It had been a rough three years, but Brian persevered as he always did. Well not exactly as he had in the past. He no longer worried about finding his worth in being the hottest stud on Liberty Avenue. He had, at the age of thirty seven, finally decided to leave the need for an ego boost to the younger pups out there. It had taken a lot of effort, but his beautiful 'Sunshine' had finally convinced him that there was more to him than his sexual prowess....that he was worth being with and loved for so much more. Thinking of Justin again, which he did on a constant basis, made him more determined than ever to carry out his Thanksgiving Day plans.
Brian had never been one to care about Holiday get-togethers. He could take them or leave them...usually choosing to leave them. This year was different. Brian was different. This year, Brian had more to be thankful for than ever before. On the outside it looked like Brian should have little to celebrate. His lover and committed partner was still living miles away in New York City, and most of his friends had gone on with their lives, spending precious little time with the only member of their crew who seemed a lone wolf. His child, whom he'd grown to love dearly, was living in another Country and he only had visits every other month. His two businesses were thriving but only because he devoted all his time to them. The Brian Kinney of old had always been devoted to his work, but not to the exclusion of his pleasurable off-time. Now he spent almost all his time at work in one place or the other.
Yes, to the outside eye Brian had little to be thankful for, but looks could be deceiving. In fact Brian knew several secrets that no one else knew and he was about to throw a Thanksgiving Day Dinner Party that would blow the socks off his entire circle of friends. His right hand man, Ted, was the only one that was privy to most of the information. Brian had needed someone on the inside to help him set up the entire scheme. The first order of business was arranging for everyone to show up for the dinner. That had not been easy, but Ted was a miracle worker, as usual. Brian was well aware that hiring Ted had been the smartest move of his career. He had even grown to love the man like a brother. Ted had his own secret, which he was going to share at the party. After much balancing of balls in the air and maneuvering of people and places, everything was set. Every person on Brian's guest list was showing up and every single one of them thought they had the one big announcement that would prove the true meaning of Thanksgiving.
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Thanksgiving Day dawned cold and gray with overcast skies, but Brian Kinney was feeling warm all over. He had arisen in his lonely bed earlier than usual, but he wasn't feeling the pinch of loneliness like he usually did. Today was the beginning of a new life and he could hardly wait to get to it. He had announced the closing of Babylon for a private party the week before. He had heard plenty of grumbling. Many young gay men didn't have families to spend time with on Thanksgiving Day and enjoyed escaping to the clubs where they felt at home, but this time the club belonged to the owner and he wasn't sharing. Brian had arranged for a large table to be set up in the middle of the dance floor and caterers had filled the small kitchen in the back of the club with all the holiday trimmings for the dinner that evening. The bar, of course, was fully stocked plus there were plenty of drinks that the younger ones could enjoy too. The whole place had been decorated festively with turkeys and cornucopias filled with fruits and vegetables. Fall colors pervaded the room throughout. Now he stood at the head of the long table and surveyed the results of his plans. He was pleased. Now all he needed were the people he was expecting. He felt a shiver of anticipation.
Less than an hour later the first guest arrived. Debbie and Carl entered Babylon and were amazed at the transformation. Signs of a gay dance club were nowhere to be seen. Raised platforms for go-go boys had disappeared from view and the entire room had a cozy family feel to it. The older couple felt right at home when they walked in. Brian hurried over and greeted them warmly. He hugged Deb and shook hands with Carl. The couple still hadn't married, but they each wore matching rings declaring their commitment to one another. The way they looked at each other made their mutual feelings quite clear. Brian could hardly wait until they learned of one of the secrets Brian was privy to. It would bring them more to be thankful for than ever before. A few minutes later, Jennifer came in with new husband, Tucker followed by daughter Molly with boyfriend Ricky in tow. They were accompanied by Daphne and her fiance' Mike. Brian knew no secrets about them, but he knew of one that would give them plenty of reason to give thanks.
Moments later, Ted showed up with Blake in tow. Ted winked at Brian, sharing the look of conspirators between them. Brian grinned, thinking of the reaction of the others when they learned Ted's secret. Emmett was not far behind Ted. He entered the large room where he had experienced so many ups and downs in the romance department, but he was no longer a lone figure looking for love. Last year, his football player had come to him and announced that he was tired of shopping in the candy store. He had walked right over to Emmett, who was standing with the latest two-day boyfriend, and declared that he was tired of hooking up with pretty men who left him feeling more empty each time he did. He had grabbed Emmett around the waist and pulled the tall slender man tightly to him, planting an unforgettable kiss on Emmett's surprised lips. That had been the beginning of a year long relationship that showed no signs of diminishing. Brian knew their secret too.
