Previously On Queer As Folk: After a tearful goodbye, Melanie and Lindsay headed back home.
Sensing that something was wrong, Brian confronted Justin. Justin told Brian about his desire to have a baby and shockingly, Brian agreed to go through with it.
Ted made a romantic dinner for Blake and they talked about their upcoming wedding. Blake admitted that his family disowned him and that they would not be attending the wedding.
Chapter Twenty
Justin had forgotten how quick the drive to West Virginia went by. As they pulled up the long driveway, Justin's breath caught in his chest. This place is even more gorgeous that I remember, he thought, mouth agape.
"Is it everything you remembered?" Brian asked, unlocking the door.
"And more," Justin replied as he followed Brian in. "This place could put Lara Croft to shame."
"Who?"
"Lara Croft. Tomb Raider?"
"Oh yeah. That game you used to like to play."
Justin's eyes scanned the room. "I think the family portrait would look good right there." He pointed to the back wall of the foyer. "What do you think?"
"It's as good as a place as any."
They went back out to the car and carried in the boxes they had brought from the loft; unimportant knick-knacks, extra clothing, Justin's art supplies, and some books. "We're not going to move all of the stuff ourselves, are we?" Justin asked, trying to imagine the two of them lugging the bed and furniture upstairs to the bedroom. He laughed quietly.
"Of course not. I'll pay someone else to do it. We can just sit back and check them out."
"I like your line of thinking." Justin slipped his arm around Brian's waist.
"Plus, we have to rent a U-Haul or something, there is no way we'd fit anything in the car."
"Good point."
Justin walked into one of the spacious rooms and looked around. "This one can be your studio," Brian said, nibbling his ear. "It's one of the biggest rooms on this floor. In the winter you can light a fire in the fireplace to keep you warm and in the summer you can open the windows to keep cool. It's perfect."
"I'll say," Justin agreed, spinning around to face Brian. "Where's you office going to be?"
"Next door. Why?"
"I've never told anybody this, but when I'm painting I get incredibly horny."
Brian grinned, putting his hands on Justin's shoulders. "That's good because working makes me horny." They shared a quick kiss.
"Show me the upstairs?" Justin asked, walking back into the foyer.
"Hold on, let's finish the main floor first," Brian insisted, leading Justin into the kitchen and dining room.
"Wow, it's bigger than the loft!" Justin put his hands to his mouth.
"This way when we have company over for dinner we can all sit at the same table."
Justin looked out the window over the sink; outside the window was the swimming pool. I can't wait to open that baby up for the summer, he thought. Brian opened the French doors and they walked past the pool to the tennis court and stables. "You don't even play tennis," Justin said, pointing to the tennis court.
"I used to play back in high school. I was pretty good," Brian admitted, puffing out his chest. "I was better at soccer, though."
"That was almost twenty years ago," Justin reminded him. When Brian playfully swung at him, Justin ducked. "Okay, you've still got it!"
"Thank you. We'll have to get some horses." He nodded toward the stables. "Have you ever ridden a horse?"
"Not really."
"Not really? It's a yes or no question, Sunshine," Brian teased.
"When I was about four, I rode a pony. I remember being so scared that I was going to fall." Justin laughed at the memory. "What about you? I can't exactly picture you on horseback."
"No, but it can't be that hard." They exchanged looks. "Okay, it'll take some practice but we'll manage."
They went back into the house and looked at the second floor. There were three bedrooms in that wing. "This one is ours." Brian pointed to the biggest of the three rooms; it had a connected bathroom and big walk-in closet. "This one," he nodded toward the room at the end of the hall, "will be Gus's when he's here for the summer." The bedroom in the middle was the same size as Gus's. "This one can be the nursery." Justin's heart skipped a beat in excitement.
"Thank God Proposition Fourteen didn't pass," Justin said meaningfully.
"They won't give up." The smile vanished from Brian's face. "They'll never give up. The breeders love to hate us." That struck a chord for Justin.
