irritation on her face.  When he didn’t move fast enough she pulled him away and started pushing him down the hallway.

“What the fuck!” Brian exclaimed.  He needed to make a decision soon on which way Kinnetik would head.  Would they remain cutting edge or start playing it safe?  Playing it safe had never felt right with him.  But that was before Justin left for New York. 

Cynthia proved stronger then she looked as she dragged him down the hall.   Brian found it strange that there was none of the usual racket normally heard during working hours.  In fact it was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

They ended up in the coffee room to find everyone gathered around a small TV set.  Most of Kinnetik was gathered; they turned in unison when Brian walked in.  On the screen a building recognizable as one of the twin towers in New York was crashing downward.

“Fuck, what the hell happened?” Brian turned and demanded.

One of the brave ones answered,  “Terrorist.”

“Where?”  Brian’s heart started beating wildly. 

“New York,” was the softly spoken reply.  "The World Trade Center."

Then his brain started kicking in.  Justin was last heard from near Queens.  The news was indicating the target had been the Twin Towers.  If something happened to Justin he’d hear about it.

In the meantime Brian turned back to his employees.  “Somebody get in touch with the national guard.  Find out what we can do to help.  Supplies, medical and otherwise.  Money.  Anything they need, we’ll get.”  Maybe without looking like it, he could locate Justin.

“Yes, sir.”

The employees of Kinnetik stepped up to the plate; they brought in the GLC and the workers from the Vic Grassi House.  Before the week was out they were doing what they could to help the victims’ of terrorism be it New York City, and anywhere else that needed help.

If anyone heard from Justin, nobody told Brian.  He heard whispers that Justin must be dead.  But deep down, something told him it wasn’t true.

Chapter Two

The years went by.  This year was especially the worse.  Brian was kept busy keeping on top of the latest trends in advertising.  There were times when he would have to compromise on a campaign and he fucking hated that.  Mikey, never the best of business men, had let his comic book store run down and expected Brian to bail him out.  His excuse was that Ben needed more of his time, which was bull crap, even the professor admitted that.

The girls, Mel and Linz, weren’t much different.  Tuition had gone up yet again at Gus’ school and something had gone wrong with their station wagon and rather than seeing to it when it first showed up, they had let it go until even replacement parts weren’t the answer.  Gus was apparently in a rebellious stage and Lindsay felt that he needed to go into therapy.  Mel had learned about this wonderful doctor who only charged three hundred and fifty fucking dollars an hour.

Brian was of a mind to tell Mikey that he had made his bed and now had to sleep in it.  That the girls had forced him to sign over his parental rights and therefore he wasn’t obliged to do shit.  But a certain little twink of his acquaintance would pop into his head and against his better judgment he’d give in.

To top that off his loving mother, Joan, along with his sister, no doubt motivated by greed  had filed a suit to take Kinnetik away from him on the basis that because he was gay he was going to hell anyway.  A suit that was so ludicrous that everyone felt sure it would be thrown out of court.  Except for the fact that Joan and Claire had managed to get the attention of the one judge, the judge who had sentence Chris Hobbs to community service for the bashing of one Justin Taylor.  This caused Brian and Kinnetik to waste untold thousands defending themselves against the suit and doing their best to get the judge thrown out as biased.

The icing on the cake was when Ted sat him down and told him that if he didn’t stop being so charitable Kinnetik would soon be in the red.  Brian had already started his career over once and wasn’t really looking forward to doing it again.

At this point he was seriously wondering if he’d been better off fucking ‘em all and ending his life like he’d tried earlier on as James Dean had done.

“Mr. Kinney!  I’m so sorry.  I couldn’t stop her.”  The receptionist apologized.

“Don’t Mister me,” Brian growled.  It was only then that he noticed Daphne Chandler standing next to him and hitting him - hard.

“What the fuck!”  Brian rubbed his upper arm.

“You’ve got to find him.  You’ve got to find him NOW!”  Daphne sounded and looked like a madwoman.

Brian waved his receptionist away.  “What the fuck are you talking about?  Have to find who?”

“Justin, of course,” Daphne cried.  “I need him.”

Brian looked at the Justin’s friend, recognizing the signs of panic that radiated from her.  He gently gathered her to him and automatically began rubbing in a circular motion down her back.    He managed to calm her down somewhat and get her to sit on his couch.   Pouring her a glass of Beam he waited for her to talk.

“I…I’ve been seeing…a…psychiatrist,” Daphne confessed.

“Because of Justin?”

“Noooo,” Daphne wailed, shaking her head vigorously.

Brian cocked an eyebrow.

“It’s got to be Justin.  I’ve got to talk to him.”

Brian didn’t understand.  If it had been anyone else making this request he would have told them to go to hell.  But this was Daphne.  Justin’s best friend. 

“I’ll see what I can do,” he promised, against his better judgment, even though deep down he knew it would do any good.

QAF

It wasn’t easy.  Hiring  a detective, waiting for answers for days, weeks, and months.  Nothing new was coming up.  That didn’t keep Daphne from coming by every week expecting  results.  In was almost as if Justin had slipped off the face of the earth.  Every spot,  every section of New York was delved in to find one lost boy.  Brian felt that the money he put out was wasted, the detectives he hired didn’t know shit on how to find Justin and if he’d had any sense he would have pulled out ages ago.  Nobody knew just how perilously close he was to breaking down.  Once upon a time he could have just let the memory of Justin go and good riddance to him.

Trying to find the little twat was not worth it everybody was telling him.  Then Daphne broke down and told him why she needed Justin so much. 

In spite of all his efforts to look out for number one, he ended up being a confidant of Daphne.   Not because it was the right thing to do, but because she had no one else.  He kept her secret and helped as much as he could because deep down he knew that is what Justin would have wanted.

Daphne had done the unthinkable.  She had unprotected sex with someone.  She was now pregnant, even worse, she'd been diagnosed HIV positive.  She was slowly going out of her mind.

Then one day Daphne, too, disappeared from his life.

Chapter Three

More years pass and the people he thought of as friends went about their lives.  He wasn’t exactly sure when the lifelong friendships he’d had with Michael, Debbie, and the girls had faded, but he suspected it was around the time when extra money was skimpy.

He was just getting back on his feet financially when he got an urgent call from his son.

Meeting Gus in New York had seemed the logical thing.  Business was looking up and Brian was considering opening an office there.  The weather was really cold the day Brian met Gus in New York.  In the last couple of years the two most important things in his life had proven to be Gus and Kinnetik.  He looked at his reflection in the window of one of celebrity designer shops on Madison Ave.    His mohair jacket fitted like the lamb-skinned gloves that were currently thrust into his pockets.  Standing next to him was his son Gus Marcus-Peterson or Peterson-Marcus, depending on how he felt about which parent at the time.   At the tender age of fifteen Gus was just a mere three inches shorter than his dad.

“You’re too young.  Why would you even want to get your own place?”

“You’ve obviously never lived with three women,” Gus countered, distractedly.   

In the mirrored refection of the window and out of the corner of his eye Brian spotted a young child in the middle of the road.  He turned and saw his son dashing into the street into oncoming traffic.  He stood frozen in place, everything moved in slow motion as Gus picked the child up like a football and toss him to someone on the other side of the road.  Breaks squealed, horns were honked as Gus was struck down. 

Brian was at Gus’ side in an instant, taking in the bloodied sight of his son.  “No!  No! No!”  He moaned over and over. 

“I dinna see him.  He run out in front of me,” the taxi driver was telling anyone within listening distance.

Brian ignored him as he scooped his son to him, not paying attention to the blood splattering his coat.  Someone tried to pull him away.

“You shouldn’t move him,” a soft voice informed him.

It was his intention to slap the hand away when he looked up into familiar blue eyes.  Blue eyes that showed no recognition whatsoever.  Brian’s heart skipped a beat.  Justin!  Wrapped tightly in his arm was the little ‘football’ that Gus had tossed.  Brian only had time to notice tightly wound curls and huge brown eyes before he was distracted by the EMS personnel.   Another team was trying to get a look at the kid to make sure he wasn’t badly injured.  Justin didn’t seem to be cooperating.  He was shaking his head vigorously, not letting the kid go.

He tried to keep his eyes on Justin even as he gave Gus’ information to one of the EMS that was not working on his son. 

“What’s his name?”

“Gus…actually Gus Marcus-Peterson.”

“Your name, sir?”

“Kinney.  Brian Kinney.”

“What is your relation to the patient?”

“He’s my son.  Look, can we do twenty questions later.  My son needs a hospital – NOW!”

Gus was strapped onto a gurney and loaded into one of the ambulances.  As Brian climbed after him, he couldn’t help but notice as they closed the door that they had talked Justin into letting the kid be loaded into another ambulance and a sense of dread came over him.  What if they were taken to different hospitals?  He might never find Justin again.

“Fuck this.”  Brian got out of the ambulance and made his way to Justin.  Grabbing both him and the child, he physically dragged them to Gus’ ambulance and pushed them inside.

“Look, mister!  I’m sorry about your son and all, but I can take care of my kid myself.  He’s okay, aren’t you, Dani boy?”  Justin’s eyes blazed with indignation, to Brian’s delight.

“He’s bleeding,” Brian said calmly.

The female EMT, her strawberry blonde hair tied to the back of her neck in a knot, switched her attention from Gus to the small boy on the blond’s lap.  With a little coaxing she managed to get him to let her check his tiny hands that were bleeding from the scrapes. 

“What’s your name, sweetheart?” she asked gently, as he peeked one brown colored eye from his protective spot against Justin’s shoulder.

“Dani, his name is Dani,” came the tentative response from Justin.

“How old are you?” 

He pulled one hand away to proudly display five fingers.

She smiled as she took the small hand back and gently wiped it with some antiseptic wipes.  Dani flinched.  “Sorry it’s going to hurt a little.”  She looked up at the blond holding the boy protectively, the two could not have looked more unlike.  Blond hair, blue eyes, pale skin holding tightly to a little mite of a kid, light brown curly hair, chocolate brown eyes, and café latte skin.   That didn’t mean anything, of course.

“How did this happen?” she asked softly.

Justin looked guilty.  “I just looked away for one second.”

“That can happen.” She smiled understandingly and picked up the chart to fill the paperwork out. “You the father?” 

“Yeah, Jon Smith,” Jon(Justin) responded while Dani nodded his head vigorously, the curls flying. “That’s J-O-N.”

 What the fuck, Brian jerked his head staring hard at Jon(Justin), who shrugged.  “Yeah, I know its cliché.  What can I say?”

“Address.”

Jon(Justin) turned pink.  “Umm.  We’re kinda between homes at the moment.”

Before anymore could be learned, they arrived at the trauma center and Gus was rushed off to emergency.  The technicians said he was stable but that could mean anything.  Brian was torn between keeping track of Jon(Justin) and being with his son.

Fortunately he didn’t have to make a choice, the EMS team plopped Dani on the stretcher with Gus and rushed them through the emergency room doors.  Two nurses were waiting to direct the gurney to one room. One of nurses grabbed Dani in passing and went into the room next door.

At first Brian was afraid to lose sight of Jon(Justin), but when the nurse pulled him out of the room to make sure the information he’d given was accurate, he noticed that Jon(Justin) too was filling out forms.

The nurse helping Brian assured him that when they had any news, they’d come get him.

Only partially relieved, he turned his attention to Jon(Justin).  Justin, or Jon as he was now calling himself, seemed nervous, inching toward and glancing into the room where the little boy was situated.  He also appeared to be arguing with the nurse.  “Look it’s only a couple of scratches and I don’t have insurance.”

Brian moved closer, pulling a credit card out of his wallet and handing it to the nurse.  Jon(Justin) looked on the point of refusing when a small whirlwind came flying through the hallway, streamers of gauze floating behind and hid behind Jon(Justin).

“Come back here, you little imp,” the nurse who had assigned to patch the child up yelled, chasing after him with a pair of scissors in her hand.

Brian automatically stepped between the two, narrowly missing being stabbed.  “What the fuck?”

That brought the nurse up short.

“Mr. Kinney?” 

Brian’s attention immediately shifted to the doctor addressing him.

“Your son may have a fractured femur but we won't know until we take an x-ray.  We’re taking him up to… ” the doctor said, his eyes strayed to Jon(Justin).  He blushed when he noticed Brian glaring at him.  “I've also sent up for a cat scan just to be on the safe side.  He was amazingly lucky, but I want to keep him here for at least twenty-four hours to be sure.”  He looked Brian up and down and smiled.  If Brian hadn’t been so worried about Gus, he might have taken him up on the unspoken offer.  “Nurse Dunbar will let you know when and where.”

The nurse was standing right there and she practically dragged him to an elevator that led to a waiting room.  Brian had one last glimpse of Jon(Justin) before the door shut; Jon(Justin) was giving his sunshine smile to the doctor.

QAF

Brian had just finished talking with Gus’ mothers, an unpleasant task in itself.   They had not known that Gus was in New York, which said much about their current relationship.  Of course they blamed him for everything.  Lindsay was still put out by the lack of financial support they received and Melanie was just bitchy on general principles.  What really pissed him off was the lack of concern they should have had for Gus’ injury.  Since when had Gus become a burden? When he finished, he’d felt like throwing his cell phone against the wall.  ‘Well fuck ‘em’

“Hi,” Jon(Justin) said softly from right in front of him.  His head was tilted to one side and the little boy was sleeping on his shoulder.  “How’s your son?  I’m not sure I ever thanked you properly.”

Jon(Justin) looked as tired as he felt.  So many questions went through his head.  Where had Justin been all this time?  Why was he giving his name as Jon Smith?  And who was the damn kid?  If he didn’t know better…

Brian shook he head.  How would he manage to keep Jon(Justin) close.  Maybe he could guilt him into it.  "Gus may have a broken leg.  I don't know how I'll be able to care for him by myself."  Brian did his best to sound pitiful. 

"What about his mom?"  Jon(Justin) asked. 

Brian sighed.  "She's in Toronto with her lover." 

Jon(Justin) looked suitably shocked, then frowned as he set his son down.  "Did you say Gus?"

Brian's hopes got up.  Was it possible that Jon(Justin) remembered Gus?

Jon(Justin) snickered.   "Tell me you weren't responsible for naming him."

"No, I wasn't"  Brian admitted truthfully, his mind going back to the night of Gus' birth.  "the choices were either Gus or Abraham."

Jon(Justin)'s eyes widened in shock.   He unwittingly repeated the same words he'd said all those years ago.  "He wouldn't have survived a day of school being named Abraham."

"Yeah, right,"  Brian snarked.

Jon(Justin) barked a sharp laugh, then cleared his throat, his face turning red with embarrassment.  "I'll just take Dani and we'll be going."

"Mr. Kinney?  Your son is in a private room now if you'll come this way?  He's may be a little out of it."

Brian was torn.  He wanted to see his son, but he frantically tried to think of some way to keep Jon(Justin) there.  Deep down he knew that if he let Jon(Justin) go now he might never see him again. 

His son won.  With the greatest reluctance he followed the nurse down the hall.  They'd just gotten to the door when he heard the pounding of feet behind them.  Hands gripped his arm and he looked into Jon(Justin)'s terrified face. 

"It's Dani.  I can't find him,"  was Jon(Justin)'s anguished cry.  Brian wanted to grab him and hold him close.

"He's got to be around here somewhere," was Brian's practical advice.  "Let me just check on Gus, then I'll help you look."

He peeked into Gus' room to make sure he was okay.  He blinked in surprise and slowly shut the door.  "Ju ... ah ... Jon, come here please." 

Jon(Justin), who was nervously bouncing from one foot to another desperately wanting to find Dani, frowned but did as Brian asked.  Together the two men pushed open the door to find a somewhat astonished Gus looking at a sleeping Dani lying next to him.  From Gus' expression you could tell he had no idea how the little boy had ended up there.  It quickly changed to a soft smile as he wrapped his arm protectively around the small child before closing his eyes and going to sleep.

"Is there a problem?"  the nurse asked, trying to look around the two men standing in the doorway.

"No, not anymore,"  Brian said, as he caught Jon(Justin), who had sagged in relief.

The nurse shrugged not understanding what was going on.  "The doctor will be in to see Gus in just a little while."

As the door shut behind them, Brian settled Jon(Justin) in the one chair that the room boasted and moved to stand by his sleeping son.  He brushed the long auburn hair back from Gus' face and when his son's eyes opened quietly asked.  "How are you feeling, Sonny Boy?"

A sappy smile appeared on Gus' face.  "Happy, happy."  He looked down at the kid lying on his chest, then back at his dad.  "Can we keep him?"

Brian laughed softly.  "Looks like you're flying higher than a kite."

"Look, just let me take my kid and go,"  Jon(Justin) offered.

All Brian could see was the chance of Jon(Justin) disappearing once again. 

Brian pinched the bridge of his nose.  "Could you do me a favor.  I need to make some arrangements.  Would you mind watching my son.  I don't really want to miss out on seeing the Doc or leave him alone."

He heaved a mental sigh of relief when Jon(Justin) nodded his agreement.  His biggest fear was letting Jon(Justin) disappearing if he let him out of his sight.  He knew deep down that he should call Jennifer and let her know that her baby boy was still alive.  But Jon(Justin) wasn't the same boy, he was now a man who'd been on his own all this time.  Plus he had no memories at all.

He debated what he should do, he knew he had to find some place to stay until Gus was released and hopefully he could talk Jon(Justin) into staying with him.  After all, from the sound of it he was virtually homeless.   He had a inkling of an idea of how he could keep Jon(Justin) close, but it would require keeping him in sight.  It would also call for playing on his guilt.

He placed a call to  Kinnetik and after checking in with Cynthia and learning that all was well, he asked to talk to Ted. 

"Theodore, I need reservations at a hotel close to the hospital and I need it now." 

"On it, Boss.  How's Gus?"

Brian sighed.  "He's fine.  They have him on the good stuff.  His leg is broken, so I'm also going to need alternative transportation back to the Pitts."

"You want me to contact Liberty Air?"

Brian thought about the problems he'd probably have going by plane.  He chewed on his lower lip.  He was pretty sure that Jon(Justin) would refuse tickets for him and Dani.  "No, let's make it ground transportation.  And have someone go by the West Virginia place and freshen it up.  I think it would be better for Gus than staying at the loft."

"No problem."

"Oh, and Theodore?  I don't want anyone to know where we'll be, especially Mikey and Deb."  There was a pause on the line.  He knew that Ted wanted to ask him why.  "I think it would be best for Gus if things were nice and quiet and you know how Deb is."

"Sure thing,  mum's the word."  Ted agreed. "Um, Brian.  It would be a hell of a lot easier if Emmett were in on this.  What with his planning skills."

"Okay.  I'm trusting you with this.  Oh, and the hotel.  I want a suite, two bedrooms."

"Of course.  Give me a sec and I'll be right back with you."  Musak played over the phone line.  Brian seriously considered seeing about changing that when he got back.  True to his word Ted got back to him within minutes with the requested information.

With everything settled he caught the elevator back upstairs.  Gus was out like a light, his mouth open and snoring to beat the band.  Fortunately Jon(Justin) was still there. 

"Thanks for staying with him.  I had a few loose ends to take care of and now I have another problem."

Jon, with Dani in his arms, was inching his to the door.  He stopped at the door and waited.

"I need your help."

Jon hugged Dani tightly to him.  What type of help could he be to this man.  He was everything Jon was not.  Sophisticated, moneyed.  "What can I do?"  he asked, with emphasis on I.

Brian tried for looking embarrassed.    He rolled his lips together.  "It's like this I have to work and I need someone to help with Gus."  Jon(Justin) started to shake his head no so Brian looks pointedly at Dani.  "and since he was injured rescuing your son, I'd hope..."

Jon(Justin) sighed and nodded his agreement, it is the least he can do.

Brian hid his jubilance well, this might work after all, and did his best to herd Jon(Justin) out the door.  "As it is I have a hotel room fairly close by..."   Jon(Justin) looked on the verge of balking once again.  "for Gus and I.  You and your son can use Gus' room."  Jon(Justin) was looking reluctant.  "Unless, of course, you have some place else...to stay."  Brian was fairly certain he didn't.

Chapter Four

Brian opened the door to the hotel room, pleased to see that Theodore had delivered once again.  The main area was large and on the coffee table was a large bowl of fruit.  Brian checked the bedrooms.  One held two double beds, the other a king size bed.  Each had their own bath. 

Jon(Justin) stood in the entrance way, seemingly reluctant to enter.  Brian stooped down to Dani's level.  "Would you like me to order from room service?  A hotdog, perhaps?  Along with a milkshake?  And French fries?"

Dani bobbed his head enthusiastically, making his curls bounce and causing Brian to laugh as he rose and went to the phone to order their food. 

Dani was shoveling French fries into his catsup covered mouth as fast as he could get his little fingers on them.   Jon(Justin) wasn't far behind, though he wasn't as messy as the young child.  Brian was munching on his salad in a more sedate manner.  He sipped his coffee after setting aside the remains of his salad and leaned back in his chair, enjoying the sight of the two eating as if there were no tomorrow. 

Jon(Justin) wiped his mouth after swallowing a huge bite of hamburger.  "Don't you want something besides rabbit food?"

Brian crossed his legs and pulled out a cigarette.  "I have this rule..."

"No carbs after seven," Jon(Justin) finished for him, then paused his expression quizzical.

Brian froze in the act of lighting his cigarette.  "Why did you say that?"

Jon(Justin) shook his head and laughed.  "I not sure.  It just came to me."  Then he looked at Dani, whose eyes were drooping.  "Come on, Little Man.  Let's get you cleaned up and put to bed."  He picked up the small child and carried him into the bedroom.

Brian sat there for a little while, smoking his cigarette and pondering if maybe Jon(Justin) was starting to remember.  Evidentially he took a long, hot shower and mentally reviewed his plans to make sure nothing was left to chance.  Slipping into one of the complimentary robes, he rummaged through his briefcase finding files he needed to look over and plopped down on the bed.

Thirty minutes later the door to his room opened and Jon(Justin) slipped in wearing a fluffy white robe.  His long blond hair was wet, looking almost brown, and his eyes were on Brian ,the tip of his tongue peaked out as he slowly undid the tie revealing nothing underneath.  Talk about deja vu. 

Brian's cock took the time to stand up and take notice.  He was ready to leap from the bed and take advantage of the situation.  But the intervening years had taught him not to think with his cock.  "What are you doing?"

Jon(Justin) turned bright red and quickly covered himself up.  He looked down at the floor.  "Um.  I just thought I'd repay you for the room and the meal."

Brian sighed and got off the bed.  He walked over to Jon(Justin) and lifted his jaw with a finger.  "Jus...Jon, you don't have to pay me back like this.  If it were another time or place I'd be all over you.  As it is I'm desperate, without your help with Gus I don't know what I'd do."

Those blue eyes look him square in the eye and scoffed at him.  "You can't tell me that you don't have someone else you couldn't call on to help.  What about Gus' mother."

Brian backed away and frowned.  "Mothers, as in plural.  They are up in Toronto and they didn't know he was coming to New York.  So I doubt Gus would want them to come and chew him out.  As for someone else.  Yes, but not anyone that could get here in time.  By the time they got here, we could already be back in Pittsburgh."

"Gus has two moms?"  Jon(Justin) asked.  "How did that happen?"

"Well, it's a long story,"  Brian said sitting back on his bed.

Jon(Justin) batted his eyes. "Well we have all night."

No telling where things would have gone if a pair of little feet thundering down the hallway hadn't distracted them. 

QAF

The little boy climbed in between them and snuggled up to Jon(Justin) and Brian couldn't help noticing the difference between Jon's(Justin) pale skin and the boy he claimed was his son's darker skin.   So much had happened in such a short time that he'd never asked.