As the others were standing around chatting, Michael and Ben walked in the door with their son Hunter close behind. Hunter brought his girlfriend with him, which was no surprise to Brian since he knew their secret too. He beamed with satisfaction when he thought of the secret that both Michael and Ben had to share with their loved ones. A lot of hearty congratulations would be in store for the group in a short while and Brian could hardly wait for it all to come out. Brian stood back and watched the tableau of his merry band of friends sharing conversations but keeping their secrets close to the vest so that they could spring it at just the right moment. He began getting antsy waiting on the female branch of this unconventional family tree. He didn't have long to wait.
Mel and Lindsay finally stepped into the room with their youngsters leading the way. Gus ran straight for his dad and threw his long arms around Brian's middle. He was tall for his eight years and showed every sign of being as good looking as his father some day. JR toddled straight over to her Grammy Deb. She was a smart girl and knew exactly who to cuddle up to in order to get whatever she wanted. Grammy Deb was never able to deny her Granddaughter a single thing. Michael, Ben and the others soon surrounded the youngsters, who had grown a lot since they had last visited the Pitts. Brian led his son over to the center of activity. He was so proud of Gus and knew that it was the loving care of his two mothers that made him the wonderful young man he was. Brian was grateful, but even more so now ever since learning their secret a couple of weeks earlier. Only one gang member was missing, but Brian knew that he would be there. He had to be. Justin had a secret that he thought Brian knew nothing about. Justin hadn't counted on his business manager having a big mouth and letting something slip to an ecstatic Brian. Brian's secret was that he knew Justin's secret already.
As if on cue, Justin stepped through the entrance and into the renovated dining hall of Babylon. He had never looked more beautiful. Gus spotted him first and ran over to grab Justin's hand and pull him over to where everyone else had gathered. It had been at least two months since most of them had seen Justin...even longer since the girls had...so everyone was thrilled to see the handsome young artist. Justin had been slowly but surely building quite a name for himself in the art world. Months earlier he had had his second major solo showing at a high class art gallery in Manhattan. The pieces, which were the result of a years worth of countless hours of work, had sold unbelievably well. One buyer, in particular, had followed up with a request for Justin to paint a personal piece. The gallery owner had been beside himself with glee and when Justin discovered why, he was shocked.
It turned out that the patron was an extremely wealthy art connoisseur who enjoyed nothing more than furthering the careers of young artists that he found to be extremely talented. His eye had fallen on Justin and he had a most intriguing offer for the young man. He waited until Justin had completed the commissioned piece, which more than lived up to the man's expectations, and then passed on his offer to the young lady that Justin had hired the year before as his business manager. She passed the news on to Justin and now the young man had come home to pass the news on to his loved ones. He was not aware that the most important person he wanted to drop the news on was already well aware of his coming announcement. Brian was finally able to push all the other fawning friends away from Justin and grab a handful of his lover to his chest. They kissed, much to the delight of the onlookers and the giggles of the young ones. When Brian was finally able to pull away from those tasty lips he hadn't felt in weeks, he turned to the others and invited them to have a seat. Each member of the group found their spot and took their seats. Brian turned to the end of the bar where a tall stately gentlemen had been quietly waiting unobserved. He gave the signal and the man disappeared to the kitchen area behind the bar.
Within minutes a host of servers poured out of the back with platters of food that filled the room with mouthwatering aromas of perfectly cooked Thanksgiving fare. The platters were spread out on the beautifully decorated white linen table cloth set with fine china and crystal stemware. Servers poured wine into adult glasses and fruit juice into children's glasses and then stepped back. Brian rose at the head of the table. He looked around at all the smiling faces staring back at him. Brian was reminded again that the family one made was often more loving and precious than the one a person was born into. He couldn't believe that there was a time that he thought of himself as a man with no attachments to any human being, even Mikey whom he'd kept at an arm's length even in the best of times. He couldn't imagine his life now without every single person at the table. This was his family. Brian raised his glass of wine.
"A toast," he began, "to family, no matter what configuration they take. And here's to all the things we have to be thankful for."
Everyone clinked glasses, with the young ones following their elders, and then they all looked to Brian for more.
