The girls finally get their wish - at least partly. Will Brian get HIS wish, too, before the night is over?

"I suppose you saw all that," Brian asked them as they all grinned back at them goofily. That was answer enough. He nodded as he stared into Justin's eyes. "You want to tell them, or should I?"

Justin let go of Brian's hand to slide his arm around his ex-partner's waist and pull him closer, deciding he would speak for them, although he wasn't quite sure what to say.

Three anxious faces peered back at him as he finally looked at Kaylee and advised, "I'll be going back to Chicago in a few days." His eyes widened in alarm when her face fell like she had been struck by his statement as he realized what he had just said. He pulled away from Brian's side to rush over to her. Placing his hands on her cheeks and seeing her eyes glimmering with tears, he hastily explained, "No, no, Kaylee; listen to me! Hear me out! What I mean is, while you stay here I'm going back so I can put the condo up for sale."

Slowly Kaylee's face transformed into hopeful realization as she asked, "We're moving back here, Daddy? You and Dad really are getting back together, then?"

Justin glanced over at Brian for help as he interjected, "Not exactly, Princess," he tried to explain as Kaylee's face clouded over again. "Well, not at first. Your father and I have decided to take things a little more slowly this time and see what happens. When I get back, we're going to find us a little place of our own nearby so you, Katie, and Gus can all continue to get to know each other better and your father and I can work on resolving some things."

"But...you love each other," Katie protested as Kaylee nodded her head in agreement; they didn't understand any of this at all. It all seemed so simple now. They had seen them kiss...

But Gus understood; in fact, he would have been a little disappointed if they had just rushed back into their previous arrangement. He was finally beginning to understand that true, lasting relationships took time to grow. "I think that's a good idea," he told his father and Justin as he looked over at the astonished faces of his two sisters. "We all need time to get used to each other again. A long time has passed and things have changed since then." Before his sisters could open their mouths to protest, he turned to look at Brian and Justin. "But you two do still love each other..." He realized as he spoke that he, too, needed that reassurance, although anyone who looked at what had just occurred between them couldn't possibly doubt it. He still needed for them to say it out loud for some reason, though.

"Yes," Brian answered firmly as he gazed over at his partner, his eyes revealing all he felt. "More than ever." Justin smiled back at him tenderly as he nodded in agreement as their hands reached almost of one accord to link together again. It was almost as if they couldn't bear to break off their touch with each other now that they had settled their major differences.

Katie sighed in frustration. She was happy, so happy that their fathers were united again. Then why did they have to live apart? Her mind churned as she desperately tried to come up with a better solution. "But, Daddy, the house here is so big. It's not necessary for you and Kaylee to live somewhere else. Why can't you live on one side of the house and Dad on the other? We never use the whole house, and it would cost a lot of money for you to find somewhere else to live. And just why did you two buy such a big house, anyway?" she asked, her nose crinkling in confusion. She recalled how when she was a lot younger she took inordinate glee in playing an impromptu game of hide and seek with her father; in such an obscenely large house, it wasn't hard to do at all. She could still remember how her giggling always gave her away, though, whenever she secretly watched her father standing there a few feet away from her, scratching his head in frustration over not being able to find her. Inevitably, then, it was her own doing whenever he eventually found her, not through his own initiative.

Kaylee smiled; she loved her sister's idea! Yeah, that made perfect sense to her, too, and she knew what an unbeatable combination they could be together. One sister against them? Maybe defensible. Two? Uh, uh...

"Yeah," she interjected as she walked up to stand next to her sister as she peered over at their father; she could tell he was hedging already. "You're always telling me how we need to be wise with our money, Daddy. Spending money on something that's not necessary doesn't seem very wise to me. And if we live in the same house, I can get to know Gus a lot better. All that driving back and forth would be such a big waste of time and gas, wouldn't it, Gus?"

Brian had to briefly cover his mouth to hide his smile as Justin glared at him in a sort of you're being a traitor here sort of way, but Brian merely lifted his eyebrows at him and shrugged before peering over at his son. "Yeah, Sonny Boy, you're involved in this, too; what do YOU think?"

Gus knew what his father WANTED him to think. Although, actually he was kind of torn; while he knew that made sense economically, was that enough of a physical separation to really allow them to analyze their feelings and make sure that they did, indeed, get it right this time? He glanced down into the hopeful eyes of his sisters as he warred with his decision.

"Well...I'm not sure, Katydid. There's a reason why they might need some time apart to think everything through here. I'm sure the last thing you want is go through this all over again."

"But that won't happen," Kaylee insisted as she came to her sister's defense, her lip jutting out in dismay. How could their own brother turn against them? "They love each other. They said so."

