Fifteen Minutes Later - Stables

Kaylee scrunched up her nose in horror, her expression an exact duplication of her father's when he was normally embarrassed.  "You have GOT to be kidding me!"

Katie held the plastic baggie out toward her.  "We're in this together, remember?"

"No, way," Kaylee retorted.  "I didn't sign up for poop duty." 

Katie rolled her eyes.  "Oh, for heaven's sake!  What's the big deal?  You've got latex gloves on.  It won't touch any part of your delicate skin." 

"I don't care," her sister replied stubbornly as she eyed the pellets of mouse dung sprinkled among the strands of straw on the stable floor.  "I'll do anything else to help - but NOT that."

Katie sighed heavily.  "You're living out in the country now, Kaylee," she told her sister as she reached down with her own gloves to begin picking through the straw to snare some of the mouse dung and place it into the baggie.  "Better get used to things being down and dirty here." 

Kaylee harrumphed.  "I don't mind a little dirt.  But I draw the line at picking THAT up."

"You won't mind if it gets us what we want, though, will you?" Katie countered with raised eyebrows as she zipped the snack-size bag shut and then placed it into a larger, grocery-size bag.  "Here," she said as she tied the ends into a knot and held the bag out toward her sister.  "You know what to do with this."  Kaylee shrunk back a little as her sister shook her head in exasperation.  "Come on, Kaylee!  I can't do it!  You're the one who's living with Daddy, not me!" 

"But you look just like me..."

"Uh, uh," Katie said as she walked closer and shoved it into her sister's hands.  "We are NOT trading places again.  You know where that got us.  Now just take care of it, okay?  It has to be done at night after Daddy's asleep, 'cause that's when they're normally active.  And make sure you put it where mice would be.  The top of the kitchen counter's always a good place."

Kaylee looked at her aghast.  "Do they really get up that high?"  Her sister nodded with barely-restrained impatience.  "Oh, my God, I'll never eat anything off the counter again!" she vowed as she gingerly placed the bag into her jacket pocket out of sight, her nose crinkling in distaste.  "Okay...I don't like it, but I'll take care of it.  What now?" 

Katie bit her lip thoughtfully.  "Well, the next part of our plan won't work if Daddy's able to get the windows open. So I think the Super Glue is next.  We'll have to make sure he's out of the house, though."  She pursed her lips together in thought.  "I know!  We'll ask Daddy to take a swim with us, and then we can leave while he's still in the pool.  We'll tell him we're tired of swimming and want to come down here and take a look at the horses or something.  That should give us enough time to work on the windows before he goes back to the carriage house." 

Kaylee nodded.  "Okay.  I guess that will work.  What comes after that?" 

Katie smiled.  "Then we put the rest of it into action...Just follow my lead," she told her sister confidently.  "Then the real sh...uh, the mouse poop will hit the fan."

Kaylee giggled in spite of her reservations.  "It can't happen soon enough for me."

One Hour Later...

Justin glanced up in surprise through his sunglasses as the back door slid open and Brian walked out with his laptop under his arm.  "I thought you said you had work to do," he pointed out as he lay on a nearby, padded, chaise lounge chair.  He felt a little guilty just lying there, soaking up a little sun, instead of being at the carriage house, unpacking. But the girls had wheedled him into going for a short swim earlier, and as he reclined in the chair he had to admit, it felt good to just rest for a bit.  The warmth of the sun wasn't quite as punishing as it would be later, either; a light breeze had kicked up, providing the perfect temperature for a little sun worshipping.

"I am," Brian pointed out as he walked over and placed his laptop down on top of a nearby, glass-topped, patio table. 

"In that?" Justin croaked out, his eyes bulging as he studied Brian's extremely unorthodox 'business' attire.  He was wearing a thin, white, sleeveless, wifebeater shirt that was unbuttoned, and a pair of matching, white, Lycra swim shorts that clung to his body in all the right places. 

"What else would I wear by the pool while I'm working at home, Sunshine?" he drawled.

"Oh, my bad.  I thought you were working at the White Party in Miami." 

Brian smirked as he sat down right next to Justin's chaise and flipped his laptop open to turn it on, happy that Justin had reacted the way that he hoped he would.  He glanced over at his partner and frowned.  "Are you trying to turn yourself into a lobster, Justin?" he growled in disbelief as he scooted back from his chair and grabbed a tube of sunblock lotion lying on top of his partner's beach towel on the floor next to the chaise lounge.  "You forgot to put this on, didn't you?"  It was obvious from the sheepish look on his partner's face that he had.  He shook his head as he walked over to him.  "Sit up," he commanded as he gestured impatiently with his free hand.

