"Christ, Justin," Brian growled as he followed in an irritable Justin's wake. "Will you slow the fuck down; you act like you haven't eaten in weeks rather than hours."

This was all he needed tonight.

What was supposed to be a happy occasion just might turn into a pissing match because Justin was in a 'mood.' One that the little twat had brought on himself, not that it mattered at all to said twat. Oh, no; if he were to be believed it was all Brian's fault. As if he had been the one to encourage the little piglet into gorging himself on three helpings of Daphne's roast beef last night.

"Well maybe," Justin huffed, shooting daggers over his shoulder as he opened the restaurant door. "If you had just let me eat my fucking Twinkies, I wouldn't be practically starving right now; it isn't my fault that Sunbeam demands to be fed every four hours."

Brian fought the urge to roll his eyes and barely managed to quell that same urge for two reasons. One, he knew that if Justin saw, it would just further infuriate the brat and Brian would have to take him over his knee pregnancy bedamned. And two, he and Justin both knew damned well that the denied Twinkies were not the problem.

The true problem stemmed from the fact that Justin, whose eyes were much larger than his stomach sometimes, had eaten way too much the night before and had suffered the consequences when he woke up with a bad case of heartburn in the middle of the night. Again – not his fucking fault. He'd cautioned his idiot husband against the third serving and had been glared into submission when the twat took the entire fucking serving and stuffed it in his mouth, chewing defiantly.

Brian would have been more impressed with the feat had he not been up half the night as well, trying to soothe his tired and groaning husband; but well, he had been and was not very happy that he couldn't even say 'I told you so' without risking the dismembering of a body part that he was particularly fond of.

"And how, exactly, is that any different from normal?" Brian snarked, knowing all too well that he was taking his life into his hands with the mood Justin was presently in; but he couldn't help himself. The fucking mood swings he'd been dealing with all day were making his head swim. "Other than in quantity of food consumed."

"Bite me," Justin spat as they headed towards the bar, where they had planned to meet the rest of their misfit family.

And oh, if only. Maybe then the testy pain in his ass would be in a much more agreeable mood. But he wasn't about to approach his husband in his present mood. He had been warned off for being the 'overprotective bastard' that he is by his prickly brat, who was tired of being 'hovered' over. This, because Brian graciously took the day off to make sure that the contentious little shit didn't overdo things as he was wont to do.

"With pleasure," Brian purred, hoping to lighten the mood before they got to their family. The last thing he needed was Deb demanding what he did to put her Sunshine in a foul mood; because of course, it has to be his fault. "But later; we wouldn't want to make Mother Taylor blush."

"Please," Justin snorted and sent a look over his shoulder that told Brian that he knew exactly what he was doing. But there was also the glimmer of a smile tugging at his lips, so points to him. "After all the times she's walked in on us, I doubt that a mere love bite would faze her now."

"Point," Brian acknowledged; and then he opened his mouth to say something equally as snarky, but was cut off when Justin hissed and grabbed at his stomach.

"Fuck!" Justin doubled over with a grimace on his face.

"What!?" Brian asked, alarmed by Justin's pained expression and the way he clutched at his belly. "What's wrong? Is something the matter with Sunbeam?"

"No," Justin huffed, shooting an aggrieved frown over his shoulder as he straightened up and quickened his pace once more. "I have to fucking pee; again!"

"Fuck, Justin!" Brian spat, desperately trying not to throttle his much beloved, but aggravating husband for his unintentional scare. "Could you not overact to having to fucking pee again; you nearly gave me a fucking heart attack."

"Fuck you!" Justin spat, once again glaring daggers over his shoulder. "I'd like to see how you'd fucking deal with a human being the size of a large squash tap dancing on your fucking bladder."

And with that Justin stormed off to the bathroom. Brian sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, vowing that next time he'd let the little twat eat his fucking Twinkies, potential heartburn or not. Maybe then he wouldn't be such a cranky bitch. Not that he'd ever say that to Justin's face. He liked living; especially with his dick attached.

He so couldn't wait until the brat got over these fucking mood swings.

… … … … …

Brian sighed and tossed back his glass of Beam as he watched his husband, now a bubbly ball of happiness, flitter from family member to family member, showing off his ring and telling them all about the weekend in New York. Had he mentioned that Justin's mood swings were making his head swim; cancel that – they were giving him a fucking migraine. The way he went from seething demon to glowing angel in the matter of minutes was mind boggling; and fucking exhausting to boot.

He, like a good husband, had waited until Justin got out of the bathroom, hoping to smooth things over with him before they reached the family. Only, when Justin exited, instead of being met with his irate little hell demon, he was met with sad, teary eyes and a contrite, insecure kitten in desperate need of a cuddle and reassurance.

Justin threw himself into Brian's arms and cried into his shoulder, begging him to forgive him for acting like a sullen brat. Brian had actually rolled his eyes that time (knowing he was safe since Justin's face was pressed into his shirt) and patted him on the back, whispering words of love and encouragement all in the hopes that it would get him to stop fucking crying before Brian lost it himself.

He never could deal with a crying Justin.

Then, once they had kissed and made up, Justin had flashed his infamous Sunshine smile and bounced off, heading for the bar. An action that Brian was very much in favor of because he needed a fucking drink after all this bullshit. He was feeling far too much kinship with Ted at the moment and that was so not on.

Brian signaled the bartender for a refill and then scanned the room, smiling to see that much of it was filled with family and friends, despite the last minute booking. He was glad that most of the family had been able to come; and the ones that weren't there, weren't worth a mention. They had worn out their welcome a long time ago.

