The Parent Trap

by Predec2

Loose adaption of the movie - Justin and Brian are living separate lives in different cities, raising one twin alone; what happens when their two daughters meet unexpectedly as pre-teens? **THIS STORY IS COMPLETE!**

26. The Talk

The two fathers have a chance to talk about their past; will they be able to resolve their differences and construct a future together, or will they finally part ways for good?

Same Time...

Brian quickly averted his eyes as his met Justin's for the second time; from this side he could clearly see the bruise he had inflicted on him, and it was quickly turning a nice, dark, purplish color, indicating that he had at the very least damaged some capillaries underneath the tender skin. He still felt like a total asshole for hitting Justin, even though he hadn't done it intentionally and he was aware that Justin knew that.

"Will you fucking stop it?" Justin suddenly demanded quietly as Brian started in embarrassment over being caught red-handed. "I already told you, Brian, I know it was an accident."

Brian sighed. "I know," he replied. "But it's starting to look pretty bad. And your ankle..."

Flustered and irritated now, Justin snatched his hand away from Brian's grip as he pulled up short on the dirt path leading from the house to the stables; his ex-partner mourned the loss of the familiar, warm touch as he huffed in irritation, "Brian, enough of the self-recriminations, okay? That's not why I asked you to go for a ride with me. We need to start leaving all that crap behind us."

"I know that, Justin!" Brian replied a little more curtly than he had intended. He turned to face Justin as he held up his arms in surrender and added, "Okay, fine. You said you wanted to talk; what do you want to talk about?" Of course, they both knew what they needed to talk about; it had been festering at both of them for years now, ever since it had happened so long ago, and he wasn't just talking about fucking the guy at Kinnetik. If they were going to lay all their cards out on the table, it was time to discuss the infamous weasel Ethan as well. The fact that Justin actually wanted them to go off by themselves to actually talk and had initiated it himself had to be a good sign,though - didn't it? He let out a deep breath to calm himself, afraid to read too much into it as he waited for Justin to answer.

Justin placed his hands on his hips as he responded, "Let's just get the horses saddled up and get started, okay? I've got a lot on my mind right now."

"That makes two of us," Brian grumbled under his breath, but he nodded. "Okay; whatever. But we ARE going to talk this time, Justin; agreed? We're going to hash this all out once and for all."

Justin stared at him for a few seconds before he, too, nodded. "Yeah," he said softly. "I agree that it's time." Just the thought of it made his pulse quicken; whether it was out of fear, excitement, anticipation, or a combination of all three, he wasn't sure.

Brian quirked one side of his mouth up in amusement. "Well, for once we agree on something; let's hope that's a good sign." Tentatively, he held his hand out, knowing he was risking rejection once again. "I think it's time to reintroduce you to the other males at Britin; the four-legged kind," he added, making sure there was no misunderstanding what he meant. He held his breath for just a second or two before Justin seemed to call another truce and nodded in agreement as he slowly placed his hand back in his. God, it felt so right, he couldn't help thinking as a sort of electric current rushed through his body on contact, just like it always did whenever they touched. He wondered if Justin felt the same way, but chose not to address it out loud as they resumed their walk toward the stables.

Unbeknownst to Brian, Justin was feeling much the same way. Every time they touched now, whether it was a handhold, a kiss, or a comforting grasp on the shoulder, it didn't matter; his body seemed to come instantly alive under Brian's touch. As they strode now among the winding, dirt path that took them back to the stables, Justin was once more reminded of Brian's thoughtfulness in creating the tranquil scene before them. He found that he had to slow down each time they came to one of the marble statues of the girls to admire them once more, a need that Brian seemed to understand and patiently allowed.

"These really are incredible, Brian," Justin murmured in awe as they stopped at the last one showing the two girls together, hand-in-hand; it was so realistic, almost as if they were there in person. It brought back a lot of memories of how close they had once been before they were all separated. He was so glad that they were slowly regaining their bond to each other, and that he and Brian's troubles hadn't pushed their girls apart permanently. "Who did you get to do these for you?"

Brian appeared a little uncomfortable as he explained, "I went to PIFA and talked to one of the professors there."

Justin's eyes widened in stunned realization. "Are you talking about Professor Wilkinson?"

Brian nodded. "I remembered you telling me how much you liked his sculptures back when you went to school there."

Justin's mouth hung open in amazement. "And you talked him into doing these for you?" The professor, well-known around the world in art circles for his exquisite depictions of real-life people and objects, had long ago retired from active art creation, deciding to concentrate instead on teaching at PIFA. Articles in various art magazines had long attested to his vehement refusal to undertake any new commissions, even though people had tried time and time again to get him to change his mind. "How in the world did you get him to do these for you? People would kill for one of his pieces. He hasn't sculpted anything in years."

Brian shrugged. "I'm the best adman in town, remember? I was introduced by a client friend of mine who knew him and I just told him how much the girls meant to me. I showed him some photos of them, and I could tell he was enthralled by the blue eyes and the blond hair." Just like I was with YOU, he couldn't help thinking as Justin stared over at him in incredulity. "Turns out he has twin girls himself, so I guess he has a soft spot for them. We discussed how many sculptures I wanted and what sort of poses, along with the terms, and a year later, here they were."

Dropping Brian's hand, Justin walked over to the statue mounted on a 36" base and lightly ran his fingers over the wavy ringlets of curls framing a young Kaylee's cherubic face. His daughters' joyous faces stared back at him, big as life, causing him to smile in wonder at their realism. "These must have cost a fortune, Brian," he whispered in realization as he continued to run his fingers down the marble figure reverently, knowing how much in demand Wilkinson's previous works had been; they consistently commanded six-figures. He reluctantly turned back around to face his ex-partner, almost sorry to have to turn his back on the wondrous work as Brian looked back at him a little self-consciously.

"I would have paid whatever he wanted me to pay," he admitted. "Those girls are priceless to me," he explained as Justin gazed back at him thoughtfully. The next words escaped his lips before he gave it any additional thought. "Just like you are." He held his breath, wondering if Justin would deride him for such a statement after what had happened so long ago, but to his relief his ex-lover merely nodded.

"I think I'm ready for our ride now," Justin replied softly as he slowly turned and began to walk toward the stables, Brian following closely behind.

---

It was only a few minutes later as they stood next to the horses that Justin realized his predicament; his ankle, which was slowly healing, was still a little weak. As Ceres chuffed softly in impatience, he hesitated as he warily eyed the stirrup, wondering why he had thought this would be a good idea in the first place.

"Let me help you up," Brian entreated softly from behind as Justin turned around to look at him with a thinly veiled expression that said I'm onto you.

"Yeah, right."

Brian huffed, silently admitting to himself that he wouldn't mind touching his favorite part of Justin's anatomy to assist him in mounting the horse. God, just the thought of the words ass and mounting in the same sentence made him groan inwardly in repressed desire as his beautiful ex-partner peered back at him suspiciously.

He sighed. "Justin, I just mean if we're going to take a ride, you're going to have to get on top of Ceres, and in order to do that, you're going to need help because of your ankle. Now will you stop overreacting and just let me help you up? Or this is going to be a very short ride - and a very short conversation."

Brian held his arms silently out in an "I don't mean any harm" sort of gesture until, finally, Justin nodded in agreement and walked over closer to the horse. Brian hesitated for just a moment, trying to decide how to handle the somewhat delicate situation, before he finally grabbed onto Justin's ass and helped give him a push up into the saddle.

Brian forced his imagination not to run away with itself as, mission accomplished, he quickly hoisted himself up into Eton's saddle and took the reins, peering over to see Justin placing his other, uninjured foot into the opposite stirrup. He took just a brief moment to consider how odd it seemed after all this time to see the two of them astride their horses again; it had been years since they had gone for a horseback ride together, but it still evoked all sorts of memories for him - good memories. He cleared his throat. "Okay?" he asked as Justin nodded. He nodded back at him as slowly he gave Eton a gentle poke in the sides and the horse began to slowly walk toward the open doorway of the stable; Justin followed silently right behind him, just like they had done so many times before.

