Justin rushed back and forth between his closet and his suitcase which was open on his bed. He went through the list for the third time. Suit, jeans, shirts, socks, ties, shoes, underwear...optional, toothbrush, toothpaste, comb, gel....

Molly had a copy of his itinerary and his cell number as well as the number to the hotel that he would be staying in.

"Justin!" He heard his sister call out to him from downstairs.

"Yeah?" He yelled back, folding his clothing up as best he could so that it might fit in the small suitcase.

Molly appeared in the doorway and was rolling her eyes. "Did you hear the phone ring?"

"Um..." he thought he remembered hearing it, vaguely in the back of his mind. "Yeah?"

"And if you hear the phone ring...and then, like, five seconds later I call out your name...don't you think that the phone call is for you?"

Justin shook his head and smiled wryly at her. "Smart ass."

"And they all think you're a genius!" She rolled her eyes and threw her hands in the air.

Justin laughed as she walked out of the room. She was still amazed that he chose to teach. Sometimes he was still amazed with the decision too. When he had graduated from PIFA, it had seemed that he had three options. Take a bottom-feeder position with a company that produced comics, take the position offered to him by a very prestigious graphic design company, or can both choices and make his way blindly. With he and Michael still weeding their way through each issue of "Rage", he had thrown caution to the wind and had decided to see what else might come along. Never had he thought that the answer would fall into his lap.

He had been sitting in the floor of Michael's shop, working on the illustrations for another of Rage's fight scenes, when several of the professors from PIFA had wandered in. He had recognized them instantly and had introduced himself. He was never quite sure of the events that followed, the excitement and apprehension had been too overwhelming to allow him to form memories, but one year later he found himself standing before a class at PIFA, instructing the fresh faced artists in the fine art of basic illustration.

He loved the students, loved his school, loved everything about the job. As Molly would say, in one of her Robert Frost-influenced moments, he had taken the road less traveled by, and that had made all the difference.

Finally, stuffing the last item of clothing into the bag, he picked up his phone from beside the bed. "Hello?"

"Justin? Took you long enough."

"Sorry," His smile brightened as he heard the other man's voice. "I'm all packed and ready."

"Yeah...about that..."

Justin's face fell and he sunk down onto the bed. "Let me guess, you can't drive me to the airport."

"You know I would if I could but-"

"Brian, don't."

Brian sighed into the phone and Justin could see him, running his fingers through his hair as he always did when he was frustrated.

"Justin-"

"You promised," he mentally patted himself on the back for keeping his tone steady and the anger out of his voice. Anger would only ease Brian's conscience. Validate his own reasons for not doing what he had promised. If Justin got mad, then Brian was somehow in the right. It was warped but he had finally caught onto the mentality of the game.

"I know."

"Work?"

"Vance just called. I have to meet with the big wigs from Blackman Broadcasting in an hour."

"He can't do it." It wasn't a question. Vance was a pro at getting other people to do whatever jobs he didn't want to dirty his hands with. And with Brian being partner, it usually fell to him to cover Vance's ass.

"I'll make it up to you."

As if he'd never heard that before. "Yeah? How?"

"I can pick you up when you get back in and...I'm sure we could think of something to do."

Justin smirked. One-track minded man, Brain Kinney. "I'm sure."

"So you aren't upset?"

"Do you honestly care?" The other end was quiet. "Well?"

"You know I do, Justin."

"Then yes, I am upset. But I'll get over it."

"Over it. Under it. However you want it."

"When I get back."

"When you get back."

"Then I guess I'll see you Sunday."

"K."

"Bye Brian."

"Bye. And...Justin...be careful, okay?"

"I will. Bye." Justin placed the phone back on the base and let out a low scream of frustration.

"What the hell was that?!" He heard Molly's footsteps coming back up the stairs, back down the hall, back into his room. She took in Justin's appearance. His flushed face. His frowning mouth. His wild, angry eyes. "What did he do this time?"

"Not taking me to the airport."

