MEL 

I decided that if Lindsay and I are a couple than it's time to give her the right to be involved in deciding everything, instead of telling her what I want and convincing her it's right. 

“We need to talk about Brian’s offer.” I tell her. 

“Okay?” She asks me, like she's waiting for me to tell her what was already decided, and I can see I've done this to her in the past.

“He wants us to consider moving back to Pittsburgh next year.” I tell her. 

“That means Michael and Deb again.” She tells me. 

“Yes, but he wants us to move into a house we build on the land behind the house he bought for Justin. It makes it harder for them to just show up. I also told him about the offer to co-parent Gus and the new one when we have it.” I tell her.

“I'd love to move back, but I'm with you, too many people involved in telling us what to do.” She tells me. 

“Lindsay, you need to see that you do that to Brian and Justin too. I want this to work because our kids will have everything they need if we do, but if you keep trying to tell Brian and Justin your opinion then it's like Michael’s emails, a lot of spam.” I tell her. 

“I don’t think they mind.” She tells me.

“Did you like Michael acting like we owed it to him to tell him about our relationship? It's the same thing. I know you do it out of love, but they’ve managed to work without us, so why do you feel they need you to make it work.” I ask her. 

“They don’t, but Brian takes care of us and I feel we should help him and Justin if they need it.” She tells me. 

“Brian also waits for you to ask, not offers when you don't. Lindsay, part of this move to New York was so they could have time like we did, to not have everyone running to them.” I tell her. 

“I get it but I can't help wanting to do it.” She tells me. 

“Then for once, lean on me and we'll talk about it, I promise to listen and offer advice, not give you orders. If we don't want this to end up with fighting we need to let them own their relationship the way we do ours.” I tell her. 

“I like this side of you, what's with the change?” She asks me. 

“I don’t want to do the things that hurt us the first time. I think I undervalue your opinions when I decide what we should do without really asking you how you feel.” I tell her. 

“Mel, I like that you make decisions, but it would be nice to be asked what I think without you being ready to counter anything that doesn’t fit into what you wanted. Are we growing up?” She smiles and kisses me.

“I think I need to bitch at someone, because as Brian would say this is too lesbianic for me.” I tell her smiling. 

“Call Ted, he deserves it. I'm going to paint.” She tells me. 

Shit, maybe Brian was right, she's my partner and I need to show her support, not treat her like she doesn't have opinions of her own. When I think about it, I know I never really gave her a lot of opportunities to share in our life decisions, just bulldozed until she saw it my way. I'm not saying everything was me but I own half of our problems. Whoever thought I'd be saying Brian was right, certainly not me. 

I pick up my phone to fuck with Ted when I see Brian calling. 

“Hey stud. Hello… Brian, you there?” I ask when I'm greeted with silence.

“I was trying to figure out if I called the wrong number.” He tells me. 

“No asshole, you didn’t.” I tell him. 

“Much better, I was worried you switched teams.” He tells me.

“Sure, but only for Justin.” I joke.

“Yeah well, his foray into pussy didn’t really work and you know Daphne’s hot, so you don't stand the chance of changing him.” He tells me. 

“Did you call for a reason or just to have someone to argue with?” I ask him. 

“Mikey’s coming early.” He tells me. 

“Sounds like a problem for Ben.” I tell him. 

“I'll have to ask Ben, but I mean he's showing up at your house the same time Justin and I are coming. I arranged a room at a hotel for me and Justin. Justin needs sex and you know, Michael sleeping between us kind of gives him a softy.” He tells me. 

“Why hasn't he called and asked if that's okay?” I ask him.

“Don’t know, Emmett told me, not Mikey.” He tells me. 

“I wanted us to talk first. Michael tends to dominate conversations and I don't know how he'll react that we don't want him again.” I tell him. 

“Mikey will get over it. Just don't expect him not to try to tell you all the reasons to do it his way. I can postpone a week, but I had plans for Gus.” I tell her. 

“You could offer them your hotel reservation.” I tell him.

“Nope. Justin’s a screamer, and you know I’d hate for you and Lindsay to get jealous.” He tells me. 

“We need to talk about the over sharing. But first let me tell Lindsay about our surprise visitors. Hey, we could surprise Michael by us coming to New York instead, then maybe he'd see that calling first is a good thing.” I tell him because Michael needs to understand boundaries.

“Like he wouldn't come here next.” He tells me. 

“My newest email is about how having a village to raise your children gives them security.” I tell him. 

“Mine is how relationships based on sex never succeed.” He tells me. 

“Unless the sex is stellar, which Wendy provides in spades.” I tell him, laughing when he grumbles. 

“I need Justin to reassure me I have a dick. Later.” He tells me. 

It's nice to be able to fuck with him but know it's not because of misplaced jealousy. Now onto Michael, Lindsay’s going to be less than pleased that he is showing up uninvited, it's the WASP gene, they want an RSVP. I walk into our room to see her sketching instead of painting, but she smiles as she works and I haven't seen that lately when she draws. She looks up and the smile is still there.

“Were you talking to Ted?” She asks me. 

