Title: Family Matters 1/?
Author: Erin
Bunny: Esther (qaffanfictionprojects)
Homepage: Myspace.
Version: US
Pairing: Brian/Justin
Genre: Alternate Universe
Rating: NC-17
Summary: Gus never knew Brian, because Melanie didn't want him to. On his 18th birthday, he goes to Pittsburgh in search of his father, to find out why he never wanted him. Brian's living with Justin, and is pretty happy, but is constantly bothered by Melanie's attempts to keep him out of his son's life. He plans to change all that once Gus turns 18.
Warnings: None
Spoilers: None
Disclaimer: I am not affiliated, in any way, with Showtime, Gale Harold, or Randy Harrison. This is a work of FICTION - none of these events have ever taken place - they all reside in my pretty little fiction world.
Author's Notes: I want to thank Lynn (1x2foralways) and Jess (xocydcharisseox) for being my betas for this one.

Prologue

“You’re not going, Gus, and that’s final!” Melanie Marcus yelled at her son.

“Mom … I’m almost 18 years old. You can’t tell me what I can and can’t do anymore! Next month, whether you like it or not, I’m going to Pittsburgh!” Gus yelled back, going into his room and slamming the door. Melanie sighed, shaking her head. She sat down on the couch and ran her hands over her face. Sitting back on the couch, she mentally re-visited the past 18 years.

Her partner, Lindsay Peterson, and she had been together for six years. Lindsay decided that she wanted to have a baby, and Melanie agreed. Lindsay was very adamant about having her longtime male friend, Brian Kinney, be the father, even though Melanie hated him. But, Melanie agreed to let Brian father the child, because it was what Lindsay wanted, and it would make Lindsay happy.

So, Gus was born. Gus … she still couldn’t get over that name. Brian’s little trick-of-the-night had decided on that name. Whatever … what’s done is done. The first six to eight months of Gus’ life, Melanie still had not been named a guardian. Brian still had not given up his rights. Finally, Lindsay convinced him to sign the rights over to Melanie. Melanie was grateful that Brian gave her the rights, but she still hated him.

About a year after Gus was born, Lindsay was involved in a fatal car accident, killing her. The next month, Melanie moved herself and Gus to Canada. Brian tried constantly to get in touch with Melanie so he could see Gus, but Melanie would not let him. She said Brian had no rights to Gus, and she didn’t want Brian to have anything to do with Gus’ upbringing.

As Gus grew up, Melanie lied, telling him that Brian never wanted anything to do with him. So, at 17, almost 18, Gus wanted to go to Pittsburgh to find Brian Kinney and ask why.

Melanie sighed, looking at Gus’ closed bedroom door.

“I could really use some divine intervention, here, Linds,” she whispered, shaking her head and going into the kitchen to make dinner.

-----

Brian Kinney opened his front door, dropping his briefcase and taking off his jacket.

“Papa! Papa!” he heard the excited voice approaching and smiled when he saw the little girl running towards him, blonde curls bouncing. He leaned down, catching her and picking her up.

“Hey Munchkin,” he said, kissing her cheek and carrying her further into the house. “Where’s Daddy?” he asked her.

“In the kitchen,” she said, hugging Brian around the neck. Brian headed into the kitchen.

“Alex, honey, who’re you talking to?” Brian heard the voice of his husband, Justin Taylor, ask. He entered the kitchen.

“It’s Papa, Daddy. He’s home from workin’,” Alex said, squirming in Brian’s arms. “Papa, put me down, please,” she said. Brian put her down and she ran off into the playroom. Brian laughed, shaking his head.

“You’re lucky she came out of there long enough to say hello to you. She’s been in there all day playing with her Barbies,” Justin smiled, stirring the pot of something on the stove. Brian smiled, going over to him.

“Well, it was your idea to buy her Barbies,” he reminded Justin, who rolled his eyes. “Whatcha cookin’? It smells good,” Brian said, peeking into the pots.

“Spaghetti. How was work?”

“Work was work. Glad to be home,” Brian smiled, giving Justin a kiss.

“Mmm … go upstairs and change … dinner will be ready in about fifteen minutes,” Justin said, going back to the pans. Brian smiled, going up the stairs and into his and Justin’s room. While he changed, his mind ran over the past few years.

He and Justin had been together for almost 18 years. About 8 years ago, on their tenth anniversary, they had a commitment ceremony and exchanged rings. They moved out of the loft and into a nice house.

A little over three years later, Justin asked Brian about having a baby. It caught Brian off-guard, and it took him six months to agree. But he did agree, and Justin asked Daphne to mother their child. She agreed, and a little more than nine months later, Alexis Jennifer Taylor-Kinney was born.

Alex was now almost five, and Brian was finally happy. There was one thing that still bothered him. His son. Brian went to his bedside table and pulled open the drawer. There was a framed picture in the back from almost 18 years ago. It was of the night his son was born, a picture of Brian holding Gus. Brian ran his finger over the picture.

He tried for years after Melanie left to get ahold of her. She wouldn’t let him see his son. He even went as far as to go to Toronto and knock on the front door, but she refused to let him inside. He didn’t want to scare Gus and make him think that Brian was a scary man, so he left. He regrets that now. He came back to Pittsburgh. But, so that Gus knew that he existed, he sent a check monthly. He knew they were being put into the bank, but he didn’t know if Gus ever saw them. He also set up a college fund for Gus, and added to it monthly since the day Gus was born. He planned on giving it to him on Gus’ 18th birthday. He, Justin, and Alex had planned a trip to Toronto for Gus’ birthday, and he would see his son. He didn’t care if Melanie had to arrest him.

“Brian! Dinner!” Justin called from the bottom of the stairs, pulling him out of his thoughts.

“I’ll be right down!” he called, putting the picture back in the drawer. Looking down at it, he sighed. “Soon, sonnyboy. I promise,” he said, closing the drawer and heading downstairs.

Chapter One

Brian laid back on his bed, looking at that picture of Gus from his bedside table. He glanced up at the door when he heard Justin come in.

"She's down," Justin said, going over to the dresser and getting undressed, pulling on a pair of pajama pants. He came over to the bed and got in next to Brian. Brian leaned over the bed, putting the picture away and shutting off the light, laying back and opening his arms. He smiled when Justin migrated into them, and wrapped them around the blond. Justin rested his head on Brian's chest.

"I'm sorry I was so out of things today … I had a lot on my mind," Brian said, reaching up and running his hand through Justin's hair.

"Don't worry about it, Bri. I know that these next few weeks are going to be really tense for you. Just remember that I'm here, okay?" Justin said, looking up at him.

"I'm just nervous about seeing him. I mean, what if he doesn't want to see me? God only knows what kind of shit Mel's been putting into his head," Brian said.

"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it. Brian, Gus is a big boy now. He's not the baby that he was the last time you saw him. He's almost 18. I think he's old enough to make his own decisions," Justin rationalized.

"Yeah, what if he decides not to see me?"

"I'm sure he's got lots of questions about why you were never in his life, Brian. I'm sure he won't refuse to see you," Justin said, laying his head back down. Brian put a finger under Justin's chin, forcing him to look at him. He leaned down, placing a gentle kiss on Justin's lips.

"When did you get so smart?" Brian asked, a small smile on his lips.

"I learned from the best," Justin smiled, laying his head back down on Brian's chest, snuggling in close. "Now, go to sleep. You can worry more in the morning," Justin teased.

"You know … he graduated from high school last week. I can't believe I missed all those years in his life. I should have fought Mel harder-" Brian started, but was cut off by Justin.

"And do what, Brian? Technically, you have no rights to him. Melanie could have had you arrested or put some kind of a restraining order on you. Not to mention, you could have scared Gus. I think 18's a good age, Bri. He's old enough to understand," Justin said. Brian sighed, nodding.

"I guess you're right," he said.

"Of course I am. Now, get some sleep, okay? Don't stay up all night beating yourself up," Justin ordered. Brian chuckled quietly, closing his eyes and falling asleep.

-----

Gus sat in his bedroom on top of his bed, glancing at the many pictures of himself and his mother that stared up at him from his bedspread. He sighed, pushing them off the bed and onto the floor. He got off his bed and grabbed a bag from his closet. He threw a good amount of clothes and other things he'd need into the bag. He tip-toed past his mom's room and into her office. He opened up the safe where she kept his birth certificate, taking it. He headed downstairs into the kitchen, grabbing a notepad out of the drawer by the phone and scribbling a note to his mom. Grabbing his car keys, he went outside, getting into his car. As he started the car, he took a final look at his home, backing out of the driveway. He pulled out his cell phone, dialing his best friend Jeff's number.

"What?" came the sleepy answer.

"Jeff? It's Gus," Gus said, driving down the street.

"Gus? What the fuck is wrong with you, asshole? It's fucking … 3am ! I was having a really great dream about fucking Gale Harold," Jeff complained. Gus laughed, shaking his head.

"I know what time it is, Jeff. Look, I just did it. I left home."

"No shit!" Jeff sounded more awake now. "You really did it? Why didn't you tell me that you were going to do it today?"

"I didn't know it was going to be today. I was just sitting in my room, and I decided that it was time."

"Wow … where are you going?"

"Pittsburgh . I'm gonna find my dad. Find out why he didn't want me."

"How the fuck are you gonna get to Pittsburgh ?"

"My mom's been hiding these checks that have been coming for me monthly. I accidentally opened the envelope once. Since then, I noticed that once a month, the same envelope comes. But the check was made out to me. I found out mom's been putting them into the bank. So I got the account info, and went and had a debit card made," Gus explained.

"Holy shit. Where are the checks coming from?"

"I'm guessing my dad. I didn't get a good enough look at the check before mom came home.

"Maybe he feels guilty about abandoning you. Maybe he's not such a bad guy after all," Jeff suggested.

"Whatever … I don't want to think about that right now. All I care about is getting to Pittsburgh," Gus said. He bit his lip. "Hey, Jeff? I have a favor to ask you."

"Honey, I'm already on my front lawn with a bag packed. Birth certificate and all. It's fucking cold out here … hurry your ass up."

-----

Melanie rolled over and smacked her alarm. She laid back in her bed and stared at the ceiling. She had a strange feeling in her gut. Like something wasn't right. Getting out of bed, she went down the hall to Gus' room. She knocked.

"Gus? Are you awake?" she asked. When she got no response, she opened the door, surprised to see the empty room. She noticed the pictures of her and Gus on the floor. Turning around, she ran down the stairs and flung open the front door. Gus' car was gone. Panicking, she ran to the phone to call his cell. That's when she noticed the note.

Mom,

I know that I left a lot earlier than I had planned, but the time just felt right. Don't worry about me, I'm a big boy … I can take care of myself. I found out about that bank account that you were putting money into … so don't worry, I'm not broke. I hope you're not angry … but I just have to go to Pittsburgh … I just have to know. I have my cell phone, you can call it. But, please don't call my dad and tell him. I think the element of surprise is much better. I'll be fine, stop worrying. I love you, mom. Whatever happens, remember that.

Love, Gus.

Melanie read and reread the note. She picked up the phone, dialing Gus' cell phone number.

"Mom … I was wondering how long it'd take you to call me," was Gus' answer.

"Augustus Peterson-Marcus! How could you just leave like that? Do you have any idea how worried I am right now?" Melanie yelled.

"Mom, calm down … I'm fine!"

"Gus … what …"

"I'm going to Pittsburgh , mom, okay? I just … I have to know this, okay? I have to talk to him. Find out why he never wanted me, and get some closure."

"But, you can call him from here and do that, Gus."

"But that's not the same, mom. Don't worry about me, okay? Jeff's with me … we'll be fine," Gus assured Melanie. Melanie sighed, sitting down at a table.

"Okay … you're definitely his kid, you're stubborn like hell. Just … remember that I love you, Gus, okay?" Melanie said.

"I know, mom. I love you, too. Now, I'm gonna get some sleep, and Jeff's gonna drive, so I'll talk to you later, okay?"

"Okay … be careful. And call if you need anything," Melanie said. She heard Gus' okay before he hung up. She sat there, holding the phone for a few moments.

"Oh, Gus. I hope you don't hate me when this is all over with," she said out loud to her empty house.

Chapter Two

Brian sat, staring at his computer screen in his office at Kinnetic with unseeing eyes. The sound of someone clearing their throat in his doorway brought him out of his trance. He glanced at the door.

“Cynthia, what’s up?” he asked. Cynthia shrugged.

“You tell me,” she said, coming into the office and sitting on the edge of his desk. “You’ve been out of it for days,” she noted, crossing her arms. “Is everything okay?” she asked. Brian sighed, running his hand over his face.

“I don’t know,” he said. Cynthia had a worried look on her face.

“Did something happen with you and Justin?” she asked. Brian shook his head.

“No … nothing like that,” he said.

“Then what’s going on? Is Alex sick?” she asked. Brian shook his head. “Brian, have I ever given you a reason not to trust me? Come on, I’ve worked with you for like 25 years.”

“Gus’ birthday is next week,” he said.

“Ohhh,” she said, drawing out the word. Brian nodded. “How old is he going to be again?” she asked.

“18.”

“Holy shit. That’s yours and Justin’s anniversary, too, isn’t it?” she asked. Brian nodded.

