JUSTIN

We got home to Mom and Deb waiting for us. Michael and Ben drove the kids home so Brian could sit with the girls. I was glad to leave the hospital because the nurses seemed to think that Brian was their only patient. It was like everything he did was just wonderful. Any other patient would have had the nurses running away, but when Brian did it the nurses were delighted.

“Brian, I know you didn’t want a party but everyone wants to celebrate the new babies.” My mother told him.

“Then let them.” Brian tells her and heads up the stairs with the girls in his arms.

“Brian, do you want me to help you get them settled?” I ask him.

“I’m good, help your mom.” He tells me and keeps going.

“What the heck was that?” Deb asks watching Brian in his own world.

“That’s what it’s been like for the last two days. He won’t let anyone help him with Beatrix and Charlotte.” I tell them.

“Justin, trust me, when he wants sleep, he’s going to let you help.” Mom tells me.

“Justin, you know Brian has always been protective.” Deb tells me.

“At least he let the kids do things, he keeps telling me I have enough on my plate.” I tell them absently.

“Did you get another show?” Mom asks me.

“I’ve just been busy with Kinnetik.” I tell them, not wanting to ruin Michael’s moment.

“Really, because I would bet he was worried about something else.” Deb tells me looking at my hand on my stomach.

“Deb, let your son tell everyone.” I tell her.

“Tell… Justin… why didn’t you tell me?” My mom smiles and pulls me in a hug.

“I wanted it to be about Brian and the girls.” I tell her.

“We’ll pretend to be surprised for my son’s sake.” Deb smiles and hugs me too.

I let the moms finish with the food and go upstairs to see what’s taking Brian so long. I walk in the bedroom to see him laying on the bed with the girls. He surrounded them with pillows on my side and used himself as the buffer for his side.

“You’re determined to have them here aren’t you?” I ask as I move the pillows so I can lay next to Charlotte.

“I just wanted them here for now.” He tells me as he watches them sleep.

“You have to start letting me help you with them.” I tell him.

“I wasn’t trying to keep you out of it, but this is the first time I’ve gotten to be here from the start.” He tells me.

“So, it’s just you wanting to do all the things you never got to do?” I ask him.

“Yes, and when you have the next one, I get to do it again.” He smiles at me.

Now I understand why he’s been hovering, because this time he’s not a visitor in his brand new child's life but the person who gets to do it all. 

“You’ve always been a good father.” I tell him.

“I always thought that if I was able to have my own child, you would be a great person to have them with.” Brian smiles at Charlotte and Beatrix.

We hear the boys and Jenny coming in the room. The three of them stand at the end of the bed staring.

“Just get on, but watch out for the babies.” Brian tells them. 

They all climb on the end and lay down together at the twins feet, watching the girls sleep. Brian is smiling and looking so content. I look at the bed and all of us laying together and know this is one I have to paint.

BRIAN

I must have fallen asleep because I woke up alone in bed. I hear everyone in the other room, but I just want to lay and listen because this is what I always dreamed having my own family would be like. Jen came in the room and sat on the bed. I did something I’m sure surprised her and put my head on her lap. I think I just needed a mom right then. Jen put her hand on my head and started running her fingers through my hair.

“Thank-you for my granddaughters.” She tells me.

“It’s strange, because I grew up thinking that I would never want kids.” I tell her.

“I alway thought if anyone would be a great father, it would be you.” She tells me.

I look up at her because I was surprised by her thinking that.

“Why?” I ask her.

“Brian, no matter what, you were there for Gus. He might not have known, but it’s all the things you did. You supported him financially when you couldn’t even see him. I watched you accept Jacob and try to make up for the years you weren’t there. Jenny doesn’t even seem to realize that you and Justin aren’t her fathers. Those  are the little things that make me believe you’re a great father. The big things are that you took care of anyone who entered your world. You could have left Justin to figure out his own way, but stayed with him to keep him from being hurt. I always got to hear how selfish you were, but not one of them ever stopped to think about how each of their lives were better because you were in it. I know, I was one of those people, until I really paid attention to the things you do.” She tells me.

