MEL 

“What was Justin doing here? ” Michael asks me. 

“He wanted to know why we were keeping Brian from seeing Gus.” I tell him. 

“It's none of his fucking business.” Michael tells me. 

“I don’t get why he was here, he's been gone for years and the first thing he asks is why Lindsay and I won't let Gus see Brian.” I tell him. 

“How does he even know about that?” He asks me. 

“I guess he got in contact with Brian, since Justin has a child with him too.” I tell Michael.

“There is no way Justin had a kid with Brian. He probably wants Brian to support his ass again.” He tells me.

“Justin had a child with Brian?” Lindsay asks when she enters my office.

“That’s what he told me. Hopefully Brian can be happy with that kid and leave Gus alone.” I tell her.

“Justin needs to leave Brian alone.” Michael tells us.

“Why do you care, you were thrilled when I kicked Brian out of our lives?” I ask him.

“I don’t care. I think I’ll take my honeybun to lunch, so I’ll see you two later when I drop her off.” Michael tells us.

I wait for him to leave to talk to Lindsay. With Michael, I honestly don’t know where he stands in my fight with Brian, and I don’t trust him to have my back if it came down to a fight.

“So Justin had a child with Brian?” Lindsay asks me.

“Is that a problem for you?” I ask her. I hate the green eyed monster that comes out of her when it involves Brian.

“I was just wondering.” She smiles.

“We need to talk to Gus.” I tell her.

“Why?” She asks me.

“Gus seemed really interested in where Justin was when you sat around gushing about Justin’s article.” I tell her.

“Gus is with one of his friends, you know he doesn’t like being around Michael.” She tells me.

“Call and tell him to come home.” I tell her.

“Do you remember who he said he was going to stay with?” She asks me.

“Jesus Lindsay, how many time do I have to tell you to make him call us when he’s going to stay at a friend’s house?” I ask her.

“I’ve been busy with work and entertaining Michael. Which should be your job, because I didn’t pick that asshole to be my child’s father.” She tells me.

“No, you wanted me to go with the asshole you picked.” I sneer at her.

“If we had, we wouldn’t be stuck with the custody agreement Michael holds over our heads like a guillotine.” She hisses back.

“That wouldn’t have happened if Brian hadn’t gotten involved in the whole thing.” I tell her.

“You were leaving me out, so I went to the person who supported me and Gus, which sure as hell wasn’t you.” She tells me.

“Why would I support someone who fucked around on me while I was pregnant?” I tell her.

“I don’t know Mel, could it be because we had Gus to take care of?” She asks me.

“Sorry, but you spread your legs, so you deal with the consequences.” I tell her.

“Even when it’s you spreading your legs.” She snaps at me.

“You were too busy letting fucking ‘Peter’ solve your problems to give a shit that I was feeling left out.” I snap back.

“Only because you were suddenly acting like you didn’t care that we had a kid. At least Brian was there to listen to me.” She tells me.

“Everything with you comes back to Brian. Well Brian wasn’t going to make your WASPY dreams come true and marry you.” I tell her.

“I KNOW THAT, you don’t have to keep reminding me that I settled for you.” She yells at me.

“More like I settled for a woman who couldn’t decide who she was.” I yell back.

“Unlike you, I don’t hate men because I couldn’t fucking be one.” She sneers at me.

Patrick walks in my door looking unhappy with me again. Shit, why can’t Lindsay wait till we get home to start this shit.

“This isn’t your home girls, this is my business, and you both need to deal with your problems AT HOME. I will not have you two fighting here, do I make myself clear?” He asks us.

“I’ll make sure it doesn’t happen again.” I tell him.

“This is the last time Mel, I don’t need clients or the other lawyers hearing that one of my attorneys can’t handle her home life.” He tells me and leaves, closing the door.

“Find your son.” I tell her quietly.

“Don’t you mean OUR son, since you wanted to show Brian you had the bigger dick?” She tells me.

“You could have chosen your wonderful Brian, but then you don’t have a dick either.” I tell her.  

“Fuck you Mel.” She hisses as she walks out of my office.

LINDSAY

I was angry when I left, it’s not like I expected Brian to decide he wanted me. It’s just that when he visited Gus, he didn’t spend any time with me. I thought it would be us taking Gus out but Brian told me that he came to see Gus, not me. I wanted my Peter to listen to me, but he told me to solve my own problems, because he was here to see his son. I complained to Mel about Brian not including me and of course it pissed her off that I wanted to spend time with Brian. Brian brought Gus home to us fighting about it and told us both that we straighten out our shit or he would find a way to keep Gus. Mel walked out of the room and brought back the paperwork he signed, giving away his rights.

