Ron watched as his daughter's wife chased after Justin. His son. He had known. But hearing it...after all this time... It made his heart swell with joy and pain. From his good manners and appearance, the young man had obviously been raised well. Not that he had ever doubted it.

When he had heard about it being Justin that had been bashed at his prom - about a week after it had actually happened - he had immediately gone to the hospital. It had been late at night so that no one would see him. Yet Brian Kinney, Lindsay's best friend from college, had been sitting there like an ancient warrior that refused to abandon his post. He had looked like shit. Earlier, Jennifer had informed him that Brian and Justin had been ‘seeing' one another for quite some time. Needless to say, he hadn't even caught a glimpse of Justin in the hospital. Though he had made sure that the bill was payed for in full and anonymously.

No. No matter what anyone thought, Ron Peterson had never forgotten his son.

"I just want you to know, that I don't love you any less." Lindsay began, looking as though she was torn between crying and retching. "But I'm disappointed. So disappointed in you." After only a beat she looked up at him suspiciously, "Are you fucking her?"

Ron's eyes grew wide and he growled at his daughter. "I'll allow you to have your say on this Lindsay, but that is none of your damn business! You are severely overstepping your bounds, young lady!" He said it and he meant it. Lindsay had always been the level-headed one out of his daughters. Yes, even she was allowed to be an ass every now and then. But there was no way he would allow her to insult him or Jennifer. Especially when they had done nothing to be ashamed of.

Lindsay ignored him and the finger he had begun to wag in her face. "Mom's body isn't even cold dad! How could you do that to her?"

The words pierced his heart but he shook it off. It was a low blow and a lame ploy to draw him out. "What? Go on living? Your mother and I were over ages ago. I miss her. I'm sorry it happened. I grieve for her. But I can't go on as if I've died too."

Lindsay opened and closed her mouth like a fish, no sound escaping. Her father reached for Jennifer's hand and held it delicately as one might hold a piece of fine porcelain, showing his outright affection for the woman. "I care about Jennifer. We loved one another. But we were both married and we loved them too. It was only the once. Only the one time that we..." He shook his head, not wanting to say anymore. Knowing that words would diminish or belittle the value that he placed on that one event. "But I've never forgotten her. Never stopped loving and caring about her."

Jennifer nodded from beside him. "Lindsay, we didn't want to hurt anyone. And until today, I was sure that I would never see him again. But...we only want to be friends. Perhaps more in time but not now."

"Could you handle that?" He asked, knowing that Lindsay's answer would only mean something to Lindsay. He was beyond needing anyone's approval. A lesson that Lindsay herself had once taught him.

Lindsay looked back and forth between he and Jennifer once more. He knew what she would find there. There would be a sparkle in his eyes that had been long missing. A happiness that made him seem twenty years younger. If he was aware of it, the entire world had to be able to see it. And it was all due to the amazing woman by his side. A woman that, despite her slightly tear-smudged mascara, looked every bit as breathtakingly beautiful as she had those twenty years ago. She had been the change in him. If anyone could see that, it should have been Lindsay.

Jennifer glanced at him and he saw the concern that etched delicate lines on her face. She was worried about coming between father and daughter. But she needn't have worried. Lindsay was smiling softly now. Lost in her own thoughts.

"Well...I guess you could have done a lot worse," his baby girl said in way of apology. The couple before her smiled timidly at one another. "Now...about Justin..."

"Lindsay-" Ron started warily.

"You know I've always wanted a little brother. Can I keep him?" she asked in the hushed voice of a small child.

***

He had tossed and turned for the past hour. All Justin wanted was to sleep. Abandon reality for a few hours. Forget everything that he had heard tonight. For once, Brian and the problems he did or didn't have with him where the furthest thoughts from his mind.

After leaving the restaurant, Melanie had located him in the alley, gasping for breath and dry heaving so heavily that tears were dripping down his face like drops of rain. At his request, she had driven him back to his dorm where he had been for the last three hours.

Three hours. Three hours of thinking. Thinking about nothing but a father that had betrayed him. Another father that had chosen to pretend that he didn't exist. A mother that had lied to him. A sister - GOD! Another sister! And... And all thinking about it had gotten him was a headache.

Justin jumped as someone began pounding on the door. "Zach. Could you get that?"

Zach, Justin's roommate, had been at his small corner desk finishing a paper. Justin glanced at him and saw that the boy was too engrossed in the topic of Klimt's Dimensions as well as whatever punk band was blasting through his headphones to hear anything that Justin was saying. He huffed as he rolled out of bed and padded to the door.

