Baby I Can Feel Your Halo- B/J AU series Part 8/8

[guavejuice]

Banner by Vonnie yvonnereid

Author:guavejuice
Pairing:Brian/Justin
Beta:Kim predec2 I can't thank you enough!
A/N:This is NOT a WIP
Click HERE for previous chapters.
Disclaimer:I own nothing but this story
Comments are love.

Part 8

Later that Evening – Brian and Justin’s home.

“Holy shit,” Gus murmurs in awe as Brian opens the door to greet them and he, Lindsay, and Melanie enter the home’s grand foyer. They all peer at the elaborate, hardwood staircase leading to the upstairs. “This isn’t a house; it’s a fucking hotel.”

“Gus, language,” Lindsay admonishes him as he rolls his eyes at her. He doesn’t have time to issue any snappy retort as Brian turns around from his place at the front door to softly chuckle.

“It’s okay,” Brian reassures the boy. “Justin and I kind of had the same reaction when WE saw this house, too.”

“Brian, this house is indescribable!” Lindsay tells him in awe, admiring the sculpture arranged around the foyer, and the variety of paintings displayed on the wall heading up to the second floor. She guesses they are all original works of art, and likely worth a lot of money. “The furnishings, and all this art...” She notices a couple of expensive-looking vases by the front door that appear Tiffany-like in nature. She turns to stare, open-mouthed, at her old friend, confused. “Brian…if you don’t mind me asking…”

Brian holds up his hand to stop her. “You don’t have to say it,” he tells her. “You want to know how Justin and I can afford this kind of house on our teachers’ salaries.”

Lindsay nods back at him sheepishly. “Well…that did occur to me…”

“Me, too,” Melanie pipes up, arching her eyebrow curiously. “Last time I looked your salary was nowhere near enough to sustain this sort of lifestyle.” And being the principal – and Brian’s direct supervisor – she would certainly know.

“Trust me, it’s not,” Brian confirms, noticing Gus eying him quietly. He can’t help staring back at him; the spitting image of him. It was almost unsettling in a way. Tonight, though, everything was going to be brought out into the open. He turns back to the two women to explain, “The house was left to me when my grandfather died a few years ago. We had always been close…but I had NO idea what he had planned until the attorney called me, and asked me to attend the reading of his will.” He told them wryly, “My parents had a fit when they found out about it. But there was nothing they could do about it; it was all perfectly legal.” He shrugs. “It’s way too big for Justin and me,” he concedes. “But there’s a big corner room upstairs that has the perfect light for Justin to paint. And we always have plenty of room for guests to spend the night.” He turns to peer over at the boy again, envisioning a time when perhaps he could have Gus here to get to know him better. But at the same time, he realizes he is jumping to conclusions. Or is he?

Their conversation is interrupted then by the ringing of the doorbell. Brian is about to walk over to open the door, but waits when he hears Justin’s footsteps echoing down the hallway from the kitchen. Justin wipes his hands off on the towel he’s clutching in his hands, smiling at their visitors. “Hi, Melanie, Lindsay…Gus,” he greets them. “I didn’t hear you come in.”

"Hi, Justin,” Lindsay responds with a smile of her own. “Thank you for inviting us to dinner. You and Brian have a lovely home here.”

“Thanks, Lindsay,” he replies with a smile as he walks over to Brian. The two exchange a look before Justin opens the door to find his old friend standing there with the young girl he now knows is his daughter. As he ushers them in, he can’t help marveling at the thought. He studies her briefly as she shyly allows him to peck her briefly on the cheek before he gives Daphne a hug in greeting. He marvels at how Jennifer’s features are such a hybrid of him and Daphne, and takes a moment to mourn the fact that he hadn’t been there for her while she was growing up to offer both financial as well as emotional support. He knows at the time she was born he couldn’t have offered much – if anything – in the financial area. And it would have frightened him to know of the responsibility he had just been given, one that would be a lifetime commitment. But now that he knew about her, he vowed to get to know her better, and always be there for her…if she will allow it. He knows it won’t be a simple process. But the fact that she already likes him as a teacher, and that they share the same love for art, is a good start.

“Hey.”
He feels Brian squeeze his arm as he turns to peer up at him, realizing he had temporarily zoned out. Somehow, Jennifer has managed to walk over to stand beside Gus, and he hasn’t even realized it.
“You okay?” Brian asks, his brow furrowed in concern.