Sipping his refreshed drink, Brian kept silent watch, letting his husband be the center of attention as he deserved, until something, or really someone, caught his eye. Smirking, he tossed back his second glass of Beam, set it aside and then headed over to a very pretty and animated Molly, who was chatting with a very good-looking brunet.

Seemed like the Taylors had a type – tall, handsome brunets; not that he was trying to be conceited, but really, have you seen him? Not to mention Tucker?

"And just who is this?" Brian asked as he came up to the couple, startling them both.

Molly spun around, eyes wide, and then grimaced, likely knowing what was coming. Brian just grinned and had to stop himself from rubbing his hands together in glee. He had heard through the grapevine that Molly had a new love interest, but this was the first time that he'd met him. And, as always, he couldn't wait for the interrogation to begin.

"Oh, fuck…" Molly hissed; she squeezed the brunet's hand and then grabbed Brian's and dragged him away from the new and very tempting form of entertainment. "Brian, can you not give him a bad time? I really like him."

"All the more reason to put him to the test, Molly girl," Brian teased, waving at the uncertain looking brunet. "If he can't stand up to it, he'll never survive this family."

"Christ," Molly cursed, slapping her hand over her forehead; and then she looked up with a baleful glare. "Well it was fun while it lasted."

"Oh, don't be that way," Brian huffed, wrapping an arm around his sister-in-law, all the while grinning at the man she brought. The brunet's brow furrowed, as if he was trying to figure out what was going on and if he should do something, but he refrained from encroaching on their private conversation; she had him well trained. "He could pass it."

"I'm not even sure I want him to pass it yet," Molly muttered, waving the concerned brunet off as she turned back to Brian.

Brian just cocked a brow; he called bullshit. If Molly had been only messing around with the guy, she sure as shit wouldn't have brought him to a family event. Molly blushed at being caught out; as if Brian would've ever let her denial stop him from having a very long and frank conversation with the brunet. And better him than Justin. If she thought he was bad…well, she never saw what Justin put Tucker through in the beginning.

"Of course you do, Molly girl," Brian simpered, making the blonde scowl. " You would have never introduced him to this lot if you didn't think he had potential."

"Yes, well, let's make sure that potential remains, shall we?" Molly huffed, giving him a warning glance; one that looked so much like Mother Taylor's that it had him internally cringing. And really, he needed to have Mother Taylor teach him that look; it was the only thing that cowed his mule-headed husband.

"You're no fun," Brian complained; he eyed the brunet and made a note to have a brief chat with him some time that evening. Shovel talk included; no one messed with his girl.

"On the contrary," Molly drawled with a smug look; likely because she knew she was going to get a little of her own back. "Ryan says that I'm a lot of fun…"

Brian grimaced and felt himself turning green; way too much fucking information. Definitely a talk needed by the end of the evening; if this man hurt his sister, he'd have his balls no matter how much Molly liked to play with them. And then, his stomach turned and he decided he'd had enough of that thought.

"And on that note," Brian huffed, shoving the snickering girl away from him. "I need to find your brother before I'm scarred for life by the mention of breeder sex."

"You do that," Molly said, a smug grin painted on her face as she headed back towards her date, who was apparently named Ryan.

Brian fled; not that he'd ever admit to doing that. But he did, heading straight for his husband, whose back was to him as he chatted with Emmett. He wrapped his arms around Justin's waist, ridiculously pleased when Justin didn't even flinch, and buried his face into the hair at the nape of his neck.

"Save me," he pleaded softly so that only his husband could hear him.

"Do I want to know?" Justin asked, his brows arching in amusement as he turned away from Emmett and wrapped his arms around Brian's waist.

Emmett smirked, waved and went on his merry way.

"Molly was going to tell me about breeder sex." Brian shuddered, made a face and desperately wished for some brain bleach. "I think I'm scarred for life."

Justin pulled back with a frown; oh, shit! Brian recognized that look. Here came the protective big brother. He should have just kept his damned mouth shut!

"Excuse me?" Justin asked, his frown deepening as he turned around and spotted his sister snuggled up to a beaming Ryan. "Oh, hell no…who is this little twit…he will not be putting his hands on anything when I'm through…"

"Oh, no you don't, big brother," Brian huffed and ushered his husband towards Emmett, Ted and Blake in the desperate hope of keeping him contained; he so didn't need Molly killing him for scaring off her boyfriend yet again.

"Brian," Justin huffed, trying to get away. "What are you doing?"

"Saving you from the wrath of…" Brian groused; and then trailed off when an even bigger annoyance made himself known. "What the fuck is he doing here?"

"I don't fucking know," Emmett growled, staring heatedly at a far-too-confident looking Michael as he entered the bar; how Brian would love to knock that smug smile off his face. "Trust me; we had no idea he was going to show up. Ben told us that he was going to be leaving Sunday night; but apparently he changed his ticket once again to fly home tomorrow instead."

"How did he even find out about the dinner?" Justin asked with a frown; he tried to remain impassive, but Brian could feel the tension coursing through his body. "It's not like this was planned in advance."

"That would be my fault," Deb said hesitantly as she walked up; Brian spun around and glared at her. She held up her hands in front of her. "I didn't realize he was eavesdropping in the other room when I got the call from Sunshine. But when I realized it, I did tell him not to show up if he knew what was good for him; but you can see how well that turned out."

"Fucking, Mikey," Brian spat as he stared daggers at his former friend. Michael started towards them, but reluctantly stopped when Carl grabbed him by the arm and shook his head. Brian pursed his lips and deliberately turned his back as he spoke to the group at large. "If you want him to remain living, you will keep him away from me."

