"Joe, babe, are you okay?" Rick demanded walking into the living room later that evening with a look of concern on his face.
"Great," Joe replied unconvincingly. "Why?"
"You never came back to work and you never called," Rick answered. "Neither did that new girl in your department."
"I'm sorry," apologized Joe miserably. "I should have called."
"Tell me about it?" Rick asked, sinking down on the sofa beside Joe and pulling him close.
Joe told him about Gillian's alter ego and his meeting with his family. He felt Rick stiffen and leaned up and kissed his cheek affectionately. "It's okay," Joe said. "I agreed to meet with them. I thought we could work through our problems and I thought we had but..." he stopped and sighed. "I guess it just wasn't meant to be. Don't do anything," he added. "The restraining orders? Thank you, but don't. They really aren't necessary."
"You do want to go home with them?" Rick asked. "Because they will try again."
"I doubt it," replied Joe. "But, yeah, I do want them back in my life. It would be nice." Joe saw the crushed look on Rick's face and pulled his neck down to give him a long kiss.
"As for going home," Joe continued. "I am home. That isn't going to change and if they can't accept that then they can't accept me."
"I love you," Rick whispered fiercely, pulling Joe even closer to him. Joe smiled and snuggled deeper into Rick's embrace.
"Where's Joe?" Callie asked, coming out of her room shortly after Joe had departed.
"Gone," Frank answered sourly. His face was twisted into a scowl. "He chose that...that..."
"You didn't!" Callie gasped in horror, putting her hands, palm sides down, on her hips. "How could you?" she demanded. "I warned you not to say anything against Rick!"
"Why?" Laura asked, genuinely confused.
"Because Joe's living with him," growled Frank.
"Oh, my," gasped Laura faintly. She leaned back in her chair.
"Because Joe is in love with him," Callie corrected Frank. "How did you expect him to react when you started dissing him?"
"He isn't in love with him," denied Frank. "He just thinks he is."
"What makes you so sure?" demanded Callie. She had seen Joe's face when he talked about Rick. She had heard the tenderness in his voice and she had no doubts that Joe was really in love.
"He's grateful to Tyrell for helping him," Fenton stated. "And Tyrell is taking advantage of that gratitude."
"No, he isn't!" Callie denied. "I've seen them together. Joe makes just as many advances at Rick as Rick does toward Joe."
"You're lying!" hissed Laura.
"You know I'm not," Callie retorted, not taking the insult personally because she knew they were upset. "Joe's always been demonstrative. Just because his sexual preference has changed doesn't mean he has."
"Joe's not gay!" Frank shouted at her.
"Joe loves him!" Callie screamed back. She couldn't believe how dense they were being. "And if you want Joe back then you are going to have to accept Rick too!"
"No way!" Frank growled although Fenton and Laura were considering Callie's words. After all, hadn't Joe said basically the same thing?
"Oh? So if your parents didn't approve of me then we wouldn't be together?" demanded Callie.
"That's different," Frank brushed the idea aside.
"How?" Callie demanded.
"Because I love you," he replied before going silent.
"Great," Joe replied unconvincingly. "Why?"
"You never came back to work and you never called," Rick answered. "Neither did that new girl in your department."
"I'm sorry," apologized Joe miserably. "I should have called."
"Tell me about it?" Rick asked, sinking down on the sofa beside Joe and pulling him close.
Joe told him about Gillian's alter ego and his meeting with his family. He felt Rick stiffen and leaned up and kissed his cheek affectionately. "It's okay," Joe said. "I agreed to meet with them. I thought we could work through our problems and I thought we had but..." he stopped and sighed. "I guess it just wasn't meant to be. Don't do anything," he added. "The restraining orders? Thank you, but don't. They really aren't necessary."
"You do want to go home with them?" Rick asked. "Because they will try again."
"I doubt it," replied Joe. "But, yeah, I do want them back in my life. It would be nice." Joe saw the crushed look on Rick's face and pulled his neck down to give him a long kiss.
"As for going home," Joe continued. "I am home. That isn't going to change and if they can't accept that then they can't accept me."
"I love you," Rick whispered fiercely, pulling Joe even closer to him. Joe smiled and snuggled deeper into Rick's embrace.
"Where's Joe?" Callie asked, coming out of her room shortly after Joe had departed.
"Gone," Frank answered sourly. His face was twisted into a scowl. "He chose that...that..."
"You didn't!" Callie gasped in horror, putting her hands, palm sides down, on her hips. "How could you?" she demanded. "I warned you not to say anything against Rick!"
"Why?" Laura asked, genuinely confused.
"Because Joe's living with him," growled Frank.
"Oh, my," gasped Laura faintly. She leaned back in her chair.
"Because Joe is in love with him," Callie corrected Frank. "How did you expect him to react when you started dissing him?"
"He isn't in love with him," denied Frank. "He just thinks he is."
"What makes you so sure?" demanded Callie. She had seen Joe's face when he talked about Rick. She had heard the tenderness in his voice and she had no doubts that Joe was really in love.
"He's grateful to Tyrell for helping him," Fenton stated. "And Tyrell is taking advantage of that gratitude."
"No, he isn't!" Callie denied. "I've seen them together. Joe makes just as many advances at Rick as Rick does toward Joe."
"You're lying!" hissed Laura.
"You know I'm not," Callie retorted, not taking the insult personally because she knew they were upset. "Joe's always been demonstrative. Just because his sexual preference has changed doesn't mean he has."
"Joe's not gay!" Frank shouted at her.
"Joe loves him!" Callie screamed back. She couldn't believe how dense they were being. "And if you want Joe back then you are going to have to accept Rick too!"
"No way!" Frank growled although Fenton and Laura were considering Callie's words. After all, hadn't Joe said basically the same thing?
"Oh? So if your parents didn't approve of me then we wouldn't be together?" demanded Callie.
"That's different," Frank brushed the idea aside.
"How?" Callie demanded.
"Because I love you," he replied before going silent.