“Yeah, we’ve been together for 18 years,” he said. Cynthia smiled, shaking her head.

“If someone would have told me 18 years ago that those words would be coming out of your mouth, I would have laughed my ass off,” she said. Brian laughed.

“Yeah, you and me both,” he said. Cynthia smiled.

“So … what are you doing for your anniversary?”

“Going to Toronto.”

“You are? Brian … do you think that’s a good idea?”

“I don’t know. But I know that if I don’t at least try to see him, I’ll regret it for the rest of my life,” he said. Cynthia smiled.

“Well, I’ll clear your schedule next week through the month,” she said. Brian smiled.

“Thanks, Cyn. I appreciate it,” he told her with a genuine smile. She nodded and got up.

“No problem, Boss. It’s what I’m here for,” she smiled, leaving the office.

-----

Gus glanced down at the address on the paper. He got it from his mom’s address book. He looked at the building in front of him.

“This is where your dad lives?” Jeff asked. Gus nodded.

“Uh … I guess so. This is the building on Tremont Street,” Gus got out of the car and took a deep breath. He pushed the buzzer for the sixth floor and waited. Nothing. He glanced over at Jeff who was still in the car and shrugged. Jeff got out of the car and came over to Gus.

“Maybe he’s not home,” Jeff suggested. Gus shrugged again. They both moved aside when someone came outside. Gus stopped the door before it closed and they went upstairs. Once Gus got to the door, he knocked. Nothing. He turned to Jeff and tried the door. To his surprise, it slid open. Going inside, he looked around. The loft was completely empty. Gus frowned.

“He’s not here,” he said. Jeff looked around.

“It doesn’t look like anyone’s lived here for awhile, Gus,” he said, running his finger over the counter, showing Gus the dust it collected.

“Shit!” Gus cursed, his hands on his hips.

“Why don’t you call your mom and ask her if she knows anything about him moving,” Jeff suggested as they walked down the stairs. Gus shook his head.

“No. I can do this myself. I don’t want her to think that I need her help,” Gus said, getting back into the car. “We passed a Diner on the way here that looked right up your alley. Over on Liberty Avenue,” Gus drove back to the diner that he saw earlier and parked the car. Jeff whistled.

“Holy shit. I have never seen this many hot guys … who are all obviously gay … in my entire life,” he said, laughing. Gus smiled, rolling his eyes. They entered the diner and saw an old woman with flaming red hair at the counter. She glanced up and did a double-take.

“Uh, can I help you boys?” she asked. Gus nodded.

“Yeah, um … do you have a recent phonebook?” he asked. The woman raised a brow.

“Yeah,” she said, pulling it out from under the counter. She handed it to him. “Here you go, honey,” she said. He smiled.

“Thanks,” he said, going to a booth with Jeff in tow. She followed them.

“Can I get you boys something to eat?” she asked, eyeing Gus again. He shrugged, opening the phonebook and flipping through it.

“Uh … we’ll both have a bacon cheeseburger and fries and a coke, please,” Jeff said. The woman nodded, going to the kitchen to place the orders.

-----

Debbie Novotny moved away from the kitchen, going to the booth in the corner. The two men there looked up.

“Ma? You okay? You look like you’ve seen a ghost or something,” her son, Michael said.

“Here, Deb, sit down,” Michael’s husband Ben said, moving over.

“Booth number 2. The kid … I swear to god, he looks just like Brian!” she said. Both Ben and Michael looked.

“Wow … he does look like Brian,” Ben said.

“Do you think that … no …. It’s not possible,” Michael said, shaking his head.

“He’s the right age, Michael … he looks to be about 17 or 18,” Deb said.

“It’s not possible, Ma. There’s no way that’s Gus,” Michael insisted. Ben shrugged and Debbie stood up.

“I guess you’re right. But he just looks so much like him,” she said.

“If Gus was going to come down here, he’d have done it by now,” Michael said, as he and Ben got out of the booth. “I’m sorry, Ma, but it’s not him.” Michael and Ben both kissed Debbie goodbye and left the Diner. Debbie went back over by the counter.

-----

“That waitress is still staring at you,” Jeff said. Gus shrugged, eating his cheeseburger. He flipped the page in the phonebook.

“Here it is!” he said, pointing. He read what he found. “Brian A. Kinney … 3476 Rushmore … he moved,” he said. He copied the address and phone number down onto a napkin.

“She’s coming back,” Jeff warned. Gus closed the phonebook and handed it to Debbie when she came over.

“Here, ma’am. Thanks again,” he said. She smiled, nodding.

“Anything else I can do for you boys?” she asked. Jeff shook his head, but Gus didn’t.

“Actually … can you tell me how to get to Rushmore?” he asked. Debbie’s eyebrows rose.

“What’s your name, honey?” she asked.

“Oh, I’m Gus. And this is my friend Jeff,” Gus introduced them.

“Gus? Gus Peterson-Marcus?” she asked. Gus glanced over at Jeff, then back at the woman.

“Yes … um … do I know you?” he asked. Debbie pushed Jeff further into the booth and sat down next to him.

“No … your mom moved you when you were just a baby … there’s no way you’d remember me. I’m Debbie … I know your dad,” she said. Gus’ eyes widened.

“Please ma’am … Debbie … don’t tell him that I’m here. I kind of wanted the element of surprise,” Gus begged. Debbie shook her head.

“I won’t say a thing, I promise. He’s going to be so glad to see you!” she said. Gus glanced at Jeff.

“Thanks. Uh … so … can you tell me how to get to his house?”

-----

Twenty minutes later, Gus and Jeff were on the road again, almost to Brian’s house. They were following the directions that Debbie had given them.

“So … what was that all about?” Jeff asked, shaking his head and eating the lemon bars that Debbie had given them. Gus shrugged.

“I don’t know,” he said, turning onto Rushmore. It was getting dark, so the numbers on the houses were getting harder to read. Then, he saw it. 3476. He pulled over on the road in front of the house. He sat there for a few moments, staring at the house.

“Well? Aren’t you going to go up there?” Jeff asked. Gus nodded, slowly getting out of the car.

“Come with me?” he asked. Jeff nodded, getting out of the car as well. Together, they walked up the driveway and to the front door. Gus took a deep breath. “Well … I guess this is it. No turning back now,” he said, reaching up and ringing the doorbell.

Chapter Three

Justin had just finished giving Alex a bath, and was drying her off with a towel when he heard the doorbell. He wrapped the towel around her.

"Go get dressed in your pajamas, honey. Daddy's gonna go get the door, okay?" he said. She nodded, turning and running into her bedroom. He smiled, shaking his head as he headed down the stairs. He pulled the door open and couldn't believe what he saw. It was a mini version of Brian standing on his doorstep. He made a quick decision to act like he didn't know the boy was Brian's son.

"Can I help you?" he said, a smile on his face. The boy looked back at his friend, then back at him.

"I'm sorry, I must have the wrong house …" he said, looking down at the napkin in his hand, then at the numbers on the house. "I'm looking for Brian Kinney," Gus said. Justin nodded.

"You're in the right place, I'm his partner Justin Taylor," Justin informed the boys.

"Oh, um, is he here?" Gus asked. Justin shook his head.

"No, I'm sorry, he's not here right now. But he just called about 15 minutes ago, saying that he was leaving work, so he should be here in about 5 or 10 minutes if you'd like to wait," Justin offered. Gus looked back at Jeff, who shrugged.

"Um … okay," Gus said. Justin moved aside, letting them into the house. Gus turned to look at Justin. "You know who I am, don't you?" Gus said more than asked. Justin stood for a second, then nodded.

"Yeah, I do. How could I not? You're like a carbon copy of him, only younger," Justin said, a small smile on his face.

"Yeah, I've been told that a lot today," Gus muttered. Their conversation was interrupted by the sound of little footsteps coming down the stairs.

"Daddy! I'm all dressed," Alex said, jumping off the last step, running to Justin. She noticed the company and clung to Justin's leg. "Who's that?" she whispered. Justin smiled, leaning down and picking her up.

"Alex, this is Gus, and this is …" Justin trailed off, realizing he didn't know the other boy's name.

"Jeff," he spoke up, a smile on his face. Justin nodded.

"Gus and Jeff," Justin told the little girl. She looked from Jeff, then back to Gus. She decided that they were okay.

"Hi, I'm Alex," she said with a smile on her face. Gus smiled. He looked at Justin.

"Is she … I mean … am I …" he couldn't formulate the question in his mind.

"Is she your sister?" Justin asked for him. Gus nodded. "Well, I guess that's up to you. Why don't we move into the living room, get out of the foyer here," Justin suggested. The boys followed him through a doorway into a nicely decorated living room. Gus and Jeff sat down on the sofa, and Justin sat down in a chair facing them, with Alex in his lap. She sprang off his lap.

"Daddy, I'm gonna go play," she said. Justin nodded, and she ran off.

"She's got a lot of energy," Jeff commented. Justin glanced at him and nodded.

"Yeah … most kids are like that," he said. There was an uncomfortable silence for a few seconds before Gus cleared his throat again.

"So … the reason I'm here …" he started, but Justin held up his hand.

"Why don't we wait for Brian?" he asked, standing up. "Can I get you guys something to drink?" he asked.

"Uh, whatever soda you have is fine," Jeff said, and Gus nodded, agreeing. Justin nodded, heading out of the room. Gus watched his walk away, and suddenly he couldn't take it anymore. He had to ask. He stood up.

"Why didn't he want me?" he asked, watching as Justin stopped in his tracks and turned around.

"What?" Justin asked. He wasn't sure that he heard Gus right.

"I said … why didn't he want me? Was there something wrong with me?" Gus repeated. Justin couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"I … uh … I really think that you should be asking him these questions, not me," Justin said. He turned back around and walked into the kitchen, grabbing two cans of soda out of the fridge. He stood there for a second. Why didn't Brian want him? What was Gus talking about? He shook his head, carrying the sodas into the living room and handing them to the boys. As he sat down, he heard a car pulling into the driveway. Glancing at Gus, he saw the boy's body tense as he glanced out the window.

"Is that him?" Gus asked. Justin nodded.

"Yeah, that's him," he said.

-----

Brian pulled into his driveway after a long day at the office. Glancing at the clock on his dashboard, he saw that it was already 7:30pm. Sighing, he shut off the car and got out, stretching. The one thing he did miss about the loft was how close it was to his office. He didn't have to drive 20 minutes to get to the office before. He grabbed his briefcase out of his passenger seat and headed into the house.

"Honey, I'm home," he called, a smirk on his face. "Justin?" he called.

"In here, Brian," he heard Justin's voice calling him from the living room. He headed into the living room.

"Who's here? I saw a car out front—" he stopped dead in his tracks when he saw the two boys sitting on the couch. He looked from them to Justin, then back at them again. Without even asking, he knew one of them was Gus. And he knew which one. Gus stood up when he saw Brian staring at him.

"Um … I don't … I don't really know what to call you," Gus said. Those words tore into Brian's heart.

"Gus … what … how …" he looked at Justin who shrugged.

"They just showed up on the doorstep about 10 minutes ago," Justin said, standing up. He gave Brian a kiss on the cheek. "I'll go play with Alex … give you some privacy," he said. He saw Jeff stand up as well.

"Um, Mr. Taylor, can I join you?" Jeff asked. Justin smiled.

"Sure, Jeff. And … please, call me Justin. Mr. Taylor makes me feel old," he said with a smile. Jeff nodded, walking with Justin into Alex's play room, closing the door behind them. Brian watched them until the door closed, then turned back to his son. He took a deep breath and sat down in the chair that Justin just vacated. Gus followed suit, and sat back down on the sofa.

"So, I'm sorry to just barge in on you like this … I know it's probably an inconvenience," Gus said, not looking at Brian, looking instead at his hands that were playing with each other. Brian furrowed his brow.

"Gus … you could never be an inconvenience. You have … you have no idea how happy I am to see you," Brian said. He stood up and walked over to the couch, sitting down next to Gus instead of across the room. Gus glanced up at him, and Brian was amazed by how much he looked like him.

"I won't stay long … I just …" he glanced back down at his hands. "I just wanted to know why you didn't want me," he said quietly, not sure he was ready for the answer. Brian couldn't believe what he just heard.

"Why I didn't want you? Gus," Brian put his hand under Gus' chin, lifting it to look at him, "what would make you think that I didn't want you?" he asked. Gus couldn't help the bitter laugh that escaped his lips.

"Well, I'm almost 18 years old, da- uh … Brian. Almost 18. Did you ever come up to Toronto ONCE in those 18 years to see me? Did you even try to make any kind of contact with me? No. So why wouldn't I think that?" Gus asked, moving away from Brian on the sofa. Brian sat there for a second, taking in the words Gus just said.

"Gus … I tried constantly for about ten years to get in contact with you! I have old phone bills with calls to Canada to prove it! I went up to Toronto once to see you, but your cunt—uh, Melanie refused to let me see you! She threatened to have me arrested if I set foot near you again!" Brian said. Gus laughed.

"Oh, right. Like I'm supposed to believe that my mother wouldn't let you see me," Gus said, shaking his head. Brian had a look of hurt on his face.

