"Jus...hmm...wake up!"

"Hunh?" Justin questioned, from deep within his dream.

Brian shook Justin's shoulder, not really wanting to give up his last few precious moments of sleep to answer the persistent ringing coming from Justin's side of the bed. "Phone."

Justin fumbled for a second and cursed as he nearly dropped the receiver. "H'lo?" he croaked. "Oh. Hi. Yeah," he went on, becoming more alert with every passing second.

Brian sighed and pulled the comforter over his head, letting the muffled words of his lover lull him back to sleep. Soon enough he was jerked out of the peaceful slumber by the sound of Justin swearing loudly.

"What?!" He asked, startled. "What's wrong?"

Justin fell back onto his pillow and flung his arm over his eyes dramatically just as Brian raised up on his elbows. "She's coming!"

"Who?"

"THIS weekend! Like...TOMORROW! Twenty-four - no make that twenty-two hours! She was just calling to confirm that I could pick her up!"

"Whooooo?"

The blonde lifted his arm and glared at Brian. Hadn't he been paying attention? "My mother!"

"Oh." That was all?

"Oh? OH, he says!" Justin ranted. "You do realize that Molly hasn't told her, right?"

"Is that what you're worried about?" Now it was starting to make sense. Brian took Justin into his arms and nibbled and gently kissing on the man's neck and shoulder. "Don't worry," he whispered soothingly. "Jen has a pretty good head on her shoulders. She'll be upset but I think Molly will live through it."

"Forget Molly!" Justin's voice still sounded a bit strained but he wasn't making any attempt to stop Brian's traveling lips. "Molly can deal with mom. She's always had the woman wrapped around her finger anyway."

"Like you haven't?"

Justin ignored Brian's offhanded comment and went on. "It was ME that was supposed to be watching out for her. I was supposed to be the responsible adult. I mean...I KNEW they were sleeping together and I allowed it to happen. I invited it to happen. I let the fucker sleep over!"

"Justin... it's not your fault. Sometimes these things just happen."

"Yeah. But it IS my fault. I should've-"

"Stop right there. I hate when people say that shit. �I should have done this. If I would have done that... But then...I could have done this instead...' It's bullshit and you know it." Justin turned on his side, facing away from Brian and Brian pulled him back against him so that their bodies were lined up. Touching from soles to shoulders, they snuggled deeper into the bed and Brian's hand rubbed wide sweeping circles across Justin's stomach and chest. "You did the best you knew how. And she'll know that. Hell...if Molly was living with her in California, she probably would have been spaced out and doing a lot worse things than getting knocked up."

This brought a smile back to Justin's face. "That's crap and you know it. But thanks for trying."

"Hmmm." He sighed, thinking that just maybe he could get five more minutes of sleep now that the crisis seemed to be resolved for the time being. It used to be that he would have woken up hours before just to get in some extra fucking before he had to interrupt sex with a work break. Now he preferred the extra hours of sleep just so he could get through his day and hopefully be up for a few rounds at night. He was deeply disturbed by the realization that he was definitely growing older. But somehow, with Justin curled up beside him, it didn't seem quite so drastic. They didn't necessarily have to fuck to enjoy one another.

A sleepy smile ghosting his face, Brian had almost slipped back into slumber when Justin began again, oblivious to his lover's condition. "Is this going to spoil our plans?" he asked, sounding more curious than worried.

Brian thought of what the two of them had planned for the little dad-to-be and chuckled involuntarily. "I don't see why it should."

"Good."

"Uh-huh," Brian agreed, pulling Justin even closer in his arms, if that were possible. He buried his face in the pillow directly behind his lover's head and inhaled the faint smell of Justin's lavender shampoo, allowing the smell to relax him into a content sleep.

The second his mind began to drift in the comforting darkness of sleep, the alarm began it's insanity-inducing buzzing and Brian quickly reached over onto the table on his side of the bed, grabbed the alarm clock and proceeded to chuck it across the room.

***

Molly jumped as she was pried out of sleep by a loud crash.

"Brian!" She heard Justin say in annoyance. Then there was laughter.

