Blended

Chapter 22

********

"I had him in the summer," Cedric said.

"For a few weeks; I'm so sorry you must have fully fulfilled all your obligations."

"Hey."

"Bullshit," Daphne said as she pulled out two pieces of bread and set them on the counter. "You are so full of bullshit. Months Cedric; he's been waiting to spend the weekend with you for months." She tied off the bread and opened the jar of peanut butter on the counter, jamming a knife into its center.

Cedric ran a hand over his face and leaned against the counter, facing her. "I know, but I have to work. He understands." Daphne gave a sarcastic laugh as she licked some of the peanut butter off of her hand before opening the jelly.

She shook her head, "No." Cedric grabbed his head, let it go and looked up at the ceiling. "He doesn't fucking understand, Cedric," she said as she lowered her voice and leaned over the counter. "He tells you that he understands and then I have to explain to him why his daddy is always too busy to see him."

"I have to fucking work, Daphne. I have a life too. I can't just stop everything and do all the things I want to do." Daphne smirked as she leaned her head to the side, pressed the two pieces of bread together and cut the sandwich in half.

"You have time to play ball with your friends. You have time to have dinner every Sunday with your mother. You have time to hang out at Sully's place playing that goddamn Xbox. All things that I am sure are more important than your son."

"That's not fair," Cedric said as he pointed his finger at Daphne. She pulled a plate out of the dishwasher and placed the sandwich on it.

"No, it's not," Daphne said as she looked at him. She grabbed an orange from the basket on the counter and sliced it into pieces, placing them on the plate.

"So what do you want? You want me to make you feel better about leaving? I'm not going to. You want me to pick up the pieces of your fucking mess again?" She asked softly as she glanced at the doorway that led into the kitchen. "I'm not going to. If you're gonna walk out on him then you can tell him."

Cedric moved away from the counter and out of the kitchen. Daphne wiped her hands on a dry towel and took a deep breath before following him out into the hallway. She leaned against the living room doorframe and rested her hands behind her back.

Damien was sitting on the stairs, his luggage on the floor next to the door, his jacket draped across the top. "You're leaving, aren't you?" He asked as he looked up at his dad. Cedric kneeled down in front of him and clasped his hands together.

"Yeah," he said. "Some things came up and it looks like I'm going to have to work." Damien dropped his eyes to the floor and then looked back up.

"You're not taking me, are you?" Cedric shook his head and sighed.

"Not this time buddy." Damien wiped at the tears that were starting to form in his eyes.

"You always have to work. All the time," Damien said as one tear slid down his cheek. He moved it away angrily.

"I know. But, maybe I can come next week and then we can go somewhere together, just you and me," Cedric said with a smile as he glanced at Daphne. She crossed her feet and stared blankly into his eyes. He looked away.

"You always say that," Damien said as he stood up. "You always say that and then you never come." He moved slowly past his dad and walked into the kitchen. Daphne heard him pick up his plate and the sliding of one of the chairs.

Cedric stood up and absently brushed at the invisible dirt on his jeans. "I'll call you next week," he said as he moved towards the door, "and let you know when I'll be able to pick him up. Okay?"

Daphne rolled her lips into her mouth and slowly nodded. Cedric grabbed his jacket off of the hook by the door and left the house. "I'm sorry," he said before Daphne could fully close the door.

She smiled and licked her lips, "You always are."

********

"I'll give you a quarter if you give me that truck," Brian said as he looked at the truck in Pilot's hand. The lights were flashing and the wheels were spinning wildly just waiting to be unleashed on a smooth surface.

Pilot grinned up at him and held out his hand as he clutched the truck to his chest. "Me," he said as he waited for the shiny thing that his dad was holding just out of his reach.

"Truck first," Brian said as he leaned forward. Pilot sat the truck on the floor and screamed as it went racing across the room. Brian dropped the quarter onto his desk and frowned. "Did you have to get the one that makes noise?"

Justin looked up from his spot at the table, his hands covered in shaving cream. "I didn't buy that truck. I thought you did," he said. Junior leaned forward, her hands equally as covered and tapped Justin on the arm.

"Look, I made a 'B' now," she grinned. Justin focused his attention back on the table and the mess of shaving cream that was spreading on top.

"So not only is he a nudist, he's also a thief," Brian said with a nod. Justin laughed as he helped Junior grasp the concept of writing the letter 'W'. Blue was sitting up in her playpen, one of the few things that at almost seven months she had managed to master.

"It is not nice to take other people's things, right, dad? Right?" Junior said as she squished her hands in the shaving cream.

"Right," Brian answered flatly. Justin grabbed her hands and wiped some of the shaving cream off.

"I doubt he stole it," Justin laughed.

Brian typed a few more words on the document he was working on before loud screams pierced the air. "Fuck," he said as he got up and moved to the playroom. Justin looked into the playroom and sighed before noticing that with all the noise going on in the house Blue seemed completely unaffected.

Race and Pilot were screaming as they both fought over the same toy. Pilot was pulling with all of his might, while still clutching at the truck in his arms.

Race let go of the small fire truck and leaned in to bite his brother. He connected with skin before Brian could get to them. "Hey, HEY!" Brian shouted as he started to pull them apart. Pilot was screeching and Race was bending down to pick up both the truck and the abandoned fire truck.

Brian looked at the large red bite mark that was left on Pilot's arm. Race's teeth marks were clearly visible. "What did I say? No biting. And no fighting; time out," Brian said as he took the toys that they were fighting over and grabbed both of their hands. He led them down the stairs, sitting them on opposite sides of the room.

Pilot started to scream and fling his arms before he connected eyes with Brian, closed his mouth and sat still. He was sniffling loudly as Brian turned to walk away. Race stomped his foot on the floor twice before he sat with his back to the rest of them.

"They're not even five yet and I have to deal with attitudes," Brian said as he sat back down at the computer. Justin looked over at his sons and sighed as he gestured with his hands.

"All from you," he said. "I have a perfectly pleasant attitude." Brian didn't even bother commenting. They both knew that was bullshit.

"Pee," Pilot said when he realized that Brian was actually going to make him sit in the corner. Race crossed and uncrossed his legs, making scissors on the floor.

"You just went," Brian said. "Nice try though." Justin stood up and held onto Junior's messy hands as she scooted out of her seat.

"Okay, Miss Mess, let's go clean your hands up," he said as he led her up the stairs and into the playroom bathroom. Junior skipped and hopped her way into the bathroom. "No, no, don't touch… anything," Justin said as she grabbed her stepping stool and dropped it in front of the sink.

She held her hands under the water and washed the shaving cream off. "Can we have pizza for dinner, daddy?" she asked as she jumped off of her stool. She unbuttoned her jeans and pushed them down her legs before wiggling onto the toilet.

Justin washed his hands off and dried them before turning his attention to the water around the sink. "I don't think dad wants to eat pizza," he told her with a smirk.

Junior pulled on the toilet paper, wiped and got up. She left her jeans and panties bunched around her ankles as she pulled on the handle, bending to watch as the water swirled around in the bowl. "Get your face out of the toilet. How many times to I have to tell you that?" Justin asked.

"All this many times," she laughed as she held up ten fingers and then six more. She jumped up on her stool and washed her hands again.

"It feels like that many times," he said with a smile as he touched the top of her head. She giggled as she pulled up her clothes, jumped from the stool and ran out of the bathroom through the playroom and jumped down the stairs. Justin walked out of the bathroom and went to clean up the shaving cream off the table.

Junior ran over to Brian as he was shutting down the computer and leaned into his chair. "Dad, can we have some pizza? Please, please, please?" She asked as she smiled. Brian stood up and she quickly latched herself to his arm.

"Umm, let me think about this. No," he said as he walked towards the kitchen with her dangling from his arm. Justin tossed the newspaper in the trash and grabbed a towel to wipe up the rest of the mess. He knew that would be the answer.

"But, please," she said again as Brian took some water out of the refrigerator.

"But, no," Brian answered as he took a drink and screwed the cap back on. He picked her up and kissed her on the cheek. "No pizza."

"They went to sleep," Justin said as he tossed the towel on the counter. Brian directed his gaze over to Pilot and Race and they were each fast asleep. Race was flat on his back with his limbs spread in four directions. Pilot was curled into a ball, pissed even in his sleep.

Blue giggled as she pulled the rattle out of her mouth. "They'll be up all night now," Brian said as he stood Junior on the floor. She ran over to Blue's playpen and pressed her face against the mesh.

"And since you put them in timeout so will you," Justin said with a smile. He pulled out two empty bottles and sat bags inside of them. "We're supposed to go to my mom's for dinner." He opened a can of milk and filled the bottles.

"Great," Brian said as he drank his water. He moved behind Justin and pressed his cock into his ass. "Maybe we can ditch the kids with her and Fuck.  Make good use of their bathroom."

Justin screwed the tops on the bottles and leaned into Brian. "I'm not fucking you in my mother's house; in her bathroom."

Brian leaned into Justin's ear, biting down on the lobe gently. "You say it like we've never done it before." Justin laughed.

"We swore that we were never going to talk about that again."

"I don't know. I could get used to your mom walking in on us," Brian said as he gave a slight thrust.

"Never. Talk. About. Again. Remember? We agreed," Justin said. Brian gave what sounded like half of a laugh and a smirk. He moved back slightly when Junior came bounding over.

"Are we going to have pizza now?" She asked as she bent down to pick up something off the floor. Brian swooped down and picked her up as she was standing back up.

"No," he said. "We're going to eat at grandma Jen's house. Where there apparently awaits no dessert." Junior giggled as Brian held her over his shoulder, tickling her. "Let's go get ready," Brian said as he carried his daughter up the stairs.

Justin packed the diaper bag and went to wake up Pilot and Race. He took them to the bathroom and got them into their shoes. Pilot coughed as he made his way into the playroom with Race hot on his heels.

Junior walked down the stairs ahead of Brian. "We are ready, ready," Junior sang as she went to slide the door open. Justin stopped her.

