BRIAN

I sat outside watching the kids when Emmett came in, telling Justin that Charles needed to ask him about work. Emmett came back out and sat next to me.

“Charles wanted to have dinner together tonight.” He tells me.

“I can watch Hannah.” I tell him.

“I meant you included. Jen would be happy to stay with the kids.” He tells me.

“I have to take Gus back. They only seem to trust me to take him for part of the day.” I tell him.

“So they're still making sure you have to cater to their whims.” He tells me.

“I'm the jackass who thought it was a good idea to give up my rights to apparently both my kids.” I tell him.

“Brian, Justin wouldn’t do that with Hannah. If Hannah wants something, Justin will make it happen for her.” He tells me.

“I'm still surprised that she's not giving me a hard time.” I tell him.

“You can thank Justin for that. He knew some day she'd meet you, and tried not to make you into a bad guy, but he wouldn't lie to her.” He tells me.

“I found out being a father to Gus meant nothing if I was just someone he barely knew. It helped that Lindsay liked visiting, so I got to have Gus around. New York gave me the chance to see what I could accomplish, but it didn't fill the void the way I wanted it to.” I tell him.

“I think we both needed something different. For me it got to the point where I couldn't see my life improving by continuing on the same merry-go-round. Georgia gave me a chance to find a life outside of Liberty Avenue.” He tells me.

“Not a lot changed in my life.” I tell him.

“If you liked your life than it shouldn't have mattered.” He tells me.

“What, no speech about how by now I should have grown up and gotten in a relationship?” I ask.

“If you didn’t want a relationship then it makes sense not to have one. I wasn’t looking for one when I met Charles, but it was just something about him. He made me want a relationship with all the bells and whistles. Being in a relationship just to be able to point at someone and say you’re together, is settling for less than anyone deserves.” He tells me.

“I talked to Ted.” I tell him.

“Is he still waiting for Michael’s attention?” Emmett asks.

“I think he figured out that he and Michael weren’t going to happen. He hopes that one day you’ll want him around again.” I tell him.

“It’s hard to forgive him for standing by Michael and not asking why I did what I did.” He tells me.

“He knows he should have asked. Emmett, at least give him a chance to see if you two could be friends again.” I tell him.

“When did you really care if I was friends with Ted?” He asks me.

“If you could forgive him, than maybe Justin will forgive me.” I tell him.

“Brian, it’s not forgiving you that’s the problem.” He tells me.

“What is it, he’s more closed off than I remember? It can’t be just Lindsay or even Michael. Justin never gave a shit what Michael thought.” I tell him.

“He lost his family, then lost everyone but me. What you’re seeing is him reacting to being turned away by people he thought cared about him.” He tells me.

“He never met anyone else?” I ask.

“He found reasons for why it couldn’t work. Justin dates, but it’s like you were with tricks, only once. He made his life about Hannah and just didn’t seem to have anything to give anyone else. He never really got over you.” He tells me.

“He was built for a relationship more than anyone else. He was always in a hurry to do things and had so much to do before he could settle down.” I tell him.

“He would have still done them even if you stayed. You wanted your dream, you couldn’t have taken him with you.” He tells me.

“I could have at least found out what was happening, instead of tearing up the letter and deleting anything he sent.” I tell him.

MEL

Lindsay went in when Brian took off, she was in the living room flipping through an art magazine when I walked in. I sat across from her, trying to find a reason she wouldn’t want Justin to have a baby.

“Lindsay, why did you try to give Justin money for an abortion?” I ask.

“He could have had a future but he was ruining his chances.” She tells me.

“So you thought he shouldn’t have Brian’s baby?” I ask.

“It wasn’t that I thought he shouldn’t have a baby. He could’ve waited and done it later, not when he had so many opportunities that he was willing to throw away for a baby. Justin didn’t need a reason to keep clinging to Brian. Brian was never going to do anything but drag Justin further down and away from accomplishing his future.” She tells me.

“You didn’t have the right to make that decision for him.” I tell her.

“I refused to support such a stupid decision.” She tells me.

“You knew it was Brian’s the whole time. Why would you run around making all of us think Justin didn’t know who the father was?” I ask her.

“They would have all been there trying to help him get Brian to listen. I didn’t want Justin to let Brian stop him from what he could accomplish.” She tells me.

“It sounds more like you didn’t like the idea of Brian having kids with anyone but you.” I tell her.

“I think he should meet other men, Justin doesn’t need the kind of life Brian would force on him. I just hope Justin does the smart thing and stays away from Brian.” She tells me.

“I thought you always wanted everything for Brian.” I tell her.

“Only as long as he doesn’t get in Justin’s way.” She tells me, leaving the room.

How did everything become about Justin for her?

