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guavejuice
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urugwaj Than you SO much!!!Author:
guavejuicePairing:Brian/Justin
Beta:Kim
predec2 Can't thank you enough!!!A/N:This is NOT a WIP.
Click HERE to read previous chapters
Disclaimer:I own nothing but this story.
Comments are love.
Part 10
-Two and a half months later, Debbie's café, Brixton-
"Well, look who's here…" Debbie chirps towards Vic as she busily takes down the Christmas and New Year’s party decorations.
"Hi, Debs," Justin answers coyly, taking his usual place at the counter with Brian beside him as he lifts an eyebrow in question toward her.
"Sorry 'bout that, Luv; we're only now taking down these bloody decorations," she states the obvious. "And who's that fine young fella?" she continues, as a curious Vic raises his head from the cardboard box in front of him to inspect the visitor.
"I was busy…sort of. Sorry about it, Debs," Justin murmurs in quiet apology.
"Don't bloody apologize if you don't mean it," she smacks her gum and brings two tea mugs to the counter as she speaks.
"This is Brian Kinney," Justin eventually introduces his partner, who responds with a slight smirk.
"Blimey! If I ever… SO pleased to meet you, lad; I mean Brian. I bet there's a bit of Irish blood in there somewhere, isn’t there?" she continues.
"On my dad's side, I guess," Brian replies with an amused smile. "Judging by the way he used to drink, at least." Brian pulls his lips inward as he's mentioning it. No one here needs to know how his father almost had his wife kicked out of their home when he found out she was pregnant with Brian, because due to her Irish Catholic beliefs she refused to get an abortion, despite her husband's demands. No one here – apart from Justin – would ever know what it meant for him to bear the scars of being an unwanted child for as long as he could remember. He was fifteen when they moved to another neighborhood after the old jerk had passed away, and that was around the time he realized he was gay, but that was the one thing he couldn't fucking care less if people knew.
"Are you alright, lad? Should I bring you something stronger than tea?" Debbie asks, noticing Brian’s change of expression to something decidedly somber.
"No, there's no need for that, thanks," Brian quickly bounces back. While he was growing up he’d had years of practice in which to do just that. He's been practically living in England for almost three months now, but if there's one thing he still can't get used to, it’s the warm British beer. Who the fuck drinks warm beer? Luckily for him there was one corner shop across the street from Justin's flat where he could get some proper, cold beer, so that was okay with him. Oh, and yes, he had moved in with Justin, alright, while he's been in London working on the gay, holiday apartment campaign.
"But…We can very well give you a reason to cheer, Debs," Justin responds with a mysterious smirk.
"What's that?" Daphne marches into the café, waving her curly hair as it bounces back and forth in time with her walk. "What secrets were you planning on sharing without me?" she asks with a pout.
"And me, daa'ling?" Emmett interjects, not wanting to be left out.
"Well, since you're all here, let me just say it," Justin exclaims, looking at Brian to get his approval. "We're engaged!"
Everyone cheers and claps, and soon enough Debbie nudges Vic to go above the café to their flat and retrieve a bottle of ‘bubbly.’
"So when did he pop the question?" Debbie inquires.
"This morning in the bathroom, believe it or not," Justin replies with a laugh.
"And when's the big day?" Daphne inquires excitedly. Justin smiles back at her over her enthusiasm as he reassures her, "We'll let you know; don't worry," he says.
"Oh, my, I never thought I'd see the day." Debbie sighs as she wipes away a hidden tear.
"Neither did I, Debs, but I guess we'll have to wait just a little bit longer for the actual, big day. Brian's visa is about to expire at the end of this month, so he needs to get back to the States to sort a couple of things out before he can come back here," he explains.
"This is so bloody exciting, isn't it?" Debbie chirps as she turns to her brother. "Maybe you could get married at the club. How about that, Vic?"
"Why can't you get married next week right here at our city council?" Emmett presses.
“Brian and I decided we don't want to rush it," Justin explains, beaming as he talks. "I mean, we waited long enough as it is… what's a few more weeks?"
_ _ _ _ _ _
-A month later, Taylor's family estate at Dorset-
"I'm so sorry about it, darling, but it seems like there's nothing that can be done," Jennifer tells her brokenhearted son over breakfast in the vast dining room.
"Don't do that, mother! I know you mean well, but it's really not helping right now. Bloody hell! He was supposed to go back to the States to sort a couple of things out so he could get his visa extended and stay HERE until he got a permanent permit once we got married. I don't understand what went wrong? He's been there for over four weeks now." Justin can't hold back the tears.