There was no telling what the hell the sound had been. And she really didn't care. She didn't care about anything. All she wanted was to stay in bed with the covers over her head. To have a day off from the world.

She glanced at her clock and groaned.

Alas, there would be no day off. It was Friday and she had half an hour to get ready and talk one of the boys into driving her to school. She'd likely be late, even if she rushed. That seemed to be a regular occurrence lately.

After a quick shower and a lot of deep breathing to stave off a wave of nausea, Molly knocked on Justin's door.

"Go away!" she heard Brian mumble.

"It's your favorite sister."

"Only sister," He heard Justin reply playfully as he opened the door for her on a circuit around the room. As he buttoned his cuffs, he ran around the room looking for his shoes.

"Morning Mol!" Brian said, his head half beneath a pillow.

"Morning, Bri. Um...can I get a ride?" She asked her brother, who was now frantically hopping on one foot as he yanked a sock onto the other.

"No problem. Gotta hurry though. I have a class in like half an hour."

After Justin had broken several traffic laws, Molly had to run but she made it to her seat just before the late bell rang for homeroom.

"So pleased that you could join us, Ms. Taylor." Mr. Hanson said.

Molly smiled tightly at the crotchety old math teacher that was her homeroom teacher. The man had never liked her. Actually, she was pretty sure he didn't like anyone. There was one in every school, she figured. He seemed to resent their presence as much as the other students resented having to be there.

Homeroom seemed relatively pointless to her anyway. Each morning, they were made to sit in an alphabetically assigned classroom for fifteen minutes, listening to the meaningless school news as if they were major world events.

Figuring she had fifteen minutes to kill, Molly pulled out a book and started reading, only partially listening to the overzealous voice of her former friend, Chelsea King.

"... today is the last day you can purchase prom tickets! You can get those at the table set up in the main lobby. Also...this is so exciting! We also have the names of the nominees for prom king and queen here. Jodie?"

The resident �future news anchor', Jodie Smithe, cleared her throat demurely and took her cue. "That's right Chelsea! And don't forget you can vote for your favorites tomorrow night at the prom! And here they are. This year's nominees for prom king are...Greg Thompson, Daniel Hobbs, and Jensen Lile."

Molly never looked up from her book, but her heart squeezed painfully at the sound of Daniel's name. She could feel a few eyes on her, gauging her reaction, but she allowed none to show.

"Boy...that's going to be a close race, I'm sure!" Chelsea interjected with enough false pep to make a pro-cheerleader wanna hurl.

"Yes. Well... Now for prom queen. The nominees are Trysh Erin, Rachel Ford, and...our very own Chelsea King!"

"Oh! Wow! I can't believe it!"

Molly rolled her eyes as Chelsea gushed. Yes. Such a shock. The six most popular students at St. James were nominated. �Go fucking figure!', she wanted to scream.

Stupid fucking popularity contest. That's all it was. She was happy that she was no longer associated with that sort of crap. Who needed a guy that would be caught dead in that kind of mindless bullshit anyway?

After homeroom was dismissed, Molly moved slowly through the packed halls, wishing, hoping, praying that no one stopped her for any reason. Her stomach was churning and she wasn't sure she would make it to a bathroom if she made any sudden movements. The game plan was to get to her locker, get to class and then be excused to the bathroom. She could do that. No problem.

As she stood at her locker, her back to the rest of the students, she could hear Chelsea and a flock of her followers as they loudly flocked around for any piece of Chelsea's attention and approval.

"Of course you're going to get prom queen, Chelsea! How could you not?" One of the sheep screeched.

Molly rolled her eyes. Of course Chelsea would get prom queen. The girl would sell out her favorite grandmother for the pointless honor.

"Oh. I don't know. Trysh and Rach have just as much a chance as I do."

Another sheep spoke up. "Not even!" and Chelsea giggled at the expense of her opponents and two dearest friends.

Molly wanted to puke.

No, she realized...she really did want to puke. There was no way she was gonna make it.