He nods with a reassuring smile. “Yeah…I’m fine,” he confirms as Brian nods. He takes a deep breath as he holds out his hand toward the dining room. “Dinner’s almost ready, if you’d like to take your seats.”
Brian leads the group into the dining room as Daphne offers to help her long-time friend with serving the food to them.

“Feels kind of weird, doesn’t it?” Daphne asks him, her piercing, brown eyes peering over at him as she takes the roast out of the oven and transfers it onto an oval platter. “I mean…knowing you suddenly have a teenage daughter.”

Justin half-smiles with a nod. “Weird doesn’t begin to describe it,” he tells her.

She nods back at him, her face turning serious. “Justin…I realize now how selfish it was not to tell you. Not to give you the chance to see her grow up, or at least have that choice. I really thought I was doing the right thing at the time…”

Justin shakes his head to stop her. “I admit I would have liked to have been there, Daph,” he tells her. “But there’s no going back now. We can only move ahead. And if Jennifer will let me, I’d like to be a part of her life now, and not just as her teacher. I want to be a father in every sense of the word. I want to get to know her better.” He pauses. “Brian told me about his and Lindsay’s visit to your home to discuss her…”

Daphne appears uncomfortable as she averts her eyes. “I…It’s enough for us.”

Justin sighs as he places the salad bowl down on the counter and walks closer to her. “Daphne…I’m not trying to criticize or judge you. I admire you for what you’ve done on your own. It couldn’t have been easy raising a daughter by yourself.” He swallows hard in regret. “I just wish I had known…I could have helped you.”

She shakes her head, tears in her eyes. “That was my choice; I did what I had to do. I know now I should have made a different decision. But don’t get me wrong,” she hastens to add. “I wouldn’t trade Jennifer for the world. And I’m not ashamed of what I do. It’s an honest job. And I don’t expect anything from you; I mean, money-wise. I wouldn’t do that to you, Justin.”

“I’m not asking you to,” he points out. “But I’m offering my support, both emotionally and financially.” He pauses, knowing they need to serve dinner soon, or it will get cold. “In fact…Brian and I were talking earlier…”

She frowns at him as he hesitates. “About what?”

It’s now or never, Justin tells himself silently. “You see how huge this house is! Daphne…Brian and I would like for you and Jennifer to think about moving in here with us. We certainly have the room, and it would give me a chance to get to know my daughter better.”

Daphne’s eyes grow wide in shock. “Move in here? Justin, I can’t let you do that.”

“Why not?” he presses, his blue eyes boring into hers. “It’s a perfect arrangement. You and Jennifer can have all the privacy you want when you need it, and we can even take her to school with us each day.” He grins. “At least that would solve our daughter’s truancy problem.”

That earns a grin from Daphne, but she quickly sobers. “But my job…I won’t give that up, just because you’re offering to let us move here. And I wouldn’t live here without paying my fair share. The gas from here into town would really eat into my salary.” Justin licks his lips as Daphne tells him, “I know that look. What else aren’t you saying, Justin?”

He shakes his head. “You always did know me too well,” he tells her softly. “Daphne, what happened to your goal to be a doctor?”

She snorts. “A doctor? With what I make? Are you kidding?” She sighs. “I gave that dream up a long time ago, Justin. Right after I found out I was pregnant. The only way I could get our daughter into Baldwin was because of your mother’s support. That was more important to me than my own education.”
“I agree it was important,” he concurs. “But you’re still young, Daphne. And I know how much you dreamed of going into medicine. You can still do it. And if you lived here, it would make things a lot easier for you to pursue that.”

She narrows her eyes. “How?” He is about to answer when their conversation is interrupted.

“Justin, everything okay in there?” Brian calls out to them from the dining room.

“Yeah…we’ll be right in,” he tells him, knowing everyone must be wondering what in the world they are doing. “Daphne…Brian and I don’t advertise it…but when we moved in here, his grandfather had a lot of antiques that we found out were worth a veritable fortune. He may not have even realized it at the time, but when we sorted out what Brian wanted to keep – mainly the paintings for me, and some sentimental things from his family – we wound up making an ungodly amount of money by having what we didn’t want auctioned off. And we’ve made some very wise investments since that time…”

“Justin, what are you saying?” Daphne asks him.

He sighs. “What I’m saying is…with the money we have earned in interest from that, we can more than afford for you to quit your waitress job altogether and go back to school full-time to earn your medical degree. And Brian and I are both more than willing to do that.”

