Before There Was You, There Was You

Chapter 76

A house divided

”We've been through this such a long long time
Just tryin' to kill the pain
But lovers always come and lovers always go
And no one's really sure who's lettin' go today
Walking away
If we could take the time to lay it on the line
I could rest my head
Just knowin' that you were mine
All mine
So if you want to love me
then darlin' don't refrain
Or I'll just end up walkin'
In the cold November rain”

~ November Rain by Guns & Roses

********

 

“Justin open this door!” Joan demanded.

She was standing on the top of the stairs that led to the loft, pounding on the door determined to speak to Justin. She had kept her silence for two weeks now and decided it was time to take action.

“Joan, leave him be. He’s dealing with this the best he can.” Emmett’s voice came from behind her.

Joan made a rude exasperated sound and turned to Emmett.

“This can’t go on much longer. Justin is a wreck, he barely leaves the loft, the kids are upset, and everyone is fighting. My son has to come back and get his house in order!” Joan said staunchly.

“Honey I agree, but he’s not ready to listen to reason. Just give it some more time. Tempers are still running high,” Emmett advised.

*********
 

Brian had flown off to NY two weeks ago after the truth of Rena’s rape was revealed. By now the whole family knew about it. Rena and Justin got into a major fight over it and were not on speaking terms.

Brian had no idea the havoc his sudden departure had caused in their family.

Things were very tense at home and everyone was walking on eggshells around each other.

Justin called, texted and emailed Brian several times a day for the past two weeks and had yet to receive a response. Each day that passed with no word from Brian sent Justin into a deeper depression.

And from what James was telling him, Rena was in no better shape. She too tried several times to contact Brian but he refused to talk to her as well. Before he left, he told both Rena and Justin that if they tried to come to NY to see him, he would take off to someplace where no one would find him.

If it weren’t for Cynthia, who kept in constant contact with Justin, they’d have no idea what was going on with Brian.

According to her, Brian didn’t leave the New York apartment for the first week after his arrival. Cynthia had a key to their place and went in several times a day to check on him and bring him food. Each time, she found him drunk, often passed out.

That first week was hell on Justin. He was literally going out of his mind with worry, and frustration. There was nothing he could do because he knew Brian would make good on his promise to take off should he or Rena show up on his doorstep in New York.

Thankfully, by the week's end Brian had emerged from his self-imprisonment and went to work. He spent up to 16 hours a day at the New York office. After work he’d retire once again to the apartment to presumably drink.

Brian had asked Cynthia for the key to the apartment back so she really had no idea what he did with his evenings. All she knew was that he’d been showing up at work every day since, making everyone’s life a living hell. He was driven like she’d never seen him. The good news was, they had landed three new accounts. Kinnetik New York was getting a lot of attention from some pretty high profile clients.

Emmett would relay this information to James, who would then tell Rena because Justin was not talking to Rena. He was hurt and angry with her for putting him in this position to begin with.

And in return James would share any information he had about Brian with Emmett, to relay to Justin, because Rena was not talking to Justin because she was still angry with him for giving up her secret. Though to be fair, she didn’t blame him totally, she blamed the stupid doctor and asked Adam to file a malpractice suit against him.

Emmett suspected James had been in contact with Brian because his information was a little more detailed, though neither broached the subject.

Being the ‘go betweens’ for Rena and Justin was putting a strain on his and James' relationship. They barely saw each other and when they did, they ended up arguing over, or more accurately, taking sides in Justin and Rena’s quarrel.

Emmett, of course, was loyal to Justin and felt Rena had no right putting Justin in the position she did, and that in doing so she jeopardized his and Brian’s relationship.

James, being oh so fucking loyal to Rena, disagreed harshly. He said that Rena trusted Justin with something so personal, and he betrayed her. He sounded more bitter than Rena. Emmett got the impression that James was a bit hurt over Rena trusting Justin and not him with her secret. Emmett tried to discuss this with him but was shut down. Needless to say, they were not having sex these days.

Shane and Adam were also caught in the middle of the whole mess. They were fighting over how best to deal with the matter at hand. Shane wanted to go to NY to confront Brian, but Adam felt Brian needed his space, and that she would only make matters worse. Their arguing got so bad that Shane moved out and was now living back at Rena’s.

