Justin and Kaylee get more accustomed to their new surroundings; the girls decide that they need to give their fathers a little 'push' in the right direction...

Later that Evening...Britin

Brian reached for Justin's hand as they quietly crept up the carpeted steps of the main house together; the grandfather clock situated at the far end of the hallway upstairs was bonging exactly 11 times to denote it was the girls' bedtime. The house should have been totally silent, then - there was no light coming from underneath either Gus or Jennifer's rooms, signifying they had already gone to bed as well - but as they neared Katie's room, both men could hear soft giggles and conversation emanating from inside. They exchanged a knowing glance between them as Brian whispered, "I think someone has ignored their bedtime rules. Why does that not surprise me?"

Justin grinned with a nod as, hand in hand, they walked closer to their daughter's bedroom. The two girls must have heard their light footfalls in the hallway, because as they neared the room they could hear one of them shushing the other and then the room falling suddenly silent just before they reached it.

The room was dimly lit, only illuminated by a small nightlight plugged into the far wall across from the bed and the moonlight seeping in through the sheer curtains over the window seat. As Justin pushed the door open wider, he and Brian could see their daughters lying face up in bed, the lightweight, cotton blanket covering them up to their shoulders as they regularly breathed in and out as if in deep slumber.

"Nice try, girls," he told them softly as he let go of Brian's hand and walked into the room; Brian followed close on his heels as he approached the bed and sat down on the side of it as Brian joined him. "We both know you're not asleep yet; we heard you talking."

Katie sighed heavily as she opened her eyes and turned her head to peer over at her sister. "I told you that you were being too loud!" she hissed as Kaylee, too, opened her eyes and shook her head in exasperation.

"I wasn't the only one talking, you know! It takes two to have a conversation," she pointed out.

Brian placed his hand over his mouth to keep the smile from showing on his face as Justin told them quietly, "It doesn't matter, girls. You both know it's light out no later than eleven."

"But if we had been asleep, we wouldn't have been able to say goodnight to you," Katie told him sensibly as she scooted up in the bed to sit up straight and reached her hands out toward her father.

Justin's heart promptly melted into goo as he pulled his daughter into a snug embrace. "You have a point there, Katie," he told her softly, his chin resting in the crook of her neck as she wound her arms around his back and held on tight. He squeezed her briefly before he pulled back to look into her eyes, so much like his own. He smiled at her as he kept her loosely held in his arms. "I wouldn't have wanted to miss that."

Brian watched the scene before him and couldn't help thinking how surreal it still was. How many times - how many years - had he silently wished for this to happen? Now that it had, it was almost hard to believe. As Katie pulled away from Justin and hugged him in the same manner, though, he knew that thankfully it was definitely real. He hugged her tight and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek as he released her. "Sweet dreams, Chiquitita," he murmured as he gently laid her back down onto the bed.

"Hey," Kaylee protested from the other side of the bed as she sat up against the headboard. "What about me? There's a carbon copy of her over here, you know."

Justin and Brian looked at each other and laughed as they rose from the bed to walk around and sit down next to Kaylee. Brian smiled down at her as he pulled her into his arms. "Good Night, Munchkin," he whispered against her cheek as Justin's eyes watered at the unexpected pet name; a name he hadn't heard in years.

Kaylee crinkled her nose as she broke loose from his embrace to stare up at him. "Munchkin? Isn't that the name for those old, fat, short people from the Wizard of Oz?"

Brian chuckled as he peered over at Justin, noticing the sentimental look in his partner's eyes. "Yeah, it sure is," he confirmed softly with a smile as he turned back to look at her.

She frowned. "Why would you call me that, then?" Although in an odd way, it sounded familiar.

Brian smiled as he explained, "Because when you were really little, you used to be fascinated by that movie. And you had these adorable, chubby, little, rosy cheeks; just like those two Munchkins in the movie that wore the suspenders and carried around big, round lollipops."

Justin grinned at their daughter's reaction of horror. "He's right. When you were colicky, watching that movie over and over again was about the only thing that calmed you down." He gazed over at Brian as he added softly, "That...and being held in your dad's arms." He turned to look at Katie. "Now you - you, on the other hand, were scared to death of the Munchkins. Whenever they showed up on the screen, you would hide your face in my chest and not look back around until Toto reappeared. You loved that dog. And you have no idea how far and wide we had to look until we found a stuffed one to give to you for Christmas that year."