---

The steady clop-clop-clop of the two horses on the dirt trail through the field awash with wildflowers was the only sound heard for several minutes as the two men simply enjoyed the warm, late spring day and the scenery; the clouds interspersed here and there only hid the sun occasionally as Justin rode alongside his ex-partner, the dirt trail wide enough to accommodate them both at this point. He really didn't have to ask where they were going; somehow he already knew that Brian was about to take him on a trip back to Memory Lane. He could tell by the direction they were taking that Brian was no doubt about to take him up to the waterfall were they and the girls had gone so many times before, where the girls would nap after wearing themselves out frolicking in the water and where THEY would wear themselves out by making love by the rushing water afterward, over and over again as the girls slept, oblivious to their activities several feet away.

He had to admit - he was both inordinately curious to see what it looked like now and anxious in a way, because he knew it would bring back a lot of memories of the four of them together. It seemed fitting in a way, though, if they were going to confront their past and hopefully resolve it that they begin at the beginning. Was he ready for it? Would they finally be able to clear away all the hurt and forge a new path together? Only time would tell, he decided.

"I go riding a lot with Katie," Brian told him unexpectedly, breaking the peaceful silence as Justin gazed over at him as he spoke. Brian turned his head to look back at him as the horses slowly meandered toward the base of the mountain that wound up into heavily-wooded terrain.

"It's always so peaceful here," Justin replied as he admired the sloping land composed of fields and woods; it was the time of year when all the wildflowers began to bloom in profusion, and everywhere the eye could see were undulating, colorful waves of purple and yellow like a flowing, landlocked sea. He sniffled just then as Brian eyed him with scrutiny, knowing that Justin enjoyed the artistic beauty of the landscape but not the side effects.

"You did bring your inhaler with you?" Brian asked him as he raised one eyebrow in question.

Justin eyed him sheepishly. "Yeah, but I don't have it on me right now; I forgot."

Brian huffed in exasperation. "Justin..."

"It'll be okay," he told him firmly. "As soon as we get up into the mountains, it'll die down." He gave Brian a look then that distinctly said don't pursue it and treat me like a fucking baby as Brian wisely chose to obey, simply nodding in acceptance.

---

Just as Justin thought, Brian chose to take the well-worn dirt path that he remembered took them up toward the waterfall the two of them had discovered so long ago; to his surprise, however, when they came to the familiar fork in the path that he recalled, Brian steered Eton toward the left, AWAY from it. "Where are you going?" he asked him, frowning. "You're not going up to the waterfall?" He was flustered somewhat by the disappointed tone in his voice, thinking that might be giving just a bit too much away, as Brian shook his head.

"Not this time," he told him mysteriously. "There's some other place I'd like to show you."

Justin eyed him curiously; he opened his mouth to speak only to have Brian add, "Just trust me, okay? You'll love it."

Justin sighed but finally nodded in acceptance as he and Ceres followed along behind, the path now too narrow for side-to-side traversing.

Finally, after approximately twenty minutes, he could see the thick canopy of trees beginning to thin out as they arrived at a break in the tree line; with Brian in the lead it took him a few seconds to get his bearings and figure out where they were. When he did, his mouth hung open in awe and he gasped at the sight. They were perched at the very top of the mountain in a cleared out area; to the left was a compact, cedar cabin with a stone chimney jutting out of the side and a small corral attached on the other end. A double ring of creek bed stones with approximately a 10' diameter was placed in a circle approximately 50 feet away, the bed of ashes inside attesting to fires having been built previously. The most amazing part of all, however, was the view. There had been just enough trees felled at some point to provide a 360-degree, panoramic view of the surrounding countryside; other mountains, gently sloping hills with what appeared to be cattle and sheep grazing, a meandering, curving river; even Britin itself could be seen, which from here looked much smaller than it actually was. The entire sight was like a painting come to life, and Justin found his hands itching at the thought of capturing it on canvas or in a sketchbook.

As if reading his mind, Brian reached down and unhooked one of the two leather saddle bags from Eton's side and retrieved a sketchbook with a graphite pencil lodged in its metal spine. Holding it out to him, he told him softly, "I thought you might want this up here."

"But how did you know we would even be coming up here?"

Brian shrugged. "I was hoping, I guess. I put it in there a few days ago; it actually belongs to Katie. I think she would be honored if she could share it with you."

Justin swallowed the lump in his throat over Brian's thoughtfulness as he nodded and reached over to take it, his hand brushing against Brian's and causing that old, familiar jolt to erupt once more. "Thanks," he murmured sincerely as Brian nodded.

He held onto it as if it were a precious jewel while his ex-partner deftly dismounted from Eton and walked over to his side to hold his hands up toward him in silent invitation. Justin huffed at the insinuation. "I'm not a child, Brian."

Brian's eyes flashed and a vein popped out on his neck in aggravation. "Damn it, Justin, you are the most stubborn man I've ever met! You want to try and dismount with that gimpy ankle, go right ahead! Shit." He shook his head angrily as he turned to leave.

"Wait!" Justin called out a few seconds later as Brian stopped and slowly turned around, lifting one eyebrow expectantly. He flushed in embarrassment as he admitted, "Maybe I could use some help after all."

Brian rolled his eyes but nonetheless walked back to his ex-partner and took the sketchbook out of Justin's hand to place it on the ground. As he held his hands up, Justin twisted around in the saddle so he was facing Brian now as he removed his injured foot from the stirrup and began to slide downward as Brian caught him in his arms under the armpits and slowly lowered him to the ground, taking great care to help avoid Justin putting a lot of weight on the affected ankle. His hands slid down to rest at either side of Justin's waist, then, even though at that point it was totally unnecessary. He found, though, that he just couldn't let him go of him yet.

Justin's heart pounded as he gingerly applied weight to his injured ankle, relieved that it seemed to be doing much better now. His heart wasn't reacting to that fact, however; it was Brian's body pressed up against his that was causing all sorts of emotions to course through him. His ex-partner's large hands were clasped supportively around the waist, even though there was no need; somehow his own hands would up resting, palms down, on Brian's chest as he lifted his gaze nervously to meet his. Their lips were so close; just a few more inches and he would once more feel that mouth on his, those lips sliding across his as Brian's tongue demanded entrance inside. His heart ached to taste him again, but his head still held him back. Knowing that was typically the way they resolved issues and that this time, for once, they needed to engage in an actual conversation first, he reluctantly pulled away from Brian's embrace. "Thanks," he mumbled awkwardly as he reached down to pick up the sketchbook and pencil.

Brian sighed softly in frustration as he nodded, unable to resist admiring Justin's ass as he bent down to retrieve Katie's book.

As he rose back up, Justin tried to break the tension by averting his gaze and studying more of the scenery. He noticed a wooden picnic table sitting near the stone fire pit as he turned to Brian to ask, "When did you DO all this?"

Brian gazed at his handiwork and couldn't help smiling wistfully in memory. "About five years ago. Katie learned to ride just before she turned six, and she loved to ride with me up to that waterfall we always visited. One day we decided to follow an old deer track and it led up here. We both fell in love with the view, and I decided to build that cabin over there so we could take some overnight trips together and have someplace to stay for the night if we didn't want to head back right away." He paused as he looked over at the makeshift stone campfire pit and the picnic table as he grimaced. "We've had more wiener and marshmallow roasts over there than I can count. And Smores for dessert, too." He shuddered. "I don't even want to think about all the carbs I've ingested here."

"You wouldn't be caught dead eating that shit," Justin pointed out.

"Yeah, well, that was before Katie," Brian told him simply to his surprise. "I would do anything for her, Justin; for both of them." And for YOU, he couldn't help thinking as he gazed over at him thoughtfully. "I've changed a lot since you left."

Justin swallowed hard; God, when he did stop being able to predict every move that Brian would make? Before, he could guess what he would do before he did it; now, it was almost as if a new man were standing in front of him. What more did he not know about him? "Sounds like you've had a lot of fun up here together," he told him softly.

Brian nodded as he hugged his arms to his sides and admired the vibrant, spring colors and inhaled the wondrous pine smells that invaded their surroundings. "It's been great," he told him, and he meant that. His daughter was a joy to be around. He chuckled a bit as he told him, "I didn't even know the right end of a hammer until I had a need to. She and I built that cabin ourselves," he told him to Justin's shock, a touch of pride in his voice.