"It's true, Gus. Call her. Call her and ask her," he said. Gus looked up at Brian and saw the pain and the hurt in his eyes.

"But … why? Why would she do that?" Gus asked.

"She hated me. From day one, when she and Lindsay met, and Lindsay introduced her to me, she hated me. She only agreed to let me be your father because it was the only way Lindsay wanted it," Brian said. Gus saw the pain in his eyes when he spoke of Lindsay.

"But … she told me that you didn't want to see me, and that's why she moved us to Canada," Gus insisted. Brian shook his head, putting both his hands on Gus' cheeks.

"Gus … you're my son! I could never not want to see you," he said. He reached into the drawer in the side table, and pulled out three plane tickets, handing them to Gus. "Look," he said. Gus looked at the tickets.

"These are tickets to Toronto on my birthday," Gus said. Brian nodded.

"I had this trip planned for three years, Gus. That was when Melanie got the last phone call from me. Since you would be 18, she couldn't stop you from seeing me," Brian explained. Gus put his head in his hands, rubbing his face.

"I … I don't know," Gus said. Brian nodded.

"I know this is a lot to take in, Gus," he said. Gus nodded. "How long are you planning on staying here?" Brian asked.

"I don't know. I honestly was planning on just coming here for some closure, then going back home," Gus said. Brian rolled his lips into his mouth.

"Why don't you and your friend stay here for awhile? I have some time off work coming up, because we were going to go up to Toronto, but why don't you just stay here?" Brian suggested. Gus shrugged.

"Um, I guess we could," Gus said. "I'd have to check with Jeff, make sure it's okay with him," he said. Brian nodded. He sat there for a second before reaching over and pulling Gus into a hug. Gus resisted for a moment, but then kind of hugged him back.

"Gus, I know you may not believe me, but I love you. I've always loved you," Brian said. Gus closed his eyes tightly, he felt tears behind his eyes, and he didn't want to cry in front of his dad.

"I …" Gus started, but Brian shook his head.

"You don't have to say anything, sonnyboy. Let's just take this time, get to know each other," Brian said. Gus felt something like affection when Brian called him sonnyboy.

"Sonnyboy?" Gus asked. Brian smiled.

"I used to call you that when you were a baby," Brian said. Gus nodded.

"I kind of remember that …" he trailed off. "Anyway," he pointed to the playroom, "is she my sister?" Gus asked. Brian shrugged.

"If you want her to be. She's biologically Justin's, but we're raising her together," Brian said. Gus nodded, and yawned. "You look tired. Why don't I take you up to one of the guest rooms … you can get some sleep," Brian said, standing up. Gus nodded, standing up as well.

"I'll have to run to my car and get my bag," Gus said. Brian nodded, waiting by the front door while Gus ran out to his car, grabbing both his bag and Jeff's bag. He dropped Jeff's bag by the playroom door. He followed Brian up the stairs, and into one of the rooms.

"You can crash in here … we'll talk more in the morning, okay?" Brian said. Gus nodded.

"Okay," Gus said, sitting down on the bed. Brian turned around to walk out. Gus bit his bottom lip. "Hey, Brian?" he called. Brian turned around.

"Yeah?" he asked.

"Can I … I mean, would you mind it if I called you dad?" Gus asked. Brian smiled, shaking his head.

"Not at all, sonnyboy," Brian said. Gus smiled, nodding.

"Okay. Well then, we'll talk in the morning. Night, dad," Gus said. Brian nodded.

"Night," Brian pulled the door closed and leaned against it. He couldn't believe it. He had his sonnyboy back. Reaching a hand up, he wiped away his tears, and headed downstairs into the playroom to tell Justin what he knew.

Chapter Four

Brian and Justin had sent Jeff upstairs to be with Gus, and had put Alex to bed. They were now laying in their bed, their arms wrapped around each other with Brian's head resting on Justin's chest for a change.

"I just can't believe he went through his life thinking that I never wanted him," Brian said, shaking his head. Justin reached his hand down, running it through Brian's hair.

"That's not your fault, Brian. And there's nothing you can do about that now. All you can do now is show him that you did want him, and that you still do. That you love him," Justin said. Brian nodded.

"I know. But I still feel so guilty. Why didn't I try harder to see him? Maybe if I had tried harder, I would have been able to see him," Brian said. Justin sighed.

"You can sit here for hours saying 'what if this' and 'what if that', but that's not going to help you. Forget the past, focus on the future, okay?" Justin leaned down, kissing the top of Brian's head. Brian sighed now.

"I know you're right. But I can't help feeling this way," he shrugged.

"Well, he's still here. In that room. Did you tell him about the room?" Justin asked. Brian shook his head.

"No, I didn't want to freak him out or anything," Brian said. He didn't tell Gus that the room he was in wasn't exactly a guest room. It was a room that Brian had saved for Gus. He wouldn't let anyone else sleep in it, he was saving it for Gus.

"Did you tell him about the checks or the college fund?" Justin asked. Brian shook his head.

"No. I didn't want to completely overwhelm him. I figured all that stuff was for tomorrow," Brian said. Justin nodded.

"Yeah, that was probably a good idea," he said. He chuckled slightly. "When I saw him standing there on the doorstep, I almost just grabbed him and just hugged him to death," Justin said. Brian smiled.

"That definitely wouldn't have been a good idea, seeing as how he didn't recognize you," Brian laughed. "He probably would have run away." Justin laughed too.

"Yeah. That's why I refrained," he smiled. Brian looked up at Justin.

"I never thought I'd be this happy, Justin. This is so not me," Brian said with a smile. Justin shook his head, placing his palms on either side of Brian's face.

"You deserve to be happy. Just as much as everyone else in the world," Justin assured him.

"I've got you, we have a beautiful daughter, and now Gus …" Brian trailed off. Justin nodded.

"I know. I'm happy, too," he said. Brian smiled.

"I love you. You know that, right?" Brian said. Justin smiled.

"Oh, you're getting sappy … should I worry?" Justin joked. Brian rolled his eyes, smacking his arm.

"I'm serious," he laughed. "See? This is why I don't say it as much as I should. Because you tease me every time," he said. Justin laughed, rolling his eyes.

"I'm sorry. Yes, I know that you love me. And I love you, too," he leaned down, placing his lips against Brian's. He smiled when he pulled away. "Now, let's get some sleep. We've got a big day ahead of us, catching up with your son," Justin said.

"Our son," Brian corrected, laying his head back down and closing his eyes. Justin smiled, shaking his head and closing his eyes again.

"You're becoming so sappy in your old age," Justin teased. He laughed when he felt another smack on his arm.

-----

"Holy fucking shit, Gus! Your dads are hot!" Jeff exclaimed. Gus laughed, rolling his eyes.

"Shut up, Jeff."

"No, dude, I'm serious! Your dad, he looks like Gale Harold! I always thought you kinda looked like a young Gale, but holy shit!" Jeff kept going. Gus threw a pillow at him.

"Shut up! Jesus," Gus laughed. "That's my dad and Justin you're talking about … that's kind of gross!" he laughed, laying back on the bed. Jeff laughed.

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry. I'll just admire silently," Jeff said. Gus shook his head. "So, what did your dad tell you?" Gus took a deep breath, still trying to digest all that he learned.

"He told me that my mom kept him away. That she wouldn't let him see me," Gus said.

"Do you believe him?" Jeff asked. Gus shrugged.

"He seemed to be telling the truth. Jeff, he had this look of pain in his eyes when I accused him of making it up. I think he's telling the truth," he said.

"Shit. Have you talked to your mom?" Jeff asked. Gus shook his head.

"I don't know what to say to her. I mean … I can't believe she'd deny me the privilege of having a father. When he's been here, trying to get in contact with me the whole time," Gus said. Jeff shook his head.

"That's crazy, man. I don't know what I'd do if I were in your situation," Jeff said, sitting down on the bed next to Gus. Gus shrugged.

"I don't know what to do. I'm not calling her, though. If she wants to talk to me, she can call me," Gus said. To be honest, he was extremely angry with his mother. He remembered conversations that he had with her, asking her where his daddy was. Why he didn't have a daddy when all his friends had daddies. And his mom always told him that it was because his daddy didn't want to be a daddy, and didn't want to have a son. Gus shook his head, getting up and turning off the light.

"Are you going to sleep?" Jeff asked. Gus shrugged, laying in the bed.

"I'm gonna try," he said. Jeff got into the bed next to him. They've slept in the same bed so many times, it didn't feel weird at all. Jeff rolled over and whispered in Gus' ear.

"Now that you know your dad's gay, are you sure you're not gay?" Jeff asked. Gus laughed, reaching over and punching Jeff's shoulder. Jeff laughed.

"Shut up, Jeff, and go to sleep," Gus said, shaking his head. He pulled the covers up and closed his eyes.

-----

Justin woke up early the next morning when Alex ran into the room and jumped on the bed.

"Mornin' Daddy!" she yelled. Brian groaned and buried his head under his pillow. Alex went over and sat on his back, pulling the pillow up and leaning to whisper in his ear. "Mornin' Papa," she said. Brian smiled and Justin laughed, stretching.

"Morning, baby," Justin said. She moved to sit on Justin's stomach.

"Daddy, can we make pannycakes this morning?" Alex asked, her eyes lighting up. Justin smiled, turning to look at Brian, who had managed to get the pillow over his head again. He rolled his eyes.

"Of course we can. Let's go downstairs and make pannycakes … we'll let Papa sleep a little longer, okay?" he said, moving her off his stomach so he could stand up. He stretched, then reached out and picked her up, carrying her out of the room. He smiled when he saw Brian move so his head was back on top of his pillow.

Down in the kitchen, he placed Alex on one of the stools. He grabbed some butter out of the fridge and melted it, keeping it warm as he mixed eggs and milk together. He then mixed some flour, salt, sugar, and baking powder together, and added the mixture of the eggs and milk to it, then poured the butter on top. He brought the bowl over to Alex, and stood behind her, helping her stir the batter together.

"Ew, it looks funny," she said, laughing. Justin smiled.

"Well what did you expect it to look like, goofball? Did you expect it to look like a big pannycake?" he asked, getting the frying pan out and putting it on the stove, spraying it with butter spray, so that the pancakes wouldn't stick.

"Can I help you flip them, Daddy?" she asked. Justin tilted his head to the side.

"Okay. Let's pull your stool over to the stove. Don't touch the stove, baby, it's hot," he said. She nodded, just kneeling on the stool. Justin poured a little bit of the batter into the pan, waiting until it bubbled on the sides.

"When's the time, Daddy?" she asked.

"Okay, now here, hold the end of this spatula," he said. He placed his hand over hers on the spatula and helped her flip the pancake. She giggled, clapping her hands.

"Yay! Pannycakes!" she cheered. Justin smiled, leaning down and kissing her forehead.

"Good job, Alex," he said. She smiled up at him, and he was reminded of why Brian and Debbie called him Sunshine. He never understood that until he saw her smile. He poured a few more pancakes onto the pan.

"Daddy, can you make me a Mickey Mouse one?" she asked. He smiled, nodding.

"Of course I can. Why don't you run upstairs and tell Papa that it's time to eat. And, can you go in the other room, the one next to Daddy and Papa's, and tell the boys in there that the breakfast is ready?" he asked, looking at her. She nodded.

"Can I jump on Papa's bed?" she asked. He laughed, nodding.

"Sure," he said. She smiled and ran out of the room and up the stairs. "She has more energy than anyone I know," he shook his head, working on her Mickey Mouse pancake.

-----

Alex ran up the stairs and into her Papa's bedroom. She smiled when she saw him laying on his stomach. She crept up to the bed, taking some of her hair into her hand and using it to tickle his ear like Daddy showed her to. She watched him twitch and tried not to giggle. She did it again, and he twitched some more. She put her hands over her mouth, giggling softly.

Brian was awake, trying not to smile and show that he was awake. He purposely twitched when she tickled him with her hair. Suddenly, he lunged at her, grabbing her and tickling her. She laughed loudly, trying to push his hands away.

"Papa! Papa, that tickles!" she laughed, rolling on the bed. Brian grabbed her wrists and held them over her head.

"Oh, that tickles, does it? How about this?" he asked, holding both her wrists with one hand and using his other to tickle her armpit. She laughed, rolling to one side, trying to get her arm down.

"Yes! Yes, that tickles!" she laughed. Brian smiled, stopping. He lifted her shirt up and gave her a zerbit, where he blew on her stomach. She laughed again.

"Papa, stop! I gotta go get the boys!" she laughed. Brian stopped and let go of her wrists. She scrambled to her feet and gave him a hug. "Daddy made pannycakes," she said. Brian smiled.

"Oh, so I better go down there and get some, huh?" he asked. She nodded.

"Yep, go get some," she said, jumping off the bed and running out of the room. Brian laughed, shaking his head. He headed downstairs and into the kitchen. He smiled when he saw Justin, his back to him, working at the stove. He came up behind him and wrapped his arms around Justin's waist, kissing the side of his neck.

"Morning," Brian said, resting his chin on Justin's shoulder. Justin turned to look at him and smiled.

"Morning. The coffee's brewing," Justin informed him. Brian made an appreciative grunting noise, going over to the coffeepot and pouring a cup.