"Wait, we have to get Blue." Junior walked over to the couch and flopped herself over the side. She held her legs up in the air as she waited. Justin picked up Blue who had fallen asleep and worked her arms into her coat before covering her with a blanket.

"Come on boys," Brian called as Justin opened the loft door and walked out. Junior followed him as she wiggled into her grey pea coat.

Brian helped Pilot and Race into their respective navy blue and black pea coats, setting the alarm before leading them both out the door. "Cl'o da dur," Race said as he stood at the top of the stairs.

"All up," Pilot said. Brian was surprised at the sudden clarity as he followed his sons down the stairs.

********

Brian sat back at the table with Blue in his lap leaning against his chest. "Did you ever think you'd have this many kids?" Tucker asked as he watched the kids playing on the floor. Blue was staring at Tucker as she sucked on her bottle.

"Never thought I'd have any, period," Brian said as he smoothed a hand over Blue's head. Justin was in the kitchen with Jennifer. He stood next to the back door and lit a cigarette.

"I wish you wouldn't smoke in the house, Justin," Jennifer said as he took a long pull. She picked up one of the food dishes and pressed the top on. "How is your work coming?"

"I have a show in a few weeks and I've been working on some commissions. I've been playing around with photography and manipulation. It's good," he said as Race toddled into the kitchen.

"I didn't know you were into photography."

"Juice," he said as he reached for the juice box on the counter. Justin stepped forward and handed him the small box. He quickly drank all of the juice and ran from the room.

Justin shrugged as he moved back to the door, "Me either."

"They're getting big."

"Yeah," Justin agreed as he took one last pull and tossed the cigarette out into the backyard. "What's wrong?"

Jennifer turned on the coffee pot and placed the sealed food container in the refrigerator before turning to Justin. "Nothing's wrong. Why'd you ask?"

"Because you wouldn't have pulled me into the kitchen with you if something wasn't." Justin leaned back against the counter and waited.

"I didn't pull you into the kitchen. You followed me," she stalled. Justin nodded slowly, adjusted his crossed arms and waited. "I talked to your father the other day."

"Fuck him."

"Justin," Jennifer tried as she turned her attention back to the coffee. Justin pulled out two cups and handed one to his mother. "He wants to see you."

"Why?" Jennifer seemed to think it over before shrugging.

"I don't know, to talk?" she said as she ventured a guess and poured Justin and then herself some coffee.

"Well, that's what phones are for. I'm sure he has the number, somewhere. Why were you even talking to him?"

"We still have the same dentist. I couldn't just ignore him. He wants to see you, have lunch with you," she told him as she took a sip. Justin leaned on the counter, his cup resting in his hands. He opened his mouth to say something when there was a crash from the other room.

"Shit," he heard Brian say.

"PILOT DID IT," Junior yelled. Justin and Jennifer made their way into the living room. Tucker was moving the boys out of the way while Brian picked up the pieces of broken glass.

"We'll buy you a new one," Justin said as he looked at Tucker bounce Blue on his shoulder. She was wide awake as she watched them all with interest.

Jennifer waved him off. "It's okay. Your father bought it," she laughed as Brian moved past her with the larger pieces of glass. Tucker smirked as he handed Blue to Jennifer. She sat down as Brian and Justin cleaned up the last of the glass.

Three hours later the kids were falling asleep and Brian was past the point of ready to go. They packed up the kids as fast as they could and said their goodbyes.

"All in all that wasn't too bad," Justin said as he slouched in the front seat. All the kids were nodding off as they drove down the street.

"Especially the dessert," Brian smirked as he glanced over at Justin.

"At least no one walked in on us this time."

"I was almost looking forward to it," Brian said as he finally turned onto their street. He pulled into a space in front of the building and cut the engine. Justin opened his door and took Blue out of her seat before turning his attention to Junior.

They made their way into the building and up to the entrance of the loft.

Justin closed the door and set the alarm. He walked up the stairs and into Blue and Junior's room. Junior curled up in the middle of her bed while Justin slipped Blue's jacket off of her and draped it over the crib's railing He laid her down and stuck her pacifier in her mouth when she squirmed.

Junior barely flinched as Justin changed her out of her clothes and put her in the bed. He turned on the night light and walked out of their room.

Brian laid Race in his bed, crossed the room and laid Pilot in his. He removed both of their coats and took off their jeans before he covered them with their blankets. He turned on their night light and left the room, meeting Justin in the hall.

Justin walked into their bedroom and collapsed on the bed. "My mom told me in the kitchen that my asshole dad asked about me," he mumbled into the duvet.

Brian stripped out of his shirt and unbuttoned his jeans. "The invisible Craig Taylor, when'd she see him?"

Justin mumbled something into the bed and Brian was too tired to ask him to repeat what he'd said. "What'd he want?"

Justin turned onto his back as Brian stepped out of his jeans. "He wants to meet me for lunch. I have no idea what he could want."

"Money," Brian said. Justin seemed to think it over.

"What the fuck does he want?" Justin asked out loud. Brian smirked as he walked into the bathroom. Justin toed off his shoes as he heard the shower start.

********

"You're up early," Brian said as he walked into the kitchen. Junior was sitting on the couch watching The Incredibles, again.

"Yup," she said as she focused on the television. Brian poured himself a cup of coffee and went to sit next to her. She crawled over onto his lap and proceeded to tell him everything that he had missed so far. He'd seen the movie more times than he would ever admit, to anyone.

"Want some breakfast?" Brian asked as they watched Dash run on water. Junior was twirling strands of her tangled hair around her finger.

"Yes, yes, YES to breakfast," she said happily, her eyes never leaving the screen. Brian was surprised that she was actually willing and seemingly happy to eat.

"What would you like?" He asked as he poked her in the stomach. She held onto his hand as he started to tickle her.

She moved off of his lap and turned to face him as she leaned forward on her knees. She grabbed his face and smiled as she held his attention. "I want pannycakes and sausage and syrups and eggs," she said happily.

"Pancakes," Brian corrected flatly. Junior laughed as she kissed him smack on the lips.

"No, pannycakes, dad. And orange juice too." Brian stood up from the couch and walked into the kitchen, pouring what was left of his coffee in the sink. Junior glanced at the television and then back at her dad.

"You definitely get your appetite from daddy," Brian said.

"Like you're so healthy, Mr. Thai food every day of the week," Justin said as he made his way into the kitchen. He paused to place a very suggestive kiss on Brian's lips before handing him his daughter.

Brian smirked as he held her up in the air. She giggled as he lowered her and did it again. "Diner for breakfast?" Justin nodded as he took a drink of his coffee and pulled a bottle out of the refrigerator.

"Then the munchkin and I are going to get ready," Brian said as he handed Blue back to Justin. "Come on, J." Junior scooted off the couch and past the kitchen as she made her way up the stairs.

"She moves way too fast," Justin said as he put his cup down and popped the top off the bottle. Brian agreed as he followed her. "Feel free to get your boys dressed too."

"And take all that fun away from you?" Brian said sarcastically.

********

"Where the fuck have you two been?" Debbie asked as Brian and Justin made their way into the diner and to the booth near the back. Junior, Race and Pilot were already climbing up into the seats.

"Nice to see you too, Deb," Brian said as he sat down. He put Blue's car seat on the floor. Justin moved Junior over and sat next to her.

"Hey, Deb," Justin greeted as the kids all shrugged out of their jackets. She smiled and leaned across him to Junior.

"Yeah, yeah," she said to them. "Hello, gorgeous." Junior stood up in the booth and gave Debbie her expected hug and kiss.

"Hi, gramma," she said as Debbie let her go. She sat back down. Pilot and Race both giggled as she turned her attention to them.

"Cuties," she said as she kissed them both, smacking Brian in the arm as she stood back up. Pilot leaned into Brian as he tried to get down from the booth. Brian sat him back down.

"Hi, ga'ma," they said as they both tried to repeat their sister. Debbie took an eyeful of Blue as she slept in her seat.

"If you don't mind, do you think we could get some breakfast?" Brian asked. Justin smiled as Debbie pointed a painted fingernail in his direction.

"There are things that not even I will say in front of children," she said with a smirk as she turned to put their orders in. Junior was fidgeting in the seat next to Justin.

"Deb, you didn't…" Justin never got to finish.

"You'll eat what I bring you," she said as she leaned into the window, placing their order. She was back in record time with everything Junior had wanted.

"Thank you," Justin said as she sat the food on the table. She smiled and lovingly smacked the side of his face.

"Anything for you, Sunshine," she said as she walked away to take another order. Justin helped Junior cut up her pancakes and poured some syrup on top. Pilot reached onto the plate Brian sat in front of him and grabbed a sausage.

Race was shoveling eggs into his mouth while clutching at the box of juice that they'd brought with them. He didn't bother with the trouble of a fork. Brian took a drink of his coffee as one of his former tricks walked past, more than inviting him for a quick fuck.

"I could tell you of all the ways I could kill you, but I won't," Justin said as his eyes followed the trick as he made his way past their booth and into the bathroom.

"Jealous?" Brian asked as he put down his coffee cup and pulled some bills from his pocket. Justin finished wiping Junior's hands and sat the travel pack of wipes on the table.

"He should be," Justin replied. Brian smirked as he wiped his son's hands and tossed the pack back to Justin. Pilot slid off of the seat and exited from under the table, making his way to the door. Brian dropped the money, Debbie's tip included, on the table and got up.

"Later, Gramma," Junior said as she helped Justin push open the door to the diner. Justin's goodbye was cut short as he took off after his running sons.

Brian stopped next to Debbie, the handle to Blue's seat gripped tightly in his hand, and bent to kiss her cheek. "Bye, mom," he said as he left.

********

"What do you have planned today?" Brian asked as Justin zipped up Junior's lunch bag and slipped it into her book bag. He made sure her homework was inside.

"Drugs and debauchery," Justin answered flatly with a smile as Brian helped Race turn his coat right side up.

