ONE MONTH LATER...

"Finally, all that fucking watching and waiting is going to pay off today!" Lindsay said to herself as she actually fist-pumped the air when she noticed the young lady opening the door to Brian's apartment building.

On this particular Monday she was supposed to meet a friend for lunch, so she was dressed in a suit. She drove by the loft and saw a different cleaning woman, getting out of the car in front of the building. Parking behind the other car, she quickly walked up to the door as the woman was putting in the code. Acting like she was looking for something in her bag she said to the woman, "I'm from Mr Kinney's office, do you have the key to his place? He needed me to pick up a paper for a meeting and I seem to have forgotten to bring the key with me. Please, I just started there and I don't want to lose my job, can you please help me?"

The woman looked at the neatly dressed blonde, and figured she would be nice and help her out. Taking the elevator to the loft, Lindsay continued to act sickly sweet and nice to the woman.

"I'm so sorry about this. I don't know how I could have forgotten to bring the key with me. I will be out of your way as fast as possible, I promise,"

Once they got into the loft, the woman went over to the closet to get out the cleaning supplies. Lindsay said to the woman that she needed to use the restroom and headed into Brian's bedroom. Looking into the trash container by the bed, she saw a bunch of full condoms all carefully tied. Grabbing the plastic bag she carried in her purse she grabbed a handful of condoms and slipped them into her purse. She slipped into the bathroom, carefully watching what the cleaning woman was doing as she shut the door.

Much to Lindsay's pleasure, the woman wasn't even paying attention to her. After staying in the bathroom for a couple of minutes, Lindsay flushed the toilet and washed her hands. Then thanking the woman profusely, Lindsay grabbed a blank sheet of paper off the desk and put it in her purse, leaving the loft quickly. Once she was back in the car she called Melanie, "Mel, meet me at the house. I got what we need,"

"How?"

"Different cleaning woman. Just get home fast,"

They both pull up to the house at the same time and head upstairs. Quickly undressing, they grabbed the syringes and emptied the condoms into a cup. Getting the syringes ready, they inseminated each other and hoped for the best. Although Melanie tried not to gag at the thought of the sperm of a man she despised being inside her, she hoped to get pregnant this time and not have to do this again.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Later that afternoon, Brian was feeling very stressed. One of the accounts he had handed off to one of the other executives had called him because they were not satisfied, and wanted Brian to take the account back. After a thirty minute conversation, he had finally managed to convince them that he would have a meeting with them and the assigned executive at the beginning of the following week to see if he could help to resolve the problem. Justin had come in near the end of the conversation, and Brian had signaled for him to stay. Once he was off the phone and had given Justin the jist of the problem, Justin had decided that kneeling under Brian's desk and helping him calm down would be the best plan.

Brian was leaning back in his chair and enjoying Justin's relaxation technique when Daphne came barging into his office without knocking, looking frantic.

"Brian, do you know where Justin is? I've looked everywhere and I need him,"

Brian tapped on Justin's head. Justin pulled off of his favorite cock and popped up to see what his best friend was so frantic about.

"What is so important, Daph? I was busy," Justin asked with a smirk.

"What the hell were you doing...? Sorry... Well, I need your help. I have a date tomorrow night with Glenn. He's taking me to a fancy restaurant, and I have nothing to wear,"

"Daph, what do you want me to do? You know I hate shopping," Justin answered dismissively, wanting to get back to what he had been doing.

"Don't you have any girlfriends you could ask, Daphne?" Brian asked, trying to help and wanting to get her out of his office so Justin could get back to administering his favorite method of stress relief.

"Not really. Besides, most of them hate to shop. Hey! I'll call Emmett; thanks for helping me work that out. I'm going to leave a little early today. I have a lot to do before tomorrow," Daphne answered as she headed for the door.

"Please lock the door on your way out," Brian asked her.

"You know, Azure, it would be really nice if the people I pay to work here actually stayed and worked," Brian quipped.

"Well if you will lean back, Irish, I'll get back to work immediately," Justin purred, slipping back under the desk.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

All too soon, Craig's month long ban was over. He was busy back at the club, trying to discredit both Brian and Kinnetik to anyone who would listen to him. He had even gone so far as to leave pictures of Brian, looking drunk or high, laying around anytime he was there, along with comments on them about trusting someone like that. Unfortunately for him, Harriet was informed by some of the busboys about the pictures. Brian and Justin were well liked and respected around the club, unlike Craig who treated everyone rudely and as if they were beneath him.

She had a couple of them start following Craig around anytime he was within their vaunted halls. Two weeks later, she showed up at Craig's office with papers, banning him from the club for life. When he tried to protest, saying he would call his lawyer, she handed him a copy of the by-laws with all the pertinent passages highlighted, along with copies of all the evidence she had against him.

