Michael couldn't believe that the house was sold already. It had only been a few months since Ben had told him, in the presence of that nasty blond hustler's mother, that he was selling the house.

"But Ben.... this is OUR house; it's OUR home!" Michael replayed his protestations in his mind and the resulting conversation.

"It was never OUR anything, Michael. I am the only one who paid anything toward this house. And besides that, you've made it abundantly clear time and again that you would rather be elsewhere, or rather that you would prefer to be with someone else. So consider this as me giving you your freedom. Oh but wait... the person that you would like nothing better than to be with is actually involved in a BEAUTIFUL, LOVING RELATIONSHIP with SOMEONE ELSE. Fancy that..." Then he began talking to some woman that Michael hadn't noticed, until Ben ushered her up the steps and onto the front porch.

"What? Are you suddenly playing straight now, Ben? I thought you were over that phase of your life! And besides, isn't she a little old for you?" Michael sneered.

"I have long since passed the stage of denying who I am, Michael. Perhaps it's time for you to grow up and do the same,"

"Oh, and just who do you think I am, Ben? Huh? What does the almighty Professor Benjamin Bruckner supposedly know about ME?"

Ben smiled nastily as he answered, "That you never progressed past the age of fourteen, and are content to chase fantasies and live between the pages of a comic book, instead of embracing real life. I mean, look at the way you dress, Michael. If that isn't a clear indication that when you look in the mirror at yourself, you still see the child you still are mentally, I don't know what is. As for the rest of who I think you are- I see a manchild, one who's now reaping all of the unfortunate results of a rash tantrum; an overgrown teen, who can't understand that his former best friend has grown up and needs and desires A MAN, instead of the feeble-minded, helpless, thoughtless little boy you are. Not only that, but the man in question is not only beautiful and talented, but able to comport himself in public with all the grace and stature of a man Brian's equal, even though he's considerably younger in age than we are. Stunning, doesn't even begin to describe the reality of the fantasy you will never realize. You think it should be YOU on the arm of Brian Kinney? What for? Unless things are put in terms of a comic scenario, you don't understand important issues. So why should a MAN as intelligent and self-assured as Brian have to negate his wants and needs for someone who is clearly NOT his equal?"

"I was good enough for you; I'd be BETTER for him! I'm his BEST FRIEND!"

"Do you even hear yourself? His best friend? Let me tell you something, Michael: Brian's enemies have more compassion for him than you and the other so-called best friend in his life have, combined. The both of you are vicious and malicious, selfish in the extreme, and a host of other adjectives that I can call both of you, including pieces of shit. I pity him for ever meeting either of you! But most of all, I pity Mel and myself for aligning ourselves with the likes of Lindsay and you. But unlike Mel, I know when to cut my losses.... And honestly, Michael, you are no great loss! Now if you'll excuse me, Ms. Taylor and I have an appointment to look at MY house, so it can be put up for sale. I will make sure that all of your belongings get shipped to Red Cape Comics,"

"No! I will get them right now!"

"No, Michael, you will not. What you will do is get in your raggamuffin car, and leave my property. Ms Taylor, may I use your phone for a moment, since I left mine in the car? I think the police may have to be called,"

Michael looked at the man he considered his husband with something akin to shock, dismay, and anger. He couldn't believe how unreasonable Ben was being, and all because he spoke the truth about Brian's blond boy ass!

"So this is it, then? And all because of Brian's trick that wouldn't leave? Because I spoke the truth about Justin fucking Taylor, the blond boy ass WHORE, you're turning your back on me, your own husband?"

Michael would have said more except that he was suddenly doubled over, holding his face in pain.

"Speak one more word about MY SON, and I'll make sure you have to suck your food through a straw for the rest of your miserable life," the woman he'd only known as Ms Taylor said.

"Your... your son? I don't know your son, lady!" Michael whined as he straightened up, glaring first at Ben and then at the blonde, still standing menacingly in front of him.

"Sure, you do," she sneered. "I believe you just called him Justin Fucking Taylor, except that his middle name is Cole, not Fucking. As for you, you little shit, consider yourself warned that if any more harm comes to my son because of your loose lips, I'll find you, hit you again, and then make sure to snatch your larynx out with my bare hands. Lord knows I'd probably be doing all of mankind a favor, so that no one would have to listen to that whining voice again," With that, she and Ben turned and entered the house.

