As people began to find out what had happened that night at Gus�s, and considering the group of friends involved there was no way of keeping it quiet, they began to admit that maybe Brian was right. That maybe he wasn�t just trying to screw over Melanie and Lindsay that he had a reason to be concerned about the way his son was being raised. Debbie and Ted, while still supporting the girls, stopped treating the others as if they didn�t exist. Debbie had even offered Justin his job back at the diner, which he politely told her he didn�t want. With Ted finally acknowledging that Brian was right about how they were treating Gus, the hostile atmosphere between he and Brian at work, while not disappearing, shrank considerably and the rest of the staff breathed a little easier.

As for the little boy that all the drama circled around, Gus was happy. While he would still have his moments of quiet, when he was usually thinking of why his mommies didn�t love him, he loved living with his father at Daddy Justin. Brian had installed a gym set in the backyard and Gus could often be found playing there, with Justin on the deck sketching something while Brian would alternate between a book and watching his two favorite boys. Gus had even made friends with a couple of the neighborhood kids, whose parents loved having Gus over to visit, often volunteering to keep Gus while Brian and Justin were at work. Brian sometimes took the women, and one house husband, up on their offers, but quite often he would bring Gus into the offices of Kinnetic Inc., letting the little boy go with Justin to the art department where he could spend hours drawing at the little desk that they had set up there for him. On the days when Gus was present, Brian discovered that most of his employees would find one reason or another for going to the art department. It turned out that the little boy had twisted all of them around his little fingers and he often when home with some kind of treat given to him.

At home, Brian and Justin would spend their evenings playing with Gus, or reading to him, anything that would make up for the time where he had been ignored by his mothers. They still went out to Woody�s or Babylon, but now instead of going out four or five times a week, it was usually only once or twice. On those nights, they let Debbie watch the little boy, knowing that she would let Melanie and Lindsay join her so that they could spend some extra time with their son. Brian didn�t mind the visits, understanding that the girls needed to see Gus as much as he needed to see them, as long as Debbie was always somewhere in the house. He was especially grateful that for those nights, the girls left Annie with their neighbors, wanting to make sure that they could give their undivided attention to Gus.

And now it was finally time. Brian, Mark and Justin were waiting outside the courtroom doors. They had just seen Melanie and Lindsay go inside, along with their new lawyer, Steven Anderson. The rest of their friends had arrived a little earlier and were already seated inside, waiting for the trial to start. The tension surrounding everyone was palpable and Brian was grateful that Cynthia had agreed to take the day off and watch Gus for them. She currently had him across the street in the park, knowing that there was a good chance that the judge would want to talk to Gus at some point during the day.

�God, I can�t believe how fucking nervous I am,� Justin said, smiling a little when he felt Brian�s arm fall across his shoulder. He wrapped his own arm around Brian�s waist. �I�m not even involved in this and I can feel my heart pounding.�

�Just imagine what it will be like while we�re waiting for the judge to make her decision,� Brian commented.

�Fuck,� Justin moaned, burying his head into Brian�s chest.

�Later,� Brian promised, before turning his attention to his lawyer. �Mark, tell me the truth, no bullshitting around, what are the chances that I�ll get custody of Gus?�

�Brian, I told you, it depends on a lot of things. You past history, especially the drugs and tricking. Mel and Lindsay past, who luckily for us hasn�t been exactly clean either. The judge�s mood. What Gus and Social Services says. There are too many variables for me to say one way or the other what will happen. The fact that, as far as I know, you�ve been completely honest with me about your life, even the ugly parts.�

�And there have definitely been a lot of those,� Justin muttered.

�True,� Mark agreed. �Somehow though, if past history is anything to go by, I have a feeling that Melanie and Lindsay have probably left a few things out when discussing things with their attorney. That could work in our favor if they�re unprepared for my questions. Throw them off-guard, which is something that I want.

�I�ve also got a copy of the report that Social Services is entering and it is in our favor. They say that the home environment that you two have created for Gus is a good one. They even mention that you�ve been allowing Gus to see his mothers on days other than their normal visitation ones.�

�When he goes to Debbie�s,� Brian explained. �I know the girls go over there those nights and I don�t want to deprive Gus of them. It�s not fair to him.�

�I understand and I also have to say that it looks good for our case,� Mark told him. �Your willingness to allow that to happen, even though you don�t have to, shows that you truly do want what�s best for Gus. That you aren�t doing this for some selfish reason, which is what their attorney is going to try and convince the judge of.�

�I still can�t believe that it�s come down to this,� Justin said.

�I know,� Brian agreed. �When this whole thing started, all I wanted was for Lindsay and Melanie to agree that something was wrong and work on some kind of compromise.�

�At least they�re going to counseling now,� Justin continued. �That�s got to count for something. Prove that they do care for Gus. That they�re willing to do what they need to make sure that what happened before doesn�t happen again.�

�Brian, it looks like the judge is about to start,� Emmett said, sticking his head out of the courtroom door. All three men nodded their head and Emmett went back inside. Brian took a deep breath, trying to calm the sudden tension that he felt.

�No turning back now,� Brian said. �Hopefully at the end of the day I�ll be a full-time father.�

�You already are a full-time father,� Justin told him. �And a damn good one. Gus is lucky to have a dad like you. Not every kid has a dad who will go against everything he believes in himself just to make sure that their child is happy, and that�s exactly what you did. When we met, you always told me that you didn�t plan on being a father to Gus. In fact, you told me that Melanie was going to be the masculine influence in Gus�s life.� Brian laughed at the reminder of his and Justin�s first shower together. �You said that you didn�t know how to be a father, or at least not one like your father, but still, when push came to shove, you were always there for that little boy. When Gus needed you, you stepped up to the plate and you were there for him. And, while you may not be perfect,� Brian snorted, �you love that kid and there is nothing that you won�t do for him and that�s what makes you his dad and I couldn�t be prouder of you for that.�

Brian didn�t know what to say to that so he did what came naturally for him. He pulled Justin to him and kissed him hard, letting his lover feel the emotions going through him. They stayed like that for a few minutes, alternately kissing and holding each other until Mark finally cleared his voice.

�I think it would be a good idea for us to get inside,� the attorney told them. He didn�t say anything about the display that they had just given him, although he loved what Justin had just done. He could see the tension that Brian was feeling was almost completely gone and Mark knew that it was due to what Justin had said. He was glad that his old friend had finally found someone to love. Mark had always wondered if Brian would spend the rest of his life fucking and sucking his way through life, only allowing himself to trick instead of letting himself open up enough to allow someone into his heart. He was happy that Justin had broken his way past the walls around Brian�s heart and that he supported his lover.

�Ready?� Brian asked Justin, their heads leaning against each other. He felt Justin nod and then straightened up. He faced Mark. �Let�s go do this.