"I did not," Katie maintained stiffly, finding it hard to believe she would be afraid of anything. "I see scary movies all the time, and nothing frightens me." Although, she had to admit...she remembered that black stuffed dog well. In fact, she still had it in a cedar chest up in a corner of the attic, too emotionally attached to it to discard it. She could remember sleeping with it until she was at least seven or eight years old. It invariably found its way into her arms whenever a violent thunderstorm broke out, or the house seemed way too quiet at night. She wasn't sure exactly when she had stopped needing it. But it had been an important part of her life - and a sense of comfort and security - for a long time before that.

"You might be a regular daredevil now," Brian told her with a smile. "But you were a lot different back when you were a toddler."

"What about Dali and Picasso?" Kaylee pointed out to her sister. "You're frightened of them."

"I am not!" Katie maintained. "There's a big difference between being scared of something and not liking them."

Kaylee eyed her dubiously. "Uh, huh," she said, unconvinced.

"Well, you're afraid of Ceres and Eton," she pointed out, feeling a little guilty over the comparison but unable to help herself. She could remember all too well how worried she had been when her sister had had her recent accident.

"That's different!" Kaylee replied, her eyes flashing in indignation as if reading her mind. "I fell off one of them, remember? You can't ride a cat."

"Girls," Brian admonished them gently as Justin chuckled beside him. "I didn't mean to start World War III. Lay back down; it's time for bed. No arguments," he told them quietly but firmly. "Your father is very tired after his trip and needs to get some sleep."

Kaylee sighed in frustration, but both girls did as they were asked as they slid back down onto the mattress and gazed over at their fathers. Katie voiced aloud the same question that her sister was thinking as she asked hopefully, "Daddy, are you sleeping here in the house tonight?"

Both fathers exchanged a glance; they had expected such a plea from at least one of them, but it didn't make it much easier to answer. Justin replied softly, "No, Sweetheart. You know Kaylee and I will be living in the carriage house...For a while at least, anyway."

"But..."

"Katherine Elizabeth," Brian interrupted firmly but softly. "We've discussed this over and over. Now both of you - go to sleep. I'll be right down the hall, and you will see your father in the morning." He looked over at Justin, who nodded in confirmation. "Hash browns and scrambled eggs with toast and strawberry jam?" he asked softly, reciting Justin's favorite breakfast even after all these years.

Justin grinned, pleased that Brian had remembered. "Yeah...I think I can handle that."

"Wait!" Kaylee beseeched them as they started to rise from the bed. She reached to grasp Justin's sleeve as he sighed a little wearily. "Yes, Honey, what is it?"

"You didn't say goodnight to ME, Daddy."

Justin smiled at her affectionately as he leaned over to kiss her on the cheek, grasping both her shoulders for leverage, before he pulled back and nuzzled her nose briefly, Eskimo-style. "Goodnight, Kaylee," he whispered. "Sweet dreams."

"Goodnight, Daddy," she murmured as she let out a big yawn and stretched. "Love you. We'll see you at breakfast." Justin nodded as he rose from the bed and stood next to Brian, feeling his partner's hand on his shoulder as he gave it a squeeze. Quietly they walked over to the doorway and, with one more peek at their daughters Brian softly closed the door behind them, leaving it slightly ajar in case they should need him for anything during the night.

"So..." he began as he turned to face Justin, and found himself drowning in the fathomless, blue eyes peering up at him. He knew this moment was coming, but he fucking hated it. He wanted so badly to just drag Justin down to their master bedroom and remind him of exactly what both of them would be missing by him adhering to his principles and returning to the carriage house tonight. But he also knew he wouldn't do that; he had to look at the bigger, more rewarding picture here. He still felt a little bit like someone saying goodnight on a first date, however. "Will the cats sleep with you in bed tonight, Sunshine?" he asked softly in jest as he grasped his partner by the upper arms and curled his lips under playfully.

Justin smiled back at him as he placed his hands, palms down, on Brian's chest. "I imagine that's where they'll end up," he admitted, knowing he wouldn't have the heart to keep them confined to their carriers all night. "They were used to sleeping with Kaylee all the time back in Chicago; they'll have to make do with me, though, at least for tonight."