As soon as Brian took in his rumpled blue tank top and flannel pajama bottoms, as well as his puffy pink eyes, the man pulled Justin to him carefully, as though afraid he might break. "Hey. You okay?" he asked worriedly and with such surprise that Justin knew right away that Brian hadn't been enlightened to the earlier happenings of the night.

Justin sighed, lifted his shoulder slightly in a weak shrug, and shuffled back to his bed, flopping back onto the mattress and pulling the covers back over him. Brian took off his brown leather jacket and threw it onto Zach's bed before toeing off his shoes and crawling under the comforter with him.

Without a word, Justin melded into Brian's embrace and buried his face in the other man's chest. "This morning...."

Justin shook his head but didn't look at him. "Forget it. I shouldn't have said anything."

"No. You were only saying what you felt. I've told you a million times that you have to ask for what you want if you ever expect to get it." He pressed his lips gently to Justin's forehead. "Wanna hear about my day?" Justin nodded. Maybe the gentle sound of Brian's voice would finally lull him to sleep. "Well I spent most of it at the baths. And then I went to Woody's for drinks, where I picked up a hot young stud and took him to places he had never been before."

Justin actually giggled in spite of himself. "You did not. You were at Lindsay and Mel's babysitting all day. And then you took Gus to the movies." He pulled up and crossed his arms over Brian's chest, resting his chin on them.

"Who blabbed?" Brian smirked and rolled his eyes. "But actually I did do one other thing that I think we really need to discuss."

Justin looked up at Brian and sighed. "Not tonight, okay? I don't want to talk about anything important tonight." Brian conceded with a small inclination of his head. "So how did you know that I was here and not out with my own hot young stud?"

Justin felt Brian's body tense and he cursed himself for saying something like that. Then Brian smirked and playfully bit the thumb that Justin had been trailing over his bottom lip. "After the muncher's got home, I went back to the loft to talk to you. And of course you weren't there so...I figured you had come back here to give me some space. ‘To get my mind straight', as you call it."

"So you came here..."

"I don't much like that space anymore." He placed his hands one on either side of Justin's face, tracing the ridges of his ears with the pads of his thumbs. "Unless you're in it somewhere."

Justin's bright smile was marred by a large yawn. He rubbed his eyes and smiled again, sheepishly. "Guess it's been a pretty long day." Brian kissed his forehead and nodded. He pushed Justin away only long enough to strip down to his underwear and they snuggled together on the twin bed, Brian now behind Justin and Justin curled in on himself.

"Brian! Hey man! When did you get here?" Justin heard Zach call out just before he slipped into a comfortable state of unconsciousness.

***

The next morning, Brian rolled over to stretch out, as his muscles had grown stiff and sore during the night. As he spread his arms, he tumbled off of the bed and fell with a loud thump onto the floor. Cursing loudly, he rubbed his backside which had taken the brunt of the impact.

Justin and Zach both opened their eyes and looked at the man blankly before bursting into a fit of giggles. This definitely wasn't the first morning that had started off in the very same way. The older man just couldn't get used to the confined quarters of twin beds.

Brian stood and stared down at Justin, happy to see that his mood was slightly improved with the new day. "Think that's funny do you?" Justin nodded without a second thought. "Oh! Well..." Brian jumped on top of him and launched a full scale attack on Justin's most ticklish areas. As the boy squirmed and wriggled under him, Brian bit back his own laughter. How could Justin always make him feel so...good? So happy and playful?

"You gonna take that Justin?" Zach called out, urging Justin to fight back, though it would be without any help from him. Zach had learned right off the bat that you didn't challenge Brian Kinney unless you were looking for trouble - even if he appeared to be in a good mood.

"Zach! Help!" Justin begged. "Jeez Brian! Hit the treadmill why don'tcha? You weigh a ton!" Justin snipped out between giggles.

Brian's mouth fell open in shock and his hands froze above Justin's flank. "Why you little...! Oh you're in for it now!" He stretched out over Justin and let all of his weight rest on the young man. All the while his fingers began dancing over his sides, making the torture all the sweeter. Silencing the new wave of louder giggles, Brian's mouth covered Justin's in a tender kiss and suddenly Brian no longer wanted to get him back. Justin obviously had the same idea as his arms snaked around Brian's neck.

The sound of the door closing, alerted him to the fact that Zach had left the room. He had to hand it to the kid. He was perceptive. But then again, Justin wasn't even there half the time so it wasn't as if he never had any privacy of his own or anything.

Taking advantage of the lack of audience, Brian rolled away a bit so that he was still half on top of Justin and half of him rested on the bed. Without breaking the kiss, Brian ran his hand underneath the tank top, allowing his fingertips to explore his lover's chest, abs, nipples. He gently tugged at the skin around Justin's nipple ring, instead of the actual ring, which elicited a happy sigh from the blonde.