"So, you sent Alex to come wake me up?" Brian said, raising a brow as he sipped his coffee. Justin nodded.

"Yeah. How'd she do it this time?" Justin asked, chuckling as he remembered how she woke him up last time by just jumping on his stomach. Brian glared at him, then smiled.

"She tickled my ear with her hair," he said, sipping his coffee. "I was already awake, I tickle-attacked her," Brian said. Justin smiled.

"I know, I heard her laughing," Justin said. Brian glanced up at the ceiling.

"I hope she's being nice to the boys," he said.

-----

Alex crept into the room that the boys were sleeping in. She climbed onto the bed and walked in-between them, then started jumping on the bed.

"Up-time! Up-time!" she yelled, jumping on the bed. Gus woke up with a start, sitting up.

"What the fuck…" he cursed, surprised by the jumping blonde girl in the bed. She stopped jumping and looked at him, pointing.

"You said a bad word," she said, then started jumping again. Gus heard laugher next to him and turned to see Jeff laying there, laughing.

"Yeah, Gus, bad words aren't nice," Jeff said. Gus reached over and smacked him, smiling. Alex stopped jumping and sat down on the bed.

"Daddy made pannycakes," she said.

"Awesome, I'm starved," Jeff said, getting out of the bed and pulling a t-shirt on over his pajama pants. He headed out of the room. "See you down there," he said, running down the stairs.

"Aren't you gonna come eat the pannycakes?" Alex asked Gus. Gus nodded.

"Does Daddy make good pannycakes?" he asked, getting out of the bed and putting a t-shirt on as well. Alex nodded.

"The best! Even Papa eats them," she said. Gus nodded. He sat down next to the girl.

"Hey, Alex, I have a question for you. Do you want to be my friend? We can play with your toys together, and we can hang out," he said. Alex smiled, nodding.

"Yeah! I love making new friends!" she said, jumping up and hugging him. He laughed, picking her up.

"Okay, friend. Now, let's go downstairs and eat some of your Daddy's pannycakes before everyone else finishes them without us," Gus said. Alex smiled, and Gus carried her downstairs into the kitchen.

"Daddy! Papa! This is my new friend, Gus!" she said. Brian and Justin smiled. Jeff, his mouth full of pancakes, smiled, too. Gus put her down on a chair, heading over to the stove where Brian and Justin were.

"New friend, eh?" Brian asked. Gus shrugged, picking up a plate.

"I didn't think she was ready for me to say 'Hi Alex, I'm Gus, I'm your big brother'," Gus said. He put a few pancakes on his plate. "I want to give her a chance to get to know me first. But, I do want to be her big brother eventually," he said, smiling. Brian and Justin smiled at him. Gus moved over to the table and sat down in-between Alex and Jeff, and dug into his pancakes.

"That's one smart boy we have there," Brian said, kissing Justin's temple. Justin nodded.

Chapter Five

Melanie paced in her kitchen, phone in hand. She hadn't heard from Gus in two days. Biting her bottom lip, she stopped pacing, and started dialing Gus' number, then stopped.

"What if he doesn't want to talk to me … and hangs up on me?" she asked herself out loud, and began pacing again. "Fuck!" she shouted, throwing the phone across the room, watching it hit the wall, falling to the ground in pieces. Sighing, she picked up the pieces and threw them out.

"Shit, now I have to buy a new cordless phone," Melanie shook her head and sat down at the table. After sitting there for five minutes staring at the wall in front of her, she pulled out her cell phone and dialed Gus' number. Closing her eyes, she waited for his answer.

"Hello?" Gus answered. Melanie sighed, at least he answered and didn't ignore it. He couldn't be that angry, could he?

"Gus! Hi, it's mom," she said. Gus said nothing. Melanie cleared her throat. "Are you there, Gus?" she asked, swallowing past the lump in her throat.

"Yeah, I'm here. I'm just not sure that I'm ready to talk to you, yet," Gus said, his voice cold. Melanie felt the chill right down to her bones.

"Gus—" she started, but Gus cut her off.

"No, mom, I'm not ready to talk to you. You lied to me for 18 years. I'll call you when I'm ready to talk to you. Until then, leave me alone," Gus said, and then Melanie heard the click, signaling the lost connection. She dropped the phone on the table, burying her head in her hands.

"What have I done?"

-----

Gus came back into the living room to rejoin Brian, Justin, Jeff, and Alex. Brian looked up.

"Who was that?" Brian asked. Gus shrugged, sitting down on the couch.

"Nobody," he said. Brian saw the look in his eyes and knew that it must have been Melanie on the phone. He rolled his lips into his mouth and nodded, not saying anything. Alex noticed that her new friend seemed upset about something, so she got up from her spot on the floor to go stand in front of him.

"No sad face, Gus. Sad faces aren't fun. Make silly faces like this!" she said, puffing out her cheeks, and pulling out her ears. "I look like a monkey!" she laughed, doing it again. Gus couldn't help but smile at the little girl. Everyone else laughed. Gus picked Alex up and started tickling her. Justin turned to look at Brian.

"Why don't you take Gus, and the two of you go out somewhere?" Justin suggested. Brian shrugged.

"Go where?" he asked. Justin shrugged.

"I don't know, take him for a joyride in the 'vette or something. Do I have to think of everything?" he asked with a smile on his face. Brian smiled as well.

"Brat," he accused lovingly, giving Justin a kiss on the lips before standing up. "Hey, Gus, you wanna go somewhere?" he asked. Gus glanced up from his spot on the couch where he was tickling Alex.

"Somewhere, like where?" Gus asked. Alex jumped off the couch.

"I wanna go! I wanna go!" she yelled. Justin grabbed her.

"Not today, baby. Papa and Gus need to spend some time alone together," Justin said. Alex pouted.

"But I wanna go!" she whined. Justin rolled his eyes. They had themselves a drama queen. Jeff stood up from the recliner he was sitting in.

"I'll play with you, kiddo," he said, taking Alex from Justin. Brian gave him a grateful smile, then turned to Gus.

"So what do you say, sonnyboy? You wanna go for a drive with your old man?" Brian asked, ignoring the way Justin snickered when he said 'old man'. Gus shrugged, nodding.

"Sure."

-----

"…49, 50! Ready or not, here I come!" Jeff called, uncovering his eyes and looking around the room. He saw the obvious bulge in the curtain and the little feet underneath it and smiled. "Hmm … where could Alex be?" he asked, smiling at the giggling that came from behind the curtain.

"Alex likes hiding under the couch," Justin said, coming into the room and sitting down at his easel. Jeff glanced over and smiled, nodding.

"Oh, she does?" Jeff asked, getting onto his knees and glancing under the couch. "Nope, not there," he said. Justin shrugged, smiling.

"Hmm. I guess you're on your own, then," he said as he pulled out his paints and brushes and removed the cover from the canvas he was working on. Jeff glanced over, surprised to see the portrait of Alex and Gus.

"Wow … that's amazing," he said.

"Thanks … I've been working on it for a few weeks," Justin said.

"How? I mean, to my knowledge, you haven't seen Gus since he was a baby."

"Gus is a carbon copy of Brian. I just got out Brian's old high school yearbook and went from that," Justin said. Jeff nodded, looking at the canvas.

"Gus is going to be so hot once he bulks up a bit," he said, thinking about how lanky Gus was. Justin raised an eyebrow as Jeff looked at him. Jeff laughed. "If you hadn't noticed, I'm gay," he informed Justin.

"Oh, and Gus?" Justin asked. Jeff shrugged.

"Straight. I used to have a huge thing for him, but now we're like brothers. It'd just be weird," Jeff said. Justin laughed.

"I wonder how Brian's going to feel about having a straight son," Justin joked. Jeff smiled. Just then the phone rang, and Justin excused himself. Jeff stared at the painting for a few more moments.

"Okay, okay … now, where could Alex be hiding?" Jeff asked out loud, glancing back at the curtain, but there was no more bulge, and no more little feet. She must have changed hiding spots while he and Justin were talking. "Is she … behind the curtain?" he pulled it back, no Alex. There was giggling coming from the closet. He smiled, checking every hiding spot before the closet.

-----

Justin went into the kitchen and picked up the cordless phone in there.

"Hello?" he answered.

"Justin! Hey, how's it going?" came the voice of Daphne Chanders, his best friend. He smiled, sitting down at the table.

"Daphne! Hey, things are going good. How about with you?" he asked.

"Eh. Things are things. All I'm doing is working."

"Yeah, well, you're the one who wanted to be a doctor."

"I know. And I love what I do. I just miss the free time," she laughed.

"I've got plenty of that … I'll give you some," Justin joked.

"Shut up. So, what's new? How's my girl?"

"She's great. Actually, you'll never believe what happened. You know the trip we were planning next week?"

"Yeah, you were going to Toronto."

"Right. Well, we're not going anymore."

"What? Why? Did Melanie find out what you guys were planning and put the kibosh on it? I didn't think Brian would let Melanie dictate what he can and can't do."

"No, no, nothing like that. I answered the door the other day, and Gus was standing on our doorstep."

"No way! Holy shit! How could you not tell me that?!"

"I'm sorry … we've spent the past few days catching up with him and getting to know him. Brian's out with him right now."

"So … how is he?"

"He's good. Confused. We found out that Melanie's been telling him that Brian never wanted him and that's why he's been the absent father for all those years."

"Oh my god. That's horrible!"

"I know, Gus is trying to grasp that, but I'm not sure he's grasping it too well."

"Poor kid. What does Alex think?"

"She thinks Gus is just her friend. I mean, how do you explain to a five-year-old that you have a brother that you haven't seen once? We're just letting her and Gus get to know each other, and once Gus decides he wants to tell her that he's her brother, he can. I mean, it's his call."

"Wow. This is a lot to take in."

"You should visit soon. I know Alex misses mommy," Justin smiled.

"Maybe I'll stop by on my day off this week. Listen, I'm on call, and my pager just went off. I have to call the hospital. But I'll talk to you soon," Daphne said.

"Alright, Daph … talk to you soon," Justin said good-bye and hung up. He glanced at the clock and saw that it was almost dinnertime, and he didn't really feel like cooking for just him, Alex, and Jeff. He headed into the playroom and saw Jeff lying on his back with Alex up in the air.

"Daddy! Jeff made me an airplane!" Alex yelled, laughing as she held out her hands. Jeff laughed, putting her down on the floor.

"That's great, Al. You want pizza for dinner? I don't feel like cooking," Justin said, sitting back down at the easel.

"Ooh! Yay! Pizza!" she yelled, jumping up and down and clapping. Jeff laughed.

"I don't think there's anything that disappoints that girl," Jeff stated. Justin laughed, nodding.

"I think you're right," he said, turning on the cordless and dialing the local pizza joint.

-----

Brian and Gus sat in silence for a few minutes. Finally, Brian cleared his throat and began talking.

"So … I mean, the last time I saw you, you were still in diapers. I'm sure a lot's changed since then," he said, glancing over at Gus, who had a smile on his face.

"Yeah, um, lots has changed since then," Gus agreed.

"Like what? I mean, I'm sure your favorite thing to do isn't crawling around on the floor anymore. What kinds of things did you do up in Toronto?"

"Well, Jeff made fun of me all the time because I was really into my schoolwork. I did a lot of studying and stuff like that," Gus informed Brian.

"Really? What kinds of grades did you make?"

"I got mostly A's and B's."

"Oh yeah? Did you apply to any colleges?" Brian asked. Gus nodded.

"Yeah, I applied to a few up there, and a few down here. I wasn't sure how this whole thing was gonna go, so …" Gus admitted. Brian raised an eyebrow.

"You applied to colleges in Pittsburgh?" Brian asked, and Gus once again nodded. "Which ones?"

"Um, Carnegie Mellon."

"And did you get in?"

"Yeah, I got a partial scholarship," Gus said proudly. Brian glanced over at his son. He decided that it was time to tell him about the college fund and checks.

"Gus, since you were a baby and your mom moved you to Toronto, I've been putting money away for you for college," Brian said. Gus looked at him.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that I've been putting together a college fund for you for 18 years. And … I want you to have it. That's Justin's and my birthday present to you," Brian said, reaching into the glove compartment and handing Gus a logbook of how much money was there. Gus opened it and Brian swore his eyes were going to pop out of his head.

"Dad … holy shit! I can't take this … it's way too much money!" Gus said, staring at the total on the bottom of the log. Brian shook his head.

"Gus, that money's been in there and belonged to you since you were a baby. The account's in your name. There should be plenty there to help you pay for whatever college you want to go to," Brian said. Gus was speechless.

"I … I don't know what to say."

"You don't have to say anything, kiddo. Happy Birthday," Brian said with a smile. Gus glanced at him and smiled, shaking his head.

"That's a pretty fucking big birthday present," he said, closing the logbook and putting it back in the glove compartment.

"And, if you do decide to go to Carnegie Mellon, and you don't want to do campus housing, I just want you to know that you're always welcome at our house, Gus. It's your house now, too." Brian glanced over at him and Gus nodded.

"Thank you, dad. For … for all of this. And for the checks you sent … I knew about those."

"How'd you know about those? Did Mel tell you?" Brian asked, surprised. Gus laughed out loud.