"So what's your story?"  Brian whispered so as not to awake Dani, who was already in dream land.

"It's not a very long one."  He looked down to make sure his son was still sleeping.  "I woke up one morning in the hospital.  The hospital was ... overwhelmed.  It was a madhouse.  So many people, not so many survivors.  I guess I kinda got lost in the cracks.  Evidently I had no identification on me, so they designated me Jon Smith.  Other then not knowing who I was there was nothing wrong with me.   

I couldn't see staying in a bed when so many others were in need.  So I found some scrubs and helped where I could." Jon(Justin) shrugged.  " I explored the hospital and found the nursery.  They were running short on staff.  They did what they could."  He looked down at his son.  "There was one baby that they seemed to ... not pay too much attention to.  Babies cry, but he didn't.  They told me his mother died giving birth and that he was HIV positive.   They thought he was deaf and that was why he didn't cry.  But he isn't, deaf I mean, I could see that.  Nobody seemed to care for him, so one day I took him and ran."

With that he closed his eyes and fell asleep.  Brian stayed awake for a long while, thinking of what it must have been like, coming to in a hospital and not having anyone to support you.

QAF

The phone rang and a groggy Brian, his eyes still closed, reached over and picked up the receiver.  "Yeah."

"Mr. Kinney?  The vehicle you requested is here."

"Thanks."  Brian tried hanging the phone up and missed.  He opened his eyes just enough to place the receiver back.  He turned over to go back to sleep, then opened his eyes wide.  Lying next to him was a little body flat on his back taking up most of the bed and on the other side of him was Jon(Justin).

Jon(Justin)'s mouth was open, his hair spread across the pillow.  The texture was almost straw like, not the silky strands that Brian remembered.  He'd made good use of the bath, his face showed a slight scattering of whiskers.  The eyes fluttered open and startled blue eyes made it obvious that he wasn't sure where he was.  Hurriedly he scooted off the bed leaving a gap in his robe and ran his hands through his hair.  "Gee, Mr. Kinney.  I'm sorry, I should have returned to the other room with Dani."

Brian gingerly got up so as not to disturb the sleeping boy.  "Hey, none of the mister shit.  It's Brian."  They'd stayed up talking with Brian opening up more about his life then he'd ever done before.  "I'm going to check up on Gus.  See when we can spring him.  They called and said the car is here."

Little Dani sat up and yawned.  Want food, he signed.

Brian raised a brow hoping for a translation.

Jon(Justin) flushed.  "He's hungry."

One thing Brian knew without a shadow of a doubt, was the way to keep Jon(Justin) was to be nice to his son.  Not a difficult task at all.  Chuckling, Brian turned his attention to the small boy and he found the room service menu and passed it over.  "Feel like ordering from room service, Little Man?"

QAF

Snow was pouring down as Brian drove to the hospital.  He had to stop on the way to pick up a special seat for Dani.  Getting Gus discharged was another matter.  They had given him a shot for the pain and he was flying higher than a kite. 

Getting things arranged took time and it was almost noon before they got underway.  The ride was quiet, Gus sleeping and Jon(Justin) keeping watch over Dani in the back.  Brian kept wondering what was going to happen once they got to Pittsburgh and wasn't sure just what to say.  He thought that Jon(Justin) might have questions but he was unusually silent, his eyes looking out the window when they weren't on Dani. 

He didn't mind the quiet so much while they were in the city and he need his concentration for traffic, but once he hit the interstate, it grew a little oppressive.   He used the time to think about what he should do.  Should he have contacted Jon(Justin)'s mother?  For some reason he was reluctant to do that.   If he contacted her, she'd contact Debbie, who in turn would tell Michael. 

Over the years, his and Michael's relationship had soured.  Michael's attitude had become weird.  He tended to side with the Lesbians on every issue and actually looked down his nose on Brian's morals.  It reminded Brian too much of his mother's stance on the subject.  He shivered at the thought.

"You cold?  I can turn on the heat,"  Jon(Justin) asked and reached for the controls.

Brian reached to stop him and felt an electric shock shoot through him.  Jon(Justin) must have felt it too, because he pulled his hand away and looked at Brian strangely. 

"It's not the cold,"  Brian said in way of apology.  "I was just thinking of something."

Jon(Justin) looked at him curiously, he looked like he wanted to ask something, but turned and stared out his window instead, for which Brian was grateful.  The drive continued in companionable silence.

They were almost to Britin when Brian noticed that they were low on gas.  He stopped at the next station and got out.  The weather had gotten chillier and he pulled his coat closer around him grateful for the lambskin gloves he'd worn.  A glance in the windows proved that all the passengers were dozing.   He'd spent a great deal of time deciding what he would do once they got to their destination and was no closer to an answer then when they'd started out.  There were too many variables. 

He'd just finished swiping his card when he felt a hard poke in his back.

"Pass me your money and nobody gets hurt," a harsh voice growled behind him.

Brian was no coward, but he wasn't willing to risk the lives of the people in the car.  As he reached for his wallet, he scanned the area, disappointed to find that they were the only car there.  This was the last time he'd do self service.  He closed his eyes as he held the wallet up. 

"Ack!"

Brian turned just in time to see his would be mugger flying through the air.  Then a blond whirlwind kicked the gun from the thugs hand and followed it with another kick to the chin, knocking him out completely.

Jon(Justin) looked up at Brian who stood there holding out his wallet.  "Fill the tank and let's get out of here."

Brian was in shock, but he did as he was asked.  He supposed that Jon(Justin) would have had to develop some sort of survival skills to last this long alone in the Big Apple.  When he finally managed to slide back into the car, Jon(Justin) refused to look at him.  Thankfully it appeared that the kids had slept through the whole thing.  Putting the car in gear, Brian pulled away from the station, giving one last look through the rearview mirror.   Was he mistaken that the weapon was no longer lying there? 

Chapter Five

Twenty minutes later they were pulling up to the estate.  Brian spent most of that time thinking of how he should handle things.  He knew he should have told Jon(Justin) that they knew each other, but he'd wanted to get a fresh start.  He feared Jon(Justin) learning about their relationship from any of his so-called friends.  Jon(Justin) had straightened when they reached the road.  "Damn, that place is huge."  He finally turned to Brian when he turned into the driveway.  "Just how rich are you?"

Brian wasn't really listening, he frowned as he noticed a car sitting in the driveway.  No one was supposed to be there.  A sigh of relief escaped when he realized that it was Emmett, who was getting ready to leave.  Truthfully he thought Emmett would have finished by now.  He thought he'd have more time.

One thing he knew for sure was that curious Emmett would not be leaving once he got a look at Brian's passenger.   An estimate that proved accurate when Emmett shut the door of his car and sauntered over to where Brian had parked.

"And just who do we have here?"  Emmett asked as he caught a glimpse of someone in the front seat.  Brian hurriedly got out and pulled Emmett aside, his face pleading.  Emmett got a better look when Jon(Justin) got out on his side and opened the back door to help Dani out of the car seat.

"Isn't that...," Emmett started to say, but Brian squeezed his arm tighter, shook his head and brought him around to where Jon(Justin) was standing with Dani. 

He muttered, "I'll explain later.  Just don't say anything to anyone.  Please."  Then he turned to Jon(Justin) and smiled.  He was just on the point of introducing them when Gus woke up and spotted Emmett.

"Hi, Aunty Em,"  Gus sang. "What brings you here?"

Jon gave Brian a WTF look.

Em bent down and looked into the SUV with  amusement.  "Hi, sweetie.  A little bird told me ya'll need some nourishment, so I stopped by to stock the place up."  He straightened and turned to Jon(Justin) holding out his hand.  "I'm Emmett Honeycutt."

"Jon Smith.  This is my son, Dani."

"Oh, Danny Boy.  The pipes, the pipes are calling,"  Gus sang, feeling no pain.

Dani giggled.  Everyone turned to look in on Gus as he continued his song. 

"Lord, what is he on?  I want some if you have it?"  Emmett asked.  He snuck a peek at little Dani, his mind a swirl with questions.  The kid was definitely cute, but his skin was a light cocoa color.  Just another thing for Brian to explain.  "Let's get you out of here and into the house."

"The hospital gave him something to ease the pain while being transported,"  Brian explained.

"Brrr it's cold.  Let's get him inside.  God, he's grown.   I set up a room downstairs," Emmett informed them.  "It's next to the kitchen, so I think it was the cook's room."  Between the three of them they managed to get Gus into the house and in the bed. 

Emmett happened to catch the little boy tugging at Jon(Justin)  - Jon's - shirt sleeve.  He watched as the little boy signed something.  Was the boy deaf?  Before he could process that, Brian surprised him.

"He just ate an hour ago.  How can he be hungry again?"  Brian interpreted and shook his head, earning him a sunshine smile from Jon(Justin).

"There's a lot of food in the kitchen,"  Emmett informed them before muttering.  "Though I may have underestimated the amount."  He wandered into the kitchen and whipped together a little something fabulous.  Everyone ate while Emmett cleaned up the mess.  Once done, Emmett donned his jacket with flair and said,  "My work here is done.  I will see you tomorrow."  He looked pointedly at Brian before breezing out the door.

QAF

Brian glanced at Jon(Justin), who had a strange look on his face.  "What?" he asked.

Jon(Justin) shrugged.  "He just doesn't seem like the type of person you'd choose for a friend."

Brian wondered just what type of friends Jon(Justin) thought he had.  Emmett was one of those who were obviously gay, swish and all.  Though there was a time when he'd tried to deny his true self.   "He can be as butch as the next guy, but he prefers to let his flame burn bright." 

Jon(Justin) seemed to search for something nice to say.  "He's a good cook."

"That he is."  Brian agreed.

"Hey, anybody out there,"  Gus called from his room.  "Can I have something to eat."

QAF

Brian got up early and took a shower.  As the steamy water flowed over him washing away the soapy suds, thinking of what he should do, needed to do and could do. 

He hadn't been able to sleep much the night before.  Number one on the list was work.  He'd let enough slide while he looked after Gus.  He wasn't looking forward to his talk with Emmett.  He'd known deep down that keeping Jon(Justin) a secret would cost him, but the Jon(Justin) he knew and loved didn't remember him and he feared that well-meaning members of the gang might feel it their duty to inform Jon(Justin) of his past with Brian.  Telling him of a Brian who no longer existed. 

He sighed while he watched in the mirror as he knotted his tie.  Deep down, he knew it was unrealistic of him to think he could turn back the hands of time and change things.  Gone are the days when he would have gone out to Babylon to lose himself, rather then deal with his emotions.

The sooner he talked to Emmett, the sooner he could cut off disaster.  He was walking down the stairs when his nose caught a whiff of fresh coffee.  He followed his nose to the kitchen to find that Jon(Justin) was there, all bright eyed and bushytailed.   His dirty-blond hair was clean and pulled back in a ponytail.  His blue eyes brightened as he poured another cup and held it out for Brian. 

"You didn't have to get up just for me."  Brian said.

Justin laughed.  "I had to get up to fix breakfast for the little one anyways.  After all he hasn't eaten in a couple of hours."

A little whirlwind blew into the kitchen and fastened himself to Brian's leg with enough force to splatter coffee on Brian's suit.  Everyone froze.  Justin snatched Dani up and backed away.  "He didn't mean it," he cried.

Brian looked down at his stained suit.  He rolled his lips inward, before looking at a cringing Jon(Justin).  "That will teach me to dress before I have my breakfast,"  he said calmly as he placed his cup down.  Then before Jon(Justin) could do anything he seized Dani and began tickling him until he was squirming and laughing all at the same time. 

"You might want to stop before he pees,"  Jon (Justin) suggested while giggling.

The look on Brian's face was comical as he held Dani out.

QAF

There was a time when Brian Kinney would have made a big fuss over having his suit dirtied.  This time it was different.  He was calm and unconcerned, after all he had a closet full of clean suits upstairs.

He'd no sooner arrived at Kinnetik, when Cynthia walked over, handed him his mail and announced,  "Emmett Honeycutt is waiting for you in your office."

Brian was not looking forward to this talk.  Resigning himself to his fate, he opened the glass door to his office and stepped inside.  Emmett sat slouched on his couch, a bottle of water at his elbow on the side table.

"You haven't said anything have you?"  Brian asked as he sat at his desk.

"I said I wouldn't,"  Emmett confirmed.  "Now what the fuck is going on?  Why all the secrecy?  That was Justin wasn't it?  Where did you find him?"

Brian wasn't sure what question to answer first.  "He's been in New York."

"This whole time?"  Emmett sat up straight to asked.

Brian nodded.  "You'll remember the mess New York was in.  Somehow he got lost in the cracks.  Not only that, he doesn't remember anything.  Not me, not you, nothing."  He looked down at his hands, then because he needed to unburden himself he started from the beginning , reliving everything that had happened.   "As for the secrecy, I was hoping..."

Emmett nodded thoughtfully.  "To start over from scratch?  That would explain why you didn't want certain people knowing."  He leaned over to place his hand over Brian's.  "But, Sweetie, you can't keep him locked away.  Eventually it's going to get out."  He pulled back.  "At the very least you've got to let his mom know.  If you want my opinion, for what it's worth,  I think you should to tell him the truth."  Slowly Emmett got up and slung his bag over his head.  "I couldn't help but notice that Gus was a little light in the clothing department.  Should I pick up a few items for him, like pj's?"

Brian reached into his pocket for his wallet and withdrew a credit card.  Gus had shown up in New  York with just a backpack and no telling where that was now.  In all the excitement, it had been left behind.  "Yeah.  Do me a favor and get a few things for Justin and Dani while you're at it."

"Will do.   Well, with two more mouths to feed than what I thought,  I'd better do some more grocery shopping for you as well.  If I remember rightly Justin loved to eat and I suppose that's one thing that's not changed.  Anything else I can do to help in any other way, just give me a call."

Brian was busy tackling his mail and didn't see the sympathetic look Emmett gave him as he flounced out the door.

Unfortunately, Emmett's advice stayed with him long after he was gone.  Brian squeezed the bridge of his nose as the headache that had been just below the surface got worse.  He tried to review the files on his desk, but found he couldn't concentrate.  Beyond getting Justin back in his life, Brian hadn't really thought things out.

Long gone were the days when he would keep his problems to himself.  Also gone were the days when he would have confided in his best friend Michael.  Deep down he knew that Mikey had other people and places to occupy his thoughts, his husband, his daughter, even his store, that he was no longer at the top of Mikey's list.   He could still count on Mikey to come rescue him if he got too soused.  He'd also have to listen as Mikey griped about his lifestyle, even if he no longer had that lifestyle.   Sadly enough, it was Mikey's still misguided sense of protecting Brian that kept Brian from confiding in him.

Technically he'd thought that he could get Jon(Justin) to fall in love again.  The him that he was now, not the asshole he'd been then.  It shouldn't be hard, especially since he hadn't been trying before.  Now he saw how unrealistic that was.  Emmett was right, he needed to inform Jennifer that he'd found her son. 

His contemplations came to an end when Cynthia stepped into the room.  She stood in the doorway and was looking at him speculatively.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"You tell me,"  she shot back.

Brian rolled his lips inwards and considered her request.  She had worked for him for years and knew him as well as anyone did and better than most.  If he trusted anyone it was her.  If he told her, he might as well tell Ted.  Ted would find out eventually if he knew Emmett.

"Do me a favor.  Clear our schedules for the next thirty minutes and bring Ted in here with you."

As he waited his colleagues arrival, he stood up and looked out his window and reviewed his morning again.  After changing his coffee-stained suit, he'd dropped in on his son to see how he was doing.  The remains of a substantial breakfast rested on the nightstand.   In one hand he held a piece of toast and in the other, what looked like, a photograph.  Gus had looked puzzled as he held the photo out for Brian to see.

"Isn't this Jon?"  Gus asked.

Brian looked at it, and sat wearily down on the bed.  It was an old picture that had been taken, he couldn't remember where, before Justin had gone missing.  "Where did you get this?" he choked out.

"In the drawer.  Dad?"  Gus questioned.

Brian had no idea how the picture had ended up there.  The old Brian would have told Gus he was a kid and that it wasn't any of his business.  But Gus wasn't a kid anymore and while he might not remember Justin, Justin had been a part of his life when he was younger.   So with many glances at the bedroom door, he brought Gus up-to-date on who Justin was.

"Dad,  you've got to tell him."

QAF

He had taken the picture with him as he left and was studying it when the door opened.  He listened as the door closed.

"Brian, should you even be in today?  Do you think it's a good idea leaving Gus alone?" Ted asked with concern.

Brian was grateful for the worry he detected in Ted's voice.  He turned around and announced.  "Gus is not alone.  Justin is with him."

Ted, who was still standing, sank slowly into his chair, his mouth opened in shock.  Cynthia's brows rose and she looked thoughtful.

"Justin Taylor?  Your Justin?"  Cynthia asked.

Brian nodded. 

"When?  How?  Where?"  Ted seemed to be having trouble wrapping his mind around it, for which Brian couldn't blame him.

"New York."  Brian answered.  Then he quickly brought them up to speed on everything that had happened keeping to the basics.

"New York?  You mean to say he's been in New York all this time and we didn't know?"  Cynthia's voice held indignation.

Ted's face clouded over.  "I can't believe you paid that detective thousands of dollars to keep an eye out for Justin.  He should have been able to find something.  We should demand  a refund."

For the first time Brian smiled at the indignation he heard in Ted's voice.  The next thing he knew he had an armful of Cynthia. 

"I'm so happy for you,"  Cynthia said.  "You cad.  Why haven't you told everyone?"  When she pulled back she looked at Brian and frowned.  Something about the look on his face had her asking, "Why aren't you happy?"

"Yes,  why aren't you shouting the news from the rooftop.  There has got to be more to this than you've said so far,"  Ted tossed out. 

Brian sighed.  Trust Ted to see through him.

"Did I forget to mention that he doesn't remember anything.  He doesn't remember ... me."

"Amnesia?  That explains a lot."  Ted grew thoughtful.  "Emmett knows?"

Brian nodded. "Not by choice.  He happened to be at the house when we pulled up."

"If you want my advice,"  Ted started, then raised his hand to ward off whatever it was Brian was planning to say.  "And I know you don't.  But you might want to tell Justin the truth now, rather than wait and let someone else fill his head with nonsense."

Brian's lips twitched as he tried unsuccessfully to not smile.  In that instance he knew that Ted got it.  He knows their crazy fucked up family.   Ted was right.  If he didn't tell Justin, it would undoubtedly come back to bite him on the ass.  The question was - how?

Chapter Six

Brian arrived home to find Jon(Justin) in the laundry room.  He looked up from putting clothes and the washer and flashed one of his bright smiles.

"Your friend Emmett stopped by.  He brought new clothes and more food,"  Jon(Justin) said brightly.  "I like him." 

A loud crash sounded from another room startled them both. 

"He also bought toys,"  Jon(Justin) groaned as he dashed toward the sound. 

When Brian joined him, Jon(Justin) was kneeling in front of a crestfallen Dani, who stood over a broken lamp with a yellow plastic bat unsuccessfully hidden behind his back. 

An alarmed Gus tried to rise from the sofa.  "It was my fault, Dad.  We were just playing."

Brian stood over the damaged lamp rubbed his chin.  "Hmmm, I never much liked this particular lamp."  His eyes twinkled as he grabbed the culprit and turned him over, his hands tickling until the little one was wiggling and kicking his legs, all the while screeching.

Gus sank back, relieved and somewhat surprised.  While he didn't actually think that his dad would hurt the little guy, he knew how protective he was about his possessions.  The kid stopped and started to sign.

"Hungry are you?"  Brian asked as he turned the child right side up.  The little vixen nodded his head enthusiastically.  "Then I guess we'll have to find something to fill that tummy." Brian looked at Jon(Justin) and was blinded by his smile.

QAF

Brian was going to kill Emmett.   He looked down at his plate of pasta so rich that he knew he would have to run an extra thirty minutes on the treadmill to work off the extra calories and that Emmett was well aware of his rule of not eating carbs after seven. 

"You don't like it?"  Jon(Justin) asked with a frown.

Gus, who was woofing his share down, smirked.  "He's got this weird rule.  No carbs after seven."

Justin leaned to the side and ran an appreciative glance over Brian.  "It's not a bad rule.  Just one that you don't seem to need."

Brian did something he had never done before.  He blushed.  A glance at his son was enough to stop the laughter, but not to stop the tilt of the head aimed at Jon(Justin).  He gave a slight shake of his head, not wanting to start a discussion with Gus and Little Dani sitting there.   He put on a fake smile and shoveled the pasta into his mouth.

Actually the food was rather good.  He let Dani stuff garlic bread into his mouth, savored the salad with its crisp green lettuce, olives, feta cheese and vinaigrette dressing.  The only thing missing was a nice red wine, but with two children at the table, it was probably for the best that none was served.

After eating Brian retreated to his home office and poured himself a glass of Beam.  Jon(Justin) popped in after having cleaned the kitchen and put Dani and Gus down for the night.

"Dani's down and so is Gus.  I'm going to hit the rack.  You need anything?"

Brian went and poured two glasses of Beam and handed one to Jon(Justin).  "Have a seat."

Jon(Justin) took the drink and made himself at home, curling his legs under him Indian style, on the leather sofa.  His boss, for that was how he thought of Brian,  was pacing back and forth and looked troubled.  He began to worry that Dani's  breaking of a lamp was more serious than he'd thought.

Brian couldn't look Justin in the face.  He opened and closed his mouth but nothing came out.  How to tell Justin the truth.  Any of his friends would have been shocked since the Brian of old would have made some sarcastic remark.  He rolled his lips together and pulled the picture out of his pocket, handing it to Jon(Justin) and letting it speak for itself.

Jon blinked and his jaw dropped open.  He looked at Brian, then at the picture, then back at Brian.  "This is me ... us."  Then he got mad.  "You've known who I was this whole time and never said anything?"

Brian could only nod.

"I don't understand.  If you knew where I was, why did you wait so long?"

"It's ... complicated."

Justin jumped up and from the look on Justin's face Brian thought he was going to hit him.  Justin paced back and forth his fists clutched tightly.  His back was turned to Brian and his shoulders were slumped.  Justin's voice cracked as he whispered, "Who am I?"

Brian walked over and turned him around.  His chest tightened as he looked into the tear filled eyes.  "You are Justin Taylor."  He awkwardly wrapped his arms around Justin holding him tightly as the tears began to flow and Justin sobbed.  He could only imagine what it was like for Justin to hear his name after ten years of not knowing it.  Maneuvering him to the couch, Brian rocked him until the sobbing subsided.

"I suppose everyone gave me up for dead."

Brian shook his head.  "Not me.  I've had a detective looking for you ever since the twin towers came down.  It was sheer luck that we met.  When I realized it was you I didn't know what to say, then I thought it might be a second chance for us."

Justin pulled himself away.  "Exactly how well do we know each other?"

"Don't you remember?"  Brian asked hopefully.  Brian had known deep down that Justin's memories wouldn't return with his learning his name.  Indeed he might never regain his memories.

Justin shook his head.  He sat up straight.  His eyes narrowed at Brian.  "Emmett!  He knows."

Brian rolled his lips.  "I asked him not to say anything."

"Why?"

"It's complicated."  How to explain his reasons and make him understand?  "There are so many people involved and I didn't want you to be overwhelmed."

"How very thoughtful of you,"  was Justin's sarcastic reply.

"I thought we'd start with your mother."

Justin perked up.  "I have a mother?"

"Yes and a sister."

"No father?"

"Ah, he's out of the picture."

"Tell me,"  Justin demanded.

"Tomorrow.  You need to get some sleep,"  Brian insisted.