“You don’t have any say in Gus’s life and you sure as hell don’t have any in ours.” She tells him.

“My son isn’t going to live in a house where his parents fight all the time.” He tells her.

“You mean MY SON, because you signed away your rights.” She tells him, waving the papers in his face.

“Last I checked Gus has my blood in his veins, not yours.” He sneered.

“I wish he didn’t, but I can’t change that Lindsay was stupid enough to want you for a father.” She sneers back.

“Mel, that was uncalled for.” I told her.

“Brian you need to leave my house, and not come here unless I tell you you can.” Mel tells him.

“I’ll come back in two weeks to visit MY SON.” He told her and left the house.

Mel spent the next hour telling me that I had to make a choice, her or Brian. When I told her that it was her, she told me that she wanted Brian out of our lives for good. Brian didn’t care what Mel wanted and kept showing up, until Mel managed to get the order. 

Now I have to find Gus, I hate having to call the other parents. Gus’s friend Allen is usually where Gus goes when Michael shows up. Allen’s mother, Mary, told me that she doesn’t mind having Gus but that Mel and I should be the ones asking if he could stay over, not Gus just showing up randomly. I guess I’ll get to listen to another one of  Mary’s lectures on Gus.

“Hey Mary, it’s Lindsay… Can I talk to Gus… Oh, did he go home… He didn’t go to your house a few days ago?… Could you see if Allen’s seen Gus… Mary, Gus told us he was going to his friends house, it’s not… I don’t need you telling me how to raise my son… Of course I’ve seen him… He was home a couple days ago, I just assumed… It’s none of your business how we parent Gus… We are good parents, maybe it’s time for Gus to stop spending time with your child.” I tell her and hang up fuming.

(Hello, Lindsay… Gus isn’t here… I wouldn’t know, I haven’t seen him… No he hasn’t been over in a couple weeks… Allen is at his grandmother's so I can't ask him for you… Lindsay you should have been the one calling the other parents so you know where Gus is… I know where my son is all the time, which you don’t seem to. When was the last time you saw Gus… You should know, not assume anything about Gus. Lindsay, he needs you and Mel to pay more attention to him… It’s my business when he comes to my house all the time. What kind of parents let someone stay at their house and talk to Gus the way Jenny’s father does.”)

I hate talking to her, but now I have to figure out where Gus went. After calling all of Gus’s friends and listening to the moms tell me that I should know where Gus is, I have to wonder if Justin knows where Gus is. Mel and I need to get to Justin before Brian finds out we don’t know where his son is.

BRIAN

Jen told me that she wanted me to let my anger at the Justin out so that Jacob wouldn’t see it. 

“Jacob will defend Justin and make sure no one hurts his dad.” Jen tells me.

“I don’t want to hurt Justin.” I tell her.

“I know you don’t, but you have a right to be angry about what we all did.” She tells me. 

“Justin was hurt by what he saw, so I can understand why he did it. I just wish he didn’t let twelve years go by and not give me a chance to know Jacob.” I tell her. 

“It's not Dad's fault, he told me I could see you.” Jacob tells me from the entrance to the living room. 

“You didn’t want to meet me?” I ask him. 

“I did, it's just I didn’t want to have to be nice to the guy you picked instead of my dad.” He tells me. 

“Jacob, that was a misunderstanding.” Jen tells him.

“So you love my dad, not someone else?” He asks me. 

Jacob has to ask the one question that I avoided with Justin. 

“It was complicated.” I tell him. 

“Either you loved him or you didn't, that’s not very complicated.” He tells me. 

“I wasn’t ready to love someone the way your dad wanted me to love him.” I tell him. 

“So he was right, you didn't love him.” He tells me. 

“No… but…” Jen interrupts my fumbling with an answer.

“Jacob, Brian loved your dad enough to help him when he needed it, but he was also dealing with what happened to your dad, at the same time.” She tells him. 

“When dad got hurt?” He asks us. 

“Yes sweetheart, at the time Bri… your father and I, wanted to help your dad.” She tells him. 

“I still don’t understand why you can’t say you love Dad.” He tells me. 

“I was afraid to.” I tell him. 

“Why?” He asks me. 

“Your dad was the first person who really loved me, I didn’t know how to deal with it.” I tell him. 

“No one loved you before?” He asks me. 

“Not the way your father did.” I tell him. 

“I don’t understand.” He tells me.

“I didn’t have parents who wanted me, and my friends wanted things from me in order to love me. With your dad, it was different, he didn’t ask for things. I didn’t know how to deal with someone who just wanted me, without a reason.” I tell him. 