“Jen, I was selfish.” I tell her.

“Brian, you went out of your way to make sure everyone had what they wanted and never expected anything in return. That’s selfless, not selfish. My son couldn’t have picked a better husband for himself or father for his children. I’m proud to have you as my son.” She tells me.

“I’m glad to have you as my mother.” I tell her.

“As your mom, we need to go down and let your whole family celebrate with you.” She tells me.

I get up and follow her down the stairs to see Justin and Emmett putting three cakes on the table. I looked and realized Justin is getting a birthday party after all. The big cake is for the girls and the last one is for Ben, who apparently was born the same day as Justin.

MICHAEL

Justin came up and told Ben and John to bring the girls down in a few minutes and grabbed me towing me out of the room.

“Come on Mikey, we have to get Ben’s present.” Justin tells me.

“What do you mean Ben’s present? I had a small party at home for him.” I tell him.

“Do you honestly think everything is going to be about Brian and me?” He tells me.

“You just had kids, so of course.” I tell him.

“Just come on.” He drags me to a spare room.

“Are you giving him one of your paintings?” I ask because his paintings are worth a lot.

“No, but if you want one let me know.” Justin tells me.

“Then what?” I ask him.

“Brian and I wanted to give you two tickets to Tibet. You are giving him the tickets, so don’t argue with me.” Justin tells me.

“Justin, you and Brian should give them to him.” I tell him.

“I want you to do it.” He tells me.

“Why did we sneak off?” I ask because he could have handed it to me.

“Because I wanted to give you something else.” He tells me.

“Justin, you don’t have to do anything else for me. I should be the one doing those things for you.” I tell him.

“I think that you deserve this for changing your life.” He tells me.

Justin drags a big box out of the closet. I help him and it’s really kind of heavy. 

“Just take what’s in there without argument. It took me months to find it all.” He tells me.

Opening the top the first thing I see is Captain Astro issue one. I start looking through the box and it’s all the things I sold to see Jenny. There are even things I’ve wanted but never could afford.

“Why?” I ask, sitting down on the bed and trying not to cry.

“I wanted to give my friend things that made him happy.” He tells me and sits next to me.

“I feel so stupid that I never tried to be your friend.” I tell him.

“You shouldn’t, it wasn’t like I made it easy on you. I was jealous of your friendship with him too. In a way we all needed to grow up, and we finally did. I was thinking that maybe you and I could work on creating a comic together.” He tells me.

“Seriously?” I ask him.

“We could have a superhero, one who not only saves people but learns along the way. I think we should have a hero who doesn’t start out a hero, but becomes one for his daughter.” He tells me.

“You know I kind of love you.” I tell him.

“Just don’t let Brian hear that.” He jokes.

Gus comes in and looks at us. “Why are you two crying?” He asks us.

“Allergies.” I tell him.

“I came to tell you that there is a lot of cake and I want it.” He tells us.

“I think he get’s his eating habits from you.” I tell Justin.

“Well if you had seen Brian in the middle of the night lately, you might change your mind. You should have seen him with three brownies just before the girls were born, talking to them as he bit into each one.” Justin tells me, as I pull him up.

“What was he saying to brownies?” I ask him.

“He was telling them they were taking one for the girls.” Justin giggles.

BEN

John and I were bringing the girls down when we see Michael and Justin giggling with each other and running ahead of us.

“That is one friendship I don’t think anyone thought they would ever see.” John tells me.

“I always thought that they should have been friends.” I tell him. 

“Why?” He asks me 

“Because it wouldn't have been codependency making them friends. Michael would have had a friend who didn’t let him get away with being needy.” I tell him. 

“What would Justin have gotten out of it?” He asks me. 