Justin huffed.  "I'm not a child, Brian!  Just hand it to me and I'll do it myself." 

"Well, unless you're a contortionist you won't be able to get to your back," he pointed out.  "Now either do what I say or move into the shade."  He left no room for argument as he pointedly arched one eyebrow at him. 

Justin sighed, knowing he would not win this argument.  "All right."  He sat up straighter as Brian turned and straddled the chair behind him; Justin squeezed his eyes tightly shut as he felt Brian's cock brushing against his ass cheeks, the feel of Lycra on Lycra doing very little to hide his partner's erection.  And the friction from the satiny material as Brian wriggled slightly in the chair was making his own cock began to rise to the occasion...

"Do you have to sit so close to me?" Justin complained hoarsely as Brian scooted even closer and grinned. 

He leaned over to whisper in Justin's ear, "You wouldn't want me to miss a spot, would you, Sunshine?"  He heard Justin huff in indignation as he squirted some of the white liquid onto his hands and rubbed his palms together in a circular motion to warm it up.  He placed his hands on Justin's shoulders as he slowly began to knead the lotion into his skin, savoring his opportunity.  "This isn't the lotion I would prefer to use on you," he told Justin huskily as he felt his partner tremble slightly in reaction to his voice.  "But it'll have to do for now." 

The feeling of Brian's hands sensually roaming all over his back and shoulders was having a distinct effect on Justin as he couldn't help sighing in pleasure.  "God, that feels sooo good," he murmured, giving into the moment as he leaned back into Brian's embrace, his eyes still closed and serving to heighten his lover's firm but gentle touch.  Brian smiled, encouraged, as he squeezed some more lotion out and slid his arms around to Justin's torso to trail his slippery hands all over his chest and belly, taking a moment to linger over each nipple as Justin sucked in a breath in response.  He paused for just a second in his ministrations, inhaling Justin's shampoo and just indulging in having him in his arms again.  Did he dare...?  He decided that the opportunity was just too good to pass up....

Justin's eyes popped open as he felt Brian's right hand sliding under his royal blue swim trunks.  His cock immediately hardened painfully in reaction.  "Brian...." he whimpered in half-hearted protest as his lover curved his hand around his shaft and gave it a squeeze.  He moaned softly as his partner flicked the wet, spongy tip with his thumb and began to languidly stroke him. 

"You look so fucking hot in these," Brian growled in his ear as he took a nip of the lower lobe.  "But not as good as out of them," he decided as his other hand slid in to join the other one and he fondled his balls. 

"Oh, God, Brian," Justin moaned, his head lolling back to rest on Brian's shoulder as he turned his head and their lips met for a deep, penetrating kiss.  Justin felt dizzy with desire, his previous vow to go slowly with his lover quickly faltering as their tongues dueled with each other and Brian continued to stroke his dick and juggle first one ball and then the other.  The sensations flooding through him were almost too much to bear.  He felt like he was gong to explode any minute.  How in the world was he ever going to resist this, even living apart? 

"You like that?" Brian drawled as they broke off their kiss.  He didn't really have to ask, though; it was obvious.  Justin was speechless at the moment; all he could do was place his hands over Brian's arms resting on his belly and nod.  Brian chuckled in amusement, the rumble coming deep within his throat as he suggested, "Why don't we take this to the bedroom, Sunshine?  Wouldn't want your tight little ass to get sunburned before I have a chance to fuck it."  He received a moan in response as he grinned in triumph. 

"THERE you are!" was the delighted shriek from nearby as the door slid open behind them.  It was as if a bucket of ice cold water had been thrown on them as Brian yanked his hands out of Justin's swim trunks and Justin's eyes flew open, his heart pounding at the sound of the unexpected but familiar voice greeting them.  "Surprise!" 

"Shit," Brian growled in total frustration as Justin quickly tried to push his hard-on back into his trunks just before Daphne walked over to join them.  Brian didn't move, however, but remained seated behind Justin; only this time, his hands moved slightly upward to rest at his stomach instead.

Justin's face turned beet red - and not from the sun beating down on them - as Brian drawled, "Well, if it isn't Aunt Daphne coming to call on us."

Daphne surveyed the two men sitting quite intimately together with interest.  She had talked to Justin recently about Kaylee - and he had briefly filled her in on his and Brian's reconciliation - but to see them sitting there so cozily together was an amazing sight to behold.  So was her friend's impressive woody he was currently trying to hide with his hands covering his crotch.  Apparently some things never change, she couldn't help thinking wryly as she smirked.  Her eyes lifted to meet Justin's as she noticed the pink tint to his cheeks.  She chose not to make him feel any more embarrassed than he already was as she explained, "I told you I was coming out to check up on Kaylee and see both girls." She decided that she couldn't help one little jibe at her friend as she inquired, "Expecting a big crowd?" 

