Blended

Chapter 17

********

Jennifer dialed Molly's number again as they pulled out of the parking lot after picking up Junior from school. "Tuck'r, see da birds? Birds go TWEET, TWEET, TWEET. Did you even know dat?" Junior asked as she sat in her booster seat, looking out the window.

"I did not know that," Tucker answered as he drove. Jennifer smiled at their interaction as she held her cell phone to her ear. "Where is your aunt?" She wondered out loud as she flipped her phone closed.

"I don't know," Junior answered with a sigh as she scratched her head. "Gramma?"

"Yes?"

"When is my daddy and my dad going to come back?" She asked distractedly as she pulled at the button on her sweater.

"In two days," Jennifer answered as they drove towards Debbie's house. Junior yawned and rubbed her eyes.

"In two days on da plane?" She asked as she crossed her legs and reached for the travel sized magna-noodle on the seat next to her.

"Yes, in two days they are going to fly home on the…"

"Da plane goes UP, high in da sky," Junior said as she shot her left hand out to demonstrate. Jennifer laughed as she pulled to a stop in front of Debbie's house.

"Okay, let's go get your brothers," Jennifer said as Tucker killed the engine and climbed out of the car, opening the back door. He unbuckled Junior's restraints and helped her out of the car. Junior took off running.

"Gramma Deb, Gramma Deb. I'M HERE!" She screamed as she knocked on the door and tried to reach up to press the button for the doorbell, her inherited height making it an impossible feat.

"Well, hello gorgeous," Debbie said as she opened the door. Junior flew into her arms, letting Debbie hug her tight and give her lots of kisses. "Hey Jen, Tucker."

"Hey," Tucker replied.

"Hello Debbie, I came to get my boys," Jennifer said with a tired laugh as she closed the door behind her.

"Sit down for a minute. You guys have got plenty of time," Debbie said. Jennifer gladly took the invitation and sat down on the sofa. "You want anything?"

"No thanks," Jennifer answered.

"Nothing for me," Tucker said.

"Tea it is," Debbie said with a smile and a laugh. Jennifer relaxed into the sofa and laughed. Junior walked over to her brothers and smiled.

"Hello," she said as she leaned over the top of the playpen. Pilot and Race smiled up at their sister and giggled as she made funny noises. She played with her brothers for a while before hearing noises coming from outside. She ran over to Debbie and patted lightly on her leg. "Gramma Deb, is dat grampa out dere?

"It sure is. Why don't you go out and see if you can help him."

"Come on Tuck'r, lets go help grampa," she said as she grabbed onto his hand and pulled him toward the back door.

"She has so much energy," Jennifer said as Debbie walked over and handed her a cup of tea.

"You're not fuckin' kiddin'."

********

Riah pulled into a parking space at the first hotel she saw. "Okay sleeping beauty, time to get up," she said to Molly as she killed the engine. Molly stretched and closed the car door.

"Nice play, Ri," Molly said sarcastically as she grabbed her bag out of the back and followed her best friend into the rental office.

"Well, Ms. Moneybags, did you have a better idea?" Riah was greeted with a loud sigh and then silence as she opened the glass door. "Yeah, didn't think so."

"I hope they at least clean the sheets," Molly said as they walked up to the counter to get a room for the night.

"Yeah, don't count on it."

********

"…And da tree was BIG and da leaves was GREEN," Junior said with a giggle as she held the phone to her ear. Brian listened and smiled as she laughed. She had already talked to Justin, telling him all about her pictures and her new socks. Plain white, but special because 'gramma' bought them.

"Where the fuck is my belt?" Justin asked out loud, more to himself than anything, as he dashed around the hotel room trying to get ready. Brian was already dressed and ready to go.

"You're wearing it already," Brian pointed out, covering the phone. "Big and green," he repeated, "Did you pick any apples off of it?" Junior shifted on the sofa, pulling at her socks. At ten o'clock, it was way past her bedtime.

"We gotted LOTS of apples."

"Only the best they had," Tucker added as he sat down next to her and made sure that Pilot had the bottle firmly in his grip.

"But we can't even eat them cause gramma said dat they were dirty." Brian checked his watch.

"You can eat them once they're clean," Brian said as Justin pulled on his shirt. "Okay baby girl, dad and daddy have to go now," Brian told her as he stood.

"You comin' home now?"

"Not yet, we have two more days," Brian said. "Go and get your airplane so you can change the day, okay." Junior scooted off of the sofa and hopped over to the refrigerator.

Lindsay had bought her a large magnetic calendar with lots of different shapes, numbers, color cards and extras. "Ready?" Brian asked both Justin and his daughter.

Junior peeled the magnetic jumbo jet off of Friday and held it tightly in her hand. "Yes," they both replied.