"Oh, don't worry, sweetheart," Mother Taylor said, shooting her patented look of disapproval Michael's way; the one that often had even Brian quivering in fear. "He will be sitting between me and Deb the entire time; and if he so much as even looks at either of you wrong, I will happily remind him of a little conversation that he had with Lucille. The hard way."

"Oh, fuck!" Justin exclaimed. He cringed and covered his dick; an action that Brian didn't understand, but would certainly be asking about later. "Mom!"

Brian arched a brow at Justin's scandalized tone and the way Emmett cowered and turned an interesting shade of green; or perhaps he'd ask now.

"What conversation?" Brian asked, casting an inquisitive look at his husband.

"Oh, shit!" Justin whispered fervently, as if he'd just realized that he'd neglected to tell Brian something important; and then he shook his head violently and looked ill.

"Language, Justin!" Mother Taylor chastised, but she also looked far too smug for Brian's own good; and he couldn't help but wonder if he really wanted to know.

But in for a penny, in for a pound.

"What conversation?" Brian demanded yet again; still staring at his fidgeting husband.

"I thought I told you," Justin whispered, looking a little sheepish when Brian just shook his head in negation. And then he looked at the others – a green Emmett, a confused Blake and Ted, and a grinning Mother Taylor and Deb – and patted his arm. "Remind me to fill you in when we get home; it's not conversation fit for dinner."

But Brian wasn't going to let it stand at that; he turned to Mother Taylor, instinctively knowing that she'd be all too happy to fill him in.

"Let's just say it involves Lucille's experiences with castrating aggressive and particularly stupid young bulls…" Mother Taylor said with a vicious grin.

Ted and Blake's eyes widened; and then their faces turned ashen as they grasped the implied threat that Lucille must have dished out to Mikey. Fuck. Remind him to never piss Lucille off; he quite liked his balls right where they were.

"You know what," Brian swallowed harshly. "I don't think I want to know anymore."

"Oh, yeah," Emmett fervently agreed. "That story is definitely not meant for the squeamish or faint of heart. I was twitching in my seat in sympathy."

"Are you calling me a puss…" Brian groused, trailing off when he found himself on the end of a heated Mother Taylor Disapproves Glare; and then he quickly switched his wording. "…a wimp, Honeycutt?"

"Absolutely not, Big Bad," Emmett huffed, crossing his arms over his chest. "And stop calling me, Honeycutt. How many fucking times do I have to tell you that? It's been years!"

"And it will be years longer unless you change your name to Boyd," Brian smirked, dodging his husband's pointy little elbows; he had far too many bruises on his ribs as it was. "And I don't guarantee it stopping even then."

"Asshole," Emmett muttered under his breath.

"You say that like it's a surprise," Brian snorted. "One would have thought that you'd have learned that a long time ago."

"Oh, I did," Emmett silkily agreed. "I was just reaffirming my opinion of you."

"Boys," Mother Taylor warned, sending them both a behave look; Emmett shot her an apologetic look, while Brian just grinned unrepentantly.

She rolled her eyes and then frowned, glaring at an oblivious Michael, who was still trying to make his way over to Brian, only to get halted or sidetracked by another family member. Fuck, did he never give up?

"If we can we get back to the matter at hand?" Mother Taylor prompted, waving her hand in Michael's direction.

"Sorry, Mother Taylor," Brian said as sincerely as possible, which wasn't much. He turned and glared at the interloper; like fuck did he want him here. "Is there any chance of getting him out of here without causing a scene?"

"Probably not," Deb huffed. "The little asshole has been bitching all weekend about you not being here to see him; as if he expected that everything would be forgiven and forgotten when he came home."

"Well, he's going to be waiting for a cold day in hell before that happens," Brian stated; he pulled Justin into his side and covered his stomach with a protective hand. Mikey better pray that nothing happened tonight; otherwise there would be a body to hide. "Whatever; just keep him away from me and if he says one wrong word…"

"You won't have to do a damned thing," Deb said with conviction as she placed her hand on Brian's arm. "I'll kill the little asshole myself if he upsets Sunshine again."

They stared at each other for a long, drawn out moment and then Brian nodded. He would prefer that the asshole wasn't here, but he wasn't going to kick him out as he was certain that was what Mikey wanted. Any attention was good attention to him. It was better to ignore him; that would irritate him even more than being thrown out.

"Fine," Brian huffed; he looked up when someone came into the bar asking the Kinney party. "Let's get this party started then; I have more important things to do than to sit around talking about the insignificant people in my life."

Brian sighed and pressed a kiss to Justin's temple before releasing him to go talk to the hostess; he walked past Michael without a single word, blatantly ignoring the other man as he called out to him. After a brief conversation with the hostess, he waved his hand to the gathered group and walked out of the room, pausing only when Justin strode up and grabbed his hand. He looked at his husband and allowed him to tug him into a shadowed alcove while the family filed out and followed the hostess.

"Hey," Justin reassured softly, pressing a chaste kiss to his lips. "It will be okay."

Brian fought with himself, wanting to believe that Justin was right, but he just couldn't put his unease to rest. He pressed a soft kiss to his husband's lips and then rested his forehead against Justin's, releasing another quiet sigh.

"I don't trust him as far as I can throw him, Sunshine," he said as he looked down into the blue eyes that he loved more than life. "Not with you or Sunbeam; he's proven that he can't be trusted where you two are concerned and I will do whatever is necessary to make sure that both of you are safe and healthy."

"I know," Justin sighed and unwittingly echoed his earlier thoughts. "But this is exactly what he wants; he wants the attention, negative or not. So, don't give it to him. It will annoy him more if we ignore him and just go about our business as if he wasn't here."

