Brian woke up and stretched. He looked at the blond that was sleeping right next to him lying on his stomach. Brian ran a hand over Justin’s back and smiled when his hand stopped on Justin’s butt. He squeezed lightly and heard the blond moaning so he moved it away. The brunet got up quickly and went to take a shower. When he came out the blond was still sleeping so he went to make breakfast. He was thinking of the night before when Justin had done everything he could to make it up to him. First, Brian had received a massage all over his body. He enjoyed every second of it and wondered if there would be any more in his near future by Justin’s hands. Then the blond had sucked him. Bringing him so close to the edge and then pulling back. It was like that for a while and the brunet had almost fainted when he finally came. Then the blond gave him a rim job and Brian knew he wasn’t wrong when he had told Emmett that Justin had a tongue to die for. He had come a second time when the blond had his tongue buried deep in his ass. And a third when the blond had been buried deep inside of him. After that he lost count. “Brian,” Justin called from the room. “What?” Brian asked. The blond came out of the bedroom completely naked. “You know,” Brian said. “Clothes were invented for a purpose.” “Were they now?” Justin asked smirking, as he stepped next to Brian. “So we could concentrate on the task at hand,” Brian told him before he kissed the blond. He pulled back quickly and smirked. “Ever since I met you I’ve noticed this obsession you have with not wearing clothes.” The blond laughed at that. “I guess you could say I’m not fond of them.” “Mmm,” Brian muttered. “I made breakfast.” “I see,” Justin said and kissed Brian’s jaw before moving to make coffee. “Do you want some?” Brian frowned. “Uh no. I’m cutting back on it. Some say it can be addictive.” “Too late for me,” Justin said. “So,” Brian muttered. “You said you were leaving soon.” “Already throwing me out,” Justin said smirking. Brian shook his head. “I just wanted to know when that is going to be because…well, just because.” “On Friday,” the blond said. The younger man didn’t like that answer one bit. “That’s tomorrow.” Justin nodded slowly as he leaned against the counter where the coffee machine was. “Are you going to miss me?” “No,” Brian told him and swallowed. “I’ll miss you,” Justin said as he grinned. Brian frowned. “I’ll be back in a few days though,” the shorter man said as he stared at the machine as if that would make it work faster. “I have a surprise for you.” “You do?” Brian asked excited. “I mean, what’s that?” he asked calming himself down. Justin laughed and moved so he was once again next to Brian. He kissed the man’s shoulder and then looked at the breakfast. “Mmm, that looks tasty.” “Aren’t you going to tell me?” Brian asked. “After breakfast,” Justin told him and slapped Brian’s ass playfully. The brunet served them and sat down with Justin to eat. He looked at the time and knew he was okay to get dressed and go to work. “Can you call off from work today?” Justin asked. Brian didn’t know why the blond was asking him that. “Why?” “It’s part of the surprise,” Justin told him. They ate in silence. The blond was flirting with Brian openly and the brunet was soaking it up. He wondered why Justin found him attractive still. He knew he was getting big fast and even though he wasn’t showing yet, he would soon. He had to either tell Justin or hope the blond never was coming back. Then he started thinking about what Justin had prepared. It was something that was going to take great part of the day if he had to call off from work. Then he thought that if Justin’s surprise was to stay inside and fuck all day he was going to kill him; after they fucked. “I’m going to take a shower,” the blond said. “Do you want to join me?” “Took one,” the brunet pointed out. “I’m going to finish getting dressed.” “Don’t over dress,” was all Justin said before he was off to shower. When Justin came out the brunet was wearing a pair of jeans and a maroon sweater with his black leather jacket on top. The blond put on a pair of jeans and his boots. He put on a white t-shirt and then an aqua shirt. Then his holster before he put on his brown leather jacket. The two of them left the loft and rode in Justin’s car to get Brian’s surprise. The brunet must have asked about twenty times what it was but the older man never told him. When they arrived, Justin parked the car and made Brian