Title: Not this time.

Characters: B/J. (all)

Spoilers: all seasons

Rating: Well, it is Qaf... so go figure.

Disclaimer: Not mine, not mine at all. If it were QAF season 5 would have had 12 episodes.

a/n: This story is set 5 years after Justin leaves Pittsburgh to pursue his art career in New York. My first QAF fic.

"If you could just sign these and then we're all ready to roll." Lindsay retrieved a document from her briefcase and handed it to Justin, then took another sip of her wine and relaxed back in her chair. "The date is fixed, but you have fourteen days to enter into discussions if you want to make any amendments to any of the clauses."

"Look, Linds." Justin clicked his tongue and squinted one eye, trying not to offend his friend. "I know we're friends and everything, but I'm really going to need to go through these with my attorney first. I've been caught out before and-."

"I understand."

"It's nothing to do with you. I lost earnings from an entire collection last year because of a bad agreement."

Lindsay took back her pen and slipped the document back into the brown envelope she had taken it from. Touching the side of his guilt-ridden face, she gave him a reassuring smile. "It's okay. It's business, you have to watch yourself."

"But you're my friend and it looks like I don't trust you."

"I wouldn't be much of a friend if I asked you to sign something that you hadn't looked over properly. No, take a good few days, go see your brief and send it back to me when you're ready."

"Thanks."

Justin sighed and stood up, fetching another bottle of wine. When he sat back down again he paused a little halfway through opening it and beamed. "I can't believe I'm going to do this. It's huge!"

"I know. I'm so proud of you." Lindsay pulled the younger man towards her and kissed the side of his face, then cupped his cheeks like she would with Gus. "When we met you were just this kid, the poor innocent prey of Brian Kinney. Now look at how far you've come."

"I can't believe it myself." Justin lowered his eyes, then moved away a little. "This is all my merit though, isn't it? It's nothing to do with our friendship?"

"Justin. You know I would love to walk into work and say, 'hey this kid is good, lets do an exhibit', but things don't work that way. The NGC wouldn't just take my word for it and fly me out to scout you if they didn't think you were a solid find. No, this is your merit and yours alone."

"Thank God."

"You have a lot of work to do though, although some of these would be great and it would mean you wouldn't need to do so many new pieces."

"Whatever you think. Take a look."

Lindsay looked around the room, full of half-completed works and some covered over by rags. It was a real artists studio, with floor-to-ceiling windows and paint on the floor. Some of the pictures were contemporary, a few older in taste and many of people she recognised. Her eye caught a glimpse of a red and black painting only half-covered by a sheet and took a peak underneath. A black shape spiralled through the centre covered in layers of white and red.

"I love this one, it would be perfect for the exhibit." She uncovered it. "Bold, touching, heart-wrenching. It's beautiful."

Justin covered it over. "And not for sale."

Brian ran his fingers along the shelf in the toy store and picked up a robot before putting it back down again.

"How did this happen?"

Michael inspected the new Superman figure with a critical eye. "How did what happen?

"You and me shopping," he said, "for fucking robots."

Michael smiled. "What's wrong with robots? I love robots."

"Well if you like them so much buy one for yourself. I'm going back to my original plan."

"I told you, you can't buy a ten year-old Armani."

"Of course I can, they have a fabulous kids collection. Plus, Gus needs a strong masculine influence in his life to teach him that there is more to life than flannel shirts, Doc Martins and power tools." Brian smiled, as he picked up a ken doll. "Is he too young for twinky ken?"

"Far too young."

Brian threw the box back onto the shelf. "Come on Mikey."

"I was going to get J.R a present."

"What the fuck for?"

"You know how my hunnybun gets when Gus gets something and she doesn't."

"It's his birthday," Brian explained, "and sooner or later your little princess is going to have to learn that you don't get something for nothing."

"I should get her something little, I always get her something when she comes home to visit."

"Fine, you can get her some shoes from Armani."

"She's six!"

"Never too young for a lesson in designer clothing. Now lets go, It's far to hetro in here" Grabbing Michaels hand, Brian dragged him away from the robots, past the toy cars and out onto the street.

"Where are we going?"

"Armani, Back to mine so I can change and then to Babylon."

"I can't tonight," Michael said, "I promised Ben a night in."

"Well as long as you're happy with Zen Ben and his nightly meditation and medication who am I to offer you sex, drugs and rock and roll."

"We have sex."

"Yeah." Brian laughed, stopping Michael in the street. "Weekly."

"There's more to life than sex."

"Bullshit. If it weren't for sex none of us would exist and Kinnetik would be down in the gutter rather than up in the sky with the big boys."

"Me and Ben are in a loving committed relationship, something you wouldn't know anything about, so you go to Babylon and fuck your life away. I'll be watching E with a bottle of Merlot." Michael kissed Brian quickly and walked past him. "Bye."

"There's only one problem!" Brian shouted. "It's the wrong kind of E!"

Justin took Lindsay's bag and put it over his shoulder as they walked towards the security gate at the airport.

"I told you just to drop me off," Lindsay said, "you didn't have to bring me to the gate."

"And I told you I wanted to. It's the least I can do after all you've done for me."

