On the Eve of Election Day, Tony tells Justin how he and Fin met. Alex continues to bond with Debbie, but what will be her ultimate fate?

Election Morning - Britin

Wakefulness came in the form of a jarring reality for Brian as the nightstand clock bleated incessantly next to his head. Lying on his back, he groaned as he stretched his hand out to punch the top of the clock to silence the cacophony, noticing it was a little past 7:00 a.m. It was finally the day he and his father had been waiting for: Election Day, aka Do or Die Day. They would have one shot today to elect him; one day for the voters to decide if they would do the right thing and elect the man best qualified for the job while disregarding the totally irrevelant issue of his sexual orientation. So many months of political gerrymandering, maneuvering, complicity, ups and downs, and just plain dirty politics, and it all came down to this one day.

Lifting his head slightly, he smiled at the crown of tousled, blond hair fanned out on his chest as his arm curled around Justin's slender back. He heard his husband snoring lightly against his skin, and felt the soft puffs of breathing between his parted lips. He hated like hell to have to rouse him, but he had a meeting with his father at 11:00 at campaign headquarters; he would barely have enough time to get dressed, drive to the airport, and fly out on his private jet to reach Harrisburg in time. There was no way with their legs tangled together - and his husband's arm flung across his belly - that he could possibly slide out from under him.

So with some regret he reached down to lightly shake Justin's shoulder, hearing a slight moan of protest in response. He grinned; Justin still wasn't much of a 'morning person.' "Sunshine..."

"Hmmm..."

Brian's fingers caressed the soft, creamy-colored skin. "I have to get up and take a shower."

"...too early..."

Brian sighed. If only he had enough time, he could wake his lover up the 'proper' way. But today that was a luxury he did not have.

He leaned down to kiss Justin's forehead tenderly. "Come on, lazy bones. Today's the big day."

"...already got married..." was the mumble.

Brian chuckled as Justin began to stir in his arms. "Okay, then, second biggest day. I have a father to get elected, remember?"

Justin slowly lifted his head to peer into Brian's eyes, his own normally bright blue eyes slightly cloudy in sleep as they widened in realization. "Oh, shit, how could I forget that?" he murmured as he pushed himself up off Brian's chest. "What time is it?"

Brian played with Justin's hair hanging down over his forehead as he informed him, "A little after 7."

Justin frowned. "Seven a.m.?"

Brian laughed as Justin grinned back at him then, the gig up. "You little shit! You know very well I mean a.m.! Now get your ass off me so I can get up!"

"That's a first," Justin quipped smugly as Brian rolled his eyes. He shrieked as, all of a sudden, Brian flipped him onto his back and loomed over him, pinning his wrists above his head. He was fully awake now - in every way that counted - as Brian swooped in to steal a deep kiss from him that left him rock hard and breathless.

"I...I thought you had to get ready," Justin panted out in amusement.

"Well, I think I can push my schedule back just a bit," Brian decided as his eyes swept down the unblemished skin of his husband. "Boss's prerogative," he explained with a smirk as he leaned down to take a hardened nub between his lips to give it a quick tug with his teeth, evoking a moan from his lover. "And I'll have you know that I am MORE than 'ready.'"

Justin snorted. "When are you not?"

Brian curled his lips under as he finally let go of Justin's hands to reach over and grab the lube from the top of the nightstand. "Touché, Sunshine," he murmured as he squirted some onto his fingers and Justin lifted his legs to place them on Brian's shoulders. "Or should I say touch?" he added as he carefully began to prepare him with one, and then two fingers, evoking a moan of pleasure as he hit just the right spot before removing them.

A few seconds later, he was firmly entrenched inside the hot, wet, unrestricted channel, plunging in and out in abandon as he grunted on each down stroke and Justin's hips rose perfectly to meet him. He knew that no matter HOW long they were together, he would never, ever, get tired of this sensual ballet.

Thirty minutes later, the two men emerged from the shower after a quickie, Brian hurrying now to get groomed and dressed, having told his pilot at the airport that he would be there within the half-hour.

Casually attired in a light-gray, cashmere, cabled sweater and a pair of dark, charcoal gray denim pants and black dress boots, he brushed his hair meticulously into place before spritzing on some cologne and hair spray to finish his routine. Turning to go, he discovered to his surprise that his husband was dressed, also, in a navy-blue, V-necked sweater and matching button-down shirt, with gray, pin-striped, linen pants.

"Well, that has to be a Guinness World Record for getting dressed," he deadpanned. "You're awfully gussied up to be painting, though, Picasso," he observed as he walked over to his husband.

"That's because I'm not going to paint," Justin announced as he straightened out Brian's small, Ignite the Change with Fin pin he had attached to his sweater and linked his hands behind Brian's neck. "I'm going with you."

"Justin, I'm going to have to be there all day today - and maybe all night. You'll be bored as hell and I won't be able to keep you company. Why don't you wait until after the polls close? I can send the plane back for you then."

Justin shook his head as he wrapped his arms around Brian's neck. "Nice try, Mr. Campaign Manager. But Tony already told me he's taken the day off to do the same thing, so we can keep each other company while our husbands are working. So let's get going before your pilot gets impatient." He planted a brief kiss on Brian's lips before hooking his fingers through the belt loops of Brian's pants and pulling him toward the bedroom door. Brian shook his head in resignation as he reached to clasp Justin's hand in his. "Yes, Sir. Remind me, by the way, after the election is over to keep you and the good counselor away from each other. I think you two are far too much alike, and two copies of you scare the hell out of me."

Justin grinned as they proceeded down the hallway and toward the downstairs.

Same Time - Debbie's House

Alex curled up into a fetal position as she promptly felt her comforter snatched away from her, and a rush of cold air blew across her exposed midriff where her pajama top had ridden up. "Shit!" she growled as she felt, rather than heard, her 'jail matron's' presence in the room. Lying on her side, she turned around to flop down onto her back to glare up at Debbie. "Why'd you do THAT for?" she groused as she reached toward the corner of the comforter bunched up on the corner of the mattress to grab it, only to have Debbie pull it farther away. "What the fuck...?"

Debbie glanced down at her watch before she announced, "It's 8:30, Alex. You have thirty minutes to take a shower, get dressed - new clothes are over there," she told her as she pointed over at a folded stack of clothes on top of the dresser - "and grab some breakfast before we head to the diner for our shift."

