Thanks to muffin_donat2007 for the beautiful banners. Brian's POV I've been lying in my bed, trying to go to sleep, but I can't. So I just lay here and listen to Justin talk to the kids. When the kids start to ask if Justin and I are going to get married, I smile. They talk for a little while longer, and then Justin says that he needs to use the bathroom. I watch through half closed lids as the blonde gets up and heads for the bathroom. When he walks inside, I take a moment to think about what Justin has told our children. He likes me as more than a friend. Well, I feel the same way about him, but I'm not sure I can tell him. However, the minute Justin comes out of the bathroom, my phone begins to ring. Thinking that it's my cell phone, I turn to grab it off the bedside table, only to find that it's my main phone. I groan out loud, and try to rise from the bed, but quickly decide that that's a bad idea when my stomach starts to rebel. I quickly grab the bowl that was laying on the floor beside the bed, and empty the contents of my stomach in it. When I quit throwing up several minutes later, I realize that the phone is still ringing. I ask Justin to grab the phone, and he picks it up and then brings it over to me. I nod my thanks, and then speak into the mouthpiece. "What?" I groan inside when my mother's voice comes over the line. She starts to bitch at me, that I haven't called her lately, and that I haven't picked her up to go to church in over a month. "Listen Joan, I'm not a taxi." I listen as my mother starts to bitch some more. When she starts to bring up old mess, I feel myself losing my patience. "Look, I don't give a flying fuck what Claire said! I can not and will not watch her fucking demon spawn that she calls children. And no, I won't bring you to church." My mother starts yelling at me, and so I can't help but yell back. "LISTEN HERE, YOU FUCKING CUNT! EVER SINCE I WAS BORN, YOU'VE TREATED ME LIKE SHIT. YOU LET JACK TREAT ME LIKE SHIT UNTIL HE DIED! WELL GUESS WHAT, BITCH? THAT'S OVER NOW!" I take a few breaths to calm myself, but when I fall silent my mother takes that as her cue to continue bitching. After a few minutes, I've had enough of her bitching. "YOU'RE MY MOTHER?! WHERE THE FUCK WERE YOU WHEN JACK THREW ME DOWN THE FUCKING STAIRS OF OUR HOUSE?!" I try to stop myself from shouting, but I can't. I have so much hate for this woman who is my mother, that it just comes flowing out. "OR WHERE WERE YOU WHEN JACK TRIED TO STRANGLE ME IN THE FOURTH GRADE, FOR NOT TAKING OUT THE FUCKING TRASH?!" Joan tries to play off both incidents, but fuck that. I won't let her. "OR HOW ABOUT THE TIME JACK BEAT ME SO MUCH THAT I WAS IN A COMA FOR MONTH?! YOU THINK I'M GOING TO LET YOU PLAY THE VICTIM IN ALL THIS SHIT? YOU'VE GOT ANOTHER THING COMING!" Then I hang up the phone, and throw it over my shoulder, feeling satisfied when it hits the wall. The loft is completely silent and I realize that Justin, Kyla, and Gus have fallen silent, and the television has been either muted or turned off. What's even worse, is that all three of them now know about my fucked up childhood. I sigh softly, unable to believe my bad luck. Then I feel myself fall off the bed and onto the floor, and I can't stop it from happening. I used up all of my energy when I was arguing with my mother. Suddenly, the television comes back on, and I know the kids are watching the movie once more. Justin enters the bedroom and takes a seat by me, but not too close. "That was your mother? She seems like a nice lady." I can hear the sarcasm in his words, and so I just shrug, before replying. "Joan is the woman who brought me into this world. But Debbie is my mother. She always has been, and always will be." Justin nods, and then he asks, "So, the woman mentioned. Claire? She's your sister?" I nod, and then reply rolling my eyes, "Unfortunately, yes. Her husband divorced her a month ago, and she's still trying to get all of his money. And mine too, sadly. My father only thought I was good for money." Justin stares at me, and I know that he's wondering what the fuck? But he can't understand. There's no way. Justin and Michael have no idea what it was like, waking up every single day, and wondering if you were going to be lucky enough to see the next one. But I do, and so it's hard for me to trust people. My mother and father, the people who were supposed to love and protect me no matter what, are the actual causes of most of the hurt and pain in my life. They verbally abused me, and physically abused me as well. I'm lucky that I survived living with them. But then again, who's to even say that I did? "I take it that you and your mother don't get on well?" I raise an eyebrow at the blonde. "There's no way you could have missed the shouting match that took place a few moments ago." When a small blush appears in his cheeks, I know that indeed he heard every single word I said. "Sunshine, saying that Joan and I or even the rest of her family and I, don't get on well, is a complete understatement. They hate me, and the feeling is completely mutual." Justin stares at me, surprised by my words. Then he asks, "But why?" I laugh bitterly, because I can't help it. "Because I'm a fag, and