"You look very self-satisfied. What's with the shit-eating grin?" Daphne asked as she sat down across from Justin at the Diner. Justin couldn't stop smiling.

"You remember a few years ago when Brian and I were struggling? When Ethan first came around?" Justin asked. Daphne rolled her eyes.

"How could I forget? You know I never did like him. He just wasn't all that great. He made himself out to be this wonderful, perfect, romantic, violin player that could just sweep you off your feet and could make all your dreams come true," Daphne started rambling, but Justin put his hand on hers.

"I know you never liked him. You've told me that already. A million times. But did I ever say how much I appreciated how you never let me know that you didn't like him while we were going out? You were being a friend, and not trying to tell me how to live my life, and who you thought I should be with. You just wanted me to be happy. So, thank you for being such a great friend...but that's not what I was getting at," Justin said. Daphne laughed. "Do you remember that time when I tried to have a picnic on the floor in the loft? And Brian didn't like it?" Justin asked.

"I think the words trampled all over your sweet, romantic gesture is more like it," she joked.

"Well. Last night when I came back to the loft, all the lights were off. There were some candles lit. And there was a picnic on the floor," Justin said. Daphne's eyes widened. "He even got me flowers," Justin told her, laughing when her mouth fell open. "We had this amazing picnic on the floor. It was so romantic," Justin said, smiling.

"Wow. Brian Kinney. Romantic. I never thought it would happen. My God, I don't even know how you could eat the food. I would have dragged him off to the bedroom," Daphne joked.

"We didn't even make it that far. We made love right there on the floor," Justin said, remembering how amazing it felt. "God, Daphne, I haven't even told you the best part. We're not using condoms anymore," Justin said. Her eyes widened.

"Isn't that kind of dangerous? He's been with a lot of guys," Daphne said carefully, trying not to hurt his feelings. But Justin's smile widened.

"The last guy he was with was before the bombing last year," Justin said. He let it sink in for Daphne what that meant.

"Oh, my God, no way! You're monogamous?" she asked. He nodded his head. "Oh, my God, Justin!  That's amazing." she said, shaking her head in amazement.

"Daph...this is what I've wanted for so long. Everything is really coming into place. Brian and I are really having the life that I have been dying for us to have. It's serious. We're only with each other. And our house is beautiful. I can't wait for our housewarming party when everyone gets to see it. And we're getting married soon. It's perfect," he said. She smiled at him.

"You're so happy, Justin. I'm so glad he finally got his act together for you. You two are perfect for each other. I'm really happy for you," Daphne said. They ordered their food and had it served shortly after, and Justin decided to tell her the news about Brian's parents.

"So, she never told him? What kind of mother does that to their son?" Daphne wondered out loud.

"The kind that let their husbands use them for a punching bag, and drink so much to pretend it's not happening," Justin said sadly. Daphne shook her head. "I hired a private investigator, though," he told her. She looked up, stunned. "Brian doesn't want to have anything to do with looking for his parents. He doesn't want to be rejected again like his mother did to him. Telling him God was punishing him, and that's why he got cancer," Justin said. Daphne shook her head sadly.

"I still get sick to my stomach every time I hear you say that. I don't blame him, though. Having your mom say that would scar anyone," she said. Justin nodded his head. "Do you think she'll find anything?" Daphne asked.

"God, I hope so."

"What are you gonna do if she finds them?" Daphne asked. Justin sat there for a moment. He hadn't really thought of that. He just thought of the end result; that his parents would be in Brian's life. He never actually thought about how he'd get them there.

"I guess I'm gonna have to go talk to them," Justin said. He looked all around the Diner. "I want Brian to have a family. Parents that will make up for how crappy his adoptive parents were. What if they had more kids? Brian could have brothers or sisters. He should have the right to know them," Justin said.

"Well, let's just hope everything works out for the best," Daphne said. He nodded his head when his phone rang. He looked down and saw that it was Brian. Justin smiled, and Daphne snorted. "I don't even have to ask who that is," she joked. Justin rolled his eyes at her.

"Hey," Justin said.

"Hey. Where are you?" Brian asked.

"Eating lunch with Daphne at the Diner. Are you in the car? You sound muffled," Justin asked.

"Yeah, I am. I'm going back to the loft to pack a bag. I have to go out to Chicago for a last-minute meeting later on. I have a flight in two hours," Brian said. Justin groaned.

"God, that sucks. When will you be back?"

"Late tomorrow night."

"Well, I'll go back to the loft and I'll drive you to the airport."

"Looking to get in a last-minute fuck to last you till tomorrow night?" Brian asked. Justin laughed.

"Something like that. I'll be right there."

"Later," Brian said, hanging up.

"What's up?" Daphne asked.

