I Want You to Know

Part 7

 *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

We had been back in the Pitts for less than two hours when the gang showed up at the loft. I was in the middle of giving Justin a good rim job when they arrived and let themselves in with Michael's key. I have to change that fucking lock, I thought, and stomped out to the living room, naked and hard.

"Don't you fucking people know how to use a phone?"

"We called, you didn't answer," Michael shot back. Emmett stood drooling, while Teddy covered his eyes. Melanie averted her eyes and shook her head at my nakedness; Lindsay stifled a small chuckle, while Ben also covered Michael's eyes.

"So you figured, oh let's just go over and interrupt him and Justin, they won't be doing anything important."

"Getting your dick sucked is not important Brian, “Melanie smirked.

"Easy for you to say, Smelly Melly, your dick isn't all that big." I yelled for Justin to get dressed and headed back upstairs to put on some clothes. I made sure to speak loud enough for our friends to hear.

"Get dressed Justin, the Brady Bunch is here to live vicariously through you. And when they're gone, I'll finish eating your ass."

"BRIAN!!" Lindsay yelled from downstairs, "Your son is here, watch what you say."

Looking at Justin I sighed deeply and shook my head an annoyed expression on my face. "Remind me again why I love these idiots. Come on Sunshine, let's go, the sooner we get down there and tell them everything, the sooner they will fucking leave."

 *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Gus was sitting on the floor, playing with Buzz Lightyear and Woody, while the adults shared a few bottles of wine and listened as Justin and Brian told them all about their trip.

"We went to the museums, and all the touristy spots. Brian took me to Madam Tussaud's Wax Museum and we fucked behind the Regis Philbin figure."

"That's one I'm sure Reege would love to know," Ted cracked. "So did you do any shopping?"

"Of course, Brian bought out Barney's. We hit Macy's and he bought more damn ties. Then we went to FAO Schwartz and I think Brian maxed out his credit card on toys for Gus and Thea."

"Who's Thea?" Michael asked. Justin filled them in on the little girl they met with a little help from Brian. Lindsay watched her friend's face as he spoke of the little girl and could see the love that he felt for her. She still didn't understand how no one else but her and Justin could see how deeply this man felt about the people he let into his inner circle.

"Sounds like you guys had a great time," Ben remarked. Justin hadn't been home since returning and he wondered whether or not he even would. Putting his fears to rest Justin informed him he'd be back tomorrow evening. The two had gotten close during the previous months of sharing an apartment and boyfriends who were best friends.

As daylight started to fade, Justin and Lindsay went in search of something to throw together for dinner for eight and one toddler. Justin rummaged through the cupboards while Lindsay dug through the fridge and freezer. Neither were having much luck and Justin was about to give up hope when he found a can of ravioli buried behind a few cases of Sam Adams.

"I found ravioli for Gus, any luck on your end?"

"Not a damn thing, I honestly don't know how this man survives."

"Take out," Brian shot back as he pulled his lover close for a kiss. "Why don't we just order pizza or something."

"Pizza it is, I'll grab the menu and call it in." Justin grabbed the handset and dialed the number, ordering five large pizzas; two pepperoni, a veggie, a special and a Hawaiian.

 *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

I was stuck alone with Lindsay in the kitchen, and I could tell she was dying to get me to herself. Trying my damnedest to keep her at bay, I busied myself with plates and napkins.

"Brian, you can stop trying to ignore me, I know you better than that. I'm glad you had such a good trip with Justin," she said kissing me lightly on the cheek. "God knows you both deserve a little happiness."

"Lindsay, I don't want to go into this now, I just want to enjoy this time with my friends and with Justin."

"I know, I just want to say that I'm happy for you Brian. You found someone you love that loves you back and I know how hard that was for you."

Lindsay watched as her best friend walked away with a slight smile on his face and she felt such joy at his happiness. Happiness was not something Brian allowed himself often and she knew this was a big step for him, she just hoped that no one would try to ruin it for them, most of all Brian himself.