"Okay, now, stick the airplane on Saturday." Junior frowned as she watched the calendar with interest. Jennifer turned from her space at the sink, washing the apples and helped her granddaughter.

"Thank you gramma," Junior said as she made sure the plane was sticking. "I DID IT," she said happily while trying to balance the phone.

"Very good, now its time for you to go to bed," he told her. Junior sighed as they both told her they loved her and hung up the phone.

"See gramma, two whole more days," she said, holding up two fingers.

"I see," Jennifer replied as she dried her hands, "and now its time for little girls to go to sleep." Junior ran over and gave Tucker and Pilot a hug and a kiss. Race was already fast asleep in his crib.

********

The waiters and cleaners moved swiftly around the gallery, removing all traces of the night's events.

The show was a huge success and they watched as one by one each of Justin's paintings and sketches were marked as 'sold'. Vanessa congratulated Justin and hugged them both. "I'll call you when I get back. We can discuss the possibility of future shows," she said with a smile before disappearing out of the door.

"I don't think she ever unpacks," Justin joked. "Then again, with all her money she doesn't have to."

"What do you say we get out of here?" Brian suggested as he downed the last of his wine and handed the glass to a passing waiter. Justin placed his glass on the tray and nodded.

"Yeah," Justin said as they made their way to the doors of the gallery. They stepped out onto the sidewalk and Justin leaned against one of the steel supports as Brian called a cab.

********

"How does it feel to be a famous artiste?" Brian asked slowly as he pressed a kiss to Justin's lips, his hand finding its way to the zipper of Justin's pants.

The cabbie pretended not to notice the men in the backseat as he drove them to their hotel. He drove a little faster when a muffled moan escaped Brian's mouth.

"I don't know if I would say famous," Justin said with a smirk as he leaned his head back, allowing Brian full access to his neck. Justin held onto Brian, his fingers gripping his hair tightly as Brian nipped and sucked.

"Aren't you modest?" Brian asked mockingly as he popped the button on Justin's pants and snaked his hand inside. Justin gasped as Brian wrapped his warm hand around his cock and began to move it slowly, up and down.

"Extremely," Justin replied as Brian stopped his hand from moving. Justin panted against Brian's lips as the cab came to a stop in front of their hotel. They straightened out their clothes and stepped out of the cab. Brian paid the cabbie and turned to follow Justin into the hotel.

"We have two days left. What do you want to do?" Justin asked as the elevator stopped on their floor. Justin followed behind Brian, their fingers intertwined as they made it to their room.

"Well, sunshine," Brian said as he slid the cardkey into the lock and opened the door, "it's your big night. So, what do you want to do?"

Justin gave him an evil smile before looping his arms around Brian's neck and crashing their lips together. The force of the attack forced them through the door and down to the floor.

Brian kicked the door shut as he made quick work of getting Justin out of his pants.

********

"There are so many people here," Molly said excitedly as they moved through the crowd. There were massive ramps everywhere and thousands of fans. Riah moved the black hair out of her face and fastened it into a bun.

"I know," Riah replied as she dropped her hands and scanned the crowd again. "Did he say where they'd be?"

"No, but I know that Charlie and Ricky are on the street course today," Molly said. Riah adjusted her bra strap and sighed heavily. "Come on, we can ask them," Molly said as she pulled her toward a group of guys.

"Well, hello ladies," one of the boys said. "Name's Andy, what's yours?" Riah pushed forward and smiled up at the very tall stranger. Andy was tall and lean with jet black hair.

"Riah, and this is Molly. We're actually looking for her boyfriend. Do you guys know Hunter?" Riah asked without taking her eyes off of Andy. Andy watched the loose strands of hair as they moved across her face.

"Hunter?" One of the boys repeated; his face in a frown as he thought about the name. "Hun… Oh, you mean Gadget?"

"YEAH," Molly said happily as she looked around. Riah moved the stray strands of hair out of her face, her right hand worrying the strap of her messenger bag. Andy stood leaning against the metal van, one foot resting on the pedal of his bike.

"Ahh," the boys all said as they made the connection.

"Oh, yeah, we know Gadget. He's about to start the freestyle competition," Andy said as he placed his hand in his back pocket.

"Course 8," Austin, one of the other boys said. Molly thanked them all and grabbed onto Riah's wrist, pulling her behind her.

"Come on," Molly said.

"Hey, if you want, stop by tonight," Andy said and handed Riah a crumpled piece of paper with his name and room number written in permanent marker.

"Yeah," Riah said as she let Molly drag her away. They moved through the people towards course number 8. Hundreds of people were gathered around the course, waiting for the freestyle competition to start.