get out and walk. “Where are we going?” Brian asked. “Come on,” Justin said smirking, as he held Brian’s hand on his. “Why do we have to walk there?” Brian asked. Justin frowned. “Are you tired?” “No,” Brian lied. He felt a little fatigued. “Close your eyes,” Justin told him. Brian sighed and did. The blond took his hand and they walked some more before they stopped. When Brian opened his eyes, they were inside an office. “Uh, what’s going on?” Brian asked. “I know that this job that you have is kind of stressful,” Justin said. Brian nodded. “So I thought a day at the spa so my kid can get pampered would be a good idea,” Justin told him. “Are you serious?” Brian asked. The blond nodded. “I want you to be relaxed.” Brian smiled at the blond. Justin kissed him and told him he would be back for him later. True to his word, at one in the afternoon the older man was back to pick Brian up. “That was fucking amazing,” Brian told him once they were in the car. “I feel so fucking fabulous right now. Man, why didn’t I know about that place?” Justin shrugged as he drove. “I’m starving,” Brian told him. “Where the hell are we going?” “Didn’t they feed you?” Justin asked. “Yes,” Brian told him. “Plants.” The blond laughed at that. “Oh, Brian. You’re so funny. I bet you ate whatever it was.” “I did,” the brunet muttered. “But in my defense, I was hungry.” Justin laughed again. “We’re here,” he said once he got to the park. “Right,” Brian told him wondering what they were doing there. “Get out,” Justin said as he opened the door on his side. Brian did and waited for the sandy haired man who was currently pulling something out of the trunk. The brunet arched a brow when Justin closed the trunk and he was holding a basket. The older man had planned a picnic for the younger man. The brunet didn’t say anything as they walked to find a spot to sit down. He kept telling himself that it was because he didn’t want to jeopardize the basket of food that soon he was going to be enjoying. If he was feeling a bit tearful it was because of the baby. It had nothing to do with the fact that he’d never been so happy in his life. Justin was doing things for him that he never dreamed of doing for anyone and didn’t think there was a person that would take time to do it for him. When he stared at the blond, smiling at him as they ate, he knew he wanted Justin more than anyone in his entire life. He wanted the blond to be part of his life and he was scared shitless that once Justin knew that he was pregnant, that the older man wasn’t going to want him. For years now the sandy hair man had been alone without a family and Brian was afraid that his lover wanted to keep it that way. All he could do now was pray for the best. *** “Brian,” Justin whispered. The brunet opened his eyes. “What is it?” “I have to go,” the man told him. Brian looked at the alarm clock where the short needle was pointing at the five and the long one at the one. “Why?” “I have to,” Justin explained. “I’ll be back in two to three weeks.” “You said you would be back soon,” Brian protested as his eyes closed. “That is soon,” Justin assured him. “You be good. I’ll miss you.” “Me too,” the brunet muttered. Justin kissed him on the temple and then moved back. He didn’t bother to get his clothes because he was coming back and he was hoping that the brunet would let him stay at the loft yet again. He knew he had to find a bigger place sooner or later for them. Once the baby was with them, the three of them couldn’t live at the loft. He drove his car to Bruce’s house in New York. Another of the guys he worked with. When he got there, everyone was ready to leave. He parked his car and got out. He stretched and rubbed his face before he walked towards them. “Man, we almost left without you,” Slater whispered. “I’m here,” Justin said and looked at his watch. It was now nine forty two in the morning. He could have left the day before with Slater. But he had wanted to spend more time with Brian. He knew that if he woke up early he could get to New York in time. “Justin,” Alfred said. “You’re here.” The blond nodded. “Why wouldn’t I be?” the blond asked. “We thought you would have abandoned us in your quest to fatherhood,” Smith, Justin’s immediate boss, said smirking. Justin shook his head. “I’m still going to be able to do my job, boss.” “Good,” Alfred told him. “You’re great at what you do.” Justin nodded and they started walking to the cars that would take them to the airport. They would