"Brian has to go to Chicago. I'm gonna go drive him to the airport. Do you wanna have lunch again in a few days?" Justin asked.

"There you are, Sunshine." Brian said as Justin shut the door. "Bags all packed. I don't have to leave for another 25 minutes. How many times do you think you can cum in that time?" Brian asked as Justin walked in. He was already lying down on the bed, naked. Justin burst out laughing and started taking his clothes off. "24 minutes. Hurry up, will ya?" Brian asked. "It's already hard, and I have lube on. So, hop on," Brian said. Justin didn't have to be told twice. He yanked his clothes off and got on top of Brian, straddling him. Brian pulled him tight against him, and aligned himself right at Justin's hole.

"Ahhh," Justin groaned into his ear as Brian pushed Justin down onto him, filling him up. "God, you feel so good," Justin moaned. Brian bit his ear.

"Your tight little ass feels so good around my cock," Brian said, thrusting up. Justin hissed and started riding Brian.

"Your ass hurt, Sunshine?" Brian asked from his spot in the passenger seat. Justin laughed.

"Yeah, but it's a good kind of hurt," Justin said, smiling at him.

"Three times in 24 minutes. I'm impressed."

"You taught me well," Justin said, making Brian chuckle. "It's better without the condom. More intense," he said, glancing at at Brian. He was smiling.

"Don't keep looking at me like that. I'll have to go jerk off on the plane in the bathroom. It's not my version of the Mile-High Club that's fun when you're by yourself," Brian said, gripping his crotch through his jeans.

"How am I looking at you?" Justin asked.

"That you want to bend over in the backseat and let me fuck your ass again," Brian leaned forward to whisper in his ear, and trail his hand down to his dick. "That you want me to bury my big cock in your tight, tight ass," Brian whispered, squeezing him. Justin shoved him back in his seat, laughing.

"Brian, you can't do that to me while I'm driving. I'll get us into an accident." Justin laughed. Brian chuckled at him. "And don't start something with me you can't finish until tomorrow night. That's not fair," Justin said. Brian just chuckled again at him. "I'm gonna miss you when you're gone, ya know," Justin said. Brian smiled at him.

"I think you'll get along just fine, Sunshine. It's only for a day. I'll be back tomorrow night," Brian said. Justin shrugged.

"I know. But we haven't been apart for more than a few hours since I moved back. It's just kind of weird. Sleeping apart," Justin said. Brian tried to hide his smile. Justin looked sad.

"Well, we've slept apart before, Sunshine. And it's only for one night," Brian said. Justin nodded. When he got to the airport, he could either go to the parking garage, or to Departures to drop Brian off. It wasn't a surprise that he went to Departures.

"Sorry," Justin mumbled. He shot a glance at Brian, who was just smiling.

"I didn't expect you to," Brian said, meaning park in the parking garage. "I avoid those, too, if I can," Brian admitted. Justin smiled. He stopped his car, and let Brian get out and get his suitcase out of the backseat. Justin got out and walked around to where Brian was standing. Brian looked at him, and wrapped his arms around his shoulders "Don't look so sad, Sunshine. I'll be back tomorrow. And look at the bright side. You can sleep in the middle of the bed tonight," Brian joked, making Justin chuckle. "Tell you what. How about tonight I give you the most mind-blowing phone sex of your life?" Brian said. Justin laughed loudly, and Brian kissed him. "I gotta go," he said. Justin nodded.

"Let me know when you get there," Justin told him.

"Spoken like a true little house wife," Brian joked. Justin pinched his side. Brian wrapped him tightly in his embrace and kissed him. He pulled back and grabbed the handle of his suitcase. "I'll let you know when I get there. I'll see you tomorrow," Brian said, turning around and walking into the airport.

"I love you, ya know," Justin called out as the sliding glass doors opened. Brian turned around, and smiled at him.

"Yeah, I know. I love you, too, you stupid twat," Brian said, making Justin laugh. Brian turned back around and walked into the airport. He loved Brian. And Brian loved him. He was really getting the man that he loved. He couldn't get the smile to leave his face as he drove to Britin. He was going to try and get some of Gus's room done.

Thinking about Gus just led to an even bigger smile. Once he and Brian were married, Gus would be his son. And not even his step-son like most people would think. He would be Gus's other daddy. Gus was going to be his son. Life was getting better and better by the day. He was painting for a little over an hour when his phone rang. It was Brian letting him know that he gotten to Chicago safe and sound. Then his phone rang again. He looked at the screen, and saw that it was Jessica Marriday. The private investigator that he had hired to locate Brian's parents. She said it would take her three weeks. It had only been one. Maybe this was bad news, and she was calling to say she had hit a dead end. So much for life going well for him and Brian. He answered the phone with a shaky voice.