"Look, there he is," Molly said as Hunter stood on the edge of the platform, positioning his board for the drop in. Molly and Riah watched excitedly as Hunter ran the course, hollering and screaming with the rest of the fans.

"So, are you coming with me to Andy's?" Riah asked as she tapped the crumpled piece of paper against her cheek.

"Ooo, Andy. On a first name basis already are we?" Molly said with a laugh. Riah smacked her in the arm. "I can't believe he pre-wrote his room number," Molly said as she shifted her eyes from her boyfriend to her best friend.

"Shut up," Riah said as she stuffed the number into her pocket. "He is simply prepared."

"Yeah, ok," Molly said as they watched Hunter finish the course. He stood waiting for the results with the rest of the skaters. Molly waited, holding her breath as they called third and second place.

"And the winner is… smokin' all the competition and coming out on top, HUNTER "GADGET" NOVOTNY-BRUCKNER," the announcer yelled. Molly screamed as loud as she could and grabbed onto Riah.

"I can't breathe," Riah gasped. Molly let her go but continued to grip her hand tightly.

"OH MY GOD," Molly screamed as she watched Hunter walk over to the announcer and begin to talk with him. She was screaming so loud and was so happy that she barely heard any of the words as she strained to listen to his voice over the P.A. system.

********

Two days later Brian and Justin they were still in the room, all hopes of seeing the sights long ago forgotten. They were due at the airport in a few short hours.

Justin sighed heavily as he turned his head away from the sun that was rising and shining directly in his face. He moved to turn onto his side but was stopped by Brian who was sound asleep on top of him, pinning him to the bed. Thick layers of cum and sweat bound them together.

"Brian," Justin said, clearing his throat into the fading darkness. "Brian, I can't breathe," Justin said as he tried to shift Brian's weight off of him. "BRIAN!"

"Fuck. What?" Brian asked sleepily as he moved off of Justin, the remains of their evening celebrations clinging to them both as their bodies moved apart.

"We have to get up and pack. We have to be at the airport soon." Justin moved to get out of the bed. He wanted nothing more than to take a long shower.

"We have time for one more round," Brian said with a smirk as he grabbed onto Justin's arm and pulled him back onto the bed.

********

Every inch of the hotel room was covered in bodies, condom wrappers, empty beer cans and cups. They had partied and they had partied hard.

Ricky sat next to Molly on the sofa, his head resting on her shoulder. Hunter sighed contently, his head on Molly's lap. Riah and Andy lay on the floor; Riah on her stomach and Andy on his back. Charlie was passed out behind the sofa. Trey was on the opposite side of the coffee table, a girl curled into his side.

No one was asleep but they were all too tired to move. Two days of going to practice and events during the day and partying at night had finally caught up with all of them.

"Coffee," Charlie said from somewhere behind the sofa, the fog of sleep lifting. "I need coffee."

"Coffee," the group groaned collectively as limbs began to untangle themselves. Countless showers, numerous aspirins and dozens of curse words later the group was ready to join the land of the living.

"Eight black coffees, loads of sugar and some of those little milk-in-a-bucket things," Ricky said to the girl behind the counter. The rest of the group stood gathered around, making sure they all got what they wanted.

"What kind?" The girl asked as she placed the order.

"Amaretto… chocolate… hazelnut… almond… vanilla... Irish cream… French vanilla," the group yelled out all at once. The young girl stared at all of them, debating whether or not she wanted to ask them all to repeat themselves.

"Come on!" one of the customers in line behind them droned.

"Dude, chill," Hunter said, turning his attention back to the girl behind the counter.

"Yeah dude, maybe you should forego 'the bean' on this fine morning," Andy added, causing them all to laugh.

"Just, give us a handful of everything," Molly said, solving the problem. Five minutes later they all had their coffee and all you could hear was the stirring of liquid.

********

Brian and Justin stood in baggage claim waiting for their luggage. Brian sighed as he looked around the terminal for a clock. "It's been twenty minutes," he said.

"There," Justin said pointing as he saw the luggage start to come around the carousel. They both rushed forward, grabbing all of their bags. They were three steps out of the airport when Justin's cell phone began to ring. Justin looked down at the display and smiled at Brian. "Hello mom."

"Justin, how was your flight?"

"Actually, it was really…."

"That's nice sweetie. Have you heard from your sister?" Brian stepped up to the curb and hailed a cab.

"No. Why?" Justin asked as he handed his bags to the driver and climbed into the backseat. Brian told the driver where to go and sat back, listening to the one-sided conversation.

"I just haven't heard from her in a few days," Jennifer said as she reached her office and closed the door behind her. "I'm sure she's fine."

"She'll probably call," Justin reassured her.

