BRIAN 

We were treading carefully around this new improved Michael. It didn’t make sense to me that he was being helpful. Grampy got wind of what was going on and even he seemed to think it was too big of a change for anyone to be able to make. It was Granny and Deb who decided to invite everyone to Deb's for dinner and see if Michael was really serious.

We brought Kayla and Joseph, because if Michael hurt my kids then for me, he was done. I made sure they understood that no one was allowed to hurt to them. 

“Why would he hurt us?” Kayla asked. 

“Michael doesn’t always think about what he says and how it sounds.” Justin tells her. 

“Then he shouldn't say anything without thinking.” Joseph tells me.

“Just remember that we believe that you only respect someone if they respect you.” I tell them.

When we arrived, Michael was in the kitchen with Carl, talking. He waved at me but stayed where he was. It was definitely a strange dinner when we sat down, because everyone was quiet.

“Is everyone thinking before talking?” Joseph asks everyone. 

“I think they’re waiting for me to say something.” Michael tells him. 

“Just remember that if it sounds bad in your head it’s not going to sound better coming out of your mouth.” Kayla tells him.

“You are definitely Brian’s daughter.” Michael tells her. 

“Well he adopted me, so yeah I am.” She tells him.

“Michael, it’s just hard for any of us to believe that your switching sides.” Blake tells him.

“I don’t want to be someone that Hunter points at and says he used to know me.” He tells Blake.

“Dad, it’s hard when I watch you do things to hurt people who are important to me.” Hunter tells him.

“I was jealous that Justin had all the things that I didn’t, which isn’t a reason for treating you the way I did.” He tells Hunter.

“What about Ben?” Hunter asks him.

“What happened with Ben is because I screwed it up, and only me.” He tells Hunter.

“Talk to him again.” Justin tells him.

“I don’t think he wants to hear from me anymore.” Michael tells him.

“Then you keep trying until he get’s a restraining order, at that point you know it’s over.” Grampy tells him.

“I’m more interested in why Michael is helping.” Emmett tells him.

“Emmett, I shouldn’t have done what I did, even though, to me you were wrong for doing what you did. But it doesn’t mean I should have gone and done an interview.” Michael tells him.

“I’m not here for an apology, it’s too late for that. I want to know if you're actually planning on helping, or is this some other half-assed plan you and Lindsay cooked up.” Emmett tells him.

MICHAEL

I knew that I would have to explain why anyone should trust anything I say. It was just hard when a lot of it wasn’t going to sound good at first. I looked over at Justin and I could see he was skeptical but willing to listen to me, so I looked at the man my best friend loves and talked.

“I honestly didn’t plan on doing anything to help any of you, but I was fuming at the way Carl talked to me and then Lindsay showed up. When she started talking I kept thinking of a way to use it to screw you over, but then Hunter was standing there and I knew I was either going to be the father I told him I would be, or just a puppet in Lindsay’s game to get to Justin.” I tell them. 

“You mean Brian.” Mel tells me.

“No I don’t, it stopped being about Brian when she met Justin’s family. She wants to be able to say that Warren Marston is part of her life.” I tell them.

“What were you getting out of it?” Warren asks me.

“I wanted Danny to regret not being my father.” I tell him.

“That wasn’t the way to get my attention.” Danny tell him.

“I really don’t need it anymore. My mom is giving me the father I always wanted.” I tell Danny. “When I was listening to Lindsay, I realized Carl wanted me to be a better person, and he cares about me, just as much as he does Ma. So while I started out wanting to use this as something to get back at everyone, in the end I realized that I was risking losing Hunter, Mom, and Carl, who’s my dad.” I tell them.

“Then you have my support.” Warren tells me.

“I just know that I’ll mess this up, so I need to make sure that I do what Ted and Blake need me to do.” I tell him.

“Michael, make sure you're not doing this to apologize, but because you believe in what you're doing.” Helen tells me.

“It’s about giving the babies parents who will give them good lives. Ma did that for me.” I tell them.