Alex rolled her eyes as she tugged her pajama top down. "If I have to smell that turkey sausage and egg omelet shit again, I'll barf," she warned as she crossed her arms over her chest and hugged herself to try and stay warm.

"Well, then, I'll instruct the gourmet chef to use egg substitute and pork sausage, then, Your Highness; now get your ass out of BED!"

Debbie stood there unmoving, hands on hips, before with a great deal of grumbling Alex scooted off the bed. She walked past Debbie with a glare as she picked up the neatly folded pile of clothes lying on the top of the dresser: a pair of skinny jeans, plain, white underwear, bright, crisp-white, footie socks, and a simple, navy-blue, long-sleeved tee-shirt, along with a pair of new sneakers. A new, Navy hoodie from Hunter's alma mater lay on top. The whole ensemble would have been passable, perhaps, except for the last item: a vest with a bright, red, rear panel and two, garish, yellow flaps with several gay-acceptance themed buttons stuck all over them, along with a Liberty Diner I.D. button with her name emblazoned on it. She noted idly that her name was now imprinted upon the badge, rather than handwritten. She wasn't sure if that made her feel good or uneasy, however.

"Cute, huh?" Debbie commented with a proud smile as Alex picked up the vest and held it up by the flaps to examine it, her nose scrunching up in extreme displeasure. "That was my first work vest at the Diner. I used my sewing machine downstairs to cut it down to size so it would fit you. Try it on."

WAY down to size, Alex couldn't help surmising as she turned to peer over at her, aghast, as if she were holding up a ballet tutu instead; it was just as unpleasant a notion. "Uh...no way; I don't think so. I wouldn't be caught dead in this thing - unless I'm trying out for a clown job with Barnum & Bailey."

Debbie's eyes narrowed. "I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that, Alexandra," she curtly replied as she waggled a rainbow-painted fingernail at the child, taking pains to enunciate the girl's first name. "Because I know you've had a pretty rough life. But you're still kind of an ungrateful little shit, aren't you? I hope you were a little more thankful when Brian let you stay in that hotel, and didn't turn you into the cops when you trashed the place." She shook her head sadly. "One of these days, you're going to have to trust people and believe that not everyone is out to get you. Now go take a shower and get dressed! Right now I don't care if you throw those tatters of yours back on or not; your choice. You have fifteen minutes to meet me downstairs for breakfast, or you won't have time to eat."

Alex snorted. "Duh! Really? I'm working at a diner..."

"It's not a fucking free store/food bank!" Debbie growled. "Fifteen minutes." She stared unflinchingly over at the girl before slowly she turned around without another word and exited the room.

Alex stood there, her lips pressed tightly together in irritation, before she clutched the newly-purchased clothes to her chest and walked over to the door, noticing Debbie gone. Sighing in resignation, she headed toward the bathroom.

A few minutes later, hair still damp, she shuffled down the steps and dropped her body down onto the nearest kitchen chair.

Debbie glanced over at the young, rebellious girl, noticing with satisfaction that all the clothing she had purchased for her had fit. Just as she had thought, the blue color complimented her skin tone well. She had been careful to pick out fairly gender-neutral clothing, figuring that 'frilly and girly' was not Alex's style. She purposely avoided commenting on the bright, yellow vest now peeking out from the open flaps of the hoodie as she scooped up a couple of pancakes from a pan on the stove and placed them down on a casual dinner plate, along with two sausage links. Grabbing the butter dish and plastic syrup bottle, she walked over to place them down in front of her charge. "Orange juice?" she quietly asked as Alex nodded after a few seconds.

Sitting down with the girl a few minutes later, she slowly sipped her coffee as she read the headlines of the paper, detailing the possible history-making election that was hopefully going to occur today. She longed to be there when Brian's father was elected governor - both boys had invited her and Carl to attend the victory party in Harrisburg with them - but she finally decided she preferred watching the results down at Babylon. Brian had closed the dance club for the evening so family and friends could convene to help celebrate his father's election tonight. The complimentary food and beverages being offered, along with the non-stop music and temporary, big-screen televisions installed to watch continual coverage of the event, promised to make for a festive time, and she had decided this might be a good chance to get Alex out to actually enjoy herself a little and become a little more familiar with her surroundings. That is, if the little shit behaved herself in the meantime...

After scanning the main news stories in the paper, Debbie folded over the entertainment section and turned to focus on her secret, guilty pleasure each day - working the crossword puzzle. A few minutes later, however, she threw the pencil down in disgust, muttering a variety of well-chosen, four-letter words.

Alex peered over at her in amusement. "You shouldn't do that, you know."

Debbie glared over at her, highly agitated over having all but two words completed on today's puzzle. "Do what?" she responded brusquely.

Alex swirled a bite of her pancake around on her plate to sop up some more syrup as she told her, "Throw your pencil. My teacher always said you could gouge your eye out."

"Oh, she did, did she?"

"He."

Debbie nodded. "Well, HE would probably throw his pencil, too, if he was asked about which quarter had the peregrine falcon on it. Where's my purse?" she asked all of a sudden, deciding perhaps she could peruse the coins in her purse for the answer.

"Imaddhoo."

Debbie frowned. "What?"

Alex finished chewing her wad of pancake and swallowed. "Idaho. It's Idaho."

Debbie eyed her skeptically until she reached to take her pencil back and studied the folded-up piece of paper; sure enough, Alex was correct. "I'll be damned," she murmured, impressed. "How did you know that?" she asked in wonderment.

Alex shrugged. "Just heard it somewhere, that's all. I'm not stupid."

"No, Honey," Debbie told her softly. "You certainly aren't." She saw Alex avert her eyes as she asked her, "You said your teacher told you not to do that. When was the last time you were in school?"

Alex gazed out over at the front window, avoiding Debbie's question for several seconds until she finally shrugged. "Couple of years, I guess."

Debbie's heart ached for this child. It was bad enough to be shunted around from place to place by a couple of drug-addicted parents, but she had never thought about the other ramifications. "Did you like school?"

Alex finally turned to look at her, fire in her eyes as she told her, "What difference does it make now?"

Debbie peered over at her with sympathy. "Well, you're going to have to go back to school sometime, whether it's here in Pittsburgh or somewhere else. If you don't have an education, then you might as well..."