Jack and Joan Kinney can't have raised a disgusting homosexual." The words burn my tongue, even though I'm saying them in a sarcastic manner, it hurts like hell. Justin's face changes colors, and I wonder if he's going to hurl like I've been doing, or if he's angry as hell. After a few moments, however, Justin's color returns to normal. So I guess he was just looking pissed off. As I try to find something to say, the blonde asks, "What about social services?" I laugh, and then explain to Justin about the way things worked when I was growing up. I explain to him that no one stuck their noses into other people's business. "When people saw the bruises, welts, black eyes, and broken bones, no one said a fucking thing. That's just the way things were. Besides, even if someone tried to get me out of there, it wouldn't have mattered." Justin gives me a curious look and then asks, "Why?" I feel another bitter laugh bubble within me, and so I tell Justin why, and then start to laugh. "Because Jack's best friend was Chief of Police at the time, and who the hell is going to believe a kid? My parents told everyone that I misbehaved all the time, and that I fought with them all the time, which is why I had all the bruises, welts, broken bones, and black eyes." I look at Justin, and hear him mutter under his breath, "Holy shit." I nod, and then shrug. "Not everyone's life is a happily ever after. Though when I finished high school, and started college, my world got tons better. I moved into the dorm and got a job to support myself." Justin nods again, and so I admit to him that the first year I was out of my parents house, I moved into an apartment with Lindsay. "It was weird, living in the middle of muncherville. I love Lindsay, but I just don't love what she does." I shudder as I remember one of the times I walked in on Lindsay and Melanie. Gross. I had nightmares about lesbians for a week after that scene. It was almost enough to make me want to live on the street. I said almost, but not enough. "But before I finished high school, when things got bad I'd go and stay with Michael's family for a few days. Debbie would always tend to my cuts or bruises, but if I had something infected or broken, then it was off to the doctor to get patched up." I pause for a moment, and then tell Justin the next part softly. "Debbie and her family love me a lot more than my own. They always have, and always will. So Debbie is my mother, not the bible toting bitch who just called. Women have to earn the title mother, in my book." Suddenly, I snap out of my thoughts and ask Justin to go and check on the kids. I need a few minutes to compose myself, and get my sanity back. My mother can always knock my life out of balance by just calling me on the phone. Isn't that a wonderful amount of power she has over me? That bitch. I can't fucking believe that she asked me to watch the demon spawns. But then again, actually I can. Claire asked her to watch the brats, and so Joanie decided to give me a call since she doesn't want to. Well, fuck that. Those crazy assholes aren't going to be anywhere near Gus, Kyla, or Justin, if I have anything to say or do about it. The last thing Justin and Kyla need, is to meet the thing that I've tried my whole damn life to escape from, my blood family. I hear the sound of laughter, so I turn my head and look at the kids. They are still watching the same thing, yet the two kids continue to find the cartoon or movie that they are watching, really amusing. I watch Justin watch them, and a weird feeling enters my heart. I know what it is, and because of that feeling, I know that Justin and Kyla are going to be around us a lot more. Or at least I hope they will. I know that Gus already likes Justin and Kyla, and I have to admit, that ever since I first laid eyes on Justin, I've wanted him. But now though, things are different. At first, I just wanted to sleep with the beautiful, cheeky blonde. But now, now I want him and his daughter to be in my life every day from now on, until they bury my cold, dead body, in the ground. I get up slowly out of the bed, since I need the bathroom. As I start to get up, I get a little dizzy. But I don't have time to be dizzy. I need to take a leak, so I better hurry and get to the bathroom. So I make it to the bathroom and take care of my personal needs. After I wash my hands, I start for the kitchen, thinking that I'm gonna try and make a sandwich. As I open the door to the refrigerator though, the smell of something inside assaults me, and I turn away and start gagging against the sink. My stomach starts to rebel, and since I've got nothing left in me to throw up, I think I'll be okay. However, as I continue to dry heave, I suddenly lean over the sink when I start to throw something up. Finally! It feels weird having nothing in your stomach, and yet still feel the need to throw up. I had closed my eyes when I started throwing up, but now since I don't smell a certain food smell, I open them. The moment that I open my eyes, I completely regret it. The sink is splattered with the blood that I have just thrown up, and when the room starts to spin, I panic and call out, "Justin!" Then the world goes black once more.