JUSTIN

Brian and I were on our way to meet with Brad, when Thomas called me, all flustered.

“Hey, I didn’t tell Daphne you helped me, so you can can the drama queen routine.” I tell him.

“Yeah, well make sure she knows you acted alone. Where are you right now?” He asks me.

“Brian and I are on our way to see a lawyer.” I tell him.

“Fucking A, you are trying to guarantee I never get a date aren’t you?” He whines.

“You keep whining like that and you won’t all on your own. Is there a reason you called other than to prove you're more gay than I am?” I ask him.

“Yeah, just wanted to whine a bit about my Daphne-less life.” He tells me.

“You sure he isn’t gay?” Brian asks me.

“Please tell me that isn’t Brian.” He begs.

“Didn’t I just say I was with Brian?” I ask him.

“I was hoping you meant you weren’t going together.” He tells me.

“Why… did… you… call?” I ask him, hoping he’ll get to the point.

“Well for a few reasons, first you were asked to do a show in Pittsburgh at the Warhol Museum.” He tells me.

“You better have said yes.” I tell him, excited.

“Hello, I’m a competent agent, so of course I said yes. I figured it gave me a reason to see my woman. Oh, and it’s the Warhol.” He tells me.

“What else?” I ask him.

“I thought I could give you the great news first because the rest is sucky.” He tells me.

“It’s like talking to Emmett.” Brian comments.

“Thomas, what else?” I ask again.

“Lindsay Peterson is insisting I give her your number, something about you harboring a minor.” He tells me.

“And?” I tell him.

“Some guy keeps calling saying he wants your number. When I asked why, he said that you owe it to him to talk to him.” He tells me.

“Michael.” Brian whispers.

“Give Lindsay my other number, and tell the guy that I don’t owe him a fucking thing.” I tell Thomas.

“You want me to say ‘fucking thing’, because I really, really want to.” Thomas tells me.

“You have free rein on it.” I tell him.

“Hold on, it’s Lindsay on my office line, want to hear what she has to say?” He asks me.

“Yeah and record it, because I could be in trouble here.” I tell him.

“The kid ran away and you offered him a safe house to stay in while you waited for his parents to come to you. You didn’t owe them an explanation.” Brian tells me.

“Do you think the police are going to see it that way?” I ask him.

“Justin, I don’t think Lindsay wants anyone to know Gus is gone.” Thomas tells me.

“Why do you say that?” I ask him.

“She told me that she just wanted you to return him to her, no need to involve anyone else at all.” Thomas tells me.

“Put her on and give her my number.” I tell him.

“Ms. Peterson, Justin gave me permission to give you his number.” Thomas tells her.

“Tell Justin I expect him to call me. He had no right to keep my son and not tell me.” She tells him and hangs up.

“Text me her number.” I tell him.

“Will do, call me if you need bail.” Thomas jokes and hangs up.

“Justin, don’t call until we talk to Brad. I think if you call we need to let him hear what she is saying.” Brian tells me.

I agree to wait until we talk to Brad. We get taken into his office as soon as we arrive.

“Okay, so far it looks like Mel and her partner Ron did get the paperwork passed through without following proper procedure. I talked to a judge I know and he said that Judge Russo did it as a favor to them as long as they returned the favor to him one day.” He tells us.

“Wait, Roy Russo?” Brian asks him.

“Yes, why do you know him?” Brad asks him.

“He was the judge who ruled on the case when Justin was bashed by Christopher Hobbs.” He tell him.

“Did Mel get involved in the case?” He ask us.

“No, the DA dealt with it. She told me that we didn’t have a leg to stand on since the judge ruled it simple assault instead of attempted murder.” Brian tells him.

“It could just be a coincidence, but it’s worth looking into.” He tells us.

“Mel didn’t have anything to do with the case.” I tell them.

“How can you know for sure?” Brad asks me.

“My mom didn’t want her involved, Mel did try, but Mom felt they were all to blame for me getting hurt at the time.” I tell him.