"Look, Justin, I tried to pull some strings for you in Parliament, believe me, but even some of those old chaps couldn't help. You see… it would have been a lot easier if you were… if this was…" Craig’s voice trails off uncomfortably.
“…If Brian and I were just another bloody straight couple?" Justin completes the thought, crying in frustration.
"Language, please, Justin," Jennifer reminds her distressed son in a stern voice.
"Enough with that, Jennifer! Can't you see the boy is utterly overwhelmed with emotion?" Craig scolds his wife. She presses her lips together and takes a sip from the elegant, bone china tea cup before placing it back on top of its matching saucer.
"I can see that, Craig but there's no need to… overprotect him. He is NOT a boy anymore," she points out quietly.
"This is not the time or place for that now, Jennifer," Craig states in a quiet yet commanding voice. “I know we didn't always accept Justin for who he is, but I would rather support him now than to lose him altogether," he continues after a slight pause. "Now you can either sit here and simmer in your aristocratic self-loathing, or you can join me while I try to help OUR son sort this bloody mess out so he and his partner can have the future they deserve just as much as any other couple in this country does. And I'm saying that as a conservative member of Her Majesty's parliament," he reminds her.
The room suddenly becomes deathly still; only the ticking of the 18th century clock on the mantle breaks the silence.
Collins stands by the side of the door waiting to clear the breakfast table.
"Will that be all, Lady Taylor?" he finally decides to politely inquire.
"Yes, thank you, Collins. We'll be in Lord Taylor’s study upstairs. You can carry on in here," Jennifer answers, clearly a bit shaken, but still keeping a stiff upper lip in front of the 'domestic help.’
Justin gets up from his seat as Jennifer leaves the table. As he and Craig soon follow, he turns to his father and mouths a silent 'thank you' at him.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _
-A few days later-
"Justin, this is Melanie Marcus, a Barrister who practices law in the City. She agreed to meet us here to see if she can help with your case. She specializes in civil rights issues, and she's the best in her field," Craig explains as he introduces the short-haired, serious-looking woman wearing an elegant, yet business-like, grey, tailored suit. The woman nods in gratitude as she reaches her hand to shake Justin's. "Please, everyone take a seat," Craig suggests.
“I’m pleased to meet you, Ms. Marcus, and I thank you for coming here, but I honestly don't think we have a case at all," Justin says, his voice filled with sorrow. He misses Brian so damn much, but he was fast losing hope.
“Why won't you just give your version of the story, and we'll take it from there?" Melanie says, pulling out a yellow legal pad and an expensive fountain pen from her thin, black leather briefcase.
"Brian and I met last June. God, I can't believe it… well, anyway we met at the Serpentine Art Show. At first we didn't think much about it. We thought it might just be a…" he stops and takes a hesitant look towards his father. As understanding and supportive as he's proving to be through all this, there are still some things Lord Craig Taylor, MP might not be comfortable with, including listening to his own son talking about his one-night stands with casual guys.
"It's perfectly alright, Justin. Go on," Craig says.
"Are you sure?" Justin asks anyway.
"Your father can choose to leave the room at any moment, Justin," Melanie points out. "We're just gathering the initial evidence now."
"Well, alright then," Justin nods before he continues. "So I never gave it much thought at first, and apparently he didn't, either. We both were not much into a proper relationship.” Justin stops again, peering over at his father to make sure it's alright to carry on. "I was never in a serious relationship before, and neither was he; not to mention we live thousands of miles away from each other. So when his short business trip here ended after three days – which we did spend together in my flat – he returned to the States. We kept up a very casual connection via emails, but nothing more than that. I even refused his offer to come and visit him in Pittsburgh – where he lives and owns a major ad agency – because I thought it was way too much, too soon for me. But then a few weeks before Christmas he suddenly contacted me and told me he was coming over here for yet another business trip which was to be a more extended one." Justin stops to take a breath.
"How extended?" Melanie asks matter-of-factly.
"Three months," Justin answers, swallowing hard to keep the tears from escaping down his cheeks and making him look like a child.
"And where did he stay during those three months?" Melanie asks.
"At first I invited him to stay here with my parents for the holiday, but then…Well, one thing led to another, and he moved into my flat while he was working here on a big ad campaign," Justin states.
"And how would you describe your… relationship during those three months?" Melanie asks.
"We're…We got engaged in January, a few weeks before he returned to the States," Justin informs her, his voice trailing off as he thinks about the man he loves being so far away.
