April 2002, Saturday morning, Justin's apartment...

The shrill ring of his cellphone pulled Justin out of his slumber. He was grateful for the oversized display which informed him who was calling because if he hadn't known it was his mom, he wouldn't have responded at all.

Fumbling with the device, he managed to accept the call.

"Morning, Mom," he greeted her with a yawn.

"Don't you ‘morning, mom' me, young man! What's this I've just read in the newspaper?" Jennifer inquired loudly, way too loudly for Justin's taste, who momentarily pulled the phone away from his ear.

He then scrubbed at his face, stretching in bed. "How should I know what you've read?"

"Justin, you're showing your work in an exhibition at the Bloom Gallery! Why didn't you tell me?" she asked, clearly upset.

Justin tried to come up with a plausible explanation. "Oh, I figured you wouldn't be able to make it. You've been so busy lately, between divorcing that asshole, taking Molly to all her extracurricular classes, and hopefully, having a little time for yourself."

"Justin," Jennifer scolded him over the ‘asshole' comment, even if Justin suspected she agreed with him one hundred percent. "That's nonsense, and you know it. Of course I would have come if you had invited me! Does it have to do with your boyfriend?" she questioned, stressing the last word.

"My... what?" Justin sat up, suddenly fully awake.

"Justin, the whole review is glowing, but the reporter reveals that someone was by your side all night. He might have been blinded by the man's good looks, since he reports, and I quote, ‘The young artist hung onto a godlike man's arm, smiling and staying close to him the entire night. "A romance is blooming between the two men," Mr. Bloom confirmed later that evening,' Jennifer relayed in a shrill tone.

Maybe those who spotted us are the blind ones, Justin thought, amused, possibly because they didn't hear us bitching at each other. "Oh, that..."

"I'm so happy for you, sweetheart!" Jennifer declared sincerely. "I've been so worried that you wouldn't find someone. Why didn't you tell me?"

Justin didn't know what to say. "Because..." it's not true?

"No need to be embarrassed. I understand. You don't want people to pry into your love life," Jennifer assumed, and Justin was more than happy to let her reach her own conclusions. "But, don't say you didn't want to upset me. I left your father because I couldn't stand his narrow-minded views on homosexuality anymore, remember? You're my son and I want you to be happy."

"Hmm, okay?" Justin replied, puzzled by the whole conversation, yet grateful at the same time for his mother's support.

"Now, when do I meet this ‘godlike man,' as the reporter described him?" Jennifer inquired cheerfully.

"Mom..." Justin tried to get out of the mess. It was all Brian's fault. If he hadn't misled Sidney that they were dating, Justin was sure that none of this would be happening now.

"Oh, I know the perfect opportunity! Your cousin Dorian, whose best friend is a lesbian? He is getting married at the end of the week. So, you must come with me and Molly! And of course, you have to invite... What's his name?"

This is not happening. Justin almost pinched himself to make sure he was really awake. "Brian."

"Brian," Jennifer repeated. "And don't worry about presents or money. I'll take care of it. I can also book extra rooms for Saturday night," she proposed, obviously over the moon at the idea of meeting her son's lover.

Oh, for fuck's sake! Justin couldn't believe it, and yet, he gave her his blessing. "Fine. I'll see if Brian is available but don't get your hopes up too high. He's a busy man," he half lied. He was busy alright, just not for obvious reasons.

"Great! Dorian is getting married in Presque Isle State Park, on the beach."

That was my dream wedding, Justin thought mournfully. "Wonderful!" he answered ironically. "What time?"

"Saturday evening. It says five p.m. on the invitation." Jennifer paused and Justin sensed her hesitation. "I didn't tell you about it because I wasn't sure if you were up to being in a crowded place."

"I still hate crowds, Mom. But sure, I'll be there," Justin confirmed, trying hard once more to understand how he'd ended up agreeing to something like this.

"And don't forget about your boyfriend. Maybe we can carpool. That would be fun!"

Justin tugged the pillow over his face. "Awesome," he mumbled.