When they all left, I grabbed the blonde next to me on the couch and pulled him onto my lap facing me and kissed him. Running my hands through his hair I kept him still as I ran my tongue over his lips and pressed for entrance; allowing me to enter I thrilled in the warmth of him. I loved this man beyond anything I had ever known and I wanted him with me forever. Breathless, I broke the kiss and stared into his blue eyes.

"Justin, I want you to move back in here with me."

Looking away from me, he softly said, "No, I can't."

"Why not? We're together, we love each other, we've fucked, so what's stopping you?"

"I just think that now is not the right time. I like living at Ben's, it gives me a chance to just be me when I need that."

I pushed him off me and walked over to the window, lost in my thoughts. I felt his arms around my waist and his head resting against my back, and I sighed contentedly to be here with him like this.

"I love you, Brian."

"I love you too, Justin."

"BUT?" he asked the fear evident in his low voice.

"But, I want you here with me, all the time. I don't sleep well without you, so see I need you here."

"I know baby, and soon we'll be together forever, its just that now I need this time to be on my own. I love you, you know that, I just want us to take it slow. Last week we made love for the first time in months.  I think it's too early for us to be living together again. The next time I move in here, I want it to be forever."

"I'm offering you forever, Justin."

"Brian, as much as I want to live with you, I just don't think now is the right time. Can we just wait a little longer? It's not like I won't be around all the time anyway."

"Okay, I give in, if I can't have you here in my loft I at least want you in my life. And like you said, you'll be here all the time anyway."

 *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

A month later I was sitting at my desk looking over an ad campaign when Cynthia buzzed me to let me know that Julie was on line one. Picking up the phone I swallowed the dread that threatened to overtake me.

"Julie, it's so good to hear from you again. How are you and Thea?"

"We're fine Brian, I called because Thea has been begging to come see Justin and I wanted to see when would be a good time for you guys. I know Justin is in class all day but she is determined to see him so I promised her I would plan a trip and I wanted to pick a time that wouldn't mess with your schedules too much."

"Justin would love to see Thea, and it would be nice to see you as well, Julie. Let me check my calendar, I have most of Justin's commitments on there as well." I shuffled through our date book and let her know that next weekend would be a good weekend to come. We chatted a few more minutes before saying our goodbyes and I promised to have a car waiting for her at the airport on Wednesday.

When I picked Justin up from school, I told him that Thea and Julie were coming into town, you would have thought I had told him that The Beatles were in our living room. His excitement even rubbed off on me a little. It would be good to see Thea again and I knew how much Justin loved the little girl, so that would make it even more special for them both.

The week seemed to fly by and before I knew it Julie and Thea were in the Pitts.

 *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Julie sat on the plane holding Thea's small hand in hers, the child hated planes but was trying her best to be brave. The only reason she was being so brave was she knew she would be seeing Justin in the next few hours and she could brave anything to see his smile again. Julie held onto her daughter tightly, trying to offer comfort and support without being too overprotective. She distracted Thea during takeoff by telling her about the things that Justin and Brian had planned for them to do together. She was saving telling her about Gus's birthday party until landing, knowing she would need something really good to distract the young girl's mind when they landed.

"Mama, is Justin going to pick us up?" Thea looked up at her mother with big blue eyes full of hope.

"No honey, I don't think so. Brian is going to have a car waiting for us to take us to the hotel then we'll meet them for dinner this evening. I know you want to see Justin, but he has school today and needs to be there, but he is just as excited about seeing you as you are him." Julie watched her daughter's face trying to gauge her reaction to the news that Justin wouldn't be waiting at the airport.

"Okay, but you promised that I could spend one whole day with Justin. I want him to help me with something special for you Mama."

"I know I promised and I've already talked to Justin about it and he is ready for his day with you. You just have to promise me that you'll be a good little girl for mama this week. I am doing this for you Thea, because I love you and I want you to be happy." Julie fought back tears as she thought about the day she would have to say goodbye to her daughter.

