JUSTIN

Brian came home and I could see that whatever happened with Michael wasn’t what he had hoped for. He went upstairs to change and after an hour still hadn’t come down. Hunter showed up with the pizza I ordered for the kids movie night. 

“Where’s Brian?” Hunter asked when he didn’t see him.

“He’s upstairs. He went to see Michael but I’m assuming it didn’t go well.” I tell him.

“I got the kids, if you want to talk to him.” Hunter tells me.

I ran up the stairs and found Brian sitting on the chair next to the bed. I sat in the chair next to him and waited for him to decide if he wanted to say anything.

“Sorry for not coming down.” He tells me.

“The kids wanted to watch movies, so they're fine.” I tell him.

“I keep trying to see the guy who I once thought of as my best friend, it’s like he’s disappeared.” He tells me.

“What happened?” I ask.

“He once again blames you for everything. And Deb for not making Danny live a life he wouldn’t have been able to.” He tells me.

“What were you hoping would happen?” I ask him.

“That he’d wake up and get his life together.” He tells me.

“It’s hard to care about people and have to watch them ruin their lives.” I tell him.

“If it wasn’t for Deb and Gus, I wouldn’t care.” He tells me.

“You would, because you do care even when they’re disappointing you. I know it’s taken me years to understand that I can’t make my father accept my sexuality. I still have those odd moments when I wish there was something that would make him see that being gay isn’t the worst thing in the world I could be.” I tell him.

“He’s missing out on one of the best people I’ve ever known.” He tells me.

“I can say the same for him ignoring you.” I tell him.

“Let’s go watch whatever the kids seem to think beats classics.” He tells me, getting up.

 BRIAN

Michael must have figured out the hetero life was not for him, because a week later Lindsay was out of his house. Which didn't seem to bother her since Sam set her up in an apartment. What pissed me off was that Sam seems to be in my office to discuss my taking his kids. I looked over at Grampy, who was not the slightest bit impressed by Sam trying to get a commission and give away his kids.

“Lindsay told me that she wanted you to take care of her kids.” Sam tells me.

“She can want it, but it doesn’t mean I’m going to do it.” I tell him.

“I want Lindsay to come with me, but my life doesn’t have any room for kids. I just thought you’d welcome her being out of your hair.” He tells me.

“Other than her visits with Gus, she is out of my hair. Taking your kids just leaves me open to Lindsay showing up. A bit of advice though, order condoms in bulk or snip it, because children shouldn't have to deal with you as a father.” I tell him.

“That's what I'm saying.” He tells me. 

“There's another possibility, but it requires Lindsay and you to sign away any and all rights to those babies.” Grampy tells him.

“She said Brian wouldn’t ask that.” Sam tells us. 

“Brian isn’t the willing adopting parents.” Grampy tells him. 

“If it gives the kids a place to go, then I'm willing.” Sam tells him.

“There was no doubt in my mind you were, but it's Lindsay I was thinking about.” He tells Sam.

“I'm sure she'll agree.” He tells us. 

“How? Because so far it seems like she only wants to inconvenience Brian.” Grampy tells him. 

“Because I won't marry her if she keeps the kids.” He tells us. 

“Tell her we have a couple willing to adopt, as long as she gives up her rights.” Grampy tells him. 

“Be sure to let her know it isn't me.” I tell him as he leaves.

“That man is in a class all by himself.” Grampy tells me.

“As weird as it may seem, I can respect that he knows he isn’t father material. Although preventing it from happening would have been smarter.” I tell him.

“I thought she wasn’t interested in him, why would she want to marry him?” Grampy asks.

“I guess her dream of having a family and husband has changed to just the husband.” I tell him.

“What do you think this will do with her relationship with Gus?” He ask.

“I don’t know, but she’s going to have to give Mel and I full custody, if she expects to run off.” I tell him.

“I’d have the papers ready for her to sign, so that she can’t get out of it.” He tells me.

“Mel already did that, we were just waiting for Lindsay to approach us.” I tell him.

“Now we just need to let Blake and Ted know that it’s looking likely that they are going to be fathers.” He tells me.

“I’ll let Ted know so he can talk to Blake. We also need to decide how we are going to open the center. Hugh said the bottom floor and the dorms on the second floor would be ready soon.” I tell him.

“The coach and I talked about this and think the whole team needs to be there. They need to start treating Drew as part of their team and what better way than having the whole team open the center.” He tells me.

“Drew is still not out of the woods. When we decided against using that the fiance might have been cheating too, he’s still fighting that he’s to blame.” I tell him.