Justin shook his head in awe; Brian was right. This was NOT the man he had left before. "You never fail to surprise me, Brian," he admitted. He cleared his throat, prepared to tell him that he was ready to talk now, but before he could say anything, though, Brian beat him to it.

"So where do you want to go and talk?" he asked, trying hard to keep his voice calm and level; inside, though, his heart was beating rapidly in anxiety and anticipation. "Over there?" he asked, indicating the picnic table sitting along the edge of the mountain. He knew better than to suggest they actually go inside the cabin and talk; something told him if they did that they would do a lot more than just 'talking,' at least if HE had anything to do about it. Just holding Justin in his arms earlier had been bad enough. And besides, Justin would read the same thing into that request, so he wisely chose a different location.

Justin nodded. "Okay." Slowly he began to walk toward the table as Brian took hold of both horses' reins and led them over to the corral to loosely tie them to a hitching post before walking back over to sit beside Justin on the same side of the table.

They both remained there for a few moments in silence before Brian reached over to gingerly caress the ever-darkening bruise on Justin's cheek with the back of his hand. He watched as the golden eyelashes closed briefly before he murmured regretfully, "Shit, Justin...why am I always hurting you, even when I don't mean to?" He dropped his hand down onto the table in frustration and bit his lower lip, finding it almost too painful to look at what he had done. He shook his head when Justin moved to open his mouth to speak as he revealed, "I had a long talk with Michael yesterday. And he helped me to understand a lot of things."

His hands clasped together on top of the cedar table, Justin peered over at him curiously. "What sort of things?"

Brian met his gaze as he replied softly, "About my motivations regarding that day; about why I did what I did that...Hurt you so badly."

Justin held his breath; this was what he had been waiting for all this time. "And what did you find out?"

Brian gazed into his eyes; he was done hiding. "The day before it happened? You and Ben were out of town; Michael reminded me that you had some art show in Philadelphia that weekend - at least he thought that was where it was." Justin nodded in confirmation, recalling that one-man show back then that had been so exciting; it had been his first solo show out of town, and it had gone quite well. That is, until he had come back home.

"Well, I picked Michael up at the comic book store and we walked down to Woody's for some drinks so we could do some catching up; if you remember, we didn't get much of a chance to see each other too much back then." That had been his choice, however; at the time, he honestly preferred to spend what little, non-working, quality time he had with his partner and his children whom he had adored - and still did. By then Michael had had his own life to live and so did he. He brushed his hand restlessly through his hair as he added, "We were sitting at one of the tables just having some drinks...And that's when it happened."

Justin frowned, not wanting to jump to conclusions and believe what he was afraid Brian might say, but he had to ask it anyway. "What happened, Brian? You're not going to tell me that you fucked some other guy that night, too, are you?"

Brian's mouth hung open in disbelief as he stared over at him. "Fuck, Justin! No! That is NOT what I'm trying to say here, okay? Will you stop putting words in my mouth? Do you honestly think I was doing that on a regular basis when you weren't home? Because if you do, maybe we should just end this conversation right now!" He huffed out an angry, hurt breath as he twisted his torso so he was looking away from his ex-lover when he felt Justin's hand on his right shoulder.

"No, Brian," Justin replied apologetically from beside him. "I don't think that. I know you weren't fucking around on me. I think that's why it hurt so much when you did that day. So help me to understand why...Please."

Brian turned around and stared into the wide, blue eyes as he finally nodded in acceptance, his anger slowly ebbing away as Justin removed his hand from his shoulder to impetuously reach over and grasp his hand in his. Despite their problems, it still felt so right, so perfect resting there.

Brian held onto it like a lifeline, finding that it gave him a little more courage to continue as he told him, "What happened is that two guys were sitting nearby, and saw me take out a photo of you and the girls to show Michael; you know, that wallet-sized photo of that portrait you had had taken as a Christmas present for me a few months earlier?"

Justin nodded, knowing exactly what he was referring to; Brian's look of unbridled pride and delight when he had presented it to him had made his heart so full of love for him that day. Not to mention that he had been well-rewarded later that night after the girls had headed off to bed by being lavished with a marathon round of lovemaking that had lasted until dawn. Just as if on cue, it had snowed furiously earlier in the day on that Christmas Eve, blanketing Britin in a pristine blanket of fluffy, white snow. He remembered sitting on the window seat by their huge picture window in their master bedroom, looking with fascination at all the millions and millions of diamond-like sparkles on the ground where the full moon was shining down on the newly-fallen snow. It had been so beautiful. And then Brian had emerged from the adjoining bathroom, still wet from his shower with just a white, thick, terry cloth towel wrapped low across his hips as he walked over and promptly, wordlessly scooped him up into his arms and literally carried him the few feet over to their bed to place him almost reverently down upon the mattress where he had proceeded to thank him properly for such a thoughtful gift. It had been one of his most treasured memories, and it had been such a magical night.

"I remember it well," he told him softly as Brian reached into his pants pocket and withdrew his wallet, opening it to slip out the same, well-worn and well-loved photograph. Justin looked at him in shock as he confessed, "I haven't taken this out of my wallet since you gave it to me. And that portrait still hangs over our fireplace in the bedroom."

Justin chose to remain silent as he digested that interesting revelation; in a way it surprised him, but in another way it didn't. Brian had already told him that he still loved him, and he knew how much he loved the girls. Brian had always treasured that portrait, too. But a glimmer of hope began emerging along with it; if Brian still had that portrait hanging over their bed, he doubted seriously if his ex-lover would bring tricks home to fuck them while they were staring at it. What exactly did that mean, however? "Go on," he pressed softly, wanting, no, needing to hear it all now.

Brian nodded, his jaw set in angry recollection. "Well, Michael helped me to remember that there were two guys sitting nearby that watched me take it out and show it to him. I must have had this...this look on my face. Hell, I don't know how I looked! But then Deb called me on speakerphone to remind me to stop and buy some milk for Katie, and the next thing I knew I overheard them snickering and saying how much they never thought they would see the day when the great Brian Kinney had been," he took a deep breath before finishing..."had been neutered by a blond boy toy. And how I had turned into some prissy little housewife who had traded in my briefcase for a fucking diaper bag. It just went on and on and on, Justin."

He looked down at his and Justin's clasped hands as he admitted, "I tried not to let it get to me. I knew it wasn't true. But it still made me so fucking angry." He shook his head as he stared straight ahead and recalled what had happened next. "They wouldn't shut the hell up! And when they made some other comment about how hot I would look in a frilly, lacy, white apron, it was too much. I stood up and coldcocked the fucker where he sat and kicked the other asshole right in his balls to give him a little taste of his own medicine."

He turned his head then to peer over into Justin's as he admitted something he had never admitted before. "And I was scared."

Justin frowned; that was not what he had expected from this normally confident man. "Scared? Of what?"

Brian sighed. "Justin, you know what," he gently chided him. "You've always known me better than anyone else has. Scared of what it represented. Scared of being thought of as weak, as emasculated. Scared of fucking growing old. Scared of no longer being looked upon as the one in charge and the one who controls everything." He idly played with Justin's hand, drawing comfort from it as he added, "I was so angry when I heard that, and so humiliated. And that Monday, when that big-shot client showed up with his weak little faggot son in tow, it was so easy to go back to my old tricks to prove that I was going to prevail like I always did." One side of his mouth quirked up wryly as he added, "Well...You know what I mean." He sobered as he explained, "The presentation wasn't going well. The art department hadn't implemented any of the suggestions I had given them, and they had fucked up the font size AND the style by mixing it up with another campaign. The guy absolutely hated it, and I could tell we were about to lose the account." He let out a shaky breath. "So...I did what I normally would do in that situation - with disastrous results."

He bit his lip as he stared into Justin's eyes, wondering exactly what he saw there. Understanding? Forgiveness? Contempt? At that moment, it was hard to tell. But he took solace in the fact that his ex-lover's hand was still being held in his and he hadn't snatched it away. "It was a stupid, selfish move on my part, Justin. And I've regretted it every day since it happened." He thought he saw just the beginning of tears in Justin's eyes as he whispered, "I know what us doing it bareback meant to you, and I know what it meant to me, despite what I did. And our girls mean the world to me; YOU mean the world to me. If I could have taken back what I did, I would have." He sighed. "But I can't, Justin. And now ten years have passed - ten fucking years! I don't know where the time has gone. But we've been given another chance, and we can all start fresh now." He paused. "At least if that's what you want. But I have to know. I can't keep doing this. Either you have to forgive me, or we have to decide to go our separate ways, because this whole situation is fucking killing me."