"Dha'k you," he said as he went to play with Pilot next to the door. Brian turned back to Justin and took the book bag he was holding out.

"Lunch with Daphne," he said to the silently repeated question. "You did remember the daycare is closed today, didn't you? They're doing their floors." Brian paused as he stood looking at Justin. "You didn't remember."

"No problem," Brian said as Junior came down the stairs with a huff. She stood in front of Justin and pouted.

"I don't want to go to school today," she said as she leaned into his leg.

"Yet another thing she gets from you. At least we haven't spent thousands on her yet," Brian said with a smirk as he put on his coat. Justin smiled at him as he bent down and picked her up.

"Oh my gosh, you're getting so heavy," he said as he kissed her on the cheeks. She smiled as he held her so that he could see her face. "In fourteen years we can talk about this, but today you have to go to school. Okay?"

Junior nodded as he put her down. She put on her jacket and moved through the door with her brothers as Brian slid it open. He stepped up to Justin and pulled him into a crushing kiss. Justin moaned as he felt his dick start to respond.

"Have a nice lunch," Brian said as he cupped Justin through his jeans and walked out the door.

"Asshole."

********

Brian pushed open the door to the comic book store and unleashed his terrors on Michael. "You are going to owe me so big for this," Michael said with a slight smile. Brian smirked and pulled off his sunglasses, tossing them on the counter.

"Be sure to add it to my running tab," he said as Race pulled himself up onto the sofa. Pilot was standing next to Brian reaching for the counter. Brian opened the bag and pulled out two spill-proof cups, handing them both to Pilot. He took off for the sofa and thrust the yellow cup in his brother's face.

"Dh'ank ya," Race said as he turned the cup up and started to drink. Pilot dropped his cup on the sofa and watched it roll backwards as he lifted himself onto the sofa in front of the window.

"W'come," Pilot said as he got situated, struggling to pull his left leg from under his body. He picked up his cup and started to drink.

Brian looked at Michael and gave a sarcastic smile. "They're all yours, have fun." He grabbed his sunglasses and turned away from the counter. Michael trailed him to the door, blinking against the morning sun.

"Yeah, I'm sure. When are you or 'Boy Wonder' coming to pick up your precious bundles?" Brian stepped out onto the street, pausing to watch a very attractive brunet walk past. "You'd think you were past looking at every dick that passed."

"And fully come to meet your expectations, never." Brian walked around his SUV and got in. He gave a quick wave before slipping his sunglasses on and pulling into traffic.

"HEY! You never answered my… question. Fuck."

********

"Maybe I should go out on a date. Do you think I should go out on a date?" Daphne asked as she stuck the chart for Mrs. Scott in the tray on the door. Justin trailed behind her with his hands in his pocket.

"Brian and I went on a date once. They're completely overrated," Justin said as Daphne signed out for lunch. He pulled his hands from his pocket and pushed the button to call the elevator.

"Yeah well," she said as they got in the elevator. Daphne leaned against the wall and played with the stethoscope around her neck. They exited the elevator and left the hospital.

"It's time to end my drought. I have been fuckless for way too long." She pointed to a pizza place and pulled him inside. Justin sat down across from her after they'd placed their order and didn't bother to take off his jacket. "Tell me what's wrong. I know you didn't come to see me just to hear about my sexually void sex life. Spill."

"My dad wants to have lunch with me," he told her. She leaned forward and then back, smiling at the waitress as she brought over their food.

"Shit."

"Yeah," Justin said as he played with one of the packs of sugar on the table.

"Well, are you gonna go?"

Justin shook his head. "No. Yes. I don't know, maybe. What the fuck could he want?" Daphne took a bite of her pizza and a drink of her soda.

"Hmm. What'd Brian say?" she asked. Justin held up his hands and ran one through his hair.

"He didn't really say anything," he told her.

"Which could either be a good thing or a bad thing," Daphne replied. Justin nodded as he slid her pizza towards him and took a bite before sliding it back. "I could come with you as backup, although with the way I've been feeling I'd probably fuck him."

Justin almost choked as Daphne started to laugh. "I'm going to forget that you just said that."

"At least one of us will. Go to lunch. What could it hurt?"

"A lot."

"You're not the same teenager that he used to know. You're accomplished and have more money than it is right for any one person to have. Four gorgeous kids and a husband with a nice dick, you'll be fine," she said.

Justin nodded as Daphne checked her watch. "Somewhere to be?" she asked.

"Lunch with Brian."

Daphne opened her mouth and opened her arms as she glanced around the pizza place. "And what exactly are you doing with me?"

"Not that kind of lunch. I doubt we'll be eating. Although, he doesn't know I'm coming," he told her with a smile.

"At least someone will be," she smirked.

********

"What happened to lunch with Daphne?" Brian asked as Justin walked into his office. He flipped the switch on the wall to frost the doors and walked over to Brian. Cynthia smiled as she instantly held all calls.

"There was nothing I wanted," Justin said as he tossed his jacket towards the sofa and straddled Brian's legs and sat down on his desk. Brian leaned forward and put his hands on Justin's waist as their lips touched. Brian pulled Justin into him and they rapidly began removing each others clothes.

Brian pulled a condom from the desk drawer and Justin raised an eyebrow. "Clients demand more than just your advertising services?" he asked with a smile as he nipped at the skin on Brian's chest.

"Only the important ones," Brian said as he rolled the condom on and coated himself and Justin with lube. Justin rose up and gasped as Brian pushed against his hole, sliding in slowly. He leaned his head on Brian's shoulder as Brian thrust up.

"Fuck," Justin grunted into Brian's ear as he started to move, grinding himself onto Brian with every thrust. Brian sucked at the skin on Justin's neck as he pulled his bottom lip into his mouth.

Justin gripped the back of Brian's chair, moaning as every thrust got harder and deeper. Brian moved his mouth over Justin's and snaked his tongue into his mouth. "Uh," Brian grunted as Justin clamped him tightly. He snaked his hand between their bodies and wrapped it around Justin's throbbing cock. Justin moved his hands to the sides of the chair.

"Shit, shit," Justin said. Brian covered Justin's mouth with his hand and smiled as he thrust so hard they almost stood. The chair started to tip backwards as Justin was nearing his orgasm. Brian gave one last thrust as he pulled on Justin's cock, sending them both over the edge and backwards onto the floor.

"FUCK!" Brian yelled.

"AH! SHIT!" Justin screamed as he landed on top of Brian. "Ouch."

"I don't know about you, but my lunch was fucking fantastic," Brian said as he tried to untangle his limbs from the chair. Justin rolled off of Brian and lay on his back as he looked over at his husband.

"I could go for seconds," Justin said as Cynthia knocked on the door.

"You guys okay? Anyone in need of an ambulance?" Justin rolled into Brian's side as he tried to cover the sounds of his laughter.

"No," Brian simply said as he felt his cock start to come back to life.

********

Hunter walked out of the bathroom, the steam from his shower still thick in the air. He leaned on the bed next to Molly and softly flicked her nose. "Asshole," she said with a smile as she pushed him away. "What time is it?"

"Almost 2p.m. I'm getting ready to leave."

"You have that demo today, right?" Hunter nodded as Molly stretched and sat up in the bed. He wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her thigh.

"Yeah. It starts at five. We're supposed to be there early for press and photographers and shit."

"Are you guys all going together?"

"Yeah. You wanna tag along?" Molly moaned as Hunter snaked his tongue into her mouth, her hands making their way into his damp hair.

"I've got some things for work that I have to work on."

"Fuck work, come to the demo with me," Hunter suggested. Molly laughed as she let him push her back. He pressed a kiss to her lips and moved his hand under her shirt.

"I wish I could but I have important clients who all want my undivided attention. Starting with my brother," she said as she rolled her eyes. Hunter leaned back and looked at her.

"Is this my shirt?"

"No."

"The fuck it isn't. You do realize that I can never wear it again, right?" Molly stared at Hunter before pushing his hand away and sitting back up. "Your boobs have stretched it all to shit."

"I'll buy you some more," Molly said as she walked into the bathroom. Hunter slid into a pair of jeans and walked to the bathroom door.

"I don't want you to buy new ones. I wanted the ones I had bought for myself," he said as he leaned against the doorframe. Molly looked at his reflection in the mirror, her toothbrush hanging out of her mouth and muttered a curse word.

"Fine. Here," she said as she pulled the white sleeveless t-shirt over her head and tossed it at him. Hunter flinched as the shirt came to rest on the floor in front of him. "Happy now?" She spit into the sink and scooped up some water in her hand, rinsing out her mouth.

Hunter stared at Molly, his eyes trailing down to the tattoo that circled her waist and hips. Molly turned around again and walked towards the door with a smile on her face. She grabbed her towel off of the hook as she stepped in front of Hunter, slamming the door in his face.

Bitch, he mouthed as he stood in front of the door, testing to see if she'd locked it. She had. "Molly, come on," he tried as he tapped on the door.

He heard the shower start. "I'm sorry, I cannot seem to hear you," she said. Hunter made a choking motion towards the door and turned to finish getting dressed. He grabbed his hoodie, backpack and skateboard and left the house.

********

"I hate to eat and run," Justin said as they stood against the sink in Brian's private bathroom. "But I'm supposed to meet my mother in thirty-five minutes." He pressed against Brian and kissed him.

"Ah, mother Taylor," Brian said as they left the bathroom. Justin walked over and picked up his jacket.

"Yeah, she found a place that I might be able to use as a studio. It'll be nice to finally have a place that makes me at least appear to be a professional." He pulled on his jacket and Brian picked up his chair and sat down. "Where'd you end up ditching the boys?"

"They are spending quality time with Michael," Brian told him. Justin nodded as he flipped the switch on the wall, clearing the frost from the glass. "Where's Blue?"

"Emmett kidnapped her after you left this morning. I'm picking them up?" Brian nodded.

"I have a 4 o'clock meeting with Danner," Brian said.

