BRIAN 

I stood outside Justin’s door and knew this was the right decision. Justin had started talking about coming back to Pittsburgh and that was when I realized I had to do what was best for us. Living there tends to bring everyone to our door and we need a life that's less about our friends and more about us. Do I see us living here forever, no, just until we are ready to go back. I just need to convince him of this, because I know he misses everyone, but we can visit. The door opens while I'm still thinking of arguments why we should live here.

“So, care to explain why you sent all your stuff here?” Justin asks me, smiling his sunshine smile.

“I figured I would need to have my stuff if I stayed here for good.” I tell him, pushing us in and closing the door.

“You didn’t tell me you were planning to move here, did you?” He asks me between kisses.

“It seemed easier to just do what we needed and let you argue after it’s done.” I tell him.

“Are you really moving here? I was willing to come home.” He tells me.

“Justin, I want us to be together, not running between here and Pittsburgh.” I tell him pulling us down on the sofa.

“I thought you said Kinnetik needed more time to expand?” He asks me.

“I’m not setting up an entire business, just a branch. All the work will be done in Pittsburgh and Ted and Cynthia will be coming here to help when I need it.” I tell him.

“We should have discussed this when I brought up selling the house.” He tells me.

“We aren’t selling it Justin, I bought it for you and one day we’ll live there. Right now I want to be where you are. You have to admit the phone conversations and skype are getting old.” I tell him.

“What about your loft and…?” I stop him with my hand over his lips.

“What about being together? I think we need to do this and I want to do it without us having to run and save everyone from their problems. We are still going to see our friends, but Justin, this will be the first time it’s just us.” I tell him.

“We’re closer to Gus here.” He concedes.

“If we live here then Gus can see us together, not separately because we can’t line up our schedules.” I tell him.

“I want us to be together but I also miss hanging out with everyone.” He tells me.

“Justin, if you move back to Pittsburgh, Michael will be there all the time. Emmett will show up and want to do things and Deb will expect us to be at her house all the time. I want us to be able to sit home on a Sunday and read the paper or make love all day because no one is standing outside the door wanting to invite us to shitty dinner parties with Marvin and Eddy.” I tell him to get him to see what we’d be dealing with.

“Monty and Eli definitely make me want to stay here.” He tells me smiling.

“I also think that as much as they all mean well, they tend to feel that we should solve everything for them. I want us to work on us, not everyone else.” I tell him.

“Brian, I’m good with what you want. Hell, I was good the minute the boxes started arriving.” He tells me getting up and taking off his shirt.

“So we at least stay for a year and reevaluate than.” I tell him.

“If you want to keep convincing me you can do it naked. I’m not listening to another thing until I see nothing but skin.” He tells me.

“I’m good with that.” I tell him and follow him to the bedroom, stripping along the way. Justin always comes up with some award winning ideas.

MEL

I called Ted because he will at least listen to me. Ever since I started thinking about having another child I can’t seem to stop thinking about it. I want Justin to be the father because he’s already like a father to my kids. I think Lindsay would agree just because it would keep Justin around to tell her about what he’s been doing. 

“You want to have another baby? Mel you weren’t really the greatest at being pregnant.” He tells me.

“I was also chasing my career. I have a less stressful job and more income now. I can take time off to be with this one.” I tell him.

“If you want to do it, than I think you should, but you should be talking to Lindsay about this.” He tells me.

“I needed to talk to someone who could give me advice on how to approach Brian and Justin about this.” I tell him.

“Mel, Brian isn’t going to do it. He told me that if he ever did it again it would be with Justin. I don’t think they plan to have kids.” I tell him.

“I wasn’t thinking Brian.” I drop the bomb.

“Justin?” He asks.

“He’s who I should have asked the first time.” I tell him.

“Mel, you need to let them have this time to be together. Brian moved there to get away from crazy.” He tells me.

“Justin’s a natural at being a father and I love him. I think that’s why I was such a bitch when I was pregnant with Jenny. If Justin had been doing what Michael was I would have handled it better because it was Justin telling me.” I tell him.

“Justin wouldn’t have done what Michael did. He would have had your groceries delivered, not stalked you through the store.” He tells me.

“Ted, part of it is that I see Brian and Justin being good father figures for our kids.” I tell him.

“Mel, are you feeling okay, because you just said Brian in that sentence.” He jokes.

“He loves Gus and Jenny. I know that he would love anything that came from Justin. Imagine a little Justin in the world.” I tell him.

“Talk to Jen about that and you might change your mind.” He jokes.

“Ted, tell me honestly, do you think Brian would be against this?” I ask him.

“If Justin wanted it, Brian wouldn't stop him, but Mel, Brian also isn't going to let you pull any shit you did to him, on Justin.” He tells me. 

“Does it make me an awful person when I say that to me Justin is different?” I ask him. 

“No, because you were never a big Michael fan. It always surprised me that you went to him. You've always known what he was like yet you chose him, instead of someone else.” He tells me. 

“I was having nightmares of choosing Brian again and at the time he seemed like he'd be easier than what we went through with Brian. Michael is a good father but he tries too hard. He couldn’t just take Jenny to the park, he has to buy her things that she's to little for. I could show you a closet full of his wonderful ideas. If Jenny was Gus then he’d pick well.” I tell him. 

“Is that where the statue went?” He jokes. 

“Of course not, that went in the yard sale, I got twenty bucks for it.” I tell him laughing when he grumbles five hundred dollars.