Daphne gasps in shock. “Are you crazy? Do you realize how much something like that would cost?” Her heart, however, is beating furiously at the thought. “It was a fortune back when we were in high school! I can just imagine how much it is now!”

“Daphne….” He sighs. “Listen to me. Brian and I have talked at length about it…he already knows a lot of what you’ve been going through after talking to you before. We can do this, Daph. Brian and I want to do it. For both you AND Jennifer.”

Daphne’s eyes fill with tears. “You…you would do that for me? After what I did to you?”

Justin nods with a smile. “I know you. And I know that you only did what you did because you thought it was the best thing for you and for our daughter at the time. I’m not saying I necessarily agree with what you did. But I know you would have never intentionally done something to hurt me.”

“But…” Their talk once more is interrupted.

“Justin! Did you have to go out and pluck a chicken in the backyard?”

Justin grins. “No,” he calls back to Brian. “And just for the record, we’re having pot roast, not chicken.”

“Okay, then…you had to go round up a cow. We’re starving in here, Sunshine!”

The two friends couldn’t help giggling then, just like they used to do so many years ago. “Just think about what I said, okay? You don’t have to give me an answer now.”

Daphne lets out a breath before finally nodding. “Okay,” she agrees. “But I’m still shocked. It’s such a generous gift.”

“Come on,” he tells her softly. “Help me take this into the dining room before Brian starts clanging his silverware against our good china.”

She grins as the two friends grab the main entrée, salad, and two side dishes before joining the others in the dining room.

-One Hour Later…Living Room…-

“That was an amazing dinner, Justin! I had no idea you were such a good cook,” Melanie raves with a smile, making Justin blush as he sits next to his husband on their leather couch. The two women are sitting side-by-side in two, identical, matching leather chairs, while Daphne found a spot on the window seat, wanting to admire the sunset slowly sinking over the rolling hillside. The two teens, Gus and Jennifer, are sitting together nearby on another window seat, inconspicuously holding each other’s hands as they murmur to each from time to time, so softly that none of the others can hear what they were saying. It is obvious, however, from the looks both teens are giving Brian and Justin that it has something to do with them.

Brian clears his throat as he downs the last of his whiskey and places his shot glass down on the coffee table in front of him. “Lindsay…I think it’s time we discuss what I mentioned earlier today…Do you want ME to start…or do you?”

Lindsay exchanges a look with Melanie before she decides, “I’ll start. After all, I’m the one who owes you an explanation.”

“Mom?” Gus rises from his place at the window seat to walk closer to the adults. He looks at the anxious expression on his mother’s face, and it was then that he knew his suspicions had been correct. “Oh, my God! I was right, wasn’t it?” He turns to stare over at Jennifer, who slides off the window seat to join him. He shakes his head in disgust. “Shit! All this fucking time, Mom…all this time you knew, didn’t you? You knew who my father really was.” He stares over at the man who could be the exact duplicate of what he would look like in the future. “You’re my father…aren’t you?”

Lindsay gasps in astonishment. “How…how did you know?”

“Mom, I’m not stupid! Look at him! The minute I saw him at school…How could I not figure it out? I knew he was an old friend of yours so it wasn’t hard to put two and two together. Did you get knocked up the traditional way? And here I thought you only liked girls,” he replies sarcastically, causing Brian to cover his mouth with his hand to hide his amusement.

“Now just a minute, young man!” Lindsay snaps. “First of all – not that it’s really any of your business – I really did conceive you the way I told you; through an anonymous sperm donor.” Gus snorts at that statement. “You can believe it or not, but that’s the truth.”

“Yeah…and you just happened to give birth to a kid who looks just like him.” He cocks his head toward Brian, who merely raises an eyebrow in response. “What a coincidence.”

Lindsay looks helplessly from Melanie to Brian, while the rest of their party silently listens in. Justin does not appear surprised, however, and for good reason; Brian had discussed his suspicions about Gus on the way home from school, and once his husband had shown him some photos of him when he was the same age, there was no doubt in either of their minds that by some incredible, mind-blowing freak of luck, Lindsay had wound up using Brian’s sperm donation to conceive her child. He really doesn’t need any DNA test to prove it; Gus looks far too much like him at the same age.

