JUSTIN (UPSTAIRS)

Vic is waiting for me when I get back. I didn’t tell Brian anything that could change everything. They need to stop acting like we have to follow an exact script.

“Justin, you weren’t supposed to tell him all that.” Vic tells me.

“Vic, have you met Brian Kinney? Because he’s not patient when it comes to me, he isn’t going to do things without understanding why.” I tell Vic.

“Did you have to tell him about Kira?” Vic asks me.

“It gives him a good reason to stay on track.” I tell him.

“Yes but it also made Kira impatient again.” Vic tells me.

I see my daughter come running to me. She wants to be born, but we have to wait. Kira will always remind me of Molly. She has Brian’s eyes, but other than that she inherited my side of the family. Kira was Molly’s gift to Brian and I. When Molly turned eighteen she donated an egg, so we could have a child with both our DNA. Poor Brian was a father again at forty. He was thrilled with her. I want to live that life, not just see it as a possibility.

“Daddy, is he going to get it right?” Kira asks me.

“We’re talking about your father, what do you think?” I ask her.

“You’re right Daddy, but you know I still have to wait another eleven years.” She lets out a sigh.

“But you blink and it’s eleven years.” I tell her.

“Yeah that doesn’t work anymore, you know what forty years of waiting can do that to a girl?” She asks me.

I want to answer but I can feel that Brian did it. I’m going back. “See, it’s happened sweetheart.” I tell her.

“It only took him a week.” She yells happily. 

But up here it doesn’t always seem that long.

BRIAN

I got the bonus, Ryder looks like he would rather swallow a mouthful of cum then give it to me. He needs to remember I bring in seventy percent of the accounts around here.

“I’m going to be taking off early on Friday.” I tell him.

“As long as you’re back by Monday, we have a new account to start planning.” He tells me.

“I know, I’m the one who won it.” I tell him. 

I went to my office and I realize I want to start working on Leo Brown sooner. I don’t even want to be here when Ryder sells to Gardner. Ted told me I could take out the loans to start a company. I think it’s time to put Ted to work. He doesn’t have to become a crystal queen. My phone rings.

“Brian, didn’t I tell you not to mess with your friends lives?” Marilyn asks me. 

“How is starting Kinnetik messing up?” I ask her. 

“If Ted doesn’t go to rehab, he and Emmett end up staying together. Emmett will leave him for an abusive man, who will turn Emmett into a shell of himself.” Marilyn tells me. 

“I swear you make this up to keep me from doing anything. Why does everything turn to shit?” I ask her.

“Ted ends up being successful, but Michael leaves Ben for Ted. Yeah I can see your point about it turning to shit. You can’t fix their lives, it won’t happen the same way.” She tells me.

“I don’t want to work for Gardner Vance.” I tell her.

“You only need to do it long enough to stop Stockwell.” She tells me.

“I have to spend time with that asshole?” I ask her.

“No, you don’t help his campaign this time. You don’t have to help him, if you don’t lead the campaign, Stockwell’s minions will run it into the ground. Either way he’s going to lose.” She tells me.

“So there really isn’t a script, just make sure certain things happen that I know should?” I ask her. 

“I always said you were smart.” She tells me and hangs up. I wish I could just make a list.

So I just have to make sure things that should happen, do. Justin being bashed wasn’t a should happen. That means we just need to get the fucker in trouble, so he can’t drive himself home that night. Daphne is just going to have stay with us. I think I just found the way around it Justin. My phone rings again,

“Good job, Kinney.” Marilyn tells me.

“So it’s doable?” I ask her.

“Yes, but you won’t be able to stop Michael from leaving. He needs to do that.” She tells me.

“I really don’t care if he comes back.” I tell her.

“He will be back though, and he is going to be a handful, because he is going to come back to the Justin we know. And this Justin will not be willing to take Michael’s crap like he did before.” She tells me.

“So Justin will be back?” I ask her.