Justin's eyes fluttered open and with his newfound alertness, the clouds which had been present the night before returned with a vengeance. "Brian..." he whispered, stilling Brian's hand that had been about to tug down the pajama bottoms.

"What is it?" He rested his forehead against Justin's collar bone.

"Don't. Not now." Brian pulled away from Justin until there wasn't an inch of their bodies left touching.

"Okay?," He asked smiling, not upset but trying to soothe Justin without the benefit of contact.

Justin rolled his eyes impatiently and pulled Brian back to him. "I didn't mean... I just want to enjoy being with you."

Brian's brow wrinkled. He sighed and rubbed his thumb and index finger into the corners of his eyes. "No lovin for you at all until you spill it."

"Spill what?"

"Whatever it is that has you looking like you're ready to cry. Whatever made you so upset last night." He rolled off of Justin, towards the wall this time, to insure that he wouldn't fall. When he was settled with his arm draped over Justin's waist and his leg slung over his thighs, he pressed his lips to his lover's shoulder and rested his cheek against the pillow. "So what did Craig do this time?"

The blonde looked at Brian as though he were insane. "What are you talking about?"

"Last night. You were calling out for your dad in your sleep." A small whimper escaped from Justin and Brian raised his eyes to see his lover's lip begin to quiver with pent up emotion. "Shit, Justin. What the hell did he do? I've told you a million times - you can't listen to his crap. He isn't worth-"

"It isnt' dad...uh, Craig. Craig Taylor isn't even my father," he murmured dejectedly.

"Um...Huh?"

"My dad...isn't my dad." Justin let his head collapse heavily back onto his pillow. "My whole life has been a sham."

"So...if he isn't your dad..."

"My mother had an affair with Ron Peterson," He said, fairly seething at the name.

"Ro-Pet-You mean...?" Justin nodded and closed his eyes. "..and they..?" Again Justin nodded. "...so Lindsay is...?" Once more Justin nodded and sat up, moving to hang his legs off of the edge of the bed. "Fuck me!" Brian started to laugh hysterically.

Justin turned and glared at the man incredulously. "I'm so happy that my problems are so amusing to you."

He tried to wipe the amusement from his face but it was no good. "I'm sorry. But, come on! They aren't YOUR problems. We've been through this before. You can't be responsible for them. I mean, sure, you have a new dad now and things will change. But did you really like the old one that much?" Justin's frown deepened and Brian kissed his neck, pulling him even closer to him.

"He was my dad though. He took me to little league every Tuesday and Thursday. We went to baseball games together. He taught me how to ride a bike."

Brian had heard many of the pro-Craig Taylor stories before. But he had been given just as many stories to hold against the man. "How about the time he told you that your lifestyle was disgusting. That you had flaunted yourself. What about all of the birthdays he missed. All of the school plays that he was too busy to come to. He took you to practices but...didn't you tell me that he never even watched you play in your little league games?"

Justin said nothing, taking in what Brian had said. "Besides, you have to admit that it's kind of funny!" Brian began to chuckle once again, holding his stomach as he shook his head. "Do you realize...that my son is your...nephew?" Justin let himself chuckle under his breath.

The two pulled back and looked at one another for a long time. Brian saw that Justin's eyes had cleared and were now dancing with mischief. Reading his young lover's mind, they both wrinkled their noses at one another and screamed, "Ew!" and "Incest!" before Justin jumped on top of him and finally put their privacy to good use.

***

Jennifer's mind was racing. She opened one eye and then the other. Took in her surroundings and fought the urge to bury her head under the blankets and hide for the next year or so. How was it that this man could get her to do things like this?

"Good morning," she heard him whisper from the pillow beside her.

She covered her eyes with her hand and groaned. "Ron, I am truly sorry."

"For what?"

Without an answer, Jennifer sat up and swung her legs over the edge of the bed. With a rigid set to her shoulders, she began snatching up stray items of clothing that were scattered over the bedroom floor. "I never should have stayed the night. We're supposed to be friends."

"Jen, I know that's what we said but is that really what you want? Honestly?" Ron sat up and back against a stack of pillows all the time watching the woman pace.

She paused and thought about the question for a moment. "No-Yes!" How had she gotten here? Last night, Lindsay had left them to eat, not ready to truly accept things but not wanting to be in the way. They had gotten slightly tipsy on sherry and wine and reminisced for hours about how things used to be in a way that only two old lovers could. Then they had found themselves at his townhouse. It had been a spur of the moment thing. More proof of her bad decision making. But now, in the light of the morning, what did she really want? "Look, I don't know! All I know is that I have a son that's upset with me, a lot of guilt that has surfaced recently, and a daughter that needs to be picked up from a sleepover."