When they finally got off the plane, Thea spotted Justin standing at the gate waiting for her with a large bouquet of roses. The little girl ran to Justin who caught her up in a bear hug and held onto her. Brian hugged Julie, as the foursome went to get their bags.

"It's good to see you Julie, how was the flight?" Justin was still holding Thea in his arms as he spoke.

"It was fine once we were in the air, Thea doesn't really like flying, but she did great." She leaned over and kissed her daughter, who was still clinging to Justin. "Thanks for picking us up, I wasn't expecting it, but it's a nice surprise."

"I couldn't let this beautiful girl arrive without a welcoming committee, Justin teased. Brian shook his head, and wondered how this child had captured his lover's heart so quickly.

"I couldn't keep him away, he was jumping up and down and driving me insane, so I just drove his ass here," Brian explained to Julie.

Thea's mouth dropped and she looked at Brian like he was Satan himself, "You said a bad word, you owe me a dollar." She stuck her little hand out waiting for him to pay up. As Brian pressed the crisp bill into her soft hand, Justin laughed, "You're going to be one rich little girl by the time you leave." Turning to Brian, he cocked his head to the side and advised, "You may want to get a second job, cause you're gonna go broke paying her every time you say a bad word."

Brian gave his lover a playful shove and teased back, "Yeah well, then I guess you will just have to keep my mouth occupied so I can't talk."

Julie watched the playfulness between the lovers and let herself feel the longing to have that kind of connection with someone. It had been a long time since she had been in love, five years to be exact. When she had found Thea and decided to keep her, her partner had packed up and moved out, saying that she wouldn't play second fiddle to some kid. It was for the best, but Julie still missed having someone who loved her and supported her and Thea.

 *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

We all piled into the jeep and drove to the hotel so that they could freshen up. Dropping them off I promised Thea that we'd be back in two hours, since Julie wanted her to rest before dinner. Justin and I drove home in silence, that sunshine smile plastered to his face, he was so happy. I held him close as we rode up to the loft. Pulling the door shut behind him, he kissed me and went upstairs to shower and change for dinner.

Two and half hours later we bravely walked into the Liberty Diner, Justin anxious for our friends to meet his new best friend. They were all gathered waiting for us and it was Debbie who came over and embraced Julie in a motherly hug. She bent to hug and kiss Thea, who laughed and kissed her back. The little blonde took her seat in the middle of us all and held court like the princess she was. After everyone was introduced, we ordered and then let ourselves be entertained by Gus and Thea.

"He looks just like you Brian, God help the girls," Julie commented about Gus.

"Or the BOYS," I corrected. Her laughter was music to my ears and I pressed a light kiss to her cheek. Lindsay and Julie hit it off immediately, both being artists and mothers. They sat and discussed their favorite artists and made a date to have lunch and visit the GLC art show later that week. I could feel the chemistry between them and smirked at Melanie.

Emmett and Thea fell into an easy teasing relationship almost immediately. At one point she even ended up in his lap sharing his fries and ranch dressing. Emmett was teaching her all kinds of southern traditions, he joked, making her light up with laughter. She reminded me so much of Justin, I was almost convinced she was his child.

 *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Thea sat in Emmett's lap between Ted and Michael, watching all the adults with an intense interest. Looking over to Ted she studied him for a bit before finally speaking.

"Why are you so boring?"

"THEA," Julie said with that motherly voice that would stop a train in it's tracks. "That's not a nice thing to say. You apologize to Mr. Schmidt right now."

"AW, look Theodore even the kiddies think you're boring, shame she didn't see you back on Flag Day, when you were all UP and fun." Brian playfully stuck his tongue out at his friend and watched the little girl laugh again.

"Brian, don't you corrupt her."

"Sunshine, the world would be a much better place with more people like me."

"Just what we need more assholes," Michael shot back. Thea caught the bad word and stuck her hand out for payment making Brian laugh at Michael.

"Now you owe her money, shit Mikey by the time she leaves here she'll own the damn place," Brian said digging in his pocket for more singles to pay for his and Michael's slip. Julie laughed as her little girl grabbed the money and gave one to Gus and pocketed the rest.