"That should be fun," Justin laughed.

Everyone was more than fully aware of the graphics genius that was co-owner of SpHere, a large graphic design company. He was also very indecisive. Most of the employees at Kinnetik avoided him and the unlucky ones got to work on his accounts.

"I can't tell you how thrilled I am that you pointed him in our direction."

"He's a fifteen million dollar account. On a bad day," Justin added with a smirk.

"And how would you know that?"

Justin shrugged, "I talked to Ted." Brian pressed his lips together and nodded.

"Maybe I should talk to Ted about keeping his mouth shut." Justin rolled his eyes as he walked out of the office.

"Bye, Justin," Cynthia said as he walked past her. He smiled as he made eye contact with a client that was coming into the building.

"Bye," he said as he pushed on the other door. The client took the time to watch as Justin made it fully out the building, filing the blond away in his memory.

********

Junior pushed open the stall door and stepped into the bathroom, leaving just enough space for Julie Ryan to push past her into the now unoccupied stall. The bottom of her shirt was tucked under her chin as she painstakingly tried to button her jeans. "Junior, do you need help?" Rebecca asked.

Junior looked up at the Kindergarten teaching assistant and frowned. "No. I can do it by myself," she said as she focused harder on getting the stubborn button through the hole. She tucked her bottom lip into her mouth and twisted on her feet.

"Ms. Rebecca, can you press the water?" Gina asked as she waited in front of the sink. Rebecca turned towards the sinks and held the knobs down as she washed her hands.

"See," Junior said with a grin as the button slipped through the hole. Rebecca smiled as Junior washed her hands and skipped from the bathroom. She walked back into her classroom and flopped into her seat next to Alissa.

"Look what I made," Alissa said with a bright smile as she leaned back in her chair. Junior peered over at Alissa's picture and they both started to giggle. "This is you and this is me and this is Chester," she explained. Junior pulled her legs up into her chair and leaned forward on her knees, her stomach pressing into the table.

"What's that?" She asked as she pointed to a figure off to the side of the picture and reached for the green finger paint.

Alissa touched her finger to the wet picture and stated proudly, "That's a monkey." She wiggled her fingers together, spreading the wet paint over the inside of her hands. Junior dipped her finger into the green paint and then into the red.

"What's his name?" She asked as she started to make elaborate lines and circles on her own piece of paper. Alissa frowned as Junior reached for the yellow.

"He don't have a name."

"He really does… he really should have a name 'cause, 'cause if he doesn't even have a name then… then how is his dad and his daddy gonna find him if… if he gets losted?"

Alissa thought about that and gasped. "Umm, he can tell the big people and then they will find his mom and dad." Junior moved the loose strings of hair out of her face, smearing paint all over her forehead and down the right side of her face.

"Nu-uh, not if he doesn't have even just one name," she told her best friend as she wiped her hand on her shirt and reached for the purple. Her paper was soggy with paint. Alissa reached forward and picked up the white paint. "You can call him, banana."

Alissa giggled and scratched her ear, spreading paint on her face. "Cause monkeys do like bananas," she giggled. Junior giggled and nodded her head.

"They do."

********

"It's a nice space but don't you think it's a little big for a studio?" Jennifer asked as she stood in the middle of the room. Justin was walking along the sides of the room trying to picture where all of his things were going to go.

"I can turn part of it into a gallery, show my work. It's perfect," Justin said as he looked at his watch. Molly sneezed again and Jennifer handed her a tissue.

"Thanks," she said as she sneezed again.

Justin wiped a finger across the dirt covered window and frowned as he looked down at the street. "Well, what do you think?" he asked his sister. Molly crossed the room, tripping over some of the drywall on the floor.

"Shit. I think you're out of your fucking mind is what I think."

"Molly," Jennifer sighed. "Do you and your brother have to use such language?" Justin held back a laugh as Molly groaned.

"You couldn't find a more pitiful space for your studio?" She stood next to Justin and leaned forward looking out the window. "It does have a nice view."

"Yeah," Justin said as he moved the hair out of his face and turned around, "as long as you keep looking out the window. And even that is covered in a layer of what sadly resembles shit." Molly touched the window and wiped her fingers on his portfolio.

"Well?" Jennifer pressed. She had no desire to stay in the dirty space any longer than she needed to.

"Put in an offer. This is the space I want," he said. Jennifer nodded and opened her cell phone as she turned to leave the space.

"How soon do you think you could get started on the blueprints?"

"Depends. Are you paying me for this job?" Molly asked as she rested her hands on her hips and waited for an answer. Justin bent down to pick up a discarded piece of wood before letting it fall loudly back to the floor.

"I wouldn't think of having you do it for free," he said with a smirk as he dusted his hands off and stood up. Molly laughed.

"Yeah right," she said. "I'll start on the prints tonight and I'll try to have something for you in a couple of days or so. I'm making you a priority client, but only because you're my brother." Molly walked over to the counter, picked up her bag and headed for the door.

"Helps to have a sister with a new job at one of the most prestigious architectural companies on the east coast, doesn't it?" she asked. Justin nodded.

"I wonder what monumental lie you told to get that job."

"Whatever one it was it must have worked."

********

"Okay, let's all start to clean up. It's almost time to go home," Ms. Price said as she helped the students start to pick up their paintings and place them on the art tray.

"No, I don't want to," Jeremy said as he crossed his arms. He never wanted to do anything.

Each table made themselves busy as they put the tops back on the paint jars and helped ball up and throw away all of the newspaper.

Rebecca led groups of little ones to the sink and helped them wash their hands. "Make sure you use soap and rub them together really good, okay?" She reminded them.

Junior leaned against the sink next to Alissa as they both washed their hands at the same time. Rebecca handed them each a paper towel and ushered them away from the small sink area.

Junior wiped off her hands and skipped over to the trash can. "Ms. Price, tomorrow can we paint again?" Alissa asked as Junior sat down next to her. Ms. Price turned towards the girls and smiled.

"Not tomorrow, tomorrow we have music and it's going to be so fun," she said with a smile as she pointed towards the cubby holes. "Now go get your coats and your book bags," she told them as she took in the state of their clothes. She'd definitely have to order some smocks before the next painting session.

********

Justin knocked on Emmett's door and waited for an answer. Three minutes later he knocked again. "Emmett," he said as he raised his hand to knock again. Emmett swung it open before he got a chance.

"Keep your shirt on, sweetie. Me and the princess here were just making sure she was all clean and ready for you," he said as he moved away from the door. Justin walked in behind him.

"You two look like you had an interesting day," Justin said as he looked around the room at all the scattered baby toys. Emmett sat down on the sofa exhaustedly and motioned at Blue who was smiling happily as she reached for Justin.

"It was definitely full of surprises. I had no idea that someone so small and partially immobile could get into so much trouble." Justin laughed as he picked up his daughter. He kissed her cheeks as he tickled her.

"I could have told you that. But you insisted on taking her," he said. Emmett stood up and started helping Justin gather up the baby toys and other items that were scattered around the floor.

"I think that's everything," Emmett said as Justin zipped up the bag and sat down next to Emmett, as he pulled Blue's arms into the sleeves of her coat. "I know, you are such a big girl, aren't you," he said as she smiled at him. He zipped her up and stood up, flinging the strap of the diaper bag over his shoulder. "Say 'bye-bye' to uncle Em."

Emmett kissed her on the cheek and walked Justin to the door. "Thanks, Emmett." Emmett waved him off with a smile.

"The pleasure was all mine; and now I'm going to go and take a bubble bath and relax," he laughed as he closed the door.

********

Shaun, Brian's office assistant, waited outside in the cold for Junior's bus. He blew warm air into his hands and shoved them in his pockets, pushing off from the building when he saw the bus turn the corner. "Thank fucking God. It's cold as fuck out here," he said as the bus started to slow.

It pulled to a stop and he stepped off the sidewalk as the door started to open. Junior scooted out of her seat, her book bag and lunchbox dragging behind her. "Shaun," she said with a smile as she jumped off the last step of the bus.

Shaun bent down to scoop her up and spin her around. Hey, Scrap," he said.

She laughed as he came to a stop and stood her dizzily on the ground as the bus pulled away. "Whoa, whoa," she exaggerated as she wobbled towards the doors of Kinnetik. "Come on, let's go see Dad."

Shaun stopped her before she could push on the door. "What're the rules?" He asked her as he held onto the little ball that was on top of the hat on her head.

"Be very quiet," she recited.

"And?"

"And no running. Maybe just a little bit," she tried as he held her head back looking at him. He shook his head.

"No, no running, at all. Got it?"

"Got it!" Shaun pushed open the glass door and watched as Junior made a beeline for her dad's office. He shook his head as he followed her. "Dad," she said as she ran over to him. Brian picked her up and she gave him a big kiss.

"Hey, munchkin," he said as he sat her in his lap. "How was school?" he asked. Junior wiggled as she tried to get comfortable and almost fell.

"Good. We painted pictures, but… but Ms. Price said dat we have to leave them so they can get all dry," she told him as she got down off his lap. She walked over to the sofa and unzipped her jacket, tossing it on the arm. Brian had a chance to look at her clothes and he resisted the urge to drop dead, after killing her teacher.

"Did any of the paint get on the paper?" he asked as he watched her pull out the markers, crayons and construction paper that Cynthia kept in ample supply. She bit her lip as she settled down onto the floor in front of the sofa to draw.

Shaun brought her an apple and a juice box when he delivered the latest set of boards to Brian's office. She happily accepted as she sat up to drink. Brian got up and walked over to the boards. "What the fuck is that?" he asked. Shaun looked from the boards to Brian.

"The boards for SpHere Graphics," he answered as he looked at his boss. Brian moved closer to the boards and took in a breath.

"These are shit. I have a meeting with Danner in an hour and this is what you bring me. Fuck," Brian said. He dismissed Shaun and turned back towards his desk. He needed to stall Danner as fast as he could. As he turned his eyes caught on what used to be the white of his sofa, now decorated in every shade of Crayola marker available in the box.