Michael drove to his mother's house, looking for sympathy. Deb turned when she heard the front door open. Seeing the large bruise forming on her son's cheek, she took out a bag of frozen vegetables and pressed it to his cheek. "What happened?" she asked him, waiting for a sob story.

"I went by my house, and Ben was heading inside with some woman. I said one thing about that blond hustler of Brian's and she slugged me," he whined, fully into his ‘fingernails on a blackboard' voice.

"Why would she hit you, Michael? There had to be a reason,"

"I said that Justin fucking Taylor is a blond boy ass whore. After she hit me, she said she's his goddamned mother, and then she threatened me!"

Grabbing the bag of vegetables from Michael's face, Deb told him to leave. "If someone said something like that about you, you would expect me to defend you. Wouldn't you, Michael?"

"Of course. You're my mother!"

"Well then, I'm sure when she heard what you said, she must have felt she had good reason to hit you that hard. So I'm quite sure you deserved it. You won't get any sympathy from me, so you can just leave," Deb told him, turning back to the stove to finish cooking.

"But... but... that's different. Everything I said was..."

Deb walked toward her son, "GET OUT NOW, before you have a matching bruise on the other side. Justin is a wonderful young man and you are a vindictive brat! Brian will never be yours, so get over it!"

"Ma! How can you say that? You're supposed to be on MY side!"

"Do you really want me on your side, Michael?" Deb narrowed her eyes at him, gratified when his eyes widened in response.

At that moment, Deb was having some decidedly un-Ma-like thoughts of her own, which would have scared her if she had not been so angry. She honestly couldn't remember a time when she felt like being so vengeful, and never towards her own flesh and blood before. But Michael had crossed a line in maligning Justin Taylor's character, and what's worse is that he couldn't see that what he's done and said was dead wrong. Deb was always a person who couldn't stand injustice of any kind. So the fact that Michael was standing there trying to justify his wrongdoing and expecting her to automatically side with him, made her furious!

"You listen to me, Michael... what you did and said was mean and spiteful, not only to Justin, but to the man you've often said was your best friend. And you're right, Brian WAS your best friend, but you are clearly NOT his! Honestly, I'm not sure you ever were. I can see now just how much you've abused him, and his kindness towards you. You are like a fucking parasite- just taking and taking, never giving anything back but pain! Well, like Brian, I'm through defending you. You are not to come here again until you get some fucking sense in your head and make this right! For once, think of someone other than yourself! Think of the man you supposedly love, and realize that you CANNOT make him happy." She pushed him out of the entrance to her home, back far enough to slam the door in his face.

At first, Michael stood there stunned. He couldn't believe the things she had said to him... his own mother! How dare she defend and side with anyone but him? But she did, just like Uncle Vic had before her. Why couldn't anyone understand that he had Brian's best interests at heart, and that little blond bastard was certainly NOT it?!

"Well FINE, Ma!! I don't want to talk to you either!" Michael yelled at the door and then stomped off back down the steps to his car.

He'd driven around for a bit, trying to figure out where he could go and who he could talk to. The answer came back to him that there was absolutely no one left in his life, who would talk to him. He had tried to talk to Lindsay, but Melanie put a stop to that. She took great pleasure in telling him that he was not allowed to call or come by the house while she wasn't there; that she would not allow Michael to involve Lindsay in further schemes which could jeopardize their home life. Michael could kind of understand since they were both pregnant and tensions were already high between the two of them for whatever reason.

So Michael thought about the things that Brian used to do to clear his head, and that was how he ended up with the first of many midday trips to Woody's.

Three months after the incident with his mother had not changed his current outcome. Everyone else had gone on with their lives without him, but no one seemed to care. There were days when he would just stand outside of the Diner, watching the people he used to call his friends and family laughing and socializing, as if they didn't have a care in the world. And maybe they didn't. No one was concerned for how he was getting on.

Michael had to sell many of his collectibles to pay off the blond usurper, so that he wouldn't be held in contempt of court for nonpayment. After explaining to the judge that he would have to suspend the remaining balance for the payment until he could find a permanent place to stay and secure employment, what was left was now being used to pay for Michael's long-term stay at the "No-tell Motel" for the next two months and his bar tab at Woody's. He knew he needed to figure out his life, and what he was going to do for work soon since the money was just about gone. But the truth was that he wasn't sure he even cared anymore. Michael had lost everything that had once mattered to him; how the hell could he even think about coming back from that?

