Family Matters

Chapter Ten

Gus glared at Melanie.

"Well, mother? I'm waiting. What the fuck are you doing here?" he asked angrily. Justin stood up and went over by Gus.

"Gus, relax, okay?" he said, putting his hands on Gus' shoulders. Gus shrugged his hands off.

"Don't tell me to relax! Tell me what the fuck she's doing here! What, did you decide that you don't want a son anymore, and call her to come get me?" Gus asked angrily. Brian stood up.

"Gus, shut up for two seconds," he said, his head in his hands. Between Melanie's arrival, and Gus' queen out, he was getting a headache. Gus may not be queer, but he definitely inherited Brian's temper and ability to queen out.

"I just want to know what's going on," Gus said. He felt someone's hand on his arm and he turned around to see Kat standing there. He had forgotten she was there.

"Maybe I should go back to my dorm. This is obviously a bad time," she said quietly. Gus bit his lip, but shook his head.

"No, you don't have to go. I'm sorry," he said, then turned back to his dads and his mother. "I just wanted to spend time with Kat tonight, maybe even introduce her to you guys … just tell me what's going on," he said, his voice lowered. Melanie stood up and walked over to him, reaching her hand out to touch him, but he moved away.

"Gus … I haven't seen you in like two months! I just want to hug you," she said. Gus shook his head.

"Don't touch me. You lied to me for almost 18 years," he said, crossing his arms across his chest. Kat bit her lip, moving into the corner. She didn't want to be witnessing this, but she really had no choice.

"I did it for your own good!" Melanie argued. Gus huffed a laugh.

"For my own good? You thought that growing up, thinking that my father, my blood, hated me … you thought that was for my own good?" he asked, disbelievingly. She tried to touch him again.

"Gus, he may be your biological father, but he has no claims to you! He's not your guardian!" Melanie said. Gus looked confused.

"What do you mean he's not my guardian?" he asked. Brian tried to speak up, but Melanie cut him off.

"He gave you up. He signed his parental rights over to me. I'm your guardian, Gus, he's not!" she said. Gus looked at Brian.

"You gave me up?" he asked, hurt visible in his eyes. Brian stepped forward.

"It was arranged that way before you were born," Brian started, but Gus cut him off.

"What the fuck? There are just lies, lies, and more lies from all of you!" he yelled. Brian sighed.

"Gus, shut the fuck up and let me finish what I was saying," Brian said. Gus opened his mouth to say something, but Brian's stern look shut him up. "It was arranged that I would sign my rights over to Melanie when you were born. Linds and Melanie decided that before you were even born, and I agreed. Back then, I had no desire to be a father, but I loved Lindsay, and I would do anything she asked me to," he started. Gus opened his mouth again, but Brian held his hand up and continued.

"When you were born, I fell in love immediately. When I held you in my arms … I still have that picture up in my bedroom, I'll have to show you. I honestly didn't think that I would love you. That's why I agreed to sign over my rights. But when you were born, and I realized how much I did love you, I went back on that agreement. I didn't sign over the rights, I could never be just a guest appearance in your life," Brian said.

"Yeah, you were a fucking asshole about it!" Melanie yelled at him. Brian rolled his eyes, he was used to Melanie calling him names.

"So … you didn't give me up?" Gus asked. Brian shook his head.

"Gus, I don't think of it that way," he said. Gus rolled his eyes.

"Okay, then. You didn't sign over your rights?" he rephrased the question. Brian rolled his lips into his mouth.

"Lindsay and Melanie got into a huge fight. They weren't living together anymore, and Lindsay was about to marry some French asshole so that he could get his green card and stay in the country. I didn't want to see Lindsay ruin her life like that. So, in order to get them back together, I offered Melanie my rights, and said she could only get them if Lindsay and Melanie worked things out. And I said that Melanie would be the only one I signed them over to. Since that French asshole wanted them," Brian said. Gus looked at him, his arms crossed.

"So you did it. You gave her your rights to me," he said. Brian rolled his lips into his mouth again and nodded. Gus sighed, sitting down on the couch.

"I don't know who the fuck to believe," he said, his head in his hands. Brian turned to Melanie.

"How could you do that to me, Melanie? How could you fill his head with such negative thoughts of me? Telling him that I didn't want him, that I gave him up?" he asked. Melanie shrugged.

"It's all true, isn't it? You didn't want him. You did give him up," she said.

"I didn't want him when he was just an idea! When he was born, when he was here, you know that I loved him! I was over here at least every other day, if not every day to see him! I'd stop by after work, on my lunch break … do you have any idea how much ripping him out of my life hurt me?" Brian yelled. Gus watched his mom and dad yelling at each other from the couch. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. He stood up.

