Niagara Fails

Justin and Brian were making one of their rare visits to Babylon. They hade stopped on the spur of the moment and were standing at the bar looking to see who they knew when they noticed some kind of a stir in a corner away from them. They were not really very interested in that until Emmett came out of the group and headed their way.

"You two are invited to a party I'm giving tonight," he told them.

"What's the event that has you giving a party?" Brian wanted to know.

"No, Silly," Emmett laughed, "I'm a professional party giver. You know that. I'm not hosting the party, but as the mastermind behind it, I can assure you of an interesting evening."

"So then," Brian answered him, "Who's hosting the party and why, if that is at least as important as you doing the planning? And where is it? If it's in the back-room here, I can't go because I'm not allowed."

"Oh no," Justin intervened, "That's not quite true. You are not allowed in the back-room without me, and it's you who won't allow me in the back-room. You didn't always feel that way, if my memory is correct."

"I don't want you in the back-room. You'll end up making comparisons, and as some important poet once said 'Comparisons are odious,'" Brian countered.

"Was this important poet in the back-room when he spouted that crap?" Justin laughed, "I don't think you need to worry about me making any 'odious comparisons.' If you were there with me, I wouldn't notice anybody else at all."

"And I can remember when you would have gone to the back-room for the express purpose of comparisons," Emmett told Brian.

"Shut up, Emmett, there are young people present. Now where's this party and what's it for?" Brian returned to the subject.

"Joe and Ross are the hosts and it's at their place. They and two other couples have just returned from civilized Canada where they got officially and legally married," Emmett told them with his usual over-the-top exuberance.

"Then shouldn't they have had the party in Canada where they are officially and legally married? They aren't either officially or legally married here in Pennsylvania. They could have done the 'wedding' thing like our munchers did right here and they would have been just as officially and legally married in Pittsburgh."

"Brian," Emmett groused, "You have changed for the better in a lot of ways but you can still be a party pooper.

It's important for us to celebrate every victory, and this was a victory. You wouldn't even have been invited if we didn't think this young man could keep you under control."

"And I wouldn't even consider going unless that same young man wanted to go," Brian replied in kind.

"I don't think you really want to go, Brian, and I hardly know Joe and Ross," Justin responded, "So if it's all right with you, Emmett, we will decline, but please give our best to all of the couples. We're proud of them."

Brian looked at Justin. It was all he could do to keep from grabbing him and dragging into the forbidden back- room, but Brian was not given to overly public displays of affection, at least not now he wasn't - not any more.

But Brian was also a little disturbed by what he saw. He could usually read what was on Justin's mind by looking at him, but he couldn't just then. Justin's face was a blank to Brian. And he wondered if that was a tear he saw in the corner of Justin's eye.

Emmett accepted their regrets with not very much regret. "Suit yourselves," he told them, "I am not paid by the number of guests." Then he added more cheerfully, "See ya guys."

Brian and Justin left soon after their meeting with Emmett and headed back to the loft. Justin was quiet and Brian was concerned. Justin's silence was not necessarily a sign of any problem. Justin could be quiet on occasion. But Brian was concerned.

When they got to the loft, Brian lit the fireplace and sat down on the floor in the accustomed place. "Come over here, Baby, and sit with me," he called Justin.

"With the greatest of pleasure," Justin replied, plopping himself down next to Brian and nestling up next to him.

Brian hoped that it was with the greatest of pleasure that he did that.

After a short period of silence, he pulled Justin up onto his lap. Justin just smiled and sighed, but nothing was said even then.

It was another while before Brian broke the silence. "Baby, I'll do it if that's what you want, " Brian whispered in Justin's ear.

"Do what?" wondered a slightly surprised Justin.

"I'll take you to Canada." Brian told him, "We can just go to Niagara Falls for a couple of days and have Emmett plan a party back here."

Justin had been silent because he was so pleased to have Brian all to himself. Now when he had something to say, he was speechless. "Brian," he choked out, "Are you proposing?"

"In a non-traditional, unconventional way, I guess you could say that," Brian admitted.

"That's the most romantic thing I have ever heard," Justin told him, "You couldn't have made me happier than I am now. I love you, Brian."

"Name the date," Brian told him.

"Brian, I can't believe what you just asked me, and it's something I have wanted to hear since the first time I saw you. I think you know that," Justin answered, "But, if it won't make you mad at me, I think I'll say 'No' for right now. But don't ask too often. I have a limited amount of will power and I do want to marry you. Just not now."

Now it was Brian's turn to be speechless. "Baby," He responded when he got his voice back, "I remember when Mel and Linz were getting married, you practically proposed to me on the steps of George's mansion."

"If you had said 'Yes' then, we could have made it a double-wedding on the spot." Justin remembered, "I wasn't sure of you then and I thought that public vows would somehow help me hold on to you. I don't think I need that now, even with a piece of paper to go with them. And we have made private vows. I hope you remember that. You said you wanted to be stuck with me for the rest of your life."

"I hope I phrased it better than that," Brian told him.

"Oh you did, of course, you have such a romantic way with words," Justin said. "You don't really want to get married in Canada, Brian. It wouldn't count back here. It wouldn't do anything for us or give us anything we don't have now. Someday, we'll be able to get married right here at home if we want to, and I will for sure. We are making some progress with same-sex benefits and it won't be long. I want to wait till we can have just a simple formal exchange of vows right here. I don't want any big wedding shit like the girls had, but I want to have our friends with us. Am I crazy?"

"You are the uncraziest kid in the world," Brian said.

"Brian, Honey, Sweetheart," Justin whispered to Brian, "I am the happiest person in the world right now all because of you. But I am warning you. The very next time you propose, the very next time, wherever and whenever, I am going to accept, so don't just go around proposing willy-nilly."

"OK, I wont if that's the way you want it," Brian told Justin , "But I do love you, and that's for always."

"I know," Justin answered him.

It is unnecessary to describe the next several minutes but sometime later, Brian said to Justin: "Oh, by the way, we have same-sex benefits now at Vanguard and I have you registered as my partner so you are on my medical benefits and some other stuff too."

"I'll thank Cynthia when I see her," Justin teased, "She thinks of everything."

"I thought of it myself," Brian maintained, "I thought of it all by myself. She just thought of it first."

There was some more stuff that does not need describing here, but before they finally turned out the fireplace and went to bed, Brian said to Justin. "I'm not sure if I'll know when to propose next. Why don't you do the proposing when the right time comes?"

"Not a chance, Honey," Justin responded. "You know I'll say 'Yes.' I couldn't trust you not to turn me down."

"Well how am I going to know when the right time is?" Brian complained, "I don't want to foul things up."

"Don't worry, Brian," Justin told him, "Cynthia will tell you."

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