Dropping her books, Molly crashed through the group of girls and ran into the bathroom, ignoring the laughter that followed her. She kneeled in front of the toilet and for twenty minutes emptied the contents of her stomach. By the time she thought her head would explode from strain, the dry heaves eased and she was once again able to draw a steady breath.

"We're really gonna have to talk about your timing," she softly berated the little being in her belly.

Knowing she couldn't exactly just show up to her next class twenty minutes late without there being some sort of stink, Molly opted to take a breather. She slipped out the back of the school and headed for the football field.

Seated on the grassy turf, she thought about all the times she and Daniel had come out there. They would play tag, tackle, read to one another. Sometimes they would come out at night and just stare at the stars. Whatever. Just a place where they had been able to be alone together.

And now... She wondered if he brought Chelsea out there? Was this their alone place too? Somehow she couldn't imagine Chelsea sprawled out in the grass. For any reason.

Ugh. How the hell could Daniel be going out with Chelsea again? How? WHY?

Because she had pushed him into it. That's how. She had wanted him happy. And now he was back in the land of the shallow.

Just then she heard laughter. Sitting up to get a better view, she saw a group of three guys slink towards the back of the gym. They proceeded to light something, presumably a joint, and pass it around, laughing. A second later, a fourth person emerged from the side door and made his way to the group, settling himself in the rotation and joining in the laughter.

If there was any doubt...the fourth was definitely Daniel.

And he seemed happy as a stupid-fucking-clam.

***

The rest of the school day had dragged on for Molly. Her last class had been the worst. Daniel sat across from her, smelling of smoke and once again staring straight ahead as if he might turn to dust should he should look in her direction.

"Congrats on the nomination, man. In. the. Bag." one of the jocks said, passing him on his way to his seat.

Daniel smirked and nodded to the guy, inadvertently catching Molly staring at him. He features softened for a moment but then he tore his eyes away and went quickly back to ignoring her. And on the class went.

Work was even more difficult to stomach than school had been. Several of her customers had been in the mood to chat on and on - the last thing she had been in the mood to do. She had also been stiffed for tips more times than not.

Deb had noticed the lack of sparkle in her attitude and had seen the look on her face, apparently she looked like �sour shit', and had sent her home an hour early so she could get some rest.

So there she was. At home. Only...it seemed as if her sanity wouldn't be safe even there. As soon as she walked up the stairs and into the kitchen, she was confronted with her brother, naked and gripping the edge of the bar. From the open mouth, closed eyes and soft grunts and sighs, she had a fairly decent idea of what was happening out of eyeshot.

Quickly averted her eyes, she went to the refrigerator and grabbed a bottle of water. "Hi guys," she said, her voice filled with exasperation.

"AH!" ...a cry of pleasure.

"Don't let me disturb you."

"Uhnn..." The two continued as if she weren't there.

"Uh-huh."

Feeling a little bothered by the entire scene, including the fact that her presence hadn't seemed to affect them in the slightest, she stomped up to her room and did what she had been longing to do all day. She tossed her bag down without a second thought and rolled herself onto the bed.

The duvet pulled snugly around her and sheet over her head to block out the light, Molly had almost managed to fall asleep when she heard a knock on her door. She rolled over and groaned.

"Go away!" she whispered.

"Sis? Sister dear? It's me - your favorite brother."

"ONLY brother," she grumbled.

The door opened and a moment later she felt the bed shift with Justin's weight. "Um...sorry �bout the greeting earlier."

"Hmph"

"I didn't expect you to be home for...another hour."

She placed her thumb on the bridge of her nose. "Mmm-hmm."

"You okay?" he asked, sounding sincere in his concern. He pulled the sheet back to see her face. "Mol?"

"M'fine. Just tired. Now if you don't mind I'm going to sleep." She yanked the sheet from his hand and pulled it taught over her head.

"Okay." He got up to leave. "Oh...by the way... I just thought you might want to know..."

Hearing the hesitation in Justin's voice, she huffed and rolled her eyes as she lowered the sheet to look at him. "Yeeeeees?" she asked impatiently.

He smiled crookedly, though it looked more like a grimace. "Mom's coming tomorrow."

