Life for Curtis seemed to be settling down. He was happy at school. Although he missed his old school, some of the memories associated with it weren't the greatest. His new school was closer to the Jason Kemp Center, so for now, it was the best place for him. With a lot of studying and hard work, Curtis was making up for lost time. Attending a short summer session was also discussed. Anything was better than going back onto the streets or back to the Hardigans.

Curtis' work at the clinic was very rewarding. Curtis had a way with the sick and frightened animals. Several of the vet techs began calling Curtis "Doctor Curtis" in part due his gentle way with the 'patients'. And that, even though Curtis was in no way related to Raphael, Curtis appeared to be so much like him.

"Can I take Matty home soon?" Curtis asked Raph with hope in his voice.

"I don't see why not but we'll have to clear it with Hunter. I'm not sure if pets are allowed there. We'll ask when he comes to pick you up tonight."

Curtis nodded and prayed Hunter would have no objections.

 

*****
 

"No! Absolutely not," Nick stated loudly.

"Why?" Hunter asked his lover. They were having dinner together, taking advantage of one of those rare nights when they were both off from work on the same night. "It's not like I'll be taking care of the thing. I don't think Curtis expects it. He'll be responsible for the littler box."

"Not good enough," Nick said as he slammed down a plate. "And where would you put it?"

"I don't know, the bathroom?"

"A communal bathroom. No!"

"I don't understand." Hunter truly had no clue. "Why are you so dead against it?"

Nick sat at the dinner table scrubbing his eyes with his hands.

"A poor choice of words," Nick muttered to himself then turned tear filled eyes toward his lover. "Baby, we've been together for how long? Almost ten years? And you've been healthy, so very healthy. We live clean and safe and we're discovering new treatments all the time. And I am so fucking lucky for the time we've had together. I will not allow anything to jeopardize that."

Nick held Hunter close, so close that the younger man was nearly sprawled across his lover's lap. Nick stood, taking Hunter along with him. Practically dragging Hunter to the kitchen then turning the burners down to low; Nick then walked his partner to the couch.

"Babe, have you ever heard of Toxoplasmosis?"

"Vaguely. A parasite that can cause birth defects."

"That's correct. Most people have been exposed and have built up a natural immunity but it can affect babies in utero. So they recommend that pregnant woman stay away from the litter box."

"Um, Nick, I'm not pregnant." Hunter tried to lighten Nick's mood. However, Nick wasn't going for it.

"But you are immune compromised. Toxoplasmosis won't give a damn that I love you more than life itself or that your dads love you. Or that you've practically single handedly cleaned up this part of town or that you've got Brian Kinney eating out of your hand. If you get infected, it could kill you. Please, Babe, no cat at the clinic."

Nick's plea struck home. Hunter hugged his lover tightly.

"Okay, I'll talk to Raph and Curtis; we'll work something out. I promise."

Nick clung to Hunter, their dinner time temporarily suspended.

 

*****
 

February in Pittsburgh was competing with December and January for the record of most snowfall and lowest temperature. Any hope for an early Spring was rapidly vanishing. But life went on.

"Hey Mikey!" Brian called out cheerfully as he entered the Comic Book Store.

"Brian!" Michael replied enthusiastically then leaned over the counter to give Brian a kiss. "What brings you here?"

"I don't know," Brian said nonchalantly as he picked up Rage and sat in one of the oversized chairs. Lacy's issue hadn't gone to print yet. Soon. "Can't I visit my oldest friend once in a while?"

"Anytime, you know that."

"I know, Mikey. But now that you mention it, there is something I wanted to discuss with you."

"If it's about Justin and his interests in Rage, our contract still stands. And Bobby did a great job negotiating for Lacy. Well, that's what Mel said, anyway. Lacy will get a nice chunk of change."

"That's nice, Mikey. She'll need it for school but that's not it. I've heard some nasty rumors and I need you to confirm or deny them for me, Michael."

"What kind of rumors?"

"The kind that says Rage and JT are dead and Zephyr is the new main man," Brian stated sternly.

"WHAT?!"

"You heard me, now I want to hear you."

Michael stepped from behind the counter to squeeze in next to Brian. "Bri, the comic is called 'Rage,' not Zephyr. And as much as I would like to see Zephyr save Gayopolis one fuck at a time, that job was always Rage's. Besides, I think there's no job better in this world than being Rage's sidekick and friend. Do you?"

Brian stared into Michael's eyes searching for the truth. Finding confirmation, Brian gave his friend a hug, then took Mikey to lunch.

 

*****
 

"Thanks for inviting me to lunch, Seth. I needed to get away from the office," Jennifer said with a sigh, as she sat down at the table where Seth was waiting for her.

"You know I always want to have lunch with you, sweet stuff," Seth said with a wink.

"Ahem," a voice said from above.

Jennifer blushed and looked up at the young man who was their waiter. "Red wine," she said decisively."

"Iced tea," Seth said with a smile.

The waiter grinned ever so slightly and went off to get their drinks.

"Are you trying to make me look like a lush?" Jennifer asked with a smile.

"Never! I haven't had the bad day you've had … obviously."

"And when did you start calling me sweet stuff?" Jennifer chuckled.

"I popped into Emmett's Place this morning. Must be the gay influence," Seth laughed.

Jennifer smiled. It wasn't every straight man who would feel comfortable in her world. Her ring of friends had changed so much since Justin had come out and Craig had left and she had got a job and Justin had got married and had Bree.

"Where did you go?" Seth asked her as the waiter set down their drinks.

"I was just thinking how lucky I am to have you," Jennifer said, reaching across to give Seth's hand a gentle squeeze.