The kids were even fighting with each other. Jagger and Peter were often bickering over their parents’ current situation. Jagger blamed Justin for Brian’s leaving and Peter blamed Brian for deserting his family. Though neither voiced this in front of Justin, they were very vocal about it when he wasn’t around.

And through it all, Deb, Mikey and Ben spent most their time shuttling between the two households trying to make peace.

Emmett was at his wit's end. He was furious with Brian for taking off the way he did. Though he was grateful that he at least spoke to the kids before he left. They were the only real link anyone had to Brian. Whereas everyone else failed, except for perhaps James, the kids were able to get him on the phone.

They called him every day. When they spoke to him they didn’t ask why he left or when he was coming home; they just talked about things like school, basketball, gigs and boyfriends.

Lizzy asked him the other night if he would be home in time for the baby’s birth. She posed the question in such a casual manner he doubted Brian even caught the significance of his answer. He told Lizzy he would most definitely be there for the baby’s’ birth. It was a good sign and gave Justin hope.

Emmett was amazed at how well the kids, especially Lizzy, handled their parents. Currently they were the only ones acting like adults.

Emmett turned his thoughts back to the problem at hand - Joan. She’d been so helpful during this whole time, but the woman was not well. The stress from this whole mess was taking its toll on her health and her health was poor, at best, to begin with.

“It will all work out, you’ll see. Come on downstairs. It’s almost dinner time. He’ll come down. You know he never misses dinner with the kids and Deb brought over lasagna,” Emmett said and led Joan downstairs.

Joan reluctantly followed.

She had a little difficulty managing the stairs these days, as her condition was getting worse. At the last doctor’s visit, they put her on new medication they hoped would help slow down the progression of her illness. But being fucking Joan Kinney meant being stubborn as a mule and she refused to take the pills.

By the time they reached the bottom floor Joan was breathing heavily.

“Jesus Christ, why did you let her walk up there by herself!” Deb asked Emmett rushing to Joan’s side seeing the condition she was in.

“Let her?! As if I could stop her! She’s as stubborn as her son!” Emmett exclaimed.

They led Joan over to the living room and sat her down in the overstuffed armchair.

“Stop fussing! I’m not dying yet!” Joan wheezed out.

“Grandma are you alright?” Johnny ran to his grandmother’s side.

Joan managed a weak smile.

“Don’t you worry about me, child. I’m just a little out of breath. I’ll be fine,” she rasped giving the boy a quick hug.

Deb frowned. “Well don’t attempt those stairs again!” she ordered.

“Psft! I’m not some old goat! And besides, someone has to talk sense into that boy!” she said.

“Really, Joan, what do you expect him to do? He’s tried everything. Brian just isn’t ready to talk yet,” Emmett said.

“I expect him to stop moping around up there in the loft!” Joan said gaining the air back in her lungs.

“He’s not moping, he’s thinking,” Emmett corrected.

Both Deb and Joan made a rude sound.

“Bullshit. The boy is moping. Fucking Kinney. Um, sorry Joan,” Deb said.

“Don’t apologize. Believe me I know how stubborn my son can be. But Justin needs to snap out of it already. Life goes on,” Joan declared.

“And you say Brian is cold?! The love of his life just walked out on him! Have a heart!” Emmett scolded.

“Had one of those once. Nearly killed me. And it’s going to kill that boy if he lets it,” Joan said.

Deb shook her head. “Like Mother like son,” she mused out loud then went into the kitchen to get dinner on.

“What did I say?” Joan asked Emmett puzzled.

Emmett laughed. “Jesus, Joan, I wonder if Brian realizes how much you two are alike?” he asked.

“Dinner’s on!” Deb yelled from the kitchen. She hit the intercom button to let Justin know.

The kids scrambled to get a seat at the table. Deb’s lasagna was the one thing they all agreed on.

A hush fell over the family as Justin walked into the dining room.

His jaw was set, his spine stiff.

“I’m not moping, Mother Kinney. I’m trying to figure out how to get that pigheaded son of yours to talk to me. Now if you don’t mind, I’m hungry,” he said in a haughty manner that made Joan proud.