Gus nodded as he glanced over at his father and Justin. "I don't think there was ever a question of that," he told her; he was now absolutely convinced of it, and he now knew he hadn't quite heard the entire story of what had happened before from his father. "I'm sure they do," he assured her as he knelt down in front of Kaylee to talk to her. "And I know they love both of you, too. But sometimes you can love someone and still not be able to live with them. If love was all that they had needed, they never would have broken up in the first place."

Kaylee's eyes filled with tears as Katie bit her lip in an attempt not to mimic the same response, but she was finding it difficult as she swallowed hard. "But there must be another way; there HAS to be. We've come so far," she whispered. "Please, Gus."

Gus reached out and cupped his palm across her cheek. "I know it's what you want; it's what all of us want. But this time they have to be sure, Kaylee. They love you both too much not to get it right this time." Kaylee sniffled as Gus added reassuringly, "I'll stick around as long as I can so we can get to know each other better. And I can drive you and Katie back and forth as much as you need me to, so you'll see each other all the time." He smiled at her. "We'll have a lot of fun together, Kaylee, I promise. I'm glad I'm getting the chance to get to know you." He nodded over at Katie in amusement. "Because this one can be a real pain sometimes."

"Hey!" Katie protested, despite her sadness. "I'm the best sister you ever had!"

Gus laughed. "Well, one of them, anyway; now I have another one." He sobered a little at the concerned look on Kaylee's face, now streaked with the tears that were trickling down her cheeks. "It'll all work out, Kaylee. You'll see. Just give it some time, okay?"

But Kaylee stubbornly shook her head. "No...I don't want to be apart from my sister or you." She looked over at Brian, silently pleading for a solution. "Or dad. It's not fair."

Brian tightened his hand in Justin's as he heard his ex-partner say almost under his breath, "I fucking hate this, Brian." Brian nodded as he let out a frustrated breath. He understood why Justin felt the need to ease back into their relationship, but seeing the anguished faces of their daughters almost was enough to make his heart break in two all over again.

"Maybe there's another answer," Katie suddenly piped up as her heart began to beat a little faster over the thought. Her eyes lit up as she looked over at her father and suggested, "What about the carriage house?"

Brian eyed her sympathetically. "Katie..."

"Well, why not?" she countered as the idea began to bloom inside of her. "It's far enough away to be a separate house, but it's still on the same property. That way Daddy and Kaylee would have somewhere else to live, but still be nearby. It's just sitting back there empty right now, but it has furniture in it and everything. It's plenty big enough for two people." She looked over now at Justin, her hands on his hips. "Isn't that what you said you wanted, Daddy? To live close enough together so we could all get to know each other again but still have some breathing room? It's the perfect answer!"

Kaylee bit her lip anxiously as she and her sister peered over expectantly at their father.

"Well, yeah, I did," he admitted. "But I don't know, Katie..."

"You would already have a place to paint, too, Daddy," Katie pressed as she turned the screws a little tighter. "You can paint upstairs in your old studio; you'll need a space when you move back here and it's up there just waiting for you. Dad would never let me use it after you left."

Justin turned to gaze over at Brian in surprise. "You wouldn't? Why?"

Brian appeared a little uncomfortable as he finally explained softly, "I just couldn't. It just didn't feel right. Without you up there, it felt like I was intruding or something." Perhaps in the back of his mind, he always dreamed that one day Justin would be back, painting right where he had before. "You know that Katie's biggest wish has always been to paint with you."

Justin gazed over at his daughter as both pairs of blue eyes locked on each other. "Is that right?" he whispered as she nodded, her eyes wet.

"More than anything," she told him, and she meant every word. "Please, Daddy. Don't separate us all over again. I promise Dad and I will give you all the room you need. I won't come and bother you unless I know you aren't busy. And I'll even cook you and Kaylee dinner every night. I'm a good cook, aren't I, Dad?"

Brian grinned over at his crafty daughter affectionately. He didn't mind going along with this at all. In fact, the more he thought about it, the more he really liked the idea. And he already knew how hard it was to say no to these two conniving, adorable daughters. "Yes, she is," he told Justin as he watched him beginning to vacillate; he could see the indecision written all over his face. "I wonder where she got that talent from?" He paused for a moment. "You did tell me that you wanted to share your love of painting with your daughter, Sunshine; here's your chance. Admit it; it would be a perfect solution."

Justin's eyes filled with tears now as he walked over and swept her against his body to hug her, feeling like an asshole. "Oh, Honey, how could even think that you would ever be a bother, anyway? My God, Katie! Every day with you has been some of the most wonderful moments in my life!" He pulled back to gaze down into her eyes, holding her face in his hands as she peered up at him, her eyelashes kissed with moisture. His heart melted as he told her the only thing he could tell her. "Okay, Sweetheart. I think the carriage house will be perfect for us. And as soon as I get back, you and I will paint something together, okay?"