Brian grimaced, but nodded; he knew Justin was right.

"I can't believe he had the nerve to show up," Brian growled and pulled his husband closer. "Seriously, what the fuck was so hard to understand about 'go to Seattle and don't come back.' I thought it rather straightforward of me for once."

"He'll never believe it, Brian," Justin laughed ruefully. "It's like he has this special Brian filter – and blinders too – that twists anything you say or do until it fits the warped fantasy that he's created in his head. The one where you are two old queens living in Palm Springs, and fuck what anyone else might think about it."

"I never should have said that," Brian huffed, knowing that one foolish statement when he'd been young and dumb and had never believed for a second that he'd find someone whom he loved as much as Justin. "It was a big fucking mistake; especially as I never intended to live long enough to reach that point in my life."

Justin inhaled sharply and hastily looked away to hide the tears in his eyes; he clutched onto Brian tightly and then let out a shaky breath. Brian cursed himself under his breath; it wasn't that Justin hadn't known that Brian was at one time suicidal, but saying those words now, while he was one big ball of hormones wasn't his wisest move.

"Sorry," Brian whispered and kissed his temple; Justin huffed and nodded, forcing a weak smile on his face. "I know that upsets you; but I never thought I'd meet anyone like you. I thought I would be alone for the rest of my life; so, who would really care if I lived or died? Not my family; and definitely not my friends."

"Brian…" Justin whispered, a heartbroken look on his face; Brian forced a weak smile to try and reassure him, knowing that his husband's heart hurt for him.

"You know it's true, Sunshine," Brian said with a weak laugh. "Back then, I was a real asshole to them. Vic and Deb might have mourned me – and Mikey too for different and warped reasons – but the others? It would have been nothing more than what they'd expected of me; what they thought I deserved. Going out in a blaze of glory…"

Justin looked away unhappily, but refrained from commenting. Brian rolled his lips under and stared at the miracle in his arms. The one person that understood all of him and that he'd happily lay his life down for; even if he wouldn't admit to that often. He grabbed Justin by the chin and turned him to face him, his heart aching at the unshed tears in his husband's eyes. Ones that he knew he'd caused. He pressed his lips to Justin's brow.

"It wasn't until I met a particularly stubborn, insistent, blond twat that things changed," Brian huffed, kissing away a tear that had silently fallen from Justin's eye. "You are the reason I am still here; I owe everything that I have in my life to you."

"Brian…fuck," Justin huffed, his eyes tearing once more; he abruptly pulled away and smacked Brian on the arm. "Fuck you; why are you always trying to make me fucking cry these days?"

Brian smirked, knowing exactly what his husband was doing; he was trying to add a little levity in the heavy moment in order to distance himself from Brian's unwanted words. And Brian wouldn't deny him that; especially as he too wanted to push the words, and the past, as far away as possible. They had no place here in his present.

"Oh, but you're so cute when you cry…" Brian teased and placed a kiss on his nose.

"Fuck off…" Justin said without heat as he swiped at his eyes; Brian pulled him close and kissed the tip of his nose once more.

"That is why I am not willing to put up with his bullshit, Justin," Brian sobered, his eyes taking on a hard glint. "I will quite cheerfully kill him if he even thinks of breathing on you and Sunbeam wrong. And I wouldn't regret it one bit. He means nothing to me. Not anymore. Any smidgen of respect or care that I held for him died the day the doctors told me that we could lose Sunbeam due to his selfish, reprehensible actions. I will not let him hurt us any further."

"I…" Justin trailed off with a huff as he shoved at Brian's chest. "I swear to God, if you ever get pregnant, I'm so going to make all these soppy little speeches and then see how you deal with them."

"I am not soppy," Brian denied with mock outrage. "You take that back."

But Justin just crossed his arms over his chest and remained stubbornly silent.

"Take it back!" Brian demanded again, poking his husband in the side

"No," Justin huffed and poked him in return.

"Take it back!" Brian growled, poking Justin again.

"Make me," Justin demanded with a challenging glint in his eyes.

"Oh, those are fighting words, Sunshine," Brian snorted; he snapped his arms out in an attempt to grab his resistant husband, and Justin did try to dodge, but his baby bump didn't allow for quick movement. "You are so going down for that."

Brian dragged a squirming and giggling Justin against him and moved his fingers down his side, tickling the other man as he tried, and failed, to get loose. They scuffled for a minute or two, the both of them laughing breathlessly until Brian relented. He pulled Justin into his arms and smacked his lips noisily against his cheek.

"Not fair," Justin complained halfheartedly. "I can't move fast enough these days."

"Not my problem," Brian snorted. "You shouldn't write checks that your ass can't cash."

Justin gave him another halfhearted glare and opened his mouth to comment further, but Brian cut him off with a deep kiss. He cupped Justin's face as his husband wrapped his arms around his neck and clung, each of them getting lost in the other until air became an issue. And then, they parted and rested their brows against one another.

"Are we done with all this lesbionic shit?" Brian asked. "Because I think I felt my balls shrivel and die a little after all that; you might have to do a thorough inspection tonight just to make sure that everything is in full functioning order."

"Ah, now there is the man we all love to…" Justin snorted.

"You are just a mouthy, little twat tonight," Brian interrupted, pinching his husband on the ass and grinning when Justin let out a small yelp.

"You love me this way," Justin said with a wide grin. "Admit it; you sooooo adore me."

"I think we've long established that I'm a glutton for punishment." Brian yelped as Justin dug his bony elbow into his side once more, likely bruising it. "Brat; I can't wait until Sunbeam is born so I can turn you over my knee for all your bratty behavior of late. Now let's join our family. We have a blessing to announce."