"Okay."  He gave Brian a long thoughtful look.  "In the meantime, how about you showing me just how well you know me."

QAF

And show Justin he did.  It was like the first time.  They undressed and danced around each other, their mouths connecting before Brian had Justin naked and flat on the bed.  No words were said, none were needed.  A gentle push had Justin on his stomach and Brian straddling the back of his thighs.  His hands massaged Justin's shoulders and scooted back, his tongue slowly retracing the path it had taken down to Justin's ass.   Justin's reaction was everything Brian could ask for.

"Now you know what rimming is."  Brian said as Justin relaxed following his orgasm.

When he was able, Justin turned over as much as he could considering Brian was sitting on his legs and smile, maybe not his Sunshine smile, but a pleased one none-the-less.  He ran one hand seductively down Brian's chest then pushed him off before slipping off the bed and reaching for his clothes. 

"Hey!"

"I don't want Dani waking up and not be able to find me,"  Justin informed a disappointed Brian.

Brian snapped his mouth shut.  The old Brian would have said something snarky, but deep down he knew that was not what he wanted Justin to remember about him.  Besides he didn't want Dani waking up scared either.  He'd grown fond of the little shit.

He groaned as he fell back upon his bed, it was going to be another one of those nights.

Brian opened his eyes the next morning to find Dani sitting against the headboard of his bed.  "What are you doing here?"

The little one's fingers were moving a mile a minute and since Brian only knew the sign for hungry he had no idea what the kid was trying to say.  He clasped the flying fingers with one hand and asked,  "Where's your father?"

Dani shrugged.

Brian lifted his head off the pillow.  "What do you mean you don't know."  Hadn't Justin left so Dani wouldn't be scared when he woke up?

Dani pulled his hands away and once again they went flying.

Reaching over the side of his bed, Brian picked up his underwear and slipped them on underneath his sheets.  Snatching up the little one he set out to find out what the problem was.

Sweeping the rug rat up, he headed for the stairs, stopping at the top to look down.  Justin was running from room to room, searching.

"Lose something?" Brian called out.

Justin rushed up the stairs and retrieved his wayward son.  "Where did you find him?"

"In my bed,"  Brian retorted with a smirk.  'Where you should have been',  he thought.

Eyebrows raised, Justin looked Brian up and down.  "You might want to put some clothes on."

Brian gave Justin his tongue in cheek look before heading back to the master bedroom.

"Justin," Brian called out as he adjusted his tie and stomped down the stairs.  He paused at the bottom and looked around before calling out again.  "Justin."

He found everyone in the kitchen and tried once more.  "Justin?"

Justin was dishing up breakfast, the kids sitting at the breakfast area.  Gus nudged Justin with his crutch before using it to point at his dad.  Justin looked contrite.  "Sorry, I'm still getting used to that name."

Brian poured himself a cup of coffee and nodded.  After ten years it was perfectly natural that Justin would have a hard time. 

"I thought I'd call your mother and arrange for the two of you to meet."  Brian suggested.  "Her name is Jennifer and she's a realtor.  Your sister is Molly and she was twelve when you left for New York."

Justin did the math in his head.  That made her twenty-two.  Would she even want to know him.  Then he had another thought.  "Why was I in New York?"

There was so much that Brian didn't want to tell Justin about that.  But he didn't want to lie.  "You paint.  New York is the place to be to get into the art world."

Justin laughed bitterly.  "Do you have any idea how many people come to New York hoping to become the next Picasso?"

Brian took Justin by the hand and led him into the study.  There were several paintings on the walls.  He waved his arm in their direction.  "These are yours."  Going to one of the bookcases, he pulled a large album from one of the shelves, then guiding Justin to the leather sofa he set it on the coffee table.  The last thing he wanted was for Justin to think he never amounted to anything. 

He stood in the doorway for a moment and watched as Justin opened the album and took in the various items carefully placed there.  Items that told the story of Justin's activities once he arrived in New York.  Newspaper clippings, showing his achievements toward his goals.

Justin sat, stared at the pages in the big black binder.  "Shouldn't you be on your way to work?" he asked without looking up.

Brian had walked away, wishing he could stay.  However he had other commitments, things he needed to do.  And Justin was no longer the young kid under a streetlight. 

No amount of delegation would relieve him of a certain amount of paper work, that according to Ted, had to be filled out and signed by a certain date.  Once that was done, he looked through his rolodex, finding the phone number he hadn't needed in the past five years.  Jennifer Taylor's. 

He punched in her number, listening while the phone rang.  On the fourth ring, the phone was answered.

"Hello."

Brian froze.  The voice was not the one he expected.  A voice he'd never thought to hear again. 

"Hello." repeated the voice of Craig Taylor.

Brian cleared his throat.  "May I speak to Jennifer."

"Who is this?"  Craig growled.

"Who is it, Craig?"  Brian heard in the background.  Then Jennifer's voice was on the line.  "Hello, this is Jennifer Taylor."

"Jen, this is Brian, Brian Kinney."

"Oh, hello.  It's been a long time."  Her voice was guarded.

"Yes.  Look, I need to talk with you.  Can we meet for lunch."

"I'm sorry, but I don't think we have anything to talk about."

"It's about Justin."

There was silence on the line.  "Craig.  Would you mind warming up the car?" was heard muffled, then  a few minutes later her voice spoke into the speaker.   "Brian, I loved Justin, but he's gone and I've had to move on with my life.  Please don't call me again."  The speaker thud of a loud snap and then silence.

Brian winched as he held the receiver away.  He'd never considered that she wouldn't want to know Justin was alive.   He settled the handset back on its base and noticed that Ted was standing in front of his desk, a folder in his hands.

"Problem, Boss?"

"That was Jennifer."  He ran a hand over his forehead.

"Oh?"  Ted had only been too glad that Brian wasn't keeping Justin a secret anymore.

"She refuses to talk with me."

"Oh!"  This oh sounding different from the earlier one.  After all this is a surprising development.  His eyebrows rose up before knitting together in puzzlement.  Surely there is something that can be done.

Ted decided it was time for a three way.  Not that kind of three way, get your mind out of the gutter.  Him, Cynthia and Emmett.  He immediately went to Cynthia's office and much to her indignation commandeered her telephone.   Holding up a finger, he proceeded to dial a number for memory.   Once the voice spoke, he swiftly put it on speaker.

"We have a problem."

Judging by the silence on the line and the look of confusion on Cynthia's face, Ted knew he'd have to elaborate.

"Actually Brian has the problem."  When nobody said anything he continued.  "Brian just got off the phone with Justin's mother.  She's refusing to speak with him."

"Why?" sounded in stereo. 

"Who knows.  The thing is we agree she needs to be told and if she won't speak with Brian..." Ted didn't finish his statement.  Silence stayed as each tried to think of a solution.

Emmett was first to speak.  "Jennifer is still a realtor isn't she?  Perhaps if she thought Brian was selling the loft?"

Cynthia looked thoughtful giving Ted hope that they might have found a solution.  "What excuse would he use for selling?"

"Gus?  He needs more room?"  Ted offered.

"That's all well and good, but how do we get Justin to the loft?"  Emmett wanted to know.

"We don't.  I do,"  Brian answered from the doorway.

Ted blanched and he was certain Emmett was doing so as well.

"Cynthia, contact Jennifer and get an appointment to see the loft.  Emmett, could you pick up Justin, Dani and Gus and bring them there?"  The orders were coming fast and furious.  Then he turned to Ted.  "Ted."  Ted seemed to be shaking in his boots.  "Thanks."  Brian gripped Ted shoulder before turning away and walking out the door.

Ted's head went up in shock and a look of pride passed over his face.  His head was held high as he walked out the door after his boss.

QAF

Cynthia waited until Jennifer was at her office to make her call.

"Jennifer Taylor." The voice was professional.

"Hello, Jennifer.  You might not remember me.  I'm Brian's associate."

There was a pause.  "I told Brian..."  Her voice was tinged with anger.

"Are you still a realtor?  Mr. Kinney is interested in selling his home," Cynthia spoke firmly.

"Oh."  Jennifer's answer was soft.   She cleared her throat, then all business she said, "I always thought that he should sell it.   He doesn't need that much space or the memories.   I believe I still have the details on it.  Ah, yes here it is.  Has he made any improvements?  Never mind.   I'll just drive out there and see for myself.  Let me check my calendar.  Yes, I can  be there in thirty minutes."  Click.

Cynthia stared at her receiver, her eyes crossing.  She hadn't been able to get a word in.  It sounded like Jennifer thought she was referring to the house Brian had bought Justin!  Thirty minutes!  Who was Jenn kidding.  It would take at least an hour to get there.  She must have meant she was leaving in thirty minutes.  First things, first.   Cynthia put the receiver back on its base, then re-picked it up and dialed.    

"Emmett Honeycutt."  A deep voice answered.

Cynthia stared at the receiver again.  The voice was too butch.

"Emmett?"

"Oh, Cynthia.  What can I do for you?"  Emmett's voice reverted to its normal pitch.

Cynthia heaved a sigh of relief.  "Emmett, there's been a change of plans."

Chapter Seven

Emmett hung up with a sigh.  He was almost at Britin and the plan had been to pick up Justin, Dani and Gus and take them to the loft.  Oh well, he was nothing if not versatile.  He drove to the back and found Gus and Dani lounging around the pool.  Since the weather was cold, he had to wonder why.

"Someone's using the vacuum,"  Gus explained.

Emmett nodded his head and entered the house.  His ears led him to the room where the sound of the vacuum cleaner emerged.  Justin, his hair pulled back in a ponytail, was running the vacuum over the thick carpet.

"Honey, you do know that Brian uses a cleaning service?"  Emmett asked loudly.

Justin shut off the machine and sank down heavily into the nearest chair.   He shook his head.  "There is so much that I don't know."  He looked at Emmett.  "Can you tell me how we met?"

Emmett paused knowing why Brian didn't want people informing Justin about their relationship.  But he didn't see any harm in telling how they'd met.   He settled down on the couch.  "Well, we were coming out of Babylon."  Then he noticed the confused look on Justin's face and realized that this was going to be more difficult than he thought.  "Babylon is a club.  You know where people go to dance and ... uh ... other things?"

Justin nodded his understanding. 

"Well, Teddy and I, along with Mikey and Brian..."  There was a look of trepidation on Justin's face.  "No, no."  Emmett read the look for what it was and tried to reassure Justin.  "Let me try again.  Ted Schmidt?"  There was no recognition on Justin's face.  Emmett pulled out his cell phone and moved to sit next to Justin.  He pulled up a picture that he'd taken awhile back of the four of them.  "This is Ted.  He's not much to look at, but we've been best friends for years.  He works for Brian, chief financial officer."  Emmett said proudly.  Then he pointed to another dark haired man.  "This is Michael Novotny-Bruckner.  He and Brian have been friends since high school. Mikey considers himself to be Brian's best friend."

Justin's facial expression indicated that there might be a slight glimmer of recognition.  "Anyway, we were leaving Babylon one night and there you were.  All of seventeen.  It was your first time on Liberty Avenue.  That's the gay section of Pittsburgh.  At any rate, you were standing under a street light when Brian saw you."

"How old was Brian?"

Emmett looked around, making sure that Brian was nowhere near.  "He was twenty-nine at the time.  But don't tell anyone I told you."

"Twenty-nine.  That's old."

"How old do you think you are?"

"Twenty-five?"

Emmett shook his head.  "Honey, you were twenty-one when you left for New York.  That was ten years ago."

"Brian said I was in New York to paint, become the next Picasso."  Justin laughed.

Before Emmett could respond they both heard a knock at the front door.  Justin saw the guilty look on Emmett's face and asked,  "You expecting someone?"

QAF

Jennifer Taylor slipped into her car, buckled her seat belt and shifted the car into gear.  She glanced at the passenger seat and smiled.  Her son, looking all of seventeen smiled back.

"I knew he'd wise up one day and put that house on the market again," she confided.  She continued to talk away and if her son didn't say anything she took no notice.  They came to the address she had on file and pulled into the driveway.  Putting on the brakes she looked at the house, then she looked at the picture on the seat beside her.

"It looks like someone is living here,"  Jennifer was puzzled.  She got out of the car and walked to the front door.  Knocking at the door, she looked around noting the cut lawn and trimmed bushes, improvements made since Brian had bought the house. 

The door opened and Emmett Honeycutt smiled his crooked smile and let her in.  "Oh, Emmett?  Do you live here now?"  That was the only explanation she could come up with.  She looked around the foyer and spotted someone else coming out of one of the rooms.  Her Justin, all of seventeen walked over to the young man, smiled at his mother before merging with the young man.

Jennifer Taylor, with her mouth opened, stared then her eyes rolled up and she passed out in a dead faint.

Fortunately Emmett caught her before she hit the floor.  Lifting her into his arms, Emmett carried her into the den, thankful that she didn't weight much.

"Who is she?"  Justin asked.

Settling her onto the leather sofa, Emmett looked at Justin.  "She's your mom."

QAF

Justin bit his thumb as he looked at the woman laying on the sofa.  This is his mother, yet there is no recognition.  She might as well be a stranger.  He glanced at Emmett and noticed that he was on his cell phone.

"Brian's on his way.  Do you think brandy will help?"  Emmett asked as he clicked his phone shut.  He went to Brian's liquor cabinet and poured a glass from the first bottle he came to.  Then he sat on the sofa next to Jennifer and tapped her on the face, calling.  "Jenn, Sweetie.  Wake up."

Jenn's eyes fluttered open.  She looked around wondering where she was, then her eyes landed on Justin.  "Justin,"  she said softly, then swiftly got up, pushing Emmett so that he fell off the sofa.

Justin was backing away, but his mom was too fast for him and she quickly had him in a bear hug.  "My baby boy!" she cooed.

Suddenly she was hit from behind.  She let go of Justin and found a young brown boy attacking her.  Pushing the child away, she shrieked,  "Get away from me, you dirty little boy."

Justin moved and gathered his son to him.  The boy might not be able to talk, but he could hear and if this was his mother, she could just piss off.

Emmett sat on the floor, floored.  He swallowed the drink he'd poured for Jen.  "I think I'll excuse myself,"  he muttered and was out the room in two shakes.

Gus looked like he was ready to swat the stranger with his crutch.

"What the he...heck...is going on?"  Brian asked, mindful of little ears.  "Gus, you and Justin take Dani upstairs." Once that was done Brian turned to Jennifer.  "What the fuck were you thinking?"

"How long have you known, you bastard,"  Jennifer demanded angrily as she poked a finger hard into Brian's chest.

Brian was so shocked by Jennifer's language that he couldn't register the pain.  "Not long.  I tried to tell you..."

Shoving Brian aside Jennifer called, "Justin, Sweetheart.  We need to go home."

"Don't you want to know where he's been these past ten years?"  Brian asked.

"Justin?"  She asked, puzzled.  "Where's Justin?"

Emmett walked down the stairs and came up behind Brian.  "He's in Dani's room and I don't think he's planning on coming down, " he muttered.

Deep down Brian knew something was wrong when the sound of a cell phone ringing had Jennifer searching her handbag and retrieving the object in question.

"What?" she said crossly.

"Jennifer, where are you?" sounded loudly from her phone.

She stood tall and answered.  "Craig, it just so happens that I'm at our son's house."

"How many times do I have to tell you we no longer have a son,"  Craig shouted.  "Did you take your pills.  Take the damn pills now!"

Jennifer rummaged through her bag again and pulled out a prescription bottle.  Her hands were shaky as she pulled the lid off.   The lid flew one way, the pills another.  Jennifer dropped to her knees and whimpered.  She scooped up a couple.

Emmett and Brian exchanged looks.  Brian squatted down beside her.  "Would you like some help?"

"Jenn, who is that?  Is that that bastard Brian Kinney?  You get your ass home now!"

Take the damn pills.  Get your ass home.  Those instructions going back and forth over and over in her head.  The orders so contradictory.   She screamed before falling flat on the floor.

"Oh.  My.  God."  Emmett's hands went to his mouth.

Gus rushed in, as fast as he could on crutches.  "What's going on?"

"Call 911,"  Brian ordered Emmett as he took the bottle from her limp hand.  He glanced at the label, surprised that he recognized the drug as one that Justin took after his release from the hospital for panic attacks, though this was a higher dosage.  He did his best to make her comfortable, stuffing a pillow under her head.  Next he shut off the loud squawking coming from her cell phone.

Emmett immediately put in the call and paced nervously while waiting for the ambulance to arrive. 

"Who is she?"  Gus asked.

Brian rolled his lips inward. Brian rose and blocked his son's view of Jennifer.   "She's Justin's mother."

Gus froze, then he tried to look around his dad.  "What's wrong with her?  Where is Jon?  And Dani?"

He put his hands on Gus' shoulders.  "Last I heard they were heading upstairs.  Would you mind checking on them?"

Jennifer was still unconscious by the time the medics arrived.  After answering all their questions to the best of his ability, they carted her off to the hospital.  Brian had no intention of contacting Craig and letting him know where she was, for all he knew Craig was the source of her breakdown.    He wasn't heartless, he knew that deep down Jennifer's daughter would need to be told.  Just not by him.

Emmett was deeply distraught by the whole episode and refused to drive back to Pittsburgh.  He did, however, agree that Molly needed to be informed and reluctantly suggested that Debbie would be the best person to do so. 

It wasn't what Brian wanted to hear.  He checked in with Cynthia and Ted, updating them both on what happened and was not surprised to find that they agreed with Emmett.  He knew deep down that it meant that he could no longer keep Justin a secret.

QAF

Emmett contacted Debbie, who didn't understand what was going on and demanded to know a number of things. 

"What!"  Debbie shrieked. "You want me to get in touch with Molly?  And tell her that her mother's in the hospital?  I haven't heard from either of them since Justin's funeral.  God, rest his soul."  She broke off to do the sign of the cross.  "This doesn't make any sense.  What was Jennifer doing at Brian's place?"  She didn't wait for a response to her questions, before asking another.  "Why me?"

Emmett let out a sigh.  "Do you honestly think that Brian could do it?"

There was nothing Debbie could say to that.  When he hung up, Emmett was relieved that she agreed.  Emmett glanced at his watch.  It wasn't as late as he thought it was.  With all that had happened, he wasn't about to leave.  If he knew Debbie, and he did, this news would be spread all over the diner.  The last thing he wanted was to have to explain anything about this to Michael.

In the meantime, he needed something to keep him occupied.  Fixing supper might be a good start, since Brian's state-of-the-art kitchen was a delight to cook in.  Before he'd managed to gather the ingredients together when a clatter of little feet sounded on the tile flooring, swiftly followed by clomping noises. 

Little Dani's fingers were flying.  Unfortunately, Emmett couldn't understand any of it.

"I think he's saying he's hungry,"  Gus informed Em.

"I didn't know you could read sign language."

Gus grinned.  "I can't, but I'm getting fluent in Dani."

Emmett nodded, as if he accepted that explanation as truth.  "How would you two like to help me fix a meal?" he asked, which was greeted with enthusiasm by both boys.  He put them to work, Gus slicing and dicing, Dani mixing.  "Where's your dad?" he asked Gus.

Gus shrugged.  "Probably with J."

"J?"  Emmett stopped what he was doing to ask.

"Justin/Jon.  J is just easier."  Gus continued with his chopping.

Emmett rolled his eyes upward, just imagining what was going on upstairs.  He wouldn't be far from wrong.

QAF

Brian pinched the bridge of his nose, then checked his watch.  So much had happened and in such a short time.  He needed to make sure Justin was alright.  He considered sending Emmett up, but could hear him in the kitchen talking with Debbie.  He knew that was asking for trouble.  He looked up the staircase and resigned himself into seeing how Justin was taking things. 

He stopped at the room Justin and Dani were sharing and found his son playing some kind of a board game with Justin's boy.   He appeared to be losing, so Brian quietly shut the door and continued his search.

He didn't intend to search the house for the wayward boy.  Instead he headed for the master to get into something comfortable and managed to find Justin spread out wantonly on his bed fisting his dick.

"Took you long enough to get here." Justin was looking at him through his longish bangs and licking his lips. 

Brian knew deep down that what he wanted to do to Justin wouldn't be a good idea, but Brian was stripped down and on his bed before he knew it.  He may have mellowed with age, however, he still enjoyed sex.  It was like old times.  Their bodies moved together as if no time had passed. 

Brian was at the brink of orgasm when Justin pushed him away so the he lay on his back.  He was all set to complain when Justin sat up and bent over engulfing Brian's cock down to the root in one gulp, surprising the heck out of him.  Justin's blow-job technique had always been top notch.  Brian's mind was on autopilot as he remembered similar incidences in his bed at the loft.  It had been a long time and Brian blacked out as he came.

When he came to Justin was leaning over him, his face full of concern.

"Are you okay?"

"Never better.  You haven't lost your touch, Sunshine,"  Brian said, his tongue nestled in his cheek.

Justin turned beet red.

Brian rolled on his side.   "At least let me return the favor."

Justin looked down, embarrassed and  shook his head, his hair hanging in his face and covered his flaccid cock with his hand.  That didn't stop Brian.

"You're good.  But let me show you how it's done by a master."  Brian took his time, enjoying the feel of Justin's cock in his mouth, the smell that after ten years he craved.  He used his tongue, swept around the head and over the thick vein.  His ears picked up the sharp intake of Justin's breath and he smiled around the morsel in his mouth.  He brought a finger into that mouth making sure it was wet and slid it down, underneath his balls, to Justin's hole.  His finger circled the opening, feeling the ridges and the pulse as it opened and closed. 

The next time it opened Brian slipped his finger in and listened as Justin yelped.  It only took one tap of his finger on the knot inside Justin for the sweet cream he'd been dreaming of to come gushing into his mouth.  Justin's shriek of pleasure was enough to wake the dead and Brian considered the possibility of having the master room sound proofed.

QAF

Meanwhile back in the kitchen the food was in the oven and miraculously the kitchen was clean.  Emmett looked around, satisfied with the results. 

"Gus, go tell your dad foods about to go on the table." Emmett suggested. 

A disgruntled Gus reached for his crutch and was getting up to do just that when a scream of passion floated down so loud that even little Dani perked at the sound.  Gus immediately settled back down.  "Nope, not going there."

To which Emmett had to agree.

Chapter Eight

Brian sat frozen in his chair as he looked over the report Ted had brought in moments ago.    Having given Ted the order to fire the incompetent investigator that had been hired to look for Justin, Theodore had done him proud.  He'd filed a complaint with the board that oversees investigators  and put together a lawsuit to get back all the monies Brian had spent on them over the past ten years.  He'd then vetted another better PI and had him look into Dani's background.

The first thing in the folder was Dani's birth record.  Something he'd learned that Justin didn't have.  There was not much, the child's name was not filled in.  The mother's name was listed as, and in a way he wasn't surprised, Daphne Chandlers.  Somehow, deep down, he'd always known.  Then his eyes moved to the name of father, expecting it to be blank. 

Justin Taylor?

He stared at the writing, then tossed his head back and laughed out loud.  Trust Justin to steal away what was rightfully his.  He looked forward to telling him.

His phone rang and he answered without looking at the caller id, just as Ted and Cynthia showed up at his door.  No doubt wondering what his laughter was all about.

"Asshole, where the fuck is my son,"  shrieked over the phone line, catching him by surprise. 

He looked at the caller id - The Loft - and wondered how Melanie Marcus had gained access to his loft.

Before he could shoot off a smart aleck answer, Ted was there taking the phone from his hand.

"Melanie?  Is that you?"  Ted shrugged at Brian and Cynthia.

"I specifically told that bitch of a receptionist that I wanted to speak with the asshole."