"Are you kidding me? Like she'd want me to know that you didn't hate me. I found a check one day written out to me, and then I found all the information. Mom was keeping them all in an account for me. I don't know if she was ever going to tell me that they were from you, or if she was going to lie about that, too. But that's the money I used for this trip," Gus admitted. Brian shook his head.

"God, she's such a fucking …" Brian trailed off, remembering that Gus was in the car. And unlike her, he wasn't going to talk trash about her with Gus in the car, even if he was almost 18.

"So. I'm hungry. Let's stop somewhere and get something," Gus said, in an attempt to change the subject. Brian laughed.

"We can go to the diner," Brian suggested. Gus shrugged.

"Sure, why not?" Gus smiled. Brian nodded, then took off towards the diner.

Chapter Six

Gus and Brian entered the diner and Gus followed his dad into the booth in the back corner of the room. Brian looked around to see who was working, and of course, Debbie was heading in their direction. She pushed Brian further into the booth and sat down.

"Heya, boys," she smiled, snapping her gum.

"Deb, should you really still be working these long hours?" Brian asked, concern in his voice. Debbie waved her hand at him.

"Don't worry about me, honey, I'll be fine. I'm only working the night shift today, I'm off at 10," she said. Brian nodded, but made a mental note to talk to Carl about the hours Deb was working. Debbie looked over at Gus, who was just kind of sitting there. Gus smiled.

"You might as well tell her the story, dad. Otherwise she'll just sit there and stare at me like that," Gus said. Deb looked surprised, and Brian laughed.

"I wasn't staring," she said.

"Yes you were," Brian agreed. Deb rolled her eyes. "Why don't we order our food, and then you can take a break. Sit here and talk with us," Brian suggested. Deb rolled her eyes again.

"Brian, I don't need a fucking break!" she insisted. Brian held up his hands.

"Fine, fine. I just thought you could sit here with us and we'd tell you the story. I mean, it's not a two second kind of thing," Brian said. Deb sighed.

"Fine," she stood up, and took out her pad and pen. "What can I get you?" she asked.

Brian and Gus ordered their food, Gus a double bacon cheeseburger with fries, Brian a turkey sandwich on wheat, no mayo. Debbie insisted on serving it to them, too, and then she'd take her break. The bell over the door dinged, and Brian glanced over at the door, surprised to see Michael and Ben enter.

Michael walked into the diner and saw Brian sitting at their table in the back corner. He noticed that Brian was sitting opposite some brunet, but he couldn't see the guy's face. He headed over with Ben in tow.

"Brian!" Michael leaned over giving Brian a hug and kiss. Brian smiled.

"Hey, Mikey. Professor," Brian smiled. All the years he knew Ben, yet he still called him Professor. Ben smiled.

"Brian, nice to see you," Ben said. Michael turned to look at Brian's guest and his mouth dropped open.

"Holy shit," Michael said. Gus raised an eyebrow, and Brian laughed.

"Well, sonnyboy, if you ever doubted that you looked like me, I think you've been reminded every time you see someone new," Brian said. Gus smiled.

"Brian … what … how …," Michael looked from Gus to Brian, then back to Gus. Gus couldn't help but laugh. Debbie came up to them with their food.

"Double bacon cheeseburger with fries for you, and the usual for you," Debbie said, putting their plates down. She turned to Michael. "You remember the other day here? When you told me that there was no possible way that kid was Gus?" she asked, and Michael nodded. Debbie reached up and smacked the back of his head. "You were wrong!" Brian laughed, shaking his head. Deb pushed Michael aside and sat down next to Brian again.

"Ow, Ma!" Michael said. Gus scooted further into the booth so that someone else could sit down. Ben slid in next to him, and Michael slid in next to Ben.

"So, Brian, this is your son?" Ben asked, glancing next to him, then over at Brian. Brian nodded.

"Yeah, that's Gus. And he can talk, too, you know," Brian said with a slight smirk on his face. Michael glanced over at him.

"So that was you in the diner that day!" Michael said. Gus nodded.

"I had just gotten in Pittsburgh, and my friend noticed this place, and wanted to stop to get something to eat," Gus said.

"You never did tell me how you found the house. Because I'm sure Melanie wasn't going to tell you that I moved, because then she'd have to admit to me giving her all the new information," Brian said, taking a bite of his sandwich. Gus nodded.

"I went into the address book that she kept in her drawer. The one that my other mom used to use when she was still alive," Gus said. He noticed the sad look cross Brian's face when he mentioned Lindsay. "Sorry, I keep forgetting that you knew her. I never got the chance to," he said quietly. Brian shook his head.

"Don't be sorry … I just miss her, that's all. You can keep going," Brian said. Gus nodded.

"So, the address for you in there was in some old building on the corner of Tremont. So, that's what I entered into the navigational system in my car. I left in the middle of the night, so that mom couldn't stop me. I called Jeff, and he came with me," he looked at Ben and Michael. "Jeff's my best friend … he's the guy that was here with me that time," he informed them. They nodded, and he continued.

"So we went to that building on Tremont, and pushed the button for the sixth floor. No one answered, so we went inside when someone came outside. The door to the loft on the sixth floor was open, so we went inside, and it was empty. Real nice place, though," Gus smiled at Brian. Brian laughed.

"I still own that building. I just don't' feel right renting out that loft," Brian shrugged.

"It's nice. Anyway, then we came into the diner, and I looked you up in the phonebook. There was a different address there, so I wrote it down on a napkin, and I was going to enter that into my navigational system, but then Debbie came over and asked me who I was," Gus said. Debbie laughed.

"Well, Michael said that you weren't you, but I swore that you were," she said. Brian laughed at how strange that sentence sounded.

"And Deb told me how to get to your house. And … I went," Gus shrugged.

"But why did it take you so long to come here? I mean … it's been like 18 or 19 years, right?" Michael asked.

"I came as soon as I could. But I was coming to get answers. Apparently, my mother lied to me for 18 years about dad. She told me that he didn't want me. And that he never tried to see me," Gus informed Ben, Michael, and Deb.

"Why the fuck would she say something like that? Brian tried for years to see you!" Deb said. Gus nodded.

"I know that now. I don't know why she lied," he said, shrugging again.

"What did she say when you confronted her about it?" Michael asked. He couldn't believe that Melanie would be such a bitch about it.

"Um … I haven't really confronted her, yet. She called me earlier today, and I wasn't ready to confront her about it, so I told her not to call me again, that I'll call her when I'm ready," Gus said. Ben shook his head.

"I never knew Melanie, but I'm sure she had some kind of a reason behind what she did," Ben suggested. Brian rolled his eyes.

"Ben, you can be as zen as you want to, but what Melanie did was wrong," Brian said. Everyone else at the table agreed, and Ben shrugged.

"Well, the important thing is that he's here now, and he knows we love him," Debbie said, reaching across the table and pinching Gus' cheek. Brian shook his head, laughing.

"So how long are you staying, Gus?" Michael asked. Gus shrugged.

"I don't know. I mean, I never really gave much thought to staying. I thought I would get here, get the answers I wanted, then leave. I never even imagined that I'd stay," he admitted.

"Well, you know that you're welcome for as long as you want to stay," Brian said. Gus smiled, nodding.

"I know. And we'll see how long that ends up being," he said. Brian's cell phone rang, and he pulled it out, smiling when he saw the number.

"Yes, dear?" he answered in a high voice. Gus smirked, rolling his eyes as he ate more of his burger.

"Hey. Where are you guys?" Justin asked.

"We're at the diner. Gus got hungry, so we stopped to get something to eat," Brian explained.

"Oh. Well, thanks for letting me know not to plan on your for dinner," Justin joked. Brian rolled his eyes.

"Oh please. I know you, Jus. You probably ordered something in because you didn't feel like cooking," he said with a smile.

"Yeah. Pizza. Hey, bring home some lemon squares," Justin said.

"Alright. We should be leaving here in a few minutes. I'll see you when we get home."

"Okay. See you then. Love you," Justin said, causing Brian to smile.

"Love you, too. Bye," Brian hung up. Debbie shook her head.

"I still can't believe that Brian Kinney's a married man," she said with a smile. Brian rolled his eyes, putting his cell phone away.

"Yeah, well, even the craziest get tamed somehow," Ben said with a smile. Brian smiled as well.

"Yeah, I guess so," he said, glancing down at the ring on his finger. "Who'd of thunk it?" he smiled.

Chapter Seven

Over the next few days, Brian, Justin, and Gus took time to get to know each other. Gus and Jeff spent a lot of time with Alex, and Gus noticed that he was becoming quite attached to the little girl. Brian was slowly becoming attached to Gus as well, and was silently dreading the time when Gus left and went back to Toronto.

Brian had put together a huge birthday bash for Gus' 18th birthday. The guest list included the "gang", and Gus couldn't have been happier. It gave him the chance to reconnect with more of the people he used to 'know' as a baby. And it also gave him lots of people to talk about his other mom with.

Gus, Justin, Brian, Jeff, and Alex were sitting in a booth at the diner. Brian and Justin were on one side, and Jeff and Gus were on the other side, with Alex between them. Alex was eyeing the dessert menu.

"Daddy, can I have some ice cream?" she asked with big puppy eyes. Brian laughed at the face she made.

"Christ, she looks like you when you beg," Brian joked, tongue-in-cheek. Justin smacked him.

"Sure, Al. What kind of ice cream do you want?" Justin asked.

"I want vanilla with chocolate fudge!" Alex said. Justin smiled when Debbie showed up with a pad in one hand, pen in the other.

"One vanilla ice cream with chocolate fudge, coming right up!" Deb smiled, writing it down. She turned to Gus and Jeff. "Anything for you boys?" she asked. Gus shook his head.

"How about another spoon, and I'll just eat some of Alex's ice cream sundae," Jeff said. Deb smiled.

"Another spoon. Got it," she turned to look at Brian and Justin. "Should I even ask?"

"How are the lemon bars today, Deb?" Brian asked. Deb smiled.

"They're great today. They're great everyday, Brian. I make them," she said, her hands on her waist. Brian laughed.

"Oh. Right. Well, bring five," he said. Deb nodded, writing it down, then walking off to get Alex's ice cream.

"So, Gus, have you thought about what you're going to do in August?" Justin asked, stirring his coffee. Gus shrugged.

"No, not really. I wanted to talk to someone about possibly shadowing at Carnegie Mellon or something," he said. Brian nodded.

"That's not a bad idea, sonnyboy. I'm sure they've got some summer classes going on or something," Brian said. Gus nodded.

"I'll give them a call tomorrow. See what I can get done," Gus said. Just then, Debbie brought over a big bowl of ice cream with five spoons, just because, and the lemon bars.

"Mmm! Ice cream!" Alex giggled.

-----

Brian came into the kitchen and saw Gus on the phone. He smiled.

"Okay, thanks so much," Gus said, and hung up.

"Who was that?" Brian asked, pulling two bottles of water out of the fridge, handing Gus one.

"Thanks," Gus said, accepting the bottle and taking a drink. "It was the Dean at Carnegie Mellon. He said that they'll hold onto that scholarship they gave me, and let me shadow a student there for a week. I'll go to their classes with them, and they'll give me a tour of the campus. Then I'll decide whether or not I really want to go there," Gus explained. Brian nodded.

"Sounds good. What kinds of classes are they taking?" Brian asked, sitting down at the table. Gus joined him.

"Well, the Dean asked me what I was interested in majoring in. I told him communications, so he's going to have me shadow a freshman communications major so that I can see if that's really what I want to do. Actually, since it's summer, I think they'll be in-between their freshman and sophomore year, to be technical," Gus said, sticking his own tongue in his own cheek, looking so much like his father. Brian raised a brow, shaking his head.

"Christ, it's like looking in a fucking mirror," Brian mumbled. Gus laughed. "So, communications, huh?" Gus nodded.

"Yep," he said. Brian nodded. Gus would be good with communications.

"So when do you go?"

"I start on Monday. I need to be there at 9:30am, her first class starts at 10," Gus said. Brian nodded.

"Just don't let your good looks distract her from her classes," Brian said, getting up and ruffling Gus' hair, starting to walk out the door.

"Hey, dad?" Gus called. Brian turned around.

"Hmm?"

"Why did Debbie say that stuff about being surprised that you're a married man?" Gus asked, curiosity in his voice. Brian rolled his lips into his mouth, walking back to the table and sitting down.

"Well … um, before I met Justin, I was somewhat of a slut. Actually, even after I met him, I was a slut. He was there the night you were born, you know."

"He was?" Gus asked, and Brian nodded.

"Yeah. I picked him up on Liberty Avenue that night, I took him home with me as a trick, just to fuck him, but then I got the call from Melanie about you."

"Why'd you bring him with you? I mean … why didn't you just tell him to get lost or something?" Brian couldn't help but smile.

"Justin was 17," he informed Gus. Gus' mouth dropped open.

"17? Dad! Ew!" Gus said, and Brian laughed.

"His parents thought he was at a friend's, and he had nowhere to go, so I had to bring him with me. He named you."

"He named me?"

"Yeah, Melanie wanted to name you Abraham," Brian made a face. "Lindsay wanted Gus. So I asked Justin, and he picked Gus."

"If he was just a trick to you, why'd you ask him?" Gus asked, a smirk on his face.