"I want to thank every one of you for joining me this year. I know that throwing holiday get-togethers is not usually my thing, but this year is one that must be celebrated. There are new vibes in the air thanks to the election of a brand new President and hopefully some wonderful changes are on their way for this Country that will help all of us. I feel as if there are other changes too about to be made that will impact us all. I think the best way to begin this meal of Thanksgiving is to go around the table and each one let everyone know what they are most thankful for this year." Brian looked over at Debbie, sitting next to Carl. "Debbie, as the senior member of our family, I think you should start us out."
Debbie, looking pleased, stood up. "Okay, I'm thankful that we finally got that Bushman out of the White House. Who knows, maybe the Country will start to heal now."
Everyone clapped their approval. Carl stood up next. "I'm thankful to be retired with my full pension and the most beautiful woman on Earth as my life partner during my retirement years." Debbie beamed.
Jennifer stood up next. "I'm thankful for having a second chance for a good marriage with my wonderful husband, and for my two beautiful children."
Tucker stood up. "I'm thankful that this magnificent woman finally agreed to give marriage a second chance, which wasn't easy, and has made me the happiest man on Earth." He bent down and kissed his lovely wife.
Brian grinned when he saw Justin's pinched face. He knew that Justin still had trouble thinking of his mom in that way.
Molly stood up next. "I'm thankful that my Mom is so happy now too...and that Justin finally realizes how good Tucker is for Mom, which I knew all along." She laughed and stuck her tongue out at Justin. Ricky stood up. "I'm thankful that Molly finally agreed to go out with me," he laughed.
Daphne stood up bringing Mike to his feet with her. "I'm thankful that Mike finally accepted my proposal after I told him for two years that I was never getting married." Mike grinned. "I'm thankful that she got around to asking me because I gave up asking last year." They both blushed and sat back down.
Michael stood up when the couple sat down. "Well I have several things to be thankful for this year. I still have the love of the most beautiful man in the world and someday, in the not too distant future, I may be able to marry him legally in my own Country. I have my beautiful Daughter here right now to spend a little time with. I have my brilliant son living close by and he has something wonderful to look forward to. Oh, and one more thing...I heard from an independent producer who has informed me that he already has the necessary funding for a big screen version of 'Rage, the Movie'. The backers are convinced that the success of gay themed films lately has made this the right time for a gay superhero and they are behind the film a hundred percent. Justin and I will have total artistic control over the content too. Oh, and one more thing, they are paying us six figures for the rights."
Whooping and hollering could be heard echoing off the walls as everyone congratulated both Michael and Justin on their success. Ben stood up next.
"I echo all the things that Michael has just said...only in my case it is the fact that my newest novel just hit the best sellers list this week that I'm thankful for. Doesn't hurt to have two big fat successes in the same family, you know."
Hunter stood up quickly, holding his girlfriend's hand in his. "I'm thankful that my Dads are so happy, but even more so I'm thankful that Callie came back into my life and that we've had a wonderful year together at the University. Oh, and did I mention that she has just accepted my marriage proposal. And no, we won't rush into anything. We both want to get our degrees first. That's Ben's idea of course." Everyone laughed and offered their congratulations to a beaming Hunter and blushing Callie.
Emmett stood up and looked down at Drew. He smiled warmly at the man who had come back into his life and made it so much better. "I'm thankful that I finally got my Drewsie back into my life. I can't imagine life without him." Drew stood up quickly beside Emmett. "And he won't have to imagine it because I asked him to take a little trip with me to Canada at Christmas time and marry me. And he said yes!" The two men turned to each other and hugged tight, followed by a kiss which brought out whoops of laughter and good wishes. The couple turned to face the crowd around the table. They looked over at Mel and Lindsay. "Oh, by the way, do you have room at your house for overnight guests," Emmett laughed.
Mel stood up. "We sure do guys, but you'd better make sure it's a Christmas wedding because if it is after the New Year you'll have to find a good hotel room." Everyone looked at the girls quizzically except for Brian who already knew what was coming. "Well guys," added Lindsay, who stood up next to Mel, "now that we have a new President, we thought we'd give America another shot at doing the right thing. Well, that plus the fact that we miss you guys too much." Mel interrupted. "That's right. we are moving back to the Pitts in January."
Debbie had never moved quicker as she rushed to hug the girls and wrap her enveloping arms around poor little JR, who wasn't quite sure what all the fuss was about. All she knew was that her Moms and Grammy Deb were very happy and that was enough to make her feel that all was right with the world.
