Where I Belong

The Meeting

The next evening, O' Connell's Bar and Grill was busy, as it had been the night before. When Brian walked in the front door, he smiled as he saw the same pretty young lady that greeted him the last time.

"Hello, Katie," Brian said giving her one of his charming smiles.

"Good memory, Mr. Kinney," she said smiling back. Brian raised his right brow, surprised that she knew his name as well. "Can I show you to a table or are you planning to sit at the bar again?" she asked.

"Uh, I was actually wondering if Mr. Jenson was available?" Brian asked. Katie nodded at him.

"Yes. He's been expecting you. He's in his office. Why don't you order a drink at the bar and wait for him. I'll tell him you're here," she said.

"Thanks, I'd appreciate that," Brian told her. He walked into the bar area, and found himself seeking out the handsome blond bartender. He smiled as he saw the man in question running around, busily delivering drinks and collecting money from the customers. Brian found an empty barstool and sat, waiting for the blond to notice him. After a few minutes, he was rewarded with a beautiful smile, as the bartender finally saw him, and walked over to where he was seated.

Justin smiled at Brian, noting how incredible the brunet looked in his navy blue suit.

"Persistent," Justin said with a smirk.

"You have no idea," Brian winked.

"You're certainly dressed for the part. You look sharp," Justin said, impressed.

"Actually, I just got off work. I had a late meeting and just came straight over here afterward," Brian explained. Justin nodded.

"Can I get you a drink, Mr. Kinney?" Justin asked.

"Jim Beam," Brian told him. Justin nodded. "And you can call me Brian," he told the blond. Justin arched a brow at the brunet. "Actually, we were never really formally introduced last night," he pointed out.

"I'm Justin," he replied with a smile, and poured the shot into a glass and set it in front of the brunet. Brian reached in his back pocket for his wallet to pay, but Justin stopped him.

"No, it's on the house," Justin told him. Brian gave him a confused look.

"And why is that?" Brian asked.

"Compliments of the owner," Justin replied and then walked away to collect the empty beer bottles and glasses on the bar and refill drinks for the customers. Brian shrugged and downed the burning liquid. He watched the blond as he skillfully worked. He was amazed at Justin's ability to be quick, yet graceful as he multi tasked. He had a radiant smile and was pleasant with the customers as well, which Brian guessed helped pull in big tips for the young man.

"Mr. Kinney?" a man's voice asked behind him, almost startling him as he was brought out of his thoughts. Brian turned around to see a man his own height, hazel green eyes and salt and pepper hair, giving him a warm and polite smile. It took everything in him to remain cool, calm and collected as he came face to face with his biological father for the first time. He nervously smiled at the man, trying to put on his everyday confident face. He immediately stood up from his seat and reached out to shake the man's hand.

"Mr. Jenson?" Brian replied, amazed that his voice box worked. Daniel Jenson accepted Brian's hand, giving it a firm shake.

"What can I do for you?" Daniel asked. Brian quickly glanced around the busy bar and then back at Daniel.

"Would it be possible to talk in a place more reserved?" Brian requested. Daniel smiled and nodded his head and started walking, motioning for Brian to follow him.

"Yeah, sure. My office is just this way. To be honest, though, it's a bit of a mess at the moment, and I thought I could get away with talking to you at the bar," Daniel admitted. Brian chuckled at that.

"No big deal. This won't take up too much of your time," he told the man.

Daniel opened the door to the medium sized office space, motioning for Brian to take a seat in one of the chairs opposite of his desk, which was covered in papers, receipts and files. Brian looked around the room, some unusual things catching his eye. There was a small table with a few toys, crayons and books on it. Also, there were some spread out sheets of paper of colorful stick figured drawings. Against the wall, stood a TV stand with a small television and VCR; a few Disney videos sitting on top of it.

"Sorry about the mess, I tried to warn you. My son had to drop off my granddaughter this afternoon because he couldn't get a babysitter, so guess who lucked out?" Daniel laughed. Brian nodded and smiled, trying not to dwell too much on the fact that he had a half brother and niece that he never knew about them until right then.

"It's okay, I don't mind," Brian replied.

"She's a delight, that one. I just love her to death. I keep this stuff in my office to keep her occupied on days like today. We've been so busy though that I haven't had a chance to clean up."