"Because I didn't know it yet, but he wasn't just a trick," Brian answered. "He wouldn't leave me alone, he hounded me constantly for a year, and then asked me to go to his prom with him," Brian still got kind of uncomfortable talking about the prom. "But that's a whole nother story that I'll tell you some other time," he said. Gus noticed the look that crossed his father's eyes and nodded.

"Okay," he said.

"Justin eventually moved in with me, then moved out, then moved in," Brian smiled, "then moved out, and in, and out," he laughed. "We couldn't make up our minds … we were both stubborn. But eventually, I asked him to marry me when we had known each other for five years. It was after some asshole planted a bomb in Babylon, and it went off when Justin was there, and I was scared to death that something happened to him, and it was kind of an impulse thing. Justin knew that, and we called the wedding off, and he went to New York," Brian continued the story.

"New York? Why the fuck did he move to New York?" Gus asked. Brian laughed.

"Because I told him to. It was a chance for him to go somewhere with his art, and I didn't want to hold him back from that. He eventually realized that nothing was happening in New York, and came home. He didn't tell me that he was back for like two months, that little fucker. But he moved back into the loft. I was still sleeping around, but not as often."

"So that's why they were so surprised when you settled down with Justin? Because you slept around all the time?" Gus asked, and Brian nodded.

"Yeah. To be honest with you, sonnyboy, I was scared of what settling down meant. I was scared that it meant that I was getting old," he said. Gus snickered.

"Dad, you are old," he said. Brian shook his head, a smile on his face. He got up and kissed Gus on the forehead.

"I am not old," he said, smiling and walking out of the room. Gus smiled, watching Brian's back.

"No … you're not old," he said to the empty room.

-----

Later that night, Gus and Jeff were in Gus' bedroom. Jeff was writing something in a journal, and Gus was sitting there, thinking about something.

"Hey, man, what's on your mind?" Jeff asked, glancing up from his journal. Gus shook his head.

"Nothing," he lied. Jeff rolled his eyes, closing the journal and sitting up.

"Okay, now that you got the lie off your chest, wanna tell me what's really bothering you?" Jeff asked. Gus smiled, Jeff could always see through him.

"I'm just wondering why you're still here. And I don't mean that in a bad way, like … I don't want you to go. I'm just wondering why you want to still be here," Gus said. Jeff shrugged.

"I like your family. And you're my best friend, of course I'd be here for you during something like this," Jeff said. Gus nodded.

"I don't want you to feel that you have to stay."

"I don't. I'm staying because I want to. We'll see how you feel about Carnegie, and move on from there."

"After Carnegie, what happens if I want to stay?"

"Then you stay. I'll take a plane back to Toronto," Jeff insisted. Gus bit his lip. "Gus, I'm your friend. I just want you to be happy. And if you're happy here in Pittsburgh with your dads and sister, then I'm happy for you," Jeff said. Gus smiled, hugging his friend.

"Thanks, Jeff. You're such a great friend," he said. Jeff smiled.

"We'll see what happens at Carnegie, okay? Don't worry about me. I'll leave when I have to," Jeff said. Gus nodded.

-----

Monday morning, Gus got into his car and drove to Carnegie Mellon. When he got there, he pulled into the parking lot and got out of the car, following the directions the Dean gave him to the information desk. He smiled at the woman there.

"Hi, my name is Gus Peterson-Marcus … I was supposed to shadow someone today, and Dean Andrews told me to let you know that, and that you'd know what to do," he said, flashing her his Kinney-charm smile. The woman nodded.

"Right … Gus. You can just have a seat over there … your guide will be out here any minute," the woman said. Gus nodded, having a seat. Five minutes later, a girl came running up to Gus.

"Are you Gus?" she asked. He nodded.

"Yeah, I'm Gus," he said. She smiled, holding out her hand.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Katrina. But call me Kat," she smiled. Gus grabbed and shook her hand.

"Nice to meet you," he said. She nodded.

"So, you're supposed to come with me to my classes, huh?" she smiled when he nodded.

"Yeah, I'm thinking about going to CMU next year, and since I live in Toronto, I never got the chance to shadow," Gus explained as they walked across the campus.

"Toronto?" Kat whistled. "You're a long way from home, Gus," she smiled. He laughed, nodding.

"My dad lives in Pittsburgh, so I'm not really that far from home. I'm thinking about moving out here to live with him and his partner," he told her. She nodded.

"Well, that's cool. I've lived in Pittsburgh all my life. Doesn't change much," she smiled. He shrugged.

"I like it here," he stated simply. She nodded.

"Fair enough. No girlfriend back in Toronto that you're leaving behind?" she asked, smiling. He shook his head, smiling as well.

"Nah … no girlfriend," he said. She turned a corner, taking another path, and he followed her. He noticed that they were approaching a big building.

"Hmm … boyfriend in Toronto?" she asked. He laughed.

"No … as gay as my dad is, you'd think it would have rubbed off on me or something, but it didn't," he smiled.

"Just making sure," she said, opening the door to the building. He followed her inside and to her classroom. She went up to the professor and introduced him to Gus, explaining what he was doing there. The professor smiled and welcomed Gus to the class, and then Gus and Kat took their seats in the back of the class. Gus glanced at Kat and she glanced up and shot him a smile, and he felt his stomach drop. He glanced down at his desk and smiled.

Chapter Eight

Gus came home from CMU with a big smile on his face. He went to Kat's classes with her, and then she showed him around the campus. They ate lunch in the cafeteria, and then they hung out in her dorm for a few hours. Gus finally glanced at her clock around 9:30pm, and told her goodbye. He couldn't wait to go back and hang out with her again tomorrow. He fell back on his bed and smiled at the ceiling. Jeff came out of the bathroom in a towel, just out of the shower.

"Whoa, G-man, where've you been?" he asked, going to his suitcase and pulling out a pair of pants, pulling them on. He sat on the bed next to Gus.

"I met the most … amazing girl today," Gus said, glancing at Jeff. Jeff raised a brow.

"Oh really? That's what you said when you were dating whats-her-face freshman year. She was the 'most amazing girl'," Jeff said, using air quotations.

"Well, Kat's more amazing than Sarah was."

"What about Julie the beginning of sophomore year? She was supposedly pretty amazing, too."

"Better than Julie."

"How about Jessica? End of sophomore year?"

"Shut up, Jeff," Gus said, a smile on his face. Jeff laughed.

"I'm just reminding you that I've heard 'the most amazing girl' before. Like, six times before," Jeff said. Gus rolled his eyes.

"Shut up. I mean it this time," Gus insisted. Jeff held his hands up.

"Okay, okay. She's the most amazing one."

"She's my guide at Carnegie Mellon. I went to her classes with her, and then we hung out for a few hours. I only left when I did because I realized how late it was." Jeff smiled.

"Aww … Gussy's in loooooooove," he teased. Gus hit him with a pillow.

"Shut up, stop teasing me," he smiled. Jeff nodded, clearing his throat.

"My mom called me today," he said, changing the subject.

"Oh yeah? What'd she say?"

"She said that she thinks its time for me to come home. And I think she's right. Your dad offered to buy me a plane ticket, and I'm going home tomorrow," Jeff was looking at the bedspread. Gus glanced at him, biting his lip.

"I think I'm going to stay here," Gus said. Jeff nodded.

"I figured you would," Jeff smiled. "And now with your most amazing girl here, I'm almost certain you'll stay here," Gus smiled. "I'm gonna miss you, Gus," Jeff said with a smile. Gus sat up and hugged him.

"There's always e-mail, Jeff. And Dad, Justin, and Alex love you, I'm sure you'll be welcome to visit anytime."

"I know, Justin already told me that," he smiled. Gus pulled out of the embrace.

"I love you, Jeff. You're such a great friend … thank you so much for doing this with me. I probably would have chickened out," Gus said. Jeff laughed.

"Yeah, you probably would have," he teased. Gus smiled. "And I love you too, man." Jeff said, getting up and stretching. "Now, help me finish packing all my shit," Jeff insisted. Gus laughed, getting up to help his friend. They spent the night awake, just talking and laughing, spending time with one another before they were separated.

-----

When Gus got home from CMU the next day, Jeff was gone. Sadly, Gus laid down on his bed, glancing at the empty chair where Jeff's suitcase was the night before. He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and dialed Kat's number that he got today.

"Hello?" She answered. Gus smiled.

"Hey, Kat … it's Gus," he said.

"Gus, hey, what's up?"

"Did you want to do something tonight? Go somewhere maybe?"

"Like, a date?" she asked. Gus rolled his lips into his mouth, and then shrugged.

"Yeah, sure, why not? Like a date," he said.

"Yeah, sure. Did you want to pick me up, or meet me somewhere?"

"I can pick you up. I'll be there around 7, that sound good?"

"Yeah … I'll see you at 7," she said. "Oh, Gus?" she asked.

"What?"

"This is casual, right? I'm not going to have to dress up?" she asked. Gus laughed.

"Yeah, casual. What you had on today is fine," he smiled.

"Okay. See you at 7."

"Later," Gus said, and hung up.

Gus stood up and looked at his reflection in the mirror and made a face. Opening his closet, he pulled out and tried on about six different shirts, finally settling on the one he had on in the first place. He went into his bathroom and shaved again, then put on some cologne. Heading downstairs, he stopped in the kitchen and saw Justin and Alex there.

"Gussy!" Alex called, jumping off the chair and running up to him, hugging him around the legs. He laughed, hugging her back.

"Hey, kiddo," he said with a smile. She glanced up at him and sniffed.

"You smell like papa," she said. Justin raised a brow.

"Cologne, huh? Going somewhere?" he asked. Gus nodded.

"Yeah. If it's okay with you, I was going to go meet up with Kat. Maybe go to a movie or something." Justin shrugged.

"Hey, you're 18. Do whatever you want," he said with a smile. Gus nodded, sitting down on a stool.

"Gussy … how come you're still here?" Alex asked. Gus glanced up at Justin, who shrugged.

"Why, do you want me to leave?" he asked. Alex shook her head.

"No … you're my friend. I was just thinking that maybe your daddy and papa and mommy missed you," she said, tilting her head to the side. Ah, the innocence of childhood. Gus smiled.

"Well, Alex," he said, reaching down and picking her up, pulling her up into his lap. He felt that it was time. "You know how Justin's your daddy?" Alex nodded. "And Brian's your papa?" she nodded again. "Well, Brian's MY daddy.”

“My papa is your daddy?” she asked. Gus nodded.

“Yep. You know what that means?” he asked. Alex shook her head. “It means I’m your brother,” he said. She didn’t seem to grasp what that meant.

“No, you’re my friend, Gussy. Not my brother,” she said. Gus looked at Justin for help.

“It’s true, sweetie. Gus is your big brother,” Justin said. Alex looked at Justin.

“Really? Daddy, when I told you that I wanted a brother, I didn’t mean a big boy. I meant a baby,” she said. Justin smiled.

“I know, baby,” he said. Alex looked at Gus.

“So you’re staying here with me forever and ever?” she asked. Gus smiled.

“We’ll see, Al,” he said. Alex nodded, hugging Gus’ neck. “Do you want me to be your big brother?” he asked. Alex nodded.

“Yeah! You’re my bestest friend, it’s so awesome,” she said. Gus smiled. Alex jumped down off his lap and ran to the playroom. Justin laughed.

“She’s too young to understand what this all means. All she knows is that now she’s got a big brother,” Justin shrugged. Gus nodded.

“I know. It’s alright,” he said. He bit his lip. “Justin, can I ask you something?” Gus asked.

“Sure, what’s up?” Justin asked.

“Did you know when you met my dad that you loved him?” Gus asked. Justin nodded.

“This is probably so corny, but yeah. I loved him the minute I laid eyes on him,” he admitted. Gus laughed.

“Come on, that doesn’t really happen,” he said. Justin nodded.

“Yes, it does. It happened to me,” Gus smiled. “Why do you ask?” Justin asked.

“Well, I was just wondering.”

“This doesn’t have something to do with Kat, does it?” Justin asked. Gus laughed.

“Maybe. Speaking of … I’m supposed to meet her soon.”

“Well, don’t let me keep you. Have fun, behave!” Justin said. Gus laughed.

“Behave?”

“You’re your father’s son. I have to say behave,” Justin smirked. Gus laughed, rolling his eyes.

“See ya later, Justin,” he said. Justin smiled.

“Later,” he said, shaking his head. Was Pittsburgh ready for a straight Brian Kinney?

-----

Gus got out of his car and smiled at Kat, who was sitting on the doorstep of her dormitory.

“Hey,” he said. She smiled.

“Hey,” she repeated.

“What’s going on?” he asked. She shrugged.

“My roommate’s boyfriend is over and they’re making out hardcore in my dorm. I figured that it was safer out here,” she smiled. He laughed.

“Sorry,” he apologized. She shrugged.

“Don’t worry about it, not your fault,” she said. “So what did you want to do tonight?” she asked. He shrugged.

“Well, since we can’t hang out in your dorm room, we can go to my house,” he suggested. She shrugged, pulling her long blonde hair into a pony tail.

“Sure,” she smiled, standing up. “Do you want to drive, or do you want me to follow you in my car?” she asked. He shrugged.