"You're not my mother!" Alex snarled, her voice biting. "You can't tell me what to do! I won't even BE here long enough to go to school, so you won't have to worry about it!"

"Why do you say that?"

"You're just keeping me here until some bed opens up in a juvie center," she told her. "Then you'll ship me off just like everyone else does!"

"That's not true!" Debbie cried out. "I mean, Carl and I don't know where you're going to wind up yet. But we won't just throw you out on the street, or drag you down to some juvenile detention center. You will probably wind up with a foster family. That wouldn't so bad, would it? You'd have a home, a place to stay, three meals a day, the chance to go to school and make friends..."

Alex's eyes filled with tears. "I don't WANT to go to a foster home!"

Debbie put her paper and pencil down and pushed back from the table as she stood up. "Alex...Honey...you can't go back out on the streets again..."

"Why not?" was the petulant reply. "I've done it before; I can do it again. At least out on the streets I can go where I want, when I want, and no one tells me what to do."

Debbie sighed. "Yeah...until some pervert snatches you and does who-knows-what to you. Or you get bitten by rats sleeping in some godforsaken tenement! Or you freeze to death out on the streets! Winter's almost here, Alex! How do you think you'll survive when it gets cold? Where will you go to find food or shelter?" Debbie held onto the back of the chair as she wondered, "How did you even survive on your own this long? Did you take...?"

"No!" Alex yelled. "I do don't drugs! And I've never sold myself to some dirty old man so I can eat, if that's what you're thinking!"

Debbie nodded. "I'm glad to hear that. But your chances of surviving on your own are getting slimmer and slimmer each time you do it. Why won't you let someone help you? Even Brian was willing to help you before."

Alex harrumphed. "He was just doing his good deed for the day for the poor, homeless waif. He'd rather give me a handout than see me lurking around his father's campaign headquarters. That's the only reason why he 'helped me;' I was bad for his image."

"That's utter bullshit!" Debbie told her with such vehemence that Alex's eyes grew large as saucers and she shrunk back from her slightly. "Brian is a good man! He may act like an asshole sometimes," she conceded, "But he has a good heart! He could have turned you in, don't forget that! But he didn't. So don't go badmouthing him. He wanted to help you, too; he still does. Trust me, he was not doing it because it would be bad press for him to have a homeless kid begging on the streets. You just have to let us, that's all."

"Why should I let you help me? You'll just send me away again in a couple of weeks."

"Is that what you want?"

"What difference does it make what I want?" she cried out, her eyes prickling with tears. "I don't have any say-so in it. No one will care WHAT I think or want!"

Debbie sighed. "Well, that's where you're wrong, Kiddo. Brian cares, Justin cares, I care, and Carl cares, too. That's a whole lot of caring if you ask me."

Alex swallowed the lump in her throat. "Justin said he used to work at the diner, too."

Debbie smiled in recollection. "Yes, he did." She grinned. "And with that ass of his, he used to bring in a lot of tips, too." Alex looked at her in astonishment as she amended her statement. "By waiting on customers, Alex," she clarified. "Justin had a hard life when he was a kid, just like you; only he wasn't as young as you were when he got kicked out of his home, too."

Alex downed the rest of her orange juice in one, big gulp and set it down on the table. "He told me his father kicked him out because he was gay."

Debbie nodded as she reached for her coat draped across the back of another chair to put it on. Her face darkened. "Yeah, his father was a real prick; excuse my French," she hastily added at her choice of words. "But it's true. That sweet, smart, boy was thrown out of his house, merely for having the gall to love someone his father didn't approve of."

"You mean Brian Kinney."

"Well, Justin did pretty much fall in love with him from Day One," Debbie told her. "But I meant it in a general sense. He has caused that boy more pain over the years," she said sorrowfully before her face changed. "But Justin is a lot stronger than he ever gave him credit for; and now his father's the one who's going to be left out in the cold - rotting in a jail cell, I hope."

"What did he do?"

Debbie sighed; it would take much longer than they had right now for her to adequately explain everything Craig Taylor had done and what he was accused of presently. "It's a long story; I'll tell you all about it on the way to the diner. We'd better get going. I need to stop and vote on the way." She noticed Alex remaining in her seat. "Alex? Did you hear me? We have to leave NOW!"

"Why do you care?" was the unexpected question.

Debbie furrowed her brow, wondering if she was getting way too old to try and handle the idiosyncrasies of a pre-teen. "Care about what?"

"About me. You don't know me; you have nothing to gain by helping me. So why? Why would you do it?"

Debbie walked over and placed her slightly chubby, wrinkled hands on the girl's face as Alex peered up at her tearfully. "Honey, everyone deserves to be helped. And you...you deserve it in spades. Because no matter how tough you seem, I've seen enough kids like you to know that what you're really looking for is love. And whether you like it or not, you're stuck with me, at least until the court makes a decision on where you need to go." She leaned down to lightly kiss Alex on the forehead before she whispered, "We have to get going. Come on."

She turned to go just as a quiet voice asked, "Debbie?"

As she stared into the not-so-young girl's eyes, she thought she saw the flicker of some genuine emotion there as she replied, "Yeah, Baby?"

"Do...do you think the court would let me stay with you and Carl? I could work at the diner to help pay for expenses. And I don't take up much room."

The plaintive tone of Alex's voice threatened to break Debbie's heart. And while she knew she was really much too old to even entertain raising another child at her age, she found herself saying, "We would have to be certified as foster parents in order to do that."

"Well, couldn't you be? Foster parents, I mean? Your husband's already a cop," she pointed out as she pushed back from her chair and zipped up her hoodie.

"Alex, Carl and I are getting on in years..."

Alex nodded, her eyes welling as she grumbled, "I didn't really think you'd want to do it."

"Now hold on just a minute, young lady!" Debbie told her. "I didn't say that." She sighed. "I would have to talk to Carl about it first. But...we'll talk about it later, okay? After our shift is over - and after we get back from Babylon."

Alex narrowed her brows in suspicion. "Babylon? Is that some kind of church? Because I'm not going to any church."

Debbie laughed gustily at that notion. "Oh, you'll go to this one, all right. It's a whole different kind of church." Taking hold of Alex's hoodie, she began to pull her charge toward the door.