“Kinney, you're unstoppable when you want something. You really think you couldn’t get him back?” She tells me.

“Just wanted to have a happy thought, you know after all the doom and gloom you pass out like candy.” I tell her.

“Get to work, you have a stalker to meet tonight.” She tells me.

I smile as I hang up the phone. Justin does show up tonight. Do I have to send him home upset? Shit why didn’t I ask her that? I grab the ringing phone.

“You do have to send him home, but you don’t have to upset him. He needs a reason to go meet Mel and Lindsay. Tell him you want him to meet your friends before you two take off to Vermont.” She tells me.

“Don’t hang up yet. I don’t have to act like a shit?” I ask her.

“No, and I’m giving you this for free. You are going to get Justin back when you go to Vermont.” She tells me.

“So whatever it is I have to do, I do this weekend?” I ask her.

“Yes, now I have to help someone else, they want to wear spandex and they really shouldn’t.” She tells me. I wonder what she does when she isn’t being Mysterious Marilyn.

Mystery for another day. Guess I’ll start making Ryder rich enough to retire. Can’t wait for Gardner to give me an ultimatum. I think it’s time to talk to all my accounts about where they want to be if I’m not running their campaigns. I wait for the phone to ring, guess I can do that.

MICHAEL

I was able to finish work without getting in trouble, my boss even told me that I still had a chance for the promotion. I just had to show him I wasn’t going to flake out again. I put Brian out of my mind for now, I wanted to be able to tell everyone I got the job.

On my way home I call Emmett to tell him about the key and Brian fucking the twink. I can’t believe he said he was going to marry that kid someday. Maybe he was still high this morning.

“Hey Michael, you on your way home?” Emmett asks me.

“Yeah, Brian wasn’t really pissed about the Jeep.” I tell him.

“You escaped the wrath of Kinney, good work. He would never really be mad at you for long.” Emmett tells me.

“He changed his locks and codes, now I don’t have a way to get in the loft.” I tell Emmett.

“Why do you need one? I mean unless he’s there you don’t need to be there.” Emmett tells me.

“I just always had one, it’s like he doesn’t want me to come over.” I tell Emmett.

EMMETT

You know when you want to roll your eyes at someone, this is why.

“I don’t think that’s the reason, Michael. He doesn’t come over our apartment and hang out if we aren’t there, why should you be allowed to do the same thing to him?” I ask Michael.

“I take care of him, you know like when he’s too drunk to drive home.” He tells me.

“Once again he would be with you. Hence no need for you to have a key.” I tell him. It’s like you have to keep repeating everything to get it through the rocks that are cluttering his brain.

“What if he needs me to pick something up for him at the loft? I can’t get in if I don’t have a key.” Michael tries to give me a reason for invading Brian’s life.

“How many times has that happened, Michael?” I ask him.

“It hasn’t, but it could.” He tells me.

“Then he would give you a key to get in. You don’t need a key to Brian’s loft.” I want to bang my head against the wall.

“I’ll think I’ll go see Ma.” Michael tells me. I wait for him to hang up and look at Brian.

“Pissed I won’t give him a key?” Brian asks me.

“Well, if he ever figures out I have one now, I might have to move to another planet.” I tell Brian.

“I know you're not going to use it unless you have to.” Brian tells me.

“Why not Ted or someone other than me?” Brian and I don’t always get along, so him giving me a key is strange.

“Like I said you aren’t going to do anything stupid with it. Ted is in love with Mikey, he would do anything that made Mikey happy.” Brian tells me.

“Yeah, I can see that, but don’t you dare tell Michael or Lindsay about this, I want to be able to have peace. If they find out, I’ll spend all my time fielding the phone calls from Lindsay and Michael whining in my ear about it.” I tell him. Brian smiles and tells me good luck. 

I stood at the door and tried to figure him out. It’s like Peter Pan left Neverland and forgot lost boy Michael and his Wendy, Lindsay.