"Huh?" Justin responded.

She smiled.  "Well, I thought since the two of you were doubling up on the seating that you needed to conserve space," she teased him as she took a seat next to them in one of the patio recliner chairs. 

"Oh, that."  Justin felt the heat on his cheeks as he explained, "I forgot to put my sunblock lotion on, and Brian was helping."

Daphne grinned even more.  So much for self-control...  "Uh, huh.  Makes perfect sense," she agreed.  "If I didn't know Brian so well."  Brian merely lifted an eyebrow at her and smiled back at her innocently in response.

"Where're the girls?" she asked as she peered around, noticing how quiet it was.  Normally when she came to visit one of the girls, they would be rushing headlong toward her to say hello.  Everyone had long ago decided to call her 'Aunt' Daphne, even though both girls were well aware that she was their biological mother.  While she had a cordial, even loving relationship with them, however, she wasn't in their lives enough on a constant basis to really feel she deserved the 'mother' title.  And besides, the idea all along had been for the boys to raise them as their daughters, not her.  She just hadn't expected that it would take until now for them to get back together again. 

"I think they're out at the stables," Justin told her as Daphne nodded.  "They'll be thrilled to see you again, Daphne...or should I say Doc?" he teased.

She huffed.  "If I don't get some more time off, you can call me dead," she quipped with a sigh.  "I would have been out here sooner, but they wouldn't let me off until now.  If something really serious had happened to her..." 

"I know you would have found a way, then, to be there," Justin told her.  "She's fine, Daph," he assured her, knowing how badly she felt about that.  "I think it will be some time - if ever - that she gets back on top of a horse again, though.  But at least she's able to be around them at the stables; she's been helping Katie feed them in the mornings.  So who knows?  Maybe one day.  She needs to take it a little easy for a while anyway." 

Daphne nodded.  "I'll take a walk back there and track them down, then.  I can't wait to see both of them together!"  She smiled at the two men sitting so close to each other, Justin cradled inside Brian's longer frame and their hands intertwined at Justin's waist.  She shook her head in amazement.  "I never really thought I would see the day," she murmured.  "But I'm so happy for both of you.  This has been a long time coming." 

Justin cleared his throat.  "Well, we're taking it slowly this time," he reminded both her and Brian.  He had talked to Daphne about their arrangement, and had told her they had decided to try and work things out again.  But he had also been clear that they weren't just going to jump back into their relationship.  He wanted everything to work this time; and to successfully accomplish that, he knew this was the best course of action to take.  He wanted this to last. 

She nodded, not quite convinced it would work the way that Justin thought it would.  These two were still like a flame with a keg of dynamite - explosive.  And what she had just interrupted seemed to add credence to that belief.  "Yeah...Right," she said with a knowing grin. 

"No, we both decided it was for the best," he insisted, noticing her look of skepticism.  "Kaylee and I will be staying in the carriage house, at least for the time being.  There's plenty of room for the both of us. And this way, she and her sister - and Gus - can all get to know each other better before we come to a definite decision." 

She laughed.  "We'll see how long THAT lasts." 

"Daphne!" Justin complained as Brian snickered, his breath tickling his ear.  "I mean it." 

"I know you think you do.  I'm just saying when the two of you come together, it's like a type of spontaneous combustion," she told him, her eyes twinkling as she realized what she had said.  "Oops!  Pardon the pun." 

Brian chuckled as Justin promptly turned red again at the thought.  "Well, I'm not that naïve, little 17-year-old kid anymore, Daph," he told her just a little defensively.

"You never WERE little, Sunshine," Brian whispered in a sultry tone of voice as Justin abruptly pushed himself up from the chair and out of Brian's grasp.

"I'm going for a swim," he told Daphne as he turned to look intently over at Brian, "so I can cool off." 

"I'll just have to reapply your lotion, then," Brian called after him as Justin huffed in exasperation.  He laughed softly at his partner as Justin turned and walked over to the deep end, quickly diving into the pool and disappearing below the surface. 

"Brian, this is hard enough on him," Daphne chided him as he looked over at her innocently.  "He says he want to take things slowly this time.  You need to honor his wishes.  Don't you want this to work out?" 

Brian's face dissolved into something more serious as he told her sincerely, "Of course I do, Daphne."  He watched as Justin came up for air and began to slowly swim across the pool, obviously deep in thought.  He imagined his feelings were stirred up right now just as much as his were.  He sighed.  "You know I do," he told her.  "It's...It's just so damn hard, being close to him and not being able to...Well, you know..."