“My house isn’t far from the campus. I can drive,” he said. She smiled, getting into his car. He got in as well, starting it up and driving back to his house. They joked around and laughed in the car and Gus smiled when Kat’s hand ended up inside his.

-----

“Whatever, Kat, you’re crazy,” Gus laughed, turning the car off. He smiled when he saw Brian’s ‘vette in the driveway. He heard Kat’s low whistle.

“Wow. That is a *nice* car!” she said. Gus laughed, nodding. He didn’t notice the car parked across the street.

“That’s my dad’s. He’s kind of a label queen,” Gus laughed again. She smiled, following him up to the door. He opened it with his key and went inside. Kat whistled again.

“This is a nice place,” she complimented, looking around. Gus nodded.

“They have good taste,” he said. He hung up her coat and called out to his dads, as he started thinking of them. “Dad! Justin! I’m back!” he called, looking in the kitchen. It was empty. “Hmm, that’s strange. Justin’s usually cooking something,” Gus said. Kat shrugged.

“You think they’ll be mad that you just brought me over?” she asked. Gus shook his head.

“No, not at all. They’re really laid back,” Gus said. As they neared the living room, they heard Brian’s slightly raised angry voice. “Uh-oh,” Gus said, going into the living room, followed by Kat. Gus gasped and his mouth dropped open. Brian and Justin glanced at the doorway.

“Gus!” Brian said, surprised to see him. Gus glared at the other occupant of the room.

“Mother, what are you doing here?” he asked, glaring at Melanie.

Chapter Nine

Gus glared at Melanie.

“Well, mother? I’m waiting. What the fuck are you doing here?” he asked angrily. Justin stood up and went over by Gus.

“Gus, relax, okay?” he said, putting his hands on Gus’ shoulders. Gus shrugged his hands off.

“Don’t tell me to relax! Tell me what the fuck she’s doing here! What, did you decide that you don’t want a son anymore, and call her to come get me?” Gus asked angrily. Brian stood up.

“Gus, shut up for two seconds,” he said, his head in his hands. Between Melanie’s arrival, and Gus’ queen out, he was getting a headache. Gus may not be queer, but he definitely inherited Brian’s temper and ability to queen out.

“I just want to know what’s going on,” Gus said. He felt someone’s hand on his arm and he turned around to see Kat standing there. He had forgotten she was there.

“Maybe I should go back to my dorm. This is obviously a bad time,” she said quietly. Gus bit his lip, but shook his head.

“No, you don’t have to go. I’m sorry,” he said, then turned back to his dads and his mother. “I just wanted to spend time with Kat tonight, maybe even introduce her to you guys … just tell me what’s going on,” he said, his voice lowered. Melanie stood up and walked over to him, reaching her hand out to touch him, but he moved away.

“Gus … I haven’t seen you in like two months! I just want to hug you,” she said. Gus shook his head.

“Don’t touch me. You lied to me for almost 18 years,” he said, crossing his arms across his chest. Kat bit her lip, moving into the corner. She didn’t want to be witnessing this, but she really had no choice.

“I did it for your own good!” Melanie argued. Gus huffed a laugh.

“For my own good? You thought that growing up, thinking that my father, my blood, hated me … you thought that was for my own good?” he asked, disbelievingly. She tried to touch him again.

“Gus, he may be your biological father, but he has no claims to you! He’s not your guardian!” Melanie said. Gus looked confused.

“What do you mean he’s not my guardian?” he asked. Brian tried to speak up, but Melanie cut him off.

“He gave you up. He signed his parental rights over to me. I’m your guardian, Gus, he’s not!” she said. Gus looked at Brian.

“You gave me up?” he asked, hurt visible in his eyes. Brian stepped forward.

“It was arranged that way before you were born,” Brian started, but Gus cut him off.

“What the fuck? There are just lies, lies, and more lies from all of you!” he yelled. Brian sighed.

“Gus, shut the fuck up and let me finish what I was saying,” Brian said. Gus opened his mouth to say something, but Brian’s stern look shut him up. “It was arranged that I would sign my rights over to Melanie when you were born. Linds and Melanie decided that before you were even born, and I agreed. Back then, I had no desire to be a father, but I loved Lindsay, and I would do anything she asked me to,” he started. Gus opened his mouth again, but Brian held his hand up and continued.

“When you were born, I fell in love immediately. When I held you in my arms … I still have that picture up in my bedroom, I’ll have to show you. I honestly didn’t think that I would love you. That’s why I agreed to sign over my rights. But when you were born, and I realized how much I did love you, I went back on that agreement. I didn’t sign over the rights, I could never be just a guest appearance in your life,” Brian said.

“Yeah, you were a fucking asshole about it!” Melanie yelled at him. Brian rolled his eyes, he was used to Melanie calling him names.

“So … you didn’t give me up?” Gus asked. Brian shook his head.

“Gus, I don’t think of it that way,” he said. Gus rolled his eyes.

“Okay, then. You didn’t sign over your rights?” he rephrased the question. Brian rolled his lips into his mouth.

“Lindsay and Melanie got into a huge fight. They weren’t living together anymore, and Lindsay was about to marry some French asshole so that he could get his green card and stay in the country. I didn’t want to see Lindsay ruin her life like that. So, in order to get them back together, I offered Melanie my rights, and said she could only get them if Lindsay and Melanie worked things out. And I said that Melanie would be the only one I signed them over to. Since that French asshole wanted them,” Brian said. Gus looked at him, his arms crossed.

“So you did it. You gave her your rights to me,” he said. Brian rolled his lips into his mouth again and nodded. Gus sighed, sitting down on the couch.

“I don’t know who the fuck to believe,” he said, his head in his hands. Brian turned to Melanie.

“How could you do that to me, Melanie? How could you fill his head with such negative thoughts of me? Telling him that I didn’t want him, that I gave him up?” he asked. Melanie shrugged.

“It’s all true, isn’t it? You didn’t want him. You did give him up,” she said.

“I didn’t want him when he was just an idea! When he was born, when he was here, you know that I loved him! I was over here at least every other day, if not every day to see him! I’d stop by after work, on my lunch break … do you have any idea how much ripping him out of my life hurt me?” Brian yelled. Gus watched his mom and dad yelling at each other from the couch. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He stood up.

“You told me he never came to see me! You told me that he didn’t care!” Gus accused Melanie. She looked from Gus’ angry face, to Brian’s, then back at Gus’.

“Gus … Brian was such a bad person! He was a bad influence, and I didn’t want you exposed to that!” she defended herself. “He was bringing a different trick home every day! I could just see what would happen when he babysat you. You’d be sitting in your baby seat on the dining room table while he was having a five-person orgy in the other room!” she said.

“Daddy? What’s going on? Who’s that?” Alex came into the room, looking around, rubbing her sleepy eyes. Everyone moved their attention in her direction. Justin went over to her and knelt down to her level.

“Alex, sweetie, this is an adult conversation, okay? Why don’t you go back upstairs to bed, or you can play in your playroom?” he suggested. Kat spoke up from the corner she retreated to.

“I’ll go play with her,” she said. Gus glanced at her, giving her a grateful and apologetic smile. She smiled at him, nodding to let him know it was okay.

“Who are you?” Alex asked her. Kat knelt down beside Justin.

“I’m a friend of your brother’s. I’ll go play with your toys with you,” she offered. Alex smiled and held out her hand.

“Okay … do you like to play with Barbie’s?” Alex asked. Kat nodded, walking into the other room with her.

“You’re in luck, because I love playing with Barbie’s,” she smiled, turning around and smiling at Gus again before going into the playroom with Alex and closing the door. Gus turned back to his dads and mom.

“Who was that?” Melanie asked him. He snorted a laugh.

“Like it matters to you,” he said. She put her hands on her hips.

“For Christ’s sake, Gus, I’m your mother!” she yelled. Brian glanced at her.

“I suggest you keep your voice down, since we have managed to wake up my daughter, and she’s now down here,” he said. Melanie laughed.

“Oh, so now you’re a father?” she asked. She looked at Gus, trying to play Devil’s Advocate, since she knew she was quickly losing this argument. “Doesn’t that make you angry? That he treats this girl so much better than he treated you?” she asked.

“You never gave him the chance to treat me like a son!” Gus accused, not falling for Melanie’s bullshit. Justin moved to stand next to Brian, grabbing one of his hands. Brian squeezed it.

“I … I …” Melanie looked from Gus to Brian and Justin, then back to Gus. Finally, she looked down at her feet. She didn’t know what to say.

“I want to stay here. I don’t want to go back to Canada,” Gus said. Melanie’s head shot up to look at him.

“What? No way! You’re coming back to Canada with me, and that’s final,” Melanie said. Gus laughed, shaking his head.

“I don’t think so, mom. You don’t get to tell me what to do anymore,” he said, crossing his arms across his chest. Melanie looked at Brian and Justin, who were standing quietly, not saying anything.

“I’m your mother! And I say that you go upstairs, pack your shit, and get in the car, now!” she said, pointing at the stairs to accentuate her point. Gus raised a brow, his arms still crossed.

“No,” he said. She stepped closer to him.

“Augustus Peterson-Marcus, you get your ass in that car right now,” she ordered. Gus shook his head.

“I’m 18, mom. You can’t tell me what to do anymore. I want to stay here with dad and Justin, and I want to go to Carnegie Mellon,” he said. Melanie ground her teeth together.

“You didn’t even apply to Carnegie Mellon!” she said.

“Yes I did. I applied to it without telling you, and I got almost a full scholarship,” he informed her. She looked at him in disbelief.

“You went behind my back like that? Well, where do you expect to get the rest of the money for your tuition?” she asked.

“Dad kept a college fund for me from the time I was born. Oh, and I know about those checks you’ve been hiding from me,” Gus reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet, showing her the debit card he had. Melanie looked defeated.

“Gus … please …” she whispered, her shoulders slumping. Gus put his wallet back into his pocket.

“Mom … you need to let me go. I’m incredibly angry with you right now, and I don’t know when that will fade away. But I’m asking you to respect my wishes. And I want to live with dad and Justin,” he said. Melanie glanced over at Justin and Brian and then back at Gus. Her face took on an angry look again. She held her hands up.

“Fine. You know what? Do whatever the fuck you want. I don’t care anymore,” she said, leaving the house and slamming the door behind her. Gus stood there for a second, then swallowed and looked at Brian.

“You okay, sonnyboy?” Brian asked, letting go of Justin’s hand and going closer to Gus. Gus nodded.

“Yeah. She’ll cool down in a few hours. I’m sure I’ll get a phone call later tonight,” he said.

“Do you think she’ll take extreme measures to keep you?” Justin asked. Gus shook his head.

“No, I mean … I’m 18. I’m a legal adult now. And even if she could take legal measures, I don’t think she will,” he said. Brian hugged him.

“I do love you, Gus. I’m so sorry,” he said, hugging Gus tightly. Gus hugged him back.

“It’s okay, dad. I think we should just put this all behind us … move on with our lives,” Gus said, pulling out of the hug. Brian smiled.

“When did you get so smart?” he asked. Gus shrugged.

“It must run in the family,” he smirked, walking out of the room and towards the playroom. Brian looked at Justin and smiled. Justin hugged him.

“It doesn’t matter what Melanie thinks, Bri. All that matters is what Gus thinks, and Gus chose to stay here,” Justin said. Brian nodded.

“I was thinking,” he started. Justin laughed, pulling out of the hug enough to look him in the face.

“Never a good sign,” he teased. Brian rolled his eyes, but smiled.

“Shut up, brat. I was thinking,” he continued, “that since Gus is getting older, he’s not going to want to live here in our house … you know … if he brings people home,” Brian said. Justin raised a brow.

“And …” Justin prompted Brian further.

“I was thinking maybe we could let him live in the loft,” Brian suggested. Justin smiled.

“I thought you didn’t feel right renting that loft out,” Justin reminded him.

“I didn’t feel right renting it out to complete strangers. My son is a different story. And I wouldn’t be renting it out to him, I own that building. He could just live there,” Brian said. Justin shrugged.

“It’s up to you, Bri,” he said. Brian smiled.

“We’ll talk to him, see what he thinks,” he said. Justin smiled.

“You’re such a softy in your old age.”

“Shut up,” Brian said, trying to hide a smile. Justin just smiled and leaned up, placing a kiss on his lips.

“Yes, dear,” he said. Brian laughed, pulling Justin closer and kissing him deeper.

-----

Gus knocked lightly on the playroom door and smiled when Alex opened it.

“Gussy! Did you come to play with my Barbie’s too?” she asked. He smiled, kneeling down to her level and she wrapped her arms around his neck in a hug.

“I’d love to play Barbie’s with you, munchkin, but I think we’ll have to take a rein check and do that tomorrow. It’s way past your bedtime,” he said. She pouted, trying to hide a yawn.

“But, I’m not tired!” she said. “And I still wanna play Barbie’s with Kat!” she added, letting go of his neck.

“I’ll come back and play Barbie’s with you another time, okay?” Kat said, standing up from where she was sitting on the floor. Alex looked at her.

“Promise?” she asked. Kat smiled and nodded.

“Promise,” she assured Alex. Alex smiled.

