A/N: Alrighty. Hi everyone! I just started watching QAF a couple months ago( I know! I'm so late!) But it's a really great show, and I've finally finished all the seasons. This fanfiction popped into my head one day and I knew I had to get it down on paper. Gus and J.R., always had really prominent personalities to me, at least in my head anyway and I always thought with Melanie and Lindsey breaking up and getting back together so much what would happen if Melanie and Lindsey had split up after they'd moved to Toronto? What if J.R. had never known Lindsey and Gus barely remembered Mel? Well, here's what would happen from MY head's perspective. I know, that in order to write QAF fanfiction you have to be a really special kind of person, to capture the specific essence of each person. Now I'm not sure that I do that. But I'm having a lot of fun writing it and that's all that matters. Anyway, PLEASE review if you like it, and I suppose even if you don't. Thanks!

P.S. if anyone wants to make a video or a banner for this fanfiction. GO FOR IT. I picture Nina Dobrev as J.R. and Chace Crawford as Gus.

Disclaimer: I do not own Queer as Folk, but I wish I did. I am making no profit of this.

"Mom!"

Melanie Marcus started at the sound of her daughter's voice. She hadn't expected her home this early. It was only 3:30 and normally, J.R. had to stay late after school for something or other. She finished up the sentence she'd been writing out about one of her court cases and put down her pen. She knew she wouldn't be able to get any work done now that J.R. was home.

"Mom! Mom! MOM!" The girl shrieked, running into the room, her brown hair flowing out behind her, her bright eyes sparkling, and a bright white important looking envelope in her hand.

"It's here!" She said her cheeks flushed with excitement.

Melanie looked from her daughter to the envelope and back again.

"Oh my god." She said, a smile taking over her face. She got up from her seat, moving towards her daughter, and taking the envelope from her.
"Christ." She said, a rush of breath coming from her as she turned the envelope over. They'd been waiting for this for what felt like years. Since Jenny Rebecca had learned how to color inside the lines, she'd wanted to be an artist. She lived it and breathed it. Their apartment in Toronto, Canada was covered with drawings, and paintings, and sculptures, all Jenny Rebecca originals. The art studio that had really been intended for a guest room, was cluttered with pastel sets and special sets of pencils, and easels. Sometimes Melanie thought that it would've been better if Lindsey had stuck around. She had been the artist after all, but Melanie was proud of the way she had raised her daughter. She was smart and confident and everyone around her couldn't help but love her. And now, she held in her hands either an acceptance or a rejection letter from the Pittsburgh institute of fine arts. Her daughter's entire future. Jenny was only sixteen, but she'd started kindergarten early. Melanie wanted to make sure she'd have the best in life so that she could be the best in life. One of the things she'd learned from Brian Kinney that had stuck. And now, her wonderful, perfect, brilliant, smart daughter had applied for early acceptance into the Pittsburgh Institute of fine arts. Her dream school, devoted to art.

"Okay. How do you want to do this?" Melanie said, looking up at her nervous daughter.

Jenny bit down on her lip, thinking for a moment and then she shook her head.

"You open it! I don't think I can do it…" She said, sounding completely out of breath. Melanie sighed and then led Jenny Rebecca over to the couch as they both sat down in unison.

"Okay." Melanie said taking a deep breath, before ripping the envelope open. She unfolded the letter, her heart beating fast. She cleared her throat.

"Dear Jennifer Rebecca, we, at the Pittsburgh Institute of Fine Arts, were fascinated by the work you have submitted."

Melanie looked up at her daughter, a small smile on her face. "Whatever happens remember that they were fascinated by your work!"

"Mom!" She said urgently, moving her hands to keep her reading.

"Sorry, sorry." Melanie mumbled recovering. She cleared her throat a little before starting again.

"Because of your impeccable grades, and obvious talent, we are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted to the Pittsburgh institute of fine Arts!" Melanie paused staring down at the paper, and then looked up at her daughter, excitement in her eyes. "You did it, babe!" she said, excitement coating her voice as she threw her arms around her daughter.