"Lucky cats," Brian replied huskily as Justin's face flushed with heat over the sultry tone of his voice; Brian's eyes lowered to gaze at the inviting pair of lips in front of him, his intentions and his desire crystal clear. "Justin," he whispered, just before he leaned in and the two of them moved as one into each other's arms to kiss, Justin's hands sliding up Brian's chest to twine behind his neck as Brian's hands crept upward to cradle Justin's head between them to angle it so he could deepen the kiss, both men gasping softly in reaction as Brian's tongue swept inside to thoroughly swab the inside of Justin's mouth.

It would be several seconds before they finally broke off their kiss, both men softly panting with exertion as they looked into each other's eyes longingly. "Fuck, Justin," Brian murmured as he leaned his forehead against his lover's, his hands still cupping his face. "I thought being apart for so long was tough; shit, knowing you're going to be in that carriage house and not in my bed tonight is going to be even harder." He sighed as he pulled back to look into Justin's eyes, his fingers slowly stroking across the slightly-stubbled cheek.

"Go," he gruffly replied, knowing it had to be done. "Get out of here before I'm not able to let you go."

Justin nodded, swallowing hard as he slipped out of Brian's embrace and quietly turned to head back down the hallway toward the steps, not chancing a look back for fear his previous resolve would crumble. He had to do this, though; he had to know for sure that he and his daughter were making the right decision. He knew that Brian realized that, too; but it certainly didn't make it easy on them. Somehow, he didn't think he was going to derive quite the same comfort from the two fur balls waiting downstairs for him tonight as he would the man he was walking away from.

"Who am I kidding?" he muttered at the absurdity. What a stupid statement. He sighed just before he reached the bottom floor and began to walk down the hallway toward the rear of the house, stopping on the way to enter the basement and retrieve his sleeping companions for the evening. He snorted as he scooped them up and placed them into their cat carriers. As they meowed back at him forlornly, no doubt missing their familiar home, he told them ruefully, "Tell me about it." He shook his head in sympathy; it wasn't their fault. "Come on, time for ALL of us to get used to our new surroundings," he told them as he trudged back up the steps and headed toward the back door.

Unbeknownst to their fathers, neither daughter stayed in their beds for long; as soon as Brian and Justin left the room, they looked at each just long enough to fling the covers back in perfect synchrony and rush, barefoot, over to the slightly ajar door, Kaylee stooping underneath her sister so they could both sneak a peek through the opening to see what was happening.

Both girls' eyes widened in jubilation as they observed their fathers locked in a deep kiss, their bodies plastered tightly against each other as they stood a few feet apart from them. They were obviously too caught up in their activity to pay them any mind, as they heard a soft moan escape from one of them while they continued to kiss, their arms wound tightly around each other.

The two girls gave each other a silent high-five and grinned as they watched their fathers become 'reacquainted.' Their beaming smiles of triumph, however, quickly faded as they watched their father lean his forehead against the other and murmur something softly in his ear before their Daddy turned and headed down the hallway away from him...alone. Apparently he was going to make good on his vow to keep his distance.

"Noooo..." Katie whispered in disappointment as they watched their other father turn and trudge down the hallway toward his master bedroom a few doors away. "What is the matter with him?" she complained as they turned away from the door and leaned against the wall.

"Well, he told us that was what he was going to do," Kaylee pointed out.

"I know! But I didn't really think he would go through with it! Did you see the way they were kissing just now? They were practically sucking face."

Kaylee sighed dreamily. "I know," she whispered back as they turned to watch their father enter his room and softly close the door behind him. "Poor Dad. This just doesn't seem...right."

Katie nodded in complete agreement as she turned her head to peer over at her sister. She bit her lip thoughtfully for a moment before she decided, "We have to do something!"

Kaylee's eyes widened anxiously; she had already seen what had happened before when they had tried to 'help.' "But Dad and Daddy told us we can't get involved anymore. Remember the wine cellar?"

Katie huffed impatiently. "Come on, Kaylee! This is love and death we're talking about here!"

Kaylee rolled her eyes over her sister's melodrama. "Love and death?"

