Although Justin agreed by vigorously shaking his head in the affirmative, he stipulated the women must also confess their love for each other as they attempt to create a child.  Justin would not agree to donate any more sperm other than the one loving cup full.  His reasoning being if it was God's will he become a father then it would come to pass.  To everyone's surprise the four soon-to-be parents are now having their first ultrasound.  Justin didn't realize what an ultrasound was, and is now sitting on the opposite side of the curtain to the other three parents.  He didn't want to see Mel's naked belly and even though he was assured a sheet would be covering her nether region he had discreetly, yet hastily, retreated.  As the picture appears on the screen Justin hears ooh's and aah's emanating from the other side of the dividing curtain.  Even Brian seems excited.  Brian comes around to where Justin is sitting.  "Mel is covered Justin and our baby wants to meet all its parents."

Justin thought Brian's words very strange.  How would they meet their baby before it is born?  Only curiosity has him rise from his chair and let Brian lead him to stand in front of the monitor.  Justin turns his head almost immediately, "Brian, this is a graven image."

"It's not a permanent image Justin and you aren't worshipping it so please just see it as our child."  Justin is happy Brian could justify him looking at the images.  However, he is quick to answer negatively when he is asked if he would like a copy to take home. 

It isn't until the following ultrasound that Justin realizes just how much he has fallen in love with their unborn child and he now fully understands what Brian had explained about love developing after conception.  He happily goes to the appointment and Brian once again guides him to a place in front of the ultrasound monitor, making sure none of Mel's body parts are exposed.  Justin watches as the technician points out the baby's form.  The head, the arms and the legs.  Three legs to be exact.  Justin is horrified; God has created a deformity in their child because of him, because of his lifestyle.  He sinks into Brian's embrace apologizing for what has happened.  The three other parents and the technician stifle their laughter as Brian explains that there is another baby hiding behind the one they could see clearly.  "Twins; we are having twins.  Mel and Lindsay you are having twins."  Justin's voice is joyous as he can't believe how generous God has been. 

Although Mel and Lindsay thought Justin's initial response to the image was adorable they aren't sharing his enthusiasm as the situation sinks in.  They know multiple births put a strain on any marriage and their marriage has already experienced some very turbulent times.  Brian notices and he knows what is going to be suggested.  Immediately his thoughts go to his husband's mindset.  Justin is a soft gentle sole; still he doesn't think that alone makes him a good candidate to be a fulltime father.  He is only twenty two, yet very much a man, conversely when it comes to the ways of the world he is still a child.  This will impact both their lives greatly and many of their future plans would need to be abandoned.  Brian thinks it is very unfair of Mel and Lindsay to even think they should be the solution to an event they should have foreseen as twins are prominent in Mel's family.  "No."  Is all Brian says, however the tone says more than the word.  He is warning them to not put this on Justin's shoulders.  Mel and Lindsay don't protest.

*****

Justin contemplates the situation he is faced with as he is driven home.  This is a future he could never have envisaged and one he is not willing to impose upon his beloved husband.   He couldn't have foreseen this; still he believes he has no right to think he can just insert his son into Brian's life, like he was.  Justin knows how much his life impacted Brian's and he can't do that to him again, especially since Brian has frequently expressed that the situation of the women raising Gus is ideal for him because, as much as he loves his son, he isn't equipped with the knowledge or desire to raise a child.  His thoughts are interrupted as Lindsay makes sure to reiterate the focus of the evening as Justin exits her car. 

Brian has been away again without his man and as he enters his home he becomes infuriated.  Mel and Lindsay have once again invited Justin for dinner and this time they have filled his head with talk of parenthood.  They are desperate for Justin to commit to taking one of the twins when they are born and raise the child with Brian.  They know one is a boy and the other a girl.  They want the girl.  Tonight Mel and Lindsay have gone beyond the pale by telling Justin they will have to put the boy up for adoption if he can't take it. 

Once again Brian finds his husband dressed in his Amish clothes sitting on the corner of the settee, his Bible is compressed between his legs as he hugs them to his chest and his head is resting on his knees.  He is mumbling incoherently as if trying to clarify the situation as he seeks spiritual guidance.  His earlier reasoning had helped him to stay in control in the presence of the women; however it is not helping his state of mind now.  He doesn't even realize Brian is home; Brian only figures out what is going on when Justin's muttering becomes a little stronger.  His husband's ramblings are exposing everything as he repeats over and over again what the girls frequently said during the meal; adoption.  Adoption, adoption, the word rings loudly in his head.

Brian bends down in front of his man.  He takes both his husband's hands in his and with one finger moves Justin's face so he can look into his eyes.  What he sees is beyond belief, where normally love is reflected there is only an abyss filled with pain and confusion.  Brian cannot fathom the undercurrent of melancholy he is witnessing through his husband's touch so he offers the only comforting words that come to him.  He promises his husband whatever happens he will never lose his son from his life.  He gently assures him whatever the women have stated there are other options.  Although Justin seems to register Brian's words he cannot be comforted.  Justin despairs as he mulls over what he perceives to be the only other alternative and that is only slightly better than adoption; he could place his son in foster care in the hopes that one day they could be a family.  He ponders if he is strong enough to place one love above another, and above his desire.

Brian guides his distraught husband to bed and lays there holding him knowing sleep most likely will elude them.  Eventually emotional exhaustion takes over and as Justin fitfully slumbers Brian reaches for his phone.  He rings the girls and he lets them know what he thinks about them choosing one child over another because of its sex and he also lets them know they will probably place the boy in foster care.  He is furious the girls think their lives should go in a direction they are dictating because of their ill thought out plan to increase their family.