travel to their destination and buy what they needed. If they had any luck, things would go down as planned and nobody would get hurt. The blond thought of Brian as he sat on the back of the car next to Bruce. He knew that if he had met Brian a lot sooner he would have never gotten involved with Alfred Vitto. He would have directed his life in some other way. He knew he couldn’t pull out of it after four years of work. He would be as good as dead and he had Brian and the baby to think about now. “Hey,” Slater said from the front. “You okay?” “Thinking,” Justin told him. “About what?” Bruce asked. “My family,” Justin said. Bruce smiled and shook his head. “Don’t worry about it. They’re part of our family now. They will be okay. You know that we take care of our own.” And that’s what Justin feared the most. *** “Do you want to know the sex?” Henry asked. Brian thought about it and shook his head. “I want it to be a surprise.” The doctor nodded and turned around. “I’ll be making a video like last time.” Brian smiled at that. He wanted to keep each one of them. He already had two. When his baby was older he was going to show them to him or her. “You look like you’re following orders,” Doctor Panache said. “I try,” Brian told him and looked at his watch. “You’re not working too hard,” Henry said. Brian smirked. “I try not to. I found this place,” he said. “It’s a spa. If I feel too tense I go there for a session. They give the greatest massage ever.” Henry smiled at that. “Good. Stress is a big no for us.” The brunet nodded and looked down at his belly. There was a small bump present. He knew that there would be no hiding his state anymore. He knew he was only going to get bigger. “I got a few things from the baby’s father,” Brian said. “I was asking if he got sick when little and he said the normal stuff, like colds and sore throats, etc. He said that his mom left him when he was like seven so he doesn’t know much about her. But as far as he knows there wasn’t any sickness in his family that he knew about, although, his father is in a mental facility. Is that bad?” Henry shook his head. “Do you know why he ended there?” “No,” Brian told him. “It could be a number of things,” the doctor pointed out. “I really would like to talk to this man.” “I’m going to tell him,” Brian said. “I think.” “Why are you so afraid?” Panache asked. He wasn’t sure how well Brian and the other man knew each other. The younger man shrugged. “I…I don’t know if he’s looking to have kids. He’s thirty and never has had one so…” “Now he is,” Henry pointed out. “You know this is serious business, Brian.” The brunet rolled his eyes. “I know.” “It’s your health and the baby’s we’re talking about,” Henry said. “Anything that can be prevented now would be a great help for later.” The brunet nodded. “He’s away on business but when he comes back, I promise that I will tell him.” *** Brian looked himself in the mirror and shook his head. “You’re so stupid. Stop crying,” he told himself. He washed his face and then rubbed it a few times, trying to look like he hadn’t been crying at all. Then the phone rang and he wondered if it was Michael yet again. He got out of the bathroom and went to answer it when the number in the display didn’t look familiar. “Hello,” he said. “Hey, Brian,” Justin said smiling. “Where are you?” Brian asked as he pouted. “You said two weeks,” he pointed out. It had been a month already. “Are you okay?” Justin asked alert. He noticed the sad tone on the brunet’s voice. “Of course I’m okay,” Brian told him. “I’m not a kid.” The sandy haired man smiled at that. “My kid,” he whispered. Brian sighed and put a hand over his belly. “I want to talk to you.” “Go right ahead,” Justin said. “No,” the brunet said. “It has to be in person.” Justin arched a brow. “What is it about?” “You and me,” Brian told him. “It’s not bad news I hope,” Justin said smirking, as he figured that maybe Brian was ready to tell him about the baby. “That depends on what your plans are and how you look at things,” Brian answered. There was a knock on the door. “Hold on a minute,” Brian said and walked to the door. When he opened it, Michael was there. “Can I come in?” Michael asked. “I have to go,” Brian said. “Get here soon.” “I will,” Justin promised and hung up. “Was that him?” Michael asked already pouting. “So, what’s up?” Brian asked ignoring Michael’s question. “Are you okay?” Michael asked. “Yes,” the brunet said as he went and put the phone back in his