MAX 

You know, Brian has been calling me Mad Max, but I wonder what nickname he would give to this Mel chick, Dyke Avenger comes to mind, but it doesn’t really sing. Lethal Lesbo, not something I would live saying to her. Guess I'll wait for Brian to help with the nickname. 

“Are you telling me that all this time that cunt knew where Justin was?” She asks us. 

“That’s what Max and Justin told us.” Ted tells her.

“Instead of telling us she fucking hid it?” She doesn't seem to be calming down at all.

“Yes, Mel.” Ted tells her.

“She thinks none of you know, doesn't she?” She asks us. 

“Unless Michael has contacted her, she doesn't.” I tell her. 

“I need to see Justin, then I'll do whatever you ask.” She tells us. 

“Mel, he doesn't remember anything about us.” Emmett tells her.

“I don't care, he was important to me. He is the reason I knew Brian would be good for my son. Justin showed me that Brian wasn’t the devil. If Justin saw the good in Brian, then it had to be there.” She looked like she needed a hug. I think I loved her the minute she practically screamed she loves Jay.

“There's more, Justin didn’t just leave alone.” Ted tells her.

“Please tell me she didn’t leave him there too?” She asks us. 

This is the first time I wanted to tell Ted ‘you fucked up, dude’. Instead I tell her about Aidan.

“Justin was pregnant when he left.” I tell her. 

“Did he have the baby?” She asks me. 

“Yes and his name is Aidan. Before you worry, no one knows about Aidan. Justin agreed to keep him a secret.” I tell her. 

“You better have not made him ashamed of having a child.” She glares at me. Okay, definitely not someone I want to fight.

“No, it’s just with Justin’s net worth we worried someone would kidnap Aidan.” I tell her.

“What do you mean Justin’s net worth?” Ted ever the accountant.

“You do realize that Justin could sell his work for almost any amount, but he sees that as an asshole thing to do. Justin was smart enough to not go crazy when he had money, instead, and you’ll understand this Ted, he played the market. He has a knack for knowing when to buy and when to sell. Trust me when I say that, because I gave him three million to invest for me and he turned it into a lot more than I’ll ever use.” I tell them.

“He’s always been smart, right Ted.” Mel tells us.

“Smarter than I ever knew.” Ted tells her.

“What do you want me to do to help?” She tells me.

“I want to make sure she never shows her face anywhere where Jay is.” I tell her.

“How are you planning to do that? I don’t need you to turn this into a three hour question and answer session, just tell me what you want me to do.” She tells me.

“I have an artist who is willing to fuck with Lindsay. He’s every groupies dream catch. Well the ones who don’t care what the artist looks like. He is going to wine and dine her, show her the world she has been trying to be a part of, then fuck her over at one of the hottest shows New York has ever seen.” I tell her.

“How do you know that it will be the big deal you are trying to convince me you can do?” She asks me.

“Oh did I forget to tell you I own Foster Galleries and the other headliner is Jay Thomas?” Okay that was assholish, but she’s really bitchy.

“Jay Thomas is going to let you screw around at his show?” She asks us.

“So, like don’t go all Thunder Dome on me, did we forget to mention Justin is Jay Thomas?” I ask while cringing at the look she gave me.

“You really need to work on your delivery, no you didn’t. So he made it big, that must really piss Lindsay off.” She tells me.

“Why? I know she likes to run around as if her opinion is the only one that matters, but why would Jay succeeding matter to her?” I ask them.

“Because she was creaming her shorts the minute Justin showed us his first sketches. She wanted to be the person to lead Justin into the art world.” Mel tells me.

“That would have been interesting, Jay barely listens to me, and trust me, people listen when I tell them what to do. He’s not someone who would let a wannabe tell him what to do.” I tell her.

“Jay might not, but Justin trusted Lindsay. Lindsay is the kind of person that can make you believe she cares, even when she is fucking you over.” Mel could be considered bitter.