“Okay,” she said, holding her arms up to Gus, who picked her up. He turned off the light in the playroom and headed back to the living room, catching his dads in a kiss. He cleared his throat, and they pulled apart.

“Uh … I’m gonna take Alex up and put her in bed,” he said, a small smile on his lips. He put Alex down and she went over, saying goodnight to her daddies. She hugged Brian first.

“Night, papa,” she said, hugging him tightly around the neck. He smiled, kissing her cheek.

“Night, Alex, I love you,” he said, she smiled, pulling out of the hug.

“Love you too, papa,” she said, then moved to Justin. “Night, daddy,” she said, hugging him too. Justin hugged her back.

“Night, baby. See you in the morning, love you,” he said.

“Love you daddy,” she said, then went back to Gus and Kat. Gus picked her up again and smiled at his dads.

“Okay … we’ll be upstairs,” he said. Justin and Brian nodded. Gus carried Alex upstairs, followed by Kat. He put Alex in her bed and she hugged him around the neck.

“Gussy? Was that mean lady gonna take you away?” she asked tiredly, holding her teddy bear. Gus shook his head.

“No, Alex. She wasn’t a mean lady, and she wasn’t gonna take me away,” he assured her, leaning down and kissing her forehead.

“Okay. Night, Gussy. Night Kat,” she said, closing her eyes. Gus smiled, standing up and leading Kat out of the room. He took her into the room next door that had become his room. He sat down on the bed and let out a deep breath.

“I’m really sorry you had to witness that,” he said, looking up at her. She smiled, shaking her head and sitting down on the bed next to him.

“Don’t worry about it … my family’s had a few brawls too. It’s normal,” she said.

“I’m amazed you’re still here. That you stuck it out through all that, and didn’t go running out of the house,” he said with a small laugh. She shrugged.

“I adore your sister. She’s so cute,” she said, changing the subject. He laughed.

“Yeah, she is pretty cute,” he agreed.

“It must run in the family,” she smiled.

“Actually … her genes have nothing to do with mine …” he said, and then trailed off, realizing that she just complimented him. He smiled. “Oh … right,” he said. She laughed.

“I like you, Gus. Your crazy family won’t scare me away,” she assured him. He smiled at her.

“They’re not always crazy,” he offered. She rolled her eyes.

“Oh, just shut up already,” she said, grabbing the back of his head and pulling him closer to her, kissing him. He smiled against her lips, kissing her back.

Oh yeah, Gus just might be in love.

Chapter Ten

A few weeks went by, and Gus was involved in his classes. He would go to his classes during the day, and come home in the late afternoon/early evening. It always varied, depending on how much time he wanted to stay after his classes to spend time with Kat.

Brian thought more about offering the loft to Gus, and the more he thought about it, the more logical it sounded. He'd be closer to campus, but would still be close enough to come to the house once in awhile. The biggest thing holding him back from offering it was the thought that once Gus had the loft, he wouldn't come back, and it'd be like losing his son all over again. And that was something Brian didn't want to go through again. So, he didn’t offer the loft. He kept it at the back of his mind, for when Gus was a little older.

Gus sat in his room at his laptop, doing an outline for his Speech class. He took a glance around the room and noticed how homey it’s become since he got there.

The desk in the corner was now covered with books and a laptop. The dresser was full of clothes that Brian and Justin had gotten for him. There were dirty clothes in a hamper in the corner, and the connected bathroom had hygene supplies all over the counter. Smiling, he turned back to his laptop. Just as he refocused his attention, and started working again, his cell phone rang. Groaning, he picked up and answered.

“Hello?” he answered.

“Gus? Please – don’t hang up,” came the voice of his mother. He bit his lip.

“I won’t hang up,” he said, putting the pencil in his hand down on the desk. He heard the sigh of relief come from Melanie.

“Good. I was just wondering, could you come talk to me? I just want to talk to you,” she said softly. Gus sighed. He thought of what she must be going through, with her son so angry at her.

“Yeah, okay. Where do you want me to go?” he asked.

“We could meet at the diner. You know where that is, right?” she asked.

“Yeah, I know where that is,” he said. “I’ll meet you there in about twenty minutes,” he said.

“Okay, see you then, honey. Whether you believe it or not, I love you, Gus,” she said. Gus closed his eyes.

“I know, mom. I love you, too. I’ll see you in about fifteen,” he said, then hung up. He glanced at the laptop, saved his work and shut it. He got up and pulled on a shirt and his shoes. Grabbing his cell and keys, he pocketed them, heading downstairs. Brian and Justin were in the living room, watching something on the television.

“Hey, Gus,” Justin said, being the first to notice him come into the room.

“Hey guys … um, I’m gonna go out … my mom wants to meet me to talk,” Gus informed them. Brian and Justin both glanced at him.

“Okay … we’ll see you when you get back,” Brian said, offering him a smile. Gus smiled and left. Justin turned to Brian.

“Well, you were pretty quick to let him leave,” Justin said. Brian shrugged.

“I’m not going to stop him from seeing his mother. That would make me just as guilty as her,” Brian said. Justin nodded, snuggling closer to him. Brian wrapped his arm around him. “Besides, she’s his mother. And he’s 18. I can’t really stop him from doing anything.” Justin just smiled at him, giving him a kiss.

-----

Gus opened the door to the diner and smiled when he saw Melanie sitting in the corner booth. He headed in that direction. She looked up when she saw him and smiled, getting out of the booth. She held open her arms and he smiled, going into them and hugging her. She wrapped her arms tightly around him.

“Gus, I’m so sorry,” she said, tearing up. Gus nodded.

“I know you are, mom,” he said, pulling out of the hug. She took her seat back in the booth and he slid in across from him. She smiled at him.

“So … how are you? Are you okay? Do you need anything?” she asked. She had come to accept that Gus wanted to stay in Pittsburgh. She couldn’t really blame him for it. He smiled.

“I’m fine, mom,” he said.

“How’s school?” she asked. Gus shrugged.

“School’s school. It’s going really good so far, my grades are good,” he said. Melanie smiled.

“You always were really smart,” she said, looking down at her hands. “That must have been something you got from Brian,” she added. Gus smiled.

“Can I ask you something, mom?” he asked. She looked up at him and nodded.

“No lies, no defending yourself, just the truth. I love you, and I always will, you’re my mom. Why did you lie to me all those years?” he asked. Melanie sighed, shrugging.

“To be honest with you, Gus, I really don’t know. It just started out as one little lie, and it just grew and grew. By the time I turned around and looked at what I did, it was far too late to go back,” she answered honestly. Gus nodded.

“I can understand that. I’m still hurt that you did it, but I love you, and I’m willing to move past this all,” he said. Melanie looked up at him with tears in her eyes.

“God, Gus … when did you grow up?” she asked, the tears falling over. He laughed, getting out of his booth and moving to sit next to her, wrapping his arm around her and holding her while she cried.

-----

Gus’ first year at Carnegie Mellon flew by in the blink of an eye. He was spending a lot of time with Kat, and they were becoming really close. Inseparable, almost. He had just gotten home from a night out with Kat, it was late summer. He was sitting at his desk, writing an e-mail to Jeff, keeping him up to date. He glanced behind him when he heard a soft knock on his door.

“Come in,” he called. He smiled at Brian when he came in. "Hey, dad … what's up?" Gus asked. Brian glanced around the room.

"You know, it wouldn't kill you to pick up some of these clothes off the floor," Brian informed him. Gus laughed.

"Sure, dad," he said, turning back down to his laptop. Brian pushed some stuff off the corner of the bed and sat down.

"You know, if you spent half the time in here straightening up that you spent with Kat …" Brian trailed off, looking at Gus' amused face. "What?" he asked. Gus laughed, shaking his head.

"Nothing," he said. Brian laughed.

"Fuck, I sound like a parent," he said. Gus laughed.

"Yeah, you do," he said. Brian shook his head.

"Anyway. Believe it or not, I didn't come in here to tell you to clean your room," he said. Gus laughed.

"Oh, I believe it," he said. Brian smiled. "So, what's up, dad?" he asked, turning in his chair to face Brian.

"Well, I was thinking. Carnegie Mellon's like, what, a half hour from here?" Brian asked. Gus nodded.

"Give or take, why?" he asked.

"Well, the building I own is pretty much at a halfway point between here and CMU. I was thinking about offering you the top floor loft that I used to live in," Brian said. Gus raised a brow.

"You want me to move out?" he asked. Brian shook his head quickly.

"No, no, nothing like that. I don't want you to move out. In fact, I’d love to keep you here. It took Justin awhile to get me to even offer this to you," Brian informed him. "I just wanted to put it out there. I mean, you're almost 20 now … I know you're going to want to bring people home or whatever, and having Alex in the next room makes that hard." Gus blushed.

"Yeah, it kinda does," he admitted. "Kat's roommate's a pain in the ass this year, too," he added. Brian smiled.

"See? When I was 20, I had my own place. I feel that you should at least have the option available to you," Brian said.

"How much did you want for rent for it?" Gus asked. Brian shook his head.

"You don't have to pay rent, Gus. I own that building."

"Dad … I feel like I need to do something."

"How about this … you come home at least once a week, and you can live in the loft free of charge," Brian smiled. Gus laughed.

"Okay, deal," he said. Brian smiled, standing up and reaching into his pocket, pulling out a key and handing it to Gus.

"Take care of that place," he said. Gus smiled, standing up and hugging Brian.

"I will. Thanks, dad … for everything," Gus said. Brian smiled, hugging him back.

"You're welcome, sonny boy," he said.

-----

Epilogue: Four Years Later

Brian sat in the third row, with Justin on his right, and Alex on his left.

"Augustus Peterson-Marcus," they heard Gus' name called and Justin stood up, taking a quick picture, then sitting back down.

Sitting there in his seat, his mind ran over the past four years. Gus moved into the loft, and kept his promise, coming home on Thursday nights for dinner with the family. Soon, Kat started accompanying him to dinner, and it became a weekly ritual. Gus kept his grades good while in college, and now he was graduating as one of the top five of his class. Brian and Justin couldn't have been prouder.

Brian glanced down past Alex to where Kat was sitting. She glanced over at him and smiled. She had graduated the year before, and got a job working for a local radio station. Gus and she had moved in together in the loft after her graduation. Brian smiled back at her, and then glanced to his right, past Justin to where Melanie sat. She had finally apologized a year after Gus moved to Pittsburgh. She apologized to Brian for taking Gus out of his life, and she apologized to Gus for making him live his life without a father. Brian accepted her apology, but never really forgave her. He decided to just put it behind them, and they have.

Brian glanced back at the platform. He smiled when he saw his son sitting up there.

"A big round of applause for the Carnegie Mellon Graduating Class of 2022!" the dean said in the microphone, and everyone stood up, clapping.

After the ceremony, the group waited for Gus to finish getting his pictures taken, and then approached him. Alex ran up to him and gave him a big hug. He laughed, picking her up and spinning her around.

"Hey munchkin!" he said when he put her down on the ground. She smiled at him.

"You look so funny in that dress," she said. Gus laughed.

"It's not a dress, twerp. It's a graduation gown," he corrected.

"Whatever. Either way, you still look funny," she said. He laughed, shaking his head. Melanie was the next to hug him.

"I'm so proud of you, Gus," she said, hugging him tightly. He smiled.

"Thanks, mom," he said, hugging her back. After a few moments, he laughed again. "Uh, mom … you might want to let go now," he said. She laughed, pulling back.

"Sorry," she said. He smiled. Next, he was attacked by a hug from Kat. He laughed, wrapping his arms around her waist, hugging her back.

"You did it!" she said. He laughed.

"I did," he said, pulling away and giving her a quick kiss.

"I'm proud of you," she said. He smiled.

"I'm hearing that a lot today," he said. She smiled, moving aside so the next person could hug him. Justin moved closer, hugging him.

"Gus …" he started, but Gus cut him off.

"Let me guess … you're proud of me?" he asked, a smirk on his face. Justin laughed, turning to Brian.

"I swear to God, it's like looking at you," Justin said. Brian laughed, shaking his head. He leaned forward and gave Gus a hug as well. Gus seemed to hold onto Brian a little longer. Brian pulled away and placed a kiss on Gus' forehead.

"You did good, sonny boy," he said. Gus smiled up at him.

"Thanks, dad. It means a lot," he said. Brian smiled.

"Well, shall we go party now?" Brian asked. Everyone nodded. Gus wrapped his arm around Kat's shoulders, taking his hat off and putting it on Alex's head. Kat wrapped her arm around Gus' waist, walking with him towards the car. Alex laughed, punching Gus' side. Melanie walked towards her car, to drive to the loft for the party. Justin started to walk, but noticed that Brian was still standing there.

"What's up?" Justin asked him. Brian just shrugged.

"I'm just … I just can't believe that it's really all happening," Brian said. "The past four years have been the happiest of my life, and I just … I can't believe it's real," he said. Justin smiled, hugging him.

"It's real, all right. Now, come on. Let's go celebrate our kid's graduation," Justin said, dragging Brian towards their car. Brian smiled, walking with Justin towards the car. He leaned down to kiss Justin's cheek.

"I love you," he whispered. Justin smiled.

"I love you, too, old man," he said with a smile. And for once, Brian didn't care.

The End
10-14-05