"Calm down, Mel.  Where are you?" Brian pointed to the caller id.  One of Ted's brows went up.

"I'm in Pittsburgh.  I've come to pick up my son, who is not here.  Where the fuck is he?"  Melanie demanded.

Ted was confused.  Did she want to know where Gus was or Brian?  His eyes lit on Brian's calendar.  "Umm, I believe Gus has a doctor's appointment this morning."

Brian sat back in his chair, perfectly content to let Ted take over.  You didn't need a speaker phone to hear Melanie rant.  He let his mind wonder back to the night before and the wonderful sex.  Sex as he hadn't had in ten years.  He wasn't a monk by any means, but sex with anyone besides Justin paled in comparison.

Then he'd done something he's never thought he'd do.  He came clean.  Laid it on the line.  Told Justin what he really felt.  What he'd never told him.  The whole nine yards.  All the times he'd refused to tell Justin he loved him while he declared his mantra.  No excuses, no apologies, no regrets.  He still believed that excuses don't mean shit, but he had plenty of regrets and apologies probably wouldn't cut it. 

When he finally was able to meet the blue eyes, he was surprised when they blinked and Justin told him to go to sleep.  Waking up the next morning, alone, was not the best sign.

Brian came back to earth just as Ted was hanging up the phone.

"She's going to meet us at the diner after Gus' appointment,"  Ted informed him.

Brian felt like banging his head on his desk.  That was the last thing he needed.  He was surprised to find that he didn't want to send his son back with his mothers.  Brian let out a sigh of disgust.  The least he could do was break the news to his son in person.

Luckily Emmett had volunteered to take Gus to his appointment.   As Brian headed to the door to his office, he realized just how much he had started to rely on the gregarious man.  How much having Emmett in his corner meant to him.  The same way that having Cynthia and Ted did.  Suddenly things didn't look so bad.

He turned back, before going out the door.  "If it's not too much trouble, I'd like to see both of you at the diner for this. "  He had the distinct impression that he'd surprised them when both jaws dropped.

"Sure, Boss."  Came two replies in duplicate.

QAF

Brian pushed open the door to the doctor's office, the doctor that had come highly recommended.  He froze in the doorway as his eyes swept over the room, taking in the number of small children as well as the loud noise of children crying.   He wasn't sure what he'd expected , but this was not it.

Just then a tiny torpedo hurled itself across the room and attached itself to his leg.  Brian looked down and couldn't help but smile at the little face turned up to him. 

"Hi, Dad.  I thought you had to work."  Gus, his face alight with delight, hobbled over to Brian.

"Yeah, that was the plan." Brian agreed, but he had to break the news to Gus.  "Your mother called."

Gus seemed to shrivel up on himself.

"She's in town."

Just then the nurse called Gus' name.  He followed her, then turned back around.  "I'm not going back.  You can't make me!" he said angrily with determination before storming off with the nurse.

"Do you think someone should go with him?"  Emmett asked worriedly, his eyes following the young boy.

Brian shook his head no, knowing his son's penchant for being independent.  His attention was diverted when someone kept slapping at his thigh.  He looked down at Little Dani's anxious face, while his fingers were flying a mile a minute.  Brian looked up and found Justin right behind his son.

"He wants to know why Gus is mad."

Brian looked back down at Dani, his mind racing to find a way to explain things so the little one could understand.

"These the same ones who couldn't be bothered to come to New York?"  Justin asked.  "You're not sending him back are you?"

Never had Brian regretted an action as he did now in handing his rights over to the two lezies.   At the time he'd thought he was doing the right thing.

He ran a hand over his forehead.  "I may not have a choice."

Before Justin could ask Brian to explain that, the nurse hurried to Brian's side.  "Mr. Kinney?  Gus is being ... difficult,"  she said in a low voice. 

Brian heard a cell phone ring and Emmett answering, he figured it was probably Ted bringing Em up to date on what's going on, as he followed the nurse to the room his son is occupying.

Gus was slumped on the table, the paper robe he was supposed to be wearing across the room on the floor, wadded up.  "Go away."

It was obvious that Gus was doing his best not to cry and not succeeding.  Brian firmly disliked his son being sad, but didn't know how to help.

"Gus, I understand how you feel.  When the phone rang the last thing I expected was for your mom to be on the line.  She's the last person I wanted to talk with."  Brian sat next to his son on the exam table.

Gus peered at him from beneath his shaggy hair.  "Then why did you?"

That brought Brian up short.  "I didn't.  Your Uncle Ted took the phone from me before I could say anything.  Mel was screaming bloody murder, she sure was pissed."

Gus giggled, the he got somber.  "I don't want to go back to Toronto."

Truth be told Brian didn't want him to go either.  In fact, if he really was the heartless shit everyone claim he was it would never have occurred to him to gather Gus up and hold him.  Before he could act, a little whirlwind blew in with his father close behind.

"I'm sorry,"  Justin apologized, somewhat out of breath.

"Hi, Munchkin."  Gus wiped his nose on his sleeve and smiled down at the little one whose fingers were flying.

Two brows rose over two identical pairs of hazel eyes turned Justin's way wanting a translation.

"He says don't be scared."

Both Brian and Gus looked down at Dani.

"I think he thinks Gus is scared of doctors, like he is."  Justin added.

Gus pulled the small boy, who weighed little, up beside him and hugged him.  "Thanks, Little Buddy."

Brian leaned down and picked up the wadded robe and tossed it to Gus just as Justin came close to take Dani.  "Let him stay.  Your son seems to be a good influence on my son."

Justin appeared reluctant, but he followed Brian out of the room.  "What did you mean, you might not have a choice?"

Brian took a deep breath.  "When Gus was born I was supposed to be the sperm donor and nothing else.  I was supposed to sign my rights away.  You tried to talk me out of it.  Shit, you did talk me out of it.  But the girls split and they were pulling Gus apart.   Lindsay decided she was going to marry this French guy who needed a green card.  He told me I'd have to stay away.  That he planned to adopt my son.  It was one of the few times that Melanie and I really got along.  She said she still loved Lindsay, she loved Gus.  I made a deal with the devil.  They get back together and I'd sign over my rights."

"Does he know?"

"Who knows what the munchers told him," was Brian's bitter reply.

"You should tell him."

Brian nodded his agreement.  "When we're done here I'll have Emmett take you and Dani back to Britin."

"No can do, Bri."  Emmett snapped shut his cell phone.  "I have an invite to the diner.  In fact we all do."

Justin looked from one to the other.  "Should I know this diner?"

Emmett wrapped an arm around Justin's shoulder.  "Honey, you used to work there."

Brain sighed and carefully pried Emmett's arm away. 

"Did I like working there?"  Justin turned to look at Emmett and asked, as if he really wanted to know.

Brian snorted. 

"The tips were good,"  Emmett offered.

For some reason Justin and Emmett seemed to find that funny.  The nurse did not.  She immediately shushed them and made them sit down.

Eventually  Gus, along with a skipping Dani, exited  the examination area.   His foot no longer encased in plaster.   It had been exchanged for a lightweight blue cast and the awkward crutches for a cane.

"What the fuck!"  Brian stared at metal cane.  "You look like a little old lady."

Gus, who'd been so pleased at not need the crutches, was crushed.

"Never mind,"  Brian waved it away.  "We'll get something better before we leave here."  The doctor's office was in a medical building with stores that carried everything you could possibly need. 

Gus brightened up immediately. "One with a sword?" 

QAF

The cane, of course, came without a sword but Gus liked it nevertheless.  It had a one-of-a-kind silver handle on top, which pleased Brian to know end.  It was lightweight, and folded.  The clerk took extra time teaching Gus how to flick the cane open, much to his delight. 

Brian, on the other hand, was worried about the meeting at the diner.  Deep down he knew that it was possible that he would lose both his son and Justin.

They decided that he and Gus would go in first and Emmett, Justin and Dani would follow behind.  It was time to stop running.  Brian took a deep breath and opened the diner door.

"Gus!  It's about damn time."  Melanie.

"Where the fuck have you been?"  Michael.

"What the fuck did you do to Jennifer, Asshole?"  Debbie.

"Gussy!"  J.R.

"Hi, Boss."  Ted.

Gus smiled at his little sister.  She could be a pain in his side, but she always backed him against their mothers.  "Hello, Junior."

"Don't call me that,"  she groused.  While her parents might have thought it cute to use her initials.  Jenny Rebecca found it a pain.  But that was neither here or there, she had so much to tell her big brother.   In her excitement she pulled him aside exposing the people behind him. 

The tray Debbie had been holding hit the floor and Deb would have too if not for Ted.  "Sunshine!" she breathed softly, her hands clasped to her chest.

"Maw."  Michael jumped up to rush to his mother's side.  Only then did he see the man who had been standing behind Gus.  "What the fuck!  You're dead!"

Brian moved to one side and watched everyone's reaction.  Jenny Rebecca was jabbering away with her brother.  Cynthia sat on one of the stools near them.  Ted stood by Deb, who appeared to be in shock, Mel sat next to her, her mouth open and her eyes wide.  Ben sat on the other side, his brow raised.  And Mikey, Mikey stood next to the booth, his eyes like saucers.

Emmett stepped over to Justin.  "Justin, this is Michael Novotny-Bruckner, and his mother, Debbie Novotny.  The man hovering over her is Ted Schmidt.  The woman with her mouth open is Gus' mother Melanie Marcus and across from her is Michael's husband Ben Novotny-Bruckner. 

Justin nodded to each in turn as introductions were made.

"The little shit knows very well who we are.  Where the fuck have you been all this time?  Do you know how much money Brian's wasted looking for you?"

Emmett ignored him.  "May I introduce Jon Smith, formerly Justin Taylor, and his son, Dani."  He wrapped an arm around Justin and looked pointedly at Michael.  "And no he doesn't know who you are, he doesn't remember."

"I don't know what kind of game you're playing, you little shit, but you can't fool me."  Michael moved forward, intending to shove Justin in the chest.

Justin pushed Emmett aside and grabbed Mikey's arm, turning his back to him and slinging the man over his shoulder onto the floor.

"Michael!"  Debbie rushed to his side and looked up at Justin, who was poised to defend himself.  "Sunshine, what the fuck is the matter with you."

Grabbing hold of his mother, Michael squawked,  "He attacked me.  You all saw it.  He's dangerous, Brian."

"What I saw was you attacking him first,"  Brian drawled.  "That makes you the aggressor."

Several of the diners nodded their agreement, backing up Brian's assessment.

"Brian Kinney!  You asshole.  How can you say that?  Michael is your oldest friend,"  Debbie snarled. 

Brian's face froze.  His expression one of indifference, as if what she said didn't matter.  Justin saw it, but he didn't believe it. 

Then she turned her attention to Justin, just now noticing his ponytail.  "Sunshine, what the fuck did you do to your hair?"  Then she looked down at the little boy wrapped around Justin's leg.  "Who's the black kid?"

Brian pinched his lips together.  He wanted to lash out at Debbie for her rudeness, but he couldn't very well berate her when he had thought of asking Justin to cut his hair when they first met in New York.  But he didn't like Deb's tone when she asked about Dani.  He held out his hand to the kid, who latched onto him before being pulled up into his arms for protection.

Gus appeared at his side just then and whispered in his ear.  One brow went up and he looked at Jenny Rebecca for confirmation.  Then he looked over at Mel.

"Hey, Mel.  Where's Lindsay?" he asked casually.

All talking stopped to the point that you could hear a pin drop.  Everyone turned and looked at Melanie, who's  lips were pressed tightly together in a grim line.  Everyone turned from paying attention to Justin, to looking at Melanie.  Justin moved beside Brian, giving him his support.

At first it looked like she wasn't going to answer.  She opened her mouth, then shut it.  She face reddened and she sent a nasty glare her daughter's way.  Jenny Rebecca shrank and hid behind her brother.

"Yeah, Mel, where's Lindz?"  Michael asked from his position on the floor, as if the question had just occurred to him.

Ted was helping Debbie off the floor and seating her next to Mel.  "Yeah, Sweetheart.  Where is your better half.  Did the poor thing stay behind in fucking Toronto?"  Deb asked gently, her hand over Mel's.

Mel pulled her hand away.  "Poor!," she snarled.  "The fucking bitch took all our money and skipped.  I don't know where she is and at this point I don't fucking care."  She stared at Brian.  "Someone has to support us and I need Gus home to keep an eye on J.R.."

Mouths were dropping open right and left.

"Why don't you just move back here?  We'll all pitch in to help,"  Emmett suggested.

"Come back to the Pitts with my tail tucked between my legs.  Not no, but hell no."  Mel exploded.

Mikey slid in next to Ben, Justin forgotten.  "You can take Gus back, but why not leave J.R. here.   I've got my rights, after all.  Right, Ben?"

"That's a fucking good idea,"  Deb tossed in with excitement.

"If Jenny stays, I'm staying too,"  Gus argued. 

"Sure.  And where do you plan to sleep?  On the floor?"  Mel sneered.

Gus looked at his father, but kept his mouth shut. 

"You're keeping my daughter over my dead body,"  Mel responded to Michael.  "I'll take you to court too and don't think I'll lose."

Ben frowned and, if Brian didn't know better, seemed less than pleased with the suggestion of their keeping J.R..  He was probably remembering the earlier court battle over custody.

"Not to mention just how do you plan to pay for it.  Your record for supporting our daughter is none too good."

"Brian will pay for it.  Won't you, Bri?"  Mikey declared with confidence.

This was when Cynthia spoke up, "I don't think so, Michael." 

She nodded at a man who'd just entered the diner.  The man tipped his hat to her and walked over to the table that Deb, Melanie, Ben and Mikey sat.  "Melanie Marcus?"

"Who wants to know?" Mel snarked.

The guy handed her an envelope.  "You've been served.  Have a nice day."

"What the fuck?" Melanie said as she opened the bundle.  Once she read it,  Mel screamed at Brian, "You sorry son of a bitch.  You won't get away with this."

Brian looked at Cynthia who was exchanging high fives with Ted.  He had no idea what Mel was talking about.  He wasn't alone.

"Oh, I don't know about that."  Cynthia whistled.  An employee of Kinnetik came out of the kitchen holding a video camera to his face.  "This entire meeting has been recorded."

"She can't do that, can she?"  Deb asked Melanie.  "Isn't it illegal?"

Cynthia walked over to her and waved a sheet of paper in her face.  "The owner of Liberty Diner signed a notarized statement giving us permission." 

Brian was impressed, so it seemed was Justin.  He walked over and held out his hand, his sunshine smile in place.  "Hi.  I'm Jon..."  He looked at Brian.  "I mean Justin."

"Hello, Justin.  We haven't met but I'm Cynthia Moore, Brian's assistant."

Meanwhile Melanie was cursing loudly and trying to climb over Debbie to get at Brian, who had no idea what the summons was all about.

Cynthia turned and took a firm stance in front of Brian and as Melanie got closer she cold-cocked her, knocking her flat on the floor.   Cheers and whistles went up throughout the diner and before long pandemonium reigned.  Cynthia looked down at the unconscious woman as she shook her hand, flexing her fingers.  Taking a bow she herded Brian out the door.  Emmett followed with Justin and Dani, while Ted took charge of Gus and J.R..

Brian pulled everyone to a stop just steps from the door.  "Remind me never to make you angry," he said.  "Just what the fuck was that all about?"

Ted looked around nervously.  "If you don't mind, I think it would be best if we went someplace a bit more private to talk."

"Kinnetik?"  Emmett suggested.

Cynthia shook her head.  "That's the first place they'd look for Brian."

"How about the loft,"  Gus suggested.

Four adults considered that suggestion and nodded.  The group moved on.  Cynthia and Ted led the way, their heads close together as they conspired.  The kids took up the middle, Dani swinging between the two older kids, their voices raised in cheerful laughter.  Brian followed behind with Justin tugging on his jacket.

"What's this loft they're talking about?" he asked.

"It's where I live,"  Brian said aloud, so those in front could hear.  Then having second thoughts.  "I don't know if the loft would be any better.   They'll probably expect us to head there."

They were coming up on the corner where his apartment dwelled.  Cynthia laughed as she dangled a set of keys above her head.  "They'd have to get in first."

Brian's brow rose as she used the key to open the main door to the apartment building.  It was a tight fit, but everyone fitted into the lift to go up to his apartment.

"We had some extra time on our hands before going to the diner,"  Cynthia said into Emmett's back.  "So we had your locks changed."

"You didn't?"  Emmett asked gleefully.  He felt her nod against his back and heard a giggle.  He was fairly sure she'd enjoyed doing it.

Eight people got off the lift.  Brian used the key and punched his security code in the keypad.

"You might want to change that,"  Ted suggested.

Sadly Brian had to agree.  Mikey still had a tendency to drop in at anytime.  He even seemed disappointed when he didn't catch Brian with someone.

He threw the door open with a mighty shove and watched as the crowd poured into the loft before swinging it shut again.  Even though he had a housekeeper who dropped by while he was away, the placed smelled musty to him.

"Hey, there's no food in here,"  Gus griped, glaring at Brian accusingly over the open refrigerator door.

"No coffee either."  Cynthia was busy looking for coffee. 

"Well you know where the phone is,"  Brian snarked.  One good thing about the loft was the vicinity to takeout places.  Brian watched Justin taking in the space as if he'd never seen it before.  He held his breath.

"It's a really nice place.  I like your kitchen, "  Justin said and it's like deja vu.  Nobody else in the room knew that those were the same words he'd used the first time he saw the loft. "Though I don't know why you'd need a place like this when you have that big house?"

Everybody was wondering what Brian's answer was going to be, when they were distracted by Gus's surprised shout.  "Hey, look.  He's still got the Disney DVD's from when I was a kid."

"Aww, how sweet," said Emmett as he hung up the phone, causing Cynthia to giggle.  Little Dani was jumping up and down, obviously wanting to watch one.  He rushed over to Justin, his fingers flying and pulled him over to the TV.  Justin looked back at Brian and shrugged as he was dragged toward the TV.

At least it kept Brian from having to answer and explain that the big house was actually Justin's.  He turned his intimating glare on his employees, soon to be former employees.  "Okay, spill."

Cynthia and Ted exchanged looks and they seemed to be saying more without actually saying anything to each other.  Finally Cynthia heaved a sigh and started.  "After you left to see about Gus, we had a lot of time on our hands."

Brian raised a brow.

"So we got to talking..."  Her explanation seemed to peter out at this point.

"About how Melanie tends to treat you in relation to Gus,"  Ted picked up where Cynthia left off.

"So one thing led to another and I got on the phone with a family lawyer I dated and..."  Once again Cynthia seemed at a loss for words.

Ted supplied, "Once he heard how much you've spent supporting Gus, he said you had a good case."

"You told him my personal financial records?"  Neither employee answered.  Brian ran his hands over his face.  "I can't believe you talked him into filing a suit with the court on such flimsy information?"

"We are very good friends,"  Cynthia answered seductively and batted her eyes.

In spite of the stern look he tried for the quirk of his lips gave Brian away.  He was distracted by Justin, who seemed to be quietly trying to argue with his son.

"No, Dani, you can't watch that one."

Moving closer, he notice that the case was one of the half-dozen porn ones that he owned.  Quickly he gathered them up, struggling with the grip that the little fucker had on the last one.  For someone who couldn't talk he had a way of making himself heard.  The little rug rat refused to let go and when Brian tried to hold it up out of his reach, he hung on kicking his legs making everyone laugh.  Which caused Dani to start crying and everyone glaring at Brian.

Just then the door downstairs buzzed.  Emmett jumped up from the stool where he'd been sitting and hit the button that would open the downstairs door.  "Saved by the bell.  Foods here,"  he sang.

Everyone heard the lift stop at the loft's floor and Emmett slid open the door and was reaching into his pocket for his wallet when Michael plowed into the room.

"Briian!  Something's wrong with the door.  My key wouldn't work.  You need to look into that."

Brian barely refrained from running his hand over his face yet again.  "Mikey, why are you here?"

"I'm here to take my baby girl home."  There was a duh quality to his voice.

J.R. continued to look through the Disney DVD's.  "I'm not leaving, I haven't seen Gus in ages."

"Cupcake, you can't stay in this ... den of iniquity,"  Mikey said secure in the mistaken knowledge that his friends would agree with him.

One brow rose on Brian's face.  He was impressed that Mikey knew the phrase.  He glanced around the room, checking reactions.  Emmett was still by the door, one hand over his mouth, then he remembered that he needed to pay for the food.  Cynthia was shaking her head and Ted was looking out the window.  Justin looked amused and Dani had stopped crying for which Brian was grateful.  J.R. had a duh look on her face and Gus was whispering in her ear.

"I've got rights and they say you're coming home with me, J.R.," Mikey continued.  Then he turned to Brian.  "You made a big mistake pissing Melanie off like that."

Cynthia had enough, she got off the sofa and into Michael's face,  "And you made a mistake coming here.  Leave now!"  She pointed angrily at the door.

"You can't talk to me like that.  Right Brian,"  Michael stuck out his lower lip and turned his puppy dog eyes on Brian.

Brian turned to Cynthia.  "He's right.  I'm the one who should tell him to leave."  Getting a grip on Mikey's arm, he escorted him to the door.  "Ba-bye, Mikey." he said as he slid the door shut.

"Wait, what about J.R.?"  Mikey shouted before the door completely shut.

"Don't worry, you'll see her when she's ready,"  Brian shouted back.  He looked back and shook his head when he found that everyone was attacking the food.

Justin came over and ushered him to his dining table.  "Emmett got you a salad."

Cynthia and Ted joined them at the table while Emmett opted to keep the kids company watching the TV.  Cynthia and Ted immediately started in on things that would need to be done, to which Brian listened with one ear, his attention focused on Justin who was watching Dani.

Following Justin's gaze, Brian couldn't help smiling.  Gus and Jenny were squabbling as only siblings could.  Little Dani was leaning against Emmett's legs, thumb in mouth and eyes wide, and watching Jenny Rebecca as if he'd never seen a girl before.

This brought to mind of how Justin and Dani had been living all these years.  Justin did not like talking about the things he'd had to do to survive and Brian hadn't felt easy about asking what Justin had done to survive not knowing who he was.  As much as Brian wanted to protect Justin and Dani, he didn't know if Justin would let him.

He thought about how his life had changed over the years and how contented he was with his life, especially now that he was reconnecting with Justin.  While his son, Dani, might be considered a nuisance by some, Brian found himself captivated by the young sprout. 

First there were problems.  Mikey for one.  No matter that they'd known each other for over twenty-years.  Michael still seemed to view Brian as almost a super hero, a debouched super hero.  In spite of his marriage to Ben and the lives of his children, J.R. and Hunter, he seemed to feel that he had the right to tell Brian how best to live his life.

Then there were Lindsay and Melanie.  He had no fucking idea what was going on with Lindsay.  As far as Melanie was concerned, he'd thought they'd worked through their animosity years ago.  As long as he continued to support Gus and didn't dictate how they chose to raise him, things had been fine.  But now?  Mel seemed to have gone off the deep end.  He was going to have to find out what was going on from Gus and Jenny.

Then there was Gus.  He loved his son dearly, but he wasn't ready to be a full time dad, to have his personal life curtailed.  Then he remembered the last two weeks and thought to himself, what the fuck? Gus wasn't proving to be the problem that Brian would have considered him to be.

Jenny Rebecca might cause problems.  She wasn't his responsibility in any way, but if Gus didn't mind having her around who was he to oppose?  She might have come with luggage, but he didn't remember seeing any with her.

"Say, Emmett,"  Brian called out.  "Would you mind picking up a few things, clothing wise, for Jenny?"

"It would be my pleasure,"  Emmett said gallantly.