"Hi, Justin. Do you have a few minutes to talk?" Jessica asked. He cleared his throat.

"Yeah, I do. Is everything okay?" he asked, sitting on the ground. He may as well sit down to hear the bad news.

"Well, I've come to an end in my investigation. I wanted to know if you had any time to meet today?" she asked. He took a deep breath.

"Well, I'm actually at my house in West Virginia right now."

"I could drive out there to meet you. Is it far in West Virginia?" she asked.

"Not at all, actually. Less than 30 minutes out of Pittsburgh."

"Oh, that's fantastic! I can go meet you there right now. I have another meeting with someone in a couple of hours, and I'm booked solid for two days. I don't want to have to make you wait till then, because I could tell how much this meant to you. Just text me the address and I can leave right now," she said. Justin texted her the address. He looked around the room. He knew he couldn't stand here and paint Gus's room. His hands were shaking. He cleaned up his paints, and went into the bathroom and cleaned the paint off him. He straightened things up, and then sat down in the kitchen. The bar stools had arrived a few days before. So, he sat there. He prayed that she had found something. That she had found his parents. That they were good people. Brian needed this. Brian needed a good family. He just wanted Brian to be happy. He jumped when he heard the doorbell ring. He walked over, and put his hand on the doorknob. He gulped. This was it. When he answered it, Jessica was standing there, smiling. "Hi Justin. My God, this house is magnificent!" she said. He moved out of the way.

"Thank you. Come on in," he said, as she walked in. She looked all around.

"This house is beautiful," she said.

"Thank you. We're working on it right now. We plan on getting everything settled in a couple of weeks, so we can move in. We have a lot of furniture being flown in," Justin said. Her eyes widened and he chuckled, leading her into the living room where the couch and coffee table had arrived. "My fiancé has really expensive taste," he said. She laughed and they sat down. "So just let me have it. I can handle the bad news," he said.

"Like pulling off the band-aid?" she asked. He nodded his head. "Well, I hate to disappoint you, then. Because I don't have any bad news for you today, Mr. Taylor," she said. He sat there, stunned. She just smiled, and pulled out a file, and put it on the coffee table. "So, I found your fiancé's parents. I found out their story, basically through the court case," she said. She opened up the file and he saw some court papers. "Basically, they were two teenagers who were trying to hide the fact that they were pregnant. When it got close to his mother's due date, they fooled their family into thinking they were going on a class trip. And they took a bus to New York from Boston."

"Wait they didn't even live in New York?" he asked. She shook her head.

"They had luck on their side, because she went into labor the day they got to New York. They were only gone for four days, and their families had no idea what had happened," Jessica said.

"How can you not realize your own daughter is pregnant?" Justin wondered out loud. She nodded her head.

"According to his mother, and his maternal grandparents, it was winter. She was wearing sweatshirts a lot. But she didn't even know she was pregnant till she was 7 ½ months along. She wasn't showing till then," she answered. Justin just shook his head.

"After Joan took Brian home, and his parents went back to Boston, a nurse found some of their belongings. They had their school IDs in their bag, and it let them know how old they really were. They lied and said they were 18," she said.

"How old were they, really?" he asked, afraid to hear the answer. She pulled out a piece of paper that had copies of their IDs. He looked down, and saw Brian's parents for the first time. That was what they looked like when they were just kids. Brian looked exactly like his father. He had seen pictures of Brian as a young teenager. And he was the spitting image of his dad. Except for the eyes. They were definitely his mother's eyes.

"They were both 13 years old," Jessica said. Justin's eyes widened.

"Are you serious? How do 13 year old's hide that they're pregnant, and run away to New York?" he asked.

"Well, Sawyer's parents are wealthy. He was able to take some money from his father to go to New York. And to pay for Teresa's stay at the hospital in cash," Jessica said. Sawyer and Teresa. That's his parents' names. "Well, after the hospital reported what happened, the police went to Sawyer and Teresa's houses, and brought them in for questioning. That was when their parents found out what had happened. So, both of Brian's grandparents went to the court to get Brian back," she said. They did love Brian. Not just his parents, but his grandparents They all wanted him. "They never knew Joan and Jack Kinney's names. Everything was sealed up, and there was no way for them to find out where Brian was. They thought that he was in New York. But the court went after Joan. And that was when she hired a pro bono lawyer to plead her case. The judge and that lawyer were known for being...assholes," she said. Justin snorted.

"Of course," Justin said, still looking at the pictures of Brian's parents.

"None of the family was allowed to go with their lawyer that they hired to the hearing. It was a part of the sealed adoption thing. This case was really complicated. But the judge didn't like the fact that two teenagers were able to hide a pregnancy from their parents, and go to New York to have the baby, and not have anyone suspect a thing. And then be able to give the baby up for adoption. So, he favored Joan Kinney. And everything was locked up again," Jessica said.

