Disclaimer: Don't own them, would buy them, want the creating rights but cannot have them, would screw Gale at any possible chance.

Rating: PG-13 (For swearing)

Chapter Twelve: Dinner and Declarations

Brian hadn't been able to ignore the looks that Lindsay was giving him and Justin all night. She kept smiling at the two of them and when Brian had taken Justin's hand in his that had been resting on the surface of the table, Lindsay practically beamed with approval and joy that Brian and Justin were back together. Mel on the other hand was a little subtler though Brian had caught her watching the two of them as they washed dishes. At the time, Brian had proved himself to be a distraction; Justin and himself were rather engaged with each other when Justin was supposed to be washing dishes and Brian was supposed to drying them.

"Well, I'm glad that they're back together," said Lindsay, sitting down on the couch, folding one leg under her.

"I never said that I wasn't," stated Mel.

She sat down beside her. They were waiting for the two men to finish since they were already done clearing the table and putting the food away.

"Tell me they're not making inappropriate use of our kitchen," said Mel when she heard something fall on the ground.

"I think we'd hear them," smiled Lindsay. "Besides, I think they know better than that."

A moment later, Brian appeared first out of the kitchen and Justin followed him, laughing behind him. As usual, the older man appeared calm and stoic but for some reason, the younger was trying to hide fits of giggles in his hand. He seated himself next to Brian, across from the two women, and bit down on his bottom lip, smiling widely.

"Dare I ask?" wondered Lindsay, glancing from the brunet to the blond.

"I wouldn't suggest it," Brian casually remarked as he sat down on the sofa across from the two lesbians. Justin obediently followed suit and snuggled up next to Brian, who wrapped his arm around the blond's shoulders, pulling him tighter against his side.

"So, is there a reason in particular that you two dykes invited us over?"

"They are our friends, Brian," muttered Justin, rolling his eyes at his lover's accusation of suspiciousness.

"Well, unfortunately Justin, Brian is actually right," drawled out Lindsay slowly, looking to the woman beside her for support.

Mel nodded once and immediately Justin's nerves kicked into gear. He wasn't entirely sure of how to gauge what they were going to say but it had to be important if Lindsay, or Mel for that matter, couldn't flat out say it. It was one of the few traits that Brian and the lesbians shared.

"Mel and I were thinking about J.R. and Gus."

"And?" urged Brian, stressing the word.

He definitely wasn't one for patience – in and out of the bedroom.

"Well, more like Gus," stated Lindsay, looking directly into Brian's eyes.

"We were wondering what you would think if Gus were to stay with you for a little while," said Mel a moment later, taking her lover's hand in hers.

"How long?" deadpanned Brian.

"A few months."

"What's going on?" spoke up Justin, straightening up. He shrugged off Brian's arm but Brian didn't take the brush-off too lightly so he put his arm back around Justin, only around his waist this time.

"We were thinking of going to the Caribbean for a while," smiled Lindsay.

"What's there?" asked Brian dully.

"Our honeymoon."

There was a long moment of silence before Brian's mocking laughter broke the stillness of the room. He was holding his side with his free hand and trying to suppress the fit of hilarity that enveloped him.

"You two munchers never give up, do you?"

"I thought you would be happy for us," frowned Lindsay. "You were always the one who – "

"Lin, it's about time the two of you stopped playing coy," commented Brian, cutting her off so she couldn't finish her sentence.

She let out a breath and then looked at Justin, silently asking him with her eyes of what he thought.

"You both know that I'm happy for you," he grinned, getting up from the comfortable cushion that he sat on to hug the two women across from him.

Brian watched with amusement in his eyes and a similar smile on his thin lips, his arms resting on the back of the couch. A minute later Justin sat back down next to Brian, only not as close as before.

"Did you tell Michael?"

"Yes. You two were the last on the list," said Lindsay, shifting a little in her seat.

"Aw, I'm touched," Brian mocked, resting the palm of his hand over his heart while he cocked his head to the side.

"You were last because you would be the most difficult."

"Yeah? Why's that?"

"I think she's referring to the fact of Gus living with us for a while."

"He's my fucking son. Not a burden."

"Here I thought you felt the opposite," retorted Mel, leveling her eyes with Brian's.

"Yeah, I just come over here because I love to spend time with you two rug munchers," he snorted.

"You can't even admit that you love your son, let alone Justin. Why should we think otherwise?" she wondered calmly.

"Mel, honey, we didn't invite them over for personal attacks. Brian and Justin's relationship is none of our business," Lindsay said gently, resting her hand on Mel's thigh.

"But his relationship with our son, is."

"He's not even yours," remarked Brian.

"I spend more time with Gus more than you ever have. I clothe him, I bathe him, and I'm there when he's sick. I love him and I tell him so every day. What do you do? You're a man who pops up every other week to spend a few hours with him and try to make that count as what a father does and should be."

"Then why the fuck are you asking me to take him?" His voice was the same even tone as he spoke.

"Because you're his father," said Lindsay.

"Yeah, and apparently I'm a really shitty one too."

"You're a great father," she protested lightly.

"No, Mel's right. I'm not."

"A father loves his son, Brian. You love your son."

"It seems that that also doesn't matter."

"It's just not apparent," replied Mel, trying to make her tone a little less harsh than it was a few moments ago. "I've never once heard you tell him that you love him."

"You're not with us every second, now are you?" answered Brian.

He had her there and everyone knew it. Silence ensued in which they all sat there looking at one another though some avoided the gazes of another.

"I'll take him," started Brian, meeting Lindsay's gaze before looking at the woman beside her as he said the rest of his sentence, "because I'm his father and I love him."

Lindsay stood up abruptly and went to Brian quickly to wrap her arms around his neck and hug him as hard as she could.

"Thank you," whispered Lindsay in his ear.

"Don't cry," Brian said disgustedly. He patted her once on the back and then shoved her away, straightening out his dress shirt. "This is a new shirt and I don't want you to ruin it."

Lindsay took up her seat once more, leaving Brian to wipe nothing off of the front of his light navy blue in color shirt.

"Jesus, you think you were moving to Canada or something," he muttered. "Just how long are you gone for?"

"Three months."

"That's the longest honeymoon I've ever heard of."

"It's also a vacation."

"Is Michael looking after J.R.?" questioned Justin, who hadn't said a word in the past five minutes.

"Of course. We wouldn't expect the two of you to look after her as well."

"I wouldn't mind," he said honestly while the man beside him cleared his throat loudly.

"Maybe not but Brian wouldn't have her."

"She's not my kid."

"She may as well be. She's Gus's sister after all."

"Maybe I'll recruit her away from your lesbianism beliefs."

"So she can steal all the men from you?" wondered Lindsay, amused with the idea.

"Her generation's a little young, even for me," he added the last part after taking a look at Justin who was grinning next to him.

"We don't care if she's a lesbian or not, Brian. We'll support her in anything she does. That goes for Gus as well," stated Mel, taking Lindsay's hand back in hers.

The four of them talked for a couple of hours about everything anything that was going on in Pittsburgh. When Lindsay had cared to look at her watch to see what time it was, she appeared surprised and said, "Wow, it's almost twelve thirty."

"I think Sunshine and I are going to head home."

Justin thanked the two women for dinner and for having them, while Brian nodded in agreement. They put on their coats that were hanging on hooks by the front door and waved goodbye to Mel and Lindsay who were standing in the doorway, waving back at them.

They got into Brian's corvette and drove off into the night to the loft.