"Yeah, you're right," Jennifer said, "but it'd be nice if it was sometime soon." They talked for a while before Jennifer hung up the phone to start her day.

"Little Molly has gone missing, huh?" Brian asked with a smirk as Justin flipped his phone closed.

"How'd you guess?" Justin said with a laugh. "Mom said that Tucker is taking the twins with him to Junior's lessons at the skatepark before dropping them off. That means that we have just enough time for some extracurricular activities," Justin said with a smile.

"I would think that you got enough this weekend," Brian smirked.

"Never."

********

"Shit," Molly said as she checked her phone. "My mom called like five thousand times." Hunter tossed her bag into the backseat and closed the door.

"Somebody's gonna be in trouble," Hunter sing-sang as he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close.

"Shut up," Molly said playfully as she pressed her lips to his.

"Sneaking off to see her skater boyfriend and subjecting her friend to further corruption in the process. Shame, shame," Hunter said as they both turned their attention towards Riah and Andy who were locked in a heated kiss.

"It was worth it. Plus, I'm old enough to go sneaking off," Molly replied as they kissed again.

Ricky and Charlie came out of their hotel room looking freshly fucked and ready to go. Trey kissed his girl and watched as she walked away. "Okay people, lets get going," the tour manager yelled as he started to round up all of the athletes. The equipment buses were already well on their way to the next venue.

"Call me, okay," Molly said as she walked with Hunter over to the bus.

"Yeah," he said before kissing her one last time. "Riah," Hunter said as he kissed her cheek.

"Hunter," she replied with a smile.

"Hey," Andy said with a laugh as he pulled Hunter onto the bus behind him.

"My beauties," Trey said as he kissed them both and stepped up onto the huge tour bus.

"Bye Trey," they both said, smiling. Ricky and Charlie hugged them both and jumped on the bus.

"Be good," Riah said. Ricky held onto the handrail and leaned outside the door, the sun shining brightly on his tattooed arm.

"Aw, but mom, being bad is so much more fun," he said as he slipped a pair of sunglasses on.

"They're crazy," Molly said as the door closed and the buses started to pull off. Molly and Riah watched until the buses turned the corner. "I better call my mom before she alerts the police."

********

Justin sat at the kitchen island in complete silence, his hand moving quickly over the page of his sketchbook. He'd been on a creative high ever since they'd gotten back, painting and sketching every chance that he had.

"Coffee," Brian groaned as he walked into the kitchen. "I need massive amounts of coffee." Justin didn't look up as he concentrated on his work.

"Shh," Justin finally said, acknowledging him. "The smallest sound awakes the masses and I don't want them to get up until I get this done." Brian moved over to see what it was that had so much of Justin's attention.

"Its good," Brian complimented looking at the charcoal lines that cut through the paper. Justin looked down at the drawing as Brian pressed a kiss to the back of his neck.

"Thanks."

"I've got a meeting," Brian stated, turning his face to press a kiss against his lips. "Later."

"Later," Justin replied, his mind diving back into his drawing.

An hour and a half later he was finishing up the final touches of his sketch when the first whimpers began to be heard, both down the stairway and through the monitor. He added one more detail before the sound of feet on the steps told him that all his time was definitely up.

********

"What are you doing here?" Justin asked his sister as he moved away from the door. Molly shut the door behind her and moved into the room.

"Now is that any way to greet your favorite sister?" Molly asked as she closed the loft door behind her and followed Justin to the kitchen.

"I heard you disappeared for a few days," Justin said as he cut up a banana and added it to Junior's cheerios. "J, stop scratching and eat your breakfast," Justin said as he opened three cans of formula.

"Yeah, well. I decided that I work too hard and that it was time for me to take a vacation," Molly said sarcastically as she made herself a bowl of cereal.

"I don't even like yucky ba-na-nas," Junior said, pausing in between each syllable to lift a piece of the fruit out of her cereal. She dropped the cut up piece of banana onto the table and wiped her fingers on her jeans.

"From doing what? You work at a record store," Justin said with a laugh as he reached for the ringing phone. "Hello." Molly snatched the spoon that Justin had used to stir his coffee and walked over to the sofa.

An earsplitting yell erupted from Pilot as he sat in his highchair. He screamed once more before he dropped his bottle to the floor below. Race watched in silence as Justin moved around the kitchen.

"Hey Justin. The shipment just came in from the framers," Mike, his assistant informed him. "Do you want the Lemmings in the front?"

"Aw," Junior said as she leaned over in her chair and looked at the bottle. Pilot clapped his hands, smiling at his sister. "DADDY, PILOT… PILOT DROPPED DAT BOTTLE," she yelled as she pointed at the bottle.