"Surely you're not telling me that the two of you haven't had sex yet since you got back together."  Brian bestowed an incredulous look on her as she nodded.  "I didn't think so." She paused.  "So you'll have to live apart for a while.  Look, I know patience isn't one of your strongest virtues, Brian.  But you've waited over ten years now; you can wait just a little bit longer."

Brian snorted as he watched Justin continue to swim from one side of the pool to the other, no doubt trying to find an outlet to get rid of the same sexual tension he was feeling at the moment.  "No, it's not one of my stronger traits," he admitted to her.  He let out a deep breath.  "But I can wait.  Because he - and the girls - are worth it." 

She nodded.  "You've both decided to keep them together no matter what happens anyway, haven't you?" 

He nodded back at her.  "Yeah.  In fact, we're going to see an attorney who specializes in custody issues right away to get the agreement revised." 

She smiled.  "Good.  There's never been any conflict about how the two of you feel toward them."  She peered over at Justin as she watched her friend climb out of the water and reach for a beach towel to begin drying himself off.  She noticed Brian eyeing him intently, not missing the longing look on his face.  "It'll all work out, Brian; you'll see.  Just give him some time.  You both need time to adjust to a new life together.  You AND the girls." 

He nodded.  "I guess.  He brushed some hair away from his forehead, averting his gaze away from the sight of a wet Justin wearing his form-fitting pair of blue swim trunks that hid nothing to the imagination.  "Damn," he whispered as Daphne giggled. 

He glared over at her as she told him, "If you think you can keep your hands off him for a while, I'm going to go find the girls and get reacquainted." 

"I won't promise anything," he told her flatly as she grinned. 

"Justin, I'm going to go find the girls," she called over to her friend, who nodded. 

"Staying for lunch?" he asked her as she nodded back with a smile.  "Good.  Brian's promised to grill some steaks this afternoon, although I'm not sure about allowing him to play with fire."  

"I'm already playing with fire, "Brian muttered under his breath as he watched Justin bend over and pick up the towel that he had dropped.  He groaned as he was rewarded with a tantalizing view of Justin's ass, wondering if he was doing it on purpose.  "Little shit."

Daphne laughed at his discomfort as she told him, "Try to control yourself, Kinney.  It's only temporary. I'll be back in a little while - and I'll bring the girls with me for lunch."

He nodded as he watched her wander back toward the trail leading to the stables, deciding it was time to get some work done...if a certain distraction would allow it.  Shaking his head as Justin straightened back up and caught him ogling, he rolled his eyes as his partner flashed him an impish grin before he headed over to the grill to begin preparing it for use.

Kaylee wiped some sweat from her forehead as she pushed down hard on the wooden window and locked it in place.  "I think that's the last one," she told her sister as she carefully placed the cap back on the tube of Super Glue.  "You really think this will work?"

"Are you kidding?" Katie retorted.  "I know what I'm doing." 

"You act like you've done this before." 

"Well...not this exactly.  But I've used Super Glue before.  Dad's a real klutz sometimes around the house," she reported with a smirk.  "He tries, but he's not really that good of a handyman.  So we keep a big supply of this around at all times for emergencies."

Kaylee grinned.  "Good thing he's not very mechanical, or he might be able to fix the air conditioning system.  Daddy's not any better," she reported.  "For someone who's so smart, he always had to call somebody in whenever something went wrong back home."

Katie laughed.  "Well, don't worry; it won't be that easy for them to fix.  Not after I get done with it."  She hefted her backpack over her shoulder, groaning slightly at the weight of it.  "These tools are so heavy!  We'd better hurry up and finish before Daddy comes looking for us." 

Kaylee nodded.  "What do you want me to do?"

"Just stay over at the window and yell if you see him coming.  The last thing we want is for him to know what we're doing!"

Kaylee nodded, wondering how long THAT would last.  "Don't you think it's going to be obvious what's going on, Katie?  I mean, they know what we did before..."

Katie turned around and glared at her as if insulted.  "Of course not!  Not if we do this right!  Now do as I say, okay? Do you want to help me with this or not?" 

"Okay, okay," her sister grumbled as she walked over to the window next to the door and, pulling back the curtain slightly, peered outside, seeing nothing.  "Go on!" she urged her sister with a frantic wave of her hand.  "The coast is clear so far." 