He took a breath, shaking his head sadly. "You know, sometimes I think that Melanie and Lindsay had the right idea; that it would be better if all of us packed up and moved to Canada. At least there we'd be accepted and have the same rights as everybody else; we wouldn't be treated like second class citizens. You'd think that people would find something more important to knit pick about, but for some reason they just can't get over homosexuality. Why do straight people care if we get married? It doesn't affect them. How can two people getting married, no matter their gender, ruin the sanctity of marriage? I thought marriage was supposed to be an expression of love. What about people like Elizabeth Taylor who've been married a dozen times? Doesn't that ruin the sanctity of marriage?" Justin was pacing the hallway, his face flushed with indignation.
Brian exhaled loudly. "I don't understand it anymore than you do. Queers and dykes work and pay taxes just like everybody else."
"Any why can't we have families? What is the worst thing we'd do the children? Do they think we'll rape them? As long as the kid is loved and taken care of, that is all that should matter. Look at Gus and Jenny; can you think of two parents more loving and caring than Melanie and Lindsay? At least they'll teach their kids love and compassion, unlike the rest of the parents today who teach their children that someone who's different deserves to be picked on and abused. Just like I was." The broken memory of the night he was bashed flashed through his mind. Tears filled his eyes, but he refused to let them fall.
Brian wrapped his arms around Justin. "Hey, calm down," he whispered. "Everything's going to be okay."
"Will it?" Justin pulled himself together, taking several deep breaths. "I'm sorry. I don't know what got into me." Justin stared at his feet, too embarrassed to look Brian in the eye.
"I do," Brian replied. "You're worried about our kids; who can blame you for that? All I can do is promise you that I won't let anything happen to you, Gus, or Brian Jr."
Justin laughed. "Brian Jr.? Seriously, that's the best you can come up with?"
"Come on, it's a good name." He smiled. "Would you prefer Justin Jr.?"
"Whatever you say, Brian Sr."
"Okay, forget it. I am not going to be called Brian Sr., it makes me sound...old." Brian scrunched his face up in disgust.
"You'll never be old," Justin promised him. "I don't know about you, but I am starving. What do you say we go get something to eat?"
"Good idea. We can save the other wing for next time, not that there's much to see there anyway."
Back on the main floor again, Justin opened a door that led into a good sized room. "You forgot to show me this one," he said.
"That's going to be the gym. I figured you wouldn't care."
"I could be talked into joining you...for the right price."
"We're both going to need it the way you cook."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Justin put his hands on his hips. "I thought you liked my cooking."
"I do, that's the problem. I like it so much that I eat more than I normally would." He rubbed his stomach. "I have to keep this in tip top shape."
"I think you'd be sexy even if you weighed three hundred pounds."
"Shut up." Brian grabbed the back of Justin's shirt and pulled him out of the room.
On their way out, Justin glanced back one last time before Brian shut and locked the front door. I am going to love it here!
"He's going to hate it there!" Debbie exclaimed. Michael had just told her where Brian and Justin were.
"Ma, calm down," he said, rolling his eyes.
"Don't tell me to calm down, damn it! This is fucking huge!" Michael blushed with embarrassment; everyone in the diner was staring at him and Deb.
"Will you please keep it down, you're embarrassing me!" he hissed.
"Fine," Deb sighed and sat down. "So they're moving to West Virginia, huh?"
"Yeah," Michael replied. "Brian never sold the house and they've decided to move there. It isn't that big a deal."
"Not that big a deal? Michael, are you hearing yourself? This is pretty fucking big deal!"
"Actually, I thought the wedding was a bigger deal."
"Brian can't leave Pittsburgh, he has too much history here."
"It isn't like we won't see them again. He and Justin will be back practically every day," Michael pointed out, hoping to assuage his overly dramatic mother.