"So it's about the children?"

Was it? Craig had disappointed her beyond belief when he had turned against Justin. He hadn't known that Justin wasn't his. But...in a heated argument over wether she had or hadn't ‘turned' Justin gay, she had let it slip that Justin was indeed not even his son. Then came the separation, the short-lived custody battles over Molly that Jennifer had kept quiet, and finally the divorce.

The man that had proclaimed to love her for over twenty years, had walked out on her at the first sign of true trouble. For better or for worse just didn't go as far as it used to. The feeling she had felt the night that Craig had said goodbye returned, squeezing her chest painfully. "I don't think I can be involved with you, Ron. In any way. Not right now."

"Jennifer..." He looked sincerely hurt and Jen fidgeted nervously. Finally the older man sat back tiredly. "I loved Nancy for many many years. But the year that I knew you, the once that I was with you, was the only time I felt truly alive. I had only hoped that we could get that back."

"I know." She whispered. "And I am sorry. I've had some interest shown in your house but if that doesn't come through, then I'm going to ask that another realtor be assigned to you." She pulled on her blouse and tailored skirt quickly. She scanned the room until she was satisfied that she hadn't forgotten anything before turning towards the door. "Oh," she turned back and Ron looked up hopefully. ", if you want to talk to Justin...I won't stop you. Just don't even try to be a father to him if you are only going to disappoint him in the long run. He's been hurt too many times before." And so have I, she thought as she walked out of Ron Peterson's bedroom, townhouse, and life.

***

Brian stood back and watched with amusement as Justin tossed his jacket carelessly over the back of the sofa and walked directly into the bedroom. After cheer up sex, they had made their way back to the loft to ‘discuss' what exactly Brian had done yesterday before his quality time with Gus. All he had told Justin so far was that he couldn't tell him anything about it until he found his surprise. Justin loved this kind of thing and Brian knew it.

"Give me a hint," Justin called out from behind the screens.

"Nope," Brian leaned back against the kitchen counter and stared at his feet, waiting.

"It's not in the bedroom!"

"Then try another area Sherlock."

Justin stood in the doorway of the bedroom and stared at Brian. "No hint?"

Brian mouthed a ‘no' and shook his head to exaggerate his point.

The blonde stomped into the bathroom, excitement still gleaming in his eyes. Five minutes later he walked back out and went to the desk. Brian rolled his eyes. Of course, he was going to look everywhere BUT where he was supposed to. The box was even in plane sight! After several more minutes of no luck, Justin made his way back to Brian, a playful pout on his face. "I give up. I don't like this game."

Brian shook his head in exasperation. "That's because you suck at it." He bracketed Justin's face with his hands and turned Justin's head towards the chaise lounge in the corner.

Blue eyes brightened as they fell upon the small black box and sterling silver rose that rested beside it. "Oh...what is that?"

"Open it and see." Brian was shaking. He had been so calm and ready. Now he wasn't sure he could go through with it. And then he watched Justin as he gingerly picked up the box and rubbed his other palm over the top of it lovingly, as if simply pleased that he had been given anything. Not particularly caring what was in the package. Not yet anyway. When Justin slowly opened the box and peered inside, he let out a small giggle followed by his nose wrinkling in confusion, and Brian knew that it had been the right move. It was now or never.

"A...key ring?"

Brian shrugged. "Don't you like it?"

"Yeah. And so funny. ‘Princess'" Justin rolled his eyes heavenward and caught his lower lip with his teeth. "So. Does this mean what I think it means?"

"No."

"No?"

"Well I'm assuming that you think it means that I want you to move back in here with me." Justin nodded. "Then no. It doesn't mean what you think it means."

Justin picked up the rose and smiled as he ran the petals over his cheek and under his nose. "Then what DOES it mean?"

"Did you happen to bother looking further in the box?"

He placed the rose on the counter beside Brian and picked under the cotton square that had been placed in the box. After a moment of fishing, he came back out with a key in his fingers as well as a slip of paper. "This is an address," he announced as he read the paper. "What's it for?"

"Well it's for this quaint little place about seven miles outside of town. Secluded area. Nice neighbors, if you like that sort of thing." He didn't particularly care for them but Justin was more of a people person. "After I left yesterday I went for a walk. Didn't even watch where I was going. And then suddenly I was there."

"At this address?"

"No. At your mother's office."

"My mother?"