"You told me he never came to see me! You told me that he didn't care!" Gus accused Melanie. She looked from Gus' angry face, to Brian's, then back at Gus'.

"Gus … Brian was such a bad person! He was a bad influence, and I didn't want you exposed to that!" she defended herself. "He was bringing a different trick home every day! I could just see what would happen when he babysat you. You'd be sitting in your baby seat on the dining room table while he was having a five-person orgy in the other room!" she said.

"Daddy? What's going on? Who's that?" Alex came into the room, looking around, rubbing her sleepy eyes. Everyone moved their attention in her direction. Justin went over to her and knelt down to her level.

"Alex, sweetie, this is an adult conversation, okay? Why don't you go back upstairs to bed, or you can play in your playroom?" he suggested. Kat spoke up from the corner she retreated to.

"I'll go play with her," she said. Gus glanced at her, giving her a grateful and apologetic smile. She smiled at him, nodding to let him know it was okay.

"Who are you?" Alex asked her. Kat knelt down beside Justin.

"I'm a friend of your brother's. I'll go play with your toys with you," she offered. Alex smiled and held out her hand.

"Okay … do you like to play with Barbie's?" Alex asked. Kat nodded, walking into the other room with her.

"You're in luck, because I love playing with Barbie's," she smiled, turning around and smiling at Gus again before going into the playroom with Alex and closing the door. Gus turned back to his dads and mom.

"Who was that?" Melanie asked him. He snorted a laugh.

"Like it matters to you," he said. She put her hands on her hips.

"For Christ's sake, Gus, I'm your mother!" she yelled. Brian glanced at her.

"I suggest you keep your voice down, since we have managed to wake up my daughter, and she's now down here," he said. Melanie laughed.

"Oh, so now you're a father?" she asked. She looked at Gus, trying to play Devil's Advocate, since she knew she was quickly losing this argument. "Doesn't that make you angry? That he treats this girl so much better than he treated you?" she asked.

"You never gave him the chance to treat me like a son!" Gus accused, not falling for Melanie's bullshit. Justin moved to stand next to Brian, grabbing one of his hands. Brian squeezed it.

"I … I …" Melanie looked from Gus to Brian and Justin, then back to Gus. Finally, she looked down at her feet. She didn't know what to say.

"I want to stay here. I don't want to go back to Canada," Gus said. Melanie's head shot up to look at him.

"What? No way! You're coming back to Canada with me, and that's final," Melanie said. Gus laughed, shaking his head.

"I don't think so, mom. You don't get to tell me what to do anymore," he said, crossing his arms across his chest. Melanie looked at Brian and Justin, who were standing quietly, not saying anything.

"I'm your mother! And I say that you go upstairs, pack your shit, and get in the car, now!" she said, pointing at the stairs to accentuate her point. Gus raised a brow, his arms still crossed.

"No," he said. She stepped closer to him.

"Augustus Peterson-Marcus, you get your ass in that car right now," she ordered. Gus shook his head.

"I'm 18, mom. You can't tell me what to do anymore. I want to stay here with dad and Justin, and I want to go to Carnegie Mellon," he said. Melanie ground her teeth together.

"You didn't even apply to Carnegie Mellon!" she said.

"Yes I did. I applied to it without telling you, and I got almost a full scholarship," he informed her. She looked at him in disbelief.

"You went behind my back like that? Well, where do you expect to get the rest of the money for your tuition?" she asked.

"Dad kept a college fund for me from the time I was born. Oh, and I know about those checks you've been hiding from me," Gus reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet, showing her the debit card he had. Melanie looked defeated.

"Gus … please …" she whispered, her shoulders slumping. Gus put his wallet back into his pocket.

"Mom … you need to let me go. I'm incredibly angry with you right now, and I don't know when that will fade away. But I'm asking you to respect my wishes. And I want to live with dad and Justin," he said. Melanie glanced over at Justin and Brian and then back at Gus. Her face took on an angry look again. She held her hands up.

"Fine. You know what? Do whatever the fuck you want. I don't care anymore," she said, leaving the house and slamming the door behind her. Gus stood there for a second, then swallowed and looked at Brian.

"You okay, sonnyboy?" Brian asked, letting go of Justin's hand and going closer to Gus. Gus nodded.

"Yeah. She'll cool down in a few hours. I'm sure I'll get a phone call later tonight," he said.

"Do you think she'll take extreme measures to keep you?" Justin asked. Gus shook his head.

"No, I mean … I'm 18. I'm a legal adult now. And even if she could take legal measures, I don't think she will," he said. Brian hugged him.

"I do love you, Gus. I'm so sorry," he said, hugging Gus tightly. Gus hugged him back.