Katie nodded as she hurried toward the laundry room. Without a basement, the air conditioning and heating unit had been housed inside an alcove meant to resemble a large, walk-in closet next to the washer and dryer.  Opening up the two, accordion-style doors, she studied the now somewhat-familiar layout of the unit, having researched the online user manual on the web last night.  A lot of what it had said was too complex for her, but luckily she had understood enough to know what she needed to do as she located the connection for the cooling refrigerant.  Placing her backpack down on the floor beside her, she located the breaker box nestled over in a corner.  Smiling to herself, she walked over and, opening up the door, located the correct switch before disabling it.  Rummaging around in her backpack a few seconds later, she found the tool she needed.  Flashing a triumphant grin, she opened up the front of the unit and carefully propped it up against the nearby wall.  Thinking how lucky she and Kaylee were that her father's mechanical knowledge was far less than his basic carpentry skills, she quickly got to work.

Fortunately, it didn't take long for Katie to accomplish what she needed to do, because no sooner had she replaced the front plate back onto the air conditioning unit and flipped the breaker switch back on did she hear her sister frantically calling her name.

"Katie, hurry up!"

"Is it Daddy?" she called out as she hastily closed the circuit breaker box and slid the doors closed before emerging out into the main living area.

"No, but it's almost just as bad.  It's Aunt Daphne!  And she's heading right this way from the stables!" 

"Chill out!" Katie grumbled as she hurriedly hefted her backpack onto her shoulder and walked over to her sister, who quickly closed the curtains back so no one could see inside.  "I'm done - at least with that part of our plan."

"But she'll be here any second!  What are we going to do?" 

"Just answer the door!" she told her as she shook her head. "You're supposed to be living here, remember?"

"But Daddy thinks we're out at the stables!  What if he figures out what happened?  It'll ruin everything!  And now we can't even slip out of the house, because all the windows are glued shut!" 

Katie considered that dilemma. Perhaps her sister was right.  It might be dangerous to be seen at the scene of the crime, so to speak.  "Maybe you're right," she conceded as she pulled on her sister's wrist.  "Come on!  Let's go upstairs!  We'll hide out until she's convinced there's no one here!"  The two of them hurried over to the stairs and quickly ascended them, disappearing just in time before they heard the front door handle rattling and then a knock on the door.

"That was way too close," Kaylee whispered as they sat at the top of the steps. 

"Yeah." 

Kaylee looked at her sister as she told her, "I really want to see her, though."  It had been some time since she had seen her biological mother, especially with the two of them living in separate states.  She knew her mother had been quite busy with her medical residency, so she must have come here specifically to see them.  Would they lose that chance now? 

Katie noticed how upset her sister seemed.  "You will, don't worry," she reassured her as she reached to clasp her hand and give it a squeeze.  "Just wait until she's left and we'll go find her. I'm sure she won't leave until she's had a chance to see us, especially since you had your accident and we're both together now.  We can tell her we went for a walk in the woods or something." 

Kaylee nodded back at her as they heard their mother knocking once more on the door and then calling out their names.  Finally, after no more sounds were heard after a few minutes, they braved walking down the steps quietly to peek out from between the curtains. 

They both sighed in relief.  "She's not there anymore," Katie whispered as she turned around and leaned her back against the wall.  "Let's get out of here before Daddy shows up, too." 

Kaylee nodded as Katie unlocked the door and carefully opened it.  As soon as they walked outside, however, they both gasped in shock as they observed their mother only a few feet away from them, sitting at a picnic table that had been placed underneath a grove of pine trees.  At the sound of the door opening, she turned to peer over them with a mixture of delight and confusion. 

"Oh, no," Kaylee whispered as they encountered their mother unexpectedly.  "Now we're in for it." 

"Shhh," Katie warned her as she innocently looked over at her mother.  "Just go along with me."  She plastered a big smile on her face as she raised her voice in greeting.  "Aunt Daphne!   What are YOU doing here?"   She shifted her backpack so it was more comfortable, trying hard to appear nonchalant as her mother stood up and walked over to them.

"I came to see the two of you," she told them as she studied them intently, her brown eyes practically memorizing every feature.  She frowned.  "I just knocked on the door to the carriage house and no one answered." 

Kaylee's eyes grew wide with alarm as Katie subtly jabbed her in the side.  "You did?" 

Daphne nodded. 

"Oh!  I was letting Kaylee listen to some music on my IPod and we had headsets on - you know, one of those double ones where two people can listen at once?" 

Daphne nodded, still not quite convinced, but figuring it was possible.  She cocked her head, thinking they appeared flustered for some reason.  Her ability to analyze their father when he was younger used to drive him crazy as well, and they seemed to be wearing much the same type of expression that he did whenever he wasn't quite telling her the whole story about something. 