"Why couldn't they find Brian?" Justin asked suddenly. Jessica had been startled by that question.

"Well. Without knowing Brian's name. Without knowing Joan's name, or the fact that she was from Pennsylvania. There was nowhere to really look. They were shut out."

"But you found them."

"It's like going down a one-way street. You can go down it, and get to the end. You can get exactly where you're going. But you can't turn around, and go up the street. It's only one way. I could easily find out everything I needed, because you gave me all the information I needed. I needed Brian and Joan's names. I needed to know that she adopted Brian in New York. The adoption papers are sealed from finding Brian Kinney's name. But if you already know it, then you can find his biological parents. Without his name, Sawyer and Teresa could never find him," she said sadly. He nodded his head.

"Do you know what happened to them? If they married, or have any kids? What's their address?" he asked. Jessica laughed.

"Sawyer's been married three times. Divorced three times. He owns an advertising agency in Boston," she said. Justin laughed.

"Are you serious? That's what Brian does," Justin said, astounded. He chuckled "Like father, like son," he said. She smiled.

"Neither of them have any children. But Brian's mother doesn't live in Boston anymore. Shortly after the court hearing, Teresa's parents moved her and her siblings to West Virginia," she said. Justin's eyes widened. "They live about 20 minutes away from this house," she said. Justin's mouth just hung open. "She never married. She still lives with her parents, actually. Her other siblings are all married with children, so it looks like she's the one to take care of her parents," Jessica said. She turned some pages, and it showed some addresses and phone numbers. "The top one is Teresa's home, and the bottom one's Sawyer's. His home, his office, and his parents' house," she said.

"You did it. You really did it. You found his family," he said. She nodded her head. "My God, how can I ever repay you? I mean, I know I already paid you, but this means so much more to me than money. I don't know how I can ever thank you," he said.

"Call me and let me know how everything goes. I like to hear about happy endings to these stories," she said. He drove back to the loft. What was he going to do? What was his next move? He was pacing in the loft, trying to figure out what to do. Should he tell Brian? Should he call him, or wait till he's back? Should he offer to go with Brian to meet his parents? Should he call his parents first? But Brian said he didn't want to know anything. So, Justin knew what he was going to have to do. Brian wasn't going to meet his parents, only to have them reject him. Justin was going to have to meet them first. But when? He was startled when someone knocked on the door. He slid it open, and it was his mother.

"I was in the neighborhood, and I had to show you something. Is Brian here?" she asked. He opened the door more, and let her in with her shopping bag.

"No, he actually had to fly to Chicago. He won't be back till tomorrow night," Justin said, sitting on one of the bar stools.

"Perfect. I was shopping today, and found the perfect piece for Brian's office. Well, more like pieces," Jennifer said excitedly She pulled out two boxes, and pulled something out of the top box, and held it up for him.

"What is that?" Justin asked. It was a black 'B.'

"It's a bookend. ‘B' for Brian," she said excitedly

"I gathered that. The other one's a 'K'?" Justin asked. She smiled and pulled it out. It was a 'J.'

"See, when he opens the second one, he'll be thinking it's a 'K,' too. But it's for Brian and Justin," she said. He chuckled.

"Those are great. He'll love them," he said. She put them side by side and looked at them, and then looked at him. "What?" he asked. She started laughing. "I'm confused," he said.

"Oh, come on and look at that. Brian is going to laugh when he looks at this," she said, pointing to the bookends. "Do I really have to say it?" she asked. He nodded his head. "B and J?" she said. He looked at it and realized it, and she burst out laughing. Justin couldn't help but chuckle. "I didn't realize it till I got into the car. The girl at the register was staring at them, and couldn't believe I was getting those. Brian is going to die," she said. He chuckled and scratched the back of his head. BJ. Brian and Justin's initials were blow job.

"He'll get a kick out of it for sure. Those are really nice, Mom. They'll go perfect in his office. Thank you," he said and kissed her cheek.

"What's wrong with you?" she asked. He shook his head.

"Nothing. I'm just tired," he said, going to the fridge. "Do you want something to drink?" he asked.

"No, I'm good. I have to go pick Molly up. Are you sure you're alright? You're acting weird," she said. He smiled at her.

"Yeah, I just have a lot on my mind," he said.

"Well, what is it? I know something's wrong with you. Just tell me what it is. Does it have to do with the house or the wedding?" she asked. He shook his head.

"No, Britin is perfect. We have some furniture in the house. Not everything is here yet. And the wedding is coming along perfectly. We should be sending out the invitations within the month," he said.

"Well, then what's wrong. Is Brian okay?" she asked. Before he could answer, her eyes widened. "He's not sick again, is he? He just left on a plane again," she asked.