"J, you know better," he said as he walked over to her.

Junior pouted, so much like Justin, as Brian took the black marker out of her hand and put the top back on. She rubbed at her right eye as the tears pooled down her face. "But I want them," she pleaded as her nose started to run.

"You use the markers on paper not on the furniture. You know that," he told her as he gathered up all of the markers and put them back in their clear Rubbermaid container, stepping over her book bag as he made his way back to his desk.

"But…."

"Timeout for you," he said. Junior sat on the couch with her head buried in her hands as she cried. Time passed slowly in her world but less than twenty seconds later she was fidgeting.

"Can I get up for just even one minute?" Junior asked as she looked over at Brian. She made her way to the edge of the couch and cautiously put her foot on the floor as she kept her eyes locked in his direction.

Brian looked up just as she was standing and raised an eyebrow. Junior quickly pulled her foot back and moved back on the couch. "Just for one minute, please," she whispered as quietly as she could.

Brian picked up one of his contracts and stood up. "No. You can sit right there until I say you can get up," he said as he left his office. Cynthia met him and fell into step beside him as he made his way to the art department.

"You seem to be winning this round," Cynthia laughed as she handed Brian some papers.

"Yeah," he said as they rounded a corner. "The boards are ready for Mitchum. Call Patrick and let him know that they'll be arriving by courier for his approval, hopefully before the end of the day. We need new preliminaries for the Brown account before the end of the week, so make sure you get a team on that. Preferably Denson and Kleine," he told her as they reached the art department.

Cynthia finished writing down the list of things to do and looked up at Brian. He handed her some signed papers and pushed open the door to the art department. "Anything else?"

"Yeah. Call around and see what you can do about the sofa in my office. Replace it or clean it, I don't give a shit. Just make sure its fast." Cynthia nodded and disappeared to get started as Brian went to berate whoever was responsible for the boards that were currently positioned in his office.

********

"In the back," Michael said as he gestured towards the backroom. Justin sat Blue's car seat on the counter and looked towards the back. He could see Pilot and Race sitting on the floor playing with the toys Michael kept in the store.

"Did they break anything this time?" Justin asked as Michael turned the seat around and peered in at his niece. He wiggled her feet as he mouthed nonsense to her.

"Not this time," Michael said with a distracted smile. Justin nodded as he walked towards the back, his keys in his hand. Pilot looked up when he heard the keys and smiled as he stood up.

"Hey."

"Dad'y," he said as he ran over. "Dis," he said as he held up some blocks that were stuck together and gave them to Justin. Race looked up and then back at his growing pile of toys.

"Dis mine," Race said as he looked at Justin. He stood up and walked over to the bucket that all the toys were kept in. Justin bent down and got on his knees, leaving his keys on the floor.

"All of them? Wow, but no more toys, okay? It's time to go home so we have to clean up. Let's clean up the mess," Justin said as he started to put the toys in the bucket. Race looked over at Justin and then at his pile of toys.

"Uh, no," Race said as Pilot walked past him and tossed a toy in the bucket. Justin sighed as he continued gathering the toys.

"I like the way Pilot is putting all of his toys in the bucket," Justin said. Pilot smiled as he held up a toy for Justin to see.

"P'u ina 'ket," Pilot confirmed as he dropped the toy down into the bucket. Race kicked his foot out as Pilot walked past again.

"Hey," Justin said as he caught his leg. "No kicking." Justin let his leg go and started picking up the toys in Race's pile.

"No, no, NO," Race screamed as he started to shriek and cry. Justin frowned as he pointed at the toys when there were only a few left on the floor.

"Yes," Justin said firmly as he sat back on his legs. "Pick up the toys and put them in the toy bucket," he told his son. Pilot picked up Justin's keys off the floor and started pressing buttons on the keyless entry control. Race stomped his foot on the ground and huffed through his tears.

Justin held onto his arm and stood him up on his feet, pointing at the toys. "Pick up those toys and put them in the toy bucket, now," Justin said as he let him go. He took his keys from Pilot and waited as Race moved slowly picking up the toys.

Pilot was next to the sofa reaching to get his cup. It was empty. "Thank you," Justin said as he stood up. "Now, go get your cup so we can go home." Race took a big gulp of air as he started crying again.

Justin turned to leave the backroom with Pilot running ahead and Race sobbing behind him. "Oh, by the way, I have the new outline for Rage," Michael said as he reached under the desk and handed Justin a packet. "Look it over when you get a chance."

"Bu," Pilot said as he tried to see on top of the counter. Justin picked up Blue's seat and sat her on the floor for Pilot to see. He leaned into her seat, nearly crushing her and kissed her on the chest. "Hi ba'y," he said with a smile as he pulled on her hands.

"Yeah, I'll try to get some drawing done as soon as I can," Justin said as he put Pilot and Race's coats on. "Thanks for watching them, Michael." He picked up Blue and started heading towards the door.

Michael shrugged. "Not a problem. At least your husband didn't seem to think so," he laughed. Justin smiled.

"Yeah, he likes to forget that other people work too," Justin said as he left the comic book store.

********

"I thought you had a meeting with Danner at four," Justin said as he walked through the door. Brian walked over and planted a kiss to his lips. "Mm." Brian poked and tickled Pilot and Race making them laugh.

Brian smirked and raised an eyebrow as he moved away. "Had to reschedule at the last minute, the boards were for shit," he said as he walked into the kitchen and pulled a beer from the fridge, motioning to Justin. Justin nodded and he pulled out another one, opening them both.

Brian handed him the beer. He took a drink and sat the bottle on the counter. "Where's J?"

"Upstairs," Brian said as he heard her footsteps on the stairs. She ran into Justin and hugged his leg.

"Hi, Daddy," she said. Justin looked down at her and his mouth dropped open. "Today we painted. Like you."

"And did you get anything on the paper?" he asked. Brian laughed as he took Blue out of her seat and sat her on his lap. She giggled as he played with her. Junior nodded as she moved towards the playroom with Pilot and Race hot on her heels.

"Homework," Brian reminded her as she sat down at the table in the playroom with her dishes and fake food. Justin sat down on the sofa next to Brian and leaned into his side.

"How was lunch with Daphne?" Justin frowned as he called Blue's name and she didn't respond.

"Good. She offered to accompany me on my trip to see my dad," Justin told Brian as he scratched at his arm. Brian leaned forward and sat Blue on the floor.

"Wasn't that nice of her," Brian said sarcastically.

"Maybe a little too nice," Justin said as he remembered what she'd said and he shivered. Brian lifted an eyebrow as he looked at him. "I found a space for a studio. It's big enough to house a gallery. I told my mom to put an offer up for it."

"Little Sunshine, finally all grown up," Brian said as he pinched Justin's cheek. Justin pushed his hand away as he leaned in for a kiss.

"Fuck you," he said. Brian smiled around their kiss and their tongues found their way inside each other's mouths. Brian placed his hand on the back of Justin's neck and pulled him closer. Justin felt his cock start to harden. Brian eased his hand onto Justin's lap and slowly moved it in small circles.

Justin bit Brian's bottom lip as he thrust his hips, daring himself not to moan. Brian laughed at Justin's predicament and moved his hand faster. Justin buried his face in Brian's neck and waited to fall over the edge.

"Pee," Race said out of nowhere and as fast as the fire was started it was quickly diminished. Justin tried to steady his breath as he leaned against Brian's laughing form.

"We love them. We love them," Justin said as he moved away from Brian and stood up. He took Pilot's hand and led him towards the bathroom. Brian grabbed his beer from the table and walked into the kitchen, putting it on the counter next to Justin's.

"Junior, homework," he said. He could see his daughter glance his way before slowly standing and walking over to the table. Brian picked up her book bag and unzipped it, pulling out the homework folder.

"No homework today," Junior said as she leaned over the kitchen chair on her stomach with her feet in the air and her hands on the legs of the chair.

"You say that everyday," Justin told her as he walked into the room. He grabbed her lunchbox from the open bag Brian was holding and dropped it on the counter. Junior slid back and forth as Brian walked over and put her homework on the table.

"Sit up," he said. She sat up and rested her chin on the table. "You need scissors and glue so go get the container with the glue." Junior took off towards the pantry, flinging the door open. She reached onto the shelf with the school supplies and grabbed the container with the glue and the scissors.

She sat the container on the floor and closed the pantry door. "Okay," she said with triumph as she pushed the box onto the table and sat back down. Brian pulled a chair close and sat next to her.

"I'm going to show you how to do the first one and then you can do the rest, okay?" Junior nodded as she got up on her knees. Brian cut out one of the shapes after reading the directions and explaining what she was supposed to do. He glued the shape to the paper and looked over at his daughter.

"Okay, okay, I can do it now," she said as she bit her top lip. Brian nodded as he got up, leaving her to her work.

Junior grabbed the glue off of the table and turned it over, squeezing a large glob of it onto her paper. She picked up the small purple triangle and pressed it onto the paper. She smiled as she did the same with all the rest of her shapes, her tongue hanging out of her mouth as she concentrated. "Okay," she shouted as she held the paper up in the air, "I'm all finished."

Brian walked over and took the glue soaked paper from her. "You didn't do it right," he told her as he stood next to the table. Junior huffed as she pulled her legs into the chair with her.

"But I did do it just like you said," she said as she chewed on the eraser of her pencil. Brian looked at her, one eyebrow raised and took the pencil out of her mouth.

"No. What did I tell you to do?"

Junior gasped and spread her arms out in front of her, the palms turned up as she sighed. "I don't really know. You said to put the glue and then…. Can I have some of those yellow cheese crackers?" Brian leaned his head to the side and tapped the paper with his finger.

"Junior…"

"And you said, you said to putted… to puts the shapes and the triangles and the circles on the paper JUST like this one," she said in one breath as she pressed on the rectangle that Brian had expertly showed her how to cut out and glue to the paper.