“No, Gus,” Lindsay responds quietly as she grips Melanie’s wrist, knowing she is dying to interject her own opinion into their discussion. Part of her and Melanie’s difficulties over the years, in fact, have been born of the fact that Brian is Gus’s father. Melanie doesn’t hate Brian; on the contrary, she has grown to respect his excellent critical thinking skills, and his knack for determining the most effective way to reach each of his students so they can learn to the best of their ability. They will never be the best of friends, but the two are cordial with each other. It has just been uncomfortable at times working at the same place, and knowing that Brian had no idea about Gus. She has wanted to tell Brian about him for years, but Lindsay had always insisted on not telling him, claiming that she didn’t want Brian to feel like she was saddling him with a child he had never planned on even knowing about; that it wouldn’t be fair to him. Now, however, she regrets remaining silent. She realizes that it not only has affected Gus, but Brian as well.

“I didn’t know he was the father!” Lindsay continues to insist, tears springing to her eyes. “You have to believe me!”

“Come on! I look too much like him! Now I know why you never bothered to introduce us, even though you were always raving about what good friends you are. You knew I would figure it out. What a joke.”

“Gus, please…”

“Lindsay, let it go,” Brian asks her quietly from his place on the couch. He stands up as Justin peers up at him. He shakes his head slightly to let his husband know that he can fight this battle on his own.

“Brian, you know it’s the truth,” she tells him, a plea in her voice. “I mean, everything is anonymous. I couldn’t have planned it even if I had tried!” she maintains.

To her relief, he nods. “Yeah…I know. They made me sign all kinds of shit about confidentiality.” He pauses. “When did you know for sure that Gus was my son? I mean, he couldn’t have looked like me all that much when he was just a baby.”

She shakes her head. “No,” she whispers hoarsely. “But as he got older…I remembered, Brian. I remembered how YOU looked when you were his age, and I began to think, was it possible? I knew you needed money back when we were in college, and so many guys were donating to get some extra cash.” She takes a deep breath before she reveals, “I had Gus’s DNA checked against yours. It wasn’t hard to find something at school with your DNA on it. Several years ago, you had a bad cold. All I had to do was lift one of your tissues. When I got the results, I can’t say that I was surprised. It just confirmed what I already knew.”

Brian nods. “Makes sense.” He takes a deep breath. “But you should have told me, Lindsay. I should have had the say as to whether or not I wanted to be involved in his life.”

“I told you, Linds,” Mel responds quietly. “I told you that Brian deserved to know.”

“Yes, it’s easy to play ‘should have, could have’ now,” she counters stiffly as she glares over at Mel. She closes her eyes briefly to compose herself before softly adding, “All I can do is say I’m sorry, Brian. I can’t take it back now.” She peers over at Daphne. “She knows what it’s like.”

Daphne nods. “Yes…and I regret the decision I made now.” She gazes over at her daughter. “I can only hope that both of them can forgive me for what I did. And I hope they can forge a relationship now, so that no more time is lost between them.” She pauses as she looks into her daughter’s eyes. “Your father is a good man, Jennifer. One of the best. I hope you will give him a chance to get to know you.”
Jennifer notices the anxious but hopeful look on her art-teacher-turned-father’s face. She has always thought there was something unique about him. About how kind he is to her, and how enthusiastic he always seems to be about his art; about how he is always trying to encourage her to pursue her own passion for the same thing. But she never dreamed that this would happen. “I don’t really know you,” she whispers, suddenly feeling like a vulnerable, little girl, not a young woman on the verge of adulthood.

“I know,” Justin tells her with a slight smile of reassurance. “And I know it will take time before you feel comfortable around me. But I’d really like to learn more about you, and maybe eventually be the father that I’d like to be.” He is dying to tell her what he and Brian have offered to do for her and Daphne, but he fears that might be too much, too soon. Besides, Daphne hadn’t decided yet, so he doesn’t say tell her about it. “I hope you will let me. For now, though, I’d settle for us being just friends…and then we can go from there. Okay?”

She considers that before she finally nods in agreement. “That would be okay, I guess. You like spumoni ice cream?” she added unexpectedly.

He grins broadly in reaction as Brian snickers; it was a running joke between them that Brian is a much more traditional type of ice cream indulger (when he rarely DOES eat the fat-laden stuff), but Justin prefers the more complex types that have all sort of shit mixed in together. He nods. “I sure do!” he tells her. “And with lots of whipped cream and chocolate sauce on top, too.”