Molly's eyes softened as she watched her brother pull himself off of the bed and enter his bathroom to retrieve his toiletries for the trip. "Okay. I've got exactly one hour before I absolutely have to be at school. I can call a cab for you and while you're waiting, you're gonna vent a little. You really don't need to get on a plane and fly all the way to New York on the bad vibes you're carrying right now."

He stuck his head through the doorway and smiled at her. His bratty little sister turned confidant. "Thanks."

She nodded and left the room to call the cab.

Justin studied his reflection in the bathroom mirror. What was there? A man. Twenty-six. Still with the same white-blonde hair of his youth. Still with the soft blue eyes. Still with the baby face. But now he added tiny laugh lines to the list. And traces of dark smudges under his eyes.

For what seemed like so little...so much had changed in the last few years. His family had grown and evolved. He was now the teacher and no longer the student. He had taken on the role of care-taker for his sister.

Then there was the one thing that would never change. As tried and true as the post office. Through rain, snow, sleet...etc... Brian Kinney would forever be predictable in his role of the seducer. Predictable in his attempts to treat him as a friend, not trusting him enough to give him boyfriend status. Predictable in his need to keep the non-relationship on his terms.

In an odd way this comforted Justin. At least he knew where he stood.

But then there were times, though not many, when Brian made promises. Made attempts to be a good friend if nothing else. And more times than not, he would let Justin down. Whether it was on purpose or not, didn't matter.

Brian would tell him that he wasn't going to Babylon because he had to work. Then he would show up, reeking of the Baths and looking thoroughly wasted. He would promise him a quiet dinner at the loft and the next thing Justin would know, they would be at Liberty Diner with Michael and Ivan. Both incidents where examples that had happened within the past month.

It wasn't as if Justin wanted a real relationship. He didn't want to be married. He was fine with the way things were. But there were times when he felt as though Brian was manipulating him. That he might be lying to him on purpose. Or worse, he was telling the truth and didn't actually care that he had to break his word.

"They'll be here in ten minutes. That should give you plenty of time."

Justin zipped his case and turned to Molly. "Thanks, sis," he said sincerely.

Molly nodded and averted her eyes, not wanting to get emotional. She picked up his leather carry-on as he hefted the suitcase from the bed. Together they descended the stairs and exited the townhouse, opting to wait for the cab on the front steps.

"Well?" she began.

"What?"

"What did he say?"

Justin looked at his little sister. He realized that she never said �this time'. No matter how many times he had unloaded the baggage of being Brian's lover onto the girl, she had never belittled him or his feelings for Brian. Had never acted overly emotional, allowing him to vent without feeling guilty for swaying her opinion of either him or Brian. She was such a great listener.

"He had to do something for work."

"Oh. That sucks."

"Yeah."

"Say anything else?" She asked this, digging to see if he had promised to make it up to him. Justin suddenly didn't want to go on with the conversation.

"Molly?" She looked up at him and for a moment, with her arms around her legs and her cheek resting on her knees, she looked like a little girl. Like the little girl that had flushed his first painting down the toilet. The little girl that had eaten his crayons. The same little girl that had stolen his favorite teddy bear, claiming it for her own by licking and slobbering on every inch of his already matted fur.

What a woman she had grown up to be, he mused. It made him smile, his heart constricting with his big-brotherly sentimentality.

"Yeah?"

"Why don't you tell me something that's going on with you for a change?"

She looked confused. "For a change? We talk about my life. It's just that, unlike you, I don't have very much of one. But, yeah...sure, if you want to kill five seconds."

Justin laughed. "We've got," he checked his watch, "eight minutes. If you don't have anything, make something up."

***

"Umm...the night...has a thousand eyes. Spies? All around them. He's in the jungle. During the war..."

"Errr!" Molly laughed as she made the buzzer noise. "Although I do appreciate your creative twist on a simple meaning,...try again."

Daniel's head dropped pitifully onto his arms which were resting on the table top. "Can't I just say I don't know? We've been studying for almost two hours!"

Deb sidled up to their table with a plate of lemon squares and studied Daniel's buried head as she refilled their glasses with water. "Jeez Molly! What did you do to the boy?"

He picked up his head and looked at the woman with big green puppy dog eyes. "She's trying to make my brain explode."