Fin's Campaign Headquarters - Harrisburg

The din inside the rather cramped space of Fin's headquarters was almost deafening as Brian and Justin were hustled inside through the back entrance, away from the prying eyes of the media camped out at the front door. There were televisions blaring everywhere, people on the phone, and animated conversations being carried on in all corners of the room. Kirk Middleton, per Fin's instructions, was being interviewed by one of the local news stations so Fin could be freed up to speak with the more influential, national networks in his private office.

"Holy shit," Justin said, having to speak up to be heard above the noise. "This is like a bunch of sharks in a feeding frenzy," he observed as he held tightly onto Brian's sleeve to keep from being separated from him. He was a little overwhelmed by all the noise and the people, but it was typical of anywhere Fin had gone during the campaign. At least in here he knew everyone was supportive of his father-in-law, and that helped to allay his fear of being pressed in with so many other people. Brian, sensing his uneasiness, slid his arm around his waist protectively as he steered him toward Fin's office.

"Don, how's everything going?" Brian almost had to yell as he walked up to Fin's door. Don was standing to the side of it to prevent any unauthorized parties from entering.

"It's a zoo in here!" he yelled back as Brian nodded. "But everyone's really charged up about today."

Brian smiled in satisfaction as Don opened the door for him and Justin and they stepped inside, quickly closing the door behind them to partly quell the clamor directly beyond.

Fin looked up from his laptop as they walked in and smiled. "Glad you're here," he told his son. "Justin, good to see you, too. Thanks for coming."

"I wouldn't have missed it," Justin told his father-in-law sincerely as he smiled over at Tony sitting on the couch nearby, nursing a cup of coffee. His own laptop was splayed out in front of him on the coffee table, and there appeared to be several legal documents lying next to it. "Hey," he called over to his friend as Brian joined his father, pulling up another leather chair to sit next to him as the two men looked over the latest polling results from the day before. Bowing to tradition and political etiquette regarding Election Day, none of the major news outlets would actually try to project a winner until later after the polls had closed. But nonetheless Fin's staff had accumulated numerous poll results from Harris, UPI, and other media powerhouses and father and son were now studiously examining them.

"Hi," Tony greeted him with a warm smile as he patted the empty seat beside him. "Have a seat. Us housewives have to stick together today." Justin snorted as Tony laughed at him.

"How long have you been here?"

"Since Fin got here; about 8 or so," he told his friend as he glanced over at his partner and Brian sitting together, engrossed in what they were doing. They had their heads almost touching as they quietly discussed the latest voting polls. "God, they're more and more like two peas in a pod every day," he decided as Justin nodded with a grin.

"Yeah, I agree totally," he told Tony as he looked at them. "What is so mesmerizing, I wonder? The latest sports scores?"

"Brian into sports?" Tony asked curiously, knowing that Fin despised the people who sat for hours in front of a television, watching sports on television and drinking beer after beer and eating corn chips as their method of 'exercise.' He always told Tony there was no point in being involved with sports unless you participated in them, not just watched them passively on some insanely huge, big-screen television.

Justin dryly laughed. "Hardly. Well, he does like to swim and play some tennis at Britin. And we have horses stabled there that we ride with Gus sometimes. I think he's played handball before, too, but that was a long time ago."

"Yeah, I remember Fin mentioning something at the wedding about maybe taking Gus for some horseback rides at Britin. We've got horses back at the house - although we haven't been able to do a lot of riding lately."

Justin nodded. "Yeah, I remember. Brian will do those sorts of things with me or Gus back home. But he wouldn't be caught dead sitting in front of a television, just watching someone hitting a ball back and forth or some car race with 500 laps in it. He would go nuts."

Tony grinned. "Spoken like a true husband of Fin's son. Fin is exactly the same way; but his passion is long-range hiking." Tony's face turned more solemn, almost sorrowful, as he told Justin, "At least it used to be. We would go off into the mountains for an entire weekend and not see another soul the entire time. It was great - and very romantic," he confided with a smile as Justin nodded. "Unfortunately, we haven't had a chance to do that for several months now; not since before he decided to run for office. And now I'm not so sure we'll get the chance to do it again in the near future, either, if he wins."

"When he wins, don't you mean?" Justin corrected him as he stared over at his friend's face.

Tony nodded. "Well, you know that's what I hope happens," he told him. "But according to Fin, the polls consider him and Whittle to be in a virtual dead heat right now."

Justin stared over at Brian and Fin hunched together at Fin's desk as he asked softly, "Tony?"

Tony turned his head. "Yeah?"

"Give me an honest answer."

Tony frowned. "About what?"

"Do you want Fin to win?"

Tony bristled slightly. "What sort of question is that?" He lowered his voice as he noticed Fin glancing over at him curiously, no doubt noticing the change in inflection. He brushed his hand through his hair as he smiled over at his partner reassuringly before Fin nodded slightly and returned to discussing the latest poll results with his son. He turned his head to stare back over at Justin aghast. "Of course I want him to win! How can you even ask me that?"

The door suddenly opened before Justin could answer, jarring them slightly, as two more members of Fin's immediate staff walked in and greeted their candidate and Brian. The conversational level increased slightly in the room as Tony closed his laptop and stood up, Justin peering up at him in concern.

"Tony...I didn't mean..."

"Let's go take a walk and find some breakfast," he decided abruptly. His face softened slightly at the look of distress on Justin's face as he told him, "Then we can resume this conversation...but not here."

Justin nodded, thinking he understood, as he stood up, calling over to Brian to tell him where they were going. After providing his husband with a promise to be careful and avoid the media circus out front, the two of them were led from the room by Don Meyers, who stood watch over them until they were safely outside through the back entrance and unobserved. Electing to drive instead of walking due to the possibility of being detected once they reemerged back onto the front sidewalk, the two men climbed into one of the staff cars placed their for general use and, with Tony at the wheel, drove behind the building and out the opposite way to elude the reporters gathered in the other direction.

A few minutes later, they located a small diner reminiscent of the Liberty Diner and took a seat in a booth near the back. It was mid-morning by now and relatively deserted as the waitress walked over to pour them some coffee and take their orders. Waiting until the older woman had left them alone again, Justin peered over at his friend curiously.