Katie beamed in jubilation as her heart sang with joy. She nodded as she impetuously wrapped her arms around her father as he held her tightly against him. At that moment, all the hurt, worry, and disappointment washed away as she merely relished being held in her father's arm, and she felt like she never wanted to let go.

Finally, though, after several seconds, Justin loosened his hold on her after giving her one last squeeze. With a grunt, he let her go to look over at Kaylee. "Sound like a plan, Princess?"

Kaylee smiled at him radiantly and nodded as Gus placed his hand companionably on her shoulder. Things were suddenly looking up; not perfect, but oh so close, she decided.

"Okay, Sunshine," Brian chimed in. "You go off to Chicago and take care of your business, and when you come back you and Kaylee can move into the carriage house. All your art supplies are still upstairs," he informed him, liking this arrangement more and more by the second. He had no doubt that Justin might start OUT at the carriage house, but if he had anything to say about it, he and Kaylee wouldn't there for long.

"You won't have to bring anything back here with you except maybe yours and Kaylee's clothes," he assured him.

Justin eyed him with amusement, marveling at how he could be such a wonderful father to Katie and still be so naïve in other ways when it came to pre-teen girls. "...And her makeup and her soccer balls and her cats..."

"Cats?" Brian choked out with a pending sense of doom. "You mean those furry beasts that kept brushing up against my Armani pants? You know how much they charge at the dry cleaners to remove cat hair?"

Kaylee giggled as Justin grinned, actually enjoying the pained look on Brian's face. "Yes, one and the same. You know if I agree to this, it's a package deal. You will have to get used to cats roaming the premises. Kaylee and her babies are inseparable. Sure you don't want to change your mind after all? You can still back out." Although the more he thought over the idea, the better he liked it. Brian wasn't the only one that felt pained at the idea of being any farther away than need be. Since his and Brian's tryst earlier at the cabin, he couldn't get it out of his mind. And if he had to leave tomorrow for Chicago, he wasn't going back there without satisfying one, particular itch, damn it.

"No," Brian told him just as he hoped, quickly weighing the pros and the cons; at this point, he would do practically anything to keep Justin close by - with one exception. "But they do NOT get carte blanche inside Britin; they are NOT going to be allowed in our bedroom."

Justin nodded back at him, not missing the reference to 'our' bedroom; just the thought of being back in their bed made his face flush with heady anticipation. "I guess that's reasonable," he told Brian as his ex-partner rolled his lips under, glad that Justin wasn't calling him out on his slip of the tongue.

"Well, then, what do you say we head back to the house for dinner?" Brian suggested as Justin nodded. He eyed his recently-injured daughter carefully. "Kaylee, are you okay to walk back up to the house? I can carry you if need be."

Justin grinned; he had an idea that wouldn't set too well with her. Anything that even hinted at her being incapacitated or weak made her quite obstinate.

Sure enough, just as he thought, her eyes flashed in exasperation as she replied brusquely, "I'm not a little kid, Dad! I'm fine."

Gus wisely chose not to mention that he had just gotten through doing just that earlier as Brian nodded and the five of them slowly ambled back up the walkway leading up to the house. Just as they neared the large structure, Brian reached over to grab Gus's sleeve. "Uh, we'll catch up with you in just a second," he told the others. "I need to ask Gus something."

Gus thought he noticed a knowing flush on Justin's cheeks as he and his father's eyes locked on each other before Justin nodded and placed one hand on both girls' shoulders to continue toward the back of the house.

"Yeah, Dad?" Gus asked once they were alone; he thought his father actually looked a little uncomfortable as he waited for him to reply. He soon found out the reason why.

"Uh, I was wondering if you might have a, uh...shit, this is so awkward!" Brian muttered as he nervously scratched the back of his neck. Who would have ever thought he would find himself in this situation? Shit.

"What is it?" Gus pressed, his face creased into a frown. This wasn't like his normally confident father at all.

Brian sighed; his almost aching need to be with Justin again warring with his embarrassment. It didn't take long for one to win out over the other, though. "You know how I'm always telling you to be careful?"

Gus bristled as he quickly misunderstood. "You mean behind the wheel? Dad, I haven't had an accident or a speeding ticket yet! Why this lecture now? Grandma Debbie SAID I could borrow Vic's old car!"

Brian shook his head in exasperation. "No, I don't mean about driving." He sighed. "I mean...About sex."

Gus huffed in irritation. "Dad, I'm almost an adult; I know how to stay safe. Why are you bringing this up now?"

Brian hesitated for a moment until finally he revealed what he really was trying to say. "No, that's not it. What I mean is," he said with a resigned look, "I need to borrow a condom from you."