"No, no, that's not it. He's really in Chicago for a meeting. No, this has nothing to do with him. Well, it does. But he's not sick," Justin said. He scrubbed his face and went over to the couch to sit down. Jennifer followed him. "Remember I told you that Brian was adopted?" he asked. She nodded her head. "I hired a private investigator to find Brian's parents," he said. Her eyes widened.

"Wow. So, Brian is looking for them, then," she asked.

"No, he's not. He said I could find them, but he wanted nothing to do with it," Justin said and looked down. "Without putting it into words, he doesn't want to look for his parents if they're going to hate him for being gay. He's too afraid to go through that again," Justin said. She nodded her head.

"Can anyone blame him? If you ever got sick, Justin...I just don't know how a mother could say that to her son," Jennifer said. He snorted.

"She was never his mother. No mother lets their husband beat them," he said angrily.

"So, what has you so worried, though? You have a private investigator. They're looking for his, then. Are you worried that they won't find them?" she asked. He shook his head.

"Jessica found his parents," he whispered. Her eyes widened. "She told me today. His father lives in Boston, and his mother lives about 20 minutes away from Britin," he said. She gasped and covered her mouth.

"Oh, my God, Justin! His mother lives so close.," she said. He nodded his head. Brian's mother lives so close. "What did Brian say when you told him?" she asked.

"I haven't told him yet. He doesn't want to know, Mom. And I can't get his hopes up. I can't tell him that I found his parents, if his parents won't want anything to do with him once they find out he's gay. He won't be able to handle that. And I will not put him through that," he said. He wouldn't let Brian be hurt again.

"Okay. So, what does this mean? What are you going to do?" she asked. He sat back against the couch.

"I have to go meet them. I have to talk to them." Justin said simply.

"Gosh. This has happened so fast! Brian just found out that he was adopted," she said. A thought came to Justin suddenly.

"I have to go do it tomorrow," Justin said

"Justin, just take a minute and think about this," she said as Justin suddenly got up and grabbed his MacBook and sat back down.

"I can't just take a minute. Brian's coming home tomorrow. He's not here, so I can go to his mom's house, and then get on a plane and go to Boston and see his dad, and come home before Brian does. If it goes badly, he never has to know I even left. It's perfect." Justin said as he started looking at flights tomorrow.

"Sweetie, just take a minute okay? You don't need to rush this. All you've been doing since you left New York was rush around," she said. He looked up and saw her panicked face. He put his laptop down on the coffee table. He knew that ever since the bombing at Babylon, she had been dealing with anxiety.

"Listen. I am thinking clearly about this. I need to be able to do this while Brian's gone. He's going to know something's up with me. Just like you did when you walked in here. I'm too transparent. I need to go tomorrow, so I can talk to them...and see...I just need to know how they feel about Brian. They wanted him, Mom. They fought for him. His grandparents fought to have him back. They wanted him. I just need to make sure that they'll love him no matter what. And I have to do that tomorrow," Justin said. She nodded her head, and he went back to his laptop. "I can get a flight at 2:00. And another one comes back at 8:00. That just means I have to get to his mother's house super early. And Brian won't be getting in till 11:00," Justin said.

"What if she's not there?" Jennifer asked. Justin looked at her. "Didn't think about that?" she asked. He shook his head. "I'll go with you to his mom's house," she said.

"Mom, you don't have to."

"I know I don't have to. But I want to. And I can drive you to the airport and pick you up, so you don't have to park in the parking garage," she said. He smiled at her.

He ended up taking a long shower, trying to calm his nerves. His mother did have a point about him rushing things. He's been doing this since he made the decision to ask Brian if he could come back home. It had been rush, rush, rush. But he was happy. He hadn't rushed into any decision, and chosen wrong. He wanted to come home and start his life with Brian. They wanted to come home and put their plan in motion. They were redoing the whole house, and planning the wedding. They weren't rushing those things. They were taking their time. This was something that he had to do now, while Brian wasn't around. It was perfect timing. He just prayed that everything would work out for itself.

Brian did call that night, and true to his word, he gave Justin a mind-blowing phone sex session. Brian ended up making him cum twice. It was a great distraction to what tomorrow would bring. His mother got to his house about 7:00, and off they went in his SUV. "Are you nervous?" Jennifer asked.

"God, like you wouldn't believe. I don't even know what I'm going to say to her," he admitted. She chuckled.

"Well, I'm here for you, Justin. I'll stay quiet and let you do the talking, but I'm here if you need me," she said. He turned and smiled at her.