“Oh, my God!” Daphne exclaims in astonishment. “She won’t eat it without the exact same thing on it. But she hates those maraschino cherries. I remember now when you used to eat that stuff when we were younger. I had forgotten all about that!”

“Well, there’s one difference between them,” Brian tells Daphne. “He won’t eat any ice cream unless there’s at least two cherries on top.”

“Ewww,” Jennifer reacts with a wrinkling of her nose. “If I’m going to spend time with you, you’re going to have to get rid of that habit. I’m allergic to all kinds of things, including the red dye in those. Plus, they taste more like gum drops than real cherries.”

He laughs. “I will be more than happy to show restraint in that area when you are around.” He pauses for a moment before telling her softly, “I think we’re going to get along just fine,” earning a smile from his daughter in return.

Brian reaches down to tousle Justin’s blond hair affectionately before turning his attention back to his own son. He walks closer to him, reaching out his hand initially to squeeze his shoulder, but drops it by his side as he reconsiders. “Gus…Justin isn’t the only one who wants to establish some kind of relationship with their child. Your mother was right, by the way. When I was younger, I wouldn’t have wanted anything to do with kids. But somewhere along the line, that changed. Maybe it’s seeing all these kids at school who seem so lost and don’t have anyone to confide in or lean upon. I got to thinking that it might be kind of nice to be able to be that kind of person for my own kid.” He shakes his head. “I just never thought I would get that chance,” he explains.

“What, you want to take me to the amusement part or the playground and push me on the swings? I’m not a kid anymore, in case you haven’t noticed.”

“Gus, stop it,” Mel chides him. “You’re being rude.”

He turns on her, eyes flashing. “No, I’m being realistic! It’s too late to turn the clock back! I’m not going to go visit Santa with him and sit on his knee, or learn to ride a bike for the first time…or, or…have him help me when I have a nightmare…or watch me play soccer…” He voice hitches slightly as he realizes that he would have liked those things. He had missed having a father growing up, even though he had to grudgingly acknowledge that both Mel and his mom had been there for him when he needed them. He just hadn’t realized until now how much it might have meant to have had a father there, too.
“No, I wasn’t, Gus,” Brian tells him softly, swallowing hard. “And to be honest, if I HAD known about you, back then I don’t know what kind of father I would have been. Before Justin came along, I wasn’t the most responsible or family-oriented person.” He gazes over at his husband, receiving a tender smile in return, before he explains, “But Justin changed that somehow. That, and working with troubled kids at the school. I found out that I can make a difference in their lives, and when I do, it makes me feel fucking amazing. And now that I know who you are, no, you’re right – we can’t go back and redo anything. But I want to be there for you now. Maybe we can’t go back to when you were little, but we can still do things together. I played soccer when I was your age, too,” he tells him. “Are you on the team at school?”

Gus stares over at him for a few seconds before he finally nods. “Yeah…I’ve been playing soccer since I was in middle school.”

“He’s very good at it, too,” Lindsay informs him, unable to keep the pride out of her voice. “So good that the coach thinks he’ll be offered a college scholarship when he graduates.”
Brian is impressed. “Wow, you must be good, then. I was good, too…but not that good. Nowadays, you have to be extremely talented in order to get a sports scholarship.” Gus shrugs in reaction. “We can bat around a soccer ball in the backyard sometime,” he suggests. “And I’d love to come and see you at one of your games.”

“You’re just saying that because everyone expects you to say that,” Gus counters, but Brian shakes his head.

“No, I’m not. You don’t know me well enough yet to realize it, but I never say something unless I mean it, and I plan on following through with it.” Justin nods in confirmation from his place on the couch as Brian adds, “And as for other things we could do, have you ever been rock climbing? Or gone zip lining over a river? Or done any parasailing on the ocean? What about whitewater rafting?”

Gus’s mouth hangs open in astonishment and perhaps some grudging respect. “You’ve done all that?” he asks.

Brian grins with a nod. “Yes…and I still do,” he tells him. “Sometimes Justin joins me…but more times than not, he’s content to watch me come close to breaking my neck while he sits somewhere nearby and draws to his heart’s content. But with you…now I’d have someone else to share it with. That is…if you’ll let me. I don’t expect us to become father and son overnight,” he clarifies. “Maybe never; that will be up to you. But I’d like to try, Gus. I really would. What do you say?” He holds his breath as he waits for the boy to answer him; he can’t tell by the expression on his son’s face whether or not he feels the same way, but he is ready to abide by whatever decision he makes. In either case, he knows that he will quietly support both him and Lindsay financially, whether Gus allows him to be a part of his life going forward. He owes both of them that much, at least.