"Oh my GOD! I can't BELIEVE it! I really….I can't BELIEVE this is happening!" Jenny replied hugging her mom back tightly. "Thank you so much for letting me apply!"
It'd been a bit of long shot at one point. Melanie wanted nothing to do with Pittsburgh anymore. That's why she'd wanted to move to Toronto in the first place. It made Melanie feel a little sick to think about those times. When she'd first moved to Toronto. Everything had been wonderful. She'd had Lindsey, J.R., and Gus, and a wonderful house, but things turned sour quickly. Lindsey got bored. That isn't what she said, but Melanie knew that was what had happened. You couldn't keep a girl like Lindsey content in the suburbs for long. Lindsey had returned to Pittsburgh after only 9 months of being in Toronto, taking Gus with her and they hadn't spoken since. Lindsey had insisted that life in Toronto was not worth leaving the family behind in Pittsburgh. Melanie hadn't agreed. So Lindsey had left. Gus, Melanie was sure, hardly remembered her, and J.R. wouldn't be able to pick Lindsey out from Eve.

Melanie didn't really want her daughter wandering around in Pittsburgh, there was no way she wouldn't run into one of the old gang. And they'd surely recognize her. She was a spitting image of Michael, but with a touch of Melanie's softness. It actually made her quite beautiful. She had dark brown hair, that almost matched Michaels' to a tee if it wasn't for the soft hints of red spread throughout that came from Melanie. Her eyes were the same shape as Melanie's but they were soft. Endearing. Like Michaels'. Jenny didn't remember anything about Lindsey, and Melanie hadn't bothered to fill her in. Why mention a mother she'd never known? Why cause unnecessary abandonment issues? Michael, however, Jenny did know. And love. He was her father after all, and Melanie couldn't keep Michael from his daughter if she'd tried. Even though, Melanie hated Pittsburgh, and most of the people in it, she loved her daughter, and she knew that she wanted this more than anything in the world, so Melanie had relented.

"It's all you've ever wanted, baby. Of course!" She leaned in, pressing a kiss to her daughter's cheek. "Are you excited?" She asked, unable to keep the proud smile off her face.

"I'm in shock. I can't believe it!" Jenny said again, shaking her head.

"Well believe it, babe! You're going to Pittsburgh!" She said, ignoring the swooping feeling her stomach encountered at saying the name of the city.

Jenny smiled, biting down on her lip to contain it. "Oh, I still can't believe it. This is so amazing. I'm going to be the best damn artist Pittsburgh has ever fucking seen!"

Melanie frowned, but only for a second. She could hardly contain her own excitement, why reprimand J.R. for the same thing? But her Motherly instincts took over.

"Language."

"Freaking seen. Sorry." She smiled.

Melanie stared down at the paper, shaking her head,

"Alright. Well, it looks like we'll just have to get an apartment down there in the fall, and we'll get you all set up for school. A nice two bedroom. And I'll stay down there with you, just to make sure everything goes okay for the first year or so…" Melanie paused, taking in the look on her daughter's face. She looked absolutely horrified. "What?"

"But…I thought…we talked about this." She said with a little sigh. "It doesn't make sense for you to come with me. I could just stay with Dad and Ben. They won't mind. Hunter lives with Jade now, but they still have his room, and Dad said I could have it whenever I want it-"

"You're not staying with Michael."

"Mom! He's my DAD! And he lives right there in Pittsburgh! I don't understand what the big deal is. I want to stay there. I haven't been there since, I was four years old. "

Melanie could keep J.R. away from Lindsey. But she couldn't keep her away from Michael. She would've never managed it. Not legally. She'd taken her to visit him a few times in Pittsburgh when she was younger, but they'd never stayed long. The last time they'd gone there, J.R. had been four. Now, Michael came up to Toronto almost every summer along with Ben and Hunter, and recently Hunter's fiancée Jade, to spend time with J.R.

Melanie let out a long sigh. "I just…I don't know Jenny, it's…"

"Pittsburgh." She rolled her eyes. "I know. You always talk about it like it's the fucking fourth dimension of hell."

"It might as well be, and watch your language Jennifer."

"Sorry." She said with another roll of her eyes. "Well, I'm calling Dad anyway to let him know I got in." She said already pulling out her cell phone. "And then maybe he could talk some sense into you." She punched the numbers angrily into the keypad.

Melanie placed a hand over the phone, her eyes pleading. "Jenny, listen. What's so bad about me coming with you? It won't be so awful, I'll stay out of your way. "

"Mom." Jenny said in a firm voice. "No one goes away to college with their mother."

"And they do with their fathers?" She questioned, raising a brow.