"I can't hear you anymore. I guess the connection is bad. I'm going to email my sister and let her know there will be two others with me and your sister," Jennifer informed him, and Justin could hear how thrilled she was with this unexpected turn of events.

"Yippie."

"Okay, then... I'm so happy, Justin! I'll call you later with the details. I love you!"

When she hung up, Justin tugged at his hair. Truthfully, he wanted her to be happy. Though he didn't doubt that he and Brian could play their parts - if the man agreed to be his pretend boyfriend again after the way he had treated him the night before, that is - it would all be a lie. The only way to stop this charade would be to fake a break-up, and even then, Justin didn't doubt that his mother would be sad for him. So why in hell had he confirmed that he had a boyfriend in the first place?

"Aargh!" He threw the pillow across the room, screaming.

"I take it there were some problems last night?" Daphne's voice startled him.

"Make some noise, will ya? You fucking scared me!" he muttered, getting out of the bed before deciding to share the reason for his queen-out. Daphne had to put up with it considering she was the one who had initiated the whole thing. "I'm fucked. Why do these things happen to me?"

"Did something go wrong at the show? What happened?" she asked with a concerned look on her face, following him as he navigated carefully toward the kitchen. Justin could walk around the apartment pretty easily since he was very familiar with the place, he and Daphne having furnished it to accommodate his disability.

"Mr. Bloom mistook me and Brian for a couple and the man must be a real gossip queen because now it's in the Pittsburgh Gazette. Can this get any more complicated?" Justin pulled out the milk carton from the refrigerator. "The answer is yes, of course!" he snapped before Daphne could open her mouth. After drinking straight from the carton, Justin wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "Mom just called me and she asked me to accompany her to my cousin's wedding. The one I haven't seen since I was, like, fourteen. The catch?" Justin went on, getting even more riled up. "She told me to bring my boyfriend!"

"You don't have a boyfriend," Daphne reminded him with a frown.

"Well, according to the newspaper, I do, and so, Mom is now assuming that... Brian is my ‘godlike' man! So, I need to call and ask him to go with me to this stupid wedding."

"Boy, you move fast! I will give you that," Daphne quipped, before inquiring, "What really happened last night?"

Justin threw his hands up in the air, forgetting about the milk carton, getting a milk shower in the process. "Urgh! Fuck!" He shook his head and blinked to get rid of the drops of milk in his eyelashes. Eventually, he revealed, "Brian told Mr. Bloom we're dating. Nothing happened."

Of course that was a lie; moreover, he couldn't help but blush as he recalled how Brian had tried to kiss him when they had arrived at his apartment.

Daphne used some paper towels to help him clean up the mess he had made. She didn't believe him for a second, though. "Nothing, my ass. Did you...?"

"Almost," he finally admitted in a small voice. "I can't believe you got me that kind of escort, though."

"What kind?" she asked, dumbstruck.

"The kind that was willing to end the night naked in my bed. He helped me get up here last night, and as soon as we walked in, he attacked me."

"Whoa! I didn't know he would do that, Justin. I swear!" she exclaimed, vehemently denying being aware that Brian would try to have sex with her best friend. "Maybe you should just forget about him, then. Call your mom and..."

"No, Daphne. I'll do it. Granted, Brian may not accept considering I nearly punched him," Justin paused, imagining Daphne's eyes going wide, so he specified, "I panicked when he started kissing my neck."

"Oh! That's so sweet!" Daphne responded, obviously grinning.

"No, it's not," Justin refuted. "It's what he does. I'm sure he fucks his clients all the time. Now, give me his number."

Daphne touched his arm briefly. "I don't have his personal number; I called the agency directly when I searched for someone to help you, but maybe if you ask nicely, they will give it to you. Or, if they don't, maybe just ask for him to escort you next weekend."

Justin rubbed his temple, feeling a headache emerging. "How much did you pay for the few hours that I spent with him, anyway?"

"It doesn't matter. I got it covered," Daphne hastily responded before unsubtly changing the subject. "By the way, I nailed my biology exam!"

Justin beamed before engulfing her in a tight hug. "Well done, Daphne!"

Daphne exclaimed enthusiastically, "And I got the highest grade in the class!"