"Oh," Deb said happily. "Well if anyone can do it, baby, I'm sure it's you."

Molly grinned at her. "Why thank you, Deb. Now come on. We have to get this down. The exam is next week."

Deb winked at the boy and moved away, and again he was left with no means of escape.

"Think symbolically," she urged, watching him pick at one of the lemon squares. "The night's "eyes"..."

"Fuck symbolism!" he said loudly. Luckily it was nearing eight and most of the usual crowd had already left the diner in favor of the bars.

Molly's eyes widened in shock. "Okay...well...I guess this is a good place to stop."

Daniel rubbed his temples with his index fingers. "Sorry. I just...It's been a rough week."

"It's okay." She said softly, seeing the evidence of fatigue in his eyes. With the exam drawing closer, he had asked her to tutor him two extra nights a week. Quite a strain but, after a month of drilling symbolism, iambic pentameter, and the fact that not every poem HAD to rhyme into his head, she was confident that he would do well.

"And not just with...this. My parents...they..."

Molly stared at him, waiting for him to say more. Though they had spent much of their time together working on schoolwork, there had been several conversations that had allowed each of them to open up. It wasn't the �bearing your soul' conversations that she had always longed to have, but it was close. It was the �getting to know you' conversations. He talked about his friends and admitted that he himself thought most of them were jerks. She told him about the guys that came into the diner. He told her about his plans to go to Penn State on an athletic scholarship. She told him her plans to go to Stanford on an academic scholarship. He told her about his affinity for spicy foods. She told him about her addiction to coffee. That sort of thing. But by some unspoken agreement, they rarely spoke about their families. Especially not their brothers.

"...they split for Barbados today. Yet another �save the marriage' retreat. Fifth one this year and it's only March."

"So...they just left you?"

He looked up, startled, as though he hadn't realized he had spoken the words aloud. "I-It's not like they aren't coming back. They just...I wish..."

"That they would consider you?"

He nodded slowly. After a moment of silence, a slow smile spread across his face. "You always get it, don't you? Always understand."

She shrugged nonchalantly, happy for his smile, but intrigued by his eyes that held something that was so close to sadness. "I like to watch people. Like to get inside their heads. Human nature and reasoning...it's basically bullshit. Everyone wants the same thing. Gay, straight, sons, daughters, old, young. You just want to be loved. Want to feel like you're important to someone." She thought about her own father. They hadn't spoken in nearly five years. He hadn't even contacted Justin in seven. She had an idea of how Daniel was feeling. "Parents..." she began "...don't always get it. They don't always realize how their actions will affect their children."

Silence blanketed them and she gave him her brightest sunshine smile, hoping to break the tension. "Well, if you don't have to be home early..."

"Who would miss me?" he said with only a touch of bitterness.

She ignored him, not wanting to spur on his self pity. "And since tomorrow is a holiday..."

He slid further down in his seat, from his eyes up was the only thing left visible above the table. "Three-day weekend."

She drew in a deep breath. It was no big deal. She only wanted to cheer him up. "What do you say you hang out with me tonight?"

"I thought we WERE hanging out," he said blandly.

Leave it to him to make her spell it out. Molly closed her book with a snap. "No. We're studying. I'm talking about actually doing something. Having fun." As she reached over him to grab her notebook, Daniel caught her arm and held it gently within his grip.

"Like...a date?" He asked, smirking arrogantly.

"No." She replied slowly as she quickly pulled her arm from his grasp. "Not a date." No, she wouldn't...couldn't be sucked into that black hole. "And not that dumb-ass jock fun, like...toilet papering people's yards or...I dunno...having rumbles with the Scorpions or whatever."

Daniel shook his head and laughed softly, amused by her ridiculous idea of �jock fun'. "What are you talking about?"

"Just...two...friends..."

He gave her a sidelong glance. He was curious but he wasn't about to give in so easily. "What did you have in mind?"