"Thank you." The hour-long drive was a nervous ride. He was going to meet Brian's biological mother. She could be the mother that makes up for all the pain Joan Kinney caused Brian. But what if she wasn't? What if she was disgusted by Brian? What if she wanted nothing to do with Brian? She never did move out of her parents' house, what if there was something wrong with her? He pulled into the driveway, and it was a long, almost dirt road, leading up to a beautiful farm house. When he parked the car, he just stopped and stared. The house was huge. Almost as big as Britin. But he could see a swing set in the backyard. This looked like a homey kind of house.

"Just take a few deep breaths," Jennifer said. He did. "Let's go meet Brian's mom," she said. Justin got out of the and shut the door, and just stared up at the house. Had things gone differently for Brian, he may have grown up in this house. He felt his mom slip her hand inside his.

"Thank you," he said. They walked up the front lawn, and up the stairs to a beautiful front porch. The front door was slightly open, and he could hear some kinds running around.

"If I have to take off my shoes, it's going to be on. And you'll be so sorry so fast, your freaken head will spin right off your shoulders!" someone said in a thick, Boston accent. They looked at each other and smiled. "Don't make me take my shoes off," the voice said. Justin knocked slightly on the door. A moment later, a girl probably around 14 years old answered the door.

"Hi," the girl said awkwardly. Justin took a deep breath.

"Hi, is Teresa Marazzo home?" Justin asked. The girl turned her head.

"Auntie Teresa, someone's at the door looking for you," she called, and turned her head back to look at them. A stunning woman who looked to be in her early thirties answered the door. Justin could easily see the relation between Brian and this woman. They had the same eyes. She smiled at them.

"Can I help you?" she asked. The younger girl ran away, and they could hear a loud thump. The woman at the door cringed.

"I um...I'm looking for Teresa Marazzo," Justin said. She smiled.

"That's me. What can I do for you?" she asked. Justin's mouth dropped. This woman looked younger then Brian. Not a 48-year-old woman.

"You're so young," he said. The woman smiled.

"Thank you. I think," she said

"You're 48 years old?" he asked in disbelief. He felt his mother hit his arm, and Teresa laughed.

"Yes. And how old are you?" she asked.

"23," Justin answered. She smiled.

"Alright. Now that we know each other's ages, how about you tell me how come you're looking for me?" she asked. Another loud noise was heard, and she turned around, peeking her head into the other room. "I swear to the high heavens if you don't knock off the wrestling you're going to be wrestling with me as I beat you! And my brother and sister are not going to care," she said. She turned back around. "I'm sorry; I have some of my nieces and nephews here. My brother - their father - is down the street with my parents. So...how can I help you?" she asked again. Justin looked at his mother, and she nodded her head. Justin cleared his throat.

"I um...I'm actually here...well..." he trailed off. Teresa smiled.

"Are you nervous?" she asked kindly. Justin nodded. "Okay. Just take a deep breath," she said. Justin did.

"I came here looking for you because...are you the same Teresa Marazzo who had a son in New York 35 years ago?" Justin asked. Her smile faltered, and her eyes widened. They all stood there silent for a moment, until they heard a glass shattering. A boy ran in, looking to be about 10 years old, stood there behind Teresa. The same girl who answered the door ran in behind him.

"I swear it wasn't me," the boy said.

"Go back in there and clean whatever it was that you broke. NOW!" Teresa said. The boy ran off. "I need you to call your father. Ask if they can come back home," Teresa said. The girl nodded and ran off. Teresa walked forward and pulled the front door shut behind her. "Let's have a seat," she said, pointing to the bench seat, swing, and chairs to the side. They all sat down, and stayed silent for a moment. Then Teresa cleared her throat. Justin realized she was trying to find her voice, and trying not to cry. "How?" was all she could say. Jennifer pushed on Justin's leg.

"I hired a private investigator to find you," Justin answered. She nodded her head and covered her mouth.

"Where is he?" she whispered. Justin's voice suddenly choked up. "I know it's not you...you said you're in your twenties. Where is my...my son?" she asked, letting tears fall down her face.

"He's on a business trip in Chicago," he said. She nodded her head.

"Is he okay?" she asked. Justin nodded her head, and Teresa let out a sob. Jennifer pulled out tissues from her purse and handed them to her. "Thank you," she said, wiping her face. "I don't understand. We've looked for him so many times. But we couldn't ever find him. How did someone find me?" she asked.

"The investigator explained to me that knowing his name, and his adopted parents' names, it was easy finding all your information," Justin tried to explain. He was sitting in front of Brian's mother. His real mother. He could tell she was shaking.

"What's his name?" she whispered.

"Brian," he told her. She let out another sob.

"Brian," she whispered. "Why after all this time? I thought maybe he didn't want anything to do with me. That he didn't want to find me because it's been so long," Teresa cried. Justin took a deep breath.

"We just found out a couple of weeks ago that...that he was adopted," Justin answered honestly.

"They never told him?" Teresa asked. Justin shook his head.

