Chapter 3
"Owen, before you and Sharon get settled, I want to grab some
clothes for the girls and anyone else who might need something to sleep in,"
Brian said to Owen as he was showing the Brenners to what would be their room
for the night.
Sharon was standing beside the bed admiring the huge four poster. "Brian, this
bed is magnificent. Where did you find it?" Sharon asked.
"I'm not sure. I left most of the decorating to Justin. So much was happening
during that time in our lives. I am eternally grateful for his impeccable good
taste," Brian boasted about Justin. Just then the house phone rang.
"Kinney. Hey Emmy Lou, you guys okay down there? Good, I'll let everyone know.
Have a good night and we'll talk tomorrow. I'll call if I hear anything about
the plow guy. All right. Night!"
Owen and Sharon smiled knowingly at Brian.
"He knows I worry," Brian said as he shrugged. With an armful of clothes, Brian
bid the Brenners a good night.
*****
"Bri, the girls are cool with just t-shirts. Um, they said
they usually sleep half naked," Justin whispered to Brian with a grimace.
Brian chuckled. "When Lindsay and I were in college, she always slept in my
t-shirt," Brian divulged.
"TMI, Bri," Justin stated with an exaggerated shudder. Brian went to Bree's
bedroom door, gave it a couple of knocks then barged in.
"Fag in the house!" Brian announced as he quickly opened the door, stepped
inside then shut the door.
"Hey!" Lindsay yelled but then laughed when she noticed that Brian had his eyes
shut tight.
"What the fuck is up with you, Kinney?" Melanie shrieked.
"Believe me, Mel, with the thought if you naked, nothing's up," Brian snarked
then got hit in the head with a pillow. He still had his eyes closed. "Are you
decent?"
"Yes, we're all tucked in," Lindsay said.
Brian cracked open one eye to survey the situation. Seeing the Munchers all
huddled under Bree's big thick quilt, he flopped himself onto the bed near
Lindsay's side. "What are you doing, you big goof?" Lindsay slapped away Brian's
hand as he pretended to threaten to pry away the blankets.
"Nuthin, just wondering what you got hiding under there," Brian said with
mischief.
"Nothing that you'd want to see, asshole," Melanie snarked.
"You can say that again." Brian rolled his eyes at Mel.
"Behave!" Lindsay admonished Brian. "Now get out and we'll help with breakfast
in the morning."
"Okay," Brian said contritely. "And no icky lesbian shit in my daughter's bed!"
Brian wagged his finger at the girls.
"Get. Out!" Mel commanded as she pushed the man off the bed. Lindsay giggled.
There was no malice in either Melanie or Brian's words. Brian placed some sweat
clothes on the rocking chair then said goodnight to the girls.
*****
John and Bobby got Debbie, Carl, Ben, Michael and Danny
situated in their side of the cottage after doling out the spare clothing to be
used as sleepwear.
Katerina was happily ensconced on the sofa in Brian's end of Edna's Treasures.
She had brought one of her nursing theory books to read.
All that was left was Seth, Raph and Hector. John, Bobby and Justin were
finishing the cleaning up and setting the timers on the coffeepots for the
morning.
"Seth, I hope you don't mind the chaise," Brian inquired. "It's really very
comfortable. We've all slept on it at one time or another."
"No, not at all, I'm amazed that we all seem to fit," Seth commented. He had
changed into a t-shirt and a pair of John's sleep pants and was given a thick
duvet for his use. He was making himself a little nest on the chaise when
Raphael and Hector came into the porch wearing their own borrowed sleepwear.
"Brian, I don't mean to be rude but all night I kept hearing about the brass
bed. What brass bed?" Raphael asked with skepticism. Hector stood by with his
hands on his hips.
Brian smirked. "Sunshine, would you assist me?"
"My pleasure," Justin answered with all innocence.
Working in concert, Brian and Justin folded back the big Japanese screen that
was surrounded by the large potted palms in the corner closest to their bedroom.
The polished brass gleamed, reflecting the light from the tree.
Raphael and Hector simultaneously let out a gasp of delight and wonder. Seth sat
up in his lounger.