cradle. “Are you going to need me tomorrow?” Michael asked. “For your appointment?” “Oh, I had to change it,” Brian said. “I went yesterday.” “Oh,” Michael said. “What did the doctor say?” “That everything was fine,” the taller man assured him. “Is there something wrong, Brian?” Michael asked not liking the way that Brian was treating him. “Why didn’t you tell me about it?” “It’s okay Michael,” Brian said. “You don’t always have to be there with me. I’m able to drive myself there and back.” “You look bigger,” Michael pointed out. “Can I see?” Brian nodded and lifted his shirt. He smiled as he looked at his belly that looked to be growing way too fast. “You grew overnight,” Michael told him smiling. “I’m almost six months Michael,” Brian pointed out. “Henry said I was going to start growing a lot now. Can you believe this? I’m going to really have a baby.” “I know,” Michael said as he let his hands roam the brunet. Brian didn’t like the way Michael was touching him so he pulled back and pushed his shirt down. “It’s kind of cold here, huh?” Michael shrugged. “It’s not that cold outside today.” “Mmm,” Brian muttered. “So what brings you around?” “Oh, you know me,” Michael told him. “I wanted to make sure you were okay.” Brian was by then in the kitchen getting a yogurt from the fridge. “Yeah,” he muttered. “Were you crying?” Michael asked. “What?” Brian asked as he looked for a spoon. “Your face looks a little puffy like you’ve been crying,” Michael told him. Brian shook his head. “No. It must be from the pregnancy.” “I see,” Michael muttered, not sure he believed his friend. “I guess I worry too much about you,” he said and smiled as he took off his jacket. Brian frowned. “You know that I’m always going to,” the older of the two said. The brunet nodded slowly. “I’m going to tell Justin about the baby.” “Have you lost your mind?” Michael asked. “You can’t do that.” “Why the hell not?” Brian asked frowning then started eating. “I…I thought you and I would be taking care of the baby,” Michael pointed out. “No,” Brian said. “I was going to take care of the baby and you were going to help me because you wanted,” Brian pointed out. “But this is my job. And his job and we’ll be okay.” “You don’t know this man, Brian,” Michael told him. “I don’t want him hurting you or the baby.” Brian frowned. “You’re getting your hopes up and maybe you should stop for a moment and consider everything,” the shorter man said. “What do you mean?” Brian asked. “This guy could be married to someone else for all we know,” Michael pointed out. “Or he might be looking for a good time and nothing else. You are way beyond what he’s expecting.” Brian swallowed. “You think he’s going to leave everything for you?” Michael asked. “You want to force this on him?” Brian squared his shoulders and didn’t let Michael’s words get to him. At least not right then. “I’m going to give him the choice to do something about it,” he said. “I’m not going to force him to stick around. He’s an adult. He can make up his mind.” “I see,” Michael said and looked like he had a sour taste in his mouth. “So have you been watching what you eat?” Brian sighed and wondered when Justin was going to be back. He was tired of waiting for the man. And on top of it all, he had to deal with Michael trying to play best friend when he knew real well that the man wanted to be something else entirely. He excused himself with Michael, claiming he had to pee yet again and went back to the bathroom with his comfort food. Then for some reason he started crying again while he ate. *** There was a knock on the door and Michael went to get it. When he opened the door he found Justin standing there. “What the hell do you want?” Michael asked. The older man arched a brow. “Is this his house?” Slater asked as he smirked. “He wants it to be,” Justin said smirking as he walked inside and Slater followed. “You can’t come in here just like that,” Michael told him. “Where is Brian?” Justin asked as he walked to the bedroom. He went to the bathroom and knocked on the door. “What do you want Michael?” Brian asked irritated. He knew he was hiding but he was hoping that his friend would take a hint and just leave. “It’s me,” Justin told him. There was nothing but silence. “Brian?” the sandy hair man called. Brian ran his fingers through his hair. “I’ll be out in a minute.” “Are you okay?” Justin asked worried. The younger man put his hand on his eyes. “Uh, I’m okay.” “Are you hungry because I’m starving,” Justin