Brian's POV

We pushed to the back of our minds the incident in the shower, and spent a wonderful Christmas with the kids, then with the family.

Justin's present for me was actually an abstract painting, in which I could read every aspect of our relationship. Every stroke of brush and every color had a story behind it. I hung it in my office at work, on the wall opposite my desk, so I could look at it ever so often.

Keith and Leo had a surprise of their own, announcing to us they were moving to the States. Specifically, near Pittsburgh, in the house nearest to us, which was a ten minutes drive away.

Life went on until a day, mid-February, when I was with Keith at the diner. He was waiting eagerly in a booth, bursting to give me some great news.

I was in a hurry. He'd managed to catch me in between many meetings. I was swamped, in over my head in accounts.

"Hey. What's up?" I slumped across from him, waving to Kiki. She'd learned my signals well. Currently, I was in dire need of coffee. Lots and lots of coffee.

"Guess." He beamed, his eyes shining in a way I hadn't seen before.

"Uh, my brain is fried."

"Fine. I'll give you a hint. Remember what Kira demanded for her birthday?"

I nodded to Kiki who brought me the coffee, before focusing on Keith. "What did she want? A puppy?"

"Justin is so right that you never pay attention." He scowled.

"Sorry. I told you I'm not one hundred percent into this. I have tons to do at work, I caught whatever the fuck Munchkin has, and I generally feel like crap but try to not think of it."

"Well, at least I have a good reason to feel like crap," he said cheerfully. When I didn't react, he groaned. "Kira asked for a little brother. I made the mistake to let Leo top me on Christmas."

My gulp of coffee flew out my nose as a feeling of dread crept into my bones, squeezing at my heart.

"I know. It was a mistake." Keith nodded. "But fuck it. I actually joked with Leo about this happening again a couple of days ago." He stopped talking, eyeing me worried. "Are you okay?"

"I'm going to be sick."

"Is the idea of me giving Kira a little brother or sister so repulsive suddenly?" He narrowed his eyes.

Swallowing bile, I slouched in the booth. "No, the idea of doing that again freaks me the fuck out."

"Well, I have practice. Anyway, it's true. I visited the doctor earlier."

"'scuse me." I rushed to the bathroom, thankfully finding it empty and promptly barfing my breakfast.

If my assumptions were correct, and everything fit to the T, I was seriously going to kill Sunshine.

"What the fuck kind of bug does Patrick have?" Keith was waiting for me near the sink in the bathroom.

I rinsed my mouth, meeting his eyes in the mirror. "I had it all wrong. It's more like a Munchkin kind of bug."

"You mean…"

I sneered at his happy expression. "We let our loser partners top us at Christmas, because we're idiots. Do you see a pattern in this?"

"Don't tell me Justin hasn't topped you in between then and now. I won't believe you."

"We were always careful. The twat completely forgot the condom this time."

"Oh, shit." Keith's eyes widened. "But look at the bright side. If this is true…"

"Don't! Seriously. Don't. I still hope it's whatever Munchkin got."

"Yeah, right. Keep hoping." He laughed.

After leaving the diner, I went straight home, calling Cynthia to reschedule everything.

"You're so fucking dead!" I barged into Justin's studio, but stopped in my tracks when I found him clutching a paper, with tears pooling in his eyes. "The fuck is wrong?" In three long strides, I had him in my arms.

He sniffed loudly, burrowing closer. "Someone bought The Dark Angel painting." He started sobbing as he explained.

I was freaking out for probably having to experience Munchkin 2.0, and he was crying because his latest painting had been sold.

"Are you kidding me now?"

"No. It's all here." He showed me the crumpled paper. "I hoped no one would buy it. Why did I put it up for sale?"

"Jesus Christ! I might be currently cooking Munchkin numero two and you're whining about your stupid painting?"

"It's not stupid! I loved it!" More tears rolled down his cheeks.

"Did you hear me?" I asked slowly, bending so I was nose to nose with him.

"If I were you, I wouldn't cook anything. Especially for Munchkin. Kitchen is my thing."

Fuck, he was slow. I wanted to strangle him, but I didn't have the heart to mess with his already fragile ego. Damn, his stupid (breathtakingly wonderful) painting, representing a dark angel. I seriously had no idea how he got these ideas. And I feared to ask, knowing deep down that I was his muse.

"Again," I murmured, dipping even lower. "Your little memory loss on Christmas cost us…a lot."