"Dancing." That was putting it mildly, she thought. It was just too appealing an idea, to get Daniel Hobbs into a club on Liberty. He had proven, within the past month, to be very tolerant. More than tolerant actually. When he had finally gotten used to the new surroundings, he was downright easy-going. He had even made friends with a few of the diner's regulars that always made a point to speak to him and Molly when they came in. She just couldn't see any sign of the hate that his brother must have possessed.

His nose wrinkled in distaste and Molly fought hard not to declare it the cutest look she'd ever seen. "I'm not a big dancer."

"So? Who is?" She jumped up and began cramming her books into her bag, clearly making the decision for him. "C'mon. If you want, you can just hang out by the bar."

He looked skeptical, but slid out of the booth and began gathering his own things. "My fake i.d. was confiscated last week."

Why did that not surprise her? "Forget it. I can get us in. And I'm sure someone will be more than willing to buy you a drink." Plenty of queens, she was sure. With the idea of Daniel being staked and claimed by the patrons of Babylon...or even Boy Toy, she began giggling uncontrollably. "Deb...I'll see you...tomorrow night!" She said gasping for breath.

"Where are we going?" he asked as she led him past his car and across the street.

"My place." Molly motioned to her uniform. "Can't exactly go like this now can I?"

"I don't know. You might be able to pull off the Britney Spears look." He tugged gently on a strand of her long dirty blonde hair.

Molly's brow furrowed with mock-indignation. "Never. I'm not slutty enough."

Daniel laughed mirthlessly. "You'd be amazed at how little it takes to be just that slutty."

"Speaking from experience here?"

"Don't mock me, Taylor," he nudged her elbow with his and she nudged him back playfully.

Five minutes later they had arrived in front of the townhouse that she shared with Justin. "Nice," Daniel nodded appreciatively.

She knew he was mostly being polite. His family came from money. Old money. Which meant that he came complete with a mini-mansion, full staff of servants and little perks like the brand-new silver Jag that they had left sitting on the street in front of Liberty Diner. Certainly not anything that existed for those in her world. All of which made her a bit self-conscious.

Still, it was her home for the time being and she wasn't about to feel ashamed. It was a nice place after all. And it was nearly an exact replica of the townhouse that she and her mother had lived in after her parents' divorce. Somehow that made it feel a little more warm and homey to her. Definitely nothing to be ashamed of.

Unlocking the door, she led him up the stairs and into the living room. "Wait here. I'm just gonna go and change." He nodded and made himself at home, settling into the corner of the sofa and picking up Justin's abandoned art history text book from the coffee table.

Molly was a ball of nerves as she studied her reflection in the mirror on the back of her door. Her school uniform, a boring blend of navy, grey and white, had been replaced with her baggy cargo pants and a soft blue tank top, that she knew matched her eyes. She pulled her hair up into a twist and clipped it, going for a casual-but-fun look.

Mentally she kicked herself. When the hell had she started thinking in terms that she had heard on E!'s Fashion Week? Casual but fun? She rolled her eyes. This crush was going to be the death of her remaining brain cells.

As she was bouncing around the room on one foot, working to slip her sneaker on the other, she heard loud voices from downstairs.

"SHIT!" She swore, her mind racing through the possibilities of who could be dropping by.

There was no way that Justin was home so soon. He was away at the art symposium in New York. It was the only reason she had risked bringing Daniel anywhere near their home.

Grabbing some cash and her keys, she dashed out of her room and down the stairs to the main floor. The voices had quieted and now she knew why.

Between Brian's disbelieving glare, and Daniel's uncomfortable but equally estranged stare, Molly wasn't sure that she shouldn't just make a break for it.

"Molly...can I have a word with you?"

"Um...sure Brian." He brushed past her and walked into the kitchen. She gave Daniel an apologetic smile and followed him.

Her best bet for defense with Brain? Upsetting his focus.

"What are you doing here? Justin's out of town, which you might know if you had actually taken him to the airport like you were supposed to."

"I came to check on you!" His mask of barely-contained rage didn't even crack. "Now...Berate me later, please."

Her second best tactic? Feigning innocence. "So...What's up?"

He crossed his arms and looked at her crossly. "Molly, don't insult me. I know you too well not to recognize that naive routine of yours when I see it."