told him. The brunet shook his head. He was certain that Justin ate as much as he did. “Do you want to go out or do you want me to order in? I’m with Slater. Is that okay?” Justin asked. “Brian, are you okay?” “Yes,” the brunet answered. “Can I come in?” Justin asked smirking, knowing that Brian probably wasn’t ready for Justin to see him. “No,” Brian said. “I’m going to get us some food, okay?” Justin told him. Brian nodded and then replied. “Okay.” The blond walked back to where Michael was glaring at Slater and his friend was smirking. “I’m going to get something to eat. You stay here.” “What?” Michael asked. “This is not your fucking house; you don’t get to decide who stays and who leaves.” “Neither do you,” Justin pointed out as he walked to the door. Slater smirked and took off his jacket. Then he went to get something to drink from the fridge. The shorter man almost fell over with shock as he stared at the guns that Slater was carrying. Michael wanted to strangle someone. He didn’t know what to do. Brian was trusting Justin, who he’d known all along was anything but good news. He went over to the bedroom and then entered the bathroom without knocking. “What the fuck!” Brian hissed as he stared at his friend. The brunet was naked, having decided to take a shower. “Brian, Justin left and his friend stayed and his drinking your beer and he has guns,” he hissed, yet kept his voice low enough so that Slater wouldn’t hear him. Brian sighed not sure if he was going to like having Justin’s friends hanging around, just for the fact that they carried weapons. He didn’t want his child close to that. “Does Justin own a gun too?” Michael asked, crossing his arms. The brunet wrapped a blue towel around his waist. He didn’t answer his friend. “He does,” Michael hissed. “Brian, what the fuck is going on? What has happened to you? What kind of people are you hanging out with?” The brunet wanted to be able to answer all that, but he couldn’t. “Did you know about that?” Michael asked coming closer. “I did,” the man replied. “What does he do?” Michael asked. “He doesn’t kill people, does he?” “I didn’t ask him,” Brian told him. “Well, he’s not a cop, Brian,” Michael said. “Oh my god. What the hell have you gotten yourself into?” “Stop it Michael!” Brian hissed. “Stop this bullshit. You’re acting like you’re my goddamn mother or something.” “I’m only thinking about the baby!” Michael yelled. “Yeah, well it’s my baby,” Brian shouted. “Mine and Justin’s baby, not yours.” “I’m the one that’s been here helping you!” Michael hissed. “Don’t you fucking throw that at my face,” Brian growled as he stood in front of the shorter man. “And Justin doesn’t even know I’m pregnant. If not he would be taking care of me…he does takes care of me.” “Why haven’t you told him then?” Michael asked. Brian shrugged. “I’m going to now.” “Because you have to,” Michael dared. “What are you going to do?” he asked as he unfolded his arms. “Hide it?” Brian swallowed, thinking that Michael was probably right. If he had more time to think things through he would. “Are you scared of him?” Michael asked. “Is that it?” The brunet didn’t answer. “Oh my god!” Michael hissed. “You are!” “Shut up,” Brian told him. “You don’t know anything.” “I’m calling the cops,” Michael said pulling out his cell phone. “Don’t,” Brian said taking a step forward. “Have you lost your fucking mind, Michael?” “No!” Michael yelled when Brian tried to grab the phone. He pushed Brian back and the brunet somehow lost his balance and his back slammed against the bathroom counter. He felt as the pain hit him sharply before he was falling down to the floor where he hit his left side hard. “Oh my god!” Michael shouted as he looked down at his friend. “Fuck,” Brian hissed and stiffened as the throbbing pain ran through him. “Fuck you!” “I’m sorry,” Michael told him. “I didn’t mean to.” “Don’t touch me,” Brian hissed when his friend tried to reach for him. Michael froze for a few seconds but reacted once Brian was standing up. “I’m sorry,” he repeated and reached for Brian. “Leave me alone,” Brian told him and as he tried to get away, he doubled over in pain. The older man did use his phone again, but it was to call for an ambulance. *** Brian opened his eyes slowly and stared at his doctor. His hands automatically went to his belly. “The baby is okay,” Henry said. Brian sighed and nodded. “What happened?” the doctor asked. “I’m not sure,” the brunet lied. “You have a few bruises on your