… … … … …

Brian sighed and leaned against the wall; as Justin and he were leaving the alcove, Justin winced and announced that he had to pee again. And like a good husband, Brian was standing outside the restrooms, waiting for his husband to get back and join him and their family in celebrating their coming blessing.

And all he had to say about this was that he better get some damned good fucking brownie points for doing this; otherwise, he was going on strike.

Glancing at his watch, he noted that it had been a good ten minutes since Justin had entered and he couldn't even begin to fathom what was taking so fucking long. It wasn't all that complicated. You go in, you piss, you wash your hands and then you get the fuck out. Unless, of course, you were doing other fun things; but he knew that wasn't the case here. Justin was just taking his sweet fucking time.

Leaning his head against the wall, Brian noticed someone moving towards him out of the corner of his eye; he looked up and smiled, intending on moving out of the way, and then groaned when he noticed who it was. Seriously, how did Michael not get a fucking clue when he ignored him earlier? He'd thought that it was pretty clear that he wasn't in the mood to talk to the asshole, but apparently he needed to hit Michael over the head with a brick before he got it.

Turning away, Brian stared straight ahead, hoping that Mikey would catch a clue; although, he knew it was a vain hope at best.

"Brian, can we talk?" Michael asked, his puppy dog eyes in full effect as he came up to him; not that Brian cared.

"No," Brian said, continuing to stare at the wall ahead of him and praying that Michael would leave before Justin got out; he did not need to be bailing his pregnant husband out of jail with the way his moods had been swinging today.

"But…" Michael said and then trailed off when Brian swung around and glared.

"I told you when you left that we were done," Brian spat; he glared at him for a moment longer and then shrugged dismissively. "Nothing has changed."

He turned away and then, torn between relief and worry, watched as Justin exited the bathroom. Justin paused and his face darkened as he noticed Michael standing at his side. Fuck! This was all he needed tonight. And then, his husband just shrugged and his face blanked as he headed towards Brian. And Brian thanked every deity that would listen as Justin walked past Michael without a single word.

Letting out the breath that he had been holding, Brian pushed off the wall and walked past Michael without a word, intent on following his husband to their celebration dinner. He had no time to waste on insignificant people.

But of course, Mikey just couldn't let it be.

"I'm sorry!" Michael called out to their backs.

Brian sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose as Justin turned around and stared at Michael as if he were particularly interesting insect on the end of a pin. One that Justin had gleefully jabbed into it. Brian prayed for strength, turned his head and arched a brow.

"About?" he asked despite not really caring about what Michael had to say; but he also knew that Michael would just continue to pursue them if he didn't.

"What?" Michael asked, looking perplexed at Brian's question.

"What exactly is it that you're sorry about?" Brian prompted, his lips thinning as Michael continued to stare at him in confusion.

"Well, you know," Michael shrugged. "Everything…"

"I wish I could believe you," Brian said; he snorted and shook his head. "But if you can't even tell me what it is that you did wrong, your words mean nothing. They're just empty platitudes meant to placate and finagle your way back into my life. Until you can truly understand your actions, and the consequences that might have stemmed from said actions, I have nothing to say to you."

Michael stood there, confused and obviously not understanding why his so-called apology didn't move Brian in the least. It wasn't all that surprising though; Michael often thought that if he simply said the words, or appeared contrite, that all would be forgiven.

Not this time.

"Come on, Sunshine," Brian said as he turned away; he wrapped his arm around Justin and ushered him off before his pit bull husband got it into his head to show Michael the error of his ways. "We have an announcement to make to our family."

Justin huffed, but allowed himself to be led away, even if he was chomping at the bit to flatten Michael; and Brian had no problem turning his back and walking away from a friend that had turned out to be not much of a friend in the end.

… … … … …

Brian sipped his coffee and watched in awe as Justin demolished some death by chocolate dessert; that wasn't the actual name of it, but it might as well be with the sheer amount of fudge that oozed out of the center of the devil's food cake. And topped by yet more chocolate in the form of shavings and sprinkles and globs of who the fuck knew what else. This was, of course, after he devoured two appetizers (and 'helped' with Brian's), inhaled his bowl of soup as if he hadn't eaten in weeks, gobbled down his salad and annihilated his main entrée (and, again, part of Brian's).

He didn't know whether he should be impressed or appalled by the amount of food the little twat had consumed that night; but he was leaning toward the latter. You would have thought that he'd learned his lesson the night before with the three helpings of roast beef and fixings, but as soon as Justin got his hands on the menu, it was game over.

He supposed that he should just be thankful that it wasn't Twinkies. Yet.

Shaking his head, he looked away, unable to watch any longer; he swore if the pain in the ass kept him awake with indigestion tonight, he was going to kick Justin out of bed and make him sleep in the guest bedroom. Enough was enough.

He studied his gathered family, thankful that Michael had gotten a clue and had left in a fit of temper rather than join them for dinner. While he wouldn't have done anything if he had been there, he wasn't so certain that Justin would be so lenient. And pregnant or not, Justin would have quite cheerfully kicked his ass to the curb, literally, if he even showed signs of acting out. And then Michael would whine and Brian would either have to kill him or, as he said earlier, face bailing his husband out of jail.

Neither of which prospect sounded appealing at this point in time; especially as this was meant to be a happy occasion for the family. Not that they really had to make a formal announcement given the fact that Justin had been gushing about New York since they'd landed and the family gossip train had been in full motion. He'd be shocked if they hadn't all known about the blessing within thirty minutes after Justin called Mother Taylor.