Jenny Rebecca  looked surprised as if she didn't think that Brian would do something like that for her, then she smiled a sweet smile that reminded him of Mikey.  "Thank you," she said softly as she wrapped her arms around his neck in a hug.

Brian awkwardly patted her back while Gus, Cynthia, Ted and Emmett looked on with approval.  Justin was watching his son's fingers which were signing.

"What do you mean I look like a girl?"  Justin asked his son.  Dani pointed to Jenny Rebecca and then to his hair which was pulled back in a ponytail.  With a humph, Justin looked around.  "Anyone know a good barber?"

Chapter Nine

Brian was busy trying to decide which board would best serve the current campaign when he was distracted by a shadow in the office door that he caught out of the corner of his eye.

"May I come in?"  was the soft spoken request.

Brian set aside the boards and leaned back in his chair to study the figure in his doorway.  She was small in stature, her hair a strawberry blonde cut shoulder length.  What gave her identity away were the blue eyes, so like her brother's.  He nodded and waved her toward a chair at the front of his desk.

It was the graceful way she moved when she sat down that clinched it.  There was definitely Jennifer Taylor's influence there.

"I don't suppose you remember me, I'm Molly Taylor and I believe you were a friend of my brother?" she stated.  She twisted her fingers.  "I understand you were the one who called the ambulance for my mother.  Nobody will tell me what happened."

Before Brian could think of an adequate answer a tornado raced through the door and flung himself into Brian's arms.

"I'm sorry, Brian.  He got away from me,"  Justin burst in the room breathlessly. 

Brian's heart almost stopped beating.  The man in the doorway sported a new haircut, the color a shining wheat rather than the dull ponytail that had left the loft,  and looked so much like the Justin he'd met under a streetlight rather than the one who left to go to New York.

Molly rose from her seat, her face drained of color.  "Justin?"

Justin looked at her, then at Brian, and once again back at Molly.  "Mollusk?"

Tears were streaming down her face as she rushed into Justin's arms and he held her, not quite sure what else to do.

With an armful of squirming little boy, Brian herded Justin and Molly to the leather sofa and settled them on it.  In turn he turned the chair that Molly had been sitting in around and sat in it.  Brian held up his hand in the hopes of forestalling Molly, who had an angry look on her face before she could go off on him.

He started by explaining why he'd been in New York in the first place, then the chance meeting with Justin, leaving out the accident.  The painful part came when he explained how Justin introduced himself and that it was then that he realized Justin didn't remember him.  From there he went on to his decision to tell Molly's mother that Justin was alive and her refusal to believe him, leaving out his conversation with Craig and what it resulted in. 

"Why did I call you Mollusk?"  Justin asked.

That was when Brian realized that Justin hadn't regained him memories.

"That was your nickname for me,"  Molly said sadly, her eyes misting up. 

Justin felt bad, but he was worried that Molly might react the same way that the woman who was his mother had.

Little Dani squirmed his way off of Brian's lap and went to claim his rightful place next to his father.

"And what is your name, Little Man?"  Molly asked with a smile.  Dani covered his eyes and Brian decided to let Justin explain just who Dani was to him.

"His name is Dani Smith.  He's my son."  Justin said defensively. 

"Your son?"  Molly was shocked to say the least.  She gently uncovered the little boys lovely hazel colored eyes and tilted his head upward.  "He does remind me of Daphne."

Justin looked at Brian.  "Daphne?"

Brian was on the spot.  He'd planned to bring this up at a later time.

"Your best friend since kindergarten,"  Molly said with a duh tone of voice.   She hadn't seen Daphne in ages.  Not since the memorial that had been held for Justin. Suddenly she sensed tension in the room and wasn't sure why.  Justin was alive, everyone should be jumping for joy.  She couldn't help wondering if her father knew.  When her parents had gotten together again, she'd thought it a good thing.  Now she was beginning to wonder.  Judging by Brian's reaction there was obviously more to this story then she knew. 

Reluctantly she rose.  To the little boy next to him she gave a hug.  "It's been a pleasure meeting you.  I can't believe it.  I'm an aunt!" To her brother she said,  "Don't be a stranger." 

Brian got up and offered to walk her to the door.   

"Will he ever remember,"  she asked.

Brian shook his head.  "I don't know.  But I plan to be there for both of them."

Molly smiled and kissed him on the cheek.  "I hope he knows how lucky he is."

"For what it's worth, your mother was talking to Craig on the phone when she collapsed." 

Molly sighed.  Why did things have to be so complicated.

QAF

Things were going well.  Molly soon had come to realize that any mention of Justin to either her mother or father was taboo.   She took solace in keeping in touch with Justin, as well as getting to know her nephew and even took Jenny Rebecca under her wing. 

If Jenny Rebecca thought she was going to be treated like a princess, she was wrong.  Basically they treated her like one of the guys and she was okay with that.  At least she didn't have to listen to sickeningly sweet pet names like those that her dad insisted on using.  Once she stated that she wanted to be called Jenny, that was that.  Any calls from Melanie and Michael were listened to but requests for her to leave Brian's and return to either one were refused.  Why leave a house with a pool and all amenities just to go to empty houses and lectures?

Justin briefly considered going off on his own, but having been homeless for years was reluctant to do so, much to Brian's relief.  It didn't hurt that he could bribe Dani into siding with him.  Justin was learning to know his sister and learning a bit more about what his life was like before his memory was compromised.

For the moment no one knew where Lindsay was and from the looks of it nobody was really missing her.

Melanie on the other hand took the opportunity to file a law suit against Brian.  When it was delivered Brian had a company attorney look it over and he found that it was so convoluted that he truthfully couldn't tell Brian exactly what it was he was being sued for.

"All I can say is that it reads like a nuisance suit and she must know the judge well enough to even have gotten it on the docket."

Brian felt the same way so he didn't take the suit serious.  He wasn't too worried.  Perhaps he should have been.

He figured that he'd go to court, explain the situation, deny the charges and that would be that.  As it turned out Melanie had served the entire family, including Justin.  When Brian got up that day, he found the whole household dressed and ready to go.  Both Gus and Jenny refused to be left behind.

Everyone crowded into the courtroom.  Finding seats was a problem, but Gus and Jenny managed with Carl's help to get seats close to Brian and Justin.   Theirs was not the first case on the docket.  It was forty-five minutes before their case was called and Melanie walked out of the Judge's chamber alone.

Five minutes later everyone was asked to stand as the Judge entered the courtroom, adjusting his robe.  To say the trial was a farce was an understatement.  Melanie called her first witness and was given great latitude with her questions.  If Brian's counsel objected, he was quickly over-ruled. 

It was an all out effort to assassinate Brian Kinney's character.  Most of the family managed to deflect Melanie's question - to a point.  But then she called Michael to the stand.

Before he could leave the stand Jenny Rebecca got up and started yelling.  She let her parents have it with both barrels, then she turned to the Judge and said he might as well send her to jail, that's about as much freedom she'd have if she ended up back with her mom and dad.  Then she delivered the coup de gras.  She'd filmed the entire trial on her camera phone and posted it to YouTube. 

The courtroom was in an uproar and Judge was banging his gavel and demanding to know who the hell she was, and threatening to send her to juvenile detention.  Melanie was mortified and doing her best to placate the Judge, while Michael slunk off the stand and made his escape.

Justin sat in a state of shock.  Brian had told him most of what Michael had revealed, but the man that Justin knew was nothing like that.   Incensed he left his seat catching up with Brian's supposed best friend and snagging him by his arm.

"What the fuck were you thinking,"  Justin hissed.  "You claim you're his best friend."

"I am his best friend.  We've known each other for a long time.  I know him better than anyone,"  Michael claimed.

Justin shook his head.  "I've only known Brian a short time.  He may have been the man you described at one time, but that's not the Brian I know now. "

"What do you know?"  Michael sneered.  "Things were going just fine until you showed up." 

Justin backed away, shocked at the shear venom in Michael's voice.

Why would you say such horrible things about Uncle Brian?"  Jenny Rebecca demanded, coming up behind Justin.

Things had finally started to calm down in the courtroom and she'd hurried to follow Justin, Gus right behind her and Emmett behind him.

"Because they're true,"  said Michael arrogantly, his arms crossed over his chest. "Besides, Baby Girl, you have no idea what's been going on while you were safely up in Toronto."

"Daddy!  Get real,"  Jenny sighed and shook her head sadly.  "You've been caught up in your own little world for so long, that you have no idea what is really going on."

"You're just on his side because he can buy you anything you want,"  Michael barked sullenly.  "I buy you things."

"Yes, frilly dresses and Barbie dolls.  Not things that I want.  Besides Uncle Brian doesn't buy me everything I want.  Just what I need.  And not only that he listens to me, he doesn't just order me around.  He makes suggestions and lets me use my own judgment.  He treats me like a person, not a possession.  He lets me be me."

Michael puffed up with indignation.  "And I don't?"

Jenny rolled her eyes.

"Maybe if you picked up  a phone and called her once in a while,"  Justin suggested, having been privy to Jenny crying late at night.  When he asked about it, she whimpered something about why didn't her parents care.

"Butt out, you little twerp,"  Michael snarled.

"Daddy!"

Gus angrily stepped in between Michael and his daughter and Justin. 

"Better watch it Mikey, it's a good thing Gus got between you two after all it would be a shame if Justin knocked you on your ass again,"  Brian drawled. 

Justin flashed him a sunshine grin.  The thought of going Kung Fu on Michael funny.

"Jenny, perhaps you'd better talk with your ma?"  Brian suggested.  At Jenny's reluctant look, he softened his tone.  "I'll back you whatever you decide."

Jenny squared her shoulders, nodded and marched back into the courtroom.

Brian exchanged a look with Gus and tilted his head in her direction.  With a nod, Gus followed his sister.

"You can't order my daughter about,"  Michael roared.

Jenny turned back around, exasperated.  "Oh Daddy!  Uncle Bri doesn't order me to do anything, he suggests, unlike you."  Shaking her head she continued on her way.

Just then a group of EMT's rushed past Molly as she exited the courtroom with Dani in tow.  Justin hadn't wanted Dani to come to the hearing, but Dani wouldn't hear of being left behind.  For someone who never made a sound he had his ways of making his wishes known. 

Molly offered to watch him, so they sat at the back of the courtroom.  Admittedly she didn't understand what the suit was all about, something to do with the lawyer's daughter and Brian kidnapping her?  But the questions the lady lawyer, Marcus, was asking seemed way out of line.  On more than one occasion she'd had to place her hands over Dani's ears.

When the creepy looking dark-haired guy started spouting off, she'd had to hold Dani back to keep him from rushing to the front and attacking him.  Then the shouting started and Justin left the courtroom.  Dani had wanted to follow, but the Judges face turned red and the next thing anyone knew, he'd collapsed, pandemonium ensued and 911 was called.

The next thing she knew Brian's lawyer was talking to the other lawyer and the case was thrown out.  Brian shook his lawyer's hand, looked over at Attorney Marcus before walking out the courtroom. 

Little Dani wanted to run after Brian, but Molly needed to put up the items she'd brought to keep the young boy occupied while the trial was going on.  She thought she had everything in hand until the little boy in her charge slipped away.

Giving chase, she stopped short and brought her hands to her mouth as Dani ran up to the dark-haired man from the courtroom and kicked him.  Fortunately Brian swept the small boy up, causing the recipient of the kick to glare and limp away. 

Her brother was giving Brian an enormous smile and she realized where the nickname she'd been hearing came from.  Sunshine.

"Penny for your thoughts."   

She turned to find Emmett close.  She rather liked him.  "Who's that nasty little man?" she asked, tilting her chin at the retreating form.

"That's Michael Novotny.  He and Brian go way back, in fact he'll tell anyone who will listen that he is Brian's best friend."

Molly looked at Emmett in shock.   "After what he said about Brian?  With friends like that who needs enemies."

Emmett shrugged.  "Everyone's meeting at the diner.  Want to come?"

After checking to make sure Dani was taken care of Molly nodded her agreement.  This was her first visit to this particular restaurant, though she had heard it mentioned by her mother once or twice over the years.  Her first impression was booths, reminiscence of TV shows she seen depicting the 1950s.  Emmett led her to one of the booths and she sat on the side that gave her a good view of the door. 

A red-headed waitress bustled over to their table.

"Hey, Em.  Who's this?" she asked, smacking her gum.

"Deb, this is Molly Taylor.  Molly, Debbie Novotny,"  Emmett conducted the introductions as Deb passed along menus.

Molly's mouth dropped open.  Was this the little shithead's mother?

Debbie pushed her way into the booth next to Emmett.  "Little Molly!  I haven't seen your mother in ages.  I heard she was in the hospital.  How's she doing?"

"Fine," Molly said, though truth be told, she wasn't sure how her mother was doing.  Her father seemed reluctant to tell her anything.

"I imagine Sunshine's delighted that you can help him remember his past,"  Debbie wanted to know.

"Well actually I can't,"  Molly admitted.  "When I was young I idolized my brother, but one day he was gone and nobody would tell me why or where.  He did come to my birthday party when I was little and brought me a present, when I asked where he'd gone Daddy got mad.  Then the next thing I know Mummy and Daddy were getting a divorce and Daddy said it was Justin's fault.  I didn't even know he was gay until somebody at school said so.   I found a newspaper that gave an account of his bashing, but when I asked Mummy about it, she always said I was too young and she'd explain it later.  Except for the time when he got out of the hospital and came back to live with us in the condo, I really don't know Justin at all."

"That's true,"  Emmett muttered.  He was thinking about the Ethan Gold debacle and the time Justin was into the pink posse.  These he'd learned about from Justin's best friend Daphne before she had disappeared.  He knew better than to bring those things up.  "Deb, could we order now."

"Oh, sure."  Deb stood up and took the be feathered pen from behind her ear.  "What'll it be."

Chapter Ten

Jenny entered the courtroom and found her mother boiling mad and cursing to high heavens. 

"That goddamnsonofabitch!  How does he get away with that shit?"

"I can't believe you.  Mother, do you listen to yourself?"  Jenny stood in front of her mother, her hands on her hips.  "All you ever do is bitch, bitch, bitch."

"Young lady, you can't talk to me like that."  Mel's eyes dried in an instant and glinted angrily.  "I'm your mother."

Jenny took a step back, on the verge of tears.  Her mother on a rampage still intimidated her.  Fortunately Gus had her back.

"Then act like it.  Jen's right all you ever do is complain.  And blame other people.  You treat Jen here like dirt.  It's no wonder she doesn't want to stay with you,"  Gus snapped.

Melanie snarled,  "Like your mother is any better."

"I never said she was.  What I don't understand is why you bothered to have Jenny."

Melanie looked like someone had struck her.

"Come on, Baby Sis.  Let's go find my dad."  Gus wrapped his arm around her and led her away.  Neither one noticed Justin standing behind the door.

Justin walked over to Melanie.  "You're a nasty person."

Melanie looked at him, taking in the shorter hair, the more mature stance.  "Guess you didn't know what a slut Brian is."

"I live in the here and now, without preconceived notions.   I see things as they are.  Brian's not perfect, but then he doesn't have to be.  You on the other hand are a lonely, sad, bitch."

"How dare you!  After all the things we've done for you."

Justin tilted his head to one side, curious.  "Just what did you do for me?"

QAF

Emmett checked his watch yet again. 

Ben and Hunter had been there when they arrived and had nodded cordially to Molly and Emmett when they sat down behind them.  Gus and Jenny rushed in and Jenny gave Ben a hug before moving to sit next to Molly. 

Then Michael had arrived.  He stopped at their table and started in on the cutesy names that seemed to embarrass Jenny before moving to sit with Ben and Hunter.  His loud insistence that he'd only told the truth led to Hunter throwing down his napkin and leaving without finishing his breakfast.  When Michael started blaming Justin for that, Ben got up shaking his head and left as well leaving a shell shocked Michael all alone. 

Then Melanie showed up.  When she looked around and immediately headed for Mikey's table, completely ignoring her daughter, Emmett knew something was wrong.  Jenny looked like she was ready to cry, so Emmett immediately left money on the table and hustled the three kids out.  He had his phone out before he reached the door.

Just then Debbie came bustling out of the diner calling out to Emmett.  She pulled Emmett aside.  "Emmett, you need to know that Melanie was snickering about Justin collapsing in the courtroom."

Emmett supposed that he shouldn't be surprised, but he was.  But then again Melanie had always been Ted's friend more than his.  He bit his lip as he tried to decide what to do.  He needed to find out where Brian and Justin were.  Were they still at the courthouse?  He looked down at his cell phone and dialed Brian, the call going into voice mail.  OMG!  Dani!

All this went through his mind in a flash.  He decided Kinnetik was where he needed to go to find answers.  "Everyone pile into the car."

"Shouldn't we wait for dad?"  Gus asked.

Emmett didn't have an answer for that, he just herded them into the car and headed for Kinnetik, praying that he didn't get into a wreck before they got there.

"Gus, show the girls around,"  Emmett suggested, as he grabbed Cynthia and pulled her toward Ted's office.  The kids looked at each other and followed along, wondering why Emmett was in such a panic.

"What is wrong with you?"  Cynthia said as she jerked her arm away.

"Have you heard from Brian?"  Emmett hissed.

"Yes, Brian.  I have it."  Ted was on his cell phone as he came out of Brian's office.  Looking up he saw just the person he needed.  "Molly, good you're here.  Brian, I have the folder, and Molly.  We'll be there asap."

Ted gathered Molly's hand and started for the door.

"Oh no, you don't, not without us,"  Emmett said and with Gus and Jenny close behind, he followed leaving Cynthia wondering what the hell was going on.

Everyone piled into Ted's car, tight fit that it was. 

"Justin's in the hospital.  Brian doesn't know what happened.  He went looking for him and found him on the floor in the courtroom."

"Melanie knows,"  Emmett mutters.

Ted looked in his rearview mirror.  "What?"

Emmett scooted up so only Ted could hear him.  "Deb said Melanie was gloating about it."

A glance in the mirror reveals Ted's scowl.   Somehow that pleased Emmett though he's not quite sure why.  Maybe it's because he knows Ted has Brian and Justin's back.  "What's in the folder?"

"Dani's birth certificate.  Someone called Child Protection on them."  Ted passed the folder to Molly, who read it her eyes wide.

"Who the fuck would do that?"  Emmett bristled.

Jenny and Gus looked at each other, then intoned in unison.  "Mom."

Molly shook her head.  "My money's on that nasty Michael person."

"There's no sense in speculating until we get there and straighten everything out,"  said Ted.

Emmett leaned back in his seat and sighed.  "You're always the sensible one."

"Steady Teddy," Gus announced, sounding just like his dad that the girls giggled. 

QAF

Finding Brian in the emergency room was not a problem.

"You're not getting the kid and that's final,"  Brian growled at a drably dressed woman, while Dani clung to his neck.

"Really, Mr. Kinney.  Anyone can tell by looking at him that Mr. Taylor is not his father,"  reply the woman, haughtily.

Ted picked up his pace and reached Brian's side, handing him the folder which he in turn passed to the middle-aged lady with the pinched face and horrible taste in glasses. 

Molly reached out for Dani.  "Come to Aunt Molly." 

The little one peeked around Brian's neck and went willingly.

"My apologies, Mr. Kinney.  It would appear our information was incorrect."  She turned and glared at one of the nurses, who was studiously avoiding her gaze before walking away.

Everyone sighed in relief.  Ted and Emmett because they had worried that it might have been Melanie or Michael.  Molly because she knew how upset Justin would be if anything had happened to little Dani.  Just then Dani's stomach growled.

"You hungry, little man?"  Molly asked.

Dani's head bobbed up and down.

"Come on, gang.  Let's all go to the cafeteria and make up for the food we missed at the diner."  Molly suggested.

Brian raised a brow at that information and Emmett said, "I'll explain it later.  But first how's Justin?"

Before Brian could say anything a doctor showed up.  "Who's here for Justin Taylor."

"I am,"  Brian said.  "Is he okay?"

"He's conscious.  Physically he seems fine, but we're still not sure what caused him to collapse."

"Can I see him?"

The doctor nodded and led him away.  He'd only gone a couple of steps when Ted called out.  "Hey, Bri."  Ted reached into his pocket and pulled out an envelope.  "Just in case."

Brian pulled out the papers and recognized them as the POA that he and Justin had filled out before Justin left for New York.  He'd forgotten all about them.  Fortunately Ted hadn't.  With a smile and a "Thank you."  Brian followed the doctor.

"Brian, are you okay?  Did he hurt you?"  Justin asked.  Before Brian could ask who, Justin  was running his hands over Brian's face searching for damage.  "Fuck'n Hobbs!"

Chapter Eleven

Justin head ached.  He opened his eyes to find himself lying on a examination table.  There was no one else in the room, so he settled down and made an effort to remember how he'd ended up in a hospital.  He remembered being surprised when Brian showed up at his prom looking so hot.     He'd given up on having his dream fulfilled and he learned something he never would have thought.  Brian Kinney can dance.  They'd twirled and spun, Brian lifting him in the air.  Ending with that kiss.  Wow.  It was a night he'd never forget.  He had a vague recollection of spotting Chris Hobbs in the parking area with his peripheral vision, and he thought he saw a bat in his hand.  What if he hurt Brian?

"Brian!"  Justin needed to know if Brian was okay.

 A man in green scrubs pulled the curtain that enclosed the area away.  "Ah.  I see you're awake.  How do you feel?"

"Brian!  Where's Brian?"  Justin cried out.

The doctor put his stethoscope in his ears preparatory to beginning his exam.  "Who's Brian."

"My boy...,"  He'd started to say boyfriend, but that wasn't a definition that Brian would go for.  "Ah ... that is ..."

"Tell you what.  Let me finish my exam and then I'll go looking for your Brian.  Okay?"

Justin gave in and laid back down, letting the doctor do his work but having no idea why.  He answered all the doctor's questions not noticing the doctors strange reaction to some of his answers.

Once the doctor left, Justin sat up and looked around.  He felt okay and had no idea why he was in the hospital.   He was considering laying back down when Brian walked through the curtain and  Justin's eyes lit up.  He ran his hands over Brian's face looking for damage.

"Brian, are you okay?  Did he hurt you?"  Justin asked.  "Fuck'n Hobbs!"

Then he stepped back.  "Where's that tux you were wearing?"  He looked down at himself.  "What happened to mine?"

Brian stood there, shocked.  When Justin mentioned Hobbs all Brian could think of was that Justin remembered the prom.  What else did he remember?

Justin wrapped his arms around Brian and laid his head against Brian's chest.  "Can we go to the loft?  Please?"

Brian looked at the doctor who shrugged.

"There's nothing physically wrong with him." 

While the doctor got the paper work together, Brian called Emmett and asked him to take the girls and Dani back to Britin.

"Where's the jeep?"  Justin asked as Brian settled him into his Corvette.  The questions just kept coming as Justin talked a mile a minute, never waiting for an answer.   "Where did you learn to dance like that?  It was ridiculously romantic."  Justin sighed.  "Why are you smiling like that?"

In the elevator, Justin was bouncing off the wall.   He kept chanting, "Fuck me, fuck me, fuck me." as he covered every inch of Brian with kisses.  As when Justin first came into his life, clothes disappeared like magic.  Kisses turned into touches as they laboriously made their way up the steps to the bedroom.

Everything, of course, was not fair sailing.  There had been some changes in the intervening years.

"Brian?  Where are the condoms?" and "Brian?  What happened to the blue lights?"

"Orange is the new blue?"

"Huh."

QAF

All in all though it was a night that Brian had never thought to experience.  Deep down he knew that he should tell Justin the truth, but he couldn't bring himself to do so.   Not until he'd had his fill of the Justin he remembered.