"Did you know he wouldn’t be coming back to the UK?" Melanie pressed.
"No, not at all. In fact, I don't even know if Brian knew. We were told he only needed to go back to sort a few things out before he came back here, but… apparently we were misled," he told her.
"That is yet to be determined, Mr. Taylor," Melanie states dryly. "All right then. I think I have more than enough to put together a case and submit an appeal on your behalf. Let me tell you, though, that it might take a while. These matters still take a lot of time and effort. Twice as much as with straight couples, sadly, but I promise you I'll do whatever I can," she says, her voice softening. She can tell by the melancholy look on her new client’s face that he feels quite deeply for this other man. What difference does it make, then, what their sexuality is?
Justin nods sadly. “Ms. Marcus?”
Focusing back on the young man next to her, she raises her eyebrows curiously. “Yes?”
Justin feels his face warming over the intense look on her face, but he forges on. “I…I never thought I could feel this way about another man until I met Brian. But now the thought of not having him in my life, and not being able to marry him…” He swallows hard. “Please tell me that you can help us.”
Mel offers him a half-smile of encouragement; she certainly is sympathetic to his plight, but at the same time she has to be realistic. She nods back at him as she replies, "Well, don't invite the city council official just yet…but I can promise you that I'll do my best."
Justin nods, grateful for her support. “Thank you. I’m going to hold onto that,” he tells her wistfully as she impulsively reaches over to briefly squeeze his arm before rising to go.
_ _ _ _ _ _
-Later that night-
“So…How was it?" Brian asks as soon as his daily Skype chat with Justin begins.
"It went alright. I was rather apprehensive at first, but then she seemed very trustworthy and she promised she’ll do her best to help us. Oh, and one more thing. She said she wants to speak with you, Mr. Kinney, to get some more details. She said I should let her know tomorrow what would be a good time for you, so she can arrange a conference call, so…no sex cam tomorrow night," Justin tells him, smiling when he hears Brian groan in protest.
"Well, I guess we'll just have to make up for it tonight, then," Brian tells him unexpectedly.
"Are you out of your bloody mind? You're at work right now!" Justin chuckles.
"Don't worry about it. I told Ted to take care of the office today, because I'll be working from home," Brian says, adjusting the camera slightly to give Justin a view of the loft.
"God, I miss that place…" Justin takes a deep breath.
"You've never been here," Brian points out in amusement.
"I know… but I miss it. I miss YOU. God! Why do we have to go through all this?" his voice almost breaks when he glances at his laptop screen. Brian's image suddenly gets distorted and then fades out and disappears before the screen turns black.
Justin lets out a deep, shaky breath before throwing himself on the huge bed in despair. He's bloody fed up with the whole situation. It's not that people can't have long-distance relationships and maintain them, but this feels so unjust, so cruel, so…1880’s…
He suddenly lets out a dry laugh, remembering Deb’s words in the café not so long ago. "You've got to keep laughing, because if not you might start crying, you know?"
But for how long?
"Rise and shine, Sunshine," Brian's voice abruptly brings him back from his contemplative mood.
"Bloody hell, what just happened?" Justin exclaims in frustration. "Where have you been?”
"I moved into my bedroom. S'all, Sunshine," Brian drawls.
"What's up with THAT?" Justin lets out a small smile of amusement.
"Oh, nothing. I just heard your friend Debbie calling you Sunshine back when we had breakfast at the local café, and I decided I liked it," Brian explains, tucking his tongue inside his cheek.
A melancholy sigh escapes Justin's lips. He slides his body across the mattress with the laptop in his lap. "I miss you so much, Brian," he whispers painfully.
"I know; me, too," Brian says candidly. "It's so weird, you know?" he continues, adjusting his position in his bed while still gazing at his laptop screen. "At first we never even wanted to get into the whole 'relationship' thing, but now that we're practically engaged we CAN'T be together like every other fucking couple.”
"I guess we'll have to wait and see if Ms. Marcus can help us get through this." Justin tries to sound optimistic.
"You can always accept my offer and come visit me here," Brian suggests.
"I guess we'll have to postpone that for now, at least until we find a way to get out of this mess," Justin replies. "But there are other things I can't postpone any longer, so shut the up and fuck me," he demands, looking directly at the little laptop camera with a sexy grin.