"Yeah. She's a really understanding woman." Justin simply stared at him and Brian laughed as he remembered the look on Jennifer's face as he had attempted to explain what he was looking for. "She wasn't too thrilled about it but she said that if we were going to do it then she wanted to be the one that found it."

"Brian, you aren't making sense. Found what?"

"A house, Justin! Haven't you been paying attention? I looked at it yesterday afternoon. It's perfect. Two stories. Four bedrooms, three and a half baths. One of the bedrooms would be perfect for a studio or whatever. Huge floor-to-ceiling windows."

"Is this for real?" Brian grinned. As much as he had tried to, Justin hadn't been able to contain the excitement in his voice. A positive sign.

"I want you to look at it and if you like it, then it's our's." All Justin could do was wrap his arms around Brian's waist and squeeze as tightly as possible. "So you still like the idea of living together? It's a pretty big step."

"I can't think of anything that would make me happier." He frowned suddenly and released his hold on the taller man. "What about what you said? About having other plans?"

"Well you aren't moving in here are you? I've been thinking about this for a while. And I'm ready. And...you're getting there. But I did say that you should take advantage of the time you had. I wouldn't be a very smart person if I didn't listen to someone as wise as myself."

"And modest too."

He nodded earnestly. "That too."

Justin looked around Brian's home. "But what about the loft?"

Brian squeezed his eyes closed as though he were in pain. "I'm getting too...o...o..."

"Old." Justin helped him out.

The man cracked open one eye. "Yeah...what you said...to have a place like this. Besides, if we plan on doing this right, we should start fresh."

Justin looked down at the key in his hand and blinked away tears of joy. "We should start fresh," he repeated and laughed a lighthearted laugh that came straight from his soul. Fathers, mothers, sisters, friends. Fuck em. He had his family right there in front of him.

***

Epilogue
One Month Later...

Lindsay stared into the small crowd that had gathered in her home. Well...not so much her home anymore. It was overwhelming to say the very least but damned if she wasn't enjoying every minute of it.

Debbie sat happily in an overstuffed armchair, bouncing and staring at the immaculately decorated room. Her father, along with Vic, Michael, Emmett and Ted stood together in the back of the room, chatting quietly. Jennifer and Molly Taylor sat silently beside Brian, who was, for once, on his best behavior. Gus was climbing all over Justin, who was seated on the back of the sofa behind his mother and Brian. His grin matched her own even though she knew it was for a very different reason.

Melanie stood beside her, their hands intertwined. Her wife was giving her all the strength she needed to do what she had to and Lindsay silently promised to repay her for once again being the rock in their family. Their rapidly expanding family.

"Well...you all know why we're here. To celebrate Justine and Brian's...uh...step in the right direction?" Titters where heard all over the room. Even Justin couldn't hold back his giggles. This earned him a playful glare from his lover. "Either way, we hope that you will enjoy your new home and will be happy here for many many years to come." She raised her glass of punch and the others did the same.

"Here here!" Deb called out loudly.

Looking around the room, Justin sighed and fought back the emotion that threatened to choke him. Things hadn't changed as he feared they might. If anything, they had gotten better. Instead of their being some horrible line drawn in the sand, he had found himself welcomed into the Peterson clan with open arms. By all except for Lynette. Not a great loss from what he had seen.

In the four weeks that he had known him, Ron Peterson had been more of a father than Craig Taylor could have ever been. Not that Justin didn't appreciate the man that had raised him. He still loved the man and always would. Still, Ron had already accepted Brian as something of a son-in-law. The show of acceptance had warmed Justin, who had still been trying to convince himself that his father's approval or disapproval of the situation didn't matter.

Ron also made sure that all of his children felt loved and equal in his eyes. Just the week before, he had surprised Justin and Lindsay with tickets to the opening of the Degas exhibit. He had insisted on going with them and had proven to be just as much of an art enthusiast as his children.

When the guys had heard the news, they thought it was completely hilarious and had begun chanting "Jerry! Jerry! Jerry!" alerting every patron in the Liberty Diner to the situation. Lindsay had been mortified, but had giggled as she realized that she and Justin were wearing the same blushing grimace.

After each of their friends had their say, Justin handed Gus to his father and approached Lindsay with a wary smile. "Thanks. For the toast."

Lindsay grinned and pushed a fallen strand of hair behind her ear. "It was the least I could do."

"I never really asked if you minded us buying this house. I mean...it has to have a lot of memories for you. I don't want to..." He shook his head not really knowing how to put it. He knew that he didn't want to tread on a part of her family that seemed rather taboo to him. Her mother had lived in this house after all.

His sister merely held up her hand to stop him. "Don't." Taken the young man into a tight hug, she kissed his cheek. "I'm just happy that it's staying in the family."