Then the unspeakable happened.  They were down to the last condom.  Brian was pretty worn out by then, so when Justin looked at him with soulful blue eyes and pleaded.  "Brian, could I...?"  Brian sighed and rolled over.  He looked over his shoulder at Justin's shocked face.  He turned back away hiding a smile from his face.  Justin never thought he would do it, the Brian he'd been back then wouldn't have.

He was a little anxious.  The last time he'd done this was just before Justin left for New York.  He gasps as he feels a wet tongue running down his spine.  A pair of hands parted his cheeks and Justin doves in.

In the intervening ten years, Justin talent at rimming had increased dramatically.  His tongue was doing things that had Brian going wild.  "Fuck, Justin, just suit up.   I'm ready."

"Shit." Justin must have been nervous, Brian could hear Justin struggle to open the condom pack.  He reached over his shoulder, letting Justin hand him the condom pack and using his teeth ripped it open before handing it back. 

He heard a snap, something squirted down his crease and he jumped.  "Shit, that's cold."

Justin chuckled.  "Don't worry, it will warm up."

Brian couldn't resist smiling.  He remembered saying the same thing their first time.  He supposed he was expecting fingers next.   That wasn't what he got.   "Ahhh."  It felt like a telephone post.  He'd forgotten just how big Justin was and it had been years since Brian had the pleasure of being on the receiving end. 

The burn soon went away as Justin expertly hit the his prostate on first try.  After the first few thrusts, the burn went away and Brian found himself relaxing and enjoying it.  Chorus's of  'Ohhhhs, and Ahhhs' sounded rhythmically in the open space.  Brian could feel his balls tightening and he was just seconds from blowing when...

"Briaaan.  What the fuck are you doing?"

 Justin let out a huge grunt and collapsed on Brian's back.   He touched his forehead to Brian's back, placing a kiss on one shoulder blade before he pulling out.  The sudden loss causing Brian to hiss in pain.  With a slap on Brian's ass, Justin headed for the bathroom.

Brian laid there for a moment, hoping it was a dream.

"Brian?"

Nope.  No dream.  Brian got up out of bed still naked, his unrelieved cock hanging limp and walked down the steps and into the kitchen.  "Why are you here?"  he asked as he checked the refrigerator for water.

Michael turned away, but snuck peeks at Brian's nude body.  "I wanted to make sure you were okay."

Brian paused and thought about that while taking a sip from the bottle of water.  If Mikey should be worried about anyone, it should be Justin.  "Why wouldn't I be?  As you can see I'm fine."  He spread out his arms giving Mikey a full frontal view.

"I'm your best friend,"  Mikey turned away, doing his best to keep from staring at Brian's naked body.  "Can't you put some clothes on?"

Brian kept his face blank.  Mikey was pissing him off.  He had barged in at a most inopportune time and now he had the nerve to tell him how he should dress?  It wasn't like Mikey to be such a prude or maybe it was.  He and Mikey hadn't been close in years.  He walked to the door and slid it open.  "Leave."

"Briian?"  Mikey moved to the door, he looked back with those puppy dog eyes and not seeing any forgiveness left.

Justin walked down the steps from the bedroom area a sheet wrapped around him like a toga.  "What did he want?"

Brian just shook his head.  All he could think of was the orgasm he'd been denied by Mikey's appearance.

As if reading his mind, Justin sashayed over and slowly dropped to his knees.  Brian's cock was on the rise as he looked down at the face turned upward, the blue eyes wide and the mischievous smile before Justin engulfed him and all was right in Brian Kinney's world.

QAF

"Dani!"

The scream forced Brian out of a sound sleep.  He and Justin had spent the night basically reenacting their many nights spent in the loft.  They had finally fallen asleep after round three.   Fear set in as he found that Justin was no longer lying next to him.   Looking around he spotted Justin searching frantically through the loft.

"Where's my son?"

Brian found his cell phone and dialed Emmett.  He handed the phone to Justin before climbing back into their bed.  Deep down, he'd known there would be a problem and worried about how to explain the years since the bashing to Justin. 

Justin came rushing into the bedroom, hurriedly picking up his clothing almost in tears.  "How could I forget my kid?"

Brian got out of the bed and wrapped his arms around Justin.  "There is no way you would have forgotten the little rug rat.  I would have reintroduced the two of you and you'd have fallen in love with him all over again."  He kissed the top of Justin's head. "Exactly what do you remember?"

"Before or after I got my memory back?"  Justin asked with humor.  Then with a little thought,  "I remember that I decided to check on Jenny and ..." he paused trying to get it straight in his head.  "Melanie, god I can't believe I thought I knew her, she was spewing all kinds of nonsense, supposedly about how you treated me.   After awhile I kept getting pictures in my head, like snapshots, and I thought my head was going to explode."

This was difficult, he remembered his life up to the prom.  Which was more than he'd remembered before. 

"I could clearly see us the night we met.  Christ, I was so scared and trying not to show it.  Then there was you holding a baby.  I remember Gus!  He was so little, but anyone looking at you could tell you cared.  I think I fell in love with you that night even if later you kept trying to throw me out of your life."  He flashed one of his sunshine smiles.  "It didn't work. 

Then I saw you sitting in the chair in my parents living room.  That was when you tried to get me to go back home.  I was this close to staying."  He held his fingers a quarter inch apart.  The memory was as fresh as if it were yesterday.  "But my dad kept saying if I came back, I'd have to forget I was gay."  Justin laughed.  "As if that was going to happen.  I was surprised when you asked me if I was coming with you when you left.  Why did you?"

Back then Brian would never have explained himself.  But this was now.  "Why did I take you home?  I really thought you'd be better living with your parents.  As for why I took you back, I guess I had a problem with you having to deny who you were."

Justin nodded.  "I had a flash of me wearing a white robe.  I think that was when I running away to New York after you threw me out.  I swear I thought I'd locked the door to the loft when I left to go to Molly's birthday.  Honestly."

Brian hugged him close.  "I shouldn't have been such a shit to you."  He wasn't about to remind Justin that if it weren't for Daphne and Debbie, he probably wouldn't have followed Justin to New York and brought him back.  Shit!  How was he going to explain about Daphne? 

Justin frowned.  "Then the picture turned to movies.   I saw you at my prom.  God, you looked hot!  We were dancing.  From there it switched to the parking garage.  I'd said goodbye and was walking away.  I heard you call out my name, I turned, saw Hobbs - then things go black."  Justin sighed, "Who thought giving someone a handjob would get so out of hand.  You were right when you told me I'd made an enemy."

They took a shower together and headed back to Britin and Dani.

The drive back to the mansion started out in silence.  Brian held Justin's hand, something he would have not done in the past and was glad that Justin no longer remembered the those times.

Justin was baring the guilt of having forgotten his son.  The talk over the phone had been counterproductive, since Dani was unable to talk and Emmett could only say that Dani was excited to hear Justin's voice.

"You're being awfully quiet,"  Brian finally spoke.

Justin's mind was elsewhere as he remembered being hit in the head.  From there his next memory is waking up in a hospital in New York City.  Now he had the memories of his mom, his sister, his dad, not to mention the gang. .  He remembered Brian telling him some of what his life before New York had been like.  He wasn't too sure he wanted to remember the four to five years that were missing.   Trying to explain this to Brian, however proved difficult. 

"I'm trying to reconcile the people I know to the people I remember.  Does that make sense?"

Brian shrugged. 

"Damn, I wish I had a sketch pad."

Brian held back a smug smile.  He had a little surprise for Justin when they got home.  And Britin was home, as long as Justin was there.

Justin was out the car almost before it stopped.  He rushed into the house calling, "Dani, Dani!"

Emmett came out of the kitchen, wiping his hands on a dishtowel.  "He's in the den."

With a nod, Justin hurried into the den calling.  "Dani!"

The little boy looked up, gave his dad a Sunshine smile, before going back to his coloring.

Justin stood there, miffed.  "He didn't even miss me."

"Don't be so sure of that,"  Molly said softly from behind him.

Justin turned around, the vision of the little girl he remembered blending with the Molly he'd come to know.  "Molly."  Justin gasped and pulled her into a big hug.

"Lunch is ready,"  Emmett announced.

Little Dani perked up and hurried to the kitchen only stopping long enough to grab Justin by the hand and drag him along too.

Chapter Twelve

That night started the turning point in Justin Taylor's life.  No longer would he have to wonder why no one had seemed to care enough to look for him.  They had.  But integrating everything together was going to take time.

Emmett seeing that he wasn't needed, finally made it to the door.  "I'm so happy for you, Baby,"  Emmett called out around Brian, who walked him to the door and thanked him for all his help.    Another first for the Brian Kinney Justin remembered.  Once Brian managed to shut the door, he turned and leaned against it.  "I thought he'd never fucking leave."  That was more like the Brian everyone knew.

The next thing Justin knew, Brian had his hand and was leading him to a part of the house he'd never seen.  Brian swung open the door and stepped back.  Justin, not knowing what to expect stepped inside .

The inside of the room was filled with light, there were a couple of easels and dozens of canvases in different sizes, as well as tubes of paints in every color imaginable.   A lot of the items he didn't know how to use.   He turn toward Brian who is standing in the doorway, his lips rolled in as if he wasn't sure how Justin was going to take it.

"Well?"

Justin doesn't want to hurt Brian's feelings, but he's not going to lie.  "It's nice.  But I haven't a clue how to use some of this shit."

Brian looked so disappointed that Justin looked around and snatched up a sketch pad and several pencils.  "At least I'll get a lot of use out of these."

Justin was of two minds about his missing years.  From what little he knew, things that Brian had told him, was it worth remembering that time?

Justin wrapped his arms around Brian.  Even after all these years he could read Brian Kinney like a book.  "Thank you."  

QAF

Sadly Brian realized that the lost knowledge was somewhere in Justin's memories.  His still missing memories.  He knew that there was some things that Justin needed to know to understand the dynamics of their 'family', however, there was quite a bit that he'd rather Justin never remember.  Ethan, Stockwell, and Brian's cancer were just a few.  If Brian Kinney ever did regrets, the way he treated Justin during those times were on the top of the list.

He knew he couldn't expect Justin to fall back into his bed, though that was what he wanted more than anything in the world.  However, Justin had Dani to think about.  Something that Brian was all for.  The little kid had gotten under his skin.

Brian had just gotten used to the new Justin, when the Justin he'd first met showed up, horny as ever.  Even so, he was very much surprised that night when Dani pulled his dad into Brian's bedroom and his fingers started flying.

"What's he saying?"  Brian asked and vowed to himself to learn sign language.

"He said I can't sleep in his room anymore, that I had to stay here,"  Justin griped indignantly as Dani left the room.  "He's sharing his room with Gus."

Brian rolled his lips under, doing his best to keep his laughter in.  He knew he liked that boy for some reason.

Dani reentered the room, a bunch of Justin's clothing on hangers in his arm.  He tried to toss it on the bed, missing and again began signing.

"Hey,  you can't tell me what to do," Justin shouted as his son ran from the room giggling.

Brian raised a brow.  He walked over to his walk in closet and opened the double doors wide.  The inside was filled with his designer wardrobe and built in dressers.  "I'd be more than happy to make room for your drawers in my drawers."

QAF

"Are you sure, Brian?"  Justin asked.  Brian's nod of confirmation made him happy.  He well remembered  the days when Brian did his best to toss him aside.    He also remembered the times Brian held him close, refusing to let others near him.  Especially Emmett.

Emmett had always been nice to Justin, but he'd always been more Mikey's friend then Brian's.  This Emmett was more of a friend to Brian now and Justin wondered how that come about.  It was special that Emmett had gone out of his way to befriend Justin's son for which Justin would forever be grateful.

For some reason that sets him off wondering about the other people in the gang.  He'd seen Mikey, who really seemed like he hadn't changed all that much.  Except for the fact that he didn't seem to be acting in Brian's best interest.   

Melanie seemed to have changed the most.  Gone was the loving woman he remembered and in her place was a screaming banshee.  Of Lindsay he'd seen no sign.

Boy, was he going to have a lot to tell Daphne when he saw her.

A pair of arms wrapped around him. 

"Where did you go?" a voice whispered in his ear.

Turning around in those arms, he looked into those hazel eyes .  "Just thinking about our friends and wondering about how much they've changed.  What I've missed."

Brian laughed.  "Trust me, you haven't missed much.  But if you really want to know, I'm more than willing to entertain some pillow talk."

QAF

For so long it had just been him and Dani.  Now he had so much more.  His memories.  Especially his memories of Brian.  Hanging with Brian hadn't always been fun, what with Brian being Brian, but the sex had been great and to be honest the sex was still great. 

But Justin wasn't the same.   His experiences in the Big Apple had changed him.  A lot of what happened to him would forever be unknown to Brian if he had his way.

He'd allowed himself to be talked into coming back to Pittsburgh because he'd felt guilty about Gus' injuries and because he found Brian HOT!  His reasons for staying were his newfound family and friends.  But that did not mean he wanted to be a kept man.  He'd gone into the art studio that Brian had organized for him and tried to do a few things, thinking he might automatically be able to.  Unfortunately, strange as it may be, whatever talent he had possessed was no longer his. 

He began developing closer ties to his younger sister.  Molly truly cared for little Dani, which endeared her more to her brother.  Molly managed to talk her brother into going to see their mother, who by this time was back in her townhouse.

Thanks to Brian's intervention she was off of the medication that Craig had managed to put her on and mostly back to her old self.  Molly had sat her down and explained  how Justin had lost him memories and tried to explain a little about some of his memory returning but a chunk was still missing.

QAF

It was with this in mind that Justin and Dani, along with Molly, stood outside his mother's condo.  Molly smiled encouragingly at her brother and nephew as she rang the bell.  The door opened and Justin could hear his mother's voice call out.  "Who is it, Craig."

"Nobody important,"  Craig called back as he answered the door surprising Justin who automatically stepped back.  He wasn't expecting his dad to be there and wasn't sure if this was a good idea.

"Dad!"  Molly snapped disappointedly.  "Mom, it's me and I have Justin with me."

Jennifer hurried out of the kitchen and pushed Craig aside.  "Justin, Sweetie, lunch is almost ready.  Come in, come in."

She pulled her son in and wrapped her arms around him in a hug that would rival Debbie's.

"Mom,"  Justin croaked, tapping his mom and trying to get her to let him go.

Eventually she loosened her hold on him.  "Oh sorry, Sweetheart."   Grasping him by the hand she led him into the dining room.

"Mom, there's only four place settings,"  Justin pointed out the obvious.  "Don't you need to set another place?"

"I don't see why.   I thought it would be just family,"  Jennifer said blithely totally unaware of the little boy whose hand was tightly held by her son.

"What about Dani?  He is family.  He's my son."

"Oh, posh.  He's a little boy you took in out of the goodness of your heart.  I can call someone from Social Services to take him off your hands in the morning."  Jennifer sat down and started serving the salad.

Justin stood there in shock.  He couldn't believe what he was hearing.  He looked at his sister who looked just as shocked as he was."I don't want someone to take him.  He's my son."

"Justin, sit down.  You have to be sensible.   You're a single man, and once you move in here you won't have a place for him."

"Your mother's right.  The little bastard has no place in this family,"  Craig put in his two cents.  "You won't have to worry about it, your mother and I will take care of it.  I know some people in Family Services."

Dani was clinging tightly to his father.  This was Justin's biggest fear, that someone would take his little boy away. 

"Mother, I'm not moving in here." Justin tried reasoning with her.

"Don't be ridicules.  You have to live somewhere."  Jennifer seemed to have no concept that she was making Justin and Molly very uneasy.

"I have a home.  Britin."  Brian had showed him the deed and explained to him that he'd always have a home.

"Surely he sold that place long ago."  Jennifer argued.  "Yes, you'll come live here and we'll be a happy family again.  Craig, perhaps you could call your friend after we eat.  We might as well get the ball rolling."

Justin blanched, he picked up Dani and backed away.  He was out the door before you could say boo.

"Mother, how could you be so cruel,"  Molly cried as she hurried to catch up with her brother, leaving two astonished parents behind.

Chapter Thirteen

Brian was working late.  All his employees had left for the day.  Brian was doing his best to catch up on certain ads that had slipped through the cracks while he was in New York.    The ads were good, but he wanted great.   Brian was all about the details.

He'd just finished and was putting away the files when his phone rang. 

"Kinney."

"Pop."

"Gus?"  At least he thought it was Gus, but the background noise was so loud he couldn't be sure.

"Pop.  You gotta come home right away.  He's packing his shit."  Gus was in panic mode.

"Who's packing." 

"Justin."

"What the fuck?  Why?" Brian was halfway out the door.  There was a lot of screaming and shouting in the background.

"I don't know.  But you need to hurry."

"Shit.  It will take me thirty minutes.  Can you stall him?"

"I'll do my best." 

A click disconnecting the call sounded just as Brian got into his car and he couldn't help but wonder what the hell was going on.

Brian pulled up to Britin twenty-three minutes later, right behind a waiting cab.  He opened the door to bedlam.  Justin was holding one end of a duffle bag, while Gus and Molly had the other end,  trying their best to get it away from Justin and both were yelling.  Little Dani was on the floor crying.  Jenny Rebecca was hiding at the top of the stairs behind the railing.

"What the fuck is going on?"  Brian shouted.

Everything stopped and things got so quiet you could hear a pin drop.  The duffle was dropped, but Justin grabbed it and his son and made a dash for the door and right into Brian's arms.

"Somebody gonna tell me what's going on?"  Brian asked, his arms tightly around the squirming man.

"It's all my fault,"  Molly wailed.

"It's not your fault.  But I have to go, I can't stay here,"  Justin, even in his panic, refused to let Molly think that.

"Come on, everyone, into my office,"  Brian ordered.

Justin and Gus looked at each other.  What office?

Brian slid aside a panel under the stair case.  He stepped back to let everyone pass and looked up at Jenny.  "You too, Missy."

Everyone scooted down a narrow hallway and into a nice size room.  The room was dark and when Brian turned on the light you could see old wallpaper and an old roll top desk against a wall.  There was also two leather chairs and an old cracked leather sofa.

"Hey, Pop.  I never knew this room was here,"  Gus said.

Brian  smirked.  "The electricians found it when they were doing some electrical work.  I was thinking of making it my hide-a-way."

Brian sat in the wooden high-backed desk chair that went with the desk, Gus and Jenny each took the chairs leaving the sofa for Molly, Dani and Justin. 

Dani went and crawled onto the chair with Gus, while Justin paced back and forth ready to flee. 

Brian reached into the small side drawer and withdrew two folders.  He handed them both to Justin. 

"What're these?"  Justin asked.  He sat next to his sister and opened the top folder.  He read the certificate inside ... twice.  It was Dani's birth certificate and the mother was listed as Daphne Chandlers.  But Dani's mother was dead, that meant that... Daphne was dead?  Tears filled his eyes, he blinked the tears away and read further and gasped.  The name of the father listed was his own. 

Brian rolled his lips together, knowing just what was going through Justin's mind and wishing he could take Justin in his arm and comfort him.  The Brian of old would not have done that being more concerned with other people thought of him.  He gathered Justin in his arms.  "I'm sorry I should have told you sooner."

Gus took it upon himself to silently get everyone else out of the room.

"How long have you known?"  Justin's blue eyes glared.

Brian sighed.  Technically it seemed he hadn't known that long.  Was it only two months ago that Justin had come back into his life?  So much had happen since then.  They had talked about things but never gone into great detail.  "Perhaps it would be better if you read the other folder."

The other folder was so large that Justin had to move to the desk.  Brian watched as Justin went through each page one by one of the file that Ted had thoughtfully compiled.   Mentally he compared the dates with where he'd been at that time and after awhile shoved the file away.

"This doesn't do anything to help me stop them from taking Dani from me,"  he growled.

"They can't.  Your name is on the birth certificate,"  Brian pointed out.

Justin shook his head, the panic setting in again.  "You don't know my father.  He'll find some way around that.  We need to leave, get as far away from here as we can."

"No.  You can stay here and fight."

"With what.  I'm broke and I won't take money from you, not for this."

Brian started to argue, then paused.  Most of his money was tied up in Kinnetik and while he'd do anything to help Justin, it might be a stretch.  "You're not broke.  You have your paintings.  They are worth a pretty penny."

Justin shook his head, "But I can't do more.  I've tried.  Once those are gone I'll be right back where I started."

"You could sell this house.  It's in your name,"  Brian insisted.

"I am not selling your home."  Justin was adamant.

Brian did all he could to prevent himself from growling.  "I won't have you running off just when I've found you again."

"Are you serious?  That's so not like you."

"Very.  Gone are the days when I refused to tell you how I feel."

Justin looked doubtful, then sly.  "Awww, you sooo care about me.  Brian Kinney gives a shit." he sing songed.

Brian pulled Justin into his arms.  "You better believe it."

QAF

The next day Brian woke up in a wonderful mood, in spite of the cramped position he found himself in on the leather sofa, having been assured that Justin and Dani were not going anyplace. 

It had surprised him that, just when they were falling asleep, Justin asked,  "What are we going to do about Jenny?"

"Who?  What?"  Brian's brain wasn't firing on all cylinders.

"You know.  Short girl, brown hair, Gus' sister?  Usually talks a mile a minute, though not lately.  Something's going on with her.  She's been acting awfully strange."  Justin yawned and promptly fell asleep.

The next morning Brian could see what Justin was talking about and soon all eyes were on the young girl. 

"So, Jenny, how's things going?"  Brian asked.

"Fine," she answered quietly, her head down causing her dark hair to hide her face.

"Bullshit,"  Gus responded and hounded his sister until she admitted she'd been to see her mother.  Melanie had blown her cool and shaken Jenny causing bruises.  In the end Jenny was a blubbering mess wrapped in her brother's arms.  Gus' eyes flared angrily, but he bit his tongue.  Little Dani climbed onto her lap and patted her face.

"Someone needs to teach the bitch a lesson,"  Justin muttered, looking as if he would love to be the one to do it.

"She does need help,"  Brian agreed.  He pursed his lips as he got up to leave, stopping to give a kiss to the three men in his life and his son's sister on his way out missing the pleased sunshine smile on Justin's face.

Brian had a plan in mind and Jenny's confession played right into it.  When he got to work he had Cynthia look up the address of an old friend.   He had debated telling Justin of his plans, but decided that it would be wiser to see if it was doable before bringing it up.

Then he did something he thought he'd never do.  He called for an appointment.  Luckily the person he called was agreeable to meeting at Woody's, his old stomping ground.

Brian arrived fashionably late and let his eyes roam the room.  Woody's was quiet, but then it was a little after noon and early for Woody's.  He smiled as he spied the familiar blond head that was so light it was almost white. 

Alex Wilder stood up and reached his hand out to shake hands.

"Thank you for meeting me,"  Brian greeted.  "I would have paid for an office visit."

"It's always a pleasure and a good excuse to get out of the office.  Do you need more help with your young blond?"  Dr. Wilder asked.

Brian smiled and shook his head.  "Not this time.  How did you know he was back?"

"Come on, Brian, that trial was the talk of the gay grapevine.  I'm glad to hear that your little boy lost isn't lost anymore."

"You and me both.  But he's not the one I need advice on this time."  Brian said before placing his order.

"Tell me it isn't about that 'best friend' of yours,"  Alex said sarcastically, before muttering under his breath.  "The sanctimonious prick."

Brian raised a brow wondering what Michael could have done to piss off the good doctor.  "I didn't know you knew Mikey."

"I dropped in at the diner awhile back and the little twerp had the nerve to lecture me on how I run my practice,"  Alex said highly indignant.

Brian burst out laughing.  "Sadly he seems to have gotten worse over the years.  Though I'm sure he could benefit from your expertise."

