Brian hung up the phone and turned to smile at Justin, "It's all arranged; we can go see Alesky and Bernardyn tomorrow. We won't tell Gus; I think we'll just surprise him, okay?"

Showing his biggest smile, Justin came over to hug Brian as he nodded. "I think that's a great idea!  He'll be so happy."

Morning came as Brian went to wake his son.  Sitting on the edge of the bed, he put his hand on his shoulder as he urged him tenderly, "Morning, sleepyhead!  Time to wake up."

Gus smiled as he opened his eyes to see his dad sitting there. "Morning, Daddy!"

Leaning down to place a kiss on his forehead, his father replied, "Morning, Sonnyboy!  It's time to get up, we have a full day ahead."

Rubbing his eyes, Gus asked, What are we doing today, Daddy?"

Smiling down at his son, he mysteriously replied, "We're going on an adventure.  It's a surprise. So get up and go get washed and dressed, so we can have breakfast before we leave."

Jumping out of bed, Gus hugged and kissed his dad. "Okay, Daddy! I'll be fast, but get Daddy Sleepy-Head out of bed, too," he told his father, running off and laughing as he did.

Brian laughed as he stood and went to do just that; he knew that waking up Justin was like waking up the dead at times.

It wasn't long before they all sat around the breakfast table. Gus was bouncing in the chair with excitement. "Where are we going, Daddies?"

Putting down his coffee, Brian grinned over his son's anticipation. "It's still a surprise, but I promise that you will like it."

Smiling widely, Gus replied, "I can't wait, I'm so excited!"

Justin leant into him, whispering, "Me, too, Gus."

Packing the car for two kids for a day trip was like packing for a week's holiday. Shaking his head, Brian went back in to get the rest of the family so they could set off on the trip. He had to admit that he was looking forward to meeting the men who had helped his son.

Justin reached over, covering one of Brian's hands as they drove.  Both kids were happy with the DVD playing in the back of the car. Justin asked as he squeezed Brian's hand, "You okay?"

Turning his hand so he could hold Justin's, he replied, "I'm fine; just excited to get there now."

Lifting the hand to his, Justin placed a kiss on the back of it. "Love you."

Pulling the hand to his own lips, Brian returned the kiss. "Love you, too, Sunshine."

Looking in the rear-view mirror, Brian could see his son smiling and chatting away with his sister, who was looking at him and listening to every word that he was saying.

Justin noticed this and smiled at the pure joy on his partner's face.

Just as the DVD ended, they pulled into a parking space. It was only then that Gus noticed where they were. Gazing out the window, he gasped. "Daddy, this is where I was! I met Bernardyn and Alesky here! Oh, Daddy, maybe we will see them here!  Can we go look, please?"

Standing outside the car, holding his son's hand while Justin held JR, Gus looked around, scanning for familiar faces that he wanted to see.

Suddenly he spied Bernardyn standing nearby; Gus's eyes grew wide as he let go of his dad's hand and ran up to him, shouting "Bernardyn!" and jumping into his arms.

Lifting the little boy off the ground, the man hugged him. "Hey, little guy!  How have you been keeping yourself?"

Pulling back to look into his face, Gus smiled.  "I'm great! I'm here with my Daddies and my sister. You okay?  Is Alesky okay?"

Nodding, he replied, "He's doing great, and I'm very well, thank you. I'll show you where he is in a minute, but first why don't you introduce me to your daddies and sister?"

Letting the boy down, Gus then took the man's hand, bringing him over to where they stood. "Daddies, JR, this is Bernardyn.  He's the brilliant bus driver who helped me."

Smiling and shaking his hand, Brian replied, "I'm Brian, Gus's biological father, and this is his other dad, Justin, and his sister JR."

Bernardyn smiled. "It's very nice to meet you. I was so worried that day. I was glad your friend showed up; I was just about to call the authorities when he did."

Brian nodded with a sigh.  "We were very lucky that he did; it's the second time Dave found him.  Thank you for looking after our son."

Waving it off and blushing, the man assured him, "It was no trouble. It was Alesky who helped the most that day."

Gus looked up at him, the little boy asked, "Where is Alesky now; is he still homeless?"

Shaking his head, he smiled at Gus. "Let me show you; follow me."

They all followed him to the café as Gus explained, "There is where we had food. I bought his dinner here, so he didn't have to eat out of the garbage bin."

Justin ruffled his hair with his free hand.  "We are very proud of you for doing that."

Brian shared a loving, proud look with his partner before entering the café.

The place was buzzing as they stepped inside, but as soon as they did Gus spotted Alesky behind the counter straight away. His little voice screeched in delight.  "Alesky!"

Alesky looked up hearing his name and spotted Gus. He immediately ran around the counter, scooping him up to give him a big hug. "Gus, you're okay!  Thank God!  I was so worried about you."    

Hugging Alesky, Gus laughed as he replied, "I missed you!  Are you working here?  I was worried about you, too."

Nodding, Alesky smiled. "I am, and I have more news. Why don't we sit down and I can tell you all about it? I just have to go tell Lorrie, the owner."

Nodding with a smile, Gus went to join his dads and sister, who were all sitting with Bernardyn at the table.

Lorrie was very excited to hear that Gus was there to see him, so she told him to go have something to eat with them, and to take his time.

Alesky joined them at the table, explaining, "Lorrie is going to bring over some food and drinks for us. So, Gus, thanks to you I got a home to live in, a car, and this job, all because you bought me dinner that day. You saved my life that day, Gus, and I can't thank you enough."  He turned to to Brian and Justin to tell them, "You should be very proud of your son; he gave me my life back."

Justin was tearing up as Brian had to swallow for fear of bursting into tears himself.

Gus asked before anyone else could speak, "How did I do that?"

Leaning forward, Alesky smiled at him affectionately. "Remember when you were asking me about my job before I became homeless?"  Gus nodded at him as he explained, "Well, Lorrie, who owns this place, overheard you and me, and she remembered my old shop. She gave me this job, a warm bed, and a car. I am very lucky, Gus, and it's all because you cared enough to make sure I had proper food.  Thank you so much."

Gus rose from his chair to walk around the table to hug him. "You're welcome, Alesky!"

Brian did then shed a tear, holding Justin's hand under the table.

Conversation flowed for the next two hours around their meal as everyone got to know each other better. They made sure to swap numbers so they could keep in contact.

Justin took JR and Gus to the bathroom while Brian continued to chat with Alesky, since Bernardyn had to go back to work. Alesky sighed. "Brian, Gus is very special; he really did save my life that day, and he didn't even know me."

Brian hugged him. "I'm glad.  Gus was lucky to have met you as well.  I'm so proud of him."

Looking over at his family coming back from the bathroom, he never felt surer of the love for them than in that moment.

Saying goodbye was filled with some tears, but also a promise for more visits. Gus was worn out but happy and smiled all the way home, but once in bed he fell asleep straight away with a contented smile still on his face.