*****

It is now thirty seven weeks after conception and Mel has been rushed to the hospital in the wee hours of the morning.  Brian and Justin arrive within minutes of the birth.  The men greet both their children into the world.  Mel tells Justin the foster liaison will be at the hospital in the morning if he would like to see his son before they take him.  Justin and Brian had only just walked into the room when she made this announcement.  Brian looks at his husband's devastated face, then to his son, and then back to his husband.  "Cancel her visit; we have another option."

Mel and Lindsay were never going to let Brian place their son in foster care or put their son up for adoption, still they had continued to call Brian's bluff throughout the pregnancy, hoping he would soften to Justin's unspoken desire of wanting to raise the child.  The women now believe their plan has backfired as Brian's words seem ominous. 

Justin is standing in an atmosphere of empty silence.  His world spins and he becomes dazed and confused.  His mind is trying to comprehend what his husband is saying.  Has Brian changed his mind?  Is he going to allow their son to be adopted as the women had suggested?  Justin begs.  "Brian please; I believe love preserves, it stays true, it never fades.  I will sacrifice happiness now if it allows us to one day become a family.  Please allow our son to be fostered and maybe in time and without imposition or too much of a lifestyle alteration we can accommodate him in the future plans you have voiced."

Brian was dumbfounded by Justin's words.  Justin has never expressed a desire to raise their son.  Justin had been the one to suggest fostering which Brian had assumed was because neither he nor his husband had the experience or knowledge in how to raising a child and their son's needs outweighed everything else, even their happiness.  Reality now indicates differently.  His husband's words were very telling and the selflessness in the verse pay witness to Justin's loving sacrifice.  The self-sacrificing love that Justin is displaying, displaying for him by giving up their son; this selfless love, it is beyond palatable and it has become a presence that refuses to be ignored.  Justin wants them to nurture their son, although he thinks he will be interrupting Brian's life plan should his desire be known.  He is doing the only thing he can see as the solution to this untenable situation.  Brian respected his husband's intentions, although now the time has come, Brian can see Justin's heart will be shredded if he is parted from their child.  Brian considers how he could have possibly misread Justin's wishes and he believes it was because he thought the women were bluffing and they would eventually crumble and raise their son alongside his sister. 

He turns to face Justin and holds him at arm's length so he can see his face clearly.  "Justin, our son is a blessing and we might stumble along the way, but WE will raise him the best we can."  He watches as the pure sadness expressed on his husband's face is replaced with absolute happiness.  The tears of joy he hoped to someday see slip from Justin's eyes don't disappoint; they are beyond any happiness Brian has ever seen Justin display and the raw emotion is overwhelming for both men.   He now knows Justin would surely have died inside if he had allowed their son to be taken from them.  The powerful life changing truth was, he too would not have survived the separation; the thought of abandoning their son for a lifestyle, as the women seem able to do, is unfathomable to him.  He and Justin will have a lot of adjusting to do; still he is confident if they could change their lifestyle so easily for each other then they can do it again for their son.  Brian's immediate priority now is that he assures Justin that he loves and very much wants their infant son.  He lifts their son into a loving protective hug and kisses him on the forehead while making him a solemn promise.  "I promise you this; although we will make mistakes along the way you will never doubt that we love you and very much want you in our lives.  I love you my sonny boy, and I always will." 

*****

Both dads spend a few hours with their children before Brian is to catch a plane to New York.  Brian will only be gone for the day and should be home again that evening.  As the plane lands in Pittsburgh and Brian disembarks he switches his phone on.  He has several new messages, mostly from Mel and Lindsay which he assumes is them calling to make sure he hasn't changed his mind on raising their son, so he will wait and listen to them later.  He goes directly to the hospital as Justin had called upon his arrival in New York to tell him his mother had been admitted.  Two nights earlier Justin had told Brian his mother had been extremely low and the doctors didn't think she had much longer.  They agreed to meet at Joan's bedside on his return to Pittsburgh. 

On entering the hospital he asks for Joan Kinney's room and is directed to the second floor.  As he arrives at the room he walks in and gives his mother a kiss.   He can see she is looking very pale and in ill health.  Jack is sitting quietly in the corner as Brian greets both of them.  He asks if Justin is in the hospital and she informs him he should go straight to him, stating Justin has been to see her; in fact he has just left with their son to return to their daughter in the nursery so the children could be together.  She hurries Brian along and he takes this to mean she wants him to remember her as she is at this moment.  He kisses her again and hugs his mother knowing it will be for the last time.

Brian arrives at the nursery where Justin is sitting holding their son.  Justin has his back to Brian as he enters.  Brian can see the loving hug Justin cradles their son in.  "It's God's will Brian."  Brian is unsure why Justin would say that.  He moves closer and extends his arms so Justin will allow him to hold their child.  "God has a reason for allowing this to happen ...we may never understand His wisdom, but we simply have to trust His will.....It's God's will."  Justin repeats almost in a comatose state; if he didn't know the words by rote they would never have been voiced.  Brian immediately knows what Justin refers to.  Justin is holding their son's limp body.  He stands cradling their most precious bundle while Brian encircles both his son and his lover in a warm embrace as the father's rest their foreheads together.   Justin is not crying as he is beyond tears and Brian tries desperately to stay strong, yet fails miserably.   He will never forgive himself for not being cognizant of his husband's desire which resulted in Justin believing he was not going to be allowed to raise their son.  Justin was only allowed to bask in the love of his son and their lives ahead for a few short hours because when it did become a reality it was suddenly taken from him.  Brian sheds tears for his son and for his husband as Justin holds tight to the infant encompassing him in love.  God's plan for humanity, His will, is incomprehensible so Justin preys against God's will for his son life, and through his grief he cannot see the absurdity of such prayer.