"That's great," Justin congratulated her. "But I still want to know how much you paid Brian to be there for me. I will have to pay him to go to the wedding with me, remember?"

"Oh..." Daphne realized he was right, and she also knew the information he was requesting wasn't going to be an easy pill to swallow. "Maybe...you can get a discount?" She tried to distract him, sporting a silly smile on her face.

"Just tell me the amount," he insisted.

"Four hundred," she muttered under her breath.

"Holy fuck! You mean one hundred per hour?" Justin inquired, dumbfounded. "That's insane! I don't have that kind of money!" He slumped into a chair, his head in his hands.

How the fuck was he going to pay for this? And more importantly, why on earth was he willing to do it? Justin could deny it all he wanted, but he wanted Brian to say yes.

He was screwed.

A couple of hours later, after he had paced and thought it over for the millionth time, Justin dialed the number of the escort company. He took a deep breath as soon as he heard the ringtone for the agency and tried to calm his beating heart.

A woman's voice greeted him cheerfully. "Hello! Thank you for calling the ‘One Life' agency. My name is Grace. How may I help you?"

Grace? Seriously?

"Hi, Grace," Justin greeted the woman nervously, his voice shaking. "Mmm... uh, I'd like to speak to Jeffrey... Miller?"

"Mr. Miller is out of the office this weekend, but it will be my pleasure to help you, sir. Are you familiar with our agency?"

"I... uh, yes. Yes, I'd like to... ask if Brian is available for next weekend?" Justin stammered, scolding himself over how uncomfortable he sounded. He was sure Grace had guessed he wasn't used to calling an escort agency.

"Brian? Which one? We have two working for the agency."

Oh, fuck. What was his last name? "Uh... He was with me last night. Justin Taylor?"

Justin waited for Grace to check the information. After a moment, she answered, "Kinney, then.... Okay, let me check his schedule. I think I booked him already."

Justin was disgusted by the way she talked about Brian, as if he were just a piece of meat, and by the way he was talking about Brian too.

He heard her typing on her keyboard. "Sir? I'm sorry. Brian is not available that weekend."

"Fuck!" Justin cursed before realizing what he'd just done. "Sorry..." he apologized, "it's really important."

"I'll have to talk to Brian myself then and see if he can..."

But before Grace had finished her statement, Justin cut her off, blurting out, "I'll pay three hundred dollars more than what he's usually paid."

"Three hundred," Grace repeated.

"Make it five," Justin outbid himself with a sigh.

A short pause later, the typing started again. "When did you say you wanted him, again?" Justin could hear the eagerness in her voice and could almost see the dollar signs in her eyes.

"Early Saturday morning. No, Friday evening through Sunday night," Justin demanded.

"Is this an out-of-town event?" Grace inquired.

"Yes," Justin confirmed.

"Mhmm." More clicking. "May I have your name, please?"

"Justin Taylor."

"Very good, Mr. Taylor. Brian is yours for the upcoming weekend. I need you to send us an email request through the contact link on our website. I will then send you some paperwork and a booking form that you will need to complete and send back to me, before tomorrow morning, in order to confirm your reservation. It will cost you two thousand eight hundred dollars. You will need to make an initial payment of nine hundred dollars with your reservation and pay the remaining one thousand nine hundred dollars by Friday morning at the latest. Is there anything else I may assist you with?"

An ambulance? Justin was ready to faint. "No, no. Thank you very much, Grace."

"Anytime, Mr. Taylor. Thank you for calling ‘One Life.' I wish you a very good day and a memorable weekend with our high-class escort!" Grace finished the call and hung up without waiting for Justin's answer, the blond not even noticing since he was too busy glaring at the phone in his hands as if it were the enemy.

"Daphneeee!" Justin yelled the second he disconnected the call. "What the fuck did I just do?"

"Did you talk to him?" he heard her respond from the living room.

"No, I talked to Grace..." Justin pronounced her name sarcastically before specifying, "from the agency."

Daphne laughed out loud as she walked into his room.

"I booked him for next weekend. I have to pay two thousand eight hundred dollars. I don't have that kind of money!" Justin revealed, as he sat on his bed, defeated.