"Have a little pity.  If it's not Michael or Justin, just who is it?"

"One of my son's mothers.  His sister's birth mother."

A brow went up on Alex's face.  "Not Melanie Marcus?  The dark haired pitbull?"

"That's the one,"  Brian confirmed and proceeded to tell all the problems, including Lindsay's defection and why he needed to be on her good side, if she had one.

Alex listened, then leaned back in his chair and shook his head.  "I don't think I'll be of much help."  At Brian's look of surprise he clarified his statement.  "I'm the wrong sex."

As much as Brian hated to think it, Alex was probably right.

Alex leaned in close.  "But if you want my advice, here's what I think you ought to do."

QAF

Contrary to what everyone thought, Brian Kinney did not hate Melanie Marcus.  True she wasn't one of his favorite people, but the blame for that lay with his supposedly 'best friends'.  Lindsay and Michael had long played on Melanie's insecurities, which resulted in all her snarky remarks toward Brian.

So after his talk with Dr. Wilder, he'd consulted with Ted, who consulted with Blake.  Then he'd contacted his son who bullied his sister into giving him Melanie's location.

That was how he found himself in front of Melanie's door.  After knocking, he turned to look at his companion.  The young woman came highly recommended, but she was so unlike what he expected.  First off, she was half his size and her hair was brown with magenta tips.  Her eyes sparkled and she seemed to be laughing at him.  He was beginning to wonder if it had been a wise decision to bring her along, but Ted's friend had vouched for her.

No one seemed to be answering the door, so he knocked again.  Finally a shuffling sound could be heard along with Melanie's voice, "Hold your fucking horses.  I'm coming."

The door opened and Brian was shocked by what he saw.  Melanie looked like she had just rolled out of bed, in spite of it being afternoon.  Her eyes were red and her hair was all over the place. 

She took one look at who was at her door and growled, "And what the hell do you want?"

Brian felt like sighing.  He didn't want to alienate Melanie with one of the many snarky remarks that he normally would have used.

"May we come in?"  Brian's companion asked.

Melanie squinted.  "Do I know you?"

"I'm Sara Jane Klein.  You used to baby sit me."

Melanie backed away, brought her hand to her messed up hair and pulled her robe closer around her.

Brian closed his eyes.  He wasn't sure what he'd expected to happen, but this was not the way he'd planned for this to go.

"I'm a social worker,"  Sara announced cheerfully.

Melanie's eyes flashed and she turned on Brian.  "You sorry son of a bitch.  You called social services on me?"

"No.  No. No.,"  Brian closed his eyes, not believing any of this.  Swiftly he pushed an unwilling Sara Jane out the door.  Leaning up against the door, he couldn't believe how wrong things had gone.  There was no way Mel would help him now if he couldn't talk his way out of this.   Fucking Blake was certainly going to hear from him, recommending someone that Mel had babysat for?  Unfuckingbelievable.

He turned around.  "Mel, I didn't come here to make you angry."

Melanie crossed her arms over her chest and spat, "Well, you sure as hell managed to do that.  It's bad enough that you've highjacked my kids, you call social services on me."

"I've never kept your kids from you, that was their choice.  Look, I know it's not been easy on you..."

"You don't know shit.  I'm doing just fine."

Brian gripped her shoulders and turned her toward the room's only mirror.  "Sure you are."

Melanie had no choice but to look at herself.  What she saw had her covering her eyes.

"Mel, you've turned into a harpy.  You need help."

"It's not my fault,"  Mel bluthered.

"I didn't say it was."  Brian did something very unBrianlike.  He turned Mel around and hugged her.  "Now get yourself cleaned up and I'll take you to lunch.  I have a proposition for you."  His eyebrows waggled suggestively.

QAF

Twenty minutes later, Brian guided Mel into the same restaurant he'd used when they had discussed the harassment suit that had been filed against him all those years ago

"So tell me, who's suing you this time?" Mel asked snidely as she snapped her cloth napkin and placed it across her lap.

Brian resisted the urge to sigh and waited until their order for drinks was taken before replying.  "Nobody is suing me.   Justin's parents are making waves and talking about having Dani taken away from Justin and placing him with social services.  I was thinking about adopting him."

"The little black kid?  Why would you care what happens to him?  I sure as hell don't."  Mel growled.

All Brian's good intentions fell to the way side at the nasty remarks.  He reached across and squeezed Mel's hand - hard.

Mel tried to pull her hand away.  "Oww, you're hurting me."

"I'll do more than that if you continue to talk shit about Dani,"  Brian hissed.  "Your son loves him, your daughter cares for him and if you want any chance to ..."

At this point the waiter arrived with their drinks.  He must have sensed the tension in the air.  "Is everything all right?"

Brian pulled his hand away as he sat back into his chair.  Melanie, who could have made a stink, took a sip of her drink, smiled and told the man everything was just fine.

They placed their orders and ate in silence.  When Melanie was finished, she wiped her lips, gave a sigh and said.  "Okay, I'll do it."

Brian almost choked on his drink.  He wanted to ask why? 

Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on how you look at it, the waiter showed up with the check.  "Would you care for desert?"  he asked, almost as an afterthought.

Mel looked up at him and smiled.  "Yes, I think I will, what would you recommend."

After picking out the most decadent desert on the menu and handing the menu back to the waiter, Melanie crossed her hands on the table and looked down at them.  "You were right."

Brian's eyebrows rose.  "Right about what?"

"I am turning into a harpy.  I do need help.  I shouldn't let what happen with Linz effect me so much."

"What did happen?"

"Fuck if I know.  We were like two ships passing in the night.  One morning I woke up and she was gone."

"And you have no idea where she is?"

"Haven't a fucking clue.  I've decided that I don't really care.  I need to start taking care of me, do things that I love.   I loved my job, especially keeping straights from taking our children from us." 

Just than the waiter showed up with Mel's desert.  Brian wasn't sure if he could trust her, considering her reaction earlier.  This about face was too abrupt.

Melanie must have seen something in Brian's face.   She deliberately waited until her desert had been served and sampled before saying,  "I'll need a deposit, plus I'll need to talk with Justin."

Brian nodded and got out his cell phone.  "Ted, I need to free up some money to retain Melanie for something I want done."  Ted must have asked how much, because Brian looked at Mel and asked, " $10,000?"

Mel gasped at Brian generosity  and nodded.  It was too much, but this would go a long way to getting her life in order.

"$10,000 to start,"  Brian confirmed before hanging up.   He looked at Mel.  "Are you ready to go?"

Mel hurriedly took a last bite of the sinfully rich chocolate mousse and then licked the spoon.

As Brian pulled into the driveway, he couldn't help but notice that Emmett's car was there.  Heading into the kitchen with Melanie right behind him, he found Em sitting at the counter reading a magazine.

"What brings you here, Honeycutt?"

"Justin wanted me to pick up a few things for him."  Emmett continued to turn the pages.

Brian showed Melanie around the house looking for Justin and not finding him.  Winding up back in the kitchen he asked, "Where the hell is everybody."

Emmett finally glanced up.  "In the game room.  Hi, Mel."

Emmett's answer peaked Brian's curiosity.  There wasn't anything in the game room.  Actually he didn't remember ever being down there.  It took  Brian a moment to remember where the stairs to the game room were. 

The game room was one long room.  The first thing Brian saw was Justin's back.  Never had it been more evident that this was not the young twink that had left for New York.  His shoulders were broader and the tat that he sported made his upper arms look really muscular. He wore nothing but a pair of flowing white pants and was moving in a graceful style that Brian associated with Tai Chi. 

The kids, all of them, were facing him and duplicating his moves the best that they could.  They, too, wore white pants though they had shirts with white belts keeping them closed.

Mel gasped and  Jenny's eyes widened. 

"Mama!" Jenny squeaked.

Justin turned around coming in between Melanie and Jenny, his arms crossed on his chest.  Gus and Little Dani flanked him in identical poses.

"What are you doing here?"  Justin glared at Melanie and demanded.

Brian could tell that Melanie was about to explode.  "I asked her here."

Justin looked incredulous.  "Why?"

"I have something I wanted to hire her for.  Something I need to discuss with you."

Justin closed his eyes and let out a breath of frustration.  "Okay."

Emmett relaxed on the railing taking it all in.  "Kids, why don't we all go upstairs and get some ice-cream."

Loud cheers sounded and everyone raced up the stairs.  Brian noticed that Jenny kept close to the wall and as far from her mother as she could.  Melanie, he noted looked displeased.  Served her right, he thought, the way she'd been acting.  Then Brian looked around the game room area, there weren't even chairs to sit in. 

The best thing to do was to go upstairs.  Brian decided to take them to the secret room and have a little fun with Mel.   He pushed aside the hidden door and ushered her down the short hall to the no-longer secret room.

Melanie scrunched her nose.  "Eww.  What's that funky smell?  Somebody open a window."

Brian smirked, personally he enjoyed the smell.  But the fact was that there were no windows.  Justin giggled and moved to one wall, flicking a switch, surprising Brian.  He'd had no idea the place contained a ventilation system.  It's kind of hard to believe that this Justin giggles, but Brian's heard him when he thinks he's alone with Dani. 

"Have a seat, Mel,"  Brian suggested as he sat at the desk, and dug through one of the drawer to remove the folder that held Dani's information.

Melanie looked around and scrunched her nose.  "Is there any place in here you two haven't gone at it?"

Brian and Justin exchanged looks.   Just the thought of how many places they'd gone at it in this room sent his cock throbbing.  He handed the file to Melanie and pulled Justin into his lap. 

"I asked Melanie here to see about starting adoption proceedings. "  Brian explained.

Justin pushed himself off of Brian's lap and twirled on him, as angry as Brian had ever seen him.  "You're trying to take my son from me too?"

"Damn.  That's not what this is about.  I thought with two parents it would make it harder for someone to take him away."

The expression on Justin's face changed reminding Brian of how Justin was after the bashing.  Shy and unsure.  Justin had stepped back another step.  "You'd do that ... for me?"

Brian gathered Justin into his arms.  "I'm not doing this just for you.  That little squirt has grown on me."

A gagging sound from Melanie broke them apart.

"She's just jealous that she's not getting any,"  Brian whispered into Justin's ear.

"Anyone want ice cream?"  Emmett asked cheerfully as he came through the door, a tray with several bowls in his hands.

Justin brightened up noticeably and grabbed a bowl. 

Emmett offered a bowl to Melanie, who debated then sadly shook her head no.  "Well, missy.  Just what are you doing here?" 

Mel bristled at Emmett's tone and was ready to let him have it when Justin turned around in Brian's arm and broke in. 

"Brian wants to adopt Dani."

Emmett blinked.  Fortunately he was in on all the happenings with Dani and quickly realized how this would benefit everyone.  He rushed over to Justin and wrapped his arms around.  "Oh, baby.  I'm so happy for you." 

As Brian worked diligently to ply Justin from Emmett's grip,  Emmett grew thoughtful.  "It's a wonderful idea, but will it work?"

Three pairs of eyes looked to Melanie.

She shrugged.  "It should work, but something could always go wrong.  It would help if Justin had his own income."

Justin slumped.  He really had no skills.  He couldn't paint.  He'd been living hand to mouth as long as he could remember.  He couldn't do anything.

"It shouldn't be a problem.  Surely your recent pictures would sell fairly well."  Melanie said.

Justin's lower lip quivered.  "I don't remember how!"

Melanie was flabbergasted.  To not remember.  How cruel.  She couldn't imagine herself not being a lawyer, never mind Justin not being an artist. "You don't remember?  Painting was your life."  She moved over and wrapped her arms around him.  "You poor baby."

The next moment she found herself flung away, landing across the room on the floor.  Once she gathered her wits, she looked up to find a little black boy dressed in white glaring down at her, his stance fierce.

"Why you little mmmm."  Whatever Mel meant to say was lost as someone covered her mouth.

"I wouldn't continue with whatever you were about to say if I were you,"  Gus spoke fiercely into her ear.  

He was kneeling on the floor next to her.  Mel turned her head, ready to light into her son.  She saw her daughter hanging on the doorway, her eyes wide with fear.  That and the looks of anger from everyone else took the fight out of her.

The facial expressions on the little boy's face change, his nose scrunched and he waved a hand in front of his face.   The look on his face so mirrored Melanie's feelings about the smell that she burst out laughing.   She was not alone.

"It does smell a little sour in here.  Should I get the Fabreez?"  Emmett asked, his brow raised.

Chapter Fourteen

From this point things moved swiftly if not smoothly.  It had been decided that they would locate Justin's paintings.  Jennifer had the largest quantity of them.  Some they located in New York.  Getting Justin's pictures back proved fairly simple.  After all, they were his.  Justin was surprised by the number of pictures there were and he had no idea what to do with them. 

The old Brian would have come up with a solution and run with it.  But after talking with his old friend Alex Wilder over a drink after work and his reminding Brian that the old Justin wouldn't have appreciated his taking over without any say and the current Justin was as fiercely independent.  He decided on a different course of action.

The discussion turned to Justin's inability to paint, something that had defined who Justin was before he gotten lost in the system.  Amnesia was not Alex's forte so he had no idea why Justin hadn't automatically retained his talent, brains being a tricky subject at best. 

So later that night with Justin tucked in his bed, Brian brought up the subject of what to do with all the paintings.  Since Lindsay, his usual go-to person as far as art was concerned, was no longer around, Brian suggested they talk with Sidney Bloom.  That required a bit of explaining, since Sidney was part of the time Justin no longer remembered.  Justin was in the mood for something a bit more intimate in mind and could care less for which Brian was in total agreement.

The next day Brian contacted Sidney and arranged to meet for lunch.  While delighted that Justin was back, he wasn't sure he could be of much help.  After the memorial service Sidney had offered to buy Justin's paintings from Mrs. Taylor but she had refused.  Now that Justin was no longer dead, so to speak, Sidney wasn't sure what his paintings would bring in today's market. 

Brian asked if the fact that Justin could no longer paint made a difference and Sidney rubbed his jaw.  Sidney wasn't sure if that would, but he would be more than willing to display Justin's paintings in his gallery.

Melanie had immediately started on the adoption.  Both Gus and Dani were delighted with the arrangement, this would make them family.  Unfortunately, somehow Jennifer got wind of it and filed a suit to stop them.  She even managed to get one of the homophobic judges to sit in on the case. 

That, of course, started Justin worrying about his inability to support his son.  And it was for that reason that Brian called Ted over to the house.    He showed Ted into the office and Ted spread out the papers they needed to go over. 

"Where's Justin?" Ted asked as he looked around.

Brian sighed.  "Things were getting a little tense with the court case, when that happens he goes downstairs and practices his martial arts."

"Justin is into martial arts?"

Brian nodded and led the way to the basement where Justin was practicing.  It had been a while since Ted had seen the boy in person.  He was dressed in white, a black belt tied around his waist.  His face peaceful as he went through motions, his movements graceful.  He stopped and opened his eyes, an amazing blue, his expression softened even more as he spotted Brian. 

"Ted's here."  Brian said pointing out the obvious.

Justin nodded and bounded up the stairs. 

Ted's curiosity was piqued.  "Where did you learn to do all that?"

Justin blushed.  "Dani and I were dumpster diving.  We'd just gotten out of the hospital and didn't have much of anything.  A couple of guys jumped me."  He paused.   He remembered curling up on the ground, wrapped around the small bundle in his arms, trying to protect Dani. "An old Asian guy suddenly appeared and the next thing I know they were flying.  He took one look at us, shook his head and herded us to his dojo.  He taught me everything I know."

 "Do you keep in touch?"  Ted asked.

"No.  He's dead," Justin said flatly.  "Drive by shooting."

"I'm sorry,"  Ted sputtered.  Justin looked so fierce.  He tended to forget that Justin had been out there without family support. 

They eventually ended up in Brian's home office, where Ted laid out their options.  Justin was adamant that he would not sell Britin since he didn't feel that it was his to sell.  Justin wanted to be self-sufficient and Ted couldn't blame him.  As he put his papers away, he remained thoughtful.

QAF

Theodore Schmidt was driving into work the same as he did every day.  He stopped at the same light he seemed to get caught at every morning.  He turned his head and there it was.  The same building he'd seen at least twice a day.  A three story building, the bottom of which was a store front which was a martial arts studio.  He vaguely recollected at one time considering taking classes.  A honking horn brought him back and he moved on, but not before noting the for sale sign on the window.

When he got to work, he tried to concentrate on his job, but his mind kept going to that building.  He had to get his head together enough to figure out where to start.

It started with Justin being unable to paint, which led to his being unable to support himself as he had previously.  That led to working out what Justin was capable of doing that didn't require knowing art.  As far as Ted knew waiting tables was the only thing he'd done, so unless he wanted to work at a diner for the rest of his life, which Ted sincerely doubted, that was not an option. 

He looked up the requirements for opening a martial arts studio and was surprised by what he learned.  Then he looked up the listing on the building. 

Ted was an accountant, first and foremost.  One of the things he loved was  manipulating numbers.  He gathered all the information, looked at all the variables and contingencies before presenting his conclusions to Brian. 

Brian nodded his head as he worked his way through the folders.  "I'd like Justin to see these and you to explain them."

"Sure thing, Boss."  Ted got up and went back to his office.   Right before closing time he got called into the conference room. 

"Why a martial arts studio?"  Justin asked.

Brian looked at Ted and raised a brow.

"Actually, I picked that building not because of the martial arts studio,"  Ted said as he sat down.  "Though it is a perk.  Unfortunately the studio might have to close because the owner of the building wants to sell.    The building is priced right and the upper two floors house four two bedroom apartments and it's right on Liberty."  The building looked to be the same age as the one on Tremont that housed Brian's loft.  He pointed to the upper floors, the second story had tall square windows, while the third floor windows were bowed at the top. 

"I don't care.  There is no way I could afford to do that,"  Justin complained.

"Actually you can,"  Ted countered.  "You could take out a loan using your paintings as collateral or..." he paused and took a deep breath.  "You could sell the house in the country and use that."  Ted saw that Justin was about to refuse.  "Brian, you could go in on this together.  There's not enough profit in Kinnetik to finance it, but if you could sell the loft too that would make it even better.  You combine the two apartments on the top floor and convert it into a one big living space with rooms for Gus and Dani.  That along with renting out the second floor would bring in income.  If you brokered a good deal, you might could work out a deal for the martial arts studio.  There's not really much you need to become an instructor.  It's a win-win."

"When can we see the place?"  Brian wanted to know.

"I'll get right on it, Boss,"  Ted gathered up all the papers.  Then he hesitated, not sure how to bring up the subject.  "Normally I would get Jennifer working on this."

Brian pinched his nose.  "I don't think that would be a good idea.  Can you do it on the down-low so that she doesn't find out?"

"I understand,"  Ted agreed.  "I'm sure we can find someone who can work out a deal."

Teddy was in his element.  That night he called about the building and was surprised to find that the agent for the house was the same one he'd used to buy his condo.  He was able to get an appointment for the next morning.

Arriving first Ted was surprised at the changes in the realtor.   He was a little fearful of what Brian would think of the man.  Gone was the crew cut he'd sported.  He now wore a suit that would out flame Emmett and a bow tie.  In fact, he appeared to be a bigger gossip then Em.

"Honey, she used to be at the top of the game in realty, but let me tell you, she is sinking fast."  Clayton Wills dished on Jennifer Taylor.  "Mind you, if it wasn't for her the gay market wouldn't be where it is today.  I hear that when someone calls for her to list if they even sound gay, they're turned away.  By some guy who isn't even a realtor, can you believe it?"

Ted saw Brian and Justin walking down the street and they were actually holding hands.  Would wonders never cease.  Ted held his breath as he met his boss at the door.   Introducing them to Clayton he fully expected Brian to say something sarcastic and was shocked when he didn't.   

They bypassed the martial arts studio for the time being.  That didn't mean that Ted didn't have a dozen questions.  He had done some research.   While Brian and Justin investigated the second floor, Ted went over his list of questions.   When they reached the top of the stairway, Brian went one way and Justin another.  Each one taking a different apartment,  roaming through the rooms.  They passed each other, switching apartments and Ted notice that Brian had his phone out. 

"Two bedrooms, one bath, kitchen and living area.  I'm assuming that the upper floor is the same?"  He looked at the realtor for confirmation.  "Yeah.  See you in fifteen? Okay."  He turned to Justin as he put his phone away.  "What do you think?"

Justin shrugged.  He looked like he was close to being persuaded.  It all boiled down to money.  Money that Justin didn't think he had.

They were downstairs looking at the studio when the person Brian had talked to over the phone showed up.  Brian took him upstairs, without introducing him to anyone. 

It wasn't until they got to Kinnetik that Justin and Ted learned what it was all about.  As it turned out the man was the architect who had done work on the loft and helped with the designs for Kinnetik.

He was interested in the building, especially the large windows.  He'd given Brian a rough estimate on the cost to fix it up the way Brain wanted and it wasn't cheap.

Brian was certain he could work a deal that had Kinnetik doing an update on his marketing and thereby bring the cost down significantly. 

Ted factored that in with all the options and laid it all on the line. Then the three talked money.

"So it's decided.  Theodore, work us a deal."  Brian ordered confidently.

Ted nodded and gathered up his papers to go.  He knew that while Brian wanted things done yesterday, that he'd have to be very careful.  Unfortunately Brian's mother was still out to try and get anything she could.  At one time he would have included Mel and Lindsay in that list.

Selling the house was no problem since it wasn't in Brian's name, the loft which would have sold quicker was.  After much discussion they decided to move all assets to a newly created holding company-Neylor Enterprises. 

Chapter Fifteen

Deep down Brian knew that Theodore would not let him down, not that he would ever tell him.  Brian Kinney was still Brian Kinney. 

Basically he was still the Brian Kinney he'd always been.  He did his job well.  He cared about his family and friends.  And he was over the moon with having Justin back and planned to do everything in his power to keep him.

Before actually putting the houses on the market, Brian and Justin discussed calling a meeting to inform the immediate family what was going on.  Gus and Dani were on the top of the list.  Since Ted knew, Justin felt it only fair that Emmett be told.   Of course Cynthia had to be in the loop.

Gus thought the whole thing was a great idea, especially the martial arts studio.  Dani could care less as long as Brian was moving with them. 

As it happened the manor home sold first, but the new owner needed sixty days before taking possession.  That gave them time to start on the renovations that the new building would need.  It would be cutting it close though. 

Ted and Justin talked with the manager of martial arts studio.  The owner was thinking of closing in the event the rent was raised.  Ted looked over his numbers did a little reworking and contacted Brian and Cynthia before offering a deal.  Kinnetik would do a promotion directed at women and children gratis, the studio would offer Justin a job as instructor and the rent would not go up.

The manager was not too convinced until he went one on one with Justin.  Even with the head guard, the gloves, and feet protection, Justin proved his worth and the manager recommended that he be hired.  Justin later confided in Ted that he had taken it easy on the guy.

Justin later met with Brian and the architect as they went over the plans for the second and third floors.  Ted and Emmett joined them.  Ted to make sure the costs weren't too costly and Emmett - just because.   There would need to be some rewiring and extensive plumbing for the third floor.  Brian liked Ted's idea of offering a deal with the martial arts studio so much, he suggested that they do the same with the electricians and plumbers.

Both apartments had been renovated in the 1980's and the architect wanted to completely redo the kitchen and baths.  Ted turned so pale that Emmett thought he would faint.  Justin, who had been quiet throughout all this asked for a breakdown in cost.  From there they went on to discuss paint colors.  Emmett's recommendations were a bit on the wild side and Ted knew Brian would not approve.  Justin, who claimed to not have a preference, suggested that they dilute the colors.  The architect had a program on his computer that could do that and the color choices were deemed acceptable. 