“How about it, Honey?” Lindsay asks him as Gus peers over at her and Mel in indecision. He knows the three of them still have some things to work out between them, and chances are his mother and Mel would never reconcile. At least, however, they seem to be on the same page when it comes to Brian Kinney. His father. Would he ever get totally used to that idea? And what would he even call the man? He felt just like Jennifer; what did he really know about him? But as he looks over at his girlfriend, she nods slightly with an encouraging smile, signaling that she feels it is the right thing to do. Perhaps they can both learn how to get to know their fathers together. At any rate, he knows he will have her support, and she will have his. So he finally nods back at his father. “Okay. I guess we can do that.”
Brian smiles back at him, relieved, as he exchanges a look with Justin. “That’s great, Gus,” he tells him. He lets out a deep breath. “I’ll give you my cell phone number, and anytime you want to get together, call me. And I promise you I will be at your next soccer game.”

Gus nods, hesitating. “I…I heard the whitewater rafting here in West Virginia is awesome,” he states almost hesitantly.

Brian smiles warmly at him. “Yes, it is,” he tells him. “The Gulley River is wicked. Last time Justin and I went, I had a blast. Justin just got drenched,” he adds with a chuckle as his husband scowls at him. “He made the mistake of sitting near the river rapids to watch, and he – and his sketchpad – wound up getting wetter than the people in the raft.”

“Don’t remind me,” Justin retorts as Brian grins.

He chuckles as he turns to his son. “This is an excellent time of the year to go, too. Maybe you’d like to try it out next weekend? Jennifer could come, too. And I might even persuade Justin to join us this time on the raft…that is, if it’s okay with both moms.”

Daphne ponders it for a moment before nodding. “It’s safe?” she asks.

“Very safe,” Justin assures her. “They have an excellent record, and will not go out unless the river conditions are good. It’s a lot of fun. She’ll have a great time if she’s a risk taker,” he tells her. “You can come, too, if you want.”

Daphne’s eyes grow wide. “Oh, no!” she tells him. “Don’t you remember? I was afraid to even dive into your pool when we were younger! No, I’ll stay on dry land, thank you.”

Justin grins. “I had forgotten that.”

Brian looks over at Lindsay. “What about you, Lindsay? Okay with you?”

She pauses to consider it for a moment before finally nodding. “If Gus wants to, it’s all right with me. Mel?” she asks, surprising the other woman a little by asking her as well. She considers for a moment before nodding her agreement.

Brian rolls his lips under before turning back to his son. “What do you say, then, Gus? Jennifer? Next Saturday? Whitewater rafting? There’s a kick-ass fifties diner nearby that serves heart-clogging hamburgers and hot dogs for lunch. I’ll even throw my normal dietary restrictions aside for the day.”
“That’s huge,” Justin tells them with a grin. “Believe me.” He peers over at his daughter, who has been quietly standing next to Gus; he notices the two are holding hands now. “Jennifer? Are you interested in joining us?”

Jennifer is a little fearful about going on such an adventurous trip. But she’s excited at the same time…and the fact that Gus will be there makes it all the better. She is happy that her father and Mr. Kinney seem to be okay with her and Gus’s relationship. Maybe this won’t be such a bad thing after all. So she finally nods. “Okay,” she replies softly as her father smiles, pleased.

“Great!” he tells her, relieved. “Brian and I will be looking forward to it.”

Sensing a break, Lindsay and Mel rise to their feet. “Thank you for a wonderful dinner,” Lindsay tells the two men. “But it’s getting late. We should be heading back.” She turns to her son. “Gus? Say goodnight to Jennifer. We’ll wait for you out in the car.”

“But, Mom! It’s not that late!”

Lindsay sighs. “Gus…please don’t argue about this. Mel and I are tired. It’s been a long day. You will see Jennifer soon, I’m sure.”

“Uh…Lindsay, if I could make a suggestion,” Brian speaks up. “We have tons of room here. And I have a feeling that Gus would fit into my clothes perfectly. I’m sure I could find him something to wear. Why don’t you let him stay the night? Justin and I can bring him back home tomorrow. And Daphne, you already know you and Jennifer are both welcome to be our guests as well. We have plenty of bedrooms. If both of YOU want to stay, that’s fine, too.”

