Justin knew something had to be done.

For six weeks he had watched Brian struggle with the changes his body was going through. Justin was already accustomed to waking up every morning to find his lover sporting a neatly trimmed, yet full, white beard, matching white hair, and a smooth rounded belly. If it had been any other man, Justin knew he would have been completely turned off, but this was Brian, his Brian, and it truly didn't matter to Justin what he looked like. He had been honest with Brian in that regard; he would always love and want Brian no matter how he looked.

However, Brian had been honest as well when he had told Justin if he couldn't see his dick, then no one else would either. Any attempt Justin made to initiate anything remotely close to sex in the morning had Brian pulling away immediately. He would disappear into the bathroom until he could get his appearance under control. Brian's ability was growing rapidly, except that for the last few days Brian had not been able to control the beard. His natural hair color wasn't too difficult for him to reclaim; he just wasn't able to lose the beard completely. Thankfully the beard didn't bother Justin at all; in fact he found it extremely sexy. Even Brian was beginning to get use to it.

The main problem was Brian refused to leave the house, refused to see anyone. His subconscious was no longer fighting his changing appearance. When he first had difficulty maintaining control, he would refuse to leave the bedroom. During the times that business dictated that he hold conferences with Ted and Cynthia, he would disable his webcam; he could see them without them seeing him. The one time Ted showed up at the house needing Brian's signature on a contract, Brian refused to come out of the bedroom. From that point on Cynthia would email any papers that needed his signature and Brian would have a courier or Justin return them to the office.

The rest of the family was told that Brian and Justin were both out of town on business. It was rare that anyone made the forty-five minute drive to Britin; however Brian wasn't willing to chance it. Michael was still a bit clingy since Thanksgiving was fast approaching and with it their move to 'New York' despite reassurances that they would keep in touch. There would be phone calls, text messages, instant messaging, and of course the occasional visit home. Brian may have sold the loft, but they were not selling Britin.

Justin carefully rolled onto his side, watching his lover sleep. His ass was still very tender from the exhaustive sex the night before. They both seemed to feel a need to make up for all the morning sex they were missing. Justin decided it was time to put a stop to the 'no morning sex' routine once and for all.

Cautiously inching his hand under his pillow, Justin slowly withdrew the handcuff being careful not to make any sound or sudden movement. He couldn't have Brian waking up until everything was in place.

As gently as he could, Justin moved Brian's left arm until it rested on the pillow beside his head. He placed the handcuff around his lover's wrist and closed it with two soft snicks of the lock. Justin let out a silent breath when Brian stirred, but remained asleep.

Justin smoothly lifted the covers from Brian's body so as not to disturb his still slumbering partner, moving down the bed at the same time. Once Brian lay completely exposed, Justin cautiously moved into position, straddling Brian's legs, pinning him in place. He placed himself in a very strategic position - his hard cock lined up alongside Brian's.

Feeling a weight on his legs, Brian woke with a start. He lifted his head and gave a confused look to his partner.

"Hey," Justin said softly.

"Hey," Brian answered. When he realized Justin's intentions, Brian tried to reach him and was surprised to find he could only extend one arm. He glanced at the handcuff around his wrist before turning an angry glare on his partner. "What the fuck are you playing at, Justin?"

"Does this feel like I'm playing, Brian?" Justin closed his hands around both their erections, slowly stroking up and down with a slight twist when he reached the top. "I'm going to show you exactly how I see you." Justin released the grip on his own cock, sliding back just enough to give him room to maneuver. He leaned over and ran his tongue along the fine line of hair from Brian's pubes to his navel.

Brian's breathing quickened with the sensations brought on by his lover's attentive ministrations. He couldn't believe that Justin would want to touch him, much less have sex, when he knew he looked horrendous.

Justin swirled his tongue around Brian's navel then flicked it in and out several times. He continued stroking Brian's cock, never breaking his rhythm, while his other hand rubbed lightly up over Brian's rounded belly, up to his chest where he tweaked one nipple into a hard nub. Feeling it harden to a peak, Justin slid his palm over it, lightly grazing the tip then flicked it with his finger.

Brian gasped and shivered at the combined stimulation of Justin's hands and tongue.

Hearing and feeling his lover's reactions, Justin moved so he could take the neglected nipple into his mouth. He caressed it with his lips and tongue before biting gently then pulling away.