"A cond...? Ohhh," Gus said in understanding, his mouth forming into a large 'O' shape and his eyes widening in realization as he let out a laugh over his father's expression. "Now I get it." He grinned impishly. "Just one?"

Brian brushed his left hand through the top of his head as he admitted, "Well, maybe you could just give me what you've got - just in case." He was relieved that Gus HAD condoms; if he had struck out with him, he thought he would have quite possibly combusted due to anticipation and desire. That, or he would have quickly rushed out to the nearest drug store, whether it was ten miles away or not. Out here in West Virginia, it took quite a bit longer to replenish supplies. But some things were more urgent than others - and this was at the top of the list.

Gus laughed once more. "Oh, how I wish I had a tape recording of this," he replied as Brian promptly gave him a playful shove. "This is too funny."

"Well, you utter one word of this to anyone, and we'll see just how funny it is when I take Vic's car away and all your fancy electronics that I paid for, including your Iphone; you got it?" he growled.

Gus grinned. "Don't worry, Dad," he whispered in a conspiratorial tone, although no one was around. "Your secret's safe with me." He fought hard to wipe the grin off his face as he reached inside his pocket to retrieve his wallet, handing his father a couple packets of condoms that he always had at the ready tucked inside the currency flap. "I have some more of these in my shaving kit up in my room," he advised his father as Brian nodded. His face turned serious as he asked quietly, "Dad...?"

"Yeah?" Brian replied as he quickly slipped them into his jeans pocket and patted them as if he were reassuring himself that he would get to use them soon; VERY soon, if he had anything to say about it.

"Justin knows you're planning on having sex with him?"

Brian didn't think to question how odd it was to be discussing this with his teenage son, but then again their lives had never been traditional, either. He was just thankful that the two of them were comfortable enough with each other that they could be upfront about it. "Yeah," he confirmed with a sort of short, ironic laugh. "Trust me; he was the first to know." He grimaced then, recalling what had happened earlier. "I was not happy up there in the cabin when he asked me if I had one, and I had to tell him I didn't."

Gus peered intently into his father's face. "How did he react when you told him?"

"He was surprised."

Gus nodded. "Yeah, I guess he would be. I'm sure things have changed a lot since you were last together. But he wanted to?"

"Yeah," Brian told him softly. "Both of us did." You have no idea HOW much, he thought silently. He cleared his throat, suddenly feeling very odd discussing this with his teenage son. "Come on, we'd better catch up with them before they wonder what's going on."

Gus nodded as Brian clamped a hand around his shoulder and they began to walk toward the house.

"Dad?"

"Yeah, Gus?"

"I don't want you to get hurt again."

Brian paused just before they reached the back door. "Gus, we managed to hurt each other. But I really want it to work this time," he told him as Gus nodded. "It has to work." For Brian, there could be no other option.

A pair of concerned but innately curiously eyes turned to stare at Justin and the girls as Jen heard the back door being opened. She instantly wondered why Brian and Gus weren't with them, but as she looked at the girls' faces she got even more confused. They look like they had been crying, but at the moment they actually had smiles on their faces.

"Justin..." Jen paused. "Wasn't Brian with you? And where's Gus? Nothing happened, did it?" After what had happened to Kaylee, she couldn't help perhaps jumping to conclusions.

"No, they're coming," he assured them to her relief. "They should be right behind us. Where's Debbie?"

"She's in the dining room, setting the table and pouring the iced tea. You're all just in time for dinner."

Justin nodded with a small smile as the girls walked ahead of him, stopping for a few seconds to let Jen kiss each one on the cheek. She gave each girl a look that clearly said 'what happened' as Katie beamed at her and winked before the two of them walked out of the kitchen and down the hallway side by side.

"Girls, go wash your hands before you sit down to eat," Justin called after them quietly as they nodded and practically skipped toward the half bath at the other side of the hall. He sat down in one of the kitchen stools and propped his head in his hands and let out a breath, trying to release some of the anxiety and stress that had enveloped him so deeply lately but that was slowly beginning to finally dissipate.

"Justin," his mother called over to him softly, her pulse quickening with hope over the encouraging sign her granddaughter had just given her. Was it possible at last? "Can I ask what happened between you and Brian during your ride? Were the two of you able to work some things out?"

At first, she was afraid after what she had done earlier that Justin wouldn't answer, or at worse would tell her that it was none of her concern. But just then he lifted his head to peer over at her and her son's face seemed to relax as he smiled over at her in recollection of what had happened earlier. "Yeah, we did," he told her. "We had a long talk and cleared up a lot of things."