She smiled at him and passed him the lasagna.

Lizzy took her seat at the table and looked around for Jagger. She hadn’t seen him all day, and she knew he would NOT miss Deb's lasagna.

“Oh no!” she breathed fearfully when she saw no sign of him.

“What’s the matter, honey?” Deb asked coming around the table, concern heavy in her voice.

“Jagger’s gone. I think he ran off to see Brian,” she said.

Lizzy explained to the family that Jagger had threatened to go to NY to see Brian the other day. He had enough money saved from the gigs he was playing to buy a bus ticket. Lizzy had thought she talked him out of it, telling him that it was best if Brian and Justin worked this out on their own, but apparently Jagger did not take her advice.

“Fuck!” Justin said and got up to call Brian, once again. He had to have left at least 100 messages over the past couple of weeks. He hoped he was listening to them at least.

The phone went directly to voicemail. No big surprise there.

“Brian, Jagger ran off. He’s probably on his way to see you. If you won’t call me, at least call Emmett, or James or our fucking cleaning lady for all I care, but LET ME KNOW if he gets there alright,” Justin said then hung up.

It was the first angry message he had left since Brian took off and it felt good. He was tired of apologizing, explaining his actions and feeling guilty. He may not have made the wisest decision in not telling him about Rena’s rape but his decision was made out of love and if the fucking almighty Kinney couldn’t accept that, well then… fuck him…

Ok, that felt good Justin thought, for a minute anyway. Who the fuck was he kidding? He had to make this right with Brian. Brian had every right to be hurt, on so many levels. He just felt so helpless not being able to talk to him.

Maybe Jagger running off was the best thing that could happen. It just might open the door to get them talking again.

He could only hope…
 

*********
 

Brian walked through Central Park soaking in the sights, smells and sounds of the city. It was blissfully distracting. And distraction had been his sole objective since he got to the city.

The day Justin confessed to him his knowledge of Rena’s rape was still a blur. He left the hospital with no thought of where he was going, or what he was going to do. He just knew he needed to get away.

He arrived at the house to find all the kids home. He quickly made some bullshit excuse about some emergency at the New York office and that he needed to take the next flight there. He promised the kids he’d keep in touch. He kissed them all goodbye and was packed and out of the Tremont house before Justin got back, and he didn’t look back since.

When he first arrived in New York he fell back into old, very comfortable habits. Pain management. He locked himself away for a week with his best friend - Jim Beam. Cases of Jim, and of course his daily talks with the kids, were the only calming balms in his life at that point.

Then James called. He still didn’t know what compelled him to answer his phone when he saw James' number on his cell, though he was inclined to believe it was “Jim’s” doing, and not his. That and the fact that he had to know how Rena was…

James, in his typical Sergeant Friday ‘just the facts’ manner, told Brian the whole truth of what happened to Rena, and why she never told him. Brian felt little knives slice through him with each word James spoke as he told Brian how Rena lost it one night and attacked Emilian. How he beat her, and raped her and how he had the police station paramedic come and patch Rena up. Brian gripped the phone to his ear, painfully envisioning all his sister went through.

James showed no mercy though. He went on to tell Brian that Rena worked through this in therapy and discovered her true intent when she attacked Emilian.

She did not want to kill him, if she did, she would have taken a knife to his throat while he slept. No, she did not want to kill him; she wanted him to kill her.

She knew, or hoped, that if she provoked Emilian hard enough, he’d kill her. In her mind she lost two brothers. She didn’t believe Joan and Jack would ever let Brian come back. In her mind, death was her only salvation. Killing herself was not an option, because of her religious beliefs. Just as Andy couldn’t kill himself, so she planned to have Emilian kill her.

Brian’s tears fell freely throughout James’ disclosure. Guilt washed over him in waves so monstrous, it nearly choked him. He wanted to die. Then James told him a truth he didn’t want to face, but it was the truth nonetheless, and the guilt waned to be replaced by anger.

It was Rena who betrayed him.

She had promised him she would stay away from Emilian, but broke that promise. She didn’t trust him. And she continued not to trust him later on by withholding the truth from him. It was a painful revelation, but, as James so bluntly pointed out, a decision he himself would have made if in her position.