“Thank you.” Ma tells me.

“Thank you for never taking the easy road.” I tell her.

“I couldn’t, I loved you before I met you.” Ma tells me.

“Congratulations, it’s a boy.” Brian tells Carl.

JUSTIN

Grampy and I went outside to sit on the steps and talk. We’d been so busy that we didn’t spend much time together lately. Michael came outside but turned around when he realized it was just us.

“Michael sit down.” Grampy tells him.

“I didn’t want to interrupt.” Michael tells him.

“Nothing but catching up on Justin’s practice, tell me about the comic store.” He tells me.

MICHAEL 

“I’m going to go in and make sure Joseph and Gus don’t eat the whole cake.” Justin tells him, kissing his head. Then pats me on the shoulder before going in.

“That boy just hates when anyone gets to eat the good stuff.” Warren tells me.

“He and Brian should do well together, they eat all the stuff I run from.” I tell him, sitting down.

“But they both cheat, they just think we buy that the kids eat all the junk food.” He tells me.

“I used to bring all kinds of food Brian swore off when we hung out, which he always ate.” I tell him.

“You loved him for a long time didn’t you?” He asks me.

“From the day I met him, but I was in love with the myth, not Brian. He always tried to show me that we weren’t anything but friends, but I didn’t want to believe he wouldn’t want me someday.” I tell him.

“Why marry Ben if you believed that?” He asked me.

“I fell in love with Ben.” I tell him, because it still hurts that Ben is leaving me.

“Why are you letting him go?” He asks me.

“I don’t want him to have to keep defending me when I do undefendable things. Ben wants to believe the best in me.” I tell him.

“You know, I don’t think Ben is the good man you do. He might have good intentions, but a good man is one that wouldn’t have stood by while you did the things you did.” He tells me.

“He did it because he loves me.” I defend Ben.

“Then he should have told you what you were doing was wrong, not run behind you defending it.” He tells me.

“That wasn’t what he was doing.” I tell him.

“Michael one of the things you do when you love someone is be honest with them. Ben didn’t like what was happening, but he also didn’t do anything until it became about you using him before he left you. In a way he’s just as selfish as you are.” He tells me.

“You can call me anything you like, but do not say shit about Ben.” I tell him, getting angry that he was judging Ben.

“If you love him, why are you letting him leave you?” He asks me, smiling.

“What?” I ask.

“Do you think I would be sitting here if my darling wife, who I’ve love since the day I met her, was leaving me. I would be begging on my knees to keep her.” He tells me.

“I don’t know if he would care anymore.” I tell him.

“You won’t if you don’t try, but before you do, remember that no matter how hard it will be to repair the damage, it’s up to you to not give up.” He tells me.

“I think I need to go, can you tell Ma?” I ask him.

BRIAN

I listened to Grampy. When Michael left I came outside and sat down next to him.

“Really, you know Ben is the one everyone views as the anti-me.” I tell him.

“Which means that he doesn’t understand what’s important in the world.” He tells me.

“He likes to be indecisive, not my thing.” I tell him.

“Which is why Michael and he have problems, neither of them can make a decision. I could see them starving to death because they would be asking each other over and over what the other wanted.” He tells me.

“When it comes to food, Michael will make the wrong choice every time, and Ben will make something that scares Michael.” I tell him.

“Then they're perfect for each other.” He tells me.

“You just want the happily ever after to every story.” I tell him.

“Of course, it was always my favorite part of the stories that I read Justin and Molly.” He tell me.

“Maybe you should be reading it to Kayla, Joseph, and Gus.” I tell him.

“I’d be honored.” He tells me putting his arm around me. 

I leaned on him and knew this is what a real father was like. No fists but strong shoulders to lean on when you need them. So I didn’t fight that he was offering to be there for me.

“I want you to know you are someone any father would be proud of and you're going to give your kids a life to be proud of.” He tells me.

“When I grow up I want to be you.” I whisper to him.

“You already are son.” Grampy tells me.