And Never Brought to Mind

Chapter 10

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"Lacy, what the fuck am I doing out here? It's getting dark and I want to spend some time with Nick. You know we don't have much time together." Hunter groused as he was led to the stream by the two young women.

"Hunter, Katerina needs your help. You know stuff."

"What stuff?"

"Kat, I think you better tell Hunter."

"But how can he help me?" Katerina's eyes got big as she looked Hunter up and down. He was still so youthful looking that she didn't think he knew anything.

"Christ! Will one of you tell me what the fuck is going on?" Hunter was getting frustrated and he wanted to get back to Nick.

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"Look at them. You'd think it was an orgy, not a barbecue!" Emmett complained, loudly, to Debbie as he watched the couples hugging and kissing and groping in various corners of the cottages.

"Emm, honey, it wasn't long ago that having an orgy was the point of the evening."

"Well, right now, my dessert is the point of the evening," Emmett huffed back.

"Sweetie, where is that hunky man of yours? You need your priorities rearranged."

"Here I am." Drew recognized the upset look on his partner's face. "What is it, baby?"

"Oh Drewsie, nobody cares that I slaved over dessert. And Starbucks has nothing over my blends. If they don't eat soon, it'll all be ruined."

It was true. Since 99% of the people in attendance were gay, no one felt obligated to show any restraint. Debbie and Carl were used to it as were Claire and Steve. The whole cottage was immersed in love. The only one who was a little taken aback was JP. He had never seen so many gay people in one place before. He had no idea where to look anymore.

"Don't worry, baby. I'll get their attention." Drew put two fingers in his mouth and let out a rip roaring and very macho whistle.

"Listen up, people! Emmett slaved all morning making dessert and you all are going to eat it!" Drew bellowed loud enough to be heard across a football field.

"Well, why didn't you fucking say so?" Debbie countered. "It all looks wonderful, Emm!"

Debbie and Carl went up to the table to load up their plates. They were followed closely by Ted and Allen and then everyone else. The kids were treated to special cookies that Emmett had made specially for them. Soon the whole cottage was oohing and aahing over the delicacies. Emmett's smile was back and that made Drew one happy partner.

"See baby, you just have to know how to handle them," Drew said to his now ecstatic lover.

"My hero!" Emmett cooed into Drew's ear as he made up a plate for his man.

"Auntie Emm!" Bree came running up to Emmett holding one of Emmett's cookies in her little hand.

"What is it, sweetheart?"

"Cookie, good!" Briana said to the tall queen who now had tears of joy in his eyes.

Emmett scooped up the little girl and gave her a hug. "Then my work here is done," Emmett whispered into the golden locks. Brian and Justin looked on with big grins on their faces.

"The Squirt's work is done too," Brian whispered into Justin's golden locks.

"Yeah," Justin whispered back.

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JP and Katerina were standing in front of one of Justin's unfinished pieces. It was a large abstract piece with a myriad of colors running through it but surprisingly peaceful at the same time. There were tears in Katerina's eyes and JP was very animated as he spoke to her in Spanish and in hushed tones.

"No! Impossible. You will come home as planned. You will not disgrace the family."

"Please, Juan, I can't go back. You love Felisia; you are meant to be together. I do not love Pedro. I won't love him."

"Nonsense. You will learn."

"I am not like you; you know this. Please don't make me."

"Trouble in paradise?" JP and Katerina jumped as Brian silently glided over and snarked loudly at the brother and sister who were in their heated argument.

"Brian, I do not want to be rude. You have opened your home to us but this is a personal family matter. It's no business of yours," JP attempted to stand up to Brian which was rather difficult when Brian was looming over him.

"A family matter, huh. In that case it may affect Justin and what affects Justin affects me. And that makes it my business." Brian's voice was getting louder and the family was beginning to gather around them.

"Brian, what are you doing?" Justin came trotting over to see what got his spouse's thong in a twist.

"Just clearing the air, Sunshine. The pieces are beginning to fit."

"What are you talking about?" Justin asked all wide-eyed.

"Yeah, kiddo, what are you talking about?" Debbie couldn't keep her nose out of it.

"Kinney, why are you harassing them?" Melanie jumped in.

"Well, since you all ARE our family, I guess you should know too."

"Brian, no," JP pleaded.

"Are you scared of the truth?" Brian glared at JP.

"What truth?" Justin fired back. He was getting annoyed at Brian and embarrassed.

"Their truth. Edna Galloway's truth." JP and Katerina gulped at the mention of Edna's name.

"Who knows Miss Edna?" Katerina asked, speaking English quite clearly.

"Yes, we know Edna and I know she knew your family and for one who claims not to speak English, you do it very well." Brian's eyes narrowed and zoned in on the helpless girl.

"Brian, be nice," Lacy said meekly as she came over and put her arm around Katerina.

"Another country heard from," Brian snarked then grinned. His suspicions were right.

"Brian, I think you better explain yourself," John, the voice of reason spoke.