"Did you really think you would be able to get away with this smear campaign against Brian Kinney and Kinnetik, Craig? You seem to forget that I have a ranking far more superior to yours within the WASP nest. The only business that will be smeared because of your stunt is yours! It is already circulating among the most chatty gossips in the club, what you tried to do because of your hate for Brian- who you don't even know- and his partner, your son Justin, whom you disowned. You seem to have forgotten that Justin has always been a favorite around the club. Good luck trying to get any business from the club members after that stunt!

"Oh yes, and just so we are crystal-clear on this, the ban from the club extends to any functions of the club that may be held in any other venues, and includes your wife and your slut of a stepdaughter. If any of you are seen at the club or at any club functions, you will be arrested. This is a lifetime ban. Your pictures are all up in the security office, and at the gate, and will be posted at any off-site functions as well. Good-bye and good riddance to you and yours, you nasty, homophobic pig!" Harriet said before turning on her heel and leaving his office, slamming his door on her way out.

Just as Craig was about to toss the papers, Catherine walked in. "What was Harriet doing here, Craig? I hope she was coming to issue an apology for the way she treated us,"

"Catherine..."

"No, Craig. Your association with Harlen Bartier was supposed to serve a purpose, higher than furthering your own career goals. Also, supporting Laura has... well it has simply become an untenable situation. She is a spoiled fucking brat, and I need her out of our house and into her own, IMMEDIATELY! You need to do something, Craig,"

Like mother, like daughter, Craig thought. He was a hairsbreadth away from telling her to join her daughter in the gutter, where they both came from. Part of the reason things were going so awry in his own life, happened the minute he'd taken up with the redhead-turned-blond. If Justin hadn't found out that he'd been fucking Catherine, not only at the office but in the bed he shared with Jennifer, he would have just been able to disown Justin quietly, instead of trying to discredit him while covering his own ass. Well Catherine was just going to have to make some fucking changes, for once.

"Cat, Harriet came by to tell us that we are no longer welcome at the club, or any functions associated with it,"

"What? But why?!"

"Because of your slutty offspring,"

"Surely, Laura's past behavior isn't the only reason. Especially not since the intercom was pressed from my end the entire time she was in here, Craig. Your own behavior regarding Justin, and all subsequent events has also been deplorable! I'll tell you this though, Craig, you either straighten this colossal fuck-up out or..."

"Or?"

Catherine furrowed her brow, thinking what she could use against her husband. Their marriage was nothing like she thought it would be when she spread her legs for him while he was still married to that insipid little bitch, Jennifer. She was envious of all she thought the other woman had: the house, the cars, the two children who doted on their mother, and the well-to-do husband who took care of everything while she ran the house. Instead, what she received was alienation at the highest levels within the WASP nest, a ne'er-do-well husband whose schemes were now backfiring on them, a daughter who would rather relegate her to a past better left forgotten, and more bills than Craig could account for! Add to that a stepdaughter, who has no qualms about being as bitchy as her mother is, and who now refuses to have anything to do with her father because of his misdeeds.

Who would want to live like this?!

Pursing her lips, Catherine spoke the words she knew would light a fire under Craig Taylor's ass. "The price of divorce is really expensive these days, isn't it, Craig?"

"Are you threatening me?"

"I wouldn't dream of threatening you, darling. I make promises and trust me, Craig... I keep them." She turned and left the office, leaving her husband to stew in his own juices.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Emmett and Vic were surprised to hear the bell over the door in the furniture store. It wasn't that they were having a slow day. They always seemed to be busy nowadays, but that was usually reserved for the hours between twelve and closing. He and Vic were standing at the counter, discussing the possibility of expanding the store's current inventory which was based in high-end items and antiques. By Emmett's calculations, they were more than ready to become a source for all things concerning the home, including dishes, place settings, curtains and other fabrics. It also helped that Emmett had just completed the college courses necessary to branch out into interior decoration. Hmmph, and Michael said he had no head for business when he and Vic first started? Well, Emmett was fixin' to prove the know-it-all little ingrate wrong.

Speaking of the little pissant, Emmett and Vic watched the patron who had just come in browsing around, wondering what he was really doing there. In the few years they had been opened, Ben Bruckner had only been within the store four times. And it was usually only when his uppity husband was out of town, at some comic book convention or another. Their curiosity was killing them, so Emmett decided to saunter over and find out what the hunky professor was doing there.

"Nice to see you, Ben. What's going on? Are you thinking of redecorating?"

"In a manner of speaking, yes," Ben nodded his head. "I've decided that Michael and I need some distance. I'm sure you know of some decisions he's made in the last few months."