“It still doesn’t hurt to check around about it. It could only help Brian’s case.” He tells us.

“Brad, Lindsay wants me to call her, I think she knows Gus is with us.” I tell him.

“Justin, you didn’t do anything but take a kid off the street.” He tells me.

“She said I was harboring a minor.” I tell him.

“Sounds like Mel telling her what to say.” Brian tells us.

“Brian, we need to file the paperwork for you saying you don’t want to give up Gus. I also want to file to have the first case reviewed because you weren’t informed that you had to appear.” He tells Brian.

“What about Lindsay?” I ask Brad.

“This is going to be the part you don’t like, we need to inform child services here that Gus ran away. He is going to be taken by them and I can have them release him into Brian’s custody because Brian is his natural father, who will be suing for custody.” Brad tells us.

“Brad, this is going to scare Gus.” Brian tells him.

“No, because we are going to explain it to Gus. I already have the paperwork on Brian so child services can release him to Brian and prove Brian’s home is a suitable home for Gus to live in.” Brad tells us.

“How do you have all that?” Brian asks him.

“I plan to steal Cynthia when this is over, she faxed everything while I was on the phone with her.” Brad tells us.

“The loft is a suitable home?” I ask.

“No, but the country house Brian owns is suitable.” He tells us.

“Country house?” I look at Brian.

“I bought it a while ago, I didn’t like living where Michael could keep showing up.” Brian tells me.

“Do I call Lindsay back?” I ask him.

“No, you do what I just told you to do. Do not speak to her.” Brad warns us both.

“I don’t want Gus to lie about when I found him.” I tell Brad.

“Then tell child services that you were bringing Gus to his parents. You didn’t know they didn’t all live in Pittsburgh.” He tells me.

“I went to see them yesterday.” I tell him.

“You aren’t required to return him to parents who don’t seem to be looking out for his best interest. Gus is being neglected, Justin. His mothers couldn’t even tell you he was missing, and you felt that that environment would be harmful to Gus. Plus, Gus is still a US citizen.” He tells us.

“How could he be, they have lived in Canada for five years?” Brian asks him.

“Mel became a citizen because she applied under the independent/skilled worker category. Lindsay is a resident with the children through Mel. It was easier than applying for citizenship.” He tells us.

“Couldn’t they force the US to send Gus back?” Brian asks him.

“No, because Gus is a US citizen, Canada would stay out of it. They don’t get involved in US custody disputes anymore than the US would with Canadian disputes.” He tells us.

“I need to go fire Ron.” Brian tells us.

“I want to be there with you when you do. He needs to answer for why he and Mel didn’t go through the proper channels.” He tells us.

“So first we take Gus in?” I ask him.

“Yes, but only to inform them of Gus’s whereabouts and that Gus’s father is willing to take him in.” He tells us.

Brad tells us he will meet us at child services. Brian and I drive to get Gus, I hate that we are doing this, but I want to help Gus. When Gus got in the car, I decided to be the one to tell him.

“Gus, we have to take you to child services so that they can allow your dad to keep you.” I tell him.

“I don’t have to go back to Canada?” He asks us, finally smiling a real smile.

“No, you stay here if what Brad told us is true.” Brian tells him.

“Do I have to stay in a foster home?” He asks us.

“Brad is already there at child services, showing that I can provide you a safe place to live.” Brian tells him.

We get to the office and they ask to speak to Gus alone with Brad. We sat and waited to see what was happening. Brian was called in and told them I needed to be there too. Gus’s age became the deciding factor. At thirteen and that he had reasonable intelligence was all they were proving, and when asked where he wanted to live he told them he wanted to live with Brian. It helped that his US birth certificate still listed Brian as the father. Guess when Mel was busy getting the adoption through, she forgot to change it. We took Gus out the door with us, and Brad told us that Mel and Lindsay were going to have to fight this in the US, not Canada.