"Yeah; love between the two of them, and the death of our family, if we don't do something! Besides - we already KNOW they love each other; we're just going to help them along a little, okay?"

Her sister eyed her dubiously. "You don't know what the word 'little' means."

"Hmpff," was the indignant reply.

Despite her misgivings, though, Kaylee leaned in closer to her sister and whispered, "I know I'm going to regret this. But what do you have in mind? If we're really going to do this, maybe we should get Gus to help us, too."

Katie shook her head. "No, I think the least amount of people that know about this, the better." She grinned as a particular plan began to formulate in her mind. "Leave it to me," she told her sister, her eyes gleaming as she smiled. "I have everything under control."

"Oh, no," Kaylee groaned, thinking back to Sandra and the honey caper. "That's what I was afraid of."

"Come on." Her sister grabbed her arm as she led her over to her laptop lying on top of the window seat. "We've got some research to do."

The Next Morning...

"Hi, Honey," Jennifer greeted her son with a smile as he shuffled in through the back door. She had gotten up approximately an hour earlier than everyone else and had headed down to the kitchen, determined to have a big, family breakfast ready before the rest of the household was up, noticing with amusement a note written by Brian lying on top of the counter, asking her if she would mind making one of Justin's favorite breakfasts this morning.

She watched from her place at the stove as her bleary-eyed son walked up to her and, after giving her a peck on the cheek, reached to grab a mug lying next to the coffeemaker to pour himself a cup.

"I would ask how you slept last night," she began as she looked over at him. "But from the looks of things, I don't think I really need to do that."

Justin rubbed his face with his free hand and sighed. "I thought with as tired as I was yesterday, I would be asleep before my head even hit the pillow. But I tossed and turned all night long." He took a large swallow of his coffee, not even bothering to put cream or sugar in it as he leaned back against the counter next to his mother.

"Too much on your mind?" she asked him softly. Something told her he wasn't the only one who had had a restless night last night.

"Something like that." He let out a deep breath. "You know...until just a few days ago, I had slept by myself for years. Now, though...it feels weird." He knew why, though, and he imagined his mom knew, too. It had taken him quite a while when he and Brian had separated to get accustomed to sleeping without his partner's warm, familiar body next to him at night, holding him close and making him feel so loved and secure. After yesterday evening, he found the idea now of sleeping apart decidedly cold and uninviting. Yep - righteousness and principles certainly made for lonely bedfellows...

Jennifer nodded, realizing precisely the reason why but choosing not to say it aloud. She had had more than her share of interfering in both her son's and his partner's lives. Despite her desire to see all of them reunited again under the same household, she had finally realized it wasn't her decision to make. What ultimately occurred had to be a mutually arrived-at decision between her son and Brian - and the girls, of course.

"Grab a plate, Honey, while it's still warm," she instructed him as Justin reached up to secure a plate from the cabinet to the right of the sink, heartened as he realized they were in the same spot he and Brian had always kept them in before.

"Hi, Daddy!" A pair of excited, happy voices called out to him as he turned around to flash a tender smile on his daughters entering the room, still clad in their sleeping apparel. "You're here!"

"Of course," he told them as they rushed up to him and he laid his plate down long enough to sweep them up into a big hug against his body. "I told you I would be." He glanced around them toward the hallway. "Where's your father?"

"I think he's in the shower," Katie reported. "We peeked inside his bedroom and heard the water running." Justin nodded, trying hard not to think about what a just-showered Brian typically looked like. He wondered if his partner still liked to strut around with a towel wrapped loosely around his slender hips, hanging tantalizing down right above his pubes area, his hair wet and bedraggled-looking and his chest glistening with droplets of water...

"Justin? Justin!"

He blinked as he looked over at his mother who had been calling his name. "Sorry," he replied somewhat sheepishly as his daughters eyed him curiously. "What were you saying?"

"I said...why don't you and the girls go ahead and start eating before everything gets cold? I'm sure Brian and Gus will be down soon...and you know Brian won't eat most of this anyway. I'll fix him an omelet and some whole-wheat toast. And if you don't start eating now, trust me; once Gus comes down you won't have much to eat once he's finished with it."