"Oh, Justin," she whispered as she wiped her hands on a towel and placed it down on the kitchen island to walk over to him and sit next to him on the same side of the island. "I'm so happy for you, Sweetheart." She leaned over, placing her hand on his shoulder as she gave him a kiss on the cheek. "The girls looked like they might have been crying earlier," she told him. "But they had these smiles on their faces when they came in. And Katie winked at me before she walked away. So I wasn't sure what to think."

Justin laughed softly. "Little sneak," he said affectionately as he explained what had happened and that he would be returning to Chicago to put his condo on the market.

"I can help you with that if you want," she told him, all too eager to help any way she could. "I'm familiar with some agents in that area and can recommend one." Justin nodded as she tried to verify, "So you're moving back in?"

Justin's eyes widened. "Whoa, not so fast, Mom. Well, almost, I guess." She eyed him in confusion before he explained what the living arrangements would be. He laughed. "I know, just like everything else when it comes to Brian and me, it's complicated. Kaylee and I will be moving into the carriage house out back until Brian and I can work everything out."

She frowned. "But I thought you had already done that."

Justin brushed his left hand through his hair. "Mom, after all the time we've spent apart, both of us need to be absolutely sure this is the right thing to do; not for just our sakes, but more for our daughters. I wasn't sure if the carriage house was such a good idea at first, but the more I thought about it, the more I decided that it really is a good solution. This way the girls can continue to be together and Brian and I can work on strengthening our relationship while we petition the court to change the custody agreement."

"You mean dissolve it completely."

Justin sighed. "I don't know, Mom. Probably. But I would say if we can just get it amended initially, it would be a good start." He bit his lip. "I just want nothing to happen to fuck everything up this time," he told her. He paused. "I do love him. More than ever. That's why it would decimate me - and Kaylee - if this doesn't work this time. Do you think I'm being overly cautious?"

Jennifer shook her head as she smiled over at him tenderly. "No, Sweetheart; I think you're being very responsible - and a loving father. I would expect nothing less." She cocked her head at him. "You don't think Brian is being sincere?"

"No, that's not it. I really think he means what he says," he assured her. "I...it's just that so many years have gone by. In a lot of ways, we don't know each other anymore; at least not the way we used to. He's changed a lot; I'VE changed a lot. I need to make sure that we can love each other the way we are, not the way we were."

"Justin, he adores Katie; he's a wonderful father to her. And he will be to Kaylee, too; you'll see."

Justin nodded. "Mom, you have to promise me something, though..."

She held up her hands before he could finish. "I know...whatever happens it's yours and Brian's decision. Trust me; I've learned my lesson. You know I only want what is best for you and the girls. That's always what I wanted."

He nodded as he heard a sound from nearby. His heart began to thump in his chest as he turned to see Brian sliding the back door open and Gus following him inside. Their eyes met for a few seconds before each gave the other an almost shy smile.

"Jen," Brian said quietly as she smiled over at him.

"Hi, Brian. Dinner's ready in the dining room. Hungry?"

Brian didn't quite get a chance to answer the question, however, before they were soundly interrupted.

"THERE you are!" Debbie scolded the two boys as she walked back into the kitchen. "Dinner's getting cold and the girls are waiting for you. Lasagna tastes like shit when it's cold," she groused.

"Yes, Ma'am," Brian told her dutifully with his tongue rolled into his cheek as he walked up to her and gave her a brief hug and a kiss on the cheek. Secretly, dinner was the last thing on his mind at the moment. Now that Gus had given him what he needed so badly, there was something else he needed desperately to do - be alone at last with his ex-partner. Food could wait; right now he had a much different hunger he needed to assuage.

Unable to find a good way to tell Debbie that he was turning down her famous lasagna, and unwilling to incur her wrath at the moment, however, he sighed in resignation as he turned to walk over toward Justin, intending to follow him into the dining room.

"Just a minute," Debbie grumbled as they both turned to face her. "Jen, would you tell the girls we'll be right there? And let them go ahead and start eating if they want to. You, too, Gus; I have something to discuss with these two."

Gus tried to keep the smile off his face as he nodded; he knew his grandmother well enough to have a good inkling what she needed to know. She was probably more curious at the moment than anyone else. "Sure, Grandma," he told her as he and Jen walked the short distance into the dining room to join the two girls.

"Debbie...the lasagna's getting cold."

"Nice try, Brian, but that's what microwaves are for." All of a sudden, Brian noticed her opinion had changed about cold lasagna. He noticed her staring intently at both of them as she demanded, "Well?"

Brian arched an eyebrow at her. "Well, what?"

"You know what! I want to know what's going on with the both of you. Have you two finally come to your senses?"

Justin bestowed a slight grin on Brian before explaining, "We got some things settled, if that's what you mean."

"That's a start. And?"

Brian shook his head slightly in amusement. "Better tell her the rest before she explodes."

Justin smiled. "Well, we've agreed to give it another try...AFTER we make sure it's the best thing for us and the girls."