Brian nodded. "Did you do that?" Junior looked at Brian like he had no brain.

"I did really do it just like you said to do it. See?" she said as she leaned forward and pressed her chin to the table.

"I see what you did. You made a mess. So now you have to start over," he told her as he started to pull the glued pieces of paper up. He sat them face down on the table and wiped as much glue off of the paper as he could.

Junior folded her arms across the top of the table and dropped her head. "I don't want to start them all over," she pouted as she looked at him.

"I know," he told her. He sat the paper back in front of his daughter and watched as she carefully picked up the glue covered shapes and stuck them on their proper places on the paper. Fifteen minutes later she looked up and smiled. "See, you did it and you did a good job."

"I did," she said as she picked up the paper and held it up for Justin to see. "I did a good job, Daddy. See." Justin frowned as he looked from the dish he was standing over to her paper and smiled.

"Great. Good job. Put the glue and scissors back in the box and put them away," he said. Brian left her to clean up.

Pilot walked into the kitchen and stood up on his toes, trying desperately to reach his cup on the edge of the counter. Justin walked by and pushed the cup further out of his reach and out of his sight. "Wan' it," Pilot told him as he turned towards Justin.

"No cup," Justin said as he pulled some food out of the refrigerator. He moved over to the counter and turned on the oven. Pilot stood next to his leg pouting. "That's not going to help. Go play with Dad."

Race walked around the large Thomas the Tank Engine train track in the middle of the room and sat down next to Brian, handing him one of the trains. "On de'er," he pointed as he stepped over Brian's leg and into the middle of the track.

Blue was watching them from her spot on her blanket next to Brian. She giggled as slobber ran down her face while she sucked on one of her toys. Junior sat in front of her and jiggled one of her toys in front of her face.

Pilot walked over and climbed up onto the couch, his arms wrapped around his legs as he frowned. Brian moved his train around the track. Justin was starting to wonder who he'd bought the train set for, them or him.

********

Blue was asleep before Brian could press the last snap together. Junior sat on her bed holding a book. "I want to read this one," she said as Brian turned from the crib and came to sit next to her.

"Leonardo, the terrible monster," Brian read as she handed him the book and crawled into his lap. Pilot and Race appeared in the doorway in their pajamas and he waved them in. "Come on." They ran over and crawled onto their sister's bed. They settled in next to Junior and Brian opened the book.

Justin could hear Brian's voice go deeper as he imitated Leonardo. He heard the kids laugh and try to repeat the lines. He picked up his cell phone and punched in the number his mother had given him. "Hello?" He hadn't expected his dad to sound so… normal.

"Craig," he said flatly. He heard the sharp intake of air from his dad and sat down on the bed.

"Justin. I didn't think you'd call."

"I almost didn't," Justin told him as he saw Brian walk past the bedroom with both of the boys sound asleep.

"I'm glad you changed your mind," Craig said. "I want to see you. Do you think we could meet somewhere?"

"Mom told me as much." Justin still wasn't sure about this. Brian walked into the bedroom already stripping out of his clothes. "Tomorrow at noon. The coffee place on Grant?"

"Okay. Yeah, okay. Well, I guess I'll see you then," Craig said and hung up. Justin flipped his phone closed and dropped it on the bed.

"Lunch with Daddy, hmm," Brian said as he trailed a finger down Justin's chest, slowly pushing him back.

"I already regret it," Justin said as he watched Brian with interest. Brian lay on top of him and twirled his finger around his hair as Justin rested his hands on his hips.

"No regrets," Brian told him as he picked up where they'd left off.

********

"I should so be working on the art for my next show," Justin said as he looked at his watch. Daphne had the day off and had dragged him to Damien's hockey practice.

"When is it?"

"Way too soon."

Daphne stood up and banged on the Plexiglas. "What the… Oh my God, come on," she yelled as she hit the Plexiglas again. Justin held back a laugh as his best friend sat back down.

"No wonder they kick you out," he said as she picked up her coffee and took a sip. She gestured at the rink.

"I think that referee is fixing the game," she whispered as she leaned towards Justin. Justin looked over at her and shook his head.

"It's practice, Daphne," he reminded her.

"Whatever," she said as she took another drink of her coffee. "Did you call your dad back yet?" Justin leaned back and crossed his arms.

"Yes. I'm still debating seeing him."

"Justin, it's been like three days since you told me he asked to have lunch with you. What are you…USE YOUR STICK… what are you still debating?"

"Everything," he said as the kids on the ice skated to the middle of the rink and gathered around the couch. Daphne smirked knowingly as she watched the coach talk to the boys. They all nodded as he dismissed them. Damien lingered a few minutes talking to his friends before exiting the rink and making his way to Daphne.

"You did really good out there," she told him. Damien smiled at her as he took off his skates.

"Thanks, Mom. Hi, Uncle Justin," he said as he dropped his skates to the ground and laced on the shoes Daphne handed him.

"Hey." Daphne had told Justin all about Cedric and what had happened. Damien seemed to be taking it all in stride, but he was quiet and sullen whenever Cedric called. And he had called more times since he left than he had ever called.

"Ready?" Daphne asked as he stood up.

"Yeah," he said. "And Mom, do you have to be so loud all the time?" Daphne pulled him close to her as they walked and leaned over him.

"Of course I do. It is my job and right, having pushed you out, to be as loud as I want," she told him as she kissed his cheek. He groaned and shrugged her off of him.

********

Riah walked down the street next to Molly, pausing when Molly stopped to look in a pet shop window. "Oh, that one's cute," Molly said as she pointed to a puppy in the window. She played with the puppy through the glass before deciding to go in.

"I might as well get some mice since I'm here," Riah said as she made her way through the store, stopping to grab one of the young boys that worked there. Molly walked to the puppies and stared into the cages with a smile.

"I see these two caught your eye," a salesman said as he came walking up to stand beside her. She nodded.

"Yeah, they're so cute. What kind of dogs are they?" She asked as she placed a finger through the bars. The man smiled as the two puppies became even more active.

"American bulldogs," he told her. "Would you like to hold one?"

"Yeah, if I could," she answered excitedly. The man pulled a key from his pocket and stepped forward.

"Certainly." He pulled one of the puppies out and handed him to Molly. It was over, she was in love.

********

Brian walked with Lindsay through the store, randomly picking up and dismissing items. "And he actually agreed?" Brian asked as Lindsay looked at a purse. She nodded and put the purse back on the shelf.

"Actually it was his idea. He's not the same, Brian. And he is. It's… weird, but good," she told her best friend as she glanced at him. "Oh don't make that face. It almost makes perfect sense."

Brian nodded as he pushed away a tie she was trying to hold against his chest. "Yeah, perfect sense," he said as he walked ahead of her, "that the man who got you pregnant in college and then told you to get rid of it now suddenly wants to help you and Melanie, become one little happy family."

Lindsay chose to ignore Brian as they walked out of the store and onto the street. "Just… be happy for me… for us, okay?" she said as they entered another store.

Brian pulled her close and kissed her on the lips. "Always," he said. Lindsay smiled as she held up a sweater for Brian's approval. "She's Justin's sister, not your grandmother." Lindsay hung the sweater back on the rack and moved on.

They talked in detail about the newly rekindled relationship between Melanie, Lindsay and Jake Madsen. Two stores later and Lindsay was almost ready to give up. "Brian, you have to pick something. Her birthday's in like two days."

"Maybe I should just have Cynthia order her something."

********

Pilot sat in front of Gregory helping him build a tower. The two boys got along well, ignoring the other kids in the room as they all ran around playing. Some were crying as the teacher tried to explain to them why it was polite to share.

Race was leaning over Bradley's leg. Bradley came in to help Mrs. Fren between his classes. He turned the page and the kids laughed as he read the words on the page.

********

Justin walked into the coffee shop and sat down at a table as close to the back and as out of the way as he could possibly hope to get. A waitress came over and he ordered a cup of coffee, black. "Coming right up," she said as she walked away. He checked his watch and settled into his chair.

"I didn't think you'd be here," Craig said as he placed a hand on the chair across from Justin. Justin sat up and acknowledged his father's presence as the man sat down.

"I said I would be. You look the same," he told him and took a drink of the coffee the waitress had brought him ten minutes earlier. It wasn't as hot as it once was. The same waitress appeared and Craig ordered a cup of coffee, three sugars. No cream.

"And you look… older," Craig said as he leaned on the table and thanked the girl as she brought his cup over to the table. He waited for her to walk away before speaking. "I guess you want to know why I wanted to see you."

Justin looked bored. "The thought did cross my mind," he told him as he kept his arms crossed and resting on the edge of the table.

"Look, Justin. A lot of time has passed. I just wanted to see you, see how you were. Try to maybe build a relationship with you again. That's all." Justin wanted to laugh.

Instead he nodded and leaned forward slightly. "Which is why you refused to show up at Molly's wedding, just because I was there. It's why you haven't talked to me in I don't even want to think about how many years. I think our time for a relationship is over, Craig."

Craig had the decency to look humbled, ashamed, but not close enough to being sorry for Justin's benefit. "Molly's wedding had nothing to do with you."

"Right."

"Okay, it might have had a little to do with you. But I'd really like to put those things behind us and try to start over."

"You know I'm still with Brian. I have kids with Brian. I married Brian. I'm still gay, Craig." Craig nodded to all of that. He'd known it all. It didn't make him want to smile, but he did know it.

"I know. Your sister told me. Last I heard you had three."

"Four," Justin corrected him. "I had a little girl almost seven months ago."

"Congratulations," his father said and they both took a sip of their coffee. Justin didn't know what to think, or feel. He wasn't sure of anything except that a coffee date had never seemed so long.

"Thanks," he shrugged. He'd take what he could get.

"Justin, I know I said and did a lot of things that I'm not proud of and that you can't and have every right not to forgive me for. But, I'm willing to try with you… and Brian," he swallowed deeply and wrung his hands under the table, "to make up for lost time."