Brian arched his back in an attempt to maintain contact with those luscious lips. His hips moved constantly, thrusting into the hand gripping his cock. Suddenly Justin's tongue was in his mouth. With his free hand Brian grabbed the back of Justin's head, twisting his fingers in the long blond locks to hold his lover in place while he sucked on Justin's tongue.

Despite the grip Brian had on his hair, Justin managed to pull away. He wanted more and he was going to get it. He smiled down at Brian, ran his tongue across Brian's open mouth, nipped him on the chin, and slowly made his way down to the engorged cock in his hand, leaving a trail of bites and kisses along the way.

Raising his head from his pillow Brian watched Justin, but soon his overly round stomach blocked his view as Justin lowered his head to Brian's crotch. He felt his lover bury his nose in his pubes and breathe deeply. Brian tossed his head, frustrated that he couldn't see Justin. When he turned his head to the right he noticed something out of place. A smile crept over his face as he saw that sometime during the night Justin had moved the free standing full-length mirror. There in the reflection was Justin's bright, smiling face looking back at him.

Justin waggled his eyebrows at Brian's reflection just before he deep-throated his lover's cock.

"Fuck!" Brian shouted, throwing his head back and arching off the bed.

Justin swallowed around the large cock in his mouth. He rolled the balls in his hand as his mouth slid up and back down. He swallowed again then began to hum.

Brian lost all control as his orgasm hit.

Justin swallowed as Brian's cock erupted. He continued to hum and suck not willing to stop until he had milked every drop from Brian. When nothing more was forth coming, he let his lover's semi-hard cock slip from his mouth. Justin sat up and as soon as he was certain that Brian was able to focus on him, he licked his lips.

"Have I made my point?" Justin asked with a devilish smile.

"Point made, Sunshine," Brian agreed shakily. He jiggled the handcuff. "Take this off me so I can take care of you."

Justin looked down at his lap and grinned. "Already taken care of."

Rolling slightly to the side, Brian rose up on one elbow and followed Justin's gaze. Justin's thighs were covered in spunk. He looked up at his partner and smirked.

"You should have waited. You know I love to watch you jerk off."

"I didn't. As soon as you started coming, so did I." Justin laughed.

Brian laughed with him. He rattled the handcuff again and Justin reached over to his bedside table for the key.

"How did you manage this anyway?" Brian asked, wondering how he missed feeling Justin attach the handcuff.

"I set it up last night when you were on the phone with Michael. The other cuff is attached to a short chain that I attached to the bed frame then I slipped the cuffs under my pillow. The hardest part was making sure you didn't wake up when I put the cuff on your wrist." Justin released Brian's wrist, gently massaging it while inspecting it for any damage. It was slightly red, but the skin wasn't broken.

"That wasn't the hardest part, Sunshine." Brian pressed his tongue in his cheek causing Justin to laugh. He stood up and started to move toward the bathroom. "Come on, let's get a shower. We can't stay in bed all day unfortunately."

"Brian." Justin moved next to his lover.

"What?" Brian turned to Justin.

Justin reached up and gently stroked Brian's cheek, down to his beard. "I love you."

Brian leaned over, touching his forehead to Justin's. "I know. I love you, too."

Justin gave Brian a quick kiss. "So, back to morning sex?"

Brian snorted. "Yeah, Sunshine, back to morning sex. Although, I'm not sure how I'm ever going to be able to fuck you with this monster in the way." Brian patted his stomach.

"We'll work something out... Santa." Justin smirked then dashed into the bathroom catching a swat on his ass from Brian.

~*~*~*~

Halloween was a few days away and Brian still hadn't left the house. He had, however, stopped hiding from Ted and Cynthia. Brian realized that he couldn't hide from them forever, so he agreed to have them come out to Britin. Justin had prepared them on what to expect the first time they saw Brian, but even the best laid plans...

Cynthia and Ted were waiting in Brian's office with Justin when the door opened. In walked Brian, his full white beard neatly trimmed, every white hair in place. He made no attempt to control his appearance, wanting to see his friends' reactions. He was wearing dark blue sweat pants with a white long-sleeve T-shirt stretched over his rotund form.