Looking back at his husband, Brian frowned when he noticed that Justin's eyes had nearly popped out of his head and his mouth was agape as he stared at something across the room. Furrowing his brow, he turned to look and almost swallowed his tongue; nearly choking on his own saliva, Brian coughed and barely held back a snort as Justin shook his head in disbelief.

"Oh my God," Justin said, his jaw still nearly touching the table.

"What the fuck happened to her?" Brian demanded incredulously, garnering the attention of everyone that was sitting near him.

Emmett snorted and pressed his face into Drew's chest, his shoulders shaking; Drew, who had been taking a sip of his beer, choked and spluttered, spraying the liquid across the table in front of him. Mother Taylor merely raised a single eyebrow, her face utterly blank; Deb barked out a laugh, her hand covering her mouth and Carl just sat there staring at the sight presented before them with a small amused smile.

But the most telling and interesting reaction had been Mel's; she looked over her shoulder, found Lindsay and her parents sitting at a table across the room and then flushed bright red. It was quickly followed by a sharp, malicious grin that had Brian arching a single brow in question.

"I did," she admitted, looking torn between smugness and embarrassment; especially when all of the aforementioned people turned to her with interest.

"That was you, honey?" Emmett smirked, his eyes sparkling with an unholy glee. "I was wondering who had gotten to her; do tell."

"Well…" Mel trailed off and squirmed. "It's actually kind of petty…"

"Welcome to the club," Brian drawled, his tongue poking into his cheek. "Head-Asshole-in-Chief presiding; we embrace petty. Now seriously, what the fuck did you do?"

"I was just so pissed that she, first of all did what she did," Mel spat, shooting daggers Lindsay's way. "I know I was all for Justin going to New York, and I told you not to hold him back; but truthfully, we all know I was just being a bitchy cun..."

Mel paused and looked towards Gus and Jenny, but thankfully Blake was already steering them away from the table.

"…That I was being bitchy when I said it," she continued. "We all knew even then that while Justin is talented enough to go to New York, he drew his inspiration from you."

"Well, in the face of such perfection, who could really blame him?" Brian preened, smirking when Mel snorted and rolled her eyes.

"Asshole," she muttered under her breath. "Had I known her true intentions, I would have never condoned her interference. I truly thought that she had Justin's best interests in mind."

"Well…" Brian said, hiding his pleasure behind another smirk. "…while I appreciate your candor, Smelly Melly; that doesn't really answer my question."

"How do you put up with him?" Mel huffed, looking to Justin for support; not that it would do any good judging by Justin's smirk.

"I have my ways of shutting him up," Justin said, waggling his brows suggestively.

"Ugh, I think I just threw up a bit in my mouth," Mel groaned; well, don't ask questions you don't want the answers to. "I so didn't need that visual."

"You asked, Smelly Melly," Brian taunted, snickering when Mel just glared at him. "So what voodoo did you do to our resident witch to have her looking ever so charming?"

"Well, I was just so pissed off at her actions," Mel said, casting another evil look Lindsay's way. "And then even more pissed off when I realized that she'd never even come home to face the consequences like an adult; that I, first, gathered all of her clothing and stuffed them in garbage bags and shoved them into the garden shed. Although, I did leave the door wide open, so I hope the local wild animals got into them and dragged them through the dirt, or better yet, ripped them to shreds."

"One could hope," Emmett murmured; he cocked his head thoughtfully. "I did notice she had a few new things lately."

"I just couldn't imagine her touching me after finding out, and wanted her gone." Mel shuddered. "So after I cleaned out her closet and drawers, I went into the bathroom and started tossing her shit into another trash bag, when I remembered something that my college roommate did to a former friend that had betrayed her."

"And that was, honey?" Emmett prompted, the unholy grin back in place.

"She poured rubbing alcohol into her hair spray," Mel muttered, looking bit squirrelly. "And added talcum powder to her loose powders."

Emmett crowed with laughter, making the blush return to Mel's face. Mother Taylor snorted and Deb was crying with laughter. But thankfully, the rest of them looked as equally puzzled by the explanation as Brian felt.

"Oh, you delightfully vicious, vindictive woman," Emmett cackled. "I so love you."

"I don't get it," Brian admitted, much to Justin's surprise; not that Brian blamed him.

It something that he never would have done years ago, preferring to act bored and wait for one of the other yahoos to ask the inevitable question. But he had grown and changed, and frankly, he was far too curious to leave it in the others hands.

"Rubbing alcohol is very harsh," Emmett smirked, and then cast a malicious grin over at Lindsay. "And it dries super fast; it also is very bad for hair. Basically, what she did was add it to her hairspray, I'm guessing to mask the scent a bit. After all, you expect most hairsprays to smell a bit astringent. And in turn, the alcohol will dry out the hair and make it very brittle. And since Lindsay has dry hair to begin with…"

"It really didn't help her," Mel sniggered. "Especially when I dumped out her overly-priced shampoos and conditioner – you know the ultra moisturizing, all natural, botanical bullshit she likes to buy to keep her hair sleek and shiny – and replaced it with the cheapest shit that I can find that looks and smells close to it. Shampoo and conditioner meant for oily hair."

Brian stared at Mel incredulously and then burst out into laughter. Mel flushed once more, but also looked absurdly proud of herself at the same time.

"And now, we're seeing the results of her handy work," Emmett smirked.

"Okay, I get that," Justin nodded. "But why the talcum powder?"

"Well, talc isn't very good for the skin, Baby," Emmett explained.

Brian arched a brow, wondering why it was that Emmett was so knowledgeable in all things make-up and hair related. And then wanted to smack himself for even thinking it because, of course, if any of them would know, it'd be Emmett. He had lived with Godiva for years and would have picked up on such information.