"Hey," came the indignant response from the hallway. "I'm not THAT bad!" Gus walked over to kiss his grandmother on the cheek as she grinned back at him. "I would've left at least a pancake or two." He reached over to steal a sausage link from the platter next to the stove before he grabbed a plate and began to help himself to a heaping stack of pancakes, a large scoop of hash browns, and a couple more sausage links before taking it over to the kitchen table to join Justin and his sisters.

Kaylee eyed his plate in disbelief. "You're going to eat all THAT?"

"I'm a growing boy," Gus said with a shrug as he reached over to playfully ruffle his sister's hair. Katie snorted in response as he spread some butter onto his stack of pancakes and then drizzled a large pool of syrup on top before he dug into a large bite of them with relish.

"I see you started this party without me," Brian drawled from his place in the hallway, his arms folded across his chest. His eyes instantly latched onto Justin's as his partner turned to smile over at him.

Jennifer grinned. "Come and join us, Dad," she teased him as he walked closer. He smirked in amusement as Katie pushed her plate across the table from her current spot next to Justin and scooted back from the table to stand up and walk over to the other side in a not-so-subtle hint for him to sit next to him. Never one to pass up a good opportunity, he walked over and grabbed a mug of coffee before settling next to his partner.

"I've got an omelet and some whole-wheat toast coming up," Jennifer told him as she scooped the egg mixture up and slid it onto a plate.

"Thanks," Brian told him with an appreciative smile as he peered over at his partner, noticing the fine, wrinkled lines around his eyes. "Sleep well, Sunshine?" he asked innocently.

"No more than you did, apparently," Justin observed dryly as he studied Brian's haggard-looking face. "Insomnia?"

Brian took a big swig of his coffee before muttering, "Yeah...something like that."

"Had it long?" Justin asked as he eyed Brian innocently.

Little fucker, Brian silently thought. He smiled over at Justin. "No...Actually, it just started recently. How about you?"

Justin smirked. "Oh, about the same," he told him.

Brian solemnly nodded. "What a coincidence. So...Do you have any suggestions how I could take care of my condition?" He peered over at Jennifer when she cleared her throat and flashed him a scolding look. He shrugged. "I just thought your son here might have an idea, that's all. Well, Sunshine?"

Gus snickered from his place at the table as his sisters giggled; Justin's face promptly turned red in reaction.

"Sleeping pills," he finally told him. "They sell them at the drugstore."

He thought he saw just a flicker of disappointment on Brian's face before he nodded. "Well, I was thinking of something a bit more creative...But I'll keep that in mind." Justin nodded back at his partner, finding himself disappointed just a bit, as he picked up his fork and dug into his breakfast.

"Justin?"

Justin held his syrup-laden fork up as he turned to peer over at Brian. "Yeah?"

Brian glanced over at Katie and Kaylee before he asked, "When did you want to contact the court about the girls? I'm assuming you still want to revise the custody agreement."

Suddenly Katie and Kaylee became avid listeners as their ears perked up and they stopped with their forks in mid-air to gaze over at their father. Even Jennifer and Gus stopped eating to stare over at him expectantly.

Justin glanced over at their rapt audience for a moment as he felt his face warming over all the attention before, to the girls' great relief, he nodded. "Of course I do," he assured them and Brian as he smiled tenderly over at the girls. "That won't change no matter what."

Brian nodded in relief as well; he was hoping that hadn't changed. "I know an attorney who is familiar with custody law if you want me to contact him." Actually, he had already been speaking with Kinnetik's attorney while Justin had been in Chicago, so that when he did come back he would have a name readily available that they could confer with. No matter what happened between the two of them eventually, he wanted to ensure that the girls would not be separated again.

Justin smiled. "Sounds good." He took a couple more bites of his pancakes and a sip of his coffee before he informed Brian, "By the way, I think the movers should be here sometime this morning with the rest of mine and Kaylee's stuff that I couldn't fit into the SUV."

Brian nodded. "They should be able to drive back directly to the carriage house to unload."

Kaylee asked, "What sort of stuff, Daddy? I thought you were going to leave most of it back at the condo."

Justin nodded. "I did. But there were a few paintings and some other, more sentimental things that I couldn't bear to leave there," he explained. "So I hired a moving truck to bring it down here."

"Did you remember to...?"