"Really, it's no problem. I... think it's very nice of you to have all this stuff here for her," Brian said.

"That's my Elena, right over there," Daniel said, pointing to a picture of a little girl, about 5 years old, with dark long hair and brown eyes. It was then that Brian noticed that it was only one of many pictures spread throughout the office of whom he assumed were Daniel's family - his family too. Then one picture in particular caught his eye. It was Justin, the bartender, and another boy with light brown hair, huddled together and smiling, both wearing a blue cap and gown. 'Oh, shit. Oh God. Is he my brother?' Brian cursed to himself, starting to feel ill at the thought of him lusting after his own sibling.

"Do you have any kids, Mr. Kinney?" Daniel asked. Brian turned his attention back to the man.

"Please, call me Brian. Yeah, I have a son. He just turned 8 months," Brian said.

"How wonderful," Daniel said, and smiled genuinely. "Children really do make life worth everything. My family means the world to me."

Brian shifted in his chair uncomfortably. He hadn't expected this to be so hard. This man, his father, had a family. They had all lived their happy lives without him, unaware of his existence, and had been just fine. He was starting to think it was a very bad idea, being there. He had no idea what to say or do, now.

"I'm sorry, I don't mean to ramble on and talk your ear off. I'll let you tell me why you're here," Daniel said.

"I um... well, actually, Mr. Jenson..."

"Daniel."

"Daniel... I think that maybe I made a mistake..." Brian started to say, even though he knew it sounded lame.

"Mistake? You're an ad man looking for some business, are you not?" Daniel asked Brian with a confused look.

"Well, yes, that's true. But see, I just landed a new account, and I'm afraid I won't have enough time to devote to you and your business adequately if I take you on as a new client. I do apologize for taking up your time, sir," Brian said, standing up.

Daniel stood up as well, and frowned. Something wasn't right. He had always been good at detecting liars, and this man in front of him, this Brian Kinney, was not telling him the truth. He had known many ad executives, and he knew that if they thought it would bring them in a good chunk of change, they would MAKE time for a client. It made Daniel nervous not knowing what this man was really doing there. Whatever the reason, he didn't think he was dangerous. In fact, he noted that Brian looked nervous and maybe even terrified at that moment; as if he wanted to run out of there as fast as he could.

"Now, just hold on a second. Would you mind sitting back down please, and telling me exactly what you're doing here, Brian? Because something tells me that you sure as Hell didn't come here for the reason you claim," Daniel said, wanting to get down to the bottom of things.

Brian swallowed hard and his heart started racing. 'He's onto me. He knows who I am and why I'm here,' he thought.

The room seemed like it was closing in on him, and he started to panic. He had been rejected all his life by his uncaring family, and it was possible that it would happen again right now. Daniel could yell at him and tell him to get out of his life. He could say he didn't want Brian to know him or the rest of his family.

Daniel saw the distress of the younger man, and the expression on his own face softened. "Whoa, just take a few breathes. Have a seat, Brian," Daniel said in a calmer, gentler, voice. Brian nodded and did as Daniel asked and then took his advice and started breathing deeply to calm himself. After a few minutes, he looked up to see Daniel staring at him patiently.

"You, okay, Son?" he asked, unknowing making Brian flinch at his choice of words.

"I'm fine... thanks," Brian said quietly, embarrassed that he freaked out. He was usually so good at keeping himself together. He guessed this man probably thought he was a loon.

Daniel observed Brian carefully. He watched as Brian brought his hand up to his face and pinched the bridge of his nose, and that is when he saw it. The sight of the cowry shell bracelet that Brian had on his wrist made Daniel's breath catch in his throat.

"Oh, my God," Daniel said just above a whisper, his eyes staring at the bracelet. Brian looked at him questioningly, seeing the shocked look on his face, and his eyes glued to his wrist.

"You are Joan's son, aren't you?" Daniel asked. Brian looked at Daniel in surprise and then slowly nodded his head.

"How did you know?" Brian asked.

"The bracelet. I'd know it anywhere. I gave that to your mother. I bought it in Mexico, Gosh, it must have been about 30 years ago. She loved that thing. She had it on the last time I saw her," Daniel said, still in a daze.

