JUSTIN 

I needed to prepare Aidan, but at four it wasn’t going to be something he could easily understand. I also need to call Max because he would kick my ass if I left him out of the loop. 

“Aidan, Ted is going to bring some people over to meet us.” I tell him. 

“Aunty Em’s friends?” He asks me. 

“Yes, but one of the people is your other dad.” I tell him. 

“I have another daddy?” He asks me. 

“Yes and a Grandmother too.” I tell him. 

“Where did they come from?” He asks me. 

“Remember when I told you I was lost and couldn’t find home?” I ask him. 

“Cause you lost your marbles, and couldn't find them.” He tells me. 

“Where did you hear that?” I ask him.

“Uncle Max.” He tells me. 

“When did he tell you that?” I ask him. 

“He said it when you told him we were moving here. I asked him why he was upset, he said that if you thought finding a home in the Pitts was a great idea, you have really lost your marbles, and hopes you find them, before he has to lose us to this God… um it was a word you said I couldn't say, place.” He tells me. 

“Daddy is going to talk to Max about that, but I used to live here. When I did, according to Aunty Em, I had a family and friends. One of the friends I had is your other dad.” I tell him.

“Why do I need another Daddy?” He asks me.

“You don’t need one but you have one. He’s the man you saw on Aunty Em’s phone.” I tell him.

“He’s coming here?” He asks me,

“Yes, but because I don’t remember him or my mom, it might get…” I don’t know what to call it.

“It might be a little hard on everyone, because we all remember your daddy, even though he doesn’t remember us.” Emmett tells Aidan.

“Are they going to yell? Because I don’t like that.” He tells Emmett.

“No Baby, they are just going to expect me to be the person they knew, but I don’t remember who that person is.” I tell him.

“Don’t worry Daddy, you can knock them the… you know what… out if they treat me bad.” He tells me. I really have to stop talking in front of him.

“Aunty Em will help.” Emmett tells him.

I ask Emmett to watch Aidan while I call Max, because I need to have someone on my side in this, and my brother is the only person I could think of.

“You’re calling to tell me you want to move back. I’ll have a moving truck there in an hour.” Max tells me.

“No, I’m not moving back.” I tell him.

“Jay, I miss my Aidan. I was going to come and beg you to move back. I dropped Kevin like a bad habit.” He tells me.

“Why? I thought you saw potential in him.” I ask him. Okay, so I wasn’t sad to hear Kevin was gone, sue me, he was an asshole.

“Why didn’t you tell me he was treating my baby badly?” He asks me.

“He wasn’t hurting Aidan, he just wanted us out of your life.” I tell him.

“I kicked his ass out when he said that he was glad you and your bastard were gone.” He tells me.

“He said that to you?” I ask him.

“No, he was telling his hag over the phone. I overheard it, so out he went, but that isn’t why you called. What’s happening in the Pitt of hell?” He asks me.

“Well, I met someone I used to know.” I tell him.

“You mean other people leave here to go to that place?” He asks me.

“No, I mean people who lived here when I apparently did.” I tell him.

“Jay, don’t let gold diggers try to worm their way into your life.” He tells me.

“It’s Justin, and he knows my mother and Aidan’s father.” I tell Max.

“I’m catching the next flight out. I don’t care what they are telling you, you're no longer the homeless person I met. With your portfolio, all kinds of people come out of the woodwork. We put in your bio that you didn’t know your biological family. All it takes is one person looking for a paycheck and suddenly you're their long lost relative.” He tells me.

“The guy who is Aidan’s dad looks like an older version of Aidan.” I tell him.

“Did he seem familiar?” He asks me.

“No, he didn’t. Although he’s gorgeous.” I tell him. 

“All con’s are good looking, did you get a name?” He asks me.

“Wait, I’ll ask Emmett.” I walk back into the living room. 

“Look Daddy, Aunty Em is making me a castle.” Aidan tells me.

“I thought we could spruce up the box, since he wants to sit in it.” Emmett tells me and continues to draw on it.

“Emmett, what is Brian’s full name?” I ask him.

“Brian Aidan Kinney.” He tells me.

“Brian Aidan Kinney.” I tell Max.

“I’m looking up the name, give me a minute.” He tells me.

“Justin why did you want to know?” Emmett asks me.

“My agent is worried, he just wants to put names and faces together, before he gets here.” I tell him.

“More like make sure the people aren’t criminals looking for a paycheck.” Max mutters into the phone.

“Tell him to look up Kinnetik.” Emmett tells me.

“Emmett says to look up Kinnetik.” I tell Max.