Justin smiled. "Yes, Kaylee," he assured her. "I wrapped up all your cheerleading trophies very carefully and placed them in a box before they loaded it onto the truck. And all of your room decorations as well." Kaylee nodded in pleased satisfaction, her face beaming over her father's thoughtfulness.

Katie, however, scrunched up her nose. "You could have left all those frilly butterflies up there, if you ask me."

"Well, I didn't ask you," Kaylee retorted. "I like them; they're pretty."

"I like them; they're pretty," her sister repeated her words mockingly as Kaylee promptly stuck her tongue out at her.

"Girls," Brian chastised them as Justin grinned over at his mother in amusement. "Each of you will have your own room; so it shouldn't matter how each one decorates it. If Kaylee wants a rainforest of butterflies in her room, then that's fine...right, Katie?" he asked her, one eyebrow raised in a no-nonsense manner.

Katie shook her head in exasperation. "Fine with me," she decided. "But I still don't see how she sleeps at night with all that going on."

Gus laughed then. "Oh, it's going to be interesting having two sisters around," he decided. "And it'll give Dad someone else to worry about now besides me."

"Don't be so sure, Sonny Boy," Brian told him with a gruff inflection in his voice; it was obvious he was being anything but, though, as he added, "I will always worry about you, too."

Gus nodded back at him with a smile before he scooted back from the chair. "Well, if you will all excuse me, I'm going into town today."

"What for?"

"Daaaaad," he replied as Brian grinned back at him in a 'see?' sort of expression. "If you MUST know, I'm meeting a girl for lunch - and then we're going to a movie together."

Brian's eyes widened in a combination of surprise and maybe just a little bit of pride. "A girl? You've been in town, what? A few days? And you're going on a date with someone? I'm impressed, Gus."

Gus rolled his eyes. "Later, Dad. See you, Justin." Justin nodded as Gus walked around to hug his grandmother by her neck from behind. "Bye, Grandma; I'll stop over to see you in a few days."

She nodded back at him with a smile. "Make sure you do. I'll see you little enough when you go back to school."

"Behave yourselves, girls," he told his sisters as he turned to go. "Don't do anything that I wouldn't do."

"That seems like a distinct contradiction," his father dryly observed as Gus grinned before, with a short wave, he headed down the hallway toward the front door.

Jennifer rose a few minutes later to also announce she would be heading back into town, needing to meet with a potential client to show them several houses she presently had listed on the market.

"Mom, thanks for everything," Justin told her sincerely as she rose to head over to the dishwasher with her soiled dishes. "Don't worry about cleaning up! We'll take care of it. You go ahead."

"You sure, Honey?"

He nodded as she said her goodbyes to Brian and the girls, before she, too, headed upstairs to collect her items in preparation to leave.

At last, the two fathers and their daughters were alone as Justin began to collect the rest of the breakfast dishes and walk over to the dishwasher. Brian's eyes followed him closely as he placed the cups and glasses in the top part, and then bent over to stack the plates upright into the bottom compartment, giving Brian the perfect angle to observe the always-perfectly shaped ass of his beautiful lover. His eyes darkened slightly in reaction as Justin turned around to lock his gaze immediately onto his, his partner's face flushing as he instantly recognized what that look meant.

He cleared his throat as he walked back over to the table. "Well. I think that's all taken care of," he decided. "I'll handle the pots and pans. Girls, why don't you go upstairs and make up the bed and get dressed? Kaylee, I'll need you to come down to the carriage house in a little while before the movers get here to tell me how you want to organize your new bedroom, okay?"

Kaylee appeared disappointed for just a second - knowing that meant that her father was still pressing on with his decision for them to maintain separate residences - but as she recalled her and Katie's conversation last night, she quickly covered her reaction with a smile and a nod. "Okay, Daddy," she told him as Justin smiled back at her. "I'll be there soon."

"Come on, Kaylee," Katie called over to her sister as the two of them rose from their place at the kitchen table and proceeded down the hallway. They, too, had some work to do as well - and it had nothing to do with Katie's bedroom.

Chapter End Notes:

I'm working on the next part to this now. I should have it up soon before I move onto the next story in my rotation.:) Thank you to Boriqua522 for being my beta for this story.:)