Brian looked at the bracelet and ran his fingers over the smooth shells. He'd worn that bracelet ever since he was a boy. It was the only real gift his mother had given him. Joan had told him that that bracelet was a very special gift from someone she cared about, and she wanted him to have it. He had felt so honored that she wanted to give him something that had meant so much to her.

"Does this visit of yours have something to do with Joan?" Daniel asked.

"Well... yes, I'm here because of something she told me," Brian said quietly.

"I don't understand --"

"She said that you're my father," Brian suddenly blurted out, not wanting to drag it out any longer. Daniel looked at Brian with complete and utter shock.

"What?"

"Are you really going to make me say it again?" Brian asked.

"But.. how? I mean, can it be true? Why didn't she ever..." Daniel said, not knowing what to do or say about the situation.

"I think maybe I should go," Brian said, standing up and going to the door.

"No! Don't leave. I'm sorry, this is just so much to take in. I just need a few minutes to get it sorted out in my head. Please, stay," Daniel insisted.

Brian nodded his head, but did not sit back down. He remained standing, leaning with all his weight against the door. The hardest part was over, but it didn't mean that there wouldn't be more to come. He wanted to be close to the exit in case it all went to shit. At that moment though, he was full of relief that the man hadn't yet yelled at him or accused him of lying. After a few minutes of awkward silence, Brian decided to say something.

"Look, Daniel. I want to just make a few things clear," Brian told him. Daniel looked up at his son to give him his full attention. "I don't want anything from you. Obviously, I'm in advertising and make a good living, so I don't need any money. I'm not here to yell at you for not being around as I grew up. My mother told me that she lied to you. There was no way you could have known about me. I'm not here to harass you or anything like that."

"So, why are you here, Brian? There has to be a reason," Daniel said, looking at him carefully.

"Because... well, I 'm not entirely sure why I'm here. The story goes like this. The man who I thought was my father all these years recently died. Joan told me that same day that I wasn't Jack's biological son. She told me that she met you and that you two fell in love. When she found out she was pregnant with me she had to end things with you not only because she was married to Jack, but because of her religion and her fear of being disowned from her family by having another man's baby. So, she admitted to you she was married and ended the relationship, and told Jack she was pregnant with his son, and then we all lived miserably ever after. The end," Brian scoffed.

Daniel frowned. 'Miserably ever after?' he thought. Brian saw the look of confusion on the man's face.

"I don't really want to get into that though. The point is, I wanted to find and meet you because you had a right to know, just as I did. We've lived 29 years not knowing that the other even existed. I just thought I should tell you," Brian said. He watched his father's face carefully to see what his reaction would be. He was a bit surprised to see the man start to smile warmly at him.

"Well," Daniel started to say, and then he felt himself get choked up. He stood up and walked towards Brian. "Stand up straight and let me have a look at you," Daniel said with glassy eyes. Brian released the breath that he unconsciously had been holding and smiled back at his father. He reluctantly stepped forward and away from the door and stood up straight. Suddenly he felt Daniel take him into a tight hug, and was surprised at himself as he clung to this stranger as if his life depended on it, feeling his own tears fill his eyes. It seemed as if they stood like that for hours when in fact it was only a few minutes.

They finally pulled away from one another, their faces damp and flushed. Daniel wiped the wetness from his face with his hands and then smiled again.

"You're a handsome guy, I should have known who you were the moment I saw you," Daniel joked. Brian laughed, wiping his own face. He wasn't sure what he felt at the moment, but he had such a good feeling about it all. Any uncertain or regretful feelings he felt began to melt away.

"You're in a for a treat," Daniel told him. Brian looked at Daniel questioningly. "Brian, these people," Daniel pointed, referring to the people in the pictures all over the office. "All of these people are your family," he told him.

Brian smiled and nodded. He walked around and looked at the pictures more carefully. For some reason when he had been focused on meeting his father before, the thought that he may have had brothers and sisters or any other family didn't occur to him.

"And the hostess, Katie, is your sister," Daniel told him. Brian smiled at that. The beautiful young girl from the front was his sister. He actually had a sister who was beautiful that he could see himself actually getting along with, unlike that cunt, Claire.