Deciding to give them the benefit of the doubt, however, she smiled at them.  She couldn't help the tears that sprang to her eyes as she realized how much they looked alike - and how much she had waited for this moment.  "I had always hoped for this," she told them softly.  "But I never really thought I would see it - at least not until you were a lot older."  She placed her hands on either of the girls' cheeks as she leaned down to give each of them a kiss.  "I'm just so happy for the both of you," she told them as the girls smiled back at her.  "Come over here and sit down with me," she urged them as she led them over to the picnic table and they all sat down.  "We can have an all-girl chat and catch up, just the three of us."

Kaylee glanced warily over at her sister.  "Where's Daddy and Dad?" she asked.

"They're still out back by the pool," she told them to their relief.  "I heard your father is grilling steaks this afternoon, so your Daddy asked me to stay for lunch.  Is that okay?"

Kaylee smiled.  "Sure, Aunt Daphne.  We'd like that," she told her as Katie nodded.

"I would suggest you stay far away from the grill, though," Katie warned her.  "Dad tends to get a little carried away when he's grilling.  I think it's some sort of macho thing."

Daphne laughed in amusement.  "Yeah, that sounds like your Dad," she agreed with a grin.  She watched as Katie slid a heavy-looking backpack off her shoulder and placed it down on the ground next to her with a groan of relief; hearing a distinct 'clunking' noise as she set it down.  She laughed.  "What in the world have you got in there, Katie?  Burglary tools?" 

Kaylee flashed her sister a look of alarm; that was way too close to the truth. 

But Katie smiled at her brightly and, thinking on her feet, told her, "No.  Uh...it's just some drawing supplies.  I was sketching some drawings of the inside of the carriage house.  Daddy said he and I could paint up in the studio, and I was just trying to find some inspiration for it." 

Daphne smiled warmly.  "Both of you are very artistically talented," she told her as Katie beamed at the compliment.  "I'd love to see what you drew," Daphne exclaimed, her eyes alit with anticipation.  She always loved seeing Katie's artwork; in fact, she had several pieces back at her condo proudly displayed in the living room and bedroom that always brought a smile to her face. 

Kaylee's eyes grew large as saucers as Katie hastily replied, "No!"  She immediately regretted her sharp tone as Daphne frowned at her in surprise over the vehemence in her voice.  "I mean, not yet.  I prefer to let Daddy see it first.  You know...Since it will be the first time we've painted together.  I don't want to jinx it or anything."  She pasted on a regretful look as she told Daphne, "I hope you don't mind. I kind of want the first time painting with Daddy to be special." 

Kaylee turned her head away from them and covered her smile with one hand.  She's good, she couldn't help thinking in amusement as she heard their mother say, "Of course, Honey.  I understand completely.  Just make sure your Daddy takes a picture of whatever you paint together when you get finished, okay?"

"Sure, Aunt Daphne," Katie told her, enormously relieved. She felt like they had just dodged a big bullet. 

Daphne nodded as she looked around the lush grounds.  "It is so beautiful out here," she murmured, inhaling the scent of the pine trees nearby and enjoying the warm breeze washing over her.  "So peaceful.  I really need to make a point of coming here more often - especially now that you'll all be here together."  She turned to peer over at Kaylee.  "You're going to love it here, Kaylee," she told her as she took a good look at her.  "You look wonderful.  I wouldn't have even known you had been in the hospital."  She pressed her lips together as she studied her, so grateful that she hadn't been more seriously injured.  "I was so worried when I heard what had happened.  Are you feeling better now?" 

Kaylee nodded.  "Uh, huh.  My head is pretty much back to normal." 

"Well, normal size, anyway," Katie teased as her sister smacked her in the arm and Daphne laughed at their antics.

"That's good," She told her warmly.  "I'm so relieved that you're okay."  She swallowed the lump in her throat.  "I'm so sorry I couldn't be here sooner, Kaylee.  It wasn't that I didn't want to be.  I just couldn't get away from my residency.  Your father called me to keep me informed about your condition.  And if it had turned out to be more serious....You know I would have moved heaven and earth to be there.  Don't you?"  She reached over to stroke her daughter's cheek as Kaylee nodded.

"I know," she told her with a smile.  "I'm just glad that you're here now." 

"Me, too," Daphne replied.  She turned to look at her other daughter as she took a deep breath.  "By the way, Katie, I'd love to go for a horseback ride with you later this afternoon, if you'd like that." Daphne had grown up around horses when she had been around her daughters' age, and still enjoyed doing some riding whenever she visited.

"That would be great!" Katie told her enthusiastically.  "I haven't been riding since Kaylee's accident."  She had faithfully walked down to the stables each day with her sister to feed Ceres and Eton their apples, and had been exercising them around the paddock, but she hadn't been on an extended ride with them for a while.  She really missed that - and she knew the horses did, too.  "Can we go right after lunch?"