It took a moment for everyone to calm down. They all turned to Ted and Blake. Both men rose at the same time.
"Okay, since everyone else has an announcement, we thought we'd go ahead and give out our news too," stated Ted. "As most of you know, Blake and I have wanted to start a family of our own for a little while now. We've seen how happy and proud that these kids have made the rest of you, and we felt we had a lot to offer a child of our own. We've long since buried our demons and are prepared to pass on some of our life lessons to someone else. Anyway, to make a long story short..."
"Too late for that," mumbled Brian who received a jab in the ribs from Justin for his troubles.
"Anyway, we heard a short while ago from a dear friend of ours that she was willing to carry a baby for us and we've just discovered that the in-vitro took hold on the first try. So this time next year, Blake and I will be the proud parents of a baby girl or boy."
Tears welled up in the eyes of several women around the table. The men offered their heartiest congratulations. The soon-to-be new fathers beamed with pride. Debbie then spoke up.
"Looks like everyone has a secret to tell and a wish fulfilled. So what about you 'Sunshine'? Do you have any news to share or something special to be thankful for?"
Justin stood up. He looked down at Brian, who grinned widely knowing what was coming.
"I do indeed. First of all, I'm thankful for each and every one of you. You have all made my life richer in so many ways. I never dreamed how much my life would change the day Daphne took me for a ride to Liberty Avenue so that I could test out all these confusing feelings I was having. It changed my life in ways I never dreamed of that first evening. The most important thing is that I met the one man who would give my life meaning and become the center of my world. And I know that every single one of you didn't think that Brian and I would make it as a couple, but I always believed in it. True, I wavered at times, but deep down I knew that this man would always be the love of my life."
"To answer your question Deb, yes I have something special to be thankful for. I have the continued love of Brian Kinney and that is more special than anything else." Justin turned to Brian, who waited expectantly. "And yes, I have a secret too. I have received an offer from a wealthy patron of the arts to set me up in my very own studio, all expenses paid. There are no strings attached except that he receive first offer to see my new works. I told him yes, but on one condition...that he let me set up the studio here in Pittsburgh and not in New York City. I've been gone long enough, and I want to come home."
Before Brian could react, everyone left their seats and gathered around Justin, patting him on the back and offering their thanks that he was coming back where he belonged. When they moved away to return to their seats, Brian gathered Justin in his arms and hugged him tightly. He whispered in Justin's ear, "I love you Justin."
After a kiss, Justin sat down. Brian remained standing. "Your turn Brian," several voices echoed. Brian looked around the table. There were tear filled eyes and broad smiles on every face. The food was getting cold, but no one cared. The table was surrounded by joyful people who had never been more thankful for the lives they lived and the people that inhabited them. Brian smiled.
"I'm thankful that I knew all the secrets of my family and managed to keep them. I'm thankful that I know each and every one of you. I'm thankful that life has been good to us. I'm thankful that I'm getting my son back living close by...that my friends are content with their lives...but most of all I'm thankful that you have made me a part of your lives...that you've all put up with all the bull shit that I had spouted for so long so that I could protect myself from being hurt. I'm thankful that I finally learned that I didn't have to protect myself from you guys." He turned to look at Justin. "Most important of all, I'm thankful that I saw a really cute blond kid standing under a street lamp and couldn't resist walking over to him. I'm thankful that he hung in there and wouldn't let me run away from the love he had to offer me."
Brian fished in his pocket and pulled out a jewelry box. "I'll be even more thankful if you won't embarrass me in front of the family by saying no when I ask you once more to marry me, Justin Taylor. I don't care when or where, just that you say yes."
Justin sat stunned. He recognized the rings Brian was holding out to him. They were the same pair that he had bought three years earlier. Every person in the room held their breath.
"Are you very sure this time?"
"Never been more sure of anything in my life. So are you going to answer me?"
"Say yes Justin, so we can eat," came the young voice of Gus.
Laughter filled the room as Justin said yes and was gathered up into Brian's waiting arms. The clank of dishes being passed and food being served and lively conversations filled with questions and answers could be heard in the background as Brian and Justin sealed their engagement with a passionate kiss that most of the folks around the table were polite enough not to stare at. There was no question that this was going to be one Thanksgiving that no one at this table would ever forget.
Happy Thanksgiving. It's only the beginning...not The End!