Brian knew he was right. If the roles were reversed, he would not believe she would come back for him. Not for want of trying, but because life had taught him, taught them, that you had no fucking control over evil. What happened to Andy turned him into a harsh, cold cynic, and obviously, it did the same to his sister. They both believed at the time there was no hope. Only pain..

What was happening now was just another symptom of the evil that touched them both so long ago. That evil reached its ugly destructive hand out and once again burned him, his sister, and this time, his lover as well. He briefly wondered if they were ever going to be completely free of it.

He hung up with James and pondered his situation long and hard. He knew he couldn’t face Rena or Justin yet, his feelings were still too raw, but he couldn’t continue on his one-man suicidal binge either.

So he did the next best thing. He buried himself in work. When he wasn’t working, he was at the apartment drinking.

Distraction was still his goal at this point, though he was making progress.

He was maintaining, and he wasn’t entertaining thoughts of white scarves and ceiling fans anymore. Well at least not too often.

He was not ready to face his feelings on the betrayal on both his sister and his lover’s part. He refused to acknowledge how angry he was with Justin for lying to him, or how hurt he was at Rena for not trusting him then, or now…or…

FUCK!

He didn’t want to think about this! He couldn’t.

It’s fucking New York for God sakes! Central Park no less! Couldn’t someone at least mug him? That would surely distract him.

Brian snarled and turned to walk down to the zoo. With a little luck he just might fall into the bear pit.

He was rounding the corner towards his destination when he heard a ghastly, unnatural sound.

“Waaaahhhhhh…”

Brian made a face at the obnoxious wail. It sounded much like the howling of a wounded animal.

The closer he got, the more painful it was to listen to.

Try as he may though he could not turn away from it. The abject misery that could be heard through the disgusting sniffling, snorting and sniveling was pulling at him.

He turned to confront the owner of such misery and was surprised to find a beautiful, if not oddly dressed, woman as the source of that God-awful noise. She was sitting on a park bench with a bucket of chicken on her lap oblivious to the scene she was creating.

Brian found himself uncharacteristically drawn to the bawling woman. Usually such vulgar displays of emotions would have him running in the other direction, but there was something about her…

Upon closer inspection, it struck Brian how much she reminded him of Emmett.

Her clothes were overly bright, and oddly matched with her black opaque stockings and lime green mini, very mini, skirt and matching jacket. All designer rip offs by the way. Her hair was teased impossibly high and her makeup, well what wasn’t washed away from her tears, was thespian. Add to that her award winning drama queen performance and yes, she was most definitely the female version of Emmett.

His perverse curiosity drew him to her and he sat down beside her.

She turned her teary eyed, mascara smeared face towards him and wailed even louder, if that was possible.

He made a disapproving face and reached into his jacket pocket to pull out a handkerchief and handed it to her.

The dark haired peacock took it and said “thank you” in a very nasal voice.

The woman obviously either had a very bad cold, or was losing her voice from all her crying.

“You’re welcome,” he said and sat patiently while she attempted to clean her face up. Once done, she handed the soiled piece of silk back to him. “No, you keep it,” he said smiling.

She lifted her bucket of chicken to him, offering him some.

He shrugged and took a leg out. What the fuck, he thought.

They sat and ate the greasy chicken in silence for a few minutes before Brian’s curiosity got the best of him. “Boyfriend?” he asked, then was immediately sorry he did because that brought on a fresh round of high pitched wailing.

“I’d slow down on that if I were you. I’m out of handkerchiefs,” he said, jesting lightly.

She forced a smile through her tears. “He, he… threeww meee ouuuuuuuutttttt……….” she whined and buried her face in his jacket.

Fucking great. He should have known better than to wear his Holland Esquire damask jacket to the park.

“Ok, enough of that,” Brian said and righted the woman up.

“I’m sooorry…” she said sniffling.

Brian smiled indulgently at the woman. “Sorry’s bullshit. Besides I understand all too well how painful love can be,” he said solemnly.

“It's not thhhhatttt! I never loved him!” the woman whined.

Brian gave her a confused look. “Then why the fuck are you having hysterics?” he asked.