“Justin would have had someone who let him play. Justin was always trying to grow up too fast. Daphne didn’t stop Justin from doing anything, but Michael would have at least tried to.” I tell him.

“How have things been going for you and Michael?” He asks me.

“It's what I alway hoped we could be like. It's about us.” I tell him. 

“Could you two hurry, there’s cake.” Gus scowls at us as he walks by.

“He’s really got the Kinney scowl down.” I tell John.

“Imagine what these two will be like later.” John tells me.

We get to the kitchen and Brian walks over to get Charlotte from me. Justin grabs Beatrix from John. I smile at the way they both seem to know which one is which.

BRIAN

Justin tells me that he got Michael to agree to give Ben the tickets. Everyone sings Happy Birthday to Ben and Justin. The boys just seemed happy to get the cake cut. I watched as my family celebrated being a family. Looking outside I see Lindsay looking through the window, and if she wants to continue being on the outside of life then she can stay there. 

Justin looks to see what I’m looking at and I can see he wants to talk to her, but not today.

“You can’t solve everything for everyone.” I tell him.

“I can’t really help her, Michael at least could see what he was headed for. Lindsay is going to be stuck in her world, because she doesn’t see what she’s doing.” He tells me.

“If she keeps showing up uninvited I might have to do something about it.” I tell him.

“Let me deal with her.” Jen tells me.

“Let her see what she’s missing.” Deb tells her.

“She already does, but doesn’t seem to understand it.” Jen tells her.

“Nothing anyone tells her is getting through her head.” I tell Jen.

“Maybe she needs to hear it from someone who hasn’t said it to her.” Jen tells me and walks out the back.

“Your mother really thinks she can say something that will get Lindsay to stop acting like it’s all our fault she doesn’t have the life she wants?” Deb asks Justin.

“I think my mother understands the world Lindsay lives in. My mom grew up in it.” Justin tells Deb.

JEN

When I come outside, Lindsay starts to leave.

“Lindsay, can we talk?” I ask her.

“I just wanted to see Gus.” She tells me.

“I’d believe that if you were looking at Gus.” I tell her.

“You wouldn’t understand, you managed to get what you wanted.” She tells me.

“I worked to get what I want, all you seem to do is think that it should be handed to you.” I tell her.

“I’ve worked hard to be an artist but I keep being told I’m not talented enough. I would have given Brian everything if he would have looked at me the way he does Justin. Instead of helping me, Brian turned his back on the friendship I gave him.” She tells me.

“You think Justin got everything handed to him? My son was almost killed and instead of wallowing in it, he worked hard to get better. He was already talented but had to find a new way to create, he didn’t let anyone tell him he wasn’t talented, but kept going. Brian looks at Justin that way because Justin isn’t sitting around whining about not getting what he wants, he works and pushes to get it. Brian didn’t turn his back on you but realized if he wanted to have a family, he couldn’t keep the people around that would just keep dragging him down.” I tell her.

“Yet Michael is back in his life.” She rolls her eyes.

“Michael finally got a clue, when are you going to get one?” I ask her.

“Brian will realize that I was right, and then I’ll be the one in the house, not your son.” She tells me.

“I came out here to try to talk to you, but you know what, I don’t think you’ll ever get it.” I tell her.

“Get what?” She asks me.

“That life isn’t about getting what you want but working for the things you deserve. In case you haven’t gotten it through your head, Brian is gay and madly in love with my son, and that isn’t going to change Wendy.” I tell her and walk off to join my family.    

I walked in to Justin pushing Michael to the center of the group. I hoped this would be a chance to celebrate the new life Justin was carrying.

“Justin let me in on a secret. So I get to tell you all, that we’re all having a new baby in three more months. Congratulations to Brian and Justin for adding to this already great family. I also want to tell Emmett I'm happy for him and Drew too.” Michael smiles at them.

I hug Deb, because even if she doesn’t realize it Michael grew up to be a great adult.