Shocked by the sight of her boss and friend, Cynthia slowly sank into the chair behind her, her eyes wide and her mouth opened in an 'O' with no sound. Not a minute later, though, she smiled.

Ted, on the other hand, gave a short burst of hysterical laughter and dropped like a rock.

"Told you, Sunshine," Brian said with a smug look and a roll of his eyes as he crossed the room to sit at his desk.

"Well, at least this time we're prepared." Justin reached into his pocket and pulled out a small bottle of smelling salts. Kneeling next to Ted, he opened the bottle and waved it briefly under Ted's nose before recapping the bottle.

Ted's reaction was immediate. Justin helped him into a chair then retrieved a bottle of water from the small fridge, handing it to Ted. Ted guzzled down half the bottle, wiped his face and turned to look at Brian.

"Feeling better, Theodore?" Brian asked.

"Holy shit, Bri!" Ted stared at his friend. "It really is you."

"Yes, Ted, it's really me." Brian shook his head. "Now you know why I won't leave the house."

"But, Brian... no one would ever recognize you," Ted insisted. "I mean the only reason I knew it was you is because this is your home, and Justin told us what to expect."

"And yet you fainted once again," Brian pointed out.

"Well, it was such a shock... I mean... I knew what to expect, but to actually see... I mean... I bet if you showed up at the diner or even at Babylon, no one would recognize you," Ted stated with confidence.

"He's right, Brian. I was shocked, too, even though I knew what to expect. But if I hadn't known it was you walking into the room I never would have guessed," Cynthia commented, agreeing with Ted.

Brian noticed that Justin stood quietly across the room. He could tell from the expression of concentration on his partner's face that someone had said something that Justin found very interesting. Brian didn't think he wanted to know. After a few minutes of contemplation, Justin turned to Brian.

"You know, there is a way to test Ted's theory and if anyone does recognize you, it wouldn't cause any problems." Justin chewed the tip of his thumb, watching Brian to see if he would catch on to his line of thought. He smiled when Brian didn't disappoint him.

"Hell no, Sunshine." Brian shook his head stubbornly.

"Why not, Brian? It's perfect." Justin smiled.

"What? What are you two talking about?" Cynthia asked, looking from one to the other.

Ted caught on to Justin's unspoken proposal as well. "He's right, Bri, it is perfect."

"What?" Cynthia shouted. "What's perfect? Would one of you clue in the straight woman?"

Justin laughed. "Babylon's Halloween Masquerade Party this Friday."

"Ohhh... That would be perfect, Bri. You could even go as Santa." Cynthia agreed with Justin and Ted.

Brian frowned at the three of them ganging up on him.

"And Justin could be your elf," Cynthia added when she saw Brian wasn't going for it.

Justin's jaw dropped when Cynthia's suggestion about his costume seeped through his image of Brian walking through Babylon.

Brian's frown turned to an evil grin. "You're right... that is perfect."

Justin pouted.

~*~*~*~

Having made their decision they contacted Bernard who promptly agreed to do whatever he could to help. If attending a Halloween party, dressed as Santa, would help Brian acclimate to his new life then Bernard would deliver his suit.

Brian, however, declined the offer; worried that something might happen to the special garment. He asked Bernard if the elves could make one for the party. He also asked for something special for Justin.

Bernard readily agreed and with a twinkle in his eye, popped all three of them to the North Pole where they met Anna, the head seamstress. Measurements were taken and fabrics selected. Brian chose cashmere for his suit whereas Justin chose vibrant colors in velvet for his outfit.

Brian had been greatly disappointed by the fact that Justin's outfit covered his beautiful bubble butt. However, he had to agree that it was one of Justin's most identifying features and for their idea to work it would have to be more difficult to tell who was in the costume. If everyone knew right away that Justin was the elf, it would be obvious, even to the most doubtful, that Brian was Santa.

The couple chose to remain at the North Pole until the night of the party. They wandered all around the village, stopping in the different departments, discussing toys with the elves in the workshop and visiting Quentin in Research and Development. Justin even designed a couple of greeting cards, delighting the elves and inspiring new ideas.

Dressed in their outfits, Brian and Justin prepared to return to Pittsburgh. As they were saying goodbye, Anna made another suggestion for hiding Justin's identity. Using elf magic, Justin's skin was given a light dusting of glitter, his hair darkened, and his ears stretched to a point. Brian was amazed at the transformation, but drew the line at the suggestion of changing the color of Justin's eyes, even for one night.