Gus and Jennifer both peer over at their moms hopefully. Both teens desperately want her to say yes. Their faces fall, however, when Lindsay shakes her head.

“No, thank you, Brian. But Mel has to go to a conference this weekend for school, and we drove here together.” She pauses, seeing the look of almost desperation on Gus’s face. She suspects that he and Jennifer will wind up together somehow tonight, but her son knows how to protect himself. And she has to admit, neither of them are babies anymore. She couldn’t guard him 24/7. “But if Gus wants to stay, I suppose it’s okay. Just don’t wear out your welcome, Gus?”

He nods as he grins over at Jennifer, ecstatic. “Thanks,” he tells his mother.

“Mom?” Jennifer asks, licking her lips nervously.

Daphne thinks carefully about it. Her daughter has no idea about the proposal that her father has presented to her. And Daphne still has no clue what she is going to do. She is so overwhelmed at the thought, but also extremely tempted. It has been her lifelong dream to go into medicine, but she had given up on that idea long ago in exchange for making sure her daughter was cared for properly. Now, she has an unexpected chance to fulfill that dream. And to live in such splendor? It is almost too much to comprehend. The decision did not have to made today, though, as Justin has pointed out, and she knows she has to think it over carefully to weigh all the pros and cons. But at the same time, there is no reason why she and her daughter couldn’t at least temporarily accept her friend’s hospitality.

“Thank you,” she tells Justin and Brian at last. “That sounds great. I’d love to see more of the house while we’re here, too, especially your studio upstairs,” she informs Justin, who nods.

Justin sees his daughter’s eyes light up. He smiles at her. “Would you like to see it?” he asks her and Daphne. “It’s a wonderful space.” He’s pleased when she nods back at him, feeling hopeful that they are making a start. It will be a long, gradual process, he knows that. But as he gazes at the new, little family he and Brian have just become a part of, he thinks he can feel the presence of his mother watching over them like some angel wearing a halo, guiding them as she smiles down in approval. He senses their lives won’t be easy; with teenagers it seldom is. But he also knows somehow that it will be the greatest adventure he and Brian will ever take – and the most satisfying one.


****************************

Comments

[rainbow-rose1.livejournal.com]

I adored this AU story! It was so heartwarming and I the plotline was very ingenious! Thank you for sharing!!

[guavejuice.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much for taking the time to read and comment. Your heartfelt supportive feedback means a lot. So thrilled to know you enjoyed this series :)

[techgirl-on-ij.livejournal.com]

Very nice how everything came together in the end♥

[guavejuice.livejournal.com]

Your encouraging feedback means so much to me dear techi. Thank you so much for taking the time to follow this story and for all your support :)
Hugs

[har2.livejournal.com]

Good ending. This was such a unique storyline. I enjoyed it.

[guavejuice.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much for your super supportive feedback. It means so much to me to know you took the time to read and comment. So thrilled to know you enjoyed this series.

[gazeandglare.livejournal.com]

Wonderful story. :)

[guavejuice.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much for taking the time to read and comment. I really appreciate your supportive feedback. It means a lot :)

[bksbracelet.livejournal.com]

I really enjoyed this AU and you brought it together beautifully

[guavejuice.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much for following this series Chris and for taking the time to read and comment. Your heartfelt supportive feedback means so much to me.
I do have to give lots of credit to my friend and beta Kim predec2 <3

[rulisteningbj.livejournal.com]

Great ending. I think we should visit this family from time to time to see how they are all doing.

Dee Dee

[guavejuice.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much for taking the time to read and leave such a super supportive feedback Dee Dee. It means a lot to me. So thrilled to know you enjoyed this story.
Take care
Hugs

Baby I can feel your halo

[sfscarlet.livejournal.com]

REally interesting premise for a story. I like the story and the ending. I don't get much time to read any more so was looking for something a little long but not too long- this fit the bill perfectly- thanks for sharing

Re: Baby I can feel your halo

[guavejuice.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much for taking the time to read and comment. Your thoughtful supportive feedback means a lot to me. I'm thrilled to know you enjoyed this series :)

[hikinggirl70.livejournal.com]

Love the ending. Glad it all worked out in the end.

[guavejuice.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much for taking the time to follow this story and leave such a supportive feedback. This story is still one of my favs. I'm thrilled to know you enjoyed it :)