"No, tell Marvin to move the Morrison paintings to the front. I want the largest one facing the spotlights," Justin said into the phone. Justin moved around quickly in the kitchen, making Junior's lunch and packing up all of the things that the boys would need for the day.

"DADDY."

"What about the other paintings? The shipment that we got in last night, do you want those unwrapped?" Mike asked as he wrote down Justin's instructions.

"DADDY, DADDY!"

"Junior, please eat your breakfast," Justin said as he poured formula into the twins' bottles. "No, focus on the Morrison paintings, that shows in a week and nothing is up for it yet. I'll look at the other paintings when I get there."

"I don't want it," Junior said as she stirred her spoon around in the bowl. She coughed and sneezed, wiping her nose on her arm. "It tastes yucky," she added, her face in a full on frown.

"I'll eat it," Molly said from her space on the sofa as she flipped through the channels.

"Okay, you got it," Mike said and hung up the phone. Justin pressed end and sat the phone down on the counter, turning to look over at his kids.

"Don't you have somewhere to be?" He asked his sister.

"Nope. I don't work till noon. So I figured I'd just hang out here with you. And for your information I'm the manager," Molly stated proudly.

"J, you have to eat or you're going to be hungry later," Justin said as he grabbed a towel and walked over to wipe her mouth.

"I don't like bananas," Junior told him as he cleaned her up. Justin laughed as he tried his best to get as much of the milk off of her shirt as he could.

"Since when?" He asked his daughter. Junior frowned in thought before turning all her attention on him.

"I never even liked them for all the days," she said seriously. Justin smiled and nodded as he wiped her face. She sneezed again and moved to wipe her nose with her arm again.

"Ugh, get a tissue," Justin said, stopping her movements before she had a chance to smear mucus along her arm.

"A tissue, a tissue, a tissue," Junior sang as Justin released her and moved over to clean up the boys.

"Sorry, but unlike you I have to be at work now. But, since you have nothing to do you can drop Junior off at school. Thanks," Justin said with a laugh as he got the boys all cleaned up. He quickly cleaned up the mess on the table and moved to get all the kids ready to go out.

Junior wiped frantically at her nose until Justin walked over to help her. "Hmm, you feel a little warm," he noted.

"DADDY, can, can… can we watch cartoons, please?" Junior asked as she scratched at her stomach and Justin helped her slip into her jacket.

"No. Why do you keep scratching? I just put lotion on you, less than an hour ago."

"But, I really do want to watch them," Junior told him.

"I know you do, but you have to go to school. You can see all your friends," Justin said as one of her books caught her attention. She sat on the floor, the book spread open between her legs, reading intensely. "And you know what else? Aunt Molly is going to take you."

"Yup. Looks like it's just me and you munchkin," Molly said.

"You and me," Junior repeated.

Justin kissed Junior and walked over to the boys, pulling them out of their highchairs. "Hey guys, ready to go see grandma and grandpa?"

********

"Hey," Ben and Michael said at the same time as they looked at the two children that were now officially theirs. Emily held tightly to her brother's hand and smiled.

"Hi," Tyler said shyly.

"Hi," Emily followed. She immediately perked up when Michael handed her a small, stuffed pink bunny. "Thank you," she said happily as she moved forward and gave Michael a hug. Tyler shifted uncomfortably until Ben opened his arms in invitation.

"We're so happy that you guys are here," Ben said when the small boy rushed forward and hugged him tightly.

"Well, I'll leave you guys to get to know each other," the social worker said with a smile as she sat two large suitcases down on the floor. "These are all of their things. Congratulations, again," she said as she gave the kids one last hug and shook Michael and Ben's hands.

She left the house, closing the door behind her. "How'd you like to see your new rooms?" Ben asked with a smile.

"Yeah," both Emily and Tyler replied with enthusiasm.

********

"Thanks," Justin said relieved as Carl took the twins' car seats from him. "I swear, it feels like they're getting bigger by the second."

"That's 'cause they are," Debbie said as she came down the stairs and walked over to the car seats, removing both of the babies. "They're already starting to sit up. Next thing you know, they'll be crawling."

"Ugh," Justin said as he tossed their diaper bag onto the floor and flopped himself into a chair, checking his watch. "Don't remind me."

"Where's Brian? We haven't seen him since you guys got back," Carl said as he moved into the kitchen.

"Change of seasons, everyone wants new campaigns so he's been working around the clock," Justin answered.

"And you?" Debbie asked. "I heard your show was fuckin' great. Lindsay said that everything sold." Justin nodded his head.

"Yeah, everything," he said. "I manage to get some painting done at night sometimes but working at the gallery doesn't really give me a lot of time to focus on my own art."

"So quit," Carl said flatly as he went over to sit next to Debbie.