"This is beautiful!" Hector exclaimed as he reached out to touch the cool brass
foot rail.
"You'd never know that the bed was here. This must be some experience in the
summer, sleeping under the stars," Raphael commented.
Brian leered suggestively at Justin, as Justin sidled closer to him. Justin
snickered then waggled his finger under Brian's nose. Brian captured the
wandering digit in his hand then kissed Justin's palm.
"If you'd like more privacy, we can put the screen back in place," Justin
offered.
"No, thank you," Hector answered for them both. "Your tree is so beautiful. It's
a lovely sight to fall asleep to."
"Good night. We'll see you in the morning." Justin switched off the chandelier
then dimmed the tree lights. John and Bobby went up to their office room as
Justin then snuggled close to Brian under their blanket.
The snowstorm howled outside but it was warm and cozy within Edna's Treasures.
Beau made his rounds, making sure the occupants of the cottage were safe then he
took his place upon his cushion and fell asleep.
*****
Joan and Jenn settled in on their futon. The lights were out and it was very
dark being out in the country.
"Jennifer, could I ask you something?" Joan began.
"Sure."
"Do you think Brian is really all right? Has he said anything to you about his
health?"
"What do you mean?" Jennifer asked, turning on her side to look at Joan in the
darkness. "Did he say something to you?"
"No, no, nothing like that," Joan said hastily. "It's just that Brian has always
been such a private person. I had to find out from Debbie the first time that
Brian had cancer. He didn't even think to tell me."
"But your relationship with him was so much different back then."
"Sadly you're right. I was so prejudiced and inflexible."
"But you and Brian are so much closer now. I'm sure he'd tell you if something
was wrong."
"Would he?"
"Joan
"
"He didn't tell me for days after this scare."
"He probably didn't want to worry you."
"It's a mother's job to worry."
Jennifer sighed. "Yes, I know. After Justin got bashed, I worried for months.
Without Brian I don't think I would have my son back
even now. I don't know
what would have happened to him
to us."
"That must have been a terrible time for you," Joan said reaching over to
squeeze Jennifer's hand.
"It was." The memory still made tears come. Her beautiful son had been so
damaged, so scarred, turned into someone she didn't even know. And couldn't cope
with. She hated to admit that, but it was the truth. She had turned him over to
Brian out of desperation. But it had been the right thing to do, no matter the
motivation. Brian had brought him back. "I'm sure Brian's fine, Joan," she said,
squeezing Joan's hand in return. "Brian says he is, and they were so happy
today. Justin would have told me if something was wrong."
"I pray you're right," Joan whispered.
"I know I am."
*****
Sharon and Owen settled into the big four poster.
"It's so quiet here," Sharon said after a few minutes.
"Yes, so unlike our house in the city. There's always a siren or a car going by
or a dog barking."
"Did you see that dog they have here? He's huge," Sharon observed.
"Yes, he certainly is, but he's so well trained. I hardly knew he was here most
of the time. That's really saying something with all the people who were milling
around and all the food laid out all over the place. I snuck him a piece of
turkey at dinner," Owen laughed.
"You didn't!" Sharon giggled.
"Did to."
"My big, bad husband," Sharon giggled.
"Am I?"
"Of course you are."
"I can't believe we're here in Brian and Justin's home," Owen stated. "I would
never have guessed this is where they would live."
"Where did you think they'd live?"
"In a mansion on a huge estate."
"Or a penthouse high above the city."
"But this place is much
nicer."
"Homier," Sharon observed.
"Yes, that's exactly the right word," Owen agreed.
"And Brian and Justin seem so happy."
"I hope Owen and Molly will be that happy when they start their married life
together."
"Yes, I do too," Sharon said. "It's so much harder these days to make a marriage
work."
"They have some good role models to follow."
"Like us?" Sharon asked.
"Yes, us."
Sharon giggled. "I love you, Mr. Brenner."
"I haven't heard you giggle this much in years. You should giggle more often,"
Owen said leaning over to kiss Sharon's cheek.
"I should?"
"It's one of the things I love most about you. Couldn't get that giggle out of
my head after the first time I heard it."
Sharon smiled in the dark. "My mother used to tell me it sounded silly, that
proper young ladies don't giggle."