Brian nodded, got himself a mug of coffee and began his pitch. "First off, I believe you when you said you were only here to find relatives and that you never meant to go after the 'Taylor fortune'. Whatever that may be. I did think that the timing was more than coincidental. Edna's death, The Rage movie going worldwide. But it was all just coincidence. You should have been honest with us. Edna told your father about us. You knew all about Justin before you got here. We would have understood your curiosity. We shared your curiosity about our ancestors. At least Justin did and sucked us all into it."

Brian slipped his arm around Justin's shoulders and gave him a kiss to the temple. "If it wasn't for Justin, a lot of what you see here would not have existed. Now for your little problem," Brian began again.

"Problem?" Justin looked up at his lover and then at JP and Katerina.

"Yes, Sunshine, a very big problem if I'm not mistaken. JP is engaged to be married and as soon as he goes home, the wedding will take place and he will take his place as head of the household and run the business his father left to him." Brian looked at JP for affirmation and JP nodded confirming what he said.

"Oh, for a minute I thought you were going to say he was gay and was trying to get out of the wedding." This time it was Michael who ventured that hypothesis.

"Very good, Mikey! Close but no cigar. Nope, our little JP over here, is straight. Straighter than straight. I haven't seen someone this straight in a very long time. He's not even bi or gay curious. We have one little happy het in the family."

Several in the family broke out into giggles at Brian's description of JP, and the young man in question blushed deeply from head to toe.

"Katerina on the other hand..." Brian paused dramatically for effect and to let his implication sink into the collective family brain.

"Un-fucking believable!" Debbie shouted.

"Shit! The man's gaydar works for lesbians too!" Melanie grumbled loudly for everyone to hear. She hated when Brian was right about things as usual.

"Yeah, well, we can blame it on Patrick's genes. It appears he passed on the gay gene or in this case the lesbian gene to little Katerina. And herein lies the problem. Katerina probably just finished high school and now she's supposed to follow the family traditions and culture, get married and start making babies. Married to a MAN. Not a good thing if you're a lesbian."

A number of "Shits!" "Fuck!" And "Oh that's so sad," ran through the family. Katerina slumped next to her brother and Lacy tightened her hold.

"So, if I can trust my eyes, Miss Katerina Taylor wants to stay here in the land of the free and the home of the queers. While JP goes back to take his rightful place as head of the Panama Taylor family."

JP and Katerina both nodded in agreement.

"Bri, can we help them?" Justin's blue eyes looked up into Brian's with hope.

"I don't know, Sunshine. I think that's one for the lawyers in the family to answer. She certainly has a home here with us or with any one of us, including your mother when she learns about all of this. We can find her a job and certainly send her to college if Katerina has a career in mind. As for becoming a citizen, that's not up to me. I can make everything else happen in a heartbeat when Katerina and JP give me the word."

"You would do this for me?" Katerina gazed with awe into the hazel eyes that were filled with strength and love.

Brian imperceptibly nodded at the girl. Katerina burst into tears of joy and relief. At that point, the ladies in the cottage all rallied and took the girl into the living room to console her and make plans.

The sun porch began to buzz with activity and noise of the men gossiping, and kids at play.

"Brian, you can't fix everything." Ben came up to his friend to add some of his wisdom.

"I know but she can't go back and get married because it's what's expected of her. She's much too young to have her spirit crushed."

"And since when have you become an expert on teenage spirit?"

Brian arched an eyebrow at the professor. "Forget I said that. I think you have a lot more experience with teenagers than I care to know about."

Ben laughed then gave his friend a hug.

"Brian." Hunter stepped up into Brian's space.

"Ah, the master of social work. What words of wisdom do you have for me? You gonna tell me I'm making a mistake or making things worse for her?"

"No, I'm not. Lacy and Katerina cornered me before and told me a little of the problem. And I think Lacy has a big fat crush on Katerina."

"Lacy and her crushes. First Justin and now Katerina. What is it about those Taylors?"

"I haven't a fucking clue. But I do know what Katerina wants to do with her life."

"Oh pul-leese, don't tell me she inherited the Taylor artist gene."

"No, she does like to draw but it's a hobby, not a career option. She wants to be a nurse. God knows we can use more nurses. And maybe I can convince her to work with me at the clinic. Even with Karen and Nick, I can't keep up with everything. I can use the help."

"I'm sure it wouldn't be too difficult to get her school records and enroll her in nursing school but before we do that I think JP is going to need counseling." Brian and Hunter glanced at JP who was sitting in a corner, looking miserable and guilty for bringing his sister with him to America. "Damn, I corrupted another Taylor."

"Bri, from what I see, the Taylors don't need your help. They do it to themselves." Hunter patted Brian on the back then went to console JP.

"Brian, Bree's getting sleepy, so is Patrick. Bobby and I are going to let them say goodnight and settle them in Patrick's room. It's much quieter on their side." Justin held a yawning Briana in his arms. Bobby had a sleepy Patrick in his. Brian kissed his daughter goodnight and watched as Justin and Bobby made the rounds then disappeared into the Anderson/Morrison side of the cottage.

"Brian." It was Claire's turn to talk with Brian.

"Have I made a mess of things?" Brian needed Claire's level head and calmness to reassure him that he had done the right thing.