"What?" He pulled back, frowning.

"Jeez, Sunshine. Do I have to spell it out for you?"

"I don't get it," he said honestly, searching my eyes. "Hold on." He held a finger when his phone buzzed from the table.

I wanted to throw it out the window, along with the owner, but nodded.

"Hi, Leo!" Justin got my attention. "Really? What awesome news?" He rolled his eyes, but soon they widened as his mouth dropped. "WHAT? You're kidding." His eyes stared into mine in horror, then they dropped to my stomach.

I was quick to catch him before he fainted. Holding him with one arm, I grabbed the phone before it could slip from his hand.

"Leo, we'll catch you later." I hang up before he could say anything else. "Come on, Sunshine. You have to stop fainting on me." I tapped his cheek with my fingers.

His eyes fluttered open, then he turned white. "I need to sit down."

"You don't say?" I joked, sliding against the wall with him on my lap.

"You wanted to say something…you meant about Keith, right? Please say yes."

I plastered a smile on my face. "If my theory is right, and I hope like fuck I'm wrong, Keith and I are going to be preggo buds." I wanted to puke again.

"No," he said determined. "I can't do this."

"Aren't you missing something here? It's me who's doing this. Again. Because you're a twat and can't wrap your soldier before sending him to battle."

"But…NO! I nearly lost you, Brian. I don't care if this turns into our biggest fight to date, but I don't want this. Call me a cruel human being, but I don't want this!" He kept emphasizing the word 'this' while pointing to my stomach.

"Let's have that fight after I visit Dr. Hump." I hugged him tighter. "Here I hoped it was whatever Munchkin got. Speaking of…where is he?"

"Sleeping?" Justin shrugged. "That's what he was doing the last time I checked, anyway."

"What did Leo want?" I asked, running a hand down his back.

"You already know."

"I do. I just met with Keith, and he put ideas in my head."

"Can we not tell Munchkin about his little brother or sister?" Justin shivered.

I was about to point out that he did want the potential (hopefully not there) baby, if he thought of it as an alive something.

"Do I get a little sista? Can I? Pleeeaaasseee!"

We turned to gape at Munchkin, wide awake, and in the doorway of the studio. Fuck knows for how long he's been there.

"I hope not," I said sincerely, already feeling sick at the mere thought of going through all that shit again. "Why the fuck didn't Dr. Hump take this thing out of me?" I hissed in Justin's ear, hoping he understood I was speaking of the uterus.

"Because I didn't think to tell him that! I was too shocked to be your POA!"

I smiled sheepishly. "You still are."

"We won't need to get there." Justin coaxed Munchkin closer. "Come here, sweetie. I'm sorry, you won't get a little brother or sister. You already have Gus and JR."

"But I want to be someone's big brotha. Pleeeaaasee!"

"No," Justin insisted.

"Don't cry, Munchkin." I pulled him on Justin's lap, hugging both of them, but keeping my nose burrowed in Munchkin's hair. "Your dada is being silly."

Justin narrowed his eyes at me. "Actually, I'm dead serious. How much do you love daddy?" He tilted Patrick's head.

"A whole lot," he answered sincerely.

"And you don't want anything to happen to daddy? You'd be very upset if daddy got hurt, right?"

"Justin! Stop this."

"I love Daddy."

"Great. I love daddy too. He and you are my whole world. We don't need anyone else to intrude in our special relationship."

"Excuse me! No offense, Munchkin, but you kind of intruded in my relationship with your dada. And look how wonderful it turned out to be with you around."

"Brian, my final answer is no. If you agree to this insanity, I'm…"

"Yes?" I eyed Justin curiously.

Even Munchkin stared at him in confusion. He had no clue what we were talking about.

"You know what? Knock yourself out. If it's true, go for it. But if you dare die, I'm going to hate you. Forever."

After depositing Patrick on my lap, he stormed out of his studio.

"Your dad is such a dramatic twat," I mumbled, tightening my hold on Munchkin as fear gripped me.

I tried not to think too much of the consequences of something happening to me. It wasn't only Justin I was leaving behind, it was Munchkin too. My precious baby boy.

"Why are you sad?" He stroked my cheek, his blue eyes swimming in tears.

He always cried when one of us was sad. "It's nothing. I guess, I'm a bigger twat than your dada."

"Do I still get a little sista?" He inquired after a few minutes.

"We'll see about that."