"Well, you know what I thought of your mother," Owen said without any real
rancor in his voice.
Sharon giggled. "It was the reason I kept going out with you. You pissed my
mother off."
"Is that the only reason you went out with me?" Owen said with a smile.
"No, just one of many."
"Here's another one," Owen said as he rolled over and kissed his wife as he
hadn't kissed her for quite a while.
*****
Katerina closed her book and switched off the light by the
sofa. She snuggled down under the warm covers and watched the fire dance in the
fireplace. Someday she wanted a place like this, a place of her own, a partner
to share her life with.
She let out a long sigh and listened for a moment to the wind whipping around
the cottage. This was so different from her homeland. It would be warm and green
there, even though it was winter. She shivered just a little bit.
She wondered how John Patrick, her brother was doing. Maybe when she got her
nursing degree finished and had a good job, she could afford a plane ticket home
to see him and the rest of her family. Sometimes, it was so lonely here.
Everyone had been great with her. She loved living at Jennifer's and always felt
welcome, but she wanted her own place too.
Thinking about the cottage and Brian and Justin, she knew that's what she wanted
for herself, a warm, cozy home with a partner to love. She'd have that
someday, she decided, as she snuggled down some more and fell peacefully asleep.
*****
Melanie and Lindsay were lying in Bree's bed, each wrapped up
in her own thoughts. Little did they know that they were thinking the same
thoughts.
"Lindz."
"Yeah."
"Are we okay?"
"What do you mean?" Lindsay asked not wanting to answer the question. She was
afraid of the answer.
"I
I was watching Brian and Justin today. They're so much in love
still."
"Yeah, they are," Lindsay agreed. "It's pretty impressive how far they've come."
"What about us?"
"Us?"
"Have we come far or are we stuck somewhere that we don't really want to be?"
Lindsay flinched. She had been asking herself that question a lot lately. "I
I
don't know, Mel."
"Let's take that vacation we've been promising ourselves," Melanie suggested.
"When?" Lindsay asked cautiously. Melanie would probably say next summer, next
year, after her latest big case was settled.
"As soon as JR goes back to school in the new year. It should be just you and
me."
"You mean it?" Lindsay asked.
"I mean it."
Lindsay leaned over and kissed Melanie's cheek. "I'd like that."
Melanie smiled. "I think we need it. I think we owe it to ourselves."
Lindsay nodded. "We do need to get away
and reconnect."
"Yeah."
There was a period of silence as each tried to decide if they should risk
instigating something more between them. They had been keeping their distance
lately.
"So you were watching Brian and Justin today?" Lindsay asked, hoping the love
between those two might inspire or rekindle something between them.
"Yeah, and if you tell Kinney, I'll have to kill you."
Lindsay laughed softly. "I don't know how they do it. They seem to be more in
love all the time."
"I guess Brian's scare really made them appreciate each other," Melanie
postulated.
"It's more than that. They appreciate each other all the time. They really are
in love."
"And who would have ever thought that the asshole would find that," Melanie felt
compelled to state.
"Why do you always call him 'the asshole'?"
"Because he is." Melanie felt Lindsay stiffen beside her and knew she had said
the wrong thing. She did think Kinney was an asshole
most of the time, but she
didn't want Lindsay to be mad at her. "Mostly, it's force of habit," she
admitted grudgingly. That word was the first thing that popped into her head
whenever she thought about Brian Kinney. She didn't know if she'd ever get over
her resentment of him and the place he held in Lindsay's heart.
"He's not really so bad."
"I know," Melanie said with measured tones. She liked giving Kinney a hard time
whether he deserved it or not.
"Do you think you could cut the asshole references, maybe in half?" Lindsay
asked hopefully. "Gus doesn't like it when he hears you calling his father
that."
"I can try," Melanie said. "As long as it's only fifty percent less, because I
know I'm going to use that word still. I can't help myself."
Lindsay chuckled. "I know."
Melanie sucked in a breath. "Want to do some icky lesbian stuff in Bree's bed?"
she asked, deciding to take the bull by the horns.
"Yeah!" Lindsay laughed as Melanie rolled on top of her.
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