Craig had now been banned from the country club for life. Never one to take the blame for his own actions, he blamed the whole thing on his former son and that deviant bastard, Kinney. As far as he could see, all the work he had put into discrediting that bastard and his company had all been for naught. Unfortunately, he couldn't say the same for his own business dealings. He had seen a marked decline in customers, especially the ones that knew him from the club.

He assumed the bitch, Harriet, had something to do with that. And if he could find a way to prove it, he would gladly sue the bitch for everything she had! He'd had to let some of his salesmen go, and cut others down to part time hours. One of the benefits of that to Craig was that he no longer had to offer health insurance to most of the employees. At least that saved him some money, but he still needed a way to increase his business.

But right now, he had to find a way of getting even with Justin. That sucker punch delivered to his nose- which still hadn't fully healed- was completely uncalled for! Sure, he knew that he could have had Justin arrested for assault, and Justin would have probably been convicted. But when he'd ranted and raved about the idea for two days after the incident, Catherine had told him that he had already drawn enough attention to himself, and taking Justin to court would make him look even more petty and pathetic than he already did in the eyes of the Country Club set. Craig had fumed in impotent fury, but still had not come up with a solid plan as of yet to get even with the people that, according to him, had tried to ruin his life.

If there was one thing fucking Catherine while he was married to Jennifer had taught him, it was how to be patient. Catherine had stuck it out with him, even as he kept promising to leave Jennifer, which was something he really hadn't planned to do. But Justin had ruined all his plans simply by finding out about the affair. So Craig had gotten rid of Justin, then made sure that no one would believe him, even if he was telling the absolute truth. Well, that was another thing Justin needed to pay for!

Craig had kicked him out of the their lives, thinking he hadn't the street-smarts to last beyond a week. It rankled to know that while Craig was doing everything in his power to discredit Justin, the younger man was rising out of the ashes of his life like a fucking Phoenix! And Craig had found out about it too late to take action to knock his ass back down again. Well, he would find a way to make Justin pay, and in turn that fucking bastard, Brian Kinney, too. In fact, he would systematically destroy all of them, including his ex-wife and his daughter, both of whom continued to side with the faggot.

He just had to watch and wait for Justin to slip up, or let his guard down, and he would pounce. He'd take all of Justin's newfound family and fortune, thereby taking away his hope for good. Keep thinking you're untouchable, Justin. That false sense of security is about to be snatched away, and there won't be a fucking thing you can do about it! Craig chuckled to himself.

Sometimes patience really was a virtue.

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

Getting together for one of their gab sessions, Harriet, Emmett, Ted, Ben, Vic, Deb, and Carl were sitting at the Diner, talking about all the latest gossip when Jennifer came in, excited to see Emmett and Vic, especially. She had stopped by their store to see them only to find a note on the door that said they could be found at the diner. "Vic, Emmett, I'm so glad to find you here. Remember how you asked me to look for a larger building for you, so you could expand?" She told them.

"Yes, we really do need more space. We want to add more speciality pieces, and are thinking of getting baby furniture, too," Emmett answered for both of them.

"Well, I just got the best news. The store next to yours was just put up for sale this morning," She told them excitedly.

"I'm not sure we have enough capital to buy right now. Would they consider leasing?" Vic asked.

"They'll take it," came a voice from the next booth. "Ted, set it up; whatever they need."

"Brian, you don't have to..." Vic started to object.

"I know I don't HAVE to, but that doesn't mean I'm not GOING to. Ted, get the numbers from Jen and make it happen," Was the only thing he said as he got up, pulling Justin out of the booth with him. "We're taking the rest of the day off. See you tomorrow," Brian told them, both of them staring at each other, and looking like they'd better find a bed soon.

"Hey, Mom. Bye, Mom" Justin said as he kissed his mother before the couple, who only seemed to see each other, walked out of the diner.

"What's with them?" Jen asked.

"They just get like that sometimes. It's like no one else exists," said Ted, smiling at the departing couple.

"Well who wouldn't want to have someone look at them the way those two look at each other?" Emmett said wistfully.

"Hey Emmett, you said you want to carry baby furniture? Is there a lot of call for that on Liberty Avenue?" Jen asked, curious.

"Actually a lot more than you would think. Lately, I've noticed a lot more pregnant women wandering Liberty than ever before. It used to be only once in awhile, but since Mel and Lindsay, I've seen a lot of them around here." Emmett answered

"Speaking of Mel and Lindsay, did they intend to have babies at the same time and did they use the same donor?" Jen asked.