A sudden clap of thunder unexpectedly boomed, making both of the men jump and breaking the tension just a bit. Justin actually laughed then as he said dryly, "You think someone else is trying to speak?" Brian couldn't help grinning back at him slightly over the irony as he noticed the angry-looking clouds quickly scurrying across the sky, signaling an impending storm.

"Shit," he muttered in frustration, wanting desperately to continue their conversation. What else could go wrong? Another boom sounded, closer this time, as the raindrops began to fall slowly then more steadily, causing both of them to hurriedly rise from the table's wooden bench seat. "Come on!" he urged Justin as the rain began to pelt them now with heavy, fat drops. He began to run with Justin closely behind him toward the small cabin, struggling to locate the key to the door in his jacket pocket. There was no overhang at the front of the small structure, so they quickly became drenched as Brian tried to fish the key out. Finally, he jammed the key into the lock and turned the knob to push it inward as both men scurried inside to get out of the rain.

Both of them now soaking wet, they took a moment to shake the water from their clothes. Brian couldn't help secretly ogling Justin's appearance; he looked just like the proverbial, drowned rug rat, but fuck, the look definitely wore well on him. Justin's hair was plastered to his face, and there were tiny droplets kissing his eyelashes, as more drops slowly trickled down his neck; Brian longed to walk the few feet over to him and lick every one of them off, knowing exactly, even after all this time, what the skin underneath would taste like. And Justin's long-sleeved tee shirt was molded to him, revealing every delicious curve of his chest and two, erect nipples poking out from underneath. He was wearing jeans that were made of heavy denim, but even so, it didn't take too much imagination to fill in the parts that he couldn't see very well through the outline of the fabric. He had to bite back a groan of unrepressed desire as he watched Justin look around the room curiously as he hugged his hands around his chest to try and keep from shivering after the unexpected shower.

Justin, on the other hand, was curious about the inside of the cabin, but he was also using it as an excuse not to look at Brian; he had taken one quick look at the wet hair sticking to his ex-partner's head when they had first come in, and it merely served to make him recall that first night they had met and he had been indoctrinated into the wondrous world of gay, man-on-man sex. That day was the day that changed his life and the day he had fallen in love with Brian, and he had never been the same again.

He glanced around the room now, his artistic eye immediately liking the simplicity that he saw. Over in one corner was a table and chairs for two, apparently made out of the same cedar wood as the picnic table. The table was located directly underneath one of three large windows and faced the south side of the mountain where one could look out and admire the amazing view as they ate. In one corner was a futon with a rustic, braided, moose print with a rough-hewn, pine coffee table in front. On the opposite wall, nestled into a corner angle, was a twin-sized bed with the same print as the futon. There was a stainless steel sink set up next to the kitchen table, built into a pine vanity and some cabinets overhead the sink, but other than that, it was decidedly Spartan. The most dramatic part of the room was the huge stone fireplace and mantle opposite the table and chairs; it took up practically one entire wall of the cabin.

"You like it?" Brian asked softly from the other side of the room as Justin finally risked peering over at him; God, what a mistake! He was even sexier all wet and bedraggled looking than he had imagined he would be. And by the intense look he was receiving, he had a feeling he was having the same effect on Brian as well. He flushed in reaction, trying hard to still his beating heart as he nodded. "It's simpler than I would have thought you might have made it, but it fits." Brian nodded in satisfaction, pleased that Justin liked it. He walked over to the massive, stone fireplace as he said, "I really like this," he told him as he lightly swept the pads of his fingers over the partly rough/partly smooth, gray rocks. "You didn't build this by yourself, did you?"

Brian grinned. "No, I haven't changed THAT much. Katie and I built the outside; I had a construction crew build the inside. I might be more familiar with a hammer now, but when it comes to the most complicated shit, I still bow to the experts." He noticed then that Justin shuddered, realizing he must be chilled from the sudden, late spring rainstorm; he always DID seem to be more susceptible to such things. Walking over to the left side of the fireplace, he pulled out three logs from the built-in wood holding bin and pushed the mesh chain of the fireplace aside to place them inside along with a small, wood starter block. "It's not really the time of year I normally build one of these," he explained as he plucked a long, wooden match out of a cylindrical container on the hearth and ignited it against the flint on the bottom. "But this'll warm us up after being caught in that rain." A couple minutes later, the small wood starter log caught fire and it wasn't long before the crackling of wood could be heard as the fire heated up the room.

His breath caught in his throat as he turned around and drunk in the amazing site of his ex-lover's form again, his eyes slowly raking over every delectable inch as he added, "I keep telling Katie that we need some artwork over the fireplace; one of these days I'll bring one of her framed sketches up here and hang it up. Or maybe one of yours AND hers." He stared pointedly at Justin, who had remained silent all this time before he asked one of the questions he had to have the answer to. "That is, if you're planning on sticking around here long enough to do that." He peered into Justin's eyes as his lips curled inwardly, suddenly feeling insecure and unsure of what was going to happen. He couldn't tell by the look on his ex-partner's face what he was thinking, and it unnerved him. He took a deep breath before he plunged back in. "Justin? ARE you going to stick around after the custody agreement is revised?" He didn't have to spell out what he was trying to say; both of them knew what he meant.

Justin shivered; partly from the dampness now permeating every pore of his body from the unexpected rainstorm, but partly from the hopeful tone of Brian's voice. A bright flash of lightning lit up the room just then, followed quickly by a loud boom of thunder as he slowly walked toward Brian, their eyes locking onto each other's as the fire continued to blaze anew; both fires.

It was when he was inches away from Brian when he finally spoke. Raising his hand to lay it lightly across Brian's cheek, he began, "I have quite a few things I'll have to wrap up in Chicago first..."

Brian's heart leapt at that statement. Did that mean...? He had to be sure. He turned his neck so he could feel Justin's hand more firmly on his face as his ex-partner slowly began to stroke it with his long fingers. "Are you saying that you'll move back here for good? That...?"

Justin slowly nodded. "I'm saying that yes, I'll put my condo on the market and Kaylee and I will move back here so we can be closer to you and Katie."

Brian reached up to cup Justin's hand against his face before linking their fingers together and placing their twined hands against his chest. "Justin, is that ALL it means? I have to know. Say it."

Justin gazed into the eyes that were boring into his; the intensity of Brian's stare was both unnerving as well as unexpectedly open. He hoped that his own eyes reflected the same depth of emotion as he finally said the words that Brian had been waiting forever to hear. "No, that's not all it means. It means that I've been a stupid, stubborn ass for far too long; Gus was quick to point that out to me," he told him dryly before his voice sobered. "It's time to finally try and put things right again between us. I won't move Kaylee and me back into Britin, though, at least not yet," he clarified to Brian's slight disappointment, "but maybe we'll find a small house or condo somewhere nearby to rent for a while until you and I can figure out where to go from here and the girls can continue to bond with each other. Maybe Gus would agree to stick around for a while longer, if he can, too, so Kaylee can get to know him better. I think after our talk earlier, we've reached an understanding..."

"Justin..." I have to hear you say it. "Do you...?"

Justin reached up with his free hand to place his fingers across Brian's mouth to silence him. "Yes, Brian," he whispered in response. "Yes...I forgive you; I already have. And I hope that YOU will forgive ME for breaking my promises to you, too, and for hurting you...with him." He couldn't bring himself to say Ethan's name; neither of them wanted to spoil this moment by bringing up that era again. Besides, right now, that was the last thing on either of their minds. They both wanted to move on; no matter how much they might have wanted to stop time and rewind the past decade, they both knew they couldn't do that.

The rain began to pelt against the large windows now as Brian reached up and gently brushed the wet hair away from Justin's bangs before he took his other hand in his; a large, monstrous weight felt like it had just been lifted from his heart as he brought Justin's hand up to his mouth to kiss the curled fingers before he whispered, "You know I do. I did that a long time ago, too."