"Yeah sunshine," Debbie agreed as she handed Pilot over to his grandpa. "It's time you started selling yourself, instead of everyone else." Justin stared at Debbie as the words rolled around in his head.

********

Junior sat at her desk with her head down, her feet kicking lazily back and forth as all of the kids colored their pictures. "What's wrong?" Alissa asked as she peeled the paper off of the crayon in her hand.

"My tummy itches a really lot," Junior said quietly. Alissa finished peeling all of the paper off of the yellow crayon and moved on to a blue one.

"Maybe, maybe you gots ta scratch it," Alissa suggested. Junior frowned and coughed. "You gots ta scratch stuff, ta, ta, make da itchies go 'way."

"I been scratchin' it and scratchin' it," Junior said as she scratched at her shoulder. Alissa shrugged and pressed the blue crayon to her paper.

"Hey guys," Mr. Jones said as he stopped at Junior's table while Tiffany helped another group of kids across the room. "Your pictures look so nice. You all are doing a very, very good job."

"Look at mine," Clayton said happily as he held his picture up for Mr. Jones to see.

"Very nice, Clayton," Mr. Jones told the excited boy.

"Junior, not makin' no pictures," Max said loudly and matter-of-factly as he swirled his yellow crayon around and around, filling out his sun. Mr. Jones turned his attention to Junior, who he had noticed was less than her usual rambunctious self.

"What's wrong, Junior, you don't want to color?" He asked the small girl as he bent down to her level. Junior shook her head 'no' as she looked at him. "Why?"

"I don't feel good and my tummy itches really a lot," Junior said as she started to cough. Alissa watched her friend cough before returning to peeling all of the paper off of the crayons.

"It does?" Mr. Jones asked concerned. "How about we let Tiffany take you to the nurse."

"I want my dad," Junior said softly as she rubbed her eyes and the tears started to fall. Mr. Jones rubbed her back gently as he motioned for Tiffany to come over.

"Shh, it's okay. Tiffany will take you to see Nurse Lowe and then Nurse Lowe can call your dad, okay?"

"Kay," Junior said through her tears. She stood up and immediately threw up all over the floor and herself. "I want… my dad," she managed to gasp between the sobs and the second wave of vomit.

"Tiffany, go and get the janitor. Tell him we had a little accident." Tiffany left the room in a hurry as Mr. Jones grabbed a trashcan just in time for another round. Tiffany came back in no time, followed closely by the janitor. All of the children watched as Junior was led from the room and sawdust was sprinkled over the mess on the floor.

"Oh my," Nurse Lowe said as Tiffany led the small girl into the room.

"We had a little accident," Tiffany said as the door closed behind them.

"So I heard," the cheerful nurse said as she lifted Junior off the floor and onto the exam table. Mr. Jones had buzzed her and given her a head's up. "What's wrong sweetie?"

"My tummy hurts and I'm all itchy," Junior said with a sob. "I want my dad," she sniffed and began to cry again.

"Okay. Its okay," Nurse Lowe said as she rubbed Junior's back and smoothed the hair out of her face. "Lets get you out of these dirty clothes, take your temperature and see if we can get in touch with your dad, okay?"

********

"Kinnetik," Shaun answered as he typed up the documents that Brian had given him.

"Hello, this is Nurse Lowe from 'The Learning Tree'. I'm trying to get in touch with a Mr. Brian Kinney." Shaun heard the name of Junior's school and immediately put the woman on hold.

"Make sure that the art department has the boards ready for Dellosa to see," Brian told Cynthia. "I want them done and ready first thing in the morning; even if they have to stay overnight to do it."

"Oh I'm sure they'll love that," Cynthia said with a smirk as she stood. "Anything else?"

"Yeah. Tell Ted to get a move on it with the figures for Heat." Cynthia wrote down the instructions, nodded and disappeared out of the door just as Shaun's voice erupted over the intercom.

"Brian…."

"Why Shaun, to what do I owe the pleasure? Don't tell me you finished typing up those documents already."

"Not quite yet. A nurse Lowe from Junior's school is on line 2." Brian immediately sat up, remembering the last time that a school had called.

"Did she say what was wrong?" Brian asked as he reached to switch the lines over.

"No," Shaun said. "She just said that…."

"This is Brian Kinney," he informed the nurse, cutting off Shaun's words.

********

Junior lay on one of the sick beds in the nurse's office, wrapped in a huge white blanket, her breathing labored as she lightly slept. Her clothes had been placed in a small plastic bag.

"Hi. We're Justin Taylor and Brian Kinney, Junior's parents," Justin informed the nurse. He had insisted on being picked up when Brian called to tell him that the school had called.