"I'll try to do my best, Mr. Taylor." Brian nods and disappears from the screen again, only to come back a couple of minutes later, leaning naked against the headboard of his bed. "I know it's not much, but It'll have to do for now," he whispers under his breath. The lower half of Brian’s body is barely visible on Justin's side of the screen, but from the way the American’s camera vibrates and his breath becomes quicker and shallower, Justin can definitely tell Brian is well under way. Not only that, but Justin resorts to the same exact action, grabbing his own slippery erection in his fist, pumping it softly at first, but then harder and faster while keeping his eyes on Brian's the entire time as if there's no computer screen, thousands of miles, and a few cold, discriminating, heartless rules dividing them at this moment.
"Ghuuu…" Both men cry almost in unison on both ends of the Atlantic before they both release their orgasms in their beds and collapse on their respective mattresses.
"That was…" Brian moans.
"…Hawwwwt," Justin murmurs.
"Look at us, finishing each other's sentences like an old married couple," Brian quips, his bare, sweaty chest heaving as he pants heavily.
"If only this argument were admissible in court here," Justin comments dryly.
"I'm not so sure it would be admissible in court here, either," Brian counters.
"We’ll keep on fighting," Justin tells him with determination. "We must keep a bloody stiff upper lip, mustn’t we?" he continues while attempting to catch his breath.
"You can say THAT again," Brian answers with a newfound bravado. "Up for another round?"
"Indeed I am," Justin says.
"Turn over, then," Brian orders.
"You drive a hard bargain," Justin responds with a grin, accepting the challenge as he flips onto his stomach and readjusts the position of his laptop to let Brian have a better view.
_ _ _ _ _ _
-Next day, early evening, Justin's flat in Brixton-
"Sorry for the mess. I only got back from my parents’ house this morning. Thank you for meeting me here," Justin says while showing Melanie Marcus in.
"It's perfectly alright. In fact it's much easier for me to get here than to travel to the countryside," she notes in a heavy, dry, posh accent. "So let's get started. Did you notify your partner, Mr. Kinney, that we're about to conduct this conference call via Skype?" she asks, setting her writing pad and pen down onto the living room table.
"Yes, I did," Justin replies. "In fact, we were both wondering if these Skype sessions would be admissible in court to support our case," he adds while setting up his laptop.
"It's NOT a criminal case, Justin. It's more of a civil rights case, so I think I can definitely submit all of your Skype statements for the appeal," she explains briefly.
Seconds later Justin lets out a sigh and nods quietly as Brian's face fills the screen in front of him. Ms. Marcus leans forward and introduces herself in a brisk, businesslike manner.
"I was wondering if you could fill us in on your side of the story?" she asks, her tone neutral and professional.
Brian glanced over at his fiancé before responding, “We met over there, and at first both of us thought of it as more of a casual-type fu…uh, encounter,” he corrects himself, not sure how she would respond to such frankness. “But eventually we both realized we wanted something more out of our relationship.” He shakes his head in disgust. “Only trouble is – now that we’ve figured that out, we can’t be together like other hetero couples are.”
Mel nodds as she hurriedly scribbls some notes down on her legal pad. “Well, as I told your partner earlier, we're only gathering the facts at this point in time. I do sympathize with your and Mr. Taylor’s situation, which is why I agreed to take this case once Craig – I mean, Lord Taylor – approached me. I can totally understand how frustrating it can be, especially with same-sex marriage being legal here in the UK and in some major U.S. states, including New York and Pennsylvania, which as I understand is where you live and work. Your case is by far more difficult, however, because you’re considered an international couple. Don't quote me on this, but it's really aggravating that our bloody countries have different rules when it comes to same sex couples who wish to marry and live in one of the partner's countries of origin , but as I told Justin I'll do whatever I can to help you fight this in any legal way possible," she concludes, waving her fountain pen in the air.
"But we… Lo…fuck! WE LOVE each other! Fuck it! Can't they understand that?" Brian's plea fills Justin's computer screen.
Justin's heart almost breaks as he turns his face the other way so both of them won't see the tears in his eyes. "I'm afraid not, Mr. Kinney. It's gut wrenching, I know, but in your case the law doesn't seem to care about human emotions or matters of the heart," she informs him apologetically, her voice softening. "But I’m British, and we have a knack for fighting for the underdog, so I will be using all possible legal avenues I can to bring closure to this case. My goal is to obtain a permanent stay for you, based on the fact that you are Mr. Taylor's lawfully wedded partner," she advises him.
"Well, I guess it means we're facing the age-old ‘chicken or the egg’ dilemma, then, since Justin and I are not married yet; we're only engaged. In order for us to get married we would obviously have to make it official, but then Justin would have to travel here, or I would have to go back to the UK, which I guess won't be such a wise move now," Brian says.