Daphne joined him, rubbing his back soothingly. "We'll figure something out."

Yep. We'd better. Justin thought, still astonished by what he'd just done.

The next day, Brian's loft...

"You like those funny clips?" Brian cuddled Gus on his lap as they both laughed at the cartoon characters on his laptop. He'd found some Hanna-Barbera cartoons on a website, and they were killing time, watching the funny animated characters.

Brian had no idea how aware of the outside world Gus really could be at twenty months, but the toddler clapped and laughed every time a character on the screen made a funny comment. Furthermore, Brian couldn't help but smile at his son's enthusiasm and was once again amazed to realize how much he cared about him. He had never felt this way before, but every time he looked at Gus, he wanted to smile. His son was erasing all his doubts, all his fears over what his life had become. He would do anything to help the little boy become the man he was destined to be.

When The Yogi Bear Show ended, Brian was ready to search for some good old Flintstones, but his email box pinged with a new message, so he clicked on that desktop icon instead.

Gus whined and squirmed on Brian's lap.

"I know. I don't want to stop either. Give me a sec," he reassured his son in a soothing voice before opening the message, only to discover that it had come from the agency. Groaning, he frowned, thinking that his time with Gus was too precious to again be cut short because of his job.

To his relief, he found out that it was just information about his mission for the next weekend. Even better, it seemed his meeting with his regular, creepy old dude was cancelled. Brian actually didn't mind most of his clients, but Mr. Jones was one man whose company he didn't enjoy at all. The overweight man acted as if he were a Ken Doll. They always went to the same private hotel on the outskirts of the city, and Mr. Jones relished the sight of Brian stripping for him after they shared dinner on the hotel patio. Brian could always refuse of course, as it wasn't part of the deal with the agency, but Mr. Jones paid him an extra five hundred bucks just to admire his body. Once, he had even allowed the man to suck his cock for an additional three hundred dollars, but he had eventually understood that there was only so much he would allow if he didn't want to lose his last bit of self-esteem. Therefore, it had been a one-time thing. He had kind of hoped, though, that Mr. Jones would drop him after that - he knew some of his colleagues wouldn't have minded being fucked for some extra money - but unfortunately, the old dude had continued to book him every last Saturday of the month so far. Sadly, Brian needed the cash too much to be picky, or he would have asked Jeffrey to replace him with someone else.

It seemed that luck was on his side this time, though. Not only was his mission with Mr. Jones cancelled, but he would be spending the entire weekend with none other than Justin Taylor. Brian couldn't help but grin at this unexpected turn of events, as he had thought that the kid was too much of a prude to ever try contacting him. However, he was wrong, considering Justin had not even waited forty-eight hours before asking for Brian to escort him again.

Brian looked through the information about Justin that Grace had forwarded and was pleased to note that she had forgotten to mask his contact details.

"One second, Sonny Boy, daddy has to save this. It's important," he stated, reaching for his phone and efficiently storing Justin's phone number.

Suddenly, Brian heard a knock on the door. Frowning, he checked the time and realized it must already be Lindsay, coming to pick up their son.

"Sorry, Gus. It seems The Flintstones will have to wait until your next visit." He stood up with his son in his arms and went to open the door.

Sure enough, Lindsay's smiling face appeared in front of him. She immediately reached out to Gus and took him into her arms before greeting Brian, a little smirk playing on her lips. "Hey, ‘godlike man'! How are you feeling today?"

"Godlike man? Don't you have any sexier labels to describe me?" he drawled playfully as he placed a chaste kiss on her cheek.

"I'm not the one calling you that; a reporter is," Lindsay replied with a huge grin on her face as she retrieved a newspaper from the bag slung over her shoulder.

"What's that?" Brian questioned with a frown as he headed towards the kitchen to retrieve the hot pot from the coffee maker.

"It's yesterday's Pittsburgh Gazette. I assume you didn't read it, did you?" Lindsay asked, putting the paper on the kitchen counter and sliding onto a bar stool with Gus on her lap.

