Chapter Text
3rd DAY OF THE TRIAL
Brian let out a breath in relief. Lindsay and Michael were found guilty on all charges by the jury and the judge agreed. They both got the maximum penalty, which meant they would spend the rest of their miserable lives in prison. Of course it wasn’t enough to erase what happened to Gus and Jenny or the family, or the medical consequences for detective Logan but it was what they all were hoping for. They wouldn’t get away with their crimes.
A small part of him had hoped that Lindsay and Michael would come clean or apologize, or at least attempt to apologize, to the family but they didn’t. But all of his dark thoughts melted away when he felt Gibbs’ hand on his own, squeezing his in silent support. Gibbs had been a blessing since the trial had begun. How the man was able to take on Brian in the past few days was a wonder, to Brian at least. He didn’t think he’d have been able to go through the hours in the courtroom without the agent’s support and love. That’s what it was, love.
Somewhere in his mind, Brian wanted to shout it to Lindsay and Michael that he was truly loved by a good person. Not for his money, his good looks or anything else of those superficial things they liked him for. No, Leroy Jethro Gibbs loved Brian for who he was. He truly respected Brian in a way that left him breathless and stunned. Gibbs wasn’t demanding anything in return for his support, except for Brian to be honest at all times. And to Brian, that wasn’t even a demand. The blue eyed man also understood Brian in ways nobody else had before. And if he didn’t, he was trying to, listening to him, giving him the chance to explain his thoughts. And Gibbs never judged him for his past activities as a single gay man.
“Brian, if you’d like to go out with Gibbs and the guys to celebrate, please do it. I won’t mind. In fact, I think I’d love to spend this evening with Gus and Jenny alone, just to have them around me, knowing they’ll be safe.” Melanie interrupted his thoughts and he was glad for her offer. He and Gibbs would spend the rest of the afternoon with Mel and the children but he did want to go to Babylon and celebrate the verdict.
One look at Gibbs and the gang and it was settled. It really amazed Brian that Gibbs was willing to party at Babylon even though it wasn’t his scene. But he understood that Babylon was more than just a club to Brian and Ted, it was their work as well. And as long as Brian was there to protect Gibbs from the horny twinks he was fine with it. Brian seriously didn’t feel the need or desire to go out every night anymore but sometimes he just needed the loud music and many people around him. Carl and Debbie agreed to go with them for some drinks, then they’d take Hunter home. Brian also invited Ben and Mike as well as Jack and Claire and Paul, too but they declined.
Ben wanted to spend the evening with Mike alone, he knew that his partner was running on emotions and wouldn’t be able to face his friends after getting home so he decided to cook something light for dinner and then do whatever Mike wanted. The need to spoil Mike was great and he didn’t forget that Mike had several appointments with different doctors and therapists the next day so he wanted to make sure they both would be getting lots of rest.
In the end, Mike and Ben ended up watching a few movies all cuddled up in bed while the Liberty Avenue gang was having celebratory drinks at Babylon.
EPILOGUE
2 YEARS LATER
Everyone dried their tears of joy quickly as they watched Ben and Mike tying the knot, promising eternal love and support, trust and honesty to each other and sealing their vows with a long kiss. Even Brian couldn’t hold back the tears, the moment was simply too beautiful to all of them.
Mike was back at work as soon as he got the all clear from his doctors on a Friday afternoon. After the appointment he had called everyone and told them that he’d be back at work on Monday but that he and Ben were off limits for the weekend as he wanted to celebrate this news with his partner. Ben certainly enjoyed the weekend and had a hard time sitting down by Monday, which made for a lot of good naturedly teasing from his colleagues.
Gus and Jenny still went to see their therapist, sometimes alone and sometimes together with their family. The nightmares and fears had lessened a lot over the months and by now neither of them had any troubles sleeping through the nights. Both were back at school and loved it. Brian and Melanie had done everything to help their children through the trauma they went through.
Carl and Debbie had finally gotten married one year after the trial. Michael’s attempts to contact his mother from prison were fruitless. She went to visit her son one time, for a few minutes to tell him that he was dead to her. Carl only had a few years left at work and was ready for retirement. They often watched Gus, Jenny, Kelly and Phin when the adults had to work longer or needed some time off for themselves.
For a little over a year, Melanie remained single and focused all of her energy on her children and work but a couple of months ago, she ran into an old flame of hers, Leda, and they started going out two to three times a week and had recently celebrated their two months anniversary with self baked cookies and orange juice from Gus and Jenny, who both adored Leda.
Ted and Blake had finally decided to adopt a child and their seven year old son, Thomas Claude was their everything. The small boy had a few medical issues but with the support of the family, the three of them quickly became a real family. Thomas also got along great with Gus and Jenny as well as Phin and Kelly.
Instead of adopting, Emmett and Drew were fostering several children from problematic families, trying to help them. Staying at their place helped the kids to get a break from their parents, creating much needed distance, while making sure all of them were working on the issues. It usually worked out well for the families and they always wanted to stay in contact with the couple.
After a break of six months, Ben went back to the university to continue his teaching and helped Hunter with his schooling. Both had some struggles at first, trying to figure out why they never saw what Michael was really like but talking to Alex Wilder had helped them to see that they weren’t to blame.
Lindsay didn’t have a good time in jail and most of the problems were caused by her entitlement and spoiled brat attitude. She was often the culprit of fights and took more beatings than any other woman there. She also had lost her parent’s support after the Petersons were convicted for bribery. Nancy and Ronald moved away and refused any contact with their daughter. The only one from the Peterson family that stayed in the city and had regular contact with the Liberty Avenue family was Lynette, Lindsay’s older sister. She owned her own bakery, which was a huge success, and worked with Emmett most of the time. She was shocked to hear about what Lindsay had done to the children, not that she was aware of the fact that her younger sister had children before. But she turned out to be a great friend and aunt to Gus and Jenny and even Phin and Kelly adored her.
Michael learned that being a prisoner was no fun, especially when it came out that he was helping phedophiles. He was beaten several times a day, was forced to drink his own piss and had tried to end his life many times but never succeeded. His inmates usually found him and made sure he came through. He didn’t deserve to end this misery. In their opinion, he had to suffer for a very long time and that wasn’t even enough.
Brian Kinney on the other hand floated through life on a rainbow ever since. Kinnetik continued to be a big success, making him a lot of money, and Babylon was the #1 club in the entire city. His biggest achievements though were personal. He and Gus had established a close father and son relationship. He also took over a lot of responsibility for Jenny, not just financially. He and Melanie had even become friends since they figured out they didn’t really hate each other and with no one, meaning Lindsay and to some extent even Michael, around to play them against each other, the two of them bonded quickly and their friendship was very strong. They also agreed on almost everything when it came to the children.
Brian and Gibbs had a few ups and downs in the first year when Brian’s insecurities showed up but the advertising genius refused to let those destroy their relationship. He sought Alex Wilder’s help for himself as well and after a couple of rough months he found himself getting stronger and more confident in areas of his life where had felt himself lacking before, especially as a partner. Fortunately for him, Gibbs was a very patient man and gave Brian all the space, time and support he needed to fight his demons. Having a partner he could truly depend on was huge for Brian and he enjoyed every minute of it. Loneliness no longer knew him by name.
FIN