"And um, Justin? He's my brother too?" Brian asked, hoping he was wrong.

"Well, in a way, yes, he is. My wife, Alice and I adopted him when he was just a young teen. He was having a pretty rough home life and so we took him in. We love him like our own son, though," Daniel explained.

Brian was ecstatic. Not only was he relieved that he wasn't lusting and having impure thoughts about his own brother, but it made him happy that this man -- his father, cared enough about Justin to take him into his home and raise him like his own son because of his problems at home; kind of like what Debbie had done for him. That spoke volumes about what kind of person Daniel was. And if the whole family was just as accepting, then that meant they were probably all genuinely good people. Then the thought crossed his mind. 'Will they all accept me into their family? Do I even want to be accepted into a new family?'

"They will love you," Daniel said, as if reading Brian's mind. "I only ask this. Let me tell them on my own first. Then I will invite you to the house to meet everyone. Does that sound okay?" Daniel asked. Brian nodded his head slowly. "Oh, my! I just realized I have a new grandson!" Daniel said excitedly. "I can't wait to meet your wife and son," he said hugging Brian again. Brian's body stiffened at that. He still had one more thing to tell dear old Dad. He really hoped that he wasn't a homophobe.

"Actually, I'm not married. I was doing a favor for my best friend, Lindsay and her partner," Brian explained.

"That was very commendable of you," Daniel said.

"Well, while we're getting everything out in the open here, I might as well tell you right now that I'm gay," Brian told him and waited for a reaction.

"Well that explains why you were giving Justin the eye while sitting at the bar," Daniel smirked. Brian was never one to get embarrassed, but at that moment he felt himself flush red.

"No need to worry about whether or not your sexuality would bother anyone in this family. Alice and I are actively involved in PFLAG, and you also happen to have a gay sibling. You see, Katie has a twin brother, Ryan, who is also gay. He met Justin in school, and they became fast friends having more than a few things in common. It's a long story, and one I should let Justin tell you, if you're interested."

Brian's head was spinning. This was all so much to take in. He unconsciously ran his fingers through his hair and sighed.

"It's all a bit overwhelming, isn't it?" Daniel said, resting his hand on Brian's shoulder for comfort.

Brian nodded. "Yeah," he admitted with a weak smile.

"I agree, but..." Daniel paused, and Brian looked into his eyes. "I'm so glad you're here," he finished. Brian smiled, and let his father pull him into another hug. He wondered if that happened a lot in their family. This man seemed to have such love and affection for people he cared about. Brian was unfamiliar with that. He wasn't used to any kind of affection. The closest he had to that was what he had with his best friend, Michael. In Brian's eyes, to be affectionate with someone required trust, and he trusted very few people in his life. He wondered just what was in store for him with his new family.

"I should get going," Brian said. Daniel nodded. Brian took out one of his business cards and handed it to him. "My home phone as well as my cell number is on that card," he told him.

"I'll be in touch. Expect a call soon. The family is supposed to be over for dinner this Friday. I can tell them all then. I have feeling they will want to meet you sooner than later," Daniel said with an assuring smile.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Justin turned his key inside the lock to the Jenson's home and walked in. He had just got off from work. Usually, when he got off this late he went straight to his little "apartment" over the garage after work and went to bed, but tonight he hadn't had time to eat and wondered if there were any leftovers from dinner in the fridge in the house.

Most of the lights in the house were off; it was late, after all. The bar inside the restaurant stayed open until 2:00am, and Justin had closed tonight. He made his way to the kitchen and was surprised to see Daniel sitting at the table eating a piece of cherry pie.

"Hey, Danny, what are you doing up?" Justin asked the man.

"Oh, I just couldn't sleep, is all," Daniel replied, taking a sip from the coffee cup in front of him.

"I'm sure that's helping," Justin smirked, pointing at the coffee.

"Believe it or not this is decaf . I just wanted something warm to go with the pie."

Justin nodded giving the man a knowing look, and walked to the fridge. "I'm starving," he groaned.

"Oh, uh, Katie ordered pizza for dinner. There's plenty left over if you want some. She said she knew you'd probably be hungry when you got home, so she ordered an extra one. She knows how much you eat," Daniel chuckled.