"No, honey, you did what you always do. You take care of the people you love. You can count on me and Steve." Claire drew Brian into a hug then went off to help Emmett clean up. Everyone pitched in to set the cottage back to normal.

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Sunday morning at the cottage and the air was cool and crisp. For some reason Justin was up with the birds. He dressed in warm sweats and thick socks then quietly padded to the kitchen to put on the coffee and set the kettle on the stove. He turned the flame on low so the water would take some time to boil. It was times like this when it was all quiet in the cottage when Justin loved to paint. And that's where Katerina found him, in the porch with a mug of tea in one hand and a paint brush in the other.

"Good morning, Justin."

"Good morning, Katerina. Did you sleep well?"

"Yes, I did. I slept better than I have in months."

"That's good. The water in the pot is still hot if you want tea. Help yourself."

"Thank you, I will in a moment. Justin, may I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"When did you know?"

"Know?"

"That you liked men instead of women."

"I guess I always knew I liked girls as friends and not as girlfriends. But I guess I was about sixteen when I really knew for sure. I met Brian when I was seventeen. That was it for me. I knew I'd never love anyone else but him."

"So young!"

"Yes, it really scared my mother, and my father kicked me out. We haven't been father and son since."

"I'm sorry. You must miss him."

"I do; sometimes I miss him a lot. Brian had it worse than me. It's only now that he and his mother are learning to be a family again. But my mom and I are very close. She's the best."

"Yes, she is a wonderful person. She made me feel so comfortable. So did Molly. Is Molly a, a..."

"A lesbian? No, she likes guys. She likes them a lot," Justin giggled. "When did you know?"

"I guess I'm like you. I always knew but it didn't really matter, until I was told that it was expected that I get married. I don't want to be with someone I can't love."

"I know the feeling. Brian and I broke up once and I lived with someone else for a while but it was horrible. It felt wrong. We got through it though." They were silent for a while and Justin sipped some more of his tea.

"Your Brian is a good man. Much machismo, yes?"

"Very macho. Until he queens out."

"Queens out?"

"You'll find out soon enough. Just ignore him; we all do." Justin gave Katerina a coy smile.

"What do you know about Lacy?"

"Not much. Hunter found her. At first we all thought she was a boy. She was living on the street. He got her cleaned up, got her back in school. Debbie gave her a job and took her in. She's a good artist. She's still young and very confused, so be careful." Katerina understood the warning and nodded. "But it would be nice for Lacy to have a female friend."

Katerina smiled. She could be just friends with Lacy. For now.

All of a sudden, squeals of laughter were heard coming from the master bedroom and a loud "oomph" as Bree pounced on her Dada.

"Up, Dada, up!"

"I'm always up, Squirt." More laughter and then Justin heard the sound of the bedroom door opening.

"Brian! Pants!" Justin yelled. The bedroom door slammed then reopened after a minute.

"Katerina, I don't want to frighten you but Brian has a tendency to walk around naked."

"Naked?!" Katerina said in horror, then her face softened. "He is a very beautiful man. Maybe if I had known such beauty in men existed, I wouldn't be a lesbian."

Now it was Justin's turn to be horrified. The two Taylors began to laugh as Justin cleaned up his brushes. They then went to the kitchen to start breakfast.

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The following Saturday, Justin and Katerina took JP to the airport.

"You are certain you will not come back with me?" JP asked his sister one last time. Katerina could only shake her head, no. "I'm not sure when I can come back. We may not see each other for a very long time."

"I know but it must be this way. I love you, Juan. I promise to study hard. I will try to make you proud of me."

"I am proud of you. I love you, Katerina." Brother and sister shared their tears.

"Please take care of her," JP pleaded to Justin.

"I will, I promise. And she'll write you and e-mail you and we can use the video phone. Maybe we can bring you and your wife up here for a vacation." JP nodded then hugged his cousin. "I'm glad you took a chance on us. Thank you for bringing Patrick home."

"Thank you for sharing your discoveries with me. My family will be pleased to know we have Justin Taylor and Briana in our family. I will send pictures of our family as soon as I get home."

Brother and sister hugged one more time then JP stepped through the security gate on his way back home.

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"Brian, you didn't have to bring me shopping. I've been buying my own clothes for most of my life."

"I know, Mom, but Kinnetik is up for an award. It's all black tie and I want you there."

"But these clothes are very expensive."

"I can afford it and I want to do this. Please, Mom." Brian turned his best puppy dog eyes on his mother hoping she'd agree and not get angry.

Joan laughed at her son's ploy. "Enough with the eyes, I get it."

Mother and son shared the laugh as Brian motioned to the sales staff at his favorite stop. They were then descended upon by a half a dozen men and women all there to please Brian fucking Kinney and his mother.

As Joan Kinney was modeling a Vera Wang for her son, Craig and Susan Taylor came into the store. Craig had an important dinner to attend and he wanted them to look perfect. Craig accidentally backed into Brian and turned to offer an apology. Craig visibly paled then backed away when he saw who he had bumped into. A low growl escaped Brian's throat.

"Son, who is that man?" Joan asked, wondering who it was that upset her son.

"No one, mom. Absolutely no one."

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