"Oh yes," Nurse Lowe said as she stood up from her desk and walked over to the two men. "I'm Mrs. Lowe. Junior doesn't seem to be feeling too well. She threw up a number of times and she appears to be in the beginning stages of the chicken pox. No telling where she picked it up really, kids and their germs, ya know."

Justin walked over to his daughter and lifted her up, gently, off of the bed. Junior was hot and slightly clammy to the touch as Justin felt her forehead. "She feels really warm," he said to Brian.

"I took her temperature about thirty minutes ago. It was 99.2. That's when I called," the nurse said. "I recommend some children's Motrin and if it goes past a hundred I recommend the emergency room."

"Thank you," Brian said as he took his daughter from Justin, feeling her forehead. Justin took the plastic bag from the nurse's outstretched hand and thanked her. They walked out of the nurse's office. Justin kept checking her breathing, a frown planted firmly on his face.

"What do you want to do?" Brian asked Justin as he drove toward the loft. Justin sighed and placed his hand on her forehead. "Justin?"

"I knew she felt warm. I should have taken her temperature."

"It's not your fault, Justin. You can't stop her from getting sick. We'll go home, take her temperature, give her some Motrin and see if that helps. If not then we'll take her to the hospital, okay?" Brian said. Justin was silent as he nodded.

Brian came to a stop in front of their building and got out of the car, checking his watch. "We should call Debbie and see if she wouldn't mind watching the boys for a little longer tonight. We might have to go to the hospital," Justin said as Brian closed the loft door behind them.

"I'll call, why don't you go and take her temperature," Brian suggested. Junior was still asleep, curled up snuggly in the blanket. Justin walked toward the bathroom as Brian picked up the phone and called Debbie.

"What'd she say?" Justin asked as he sat on the toilet lid, Junior on his lap as he unzipped the thermometer's carrying case. Brian opened the medicine cabinet and removed the fever medicine just as Justin stuck the thermometer in Junior's ear, causing the sleeping girl to squirm.

"She said no problem," Brian said as he measured out a dose and took Junior from Justin as the thermometer beeped. "Hey," Brian said as Junior opened her eyes, blinking slowly.

"Dad," Junior said as she buried her face in Brian's chest. Brian looked over at Justin who was looking at Junior's back. "My tummy is all itchy," Junior whispered.

"99.9," Justin informed Brian as he turned the thermometer off. "I want to take her in," Justin said without hesitation and without waiting for Brian to say anything. "I'm gonna get her some clothes to put on," he said as he disappeared out of the door.

Brian didn't try to argue as he pressed the medicine cup to Junior's lips. "No, no dad. I don't want it," Junior said as she began to struggle against Brian. "No," she cried as tears began to fall.

"J, you have to take this medicine. It'll make you feel better," Brian said as he again tried to press the medicine to her lips. She cried as hard and as loud as she could as Brian forced the medicine into her. "Its okay," Brian said as he kissed her heated head and moved the hair out of her face.

"Did you give her the medicine?" Justin asked as he came back into the bedroom, a pair of sweatpants and a shirt in his hand.

"Yeah, but not without a fight."

"I heard," Justin said as he slipped her pants onto her legs while Brian held her. "How do you feel?" he asked as he kissed her on the cheek. She started to cry again and reach for Justin as he slipped the shirt over her head.

********

Three hours later they walked back through the door. Junior was clinging with all of her might to Brian as Justin sat the twins down on the floor, in no hurry to unbuckle them from their seats. "Are you hungry?" Brian asked his daughter. She shook her head 'no'.

They had left the hospital with a confirmed case of the chicken pox and a really bad cold. Justin emptied the contents of the plastic bag that he'd brought in and sat them on the counter.

There were two bottles of calamine lotion and a pair of mittens that the doctor recommended to keep her from scratching at night.

"I am," Justin said with a smile as he looked at Brian.

"I'm not surprised," Brian said as he went to lay Junior on the sofa. The twins whimpered as Justin stopped to take them out of their seats, walking over to the futon cushions. Brian went to order some Thai once Junior was comfortable on the sofa. "What are you doing?" he asked as he came to sit down.

"Checking the boys for Chicken pox," Justin stated. "The doctor said that there was a good chance that they were exposed and we just didn't know what to look for."

Junior immediately drifted off to sleep, to the delight of both Justin and Brian. She hadn't wanted either one of them to put her down since they'd picked her up from school. Brian even had to let the doctor do the exam while Junior was pressed against his chest. "Shit," Justin said from his spot on the floor.

"What?"

Justin looked up at Brian and then back at Pilot and Race. "They have them too," Justin said with a tired laugh. Brian just looked as the buzzer sounded. "Great."

"I'll get it," Brian said.