Tony took a deep breath. "First of all, I'm sorry if I tried to jump down your throat earlier. I...I wasn't really expecting that question and it threw me off guard." He grimaced. "I thought as an attorney I was quite adept at handling impromptu questioning, but apparently that only applies to the courtroom, not real life." He sighed as he took a quick sip of his coffee. "But why would you even ask that, Justin?"

Justin took a breath. "Tony, I would never, ever question your loyalty or love for Fin. That is undeniable; you've been such a great support to him these past several months, and I remember how devastated Fin was before over merely the thought that the two of you might break up. But I also get the feeling that you're not exactly looking forward to all the freedoms you might possibly have to give up if...I mean, when he does win. Surely you've thought about that."

"Justin, we discussed this before," Tony pointed out. "And no, frankly, I'm not especially looking forward to it; at least not what it represents. Constant media coverage, no matter where we go. Security following Fin around with every step. Everything he says scrutinized and studied and plastered all over the newspapers and internet. Microphones shoved in his face. Not to mention having to live in the Governor's mansion rather than back at our own home that we have enjoyed for over a decade now."

"You can't decide to stay in your own home?" Justin asked. "They're both in the Harrisburg area. Surely they can't make the Governor live in the Governor's mansion if he doesn't want to. Who would even decide that, anyway? Would it be the Governor himself?"

Tony sighed. "I don't know. Everything has been so hectic lately that we really haven't even talked about it much. I don't know how we could avoid it, though. All the governor's employees work out of the mansion, and he would constantly be commuting back and forth if we did mange some time at the house just to attend dinners and meetings. Maybe we could go back home on the weekends, but even then would we wind up with some damn security person hanging around us 24/7 because of Fin's status? Fin has made it clear that wherever he goes, I go, and I'm very grateful for that. It certainly indicates a big change from when he never even wanted to acknowledge his sexuality before and hid me from sight. But I'd be lying if I wasn't worried that this will somehow change our relationship. I don't WANT to share him with some bodyguard."

Justin eyed him sympathetically. "I hadn't thought about all that, but I could tell you were worried about something." He let out a deep breath. "And I thought Brian and my lives had been disrupted the past several months! At least once the election is over I think we can hopefully go back to a relatively more normal life. I'd be lying if I didn't admit I'm definitely looking forward to more solitude - and togetherness - than what we've had recently. Brian has put as much work into this campaign as he typically does at Kinnetik."

"I'm sure he has," Tony told him. "He reminds me more and more of Fin every day. They're both so driven in whatever they do. That's one of the things that made me fall in love with Fin in the first place." He smirked. "Well, that and the fact that I thought he was the hottest man I had ever seen in my life. Still feel that way, too," Tony added softly as Justin smiled at him.

"You never really told me how you two met. Was it here in Harrisburg?"

Tony nodded. "Yeah."

Justin's eyes lit up. "Tell me about it," he urged him.

"Well, I guess we have the time," Tony decided as the waitress returned to bring them their breakfast. "Yes, it was right here in Harrisburg. Seems like a lifetime ago in a way." He took a drink from his coffee mug as the two of them began to spread syrup over their French toast.

"I was a young attorney back then, fairly fresh out of law school and full of starry-eyed idealism. I thought I was going to save all of the downtrodden saps who had been wrongly accused of crimes from being thrown in jail and forgotten. I was going to save the world!" he exclaimed melodramatically. "I wound up being assigned to the county D.A.'s office, and the workload was horrendous. But I really didn't mind - I threw myself into my work and got such a high out of winning almost all of my cases that it more than compensated for hardly getting any sleep or making much money." He grinned over at Justin wryly. "They work assistant D.A.s like dogs on a pauper's salary; it's like some evil tradition with them. But attorneys like me who have just passed the Bar still covet the position, because normally it's a good springboard for more lucrative work later on."

"Is that how you met Fin, then?" Justin asked curiously. "Through one of your court cases?"

"Well, not exactly," Tony said with a smile as he thought back. "It was at the courthouse, though, and it did involve paperwork...Lots and lots of paperwork..."

Flashback - Ten Years Ago - Dauphin County Courthouse Building, Harrisburg - 3:45 p.m. Friday

Tony's POV

I juggled the large cardboard box of documents in my hands as I attempted to navigate the spiral staircase heading up to the clerk of court's office; the last day to file my motion was today, and the office was closing in 15 minutes, so I knew I was cutting it close. The late afternoon traffic had been even worse than normal, with two accidents on the main freeway heading into town, and that had merely served to put me in a sullen, sour mood. Grunting with exertion under the heavy weight of the paper, I finally managed to emerge on the top step, disgusted at how much I was huffing and puffing despite my excellent physical condition. "So much for the age of modern technology," I muttered, thinking how archaic a system the D.A.'s office had for delivering documentation across town. My paralegal, Sean, would have normally handled this menial task for me today, but he had unexpectedly called in sick at the last minute and I knew if I didn't take care of it no one else would; I had too much to lose if I missed the filing deadline. The woman in her thirties who had been accused of manslaughter was clearly a case of self-defense brought about through years of abuse at the hands of the deceased, and I was determined to file my appeal before the deadline passed.

Standing there for a moment to catch my breath, I sighed in relief now that I was within visual sight of the clerk of court's office. Hefting the box to a more comfortable position, I began to walk down the hallway to the clerk's office when my foot became caught on a slight fold in the large area rug decorating the hardwood floor and I promptly tripped, the open-flapped box slipping out of my grasp as documents that had been so meticulously placed in order before went flying everywhere, raining gently down onto the ground like delicate, paper airplanes. "Shit!" I snarled in disbelief as I knelt down onto the carpet and reached for the now mostly empty box, emitting a frustrated, heavy sigh as I began to scoop up all the papers, at the same time feeling ridiculous as I literally crawled around on my hands and knees to gather them up.

My eyes cast downward, I failed at first to see the linen-clad knees close to mine for a few seconds; as I rose back onto my knees to try and begin sorting the paperwork back into order, however, I suddenly noticed that I wasn't alone.