“I dealt with Jay, who wouldn’t take me up on a free home, until he had Aidan. He wanted to do it on his own. I had to fire his ass to make him work on his art, because the only payment I would take for him living with me was to achieve success at something he was good at.” I tell her.

“And what, ten or twenty percent of his sales? Don’t make yourself into someone who didn’t make money off him.” Mel and I are going to go around if she doesn’t stop accusing me of shit.

“It’s twenty to display in my gallery, but unlike every other artist I show, Jay is my family. I put every cent of that money in an account for Aidan. Which will now be changed to an account for all the children, including Gus. I don’t want Jay to know because he would be pissed and think I was giving him and Aidan charity. Before you bitch at me, are you involved with Gus?” I ask her.

“Let’s not do this. Mel can you help us?” Ted shakes his head at me.

“I don’t know what you want me to help with.” She doesn’t seem to want to bitch at me anymore.

“Brian wants you to tell Max all about the Lindsay you know. Justin and Max don’t believe you can fight someone effectively if you don’t know them. So one thing we want you to convince us of, is that Lindsay wouldn’t have hurt Justin.” Ted tells her.

“Who knows with her? Do I think she would have hit him in the head and left him to die, I think that’s a little too messy for her. It would be more like Michael, in my opinion, but I won’t say absolutely that Lindsay wouldn’t do it. She just wouldn’t risk jail time for anyone. Mom and Dad wouldn’t be thrilled with her.” She tells us.

“Why would she care what her parents think?” I ask her.

“She has to be getting money from somewhere. The minute she left I cut her off.” She tells me.

“Follow the money, Ted. Blake wasn’t talking out his ass. Before we leave, if Jay wants to see you he can, but I think as one of Gus’s other parents you should visit your kid.” I tell her.

“How would you know if I was in Gus’s life or not?” She ask me.

“Because the only parent he seems to think cares about him is Brian, and that’s really shitty he doesn’t mention you, if you are around.” I tell her.

“You don’t understand how hard it is for me.” She tells me.

“I don’t fucking care, if that kid means something to you, put aside the bullshit and be there for him.” I tell her.

“Max, she loves Gus.” Ted tries to tell me.

“Then be his mother, before you’re a distant memory to the kid. It never hurts a child to have too much love but it hurts them when they lose the people who love them. Just something I learned watching Brian care for his children, biological and other.” I tell her.

I couldn’t sit there any longer, because I have a feeling she cares just enough to to call Gus her son, but not enough to let him know she’s still there for him. Emmett and Ted hurry behind me.

“WAIT, can I come and see Justin and hope Gus is willing to talk to me.” Mel asks me.

“Call Brian and ask, it’s his decision.” I tell her.

Ted and Emmett get in the car with me and I can tell they want to say something to me about my asshole performance.

“Just say it.” I tell them.

“She does see Gus, just not everyday.” Ted thinks that makes her a good mom.

“Until Justin moved, not a day went by that I didn’t see Aidan. If I was on the other side of the fucking globe I would have found a way, like, oh skype, to see Aidan. Excuses are given by weak people. Anything you would like to add Emmett?” I ask the man I can see sharing my life with, if he doesn’t excuse that shit.

“Sure, could you go all Mad Max later tonight, it was hot. I agree with you, she is one of Gus’s moms and owes Gus her loyalty. She isn’t heartless, just doesn’t always see outside of her pain, maybe you were able to get her head out of her ass.” Emmett is definitely in the running still.   

“Emmett, she was hurting.” Ted tells him.

“So if you had a kid with someone who hurt you, you’d visit the kid only once in awhile? Maybe I shouldn’t judge her because Brian isn’t, but Jay will. She isn’t going to have a easy time with him if she doesn’t start showing up and caring about Gus. She really wasn’t a font of knowledge was she? I expected a little more than maybe and possibly from someone who lived with Liddy.” I tell them.

“I thinks it’s time you get someone to follow the money. I’m with Emmett, jail isn’t like porno’s and I want to keep Blake.” Ted tells me.