“All kidding aside, you need to make sure you really want this because otherwise you're opening a can of worms. Just make sure your reasons are sound. ” He tells me. 

“I want a baby, I know that for sure. If I do it I want the father to be someone I love too.” I tell him. 

“Give Brian and Justin time alone before you ask, they rarely get it.” He tells me. 

“I was going to ask them when they visit next week.” I tell him. 

“You need to talk to Lindsay too, she’s your wife.” He tells me. 

“I plan to, but I don't know how to bring it up to her.” I tell him. 

“Just don’t use it to repair cracks.” He warns me.

“It's not, I just want to do it again.” I tell him and hang up.

TED

I hang up and look at Blake who waits for me to explain what that's about. I looked around the diner to make sure no one was listening because I don't want to deal with Michael finding out if nothing comes of this.

“Mel wants to have a baby.” I tell him quietly. 

“With Justin?” He asks.

“That’s what she said. I just don’t know if I should keep this from Brian. I know Mel enough to know she'd try to do it by just asking Justin not realizing that Brian should be part of it.” I tell him. 

“Would Justin want to do that, or would he want to raise the kid?” Blake asks me. 

“Justin’s just starting a career, so I don't know what he'd want to do.” I tell him. 

“I would tell Brian so he doesn't get blindsided by this.” Blake tells me. 

“What about Mel? She has the right to do it her way.” I ask him. 

“Brian and Justin have the right to think about this before she springs it on them.” He tells me. 

“I know, it's just she confided in me and it feels like I'm telling on her.” I tell him. 

“Then you have to do what you think is right.” He tells me.

“Shit, you know I'm telling him don’t you?” I ask him. 

“I know you value his trust the way he values yours.” He tells me. 

I get up and take my phone outside because Deb is watching us. If she found out she'd be marching up to Canada to put her two cents in, which no one needs until it either happens or doesn't.

“Miss me already?” Brian asks.

“I just got off the phone with Mel and I think you need to know what she's about to ask Justin.” I tell him. 

“Tell her my twink is babysitting me and doesn't have time to play with her.” He jokes. 

“Since you brought up baby, that's what she's thinking of.” I tell him. 

“They want another one, who's the unlucky vic… are you shitting me?” He asks.

“I called because she plans to ask when you visit next week.” I tell him. 

“I need to talk to Justin, because I won’t have them putting him through the same bullshit they put me through. What the fuck are she and Lindsay thinking?” He asks me. 

“She hasn't told Lindsay yet. She seems like she doesn't know how.” I tell him. 

“Thanks for not letting us walk into this without a chance to talk about it first.” He tells me, hanging up. 

I hope it was the right thing to do. 

JUSTIN 

Brian was wandering around like he was pissed about something. I waited for him to figure out if I needed to know, because he keeps looking at me, opening his mouth then closing it as he turns around, circling the room again. 

“Did you want a kid?” He asks me. 

“Why are you asking me?” I ask him because, where the hell did that come from? 

“You never told me if that was something you really wanted or not.” He tells me. 

“I have so much going on that I don't know where that would fit in.” I tell him. 

“What if someone wanted you to do what I did with Gus” He asks me. 

“I guess it would depend on if they tried to do the shit Mel and Lindsay did to you. I like the idea, but like I said, my life is busy and shit I don't know.” I tell him sitting down.

“If you need this I'm willing to do it.” He tells me. 

“Why are we even talking about this? We just decided to live together.” I ask him.

“I think Mel wants you to donate for a child. Shit, I know she’s planning on asking you.” He tells me.

“Are you kidding?” I ask because why would Mel and Lindsay want another one?

“Mel called Ted, who called me. He wanted us to know before she put a cup in your hand and told me to get the donation in the right place.” He smirks.

“Can I say gross first? But why me and not Michael again? At least they would be true siblings.” I tell him.

“I think she went down that road and refuses to do that again. Michael would think it gave him the right to be at their house all the time.” He tells me.

“I won’t be any easier. She’d have to accept that my child would be in my life and without signing anything.” I tell him.

“Our lives.” I remind him.

“Yes, but I watched what they did to you and I can’t do what you did with Gus. I know you did it to give Gus two parents who love him, and they do, but I also never thought you should have had to do it.” I tell him.

“The other thing you need to think about is that the kid would be in Canada, not close by.” Brian tells me.

“Brian, my question is would this bother you? Like you said this would affect us both.” I tell him.

“Justin, if you want this we can find another way when we are ready to do it.” He promises me.

“When would we be ready? Do you want to wait ten years and then decide we’re too old for a baby?” I ask him.

“You want to do it don’t you?” He asks me.

“I want a child, but also know it could be a long time before we are ready to do it full time. You're about to start Kinnetik here and I have my own commitments. In a way we’d still have the kids, but we also wouldn’t be shuffling them all over the place.” I tell him.

“You don’t think Mel and Lindsay will have to do that with a third child?” He ask me.

“No, because between you and me, we can make it possible for them to take care of all the kids.” I tell him.

“Justin, if she comes at you with paperwork to give up your rights, then I won’t support this decision. You would be miserable being told what you can do with your kid and what you can’t do.” He tells me.

“If that happens, then the answer is no.” I tell him.

“If she changes her mind and doesn’t ask, are you going to be okay with that?” He asks me.

“I can’t miss what I never had.” I tell him.

“You won’t either way.” He tells me and I know it’s his promise to me.