Justin nodded as he swallowed the lump in his throat and admitted what the girls already had told him. "I never stopped loving you all this time."

Brian gazed down at him wistfully. "Neither did I. Not once." He sucked in a shaky breath. "I tried; God, I tried so hard to forget you, to stop loving you, to try and ease all the fucking pain. But every time I saw Katie, I saw YOU there. And everywhere I looked inside the house, it just reminded me of you." He laid their clasped hands against his chest, his heart beating wildly beneath them as he told him, "I could never let Katie go up to your studio, not without you there. I couldn't stand to be in there anymore, either. I always hoped that one day, though...One day you would be back up there painting, but I didn't know..."

"I will," Justin assured him. "I want nothing more than to paint again at Britin - and share that passion with our daughter." He shook his head in regret. "Brian, we've wasted so much fucking time because of my..."

"Shh," Brian stopped him. "I don't want to live in the past anymore, Justin; I want to plan for our future instead." He eyed Justin questioningly for a moment, seeking silent permission, before he couldn't wait any longer. He leaned down and gently nuzzled the side of Justin's neck with his lips. Becoming emboldened further when he heard a slight sigh of appreciation from his ex-lover, his tongue slid out from between his slightly-parted lips as it took a slow path down the side of the tender flesh, lapping up the slightly salty raindrops as it went. "Fuck, Justin, do you know how long I've waited for this? How many wet dreams I've had about this?" he murmured against him as he tasted the unique nectar that was only his ex-partner's; Justin's response was a throaty groan as he arched his neck in the opposite direction to give him better access to the sweet target, his hands breaking off with Brian's to grasp him by the shoulders. It was almost like a feeling akin to drowning, but he fervently hoped that he would be pulled even further under if it felt as wonderful as this.

He continued to be inexorably lost in a haze of desire and lust, born of their history together. As Brian continued to nibble, kiss and lick the flesh of his neck, all the feelings he had been trying so hard to tamp down for so long came rising instantly to the surface. He held onto Brian's shoulders for a few moments longer to try and steady himself as he clutched at the fabric of Brian's drenched shirt. "Brian..." he finally managed to whisper out; that apparently inflamed his ex-lover's passion even more, however, as suddenly his face was grasped firmly on either side by a pair of warm hands and Brian's lips came crashing down upon his without any warning.

The kiss was feral, demanding, and possessive as he felt Brian's tongue pushing to enter between his lips; a moan erupted as he opened them and the kiss instantly deepened when Brian invaded his mouth. He seemed to swipe at every crevice as he angled his head firmly in his hands and continued to plaster his lips against his as their tongues became reacquainted. He could feel Brian's hands moving downward - shifting from his cheeks to his neck and then to the 'V' of his shirt when, suddenly, he heard a ripping motion and felt coolness on his now-exposed chest. That was enough for him to break off the kiss and peer into his ex-partner's darkened eyes and flushed face in stunned realization. "Brian..." he breathed out again in a pant, his chest rising rapidly in spiraling desire. Even through the denim fabric, he could feel their twin arousals between them as he wantonly rubbed his lower body against Brian's.

Brian growled at the action; his body aflame. "Take it off, Justin," he demanded huskily as he separated the two, tattered halves of his shirt and tugged at it in a clear signal for his ex-lover to remove it. Actually, he didn't really care at the moment; as long as he could feel and taste that smooth, pale skin that he had been craving now for so long, he didn't care if the remnants of the shirt were still being worn. To his satisfaction, however, Justin dropped his hands down by his sides and let the shirt fall to the floor in a wet, mangled heap as Brian tugged at his belt and used his leverage to pull him toward the small, twin-sized bed in the far corner.

The storm that continued to rage outside was nothing compared to what Justin was feeling; it had been so long since he and Brian had made love that it almost felt like some sort of a dream, but as he felt Brian pulling him toward the bed and his ex-lover's fingers working his belt buckle to unclasp it, he knew it was most definitely real. Encouraged by Brian's actions, his hands shakily reached over to begin unbuttoning Brian's shirt; he was apparently not doing it fast enough, however, for Brian's liking as a few seconds later he heard a sort of impatient huff escape his ex-partner's lips and he released him long enough to smack his hands away to grasp his own shirt and rip it open like Superman emerging from a telephone booth; buttons flew everywhere, causing Justin to giggle briefly before Brian hooked his finger through one of the belt loops and resumed pulling him toward the bed.

There was no question what was about to happen, what they both had wanted to happen since that time they had first laid eyes on each other in Chicago, and both hearts were pounding together in anticipation. Brian reached the bed and stopped just long enough to give him a brief but passionate kiss on the lips before his hands deftly unbuttoned Justin's fly and unzipped the jeans to yank them and his briefs down in one, rough, urgent swoop. His cock, heavy, full, throbbing, and leaking pre-come, sprung from its confinement as Brian's eyes dilated even more with desire at the sight. Justin couldn't take his eyes off Brian as his ex-lover slowly knelt down in front of him to begin pulling the offending garments down the rest of his legs, going excruciatingly slow as Brian savored each amazing inch being exposed to his admiration.

Brian yearned to skim his hands down Justin's thighs and his lower legs as he worked at removing the wet clothing, but he held off, knowing the best was yet to come - and come - and come... Justin managed to toe off his squeaky shoes to help just as Brian pulled the rest of his clothing away, including his socks, and threw them a few feet away, uncaring of how or where they landed.

It was almost as if they had been predestined to be together forever, Brian thought, as he rose to his feet and openly ogled now the slightly shivering body displayed before him; the flickering of the flames nearby seemed to dance upon Justin's pale skin, mesmerizing him all over again. It was all he could do not to reach out and curl his fingers possessively around Justin's majestic cock, reluctantly choosing, instead, to hurriedly open the fly of his own jeans; he had to struggle to shimmy out of them and his briefs because of how stiff they had become from the rain, but finally, after removing his own shoes, he was able to shove them down his wet legs and step out of them. The final item, his soppy socks, soon joined the rest of the clothing heap as finally they stood face to face with no more barriers between them.

Brian's eyes slowly traveled down Justin's toned body; he was even more beautiful than he had remembered, he decided. "Fuck, Justin, I want you so badly," he growled as he reached over and grabbed his ex-lover by the upper arms and ground his lips against his.

Justin moaned into the kiss as his own arms wound around Brian's bare skin, down his firm chest and then around to his back to pull him closer, feeling the smooth flesh and corded muscles under his touch. So many memories came flooding back as they became reacquainted with each other's bodies, and at that moment he realized nothing he had ever experienced with Alex would ever come anywhere close to this intensity, this rush, this deep bond he felt with Brian.

"Brian." Justin spoke his name again breathlessly like it was almost a prayer as they finally broke for air; he felt thoroughly kissed and possessed, his lips tingling from the passion of Brian's ferocious onslaught as his ex-partner impatiently pushed him down onto the bed; he landed in a sitting up position, giving him a perfect opportunity to carry out what he had been itching to do ever since Brian had shed his clothing. He stared up into the darkened eyes of his lover reborn for just a moment, remembering another time in a hotel room so long ago. Their eyes locked on each other before he lowered his gaze to concentrate on his target; placing his left hand around Brian's waist for leverage, he cupped his fingers around the hard, pulsating flesh.

He thought he heard Brian suck in a breath as he took a tentative swipe of the pre-come with the tip of his tongue like a cat lapping up milk before his fingers tightened around the shaft further and he suctioned his lips firmly around the base. He could feel Brian's body stiffening in response and his hand almost painfully twisting in the crown of his head as his lips began to bob up and down on the hot silkiness.

"Ah... Justin," Brian breathed out in ecstasy; this man always could make his body react in ways that no one else could. The sensations were even better than he had remembered. "So good; so fucking good," he murmured as Justin continued to work his cock like a consummate master. He knew he wouldn't last long - and normally he would have been embarrassed as hell over that fact - but right now he didn't give a fuck; it just felt too damned incredible.

All it took was for Justin to remove his hand from his cock and cup his balls lightly in his palm before he let out a loud, vocal cry and felt his body grow rigid before he exploded in climax, his seed gushing into Justin's talented mouth. He placed both hands on top of his lover's head to steady himself while he rode the waves of his orgasm, Justin continuing to swallow and lick him clean from tip to base before he finally removed his lips with a soft plopping sound.