“Cause now I have to go back to live with my…my… motherrrrrr!” the woman said breaking down into tears again.

Brian laughed and this time gathered the woman in his arms. God, she was a fucking drama queen. She almost put Emmett to shame.

“Fuck. Now that IS something to be distraught over. I have one of those. I wouldn’t wish that fate on anyone!” he said.

The woman laughed and pulled back from him. “God, look at me! I’m so embarrassed! Crying on some strange man’s shoulder! I must look like an idiot!” she announced, trying to compose herself.

“Not at all. Actually you look quiet charming,” Brian said.

She smiled a sexy smile at him and was about to say something when his cell went off.

His whole demeanor suddenly shifted.

Justin.

He took his cell out and looked at the incoming number. Of course it was Justin. He’d been calling and emailing him several times a day. And each time Brian saw his number, or email address, he breathed a little easier. Though he couldn’t bring himself to deal with him yet, he still ‘needed’ to have that connection. As fucked up as that was, it was a reality Brian had come to accept.

How could he love him so fiercely, and completely yet not be sure if he could ever trust him again? He wanted to fuck him and strangle him at the same time. Again visions of scarves and ceiling fans danced in his head, only this time a certain blond was added into the equation.

As badly as he wanted to answer his call, he couldn’t. He was afraid of the confrontation he knew they would eventually have, and he didn’t want that confrontation to be over the phone.

He sighed a bit dramatically himself at his own dilemma and pocketed his cell.

“Girlfriend?” the woman next to him asked empathetically, sensing his distress.

He turned his head to look at her. “No. Boyfriend,” he said.

The lovely peacock started bawling again.

“NOW, why the fuck are you crying?!” he said a bit exasperated.

“Cause you’re gay and here I thought I was getting lucky!” she complained in that utterly annoying and charmingly nasal voice.

Brian shook his head and laughed. “Oh now come on. A looker like you won’t be alone for too long. Trust me, I know these things,” he said soothingly.

The woman made a rude sound in her throat. “I’m Thir… um, twenty-nine years old. Do you know how hard it is to find a good man? They’re either all married or gay!” she said.

Brian was amused at her attempt to hide her age. “Did you ever think maybe you’re trying too hard? I mean you admitted you didn’t love your last boyfriend, why were you with him?” Brian asked.

The peacock shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know. He was divorced and seemed very nice. I loved his kids! More than him actually. I’m really good with kids. Just not so good with their fathers,” she said honestly. “He wasn’t a bad guy. He gave me a job at his shop,” she said then turned wide, surprised eyes at him. “Oh shit! I’m out of a job now tooooo….” The tears started flowing again.

Brian sighed. “Ok, so you’re having a bad day. Do you know what I do when I’m having a bad day?” Brian asked.

“Drink,” the peacock answered.

Brian raised his eyebrow at her.

She blushed slightly then squished her face up. “Sorry, but you smell like whiskey. Don’t get me wrong, it’s very sexy,” she added.

Brian cursed.

The woman laughed.

“So, what’s with the boyfriend?” she asked.

Brian turned his gaze from her. “It’s complicated,” he said.

“So, un-complicate it,” she said innocently enough. As if it were that simple.

“I’m working on it,” he said.

“Hey, I just laid all my crap on you. It’s your turn. Spill,” she said turning her body towards him and giving him her best, “I’m listening” face.

Brian smiled at her. “Thanks, but no thanks. It’s a long story and personal. Not the kind of thing one talks about to a total stranger.”

She gave him a look. “Oh poo!” she said.

“Poo?” Brian replied, unable to keep the mirth out of his voice.

“Yeah, poo! People pay thousand of dollars to sit and tell perfect strangers their darkest, deepest most intimate thoughts! I should know. I’ve wasted enough money on shrinks! Think of me as Switzerland. I’m neutral, and non judgmental. Plus, I’m cheap. You’ve nothing to lose by telling me your problem and it just might make you feel better,” she rationalized.

Brian had to admit a small part of him wanted to talk about it. He took his cell out again and looked at it, tempted to listen to Justin’s message.

“So, what’s his name?” she asked, looking at the cell in his hand.