"At least, it isn't for your face as it can clog pores," Emmett continued. "Which often leads to a catch twenty-two as talc is often added to make-up to give it that nice powdery, soft consistency. By adding more to her make-up, and upsetting the balance of the powder…I'm guessing that also, like the dry hair, Lindsay has issues with this?"

Mel nodded.

"Soooooooooo…" Emmett drawled. "Her adding additional talc helped seal in any oils her skin might produce, leading to that delightful break out. And since Lindsay is all about her appearance…"

"You cruel, vindictive woman," Brian sniggered, toasting Mel with his Beam. "I love it."

"It was immature and petty…" Mel huffed.

"Happens to the best of us when we're pushed, honey," Emmett snickered.

"I just couldn't help myself," Mel said as she glanced back at the walking horror story that was Lindsay. "But, I will admit, I never thought she would react this badly. I was expecting a more gradual change."

"Well, it couldn't have happened to a better person if you ask me," Drew smirked, causing the rest of them to laugh. That is until Justin hissed in displeasure.

"Fuck, we've been spotted," he growled.

Brian watched with some trepidation as Justin glowered at the woman making her way over to them, an imperious look on her face; he couldn't help wondering if that trip to the police station to bail out his husband was still a thing that might happen. He looked over at Lindsay; was she really this stupid? If he'd been the one to piss Justin off, the last thing he'd do was confront him in public.

Or in private.

Or, well, ever given his recent mood swings.

Then again; no one ever said that Lindsay was the smart one in the partnership.

"She's coming over here." Justin hissed like a scalded cat, his hands balled into fists; Brian cupped the back of his neck and squeezed, hoping against hope that he could forestall the train wreck now in motion.

"Just ignore her," Emmett advised, waving his hand dismissively.

He purposely looked away from Lindsay and attempted to refocus Justin's attention onto other things. Deep down, Brian was grateful for the attempt, but knew his seething husband all too well to know Justin was placating them all and biding his time.

"We have better things to discuss," Emmett continued. "Like your blessing – you know that I'm the one that is planning it full-out this time. No arguments, Baby. There is no way in hell that I'm letting you stress yourself out over this in your condition."

Justin reluctantly tore his heated gaze away from Lindsay's approach long enough to protest Emmett's words. "But, I wanted to…"

"Thank fuck," Brian interrupted, ignoring the indignant scowl directed his way; like hell was he going to have Justin work himself into an exhaustion, blessing or no blessing. "I thought I was going to have to tie him to the bed."

Justin scoffed; Brian arched a brow and stared blandly at his husband, his expression clearly challenging the other man to tell him he was wrong.

He also blatantly ignored the woman that had come to a standstill by his chair.

"Brian…." Lindsay started, only to be talked over by Emmett.

"Ugh," Emmett huffed, scrunching up his nose in disgust. "I so don't want to hear about your sexcapades…"

"Liar…" Brian teased, knowing full well that Justin and Emmett gossiped like a couple of old biddies at a Sunday social; sex being one of their favorite topics.

"Besides," Justin quipped, sending Brian an evil leer. "We only do that on Tuesdays."

Brian choked on the sip of Beam he had just taken and cast an incredulous look at his husband; Justin grinned, waggled his brows and looked pointedly down the table to where Mother Taylor was arching a brow at them and Tucker was snickering.

Fuck.

He would never hear the end of this; fucking little twat. He was so going to pull him over his knee for a much deserved spanking once this pregnancy shit was done.

"Brian," Lindsay tried again, but Emmett barreled right on.

"Well, maybe if you feel the need for the audience, I would happily sacrifice myself as your captive audience." Emmett leered.

"Ugh," Brian snorted and pretended to shudder at the thought. "I really don't need to hear about your dirty little fantasies either, Honeycutt."

"Brian, I am talking to you!" Lindsay hissed, obviously irate at being ignored.

"Did you hear something?" Brian asked and cocked his head in confusion, making Justin snicker as he took another bite of his dessert.

"I'm not certain," Emmett hummed, looking puzzled. "But it sounded like the buzzing of a particularly irritating wasp; so, maybe?"

"Oh, good one, Em," Justin mumbled around a mouth of chocolate.

"Ah," Brian nodded knowingly. "Well if you ignore it long enough, it usually goes away. And if not, well; I suppose we'll just give it a good swat and that will take care of it."

"You can't ignore me like this, Brian." Lindsay huffed indignantly.

Actually; yes, he could.

"So, Baby," Emmett said as he turned to Justin. "Are you going to have the blessing out at the manor? Or were you planning to rent a venue?"

"Oh, we're definitely having it at the manor," Justin said with a sunshine smile. "Without a doubt; I want to renew our vows where we first said them. Plus, it's the end of summer and I doubt we'd find anything at this late date."

"You do have a point," Emmett cocked his head thoughtfully; and then nodded his agreement. "And it should be lovely at the end of August."

"That's what I figured too," Justin continued, blatantly ignoring the huffing and puffing of the woman next to them. "I was also going to have Anna's brood begin to put in additional flowers and what not to add to the atmosphere."

"Brian…" Lindsay whined, sounding much like Michael when he didn't get his way; and why on Earth she thought that would work, when it never did for Michael, he didn't know.

"As long as I don't find you out there doing anything other than supervising, Sunshine," Brian interjected, casting a knowing look at an innocently beaming Justin. Yeah, right. "I will be very displeased if I come home and find you rooting around in the dirt."

"Please," Justin rolled his eyes. "As if Anna would let me; she's worse than you when it comes to mollycoddling me."