"I think these belong to you," a smooth, male, tenor voice told me quietly as he held out a stack of papers toward me. I lifted my gaze at the sound of the melodic voice to peer into a pair of piercing, steel-gray eyes as my breath caught in my throat. The man staring back at me with a smirk on his face had to be the most gorgeous specimen of man I had ever encountered in my life. Time seemed to stop for a few seconds as I stared, open-mouthed while I unabashedly ogled the other man until common sense - and the urgency of time - prevailed and I nodded. "Thanks," I finally managed to whisper hoarsely as I reached out to grab the small stack; my slightly calloused fingers brushed across the elegant, longer ones of the other man's and I instantly felt some sort of electricity pass between us as my gaydar dinged loud and clear. Whether it was wishful thinking or not, I thought the other man's fingers lingered just a bit longer than necessary on mine before I grasped the documents in my hands and inwardly cursed at my visceral reaction, noticing my hand slightly trembling as I began to leaf through them to put them back into page number order. I knew all too well how particular the Clerk of Court's office was, and it would be just like the Registrar to refuse to time stamp my documents due to them being out of sequence.

"I already put them in numerical order; the old crow won't take them if they're not," the stranger told me just then as if he were reading my mind. I gazed over again at the impeccably-dressed man in surprise. Auburn haired that just barely kissed his neck, he was attired in an expensive, dark-gray, pinstriped suit with a silk shirt and light gray tie. A small U.S. flag pin was attached to his suit collar, and his black shoes were polished to a brilliant gleam under the lighting above. Not a hair was out of place on his head, and his long, lean hands were professionally manicured. The entire package spoke of money and power, and I, presently clad rather casually in a pair of well-loved jeans and a corduroy jacket with a cotton shirt, felt decidedly underdressed. Normally I was very confident in my abilities and very self-assured, but to my consternation, I felt heat rising on my cheeks under the other man's intense scrutiny of me as I nodded. I couldn't help smiling at him as I responded wryly, "Yeah, I know her all too well. We've met before."

I watched, entranced and shocked, as the other man smirked at me and began to crawl around on his expensive suit to begin picking up more of the papers. "Better hurry, too," he told me. "The old battle axe closes the door right at 4:00 and not a second later, especially if she sees it's just a paralegal dropping something off."

"But..."

"Are you going to argue or help me get these papers in order?" he asked me as I huffed at his mistake. He gave me a puzzled sort of look over my reaction. "Don't get offended," he told me. "I happen to have a lot of respect for the working class," he told me generously.

"Good to know," I told him tersely as I snatched a batch of papers out of his hand. "Thank you for your assistance, Mr...?"

"Call me Fin. I feel like we're old friends now." The man smirked at me again before arching one eyebrow and grinning at me.

I nodded in acknowledgment, thinking that was a rather unusual name for someone. "Fin," I tested the name on my lips. I took a deep breath and let it out as I hastily straightened out the papers and dropped them back into the box. "Well, thank you for your help - Fin - but I won't take up any more of your time. Besides, I'm sure you'll have to change into more suitable clothes before you do your cleaning maintenance for the night." I promptly stood up with the box in my hands and whirled around to stomp over to the Clerk's office, hearing the man's musical laughter echoing behind me. Bracing my knee against the wall a few seconds later so I could hold up the box and free up one of my hands, I was about to open the door when a tall shadow loomed over me and I smelled an intriguing mixture of expensive cologne and something else I couldn't quite identify. My heart beginning to beat faster, I somehow knew who was opening the door before he spoke again. "Please, allow me...just consider it one of my maintenance duties."

I couldn't help smiling at that despite myself as he opened up the door and I walked inside, relieved that the friendlier clerk, Shelly, was seated at the time-stamp desk. "Hi, Shelly," I said breathlessly. "Got one to file."

She grinned. "Saved by the bell, Counselor," she said to me as I lifted the papers out of the box and set them down on the counter. "Four more minutes and you would have been out of luck. That's cutting it close even for you."

I ignored the man standing quietly beside me as I explained about the two unforeseen accidents out on the freeway while she took her old-fashioned, metal stamp and dated the legal brief on top, handing a copy of it back to me for proof of my filing. "Thanks," I told her as she nodded. "Have a good weekend. And say hello to Maddie for me." Maddie was Shelly's golden retriever; I had seen a photo of her in a picture frame one day, and being a major golden lover, I had asked about her. That led to us developing a fairly friendly business relationship, although I suspected she wished there were more to it. I didn't have the heart to tell her that she was wasting her time.

"You're welcome," she replied. "And I'll give her a kiss and a belly rub for you." She winked at me as I turned to go, noticing the handsome man still standing there silently studying me. This time, though, I detected what appeared to be surprise on his face as I nodded at Shelly and, folding the legal document to tuck it into my jacket pocket, I turned and headed toward the door, expecting it to softly close behind me as I left but hearing nothing for a few seconds afterward until finally it clicked shut.

"Stop following me," I said without turning around.

"It's a public building," I heard him say.

I turned around to face him, just as an older, gray-haired, petite but stylishly groomed woman hurried toward us. "There you are, Fin! Your driver's been looking all over for you!"

I watched the interaction closely, wondering why this woman was looking for him - and why he would have a driver. Just who was this person? And was this his mother?

"Sorry, Regina, I had to renew my driver's license," he told her. "And they don't exactly let a senator's aide do that for him, you know."

Senator? Had I heard that right? I watched as the woman nodded. "Well, if you're done, you've got just enough time to get back to the Senate for the vote on the Hartman Bill."

Fin nodded. "I'm coming." I watched, gaping, as I now realized just who this person was. The only senator I knew that was named "Fin" was Fintan O'Connor, a very influential person in the Senate who was one of the major wheeler dealers on several key committees. I had never met him in person before - or even seen his photo for some odd reason - but it had to be him. I also knew if I had ever seen this man's picture before, I would have certainly never forgotten it.

"You're Senator O'Connor?" I asked as he smiled at me.

"One and the same," he confirmed with a wink. "And you? Do you have a name besides Counselor?"

I grinned, my previous anger and irritation promptly dissipating. "Wouldn't YOU like to know?" I teased, openly flirting with him now as he stared at me open-mouthed, the shoe now on the other foot. I kind of liked that feeling of one-up-man-ship. "I hear you're pretty powerful," I told him. "Let's see what YOUR paralegals can find out."

He couldn't help smiling back at me, clearly impressed, as I turned around and headed back down the hallway, wondering how long it would take for him to do just that and hoping I hadn't lost my chance to get to know this infuriating - but extremely intriguing - man a lot better.