"You're right. I'm happy for them. It's just that...Melanie and Lindsay left, which was heart breaking, and if I lost Brian and Sunshine, I don't know what I'd do."
"Gee thanks, Ma. You didn't get this upset when I was going to move to Oregon with David!"
"Are you implying something?" Debbie asked, fixing Michael with a threatening look.
"No, I'm coming right out and saying it," Michael replied irritably.
"What? Do you think I didn't care!"
"Did you?"
"Of course I did! How could you even ask me that?"
"You didn't try to stop me from going across the country, yet you freak out about Brian and Justin moving half an hour away. How am I supposed to feel!"
Deb guiltily avoided eye contact. "Oh, Michael, I'm sorry. I didn't try to stop you from moving to Oregon because I wanted you to be happy...and if that meant having you live across the country, than I was willing to let you go." Debbie wiped a tear from her cheek. "Besides, I knew you'd be back."
"So will they. They both have too much history here." Michael hugged Deb. "I'm sorry," he whispered.
"Don't be. It was my fault."
Emmett and Ted approached the table cautiously. "Did we come at a bad time?" Emmett asked.
"No. We were just having a mother-son moment. What can I get you?" Debbie stood and pulled out her pad of paper.
"Just some tea for me, thanks," Emmett replied, sitting down across from Michael.
"I'll have the BLT special and some water, please," Ted said, joining Emmett at the table.
Debbie walked away and Emmett leaned in. "What was all that about?" he asked.
"She was getting herself all worked up about Brian and Justin leaving," Michael replied, rolling his eyes. "I hate when she gets like this."
"Oh come on, she isn't that bad!"
"Sometimes I wonder how you live with her and still stay sane," Michael remarked.
"You don't know just how lucky you are, do you?" Emmett asked, smiled in disbelief. "I would kill for a mother like Deb –– she's kind, caring, accepting, funny. My mom was most of those things, but she never quite accepted me. How would you like to have a mother like that?"
"Or Brian's?" Ted added.
"You guys are right, I shouldn't be so hard on her, but she drives me nuts!"
"All mothers do, it's there job," Ted assured him.
Debbie brought Emmett and Ted their beverages. "What are you two up to today?" she asked.
"We're wedding planning," Emmett replied. "I'm the wedding planner, just like Jennifer Lopez, only more flamboyant."
"Good for you, sweetie. Did you guys decide on a date yet?"
"Blake and I were thinking maybe the middle of the month, if that's okay with you and Blake, Em," Ted said.
"That's fine with me, summer colors make me look my best. I'm sure Calvin won't mind."
"You guys are going to love it, I promise," Michael insisted. "I've never been so happy in my whole life."
"That's because you were never as hot as me," Brian said suddenly, causing them all to jump out of their seats.
"Stop doing that!" Michael exclaimed, breathing heavily. "Can't you ever come in here without nearly giving me a damn heart attack!"
"Calm down, Mikey. Stop being such a pussy." He gave Michael a peck on the cheek.
"How was West Virginia?" Michael asked, grudgingly.
"It was...fun, wouldn't you say, Sunshine?"
"Yeah. Definitely." Justin winked at Brian.
"Let me guess, you two had sex in every room of the new house, right?"
"No. We're saving that for our first night there," Brian replied.
"Remind me not to come and visit until the house has been scrubbed from top to bottom," Emmett said, frowning.
Debbie came back with Ted's food. "Oh, how nice of you to stop by and visit," she said snidely to Brian and Justin.
"I'm sorry, Deb, did I miss something?" Brian shot back with equal venom. Justin looked at Michael quizzically; Michael shook his head.
"No, you didn't miss anything, but you're going to miss my foot up your ass!" She started to laugh. "I'm just kidding. So, when do we all get to come see your new place?"
Brian and Justin exchanged looks. "We're not moving in until next week at the earliest," Justin answered. "We'll let you know."
"I'm so excited!"