“What do you think of her saying Michael would do something like that to Justin?” I ask them.

“I say we find out if Michael was in New York when Justin left, and then tell Deb to get them both as far away from Brian as possible, if Michael wants to live.” Ted tells us.

“Jay would find him, and don’t think he would be thanking you if he found out you helped the fucker who attacked him. You’re skating on thin ice with me for suggesting it.” I tell Ted.

“I wouldn’t save Michael, it’s Brian I care about. He isn’t some pussy who takes anything lightly. Murdering another person isn’t something Brian needs to be charged with.” Ted tells me.

“Like Jay couldn’t hide the body. Seriously Ted, with Jay you don’t need lawyers.” I tell him.

“Sorry but them dumping Michael in Babylon’s dumpster wasn’t exactly brilliant.” Ted tells me.

“Did Jay or anybody involved get caught?” I ask him winking to Emmett.

“No, but he knew Justin put him there and told the cops.” Ted tells me.

“Ted remember something and then forget I ever told you.” I tell him.

“Sure, give me your wisdom.” He tells me.

“Dead people don’t talk.” I tell him.

“Please tell me you're just fucking with us?” Ted asks me.

“Of course?” I just love the look on his face.

“Teddy, calm down he was joking.” Emmett glares at me as Ted starts to hyperventilate.

BRIAN

Justin and I were praying the kids stayed in bed longer this morning. We just finally fell asleep an hour ago and weren’t ready to be Daddy and Dad. It would have worked if Ted hadn’t come in freaking the hell out.

“BRIAN, GET THE FUCK OUT HERE.” Ted yells.

“Shut up shithead, the kids are sleeping.” Max needs to curb his language. Four and five are when kids soak up everything like a sponge.

I get up and slip on some sweatpants, Justin slides off me and puts a pillow over his head. I can’t say I walked out not wanting to kill the assholes for waking the kids.

“Can you tell me why you think yelling in my house at eight in the morning won’t make me kick your ass?” I ask Ted.

“Look, we talked to Mel yesterday and, shit don’t do anything okay?” Ted tells me.

“Max, you want to tell me what Ted doesn’t?” I ask him.

“We think Michael went to New York the same day Jay did.” He tells me.

“I’m going to beat the fucker until he admits he tried to kill Justin.” I tell him.

“No, you're going to let us get proof, then we are going to put the fucker in jail. Think of your family, not of getting in trouble for getting even with that piece of shit.” Max tells me.

“See, I told you Max was kidding about dead people not talking.” Emmett tells Ted.

“Not really, but I don’t want to let Michael off that easy, dead people aren’t punished, they’re just dead.” Max tells Emmett.

“I want proof, I want to know if Lindsay was involved.” I tell them.

“If Sam does what I want him to do, she’ll run back here. Get them all in one place and it’s easy to get proof.” Max tells me.

“Make it happen.” I tell them.

“Will do, but you better go stop Jay, because I could swear that was his blond head passing the window.” Max tells me.

I run to the front door and manage to stop Justin before he gets to the car. 

“If I can’t do anything, neither can you.” I tell him.

“I can’t let him get away with taking you from me.” Justin tells me.

“He didn’t, I’m here, but I can’t sit back and let you do to him what he did to you. Be better than him. Be you.” I tell him.

“Who is that? Because I don’t know.” Justin tells me.

“Justin Taylor, the one man who made me want to be a better person because he was worth it. Jay Thomas who survived and succeeded no matter what was thrown at you. The name isn’t important, it’s that you wouldn’t have let someone defeat you because nothing could change who you are.” I tell him.

“I think I want to be Justin, because you love him.” Justin tells me.

“No, I love you.” I tell him.

“Brian take him somewhere to calm down. We’ll take care of the kids.” Emmett tells me.

After I get dressed, I put Justin in the car and decide it’s time for him to see where we lived together for a short time.

“Where are we going?” Justin asks.

“To the past.” I tell him.