Looking to Brian and Justin, Julie asked, "And just how do you all know each other?"

The gang looked at each other and broke out in laughter together, Lindsay was the first to speak, "Well Brian and I met in college, and dated for a while, yes shocking I know, but we were young. We stayed friends and eventually faced the truth about our sexuality. I met Melanie and Brian agreed to be Gus's father, and here we are."

Michael was next to add, "I met Brian when I was 14, we became fast friends, and he spent countless hours at my house. I was envious of the way he could get any man he wanted, that was until I met Ben. We stayed in touch when he went away to college and when he moved back here and set up shop at what is now Vanguard. I was there the night these two met, even then it was hard to miss the love that flowed between them, it was like they were destined to be together."

"Well, sweetie, I met Michael through Debbie, at the diner of course. I was new in town, freshly out and proud, I went in for a cup of coffee and walked out with a surrogate mom and new best friend. It wasn't long before I had moved in with Michael and became part of the family." Emmett left out the embellishments for once and turned to look at Teddy waiting for his version of how they all came to be here together.

"I met Brian through Worshafter. He came in looking for an accountant, he recognized me from Babylon I guess and requested me personally. The next time I was at the club he spoke to me and I've been around ever since. It's pretty funny actually, since I'm always bitching about how he can just get any man to follow him to the bowels of Hell. And look at me."

Julie laughed at that and shifted in her seat to hear Brian's version. "So spill, how did you meet Justin?"

"Oh you're far too young to hear that story," Brian tried his best to get out of it but Justin wasn't letting him.

"She's your age, but if you don't want to tell it, I WILL. See I was on Liberty Ave, looking to get laid for the first time. I always knew I was gay, that night was just my coming out party, so to speak. I had been walking around checking things out, when I saw him walking out of the club, I knew I wanted him. I could see he wanted me too, when he walked over; I thought I would die, but I didn't I went with him."

"Okay,  Justin, that's enough, there are kids present," Brian faced Julie and smiled that devastating smile. "Let's just say that we both enjoyed ourselves. And the rest is history, and history is best left in the past."

"I think you just use that smartass way of yours to get out of things." The whole table erupted in laughter, and everyone told her how right she was.

An hour later they all left together, promising to meet at Mel and Lindsay's for dinner the next night. The two took Julie and Thea back to the hotel, Justin and his new best friend talking and laughing the whole way there. It was only when they got out that Thea protested.

"I don't want to go here, I want to go with Justin." She stomped her feet in true spoiled brat fashion and Brian shot Justin a look that said a lot.

"Thea, don't you start this," her mother warned.

Justin spoke up, "Honey, you need your rest, I'm not going anywhere but back to my apartment to sleep, I'll be here bright and early tomorrow morning to take you over to meet my mom and sister." He kissed her soft cheek and wiped a tear that had slipped past her eye, "You go to bed and have sweet dreams about me okay. I love you Thea."

The small child threw her arms around his neck and clung to him for several minutes, letting go she ran to Brian and hugged him tight, whispering in his ear. "I love you Brian, but it's okay if you don't say it back, it can be our special secret." She kissed him on the cheek and took her mom's hand and went quietly in to bed.

 *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Justin spent every waking hour of the next week with Thea, I didn't mind so much except when he insisted on going home every night. This was getting real old, real fast, but I kept my mouth shut, giving him his space. The day Thea left was hard on him, as he had really become attached to her. If I had the nerve to admit it to myself, I would say I had too. Dropping them off at the airport, Justin was unusually quiet as we rode home in silence, missing his little friend. I pulled the jeep into my parking spot and took his hand going inside, planning to fuck that sad look off his face. What is it they say about the best laid plans?

I opened the elevator gate to find Claire sitting on the floor in front of my door, and she looked like hell.

"You look like hell, what the fuck is wrong?"

"It's mom, Brian," as she collapsed into my arms in a hysterical fit.

Return to I Want You to Know