"Joan, the woman that adopted him...she's in the hospital. She needs a new liver. And Brian got tested to see if he was a match. That's how we found out he wasn't her son," Justin told her. Teresa nodded.

"That's a terrible way to find out," she said. Justin chuckled. He looked over at his mom, and she smiled. "I'm so sorry, I didn't even ask you your names," Teresa said to them.

"I'm Justin Taylor," Justin whispered.

"I'm Jennifer Taylor. I'm Justin's mother," Jen said kindly. Teresa smiled and took a deep breath.

"Why didn't Brian come to see me?" Teresa asked. Justin looked at his mom and took a deep breath.

"Well...he doesn't know that I've found you," Justin admitted. The sadness on her face was enough to make him want to cry. "He said I could look for you and Brian's dad. But he didn't...I had to come here first and talk with you. And his dad. Before I tell Brian I found you," Justin said. They sat there for a moment, letting that information sink in. He had been so nervous about meeting Brian's mother that he really didn't think of a good way to explain everything to her.

"We're his parents good to him?" she asked suddenly. Justin realized, that she was as smart as Brian. With the little information that he gave her, she knew where to read between the lines. He took a deep breath, and scrubbed his face with his hands. He looked at her. "Please, you have to tell me. I know I gave him up for adoption. But we were so young. We were so scared, and we didn't know any better. Had we told our parents, he would have stayed with us. We would have raised him. I made a mistake by giving him up, and not a day has gone by that I haven't regretted it. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't pray that he's okay. That he's happy. That he found someone who he loves, and loves him back. I prayed every single day that his parents were good to him. I know I gave him up, Justin, but I have to know. Were they good parents to him? Please tell me," Teresa cried. He looked over at his mom.

"Go on, Justin. You made it this far," Jennifer said. He nodded his head and took a deep breath.

"They weren't," he said softly. She let out a sob. Jennifer got up and went over and wrapped her arm around Brian's mother's shoulders. "I'm sorry," he said. They let her cry for a few minutes, and waited till she had composed herself.

"Thank you. For telling me," she said. He nodded his head. "That's why you're here instead of him," she said. He nodded his head. "You're making sure that I'm okay...before you report back to him," she said. He chuckled.

"Pretty much," he said. Teresa laughed and wiped her eyes.

"How am I so far? Besides a blithering mess," Teresa said.

"Pretty good so far," he said. She smiled at him, and then she smiled back at Jennifer. Jennifer went back and sat next to Justin again.

"Do you have any pictures of him?" Teresa asked. Justin nodded and pulled out a picture from his jacket pocket and handed it to her. Her eyes widened and she gasped, putting a hand over her mouth.

"This is him. That's my son," she cried. He couldn't stop the tears from forming in his eyes. She touched his face with her fingers and laughed. "He's the spitting image of Sawyer," she said.

"Except his eyes. Those are definitely yours," Justin said. She smiled at him, and then looked back down.

"Is he happy?" she asked.

"Took him a while. But he is," Justin said. She smiled and let more tears fall.

"Is he married?" she asked. He felt his mom squeeze his leg.

"Engaged," Justin answered. She smiled.

"He's getting married. So, he's found someone who loves him," she said, relived. He took a deep breath.

"Yeah, I do," Justin answered. Teresa looked up from the picture. "It's me. He's marrying me," Justin said, gulping down a sob. Why did this feel like he was telling his own mother that he was gay? He waited for the disapproval. He waited for her to throw the picture in his face, and tell them to get the hell off her property.

"That's why you want to meet me first. You wanted to tell me that he's gay. Save him from any pain," she whispered. She understood. He nodded his head, trying not to cry. "Well, Justin. I hate to disappoint Brian. But I don't care if he's gay. He's my son. I don't care who he marries. Do you love him?" she asked. He let the tears fall freely.

"So much," he whispered. She smiled.

"Then that's all I care about. Just that he's happy," she whispered. He let out a sob and stood up. Teresa stood right up and hugged him tightly. Justin finally let out a sob. Brian's mother loved him. She didn't even know him, but she loved him. She didn't care that her son was gay. She still loved him. They stayed in a tight embrace for a few minutes, till Justin pulled away. Teresa wiped his tears away with her thumbs. "You've been worried about how I would answer that, haven't you?" she asked. He nodded his head, and she smiled. "So, did I pass?" she asked, making him laugh.

"With flying colors," he said. She smiled, and pulled him to sit next to her. She picked up the picture and stared at Brian again.

"My son," she said. She let out something between a sob and a laugh. "Every day since he was born, I've prayed that I'd see him again. That he was happy. I never thought I'd ever see him. And I have a picture in my hand of my son," she said. She looked over at Justin. "Thank you," she said. He smiled at her. "So, he doesn't know either of you are here?" she asked. Both Justin and Jennifer shook their heads.