Debbie's initial elation gave way to exasperation as she placed her hands on her hips. "What exactly does that mean, Sunshine?"

Justin glanced at Brian before he told her, "It means that I'll be heading up to Chicago tomorrow to put my condo on the market. And when I get back, Kaylee and I will be moving into the carriage house out back."

Tomorrow? Brian was glad to hear that Justin would be putting their plans into motion so soon, but he also felt disappointed that he would be leaving again so quickly.

"Why?" he heard Debbie press. "Why not move back into the house? It's big enough to be a fucking hotel."

Not quite big enough, Justin couldn't help thinking. He had a good idea what would happen if he and Kaylee were to move back here. He needed to keep a clear head around Brian and listen to his brain instead of his heart. He loved this man with every fiber of his being; that was why he had to make sure they were going to make it work this time.

"Deb," Brian interjected before he could respond. "I agree with Justin on this." He reached over to clasp his ex-partner's hand and squeeze it for reassurance before dropping it. "We've been through a lot; the girls have been through a lot. And we've both changed since we broke up. We want this to last this time. We don't want any questions remaining about whether this is the right thing to do. So this is the best arrangement for now. The girls can come and go as they please - and Justin and I can get to know each other all over again."

Justin continued to be amazed by the changes in his ex-partner as Brian gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and walked down the hall to the bathroom to wash up. His ex-partner truly had gone through a metamorphosis for his daughter's sake since their separation. He had a feeling that he was going to enjoy getting to know this hybrid version of his ex-partner immensely.

Unbeknownst to Justin, however, Brian wasn't just heading into the bathroom to wash his hands before dinner; he was on a mission. A mission to find something that he desperately needed. He had been able to procure some condoms from his son, but now he needed lube. Almost frantically, he flung every drawer open in the vanity as he scrounged for a tube. "Shit," he muttered. There had to be a used one here somewhere. He wasn't about to let Justin leave before they finished what they had started up in the cabin. He sighed in frustration as he reached the last drawer at the bottom: his 'junk' drawer. After pushing aside several trial-size containers of shampoo, conditioner, and body wash, his eyes lit up as he finally found a half-full tube of KY at the very bottom. Smiling over his good fortune, he securely pocketed it in his jeans pocket just before he heard someone behind him.

"What are you doing?" Justin asked softly as Brian turned around to face him, noticing the bottom drawer of the vanity jutting out at an angle and items haphazardly askew inside. Normally Brian was very neat and tidy with his things. "Everyone's waiting for you to eat."

Brian curled his lips under as he drunk in the sight of his beautiful ex-partner. "I needed to take care of something important first," he told him in a velvety-deep voice.

Justin's face warmed at the look on Brian's face, even though he still didn't know what he had been up to. "What?" he couldn't help asking as Brian walked closer to him.

He watched as Brian reached inside his pocket and produced a very familiar object and his heart began to pound. So he hadn't been the only one obsessed with that particular issue; it had been on his mind continuously, ever since they had had to stop up at the cabin. "Brian..."

His ex-partner pocketed the precious commodity back into his jeans pocket as he grasped Justin's upper arms. "Couldn't we just skip dinner?" he asked huskily, his eyes boring into Justin's. "You know how long it's been? There's something else I would much prefer to eat."

Justin swallowed hard as his dick twitched in anticipation and his heart hammered in his chest. He knew only TOO well. "Of course I do," he told him softly, his hands coming up to rest on Brian's shoulders as they gazed into each other's eyes. He sighed. "But we can't, Brian; at least not just yet. That would be rude after Debbie made us dinner."

Brian huffed in irritation. "Fuck the dinner, Justin!" he growled in disbelief; even now his ex-partner's country-club manners couldn't be discarded. He closed his eyes briefly as Justin's right hand came up to lie, palm down, against his cheek. Even that simple touch was enough to project him into a stratosphere of suppressed desire. He opened his eyes back up to stare into the expressive, ocean blue eyes and knew he was going to need to exhibit the patience of a saint. "You are NOT leaving here without us being together in every sense of the word." It was not an entreaty, it was not a question; it was a statement.

To his relief, Justin shook his head. "No. You know I want that, too." He leaned up on his tiptoes to give Brian a kiss just as a voice sounded from down the hall.

"Boys! We're waiting for you! How long does it take to wash your hands and take a piss?"

Brian sighed as their foreheads came together in frustration. "Not nearly long enough," he muttered as he stole a brief kiss from Justin before reaching over to clutch his hand. "Come on, Sunshine. The sooner we can finish dinner, the sooner we can fuck."

Justin laughed softly. "Well, I'm glad to see that some things never change."

Brian grinned at him as together they walked down the hallway to join the rest of their family.

