“I did receive an invitation to this little shin dig, Sunshine, so why shouldn’t I be here,” Debbie said, looking around the entranceway. She saw Brian and Michael come from the kitchen and turned to greet them. “Nice home you have here, Brian. How many guys did Justin say you could fuck so you would agree to buy it?” Both Brian and Justin growled at the comment, the younger man joining his lover.

“Ma,” Michael shouted. “You know Brian is tricking anymore. I can’t believe you said that.”

“Debbie, if the only reason you’re here is to insult Brian, than feel free to leave,” Justin stated, his voice hard as he looked at his second mother. “We’ve been through too much lately and this party is for our family and friends that want to support us, not for those who want to tear us apart.”

“Sunshine, I’ve always thought you and Brian made a good couple, even when the asshole refused to admit it,” the waitress defended herself. “But I also know how he is and that’s someone who cannot commit himself to only one person.” Debbie walked over to the blond, who only backed away from her and wrapped his arms around his lover.

“I think it would be better if you left, Deb,” Brian finally said. “Since it’s apparent that you aren’t willing to admit that things have changed, I don’t want you in my home.”

“Not until I see Gus,” she stated firmly. “I haven’t seen him since just before the judge made her horrible decision and I want to make sure he’s okay.”

“Told you so,” Brian whispered into Justin’s ear. Justin looked over at the brunet, upset that the woman who was like a second mother to both of them was acting the way she was. He honestly couldn’t believe that Debbie was acting the way she was. He had thought that once the trial was over, and everyone had a chance to calm down, things could start to go back to normal but that wasn’t what was happening.

Debbie looked around at the group of friends that now included Emmett, Vic and Rodney who had arrived a few minutes after the waitress. “So, where is he? Where’s my little guy?”

“He’s upstairs taking a nap,” Brian informed her. “Lindsay upset him earlier and it took us awhile to calm him down. And, before you ask, no I am not going to wake him up just so you can do the same. I didn’t go to court to make sure he was taken care of just to have you and the munchers come over here to upset my son.”

“I would never do anything to hurt that little boy and you damn well know it,” Debbie stated and then began to make her way towards the staircase, only to have Hunter and Ben stand in her way. “Now listen here you two. Just because you’re part of my family, that doesn’t mean that I’ll let you get in my way. Now move so I can go find Gus.”

“Brian already told you that Gus is sleeping,” Ben said, not allowing her to pass. “I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to go up there and wake him up.”

Debbie looked around and saw the stares everyone was giving her and realized that everyone present actually believed her capable of upsetting the little boy that had come to be like a grandson to her. She loved Gus and she thought everyone knew that but, seeing the people around her and their reactions to her comments, she began to wonder if maybe it wasn’t time for her to think about things without the biasness of motherhood and the belief that she had that all children belong with their mothers. And she had to admit, if only to herself, she knew that Brian was going to do everything he could to make sure that Gus was taken care of. She knew how much he loved his son. Maybe there was something to what the ad exec said if he was willing to disrupt his life with the introduction of an active four year old child.

“Sis, I know you don’t like hearing this,” Vic said softly, going over to the waitress and guiding her from the stairs. “But Brian loves his son and is doing what’s best for him. And, right now, what’s best for Gus is to be here, with his father and Justin. You know I love the girls, just as much as you do, but maybe because I’m not a parent, but I do see their flaws. They aren’t perfect and, right now, they have too much going on to give Gus the kind of attention that he needs. They’re still trying to make their relationship work, not to mention having Annie there now. Add that to the fact that Melanie makes no secret of the fact that she doesn’t like Brian, that’s not an environment that Gus needs to be exposed to right now.”

“I can’t just turn my back on the girls, Vic,” she said, her focus on her brother instead of the home she was in and the owners of said home. “There the closest things to daughters I have, and Melanie is the mother of my grandchild.”

“I know that but that doesn’t mean that you should give them your unwavering loyalty.” Vic could tell that he was getting through to his sister but knew her well enough to know that he could only push her so far. He leaned over and kissed his sister’s cheek. “Just think about it, Sis. That’s all I ask.” Debbie didn’t say anything, just nodding her head before turning around leaving the home. Vic watched her leave, only turning when her car had finished pulling out of the driveway. The older man closed the door behind him, lifting his head and looking at the family gathered. “Well, that went well, didn’t it?”

Meanwhile at the home of Melanie Marcus and Lindsay Peterson, things were quiet between the two women. At first, when Lindsay had come home and told her wife that Brian refused to let her have Gus for the weekend, Melanie allowed her to vent out her anger, interspersing her own comments here and there. After an hour of that, though, Melanie had had enough and told the blonde to be quiet. That Brian had every right to tell her no and that she couldn’t believe that Lindsay hadn’t even bothered to ask her if it was okay that Gus comes over for the weekend.

“You say that like you don’t want to see our son,” Lindsay shouted. “That you’re glad that Brian has Gus now.”

“Of course I’m not happy that Brian has custody of Gus,” Melanie argued. “I miss that little boy so much sometimes it feels as if my heart is breaking. Gus is our son. We raised him. We’re the ones that stayed up at night when he was sick. We’re the ones that got up for midnight feedings and to change his diapers or hold him when he had a nightmare. We were the ones who heard his first words or watched him take his first steps so don’t you dare accuse me of not wanting our son.”

“Then why aren’t you as angry as I am about what Brian did?”

“Who says I’m not,” Melanie countered. “I just don’t see what getting upset about it will do. It’s not like it’s going to get the son of a bitch to change his mind. It still won’t get him to let us have Gus for a weekend.” Melanie watched as her wife seemed to deflate in front of her, the anger leaving her in one fell swoop.

“I just miss him so much,” Lindsay admitted. “Gus should be here, with us. It’s where he belongs.”

“I know, baby. I know. But there’s nothing we can do about it for now.”

“Did you talk to that lawyer?” Lindsay asked, out of the blue. “Is there any chance of appealing the Judge’s decision?”

“Yes I talked to her,” the brunette told her, “but she told me that there wasn’t a whole lot that we could do. She said that we could try and take it to a higher court but, based on the evidence, she didn’t sound like it would be hopeful.”

“So that’s it. We just give up and hope for the best?”

“Of course not,” Melanie assured Lindsay. “We try and work on our problems, even if we don’t think they’re problems. Then we prove that we can be trusted with Gus and hoped that Brian will let us see him more often. We have to do it, Linds. For Gus.”