“Um Jay, if Brian is who owns Kinnetik, you don’t need to worry about him. Hold on, you said they called you Justin?” He ask me.

“Yeah, Justin Taylor.” I tell him.

“There’s a link to a site with your name on it. Holy shit, you have to see this, get on your computer.” He tells me.

I walk to my desk and look up Kinnetik. “Okay I’m on the site.” I tell him.

“Look for your name on the sidebar.” He tells me.

I find my name and click on it. When the page loads it’s pictures of me and the banner reads ‘Have you seen me’.

“Brian must have gotten every picture taken of you to post on there. He made us all find anything you were in. Daphne, the girl in this picture, took most of these.” He tells me.

I was staring at the picture of Brian holding me from behind and we are both looking at something. “Where was this taken?” I point to it.

“It was at the GLC, you had drawings entered into a contest. Daphne took it because she said you both looked as if you were more than fu… buddies.” Emmett tells me. 

“You are a lucky cow, if that's your man. I mean how do you forget that?” Max asks me.

I kept looking at the stranger in the photos, they're all me, but it's like looking at someone else. These were pieces of my life, but none of it was familiar. 

“I just booked a flight, stay at your house till I get there.” Max tells me.

“There's more.” I tell him. 

“You left him knocked up too?” Max jokes.

“In a way, I have a daughter.” I tell him.

“Um you want to explain that?” Max asks me.

“It’s really fucked up, but one of Brian’s friends thought he was getting Brian’s babymakers. Instead they stole mine.” I tell him.

“You know what, wait for me. I have a feeling you need help.” Max tells me. 

Max tells me his flight information, before hanging up. I was going to look at the site some more but there was a knock on the door. 

“I’ll get it, you take care of Aidan.” Emmett tells me.

BRIAN

Jen was full of questions, but Ted didn’t have a lot of answers.

“I only know what I told you.” Ted tells her.

“Does he look alright?” She asks him.

“His hair is longer but other than that he looks like the same person who disappeared. It’s like he didn’t age.” Ted tells her.

We pulled up in front of the house, and I couldn’t move. I spent years hoping that Justin would come back to me. Now all I have to do is go in the door, no more waiting for a report, praying the phone call was him, or dreaming and wishing that I had done something different that day. Why did material possessions matter? I kicked out the first person I wanted to have more than a night with, all because I was scared to let him in.

“Brian, are you ready?” Ted asks me.

“Oh God, he’s really in there.” Jen stood next to the car staring at the door.

I get my legs to move and head to the door. When Emmett answered I was afraid that somehow it was a bad joke and Justin wouldn’t be there. 

“Hey, I left him in the room with Aidan. Just don’t go in there and expect him to remember anything. We are all strangers to him.” Emmett tells me.

I nod and follow behind Emmett. We walk through the house and even if Justin doesn’t remember us, the house is Justin. Everything is about comfort, not design. I stop to look at the pictures and paintings on the walls. I wonder why he didn’t hang his own paintings on the wall. It’s the picture of Justin holding a baby that captures my attention. I start looking at the pictures of the baby aging on the walls.

“I have more if you want to see them.” Justin tells us from the entrance to the living room.

“JUSTIN, I… it’s… I know you don’t know me, but is it… okay for me to hold you?” Jen asks him.

Justin seems reluctant but allows Jen to hug him.

“I can’t seem to let you go.” Jen tells him.

“You smell so familiar.” Justin tells her breathing her in. 

Jen ends up crying harder. I watch her and I don’t know what to do. I want to hold him and shake him at the same time. 

“Daddy, why is the woman crying?” A little boy asks Justin.

“I’m just so happy to see your Daddy, he’s been gone for a long time.” Jen kneels down to look at… my son.

“If you so happy, why are you crying?” He asks Jen.

“Aidan, it’s you’re not you.” Justin tells him.

I watch my son roll his eyes. “Will it help if I give you a hug? Daddy says it always makes everything better.” Aidan tells Jen.

“I would love that, I’m Jen or…” She looks up at Justin.

“This is your Grandmother.” Justin tells Aidan.

“You don’t look old, grandmothers are supposed to look old.” He informs her.

“Your dad is really young.” She tell Aidan.

Aidan lets Jen pick him up, and I watch as he kisses her cheeks and rubs his nose with hers.

“Daddy likes the nosy kiss.” He tells her.

“I like them too.” She tell him.

“Is that my other dad?” He whispers to Justin, or at least he thinks he did.