Daphne smiled.  "Sure," she told her.  "You don't mind if we ride for a while, do you, Kaylee?" she asked her other daughter.  "You and I can do something when we get back," she promised her. 

Kaylee scrunched up her nose.  "No, I don't mind; not if you're going riding," she told her.  "I'm never getting on one of those beasts again," she vowed as she shuddered at the thought.

"Well, you shouldn't be participating in a strenuous activity like that for a while, anyway," her mom told her as she reached over to brush some hair out of her eyes. 

Kaylee nodded, enjoying the attention.  "Aunt Daphne?"

"Yes, Honey?" 

"Do you think our fathers will work everything out?  So we can be a family again?" 

She smiled.  "Of course; I know they love each other very much.  Surely you believe that." 

Kaylee nodded.  "Yeah...But even they said that sometimes love isn't enough. If it had been, they never would have broken up in the first place."  She looked into her mother's chocolate-brown eyes.  "You...You know the reason why they broke up, don't you?" 

"Do you?"  They had never really discussed it at length in the past. Daphne wasn't sure why; perhaps it had to do with them being apart and not being around their other father.  She supposed she could understand why it was coming up now. 

Kaylee and Katie both nodded.  "Yeah," Katie explained.  "When Dad came back up to Chicago with Kaylee to see Daddy, they talked about it." 

Daphne nodded.  "Well, apparently they somehow worked their problems out, though; that's a good thing," she pointed out. 

Her daughters nodded.  "But Dad...Dad was unfaithful to him.  Why would he do that if he loved him?" 

Why, indeed, Daphne mused.  And more importantly, how does she explain that to two little girls who worship both fathers?  She sighed as two pairs of eyes bored into hers.  "Girls...In order to really try and explain that, you would have to know what your Dad was like back then.  Until your Daddy came along, he lived a much different life than he does now."  She paused and took a deep breath before letting it out.  How exactly do you describe a 'pre-Sunshine' Brian Kinney, anyway?  "Before your father met your Daddy, he had never been involved in a serious relationship."  She smiled.  "I don't think he wanted one when he met HIM, either.  But your Daddy pretty much fell in love with him from the first moment he saw him.  He knew that he was the one." 

Both girls let out a collective 'aww' at the distinctly romantic notion as Daphne continued.  "He was very persistent.  He would show up wherever your father was and talk to him or dance with him.  He had already met Emmett, Michael, and Ted - and your Grandma Debbie," she explained, "so he slowly became friends with them, too, and they became comfortable having him around."  She smiled in recollection.  "Your father tried like crazy not to let your Daddy get under his skin.  He enjoyed...playing the field.  Do you know what that means?"  She wasn't about to say that Brian pretty much fucked a different guy - or more than one different guy - every night during that time. 

To her relief, the girls nodded as Kaylee replied, "You mean he liked to date a lot." 

Daphne sighed in relief as she smiled.  "Yeah, that's right.  Well, he began to see your father more and more.  And eventually, they moved in together."  She didn't think it was necessary to tell them that they had gone through that process of 'moving in together' several times.  "And after...after something happened at the club your father owned, he finally told your Daddy that he loved him." 

The moment those words were out of her mouth, Daphne knew she had made a mistake.  "What happened at the club?" both girls immediately asked, just as she knew they would.  They had been told that their father had once owned a dance club, but as far as she knew, no one had ever told them about the bombing.  This appeared to confirm that.

"It...it doesn't matter what it was," Daphne told them softly as she backpedaled.  "Please, girls," she said as they opened their mouths to protest.  "Let's just say that it was enough for your father to realize how much he loved your Daddy, and to realize that he wanted a life with him."  She smiled.  "And that's where the two of you came in.  It wasn't long after that before your Daddy asked if I would carry you for them."  Her smile broadened as she informed them, "Except they didn't know that twins ran in my family.  So they were in for quite a surprise."   Her voice softened then as she assured them, "But they were NOT disappointed.  In fact, they were thrilled.  They were going to have twice as much to love.  And they did.  They STILL do." 

"So what happened then?" Katie pressed, unable to understand even more now.  "Why?  Why would Dad do that to him?" 

Daphne considered that for a moment.  "Well...This is just my theory, mind you.  I think your father got scared at some point."

Both girls frowned at her, their initial mission temporarily forgotten.  "Scared?" Kaylee interjected.  "What was he scared of?" 

She smiled wistfully.  "I think he was afraid that maybe he was too happy." 

Katie shook her head.  "TOO happy?  How can someone be too happy?" 

"Well, you both know about your father's parents.  How your grandfather died before you born, and how your grandmother has always stayed out of your lives."     She had never understood that hateful, old woman.   Silently she thought it was best that she had remained estranged from them.  She did not want her daughters being exposed to someone so despicable. 