“If he had told you about me, would you have felt obligated to stay with us?” He asks me. 

“Jacob, you wouldn’t have been an obligation. It doesn’t matter to me how you got here, just that I can have you in my life.” I tell him. 

“What about Gus, you want him too, right?” He asks me. 

“I want you both, and if your Dad and I can work through our problems, we could be a family.” I tell him. 

Jacob comes over to me and puts his arms around me. “I'll help you love my dad.” He tells me. 

“I don’t need help with that, I already do.” I tell him. 

I pull my son into my arms, pick him up, and hold him for the first time. “I love you, for being my son.” I whisper to him.

“I love you too, Daddy.” He tells me. 

Gus walks in and stares at us. I put Jacob down and walk to my other son, it’s time for him to know he matters to me too.

“Gus, I'm going to find a way to be able to see you, but until I do, you need to know that I want you in my life.” I tell him. 

“I won’t go back to them.” He tells me. 

“I'm trying to make sure you don't, but if you do, give me time to work this out.” I tell him. 

“Brian, would you be willing to talk to my husband’s brother.” Jen asks me.

“Why?” I ask her. 

“He's a lawyer who deals with custody disputes, maybe he could help.” She tells me. 

“My lawyer has been trying to get them to let me see Gus.” I tell her. 

“It couldn’t hurt to have a second opinion.” She tells me. 

“Call him, maybe he could think of something my lawyer hasn't.” I tell her. 

MICHAEL 

Once again it's all about Justin, I had a plan and he has to come back. If only he would have stayed gone, Brian would have owed it to me for getting the girls to let him see Gus. 

When Mel pulled her shit, I saw it as a way to make Brian see me as the person who helped him get his son back. I know he would love me the way I want if I did that. Then we could raise the kids together as a couple. 

I only stayed around Mel and Lindsay so I could prove they suck as Gus’s parents. Hell, they hardly know where Gus goes when I'm around. It kind of pisses me off that Gus runs off when I'm around. I was hoping Gus would get attached to me by seeing how much I do for JR. I wanted Gus and I to be close so he would make Brian see I should be the one in his life. Then the four of us could be a family.

If Justin thinks he can interfere in my plans by using his kid, then it's time to remind Brian who loved him the most. Brian needs to remember Justin ran away, not me. I was there waiting for him to realize we belong together. I tried to love Brian, but as usual Brian pretends he doesn't want a relationship. I'm sure when he finds out I've been trying to help him, that he'll finally stop lying to himself about loving me. I guess it's time for Mel and Lindsay to understand they are going to do it my way, and tell Brian it was me who made them let Gus back in his life.

I waited for them to come home, so I could tell them what was going to happen.

“Did you and Jenny have a good day?” Lindsay asks me. 

“I always make sure JR is taken care of.” I tell her. 

“We know that Michael.” Mel tells me. 

“I think it's time for us to talk about Brian and Gus.” I tell them.

“There’s nothing to talk about, Brian isn’t going to be around Gus.” Mel tells me. 

“Yes he is.” I tell her. 

“Michael, you don’t have a say in that.” Mel tells me. 

“If you want to still be allowed to see either of the kids I do.” I tell her. 

“What are you talking about?” Lindsay asks me. 

“I’m talking about the fact that you two barely bother to be home with the kids. I come here and Gus runs off and neither of you can tell me where he is.” I tell her. 

“He leaves because he doesn’t want to be around you.” Lindsay tells me. 

“That doesn’t mean you two should let him run off, without telling you where he is. Do you even know where he is?” I ask them.

“He’s at a friends house.” Lindsay tells me. 

“Then get him home, unless, as usual, you don't know which friend.” I tell her. 

“I'm not going to force him to deal with you.” She tells me. 

“Well then, you both can deal with my lawyer. I think it's time JR returns to Pittsburgh. He'll be interested to hear how JR and Gus are left with anybody, while you and Mel are too busy to take care of the kids.” I tell her. 

“We don't leave them with just anybody, Michael.” Mel tells me. 

“Really, because JR told me that she spends a lot of nights with a babysitter, because you two aren’t home. I bet if I talk to the parents who are watching Gus, they aren't going to make you two sound like caring moms. I doubt a court is going to see that as being good parents.” I tell them.

“Michael, we have to work.” Mel tells me. 

“Last I checked it doesn't require either of you two to be gone all night. You aren’t trying a case in the middle of the night, are you? Lindsay where are you all night, because the art store you work at closes at nine?” I ask them.

“That’s our business, not yours.” Mel tells me. 