Brian chuckled low in his throat. “Sunshine.”

“Wow. Great name. Was his mother like a flower child or something?” she asked.

Brian laughed at that. “No, it’s a nickname,” he said.

“Ah... Can I ask how he earned that?” she asked.

“If you saw him smile, you’d know.”

She smiled at his response. “You love him,” she stated. It wasn’t a question.

“Yeah, well love is irrelevant, isn’t it?” he asked.

She furrowed her brow not understanding. “How can love be irrelevant?” she asked.

“Love has nothing to do with fidelity, trust or loyalty,” Brian spat out bitterly.

The woman flinched at the pain in his voice. “Ouch! So he cheated on you?”

“No.”

“Ah, you cheated on him!” she surmised, a satisfied grin on her pixyish features.

Brian smiled and shook his head. “I don’t cheat. I fuck who I want, when I want. He knows that, knew it from the start,” Brian corrected.

“Oh Poo!” he peacock responded.

“Again with the poo?” Brian asked pushing his tongue in his cheek.

“That’s the biggest crock of shit I’ve ever heard. Sharing your body with strangers is not only cheating, it’s selfish and hurtful. What happened, did he kick you out?” she asked.

Brian sighed, exasperated at the woman’s assumptions. “Listen, this is NOT about cheating! It’s about lying. He hid something from me he shouldn’t have. Something that I had a right to know!” Brian blurted out then cursed at his own admission.

“Oh...” the woman said then bit her bottom lip worriedly. “Why?” she asked.

The question threw Brian off balance. Why? Good question. “That’s something I’m afraid you’ll have to ask him,” he answered sarcastically.

“Well, since he’s not here, I’m asking you. Why?” she persisted.

“Obviously because he didn’t trust me.”

“Didn’t trust you how? I still don’t get why he would hide something that obviously was so important to you, from you,” she asked confused.

Brian tilted his head and studied the woman. Why would Justin not trust him? If there was one certainty in his life it was Justin’s love for him. And love meant trust. Justin trusted him completely. With his love and his life. He knew in the very bottom of his soul Justin would do anything for him. He was even willing to die for him when he was in the coma. So why didn’t he trust him to tell him the truth?

And then it hit him…. He lowered his head into his hands and silently cried.

The woman was startled by his action. She scooted next to him and rubbed his back comfortingly. “Are you alright?” she asked.

Brian wiped his eyes and took a deep breath. He sat back up and smiled at the woman. “I’m fine. I just figured out why,” he said.

She looked at him, wide eyed, waiting for his response. “Because he loves me,” he said simply.

She wrinkled her nose at him. “Ok, we established that. What happened to 'love is irrelevant'?” she asked.

“I was wrong. It IS relevant. It’s the only relevance in our fucked up relationship. Justin loves me so much, he’d risk losing me rather than cause me pain. And that’s exactly what he did. He tried to protect me, at any cost,” he explained to this strange, wonderful woman sitting next to him.

She smiled brightly at him and playfully punched him on the shoulder. “Seeee! How can you fault him for that! God I’d kill for a man like that! Does he have a brother?” she asked in that nasal voice that was starting to grow on him.

Brian laughed. “No, but I just might have something for you,” he said.

“Oh, what’s that?” she asked slyly.

“A job.”

That perked her up.

“Awhhhhhhhhhh…” She let out the high pitched gleeful sound enthusiastically.

“Are you serious?!” she asked.

“Very. And a place to stay, so you won’t have to live with your mother. How does that sound?” he asked.

Justin would most definitely approve. He would say it was fate that led him to the crying woman on the bench that made him see reason.

She looked at him skeptically. “It sounds like I might have to do something I don’t think a nice Jewish girl from Brooklyn should be doing,” she answered honestly.

“No, no. I’m serious. I have five children and one on the way…..”

“Wait...” she said interrupting him.

“You got FIVE kids? Are you sure you’re gay?” she asked.

Brian laughed. “It’s a long story. Two are my nephews and two are my cousins that we have custody of. Another is my biological son with a friend of mine. And we have a surrogate carrying my partner's and my child currently. She is due in three months. You said you were good with kids, would you consider being our Nanny?” Brian asked.