"Let me think..." Brian feigned concentration, squinting and rubbing his chin. "I was busy getting my thorough weekly waxing. Sorry."

"I thought so... Well, according to this article, you were also really busy with your boyfriend on Friday night."

"My... boyfriend." Brian made a face and chuckled as he poured two fresh cups of coffee. "Is that what this reporter called my ‘dates'? So generous of him! That is a real improvement in my social life. I must have so many boyfriends all over the state by now."

Lindsay rolled her eyes at Brian's stupid joke. "Justin Taylor." Brian raised his eyebrows and gazed at her. She noticed he didn't have a witty comeback this time. Interesting. "You're lucky I know he's not your ‘everything,' considering I'm the one who engaged him for the new exhibition at Sidney's gallery."

"You know him?" Brian inquired while placing the beverage in front of her.

"I do. When you told me you had to work and would be at Sidney's gallery, I didn't realize you were escorting Justin. Not until I read the article and put two and two together anyway; although I must admit I'm surprised he hired someone like you," Lindsay informed him, taking a careful sip of her drink. Gus decided that he'd had enough of sitting in her lap and squirmed, indicating he wanted to get down. Lindsay stood up and let him toddle a short distance away, watching as he settled down to play with one of his toy cars.

Brian looked at his son and smiled. Then he dropped his voice and shared, amused, "He didn't. His best friend did, but for your information, I'm pretty sure she didn't know I was that kind of slut."

"You're not a slut," Lindsay denied, trying to determine what term she could use to describe her friend's ‘job.' "You're..."

Brian proposed, "A man who parades on the arms of rich, old men to earn his salary and who might consider a little fucking on the side for some extra cash?" He finished his sentence with a bitter smirk before taking a sip of his coffee. "I'm a S.L.U.T., Lindsay. Deal with it."

"Brian..."

"If you give me the sympathetic talk of the year right now, I'm throwing you out and I'm keeping Gus with me," Brian threatened half-seriously.

Lindsay sighed. "In any case, I hope you behaved with Justin. He is a sweet kid."

"Don't worry. He rejected me and as I'm not into forcing people to have sex with me, his honor is safe," Brian revealed.

"What? What did you do?" Lindsay asked, astonished.

"Do you need hearing aids?" Brian teased. "Don't worry, I promise I will behave like a perfect gentleman with Justin."

"What do you mean, you will behave?"

"He booked me for the entire coming weekend. He has already fallen for me; they all do. I'm sure you're not surprised," Brian stated with a smirk.

"Seriously? How can he pay you for an entire weekend, anyway? You're not exactly cheap, are you?" Lindsay inquired.

"Well, he must have some savings. How the fuck do I know?" It really wasn't Brian's problem how Justin would pay him. If he had booked him for two days, surely he had the money to do so, didn't he?

"Hmm..." Lindsay frowned. "But either way, don't fuck with him, understood? Or I swear, I will have your balls," she warned him, and Brian had the strange impression that she wasn't kidding.

"Kinky," he quipped, while checking that his balls were intact and discreetly trying to protect them.

"Okay. Gus? We need to go if we don't want to be late starting your treatment at home," Lindsay announced as she went to pick her son up from the floor. "And Mama is waiting for us."

Brian walked them to the door. "Do you need me tomorrow? I'm available in the afternoon if you need someone to look after Gus. And I'm not working on Tuesday; I can spend the night with him and monitor his dialysis so that you can rest," he proposed and smiled at his son, who was extending his arms to give him a hug. Lindsay let Brian take Gus, the little boy actually putting his arms around Brian's neck and squeezing for several seconds. Brian responded by placing a soft, lengthy kiss in his hair.

"You know how happy he is to have you at his side," Lindsay stated softly as she gazed fondly at father and son. "The doctor actually comes to visit at 2:30 PM. So you're more than welcome to come by then. And sure, I will have your bed ready for Tuesday night."

"I'll be there," Brian replied once Gus finally relaxed his grip. "Bye, Sonny Boy. See you tomorrow." He smiled gently at his son again and gave him back to Lindsay.

He stayed there, staring after them, until they disappeared from his sight down the stairs.