Molly's mouth opened but no sound escaped. The world swam around her. She didn't notice when Justin left the room. Didn't respond when Brian came in to ask if she wanted anything to eat. Didn't bother trying to fall asleep again. There would be no sleep. All she could think about was what she was going to tell her mother.

***

"Mom! MOM! Over here!"

"JUSTIN!" Jennifer all but ran towards her son and embraced him in the middle of baggage claim. "It's so wonderful to see you, sweetheart!" She held him at arms length and smiled. "Where's your sister?"

"I think she had a test this morning," Justin lied easily. "Couldn't miss it."

"Oh. Well I'll see her this afternoon."

After locating her suitcases, they headed towards the townhouse. "So what's new? I hardly get to speak with either you or Molly. What have I been missing?"

"Missing? Oh, uh...nothing. We've just been...working and..."

"Has Molly heard from any colleges yet?"

"Oh. Well...I think she should tell you about that."

Jennifer raised her brow, "Of course. I'll bet she got into every one if her report cards are anything to go by."

"Yeah..." Justin stuttered out. He wanted badly to just blurt out the truth and get it all over with but Molly would kill him. Actually...Molly would probably appreciate not having to tell her and see her face at the news. But he knew it was his sister's place to tell their mother so he kept his mouth shut and drove on.

***

"Jen? Jen - SWEETIE! Get your skinny Californian ass over here and gimme a hug!"

Jennifer giggled at Debbie but moved forward through the crowded Liberty Diner and embraced her friend.

"When did you get here? I'm gonna kill those kids of yours for not telling me you were coming."

"Ah, don't blame them. You know how it is."

"Welll... Why don't you have a seat! What can I get ya? Anything! It's on the house." Deb declared cheerfully, moving back behind the counter as Jen took a seat on a stool.

"Well...How about a cup of tea?"

"Tea it is."

As Deb busied herself with making the tea, Jennifer took a good look around the old diner. Everything still looked exactly the same. The garish decorations, bright vinyl booths, a virtual rainbow of customers... Then only new additions were the rage posters that littered the walls in heavy black frames. Jennifer felt proud to know that it was her son's hand that drew every detail of the scenes. It was a far cry from the paintings she had hoped to one day see in museums, but...it was more than enough to make her proud of her son.

Molly had been different. She had never presumed anything about her future. The girl was only just showing where her interests lay. She could imagine her brilliant daughter being a published author, but only time would tell what would become of her baby.

"So any big plans for your stay here?"

Jen took the tea from Debbie and shook her head. "No, I'm pretty sure the kids forgot I was coming until I called yesterday."

"WHAT?"

She nodded again, a bit sadly. "It's okay though. I mean, I'm all the way across the country. I can't expect them to stop their lives just for me."

"No. See...you are all the fucking way across the country. They should be falling all over themselves to be with you while you're here. Ungrateful...tell them a thing or two...I never..."

Jennifer enjoyed her tea as she only half listened to Debbie rant on her behalf. Deb was on mother-rant auto pilot and she had heard it at least a hundred times before.

"I know what we're going to do! We're going to have you a welcome home party!"

"A welcome home party?" she repeated unnecessarily.

Deb nodded. "Sure. Everyone deserves a welcome home party. And maybe...maybe we'll even invite your kids!" She laughed loudly at herself and Jennifer couldn't help but smile at the woman's antics.

"Say...Deb? Have you noticed anything wrong with Justin? Is everything okay with him?"

"Everything's fine as far as I know. Just the usual Brian dramas occasionally but..." Debbie shrugged. "Why?"

"He just seemed...edgy when he picked me up this morning."

"Edgy?"

"Yeah. Like he was worried about something. He tried to seem like everything was fine but, I could tell something was definitely on his mind."

"Nah. You know him. Probably just worried about something at work or something. Never seen that kid when he didn't have a full plate of life in front of him."

"Yeah. Maybe I was just imagining things." But as she listened to Deb plan her party, she knew she was right. Her mother's intuition had kicked into overdrive upon arrival. Now she just had to sit back and wait for the inevitable fireworks.

To Be Continued...

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