Placing his hands on Brian's waist, he slowly slid up from his sitting position to stand face-to-face with a thoroughly debauched Brian Kinney; his hair tousled, his face sweaty from exertion, and his chest still heaving in and out in the after throes of his passion.

"Fuck, that was...That was..." Brian couldn't even get the words out. Sex with Justin had always been extremely satisfying and exciting; Justin always could take him to heights of passion that no one else could. But this time - this time it was almost too much for words. His eyes darkened with lust, he reached around to squeeze Justin's ass possessively before he plundered his mouth once more, unable to get enough of the taste. It was exhilarating, it was dizzying; it was fucking intoxicating. He spent several seconds thoroughly investigating every centimeter of Justin's mouth before he broke off the kiss to nuzzle the side of Justin's neck, his hands all the time roaming, roaming everywhere he could reach. He could feel his arousal building once more and Justin's hard cock wedged between them, reminding him that he had a favor to return. But he was selfish, he had to be inside when he climaxed; he wanted more...So much more.

"God, I need to fuck you," he growled in Justin's ear as he reached down between them to grasp his lover's cock and stroke it as Justin moaned at the sensation, himself lost in a swirl of mindless ecstasy. "I need to be inside you."

He could feel Justin nodding in agreement against his lips as he continued to slide his mouth down the slickened, sweaty skin, licking and nipping to mark this man as his again. How could he have ever risked losing this?

"Yes..." Justin was lost in a haze of desire as Brian reacquainted himself with his body, his left hand skimming all over his back and buttocks as he continued to kiss, lick, and nibble his neck and collar bone and pump his cock rigorously. His body was quickly rising to heights of indescribable pleasure, and he knew he was about to reach the point of no return as he finally gasped out, "Brian...You, you have to stop, before...Before..."

Justin felt Brian's fingers still on his cock a few seconds later with a half-sigh, half-moan of acknowledgement as he raised his head to look into his lover's eyes. Brian nodded as he placed both of his hands on Justin's shoulders and gently pushed him down to lie on the bed. His ex-partner spread his legs to accommodate him as he couldn't resist kissing those plundered lips once more for several seconds, their cocks lying heavy and full between them and dripping profuse amounts of pre-come as he lay on top of him. Rising up just enough on his elbows to stare into Justin's eyes, he admitted, "I...I've waited so fucking long for this," as he savored the image of the ravaged beauty of a man staring back at him. The thoroughly kissed look was so hot on Justin, and when he was staring back at him with such lust and desire in his eyes like he was now, it turned him on even more than he could describe.

Justin's chest was heaving in barely-controlled anticipation as he whispered, "condom?"

It was like ice had been thrown on Brian as he realized a terrible reality. "Shit."

Justin frowned as he caressed Brian's chest and wantonly tweaked his nipples for good measure, making Brian gasp at the sensation. He shook his head; how could he have been so stupid? It took all he had in him to admit, "I don't have one." Part of him was vastly disappointed that Justin would require one, and part of him was enormously ashamed that they needed one in the first place. If he had been able to control himself so long ago, it would be irrelevant now and he would already be deeply imbedded in the wondrously tight ass that he was yearning to experience again.

Justin couldn't believe what he was hearing. "You have to have one! Your pants pocket?" He craned his neck. "One of the cabinets here?"

Brian groaned in frustration. "No, nowhere!" he verified. "Fuck." God, he couldn't believe this! To have come so far - to get to this point - only to be stopped because of a piece of fucking latex. That had to be the height of irony, poetic justice, or both.

Justin stared up at him in utter astonishment. "You're telling me that you don't have one condom in your pants pocket, or anywhere else?"

Brian bristled slightly at the skeptical look on his ex-partner's face. "Yes, Justin, that's exactly what I'm telling you! You may find this hard to believe, but I don't grow them on trees out back and I don't keep them in candy dishes at Britin, either." He sighed in utter defeat as he twisted his body to roll off the smaller one and lay there on his side in disgust, his body still craving the release that only Justin could provide for him.

Feeling a pronounced loss now that Brian wasn't touching him or kissing him anymore, Justin turned on his side as well to face him, immediately discerning by the disappointed look on his lover's face that he was, indeed, telling the truth. He stared into Brian's eyes as he whispered in confusion, "I don't understand, Brian. You never used to go anywhere without one in your pocket or your wallet or somewhere. What changed?"

Brian sighed; did he really not understand after all this time? "Justin, I've been trying to tell you. Don't you get it? I'm not the same man you knew when you left. I had a daughter to raise who was depending on me. And...," he paused, almost embarrassed to admit it now, even after all this time. "...And after what I did, the last thing I wanted to do was go out and fuck some trick or anyone else for that matter. What would that have proved?" He averted his eyes almost in embarrassment as he grumbled, "Besides, it just wasn't the same after you left. No one would have ever come close to what we had."

The wood in the fireplace several feet away continued to crackle and pop as Justin stared at him incredulously. "Wait a minute; I have to get this straight, because I just can't believe this. Are you trying to tell me that in all these years, you have never...?"

Brian continued to gaze downward, unable to meet his scrutiny, forcing Justin to place the fingers of his left hand under Brian's chin and force him to look him in the eyes. "Brian, answer me," he demanded quietly. "Are you telling me that you haven't fucked anyone since I left?" That had to be impossible for someone like Brian to sustain; he had always been such a dominant, sexually-driven human being. To live without sex for someone like Brian was like not having air to breathe.

"I haven't been a fucking saint," Brian finally acknowledged. "I've had plenty of blowjobs and given them when the guy was hot enough - and I was horny enough." He sighed. "But like I told you, Justin. I'm not the same person you used to know. I don't stay out until all hours of the night at the clubs or the bars anymore." He grimaced, wondering if that sounded pitiful. "Ask Debbie or even your mother. I spend more time with Katie doing things with her now than anything else. She's the most important thing in my life. If I hadn't had her, well, I probably would have spent a lot of my time smashed on Beam or strung out on E or weed to dull the fucking pain. But I just didn't have time for that shit anymore." He stared into Justin's eyes, wondering what he was thinking. "You can believe me or not...But it's the truth."

Justin dropped his hand down onto the mattress as his mind reeled over this information. Would Brian lie about something like this, merely to impress him or win him back? That really didn't make sense, though; he wanted to have sex with him; it wasn't as if he needed to say that to persuade him to. He was sure, in fact, that Brian would move heaven and earth right now to find a condom if he could just so he could be inside him again. He shook his head in amazement. "You surprise me, Brian Kinney," he murmured. He swallowed the emotional lump in his throat as he told him, "That just makes me want you even more right now." He reached over to push some hair back from his lover's face, Brian's pupils darting from side to side like they always did when he was emotionally charged up as he regretfully informed him, "You know I won't do it raw with you. You do understand why, don't you?"

Brian's heart sank; yes, he had expected that, but he still didn't have to like it. "You still don't trust me."

"No!" Justin immediately corrected him as he reached for his hand. "No, I mean, I DO trust you, Brian! I do. But...it's just that, well, I'm not quite ready for that just yet. I thought when we did it before that it meant we were never going back, that we would never need them again. But look what happened. I need to be sure this time, Brian." Now it was Justin's turn to look away as he admitted, "We both need to be sure."

Brian frowned as a tendril of dismay threatened to bubble to the surface. He had never considered, no God, not that... "Justin, did you...And that asshole Alex...?" He couldn't even finish the sentence; just the possibility was too painful to even consider. He had never even thought about that, and now it almost made him physically sick to even think about it.

Justin's hand tightened in his grasp as his eyes widened. "No, God, no, Brian! We never did it raw!" He eyes flashed. "How could you even think that? Shit!" His voice softened at the stricken look on Brian's face as he explained, "What you and I had was special, Brian; I have never done that with anyone else since then...And I never would." He brought both of their hands up to his mouth to kiss Brian's knuckles reassuringly as he added, "You were my first, Brian; for everything. And you always will be."