"Bri…" Lindsay didn't even get his full name out this time before he cut her off.

"And for good reason, too," Brian huffed, also rolling his eyes. "As she is well aware that a certain twat likes to overextend himself."

Justin did the mature thing and stuck out his tongue; hmmm…he'd have to remind the twat of the appropriate use of tongues later. Much later.

"Well, that all sounds deeeee-vine, Baby," Emmett drawled, his eyes sparkling with laughter as Lindsay continued to gasp and huff in outrage. "But, speaking of over extending yourself; are you sure you're going to be up for it? That's only about two months after you have Sunbeam. That's a lot going on in a short amount of time."

"Yes," Justin decisively said. "I will make sure of it as I definitely want to renew our vows in August, on our wedding annivers…"

"BRIAN!" Lindsay shouted, making the restaurant go still and silent around them. Everyone stared at her, including the annoyed manager, who was doing his rounds; he quickly made his way over as Lindsay hissed. "You will talk to me or…"

"Is there a problem here?" Dan, the manager and a personal friend of Justin's, asked as he stared down his nose at a livid Lindsay.

"Yes," Brian said with a forced, cool smile; he stared his former friend down, daring her to say anything. "This woman came up to our table and started screeching at us for no apparent reason; I have no idea who she is, nor do I wish to know her. We've tried to ignore her rudeness, hoping that she'd take the hint and leave, but no such luck. I would appreciate it if she were escorted, if not out of the building, then at least away from my table, so that I may finish celebrating with my family."

"Of course, sir," Dan smirked, knowing full well who Lindsay was, but happy to play along with whatever game Brian was playing. And Brian couldn't help wondering how much the other man knew as Dan turned to Lindsay and sniffed. "Madam, you are causing a scene; please settle your check and leave before we have to remove you."

"I'm not leaving until Brian talks to me," Lindsay hissed, incensed that she wasn't getting her way. "He cannot treat the mother of his child like…"

"My son has no mother," Brian stated coolly, completely unmoved when Lindsay's face paled. "Only an Eema, and she was wise enough to have him removed from the dining room before you came over here screeching like a banshee and making a scene. His mother is dead to me; and everyone else at this table for that matter because the woman we knew would never have done what she did to my husband."

Lindsay compressed her lips into a pale, thin line as she looked around the table in an obvious bid for support; everyone pointedly looked away and continued talking to one another as if she wasn't there. And, in her bid for attention, she still hadn't even noticed her 'beloved' son standing just out of earshot with a sad look on his face.

That alone made Brian want to throttle her.

"Now, if you would please leave," Brian stated coldly. "My family and I are celebrating the upcoming renewal of my husband's and my vows; and you aren't welcome."

"Lindsay!" her mother hissed as she came upon them, her cheeks red with anger and embarrassment as she chastised her daughter.

Brian snickered as Nancy's mouth pursed as if she'd sucked on an entire box of lemons when she saw him; he just smiled and waved knowing that it'd piss her off. She sniffed and tilted her nose in the air; and then she cast a disapproving look at the table at large, giving an outraged gasp when Justin, annoyed by the entire thing, discreetly flipped her off. Twat. He'd pay for that later.

"That is quite enough," Nancy hissed again, grabbing Lindsay's arm and squeezing tightly. "You are embarrassing yourself, your father and me with this unseemly display. If you wish to continue receiving your monthly stipend and have a roof over your head, you will come with us now."

Lindsay struggled against her mother's hold, determined to be heard; but Brian just continued to stare coldly in her direction.

"I warned you, Lindsay," Brian spat. "There is no going back this time; I will end you. No one fucks with what is mine and gets away with it."

"You can't do this, Brian!" Lindsay yelped a touch hysterically, even as her father came over and whispered in her ear in a low, threatening tone.

"I think you'll find that I can," Brian said with his patented bland look. "After all, you signed the paperwork."

"I didn't think that you'd actually go through with it!" Lindsay spat; and really, wasn't this the woman who'd once proclaimed that she knew him better than anyone else? Obviously not if he she actually thought he'd let her get away with her bullshit.

"And that was your second mistake," Brian said with a smug smile, utterly enjoying the infuriated glare she shot his way; obviously, the kid gloves were off.

"Oh, yeah," Lindsay spat. "And what was the first? Trusting you?"

"Fucking with my kid and husband in the first place," Brian growled and lunged forward, relishing the way she flinched and took a step back. He pinned her down with a furious gaze; one that promised a wealth of pain for what she'd done, making her go as white as a ghost. He smiled coldly. "Goodbye, Lindsay; expect to hear from my lawyer within the next few weeks. I'm done with you."

"Let's go, Lindsay," Nancy insisted once more; but she looked less sure of herself this time and watched Brian with a wary eye. Good. "I won't tell you again."

Brian watched as Nancy and Ron finally managed to pry Lindsay away from the table and dragged her off towards the door, their heads down as the entire restaurant stared at their less than subtle departure. He continued to watch them until they could no longer be seen and then turned back to the silent table and cleared his throat.

He raised his glass, willing the rest of them to shake it off and go along with his plan.

"A toast, shall we?" Brian said, cocking his head with a small smile; and he was thankful when the rest of them complied and raised their own glasses. He looked at Justin and smiled, a glint in his eye. "To getting exactly as one deserves."

The table snickered and repeated the toast back to him; all of them meaning it in more ways than one. Brian sipped his Beam and then sat down next to Justin; he leaned over and kissed his husband softly, one hand coming to rest on Sunbeam.

Yes, they would all get what they deserve in the end; and some of them in less pleasant ways than they had ever hoped or expected.