Justin stared at him unblinking as he let the words sink in. He heard he was sorry and felt the first smack that his father had planted on his face. He heard he wanted to try again and thought of all the times he wanted to call his father and remembered being told he was dead to him.

"Why? Why now?" Craig breathed in deeply and looked at his son. The only one he'd have, his baby making days were over.

"My dad died," Craig informed Justin. Justin took it all in stride. They'd never been close to their grandparents on their father's side. When Craig married Jennifer, whom his father hated, he had been effectively disowned. Good for nothing but the occasional call from his mother.

"Sorry," Justin said but it was automatic, there was no remorse. Craig waved it off.

"I didn't find out until three weeks later. No one even bothered to tell me, that's how dead I was... am, to them."

"And you don't want me to find out about you three weeks later?" Craig smiled and gave a small laugh.

"You've always been smart, much too smart for your own good sometimes. I don't want to regret. I don't want to be my dad," he admitted. Justin watched him. He watched his hands, his movements. He listened to every syllable that flooded out of his mouth.

"I can't forgive and forget just because you suddenly had an epiphany," Justin told him as he clasped his hands together. "We can start small. But know that I am not the same little boy who hung on your every word."

Craig nodded. He understood. His son was gone and if he wanted a relationship with someone it would have to be with the man that had taken his place. "Okay. Fair enough."

Justin reached into his pocket and pulled out one of his business cards. He slid it across the table to his father and stood up. "All my numbers are on there. You can call." He tossed some bills onto the table and grabbed his jacket off the back of the chair, slipping it on.

"One more thing." Justin turned to face his father. "Your kids, I'd… I'd love to meet them." Justin nodded as he thought it over. He answered with the first thing that popped into his brain.

"I'll talk to Brian."

********

Justin flipped open his sketchpad and relaxed into the couch as he waited for Brian. The kids had been fed, bathed, played with, consoled and eventually put to bed.

Brian walked through the door and tossed his keys on the counter. "You're late," Justin said as he moved his pencil across the paper. Brian pulled off his coat and tossed it on one of the barstools as he grabbed a bottle of water.

"Meeting with Danner," he answered as he took a drink. "He loved the boards." Justin nodded as his drawing kept his attention. "How was lunch with father Taylor?" That got Justin's attention and he stopped drawing.

"His father died. Which somehow led him to the ultimate conclusion that maybe he was wrong to banish me from his life. He wants us to reconcile," Justin said as if it was the most stupid thing in the world.

"Seeking absolution; you sure he's not dying?" Brian asked as he took another drink.

"As much as I don't think that would have any affect on you, no." Brian shrugged. Justin tapped his pencil on his jumbo sketchpad. "He wants to meet the kids. I told him I'd talk to you."

"What for?" Brian asked as he stood up and walked back into the kitchen. Justin sighed and leaned forward, dropping the pad on the coffee table as he listened to Brian. "They're your kids too. He's your father. You don't need my permission to let him meet them."

"I figured you'd like to be asked. You two don't exactly get along." Brian pulled out the peanut butter and grabbed the bread.

"You figured you'd use me as an excuse to keep avoiding him. If you want to see him, see him. If you want to tell him to fuck off, tell him to fuck off. Either way it's your call." Justin sat thinking as Brian finished in the kitchen.

Brian came and sat next to Justin, lighting a cigarette. Justin took the cigarette from between his lips and took a long pull. Brian leaned back and waited as Justin crawled over and crawled into his lap, dropping his body down onto the floor between Brian's legs as he unbuckled Brian's belt.

"You look like you could use a little late night stress relief," he said as he looked into Brian's eyes. Brian didn't respond as his fingers tangled in Justin's hair as the blond freed his cock and sucked down to the base all at once.

Justin smiled as he felt Brian respond and his hips start to thrust. He let his mouth work its magic, bringing Brian to a swift and powerful climax, before creeping back up his body to share the rewards. Brian let his breathing even out before taking Justin's hand and leading him up the stairs and into their bedroom.

********

Hunter stood on the side of the ramp wiping his face with the bottom of his shirt. Ricky stood at the top, his skateboard angled over the edge as he got ready to drop in. "Has she dropped any hints?"

"None," Hunter answered as he tried to catch his breath. Ricky let himself fall forward and they all watched as he practiced his latest trick. Andy leaned over to scratch his leg as he sat on his bike, his helmet unbuckled.

"Jewelry's good. Jewelry always works," he said. Hunter shook his head. Charlie looked up from his spot at the other end of the ramp. He was tightening a new wheel onto his skateboard.

"No man. You can do better than jewelry."

"What'd you get Ricky for his birthday?" Hunter asked his friend. Ricky tried to do a flip and they all watched as he fell and settled into the bottom of the ramp.

"Lots of my cock," Charlie joked. "I got him a custom made board and some other things that shall remain private." Andy smirked as Charlie tested his wheel and dropped into the ramp.

"She needs a car. You make enough now, Mr. Endorsed, to buy her one," Ricky said breathlessly as he made it to the top of the ladder. Hunter thought about it and shook his head.

"She can afford her own car. Plus, who the fuck knows if Brian and Justin bought her one already," Hunter said.

"Ask your dads," Andy said. "Hell, ask Riah."

"Ask Riah what?" Riah asked as she climbed up the ladder and came to stand on the platform next to Andy. He pulled her onto his bike and kissed her.

"What to get Molly for her birthday. And we have ruled out jewelry and a car," Hunter said. Riah settled herself on the bar of Andy's bike and pulled her hair together, leaving it hanging over one shoulder.

"I happen to know for a fact," Riah said as she paused for effect, "that she was eyeing this particular puppy in the pet shop downtown."

"You think she wants a puppy?"

Riah shrugged. "She seemed to be pretty into it. They only have two left. American bulldogs, priced at over a thousand a piece. Fucking approved or some such shit. They're cute though." Andy looked over at Hunter and shrugged.

"Why the fuck not, they'd be good protection when you're on the road." Riah agreed as she stood up. Andy fastened his helmet and took off. Hunter took another drink of water as the sweat poured off of him. At the indoor practice course they'd had everything that they needed, but the air conditioning was still being worked on.

Molly had gotten the best architects she could find to put the course together. It had been her wedding gift to him. "You think you can put in a call to that pet shop and have them hold the puppies for me?"

"You want both of them?" Riah questioned as she pulled out her phone. Hunter nodded as he dropped the water bottle. Riah nodded as she was connected with information.

"Yeah." Hunter disappeared as Riah was being connected to the pet shop. She talked to the man who had talked to Molly earlier and explained the situation. He happily agreed to hold the puppies, even throwing in a free bath.

"We can pick them up today if you want," Riah called down to Hunter as they all stood in the center of the ramp. She could tell they were discussing a complicated maneuver.

He nodded in her direction and she considered herself dismissed. She climbed down the ladder and made her way out of the building.

********

Ben stood back as Hunter came through the door with a large box. Emily and Tyler heard their brother in the house and immediately came running. "Hey Hunter," Tyler said as Hunter sat the box on the floor. Emily came crashing into Hunter's legs and he picked her up and planted a large kiss on her cheek.

"Hey," he said to them both as he hugged Tyler. They both turned their attention to the box when they heard the small movements. Ben and Michael came and sat on the couch as Hunter opened the box.

"Puppies," Emily said with enthusiasm as she looked at the small puppies in the box. Tyler was already reaching in to pet them.

"Can we pet them? Please?" Hunter nodded and they both proceeded to pet the two puppies. Much to the puppies' delight. Hunter flopped down in a chair and ran a hand through his hair, his wedding ring catching on the light.

"Just make sure you don't get too attached, those are Molly's puppies," Michael told them both.

"You got them for her birthday?" Tyler asked.

"Yeah, but you can't say anything. It's a surprise. I just need to leave them here tonight so I can give them to her tomorrow. They both nodded, happy to know that there would be puppies in the family now.

"We saw your show on the television. Sorry we missed it," Ben said. Hunter sat back and crossed his legs in front of him.

"No problem. I'm just glad you got to see it at all. It was a wild show, small though. Paid well," he told them. He updated them on what was going on in their lives. Although, being married to the sister of his dad's best friend's husband didn't leave too much room for sharing. They were kept well informed.

Tyler and Emily turned their attention away from the puppies long enough to make Hunter promise to take them to the movies. They wanted to spend some time with him. He readily agreed, provided that he was in town. "Can Molly come with us?"

"Yeah," Tyler answered.

Emily smiled. "Yeah, Molly's fun," she said as the puppies grew tired and lay down. Hunter gave Ben and Michael a small bag of dog food and two large bowls. He checked his watch and pulled out his phone.

Molly answered on the fourth ring. "Hey, where are you?" she asked as she tied the string on her pants.

"The dads," he told her. "I'll be home in like twenty-five." Molly made a few lewd comments before hanging up. Hunter pushed his phone closed and stood up. "I gotta go. I'll call you tomorrow. Thanks guys," he said as he kissed his sister, hugged his brother and exited the house.

********

Junior walked next to Justin down Liberty Ave., Pilot and Race walking in between him and Brian. Blue was content to be strapped to Justin's chest. "We have to get her something," Justin said as they turned a corner.

"Well, whatever it is, we're not going to find it on Liberty." Junior pushed her hands into her pockets and wiggled her feet trying to make patterns in the thin sheet of snow that was on the pavement. Pilot and Race kept pausing to touch the snow.

By the time they'd made it back to the car they had new clothes for the kids but nothing for Molly. "Well, I won't say that that was a complete waste," Justin reasoned as Brian pulled away from the curb. Brian looked over at Justin but said nothing.

"I still think we should go with my idea." Justin turned around to stop Pilot and Race from smacking each other. Junior was fast asleep. Blue was pulling on the toys dangling from her chair.

"I'm not buying sex toys for my sister," he said. Brian stopped at a red light.