"The question is, are you two willing to commit to each other and legally get married?" Melanie presses.
"Of course we are! That's the whole point, isn't it?" Justin exclaims, clearly upset.
"Well, both you and Mr. Kinney stated earlier that as individuals you never contemplated or even considered a long-term, committed relationship; that when you two first met you both didn't think much about it, and didn't think it would amount to anything more than just a 'one night stand.' Am I correct?" Ms. Marcus states succinctly, looking at the notes on her yellow legal pad.
A heavy silence fills the room. Both men sigh deeply.
"I don't suppose any straight couple would have to face such questions before they decide to live together in the same country, let alone get legally married? Why is it that I have to prove or explain myself in front of some elusive legal entity just so I can build my future with the man I choose to share my life with, just because we want to live together as a couple and maybe even raise a family at some point down the line?" Justin's voice eventually breaks through the thick blanket of sorrow in the room.
"I know, Justin, and as I said I totally understand," Ms. Marcus addresses the younger man by his first name. "BUT you have to understand that I'm not here as your friend. I'm here as your solicitor. These are some of the questions you might have to face once we get to the crown’s court. Those old chaps can be very unforgiving, trust me. And so to answer your question, no, I don't suppose any other straight couple would need to face these kinds of interrogations before they arrive at the altar," she replies honestly.
"It's not that we didn't ask ourselves those same exact questions over and over again during the past year and a half. I can only speak for myself now," he pauses, glancing at Brian's face on the laptop screen, "But I'm standing behind the statement I gave you yesterday, and I'll even shout it from the bloody Old Bailey rooftop if I need to. I never thought of the possibility of ever getting so emotionally involved with another person, but once Brian came into my life I knew there was no way I could live without him, no matter how much I struggled or how much I tried to run away from it, " Justin states earnestly.
Now it's Brian's turn to avert his face downward, apparently trying to take in everything Justin had just said, and knowing that he, Brian Kinney, felt exactly the same way as the younger man who was sitting in front of him, so far away from him yet expressing himself so intimately, open and honest.
"Okay, let's do it, then," Brian bounces back, sounding decisive and convinced.
"What do you mean, Brian?" Justin looks puzzled.
"Let's get married. I can ask a lawyer friend of mine to draw up all the papers so at least we can do it right," Brian states.
"Don't be ridiculous. We're not even in the same country, in case you've forgotten…" Justin reminds him while Ms. Marcus leafs through the pages of her legal page. His eyes glisten with sadness. “Don’t you think I want that more than anything, Brian?”
"No, wait, Justin. Your… fiancé may have a point. You see, with all the new legislation that has been enacted for same-sex marriage, we're now witnessing several actions people are taking to exercise their rights. There was this couple who got married despite the fact they lived in different states about a year ago, and they did it in front of a legal representative via Skype. I remember reading about it, and I may or may not have watched the clip they made online… I think we can use it as a precedent for you two," she says.
"Are you sure about this, Brian?" Justin sounds somewhat hesitant, looking at Brian's reflection on his laptop screen.
"Yes, I am. I mean we practically said our vows right here moments ago," Brian points out, staring into Justin’s eyes.
"When we got engaged in my bathroom six months ago, you told me we didn’t need rings or vows," Justin mentions quietly.
"Well… this was then, THIS is now. Justin, nothing else has changed. No, actually, that’s wrong,” he decided as Justin frowned. “If anything I've only come to realize how much more I miss you, every second, every day, every week…" Brian stops mid-sentence, his voice choked with emotion. "Mon Amour," he adds softly, no hint of mockery in his voice; only the deep love he felt for this other man.
Justin’s tears did fall freely then, and this time he didn’t care if Brian or Ms. Marcus saw them as he smiled back at Brian over the connection.
"I should caution you that even after you get married and after all the documents are signed and verified by a legal representative such as myself or a U.S. attorney at law, there will still be quite a considerable amount of time – even up to eleven months – before we can actually get Brian a permit to extend his visa and stay in the UK as your legal, rightful spouse. So you would be married, but you wouldn't be able to actually consummate this marriage, so to speak, because technically Brian won't be able to stay here until it's all sorted," Melanie advises them.
"Guess I'll have to buy a new camera for my laptop, then," Justin states with a slight smirk.
"Alright then, I'll work out the details and we'll set the date," Ms. Marcus decides. "And the sooner the better," she counsels them, sending Brian a warm smile and shaking Justin's hand before she heads for the door to leave.
TBC…