back and side,” Panache said. “Did someone hurt you, Brian?” The brunet shook his head. “I remember that I slipped in the bathroom, but nothing after that.” “You fainted,” the doctor said. Brian looked down at his belly. “Is the baby really okay?” The doctor nodded with an assuring smile. “Are you okay?” Panache asked. “How are you feeling?” “I’m fine,” the brunet said but didn’t look it. “Do you want me to do an ultrasound?” the doctor asked when he saw how tense Brian was. “Please,” the brunet whispered. The doctor set everything up and started the ultrasound. He smiled when he saw the light get back into Brian’s eyes and some color in the pale skin. “I can hear it,” the brunet whispered, meaning the heart. “Doctor,” Barbara said as she came into the room behind Justin. Brian opened his eyes wide. The blond had barged inside to know what was going on. He’d received a call from Slater that they were at the hospital and he’d rushed there. He walked over to his lover and caressed Brian’s face. “Brian, are you okay?” Justin asked. “He insisted on seeing the patient,” the nurse said. “I’m fine,” the brunet muttered. “Are you sure?” the older man asked. His chest felt tight and he was scared that something bad had happened to the brunet. The blond looked at the doctor and then at Brian. Then he stared at the monitor and couldn’t look away as he listened to the heartbeat of his baby. “Is that…” “Are you the father of the baby?” Henry asked. Justin looked at Brian and the brunet nodded slowly. The blond wanted to jump with joy that it was all out in the open and he didn’t had to pretend anymore. He could pamper the brunet all he wanted now. He leaned closer and kissed Brian on the forehead. “Are they okay, doctor?” Henry assured the man that they were. “What happened?” Justin asked. The pregnant man shook his head. “It doesn’t matter.” The blond wanted to argue. “I need you to fill out a few things,” Panache said directed at Justin. “There are a few things we need to go over.” “Okay,” Justin agreed. “Could we have a few minutes?” The doctor nodded and walked out with the nurse. “Tell me what’s going on,” Justin said. Brian knew that he was going to have to explain himself to the blond. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you earlier. It was a surprise for me when I found out. I wasn’t sure if you wanted kids and I was going to tell you today. This is what I was talking about on the phone. I know I should have said something before but…” “Brian,” Justin said. “Slater said that you were arguing with Michael and then it stopped. Then the paramedics got there and Michael couldn’t stop saying he was sorry.” Brian sighed. “It’s not what you think.” “What the fuck did he do?” Justin asked, angry. “We were arguing and one thing led to another and he didn’t mean to, Justin,” Brian said. “I shouldn’t have been fighting with him. I slipped.” “The fuck you did,” Justin hissed. The brunet was getting scared. “Promise me that you won’t...he’s my best friend.” The older man stared at Brian for a few seconds. The brunet held the look. It was a silent conversation where Brian acknowledged the fact that he knew that Justin did something that wasn’t all that good. It was the first time that Brian had addressed the issue. “Promise me you won’t hurt him,” Brian begged. “I promise you, I won’t kill him or nothing like that,” the sandy haired man assured him. Brian was happy to hear that. Then he looked down when he felt Justin’s hand on his belly. He looked at the older man and finally saw that he was getting the family he’d been wishing for. And he promised himself right then and there that it would be nothing like the experience he had with his parents. He would make sure his family was always happy. The blond stayed with Brian until the man fell asleep. When he came out into the hallway Michael and Slater were there. The blond walked closer to them and in seconds he was punching Michael square on the face. The man fell down on his knees and Justin squatted in front of him. “If you ever hurt him again,” Justin hissed. “I’ll fucking make you disappear.” Then Justin pushed the man back and got up. He turned around and went back to Brian’s room. “You’re so lucky and you don’t even know it,” Slater said. “Watch out for what you do boy.” Michael pushed himself into one of the chairs and cleaned the blood away. Some people were looking at him so he got up and left. He didn’t want to be there for when Justin came back outside.