~*~*~*~

Brian and Justin appeared unnoticed in a dark corner of Babylon a couple of hours before midnight. The club was crowded with scantily costumed men dancing to the thumpa-thumpa that Babylon was known for. They surveyed the room for their family of friends. Brian let out a burst of laughter when he spotted the group relaxing at the bar across the room.

"Do you see them?" Justin asked.

Brian snickered and pointed across the room. "One guess whose idea that was."

Justin looked to where Brian indicated and laughed hard enough to bring tears to his eyes. "Had to be Emmett," he said still laughing.

It was obvious that Emmett had convinced the others to follow a theme for the evening - 'The Rocky Horror Picture Show' to be precise. Emmett was dressed as Dr. Frank-N-Furter in black fishnet stockings, Speedos, and leather vest, a black curly wig and white pearls around his neck. Ted was sporting a very convincing hump and scraggly wig as Riff Raff; his partner Blake was the groupie, Columbia, complete with gold top hat and tails. Ben, in gold lamé short shorts, was the perfect choice for Rocky Horror and finally, Michael - dressed as Janet in a pale pink mini-dress, white cardigan and light brown, shoulder-length, curly wig.

Brian and Justin wove their way across the club, stopping a few feet from their friends. Sipping their drinks, they listened in on their friends' conversations without anyone in the group noticing the pair.

"I knew Brian wouldn't come tonight," Michael said looking at his watch.

"How do you know he isn't here, Michael? Maybe you just haven't recognized him yet," Ben asked his husband.

"If Brian were here I'd know. Everyone would know. I could never get him to dress up for a costume party. The one time he did dress up it was to show me how stupid I was behaving." Michael shook his head at the memory of that disastrous fundraiser at David's home years ago. "I don't think even Justin could talk him into coming here in a costume."

Hearing Michael's comments, Brian decided to make their presence known to their friends. He was standing behind Michael so he leaned forward and said, "Mikey, why aren't you dressed as Zephyr?"

"Brian?" Michael's voice rose as he spun around and came face to face with Santa Claus. He looked around the tall, white haired, bearded man in red to see a short, colorfully dressed elf with a colorful wool hat, but no Brian. Michael turned back to his friends. "Did you guys see Brian? I swear I heard his voice."

Brian tapped Michael on the shoulder causing him to turn around again. "Mikey! It's me," he shouted over the music.

Justin peeked around Brian and gave the group a bright sunshine smile with a little wave.

"Oh my God!" Emmett exclaimed. "It is you!" He set his drink down on the bar and reaching out he pulled Justin into a hug worthy of Debbie.

Ben laughed when Brian scowled and removed Emmett's arms from around Justin then pulled his elf against his rounded belly.

"Watch it, Honeycutt," Brian growled.

"Don't call me Honeycutt!" Emmett huffed and stomped his foot.

Justin turned around, wrapped his arms around Brian as far as he could then lay his head on Brian's chest.

"Holy shit!" Michael shouted. "Brian? Is that really you?"

Brian rolled his eyes and smirked at his oldest friend.

~*~*~*~

After leaving Babylon, the group of friends walked to the diner for a quick bite to eat before heading home. Debbie, who was working the graveyard shift, was delighted when the group entered and sat in the large corner booth.

"Wow! You boys make quite a sight," Debbie shouted boisterously.

Brian waited patiently for the caustic remark about his costume, but it wasn't forth coming. Debbie simply shook her head, taking in her surrogate son's getup. She reached out and cupped his bearded jaw, running her thumb over his cheek with a mother's touch.

Finally she said, "I never would have guessed Brian Kinney would dress as Santa Claus, much less be so convincing." She smiled lovingly at him then added softly, "I don't know why that should surprise me though, since you have done so much to make certain that the wishes of your friends came true."

"What are you talking about, Ma?" Michael asked, his face scrunched up in confusion.

Debbie turned and slapped her son on the back of the head, unsettling his wig. "Do I have to remind you about all the help he gave you in high school, fighting off the bullies, giving you answers to tests?"

Michael adjusted his wig and frowned at his mother.