“He was willing to take the hit, since he made the decision to bring Emmett to his house. You were right that using it would sound like Drew just trying to discredit her for her discrediting him.” Grampy tells me.

“It would have just kept it front and center in the press. Now she’s barely getting interviews, so like all salacious news, it’s dying for lack of interest.” I tell him.

“I heard from a business associate that she was being offered the chance to be on the Bachelorette.” He tells me.

“Maybe tell the associate that being famous for turning a man gay isn’t going to make her popular among the men.” I tell him.

“Reality TV would find a way to make anything popular.” He tells me, leaving.

JUSTIN

Mel called and asked if I we could keep Gus for the night. She and Candice wanted to have dinner with old friends. When I asked about Jenny, she told me that Hunter already volunteered to watch her. I called Blake to see if he wanted to meet for lunch with Daphne, since I was going to be getting Gus. I was waiting at the diner talking to Deb, when Ben came in.

“Long time no see, what brings you here?” Deb asks him.

“Michael and I are meeting for lunch.” He tells her.

“Everything alright?” She asks.

“I just need to talk to Michael about some things.” He tells her, heading for the tables Kiki was waiting on.

“I guess he didn’t want us around.” Deb tells me.

“They need to deal with it without all of us interfering. Carl and Granny both said it, and it’s what I would want if my marriage was having problems.” I tell her.

“Sometimes I think Michael married Ben to be able to say he was married.” She tells me.

“I can’t say a lot, I got drunk and ended up married.” I tell her smiling.

Blake and Daphne showed up and Deb sat with us to have lunch. We really tried to pretend we weren't listening, but Michael made it impossible.

“Ben, I’m not moving there. I have a business and a life here, just like you do.” He screeches.

“I heard from a friend that Ben was offered a job at Penn State’s main campus.” Blake tells us.

“That’s only like two hours away, it’s not the moon.” Daphne tells us.

MICHAEL

“Michael, I wasn’t asking you to move.” Ben tells me quietly.

“Then what are you here to ask me?” I ask.

“We need to sell the house or you need to buy me out, and I needed to know what you wanted to do.” He tells me.

“So you're not even willing to try?” I ask him, trying to see if he’s serious about this.

“It’s all we seem to do is try, I just don’t see any way for us to make this work.” He tell me.

“What about Hunter, he’s still our son.” I tell him.

“Hunter knows and I decided on this when the school was willing to offer a discount to Hunter if he choses to come to college there. I think we can both agree that we want different things in life.” He tells me, getting up and leaving.

I laid my head on the table and realized it was too late, Ben was done with me. I felt a hand on my head and looked up to see Ma standing there with sympathy in her eyes. I turned into the arms of the one person who loved me all my life.

“It’s going to be okay.” She tells me as I cry into her apron.

TED

Brian called me to his office and told me what Sam said. I asked to leave because I need to know if Blake is willing to do this. When I walked in the diner, I saw Michael and Deb sitting together, with her mothering him. She’d been doing so well letting him deal with things on his own. 

“Ben told Michael he’s leaving him.” Blake tells me.

“I’m not surprised.” I tell him.

“Ted, be nice. Ending a relationship sucks, no matter who it happens to.” Justin tells me.

“I need to talk to Blake, about something more important than Michael causing his relationships to end.” I tell them.

“Well, then we’ll get our lunches to go, so you can talk.” Justin tells us, dragging Daphne behind him.

“That was really so unlike you, what’s up.” Blake asks.

“I want to know how you would feel if we were able to adopt the babies with Lindsay and Sam giving up all their rights.” I tell him.

“I need to know something first.” He tells me.

“Ask?” 

“Are you doing this because I said I wanted a child, or because you want one too. I’m asking because you never expressed any interest in having kids until I brought it up.” he tells me.

“I never wanted them until we got together. I think it’s because I never dated anyone that I could see as a father the way I see you.” I tell him.

“But do you really want to be a father to newborns?” He asks, staring at me.

“I want my children to see what wonderful fathers we can be.” I tell him.

“Okay.” He tells me.

“Okay? You want to elaborate, this isn’t choosing to put cream in coffee.” I tell him, smiling.

“Ted, I would love to share children with you, whether or not this works.” He tells me.

“One thing, we need to not tell anyone that it’s you and I.” I tell him.

“Why?”

“They want to get Lindsay to sign that we can privately adopt the babies, but if she knows it’s us I have a feeling she might balk at it.” I tell him. 

“I never tell anything, comes with working as a counselor.” He tells me, kissing me.