She steeled herself, realizing that this wasn't going to be an easy sell. Especially to a man that sold his ideas for a living. The only thing left to do was face up to the truth. "So you know who he is."

"I do now. He introduced himself to me. As nice as you please. Hi. I'm Daniel fucking Hobbs."

"So what's the big deal?" She asked, frustration overtaking her. She had spent the better part of the last month, making sure that Daniel was a no name face around Liberty. Making sure that Justin would be nowhere near the diner on the nights she helped him. She knew it wouldn't last. Someone would eventually figure out who he was and it would get back to her brother. But she had wanted to spare them all the upset, not to mention the grief she would receive, as long as she could.

"The big deal is that you never even mentioned him to us."

"Was I supposed to? I mean, am I supposed to tell you everything I do? Check to make sure that you approve of my friends?"

The mask broke as Brian realized what was happening. Teenage rebellion at it's finest. "Yes!" He yelled, going for tense humor. The attempt fell flat.

"You don't know him."

Brian studied her face for a long while. She squirmed under the intense stare but remained silent, knowing that he was mulling the situation over in his mind. "Do you?"

"Know him?" Brian nodded. "I'm getting there." After studying her shoes for a minute, Molly shuffled forward and wrapped her arms around her surrogate brother's waist. Time to lay her cards on the table. "I really like him, Brian." She could feel him holding his breath. Feel the tension in his body. "He's not his brother," she said quietly.

Brian sighed and ran his fingers through his short hair, his other arm still wrapped around her shoulders as if it might protect her from any unseen danger that he felt. Something in her voice, in her stance, in the way she had said the words...Brian was far from convinced that there wasn't more to the story than even Molly knew. "I hope for your sake that you're right about that," he murmured, kissing the top of her head.

***

Babylon was packed a bit more than usual for a Thursday night. The line stretched all the way around the block. Molly blew into her hands, warming them from the chill in the air. It wasn't quite cold enough for jackets but it wasn't yet warm enough to be comfortable.

"So...who was that guy?"

She bit her lip. She had been wondering when this was going to be asked. "Brian."

"I caught that much. But who is he? To you."

What could she possibly say to capture the full screwed up view of Brian's relationship to anyone? "He's...he's like my brother. He and Justin..."

"Are boyfriends?" She was proud of him. He hadn't even hesitated with the b word.

"No. Not boyfriends. They're...really good friends."

"I remember him from...the news, ya know. He was there right?"

She winced. The bashing wasn't a particularly happy topic for anyone in her family. Even she, the first one to talk her way through the problem, was weary of saying the words out loud. "Yeah...he was there."

"Babydoll! What are you doing here on a school night?" Emmett appeared at her side, bedecked in one of his more fabulous outfits. It looked as though tonight was purple vinyl night for the self-proclaimed fashion diva.

"Three day weekend. We have tomorrow off." She grinned at the man, thankful for his intervention into what could have been a disastrous conversation, and tilted her head towards Daniel, who was huddled next to her, looking as though he was trying his hardest to fade into the scenery. "This is Daniel."

Emmett's eyes lit up as he finally noticed the young man. "Well, well...Sweetie, you sure know how to pick �em. I've always been a sucker for the strong, silent type."

She noticed Daniel blanching. He was probably amazed that Em was talking about him as if he weren't there. Something she was sure he wasn't used to. But then, she knew Em. Knew that he had done it on purpose. He was a master of knowing how to draw the closed-minded out from their initial defenses. And it worked like a charm. Daniel's head went up and he squared his shoulders, making sure that Emmett, as well as the crowd around them, knew he was anything but another easy target for speculation.

"Where's Ted tonight?"

Emmett rolled his eyes. "You know Teddy. He's probably working late again." He sighed and put his arms out in a carefree gesture. "No matter. It's studs-n-suds tonight and I'm here to shake my groove thang."

"No shit? I totally forgot it was tonight!"

"I'm going to pretend that you didn't say that. How could you forget such a momentous occasion?"

"What's Suds-n-Studs?" Daniel asked, hesitantly.