Jenny sighed, shaking her head. "Dad's…cool. I mean, he owns a comic book shop and Ben's like a professor. It's just less…" She sighed, shaking her head. "He's not my mom." She said as if that explained everything.

"Right. Because you're mother's only a killer lawyer. Owning a comic bookstore is SO much more important than saving innocent people's lives. " Melanie said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"I don't want you to uproot YOUR life here. I know you love it in Toronto. I want to live with Dad. And I wouldn't be going away WITH him. He's just conveniently placed. " She said firmly before pulling the phone away from Melanie's grasp, Melanie opened her mouth to say something, but Jenny shook her head.

"It's way cheaper than a dorm room." Melanie frowned and shut her mouth as Jenny and pressed the phone to her ear.

Melanie could hear the ringing from where she sat.

"Hello?" a deep voice vibrated, and Melanie knew it was Ben.

"Hi Ben!" J.R. answered in a cheery tone. "It's J.R., How are you?"

"Jenny!" Ben said, sounding ecstatic to be talking to her. Jenny Rebecca was like a little ray of sunshine for Ben and Michael. "I'm great. How are you? How's Mel?"

" I'm great . Mom's great, she's actually sitting across from me right now. You can talk to her in a second, I've just got something really important to tell Daddy, is he around?"

Ben laughed a little shaking his head, he'd always said how adorable it was that she was a total daddy's girl. She could hear him pull the phone away, and then heard a muffled.

"Michael! It's J.R.!"

A few seconds later, her father's voice filled the phone. "You finally decide to give your dad a call after months?" he scolded her and she laughed.

"It's barely been a week. And I've had school. But aren't you glad that I'm calling you now?" She said in a sweet voice.

"Of course I am. How are you?"

"I'm good." She said and then risked a glance up at her mother. She looked normal, but then, she was always really good at hiding how she was actually feeling.

"I'm just calling to tell you that I got in to the Pittsburgh institute of fine arts." The other end of the phone was silent for a few minutes.

"Dad?" Jenny questioned, uncertainly.

"Honey! That's great! Are you going to get a dorm? Because you know you can just come and stay with us, we have Hunter's room already for you, and everyone would love to see you're your Grandma Debbie's getting tired of living off of pictures of you. She keeps telling me 'If you don't get that girl down here soon, I'm going up there, kidnap her, and bring her back to keep to myself' "

J.R. laughed, "I'd love to come stay with you but-"

Melanie had already taken the phone from her. Jenny glared at her, but stayed where she was so that she could listen.

"But her mother doesn't think it's a good idea." She said into the phone. Melanie was silent for awhile and J.R. couldn't tell what her father was saying, but whatever it was it was making Melanie angry.

"I don't have a grudge against Pittsburgh, Michael. I have a GRUDGE against Lindsey!" she screamed and then let out an irritated groan.

"She's my daughter-" She paused in order for him to say something, and then she rolled her eyes. "Yes, I know she is legally your daughter to-" She paused again. "Yes, I know she wants to go, and she will go, but why can't she just stay-" She fell silent once more and Jenny watched as her face began to soften.

"Michael, I can't let her go up there all by herself." And then she was silent for almost a full minute.

"No." She said sounding completely irritated, and J.R.'s heart sank. Melanie was never going to let her go.

But then, Melanie let out a little sigh, that sounded like she was relenting.

" Alright. Well, I suppose we could try and come down this weekend . She has spring break for the next two weeks."

She was quiet again and then she sighed. "She can stay with you, just to see how she likes it. I'll get a hotel."

Silence for a few moments, and then,

" No, Michael, it's fine. We'll be fine. Alright, I'll call you when were ready to leave. Bye." She said quickly and the snapped the phone shut handing it back to J.R.

She looked up at her mother completely confused. "So am I staying with Dad? And…who the fuck is Lindsey?"

Melanie looked up at her and shook her head. "Yes. You're staying with your father, but it isn't concrete. We're going to visit for your spring break and if everything goes alright…I'll send you off with a blessing in the fall."

Jenny's face lit up at that and she threw her arms around her mother, again. "Thank you so much, mom! You have no idea how much this means to me!" She held on tight and then pulled back smiling.

"But you still didn't tell me who Lindsey is."

Melanie sighed, "That's another story. For another day. You should start packing. "

Jenny watched her mom for a few moments, and then realizing she wasn't going to get anything out of her, gave her another hug and kiss on the cheek, whispering. "I love you, mom." Before, skipping off to her room to start packing.