"I'm the lucky one. I love you," Seth said seriously.

"And I love you right back. Here's to us," Jennifer said with her wine glass raised.

Seth clinked his iced tea glass against hers and they each took a sip of their drink. "I … I've been wondering when you thought you might announce your engagement to the family," Seth said rather hesitantly.

Jennifer blushed. She had been thinking that they should make some kind of announcement. "I kind of like only the two of us knowing that we're engaged … and nobody else."

"You do?" Seth asked raising an eyebrow. "Are you ashamed of me?"

"What? Of course not! I think you're the best thing that's happened to me in a very long time. I just like the secret aspect of only us knowing about the engagement. I always liked secrets … until they became too real." Jennifer looked sad and shook her head slightly.

"What is it?"

"Secrets. I think I knew for a while that Justin was gay, that is, before he finally admitted it. I guess in a way I forced him to admit it. I had found some … things that made me pretty sure he was. I wonder if we had told Craig more gradually, more gently than the way he found out, if things might have turned out differently."

"You … you don't want Craig back, do you?"

"Hell no!" Jennifer laughed. "I was thinking about Justin's relationship with his father, not my relationship with Craig. That was over and done with a very long time ago."

"I'm glad to hear that," Seth said breathing a sigh of relief. "But what's sent you down this memory lane?" The waiter arrived to take their orders. After that was completed, Seth felt he still wanted an answer to his question. "Are you worried about what Justin and Molly are going to say about our engagement?"

"No, sweet stuff," Jennifer whispered, patting his hand once again. "I think they'll be over the moon for me."

"Then what is it?" Seth asked.

Jennifer sighed. "I don't want a big fuss."

"A fuss? Don't most women want everyone to ooh and aah? We still have to get you a ring by the way."

"In case you haven't noticed, I'm not most women."

"I noticed all right," Seth replied with another wink.

"Good, then you must have noticed that I try to stay in the background."

"Until something peaks your interest or gets you riled up."

Jennifer laughed and took another sip of her wine. "I knew there was a reason I wanted to have lunch with you. You always cheer me up, and you're absolutely right about things that are important to me … like you."

"I still get the feeling you're skirting around something. Tell me what's going on."

"You’ve met Brian … and the others," she began.

"Yes, and I like them. What's the problem?"

"I can see Brian and Justin trying to throw a big engagement party and who knows what they'll want to do for the wedding. It's all too much."

"They haven't done anything yet," Seth said reasonably. "They don't even know about the engagement … and you're worried about the wedding?"

"I guess I'm anticipating the worst."

"Would it be so bad if we had a big engagement party and wedding? I think I might like it."

"We just got over Molly's wedding."

"Yeah, I don't know all the details, but I understand it was quite something leading up to it."

"And you saw all the drama of the actual day."

"I seem to remember having a hand in some of your anxiety."

"Yes, you did, but you redeemed yourself later."

Seth smiled. "That's good to know."

"Would you really like a big engagement party?" Jennifer asked.

"I wouldn’t mind. I'm kind of proud that I've nabbed the sexiest lady in town."

Jennifer felt the color rise in her cheeks. "You are such a sweet talker," she cooed.

"That's why you love me."

"Among many other reasons," Jennifer said softly.

"I know. Let's beat them to the punch," Seth said suddenly as the waiter set down their plates.

"What do you mean?"

"Let's get Emmett to throw us the engagement party of the century."

"What? Are you crazy?" Jennifer asked appalled.

"Yes, crazy in love with you … and I want everybody to know it."

"Didn't I just say that I wanted to stay in the background?" Jennifer asked with a slight edge to her voice.

"How can you be in the background when you're the bride-to-be? You're going to be in the forefront, and I say, let's do it up proud."

"Do you really want this?" Jennifer asked.

"I do, but only if you want it too. It's your call."

Jennifer started to pick at her salad as she thought about what Seth had said. The idea of a pre-emptive strike appealed to her. She could invite only the people she wanted. She didn’t have to have any of her old "friends" who had abandoned her after Craig left. Or maybe she would invite them and show them the wonderful man she had found. They would be green with envy. A small smile started to play around the corners of her mouth.

Seth watched Jennifer's face as she ate some of her salad. He could see the wheels turning. He had learned to let her think things through once he had made his point. There was never anything gained by trying to pressure her or oversell what he was proposing. That's part of the reason he had waited so long to propose. He had been ready to do that the first week they were together. Patience had its virtues. He watched the little smile grace Jennifer's beautiful face. "What are you smiling at?" Seth asked hoping the answer would be a positive one.

"I can see some advantages to a big engagement party that we throw," Jennifer said slowly. "I was thinking about who I might invite."

"You can invite whoever you like and leave out the ones you don't want. Would Craig and Susan be on the guest list?" he asked with a wicked grin.

"Maybe," Jennifer admitted. She wouldn't mind Craig seeing her in her moment of triumph. "Yes, this engagement party idea has some merit."

"Shouldn’t we tell your son and daughter first?" Seth asked with a chuckle.

"I guess so," Jennifer said. "Come over tonight and we can call them."

"Shouldn't we do it in person?" Seth asked.

"You're right," Jennifer agreed. "Let's invite them for dinner. We can make the big announcement then."

"Sounds like a good idea. I'm going to speak to Emmett about some possible venues for our party."

"Don't jump the gun," Jennifer smiled. But some part of her was very pleased with Seth's enthusiasm.

"I'll just feel him out."

"Nothing would please Emmett more," Jennifer laughed as she immediately heard the double entendre of Seth's words.