End Flashback...

Present Day

"You didn't!" Justin exclaimed with a laugh as Tony nodded in confirmation. "Why, Tony Cassinelli, I'm impressed! What happened then? How long did it take for him to figure out what your name was?"

Tony smiled over at Justin ruefully. "Well, I wish I could tell you that the paralegals poured over all kinds of bar association documents to find out who I was. But I'd be lying," he said with a laugh as Justin grinned.

"So how DID he find out?"

"It was quite easy, actually. I found out the little fucker walked right back into the Clerk of Court's office and asked Shelly who I was. Naturally, all he had to do was flash that sexy smile at her and use that tone of voice he has; well, you know what I mean," Tony said sheepishly as Justin nodded. Heaven knows Brian had used those same tactics on him before - and with the same results. "Well, all he had to do was use his innumerable charms on her and she was the proverbial putty in his hands. He had my full name and even my office address within five minutes flat."

"I thought you said before that you got there with four minutes to spare," Justin pointed out.

Tony nodded. "I did. But the top of the door is made out of glass. Fin just stood there with that exasperating smile on his face and those puppy-dog eyes and she immediately opened the door back up."

Justin laughed. "Oh, he had it bad, then. So what happened after that?" he asked, avidly curious now. "Did he show up at the D.A.'s office the next day?"

Tony blushed. "Not quite. He apparently wanted to see me in action first."

"Excuse me?" Justin laughed.

"No, no, not like that!" Tony immediately corrected him with a laugh of his own. "He got one of his assistants to access the D.A.'s docket and found out when my next court appearance was. I was defending someone who had been a whistleblower on a fraud case the next day. Here I was, right in the middle of my impassioned closing argument, and I looked out into the courtroom and who did I see but Fintan O'Connor. I was just getting close to my conclusion and thought I had everyone in my back pocket, sure I was going to win the case, when I looked over at him and promptly lost all train of thought when he winked at me. I had never lost my composure before, and it really threw me off track. I started hemming and hawing, and barely managed to remember what I was trying to say. It was a miracle I managed to get a 'not-guilty' verdict out of the jury after I almost royally fucked it up." He shook his head in embarrassment as he looked over at his friend. "Has that ever happened before with you and Brian?"

Justin guffawed. "Are you kidding me? When I first met him, I was as pure as snow and he scared the shit out of me." He smiled at the recollection. "But he was also the most amazing man I had ever met. I don't know if it was pheromones or what kicking in when he walked up to me. But he had me as soon as he opened his mouth and asked me how it was going. Right then and there, I knew how 'it was going.' I was going wherever HE was going."

Tony laughed. "Like father, like son apparently. Why does that not surprise me?"

"No getting off the subject," Justin scolded him. "I told you before how Brian and I met. I want to hear more about you and Fin. What happened after that? Did he come up to you afterward to talk?"

Tony smirked. "You think I would make it that easy on him?"

Flashback - Dauphin County Courthouse, Harrisburg

I shook hands with my opponent; a man that I frequently sparred against in court. Even though I had almost botched my closing argument, the jury had still done their job and had considered all the evidence before finding my client 'not guilty.'

"Congrats, Tony," Mark Perez told me with a smile. "Although you almost fucked it up. That's not like you. What happened?"

I grimaced, relieved that the object of my distraction was no longer in the courtroom, but finding myself a little disappointed by that fact as I wondered how to respond. Somehow telling this strait-laced, Ivy-League colleague who always boasted of having the perfect wife and four perfect kids at home that I had been distracted by an incredibly hot guy winking back at me from the courtroom while visions of him fucking me over my oak desk flashed through my mind didn't seem like such a good idea. So, instead, I told him, "I thought I saw someone I knew and it affected my concentration for just a minute."

Perez nodded. "Well, it almost cost you the case."

"Almost," I conceded. "But almost is only good in horseshoes."

He snorted. "Well, I'll be breathing down your back next week during the Thompson trial," he warned me.

"I'll be ready," I promised him. He nodded before quietly turning to go, leaving me alone to gather up my papers and place them into my briefcase. The room was starkly silent until I heard someone in the back of the room speaking, and my pulse immediately sped up as I instantly recognized who it was.

"Still pedaling papers, I see," Fin drolly commented as I turned to observe him leaning against the back wall. "That was some closing argument. You know you're pretty sexy when you get all worked up," he observed as my face warmed. Why did this man always do that to me? "But you seemed to stumble over that last part. Wonder why?" he asked as he got closer and closer and I felt like a rat trapped in a maze. Truth be told, I could have easily exited out the nearest side door that led into one of the corridors, but I found that I didn't want to; at least not yet.

"Why do you think?" I blurted out without thinking, instantly wishing I had kept my mouth shut. "You were distracting me."

Fin smiled, pleased with that apparently. "Oh, I was, was I? I was just a spectator listening to a case being heard. Why would that distract you?" He was now within a few feet of my personal space, and I could smell once again that intoxicating mixture of expensive cologne and just plain, raw, maleness that he exuded, and it made me feel uncharacteristically unsettled.

"You...You were staring at me," I managed to say, thinking how immature that sounded. Get a grip, Cassinelli! I silently berated myself as he peered into my eyes before his gaze swept lazily downward to inspect my entire body.

"You're all dressed up today," Fin murmured in appreciation as his eyes rose to meet mine. "Very nice. But I think I liked the casual look yesterday better."

My face burned from his scrutiny and I felt my cock twitch over his voice and the way he was looking at me, but I was determined not to act like some wimpy, drooling twink; besides, I was a few years south of that anyway. "What do you want, Senator?" I asked in a surprisingly polite, detached tone of voice, secretly proud of how calm I sounded.

As soon as he smiled at me, however, that feeling promptly vanished. "I want you to have dinner with me," he simply replied. "Tonight."

I snorted at his presumptuousness. "Dinner? What makes you think I'm even interested? For all you know, I have a wife and kids to get home to. Aren't you taking a lot for granted?"

His smile grew even brighter as he replied, "Don't think so. Antonio Cassinelli the II. Son of Antonio and Victoria Cassinelli, who emigrated from Italy just before you were born. No siblings. Graduated magna cum laude from Northwestern University in Chicago five years ago, and currently one of several assistant D.A.s for Harris County. Likes to rock climb, play racquetball, and bike in his spare time, as well as travel to exotic locations on vacation. No record of any wife or children and never been married."