Brian nodded, enormously relieved - and silently smug - over Justin's declaration. Despite his past sexual history, in a lot of ways, Justin was his first, too. First one he fell in love with, first one he gave his heart to, and the first one he really made love to - in every sense of the word. Before he met Justin, it was all just sexual gratification and fucking. With Justin, it was so much more. He had to know one more thing, though; he couldn't help it. "I'm glad, Sunshine," he whispered as Justin smiled softly back at him and nodded. "But, shit, I have to know. I would understand - I wouldn't like it - but I would understand..."

"...You want to know if he fucked me," was the perceptive reply; he knew his lover so well in that regard, even after all this time. Brian nodded in admittance as to his immense relief Justin confirmed, "No, Brian. I was never his bottom. I did fuck him; I wasn't a saint, either. And it's not like he didn't want to," he admitted truthfully. "But I just couldn't let him. After a while, he finally stopped asking, because he knew I wouldn't change my mind. I think that always bothered him, because he knew why I would never agree to it." He paused as he stared into the expressive, hazel eyes. "He knew it was because I had never gotten over YOU."

Brian smiled in pleasure over that statement. He ached to make love to Justin again with every fiber of his body, but if it meant doing it with a condom for the time being, he supposed he could live with that. "Well, apparently the man has some intelligence," he begrudged him. "The first thing I'm going to do when we get back to Britin is invade my son's stash of condoms," he growled as Justin's face blushed; even after all this time, he was amazed he could do that to him, but for some reason it made him inordinately happy. His face softened, though, as he added, "I hope one day we won't need them again. Would you consider that?"

Justin brought their hands down to lie between them as he pondered that question for a moment. He loved Brian; he had never stopped loving him. If he was going to trust him, he had to trust him all the way - with his heart and his body. "Yes, Brian," he told him softly. "One day."

Brian nodded, willing for the time being to accept that. Considering where they had begun, it was a big jump in the right direction. Having sex with Justin before without any barriers would make it hard to go back to condoms, but the alternative of never being with him again was much too hard to imagine.

"I suppose we should get back, then...to the girls," he finally said, a twinge of disappointment in his voice.

Justin raised one eyebrow at him impertinently. "Excuse me? You owe me a favor. I seem to still have a not-so slight problem that you need to address." Justin took Brian's hand and laid it over his rock-hard cock, still aching for release. He now regretted having stopped Brian earlier, but something told him that was about to be rectified as Brian leered at him in a way that made him flush.

Brian smirked as he squeezed the hot, silky, pulsating flesh, hearing Justin grunt in appreciation. "I think I can take care of that for you," he assured him, his mouth salivating, in fact, at the thought. His hand wasn't going to be nearly enough, though; his lips ached to wrap themselves around that flesh, and they would - soon. Leaning in to kiss the full lips briefly, he whispered huskily against Justin's cheek, "Tell me you'll stay in my bed tonight." He pulled back to look at Justin's face, finding that he was holding his breath as he waited for a response.

"If I say no, are you still going to blow me?" Justin asked curiously, one eyebrow raised in question, adrenaline rushing through his body at the thought of finally being with Brian again - completely.

"Would it matter if I didn't?" was the saucy reply.

Justin gazed into his eyes, unable to lie. "No," he whispered honestly. "I would still be there."

Brian nodded, mesmerized by the intense look in Justin's eyes as he peered back at him without blinking. "But you still won't move back in. Why waste money on another place, Justin?"

"Brian..." He sighed. "It's not just us now; it's the girls, too. I want to get it right this time; for all of us. I..I just need some more time to make sure. Okay?"

Brian leaned in to nudge Justin's nose, Eskimo-style, bringing back so many older memories for both of them. It was such a 'Brian-esque' thing for him to do. "I don't like it," he growled softly as he leaned back just enough to look Justin in the eye. "But I guess I can live with it - for now. Just don't expect the girls to like it especially."

Justin grinned back at him wryly. "No, something tells me they probably won't. But it will be a start. For ALL of us." Brian nodded in acceptance as his lover groused, "Now would you get on with it, already? I'm a lot younger than you are - and a lot more impatient."

Brian snorted. "I'll let that age comment pass, Sunshine. For now. And as for the other part - I always WAS a man of action." Swiftly, before Justin even had time to react, Brian grabbed his cock by the base with one hand and pushed him down to lie flat on the bed with his other as he engulfed his dick in his hot, probing mouth and Justin gasped at the incredible feeling overwhelming him.

He curled his toes in exquisite pleasure as Brian lay on top of him and his tongue began to make some crazy sort of swirling motion around his cock while he used his fingers to lightly stroke the underside of the base as he continued to suckle him. "Fuck!" he cried out as he blindly reached to fist Brian's hair with one hand while he grabbed a hold of the bedspread with the other. "Brian," he moaned out as his lover reintroduced himself at long last. "God, I've missed you," he breathed out as his entire body began to spark with an electric rush.

Brian placed his hand on one pale hip to hold Justin firmly in place as he tasted the sweet/musky scent of his lover. It was every bit as alluring as before, if not more so. The mewing sounds and mantra constantly issuing forth now from Justin's lips encouraged him further as he sped up his ministrations, bobbing his head up and down on the thick, leaking head as he felt Justin's body stiffening beneath him. He released Justin's cock just enough to peer up into the flushed face, seeing Justin's eyes squeezed shut in almost unbearable pleasure. "Give it to me, Justin," he growled as he plastered his lips around the unyielding head even more tightly and began to suck anew. Justin was now arching his back up to ram his cock further down Brian's throat as his moans grew louder and louder until he finally emitted one, last vocal cry and exploded into Brian's willing mouth.

Brian eagerly lapped up every drop as Justin's body collapsed spent onto the bed in a boneless heap, his breaths still ragged and shallow as he tried to come down from his high. Brian slowly crawled up his body until they were lying chest to chest and he could stare into the sweaty, exhausted face. Brushing back some hair from his lover's forehead, he leaned in to steal one more lazy kiss as he whispered, "Was it everything you remembered?"

Justin's face broke out into a wistful smile of memory as he answered precisely the way Brian had hoped he would: "Yes...And more. Much more."

---

One Hour Later

"Well, Scout, any sign yet?" Gus glanced over in amusement at his sister as she continued to kneel on her bedroom's window seat, her eyes plastered against a set of binoculars she had procured from the coat closet downstairs. Normally they were used by her and their father on their camping trips to spot interesting wildlife; today, however, they were serving a much more important purpose.

Katie sighed in response, but refused to leave her perch. "Not a thing," she reported in disappointment, keeping her eyes peeled on the large expanse of glass that overlooked the trails leading down from the mountain range behind the house and the stables. She figured that was where her two fathers had gone; there weren't any signs of them in the meadow or the pasture, and if they HAD gone horseback riding, they had to be on one of the dirt trails somewhere. That left the wooded path leading up into the mountains. Even though she had no idea what was happening - she knew there was no cell phone signal up there and besides, she didn't have the nerve to try and call them - she clung to the knowledge that they had been gone for a few hours now. If things had gone badly, she reasoned, they would have been back long ago - wouldn't they?

The rain, which had come down in torrents earlier, had ended a short time ago and the sun had soon reappeared with a vengeance, creating a brilliant, rare, double rainbow that had risen in the sky immediately over the stables. She had taken just a moment to hurry and retrieve her digital camera to record the wondrous sight for use in some sketches later, but had quickly scooped the binoculars back up to return to her post where she presently maintained a vigilant pose.

"Your grandmas sent me up here to bring you down to dinner," he told her. "It's getting cold." They had arrived a short time ago to check up on Kaylee's condition with Daphne promising to show up soon, all concerned about what had happened to her and needing to make sure that she was okay. They had discovered, however, that if they wanted to see Katie, they were going to have to come and find her; like some soldier of Cupid, she had refused to leave her position since staking claim about an hour ago in front of the window when the time had stretched on far too long for her taste with no sign of her fathers returning.

"I'm not hungry," she called back to him, even though that was a lie; truth be told, she was starving, and she knew if her Grandma Debbie had anything to do with dinner, especially, it would be some of her favorite foods. But her heart was heavy with anxiety, and she had promised Kaylee she wouldn't leave her post until she spotted their fathers returning. She intended to keep that promise. "I'll eat later - after they're back." That is, if I have an appetite for it by then, she thought nervously. Her stomach was already tied up in knots while she waited.