"Ah...so he speaks." Emmett winked at Molly and slipped an arm around Daniel's shoulders. "Suds-n-Studs is only one of the high points on the homo-calendar. Hundreds of beautiful men...wearing as little as possible...covered in bubbles and soap suds."

Molly worked to hold back her laughter as Daniel's face fell. She knew he had more pride than to back out. He had finally agreed and he would match her step for step. Though she did recognize his uneasiness and she wanted to ease it.

"Don't worry. I'll protect you from the more predatory queens." Daniel's mouth lifted slightly at the edges, making him look as if he were grimacing in pain instead of smiling at her.

"Me too. But...just so you know...I am a predatory queen." The older man said happily, coaxing an easier smile from Daniel.

"Well...they do say to keep your friends close-"

"And your enemies closer! Hmm...I like this one, baby!" Molly laughed and she saw Daniel relax.

The line finally began to move, and after a few minutes, Molly stood before the bouncer. He was six-ten, two hundred eighty pounds and looked like he might live off of a balanced diet of nails and steel. Tough and scary like a good bouncer should be. "Hey Molly!" The big man said genially. "Who are you here to drag home tonight? Your brother or Brian?"

She giggled, "Neither. Figured I would take part in the festivities. If you don't mind that is."

"Ah, hell no! Go on in."

"Thanks Tiny!" She grinned and walked past the large guard, Emmett and Daniel trailing behind her.

"Want something to drink?" She asked Daniel as soon as they were near the bar.

He shrugged. "Sure. How am I going to get it?"

"Em? Do you mind?"

Emmett sighed. "You know how I feel about contributing to the delinquency of minors."

She smiled at him with big doe eyes. "So you'll do it?"

The man huffed and held out his hand for their money. "God, I am such a pushover!"

"Rum and Coke!" Daniel yelled over the music.

"Water."

He looked at Molly, a little surprised. "Not drinking?"

She shook her head. "Nah. I don't drink."

Their eyes locked and it seemed as though there was something that transcended words being exchanged between them. Without looking away from her, Daniel changed his order to a water as well and Emmett headed towards the bar.

"So..." She said, not sure what to say now that they were here. "Um..." She looked around. Saw him do the same. Half naked men were everywhere. The dance floor was covered in bubbled and suds as were most of the dancers. Daniel's eyes got wider and wider with every passing second. It was nothing like he thought it would be. Nothing he could have imagined in his wildest dreams. Looking at him...she knew the feeling. "Wanna dance?"

He glanced at her, smiled and shook his head. "Not yet." His fingers ran down her arm and their fingers laced together loosely.

After procuring their water from Emmett, Daniel stood beside the railing, holding the bottles as Molly and Emmett took a turn on the floor. She lost herself in the music, dancing with whomever was in front of her at the moment. It wasn't about sexuality with her. That was basically ruled out for her anyway, in a place like Babylon. Instead, it was all about freedom. If she was little more uninhibited, she might have begun stripping just to get the full effect. The staccato beat moved her and she danced as people must have danced since the beginning of time. Smooth and fluid and grinding and jerking.

When she finally found Daniel once again, she raised her eyebrows in a silent question.

"No."

"No? Or not yet?"

"Not yet." He took in her appearance. Though her hair was still clipped, there were wisps of it hanging in her eyes. A light sheen of perspiration covered her body as did several clumps of shiny bubbles. She licked her lips, which were dry and he handed over her water.

"Fine." she gasped after swallowing the cool liquid. "But you are dancing before we leave."

They stood together in companionable silence, not feeling like screaming over the music any longer, and watched the dancers dive into the bubbly mass, one by one.

She was enjoying the relaxed moment so much that Molly jumped when Emmett tapped her on her shoulder. "What's up?"

He leaned in to speak directly into her ear. "Wasn't Justin going to New York this weekend?"

She pulled back and looked at him questioningly. "Yeah. Why?"

"Because..." He pointed towards the main stairway. "He just walked in."

Molly felt her heart drop into her stomach as her brother began to search the crowd for familiar faces. This was so not going to be pretty.

To Be Continued...