To Brian's relief, he wound up being seated to Justin's immediate right at the dinner table, which provided him with the perfect opportunity to start 'becoming better reacquainted' sooner than Justin may have planned; just because they had to endure dinner and some inane conversation for a while didn't mean that he still couldn't get the ball - or in this case, balls - rolling. His hand, therefore, somehow found its way to Justin's denim-clad thigh right after the main course was passed around the table. He managed quite well to eat his lasagna with his right hand while he slowly squeezed the firm flesh of his ex-partner's thigh with his left as everyone else ate their dinner oblivious to the other activity occurring right under their nose.

As soon as he made contact, however, he could feel Justin jolt under his touch and even gasp softly in reaction, but his ex-partner managed to hide his discomfiture well from everyone else at the dinner table as their two daughters carried on a lively conversation with their brother. Jen and Debbie, too, began to discuss some event coming up soon for PFLAG and were unaware of the unspoken 'conversation' being waged across the dinner table as Justin reached over and placed his hand on top of Brian's to firmly place it over on his own leg. As soon as he put his own hand back up on the table, however, Brian's hand was right back where it had been before, only it was slowly inching itself higher and higher toward his crotch.

Justin squirmed slightly in his seat as Brian merely smiled over at their daughters across the table, pausing occasionally to ask them questions about inconsequential matters as if he didn't realize he was groping him under the table: the horses, the swimming pool out back, whether Kaylee liked to play tennis (she did, in fact), and what sort of things they might like to do during the summer since both girls would be together for the foreseeable future now until school started in the fall.

"Daddy?"

"Huh?" was the 'intelligent,' half-choked reply as Justin's face flushed in realization that everyone was staring over at him; he had been so busy trying to continually remove Brian's probing hand from his body that he hadn't even noticed Katie calling his name. "I'm sorry, Katie; what were you saying, Honey?"

Katie frowned, wondering what was going on, but the expression was only momentary as she asked, "Do you like to swim, too?"

Memories of him and Brian skinny dipping in the pool under a warm, moonlit night came filtering into his mind as he nodded over at her. Back before the girls were born, it had been one of their favorite activities - swimming nude and then making love afterward. There was just something about doing that in the buoyancy of the heated water that made it so sensual and incredibly arousing...

"Uh, Daddy?"

Shit. He realized he had done it again. He cleared his throat as he thought he heard Brian snicker. "Yes, I love to go swimming," he told his daughter. "But back home Kaylee and I didn't get much of a chance to do that. Did the two of you go swimming at camp? I read where they had all sorts of activities in the lake there."

"Not like the ones we used to have," Brian whispered as Justin promptly turned red.

"Yeah, I got to go canoeing," Katie reported, unknowing of what was going on between her two fathers; Gus, however, was close enough to overhear it, and he couldn't help biting back an amused smile.

"Got to use a drill, too - on Sandra's canoe," Katie reported proudly as she looked over at her sister, who giggled at the memory. At the time, it was pretty scary when Sandra was on the hunt for her, but now that she and her sister were safe and sound, she thought her sister had been pretty darn clever.

"I don't even want to ask," Brian told her in reaction as he reached over once more to squeeze Justin's cock this time. Justin bit down on his lip to keep from letting out a moan or another gasp as he felt himself becoming painfully hard.

"Stop it!" he hissed under his breath at Brian as everyone turned to stare at him.

"Is something wrong, Daddy?" Kaylee asked in concern, seeing her father's face contorted into an odd expression.

"No, Princess, your father is just a little tired after our long ride," Brian politely explained as Justin tried hard not to roll his eyes while he was forcefully removing his hand from his dick. "Isn't that right, Sunshine?"

"Something like that," Justin muttered in reply as Brian grinned. Fuck, how he had missed this!

Debbie eyed them suspiciously, having a good idea precisely what was going on. While the two may have changed, apparently some things hadn't. She gave Brian a disapproving stare when she pushed back from her chair to stand as he merely arched an eyebrow back at her in challenge. "We have French cheesecake with strawberries for dessert!" she announced as she smiled over at her granddaughters, still thrilled to see them back together for a change. "Emmett's Aunt Lula's secret recipe. Who wants some?"

"Me!" both girls shouted out in unison as Debbie smiled at them and nodded. "Gus, Jen?"

Both nodded back at her as she turned to address the two men. "I don't suppose you want some?"

"Oh, I want some, all right," Brian huskily quipped as Justin blushed, silently berating himself over his typical response. Of course, Brian knew exactly what he was doing, too. "But I think I'll pass on dessert." He yawned melodramatically. "Actually, I think it would be a good idea for Justin and me to go check out his new digs out back so it's ready when he comes back from Chicago. It's been a long time since anyone occupied the carriage house; I think it might need some airing out and you and Kaylee will probably need some fresh bedding and groceries stocked." Brian peered over meaningfully at his ex-partner. "Don't you think that would be a good idea?" he asked, his intentions crystal clear as he pushed back from the table and stood up.