I was surprised that Justin told him about me at all. I wanted Aidan to know, but I was willing to take it slowly, and not confuse Aidan. 

“Why don’t you ask him.” Justin tells Aidan.

Aidan gets Jen to put him down and walks up to me.

“Are you my dad?” He asks me.

I kneel down so we are at eye level. “I really am.” I tell him.

“Are you gonna live with us?” He asks me.

“Aidan, can you at least get to know him before you move him in?” Justin asks him.

“I live with your brother and sister, but I think we could see a lot of each other.” I tell him.

“I gots.. I mean got a brother and sister?” Aidan asks me.

“Yes.” I tell him.

“Where are they?” He asks me.

“At my house, but if your Dad will let you, we could all have dinner together, so you could meet Gus and Jewel.” I tell him.

“Emmett, can you take my… mom and Aidan to the kitchen, it’s time for Aidan to have his snack.” Justin tells Emmett.

Emmett takes the hint and starts trying to get Jen to the kitchen. She grabs Justin and hugs him again, then takes Aidan’s hand and they follow Emmett. Ted stands there for a moment, like a guard dog, but takes the hint that I want him gone too. It’s just Justin and I looking at each other.

“Justin.” I start to say.

“I go by Jay, Justin is going to take some getting used too.” He tells me.

“Jay?” I ask him.

“When I woke up in the alley, the only thing I could find was the J on my belt buckle. So Jay. Well Jay Thomas, my agent wanted something better than Smith.” He tells me.

“That explains the house, so you became an Artist, you always wanted that.” I tell him.

“I did? At least something was the same.” He tells me.

“You were always drawing, I used to feel like I needed to ask if I could move when you started sketching.” I tell him, smiling at the memory.

“Aidan get’s stuck sitting around a lot, he’s my favorite subject.” Justin tells me.

“Is it just you and Aidan?” I ask him. I know we aren’t going to just fly in each other's arms but I need to know who I have to get rid of.

“I lived with my agent Max, until we moved here.” He tells me. 

“Bad breakup?” I hope so.

“Max has only ever been my agent, not that his psycho boyfriends ever believe it.” He tells me and I am relieved.

“I want to say this to you, even if it doesn’t make any sense to you. I need you to forgive me for throwing you away.” I tell him.

“I can forgive you, but I don’t remember it. I would hope that if I had been able to come home we could have worked it out. I don’t know what I was feeling then, but I want to believe that we could have worked it out.” He tells me.

“I would have done anything to change that day.” I tell him.

“We can’t change what happened, but we can go forward, I want to meet my daughter.” He tells me.

“I need to talk to her, she hasn’t had an easy time with all the shit that happened with Michael. They did tell you about Michael?” I ask him.

“Does he bother her?” Justin ask me.

“He isn’t allowed anywhere near her. I used to let his mother see Jewel, but she lied to me, and I stopped her from seeing Jewel or Gus.” I tell him.

“What did she do?” Justin asks me.

“She was taking the kids to see Lindsay and Michael. Which is against my rules, but Deb thinks we are being harsh to the other parents.” I tell him.

“Why would she take them to see parents who, from the way it sounds, don’t care?” He asks me.

“She does what she wants, damn the consequences. I think it was more her trying to get Michael to act like a father to Jewel.” I tell him.

“The time to be a father is the minute they’re born, not when it’s convenient.” Justin tells me.

“We have a lot to talk about, but right now I want to spend time with Aidan. Can I take him to my house to meet the other kids? I need to talk to Jewel and Gus before you come over.” I tell him.

“I can stay here and wait for Max, and I want to spend time with my mom alone. I think she needs it. Is she always so emotional?” He asks me.

“She’s a tough woman normally, but give Mom a break, you came back from the dead.” I tell him.

“It’s like that for me too, until this afternoon, it was just me and Aidan. Now it’s like I have all these people who are family in some way.” Justin tells me.

“Nothing about me seems familiar?” I ask him.

“I want it to, but no.” He tells me.

“Your mother smelled familiar?” I ask him.

“It was just like a scent that I could remember.” He tells me.

As I start walking towards him he backs up until he is against the wall. I lean down and smell him, it’s Justin but with a difference. I look into the eyes that use to stare at me as if I was the end and the beginning for him. The lust is still there but the worship isn’t, instead I see a hesitant interest, I could work with that. 

“Do I smell familiar?” I whisper in his ear.

“Good… really… fucking… good.” He tells me.

I wrapped him in my arms, because we could work on the rest later, but I needed to feel him. Justin slowly wrapped his arms around me, and for the first time in five years I felt at peace.