Debbie stood with one hand on her hip, the other pointing at her son. "Thought I didn't know about that, huh? Well, that's the distant past; let's skip ahead to the more recent times. How about how you got the down payment for your store? Or maybe I should remind you about Brian's fucking brilliant advertising campaign that kicked off your very successful comic book?"

Michael pouted and slid lower in the booth.

"Or how about how he gave the girls a beautiful son, my grandson," Debbie turned to Brian, "if it's okay with his dad."

"You and Jennifer are the only grandmothers who truly love him," Brian said softly, bringing a tear to Debbie's eye.

"Brian's right, Deb," Justin added.

Debbie sniffled, cleared her throat and turned back to continue berating her son. "Need I remind you how Brian made sure the girls had that beautiful fucking wedding? Or how he's always patching up their relationship, despite how shitty they both have treated him? Or how he kept Teddy out of jail and had the confidence in him to give him a job that Brian knew Teddy was better suited to do than working as a singing waiter?" Debbie glanced at Ted. "No offense, honey. You've got a beautiful voice, but let's face it, you're a much better accountant."

Despite the hump in his costume, Ted sat up straighter and nodded in agreement.

Debbie again turned to her son. "Or how about how he gives Emmett's business cards to all his clients and tells them that Emmett is the best event planner in the business?"

Emmett reached across the table, patting Brian on the hand. "I've received so much business from your recommendations. That's why Kinnetik always gets a discount, not just because you're a good friend."

Debbie grew solemn as she continued. "Or how about how he never let Justin give up on his dream, his art... but most of all how we still have Justin with us... we could have lost Sunshine if it wasn't for Brian."

The group of friends grew quiet. Justin took hold of Brian's hand, squeezing it gently.

"Now... I think I've made my fucking point... what can I get you boys?" Debbie asked, her pencil poised above her order pad.

After placing their orders the group sat quietly for a few moments. Michael looked at his oldest friend.

"I guess Ma's right... you would make a great Santa." Michael suddenly got a mischievous glint in his eye. "Well... except for the whole belly of jelly thing."

Justin burst into laughter at Michael's choice of words, which caused Brian to start tickling him. He stopped when Justin started screaming uncle. Everyone was grinning at the couple's antics.

Debbie appeared with their drinks; happy to see the group regain some levity after her comments to Michael.

Justin took a sip of his water. He watched Michael take a drink of his soda and with a sparkle in his eye Justin said, "I happen to find Brian's current physique quite sexy." To prove it he leaned over and nibbled on Brian's earlobe.

Michael snorted his drink out his nose and coughed. Ben slapped him on the back as he joined the others in laughter.

Brian grabbed Justin and kissed him deeply. He didn't stop until he heard Debbie arrive with the food order.

"Don't you two start that shit in here. You want something to eat, eat your food."

"But I didn't order anything, Deb," Brian said in his defense. "I need to keep my strength up somehow."

Debbie set an order of french fries in front of Justin. "I gave Justin extra 'cause I know how much you like to sneak them off his plate." Brian opened his mouth to protest, but Debbie shook her finger at him. "Don't try to deny it; we've all seen you do it."

Brian sighed deeply then accepted the french fry Justin held before his lips.

The group chatted as they ate. Brian glanced at the clock on the wall, noticing how late it was. He tossed enough cash on the table to cover everyone's meal and stood up. "Come on, Sunshine, we have a long trip back to the house."

Justin joined his partner and the couple bid everyone goodnight.

Debbie saw them leaving and followed them outside. "You boys drive careful, you hear me?" She kissed them both on the cheek.

"We will, Deb," Brian said before kissing her cheek in return. Justin kissed her on the other cheek at the same time.

"See you soon, Deb," Justin added.

Debbie smiled and turned to go back inside the diner as the two men turned and walked back towards Babylon. Debbie stopped at the door to control her emotions before entering the diner. She stepped back onto the sidewalk and watched them walk away, Brian's arm over Justin's shoulder, Justin's arm wrapped around Brian's waist, his head on Brian's shoulder.

She gasped when they disappeared in a sprinkling of rainbow colored glitter and quickly made the Sign of the Cross. Then, her hand at her throat, Debbie smiled. "I always knew you were special, Brian Kinney. You're secret's safe with me," Debbie whispered, wiped the tear from her eye and pushed open the door.