The cook came over to the table, nervously chewing his lip. "Deb? There seems to be something...off about the mayonnaise," he said, holding out the jar.
"Let me try it." Deb dipped a finger into the jar and extracted a glob. She put her nail in her mouth and a second later, spit it out into a napkin. "Jesus Christ! Eugh, that tastes like..." She waved her hand, trying to find the right word.
"Jizz?" Brian offered.
"Infected jizz," Debbie decided. Brian, Justin, Michael, Emmett, and Ted all groaned. "It does!" she insisted, offering the jar to them all.
"Deb, how exactly do you know what infected jizz tastes like?" Brian asked, chuckling.
"Well I don't know exactly what infected jizz tastes like, but I know what normal jizz tastes like; I just used my imagination."
"Ma, stop," Michael begged, disgusted.
"What? We're all adults here!"
"How would you like it if I described to you what Ben's ass tastes like!" Brian burst out laughing.
"I wouldn't care!"
"She's right," Brian said, laughing so hard that he could barely breathe.
"Remember that time I walked in on you and Brian touching each other when you were teenagers?"
"I try to forget that as best I can," Michael murmured, his face glowing beet red.
"Oh come on, Mikey, it was good," Brian continued, playfully stroking Michael's thigh.
"Cut it out!" Michael stifled his laughter with his hand. "That tickles!"
"I have to go sort out this mess, I'll be right back," Deb said, grabbing the mayonnaise.
"Thank God I don't put mayonnaise on my BLT," Ted mumbled.
Emmett opened his planner book. "Okay, where were we?" he asked.
"What the fuck is that?" Brian asked.
"It's my planner book. I'm planning the weddings," Emmett replied.
"And when will the weddings be?"
"We're thinking a few weeks from now."
"Summertime for fags. How quaint," Brian replied sarcastically. Justin was the only one that laughed. "That was a joke guys."
"We know," Michael replied. "You can't pull that with us anymore. You're a married man now, Mr. Kinney."
"So? I can still poke fun at other people for getting married."
"Poke fun all you want, just don't forget how happy you are."
Debbie came back looking harried. "Do you two want anything?" she asked Brian and Justin.
"No, thanks. I think I lost my appetite. Infected jizz doesn't exactly sound appetizing," Brian replied, scowling.
"You don't have to order something with mayonnaise. Have a salad, have a fucking grilled cheese sandwich, have something!"
"Actually that sounds good. I'll have one, Deb," Justin said, smirking at Brian.
"I'll have one, too," Brian relented with a sigh.
"Two grilled cheese sandwiches coming up." Debbie went back to the kitchen.
Ted and Emmett went back to planning their nuptials while Brian, Justin, and Michael moved to another table where they could talk without interrupting. "So, have you sold out of Rage yet?" Justin asked.
"Actually, we sold out the first day," Michael replied.
"What!" Justin's mouth dropped open. "Are you serious?"
"I am dead serious. I've already ordered more. We are going to be rich!" Michael and Justin gave each other high fives.
"We should celebrate," Brian said. "At Babylon."
"Another Rage party?" Michael asked.
Justin suddenly grew serious and cast his eyes downward. The last time that Brian had thrown a Rage party at Babylon, Justin had chosen Ethan over Brian; one of the biggest mistakes of his life. Brian looked over and noticed that once again Justin looked upset. "What's the matter, Sunshine? Don't you like Babylon anymore?" he asked.
"It's not that, it's just...I was remembering last time," he admitted, looking at Michael rather than Brian.
Brian was silent for a moment. "Forget it, that was years ago."
"Yeah." Michael agreed, forcing himself to smile.
"You're right. Let's do it." Despite his cheery façade, Justin was still upset.
Next Time On Queer As Folk: The night before they are to leave for their honeymoon in Italy, Brian and Justin have Jennifer over for dinner, where Justin shares the good news. But will Brian be the biological father, or is it Justin's turn?