"It's okay, dad. I think we should just put this all behind us … move on with our lives," Gus said, pulling out of the hug. Brian smiled.

"When did you get so smart?" he asked. Gus shrugged.

"It must run in the family," he smirked, walking out of the room and towards the playroom. Brian looked at Justin and smiled. Justin hugged him.

"It doesn't matter what Melanie thinks, Bri. All that matters is what Gus thinks, and Gus chose to stay here," Justin said. Brian nodded.

"I was thinking," he started. Justin laughed, pulling out of the hug enough to look him in the face.

"Never a good sign," he teased. Brian rolled his eyes, but smiled.

"Shut up, brat. I was thinking," he continued, "that since Gus is getting older, he's not going to want to live here in our house … you know … if he brings people home," Brian said. Justin raised a brow.

"And …" Justin prompted Brian further.

"I was thinking maybe we could let him live in the loft," Brian suggested. Justin smiled.

"I thought you didn't feel right renting that loft out," Justin reminded him.

"I didn't feel right renting it out to complete strangers. My son is a different story. And I wouldn't be renting it out to him, I own that building. He could just live there," Brian said. Justin shrugged.

"It's up to you, Bri," he said. Brian smiled.

"We'll talk to him, see what he thinks," he said. Justin smiled.

"You're such a softy in your old age."

"Shut up," Brian said, trying to hide a smile. Justin just smiled and leaned up, placing a kiss on his lips.

"Yes, dear," he said. Brian laughed, pulling Justin closer and kissing him deeper.

-----

Gus knocked lightly on the playroom door and smiled when Alex opened it.

"Gussy! Did you come to play with my Barbie's too?" she asked. He smiled, kneeling down to her level and she wrapped her arms around his neck in a hug.

"I'd love to play Barbie's with you, munchkin, but I think we'll have to take a rein check and do that tomorrow. It's way past your bedtime," he said. She pouted, trying to hide a yawn.

"But, I'm not tired!" she said. "And I still wanna play Barbie's with Kat!" she added, letting go of his neck.

"I'll come back and play Barbie's with you another time, okay?" Kat said, standing up from where she was sitting on the floor. Alex looked at her.

"Promise?" she asked. Kat smiled and nodded.

"Promise," she assured Alex. Alex smiled.

"Okay," she said, holding her arms up to Gus, who picked her up. He turned off the light in the playroom and headed back to the living room, catching his dads in a kiss. He cleared his throat, and they pulled apart.

"Uh … I'm gonna take Alex up and put her in bed," he said, a small smile on his lips. He put Alex down and she went over, saying goodnight to her daddies. She hugged Brian first.

"Night, papa," she said, hugging him tightly around the neck. He smiled, kissing her cheek.

"Night, Alex, I love you," he said, she smiled, pulling out of the hug.

"Love you too, papa," she said, then moved to Justin. "Night, daddy," she said, hugging him too. Justin hugged her back.

"Night, baby. See you in the morning, love you," he said.

"Love you daddy," she said, then went back to Gus and Kat. Gus picked her up again and smiled at his dads.

"Okay … we'll be upstairs," he said. Justin and Brian nodded. Gus carried Alex upstairs, followed by Kat. He put Alex in her bed and she hugged him around the neck.

"Gussy? Was that mean lady gonna take you away?" she asked tiredly, holding her teddy bear. Gus shook his head.

"No, Alex. She wasn't a mean lady, and she wasn't gonna take me away," he assured her, leaning down and kissing her forehead.

"Okay. Night, Gussy. Night Kat," she said, closing her eyes. Gus smiled, standing up and leading Kat out of the room. He took her into the room next door that had become his room. He sat down on the bed and let out a deep breath.

"I'm really sorry you had to witness that," he said, looking up at her. She smiled, shaking her head and sitting down on the bed next to him.

"Don't worry about it … my family's had a few brawls too. It's normal," she said.

"I'm amazed you're still here. That you stuck it out through all that, and didn't go running out of the house," he said with a small laugh. She shrugged.

"I adore your sister. She's so cute," she said, changing the subject. He laughed.

"Yeah, she is pretty cute," he agreed.

"It must run in the family," she smiled.

"Actually … her genes have nothing to do with mine …" he said, and then trailed off, realizing that she just complimented him. He smiled. "Oh … right," he said. She laughed.

"I like you, Gus. Your crazy family won't scare me away," she assured him. He smiled at her.

"They're not always crazy," he offered. She rolled her eyes.

"Oh, just shut up already," she said, grabbing the back of his head and pulling him closer to her, kissing him. He smiled against her lips, kissing her back.

Oh yeah, Gus just might be in love.

End Chapter Ten
10-14-05