Both girls nodded as she explained, "Well, your father didn't have a very happy childhood growing up. When it came to loving someone else - and being loved - he had horrible role models to follow.  So when he met your Daddy - and he showed him that he was worthy of being loved, I think the intensity of his emotions frightened him in a way.  And I think when the two of YOU came along, it made him so happy that he actually felt like it was all a big dream and one day it would disappear.   So he reverted back to his old, familiar, ways."  She sighed.  "It's hard to explain.  Maybe one day your father can explain it better to you."  She was silent for a moment, studying her daughters' faces to try and gauge their reaction, before she reassured them, "But I DO know this, girls. He LOVES you; so very much.  And he feels the same way about your Daddy.  Call me a big softie, but I think they were destined to be together.  They're soul mates.  They will find a way this time to make this work this time; I know it." 

"You really think so?" Kaylee asked hopefully.  Her mother nodded.  Kaylee smiled as she turned to look over at her sister.  "Then maybe we don't need to..."

"Shh!" Katie hissed at her in alarm as she shook her head to be quiet, but it was too late. 

"What's that, Kaylee?" Daphne pressed, her brow furrowing in concentration.  "What won't you need to do?"

"Nothing," Kaylee hastily mumbled, her face turning red as she averted her eyes.  "Nothing."

"Kaylee...If something's wrong, I want to know." 

"No, Aunt Daphne!  She's fine," Katie assured her.  "Dad's probably getting the grill ready.  Maybe we'd better go back up to the house." 

Daphne frowned, sensing there was something going on, but unable to put her finger on just what it was.  She sighed.  "Yeah, you're probably right."  She smiled.  "And the quicker we eat, the quicker you and I can get over to the stables."  She stood up, unexpectedly reaching over to retrieve Katie's backpack before she had a chance to object.  "Here, I'll help you with that," she offered as she began to pick up the heavy object.

"No!" Katie cried out as she made a grab for it, but it was too late.  Her mother had already picked up the backpack - and promptly dropped it when she didn't realize how heavy it was.  It landed on the ground with a large, metallic, thud as a wrench and a hammer fell out through the open flap. 

Daphne reached down to pick up the two tools, along with the backpack, as she straightened up to stare over at her girls in confusion.  "What in the...?"  She peered at her guilty-looking daughters before her eyes flickered back over to the carriage house and her eyes widened in epiphany.   "Oh, no...Tell me you're not doing what I think you're doing..."

"Aunt Daphne, please don't squeal on us!" Kaylee wailed.

"Kaylee!" Katie shook her head in exasperation.  "Why don't you just keep quiet for a change?  Sheesh!" 

"Oh, my God!  You're at it again, aren't you?" Daphne exclaimed.  "What exactly have you been doing in there with these?" 

"We told you..."

"Katherine Marie, I want to know what's going on.  The truth.  These are NOT art tools." 

Katie sighed.  "I hate that name!"  She shook her head as her mother eyed her with a probing stare.

"Katie, you've got to tell her..." Her sister demanded.  "She's already figured it out, anyway." 

"Arrgh!" her sister growled.  "Okay, okay!"  Conceding she had no choice, she began to explain her latest scheme to reunite their fathers in the same house. To her relief, when she finished her mother burst out laughing.

"Mouse poop?  Super glue?"  She couldn't help smiling at them as she unexpectedly said, "Girls, I'm proud of you.  I couldn't have done any better myself if I had planned it." 

Katie and Kaylee looked at each other in stunned shock before Kaylee had to make sure they understood her correctly.  "You mean you're not mad at us?"

"Mad?"  She grinned.  "No.  Personally I think your fathers - especially Justin - need a swift kick in the as...uh, head.  They can both be extremely stubborn."

"Especially Daddy," Katie told her as she nodded in agreement.  "Dad's more than willing for all of us to live together again.  But Daddy doesn't want to."

"Now, Katie, that's not really fair," Daphne said in Justin's defense.  "You can't really blame your father for wanting to be careful this time around.  If you really want them to be together - and all of you to be one, big happy family again - he needs to make sure he's doing the right thing for both him AND for you."  She grinned again.  "But that doesn't mean that maybe we can't give them a little nudge and hurry up the process somewhat."  All she could think about was...Poor Justin.  He just wasn't going to stand a chance.  Somehow, though, she didn't think he was going to put up too much of a fight. 

"We?  Does that mean you're willing to help us?"  Kaylee asked hopefully as Daphne turned to peer over at her.

She quietly placed the two tools back in Katie's backpack before she turned around and hefted it onto her shoulder.  Her eyes twinkled as she replied, "Tell me what you else you have in mind."