“I was going to call and bitch at him, not seriously, but Brian called to tell me Michael plans to come the same time as Brian and Justin.” I tell her. 

“He didn’t call first to see if it's alright?” She asks me. 

“I think he thought to surprise us all.” I tell her. 

“Call Brian and see if they can come earlier, I'll show Michael what surprise is like. Doesn’t he understand that you ask not just assume?” She tells me grumbling.

“You don’t want to call Brian?” I ask her. 

“I can, but I was going to look at places we could take the kids that would have us gone all day.” She tells me. 

“I'll let him know we expect them earlier then.” I tell her.

I guess I'm calling Brian again.

“You know Smelly Melly, this is starting to seem like stalking.” He tells me. 

“Hey asshole, my WASP isn’t thrilled about Michael’s surprise and asked that come earlier so Michael can see why you call before showing up.” I tell him. 

“Fine, if you both need to see my magnificence sooner, I'll be there.” He tells me. 

“Make sure the magical holder of the sperm is with you.” I tell him. 

“Yeah, I was holding…” 

“Later.” I  hang up before he shatters all my illusions of Justin.    

JUSTIN 

Brian walked in and I threw the book about the daily stages of pregnancy under the bed. He rolled his eyes but didn’t say a word about it.

“You have anything you need to do tomorrow?” He asks me. 

“No, I cleared everything until we come back.” I tell him. 

“Lindsay’s perturbed that Michael didn’t tell her he was coming sooner so she wants us earlier so Michael meets an empty house.” He tells me. 

“Brian, you don’t just show up at someone's house without calling.” I tell him. 

“Yes Martha Stewart, trust me I get that, so we are going tomorrow instead.” He tells me. 

“We're still staying at the hotel?” I ask him. 

“I think Lindsay’s planning on taking a day trip so we can figure it out when we get there.” He tells me. 

“Why not just call and tell him no? Never mind.” Even I know why.

“Mikey understands actions, not words.” He tells me. 

“Makes sense, look at who he followed around for years.” I tell him. 

“I remember a certain someone who also followed me.” He tells me. 

“I was getting laid by doing it, so of course I followed, blond, not stupid.” I smile.  

MICHAEL 

Why is everyone worried about me asking to visit Jenny? Ben is even asking if I made sure I asked Mel and Lindsay first.

“They're fine with it.” I tell him. 

“It's just because if they aren’t home we end up going there and waiting around. We could have called Brian and Justin and arranged dinner with them on our way back.” He tells me. 

“This way we can show them why marriage is a good thing.” I tell him. 

“Michael just because we wanted it doesn’t mean everyone does.” He tells me. 

“I just want them to work this time. I can't run around saving Brian from himself because he screws up with Justin.” I tell him. 

“Michael, that was a long time ago and a different Brian.” He reminds me. 

“Come on, don’t you miss hanging out with the whole gang?” I ask him. 

“It's fun but we are all moving forward in our lives, once in awhile is great.” He tells me. 

“I just want breakfast with everyone. Eli and Monty are okay, but just joking around seems beyond them.” I tell him. 

“I know and we still have Emmett and Ted around too.” He tells me. 

I smile because he's right but without Brian and Justin we seem like a bunch of old guys. I'm not expecting us to run to the nearest bar, just hang out and talk about things. Mel and Lindsay could help me convince Brian he doesn't need to be in New York, because Justin was doing okay there by himself. 

I remember I need to send my daily email to everyone. I guess I'll send Emmett’s too since he left before I could give it to him. I think Emmett needs to read this one on ways to find the man of your dreams outside of places that give men the idea you play fast and loose. Ted needs the one about not letting your work become your mistress. Justin should read the one about artists who were discovered in out of the way places. Brian gets 101 reasons marriage helps you live longer. Mel gets the one about a father being around helps increase grades in school, maybe that's why my grades sucked? Lindsay needs an email because I wanted her to read about how grandmothers can teach kids to value family, but I'll send that through Mel. Blake gets the one about how to get your partner to see relationships need as much attention as work. That gives them food for thought. I smile at Blake sending something back to me, probably thanks for the article. I open to a link and click it and read the title. 

“Spam Kills Friendship: 5 Way To Know You Are A Friend Killer”

If you send it and they no longer open it, just delete it, you've Spam killed.

If friends never call to thank you for your helpfulness, you've Spam killed.     

If emails get returned because your friends changed addresses and deleted the old one without giving you the new one, you've Spam killed.

If friends send it to others as a joke about you, you've Spam Killed.

If you get this, it could be telling you you've done one or all of the above.

I need to save this to send to people for all the stuff people seem to think is important but seriously just bogs down my email. I sent Blake a thank you email.

BLAKE 

“Ted, he thinks it's great. Now he has something to send people who send him spam.” I tell Ted.

“Blake, unless you put Michael’s name in bold print, he doesn't get it.” He tells me.

“I need to find an article about sending emails killing comic book heros, that he'll get.” I tell him. 

“Um Blake, aren’t you taking the articles he’s sent a little bit personally.” Ted asks me. 

“Yesterday he sent one about accepting that my partner loves his job more than me.” I grumble.