His speech sounded like a "Tony Cassinelli, This is Your Life" episode. I wasn't sure if I was resentful or flattered by everything he knew about me. "How do you know all that?" I asked suspiciously.

He shrugged as he grinned back at me with impossibly white teeth. "I'm a politician; it's my business to find out information before I make a decision."

"Oh? And just what decision is that?"

"That you could care less about a wife and kids," he murmured huskily as he walked closer to me and my heart began to beat faster despite my attempt to appear aloof. "That when other men are checking out the pretty little women strutting around in their teeny bikinis in those beauty pageants, you're checking out the hot guys hosting them in the tuxedos and wondering what they would look like in a Speedo. That you're wondering right now what it would be like to go out with me and be wined and dined to your heart's content."

I had to admit he had hit the nail on the head; that did sound particularly inviting. Of course, there were other things I was wondering about, too, when it came to this incredibly magnetic, handsome man; but I wasn't about to divulge my hand at the moment. So instead I merely answered with a cocked eyebrow, "Oh? Is that so?" I turned to close my briefcase, mortified to find my hands shaking slightly as I lifted it up onto the table in preparation to leave.

"Yeah," the cocky bastard answered. "So...What type of food do you like? Italian?" He laughed. "No, I imagine you get more than your share of that; I bet your mother home cooks for you all the time. Japanese, then? Mediterranean? Seafood? Amish? Take your pick."

My back turned to him presently, I had to bite back a laugh at that last choice as thoughts of some woman wearing a white apron and a long, dowdy skirt serving me Apple Brown Betty and an entire chicken flashed through my mind.

"Or...maybe you'd just prefer a good piece of meat."

Oh, fuck. I bit my lip, my face flushing immediately as I had to bite back a groan at the lascivious thoughts that engendered as I struggled to regain control of my body rebelling against me. Taking a few deep breaths to compose myself, I turned around at last to face him, finding his gray eyes boring into mine. "Don't you senators have work to do during the week like the rest of us lowly, working-class stiffs?"

He grinned at me again, obviously finding that entertaining. "We have been known to work unusual hours. I'm close to having the record for the longest filibuster in state history, as a matter of fact, so the others actually heave a sigh of relief when I'm not in the chamber. But don't worry; I always manage to get back in time for all my meetings and to vote for important legislation."

I thought I detected a note of pride in that statement, which made my opinion of the man rise just a bit higher. I nodded. "Glad to hear it. I guess that's why they call so many politicians blowhards, then."

He laughed at me then, a deep, throaty laugh. "I like you, Counselor!" he decided with a broad smile that made my heart flutter, something that had never happened to me before. "You still haven't answered my question. Where are we going?"

I looked into his eyes, sensing what I was about to do would be a pivotal point in my life. I really knew nothing at all about this man. But something told me my life was never going to be the same from now on. Letting out a deep breath, I smiled back at him before finally deciding, "I think I'm in the mood for steak."

His broad smile showed me how pleased he was as he nodded. "My thoughts exactly."

End Flashback

Justin smiled as Tony finished up his narrative. "Oh, shit. That could have been Brian talking. Except he would have never actually asked me out on a date."

Tony's eyes rose. "No?"

Justin shook his head and laughed. "No, not in a million years. Brian always claimed he didn't fall in love, he didn't do dates or relationships, and he would never get married. I seemed to have broken that logjam, though, although it took a long time to get there." He paused. "But it was definitely worth it. I love Brian more and more every day, and I suspect you feel the same about Fin. They're both worth it, aren't they?"

Tony nodded, his face reflecting something more melancholy than Justin's.

"What?" Justin pressed softly. "Is this about what we were talking about before? About Fin being elected and the changes that will occur as a result? You know that Fin will always love you, Tony. He worships the ground you walk on."

Tony smiled over at him wistfully. "I know. And I love him. I'm just afraid, Justin; for the first time in my goddamn life, I'm afraid. I'm afraid that somehow our relationship will change."

"Tony, you won't let that happen," Justin reassured him firmly. "Fin won't let that happen, either. He loves you too much."

Tony sighed. "Justin, sometimes despite the best of intentions, things happen to change your life dramatically, whether you want it to or not. Neither one of us can know exactly what will happen. But I CAN tell you this: I love that man with every fiber of my being. We've spent the last decade together and I can't imagine my life without him in it. So no matter what happens, I will fight tooth and nail to stay with him as long as that's what he wants, too."

"Well, that's it, then," Justin replied. "Neither one of you are going anywhere - except to the Governor's mansion."

Tony shook his head in amusement. "Well, that should certainly shake things up! A gay governor living with his partner in the heralded Governor's mansion and - horrors! - sleeping in the same bed? What IS the world coming to?" He grinned.

"Maybe it's growing up," Justin decided softly. "Maybe everyone will finally decide that it's a person character that matters, not who they happen to love that counts."

"I hope so, my friend. I hope so." Tony sighed, looking down at his plate. He had long since lost his appetite; he was too wired up about tonight's election. "I think I'm done with breakfast. Ready to go back into the fray? I have some paperwork I need to do for a court case anyway; that will keep me pretty busy."

Justin nodded. "Yeah; I brought a sketchpad with me. I figured I could draw some of the hustle and bustle." Tony nodded as he began to scoot over on the booth's seat to rise.

"Uh, Tony?"

Tony glanced over at his friend. "Yeah?"

"You didn't say how your date at the steakhouse turned out. I'm dying to know."

Tony smiled in recollection. "Now I can't go giving away ALL my secrets." At the look of disappointment on Justin's face, he laughed. "Okay, I will - later. Let's just say that we never made it to the restaurant - but I still got a real juicy piece of meat that night anyway."

Justin actually blushed. "Well, now you'll HAVE to share, Cassinelli."

Tony grinned, clamping his hand on Justin's shoulder as they stood up next to each other. "I promise the next time we have a slumber party you'll be the first to hear all about it."

Justin rolled his eyes and snorted as he picked up the check and they headed toward the cashier.

Thanks to my super beta, boriqua522!

I will have another part of this up very soon before I move onto the next story in my rotation that will cover the actual election results. Thank you for reading; hope you will stay tuned to see who wins.;)