********

"Shit," Brian heard come flowing from the intercom. Justin was upstairs attempting to cover the now very active twins in calamine lotion and give them their medicine. "You had to pick now to learn how to crawl," he said.

Pilot and Race laughed uncontrollably as the sound of their toy aquarium filled the air. They loved the pictures that were projected onto the ceiling, while Brian and Justin loved the peace it brought.

Junior sat across from Brian, her fever broken and the uncomfortable itchiness of chicken pox left behind. Her face and body were covered in pink dots of calamine lotion. "Dad," she said softly as she moved a little closer, her teddy bear sitting in her lap.

"Yes?" Brian answered patiently as he continued to look over the boards. Junior stuck her legs straight out, covering the boards.

"What are you even looking for?" She asked as she stared at the board and then back at Brian before crawling over the board to sit on the floor next to him, leaning against his chest.

"I have to see if I like these or if I want new ones," Brian said. Junior sighed and tried to scratch her arm. Brian quickly pulled the hand away.

"No scratching," Brian said with a smile as he kissed her on the top of the head. "Are you hungry?" He asked. She hadn't eaten much since throwing up and that was over three days ago.

"No," she said as she pulled at the remaining eye of her Teddy bear. Brian pulled slightly on her hair.

"You have to eat something," he said as another 'Fuck' was heard from upstairs, followed by something dropping to the floor.

"Shit," Justin said again before Race began to cry, his screams loud and piercing. Brian looked in the direction of the stairs before getting up.

"Let's go see what daddy is doing," he suggested as he held onto Junior's hand and walked up the stairs.

********

The house was quiet, Pilot, Race and Junior were sleep and Brian and Justin were finally able to breathe.

Justin lay in the bed, fully clothed, staring up at the ceiling as Brian moved around the room. "I never want to see another chicken pox for as long as I live," he said.

"Really," Brian said as he got into bed, moving seductively closer to Justin, "I thought you were enjoying yourself." Justin huffed and rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, cause nothing says fun like calamine lotion, a three year old who won't eat and two little boys who have decided that now it the perfect time for them to learn how to crawl," Justin vented as he pulled Brian's pillow over his face and pressed down.

"You just need to relax," Brian said as he unzipped Justin's jeans, pulling them down just enough to get at what he wanted. He pulled the pillow off of Justin's face and tossed it to the side, pressing his lips down onto Justin's.

"Mmm," Justin moaned as his hips moved to encourage Brian's ministrations. "Brian," Justin said firmly as Brian's mouth moved from his lips to his throat.

"Hmm?"

"I was thinking," Justin said pausing. Brian stopped what he was doing and looked up at him. "I was thinking of quitting the art gallery and concentrating on my art full time." Brian looked into Justin's eyes, a smirk falling over his face. "What?"

"I was wondering how long it was going to take you," Brian said as he captured Justin's lips in his and started the movement of his hand again. Justin took a pulsing breath as he laid back into the pillows, letting the sensations run through him. He wasn't even aware of when Brian had stripped him of all his clothes.

Brian trailed kisses down Justin's neck, chest and torso, pausing to lick the sensitive area on his abdomen. "Fuck. Brian," Justin pleaded as his cock strained for attention. He waited for what seemed like the most agonizing minutes of his life for Brian to engulf his dick and end the torture but it never came. "Brian?"

Justin propped himself up on his elbows and looked down at where Brian was, staring interestingly at his cock. "What the fuck are you doing?"

"I think I see," Brian said as he continued to look, his warm breath doing nothing to ease Justin's strain. "Justin, did you have the chicken pox when you were little?"

"I don't know. How am I supposed to remember…." Justin looked at Brian's face and jumped out of the bed, rushing into the bathroom. Brian got up slowly and followed. "FUCK! FUCK! FUCK!" Justin said as he looked in the mirror.

"So you have a cock pock. Some would say that it is very hot. Almost like a beauty mark," Brian reasoned as he watched Justin checking the rest of his body.

"If you say cock pock again, I swear that I will kill you," Justin said as he looked at Brian's reflection in the mirror and stepped a little closer to examine the offensive pox. Brian, suppressing the smile that was threatening to come to his face, turned to leave the bathroom. "Where are you going?"

"To get the calamine lotion," Brian said. "We wouldn't want you to scratch it and leave a scar, would we?" Justin glared at him as he walked out of the bathroom.

"I have a cock pock," he said quietly to himself as he heard the distinct sound of Race's cries. He closed his eyes and counted to ten.

There was much debate and research into the plural and singular of pox/pock. Carly busted her ass and with the backing of Dictionary.com (I personally use Merriam-Webster online, LOL) finally got the answer. YAY Carly!

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