Armed with the list of items needed, Justin enlisted Emmett in going dumpster diving.  They drove around town until they found an old home being torn down.  Once the work crew was gone they climbed into the dumpster and sorted through it.  There are things like radiators, light fixtures and bathroom fixtures.

Emmett was afraid that they would get arrested for stealing, but Justin argued that it was going to be carted away as trash anyways, it wasn't like they'd gone into the house and taken things.

Over the next few weeks Justin went to flea markets, estate sales, and even goodwill.  Sometimes he took Gus and Dani with him.   Dani proved good at getting into small spaces and coming up with items that were perfect. 

Brian would have preferred everything modern, but once he saw the cost savings he had to admit that Justin had the right idea.  Even the architect got into the cost saving bit and came up with some really good deals.  Instead of using stock cabinets in the bath Justin found antique furniture that just needed a little TLC and granite countertops that someone had refused.  They traded martial arts lessons for help refinishing furniture.

While taking up the carpet and linoleum on the third floor, they found hardwood and in excellent condition which made Brian very happy.  Things were really going good and it came time to rent out the second floor. 

QAF

Somehow Melanie Marcus had found out about the building they were renovating.  She didn't so much as ask to see it, she demanded to have it.   Brian was adamant that he didn't want her living that close.  Gus didn't want her that close either, but if it meant that Jenny would be close by he was all for it.  Justin was on the fence.  He remembered Mel from when he first met Brian.  He also remembered her attitude at the trial. 

"What I don't understand is how she found out,"  Brian complained.  Everyone was gathered around the kitchen table at Britin eating one of Emmett's meals.

Emmett squirmed in his chair and fiddled with his food.

"Em?"  Brian barked.

"He didn't mean to,"  Emmett pleaded.

Brian, Justin and Gus exchanged puzzled looked.

"Who?"

"They were eating at the diner and she was complaining about how hard it was to find a descent apartment and it just slipped."

"Emmett!"  Brian growled.

"Teddy,"  Emmett said so low that you had to strain to hear it.

"Damn Theodore!  I should have known."

Just then the doorbell rang and Dani was up and running with Gus close behind.  The little boy was too fast and he had the door open by the time Gus grabbed hold of his shirt and pulled him back.

"Mom?"  Gus stared at him mother standing in the doorway. 

There stood Lindsay looking stunning.  Her hair perfectly coifed, her clothes were designer.  "Lambkins, how are you? "  She breezed past her son and entered the house, removing her fur stole and tossing it to Dani.  "Hang this up for me.  Cute kid who is he?"

"Lindsay!  Where the fuck have you been?"   Brian demanded.

Lindsay brushed by him into the den and sat in one of the leather chairs, crossing her silk-stocking covered legs.  "I've been all over.  Paris, Spain, Italy."

"And how did you pay for it?"  Justin asked.

"Justin!"  Lindsay called out gleefully as she bounced up and gave his a hug.  "I won the lottery."

Everyone stood with their mouths open.  "So you just left?"

She made her way to the liquor cart and poured herself some bourbon.  "No excuses, no apologies, no regrets," she mimicked the time honored Kinney mantra.  She held up the bottle.  "Anyone want one?"

Emmett came up behind Brian and Justin and whispered,  "She's tweaked."

"What should we do?"  Justin asked.

"Get Theodore over here,"  suggested Emmett  "He's the money man.  Maybe he can, I don't know, find out how much of what she claims is true?"

"And maybe we should get Mysterious Marilyn here, too."  Brian snarked.

Justin looked at him, wondering who Mysterious Marilyn was and should he know her. 

"Sweetie."  Lindsay jumped up and headed for Jenny Rebecca, who along with Gus had followed Justin.  She hugged her and turned her around appraising her.  "We'll have to do something with your hair and get you a few clothes."

Jenny's eyes were big and round, she looked over to where the guys were, her expression saying  'help me'."

"Em, make the call,"  Brian ordered as he and Justin moved as one to rescue Gus' sister.

Twenty minutes later the doorbell rang.  Lindsay was in the midst of regaling everyone with stories of her 'vacation'. 

Thinking that Ted had finally shown up, Brian managed to beat Gus to the door.  Dani had fallen asleep, bored by listening to the person he called the 'crazy lady' in sign language.  Only it wasn't Ted.  Mel burst into the house, pushing Brian aside. 

"We've got problems.  They've requested DNA and the court's approved it."

Brian tried to shush Melanie but it was too late.  Justin's face was drained of color and Brian thought he was going to pass out.  He rushed over to Justin, holding him tight as he uttered a soft.  "No!"

"Hello, Mel."  Lindsay stood in the doorway and greeted her wife.

Melanie stared at her then looked at Brian.  "What the fuck is she doing here?"

Justin took that time to break away and run up the stairs.  Brian was in a quandary, wanting to follow Justin, fortunately Ted showed up and had Blake with him.   Ted took one look at the situation and nodded toward the stairs.  Brian flew up them rushing to his bedroom, he knew that things would be in good hands with Ted.

Downstairs Brian could hear yelling.  Upstairs Justin was in a panic, pulling clothes out of the closet and out of drawers.  He was babbling about needing to take Dani and get away.  Brian, himself, was in a panic.  He knew that he couldn't do what he might have done early on in their relationship.  Tell him to leave if that's what he wanted.  Ridicule him.  No, he couldn't do that.  He had to somehow come up with some way to fix this.  He held onto Justin for dear life and whispered the words he should have said all those years ago.

"Don't go.  We'll fix this, together."

"How?"  Justin clung to Brian and cried.

That's when it occurred to Brian that they already had a plan in place.  In fact Melanie was supposed to be working on it, but from the sounds downstairs Mel wouldn't be able to take care of it.  There was only one person he could rely on to get this in motion. 

Brian sat on the bed and pulled Justin onto his lap, he pulled out his phone and hit speed dial.

"I do have a life, Boss."

"Cyn, I need a favor.  A really big one and right away."

"Don't you always."

Brian decided to ignore that remark.  "I need a lawyer, one that specializes in adoptions.  A good one."

"I thought Mel was working on that?"

"Well, something came up."

Once upon a time that phrase would have meant something entirely different.  Fortunately Cynthia had received a text from Ted and was up-to-date on the goings on at the Kinney residence.

"I'm on it."

Deep down, Brian knew everything was going to be okay.  Cynthia had never let him down. 

Chapter Sixteen

The new lawyer Cynthia found was worth his weight in gold.  He managed to get all the papers that Mel had worked on without pissing her off and rushing them through the court system. 

Shortly after a social worker showed up at their door.  She couldn't have come at a worse time.  It was early in the morning and Justin answered the door in his sleep pants and nothing else.   Dani was running around in his underwear, a piece of toast and jelly in his hand.  Gus was chasing him yelling, "Come back here, you little twerp.  That's my toast."

The house was fairly quiet with Mel and Lindsay gone.  Ted and Blake had mediated and separated the two.  Brian came down the stairs talking on his cell phone.  Dani trying to escape Gus ran into him getting jelly on Brian's Armani pants.

"What the fuck,"  Brian said, looking at the stain. 

Dani's eyes were wide.  He signed that he was sorry.

"Sorry, huh,"  Brian roared before grabbing the little boy and blowing razz berries on his stomach.

"Ah, Brian?"  Justin cocked his head toward the woman standing in the doorway.

"Helen Crandle, Social Services," she said bluntly.

"Umm, we'll just go get dress."  Then his country club manners kick in.  "I'm Justin Taylor and this is my son Dani."

Brian lifted the cell phone to his ear.  "Ah, Cyn, it looks like I'm going to be later than I thought." Justin moved over and took Dani from him.  Brian made a face at his retreating body, then put on his game face and addressed the woman.  "Brian Kinney.  Shall we?"  He led her into the den.  To Brian she reminded him a lot of his mom, this could not be good.

She sat primly on the sofa and laid her briefcase on the coffee table before opening it and pulling out a folder.  Then she starts asking questions, invasive questions.   Like what do he did for a living, how much did he make, and his involvement with Rage. 

Just when he was about to tell her to fuck off Dani came over and climbed onto Brian's lap.  He stuck his thumb into his mouth, something he'd never done before and stared at the lady sitting on the sofa.

She looked at the little boy and started asking him questions that Dani wouldn't answer.  "Is he mentally retarded?" she asked Brian.

"No, he is not.  He just doesn't answer stupid questions,"  Brian shot back.

Gus finally snuck out of the kitchen and looked over her shoulder as she wrote on her chart. "Hey, Dad.  They have your name spelled wrong."

Justin, who had followed Dani down the stairs, was highly insulted by her questions.  He looked at the name on the chart and started laughing.  Meanwhile Ms. Crandle pulled the folder to her chest to hide it. 

Brian raised one brow questioningly.

"Brain Kinney."  Gus snickered.

Ms. Crandle's face turned red.  "I'm sure it is just a typo.  In the meantime, who are you?"

"I'm Gus Marcus-Peterson and who the hell are you?"

Ms. Crandle pulled out her identification than proceeded to ignore the boy.  "Mr. Taylor, do you two intend to get married?"

Justin's response was immediate.  "No.  We are together because we want to be, not because a piece of paper says we have to be."

The social worker looked thoughtful, then packed her briefcase.  "Thank you, gentlemen.  I think I have everything I need."  And then she was gone.

QAF

Everyone walked on eggshells for the next week.  The trial was coming up soon and no one had heard anything from Melanie, nor Lindsay for that matter.  As the day grew closer Brian was fearful that Justin would disappear, taking his son with him.

Cynthia, Ted, and Emmett all assured Justin that they would be willing and able to appear as character witnesses for the him.   As much as Justin appreciated it, he was more concern with the possibility of losing his son.  He didn't trust his father.  It was decided that, for the protection of the children,  Emmett and Ted would keep them safe at Kinnetik until the verdict was in. 

Brian and Justin arrived at the courthouse, the same courthouse where Hobbs had been sentenced.  What a farce.  Melanie was waiting for them looking worse for wear.   Neither one of them had the nerve to ask about Lindsay.

"This is an informal hearing,"  Melanie informed them.  "That means there will be no jury."

"That's good, isn't it?"  Brian asked.

They walked through the gate to their table and sat down.  Justin getting more and more distressed as he spotted his parents looking all too pleased.  His mother had the nerve to wave at him.

"All rise, for the Honorable Justice Russo."

"Oh shit,"  Melanie said under her breath as everyone stood up.  She exchanged glances with Brian.  Judge "Regular Roy" Russo couldn't have been a worse pick.

"Who is he?"  Justin asked. 

Brian groaned, while he had come clean about a lot of things in Justin's past, this was one thing he'd not brought up.  Telling Justin how Hobbs had ended up with communities service had served no purpose.  Looking at the smirk on Craig Taylor's face, Brian couldn't help but think this was a put up job.

"Have a seat, everyone,"  the judge ordered after he had taken his and leaned back in his chair.  "This is an informal hearing and we'll dispense with opening augments."

The Taylor's lawyer started off with pointing out what good law-abiding citizens his clients were and called several people from the country-club set to reinforce that opinion.

Much to Brian's disappointment Melanie remained quiet, never once questioning any of their witnesses or bringing up anything that would recant their testimony.

"We call Michael Novotney-Bruckner."

Mikey walked in, a big grin on his face as he testified as Brian's best friend.  He testified to Brian's past, the drugs, the promiscuity.  In fact a past that no longer held any credence.  He testified to a lack of relationship with Justin, the trick who had outstayed his welcome.  Smiling the entire time, pleased with himself.

When he'd get off track, Craig's attorney would lead him with questions concerning Justin's past and Michael was happy to supply all the dirt.  It was a good thing that Brian had already admitted the mistakes he'd made concerning their relationship.

The worst blow was that Melanie never once objected, letting Michael virtually crucify both Brian and Justin.

When Mikey was finished, he went to leave the stand, but the Judge had other ideas.  "Please stay seated, Mr. Novotny."

The Judge was looking through the preponderance of papers in front of him.  Mikey was puzzled, but did as he was told.  Finally he crossed his arms and asked,  "Mr. Novotny, what is your occupation?"

The Taylor's lawyer jumped up.  "Objection, Your Honor."

Judge Roy raised a brow.  "This is an informal hearing.  Please answer the question."

"Ah, I own a comic book store,"  Mikey answered, his eyes searching out the defense attorney's wondering what was going on.  It appeared the attorney was also wondering the same thing.

The Judge shuffled some of the papers, finding the one he was searching for.  "And how many employees do you employ?"

"One full time, two part time."

"Hmmm."  The Judge looked at Michael and then at Brian Kinney.  One owned a small, very small business, the other had at least fifty people in his employ.  "Tell me, Mr. Novotny, while your best friend was drinking and drugging his life away, what were you doing?"

Michael once again searched for guidance from the Taylor lawyer.  This was not something that was covered when the lawyer suggested he testify to certain matters.

"What I'm trying to discover is if you drank and took drugs with him?"  The Judge asked.

Michael squirmed in his chair.  "Sometimes."

The Judge nodded.  Then found another sheet to study.  "You have a daughter, I understand."

"Yes?"

"Where does she live?" 

Michael looked very uncomfortable.  He ran a finger along the inside of his collar.  Then his face lit up.  "Currently she's staying with her brother."

"Is this the brother that currently resides with Mr. Kinney and Mr. Taylor?"

Michael shrunk into the chair.  "Yes."

The Judge nodded.

"Your Honor,"  The Taylor's lawyer finally stood.  "While this is all well and good, we have given you all the evidence and would like to hear your verdict."

"Yes, of course.  Do you have anything else to add?"

Michael shook his head.  He was ready to leave this place and practically ran from the stand.

"There is just the matter of the DNA results, Your Honor."

Judge Roy pulled an sealed manila envelope from the pile and turned it over once then twice.  "Mr. and Mrs. Taylor, while the child's birth certificate states that Justin Taylor is the father, you must realize that once I open this envelope and if the results turn out that the little boy in question is not your grandson, this hearing will be redundant.   You would have no legal right to the child."  He pulled out another folder and looked at its contents.  "This is the report from child services.  It is their opinion that Brian Kinney be allowed to adopt the minor child, Dani Smith Taylor."

The courtroom was silent.  Brian grabbed Justin's hand not sure where this case was going.

"I will, therefore, sign the adoption papers."  Judge Roy slammed his gavel down.  "I hereby decide in favor of Justin Taylor.  You are all dismissed."  He stood up and addressed Justin's parents, who looked ready to object.  "If you decide to waste this court's time at a further date I will have to hold you both for contempt."  With that he was out the room and headed for his office leaving behind the  rumbling of discontent that his verdict created.  He sat at his desk and looked at the picture of his daughter and granddaughter who were no longer a part of his life because of the verdict that he'd handed down so long ago. 

QAF

Brian, Justin, and Melanie sat there stunned.  It was a WTF moment.  The court reporter called them over to sign the papers and just like that it was over.

Craig on the other hand had exploded.  He'd fully expected the judge to decide in his favor.  He was screaming at his attorney and at the Judge.  When he started screaming at Jennifer, who appeared bewildered, the deputies were forced to step in.  They cuffed him and carried him out the courtroom.

Seeing Jennifer looking so lost, Brian got out his cell and called Molly.  Fortunately she was close by.  She just hadn't wanted to have to watch because she feared the worst.

As they walk out the courthouse, Brian pulled Melanie aside.  "What the fuck was up with you?

Melanie slumped against a wall.  "I'm sorry.  What with dealing with Lindsay and everything."  She shook her head.  "I remember how Regular Roy dealt with Hobbs and I was afraid.  Afraid that if I objected to anything he'd use it against us.  I sure as fuck never expected the verdict we got."

Brian was ready to rip her a new one, but Justin was champing at the bit to get to the kids.  Honestly, so was he.

Epilogue

Two weeks later when the dust had settled, Brian was talked into having a combination open house and celebration of Justin's return along with their son Dani.  Everyone was invited and I do mean everyone with the exception of his birth family.  Neither Jennifer or Craig Taylor were invited either.  Jennifer had a breakdown after the trial and Craig was serving time for his part in making her that way. 

Emmett volunteered to cater the event.  He did a spectacular job, in spite of being on a limited budget.  There were finger foods galore, fresh fruit, and bit size deserts.  They planned to use the Martial Art's studio and have limited tours of the building for family.

The Novotney-Bruckner clan showed up and Emmett, along with Ted kept a close watch on Mikey.  Debbie showed up with Carl.  Brian and Justin led them through the apartments with Debbie squealing that she wished she could afford to do something like that to her place. 

Carl wanted to know why she couldn't and she had to admit that paying her mortgage didn't allow for it.  That was rather puzzling as Brian had at one time paid off her mortgage, shortly after Justin had left for New York and everyone seemed surprised except for Mikey.  Debbie refused to answer any questions as to why. 

Then Lindsay and Melanie showed up, not together and they didn't stay long.  They did shock everyone by announcing that Lindsay was the buyer of Britin and she had deeded it to Melanie with the proviso that Lindsay be allotted a suite for when she was in town.  Evidently she was planning to continue traveling.  Since Lindz was paying for it Mel decided that turning the game room into her suite would be acceptable.  She'd have her suite and be far enough away.

But that wasn't Lindsey's biggest announcement.  Oh, no.  Not even Melanie knew this one.  She was pregnant and Brian was the father.

Everyone stared at Brian who did his best to deny it.  Justin, Gus, Danny, Emmett, Ted and Cynthia believed him, but sadly the Novotney crew didn't.  Then Lindsay took pity on her child's father and admitted that when Brian made his donation for Gus, he'd given such an abundance that she'd had it frozen for future use.

Then there'd been the squabbles as everyone put their two cents in.  Melanie was adamant in not wanting to raise another Kinney kid, which saddened Gus.

Mikey offered for him and Ben to raise the child, much to Ben's ire, since they were the 'perfect' couple and Lindsay said she'd think about it.

Once everyone was gone, it was a somber group that retreated to top floor apartment.  The new tenants were to move into their apartments over the next week.  Thank goodness Melanie was not one of them. 

The top floor had turned out to be just the right size for them.  They had taken the kitchen areas in both apartment and combined them making a larger space and nice size dining area. 

They kept the living areas in each of the apartments, one for adults and the other for the kids.  The master bedroom was enlarged and a walk in closet added.  On the other side, the master was given over to Gus and Dani, with the smaller room going to Jenny Rebecca.

Gus was perfectly fine with that since it was his suggestion.  Justin had managed to find bunk beds, the bottom full size and the top perfect for Dani.  In the future the loft portion could be moved to the other side of the room and shoji screens used as a divider for privacy.

Justin was very happy to work at the Martial Art's studio.  His classes were for women and children three times a week.  He earned enough to cover all the utilities and had money left over.  The rent from one of the apartments covered the mortgage and the other was used with Ted's help to be set aside for the kid's trust funds.

If you are wondering what happened with the Novotney bunch.  The very next day, Ben, Hunter and Carl cornered Debbie at the Diner.  She eventually admitted that she'd refinanced her home to give the money to Mikey.  No, he didn't tell her why he needed it.

Ben was surprised to say the least.  He contacted Ted, who with Brian's okay, spent quite a bit of time going over the Novotney-Bruckner's financial situation.  Other than a few purchases of comic book paraphernalia, they couldn't find were all the money had gone.

Ted estimated, that Mikey's collectables, if sold would bring in more than enough to pay Deb back for the money she'd given him.  Hunter suggested they fake a robbery and sell the lot.  Carl put the nix to that. 

It was Ben's decision to confront his husband.  He fixed an intimate dinner for two.  Candles and crystal.  A nice steak with French fries.  A wonderful bottle of wine, courtesy of Brian, and coke for Mikey.   Ben got Mikey all nice and comfy, then he casual mentioned the baby.  He suggested that financially they weren't in a position to deal with a new born.  Mikey thought it over and had to agree.  

Then Ben asked Michael what he had done with the money he'd gotten from his mother.  At first Mikey denied it.  He used his puppy dog eyes and usually it worked.  This time it got him nowhere.  He finally broke down and told the truth.

Lindsay Peterson-Marcus had been blackmailing him.  As it turned out Michael was not Jenny Rebecca's father.  Lindsay had substituted Brian's sperm at the time and squirted it up Melanie.  Michael did not want to lose his claim to Jenny Rebecca.

Why you ask is it only just now coming to light.  Simple.  Lindsay never said anything until she lost a good bit of money at the baccarat table in Monaco.

Ben insisted they tell Carl and Mikey agreed.  When he suggested that Brian be told, Mikey pleaded with him not to.   But Ben didn't buy it.  He insisted on calling Brian and asked if they could meet.  Brian agreed having no idea what the subject matter would be. 

When Carl arrived with Ben and Mikey they were immediately shown into Brian's office.  Mikey, who was reluctant to be there in the first place, was doubly so when he saw that Justin was in the room.  Mikey did not want Justin there.

Ben ignored Michael and laid everything out.  Brian and Justin were speechless.  Carl was unfazed and wanted to know how much Lindsay had taken Michael for.  Mikey looked down, obviously not wanting to answer.  Then he muttered something.  Everyone exchanged looks.

"Could you speak up?" asked Carl.

"$200,000,"  Mikey blurted out. 

Everyone gasped.  That couldn't have been right.  Even to Brian that was a lot of money.  There was no need to ask were he'd gotten most of it.  Carl suggested their going to the police station to report it. 

"Do we have to?" whined Mikey.

"She blackmailed you and that's against the law,"  Carl argued.  "I'd suggest having Jenny tested to prove paternity.  She could be lying."

Mikey brightened.   He still didn't want to go to the police.  He didn't think it necessary.

"Michael, if you didn't believe it was true why did you hand over $200,000 to her?" asked Justin.  He shook his head wandering how can anyone be that stupid. 

Mikey, of course, glared at Justin.  Then whined that he needed Brian to come with him. 

Brian could have said no.  He was not looking forward to another trial. But truth was he wanted to make sure Michael followed through on this.  He gave Ben an apologetic look as they went out the door.

Ben settled his hands on his thighs and made to get up.  The fact that Michael preferred having Brian with him was nothing new.  "Tell me, do you have a good doctor for Dani?  I can recommend the one Hunter and I use."

"Thank you, that would be terrific."  Justin hemmed and hawed for a moment before asking,  "Ben, could I ask you something personal?" 

Ben raised an inquiring brow.

"Why are you with him?" Justin asked.

Ben looked thoughtful.  "I love him."  Then he sat down and sighed.  "I'm a professor and I'm also positive.  I don't have time to hook up with someone to get my rocks off.  As a bottom Michael's not bad and he's always there."

"So he's convenient?" Justin wanted to know.

Ben nodded.  "Pretty much."

"Makes sense."  Justin said, then giggled.  It soon turned to laughter and Ben joined in.

QAF

Mikey was still reluctant for Jenny to be put through DNA testing, but Brian insisted.  He wanted to know if the young girl was his. 

Brian and Justin both agreed that they needed to ask Jenny if it was something she would want to do.  That meant telling not only her, but Gus.  To say they were shocked was an understatement, but Jenny readily agreed.

Everyone was on pins and needles as they waited for the results. 

There was always the chance that Lindsay had been lying.  Lindsay, in the meantime, had disappeared again.  Who would have thought she could be so sneaky.

Justin was busy teaching martial arts and Jenny, Gus, and Dani were busy taking lessons.  The whole family were studying sign language and doing quite well.

The test results finally came back and it turned out that Brian was indeed the father of Jenny Rebecca Marcus.  Gus and Jenny danced for joy for that made them half-siblings rather than step-siblings.   Justin and Dani were pleased.  It appeared they were one big family.

Deep down Brian had never been happier.