TED

I was waiting on a new client to come in, wondering if my life would always be sitting in this office staring at numbers on a screen. Nothing about my life was what I thought it would be, I stayed around when Michael returned and it was like he never left. We went to Woody’s, Babylon and the diner, but never seemed to venture anywhere else. Without Emmett around, I realized how boring Michael was. Every night it was talking about who Brian could have scored and telling everyone about Brian’s life in the Big Apple. Absolutely nothing changed for him, even with Brian no longer around, and when Emmett called to say he was going to visit, I acted as if it didn’t matter. Then I slammed the door in his face when I was told that he hurt Michael. Which I now regret because I realized Michael was never going to be anything more than someone I once thought was a good person to have a relationship with.

“Ted, Mr Hawthorne is here to see you.” The receptionist told me as she lead the man in.

He sat down, tilting his head smiling at me. He was looking at me as if he was judging something about me. I have to admit, he was really handsome, he had jet black hair with strands of silver running through it, and his eyes were more gray than light blue. If I’m not mistaken there was a chiseled body under that suit, and when he smiled, holding out his hand, it felt like I passed some test.

“Ted, I wanted to meet you, I’ve heard a lot about you from someone we have in common.” He tells me.

“I’m sorry, I’ve never heard about you, Mr Hawthorne.” I tell him.

“Call me Charles. Only Emmett calls me Charlie, and that’s only when he’s excited.” He tells me.

“Your Emmett’s partner?” I ask.

“Sooner or later I’ll get him to agree to set a date, but for now yes I’m Emmett’s.” He tells me.

“Why are you here?” I ask him.

“I want Emmett happy, and for the most part he is, but he misses having a best friend in his life. I’m here to see why you cut him out of your life.” He tells me.

“I sided with the wrong friend.” I tell him.

“I agree, but only because I love Emmett. It’s just, when we decided to come here to support Justin, Emmett seemed reluctant to see you. He told me he wasn’t going to risk another door slammed in his face.” He tells me.

“I think this time it would be him slamming the door in my face.” I tell him.

“Emmett forgives easily, but not if you don’t make an effort. It’s been years, yet you haven’t called or even tried. I’m sure you could use better friends than someone who calls a father the things Michael called Justin in front of our darling Hannah.” He tells me.

“Is Justin here too? If he is, can you tell him that Brian is here and wants to see him.” I tell him.

“No need, it seems all Brian needs to know is Justin is near and he comes running. Hopefully Justin won’t let the past stop a future he could have.” He tells me.

“Brian is unstoppable when he wants something.” I tell him.

“Yes, but he’s in an impossible situation this time. Justin is afraid to love him.” He tells me.

“Justin was never afraid of anything, it’s something he and Emmett have in common.” I tell him.

“Once upon a time you were right, but life changed them both. They found out that the people they loved didn’t stay around. It’s why Emmett won’t set a date, he thinks it will change us. I think that if you and he were able to be friends again that Emmett would see that change doesn’t mean losing what you have with someone.” He tells me.

“Tell him I would love to meet and talk.” I tell him.

“Tell him yourself, I think it would go a long way if you actually did the work to talk to him.” He tells me, pulling out a card and writing on the back. “Make sure when you call him, to let him know that you were wrong to turn him away.” He tells me getting up.

“So you didn’t need an accountant?” I ask.

“I always do, but not if I have to visit this dreary office. Get a plant or something.” He tells me, leaving.

JUSTIN

Hannah was showing off for Gus and Brian. I laughed when she decided since they were boys that it was time to play rough. Both of them were trying not to hurt her and she was using it to score against them. Brian came and laid back on the grass, sweaty but happy. I couldn’t help but stare at him, he was always so serious when we were together.

“What?” He asks me, smiling when Gus managed to keep the ball from Hannah.

“I’ve just never seen you like this.” I tell him.

“My children get along and my daughter doesn’t hate me. Two out of three isn’t so bad.” He tells me.

“What’s the third thing?” I ask him.

“To see you smile at the world the way you used to.” He tells me.

“I grew up, and found out that there wasn’t a pot of gold at the end of my rainbow.” I told him.

“Try looking for it again, it’s there.” He tells me pulling me down to him.

“I don’t believe in them anymore.” I tell him as he flips me on my back.

“Let me help you believe in them, and me, again.” He tells me putting his forehead on mine.

“I can’t be that kid anymore, Hannah needs me to be more.” I tell him.

“Why do you think we have to be those people anymore? Find out who I am, before fighting me.” He tells me, kissing me softly looking directly into my eyes.

“Are they kissing?” Gus asks.

Brian and I turn our heads to see Gus and Hannah both raising a brow at us. It was just too hard not to laugh at the twin expressions on their faces.

“I missed that about you.” Brian tells me, when I looked up at him grinning.