The woman put her hand to her throat and dropped her jaw in shock. The gesture was so dramatic in style Emmett would be proud. “You are serious!” she declared.

“Yes, very. You would have to relocate though. Our home is in Pittsburgh,” he said.

She made a face at that. “Do they have a Bergdorf's in Pittsburgh?” he asked.

Brian leaned into her and whispered conspiratorially, “Better than Bergdorf's. Trust me, I know all the best designer shops in the whole city,” he said.

She looked at him skeptically.

“And at bargain prices,” he threw in as incentive. The woman obviously enjoyed a bargain if her designer rip offs were any indication. “Come on, let’s go get some coffee and discuss the details. By the way, my name is Brian Kinney,” he said standing and offering her his hand.

She looked up at him, recognition of his name flashed in her eyes.

“The Brian Kinney? Of Kinnetik Global Advertising agency?” she asked

“You know of my firm?” Brian questioned.

“Of course! Bobby, my ex, was a client of yours! He owns BB floral designs. He opened a second shop uptown and hired Kinnetik to do the ad campaign for him!” she announced.

Brian was familiar with the account. BB florists were one of the first clients Cynthia took on when they opened the New York office. “Floral shop? You sure he wasn’t gay?” he asked half jokingly.

“Actually, no, I’m not sure!” she said laughing and taking his hand.

“So now you know me. May I ask to whom I have had the pleasure of talking?” he asked.

“Fran. Fran Fine,” she answered.
 

********
 

Jagger sat on the steps of the Brownstone with a scowl on his face. He threw the cigarette he was smoking on the ground and cursed. Where the fuck was Brian? He didn’t sit on a fucking bus for six fucking hours just so he could wait for another two hours for him on the streets in front of his house! He was hungry and he was pissed off as hell.

Everyone was avoiding this whole fucking mess. He decided to take matters into his own hands. Fucking adults were all cowards. Afraid to confront Brian. Well not him! Brian promised him he would always be there for him and Goddamn it he better make good on that promise! One way or another, he was bringing his cousin home.

He got up to stretch when he saw his cousin approach.

Brian narrowed his eyes in disbelief as he spied Jagger standing on the street in front of the house.

He quickened his step. Fran had a hard time keeping up.

“Jagger!” he yelled out, fear laced heavily in his voice.

Jagger instinctively ran into his arms. “Brian!” he cried out in relief.

Brian hugged him fiercely, then pulled back to look at him. “What are you doing here? Is everyone all right? Where’s Justin? Does he know you are here?” Brian rattled off the questions frantically.

“I came to bring you home!” Jagger said defiantly, his eyes burning into Brian’s before being drawn to the garishly dressed woman standing next to his cousin. “Oh no you didn’t!” he screeched stepping back.

Brian looked at him confused, and then followed his gaze, which was currently focused on Fran. “Jagger this is…”

“You fucking picked up a drag queen! Jesus fucking Christ, are you insane? Justin’s going to freak!” Jagger interrupted Brian.

“HEY!” Fran spat out indignantly. “I am no drag queen, young man! And your manners are atrocious!” she scolded.

Jagger winced at her nasal tone and looked at her suspiciously.

“Yeah right, you’re not a drag queen and I’m fucking Mick Jagger of the rolling stones,” Jagger replied sarcastically.

Brian watched the exchange intrigued. He was very interested in how Fran was going to deal with this situation. If there was a litmus test to how good a Nanny Fran would be, Jagger was it.

Fran narrowed her eyes and reached for the boy's arm. She then turned to Brian. “Open the door,” she said indicating the front door to the house.

“Hey!” Jagger protested as Fran pulled him up the stairs to the Brownstone apartment.

Brian quickly opened the door and Fran dragged Jagger inside. Once inside, she released the boy and closed the door behind them.

She then turned to face Jagger. She studied him for a moment, summing him up.

She then did the unthinkable.

She opened her jacket, unbuttoned her blouse and flashed Jagger her bra clad breast.

“So I guess this means I get backstage passes to your next concert, right, Mick?” she said pursing her lips.

Brian burst out laughing. He turned to his cousin.

“Jagger, meet your new Nanny.”

 

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