To his consternation, Justin merely sat there, however. Was he going to have to spell it out for him? Apparently. "Justin? Did you hear what I said? You look a little tired, too," he added for effect. "I think you could use an early night, especially if you're planning on returning to Chicago tomorrow."

"I'm fine, actually," Justin told him with a gleam in his eye as Brian's mouth hung open in dismay. "Almost like I'm getting my second wind now. I think that ride was very...Invigorating."

Brian reached over, however, to grab Justin's wrist and pull him off the chair. He grunted. "Maybe you'd like to go for another 'invigorating' ride, then," he growled.

Debbie had to bite back a laugh at the desperate look on Brian's face as she told them, "Well, I suppose I could save you a piece, Sunshine, if you need to go take care of your problem first."

"Can you save us a piece, too, Grandma?" Kaylee suddenly beseeched as Brian's eyes widened in horror; he knew what she was going to say before she said it. "I'd like to go see it, too!"

"Yeah, that's a great idea!" Katie promptly chimed in as Justin had the gall to laugh at the change in plans. "We can all help get it ready for you!"

"No, Princess!" Brian hastily replied, grasping at straws as his daughter's lower lip stuck out in a decided pout. "I mean...there really isn't that much that needs to be done. Your father and I just need to check it over, that's all. It shouldn't take long." Well, that was a bold-faced lie; what HE had in mind might just take the entire, fucking night if HE had anything to say about it. He wanted to rememorize every delectable inch of Justin's body, and he was intending on doing just that.

Gus thought his father looked so desperate at that moment that he decided it was time to give him a hand as he interjected, "Dad's right, Katydid," he told her. "You and Kaylee can take a look at it tomorrow when it's light out. Remember, your sister just got out of the hospital and she was told to take it easy. She's already probably done much more today than she should have." Before the two girls could protest any further, he suggested, "Why don't we take our dessert upstairs to my room and check out the new video system I brought with me? It's really cool, and I have the new Mario Brothers game for it. It's amazing! How's that sound? I promise I'll take you out to the carriage house myself tomorrow, Kaylee; Katie's seen it a thousand times already, anyway."

"But, Gus..."

"Come on, Katie," he pressed. His sister could be so damn persistent sometimes. "You don't want your sister to wind up back in the hospital, do you?"

"Of course not!" she retorted defensively as she reached over to squeeze her sister's hand. "I don't want anything else to happen to her," she softly admitted as Kaylee smiled over at her. "You want to wait until tomorrow, then, and check out the game with Gus instead?" Katie asked her.

Kaylee bit her lip for a moment - and Brian held his breath - until she finally nodded; it didn't seem to matter much if she saw it tonight or tomorrow, and it might be better to see it in the daytime rather than at night, even though she was quite anxious to check it out. "Okay," she agreed. "Would that be okay with you, Daddy?"

Justin smiled at her. He wasn't sure if he was happier for her or for him. "Of course," he told her tenderly. "And I think your brother is very wise," he told her as he smiled at Gus gratefully.

"Yeah, thanks, Sonny Boy," Brian told him as he surreptitiously winked at him. "I owe you one; uh, the girls owe you one." Gus grinned with a nod.

Jennifer pursed her lips together to keep from laughing out loud as she looked at the expression of vast relief on Brian's face; it was sooo obvious what was going on. She had an inkling that if Brian and Justin were kept apart much longer, Brian especially would probably combust from lust overload. The not-so-silent looks of longing passing between them were almost palpable.

She stood up from her place at the table to begin gathering up the dinner dishes. "I'll help you clean up, Debbie," she told her friend as she looked over at the two men. "Sure you don't want any dessert?" she asked innocently with a knowing smile.

"No, thanks, Jen," Brian told her hastily as he grasped Justin's elbow and began to forcefully lead him toward the hallway and out to the kitchen. "Don't worry; we'll get our dessert soon enough."

"Brian," she heard her son respond in obvious embarrassment just before they disappeared out of sight. Grinning over at Debbie who rolled her eyes and shook her head in amusement, they continued picking up the soiled dishes as Gus and the two girls waited eagerly for their own dessert.

Chapter End Notes:

Well, I had planned on posting the entire part I have been working on, but it wasn't quite done yet and I figured part of the update was better than none at all, so I'm posting this as a separate chapter. I AM working on the next part (yes, 'that' part - wink, wink), and it should be posted in the next day or so. In the meantime, I do hope you enjoy this chapter. Thank you for reading and for the continuing support, and thanks as always to my beta, boriqua522.:)

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