"Why the fuck not?" Brian asked as he waited for the light to turn. Justin opened his mouth and having no real reason closed it again.

"She's my sister," he finally said as if that was all the reason he needed. Brian smirked and he knew Justin was giving up. Brian pushed the gas and went through the light. "I am going to hell for this one."

"Try to stay away from my mother," Brian said as he pulled to a stop in front of one of the nicest sex shops in Pittsburgh. Well, that he knew of.

"She's not even dead yet."

********

Hunter sat on the couch playing his Xbox as he waited for Molly to finish getting ready. He was comfortable in jeans, a white button down that was slightly too big, a black blazer and brand new sneakers. He checked his watch and sat back.

Molly pulled on her dress and made sure it was on securely before slipping her feet in her shoes. She added her earrings and looked at her hair from different angles before spraying on the perfume that she'd bought the day before. "Okay," Molly said as she emerged.

Hunter hit the pause button on his game and looked at his wife. "Damn," he said as he stood up and turned off the game and the television. He stepped up to her and kissed her as he pulled her close. "Maybe we should forget about dinner."

"I don't think so," Molly said as she walked to the door. Hunter walked out behind her and shut the door behind them, locking it. They arrived at the restaurant just in time and Molly laughed. It was the same cheap restaurant that he'd taken her to when they'd first met.

"Oh my god," Molly said as he offered his hand to help her out of the car. "I cannot believe you got reservations here."

Hunter laughed. "Yeah and on such short notice too; I was surprised myself," he said jokingly as he opened the door for her. She walked into the restaurant behind him and two and a half hours later she walked out of the restaurant in front of him.

"That was horrible," she laughed. Hunter walked next to Molly with his arm securely around her neck. He pulled a cigarette out of his jacket pocket and lit it, taking a pull.

"Much like the first time," he said with a laugh as they walked down the sidewalk towards the car. Molly leaned forward and kissed him, his tongue breaching her mouth. He glanced at his watch when they got to the car and he pulled her door open. His dads should have dropped the puppies off by now. He called them quickly before getting in the car and they confirmed that everything was in place.

Molly pressed the buttons on the CD player as Hunter started the car. She leaned over as he grabbed the gear shift and placed a kiss on his lips. "Thank you very much for my birthday dinner," she said.

"Now we can go have dessert," Hunter said tactlessly. Molly sat back in her seat and laughed as she smacked him in the arm.

"You are supposed to say 'you're welcome, baby, I love you,'" she told him with a smile as he pulled out of the restaurant parking lot.

"You're welcome, baby. I love you. Now let's go have dessert," he amended with a raise of his eyebrows. "We can use the alcohol and toys that your brother and Brian bought you." Molly covered her face with her hands as she turned bright red.

"I cannot believe my brother bought me sex toys. And two bottles of vodka."

Hunter made a left. "Something tells me it was Brian's idea." Molly nodded in agreement as they reached their building. She grabbed her purse and pushed opened her door, meeting Hunter behind the car. He pushed the button to activate the alarm and she took his hand in hers as they walked.

"So, what did you get me?" She purred as he put the key in the lock and opened the door. Molly turned off the alarm and paused when she saw the big box in the middle of the living room surrounded by rose petals.

"Nothing too big," he said as she looked at him. He could see the excitement in her eyes that she was barely able to contain. "Go ahead." Molly hurried over to the box and dropped her purse on the couch. She pulled up her dress and lowered herself to the floor as she examined the huge red bow.

Hunter sat down on the floor next to her and waited. She pulled on the bow and lifted the top. The puppies looked up at her and she screamed in happiness. "MY PUPPIES, oh babe, how'd you know?" she asked as she lifted the puppies out of the box. She cuddled them close and then turned to face Hunter, placing a huge kiss on his lips as she wrapped her arms around him.

She turned back to the puppies and held them close. "I have my ways," Hunter said. "Do you like them? I fucking hope so, they'd be a bitch to give back."

"I love them," she turned and kissed him again, "thank you baby. Thank you." They spent the rest of the night playing with the puppies until they wore themselves out.

Molly walked out of the bathroom in her panties and nothing else. She crawled up the bed and sat on Hunter's lap. "What should we name them?" She asked as Hunter's hands made their way to her hips.

"J.D. and Ollie," Hunter pulled out of thin air. Molly settled into him as his hands moved lower.

"I like those," Molly said as Hunter flipped her on her back and settled down on top of her. She let all thoughts of the dogs drift to the back of her mind.

********

Molly leaned on the counter and waited for Justin to say something. "Fuck, Justin, say something," she said finally. Justin looked at the plans and the progress that had been made so far.

"I like it. You are actually good at your job," he said with a laugh. Molly pushed him as her heels clicked across the newly refinished floors. "It looks almost brand new."

"Well, we discovered that everything was mostly superficial. So the crew was able to work pretty fast." Justin walked around the studio/gallery space.

"Pretty fast. Molly, it's only been two weeks," Justin said as he looked out the windows. Everything was spotless. The windows had been replaced, floors redone, plumbing repaired. The entire place had gone through an overhaul.

"We are the best for a reason, Justin," she reminded him. "All that's left now is some minor attention to detail. You should be able to start moving your stuff in by the middle of the week."

"This is really amazing. Thanks Molly," he told his sister as they finished touring the space and closed up.

"Don't thank me… well, us, yet. Your bill," she presented as she started down the hall towards the front door. Justin looked at the bill and shrugged. It was a small price to pay.

********

"It's a small price to pay, plus it's a trip to New York," Brian said as he sat in front of Justin picking pieces off of his pizza. Justin was spooning strained carrots into Blue's mouth as he ate. Pilot, Race and Junior were all at the kitchen table making enough noise to fill a small auditorium. It seemed.

"What the fuck are you talking about?" Justin asked as he picked up the burp cloth and wiped Blue's mouth. Brian dropped his pizza to his plate and looked at Justin.

"I'm flying out to New York next week to tie up loose ends on the Brown account. For two days, three tops." Justin spooned some food into Blue's mouth when she fussed.

"No. I'm flying out to Chicago next week to see about a possible show in a gallery there. I told you that over three weeks ago," Justin told him.

"Daddy, can I have some more, please?" Junior called as she twisted in her seat. Brian moved to get up.

"I'll get it," he said. He gave all three of them some more pizza and a juice box. They all thanked him and he settled back into his spot in front of Justin, taking a drink of his beer.

"We need to see who can watch them for us," Brian said as Justin cleaned Blue up and gave her a bottle. She leaned back in her feeding chair and drank contently.

"Michael and Ben would be the best call. Especially since the kids all go to the same school," Justin said as he took a bite of his pizza. Brian nodded. "Blue has a doctor's appointment tomorrow."

"Check-up already?" Brian asked as he took another drink of beer. Justin sighed as he dropped his pizza and wiped his hands on Blue's blanket.

"I scheduled it. I didn't want you to worry," Justin said. Brian was watching him unblinking and willing himself to breathe. "I'm worried about her hearing. Have you noticed that she doesn't respond to sounds and noises? Not unless she sees the object or person first."

"So you think our daughter might be deaf and you decide it's better not to discuss it with me?" Justin glanced over at Blue and then looked at Brian.

"I didn't want you to worry if there was nothing to worry about," Justin told him. Brian swallowed knowing Justin was right. He'd only known what Justin suspected for a few short moments and he was already contemplating every scenario.

"When I talked to Dr. Winters he said not to worry until we knew what was what."

"When's the appointment?"

"10 a.m."

"I'm going," he said and Justin knew better than to argue. He knew he should have told Brian but he had wanted to know what he was dealing with. What they would be dealing with.

"When's your plane leave?" Justin asked.

"Wednesday," Brian answered. Justin nodded. "Yours?"

"Wednesday afternoon, but the ticket is open." Trying to forget about the elephant they'd let in the room was almost not even worth trying.

********

Justin walked out of the daycare center and got into the passenger seat of Brian's car. Neither said a word as Brian pointed the car in the direction of Dr. Winters' office. The parking lot was half full and for some reason it only made Brian more nervous as he opened the backdoor and lifted his daughter's seat out of the base.

Justin got out of the car with the diaper bag dangling from his hand. He shut his door and they made their way into the building. "Hey Justin," Dena greeted as the men stepped up to the counter. "Brian."

They both mumbled quick hellos and Justin gave a forced smile. "Our daughter has an appointment," he said to the nurse behind the counter. Dena left to attend to another patient.

"Okay, her name please," the nurse asked.

"Blue Taylor-Kinney," Justin offered. Brian moved to sit down, placing Blue on the floor in front of him. She was sound asleep, oblivious to what was going on and Brian wondered if her calm demeanor was just her temperament or an inability to hear what was going on around her.

The nurse checked the computer and confirmed the appointment. "Take these and fill them out. The doctor will call you back shortly." Justin thanked the nursed and moved to sit next to Brian. He didn't even notice his hands were shaking until Brian slipped the pen and clipboard from between his fingers.

It took Brian almost shouting for Justin to snap out of his haze and realize that they'd been called. He followed Brian into the back and into an exam room. "This can change everything," Justin said as he watched Brian undress their daughter. Blue stretched as she started to wake up.

"We don't know anything yet," Brian reasoned. It did nothing to make Justin feel better. Justin dropped the discarded clothes into Blue's car seat and pushed it as far under his chair as he could, which wasn't far.

Justin started to say something when the door swung open.

"Brian and Justin," he said as he sat the chart on the examination bed. "Blue," he said as he tickled the small girl under the chin. "I see in the chart it says that you're concerned about her hearing." Justin relayed everything that he'd noticed to Dr. Winters and Brian listened. He had overlooked many of the things on Justin's list, thinking only that his daughter was quiet.

"Okay, well, I think we'll start off with a basic exam and get that out of the way. Then we'll do some very specific hearing tests and go from there. One step at a time, okay?" He asked as he tried to reassure the two fathers. Justin nodded as Brian simply stood to place his daughter on the bed.

One step at a time.

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