The double rainbow was slowly dissipating in the sky when all of a sudden she spotted two figures on horseback emerging from the shadows of the heavy woods; she hurriedly turned the lens wheel on the binoculars to focus in on the movement as her heart skipped a beat. "It's them!" she squealed out excitedly to her brother. "Dad and Daddy!"

Gus's eyes widened and his own heart sped up. "How do they look?" He silently chided himself over that question, though, thinking how juvenile that sounded; would they 'look' any different if they've made up? How could they tell? Perhaps by their expressions? "Do they look mad at each other?" he couldn't help asking anyway.

Katie peeled her eyes on the two figures. They were leisurely riding side by side together, neither really looking at each other, though. They didn't appear angry or flustered, however; but then again, they weren't exactly smiling, either. What exactly had happened up there? "No," she finally answered her brother as she shrugged, her eyes still glued on the pair. "But I can't tell what they're feeling by the look on their faces; they just kind of look...," she struggled for the right word before settling on "...normal."

Gus silently digested that information before Katie added something else. "But something's different," she decided, scrunching her nose up to try and figure out what it was. It soon came to her and her face broke out into a smile. Interesting...VERY interesting...

Gus lifted an eyebrow in question, his own dinner temporarily forgotten as he walked over to stand next to the window seat to peer out at his father and Justin. They didn't seem that different to him. "What?" he asked. "What is it?"

She couldn't help grinning widely now. "Well, they both have on a different shirt than the one they left with. I've seen the ones they have on now, though; they're some of the shirts that Dad keeps up at the hiking cabin." Their father being such a normally fastidious person, he always kept several changes of clothing up there, just in case he got dirty or 'they ran into a bear,' as he often liked to tease her.

"Well, well, well," Gus commented in amusement at the revelation. Katie was right; they WERE wearing different shirts than the ones they had worn before. Perhaps it was due to the heavy rain; maybe they had been caught in it, and his father had simply offered a couple of his spares at the cabin so they could get out of their wet ones. But the fact that they had apparently been up at the hiking cabin he knew his sister and father used on occasion was very revealing to him. It was both quiet - and private; very, very private. Of course, that could just mean that his father thought it was an excellent choice for some much-needed introspection, too. Or it could mean something else.

"Now don't go jumping to conclusions, Katydid," he gently warned her, but inside his own heart was hoping the same thing. Now that Justin was back and they had had their heart-to-heart talk and cleared the air earlier, it was obvious to him that both men still loved each other deeply. Only a resolution of their past differences would lead to a reconciliation, though. But he wanted his father to be happy, and he knew that his father would only be truly happy with Justin back in his life. "We don't know that anything has been resolved yet," he added as he placed his hands on his sister's shoulders.

Katie finally lowered the binoculars as her two fathers headed toward the stables. She turned around to peer up into her brother's eyes with resolve. "Well, there's only one way to find out," she decided as she placed the binoculars down and scooted off the seat.

"Where are you going? Your dinner is getting cold!" Gus shouted at her as she hurried past him in a blur. He stood there for just a moment before he suddenly shouted, "Wait, I'm coming with you!" Grinning like a co-conspirator, he rushed to follow her down the steps, his sneakers slipping slightly on the polished, hardwood floor of the hall as they hurried downstairs in record time and headed toward the back of the house to the kitchen.

The two grandmothers and Kaylee looked up, startled, as they suddenly appeared near the kitchen bar counter; they had elected to eat casually in the kitchen rather than in the dining room tonight.

"There you are!" Jen responded with a relieved smile as Katie suddenly appeared nearby. "Come and eat while your dinner is still warm, Katie."

"No time!" Katie shouted as she rushed toward the sliding glass doors leading to the backyard. She turned to stare over at her sister, who was sitting on one of the barstools, much like they used to do so long ago when they had breakfast with their fathers. "They're back!" she cried out in glee as her sister's eyes lit up. "And I'm going to the stables to find out what happened!"

"I want to go, too!" Kaylee replied excitedly as she began to slide off the stool; it was four feet high off the ground, however, and as she tried to place her left foot on a bottom rung of the stool to get down, her foot get caught in it and she began to topple off. The women nearby gasped in alarm, but fortunately Gus managed to catch her by the upper arms and steady her and the stool until she could dislodge her foot. Not wanting to take any chances, he scooped her up into his arms as he scolded her, "Now listen, Kaylee. We just got you back on the mend; don't go doing something else to make you wind back up in the hospital, okay? Why don't I carry you just this once?"

Kaylee beamed at her big brother as Gus smiled down at her affectionately; they had only known each other for a short time now, but already she liked the idea of having a protective, older brother. She nodded up at him almost shyly as she slid her arms around his neck and nodded in agreement.

The two women exchanged a relieved glance as Jen asked, "Honey, do you think that's wise? Like Gus said, you did just get out of the hospital and it's getting a little chilly out there now. And you haven't eaten all your dinner yet. Why don't you just wait until they..."

"No!" Kaylee replied, her chin jutting out determinedly. "I can't wait to see what happened! I have to go; this means everything, Grandma, don't you realize that? I'll be careful and Gus will be with me. Please?" she begged them, noticing her sister getting a major head start on her as she slid the door open and took off at a run toward the stables. "Let me go; they'll be back any minute now!"

Jen and Debbie looked at each other; they were as anxious to find out what happened as their granddaughters were. They weren't sure how Justin and Brian would feel about being confronted the moment they returned, but Katie had already rushed out the door and would not be deterred; they might as well let the rest of the army go, too, then. They only hoped the girls weren't in for a major disappointment. Debbie shrugged and nodded before Jennifer told them, "Okay. I guess we can't stop you anyway." She opened her mouth to add that she hoped it was good news, but it was too late; Gus and Kaylee had already hurried to catch up with Katie.

Jennifer sighed. "I hope they were able to work things out," she murmured as she watched the pair disappear from sight. She felt Debbie's hand on her shoulder as she looked over at her friend.

"Yeah, Jen; me, too," she whispered.

---

Katie arrived in record time near the stables; she pulled up short, however, and hid like a juvenile version of Nancy Drew behind the last marble statue of her and Kaylee just in time to see her two fathers arriving at the front of the stables astride Eton and Ceres. From her vantage point across from the building, she could see clearly through the open doors of the structure, providing her with the perfect opportunity to study her two fathers unobserved as they led the horses slowly inside and pulled on the reins to stop them. She quickly turned around and placed her fingers across her lips as she heard a sound behind her and her brother and sister hurried up to join her.

"What's happening?" Kaylee whispered as Gus gently lowered her to the ground.

"Nothing yet," she reported tensely as three heads all turned around in perfect synchrony to observe what was going to happen next. They all instinctively held their breaths in anticipation as they watched their father dismount from Eton and walk the few feet over to Justin's side. They watched Justin slide sideways in the saddle and dangle both feet over the horse's body as Brian silently held his hands up toward him. Justin rolled his eyes in amusement, but his face slowly broke out into a smile of acceptance as he began to slide down the horse to dismount and Brian caught him in his arms to slowly lower him to the dirt floor. They stood there a few inches apart until Justin's hands wound around Brian's neck and he pulled his head down for a deep kiss that seemed to go on and on and on. Brian's hands, which had been on Justin's upper arms, slid around Justin's back to pull him closer as they continued to kiss, oblivious to their audience several feet away.

Kaylee and Katie's eyes grew wide as saucers as they watched their fathers making out like love-struck teenagers; it was hard to determine which girl's smile was wider as they both shouted out "Yes!" and gave each other high-fives as Gus tried frantically to shush them, but it was too late. Both men slowly disentangled themselves at the sound of their excited cry and turned to stare over at the statue as their two daughters slowly peered out sheepishly from behind it and Gus slowly rose up to his full height to disclose his involvement as well.

Brian and Justin grinned at each other before Brian dryly responded, "I should have known we'd have an audience." He reached over to give Justin one more quick peck on the lips while he had the chance, wanting desperately to be alone with him, but knowing that was going to have to wait for a while now before he called out, "Come over here." The two men broke apart, but continued to hold hands as the two girls and Gus came rushing up to them, three sets of eyes searching theirs expectantly. "We need to talk to you."

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A/N: Thank you to my beta, Gloria.:)