“As JR'S father, it is my business to know why you're not taking care of her or Gus. I bet Brian would love to know the kind of upbringing you two are providing Gus. Maybe it's time for him and I to talk.” I tell them.

“Michael don't threaten us. I'll make sure you don't see JR.” Mel tells me. 

“I doubt you could, I've been here taking care of her while you two take off all the time. Which my lawyer knows, since he keeps a log of everything I tell him about you two.” I tell them.

“What do you want?” Mel says through clenched teeth.

“I want to show Brian that I'm the reason he can see Gus. It's really simple, you tell Gus to come home because Uncle Michael is going to take him to see his father.” I tell her. 

“Brian isn’t going to give you what you want.” Lindsay tells me. 

“When he sees that I'm the reason he can see Gus he will.” I tell her. 

“I won’t be blackmailed into letting Brian back in our lives.” Mel tells me. 

“You either do as I tell you, or I take JR away from you. I'll make you feel how Brian felt, when you did it to him. Before you two try to argue with me, find Gus and have him ready to go see Brian. I expect a call by tomorrow.” I tell them.

I leave them in the living room and go say goodbye to JR. Soon I'll have everything I always wanted.

MEL 

That motherfucker thinks he can threaten us. He better have more than Lindsay and me not being home some nights. 

“Lindsay, get Gus home.” I tell her. 

“I'm trying.” She tells me. 

“Tell him to get his ass home. We don’t need him staying with his friends, when Michael is using it as us neglecting Gus.” I tell her. 

Lindsay start fidgeting instead of calling Gus.

“Stop just sitting here and get him.” I tell her. 

“I can’t find him.” She mumbles. 

“What do you mean you can't find him?” I ask her. 

“He isn’t at any of his friends houses.” She tells me. 

“THEN WHERE IS HE?” I yell at her.

“I DON’T KNOW.” She yells.

“HOW THE FUCK DON’T YOU KNOW WHERE HE IS?” I yell.

“BECAUSE I FUCKING CALLED EVERYONE AND THEY HAVEN'T SEEN OUR SON.” She yells.

“YOU HAVE ONE FUCKING JOB AND IT’S TO TAKE CARE OF THE KIDS. YOU CAN’T EVEN TAKE THE TIME TO KNOW WHERE THEY ARE?” I scream at her.

“I CAN’T BE THE ONLY ONE HOME TO TAKE CARE OF THEM. I WORK TOO.” She screams at me.

“YOUR A FUCKING CASHIER AT AN ART SUPPLY STORE. UNLIKE MY JOB, YOURS ISN’T IMPORTANT.” I yell at her.

“NOTHING IS IMPORTANT UNLESS IT HAS TO DO WITH YOU. WHY AREN’T YOU LOOKING FOR GUS, YOU'RE SO CONCERNED ABOUT HIM.” She yells at me.

“Gus left to find Justin.” Jenny tells us from the stairs.

“What baby?” I ask her.

“Gus said that he was going to find Justin.” She tells us.

“When did he do that?” Lindsay asks her.

“Right after you showed him the article about Justin. He told me he wanted to go find someone who loved him.” She tells us.

“We love Gus, but you should have told us that he ran away.” I tell Jenny.

“I didn’t want you to be mad at Gus. He said that he wanted a Dad.” She tells us.

“Honey, Gus shouldn’t have just run away. We needed to know.” I tell her.

“I just thought he should have a daddy like I do.” She tells us.

“Baby go back to bed, let Mommy and I talk.” I tell her.

“You woke me up yelling.” She complains.

“We won’t yell anymore, but we need to find Gus.” I tell her.

“He doesn’t want you to find him. He said he wanted someone who cared, that he wanted a daddy.” She tells us.

I take Jenny back to bed and realize that Lindsay and I were in trouble. Michael doesn’t need to find out Gus ran away and we didn’t know where he is.

“Sweetie when did Gus leave?” I ask her.

“When Daddy came.” She tells me.

I kiss her goodnight and hurry to talk to Lindsay.

BRIAN

We waited for Tucker’s brother to come over. I doubt he was going to tell us anything that could help me, but like Jen said it doesn’t hurt to have as second opinion. Justin and I put the boys to bed and sat together in the living room.

“I wonder if Mel and Lindsay figured out Gus is gone yet?” Justin asks me.

“I hope they do, because I never wanted Gus to live in a house where no one cared where he disappeared to.” I tell him.

“I don’t get how they would let him take off like that, Jacob is right, I would have grounded him for life if he did that.” He tells me.

“You seem to really be involved in Jacob’s life.” I tell him. 

“He’s my world, nothing matters to me but that he’s happy.” Justin tells me.