Emmett didn't have to guess what Ben was referring to. Michael had been warned, time and time again, that his mouth would get him into trouble one day. The funny thing is, that orifice was being used to slander and defame the lover of the one person who, at one time, would have protected him to some degree. Now Michael had no one to cloak and cover for his careless actions. Emmett couldn't say that he was sorry about that. And he doubted that Vic was either.

"Ben, do you want to sit and talk about it? I've just brought in some lemon butter crunch cookies, and Em just bought us a new Keurig for when we have specialty clients come in," Vic offered, already placing the platter of treats on the granite countertop and pulling out three coffee cups of fine china.

Emmett brought the well-built man over to the counter, which had three cushioned high-back stools strategically placed in front of it. In their world, presentation was everything, and Brian had suggested the placement back when Vic and Em decided to go into business together. After serving the three of them, Emmett turned slightly towards Ben as did Vic, and asked, "So I take it that this is not a temporary living arrangement?"

"What makes you think that?" Ben asked, the wariness in his voice reaching both Em and Vic.

"Darling, people do not come in here to even browse around, without an eye towards permanence. And based on Michael's previous comments and criticisms about this business venture of ours, I think we can all safely assume that whatever you buy today, tomorrow, next week, next month or even next year, would definitely not meet with the recently high-and-mighty Michael's approval," Vic said.

"He's right, you know," Emmett chimed in. "It's like since you both moved to the other side of town, it's almost as if Michael has been channeling his inner-Lindsay. Everything and everyone on Liberty Avenue has become beneath him, except for Brian and Ted, which I find a little funny since he neither has their money, or business acumen. He thought that his comic book business has been failing simply because people are becoming disinterested in the reading material. It isn't. It's because they are becoming- have become, really- disenchanted with his attitude. Before, Brian's presence used to at least make up for it. But ever since that day in the diner, when he and Lindsay confronted Brian about Justin- who is well-known and respected, despite his humble beginnings on the avenue, or perhaps because of them- people have decided to give Michael a dose of his own spiteful medicine. Instead of discrediting Justin, as was his intention, he managed to make himself look like a bigoted bully. And you know how we all feel about those people."

Vic and Emmett waited in silence, while Ben took in all the information they gave him about Michael's behavior when he wasn't there to smooth things over. For a long time, he'd been watching the man he thought he fell in love with morph into the person he now loathed. Many arguments happened because of Michael's inability to let Brian go. It was both funny and humiliating to him now, as he sat there with Emmett and Vic, replaying all of the verbal sparring regarding Brian Kinney. Like Melanie, Ben blamed Brian for everything that was going- had gone- wrong in his relationship.

Now it occurred to Ben that Brian had removed himself from Michael's orbit long ago. And yet, the same problems he'd blamed the tall brunet for, still existed. Unlike Mel though, Ben wasn't willing to be a coupled causality anymore. There wasn't any way to repair the catastrophe that was once called the Novotny-Bruckner relationship. "I think you're both right, and that I was just being too willfully blind to really see what was happening. So now I've made some decisions of my own."

"Are you doing it to spite Michael, or to save yourself?" Vic asked.

Ben smiled for the first time since entering the building. Snatching up another butter lemon cookie, he said, "A little of both, I suppose," and then he bit into it, causing laughter.

"So what are you going to do?"

"I'm going to put the house on the market. I've already found a three-bedroom apartment just off campus that I've already moved into. It's why I came here to furnish it. It's time to officially part ways, and move on,"

"What about Michael? I thought you two bought the house together,"

"No. Michael's credit was shot, and he refused to sell any of his collectibles to come up with the down payment. He also never seemed able to come up with any of the mortgage payments. So technically, the house is mine,"

"Do you have a realtor in mind?" Emmett asked, giving Vic a wink. There was no denying that he was enjoying Michael's downfall, even if his heart was breaking for Ben. He was a good man, and definitely deserved better than Michael Novotny-Bruckner. No... not Brucker any longer; he's back to being just plain Michael 'mean ass' Novotny. His little judgmental ass is sure to burn behind that realization. Emmett thought evilly that he would make it a point to remind Michael of that fact, every single time he saw him.

"No, I don't. It was just an idea I was toying with for a while, so I havn't bothered to look for one,"

Emmett pulled out a card from behind the desk. "If you call her, she will definitely help you. And you can get a little of your own back, if you'd like,"

"What do you mean?" Ben looked at the card, noting the elegant purple script on the soft yellow background. This business card screamed another one of Emmett's elegant creations. "Why would Jennifer Taylor jump at the chance to help me get rid of my house?"

Vic and Emmett smiled at the question, even as Ben narrowed his eyes. When Emmett answered, his voice was smooth and soft, almost conspiratorial. The little twinkle in the blue eyes, mischievous as well as gleeful, and Ben wondered what he had just set himself up for.

"Because she's Justin's mother,"