"The only reason I knew the Investigator found anything was because I stopped by their loft. I could tell something was wrong with him," Jennifer said. Teresa turned back to Justin.

"I just found out yesterday. Right after I dropped Brian off at the airport. I wanted to meet you and Sawyer today before he comes back tonight," Justin said.

"You're going to Boston today?" she asked. Justin nodded his head.

"I have a 2:00 flight. I can only stay a couple of hours before I have to come back," Justin said. She nodded.

"I'll find out where he is today for you then. So, you don't have to drive around looking for him. Wasting time," she said. Justin and Jennifer looked at each other.

"You still talk to him?" he asked. She looked over and smiled.

"Sawyer is my best friend in the entire world," she admitted. "We see each other a few times a year. And every year on Brian's birthday...my parents and I go to Boston. We have lunch with Sawyer and his parents. And then Sawyer and I go off and have dinner. And we make a toast to Brian," she said. Tears formed in her eyes again.

"That's beautiful," Jennifer said, wiping her tears. Teresa smiled.

"We toast that he's having an amazing birthday. That he had a good year, and that this next following year will be better than the last. And that this year will be the year that we meet him," she told him, wiping her tears.

"Do you think...will he be okay with..." Justin found himself not being able to say the word gay. But Teresa laughed.

"Sawyer's a good man. He'll be okay. I'll make sure he's at his office when you land. It's the closest to the airport, then his house or his parents' house. And I'll even make sure he drives you back there himself. You'll like him. He's a pompous, arrogant asshole," he said, making them laugh. "But you'll like him, because once he realizes why you're there, his walls will come down, and you'll see a kind-hearted man, who misses his son," she admitted. He laughed and looked at his mom.

"Sounds just like Brian," Justin said. Before anything else could be said, another car pulled up in the driveway. He watched as three people got out of the car. He assumed it was her brother and her parents. They were Brian's grandparents and uncle.

"Hey, Annie said we had to come home. That you we're crying on the porch," the male said as he stepped onto the porch. He watched as Teresa turned around to the window behind her. The kids were peeking out through the blinds, and she hit the glass with her hand. She turned back to him and laughed.

"Nosy little brats," she told Justin. She turned back to her brother as Brian's grandparents walked onto the porch. He could see Brian in all three of them. His grandmother looked young like Teresa did. Not as young as her, but young for her age. And his grandfather and uncle were tall like Brian, but had some meat on their bones. "I'm fine. Perfect, actually," she said. She stood up and handed her brother a picture. He looked down at it.

"Why are you showing me a picture of Sawyer?" her brother asked. Her mother gasped, and put a hand over her mouth and looked at Teresa. Teresa smiled and nodded.

"Oh, Teresa," his grandmother whispered. The brother looked at her, and then at Teresa. They both had thick accents like Teresa did. Teresa took a deep breath.

"That's not Sawyer. That's my son. Brian," she whispered. Her mother burst out into tears, and her husband wrapped his arm around her.

"You found him?" her brother asked. She laughed and shook her head, and turned towards Justin and Jennifer.

"No I didn't find him. Brian's fiancé, Justin, found me," Teresa said proudly. All three looked at Justin.

"You're engaged to our grandson?" her mother asked. Justin nodded. The brother laughed and scrubbed his face.

"Geez! Your son's gay," he said. Justin's mouth fell open. This was what he was afraid of. Teresa's eyes widened and she hit him. His stomach dropped. This was why he came to meet them first, without telling Brian. He wanted to know who was okay with Brian being gay, and who wasn't.

"RICKY!" She said, hitting him again. "He doesn't mean it like that. I promise," she said, looking panicked. She hit him again.

"Ouch!  What the fuck are you hitting me for?" Ricky demanded. His mother hit him on the other side, and then his father reached over and hit him. "Why are you all hitting me?" he demanded. Teresa turned towards Justin.

"He doesn't mean that the way it sounds. His son, Carlo. He's 16. He recently just said he was gay," Teresa said, looking over at Ricky. Ricky laughed.

"He's been bitching at me about why none of his older cousins are gay, or any of his uncles. Why does he have to be the first person in the family that's gay?" Ricky laughed out, scrubbing his face. "My son acts like I've personally ruined his life, because he has no gay role models in the family. Like I personally tried to piss him off or something." He laughed. Justin felt like his stomach was in his mouth.

"He loves his son. He doesn't care. None of us care that he's gay," Teresa said. They nodded. "This is my brother, Ricky, and my parents, Robert and Genevieve," Teresa said. "This is Justin, Brian's fiancé, and Justin's mother, Jennifer," Teresa said.

"Why don't we all go inside?" Genevieve said. This morning had gone much better than he ever thought.