“Lindsay made me think the same thing, that’s why I gave up my rights to her and Mel.” I tell him.

“I never understood that until I had Jacob. Now if I had thought he would be better off with you, I would have done the same thing. Not that I think he’s better off without you.” He tells me.

“I’m not going to bow out of Jacob’s life.” I tell him.

“I don’t expect you to. I want him to know you, it’s my fault that he doesn’t.” Justin tells me.

“I think we should set the blame aside and do what’s best for Jacob and Gus. Right now that’s all that matters.” I tell him.

Tucker brings Brad into the room and introduces us. Brad was all business.

“I need to know from the beginning how you became the father of Gus and what kind of agreement you signed. Also, when you signed away your rights, were you warned by your lawyer what you were doing?” He tells me.

“Lindsay wanted to have a baby, I agreed to donate, just to get her off my back. I never really thought I wanted a kid. The three of us agreed that I would be in his life but not as the father. The problem was that I fell in love with my son and didn’t want to give him up.” I tell him.

“So you didn’t give him up at birth. Did you pay support?” He asks me.

“I gave Lindsay money to pay the hospital bill and if she needed anything for Gus, I helped her. I didn’t give him up until Lindsay tried to marry a guy who needed a green card.” I tell him.

“What did that have to do with you giving up your son?” He asks me.

“I wanted Gus raised by people who loved him, not some guy looking for a green card. I got Mel and Lindsay to agree to get back together, if I gave up my rights.” I tell him.

“Your lawyer was there when you signed over Gus?” He asks me.

“No, I just went to Mel’s firm and got the paperwork. Signed it and handed it to Mel and Lindsay.” I tell him.

“When you went to court with them, did you have a lawyer with you to explain what you were doing could make it so they could block your rights to Gus?” He asked me.

“I didn’t go to court, Mel did all that.” I tell him.

“Brian, in order for that agreement to be valid, you have to be given time to reconsider giving up your child. The courts see too many cases where the biological parent changes their mind and want their child. If you never went to court and restated you wanted to let Mel adopt Gus, you can still reconsider the decision.” He tells me.

“My lawyer never told me that, just that they have the right to refuse to let me have a part of Gus’s life.” I tell him.

“Did he know you didn’t have representation when you gave up your rights?” He asks me.

“He knew that I signed away my rights, because he worked with Mel.” I tell him.

“Brian, if everything you told me is correct, than you can fight Mel’s order.” He tells me.

“Even though I willingly signed the agreement?” I ask him.

“It doesn’t matter unless you went and signed it in front of a judge. How did they get the order past a judge without the judge forcing you to appear?” He asked me.

“Mel took care of it.” I tell him.

“Mel and you would need separate lawyers to do that. Mel couldn’t represent herself because she was personally gaining from it, and she couldn’t represent you for the same reason.” He tells me.

“So I can get my rights back?” I ask him.

“Yes, and truthfully it shouldn’t be to hard for you to do. Do you still support Gus?” He asks me.

“I send the money to Lindsay, she still takes it.” I tell him.

“Are you hiring me?” He tells me.

“If you can make it so I can see my son, than yes.” I tell him.

“Then sign here and hand me a dollar.” He tells me. 

I sign where he tells me and pull out a dollar.

“I can write a check for the retainer, if you need me too.” I tell him.

“The dollar is your retainer, I won’t charge family.” He tells me.

“I’m not your family.” I remind him.

“Your Jacob’s dad, so that makes us family.” He tells me.

“What about my lawyer?” I ask him.

“The partner from Mel’s old firm?” He asks me.

“Yes, he knew about the whole situation with me and the girls. I figured he would know if I had a case.” I tell him.

“Yet he never told you that you had to have representation in order to give up your child?” He ask me.

“No, just that Mel and Lindsay were the only parents who could make decisions.” I tell him.  

“Brian was he involved in the case when you gave up Gus?” He asked me.

“He told me he was, why?” I ask him.

“Because he couldn’t represent you and Mel at the same time, it’s a conflict of interest.” He tells me.

“Or covering his ass, if he helped Mel pass the paperwork through the courts without keeping Brian informed of his rights as the father giving up his son.” Justin tells us.

“He could be disbarred if he was involved in the adoption process because he can’t be both your lawyers.” Brad tells me       

“I don’t know if he was involved.” I tell him.

“We need to find that out. If he is, you have a case against his firm for misleading you on your rights.” He tells me.

“Then find out, I don’t care how much it costs. I just want to be in Gus’s life.” I tell him.

Brad packs up his things and tells me that I need to be in his office in the morning. I finally feel like I can get my son back.