Looking around, Emmett finally spoke. "Well, I don't know the answer to that, but what I do know is that they tried to get Brian to father kids for them, so they would be related. He refused though, no matter how much they badgered him. He said that if he had kids, he would be the one to raise them. They haven't said, but the general consensus is that that they went to the sperm bank, and the kids will have the same father."

"Well hopefully those kids will be more even tempered than their mothers," Deb says, shivering. "A more volatile pair I've never met. Although they seem to be doing a little better, since they got knocked up."

"I don't know. Maybe they are just learning to hide the turmoil better, Sis. We know how Melanie and Lindsay are; each always thinking they are right, without a gray area. Their home is a battlefield. And I just fear that they went into this thinking it was going to fix the shit they either don't say or constantly argue about."

"Well I guess we'll have to see what we will see, won't we? If there is one thing I learned from being married to Cunty Craig, it's that the truth will out at some point. It's insidious and permeates throughout every thought and action. Mel and Lindsay may hide the truth from us, but they won't be able to hide from themselves much longer," Jen advises, shaking her head.

All of them nodded their agreement, while thinking that World War Munchers might be closer on horizon than Mel and Lindsay thought. All they all knew was they already felt sorry for the kids of that union. Sheesh!

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

Things were progressing nicely between Daphne and Glen, much to her relief. She had actually thought that since her defection from all things WASP over a year ago, she and Glenn had grown apart. So it was a welcome bit of news that they were just as silly and crazy as they were when they had first gotten together... back when she was still technically, a kid.

Sitting on the sofa in her apartment, they were having what she termed another "Netflix and Chill" night, just watching reruns of Jane the Virgin and of course, getting into a spirited debate over the two male leads of the show. Glenn wanted Jane to stay with her fiance, while Daphne thought the rich guy was a much better fit for Jane- a separate issue regarding the child in her stomach. According to Daphne, chemistry was just as important as having stability in a relationship, and she didn't think Jane really had that with her current fiance. As the credits rolled, the debate continued until Glenn decided that he wanted to do more than test Daphne's theory. He wanted to live it.

Yanking her lithe body across his lap, he captured her lips, which opened like a flower beneath his own. Never one to waste an opportunity, Glenn took full advantage of Daphne's compliance and deepened the kiss. Taking note of the change in her breathing, signaling her burgeoning arousal, Glenn continued his oral assault, pleased that for once she wasn't pulling back. He loved her skittishness, but he was also tired of going home with blue balls and gaining callouses in his left palm. It wasn't that he wasn't still going to be patient with Daphne- he loved her and would never do anything to hurt her- but he knew that until she faced the fear of the unknown head on, Daphne would remain a virgin.

"Glenn... I... I want..."

"Shhh... I know what you want, what you need. Do you think you're finally ready to trust me?" He pulled his head back, reluctantly ending the kiss to stare deep into her eyes. He could read every emotion there: fear, lust, love, uncertainty. His hand reached up to caress the side of her face, needing the contact even more than the woman in his arms could possibly understand. "Daph, I want you; I won't deny that. But only if you're ready."

"I..." Daphne regarded Glenn, who was letting every emotion play in his eyes and across his handsome face. She had no doubt that she could trust him to take care of her. The doubt was within herself. She would never delude herself into thinking that Glenn Bartier was a monk or inexperienced in fucking; she had known him too long for that. But what if she didn't measure up? She remembered what Justin had told her of the act, but... "What if..."

"No, Daphne. No. Don't compare yourself to whatever others there may have been. There is only us, will ever only be US; I don't want anyone else. I didn't even back then. Haven't you figured out by now that I love you? And whether you are a virgin, or the biggest freak in bed once we take care of that whole neophyte issue you have going on here right now, that won't change. So what do you want to do?"

Daphne bit her lip, before forcefully pulling Glenn's head down to hers again. Attacking his lips like a woman dying of thirst, she let all of her desires be known through the kiss. No more words were needed as Glenn launched himself off of the couch, while gripping her in his arms at the same time. Carrying her as if she was the most precious thing in the world, Glenn headed towards Daphne's bedroom, where they were about to experience a lot of firsts together. While he was her first lover, Daphne would be the first woman- the only woman- he'd ever made love to. And he spent the rest of the night proving it.