"If you want to do me a favour you could come to Pittsburgh next weekend."

Justin dropped her bag within viewing distance of security, where others were hugging and saying goodbye and looked down at the ground with a sigh. She was going to start again, if she had ever actually stopped. This wasn't about Gus, Justin wanted to see Gus, this was about Brian.

"I can't go."

"Because you're busy and cant clear your schedule to celebrate the birthday of someone who is practically your son, or because it might be a little uncomfortable for you." Lindsay glared at Justin for the first time this trip.

"He hates me."

"Bullshit."

"I cut him out my life," Justin explained, "I can't just deal him back in."

"Why not?"

"I don't want to talk about this. We're both getting on with our lives, so why don't you and everyone else just realise what we did years ago. It's over." He sighed. "And maybe if you guys stopped mentioning his name to me every five fucking minutes I could actually attempt to get on with my life like he's getting on with his."

Lindsay admitted defeat. "Okay. I'm sorry."

"There's more to life than Brian Kinney you know." Justin smiled. "And I'd quite like to find it before I'm an over-the-hill queen with crows feet and twenty cats."

"Sorry."

"Brian is getting on with his life, fucking everything that moves and that's who he is. Now that I've found who I am I would quite like to get on with my life too."

Lindsay sighed and hugged him tightly. "You're right."

"We're not like you Linds, we're not dykes and we're not-"

"Straight people," she finished, "yes, I know."

"I would appreciate it if you stopped this with him too. I'm sure the last thing he wants is my name mentioned every fucking time he sees you."

The flight announcement muffled its way out of the tannoy and Lindsay picked up her bag from where Justin had dropped it a few minutes before, then kissed his cheek.

"That would be fine," she said, "if he wasn't always the one who mentioned you first."

"Shut up! I'm coming!" Brian staggered his way towards the door, awoken from his peaceful slumber by the heavy thumps on the metal door. They only stopped when he slid the door back.

"Don't you look beautiful today."

He closed one eye and squinted at the woman at the door, then stepped aside to let her in. "Jennifer." he sighed. "What do I owe this pleasure?"

"Did I wake you?"

"What kind of a question is that?" Brian picked up a bottle from the kitchen and took a long drink then wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "Why the early morning wake-up?"

"It's the afternoon."

"Oh." He checked his watch. "Fuck."

Jennifer shrugged her coat off and walked into the kitchen. "I'll fix you some coffee."

"Gee, thanks Mom, what would I do without your constant nagging and interception." Brian slumped down on one of the barstools and lit a cigarette. "Go to New York and bug your real son."

"Big night at Babylon, was it?"

"What makes you think that?"

Jennifer picked a large piece of glitter paper from his hair. "Tell-tale signs."

"Was there a reason for this intrusion into my once-peaceful life, or do you just like to be the pain in my ass that won't go away?"

"You know me. I just like to check that you're still alive."

"And this isn't enough proof for you?" Brian grabbed for the bottle again and took a drink. "What do you want, a blood sample?"

"If I wanted a blood sample I could just test a bottle of Jack."

Brian gave her a sarcastic smile. "Will you just Fuck off?"

"It's a good job I don't come here for the warm welcome."

"If you had a dick you would get one."

"I brought a present for Gus," she said, taking a package out of her bag and putting it down beside him "I thought I could leave it with you."

"Sure, leave it with Daddy." He shook it. "Is it a robot?"

"No, it's a surprise. What did you get him?"

Brian picked up a bag from the floor and pushed it across the counter. "Style. He needs it."

"Cute." She looked inside. "You're crEating your own little mini-me. He's growing up"

Brian sighed. "Do I look old to you?"

"No older than you always have."

"He's ten," Brian said, "My sonny-boy is ten and that means that I am ten years older than I was when he came into this world. And that is truly depressing."

"Mid-life crisis?"

"Better not be, I don't plan on living a day past fifty."

Jennifer laughed and put a cup of coffee down in front of him. "If you keep partying like this that really won't be a problem."

"I'm getting it all in while I still can. I'm on daddy duty next week. I'm taking Gus up to the house for six days." He took a drink.

"I bet he's getting big now."

"Yeah. He's far too mature to be my son, too. He talks like a fucking adult."

"Tell him I was asking after him."

Brian stood up and walked around to the other side, then handed her back the gift. "You should give this to him yourself. Come to his party on Saturday."

"I might do that."

"The more the merrier."

"I should go," she said, "I have a viewing down-town."

Brian walked her to the door and opened it.

"Bye Brian."

"Same time next week?" he asked.

"Of course."

Jennifer kissed his cheek and felt Brian sigh heavily as he closed his eyes tight. He did this every time; she knew what the next words were going to be so she saved him the pain of having to say them.

"Justin is fine. Busy. Bye Brian."

After Jennifer had left and Brian had shut the door, he made his way across the loft to the bathroom and turned on the shower. He stepped out of his underwear and pulled his black vest over his head, then slid under the hot spray, leaning on the cold tiled wall. After a moment of letting the water warm him Brian slipped a finger through the middle of the two rings that hung on a chain around his neck, brought them to his lips and kissed them.