Justin's eyes went wide at the site of the pizza box and he immediately took it out of the fridge and got out a plate from the cupboard.

"I love that girl," Justin said, putting 3 big slices of the pepperoni, sausage and jalapeño pizza onto a plate and placing it into the microwave to heat up. He got a beer out of the fridge and sat down at the table.

"You two are crazy, you know that? I tried a piece of your pizza and my tongue went numb!"

Justin laughed. "Mmm, the hotter the better! That just leaves more for us!"

As Justin ate his heated food, he noticed the spaced out look on Daniel's face and he frowned. He knew that face.

"So what's wrong?" Justin asked.

Daniel looked at him and smiled. "Nothing is wrong. In fact, things are great. It's just been a long day," he replied.

Justin looked at him suspiciously. "Okay, fine. You don't have to tell me what's going on. But just know that I know that you're thinking about something, and it's important. So if you change your mind and want to tell me about it, I'm all ears," he said, and took a sip of his beer.

"What gives me away?" Daniel asked.

"Well, numerous things, but first of all, we all know that you only have trouble sleeping when you have a lot on your mind. Next clue? You're seeking out sugar after 2:00am, behavior that is a sure tell sign that something is going on."

"I guess you know me pretty well," Daniel chuckled. Justin smiled and then remained silent, waiting for Daniel to start talking. 5...4...3...2...

"Okay, there's something going on," Daniel admitted. Justin almost laughed out loud at how predictable his adopted father was. "Something has come to my attention, and it's big," Daniel told him. Justin was definitely intrigued, and sat up straighter in his chair.

"Okay, first let me ask - is this a good something or a bad something?" Justin asked nervously.

"It's good. It has to do with the gentleman that came to see me today..."

"Brian? Was he actually able to convince you to let him do some ads? Wow, he IS good," Justin smirked, finishing off his pizza.

Daniel had never done any exclusive advertising for his restaurant. The place had been there for years - hell, Daniel worked there as a waiter when he was just 15 years old, when his grandfather had owned it. Patrick O' Connell hated commercialism, and liked the fact that people came to his place to enjoy great atmosphere, friendly people and delicious food; Irish recipes that had been passed down from generation to generation. Most of their business came from word of mouth, and usually when people came to O' Connell's once, they would come back with friends or family. That was the way he liked it. Daniel, out of respect for his grandfather, and the family business tradition, liked to carry on that way.

"No, that's not exactly the reason he came to see me," Daniel said. Justin furrowed his brows.

"What? Well then why was he there?"

"Can I trust you to keep a secret?"

"Sure, just like everyone else in this family can," Justin joked.

"I mean it, Justin. It's really important."

"Jesus, you're scaring me, Danny. I promise not to tell anyone," Justin told him, the anticipation getting to him.

Daniel sighed. "Brian... he told me that he's my son," Daniel said in a low voice. Justin's eyes almost popped out of their sockets.

"What? Is he sure?" Justin whispered loudly so his voice wouldn't be loud enough for anyone to hear him. Daniel nodded. "Oh, my God. Wait, how do you know he's not just trying to scam you for some money or try to take over the restaurant?" Justin asked, his overprotective side taking over.

"He actually brought that up. He said that he didn't want anything from me - just that he recently found out the truth and he thought that I had a right to know. He was very nervous, the poor guy. I almost had to strap him down to the chair to keep him from running out the door."

"So, what are you going to do?" Justin asked.

"Well, first I want to tell Alice. I think she deserves to know before everyone else. The only reason I didn't tell her tonight is because she was asleep when I got home, and I didn't want to wake her. It just so happened that you showed up and got to be first in line for the news."

"Don't worry, I won't let on that I knew first," Justin told him.

"I appreciate that. I want to tell the family on Friday night when everyone comes to dinner. I thought that would be a good time to tell them. Then, when everyone feels ready, I'd like to invite Brian over here to meet the family."

"Wow," Justin whispered. "You weren't kidding. This IS big. No wonder you can't sleep and you're down here eating pie at 2 in the morning," Justin said. He got up out of his chair and walked over to Daniel and leaned down to hug him.

"Yeah.... wow," Daniel sighed, hugging his adopted son back tightly.